Christmas Came to These Here Parts

Christmas around here always sneaks up on me. I start shopping, planning, and celebrating months in advance of the big day but every year it seems I find myself on Christmas eve shocked that the time has come. 

This year was especially fun now that Gabriel and Abigail are a little older. Gabe new what Christmas was and couldn't contain his excitement. He was quite the little helper in the kitchen, and put a great deal of energy into making special presents for family. 

Abigail was in awe of the tree. Several times a day she would delicately touch the tips of the branches and say "Pretty tree". Then, once I wasn't looking, snatch one of the pretty ornaments off and go running. Sneaky girl. 

Sadly, I think this will be our last year with a real tree. In my family, fake trees were sacrilegious, so the thought of owning one makes me feel like a traitor. I also relish going to the tree yard, the smell of the trees, going through at least a dozen until I find the perfect one. But as I am the only one in our house who enjoys the tradition (Trent tolerates my eccentric tree ladyness, and the kids could really care less), and this year our tree seemed to die fast, I figured we could try the fake tree thing. 

Maybe I will just get a small real one for our master (ha, ha, ha I mean shoe box) bedroom. We'll see. 

We spent the morning of Christmas at home, enjoying coffee, breakfast, and the fun of shiny new toys with intact parts. Nicholas was thrilled with his new Nintendo 3DS and kept marveling us with it's different features.

After Abigail had a morning nap, it was of to Grandmas to celebrate with Trent's family. That many people (5 adults, 1 teen, 3 kids, an infant, and a dog) in a Christmas present filled living room was crazy, but so much fun! As a Christmas present to my mother in law we all wore pj's. Beyond the materialistic, our gift to them was 5 bazillion homemade cookies. Well, maybe not that many but pretty close. Snicker doodle, no bake chocolate cookies, gingerbread men, and chocolate rolo cookies. 

Overall, a blessed day of food, family, and a reminder that while our family keeps getting bigger we have plenty of crazy love to share.

I Voted

The excitement in our house is always tangible on election night. It's like the Super Bowl and Christmas all wrapped in an American flag. It typically involves a lot of grumbling, fist pumping, and coffee drinking as my husband, mother-in-law, and I stay up late and flip through every news channel. This year I am battling the avalanche of multicolored US maps as the hubbs works and my mil travels.

No matter your political views, or your beliefs regarding the electoral college, I hope you voted. Not only for your President, but for all of your local measures and representatives. I may not agree with how you vote, but I will still give you a high five for doing so. Because if you don't vote, you lose your right to complain about the state of our country, states, and counties.

I voted. So now I can whine. Yay me.

Happy Election Day!!

DIY Backyard Landscaping: Jacuzzi Time!

Trent and I are affectionately referred to as scroungers by our family. At least I hope it is affectionately.  Recently we were searching the free section on Craigslist for landscaping supplies

 (a backyard transformation isn't cheap people!) and came across this beauty.

I seven person, fully functioning hot tub in great condition. It was on a rental property and with the current tenants moving out, the owner wanted the tub gone so he could redo the patio. Nice! 

It has been a dream of Trent's for a long time to have a hot tub. What better a price than free?

With a lot of muscular help from the contractor and his crew working on the property we loaded it up onto a flat bed trailer and towed it on home.

Once home, we ran into a small snag. It was a weekday. No one was home. And we didn't have the muscle to get it into the back. Did I mention this thing weighs 1,000 lbs? So in our driveway it sat for a few days. I'm sure our neighbors just looooved us.

Finally, using some ingenuity, Trent strapped two furniture dollies to the bottom of it and with just four of us we hoisted that bad boy up into the air.

The hubbs and our good friend Robert striking a celebratory pose.

Slowly we rolled it into the backyard. Once we hit the dirt-patch-that-will-eventually-be-grass we used sheets of plywood to provide a solid base to roll the massive thing on.

It was 100 degree weather that day. Which I am sure you know is the best time to be moving heavy hot tubs. 1,000 lb hot tubs.

Oh yeah. I am styling. And melting. And in desperate need of a shower and an adult beverage.

We had preped the area already by laying down a 2" bed of 3/4 gravel on a level pad of compacted dirt.

Finally, with all hand on deck we got the sucker down there. Success!

It still needs the electrical to be run before we can use it, but having it out of the driveway is a huge success. With it in place we can make sure to align the sprinklers and sod properly around the area. By next summer there will be a large two level redwood deck wrapping around the front of the hot tub and the pool.

Next up: Cleaning up and prepping for Abigail's birthday!

Wish I Had Been on Vacation

I wish I could say I have been on vacation, but sadly no beach front hotels and mixed drinks have been in my life. Just family drama. Family drama sucks. Sucks the life, energy, and creativity right out of you.

Things are finally settling down (thank goodness) and I have been able to focus more on a big event coming up: Abigail's first birthday!

 My little baby girl is turning one. Makes me feel a little misty eyed. We don't plan on having another for a few years, so every little milestone she passes leaves me longing for her to stay a baby for just a little longer. 

Here is a sneak peak of the planning going on for her celebration:

We are having a lot of fun putting her party together. The theme really suits her personality. She is spunky, surly, brave, and the captain of our ship.

Other than planing her party we have been living in two places. First, in front of our air conditioning. And second, our pool. It has been hot, hot, hot and humid here lately. With that in mind, I leave you with this.

What We Are Eating Wednesday

Life here this week has been stressful and a little disappointing. I am really trying to refocus my feelings to the more positive blessings in my life, but with the drama ongoing and my little girl now sick it is hard. Enough whining, here is what we are eating.

Wednesday

Basic cheese quesadillas with clementines (nice and light for the sick little girl)

Thursday

Crock pot pot roast with baked potato

Friday

Crock pot turkey and veggie sloppy joes with sweet potato fries

Saturday

Egg, potato, bell pepper, and spinach scramble

Sunday

Grilled chicken and tomato sandwiches (Much to my joy, I have tomatoes growing out my ears!)

Monday

Chicken, cabbage, carrot, and pepper lettuce wraps with grapes

Tuesday

Grilled pizza
(confession: I have had this on the menu for weeks and have yet to do it. This is the week!)

I really hope this upcoming week will see the resolution of several stressful situations in our lives right now. At least we will still be eating good food!

Picture This...

Some things are best described in pictures.
Here is a brief glimpse into what we have been up to the last few days:

Trent working the trench digger as we prepare to install our sprinkler system.

Our yard looked like a mutant gopher had attacked it.

 Oh, 975lbs of hot tub? No problem.

 Busy, productive, and a little painful. Now for some advil.

What We Are Eating Wednesday

The weather here has been so pleasant the kids and I are spending as much time as possible outside. Doesn't hurt that we always have work to do on the backyard. With most of the backyard projects wrapping up this week, we are leaning towards easy, full proof meals to keep us going.

Wednesday

Grilled lemon chicken with zuchinni

Thursday

Blueberry and Greek yogurt stuffed french toast with scrambled eggs

Friday

Grilled tri tip steak with baked sweet potatoes

Saturday

Crockpot pulled bbq pork, salad, melon

Sunday

Turkey burgers with sweet potato fries, salad

Monday

Bell pepper, zuchinni, and pepperoni grilled pizza

Tuesday

Quesadillas with cheesy black beans and salsa

Wish us luck this week! Sprinklers, dirt prep, and finally sod!!

DIY Backyard Landscaping: Above Ground Pool

The work has been a consistent daily grind around here. But when you see how it is all coming together, it all seems worth it.

We a started with a swing set, a trampoline, a garden and a whole lot of dirt. I am talking a wasteland of dirt.

While the dirt is still present and accounted for, its numbers have been shrunk considerably.

Here is our goal:

Not to scale.

Grass for us to run on, play soccer, and spread out a blanket to watch clouds. A pool for the hot summer days. A pool deck for us to relax and watch the kids jump in the trampoline or play on the jungle gym. A great fire pit for the adults to chat around at night, enjoying a drink or two.

We still have sprinklers to install and sod to lay down, plus a little cleaning up, but until then I thought it would be fun to post about each of the projects.

First up? The pool!

Before

We started with this rather sad stretch of yard next to the trampoline. I knew we would have some leveling to do as my garden boxes used to be over here and they had caused some dips. But wow, it was so much more than a few small dips.

One of the former owners of this house must have hardscaped this area at some point because everywhere we dug, we hit gravel. A huge compacted bed of gravel.

We started by using a flat front shovel to remove all the thatch and roots and to create a base to determine the slope.

Once that was done and we could clearly see where the lowest spot was so we got started. When preping an area for an above ground pool, you always want to level the area to the lowest point. Never add dirt to raise the lower area up! Under the wieght of all the water in the pool, that added dirt will compact and suddenly your nice level pool will sag and risk collapse.

Sadly, our low spot consisted of one 4 foot by 2 foot corner. Eight square feet caused us to dig out and level 192 square feet to match it. Yeah. Less than fun.

To level we taped a four foot level onto a 2x4 piece of wood. Starting at the high point we would place the level then use the 2x4 to scrape dirt down until it was right. Over and over again we repeated this process until the entire area was level within 1". Not fun. Beer helped.

Really hard to get a good photo by flood light.

4' level attached to a 2x4 with tape

After we walked the area to ensure we had gotten all of that pesky gravel out,  we began to assemble the pool. Now, typically you would do two more steps of prep. First, lay down a sand bed to help protect the pool from anything poking through. Second lay down foam insulation boards(from the hardware store). Not only does this provide an extra layer of protection, but it also creates a soft smooth surface for walking.

Because we bought this pool used and there was no guarantee it would remain usable after reassembling, we didn't want to invest that extra money. Instead we just used a 10mm tarp under to pool to help protect the vinyl from any rocks or roots we missed.

This particular pool is a 9'x19'x52" Splash-a-Round soft sided vinyl pool. We just followed the directions for assembling it, which was the easiest part of all of this. We would then spend the next three weeks replacing broken pump valves, patching holes in the bottom of the liner, and fixing leaking parts.

Pool up, working on fixing it.

Once everything was fixed, we focused on the extras. The pool came with an old deck that needed a lot of love. Sadly, without the deck we could not get into the pool. Stairs and all, you know. So hubby began replacing rotten boards and strengthening the supports. We knew from the start that if we liked the pool we would build a big wrap around deck before next summer, but for now we needed to make this one safe for everyone.

Still a work in progress. Needs rails.

Once the stairs for the deck were up it was time for some prettying up! First we installed a reed cover to hide the big blue eyesore.Next we marked out where the future deck wrap around deck will go and after weed spraying, laying down weed cloth, and putting in an edger we spread out 2 yards of basic 3/4" gravel. We also repeated the process for under the trampoline. No more weeds growing under there! Looking better already!


While the whole process was heartbreaking, frustrating, and back breaking to say the least, we have loved having the pool. Or as Gabe calls it, the cool!

Next up, how to make your own concrete edger or curb!

Fevers, Chills, and a Virus Oh My!

It has been a long week here at the house. It all started Sunday. The little man woke up with a nasty fever. No runny nose, no cough, no third arm. Just a persistant fever leaving him feeling less than stellar.

Not that it kept him from his usual craziness activities. From Sunday until Tuesday we kept a close eye on him, but other than the fever there was nothing else to note. Now, before you hand me the worst parent of the year award for not taking my kid in right away, let me just say that I grew up in a medical household. I know that fevers under 103 with no other symptoms, while uncomfortable for the little guy, in my opinion held no danger. His body was fighting off a virus and the best thing I could do was help him stay comfortable.

Come Wednesday the fever was gone and other than a crankier than usual disposition all seemed to be back to normal. Que the crazy rash. This afternoon, out of nowhere, BAM! Small little red dots all over his back and chest. They don't seem to be uncomfortable and the fever is still gone, but there they are.

One quick check with Dr. Google and I think I have the answer. Roseola. Apparently it is a very common childhood virus, and also highly contagious. Which means the little puffalump will most likely be sporting the polka dot look pretty soon as well. I'll call and check with their pediatrician in the morning to be sure though.

Overall I think how we react when our kids are sick is a deeply personal choice. I felt confident letting his body fight the virus intruder. Based on his disposition, and a careful and consistent tracking of his temperature, I am comfortable with my decision. We all have to do what we think is best for our kids. For now, I think sleep, a cool bath, and maybe a special popsicle treat (along with a call to the Dr.) are the best options for us.

I guess the floor was cooler, because I kept finding him like this.

Finding Peace Right in Front of Me

Lately everything has been go, go, go around here. Projects to finish, time lines to follow, work for Trent, stress for me. Like a tidal wave it has washed over me, creating a great feeling of self disappointment. Disappointment that I cannot provide an answer all of our problems immediately. Disappointment that our children cannot be involved in all the things I want for them. Disappointment that Trent will most likely be working two jobs for at least another year.

Today I made a realization. What my children need is not classes or a minivan. They don't need a bigger house, or more toys. What they need is their parents to be present. Not simply there with them physically, but to have us actively involved in their lives. And when I do that, the oddest thing happens. I am happy. All of those things that had seemed like such a big deal seem insignificant in comparison to the relationship and memories I am creating with my children.

My children are a blessing in so many ways. And today as we played in our pool for the first time, they gave me yet another gift. Perspective. The house, the projects, the struggle. They are all for a purpose. But without the joy, love, and connection my children and I create by spending interactive time together all of the other stuff is pointless.


Today with my family left me feeling renewed and uplifted in ways I haven't felt in months. I love my life. I love my family. And our future will be wonderful - because we are going to actively make the choice everyday to believe so.

Lumberjocks: Woodworking Paraphernalia by Trent

I am entranced by professional wood workers.  The obsession with detail, ingenuity, imagination, and hard work that goes into a finished project is amazing.  As I'm still developing my skills and building my arsenal of tools, I find myself searching for other works as inspiration.  LumberJocks satisfies this search.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/31067

Gorgeous hand carved chairs take such attention to detail.  The wood choice, the joinery, the angles and carved seat, the finish, I wouldn't even know where to start with a project like this.  But my lord I want to sit in it!

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/12857

I like to call furniture like this "Alice in Wonderland Furniture." Pieces that look like they're going to come alive.  I mean WOW!   Can you imagine seeing this greet you everyday at your front door?  Some of the incredible features on this piece are wooden hinges, one of the eyes was a knot in wood (HOW COOL!), a ton of different wood choices to make this come alive, and just the incredible imagination!  Super neat.

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/52918

Check out this awesome hammock!  This guy used bent lamination, or thin strips that he bent to a form, then glued together to make the finished product.  Wood bending is exciting and terrifying at the same time to me!

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/11382

Here's another great bent lamination technique, with a glass table to highlight the bends!

I like when people mix materials other than wood; glass and metal are fascination additions

Here's another awesome bending piece.  This table was made completely from a 2x4!  INCREDIBLE!

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/4874

And if you think that table's amazing, look at this birdcage!  It's made from 1 2x4x8!!!  The ingenuity and time taken to develop pieces like these just astound me!

http://lumberjocks.com/projects/4750

You can see how easy it is to get sucked into that website.  So many incredible craftsmen with unique perspectives and styles.  This place really gets my gears turning.  I just wish I had all of the tools and time necessary to create the projects I have in mind.  

Normally I just build from necessity.  Some garden boxes and a garden fence which was NECESSARY as Gabe kept picking everything before it was even close to ripe: 

In the background you can see the garden fence and fence picket garden boxes

And here's a baby gate I made out of a crib to keep the kids out of the kitchen.  I have a how to article I'm going to publish in the near future on this.

Baby Gate

The only true labor of love that I've created for my family is a rocking horse for Gabe's birthday. This was made using the Wood Whisperer's plans. http://www.thewoodwhisperer.com/announcements/charity-build-results/

Rocking horse

I want to make either a pirate ship or a different rocking animal for Abbey's first birthday or Christmas.

Anyways, Lumberjocks is an awesome website, and totally addicting!  Take a short look around, if you're interested in wood working in the slightest, it will turn into a long look.

The Search For the Perfect Pancake #1

In my mind I have a picture of the perfect pancake. Soft. Fluffy. Delicate texture. Not to sweet or buttery. A slight chew to it. 

Perhaps my mom made them like this when I was little. Maybe I have spent one too many late nights at Ihop in my life. 

Either way, I have searched and searched for THE pancake. The pancake that lives up to my standards. I can honesty state that I have tried dozens of different pancake recipes in my search. So now, I will let you all in on my crazy hunt.

The search for the perfect pancake.

Our first contender comes from King Arthur Flour.

Simply Perfect Pancakes

makes 12

2 eggs

1 1/4 cups milk

3 tablespoons butter (I use one tablespoon butter, 2 tablespoons unsweetened applesauce)

1 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup King Arthur White Wheat Flour (I love their wheat flour. It is very finely ground.)

3/4 teaspoon salt

2 teaspoons baking powder

2 tablespoons sugar (I have replaced the sugar before with maple syrup. Yum!)

In large bowl beat milk and eggs until fluffy.

Slowly and gently stir in your butter (and applesauce if you are using it).

In another bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients. 

Mix dry ingredients into the egg mixture.

Let the mixture rest for 15 minutes while you preheat your griddle to 375.

Once the batter has rested and your griddle is ready, drop by 1/4 cup fulls onto your griddle.

As usual, none of my pancakes are perfect circles.

Once you see an even layer of bubbles on the pancake surface it is time to flip!

Allow the pancake to cook for another 1 1/2 - 2 minutes.

Remove to a plate and enjoy! If you cannot eat right away, place on a cookie sheet and put into a preheated 200 degree oven.

A nice drizzle of pure maple syrup.

Decent fluffyness when straight off the griddle.

While this recipe was good, it wasn't great. The pancakes were fluffy at first, but the ones that sat for a few minutes flattened out and became tough. And there wasn't a ton of flavor to them.

This may be a good recipe for add in pancakes - like cinnamon raisin or blueberry - as the batter starts out with a good fluff.

Overall I think I would try these again, but with the added work of fluffing the eggs and only an ok turn out, I cannot say they will be a regular in our rotation.

The search continues.