Monday, December 24, 2007

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!

Wednesday, December 12, 2007

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?!?

Sunday, December 09, 2007

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!

Wednesday, December 05, 2007

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!

Tuesday, December 04, 2007

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!