Naturally Optimistic

My darling husband turned 40 on Halloween! How exciting. He's entered the exclusive club. Last year I told him we will have to start celebrating his birthday on a day OTHER than Halloween because with two little kids it is just too much. WAY too much. So this year we did a simple dinner & cake on Halloween but then we had a party last night. Man, it was fun. We haven't had a party (really) since we moved into our house just over 5 years ago! Lame! So, I sent out invitations, we decorated the house for Halloween/old age - ha...and we had a party. Michelle was actually drinking Pepsi out of her whiskey bottle. Keepin' it classy! :) It was "costumes or not" which was fine with everyone. We got a few costumes, but not many....no big deal. There was artichoke dip & taco dip & salsa & smoked salmon (which we forgot to set out - ah well). Steve's brother made homemade mozzarella & we had popcorn. Simple. Tasty. Fun. The weather...

I've been wanting to do a "freezer cooking" session for a while now. It's so helpful to have things 'on hand' to make for dinner. Even if I have to be a *little*bit prepared & think about it the night before, it's GREAT to have something to throw in the crockpot or in the oven. Makes my after-work life a lot easier. A few weeks ago, a friend/co-worker of mine (Colleen) & I were chatting (both of our daughters are in the same ballet class) and it hit me. We are SO BUSY. We don't even do much, but with working full time & juggling other people's schedules, it can be a lot. And I hate the 'ANY DINNER IDEAS?!' question. Blech. So I asked her if she wanted to set up a freezer cooking day (plus, her husband has had some tough medical stuff going on this year & she could use a BREAK!) Meanwhile, another friend/co-worker (Jess) had heard about the plan and asked if she could join it. Perfect! In this case, 3 is better than 2 for...

Just back from a weekend up the shore with my friend Elizabeth. *sigh* ahhhh - two nights of sleeping in a bed all by myself, a whole 24 hours without washing dishes, 4 Christmas presents made, one pair of jeans hemmed (we know how to party), glasses of wine on the deck, endless gazes at the big lake & the wonderfulness of being soothed by the sounds of the waves. The only problem was, the weekend was too short!

Had a lovely visit with Peder & Sarah yesterday. It's difficult when there's 4 kids under age 4 running amok, but they understand how to hold a conversation with on ear/eye on the subject, & the other watching for the toddler who is obsessed with running over to the tallest, steepest slide at the park. I long for days with lengthy conversations that are uninterrupted because dang, I think of SO MANY THINGS I wanted to talk about/ask them after the fact but my brain, while is pretty good at multi-tasking, isn't THAT good. It was fun though to see our kids play 'together.' For the most part. The boys are still very much in their own world & Dahlia's speed is a little less than Relia's but thankfully they all got along! It's so nice to see old friends & be able to hang out as if no time had passed. Oh & after talking to Peder, I wrote again at 750words. I had crapped out of the monthly challenge last week (I blame the fancy tea ...

A couple weeks ago (yes, I'm terribly far behind in updates) a group of my good high school friends got together to play Trivial Pursuit. Ah yes, the nerdiness of my life continues as this is probably the most fun I could ever have at a bar. I missed the "family" portion of the day, due to having to attend a funeral, BUT, was able to make it for the adult festivities. Peder , Sarah , Laurie , Holly , Meigan & Jackie were all there (a couple of spouses/SO's too) to enjoy the classic 1984 (right?) version of the game. Many questions/answers had to be read/given with that caveat - "...in 1984" but it was a blast. The only one we were missing was Kate . But I know it can be a long trek to Minneapolis - especially when you're sick! We missed you Kate!! Laurie, her husband Pete & I were on the same team, which at first the others were opposed to. Laurie & I used to play TP every day after school while consuming massive amounts of diet coke & o...

A great weekend behind me...but it went far too fast. Arrived on Friday night, enjoyed conversation, laughter & memories with two of my best girlfriends. We marveled at the fact that we've known each other for just under 20 years. What? How did that happen? Saturday morning found us sleeping in & eating baked french toast. We hiked along the Lake Shore & too many photos. We headed back to the cabin & partook in naps, reading & M&M eating. Saturday evening we dined on spaghetti, enjoyed some wine & of course more laughter. Sunday morning came too quickly. I reveled in sleeping all night & 'sleeping in' (boy that has a different definition than it did 20 years ago...). It was so fun to relax & read & snooze & not worry about anyone but myself. *sigh* After we left Sarah & I went to Gooseberry Falls. They were thunderous & so beautiful. The water was awesome. I'm not sure that I've ever been there at this time of year...

I'm heading up the North Shore for some Girl Time with my too close college friends Sarah & Freya. A small cabin on the lakeshore, a bottle of tequila & some lime juice, puzzles, books, hiking, napping. I cannot wait. Have a great weekend!

So my friend Donna is a finalist in the HomeAway Vacation Rentals contest to win a trip to London for the Royal Wedding. All you need to do is go to this link on FB , "like" HomeAway (you can unlike after you vote, I guess) and put your comment down for Donna! It's easy. Go, do it! It would be awesome if she won!!

One of my favorite blogs, and favorite people, really is AfricanKelli . I've been reading her for years & we've corresponded off line as well. She's a fabulous, generous, inspiring, talented, fun, compassionate individual & I consider her a friend although we've never met. She's also written a darn good book . Each year for Lent she embarks on what is called CAOK or "Calculated Acts of Kindness." For 40 days she thinks of little ways to brighten people's days. An unexpected note of encouragement, a delightful baked good out of the blue, a package in the mail full of goodies when least expected. It could be anything, really, but she's the master. I was lucky enough to receive one of her CAOK gifts a few years back and it quite literally made my month. So, what about you? Wanna join in? I'm thinking that its a great time to do something nice for someone. Write someone a letter, make a meal for someone who's stressed & busy & d...

Yesterday I got to have lunch with the fabulous Peder & Sarah and their adorable offspring + Sarah's parents. What a nice break from a usually bleh Tuesday lunchtime. August was on his best behavior & actually let me eat! I tried to get him & Felix (who I will call "birthday buddies" even though they don't share an actual birthday) to play with each other but they just weren't the least bit interested. They were more interested in eating, sleeping & being bounced/rocked. Ah babies. Tomorrow I get to see Kate ! What an awesome friendy week!

My very dear friend Sudhara visited me this week. She was in St. Paul visiting another friend who had a baby in March, & drove up to Duluth to spend a couple days with me & my babies too! She had never met Dahlia OR August so that was a real treat. Dahlia warmed up to her very quickly - which I was very happy about. Mostly we sat on the front porch & talked. We probably could've sat there for days just catching up. The weather was beautiful & we enjoyed a margarita before walking down to the Burrito Union for dinner. On Wednesday we lazed about, went to Jimmy John's (her first such experience) for lunch & then for a hike on the Park Point nature trail. Dang it was HOT. That evening I made dinner & we mostly tried to keep August from screaming. We weren't successful. So much so that I FB'd my pediatrician at 10pm on Wednesday night. She rocks & helped me set up an appointment for the following day with a NP as she was out of town. Thursday mor...

*Get two kids changed, dressed, fed, etc. (repeat throughout the day) *Make banana bread for weekend camping trip *Make pickle/cream cheese roll up thingys for Carolyn's party tonight *Make veggie pizza for Carolyn's party tonight *Cut up pineapple for tonight/weekend *wash dishes *Pack for weekend camping trip Included but not limited to: clothes for self + 2 kids swimsuits diapers swim diapers wipes towels sunscreen bug dope sleeping bags sheets potty chair changing pad therma rests air mattress tents camp chairs head lamps beach ball + sand toys mosquito netting for Auguts bouncy seat Food camping 'box' with supplies *lunch with a friend (we'll see if I get that squeezed in or not) *putting puzzles together with Dahlia *clean house for upcoming visitors Bertil & Maud (from Sweden) + Sudhara next week! I'm tired already.

Saturday (as most of you readers know) we had our 3rd 'Mini-Austin' reunion. Hosted by Laurie (who never updates her blog...), it was a fantastic time to hang with friends, herd children, make several trips to the potty & of course reminisce. Thanks for hosting, Laurie! Can't wait for the next one!! We missed you, Kate !

I've been blessed with some awesome friends & family lately -helping out with the new wee on + toddler; bestowing upon us awesome gifts (for both!); loading us up with borrowed boy clothes & hand me downs which are ridiculously appreciated & of course lots of fabulous comments, texts & chats about how adorable my offspring are. :) My friend Julie visited the other day - she is an expert baby snuggler as evidenced by the fact that August slept for nearly 3 hours in her arms! She also was gracious enough to stay while I went through the ungodly naptime routine with Miss Dahlia which was a hUGE help. AND the week before she loaded me up with clothes for both kids from her garage sale! THANK YOU! And she brought us gifts.... August got some super-soft bamboo washcloths & a maple teether; Dahlia got a hexagon ball & I got snacks! Whohooo! Kashi cookies & cereal bars, almonds, tea, jolly ranchers, trail mix & dried fruit. Thank you SO MUCH Julie. Julie cam...

Being of primarily German & Swedish descent in our household, one might find it strange for us to celebrate St. Patrick's Day - BUT - really, I'm just looking for any kind of excuse to make an ordinary day of the week into something special. I love 'special' days, always have - and I'm excited to do fun special things with & for my family. We had guests, thankfully, help us consume the rather large corned beef brisket I purchased (it was the smallest I could find) & I put my new crockpot to good use. Onions, potatoes, carrots, garlic, cabbage and of course the meat. All making my house smell delicious while I was away at work! I love the crockpot! For dessert the pistachio "Watergate" recipe...Light, fluffy & most importantly, green. Miss Dahlia LOVED being the center of attention & put on quite a show during & after dinner. She was also remarkably well behaved...even though she had a bath & went to bed LATE. Needless to say I *...

The corned beef, cabbage & potatoes have been cooking all day in the crock pot. The beer bread is being mixed up. The pistachio cake is baking & the frosting is setting up. Photos tomorrow! :)

I went to Stitch & Bitch with all the lovely ladies last night and it was a blast. It was much needed. I'm so glad Holly was there to regale us with stories of her hysterectomy, and Sarah M was there to gross us out with stories of obscenely large burn blisters on her hands from tie-dyeing accidents; Theresa & Andrea were there throwing in tales of newly finished hardwood floors, all manner of pets & cat poop; Anna showed Michelle the "Naughty Knits" book & I managed to totally screw up my project and then make Holly fix it for me...at which time I stopped working all together. ha! There was a lot of laughter, a bowl of bacon-bacon dip consumed AND they destashed my yarn stash! Yes! I've had a LARGE bin of yarn that I either purchased & never used or scraps that I'll probably never get to and since I'm trying to make room in my house, I just let it all go. I'm someone who holds on to potential "supplies" for years and years an...

Do you ever have a dream where you have a wonderful conversation with someone...? Someone who has either passed away or who you haven't seen/talked to in a long time? Someone who you've been thinking about lately, who you have things you'd like to say to but would probably never (either due to fear of sounding corny or crazy)? I usually have these conversations with my friend Sarah who passed away 2 1/2 years ago. I feel as though they are visits from her and I treasure them. I REALLY think that she is communicating with me from the other side and I am grateful for them. Last night I had a long wandering conversation with an old friend. Someone I haven't TALKED to in at least 15 years. It was so much fun. We wandered all these weird dream landscapes and relived so many memories. I was able to tell him so many things I've wanted to tell him lately and it was just so nice to say everything 'out loud.' So much so that I'm sure this dream must've affecte...

Just found out a friend of mine's 18-year-old daughter is addicted to heroin. How devastating. I don't even know what to say to her. That must be so incredibly hard. I haven't talked to her but I know that her daughter entered a rehab program yesterday. I'm sending them both all my love & good wishes.

Saturday was Chris & Michelle's wedding. It was a very beautiful ceremony. It took place at the Moorish Room at Greysolon Plaza downtown. The ceremony was actually in the lobby area near the fountain and the reception was in the Moorish room. The ceremony was performed by an old family friend of Michelle's - Rabbi Amy (although neither Chris nor Michelle are Jewish). She made it a very personal, sweet ceremony and included a lot of their own words in letters they had each written to the Rabbi. I was touched to be mentioned (a few times) for setting them up! Michelle looked so pretty & just absolutely glowing. It's been a long time since I've seen her so incredibly radiant and that made me very happy! I'm also glad her evil headaches were kept at bay! The reception was a LOT of fun. Not only was it fun to hang out with my new friends (Michelle's friends Kristen, Kelly & Kari) but my OLD friends were there too. That's the benefit of being friends ...