Happy New Year!

2011 was good to us here at the house where we live.

CELEBRATIONS:

-Ezra!  Seriously, could I not list our newest addition first? Remaining “celebrations” in no particular order.

-Travel – Puerto Rico, New Orleans, and some exploration of our own great state

-Netflix Streaming

-Maggie’s ability to rationalize just about anything… also her use of the words: disappointed, appreciate, also and actually in a way that mimicks the speech of both mom and dad.

-the iPad2

-my new 3D cardboard mounted deer head (picture to follow)

-our flamily (Maggie’s pronunciation)

-maternity and paternity leave

-relaxed travel restrictions to Cuba (see goals for 2012)

-chocolate – really any kind will do

-great friends and neighbors

-gnomes – especially those that light up! (picture to follow)

-love, health, and everything else one might expect.

 

What about 2012?  I’ve got some goals.  Sew more. Travel more.  (Hello Cuba?)  Increase my level of patience.  Plan day trips.  Explore.  Archive our digital photos.  Have a rummage sale & purge baby items – yes, we’re done having kids.  Teach Maggie to swing by herself.  Plant a bigger garden.  Ride my bike more often.  Teach. Keep reading.  Learn more.  Landscape.  Help Kole make beer.  Get in shape.  Spend more time unplugged.  Thrift.  Live life and love it.

 

We wish you and yours the very best start for 2012!

Holiday Recap 2011

Whew!  I had intended a post a day this week… HA! 

Do enjoy some shots from gift opening.  If I get a chance, perhaps I’ll put together some recap posts of our holiday handmades, crazy quotes from the day (oh, how glad I am that I had a pen and paper nearby!), favorite gifts, new traditions, the tree that almost wasn’t, and Maggie and her babies’ multiple wardrobe changes in the almost 5 hours it took us to open presents.

The shot that started it all.  Note Wally’s tail in the foreground – someone felt left out…

oh the anticipation!

White Christmas.

It finally snowed.  Like snowed enough to play outside.  So Maggie and I headed out for some fun.

And then in for some hot cocoa.

We got mail!

Boy howdy did we ever.  This was what I dragged in off the porch yesterday.

Thank you friends and family!  The US Postal Service thanks you as well, I’m sure.

Snow Globe Soap

If you’re on our Christmas list and want to be surprised, well, SPOILER ALERT.  You’re getting soap.  Not the nasty, “you’re on the naughty list, wash your mouth out and I don’t want to hear that word ever again!” kind of soap.  Nor the, “hey we didn’t know what to get you so we got you this sample size of soap because it was on sale at bath and body works and it was december 23rd and we were out of time” soap. 
You’re getting (insert drum roll here) homemade snow globe soap!  I bookmarked the tutorial on AlphaMom at least a year ago, so we got the supplies and gave it a go.  It worked really well!  It helps that we are treasure hunters and that I happened to have a drawer full of miniature stuff to put in the soap.
 
It was quick, easy, pretty cheap (I used coupons at Michaels for supplies) and fairly toddler friendly.  I did the melting and mixing and Maggie did the miniature placement.  She also spent time poking the animals with toothpicks to move them around, so if your deer or duck is upside down, well, too bad.

Santa #3

Showing Santa her nail polish.

How many Santas can we visit before she starts asking questions about why they all look different?  We’re on #3 with at least one more on the docket before Christmas.

The Christmas Party

We recently attended the Christmas party that Kole’s work sponsors for children of employees.  Games, crafts, music, food, carriage rides, Santa… it’s quite the production.  As with last year Maggie was most interested in the costumed people & the dancing.

You do the hokey pokey and you turn yourself around…

That’s what it’s all about!