Living in Munchkinland

We had a really nice weekend. Friday we had a potluck at the Gardners' house. It was good fun and yummy food. Saturday morning we drove to Dick's Classic Car garage for the cub scouts pinewood derby competition. Davis had worked very hard on his car. He designed it like the "King" from cars. It did very well, winning three out of it's four heats. We enjoyed spending time with our cub scout parent friends. After the derby, we were supposed to drive up and spend the day in Austin with the Liffords, but Violet came down with a fever, so we improvised the rest of the day. We picked up some newly framed art from Hobby Lobby and got the kids some models. We had lunch at Los Cucos and played our new Brain Box game which I highly recommend. Then we drove home and I de-cluttered the house, while Michael played with the boys. Kaden came over in the afternoon and the boys all went haybale jumping. It was good times. Sunday morning Michael and I cl...

We had a very nice weekend. Michael came home late Friday evening and we were so happy to see him! Saturday morning we cleaned and then I went to get my hair done. In the evening we had a babysitter and Michael and I dressed up to go celebrate our friend Jeff's 40th birthday. (I'm putting up a picture of me in my skinny jeans cause I'm so proud of finally hitting my goal weight. I've lost 35 pds!) We had a wonderful dinner with friends at Cool Mint. Sunday I ran errands and then we all put on our fancy clothes and drove up to Austin with the kids to see the Lion King! It was an amazing spectacle. The kids really enjoyed it and were excellent audience members. Davis began running a low grade fever (99.5) at the play so we came straight home and had a quiet evening. He seemed totally recovered on Monday so we all went to the MLK march. The kids rode their scooters and enjoyed spending time with their friend Miles. My parents came and we all listened...

It's cold yo. Freezing cold all the time. I am chilled in my bones. But it's January, so what else could be expected? We've been having a nice quiet first half of January. We went to a roller rink with friends. It was really fun. Davis got to try out roller blades for the very first time and I learned how to skate backwards. I want to go again very soon. The boys had a good first week back to school and I got caught up on lots of things. Michael had to go out of town a couple of days, but overall it was nice week. Last weekend, we drove up and had a wonderful afternoon with Marchelle and Marc. Their house is amazingly beautiful. Marchelle and I managed to sneak away upstairs and have some girl time and it was really refreshing and special to spend time with her. We've been friends for sixteen years and love each other unconditionally. I'm very lucky to have her so close after all these years. And I am so excited that she's going to be a...

I was sick in Taos and was craving soup. Carrot ginger appealed, but I couldn't settle on a recipe. I found a couple of recipes I liked from Moosewood Cookbook and Oh She Glows and combined them. The soup turned out amazing. It was seriously delicious. I highly recommend you give it a try. Raw cashews are a great thing to keep on hand. I use them in salad dressings all the time. Just start soaking them before you begin the soup and they'll be ready in time. An immersion blender really saves you some trouble if you have one. I hope you give the recipe a try. Carrot, Ginger, Cashew Soup Ingredients 1-2 tsp coconut oil (or extra virgin olive oil) 2 cloves garlic, minced 1 1/2 cups sweet onion, diced 2 pounds carrots, peeled and chopped into one inch pieces 1/4 teaspoon cumin 1/4 teaspoon ground fennel 1/4 teaspoon cinnamon 1/4 teaspoon allspice 5 cups vegetable broth, plus more if needed 2-3 tbsp freshly grated ginger, to taste 3/4 cup raw cashews, soaked ...

We are home. Things are good. The house is clean and Christmas is put away. I downloaded and edited all the photos and grocery shopped and caught up on laundry and correspondence. The kids are in school, and Michael is back to work. Michael and I have been eating super clean and healthy and working out and I have attained my lowest weight and fittest body in my life. It's a clean start to the new year. Somehow, though, I feel a bit adrift. I've spent the last few months feeling just a little bit unhappy, or tense, or just clenched. I wonder how much of that has to do with going through menopause this year. Am I just missing my hormones? Or is it more? I don't know. I know I am blessed. I know I am very lucky. So I need to find ways to embrace the world. I need to stay in the moment more. I need to appreciate the here and NOW. Michael's new year resolution was patience, and it is one I share. I need more patience in my day to day life with the peopl...

We spent New Years Eve house bound. We woke up to a ton of fresh snow and it continued to snow big, fat flakes all day long. Marcie and Ann and the kids drove in over the mountain, but said it was gnarly driving. I shoveled the driveway and the kids did some epic snow ball fights and we played games and cooked and read by the fire. We decided it was too snowy to up the mountain for the fireworks and instead stayed in and drank and ate and hung out by the fire. I was happy to be snug and cozy with my loved ones. We watched the ball drop at 10pm New Mexico time and then I called it a night. Perfect. Today was our last day. We woke early to a bright shining sun, a temperature of -6, and more snow. We made a big breakfast and watched the rose bowl parade, but the kids were going stir crazy so we loaded them up and drove up a very scary, snowy mountain pass to our sledding spot. It was AWESOME! It was two and a half feet do pure powder. Marcie said she'd never seen sn...