I did it! Now what?

So I actually made it through the three days without eating any solid food except a bit of watermelon.  And, I actually had a huge burst of energy yesterday, which I am still feeling this morning.  That might be the fact that I'm drinking strong coffee on a very empty stomach, but whatever.  I had very little hunger, a little weakness here and there, but otherwise it was a piece of cake. 

I didn't clean out my system (if you know what I mean) as I'd hoped but I'm optimistic for today.  Now the problem is I don't know what the heck to do.  Should I eat?  What should I eat?  And, guess what, I don't even want to eat!  I'm going to finish off my Naked Green Machine today before foraying into solid food and then I'm just not sure.  Maybe I have acquired one of those eating disorders like I prayed for when I was a teenager.  Just a month of anorexia, that's all I ask! was my fervent prayer. 

I'm taking Gracie out for a haircut today, gonna clean out the trailer (note to self:  get tabs), and obsess about what my first solid meal in four days might consist of.  Mike is on his way back from Canada, and the sun is actually shining in Seattle...pretty much, hallejulah!

Bah Humbug

Seattle did finally thaw out.  It's been a beautiful sunny, cold weekend and yesterday was a perfect day to head to the tree farm for our annual Christmas tree hunt.  We found a lovely one, had some hot chocolate and headed back to the homestead for some decoratin'. 



Live Tree



Dead, but lovely, tree.



Grace and I decided to have a little sleepover down in Liv's room to check it out.  She is correct in stating that her bed is very comfy and I slept like a log.  I thought it might be a little creepy in the basement but it really wasn't, it was cozy and warm and the big window is so pretty in the morning.  Only 8 more days until Liv is home again.

Our day started out a little scary, Elke got out of the yard yesterday morning and we didn't find her for 3 hours.  She has been getting out and I warned Mike not to let her out unattended until he fixed the fence.  I awoke to hear him calling her and knew immediately that he probably hadn't heard me (again) and hoped that he hadn't removed her collar like he usually does (she jingles and wakes us up in the morning).  Unfortunately, he had...insert signing sound.   I was trying not to imagine her lifeless body lying in the road and what that would do to my children.  Turns out a good Samaritan found her and took her to the vet to scan her microchip.  I was introduced to a NE Seattle Moms group page and was so grateful to find that this network of mom's led Elke right back to our door, neighbors I don't even know.  It was heartening to see that our neighborhood is a lot more neighborly than I knew.  Today Mike is fixing the fence, it's only taken him five years and a giant scare but he is getting it done.

I'm immersed in Christmas shopping and taking my Ativan so that I can sleep through the stress of it all, and trying not to gain my usually holiday 5 pounds...I think it might be too late for that. 

We are all trying to recover from nasty colds, me, Liv, Sam, Jack and Drew all got walloped but I think the worst is over.  Back to the grind, I can't wait for January so I can start my official countdown to May and camping season.  I don't have a good attitude about January, February, March, or April.

Busy, busy, busy...

I haven't added a post for a long time, not because nothing is happening but for the opposite reason.  We got up on that roof at our first sunny opportunity and got 'er done.  Almost.  The outside is patched and a new roof is protecting us from the northwest elements.  We haven't got to the new sheetrocking on the inside yet as that's going to be a little more invasive.  It will involve covering everything up so that the insidious drywall dust doesn't permeate our living space.  We were so proud of ourselves that we promptly took off for Cannon Beach for the weekend.

It was mostly lovely, only one afternoon was too stormy to enjoy the beach.  The kids and Elke love the beach more than anything in the world and I love to watch them have that much fun without the help of any technological devices.  Just sand, shells, and surf.  It's amazing how long that can be entertaining.



Unmitigated Joy

Mike likes the beach too, as long as he can bring his coffee and Blackberry.  He can't do without the technology as long as the kids can...

Argh, nice pirate boots

Other big news this week.  Olivia is calling it quits.  No more ASU after this semester.  She isn't going back.  She's been so miserable and so unhappy.  It's just a little more than a northwest girl can take to be out in that hot, dusty dirt.  She did her best and I'm just happy to have her back.  She and Taylor are applying to Western for the spring quarter and will be attending Shoreline C.C. for the winter quarter.  The downstairs basement room that Sam just vacated will be quickly taken over by Liv and that's what I'm doing this weekend.  Cleaning and painting and preparing.  Liv was worried that we would be put out my having her move back in.  Silly girl.  She's only 18, she's still a baby and I am thrilled to be able to cook for someone who I know appreciates it.  If she were 30 it would be a different story.

Halloween was a success.  Thank Gawd the candy is finally gone.  I picked a bad time to start the Atkins Diet again, it took all my strength.

Jack o' Lanterns

The only thing I like less than carving pumpkins is dying Easter eggs.  Although, this year was less awful than most.  The pumpkins seemed to have less guts than usual, and more seeds? 

Obviously, Jack and Grace are a little too young to handle the butcher knife part of the event, so I end with the job.  Mike was texting Gawd knows who and watching baseball all evening, so...of no help whatsoever.



   

     We ended up with these beauties

Another view...

And with dog... 



I forgot my camera...again.

Yesterday we went to the pumpkin farm.  I determined that this was my 22nd annual visit to a pumpkin farm as a mom.  I don't think we ever went as children but I also don't think that pumpkin farming was a thing in So. Cal.  We got our pumpkins at the grocery store, same place we got our Christmas Trees.  My kids would pass out at the mere suggestion.  I do love our traditions, I'm not complaining, it's just a lot of pumpkin farming.  We went to a huge farm in Clearview called "Bob's Corn".  The pumpkins were not stellar, not enough sunshine this year, they were all a little green and some had already passed over to the other side.  Our rule is that the little ones (Jack and Grace) can not get a pumpkin any bigger than they can carry around.  Jack really pushed that rule this year, I thought the poor guy was going to pop a hemi, lots of straining and groaning.  He finally ended up rolling his pumpkin down the hill on the way to the parking lot, I overlooked the fact that he was cheating because caring would take effort and some sort of action on my part.  I forgot my camera, bummer because Jack looked hysterical.  We actually did get lost in a corn maze.  And we paid $20 to do so.  We ended up getting out of there less $50. and up two large squash.  Tradition, ahhh.  The slaughter commences tonight and I will try to get some pics.



Speaking of squash, tonight I'm making baby back ribs and butternut squash risotto.  A perfect fall dinner.  On Monday I'm going to start of little pre-Halloween diet and then I'll start my pre-Thanksgiving diet the day after Halloween.  Another tradition.

Too Much?

It's Halloween at the house.  A little early maybe, but when summer is over I'm ready to immerse myself in Autumn.  I hate winter in Seattle, drippy, slippery and mildewy.  Ick.  This house is useless when the temperature drops below 40 degrees, you can usually find me beneath a pile of blankets on the couch or cooking something just for the warmth the stove offers.  Both of these activities tend to result on an extra 10 pounds of flab that comes to visit most every year.  Hate winter.  I really don't know what I'd do without my heated car seats, not to mention how amazing they are when I have cramps...worth it for that alone.  Liv may find me at her doorstep more than she thought.

 But, I do love the fall.  Halloween and Thanksgiving are my favorite holidays

We threw about every Halloween decoration we had at the mantle and called it good.  It's hard to see the spiderwebs strung all over the place, but there's a lot.  Apparently the bird's name is Kevin.  Yeah, I don't know.



The ladies are back!

                          Oh, Gawd, I just spotted my twisted reflection in the glass, I'm the fourth witch.

  But ya'll already knew that.

Fall also brings us to soccer season and so far every game has been sunny and warm.  That's usually how it goes.  The beginning of the season we are in t-shirts and flip-flops and at the end I'm hiding in the car snuggled up to the afore-mentioned heated seats.

 Too cute!

P.S...Gillbert is still alive and blowing a crazy looking bubble nest. 
P.P.S...I love how google ads pulls content from your posts and tailors then to their ads.  This morning I was a Mormon who loved to throw birthday parties, Ha!  Oh crap, I said "mormon" again.  I'm gonna have to spice this thing up.