Painting

This morning, Jason washed and started to prime the Dining Room walls before he went to work. Naturally, little helper Leif was right there by his side, so Jason taught him the fine art of "cuttin' in" and Leif loved it. He was SO happy to be helping Daddy - it just made his day.

Here, Jason is watching Leif's brushstrokes. Clearly, not really cutting in, but he loved it!

Jason didn't get to finish painting (which made me sad, but another day, right?) since he had to go to work, but I was glad he finished what he did. Just the little things make such a huge difference! :)

A note to those of you who are getting our Christmas cards in the mail:
Pull the picture out - there may be more behind it!

A few people I've talked to had no idea they were there, despite my best efforts to fan them out to make it obvious (it didn't make it obvious, but I tried!) so I wanted to let everyone know so they didn't miss them.

I was knee deep in projects today - some present making (I'll share those after Christmas) and some garland making. I made a garland of letters that spelled out "JOY" and one that spelled "NOEL" and hing them on Christmas-y ribbon above the fireplace mantle, and on the wood wall in the Dining Room. Considering they're made from recycled material (old promotional posters from the seafood festivals we did recently and cut up paper bags) I think they came out pretty nice.

I'll try to take pictures of them and my other decorations (since I know you're so desperate to see!) ;)

Stay tuned for the Christmas Card rejects, too - maybe later this week! :)

Happy Days!

Calm

The fog and placid water make a serene picture, don't they?

It was only calm and foggy like this for a few minutes. I saw it from inside, ran outside with my camera and started shooting. A minute or two later, the fog began to retreat and the water began to ripple as the tide started to move quickly out.

But for those few quick moments, there was complete calm in the world. We couldn't see the houses across the water, or the traffic crossing the bridges - just the same bluish-grey all around.

All of those pictures are completely unedited, too (except for the top and bottom one, come to think of it - I straightened them - I've always been a bit wonky with creating a straight photo, even using the camera's built-in guides!)

So, here't the to-do:

I was making Christmas gifts for all the wee children in the family, and got around halfway through that project before things went horribly wrong. Now, it appears that I do not have time to salvage said project, so I gave up and ordered the items I was making instead. They're still handmade, just not by me! :)

Since that project was taking up all of my time/brainspace/energy, I am now free to enjoy the holidays and perhaps even blog more than I intended (intention was nothing til Christmas or after). Now, I can have time to make cookies, dinners, and all sorts of good things. Phew! What a breath of fresh air it is! Shopping is done, Cards are out, and we're just coasting from here on out! Yes!

The bad news that goes along with that (there's always a cloud to every silver lining, isn't there?) is that the Northern contingent of family wee ones may not recieve their gifts until after Christmas, since I have to mail the gifts out once I receive them. Be ye forewarned, northern contingent!

Today, Leify and I are just going to take it easy, clean the house that became somewhat destroyed in the present and card-making process, make Pumpkin Bread and Nana's Lamb Stew, read Christmas books together, and maybe wrap a few presents, oh so casually. I think these pictures are a good image of our 'tude today - calm & tranquil.

Hope your day is calm & tranquil, too.

Fog and other Brain Complications

Our backyard.

It has been rather foggy here lately, and I'm not just talking about the state of my brain. The fog has been hanging thick over our little world, occasionally blowing on the breeze in white gusts, but always chill and view-blocking. I, for one, love the fog. It reminds me of our honeymoon in Canada, when we spent several days in Vancouver, but never actually saw the city due to the fog. It was lovely and magical.

Sorry it has been so long since my last post (and that a pictureless one!) but things have been hectic. I know this is a hectic time of year for everyone, but here's a rundown of what we've been up to:

We went to Maryland for Thanksgiving. We drove up (a splendid trip - Leif didn't fuss once!), spent the week visiting friends and family and old haunts, and then drove back down (another splendid trip - he only fussed once for about 5 seconds). So, during that period, I couldn't blog (aside from that pictureless post).

Grandmom had done a great job of getting the house gussied up for Christmas (before Thanksgiving) so that Leif could see it. Seeing the decorations only solidified my resolve to get our decorations out and up as soon as we got home! Unfortunately, my decorating was waylaid by a series of unfortunate events (no Lemony Snicket involved!)

We hauled out the tree and put it up only to find out that several strands of our pre-lit tree were not lighting. So, I had to wait several days for Jason to go and buy some more lights (the store is so far away that we really only go for good reasons - Christmas lights not among them. So when he went for other planned things, I asked him to pick the lights up - hence the days involved!)

In the meantime, I tried to get some good old-fashioned construction-paper garland goin' on. But woe is me, my stapler was suffering from fatal wounds and only made it twenty or thirty links in to the project and gave up for good. Of course, there is a method to decorating a tree - the lights go on first, followed by the garland, and last, the ornaments, right? So I couldn't very well proceed to the ornaments with neither lights nor garland.

And to top it all off, I didn't have a star or angel for the top of my tree (pun intended). I noticed it after last Christmas, but I'm VERY particular about the angel I want up there, and nothing has come close to what I want, yet, so I'm still looking.

So, my decorating glee was waylaid by no lights, no garland, and no tree-topper.

Oh, and did I mention that we had a big storm and flood warning come in at the same time? I hesitated to unpack because for a bit because I didn't want to have to unpack just to repack again to evacuate. Joy.

I was developing a serious case of Bah Humbug.


Foggy.

But then Jason came home with the lights and I put them up. I borrowed a stapler from the hardware store down the road (also known as De Grande's house) and finished my paper chain. I tied a Starfish to the top of the tree with some jute twine, and voila, the tree was decorated. It only took me over a week to decorate the tree!

So, that was that.

So, why haven't I posted any pictures of late?

Well, a few months ago, I misplaced the memory card for my camera. So, I borrowed Caryn's. Then I found my card, but forgot to put it in the camera (see how the fog is more emcompassing than just the weather?) Since it wasn't in the camera, I lost it again. So, I've been cardless and unable to take pictures for a while. (Good news: I found it again, and it is in the camera!)

I took only a small handful and all at once during Thanskgiving...

Jason and Leif going for a walk. Hmn. More fog.

But now, I'm back in the Christmas Spirit. I watched the Nativity Story last night and loved it.

So now, I'm listening to Christmas music (loving the Kristin Chenoweth Christmas album), making Christmas cards, and drinking eggnog (never too early in the day to start!) :)

Bloggage should be pretty skimpy between now and Christmas, so all apologies to those looking for more pictures of the little guy. It should pick up after that, though! AND, there is always the annual Christmas Card Photo Rejects to look forward to before Christmas! :)

The photo below is not one of them, but it does show off his new weiner dog scarf we got in Maryland (the weiner dog head is on one end of the scarf, his body stretches the entire length of it, and then his little rump is on the other end of the scarf!) We thought the scarf would be a nice memento of our trip - cold and Sammy the hot dog!

Anyway, happy days to ye!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! Since we're on the road, no pictures this time, but next time, I might have one or two (I've been seriously slackin') in the photog department!

Hope you're stuffed full of Turkey and all the trimmins (mmm, stuffing...)

I can't believe that I'm saying this, but tomorrow I'll be up early, shopping Black Friday sales (at IKEA). The only time I've ever been in or near a shopping establishment on Black Friday was when I worked in the mall. The thought of those lines and crowds ain't pleasin', but it should be fun - I'm going with 2p (Black Friday was the only day we could get together!) and we'll be kid-free for the day. That should be odd. :)

Anyway, wish me luck! And to all, a good night! :)

Our Little Leify

Our Little Leify:

:: he calls the Oriole on his baseball cap a "woodpacker" which makes me laugh every time.

:: has taken to chasing butterflies, giggling as he tries to grab them.

:: loves to vacuum, dust with his little duster, and do dishes - May the love of chores last forever!

:: asks our neighbor who is going through chemo, "How are you feeling?" without being prompted. He answers, "I'm fine, thanks" when asked how he is doing. And when introduced to our neighbor's family, he says, "Pleasure to meet you," and as we leave, he calls back to the neighbor, "I love you!" and I'm pretty sure that would make most anyone's day!

:: He says: "Daddy's the Big Man, I'm the Little Man, and you're," pointing at his Momma, "the Woman!"

:: he has suddenly discovered Crayons (wasn't much in to them before), but seems to think they're single-use items. He used a whole box (64 crayons!) to create a birthday card for cousin Izzy, but now refuses to use them, saying, "they're old. I need new ones."

:: If he had to make a list of his favorite things to do, Playing Outside, Biking, and Going for Walks would be his top three while Eating and Sleeping would come in dead last.

:: But most of all, he loves his Daddy, and being in his arms is by far his favorite thing to do!

Random Thoughts

Leif holding the binoculars ('noculars!) while looking at the sights from our family room.

A few random thoughts:

: Grandmom and Granddad left on Saturday, and we were very sad they left. It was a lovely visit, though, with beautiful weather, good food, and lots of fun. Luckily, we'll get to see them in a few weeks, along with the rest of the clan, when we go up North for Turkey.

: My house is looking all cozy and clean, and the stormy weather outside is only amplifying the coziness of our little home. Don't you just love when your home feels particularly homey, as if it is just welcoming you to come sit, drink some hot tea, and read a good book? I love it. I tried to take a picture so you could see, but the light is too low (it has been very dark here all day due to stormy skies (Ida!) so this is the best I could come up with:

Blur central, but it really does look lovely in real life.

: We had a fun, impromtu visit from Nana today. She brought us groceries from civilization, so now we don't need to go until next week! :) She also brought me some things I'd been needing from Whole Foods, from when she'd been down that way last week. Sometimes, my life really does sound way too pioneerish! But it was a nice visit. She helped me take care of the dishes that had been piling up (I've had a stomach virus or something icky for two days straight, and spent a good part of those two days being lazy because that was all I could be!). The two of us made quick work of the kitchen and then sat down with tea to watch the rain come down (and listen to it as it hit the metal roof!) It was a wonderful part of the day to have my Momma come and visit!

: I've been noticing in the past 6 months or so, that I am beginning to lose my "Mommy Brain" - meaning that I think some brain cells have grown back and I am at last able to contemplate things more complex than dinner, diapers, and babybabybaby! I thought I would never again have any thoughts more complex than that (as they seem rather complex with Mommy Brain) but voila! here I am. I've been reading - a real novel - not just magazines (Thanks, Mads, for the inspiration!) I finished up a 4-500 pager in about 3 days, and I was totally enamored. I had read the book before, but this time, I understood it more, even though I had nothing more to grasp it with than I had last time I read it. I thought deeper thoughts - I went beyond the storyline and into philosophical issues. What a shock - I haven't done that since Grad School! It was pleasant to have a bit of the "old me" back, I must admit. I've even did some research beyond the novel, and have been trying to teach myself a little bit of Ojibwe, which is rather funny. Anyway, it has spurned me on to try to read a few more similarly themed books that I'll be picking up at the library. Who knows - my brain may be coming back to stay for a while. :)

Leif helped Grandmom prune around the house (Grandmom and Granddad did a tremendous amount of yardwork while they were here, and Leif was with them every step of the way!)

: Little sprouts are starting to come up in the garden! I see Arugula growing...and perhaps some of the beets, but time will tell exactly what the sprouts are (hopefully not weeds!)

And here is the little guy taking in the panorama close up.

: Shrimp Gumbo for dinner tonight over rice, better get to it while the little lad sleeps!

Enjoy your beautiful day!

Leif takes Sammy for a Walk

Here, Leif and Sam prepare to go for a walk with Grandmom.

Pointing and Laughing - he sure does love that dog!

Sammy started to walk away and Leif held him back with all his strength.

Short post today - have a good day!

This Week, We:

Leif with his new bed that Granddad and Leif built.

This Week, We:

:: are enjoying a visit from Grandmom, Granddad, & Sammy.

:: are so happy that Leif has a new big boy bed. Leif helped Granddad build it - it is a very simple design, and is not totally finished. It still needs some paint and also has a surprise feature that Mommy will build in to it. Leif is so very proud of his new bed!

:: Planted a Winter Garden, late...again. We planted Snow Peas, Chioggia Beets, Cilantro, Sage, Thyme, Lemongrass, Red Beets, and Arugula. We also planted some Mesclun Salad on Oct. 25th, and that is growing right nicely. We would like more winter greens in the garden, so we'll be picking up some leafy green seeds next time we're in town! We still have plenty of room in the garden...any suggestions for some winter crops?

:: are ecstatic (well, Momma is) that the Wood Storks are back in town! See photo below. There are three of them grazing the mudflats for breakfast - these are the first Wood Storks I've seen since Grandmom and Granddad visited in Feb. and I took that black and white photo of the W.S. as they were going out on the boat.

:: are still excited over the bed. It is tall enough to hold four large baskets underneath it, which hold toys now, and eventually, clothes. His crib mattress fits nicely on top. We told him that if he keeps it dry for a week, he'll get a nice big pillow to go on it.

:: have big plans for Leify's room. If I could ever get Jason home for more than a few minutes at a time, we'd have it done in no time. As it is, I'm lost without his carpentry skills!

:: have decided that we are definitely going to Maryland for Thanksgiving. It was up in the air for a while, but now, well, Sea Glass, here we come! :)

:: are loving this Fall weather!

Leif's new bed in the morning light.

Aren't we supposed to be having a Fiesta?

Leif and Katy beating the dirt with bamboo sticks until we told them to stop. The Chicken House, as Leif calls it, is behind them.

On Sunday, Leif and I drove to Avery's house (as Leify says) for a shindig to welcome DaMomma back from her European Pilgrimage. It was the first time most of us had seen her in a month! It was so good to see her again and rub her fuzzy head. :)

Scott and Spring whipped up some homemade pasta with Bolognese Sauce and a lovely simple salad with olives and cukes. The olives were so good, after the party I went directly to the store and bought three cans of them! Mmm...(and yes, one can is already gone from my snacking).

Caryn brought Pecan Bars and Raspberry Bars which were like little blasts from the past. Ally brought Flan, which was promptly devoured.

Of course, I didn't photograph any of the yummy food or anything. I forgot to bring out the camera until after the meal was done, so no food pics, sorry.

My lack of decent photos from that day may have something to do with a certain unruly toddler I know (dirt-throwing, spitting in people's faces, bouncy ball whacking, bamboo stick hitting child - ugh!)...or not.

Anyway, following are some rather cruddy pictures, sans one of Willie that is rather adorable, that I took that day. This next one of Emma was very nearly amazing, but not quite (through no fault of Emma's!) I can't believe how big and grown up she is getting. Makes me rather blue.

It was a lovely time - I only wished the pictures were, too!

PS: the Title of this post is a movieline - anyone know the movie? Bonus if you can tell me the name of the character who says it!

PPS. After looking at the posted pictures, I've realized that 98% of them are blurry shots of Leif. Do know that everyone made faces at my camera that day, so unless everyone wants to see themselves with their tongues out and half closed eyes, blurry Leif pics it is!

Emma Sue watching the cornhole game.

My view from the porch where I was pleasantly plopped. I thought the light was pretty in the sky and on the oaks.

King of the Mountain, er, Mulch Pile.

Getting pensive (wistful, even!) on said Mountain of Mulch.

Don't I take the best pictures? The back of everyone's head, loads of movement, no real focal point - excellent.
Anyway, this was everyone after the meal on the porch.

Caryn works her magic with the kitty cat - not sure who this one is.

Silly genes run in the family (Uncle Andrew and Anna).

Leif was mesmerized by the giant TV...thank goodness!

The best picture (by far) of the day: Willie D. on his sweet ride.

Blurry, but I like the browness of the photo paired with his yellow shirt and happy smile.

Happy Halloween!

SuperLeif!

Happy Halloween! We had a lovely evening out about town with Leify, who was a Superhero for Halloween. I didn't tell him it was Halloween until the last minute because he had been running a temperature yesterday. Today, though, his temperature and any fatigue was gone, so I was comfortable taking him out for fun.

When he put on his costume, I told him he was a Superhero, but he shook his head, "No, Mommy. I'm just Leify." So, of course, I smothered him in kisses. :)

His costume is actually jammies that I bought for him - they're the fuzzy footed kind, since I thought it would be cold (boy, was I wrong!)

Aunt 2p gave him the cape for his birthday earlier this month, and the shoes are acutally slippers that I bought for the impending cold season. I bought the red kind so they'd work with his jammies for Halloween - they have a little bit of sole so that he wouldn't be padding around town with barely covered feet. I bought everything a little large so he would have room to grow in it - Hopefully he'll have at least another year of his SuperLeif costume to play in around the house, and of course, sleep in! The shoes were particularly big, so he looks like bigfoot...his poor little foot was swimming in the size 12 slipper! But still, he pulled it off marvelously (I'm a bit biased in my opinion, I know) and had a great time tonight. And I'm just happy that he gets to keep wearing his costume for play for a long time at home.

So, below are some photos I took tonight (sadly, the only photos I've taken this week!)

Enjoy!

And Happy Halloween! Aaa-O0000oooo0000!

Clinging rather fiercely to Daddy - Leif was looking at a real man all zombied out in a coffin. It was totally creepy - it looked fake at first, but then -Ack! a REAL guy! He was rightfully terrified. Jason just enjoyed the extra snugglage!

Superhero-ing in our driveway before we left for town.

We stopped first at our neighbor's house - and they had the nicest little gift for him: a Halloween pumkin cup filled with candy, animal crackers and an adorable little bear dressed up as a cat for Halloween, so cute!

Our first stop downtown.

He was pretty shy and timid (aka scared out of his wits) when it came to going up to the people to get candy.

Around here, everyone sits out in front of businesses and homes, all dressed to the nines (and most dressed to scare), and the kids all come by get their candy. The whole town comes out for it (and then some) so you see everyone (and their costumes!) which is great fun. Some of the treats are localicious, too: some of the restaurants give out french fries and fried chicken, complete with ketchup packet and drink (You can guess, then, what Leif had for dinner!)

A lot of people drive around a bunch of kids in the backs of trucks, or on trailers loaded with hay for seats and make the rounds that way. Sometimes you see minivans with both slider doors open to make for easy popping out for candy! It's a pretty interesting and rather fun way to do Halloween, so I'm glad Leif recovered from his sickness in time to participate!

Going up to meet a witch for some candy.