Green Acres Bliss

In The Country No One Can Hear My Screams

Thursday, December 30, 2010

The Big Move

Not a new house.

Just a new bedroom.

Oliver suggested last night that we give up the Master Bedroom to A and JD since you know, all we do in our room is sleep.

We need all the kids to have more space in their rooms to play.
Why do we need them in to play in their rooms more?
Not because I dont enjoy seeing their bright shiney faces.
But because during the course of one evening Oliver and I are constantly bellowing "OUT!" while we try to take 2 minutes in the kitchen to talk, steal a kiss, etc. If we are in any room, the kids are directly behind us listening.
This is just a side effect of having kids I suppose.

But A and JD would get to spread out in the huge room, C and JR get to move up to a bigger room, and that leaves Oliver and I with the little room.
I mean LITTLE
Postage stamp little.
With a King sized bed.

Oliver swears the bed, dresser, and grandmas special chest will fit but I stood in that room today and I just dont see it.

Im afraid.

Maybe we wont hear that they cant play in their rooms because its too messy and they own too much crapthere is no space. Maybe they will actually hang out up there with their video games, and toys, and computers. I think this whole theory is far fetched but Oliver seems convinced.

So next week we will start the move and if Im lucky, while no one is looking I can throw out some stuff.

Wednesday, December 29, 2010

Vanity At its Finest

I am secretly a ridiculously vain person.
I style my hair and wear eyeshadow to do yard work.
I try to keep money and time spent to a minimum but I like to look nice.



I have been dealing with a case of what appears to be adult onset acne. I never had a pimple in my life until I was pregnant the first time. Since then its gotten progressively worse and Ive finally thrown my hands in the air.

I ordered proactive and Im thinking about going back on the pill.
I hate the pill. I dont need the pill. I need better skin though.
Even Oliver mentioned that hes never seen it this bad. If Oliver says something it MUST be bad.

Its unfortunate because since I jumped back into CHI products my hair has never looked better health and style wise, but my skin is just awful!

I'll take any advice at this point. Im out of ideas.

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Im A Winner!

Its true!

If you havnt been over to *Dandelion Wishes* to chat with Mamarazzi then GO! Just wait until the end of this post. Its a lovely place full of pixies and gum drops, and rainbows, and... ok maybe it doesnt really have any of those things but she is awesome.

I woke up this morning to find I had won a special surprise gift on Mamarazzis blog from Little Gems by Jax on etsy!
Maybe its earings?
Maybe its a necklace?
The surprise is the best part and its all cute x100 so I have no reason to NOT be excited.

Whats even better about this win is that Im plugging/supporting a fellow Michiganian(Michigander?). She has a promo going on right now to get FREE stuff with any purchase from her shop, and she still has a 10% off holiday sale going on.

Now, On your mark! Get set! Go! *Dandelion Wishes* and Little Gems by Jax!

Sunday, December 26, 2010

Thank God Its Over

Man that was a MESS!

A fun, over indulgent, slightly inebriated, mess.


Im so glad we are finished for another 364 days.

Everyone got some good stuff, ate A LOT of food, and drove all over creation. Whew!

I dont need to ramble on about all the stuff we got but I will say that I got a snuggie, and I will add without shame that I am wearing it right now.

Wilson the Chocolate loving chocolate lab seems fine so far but he did eat some MORE chocolate today. He eats dead animals he finds in fields. Im guessing this wont kill him.

I leave you with a few pictures...


A and JD, easily the coolest kids EVER. Obviously.


A and JD with their cat Samantha(also affectionately referred to as "the spawn of Satan")


Oliver and JD and his new PSP


Me, C, and JR


Testing out the new mic


All 4 boys and Spike.

Back to blogging about non-holiday related things tomorrow!

Cheers folks. I hope you all made it out alive.

Saturday, December 25, 2010

Christmas is about surprises!



We came home from our Christmas party last night to find that our lovely lab Wilson had eaten ALL the chocolate for the boys stockings.
A whole bag of York Peppermint Patties, and a bag of Hershey Kisses. Wrappers and all.

So In addition to waking my panicked father up with a phone call(to see how much chocolate would kill a chocolate lab, oh the irony), Oliver had to go out and find a 24 hour gas station on Christmas Eve to buy overpriced candy to fill the stockings.

We also may be finding an emergency vet tomorrow when all those wrappers try to find their way through his digestive tract unsuccessfully.

Merry Christmas Boys and Girls.
The kids open their gifts this evening!

Thursday, December 23, 2010

The Art of Cold E-Mailing

Let me just start by saying, I have no idea what the art of "Cold E-Mailing" is but I intend to find out.

And frankly, the idea of it makes my hands clammy, my forehead sweaty, and my vision a little blurry.

But I need a job. More than that even, I WANT a job. I WANT to get out, interact with people, network.

Oh yeah, and Im terrified of being impoverished.

So here is the problem:
I live in a resort town. It booms in the summer. Its dead in the winter.

Its winter.

This does not bode well for the current job market.

I WANT a nice entry level position working at the front desk at your resort, behind the counter at your kitchy shop downtown, SOMETHING where I get face-time with PEOPLE. I dont need full time. I dont need benefits. I just NEED to get out of the house and hopefully bring home some money while Im at it.

So Im resorting to cold e-mailing because well.... theres no one actually at these resorts. Some of them arnt even open for the season yet.
Hopefully I can portray my sparkling personality in a cold e-mail and actually get SOMEONE to call me.
I get the distinct feeling that writing personal sounding e-mails(that dont make me sound like a complete tool) to so many places is going to occupy my time for the next 48 hours.

Desperate times call for desperate measures people.

Cold e-mailing, also known as "thinly veiled begging".

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

These are a few of my Favorite Things

The kids are home for Christmas break this week. Just A and JD with us this week and seeing that they are 10 and 11, this should be easy right?

Wrong.

"I'MMMMMMM BOOOORRREEEDDDDD!"

This is all Ive heard this week. Once the video games are turned off for the day they suddenly have NOTHING else to do. You know, a bedroom full of toys and instruments and 14 acres of woods and fields and theres not ONE thing they can do but pick on eachother.



When I do manage to get the kids to go outside they come back in 37 times and track snow across all the floors, leaving me with dirty wet floors, and dirty wet socks. I feel like Ive sunken to SHRIEKING "TAKE OFF YOUR SHOES!! NOT IN THE HOUSE!!"

Lord Help Me.

But! I woke up this morning after getting to sleep in to some glorious sunshine which made the fact that the cat had thrown up on my favorite comfy red chair a little easier to handle.
The boys helped pick up the house without too much pleading.
I painted my nails bright red for Christmas and Oliver made me coffee.

Oh and JR's tiny little Orange Ukulele showed up for Christmas. I dont think Ive ever seen anything so cute in my LIFE.

Monday, December 20, 2010

The Christmas Goose is getting fatter

And so am I.

Dont you love the Christmas season and all its yummy food?

Im looking forward to roasting a whole chicken for dinner tonight.

Im an extremely visual person. I like lists and calanders and color coded post-it notes. I NEEEEED those things in order to have any idea whats going on.
I have none of those things currently for the Christmas week. I am flying by the seat of my pants! I have no idea when the kids will be wandering through to celebrate, I have no idea when we are due at Olivers parents, or my Dads or Olivers Aunts. I have no idea who will get to see the kids because Im just LOST.

Oh yeah, and Oliver forgets EVERYTHING unless hes reminded 5 minutes before he has to leave.
I think I should probably get crackin on that Color coded Christmas calendar/list combo.

In other news, I lost the squirt bottle to keep the cat out of the tree so Ive resorted to using the nerf gun. Dont worry, I only graze the cat with the foam dart. I think its mostly the noise that scares her rather than the dart.

Dont call PETA. Geez. Even PETA wouldnt like my cat.

Saturday, December 18, 2010

Happy List

Participating in Mamarazzis Happy List over @
HappyListButton


C and I saw a rainbow IN a cloud on the way home from school yesterday. Ive never seen that before and it kept my spirits up all evening. A rainbow IN A CLOUD? How can you NOT be happy about that?

Im Happy Oliver started sorting, rearranging, and throwing out things in the office and music room today. Those areas are off limits to me(my own choice) but I was happy to see it done without any prompting from me.

Oliver called up the stairs this morning "Great pot of coffee baby!". Happy to get a compliment on my coffee from the coffee nazi!

Im happy I finally took a leap and got some balls rolling so I can open my own ETSY shop soon.

Whats on YOUR Happy List?

Wednesday, December 15, 2010

Christmas Shopper Extraordinaire

Have I mentioned lately that Oliver is the man of my dreams?
Well he is and the reasons why just keep piling up.

Its no secret to anyone who knows me well that I have pretty severe anxiety which has no topic or situation discrimination. This is something that is well controlled without medication but I have a tendency to loose it completely sometimes.

We all know that Christmas is a trying time for even some of the most sane people.

And then theres the people like me.

The hustle and bustle of Christmas starts to wear on me quickly and usually by about the 15th of December(thats today) Im avoiding all retail stores completely.

Oliver is a master Christmas shopper and buying just the right gifts for people makes him almost giddy. So does the word "SALE". The man has basically taken over Christmas shopping this year for everyone. I actually went into the closet yesterday to pull everything out and take inventory of what we have because I cant keep up with everything hes bringing home.



As I pulled out shopping bag after shopping bag and my list got longer and longer, I kept having to turn and ask Oliver what toys went to which kid. That is, until I couldnt see him anymore because the gifts between us were piled so high and I started to have to yell over the pile of bags and gifts.

I know hes not done which is scary. The scary part is actually that both of us hate wrapping gifts and theres soooo many to be wrapped. Im hopefully going to start this weekend with the wrapping and spread it out over a week so I dont get burnt out too fast.

Hes asked me to keep him out of the stores because as we get closer to Christmas and things start getting marked down.... well he cant help himself. Short of hiding his keys, freezing his debit card in a block of ice, and chaining him to a radiator, theres no way to stop that man from doing whatever he wants.

So hows your shopping going?

Tuesday, December 14, 2010

Gameshow Excitement



JR has become a Price is Right junky!

He been jumping round the livingroom for 30 minutes yelling
"Fifty dowars(dollars) in the box! Yay!!! Give me a hug!"
and then he comes barraling toward me for a hug.

Fifty dollars is the only amount of money he knows.

I thought this was strictly Price Is Right enthusiasim until an Art Van commercial came on and he started jumping around yelling
"Holiday Sale! Fifty dowars!"

So maybe hes not a Price is Right enthusist but we're getting there.

Monday, December 13, 2010

Winter Fires

Oliver is a big fan of the winter fire. He knows fires make me happy because being warm makes me happy.
Hes a peach.
So this winter fire business... since we were informed that a fire in the woodstove would likely cause the house to burn to the ground, Oliver suggested that after the kids go to bed he goes outside to the fire pit and builds me a HUGE fire. I thought this sounded fantastic!
Then the news came on.
The windchill is 6.
6 degrees.
Thats in Fahrenheit.
Ouch.

Im still going to give it a try. Whats the worst that could happen? I dont enjoy it and go back inside and what? Waste 6 pieces of the wood we spent a month splitting and stacking to go in the woodstove? I wont feel to bad about it.

In other news, We had a rough start to the day just because me and the cold get along so poorly. I knew how cold it would be outside this morning and that immediately sent my mood downhill. When we got to school I got stuck on the icy hill outside the school. Two good Samaritans had to push me up the hill. It was not cool. I called Oliver.
"You should probably put down some kitty litter or something for traction."

"*blink**blink* Did you put litter in the trunk because I didnt?"

"Oh.... well.... no I didnt but.... hmmm"

God love him.

C found mine and Olivers Antlers he bought us today and wanted to take a picture. Im so unenthused with them that Oliver is now calling me "Scrooge McDuck" or something.



Sunday, December 12, 2010

The big man upstairs

Santa I mean.

We took C and JR to a Christmas party last weekend so they could sit on Santas lap and get a gift.

C made a list for Santa and insisted that we bring it so he could give it to him personally. He held it in the car the whole way there.



The kids got all hopped up on sugar and ran around like crazy people of course.
Untill Santa arrived that is. Then they both sat quietly and waited for their names to be called.

JR got called up first and was so excited he started opening his gift while still on Santas lap.



C's name came a couple minutes later. He ran up with his list. He crawled up onto Santas lap and they read his list together.


Nerf Gun
Nerf Darts
Halo Legos
Santa asked if he could keep the list, for future reference you know, and slid it into his pocket.
C jumped down and ran off to open his gift from Santa.

"A nerf gun! It was on my list! How did he know mom?!"

I just shrugged my shoulders, "Hes a pretty magical guy huh."



He spent the next 24 hours telling anyone who was listening, and a few people who wern't, about how Santa got him EXACTLY what was on his list.

He thinks pretty highly of the guy now.

Wednesday, December 8, 2010

Irrational Fear #11



HO-LY SHIT KIDS!

I found out last night that I am very irrationally afraid of bats. In the house bats.

We had a bat interupt our netflix time late last night. I did some screaching and hiding under the blanket while Oliver took off to catch the bat.
His commentary like "Its SO FAST!" and "It just keeps flying at my FACE!" didnt help my anxiety much.

Here comes the Irrational part...

He cornered it once it flew into the basement. All of the sudden I hear that little noise bats make... you know the one, and I yell "OH MY GAWD I CAN HEAR IT!!" Followed by me diving back under the blanket.
Oliver yells from the other room to tell me he had it in a towel and he was going to bring it in to show to me. I know he was joking, I could hear him opening the back door. Logically I know hes joking, I can hear it in his voice.

I wasnt feeling very logical though.

I started sobbing.

"Really? Sobbing?" you might ask because you and I both know thats overreaction at its finest.

And to you I say, Yes sobbing. I was shook up for a good 15 minutes after the bat left.

You know how the old saying goes, "You learn a new irrational fears everyday".... or something like that.

Tuesday, December 7, 2010

Irrational Fears and the woodstove

This is stolen from The lovely Ms. Kristy over at Pampers and Pinot
A list of irrational fears!

10. My kids will somehow drown, even in life jackets and calm waters.
9. Any body of salt water. I wont even put my feet in.
8. Oliver will leave. Its a great relationship. Not perfect of course and I know his level of commitment yet the thought lingers.
7. Oliver driving. He has no points on his licence. No tickets in 12 years. Still have to keep my head down
6. Vomit. My kids, me, the dog, anything. I worked in a hospital and handled all forms of bodily fluids. Vomit freaks me out.
5. Bees! This isnt totally irrational but Im not allergic. I know the stings dont hurt that bad but anytime one comes near me I run screaming or lock up completely.
4. Large Bridges. I close my eyes going across one but driving across one makes me nauseous which is bad given my fear of vomit.
3. Raw beef. Poultry doesnt both me as much by the feel and smell of raw beef sickens me. I can eat it cooked though.
2. Touching anything in a public restroom. Taking my kids into a public restroom makes me almost pass out because they JUST.DONT.CARE! I use tissue for everything.
1. Pregnancy. I loved being pregnant both times, and I love my kids. There is no chance Im getting pregnant again. Really, basically physically impossible. Im so afraid that Ive even taken tests.

The wood stove was supposed to be working today. Meaning they were coming to clean the chimney out so we could burn again. Basically we found out that the chimney doesnt meet code in any way. Sooo we might get ride of the wood stove, and use the money from that to convert it BACK into an actual fireplace(which I would prefer).
In any case, the point of the story is that Im not having a fire right now like I thought I would be.
So disappointing.

Monday, December 6, 2010

Snowed In



Thats libtrally how I felt this morning. I had to put my boots on, walk around the house, and shovel off the deck just to get the screen door open to let the dogs out(who were enthusiastically doing the "pee-pee" dance). I couldnt even see the tree line 50 feet behind our house this morning.

By about 2pm Oliver insisted that we venture out to buy new snow gear.
What was reinforced today is that I have huge calves. I mean really, its ridiculous. Its too many years of skating and hockey playing. I have muscular calf muscles. I'm ok with it. Unfortunately boot manufactures dont cater to that.
I tried on every pair of tall boots in the store we were in and I finally found ONE pair that was big enough around the calf that I could tuck my jeans in. I hate having wet jeans in the winter.
Nevermind the boots are brown and I only own a black pea coat.
I also bought a hat which already has improved my life drastically.

Oliver surprised me Saturday night by bringing me home some flowers. Im not a HUGE fan of flowers. Id almost rather get some good coffee or something but it had lilies in it and I love pretty much all lilies. So in connection with Lillie's he took me to The Crux to visit his friend Carissa and get a price quote on a Tiger Lily tattoo tonight.

I go back Thursday to get it drawn up.

We heaeded over to The Sand Bar to watch Jeopardy and play Keno to win my tattoo.
It didnt work.

We braved the weather for a night out because like Oliver told his mom "When the kids are gone we just want to have fun together."

Lake effect snow is kicking my ass. This is nothing like living in the city but this is fun.
Jeopardy, PBR, crappy movies.
Its a slow process but me and my new found warm(not fashionable) boots are learning.

Sunday, December 5, 2010

Weekly Music

This is a local band here in West Michigan but it doesnt make them any less awesome.

Delilah DeWylde and the Lost Boys

The Price You Pay




Some might call it Rockabilly.
Some might call it Honky Tonk.
I call it Amazing.
Delilah plays a stand up bass and they are full of energy. So much fun to see live but regardless of if youre seeing them live or listening to the CD at home its a blast. Something we love dancing to in the livingroom.

You can listen to them and buy their latest CD HERE!

1. The Price You Pay
2. Turn This Ship Around
3. A Fool Never Learns
4. Texas In My Soul
5. Just For the Hank of It
6. Turn the Cards Slowly
7. Kalifornia
8. I Can't Get You Off of My Mind
9. A Cheatin' Life
10. Hammer
11. Surf Riders

Saturday, December 4, 2010

Holiday Mania

Every year I swear that we are going to have a low key "relaxing" holiday season and every year the idea gets completely blown out of the water immediately.

This year Ive given up that notion completely.

Im also a notorious last minute shopper. Im that frantic person in Target on Christmas Eve with still no idea what to buy anyone. I did promise I wouldnt be that person this year and I kicked it off today with the purchase of 2 gifts online. C came running into the diningroom today and announced loudly..

"I want a Pillow Pet!"

"A pillow pet?" I asked, raising one eyebrow. Hes 5, but hes a manly man. Footballs, and videogames, and guns. I was confused.

"You can put your pajamas in them!" his eyes full of, what is that? Excitment?

"A pillow pet?" I asked again still confused by his excitement.

He has a Christmas list already. He wrote it out himself and based on his translation for me it reads:
Halo legos
Nerf Gun
Nerf Darts

None the less, I looked up pillow pets online and called him over so we could discuss which one he wanted.

"Hungry Hippo!" he pointed. Its a purple hippo.

"Really? Not the t-rex or something?" He loves dinosaurs.

"No. Hungry Hippo." He was insistant.

Im still confused about this complete shift away from football helmets and xbox games but hey, I ordered it anyways.

My conversation with JR went about as expected.

"What do you want to put on your list for Santa?"

"Mmmmm....2 toys" he held up 2 fingers.

"Just 2 toys? Any two toys?"

"Mmmm 2 toys. 3..4..5. 5 toys." He held up 3, 4, and 5 fingers respectively.

"Ok so any 5 toys Santa can scrounge up will work?"

"Um, a guitar and 2 tractors" he stated specifically.

Thank goodness this conversation went better with A and JD since they are older. JD was a bit difficult b/c his list said things like Dirt bike, pony, and puppy.

"You know Santa is not bringing you a dirtbike right? And we already have two dogs." I looked over my reading glasses at him.

"Dirt bikes arnt that expensive and we have dogs. Not a PUPPY." He was trying to make eyes at me.

"You'll shoot your eye out." It spilled out of my mouth.

"Its not a gun" he replied flatly "and this isnt that movie."

"Fine, you'll poke your eye out... or crack your head open... or something. whydoyouhavetoarguewithmeaboutthis?!" I was exsaperated by this conversation already.

God Bless A. My logical thinking young man who only asked for completely reasonable items. You know.... like an ipod touch, completely reasonable for an 11 year old! I dont even own an ipod touch.

Oh Christmas. You are a joy every year and this is just the begining!

Wednesday, December 1, 2010

The joys of lake effect snow


(the view from our deck at daybreak)

Lake Effect Snow is something Im learning the meaning of now that the lake is 2 miles away.
In all fairness, its settled over all over west Michigan and our 35 mile drive into Grand Rapids today took us almost 90 minutes with all the slow driving and traffic backups.
This is Michigan folks.
It snows every single year... for like half the year almost.
Why so many slideoffs and accidents?
You drive in this every year.

I have to head back to Grand Rapids in a few hours and you can bet Im not looking forward to it.



My trusty rusty Volvo wagon(yeah its amazing how hip I am) is rear wheel drive and Oliver made such a big deal about my back end slipping out from under me on the highway I was practically white knuckled all the way to town.
We didnt die....
I will punch Oliver for causing me so much anxiety.

But all this snow has made me consider going to the basement in search of Christmas decorations. Oliver says we are going to cut down our tree tomorrow.
Cut.down.a.tree.
Ive never done this. It will be fun.

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Home on the range?

Ive become obsessed with the idea of owning cows.

Part of my mild OCD tends to make me focus obsessively on one idea for days once it pops into my head. It would be awesome if it worked on things like Algebra or Chemistry, but it doesnt.

And so Ive compulsively researched all aspects of owning cows. Theres almost no way to make money at this and of course we cant actually afford to buy/feed/care for a cow but that doesnt stop my brain from running wild with the idea.

Oh yeah, Ive never even touched a cow.

They dont seem very scarey, and they seem kind of like they take care of themselves if you put them out to pasture. As long as they have water and dont get sick.

But what the hell do you do with it once you have it, besides feed it and grow it, etc? I'm NOT milking a cow. THAT scares me. I fear I would grow attached to it as a pet and then not want to use it for beef. So then what? I spend the next 10 15 20 years with a pet cow? I obviously dont even know how long a cow lives.

Now how about chickens? I would like to have fresh eggs even though I dont eat eggs, and I HATE chickens so I dont think I would get attached as a pet. But therein lies the problem, I HATE chickens. They are the most annoying, stupidest farm animal on earth and if I have to go out the the barn in the sun, rain, snow, and sleet, I would at least like to open the barn door to see an animal I like. Thats not a chicken.

I feel like we have 14 acres we should be doing something with. I just dont know what to do with all this pasture and forest.

I dont know how farming would work considering 90% of my shoe collection is sandles, and fairly expensive 4inch heels in various styles.

Sunday, November 28, 2010

Weekly Music

I almost forgot...
This is the music in our house this week!

Sharon Jones and the Dap Kings
I Leanrned the Hard Way



This album is so good I cant even begin to put it into words. There is so much soul in Sharon Jones Im surprised she doesnt explode, oozing soul all over everything withing 50yards of her.
The Dap-Kings are equally as amazing on their instraments. I am a huge lover of really put together string or brass sections in bands and these guys are killer.

1. The Game Gets Old
2. I Learned the Hard Way
3. Better Things
4. Give It Back
5. Money
6. The Reason
7. Window Shopping
8. She Ain't a Child No More
9. I'll Still Be True
10. Without a Heart
11. If You Call
12. Mama Don't Like My Man
13. When I Come Home (Bonus Track)

Lost in Laundry


I just climbed over 2 mountains of laundry(one clean, one dirty) to bring you this blog post. I, quite frankly, am exhausted.

There are 6 of us here. I do the laundry...6 peoples worth of laundry. I mean in a given week I can barely get my own laundry washed and put away let alone 5 other peoples laundry. Im working on something like load 5 or so and there is no end in sight. Ive collected the laundry out of the hall closet(A and JDs spot for dirty clothes), off the bathroom floor, and off the laundry room floor. I havent even gotten to picking up laundry in the boys rooms, or off mine and Olivers floor. Ive washed stray blankets, and towels. Ive piled the couch full of clean clothes. Ive hauled baskets up and down the stairs, back and forth through the house.

Ugh.

A and JD are supposed to be learning to put their own laundry away but it usually ends up stashed in some corner of the closet, under a dresser or bed, or thrown onto a shelf someplace. Putting their own laundry away was supposed to help remedy the whine I hear every single morning... "I cant find any pants/sock/underware..." It wasnt worked so far. I guess its hard to locate your pants/sock/underware when its wadded in the corner of the closet or under the bed.

*eye roll*

C will put away his laundry as long as you show him was drawers it goes in which is getting there.... I fully expect him to be able to put away his own laundry within the next year. Which he of course will not do but will throw it into a corner or under something just like A and JD.

Le Sigh

So here I sit amid piles of laundry, fighting off the last bit of a ridiculous head cold, And Ive completely given up.
Im watching football and drinking a beer, resting an elbow on a pile of jeans and my leg on a basket of shirts. Im on laundry strike...

Which is unfortunate becuase I still dont have any clean underware.

Wednesday, November 24, 2010

Our Eclectic Thanksgiving



Lets take a quick trip back through time...

My parents divorced when I was in High School. It wasnt shocking, nor was it nasty. Not only were my folks NOT soul mates, they were just nothing alike at all.
Fast forward to every momentous occasion since then(my wedding, the birth of both my children, birthdays, my mothers re-marriage, etc). My parents get along... well even. Even better than that, my step parents get along well too. In fact, I might even consider my mom and stepmom FRIENDS! *gasp*

My mom doesnt really cook. I dont want to knock mom or anything. She cooks some things well, and she bakes wonderfully. But a whole Thanksgiving dinner? Scarey! That first divorced Thanksgiving my sister and I had Pizza Hut on speed dial. Just.In.Case.

So my father in his infinite wisdom(infinite might be a bit of an overstatement) decided that maybe he should just invite my mom to his house for Thanksgiving since we all really wanted to eat his food.
Thus began our eclectic Thanksgiving cast of characters:
Mom
Stepdad
Stepsister
Dad
Stepmom
Stepbrother
Stepsister
Step"Mimi"
Step"Bupa"
Me
Oliver
All 4 boys
And any other stragglers we can haul in off the streets(no joke)

My mom, stepmom, and Mimi play cards and drink wine and laugh LOUD.
My stepdad watches football and my dad watches too(code for: naps).

Everyone there knows its a little weird for all of us to be together like one big family but we know we are amazingly lucky to have a parents that can get along, even if they cant be married.




So I'm spending the afternoon making Deviled Eggs(I've never had a deviled egg in my life) and key lime no bake cheesecake for another Thanksgiving with these odd people Im thankful to call my family.


Oh and a quick Thank You to Shannon of
The Shanner of Attention for the $25 Khols giftcard I won on her blog!

Monday, November 22, 2010

The weather has taken a turn...

(rain over Lake Michigan)



Though its normally 40 degrees or less this time of year, its 60 degrees today.

My friends called to tell me the tables are even out at Yesterdog which is rare in November. While Im not enjoying any yummy messy hotdogs I am enjoying some other things...


Fancy Rainboots. I love my rainboots.


Endless cups of coffee


Endless Oliver snuggles


Comfort food
Posted by Mrs. Lisa Douglas at 3:14 PM comments (1)


Saturday, November 20, 2010

Happy Saturday




Winter is well on its way and in Michigan that means lots of snowy, wet, dreary days. Since it was beautiful outside today and not terribly cold and windy I thought I'd take JR out for a walk, for his sake and mine.

He brought binoculars because he wanted to find deer but of course, there is no way an awake 2 year old can be quiet enough to sneek up on a deer.



Onward with the picture post...




Your sign does not trick me. I hear the gunfire constantly. Hopefully no one is feeling perticularly Saint Hubert-esque today out here.


We wandered around the back of the barn to get into the horse pen.


Amen Brotha. You wont find me in there.


Im sending him out to pasture. He even has his choice of 2 pastures. He picked the one on the left.


The house from the bottom of the pasture


He was feeling conflicted. He really wanted to explore but he wanted to hold mommys hand while doing it. Unfortunately, mommy made it clear she wasnt going any further into the weeds.


Hungry Hungry Horses?


Thanks for exploring with us!
comments (0)


Friday, November 19, 2010

The childless and their grandious delusions about parenthood


My beautiful younger childless(but not for long) sister called me last night.
"How do your kids act in the store?"
"Depends on the day I guess."
"Ok but usually... Usually how do they act?"
"There is no "usual" kind of behavior in the store," I said flatly thinking of how I could explain the elaborate mathmatical equation I use for figuring out how they are MOST LIKELY to behave in the store on any given trip.
"But would you just let them throw a tantrum in the store?"
"Look," I said, "If you are going to have a self rightous moment where you swear you will never let your precious angel throw a fit in the store Im going to knock you off your pedistal right now. We all think for a hot minute that we have these amazing well behaved children who would never do that but its a TRICK! It will happen. Maybe not until they are three but it will show up."
I think that was followed by a pause, some nervous laughter as it perhaps set in, and then was followed by a story about the sugared up ill behaved children she encounters at work every day.

Whew.

Im sure glad I didnt actually hear "I will NEVER let my kid act that way" because I would hate to have to reach through the phone and slap a pregnant woman.

Its like those people who swear their kid will never be dirty, with snot from ear to ear which has also inevitably attracted every piece of lint, pet hair, and dirt in the house.
I took JR to the store last night for a quick trip to get laundry soap since Oliver was in the middle of a laundry marathon. I swear, I looked right at him as I strapped his shoes on and zipped his coat. I saw nothing dirty about the childs face.
Of course, the second we got under the bright lights of our local grocery store, every bit of crusted snot, dirt, and hair on his face stood out like it was neon.

Ive realized that its a loosing battle... especially with JR. Hell even with me. I cant tell you the number of times this school year that Ive unknowingly dropped C off with pancake batter crusted to my hair/ear/cheek/shirt.

I just keep my head low and hope the other moms are all too worried about their bedhead to notice what food item has worked its way into mine.
comments (0)


Newer Posts Older Posts
Related Posts Plugin for WordPress, Blogger...