Is it Spring Yet?

I've been waiting all month for today.  I wanted to post an elaborate picture and post centered around the fact that I've made it a month!  They say it takes 30 days to create a habit, so the hard part should be over.  The next 334 days should be a breeze. 

While we're talking about breeze's, we're expecting some strong breezes here over the next 48 hours (nice transition, huh?).  But the talk of the weather experts was the ice.  Three days ago, they were projecting nothing short of armageddon.  Rain, winds, snow, sleet, accumulating ice...all while Jeff is in Texas, just before our birthday trip and promising to cancel school for days.  As it is, the kids are going to be in school until we leave for Blue Ridge (or so it seems).  Anyway, as the storm drew nearer, it moved.  Just a slight little movement, 50 miles or so.  But that ever so slight move means we'll luck out with mostly rain and just a little ice.  Unfortunately, the same can't be said for Texas.

So my picture today is ice, thankful that hopefully my bowl of ice is the most we'll see.  Travel safe Jeff, we miss you! 

Do you believe in Magic?

Beautiful house, isn't it?  This was one of the many gorgeous homes that I photographed last June while on our family vacation in Blue Ridge.  We love it there.  If I close my eyes tight and listen closely, I can still hear the water gently reaching the shore.  But that's not what this post is about. 

Every other week, there is a photography contest.  The theme changes every time and it's always fun for me to see the creative take on a subject from photographers around the world.  This weeks theme is Photoshop Magic.  Uggh.  Photoshop is a skill set all its own.  While I am by no means a pro, I love spending time experimenting and learning what Photoshop can do. 

This morning started earlier than normal for me and Willow.  We were both up at the crack of dawn and I wanted to let all the boys sleep in so we took off to the basement to work.  Below is my creation...my Photoshop Magic.  I'm sure that I'll get at least one more done before the deadline, but I wanted to share this and ask....Do you believe in Magic?

Homecoming - Take 2

Winter Homecoming.  First, let me say that it's taken me a while to get used to having multiple homecoming events each year.  I'm going to show my age when I say that when I was in high school, there was one homecoming and one prom.  Not anymore.  We have Fall Homecoming, Winter Homecoming, Prom and a couple of "not so formal" events in between.  Thankfully, we have boys - I can't imagine having a girl and having to find (and pay for) that many dresses! 

Anyway, this is just one more post of how much I love being a mom.  Nights like tonight make me smile.  When the boys were little, I thought to myself, it doesn't get much better than this.  Wow, was I wrong.  We've gone from matchbox cars, Barney movies and Superman pajamas to real cars, taking a date to the movies and suits and ties.  Just when I think we've reached the "best" age, it gets a little better. 

So tonight we'll have dinner with W and his friend and they'll take off to play video games, watch movies and stay up way to late.  Jeff and I will enjoy the quiet evening and wait until the stroke of midnight when H comes to join them.  And when I go to bed, I'll count my blessings a little louder. 

Warm Winter Nights

Oh the weather outside is frightful, but the fire is so delightful. 

I was ready for a white Christmas.  Now here we are, a month later and it's still as white.  It's been cold, grey and dreary for weeks.  Rumor has it there may be some sunshine by tomorrow...but it will be short lived as the next winter storm approaches.  With all this cold weather, I think I'm turning into Jack Frost.

So while I was alone tonight waiting for everyone to come home, I was wandering the house, trying to come up with a plan.  That's when I stumbled upon my Christmas village (yes, it's still set up).  So I turned off all the lights, turned on the whole village and listened to tiny little carolers sing my Christmas favorites.  I spent a few minutes watching the church glow, the diner bustle and the couples swaying at the barn dance.  Just long enough for my heart to warm a bit. 

In the time it's taken me to write this, Jeff has made it home safe and sound from Texas and W has made it home from the Winter Homecoming basketball game.  Once H gets home from work tonight, all will be right in our little village.  And tomorrow, the chaos will start all over again.

Lucky Stars

Cattle drives, cowboy boots, country music, steaks, bull riding and of course, cowboys.  I love Texas.  The boys are dying to make the trip.  Unfortunately, we still haven't convinced Jeff to make it our family vacation location.  I'm guessing it's because he makes a dozen trips there every year.  And if there's one thing that Jeff doesn't like, it's traveling.  Security lines, cramped flights, airport food....need I go on?  But I consider Jeff the lucky one.  It's now a joke, if anything is going to go wrong at home, it's going to happen while Jeff's in Texas.  Blown transformers, power outages, sick pets, sick children...the list goes on and on.  Nothing we can't handle, but it never fails. 

While Jeff is in Texas today and tomorrow (and again next week), I'll sit here with my fingers and toes crossed until his flight lands.  And when the inevitable disaster occurs, my response to him will be the same...Thank your lucky stars you're in Texas.

Fearless

"Confidence comes from not always being right but from not fearing being wrong." - Peter McIntyre

Over the last sixteen years, I've determined the best part of being a mom is watching the boys grow into amazing young men.  The older they get, the more I appreciate what it is to be a parent.  Each time I think I couldn't be more proud of them, they do something to show me how wrong I was.  Today is BPA testing day.  I thought that I would have breakfast with H and help calm his nerves.  What I didn't take into account is that he has no fear.  So instead, he was calming my fears - about him driving home late, not eating enough, not sleeping enough...all those mom worries. 

So as I sit here tonight, wondering how they did, I realize I too have no fear.  I know H did well, that's just what he does.  We'll just have to wait until Friday to prove it. 

Are You Contagious?

Have you ever just had one of those days?  You know the ones....too much to do, too little time, all work, no play.  I fully admit I'm having one of them.  Life gets so busy sometimes and my focus begins to get a little blurry.  So I slow down, mope a little (yes, I admit it) and then I find the dog laying in the middle of the living room....looking like I feel. 

That's when it occurred to me that my attitude may be contagious.  So I'm off to have fun at concession stand duty (I will REALLY try), I'm going to come home and enjoy dinner with W and Jeff, I'll sit with H for the little bit that I get to see him and really listen to his excitement over homecoming and calm his nerves about BPA tomorrow.  And I'll hug them all a little tighter and a little longer and make sure the last thing they see is a smile.  It's contagious too. 

Banquet 101

Disclaimer:  Before committing to read today's post, you must know that 1) I did not take a picture today, but instead created a picture (I think that counts) and 2) If you are tired of hearing about the banquet, you can skip today's post without hurting my feelings.  Actually, you may skip the blog, stop answering my phone calls, move to another country until March...whatever works best for you.

If you've gotten this far, you must want to know the rest of the story.  H, W, Jeff and I live and breathe the banquet for the month of January.  It's a crazy, hectic, messy, expensive ordeal.  But that night, when we are all dressed up, eating well, dancing until late (yes, that includes the boys) and watching everyone have a wonderful time, we all know it was worth it. 

Anyway, this years theme is "Fifteen Minutes of Fame!".  It includes TV Show favorites like The Price is Right, Family Feud, CSI, The Masters and of course, American Idol.  So I thought I would share some of our hard work, since I finished the last copycat logo today.  So here's a few more and for those of you that are still reading this....I promise that I'll only be obsessive for a few more weeks.  That is, until August when it all starts again!

Legal note:  No TV Shows were harmed in the making of this event.  All names have been changed to protect the innocent. 

Comfort Food

Cottage Pie.  One of my very favorite meals.  How could anything with mashed potatoes and cheese be bad?  Over the years, it's gone through a few minor changes (no yucky peas) from Mom's version but it will always be my favorite comfort food.  It's also one of the very few meals that I taught Jeff to make.  Since H won't touch a potato and W won't get near ground meat, it's definitely a meal we make when the boys aren't home.  Since today was one of those too cold outside, curl up with a book in front of the fire days, this was the perfect meal.

By the way, can you tell that the boys have been gone for a few days?  Life is definitely more interesting when they're home.  I can't wait until tomorrow!

Fancy Pants

I've spend a good portion of today trying to figure out how to follow up the coyote story.  It was one of those days that I will never forget.  Living in the forest brings us lots of visitors.  Some stay for a moment, some for a day, some for a lifetime.  Fancy is definitely one for a lifetime. 

It's a rare occasion that she doesn't run when the camera comes out.  Today must have been my lucky day...just like the day we found her.  

Snow, Deer and a Coyote! Oh My!

Before we get to today's picture, I want to take a minute to explain what I've learned in the last three weeks.  First, I've learned that I can stick with something for twenty one consecutive days.  For me, that's a noteworthy achievement.  Second (and most importantly), I've learned that some times you plan life and some times, life just happens.  Some days I wake up with a plan of what the days entry will be about.  But others, something extraordinary happens and I'm honored to have been present to capture it.  Hopefully, everyone else finds them as extraordinary as I do.

Now, on to today.....

Yesterday I was complaining about the snow.  This morning, it was beautiful.  As I was staring out the window, watching the snow sparkle in the morning sun, I was thrilled to see a beautiful doe wander into our backyard.  Talk about picture perfect.  I watched for a moment and grabbed my camera, hoping and praying I'd get one good shot.  As I'm shooting, I'm more awestruck as another deer appears.  Then another and another.  Soon, we've got a yard full.

But the story continues.  I'm standing on a kitchen chair, snapping away and Jeff is watching out the window.  Both of us very careful not to spook them.  What a great opportunity, little did I know it was about to get better.  With no notice, the deer began to scatter.  I don't mean they trotted off (do deers even trot?), I mean they took off like they were running for their life......

I was confused to say the least.  We had been VERY careful not to scare them.  Then Jeff saw him.  He was slinking near the tree line and then he ventured into the yard. 

A coyote!  Right there, in our yard.  I snapped quickly, but he wasn't posing for very long.  About half way through the yard, he made it back into the wooded area and was quickly out of sight. 

I woke up this morning thinking it would be a normal day.  Tonight, I will go to bed thankful to have been reminded we're not on the planet alone.  Life is all around us, you just don't always get lucky enough to see it.

Colder Weather

I was originally going to start today's post singing 9-5 by Dolly Parton...that was the plan this morning when the weather man told me that the worst snow would be over by 5.  Unfortunately, he's changed his mind and told us to expect another two inches by 10pm.  So now we're just stuck with Colder Weather (another one of my favorite songs!).  

The railing really doesn't do our most recent storm justice, but it's just to cold to venture out to show you that the fire pit has all but disappeared.  One more inch and it'll be gone until Spring...which is right around the corner, right?  It better be.  The boys are now two days into make up days in the summer ... and there's another storm heading our way next week.  Ugghh!

Be Thankful

Years ago, I had an obsession with candles.  Then I burned a hole in our end table and created a line of black soot on our new bedroom carpet (with a little help from a really cheap candle!).  With the three strike rule, I decided to put my love of candles on hold.  Unfortunately, my nose really loves warm, fuzzy, comforting scents so I couldn't hold out forever.

My slow reintroduction of candles started last year when Jan bought me a delightful Yankee candle.  I lit it a few times, then put it away for fear of burning the house down (in my head - that was the next logical accident to occur).   Well, this Christmas brought out all the candles so the holiday scents could permeate the house.  And everyone loved them as much as I did.  So much so, that Jeff found himself shopping in the Yankee Candle store looking for after Christmas bargains.  I've taken a picture of our favorite scent...and words to live by.  Be Thankful.   

To Do List

The definition of a to do list is a list of tasks, often written on a piece of paper as a memory aid, that one needs or intends to accomplish.  My to do list isn't written on a piece of paper.  It's written on hundreds of pages, all contained in the bindings of the books that make up my collection of must reads.  Thankfully, Jeff has the same list.  And I've determined it must be hereditary, I got the list from my mom....and I've been teaching W and H how to create their own.
 
One day, the boys will head off to college, careers and families and I'll make an honest effort to get through my to do list...one page at a time.

Can we fix it? Yes we can!

Meet Jeff....or as I prefer to think of him, Bob the Builder :)  Since we have been in "focus on the house" mode, the living room is our newest project. 

Paint colors...check, new entertainment center...check, new artwork....check, rip out the fireplace and replace it with slate...check.  Wait, did you say rip out the fireplace? 

On Saturday we looked at slate.  As of tonight, all of the tile is out and the slate is cut and ready to be glued and filled with grout.  Looks like that will be the weekend project.  Soon, all of the projects are going to be done and I don't know what we'll do with ourselves.  Oh wait, relax.  Yeah, that's it. 

The Birthday Test

Happy Birthday to W!  A whole day dedicated to him.  The boys slept in, we took all of them (including a friend) to Dave and Busters, dinner at home, H took them to a movie, we had cake and now they're off to play video games, eat too much sugar and stay up way to late.  What a perfect day for a fourteen year old.

As for the cake, W and I dance this dance every year.  A long time ago, I started letting the boys pick the "theme" of their cake.  Anything they asked for, that's what I'd make.  It started with a baseball hat, a football game, the 70's, etc.  Each year, W spends a little more time thinking of my project.  Last year, he wanted the Philadelphia Eagles logo....and as usual, Mom delivered.  So this year, he went 3D.  He wanted a PlayStation controller.  This was my attempt at it.  I'm not impressed with it, but they loved it. 

Next year, Kroger is making W's cake....and it'll be Dora :)

Dynamite!

Let's play a little game....who's in the picture? 

If you guessed H, you'd be right.  This is the view I normally see of H, the back of him as he is on his way out the door.  Today, he took the day off to go to Dayton to cheer on Allison's cheer team.  And it looks like it worked, they won. 

Superman

As a child, Superman was the Justice League, kryptonite, comics and Christopher Reeves.  Today, Superman reminds my boys of The Big Bang Theory.  It's amazing how times have changed.  But one thing never changes, friends always remember your birthday!  W's birthday was this week and imagine how excited he was that his friends chipped in and bought him this awesome belt buckle as a present.  He spent his own allowance to find a belt that would look just right with such a legendary logo.  Tuesday, he'll wear it to school with his Sheldon shirt. 

Wonder twin powers, activate!

You're My Inspiration

If you know us at all, you know that our home is just that...a home.  It's the kind of home that welcomes you in, lets you put your feet up and stay a while.  We're now ready to "party" it up a bit.  So when you need decorating ideas and you don't know where to start, you call in reinforcements.  Kristina informed me that I was lacking inspiration.  Who knew that I needed inspiration?  I had some vague ideas, a list of likes and dislikes, but definitely nothing that screamed inspiration.  Today we went looking for some and I found what I needed.  A whole store of inspiration!  So here is a picture of my picture.  The painting that will make our home warm, inviting, casual and natural.  It'll still be the place to put your feet up, but with a little more style. 

The Guy Next Door

Meet my neighbor!  He and his wife moved in next door to the deck in the spring.  They have a cute little one room nest, with a great view of our water barrels.  Last summer, we thought we might be lucky enough to see little ones added to their family, but that wasn't to be.  He's quite a character, definitely the outgoing one in that relationship.  Wifey isn't quite as social, she prefers to remain in the background.  So when it snows, out I go (camera in hand) to find him.  And sure enough, there his is, in all his glory.  During such a cold, white winter....he's the little spark of color that reminds me that winter is short, the snow will melt, warm breezes and beautiful flowers will be here before we know it.  If his little family can stick out the winter, so can I. 

1.11.11

A little bit about the day...today is my baby's birthday.  Since he's 14 today, he probably won't appreciate being called my baby.  But in my eyes, that's what he'll always be.  I was lucky enough to have the district call a snow day too!  So we got to spend a rare day together, all day, no interruption's.  As usual, we'll be celebrating W's birthday over the weekend with a sleep over, a fabulous cake and Dave & Busters.  So today, we celebrated with a coconut and here's why.

W and I have been working over the last couple months at broadening our horizons.  Once every couple of weeks, we try a food that we've not had before (and probably wouldn't normally look twice at).  Some of our food have included mango, pomegranate, radishes, kiwi (actually I loved this one already, but W hadn't tried it) and so on.  A couple of weeks ago we were talking about coconuts and I was shocked to learn that W thought that a coconut was filled with the toasted, sugary goodness that you find in a macaroon.  Imagine his surprise tonight when he tasted the bland, boring meat that is actually a real coconut.  Too bad I couldn't take a picture of both of their faces when they tasted the milk....I was laughing to hard.

Most importantly, I just want to say...HAPPY BIRTHDAY, I love you more than anything and can't wait to celebrate again this weekend!

Going Green

That's my breakfast, doesn't it look yummy?  As you know, this blog was my new year's resolution, but only part of it.  As usual, fitting into my skinny jeans was a resolution too.  I love fruit smoothies, refreshing and frothy, just like a milk shake.  But when you add spinach to them (which I have been advised is very good for you), they turn green.  It's been enough to turn Jeff off to them all together.  But me, I'm even more addicted!  So I'll drink them every morning, green or not so that I can feel great on the boat this summer...and maybe I'll help save the environment at the same time.  You know, a few less Starbucks cups :)

To Infinity and Beyond

I love Buzz Lightyear.  And Woody, Jessie, Mr. Potato Head, Hamm, Rex and all of the others.  It was H's first movie theater visit.  When the second came out, Aunt Shell took both of the boys.  Now Andy's going off to college...a year before H is.  I loved watching the third in the theater with the boys, now all grown up.  All three of the movies will always hold a special place in my heart. 

Today, we found ourselves with a free afternoon (not including laundry) and my new box set of Toy Story movies sat downstairs beckoning us.  So we watched it again and I hoped that I would feel all warm and fuzzy like I did the first time I watched it with each of the boys.  And that's just what happened.

Welcome to the Jungle

Ahhhh...fresh green beans in January and they're certainly not from our local grocery store.  If you live in the Cincinnati area, when you want just about anything, you head to Jungle Jim's.  It's a grocery story like you've never seen.  The cheese department is as big as a Kroger and various countries have their own mini stores, Germany, Holland and France just to name a few.  Jungle Jim's is also known for their bathrooms.  Really, just google it!  Anyway, once every couple of months, we brave the crowds and venture out into the jungle and today was the day.  Fresh green beans, mango, zucchini, cucumbers, coconut and the list goes on.  Nothing like fresh veggies to remind me that spring is right around the corner!

Just a Dusting

In case you don't know me well, I'll fill you in on a little secret.  I HATE mornings!  Until I've had a shower, coffee, checked email (all at my leisure), I'm not fit to live with.  Well maybe live with, but not talk to.  So I went to bed last night, worried that this morning was going to be more of a disaster than normal thanks to the weather man.  So imagine my surprise when I woke up this morning to just a dusting...then I realized it was Friday too!  Have a great weekend everyone!

The Other Big Game

So you are probably wondering what French Onion soup and football have in common.  In our house, the answer is simple...they are both great games.  Two years ago, we decided that we could lower our weekly grocery spending with coupons.  If you've every couponed, you know it's time consuming and well, boring.  Then we found The Grocery Game (http://www.thegrocerygame.com/) and we decided that anything with the word game in the title must be fun.  And we've been fans ever since.  Long story short, the fall was busy and we got away from the game.  And our grocery budget blew up!  So today, I started again...with French Onion soup.  Let the stockpiling begin!

Game Day

31-26.  Not a blowout, but a win is a win.  However, it's definately a game to remember.  It marks the end of the SEC curse for Ohio State.  I'm happy for my two Buckeyes!  The only thing more picture worthy today would be RichRod cleaning out his desk.  But since I couldn't be in Ann Arbor today for the party, this will have to do! 

His Day Off

OK, so this is not the most interesting picture I've ever taken.  Not to say that H isn't interesting, but the picture isn't creative or exciting.  It's not flashy or colorful.  But not all memories are.  They aren't all planned.  I want to make sure that I catch those moments too.  If you know H, you know that he goes all day long.  School, work, InterAlliance, girlfriend, friends, baseball...and the list goes on.  So when I see him like this, quiet and relaxed, it's definitely worth recording. 

Decisions

Decisions.  I used to think that I was good at making them.  Then Jeff came home with paint colors for the spare bedroom.  Now, I'm as indecisive as Brett Farve.  So many colors, so many names, so MANY shades of blue.  I'm beginning to think that naming my children was easier.  I'm off to look through them again...maybe I'll find one named overwhelmed.

Dog People

Honestly, I never understood dog people.  You know the ones.  They go to dog parks, buy lots of toys, have Christmas stockings for their animals...you know, the people who think their dogs are children.  When we got married and Seven became a part of my family, I became one of those people.  So when Seven passed and Willow joined our family, it was like adopting a small (and very fuzzy) child.  I've found her noisy toys, favorite treats, taught her silly tricks and yes, I even got her a Christmas stocking. 

Last night, Willow slept with us for the first time.  What a great experience and definitely, a moment to capture.  Did I mention that I also bought her a bed?

No Events

I do believe that today may be the only day that my calander reads "No Events".  With two teens and an always hectic schedule, I don't normally see too many of these days.  So I thought it would be the perfect picture to start the year.  And later in January (or one of the many months ahead) when I can't remember what a quiet day is like, I'll have this captured memory to remind me!