Two Red Heads and a Boy-le

Fishing

2011-05-25T09:10:00.003-04:00

Since we are not living with Gramps this summer, I had to go out and buy my fishing license so Ro could get her fix!
That girl loves fishing, and thankfully the Easter bunny brought her a new fishing pole!

I am the queen of catching sunfish too... just saying

Rawr!!! Attack of the killer robot crab!

2011-05-18T21:54:00.001-04:00

The place to be...

2011-05-18T21:43:00.003-04:00

So apparently our new place is the place to be! We have fire pits regularly with family and friends! oh and fyi..if you can't find marshmallows to toast.. peeps work just as well.

I'm spontaneous, what can I say?

2011-05-18T21:40:00.004-04:00

I had a dream my nose was pierced, and then I HAD to have it pierced.. so I did.

Spring T-Ball

2011-05-18T21:31:00.002-04:00

So excited to be back in civilization where they over pre-k sports programs!

Jillian Michaels 30 Day Shred results

2011-05-18T21:18:00.002-04:00

Before - January

After - March

My newly aquired man muslces! lol

Happy 5th Birthday Rowan Aislan!

2011-05-18T20:02:00.003-04:00

I can't beleive my baby girls is 5 years old! She has grown so much in the past year and her little personality has just bloomed! She is quirky, funny, dramatic and crazy. Destined to be a class clown, she finds nothing more entertaining than singing and dancing until she gets both myself and her daddy laughing hysterically.

She is in love with Justin Beiber but would never admit it because... gasp.. that would be sooo embarassing.

She starts kindergarten this fall.... sniffles.

We had her party at a health club swimming facility this year. She felt she was "to old" for the Children's museum again. I did a beach theme, and I got the most amazing cupcakes made by a good friend. They came out adorable.

We swam, laughed, played, and ate yummy treats. Afterwards a good number of our guests came back here to brave the cloudy cold day to hang out around our firepit and BBQ. :) Good times were had by all.

Fallen

2011-05-18T09:17:00.002-04:00

I have fallen off the face of the blog land planet! I apologize! I have been so busy with life that my poor little ole blog has suffered the consequences!

I will give you a brief rundown of what has gone on the last 5 months.
1. We survived the holidays and the horridly loooooooooooong New England Winter.
2. I have started running outside again!! woo hoo!
3. We celebrated Rowan's 5th birthday, man she is growing up so fast!
4. We signed Rowan up for kindergarten... sniffles!
5. We are working on cleaning up the yard, planting gardens, and getting ready to enjoy a lovely summer.
6. I started my Masters of Elementary Education up and have been knee deep in text books and research papers.. I am loving every second of it though!

That about sums it up! I will do my best to post a few photos etc today and will try try try to start blogging again.

Hope everyone is doing well!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-25T09:23:00.003-04:00

We had a wonderful Easter with beautiful weather and plenty of family and love!

Happy St. Patty's from the Boyles

2011-03-17T21:12:00.000-04:00

Hotel Slumber Party

2011-02-25T20:45:00.000-05:00

Once a year my BFF gets a hotel room and takes her daughter for a night out. This year she invited Rowan and I along for a fun girls sleep over! We watched 13 dollar movies on tv, ate mass quantities of room service and sent time swimming and hot tubbing... epic!

Christmas

2011-01-13T07:51:00.005-05:00

Wow, I can't believe it took me so long to update!

Christmas was so amazing this year. We made gazillions of cookies, had everyone over here after presents for breakfast, and spent the entire day in the caring embrace of our loved ones and family.

Rowan was adorable waking up to her surprises from Santa. I made such a big deal out of it, that she wound up acting all nonchalant and cool walking out to see the tree....

She always tries to get me that kid....

Either way, Mr. Boyle and I both agreed it was our best Christmas ever.

Cookies!!!

Me and Mr. B at the family Christmas Eve party... if only he hadn't made a funny face

We three = love

Leaving cookies for Santa

Santa Came!!!!!

Presents!

A little power wheel drag racing always rounds off a good Christmas morning

3 Days until Christmas...

2010-12-22T13:26:00.003-05:00

Watching the snow fall outside the window... and feeling the peace and slow comfort of the season.

A little homemade Christmas

2010-12-22T13:18:00.002-05:00

Ingredients:

1 cup plus 2 tbs of Cinnamon
3/4 cup of apple sauce
Lots of Love

Directions:

Mix and roll out dough.... cut with cookies cutters... punch hole for string.

Bake at 200 for 2 1/2 hours.

Voila!!! Christmas gifts for the whole family :)

Let is snow let is snow let is snow.....

2010-12-22T13:15:00.002-05:00

Our first snow fall of the year.. which is super late for NH.. so needless to say a certain 4 year was pretty darn excited about it....

Even at 7 am... when she insisted she get outside immediatly to taste the first flake.. haha

The moments that create traditions

2010-12-22T13:06:00.002-05:00

I am such a traditions oriented person. I love doing things that create memories for the holidays, and that always includes Rowan and I building a gingerbread house.

Despite multiple conversations about why we couldn't eat it, we still had fun :)

Whooooooooooo

2010-12-22T13:04:00.002-05:00

Loving this little Owl hat I whipped out for Rowan.... but I think she may be cuter.

Like Mother like Daughter

2010-12-22T13:01:00.001-05:00

My kid is practically a computer genius. And without even being able to read, she can navigate the pages of Nickjr.com like a pro.... lol

oh tannenbaum

2010-12-15T08:22:00.005-05:00

I love making memories for the holidays...and part of that for me, has always been cutting our own tree. Barney and I have been going to this little tree farm since we met... its run but an old man that uses the money he makes on the sale of the trees to pay his taxes.

I love being able to assist him in his retirement while creating that special memory with my family. The only thing missing was snow!

What about Bob?

2010-12-15T08:15:00.003-05:00

As I mentioned, Rowan has been taking swim lessons the last few weeks. One of her biggest dislikes about the class is having to wear her hair up. She is a very sensitive about things that feel different.. IE pants that are to tight, shirts that feel weird and especially pony tails!

After a few fights in the dressing room concerning her long hair and needing to put it up for her lessons, I made the decision to just go ahead and chop it all off!

I introduce the Bob! And she pulls it off fantastically!

Lost in a sea of Pink

2010-12-15T08:12:00.002-05:00

Daddy is so good about playing "girl".....

Mmmmmm

2010-12-15T08:08:00.001-05:00

white Chocolate Dipped Peppermint Cookies.... Mmmmmmm

More Ink

2010-12-14T08:06:00.003-05:00

I have been wanting to get a tattoo of a paisley on my foot for quite some time now. I am not sure why, other than I simply find them to be beautiful.

With my recent completion of a half marathon, I thought perhaps I could design a tattoo that would commemorate my accomplishment and also incorporate a paisley.. after all I am frugal, and why not kill two birds with one stone?

So for my birthday around Thanksgiving, Mr. Boo made me an appointment an off I went with sketch in hand!

And since I was already going under the needle, I thought a little ode to Mr. boo was in order.... I just heart him so much!

Oh the Weather outside is frightful... and the FIRE is so delightful

2010-12-06T09:09:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, on a coooooold night, we decided to have a bonfire.

We got all bundled up in our warm winter clothes and called our family to join us :)

There's nothing like cuddling around a fire with cups of hot cocoa and roasted marshmallows while listening to Christmas music on a cold fall night.

Just keep swimming....

2010-12-06T09:02:00.001-05:00

Now that we are finally settled into our new home and work life... I thought it was time to start searching for an activity for Rowan.

I gave her the choice of Ballet, Karate or Swim lessons.

She chose swim! That kid would live in the water if I let her.

She has been doing it for a few weeks now and has come so far.

She went from being terrified of putting her face in the water to swimming a few feet on her own and dunking her whole head under!

Yay to my princess!

Puggy Business

2010-12-06T08:24:00.004-05:00

A few years ago when the entire fiasco occurred with losing the house... we had to rehome our Pug Erwin before we moved up north.

My husband has missed him dearly ever since.

And then, one day after we moved here..... we got a call.

The couple that took Erwin wanted to know if we'd like him back!
Apparently he was crafty and had figured out how to break into their chicken coop and was eating all their eggs!

TUBBY PUGGY!

and so he is home again... and oddly, its like he never left.

It odd how you find yourself missing dog snot flinging into your face every 5 minutes.

Halloween.. BOOOOOOOOOO HOOOOOOOOO

2010-11-07T17:37:00.002-05:00

I wish I could tell you we had a great Halloween, but we did not.
Rowan is afraid of anything in a mask, and at about our 9th house into trick or treating, a boy jumped out from behind a door in a bloody scary mask and costume.

My child ran away screaming, faster than a scared cheetah.. down the driveway, straight into the car to the back seat, shaking and crying. I didn't even know what had happened until I noticed the boy... she ran off that fast.

It was borderline hysterical actually.... Until she refused to go anywhere else but home.

Boooooooooooooooooo!

Well here is the one cute pic I got.. before we headed out for the night.

My beautiful princess Ariel.

Corn Maze 2010

2010-10-21T10:08:00.009-04:00

I love corn mazes!! They're just so much fun to me. Oh and I guess the kiddos love them too!

It's become a bit of a fall tradition for us to visit the Coppal House Farm in Lee NH in order to partake in thier yearly maze, and it was wonderful not to have to drive a few hours to get there this year, haha

All of Rowan's old friends met up with us and then we all journeyed back to our place to carve pumpkins together.

The kids had so much fun playing in the backyard and with Rowan's toys however, that we never got to the pumpkins.

Its ok though, because we definitely got to the laughs!

Children's Museum Day Trip

2010-10-21T09:50:00.004-04:00

I was very excited when my BFF added Rowan to her family membership at the Children's Museum in Dover.... so on our first rainy day here in the new place, we headed over!

What a great way to kill a few hours!

Settled in

2010-10-21T08:30:00.006-04:00

Its been a few weeks now and we've settled right into our new place. I have started a new part time job that I am loving, Mr. Boyle is enjoying his new 12 min commute, and being along as a family is wonderful!

We've dove right into the local activities we used to enjoy so much!

And since I now have "real" internet, please enjoy all the photos!!!

Playing in her new backyard

Wagon Hill with our friends

We're off to see the wizard.....

I love wagon hill.... it's just so amazingly beautiful!

We are cuteness!

Picking out our pumpkin at the Barrington pumpkin barn

Fall/Halloween Photo Shoot with Miss Rowan :)

2010-09-28T15:42:00.003-04:00

Huge News!

2010-09-21T14:29:00.003-04:00

We are moving back home to the seacoast area! After about a year of getting back on our feet after losing our house and my layoff and everything else that happened to us, we're finally flying the coop!

I am so excited to be back around all of our family and friends... and I look foward to living near civilization, stores and towns that actually have cable!!!

WOOO HOOO!

My baby girl is growing up way to fast!

2010-09-21T14:16:00.004-04:00

There is a little girl down the road named Autumn whom has quickly become Rowan's little best friend. She visits often,they play at one another's house, and know how to tear a room apart in about 5 minutes flat!

A few weeks ago she being almost 9 years old, asked my 4 1/2 year old if she wanted to sleep over.

GASP!!

After swallowing my terror at allowing my baby to sleep somewhere else for the first time EVER in her life, I figured letting her sleep over at house that was literally 100 feet away was probably the best way for her to experience her first sleep over. At least I was close enough to go get her if she freaked out.

But of course it was only mummy and daddy that were freaked... she didn't' call once... and apparently had a great time with out us.

We weren't even sure what do with ourselves... so we had a nice quite evening alone... it was... well.... weird... haha

Its that time of year again!! APPLE PICKING!

2010-09-21T13:59:00.004-04:00

Its amazing how much sooner the fall arrives here in northern NH.... Already leaves are changing color and all the fall harvests are coming in. Including apples!

There is a new orchard right here in town so we decided to go check it out and it was a beautiful place!
The owner was an absolute sweet heart and loved talking to Rowan and her friend Autumn. She showed us around, explained what apples were ready for picking and even gave us a tour of her pumpkin patch.

The apples of course were delicious and so was the company!

A little bribe goes a long way

2010-09-21T13:52:00.002-04:00

DON'T TAKE MY PICTURE MOM!!!!!!!!

What's that?? I can have a handful of chocolate chips? OK!!!!!

New Edition

2010-09-21T12:52:00.008-04:00

Last month, as my dad was outside chopping down a rotted tree in the yard, a kitten popped out from over our rock wall and wouldn't go away. She was thin, flea bitten and filthy.

Of course we took her in, not fully knowing what we started. Some neighborhood kids came walking down the street with a story of seeing a car stop, dump a ton of kittens on the road, and take off.

Oh great!

Sure enough, we found another one in the field behind our house, and then another one surfaced found in a dumpster... and they just kept popping out of the wood work.

We thankfully found homes for all but one... but since Rowan lived with a house full of kittens, she sure as heck wasn't going to go without one for herself. How can you say no to those big blue eyes?

and so we wound up with Oliver! An orange and white tiger kitty who came from a rough background. But he's oh so cute :) and quite frankly, I adore the little bugger.

Sassy pants!

2010-09-21T12:35:00.003-04:00

Rowan informed me a few days after she started preschool, that she had acquired herself a new boyfriend already.

What can I say? The girl has her mother's charm and good looks.

For her 2nd day of preschool she came down the stairs, dressed to the nine's like Hannah Montana and announced that her "new boyfriend was gonna think she was soooooo hot."

Oh Boy! We're in trouble!

Hopkington Fair

2010-09-07T14:43:00.004-04:00

Oh I do so love me a country style fair! Cows, the smell of hay mingled with french fries and sausage subs, dust and fast flashing rides.

What's not to adore!

This past weekend we went to the Hopkington Fair again... Last year was our first time going and we enjoyed it. It's certainly not as large as some of the past fairs we've been too, but it had alot more animal barns which is Rowan's favorite part anyhow :)

Overall it was a great day! Rowan wanted to visit every animal barn at least twice, she loved the petting zoo filled with baby goats, and she even talked us into buying her a pillow pet! Oh swooooooon

Winding down into fall....

2010-09-07T14:36:00.003-04:00

Thank goodness for this cool autumn air.. I am absolutely relishing in it.

This past week Rowan and I have started our homeschooling Pre-k Lessons back up as well as her starting at a local preschool 2 days a week. She really needs the interaction with other children, she is positively starved for playmates.

Today was her first day... and she was just bubbling over with excitement. She practically jumped out of my moving vehicle and ran down the driveway to get to the front door of the school haha.

At pickup time, her teacher told me she was given Kudos because she approached a very shy unhappy little boy during art time. He had not uttered a peep all morning to adult or child alike. Rowan apparently went over to him t share her art project and then proceeded to make funny faces at him until he started giggling and talking to her. When I picked her up they were happily playing firemen in the outdoor playhouse. ADORABLE!

I asked her on our drive home what made her want to approach the boy, and she said that "God likes us to be nice people to others and he looked sad and alone."

AWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW I love that little girl.

Phew!!! Glad its over

2010-09-01T17:25:00.002-04:00

What a totally consuming thing it is to train for a half marathon. I feel as though all I've done all summer was run, run and then run some more.

But guess what... I DID IT!!!!

Coming in! 2 hours, 39 minutes!

Crossing the line, I was looking back at Rowan cheering for me.

All hot and sweaty but still standing with the support of my little family :)

My running partner Ang

A day trip to the mountains...

2010-08-04T07:08:00.009-04:00

One of the best parts about living in NH is that we're close to cities, oceans and mountains. There are so many amazing things to see and do!

This weekend we decided to do a little day trip to the mountains. I can remember doing this with my parents when I was little. I'm very "traditions" oriented, and I find myself always trying to recreate moments from my past with Rowan. Does anyone else out there do this?

Anyhoo, we had an amazing time, and I was very humbled by the shear size of Franconia Notch , the area we drove through.
The Notch coming into view

The Basin - a natural pool of water created by 1000's of years of flowing water

This water was ice cold.. but how could I resist!

The little miss and I, she is so goofy

She adored playing in the water

I heart him

I wish a picture could show you how huge this thing is

Boise Rock - being held up by my little super hero ;)

Rowan took this picture lol

Another Rowan photo, she's not to bad witht he camera lol

At the top of the big rock.

More amazing views

The "NO man" of the mountain, so sad that its gone!

Birthday parties!

2010-07-28T08:33:00.003-04:00

Rowan has 3 birthday parties in a row to attend, the first being this past saturday for her best friend Lily.

It was a great party, complete with a pool, a traveling zoo show, and a bouncy house!

We had a great time, made even more fun since my two buddies Ryan and Elissa were there :)

She's going the distance

2010-07-27T08:37:00.001-04:00

Sunday, I had a 10 mile run on my half marathon training plan. It was to be my 2nd 10 mile run. This time around I found an energy strategy that really worked for me. 1 Caprisun Fruit Juice pouch before the run, followed by GU energy gels every 45 mins.

I felt so great, that I just kept going after the 10..... right on to the full 13.1!!!

The last 2 miles were brutal... and when I finished, I collapsed on some one's front lawn and I cried....

I cried for the months on end I've been training, the the 65 lbs I have lost, and the person I left behind in the dust that couldn't even climb the stairs.

I did it! I ran a half marathon!!!!

And thats about the point where I was stampeded by goats

2010-07-09T12:54:00.005-04:00

A few weekends ago Mr. Boyle went of to a weekend of drunken camping with his Electrician buddies, so Little Miss and I, headed off to the Seacoast area to visit with my Bestie and her daughter who is the same age as Rowan.

We had a fun sleep over where the girls put on dress up clothes and way to much makeup followed by a day at the zoo.

I could not wait to take Rowan on this trip. Now that she's 4, she is soooo into animals and other fun things. She was super psyched to see an elephant and hopefully a kangaroo or two.

There were so many wonderful creatures to see, and at one point while in an enclosure where you could go feed goats, I was completely stampeded by a group of hungry mama goats nearly knocking me down. Oh well, I lived. The baby goats were adorable.... and they would not STOP trying to suckle on the edges of my summer dress. It made me want to take one home and name it something cute like Henry, or Herb, and walk it around on a leash.. adorableness!

Photo Friday - what do you love about yourself?

2010-07-02T15:23:00.004-04:00

These are my feet. I can't really say enough about these lovely beauties.

For one, there's that kick-azz Henna inspired tattoo I've got there, designed by yours truly.

Second, how could you not love those awesome flip flop tan lines?

Third and most important, these bad boys are my life line to the road. The road I run on.... for miles and miles.

The feet that have propelled me for all those miles, helping me lose 60 pounds, that are getting me through half marathon training, and the ones that help me chase around my beautiful red headed daughter.

These bad boys are definitly my favorite thing about myself.... for all of the amazing things they've done for me.

BFF's

2010-06-21T10:13:00.002-04:00

My BFF and I are pretty silly when we get together, so I thought I'd share these funny photos of us at Market Square day in Portsmouth, so you could giggle as us just as much as we giggle at each other.

More races, weight loss and Half Marathon training

2010-06-21T09:50:00.005-04:00

I am in week three of my Half Marathon training now! Woo hoo!!

Part of my training involves racing events, which are always fun and challenging.

This Sunday I ran in a 4 mile run to benefit cancer research. It was a great little run but the heat was INTENSE! I lost 3 lbs in water... don't worry I chugged more down all day.

My mileage has steadily been going up which is great and now that my weight is dropping again (down almost 60 at this point) my miles are getting faster too.

Last year I ran at a 14 min pace, now I'm at about an 11. Yay for progress!

Quechee Balloon Festival

2010-06-21T09:26:00.003-04:00

This weekend was the Quechee Hot Air Balloon Festival. We went last year also and the balloons were so fun to watch.

Unfortunately this year, there were some thunder heads brewing above so they didn't launch any balloons. They did have one laying on the ground sideways filled with fans so that you could go inside, so we at least got to dd that.

The saddest part was that last year Rowan was quite afraid of the noise created by the balloons and this year she was all gun hoe about seeing them. I guess we'll have to go back again in 2011!

Either way, we enjoyed the fair ground food, saw a great band perform, and relaxed in the lush green grass of the expansive fields.

Afternoon Delight - Photo Friday

2010-06-21T09:10:00.004-04:00

Miss Calliope asked for photos this week, concerning what we do with our afternoons. That time of day for me is usually when running, cleaning and all other chores are done, and I get to spend time with my munchkin.

So without further ado.. a montage of my afternoons...

My little piggy

2010-05-31T11:27:00.002-04:00

This made my skin crawl, but she had fun, and sometimes that's all that matters.

Photo Friday: Black and White

2010-05-28T08:40:00.002-04:00

Miss Calliope assigned a black and white challenge this week, which I adore because B&W is my fave!!! Even when I paint, I like to paint B&W, in order to try to capture a mood with the image, and not with the colors.. now that's a challenge!

Anyhow, I took this photo a week or so ago while letterboxing in a conservation forest. This was called the pine tree pavilion... these trees were farmed and the straight rows they were in were borderline creepy, but you know, in a good way. They reminded me of the gravestones in a Veteran's cemetery.

Family Fitness

2010-05-10T15:03:00.004-04:00

My hubs actually ran a 5k with me this weekend!

He doesn't get into running quite like I do, but he's definitely trying to get back in shape lately. He alternates using our elliptical, with mountain biking and then occasionally throws in a run when he feels up to.

Turning 30 has been tough on him. He's feeling his age, and his ability to inhale food without ever worrying about what it does to his body has definitely gone out the window.

He's put on about 20 or so pounds in the last year and he HATES it! He doesn't feel healthy and he walks around sighing and looking at his slightly bulkier belly in the mirror like I used to look at my rear end.

I have to admit that it rather amuses me to see the tables turning. He ho hums about being "fat"(which he is NOT) and I'm out there running a gazillion miles feeling fit and fabulous.

For the last 4 years it has been the other way around.

I empathize for him though. He's not comfortable in his skin anymore and that's a feeling I understand all to well.

I encourage him as best I can to get in the exercise as much as possible, and I give him the raised eyebrow stare down when he picks up a bag of chips at the grocery store.

I've recently started watching my calories a bit closer in order to boost my weight loss for the half marathon training I'll be starting soon, so cooking him a satisfying gourmet and LIGHT meal has become an obsession of mine. He's been enjoying it for sure and I don't think he even realizes that I'm feeding him healthy foods. I'm sly like that haha.

Either way, I'm proud of him for running with me. I know its not easy when you first start a work out routine and most days your more discouraged than you are motivated.

So Kudos to the hubs!!! Here's to getting our sexy back. :)

His older sister also ran with us.

In Cahoots

2010-05-07T14:16:00.002-04:00

Somedays I feel as though I have two children.

I guess, I sort of do.

I have one 4 year old girl... and one 8 month old Golden Retreiver.

And when those two get together, it very seldomly amounts to good.

Case in point.

(he dug the hole, she supplied the water)

Summer breezes and DQ snacks

2010-05-01T17:47:00.007-04:00

Today we hooked up with my Friend Kat for a little playground playtime as well as some very unsuccessful letter boxing.

But that's ok, because the day ended with DQ ice cream... and that makes everything wonderful.

"Not" finding our letterbox...

She'd been sniffing dandelions...

Katrina and Aiden enjoying yummy ice cream snacks!

Very happy little girl.

Photo Friday

2010-04-30T12:03:00.004-04:00

I thought this would be fun to do. I have a simple point and shoot camera, but I think with some editing, even point and shoot photos can be beautiful :)

This weeks theme was Cooking and beverages!

I'm calling this beauty "Pan sauce in Cast iron"

Go here to view all submissions :)

Rowan's Mural

2010-04-28T12:11:00.004-04:00

Its April and its snowing outside today. Total ughness!

Since I refuse to take my flip flops off, we decided to stay in doors today and tackle a craft project I've been dying to do in Rowan's room for a while.

She had a big blank wall and a low ceiling where her bed sits, so today, we beautified it :)

I love how it came out, and now when you sit on the floor in front of her bed to play, you feel like your actually sitting under a tree.

Simple Life

2010-04-23T14:35:00.004-04:00

We live a simple life here in the mountains of NH which means we do a lot of outdoor activities. Now this isn't always by choice on my part. City girl misses her mall!!!

But my daughter is growing up with fresh air in her lungs and she's learning to enjoy the beauty of nature.

One of her favorite activities is fishing. She loves walking around the woods, exploring cold mountain streams with her toes, and most of all devouring little fried fishies she catches and kills with her Gramps.

Yesterday Gramps chased down a fish stocking truck, and found where they were dumping farmed fish into a local stream... so he ran home, grabbed all his fishing gear and loaded us into the car for a bit-o-fishing.

We only caught one little tiny brook trout, but we kept him, and later when we got home, Rowan thoroughly enjoyed him all fried up in some butter... Mmmmmmm

HAPPY 4TH BIRTHDAY!!!!

2010-04-19T09:09:00.005-04:00

I started this blog 2 years ago.

Mostly because my friend Katrina had one and I'm a follower like that.

(Of course now her blog is phenominal and practically famous and I've got like what? 15 followers? Oh but I do love all 15 of you so dearly!)

Anyhow back to the point. I started this blog 2 years ago when my baby girl turned 2. And well, now she's four *sobbing uncontrollably*

This weekend we had her big birthday bash. Once again our venue was the Children's Musuem of NH in Dover. I just adore it and we've had all of her birthdays there. Many of her wonderful friends came including her two BFF's Lorelei and Lily. Watching the three of them interact was priceless! They no longer play in tandum, they play and interact with one another. Their conversations are borederline adorable!!!

Rowan got a gazzillion wonder gifts and I'm still trying to find places to put them all... Which is quite pointless as she immediatly drags it back out once I've found it a home.

She had such a wonderful day and the smile never left her face. Happy Birthday baby girl!!!

Oh I should also mention that the party was Rock Star themed.. which is why her friends were all dressed up :)

Spring!

2010-04-14T18:48:00.007-04:00

I haven't been doing much blogging lately. Truth be told its because we have slower than death satelite internet here in the sticks and uploading pics takes forever. Poor excuse eh?

Here is a tiny snippet into what our days have been like lately.

Buddy the Golden retreiver puppy, is um, no longer a puppy.

New School manipulatives

Bakerella.com cake pops made by me.. voila!! so impressed with myself.

Easter Flowers

Our cacoon hatched! We had this guy in a buy box all winter... and finally on Easter day he made his way out! Sooooo super cool.

Building kid size picnic tables with Grampa

Painting picnic tables

Studying frog eggs

Smiling often

And playing of course

Happy Easter!

2010-04-04T08:25:00.005-04:00

We're jetting out soon to my In-Laws for Easter day, but I wanted to swing by and wish you all a wonderful holday!

And of course leave you with a few pictures of my adorable little Rowan as she woke up this morning in a frenzy to find her basket.

Basket Ready to be hidden!

Excited child, at the foot of my bed at 7am, begging for help to find her basket.

Look!!! Mama its in the shower! Isn't that silly!!

Checking out the goods

Easter Goodies

2010-03-24T16:22:00.005-04:00

It was my goal this Easter to fill Rowan's basket with inexpensive things. In the past I've spent quite a bit of money on toys and movies, but she's almost 4 now, and she's got toys coming out the ying yang!

Also, at this age she'll remember what she gets... so unless I want to commit to 100 dollar Easter baskets for the rest of her life, I need to make the change now!

Part of keeping things frugal, I decided to make a few of her goodies.

I checked this book out form the Library and created this adorable little breakfast gift pack.

And of course, because the girl is a sucker for Penguins, I just had to make this adorable little fella from the Lion Brand website. :)

I think next up on my list will be this guy from Lion Brand.

Add in a bunch of dollar store goodies, and she'll be good to go! Hopefully she doesn't realize the Easter bunny crochets like mummy does.

Weigh in Wednesday

2010-03-11T08:19:00.002-05:00

Forgot about this yesterday.

I had an ok week considering I was pmsing and I lived off of cookies and chocolate.

But, thankfully, it has been a wonderfully warm spring week here in New England so I've been running all week long. I got 5.29 miles in on Sunday before my feet started to hurt. I need new running shoes badly, but as a stay at home mom, I'm going to have to save up for an expense like that. I want to get really good shoes to support me through my half marathon training and that'll cost me at least a hundred dollars. Blah..... Anyone wanna donate to my cause and buy mama new shoes? lol

Anyhoo, I weighed in at 208.5 yesterday so I lost 1/2 a pound. I'll take it! It wasn't much, but at least it moved in the right direction.

Check it out! Our Abacus in use!!

2010-03-09T20:50:00.005-05:00

I'm bound and determined to raise a math genius. Rowan shows a huge affinity for math, and the fact that she gets it and I taught it to her is making me unbelievably excited.

I have daydreams of hauling her off to kindergarten only to receive a call from the school to advise me that she needs to skip a grade or two because of her geniusness-ness.

(OK, so I'm obviously a little full of myself, I pray for humbleness often)

Working out a problem

Oh the pride, I can hardly contain it.

Winter Carnival

2010-03-08T07:16:00.006-05:00

I've never thought of it as a big deal because I grew up in this town, but I guess being this close to an Ivy league school is kind of cool.

We live about 40 mins away from Dartmouth College, which around here is considered a hop skip and a jump.

At the Dartmouth owned Ski area this weekend, there was a Winter carnival celebration hosted to benefit CHAD (Children's Hospital at Dartmouth).

It was a fun event but the high light was most definitely the snow board box derby. There's not much funnier than a bunch of innocent kids, shoved inside a none to stable cardboard box, and shoved half way down a ski hill. The crashes were almost a bit frightening, and if we weren't surrounded by Pediatricians I might have raised a cry of protest.

No one was injured thankfully and the crowd got quite the chuckle.

Rowan included.... whom insisted on hooting and laughing at quiet moments when everyone else was silent...

That's my kid for you..... just ever so slightly off haha

The Hill

Now I know why people ski, I guess the views are pretty nice.

These kids were adorable with their pirate ship box.. they all dressed as pirates and had swords lol

I could totally use some bronzer or something... pasty!!!

More New England Spring

2010-03-05T15:22:00.003-05:00

It is very warm in New Hampshire today which is such a blessing after a cold long winter.

I dragged Rowan's pink princess bike out of the shed, and went for a lovely spring mud filled walk.

Spring hasn't arrived unless you have new rain boots!

Nothing makes a child more happy than a mud puddle

The top of an old inn at the end our road.

Riding!

Streamers and tiny hands

Behind every child on a bike, is a Mother watching, protecting and photographing!

Abacus!! Abacus!!!!

2010-03-04T16:53:00.011-05:00

(say abacus like the guy in Monty Python says Albatross, it makes me giggle hehe).

I made this! With my bare hands and power tools and stuff! I'm so stinking proud of myself I can't even put it to words!

Total cost 8 dollars in wood supplies from a craft store... way cheaper than the ones you can buy online!

Supplies gathered

Unfortunately they didn't have beads with holes as large as the dowels I was using, so I had to drill them all out to a larger size... all 50 of them!

Measured, pre-drilled, and ready for painting/assembly

I just couldn't stomach the thought of pain stakingly painting every single bead, so instead my daughter and I threw them into sandwich bags, added a few drops of food coloring an rolled them around. They got the coolest looking tie dye effect!

TA DA!!!!

Getting my dollar store craft on

2010-03-04T11:48:00.004-05:00

Who doesn't love the dollar store! And when I saw this cute little box, the educator in me had to turn it into a fun number game!

A little paint, a magic marker and some dollar store foam squares.. Voila!

Rowan an I are sure to get hours of enjoyment out of learning math and counting practice!

PS head on over to Sevin Family and check out what my friend Katrina did with the same box! We went shopping together and its amazing how two crafters can come up with such totally different things to do with the same object. (hers sort of puts mine to shame lol)...

Weigh in Wednesday

2010-03-03T07:05:00.002-05:00

I had a much better week this week!

I've stepped up my game quite a bit as far as work outs go. I've only been able to do the elliptical as we've gotten tons of snow here in New England, but instead of just going with the two 1/2 programs I use, I've been bumping up the resistance on them as often as possible and ending the workout with ten minutes on the hardest level.. which is insanely difficult and it nearly kills me.

Lastly, because of I have to take breaks from the elliptical to let my feet un-numb (common elliptical problem) I have added some crunches and stomach toning Pilate's moves to my breaks. I can feel my abs getting tighter already (under the baby flab of course).

Today I am down to 209. Only a 1 lb loss but considering the amount of strength training I'm doing, I'm not surprised... its also that time of the month again! gotta love it lol

Thinking spring...

2010-03-02T12:01:00.009-05:00

Tapped one of our little maple trees today, look!! The sugar is flowing!!!

Rowan even gave it a taste..

Or two....

Maybe 3

Gramps is working on a brush fire... to clear some trees.

We even explored some moss..

and of course, Rowan had to conquer the mountain.

Oh Spring, Please come faster!

Felt like I had a newborn

2010-02-27T19:56:00.003-05:00

The fabulous little Miss Rowan came down with a severe stomach bug last night at bed time. She told me she had a belly ache, which isn't unusual as she comes down with painful stomach cramps every time tooth brushing time is mentioned... convenient eh?

Needless to say I didn't believe her....

So I read her a book, sang Twinkle Twinkle and with a kiss and a mummy hug I left her to nod off while the hubs and I played an amusing game of scrabble.

(amusing because the boy can't spell, and he gets all excited when he makes a cool word like Kiddie which is supposed to spell kitty??? He went to college, I swear)

About 20 mins later I heard her screeching... I ran into her room expecting to see her pulling off another stalling bed time stunt, but instead found her standing in the middle of her new beige carpeted bedroom floor with a stream of red Crystal light and popcorn chunks spewing forth from her mouth.

(TMI???? sorry)

She was horrified.

She hasn't been sick since she started staying home with me after my lay off over a year ago, so throwing up to her wasn't even something I think she remembers.... she was only 2 or so the last time it happened, now she's almost four.

She cried, she told me she was scared.. and with wet eyes filled with giant crocodile tears, she said "Mama, when my no be sick anymore?"

BROKE MY HEART!!!

We attempted some ginger ale to settle her tummy, but 10 mins later she started crying again and I got into her room in time to hold her hair back as she threw up into a mixing bowl by her bed..... and since she'd climbed into my lap for comfort while she threw up, I was also blessed with pajamas covered in diarrhea when her rear end backfired all over me with the force of her vomiting.

It was super duper.

(but hey, that's what makes a Mom a Mom right?? We're troopers).

I spent the night waking up every 45 mins to an hour with her getting sick again. I haven't had a night of broken sleep like that since she was an infant and man alive have I been spoiled! How did I ever survive a year of that while trying to sustain a corporate career? They must have all thought I was stoned... Huh, maybe that's why I got laid off???

The kicker? Hubs, sound asleep in our bed, snoring away.

Don't get me wrong, he's a great dad, and if he had woken up he would have helped me in a second, but he just zonks out.

It amazes me how well a man can tune out a child or a baby. He never woke up with her as an infant either. Woman must have hawk ears. She made one tiny peep last night and I was awake, alert, and by her side before she had the chance to sit up in bed.

Barney?? ZZZZZZZZZZZzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz

I just don't get it!

Either way, she had a low grade fever for the rest of the day and by morning was able to stomach a tad bit of juice and some dry toast. By dinner she kept down a small piece of pizza.

She's on the mend, thank goodness.

And tonight, oh how I'll relish 8 full hours of uninterrupted sleep....... and how I'll rest assured that our decision not to have any more babies, is most definitely the right choice.

(don't worry, after 20 minutes of scrubbing, Hubs got the red vomit stain out of the carpet. See I didn't have to do all the work.)

Weigh in Wednesday

2010-02-24T08:00:00.003-05:00

This week was a bust weight wise, I didn't gain nor lose.

I have been running a lot and generally when I start running I put on quite a bit of muscle so I'm going to chalk it up to that as well as the fact that I came down with a cold Monday have not worked out for the past few days.

Overall however I'm happy that I didn't gain anything and even happier that the weather has been so warm that I was able to get outside for some runs. I even did a nice long 4 mile run on Sunday which was incredibly awesome.

Of course, today, I woke up to this.... Ugh... queue New England Nor'easter to dash my running dreams against the rocks.

Ahh well, it'll melt soon hopefully. I plan to start throwing in some strength training days with my cardio days. I want to focus on my abs for sure to get rid of the baby jiggle I've had going on there for the past 4 years, and definitely some leg stuff to help with my running.

Anyone have any great programs you use that you'd like to pass on?

Wednesday Weigh In

2010-02-17T07:42:00.002-05:00

It was a great week eating wise. I got back on track, ate close to the earth, limited my calorie intake and I worked out everyday but one.

I got a few runs in also on the warmer days which was wonderful.

Today I weighed in at 210.1 so I'm down 2 lbs :) My total weight loss is now 42 lbs.

I'm really looking forward to losing the next eight, because at 202 I will weigh what I weighed 4 years ago when I gave birth to my daughter (I really started packing the weight one once I stopped breast feeding her).

Then, I can officially move on to taking off that damn baby weight!! Better late than never right? I weighed 170 when I got married and then 6 months later got pregnant. I am hoping to be that weight by August when I run my half marathon, because it'll be a lot easier on my body.

Another goal I look forward too, is weighing under 180 pounds so I can officially be smaller than my husband. I asked him his weight the other day, and he joked around asking me if I thought he looked fat. I told him simply that I wanted to know how much farther I had to go to be smaller than him. He said "oh, how much farther babe?"

I just looked at him with a straight face and stated "that's not really open for discussion at this time." HAHAHAHA Good thing he doesn't read this blog!

And lastly, because having small goals is important in weight loss, I can't wait to get back under 200 lbs!

Over all I'm pretty pleased with myself! And ready for another successful week!

Remember when???

2010-02-16T20:22:00.003-05:00

Remember last year when I joined the ravelry Crochet Along? And I started making all those 12 inch squares?

Like, I'm totally done!

Happy Valentine's Day

2010-02-14T13:09:00.004-05:00

How have you spent your Valentine's Day so far?

Us??

A romantic morning ice skating. (swoon)

Well as romantic as you can get with one of these around anyhow.

At least we have plenty of love to share. All three of us.

Half Marathon

2010-02-11T14:13:00.001-05:00

Here is the link to my personal donation page for the half marathon. All proceeds will go to the Children's Hospital at Dartmouth (CHAD). Please donate to this awesome cause and help a fat girl reach her dream!!

http://blba.us/i.asp?id=336151-284033292-1

Wednesday Weigh In

2010-02-10T07:57:00.002-05:00

Whew boy was last week a colossal failure! I'm so glad to be home, around familiar things and eating healthy again!

I did exercise last week which was nice, but I ate like a living vacuum so it was all for naught.

I did weigh about 216 when I got home Saturday.

Today I'm back down to 212 thank goodness!

I've been running all week too which has been fabulous, I've really missed it.

And.... DRUM ROLL PLEASE! I've registered for a half marathon August 28th, I'm starting a 12 week training plan on June 12th! Super excited about that! SQUEEEEEE!!!!!!!!!!

Walking in a Winter Wonderland

2010-02-09T14:59:00.007-05:00

My dad has been laid off since November. He spends at least 8 hours a day in the woods now that he's home. Today, he found a great trail through the mountains so he came home to drag Rowan and I out into the cold.

I shouldn't say that, its 30 today, not too bad, and it was fantastic to go out and get some fresh air.

We hiked for almost 2 hours, all through the woods... over hills and under. There's nothing more beautiful than a winter wood.

Wednesday Weight In

2010-02-03T07:01:00.003-05:00

I'm experiencing some minor technical difficulties regaurding my weight today. We are house sitting for my in laws and I have no idea how accurate her scale is compared to my own... they're all different! I had planned on weighing myself when I left and then getting here and weighing myself immediatly upon arriving but that plan was lost in the chaos of relocating a 3 year olds home for a week. Egads!

So today according to her scale I am 215lbs. A weight increase. I'm curious to see what the scale at home says when we get back.

I have not being eating well though this week, I'll totally admit to that. My hubs grandmother brought over an apple pie baked in a giant 2 foot by 1 foot baking dish, yowza! And being in a different place has made it very hard to stick to what I did all last week.

I have been exercising however. Running no less which has been totally awesome! I've being using my elliptical since probably late October and I was able to go out there and still run 3 miles easily and in 37 mins which is 3 mins faster than I could this fall :) It has been awesome! and it makes me look foward to my workout times each day. I can't wait for spring so I can start running more regulary.

So anyhoodle, there is my weird messed up "not sure if its accurate" weigh in. :)

I hope your weeks were more consistant than mine!

UPDATE: I put little miss on the scale and she weighed 2 lbs more than her normal weight (she does not fluctuate) so that being said I think I'm at 213. Still higher than last week but like I said, I'm eating like crapola this week, plus I'm pmsing... hopefully next weeks results will be better!

Boys will be Boys

2010-01-30T17:51:00.004-05:00

So today we took Little Miss to see Disney On Ice: Princess Classics. It was a pretty big adventure for us and Rowan was excited for days! Once we got settled into our seats I had us cuddle in close together so we could snap a fun family pic.

What I did not know was that my boobs were all hanging out like, for everyone to see.

My hubs noticed however..... he failed to mention it though.

Queue funny family picture.

The show was great.. at least I thought so... Rowan was terrified... who knew that Ursula, Genie, and The Beast could be such horrifying things. One woman saw her with her thumb jammed in her mouth (she is NOT a thumb sucker) with tears streaming down her cheeks... and said "Aww poor thing, how old is she? Two??" and I had to answer..."nope.... almost 4, she's just a chicken."

ugh.

Oh after looking in the view finder of my camera, socking my husband in the arm, and having a redo.. we did get the cute family pic eventually. (its still a little chesty though)

Dollar Tree Store Valentine Craft project

2010-01-28T10:22:00.004-05:00

We're getting together next week with our fellow homeschooling friend for a little Valentine's Day party with her three children.

We can't wait! We've agreed to swap valentines so today Rowan and I had fun making them. I got this foam and the foam heart stickers at the dollar store.... so this was a nice inexpensive craft. We also laced the hearts with yarn I had on hand, which was great fun and practice for Miss Rowan. :)

Oh by the way

2010-01-27T15:52:00.003-05:00

Today is my anniversary! Happy 5 years to my hubs. :) Feels like just yesterday we ran off to Vegas... I still love him more than ever... My boo bear :)

Blog away the weight!

2010-01-26T21:31:00.015-05:00

It's no big secret on this blog that I've been on a major weight loss and exercise kick, so imagine my excitement when I found the Blog The Weight Away competition over at 4BabyAndMom!

Even more exciting, I was picked to join the black team which is being thrown into the competition which has already started, as a FUN twist! woo hoo!

Lets start off by saying that I've already lost 41 pounds! I started this whole process back in July when I began running using the Couch to 5k program which I absolutely adored and highly recommend! As the summer progressed I ran in a few 5k races and then started training for a 10k race in November. Unfortunately I injured my foot a few weeks prior to the race but I did get to the point where I was running 6 miles a day for a few weeks and it felt amazing!

I should preface this intro by saying that when I met my hubs I was a svelte 135 pounds, I ran 6 miles a day like it was nothing. So getting back to a point where I could run that far again was a huge accomplishment for me. HUGE!!

I started gaining weight right around the time I married the hubs. I had endometriosis so in order to protect my fertility the doc suggested I use birth control until I wanted to conceive but skip the sugar pills... basically I was hormoned up for 2 years... and boy oh boy did it wreak havoc on my body. Add to that, a new desk job where I sat all day complete with a corporate career too demanding to allow time for the gym and then a baby girl, and bam! I ballooned up! And when I say ballooned I mean up to.. egads, am I gonna say it? Yup.... Up to 252 pounds!

I wish I could say this was an all time high for me.. but its not. In 2000, I weighed in at 270 pounds! and I started a diet then and began exercising (and later running) losing a total of 135 pounds... (shortly after that I met the hubs).

ps do the math, if you do, you'll notice I lost myself in weight 270-135=135

I think that's the most frustrating part for me. I lost all that damn weight and then gained it all back! Urgh!!! Oh the work it took, and it went right down the tubes!

But here I am, back on the wagon so to speak. And I've learned a lot along the way. For starters, I eat way less when I exercise. I'm sure it has something to do with all those wonderful endorphins your body releases during workouts... and it replaces all those wonderful endorphins you get out of a brownie or a cupcake.

Second, I LOVE LOVE LOVE to run.. addicted almost... unfortunately I'm not running now. I am an outdoor runner and running in Northern NH in January just isn't feasible. I do however own a fabulous elliptical machine. I use it 4-5 days a week on the high resistance programs for an hour. I burn 1000 calories doing so which is pretty darn good. My overall goal with running however, is to start again this spring with training and run a half marathon by this fall, and by next fall to run a full marathon... I like lofty goals. :)

Third, its hella harder to lose weight when your in your 30's, the rumors are true! I lost those 135 lbs in my 20's in 10 months. 10 MONTHS! This time around its been just about 6 and I've only lost 40. I have not however been dieting. I eat what I want, including cookies or whatever, and I've still lost that weight. So my new game plan includes calorie counting.. I hate to do it but I do think the weight will come off faster... and eventually once my stomach shrinks, I won't want to eat my foot off (kidding, sorta).

So there is my intro... every week on Wednesday I'll be here to give you my weigh in during which I'll disclose my weight and measurements (no matter how painful) and then I'll hop on over to my teammates pages to give them encouragement and congrats!

Here's to happy weight loss success!

Today's Stats:
Weight: 211.8 lbs
Measurements: 43/39/47
Total Lost from Start: 41 lbs
Total Lost during competition: Just starting!

On to the pictures!

Here is today at 40lbs lost.

And this is last night... I had this bridesmaid dress in my closet and it fit again so I couldnt' resist trying it on :)

This summer before I started

The Goal!

Sledding!

2010-01-23T16:31:00.006-05:00

Barney had to do some online training today for work so I packed little Miss up in the truck, drove 3/4 of a mile down the road and we went sledding! There is a new church that was built a year go that is still partially under construction, and it just so happens to have an awesome hill in its field.

We had such so much fun! And since i'm an exercise-aholic climbing that hill over and over was easier for me than it was for the three year old! It felt nice to be able to keep up with her for a change.

After Daddy finished his work we snagged him and headed back over... it was a fabulously fun family afternoon!

A man and his moose

2010-01-22T10:04:00.003-05:00

A few years ago my dad found a young female moose in the woods.. he thought she had lost her mama most likely to a hunter so she was pretty vulnerable and alone.

So my dad, befriended her. He spent over a year in the woods with her, and over time she got to the point where she would allow him to pet her, and they even laid down in the snow together on occasion.. playing with apples they'd role back and forth.

Eventually she grew up... and she took off in the woods, most likely to mate. He still has hours of video of her though, and it truly is amazing.

Snow painting

2010-01-21T15:10:00.008-05:00

The other day was fairly warm out so we got suited up and headed on outside to do a little snow painting. This activity once again was picked up somewhere out there in the blogosphere.

Simply fill a water bottle with water and some food coloring.. find a nice snow bank and paint away!

ISpy Math Jar

2010-01-20T15:02:00.007-05:00

I've seen quite a few ISpy jars online for preschoolers to play with and the idea came to me to make a math jar for Rowan. She's very into numbers right now and has them pretty well memorized from 1-10...

So here's what I did... I filled an empty spaghetti sauce jar with rice and added 6 dice to the jar.... I had her swirl it around until some dice popped out from the sea of rice. (be it one or two or three die) She counted how many dots she saw... and then picked out a number from a pile of flash cards I had lain out for her.

It was a big hit!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-14T08:17:00.002-05:00

Neked

2010-01-12T09:43:00.003-05:00

Does anyone else out there get horrified at the idea of standing naked in front of their husband?

Last night I was in the bathroom with the door shut. I was washing my face, changing into my jamma's, brushing my teeth, you know that sort of thing.

My hubs knocked on the door..."you going pee?" he asks. I snatched my pajamas off the hook and said "No I'm changing". I figured this would tell him to go away.

But no.. he just busted on through the door!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

"I'M NAKED!!" I yelled in exasperation as I shielded my body with my pajama top.

He gave me a look of offense...."We're husband and wife!"

I just stood there, cowering against the wall embarrassed and covered up like I'd just been intruded upon by a complete stranger... he squirted some lotions on his hands, and started walking away....."I plan on getting you naked later anyways"

Damn it.

OMG... delicious!

2010-01-11T12:55:00.003-05:00

This recipe was posted on Bakerella today... and I HAD to try it! I can't really tell you with words how delicious they are. And it worked out perfectly since we're talking about seasons in homeschool this week... and how summery are smores!!

I did change things a bit... for one I used a store bought cake mix instead of making things from scratch. I also toasted all the marshmallows over my gas stove and stuck a small square of graham cracker into the top of each one :)

Snippets from our week homeschooling

2010-01-08T07:31:00.005-05:00

Rowan is really starting to grasp alot of the topics we work on in school and it excites me to no end! Her ability to write is really blossoming and she's also learned all the numbers from 1-10. Letters are a bit more challenging.. I mean lets be honest, there are so many of them! But I know exposing her to the idea of letters and the fact that they all make sounds is laying a good foundation for her learning.

Here are a few snippets of our last week.
Moons and stars cookie cutter painting

No Time For Flash Cards Letter of the Week M

Letter M worksheet... I'm so proud of her!

"M"ailbox!

Playing with homemade puffy paints to make a "M"oon also seen on No Time for Flash Cards

M&M candy experiment, this was a huge hit! Mostly because she got to eat the rest of the M&M's haha

An afternoon in a Princess Castle

2010-01-07T13:02:00.008-05:00

Sorry I don't write much anymore. Life right now is in a very quiet place. We have our little routine of school in the morning, cleaning and playing in the afternoon, working out, making supper for Daddy when he gets home, and then spending the nights hanging out together before the very early bed time of 7pm. (Not me, I stay up and read).

Our afternoons playing are spent in Rowan's pink princess room. She could quite possibly be the most spoiled 3 1/2 year old ever alive...

Pink enough for you?

Wordless Wednesday

2010-01-06T07:45:00.001-05:00

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-30T09:21:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-25T13:15:00.002-05:00

Merry Christmas and blessings to you and yours!

Cookies for Santa

2009-12-24T14:12:00.007-05:00

I've been baking all day while listening to the gentle thrum of my mom's sewing machine as she finishes a quilt.

I made a Buche' De Noel for desert tomorrow and of course lots of cookies for Santa! Tomorrow is the big day! I can't even begin to describe the excitement I see in Rowan's eyes when she talks about Santa... this is gonna be so fun.

So glad daddy got home in time to help with Santa's cookies! Smile!

Ummmm please disregard the "adult" natured cookies in the top left... (ps.. Barney started it!)

The extra special cookie Rowan made just for Santa

My Buche' De Noel (yule log). yes I'm aware it looks like a giant turd but aren't those meringue mushrooms to die for?

Rowan says that tomorrow there is only one more day to Christmas

2009-12-23T08:28:00.003-05:00

Oh heavens... holding back giggle

Christmas Cookie Extravaganza

2009-12-19T14:01:00.002-05:00

Weight Loss Photo slide

2009-12-17T11:11:00.002-05:00

I hit 35 pounds lost today... I've been struggling since Thanksgiving...so many yummy cookies and deserts to bake.... and so busy crafting gifts I haven't been exercising nearly as much as I should... but finally here I am... on to 40 pounds!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-12-17T08:59:00.002-05:00

I totally get that its no longer wednesday, but shhhh just pretend it is... ok?
good...

Wow Mama!!!

2009-12-14T09:43:00.007-05:00

Going through the motions of the holidays while living back in my home town is quite nostalgic for me. I find myself reliving bits of peices of my childhood from sledding with my old friends to that quiet feeling in our house in the early morning hours that held promises of excitment and childhood joy.

One of the many traditions I resurected for my daughter was a trip to the La Salette shrine in Enfield, a few towns over from me.

They host an incredible Christmas light show every single year... complete with life sized nativity scenes and a quaint Catholic chapel built of rough hewn lumber with open beams and old fashioned latern chandeliers... If your craving an old fashioned country Christmas, you would want to spend your time in this chapel... it is breathtaking.

Rowan took one look out the car window however at the lights....and that was all she really cared about..... "Wow Mama!!"