non-resolutions

i'm not one for resolutions.
i'd rather call them goals.
or... things i'd like to do.
sometimes i change my mind.
and a lot of the time i add more.

some of them are evergoing goals...
more like, life goals really.

so, here my goals for the new year.
2011.

Make some big choices.

Keep on running.

Declutter my life.

Make a real quilt.

Keep on blogging.

Grow LBE.

Cookies. Go with it.

Make more homemade food.

Prayer list.

Office. Clean it.

Decorate master bed & bath.

a BIG garden.

5Ks. 4 miler. 5 miler.

Work on kid’s wing.

Keep up on my pics. Saving. Sorting. Printing.

Reduce. Reuse. Recycle.

Be healthy.

Be nice. To everyone. Even when it's hard.

Watch my attitude.

Speak wise. Watch what I say.

Control what I can. Release what I cannot.

Feel my feelings. And be ok with them.

Scrapbook.

Sew more things.

Less piles.

Pray more.  Whine, worry, wonder less.

Be the best wife and mommy I can be.

there.
now they are out.
they are real.

what are your goals?
i may like them. and take them.

christmas 2010

Christmas came and went.

in a busy blink.

we celebrated about 10 different times.

each great in their own way.

but here is my favorite... Christmas morning.

i'm ready to move on with our normal everyday life now :)

that's busy too... but everyday feels so much better to me.

hope you all enjoyed your celebrations!

2010 Christmas card

merry christmas from our family to yours.

(last name has been changed to try to protect the innocent.)

(the funny thing? we dont even watch spongebob.)
(but we do own 1 book.  spongebob plays hockey.)

wishing all of you all that you have wished for.

may your home be filled with happiness and joy this Season.

(this blog will resume once the festivites have slowed...)

hugs to you all.

santa claus is coming to town

we've gotten to see Santa a few times this year.

this is the first time since cohen was a baby that he didnt cry.

and he was proud to announce that he was not going to cry this year.

then we took the kids to open skate on sunday.

and look who showed up!

so fun.

and yes.

this is cohen. in full hockey gear.

awesome.

 and the little lady loves skating too.

we are counting down the days to Santa's visit in our house.

the kids want it here now... but we'd prefer time slow down a bit.

cookies up!

lots of cookie orders this week!

so excting :)

2 dozen.

6 dozen.

2 dozen.

3 dozen.

 and a little something for lilly's bus driver too!

and now off to make frosting for the last batch!

happy weekend :)

(fill it with sugar... and then hit the treadmill.)

things i could have facebooked...

It's no secret im addicted to blogs.
I'd be addicted to facebook and twitter too if I had a smart phone.
Good thing I don’t.
Have a smart phone that is.

Though you may not believe it, I don’t sit at my computer all day long.
But I am always thinking of things to post on facebook.
Then I think... no one really wants to know every little thought I have.
So I thought id start writing them down and turning them into blog posts.
Not that anyone wants to read them here either.
But I do.

Enter… a new series… it's unnammed as of yet.
facebook rejects.
wannabe status. statuses? what's the plural for that?

so anyway.
here is the first installment.
'things i could have facebooked...'

-Making sugar cookies make me happy.

-I want 7 layer salad. 8 layers really.

-I’m making Playdoh (soon).

-I think I need the pink and black apron.

-Do you think my neighbors have some meringue powder I can borrow?

-Operation 8 dozen decorated sugar cookies begin!

-Even been so tired you feel drunk? That’s me.

-Cookies. Laundry. Sleep. Repeat.

-Why do I think of things I'd like for Christmas AFTER it matters?

-The cookies are done. I need a nap.

-My whole house smells like bacon.


So, i'll keep jotting down more facebook status ideas throughout the week.
The ones that don't make it to my actual facebook. 
And when there is enough, I’ll blog them.
Just for fun.  Feel free to join in.

steelhead, say what?!?

as much as i like having dave home on the weekends...
i know how important it is for him to get to do his own thing every now and then.

his thing right now... fly fishing.
in the snow.

he caught his first steelhead over the weekend.
(see how i act like i know exactly what i am talking about?)
dave is pretty excited.
and it made for a good dinner.
for dave.

he caught it on a fly he tied himself.
and a pink one at that :)
i appreciate how the fish bit perfectly for a nice scrapbook photo.
thanks fish!

winter man.
you are crazy.
but i love you still.

to see dave licking his fish and shaking his booty watch this video.
i've only watched it about 10 times. per cohen's request.
though i do quite enjoy the butt shot :)
(oh. and he catches two fish too.)

special thanks to patrick who may or may not know i stole his pics/video to post.
his write up on dave's 1st steelhead is a very nice read.
all you closet fly fishing lovers should go check out his site.
it's very nice :)  and has been added to my blog list.

and that may be the last time you read the word 'steelhead' on my blog.

mock ice cream sandwiches

here's a little treat we've enjoyed for a number of years.
my aunt gave me the recipe.
(she gives me most of 'my' great recipes.)

they are like mock ice cream sandwiches.
super easy. super good.
and they are weight watchers.
i believe they are a point a sandwich.
(under the old points system... not sure how the new way works.)

so if you eat 2. or 3. or 4.
you dont have to feel too bad about it ;)

start with 2 things.
graham crackers. whipped cream.
(you can get crafty and use chocolate grahams too!)

slap some whipped cream on half a cracker.

 top it with the other half of the cracker.

line them in a container. 

 double rows for us!

put them in the freezer.

(we try to let them sit over night ;)

then enjoy!

keep whatever you dont eat at that sitting in the freezer.
then get out more when you want more.
mmmm, do we have more?

p.s. and thank you.
for all the kind words and support on my last post.
i am not done blogging :)
i won't let one incident take away what makes me smile.
hugs.

lost.

I'm feeling in a blog rut... and I'm in a mood.
So this is what you get.
(And it's my blog, and I'll blog what I want to.)

A while back I lost a blog reader.
As in, someone told me they don’t read my blog anymore.
And that they hadn’t been reading for a number of months.

Who it is isn’t important to share here.
But who it is, and the fact that they don’t read here anymore, is important to me.
I think that the 'who it is' is what hurts me the most. 
But.  We are all entitled to do as we please.
And I do respect that.
And I still love this person very much.
Whether they read here or not.

I wrote the body of this post while I was dealing with the whole ‘why is this blog so important to me that is hurts to know that this one particular person isn’t reading it anymore’. I debated posting it.  I still wonder if I should or not.  It's a little more than I typically share on here.  But.  I feel like sharing my feelings is ok.

I get my feelings hurt very easy. I get sad. Upset. Mad. Feel alone. Unappreciated.
Sometimes it helps to write things out.
Sometimes it helps to be ok with my feelings.
Most times that helps.
I am human after all.

Why do you blog?
(Why do I blog.)

For myself. For my kids.
To showcase pictures.
To document our lives.
To remember conversations.
And activities. Recipes. Craftiness.
Ideas. Deals. Links to other interestings.
Someone else may be looking for just that one thing.

To be proud of ourselves
To remind us of what is good in our lives.
Not that there is only good in our lives.
That is far from the truth.
But the blog is the good stuff.
Basically.

To relate to others.
Relate with others.
To share what I am going though as a wife and mother.
Because so many of us are out there.
Looking for people who are just like us.
Busy. Tired. Overwhelmed.
But blessed beyond measure.
It’s nice to know we aren’t alone.
We aren’t as different as we think.

My blog doesn’t talk back or judge.
(The way that I do. The way that I am.)
It doesn’t expect me to do the things that it thinks I should do.
It doesn’t talk down to me for writing it.
Or call me selfish. Because I am writing about myself.
It likes the details of my life.
And doesn’t think I share too much.
It lets me be.
It’s just another creative outlet that I allow myself.
A creative outlet that I really truly enjoy.
To reflect on the things that I need to reflect on.
The good stuff.

So… that’s what I wrote a while back.
But. When I say I blog ‘for myself. For my kids.’
That’s not the whole truth.
I blog because I want to, yes.
But I also blog to share with all of you.
My readers.
Family. Friends. Online friends.
Whoever you are.
It’s for you too.

I'm not looking for sympathy.
And I'm certainly not looking for anyone to bash me for enjoying my blog.
Or to talk down to the person who no longer reads.
We can all make our own decisions.
Do what you want.
Or what you don't want.

Just wanted to get it out.
I'm a person. I'm fairly normal.
My feelings get hurt.
But I try to get over it.
Being open and honest helps me feel better.
Even if it is via this silly little blog.
Hugs.

say cheesecake

we celebrated daddy's bday with a nice homemade meal.

and homemade key lime cheesecake for dessert.

as we were cleaning up, i saw this...

lilly taking pictures of food...

 and i loved it :)

say 'cheesecake'!

My Life People ~Meet Dave!~

The 11th segment of My Life People...

meet Dave :)

1. How do you know me?

You are my wife, best friend and sweetie girl

2. You get to go to a car lot and pick out whatever you want… what do you pick?

Are you kidding me.. Just one car..WOW..mmmm.. I think I would pick either a Toyota FJ, Subaru WRX, BMW 3 series XI all wheel drive wagon or Subaru Outback sport wagon. How I would pick I have no idea. (My budget would tell me what I would be able to get.)

3. Would you like to have more babies?

Yes, just one but my luck we'll have twins ;)

4. You get to eat out tonight. Where do you go and what do you order?

Starliner Diner and I would order one of their daily specials

5. What do you want for your birthday?

New undershirts ;)

My notes on Dave:

Dave is my best friend. In. the. whole. world.  He has been since we were 17 years old.  Of the (few;) things that frustrate me about him... there are 10 times as many things that I love and admire about him.   He lets me be me, which I love.  Even when I am far from loveable. We balance each other in so many arenas.  He's atheletic.  He's confident.  He's positive.  He is prompt.  He can fix most anything.  He can build about anything.  He grows a great garden.  He does laundry and dishes.  He cleans the toliets and mows the grass.  He tells me the only reason my high heel knee high boots are tight is because my calves are bigger from running.  He tells me I don't need makeup.  And that my cooking is delicious.  He says I am a good mommy.  He lets me cry. And he doesn't get too bothered by my many many oddities.  He works hard so that I can be home with our babies.  And he sacrifies so much because I am home with our babies. He is the perfect husband for me, and the greatest daddy to our kids... I love you sweetie boy. You make me proud. You are my super man. 

And December 6th is his birthday. 
One of my favorite days ever.

happy tree

my parents cleaned out their attic and saved me a few things.

the aluminum tree :)
i took it to college with me.
im not exactly sure where it all came from.
they may have been some of my grandpa's finds.
he was a professional garage saler ;)
and a dumpster diver.
and pretty awesome at that.

vintage ornaments!

heeeeeee!!

(that's a happy squeal.)

and a cute little village :)

the littles and i set it all up this week.
by the window.
in the corner of the 'play wing' of the house.
not sure if that is the best place...
but. so far so good.
(knock on wood)

look how pretty...

i feel so lucky to have these.

our elf, galleon, returned this week.

he likes the tree too :)