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I have to unload some bah-humbug stuff that's been on my mind lately. This is mostly for my own get it out to process it tendency more than anything, so no need to pay close attention. Feel free to pass on by. I'll just be babbling on, probably not even making sense, just need to write it out sometimes, you know?

If you know me or have been following this blog for years past, you know New Years is our thing.
Or perhaps, more accurately, New Years is what we want to be our thing.

I've always really wanted one holiday that was Our Thing.
And obviously, not living near our families, I wanted our thing to be a friend thing.
So many of most of the other holidays are very family oriented, very travel to be with family, very full of family traditions.
New Years Day.... not so much.
So I thought we were safe choosing New Years. Even if people have New Years plans, they're usually on New Year's Eve, right?? And what we wanted to do was start a tradition of a big symbolic dinner with friends on New Years Day to kick off the new year.

We envisioned this one holiday with the tradition of gathering friends. We envisioned this one holiday with the same friends here year after year, seeing kids grow, making memories, feeling like the holiday just wasn't the same without everyone there.We envisioned a standing tradition... that we didn't have to "invite" friends to; one that they just automatically knew they wanted to clear their calendar for, that we automatically knew to expect they would be joining us.

Actually, here's what I wrote about the very first dinner we had, when we lived in Michigan five years ago...
We're having a big New Years dinner party this afternoon with some friends, and I'm so excited! Ryan and had been talking the last couple of years about how we really wanted to have one holiday that was more of a "friend" holiday where every year we gather together and have a big ol' dinner with lots of friends. Since no one ever does much for New Years Day, we thought that would be a good one to pick. So we're trying to start a tradition here. Ultimately I'm thinking it will be so neat to look back years from now and remember who was here with us each year, how the group has changed, how things have changed (including the kids!) and things like that. It'll be nice to have the same "background" for those memories and host a fun dinner every year.

So we've done it every year since. New Years Day and all the fresh starts and good wishes that come along with it; we've been able to have a great celebration with at least a few friends.
We've tried to set up traditions; symbolic menus, the peppermint pig, the group picture, etc. We've tried to have the same friends in attendance year after year.
Granted, moving several times in the last few years doesn't help that effort.
But last year, the fourth year of hosting this dinner, I was finally feeling like we were getting into the groove of things. We were finally getting some of the same friends for a repeat year, rather than just one person here and there carrying over from year to year as was most of the years past. And even some new attendees at the last minute... our favorite way to do things!!

So this year I had high hopes.
I already had been in discussion with some longer distance friends -original MI attendees!- coming, making an 8hr drive to stay with us. Yay! And even though we were moving this year, everyone near and dear from last year talked about how we were just close enough to join us if they wanted to keep up the tradition. Sure it's a little trek... a five hour drive is not next door, but considering Ryan or I made that drive every. single. weekend. for six whole months, I know from experience it's really a pretty easy drive. And luckily other friends are only two hours away. And the best part? New Years Day this year is on a Saturday so everyone would have plenty of time to make it a long weekend.
I was so excited about having so many friends here, everyone here to see where we live and to make new memories and just a great full weekend with a great full house and so much fun and laughter and just being with friends. So we would have to get creative with sleeping arrangements, but really we have enough room here and I was so looking forward to all of that. I was even dreaming up new traditions we could start like a certain game we could always play or a contest, or big adult and kid flag football game or a Wii tournament or something.

But slowly, I'm realizing that's not happening.
It officially looks like there's a good possibility that no one is joining us this year.

Where I once was brainstorming how to house three or more families for a weekend, now I don't think one single person is coming.
Where I was once picturing our tables, overflowing with friends, the kid table bursting at the seams by now, I'm realizing I probably don't even need to order that peppermint pig because surely the four of us won't break it and eat it ourselves.
And I realize that a lot of the ideals were in my head... that really no one ever completely committed to joining us for this holiday. Heck, no one even really seemed to be committed to being there every year when we lived in St Louis and had so many friends close-- it was always hit or miss, so how can I expect them to want to spend New Years weekend down here?

Slowly, as we've been asking for definites of who could be here and who could not... and more and more friends weren't really answering or "weren't sure yet" (when really, in my head I was getting irritated... how can you not know what you're doing for New Years. You either want to make plans or you don't), and then more and more said it just won't work...

Slowly I'm realizing, Hello Heather- no one wants to make the trip down to spend a holiday with you. No one wants to keep coming year after year and make it a priority. No one but you considered it a big tradition, just let it go.

Slowly I've come to realize we're really starting over here.
In every sense.

I know the dinner is no big deal.
I know (hope, anyway) that we'll make new friends here and that eventually we can maybe have that tradition with those friends. It just takes time.

It's just that in the meantime it's really... lonely.
And it's just hitting me that I had counted on the hopes of being with at least a few good friends over the holidays. A last hurrah of sorts I guess, mixing some of the old traditions, trying to make new memories in a new place.
Now that I'm finally realizing that's not happening, it's hard for me to swallow. I am so disappointed it's ridiculous. I have no reason to be upset, but it's honestly something that's been so bumming me out for the past couple of weeks. It's part of the reason I've not been looking forward to the holidays this year.
Aside from Christmas itself, our New Years Dinner is always something I look forward to the most; planning it, having so many different people here, all of us having kids now that are mostly old enough to eat at their own table making their own kid memories together.

I hate the thought of a quiet New Years this year.

I hate the thought that all the effort we've put into the past four years of these celebrations seems for nothing. I hate the thought that it's not just New Years. Sometimes it seems the same for the effort we've put into everything we've left; our home, our friends, our church, our traditions... For what?

I guess I just hate the thought of starting all over.
Again.



And I hate the thought of a quiet New Year.

the weekend of Christmas kick-off

We had the best weekend.
It was the perfect mix of relaxing enough and accomplishing enough and just hanging out together.
Five days of that and I'm not ready for a regular old Monday...

Thanksgiving was nice.
I got up early and put a turkey breast in the crockpot. Read a super simple idea somewhere about simply rubbing the turkey with onion soup mix (outside and under the skin) and sticking it in the crockpot and oh my gosh it was sooo yummy! I put a few pats of butter in the bottom of the pot along with a few sliced onions and chunks of carrot for good measure, turned it on high for an hour and then down to low for 7 more. It was by far the easiest turkey I've ever made and it was soooo tender and moist I couldn't believe it. I also made this stuffing (YUM), simple mashed potatoes, these sweet potato chips, homemade cinnamon applesauce, fresh green beans, honey wheat rolls and another batch of these for dessert. (I can't get enough of those!) It was a really, really good meal if I do say so myself.
We spent the rest of the day watching the parade, of course some football, and playing games together.

Friday we did a bit of shopping. We didn't get up early for any insanity, but headed out about 9am to check a few things out. Went to Walmart and Target and surprisingly, they were less busy than any old normal day. And we still got what we wanted!
We made a stop at a donut place for breakfast and then hit a couple more stores real quick before heading home for another lazy afternoon.
We had some new friends over for dinner that evening and to watch the Oregon vs. Arizona game (they just moved here last year from AZ). The kids had a great time playing and we had a great time chatting and it didn't hurt Ryan's mood that the Ducks won. :)

Saturday morning I headed out for a little more shopping solo and returned home to grab Ryan and the kids, headed out for lunch and got our Christmas tree. We spent the afternoon putting that up and getting lights on it and I worked on a few Christmas gift projects.
Sunday was just more of the same; we were knee deep in Christmas decorations, the kids decorated the tree, I got started on Christmas cards... finally feeling like it's the season!

I was feeling a little scroogey about the holidays this year... I still feel so unsettled in this house and this city, I've just been craving normalcy. And the holidays -especially in a new house and a new city- are anything but normalcy. I wasn't really looking forward to getting our tree or pulling out all the Christmas decorations when I haven't even really had a chance to figure out our regular house, you know? I was just starting to feel like, okay, this is how our family room will look and this is where this furniture will go and so on and so forth... and here comes a big ol' tree rearranging the family room and tubs of garlands and candles and stockings and wreaths to displace things. I was not excited about any of it.

But turns out, Christmastime is Christmastime and my hesitation didn't last long. Once I got started on gift making and Christmas card assembling and tree lighting, I can't stop! Now my head is full of things I want to do and I want to do it all now! A gingerbread house, a countdown garland, sugar cookies, wrapping presents, making teacher gifts, more, more, more.
I've officially been bitten by the Christmas bug and I wish the month of December was twice as long!

thinking of thanksgiving

I don't know why I hadn't heard much about, or maybe just payed little attention to, the presidents' attitudes and involvements with the holiday of Thanksgiving in all my previous years. I mean, sure we all know the story of the pilgrims and the many renditions of the "First" Thanksgiving, and in the presidential realm we've all seen a president or two "pardon" a turkey or two.
But I never really thought about the fact that from George Washington, to Barack Obama, each have had a proclamation and a decree on Thanksgiving. I've found it interesting this year that I'm seeming to read and hear more about past presidents and their attitudes toward this often overlooked holiday. Okay, not overlooked in the sense of celebrating with a big dinner, but overlooked in the meaning and the sentiment and the real occasion behind it.
It seems often that Turkey Day is one of the more secular holidays. People don't get caught up in any religion of it like Easter or Christmas with who believes what and what the correct terminology is and should we boycott stores that won't use the word Christmas Thanksgiving, etc, etc, etc.

But actually, paying attention to the history of this country?
Thanksgiving is not supposed to be just a day of "giving thanks" in general terms. It wasn't supposed to be a day of just an all around attitude of gratitude or of simply letting other people know you're thankful for them. And I certainly don't think it was supposed to just be a day of -a whole weekend of- mindless consuming; see how much food we can consume, sitting around filling our bellies, lazily watching football all day and/or planning out some shopping, feeling pressure to spend the whole next day again consuming, retailwise.

In actuality, Thanksgiving started out as a very religious holiday.
Thanksgiving was meant to be a day of thanks and praise to God.

"The year that is drawing toward its close has been filled with the blessings of fruitful fields and healthful skies. To these bounties, which are so constantly enjoyed that we are prone to forget the source from which they come, others have been added which are of so extraordinary a nature that they can not fail to penetrate and soften even the heart which is habitually insensible to the ever-watchful providence of Almighty God.
...These are the gracious gifts of the Most High God, who, while dealing with us in justice for our sins, hath nevertheless remembered mercy.
It has seemed to me fit and proper that these things should be solemnly, reverently, and gratefully acknowledged, as with one heart and one voice, by the whole American people. I do therefore invite my fellow-citizens in every part of the United States, and also those who are at sea and those who are sojourning in foreign lands, to set apart and observe the last Thursday of November next as a day of thanksgiving and praise to our beneficent Father who dwelleth in the heavens."

-Abraham Lincoln (emphasis mine)

I'm envious of a time when a president could speak those words. When a president believed those words. When it was expected that a country, as a unified people, were expected to recognize that all the blessings in our world are from God.
When it was declared that Thanksgiving be a day of thanks for not only those blessings, but of thanksgiving to God.

As I thought on this and looked over what more and more presidents had to say at Thanksgiving, I was afraid that as the generations have gone on, as the government and the country in general have "evolved", I was afraid that as a nation we had succeeded in removing God altogether from this National holiday.
But I am glad He at least got a mention in Obama's proclamation this year:

"As Americans gather for the time-honored Thanksgiving Day meal, let us rejoice in the abundance that graces our tables, in the simple gifts that mark our days, in the loved ones who enrich our lives, and in the gifts of a gracious God.
... by virtue of the authority vested in me by the Constitution and the laws of the United States, do hereby proclaim Thursday, November 25, 2010, as a National Day of Thanksgiving. I encourage all the people of the United States to come together -- whether in our homes, places of worship, community centers, or any place of fellowship for friends and neighbors -- to give thanks for all we have received in the past year, to express appreciation to those whose lives enrich our own, and to share our bounty with others."

-Barack Obama

What are you thanking God for today?

I am so, so, and more so as the years go on, thankful for being healthy. All of us in this house are so healthy and as I watch so many families around us deal with illness after illness; colds, flus, infections and such, I am so thankful that we don't deal with that. I'm thankful that my kids, more often than not, go the whole time between yearly check-ups without even seeing a doctor. I'm thankful that if someone in our house does get a little cold or stomachache or sore throat that it ends with just that one person and we don't pass it all around the house. I'm thankful that we have good health insurance for the rare times we do need a dr. visit or medicine. I'm thankful that our family hasn't had any or been directly affected by any cancers. I'm thankful that we have been healthy and happy and safe thus far as a family.

I am thankful for an amazing husband. He honestly is so much more than I ever dreamed of in a husband. I'm thankful that we met when we did, and that we knew from the get-go that this was it and that we've had this amazing marriage. I'm thankful that he married me. I honestly cannot begin to even count the things I'm thankful for in him. He's my best friend and he loves me -and our kids- so well.

And the kids. What can I possibly say that even begins to explain the full heart I have because of my two kids? They are everything that's good about this life. How I ended up with such beautiful, crazy smart, fun-loving little people is beyond me. They are perfect and I can't imagine life without them.

I am thankful for the home we're living in. I'm thankful that God gave us this home... that it was at just the right time and in just the right way and that it's fitting us so well. I'm thankful that we have the space and the means to entertain and to be hospitable... that we have extra beds we can fill and plates we can share.

I am thankful for our new car. As petty as it may sound, I'm thankful for the luxury of a new(er) vehicle. Sure it's still six years old, but I've been in an older vehicle for so long that each and every time I drive the newer one, I feel fortunate and pampered... that it runs smooth and rides smooth, that the air conditioning and heat work, that we have so much room when we need it (fitting nine people in this past weekend to drive around town was awesome)... and the heated seats don't hurt either. I'm thankful for the luxury of a new (to us) car.

I am thankful for our schools. Coming from such a great school district, one of the top-rated schools in our old neighborhood and absolutely loving our first two years of school experience there... and then hearing not so great things about Nashville Public Schools, I didn't have really high expectations coming in here. But I'm so happy to be able to say we have been nothing but impressed and pleased with the elementary school we ended up in. It's been fabulous and Savannah is absolutely thriving there. Also the preschool we placed Sawyer in... absolutely love it. I am so thankful for the opportunity our kids have to learn and love in these environments.

And above all, I am thankful that I have freedom and salvation in Christ. I am thankful that I am able to acknowledge freely that God is the giver of all that I have... that he gifts us the sunrise each morning (which was beautiful today, by the way) and the sunsets each evening. That he gives us people to love and to make our lives rich. That he wants to give us the things our hearts desire. That I can have a relationship with him. I'm thankful for the heart and the spirit in me that allow me to know and appreciate that I would have nothing --that I would BE nothing-- without Him.

What are you thanking God for today??

pre-turkey day hockey

Why yes, we are in Nashville. Why do you ask??






<--- St Louis Blues jerseys if you're not a hockey fan.













We went to the Blues game er, I mean the Predators game. I guess it's rightfully called the Predators game if we're home in Nashville, right? But of course we attend when STL is in town. We had fun, but it was cold! I mean, I know it's a hockey game, played on ice and all, but we were all freezing. I thought I'd be fine considering we had upper level seats and I was wearing a t-shirt with a long sleeved t-shirt over that and then a lightweight short sleeved hoodie over that with jeans. But I was shivering almost the whole time. Despite going thru two cups of hot hot chocolate. Ryan had promised the kids Dippin Dots for a treat (and I first fell in love with Dippin Dots during a Blues game so I have a soft spot for them there) and we never recovered. I was spilling the Dots while holding the cup because I was shivering so bad. It was a fun game though. There was a certain new five-year-old who sat next to me...
who did not. stop. talking. the. whole. entire. game. He was only slightly annoying adorable. He gave me a play by play with his own commentary the whole time; "uh-oh, this is NOT GOOD", "ooooh, that was gutsy", "wow, did you see that?", "good pass, good pass" and of course the random yelling "LETS GO BLUES!". He was a little sheepish to cheer loudly for the visiting team at first, but it didn't take him long to warm up. (not literally. still cold.)
Savannah even seemed to be at least somewhat into the game. It was fun.
[Also, the Blues scored just 9 seconds into the game tonight. The last game we went to in STL, they scored in the first 8 seconds of the game. I think we're good luck. Or at least good luck for the first 10 seconds of the games we attend.]






























We left a little early (Savannah had already been pointing out for over an hour that it was such-and-such minutes past her bedtime) at the end of the 3rd period... it was tied at 1 but the kids were tired (and cold).
Great kick-off to our holiday weekend!!

visitors

**[I began this post Monday morning and never published because I hadn't gotten around to adding the [very few] pictures I took. I figure I'd better do it now, before we're into another weekend!!**












and holy blue pictures they are!



What a nice refreshing, relaxing weekend we just wrapped up!
The Swinigans came Friday to spend the weekend with us and we just hung out and enjoyed each other... the kids played fabulously and loved the "family sleepovers".
We spent Saturday morning out in the gorgeously warm fall weather we've been having (seriously... it's still 75°!) with a nice long walk around Radnor Lake.




Savannah had gotten Norah a gift of coordinating BFF t-shirts. So they matched their whole outfits and were two peas in a pod all day.











































The kids were wiped after our almost 3 mile "hike", but after a stop for lunch at Chick-fil-A, they were full speed ahead again spending almost the entire afternoon out in our backyard.
Heather and I got out that evening for a little mom-free time and then all us grown-ups had a late after-kids-were-in-bed dinner of chinese take-out.
Sunday we just had a lazy morning until they headed home mid-day and then the four of us here actually took a Sunday nap. :) Then the kids had a birthday party to go to that evening, so we topped off our weekend with pizza and birthday cake with friends!

I don't know about you, but I'm really looking forward to this two day week... I think it'll be a good combination of getting some stuff accomplished, but at an easy pace. I spent this morning painting (again). Did I mention the entirety of trim, doorways, doors and windowsills in this house need to be repainted? So not only are we painting rooms, but then have to go back and trim it all out. It's a slooooow process, that's for sure. Maybe get around to hanging some blinds and other random things like that.

The kids are off Wednesday, I think Ryan'll probably be home earlyish, and then we're set for the start of a great holiday weekend. A few movies, a hockey game, a little baking, a low-key turkey dinner with just the four of us this year, and lots of relaxing, enjoying each other.

What are your plans for this holiday week?

one more for thanksgiving

We threw one more little goody together last night that is awesome for a neighbor gift, a simple teacher gift or just an adorably cute little dessert to add to your Thanksgiving.
Mini Cream Cheese and Butterscotch Pumpkin Pies. Oh My Yum.
These are so incredibly addicting you must have other people to share these with.

I took pictures.
But my pictures are rather unappealing. It was dark out and with the lighting in my kitchen, my camera made these look like some sort of cheese and sausage bite rather than the gooey sweet goodness of pumpkin and a gingersnap streusel topping. My little pies weren't a cute as the originals anyway, so if you want mouth watering pictures, go here. Also head over there for the recipe. Really- these are so good.

Anyway, I whipped up a batch (and I will only double the recipe from here on out) for a few of our neighbors to wish them a happy Thanksgiving this long holiday weekend.






I boxed up little stacks of mini-pies,






tied it with ribbon and a little neighborly note, and spread a little Thanksgiving yumminess around before everyone gets all holiday fooded out.






We delivered the little boxes last night after dinner.


And shortly thereafter got a call for a recipe request... :)

projected

So, no pictures of rooms today -aside from inadvertant peeks in the following pictures-. It's dark and gloomy again and you're lucky in that the hallway bathroom was the only room I couldn't use that excuse for. It's been kind of a gray and gloomy week.

So instead I thought I'd show and tell a couple of quick Thanksgiving projects I did around here in between painting house stuff a couple of weeks ago.

Sidenote:
I've discovered that it's really kind of hard (for me) to try to move in, unpack and decorate a new home in seasonal times. You want some seasonal/holiday decor, but you also kind of want things normal and be able to see where what of your everyday stuff will go where. And no matter what kind of decor it is -seasonal or real life- it's a ever evolving puzzle trying to figure out where it best fits in the new house as you go room to room made doubly hard with holidays. Gah!

But here we are at Thanksgiving. And sorry I'm a little late on getting these ideas out there considering Thanksgiving is less than a week away, but oh well. They're super simple enough that you can still easily throw them together if you're still looking for a last minute way to decorate or celebrate this holiday of giving thanks!

This one is nothing big, nothing special, but I really like that it's so simple and understated.
I'd been struggling with my mantle in the family room... no longer feeling the things that were in the old house fit in this room, but not wanting to spend money on mantle decor right now when it's holiday time and I won't even be looking at a "normal" mantle until January. I have a collection of Christmas trees that are up there all of December (LOVE that collection), and while I have plenty of Fall decorations, I wasn't feeling any of it in this room.
I think it's that I wanted it to feel like it complimented the colors and the feel of the room... it's mostly cool with punches of bright colors and just a bunch of dark warmth, the orange and brown and leaves and such thrown in there, felt wrong.
Also? Didn't want to buy anything.
But I needed something new.
So making a sweet simple sign was my simple little answer (for this year anyway).
(And by they way, I still have my eye out for the perfect -and cheap- mirror out there for above the mantle hence the vast expanse of empty space on the wall)
















Everything on the mantle is from my stash except for the green berries on the wreath, which I grabbed at Michaels for like $5. Candles were on our original mantle, apples and pear from my Fall decorations, grapevine wreath from extra craft supplies and a canvas board I covered with paper and letters.













I simply glued a piece of scrapbook paper to the canvas board, scrounged up some chipboard letters (the bigger cream colored ones were glittery blue and I spray painted them cream and then dry brush painted some white to give it some depth) and whalah!



I love the simplicity of it.












And here's another Thanksgiving goodie we've thrown together the last couple of weeks -one that I know I saw somewhere while back on some blog, but have no idea where;
Our give thanks board




















I used a frame missing it's glass, stapled some twine zigzagging back and forth, and made a little plaque (that's only temporarily attached so I can use the frame for something else in the future or for other seasons) with paper and rub on letters.

















I cut up some little cards and they now reside in a little bowl on our kitchen island...

















The kids are excited about this one and filling out the cards and hanging them on. (In fact, I think I need to limit them to three a day!)(and find other places to put them!!)























A close up of a few of my favorites...
Sawyer wrote thanks for graham crackers and God ♥ me [he's just learned how to draw hearts] and SJ wrote friends visiting (the Swinigans) and the Thanksgiving turkey.










Any Thanksgiving specials from you all this year??

one room

How in the world is it already Wednesday???
Seriously. Wasn't it just last Wednesday?
I feel like I have so. much. on my plate this week.
We've still been painting walls, still have no tile, and still expecting houseguests (rescheduled due to sickies last weekend).
I still have lots of trim to paint, errands to run, groceries to get, laundry to do, rooms to clean, plus Sawyer and I are going to have lunch with SJ today for a Thanksgiving Lunch at her school, he has a field trip tomorrow (which is not his normal preschool day) and yet another birthday party this weekend.

But meanwhile, here's one little room (finished hours before the birthday party two weeks ago) we have done to fulfull at least some sort of house picture quota for this week. With more to come.
When I catch a break and have time to sit and blog like I want.
Someday.

So this is the tiny little half bath on our main floor.
(and sorry these are not the best quality pics... small bathroom in a dark hall and I took them with my point and shoot so I wouldn't have to deal with my camera to computer issues)

I cannot -CAN NOT- believe I didn't take before pictures of this bathroom. Seriously, it was the worst room in the house. Grungy and bare and drab and yucky and brassy and... just horrible.
It was painted the same as the rest of the whole entire house; a pale dingy yellow cream yuck color. With a small beveled oval mirror and a seriously outdated and wimpy brass light fixture way up high that matched perfectly with the huge thick brass faucet, as well as a flimsy towel ring and tp holder.
We have wonderfully tall ceilings on our first floor and this is such a small bathroom... basically tall and skinny, so all the teeny [except for the thick brassy glowing-in-your-face cheapo faucet] things in there along with the skimpy mirror and a skinny pedestal sink just looked all wrong. That room needs some substance. Ideally, I do want to put an actual vanity in here to replace the pedestal; for some substance in there as well as for a tiny bit of storage, (we have to squeeze storage in wherever we can get it!!) but for now just replacing the faucet had to do. So we did the faucet and the light and new towel bar and such and a new mirror with of course new paint -basically new everything except the actual sink and toilet- and a few touches of wall decor I had on hand and...


much better!
























































































Breakdown (mostly for my own reference)
paint: $30 (Orange Canyon by Lowe's Valspar)
new frame for previously used in guestroom storypeople print: $15 Bed Bath and Beyond w/ coupon
tin tiles on wall: free from my stash (originally from Hobby Lobby I believe), two colors of spray paint I already had plus $3 for a third color
baskets: free from around the house (cream one to hold extra tp)(dark brown one full of cinnamon pinecones and tiny orange pumpkins)
new light fixture: $22 (Lowe's)
new mirror: $24 (Homegoods)
new fixtures: faucet was the big splurge to get bronze and tall... $88 (I think) at Lowe's
towel rack and tp holder part of a four piece set at Kmart that was missing a piece so I got it for 30% off... $18. plus I still have an extra robe hook I can use somewhere!
hand towels: Target clearance $1.24 each
rug: Target sale $20
stool: from our previous bathroom (originally from Ikea), painted dark brown

total: $220

Which is not bad honestly, considering the drastic difference in this room. And considering almost half of that total was the new faucet. And I love having a bathroom that's attractive, cozy and comfy as opposed to brassy, dingy and gross!

teaser

Don't hate if these are empty promises, but I'm thinking about taking some pictures of the house tomorrow. We have three rooms done and two almost there. I could probably swing pictures of the family room and the main floor powder room and possibly Savannah's bedroom if she can clean up enough clothes. But, knowing me, that might just end up being a tease.

We're in the midst of the kitchen right now... we painted -half of it- and found out the tile we like isn't in stock and if we order it it'll be at least a week. I also need to decide on a second paint color for the other two walls and into the entryway.

I've also been working on a few "art" projects that I'm excited about, so at the very least I should have at least some of that to share.

I bought a bunch of stuff to get to work on some Christmas gifts today. I had planned on doing [mostly] all handmade gifts this year... I had gifts planned out everybody and how-to's lined up way early -like last winter!- and I was soooo excited about them! But they're all trapped on my laptop that is still, shall we say, out to lunch. I'm hoping Ryan can somehow work a miracle and get me access to those in the next couple of weeks, otherwise I'm not too motivated to start completely from scratch. So I don't know how likely it is that I'll pull of a completely homemade Christmas this year, since we're kind of running out of time here and I definitely do not have my head in the game yet. I can't even wrap my head around the fact that it's November... the middle of November already. Thanksgiving is less than two weeks away. Which means Christmas isn't far behind.
Wow.

camp #5

A rehash of Sawyer's birthday party, long overdue.
Once again, blaming it on the computer sitch here at home... I took pics with my big camera, missing card reader for that, our desktop has yet to be set up, and screen time for me on Ryan's work laptop is hard to come by. So here we are, Wednesday already.

But on to the party!

















Sawyer ordered up a Camping Party, oh about eight months ago. Seriously, he's been planning this this long. Remembering SJ's "not-really-sleepover" party from the previous year, he wanted the same thing; he wanted it at night, he wanted sleeping bags and he wanted a tent. I was all for it, and in fact found the owl and critter decorations that set off our animal and color scheme in the clearanced Easter candy last year!! I grabbed a few packages of these chocolates as well as some animal gummy candies for less than fifty cents each! Lucky for me wrapped chocolate lasts like forever, right?!!
So for the cake, I know there are some fabulous ideas out there for camping/tent/outdoorsy cakes, but I went the easy route (read: no fondant) and just frosted with chocolate frosting and plugged the cute outdoorsy animals right around the sides...




And I think it turned out pretty darn cute!





























Other treats/foodstuffs:




Our makeshift S'mores. We opted out of a real campfire (more on that later) and S'mores, so this was my token S'more on a stick idea... just a chocolate covered marshmallow on a pretzel stick. It was yummy!















And I made these Owl S'mores (idea from here) which also got packaged up to go in the goodie bags.














Here's the whole spread of our camping "dinner"...
(okay, for some reason can't' find this picture right now??)

So originally plans for this party included our giant tent in the backyard and a campfire and roasting hot dogs and marshmallows and playing games and telling stories outside... you know, like a mini camping trip (minus the sleeping over!). I figured, early November, shouldn't be too awfully cold to be outside... heck, we camp for real in October, surely it'll be fine for five year olds out in the backyard for a couple of hours, no worries.
The week leading up to the party... 70 degree days.
This week... 70 degree days (I think it's supposed to actually be 78 today!).
The weekend in between? When we have a camping party?? Planned for mostly after dark???
High of 45, low in the 20's.
Hahahahahahah. Ha.
It wasn't very funny.
I hemmed and hawed about still doing all our outdoors stuff... I mean, kids don't care, right? But I cared, and it was cold.
So we skipped the tent and the firepit and instead we played a few games running around outside before the sun disappeared
[games: we played Mosquito Tag and had a bug/snake/frog hunt around the yard and went on an imaginary hike... jumping over creeks, ducking branches, tiptoeing past sleeping bears, etc.]
and then moved the party inside, turned on the gas fireplace and spread out or sleeping bags on the family room floor.
(sorry, dark pics, we were operating by fire and flashlight!)











































I read aloud some camping books from the library and we did some shadow stories on the wall with our flashlights...


























And of course we sang and had birthday cake...





















































Even though things didn't go exactly as planned (in more ways than one!), I think everyone had fun... I know Sawyer did!

Here's some of what our campers were sent home with:














I found little $1 canvas knapsacks and stamped names on them and filled them with fruit leather, carabiners, camping stickers, glow in the dark silly bands, glowsticks, trailmix and everyone took home their flashlights and any bugs/frogs/snake critters they collected in the games we played outside.

Our new favorite trailmix, in case you're hitting the trail (or just a regular old snacktime) any time soon... the mix was a hit with the kids; Quaker Oatmeal Squares, Multigrain Cheerios, pretzel sticks, Goldfish, banana chips, chocolate covered raisins, and mini M&M's.

fail

So how's about I finally mention I'm on the NaBloPoMo train again this year, just to jinx myself and NOT post the next day. Seriously.
I didn't even realize that I never wrote yesterday until just now this morning. I usually realize laying in bed that night... and with enough time to quick post something at least.
I've never in all these years missed a day in November. Boo.

Oh well, that's what a full day of shopping/planning/decorating'll do to you. We were busy baking cakes and food and goodie bags and finishing up the main floor bathroom... and blogging got forgotten.
With more of the same today.
Turns out a camping party is not the easiest to shop for in November. Who knew.
Nine hours and counting...

thursday

I am so off on my days this week.
Started it off sick, which seemed like an extension of a never ending long weekend of sick, then the kids and Ryan were off on Tuesday, there's a ton going on this weekend and my brain is constantly thinking ahead, so my internal calendar is way off.
All day today I found myself thinking it was only Wednesday... and then later I'd be thinking it was already Friday. But then it felt like only Tuesday. But it's Thursday, right?
I'm lost.

I do know, at least, that it is in fact November.
Which means more attention for the ol' bloggy blog here.
Good motivation for me to write more regularly again, which should be good as we're finally starting to settle into a routine around here. And there's enough going on around here -and enough I need to catch up on- in writing that I shouldn't be hard up for content.
So here I am, NaBloPoMoing again.
Anyone else??

even though halloween is like, so three days ago...

Here are the standard look-how-cute-my-kids-were-in-their-costume-pictures.

Halloween was so low key around here... I am so glad that I took the easy road this year and kept the costumes totally simple... here throw on some black clothes and antennae and be something...
Savannah wanted to be a butterfly and she wanted Sawyer to be an insect of some sort too and he decided on a bee. Not exactly what I think of when brainstorming for a four-year-old five-year-old boy's costume, but he was all for it. He told me he was a "killer bee" at least. ;)
I knew how crazy this month has been for us so I agreed and we picked up the $5 wings and such a few weeks ago and called it good. Turned out a costume they could put together themselves (or that dad could help with) was an excellent call when mom turns up sick on Halloween!






























And Sawyer wanted to make sure we got a shot of his "bee-hind"!














And as usual, the first practice run after pictures is "trick or treating" at our own house...
(pay no attention to the dead flowers on our front step... they missed us while we were out of town. plus, it's halloween; dead is good, right??)

five

I had grand visions of doing a little "mini-session" with Sawyer and my camera today on the occasion of his fifth (FIFTH!!!!!!) birthday. But this was really the first day I even started feeling better from all this sick stuff and other than the requisite blowing out of the candles shtick, I never picked up the camera again but instead enjoyed watching my baby, who's *sniff* clearly not my baby anymore, enjoy his day.

Here are the pics I do have... and please pardon the bedhead; I inadvertently started a new tradition last year by letting the birthdayee have cake for breakfast. If I thought the kids wouldn't remember that from six months ago, I was so very wrong. I kept it somewhat respectable though in that we did pumpkin ginger muffins cupcakes. Yum and yum.
Anyway, cake and presents have to go together in my book, so here we are doing cake and presents at 7am.

Good morning birthday boy














Definitely a happy birthday boy






















A few favorite presents...

























(Heidi, he was amazed and thrilled when he opened yours!)


















And the biggest surprise...




































Hint: we don't didn't have a Wii.
And his face when he opened the game (which he's played and loved) and he put two and two together and asked if this meant we would get a Wii...
priceless.

Word to the wise:
This is what happens when mom is sick for a week before a kid's birthday and only has a couple of token birthday gifts lined up.
It's 8pm Birthday Eve. Dad bakes the cake (did I mention that was sooo yummy?!), wraps the presents, and decides kid really needs something big to get excited about, what else can we get that he's reaaaaally been wanting?, talks mom into it after she's already drugged up and medicated for the night and in bed and before you know it, good ol' dad ends up running to Walmart at 9:30pm to get a game for a game system we didn't own. Yet.

So guess what we went and bought today after breakfast?
And then guess what we did all afternoon....


Happy Birthday anyway Sawyer. You're more than worth it and I can't believe it's already been -and only been- five whole years since we very first met the most adorable little boy in the world. I don't think you'll ever know how much you make us smile. All the way to our hearts. Love you!