As requested:

Christmas Tree 2008
Almost 250 ornaments all in white, silver and pewter, several strands of silver ribbon and white lights. Next year I'm thinking of adding some feather boas in silver and white too!
A special thanks to Mike for assembling, fluffing the limbs and lighting... all the things I hate doing.

It was a pretty quiet weekend here, as usual. I like those weekends where we stick close to home and just kind of hang out. We did some last minute Christmas shopping, I think we only have one more gift to buy. I hung yet more ornaments on the tree. There's close to 150 on there now, all silver, white or pewter, with white lights and silver ribbon. Its hypnotizingly sparkly. Mmmm, shiny things!
This week is filled with karate lessons, last days of Day Out before winter break, knitting, sewing, making enormous batches of cookie dough and card addressing. Mike has next week off so I'm trying to make sure everything is done before then so we can concentrate on doing fun, family stuff and leisurely wrapping presents. That dreaded midnight wrap fest on Christmas Eve kills me.

Just can't keep it up anymore

Y'all know I have an infamous 'food blog', right? Well, I'm just not posting to it as much as I would like. Why? Because I'm: A. Lazy, B. Time Constricted, C. Photographically Inconsistent. That is why I have decided to merge the personal with the passion.
That's right folks, from now on you will be getting my wonderific foody goodness right here. No longer will you have to make that extra click. Consider it an early Christmas present.

(Gee, I hope no one gets offended.)

My kid, the bowling pro

The other night I was taking a nice, hot bath with a good book and a glass of wine when I heard the most happy laughter and yelling. I sat there and enjoyed the sounds for a minute and then realized what fun I was missing. I hopped out, dried off and slapped on some jammies. What I found took me aback.
My son, the three year old, was playing bowling on the Wii! And doing better than I do, mind you. He and Mike were bowling up, laughing up and playing up a storm. I sat and cheered them on and dished out hugs and kisses when Gryffin got a spare or yes, even strikes!

Thanks

Every night I thank God for giving me such a wonder life with Mike and Gryffin, but so far I've neglected to thank them.

Thank you Mike for giving me a life better than I ever thought I could have. Thank you for loving me in spite of me, for taking my faults and neuroses in stride. Thank you for giving me the encouragement to make my own way in the world and thank you for being there when it led straight back to you. Thank you for supporting me and comforting me. Thank you for being you.

Thank you Gryffin for making me laugh, cry and smile all at the same time. Thank you for making me look forward to waking up (and going to bed). Thank you for being so smart that you keep me on my toes and being so silly you knock me off my feet. Thank you for being you.

Lump Sum Car Payments

We paid off our 2001 Jeep several years ago and have been lucky that it has required very few repairs over the years. Earlier in the week the check engine light came on. I didn't think too much of it since a few years ago the same thing happened and it was just a sensor that had gone out and she was running just fine. Last night we finally got her to the dealership for a checkup.
They called me bright and early to let me know that my gas cap was leaking fumes and that was the problem; however, since the Jeep has 60,000 miles on it and didn't have the 30,000 maintenance done, there is a lot of things that need to be seen to. After going through the $1200+ list of 'suggested' items, Mike and I settled on a few of the most important. We are further breaking those down in to what we have the cash to do this pay period and what we will get done next paycheck. So I guess we still make payments on it, just in large lump sums every few years. That is still better than having car payments on top of repair bills!

Christmas is coming and I can't stop it!

Three days in and not enough to show for it. I started knitting a scarflette for a friend's Christmas present but didn't like the colors, so I pulled it all out and started over last night. Now I know black does not go with EVERYTHING. Oh well, solid colors are OK too, I guess.
So far I've got one full size scarf, two circle scarves and two scarflettes done, with the exception of blocking. I have my nephews and niece bought for, Gryffin's gifts are done, Mike is almost done and everyone else gets handmade. Plus, I picked up some flannel to make us all matching jammy pants for Christmas morning. Aaaawwwwwwe. I would love to make a new tree skirt and try my hand at stockings but let's face it, I got enough left to do.
I guess that means that I should probably get off my rear and get to getting... there's also a laundry monster that needs to be slayed today.

Santa vs Sensei

We are those rotten parents that threaten to tell Santa when Gryffin doesn't behave. Hey, it works and we know that it won't for much longer. Now we have a new VIP to use which will last much longer and year round. Sensei.
Gryffin is dying to take karate, or kung fu as he calls it. We took him to watch a class of 3-7 year olds at a local dojo. That was a mistake. All the kid wanted to do was don a ghi and jump right in. Mike and I were there to see if we liked the Sensei. I don't think it will be the dojo Gyrffin goes to but next time it will be only one of us going to check it out. The really good thing about taking Gryffin was the fact that he witnessed the respect that Sensei demanded. He took that very seriously. Now when he does something he shouldn't we just tell him that Sensei would not approve and neither do we. It usually whips him to attention.
Some might think 3 is way too young for a kid to take martial arts, but what they learn at that stage is how not to hurt themselves or others and respect is key. What kid shouldn't learn that at 3? Besides, with the winter setting in the kid has got to get exercise other than running laps in the house.

Ready, steady.... CRAFT!

I am making the majority of Christmas presents this year, from edibles to wearables to playables. Needless to say, I've got some major craftiness ahead of me. I've already finished four scarves and one dishcloth. I've got jammy pants to make and a few other things I can't mention here because chances are, if you read this, you're getting something.
I'm not a big believer in giving to get. I give because I feel like it and don't expect anything in return, except maybe a thank you and unending devotion and adoration. Just kidding on that last part. I am exceptionally blessed and like to bless others, isn't that meaning of this season?

Back in the blogging again

We got hit with a round of bad luck since my last post. I won't go into details except to say that there has been a lot of praying, crying and semi-relief.
I spent my Saturday doing something I've been wanting to do for months. I reorganized the kitchen. Ever since the addition of the big ass pantry, there have been empty cabinets just waiting to take the overflow. It took me the whole day, but I did it! I swear, you hear angels sing when the cabinet doors are opened.
Mike single handedly slew the laundry monster. It was not a small feat and took all weekend. It was interspersed with leaf raking, Gryffin wrangling and small projects.
I wasn't much good yesterday. My sinuses have gotten the better of me. My head is about to explode and all the drainage has got my stomach in an uproar. I know you wanted to hear all those lovelies. but that is the update.

Pictoral Update

Gryffin's helping Mike with the leaf situation in the back yard.

This is what Spiderman does on his day off.

Walking through the zoo, enjoying the fall colors.

Rock star in training.

Scooping out pumpkin gutts for a jack-o-lantern.

VOTE!

If you don't you won't have a right to complain about the government. Then what would people talk about?!

Happy Halloween!

This is the costume for this year. The only thing I made was the skirt but I'm still pretty proud of it.

The economy is in the toilet, the dirty, germ infested, paraphernalia scattered, gas station toilet. Now, I'm not saying this is a good thing, but maybe there are some good lessons to be learned. Since our grandparents generation this country has never been much for earning and saving. We grew up in an era of instant gratification with credit cards, fast food and prepackaged meals. My generation has no idea how to go without or cook from scratch. We don't know how to darn a sock, patch holes in jeans or fix a leaky sink. I have a feeling that these are lessons that are about to be learned and very quickly.

Pop is with my brother and his family now and will soon be on his way back to the desert. I miss him tremendously. If you hadn't guessed, he means the world to me.
This week is dedicated to readying for Halloween. I have costumes to make & finish, decorations to dig out and put up, pumpkins to pick and carve and candy to stay out of, that's the most difficult thing.

As if you didn't already know, my Dad rocks.

I have been searching high and low for a crucial piece for my Halloween costume. I'm going as a WWII pinup girl. I've got the jacket and shoes. I need to make the skirt. I bought a wig, broke my heart a little too. I used to wear my hair in Victory Rolls before I got it whacked and always got rave reviews on it, but I like my new do too. Anyway, I needed a Garrison cap to be the crowing glory but alas, our military surplus store closed. I hit the costume shops to no avail. I asked Dad to visit the surplus store by his house, but they didn't have any.
So how does my Dad rock, you ask? Because the Garrison cap I will be wearing with pride will be the one he wore when he was in the army. Thanks Dad, not just for the cap, but for your service to the country.

No rest for the wicked

I'm ready for the rest and relaxation of toddler chasing. I spent Saturday helping Beqi paint her living room the most gorgeous shade of coral. Its a perfect match for the mid-century kitsch of her house. I'm jealous. I got home around 6, ate a quick fajita that Mike was so wonderful to make and started in on scouring the kitchen and digging out the craft room. Weird, but working hard only makes me want to keep working until I drop.
Yesterday I finished off the craft room. Our neighbors, Paul & Sara (aka, Gryffin's girlfriend) gave us a really nice futon that I put in there. It is now MY room. A TV and DVD player, sewing machines, crafty crap, my knitting supplies, a lamp and a comfy place to curl up and relax. I spent the day cleaning and organizing, making everything pretty.
Yesterday I also picked up a nice metal rolling cart for a $1 at a yard sale. It has a drawer and door with two shelves inside and a towel rack. It looks vintage and I'm suspecting that it's pretty old because they don't make stuff that heavy anymore. Today I have to scrub it down and prepare it for a quick coat of paint. Mike agreed to let me buy it since I knew exactly where it would go. I'm putting it in the kitchen to hold my heavy duty mixer and mixing bowls.
Mike and I made an agreement a long time ago that we can't bring anything new in without knowing exactly where it will go and what it will be used for. This cut down our level of clutter dramatically.

T minus 6 days

Every morning Gryffin asks me if today is the day we see PaPa. I think he may be a little excited. Let's face it, we all are! There is so much to be done before his arrival. I need to clear out the craft room and make room for a futon that our neighbors are giving us. I need to get the master suite scrubbed and organized. I need to clean the oven and wash the windows. Not that my Dad would notice or care, but I would. All of these things have been needing to be taken care of for a while, he's just the best reason to get me off my duff.
Besides, the holidays are coming. Better to get a jump start on all the cleaning and organizing now instead of putting it off until the last minute, like I always do. I also need to get a jump on making presents, but that has to wait until after Halloween, which around here is just as important as Christmas.

Yesterday I was able to get some things accomplished. I ran an errand,made dinner,started digging out the craft room, made a new post to the food blog and finished knitting a new dishcloth. Today, more of the same. I'm still sniffling and coughing but I'm vertical. My voice has, sort of, come back and my headache is almost gone. So is my first cup of coffee, better remedy that.

So many things I could talk about: Strange Folk, the economy, the elections, the wonderful weather, etc. But I just don't have the energy. I'm sick. It seems that after running on empty for two months getting ready for SF, I have acquired a cold/sinus thing. For the past week I've shuffled around sniffling and snorting, coughing and hacking, dressed in pajamas and fuzzy socks.
I'm hell bent on getting over this TODAY. I'm going to guzzle tea with honey in hopes of my voice coming back. I'm going to set an alarm to take my medicine every four hours and I'm going to rest as much as Gryffin will allow.
I've got important stuff to do. Catching up on blogging and picture posting both here and at: http://frozensustenance.blogspot.com. I've got to get the craft room unburied and the laundry caught up. I also need to make a Superman costume for Gryffin for Halloween, not to mention make my own costume. Then there is the most important thing of all, Dad's visit in a week and a half!