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Sunday, February 7, 2010

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.

3 comments:

Ben, Rebecca, Natali, Isaac, Spencer said...

I can't wait to see the quilt/blanket for Big Sis. I LOVE the Land of Nod storage bins. I have with you girl time. Enjoy the absences of snow...I think we are getting what you are lacking.

Matt and Erin said...

How I love your blog! Wish you were still in Des Moines. Don't think I ever go you your thank you note before you moved...

I love the gown and the exersaucer and snugli are coming in so useful these days! thanks for thinking of me! You're the best!

Ashley said...

Yea for catch up posts. My, y'all have been busy - sorry to hear about all the sicknesses. Logan thinks Gavin's had the croup this past week - not fun. He also got himself the same Santuko knife and raves about it. I prefer to rave over the food he makes - the less I pretend to know about kitchen matters, the more meals I get served ;). DOn't want to ruin a good thing..but I'm glad you're loving your new cookware!!

WE just signed up at the Y. I can't wait until Gavin is 6 months so that I can embark on 2 hours in childcare!!!! Yea. Great job going to the gym so often bytheway, it's not fun, for me at least, but I feel so much better and more accomplished after I do. Getting there and getting started is the hardest part I think.