Merry Christmas!

For those whose address I don't have, I'm sending you our Christmas card virtually. Wishing everyone a very Merry Christmas!

PS- Special thanks to T. Little Imaging for taking this totally awesome Christmas photo for us.

Winter Wonderland

We are still enjoying Mother Nature's wintery goodness, and we just heard this morning that another 2-3 inches are coming tommorrow morning. I've really enjoyed it and we've been taking advantage of the snow every chance we get. We were goofing around outside well after Sassy-pants's bedtime last night.

This is the most interesting snowstorm I've ever seen out here...having grown up on the West Coast, I'm used to getting small amounts of snow and watching it disappear again in a matter of hours. These past few days I have been waking up every morning prepared to look outside and see green grass, but all I see is more snow!

While I am really enjoying all this white stuff, it is seriously jeopardizing our chances of making a Christmas Eve drive to Washington as planned. I am so hoping that the main roads will be clear enough by tommorrow afternoon but only time will tell. In the meantime, I'm thankful that we are safe and warm here at home, and not one of the hundreds of bus, plane and train passengers stranded along the coast.

I've been a little camera happy with all this snow around, so here are another handful of my favorite shots around the neighborhood:

Before and after of our tree...it shrunk!

Snow does pretty things to trees:

Ice does NOT...this poor guy is barely hanging on:

"Mommy and me" snow angels:

Handsome and Sassy-pants:

I think she's praying to the snow gods:

Loving the snow STILL:

Finally got a decent shot of the house. There's a sidewalk in there somewhere...

Stay tuned, more posts to come soon! Being stranded at home and unable to get my Christmas shopping done has providing me with plenty of time to think of things to post. Be on the lookout for more of our family Christmas pictures, photos of homemade Christmas gifts, some interesting family factoids I've recently run across and (thanks to Lisa), a "Rants and Raves" post.

Happy Sing for Nana

A birthday song for Nana:

Happy Birthday Mom, we love you!!

Snowman Sweater

We got snow last night! It's only an inch or two, but it's so pretty to look at, and perfect for snowman building! This was the first snowfall that Sassy-pants truly enjoyed- last year she wanted nothing to do with it.

This time around, she couldn't wait to get out the door and explore. I showed her how to make a snowball to throw....BIG mistake. I was pelted with snow for a solid twenty minutes before she lost interest.

We built a Sassy-pants-sized snowman, which she appropriately named "Snowman Flitter"...which comes out as something like "Snowman Sweater" when she says it.

Here's a few shots around the house, along with a few of Miss C and her new pal "Sweater".










Having fun in the snow



Tasty!



What's with the crabby face?



Our new friend, Snowman Sweater:


Now that we're both about thawed out, somebody is begging and pleading to make a friend for Snowman Sweater. Any suggestions for HIS name?

Trees, trees, trees and cookies.

We're pretty much all set for Christmas (we better be, did you know it's NEXT WEEK?!) so I thought I would take some pictures of the fruits of our labor. (Side note- half these pictures are not actually the fruits of MY labor, but that of my mom's). I just wanted to show off her beautiful trees since my goal is to someday have as many trees as she does (six, not counting the little lighted one outside with the reindeer).

I have two this year...maybe I'll add one each year.

Our big tree:


This little guy is usually on the front porch, but he got cold:



One of six trees at mom's house- this one is flocked with fake snow, though it's hard to see here:


This is my favorite tree:


A close shot of my favorite tree:

The table top tree in my room:

The "American Girl" tree:

The "scary lights" tree...LEDs aren't always the way to go...

And the 11 footer! My dad, Handsome and I picked this guy out ourselves and had a fantastic time getting it inside (note the subtle sarcasm). The boys did the lights, which was also no picnic.

While the boys cursed over broken light bulbs, the girls made these tasty creations:

Our best batch ever!

There is snow in the forecast for the weekend, so I think I might use my indoor time to destroy the kitchen with sprinkles and food coloring. It's been an interesting winter so far, I forgot how things shut down on the West Coast when there is even a whispering chance of snow! Having spent six winters in Minnesota, it's hard not to chuckle when snow hits here and panic sets in. It sure is making us feel at home with some white stuff on the ground though!

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If I can slip slide my way across the street, I'll snap a picture of the house with our Christmas lights up...it looks very festive!

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Merry Christmas!

Happy Hikers

I've been sorting through pictures on my digital camera and figured I would post a few of my favorites to let you know what we've been up to lately. For Handsome's birthday a couple of weeks ago, we spent the afternoon hiking around Silver Falls State Park in Oregon. We soaked up the sunlight and enjoyed being out in the cool, crisp air. Immediately following our return to the parking lot, we hiked our tired butts to Applebees for some happy hour appetizers and comfy chairs. :-)

We had a blast and are looking forward to heading back when it's a little bit warmer out! Here are a few pics from the drive to the park and the hike:

The fantastic view from the park entrance:

I would like to get my Christmas tree HERE next year:

At the top of the falls:

Walking behind the waterfall:

In amazement over the water:

Christmas pictures coming soon!

The Search for the Perfect Background

Just a quick post to announce to the world that I am SORRY for the constant color and background changes to this blog- I cannot find a color combination that I love (I'm not sold on the current layout), so I continue to experiment.

Stay tuned, and stay patient.

Dryer Sheets and Ketchup

Today is a big day. Something major happened. Something I've been expecting for quite some time, and really, I'm surprised it took this long. This is big, people.

I ran out of dryer sheets.

I know this doesn't seem like a very big deal, but for me it is. Why, you ask? Because in my 3+ years of married life, I have never had to buy dryer sheets. I have been working on the same stack from the first load of laundry I did after we were married. I have not purchased a single package of dryer sheets since then.

You're probably wondering if I have really strict standards for the level of filth our clothing must attain before I deem it necessary to do laundry, but I don't. I do laundry once a week like most people I know, and I always throw a dryer sheet in with each load. I don't reuse them. I don't keep a stack in the bathroom to aid in managing flyaway hair. Or hang them on my porch to keep the mosquitos away. One sheet per load.

It truly does amaze and entertain me that I have never needed to replenish our supply of dryer sheets. And it makes me laugh because we actually had a similar problem with ketchup at the beginning of our marriage. When we moved in together we each brought kitchen condiments from our respective houses. He had one bottle of ketchup, I had two...we had a family gathering after our wedding so we bought one of those Costco sized bottles....(that would bring the tally to 4 bottles in case you weren't following...and keep in mind, neither of us really love ketchup to begin with). It took us hundreds of french fries and a cross country move to get rid of all that ketchup.

The dryer sheets accumulated in much the same way. He brought his supply to our new home, I brought mine. I received samples of some "environmentally responsible" cleaning products and there was a box included amongst my sample gifts. We also received a package or two as part of a wedding gift.

So, for three years I've been plugging away at them, waiting for the day I would run out. Today is the day!

Married folks- anyone else have an abundance of ketchup and dryer sheets at the beginning of your marriage? Or was it something normal, like coffee cups?

Giving thanks for a great Thanksgiving!

WHAT a Thanksgiving it was this year! I just don't even know where to start! We certainly had a full house- 8 of us crammed into our tiny house for five days, and we had 9 total for Thanksgiving dinner. We had a fantastic meal cooked in my very own kitchen (this is a first for my little family). It was a wonderful weekend of food, games, Christmas movies and fun.

The highlight of my weekend was absolutely the surprise guest who appeared on my front porch- my BEST FRIEND (slash cousin), flown all the way in from Minnesota! How my parents managed to keep her visit a secret for two months is beyond me, but I couldn't have asked for a better surprise!

I handled the surprise quite well, pictures coming soon...once the tears subsided and my breathing returned to normal, we kicked off a holiday weekend like no other! We feasted on a fantastic Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday, ham and cheesy potatoes on Friday and a Mexican Fiesta on Saturday! In true Kirimi-Tricia fashion, we even managed to eat out in the midst of these feasts- twice in one day! We actually went from one restaurant to the next, which is oddly not that unusual for us :-)

We played all the usual games- Cranium, Apples to Apples, Bananagrams and a couple of card games...we watched a half dozen different Christmas movies and even snuck in a photo session in the park while we had the master photographer on hand. Here's a sneak peek picture:



Overall it was one of the best Thanksgiving celebrations I've ever had and I can't believe how fast it went. This weekend reminded me of how thankful I am for such a wonderful family. I'm also thankful for the beautiful weather we had, the delicious food and the fact that we had an abundance of leftovers to share amongst ourselves all weekend. I am also INCREDIBLY thankful for our new dishwasher- kudos to Handsome, Mr. Money and my dad for sucessfully installing it just in time for Thanksgiving dishes :-)

I hope everyone's Thanksgiving was as fun-filled as mine, and I'm looking forward to Christmas (though I'm still sitting here willing my calendar to turn back a few weeks...is it REALLY December?!)

Happy Holidays!

Yeah Veggies!

I made one of my favorite casserole dishes for dinner last week, knowing that it probably wasn't going to be very well received. It's got rice, cheese (lots and lots of cheese), and chicken with rosemary...SO GOOD! It has another ingredient that my husband REFUSES to eat and my daughter has always spit back out. I can disguise any way I want, they aren't fooled. I, on the other hand, could live off this stuff...it was my #1 craving while I was pregnant!

BROCCOLI.

Who doesn't love broccoli?! I'll eat it raw, cooked, plain, with cheese...doesn't matter to me. It's good stuff! Anyway, I made this casserole to feed my family knowing they probably wouldn't eat it anyway...but I didn't care, I NEVER get to eat broccoli!

I dished up a plate for Sassy-pants and sent a prayer to the vegetable gods. At first she seemed to be avoiding the green stuff, but she finally took a bite (might have been by accident). She stopped chewing and looked at me...

"What's this Mommy?"

"It's broccoli, sweetheart. Broccoli is good!"

"Ohh...okay. Yeah! Broccoli is GOOD! It's really REALLY GOOD!"

She finished her whole plate. She asked for seconds. She couldn't stop talking about how GOOD the broccoli was. I had to get it on video.

It cracked me up and I had to share :-) Oh and Handsome tried the casserole when he got home from work. He dished up and I got him something to drink. He dumped all the broccoli while my back was turned. Such a baby.

I'm nervous...

...because I have a job interview this week!

I've been asked to interview for a position with the school district and I am SO excited! I've applied to several openings with the schools and I'm thrilled to be considered for one of these positions!

And...

I've been asked to participate in the next step of the application process for another position that I applied to. This Saturday I'll be taking a test to evaluate my math, writing and grammar skills...if I pass that I will be invited for an interview!

So everyone keep your fingers crossed for me and wish me LUCK!

Put your body on the potty

My daughter is a bright, happy 2 year 8 month old little girl. She can count to 10, sing her ABC's, and put her shoes on by herself. She knows more about the functions of our digital camera than my husband and I combined. She ALWAYS wants to do what the big kids are doing, and enjoys doing things for herself- putting her shoes on, taking pictures, getting the mail, unlocking the house when we get home...she's a "big kid" for sure.

If she can do all of this happily and successfully, why oh why doesn't she have the slightest interest in potty training? We've been at it for months. We've read all the books. We sent away for the Pamper's potty chart. The Dora "You're a Star!" potty crown. We have M&M's on hand at all times to reward her for being such a big girl. Our house turns into a ticker-tape parade every time she does use the potty. When it happens, she screams for everyone within earshot to come running, FAST. We all throw our hands in the air and congratulate her, and she gets a "special treat" from the kitchen as a reward.

Some days it happens every few hours, she stays relatively dry and our throats are hoarse by the end of the day from celebrating so much. Other days it doesn't happen at all. Not once. She shrieks protests at me for even suggesting that we try to go potty on the toilet.

I'll admit, we've done some things to set us back . We moved to a new town, into a new house, twice in a six month period. We followed some advice from a parent newsletter that turned out to be disastrous. One day I read something about putting the (rhymes with soup) from the diapers into the toilet to show your child how the process works. I highly recommend NOT following this advice, because now she thinks she can do her business in her diaper and follow through with the next step (heavy sigh). Major setback.

Don't get me wrong, I'm not in a huge hurry for my baby to grow up. I'm just sick of diapers. And I know we shouldn't rush this, she'll get there in her own time...I was just kinda hoping that time would be now :-) We're putting this whole mess on the back burner for now, we'll dust it off and start again in a few weeks maybe.

In the meantime, it's diapers and wipes for us! The Dora crown will have to wait.

Anyone have any good tips or funny potty training stories to share?

Yesterday...

...was a bad day.

I don’t think it’s a big secret that things haven’t been easy for us so far in Oregon …yesterday was no exception. I have days like yesterday every now and then when things collide and I can’t handle them on my own. I’ve been looking for a job for nearly nine months and have not had good luck. (To illustrate my point: when we moved to Oregon in March I bought a pack of resume paper, which had 100 sheets in it. Last week, I ran out). *Ouch*

There’s nothing like putting your absolute best out there only to be rejected. Again. And again. And AGAIN. A few weeks ago I was the “runner up” for a great state job that was just five minutes from our house…it felt great to come that close. But “close” doesn’t pay the bills.

(Speaking of, what’s with those things anyway? Do they seriously need to be paid EVERY month?! No one told me that. I’m sure I would have remembered if someone told me that).

Anyway, back to my bad day. So far, we’ve survived (miraculously) on one income. It’s not easy and we haven’t exactly made it on our own the whole way, but we’re still here.

Things got a little overwhelming yesterday which prompted me to think about our current situation. We are somehow getting by while I continue the wearisome task of finding a job. We don’t own the house we’re in. We don’t have any friends here yet. We’ve needed to lean on those close to us for support, which is hard to accept and frustrating to do (to me anyway).

Yesterday all of that got to me and it became too much. Lucky for me I have an amazing family. They’re always there when I need them and they always know what to say. They reminded me that while things are very difficult right now, they could be worse. They could be so much worse. We have a roof over our heads (with a beautifully painted front door, which we did ourselves. Pictures coming soon). We have our health. We have each other.

Though I’m sad that we don’t have friends here yet, we still have our old friends. And we are working on finding a church to call home, which will help. And as for leaning on family for support- though it isn’t easy to do and I wish we didn’t have to, I am so very thankful that they are there to lean on. And someday, we will be there for them the way they are here for us now.

And it’s okay that we don’t own this house right now, we might someday! For now we have a really great setup. So far we’ve helped our landlord by replacing some bathroom fixtures and repainting the interior…there are more changes to come! It’s been so much fun learning how to do these little fix it projects and seeing the results.

And lastly, I am trying to remember that while this economic crisis is most definitely affecting us, we are not alone. And our country has faced this before, and survived. It will most likely take years, but we’ll get there. For now, we’re holding on.

So thanks to my family for being there for me yesterday. And today. And all the other days I have. And thanks to everyone else in my life for being a part of it!

Today is a much better day, especially since this is what I get to hang out with:



Positive posts in the future, I promise!

From Oregon ,

With Love

Ready, Set, BLOG!

Well here it is folks, my very first blog entry. I've been following the blogs of several friends/family members and thought it might be fun to take a stab at it. I figured it would be another great way to keep in touch with everyone and provide some of you (especially the Minnesotans) with some fun CHARLOTTE updates! Plus I know you've all been DYING for an up close and personal look into life as a housewife (don't deny it).

Anyway, follow along if you'd like, more to come soon!

From Oregon,

With Love :-)