Winter's Impending Arrival

We have had a blissfully light winter so far.  For example, it was about 75 degrees on Friday.  We wandered the back yard barefoot, had a picnic dinner outside and stayed out later still to watch the stars through our new telescope (one of B's birthday presents).  Tonight though, they say winter will arrive with "blizzard-like" conditions --- that was from a random email I received this afternoon telling me that the City of OKC would be closing on Tuesday.  EVERYTHING is closing or closed on Tuesday and not a drop of precipitation has fallen that I'm aware of.  The projects swear there is 100% chance of nastiness though -- snow of something like 8-12 inches, ice, winds of 30+ miles an hour the whole time.  Awesome. Seems like Brent may get to stay home for his birthday and watch the kids while I work as you see, my job will not be closed as 1000 miles away the weather will be somewhat less dramatic.

I managed to mightily resist the inherent urge to go out and procure supplies.  All day I felt like I needed to just go out and buy something so we would be prepared.  Mind you, we have bought more than $500 in groceries in the last three or four weeks so we are well provisioned even after three parties.  It did feel like I was missing out on tradition though.  I also missed the traditional call where my Dad entreats me to come to the farm (where we got snowed in this very week last year while the snow missed OKC).  They do have generators there though... I keep waiting for him to call so we can have this necessary and also some what irrational conversation.  Able did call, mostly just to say hi, and did not try to get me to pack up my family, but was nice.

Meanwhile, my mom and sister both have interesting pre-storm perspectives.  I particularly like the below poem which I've copied from my Mom's blog and is definitely our family's winter storm poem of choice.

The north wind doth blow 

and we shall have snow,

and what will the robin do then,

poor thing,

he'll sit in the barn to keep himself warm

and hide his head under his wing,

poor thing. 

The north wind doth blow 

and we shall have snow,

and what will the robin do then,

poor thing,

he'll sit in the barn to keep himself warm

and hide his head under his wing,

poor thing. 

My hope and prayer is that you and yours are snuggled safe and warm to ride out whatever storm may be headed your way.  (Or maybe blissfully enjoying the sun somewhere?)  I have to admit sneakily here in the moments while we're still waiting that the kid in me sort of wants a little snow to go tromp around in with my littles, and the grown-up who telecommutes has a pretty good gig for this situation too.  

I hear the wind blowing now so it appears the predictions are beginning to come true.  I think I'll snuggle down deeper in my blanket and check-in on my students from my cozy warm house. 

Vegetables in Space!

Wondering when I'm going to post about B's birthday parties? This is the first of a couple highlighting little bits to remember.

One of my favorite random space things I thought of for his second party was creating all the planets out of fruits and vegetables.  This came to me while pondering a mothering conundrum.  You see, B wanted to have corn dogs for his birthday party.  I'm OK with that, but suspected that the grown-ups would appreciate having a few other and perhaps healthier choices.  At his family party we'd had a sun, of sorts, made out of baby carrots arrayed around the ramekin with dip in it.  This, plus some thoughts about eating all our colors daily led to the below planetary array of fruits and vegetables.  Better still, I got to relax and leave the assembly largely to the kids!  I put my type A personality to the side as well as Brent's literal views on the colors of the planets and much creativity and tasty snacking ensued:

Mercury: Orange
Venus: Cauliflower and yellow bell pepper strips
Earth: Frozen blueberries and broccoli florets
Mars: Cherry tomatoes and red bell pepper strips
Jupiter: (HUGE) pile of baby carrots, strips of red peppers and a cherry tomato "spot"
Saturn: Broccoli, celery, yellow pepper strips, green bell pepper strips forming the "rings"  (We decided to make Saturn mostly green, my apologies to astronomers)
Uranus: 1/2 a red cabbage
Neptune: Blueberries

(We did not make Pluto, in part because it is now only "planet-like" but also because I'd been pondering making it out of mushrooms and one of our guests was allergic.  We do really like Pluto and it was part of the other decorations, but our vegetable planetary array did not include our planet-like friend).

Frozen blueberries were by far the favorite of all small people.  Word to the wise though, while they are incredibly delicious, they are also incredibly messy!

Long Happy Days

The last two weeks have been filled with long happy days. We have hosted two birthday parties for B at our house: the first for family and the later for friends. We attended Molly's first-birthday party and had a nice visit with my siblings and mom at the farm. We took treats to both kids' classes and survived both having various kids of illnesses. We've had B's well-child visit + shots and long swimming classes. I baked five cakes and approximately 11 dozen cookies. I co-hostessed my sister-in-law's adorably cute baby shower. This included making by hand 12 fun favors and pre-fabibing a scrapbook kit for assembly at the shower. We have played in gorgeous 75 degree, picniced in the back yard, weather and shivered as winter returned.

We did all this while working our normal jobs and doing all those normal things we do in ordinary times. We have cleaned, cooked, scrubbed, crafted, wrapped, snuggled, shopped and sighed. Brent's birthday is Tuesday and will be a quieter celebration than all this. As we near the end of the swirl, we are happy, tired, and so blessed to have such an incredible group of friends, family, colleagues, and teachers. Thanks to all of you that shared in our celebrations. We are tired, happy, and so very blessed.

Five on Friday

I am crafting away on goodies for the shower tomorrow,which are turning out so cute!  I will share some tutorials later, but in the meantime, wanted to share a few links to things I've been enjoying this week.

1.  I've been a WAHM mom for more than two and a half years now.  Our set up continually evolves and I love reading about others who do versions of this.  Therefore, this article from Ali Edwards was a perfect fit for me and others working on balance.  It doesn't offer answers, just what she does and what she prioritizes, but sometimes that alone is very helpful.  (Ps. If you want to see how her 2010 card layouts look they are now up).

2.  We're pretty focused on Birthdays and Baby Shower here still, but rumor has it that Valentine's Day is coming soon.  I've started seeing some gorgeous kids and I think my favorite collection is from this fun new Etsy store I found called "Inspire Lovely."  Isn't that a cool name? This collection of Valentine's fun makes me happy - inspiring & lovely.

3.  I have a new favorite scrapbook supplies source as well.  I discovered Ormolu during the recent December Daily project when Ali used some of the tags.  I ordered some and have so enjoyed using the Christmas ones in my December Daily and on little treats I handed out to people over Christmas.  The cool part was my second order.  There was a big sale in her shop and I immediately bought several different sets at an amazing price.  I goofed up my own order in my haste and I was so flabbergasted at how wonderful she was about the whole situation.  I did get my tags and I so enjoy them.  Her amazing customer service has won my business as much as the tags.  Anyway, doing business with real people, selling cool products who work hard for their customers makes me happy.

(No, none of this post is sponsored, just things I'm happy about and think are cool).

4. Fun (new to me) party site I've discovered is: Tip Junkie: Creative Party Ideas.  I have to admit, that I do aspire to really cool, pulled together, crafty parties, but rarely get even close so I just drool over the cool pictures and myriad of ideas.

5.  You remember Craftily Ever After from the Picture Frame post? She also has a very cool Etsy shop full of fun subway art designs.  I particularly like the Family Rules Print and the Rules of Love print makes me happy too.  I am such a word junkie, but you knew that.

Ten on Tuesday

1.  Guess what? This little Ten on Tuesday idea seems to be sticking around.  I started this tentatively on January 12, 2010 and made it almost every week of the year with one or two exceptions...like say the day my Dad died.  (Tears).  Better still several of my friends and family have adopted it which I'm loving.  I can't recall the blog where I found the idea initially, but thank you whomever you are.

2.  I am so sad that B was varying levels of sick for my sisters' entire visit.  He had, we guess, some sort of intestinal bug.  He has been improving rapidly since Monday morning so hopefully he is on the mend.  However, he had to shots today at his well-child visit and is now gimping around on sore legs.  Sad.

3.  The "stats" for the four year old are:

• Height: 44 inches - 99%
• Weight: 44.8lbs - 95%

   It seems a little odd to still have stats, but there they are.  They also checked his eyes, ears, blood pressures, oxygenation, and all the standard things they usually do.  My Dr. has this weird habit of having a "thing" about each year.  For three, it was being careful about fire (and visiting a fire station which we still haven't done).  This time it was that they complain about being in pain randomly when it isn't really pain so much as just being touched or whatever.  Odd conversation, but B, of course, immediately commenced upon this path.

4.  I LOVED having Audra & Co here.  Sometimes I wish I could have just sat more as usually I was cooking or child tending like a crazy person.  I knew the dynamic was set to change with the arrival of our kids.  Somehow, the absence of my Dad also seems more marked when we're all together.  Another crying round with Brent this week.  On we go.  I do wonder when I'll get to see the Korenaks again.  It is so hard to travel with littles I know it will be awhile.

5.  Big weekend doings-- so last weekend we had B's family birthday party and attended Molly's 1st birthday party followed by a trip to the farm.  I took more than 400 pictures.  Sadly, I have yet to work up the Moxie to sort/edit/select good ones so none are featured here this week.  We did get our weekly family picture in and it will appear eventually.

6.  New feature to the blog: I'm adopting the idea of Six People Twelve Times.  I am not sure that is the blog where it started, but Karenika is doing something similar here too.  My general plan is a brief line or two about what each of us is doing each month.  I'll likely pair it with the family pictures from that month and come up with a scrapbook page template to use each time so it is simple.  So, coming soon, Four People Twelve Times!

7.  I have so many little posts I want to write and so little time.  Not an excuse right? (I am hosting a baby shower and another birthday party for B/Brent this weekend, so maybe after that?).  I should really just do it. Somehow when the board meetings are close and I have Drexel class going on too it just seems even more time pressed around here.

8.  I ordered some seeds from my garden from the Seed Saver's Exchange.  I am trying to make a bit more of a conscious plan about both the plants and their arrangement this year.  Maybe I can get my mom to draw one of her garden diagrams for me.  One thing is for sure, there will be a tomato plant again, but it is not going to be in the very center of the garden taking over everything.  So far, I've ordered: Carrots (Davers & Nantes), spinach, lettuce mix, yellow squash, chard, plum radishes, zinnias, and bachelor buttons.  I definitely plan to also include lots of onions, a cucumber, a tomato, possibly strawberries again, and my existing herb area which will likely gain another friend or two.  I'm trying to better match the plantings to what we eat and not just what my parents always grow, but we shall see.

9.  Sometimes, I wonder that my kids are so incredibly different.  M, for instance, is miss hugs, kisses and pats.  She actually hugged Zane so many times that he wanted her to stop.  B, however, is much more recalcitrant.  He rarely volunteers hugs.  It made Sarah's month when he gave her one voluntarily (although inspired by his sister handing out hugs at the time).  Granted, there might be parallels between my husband and I..... Hmmmm

10.  I came to the astonishing realization that my husband's birthday is now less than a week away.... really, truly need to work on that.  It tends to sneak up on me as it is so close to B's.  Brent is doing fine, by the way.  He is a bit burnt out and has a lot of out of class type duties these days, but he is hanging in there.

Busy, busy week and next time there will be pictures!

Craft Day: What to do with Christmas Cards?

Time for a bit of memory keeping fun. Are you, by any chance, one of those people that have a particularly hard time throwing cards away? I am and particularly struggled with Christmas cards complete with pictures of my friends and family, but what to do with them? Last year, I discovered this solution from Ali Edwards. (Please read her more detailed instructions here as what follows is my short-hand version of what I do).

The general concept is to gather all your cards and a large and small square punches (I suspect you could do this with other shapes, but this makes it so easy to assemble). Then, I just go through the stack and punch out all the bits I like. As you can see, this includes a random sampling of art, pictures, signatures, and text from the cards we have received. This year, I primarily used the larger punch with a thin border of the smaller punch to fill out the page. I try to relax and not stress about "losing" something and also try to be pretty calm about my arrangement. I attempt to alternate photos with text or art, but am not 100% successful if the mix of things I've punched is otherwise. The final step is a ribbon across the bottom with the date centered on a tag.

 
The 2009 page is a bit more random mix of sizes and arrangement. I happened to find my saved 2008 cards just before doing my 2010 cards, so I did them both the same day.  The end result is a more similar presentation, but I doubt this will hold true in the future.

2010 also brought a new problem. I had a couple cards that were not conducive to my punch size. You'll notice the cute artwork on the front of a card from my nephew (aged almost 3) and the Wainrights adorable family picture that I couldn't punch without ruining the effect. I also liked the glittery card from Holly & Dwight. That left me with a bit of space left. What appears to be pattered paper with a title is actually an pocket. Inside are Christmas letters and some special encouragement I got this year from people sensitive to how hard my holidays were. I have been using pockets in several places lately so our next craft moment will be a Glue Dots post on creating and using pockets on pages like this. Meanwhile, get to punching out your cards and you'll have a page of sweet memories rather than piles of cards laying around in no time.

Happy Birthday B!

Somehow, I'm slightly surprised we're at four already dear boy. I can see the change to boy-hood. The picture at right, to me, is a sneak peak of the boy coming next as the little one fades into the background.

You have become so incredibly independent in the last year. You dress yourself, pick out your clothes, do your laundry, put things away, pick out what you want to eat (when given the option), tell stories (real and imaginary), play complicated video games by yourself, make up other ones, have very definite opinions, and are my daily helper. You take such good care of you little sister. More and more you two play together. I love watching you all run, chase and laugh together. I love talking over things with you and most of all that sweet boy smile.

For me, three was wonderful. I love that I can talk to you now and that you can usually tell me what you're thinking or what you are worried about. You say things like "I was disappointed" when something didn't work out or you weren't able to do it. I love that you can express that now even if it isn't the best feeling to have.  It is better than tears and easier to work with for both of us. You need me less, so the time when you have reached for my hand to walk to the car or run with me through the parking lot after swimming are sweeter still.

I am fascinated about what comes next. This year will bring Pre-K of somekind and more change. You will learn so many amazing things, meet new people, and grow even more. I look forward to all the books, hugs, kisses, laughter and talks.

 I think, however, I may miss three a bit. It was a perfect blend of need and independence. I will miss the amazing naps you would take while I worked a room away.  Somehow working is better knowing you are sleeping nearby.  I will miss having as much time together.

 I know that the new will be good too, but now I feel this crazy need to find some way to capture each moment, to celebrate the now, to be enough, to try and show you now how very much I love you, how much I need your hugs, how much I want you to spend time with me before the "school" phase begins. Balance, always balance, I suppose. Biased, I definitely am, but I love the boy you are becoming and hope the next year is full of great joy and wonder for you.  Your Daddy, Maggie and I love you so very much.  Thank you for brining laughter, hugs, and curiosity to our days.

Love and hugs sweet four year old, Mama

Birthday Week: In the beginning

It occurred to me recently that I don't think I've ever written up B's birth story so I'm going to add it in here.  I will try to be relatively brief, but feel free to skip past this one as it is mostly for our memories.

Notes on the pregnancy:  The pregnancy itself begins the story of his birth.  At about 15 weeks or so I had a major bleeding episode that landed me in the ER for 12 hours with a threatened miscarriage.  We walked out still pregnant, but with quite a few more fears.  I went on bed rest for a week (and then flew to OK for my sister's wedding).  The night of her wedding I felt the baby move for the first time and a small bit of hope.  The follow-up ultrasound showed the bleeding had stopped, but also that there was a two, rather than three vessel umbilical cord.  This meant monthly ultrasounds to make sure everything was going alright as well as a host of meetings with high risk doctors and geneticists who tried to explain all the various things that having a two vessel cord may indicate are wrong.  We elected to not do further tests as the pregnancy had already been threatened enough and nothing we might discover would change the Doctor's treatment or our decision.  One concern in this situation is having enough amniotic fluid to cushion the umbilical cord so I had weekly non-stress tests starting about a month from my due date and one of these begins the birth story.

On January 18, 2007, my non-stress test showed very low fluid levels.  I distinctly remember a Doctor (not mine) saying-- "You are going to have a baby today!"  I also remember not believing her --- which turned out to be spot on. She then gave me instructions about how to proceed to the hospital for an induction.   I called Brent, walked over to my office to close up shop, and then drove home to pick up our bags.  We made a leisurely trip to the hospital discussing our lack of a name and how nervous we were.

The induction begins with IV fluids, meetings with various Doctors and anesthetists as well as being hooked up to monitors.  I had to have monitors from the start due to worries about the umbilical cord issues as some babies in this situation do not tolerate labor well.  For the first about 30 hours (yes hours, not minutes), they attempted a very gradual induction using Cervadil.  Basically, not much happened all this time other than some mild contractions, Brent and I watching the heart rate/contraction monitors and no progress.  My Mom, meanwhile, had time to fly across the country and be quite surprised to discover when she arrived 24 hours after I was admitted that there was no baby.  By 8pm or so on Friday evening, the 19th, they had decided to move on to pitocin as the current path was doing nothing.  We agreed that I'd take a shower and a break while they worked on set-up/planning, etc...

As I got out of the shower and back into bed, my water broke.  By 9pm, I had regular progressing contractions and a tiny bit of pitocin, which they ultimately turned off as things were moving on their own.  I went through my normal, crazy, notion of needing to tolerate the pain of the contractions on my own for awhile, but a couple hours into that asked for an epidural.  I didn't really realize it would take another hour for that process.  Sigh.  The person doing the epidural was clearly new and the first try ended with spasming leg/hip muscles and a re-do.  I'd say all of this was wrapped up around midnight.  Shortly thereafter, my own Doctor came on call and said if I had the baby by 8am she would actually be the one there to deliver him. (Hurrah!) By 12:45, I was very uncomfortable again and they gave me a another dose of meds into the epidural.

Soon when I was very medicated, a Resident stopped by and discovered what I was probably actually feeling was a need to push.  I could feel absolutely nothing by this point, but we worked it out and about 45 minutes or so later at 1:53am on January 20, 2007, his due date, our adorable son, Brendan William,  was born weighing 8lbs 4oz at 21 inches long.  He was greeted by a large medical team both for him and for me into the glare of what I can best describe of spotlights in GW hospital in a room overlooking Square 54.  He was my inauguration day baby; born in Washington, DC.  His Grandma B, Daddy and I witnessed his arrival and were over joyed and in awe.  Oddly, I remember one of the first things Brent said to me was that B had my elf ears and I loved that he noticed that little thin in their very first moments together.

The medical team did all their tests then and in the days that followed and all the scare about the umbilical cord was for naught.  We had an perfectly lovely, healthy, beautiful baby boy.  The days to come were filled with challenges, particularly related to breast feeding attempts and lack of sleep, but that moment in a dark DC night changed us into parents and changed our lives forever.  We love you sweet boy!


Pictures of the whole deal are available here.  Just such a beautiful baby boy. Brent titled the email telling everyone of his birth "Cutest.Baby.Ever" and I still wholeheartedly agree... no offense M.

Ten on Tuesday Birthday Week: Favorites

I struggle to remember his favorites two months ago, let alone 12 so it seemed appropriate to try and capture this moment and year to the best I can.

1.  Lego Star Wars: The Complete Saga  - Favorite does not begin to describe his current fascination with this game.  I've even given in and started learning to play a bit. He doesn't always know what to do next, but LOVES it.  (Thanks Erik and Kelli!)

2.  Swimming -- I am so glad we've been doing swimming classes this year.  We're in our third month and I am seeing improvement each time it is my turn to go with him.  Better still he is extremely happy, talkative and full of energy when it is over, which I love.  At this age, I think swimming is an excellent activity because he is learning a life skill, exercising and having fun.  If he doesn't want to do it forever, that's fine, but in the meantime will know some basics to help keep him safe.  Below are a few sample pictures from this week's class.

3.  Fruit Snacks - I don't know that we even had fruit snacks really before he was three, but he is a huge fan and M has been won over.  I, meanwhile, am less convinced as they are mostly HFC and coloring, but we look for better compromises with more actual fruit.

4.  Boots + Dress-up - He so enjoys wearing his boots.  He has rainboots and snowboots and prefers to have one or the other on.  He wore his old pair of rain boots all the time over the last year and just got new fireman boots that have quickly become his new favorites.  (Thanks Grandma!)  The picture of the boots below reminds me that tied to the boot idea is his new love of dress-up this year.  This is the first year he has really been in to costumes, capes, masks, hats, etc...   Our dress-up collection has grown-substantially and often slips over into daily activities like storing things in the attic which he was helping Brent with here.

5.  Chase - B loves to play chase whether it is around our living room, around the back yard or at a gym.  He and M routinely amuse themselves by chasing one another all around.  B and I even raced each other all over the gym at Roman's birthday party this weekend. (Which I'm sure was a sight for the spectators).

6. Legos -  He has amassed a pretty impressive collection of legos this year.  He enjoys his own Legos, but his real favorite thing is to help Brent assemble his big Star Wars lego ships.  We also have a fun new Lego game that we've only played a few times, but is fast becoming the new Lego hit - LEGO Minotaurus Game

7. Pancakes - B, as trained by his dad, pretty much insists on always having cereal for breakfast.  On lucky days he gets pancakes and cereal.  Grandma makes him pancakes a lot and I make them also, albeit not as often.  He particularly has learned to love real maple syrup for dipping.

8. Mario - Hard to believe I almost overlooked Mario as before Lego Star Wars for Wii entered our lives he played Mario Galaxy all the time. (We have both I and II).  He also enjoys Mario Kart and even has a Mario and Luigi shirt.  As you can see, Brent and Brendan continue to have a lot in common.

9. Snuggling - I don't know that B would admit this most days, but I've secretly convinced myself that he loves snuggling.  We have a "snuggle place" in his room which is generally where we read books, hide under the covers, etc.  He also admitted that he really likes it when we rests our heads against each other.  This is a big improvement as he was not a snuggly boy or toddler, but, on occasion is a bit more snuggly now, which I love.

10.  Space + Toy Story -  I think B really likes things about space.  It is a bit hard to separate out if this is just tied to Star Wars or in general, but he has long had a space-themed bedding and ceiling fan in his room.  He also has many books about space.  His favorite is probably The Magic School Bus - Space Adventures.  Aunt Audra got him a moon for his room last year, which is often out of batteries, but fits perfectly with the glow in the dark stars on his ceiling.  He also frequently sports his various space themed apparel.  We are even having a space themed birthday party, per his request.

On second thought, this may well be tied to Buzz Lightyear.  I can't imagine that Toy Story wasn't on the list before so I'm lumping it in here.  Buzz is his favorite character most of the time and Toy Story 3 was his first movie in the theater.  He is big fan of all the movies, games, toys, etc.

I'm leaving out obvious favorites like M, Brent and I or his other family members as I'm assuming we're mostly constants.  I'm fascinated to think what the list might hold a year from now!

Birthday Week: Winter

I don't really feel like we've had too much winter yet this time around. He had a bit more true winter last year when we were snowed in at the farm and he got to help Grandpa move hay around to feed the cows and tromp all around in his snow boots.

So far for this December and January it has just been mostly bitterly cold so we've resorted to inside fun. Above, he is playing Zingo with Daddy & Grammy. He is a rather agressive Zingo guy, I have to admit.

His true love just now is Lego Star Wars for Wii which was a gift from Erik and Kelli for Christmas. If that isn't going on his next favorite, of course, would be making Star Wars ships out of Lego pieces with Daddy. This shot has the added bonus of a Star Wars shirt too. He did, in the course of the year, complete the cycle of Star Wars movies. I don't think he is as much a fan of them as he is of the game or Lego bits, but perhaps when he is older? (I don't think he could manage not to be in our house).

Finally, the only snowy type day in 2011. He and M decided to have a picnic in the bitter cold wearing their snow boots with just traces of snow in the background. Having an increasingly mobile, stubborn, and active sister has definitely been an ongoing adaptation this year, but I'm pleasantly surprise how well they get along and how much fun they are starting to have together. Makes my heart melt to watch them play and laugh together. Too wonderful.

Birthday Week: Fall

I don't know that I that I ever jumped in piles of leaves as a kid, but LOVE that this was one of B's new adventures this year. There were tons of leaves in front of my parents' house this November. With some help from grown-ups and creative tools a huge pile was gathered. B leaped, played, jumped, covered himself and others, tossed leaves high, re-stacked, hid and generally created a whole new world of games from one pile of leaves. His sister joined in and on a later visit his Fraunts. This pile of leaves was one of his favorite "toys" of fall and one of mine too. As he plays more video games I continually appreciate finding "active" things like this that get his mind and body moving. He is so inventive and so happy in motion. Fall almost had to be about loving the simple things.

Birthday Week: Summer

Each June, the kids and I spend a week at the farm while Brent travels to a conference "back East" with his students. This time, featured stories with Grandpa and much splashing in the water. It was still a bit cool at times, but we have MANY pictures of B and M in this tub splashing happily away as well as lots of time being sprayed with the hose. B sought water all summer with several trips to Great-Granddaddy's pool and lots of playing in the sprinkler in our backyard. We even made a couple trips to the nearby sprinkle park and played with the Hopper slip 'n slide too!

One of B's classic summer adventures this year was riding what I think was his first carousel in Enid. It was the same little amusement park area I visited as a child and we had a great time. He chose to ride reddy donkey (he gave it that name) who did not actually move up and down. Maybe next year we'll upgrade to the big horses? It was a fun full summer with no MDO for B and lots more time with Mama. We wrapped up our summer with a family trip to STL full of food, family and fun.

Birthday Week: Spring

As I don't really do monthly updates for B, I think birthday week will feature a brief post from each season with ONLY three pictures so I don't go insane.

Spring began with B's first construction project-- the bird feeder he made with Grandma B with some help from the Home Depot kit crew. The apron is now a fixture in our dress-up closet along with his "play tools" and the bird feeder is spending the winter on our willow tree after relocating from a spot on the fence.

His construction project was the same day as Brent's big construction project-- my raised garden. Shortly thereafter, Grandpa appeared with a load of the best dirt ever and instructions for B on how to plant carrots. Truly this project is one of those I'm most grateful we did this year as it could easily have been put of and I cherish these memories and pictures so very very much now.

March also included a play date with cousin John at our house. I wish we could have more of these too, but so enjoyed getting to watch the boys run and play together. In this picture, they are sharing a lunchime picnic on our back porch. B is wearing his Buzz Lightyear PJs, which were another big deal this year.

Birthday Week: Cute Dude

One week from today, my little boy turns four.  Hard to believe and it feels like time is already slipping away as we edge inexorably closer to the "school years." For today though, he remains "cute." He insists he can't be handsome until he is at least 10 and who am I to argue?   He did attempt to argue that he couldn't be a "dude" either until he is a Daddy, but we convinced him that Uncle Able is a dude and not a daddy and he has agreed that he can be too, in that case.

 Last week, he discovered that he owned a tie (Santa "might" have forgotten to put this in his stocking, ahem). Luckily, Grandma B happened to be here during this discovered and tied it on for him. (I have no clue how to tie a tie, but did make my first attempt today, sloppily). He then decided to wear the tie to school along with his Pac Man shirt, obviously.  Who are we to argue against dressing up? Off he went and I assumed it might last the first hour, but when Grandma picked him up, it was still on.   Then, much like Daddy, he was ready to take it off when he got home, but I insisted on a quick photoshoot first.  The results are below and I adore my Cute Dude at almost four.  I can almost see his personality lighting up these photos.  Love them. 

(You can see this picture larger here)

Burn the Floor

In the last of my series of fun cultural events for awhile, I attended Burn the Floor on Saturday with my Mom and some girlfriends. It is an incredibly fast-paced dance show featuring alums from So You Think You Can Dance, Dancing with the Stars and other similar programs as well as dancers from Broadway.  The show included a wide range of styles from traditional ballroom through Latin styles, a bit of modern dance and jazz. They amped up the sexy in all the styles and we got an up close view from our front row seats.  I remain amazed by the lightning footwork and the ability to remember more than two hours of routines and quick changes.  It was wonderful fun and a great inspiration to keep dancing.  I may even attempt another Zumbathon this weekend if my body feels up to it.

Have any of you seen this or similar shows? I'd love to see more like this and appreciate any recomendations!

Ten on Tuesday

1. Everywhere else in the country appears to be snowy this week. We had a tiny bit of dusting snow on Monday, but not much more. We did break out M's new snow boots and rain coat (yes, crazily her actual coat was in the wash... sigh). Very cute and yes she has rain boots to match as well. Thank you Grandma B!

2. We are thinking a lot about space right now in anticipation of B's 4th Birthday. Bonus points for clever people who can identify where this image is from (Hint: OKC Metro area).

3. Could my kids be more different? B has never really been too much into meat, but M is a crazy carnivore. We had pigs in a blanket and M promptly ate the insides while B ate the biscuit part. It does work out, but still amazes me.

4. We did take our first round of family pictures this week. We will have to get speedier about set-up and work on not blowing them out this much, but I'll take it.

5. I am getting a TINY bit better with the new lens. I am manually focusing more all the time and am begining to wonder if my own eyes just don't focus well because sometimes when it looks perfectly focused to me it comes out blurry. Could just be that I need more practice.

6. Looks like B will be having several parties again this year. Still haven't finalized the date/plan for the later one. Trying to work in a little time at the zoo, but folks, it is January. We shall see. I have actually bought some things for the parties though which is big progress.

7.  I read a really fun book this week, almost devoured, actually. So if you are looking for a good read, consider The Girl Who Chased the Moon.

8.  We are entering week two of the course I teach.  I'm starting to get back into the rhythm of it, but keep reminding myself that the first month is the easy part (for me).

9.  Our Christmas decorations are not fully put away.  Thank goodness B's birthday is in January or who knows how long this might persist.

10.  We did clean out two areas this week.  B and I cleaned out Brent & my bedroom from all the Christmas chaos and we cleaned out the garage thanks to the recycling center finally being open.  Able also found an apartment so his things have moved on too.  I'm not sure either space is really at 100% fixed, but definitely progress so we'll take that.

Hope you are having a wonderful week!

Motherhood Moments

Moment #1: I began the morning luxuriating in my snuggly warm blankets just a bit longer than usual with visions of a little snow and an ordinary morning.  Shortly after getting up, I picked up Lady M and as soon as I took her PJs off, she started to cry.   She didn't stop for over an hour of screaming sobs.  So sad and confusing.  She kept touching her ear (not the one that was infected) and her head just behind her ear.  Being my paranoid self, I left to many wild conclusions, gave her some Tylenol and snuggled as I prepped B for school and M for a Dr. visit.  Thankfully, for once, her Dr. visit ended with a clear reading for her ears and a simple diagnosis of  muscle cramps or a crick in her neck from sleeping strangely.  A bit of tylenol and some baby back rubs were all that was needed.  It was a relief, but I felt a bit silly too.  Such is the sometimes story of motherhood.

Moment #2: M and I did get a wonderful few minutes of playing in the lightly falling show in our new snow boots before naptime.  This is probably the first snow she remembers and it was great to watch her wander around in her new pink polka dot rainboots and explore. (Cute pictures to come)  During naptime, I elected to NOT do crazy productive things as I'd already called in sick.  It became a bit of a mental health day for me too.  I finished my book (which was very good).  I scrapbooked a little, rested, and, of course, checked in with my email.  A strange, unexpected day, but it turned out to be nice too even though I'll probably miss that sick day later.  It was nice to have quiet bit of time to just relax alone and do what I enjoy with the snow gently falling outside the window.

Moment #3:  I made homemade bread and homemade pizza this evening.  I loved watching my kids' excitement as it was cooking.  They both Love homemade bread (Brent says everyone does).  I love that I can give them this somewhat unusual experience and that we can make all this together.  It was definitely a suzy homemaker type moment, but that's not so bad when I have the opportunity to do it.  Lady M keeps me company more and more these days while I cook which is wonderful.

Moment #4:  I spent much of my evening being a friend and motherhood pro (or as much as I can be only 4 years in).  Two different friends are in the third trimester of their 1st pregnancies.  Both are pregnant with baby girls due this spring and both are friends from graduate school (Law and MA respectively).  I love them and our very different friendships.  We talked about basic things like what do they Need to buy v.  all the stuff in the stores, what to think about pregnancy, labor, breast-feeding, work/life balance, etc.  Conversations like this are so wonderful and important.  I love welcoming people into motherhood and think that the support network of women living and sharing this experience together is so vital.  I can't meet them for hot chocolate like would prefer, but I am so glad that we still get to share, support and learn together.  Friends and family made a big difference in my early motherhood trials and I so hope to be there for all my friends and family too.  Pregnancy and new parenthood can be intense and relationships like this have made a huge difference to my experience.


Looking at this I'm sort of amazed at the crazy, varied, full day I had and really this isn't that unusual.  This is motherhood-- growing, changing, evolving, unexpected, full of rewards and challenges and a big part of who I am now.

Ten on Tuesday

1.  In good news, I've been able to go to Zumba 3 of the last 5 days.  This makes me a happy, if slightly sore, lady.

2.  I did, finally, cave in and weigh myself for the first time at home since my Dad died.  In exciting news, I've only gained five pounds.  This is a modern day miracle considering my tendencies to mourn via food + holidays + chest injury.  Of course, I still have quite a ways to go (20-25lbs) on my overall weight loss goal, but glad to not to have sabotaged myself too much.

3.  B returned to swimming class today.  He has a new, rather serious teacher and got to try all new tricks including freestyle.  Mind you, he is probably not ready for these new tricks, but did have a great time which is what we're looking for.  As a bonus, he came home full of energy so he and M played chase around the couch while Brent and I happily observed from the sidelines. (Usually we're a participant with one or the other of them).

4. I think, in random news, I've made a bit of a break through in my scrapbooking thought process.  I tend to be a bit of a "rule follower" and when presented with a sketch have stayed rather close to the example in the past.  My current class, may not be quite as complicated/artsy/detailed as my prior ones and I've elected to take a liberal view of the sketches.  I do use them as a jumping off point, but my pages are often wildly different.  Many people have done this for ages, but for me it is relatively new to be able to spin an idea so wildly into something quite different and much more my own.  We shall see how it goes as I continue on.

5.  M has an ear infection, again.  I am not sure if this merits mention as it is a common occurrence, but it is the third piece in the saga of M illnesses for the last week or so.  Here's hoping she is feeling better soon.

6.  I am attempting to eat more healthfully and starting by having a vegetable serving (at least one) at every meal.  I've been doing this for about a week now and have only missed once, I think.  This did change our grocery shopping a bit this week which was a good thing, I think.

7.  I have a call at 8:30am in the morning.  Yes, I should probably be asleep.  Thankfully Brent is taking the morning off to help get the kids to "school" while I take the early call.  He was off today for his furlough day as well.  It is going to be a shock to the system next week when we're all back to normal schedules.

8.  M started Mother's Day out on Monday and despite being a somewhat cranky girl in the morning, I'm told she did wonderfully well.  They are going to be surprised when her more vivacious self shows up when she is feeling better.   It was lovely from my perspective to drop them both off at the same place and greatly reduced my driving time.  I know this will be a brief respite as B will likely need to go to a new school in the fall, but I am going to savor it!

9.  I am in search of a warmer winter coat for Miss M.  Crazily, now that it is actually cold, there are hardly any warm coats left in the stores and most of those look horrendous.  I will persevere, but not feeling too optimistic just now.

10.  We have a couple new plans for the new year --- 1) clean out one closet or area per week as our house is getting an increasingly cluttered feel and 2) my goal is to take one picture of all for of us each week.  I will post these here, probably on the Ten on Tuesday post, if we're successful.

Here's hoping your first week of the new year is a wonderful one!

Frame Crafting Tutorial

You may recall back in the midst of the December Daily swirl, I mentioned a craft project at the Christmas Tea. This year's craft project was "Christmas Present Frames" from Craftily Ever After.  The Craftily Ever After version is, in very short, decorating an inexpensive wooden frame with craft paint, wrapping paper and glue.  I liked my resulting frame, but as often happens was convinced I could do better.  The problems I had were largely due to wrinkling of the paper as the glue dried.  The fault, I surmised, was largely that the paper was thin and I did not do a careful enough job when I set it on the glue.  Being somewhat of a paper addict, I decided to try again with some much nicer paper from my scrapbook stash.  I pulled some of my favorite pages from the Studio Calico (Napa Valley) and Cocoa Daisy (Poker Face) November Kits.  This is a great project for paper you really love as it will be out where you (or your recipient) can see it all the time rather than in a book where you won't see it as much.

Below is the adaptation I came up with which I used to make presents for Bill, Marilyn, my brother and Brent's Granddaddy (who got a special advanced version I'll explain below).  My apologies to Jamie who asked for this a week ago.  Hope this gets to you in time!

Paper + Frames + Photos = Beautiful Presents

Supplies:

• 12x 12 or 8.5 x 11 Quality Scrapbooking paper --
• Look for brands that use somewhat thicker paper.  Examples include: Basic Grey, Sassafras Lass, Studio Calico, Making Memories, Crate Paper, etc... Basically, just feel the paper and reach for something that feels thicker than your normal copier paper or the thin house brand paper (Hobby Lobby's house brand is Paper Studio--- the designs can be wonderful, but often less thick paper than some of these other companies)
• You need one sheet per frame you plan to make.  It may be easier to use 12x12 so you have more space to work with.  
• Consider somewhat small to medium repeating patterns so you don't lose a bit pattern when trimming the paper off. 
• Let me know if you want the name of the exact papers here and I'll gladly look it up for you.
• Wooden unfinished frame -- available at Craft stores  - I used ones with a 5x7 opening and surface closer to 8x10
• These vary greatly as well.  In her tutorial, she uses ones with a squared off edge.  This would be much easier to work with than the ones I chose which have a slight bevel.
• I chose the bevel/extra edge initial because the square ones weren't available at my store, but I ended up liking it as more of the paint showed for better contrast. 
• Modge Podge - I use the "matte" version, but either would probably work.
• Coarse Sandpaper (Sarah provided mine so I don't recall the specific number, but think it was over 100 whatever that means)
• Scissors
• Small/Medium foam paint brushes (2 - one for paint and one for glue --- or you could just wash them out).
• Craft paint -- A very small bottle of any acrylic paint will do.  It should coordinate with your paper selection. I used what I had on hand--- usually red or brown.

Optional extras -- Distressing ink, flowers, buttons, GlueDots

Instructions:

• Assemble supplies as this moves very quickly.  You may want to cover your work surface with newspaper or something so the paint doesn't get everywhere. 
• Paint the interior and exterior edges of the frame.  The interior edge is the small lip that is between the paper and the photo.  The exterior edge, in my case went from the edge of the paper out over the beveled edge and I painted slightly onto the back so no edge would be showing the underling color.  Let dry--- probably only take 10 minutes or so.  Check and see if there are any spots remaining and touch up as necessary.

• Apply a thin layer of ModgePodge to the frame an gently lay your paper on top starting at one edge and smoothing outwards towards the opposing edge, trying to eliminate any air bubbles.  Let this dry slightly (maybe 5 minutes).  Check on the paper and see if there are any edges coming up or bubbles under the paper.  If so, press gently to smooth them out and add some bits of glue to the edge to help it stick.

• Cut out the center piece of the paper approximately where the photo will go, leaving about an inch or so on each side.  You will remove this by sanding the paper around the edges as shown in the Craftily Ever After demo.  This requires slightly more pressure or strokes with thicker paper, but it is also less prone to ripping unexpectedly. 
• Repeat with the exterior edges.  If you have a beveled frame, it is slightly more difficult as you don't have a straight 90 degree angle to work with.  You may find that you sand the paint a bit in the process.  If so, you can either leave it for a distressed finish look or touch up the paint very VERY carefully before finishing your project.

 

• Once all the paper is trimmed.  Apply a generous coat of ModgePodge all over the paper (and if you want to, the beveled sides as well).  It will dry clear, I promise.  Here is where I typically panic and think I've ruined it, but it all works out.   (See Tracie's above for an example of the ModgePodge step and Sarah's for the finished project-- worked perfectly)

That's it!  A fun, easy, cheap frame that can be very beautifully made with the paper of your choice and supplies many of you have around already.

For the slightly upgraded version I did for Granddaddy, I simply added three small to medium flowers at the lower left corner with GlueDots and created centers for them with buttons and more GlueDots.  I added one more flower at the upper right in the same manner.  (Sadly, no photos of the finished version.  It is below at the top-right pre-flowers, but was wrapped pretty much immediately after the flowers were attached.)

I also did a bit of an extra treatment to the pink frame.  It is hard to see here, but it was a bit to "white" in a collection of frames with a vintage look.  I simply ran my Tim Holtz Distress Ink Pad Vintage Photo  over the edges of the paper and smudged it here and there across the surface by gently swiping across the paper.  I did this BEFORE the final layer of Modge Podge so it was sealed in.  If you don't use ink pads to distress things normally you may want to try this out on scrap paper first so you can see what it looks like.  I'm glad to help if you'd like to learn more about this fun technique.

Enjoy and I'd love to see pictures of what you create!

Ps. Thanks to Tracie, Sarah and B for their crafting assistance as always!

Savor: Homemade Bread

Part of my "One Little Word" objective is focusing on savoring foods more, feeding my body more healthy fare and eating a bit less.  Reading Animal, Vegetable, Miracle is probably helping me focus on this aspect of "savor" a bit more as well.  The book moves between discussions of the industrial food complex and how they spent a year eating locally, growing their own food, etc.... This has me pondering thing like my spring garden and whether I might try making cheese someday as I vaguely recall my parents doing.  Both of those are stories for another day.   Today's story is about homemade bread.  There are few things more worthy of savoring and I want to share it with you.

Today, after a wonderful, long Zumba class with Tracie at the Y, I came home and decided it was time for M and I to make some bread.  I do not, to my husband's chagrin, make bread that often of late.  This is not because it is difficult, but more because of the perception that it is time consuming.  In reality it takes less than two hours and most of that time you can be focusing elsewhere.  I would guess less than 30 minutes of focused attention once you have the hang of it.  The resulting bounty is more than worth that and I'm hoping to bake bread more often this year.  Homemade bread nurtures the body with whole grain goodness and now wacky chemicals, is a fun family activity, tastes heavenly and leaves my house smelling amazing.

Back to today's adventure, Lady M, is a problematic helper because she is unduly fascinated by my Kitchen Aid Mixer.  She reaches in and plays with things (even when it is spinning) drops her spoon in, changes the speed, covers herself comically in flower, etc.   In short, I had a few challenges in my bread making today. Even with a helper that was routinely taking ingredients out of  the bowl and with her hands in everything it worked well.  The ingredients are few: flour, water, milk, butter, sugar, salt, yeast, maybe an egg (and a couple secret ingredients).  We make a big batch and divide it into a few different styles of bread-- usually this includes, a loaf, at least a dozen rolls, and usually either cinnamon rolls or meat pockets of some kind (more on this later).

I am thinking of describing the joy and process here, but think instead that I will give to you as a gift an in person tutorial in bread making for those of you that are nearby and interested.  If enough are interested, my mom, the true master, might even join us.  (Her bread is INCREDIBLE.  She taught me long ago and has that special touch).  Once our in-person tutorial is complete, I will write out the lesson here for my more distant friends, if there is interest.  Note in the comments if you're interested in a hands on lesson at my house or a blog/discussion about the specifics.

For today, we pulled the hot, steaming crusty bread from the oven, rubbed a smear of butter over the top and enjoyed.  My favorite today was a new variation that, to me, was the word "savor" incarnate.  Traditionally, the "meat" pockets above refers to Kraut burgers (cabbage and a little meat in a bun) or Ranch burgers (my mother's creation -- sort of a beef, bean and cheese mixture in the bun that she would take to the field at harvest for an in-hand filling meal).  For those not so familiar with the homemade version, think hot pockets, but approximately a 1000 times better.

Today, I invented my own, perhaps based loosely on that hot pocket idea.  I wrapped a slice of ham from the deli around a slice of colby cheese broken into two pieces, attempting to seal the cheese inside.  Then, I wrapped the dough tightly around the ham bit before placing the roll in the pan for the second rise.  Once cooked and hot from the oven, this was so incredible.  I ate it slowly.   I savored each bite.  I ate only one because after one carefully, fully enjoyed, I was satiated and happy with the knowledge that I have five more to slowly enjoy in coming days or freeze for future lunches. 

Sound tempting? You too can make this and probably more easily than you think.  My gift of savor to you is your very own lesson to up the taste and healthiness of your 2011.  Let me know if you're in and we'll work out a date/time.

One Little Word 2011

As mentioned previously, I have signed up for Ali Edward's One Little Word 2011 class and overall commitment to consciously working with and reflecting on this word for the coming year.  I like her explanation or what we're going to do with this word.

And what do you do with this one little word?

You live with it. You invite it into you life. You let it speak to you. You might even follow where it leads. There are so many possibilities. ~ Ali Edwards

Without further ado, my word for 2011 is: Savor

Savor is used as both a noun and a verb.  I am most interested in the verb as it is something I plan to "do" but here are various definitions I found from Mirriam Webster online:

transitive verb

1

: to give flavor to : season

2

a : to have experience of : tasteb : to taste or smell with pleasure : relishc : to delight in : enjoy <savoring the moment

intransitive verb

: to have a specified smell or quality 

noun

1

: the taste or smell of something

2

: a particular flavor or smell

3

: a distinctive quality

Personal importance:

•  Savoring the moment -- not trying to do ten things at once ALL the time.  If my kids are playing, I want to join in more and observe or do my own thing less.  I want to embrace the fleetingness of this time in all its uniqueness and delight in it.  My ongoing journey of finding the joy and marvel in everyday continues.
• Savoring food -- I begin again my fitness and weight loss journey each January.  I want to think more consciously about savoring my food.  I want to really taste all its wonder and not rush through.  I want to pick my food more carefully for what it gives my body as well as the taste.  I know that if I truly enjoy each small wonderful bite I will likely succeed at eating less.
• Savor - I want to add flavor to the lives around me, to enrich my surroundings as only I uniquely can. 

It is not that I think I have done poorly in these areas in the last year.  Rather, these are things I think about frequently.  I am picking my word to keep it present in my daily life, to think about how to improve this area, and to live more consciously with these goals in mind.  These concepts will be present for me long past 2011, but my hope is that by taking time to focus on these overlapping notions of Savor I will be more fully present in 2011 for myself and my family.

Do you have one little word? I will check in with mine here off and on throughout the year and as the class progresses and invite you to join me in whatever way suits your year.  

Happy New Year!  May your year be filled with great joy!