December 22, 2011

An early Christmas present

I cannot believe the weather here in Michigan--it's 43 degrees today! Normally we'd have tons of snow and wind and it'd be freezing cold. With the weather being so nice out, I was inspired to give my kids one of their Christmas presents early.

They don't believe in Santa, so I didn't have to explain any of that. I talked to Jerry about it and he agreed that it would be a good idea. They've been begging for motor scooters (Razor scooters that run on a motor) since the summertime, so we got them each one of those. We were worried that it would be a dumb gift, because they wouldn't be able to play with it until the snow melts. But since we have no snow, and they are out of school starting today, we thought it would be fun to give it to them early.

They were SO EXCITED. Eli told me at least a dozen times that it was his favorite present he ever got. Then when he was riding past the house (Jerry and I were sitting on the porch, watching them), he stopped to say, "Mama, I really hope this isn't a dream!"  Hahaha, he's so cute :)
We live on a street with very few houses, and cars RARELY drive down our street... but when they do, they're usually driving way too fast. I'm always worried about my kids playing out there, so I'll sit on the porch and watch them, giving a shout to them if I see a car.  Today the cats were watching too, from inside. Bonus points if you can spot Estelle:

Well today, there was a gray Grand Am that I saw turn the corner onto our street, going really fast--and showing no intention of slowing down. I ran out into the street in front of the car, yelling to Eli to get in the grass. I looked at the car and motioned with my hand (nicely) to slow down.

Well, that apparently pissed them off. They put the car into reverse and floored the gas, then slammed on the brakes. Then they put it drive and slammed on the gas again, peeling out and driving about 50 mph down the street (speed limit is 15). I was FURIOUS. Who the hell does that?! I wasn't even being rude! I just motioned for them to slow down because there were kids playing outside.

About a year ago, there was a hit and run (of a woman) on a street near here, and my little brother thinks he witnessed the car that did it. He described it to the police (a gray Grand Am with blue running lights). The police found pieces of the car at the accident scene, and believe it was a gray Grand Am. Nothing ever came of it, but I always think of it when I see that car. It belongs to a pretty trashy family. I'm going to try to get the township to put speed bumps on our street.

I also went for a run outside this morning. My knee was hurting after my last run, so I took it easy today. I'm so sick of my knees bothering me! It's making me think that maybe I shouldn't do a marathon next year after all.


 Yesterday I went to Curves to see my old boss and friend, Del. I was so happy to see her, and she looked fantastic. I saw a lot of the women that used to exercise there while I was working there in 2003-2005. It was fun visiting with her, and I definitely want to go back and do it again.

Oliver, modeling a scarf I made.
I learned something funny too! We used to have a dog named Oliver, a Brittany Spaniel. We had him from February 2008 to October 2010. He was EXTREMELY hyper (as in, he-would-make-Cesar-Milan-cry-and-quit-his-job kind of hyper), and I was honestly the only one who liked him. We found a good home for him about a mile and half away, and he's very happy there (we called to check on him).

Anyway, as I was talking to Del, she mentioned that her daughter is living with her boyfriend in his parents' house. After some questions, I discovered that it was the house where Oliver lives! Without me even telling Del about Oliver, she said, "He's a VERY hyper dog!"  LOL, yes, he is.

Del also reminded me of a funny story about when I worked there. I already had Noah, and I was talking about having another baby. I said I wanted them to be close in age, and Del told me, "You should start trying now, because it usually takes a few months to get pregnant once you start trying--especially after your first pregnancy."  (I got pregnant the first try with Noah, but I figured that wasn't the norm).  So I listened to Del and of course, a few weeks later I called her to tell her that I was pregnant... a few months earlier than I would have liked! ;)


After I left Curves, I met Renee for coffee, and she gave me some goodies for Christmas: some chocolate/walnut/cherry/ginger bark that she made, and a little satchel of spices to make mulled wine that she put together (can't wait to try that!), along with a little hors d'oeuvres plate and spreading knife. I forgot to take a picture before I ate the bark, unfortunately.

I got a very exciting package in the mail from my Cookie Butter dealer... Three Two more jars of Cookie Butter! Unfortunately, the post office did not "handle with care" and one of the three jars she sent broke, despite the bubble wrap :(  The worst best part was, my car smelled like Cookie Butter until I got home.

I forget who asked me this, but someone asked if people just randomly send me stuff or do they tell me first... Lindsey had e-mailed me and asked if I could make a special-order Gocket for her with her own fabric, so I said sure--and along with the fabric, she sent the Cookie Butter.  And I'm SO glad she did--I love the stuff!


Food log for today:
Breakfast- jamocha/banana shake
Lunch- tuna salad, orange, apple cinnamon bread with peanut butter
Dinner- 3 eggs, scrambled, with a turkey sausage, onions, and cheese; waffle with butter
Snacks- spoonful of Cookie Butter, hot cocoa, wine




15 comments:

  1. I went to TJs yesterday and saw it. I thought of you. ;)

    I didn't buy any...no need finding more things I love to eat.

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  2. I hope you get a new jar! Have you seen the crazy delivery videos lately? It is crazy what delivery drivers do.
    What punks to intentionally back-up and then come roaring down the road, jerks! (I would have thrown a rock at their car.)

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  3. I'm curious, what is cookie butter?

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  4. haha Yea except for me that pretended to need your address for your Christmas card - when really I was just double checking that you hadn't moved since last year before sending your Get Well package! hehe I'm so sneaky!

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  5. lol. i wanna know what cookie butter is too!!!

    Do you just always tell your boys that Santa wasn't real or they just found out already or what? Just curious...

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  6. @Kim R.
    Cookie Butter is a spread that looks just like peanut butter, but it tastes like Snickerdoodle cookies. It's delicious! But unfortunately, it's not at all healthy--so moderation is key.

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  7. I found the cookie butter in my local Stop and Shop but put it back on the shelf after I scanned it to find out the price- $5! I forgot I still have a jar of PB 2 in my pantry in the basement. Have you noticed anything with the price of pb? It's still been on sale here (one brand or other) for 2/$3 or 3/$5. Was it just hype?

    What are your plans for each holiday coming up this week? We consider Christmas Eve and Christmas as 2 separate holidays, since we celebrate one with my husband's family and one with mine. Going to be a very busy next 3 days! Have a GREAT Christmas Katie!

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  8. I'm curious about the Santa thing too. I'd always had the intention of not doing the whole Santa shenannigans, but my husband told me I was no fun. Now I'm not sure. My daughter will be 2 in March, so it hasn't mattered yet, but next year will probably be the defining Santa year.

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  9. @Poison
    I never really wanted my kids to believe in Santa, so we just never really talked about it. They were terrified of the idea of sitting on Santa's lap, which I would NEVER make them do, and they thought the whole idea of a strange man coming into our house on Christmas Eve was kind of creepy. So I told them the truth last year, and they were pretty relieved :)

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  10. Maybe when the kids are out riding their scooters on the road you could put up some caution signs to warn people that your kids are out playing. They do this in my neighborhood and I always slow down and look out for them especially when these signs are up. I know as drivers, we should always be conscious of surroundings and possible children playing, but I appreciate the heads-up when I know they are out there. Just google "children at play signs" and there are a ton of them.
    Hope you have a very Merry Christmas!!

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  11. I have got to get to Trader Joe's!! I love that place but never find myself in the right part of the city for it.

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  12. You do realize it'll probably snow until May this year lol. Your boys look really cute on their scooters! I'd put a sign in the street though. We have them in our neighborhood, and if nothing else, people slow down to read the sign.

    In retrospect, I wish I had wrapped each C.B. jar in newspaper. I was going to pick up more cookie butter today but they were totally sold out. I will be replacing the broken jar! I did however manage to walk out of T.J.'s with three bottles of wine for under $10.00. Good stuff too.

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  13. This weather is downright crappy in my opinion!!!! I want SNOW!!!!!!
    At least your boys enjoyed it! I hope you and your family have a very Merry Christmas Katie!!!!!!!
    ~Laura

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  14. I love that scarf. Can you share the pattern you used? Thanks.

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    Replies
    1. Hi Sue,
      I used this pattern: http://www.pixeldiva.co.uk/crafty/crochet/tea-scarf/

      Only modifications I made were to use an L hook (8 mm) and chain 150 to start. It was a super fast pattern, took me less than three hours to make it.

      Delete

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