Not minding doing Dishes!!

Dishes are not my favorite task. Back before I had kids and I worked full time, they were my least favorite. But I have gotten to the point in my life that I don't mind them. Today however I was enjoying them. Why you ask, Cause it was Snowing, and my kitchen window have one of the best views.

View From My Kitchen Window.

I Love Snow. Get Over it. I don't care if I have to drive in it. I don't care if it messes up my schedule, I don't care if I get stuck at home for the days. I love it!!!

I lived in Saskatchewan for a year and when the snow melted in March I was a little sad.

There is something magical about Ssnow. I don't know if it is the quiet it brings, the imperfections that it hides, or if it is the fun you have in it. I love looking out my window and being Mesmerized by falling snow. I am always a little sad that when it stops, and the weather warms up. Maybe it's from living in the Pacific Northwest my whole life, and a good blanket of snow only came a couple times a year. Memories of Being out all day with the neighbor kids sledding down the hill I lived on and staying out till our clothes were soaking wet.

So today I loved looking out my kitchen window at the gently falling snow and when I was done I put on coat and boots and went outside to try to capture the beauty of the Blanket of snow. Enjoying Watching Phil Make a Snowman. With a teething ring eye and Tabasco Bottle Nose (his idea not mine).

Cracking under pressure

It was a wedding gift from our neighbor, so that means 8 years old. But really I didn't use it all that frequently until we started making pizza and artisan bread at home in the last 4 years.

Tonight as I tried to pull it out of the oven it came apart. :(

So I am in the market for a new Pizza Stone. Does anyone have any good suggestions or steer clear advice??

Tommy's New Years resolutions

1. Try new foods, whatever is spooned at me I will try, not saying I won't spit it out, (but hey they get great pictures of me if I spit it out). I just don't think that Mommy's milk and Formula are all this world has to offer me.

2. Roll-over. I haven't quite mastered this skill and I think it may be useful, but my arm keeps getting in the way of me completing the Roll. You might think this is bragging, but I think if I just master this one skill I could go on to do other things like sitting up, crawling and yes one day walking & running after my big brother.

Mommy has all these other goals like sleep through the night, every night, But I like "whoa Ma, I am a growing boy, and boys need to eat". I don't think I am going to give up this awesome habit of waking up at 4 am to eat til I don't know year 2013.

New Tradition I think!!

So Last post I told you about how we all dressed up in Lumberjack Plaid for church on Sunday. Well I forgot that Phillip wore the same print on his First Christmas.

Christmas 2008 - Phillip 11 months

So I think we have stumbled on a new traditions for Baby's First Christmas.





(if we ever have girls I think we could probably find cute dresses in this print!!)

Plaid Christmas

Christmas was nice this year, Christmas Eve was an all day event at the In-Laws. (sorry I forgot my camera and didn't document any of proceedings. But the Favorite gifts were the Hand Knits By Auntie and a darling Niece. The Boys all got matching hats, and the little boys got hand knit beard attachments to match their daddy. My Niece worked her fingers to the bone, and made beautiful ruffle scarves for a the girls (I don't know how she did it). So cute!!

We usually try to go to a Christmas Eve service, but because Christmas was on Sunday we opted to stay home that evening and go to church as usual. I have a feeling that this will be one the last years where we are not awakened at a early hour to open presents. We actually had to wake the kiddo up this year, so we would be able to get ready for church.

Opening was fun this year as Phil is getting so animated. The favorite new item is Cranky the Crane to go with his Wooden railway set.

Thomas, not that big into the presents, really liked trying to eat the paper though. He does like his new rattle, but most other gifts, Big brother has been enjoying more.

So back in October I found Christmas jammies for the Boys that matched in a red and black plaid. So cute, then I found a shirt same pattern for Phil. Joel also had a shirt in this same print. It was so great, the Boys would match for church Christmas Morning. But wait, Two weeks before Christmas my great fashionista friend (who wears the same size) wore a jacket that was the exact same print, She graciously allowed me to borrow it. So we had a wonderful day at church in our matching plaid.

Then home for naps. Later in the evening my parents and grandparents came over for a visit, more food, and to watch White Christmas a favorite of ours to watch over the holidays.

Side Note: for the second Year in a row, Phillip has gotten me a scrub brush for doing dishes. I wonder if he thinks I like doing dishes, like a hobby, so he gets me new gadgets for doing it?? too cute.

Do people actually buy this stuff?? 2

Another post, because this product really did baffle me?


While out shopping at a discount department store, I saw Brownie and cupcake makers. No not the children's Christmas classic, Easy bake Oven, these were small kitchen appliances ranging in price from 29.99-39.99, Much like a waffle Iron, You made up your mix and poured the batter into this appliance, and Voila Homemade brownies, when the light goes off.

Wouldn't be easier and cheaper to get a box mix and a 9 x 13 pan and just turn on your oven??


Maybe they were marketed for the people who live in the city and store sweaters in their stove, But still like to have a homemade brownie everyone once in a while. Or the college student who misses homemade brownies , but can't make them in her dorm room. In college when we wanted to bake, we just went down to the community kitchen at the end of the hall.

I am only trying to bring forth the products on the market right now that baffle me. and the cupcake and brownie appliance's are those right now.

Seeing this appliance in the store just baffled me.

Signs that your Christmas tree might be a little big

1) It looks Big Outside

2) Just as your husband starts sawing the thing, he regrets picking one in the back of the lot

3) Your husband gets winded dragging it to the front of the lot, and starts looking for the kid that was driving a 4-wheeler around the lot.

4) It doesn't fit in your full sized truck bed.

5) You have to take some off the bottom and a little off the top to get it to fit in your house.

6) You bring the pruners in the house to trim off a few long branches.

7) You start feeling claustrophobic in your living room with it.

8) Even standing on a step ladder you can't reach the branches at the top.

Signs that this might become the "norm" for your Christmas, for years to come:

Your husband comes in the house and says "this is Awesome, I love this tree".