Resolution: I will run

I've been reflecting on 2008 and what I want to see for myself in 2009. World peace, a better economy, health and happiness for my family and friends are a given. I'd like to stick to a family budget. I want to clean the upstairs bathroom at least twice a month. When I think of the word "resolution", I feel it should be something personal. Fueled by the desire to lose 8 stubborn post-baby pounds, I want to run again.

Pre-babies I ran. I wasn't a good runner, but I ran. I ran a few 5K's each year, I ran in the evenings to work off the brownies I ate during the day. I never really loved running, but I enjoyed it. Then I had babies.

The year after Ellie was born I ran regularly. We lived in town, one block from the bike trail. I'd pack her in the stroller, load a good book on my iPod and let her nap for an hour or so while I sweated it out. Then I got pregnant again.

This past year I joined my neighbor Amy for a few evening jogs. (I could hardly call them runs!) I even tried using the stroller on our dirt roads, but the washboard terrain was a bit rough. My evening runs from 5 years ago turned into occasional jogs after the girls went to bed. This transitioned to a jog once a week or so on the treadmill. Slowly I've stopped.

My resolution for 2009 is to run. I will start small. I will get my momma-booty outside and log at least 5 miles a week for the first few months. (I told you I was starting small.) If I lose a few pounds, that's great. If it makes me a little more capable of chasing my children, that's wonderful. I will run.

Ok...I've revealed my resolution for 2009. What is yours?

An opossum, Santa, a snowman, the mailman and a flood.

No, that's not the start of some off-color "who walks into a bar" joke. It's a quick summary of our holiday weekend.

Wednesday – An opossum.
Christmas Eve, my mother-in-law noticed a movement on our deck. There was an opossum sitting on the railing. We watched the little guy shiver and wander around for about 20 minutes before he finally realized we weren't offering handouts and moved on. Since the snowbank was so high, Ellie was able to come almost face-to-face with him. She thought he was kind of neat, I still think that they are one of the ugliest looking creatures. Their little human-like hands...yuck.


Thursday – Santa
Christmas morning was so much fun! For the first time Eleanor understood the concept of Santa and presents on Christmas morning. While "Santa" didn't go overboard, the girls still had plenty of surprises under the tree. These included a doll, beauty salon and jump rope for Ellie and a teddy bear, wooden pull-along duck and pretend cell phone for Josie. Kyle's parents were here to enjoy the morning with us. I'm not sure who had more fun, the girls or Grandma and Grandpa Mox!

Friday – a snowman
One of Ellie's gifts was a snowman kit. She and Daddy went outside for a while and built the cutest little guy on top of the shrubs in front of the living room windows. His life was short-lived. The BIG THAW was less than 12 hours away.

Saturday – the mailman
Because of all of the snow, and living on a dirt road that isn't a priority to the local road commission, our mail had not been delivered in a week. Yes...a WEEK! Now, I was quite sure that "Neither snow nor rain nor heat nor gloom of night stays these couriers from the swift completion of their appointed rounds." was the creed of the USPS. I was wrong. This is what they have to say about it: "This is commonly misidentified as the creed of our mail carriers, but actually it is just the inscription found on the General Post Office in New York City at 8th Avenue and 33rd Street." Fine. They are off the hook. The bonus is, I swear we were able to heat our house Saturday with the amount of junk mail that had piled up in a week's time.

Sunday – the flood
What happens when 4+ feet of snow melts overnight? Your basement floods. This is one of the many photos we took to share with our insurance company. I keep reminding myself that the damage could be so much worse. Our basement is primarily used as storage, my scrapbook room and workout area. The 6" of water caused a lot of damage to the car parts that Kyle was storing down there, our tax documents and paperwork, my treadmill, TV, scrapbook supplies, boxes of silver that belonged to Kyle's great-grandparents, and a mattress that we were saving for Josie. Thankfully, things like family photos, my actual scrapbooks and many other irreplaceable items were on shelves high enough to keep them from the water. The things that were ruined are replaceable. I understand now the devastation that flood victims experience when it's their entire home that is taken over by water.

So, that's our weekend in a nutshell. So what do you get when an opossum, Santa, a snowman, the mailman and a flood walk into a bar?...A pretty great weekend, despite the bumps in the road. (Or water over the road...I guess it depends on how you look at it!)

Just checking in!

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday weekend. We ran non-stop since last Wednesday, and after a good night's sleep last night, the entire family is well rested and ready to get back to work for a few days. I have an entire camera of great pictures but will have to wait until tonight to post anything. I have two large deadlines hanging over my head and with only three days to work this week, I need to get back to work. Check back soon!

Merry Christmas!

It's Christmas Eve, and so begins four days of family gatherings, too much food and flying wrapping paper.

I'll be back on Sunday with Christmas morning pictures of the girls and a few fun stories I'm sure.

I hope each of you is able to spend the next few days with those you love. Enjoy the time with family – no matter how crazy they can make you at times.

Love, Lisa

The Dam Book Group

Yes, I meant dam. As in "a barrier constructed to hold back water."

In October my neighbor Amy suggested we start a book group. I jumped right on the suggestion and rounded up 3 of our neighbors that I new would enjoy discussing a book while drinking wine once a month or so.

Our first meeting was last Friday. The book we discussed was The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo. The discussion was great, lively at times and fun to hear different opinions.. The youngest in our group is my cousin Shelly (whom I think is 24), there is Amy and me, both in our 30's, our neighbor Nancy (young 40's) and my niece and nephew's other grandma who is a very young 60's (The woman runs every day and could kick my butt in a race!)

Thank you, thank you Amy for suggesting this. Whenever you get five women, a good book (maybe) and a bottle or two of wine, it's guaranteed to be an evening full of great conversation, laughter and supportive ears and souls. Something I crave these days.

Oh, and why the "Dam"? We all live near Marshville Dam. At the end of the evening, post-wine, we thought The Dam Book Group was a great name. A great name for a great group of friends.

A tisket a tasket, a Josie in a basket.

I heard Josephine playing in the corner, when I turned around, this is what I saw. She had stuffed herself into a basket and was trying to put Kyle's work gloves on. Silly girl.

Jump Josie!

Ellie taught Josie how to jump. Sort of.

Recipe: Whiskey Slush

It's well after noon on the Saturday before Christmas. Perfect excuse for one of my favorite holiday drinks. It's cold, tangy and slushy. Delicious.

Whiskey Slush

Ingredients
6 cups water
1/2 cup sugar
4 green tea bags
1 can frozen orange juice
1 can frozen lemonade
2 cups Whiskey
Lemon-lime soda

Directions
Boil the water. Stir in sugar until dissolved. Add tea bags and steep for 5 minutes. Remove tea bags and pour mixture into a medium-sized freezer-safe container. Add orange juice, lemonade and Whiskey. Stir to combine. Freeze overnight or at least 4 hours.

To serve: Scoop slush into a glass and top with a few splashes of lemon-lime soda.

Dear Santa...

Each year our local newspaper publishes an insert compiling the Christmas wishes of the local children. Kyle and I were reading through them this morning during breakfast. Eleanor's wish for "A dolly and a rattle for my baby sister Josie" was in there, as well as the one shown below. I hope you get as much as a laugh as we did.

Baking Christmas cookies.

Step 1: After having your mommy mix and chill the dough, roll it out with your small rolling pin. Make sure you have your favorite cookie cutter waiting.


Step 2: Smoosh the cookie cutter into the dough. Pick all of the extra dough off of the sides.


Step 3: Once the cookies have been cut out, baked and cooled, start to decorate. This is the fun sticky part! Use so many sprinkles that your mommy can hear them rolling across the kitchen floor. Make sure to smile and tell her how much you love her (so she quickly forgets about the mess you are making).


Step 4: Admire the cookies that you and your mommy decorated. Have a few with a tall glass of milk!

A little random happiness - week #7

Christmas cards.

I really, really, really enjoy opening the mailbox this time of year to find Christmas cards. I sit down and read every one of the "family re-cap" letters and put the enclosed photos on the fridge.

In the era of emails, text messages and cell phones, I truly cherish the cards, letters and photos we get each year. Year after year the stack gets shorter and shorter. Someday, I'm sure, there will be only a few as technology increases along with postage – but until then, send your Christmas greetings my way. I read every last one of them!

Meeting Santa.

Sunday we were invited to our friends Zach and Emily's birthday party. They will be 3 on Christmas day, so naturally Santa was at their party. Naturally.

When Ellie was 8 weeks old, we took her to see the Santa at the mall in West Palm Beach, FL while in town visiting Kyle's Dad and Step-mom. That was the fanciest Santa I've ever seen. The entire set-up was amazing. This time around, visiting with Santa in the church basement during a birthday party, is more our style.


Eleanor was excited all morning when we talked about meeting the jolly ol' elf, but when it came down to it...she chickened out.


Josephine had no problem. She REALLY wanted to play with that beard!

Once her sister was there as moral support, Ellie was happy to stand and smile for a picture.

When life breaks your eggs...make Créme Brulée.

Last week I had to buy eggs at the grocery store for the first time since last spring. Our friends Troy and Cyndy have an abundance of eggs, thanks to their flock of hens, and bring a dozen or two over once a week. We've been eating eggs and toast for breakfast lately and my egg supply had dwindled.

When I got home from the grocery store and opened the back hatch of our Suburban, the dozen eggs came tumbling out and landed at my feet. Of course, every one of them had cracked and/or broken. For a minute I was extremely disgusted, then I remember the Créme Brulée set I had received as a gift from my friend Tracey.

One evening, after Ellie and Josie had gone to bed, I made the decadent desert. It was surprisingly simple. The hardest part was waiting for it to chill in the fridge overnight.

I hate to admit it, but my breakfast that next morning consisted of two servings and a cup of coffee. I justify this by reminding myself that Cremé Brulée is full of protein. (Never mind the heavy whipping cream and sugar.)

Afternoon snuggle.

Years ago this was my favorite place to be on a cold, snowy afternoon. There's something really wonderful about a afternoon snuggle on the couch.

Daddy's home!

Kyle left Wednesday for a trade show in Florida. And, just like the three previous times he's gone out of town...the girls got sick. Wednesday was a never ending race to change diapers, run Ellie to the potty, and clean up puke. Yuck!

Thursday was pretty low-key since they were both running fevers. That's the one nice thing about sick kids, they are so cuddly. You feel bad that they're not feeling well, but I love how sweet they are. Ellie has never been much of a snuggler, so I enjoy every minute of it. Once the girls were in bed Thursday night I started sneezing, and sneezing, and sneezing.

Friday was my turn to lay low. Despite the pounding headache and non-stop sneeze fest, I kept reminding myself it could be worse – I could have the stomach virus that the girls had on Wednesday. Ellie was a sweet heart and informed me she was in charge of the Vaseline. She followed me around and wiped it on my nose every hour or so.

It's Saturday and Kyle came home late last night. I feel like a princess that was rescued by her prince. A red-nosed, congested, coughing princess.

Sorry Kyle.

The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo by Stieg Larsson

I'm not sure what to say about this book. I have to think of something soon though, my book group is reviewing it next Friday. It's an international best-seller, but for the life of me, I can't figure out why. It was originally published in Sweden. Maybe something was lost in translation.

Dozie Bug.

What can I say about this photo, other than it has captured our youngest daughter perfectly. She's bright, happy, and obviously...a bit on the chubby side. The girl loves food. (But who in this family doesn't?)

I love that there is sauce all over her face, on her bib and even her sippy cup. My favorite part is the fork poised for another bite.

I think this picture needs a title. Any suggestions?

If Eleanor was born in the 70's.

One of my favorite blogs to read is Pioneer Woman. It's been a favorite of mine since stumbling into her life almost 3 years ago. I enjoy reading about her life in the country, with four kids, lots of horses and a husband that looks great in chaps.

Monday she posted her second set of Photoshop actions. Being a graphic designer, Photoshop is a program I use daily, but generally for design and not for my personal photos. I downloaded her first set of actions this summer and have had so much fun with them, I was anxious to mess around with the second set.

My favorite so far "Seventies". Didn't it do a great job with these two photos of Ellie?

I sure do love this sweet little girl.

WARNING: Not for serious injuries.

I was digging for a band-aid yesterday and noticed the warning on the back of this box:


"For medical emergencies seek professional help."

Thank you Johnson & Johnson! I was about to repair my daughters gushing head wound with a tiny Care Bares Band-Aid. Seriously, have lawsuits gotten so bad that they have to treat consumers like idiots?

Oh, and please don't point out that I am one of those suckers that spends $3+ for useless cartoon Band-Aids. If you need a bandage to stop actual bleeding...I don't recommend these at all. If you need a 3-year-old to stop crying over the finger her sister bit down on...these work miracles!

A little random happiness - week #6

I'm starting the week off with something that is probably making all of you happy as well...the price of gas!


This is a receipt from this weekend – $1.57 per gallon. I honestly never thought I would see a price that low again. It almost makes me feel like I'm stealing the stuff. Almost.

We drive a Jeep and a Suburban. This summer the typical fill-up in the Jeep was $70, and no less that $100 for the Suburban. The total on the above receipt is $32.55. Amazing.

Happiness doesn't properly describe the elation I feel when I fill the gas tank these past few weeks. I don't know how long it will last, but I'm appreciating every single minute of it!

Oh Tannenbaum!

This is the top half of our Christmas tree, nicely decorated with ornaments from mine and Kyle's childhoods, a few that we've received as gifts, and Ellie and Josie's obligatory "First Christmas" decorations. When we put the tree up a week ago, all of the ornaments were perfectly spaced, the beads were draped just-right, and the lights were sparkling in all of the right places.

This is the bottom half of our tree (notice the one lone kid-approved bulb). In the past week it has been re-decorated no less than 50 times, each incident resulting in one more ornament being added to the already over-full top half.

Before kids I would have been so particular and wanted my tree to look perfect. Now, when I look at the girls faces when they stand in front and adjust it's decorations, I realize it is perfect.

UPDATE: Not our camera.

I called The Camera Shop. And...it IS our camera. Fuji upgraded us. I've been playing with it all morning, and I really like the new features. I guess it's our lucky day!

Not our camera.

Back in October we took our camera in for repairs. Yesterday, The Camera Shop called with the good news..."Your camera is in!". Kyle was in town, so he picked it up. $125 later, our cherished camera is back home, ready to capture the day-to-day lives of the Kirker family.

Slight problem.

It's not our camera.

This is our camera – Fuji FinePix S5100

This is NOT our camera – Fuji FinePix S5200.

Sure it's a upgrade, but I'm calling them when they open at 10AM.

It's kind of like the movie The Changeling...on a smaller, it's a camera, not my child, less personal scale.

A little random happiness - week #5

An unexpected flower on a cold winter windowsill.

It's been fun to discuss with Ellie how a bulb that she got from Aunt Sue 1 month ago has sprouted, grown tall, and now flowered. We noticed it last night during dinner. A nice little surprise considering the view out our kitchen window. (She did ask if we could go outside and put it in the garden. The girl is already thinking spring!)

Flip-flopping.

I must admit that I flip-flop between loving the three year old stage, and wishing it would be over soon. Half of the time Eleanor is a sweet, helpful, funny little darling that I love having at my side. The other half she's testing my mental strength with every ounce of her 35 lb. being.

Last night she put on her apron, grabbed a chair and helped me make dinner while Josie napped. For the first time ever she really was a helpful addition to the task at hand, and not just my sidekick. We were making manicotti, and where I usually prop the shells up in the pan while I fill them, last night she held them while I squeezed in the filling. It made the task go 10x faster and I enjoyed every minute of it. My heart was so full of adoration for my precious daughter that I kept bending down and kissing the top of her head.

Twenty minutes later she stood in my office, wrote a "note" on two pages of my day planner and pooped in her underwear. Do you understand the flip-flopping concept?

It's a good thing she's cute.

Venison Minestrone

For Josephine's birthday party Saturday I made five different soups instead of the normal sloppy-joes and chips birthday fare. It was fun seeing which soup pot emptied first and which of my creations was the biggest hit. The chili was certainly a favorite, followed by my tomato soup. But, the one that I kept getting compliments on was my Venison Minestrone. If you don't prefer Venison, you can certainly use beef. Either way it's pretty darn good, if I do say so myself.

Venison Minestrone

Ingredients
1 lb. venison steaks or 1 lb. beef roast
Olive oil
1/4 cup hot water
salt & pepper
1 med. onion, chopped
1 cup frozen green beans
1/2 cup celery, chopped
4 cloves garlic
4 cups beef broth
1 (15 oz.) can great northern beans, drained
1 (14 oz.) can diced tomatoes
1 small bag of julienned carrots
1 tbls dried parsley
1-1/2 tsp dried oregano
2 tsp salt
1 tsp pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
1/4 tsp dried thyme
2 cups hot water
2 cups frozen spinach
1/2 cup elbow pasta

Directions
In a skillet, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the venison steaks and brown on all sides. Add 1/4 cup of hot water, salt and pepper. Cook over very low heat for 20-30 minutes or until the steaks are cooked through and very tender. Allow to cool, then shred with a fork. Set aside.

In a dutch oven, heat a few tablespoons of olive oil. Add the onions, green beans, celery and garlic. Saute until the onions are translucent. Add the beef broth, beans, tomatoes, carrots and spices. Bring to a boil. Add the shredded venison, 2 cups of hot water, frozen spinach and elbow pasta. Cook for 15-20 minutes or until the pasta is cooked.

Our first tree.

Before Kyle and I were married, I lived in a tiny little chalet that was so small there wasn't room for a couch or dining room table, let alone a Christmas tree. Once we were married we moved into Kyle's little cottage in Montague. The sweet little house was five times the size of my chalet, but there was still no room for a tree. I did, however, put up a 2 foot tall fake tree. At least we had lights that we could turn on and admire while listening to Christmas music. Last year, even though we had moved into our new house, I had just given birth to Josie and didn't have the ambition cut and decorate a tree. (A brief history of our years with no tree.) Until now.


Sunday we went to our local tree farm with Aunt Amy and Uncle Chris. The weather was cold and snowy, perfect for tree shopping!


This is Ellie leading the way through the rows of trees. She couldn't believe her Daddy was so strong he could carry an entire tree all by himself!


It really was a fun outing, and hopefully a tradition we'll continue with Kyle's brother and my sister-in-law.


Oh, and for those of you wondering where Josie was...she was 10 yards away, sound asleep in the Suburban. Toasty warm and recovering from her birthday party weekend.

What day is it?

Wow. What a week/weekend. Here's the lowdown:

Wednesday - My list is a page long for pre-Thanksgiving and birthday party cooking. I cut my finger. My sister-in-law comes over to tape me back together. (We're still paying for the broken toes, I'm NOT going to the Dr. for this one.) Suddenly Ellie doesn't feel good – she has a 102.5˚ fever. We book the last pediatrician appointment until Monday and drive 30 miles in 30 minutes in order to make it. She has an ear infection and strep throat. Run to the pharmacy, run home to continue cooking.

Thursday – Thanksgiving at my Grandmother's. Come home, the girls nap while I try to mark things off my list for the party. Ellie is still feeling cruddy and wants to cuddle. Even though I'm thinking about all I need to get done, I enjoy the snuggle moments. They are usually few and far between.

Friday – Clean, clean, clean. Cook, cook, cook. Kyle's brother Chris and our sister-in-law Amy arrive in the evening.

Saturday – Party day! I finish getting things ready in the morning. Family and friends start arriving around 12:30PM. We have a perfect 1st birthday party for Josie. I collapse into bed around midnight.


Sunday – Wake up and make breakfast for our overnight guests. Spend the day visiting and exchanging Christmas gifts. Go out for luch before seeing Grandpa and Nana Kirker off. Chris and Amy go with us to pick out Christmas trees. The minute we arrive at the tree farm it starts sleeting and snowing. We pick two perfect trees and have a great time despite the weather. Chris and Amy load up their tree and head out around 7:30PM. Kyle and I put the girls to bed and pass out around 9PM.

Monday – I wake up with plenty of sleep last night, but still feel like I've been through the ringer, but, it was worth it!