Family

Planting Time Is Almost Here! (And A Finished Project)

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So garlic and onions are in the ground! Today I will do potatoes and pick up our seeds at the feed store for more veggie goodness. We are really hoping for a better year this year in terms of rain (and everything else if we are going to be honest here). Last year we had 100 degree weather starting in May and it didn’t end until well into November. Needless to say the gardens were not very productive or happy, neither was our water bill! So maybe I can request that everyone do a quick, happy rain dance for this year? haha! We’ll see if that appeases the gods any. We are also busy amending our soil with what we have here and it is turning out well so far! We are going to add organic topsoil to the lasagna bed, but the nutrients are just exploding out of what we’ve put down already. It’s very exciting and we are hoping to have a better garden this year. Upside down are the way we are doing our tomatoes this year too. We really liked how well they turned out last year, so are going to do alot more this year and save the garden space for other veggies.

The animals are doing good. We’ve added ferrets to the brood as well. They were gifted to the girls from some good friends of our’s. We have 3 of them, Calamity, Pookie and Moose. They are so funny to play with and are the friendliest little creatures. The girls love them!

I’ve been knitting and knitting and knitting. Finally conquered my fear of socks and am now on a mission to find the perfect yarn for my darling little red-head who hates anything that might be even remotely itchy. 100% cotton for her…and not just any cotton, so the quest begins. L is much more laid back for that and already picked out her yarn from my stash. So her socks will go on the needles this week, I hope.

Some new pictures and lots of peace going out to you all!


Icy mornings the past few days.



Really hoping Kubra is with kids, hard to tell now although she is looking rounder in the belly, but we won’t be certain until late February or early March.


My new sconces (thank you Nicole for the gift card!)


My first socks! For me! Yay!


Busy Times

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The kids have been extra active lately so it’s not easy to update these days. But things are going okay. Jason is working hard on a couple projects, the girls are growing and learning daily, the animals are all healthy and happy – we are really hoping Kubra is with child(ren). We’ll know for sure in another couple weeks or so. Exciting!

The weather has been so strange. We’ll have a day of 36 degrees all day, then 75 the next. In light of it all, we’ve all suffered from colds and allergies as pollen is floating around that really shouldn’t be right now. Crazy!

I’ve been knitting and getting ready to plan our spring veggie garden. We are probably going to start seeds in a couple weeks for the early things. I can’t believe it’s getting to be that time again! Life just keeps moving forward.

I’ve also been getting excited about new music again. In a previous life I was heavily involved in the music scene and miss it terribly. So have been seeking out new sounds. As I discover more, I’ll try to remember to share here. For starters I suggest checking out The Limes. From their site:

“The Limes draw inspiration from foreign film directors, 70’s porn music, and the great musical couples of yester-year: Joao/Astrud, John/Exene, Paul/Linda (whose “Bluebird” is covered on the Limes’ eponymous debut), resulting in groovy, off-kilter pop tunes separated by the odd instrumental track. Lovers of early Pizzicato Five and all things Jobim, take note.”

If you like lounge music, check them out!

Here are some pics to keep you company. Peace!





Winter

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Yesterday, it was 75 degrees out. The girls were in their summer gear and outside all day. I couldn’t believe it was December.

Then, the wind picked up…the clouds rolled in…and the temperature dropped…and dropped…and dropped some more. By 9pm we were walking home from our neighbor’s across the street, X and I, and getting covered in sleet and snow. X was so excited, and I have to admit I was too. I love winter weather. I love howling winds, icy cold rain/sleet/snow. I love being bundled up warm in my house with a cup of hot chocolate and my girls snuggled close. I love getting into bed at night when the sheets are crisp and it taking my breath away with how cold it is. I love jackets, scarves, mittens and hats. I love seeing my breath when I’m outside and I love my new chiminea fire place that our darling neighbor down the street surprised us with. There is nothing more warming than the heat from a fire.

After tumbling into the house, X and I laughed at each other with all the ice and snow hanging from our hair and our jackets. We giggled at how exciting it is to have been a part of it. She watched from the doorway, laughing while I struggled to wrap up the lime tree out front – it’s a miniature tree. After hot showers and warm pj’s, she snuggled up against me and fell into a blissful sleep. She’s like me…she loves the cold.

J and L are much more alike. L loves winter, but would rather not be out in it. J can’t stand any semblance of snow, sleet, ice, or anything below 60 degrees. Haha! We make quite a pair. Good thing for him we don’t live in the north! I can dream though, can’t I?

So yes, this is our first “snow storm” of the year. Not much considering how deep in it some of you all are, but it’s mine and I love it!

Oh, and a side note, due to the fact that my tomatoes had finally decided to produce fruit right at the start of the cold weather, we now have a bowl full of green tomatoes and the goats are in heaven with the now fruitless plants. Silly tomatoes!

Peace!


Holiday Cheer

Published on: by catballou24 3 Comments

Since we all could use a good pick-me-up every now and then, here are some photos to hopefully brighten your day. A longer post will be forthcoming, just not quite yet.

So enjoy!

Holiday Gnomes that we won from Wee Folk Art. They seem to like their new home, don’t you think?

Kids building a castle. These were last year’s Holiday gift to the girls from Grandma Martse and Papa Dennis. They love them!

Our holiday nature table.


One of the oaks just outside the dining room window.

Painting on a cool sunny day.

Color in the garden still, and a little visitor as well.






St. Nicholas left some treats for the girls on December 6th. They sure were excited.

Hope your day is bright!

Peace!

Thanksgiving Morning And Proud Parents

Published on: by catballou24 5 Comments

Our morning started early…very early. Lola had convinced us to let her run in the Turkey Trot for charity, and today was the day she’d been counting down to. It was the first time for her to be in a real race and she’s been pumped for weeks about it! And even though we got up blurry eyed and in the dark, what a great morning it was!

We got there at 7:35 am, got her registered and then had a few moments to meander through the crowds after getting her number all in place of course!



Xiola was very excited as well, ready to cheer on her big sister.

We spent time at the kids section doing crafts and basically people watching. Finally it was time to get ready for the run, and Jason took Lola to the point where all the kids met up and then walked together to the starting line. He was going to run with her as did alot of parents or grandparents of the younger kids.

It took awhile for them to get through the crowds. Xiola and I were trying to keep up.

We finally made it to a spot near the starting line. The big turkey was a hit at the beginning of the race.

And they’re off!

Lola was in the very back of the pack with about 100 kids ahead of her. I couldn’t even see her at the start. Jason said they were in the last row though. The first kid, who was in the very front at the start, came running up. Then the second kid, who was also one of the first out the gate. Then, out of nowhere, I see rainbow leggings going fast, really fast.


And then, my little girl, who was in the very back, came flashing past the kid in front of her and got 3rd place!

As you can see from the look on her face as she was approaching that finish line, she was ecstatic! She loved it so much she wants to do the full mile next year and then the 5 mile after that. I was never a runner, or athletic in any shape or form, but it’s in Lola’s blood and she has a hunger for it all.

During the race I was overwhelmed by emotions several times. I was so proud of Lola for putting her own money towards this (she paid for half the entry fee with her allowance and we pitched in the other $5) for a good cause. Watching my little girl be so excited about her first race, seeing the families all running/walking together, seeing smiles everywhere I looked, knowing that all these people came out to participate in the name of charity and fun, just made me choke up a few times. What an awesome Thanksgiving tradition! I am so proud to be living in this city and was really happy to be a part of a tradition here that is so beloved by the citizen’s of this town. There were tens of thousands of people there, 12,000 participated in just the 5 mile alone. There was the kid’s k (with probably 500 kids ranging in ages from 9 on down to about 4 – Lola was in the 5 year old division. All the divisions ran their races separately), the 1 mile and the 5 mile. Easily 50,000 people. After Lola was finished we walked around downtown along the course and watched the other racers. That was so cool! My next post will document all we saw during that time. But just to peak your interest, there was everyone from the oldest of ladies, to very pregnant mamas, to dogs on leashes. This morning’s post is dedicated to my little racer though and her selfless act towards charity and the fun she had doing it. Way to go Lola!!

And a very Happy Thanksgiving to you all! Peace!

Some Random Photos

Published on: by catballou24 2 Comments

Just some random photos. Some taken by me, some by my in-law’s and some by my sister and brother-in-law during their visit.

Peace!

Watching the rain (yes, X’s cat Emo is watching too):




Having yummy egg tacos with our friend A:


Making mudpies!:



Soccer anyone?:



Just made her last goal of the season:



The ramp with cousin H:




She loves the camera!:


Botanical gardens with Grandma and Papa:


Roving Fun and Sister Love

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My sister just left today. It is so hard to see her go. Her family is extremely close to us, so we always have fun when they are here. They flew out for less than a week, but we had such a great time! My nephew, H, is exactly a month younger than Xi. We got to celebrate his third birthday with him and enjoy the Halloween festivities as well! Oh I love that little man. The girls had a blasts too. Uncle Sean is the cat’s meow in Lola’s eyes, and Auntie Barbara is too much fun.

They arrived on the night of the 28th. The next day was little H’s birthday so we had our mom up and family over for a birthday bash! Mom made the cutest pumpkin cupcakes which got gobbled up immediately. We carved pumpkins with all the kids, including the little ones I take care of for friends. We also roasted the best pumpkin seeds ever! Well, Barbara did. What a cook she is! That night we had a bbq with friends and family and celebrated H’s third bday. So much fun!

The next day we took all the kids to the kids’ gym in town for a free gym time/Halloween celebration. Then on to the Java Dive – my darling friends’ organic coffee shop – for snacks. That night the moms got to go out for awhile. We went to the Iguana Grill for margaritas and nachos. It sits right on the lake, so we got to watch the sunset and just be for awhile. It was so nice to spend that time with my sister. We are very close, so to just be together is more than special for us.

Then it was Halloween! The kids were excited all day for this. We found a really cool street in a neighborhood just over from us. We know the people who live on the corner, and they tipped us off that it was THE street to go to. One culdesac is all we did and it was enough! The kids were so excited to see all the costumes, and Lola ran into friends so got to run off with them down the street. I think she felt very independent. We ran into Obama supporters all up and down the street as well and were so excited to talk to them (we really thought this particular neighborhood was much more conservative, so we were pleasantly surprised to find we were wrong!). Can you guess our political leanings? Haha!

After the candy gathering, we came home and went across the street to a gathering where poor little Xi proceeded to throw up all over. We couldn’t figure out what was going on as she didn’t seem flu-like, and had only been allowed 2 pieces of candy. We “bought back” the kids’ candy in exchanged for treats from the coffee shop. It was a long night, but she finally felt better the next day. Poor little thing!

The rest of the weekend was spent playing, bbqing and hanging out with family and friends. The weather was perfect, the company was happy and we had a wonderful time.

Last night before going to bed, my sister and I made these little dolls. I have never done any needle felting with roving before, so B taught me how. They are gifts for other people, but as I was taking the pictures this morning I realized we’d really made each other.

I love you Barbara, thank you for just being who you are and always being my heart.