Hello, Monday.

Source: etsy.com via Monica on Pinterest

Is anyone else totally befuddled by Daylight Savings Time? I know it is only an hour, but my gosh does it screw me up. I've been waiting for months not to wake up to pitch black darkness outside...and now we are back to square one. It's not just sleep, either. My whole day feels off somehow. 

 If you plug "Daylight Savings Time" into Google News, you'll find a plethora of articles that make a compelling argument for doing away with DST. I've been saying that for years.

I had a very restless night. Mario took pity on me and took Kiddo to school so I could lay down a bit longer before meeting him for a lunch date. Hence the lateness of this post.

Friday brought with it about 6 inches of snow. And aside from a couple hours of cleanup, Kiddo and I got to spend the day hanging out at home together. Thank you, Mother Nature, for giving me an extra day of break. I'm leaving the "spring" part out for obvious reasons.

After a quick refresher, Jared helped me out with the snow blowing duties. Thank goodness for snow blowers...our circular driveway would take a week to shovel. It's also nice that Kiddo is learning these things early...he'll be better fit for adulthood. Unless he decides to reside in Texas. In case any moms are gasping out there, our snow blower immediately shuts off if you let go of the handle. Danger-free.

Husband got home Friday evening, so Saturday the boys headed out for their usual ski date. Only, I tagged along. And we went to a much bigger mountain about an hour from home.  They had a great time and I attempted to work on an independent research paper that has been haunting me for months. Perhaps that wasn't the best place to do it, and although I made some progress, it wasn't much.

Still, it was worth it to see them have so much fun. Mario said Jared's skiing skills improve exponentially each week, and he is now tackling double black diamonds. I am officially feeling a little left out!

Two new recipes made an appearance in our house this weekend...and both were a success. Yay! We had a rather unsuccessful experience with Mongolian Beef, so it was a nice recovery. Recipes to come!

I finally finished my owl paint chip canvas art! It has been sitting around for weeks and although easy peasy, it seemed to get eeked out in tiny little steps. I suppose it's a symptom of my overworked mind.

Husband came home bearing gifts! We collect Starbucks city/country mugs, but have an agreement that we only buy them from places we have both been. Since Mario was in Seattle last week, he picked up a mug. We've had to stow some away because our collection has grown so much. Hopefully it's a sign that we are cultured folks. I love sipping on a beverage while imagining I'm back in San Diego or on the oceanfront in the Puget Sound. A girl can dream...

Also, I posted my first giveaway yesterday! The winner gets to pick the camera strap of their choice from The Poppy Shoppe. I bought one a couple weeks ago and LOVE it! You can enter here.

Since Mario is home this week, we have decided this is the perfect time for me to take a little solo mini-vacation. I found two hotels in Cape Cod that will serve my purposes well. It's the off season, so rooms are a fraction of the price and I will get the solitude I have been craving. Win-win. Plus, the ocean calls to me...even in winter. There will be pictures galore, I'm sure.

Happy Monday!

Linking up:

 Much Ado Monday at This Little Light

Hello, Monday.

Monday, March 11, 2013

Children see magic because they look for it.

Christoper Moore

I have been feeling a little guilty lately regarding my wish for a swift end to winter. 

It is selfish, really. 

As much as I yearn for brighter skies and little green on the ground, the day that the snow fades away will be bittersweet, indeed. 

No more snow fort. 

No more Saturday ski dates with Dad.

No more snowball fights.

I can wear boots a little longer.

I can wear my cozy sweaters for a few more weeks.

I can suck it up and snow blow the driveway. Yet again.

Because nothing beats seeing his rosy, happy face this time of year. 

It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live.

Dumbledore

P.S. I am raffling off the camera strap cover of your choice from The Poppy Shoppe. You can enter here.

 

Children see magic because they look for it.

Saturday, March 9, 2013

High Five For Friday: Spring Fever

Oh, Friday. So we meet again. Only, you're not just any Friday. Oh no! You are the Friday that ushers in Spring Break. Except without the Spring part. High five for Friday, indeed.

One. Get this: I had not one, but two dates with my Main Man this week. We had a little extra time between activities on Wednesday, so we stopped by a little bakery on the way. We talked, looked at the darling art on the walls, and had a great little getaway.  Last night, after an evening of swimming lessons and a quick run to the college to turn in an assignment, we decided to have dinner out. I loved every moment. He really is the most interesting person I know. Two. Sometimes a really good pastry, in this case an Apricot Almond Bar, and a cup of coffee make everything better. Especially while spent hearing all about a certain handsome fellow's day. I was refreshed and ready to tackle my last class. Three. Thank you, Mother Nature, for making today a Snow Day. I got up, confirmed, turned off our alarms, and enjoyed another blissful hour of sleep. The perfect way to start a week long break. Even though it scarcely resembles its namesake. And I have to snow blow our driveway. For the umpteenth time.  Four. I met my goal of brown bagging my lunch every day this week. Not once did I grace the Student Center with my presence. In doing so, I saved about $25 and feel so much better all around. It's nice to know that I can get lunch there if I need to, but my goal is to make it a very rare occurrence.  Five. Who decided that it was a legitimate practice to fry vegetables? I bow to you, my friend. The occasional fried green bean is a delicious treat, indeed.

As luck (and perhaps divine intervention) would have it, Mario is home all next week. Which means this girl is taking a wife-/mom-cation. I am packing my bags and spending two whole days away from home. No classes, no cooking, no laundry...I am going to pretend that I am footloose and fancy-free. I get very few opportunities to press the reset button, and this is one of them. I am determined to make the most of it.

High Five For Friday: Spring Fever

Friday, March 8, 2013

She turned to the sunlight

    And shook her yellow head,
And whispered to her neighbor:
    "Winter is dead.” 

A.A. Milne, When We Were Very Young

I'm wearing sunglasses in this photo. Do you know what that means? The sun is out today. This Vitamin D deprived girl really needed some mood-lifting blue skies. This makes me hopeful that spring is on its way, but I'm a bit conflicted about wishing for warmer weather.

Although I couldn't be more ready for some green in my life (and the opportunity to wear only a short sleeved shirt for the first time in months), I don't want to wish the snow away too soon. Kiddo has two more weeks of skiing lessons I want him to enjoy, and I will be sad when the boys' Saturday ski night must come to an end. On the plus side, our bikes can reemerge from the garage...

In addition to sporting some shades, my Christmas ankle boots made their first public appearance today. Aren't they sexy against the industrial college floors? These boots are made for walking...just not in snow. The sidewalks are currently clear and snow is not in the forecast for today, so I decided to liberate them from their box. I really love them and can't wait to wear them this spring/summer with a dress or skirt.

In other news:  Day 2 and I am going strong on my brown bag lunch goal. Last night I made a big Oriental Chicken Salad, divided it into containers, and stored the dressing on the side. Sprinkle some on in the morning and I am on my way. It is one of my favorite recipes, and over the years I have tweaked the ingredients to create the perfect ratio for my taste. Recipe to come (apparently I've never shared...shame on me!).

I also forgot to mention that I hit a blogging milestone: I blogged every day in the month of February. Admittedly, it is a couple days shy of most months, but I'm still impressed. Upon realizing around mid-month, I decided to go for gold. Although I tend to post almost daily, this was a first for me. I found some great link ups, and with my new found love of photography, I always had something to write about. It really never felt forced. That is due, in large part, to the fact that I  eased up on myself. Not every post is going to be my opus. If I take a photo of Kiddo that I love, I post it. That's enough some days.

Over the month, I also took a giant step toward finding blog balance. I prioritized, spent fewer hours editing, and streamlined the whole linking up process. Although I have a ways to go in terms of finding true balance, significant progress has been made.

She turned to the sunlight

Tuesday, March 5, 2013

Batdog to the rescue!

A cute little snowy face to brighten your evening. 

Kiddo and I think he looks like a caped crusader in this photo...

the snow looked like a superhero eye mask. 

We really do have the most amazing, loyal dog. 

Even if he is like having a second child.

Hope you all are enjoying your weekend as much as we are!

Batdog to the rescue!

Saturday, February 16, 2013

Back to reality.

Dude. This was a great weekend. Thanks to Captain Nemo, we learned Friday was a snow day by bedtime Thursday night. No waking up to hear the rather lame spirited local radio hosts reading a list of cancellations at 6a. Nope. Alarms were turned off and we slept with abandon. 

It was a sad day indeed when I started considering a 7a wake up call to be 'sleeping in'. I am officially a grownup. All you morning people, you're my heroes. If you know the trick to becoming one, share.

This is Friday in a nutshell. Pj's, bedhead, blankets, and a permanent body-shaped dent in the couch. We took turns choosing what to watch. Star Trek: The Next Generation, Super 8, Pitch Perfect, Star Trek: The Next Generation...and so on. Kiddo pretended we live in the Aloha State and sipped straight from a coconut while a blizzard raged outside.

I got up early on Saturday morning and put my shiny new Crock Pot to use. I also made my favorite ambrosia salad, emptied and refilled the dishwasher, and hand washed a bunch of lingering dishes. I can avoid hand washing like no one else, but actually find it to be a very zen experience. Sipping a cup of coffee in a quiet house while tidying up and meal prepping...I felt very productive. You may call me Martha from this day forward.

Kiddo had to come up with a science experiment for school, and we decided investigate what magical substance in our well water makes plants grow like crazy. The only problem? Plants take time to grow and he needs to get started. 

I bought some dry kidney beans from the grocery store, wrapped them in wet paper towels and placed them in a Ziploc. I turned our microwave into an incubator using an old sock filled with rice. As luck would have it, in a mere two days we have sprouts! Let's hope our luck holds out...my green thumb comes and goes.

The boys used the two feet of fresh snow as an opportunity to spend the day together. They went to a school sledding party, then headed to the local ski mountain where they have a Saturday night special. They skied fresh powder, ate bar food, inner-tubed, and bonded. Kiddo literally talked himself to sleep reliving the fun and Mario woke up Sunday morning talking about what a great day they had. 

They have decided to make it a Saturday tradition for the remainder of the ski season. I am going to attempt a lesson on Friday night (I'm putting it out there to hold myself accountable), and if all goes well, I may join them next week. If nothing else, I will be there snapping photos.

Meanwhile, I had the house all to myself...a rare treat indeed. I chatted with my awesome aunt (who is a great photographer...I love picking her brain), tackled a mountain of laundry, and caught up on my DVR. It sounds boring, but the solitude was really nice.

Can I just say how much better this season of The Biggest Loser is? I'm surprised I gave it another chance after last year's disaster (I didn't want any of those awful people to win), but I'm glad I did. Two hours is a little long for a weekly show, and I fast forward quite a bit, but I do find it inspiring. If they can leave their families for months to work out 6 hours a day, I can certainly spare an hour. With the funk I've been in the last 3 weeks, a little time on a treadmill will do me some good.

In other news: I have noticed that every alum has a hoodie and/or sweatpants from their alma mater. Considering I'm three months away from this milestone, I decided it was time to spend way too much on embellished fleece pants. Holy moly! These may be the most comfortable trousers I have ever owned. I could live in these pants.

Mario left at noon on Sunday to catch a flight to sunny San Diego. It's just Kiddo and I again. Jared woke up in a terrible mood, I was sad that Husband was leaving (yet again), and our little weekend bubble popped. There may have been a couple meltdowns. All was well by departure time, but it was a reminder that our current schedule is not sustainable.

Balance. We simply must find it. Next summer we will be packing up our life and embarking on a new adventure. But I don't want to move our old baggage to our new existence. That means scheduling homework time, family time, and personal time. We need to treat them separately and prevent all the overlap (i.e. answering emails during family movie time). Sometimes, instead of working as a unit, we all pull in opposite directions. It takes mornings like we had yesterday to reevaluate. And make new goals. It wasn't pretty, but we're better for it.

Because we were coming off a grand weekend, I had loads of neglected homework, and we had one last Redbox to watch...Sunday night dinner was turkey dogs and guacamole all the way.

Happy Monday!

Linking up:

Back to reality.

Monday, February 11, 2013

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: Kid-ing Around

I loved the prompts this week! I photographed some of them over and over, but finally came to a realization: I was simply trying too hard. Once I stopped over thinking things, I started seeing my photos from a different perspective.

Overall this was a good week, but I am particularly proud of a couple. On we go:

The Small Things

Kiddo pulled out his old Thomas the Train set this week. We have considered selling them at times because he's a bit old for them now, and they are worth quite a bit, but seeing him build a track and combine it with his 'big boy' toys is why we haven't. Watching boys play is one of life's wonders. The sounds, the imagination, the lack of inhibition...I love it all. It got me thinking that we might just keep them forever.

Illustration

This was the last photo I took because I was at a bit of a loss. I took a lot of photos, but none struck a chord. I was sitting on the edge of my bed, staring at the shelf in my room, and spied my two favorite childhood books. As I flipped through one, I decided to snap it. This obviously means more to me than those who didn't grow up reading this book, but I decided to use it. If you  haven't read Mister Dog, you should. It's darling.

Valentine

This is another prompt I photographed over and over. I snapped an old Valentine's Day card I have tacked to the cork board above my desk. I drew a heart in the snow. Nothing. Then, as I was looking through the photos I took throughout the week, I came across this one I snapped at breakfast Wednesday morning. Duh. Although I tend not to subscribe to the hubbub surrounding this 'holiday', he's my valentine.  I simply choose to acknowledge that every day as opposed to one day a year. 

Work of Art

Mother Nature has a way of humbling us. This weekend, and our visit from Nemo, was no exception. The snow was really coming down, and horizontally, thanks to 50 mph winds. I have used the last couple snow storms as a means to practice my photography skills and was excited to capture this moment. It was like tiny white comets flying by.

Window Beauty

This is my favorite photo this week (or perhaps ever). Kiddo and I had a few extra minutes before a meeting at his school, so we took the opportunity to visit a nearby pond. It flooded a couple weeks ago when we had unusually warm weather and lots of rain followed by extreme cold. The entire park is covered in floating sheets of ice. I had Jared pick one up and snapped away. I managed to capture his sweet little essence in this photograph, and I couldn't love it more. It is moments like these that make me want to become a better photographer.

Scavenger Hunt Sunday: Kid-ing Around

Sunday, February 10, 2013

Preparing for the apocalypse.

 Nemo has bid us adieu. I will admit that I doubted his conviction, but he proved me wrong. He huffed and he puffed and he showed us what a proper Nor'easter looks like.  Is it weird that I have a hankering to reread Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea? Is it also weird that I am just now realizing I never once thought of a wee clown fish in search of his father throughout this whole ordeal?

It's been nice knowing you, Nemo. You let me sleep in two days in a row and allowed us a day spent eating dip and watching movies. You have also provided some very interesting insights regarding disaster preparedness. 

As the Muppets would say, I had a little "Me Party" at the grocery store Thursday night. Not to stock up on blizzard essentials like my fellow shoppers, oh no, but to re-familiarize myself with the whole feeding my family concept. Let's just say it had been a while.

Who knew I was on an educational journey? In the face of heavy snowfall, there is apparently a preparation protocol. At least according to those zany New England natives. I went in with a concrete list containing only a handful of items. An hour later, I left a wiser woman.

In the face of disaster, buy sugar. Lots and lots of generic sugar. Also, buy your weight in generic tuna and boxed macaroni and cheese. I don't know about you, but if I am going down in a wintry apocalypse, I want my last meal to be the real Kraft mac and cheese and my canned spaghetti to be made by an actual chef. That Boyardee knows what he's doing. The Ramen, well, I can't argue with that logic.

Buy meat like all the world's livestock is being hauled back to the mother ship. Ground beef? Oh, yes. Chicken breast? Only the non-organic antibiotic-fed stuff. Buy it all. If it came from an animal, it was sold out. With the exception of the organic chicken 'chunks'.

I clearly didn't get the memo. I am also not a very fast learner. In the face natural disaster, I bought whipped topping (ambrosia salad, duh), pickles (the good refrigerator kind), coffee (decaf, of course), movies, and lots of alcohol. Everyone knows organic beer is healthy and hard cider counts as a serving of fruit.

I hope you have been as enlightened as I was. I'll miss you, Nemo.

Preparing for the apocalypse.

Saturday, February 9, 2013