Hello February

Lots of change to come our way in February.

January was great and went by fast. It included a new garage, some snow melting inside our house, two speeding tickets (lay off the gas pedal Ash and Jess!), lots of baked goods, Ollie making up words and saying they are Spanish (noodley is "don't know" in Spanish apparently), visits with friends, Sunbeams for Oliver, naps, some good football watching, and playing with the camera.

And now it's Feb. Stay tuned.

Snapshot: 9:20am

Oliver has this morning all figured out. He requests a little music (today it is daft punk's "One More Time"),* we spell out words, dance, ride the scooter, and read. Good times.

*If you are at all worried about Ollie listening to techno beats, Chopin has also been in the mix of the many tunes we listen to lately.

Book Review: The Brenner Assignment: the Untold Story of the Most daring Spy Mission of World War II

The more I read WWII books, the more I realize how crazy, miserable, astonishing, and awful war is. Horrendous is a good word, although I know one word cannot sum war up properly.

Members of the OSS (the precursor to today's CIA), spies, did some wild things, to say the least. This book describes the mission of the brave lot who worked in the Italian mountains to blow bridges and tunnels that were essential to the German's supply route. Surviving day after day behind enemy lines, in the cold and constantly on the run from the enemy, these men suffered but outlasted the enemy and did the impossible.

While this tale is incredibly amazing, the book lacked the speed I thought it was going to offer. Slow at times, but very well researched, this book would be one I suggest for someone who has read a lot of WWII books and would like some more. Still, I always enjoy these books because they remind me how strong the human spirit is and how amazing people can do very big things.

For now, I am taking a break from the war stories. I need some more light-hearted stuff.

Bakin' Time!

Man it's cold (below 20 degrees F).  Last year, we were in DC and the winter was mild.  I don't think we ever broke out our big coats or ever really had the heat running (thank goodness for apartment insulation and ambient heat from the other tenants, we never needed to).  Not this winter.  Coats, hats, and many layers.  Plus, lots o' central heat.  This also means baking is key.  Gotta love starting up the oven and making the house warm and filling it with delicious aroma.  I tell you, I think of baking something every morning.  But I hold back, or else, well, we'd have a calorie problem on our hands.

On Sunday I wanted to make muffins, and Oliver requested chocolate chips.  Add berries and oatmeal, and some muffins were whipped up and  just what the baking lady ordered.  Jess came home from work Monday evening and asked if there were any left.  The answer was no.  We made 12.  See how we could potentially have a calorie problem around here?

See here for the recipe.

Holiday sum up

I've been through all my Christmas photos, and I think I only got one decent pic of us all.  Here we are holding our matching "tube sock" stockings.  We were fans.  They could hold lots of great goodies.

We really had a great holiday with the usual family gatherings, conversation, and jokes.  We also continued the tradition of the film festival.  Oliver and Jess were stars!  They did a great job starring in a silent film called "The Actor," inspired by the 2012  movie, "The Artist."  It was a lot of fun putting together.  These guys are naturals.  Below is the magazine cover we used in the film.

And there you have it.  Time is flying by and before I know it, the snow will be melting and flowers blooming.  But before that happens, baking time reigns.  More on that later :)

Happy 2013 + Book Review for last year

Whew! Our holidays went by so fast and we've really had a great time. Photos and a report to come. Happy 2013 to all!

But for now, I do my book summary for 2012. Now, I've read only a few books, not all of which I can remember, and I did some cook book and magazine reading this year. So, without any further excuses or ado, my ratings of the seven books (yep, that's 7 books) I recall reading in 2012, with my ranking from 1 -4.
1 = poor,
2 = okay,
3 = I liked it,
4 = I'd buy it for my library

Heaven is Here = 3
Devil at My Heels = 3
Steve Jobs = 3
Endurance: Shakleton's Incredible Voyage = 4
The Secret Life of Bees = 3
Crossing to Safety = 3
Uncle Tungsten = 2

I would recommend reading any of the 3s or 4 up there.

And now for 2013. I am currently reading a WWII spy book called The Brenner Assignment and the cookbook, Jacques Pepin's New Complete Techniques.

Random notes

Last night Jess stayed up very, very late to finish a good book.  We are talking the milkman is making deliveries- type late.  And he did most of it standing, leaning against the counter with his elbows.  That man can really get into a book.  I told him from now on, only picture books will be checked out from the library for him.

Every time I am looking my very best, I run into someone I know at Target (I say sarcastically).  But really the difference between my best and my not so good is quite minimal, so it's not all that bad.

Oliver has decided that our next child will be named Colt.  I cannot be sure where he got that name idea, but it has stuck with him.

And finally, did you know that Christmas was officially declared a holiday in the United States on June 26, 1870?  I learned that from my sister's Christmas card this year.

Holly jolly-ness

I hope your holiday season is going merrily. Ollie likes to plug in the lights the moment he wakes up. Jess and I start up the Christmas tunes daily and nightly. And we are all enjoying the sweets of the season. I had a chance to make stockings for my little fam, thanks to my great sister. We sewed away at these things for a couple of hours yesterday. And this morning, Oliver stood under the mistletoe and said, "It's time for a kiss!" Gladly.

12:12pm on 12/12/12

Playing downstairs listening to Christmas music. What were you doing?

Time is flying by

These last couple of weeks have been full to the brim with stuff, and so I find myself at December 10th thinking it should be November 30th.

Before I get into anything else, I must write that Oliver is in the mode where he asks lots of questions.  For instance:

What does "tilt" mean?
What does "flee away" mean?
What about "lean"?
Or "lonely"?

Sometimes my explanations aren't too good.  Like the time I tried to explain "understand."  I told Oliver it's when you comprehend something.  His response, "What does 'comprehend' mean?"  Which I followed up by explaining that it's when you understand something.  I caught my circular explanation and tried again. "It's when you get something or when something makes sense to you...Does that make sense?"  Nice.

Not only does Oliver like the meaning of words, he's also sounding them out and reading a bit.  He's getting the hang of it.  The best was when I went upstairs to find him spelling things out during his quiet time.  Here's his spelling of "QUIET."

Jess and I are getting the hang of living in our new place.  We've officially bought a new tree trimmer, a hand saw, a snow shovel, and a toilet handle.  I used to wonder why people shopped at Home Depot.  Now I know.  It is because they took care of their home, instead of a maintenance man doing it.

If we were in DC this year, I can imagine what my life would be like.  It would be good and we would be doing good things surrounded by good people.  This year, we are in Utah.  And we are still doing good things surrounded by good people.  And I am grateful for each day.  And I am grateful for this season.  And I am trying to enjoy each minute of it one Osmond Christmas tune at a time :)