yeah, so...

the buzz and excitement of the holidays are behind us, yet spring is still way too far ahead of us. This is definitely what I consider the dead of winter. Bleh. It is freezing out today--I think I heard that the wind chill is making it feel like -3 degrees. Good times. I guess I should just be counting my blessings that there is no snow.

I need to plan some things to look forward to for the next few weeks. After weeks and weeks of plans and obligations, we have just about nothing for as far as I can see. We will be hosting a small celebration for Eden's birthday in two weeks, but other than that...not much to look forward to.

I really want to take Sadie snow tubing in PA. She's dying for the chance to play in the snow, and it looks like it would actually be a lot of fun. I guess I just need to figure out a weekend to do that.

I think once we get our vacation plans finalized (and booked!), then I'll really feel like the DR trip is happening, and can start looking forward to that. One thing I do need to look into, though, is travel insurance. I've never bought any before, but with two kids...it seems like a good idea. We'd definitely still go if one of them came down with a run of the mill sickness, but if for any reason, we couldn't go, it would sting a whole lot more to be out the $$ for the entire trip anyway.

I'm also planning a night in the city for the two of us. Our friends Jeff and Anonda invited us up to help them spend a gift certificate to a nice restaurant up there, so now that the girls are a-ok with sleeping over at their grandparents' houses again, I'm all for taking advantage of it!

So, I guess there are some things on the horizon...just hard to realize it when all I really want to do is hibernate until this weather goes away.

This is so not like me, but...

We got a card/note in the mail the other day from a real estate agent, saying that a house around the corner had sold and we had new neighbors. Normally, I would just ignore the note, but I think I'm actually going to go over and introduce myself. When we moved into this house, our neighbors were SO welcoming...coming over to introduce themselves, and one set even brought us a cake with a 'welcome to the neighborhood' card. It was really nice, and quite a departure from what we were used to in our 'urban suburban' neighborhood in Boston, where people were too busy to be so friendly.

So anyway, I'm going to give it a try. Who knows? Maybe they have kids and we can score some new playmates for the girls, or, even better, maybe I'll hit it off with them and score a new friend for myself.

Patch Jobs and Jerry-Rigging

I'm wondering how long our method of ignoring our sadly-in-need of renovations bathrooms will last. As it is, we don't have full functional use of our 'master bath' (I have to laugh at that term, as this bathroom is like the size of the 'head' on a small boat...what in the world was the builder thinking?), and the main bathroom, which is shouldering the burden of servicing the four of us, is showing more and more obvious signs of distress.

Deep-cleaning the grout and putting in shiny new Kohler faucets can only take you so far when you have fundamental, structural 'issues', you know? I keep telling myself that if only it can last--and by last, I mean not having the bathtub fall through the floor--a few more years, we'll be ok. Financially, there are some big obligations (daycare and student loans) that will be off of our plate in the next 3-4 years, thereby freeing up a significant chunk of cash each month to deal with the many things we have been putting off. Problem is, I don't know that the bathroom can actually wait that long. I guess time will tell.

That's My Girl

So, Evan and I have pretty different tastes in music. Oh sure, there are plenty of songs and artists that we agree on, but for the most part, he leans toward old school rock and roll and I like more alternative stuff. Given how much of this stuff he ends up playing around the kids, you would think that they would go for his style of music, right? Well, I'm proud to say that Sadie asked for her first ever, non kid-oriented download from iTunes...

Girls by the Beastie Boys.

So, is it bad that I indulged her? And that she is dancing around the house singing "Girls! to do the dishes...Girls! to clean up my room...Girls! to do the laundry...Girls! and in the bathroom..."? The feminist in me thinks it probably isn't the best message for her to be hearing, but the music lover in me is secretly proud, and just oh-so-glad that she won't be asking for for Rush or Van Halen tickets any time soon...

what I accomplished over the weekend

On Sunday, I took two hours and significantly lightened the load of holiday shopping with a very productive trip to Target. The girls are almost entirely taken care of, as are my nieces, and my parents. I was like a woman on a mission, tearing through the aisles, list and coupons in hand. I would say at this point, I'm about halfway done with shopping, which is halfway more than I had done just a week ago. Looks like I may stick to my goal of having a less stressful, last-minute shopping fueled December, after all. I know my checking account is certainly going to be less taxed, by spreading the spending out over a longer period.

I still need to figure out what to get the girls' sitter, as well as my brother and a couple of cousins, but for the most part, I think I'm in good shape.

I need a flower fix.

I mentioned in passing that we did a bunch of yard cleanup this past weekend. It was time, and it was needed, as we finally got a hard frost the other night and the alyssum and nasturtium, which had been holdouts all fall, continuing to bring a bit of brightness to the bed, finally kicked.

So, it looks nice and tidy now, but also pretty dreary. The mums are just about done (they bloomed so early this year, it seems), and the hydrangea are holding on to a few dried out, faded blooms, but other than that, it is pretty stark.

In the mornings, I like to sit in the front window while I drink my coffee and look out and enjoy the view of the front (if you saw our backyard, you'd understand why I don't look out that way too often ;) ). This morning, I realized it was probably time to start buying some fresh flowers for the house, as the outside 'canvas' is no longer alluring. Fresh flowers are a luxury I usually only allow myself in one of two scenarios: company is coming and I need to freshen up the house, or else I'm just suffering from a bout of seasonal depression and need a whif of spring (albeit, false spring) to pick me up. I wish I could buy them more often, but they are just too expensive. I suppose if I looked hard enough, I could find a local place that sells wholesale flowers to individuals, and then I could justify buying them more often. Then again, maybe the 'specialness' would wear off then, so who knows? Anyway, I do think my mood today qualifies for an emergency purchase under the 2nd clause of my rule (it is a gray, dreary day, and I'm feeling it), so I may have to make a stop at Wegmans on the way home for a pick me up.

Seattle Artifacts

The trip to Seattle reignited my love for two things - good coffee and microbrews. When we lived in Euguene, it was all.about.the.coffee.and.beer. Those are two definining attributes of the Pacific NW. Well, that and rampant vegetarianism.

Somehow, our years in Boston slowly eroded those remnants from us...as we became all about red wine (the better to pair with filet, of course!) and crappo Dunkin' Donuts coffee (cause it was just everywhere). Anyway, it might have taken the better part of 10 years to erase it, but it only took four days to reignite the passion. I am back on a latte kick, to the extent that I'm asking for one of those home espresso machines for my big holiday gift. And beer...I had forgotten how much I love a fuity hefeweizen. In fact, I had completely forgotten entirely about the existence of Hefeweizen, until we sat down for our first dinner and I browsed the beverage menu. It only took a sip or two for me to remember how much I liked it, and that is pretty much all I drank for the rest of the trip (aside from my morning lattes, of course!).

It's funny how a visit back to someplace once familiar can bring back forgotten memories. I wonder how long we'll have to have been away from Boston to have the same experience?

proud

Evan just finished up a dining table for a client. He has been working on it for a loooooonnng time (the table is made from wood from the woman's tree, so he oversaw the milling and had to let it age for about 18 months before he could work with it). I have to say, everytime he makes something, it reminds me of how proud I am of him, and how awed I am by his abilities. This table is so beautiful (and, as it is currently sitting in my dining room awaiting it sendoff), I told Evan I want one just like it. If he wasn't getting a buttload of money for it, I would almost be happy to see the sale fall through, so that we could keep it. ;)

Anyway, having the table in there has made me want to start using our dining area as such even more. On the one hand, I want Evan to make us a set (or , at least a table), because he can make something better and more beautiful than anything we could afford to buy. But on the other hand, I'm impatient, and I just want something in there already. I mentioned before that we are going to host a New Year's Day brunch, and it would be great to not have to use a folding table for the buffet. Anyway, I doubt that will happen, but I have sort of extracted a vague promise from Evan to build us a table this winter. The compromise is that he gets to build the table and then we just go and buy chairs (because I don't feel like waiting five years for a complete set to be made). Of course, I've already been looking online. I found this at the Bush furniture site, what do you think?

I'm sure Evan will think they are crap/poorly made/etc but I like the look.

It is weird

to see O.J. Simpson in the news so much again, due to the whole Las Vegas armed robbery incident. The whole Simpson/Goldman drama of 1994 is such a generational milestone for me. I remember it like it was yesterday, sitting and watching that slow-speed chase in the Ford Bronco. It was really my first taste of 'reality TV', in a way. And, I remember being at work and everyone gathering in the breakroom to watch the televised aquittal, and just being in total shock that he just got away with murder.

I have to be honest and say that I haven't followed the latest story very closely, and though it totally goes against all the safeqaurds and protections offered by our justice system, I really hope he goes to prison due to this latest trouble, as karma for walking free all those years ago.

3rd Honeymoon

When Evan and I were married, we had absolutely no money. I was finishing up my gig as a full-time grad student, and we were living pretty much hand-to-mouth. We had enough sense not to blow our wedding gift money on an elaborate honeymoon (instead, we blew it on the hefty tuition at BU and NBSS ;) ), and took a pretty modest five day trip to Martha's Vineyard. We had a great time, and I have nothing but great memories of that trip. But, we did feel as though we had missed out on the big honeymoon experience. So, about a year later, once I had a job and we had some money to burn, we took our '2nd honeymoon' trip to Spain. Now that trip was amazing and we still talk about 'when we go back to Spain...'. Anyway, that was in '99. We've really only taken two splurge vacations since then. I think we're due for another!

Our tenth anniversary is coming up next June, and I'd like to plan something -- a third honeymoon of sorts. Probably nothing too elaborate, given our time and finance restrictions, but something special nonetheless. While I'd really like for us to jet away and stay at a Hawaii bed and breakfast, I'll probably have to settle for a lush, tropical paradise a little bit closer. I'm thinking about the Bahamas. Pluses are that it is a short plane trip and there's supposed to be good snorkeling. I need to start looking into it soon, so that I can figure out when and how.

5 things

I'm forever going on about things I will never do, never buy, never say (I know, never say never...). Some of those things are exaggerations, but I can say for sure, here are 5 Things I don't ever plan to buy (in no particular order):

1. A crackberry Blackberry, or any type of hand-held electronic leash. The way I see it, no good can ever really come from owning one of those things.
   
2. Spam, in any shape or form.
3. A fanny pack. Really. I mean, who needs to add girth to their waist? Just lug along a damn purse, alright?!?!
4. Life insurance for kids. Just. Too. Macabre.
   
5. A pretend bra, or any of those pre-pubescent lingerie items currently marketed to young girls. Thanks a lot, Mary-Kate and Ashley for that innovation --grrrrr....

What's on your list?

Sugar High

Sadie has been wired all week, unable to concentrate on much except the impending Halloween festivities. With a buildup like that, I was afraid the actual day was going to be a letdown for her, but I'm happy to report that the holiday lived up to expectations. Sadie's school parade was in the afternoon, and it was very cute to see all of the kids in costume. Sadie looked great - the ruby slippers added a perfect touch.

Around 4:30, the neighborhood kids congregated to go trick or treating. Sadie, often the one who lags behind, preferring the company of her parents to her peers, was actually leading the pack this time. She was in there, running from door to door with the rest of them. I had a good laugh at my kid when, at one house where the homeowners decided to give out healthier alternatives to candy, Sadie turned to me, pumped her fist in the air and triumphantly shouted "Yessss!!! I got peanut butter crackers!" Obviously, I did something right with her nutritional tastes!

It took Eden all of about two houses to get over her confusion and determine that this going from door-to-door thing was something worth doing. Yes, she usually arrived at the door minutes after the rest of the group had been and gone, but darn it, she was determined to get her share of whatever those things were that were being handed out (more on her candy epiphany in a moment).

After about an hour, Sadie got tired and we headed home. We required the girls to eat their spaghetti before we let them raid their candy buckets. Our first thought was that we were going to let them eat to their hearts' content just the one night, then limit them to a single piece each day afterwards. We had thought that they would give up after maybe 3 or 4 pieces. Well, we quickly revised our plan. They were so wired from the activity to begin with, that they were manic. I swear, I saw little images of tootsie rolls swirling in place or Sadie's irises. ;)

Prior to this, Eden had only ever had one lollipop, but somehow, in the way second born children seem to just know things, she knew the word "Caaaaannnnndddddeeeeee" was something to shout for joyfully. We ended up cutting them off after two pieces, and that was probably two pieces more than they should have had. They were insane. Bouncing off the walls. Eden, in particular, was out of control.

I got them in the tub for a lavender and camomille infused bath (hey, I was desperate), and that did seem to help them bring it down a notch. Once in pj's though, they were still running around until, at about 7:15 (close to an hour earlier than her normal bedtime these days), Eden climbed up into my lap, put her head on my shoulder, and before I could say "are you sleepy?" promptly fell asleep.

Getting Sadie to sleep proved a bit more difficult. When I headed into bed at around 9 or so, I could still hear her in her room, chattering away.

All in all, it was a great day. I am making the kids get back into their costumes today so I can snap a picture (left my camera at work yesterday), so we'll spread a little more halloween cheer today as well. As for the candy? I've given Evan strict orders to do his best to deplete the supply (just subtly enough that they won't notice). He seems up for the challenge. I just know that I need to stay away from it. I'm going to need a hoodia patch if I don't quit hitting up the Reese's cups and Baby Ruths that we have leftover.

New Year's

In a bid to remain sober and out of drug rehab, Lyndsay Lohan has cancelled plans to host a New Year's Eve party in Las Vegas.

In a bid to have something to look forward to during what is for me, typically a very depressing day, Evan and I have decided to host a New Year's Day brunch for friends and family. I'm thinking biggish (30-40 people). Most of our friends and aquaintances have small children, and so going out on NYE isn't likely, so we thought it would be really fun to have a big thing on NYD. I'm thinking of inviting some people that we know but don't currently socialize with, just because.

My vision is for lots of people, tons of kids running around, and lots and lots of great food. Can't think of a better way to ring in a new year, can you?

Sleepless in Seattle

In addition to all of the catching up on laundry, bills, and work stuff I have had to do since my return, I've had to spend some time catching up on my celebrity gossip fix. Will Britney Spears regain custody of her kids? Will Lyndsay return to Utah to continue her drug treatment? Will Reese and Jake reunite? These are the burning questions that plagued me in Seattle. Ok, so they didn't really plague me, but on the first night, when I was jet lagged and woke for the freaking day at 3:30 in the morning. I had a whole lot of time to watch mindless tv, and wonder about these things.

Lighting

Right now, our living room is lighted solely by a a standing floor lamp. As you can imagine, it is kind of dark in there. Well, I prefer to think of it as 'romantic', but, you know...I guess it is time to invest in more lighting for the room. So, opinions solicited...which do you prefer - track lighting or recessed lights? We may be making this purchase as soon as this weekend.

So what do you think?

are we 'B list' invitees? We got a call the other night from the mom of one of Sadie's former classmates, inviting her to a birthday party next weekend. Frankly, I was pleasantly surprised that she is including Sadie -- after all, they aren't in school together anymore, and we haven't kept in touch since school ended, except for the random running into them around town. It was very nice of her to invite Sadie, and Sadie is excited to go, but I was just wondering if they decided to forgoe formal birthday invitations this year, or if we were a last minute replacement for someone who can't make it? What do you think?

Unloading

I've spent the better part of each evening for the past week or so, going through outgrown clothes and toys, and sorting out piles of stuff to either go to family and friends as hand-me downs, get donated to the Red Cross, or just get tossed out. It feels great to get rid of stuff. It always amazes me how quickly we accumulate stuff, despite the fact that I do this routine a couple of times a year. Anyway, I'm sure with the holidays coming up, it won't be long before we're bursting at the seams again, for at least for a little while, it feels good to have reduced the total amount of 'stuff' taking up space in our house.