Merry Christmas!

It has been 12 days since I last wrote anything on my little blog! Those days have passed quickly and slowly at the same time. It's amazing how our perception of time can be.

My shopping is done. The gifts are wrapped and stashed downstairs where little hands and peeking eyes (Morgan's) can't get to them. Perhaps later I will bring them up and put them under the tree. I love seeing all the gifts gathered under the tree.

My sister and I were talking about how Christmas is more fun for children. And in a way I agree. The anticipation of gifts at Christmas was so much bigger as a child. It's also a beautiful holiday celebrating a baby's birth and all the significance his life has had for people for two thousand years. I've been listening to Go Fish's CD Snow for several weeks. It's my favorite collection of Christmas songs. Very powerful. If you've never heard it I encourage you to check it out. I love their version of the Little Drummer Boy. So today I'm anticipating the celebration we will have at church this evening, and with my family and watching Owen unwrap his gifts. He's really in need of some new stimulation! He's very busy and very into Elmo! I've also got a batch of chocolate chip cookies to bake and some cleaning to do.

I wanted to share this quote that I read on Ali Edward's blog:

Mary Lee Bonasera Matthews : Worry is not necessary. Spend an equal amount of time counting blessings. Start with your childhood. Take the time to remember to really appreciate each blessing, absorb it and think of all the good effects it has had on you and others. Don't overlook the ordinary. There are a thousand blessings in every moment, if you look. Each breath and heartbeat, every color, texture, taste, smell. A lifetime of blessings, beauty, love. Thankfulness is like water. Allow yourself the release, the cleansing, the quenching that gratefulness brings.

Sometimes we lose sight of all that we have to be thankful and grateful for. I think today and in the coming year I will keep this quote close to my heart and focus not on my worries and concerns but on the abundance of gifts I have been blessed with.

Merry Christmas!

Hump day...

This seems to be a long week. Maybe it's the detox or just my general apathy about life lately. Morgan has been very busy at work and a volunteer gig this week and that makes for long days for me. Owen hadn't seen him for almost two whole days until yesterday evening. He had been asleep when Morgan went to work and when he came home on Monday and Tuesday. Although we went and had dinner with him last night. This morning he went in to peek at Owen before he left. Morgan is not a quiet person so he basically woke Owen up. I was a bit irritated because we don't wake sleeping babies here unless it's absolutely necessary. And in my opinion it wasn't. But he gave him breakfast and changed his diaper and got to spend a little time with him. He will be home with him tonight too. I think Owen will be happy about that. We are pretty regular and consistent around here in terms of routine and schedules so when things are off a bit Owen notices. He's been a little clingy the last few days. Monday my mom and sister took care of him while I worked and he was very happy to see me when I got home. Which is a little unusual.

The detox is going well. I've actually lost 6 pounds. I'm not bloated or puffy at all. A bit tired though. I've not had any headaches either. That is a huge deal for me. And I'm halfway through the week! I've had to be creative with my vegetables which is difficult since I'm not a good cook. I woke up yesterday morning in a panic from a dream where I was eating the best mashed potatoes ever! I was so upset in the dream because I realized I wasn't supposed to be eating them and I'd ruined my detox! It figures I'd have a dream about potatoes. I love them regardless of how they are prepared!

And now I must go because the daycare lady behind us has her screaming herd outside and they have woken Owen up! Somedays I just want to yell at her "THANKS! THANKS ALOT!" And who takes kids outside at 10am when it's only 9˚ anyway?!?

Some faves...

Tonight after we put O to bed Morgan and I decorated the tree. Hopefully we've placed things strategically enough so Owen won't be pulling breakable ones down. I think we left 1/3 of them in the boxes! These are some of my favorites. Some of my other favorites just didn't light well so I couldn't get good shots of them.

This has to be the oldest ornament I have. I made this in preschool!
This star is also rather old. I remember picking this out somewhere when I was a kid. I still love it's uniqueness.

I have two of these little mushrooms. I don't recall where they came from but I love them. I bought a couple for my SIL too. I love sparkly glass/glittered ornaments!

Every year when I get this bus out it just makes me smile. I don't really know why. It's just a cute little bus. Reminds me of kids and teaching and such. And it's made of tin and sort of looks old.

500 Lights!

On just a 6 1/2" tree! Yesterday I spent 2 hours putting the lights on the tree. We've had it up for a week but didn't have a chance to do lights or decorations. Which was fine since Owen had time to adjust to it being there.
Owen was very interested in all of the boxes and totes of Christmas stuff. He kept coming back to check out the boxes. Luckily there were a few things he could play with that weren't breakable. Including his Santa hat from last year which fits better now! I couldn't get him to sit still for a picture though!

Today I started a cleansing detox. The plan consists of consuming only fruits and vegetables prepared various ways, or raw, without fats. Also water and herbal tea. It's almost noon and I'm doing okay. It's a seven day detox. I'll keep you posted on my progress! It's a low activity week so I thought I would be okay doing this. I just really need to get off the sugar and junk food and I thought this would be a good way to start. I'm not good with moderation. I'm more all or nothing. And as long as I go one day at a time and know it's only for 7 days I think I can do it.

I've got a bunch of projects going on right now. An advent journal, starting a Christmas album late, gift projects and I'm behind on my Deck of Me cards by about 4 weeks! I also want to get the rest of my Christmas decorations up!

A little something to share...

TO ALL THE KIDS WHO SURVIVED the 1930's, 40's, 50's, 60's and 70's!!

First, we survived being born to mothers who smoked and/or drank while they were pregnant.

They took aspirin, ate blue cheese dressing, tuna from a can, and didn't get tested for diabetes.

Then after that trauma, we were put to sleep on our tummies in baby cribs covered with bright colored lead-based paints.

We had no childproof lids on medicine bottles, doors or cabinets and when we rode our bikes, we had no helmets, not to mention, the risks we took hitchhiking.

As infants & children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.

Riding in the back of a pick up on a warm day was always a special treat.

We drank water from the garden hose and NOT from a bottle.

We shared one soft drink with four friends, from one bottle and NO ONE actually died from this.

We ate cupcakes, white bread and real butter and drank Kool-Aid made with sugar, but we weren't overweight because, WE WERE ALWAYS OUTSIDE PLAYING!

We would leave home in the morning and play all day, as long as we were back when the streetlights came on.

No one was able to reach us all day. And we were O.K.

We would spend hours building our go-carts out of scraps and then ride down the hill, only to find out we forgot the brakes. After running into the bushes a
few times, we learned to solve the problem.

We did not have Playstations, Nitendo's, X-boxes, no video games at all, no 150 channels on cable, no video movies or DVD's, no surround-sound or CD's, no cell phones, no personal computers, no Internet or chat r0oms.......

WE HAD FRIENDS and we went outside and found them!

We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.

We ate worms and mud pies made from dirt, and the worms did not live in us forever.

We were given BB guns for our 10th birthdays, made up gam e s with sticks and tennis balls and, although we were told it would happen, we did not put out very many eyes.

We rode bikes or walked to a friend's house and knocked on the door or rang the bell, or just walked in and talked to them!

Little League had tryouts and not everyone made the team. Those who didn't had to learn to deal with disappointment. Imagine that!!

The idea of a parent bailing us out if we broke the law was unheard of. They actually sided with the law!

These generations have produced some of the best risk-takers, problem solvers and inventors ever!

The past 50 years have been an explosion of inovation and new ideas.

We had freedom, failure, success and responsibility, and we learned HOW TO DEAL WITH IT ALL!

If YOU are one of them...CONGRATULATIONS!

You might want to share this with others who have had the luck to grow up as kids, before the lawyers and the government regulated so much of our lives for our own good.

While you are at it, forward it to your kids so they will know how brave (and lucky) their parents were.

Kind of makes you want to run through the house with scissors, doesn't it?!

The quote of the month is by Jay Leno:

"With hurricanes, tornadoes, fires out of control, mud slides, flooding, severe thunderstorms tearing up the country from one end to another, and with the threat of bird flu and terrorist attacks, are we sure this is a good time to take God out of the Pledge of Allegiance?"

Thanks to Maggie for sending this to me!

Hello December!

Friday night Morgan and I went to a Minnesota Wild Hockey game with my sister and her BF. It was the first professional game we'd ever been to (except for Morgan)! We had excellent seats. 8th row! The first picture shows how close we were!

This is the lighthouse tower thing that goes off when the Wild score a goal. Very cool! We were sitting just below it.

Here is the picture Miranda took of us.

After the game we went over to the Great Waters Brewing Company for some beers and apps. We walked through Rice Park in St. Paul. It's lovely in the winter.

This is a big angel statue.

Here is the really big tree they cut down and moved in from the front yard of a St. Paul home. It's okay, the people wanted it to go. They were afraid it was going to fall on the house during a storm!

Sunday we put up the Christmas tree. We have an artificial. I decided we would leave the tree up for a few days so Owen could adjust to it being there before I put lights and ornaments on it. But Morgan wanted to see if these rope lights would go around the front window. He and Owen had a good time playing with them. They did not get up in the window!

In this picture you can see the great hairstyle Owen has going on right now. He's got that babyfine hair that just goes crazy in the dry winter air. So much static!

Onward toward Christmas!

We arrived back home last night from our Thanksgiving trip to Kansas. It's good to be home. We had a nice visit with Morgan's family. Far too much football for me though! We don't have a tv in our upstairs livingroom so it's never a big part of our day. It's always overwhelming to me to have a tv on all the time. And it's a lot noisier with 4 extra children around! My niece and nephews are a rambunctious bunch when they are all together. Owen did have fun exploring all their toys, playing in the sandbox and running around with them.
We stayed in a hotel with my MIL and FIL. We had adjoining rooms so this made bedtime for Owen much easier than if we'd only had one room. It also eased a lot of the strain of staying at my SIL's house. It just gave everyone some down time and a break.
On Saturday we all went down to the Crown Center in Kansas City where the Hallmark Co is based. They had a fun creative exploratory place called Kaleidescope for the kids. They were able to use all kinds of recycled materials from Hallmark to make things. We had fun. Owen didn't make anything but he had fun running around and getting into stuff.
This week I've got to finish some collages for possible publication in a book so I may not be writing much until after Thursday.
I hope everyone (in the US) had a good Thanksgiving.

Finished!

Yesterday I finished up the shirts for my niece and nephews. I'm really happy with the way they turned out.

This one is for my nephew who is five. This one is for my niece who is three.

And this one is for my nephew who is three.

The BAM shirt is my favorite. I had a bit of trouble with the stitching on the O's because I'm not good at sewing in a circle! I think I'm going to make one for Owen, maybe with BURP on it. And one for me that says MAMA.

Today we got some windows washed. It always makes things brighter in the house when the windows are clean. I love that. And the yard is all cleaned up again after the wind blew more leaves in. I love the neatness of fall!

Tomorrow we are taking a trip to the Conservatory in St. Paul. One of my favorite places to take pictures. I've not been there in the fall before so I don't know what kind of plants they have in the seasonal room. We may take a trip through the zoo too as it's connected with the conservatory.

Loves crackers...

In Owen's diaper bag I keep a container filled with snacks. Usually graham crackers. Lately he's taken to unloading the diaper bag and inspecting the contents. His favorite is the cracker container. Yesterday he unloaded all the crackers ( I don't know why) and then carried around the container just munching away. He'd go back to the pile to get a new one when he was finished. He didn't hold still for the pictures though. That's why they look so silly and unfocused!

Yesterday I finished a little collage I was working on. It started out as just the blue painting and ended up as this collage.

Yesterday my sister came over for the annual "Making of the Hand Turkeys". She's been making these buggers for years and last year started the tradition with Owen. This year's turkeys are a little non-traditional. They will be getting some feathers later today. Mine might need some glitter!
I need to thank Rachel for her great solution to the traveling scraproom dilemma. She suggested a trailer outfitted for scrapping/crafting that we pull behind the RV. Genius! And I've also decided we would have a Vespa with a side car that we would just mount to the trailer or RV somewhere. But since you can park an RV in almost any WalMart in the US we probably wouldn't need it too much. Just for trips to the scrap store or art supply store.

I also wanted to share a bit from a letter I got from Toys R Us this morning. As I'm sure you know there are tons of toy recalls out there. I was overwhelmed checking the list last week for any of Owen's toys. Toys R Us wants us to know they are committed to toy safety and here's the part of the letter I found amazing:

We believe that when a product is recalled, the most important thing is to get that product out of children’s hands. To that end, we have instituted a "no quibble" policy when it comes to toy recalls. This means Toys"R"Us will take back recalled product whether it was purchased at Toys"R"Us or not - with or without a receipt.

I hope this doesn't come back to hurt them. They also say they are committed to being sure the toys they carry are tested by the manufacturers. I'm glad to see a company stepping up to the plate and working for the good of children and consumers. It's a good business plan too.

Today is supposed to be nice out so hopefully we'll get a little outdoors time. Owen's cold has turned into a cough and I've got a sore throat. I'm also taking him for a flu shot today. I hate doing that. I'd make Morgan go if he didn't work 25 miles from home!

Living in a van...

Have you seen the TV commercials for some of the new mini-vans or SUVs? Like the Grand Caravan? We were watching a the news last night and on came a commercial for one of these vehicles. Afterward I told Morgan we should sell the house and most of our possessions and buy one of these vehicles. We could live in it. No property taxes, no homeowners insurance. We could live where ever we were. Then I told Morgan we could just park in the lot at his work and use the showers there and he could come out and have lunch with me and Owen. And he said Owen could play outside all he wanted because it would basically be where he lived!

I know this isn't totally realistic. We'd need a trailer for my art and craft supplies. Not to mention my shoes! But for what some of these vehicles cost you should be able to live in them. They certainly make them look comfy enough on TV!

Sometimes I think it would be really fun to own an RV and drive all over the country. You're house would basically be with you so you wouldn't have that homesick feeling. If you wanted to visit a friend or relative you could do it for as long or as short a time as you (or they) wanted and you wouldn't be too much of an imposition.

I think my grandpa would have enjoyed this but my grandma wasn't a traveler. She mostly stayed home and surrounded herself with animals and art supplies. I'm doing pretty good with the art supplies but thankfully we just have one animal. I think I learned from her that they are a bit messy and require a lot of attention. And as I've mentioned many times I'm short on the attention span. Which Ludwig can attest to since I left him outside while we were gone twice in one week! I wouldn't do well on a farm!

Busy, busy bees...

We've been busy bees around the house the last few days. We got all the leaves in the yard raked and bagged. Thank goodness for the garbage company who picks them up at the end of the driveway! Owen loved being outside while Morgan raked and then when we were bagging. He is a little outdoorsman!

I also spent some major time in my craft room cleaning. I had piles of things that need sorting and filing and other things that needed new homes. I cleaned off my magnet board and put up some new pictures too. My drawers got labeled and rearranged. And the floor is cleaned up! It feels so much better in there. I can function to a certain extent with the messiness but I like order even in there!
Tonight I got this new Making Memories Holiday Idea book. There are lots of fun projects in there to inspire me to do some new decorating for the Holidays. I've been wondering how we will decorate and still have things been Owen Proof too! He wasn't walking last Christmas so we didn't have too much trouble keeping him away from the tree. This year he's sure to be into everything he can get his hands on. Today he got into the "sin" cabinet where Morgan keeps his liquor and I keep some chocolate! He went straight for the Hershey's Kisses and a bottle of Irish Creme!

This is the Christmas Journal I've started working on. I'm not sure what I'm going to put in it yet. I've printed an Advent Devotional Guide from one of the local seminary schools also. I want to do something to help me be purposeful and reflective during the Christmas Season. I love Christmas but it always seems to get stressful and overwhelming.

Today was another nice day. Temps in the 50's. So Owen and I went outside to play in the yard. He has gotten pretty good at running and not falling down. The ground is a bit uneven in places and he would trip and fall a lot a few weeks ago but now he seems to have been balance. I had to put the camera in action mode, run away from him and then turn and shoot to get this! He loves the camera but mostly to play with not necessarily to have his picture taken! Although he is a good smiler!

An new friend...

For my birthday my SIL sent me this cute little guy for my collection. I guess I have to call it that now since there are quite a few!

It seems some other little guy has taken a liking to him because I found "Gnomey" sitting here and I had not given him the ride! I just thought it was so cute to find him sitting right there. All by himself as though he'd made the journey on his own.

And a couple months ago my mom showed Owen how to flush. Fortunately he hasn't figured out how to lift the lid so nothing got flushed!

These are the shirts I'm working on for my niece and nephews for Christmas. There will be words on them like BAM, POW, and WHAM. Like in the old Batman TV show? Remember that? I loved that show.

Constant Entertainment!

Being a mama has changed my life in more ways than I can even count. If you are a mama you know this and you also know that you cannot be prepared for it. I don't like boogers and poo and all the yuckiness that goes with mamahood but I do it. Because I 'm the one that has to most of the day. I am blessed to have a husband who will take over those duties without fuss when he gets home. We don't fight about who did it last.

Before being a mama I was pretty selfish with my time. I did with it what I pleased and would spend hours by myself reading or making things in my craft room and Morgan didn't care. He'd go about his stuff too.

When I decided to stay home with Owen I was happy about the decision. I was in a place in my career where I felt I could take a break and not miss it or yearn to go back. And that's still true. There are days that are rough because we don't get much sleep or someone is just cranky or crabby or wants to play outside all day or not take a nap. And sometimes it's just boring being home all day without grown-ups around and nothing that I have to do.

But there are far more good days. Like today. When Owen was playing in his room reading and enjoying his toys. He'd run to the door of the study to check on me and say hi (not really he's sort of yells stuff) and I'd take to him and then he'd run off. The last time he came to the gate at the door he said something and then I heard "rip". And I turned around to see that he was removing his diaper! I wasn't so concerned about it being dirty as I had just changed him (and was letting him play in just his diaper because he's a pain to dress) but the chances of him peeing on something are pretty great! So I go over to him as he's removing the rest of his diaper and he looks at me and laughs and takes off running! So I grabbed the camera! Because what's funnier than a naked, laughing, running baby!?

I added the black box just so no one would be offended or think I was posting inappropriate pictures of my son! But it's funny too! This is destined for a layout entitled "Streaker".

I don't know who was laughing harder. Me or Owen. Until he ran into a wall of course! But it was a minor bump so he was fine. I finally got a new diaper on him and then pants. And the pants just barely before he could get the diaper off. He's one of those kids who would be happy being naked all day!

One more birthday!

Today is Morgan's birthday! We aren't doing anything big. It is after all Wednesday! Dinner at home, a few presents.

We've had three good nights of sleep this week! I don't know what changed or if it was anything we did. I put a fan back in O's room that we'd been using for a long time but stopped because he kept taking it out of the wall. Then I put in a safety plate but the fan wouldn't plug in so I just put it away. I don't know if that's helping but it's not hurting. Morgan has been giving him water before bed since it's drier in the house than a month ago. O still has a bit of a cold/cough and cough so hard he threw up his breakfast this morning! I think he has a rather sensitive gag reflex because he throws up easier than anyone I know.

Not a very exciting day/week for me. Just feeling very busy in the head. I need to channel that better.

DOM card 44...

House done with oil pastels. CS and brad for the door. I do not like how the writing came out. And I need to date stamp it. I had wanted to use a photo of our house but then I end up spending too much time on the computer so I decided to draw. I'm not sure how I feel about being done with it already. I like dragging it out a bit so I have something to look forward to!

Hello Monday Morning...

And Happy 1/2 birthday to Owen! November is a big month in our house. My birthday is the 3rd, Owen's 1/2 birthday is the 5th, and Morgan's birthday is the 7th. So there is a lot of celebrating this week!

Saturday we celebrated my birthday with dinner at the 50's Grill. A fun 50's style place with burgers, fries and homemade deserts. We had a good time. Morgan gave me a new blender. Our old one, circa 1960, was due to be replaced. The new one is a sleek red Black and Decker.

Yesterday my family came for dinner to celebrate both our birthdays. My sister gave Morgan a ticket to a Wild game. Minnesota's hockey team. I'm not sure if he was more excited about the game or the free beer after the game! I got a ticket too! So we are going with my sister and her BF on the 30th for the game. Morgan has been to one but the rest of us have not so we are pretty excited! I haven't been to a hockey game since college!

Last night Owen threw one of his nighttime fits. I just don't know why this is happening. He settled down after I went and sat in his closet and he came in with me. So we sat quietly in his closet for a while and then I put him back down. He was fine for about a half hour and then he was back up screaming again. We watched a couple episodes of The Office and then I put him back down. He slept until 7:30 this morning. His screaming and carrying on in the middle of the night is really getting to me. I had to put him down last night and just go back in our bedroom. I just couldn't take it anymore. He wants me to hold him but then he arches his back to get down and screams and falls on the floor. Then he gets up and wants to be picked up again but then doesn't want to be held. Morgan went through this for a bit while I was in our room and then when I came back out he quieted down and wanted to sit with me. He will eat if we give him something but he doesn't seem hungry and he usually won't take his sippy. I just don't get it.

Yesterday after church Morgan picked up Owen's Christmas Present. We had been looking at little kitchen sets for him. He seems to love the one in our baby class room and he it's the first thing he goes to when we're at someone's house who has one. They are expensive though but there was one the Fleet Farm ad for $30! Special purchase, limited number! So I had Morgan go after church and he decided it looked good and got one. Hopefully it won't be junk when we take it out of the box. I may have to open it up to check it out first!

I created a little tent for Owen in the living room yesterday with our old card table and a sheet. I put his little Tiger chair and a basket of books in it and now he's got a little reading tent!

It seems a cold front moved in last night and our mild fall weather is over. We will have a high of 44˚ today with wind advisory for most of the day. It had to happen sometime I guess.

And last, but not least, the winner of my Birthday RAK is Toni!

DOM cards...

Week 41 Magic Carpet. It's my least favorite card out of all of them. I didn't have room for all of what I wanted to write and I had a hard time coming up with something. I just didn't like this one.
This weeks card 43 Scary. It was Owen's second Halloween and his first trick or treating. Before we went out he had this little melt down but it was still so cute. I don't have many pictures of his pout so I wanted to remember it.

Happy Birthday to ME!

Today is my birthday. I didn't really do a lot of talking about it before hand. Which I used to do. I guess it was easier when I had a larger audience everyday! I would start on October 3rd and remind the kids once a week that my birthday was coming! I think it was more fun while I was teaching. And I'm 34, which Maggie reminded me was old! But she's older!

Last night Nikki and her husband came over for dinner and a movie. We watched License to Wed. It was hysterical. So cute and funny. If you need a good laugh this is a good movie for it.

We are going to dinner at one of my favorite restaurants tonight. The 50's Grill. It's exactly as it sounds and the waitresses wear poodle skirts. They have the best burgers and milkshakes. Tomorrow my family is coming over for dinner. We always celebrate birthdays together. I love that.

To celebrate my birthday here, I will draw a name (on Monday) from the comments on this post and send that person a little present! What better way to celebrate a birthday than to give a gift! Comments must be posted no later than Midnight Sunday. Central time.

Have a great weekend!

Happy November!

Hooray! It's November! My favorite month.

Here are a few pictures of Owen from last night.We aren't really sure what this little fit was about but he got over it.

We tried to keep him in the wagon but after the second house he was done with that and one of us had to carry him.

We did about 5 or 6 houses on our street. Just the neighbors we know and then it was time to come home. Owen was not happy about going door to door and not being able to go in and visit. He did go in one house to see what the lady was watching on TV and then the next door neighbor held him for a bit while he and Morgan chatted. He seemed perfectly happy just to stay there all evening!

We had intended to go visit Nikki but Owen started having a melt down when we tried to put him in the car so we stayed home. He watched a few trick or treaters come to the house and then was ready for bed.

I can imagine from an 18 month olds perspective Halloween is sort of odd!

A little Halloween Fun!

Owen got his first Mr. Potato Head for Halloween. He's called Trick or Tator! How cute is that!? He came with a costume too. Owen has had a great time rearranging his features.

Just in case you didn't know...

Here's a little "muffin top" tutorial! I was looking for the Caroline Rhea bit that Aimeslee mentioned but didn't find. But this should help!

And I would really like to know if this is a fashion phenomenon happening outside of the US or is it just exclusive to us!?

And Lynn brought up a very valid point yesterday by wondering what fruit you would be if you were larger on top and small on bottom. Now I'm going to say that lots of those women are probably apples. But if you were say very well endowed and just a bit chubby in the middle and had long thin legs you would not be an apple or a pear. Good point Lynn. So I think this apple or pear thing is just too constricting. It leaves a lot of women out. Not unlike the fashion industry!

Some insight...

Last week I learned from the Today Show my body type. This is important stuff. So important that it was on national news. If you can call the 4th hour of Today news. I'm not bashing, I like the 4th hour. It's fun. But I digress. I learned I am an apple. The choices are apple or pear. And according to the description I am an apple. But I really feel like a papple most days. If you carry most of your weight around your middle you are an apple. If you carry it mostly in the lower 1/2 of your body you are a pear. Considering I don't break 5" I just carry it all over. But neck isn't fat so I could be a pear. It's tricky to do a segment like that since people are in all different shapes.

I also recently learned that "muffin top" refers to the fat that blossoms out over the top of ones low rise jeans. I wasn't aware of this term! I love it when I learn something new. I however, do not have this problem as even low rise jeans on me come up far enough to cover the "muffin top". Whew! After learning about this phenomenon created by the fashion industry I started to wonder why women buy jeans that would case this to happen. I don't like to have fat bulging out over the top of my clothing. So I buy a size big enough so there isn't a bulge. But I've seen these women, well girls mostly, between the ages of 12-25, with the "muffin top" and I've got to wonder if they don't notice it. Perhaps Nikki, you would like to be in charge of informing them. I can see it now, she walks up to these girls in her teacherley way and says, "Excuse me miss, I wanted to inform you of your "muffin top". It appears you didn't notice. Since there it is. For all of us to see. Perhaps you need a larger size."

I try to keep my fat contained to where it belongs. Well, either within my pants or within my shirt. And I'm lucky to be short enough that it fits into either or.

And now I'm off to find some chocolate. It is after all Halloween week!

A beautiful weekend...

On Saturday Owen and I went to my mom's to play. He loves to play outside at her house. The yard is so much bigger and much more interesting. And there's also Grammie and Auntie Sissy to play with and "help"!

Here are Owen and Miranda playing in the leaves!And Owen had a great time helping my mom transplant a plant.

Then he decided to take the shovel and dig in whatever planters he came across.

And here he is in the leaf pile with Miranda's pumpkin. A little photo shoot. And the other two I took didn't turn out because he was not interested in sitting still!

Sunday we went apple picking. It was a beautiful day for it but the picking was not good. I guess it's better to pick earlier in the season. We picked a bag from the orchard for baking and then just bought already picked apples from the store for eating.

It was a rather large orchard and Owen wasn't all that interested in riding in the wagon. We spent a good long time walking in the orchard with him or carrying him! He's getting heavy too.

Last week Owen came down with a cold. The first one ever. His little nose is running like a faucet and I am not a fan of snot. I find it more gross than poo. And if I don't wipe it fast and right away he's getting snot all over the place. He got is across my face yesterday! And as would be expected I am now sick too. Morgan doesn't seem to be though. Which I find funny since I'm an almost compulsive hand-washer and he's not the most sanitary person. He said to me yesterday you know you're a parent when it occurs to you that you could just lick the crusty snot from your child's face if you don't have a tissue. Um, WHAT!? YUCK! I must not have very strong maternal instincts then because that thought NEVER occurred to me! Ga-ROSS! So it is odd that I am sick and he's not.

And I wanted to share a book that I'm reading. It's called Living the Creative Life by Rice Freeman-Zachery. She has compiled information about creativity from a variety of artists talking about their process, how they live and what creativity means to them and how it functions in their lives.

In one part of the book one of the artists mentions that her father was a contractor so she grew up around people who made things. And that just really resonated with me because I did too. I have many times thought about getting rid of all my "stuff" because it would be so much neater around here without it. And then I think "but what would I DO?" And I'm like that because I grew up with "doers". My grandmother was not a person to sit still. She was always doing. Not always in a creative way. Although when she did sit still it was to paint or knit or sew. Which is similar to how I am. I guess that's how I'm able to be still.

Anyway, it's a great book. Very insightful.