Christmas in the Night Sky

Last night we surprised the girls by attending a local Christmas fireworks display. We had a blast and it was truly a fabulous way to bring in the upcoming Holiday. Being it the day after Thanksgiving, the girls also broke out our small Christmas tree and worked on their Christmas spread. Instantly, Christmas was in our home. Again, another first in the farmhouse.

And for the record, I want a real tree this year.

Giving Thanks...

Giving Thanks this year...for my life, my family, good health, happy home, challenges, triumphs, my new country farmhouse and opportunities that have come our way.

A lot of "firsts" this Thanksgiving...
2009 marks our first Thanksgiving in the new farmhouse. Roxie was in her first Elementary play. Her class signed and sang the song, "The more we work together...the happier we'll be". As we ate our Thanksgiving Feast,with my side of the family, we realized how long it had been since we were all together for the holiday.

And of course, Thanksgiving would not be complete without the traditional game of Pit

That New Job...

I mentioned something about a new day job earlier and thought I would elaborate. As you may know, my husband works for an amazing company, Conservation Seeding & Restoration Inc. This job is a perfect avenue for us to teach our girls about "Saving the Planet". You see, whenever Lance leaves town to work on a wilderness restoration project or similar work detail, they know their Dad is "Saving the Planet" from those nasty invasive plant species...which in turn creates a more natural habitat for everything in that particular area. A feel good job for us as a family. Lance leaving town like he does is not always easy, but again -Saving the Planet takes work and dedication. I have always been extremely supportive of his work choice and until lately, always cheered CSR on from the sidelines. Not any more.

I am now heading the CSR blog in a new direction. Hooking it up to social medias like Twitter and Flickr. Seeing where it will take us and hopefully making new connections with like-minded people.

I invite you to join us and become a part of the on-going conversation. One that helps us all become more aware of our choices and how those choices impact our immediate environment. I am excited to watch our readership grow and hope we can make a ripple in the wave of change.

Check it out! CSR-Inc: Blog, Flickr and Twitter

Pockets of Time, A New Day Job!

I find myself with little pockets of time, usually spent with this crazy little girl of mine, Roxie. I know I have talked before about how much I love the simple pleasure of just hanging with her, but I can't really put into words the balance she gives me, the Perspective. She spreads smiles as she states, "This is the best day of my life!"

I know she truly lives that statement and I hope her attitude never changes...Such a light-hearted little sprite she is. I only wish I could see it as clearly as she obviously does. Some days, I have too much clutter blocking my mind. Too many obligations, chores and sleepiness. But you know what? She is always there to remind me to take it slower, to roll down the grassy hill, to have a stick race in the canal or chase the birds...just because we can.

I am going to continue reminding myself of this lesson as I plunge into a new part-time day job. Not sure where it will put me for creative blogging head space here...which kinda sounds funny because that is what my new job completely entails! I have faith a new schedule, one that fits into my Mommy schedule, will work itself out nicely.

Kaziah Rocks a Bday!

She did it again...went and turned another year older on me! It is simply mind boggling that this little girl of mine is now in the double digits. She is such a sweet wanna-be cowgirl. A child with a heart of gold and a never ending smile. A Daddy's girl to the end. All she wanted for her birthday was a pony -that's all. Yeah right little lady. Our good friend Mike, hooked her up though. No, she did not get a pony, but she did spend a whole day playing with such. We couldn't have asked for better weather or friends to share it with. A birthday I know she will remember...

To check out the cake we made together, click here...

And of course, no Birthday would be complete without tons of photos!

The Surprise Remodel...

While Lance was out of town the beginning of last October, I finished our remodel as a surprise for Lance's homecoming...

I accomplished this tape-float-texture-paint-carpet in about 5 days. Not a lot of sleeping happened, although a lot of beer and coffee drinking did take place.

This is what the room looked like when he left town.....


And this is what the room looked like when he returned home 15 days later...

Emeril's Apple and Cranberry Crisp...

You just have to try this cobbler! A perfect blend of this seasons flavors...seriously, give it a go!

Emeril's Apple and Cranberry Crisp

And So I Run...

I've taken to running again...and it feels so good. I have walked/ran this trail for years...but mostly when I am pregnant or recovering from such. I've decided that I need to take more time for myself and that I don't need a baby as an excuse to do so.

On this particular day, I brought my side-kick along. She is a pretty tough little runner, but I'll admit to doing alot of jogging in place while she checks out the ducks or starts lagging behind. I found myself thinking back to when I was pregnant with her and walking this very trail. Now look at her!

Finding a Way Indoors, Cutting the Power Bill

At times, the colder, blustery weather can put a damper on solar drying. But not in our home, we find a way...somehow. This is my favorite indoor dryer yet. And it's a good thing we have a back-up in place, the strong wind made our clothes line take flight with a wash of towels and a quilt still a-hangin! Bent it up pretty good too. Wind in the desert...what can you do? Besides the obvious of taking down the laundry before it gets that bad. Bummer cuz I wasn't home but was thinking "Oh gosh, I have laundry on the line!"

Gotta Share The Costumes!

Ausha surprised me when she put this one together...Anne Boleyn. Complete with an extra finger and "Blood" flowing from her neck -in which you must imagine Boleyn being beheaded. Only a handful of people knew her costume by those two clues. Her friend Adrian sported the Earth, which you might remember from back when...


Kaziah wore the Kimono I made years ago...


And then there was Roxie. She went by the name of "Miss Bones".