It's been a while since I've posted anything.  I think the bitter cold has numbed my brain, so, this is just a quick update!


In the TUNDRA ( as I'm calling it), the time you can get outside is fast and fleeting.  If you don't run out and get some playtime during the MOMENTS it's warm, you'll miss it.  So, when the forecast gave us twelve short hours of temperatures above 30 degrees, we RAN for the yard!



 We shoveled a path to the middle of our yard, and the big boy and I started a fort!

Fort Progress

 We didn't bother to finish it -we just laid the ground work...when it's warmer again, maybe we'll try again.  It was fun - I jumped in my snow pants and showed him how it was done - it was a blast!  He was shocked that 1) they made "grown up snow pants," and 2) that I might possibly know how to build a fort ("But you're a MOM!")!

On my valen-birthday, my mom took the kids down to the local sledding hill (it's just down the street).  The little ones were NOT fans of sledding (the fact that it was 12 degrees probably didn't help), but they were excited when they got to the bottom, and saw this playground!  They played with their snowball makers, and sleds, and had a wonderful time.  Grandma wanted to sled more - they weren't interested when they found they could ride a bumblebee!

Yes, playgrounds are STILL fun in the winter!

 Because of the bitter cold (the WEEKEND HIGH was 1 degree - LITERALLY ONE DEGREE), we've spent LOTS of time cooped up in the house.  The boys had ONE DAY of school this week!  Sheesh!

Needless to say, by Friday they were climbing the walls!

I mentioned to my mom that I wanted to do SOMETHING (ANYTHING) to get out of the house, and she mentioned that she'd got a new bowling ball for Christmas and hadn't got to use it yet.  And, that set it all in to motion - Family BOWLING NIGHT!

Now, remember - when "Family" is mentioned, it's not the five of us - no sir!!  Considering that Hubby was working, and Ben was having Nonna withdrawals (he wanted to stay with my in-laws, because it was cuddly), that set the total count of bowlers at FIFTEEN.  *grin*

We got two lanes for $44 for one hour (less than $3 per person for an hour of fun?  I'll take it!), and had the kids on one lane (with Grandma), and the grown ups on a another.  My parents and I covered the lanes, my siblings provided the music (via jukebox), snacks and drinks for all.  We all had SO MUCH fun!!!

Ever tried taking pics in a bowling alley?  It's tough work!

Forgive the evil robot eyes...like I said, bowling alley's are no place for quality pictures

I think it was just the right treatment for cabin fever!  Spending time all together, being "active," and silly!  It was the best!

This was the result of the snow storm that came through last week. 

*GRIN*

 

I was given the day off!  SNOW DAY!!!!  The day started ICE COLD (in these pictures, it was ZERO), but sunny...and with black snow pants, we didn't notice.  :o)

Daddy's Helper :o)

We spent the day as our tiny family (the big boys stayed with their Mom), and played in the snow...well, the dog & I played in the snow...Ben & Daddy WORKED. 

It was nice - no plans, no deadlines, no time clock.  Me, my boys (half of them, at least), and my dog, at my home. 

That's the good stuff.  :o)

My Baby Brother's Family

It's just so sweet...I love this picture!!!

Welcome home, Marshall Thomas!

 

*grin*

Ben keeps saying, "Did Uncle Timmy name really name his new baby Marshmallow?"

 

:o)

 

Lyrics

My brother and his family were shocked to learn that they were expecting a baby.

And while, at the time it was terrifying, everyone had become so thrilled to welcome this new person into our lives and hearts.

 

Yesterday, that little person was found without a heartbeat.  I've written before that our family's love doesn't begin or end in death or birth.  And, in this tiny life lost, we grieve. 

We grieve for the little person that could have been.  We weep for the pain my brother and sister-in-law are feeling.  We feel betrayed by the promise of life.  We feel violated and robbed from missing the chance to be part of this little one's life. The good side is that we, as a family, don't grieve alone.  The bad side is that because we grieve as a family, we ALL feel this hurt. 

Sitting at work, sleep deprived, but unable to explain this hurt and loss to coworkers, this song came on in my queue from my internet radio.  It was then that I went to the bathroom for that UGLY cry we all like to pretend we don't have.

 

 

 

The Father has a plan, though it's hard to see it now.

You feel you're walking all alone, but He is there no doubt.

When the storm around you rages, and you're tossed to and fro,

When you're faced with life's decisions, not sure which way to go...

 

Stand Still

and let God move

Standing still is hard to do

When you feel you have reached the end, He'll make a way for you

Stand Still and let God move

 

When the enemy surrounds you, and the walls are closing in

When the tide is swiftly rising, and you wonder where He's been

There never was a moment, His arms weren't reaching out

You can rest assured, and be secure God is moving right now

 

Stand Still

and let God move

Standing still is hard to do

When you feel you have reached the end, He'll make a way for you

Stand Still and let God move

 

The answer will come, but only in His time.

Stand Still and let God move

 

 

We live life so casually, forgetting just how fragile we really are.  That something can throw our life to a tailspin in the blink of an eye.

 

Hug your babies today, people.

 

 

Last week, we got snow.  Yay! 

Last year, neither of these two wanted ANYTHING to do with it.  THis year?  We couldn't keep them in the house!  Yes, Ben is in his jammies...when I told him we needed to change his clothes before we went outside (it was the first light of the day...don't judge!  *wink*), he told me, "Mumma!  There's no time!~Just get my coat!"

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

It was as if he was worried we would miss the snow if we didn't get outside right NOW.  :o)

 

Life is fleeting.  If we don't step outside and enjoy it RIGHT NOW, instead of waiting until we're ready to face the world, we may miss it.

 

This little man teaches ME.  Every Day.

Less...lesson 1 - FOOD

My first Lesson Plan for Living On Less is centered around food.

Tasty Snack- Labor Day Camping

I didn't realize how tough it would be to find pictures to go with this post!

When I became a (step)mom, something strange happened.  I became a food hoarder!  I don't really know how this happened, because it truly seemed to have just been a switch that was flipped. 

Just before I was married, I had been living on my own for TEN YEARS.  In that time, except that I kept a water filter pitcher in the refrigerator, I may not open my refrigerator for WEEKS at a time.  I was single, and life was simple.  I moved my foodstuffs over to our new home in two grocery bags.

Then, sometime during our first summer, I started NEEDING to buy more & more food.  My grandma's knack for a good deal started working for food and snacks instead of new shoes and handbags.  If I found a good deal on something my family would eat, I went crazy.  Is that Sweet Baby Ray's Barbeque Sauce on clearance two bottles for a $1?  I'll take twelve!  Sheesh - this liquid gold is usually $3-4 a bottle, so I just saved our future selves TONS of money!  Then, a week later, it's still on clearance?  I'll take 6 more!  I know we haven't cracked the seal on a single one yet, but we MIGHT SOON.  And, when that day comes, I'll be READY.

...yes, I'm serious...

Last winter, we decided to update our old ice cream freezer, and buy a real ice chest.  I moved (*gulp*) THIRTY packages of hot dogs from one freezer to the next.

In a YEAR, I haven't purchased any new - and we still have FOURTEEN packages, and that's after giving my sister a grocery bag full of her own.

But they were only 10 packs for $10...I bought them...constantly. 

I have learned that I can get them for this price about 4 times a year, so when I get in a pickle, if I'm only patient, they'll be cheap again.

But...wowzers.

When we were newlyweds, I had a small closet and our refrigerator for food.  Now, I have all of that, as well as a large deep freeze, and a massive shelving unit in the laundry room overflowing with food.

It's time to wrangle this in...the problem is that all of the food I've purchased is like the BBQ sauce - it's food fixin's to help MAKE other foods.  This is gonna be tough...

I've decided no "food makers" will be purchased until this is cleared by at least 50%.  That means LOTS of barbequed foods, and recipe searches that need black beans and beef broth - maybe not together. *wink*

Daddy's Helper...and a year of less...

I just love this little man!  He just  makes me giggle every day.  He wears me out every day.  He's the strangest little person, and it's just amazing to see him become a person.

 

 

What a great helper...

...

 

 

...

So, in my attempts at a year of less, there is one thing I'm really trying to make more...and that's posting.  I think I need somewhere to check myself - to see if I'm making progress, and record these moments in my life.

I like the idea of being able to connect to people on MY terms. In this format, it's always been a comfortable access point for me.  I think because the "time" I share with people in a blogging environment isn't dependent on me being in the SAME MOMENT as those I'm connecting with - in all honesty.  I don't have to take time away from that handsome snow removal man (and his Daddy), to truly connect with other people.  And, I truly feel I can connect this way.

I will be making a move toward LESS this weekend.  I haven't decided how I will use this blog in this process - to snap a photo or not?  Who knows...let's wait and see...