Instagram Clean Out

Because my mom's going crazy after I posted every day for a week and then suddenly stopped, and because I don't have another "proper" post ready to go . . .

A very cerebral breakfast. With heart cereal, no less:

Cute bento lunch:

Friday night at Johnny Rockets:

Grocery shopping at the Asian market:

Hand-me-down toy becomes a new favorite:

Tortuous text I sent to Kate from the music store (she ABHORS all things Twilight):

Doing a "secret sister" drop off for Kate:

This Superhero is evading sleep:

Sunday morning pancakes:

Puppy love:

Waking up to animals:

An imaginary breakfast:

Vitamin D, the Miracle Worker

Wow! I did it! I just realized that I already completed my personal challenge to blog every day for a week. Yay, me!

Now that I'm on a roll, I feel compelled to take a few minutes before I head to bed tonight to share my little solution for the "winter blues" which I've battled for the last two years since living here in Utah. It's so easy and simple it's ridiculous: copious amounts of Vitamin D3.

I know in the past I've written about my whole regimen for staying on top of SAD (seasonal affective disorder) in the winter (again, this is totally self-diagnosed, I just get kind of down and lethargic in the winter months so maybe that's not legitimate SAD . . .) which includes using a Happy Lamp, taking Vit. D and Sam-e, cardio exercise, staying away from too much sugar, using aromatherapy and music, etc. etc., but after getting my blood work done back in the fall and finding out that not only was my thyroid out of whack, but my Vitamin D was also low (and that the two were related), I TRIPLED my Vitamin D intake (went from 2000 iu's a day to 6000) and not only have I not needed the happy lamp, extreme cardio exercise, and on and on, but I haven't had ANY winter depression. Just from taking that one inexpensive vitamin.

It makes sense, since those of us living in northern latitudes aren't getting enough of the type of UVB rays needed to keep up our Vitamin D levels in the winter months and Vitamin D is produced in our bodies by skin exposure to sunlight. (And low D levels are related to depression.)

So if you are currently suffering from the winter blues, you may want to have your D levels checked or just fork out the 10 buck and try taking 2000-6000 iu's a day for a few weeks and see how you feel. Overdosing isn't really a concern, but I'm no doctor, so please consult your physician before starting this supplement, driving while texting, getting a tattoo, or starting any exercise program.

That's it. Just my tip of the day.

And can someone please tell me why there are still living, breathing (and crawling) boxelder bugs canvassing my house? Where are they coming from? It's like the arctic outside!

In the Meantime

I forced an amaryllis bulb again this year: 

Too bad I can't force the whole kit-n-kaboodle, because we've got some people around here that are already asking about spring and I'm afraid we've still got quite awhile to wait. Ah, well. At least we can admire these pretty flowers in the meantime:

 And at least it makes a nice contrast to the mess I'm making in the other part of the kitchen:

Heaven help me if I don't get April's Mind Organization for Moms implemented once and for all by the end of this week! It really is the bomb. You should sign yourself up if you're an organizational disaster like myself. (And do you see little Yuki down there? She likes to be right with me during the day when it's just the two of us at home. She follows me around like a little puppy dog. Imagine that.) I do like the winter for indoor home projects like this one. I don't feel like I'm missing anything outside when the weather is, um, less than optimal, and I kind of like hibernating and getting things done.

The only problem with my attempt to get organized is that I think I may have accidentally thrown our car title away, and the car dealership informed us last night that California will charge us $734 for a new title since we bought our old car there and didn't let the DMV know we were moving out of state. It's back payment for registration from the last 2.5 years. Is that the dumbest thing you've ever heard in your life? We have two weeks to see if we can find the title and then we're going to have to pay the blasted fee. Curse you, California! Curse you! You know what they charge in Utah for a new title? $6. And this is just one microscopic example of many that explains why we now live here and not there.

The good news is that I did bring home a new car last night, and it does have SEAT WARMERS. And that's a beautiful thing to have while we're waiting for spring.

Confessions

I need to take a break from the big, multi-picture posts. Today is a typically busy Saturday with the usual housecleaning and homework, a birthday party, a piano festival, running errands (like the Asian grocery store where I let the little girls talk me into buying way too much Asian junk food--probably because I secretly wanted it myself), and updating the mini-van! I'm pretty excited about that. The old one has some semi-serious issues, and the new one has SEAT WARMERS. What more could a girl ask for in the middle of a Utah winter?

So today's post is nothing more than my confessions for the week:

1) I still don't know who won the Super Bowl. That's how into it I'm not.

2) I occasionally drink out of the milk carton.

3) I've been driving around in an unregistered car for about 6 months. (Good thing I'm getting a new one today.)

4) I've become totally and completely addicted to Downton Abbey. Partly for the clothes and scenery, and partly because I want servants. This morning after making eggs and toast for everyone but Kate who wasn't downstairs yet, I set aside a plate of food for her. When she finally showed her face around 10am, she asked if I had washed any underwear. I told her where the clean laundry was, pointed out the plate of food and suddenly realized, I'M THEIR SERVANT! Where's MY servant?

5) There is a small bag of dark chocolate salted caramels hidden in my master closet. They can't take that away from me . . .

Cellos, Corsets, and Pastries

We had a one man cello recital at our house this afternoon. Will's teacher requires it at the end of each book, and that's a pretty good idea if you ask me. (The pressure of a performance does wonders to motivate a kid to practice.) His teacher also requires that the performer dress up, that there be a printed program, guests, and refreshments. It doesn't have to be long or fancy, but it has to be the real deal. Good idea, right? And really, all of that is easy except for the inviting people part. I'm pretty sensitive to people's time, and not everyone is into music, so who do you invite to something like this on a Friday afternoon besides Grandma and Grandpa who live hundreds and thousands of miles away? Well, I opted for my fun neighbor, Melanie, since her family is really into theater and the arts. Her daughter, Claire, was in my Sunday School class last year and we recently saw her in a professional performance of "A Christmas Carol" as The Ghost of Christmas Past, so they seemed as good a choice as any. Luckily they were game, but when Melanie texted me back and asked if the dress was formal, I didn't get that she was joking. I replied that dress was casual, but since Will would be dressed up not to come too casual. Here's how her daughter's showed up:

Is that awesome or what? 

Will did a fantastic job playing all 16 songs in his book by memory. We've been at this blasted book long enough. He's been playing off and on (mostly off) for the last 3 years, but now that he's studying with the man, Kayson Brown, he's really progressing quickly. (We were on his waiting list for two years.) And while I may have nudged Will toward cello in the beginning, he really does love it now, which makes me so happy. 

So you've already seen the cello and the corset (technically you can't see it, but Claire is wearing one under that dress), now for the pretty pastries courtesy of our favorite local cafe/bakery, Kneaders:

Do you think these kids were excited to taste these?

  Will also invited one of his best buddies, Jacob, to come:

I spent the next 20 minutes cutting these cuties up into fourths and doling them out to begging children:

Does this not totally remind you of Mother Ginger and the Polichinelles in the Nutcracker?

This girl cracks me up! I definitely picked the right family to invite:  

Check out this awesome YouTube video with over 9 million hits featuring Kayson's orchestra made up of the most amazing teenagers you've ever heard! They performed the same song for a special concert with The Piano Guys that aired on PBS in December, so they are no small deal. I feel very grateful to have squeezed Will into his studio:

 Here's to Day 5 of continuous blogging and my little cellist!

The After Party (Christmas 2012)

Okay, it's time for a photographic report of the week after Christmas. But before we get started, let's just admire some of Roger's handiwork. Look at this innovative weather proofing I found in the downstairs bathroom:

(Does your dad do things like this when he comes to visit? Aren't dads just the best?)

And this is how we repaid him for his kindnesses. When he got a boo-boo, we gave him a fairy band-aid:

On with the report!

So, all that January snow I've been talking about actually started a day or two before Christmas. I spent several hours three days in a row sledding outside with the kids until I finally woke up hurting one morning. The snow really was a highlight of Christmas break. Our floors were constantly covered in wet snow clothes and boots and they spent hours outside making snowballs:

And snow people. Brandon made these with Rachael and boy, was she ever proud. Of course, it's a family with a mommy, daddy, and baby (i.e. me, Brandon and Rachael):

She had to have a picture with every one of them:

And then there was the sledding. That is one steep hill in our backyard! When we landscape someday, we're planning to keep an area smooth and un-terraced for winter sledding:

Will and Andrew said they made it all the way to the creek one time:

 More snowballs:

Nice shot! I took this from my bathroom window:

This big hawk hung around the house for about a half an hour:

Winter berries:

The night the grown ups went to see the movie Lincoln, we left the kids home with gingerbread sled kits:

Gag me with a spoon?

When we got home, we finally had the kids open Mimi and Papa's presents that were delayed by the snowstorm. They gifted them a bunch of fantastic books, but rather than spending a lot of time wrapping them all up, we decided to put them out on the floor and have them take turns choosing the ones they thought were for them. I suppose it could have backfired on us, but everyone chose the right books for them and it ended up being a really fun way to do it. It was kind of nice that the books came late because the kids were able to appreciate them without competition from all the other stuff on Christmas morning:

Bonus--the kids spent the next hour or so absorbed in their new books:

The Saturday after Christmas Andrew had his birthday party. He was lucky to have cousins from both sides there since all of my sister's husband's family moved here from Iowa several years ago:

It took some convincing, but once I got my dad going on this game we couldn't get him to stop:

That night we hosted a little dinner party for some of Brandon's extended family on his mom's side. He was supposed to be on call over Christmas (something that should only happen every eight years with the call group he's in), but the doc who was on for New Year's had a child getting married that weekend and asked Brandon if he wanted to swap. We were thrilled! But wouldn't you know it, he didn't have to go in even once the entire weekend except for the exact four hours that his family was over for dinner. I felt so bad! We all had a great time, but Brandon was only there for the first fifteen minutes and then came home literally 15 minutes after the last person left. At least we got one good picture with him in it:

Sunday was Andrew's actual 8th birthday, so we all got to be there for his baptism. Except for Brandon, who got called in AGAIN. Such a bummer, but a treat for the rest of us:

He's a bit of a ham:

We all went back to Jason's parents' house for a little dinner party after the baptism. Does Will look like a total stud here or what? 

Both of Jason's parents are very musical, so they indulged my kids by listening to them each perform a few numbers on their lovely grand piano:

It really was a fun time:

Our families were friends back in Iowa City before Jason and Liz even started dating, so it's nice to have a reason to still see each other:

A special little cake for Andrew:

He lost a front tooth that weekend. Isn't that cute?

Love Rachael in this one:

At this point, Liz and I realized we hadn't taken a single picture together. So we did. Can you tell we are sisters?

With two of Liz's other sister-in-laws. Karin (in the red) and I were actually friends back in Iowa City and did an overnighter one time with some other moms the year we all turned 30. (That was like, last year or so . . .)

Okay, this is so totally random, but for some unexplainable reason that I never found out, Jason and his brothers have a "potato gun" that they occasionally shoot off in the backyard. I just had to try it! Putting the potato into the "gun" . . .

Jamming it down inside with some piping. Did I mention this brother (Mike) is a plumber?

Greg had to keep the big heavy thing up and steady for me, but I actually pulled the trigger. And lost my hearing:

Their home isn't some farmhouse out in the middle of nowhere, mind you. It's in a really nice neighborhood up above the capital building overlooking the Salt Lake Valley. Maybe they don't have police up there? Who knows, but somehow they get away with this type of uncivilized behavior:

Time to say good-bye. It really was a fun night: 

Monday (New Year's Eve) we met up with Jason, Liz, and his family again and some of us went to see the lights at Temple Square while some of us (the grandpas) stayed behind and watched football (with their eyes closed). You pretty much HAVE to go see the lights at Temple Square if you're in Utah over the holidays. It's just gorgeous, and since my parents hadn't done it in probably 20 years it was a must-do on the schedule. Well, for my mom anyway. My dad wasn't interested since it was in the single digits. (Ya, a pretty cold night to go see the lights.) Yuki had to stay behind, poor thing:

In the elevator leaving the parking structure. Don't really know why I took this picture, but my sister's face is cracking me up so I'm including it:

I mean, really, how can you miss this?

We stopped for hot cocoa at the Joseph Smith Memorial Building before forging on. We thought we understood what it might have been like for the pioneers who made the trip west during the winter months. (Okay, no comparison at all really.)

But we couldn't miss this. I think it's the most beautiful display on the entire square:

The penguin hat just works, don't you think? Joseph, Mary, and their big baby penguin:

No, my mother isn't wheelchair bound, but she can't do long distances because of one of her knees. Thank goodness we happen to have someone in the family who can easily get a wheelchair:

One more stop at the old Tabernacle to warm up and watch one of the many shows that were going on all night. This one was kind of jazzy/bluesy. Not really my thing, but it was nice and warm in there:

Last picture with most of the group:

I try to get an occasional picture with my hubby:

And why we picked this moment of face freezing pain to take the one and only picture of us together is beyond me, but here it is:

There she goes again:

New Year's Eve was extremely uneventful. (As always.) We played games. We watched the ball drop in New York. We drank bubbly juice and yelled "HAPPY NEW YEAR!" We put the little girls in bed. Some of us tried to stay awake until midnight and complained about how raunchy Kathy Griffin is and watched classy Megan Kelly on Fox News instead. I am always still recuperating from Christmas on New Year's Eve and rarely do anything spectacular. I do like to make goals (resolutions, whatever) every year, but not until the kids are back in school and I feel like I'm ready for normal life again. On New Year's Eve I'm still in lazy, vacation mode. Big time. I mean, who can start a diet on New Year's Day? What in the world is the point? As for me and my house, we eat my souped up version of Kneader's french toast with our own homemade coconut buttermilk syrup. It's divine, I tell you. Divine:

(You see I am in workout clothes, however. I'm not a total loser.)

Brandon making the coconut buttermilk syrup:

(Don't tell my dad there is CORN SYRUP in this recipe, because he ate it!) 

After the french toast, we did a whole lot of nuttin' for the rest of the day. Nuttin' being defined as watching football:

Crafting dolls from the fashion design kit the girls got for Christmas:Making snow cones from real snow and leftover Otter Pops from last summer:

In roller blades, no less:  

And the longest game of "Ticket to Ride" in the history of the world:

Last but not least, just a few really cute pictures for the heck of it. Rachael with the hand-me-down doll Elizabeth gave her for Christmas. (Hand-me-downs are treasures in our house. Rachael was seriously thrilled.)

Rachael with Papa:

Does this happen at your house?

Bonus section: More snow pictures! Because there was a lot of snow:

I swear our neighborhood is the last one in the city to be plowed:

Wow. This posting a little bit every day thing isn't really panning out like I had planned. Is it possible that I will get to a point at which I actually get caught up or run out of massive amounts of pictures? We'll see. We'll see . . .