Christmas Hangover or Something like that

Christmas was good to us.  Really good.  Santa was even better to the boys.  Gotta love a good Santa.
Bruiser got a lot of really good toys.  And he was all about opening presents.  As long as there was a bit of paper for him to grab.  He got a stuffed Scooby, a rocking horse and lots of little people toys.  He has played with all of them.  And he has worn his new hat and he kept it on--win for Mom and Dad.
Turbo, well he got a bit spoiled this year.  He got lots of K'nex, Legos, and a couple of video games.  He also got a toy Toothless with Hiccup fo Santa.  He has already put together all his new Legos and still has some K'nex to play with but we have a week for him to really get into those--Bruiser has to be otherwise occupied, he like Turbo's toys.
Nick and I did pretty well too.  Nick got me a very pretty cat necklace that sort of commemorates Tinkerbell, a couple of new cutting boards, a picture frame to fill with pictures for my office, a new comforter for the bed, and a small coffee pot for my office.  I was very happy with my Christmas.  Nick got a new wallet, a hunting knife, a Wii game,  new fleece vest, and a new coffee cup.  We also got a gift card to a great restaurant and babysitting to go with it so we can go out without the kids.  Score one for us!  Love the grandparents.
We had an unexpected bonus for Christmas--we had heavy fog and got a frosty white Christmas.  It was beautiful.
I have yet to get to downloading pictures.  I'll get some posted soon.  I'm lucky to get to posting anything.  Vacation is wonderful, but busy what with chasing two little boys around.  Hope everyone had a great Christmas.

Random Tuesday--a bit late

Tuesday, wow almost missed it.  Vacations will do that to you.
Random time though.  So here are a few of our random happenings.

• Bruiser has decided that talking is a good thing.  We are getting more understandable words from him.  Makes figuring out what he wants much easier.
• there are days I really wish I could bottle Turbo's energy.  I'd make millions.
• insomnia sucks.  Waking up when you are supposed to be asleep is no fun.  If I have this problem now, menopause is going to kick my butt.
• My back hates me again.
• Nick has been overachieving again.  He is growing extra bone in his heels.  The left one has a spur about 3/8 of an inch long.  He has been hobbling around like he is 80 the last couple of days.  I tell you we are quite the pair.

Ok that's about it for the Random this week.  Go see Keely for more.

Recap 2010: July to September

Go link with Shortmama, Mimi, Emilisq, Emmymom, CAGirl, and Sami  after you post your own recap.


Well after the bad luck for the previous three months, the summer came and was much kinder to us.
July:
We started off the month with a long camping weekend for the Fourth of July.  WE headed across the state to join up with some good friends and had a blast.  You can read about it here . I also participated in Brittany's Blog Bash.  It was a fun way to meet new bloggers.  We had lots more summer fun and then Nick bought a four wheeler.  We had a few more lazy days but mostly they just went by way to fast.  I also reminisced about the first apartment Nick and I lived in together. 


August:
August is a great month--we got married in August and my birthday is in August.  Also this August was back to school time for Turbo. 
About our anniversary.  As of August 8 we have been married for 12 years.  We got to get away, and I wrote about Nick for a Pour Your Heart Out post.
Turbo went back to school and loves his class and teacher.  Oh and I got older.  And a netbook. 
September:
September started out a lot more exciting than we expected it too.  Our friends in Kemmerer(across the state from us--the ones we spent the 4th of July with) found us a pop up camper.  It was a deal we couldn't turn down, so off we went to get a camper.  I was so excited to upgrade our camping arrangements. Nick then spent the rest of the month archery hunting for deer and elk.  He did not get one while archery hunting, but he did get an antelope.
And at the end of September I hit 100 followers.  So amazing--Nick still owes me dinner for that one.  I have so enjoyed the blogging community I have found.  Thanks again to all who follow me.


Well that was the third quarter of 2010.  Much, much better than the second quarter.  And the fourth quarter had more good things in store for me.  Let you know more about that next week.

Dear Santa

Dear Santa,
I have been quite good this year.  No really!  There are just a few things I would really like to get this year.  If you have them in your bag, I'll gladly take them off your hands.

1. More patience.  I have two little boys and one big one.  A bit more patience would be appreciated by both them and me.
2. The ability to yell less.  I think the first request will help with this one.  I would like to yell less at my boys.
3. Time.  More time to spend making cookies, playing in the snow, just playing would be nice to have.
4. A maid to make the time for playing easier to come by.
5. And if those things are too hard to get under the tree, just send something sparkly.  That makes up for a lot.

So there you have it Santa.  Do you think you can help me out here?  See you in a few days.

Merry Christmas to the guy who never gets Christmas eve off.

VandyJ

Image from google imaages

Wednesday Hodgepodge--A Look Back at 2010

1. Share your Christmas Eve traditions.  We spend Christmas Eve with my husband's parents.  We open the presents they have gotten us and the boys and eat snacky foods.  It's relaxed and then we go check out the Christmas lights around town.  Then it's home to leave out cookies, milk and carrots(for the reindeer).  (Sometimes we get talked into letting the boys open a present early)  Then we shuttle little boys to bed and Santa wraps presents for under the tree and then Santa and Mrs. Santa go to bed to await the ungodly early wake up call that "Santa came!!!!".

2. What was the best book you read in 2010? (we're not going to include The Bible here)  I have not gotten to read very much this year.  I have read romances--Lyndsay Sands, Nora Roberts and Amanda Quick, but no other real books.  We didn't get out camping o I could read, at least not the kind of camping I can spend reading.

3. Do you have pets and if so do you allow them on the furniture?  We have a cat and a dog.  There is no keeping the cat off the furniture, but the dog usually waits for an invite before he gets up on the couch.

4. What event from 2010 are you most thankful for?  My new job.  Or rather my job going full time.  I was part time with no benefits and 19 hours a week before December.  Now I am full time with benefits--sick leave, vacation, insurance and retirement.  This is just wonderful!

5. What did you do in 2010 that you'd never done before.  Rode a four wheeler.  Crashed a four wheeler.  Took a class on riding a four wheeler.  In that order.

6. Brussel sprouts...friend or foe?  Oh friend.  Jan at Jan's Sushi Bar has the best recipe for making Brussel sprouts--try it it's fabulous!

7. Who would you nominate for man/woman of the year?  This one is a hard one but I'd have to go kind of cheesy and nominate my husband Nick.  He puts up with me and has more patience with the boys and does so much for all of us, he really is my hero.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  After bemoaning the fact that we were having crazy warm weather last week, mother nature sent us snow.  12 inches of snow to be exact.  Turbo is in heaven, he loves to play in the snow.  Nick is excited too.  He and Turbo will be going skiing this afternoon.  I'm just happy to have snow on the ground again.  Cold temps are easier for me to deal with when the ground is white not brown or gray.

RTT: Christmas is just too close.

 
 Random it up people.
Keely is hosting, go check out the other random cause it's Tuesday you know.

• Our weather has been a bit nutty.  Last week we were warm(for us--40's people, not normal) then the temps hit the basement--like single digits.  I'm lucky no one is sick in our house--knock on wood.  And this morning we got up to snow.  Like seven inches of the stuff.  Hah--the weather said 1-3 inches, but what do they know?  It's still snowing but we only have a 60% chance for another 1-3 inches today.  I think they need a window at the weather station.
• Are you ready for Christmas?  I think I'm ready.  But then I remember I have Santa cookies to make, a gift for my mom to get still and there are only three and half more days to shop and bake.  Shoot me now.  At least Nick is in town.  His trip got canceled postponed until January.  Crazy weather again.
• Turbo is looking forward to watching Santa's progress on Christmas eve on the NORAD Santa Tracker site.  It gets cooler every year.
• And Nick's mom put us onto this site--Portable North Pole or PNP.  You can set up a free video for your kids from Santa.  Turbo thought it was pretty cool that Santa knew what he was for Halloween and that he skied too.  Go check it out, it is pretty neat.
• Now I just have to figure out what cookies we are making for Santa and if I have all the ingredients.  Chocolate chip may be in order, they're Santa's favorite, I know.
• Bruiser has been exercising his use of the word NO!  Even when he means yes.  Anyone want an almost two year old--he comes with toys? (I can be reasonably sure no one will take me up on this one--Nick has been offering Turbo for the same deal for years and no one has bitten yet.)
• ANd in more weather realted news--I biffed it in slow motion this morning.  It's what comes from ice under snow.  I'm sure I looked totally graceful as my butt hit the ground.

Now go see Keely, She'd like cookies. So if you have some to spare, share and check out the other random on this Tuesday before the madness that is Christmas.

Quiet Weekend--Calm Before the Storm.

Well, last weekend was a bit dull.  Which is a good thing since next weekend will be beyond busy and activity filled.  I think the majority of the shopping is done--except for my mom.  Still not sure what to get her exactly.  The thing she asked for is really hard to find here in our small town and I'm not even sure where to find it online.  So I will keep thinking about that one.   And we get to go to the chocolate shop Christmas eve day and get the candy we need for the stockings.  And for me.
I got to go to a grown up Christmas party for my work.  It was a great party and I had a better time than I expected.  I got to wear my new red heels and I looked pretty good.  Nick cleaned up well and we got an evening out without the kiddos.  Good food too.
I baked this weekend, but not to much, just a couple of loaves of pumpkin spice bread.  Tonight we will be making rice crispy treats again.  Nick is going out of town for field work Tuesday through Thursday, so I'm sending some goodies with him.  He gets to go stay in a condo and snowmobile to the sample sight.  Poor guy, tough to have those work requirements.  He's gonna freeze his butt off, but he'll have fun doing it.
And now for some cute little boys:

A rare moment of stillness from Turbo.

I like chocolate cookies!  Can you tell?

Mom and the boys.

April to June 2010: When Lady Luck Frowns

Go link with Shortmama, Mimi, Emilisq, Emmymom, CAGirl, and Sami  after you post your own recap.
So the recap continues.
April
April brought us slightly warmer temperatures, then snow--lots of snow and then warmer weather again.  We had issues with Turbo's teeth, Moments of craziness with my mom, And I participated in my first swap with Shortmama.  My partner was Jen from My Crazy Life.  I got some great stuff and had a lot of fun picking out stuff for her.


May.
May was a bit more settled in the weather department.  Bruiser hit 15 months and broke a family record.   I had a great Mother's day. Turbo had more dentist visits to deal with the teeth, Nick broke his ankle, and then Turbo had a Birthday.  Then over Memorial Day weekend, Saturday, to be exact, the water heater decided to become a waterfall.  Literally.  Water was coming out of the top of the silly thing.  Fabulous way to spend a Sunday.  Water heater shopping.  As an added bonus my back went out and hated me for the next few weeks. Great end to a less than stellar May.


June
June started with a lot warmer temps and a reminder that summer vacation is an awesome thing for a kid.  Then the refrigerator died.  And there was flooding in our little town.  Nick had a good Father's day and a pretty good birthday too.  The mosquitoes came in droves, Nick's truck had a electrical issue that got resolved and June sailed along without to much more drama.


There you have it.  the second quarter of 2010.  See I told you it was not nice to us.  Teeth, foreheads, ankles and backs, water heaters, refrigerators and trucks.  The bad luck just had a ball with us.  Thankfully the rest of the year was better.  We'll get into that next time.

Good bye Tinkerbell

Our oldest animal--Tinkerbell the cat--was put to sleep on Monday.  She would have been seventeen next April.  I think it was time to let her go.  She has been fading for the last few months and I think it was just time.
She had a good life--she used to play fetch better than any dog I knew.  She loved her treat of canned food in the morning.  Hated when we moved from apartment to apartment to house.  She would freak out if we moved the furniture around because she hated moving.  She never really forgave us for moving out of the first apartment Nick and I lived in.
Nick and I got her after we had been together a year.  I wanted a cat and so we went to the animal shelter and got a kitten that had been found abandoned in the country.  She was a tuxedo cat--always looked like she was wearing a black coat with a white chest and toes.  She had white whiskers but only a couple above her eyes and sometimes they would fall out and she would look a bit lopsided. 
She taught me to play fetch with her by bringing me her toy one night in bed.  I just wanted to sleep and so I tossed her toy across the room.  She promptly chased it and brought it back.  Thus beginning a game she loved.  I can still hear her yowling with her toy in her mouth at night wanting to play.
Later in life she gained the reputation of Mean Kitty.  She would come and sit on anyone's lap, but don't touch her while she was there.  WE had big foot ball player type friends in college and they would ask me to come and get the cat off their laps rather than touch this small black cat to move her.  She also enjoyed sitting on Nick's shin and "boxing" with Nick.  She was the most playful cat when she was younger. 
Letting go will be sad but I think letting her go will be kinder to her than trying to hang on to prolong the inevitable.
So, so long Tinkerbell, a.k.a. Mean Kitty.  You have ruled our roost for years.  Thank you for sharing your time with us.  Sorry about moving so many times but we would be a tad cramped if we had stayed in the first place we lived with you.  I hope you are happier now and no longer in pain.  We love you and miss you very much.

Tinkerbell as a young cat.

She was never one for the great outdoors, she wouldn't go far from the door.

Tink ruled the roost, but hated that the fascinating fish were beyond her reach.

Goodbye Tinkerbell.

Wednesday Hodgepodge--That Christmas Feeling

 Hodgepodge time again.  Answer the questions and link up with Joyce.


1. What does it mean to have the 'holiday spirit'?  There are all sorts of ways this one could go.  For our family it's pretty much what Turbo said last night while watching A Charlie Brown Christmas--The Christmas feeling is giving and getting and spending time with family.  Pretty good for a seven year old to remember the giving too.

2. What sits atop your tree (s)? Why?  We have a foil covered star that Turbo and Nick made a few years ago.  Nick was tired of the angel on the tree so he and Turbo spent an afternoon making a star.  I went and got them stick on sparkles and there you have it.

3. When was the last time you gave yourself a pat on the back?  I do this every morning on the way to work when I get the dishes done, kids fed, husband up, my self up and ready for work and sometimes the crockpot going or any number of other chores that seem to get done better in the morning than at night.

4. Which of your senses is most sensitive this time of year?  My sense of smell.  Christmas smells are wonderful and I think about the wax figures my mom brought out every year that smelled so wonderful.  A also love burning candles with the scents of apple, cinnamon, and other Christmas smells.

5. What do you have too much of in your kitchen?  Counter clutter.  But putting away lots of it in the cupboards doesn't work real well because Bruiser can get into those cupboards and pulls stuff out all the time.

6. What do you do for meals on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day? Big meal? Breakfast tradition? Open the cookie tins and have at it? We usually have Christmas Eve with Nick's folks, ham, the fixin's and everything and open presents.  Christmas morning we do breakfast/brunch with Nick's folks and my mom at our house.  Then we get to be lazy bums for the rest of the day and let Turbo and Bruiser play with their new toys and stuff.

7. What is the best thing about winter?  I love the snow.  I like getting out in it and cross country skiing, or really just walking in a deep snow is sort of relaxing for me.  I also love snuggling up at home and watching it snow--makes me feel all safe and cozy.

8. Insert your own random thought here.  Nothing makes time go slower than waiting for a vacation.  Turbo was sure today was Thursday and tomorrow was Friday.  He was a bit disappointed that today was only Wednesday.  I would have been only too happy for today to be Thursday--one closer day to my vacation too.