Playing Catch Up! What We Did Over the Holidays

Helloooooooo blog friends. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!! \(^-^)/
I know that I'm really late in saying that, but better late than never, right?
I hope that all of you are having really nice starts to the year, and that your holiday season was bright and happy.

I don't even know where to begin or how to catch up. I was lagging behind on posting mostly because we were just so busy with holiday prep and Chanukah and Christmas and New Year. Also though, I was surprised to find that I came down with the flu! It was right between Chanukah and Christmas. I couldn't believe it. I haven't had the flu or anything like it in over ten years! Actually, the most surprising thing was that even after my fever and aches subsided, I was completely worn out and weak for over a week! I've never had that feeling. The flu really does take it out of you. The good news is, I'm feeling better now. It took a while, but I'm back!

Here is just a bit of what we've been up to recently in pictures..........

I have Chanukah decorations and Christmas decorations. I grew up celebrating Christmas when I was a baby, then Chanukah until I was about five or six, and then Christmas. Don't ask. I don't even know. My parents are both half Jewish, half Catholic and Protestant, but have never been religious. So I think we were just trying it all out. Some people will feel that it is wrong that I decorate for a holiday that I don't religiously celebrate, but I still love Christmas time and the peacefulness and stillness and beautiful lights, so I put my decorations up. Mostly to celebrate  a time of joy and unity.

And I also make things fun and festive for Chanukah with dreidels and gelt and menorahs and other decorations.  But, in a nutshell, I'm bummed because I mostly forgot to take photos of my decorations this year! I'm so sad. I take pictures every year! I've been far removed from my regular rhythm and schedule these days. I'll blog about it soon. 

Willow enjoyed the warm glow of this small topiary/tree. My Mom gave me two matching topiaries from her front door years ago. I turned one into an indoor "holiday" tree with fun ornaments that Noah and I chose, and the other I decorated with simple bulbs and lights for sitting outdoors on our back deck!

And sleepy Josie, resting by the twinkling lights. :)

I just can't even believe that I forgot to take outdoor photos of our decorations this year. This is the only picture that I could find. Jon and I put A LOT of work into getting the fresh garland, wrapping lights and stringing bulbs and putting it all up. I wish I had remembered. And this year, the most fun part...... I found a vintage looking, plastic Santa 1/2-off at a garden shop, that we weighted down with bricks and perched on our front porch roof! :)

So, it looked like a 3-foot Santa was waving from our roof! Lots of people told me they liked him. The reason that I decorate all of the time, for the holidays and even for the different seasons, is because I just want to spread smiles and happy feelings. I know that my house is in a very visible place. More so than homes in a neighborhood. During rush hour, our street is quite busy, it is a cut-through loop around town, so we get a lot of traffic, and I just want to make commuters smile, especially if they've had a hard day. Also, the children at the nursery school right down the street seem to love the ever-changing decorations, and the church goers right across the street always tell me they enjoy them too. And people who regularly walk by. So....in my own, little, tiny way, this is how I do my part to spread some cheer. :)

Also, look how big Josie is! She was 16.5lbs. at the vet today!

I am stressed about what is the safest and best way to drive Josie in the car when I have to. I'd like to find a good set-up so I can take her with me to pick up Noah and on other small errands where she can accompany me. The only thing is, she becomes carsick and often....well.....throws up! Poor Josie. The vet said she might out grow it. Here is a car seat and harness combo that I tried. At first she liked it. After a few rides she was trying to climb out, and then she was carsick again. I still think it's a nice product though! It's the Solvit Tagalong Pet Booster Seat in size XL. It was very easy to set up and install. I paired the booster with their Deluxe Car Safety Harness that clips into the booster seat with two clips.

But, maybe the point is moot now because last week I got a new car! \(^-^)/

My lease is up on the Mini and it was time to try something new. I'm not sure how much I want to risk puppy vomit on the new seats at the moment. I don't think Josie wants to take the risk either. ;)

This is a convertible. Although I'm thoroughly enjoying our new, gorgeous snow, Noah and I are also super excited to one day, hopefully soon, put the top down!

Noah was off from school for over two weeks. A lot of hanging out with puppies went on.

Hanging out with tired from playing puppies.

Tired out from playing kids and puppies.

Apparently REALLY tired kids and puppies.

I feel like I've mentioned this before on the blog, but I found THIS free, cute crochet pattern for a Santa drink coaster. He was quick to make and lots of fun! I just made a loop for it, made two, and hung them in my front windows downstairs! :)

When I wasn't sick from the flu, Josie and I did a lot of walking. 

Like mother, like daughter.........

Here is Chanukah! Oh I am painfully guilty of not taking enough pictures of Chanukah this year. I'm really upset at myself for this. It's just that I started feeling sick around the third night and spent the rest of Chanukah on the couch or in bed. Noah loved when we lit the candles. He enjoyed singing, opening his gifts and playing with the dreidels and gelt. We even had a latke with applesauce night and blintzes too. Yum! Yum!

Last year we made cookies for Santa. Noah really wanted to do it again. I wish so much that I wasn't sick on this day. Instead of helping, I just watched and.....then laid on the couch`. It was still fun though.

And since it was Christmas Eve, I was able to finally give Noah his Christmas Eve box! This year it included some fleece, penguin footie pajamas, a stuffed animal, a Charlie Brown Christmas DVD, popcorn, movie candy and hot chocolate to make. It was great.

Oh, and on top of everything, my Mom's dog Lucy, who is Josie's best friend, she came over to play for an hour or so on this day. But, Lucy was scared to be away from her home, so she mostly just panted the whole time and ran around. We have dubbed Josie and Lucy and their friendship as = "Jucy."

Noah wanted to make Santa an ornament and letter, which I thought was sweet.

And here are his finished cookies! 

And everything, new penguin pajamas included, on Christmas Eve. Ready for Santa!

Here's after Santa came. Because we celebrate Chanukah, we only give Noah a few smallish gifts from Santa and one from us. Then, we go to my parents' house where Noah receives more Christmas gifts. Jon snuck downstairs late on Christmas Eve and ate the cookies that Noah left, drank the milk and left a letter in pencil on brown packaging paper. I was sure to wrap the "Santa" gifts in the same, nondescript packaging paper and then I added on scraps of ribbon and accessories that Noah has never seen and look magic! Like the silver stars below!

Noah gave Jon and I, what I think is the best gift ever! A poem that he wrote about our family. I 

 teared up when he read it to us.

This was him opening the box from our gift. It was a Hot Wheels Street Hawk. You guys, this toy is actually REALLY cool! It goes from being an RC car, to driving very fast and then......taking off into the sky! It becomes an airplane! Watch below:

After Christmas things were calmer. Between Christmas and New Years I just tried to get better. One evening we took a short walk. The lights were pretty and the weather was unbelievably mild!

When I was feeling good enough to really venture back into the world, we went for bunch at a delicious place called "Imperial." They make the best artisan, fresh, veggie tacos I have ever tasted. The menu is really unique. If you're in Detroit, you should check it out!

Oh my gosh, I just realized that I don't have pictures from New Years either! Oh geez. Well, for New Years we were invited to dinner with my parents and my 92 year old Grandmother. We went to a lovely restaurant called "The Stand."  I had a very refreshing beet salad and the best truffled risotto.

Then we took Josie to my parents' house to run with their dogs for a while, and after that I headed home. I fell asleep around 9:30, but luckily, Jon woke me up to see the ball drop. Then, somebody was setting off huge fireworks in the neighborhood down the hill, so it was pretty to watch those from our window. 

This week I spent a few days making some front window decorations for the month of January. I just went with a snowman theme, as I already have a door decoration that's a snowman holding a sign that says: "Let It Snow!" Which, I agree with. Let's have some snow now! Christmas was too green and warm outside. I need at least a LITTLE wintry weather before spring. Then I will appreciate spring more!

Here is Josie the other night. She is such a sweet girl. Over the holiday, one night after she awoke around 1:00am and 3:00am crying in her cage, we decided to just let her sleep on the end of Noah's bed and see if that helped. And magically.......now Josie almost always sleeps through the night AND she has stopped getting up at 5:45am!!!! HOORAY!!!! This is a HUGE difference. We are all getting more sleep now. :)

My Mom was suggesting for a while that it was time to take Josie to the groomer, just so she can start getting used to it. We give her baths at home often, she's very good about them. But, I don't know how to trim her hair. So, I agreed to take Josie to the groomer. My Mom set an appointment for Josie and her dogs Buddy and Lucy, so they could all go together and keep each other company. I was a really nervous for Josie. I worried she would be scared. I even nearly cried at the thought of leaving her. But of course, it was TOTALLY fine, and she had no problems and I was fine too. 

And, from the looks of it, with that smile on her face, she had a good time! 

Josie's hair is so soft now and the short length is good for the snow. They did a great job! It's just personal preference, but I love the longer, shaggy "Benji" look that she had before, but I'm sure we'll visit the "Pet Parlor" again sometime soon.

So, for Christmas my Mom gave me a great cookbook. It's a Cooking With Trader Joe's cookbook, the vegetarian version. Sometimes I have to go to three different grocery stores to find everything on my list, but my goal is to only have to shop one! Trader Joe's is my favorite, so this cookbook was super exciting to me.

Anyway, I'm really enjoying this cookbook and just wanted to share. So far I've made some Roasted Red Pepper and Mozzarella sandwiches which were easy and great. We also had the simplest but most flavorful pasta with sun dried tomatoes, olives and pesto! The picture below is the Spicy Szechuan Tofu. Think of it as veggie Ma Po Tofu. This was DELICIOUS and even Noah ate it! I served this dish with some white rice, a veggie stir--fry and some Asian inspired broccoli slaw.

Oh and........Chocolate Truffle Pie! This pie was sooooo good and super quick to make. The crust was made from Joe Joe's which are the Trader Joe's version of Oreos. The filling is just melted semi-sweet chocolate chips and coconut milk cream. It's amazing. 

Next I tried making an Eggplant Parmesan and a warm goat cheese salad. Everything was great! :)

Tonight will be a simple harvest grains veggie soup, some arugula with toasted pine nuts and Parmesan salad, and little grilled cheeses. We have a Trader Joe's truffled Brie to use up. Also, I've made the cookbook's blueberry and peach cobbler for desert!

THEN.....I go on a diet for the rest of my life. 

Speaking of. Ok, here is my exercise update. I'm really getting into something fun and wanted to tell you about it. Here is a very deceptive picture taken post-exercise the other night. My arm is much more fluffy than thist in real life, but look at that definition! Actually, it's just a line, but I pretend it's definition.

But any who, I have been exercising almost every single day since August. And before that, I was trying to at least exercise a little most days for the year prior. My theory is, if I just try to get at least 15-20 minutes a day of weight resistance/cardio exercise, plus a walk in, I'm good to go and I won't give up. I have 15 minutes to spare and time to walk. This amount is something that I can stick with.

I wrote earlier in the year about the pilates DVD that I purchased and have really enjoyed. It's called "Element: Pilates Weight Loss for Beginners." I like the 20 minutes "Cardio Pilates" workout. It's a lot of core work.  Usually these days though, I have been doing a mixture of POP Pilates videos which are FREE on YouTube! Have you seen them? I LOVE the creator and instructor Cassey Ho. She's the best! So sweet and super motivating. I just mix and match her different videos, and there are a ton of them. Many are just five minutes long, working a specific areas of the body. Other video are much longer and offer a full body workout. Here are the two that I did last night. I can DEFINITELY feel it in my abs and legs today.

STOP LAUGHING AT THE TITLE! LOL....

Sometimes I'll add in additional exercises of my choice or pair POP Pilates with my DVD. I just try to mix it up and keep things fun!

Ok, but here is the semi-frustrating/confusing part. Anybody know what's going on?

So, I have been exercising for a year and a half and trying not to eat once dinner is over. I don't weigh myself at home because honestly, I realized that I scrutinized that number on the scale too much. If I gained a pound, I felt defeated and would feel like giving up. I decided to go by how my clothes fit instead, what my energy and strength is like.

I went to the doctor's this week for my yearly physical. On the way out, they hand you a checkout sheet/receipt and I saw my weight. I can't believe that I've only lost about 10lbs. because I'm now fitting back into jeans that I bought quite a few years ago when I weighed 10lbs. lighter than I do now. 

So, how am I fitting into these jeans? I bought them when I lost 20lbs. on Weight Watchers. My only guess is, is that I lost some body fat, but gained muscle. Can that be right? That I just toned up and gained muscle? I suppose so...... I've been doing ab exercises and leg exercises almost every single day for five months. I've never felt this strong in my life, it's pretty cool!

So, I guess the number on the scale doesn't matter. I'm just glad that I can wear my old jeans again, and more so, that I can plank easily and feel strong and have fun while doing it! \(^-^)/

And that my friends is the scoop!

Love you lots. Back soon!

xoxoxoxoxoxo,

Lauren :)

Barreling Towards 2014

The snow began falling, along with the temperatures and the number of times that you hear the phrases: "Oh I hate winter." and "Just as long as it doesn't snow anymore." But for me, I don't mind the cold and the snow. In fact, I welcome it! Anything but 90 degrees and humid, I'll take that! This photo of the snow falling from my bedroom window, does not do the beauty justice. I wish I could show you exactly what it looks like to see out over the roof, through the trees and over the little valley. 

Shortly after this photo was taken, a hawk glided in and perched on a tree high, high above our yard. The interesting thing was that there was a flock of crows following the hawk and cawing at him!

I found this statement in Crows: The Bad Boys of Birding by Kathy Bernhardt:

"Crows chase hawks and owls for the same reason that mockingbirds chase crows: to purge their territory of a potential predator."

I suppose that explains it! I wouldn't want a hawk taking over my trees either. Although I'm terrified of the hawk, and I am heart-broken by the birds and the bunny that he has caught in our yard, I know he's a living being too. I feel as though I need to make myself find compassion for him. But, does a hawk even have compassion himself? I suppose as humans, that's one of our higher jobs, to have awareness and use our capacity for compassion, even where others can not. 

As fruit-loopy as this sounds, this fall I had a transformative experience when the hawk swoopped down and landed in a small tree near the mini-pool. I ran outside. I was hoping to scare him away, but it was I who ended up being the scared one! For a moment though, I stopped and everything was still, and the hawk turned his head and looked me straight in the eyes.  I looked back into his eyes, and I realized (from his markings) that he was just a juvenile and that he was out here alone in life. As funny as it sounds, I saw in his eyes that he was vulnerable too, and that he was just trying to live and survive. I felt a surprising feeling of empathy towards him. It thawed my heart a bit, like in the Grinch Who Stole Christmas. And so I learned to have some love for hawk too. It's a complicated relationship.

At any rate, the temperatures have been cold, even one day with a high in the teens! We're also supposed to get more snow in the next 24 hours. Maybe even 4-6"! I can't tell you how much my fingers are crossed for a white Christmas. It just helps everything feel that much more festive.

Here is the yard yesterday . It's difficult to see, but there are three bright red male Cardinals and one female in the Wisteria vine on top of the pergola.

I've been thankfully slowly getting back up to speed since "the stomach flu incident", doing a little more everyday. By Wednesday the sight of me in the kitchen didn't set off any alarms, and with an obscene amount of hand washing, I was cooking again. Nothing complicated, just tomato soup and grilled cheese night, and a mushroom ravioli night. I did make a very easy chocolate peppermint cake. The Trader Joe's mix that I tried out last month. Because of crippling fatigue brought on by the stomach flu, I was too weak to actually smoosh the candy cane into tiny piece with which to sprinkle atop the cake. Instead I just snapped a couple of canes into pieces and stuck the bad boys into the top of the cake like disgusting Christmas worms. Or, maybe I was just lazy.....

I had read that when recovering from stomach flu, you should avoid caffeine. So, diligent  panic stricken as ever, of course I followed the Mayo Clinic's dietary  guidelines to a tee. No caffeine, nothing sugary, the B.R.A.T. diet, clear broth. This went on for days, and by the third day POST stomach flu, I realized that I could just chill a bit with the food precautions. So, I tried my first cup of coffee in five days, but I made sure it was decaf , just to be SAFE!

But, I couldn't help myself, and added in some sugar cubes and an almond biscotti. But then, I felt so guilty for "breaking the dietary suggestions" with sugar, that I took three sips and called it a day. (Although, this was after I inhaled the biscotti.......)

Oddly, everything was FINE.  Huh!? Go figure! ;)

Here is a little project that I did this week. They're gift bags for our teachers! I found small, cotton tote bags at the craft store, and then used a ruler and fine-tip sharpies to make each bag look like a sheet of lined paper! (I'm sorry that the picture is so small, but I also wrote each teacher's name on the top line.) HERE are the instructions that I found a from the site: Sun Scholars through Pinterest!
These are a lot of fun to make. I also made the bags last year, and that time had Noah write each teacher's name and draw a picture of them on the bag, like the original Sun Scholar project. This year I decided to keep things simple. Then we will fill the bags with our two surprises and some tissue paper.

Each year, the second and third grade at Noah's school runs a "Recycled Store". The children work very hard for weeks to come up with and make gift items made from recycled products, that they then sell them at their pop-up store! All of the proceeds go to a selected charity. Some time before, each child is instructed to present to their "stage" (which in Noah's school means a two-year split of children, like 2nd/3rd grade.) what their charity of choice is. Slowly, through debate and a voting process, the entire stage chooses one charity to be the recipient of all of the proceeds. This year it was a local animal rescue shelter. 

This year the children raised over $2,000 for charity! Isn't that amazing!!!? I'm very proud of them. The variety of gifts was wonderful, they worked so hard. There were banks and wrapping paper and sculptures and cat toys, all kinds of things! Here is my favorite though, a simple "melted snowman" ornament made from glue and other bits.

After shopping at the store, I went upstairs to Noah's locker and saw one of his drawing hanging on the wall! I just had to share because I love it. This is called "Minotaur". I love the detail of the six-pack stomach. 

It's been really cold around here. The high yesterday was only 19 degrees! I had to turn on the fire to help warm up the family room. I thought it looked cozy, so I took a picture. Those gifts aren't for us, they're for our extended family. I feel VERY relived that most of my holiday shopping and wrapping is done!

But guess what happened TODAY!? Guess!!!!
Today I had my FIRST CAFFEINATED coffee in SIX DAYS! I was sooooo scared, but I couldn't take it any longer, and went for a latte' and a writing session. Boy was it good! Here's the thing though, I've been sleeping so well this past week. Could it REALLY be because I haven't had caffeine? I usually only drink 1-2 cups of coffee a day tops! So it's not like I drink a lot. Hmmm, we'll just have to wait and see if I'm up all night tonight. I hope not!

Well, good news. I think I now have a new winter "uniform" - Skinny jeans and thermal shirts. (I'm not saying that I look good in this uniform, but at least it will keep me warm.) Not the most stylish and earth-shaking uniform, but it works for me!  Even though I'm about three years late on this trend, this week I became obsessed with "skinny jeans".  If you know me, you know that for a long time, I've worn dresses like, EVERYDAY, even in the winter. I hated jeans, and the ones I had were bootcut, so they never fit into my boots and ended up dragging on the ground in the snow. It was miserable! So at least with dresses, there's nothing to drag on the ground. But, thick tights are still just that, tights. 

So when I tried "skinny jeans" this week, it was life changing! I've been wearing my Keen Howsers with them, so I do look a little like one of Santa's elves, but I don't care. Not having your cuffs drag on the ground is LIFE CHANGING I tell ya!

Anyway, back to business.  I saw that Old Navy had some thermals.  I like that they're slightly scoop neck, and that they come in cute prints like this polk-a-dot. Also, today they were on sale, so a picked up a couple for under $10! 

I have some other thermals at home that I found at Target, or have had for some time. I think the key is to get the girly ones.

I usually layer a coordinating or contrasting color tank top underneath. My favorite are these lace trimmed tanks tops sold at Target! 

As for the jeans, I still stand by Jag Jean's Peri style, but I decided to try out a pair of Old Navy jeans on a whim. I own a couple pairs of their Sweetheart jeans in bootcut. If you're like me, and your waist measurement is 10" smaller than your hip measurement, then this cut is for you. It's their "curvy" cut, verses the Diva and Flirt which are straighter cut between waist and hips. ANYWAY, this time I tried the Sweetheart in the skinny version and they were pretty good! And, at just $20 (they were on sale), that's a deal! Surprisingly, the waist is a little big on these, but I guess I can't complain. The best part, I can tuck them into my boots! No more wet cuffs this winter!!! WOO HOO!!!!

The only other thing that I have to report is that tonight we drove past the Christmas Light House. This is a house that's been literally plastered in lights and other decorations for 35 years! Well, around Christmas it is. These pictures don't even begin to show how large the display is. The house sits on a double lot, so the lights and blow-ups and decorations run just 70 feet short of a football field! Everything is covered in lights. The sad thing is, is that this will be the last year for the Christmas Light House to put on a full display. It's due to rising energy costs. I feel a little sad, but 35 years was a really good run. It's quoted in THIS article about the family, that it costs anywhere from $1,200 -$1,500 in December to power everything. Wow! Well, thank you Unger family, for all the years of cheer and Christmas joy. You made generations of people smile. :)

Well, that's all for now! This weekend will be full and exciting. So more later!

Until then, stay warm and keep your cuffs dry!

xoxoxoxoxo,

Lauren