Merry New Year everyone! This year as a self-improvement resolution, Clay has resolved that I'm going to start blogging again so I'm trying to live up to my end of his resolution (though I never signed anything) and get back on the blogging-band wagon. My first order of business is to share a little bit of our holiday fun. Cole turned 10 on Christmas Eve! We celebrated by doing all of his favorite things - playing with legos, checking NORAD's Santa tracker and eating hamburgers, french fries, ceasar salad and ice cream cake. When it was time for bed, Cole read Twas the Night Before Christmas. The kids tried to start our Christmas festivities early this year, but when I rolled over and saw the clock said 5:00 a.m. I told them they had to go back to bed until at least 6:30. They came back at 6:32 a.m. Sigh. Santa left plenty of Playmobil and Lego sets to keep us busy for the whole day, but a nap was in order. After skyping with family and some much need rest the rest of the day was spent enjoying our Christmas gifts and each other before we packed up the car for our trip to Michigan. It was a wonderful way to kick off our holiday celebrations!
Here's how it's gone so far...
7:00 a.m. - Alarm goes off. I actually get out of bed.
7:00 - 7:20 a.m. - Pack 2 school lunches. Make mental note that I need more tupperware.
7:20 - 7:55 a.m. - Make breakfast (hashbrowns & scrambled eggs)
7:45 a.m. - Send Clay to wake kids up. Isabel already on her way out with her tooth box. The tooth fairy gave her a loonie.
8:00 a.m. - Eat breakfast.
8:15 a.m. - Beg Isabel to eat more.
8:20 a.m. - Get kids dressed. Brush hair, teeth, etc.
8:25 a.m. - Finish packing school bags. Get shoes on.
8:30 a.m. - Snap first day of school photo. Not quite excited enough for me...let's try again. Apparently, the phrase "big smiles" means just open your eyes wider to Isabel.
8:35 a.m. - Out the door and walk to school.
9:10 a.m. - Return home to empty house and sleeping cats. Do yoga.
9:45 a.m. - Check email.
10:00 a.m. - Decide to go for a run and try out my new shoes as well despite the threat of rain. 10:40 a.m. - Return home to empty house and sleeping cats. Blog.
10: 55 a.m. - Shower...????
It's official. This is our last week of summer. The kids start school one week from tomorrow and I have to say that I can't wait.
I know, I know...I was the one who was super excited for school to be finished so I didn't have to wake up to an alarm for a while. Are you wondering what happened? Well, while I was submerged in my blissful fantasy of no alarms I clearly forgot that my six year old wakes up early no matter what time of year it is. School, summer, Christmas vacation - you name it - that girl gets up every single day between 7:00 and 8:00 a.m. No alarm needed. It doesn't matter what time she's went to bed. She's an early riser and quite frankly I need her to go back to school so I can get some sleep.
Just kidding...kind of. Actually, it's more that I'm just ready for Fall. I'm ready for cool weather that allows for jeans and sweaters. I'm ready for apple picking and pumpkins. I'm ready for that amazing wet earth smell that permeates the air as the leaves start to fall off the trees. That smell is good.
Now, I know we have a few more weeks of warm weather but up here in Canada there's already a bit of chill in the night air and apple picking opens next weekend (for the early varieties). So I'm not too off my rocker. I'm even ready to start making Halloween costumes! What can I say? I love the Fall. It's my favorite time of the year and since Fall brings the beginning of school, I guess I'm ready for school as well...though I'll need this last week to truly prepare myself.
The kids were gone for the last week of July, staying with my parents in Michigan. And while they spent there time going on adventures with Grandma and Grandpa, I was doing a little home maintenance.
Remember my kitchen? Well, I was tired of it being all white...so I decided to paint it. Here it is after the first coat. And here's the finished product. I only painted the doors, to make it easier to paint back over later. We changed the hardware from yucky white plastic to a nice smooth brushed silver. And just to be clear, I did buy 6 drawer pulls, but somewhere between the orange box and home I misplaced one. It was really annoying...I'm still looking for it.
I'm really happy with how it turned out. It breaths a little life into our tiny galley kitchen and I've been enjoying it even with the missing drawer pull. (I have yet to get back out to the big orange box)
Today is our 9-year anniversary. And I really wanted to say something meaningful about marriage. Something about commitment and love and trust and faith and all the time and energy that goes into it. Something warm and heartfelt and memorable.
But honestly when I start reflecting back on the past 9 years, all the thoughts go out of my head and I'm rendered speechless. Not because I'm stupefied or dumbstruck, far from it. I'm speechless because when I stop and think about it, I realize that I'm still filled with the feeling of pure joy that I felt on that day 9-years ago. I'm so thankful to be sharing this moment with my best friend.
Happy Anniversary, Professor!
In case you haven't noticed...I have a reading problem. If I had my choice I would spend several hours a day with my nose stuck between the pages of my latest read. Actually, I'm not far off of that anyway. I read just about every chance I get - while eating lunch, while cooking dinner, before bed...and countless moments in between those.
Most of those times I'm reading my most recent acquisition from our local library. But every now and again I'm in the mood for one of my favorites, a book right off my own shelf because the truth is I don't just love to read books. I love to own books! I'll never own an eReader. They are far too modern for my taste. When it comes to books, I want the feel of thick printer's paper in between my fingers and the smell of paper pulp and dust and an earthy sweetness lingering in the air. I want to hold the glossy book jackets that hide plain dark covers with metallic writing.
I dream of someday having a large study in my house that's lined with bookshelves from floor to ceiling packed full of books of every size, shape, color and genre. It will be my favorite room in the house.
Anyway, I digress...
The point is I thought I would share what's currently sitting on my shelves. These are not the only books we own, far from it! But these are the ones that made the trip to Canada with us and the ones we've bought since being here. They are the books I turn to time and time again. Shelf #1 - The Twilight series by Stephenie Meyer
I don't care what anybody says about these books. I love them. I've already read them several times and I'm certain to read them several more....and I'm not sorry about it. Shelf #2 - The Kushiel's Dart series & The Kushiel's Scion series by Jacqueline Carey
Written by a woman I know from college, these books are lush with adventure, intrigue, and romance. The heroine is completely unique and never gets wishy-washy. They are easily some of my favorites. Shelf #3 - Harry Potter by J.K. Rowling and Delirium/Pandemonium by Lauren Oliver
Harry Potter is a must have for us. Clay and I both love it and I can't wait to share it with our kids! Lauren Oliver's books were recent purchases for me and I'm excited to be able to revisit them whenever I want. Shelf #4 - Boris Akunin books, Sherlock Holmes, etc.
This shelf belongs more to Clay than me, but I've read most of the stuff on it and when I'm in the mood for a good mystery this is the shelf I turn to. Shelf #5 - Janet Evanovich, Cassandra Clare & Jane Austen
When I'm in the mood to laugh out loud I alway turn to Janet Evanovich. Her Stephanie Plum series always has me in stitches. The Mortal Instruments books are recent additions and I'm happy to have them on our shelves. I hope that someday Isabel will read them and enjoy them as much as I have. And Jane Austen is always a solid choice when looking for a witty romance.
So, there it is. By no way is this list exhaustive. We have lots of books - on shelves, on floors, on tables...everywhere. But these are the ones that have a place to call their own.
What books do you keep?
Thankfully, the kids woke up at a reasonable time this year and were happy to find Easter baskets awaiting them. There was plenty of candy involved, but also books, movies, and lego mini-figures. After rifling through the contents of their baskets, the kids immediately set out in search of all the eggs the Easter Bunny had hid in our tiny little apartment. He got pretty creative this year. Apparently Cole was too quick for me because I don't have any pictures of him finding eggs. Go figure.
Well, pictures or no, the kids had a really great time with all the goodies the Easter Bunny left for them to find. A lot of fun has already been had with the new mini-figures and we're looking forward to watching Tintin on our next movie night. Isabel gave herself a stomach by eating half the candy in her basket (unbeknownst to me!) and oscillated between happy and super cranky for most of the day. But, we took a walk to enjoy the weather and managed to get to bed at a reasonable time. Hooray!
Today we're all recovering.
Due to a crazy week, Easter egg coloring didn't even start until 8:30 last night. So, we tried not to think about how late the kids would be going to bed and just enjoyed ourselves instead. Everyone in our family has their own unique style.  Cole's Eggs This year Cole decided to make eggs that looked like real bird eggs. I didn't actually compare his eggs to pictures of the real things, but either way they turned out beautiful. Besides, it's the effort that counts in my book.  Isabel's Eggs Isabel normally goes the pastel route because she's too excited to leave the eggs in the color for any length of time. Much to my surprise, she made a beautiful denim blue egg, showing an incredible amount of patience for a five-year old. I helped her finish them off with a little sand art.  Clay's Eggs Clay always goes for creativity. This year he pushed the envelope by making an "ugly" egg. He was trying to see if he could get it to look like a store-bought brown egg. It turned out to be one of my favorites. Personally, I've never been that big on pastel colors so I always go for bold. Every year I make a teal colored egg because that's my favorite. And normally I make an egg that has the colors of the sunset in it. This year I went more for more of a twilight look. Whether it's robin's egg blue, pastel, bold, or just plain ugly, my favorite part of egg coloring is just spending the time together. Sure, it's always fun to see what everyone will do with their eggs. But in the end I would be just as happy with all white eggs as long as we are together as a family...no matter what time of day it is.
Happy Easter everyone!
More Easter fun to come...
Since Valentine's Day is upon us I thought I would take a moment to share an easy way to say I love you.
Cooking.
I love to cook. It's one of the most basic ways I go about showing my family how much I love them by serving them a delicious meal that is well balanced and cooked with love. And to me, no food says love more than my Grandma Sandro's spaghetti. It starts with onions and garlic sauteed in olive oil. Then it continues with the browning of meatballs or sausage (or both!). Then comes the tomato paste and water mixed to a thin, soupy consistency. That is followed by a long slow simmer to reduce the watery tomato liquid into thick rich sauce. During the simmer sweet potatoes are added and cooked until they are tender. And the meat is added back in to finish cooking through. (You need quite a large pot) Serve it all over a bed of spaghetti noodles or rigatoni if you're feeling adventurous and you've got a bowl full of love.
This is slow food at its finest and in no way, shape, or form can it be done in 30 minutes or less. Trust me, I've tried...and failed every time.
Of course, like any good family recipe, there are a few secret ingredients that can't be reveal. But I promise you that if you add sweet potatoes to your sauce, you won't be sorry.
Some of my earliest food memories are of this dish. My Grandma made it every Christmas when we would travel to visit them. I remember coming into their house after a long car ride and smelling the aroma of tomatoes, sausage, meatballs, and sweet potatoes wafting throughout the house.
After my grandma died, my aunt continued making the same sauce in the same spot in the same pot. My mom makes this dish. My brother makes this dish. I make this dish and someday I'll pass it on to my kids. Because cooking is generational and this dish is wrapped in love.
Isabel and I did some easy baking this morning. We made pretzels. Now, I love to have my kids help me while I'm cooking (most of the time) but the easy bake oven is a whole new experience for me. I never had one as a kid. Not quite sure why...guess I wasn't into food back then.
Anyway, I'm the assistant and it's so much fun to watch Isabel get into her easy baking groove. She wants to do everything. From rolling and twisting the pretzels.... To applying the egg wash.... To sprinkling the salt.
Then she pushes the pan into the magical little oven, waits for the timer, and then slides the pan from the oven to the cooling chamber. She can hardly wait the 12 minutes it takes for things to bake, she's so excited.
Like any good brother, Cole tries everything she bakes and makes all the appropriate "mmmm" noises. He's such a good boy.
I smell the baking of a culinary master!
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