Loud and No Denying It

My family is loud. I always knew it, but I see how true it is from Liliana's b-day party. Today Chris was editing the video from her party to send to his parents and the tape does not lie.

We invited all of Liliana's cousins who were in town for her b-day dinner and party. 21 people made it that night. Literally when Liliana was opening her gifts you could hear 3 different conversations going on in the background- all loud ones. Chris always jokes with me whenever I am on the phone with one of my siblings because my decibel level increases. Not a yell, just loud volume.

I'd rather have a loud family having a good time then a bunch of quiet people who don't enjoy each other's company. We had a great time together- the kids played and laughed, the adults ate chicken and tried to solve the world's problems. And most of all, Liliana was surrounded by a bunch of people who love having her as an addition to our family and celebrating 2 years of life.

Christmas 2009

Celebrated the most important person in our lives
Had lots of good conversations
Realized what an amazing family I have all over again
I had a pretend tea party with my daughter
Stuffed myself with delicious Italian food
Traveled in an ice storm to get to my sis' house
Made my niece & nephew happy when they opened gifts
At one point laughed so hard I was literally in tears
Smiled seeing Liliana interact with her relatives




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Mall Walker

Usually "mall walker" is synonymous with AARP and gray hair. Well, I may not get senior discounts yet at restaurants, but I confess I have become a mall walker.

It started out as something I would do with Liliana. On a cold or rainy day we would head up to the mall and walk around so we could burn some energy. Well, I confess it has now turned into a social time. I met my friend tonight and I actually suggested meeting at the mall so we could walk around and talk. Yep, we made 2 laps around good Ole' West Towne Mall, like the pros.

I haven't started swinging my arms and doing the official "mall walker stride", but it's probably only a matter of time...

Cheese

Wisconsin folks are very serious about cheese.

On the radio last week we heard about a cheese shop near our house selling 15 year aged cheddar for.... $50/lb. Really? $50 for a chunk of cheese? Supposedly cheese gets acidic and bitter the longer it ages but this fellow claims his cheese has undergone special care and it has a smooth taste. People are buying it up. He has gotten orders from all over the US, Canada, even Asia. Wow. Who knew old cheese would have such a reputation?

I am all for a good chunk of cheese, but.. I have my limits. Last week we visited some friends and he had just received a cheese basket from one of his clients. It was from one of those local Wi shops. We sampled a delicious veggie cheese. Very tasty. Then he busted out this brick cheese. His wife was unaware he opened the package and called from the other room:

"Does Micah's diaper need to be changed?"

"No honey, it's that new cheese I just opened up."

"You are serving that?"

"Yeah, I thought we would try it"

Ok- the diaper smell should have clued us in, but naive as we are, we decided to try it.

Whenever I visit someone's house, I try to be a gracious guest. I have eaten my share of unpleasant foods and out of courtesy tried to stomach it best I could. However, this cheese was so disgusting I had to spit it out of my mouth and go throw it away. There was no trying to hide my feelings on this. It was so pungent and utterly gross.

I guess my taste buds just haven't quite developed to a true Wisconsiner. (or Sconie as some say)
I'll stick with the $3/lb cheddar thank you!

Winter Wonderland

blizzard.
white blanket.





bundling up.
snowman.
cold noses.





fireplace.
hot drinks.







calm.

Holiday Traditions

I confess that once at year I listen to Amy Grant. There you have it. I really like her Christmas Album, so every year when we bust out "Tennessee Christmas" and "Breath of Heaven" as we deck the halls.

We also drink Southern Comfort vanilla egg nog- it is non alchoholic and the most decadent egg nog we have ever tasted. I usually cook some comfort food for dinner, bake and we also purchase Red, Green & White mint M & M's for our candy jar centerpiece.

This also kicks off our "Old Movie" run. Chris and I rent or watch on Turner Classic old holiday favorites and then usually once a week for the rest of winter we watch old black and whites. Audrey Hepburn, Cary Grant- all those great classic movies that are perfect on a snowy wintery night.

It is also the time of year we get our espresso maker out of storage and Chris starts to whip up special lattes to order- peppermint, mocha, egg nog. We usually host a get together with drinks and write our menu options on the chalkboard and Chris plays barista while our friends hang out to talk, play games and be with each other.

I so appreciate seasons. It is fun having things packed away that only come out once a year. It's fun having holiday traditions and things to look forward to. Christmas time is beautiful- the lights, decor, uplifting music.

Uncle Aj's Gift

My brother in law is one of those great single guys without kids that all children like to be around. He worked in years as a juvenile corrections officer, so gives the appearance of a tough guy. (trust me, he has taken down plenty of kids in his line of work and you wouldn't want to mess with him) However, he is one of the most tender hearted guys you would ever want to meet.

Aj loves his nieces and nephews and goes over the top with gifts. One gift is a potty seat that sings. Chris put batteries in last week and it has been the highlight around here. I haven't been this intense potty trainer at all, but Liliana goes through waves where she wants to sit on her potty seat and read books. So, this past week was one of the waves. She didn't know that Daddy put batteries in and what would happen. Sheer joy. Who knew a song could making peeing so fun! Liliana was so excited when it happened that I had to spend the next 45 min sitting on the bathroom floor reading books because she didn't want to get up. She was waiting for more pee so she could hear the song again.



I'm so thankful AJ went over the top with this potty chair. To be honest I would have bought the cheapest one and thought- It's just a toilet seat. But I have to say, it has been worth it to see the excitement on her face. So fun.

Thanksgiving

We had a FUN Thanksgiving. One thing I love is to cook with my husband. Chris is great at creating spices for meats (and he is an excellent barista, but that is a subject for another day). It was fun watching him create some rubs for the turkey and stuff our bird with all sorts of citrus, spices and such. We wanted to make sure we had plenty of food, so we ended up borrowing our neighbor's oven to cook up another turkey breast so that no one would go hungry.

Besides the food, I like Thanksgiving for the relationships. Most people are off that day, so we were able to make phone calls to family and friends we haven't talked to in awhile, which was nice. We ended up having a bunch of people from church cram into our apartment. I like seeing the dishes other people create and trying people's cooking. Thanksgiving is obviously a great holiday for that.

And of course Thanksgiving is a time to be thankful. Liliana took an extra long nap on Thursday and both Chris and I were able to spend a chunk of time journaling and just reflecting on all we have to be thankful for in life. It is a habit I practice regularly because it helps me keep good perspective in life, but it's nice that a holiday is dedicated to giving Thanks as well.