thanksgiving is

For years now, our Thanksgiving ritual has been simple and unchanged.

First, preparations in Oma's kitchen...

...then little surprises for each of the girls, the last of which is always two chocolate filled advent calenders to begin the countdown to Christmas...

...then a traditional meal with all the trimmings...

..and finally, men watching football...

A wonderful and relaxing day in a year when we have so very much to be thankful for.

Opa, Claire, Oma, Abby, Daddy and Uncle Adam

thankful

Since I have been feeling more unappreciated and exhausted than thankful lately, today I was going to post a list of things the girls are thankful for and maybe throw in a cute picture of them with our lovely bobble head turkey (you know the kind of decoration you swear you will never have in your house, then you have kids, then you do?).

But when I woke up this morning, I was sick. Really sick. Too sick to do much more than lay on the couch. Being a stay at home mom with no nanny, day care or even a regular babysitter, I did the only thing I could do. I parked the girls in front of Dora and then I called my mom to come take care of us.

After a nice four hour nap I am feeling much better. And also thankful. Thankful that at 33 years old I still have a mother who is at my house within an hour to take care of me when I am sick.

And the girls? They are thankful for our family, the cat, Christmas and Easter.

I am guessing they are also thankful for days when mommy is sick and they get a special visit from Grandma, lollipops and extra TV.

housekeeping made simple

A few weeks ago, I wrote about Abby's party planning skills. Now it seems that she has also mastered the basics of housekeeping.

Yesterday, Abby was playing tea party with a friend in our basement playroom. Our very messy, almost always looks like a princess disaster zone, basement playroom.

When her friend's mother arrived to collect her daughter, she suggested that her daughter help clean up.

With great pride, Abby announced "Oh, I will show you how we clean this room."

Then she jumped up and turned off the light. "See! No more mess!"

Yet again, I have taught her well.

this mommy's favorite things

With the holiday season approaching, there has been some demand for me to share my holiday wish list (okay, really it is only my mother demanding). Of course, the health and happiness of my family is always at the very top of this list, but since that can't be bought and wrapped, I have managed to come up with a few additional items.

I love my Nikon D70 and as my passion for photography grows, so does my lust for new lenses. The Nikon 50mm f/1.8 lens and Nikon 18-200mm are at the top of my wish list due to their versatility and all around wonderful reviews.

I know, UGGs are ugly, but I love my boots anyway. Maybe it is the ridiculously cold weather here, but I would love to be wearing a pair of these right now. Yes, they are slippers. And yes, I would wear them for school runs and errands anyway.


And while we are on the topic of the cold, I could also use some new gloves.



Bath & Body Works. Lotion, body wash, bubble bath. I love it all.



Frederic Fekkai. Simply the best hair products, especially the hair mask and deep conditioning treatments.

And on a related note, Sephora. Anything Sephora.

Rosemont Estate Pinot Noir. Can't drink enough of it. Kidding. Sort of.

Ina Garten's new cookbook, back to basics. I have each and every one of Ina's previous cookbooks and I have never been disappointed with one of her recipes.

An iPod speaker system, so we can all share the iPod love.


Calphalon One. I am one 12 inch fry pan and one stock pot away from a full set of these fabulous pans. Love them.

And finally, for my health and all, no fancy cream truffles, just dark, dark chocolate please.

photography do's and don'ts

Tip #1: Do ask your kids if they can see themselves in the lens of the camera (if you have a DSLR camera). They can in fact see themselves in the mirror, and they will scoot together and look directly into the camera long enough to allow you to get a few shots.

Tip #2: Don't put your kids in stupid hats, thinking it will make for a fun and festive picture, then cut off the top of the hats in your picture. It will ruin your otherwise cute picture.

The quest for a Christmas card worthy picture resumes tomorrow...



Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

bloggers in the real world

I have to admit, when she sent me an invitation to a blogger girls night out at a fabulous new restaurant I was excited, but also a little nervous. I mean these women appeared normal enough, but I had never meet anyone from the blog world in the real world before.

What would they really be like? Would we have anything to talk about? Would one of them be some crazy stalker pervert?

Happily, this wonderful group of women was even more fabulous in real life.

from right Lisa, me, Felicia, Liz, Kameron, Liza, Rachael, Andie

Thank you for a fun night out, ladies. It was exactly what this mommy needed!

where has my sunshine gone??

Lately, I find myself without much to say or even many pictures to share.

It has been rainy. It starts getting dark at 4:00. My kids have had colds. We have been inside a lot. We did make some bread, which was pretty cool because it actually worked, but somehow I just could not turn it into an interesting post. Shocking, I know, since bread rising would seem to equal excitement. It was a fun enough way to trash my kitchen and pass a few hours though.

Next, I thought maybe I could write about how I am the least crafty mom going. How I am no good at finding creative things to do with kids while stuck in the house. How as much as I wish I could enjoy the simplicity of a quiet day at home, I am much better at the going and doing. The activities and the parties. How I would love to be planning vacations to break up the cold dark winter ahead, except it seems prudent to wait and see if my husband still has a job come the new year first.

Whine, whine, whine.

Poor me.

Enough of that, already.

And all this rain and darkness? It also means no good light for pictures. It means pictures like this:

Which by the way Grandma and Grandpa, was meant to say that the girls love their new Christmas dresses. Thank you!

Hopefully, more sunshine and cheer ahead.

sign of the times

One afternoon, without warning, Abby made up this sign and posted it on the bathroom door.

Sorry, Daddy. No boys allowed.

Check out more Wordless Wednesday here and here.

visions of home

Back in college, my future husband and I walked hand in hand through the quaint streets of Amherst and shared visions of our future together.

After some time spent living in the city and traveling, we would settle into a classic New England home. It would be a graceful old house with classic architecture, beautiful moulding (I have always been big on moulding), a front porch and a big old maple tree out front. One of the ones that turns beautiful shades of red and gold in the fall, with leaves fluttering to the ground and children running beneath, jumping in big piles of leaves.

There would be lots of bedrooms for all of our future babies and a sunlight filled kitchen. This lovely, welcoming home would be in a quiet neighborhood within walking distance of a quaint town center that included a coffee shop, a bakery, a bookstore, a restaurant and the subway train to the city. There would also be a park within walking distance where all those babies could play and I could effortlessly meet other fabulous mothers.

Reality being what it is, we built a house in a pretty little subdivision out in suburbia. A practical cookie cutter house in a kid filled neighborhood. And we planted a maple tree out front.

It may not be perfect, but we have filled it with children, love and laughter. We have made it our home.

And while our maple tree is not quite big enough to run and play under just yet, we did recently find one at our local park that is.

The girls have had lots of fun chasing leaves, making leave piles and having leave fights.

And I am happy just to take it all in- the warm autumn sun, the crisp air, the beauty of the leaves and the girls. Not exactly what I imagined all those years ago, but also better than I ever imagined.

bookworm

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Claire has always been a book lover. Even at a few months old, she loved being read to from the same little picture books that her sister used to chew on. Since she learned to walk, she has been happily dragging books over to anyone willing to read to her. Realizing that her seven year old friend could read to her was one of the most exciting discoveries of her life.

So it is really no surprise that often the seven or so books I read to her at bedtime are just not enough. On these occasions, she requests a book or two to read in her crib as she drifts off to sleep.

I can't help but wonder if years from now she will still be someone that reads in bed every night?

I voted...

... because I love my country and all that it stands for.


... because I want my children to begin to understand what democracy means.


... because I want a better future for my children.


... because I love that by doing so, we can peacefully overthrow the government every four years.


And the girls? They enjoy any event that includes stickers and a bake sale.

Here in our fiercely blue state the election results are all but certain. Neither party really bothers to campaign here and in all but two of the offices on our ballot a Democrat ran unopposed.

Even so, I am proud to have exercised my right to vote in this historic election.

any given sunday

7:30 Abby arrives in our bedroom, crawls into my side of the bed and curls up next to me. She would prefer to be on Daddy's side, but Sunday is my day to get up with the girls.

8:15 Claire begins chattering. Abby jumps out of bed, runs to her sister's room and starts piling books in her crib.

8:20 I come out of the bathroom to find Claire's room completely trashed.

8:30 Cheerios and bananas for the girls; tea for me.

9:00 Girls help me make a birthday cake for Uncle Adam.

9:05 The kitchen is now completely trashed.

10:00 Computer time for me; Nickelodeon for the girls

11:00 We frost the cake. The entire kitchen and the children dressed in pajama/ princess dress combos are now covered in frosting. The cake actually looks pretty good.

11:30 Daddy wakes up and immediately changes the time on all of the clocks in the house, including the ones in the basement and both cars. If left up to me this would have happened sometime between never and when the time changes back again in the spring.

11:00 (we are now on daylight savings time) Daddy takes over in the kitchen and begins preparation of a big pot of the yummiest ribs ever.

11:30 I settle the baby down for a nap and hop in the shower. When I come out, I am greeted with the smell of delicious food and the sound of the house being vacuumed.

1:00 Oma, Opa and Uncle Adam arrive to watch football. Playing, snacking, drinking, dinner and cake follow.

5:00 We wave goodbye to our guests, I color with the girls for awhile and then we watch some SpongeBob as a family.

7:00 Bath time with Daddy.

7:30 Halloween books with Mommy.

8:00 Two girls tucked into their beds. Mommy and Daddy tucked in on the couch with laptops.

This is a very typical winter Sunday in our house. Daddy gets to sleep in. The girls and I prepare food. My in laws and brother in law visit us.

But the details remind me that my husband and I, we are a team. We work together. We compliment each other's strengths and weaknesses. We value family. We have good thing going here. A very good thing.

the halloween recap, a photo tip and a contest

They got into costume and posed for a Halloween portrait.

They partied.

They enjoyed the pizza.

They hopped on their broom.

And finally hit the neighborhood.

Then decided it would be easier to ride.

And finally, they enjoyed all of their loot!!

Halloween is a tricky holiday to photograph, since most of the excitement happens after dark. This year, I was quite pleased with the results I got using the night portrait mode on my camera (the one with the picture of a little man standing in front of a star in the sky).

Basically this mode combines a flash with a long exposure, so instead of white faces and a black background, you get light on the person being photographed and a long exposure to fill in the background details. The problem of course is that you should really use a tripod to prevent blur due to camera shake, which is not exactly practical for trick or treating.

All of the outdoor pictures above, with the exception of the first one, were taken using this night portrait mode after it was dark outside. Although they are blurrier than I would like, I love the color and the fact that the background is not pitch black. Overall, I think they capture the mood pretty well even if they are not technically perfect.

In the end though, I have to go with the last shot of Claire enjoying her candy as my entry for Best Photo in the Halloween Photo Contest sponsored by Parent Bloggers Network and the fabulous folks at Blurb (where you can import photos, artwork or even your blog and turn it into a bookstore quality book, which is a prize I would so love to win).

While I am at it, I will also enter this shot of my little kitty cat in the Cutest Costume (age 2 and under) category. Personally, I think her annoyed expression just makes her that much cuter.

And this shot in the Cutest Costume (age 3 and up) category.