New and Different

First off, I'd like you to meet Mulligan.

 

He's the newest member of our family and we affectionately refer to him as "Mully".  After visiting my cousin Jenny last week, we fell in love with her pug named Chip.  You have to know that we don't really "bond" with animals much and so for us to make a connection the way we did...we just had to have one of our own.  So, we found Mully and here he is.  We no longer watch TV.  Just the dog.  He is so entertaining.  We're giggling, giggling all the time.  I am sure that many, many adventures await us.

   

We made some crazy popcorn for Valentine's Day.  It had bites of licorice, hot tamales, and red sprinkles in it.  The girls went nuts!  The recipe came from Better Homes and Gardens March issue.

 

All kinds of other interesting popcorn ideas in there.

I am stuck on this song.  Can't stop listening to anything Ray LaMontagne.

 

I'm taking this picture to my stylist next week. My hair is just about this long and definitely wavy enough. I have an outragously outgrown version of this and am ready for a change. What do you think?

This is by far the greatest crepe recipe I have ever tried.  Made 'em this morning with a cream cheese filling. Yu-ummmy.

My Netflix Queue is almost empty.  I have watched some bummers lately.  Not sure how I even made it passed the first 5 minutes of this one.  Help, all the main characters are dying!  Suggestions for happy movies please!

 

Carl and I attended the Washington Association of Wine and Grape Growers Annual Fundraising Event last week.  He designed a print that was to be auctioned off, so we were invited. The whole dinner was amazing...but my favorite part was the the Cabernet Sauvignon Sorbet.  DANGEROUS!  I must figure out how to make this.  Or, maybe its better that I don't!

Speaking of dangerous...I ate a Big Mac today for the first time in about 5 years. Even thought I knew it was like "poison on a bun"- it was extremely satisfying.

  

I am pretty sure that I am the last person on earth to talk about Artisan Bread in 5 Minutes a Day.  It is really revoloutionizing my life.  Imagine mixing the basic bread ingredients in a giant tupperware container (no kneading!!!!) and storing it in your fridge.  Whenever you need a nice, warm crusty loaf just pull out a hunk of dough, let it rest 20 minutes or so, then bake it.  Presto, fresh bread without all the effort.  Love.

Okay, wow a lot of links in there.  Thank you for all your sweet words about the Valentine's pictures.  You really know how to puff up this mama's heart.  Upcoming posts: planning the garden, homeschooling updates, a bit of spring sewing, and a give away!!

My Funny Valentines

  "Love" according to these three:

Respecting, serving, helping, being an example, hugging, kissing, tickling, not fighting, sharing, obedience, honesty, kindness, saying "I love you", saying "I love you so much that I just want to kiss you!", making things and giving gifts, giving away your favorite ______  and not keeping it for yourself, letting someone else go first.

 

Emma: What I love

"Jesus, camping, my house, my money (she's worked hard for it :), the world, recycling, art, making crafts, plants, pools."

Hannah: What I love

"Yogurt without chunks, doing projects, going to water-slides, trees, apples, apple trees, having treats."

(there was one other thing that I decided to edit out for your benefit...it had to do with bodily functions :)

 

Laurel: What I love

"Green Juice (Odwalla Superfood), drawing, sitting up on the counter when you make dinner, Big Grandpa Jim (my dad), reading books, painting my toenails.

 

I love their hearts- so simple and pure.  I love when they ask me for a hug, or tell me when I've hurt their feelings. I love hearing them tell me that they love me a thousand spontaneous times per day.

 

I love their transparency, never hiding their sadness or fear or joy.

 

I love how they make me laugh and cry all in the same day, all in their own ways. 

 

I love their smell, their chubby fingers, their soft bellies, their breathy whispers.

I love them and they love me.  Almost nothing else matters!

Staying on Task

Well, hello there.  I've been missing you!  Its been a nice time away.  Thanks to those of you who were checking in on me.  I didn't mean to be gone so long.  Life is just full you know?  It is all good- just full. 

I am finding that there is great reward in being on task.  I am not ready to give this little space up...but being a present wife, a patient mother, an enthusiastic homemaker, a competent teacher, a reliable birth assistant, a sane person, and a frequent blogger seems to be impossible.  Sometimes, something has to give.  I have been extremely guarded with my time.  Saying no to play dates, phone calls (sorry if I haven't returned yours), and all kinds of other extra curricular activities (including blogging) takes discipline.  In the end, just keeping my nose to the grindstone has been quite fulfilling. When I refocus my priorities and put my energy into blessing my family first (its a blessing to have clean clothes, clean toilets, organized cupboards, healthy meals, and a car that doesn't stink like sour milk) I don't think of all of those daily tasks as drudgery or monotony.  Instead, it becomes a way of making my home a place where relationships can flourish.  And that is a priority. So, staying on task has been my task. 

With that said....

 

 

 

 

I went skiing today :)  Allowable distraction!  Hope to be back soon.