A Most Random Catch-Up Post

I am still in reluctant blogger mode, so I'm just going to mash all the recent happenings into one random post.

Here goes.

This has been an odd winter. I fully expected that moving further north & east, and to a state surrounded by water on 3 sides meant we would have more snow & cold, but I have been wrong. Detroit is actually down about 30" of snow from last year. It's been cold (sub-freezing), but I don't think we've dipped below zero at all. Currently we have just patches of snow on the ground, and I don't think we've gotten more than 1" of snow from any of the "storms" that have come through. Wonder if that means we are in for a fierce summer?

The kids have been sick for about a month now. It started on Christmas Eve when Big J woke up with croup. Although he recovered pretty quickly, there were some lingering sniffles between the two of them. Then, 2 weeks ago, we were invaded by Rotavirus. If you don't know what it is, google it, as I am choosing to not relive the horror of it. Let's just say that in the past few weeks I've easily tripled the loads of laundry, toilet paper, diapers, carpet cleaner, & Clorox wipes that we usually use. First Big Sis suffered through it, then when she recovered, she passed it to Big J. Although I love it when they share I would have been happier if they had not shared this. I THINK they're fully on the mend now and hope that we have healthy times ahead.

I am still working on Big Sis' birthday quilt. It was supposed to be a Christmas gift, then it turned into a Birthday gift. Now it may be an Easter gift. Possibly Valentine's, but I'm not making any promises. I like how it's turning out, but it's been A LOT of work. And with sick kids, birthdays & life to work around, I just wasn't able to knock it out like I had hoped. I will post pics when it's all done.

Next on the crafting docket are: a birthday banner for Big J, a duvet cover for Big J, Cars birthday cake for Big J, silhouettes of the kids, and to finish off the chair I am painting/ reupholstering for my craft area.

Thanks to Christmas gift cards, I've been able to upgrade some of my kitchen tools. I am now the giddy owner of a 7" Wusthof Santoku knife and a set of All-Clad French Skillets. And yes, they are as amazing as I had hoped they would be.

I DO find it ironic that almost as soon as I purchased these skillets, All-Clad discontinued their basic stainless line and replaced it with the far more expensive MC2 line. Bummer. BUT I have also found Cookware & More for All-Clad irregulars at excellent prices. I have not yet purchased from them, but I plan to save my pennies and invest in more new cookware. I love to cook, and it's SO much more pleasurable when you have the right tools.

We recently joined the local Y and I've been trying to go 3-4 days each week. I love the 2 hours of free childwatch, and so do the kids. It's super, super clean & they always have fun there. I'm back on the Couch-to-5K program & plan to participate in the Detroit Race for the Cure in May. Big Sis starts swim lessons at the Y in just a few weeks & we're hoping this is going to get her ramped up to hit the pool/ beach this summer.

We finally entered the 21st century & tried out Skype with the Grandparents! The transmission was a little spotty, but it was really neat to be able to see & hear them. I can see us relying more heavily on Skype as we continue to be far from family for the next 5-6 years.

We split up the kids. When we moved to MI, we had kept the kids paired up with the idea of using the spare room as a playroom. Well, turns out our kids want to be with us - wherever we are in the house - and really never used the playroom. A few days ago we broke down and moved Big J into the playroom. Big Sis is happy to have her own room again - where she can shut the door and keep him out. They've made the transition really well, and now I just need to finish cleaning out the toys and reorganizing their spaces. I think it may be about time to be done with the changing table and transition to a dresser. My baby isn't a baby any more! I'm thinking of sprucing up his room with these:

I LOVE this print. It's from falldowntree's Etsy shop, and it's part of the My New Robot series. I think the little guy in the print looks so much like Big J. I've had my eye on this for months, but I can't decide if I could/ should mix robots & dinosaurs & airplane prints. They all have the same look, but are the subjects too unrelated?

Ikea Aneboda dresser

A little basic & boring, but within our budget.

Land of Nod Strapping Storage Bins

These look great for big toys & as a laundry hamper.

Big Daddy is heading back to Oregon for a week & he's taking Big J with him. I'm excited for them to have this adventure together, but miss them both already. Fortunately, Big Sis has a Winter Break over the exact days they will be gone, so we'll get to spend some good girl time together.

That's all for now.