Thanksgiving, and before, and after.

Oh hey there.  It's been a while.  I really have no good excuse.  Life just keeps rolling along.  Actually I do have an excuse.  I have three children and no free time ever.  That works right?  Right.

Two weeks ago Ian was in DC for a neuroscience conference so my mom came into town to help me out.  It was so fun.  Julie ended up flying in with Rory to meet us and we went to my Gram's for the weekend in Winnetka.  I haven't stayed up in their house for so many years.  It was really fun.  I am so so thankful for a mom who would do anything for me anytime I need it.  That week would have been so much harder without her.  And quality time with my sister and new baby nephew?  Awesome.

Then Thanksgiving.  We went to Minnesota for the first time in four years.  It was exhilarating, being able to do it, if not completely chaotic and exhausting ;o).

I didn't take many pictures at all over Thanksgiving. We were too busy running after kids and (kind of) cleaning up after them (sorry mom!) and eating way too much food.  I always just soak it up in Minnesota.  Whenever we cross over from Hudson and I see that big Minnesota sign I just breathe out.  No matter where I live, Minnesota will always be home.

Now we're back and full on in Christmas mode.  We got our Christmas tree Sunday night after our drive back, from Costco of all places.  I will say that our beautiful sweet smelling $29 fraisier fur is worth the bit of Christmas soul we sold for getting it there.  We capitalized on the outing by getting giant costco hot dogs and soft serve for dinner.  Yum, tradition!

Now advent has started and it all feels calm and good.  I opted out of the strenuous stocking garland tradition this year for a simpler version.  I resurrected the calendar I made a few years back and stashed a few simple treats in for the kids to open each day.  That coupled with a  cute Eric Carle calendar I found at our local book shop gives us just enough countdown each day to keep the kids happy (and not fighting over who gets to open each day!)

I find this time of year especially tests and marks so much for me as a parent.  How I'm growing and changing, how our kids and our family are growing and changing.  This year it all just seems easier, like things are falling into place.  I plan so much less because I just don't need it.  We have our things, our traditions and rhythms for this time of year.  It's feeling good.

I'm really looking forward to these next few weeks.  Baking 14 dozen cookies (two cookie walks this year!), Ainsley's 6th birthday party (a lose Brave theme, I'm being brave/super dumb by giving the kids bows and arrows for party favors), creating and wrapping and singing and playing.  It's the best.

I hope you all are having a wonderful start to the Christmas season!

Wide Open Spaces

Facebook statuses that I almost just made Sunday night but thought the better of...

This was The Weekend that was NOT

I'm so extra glad my mom is coming to town to rescue me next weekend while Ian's at a conference.  I'm dying here!!!!

That moment when you are so pumped that the family channel has all kinds of movies on at the end of a long hard weekend so you record them all, sink into the couch to watch UP with the family, totally forget that the sweet old lady dies in the first 5 minutes and traumatize your 5 year old for life...ugh that moment.

So it's been an interesting few days.

Poor Ian caught my cold.  He was in and out of bed all weekend.  Unloading the dishwasher and taking Felix on walks around the block in between those boughts in bed.  That guy I tell you.  He singlehandledly disproves the whole "men are weenies when they're sick" thing (despite me trying to tell him to stay put!).

I cooked SO much this weekend.  I forget if the saying goes starve a cold or feed a cold, but we definitely fed it!
chicken curry soup with rice and blueberry coffee cake were the two big hits

He went to work despite still feeling bad Monday morning.  Thankfully he's much better as of yesterday.

So I started the week without the usual pep in my step from a restful weekend.  I was a bit worried about my exhaustion and getting through this week, especially because Ian leaves for a week long conference on Friday, but so far it's been great.

Ian lugged our fold up slide up to the deck and after cleaning it as best I could I lugged it into the basement.  This of course prompted a giant clean out/up of the space to fit it in.  There are few things that I love more than a good rearrange.

I feel like I've been through the ringer with this old house.  I've rearranged things so many times trying to find that perfect "ah" moment when you know you've got it right.  The thing is our needs are constantly changing, as our family grows, as our kids grow, as the seasons change.  I've given up trying to find the perfect place for everything and settling for what's perfect right now, and right now? it's wide open spaces.

Faced with winter coming soon and three little people to entertain for months I wanted space.  It can be hard to come by in our 1500 square foot home.  Too much furniture and stuff just makes it feel cluttered so quickly, add three little mess making tornadoes, well it can feel downright claustrophobic.  So I'm cleaning out (again, always).  Knowing that we spend most of our time on the floor playing anyways I've moved a few big pieces of furniture out to the back room in our basement and swung the big couches around to open up the rooms as much as I can.  It's amazing how big our home feels and how excited the kids are to have space to run a bit.

We're enjoying all the "new" spaces!

Also enjoying...

new play dough (Elsa colors!)

Sewing

Ainsley's first doll dress made for Snowflake.  She made a pattern and cut all the pieces on her own, I just helped sew them together.  She is SO proud.  (Louise has since made a similar dress for her bunny, though I helped much more with that one)

Finished neck warmers for the girls (they each have one)

New QCT for Felix!  I opted for a kneepad look with these ones.  They're too dang cute.

Louise's sweater is FINALLY in the final stages.  This yoke is so much fun to knit, it makes all the fussy construction of the rest of the sweater almost worth it.

Today' Ainsley was back at school and Louise starts again tomorrow after a long break for conferences.  This afternoon is Ainsley's first ice skating lesson.  She's SO excited and I'm thrilled to have an activity to get us out again on this gloomy cold day.  (For what it's worth Minnesota, I'm totally jealous of your snow, so much better than this rainy 40 degree stuff)

Happy Tuesday to you all.  I hope you're having a great week!

Friday Nuggets

If I had to name this past week it'd be "crash and recoup". That's just what we did.  Monday morning I woke up with some screaming sinus pain.  I was so thankful for Ian to be able to stay home and watch the kids so I could lay my sorry head down for an entire day.  Tuesday I made it until lunch when I called it in.  Again he came to rescue me and again I slept all afternoon and night. It wasn't until Thursday that I truly felt up to snuff.  Felix has been off too all week with some tummy problems and worse than normal sleep.  It's been a doozy.

Even so, I flipped through photos and thought through our week and it's actually been quite good.  

I've rekindled my love hate relationship for the sensory bin and at any given moment you can now find tiny kidney beans all over the house.  But man does Felix (and Louise an Ainsley when they're around) LOVE it.  I'm currently working up my courage to get out the barbasol again some day.  Our dining room table could use a good cleaning ;o).

I'm having so much fun doing activities with Louise.  Her latest favorite is "scavenger hunt" where I make a list of household things for her to count and she runs around finding and counting and writing.   Most afternoons you can find us sipping on tea playing a game while we wait for kindergarten pick up.  She's really up for anything I throw at her.  I love that girl.

Ainsley had her 50th day at school this week. They were asked to dress in 50s apparel so I couldn't pass up the opportunity to make her a circle poodle skirt.  I just bought 2 yards of felt off the roll, measured her waist and cut a circle right in the middle, measured the length we wanted from her waist and cut the outer circle accordingly, cinched the waist with fold over elastic, added a felt poodle and yarn leash, ta da!!!! So cute and fun.  We spent a whole afternoon making circle skirts for dolls with leftover fabric.  After two very successful free skates with Ian I signed Ainsley up for ice skating lessons.  She starts next week and is BEYOND excited.  

Louise has been mentioning sports more and more and I found a park district class for preschoolers that introduces all sorts of sports in a 5 week course.  She starts that tonight and is also very very pumped.  She'd also like to start practicing to be Elsa in a broadway musical.  She'd very much like if I let her grow her hair long and dyed it white.

I keep talking about how when I was their age I took piano lessons, played T-ball and took dance classes but they have no interest.  It's so fun to see my little people emerge, get to know them better, what they like, what they're good at.  I love watching them learn.

Now that Halloween has passed I'm gearing up even more for the holidays.  I'm not going as nuts as I did two years ago with making gifts, but close to it. I need to plan carefully to get it all done.  So of course Im currently working on something totally unrelated to Christmas gifts (and loving every second).  I stumbled across the most beautiful skein of hand dyed merino when I was at our local knit shop looking for a skein for another more practical project.  It screamed MY GIRLS! to me and I just had to get it.  I've been wanting to make them both small cowls (neck warmers) since last winter and now seemed like the perfect time.  I'm using the honey cowl pattern again which shows off the variegated yarn so beautifully.  I totally want one of my own now.  Maybe for my birthday?

Speaking of impulse purchases, I bought a heated blanket at Costco today and it's one of the best decisions I've ever made.  The kids fight daily over the small heat pad we have so a giant throw seemed like a good solution.  As we speaking Felix is conked out bundled under it.  It's just the thing we need in this old drafty house on the cusp of winter.

Cooking is going well despot my sick start to the week.  I managed to make a chicken and rice casserole on Tuesday that we already devoured.  Ian's had a down week at work so as a pick me up Louise, Felix and I went to the store today to stock up for some fun food for the weekend.  Tonight it's penne ala vodka and white cake for dessert.  Tomorrow (or Sunday) I'm going to try my hand at authentic swedish meatballs.  Wish me luck!  Other than food we have no plans for the weekend, which I'm thankful for.  The weeks go by so fast and next weekend/week Ians' off to a conference, then Thanksgiving is right around the corner.  It's going to fly.  I'm thankful for the slow pace while we can have it!

Have a wonderful weekend friends!

Food This Week (11/3)

Oh how plans change.

Sunday night I had a list all ready for my food shopping for the week.  I'd watched a Martha's Cooking School that morning about one pot meals and was inspired to make some poached cod and a spanish chicken and rice dish.  Then Monday I woke up with some pretty screaming sinus pain and ended up in bed all day thanks to a husband who was able to take the day off.
This morning I revamped, knowing there was no way I was going to motivate to make two one hour meals this week.  I cracked open my Joy of Cooking, found some good comfort food, managed to get groceries this morning with Felix and now am just sitting here while the kids watch some TV waiting for Ian to come rescue me because the Dayquil is only doing so much.

Ham, broccoli (or spinach) and cheese strata (or quiche, whatever spirit moves me)

Chicken and Rice Casserole (from Joy of Cooking, homemade delicious mushroom cream sauce version) and carrot pennies (from Moosewood)

Pioneer Woman's Comfort Meatballs with cornbread stuffing with broccoli

Chicken Barley soup and bread (perhaps pumpkin?)

Red Lentils over rice (from the freezer)

Veggie burgers with leftover chili from our block party (I found a veggie burger Ian likes at TJs, success!)

I also got two bags of our favorite potstickers, tomato soup, Joe's Os and hebrew national franks, and frozen macaroni in case this bug holds tight a bit longer. And I restocked on some snacks this week.  String cheese, breadsticks and pub cheese, dried fruit, crackers. Sometimes easy food is the best food.

Now I feel ready to keel over.  Nothing like a doable meal plan and full fridge to help a mama sleep well.
I hope none of you get this cold bug.  No fun!