Happy Snow Day!

Today was actually the third day this winter that J-Money had off school.  This is amazing, since it’s only December 10, but since we’re amidst “blizzard” conditions, most schools have been closed around this area.

It’s fun to be home with both kids on a weekday – especially on a day when we feel somewhat (although not literally) snowed in.

It reminds me way back in the day (ok, I guess it was only 3-5 years ago) when I had both kids home with me the majority of the time.  I remember the difficulty of that time period – feeling like I was cooking, cleaning up or changing diapers 95% of the time) but more than that I remember the fun we had.  Some days we stayed in our pj’s all day long.  We played legos, read lots of books, played music, did puzzles – basically did what we wanted together because there was no school schedule.  And although I love my kids at the age that they are now, I do miss having them both home with me.

So today shot me back in time – remembering those days of my precious little people at home  - only they are now 5 and 7 years old – not 2 and 4.  (sniff, sniff)

We had a blast and because my camera was a little lonely from lack of photos lately, I pulled it out to document our day.

Phase 1 – Christmas Cookies

How could we NOT make them???

Phase 2:  Star Wars adventure around the house with home-made light sabers (yes, the stick with blue marker on it)

Phase 3:  Set up traps and spy gear all over the house to attack dad when he gets home.

Aforementioned spy gear alarm set to go off along with one of many stacked cup traps to topple and make noise when Ryan opens the door.

Phase 4:  Reading time in the most logical, comfortable locale: the stairway.

Phase 6:  Copious amounts of fun taking pictures of ourselves on the computer.

Phase 7:  A stack of holiday books read by the warm fire and tree

Phase 8: Gear up and face the blizzard to clear the driveway

Happy Snow Day to us!!

 

A Mouse in My House

I do not like mice.  Especially mice in my house.  Because we live with a field in our backyard, they occasionally make their way into our home.  Thankfully, they always go to the same location, under the sink, and are lured by a delectable taste of peanut butter on a trap.

In previous years, the mice have seemed to always come when Ryan was on a trip.  When that happens, I buck up.  In the need to protect myself and my children from small rodents, I get those mice at whatever the cost.

I ooze bravery.

I’ve caught a mouse by slapping a bowl over it.  During The Mouse Incident of ‘06, with the assistance of my 4-year-old, I trapped one under a giant tupperware container with mouse traps.  (see Exhibit A)

But when Ryan is home, I turn in to a baby.  A giant scaredy-cat.  I don’t want to look at a mouse, take one out of a trap, or get anywhere near where I think they may be hiding out of fear that they will run over my feet.   I want him to take care of it.

He had the opportunity on Friday.

It all began at 7:05 am when K-Fab ran into my bedroom.  Ryan was out driving to his workplace, checking the roads because of a snowstorm.  She barged into my room, “Mom, I heard a loud bang in the kitchen! I’m scared!”.  I figured it was probably the mouse trap, so we cautiously made our way to the kitchen.  She didn’t want to see it and I didn’t want to open the door, so we compromised: She stood as far away from the cabinet as she could to open it, and I stood in the middle of the kitchen to get the head on view of where we keep the trap – deep under the sink.

You can imagine the horror in my little 5 year old’s face as she opened the door slightly only to see the little mouse, front and center, peering right back up at her.

This terrorized her.

She slammed the door shut and began crying and hysterically screaming, “It’s alive!  It’s alive!!”.

So I did what any protective, caring mother would do.

I grabbed her and we jumped up on the counter.

J-Money quietly walked out from his bedroom, having been awakened by the screaming.  So I quickly told him there was a live mouse under the sink and instructed him to jump up on the counter, just to be safe.

Since we knew that the first trap had been set off, I grabbed another trap and quickly and stealthily shoved it into the other side of the cabinet.  This took every ounce of bravery that I could conjure up.

The kids and I sat, as quiet as could be, up on the kitchen counter, only to hear little mouse squeaking and moving around.  It was disturbing to hear, knowing there was a little rodent in my kitchen, roaming around under the sink… and there we sat, waiting for it to take the bait of the other trap.

Ryan returned home at this point, a good 40 minutes after K-Fab originally heard the first trap go off.

What you are about to see, I can’t say I’m proud of – I’m a wimp.  But as we ventured as a family to catch that mouse (OK, it was mostly Ryan and the kids and I just held the video camera), the situation turned funny.  I hope you enjoy the drama of our family getting rid of the mouse in our house.

Our Family vs. The Mouse (you may have to turn the volume up to hear Ryan’s comments well, but be warned – there may be a loud comment or two from me )

 

An Early New Year’s Resolution

Wow – it has been a while since I posted something on this blog.  And after being questioned about why I haven’t updated it lately by my sister-in-law during a belated Thanksgiving meal, I thought a quick update would be nice.

If you’re curious as to why I have been AWOL, it’s a simple answer – I needed a break from the computer.

Don’t get me wrong – man, I love my Mac.  It’s bright and shiny and gives me messages from my friends.  It displays all the photos I’ve taken in bright technicolor.  It stores much adored worship music as well as some family dance tunes including Hannah Montana, of course.

A few years ago, I certainly would have temporarily deserted my old computer based on rip-my-hair-out-frustrations with dial-up-slow internet, painfully slow processing, dreadful color and … must I go on? (too many bad memories from that old PC).

But this computer has treated me well – almost too well.

The internet has an endless plethora to offer – perpetual updates from friends, relatives, vague acquaintances and a few “friend of a friend” people via facebook and twitter; never-ending recipes galore; shopping extravaganzas with don’t-miss-it specials and coupons at a gazillion online shopping venues; countless blogs where I can read about anything, everything and all that is in between; beautiful photography websites to be jealous of admire.  The list goes on.  I mean. . . seriously.  Have you really considered the magnitude of the internet?  You can look up ANYTHING!!

But as I’ve been reflecting on how I spend my time, I was sensing that being on the computer for hours wasn’t the best for me.  As my dear friend Oprah would say, I wasn’t “living my best life”.  (OK, so I’m sure you know we’re not really friends, but I did attend a taping of her show and I swear she was looking at me like we were BFF’s)

Total side track.

Sorry.

Seriously though, I have an incredible husband, two amazing kids, the majority of my family around town, friends who I cherish, a warm home, food on the table and clothes on my back. I want to embrace the gifts God’s given around me – not search around in cyberspace.  Be with my family, not with computer keys.  Invest time with those that I love, not in the deal-of-the-moment online shopping trip.   The internet has much to offer and simplifies life in many ways, but at the same time, it can rob me of precious moments with those who are truly important to me. I’ve simply realized that using the computer, for me, can be likened to pomegranate martinis – best in moderation.

All that being said, I’m not writing off blogging, photography or my dear Mac for good. Heaven’s no.  But I am being mindful of my time and trying to use it wisely.

It’s an early New Year’s Resolution.

Wish me luck!

 

A Weekend of Wine Tasting

A couple weekends ago we went up north to go wine tasting with some friends.  Housing (right on Lake Michigan!) was graciously provided for us by a relative of one of the couples.  The two little cabins beside one another were adorable, overlooking the lake.  Here are some of my favorite photos from our weekend.

Amy's boots as we walked to the water to enjoy the view

All ready to go wine tasting

One of the first vineyards

Wine barrels outside one of the wineries

Tasting at our favorite of all the wineries - Brys Estate

Here are a few photos of our friends:

Nick and Amy

Dave and Ang

Ryan and Amy

OK, they were being too silly, here’s a real one:

Back to the vineyards - gorgeous grapes!!

Girls having fun

Ang's idea for a photo op

My grandmother (Grammie) and faithful reader of this blog who lives in Florida always wants me to post photos of myself. But, since it’s a photo blog of my photos, my thought was that I was only going to post photos that I have taken.  However, because I love Grammie, this one’s for her:

 

A Must Have Craft for Your Kids

A couple weeks ago at the grocery store, I wandered over to the clearance kids toys.  I had no kids with me – otherwise this would have been shopping suicide.  I already get enough “Can I have this?  Can I have that?” questions just going through the food aisles.  But if I were to venture down the toy aisles with my children – fo-getta-bout-it.

I’m not sure what prompted this impromptu shopping diversion but I found a hot deal on one of the greatest crafts I’ve ever seen.  They are called EnviroBLOX.  They were a drastic 75% off for only $2.50.  I just pulled out one of the two boxes I bought (I should have bought twelve) today and it was a HUGE hit with K-Fab.

The box includes 150 moldable pieces, 3 modeling tools, 1 sheet of monster parts,  and directions for a variety of monsters.

All you do is dab each piece on a wet sponge and press it to another piece and they stick together!!!

Here is my first monster creation:

Here is K-Fab’s:

Here’s our attempt to create a dog like monster  together – unfortunately, we both started making the body so I had to improvise to combine them which didn’t go too well.  This poor creature had different size legs.  Good thing our set of EnvirBLOX was a ‘monster’ set.

An alternate view of scary-multi-legged-dog-monster:

Here is K-Fab’s …. uh…. er…. I have no clue what this is.  But she had fun making it and that’s what matters.

My final thought on these EnviroBLOX which makes them super cool is that they are completely biodegradable.  When you are finished, you can put them in the sink, turn on the water and they will dissolve and disappear.  ALSO – completely safe – no paint materials of any kind used (only food dye colorants).  Amazing!!!!  (And – they come in many different sets – not just monsters )

 

My Tasty Combination

Popcorn and White Zinfandel.

Is that wrong?

I’ve never heard of anyone else enjoying that combination, but for some reason it has been my latest evening indulgence.

And just on a quick side note – it can not, I repeat CAN NOT be microwave popcorn.  It must be popped on the stove with oil, then drizzled with real butter and then generously sprinkled with popcorn salt – not table salt I tell you – popcorn salt (thanks to cousin Kelly for showing me this amazing and unbelievable tasty way to enjoy popcorn.)  

I know there are many favorite food and drink combos out there – pizza and pop, coffee and donuts, steak and red wine.  (Love them all.)  But I’m assuming and hoping that there may be other friends and family who have some odd pairings that makes their heart flutter. . . something that tantalizes your taste buds just thinking about it. . . a lone tear falls when you reach the bottom of the bowl . . . uh wait, I’m getting a little too personal here.

You get the picture.

Does anyone else have a weird/non-traditional food and drink combination that they love?  I would enjoy hearing about them to make myself feel better about mine.

 

Move Over Martha Stewart

Last week, after our trip to the orchard, I attempted canning for the first time.  I canned applesauce with my mom several years ago, but have always been intimidated by the thought of doing it by myself.  Thanks to my good neighbors Jane and Janet, I was supplied with everything I needed to make home made applesauce.  Here’s my attempt at some Pioneer-Woman-Wanna-Be photos.  :)

Clean apples

Slice

(No, I’m not left handed – I took this completely awkwardly, balancing my camera in my left hand.  Is that how P.W. does it?)

Boil 'em!!

This doesn't look too appetizing, but since it's part of the process, I felt obligated to include it.

And yes, I noticed that there is a leaf within the sauce – how the heck did that get there?

Jars and jars - OK, only 17 but it felt like 500!!! No matter - happy to have our own home-made tastiness in a jar!

If you haven’t done applesauce yet, have fun!!  (and hurry up b.c. the season’s almost over!!)

 

Family Trip to the Apple Orchard

September was the most gorgeous month – tons of sun, perfect temperatures.  October has been quite the opposite.  I think there has been two days this month that it hasn’t rained.

I love fall weather and I actually love cloudy, rainy weather as well.  However, when you’re trying to plan a family trip the apple orchard, you’re definitely hoping for no rain.  Last Sunday was finally a no-rain day.  And although it was pretty cold and we were all bundled in winter coats and gloves, we still had fun together gathering pounds and pounds of apples for applesauce.

 

Open Water No. 24!!!! (ArtPrize – Part 2)

I am so excited this today because my favorite piece of artwork within the ArtPrize competition won last night!!  I know it sounds cheesy and maybe a little weird but I was watching the announcement/ceremony via live feed on the internet and couldn’t help but smile and clap when Ran Ortner’s name was announced as the winner.

What is so amazing about this artwork is that it looks like a photograph but is actually a painting!!  Of course a photo of the display won’t do it justice but just in case you were not able to see it in person, here you go. . .

My friend and neighbor, Jane, said it best when she told me it was the one that ’stopped me in my tracks’.  That’s how I felt too.  I love the ocean and large lakes – to me there’s just an inherent beauty in the ebb and flow of bodies of water.  So when I saw this in person and that Ran Ortner captured that magic by painting it, I was amazed.  Check out his website to see other ‘open waters’.

I wish I could have one for my house but I bet they might be a little pricey.  :)

Here are some additional photos from our ArtPrize Family Outing:

This was an alien of some sort made out of metal - pretty creative and just the sheer size of it was impressive

K-Fab also being attacked

There was a wall in the middle of the city where people could write their names so, of course, the kids were all about doing that

These next two, J-Money is standing behind a sculpture of fish.  In retrospect, I should have taken a photo of it from a distance but I loved how it looked close up so I forgot.  I couldn’t decide if I liked it better in black and white or color so here are both:

I hope you enjoyed ArtPrize through my eyes!!  :)

 

Art Art Art – ArtPrize 2009 – Part 1

There is a gargantuan art competition in our town right now called ArtPrize.  The grand prize winner actually will be announced tonight.  It has been great for the city, a great activity for people of all ages and great for artists to be able to have their artwork on display.

Last weekend Ryan and I took the kids to see all the artwork – actually to see the top 10.  There were over 1000 entries so it was wonderful to have a limited number to look at.  But, as you walk downtown, the artwork is EVERYWHERE, so you still get to see huge variety.  Here are a few pics from our downtown adventure.

Also, I should say, I brought my camera thinking I was going to take some fall shots of my kids on one of the bridges and near the river.  However, the streets were so packed with people, it was nearly impossible to get the kids anywhere by themselves.  Additionally, it had poured all morning and the forecast was for more rain so we literally were able to walk around within a two hour window of dryness.  It was still really cold with 20 mile per hour winds, but we still had a blast.

On the blue bridge where several pieces of large artwork were displayed - you can see "Pettite Passe" by Terrance Karpowicz (pink) behind her

Here the kids are looking at "The Grand Dance" by David Lubbers right out in the middle of the river

This was the kid's favorite titled "Nessie on the Grand" created by a team of artists

AMAZING mural in front of the children's museum done by Tracy Van Duinen called "Imagine That!"

A little closer so you can see the detail of the wall

A GIANT moose made of nails!! Appropriately titled "Moose" by Bill Secunda

Here you can see the detail of the moose up close

Having dad carry you - what could be better?

To be continued. . .