A little late on this post, which means that I have a sick kid at home! He'll be fine, lots of video games and time in p.j.'s will do the trick! This Christmas I had a little more time to 'create'. I enjoy crafting and have had to put one too many projects aside thanks to the Charlie! I left all ornaments in their boxes and as a family we decorated the tree from scratch! It made the weeks leading up very special and we enjoyed sitting around together 'creating'! The corn husk angel was a last minute Christmas Eve inspiration! I happened to have a few corn husks left over from our tamale making and thanks to brilliant suggestions and crafty hands we had a perfect tree topper just in time for Santa to see!

Lots of origami, some snowflake beading, and for the first time EVER we strung popcorn for the tree! Great to have some new traditions!

Dave and I really enjoyed making gifts for his co-workers, and the house smelled marvelous for days!


I am proud to have worked ALL year on this knit sachet for my crafty friend Veronica! It motivates me to keep on knitting and finish that darn scarf!

The little girls in my life were not to be left out! I ran across these tins in an eco-craft magazine and saved up my mint tins all year long. I think they are adorable! The girls thought so too! I will be saving tins again, maybe to make some cactus gardens next year.
Homemade of course should include food! I baked SEVERAL batches of cookies for friends and neighbors but none as special as these gluten free babies! Not as easy as it looks! LOL

My favorite tradition this year was making tamales with my husband! We love to cook and this 3 hour labor of love went smoothly and tasted amazing! Our Christmas Eve dinner was one to remember!

Christmas morning brought lots of fun surprises for the kids, and a flip camera for us!! I'll be uploading some fun videos of Christmas morning soon!

I am thankful for my life, my family, and my friends....all things that are here in Vegas....things that make me happy....and thankful. Food also make me happy. Very, verry happy! We enjoyed a delicious turkey accompanied by one too many side dishes! Dave tried out a mashed sweet potato dish with streusal topping...yep, it was amazing! My cornbread stuffing was too dry, but alas I should just learn to live without it! My MIL baked 3 scrumptious pies: Apple, Cherry, and Pumpkin...and we had a new addition to the table, baked Macaroni and Cheese (thank you Danners!) Yum-O! Thanksgiving 2010 was a hit!

What else would we do after a 3,000 calorie meal... but play the Wii!!
Turkey Day dancing....

Note: we were all incredibly sore the next day... :0)

Pack 383 Den 12

I did a few years of service with the girl scouts and Dave 'went all the way' and earned his Eagle Scout. It's been really fun starting on this path with Jacob! Anyone involved in scouts knows that it is a BIG family commitment! Every week there is somewhere to go, something to do, and a meeting to sit thru! This past weekend our den joined forces with our local mountain litter removal brigade and cleaned up Mary Jane Falls! Well, the parking lot anyway! I am an environmentalist of sort, and take it very personally when I see trash littered all over a beautiful mountain area like Mt Charleston! Why do people feel that its ok to throw trash out onto the highway? Or onto a beautiful trail?!! Ironically people trek out on these trails to enjoy nature and then they leave behind all kinds of 'junk' that can destroy the habitats! Grrr! Some of our finds for the day included, 2 pairs of childrens underwear...3 disgusting soiled diapers...a bbq grill....wood pallett.... and a pair of socks! As we were finishing up, it began to snow, and as we loaded up in our cars we chatted about how the snow would eventually cover the ground and thank goodness those diapers and underwear wouldn't be trapped through next spring!!

Even Charlie joined in on the fun!

...with a visit to the pumpkin patch with friends....

...and a visit to our CSA farm...

...chasing Batman!...

...baking an R2D2 cake...

...and a headless snowman cake....

...and finally it's Halloween! The night was a success!

Spring cleaning has carried over into fall.......remember when I went to IKEA? Back in April?!! Ok well...now that Charlie is FINALLY taking naps!, I can pick up where I left off! Or never started....here's the first room I tackled. My laundry room!

Next area....My linen closet!

A new season has begun, thanks to Quail Hollow Farms! Our first CSA basket shares have been plentiful and yummy! I am really looking forward to more squash, maybe potatoes, and maybe some more corn! This summer has been ridiculously HOT! How are they able to grow so much?! My garden has pretty much turned into a flop! I have been finding little buggers every few weeks (they are called Tomato Horn Worms and they are NASTY!) and fighting with the 100+ temps! I have been able to care for my basil, rosemary, and chives and a tomato here and there helps me hold on to hope!

Thanks to all the veggies we are able to have more vegetarian dinners!


Veggie Spring Rolls with peanut cabbage salad



Mixed Squash and Zucchini Pasta



Veggie Stir Fry

I feel like I need to rewind a bit and share some pics and stories from our trip to Northern Virginia! My girlfriend Jenna and her two boys moved across country 3 years ago, right as we were becoming inseperable! It was a long overdue trip! I had planned for months, looking forward to  every major landmark and museum in D.C. , and then I remembered that I was taking the boys! Our first time flying together, first flights for Jacob AND Charlie, and first time I was going to be traveling ALONE with the kids! Eeek! To answer your question, "Was it a disaster?" YES! Charlie was uncomfortable the entire plane ride, squirmy and AWAKE! Jacob was whiny and bored! Unbelievable! No amount of snacks, games, or lollipops seemed to help! BUT we made it there, and home again! My husbands opinion of it all...."You're now ready for anything!" *sigh* Here's a VERY good pic of us on the plane.

On the plane!

 The boys hugged and ran through the airport high on life and being reunited! That was the best they got along! It was a good thing I was there to see MY best friend, because the kids spent most of their days arguing and pouting. Oh well, Moms and Charlie had a great time! We ate LOTS of ice cream, rode the Metro to Union Station for lunch and shopping, visited the quaint town of Clifton, and even did a little real estate browsing!

Jonah, Jenna, and Savey

He insisted on their regular NOT kid size!

On their BEST behavior!

Swinging in Clifton, VA

Waiting for the train to Union Station.

Dream home #1 in Clifton

Dream home #2 down the street from Jenna!

I missed my friend and was happy to get to hug her! We stayed up late sharing a bottle (or two) of wine and talking books and kids. The boys miss eachother NOW that they are apart....curious what another year older and wiser will do next time we meet!

 Big day at our house! I caved and let the big kid take the bus to school! First few days have been simple: He LOVES his teacher, LOVES his new classmates, and LOVES taking the bus! Nothing more to say! I am one happy mama this year!

7 years old! I am mommy to a 7 year old! Crazy how cliche it is that time flies but it does! I am so proud of Jacob and the young 'dude' he's turning into! He's reading at a 5th grade level, developing an awesome interest in soccer, and playing the BIG brother role beautifully! I really do enjoy planning his birthday parties and turning his crazy ideas of what a theme is, into REAL party plans. This year it was a water fight! Super Soakers as the party favors, ice cream sundaes for dessert, and 300 water balloons all over the place! "The best birthday party ever!", he said. I had a great time watching the kids enjoy themselves and even getting 'pelted' by water bombs! His other plans for the day included stopping by the library to turn in his summer reading log and receiving a medal for 20 hours of reading, and dinner at Red Robin. He loves that ALL the servers sing to him and he gets a FREE sundae! A great birthday surrounded by family and friends makes for a very happy and satisfied mommy! Happy Birthday Jacob and congratulations to mom and dad for keeping you alive another year! :0)

 This year flew by! Our Charlie has grown so fast and has taken over our lives as if he's been there all along watching and waiting for his turn to jump in! I'm so lucky to be home with him everyday, watching his every move, and every new trick. Watching the bond with his brother grow, their giggles and their play. My Charlie has been busy this last month, reaching several fun milestones! He's learned how to take off his diaper, wave good-bye, and cut his first tooth! Most exciting has been his first steps! Impossible to get on video of course, because remember this is our Charlie after all, and nothing is easy! Here are some photos from this past month....

We are a family on the go and love being outdoors! Lots of hiking for our kiddos!

His birthday gift from mom, a pool!

Our mini vacation with grandma and grandpa at the Red Rock

Opening Game in style! South Africa vs Mexico final score 1-1

I don't really want to get into all the crazy things we've been doing this month. Frankly, I'm a little embarrassed about how busy we've been! I was never one to over schedule or double book, so this month has been challenging! So many things to do and I didn't want to pass on any of it! Ok, moving on!

One new joy in my life that I would like to share is gardening! I'm a total novice, learning as I go, and sometimes making it up as I go! I was determined to start my garden this year by seed. Organic seeds from Vermont! This last little tidbit, is whats getting me! I didn't stop to consider that not all seeds are created equal or for the harsh winds and weather of Las Vegas! I've taken many many deep breaths and started several plants over and over again (seriously 9 cilantro transplants!). My process is this...Each crop/herb/veggie starts as a seed (actually 3-4 seeds) in a started pot. After a few weeks of life in my warm laundry room, a seed should be sprouting and getting ready to turn into something wonderful! So, then I take the most viable seed from the bunch, and send him outdoors. In theory, this little seedling grows stronger and bigger with wonderful sun and soil!

Baby cilantro meet tornado Las Vegas! The wind has been insane this month and I've lost many of my 2 month old transplants! That's 2 months of daily watering and care down the drain! *sigh* Ok, I will get over it....This week I'm turning a corner and seeing actual progress in my garden! Hence, the blog entry and pictures to share! True, I could have run down to my local nursery and picked up some amazing organic herbs and veggies...but where's the drama in that?!

BTW I noticed a two little holes in my herb garden...I'm guessing one's a front door and the other a back door....I'm looking forward to finding out who lives there!