Over So Soon..

He was TOTALLY into Christmas this year. Had to make sure he was on the nice list. (Which some days this past month was a battle...most parents know, that during the holidays, when the children are suppose to be the well behaved ladies and gentlemen...they instead turn into toy hungry heathens.) He made a wish list. For months and months and months. He wished and wished and wished. For Dinosaurs. Dinosaur shoes. Dinosaur clothes. Walking Dinosaurs. Roaring Dinosaurs. Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs, Dinosaurs.

We travel for Christmas every year. Normally ending at my parents late at night on Christmas eve. I carried my sleeping child from the cold car and started to carry him into the bedroom to get ready for bed. With his eyes still closed his groaned..."mom.. I need to spread reindeer food so they know where to come and find me." And so he did. At 12:30 in the morning. In the snow. On my parents front lawn.

Of course, I couldn't let him wear dino clothes for Christmas Eve. He had to snazz it up a little. I think he cleans up pretty nicely. He threw the shades on himself. And yes his hair is obscenely long.....I did let him wear his jammies for the next two days straight. But so did I.

And after all the traveling we ended up on Christmas with a foot of snow. And since we were all too tired and full from eating, we sent out son out in his pajamas to shovel the deck. Just kidding... that was about a two minute period..just to try out his new red shovel.. the only non-dinosaur item on his list.

Snug as a Bug

I've been living out of suitcases and boxes since November 5th. Last night I hung up my last piece of clothing in its perfect place to live. (My clothes didn't have a place to live for a few days last week, which as most of you know throws my life into turmoil. )

We moved during the coldest week of the year. It was 20 below last Wednesday and I was hauling load after load into the old house. (There were 4 U-haul loads made along with the movers that kindly moved my furniture for me) Its windows on the front porch iced over several times, but I didn't mind. It was beautiful to come home to at night. It wasn't exactly the most ideal week to move. Our pipe burst. Our bed broke. The screen door locked itself and wouldn't open again without being completely taken off. I am sharing a bathroom. Something I have never done in my whole life (except for the first year in college, which I'm sure I drove my roommate insane with all the hair products, toothpaste and other required girl things.) My puppy has ran off three times only to come back to my thundering whistle. (yes, I whistle louder than anyone I know....) My feet are cold and I have now taken up wearing slippers on the hard wood floor, something I forgot about whilst having carpet for the last few years. The fluffy furniture didn't fit into the unfinished basement and were sold on Craigslist in a matter of hours. There was bickering. There were scratches left in places I didn't want. I'm so tired that I don't remember going to sleep at night most of the time.

However... of all the things gone wrong, I can honestly say, I'm insanely happy. I love the old house. I love how I will make it mine. I love that my family is adjusting so well (even the animals, and even the ones that need to romp around the neighborhood from time to time), I love the uninsulated windows of the front porch. I love that I can again dance in my kitchen.

New Old House

Last Friday I put up my Christmas tree. In my new house.

Before all the moving craziness began, I made my family have a moment of calm and togetherness. With our tired bodies we went and picked out a Christmas tree (we bought it this year, as I couldn't take the time to drag them to the mountains) and decorated it in an empty house. No furniture. No boxes. Just the tree and the lights and all the memories that hang on it. I brought the record player over and we played Christmas music and danced and sang. It was perfect. It was very reminiscent of the days of yore, or at least what I think it would have been like back then.....with only the fire for light and heat.

We moved into a big ol' house built in 1916 this past weekend. The first two floors are finished and the basement is not. It needs a garage door and there is a chicken coup in the back yard (in the middle of town)There is work to be done on it, and there will be bickering (not fighting), and there will probably be holes put where they aren't suppose to. There will be things that go wrong. But... I can't wait for it all! If the whole thing comes out remotely what it looks like in my head... then it will be completely awesome!!!!

I want to thank all the the folks that have been helping us along the way. We would not be able to do this without you. Our friends and family have been enormously supportive and we really appreciate it.

I Want This Job

This man's primary job was to make sure all the people swimming in the waterfall were having a good time. I wouldn't say he was there to lifeguard, but I think if someone was maybe drowning, he could have helped. I kinda would like to have a job where a hammock was my chair for the day!

I will be MIA for just a little while longer. Have some things keeping me really busy at home and won't be done for a couple more weeks. I know there are some that check in here everyday, and I apologize for the absence. I will be back to normal soon. Hopefully. Maybe. As soon as my sleep schedule goes back to not waking at 4 am everyday!

One Night in Bangkok

Or three.

You know when you are going through the airport and you see those nearly homeless looking people. The ones carrying large backpacks. The ones who look as if they haven't showered in days. Well.... that was me for the last eleven days. I have been that homeless looking backpack carrying traveler. And I loved it.

I did not wear makeup. I did not fix my hair. I did shower though, twice a day, though you would probably not be able to tell that.

I have spent the last week in Thailand. I walked city streets. I stayed in hostels. I hiked. I rode river rafts. I rode scooters. I swam. I rode elephants. I rode trains. I jumped in the back of pick up trucks that looked as though they should be carrying live stock. I para-sailed. I ate on the beach. I have bug bites. I have a sun burn and more freckles than I left with.

I have a new set of amazing memories and I'm so thankful for each and every one of them.

More to come as soon as I can.

Missing Already

It gets harder and harder every time and I do believe that this will be the last one for a while. The last trip for a while that I take without my baby. Now that he's older I miss him more and more when I go. I miss the banter. I miss the funny faces. I miss the amazement is his everyday world that makes my world so fun.

I will be MIA for a while. Not really reachable. When I get back, I will probably be MIA for a little while longer, though I will check in and out here and there. Like I've said to probably 100 people in the last few months..."what can I say, I lead a crazy, fun, busy life!"

A Dino Halloween

Tonight as we were driving along the highway to another neighborhood for tricks and treats the sun was glowing behind the trees. It was just like what I would imagine a Halloween story to begin with. The kind of light that silhouettes the trees so their now bare branches show and whistle and wave in the wind. It was perfectly orange. From the back seat I hear... "look mom, the sun knows it's Halloween too!...*in a softer whisper*..it's so beautiful." I smile.

As the sun was going down we were winding down and heading closer to home. Sugar high had hit and the spinning and whirling and crazed eyed little boy was about to hit bottom.

Yesterday he got to take a little walk on the Yellow Brick Road at my husband's office.

And hang out with with these two.

Dorothy.

The Cowardly Lion.. (you can't tell, but he's holding his tail.)

And he also got to have this for his pumpkin of the year. Props to my hubby, who year after year makes awesome jack-o-lanterns.

And he got to trick or treat with two of the cutest princess girls around.

Happy Halloween to all! Hope it was fun and safe for everyone!!!

White Walls

When you wake up to this...
And find out the whole city is shutting down.
You go back to bed and snuggle for a while.

And then...just for the heck of it... you turn your 4 post bed into a fort. An awesome white walled fort with a window and a view of the outside and it's white walls too.

Then you tickle and giggle and laugh.

And pretend to sleep...

And tickle and giggle some more.

And show off your bed head....

And then when you look outside, you thank God you are safe inside in your fort.

And pretend to count how many inches are right out the window.

All that counting makes me want to snuggle some more!!!

Little Happy Man

He was so busy. He was so happy. He SO loved the snow. I think he would have played in it until his fingers fell off. I can't believe how much he has grown this year. How much he has become a little boy-toddler fellow!

Jerk Broccoli

I came across this recipe by accident. I love accidents, at least when it comes to tasteful cooking!!! I added the key ingredient by chance and came to absolutely love it. I've served it over and over again to all kinds of different people, and everyone seems to like it... so I will share. I picked up my spices when I was traveling so I had to make sure you are able to get them on the net...and of course, the good ol' Internet pulled through for me!!!

Chili and Jerk Baked Broccoli

Ingredients:
1 head of fresh broccoli
4 cloves of garlic, minced
1/3 cup of olive oil
1/2 tablespoon of chili powder
1/2- 3/4 tablespoon Jamaican jerk seasoning (You can find it here)

Chop the broccoli into desired chunks. In large bowl mix together olive oil, chili powder, jerk seasoning and garlic. Throw in the broccoli and toss until each piece is coated. Let marinate for 10-15 minutes. Lay out on baking sheet and bake at 250 degrees for 30-40 minutes until broccoli is tender but not completely soft.

Latte For Big People

I'm a big fan of warm drinks this time of year. The time when you can still go outside and smell the fresh air, but taking along a hot drink is required to do so.

I'm also a big fan of Bailey's and coffee. Well, this little concoction is one step up from that. It's a Carrot Cake Latte... for adults only. When taken by itself it tastes just like carrot cake. When mixed with coffee it's just a mixture of all warm things.

For Shot:
Mix 2 parts Bailey's, 1 part Buttershots and 1 part Hot Damn.

Throw this into the bottom of a coffee mug along with coffee. You can make it as strong or as weak as you want. Top off with foam and a little cinnamon.

Enjoy!!!

Candy Corn Cookies

Lately, I've been looking for quick, fun, easy holiday projects and this one just happened to end up in my mail box the other day. Surpisingly, these are soooooooo easy to make and little ones can help you with them as well.

I found them here. She has a ton a little projects and updates almost daily. I find myself making lists of things I want to try and only getting half of them done....(you should see my over all list of things I want to try!!!)

I skipped a couple of steps and did not use a mixer. I also did not add the icing on the top... no need for it here!!!

The Other Little People

Most every little person has one.....that one other little person that makes them giggle with delight when they see one another. That other little person that they can jabber with, even though most of words are not found in the english language....that other little person knows exactly what they are trying to say. They get it. They just get one another.

Some of us keep our other little person throughout all our lives. Some of us loose touch with that other little person. I have a feeling these two will be buddies for a long time to come.

Finding Beauty in the Ordinary

Tonight I had a candle light dinner with my little short man. Candle light, with sticks, stones and tin cans. It was absolutely perfection.

We started off the afternoon with this project in mind. It sooo didn't work out. I had made my patterns too complicated and when the lights went off they were unrecognizable. So... we improvised. It was all team work and we both hummed the "Wonderpets" theme song as we worked. (For those non-parents..... it's a totally annoying, catchy song sung by talking school pets that save the world. ) We brought in all the "boy" elements and made them beautiful.
Then we ate dinner. A dinner of his favorite foods...acorn squash and biscuits with apple butter. In the candle light. Among the rocks and sticks.

Why may you ask, do I go to all this trouble.?
Because it's a random Tuesday.
A random Tuesday that needed spicing up. I got to look across to table to watch the light dance in his eyes that were already sparkling, which they almost always do anyway. I want him to realize that special days aren't always saved for holidays. That a random Tuesday can be so special and make someone more happy than all the holidays put together. I hope as he gets older he will make someone else's random Tuesday special. Find the beauty in the ordinary and make it less so.

And while we were lighting the candles... in pure PJ form....."mom did you make sure to spray for monsters before we eat?"

I already had.

All American

He has lofty aspirations of becoming a petroleum engineer. He's involved with all kinds of extracurricilar activities and he knows sign language. I told him he seemed to be an "all American" boy. His response... "what's that?!" I laughed, he doesn't seem that much younger to me, but I'm noticing things that make me old comparatively! He was a fun kid to get to know for a couple hours!