The 2013 Recap

Whew! It's been a whole 'nother year!
And as 2013 takes its final bow, I am spending a little time looking back.
2013 was the year...

Oliver turned one! And Greta turned 5!

I discovered:
A new way to love music.
That Valentines Day is overrated.
And what it's really all about.

I had more than a few mommy revelations on:
Productivity,  disconnecting,  finding creativity in the trenches, and this motherhood gig.

And man did we eat well.  On top of it being the year that Kent realized he has the talent of an Italian grandmother for making meatballs and marinara, Remember Milton Milkshakes?
Grandma Eva's Oatmeal Cookies? (aka Meal Replacement Cookies)
Homemade Milton's Bread?

All of which we don't eat much of anymore since Kent's not so good news. 

But we went on a mission to find a new normal, and we are finding that it is just as blessed and full. 

It's been a great year! And the next is brand new. See you in it!

Christmas 2013

Happy Birthday My Greta Girl.

Oh my Greta Girl, how are you already 5 years old!
I have been choking up about this for the past few months.  But that's how it works I guess. Motherhood makes you tough as nails, while at the same time it's softening your heart until it completely melts and is constantly leaking out your eyes at school musicals, and with the mention of things like "school age" or "5 years old".
This Greta Girl is so precious to me.
Her tender heart, her clever phrases, and imagination...how is all of it 5!
Let me muse.
Did I ever tell you guys about the club she sings at most nights? She likes to stack to cups together and call it a microphone, then she gets up and performs for us.
Originally it was at a place called "Hearts Hearts". Well, waaay back when she used to go dancing, it was at a place called the Hee-Haw-Hee. But lately she's been singing at all the local hot spots. Triangles Triangles, Rectangles Rectangles. She even did one night at Hexagon Hexagon.
( I really don't know where this came from.) Her favorite song to sing is an original called "Do You Want to Share a Fire Truck?"
And it goes: Do you want to share a fire truuuuuck? It's the right thing to dooooo!, it meanders in the middle but it always has a big showy Broadway finish "Fiii-rrrrr-e Truuuuuuuuuck!
Her best imaginary bud is Timmy Willie (a girl) who is also her eldest daughter. Her sons are Pup, Oliver*, and Z. She will craft you to town and back, and her scissors skills are incomparable.
She is my dear heart.
Yesterday morning she had a bad dream and came into our room.
"Mommy, I had a sad dream, and I really need the support of my family right now."
She is too much.
Greta Girl, always come to us. We are always here to be your support!
Happy Birthday!

*Not to be mistaken with our Oliver.

7 Years!

Kent and I have been married for 7 years today.
7 years sounds kind of skimpy when it seriously feels, most of the time, like we just always were.
But I look at the pictures and remember that there was a beginning.
In the beginning I had cheekbones, and Kent had more hair...and somehow we both had more neck.
That and certainly the 2 kids reminds me of how far we have come.
And what a joy it's been.  I'm having a ball just kicking around life with my best friend. Being silly, being serious, being ourselves!
And tomorrow we are going to realize one of our pet dreams, which is to go see the Nutcracker together. (There's a story for later.)
We are like little kids with greedy excited little fingers...

Love you babe*!

*Ok, I never thought I would be one of those "babe" people. But it has cropped up organically and if I'm going to be honest, I call him babe sometimes, and I like it.
7 years works all  kinds of changes.

A few interesting tidbits.

The genius brains behind Zimbags have put together this clever gift idea.
Perfect for Christmas and it's 100% awesome for everyone involved.

Celebrities as famous paintings. 
Kevin Bacon as George Washington. Check it out, it's perfection.

A great article on mental strength.
Yes! Strong minds. Something I pray for, for my children. Although I'd add that a heart centered on God will be the stronger.

Fromage Fort. 
This has revolutionized how we do cheese at a party.  So long to wrestling with rinds and cheese knives while trying to mingle table side. Just dip that cracker.

Greta's Grotto

We've been enjoying a few fun projects around the house this week.
The weeks leading up to Thanksgiving and the Christmas Concert were so full of Christmas gifting, party planning, and entertaining, that I hardly had an ounce of creative spark left for things like cooking the nights dinner, design projects, or keeping things tidy and cozy on the outskirts of our living room.
There's only so much to go around folks.
But with our biggest events behind us there has been a little more time to work on a few small projects.
Like Greta's Grotto.
Greta has been sleeping most nights in the guest room, since both kids just sleep better when they aren't sharing a room. So she's a little bit here and a little bit there, and doesn't usually have a set place for the alone time she really enjoys.
Usually, she ends up camping on the cold tile floor by the garage, tucked away with the vacuum.
So I had a scheme a few days ago to make a little space for her own.
Something a little more permanent than her fairy house which has been long taken down, and maybe a step up from the cold time-out corner by the garage.
So I set up a little nook in the closet of the office/guest room.
And we call it her Grotto (Greta calls it her "In-secret grotto")  in the style of The Little Mermaid. Since it is where she dreams, and keeps her gadgets and gizmos a plenty.
I will only give you the smallest peek, since obviously, it's in secret.
There is something magic about a little out of the way corner all to your own.
I remember loving to climb into my parent's long bedroom closet, and getting lost at the bottom of their long hanging clothes, until I found the very back corner, next to a bowling ball. And I'm pretty sure I'd just sit there and glory in the "in secretness" of it.

6th Annual Christmas Concert!

Oh man, last night was so fun.
One of the greatest things about this tradition of ours is that although every year you count on a few things to be the same, the regular attenders, the ham, Ryan's Christmas Rap, those orange blossoms I labor over the night before, and the general festive air.
But each Concert is uniquely it's own.
New faces, (the absence of a few old ones) and the act that they bring with them is always a fresh surprise.
Last night started with a reading and a toast that made my heart grow three sizes*, as Meg rewrote the Grinch Who Stole Christmas to tell the story of our very first Concert. While the last few acts brought ugly sobs of laughter, including babies singing Christmas Carols, and a new little thing my brother calls "Carpera"**.
There was a beautiful piece with the piano and guitar from our newcomers Zach and Greta, funny holiday skits, and Kent and I brought out the ukeleles.
It was a joy to see what our friends came up with this year, and we loved seeing so many people trying something new and fun.
Now at our house, we are not afraid of things that are cheesy, over the top, or slightly ridiculous. We embrace these qualities with open arms.
So we were happy to bring back our version of Dance your Hat and Gloves off, and new game called Put It On A Cracker.
I think one of my favorite visuals from the night was of our friend Greta blindfolded, savoring and decoding the contents of her cracker (Mayonnaise, chocolate, and Sage) for a solid 3 minutes, with the air of a serious connoisseur. (For the grand prize of a previously opened bottle of Brandy.)
We played until the candles burned low and snuffed themselves out.
And today our house has the look of a happy wreck. The cabinets are all empty as every dish we own is currently stuck to the counter in pools of Rum-Pum-Pom-Punch, and rosemary simple syrup. The kids ate the remaining desserts off the platters at the table for breakfast, and in the air there's a lingering of smoked salmon.
Totally worth it.
Thanks friends for letting loose with us and ringing in a new Christmas season!



*And cry a little bit.

**(Car-Opera) Which is the style of singing he does on his commute, that up until last night was for his sole benefit. Complete with steering wheel, and fake Italian.

Decking the Halls & A Fun First

It was a quick turnaround from Thanksgiving to Christmas. With about one day of rest in between.
We spent our Black Friday in our jammies, eating leftovers, and playing golf on the xbox all day. Like ALL day, it was amazing. And also useful because now Greta is up on her golfing terminology and can say things like "Nice on, mommy."
And the very next day we went out to buy our tree. (Our traditional family trip to Home Depot.) And up went the wreaths, ornaments, and lights aglow.
Boom! it's Christmas time! And what's more it is Christmas Concert time! So all week we've been decking the halls, finalizing the menu, interjecting impromptu music practices, and hopping from store to store to find the choicest eats.
But I wouldn't want a very momentous occasion to get lost in the shuffle.
Last weekend I got to take Greta to her first ever movie in the movie theater.

We saw Frozen, which was really great, and I was pleased to see that it has a good message for girls.
We left around 2 hours early* because I anticipated a crowd of families (it was opening weekend). So I prepared Greta for a line, and talked about line etiquette, and the old tired saying about how good things coming to those who wait in lines at the movies theater.
Aaaand we just walked right in and were the only ones there for about an hour and a half. So we ran races in the aisles, walked next door for a crepe & pastry, took pictures in front of the movie posters, and had a sweet old time.
It was a true date, as we shared popcorn, held greasy hands, and I was stoic for her in the scary parts.
Such a treasured day.



*Which let the records show, Kent thought absolutely unnecessary, for he is reasonable.

Happy Thanksgiving!

For each new morning with its light,
For rest and shelter of the night,
For health and food,
For love and friends,
For everything Thy goodness sends.

- Ralph Waldo Emerson

The Calm Before the Holidays

I wanted to post this picture, because to be in my kitchen at this minute was to experience a little bit if magic.
Everything looked (and in that second was) so calm.
Cool and dark, bright and brilliant, the sun highlighting the breakfast dishes and the fact that I need to clean my tea kettle.
The fleet of kitchen sprays at the ready*.
This might be the last time this kind of calm settles on my kitchen until the new year.
The Holidays are coming!

*I LOVE to clean the counters in the kitchen. It is my joy and solace to spray and wipe, spray and wipe, spray and wipe the counters. Hence, the fleet of sprays at the ready.

A Two Slipper Day (The best kind)

Today is a two slipper day (unlike last Friday...see last post.) Which is a very good thing.
A slow Friday in my slippers has lately been my reward (to myself) for otherwise managing the week now behind me. All those early morning preschool drop offs, with the hurry hurry, and the putting on of stubborn shoes.
Friday is also the day I tend to pick my head up and look around, taking stock of things.
Here's how the morning went.
In an act of daring I blew everyone's minds at the breakfast table by not serving the standard breakfast order (toast, scrambled eggs, fruit).
I made ancient grains bread (from a box, relax), doled out bananas, and sprinkled cheerios on plates and trays for guaranteed smiles.

We have been spinning Dumbo most mornings, so we munched, sang Baby of Mine, and Greta play acted the whole thing.
Here is where she is simultaneously eating breakfast as Greta Girl, and Dreaming about Pink Elephants as Dumbo.

Playing out the record was a hit, so we did it twice. Because it's a two slipper day, and this mama is just in it for the smiles.
Also the online shopping.
I am on a pace (4 people away) to being finished with our Christmas Shopping! My fists are pumping the air...are yours?
Because combining that, with outfitting the children (who continue to grow against my best wishes) for cold weather, and preparing for Thanksgiving at our house next week, I have spent heap big amounts of time on amazon and the like, and I'm sure our UPS man is getting tired of the all too familiar trek to our front door.
But can we rewind a little, and just swim in this knowledge a bit.
Christmas shopping (and 4 birthdays)... tantalizingly close to completion.
I want to mention it because remember last year? 
December is so huge for us. I was crying for exhaustion just about daily last year. Seriously, it was an advent of tears.
So ever since October I have made this a serious mission of mine, to do every single thing I can to front load the work and spending of December, so that I can rest and enjoy the season while it is upon us.
So Christmas outfits...planned and purchased. (Except for the boys, because they aint care.)
Christmas tree theme...planned purchased (shhhh, I like a theme.)
Christmas wrapping...planned and purchased.
Greta Girls 5th Birthday Party...planned, purchased, and outsourced to a bouncy place.
I'm calling it Operation Sanity, and I hope, I hope, I hope it means December is nothing but jolly.
Time will tell, but for now it's back to the grind!

Cast of Characters

Today was a one slipper day.  I'm calling it that because I am currently writing you a total mess and  wearing only one slipper.
Several times today, (as a matter of fact it was each and every time I walked and realized I was limping)  I thought "maybe just put on the other slipper?" but I continued to remind myself that as I had clearly given up on the day around 9:00am, who cares? It was an outward sign of the madness within.
And there was no good reason for this rotten day, so let's not go any deeper than necessary. But on days like these, where I feel like not one tangible thing was accomplished, I like to put in a blog post.
I get an amazing sense of satisfaction from putting up a post. Kind of like what you feel when you have invested in something for the future. I really look at this blog that way, something I will want to read, remember, cherish in the future. The good and the bad. (But let's be honest, I don't write about 80% of the bad...or good. Just a little glimpse every now and then.)
So here are a few notables.
Oliver is the Potato Czar.
One of his favorite things right now is the russet potato in the corner cupboard*. That potato and him really know how to play.
It's a lot of holding, and snuggling it up to his face, talking on it like a phone, and then ultimately tossing it and laaaaaaughing, tossing it and laaaaaaughing, tossing it and laaaaughing. Distributing potato dust all over the cushions.
So everyday there's the potato, add the blousy white shirt, stretch pants, and black ugg-like boots (which the male contingent of the house has deemed extremely unmanly, but I'm like what's manlier than a czar?) and you have the Potato Czar.

Greta is The Little Mermaid.
Pretty self explanatory for a 4 year old girl. Ariel is everything, to be happy is to be singing "Part of Your World" under the dining room table, and monologing the movie on the toilet for 30 minute stretches. She is often not a part of our world.

I'm The Mess with One Slipper, whose tattoo sleeve from Halloween still lingers all sad and splotchy, but I ain't care. 
Kent rounds out this cast of characters as Beloved and Benevolent Diseased Man. (We can joke now.)
Who comes home to us every day, bless him.
And that's it, that's the full cast.
Tomorrow my dad will be coming for a visit, to add that special laid back spice of his to the mix.
It should be a good weekend with this crew.


*The contents of which get more play time than anything in the toy basket. Boy loves to bring out the pantry items and spruce up the place.

Happy Halloween!

From a circus clown and his bearded lady;)
Actually, the whole family dressed up in a circus theme, with Greta as a tight rope walker, and Oliver as our ferocious lion.
But to pull off a family picture was just not in the picture this year.
I hope you all had a chance to have fun, be silly, and eat something way too sweet.
Xo,
Our Family Circus

Mama on a mission.

This morning I woke up with a mission.
I have been trying to get to Costco all week, but with one thing or another it kept getting pushed back.
And nothing breaks my heart quite like that hollow eyed look Kent gets (I get it too) when there is nothing that he can eat in the house, except maybe an apple and peanut butter....again. Or hummus and carrots...again.
I am determined that we are not going to live that way. Hummus again, is no life.
Life is going to be full, and fun, and delicious, just like it has always been.
So I could not put Oliver down for his nap fast enough, before I was speeding to Costco in my best red shoes*, to go find something that would confirm this for us.
This is important to me. It is one of the few areas where I can really help, and one of the very few things that I can control. And I would give a LOT to come home with something that makes Kent's eyes light up. That was my goal.
Tall order.
On the upside they are throwing ancient grains into everything now, and gluten free is everywhere. So that's good news for a 2013 diabetic, because I'm sure last year these things were harder to find.
And they are even coming out on a grand scale with chia, which is a cereal! (most cereal, and oatmeal, and just about any breakfast food is a big no no for the type 1 diabetic).
But don't get too excited. Yes it's technically cereal, but the serving size is 2 tablespoons, so you best be eating your "cereal" in a tea cup you giant man-squirrel.
But I got it, along with an astronomically priced box of chocolate mint glucose stabilizing bars, that Kent better think is delicious- because that's dessert - dammit.
Add a mountain of fruits and vegetables, and you have my trip to Costco.
Not the trip I imagined. No magic food that somehow means late night snacking is back on**, or anything that I could come bursting in triumphantly with.
And it was more expensive than any Costco trip in living memory. You definitely pay to eat like a woodland animal.
But this is still the beginning.
We are dialing everything back, knowing that in the future as we get a handle on blood sugar highs and lows, we will be reintroducing some fun things here and there.
Lots of hope.

*Seriously, these shoes are my new favorite thing I've ever owned, next to my rain boots of course. They are clogs technically, with a platform wood sole that goes clop clop when I walk, and sounds distinctly equine.
They are cherry red, and the color, and the height, and the milk maid-ness of them are so cheerful I have been cantering all over town in them.

**Which is OUR THING. We are health loving folks. We always steered away from most processed foods and too many sweets, and teach our kids likewise. 
But at 7:30pm, every night, we would snuggle in to watch something hilarious, and giggle with excitement at all of the late night snacking possibilities before us. Anything goes when the kids are in bed. And the saltier, the fatter, or later in the night it was, the wider our conspiring grins.

Our not so good news.

So last post we got to share good news with you, but as life is a mixed bag, today we have not as good news.

Friday evening Kent found out, through a yearly checkup they do at his work, that he has Type 1 Diabetes.
I know. What? He is healthy, young, but not as young as most people who get diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes.
We know what it is - our good friend Meg was diagnosed a few years back. But it has really thrown me for a loop, that my Kent has it now too.
It might as well be my own body.
On Monday he is going in to get equipped with his insulin and begin what will be an extensive schooling on managing this day to day.
We are only beginning to wrap our heads around this, and while we are so thankful for so much, it is a little daunting that so much of the simple things in our life just got a lot more complicated.
Eating isn't as simple, or going to work, or getting a cold, or getting old. And today I cried a little in the Whole Foods Special Diet aisle.
How did I get here?
I've always avoided the substituted nonsense in this aisle like the plague. I like real food, pure and simple. But this is our life now, just not as simple.
So I bought quinoa. (Not a fan. It tastes like dirt.) But I am buying it now, in a variety of forms: chips, pasta, frozen, dried, come to mama!
And I am resigned to the fact that although we have always been pretty healthy eaters, we are going to be probably taking it the level where you will be forced to roll your eyes at us.
So many new things, and some of them are a little bit scary.
So stay tuned. Pray with us, share this with us, but Kent asks only one thing.
Please pronounce it dia-bee-teez not dia-beet-us.
Wilford Brimley, we are looking at you.

Our not so good news.

Our great news.

Remember that exciting news I alluded to here?
Well, the deal is done, and some of our favorite people have just become Seattle transplants.
The story goes, that at the beginning of the school year in Kent's 2nd year of college there was a new guy on the hall which Kent was told he would either love or become mortal enemies with (as they are pretty similar in a lot of ways).
It was of course the former, and his awesome wife Greta and two sweet girls are one of our favorite families, and it was one of the biggest bummers that we had to leave them behind when we left Virginia 6 years ago.
Well Zach got a job out here, drove across the country yesterday, and the whole family joins us tomorrow!
It's going to be equal parts fun and crazy as we get to share a home for a while, to welcome them home, and to give them the time to hunt for a place that's just right for them. So you might not see much of me here for a few bits.
But we can't wait to start sharing life with this great family.

BOOM! That's one more set of names we get to check off of our WA wish list.
Lindz, Sarah.....you guys are next!

Longest-Ever Weekend

What a great week.
Kent took the whole work week off last week, to use up some "use it or lose it" vacation time before things get crazy through the end of the year.
So we have had ourselves a great little home staycation.
And we didn't fill the week with house renovations, or travel, or even capital P Plans.

But we did:

-Make an epic homemade biscuits and gravy breakfast. Where we both did our personal bests in both sausage gravy and cheddar/herb biscuit categories. And then spent the rest of the day patting ourselves on the back and saying things like " No seriously, we should open up a biscuit restaurant!"

- Dedicate a whole morning to The Great Waffle Debate: Belgian vs American waffles.  I favor Belgian, while Kent prefers its smaller squared counterparts. Well, how are we going to buy a waffle iron that day if we don't....
Start a heated debate on Kent's Facebook feed resulting in 45 passionate and surprisingly scientific comments, all culminating in a landslide victory for Belgian Waffles, the peoples choice.
Is it coincidence that I ate a homemade Belgian waffle this morning?

-All the weekday things I do with the kids together, making the library, Target, Trader Joes, and preschool drop off/pick ups waaay more fun in the process. (Seriously, I'm worried now. How did I do all of this by myself before? And How will I do it again this week? Life just got too easy.)

- Have friends over for Kent's Spaghetti and Meatballs and Chocolate Guinness Cake, then cracking open War of the Ring (the epically proportioned LOTR board game, that took 2 hours just to begin going over the rules.)

-Laundry, Goodwill drop offs, organize closets, and various chores to muster up appetites and keep us feeling useful.

-Watch a ton of Bob's Burgers.

-Meet our friend Richard for lunch and go record shopping in Ballard and Fremont, where we met an orange man* on a run who gave G a pair of glasses, which was both not surprising (for Fremont) and the cherry on top of a great afternoon.
"It was a good day. And at the end I got orange glasses from an orange man." -G

It has all felt like one heap long, awesome, lazy weekend. And I am bracing myself for this next week like a nude man about to do a polar swim.
Say a little prayer! Here we go...

*Literally head to toe, faceless, spandex suit of neon orange.

Oliver Fast Facts: 1 1/2

Favorite Expression: "Yeah!" (nods head vigorously)

Favorite Toys: Daddy's xbox (on and off, on and off, all day long), any lamp he can reach (on and off, on and off, all day long), the garden hose, and the tape measure.

Accomplishments: Several new crooked teeth, puts his shoes away (in his own basket) when he sees them lying around, and has the ability to be amazingly conversational while only utilizing one word. Do you want some string cheese? "Yeah!" Do you want to go on a walk? "Yeah!" Should I wear this scarf? "Yeah!" I love talking to him. He's so positive.

Loves: Dogs, indoor climbing*, the great outdoors, talking to Siri (as pictured), and snuggling.

Fast facts don't come close to capturing Oliver's true "Woggyness". His Joy, his fast feet, big energy, and wonky toothed grins, there is so much grinning.
When I look at him playing or eating, just being him, it's like drinking a big glass of something that
I didn't even know my heart was desperate for.
This boy! I could just pick him up right now and kiss those cheeks.
Except I wont, that would be foolishness. He is napping, and if anyone so much as makes a sound that attributes to his early waking, I will contort into a primordial rage monster and howl at the moon.

Sleep times are sacred times.


* He's scaled every piece of furniture in the house, except for his crib.

Getting Crafty: Polymer Necklace

Yesterday Greta and I got crafty.
And while I consider myself fairly artsy, it is very rare that I venture into crafty territory. But Greta was stuck home from church yesterday with a cold, and we got the crafty bug!
Have you seen all the cute polymer clay jewelry going around? I keep adding them to my favorites on etsy, when really...they are truly so easy to make at home.
All you need is some sculpy clay, which I had from a failed attempt at homemade Christmas Ornaments last year, so there you go, a necklace is born like a phoenix from the ashes.
Just roll out your shapes, bake for 1/2 an hour, and then paint!
And this is just my style.
I don't do jewelry much. I wear the same silver studs year round until they get weird and gunky, and then forget to put them back in for 3 weeks. Top this sleek look off with some nerdy glasses* and then you just might be as fancy as me.
But I think mostly it's just because the right jewelry doesn't often come along.
I don't do gems or precious metals, (I like to remind Kent sometimes how lucky he is he got a girl like me). I'm much more drawn to something that is unique, approachable, and fun.
And I think this fits the bill, prolly going to wear it everyday.


* That I love, but I know they will cause me to cringe as I look back at them 20 years from now.

Zimbags Fall/Winter Shoot

Yesterday the lovely ladies of Zimbags and I went down to UW to take some pictures for the new Fall/Winter line.
This season, our women in Zimbabwe handmade some really fun messenger bags, laptop bags, and sweet clutches, perfect for heading back to school.
Amy was our model for the day, and was an angel about putting up with ridiculous directions like "You know, just react to the bag...or do this incredibly awkward thing, but look natural."
It was so fun being on a college campus again, especially with these ladies I've known since High School.
I'm sure there was laughing and being too loud (as what usually happens when girls gather), but it was a great day, with the bonus for it being for a really good cause.
So stay tuned, there's going to be lots more Zimbags love coming your way in the next month!

These are the lessons folks

This morning Greta's toast was "too toasty" (means too crispy), and following the tears, and admonishment of the toaster to "do better next time", we had a little talk.
I mentioned that I didn't want to start my day this way, a melt down, over toast crispness, so early. And to my surprise the idea that there was such a thing as my day blew Greta's sweet mind.
"You mean MY day." Honestly perplexed.  "Your day? Mommy, you mean MY day!"
And here we come to the root of all sorts of daily distress.
Little Thing didn't know there was such a thing as another person's day. That the world doesn't work and move to her preferences, and that there are other people to consider. Lack of this knowledge explains a lot actually.
So I had to break it to her.
"The world isn't about you Greta. It's not about me either. Or daddy, or anyone. It's about loving Jesus and loving other people."
(Now, this is off the fly and on little sleep.)
But the truth of it struck me, as I examined my motives.
Rats.
It's not about my morning either.

I hope you are able to spend the extra long weekend loving on people! There's so much sadness and hurt going around. I'm sure the world could use it.

The Oddball Shelf

Want to hear something sentimental?
I am so in love with one square foot of our house. This little wedge of a shelf.
Because these are the records-the music that seems to be constantly streaming from our speakers- that are the soundtrack for this blip in time. Where my children are little, Oliver eats from a high chair tray, and we are a tight knit club.
This precious square foot belongs to our "oddball collection". Which consists of children's records and the old timey music I like to listen to during breakfast/playtime/lunch/dinner prep/and let's face it, just about whenever Kent isn't around and a lot of times when he is.
The records themselves for the most part aren't too valuable, but the memories are.
Late Winter breakfasts and crafty afternoons listening to Cinderella, Snow White, and that scratched up Winnie the Pooh. (big hits leading into and surrounding our trip to Disneyland).
Dancing in our jammy jams in the kitchen to both sides of Benny Goodman*, Oliver popping berries to the beat.
Italian dinners to the accordion tunes of the French/Italian Hits record, (which has grown very familiar, as Italian foods happens a lot around here, and isn't it so fun to match food with music?) 
Which also explains why Zorba the Greek is so close to the top of the queue.  I crave Greek food in the Summer, and have been really into making Tzaziki sauce lately.
Hank Williams when my mom visited, Big Foot** at game nights,  Edith Piaf when I'm feeling dramatic, and wait, why is Simon and Garfunkel on my side? (I call this shelf mine)...Oh yes, because we have two, and the spares end up on this shelf too.
Our photo albums hold a big portion of our family history, along with our book shelves, but I don't want to forget this little shelf.
I get a feeling that someday my heart is going to ache for the sight of it.


*The sweating was so profuse, I skipped the gym that day.

** Our family GEM, that deserves it's own post.

Just let it lie...

The past few weeks have been a whirlwind for us!
Lots of excitement, business, and a good dose of home organization thrown into the mix. We are sitting on some really amazing news, which at the moment isn't really our story to tell.
(No one is pregnant.) And It has added a fresh breeze of joy and anticipation to our doings around here. Stay tuned...
But today I'm going to force myself to lay low day. A no pressure to get anything done kind of day. No back to school prep, brainstorming, organizing, list-making.
The plan is to go easy, let the toys lie, and keep the goals modest -buy ingredients for potluck salad.

I think we can use one of these kinds of days.

Buried in Berries

"Moonberry, Starberry, Cloudberry Sky - " "Boomberry, Zoomberry, Rockets shoot by !' "Mountains and Fountains rain down on me," "Buried in Berries, what a Jam Jamboree !"
-Bruce Degen

That's about right. This little dude looooves berries, they speak to him, so every day is a little Jam Jamboree at our house!
This is what he looks like when he sits down to eat. NOM! and MORE!

Class in Session

I've really been enjoying the slow, flexible, pace of our Summer days.
But besides being able to lay in bed a little longer, I think Greta pines for preschool.
She misses the structure, the kids, the teacher to be in awe of, so to cope we end up spending about 80% of each day in some sort of imaginary class.
This little one has a pretty packed schedule actually.
There's craft class, snack class, dance class, song class, and my personal favorite: sleep class, which is where you carry a blanket around with you and practice sleeping in different places around the house.

For craft and dance class I'm teacher*, and for snack class I'm "Chef". For song and sleep classes I'm exempt from leadership since it's an independent study she likes to do in another room.

And then, for a twist around noon each day Greta and I change roles (at her insistence) and she becomes the mommy while I get to be Greta Girl.
However there's no real change of power as I still make lunch and do all the tasks I usually do, only at this time Greta (as me) gets to repeatedly ask me if I would like some water? And I go get water from the sink (as Greta Girl) and she applauds me when I return at doing such a good job learning to get water from the sink.
Sound confusing? It is a little.
I love her sweet imagination so much, and I treasure my part in it, seriously, it will be something I will always cherish about our days together.
Buuuut, I think school in a month will be good for her, and I think I'm going to find a lot of comfort in finally knowing who I am at any given moment.

* Mrs. Feather-Bottom or Weather-Bottom....I keep naming myself something-bottom but she doesn't even laugh! School is very serious.

THE Cookie

Last night the unthinkable happened. I baked, and it wasn't the worst!
It was kind of magic really. I had a sweet-but-not-too-sweet tooth, and I was sitting on the counter next to the baking cabinet, and it just sort of came together.
It helps that it's a very simple recipe, and a cookie that means comfort and familiarity*. Kent and I like to call them "Meal Replacement Cookies", because they are the size of your fist and full of what could essentially be ones breakfast.
I remember taking these to the hospital in my purse when I was going into labor with Greta as I had heard rumors about them not feeding you once you get there...so you know, I wasn't going to let THAT happen. And I remember eating them the day after when my body just got schooled, and thinking Ohhh these cookies, they are just the same as always.
Make them, freeze them, put them in your purse/back pocket?, so they are there when you need them.

Great Grandma Eva's Oatmeal Cookies
2 cups flour
1 tsp salt
1 tsp soda
1 cup shortening
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup white sugar
 2 eggs
2 tsp. vanilla
1/4 cup milk
4 cups oats

Mix together, then add 4 cups oatmeal, then your bonuses like choc. chips, coconut, dried fruit, nuts, etc. (coconut and choc. chips are our favs)
I hand form these bad boys, to make sure they are big enough to be properly termed as "Meal Replacement".
Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes.

* These cookies = My mama

Our little spree

This weekend my dad gave Kent and I only one of the best gifts ever. 24 hours...all to ourselves!
So what does this couple do if given 24 hours to call completely our own? We dress up a bit, go to the nearest city, and eat. eat. eat.
We ate and drank in 24 hours what indulgent people eat/drink in 48. On the way to the hotel we had Burgermaster....ohhh Burgermaster, grilled onions, double cheese, Burgermaster.
And from then on it was a blur of nonstop food and drink. Italian dinner, late night cheescake, wine in the shower, brunch- because we must, coffee- because we can! No time was wasted! We were either eating or killing time (walking/shopping/a movie*/and of course your general horsing around at the hotel**.) until more eating.
In this way, it was epic and we can hold our arms up triumphantly over a very full, very fun 24 hours together.
But please, oh please, it might take us a good 6 months to recover our appetites. 

* Despicable Me 2...because we're hip like that.

** Including but not limited to Home Base Slides (The thing where you run across the room at full speed and slide across the bed like it's home base.) Trust Falls (The thing where you stand on something next to your bed and then fall straight down on your face without using your hands or legs to catch yourself.) Etc- none of your business.

Similar trips here and here.

True Words

Bread Matters

We go through a lot of bread around here.
With 4 pieces of toast every morning for our breakfasts*, GGs love for PBJs, and toast being one of my all time favorite snacking foods, a lot of bread is consumed. Enough at least to raise Kent's eyebrows, as we go through almost a loaf a day on the weekends, and enough to start him talking about nonsense like "A better way".
See I don't just toast any bread. Not all bread is destined for the toaster.
A few years back I narrowed down the world's best bread for toasting down to Milton's Multi Grain-Plus. The plus is very important. I've seen Milton's Multi Grain in most grocery stores, but Multi Grain-Plus, I've only seen at Costco. And it is the only one bread I've found with the perfect amount of sweet density that holds up to toasting without becoming a crouton. Also, it comes wrapped twice and practically never dries out.
So, with his love for frugality and a cooking adventure, Kent has decided he'd like to start making our own Milton's Multi Grain bread.
We found a recipe here, and late last night the sweet smell of fresh baked bread filled our home.
It was awesome. There was toast Ma Ingalls would have been proud of and an epic PBJ the next day.
Will this truly become the way of life, and ongoing money saver that we initially dreamed? Mmmm, Probably not. My guess is that the time it took (3-ish hours ) is going to be a bit of a bump on that road. Let's be real, I know us.
But I can definitely see this being an item on Kent's Roster of All Stars**

Ps- I'd like to be clear, that the idea, purchasing of ingredients, and baking of this bread was done completely by Kent, with help from Greta. Baking is still something I am waiting to want to do. Maybe when I'm 30? It's funny, I thought I'd enjoy it by now.

*The kids love toast (it seems) as much as I do!
**  Foods he makes that no one else can touch. Like his home made meatballs & marinara, and Saturday pancakes.