this is why we can't be friends: wind chill

So yes, Andy is from Minnesota....where apparently temperature doesn't exist in the winter.  So don't complain about it being cold if you don't live there.  You don't know what real cold is.  Only people from Minnesota do. Sorry.

(by the way the drama of when it reaches like 87 degrees and he is MELTING can't be imagined...but forbid anyone complain when it's cold.)

moving on to this morning's converastion:

me: I guess it was smart thinking of me to wear a dress on the day it's 8 below.

andy: (all minnesota knowingly) that is just the windchill

me: you mean the "feels like" temperature? 

andy: exactly.

me: oh great. well, I guess I'm fine then.  

...

me: you should wear something nice since it's your birthday

andy: I want to wear my green flannel shirt because it's cold....I'm also going to wear my long underwear.

<< sigh >>

Refer to the top note.  Only people from Minnesota are allowed to complain about the cold.

this is why we can't be friends.

oh, and happy birthday andy! :)

Friday 4

Totally being a photo slacker this week.....but here are the week's highlights.

one. Got a new planner -- who doesn't love a fresh clean planner to fill up with color coding, list making goodness?

two. only had to go to the grocery store once during the week.  I hate going to the store during the week....unfortunately our Sunday gallon of milk only lasted until Thursday...

three. had a great girls night with Cora and the BFF via facetime while Andy was at his fire meeting.

four. Cora is talking more and more everyday....new words/sentences this week = 

"love you" 

"mote" (remote)

"hi daddy"

probably there are others...it's hard to keep track.  

Happy Weekend!

 

Friday 5

Wow, really? Friday already?  Okay then.

1. A week ago today we were skiing! yay!  It was MUCH more exciting than this picture of Andy snowboarding in the yard. 

2. A week ago I sprained my ankle doing this awesome ski jump....or wrestling a home intruder... depending on which version I tell you.  Okay, actually I sprained it by falling down a single stair being pushed down an entire flight of stairs at my cousin's house.

 

3. In addition to my ankle woes -- I also was plagued by a sinus infection AND ended up having to have a root canal and crown put on this week....so 2014...should be taken care of as far as medical issues go.

4. I have had this cute little K-State lamp for over a year now and it finally made it into my office today....now in another year I'll probably get a light bulb that fits it.

5. And what would a 5 for Friday post be with a photo of this little smile.  She had a great time playing with her extended cousins in Colorado -- and was excited to see her grandma, appa, and aunts and cousins back at home. Her BFF Alex gives her the cutest little hug every time they see each other.....and then they both fall over.

I go to college: child of the year

So I was just chatting with a student about his Christmas break when he told me about the best thing I've ever heard and suddenly made me think all of our (mine and my cousins') parents totally failed us.

Each year on New Years Eve, he gathers with his family and cousins to celebrate and to have a new year.  Throughout the evening all the "adults" as in, the grandparents, aunts and uncles, each drop a slip of paper in "the jar" with a single name on it.  This name represents the "child" they feel deserves the title "child of the year".  At 11 PM (he's from the midwest) they watch the NYC ball drop and at 11:01 it happens.  The jar is emptied and votes are tallied....and the person (or persons, if a tie) with the most votes is crowned child of the year.  Complete with an ACTUAL TROPHY, that even has the names of past year's winners ENGRAVED on the back.  The fame of this tradition has grown to the point where even people in town inquire as to who won!

This is awesome.  I mean, pitting teenagers and young adults against each other?? singling one of the "grandchildren" out to be the best of the year?  Um, yes. I feel like my family would have been especially good at this!  Even if I never won, ....the anticipation, the trash talking....the exuberant, annoying, yet amusing, gloating of the winner and the non-winners vows of revenge and sabotage.  Pure. Golden. Awesomeness.

Thanks for nothing, family.

So sad to think of what could have been...

***disclaimer -- it was mentioned that participation wasn't allowed to those of a young age...it was recommended that those in their teen years and above only be allowed to participate to mitigate the risk of truly crushing someone's spirit or causing psychological trauma.

2014

Happy New Year

  - the first post of 2014 is a lot of pressure.  So many ways to go here:

1. A sentimental look back at 2013 ...
I'm nothing if not sentimental...

2. Optimistic posting of 2014 goals...
if you can dream it you can do it
#believe #hashtag #reachforthestars #iwantacookie

3. A cute picture of corabella biscuit....
always a good idea

......

When you can't choose between a cookie and a brownie what do you do?  If you are any kind of winner at all you choose both.  So here we go folks, all three:

1. all in all 2013 was a good year...but, to be honest, it was a bit of a struggle to find things to include in the old Christmas card:

We did a little travel, a few things here and there, but overall not really much of anything.  Not included in our year in review was how much time we wasted on our phones or ipads, or days spent doing nothing, etc.

2. So in 2014 we are vowing to do more doing and do less "screen-timing" 

 (I'm not typically a new year's resolution type of gal...but this is more of an overall lifestyle concept than a Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic, Timely - Boring goal...as one is supposed to do.)

And we are off to a good start -- we have already taken a MUCH much much overdue (like 5 years overdue) trip to visit some of our favorite people in Colorado. (hey colorado cousins, don't a get a big head that you are some of my favorite people...I don't like that many people so it isn't hard to rise to the top... :) )  And we were having so much fun we didn't even take any photos!  So there is the less screen time thing - game.set.match, 2014.

3. I did get some shots of her in the car...

 

Yes, she has a bag on her head.  What's your point?

this is why we can't be friends: living a lie..

So Andy is always preaching limiting how much sugar we eat...making sure we get lots of fruits and veggies and, as much as possible, avoiding super processed foods.

This has resulted in this annoying voice in the back of my head nagging at me everytime I think about eating something I really shouldn't.

SO, what  SURPRISE it was to get the in the car this morning, my first time in the car since he returned from Minnesota this weekend, to find these things:

 

WHAT???? I like poptarts, and fruit by the foot and ice cream!!!!  So, secrets out, he is a closet eating, sugar loving hypocrit.

this is why we can't be friends.

(yes, I immediately called him and confronted him...he sounded guilty. really guilty, mumbled something about wanting to grab things that were easy to eat while driving....and the braums was from a "work trip" this week.  sure it was...maybe a working on your LIES trip..)

orange you glad I warned you?

It starts out a great idea...sweetly sitting on your couch, sharing a mandarin with your 1 year old. 

But it's not.  It's really not.

At first it doesn't seem so bad, she is excited when she sees the orange and follows you over to the couch.  Excitedly she puts her little arms up and climbs up to sit next to you.

You start to peel the orange...and now things start to go awry..now she is standing at your shoulder...wondering what the crap is taking you so long to peel that orange!  

Okay the peel is off,  and she has made her way to standing on your lap.  You take have the orange and set it aside and are trying to get some large pieces of pulp off the orange...DANGER WILL ROBINSON...SHE IS NOW PUSHING YOUR FACE OUT OF THE WAY WITH HER CHUBBY LITTLE HAND...climbing up your head doing whatever it takes to get to the orange you are trying to peel just out of reach....WHAT IS TAKING YOU SO LONG --- JUST LEAVE ALL THE WHITE STUFF ON THE ORANGE AND PUT IT IN MY MOUTH....NOW WOMAN! 

and before you know it, she's eaten the whole thing.  You didn't think you were going to get any yourself did you?  silly momma.