This morning has been one of those mornings where nothing has gone right. HAPPY MONDAY, right?! It was a crazy rush to get out the door for school, and I had to pack a few extra items and a bottle in the diaper bag for Cypress because we had to go straight to her 9 month doctor’s check up after dropping the twins off.
THEN.
On the way to school (which is a 25 minute drive), ALL the lights on the dashboard came on and the all the gauge needles dropped to zero. We were driving through the snowy countryside without even a house in site… let alone a mechanic. I pulled off to the side on the next gravel road… and the van died. Luckily, it was only 31 degrees outside, and we had plenty of blankets and our emergency winter kit with us. And I was grateful that my phone had a full charge. I called Nick at work, and he came right away to rescue us. The girls got dropped off late at school, and Cypress’ appointment got rescheduled, but we’re home safe and warm now. #whatamorning
I had a tutorial to share to day. But I just don’t feel like it, KAY? Instead let’s pour ourselves some coffee with a splash or peppermint mocha creamer and just chat. That sounds more fun anyway!
So this weekend, we got our first snowfall… which is always magical.
For some reason, the twins very much associate snow with Christmas, so they were just sure that it MUST BE CHRISTMAS DAY. We had to explain that Christmas comes during the winter. But sometimes we don’t even have snow on Christmas… blah blah blah. Then we sang the song ‘I’m Dreaming of a White Christmas’ together.
Nick took them sledding on our acreage, but they really wanted to build a snowman. The snow wasn’t wet enough to pack and make snowballs or snowmen so we just sent the girls off to play.
We’ve taught them to be problem solvers and not to give up (pretty much the motto of my whole life), so I was so proud of them when they came in and announced that they built a snowman. Complete with a smile made out of chives from the garden.
We’ve got several projects in the works right now, including lots of homemade Christmas gifts (we’re making Christmas-themed these!) and some little things friends have asked us to make for gifts.
There won’t be tutorials for these, because these are shamelessly ‘inspired’ by Etsy shops. And since it’s not my idea or my design, I’m not going to take a sale away from another artisan! Though… if you have a scroll saw, I’m sure you could figure it out.
Despite the chilly temps, we’ve been spending lots of time creating together as a family in the garage. Three cheers for garage heaters! The girls love to bring their markers out and color while Nick and I are Santa’s little busy elves.
The girls got to recently hang out with their self-proclaimed favorite uncle… also known as my baby brother. He’s going to school to become a paramedic, and I’m so proud of him!
Speaking of family members, my sister Anna moved to Brussels last summer to teach Kindergarten ‘abroad’.
Photo Cred: my sister Anna
It seems so fancy and dreamy until you consider all the scary news lately, and how the bombers in Paris have been linked to Belgium, and Brussels has been on lockdown… complete with raids and heavily armed soldiers patrolling the streets. SCARY! If you think of it, say a prayer that my sis stays safe!
In non-scary news, I snagged this hefty gem-of-a metal cubby file cabinet of sorts. Nick is pretty annoyed since I have no plans for it (until he tried to steal it to store screws in the woodshop), but I just like staring at it and brainstorming all the things I could use it for. Until further notice, I set it on the TV stand until I get some inspiration. Stay tuned! (I know you always do. MUAH!)
And finally, last but certainly not least, our youngest sweet babeh has taken over our hearts and our house. She’s sure to be the center of attention at all times. And that’s saying a LOT with two sassy 4-year-olds traipsing around.
She’s pretty proud that she can hold her own bottle these days. Until she tries to do this.
She thinks she pretty hot stuff, but she’s a little behind on crawling. However we’re just fine with ‘stationary Cypress’ though. She’s easier to aggressively love when she can’t crawl away.
Well… that’s pretty much what’s going on with us, but I still have a half a cup of coffee left… so what’s going on with you?! Shame on me for talking about myself the whole time. #badfriend
Thanks for listening and putting up with my photo dump!
Related:
-
Hello hello friends! Things have been wild as we've been navigating the holiday season, schedules,…
-
Friends! The holidays are sneaking up on us, aren't they? This year, more than ever,…
-
I love the idea of my girls sharing a room; whispering and giggling into the…
Jean Cypress is adorable.
I just love your posts about your family. They are truly my favorite! I also have three daughters and they are 18, 14 and 14. My oldest is coming home from college today for her Thanksgiving break and I can’t wait! I’m feeling very thankful for my husband and daughters and that all five of us will get to spend some time together this week. Happy Thanksgiving to you and your family!
P.S. I will be praying for your sister
Car trouble and on a Monday?! At least you had your emergency kit! 😉 So, you said chat, so I’ve been thinking about your craft/sewing room and realized I haven’t seen any updates, or did I miss them? Wondering if you decided to do the two level sewing station.
We’ve been slowly making progress in that room… namely shelving/storage. Nothing update-worthy 🙂 I’m leaning toward a drop-leaf sewing desk that I found at IKEA. I would probably have it all set up by now if the nearest IKEA wasn’t 4 hours away. BOO!
At least you are working on it. Maybe you are just waiting for a really good idea! Can’t wait to see the final. 🙂
Car trouble is such a PAIN! I’m glad your hubby came to the rescue! I drove up to Omaha, NE from OKC, OK this past weekend, to see my grand baby and pick up a grand dog. I googled the distance from Omaha to your town just in case I needed to buy that beautiful table. Alas, you are still a good 2 hours from my kids in Omaha, and I don’t think that table will go in the Prius anyway. I did get my first glimpse of snow on the ground, it was just in the shady spots by the time I got there Saturday afternoon. I love when you camera dump, the girls are getting so big!
Awwww thank you Robin?! Yes, we’re several hours from Omaha, and I’m doubting the table would have fit in your Prius… LOL! But you’re sweet for thinking of us. Happy Thanksgiving!
Wow, what a bad start to your morning! I’m glad you made it back home and home your van is going to be okay. I have to say, I’m loving the big pile of snow we got on Friday. It’s definitely put me in a festive spirit…although I’ll admit that I didn’t have anywhere to be all weekend for a change, so that’s why I liked it so much. Snow isn’t always as fun when you have things to do and places to be. I love that your whole family is spending time getting creative in the garage! Also, that metal cabinet is amazing. So many possibilities! That’s totally something I would buy and then stare at for days while my husband rolls his eyes.
Isn’t it crazy how snow makes you feel all festive and ready for Christmas? No wonder the girls associate christmas with snow. 🙂 I really wanted to cut down our Christmas tree and decorate the house last weekend, but was surprised to find out all the Christmas tree farms nearby don’t open until after Thanksgiving. 🙁
Alternator problems? Been there before. Love the pics of your girls. Four already! And when I saw the one of Cypress on the pink pillow my first thought was “Gawd that child is tall!”. So, how tall is she?
PS: Still no snow in Rothesay, NB, Canada
Yes… we’re thinking alternator. Bummer huh?! And yes, Cypress is SO TALL. I would have found out her actual height if I hadn’t had to reschedule her 9 month appt… but I can tell you she’s always been off the charts!
glad you’re all ok. car issues…UGH UGH UGH!
Safe thoughts for Anna!! & Happy Monday!!! THanks again for all the fun & laughs last night!!! woot woot!
Yes!! Lots of laughs!