update. pics and new frames

A few things we are up to:

Here is Cody reading with the kids at bedtime (he is so good  ;)  ).  You know how bored I would be if I had to read out loud?  I hate reading books out loud.

A photo Cody shot today; it looks like Jack has buck teeth, so I wanted to share..

And this is me with pair 1 of 2 glasses (I can see.  wow.  watch out world  =D)  I went four years 'sin lentes.'  It started to get to me.  Anyhow - you can't tell - but these are purple frames; they are super cute, as are the second pair, which are different but also purple.  Do you approve, Zhen?  :)

And last but not least, here is my current celebrity crush. The hair cut is totally doin' it for me. Gotta love it. She's from CBS's Cold Case. I'm not necessarily a fan of the show, but each time I flip past and notice that hair cut I think about watching for a while. If I were more into murder mysteries I would.  But watching too much of that particular genre ruins my little bubble I like to live in of happiness and sunshine.. can't ruin that.  ^^

We're still praying for snow (rain is good, snow would be great to cover up our lawn that we failed to mow at the end of autumn.  oops.)  ;)
And we're quilting and cooking and hey - relaxing 'cause it's *Saturday*.  ^^
Hope you are, as well.
Ever his, hers, and yours and ours,
 - H.O. 

♥♥Happy New Year =)

Well it has been a busy weekend, and it's not even Saturday yet!  ^^
I don't know how my life gets this busy.  I don't even know who I'm writing this to...  But I wanted to wish a Good New Year to anyone and everyone reading.
Things are going well here.  Our holiday cooking is not over yet - and for some reason I feel like it should be.  I've ALMOST perfected (actually achieved 'adequate') this chile recipe my friend taught me.  I'm on my 5th try or so making this chile sauce.  It's not hard - but I'm not hispanic and I consider that a handicap when it comes to cooking anything..  =D
I'm slowly getting better.  Get rid of the stale seasoning in the cupboard could help.
I added a pinch more chicken bouillon to some sauce this afternoon and totally ruined it.  That's what happens from using 3 year old stale opened bouillon seasoning.
Ah, I have so much to learn, and all the time in the world.

So I am looking forward to fooling around with shrimp and chile this weekend.  I've tried to photograph some previous attempts (successes).  I've discovered lately that homemade refried beans aren't photogenic --no matter how good they may taste.  A picture just doesn't convey that at all...  what a shame.  And here if you wanna look anyway  ^^
[sorry.  I will post these pictures later  ;)  ]

The other thing I wanted to say is that this year I have tried oh so hard (really really hard) to be more rational.  I think I have made some progress here.  I'm not sure I need to make MORE progress (but maybe I do).  I do think I'll have to maybe work at staying as rational as I've been this year, at any rate. 
And the one thing I think I learned is that nothing really bad ever happened from my behaving rationally and from my ignoring my irrational gut feelings.  I sure had some that I worked hard against.  In fact I have more that I'm struggling with at the end of the year.  Which of three journals should I write in?  The on that has only two blank pages left?  (rational part of me says "heck ya, baby.  What are you even considering writing in a different book at this point?!)  Irrational me is saying "no - you should write every other entry in a different notebook (for really no rational reason at all).  And it's REALLY hard to behave rationally on this particular decision.  Is that insane?  On the one hand it doesn't matter.  On the other hand, what could possibly go horribly awry if I choose a rational path here? 

Anyway - I learned that nothing bad ever happened from choosing rationally.  Even when I had horrible feelings about impending and inevitable doom re: my decisions, still nothing negative happened (so far as I know). 

For Next year's project, I can't remember what idea I had in my mind I wanted to work on - but I know I had one...  Perhaps I'll work on trying to exercise regularly (albeit very moderately / beginnerishly).
Will keep you posted.  Maybe I'll just try to cook lots of food this year and eat out less often. 
I'll come up with something I'm sure.  =)
Until then.  Goodnight, best wishes, take care, and if I don't ever write - know that I think about all of you fairly regularly and often positively  ;D
hehe
well - always positively.

^^
Bring On 2012 ♥♥
!

notes (The Coventry Carol)

We are working hard on playing the piano this month.  And I'm pleased to say I was asked to accompany a small group singing a number for one of our parties at church.  Marvelous.
So that's nice.
(There are tons of people enlisted to participate as singers and pianists at said party this year.  I'm singing a spanish song in another group, even, there.)

The super awesome news is as follows:
I arranged my own piece of music (well I really just rolled all the chords the way I think sounds nice).  A friend of mine gave me an idea for what to play as an interlude verse for this song.  So it's all fancy.  I spent lots of hours on this.  And I want to show off.

BTW - this project would probably have been a lot quicker if I had a proper music editor on my computer that I knew how to use.  I'll definitely look into that.
As it is, though, this is all generated in Paint-Shop-Pro.  I copied and pasted each note where I wanted it - deleting whatever was there previously, as needed.  Time consuming  =)
Here is the before and after.

Before:

After:

And finally - though I don't expect that any of my normal readers will wish to use this arrangement - I give permission for anybody to use this who would like to.  I'm not interested in any official credit.  So there ya go.  Guess I should add "Coventry Carol" to the text here so that people may find this post someday by googling that title.

Happy Saturday kiddies
 - H.O.

Thanksgiving Leftovers ;)

So we saved the wishbone from the turkey and gave it to our kids tonight.  Gave 'em the run down of how to play that game of making a wish and then cracking it in two.  Then something happened we'd never seen before.  Our children split the bone in three pieces, the center flying high into the air and both kids being left with roughly equal-sized sticks.  Marvelous.

And we finally put up our tree.  It's in the corner there  ;D

antibiotics

Well here we are.  I've been to the doctor a second time for this illness.  This doctor was very nice; so nice I had to ask myself why I get so scared of being judged by doctors when a lot of them are that nice (and I really have had a lot of nice experiences in meeting very kind physicians).  I guess the one here or there that seems to judge has ruined it for all the rest.
Anyway.
Cody and I are both on the same antibiotic.  He started feeling better after he started his.  I feel noticeably better after beginning mine.  And there you have it.  There's a time and a place.  And being dead for a couple weeks is a good time to go try an antibiotic (after you've been chewing garlic for several days).
Definitely have something viral going on, as well - so it may take a couple days yet to feel all better.  But I'm happier now, at any rate, if a little stir crazy for not having quite enough energy to do what I want to do but HAVING enough energy to think about it.  :)
Christmas cards, sewing, delivering finished quilts, dejunking, painting, dishes and laundry.  Oh - and we could set up the small Christmas tree.  'Course that would involve going into the garage (it's cold out there).  I don't know that that really appeals to me.

Jack turned Three yesterday.  We celebrated by eating out somewhere where the kids could play.  Jack celebrated by learning how to climb all over the play place by himself finally.  We're all excited "look he's 3 and look what he can do now!"  Now all he needs to do is learn how to talk.  'Course we love him as he is.

Anyway.. you know what?  I can't decide whether or not to be lazy this year with Christmas cards.  I kinda want to just stick the card (signed of course) in the envelope and mail.  But usually I put more work into them - personalize them and such.  But that could take so long.  Just think of all that I could get done if I just act normal and do what everybody else does.

Well I better get to work on some project even if it's small.
Cherio kiddos.
Enjoy your Wed (or Thursday if you're on the other side of the planet).

Zhen I'm going to mail something to you that I expect to melt when it hits your hemisphere.  Make sure to take a picture.  Thanks.  ^^

Everyone else - I'd mail the same to you, but you don't complain near as much.  hahaha

My *new* plan for wellness includes

finding whoever is harboring a voodoo doll of me (and sticking pins in the neck) and putting a stop to that.  ^^
It's a brilliant plan.  And really if I'm not better by Monday I just may call my acupuncturist (although I don't know how that will go.  I've never tried to get a short-notice appt. with her before).

In other news, no other news.  But I DID make (for the first time in my life, unless I've tried this before and forgotten) a nice turkey soup from leftovers yesterday.
It's like our 6yr old said "that's a big chicken!"   And since it's a given that chicken soup can cure what ails a person - I figure a *big chicken can definitely be up to the task.  That and some fresh vegetables - and I'm all set for today.  (plus lots of fresh garlic today.)
And if that doesn't work - I'm going back to ice cream tomorrow.  (cough)

And I'm so happy my friends are taking pictures for me of their shopping escapades at the wee hours of the morning.  This is not something I participate in, but I can watch the festivities and folly from afar.  ^^

Seriously stubborn virus

I don't know WHEN it's going to let up!  My throat has been killing me for days.  Had it checked.  Negative for Strep.  But just icky here.  Today I'm down to not talking (everyone gape) b/c my throat hurts so bad.

Zhen, you'll be excited to hear I've tried downing those lozenges you like by the bagful (slight exaggeration).  But seriously have been trying lots of remedies.  I'm looking into a throat-ectomy.  I don't know what that's called but I'm sure there's a name for it somewhere.  Probably has unpleasant side-effects, though.  That's western medicine for ya.

Really..  
And haven't slept very well for the same several days b/c of the pain.  Wait 'till early in the morning to go to bed (thinking that I'll wait for my throat to stop hurting to go to sleep).  And then wake up 3 hours later in pain.  This is in spite of overdosing on various western meds, btw.  (not a lot - just a little).  But to no avail.

So far ice cream is the most potent remedy.  Though the most recent bowl I had let me down.  That's kind of a bummer.

So I just hope this clears up soon (tonight would be good).

Poor Cody - he's in as bad a shape as I am only his symptoms are different.

I'm this close to creating a garlic paste and just smearing it on the back of my throat.  Yeah, that would probably hurt like hell, though.  I mean heck.  OH that would hurt  ^^

alrighty..  where's that ice cream...