{Dear Uncle Pete}

Let me be very clear. We do appreciate the bags of gently used and highly stylish clothing you continually bestow upon Brandon. We do love the fact that we quite possibly will never have to purchase an article of clothing for Brandon again. I do love the skip in his step when he dons his new versace pants, and no longer needs to wait for me to do laundry for a shirt.

That said,

I am starting to get a little jealous. Jealousy is not a characteristic I wish to have. Our modest walk in closet is now bursting with Brandon's wardrobe, while mine is being swallowed whole. The way I see it, we have one option here.

{Dear Aunt Candy}
Can you share some love?

XOXO

Recent Things

A few recent pictures...

Friends Thanksgiving with the Girls at Katelyn's house...

Thanksgiving Dinner with the Family

And my personal favorite....

Pop-pop's Orchard Boy

Brandon (Or "Uncle Bunny" as he is called) with our nephew Axel.

Hope you made some memories to be treasured this Thanksgiving!

We had a delightful time at the 5th annual fancy hat party a few weekends ago. I think my favorite part was spending time with my sisters (sans Maggie unfortunately) getting all dolled up. Even our little brother Bryn got in on the dress up action!

I made my own hat out of vintage velvet leaves and ribbon, a vain attempt to be chic however, as it ended up sliding into my face all night. Moriah wore a humongous but nevertheless authentic sombrero, and Chelsea had the best hat of the night, hands down. It was a cheese hat!

We had a wonderful amount of fun, but I did have a difficult time leaving my husband home. I do not like this on-call business, not one bit, and do not intend to leave his side for the next several months.

Can I just tell you how excited I am for this sweet girl to have a baby of her very own? Sarah is my inspiration for my future pregnancies, and I am living completely vicariously through her, let me tell you. I may not know much about pregnancy, but I know it is hard work to look as amazing as she does when you are nine months pregnant! Come on baby Wagner, we are so very excited to meet you!

THANKSGIVING 2009


Thanksgiving is over, but I'm still savoring it.
This year started out with a bit of disappointment.
We had intended on having the family over in our home, but the plans fell through at the last minute.

My parents hosted it instead in Cashmere, and it couldn't have been more amazing.
I cooked the entire meal for twelve people, but luckily was able to talk Maggie and Chelsea into helping me with the pies. It was my first turkey ever, and I was so glad that I listened to my mother-in-law and roasted the bird upside down. The meat was so tender it fell completely off of the bone when we tried to move it.

We delighted ourselves in:

Turkey
Cranberry sauce infused with oranges
Peach Stuffing
Harvest Pumpkin Stuffing
Garlic and rosemary mashed potatoes
Roasted herbed vegetables
Panna Cotta with strawberries
Pumkin Pie
Apple Pie
Heartfelt conversation

It was simply wonderful. Luckily my parents have a good sized living room since we rarely leave it when we are all together. We spent four lovely lazy days together, which consisted of eating and napping all together over and over again. Perfect!

You should know that I am not a morning person, by any means. But sleeping in is not an option when my nephew Axel is near. I simply cannot wait to get out of bed to be the first in line for morning kisses. Hearing "Hi Abba Chan!" (Auntie Chan) Is probably my favorite thing in the world right now!

For some reason, my sister's child seems like he could very well be my own. It's a love I haven't quite experienced before. Even though I love all my nieces and nephews dearly. It's awfully hard to explain. I'm really missing him today.

The older I get, the more I realize just how blessed I am. I am so thankful that the designer of this universe hand picked each and every member of my family and chose to knit us together as a part of his creation. So very thankful, am I.

Random Things

Hmm.. 34 questions? I'll try Aminta!


1. Where is your cell phone?
Somewhere deep within the bowels of my purse (I think). I rarely use it. I simply do not care for cellphones!

2. Your hair:
Pulled back into a pony tail, with a tuft of unruly bangs.

3. Your Father is:
The most wonderful man I have ever known. Just thinking of him brings tears to my eyes.

4. Your favorite food:
Just one? Creme Brulee! It's hard not to feel special and fancy when you eat it. And there's nothing like cracking through the sugar with your spoon!

5. Your dream from last night:
I really don't remember! I do remember being annoyed when I woke up because there was something puzzling about it, and I wanted to go back to sleep to figure it out!


6. Your favorite drink:
A naughty latte from starbucks with the the works, or a diet coke with my sisters.

7. Your dream(s)/goal(s):

To be a mother, and to raise my children with an appreciation for the simple pleasures of life. To keep my marriage loving and romantic, to be gracious and to have a servants heart. My dream is to be surrounded by my wonderful family, to honor God and to be intentional with my choices.

8. What room are you in:
The living room.

9. What is your Hobby: Sewing, baking, decorating, Learning new skills..etc...

10. What is your fear: Losing my father to cancer.


11. Where do you want to be in six years:
At home with my children, living near my family, and supporting my husband as he builds the business of his dreams.



12. Where were you last night:
In my cozy home snuggling with my adorable husband.

13. Something you are not:
Easily Satisfied and patient. Sometimes I think I am like Veruca Salt in Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. I want it, and I want it now!! This frustrates me about myself, and it's something I am continually working on.

14. Muffins:
Yum! Fresh Bluberries or raspberries are the best!

15. Wish list items: A baby, a new couch, frye boots, lancome anti-wrinkle cream....sigh.....my Christmas list is long!


16. Where did you grow up: Seattle, then Cashmere Washington.

17. Last thing you did:
Messaged my sister. She has a few emotional hangups and I have to coach her daily through her dating issues!

18. What are you wearing:
My "puffs." Our baby brother used to call changing into comfortable clothing "getting puffed."
To this day everyone in my family races to the bedroom after work to get all "puffed."


19. Your T.V.:
Is loud and annoying!

20.Your Pets:
Stella, a gentle pitbull (trust me, she's very ashamed of it)
Bear, a three-month old rhodesian ridgeback (and a tiny terror)
Creature, a darling and cuddly calico cat.


21. Your friends: Unique and irreplaceable.



22. Your life:
Near Perfect. I am in love with my God, my husband, my family. I wish my dad wasn't sick, and wish I didn't have health problems that make life feel like a chore rather than a blessing at times. Other than that, it's a very sweet existence.

23. Your Mood:
Cheerful!

24. Missing someone:
My family and my in-laws.

25. Vehicle:
A 1994 Ford Explorer that is in shambles. It was totaled last February and we bought it back for $150.00. Currently the hatchback won't even open. But it's better than walking to work, so I am grateful!

26. Something you are not wearing:
A bra. I am in my puffs!

27. Your favorite store:
Anthropologie

28. Your favorite color:
Red

29. When was the last time you laughed:
Today when I asked Brandon if I could pull taffy (a tradition we do at Christmas with two people) by myself if I threw it up in the air, and he thought I said "if I threw it to myself in the mirror" he was so puzzled. We both laughed pretty hard. Does he think I'm that blond?

30. When was the last time you cried:

Today at work. I work with people that have dementia and one of my ladies was frantically looking for her children. She couldn't understand why her "babies" would leave her. It's hard to explain to a loving mother that sacrificed everything for her children, why they are too busy for her now.

Also, when we were playing music bingo, and one of the men broke down when the song "You are my sunshine" played. His wife Millie recently passed away, they loved each other until the very end, and it breaks my heart just thinking about it.


31. Your Best Friend:
All three of My sisters. I also have an assistant named Beverly. She is in her sixties, but we laugh together, cry together, and we support one another in everything. Age really isn't an issue, and she has become one of my dearest friends.


32. One place you go over and over:
Starbucks. A habbit I hope to curb!


33. One Person that e-mails me regularly:
Probably no one person in particular, but we always seem to have a sibling email thread going.


34. Favorite place to eat:
Just one? Pf Changs maybe?

I would really like to know more about Courtney and Sarah. So if you have time girls-- tag, your it!

Sister Night- Part One

I had a wonderful (and crazy!) weekend in Seattle with my Sisters. Here are the details.

Key:
Moriah = 1st sister
Maggie = 2nd sister
Chantel = 3rd sister
Chelsea = 4th sister aka Baby sister


The baby sister had a date on Friday night, so she was a flurry of nerves.
Her first date after two long relationships. With someone that she had exchange numbers
with months ago. The trouble was, she couldn't remember at all what he looked like.
Tall, dark, maybe handsome?
She tried on a dozen outfits from all of us,
too fancy
too showy
She finally decided to go with a trusty
pair of blue jeans.
Maggie did her makeup while I curled her hair, Moriah asked about the details.
We all watched the clock anxiously.
Suddenly a knock at the door.
A straw cowboy hat barely clears the crescent window at the top of the door.
We all gasp. He is short. Unbelievably short. And he is wearing an obnoxious straw hat.
We open the door and in bursts Maggie, laughing so hard she can hardly breath. Somehow
she had snuck out the back door without anyone noticing.
We all collapse in laughter-- and relief!

Soon after, baby sister's phone rings, and tall, dark and handsome drives her away in a flashy car. Three nervous sister-mothers anxiously await her safe return.

The rest of the night was filled with laughter. We engorged ourselves on pizza and Extreme moosetracks ice cream, waited until baby sister was home safely, and watched Monty Python until we had all fallen asleep.

Saturday morning an intervention took place. My sister and sweet friend Sarah confronted me about the state of my hair. You see, since I've moved to Spokane, even I have to admit that I have neglected my locks. I frequently cut my own hair and apply a toxic box color every three to six months.

When Sarah sat me down in her salon chair, she gasped and called my sister over. Apparently I am not as talented of a hair dresser as I thought. Turns out the right side of my hair was over two inches longer on the left. Oops! Several hours later I emerged with a drastically shorter yet fabulous mass of blond strands.

Saturday night was quite the wild card. All four of us primped and fussed, the two outside sisters fussed about their outfits, while the two middle sisters fussed about finding outfits to fit their ample curves into. We headed out on the town and found a sushi spot for dinner. Diet cokes and california rolls all around. We gabbed and gabbed, and three of us headed to the bathroom. Upon leaving one of the two unisex bathrooms, we were surprised to find Maggie practically beating down the door of the other bathroom, thinking that we were all in there and had locked her out. "Let me in!!! It's meee!!!" She hollered, the door clicked open and her annoyed victim sauntered out. We all burst out laughing, and she apologized profusely.

Next we headed to Neumos. The band Pedro and the Lion was performing, and we had free tickets because (score!) the oldest sister is dating the owner of the venue. We bypassed the line feeling very VIP, and were greeted by our gracious host. He introduced us to his friends and offered us whatever we wanted to drink for free. He gave us a tour of the facility, including the basement lounge where all the bands hang out. Then he ushered us up a rickety ladder to a loft for a more private view of the stage. It was well worth the climb, and I was so very thankful that I had chosen to wear thick black leggings under my skirt.

It was a great concert, but here comes the crazy part.
Baby sister's tall-dark-&-handsome is also an independently wealthy entrepreneur. She informed us that he was willing to send his driver to pick us up. After skeptically waiting outside in the cold for about 20 long minutes, sure enough, a limo drove up. Unwilling to let us climb into a dicey limosine with a strange man, our Neumos host offered to accompany us along with two of his friends. Eight of us squeeze in as I am wondering what planet I am on.

Neumos-host's friend (you still following?) offered his house for the next destination. His house came complete with the perfect feature-- a steaming hot tub. Not only a hot tub, but heat lamps anchored above the hot tub to make sure you are never not hot.

We were given shorts and matching kickball team shirts in lieu of swimsuits. And we eagerly changed, all together in one tiny bathroom.
We had a wonderful time getting to know everyone and telling stories, but soon came to the realization that Tall-dark & handsome might as well have been wearing that straw cowboy hat.

It became obvious that he had a serious case of foot-in-mouth disease. And was quite pretentious and obnoxious. Not to mention, he had a kid (age nineteen) dressed in a tuxedo that was forced to sit on a lawn chair for the evening, never allowed to get into the hot tub while his master socialized. Bodyguard I guess? Very sketchy. So baby sister sent Tall-dark (and frankly quite annoying), on his way home in the party limo.

Suddenly the home owner's girlfriend arrived and joined us in the tub. A complete gem, that girl. She refused to let us leave, insisting that we stay the night so we could all go to brunch the next morning for "Sunday Funday." Exhausted from the long night, three of us obliged. Second sister headed home to her baby and husband (My husband stayed home in Spokane), while the rest of us sisters curled up on an over-sized couch in a sea of borrowed blankets.

To be continued....