Superfluous Fluff

Is this thing on?

Hi there.  

It's been a long time.  

I kind of needed the space there for a while.  I did some soul work, embraced my family, started a photography business (and quickly burned myself out).  I always meant to come back to the blog....but time gets away from us so quickly.  I've been pretty addicted to facebook (still am) and found that enough to feel like I was connected.  I haven't had a lot to say, though I've had a lot to share.  The kids are getting older and I heard more and more often "Please don't put that on the blog".  So I didn't.  And for a long time I wasn't sure what to put on the blog if it wasn't the kids.  I wasn't sure what was left of me for a long time.  I never seemed to have time for scrapbooking (the last pages I did I already shared here), most of my photography was for clients, and, well....Well.  

We're different.  We're a different family.  Stronger in many ways, still tender in others.  We've been through some stuff together the past few years.  We've laughed, we've cried....but it's been good.  

But look at me!  Still with the sentence fragments and the ellipses, still with the rambling.  Some things just don't change that much.  

What's brought me back?  Fun.  I signed the fam-jam up today for the 2013 Summer Bucket List Challenge hosted by The Happy Family Movement.  My old school bookmarking of fun summer ideas has evolved into a full-blown pinterest addiction and I've had fun over the past year or so pinning summer ideas, so when I saw this challenge posted by Becky Higgins today, I knew it was just right for us.  The family will make our bucket list and share it tomorrow, and we'll see if I can figure out this blog thing all over again.  It's kind of scary, but in a day before the first day of school way.  Good things.  Good things.  

Here's where we find out if I remember how to do a badge properly.... ;)

WW: Hiding in Plain Sight

Sometimes I forget how beautiful my children are.  Then I ask one to hold still while I check my exposure, leave the photos on the camera for a couple of weeks and then get blown away when I open the file...

 

So this is what you do all day?

Life is crazy.

The girls are involved in Guides/Brownies on Tuesday evenings, Princess has piano on Wednesdays, The Boy is off to Beavers on Thursdays and Friday is our library night.  We are all (except Hubby) singing in our community Christmas Cantata again this year, and the children have been asked to sing at church for Christmas so we're practicing their song, and of course there's homework and chores and piano practice and so forth.

As for myself, in addition to trying to figure out the ins and outs of a new business (every day I learn something new!) I am a unit Guider, the YW secretary for our ward, volunteer in Sweetpea's classroom every Thursday, and am secretary of both the PSSC and Home and School.  There's the never-ending laundry pile, the dishes and the cooking and the cleaning, head chauffeur and--OH YEAH--that Christmas thing is looming. 

I've been feeling stretched so thin lately.  I love everything I do, I'm just still trying to figure out how to do it all, and forgive myself for the many mistakes I make along the way.

This weekend our fridge died (sort of--long story) and I spent most of Monday trying to defrost it and throwing out rotten food.  On Tuesday I spent a bunch of time scrubbing it and all of its components before plugging it back in and hoping for the best (it seems to be working again--for now).  This while running errands in the village and prepping for our Guide meeting that night. Of course both days I spent lots of time online as well, trying to keep up with pending deliveries/edits/blog posts/galleries.

On Wednesday I got up early to do some business work, got the kids up and off to school,took out the trash, and then did some more work before grabbing a quick shower and loading up to go do a photo shoot in the big city.  I also picked up Advent calendars for the kids, filled the car with gas and topped up the windshield washer fluid (which necessitated an emergency stop at the mechanic's when I couldn't find the hood handle--it broke off a couple of years ago and I had forgotten--I had to get them to show me where the little stub was and get the vicegrips out to pop the hood).  I got home 10 minutes before the school bus arrived with the realization that I hadn't eaten anything yet that day, so I made myself some toast and peanut butter and flicked on the tv to decompress a little, all while keeping one eye out the window so I could be in the doorway when the bus pulled up. 

And then the kids were home.  I greeted them with the usual joy and kisses and then sat down to eat my "meal". 

That's when Sweetpea snuggled up beside me, looked at me with her big eyes and most serious expression and said:

"So this is what you do all day?  Just sit and watch tv?  It's probably why you're getting fat."

Laugh or cry?

PS--I asked what she thought Hubby did all day and she said "do work on the computer at his office and go to meetings".   {sigh}

By Request: Wish List 3

As soon as the Princess heard that Sweetpea had finally gotten her wish list scanned and blogged she ran to produce her own (hidden under her bed).  She requests equal treatment. 

For your amusement: My kids are so awesome with their organizational skillz.  I'm very proud. 

By Request: Wish List 1

Grandma has been calling to request Christmas Wish Lists.  Mostly she needs to know what we grown-ups want, but when Sweetpea overheard me talking about it with Hubby she rushed to finish her list.  Then she started bugging me to scan it and send it to Grandma.  Then the computer died.  Then she cried.  Then we got a new computer....and she wondered over and over again if I had sent that list to Grandma yet.

Grandma?

HERE:

 

WW: A little more Hallowe'en

Just a few more because I love kids in costumes!

The kids' jack-o-lanterns. 

In our house the kids each get to pick a pumpkin in the pumpkin patch on our trip to Hunter Brothers Farm.  Hubby does the gutting (because I REFUSE to touch slimy pumpkin guts--I shudder just thinking about it), the kids do the designing, and Mom carves.  It's a team effort.  Can you guess which jack goes with which kid?

This year I had one too!

And the joys of being a kindergarten teacher--you are forever loved and always the first (and most requested) stop on the trick or treat tour.

Happy Hallowe'en!

 

Can't every day be Wordless Wednesday?

I have words, but they're all jumbled up inside of me and frankly I'm not sure how to get them all out.

Also?  We may be slightly overscheduled.  Maybe.  It's not that any one person has too many activities, it's just that there is SOMETHING every day. 

And crazy me, I decide to start a business.  THAT's not time-consuming! </sarcasm>

So, life.  Life is good.  Busy and good.  And I'm stealing a quick 20 minutes in between a bake sale, folding laundry and re-learning the knots I'll be teaching tonight to tell you so, because the guilt of being such a horrible blogger is killing me.

In the past little while we've had the Boy's birthday, our annual trip to Hunter Brothers Farm and Corn Maze, Thanksgiving, the Princess' birthday, and Hallowe'en. I have photos!  I even threw some of them up on facebook yesterday.

Look--Hallowe'en:

Yes, you've seen that bunny costume before.  This year it has WINGS though, so it's totally not the same thing.  Or so Sweetpea tells me. 

Anyway, life is jumbled and hectic and sweet and sometimes frustrating and a little confusing--kind of like this post. 

I can't promise I'll be a better blogger, but I promise I always MEAN to be a better blogger.  For what it's worth.

Also, if you friend me on facebook, I'm really much better at status updates than blogging (I know, I should be on twitter), and this month I'm posting something I'm thankful for every day. 

Be sure I'm thankful for you!

 

Kids are Awesome

Early this morning;, sometime around 4:30-5:00, our cat decided that she couldn't stand being in this house one second longer and set up an incredible MROOOOOWing campaign to be let out.

I gave thought to letting her out and never, ever, ever letting her in again.  And maybe I gave thought to some creative but not remotely kind things to do with her before tossing her out.

Sweetpea, who is a sucker for any animal, calmly got up and, with a smile and happy pat, opened the door and let her out.  When she got back up the stairs, the Boy was waiting for her.  With a smile and a happy pat, they greeted each other and disappeared into his room to play.

They play together every morning actually, a couple of morning birds in a house of slow waking parents.  The Boy is usually the first up, and as soon as he was out of a crib and in a bed we taught him to turn on his light and shut his door and play quietly.  His usual wake-up is somewhere around 6, sometimes closer to 5:30, occasionally closer to 6:30.   Sweetpea wakes around 6:30 and knows he'll be up so slips right in to join him.  This morning was unusual only in that they were up so much earlier than the norm. 

I admit it, as I drifted back to sleep I was sure the next time I awoke it would be to fighting as those two would surely get sick of each other, but when I next awakened they were still at it, deep in their imaginary world that crosses Webkinz with Shining Stars with MarioParty with Littlest Pet Shop with whatever else crosses their incredibly flexible minds.  I listened to the happy chatter for a while and then reminded them that it was time to get ready for school. 

As they got ready they moved at warp speed, calling coversational tidbits to each other down the hallway from their respective closets.  As soon as Sweetpea was dressed she was back in her brother's room, knowing that he cares not one whit for modesty and can play and dress at the same time.  Somehow they moved downstairs as one, still in character (even if their character changes so fast sometimes that I wonder if they have a psychic connection to keep up with each other) and kept it up as I got breakfast ready.  They moved to the breakfast table, still playing.  At this point the Boy seemed to be a Zumbuddy and Sweetpea was a Shining Stars kitten.  My eavesdropping got a little better at this point and I was delighted to hear the following part of their conversation:

SP:  I'm going to watch a Shining Star movie tonight, would you like to join me?

B: No thanks!  I watched a Shining Star movie once and it was so sad, and much too scary for me.

SP:  Really?  I love Shining Star movies!  What was this one about?  Why was it scary?

B: There was a killer shark on the loose and it ate all the Zums and all the Webkinz and all the Shining Stars.  No one could escape!  It was terribly unhappy.   Well, it was a happy ending for the shark, but not for anyone else.

 

And this is why children rock. 

Outed

3 years.

For 3 years I've kept this blog, and for three years I've worried about internet safety.

When you're a mom, you worry.  You research, you worry, you plan, you worry, you make decisions, and then you worry some more.

(Please say it's not just me.)

I've kept my identity to myself, given my children and husband codenames, and kept my actual location as vague as possible. 

And now I'm outing myself.

Come see me over here.  Find out my real name and (eventually) location. 

Of all the hurdles and concerns of starting a new business, this is actually one of the most worrisome parts for me.  I wondered if I should make this blog, my personal blog, private, or even do away with it altogether. 

But I don't want to.

Every single reason I had for starting it still exists.  It's still my diary, my letters to home, my scrapbook and showcase and way of connecting with friends.

So I'll leave things as they are over here.  We'll stay chummy and unprofessional and full of TMI and rants and all the superfluous fluff that doesn't belong on a business site. 

I'm so glad you're here. 

Special K

Having moved far away from our families at the start of our marriage was a good thing.  I recommend it for any newlyweds.  It brought us so much closer together as a couple and I think it's wonderful to learn to stand alone as a couple and to lean on each other.

But it's not without it's drawbacks, especially once the children come along.  As someone who spent almost as much time at her Grandma's as at home growing up, I feel the loss of that close connection for my children.

Fortunately, there's adoption.

The wonderful K couple lives not far from us.  We originally got to know them a bit through church, but didn't have a lot of time to socialize.  Then it happened.  Sister K and I were assigned as Visiting Teaching companions.  I quickly grew to love her and cherish our time together every month.  When reassignments came we were delighted to find ourselves their Home Teachers and they our Home Teachers.

(Visiting Teaching is a church initiative where the women of the church visit each other once a month.  We're assigned companions and people to teach so that everyone has a support system.  Home teaching works the same, only companions visit with families once a month.  They share a message from the church magazine and offer any help that's needed.)

We've been visiting each other back and forth a few years now and it's like having an extra set of grandparents.  Our children love the K's and the feeling is mutual (or they're good actors!).  The K's are from Austria and have delightful accents still.  They're also snowbirds and head for exotic locales like Mexico or Panama every winter, right after they celebrate Christmas with us.  They have wonderful stories to tell and great insights to share.  Amusingly, Brother K and Hubby share the same first name (though spelled differently).  Sister K is an incredible gardener and if I knew one tenth of what she does I'd be a genius with a basement full of beautiful foodstuffs for my family.  As it is, she's very patient as I ask the same questions over and over and over again, and willing to share the bounty of her harvest with us. 

I hope the local church leaders never get around to reassigning us.  We may have to keep "teaching" each other even if they do. 

Sister K also believes in feeding us every time we visit.  I've noticed this is a delightful tradition amongst any of my European friends.  This lazy Canadian rarely thinks of serving my guests until they're half-way out the door, but Sister K and others like her seem to greet you with a full smile, a full hug, and a full plate.  The treat changes but the love behind it never does.

Lately the treat has been fried bread.  It is so fun and delicious and I had never had it until Sister K started making it, so I decided I had to take a bunch of photos.

Here's the dough, ready to go:

 

Putting it in the hot oil (on the BBQ--awesome!):

 

Look how it bubbles up! Fun pockets!

Turn it:

 

Toppings:

 

YUM!

 

So delicious!  Sister K actually makes the dough up in huge batches and freezes it so there's always some ready for guests.  She just pulls it out of the freezer when she knows someone is coming, and as soon as it's thawed she can fry it.  We have it with sprinkled sugar and cinnamon or some of Sister K's homemade apple sauce (or both!).  One of these days I want to sneak in a jar of Nutella.   I have a feeling that it will make an already heavenly experience pure nirvana.

And what do the kids do while poor Sister K is slaving over a hot BBQ?

Laze about in the hammock of course!

 

Or play with Penny.

 

We love ALL of the K's!