2010 So far....

2010 has been off to a busy and good start.

The biggest news around here has been that we found out the Brock needed glasses for reading/computer/note taking, etc. He is also "color deficient" which is basically color blind. We picked up his new glasses yesterday. I think they make him look older and very handsome.


We've been busy attending a lot of these:

(that's him in the white jersey, center court)

Brock is growing like a weed and needed some new jeans. He talked me into this shirt, which I am not crazy about. But, according to him, he needs a shirt to wear when he's ready to ask out a girl.

I tried to talk him into this sweater instead but he said it wasn't cool enough. I guess my taste has truly aged.


Speaking of aging, I celebrated my 37th birthday this weekend. Brian wins the thoughtful husband award. He made (from SCRATCH, not a box, and even bought Cake Flour) a German Chocolate Cake for me. It was three layers tall and had the most delicious frosting.

(no, the dogs didn't get into the cake, part of it fell when Brian was icing it....tasted yummy anyway!)

Kate-isms:

And in case you have thought that I've forgotten Kate, I haven't. She's currently (and yet again) going through the "I don't want my picture taken" phase. For Christmas, my brothers gave Kate a gift certificate for two pedicures. She (nicely?) decided to take me with her as my birthday treat. I question "nicely" because after asking me to go and scheduling the pedicures, she came to the realization that perhaps it wasn't quite "fair" to use part of her Christmas gift on me. She tried to barter with me saying that she'd take me, if I'd buy her a pair of earrings.

That didn't fly. I told I would cancel my half the appointment and then she could have another pedicure in a few months. She finally came to grips that what she was asking for was wrong. She definitely has some lawyer/contract negotiation/banker skills.

The other day I needed to borrow $25 from her. If I couldn't, then we would have to go out of our way to stop by the bank. I pleaded with her. She finally agreed once I signed a note stating that if I was delinquent in my repayment, I would owe her 25 cents per day.

And last but not least.....K was invited to a slumber party and didn't want to go. She finally agreed but when it came time to purchase a gift for the birthday girl, K claimed: "My presence at the party is gift enough." What? How my dear, did you get on that high pedestal of yours? And how quickly can I knock you off?

All these funny and annoying stories don't capture her true heart. She can be very generous and caring and loving (as long as borrowing money isn't involved). I have boxes of sweet letters she writes me "just because".


And lastly, I spent the afternoon making ribbon belts for me and Kate. Just a regular old Martha over here.

Glass half full....

I'm a glass half empty gal by nature. When I can switch to half full, that's called progress. I recently progressed in one area.....

Our house is nearby a busy street. It's one of the ways we could afford it....I have gotten used to the car noises and sometimes when it's raining, I can trick my self into thinking it's the sound of surf. But it can still bug me.

There are a lot of good things about our house though. It has lots of character. Big trees. Modern lines. Unique. Good close-in location.

And another one I recently discovered.

People think of us when they drive by our house/street. Frequently people say, "I drove by your house today, and I thought of you." I think of all the warm fuzzies that people send to us as they drive by. One friend says whenever she drives by, she gives us a little wave.

That gives me comfort.

Staking out my 3x3 space.

I realize that I haven't written for awhile and will try and catch up later....for now here's what I've been working on:
Our house isn't big but it isn't small....and most of the time it's just right for us. One would think that somewhere in this house I could find a space to call my own. For seven years I have searched for my space and I claimed it this weekend. We moved Lucy's dog crate from the mudroom and put up a make-shift desk for me under the metal stairs. I LOVE IT. It may be cozy, but I have a big window to gaze out at and being under the stairs makes it seem airy. An added bonus is that because the stairs are metal, I have a built in magnetic board.

For my birthday I'm ordering a small desk to replace the rickety card table. It's amazing how this nine feet square space is making me so happy.

Christmas Fire Truck

My Christmas mood was just lighted.

The Christmas Fire Truck arrived tonight. Every year our local Fire Department spends six or seven nights driving all around our community spreading Christmas cheer. Last year the weather was too bad and they couldn't make it. The year before, we missed it some how. I was in dire need to see it this year! It's always a nice surprise. They drive down the streets blaring Christmas tunes and then we run to the street and are greeted with a decorated truck and candy canes.

The blessings and joys of living in a small town.

Damn tree.

I knew it was too good to be true. I was happily going along with my Christmas Cheer, enjoying the nature inside, watering the tree twice daily, admiring it's beauty and fragrance.....

Tonight I went to water it, and noticed some of the wrapping paper on the presents was damp. A quick check of the tree skirt validated my fears. The tree was leaking. We slid the massive thing over a few feet and found a wonderfully warped wooden floor. Yes. The wood floors that we refinished one year ago.

Oh well. The warped floor will go nicely with the dog urine stain and the floor boards next to the sink that expanded after an over night leaking problem. Isn't there a saying about how wrinkles show you've lived life? Well...warped floor boards prove you live in a home, not just a house.

The taste of Christmas.

To me, the taste of Christmas is Peppermint Bark melting in my mouth. After ten batches and five hours of work, I hope the teachers, bus drivers, neighbors and friends enjoy the candy as well.

NYC? Nah. Our living room.

I feel like we have a mini Rockefeller Christmas tree. I'd invite you over to see it, but no one can fit in the house.

Eat your heart out Clark Griswold.

Behold our family's Christmas tree. We got a little crazy at the U-cut Tree farm.

"Dad, isn't it a little big for our yard?"
"It isn't going in our yard Russ. It's going in our living room."

BEST CHRISTMAS MOVIE EVER....Christmas Vacation.

A little goes a long way.

1. Cayenne pepper
2. Perfume
3. Dog poop

I just came in from cleaning up dog poop and continued to smell the nastiness inside....sure enough a dime-sized piece was stuck to my shoe. Barely visible, yet potent as ever.

Neigh!

When the kids were little....around 4 and 2, we piled in the car to go look at Christmas lights. For some reason, each kid brought a stuffed horse. Every time the kids saw a pretty light display, they would Neigh! Neigh! extremely loudly and make their horses act crazy. For the past seven years, we've continued the neighing tradition. Brian and I do it far more often than the kids....our neighing is usually met with a "Ma-ohm" or a kick to our seat. It has to be a really amazing light display for the kids to neigh.

Last night I was driving a friend home and passed a brightly lit house. Yep. I started to Neigh and quickly caught myself and turned it into a throat clear.