Oh Bloody Hell

So, if cabin fever from ice and snow wasn't enough,  Sunday night TJ and I BOTH came down with colds.  He seems to be fairing better than I, which I gauge by his ability to still exercise and drink coffee.  I was down for the count yesterday, keeping myself as horizontal as possible, which was slightly impossible because of my lovely child...but I digress.  The only thing that kept me hanging on was 8 cups of chicken broth and loading apps onto my new iPhone!!  OMG it is cool.  It's like it can do anything!  We've all been having fun playing with it, and the best part: I had to call tech support to figure out how to make a phone call.  Ha!  Here's some documentation of what happens when the best game Fruit Ninja, gets ripped from your grasp when it's time to READ.  Oh boy.

New Year's Eve!

 I just uploaded...downloaded...loaded a bunch of pictures from my camera from Christmas and New Years, yippee!!  If there's one a thing an ice/snow storm is good for, it's washing every article of clothing in a house, making a pot of Basler Mehlsuppe, making a batch of chocolate chip cookies, and getting pictures organized onto the computer!  Oh, and the sounds of TJ wrestling with the spice cabinet while trying to make me jerk chicken...thanks Teej!

TJ, Chris, Quinn & Tom.  Wings!

Warming up game skills!

Cute Katie w/a party hat!

Twins! Kei and Esti.  To the right, a feast gathering around Quinn's amazeballs tequila lime chicken wings. Mmm.  This kitchen is an ENTERTAINER!!

My favorite 

Japanese (can't say Asian, sorry Kei, there's too much competition) doing her thang with a Cannon.  Damn, she's good. Look at her tame that crowd!

Katie&Liana.  "But an electrical circuit is something everyone has!"

  Kei and Ninja getting a midnight snuggle on, while Alisa, aka the Shamaan, came from behind the curtain to give her answer for the round of What's Yours like?  A fun game of guess-what-we-all-know-and-you-don't with 10 people in a tiny room.  Good times!

Me with my BFSnook.  

 TJ making us New Year's Day breakfast after our slumber party with Kei and Quinn.  Followed up by a full day of sitting on the couch watching football and making Phad See-Ew for dinner.  Fabulous for a first try!!

 After Rowan came back on New Year's Day,  We played round after round of Teddy Bear memory cards from Great Aunt Mirth, and Cousins Cheryl & Cindy. 

 All in all, a busy couple of days, with a lot of food, many friends, and butt load of fun.  Wish I could cure this ice storm cabin fever!!  This helped!

  

I love the winter ... weather!

Where the two of us can get ... together! 

The two of us meaning the four of us, which would be TJ, Esther, Rowan and Ninja.  Turns out Ninja and Rowan are snow maniacs, both of them eating it every time you turn your head.  We've about 4-5 inches as of yet, and word is more is on the way.  Guess who's got two thumbs and loving their new job, right about now?!  THIS GUY!! (me, not Rowan doing a snow angel).  Rowan has been a delight in the snow, and I cannot wait to see what we have in store for the next couple of days!  

SNOW DAY!

Rowan's snow angel!

Such a big kid, trekking back up her 2 feet incline, sled in hand.  

For Your Enjoyment: Opal L, 1.0

Dear World,


Here is a picture of my lovely parents.  I love this picture.  I love this boat.  Thank you Aunt Cindy for making it be in my computer!!  You have inspired me to do an installation dedicated to this fishing vessel. Let this be the first.  Hoorah! Hoorah!


Love,


Esther

Case of the Mondays

We did it!  We made it through the first week of the year.  And I only have a one gigantor fever blister and a Volvo station wagon in the shop to show for it.  At least no one broke a bone, right?!

I'm still struggling to get the Christmas tree down.  All other decor is safely stowed in their holiday totes, but that damn tree attached to train board is proving to be my biggest task, year-to-date.  Rowan and I cleaned house all day Thursday, where after she proceeded to re-discover all the toys she forgot she had by way of cleaning her bedroom, hosted a princess tea with her animal friends. Hedgehog, Monkey Sock and Stitch were among attendees.  Spying was in order.  Too funny/sweet for words.  Especially when she caught me spying and said,

  "Mom, I can't help it if these animals want me to feed them tea.  They just love to be snuggled in my princess dress."  

Notice fingerless gloves, please.

Deep in thought.

We took a journey to the Zoo on Saturday, and do I ever have something to share about the winter time zoo goers.  

Every mom had on the same cute Patagonia jacket that I've been coveting for a couple of years (me, coveting without a jacket even ON at the Zoo.  Fitting.), and all with their couture jeans tucked into their leather boots.  DA, if you're reading this, it was like every other woman was as cute as you; and it made me vomitorious.  

The other thing I found fabulous about the Zoo was the sighting of animals!!  How many times have we gone in the summer and the African beasts are too far a way to get a good look, and the others are off hunting for shade!?! 

 Not this time of year, folks, done and done: 45 degrees, 2/3 less the crowd, AND animals!  Patas monkeys, hippos, giraffe, lion, wild dogs, bear...even a kangaroo hopped right up to the fence where Rowan was standing.  The most lively were the wolves though, and by far my favorite...God help me.  I've got a thing for the spirit wolf.  

And Just Like the Bride of Chucky...

Rowan in November

I'm back.   And it's that easy.  You, too, can have THREE count them, THREE, blogs out there in the interweb world.  You can start one when you are pregnant, and write it for a while, until your marriage falls apart.  You can start a new one, documenting your new life, which lasts for one post until you forget the address and don't do it anymore.

After much thought and self conversation,  I've decided I indeed enjoy writing more than bitching or venting to people, and that with good cause and intention and without hope or agenda (you're welcome, Love Actually fans), I may use this personal internet journal to keep one updated, or, if all else fails and there's no one good to unload on at the Kohl's department store in Marysville, as my venting system.

For now, let's call it a new blog, for a new me! For a new year, for Pete's sake!

TJ & me in his '83 Westi, 4th of July 

  Today is a fun day; my wonderful T.J.'s 38th birthday, and an awesome excuse to drink a glass of champagne whilst I type out the first of what will hopefully be many new blog postings for the coming year.  As I sit here in the kitchen, Rowan (3.7) and T.J. (38 and 12 hours) are playing the new video game she picked out for his birthday.  My life has changed since my last...and my last last...blog entries.  Here we go!

Cheers to a double awesome super happy fun time year!  Boy howdy, 2012!