There Is Treasure Everywhere

Have I told you about this little beauty? I found her on the lawn, relaxing, waiting for me to take her home. Her drawers were stacked neatly on the curb, and everything fit so nicely in the back of the Explorer (Thanks to Colin and Brenden helping me load her up)

Look at these legs! She must have been working out all her life to keep those curves.

I think is a natural wood stain, but someone spruced her up with this great soft green color. It may have been a while back, though, as she definitely needed a little loving here.

And you cannot tell by just looking at her, but she has a bit of an odor problem. Ok, a big odor problem. I gave her a good bath last fall, had her sunbathing and airing out in the garage since then and just recently moved her in. And she still had that pesky odor problem.

Here is her birth certificate. She was born sometime between 1898 and 1925 in Grand Rapids Michigan. Her parents sound lovely. Too bad they are deceased now. From what I've seen, they had lots and lots of posterity.


You know how when one of your own children makes you crazy enough to say something like,"It's a good thing you are so cute!"?

That was me with this old gal.

I'll show you next time.

Crazy Braid

Look at this face!

Wonder what would create such a smile as this? I will tell you - it is his own fault.

Colin makes dinner for our family on Thursdays. This week he wanted to make homemade pizza in my new enamal coated cast iron dutch oven (aka "the magic pot" as everything we make in it is so delcious!) The pizza turned out great, a little doughy, but yum. He also put together a regular flat pizza, as the recipe for the dough makes lots. He even had more dough leftover. What to do with it? He braided it! Not sure if he realized he could bake it like that, but that is just what he did.

Look at that beauty! Perfectly golden (I reminded him to check it just in time!)

With a little direction, he brushed on garlic butter and sprinkled (generously!) with Parmesan Cheese. You know this is looking so good!

Can you slice that a little bit faster Colin? I can hardly wait!

Yeah, it tastes just as good as it looks. He shared with us.

Love this kid way more than the bread, by the way.

Back to School

I love back to school time. I love stocking up on all the school supplies. Brand new pencils, clean white paper and the smell of markers really make me smile. I feel our family is prepared for anything when our stash of folders and spiral notebooks is replenished. And although I am not a fan of summer ending, I have to say that I am usually ready for my kids to go back. I miss the routine and structure that comes with the school schedule. Then starting around April, I am counting down the days till summer again and all the comes with the warm weather.
So I am thrown off my schedule a little. Back to school starts in September, not January. It kind of goes against the natural order. Then again, it is good to shake things up. And that is just what I did.
Last fall I made my way back to my alma mater, Wayne State University, to meet with a counselor to chart the course for finishing my degree in Fine Arts (emphasis on Interior Design). It felt great to be back on campus - some changes, but still the same feel. I left there feeling accomplished and motivated to get this thing done. From there I went to Schoolcraft to reactivate my status and register for one class - World History (online).
It is fun to be a student again! I know I am just getting started and one online class is not "school" school, but I think I can do this. And I really want to do it, too. I am excited to learn and grow, and to study something that I love. I just hope that I can keep up. I'm planning to go slow until my schedule opens up a little. And while I am working on my BFA, I can earn another degree from Schoolcraft - Liberal Arts. So that is pretty cool, too.
The thing with the online class is that I do not need too many school supplies. Hmmm.

Christmas

So, here is a post that was suppossed to go out a little sooner than January 20th!

This Christmas was one that I will always remember. Of course I could have been more prepared, and not have as many last minute things going on, but all in all, really great.
One thing that helped, was that I did not send out Christmas cards. Tami and I made cute “Let it Snow” cards this year, and I am thinking they will make great New Year cards. I wanted to wait until we had family pictures, including Alex and Lawson. I hired Haley Davis to take them and she did a super terrific job! We went to Old Village Plymouth and had a great time, although we pretty much froze to death. Next time we should have everyone here in warmer weather. (This week it has been a high of like 19 degrees, so it could have been worse.)
The pajamas were a great success. I even made them for Darren, Lawson and David. I was a little worried on sizing, and as usual the elastic was too loose for most everyone, except Alex, which was too small (weird). But they all turned out, and I even made some for me - I pieced a bunch of leftover fabric from all the other ones and have collage pants. I had forgotten how warm flannel is! It is wonderful. I started these early in the season, but finished them up on Christmas eve.
Shopping was a little easier this year. We had already gotten gifts for Lauren (Phantom of the Opera ticket), Brenden (laptop) and Liam (DS game), and Darren and I got Michael Buble tickets. Darren got a ping pong table for the family and we have been loving it. Interesting to see who gets it, who is competitive, or who is not such a good loser. One of Colin's new year resolutions is to beat David. We shall see.
Having friends and family around us makes for a great Christmas. My dad and stepmom, and my brother and his family came over on the 22nd for dinner. Good visit, but as usual with them, a little quiet. Jeff, Tami and Cassie came the next day. What better way to celebrate the season than with Chinese food? Yum! Makes me think of "A Christmas Story". Our traditional Christmas Eve dinner with the Coltrins was as yummy as usual. There is nothing like steaks on the grill in December. We had additional guests this year as Lauren wanted to invite her future in-laws.
We had another Great Tree Disaster this year. The tree skirt was wicking all the water that we were giving the tree, and completely soaking the floor underneath. Lawson and Darren laid underneath the fully loaded tree and pushed it up (very carefully) while Alex and I pulled the completely saturated carpet remnant out. Luckily the tree stayed upright, thanks in part from the lesson learned during the Great Tree Disaster of 2007, when the tree fell over - we had tied the tree with strong thread to the wall. Another lesson learned.
Alex really wanted to open gifts while it was still dark outside. Christmas Day saw us up early (6:30ish), loving gifts given and received. Lawson made us his traditional Christmas breakfast - Biscuits and Gravy. What better way to follow that up than with cinnamon rolls? (After all the cookies and treats we had been eating, we could handle it!) Playing, napping and watching new movies filled up the rest of the day until we went to Grandma's for turkey dinner. (Yum again!) What a great day.
I loved that the radio stations have been playing Christmas music all month, and especially loved that they kept playing them for a few days after. It made the season last a little longer. Love that. I think I am just as excited anticipating Christmas Day as enjoying the actual day.
There are so many memories of Christmas's past, and loving the traditions that we have. I love how we feel so connected to each other when we have these times to share. The spirit of the season brings lots of extra joy into our home and into our hearts. Remembering the birth of Jesus Christ and the great gifts that He and Heavenly Father give to us is the greatest tradition.