Christmas

Here are a few pictures of our Christmas this year. Of course, it starts the night before with opening new pajamas.



The big surprise this year was for Brooklyn. She asked for her first ipod. With the other girls, they had to save up half the money and then I paid the other half. So Brooklyn decided to ask for money for Christmas. And that was the plan. Until I went online and found an incredible deal on a nano that also plays movies. So two weeks before Christmas I bought it and put one of her two favorite movies on it: "Elf." Then I schemed as to how to really surprise her. Christmas Eve it came to me. I asked Tessa what Brooklyn's least favorite dvd is that we own. She carefully looked through them and then grabbed "Little Lord Fauntleroy." It was perfect. I taped her ipod into it. The next morning it's the last gift under the tree. She obviously knows it's a dvd before she opens it. She rips it open. The next few moments are priceless. You can see on her face that she is trying desperately to not be rude.

She looks at it carefully, and with the slightest disappointment in her voice says, "We already have this one." To which I reply, "Oh....well, that's okay I guess, since you like it so much." I wish I could have had Kelle there to take the second by second pictures of her face. She was precious. Not wanting to hurt my feelings. I couldn't take it any longer and say, "Why don't you open it and make sure that's what's really in it." And here is the face that I'd been waiting for:

I love making memories like that! Then we sat around the table with Grandma Ena's homemade cinnamon rolls and a sweet sausage and egg dish that Brent made. (Egg's from the YikChick of course!) It was a great day. Relaxing, and full of laughter. And we ended it around the table again with Brent's roast beast. Roast lamb and a venison roast that had been in the crock pot since the night before.

We sat around the table long after our stomachs were full, just enjoying each other. Reminiscing about the past and dreaming about the future. Life is different as these amazing girls grow. I thought I would be really sad to have a Christmas without any "real" toys under the tree. But somehow life just keeps getting better and better.

Creativity

Our new house is technically not ours. We are leasing it until our old house finally sells. Because of this I have not been able to paint the white walls or remove any of the "oh-so-not-me" wallpaper. I don't know why, but not being able to do this for some reason kept me from doing anything creative. It's been almost a year, and I've been feeling the "need" creeping it's way to the surface.

So I've had this idea brewing in my mind for several weeks. It has occupied my thoughts all day and awakened me at night. What I didn't realize was how following through with this idea would change me. Make me happy. Almost like a weight had been taken off my shoulders. Renewed. Fresh.



Painting whimsical/funky mugs and "what-nots" and posting them on Etsy. (If you don't know Etsy, it's a website very similar to Ebay, but it is only for handmade items.) It is so fun!! I know I won't become financially independent this way, but that's not why I'm doing it. I'm just letting the "need" free. I'm a better person because of it.

Here's the logo that my amazingly talented Yaya, Diane, created:


She also made the banner for the shop. I only have a few things listed right now. More coming soon. http://www.cuppajo.etsy.com/

Goodbye City Life!

Yet another great perk of country life: burning leaves!! In the city we just raked them all into the street and the city would come scoop them up. Very convenient, but just not as fun as burning them ourselves.

Tessa would have no part in this experience, though. She was disgusted with us because we were "killing the ozone layer."

Brooklyn, on the other hand, couldn't get enough.

Notice the bucket of water by the tree. ha!

Halloween 2008

Tessa's cell group from church decided to do their own trunk for Trunk or Treat. Their theme was Disney Princesses. Tessa was Aurora, aka: Sleeping Beauty.

And Brooklyn was a football player! Here she is looking very fierce. ha! She and cousin Chase also did a trunk together, but somehow I didn't get a picture of it. Bad mom.

Goodbye City Life!

My Yaya Cousin gave me this great idea of starting this new regular blog title. I've blogged a few times about how much I am loving country life, but I email about it even more. My email friends are probably getting sick hearing about the elk and turkeys and other fun things we're experiencing. But today was a different experience. As much I as I want to be a true country girl, I'm afraid I have a long way to go.



Just after I got done writing an email about how much I love country life (eleven turkeys crossed the road today while I was out running!) I went into the kitchen to pick up a little and hear something in my garbage!!





I freaked, ran out of the kitchen and called Brent's sister, the true country girl. She offered to come over and save me from impending doom. I slowly came to my senses, carried the garbage to the garage, carefully but quickly took out the bag and threw it into the dumpster. whew! And after all that I'm not sure there was anything there to begin with. I never heard it again. Who knows. But now I'm so jumpy, the wind blew in through the window, my paint chips moved, and I about wet my pants!

things that make me go, "ahhh...."

Carin took these awesome pictures of the girls. I love them!! I'm keeping my eye out for cheap, big frames that I can put them in with a big mat. But for now, these are frames I already had and I painted them black.




Our freshly painted front door.

Paint chips!! Don't you just love paint chips?! We're getting closer to the point of finally painting our house. Even the girls have mentioned being tired of the whiteness on every wall. (Refer back to first two photos.) I get giddy just thinking about it!!

Esperanza

Once in a great while you come across someone exceptional. extraordinary. sensational. incredible. A few months ago a friend saw her on David Letterman and sent me the youtube link to watch. Normally I don't really care for the musical guests on Letterman's show. But knowing this friend, knowing her taste, and knowing that she knows me, I was eager to watch and listen, knowing I would not be disappointed. But what I didn't know was that I would be entranced. She was amazing. I immediately started searching on youtube for more. I couldn't get enough.

So you can imagine my reaction when I read on her website that she was going to be performing at the Detroit International Jazz Festival over Labor Day weekend. We went together, my friend and me. We got there early and sat in the front row. We watched her and her band set up.





And we listend through her soundcheck.

She is such an amazing talent, this petite, beautiful girl.

If you've never heard Esperanza, you must search her on youtube, and go to her website http://www.esperanzaspalding.com/

I couldn't resist taking this picture.

Be on the lookout for this one. She's sure to be a household name someday. Go buy her disc!

Quiet Morning

I'm up early on a Saturday morning, which means I'm up alone. It's dark and quiet, except for the rain. I love the sound of rain. And remember several posts ago I took this picture of the elk farm near my house? Well, ever since we've moved here, several of our neighbors have told us about the elk bugle. It's a mating sound they make in the fall. I've been waiting months for this experience, and this morning it happened. I couldn't place it at first. It is a strange sound that can't really be described. But I remember the girl next door telling me they sound kind of like whales. And that is what I heard. Amazing.

Loving life in the country.

Cousin Visit!

Last week Carin came to town for a photo shoot so she and the girls stayed with us. I even talked her into letting the girls stay an extra night. (It really took some convincing! ha!) Lisa came over for a while and we sat in the backyard catching up and waiting for the sunset,


while the girls played and then settled in for a movie.

The next morning we had blueberry pancakes!

They played some Twister Dance.


Then outside to catch little frogs in the grass. Somer loved the fact that Tessa is deathly afraid of frogs and made a point to chase her around the yard with this little guy.

Then some soccer in the back yard. Girls vs. Brent.

The second night they all slept in the basement and watched movies.

Oops, but first we went to Lisa's house and made s'mores!! Yum!


A great time was had by all. I'll never get tired of watching these girls together. They get along so well and love each other so much. These are memories they will have with them forever.

Yet Another Milestone!

Anyone that has kids knows that life becomes full of milestones. When they are very young, it's almost a daily experience. I remember her first smile, first word, first tooth, her first steps, how she would always say the word ball backwards, her squeals of joy when she heard the theme song for "The Muppet Shlow," her made-up word "yestertime," her first big fall, her first day of school, her first piano lesson. Obviously, I could go on and on. Well, they aren't daily in our house anymore, but they still happen. And no matter how much I mentally prepare myself, they still seem to catch me offguard.

My Yaya Cousin

I once again had the joy of soaking up Touching Bass. This is an experience of which I will never tire. She has always been an extremely talented musician. Anyone who has ever known her knows this. But she's been slowly morphing into something way beyond "musician." She has become an artist. Putting it all out there. Her inner being exposed and shared through her music. Beautiful.



I'm proud and inspired. I love you, my yaya cousin.