It's Friday!!!

And I had a really cute pic to post here but am experiencing all kinds of technical difficulties at my remote location. (Semi-spontaneous overnight adventure for the win...except for the 30 minutes I've now spent on two devices trying to post a blog pic!)

Sigh.

Happy Friday--and almost 2017!

Throwback Thursday

Sorry-- I somehow ended up with back-to-back-to-back dentist appointments scheduled for this morning starting at 8am (!!!) so I have to get myself and 2 kids out the door very, very soon...and still have to get ready.  So here's a fun throwback to Miss C's first Christmas season.

December 2011:

(Almost) Wordless Wednesday

I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

Okay, not really.  We didn't have any bells. But that song was sure stuck in my head!

The kids before we sent them to bed.  (Interestingly, it was the wee lass who stayed awake for WAY longer than usual!)

Walking in to see what Santa left--not sure why she's looking in completely the wrong direction...

 ...since the loot is always displayed on the couch!

Someone needs a trip to the dentist!

The rest of the day pretty much looked like this.  Nobody ever got out of PJs:

Building a drone out of Lego bricks!

Annnndddd.....a fancy Christmas lunch.  (But seriously-- this is the way to EAT! At least until the diet starts next week-- HA!)

It's Boxing Day

So...I'll just throw some "boxy" pics up in here.

(Still too much in Christmas overload to upload and curate real photos.)

(Or I've eaten too much.)

(One of those.)

I treated myself to a package under the tree: an Instax camera.  I had thought about getting one(s) for the kids but then realized how pricey the special film was and knew I'd probably just be anxious about that all the time. So boom!  Bought myself one on Cyber Monday and then found a great deal on some bulk film.  So I've got some time to snap some fun "instant nostalgic" pics!

Our Christmas Day:

Hope you all had a joyful day!

It's Christmas Eve Eve!

Don't be sad, Miss C!

Christmas is almost here!

(Oh, and you finally don't have fever and can go to school today...for Pajama Day, no less!)

MERRY CHRISTMAS to all those who celebrate!!  

GRAMMIE IS HERE!

She arrived yesterday afternoon and was greeted at the airport by the daughter she was expecting...and the granddaughter she was not.  Miss C still had a bit of fever Tuesday night so I kept her home and made a doctor's appointment yesterday morning.  As expected, the doctor didn't find anything really "wrong" (like pneumonia), so we'll just have to wait it out.

Doesn't she look healthy and happy, though?  She was those things all day-- I even thought to myself, "she probably could've made it through school." And then.  And THEN. The evening rolled around and it all fell apart again.  At some point overnight she was crying and coughing and clearly had a higher fever.  So, yep, she'll be home again today!  [At least I have extra help now so I can finally escape.  This week hasn't been much for taking care of last-minute tasks!]

Hope you're all fever-free!

Wayback Wednesday

Cheering Him On

Before the kids fell apart on Sunday, the B-man participated in an informal swim meet instead of his regular weekly lessons.  It was the first time the BG and Miss C had come to see him in action, and she had a pretty good view for his backstroke race:

He pretty promptly threw up after this experience and everything spiraled downward from there.  He's mostly recovered, however, so will be headed back to school.  He's not pleased that sister had a fever last night, requiring her to stay home again.  Bets on whether I get a call from the school nurse with claims of him not feeling well?!   We shall see...

Kicking Off the Week with Uncertainty, but also with Fabulousness (Fabulosity?)

It's 7:31am and I truly have no idea yet if I'll have the day I thought I could have, a day with one kid home, or a day with both kids home.  No one is super sick but the older child got the bad cough and has felt a little "off" all weekend, and the younger one--who rebounded at the end of last week--coughed so much during the night that I can't imagine she's not exhausted.  We have an hour until bus time so somewhere in there gets to be the "fun" determination of what's going to happen.

Real talk:  I just wrote, re-wrote, and then deleted a brief blurb about how much it stinks sometimes to NOT be the parent who goes off to work/accomplish daily plans regardless of what is transpiring at home. No bitterness this week of Christmas.   ;-)

In any case, whether Miss C goes to school or not, she put together quite the practice outfit over the weekend for today's Spirit Week day of "Dress As Your Future Occupation":

Why yes-- she DOES want to be a "Rock Star"!   :-)

The View From Yesterday

That's a lot of different fuzzy fleece patterns-- ha!   And some sad eyes, made happier by several rounds of Hello Kitty Go Fish!

She's feeling better and will go to school today, along with her brother who is now hacking.  Guess he'll reach "pitiful" stage in a few days...

Happy Friday! It's another cold one here but still no snow.  The white stuff would make everything better!!!

No Photos, Will Randomize

I had every intention of capturing some sort of photographic image yesterday but it didn't happen.  Guess I'll just have to tell you what's on my mind this morning:

• I woke up at 4:30am, maybe because that's when the BG's alarm went off, but also because I was thinking about how the high is 24 degrees today and the B-man's coat got ripped when he (stop reading, Grammie) went up on the roof to help hang Christmas lights.  We had discussed getting it sewn up last night but that didn't happen. Shout-out to my incredibly handy husband who not only unloads the dishwasher and puts everything away (which everybody knows is the worst part) but also finds a needle and thread and does some early-morning mending.

• So yeah, it's supposed to be super cold this morning and you should hear this wind!  I really should go to Jazzercise since it's been a week of cookie-eating and no exercise, but I also kinda want to stay wrapped up inside all day. TBD on how that will go.

• Since I was awake in the wee hours, I decided to lie there, all snuggled in, and watch 3 shows that had recorded last night.  We've never had a TV in our bedroom so this watching recorded shows-on-a-mobile device thing is pretty sweet!  

• Our Christmas cards got delivered yesterday which finally kicked me into gear to put the 2016 letter together.  Writing is hard, y'all.  (I mean, I've resorted to bullets here.)  I need to start printing letters, handwriting notes, and addressing envelopes--but I've promised to several people hours of work time that need to happen this week.  (All the more reason I probably won't exercise. Sigh.)

•  I am currently sitting next to a giant pile of shipped boxes, none of which I've opened.  I really would like to go through them all and wrap the presents but am not sure how to prioritize that with all the aforementioned tasks.  What say I blow off everything but playing with new toys?!  Oh, and eating cookies.

Right this minute, Miss C is singing, "I'm waiting for my cereal, my cereal, my cereal!" from down the hall so I best get moving.  Stay warm, everybody!

8:06am update:  Said singer is really quite croaky.  She has one of those coughs that sounds horrible but there's really not much to be done.  She started looking kinda pitiful last night, however, so I've just made the decision (with some early-morning prompting from her dad) to keep her home today.  Look at that!  I've taken Jazzercise right out of the equation!  Guess I need to find a corner to do some dance moves!

Wayback Wednesday

On December 14, 2010, I posted this video.  HA HA HA HA HA.

The Gang's All Here

AKHG and her girls hit the road yesterday after I mentioned that I was going to have 8 dozen cookies in need of eatin' from attending two cookie exchange events this past weekend.  You gotta love a friend who is willing to help out.

I invited over a former work colleague of Anne's whom I've gotten to know over the last 10 years, so we actually had quite the nice ladies' cookie-eating night after the tykes were in bed.  Unfortunately, I neglected to take a photo of my platter o' sweet treats.  But they were there!  Lots.Of.Cookies.

Any excuse to get these second-generation friends together is a good one in my book!   Piled in the car on the way to get some quesadillas:

And then all lined up:

The adults are not pictured because it's *possible* neither one had showered/gotten properly dressed!

Have You Ever Heard the Expression...

..."a head taller"?

(Okay, okay.  It's possible a handful of those tiny dancers are actually a year behind Miss C, since it's a class for students who were 4 and 5 in September.  But still-- pretty funny.)

WINNER WINNER WINNER WINNER

The winning number/commenter has been chosen!!

Don't spill your tea, Karen I!   I'll be sending you an Amazon giftie later today!  Thanks for being such a loyal reader all these years!

Hope everybody has a weekend full of JOY!

Here's to 2,500 more posts!

This Season's Color?!

I finally got around to unpacking my purchases from our fun Thanksgiving getaway.  I treated myself to a new winter head wrap as well as a spreader, since the only ones I have are holiday-themed and, um, flavored goat cheeses are pretty tasty.

It seems I might have a favorite color...

While the shade is not anywhere near a true green, I have to say that I'm really feeling the GREEN (and GOLD) after reading through all the reports from yesterday's press conference with the new coach of the Baylor Bears football team.  Wow!!!   I think we're going to see great things!

PS:  Last call to win a $25 gift card in celebration of 2,500 posts!!!

Don't Even Need a Caption Contest

The BG's wit always comes through!

We've had several "winter" squashes lying around since the end of our (summer) CSA.  In an effort to make a dent in our general house mess, I decided to cut up an acorn squash--which used to be green--to roast.

In what will be a shock to you all, my lack of manual dexterity resulted in the inability to complete this task.  This is how far I got:

The BG got home hours later, walked into the kitchen, and said...

"You got a King Arthur thing going on here or what?"

PSST:  Have you left a comment on the Big News post?  I'll select a winner on Friday morning!

Ahhhhh....The Serene Lights of Christmas

(and some glow from an electronic device):

The BG is still in a mode of getting up super early.  Sometimes, it's as early as 3:53am (guess whose alarm clock is set 7 minutes fast?) and sometimes, if he doesn't have a lot of papers to grade, it's closer to the 5 o'clock hour.  I snapped this pic on Sunday morning when I finally crawled out of the warm (yay flannel sheets!) bed.  I feel like I should have people over every day in December because the decorations immediately a) make things look better, and b) distract from the general detritus that the kids leave all over the place! 

If you missed it, be sure to read yesterday's BIG NEWS and leave a comment so you're in the mix for a celebratory treat!  For those of you who might be saying, "I'm not leaving a comment because I don't want to take away from another's chance to win"-- please just comment anyway.  You can always buy ME something if you win!  :-)

BIG! BIG! BIG! BIG! BIG!

Today marks a big milestone in the life of this blog....

2,500 POSTS!

It's funny: very few "new" friends of mine even know about this electronic space.  The BG was shocked when I told him that I've never mentioned it on FB (which is ironic since it was largely for his privacy that I never did).  After so many years (almost NINE!) of mostly keeping it under wraps, however, even I get the shivers at the thought of mentioning it at this point.

[might be because I realize I don't have much to say!]

In any case, while this particular milestone can't really be celebrated in any place other than this one, I am quite pleased to see that we have all made it to this point.  I certainly didn't have "a future" in mind when I started jotting down daily thoughts but 2,500 of anything is a lot!!!   Daily posting has been my non-paying part-time job for all these years and continues to be a fun, if slightly stressful, pursuit.   

To celebrate, I would love to send a $25 Amazon gift card to one of you loyal readers!!  Please humor me by leaving a comment related to any of the previous 2,499 posts and you will have a shot at winning!   :-)   I'll use a random number generator to pick a winner early Friday morning.

Thanks so much for being here!   Big hugs!

Deep Breaths

You made it to Friday!

Have a great weekend!

Well, That Was Not What I Was Expecting

When we arrived at the house, it was early afternoon on Thanksgiving.  Our Turkey Day companions wouldn't be there for several more hours, and I was itching to get out and explore.  The kids and I left the BG at home (probably with his eyes closed, although I can't remember for sure) and set out for what was the first of at least 10 walks over to the main pedestrian-only shopping street.

As expected, most stores were closed since it was the actual holiday.  There were a few random shops open, like an art gallery-- figured maybe the owner didn't have anywhere else to be and decided to open up for people like me who were wandering around?  (Sorry, owner, we were not in the market for art.)

I was hoping to find a little market of some sort but that was a no-go.  The only place open with food for sale?  The highly esteemed establishment of Dollar General!  They were open on Thanksgiving with extended hours past their normal hours, no less!   Very bizarre!

Our trip in there basically turned into a "buy all the junk food" experience.  Previously mentioned Fritos and bean dip?  Check.   Powdered sugar donuts?  Check.  Chocolate candy?  Check.

I decided to carry out the processed food bonanza even further and suggested that the kids grab a tub of French onion dip from the cold case.  So they did, and we bought all our wares, and trekked back home with enviable yellow shopping bags.

Once we got back to the house and started unloading, I had a weird sensation when I went to put the dip in the fridge.   Wait--- WHAT?

Yep!  It was OPEN AND HALF-EATEN?   eeeeeewwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww!

(As you might imagine, the second of my at least 10 trips to the downtown area occurred immediately after this finding.  I swapped this disgustingness for a new tub (which we actually never ate and left--SEALED--for future home-renters)...and might have picked up a few additional snickety snacks while there.)

Thanksgiving Adventure, Day 3 (of 3)

Kinda a bummer to go out on a less-exciting day, but such is the nature of a shortened departure day.  We had to be out of the house by 2pm and, of course, between Christy the Consummate Cleaner...

...and Emily the Methodical Organizer [NO PHOTO AVAILABLE], we had some work to do to get it back to pristine!   Side note: the homeowner's review of me on AirBnB was positive so a) he must have been pleased with our efforts, and b) I will be allowed to rent future houses!

 I mentioned that the local toy shop was right across the street but at the end of that block?  A children's discovery museum!!!  Um-- PERFECT!  The dads took the 3 kids to the museum Saturday morning while C & I started packing up everything.   The kids had so much fun exploring all 4 floors of what sounds like a "typical" such museum but lots of excitement for the 8-and-under crew!

While there, the B-man apparently convinced the staff they should go ahead and open the rooftop area even though it was super windy. (As you can see, Miss O was not interested in venturing up there!)  Sure made for a scenic shot, though:

The girls enjoyed some final house-hanging:

And we all gathered for one more downtown lunch/walk:

And then I bullied everyone into the "fun" process of figuring out a self-timer pic:

Goodbye, stone house!

Thanksgiving Adventure, Day 2

I really thought I could do the rest of the trip in one post but it turns out there are just too many photos!

Part of the research I did in deciding whether this adventure location made sense was on the local visitors' website.  Once I saw that there were two fun things happening on Friday, I was IN.

The main event:

Plaid Friday is apparently a national movement that started in Oakland, CA to celebrate local merchants instead of big box stores. (And yes, that does make it right next door to Small Business Saturday, so basically two days of celebration in a town like this!)

We took the dress code seriously:

Fake Uncle E semi-matched our color scheme but the BG decidedly did NOT, so I didn't invite them to be in our pic.  This alternate photo of the BG and his kiddies cracks me up-- classic faces on both of the scamps:

Alas, I realize I've already gone out of order with the day.  A wonderful benefit to traveling with other adults is that said other adults can be "in charge" at home whilst the first set escapes.  (As it turns out, it's illegal to leave children at home alone.)  Since the BG and I are early risers--and since lots of businesses were opening at 6am to celebrate Plaid Friday--we had hit the streets by about 6:20am.

We got some warm bevvies at one local coffee shop, as well as picked up some highly discounted (25% off from 6-7am and then going down each hour!) adult bevvies for later from another store.  We then were standing outside a second coffee shop when it opened at 7am because we'd read about their bagel sandwiches.  We'd also read about another aspect of the store which turned out to be true...the pull-up bar:

Anyone from my childhood knows that I always failed at upper body strength challenges in gym class.  This place also had a taped-off area on the floor called The Dance Box, though, and I totally would have shaken my groove thing if I could have scored a free bagel sammie but that was a no-go...

(The other adults set out on foot sometime later to hit up a third local coffee shop so we all got to enjoy some walking-at-a-brisk-pace-sans-children, both on this day and the next.  Hooray!)

Scenes from around the house as we geared up for some shopping:

Some kids are ready to go explore!   Note, please, that directly across the street from our house was the toy store.  It's possible we went there a time or two!

One of our purchases at said toy store was a clip-on microscope.  Here are the fun parents getting it set up in front of delightful old stone building:

We met a friend on the main shopping street (which is a pedestrian-only road):

Tried a new look:

But settled on these:

Later in the afternoon, Chisty helped the kids make gingerbread houses.  You will be SHOCKED to hear that the next hours were spent listening to my children ask repeatedly to eat the decorations and/or walls:

After a dinner of Thanksgiving leftovers, we hit the road for a 7 mile journey to a lights display that opened up that evening.  We had bought these really cool glasses at the toy store and they made looking at all the lights an absolute delight:

The walk-through display went around a big pond.  We all loved it and it really did help us get in the Christmas spirit!

Spirited family!

There was talk of running over to the main street and ordering up some nachos for late-night eating once we got home, but that didn't transpire.  I can't remember for sure but there was probably another round of leftovers eaten.  Or wait-- fritos and bean dip!  That was it!   In any case, it was so nice to be able to stay up and chat for a few more hours after the kids were all snoozing.

To be continued...

Thanksgiving Adventure, Day 1

If you thought, "That furniture doesn't look familiar" in the pic from Friday, then you win!  Indeed, we were not at home.

I decided a couple of weeks ago that it would be fun to relocate Thanksgiving to some sort of other spot for an adventure.  We decided to give the whole AirBnB thing a try and ended up having a wonderful experience in a historic burg one state over but not all that far away.  (Ah, the north with its many little states!)

We took "adventure" seriously and rode a ferry across the river border rather than a boring bridge!

The view from our car on the ferry.  (Yes, I might have applied a few editing techniques but hey-- it's pretty, right?!)

Here it is!  "Our" home built in 1815!

While one couch fabric choice might have been a little scary, everything else was just perfect!  Tons of natural light, plenty of room, and some fun accessories like.... a deer head:

A drafting table:

A rowing machine for some quick exercise:

And even a barber's chair!

Pretty soon, these people showed up...

...bearing not only a cute almost 4-year old but also all the rest of our holiday meal ingredients.  We swung into action and put together quite a spread:

Only implement we didn't have?  A can opener!   OOPS.   BG's problem solving skills to the (very sharp) rescue:

Oh, and as delicious as my plate o' food was, I had a hard time eating it the first go-round because it's *possible* I gorged on this yummmmmmmy baked maple bacon brie appetizer:

Nothing that a brisk walk around town after dinner coudn't fix!

B-man is a very doting fake cousin to Miss O:

Nutcracker!

Young people in an old town:

More adventures to come...