What are you doing New Year's Eve?

Happy New Year!

xM

Can you believe it?

It's practically Christmas!

2 sleeps away from:  a very early morning wake up call, posing for the photo at the top of the stairs, coffee, Christmas music, surprises, squeals of delight, more coffee, pancake breakfast, lots of picture taking, hugs, kisses and quality time with my two most precious gifts, Pip & Papa.

I'll be stepping away from my computer but not from my lief life, of course. I'll be busy gathering lots of material for future posts.

Have a joyous holiday. I'll see you back here in 2012!

Be well.
xM
PS: Please say a little prayer for Abby to make it home to her bed in time for Santa.

Holiday cheer?

It wasn't the most pleasant of mornings around our house. It should of been because it started with this:

But an argument over not wearing socks broke out between Pip & I which was then followed by a "discussion" with Papa over the tone used during conversations (me) and being over sensitive (him). If only I could of crawled back into bed.

The thing about feeling badly around this time of year is that it feels so much worse than if it was like, March 3rd. It's ok to feel like shit in March, right? Just be sure you pull it together for the holidays!

It's kind of like snow

Well, here we are. Tuesday, December 20, 2011. There are exactly 5 days until Christmas and 6 days until my in-laws from Holland arrive.

Want to see my bedroom? 

This is where the magic used to happen.

This weekend, Papa said he was going to have to replace some drywall due to water damage and then he would install our new carpet. In fact the entire upstairs with the exception of Pip's room is being re-carpeted.

Silly me! I thought that by Sunday evening it would all be done.

Did you notice that he replaced all of the boards on the floor? (That's not the new carpet, it's just the padding.) After the floor was all set he started sanding all the spackling. Have you ever experienced dust from a renovation? Well, it's something special, it's a fine mist that covers everything in the ENTIRE house.

Now, he has to paint the wall and those french doors because he refuses to paint over the new carpet. THEN, he'll be able to put down the new carpet which at this point could be magenta pink for all I care!

Thank goodness for the guest bedroom since we are now camping out there. There's furniture everywhere, it's an obstacle course to get to the bed. We might even be using pillows that aren't in cases.

Oh, and I almost forgot to mention that Papa is out of town on business.

Yes, our bedroom will look lovely when it's finished which hopefully will coincide with my release from the psychiatric hospital.

So, do you feel better now about your holiday stress?

Have you ever lived through a renovation?

Hanging Christmas cards

The Christmas cards have been rolling in since the first week of December and now that I've accumulated enough of them it's time to take them out of the fruit bowl on the kitchen table and lovingly display them!

This year I wanted to do something a little different so with an idea in mind and a few dollars in pocket I visited the craft store.

I managed to snag the last little bag of these miniature clothes pins. I was hoping to just use red and green ones but since there was only one bag left I'll use all the colors. Fifty pins for $3.00!

 
Next up, a ball of hemp cord. This almost broke the bank at $10.00 but I couldn't resist. I love the rustic look of it.

 

I used a little white push pin to tie the cord to. Hung it up on opposite corners of the room and then started hanging up my Christmas cards. I purposely hung the cards up all different ways much the same way you might hang up laundry.

Now we can see all the beautiful cards that our friends & family have sent us. 

Have a great weekend everyone!

Racing to get in

The 21st Annual Covered Bridges Half Marathon

Sunday, June 3, 2012

The registration opened at 7:00 p.m. I was ready with my fingers poised over the keyboard. My hands might of been shaking.

This race sold out in 14 minutes last year. I was nervous, my heart was set on running this race.

I was reminded of a nightmare I sometimes have. It's the one where I have to make an emergency phone call and I keep pressing the wrong numbers, my vision is blurry and I keep starting over but I never get very far.

I hate that dream.

I clicked, typed and clicked again. I hit all the correct keys (thanks to my reading glasses).

I received my confirmation that I was registered. Wait, that's it? All that stress and anxiety and I was in?

YES! (there's a life lesson in there somewhere).

I'm really excited, I can't wait to run this race.

FYI: This race is sold out. It took 19 minutes.

I wore my MAC Russian Red lipstick today and I love it. Don't forget to enter my giveaway so you can wear it too!

Bike date

Amsterdam loves bicycles. from PROG21 on Vimeo.

Bikes, beer and what it's like to explore one of my favorite cities on a Summer day. This makes me happy.

Let's forget all about the shopping we need to do, ignore the dishwasher that's waiting to be emptied and the Christmas cards that need to be addressed.

We'll pretend it's Summer and enjoy a leisurely ride through the city.

Who's with me?

It's oh so quiet

I love when our Christmas tree is set up, decorated and lit up. It completely transforms our living room into a cozy holiday retreat.

I especially enjoy sneaking downstairs early in the morning to make my coffee. With mug in hand I tip-toe to the living room, flip on the switch for the tree lights, get comfortable and savor the silence. Oh, the tree smells so lovely and I soon find myself being flooded with childhood memories.

The spell is usually broken by an energetic Pip asking if Santa came last night and demanding to know what's taking him so long. 

For a moment I, too, believed in Santa. 

Enjoy your weekend and try to steal a moment for yourself to delight in this special time of year.

Love is art

source

Papa is not an easy person to buy presents for. He doesn't like gadgets, rarely wears a tie, never fishes, is not a big sports fan, doesn't wear a watch or any jewelry other than his wedding band, doesn't smoke cigars or drink hard liquor. Humm, what does he like........

Wait, I just remembered, he likes ME! (that's yours truly, not the state of Maine) He likes me and he likes US (that's me + him, not the United States)

With that in mind, my search for the perfect gift brought me to:  LOVE IS ART

It's a kit that includes "Everything a couple needs to safely make a tangible piece of abstract expressionistic art while being intimate with each other"

Here is the everything that comes in the kit;

80"x90" plastic sheet to protect surfaces

54"x41" specially treated non-allergenic white cotton canvas

4 oz bottle of specially formulated black, non-toxic, washable paint

Two pairs of disponsable slippers

Body scrubber

How it works: Roll out the plastic sheet onto the floor, place canvas on top of sheet, pour the paint onto the canvas and then use your bodies to move the paint around. The disposable slippers are for you to put on after you complete your painting so that you don't make more art on the way to the shower.

Once it dries, you can take your art to your local art store to have the canvas stretched onto a frame.

I'm a little skeptical about the "while being intimate" part, I don't care how non-toxic the paint is! However, I do love the idea of collaborating creatively on a project and then having a keepsake from that time spent together.

"Art takes patience, dedication, practice, creativity, open mind, and an open heart...so does love. Love is art." ~ Jeremy Brown

I'm dying to know what you think, really think.

Morning sleigh ride

This was taken yesterday morning on our way to school. 

Pip had requested Christmas music and since it was the first day of December I figured it was time to get into the holiday spirit.

We sang the whole way to school. That kid has got some pipes!



This weekend I plan on:
drinking a mocha latte with ONE shot of peppermint
decorating our Christmas tree
Running a few miles
Celebrating Sinterklaas on Sunday with the local Dutchies

What are your plans?

Fact or fiction?

I can't remember if it happened or if someone told me the story.

I was 8 or 9 years old. I was walking with a group of friends, we might of been on our way home from school. We were shuffling along, kicking our way through the piles of leaves that had gathered by the side of the road.

Did someone tell a story about finding a dead cat under a pile of leaves OR did we stumble upon one in the leaves? I can't say for sure what it was. I am, however, certain that it left an impression on me and a distinct fear of leaves.

This weekend Pip begged me to play in the leaves with her. We held hands, ran, jumped and rolled around in the damp leaves.

I'm counting on her to have a clear recollection of the day.

Has this ever happened to you with a memory?