My First Swap!

Since I'm such a joiner and trying my hardest to be an internet blogging geek, I've joined the Flickr group Color Me Happy Swaparooni. I stumbled upon this group of swappers via one of my favoritest blogs ever, Oh My Stinkin' Heck, and since Heather's the one runnin' the show, I've decided to give it a go. I figure it's a good way to get involved, meet other people, and potentially make some friends.

This month they're swapping tote bags and the rules are simple. Get to know your swap partner via their Likes/Dislikes posted on the Flickr site, check out their blog, then choose a tote bag & goodies accordingly (minimum value $15) and send it off to your partner. And in return, someone will be doing the same for you and you'll get a nice surprise in the mail. Sounds fun, huh?

To start getting an idea of what's "out there", and also to maybe give my future swap partner some ideas, I've been cruising around Esty and have found some super duper cute little bags. Like this one.

And this one. Don't you just love the polka dots? They're so chic.
Speaking of Esty, did you ever even know such a site existed? Holy moly, but I've spent more than my share of time browsing thru that site. There are some dang talented people out there! I have found a bunch of stuff I like on there and I'm not typically a "homemade" type of person. I've seen several little coin purses that really need to come live with me.

Stay tuned and I'll share how the swap unfolds. Should be fun! You should join in if you aren't already. (Sadly though, registration for this swap ends tonight so unless you're sitting at your computer, refreshing on my blog, you won't even see this post and know about it until....oh, next Thursday when you've run out of toenails to trim and dust bunnies to chase. But there's always next time!)

Hope

Hope sits in my window.

She greets me every morning when I stumble to the kitchen, bleary-eyed

and still hearing the echoes of my dreams ringing in my ears.

Hope is exuberantly there on sunny days, telling me that

Spring is on it's way, just hold on a bit longer.

Hope sits quietly while it rains, the gray sky hindering the sun

from helping Hope to cast her shadow, but waiting for me

nonetheless.

The memory of Hope stays with me during the day,

reminding me that she's always there, ready to encourage,

to lend her faith, to join me in my daydreams.

Hope is still there as the day drifts away, as the shadows

take over and usher in the night, when the moon rises to watch me sleep.

She is my constant companion and infects me with her optimism.

The briefest notion that she has slipped away brings her rushing back,

full of reassurance and promises never to abandon me.

Hope makes me believe that my dreams will come true,

becoming tangible parts of my reality.

She is pure inspiration and motivation.

Hope is always with me, my guardian angel.

And so it begins...

As you may or may not know, a plan has been in the works for the past three years for Hubby & I to buy 5 acres of land from my parents and build a home on it. Without boring you with all the gory details, we've been waiting for the land to officially be short-platted (divided up) into 5 acres parcels - it was previously just one big chunk of dirt. So now that's done and after a bit more minor paperwork, we can start the ball rolling to begin building. We have our house plans and Josh has been working with our architect and builder to tweak them and work out the kinks. He's also doing some paperwork for the bank to get our building loan figured out. To get an idea of what we're going to need to borrow, we need to start figuring out what stuff is going to cost.

So Friday night, after a Mexican dinner out, we headed to Home Depot to start looking at flooring, kitchen cabinets, etc. To be honest, the kitchen is really the main room I am concerned about. Probably because that's where there are the most details or maybe because that's my "domain". I have a vague picture in my head of how I want my kitchen to be; kind of a warm, inviting, Tuscan-type place. I'm not exactly sure what elements will go into it to make it that kind of kitchen, but I'll piece it together. Or at least try.

After looking at some stuff at Home Depot, I've discovered a few things:

1. I like dark cabinets vs lighter ones. Probably cherry. (Is that the type of wood or the color of the stain? Both?)
2. I like clean lines and basic design. Nothing too fancy or frilly. No crazy moldings or intricate designs.
3. I like silver or pewter hardware vs gold.
4. I think I prefer natural, stone-like tile vs hardwoods. (I think hardwoods are hard to take care of. They require too much babying and I want a floor I can throw some Pine-Sol on and get clean. Especially if I'm going to have muddy children and animals traipising thru my kitchen.)
5. I don't like white walls. I want color on my walls.

Josh and I are both starting to get really excited about this project. We've been waiting such a long time and now we're on the verge of seeing tangible progress.

For me at least, this has been a lifelong dream. Even as a little girl, I wanted to live out in the country and have animals and a big garden and lots of room to roam. I remember being thrilled when I was invited to my friend, Anne's, house because she lived on a big wheat ranch with barns and fields and horses. We used to play in the hay loft which had a big rope swing, and ride horses and our bikes all over the ranch. I'd imagine I was a pioneer woman, making my way thru the harsh elements and perservering against incredible odds. Seriously. I had quite an imagination. Still do.

My parents tried to make that "living in the country" dream a reality, but it fell thru at that time. It was a blessing in disguise in retrospect, considering my dad lost his job a few years later and the economy in that small town went in the toilet. So now that dream is becoming a reality, for all of us. My parents will be building a house too on their 5 acres next to us, so we'll be neighbors! Not only am I excited that I'll finally get to become a "country girl" for real, but I'm thrilled for my kids. Granted, they won't have neighborhood kids to play with or paved streets & sidewalks to ride their bikes on, but they'll have so much more to make up for it. They'll have tree forts and berry patches, animals to learn to care for and grass snakes to chase, bonfires on summer nights, their very own pumpkin patch, and a sky full of stars that won't be obscured by city lights.

It's a dream that's due to become a reality.

p.s. I need to get out to the property and take some "before" pictures, which I'll share.

On Her Own

My little daughter, who won't officially be two and a half until March 6th, is well on her way to being potty-trained. I'd like to credit my exceptional parenting skills and watchful diligence for this amazing feat, but truth be told, I've done nothing. Ok, so we did bring out the potty chair a while back but found that Sam was more interested in it than Zoë. So we put it away.

Then suddenly, in the last couple weeks, she's been telling us she has to pee. So we indulged her and took her to sit on the potty, and lo and behold, the little girl WENT. On multiple occasions. And she's gone poo too! We are thrilled to bits that this next phase of her life is happening and that she's really getting the hang of it.

Is it just the difference between boys and girls? I don't know, but I am SO proud of her and so incredibly thankful that it's been so easy with her thus far.

My baby girl is growing up so fast.

For Your Listening Enjoyment

As you can hear, I've added a little widget to play some music on my blog. The piece you're hearing is my favorite piece of classical music - Mozart's Symphony No. 40.

If you know me, it probably seems a little surprising that I like classical music, but I do. (Yes, I know what you're thinking...that Marching Band music probably suits me better, but you just shoosh.) I am by no means a classical music afficionado, but there are several pieces that I really do enjoy and actually intentionally listen to. I love putting on my Mozart CD and working in the kitchen. It's soothing to have the music playing, with no lyrics to disturb my daydreaming, and to chop vegetables, knead bread or mix up a batch of cookies.

I first heard this particular symphony when I was in high school. My friend Trixie (yes, that was her real name) had a cassette tape of some Mozart and I really liked it. So, it being the 80's, we copied her tape and made me my very own. I think I still have it around somewhere. I've listened to it over the years and finally got a CD version for Christmas a year or two ago. Now, it's the only CD in my kitchen CD player.

So, there ya have it. Another layer of Kate you didn't know existed. Scary, huh?

A Good Day

Man, today was a good day! We awoke up to the promise of clear skies and sunshine, which is enough to make me jump for joy, especially in the middle of winter. With Josh working some extra hours this weekend, the kids and I were on our own. So, instead of addressing the piles of laundry mounting on my bedroom floor, we donned our shoes and sweatshirts, grabbed some snacks and my camera, and headed to the park.

There are a plethora of parks in this outdoorsy town, but I had a specific one in mind. We headed down to the park that sits between the marina and the bay. I wondered if it would be a bit breezy, as it usually is, but it was PERFECT. The sun sparkled on the water like a million diamonds, the air smelled faintly of saltwater and spring, and the bay was alive with boats.



It's days like today that remind me how much I love this town and why I tolerate (barely) the drab, dreary, dark winters here. Man, there just is no place better when the sun is shining. And summer never lasts long enough for me to get my fill.

It's hard to tell who enjoyed the park more - the kids or me. Instead of heading directly to the playground, we followed the walkway around the park which took us along the marina and then over to the bay. Sam was in heaven to be able to throw rocks into the water. Zoë toddled around, investigating this and that and I happily soaked up the sun and snapped pictures.







We encountered lots of friendly dogs, who stopped to greet us and allow us to give them some love, which thrilled Zoë, considering her recent puppy infatuation. We eventually meandered over to the playground for a bit before heading to the car for some snacks and the trip home.

Then as if the day wasn't already near perfect, one of my bestest friends, Michelle, stopped by for a visit. This is significant because she lives 100 miles away and hasn't been in my neck of the woods for a couple years. (I've been down her way lots of times, and it's only been about a month since I've seen her.) She had come to town to visit her cousin and set aside some time to come over. What a treat! We had a great chat, albeit too short, and in between having to break up fights between the kids, we managed to look at house plans, compare notes of books we've read lately, and various other topics. It's been awhile since we've had some one-on-one time and I was thrilled to have the chance. Let's do it again soon, 'k Chelle?

Days like today make me very happy to be alive.

Busy Days

It never fails, my six days off seems to just fly by, whereas the days I work seem to drag. Why is that? Maybe because I have more fun on my days off? Hmmm. Food for thought.

Whatever the case, we've had some busy days lately. On Valentine's Day Sam had a party at school and since I am the Co-Room Parent I went to help out. (I would've anyway, even if I weren't.) Anyway, the kids had a great time. We had snacks, they opened their Valentines from their classmates and there were several craft projects for them to do.

Oh, and it was a Pajama Day so all the kids wore their pjs to school.

Sam didn't have school on Friday (mini Mid-Winter break) so I packed up the kids and we headed south down to the children's museum. It's totally worth the hour's drive and $7/per person admission. The kids LOVE it and I would've spent more time there except I was starving and it was pretty crowded. So we headed out and stopped for a late lunch/early dinner at Red Robin. It was a nice day - so much better than sitting at home doing the same ol' thing.

Bronco Buster Sam

Little Zoë Peep sitting on a sheep

By Leaps & Bounds

One, two, three...HOP!

Chef Sam cooking up some pizza

Zoë sampling the goods

Ready for takeoff!

Fasten your seatbelts!