Merry Christmas

We are headed out to begin our holiday travels.  I likely won't be blogging while we are away.

As you can see, I used a quirky photo booth picture on our holiday card this year.  We definitely don't take ourselves too seriously around here so I decided to give folks a nice laugh.  

Have a very Merry Christmas!  May your season be filled with love and light!

xoxo

Lately

I think I've finally recovered from my trip to Dallas last weekend!  I'm not even going to bother to write a post about the whole fiasco because it's just not worth the energy, but let's just say I came home exhausted!  

The conference itself was awesome.  Getting stranded and having to deal with American Airlines was not so awesome.  My flights kept getting cancelled, and I spent many, many hours on the phone trying to get re-booked.

But alas, I made it home safely!  

Life has been a whirlwind so here's a little update:

• My semester has officially ended!  It was a great semester teaching.  I got wonderful feedback from my students.  I did not, however, make nearly as much progress on my dissertation as I had hoped.  That means its time to refocus and re-prioritize.  2014 is my year to finish!

• While I was away, my boys surprised me and put up our Christmas tree.  You have no idea how sweet it was to come home to those twinkling lights. I was so exhausted from being up all night and seeing the tree nearly brought me to tears.  It was so sweet. Liam is completely obsessed with the Christmas tree by the way.  Every morning, the first thing he does is ask me to turn on the lights!

• I love looking at our tree and seeing ornaments from my childhood.  Growing up, we were given a special ornament each year.  There are so many happy, special memories tied to each of those ornaments.  I have continued the tradition with Liam.  This year, his ornament is a Cozy Coupe.  It's fitting considering how many hours he spent in his this summer.  

• Speaking of holiday decorations, I look at this holiday house tour and this one, and I'm completely inspired.  This year, however, it's just not in the cards.  This year, we kept it super simple with just our little tree and a few other decorations. Perhaps one day, when I'm no longer a graduate student, I'll have the time and energy to really do it up!  

• I just started reading this book.  I was a vegetarian for several years into my mid-twenties. Recently, I've felt an inclination to return to the lifestyle. I do, however, enjoy eating meat. And my husband is definitely a meat eater.  I think this might be the perfect compromise for us.  The book is full of really insightful nutritional information.  I consider myself pretty informed in this area but he's touched on several things I didn't know.

• I have also recently started doing yoga again.  I am using this DVD, which I love!  Since this past summer, I have had lower back pain, on and off.  I decided to take a break from my high impact, cardio workouts and do something more gentle, in hopes that the lower back pain will go away.  I have always enjoyed yoga and have read that it's one of the best ways to combat back pain.  In terms of yoga though, I only really like it when it's challenging.  I still want to feel like I'm exercising!  Ashtanga is a more rigorous form of yoga and I am definitely challenged.  Already I feel stronger and more flexible.  It's kind of remarkable.

• Liam is totally into Christmas this year.  I'm not sure he really understands what is going on, but he talks about Santa a lot!  I just got him a few books to help him understand what Christmas is really about.  This book is my favorite.  I cannot get over how much I love this story....which talks about the trees, the animals and the stars all rejoicing over the coming of  Jesus.  Truly, a beautiful story.

• I am currently drinking this hot chocolate.  So good!  Have I ever talked about my love of mint combined with chocolate?  I can't get enough.

• Which is why I plan to make these brownies to take to my family's holiday gathering.  I hope they are as good as they look!

• And speaking of Trader Joe's, have you ever had Cookie & Cocoa Swirl?  Whoa.  I don't think I should be allowed to buy this stuff again because somehow, I just end up eating it straight out of the jar!

• Andrew and I just finished watching Under the Dome.  I wasn't sold on it at first, but now I'm hooked.  The series was renewed for a second season, which means that the final episode totally left us hanging.  I hate it when they do that!

• We are happily gearing up for the holidays!  We'll be gone more than a week travelling to various locations to be with our families.  My grades are done.  Our gifts are wrapped.  And I'm truly looking forward to spending some quality time with the people we love~!

Grateful Monday

To start my week off on a positive note, here are five things I'm grateful for:

• A nice, lazy, snowy weekend which allowed me to catch up around the house.
• My grades are done for the semester!  Woohoo!
• All of our gifts have been purchased. 
• The twinkle of Christmas lights, Christmas music playing on Pandora, hot cocoa, and spending time with my sweet boys.  The song below from Barenaked Ladies with Sarah McLachlan is my current favorite.  I can't get enough!
• The excitement of spending the holidays with our families next week.


I hope you have a wonderful week!


xoxo

Four Gifts for Christmas

Last year, during the holidays I was reading this blog post and was very inspired by the "Four Gifts" idea.

I told Andrew about it, and we agreed that we would adopt this approach to giving Christmas gifts to Liam.  

Let's face it.  We live in a world that is consumed by "stuff".  As a parent, I think it would be very easy to fall into the trap of over-buying for your children.  I'm grateful that I came upon this idea when Liam was only a year old so we can organically make this our way, without having to get him on board. 

Here's the idea:

Source

Instead of giving an overabundance of presents, the child receives four meaningful gifts:

Something he or she wants
Something to wear
Something he or she needs
Something to read

I really love this idea.  I love the simplicity.  I love the focus on making the gifts meaningful. I love that it will teach Liam to be grateful for the gifts he receives.

I will say this isn't easy for me, because I love to give gifts.  An unexpected surprise, however, is that it has made me more intentional in what gifts I choose for him.  Rather than just buying because I think he's going to like it, I find myself being much more selective.

As he gets older, I would like to incorporate these four actions into the mix as well:

Source

My hope is that by starting these traditions, Liam will grow up understanding the true spirit of Christmas, which isn't about receiving but about giving.

Lusk Creek Backpacking Trip

We went on a quick backpacking trip in early November, and I'm just now getting the time to blog about it!  Fall is our absolute favorite time of year to backpack.  The weather is usually ideal, and it's a great chance to see the beautiful fall colors.

I love all outdoor activities, but backpacking may very well be my favorite.  I get such satisfaction from carrying everything I need on my back.  I also love a good physical challenge and backpacking is a pretty good workout.  Most of all, I love to camp in the backcountry.  It's so much better than camping at a campground!  

I love the quiet and peacefulness that comes with backcountry camping.  I also love seeing the beauty of natural structures that you have to walk to get to.  

For this trip, we headed to the Lusk Creek Wilderness in the Shawnee National Forest.  I've been to most places in the Shawnee but had never been to Lusk Creek.  Andrew had planned a relatively easy 11 mile hike for us.  Somehow, we timed it perfectly.  We had the most perfect weather and the fall colors were definitely at their peak.  On Saturday night, we camped at the Secret Canyon, surrounded by beautiful sandstone bluffs, probably one of my favorite places I've ever camped!  

We were joined by our good friends and backpacking buddies, Justin and Mylisa.  My sister-in-law and her husband also joined us for the first time.  We had such a good time.  It was truly the perfect autumn backpacking trip! 

Once again, I'm reminded just how truly spectacular nature is.  I'm also reminded of why I love the Shawnee so much.   

Here are some pics from our trip.  My friend Mylisa showed me how to take pictures in the dark by adjusting the shutter speed with a remote control.  Aren't they awesome?!  I especially love the pictures that she took with the tents lit up!

Enjoy!

Friday night enjoying the fire

Tent glow on Saturday night -- courtesy of Mylisa

Saturday night fire at the Secret Canyon

The group

My favorite hiking buddy

Hiking

Pretty fall colors

The Secret Canyon

Finding Some Confidence

With the semester ending and the holiday season beginning, I've not had much time to blog recently. 

I'm currently stuck in Dallas because of the winter storm and find myself with some unexpected free time.  This is the view from my hotel window.  It doesn't look too bad from here but there's a lot of ice.

My flight home today was cancelled and I'm on hold, at this very moment, trying to talk to the airline.  The airport here is basically shut down, and  I don't really expect to get out of Texas anytime soon.  I'm a little frustrated....and super bummed that I won't get home to see my boys today.  I've been away for four days, and I miss them terribly. But I'm trying to be positive.  I'm definitely grateful that I'm still at the hotel and not stuck at the airport sleeping on a cot, but I'm ready to be home.

I'm here for a literacy conference and yesterday I presented a paper.  This was my first time presenting at a conference of this size and status.  Needless to say, I was a little nervous and certainly felt out of my league.  However, the presentation went beautifully, and I received some very positive, encouraging feedback about my study.  In fact, multiple people asked to read my paper! 

Academia can be an intimidating field, and I'm often haunted by feelings of insecurity.  I doubt myself and my abilities, but with each success, those self-depleting voices are slowly becoming silenced.  After seeing several other presentations and getting such positive feedback yesterday, I have a renewed sense of belief in myself. 

I also feel re-inspired to get this paper done and put it out there for publication, something I've been avoiding because of my fears that it wasn't good enough.  I'm reminded of a quote I once heard:

“If you are lucky enough to find a way of life you love, you have to find the courage to live it.” ~John Irving

I am finally starting to feel like I can play in this playground and do so with some confidence. It feels good....really, good.

I Love Everything About This

My cousin recently shared this video on Facebook, and I can't get enough of it.

When I was a freshman in college, I was struggling in my biology class.  I went to see my professor (a very old man), and he basically told me that I shouldn't be studying science because I wasn't smart enough.  I will never forget how disheartened I felt after that conversation, and sadly, I let his words influence my beliefs in my own ability.  After that, I had continuous doubts and rarely felt confident in any of my science classes.

I also have some real concerns about the messages that girls are getting these days as they grow up in a society that is obsessed with physical beauty and photo shopped perfection.  Our girls are constantly being sent the message that their value lies in how they look.  Wouldn't it be nice if, instead, we started sending them more messages about how important it is to be smart?!

This video does just that, and it resonates with me in so many ways.  As a female science teacher, I love everything about it.  This is exactly the kind of message we should be promoting.

I know what I'll be buying for some special little girls this holiday season! 

Enjoy!  

(note: I have no affiliations with this company.  I just love what they are doing!)

Grateful Monday

It's been awhile since I've written.  Things have been busy!

This weekend we finished repairing and repainting our bathroom.  We had a leak that damaged our ceiling so it had to be redone, which also meant repainting.

Needless to say, I'm glad it's finished!

Anyway, to start my week off, here are five things I'm grateful for:

• The bathroom is complete and my house is back in order.
• The story of Batkid.  It warms my heart knowing how many people pulled together to make this little guy's wish come true.  Things like this reinforce my faith in humanity.
• I'm over half way done with my Christmas shopping.
• The article that I've been writing for the past six months (seriously) is nearing completion.  Finally!
• Story time with this little guy.  I just love how much he loves books!

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Lately

Things have been pretty busy around here lately.  What's new right?  It seems to be a common theme this time of year.

Our fall has been hectic.  I'm actually grateful for the time change and the fact that we don't have much planned in the coming weeks.  I'm also really looking forward to the holidays this year.  In the meantime though, here's what we've been up to.

• It rained on Halloween, but we did get a chance to take Liam out for a bit.  This was his first trick-or-treating experience.  It was pretty cute.  He caught on pretty quickly.  Here he is with his friend Cecelia.  He's a dinosaur and she's dressed as Angelina Ballerina.  They are such buddies.  

• Last week I submitted an application for a dissertation fellowship through my university.  I'm trying not to get my hopes up, but I'm really really hoping I get it.  Fingers crossed!  It would allow me to focus solely on my dissertation, which would be really helpful in terms of completion.  As much as I love teaching, it just takes up so much of my time!  I should know in about a month so please send some positive vibes!

•  I can also now share the news that I'm going to Paris in February to present at a conference.  It's been in the works for awhile, but now it's official!  I've never been to Europe so I'm super excited about this opportunity! I can't wait to see this beauty.

 

Source

• Andrew and I went backpacking this weekend in southern, Illinois.  It was such a beautiful fall weekend.  We could not have asked for better weather.  The trip was amazing and deserves its own post but for now, here's a sneak peak.

 

Happy November!  I'm headed home this weekend with Liam to visit my parents for a few days.  Andrew is going to stay home and replace our bathroom ceiling that was damaged from a leak.  I'm pretty sure I'm getting the better end of that deal! 

xoxo

Jammin

In my last post, I showed a picture of Liam playing the guitar with my friend Dave.

The band Liam is playing with is called Jake's Leg.  They are a Grateful Dead tribute band, and I've been going to see them for years.  Their fans are a tight knit group, and I count many of them as close friends.  I even met my husband while out hearing them play! Needless to say, I'm a big fan.

They play a few times a year at one of the wineries outside of the city.  We usually try to go because it's a beautiful setting and outdoor shows mean we can take Liam.  The last time they played, Liam joined my friend Ryan in playing the drums.

This time, he brought his guitar along and joined Dave on stage.  

I must say, this makes me one proud mama.  I also just love how the band is so welcoming to our little guy.  They love him and just let him do his thing!

I'm pretty sure he's a little rock star in the making....

Enjoy!

Grateful Monday

To start my week off here are five things I'm grateful for:

• A beautiful fall weekend.  It was gorgeous!
• Liam has a bad cold, I'm so grateful that I was able to stay home with him today.  We snuggled up and took it easy....well, as much as a two year-old will take it easy anyway!
• We are looking forward to a backpacking trip with friends this weekend.  I need a little time in the woods.
• We are also looking forward to a Halloween outing on Thursday night.  This will be Liam's first time trick-or-treating!
• On Saturday we went to a winery to see some music.  Below is a snapshot of Liam playing his guitar with my friend Dave.  I'll be posting a video soon.  He definitely stole the show!

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Haircut

Things have been busy around here.  I've been caught up in a whirlwind of PhD paperwork...I feel like I've been doing nothing but jumping through hoops.  But alas, the paperwork is submitted and the hoop jumping is over for now (I hope!). 

Last week, however, was a big weekend in our household.  Mr. Liam got his first haircut!  It's taken me a long time to warm up to the idea, but I finally caved.  I loved his sweet baby curls so much.  Once our warm, humid days were over though, the baby curls were starting to look a little mullet-ish, all business up front with a party in the back!  So, for the sake of my son not looking like Billy Ray Cyrus, I decided it was time.

We went to Great Clips where my husband gets his hair cut, and we requested his favorite stylist.  I must say, the entire experience was much easier and smoother than I had imagined.  I had no idea how my two year-old would act once he was in that chair....these days he can be a bit of a wild card.  

I should never have doubted him though.  He was a perfect angel.  And Rhonda, the woman who cut his hair, was wonderful.  She was very sweet and patient and gentle with our boy.

Here he is ready to go!

One last look at those baby curls.

He was pretty fascinated during the cutting process and kept a close eye on what was happening.

And afterwards, he got a sucker as a reward.  He was pretty pleased with himself. 

He's so very sweet. And now he looks like such a little boy.

And much to my delight, some of the baby curls are still there.  You can't really see it in this picture, but he's still got some curls on top.  He's so precious and I just love him so.  I really try to cherish each of these special moments because I know how very fast it all goes.

Have a wonderful weekend!

xoxo

Grateful Monday

Here are five things I'm grateful for today:

• Liam's love of the library.  We were there this morning and it warms my heart how much he loves books!
• My PhD advisor.  I was part of a lovely brunch at her home yesterday morning and once again she's helping me and guiding me in a positive direction.  I honestly don't know what I'd do without her.
• My teaching gig.  As hard as it is sometimes to find balance with my time, I truly love teaching and I love the connection that I'm starting to establish with my students. 
• The anticipation of the future.  I've got a lot of things in the works, none of which are guaranteed, but they are all fun and exciting opportunities.  I'm trying not to get my hopes up too much but definitely enjoying the possibilities.
• Legos.  Liam was given a set of duplos for his birthday (thanks Megan!!) and he LOVES them.  Seriously.  He will sit in his room and play with them for an hour straight.  It's awesome on so many levels!

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

Fall Favorites

It's no secret that I love autumn.  Having grown up in the Midwest, I have a certain appreciation for the change of seasons, and the fall season is one of my favorites.  

It tends to be a busy season for us as we try to maximize our time outdoors and enjoy the beautiful weather. I'm okay with that because I know that the winter season usually brings slower days spent indoors. 

So what do I love about autumn?  I love the cool crisp mornings combined with warm, sunny days. I love watching the colors change on the trees.  I love pulling out my boots and sweaters.  I love drinking hot cider and the smell of leaves burning.  I also love the traditional fall activities of bonfires, hayrides, and visits to the pumpkin patch.

We try to get outdoors as much as possible this time of year.  Liam and I have been hiking at least once a week for the past month. These pics are from our family hike last week.  The little guy was beaming the entire time.

While we spend a lot of time outdoors, I also like to bring a little fall indoors. Our house is small so I don't have a lot of space for seasonal decorations, but I do add a few touches.  In our next home, I hope to have a fireplace.  I would love to have a mantel to change up with the seasons, but until then, I like to keep it pretty simple.

I frequently change up the centerpiece on our dining room table.  I love the vibrant colors of these fall leaves. 

I'm also big on natural touches and have a thing for candles.  This little arrangement sits on my grandmother's antique sewing machine.

One of my favorite ways to change my decor is to change out our decorative pillows.  I love the fall colors and embroidery in the middle pillow. 

I also have a love for all things pumpkin.  I light this candle every evening and I love how my house smells!

I also recently discovered Trader Joe's pumpkin butter.  Wow.  So good!  

In an attempt to save money, I also started making my own pumpkin spice latte using this recipe.  It's so good and gives Starbucks a run for it's money.

Happy fall!  I hope you get to enjoy all that this beautiful season has to offer!

xoxo

Pumpkin Pie

For Andrew's birthday, he requested a pumpkin pie, which is his favorite.  

I usually do not bake for his birthday, not since the first year we were dating anyway!  That year I decided to make him a chocolate cake.  It was a hilarious disaster.  So much of a disaster, in fact, that he's never asked me to bake for him since.

Let's just say that baking is not my thing.  I love to cook!  But my attempts at baking haven't proven to be the most successful.

This year, however, I rose to the challenge.

Making a pie from scratch was on my life list.  Since I wrote that list, I have dabbled a little in pie making.  But I've never had the nerve to make my own crust.  

My cousin recently came to our house for dinner, and she brought along the best apple pie.  When I asked her about the crust, she shared with me this recipe that she uses, which sounded completely non-threatening, so I decided to go for it.  

This crust is super low maintenance and easy to make.  It's not the prettiest crust, but it tastes great.  I was a little nervous because I used coconut oil instead of vegetable oil and it still turned out great (excuse the horrible photos, it was at night and I was using my iPhone).  Hopefully, with some practice, I'll be able to make some nicely scalloped edges.

Ready for some filling!

I also used the pumpkin pie recipe on the same link, although I used canned pumpkin.  I do not, and likely will not ever, have the time or the interest to roast and puree my own pumpkin, and I'm okay with that!

Baking

For the sake of keeping it real, here's what my pie looked like when I pulled it out of the oven.  See my stab marks?  That's the result of jabbing a knife into the center multiple times to see if it was done.  Note to self...next time use a toothpick!

Yummy

The end result wasn't necessarily pretty, but it was delicious!  So delicious that last night my two year-old actually buried his face in his bowl and started licking it.  No joke.  And as for that crust?  It's a nice, flaky crust and much better than the store bought ones.  

Based on this experience, I'm no longer afraid of making pie!  In fact, I'm ready to start making all kinds of pie.  So if you have a good recipe, please pass it along!

xoxo



 

A Birthday Wish

Today I want to wish a happy birthday to my love.

I am so very blessed to get to spend my life with this man.  He is a wonderful partner, father, and most of all, my best friend.  

Andrew climbing a tree.  Isn't he amazing?!

Happy Birthday babe!  May this year bring you wonderful things and all kinds of joy!

I love you to the moon and back.

xoxo

Grateful Monday

To start my week off on a positive note, here are five things I'm grateful for:

• A nice weekend spent visiting with my husband's family.  It was great to catch up.
• All of my grading is finally done.  Whoop!  
• Cooler temperatures have arrived, which makes it actually feel like fall!
• My analysis of data for my dissertation is coming along....very slowly.  But at least I'm making some progress.  Baby steps.
• This old boy.  He and I celebrated our 9th anniversary on October 4th.  He was about a year old when I got him, so he's slowing down a bit these days.  He's such a good dog, and I just love him so.

On a backpacking trip in 2010

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo

TOCO Family Festival

Happy October!  Welcome to one of my favorite months.  Living in the Midwest, October tends to be one of our most pleasant months of the year, meaning that we have lots to look forward to!

We spent this past weekend at the annual TOCO Family Festival.  We've been attending this small music festival for years, and it's always one of our favorite weekends.  It's small and all of the proceeds go to charity.  It's also very safe and family friendly.  They have several events, workshops, and specialized areas designed just for children.

Liam was old enough this year to really enjoy himself as well.  Here are some of my favorite pics:

Costume Parade

Post-parade shot of the guys

Andrew and I both got the chance to catch up with old friends

Family time

View of the stage

Super Liam!

Liam and his friend Cecelia went to the kids' Music Maker Workshop

Liam and his wild curls

Liam rocked out to the music all weekend long.

Thankfully he still wears his ear protection!

Liam LOVED the music.  He was drumming and dancing and playing his guitar all weekend.  Many folks said that he was the king of TOCO this year!  So. much. fun.

Have a wonderful week!

xoxo