Christmas presents are flying their way out west, everything is bought for my little family here, and i just got back from the grocery store with the ingredients for gingerbread that we're bringing to our Christmas Eve dinner. Its snowing outside, and oh so cold and windy - perfect for watching football and putting my feet up just a little longer..
Merry Christmas Everyone!

Thursday Morning - almost the weekend!

It's been so long since i've sat down and blogged - I do apologize! In the past two weeks we've had lots of adventures: new puppy habits to get used to, snow storm, then an ice storm, then some more snow to make it interesting (Casey thanks for asking - i think i actually missed the brunt of the storm when i was in Arizona), a trip to Flagstaff to see a good friend and her new baby, and all the while busyness at work and shopping to get done :) I'm sure all of you are dealing with similar situations.

It's finally slowing down - our packages went out yesterday and the rest of our cards will be mailed out today - bryan has laid down the law and i agree for the most part that next year we will be doing lots more on-line shopping and enlisting elfs back home in seattle to help with the wrapping and labeling - its so much work to shop, wrap, pack, ship, etc. for many many different people!

Anyway, we finally got our tree up and decorated and cleaned our carpets, are picking up more wood tonight, and i think starting saturday we're just going to enjoy the weekend and the holiday coming up. Bryan doesnt have to work on Monday, so once Friday rolls around, we're all set.

Here's some funny pictures of the critters helping to decorate and of our recent snow storm - the blurry one is delilah, she's a little harder to make sit still. Sorry ive been so delinquent, it wont happen again :) i hope! Kristen, i hope little evan feels better soon - and that you and Kyle both do too...

Lunch Time

Snow in the forecast tonight and tomorrow.

I am excited! We haven't had any so far, except for some flurries here and there, and I feel like a kid wishing as hard as he can for snow so school can be cancelled - part weather report and part magic, yes?

I've been so tired lately, not sure why - its like i cant get enough sleep. We also haven't decorated much yet (or really i havent decorated much yet), just a little advent calendar propped up on our kitchen window. But a box of ornaments arrived yesterday from Bryan's mom full of old ones that they used to hang on their tree. So maybe one of these days soon we'll get a little tree, hang some ornaments from our Christmas's past on it, and it will be a tree fit for two.

Little babies everywhere it seems right now - congrats to all the ladies who are now mammas! I love seeing your pictures and hearing the stories as days go by. Soon I'll be heading out to Flagstaff for a long weekend to visit my wonderful girl Stephanie, who just welcomed her second daughter Lilly. I can't wait to practice holding her - I've only held two babies before - once for about 2 seconds until he started to cry, and once while shopping with a friend and her one year old. I really want to be good at it! Stephanie promised that it would be the perfect time to come - that Lilly will be old enough so i dont feel like i'm going to break her, but still small and baby-like :) I cant wait to get my fill.

Eat, pray, love

I just finished reading this book last night - it had been kicking around our house for a little while, i think i got it back in summer. Initially, i had been really excited to read it, however after reading a couple bad reviews, i was a little hesitant. Its not that the reviews said that it was badly written, the main criticism was that this was another tale of self-indulgence and what some could call "middle class white girl syndrome" - that is, people finding problems in their lives and then up and leaving them, all to "find themselves" and realign their chakras.

I'm mixed about all this, as you might be able to tell. I love that we have the luxury of therapy should people need it - one of my favorite people in the world is my past councilor, carolyn, a woman i would want to meet for coffee everyday if i could and who has helped me through some very difficult times of self-doubt. I try to approach things in life somewhat holistically, with attention paid to both physical and spiritual well-being. However, i do think that as it so often happens, the goodness of these opportunities has been saturated and now you have people falling over the other side of the line -- people in love with this realization that they can be happy, but in order to do so, must up and leave their families. jobs, husbands and travel to Italy to date a man named carlo (i did love the movie "under the tuscan sun" though - despite the liberties they took with the script!). Little bits of this is good for anyone, but it just seems like people give things up so easily, instead of working through the hardships or the rough spots. I guess what scares me and makes me a little sad is it seems that people have lost the ability to tough things out, or rather to know the difference when to stay and when to change something. There's absolutly exceptions to this rule, when situations are bad and horrible, but I'm talking about the ones where grown people act like 7 year olds and give no thought to their kids, or loved ones when they decide that its best to become a spinning instructor in chicago instead of whatever they were doing yesterday. its that instant gratifiction schtick - know what i mean?

Anyway, i feared that this book would be exactly that - and Hurray because it wasn't! There were no children involved to be thrust to the nanny, and the author was well aware of her decisions and their consequences. Not once in the book did i feel that this was a whiny self indulgent midlife crisis character, rather the opposite - a strong, searching, honest, and open woman who had the means and the schedule to adventure around on a spiritual and joyful journey. it was a wonderful read, a perfect escape from the cold weather here.

Getting into Gear

So it looks like, come May 3rd, i will be participating in the Indianapolis Half-Marathon - running with Bryan and Angie, a friend of his from highschool that's flying in special for this from NYC. I haven't participated in a race since i think i was about 9 and i did the saint patricks day dash in downtown seattle. Neat i think, but very scary. Good though, as we will be "training" and simoultaniously tiring our doggies out.

A few days late (supposed to be cooked on Thanksgiving) but just as delicious - Pumpkin Eggnog Pound Cake with Cranberries. Yum.

And a the requisite picture of the pups - what better way to followup breakfast than with wrestling?

Afternoon Aftermath

Casualties from one puppy:

One pink Nike flipflop
One box of honey crisp apples (apples and the box)
One Sweet potato
3 pingpong balls (chewed not eaten)
1 pair of mens boxers (how did she get those!?) on living room floor

We are now enacting Opertaion Crate Delilah. Still leaving her out at night to sleep on her bed, but boy is she ever getting crated during the day. maybe until she's 72.

Monday Morning

Ok, I fear for a little bit this might become a doggy blog, or at least until that stops being in the forefront of my mind. Bear with me - I promise i will stop at some point!

We've had Delilah now for 5 days - whoa! Today is the first day her and milo have the house to themselves, although really they just have the run of the garage and living room. they've been playing like mad, and by mad i mean like two 12 and 14 year old boys, with enough teeth on neck action to prompt Bryan into saying "i hope you never have two boys" because i was constantly looking at the two of them uneasily. I admit it - i worry. I try to stop it and then the worries just come rolling back over me! So i guess this will be a good time to try and cut that out eh? Bryan's going home to check on them this afternoon at lunch and hopefully there will still be 2 dogs, 1 cat, and some relativly intact living space for two humans.

It's funny though, how much like kids these two are. Milo, who has never been a huge eater, and who we've struggled with to get weight on his bones, is now the worlds best eater. If Delilah eats, Milo will twice as much. If she wants to drink, he'll put her to shame with slobbering up twice as much water. its pretty funny how he tries to out-do her in everything. She of course, goads him on - again and again and again, stirring him up again when they've finally gotten setttled down.

Back at work today - isnt it funny how its always that much harder to go back to work after you've had mucho time off? It was a huge task to get out of bed this morning, out from under the oh so warm flannel comforter and pillowcases and into the rainy wet to walk the beasts. In other weekend news though, we found an Indian grocery store! this was awesome - so much mint chutney to be had! It was a great store, and I'm sure I will be back to investigate, although this time i wont bring two dogs, one of whom apparently likes onion naan.

Also, I found the blog of my friend, outstanding vballer of the past, Jackie! How cool it was to find her online and get reconnect and see what she's up to. One of the many perks of the internet i think. We're having turkey soup tonight (the last of our leftovers - yeeeesss!) and we'll probably watch the Pburgh v. Miami to see if i hold onto my league in fantasy football and pickem!

morning before everyone wakes up

Its morning here - Bryan is still sleeping, there's frost on the grass outside, and the light is just starting to get bright. I'm up with the pups and enjoying the mellow time together - they did so good last night, each sleeping on their own bed the whole night and until this morning when i woke them to take them out.

Success outside and now their both back on their beds snoozing, and its just me and fargus here at the dining room table (fargus who helped himself to the turkey carcas this morning :)!) and who is now tucking himself into the pile of jackets and scarves by the door. What a good making for a saturday morning so far. Are you all still on turkey overload too?

Heart and Belly Full

Meet Delilah, Milo and Fargus's new sister and our newest addition to our little family.



We've been talking about getting another dog for a little while, going back and forth about the pros and cons and finally decided that we were more in favor than opposed. We looked a little bit, and finally found her on Thanksgiving day - what a meaningful day for all of us!

I think we're full up on cats and dogs now and won't be feeling any pangs for adoption again anytime soon - but how neat it is to see the two dogs learn to play with each other and be part of the same pack. Fargus is a little less pleased, but i think we'll do fine - if he could make it through a Milo introduction than i think we can handle one with delilah. The only thing is their both just really really interested in him, and that annoys him a bit.

Its funny to see Milo as the older and wiser dog now - but already he seems so sage and above all her puppy antics. He's interested in her every now and then, but when she comes to lie down next to him, he'll kind of roll his eyes and get up, wandering over to the couch or his bed.

Our holiday has been a quiet one, but a really nice one. Bryan cooked the works for
us, and we enjoyed a full table, and a full house due to our new member. Today we took an inaugural trip to the doggie park which ended up being so much fun - Delilah ran and ran with every dog, wooing every one while Milo caught air doing his frisbee tricks. It was nice also to sit and chat with the people at the park, who almost always are so nice and laid back.

I've been kind of down lately, not really sure why, i think it's a mixture of a bunch of things, but this time at home away from work for the long weekend has really come in handy - getting to take long walks with bryan, play Scrabble and ping pong, and of course keep an eye on the "kids" - these are all good things for the blues!

I got to talk to all sorts of family and friends this weekend, and realized how many people i have in my life that are special - a family who loves me and calls all the time, a boyfriend who is wonderful, friends that surround me from all coasts - and here i am, right in the middle of all the love. its funny - when people have asked me if i'm homesick now that it's the holiday season i usually answer no, its not the specific day that i miss, but rather the every day stuff like dinner at aunts and uncles, or random moments with parents, brothers and friends that are so easily accessible for drop-ins when their all within driving and walking distance.

This thanksgiving I've also thought a lot about all the different places I've spent the holiday - how many different homes I've been in during the past 10 years - moms and dads, and phyllis and scotts, then all my thanksgivings when i was taken in by friends during college - and that one thanksgiving in a hotel in Florida with the UW volleyball team! and now for the past three years its been thanksgiving here with bryan- so funny all those different ways to celebrate the people around us. I know that we aren't perfect by any means, and that sometimes cherishing those around us and in our lives means having taken them for granted at some point - but tonight I'm really appreciative for everyone that has included me in their thoughts and lives - i love getting passed around on the phone and hearing all 14 people at dads house - so much commotion in the background! I loved getting all the comments on my blog from the blog girls - an group that i love even without having met all of them - it seems like such a good group of girls :) and all the texts that i got, saying happy turkey day from far away - too good to be true..

How we spend our evenings sometimes

I know I've posted a lot of cat and dog pictures lately - but i cant convey how cool i think it is that Fargus and Milo are finally tolerant of each other and can stand the indignities of sharing a bed. This is cause for celebration in my humble opinion. Bryan was confident that this would happen eventually, but I'm over the moon about it!

Milo finished up his shy and reactive doggie class last night, with a graduation certificate and everything. I think more than anything i now have more knowledge and know how about how to train him than i did before. he's not cured of his fear of little girls and garbage cans yet, but i think he's getting there slowly.

We've been sleeping in the living room in front of the fire for the past week, a guilty pleasure that we started when it was cold out and the heat from the fire place wasn't quiiite making it back to our bedroom. The thing is though, i dont think either one of us thought we'd like it as much as we do! I'm sure the novelty will wear off sometime soon, but for now, we're both content to hit the sack on our mattress in the living room, sort of like camping indoors. I never thought i'd say this but for once its really nice not to have family or friends near by, as we'd feel kind of strange trying to explain the huge bed right in the middle of the room...

Word has it that snowflakes were falling from the sky earlier this afternoon here in Indianapolis. Winter is here. . . . and i am so happy for it.

Home soon to run with Bryan and the dog and then to build a Big fire to sit in front of all night long.

The Boys

This doesn't happen very much around here, but with the weather getting a little colder, fargus and milo are having to deal with each other more and more, and on rare occassion, it seems like they can actually tolerate each other!
here's all of us snuggling this past Saturday night, i had gotten home late from an event and was very receptive to warm, furry animals.

Milo's classes are going okay and they end next week, right before thanksgiving. I still have yet to really learn how to get him to focus on me rather than on the object or person that makes him scared/frightened, but i think if i contineu to work on the things we've talked about in class things can only swing upward. For graduation next week, we have to teach our dog a trick. I haven't decided yet what I want to teach milo, i'm thinking maybe a wave or take a bow.. or maybe beg?

And last but not least, a fun picture taken with some of my coworkers, before all of us headed home. It's so rare that we all get together in clothes that aren't business casual, so we recorded for posterity's sake.

More Hawks v Browns.

Hawks V Browns

The weekend in Cleveland was fun - Bryan and I drove over on Saturday morning on a beautiful day and pulled into the city just in time to pick up our friend cicie at the airport - from there we checked into our amazing hotel (bryan out did himself on the lodging){we were staying at the same hotel as the Seahawks and saw Shawn Alexander in the elevator!!} and went out for a walk. Later on that night we met Meg and Greg and directed amy into town via the phone...all was perfect.

The next day, Sunday Morning, we hopped up (a process made slower by having 7 people involved, 4 of us women) and met two friends down at the stadium for tailgating. On our way, we stopped to make sure we could get Amy some Boca Brat, which we found uber-easy. Our tailgating experience ended up being great - we met some awesome new people and i also have never been yelled at so many times in my life (due to my seahawks gear in Brown territory). Our seats were in the Dawg Pound (scary!) but all in all in went well - grand tally was no fighting :), Amy got asked out once, I got asked to dance once, and Greg saw one man in the bathroom pee, but forget to unzip his pants. It's probably a good thing that the Browns won, its much easier dealing with happy rabid fans then sad ones.

I think a fun weekend was had by all - and home again we turned our car on Monday morning, to pick up our doggy and crawl into our own bed - always the best feeling! it was so neat to see all those other seattle fans - i felt like i had something in common with all of them, a little bit of home in each one!

I don't know where you find these things.....

Jesse,
I love the "what kind of holiday food are you and the what flower are you?". Sort of the 2000 version of "flower power". I, by the way, am a daffodil. I finished the alchemist. What next?
Mom

Colder and Cozier

You Are a Gingerbread House

A little spicy and a little sweet, anyone would like to be lost in the woods with you.

What Holiday Food Are You?

Oh winter - I am so happy you're coming. I mean, i know - sometimes late at night when i have to take milo out, i moan and groan at putting on all the layers and layers of warm clothes, but really i do love this time of year. I want to bake, wrap, tie ribbons, decorate, drink steaming mugs of cider and hot chocolate, and basically just surround myself with holiday festivities. I have several little projects lined up that i want to do this year, but I'll keep them secret for now, in case i don't get to them!

Racoon Lake

I just found these pictures (some of my favorites), taken almost a year ago from our trip out to Racoon Lake, which is a park near our house. We had such a fun time there - no one was around so we let milo off leash and he loved running around sniffing everything. He discovered ice for the first time and we all just spent they day bundled up, hiking and enjoying the beauty of the day. That very night it snowed for the first time that winter, and we woke up to a completely different world..

It's been busy this week - not sure why. Monday came and went and then zoom! Thursday already! Time fills with doggy classes, dinners to cook, commutes, etc. Bryan and i stocked up on candy for our Trick or Treaters and guess how many we got!? A big whopping 0! Very disappointing, but understandable i guess since we're the youngest in our neighborhood, everyone else seems to have grown children for the most part.

This weekend we're heading out to Cleveland for the Seattle Seahawks game and meeting up with some friends and family while there - should be fun, I'm looking forward to driving out of town with Bryan, popping in a cd and kicking back. Long weekends are such treats....

Tonight has been listening to wonderful music, making pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, talking to my dad, playing frisbee and football with bryan and milo, folding clothes and watching fargus sleep on the pillow, cozy and warm, still smelling of the outside fresh air.

Yesterday Bryan had to work a little bit and I met a friend to go shopping with her and her almost 11 month olf baby - how good it felt to spend some time with her, chatting and trying on clothes. I brought home a new pot for making hot chocolate and matching mugs that hold lots of warm milk and whipped cream.

I folded clothes tonight while watching Anne of Avonlea, loving every minute of Anne's adventures, just as i always have.

Happy Sunday night dreams..

One of my Favorite places

I've been thinking a lot about this bookstore lately - its one of my favorites in seattle, and it always seems to be such a warm, welcoming place on cold winter days. When my i was younger my dad worked downtown across the street from the Kingdome and on days when i would go into work with him, good behavior was almost always rewarded with a trip to Elliott Bay Bookstore. We'd stop by Dome Burger for lunch and eat upstairs overlooking Pioneer Square, and then we'd head over to the bookstore after lunch, and i'd be allowed to pick out a book. In the evening, before we caught the bus home by the funny triangle shaped building in Chinatown, we might head over to the bakery on Pioneer Square, who sold loaves in the shape of bunnies.

Both my parents always encouraged reading - anytime we headed to a bookstore it seems like i was allowed to pick out one or two things to bring home. Sometimes mom, renick and i would have dinner at Toshi's down in Kenmore and stop at the B Dalton next door before going home and I would get the new Christopher Pike or Fear Street. And bookorders - do you remember those? Oh my gosh, I'd go crazy, picking out 7-8 books and then that magical day when you got back in from recess to find them sitting on your desk, in a nice stack, waiting to be taken home and read! We also walked a lot when we were kids, child abuse at the time, but one of the great Friday night walks was from Koren and dads over on 4th and Latona to the U bookstore, where dad could leave me happily sitting on the floor by the Nancy Drews while he kept an eye on me from a distance.

After Our Walk

Our walk this morning was wet and windy, perfect for trying out my new boots (thanks mom!) that were recommended by Jenny over at Renton for Life! They're perfect, and oh so cute - i think Milo might have been jealous that he didn't have a pair. The rain has been pouring since yesterday afternoon, making milo's walks and runs a little less enjoyable as he tries to scoot along and not get wet. its hilarious to watch him try and fold down his giant ears to keep the water from going in them. Yesterday, as we ran home, i think it was the first time in a long time that Milo has led the way, frisbee clutched in mouth, ears back, soo eager to get back home and dry off in front of the fire.
Ps - i guess i should clip his nails - they look so long!

Weekend Update

I've been slow posting this month, for no real particular reason. I've been spending lots of time reading, being busy at work, and just relaxing in general. This weekend went fast though, so here's some pics of what we've been keeping ourselves occupied with...
We're still in limbo with our master bathroom, and this Saturday Bryan and I drove up to one of the guys' apartments to get some of the supplies they had to finish up ourselves. The picture shows Bryan in the bathroom, installing our lights - i don't know how he knows how to do it, but it pretty much impresses the socks off me. We now have 5 beautiful recessed lights in our previously dark bathroom, and even though it can be a tinsy bit overwhelming to look at how much there is to do, its so impressive and encouraging to see the results of the work he did today.
We also finished up our guest bedroom, as good as its going to get. I have some places on the baseboards that are splattered with paint, but we figure that they're going to get replaced anyway when we rip up the carpet. So besides removing the tape from the windows and getting new blinds, we're pretty much all set in that room. It feels nice, and we both are happy with the way the colors came out, even though their both different than we expected them to be.
Oh, and i threw in a picture of our new wood burning stove insert, basically our Christmas present to each other this year, and a welcome addition to the house. So far we haven't turned the heat on once, and I'll be curious to see how the little guy does when its really cold outside.
We went out to breakfast this morning - there's one little pancake house in our town that gets PACKED on Sundays, but we were able to sit out in the sun and enjoy the morning..the best thing about this place is its hot chocolate, that came out with Halloween sprinkles on top of the whipped cream - i don't think I'll ever out grow my love for sprinkles..
Tonight we're having a last day of summer dinner and watching the baseball game that starts in a few hours. it sounds like a lovely way to cap off the weekend, so i better head to the store real quick to get our ingredients!

here is the mother of mother daughter

So here I am. Now I am not sure just how to get this going but I am sure we will. I am still excited about the idea of a mother-daughter blog and I know it will be good. Thank you, daughter for the invitation and helping the "old brain" with the technology.
I started reading the Alchemist Thursday night and I LOVE IT. I thought I had tried before and couldn't get into it but wow, I can't wait.
mom

We're having an Indian Summer out here in Indiana - so much so that last night, after we had both crawled into bed, we decided it was much to hot and went out to sleep in the hammock on the porch. We were great until about 4 in the morning when i got too cold and hopped back into bed.

Because of the nice weather forecasted this weekend, i think we're hoping to head outdoors and do something fun, maybe rent a boat and float around on Eagle Creek Reservoir or something like that.. until then, I'll just enjoy my oatmeal and raspberries before i head out the door.

Good evening

Hello there. it's dusk here in Indiana, milo and i are getting ready to head out for our nightly walk - he's got a blinking light we turn on his collar so that everyone can see us from miles away.

its been a off beat couple of weeks here, as our daily routine is sort of jumbled - bryan's been traveling the last 3 of 4 weeks and i've been holding down the fort in the interim. tonight im going to try and hit the bed early and get a good nights sleep - i just dont sleep as well when bryan's gone and find myself staying up way past bedtime -then everything's just out of sorts for the following day. so this night will be a little bit of straightening up, walking the pup, and crawling into bed early to read.

i hope this weekend we can head out for a hike or something, even if its close to home and not too challenging - just something to get out and get moving on these beautiful days - its so much different than running, or working out in the gym. my mom called to say that the mountains are expecting snow this weekend and i was surprised to find that the news made me a little homesick for all the adventures that lie outside doors in the northwest. just a little bit.

Not too much new going on in our neck of the woods - milo and i have a doggy obediance class starting in a week and a half which will be good and i've started to get our november 4th football game on my radar - a group of us are meeting in cleveland to watch the browns play the hawks - i've been looking forward to this since last spring when they announced the schedule - we've got the tickets safely tucked in our top drawer where they'll stay until its time to hit the road! Bryan and i are heading out friday or saturday and taking a detour through Ohio Wine Country (Who Knew there was one?!) then hitting Cleveland to meet up with the gang before the game - my face paint and hawks jersey is ready to go!

We finally got our new wood burning stove put in and love it! We started using it the night we got it. I'll post some pictures as soon as the camera (that has all the pics that we took on it!) returns - we're looking forward to winter nights with the fireplace going, and i think it looks much better than our old gold fireplace that was here when we moved in.

So we'll say good night here from our house - the dog, the cat, myself, one spider and one grasshopper that both managed to make their way inside that i couldnt bring myself to kill, but not to live with either - my solution? Towels - lots of towels placed over them - out of sight, out of mind works well for me.

This is a good man. A funny, 100% awesome man that lets me take hilarious pictures of him. And whose return home I'm very much looking forward to.

Today has been a wash - isnt that awful? i mean, i just dont have much to say about today really - it was an experience of blahness. I plan on loving my walk out of work though, stopping by a flower store to get some flowers for the house, talking to the dog, enjoying the quiet evening and early to bed with a good book.

Bryans been off in Atlanta this week, so its been low-key on the homefront, mainly consisting of walks and cycling classes. I have yet to finish up the painting in the guest room - i have decided i am the worst painter ever. well maybe not the worst ever, but i just dont make any improvements! so if you ever come to our house, dont look too closely at the edges and borders of things...

Seen on a Doggy's Tag

I wander.
Feed me
Love me
Release me


I love that.

So i made it successfully out of the house this morning with matching shoes, something that i discvered was not the case on tuesday morning! they were both brown, but alas, one was a heel, and the other a wedge :)

the chimney man comes tonight to bestow bryan and i with a wood burning stove - what will this bring? hopefully warm and cozy nights and days during the winter, warm tootsies, and a lower heating bill. I cant wait to see what it will look like.

Bryan leaves on sunday for another week away on business - this time he's off to Atlanta - ive got no plans for while he's gone, aside from tuning in to the Office season premier (pam and jim finally go on a date!) and waiting to hear if my friends little baby decides to make an entrance. sounds like a good week to me.

We're painting our two extra rooms and hope to be done before bryans aunt and little cousin come to visit us the second week of october - maybe thats what ill work on next week :)

Good morning on this sunny Sunday -- just a quick post this AM. Bryan and i have eaten well this weekend - we discovered a new Sushi restaruant on "our" side of town on Friday which is a big deal since every time either one of us suggests sushi, we have to drive all the way back down town or to the northwest side and we're never very motivated to do that - this place was great: small, cozy and pretty - cheap and good! we will def visit again.

We also went out last night (!) with Bryans boss and his wife, who we hadnt seen in a long time (or me at least) - we went to a new Brazilian restaurant were they bring your meat around on big sword like skewers and you just flip a card to green when you want more, red when you want to stop. It was fun - but im still full! i think today will be a nice laid-back day of homemade sandwiches and juice :)

Speaking of homemade - I think i'm going to make an apple/pear crisp this morning. They're so good during the fall, and so easy to make...but....
kristen gough - what are those dutch baby creations that i've heard about, and how does one go about making them?

have a wonderful sunday friends, and know that we will be watching the seahawks trounce over their opponents!

Dear Mom

Remember when i was little and sometimes i would get to stay home late from school because you would do my hair in lots of curls and put it up in a banana clip - then i would go to school with a note and beaaautiful hair? hahaha - that was fun. I guess i sort of did the same thing this morning - because of my headache, i told work i would be coming in late and then i thought "well, if im late all ready i may as well look nice too." So i had my own version of our mornings - drying my hair pretty, putting on some makeup, wearing fun clothes and i just had to laugh because it reminded me of our mornings back in the day!

I love this skirt because it reminds me so much of the "dots" candy that we used to get - remember the kind on paper that were all different colors all arranged so nicely? i always used to get those on our way back from Hike's house in Mass when we would stop by that HUGE candy store.

Kamper - this morning is def. a Stila blush pot morning and lots of it - rosy cheeks all around! Say hi to all those fishermen hoisting lobsterpots for me this morning :)

Kristen (or Mrs. Gough!) - I'm reading Lust for Life by irving stone. How funny is it that we're both reading books about van gogh!? not a happy man, but an interesting read.. i loved your last post - and many thanks for your response to my email - i cant tell you how much i love hearing from you and whats going on in your days, thoughts in your heart and mind, etc. enjoy your shower this weekend you full-term mama!

Good times.