A home of my own.

I live in Michigan. Even after almost two years, that still doesn't feel like the truth coming out of my mouth. I know it to be true in my head. Yet, it still feels more comfortable, and exotic, to say "I live in New Mexico". Despite that, I do. I live in Michigan. And I feel like I do. Even if it feels foreign when it tumbles from my mouth.

I realized this when we turned onto our road after the long road trip from MN. I thought to myself "Whaddya know! I feel like we actually live here. Like it's familiar. I'm breaking this shoe in." It may not be the familiar that I experience when we pull in to the Twin Cities and a part of me is begging to get out and hug the ground, allowing the feeling to seep into my pores. Like I'm finally home! But, familiar like I am edging closer to my own fridge, my own shower, more than a suitcase of clothes, my own space. I'm finally to my house home. Some day I want to have a home home. More importantly, I want my kids to know a home home.

Perhaps it's the fact that I've developed the circles that I've come to realize I need in my life: a circle of close friends, a family circle, that medley of friends that provide the various things I need in my life, the women whose husbands work in the same field as mine and therefore understand any struggles and sacrifices, a work circle, church circle, my blogging circle, all those really important circles. I need them. And even without one, life isn't as full as it could be.

I'll be honest, I've struggled with settling in here. It's been a wild ride. Sometimes I've liked it, sometimes I've hated it. I've tried not to talk about it too much on here, because I realize I could offend and I didn't want to do that. Because it's not about the who. Well, in a way it is. If my family was here, I'd be happy to make this home. Still, it's not about those of you who are not my family. It was more of a "if this isn't going to be a beautiful, adventurous (as in mountains and other exotic-to-me sights) place to live, than I might as well live by my family" type of thing. In all honesty, I just needed to get over it. There is no perfect place. And this is where I was placed and I should be thankful for what I do have. Which includes a job that I love. And if I really think back, New Mexico really became home when I got a job. Next time (if there is a next) I move, I'll be wiser and find myself a job. Something for me, as soon as I feel like I've done all that I can to help my kiddos settle.

I gotta be honest: upper and lower may as well be two different states considering how different they are. Regardless of the upper/lower thing, I'm back in the state that I was born in. I've gone full circle. And my circle is full. It's a good life.

Healthy and Green

As I grow older, I find myself more open to new concepts. I'm not so quick to brush something off. I may initially, but often times it swirls around in my head for a while until it grabs hold or wears out. Since my trip to MN, I've had a new goal tumbling around and spilling into our life.

When I was there, my life changed: I got bangs! (But that isn't what this is about) Courtesy of the fabulous Ethiopifinn. And with me, to my appointment, came a fly on the wall that could hardly get a word in edgewise. One of the things she was able to get in was the idea of a word instead of a New Year's resolution. I don't remember what hers was. It was brilliant for her, I do remember that. And after a lot of thought, I came up with: Healthier. All year, I need to make healthier choices. And it affects all facets of my life: relationships, money, food, exercise, etc. You can apply it to just about anything.

Fast forward two days: I am sitting in the surgery waiting room, (with my new bangs) waiting to hear news about my little man. I was reading one of the many magazines they had laid out and in it was an article about a family who was able to reduce their garbage to one quart size mason jar per year. One per year! I can't fathom it. And quite frankly, doubt it. Regardless, even if you could reduce it to one per week, imagine the impact that could make on what ends up in our landfills! Even if you could only reduce your waste by one garbage bag per week, it would help. (If you remember, I had really purged my home before Christmas and the amount of stuff I threw out still bothers me.)

The friends that we shared Christmas lunch with only fill one bag of garbage per week. That's what my goal is. I need to learn to live with less. A healthier choice. : ) Since coming home, I've definitely made an effort. This is where I need your help. What am I missing? What can I do? Here's what I have come up with and even implemented:

*recycling seriously, not just when convenient

*burn things that cannot be recycled (Where do I find a burning barrel for the days mother nature doesn't want to cooperate?)

*"slop bucket" for food scraps

*potty train K. No more diapers!

*bake from scratch, especially bread (less packaging)

*do you know I actually washed out and reused a ziploc bag?! I swore I'd never do that.

While I am not a tree hugger, I don't think there is anything wrong with making better choices that will affect the next generation. (Ahem, government officials) Truth be told, with just a few minor adjustments, you can make better choices that also lead you to other healthier choices. For example: if you start making more things from scratch, you will have more control over the ingredients that you are filling your kids bellies with. Win, win.

Tell me how you live healthier and greener. I'd love to hear it.

BTW: I searched through my pictures to come up with a beautiful picture of our wonderful world for this post. And while the trip down memory lane was priceless, I realized that my camera did not do justice to the sights that we have seen. My next major purchase is definitely a camera. That is not a place where less is more.

Happy birthday month!

My favorite person has a birthday this month.

A BIG one. As in 4-0.

I could insert a lame joke about him and hunting dinosaurs right now.

But the truth is, he just gets better with age.

I'm really lucky to have him and I hope he's happy with where his life is, at this big milestone.

And I can't wait for many more milestones with him.

I hope this is your happiest birthday yet!

(Sorry for the rest of you to witness this mush. But, hey! You could have skipped this post.)

If you give a Mindi a muffin

She is going to want to curl up and read a good book with it. And if she reads this book, it's really going to give her a lot to swirl and swallow. And then she will highly recommend it to you. When you read it, she will probably love to hear your thoughts on it. And then when she is done discussing it, she will want a muffin.
You should probably make her one of these muffins. If you do, you will be friends forever.

THE END.

Relaxing and Busy

I'm still alive. I am. Thankfully.

It's just that life suddenly got more relaxing and busy, simultaneously. I know that doesn't seem to make sense, but it really does. We took a hip-based trip to MN for Logan's surgery. And it went as well as it could have. He had his pins and plates taken out, along with a lot of scar tissue. Apparently, his scar tissue was causing his limp. So, it wasn't the fact that we weren't working hard enough or doing his exercises correctly, after all. The limp should be nonexistent by six weeks post-op if all goes well. YAY! So long as the young man doesn't fall or injure himself in any way before the end of February, things are really looking up in that department.

And Kaija? Good to go. No brace, no surgery. PTL! We are so relieved to possibly have a reprieve from hip issues for the time being.

Now that an end is in sight, I can be honest: maybe I can finally relax and enjoy a trip to MN next time we go. It's not easy bringing your child home to somebody else's house after surgery. I think it adds to the stress for all the parties involved. My parents, included, since we stay with them. Although, I must admit, it's nice to have my family there in times like that. And it's good to have an excuse to go to MN on a regular basis. Even though it isn't fun to always have an appointment looming over my head when I'm there, either. And to be so hopeful for good news, only to be let down (at least a little) each time. Hopefully the next time I go there, I can concentrate solely on seeing who I want to see- with not a hippie care in the world.

I'm just thankful that while God gives us trials, he also provides us with the strength, support and tools to get through it. And with the trials come unexpected blessings. Which really makes things easier.

So, as you can see, when a little weight was lifted from our shoulders, life became a little more relaxing. And then I started working. And it got a little busier. In a good way. I think this is *exactly* what this chick needed. It's good for me to feel like something else besides a mom every day. BTW: Kudos to you working mommies out there. It's a balancing act. And I am not even working a lot! (I decided to do tax prep after all. And I LOVE it so far.)

Life is good. Hope yours is, too.

Two for two.

January is so good to us. It has brought us two fabulous additions to our family.

Happy Birthdays to my two little love bugs.

I love you to the moon and all the stars and all the faraway places. And back.

These two little ones, that I share my weekdays with, are as different as night and day.

I found a quote while scrapbooking that fits Izzy to a T: "One must have chaos within oneself to give birth to a dancing star." And she is a dancing star. She's got her own little world that revolves around her and her alone. She'll entertain herself all day long. She'll entertain anyone, especially those older than her, all day long. Because she has a very strong personality, she can be a little bossy. I see that as a perfect tool to not take any sh*t from anyone. She is most definitely a people person and loves to be the center of attention. And she says things that make me laugh all the time. And things that make her sound older than she really is. To know her is to love her.
And then there is Kaija. If boys are a noise with dirt on them, then Kaija is a noise with a scribble. This one had a rough start to life, with a belly that gave her trouble and a chaotic move within months of entering the world. It's no wonder she's a little chaotic to this day. The world and my walls are her canvas. And she's in the stage where she is learning about the world around her and testing her boundaries. If you tell her no, she will keep pushing a little further. It's fun to watch her personality emerging. I'm still learning who she is. Once they get past these "terrible twos" it's easier to see it a little clearer. The good things about this stage is that they are finally getting their words. And the way she repeats everything just melts my heart. She loves a good snuggle. If you can spare her some attention, she'll stay out of trouble. Some days, it's just worth letting the dust and laundry pile up. Everything else can wait until naptime. Which, btw, is one of the best things about her- she loves to lay down to sleep without a fuss. Oh, how she loves to love. If you are the one lucky enough to scoop her out of her crib at the end of a sleep, she will give you enough love to make it through all of her little stunts she will pull that day.

I love them both so very much. And I'm lucky to be their mommy.

*I sat my two little love bugs on my lap and read this post to them. And Izzy tells me, "Oh, thank you, momma! I love you that much, too. It's not really that far to the stars, though."

She failed to remember that I took the quote from her little mouth.

Irene, avocados and resolutions.

Let me tell you about my friend Irene.

She was the very first friend that I made in New Mexico. I am so very thankful that our paths ran side by side for a little while. Our husbands worked together in NM. She helped me to ease into life in NM, the unpredictability of our husbands jobs and the new life we had chosen. One week after our vehicle pulled into NM, she was introducing me to her friends. There are few people to whom I feel as though I owe as much to, as her. She, btw, is my friend from my favorite friend moment. Had it not been for her, I imagine that my life in NM would have been immensely different. Lonelier.

One of the most important things I learned from her was the beauty of an avocado. To know Irene is to know that she thinks she is a horrendous cook. She claims she once burnt mac & cheese. It's not like I don't believe that- I once burnt hard boiled eggs. (Put them boiling and left them until all the water evaporated, plus another couple minutes. Oops.) It's just that she was born and raised in Mexico. And, apparently, their food needs to be tended to and needs to to cook slooooooowwwwwwly to be "real food". I'm sure it's amazing. But the amount of time it takes to makes something doesn't equate to how good it tastes, necessarily. If in doubt, refer back to my boiled eggs story.

So, long story short: lies. She knows her way around a kitchen. I don't have to know what kind of legal shortcuts she took to make whatever it is she is serving. Truth is, I probably know. Because she always invited you over well before the meal was served. Being the fabulous hostess she was, she'd have some kind of food to munch on as you chatted and watched her (slowly) prepare your food. I really think she has a complex about time and food prep. (Am I right, Amy and Aimee?) Anywho. She introduced me to some of my favorite foods to date: pinto beans. Tostadas. And AVOCADOS.

Yum. So simple, but amazing. She made me a cheese quesadilla from this delicious and perfectly melty mexican cheese that I have only found at one store in my life. It's a white cheese. Asadero. But, not the asadero that other stores sell. This stuff was in a class of it's own. As the quesadillas cooked, she cut an avocado in half, removed the pit, and slowly mashed the avocado in it's skin. And then she smeared the quesadilla with the avocado. And told me to sprinkle it with salt. That's it. Three ingredients, with salt to season. And it rocked my freakin' world. It was so simple, but it let the avocado shine. My life has not been the same since.

Why all of this? Well, I made that for myself for lunch today, so it's on my mind. You need to try it. It's okay if you can't find the same cheese, you want the avocado to take center stage. It's a must try. And avocados are so good for you, to boot. So it's a win, win.

I've been looking around and I realized that my News Years post was a little generic. And so are my resolutions. I am going to compile more and put them up on my wall so that I can see and remember them all year.

And introducing this family to foods (mostly produce) that I don't normally put on the table is going to be one of them. Yesterday we tried Starfruit. Interesting. What do you suggest and how do you eat it?