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 :)

Frickin' is Not A Swear.

Hello friends! It is I, Lauren.  Embarassingly sporadic blogger, with a perchance for flawed punctation. But none-the-less, it is I. Here today to talk about January. (Unless you have a more interesting topic.)

It's January 22nd, (now it's the 24th. It can take me days to write one of these.)  25th, and we're closing in on the end of the month. I regretfully report, at this point, I have yet to really get back into the groove of things for the new year. Which is frustrating because I'm the kind of person who likes routine. Better yet, I THRIVE on routine. Routine, Routine, Routine! I love you, you snuggly, little parameters. I love you, you predictable method you!

Everyday for hobby, no matter weekday, weekend or vacation,  I wake up between 6:00am and 7:30. I make the coffee, I feed the cats. I turn off the alarm and the porch lights, open the blinds. All in an awesomely routine way. I have very special, thoughtfully crafted sequences and protocols for many mundane tasks. Total precision and efficiency. LIKE A BOSS!

If you are interested, I can tell you the most reasonable way to take a shower. Whether to floss or brush first, and why. Or, what day makes the most sense to water the houseplants. I have even figured out how to replenish your bird feeders with the least likelihood of contracting a disease!

But, all this December, followed by January stuff, has just thrown me for a loop. Not very conducive for routines. It's all been lumpy schedule-wise. It's so annoying.

I think it started when Jon left a few days after New Years, for the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas. This was his FORTY-SOMETHING-TH business trip to Las Vegas in the past nine years. Forty-third of so. I never get used to Jon traveling, although he does regularly. The days seem longer and more exhausting, I don't really sleep well, Noah starts acting a bit weird. It's just kind of  hard and throws my usual routine off.  Also, this is what the cats look like when Jon travels:

All depressed and de-motivated. I don't blame them.

Oh! On a side-note, I do have a very special "sub-routine" for travel weeks. Everything I would normally do, I do it way earlier in the day, or earlier in  the week. Being uber-prepared makes for smooth single-parenting. So, a week's worth of our clothing is washed,  ironed, grouped by outfits. There you have it, and ready to go! Meals are figured out and shopped for ahead of time. House cleaned. Paper work and school work done.
Dinner is early too, Noah's shower and pajamas are early, stories began sooner. I know that I need to do it all way in advanced, to get the kid in bed by 8:00. After which I collapse like a slug on my bed. But....only at ten minute intervals between Noah CALLING OUT THAT HE CAN'T SLEEP!
I don't know what it is, but when Jon is out of town, each night, Noah pulls out every trick in the book to not go to sleep. I might as well install a toilet, drinking fountain, wall of night lights, sound system, thermostat and a Build-A-Bear -Workshop in his bedroom to prepare.

The point is, travel weeks do not feel routine. There's never time to get everything that I want done, done. (Including blogging!)

This is a random photo of Jon with a Praying Mantis.

So there was the Las Vegas trip, followed by a continued Christmas break. Noah was out of school until January 10th! Doesn't that feel elongated to you? It feels elongated to me. You know what the weird thing is? We're on a school break AGAIN! There was  Martin Luther King Day on Monday, followed by some teacher in-service days for report writing. School is back in session on Thursday.

I'm hoping that next week, the LAST week in January, I can finally get into a great routine for 2013.  For I am softly weeping. Routine, come baaaaaack to me!

Although it's been a little stop-and-go, I HAVE gotten some things accomplished. For example, I took down all of the Chanukah and Christmas decorations, inside and out! I was going to wait until the end of January, but the greenery started to brown. :(
You should have seen me out there, frozen fingers, plucking a million plastic blue and silver ornaments.  I was trying to carry the sixty feet of garland around, and teatering high up on a ladder. (Not so smart.) Remind me to ask for some help next year. I kept day dreaming that a nice person working at the ad agency across the street, would see me out of their large windows, and coming running to assist. Maybe hold the ladder, or carry all of that wet garland to the side of the house for me. Never happened. I don't blame them, it was freezing out.

*I am now going to tell you about something very embarrassing and strange that just happened.

I just brewed a pot of coffee, but forgot to add the water. It didn't work.

I thiiiiink...... it's the ADD. Really. Sometimes I think about 500 things all at once, and then get distracted. For example, in the one minute that it took for me to grind the coffee beans, grab a new filter, scoop the grounds, fill the carafe with water and errrrm........put the full carafe back into the coffee maker, THIS is what I was thinking about......... (60 seconds)

"Hmmm.....the  repair person is going to be here any minute......what do you even call that thing they're coming to fix? Omg, I don't even know the name! I'm going to look like an idiot.  Hood vent? Stove fan? Cooking fan?  It's going to feel so awkward. It always feels awkward when somebody  is in the house with me. It's too quiet, this house is small, where do I even go to sit? I  don't want to look like a weirdo or something, watching them work. Like a stalker. Omg, if I sit in the kitchen, family room or living room, it'll look like I'm stalking.  Wait. will they want coffee? Should I offer? Are you supposed to offer?  Do you think switching from 1/2 & 1/2 in my coffee to almond milk will really make a difference? Ugh, I have to get on the treadmill again. Oh! The coffee can is empty. I have to recycle it. Wait, no....I it's so cool. I should keep it. What could I store in it? Maybe I could make a birdhouse out of it. Oh, I should go put my computer in the front room before the service person gets here. Then I can say that I  'Have to go work'. That sounds legit. But what if he asks what kind of "work" I do? Omg, I can't lie! Wait, look at Willow. Omg. I have to take a picture. She is so cute. Where is my phone? I have to text it to Jon. I have to pee. I should do it now, I can't pee with them here. I couldn't...... 'Frickin' is NOT a swear! It's a stupid word, but it's not a swear."

Actual picture that I took at that moment. 

Ok, you get the point. That's what 60 seconds worth of mind-chatter looks like, rolling around in my head.  You can see how I forgot the water. I'm doomed.

Anyway, remember I was talking about starting out on a new year, with new direction and intention?
This really has to do with getting back into a great routine, but you can't have a great routine unless you're feeling strong and determined and at your best! To be my best, I also have the goal of lowering my stress and anxiety levels. In case you have forgotten, I've talked about my slight predisposition to worry in the post entitled: "No You Can't Catch It From a Toilet Seat", and my post: "Excuse Me, Could You Please Remove Your Latex Glove from My Driveway".  Well, I've already checked off a step towards that goal, and I'm so glad! Two weeks ago, I started seeing a new therapist. It's been a while, and I'm glad to be back . She uses cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) to help reason with the worry. She also said that she uses a wholistic, integrated approach. I'm not totally clear about what this entails yet, but she mentioned nutrition through diet. I also know that my therapist also works with yoga and other similar practices for relaxation. This should be good, and she has already given me some interesting new ways to look at certain things. Personally, I think that almost every person would benefit from therapy. Literally, it's a collaborative sounding board. You go in and talk about your experiences, then, an un-biased person helps you to see your experiences, feelings, goals in additional, helpful ways. It's really fantastic, and nothing to fear. :)

In addition to learning to worry less and relax more, my 2013 "new direction" has one more IMPORTANT element. That is, to finally learn how to set healthy boundaries with my time in regard to the outside world!

For me, this means being more mindful of the number of volunteer and social obligations that I say "yes" to.  Learning to cut back without feeling SO guilty. Learning how to politely say "Thank you, but not this time".  It's also about making myself turn off my cell phone, and to step back from social media and endless email checking. All day long, my house phone rings and my cell phone rings, and I receives multiple texts. My email in-boxes fill-up too.

I've been saying for years that I was going to try to focus a little more, cut back on the distractions a bit, but I never truly set that into action. Now I'm ready!

I've realized, I especially believe, because of my ADHD and my introversion, (Yes, I really AM an introvert!) that each and every one of these small "hellos", as well-meaning as they are, force me to stop what I'm doing and I lose my place. This is not normal. We have never, until now, lived in a world where endless mid-day interruptions were the rule. Think about it. Before the advent of the cell phone, text messaging and email, most people, in most professions, were able to focus on the work that they needed to get done, without the sudden demand of an exterior source. Sure you might have colleagues come up to your desk with questions, but at least, usually, they are on-topic with the work you are doing.

I feel so infinitely lucky and grateful to have family and friend who care, and volunteer work that inspires, but for me, when I'm trying to get through my other "work", these little "hiya!'s" from the outside world are a bit too distracting for me personally. In reality, if I was more able to just quietly focus, I'd get a lot more of what I set out to do, done!

I love getting work done by the way. I LOVE what I "do".  Just because I'm not paid for it, doesn't mean it's not a job!  I enjoy stretches of uninterrupted productivity to keep our home going and in order.  To get food on the table, people clothed, animals loved. It's a lot of work to make sure birthday presents are bought for little friends, homework completed, errands ran, school life and volunteer life running smoothly. It's exactly where I want to be at this moment in my life, and I'm ever grateful for this opportunity.

Now though, as I've moved into a new home, with a bit more space to care for, with loftier goals and more intention and pride in my "work", the stop-and-start that comes with the stream of daytime communications, isn't helping me. I have so much more to accomplish, and I enjoy the challenge and there is *new work to be done!   So.....it's just a balancing act. That's all. :)

*Hint Hint! I want to BLOG!!!!!!! Will 2013 finally be the year I figure out how to fit it all in? I hope so!

Alright, enough of that heavy, New Year -ish stuff. Back to January and what's been non-routinely happening around here. Ok, THIS is something AWESOME....................


I caught the birth of a TARGET BALL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Isn't it fantastic!? I don't know about you, but I've always wondered where those giant, red gum ball looking Target spheres came from. The men installing these told me that each ball of concrete weighs 3,000 lbs! Can you believe that? It looked pretty treacherous. The workmen had to be very precise to load the ball onto it's base. Wow!

I've done a bit of cooking and baking this month. One hit were these gluten-free vanilla cupcakes, made with vegan coconut frosting.  I used Pamela's Classic Vanilla Cake Mix, which could easily be made vegan using egg substitute.

For the frosting, I wanted to see if you could make a traditional buttercream frosting with coconut oil instead of butter! Coconut oil stays in a soft-solid form when temperatures are under seventy-five degrees. After that, they melt into a liquid form, so this type of frosting is best for cooler months.  HERE is the recipe that I used for the frosting. Did you know about all of the health and beauty benefits of coconut oil? It really is amazing. Everything from lowering your cholesterol to fighting off viruses and bacteria. Even helping to regulate your thyroid hormone levels and blood sugar! Some say that it increases metabolism, helps with digestion and energy.  In addition to cooking with it, I also put coconut oil on my face as a moisturizer!

Let's see....what else.... Well, one interesting thing that Detroit, the MOTOR CITY has, is the North American International Auto Show. A huge event. Jon and Noah went together this year. I stayed home to work on the blog, but ended up getting a little distracted by cats and birds......

Isn't Hector just the sweetest? He really really is. This boy, he's just the most gentle, most calm and lovable guy. Did I ever tell you that I started a Facebook page for Hector? I mainly created it to promote the adoption of special-needs pets. Hector is blind if you didn't know, but it matters not one bit. He is an amazing, wonderful boy. :)

Speaking of cats.....and birds....Willow spends every morning in the family room, watching the birds out the window. It's perfect cat entertainment.

One day, I came in to find these three guys feeding on suet and nyjer seeds.

I can't get over these sweet American Goldfinches. They'll turn brighter yellowing the warmer months. I think they're just gorgeous either way. One day I counted eight Goldfinches having some breakfast!

We have a whole bunch of Downy Woodpeckers. I saw a gorgeous Red-Bellied Woodpecker right on our deck last year. I'm still waiting for him to come back.

(This is the Red-Bellied Woodpecker that I saw. His red cap is unbelievably vibrant and glowing in person!)

We're lucky that Noah enjoys trips to coffee shops. It usually includes a chocolate milk or some kind of Rice Krispie treat.

I shared some of my paper craft decorations before in THIS post. I just love making paper decorations for our front windows. There is a sweet, little preschool two lots down, and weather permitting, they take daily walks past our house and on to the park I believe. I've heard that they enjoy seeing the different ways that I dress up the front of the house for the changing seasons and holidays. Right now I'm gearing up for Valentine's Day! I decided to try my hand at a paper Willow the cat first. Once I buy some matte lamenting sheets, I'll put Willow on the window sill looking out.

Speaking of cats. AGAIN. After school today, I snapped this adorable moment between Noah and Hector. Often times when Noah gets home, the first thing he does is lie on the floor, and Hector comes over for a hug. He climb up Noah and lays down! Can you see how Hector is snuggling his head into Noah's neck? Is that that the cutest thing? They're totally BFF's. :)

OMG! This is so weird! I know! It's like a headless lady, taking a picture of herself in an awkward pose. But, I just liked my outfit today, and wanted to tell you that I love Boden. All of the colors...the prints...the comfort. It's just so much fun. AND, I liked how the crocheted flower pin that I made, matched the flowers in my dress. Crochet is so great!

Speaking of crochet.... I think I am going to be working on this project forever...last month I made my first shrug, and after realizing how easy it can be, I decided to try the next one. You can kind of get an idea of how it works HERE.  Basically, it will be a large loop, that you wrap around and then button together in the back rather than sewing. I hope it comes out. I found this soft, pink yarn that is like a boucle, and some sparkly pink buttons.  I've been wanting to post my first shrug, and I'll be sure to post when this one is done too!

The last thing I have to say, is that for some reason, San Francisco has been on our minds a lot this week.  Jon always says that his dream is to move back one day.  It was amazing to live there, but hard, but also incredible, and frustrating at the same time. It such a wonderful city, no doubt. Today I told Jon, if we ever moved back, the only thing is, I'd miss the seasons too much. Which is true. I can't imagine not seeing fall colors or fresh, white snow. I suggested that we become reverse snowbirds, and summer in SF. 

A few, random pictures from our last trip to San Francisco. It's been much too long. We have to visit again soon. I really hope we do.

And from the recently late, and forever great Dear Abby - A reply to a San Francisco questioner that will go down in history. You could not have said it better Abby! Thank you.

Dear Abby: Two men who claim to be father and adopted son just bought an old mansion across the street and fixed it up. We notice a very suspicious mixture of company coming and going at all hours — blacks, whites, Orientals, women who look like men and men who look like women. This has always been considered one of the finest sections of San Francisco, and these weirdos are giving it a bad name. How can we improve the neighborhood? — Nob Hill Residents

Dear Residents: You could move.

And with that, I bid you good night!

Until next time..........

xoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxoxox,

Lauren