For the love of a horse

Emma inherited the horse lover gene from her aunt Jacko.  I like to ride but I do not have much interest in professional riding of any kind.  I prefer the lets take the horses out and pack some snacks for a picnic lunch somewhere kind of rides.

Emma and Tux

So we packed the girlchild off to favorite auntie's house for nearly 3 weeks so she could get her fix for the year.  There has been talk about just signing over the custody papers and letting her stay forever.  But word got out that we are going to disneyland next week, so the girlchild decided maybe she'd move next summer instead.

As part of my "MOM watch!" duty, at least I can tell she is making progress from last year.  We are still working on balance but at least we've moved onto the trot.

 

 

 

Along with the riding, the girlchild got to help with the routine chores.  They let the horses out to pasture every morning.  She got gates while Auntie cleaned pens.  The gave the horses their daily afternoon beer to cool them down.  And did bed checks at 10pm just to make sure everyone was still standing.

 

I'm glad for this opportunity but equally glad to have her home. We missed her silliness!

 

Lately

I finally finished my sister's Christmas (cough!) present.
Maybe they'll come in handy next year....

Two 100+ point words for me in back to back games....

....That NEVER happens!  I usually just get my butt kicked

The kids upgraded to my old bunk bed. 
I'm trying my best to be excited and not sad the babies are growing up so fast.

Shadow boxes for race medals (2011 and 2012)
Emma says: What'd you win a medal for....wiping??
I think there has been waaaay too much Wreck-It Ralph lately.

Orange You Glad

The poppies are in full bloom right now. 

They remind me of all things summertime and my mother. 

I think I might need to get some for my yard.

Blossoms

The peach tree the day before it froze.

I might be turning blue, but I'm still holding my breath for fruit this year.

To India

Remember how I found money a few months ago while running in the 2012 Tinkerbell half marathon.  I finally decided what to do with it.

I sent it here: http://sometimessweet.blogspot.com/2011/11/what-really-matters.html

I found Kristin's blog around the end of last year and fell in love with her story.  I admire her courage and her heart, to reach out to people worlds away and see in the face of a stranger a precious soul that matters in this world. She started this journey by going to India to work for Operation Smile.  What was supposed to be a couple months of work and a return to the US has turned into so much more.

The 2nd Happiest Place on Earth

Joe's Crab Shack just might be the 2nd happiest place on earth. 

Reasons why it makes me happy:

1. Crab, Duh!  And lots of it.

2. My children will willingly eat whatever they are served there

3. It is so boisterous inside that no one can tell that my monsters are being wild

4. Tasty and delicious drinks that come in mason jars

5. Dancing in aisles and if you poke the girlchild with a crab cracker long enough she will hop up and dance to Love Shack too

6. There's no crying at Joe's Crab Shack!

 

I do what I can

Burrito: Mama, I'm a little bit sad.

Me: What's up buddy?

Burrito: Every time I wake up my wish doesn't come true.

Me: What wish?

Burrito: My wish to be a kitty cat.

Me:  I don't know, you look a little furrier today.  Maybe if we add some whiskers....

How do you like them whiskers??

in 2011 I'm going to.....

In 2011, I'm going to run a 10K.

In 2011, I'm going to run a half marathon.

In 2011, I'm going to go back to daily reflections (because on some idle day in September, I know this book is going to tell me to clean my linen cupboard and I need that in my life).

In 2011, I'm going to read 100 books of my choosing.

in 2011, I'm going to work harder on the letting go of things I can't control.  Life's too short to be worried about that kind of stuff anyway, right?

Who's Kid is that Anyway?!?!

Ummm....that would be Burrito, drinking out of a stranger's drink!!!!

Except he's not really a stranger.  Sort of.  That's big Al.  And just a few minutes prior to that he was doing this:

Slicing up apples and sticking them on people's thumbs then proceeding to cover them in sticky, deliciousness.  And once you've shared something like that....what's a little apple cider between friends. 

The Apple Hill Gang.  Or at least the one's who got their faces painted.  Minus Burrito.  He was off drinking other people's drinks.

p.s.  We did visit other places at Apple Hill besides this one, but Denver Dan's is still our favorite!!  Its not anyplace that you can share some home grown cider with Big Al.

I Took a Little Run in the Woods

I have officially competed in my first post high school 5k race.  I didn't die.  I made it in under 30 minutes.  And those were really the only goals I had.  Oh, and one I added mid-race....to finish in front of the guy with the beer belly and the crazy tattoos.   Which I did.  By, all of 5 seconds or so.

Finish Line

I brought two of my favorite boys to cheer for me.  Can you tell how excited Burrito is to be up at the crack of dawn NOT watching cartoons in our comfy, old living room.

Apparently, I was such a blur at the finish line that they forgot to record my time.  I missed out on getting to stand up on the awards block and accept my cut little 3rd place age division trophy;  but I do currently have it in my possession.  Minus the $3 in my pocket I had to pay for shipping.  My official (caught on camera by the hired photogs) yet unofficial time (not recorded by the organization) was 28:22



 I'd like to get a few more 5ks under my running shoes and then it will be off to bigger and better longer races.  I poked around on the 10k time records and I would have finished 113th or so with my pace.  Little fish in a big pond I suppose.

Note: Fashion takes backseat to warmth on cold, running mornings...

And then there was beer and Lake Tahoe.  Of which I participated in drinking the first and not swimming in the second.  Because after all, I'm crazy - but not that crazy.....at 9am in the morning when it's 38 degrees outside.



A Pain-free Labor Day (mostly)

We had a lovely Labor Day Monday in good old Fallon.  Except the part where Burrito ate it on the sidewalk and is now sporting a healthy amount of road rash on his forehead.

Sidewalk's not for that fancy walking my son, it's for regular walking.

Anyway, do you know what the best part of being from a small town is?

That you can't go to walmart without running into at least 5 people you know? WRONG

That you can kiss the beer man in the grocery store and it will be okay because it's your husbandman? WRONG

That you can count on the Eagle's pancake breakfast on the 1st and 3rd Sundays of the month? WRONG

It's parade candy may friends. (and oodles of soccer kids, cheerleaders, band peeps, old cars, horses, and fire trucks.)

As the mother of this operation I take my candy cut from the top....meaning any piece I want is mine, no questions asked.

I told the husbandman that if I had this truck he wouldn't have to steal the ford down the street I've had my eye on for a while.

This one was the kids' favorite (naturally)



And this is why we usually leave the mother at home:

What do you do with an idle Sunday?

Here's what happened in my backyard last Sunday.  I was in charge of general design and painting (both red and green).  we are loving it!!



p.s. There have been no broken bones....yet.

p.p.s.  Please excuse the weeds, I'm gonna have to fire the landscape girl.  She obviously isn't doing her job.

p.p.p.s The audio is crappy because it was windy....but the argument you are missing is the girl asking her dad (now that the seesaw is done) to build a giant tree house.  Heehee I laughed...you can too.


~Zeke
(and I am the landscape girl...)

Take Me Out to the Ball Game

I can finally say I've been to a Reno Aces game now.

The four of us went to an Aces vs River Cats game (final score 8-11).   I'd say a good time was had by all. 

We double dated with The Boy's eldest brother and his family.

There was candy, soda, peanuts, snow cones to be consumed.

Oh...and baseball to be spectated, naturally.

We got to watch the game from the Morrey Distributing Suite.

How cool is that?!

Except now, we have been thoroughly spoiled and it will be hard to go to another game and sit in the regular seats.

You know.

The Suite had a kitchen, complete with couches, a TV, and room for the kids to run around and be goofy.

Which they were.

 

I was a little nervous about the balcony part, seeing as how the kids liked to hang over the edge....I think I was most nervous about the unsuspecting innocents that were seated below us.

This is the part where Burrito tries desperately to convince Uncle Matt that neon green snakes DO indeed belong at baseball games....and that snakes bite.

                                     

Maybe we'll make it to a few more games in the future.  I bet the games will be just as good from the cheap seats.

~Zeke

(And I like my dogs with mustard and relish) 

Ye Be Warned!!!!

When Burrito says he's going to put his mustache on.....He means it.  Which means YOU (that's right you...you sitting right there) might not want to play with the Mr. Potato Head mustache, because well....it's been UP his nose.

Just Sayin'

And You're Welcome.

Even Year Traditions

The Woolsey IVs do not have very many family traditions they can call their own.  I'd like to think its because we are still young and adjusting to life and NOT because I am a big slacker.
Please ignore the fact that the Easter Bunny DID NOT visit our house this year until the Wednesday after the Wednesday after Easter (that's 10 days).......okay, okay, maybe I do suck a little.
But, there IS something that we do every even year.
And that is to visit everybody's favorite mouse.
You might know him, his name is Mickey.

The boy and I went together the first time for our honeymoon.  We decided three days just isn't enough time there, and vowed to go back.  Soon.  and Longer.
It helps that some of our favorite Woolsey relatives live amazingly close to Disneyland (an excuse to go visit) and that Will's Dad used to love going there as a young person.  It's a way to keep his memory alive and feel maybe just a little bit closer to him now.
Here are some of our past years' highlights.  I didn't fully embrace the digital picture world until 2008 - sorry for the less than stellar picture quality.  What can I say, I am positively allergic to change in my life in any form, technology included.

Highlights from this year will surely include:
Hugs and Kisses from Aunt Jani
Hopefully getting to feed Aunt Jani's tortoise (if its out of hibernation now)
Woolsey family stories about ketchup and potato chip sandwiches and the like
Eating ginormous dill pickles at the park in memoriam of Grandpa
Swimming at the hotel
Emma is tall enough to ride the Matterhorn this time, will she do it or be afraid???
Splashing around in the Bug's Life Park
The Abraham Lincoln Theater is open again with a new show
I've heard the Rivers of America is dry right now....that will be cool to see
I think Burrito is going to LOVE LOVE the Jungle Cruise (as much bad talk as I've been know to say about it)
We haven't done the Tiki Room since our Honeymoon, should we brave it again for the kids sake?  (Not sure if I'm ready for that.)
Churros....MMmmMMmm...sweet, delicious churros

Meet Bella Woozie

Have you heard?
Or maybe you noticed I have been a wee bit sleep deprived lately.

Our family has grown by four paws.

Meet Bella

These guys are in love:

Em so far has been an exceptionally good pet owner. She feeds, picks up her toys so Bella won't chew on them, is waiting ever so patiently for Bella to get a little bit bigger so they can sleep in the same bed together.

I for one am sticking to my belief that puppies are SO much harder to take care of than babies. I really mean it. Give me a newborn any day. I thought the same thing when Beatrix was a puppy. But then that was forever and pre-two children ago, what did I know. I testify before you know....I still think its true.

Good thing she's cute!

Today, God Told Me to Grow Nuts

I ran across this poem in the gardening book I just finished. I liked it. I've heard the whole teach a man to fish bit, but this one was longer. So now, I am spamming you with it.


If you give a man a fish, he will have a meal.
If you teach him to fish, he will have a living.
If you are thinking a year ahead, sow seed.
If you are thinking ten years ahead, plant a tree.
If you are thinking one hundred years ahead, educate the people.
By sowing seed once, you will harvest once.
By planting a tree, you will harvest tenfold.
By educating the people, you will harvest one hundredfold.


anonymous Chinese Poet, 420 B.C.

Kind of bittersweet to find it now, amid all the education cutbacks that just rolled out.

But.....the point....I'm thinking about planting a nut tree. Is that an option? What kind? I think I'd love a pecan tree but they must only grow in the south. maybe. The book I was reading was really about subsistence farming. Growing all the food/meat you would need to be self-sufficient. Not for me. But a nut tree might just be.
Maybe I should see what the fruit trees do this year first (While I research my possible Nut tree options). Mini-me has been scouring the pages of that gardening book too. Yesterday from the back seat she called out, "Mama, can we grow cherries?"
To which I replied, after the scowl crossed my face, "I think that's what I'm trying to do."

Because it is. Lets review:
Attempts at peach trees - 2
Number of peaches grown in the last 4 years - 1
Attempts at Cherry trees - 1
Number of Cherries grown in the last 4 years - 2
Number of Fruitless Mulberry trees purchased - 2
Number of Fruitless Mulberry trees that died and came back as a Fruiting Mulberry - 1

Reasons:
1. Supposedly fruit trees need a few years to establish themselves
2. Those cursed and all too frequent late frosts
3. God's trying to tell me to move on to nut trees?

Regardless. This year I'm going all out crazy with the strawberries. Why? Because I can. And because last year I think I got two total all summer. Those 'helpers' of mine were out in the strawberry bed every night eating every strawberry that was even the lightest shade of pink.

A little bit of heaven right in my own living room

Shocking right? It can be hard to spot amidst the clutter of toys, markers, rock collections, etc. But it's there.

And it looks like this:



I am actually a little ashamed to admit that it took me six long winters to figure this out. But should one decide to take one's well loved, faded old blue nintendo chair out of the closet, set it up in front of the fireplace and kick one's feet up on the hearth stones - that certain someone would find an itty bitty piece of heaven right there.

Oh, I have cozied up to the fireplace many a wintry day since we moved in. But it has been a love/hate relationship. I love how toasty warm it is, until that instant where I have sat there too long and my back starts to feel like it's on fire and I am jumping around all crazy-like trying not to let the fabric from my shirt touch my back. Then as soon as I've cooled back down to room temperature I scoot myself right next to the fire again and the dance repeats. But, I have discovered that if you turn around and sit with your feet closest to the fire - it doesn't happen. ever. Maybe your bare feet are tougher, I suspect mine are.

It really is amazing. I could nap right there. I could sit there all day and read, knit, day dream, the possibilities are endless. Except that my children would not permit me staying in one place that long. So really I haven't experimented with how long I could actually park myself right there. And lets face it, at some point I would have to take myself to the kitchen for sustenance.

If you should call and I don't answer, odds are I'm relaxing right here....




p.s. I am aware how freakishly long my feet look...Its a Newman thing.

The one where I tell you my New Year's Resolutions

So many people are forgoing resolutions this year. Mine are kind of simple:
- Take better care of myself (eating better, exercising, saying no more often)
- Learn how to make tasty delicious creme brulee all by myself (Its getting sooo hard to find restaurants in town that make it anymore.....and by the way - flan can't hold a candle to creme brulee. Ever.)

That's it. I think I can keep them this year.
Wish me Luck!


UPDATE: 3-1-10
Inspired by someone else's resolutions I ran across last week, I'm adding one more:
- Run 100 miles (total) this year

I think that might be too easy but I thought I'd start small. Hey, if Will's mom can bike eleventy-billion miles in a year, I think I can run a hundred.

Once in a blue Moon

Did you see the moon tonight? If you can you should go look at it. I had intended on having an amazing-my-photography-teacher-would-have-been-so-proud-of-me picture of it here so as to amaze you with it. BUT, it's cloudy. Dang it. POUT.
I almost busted out the camera last night as it was crystal clear out and beautiful, but I decided that would be cheating and that somebody who knows something would totally call me on the fact that it was not quite a FULL moon yet.

Anyway. Kind of fitting and fun that a blue moon falls on New Year's Eve. Epic even. Maybe.
Or not. Seeing as how I can't see it, maybe that's a sign.

2009 was kind of a sucky year for me. I had high hopes for it to be amazing and it seemed to just spark, fizzle, and smoke; never really getting off the ground.

So - lifting my Blue Moon Shock Top to you 2010 - Here's to a better year!!