Snow Day!

(NOT.)

We woke up to a light dusting of snow on the ground this morning.

The first of the season, which explains the excitement.

(And perfect timing, since I just finished the Christmas decorating last night.)

Elijah and Isabel ran to the computer, convinced that our school's website would announce a Snow Day, or at least a delay. To their dismay, and my relief, school was most definitely in session.

I'm not ready for snow days yet. I have presents to wrap, shopping to do, and coffee to drink, folks. We just spent two days together, doing family Christmas stuff (which was great, don't get me wrong...I simply need a small break, that's all).

So, bundle up, kids, you've got a bus to catch and Mom's coffee is calling her name!

She does me proud...

Isabel is such a sweet girl. Does well in school, is kind to her family, and is generally just a pleasure to be around.

Take this for example:

When I had to work on Wednesday night, the first thing I thought of was that we would be missing Glee. (Elijah, Isabel and I have been watching it together every week; this was the second-to-last episode of the season, and I was bummed.)

Leave it to Isabel to come up with a plan, reminiscent of Lula's notetaking process during Lost.

When I finally got home from work (around 1am), starving and exhausted, I sat down at the table with a bowl of Cheerios and my book. A note from Isabel caught my eye, though, and I read that first.

It was a play-by-play account of the missed Glee episode! Joe said she took notes throughout the whole thing, just for me. Awww!

Some of the notes:

"1. Sue got her tearduct pulled out. Eww..."

"4. Jocks make fun of Finn because he's gonna get his pic in the Glee Yearbook."

"6. Mr. Shuch finds out Terri isn't pregnant. He got very mad, she told him that she was gonna take Quinn's baby and he left Terri. He slept in the classroom so now he is banned from Glee club."

She had a synopsis of the whole episode...that girl rocks!


Still not watching Glee? Go catch up on the back episodes on Hulu, like we did. Then go buy the soundtrack. You'll be crooning along to "Defying Gravity" before you know it (much to the chagrin of your children).


There is much debate about the hottest guys on Glee. Although Finn is cute, he's a bit wimpy for me. I admit to having a bit of a schoolgirl crush on Will, the Glee club teacher...

Lots of girls fuss over Puck. He's hot, I admit, but he's a player, and that just doesn't do it for me. When it comes to choosing Puck or Will, I'll leave Puck to Lula and Heather:

and I'll take Will. (Still singing to Sting's "Don't Stand So Close to Me"...I loved that episode!)

C'mon, wouldn't you have crushed on him if he were your teacher?

Thanks again, Isabel. You've done your momma proud, once again.

A poll: real or fake

And I'm talking about Christmas trees here, not implantable silicone enhancements, just to make things clear.

My childhood memories include both artificial trees and the real deal. One year we even went and cut down our own tree (I seem to remember a lot of cursing coming from my dad as he sawed the thing down). The last few years at home we used the artificial tree; I'm sure mom was tired of vacuuming up the fallen needles.

Our first married Christmas, I really wanted a real tree. We got one. It was beautiful.

Then we had babies, and were worried about allergies and fire hazards and sharp needles poking tiny hands. We bought an artificial tree and used it for a few years.

For the past three years, though, we have had real live Christmas trees. Our Home Depot tree (which was probably cut in October) lost so many needles that it looked like a pine forest on our carpet each morning. Last year, we handpicked our tree from the local nursery in town, and it was the best tree ever. The kids had a great time picking out just the right tree, and it made for a great memory.



The only disadvantage is that we have to buy a new tree every year, and we must wait until December to put it up, to avoid the needle-dropping experience of Christmas-past.

We are getting a real tree again this year, and probably will for many more. I love this part of Christmas, and the kids do, too. But I thought I'd take a poll...

Which is it for you? The Fraser fir or the artificial pine?


Curious minds wanna know!

When a song gets in your head,

and you can't get it out, sometimes you just write a post about it, hoping it will hop from your brain onto the computer and STAY THERE!

Our local Christian radio station has started to play Christmas music around the clock.

It's a great way to kickoff the season and get in the mood to drag dozens of boxes from the dusty storeroom in the basement and spend hours unpacking each and every item and try to find just the right spot for said item.

I digress.

The point of this is that a song has found it's way into my head and it won't get out. If my blog still had a musicplayer, it would be playing right now, and then it would be in your head.

Imagine The Sound of Music. Imagine Julie Andrews. Singing about a few of her favorite things.

Yep, you got it. A sweet little song. Nice to listen to. Brings a smile to your face, thinking about kittens and snowflakes and all.

Until it's stuck on "play" and "repeat" in your head for days on end.

Then it's not so sweet.

I thought maybe if I focused on a few of my favorite things, it might help stop the music:

Taylor Lautner, all grown up. I know he's only seventeen (I hear Kings of Leon crooning now...this is working!) All I can say is, holy abs, Batman! I'm still Team Edward, but oh my word...



Christmas lights. Even though some people have had them turned on since before Thanksgiving in my neighborhood... (Now, the musical version of "Sleigh Ride" is twirling around in my head. One of my favorites when I played flute in the school band.)


Ah, a bellini. Peach nectar, champagne, with a cherry in the bottom. Pure delight when enjoyed with co-workers after a long night (yes, we drink alcohol at 8 in the morning...don't judge until you've worked a night shift or two). Now, I'm hearing "Pour Some Sugar on Me"...

Card-making. I love to sit in my craft room and make Christmas cards. I have fifty to make this year, along with another fifty all-occasion cards I'm making for teacher gifts. Gabe and Isabel both love to create alongside me, usually jamming to the soundtracks from Glee and New Moon. "Defying Gravity" is one of my favorites. Not watching Glee yet? 9pm on Wednesday nights on Fox. Don't miss it!

Ahh, now I feel better. No more raindrops on roses or whiskers on kittens whirling around my head.

Although, I'm strangely in the mood for some schnitzel and noodles...

What Christmas song stays in your head until you want to scream? What are a few of your favorite things? Wanna meet us for bellinis next Tuesday morning?

Let the festivities begin...

Now that Thanksgiving is over, and the madness of Black Friday was survived, I'm ready.

Ready for the spirit of Christmas to enter our home and put a smile on all of our faces.

Ready to pull out some of the old traditions, like baking cookies for Santa on Christmas Eve...



in the buff...

(Photo from 2007)

Now, let the festivities begin!

Counting my blessings

One of my favorite church hymns is...

"Count your blessings, name them one by one.

Count your blessings, see what God has done."

On this day of Thanksgiving, as I scurry around preparing my home for eighteen guests, I have an amazing amount of blessings to thank God for.

Our home. A place where guests feel welcome. A place where my kids can feel at home, not afraid to make a mess when they're knee-deep in their imaginations (and Hot Wheels/Legos/Dinosaurs). We've lived here for nearly eight years now, and love it even more now than we did when we built it.


Nature hikes. Joe's sister, Jill, just moved back to Ohio from Vegas, and has since discovered a new nature preserve full of beautiful hiking trails. One thing that Joe and I love to do with the kids is hike and explore all that God has created. He came by that honestly, since his mom loves to hike, as well. Last weekend, Kay drove me and the kids out to meet Jill and her new husband at the trails, and we took tons of pictures of the kids and the views. This tunnel of trees was one of my favorites.


Since I was eleven years old, I could not wait to be a mom. (Made my parents very nervous, I tell you.) So, of course, my children are my most precious blessings...

Isabel. With her beautiful spirit, her kind heart, and her amazing attitude towards life, this daughter of mine makes me smile every day.


Gabriel. Our bonus baby, in so many ways. His stories bring joy to you, my blog readers; you can't even imagine how much laughter and joy he brings to our family. He could make a friend in a box, and I'm sure he's destined to be a politician of some sort (though he has his eyes set on a policeman or firefighter at the moment).

Elijah. My first-born. His intelligence astounds me, his athletic prowess is thrilling to watch (left-handed pitcher, remember?), and he is the best big brother to Gabe (and sometimes even Isabel).

Joe. This may seem an odd picture, but one of the things I love most about Joe is his handiness around the house, and his determination to do the work himself, whether he's ever done it before or not. His current project is our master bathroom. He has torn out the bathtub and toilet, completely revamped the design, and is in the process of tiling the floor and walls. Did I mention he's a math teacher to troubled kids and an incredible dad to boot?

Kay. Not many people have great relationships with their mother-in-law, but I am blessed beyond measure to have this woman in my life. She helps me with housework, loves my babies as much as I do, wants to spend time with me and my family, is a great euchre partner, and is the best example of a Christian woman that I know. She welcomed me into the family with open arms fourteen years ago, and her friendship is one of the greatest blessings in my life.

I'm also so thankful for my sisters, my mom, my nieces, my health, and my friends. Oh, and a job that I love where I can make good money to help support my family. Truly, my list is so long, I almost feel guilty about being blessed with so much. I hope God knows how much I appreciate every one of them, and that on this day, I am counting them all.

Have a blessed Thanksgiving, and may you use this day to count your blessings...

We were "Girls on the Run"!

This past Saturday was the day.

The day we had been working toward for the past ten weeks. Two practices a week, a practice 5K, a community service project, and several coaches meetings later...November 21st marked the end of our Girls on the Run fall session.

(I thought I would be relieved. Instead, I'm a bit sad. And so is Isabel. We have truly bonded over this running thing, and I love it! This will NOT be our last race, but the first of many to come.)

Joe was our Team Photographer, and he did a fantastic job. The race was held on the banks of the Ohio River, at Sawyer Point in Cincinnati. The day dawned cool and cloudy, with a high predicted of 59 degrees. Perfect running weather!



There were hundreds of girls there with their friends, coaches and running buddies (each girl had someone to run with). Every one of our fifteen girls made it to the race, wearing their matching hats we had found at the Dollar Spot in Target (man, I love that store!).

There was a DJ, booths for getting your hair painted, temporary tattoos, and face painting. The atmosphere was electric with excitement!


There were six of us coaching the girls, and we all got along so well. I'm going to miss seeing them every week! (One of the coaches couldn't make it to the race...)

Lining up at the starting line, warmed up and ready to go!

And we're off! All along the banks of the river, the scenery was gorgeous and the path was fairly flat (perfect for a first race). Isabel and I run about the same pace, which amazes me since her legs are half the length of mine. That girl rocks!

As we ran the last quarter mile, we were met with cheers and encouraging words, whistles and cowbells and the screams of our supporters. It was such an amazing feeling, I had goosebumps on my arms and tears in my eyes.

We finished the 3.2 mile race in 29 minutes and 59 seconds. (Two minutes faster than my first race last March!). I could not believe how well Isabel did...the girl is only nine years old!

After cheering on the rest of our team, we posed for many a photo shoot. The four of us (Monica, Maya, Isabel and myself) have been friends since the girls were in first grade; Monica is such an inspiration, having run several marathons and teaching all kinds of classes at the Y (Muscle Max, Boot Camp, to name a few). Coaching together has been a great experience!

Elijah thought it looked like so much fun, he has decided to run with us at our next race. We're thinking about the Flying Pig in May (not the marathon, more like the 5K). He did a great job of supporting his little sis!

Another avid fan was Joe. Not only did he take all the pictures, but he was bursting with pride as he watched his daughter cross that finish line, finally finding a sport that she loves!

Some of the girls had to leave right after the race, but some hung out for a few more pictures...

and one final cheer: "Girls on the run is so much fun; Girls on the run is so much fun; Girls on the run is so much fun! Yeah!"

Great job, Isabel! We are so proud of you!