busybee

Tis the Season...

 

We were driving across town the other day, the little kids and I, when we passed a car dealership that had a BIG sign that displayed the temperature.  Alyza, decided to show off her smarts and said...

"Mom!  It's twenty-seven degrees Fahrenheit right now!"

"That's right, it is!"

"The F stands for Fahrenheit!"  she noted.

I decided to test her knowledge a bit, so I asked...

"Do you know what it stands for when there's a C instead of an F?"

There was a moment of silence, as she thought through her answer, and finally she responded...

"The C stands for COLD, Mom."

Of course it does!!

Purple?!!? REALLY?!!?!

The new Diningroom...  Note the lack of purple...

 
I am MUCH HAPPIER.  I was the one who wanted the purple.  I was the one who pushed for the purple, I kept coming back to the purple, and after it was painted purple, I tried to like the purple...  But, I hated the purple.  Hated.

When I finally decided to paint over the purple, I felt relieved.  I can certainly admit when I am wrong...  It doesn't happen often, but really internet... PURPLE?? (WHY WOULD YOU LET ME DO THAT?!!???)  And once I make up my mind about something, it should happen.  Immediately.  And so, in the middle of Christmas and chaos and kids and all of that, I asked Jeff to paint with me, and he put on his painting clothes and brewed a pot of coffee...  Have I mentioned how much I love that man??

It only took ONE PAINTED WALL before I started to feel peaceful.  That is how much color affects my world...

And now I can enjoy this Christmas....

 
 



 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree...

Over the weekend, we got our TIMBER on, and went off in search of the perfect Christmas tree...  This was my first time ever cutting down a live tree to have in my home for the holidays.  So we suited all up like little sausages in our winter gear, and trekked off to Rossview Farm to find that perfect tree...

 
 
 

And after braving the elements with two kids who were not listening, one kid who absolutely refused to walk in the snow, and one kid who's "leeeeegggggssssssss huuuuuuurrrrttttt."  And after dragging the HEAVY tree up the hill in a sled, strapping it to the car, lugging it into the house, setting it all up and then realizing that the tree looked MUCH smaller in the field than it did in our living room (HOLY CRAP IT'S FREAKEN HUGE).....  Jeff turned to me and said:  "Wasn't that fun?"

 

Yup...  It certainly was.
 
 
 

Holiday Traditions

Many years ago, just before Christmas, I sat down to read one of my favorite blogs, where I discovered that one of my favorite bloggers followed the holiday tradition of gifting her kids with new pajamas to wear to bed on Christmas Eve...  Being that I am a fan of all things fleece and flannel, I decided this was a tradition I needed to follow with my own family...  Done, and done.

It was several weeks ago, as I began my holiday shopping, when I realized that this year I was going to have to buy twice as many pairs of pajamas, as my "family" had doubled in size, and since I now have a co-conspirator in my Christmas endeavors, I decided that this year, rather than buying my own, I would let Jeff be the one to pick out MY new pajamas.  When I told him about my tradition, and how I wanted to include him and his boys, he was all for it. 

"Oh...  and also, that means you will have to pick out a pair for ME."  I explained.

"You trust me to pick out something for you to wear?"  He asked.

"It's pajamas Babe, I'm not picky.  Just pick out something you'd like to see me in."

And without realizing that I had not only closed the door, but walked straight into it, Jeff responded...

"So what you're telling me is that you will not be mad if I let you open an empty box?"

collections.

My birthday came and went so fast that I did not even have the chance to talk about how I now have a new collection...

We have this display cabinet in our diningroom.

But, we did not have anything to display...

Unless you count the kids' collection of nerf guns, or the countless dirty socks we find laying around the house... 

But now, it is home to my wine collection...

(I HAVE A COLLECTION OF WINE!!!!)

I could not be happier...

Or drunker.  ;)

 

Only in my world could winning a contest be awkward.

Recently, my place of employment held a photography contest for employees.  Being that I do enjoy taking a photo every now & then, I decided to enter some of my favorite photos for consideration.  What the heck, right?  The winning photos were slated to be used in a 2010 calendar, the proceeds of which would be donated to a local charity.  Photography, AND donating to a good cause?  Now that is something I can wrap my arms around.  So I entered.  Done.

Maybe also I was a little interested in the $100 prize.  But that's beside the point.

I submitted a variety of different pics.  Nature, people, artsy fartsy, wedding, food....  Last week, I received the call that one of my photos had, in fact been selected to be a part of the calendar.  And so, without further adieu, I introduce you to my calendar baby...

Boy does that seem like a lifetime ago.  This is one of the very FIRST pictures I ever snapped with my brand new NIKON camera, and most certainly one of the first photos that made me want to become a "photographer" even MORE.   And still to this day, I laugh when I call myself a "photographer" because I am SO NOT A PHOTOGRAPHER.  I just like taking pictures.  I feel like "photographers" sip starbucks and wear berets and scarves, and that is just not me.  I have the utmost respect for real photographers, but I will never be one, and that is ok with me.  But, I digress... 

SO I WON.  It was very exciting to me!  I may have even danced a little jig in my office, but I'm not telling!  And, I wont lie to you - I was a little proud of me, that out of hundreds and hundreds of pics, mine was one of twelve that caught the eye of the judges.  So just HOW is it possible for this story to become awkward, you ask?  Well sit tight, because I'm about to tell you.

On the company website, an announcement was posted with all the names of the winners, and accompanying that list was a slide show of the winning photographs.  I was elated to get to see the other winning pictures.  I immediately clicked it, and scrolled through eleven GORGEOUS PHOTOGRAPHS from a group of colleagues that (now after seeing the pictures) I can't even believe I am a PART of!

I mean...  STUNNING scenery, adorable raccoons peeking through windows, close up's of birds sitting in berry trees, pops of color, BREATHTAKING panoramic shots of nature, majestic mountains, unbelievable red rocks from the west, GORGEOUS Italian alley-ways...  I mean, just photo after photo that took my breath away...

Aaaaaaaaand, a sleeping baby.

One.  One sleeping baby. 

Internet, my son is the only human in the calendar. 

It is essentially, a 2010 nature calendar, and HEY if you order now we'll toss in a sleeping baby for shits & giggles!

It felt awkward in a "one of these things is not like the others" kind of way.  Don't get me wrong, I am still absolutely elated to be part of this, but I couldn't help but hum that little Sesame Street tune as I closed the slide show window...

And so, yes...  While I can cross "win a contest" off my bucket list I have also further proven the point that anything I touch turns to awkward, and maybe I should start thinking of THAT as my talent.

Carry on.

Seriously, brain? Seriously?

Last night, I dreamed that Barack Obama was in my kitchen, and I was giving him a haircut.

 

Yeah, that's exactly what I said when I woke up.  Because, as much as I love the idea that my subconscious mind is trying to send me messages while I sleep, I am having a HARD TIME figuring out what it is trying to tell me with this one. 

I find it hard to believe I am to drop everything and become a celebrity beautician, but I suppose it's not entirely out of the realm.

Just sayin'.

Operating on Island Time...

I am down on the Cape, visiting Jenn (and Melyssa) and staying on The Island...

Island Time means LOTS of crafting...

I'm working on my Christmas cards...
 
If you would like to receive one, make sure you email me your address...  If you got one last year, you'll be on this years mailing list!

I'm also using this time to get started on some knitting projects...  This extra soft organic cotton creation will be someone's gift...

I miss home, but I looooove Island Time.
 
 

A Tale of Two Christmas Trees

Important information to know before I dive into this MIND TWISTING STORY:  For MANY of Jeff's years as an adult, he has tagged & cut his own Christmas Tree at a local tree farm.  And for MOST of my adult life, I have had a faux tree...

So last night as we are climbing into bed, Jeff says, "I can't believe it's been a year since I cut down a tree at Rossview Farm."

I sat in silence for a moment before responding...  "Actually, it's been two... We got your tree at the tree stand near Everette Sports Center last year, remember?"

We then spent the next hour of our lives attempting to collectively uncover the truth.  I say this because I have distinct memories of picking out a tree with Jeff last year down to actual CONVERSATIONS that took place over trees being too short, and specific memories that tie the picking of the tree to the location that I mentioned (Everett Sports Center parking lot.)  Yet Jeff has distinct memories of tagging and cutting his tree last year, and even has irrefutable PROOF that he was at Rossview Farm to tag a tree, and has corroboration from both of his children. 

Yes, internet, we actually got out of bed at 11:30pm, came down stairs, interrupted BOTH kids, and interrogated them for answers!

All signs point that I am in the wrong.  Which is fine, I could accept being wrong...  But there are two things that I am POSITIVE about.  One is that I have never in my life been to Rossview Farm.  Two is that last year I picked out a tree with Jeff, and I REMEMBER HAVING CONVERSATIONS ABOUT A TREE THAT WAS TOO SHORT AT THE TREE STAND!

Friends...  Am I making up conversations in my head?!

To add fuel to the fire, Jeff vaguely remembersthat same conversation, he just thinks it happened at Rossview.  BUT I HAVE NEVER BEEN TO ROSSVIEW!

Several times throughout the conversation, we both exclaimed "WHAT THE HECK IS GOING ON?"  "Did we buy a tree for someone else?"  "Who would we have been buying a tree for?"  "Don't you think we'd remember if we were picking out a tree for someone else?" "BUT I REMEMBER THE CONVERSATION!"  "I know, I kinda do too, are you sure that wasn't at Rossview?"  "Babe, I'm positive, I have never been there, I don't even know where Rossview is." We went around and around in circles until our heads hurt so bad I eventually just rolled over and shut the light off and we went to sleep in silence.

We came up with the following list of possible explanations for this discrepancy... And I think we both feel pretty strong that no other explanation could be possible...
   
1. Alternate lives in a parallel dimension.
2. Glitch in the Matrix
3. Aliens!!! (Messing with us again!)

HAPPY THANKSGIVING EVERYONE!!!

a little bit spoiled...

 
Thank you Mom, for the early birthday/xmas gift!!  Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!

And to all the people who have been rockin' the Ugg's for years:  I totally get it now.  These are the most comfortable things I have ever put my feet into...  I feel as though my feet are being hugged with every step...   That I am walking on clouds...  That I am floating through life without a care in the world... 

I am in love!