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.