We're all wearing cowls, minus the snapping turtle in the background. They don't work well under water.
I don't know when the cowl became hip but I'm grateful. It's definitely my favorite cold-weather accessory. And now the boys agree. Too bad they just have the old ones from years past. Maybe, just maybe, they'll have newly knitted ones under the tree this year. :)
Inspired by my desire to "do something", I've decided we're going to tackle this "Random Acts of Christmas Kindness" calendar this year. Every day (starting December 1) leading up to Christmas, we will pick one item on this list to make the world a better place.
I'm hoping this will be fun and not another to-do on my already excessive list. There might be a day off here or there but I'm hoping we can really commit and get inspired to make someone's day just a little bit brighter.
Want to join in? You should be able to grab the calendar from the photo above, otherwise comment below or contact me and I'll send it your way. And I'll report back at the end of the month to let you know how we did.
One long weekend away = the need for a recovery and catch up day. Unfortunately, I didn't get quite as much accomplished as I had hoped, but there was progress.
Plus, my day ended reading a book to this guy in a tent. You can't complain about that.
Chase and I busted out of the house solo (what?!?) this afternoon for some serious holiday crafting. A local church puts on an amazing advent workshop that I attended and loved when I was young.
I will say, it surpassed all expectations. I bet there were close to 20 different crafts to chose from. Chase finally had to call it quits after about ten. He was just too tired. That never happens! He painted a wooden bird ornament (thanks to Aunt Lynn + Uncle Jim for this one!), constructed a marshmallow snowman, crafted a glitter ornament, created a star out of legos, decorated a gingerbread man (and one for his brother)...plus more!
Nothing gets you in the holiday spirit faster than a serious crafting session. See you next year, advent workshop!
It's been another great Wisconsin day. Highlights include: holiday card making, a bit of shopping, some baby snuggles, board games, lots of family time, and laughing so hard my stomach hurt. What more could you ask for?
What's better than Thanksgiving? Thanksgiving + a birthday celebration back to back. Whoop whoop! We celebrated Maria's 9th (!!) birthday with an amazing sub sandwich bar and some yummy cake. Can't wait to see what's in store for tomorrow to keep the party going.
A snapshot from our post-meal crafting session. Hands-down one of my favorite family traditions.
It was a day full of family + food + laughing + crafting at our Thanksgiving feast. I hope that wherever you celebrated today, you had the same ingredients for a lovely day.
Happy Thanksgiving!
It snowed today. The boys loved every second. I think they were hoping for something closer to snowman-building accumulation, but they didn't complain. Instead we discussed the strategy for forming the perfect snowball and enjoyed see the different types of tracks we could create.
Oh, and we had a discussion on what type of snow is acceptable to eat...not the 1/4 inch snow that's lying directly on top of the dirt, in case you were wondering.
Chase is on vacation all week and we're living the dream. Practically nothing on the agenda and lots of time to talk about the impending holidays. And, to join in the fun, Uncle Matt and Cousin Brad came for a visit.
Holidays are the best.
It was the perfect day to get some friends (and their little ones) together for some Thanksgiving crafting this morning.
We made some corn shakers (we promised to give the corn to the squirrels after the kids get sick of them), some owl + turkey friends, and some thankful pumpkins (here's the tutorial, in case you're interested).
What are your two favorite blog-stars thankful for this year? Well, let me tell you:
Need I say more?
After a morning yoga class (my second this week...look at me!), my mom and I dropped the boys off at a "kids party" with my nieces and sister in law. Their dance studio hosts baby sitting every now and then as a fundraiser and by calling it a "kids party" the boys were beyond excited to attend (sometimes Robbe would prefer to have me by his side indefinitely).
My mom and I got to enjoy some kid-free exploring a few new-to-me spots in my new city and the boys had a blast.
A lovely day had by all.
Watching the squirrels take down this pumpkin outside our door has been completely fascinating and incredibly impressive over the last week. This was a full, medium-size pumpkin when they got started. I think they sense a change in the weather and really decided to focus.
Robbe slept in this morning so Chase and I had a shocking 45 minutes worth of snuggle time in bed. We laughed, we pretended to be sleeping, we talked about how excited we are for the holidays, we promised to be best friends forever, etc. Oh, and Chase enjoyed using the camera on my phone to capture the moment. The photo above is credited to him. Every time he put his little finger over the flash, he would look at the photo and say, "Look! A rainbow in this one!"
I just kept thinking to myself: man, I'm glad to have these mornings back (he had school last year so we had to get up and going everyday). In addition, I was thinking about how much I'm going to miss these mornings when he's in school full time again next year. At least I can be grateful and present in the moment because of this crazy gap year of school for him. I'll take it.
Our little one has gotten a lot of attention for his latest accomplishment, but this guy is just as amazing as ever. And this photo is about the perfect photo of Chase-it looks just like him. Such a sweetheart.
This is hands-down one of my all time favorite recipes. To the boys, it's known as "fancy mac & cheese." To me, it's just delicious. The only problem with it is that I tend to eat way more than I should. Such problems, I know.
Ingredients
1 box spiral whole wheat pasta
8 slices bacon (I use turkey bacon)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 medium zucchini (about 1 pound), halved and thinly sliced
salt and black pepper
1 pint grape tomatoes, sliced in half
6 ounces crumbled Feta
1/2 cup fresh basil leaves (or a sprinkle of dried basil)
Directions
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ½ cup of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return it to the pot.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a large skillet over medium heat until crisp, 5 to 7 minutes; transfer to a plate, let cool, then break into pieces. Reserve the skillet.
Add the oil, zucchini, a sprinkle of salt and pepper to the drippings in the skillet and cook, tossing occasionally, until tender, 4 to 6 minutes.
Add the zucchini, tomatoes, and cooking water to the pasta and cook over medium heat, tossing, until the tomatoes soften slightly, 2 to 3 minutes. Add the Feta and bacon and toss to combine. Serve sprinkled with the basil.
This guy. He never ceases to amaze me.
First, Robbe dropped thumb sucking totally cold turkey when he turned two (except for an occasional slip at night...which I think is unconscious). Now, he's nailing potty training. Ever since he put on undies for the first time on Friday afternoon, he has had one accident. One. Crazy impressive, right?
He's been toying with the idea of potty training for several months and using the potty when he feels like it. On Friday, I asked him if he wanted to wear undies. He replied, "yes." I told him that he needs to tell me when he needs to use the potty then. I asked him if he understood. He replied, "yes." And that was it. No looking back.
I would have posted this earlier but I've always been really worried about jinxing my good fortune. I feel three and a half days in is a good enough streak to risk the jinxing. Fingers crossed.
One more note: I've been much more surprised at my bittersweet feelings toward this development all weekend. Since he's our last baby, I feel like I've been much more present for the "lasts" than I was with Chase. His last time nursing, his last time in the swaddle, his last time crawling, etc. I was more present, but I wouldn't say I was much more effected by these transitions. Not this time. For some reason, potty training seems like such a bigger deal. It seems like the last link of his current life back to him as a baby. On Friday, that last link was severed. And that makes me sad. As much as I'm enjoying these ages and would never go back to the bitty baby stage, I guess the fact that my kids are growing up is tugging at my heart more than I anticipated.
That little guy in the photo above, he's not a baby anymore. Luckily--and this I'll hold onto forever--he'll always be my baby.
My dad has been making these sour cream cookies for as long as I can remember. They're only made once a year (he brings them to the hunting shack), which somehow makes them even more delicious.
I used to help my dad with these when I was still living at home. Since our move to DC, he's been managing it with my mom's assistance. I think all of us were pretty excited to have the boys involved in the baking this year. Mind you, their active participation didn't last too long, but you've got to start somewhere!
If you're interested in starting your own family tradition, here's the recipe:
Ingredients
2 cups sugar
1 cup butter
3 eggs
1 cup sour cream
4 cups flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
Directions
The boys and I had a lovely, busy, and social day today. First up, a trip to the park to meet a friend for some serious playtime. Next, off to have lunch with my dad. After a much-needed nap, a visit with my favorite life-long (no exaggeration...my whole life) and her little ones. Finally, dinner with my mom and dad and some playdoh and lego time for the boys.
Whew. Everyone is ready for bedtime tonight. But I wouldn't have changed a thing!
After yesterday's weighty post (sorry not sorry), a little levity on the blog today. This is what our front yard looks like at 5:00pm these days.
Not a fan daylight savings time, not a fan.
small city | BIG DAYS
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