The perfect snack

What's this? Oh you know, just the best snack ever.
I've cut sugar out of my diet for the past few weeks, and I guess for the foreseeable future.
Partly to be healthy, partly to fit comfortably in some of my favorite things, and ultimately because I don't care how awesome that too small dress is, I'm not going to do without cheese or butter or the things that make life so nice and soft and pretty*.
Sugar is the vice I'm least attached to, so it got the boot. (Except for Fridays! That's  my day off, and  lately we've been partying with Milton's Milkshakes...more on that later.)
But when I get the occasional sweet tooth mid week this snack hits the spot.
Now pay attention, it gets complicated.
Rosemary cracker + goat cheese + dried blueberries.
Hah! Jokes, it's as easy as eating cheese. Just like life should be.
Try it!


*"Nice and soft and pretty" is what Greta calls things that are oh so special.

I see you!

I've been in a bit of a creative rut. And all that really means is that I have not been seeing things with creative eyes.
Lately, Kent and I have been very practically tending to Oliver who's nasty little cold (the one he was guaranteed to get after chewing on seats at the airport and high chairs at Disneyland) has introduced itself to his little gut and he has not stopped pooping for 7 days now. It's real hard to find that spark in life when there's 24/7 poop. poop. poop. (He's sleeping right now...but not really, he's probably pooping. And soon he will wake up poor thing and be all " Mom and Dad do something with this poop would ya? And then prepare my butt with 3 kinds of moisture wicking products for my next poop, also, you might want to spoon that poop into the sample jars the Dr sent home with me before you wash up. Thanks, zzzzzzzz.  Just joking, poop.")
And I didn't really notice I was missing that creative spark until I dragged myself back to work on some design projects (vacation officially ends tomorrow!) and found the best 4 part color combo which perked me up a little, and then boy did those colors look good with that font, and hey colors and words I forgot about you! And soon those boring old "sees what it needs to" eyes of mine started to open up a bit, and as I'm looking around for the first time in a little while the question needs to be asked. What else have I been missing?
Too much probably. But there are a few little things I've overlooked today and the last little bit, that with proper sight I find noteworthy.

-Oliver has the most adorable eyebrows. Right now as he sleeps poops, I see him in my mind as just his adorable round face and those inquisitive little eyebrows. They are almost always raised and questioning. "Is that funny? Am I going to cry about that? Are they going to feed me that anytime soon? Will that little girl always be my best friend?" and when he smiles and laughs, (which is a lot) they make him look so impish, it's almost unnerving.

-Greta has discovered the joy of a skirt that spins and swirls. I never had to tell her how lovely a full skirt feels as you dance and spin, she discovered it all on her own, as so many little girls do. And a dress that has a skirt "That goes faster and faster" is a daily dress requirement these days.
However, she's a jeans and converse girl with maybe one dress that fits that description. So today we bought a $5 purple velvet dress at a consignment shop that has been dubbed her Princess Dress. It is for wearing at home only, and the full skirt with 4 layers of tulle and fabric is just right for when a girl wants to swish and spin.

-Here is where I come up with some little insight about Kent or myself, but time presses and he is on his way home...there's his key! And I'm eager to see what fun we can have when we open our eyes and see things a little brighter.


Ps- This is a picture of Greta's "Pinoculars", which she made at preschool and LOVES.

Disneyland

This week we pulled off our first ever family vacation!
Vacation by the definition of: A place we pay money to go to as a family, but not necessarily to visit family, with recreation as its sole purpose.
We spent 5 nights at Disneyland, and 4 days in the park, and of course, we had an amazing time! What other kind of time is there at Disneyland?
It was so refreshing to travel somewhere so kid friendly, where small children and adults can have an equally great time side by side. Oh Walt, you brilliant man.
Kent and I both had great memories of going there as kids*, along with my dad who went to Disneyland in the 50's-60's. And we ran around zipping from ride to ride like we hadn't grown an inch.
We quickly discovered that Greta has a need for speed and she did Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and all of the fast rides she was tall enough for! The very last ride of our trip was Space Mountain and by then she looked absolutely bored in the ride picture. But her favorite part of Disneyland seemed to be meeting all the characters. She got autographs from just about everybody. And one of my favorite memories was when she saw Cinderella and Aurora for the first time. The intake of breath, and the wonder and admiration in her face was so precious. All the characters were so sweet with her as they danced, told stories, and gave hugs like best friends.
Oliver was a champion go with the flow baby, and did so well being strolled and carried through all his nap times and meals. But we were all exhausted, foot sore, and sun chapped at the end of each day. (Seriously how do people live in California without mummifying? It is so sunny and dry there, I think every ounce of moisture evaporated off of our bodies as soon as we stepped off the plane. Still, 75 degrees in January is a phenomenon that I enjoyed.)
Only a few hiccups on the whole trip: Thunder Mountain was closed for repair (which was my favorite), we lost our memory card full of pictures from the first few days, and The Wog got a yucky cold the last day.
But we are home now to deal with these at our leisure. Since we only have a few fuzzy pictures we are going to make a little family movie of our trip instead. (I'll be posting that in the days to come.)
It's a little hum drum around here compared to where we were yesterday, but every day can't be all Disney magic.
We are looking forward to many more trips, and this time I don't think we will wait 20 years.

Ps- Food we heard was awesome and was:
Corn dogs (I ate one everyday for breakfast), The Monte Cristo in New Orleans Square, Churros (duh), Dole Whips, the ribs at Big Thunder Ranch BBQ, and my favorite was the Cajun Salmon at the Blue Bayou... We really ate it up this week!

*although he was an east coast child and went to Disney World.

This is Vacation

Kent is on a month long paternity leave for January, so our days have been slow and easy going.
It is just what was needed after all of the hustle and bustle of December.
I've been catching up on some design projects,  (Plug- Zimbags is having a sale! And Mars Hill is starting a new series this Sunday!), rolling around on the floor with the kiddos, and enjoying the time Kent gets to spend with us during the day.
Ah, but the evenings, that's where it really feels like vacation. Kent is in the middle of an epic wood working project called "Das Bachs", which is our silly German for "The Box" (as pictured). Which is a handmade wooden box roughly the size of our microwave that will house all of our Settlers of Catan extensions. Kent is beyond excited to be chiseling, clamping, and sawing for as long as he can stand it in our freezing garage. While I am inclined to let him, because I am also on an Epic Quest through Middle Earth. (WOW, we are so cool.) I'm reading my gorgeous copy of The Lord of the Rings, and the less I am distracted from my reading and maps, the better.
(I wonder...Dear reader, did you know that I am a monumental Tolkien fan?
Ah yes, I may look like the average 20-something mother of two with varied interests, but under this facade lurks a love of Tolkien lore that surpasses the depths mined by Durin's Folk*, and a knowledge of Middle Earth seldom seen outside of the Eldar race*.
At any given moment I can bring up an extensive Map of Middle Earth to my mind that is (a little sadly) probably more accurate than a Map of our state.
I think it's time I stop...discussing this that is.)
But by night we snack, and hang out, and again join the race of People You Would Want to Hang Out With, until about 2:00 am. Our children don't sleep in, so we are everyday as tired as the day before. But that only perpetuates our determined slow and easy going pace.
This is vacation! And we are loving it.

*Lord of the Rings reference cool people won't understand.