Making New Traditions

We broke with tradition this year and left for the cabin the day before Thanksgiving. This is the first time we have spent the holiday apart from my gigantic family and it was due in part to Tim’s work schedule.

And as odd as it felt in some ways, it was also quite refreshing. A few of my brothers and sisters could not make it this year and we are planning the big gathering on Christmas, so it was a good time to get away. We did miss my lovely almost sister-in-law’s 30th Birthday (sorry, Jeanette). But in all, we found the ‘family’ time to be just what we needed, time for the four of us to bond and play and for Tim and I have to have time to reacquaint after some crazy working time.

And now we are actually thinking of trying to get the California spread out family to come up here together for the next Thanksgiving .

There was some relief in not having to be responsible for feeding thirteen or so people. We came up with a ham that required an hour in the oven and I made some of the traditional sides and we spent the days hiking rather than cooking, then eating and drinking too much because somehow the cooking seemed easy when it was only for four.

And then we spent the rest of the time reveling in the magic of the Sierras and not sleeping well at all. Does travel have to be synonymous with sleep disturbances? Ack.


The hiking with the boys is turning into our favorite time.

They actually walk with us on the trail, delight in holding our hands and alternately guiding us and being led, and they make it further than I thought those sturdy little legs could carry.

We are talking an hour of hiking here, and with only a few minutes of carrying. My favorite thing is when they ascend a hill they breathe hard on purpose (probably learned that listening to their Mama when she carried them up hills) and when they go downhill they say ‘woah!’

I have some great recipes I tried out this weekend and some new crafting and knitting in the works.

I want to share so I might do a few posts over this week to share the new discoveries I made and a few newish craft things I tried out. Stay tuned for a tutorial on these little seasonal shirts.


And we even got a picture with Santa.

Need an opinion...check out this photo. Cuteness personified. Should we use it for our Christmas card? If not, do you see why? And nope, I do not have photoshop. Maybe someone knows an online site where I an remove the offensive strap...any recs?

Things I am already Forgetting

The way you both...

} Say weird stuff: like 'he fall down' or 'do it now' or 'b-b-ball'
} Pour stuff : a cup and a cup are the greatest of toys
} Build stuff : mainly lego walls
} Hoard and run as if we cannot catch you

} Play hide and seek with your blankies, the curtains, the kitchen island, each other
} Give a cheesy grin on request (Owen)
} Pretend: you demand to take care of Mama, lay her down and put her blanket on then snuggle her
} Glare indignantly when corrected : how could you both inherit your Daddy's silent and deadly look (shudder)?

} Show empathy : give each other hugs and kisses and bring something to each other when upset (thought we would never see it).

I feel like Alice in the Looking Glass and Time feels like it is flying away.

There is no way to slow you down except when we lay with you before bedtime with your milk. I watch you grow and want to freeze the moments, turn them into palpable memories that I can hold and hug later.

That is why I take your picture.


Mama loves you, my precious and heart breakingly beautiful boys. So very very much.

Thank you for ever and ever, whoever you are that gave them to me. Thank you.

24mm 1.4 = Love

This is going to be an unbelievably picture heavy post, just so you know. I am so totally freaking excited today because I picked up my first piece of rented equipment for our camera and in the first hour I have already gone a bit batty with it.



I think I mentioned earlier that our Canon lens went on the fritz again, it is currently in Irvine being serviced for the fourth time. I now feel almost naked when I do not have working camera equipment and have been borrowing everyone and anyone's digital SLR in the last few days. I like them, but none were my camera with my feel and my knowledge. Add to this the fact that we are going to the Sierras this week and I started to feel a little panicky.

I remembered a post over at Shutter Sisters regarding camera lens rental, it is something Tim and I have been wanting to do as we contemplate investing in another lens. So I called up our local Samys Camera to inquire, we hopped over to try a few out and settled on this one. I picked it up this morning and made it a weekly rental so as to have proper time with it. And I have yet to put it down.



I have fallen in love with it. It is like our 50mm's big brother (or sister). A bit heavier, much more pricey, but with a aperture capability of 1.4 and the ease of using my own body, well, it is making me feel like singing. I see now how comfortable I had become with our 50mm fixed, using what we could get in the shot but limited by certain aspects.

The wide angle lens is both challenging and fun, I plan on playing more and hoping my computer's almost full hard drive can take the new load.

Here is the P's sitting for me this morning, one month before their 39th wedding anniversary.

My dad looks so mischievous, my mom so happy to be in her garden.


And on a last note, we have Shalom (rav), finished, awaiting weaving of ends and light blocking and a button. And a model.

And we have the simplest of knits, the Fingerless Mitts from Weekend Knitting.(rav)

A Christmas request and so easy to make, it literally takes about one hour of knitting per mitt, if that. In Malabrigo, you better bet this is the best quick gift ever. I foresee many of these cranking out in the next few weeks.

Okay, going to get back to the other mitt and more photo processing. I mentioned to a blog friend that I might put up a post on how Tim and I shoot with our camera, is there anyone who would be interested in that? I am no expert, and all I know is via Tim and books, but I have some pretty specific ways that I shoot and would love to share them if anyone would care to read 'em. Let me know. And happy turkey day. You can say I am very thankful to know I will catch it all on film.

Things I am Loving

:: Method baby lotion from Target.

I found this stuff quite a few months ago and decided to try it. It is reasonable priced for an 'green' product and I absolutely love the smell. It smells like marshmallows. There is nothing better than wanting to eat your delicious child even more because of their lotion. I also use it for hair control. Hear me out. I checked out the label on hair detangeler and it had many many ingredients that I did not truly recognize. But being the lotion aficionado I am, I noted the first few were similar to lotion. So now I put a dab in my palm, add some tap water and smooth it through their hair. It works wonders, is one less bottle, and they smell even more like marshmallows. Heaven.

:: Homemade Apple 'Chunky' Sauce.

The boys love the Big and Chunky Applesauce from Trader Joe's and I have to admit it tastes delicious. I once again went into label reading mode, mainly because of the exorbitant cost of the single jar (3 bucks and change) and found it is made from apples and apple juice. My stove top experimenting led to a very similar tasting apple 'sauce' Here are a few tips if you want to try yourself :

+ I use a cheese slicer to peel the apples and a melon baller to core them. It goes super fast and leaves more apple to cook.

+ Throw all the sliced apples in a heavy bottomed pot, add a cup or so of good apple juice and bring to a boil, then lower to a simmer for a long time (think 40-50 minutes) until apples are really soft and juice is reduced.

+ Feed hungry children this snack in lieu of other maybe not so good for you sweets. They boys devour it and point to the stove top if I tell them we are out. I swear, Mason told me to "DO your job!" the other day. Cheeky little lad, eh?

:: My Fake Le Creuset from IKEA.

This was a gift from Tim last Christmas (Yes, I bought it and then gave it to myself. That is how we roll). I recently realized the genius of this cooking tool. It makes everything taste better. I have tried stews and soups, pasta sauces and deep fried items. They are amazing. I think it has something to do with the weight of the thing. It weighs as much as one of my sons. I almost killed my foot the other day when I was retrieving it from the cabinet and backed up on a Lego and crumpled to the ground from the pain and dropped the lid two inches from my big toe. I swear I almost threw up imagining it making contact. Ugh. But, digression aside, food tastes great, flavors stay intact and unmuddied, it cleans up brilliantly and cost about 55 dollars. Go to IKEA now, sorry Le Creuset, I would get you if I could. Until then, IKEA it is.
(Right now I have a dinner experiment going consisting of pork tenderloin, onions, apples and carrots, a dash of soy sauce and vinegar and salt and pepper. Smells divine, but I will let you know how it tastes. I am think potato latkes to go along. I know, I know, not exactly kosher, but sounds delicious.)

Those are a few of my latest loves. Other than knitting and the boys, you know. They seem to all have some bargain component. Must be the 'impending' recession. How about you, loving anything that is easy and cheap lately? Let me know.

And Shalom? Needs the ending border and it is done. Woot for a sweater in 5 days. I will have it ready for the Thanksgiving celebrations. So excited.