(a busy-busy) Thanksgiving Weekend...

Making a mess while making a chocolate stout cake, a pretty mess.

O had loved watching the trains from Nana and Grandpa's living room window. I am glad my mom prompted me to grab the camera.

 

The kids helped Jojo make an icebox cake. I think there was more taste testing than actual helping.

Grandpa Buffalo and Nana Val! Thanks for having us you two. It was a fantastic Tur-ham-lamb day.

I think Fifi ate her weight, hence the 'push back' .

On Friday we got down to business with the big move.

I fueled our morning by getting coffee and doughnuts.

We farmed the kids and the heavy lifting began. We filled box after box and hoisted the couches, the fridge and a few other big items onto the trailer. There were several moments when I thought I should be documenting the move, but we were just too busy.

Around 4 we stopped our work to help celebrate two very special little boys.

Happy Birthday F and L!

Saturday was a repeat of Friday and by the end of the day we found ourselves falling wearily into our bed, but in a under a different roof.



I am searching and learning the light in this new space, it's an interesting thing to notice.



Sunday was move box filling and then setting up and settling in to our new place. I can't tell you how blessed I feel to have family holding us up right now.
Again, so much  to be thankful for, so much.

wishing...

What are you wishing for this season?

Thank-full

It's been a wild ride, this past year.

Lost job, gained job, commuting, moving, worrying and yet, through it all I am continually grateful .
Every box I fill, move or store I am reminded about how much we really do have.



The house was just a shell to hold it all.
Each time I crack up laughing at the kids or hug my husband after a long drive home, I am reminded that I can laugh and hug them anywhere.
The house was just a stage to set the scene.

Each time I sit down at my work computer, answer my phone or an email, I am reminded that I have been given not one, but two chances to start fresh in an economy where most people are happy to find even a part time paycheck. Loosing my job of nine years was the best kick in the butt I could have gotten in so many ways.
Every time I see my family or friends, I realize what a fantastic group of people I (we) have to hold us up, to support us and to love us.
And really, isn't that all that matters?

So on this day and every day I say, "Be thankful, because I have so much.
Be thankful,
THANK-FULL."

326:365, it runneth over

I could be really in the dumps right now what with the house situation and having to move. But you know what, we are so lucky to have family helping us out with everything. So many people don't have that safety net.

Today I am so great-full that my cup does runneth over.

323:365, breathing light

We were relieved to hear that their house was safe. The fire only got the back fence and part of their lawn, other families weren't so lucky. It was a scary night for them and worried filled day for all of us.

lots of...

lots of thinking, wishing, dreamimg, hoping, and perhaps a little praying..

life is full, life is good.

baking prep...

We are headed into that time of year (or rather, we are there already) when there is a happy cake almost every weekend in celebration of someones birthday in our family.

My favorite cake to mix up for the occasion? Smitten Kitchen's, Chocolate Stout Cake. It so yummy, moist and just the right sweet.

What's your go to birthday cake?

306:365, between seasons...

We are between seasons, both figuratively and literally.
It's a strange place to be. There are so many variables and decisions to make.
I cross my fingers (toes and eyes) and keep faith in our choices.

I remind myself that we are making the best ones we can with the information we have at the moment,
change is the only constant.

apples, apples, apples

most people have to go to a special place to harvest apples. well, I guess we do too. We just head over to grandma and grandpa's house and walk out the back door.

it was a bumper crop this season. this pile doesn't even scratch the surface of all the apples they got from the trees.

Just the weekend before I took these photos, my mom and mother in law peel well over 30lbs of these green beauties for apples sauce.

And today, Daddy-O is down at the home brew store crushing and juicing three, overflowing camp sized ice chests full of apples. He will add some magic and soon we will have hard cider to enjoy.

Aren't we lucky?

Big Basin or Bust!

Before it slips my mind and gets too far away for me to properly remember, I wanted to share my photos from our lastest camp trip, the last one of 2011.

We took advantage of the long Nevada Day weekend that occurs on the last weekend of October. Daddy-O made the reservations and we worked out our schedules so we could also take off Halloween, giving us four days to hang out and enjoy.

We hit the road and headed west to Big Basin which is located in the Santa Cruz hills. The trees are stunning and humbling, they have stories that I only wish they could tell. We set up camp, made dinner and took a nice walk around the campground and around to the neighboring campgrounds, then headed into the tent for an early night.

Saturday we spent the day in Felton where we hopped on the Roaring Camp train and took a ride through the redwood trees. I cold see this train ride being a regular part of our Santa Cruz camping trips. In the summer they run a train from Felton down to the beach and back again- what a fun way to travel.

 After our ride we found a great playground and picnicked and let the kids run amok and tire themselves out on the slides, swings and grass.

There is an old covered bridge next to the park, and I got this photo of Fifi- a new favorite of mine.

The boys took a snooze once we were back to the campsite and so I put Fifi in the backpack, in hopes of her dozing off as well, and took a hike. There are all sorts of easy trails around and I it felt good to stretch and work my leg muscles and spend some quite time with my girl as she sang her sleepy song in my ear, but never did fall off to dream land.

Sunday was a very full day. We attempted the docent guided tour to see the "Mother and Father" tree of the forest, but the kids were a little too squirmy so we jetted ahead of the group and played on fallen redwood trunks and in burn scar tunnels.



After our walk, we opted for a tailgate lunch in the parking lot- I think we all needed the food, spirits lifted instantly.

Once our bellies were full of grapes and salami and cheese and crackers we headed further down the hill to Santa Cruz. It couldn't have been more beautiful on the beach.


The kids had a great time getting sand in all sorts of places and it was all we could do to keep Fifi out of the ocean. O is a bit more cautious, but of course got his footing loose and went in, much too his dismay.

After we showered the kids off and got them in dry clothing we headed to the boardwalk in search of the photo booth.
Even though they no longer have the old fashioned black and white booths, we still make it a point to stop every time we visit. A family of four is tricky to squeeze into that little space, I still love the strips we got all the same.

The sunset along the coast that night was so pretty. The light is so different on the beach compared to the high desert.

We wound up having dinner in a great little restaurant out on the pier. We were a little worried about bringing the kids into a place that looked like it catered specifically to adults, but they sat us in the back along with another group with 4 kids. They all played and had a blast and we didn't bother anyone with the noise of a 3 and 1 year old.

The kids were so funny the entire weekend. Fifi had a permanent dirt goatee and O was in search of all the acorns in the forest- they make a great sound when the heat up and POP in the campfire.

We only had one real run-in with the pesky raccoons- I haven't heard O scream that loud in a long time- the darn thing tried to swipe his s'more- I would have screamed too. We lucked out with good neighbors, the people on the one side were actually hard of hearing- I watched out of the corner of my eye when I realized how quite their camp was and noticed they were signing to one another- what luck- I didn't feel so bad about the late night crying from our tent.I feel so lucky to be able to spend this time with my little family.

We love camping!

304:365, Woody and the Cow

Halloween was a BLAST this year. O was totally into it, and so was Fifi.
The idea for his costume came about one night like this...

Him: Mom, I want you to make me a Woody doll.
Me: Oh, I don't think I can do that.
Him, starting to cry: But I waaaaant you to make me a Woody Doll.
Me: I'm not sure I have a pattern to do that.
Lots of crying and tears.
In the middle of the night that he even woke up crying about it and asking me to make him a Woody Doll.
We got him to calm down and go back to sleep. A day or so later we were talking about it again and he says, "But Mom, you said you could make me a Woody vest. I want you to make ME a Woody doll."
It all clicked, what he had been asking was for me to make him into Woody for Halloween. Well, duh!

I love how his vocabulary is huge, but he doesn't always have the right articulation or word order for it to all make sense to anyone but him. It can be frustrating, but sure does make for a good story later.

For O's costume I pulled out the sewing machine, traced an existing vest and I made the vest. I had thrifted the cowboy shirt, and the hat a while back and found the boots and jeans at the store, which he can totally use this fall/winter, and stopped by the dollar store for a holster and star.
I was giddy as I pulled it all on him.

He looked adorable and was SO excited to be dressed up. Unlike last year, where we had to bribe him to just get into the two sizes too small pumpkin costume.

My girlfriend was nice enough to lend us a too small cow costume for Fifi and the theme was set.

We are lucky enough to live in a neighborhood where there are lots of trick-or-treaters and the neighbors are really excited to see the kids in costume. Almost all of the neighbors had 'special' treats for our kids. It was sweet, pun totally intended.

We did the loop around the cul-de-sac and called it good. The last thing we needed was a boat load of candy. That said, we still ended up with quite the bounty.
Let the sorting begin!


I hope you all had a wonderful Halloween, and a great Nevada Day!