Refreshing

I got in a morning run this morning for what seems like the first time in ages. It's so refreshing and energizing to be up and out before the rest of the world wakes up. It's nice too when the temperature on the last morning of 2010 is 45 degrees.

My mom keeps a journal where she record weather and daily farm happenings (like dates of planting and harvest). I have a Garmin watch that keeps track of my distance and pace and though I could easliy download this information, I never have. Maybe I'll start keeping cumulative statistics in 2011.

Distance: 2.53 miles don't judge, it's been a looong time coming to even get out
Time: 26:20 so just a tad over 10/minutes a mile. I'm ok with that for now.Weather: 45 degrees, breezy

One upcoming resolution is to be more positive and confident about myself. No need to add the negative comments to everything. Just let it be what it is, right?

Wrapping Paper Fun

This could have gone on forever.

Brain Dump

I finally ordered Christmas cards last Saturday and they arrived yesterday...now, onto addressing them and buying stamps...I half completed my goal of family photo cards (on my list of new holiday traditions) by only including the little guy in the photo...the husband wasn't so interested in actually being on the card...speaking of which, we really do not have any photos of the three of us...

my sister got engaged a few weeks ago, and I saw her and her fiance last night for the first time since the big question was asked...yay! for her...our parents are, of course, pressuring her do things the expected way..."what, you're not going to get married in a church?" and "if you don't have the wedding here, grandma might not be able to come" and so forth...I know that it may not sound so bad in writing, but really they have a way of pushing the limits...I told my sister not to give in and I hope she doesn't...she asked me to be her matron of honor and I accepted....woohoo! I've actually never been in a wedding before...I wonder if this is means I have no friends???...I asked if I could design her invitations, programs, etc...her response: you're hired, go for it, and can you do the centerpieces too...so exciting...now to start collecting ideas...my head is spinning already

santa is coming to the little guy's daycare tomorrow and I can't wait to see his reaction...so fun...I also took tomorrow afternoon off in an attempt to finish off some Christmas shopping

Dylbug

How awesome is this? I won a giveaway from DesignMom for a personalized Christmas onesie from Dylbug. So excited! (Never mind the fact that I'm a week behind on this one.)

Thanks Design Mom and Dylbug.

Six Months

This little guy is six months old today. I can hardly believe it! Happy Half-Birthday Wyatt!

You are so big. Your dad and I were just looking at your newborn photos and it's amazing how much you've changed and grown. You love to smile and blow bubbles. You can mostly sit up on your own, though you are still working on your rolling. Your favorite toy is your set of keys. You've been eating rice and oatmeal as well as sweet potatoes, pumpkin, carrots, peaches and pears. You've been a joy and I can't wait to see who you become!

Spray Paint...my new best friend

I've not really spray painted any large or significant item before. A frame or two here or there, but no real furniture. On Veteran's Day, I made it my mission to update a few chairs that have been sitting in my basement collecting layer upon layer of dust since 2004. Six years!

A Thanksgiving of eight semi-required this action, but I've been wanting to do this for years. Afer some internet blog research, I discovered that a hand-held manual spray paint gun might be my ticket.

Light sanding, a coat of gray primer, and two coats of black satin spray paint later, they look great! Really, I am so happy with them. I spray painted two out of the four chairs and I couldn't be happier. Both are now in my dining room, but could be pulled into my living room when and if needed. In the spring, once temps return to something above 50 degrees, I think I'll give them a light sanding with a super-fine grit sanding pad to clean up a few small drips and then add another light coat of black satin followed by a coat of poly.

Of the two remaining chairs, I have a plan to paint at least one bright yellow for the guest room/office.

(For the life of me, I cannot get that last picture to rotate. And, this post layout is horrific. It's driving me nuts!)

Sweetie Pumpkin and an Apple Pie

It's November already...and not only that, it's the END of November already. I can't keep up. Hmm...the reoccurring theme of my life.

Anyway, Wyatt was the sweetest, plump-est (helped by the cold temps and extra layers of clothes), happiest pumpkin ever for Halloween. What a sweetie pumpkin!

The apple pie was a success. And, it really was easy, no lie. I tasted it too and decided that I could tolerate it after all, though the "before" mixture of raw apples, cinnamon and sugar still tastes better to me.

Easy as Pie

I love baking. It's relaxing and an often needed stress reliever for me. But, I've never made a pie. Never. (Well, I've made frozen pies with purchased graham cracker crusts but this is not a "real" pie.) Mostly, I am scared of the crust making component. I've considered buying pre-made crusts but somehow thought that it might be cheating. Though, if I purchase graham cracker crusts, purchasing a pastry crust is really the same idea, right?

So, I'm going to do it. I'm going to make a pie. A real, bona fide, ligitimate pie. An apple pie at that. I will earn some serious husband brownie points. He loves apple pie, whereas I'm not an apple or any kind of warmed up/cooked fruit pie fan. (Husband thinks this is ridiculous considering that I grew up on a farm in the rural midwest.)

So, I've been purusing apple pie recipies. A Saturday morning trip to the farmer's market should stock me up on apples.

Clover Lane
Whisk Kid
Pioneer Woman / Tasty Kitchen
Smitten Kitchen

Additional apples will go into the making of the little guy's first applesauce.

City Plates

Landscape Architecture + maps + plates on wall = LOVE.

These city plates by Rios Clementi Hale Studios in LA are amazing.

Available at notNeutral (set of 4 for $190) or Uncommon Goods ($50 a pop). Unfortunately, this isn't in my I-work-in-higher-education-and-have-a-mortgage-and-car-payments-and-daycare-expenses budget. Ideas for a DIY version, however, are brewing.

If I were in the market to purchase these, I'd snag Berlin, New York, Chicago, London, Paris, and Montreal for sure.

Weekend Recap and a Few Firsts

Even though it's now almost Thursday, the past weekend deserves a mention. The weather was warm, sunny and generally fabulous. We spent Sunday lounging in the backyard. I think I've only sat on the back patio two or three times this whole summer. We spread a blanket on the grass and played with the little guy.

The little guy had a few firsts this week too. Over the weekend, I think he finally "got" the spoon. So far, he's been able to down some rice cereal and pumpkin. Tonight I pureed some sweet potatoes for him; we'll try those tomorrow. Also, he's started grabbing his feet this week and tonight he finally rolled over (tummy to back) all by himself for the first time.