I hope we have a white christmas!!

TJ is making Mahogany Beef Stew in a red wine and hoisin sauce and mashed potatoes with horseradish . . . one of my favorites. We are enjoying our family's Christmas today. . . the three of us this year. We will open stockings and rip open our presents for each other. Jaely will then go to bed and TJ and i will enjoy our delicious dinner together as the snow continues to fall. I wish i could say that we would then snuggle up and relax to a good movie, but that is not the case. TJ needs to shovel the driveway so we can leave in the morning and i need to pack for myslef and a baby for a five day adventure. We both have a ton to do before we can leave here in the morning. It will all get done, but there isn't really anything relaxing about it. I will relax during dinner, though, that is for sure.

This is our back deck. . . this is not a drift, it is the actual amount of snow we have. . . good ol' lake effect. Almost reaches the top of the railing!


Last year at this time i was pregnant and we had a tree sitting on both of our cars. This year sure is different!

Lindsey Got a Snow Day Too!

At first i was kind of bummed that this day was turning out to be just like any other day that TJ has to work, but it turned out to be a little different and by evening it was very different. Normally i make dinner and clean up so that TJ can have some jaely time or take a nap or do whatever. Tonight we had breakfast for dinner. We ate egg, sausage/bacon, cheese biscuit sandwich things with hashbrowns. TJ helped me make it, but the best part was that after putting jaely to bed he cleaned up. He didn't just tidy up until it looked decent to him, he looked at and cleaned the kitchen through Lindsey eyes. He said i should go downstairs and scrapbook (something i have been wanting to do for a long time). So i did for an hour and when i came up the kitchen was sparkling. Spattered bacon grease was cleaned up, the garbage was emptied and a new bag was in the trash can, the dishwasher was running, and the counters were spotless. What an awesome end to a wonderful snow day. Thanks TJ. . . you sure know how to make your girl smile!

Tomorrow we have a day outing prepared. . . shopping in holland, Grand Haven or Grand Rapids. Sunday we are going to church (finally), buying cookie ingrdiants, and going to a dinner party. Monday we are making a TON of cookies, and Tuesday we are celebrating our family Chirstmas at our house before we head to gail's on wednesday. We have some busy days coming up. . . they definetly won't feel like normal days, which is totally what i need right now.

TJ is our shoveling again so we can get out of the driveway tomorrow. Poor guy.

Curves in Colon Closed

Apparently in the town of Colon there is a Curves that is closed today, but every time i see that message run across the bottom of the TV screen, i can't help but giggle. I didn't know my colon had curves. . . is it supposed to?

Anyway, great delight is abound in our home. TJ has a snow day, and although i am not teaching, i feel like i have a snow day too. I have an extra day to spend with my hubby, i have two extra hands to help and to play with jaely, and i have a husband who is not so sleep deprived. Life is good.

There is a lot of snow. Police are asking that we stay inside as some roads are currently "impassible." TJ is shoveling the driveway. . . ya, every season has something he must attend to that is making it difficult to work on the built-in. Someday. Did i mention that we have a john deere snowblower in our garage? Let's not talk about it. . .

We looked at our cookie recipes to see what we need to purchase at the store. Christmas is less than a week away and my excitement is growing.

It is becoming evident that TJ and i need to find ourselves a babysitter. It hasn't been such a big deal, but lately we have had to pass up some opportunities for some outings with adults because of it. Some girls from work offered if TJ and i just want to get a bite to eat, but i am afraid we need more than just that and if it is a work function- like our Christmas party- that won't work. As of now, gail has been more than gracious to watch jaely so that TJ and i can get out together, but she is also on the other side of the stae. We have a dinner this Sunday at 6:30. TJ is still unsure if kids are going to be there. He is going to find out, but with a time of 6:30 i am not so sure. At my staff party, i had to go alone so TJ could stay home with the bug. We got invited to a new year's eve party which we would love to go to, but what do we do with the bug?

Jaelynne's naps have been almost nonexsistan. . . well, i shouldn't say that. She is taking them, but it is taking her FOREVER to fall asleep. She is practicing all her new moves in her crib. I am sometimes tempted to pull her out and start all over again a little later, but i don't want to get into the habit of getting her out of her crib. Yesterday, i think she spent most of her waking hours in her crib. . . that is a sad exsistance for a baby who is learning to do things and is so curious about her world around her. I am currently listening to her cry/play over the monitor. When i go silently into her room to pick her binky up off the floor she is up on her arms rocking back and forth and giggling at me. Arrg.

Crazy

When we returned home yesterday evening, it was 40 degrees. When i woke up this morning, it was 15 degrees. Yikes! All night i listened to the wind howling and slapping the rain, sleet, snow stuff against the windows. I prayed for safety for my family as i thought of the trees moving forcefully from side to side and the rain freezing on their branches making them very brittle.

There was no damage of which i am aware. But it is so ugly outside. I opened jaely's blinds like i do every morning as i say in a too cheery voice "good morning sunshine." There was none to be had. In fact i think by opening the blinds i actually made her room darker. The trees are back to being black, instead of having every branch traced in white. The snow on the ground is a dull wet gray color and the driveway. . . well, lets not talk about the driveway. We barely made it in last night and i don't think things improved during our sleep, so i think i will be staying in today. There is a fresh layer of snow falling gently as i write this, so maybe things will brighten up.

My day is about to brighten up becuase i just finished my cereal, so now it is time to take jaely out of the exersauce and let her scoot all over the living room and kitchen! Bye,

We didn't go to church this morning for the third sunday in a row. We had plans in the afternoon and i really wanted jaely to get at least one good nap. Maybe next week?

My dad drove down and got here around noon. We hung out for a while before heading down together for G.R . to meet aunt carol, uncle mike, and jered for his birthday dinner. It was excellent to see everyone. . . and i get to see them again in just a couple of weeks plus jason and Whitney. Exciting!

Right now Jaelynne is crying in her crib. She napped on the way home from GR and i think it kind of messed up her schedule, but that is all right. It is not like we do it all the time. The girl needs to be flexible and she needs to see her family and she needs to see other people other than her dad and her mom.

TJ is working away on school stuff. One more week until christmas break. Hooray!!

I am still so full from dinner. . .

I am not sure why i wrote this post, but oh well, here it is.

Just like mom's

I made my very first pot roast ever yesterday (yes, in spite of my horrible day). It tasted so good. It tasted just like my mom's did. The potatoes were just a little different-not as mashable. So delicious. Tonight i am making one of her recipes, chicken divan.

Jaely is going on a 2 1/2 hour nap. I balanced the checkbook, paid bills, did dishes, pureed food for jaely, read a chapter of Sex God, watched a recorded episode of Sex and the City, cleaned the kitchen counters, took a shower :), and now i am blogging. She will be such a happy baby when she wakes up. She needed this nap. This morning, she woke up way early and wouldn't go back to sleep, then only took a 45 minute nap.

i know when she wakes up she will have that crusty goodness around her mouth in the shape of her binky. And she will have an imprint of the lap pad seam going across her cheek on to her forehead. I love our girl.

Today is my oldest brother's birthday. I remember when he held my hair back for me when i was throwing up, and when he cradled me after i fell into the corner of the coffee table, and when he changed my tire in GR after i got a flat, and when he gave me a "Happy Batmistva" card for my birthday, and when he gave me two of my mom's favorite recipes framed, and when he made a toast at Jason's wedding stating that he finally has a sister he can be proud of (referring to his new sister-in-law), and when he was the grill master (who burned himself) at the rib cook off at my bridal shower, and how he let me have friends downstairs for a roller skating party if i gave him a 2 liter of the pop i had purchased for the event, and when his car rolled down the driveway on echo- across the street and landing in the bushes inches from a brick house, i remember picking him up and driving across the state after hearing that our mom had passed away, i remember him making me my first chai latte at the restaurant he worked at the day before i got married in an effort to calm me, i remember my mom and i eating at the restaurant and being one of his first costomers (watching a lefty try to fill out an order form in air can be painful), i remember him and my mom cooking in the kitchen together, i remember the constant digging sound of legos, i remember after telling him to "shut up" his calm response of "but i am not the one being loud, lindsey", i remember driving him to the hospital because he was in such pain he could hardly sit, i remember when he came in the house and told my mom that he had lost a contact lense in the snow, i remember going to watch him act in plays and improve. . .

Wow, i could go on and on. Happy Birthday Jered! You are loved.

Frustrating.

We are going on the second winter now where i have not been able to park in the garage. It is strange because from age 15 (when i started to drive) to 25 i never had a garage. I didn't know what i was missing, but now that i do, i am spoiled by one. In spite of what some of the men in my family believe, a garage is for parking cars.

I didn't venture out yesterday because of the heavy snow that was falling from the sky, but i just had to get out today. I put jaely in her exesaucer and attempted to clear my car off. We have about 20 inches of snow. I did decide to wear my big boots out there, but it didn't matter. My jeans were soaked. The arms of my white sweatshirt were wet and blackened by the dirt on my car. As i leaned over my hood to get to the middle of my windshield, by stomach and chest also became covered in snow and dirt. I was out there for a good 10 minutes. There was ice under the snow. I bundled jaely up, put on normal shoes (i can't shop in heavy snow boots) and went out to the car. I try to follow my same footprints, but you know that doesn't really work. I am in snow almost up to my knee. My whole shopping experience was cold, due to wet, cold feet.

On my way home, jaely is crying because she didn't (couldn't) nap. I am on M120 where it is five lanes wide and i step on the brakes to slow down for an upcoming red light. All of a sudden the whole layer of ice and snow that was on my roof slides down and lands on my windshield. It is too heavy for my wipers. I cannot see a thing. People are hoking, Jaely is crying, and i am panicking. it takes me a few seconds to figure out where my window switch is (it is in the middle of the counsel). I roll it down, take my arm and try to remove some of the snow so that my wipers can work. The snow lands in my car, on my lap, all over my dashboard, hand and arm. Now both jaely and i are crying. Huge clumps of snow are literally sitting on my lap. At least i didn't get in an accident.

When we get home, i take her inside. I take my shoes off so i don't track wet snow all through the house. I get my wet jeans off and put Jaely down for a nap. I don't dare go back out to my car to get my things. I am not in the mood to get wet feet and legs all over again.

I want the garage back.

I know TJ is very busy. . . I am not blaming him. I just want the garage back.

It just keeps falling

The snow won't stop and although it is absolutely beautiful to watch, i know it means a lot of work for TJ. He has already spent a morning shoveling and i am afraid there is much more to shovel. It has also kept me inside all day. I had plans of going out today, but thinking of bundling jaely up, pushing the stroller through slush, and clearing off my car has changed my plans. Instead, i made jaely some more food (peaches and mango), made chili for dinner tonight, and finished up laundry. Perfect things to do on a chilly day.

Jaely was so much fun today. She finally got enough sleep, so she wasn't whiny. She was giggly and curiously exploring the living room. She is scooting around pretty well now. . . almost an army crawl, but not quite.

Christmas shopping is almost finished. I have one more gift to buy and then stuff for TJ's stocking. The tree is up. I do need to get the outdoor lights hung and the reindeer put up, but other than that we are set. I love having the Christmastree lit up in the evening. I catch myself just staring at it.

I need to make more loopies, so i better get going before jaely's nap is over.

Facebook

Well, some of my friends have vanished from blogger land and rely solely on facebook to satisfy their needs. So. . . i had to join facebook. I will DEFINITELY continue to blog. I like to blog and actually write. While facebook is good for making connections, that seems about it. . . although i realize i do not know all that it is capable of doing. I do know that i do not like the "Lindsey is. . . "

We are at gail's house. TJ is at a conference in Dearborn. I am glad that Jaely gets to see her relatives.


Lindsey is off to take a shower while jaely is napping.

Awake

I am still awake and going strong. TJ is in TC and i decided to get all the Christmas stuff up. I just finished with the tree. The only thing i have left are the porch lights and norbert the Reindeer. I don't remember how damaged he was from the tree falling last year. It seems to me TJ was able to bend him back.

I think i did alright with the going to bed routine. Jaely is tucked soundly into her crib and i haven't heard a peep. I realize that could change at any moment, but i am glad she has slept well thus far.

Right now, i am eating some of my husband's ice cream- ben and jerry's phish food. Yum, marshmellow gooey goodness.

I am so excited to read some of my Christmas picture books to jaely and to myself. I do love this time of year.

I decorated my little tree that i normally put in my classroom. It is going to go in Jaelynne's room. It is snowflake theme. I took most of the snowflake ornaments and garland that my mom got me and put them on the little tree. It's pretty cute. And a little way to bring my mom into jaely's christmas.

I should probably start winding down. Tomorrow is going to be a busy day.

Good night.

It is December

Good bye November. Hello bright and sparkly December. We woke up to a winter wonderland today. The kind where the snow sticks to one side of the tree trunks and makes its way up to stick to every possible branch, the contrast with the bright white and deep brown is stunning. The light pours in through the windows. No lights will be needed until the sun sets.

We got back into town on Saturday and spent sunday recuperating, unpacking, shopping, working and decorating. I put my village up while TJ worked on school stuff and while jaely slept. I love putting up the village. Last night, however, i was exhausted by the time i finished. It isn't quite how i want it, but it works for right now. Jaely couldn't take her eyes off of it this morning.

Today, i will start to put up the christmas stuff.

Jaely's canvas is done as well, so i have to go pick that up. . . in the winter wonderland. The photographer said it is so beautiful that she hung it in her studio. I ordered the rest of the prints yesterday.

TJ leaves for TC early tomorrow morning. He will get back Wednesday night, pick me and jaely up and we will head to gail's because TJ has a conference in Dearborn on Thursday and Friday. Crazy week. I guess i don't have to worry about cooking dinner for us this week.