The Simple Things

Clarification

Last night we went over to our friend's house to ring in the New Year. While there, we played an intense game of Scattergories. Anyone who knows me well knows that I'm JUST A LITTLE competitive.
Even though I can talk my way into/out of most things, the three answers below were denied.
Today, I would like to prove my points:

1.) Letter I - Category - Spotted Things:
ANSWER: Inchworm
 
This my friends, is a spotted inchworm. Common in the Mangladore area of India, it is of the Dysphania militaris family.  Need more info? Go here. That will be one point for Lola, please.

2.) Letter P - Category: Household Equipment
ANSWER: Pureer
 
To the untrained eye this looks like a mini-food processor. However, to our friends across the pond this is a Baby Food Pureer. Don't believe me? Ask Amazon. It never lies. This particular model is marketed as a Baby Food Pureer.  
Thank you. I'll take one more point, please!

3.) Letter K - Category: Heroes
ANSWER: KELSEY GRAMMER
 
This one was debated long and hard, but I stand by my answer. Have you ever watched Cheers? Frasier??I think you will agree with me that kelsey grammer is a hero among Hollywood Men. A great actor with fantastic comedic timing, happily married to a trophy wife, he is the real Hollywood deal, folks. 
Think of those young comedic actors, struggling to find their way in this world. Who better to look up to then the Hero...Kelsey Grammer. 
Apparently I'm not alone in believing this...look at his fansite.  
(now if i was thinking right, I would have put Kim Kardashian. That would have been double points and much easier to argue!)

That would be a grand total of THREE extra points, friends!
Anyone want to play again????

What I know for sure...Christmas Edition

Before 2010 rolls in, I better document Christmas '09. I have definite opinions on Christmas. Like Oprah, here is what I know for sure:

I believe all Christmas decor should have a color scheme. Mine's red and white. You'll find it everywhere you look during December.

My tree is red and white with picture frames and letter B accents. This year I added Santa Coats as well. I love it. 
 
  
I also believe that everyone should have their own wrapping paper. Again...it must fall in the red/white color scheme.

This year I tried the whole "Santa presents are left unwrapped" bit and loved it! So much easier on Christmas Eve! 
We also did the 4 presents from Santa (sonething you want, need, play with, read). It was great. They also received gifts from the Book Elf and the Game Elf, as well as siblings, parents, etc. I thought it was a perfect amount! 

I love all the whimsical aspects of Christmas, but I also strongly believe in the real meaning of Christmas. So while I love having red and white holiday decor everywhere, I also have 4 nativity sets displayed. Here is my favorite...my jerusalem nativity. Thinking of it brings me back to my time in Jerusalem and all that goes along with it. If I think hard enough, I can still remember the smells and sounds of Shepherd's Field outside of Bethlehem, as we celebrated Christmas in July 2000.  
 
I believe the stockings should be one of the best parts about Christmas. If they are not bulging at the seams, then they are not good stockings. Some of the best gifts should be found in stockings. This year in Emilie's she had UP, Super Mario Bros for the Wii, slippers, nail polish, Little Mermaid 2, as well as the expected dollar store junk. She LOVED it!! 

I firmly believe in the importance of matching Christmas jammies. Traditionally these are opened Christmas Eve, but next year I'm starting a new tradition. I want these bad boys worn non-stop, so I will have them delivered by Santa's Elf a week before Christmas, so I can get maximum Christmas Cheer out of them. Seriously...how cute are they in their jammies?! 

 I believe in the importance of Traditions. This is my dad reciting "Twas the Night Before Christmas". He's done it every year since he's been three. This year he needed a little help remembering it, but the very sight of him reading it to my girls was a miracle. I won't lie...it made me a little misty. We also read Luke 2 as a family and talked about the real meaning of Christmas. 
 
I believe in Miracles.  I believe in the power of prayer. I believe that good things happen in life. I believe that Christmas Time is a time to be together and to be grateful for all that we have. I believe that this Christmas with my dad was a gift. It was the best present ever.

  

My Masterpiece...

Here is the playhouse in all of it's glory. I love it. The girls love it. It consumed me for the past 2 months, but was totally worth it. HUGE thanks to my mom who came in and helped me finish it before christmas. As of Christmas Eve at 12:00 we were still piecing it together. Stressful, but so much fun!
Enjoy!!
 
Here's the front. It's tall. 52 inches tall. I told you...it took on a life of its own!! 
The bird, flowers and letters in the mailbox are all removable. 


The girls adore the letters and play Mail all day. 

here's the right side. The apples come off, as do the bones and dog bowl. The girls think this doggie door is brilliant and also use it for a secret exit! 

The cute dog is the handiwork of my super talented mother. She can draw anything. He's darling! 
 
Here is the back. The uber-cute garden. Squirrel, birdies, apples and veggies are all removable. Basket is lined to store apples/carrots/etc. 
 
The cute baby birds almost do me in. They're darling! I also love the corn! 

Seriously! Look at the cuteness!!! 

The last side is the "Barlow Sweet Shoppe". I still need to make a little sign that hangs over the window as well as a drop down counter, but it's fabulous. The girls peddle their Baked Goods to each other. 

here is a sampling of their baked goods that Mom and I made. Candy sticks, donuts, cinnamon rolls, chocolate chip cookies and sugar cookies. 
They also have cupcakes, donuts and a birthday cake courtesy of PBK as well as some cute felt Caramel Apples that my mom made! 

So there it is. The Miracle of Christmas 2009. Probably took me 800 hours and at least that much money, but it was worth every bit to see the girls discover it on Christmas morning!!!    
 

I've been watching you...

It's that time of year at our house. The time where I throw out the phrase "Santa KNOWS if you're not being good" or "you better watch it or I'm going to tell Santa!!" at least once an hour.
So that's why this site is so great. We used it last year and it was BRILLIANT!!

Type in some info about your kids and within a couple of minutes you get a VIDEO from Santa!
Emilie was TOTALLY convinced last year!

Enjoy!

I've been Wronged...

 
I have a strict Christmas Card policy. Cards must be out no later than December 5th to give all friends and family ample time to admire my darling family during the holidays.
Everything was right on track.
Family pictures taken by October 20th...check.
Card designed by November 10th...check.
Card ordered by November 17th...check.
Card delivered by November 25...NOPE.
Card delivered by Dec. 1st...STILL NOTHING.
Email sent to Shutterfly requesting delivery status on Dec. 3rd.
I received a note that said that it was on the truck and would be overnighted to me for arrival on December 5th.
LIES.
As of last Friday, December 11th I still had not received said package of Christmas Cards. At this point, I know that it's time to get on the horn and get to the bottom of this mess.
Here's how my conversation went:
Marc...shutterfly rep: "Hello, tank you for calling shutterfly custumair serveece. Thees iz Marc" (said with heavy Indian accent)
L:Marc, this is Lola Farlow. We have a serious problem here. I have a strict policy to get my Christmas cards out no later than December 5th. In order to give myself ample time to write messages of hope to my friends, I ordered my cards on november 17th. It is December 11th and I HAVE NO CHRISTMAS CARDS! Not only have I missed my personal deadline, but I've been lied to by Shutterfly representatives. I'm furious. How are you going to fix this??!
Marc: Ms. Farlow, I am so sorry for this problem. Let me track the package for you. (pause) It says it was delivered on November 30th.
L:It most certainly was NOT delivered on November 30th or we wouldn't be having this conversation, would we?!
M: No, Mam.
L: What I need from you Marc is to tell me how you are going to get me new christmas cards ASAP. That means as fast as humanly possible. Can you help me with that or should i speak to your supervisor? (i told you...I was mad.)
M: Here's what I can do for you. I can send you a new order with 3 day shipping at no cost to you.
L:That is not soon enough Marc. I have to believe that in circumstances like this, surely a company such as yours who prides themselves on sharing memories, would want to get me my Christmas cards as soon as possible so I can share our memories with our family and friends. Wouldn't overnighting the cards to me be the best idea??
M:Yes Mam. We will overnight them to you.
L: And how many days will the production take?
M: 3-4
L: Can you please rush those?
M:Yes Mam. And then we will overnight them to you. You should have them by Friday.
L: Thank you Marc. However, I still can't believe that I still had to pay $107 for cards that never got here. Isn't there some way you can refund me my money?
M:(pauses) Ms. Farlow, we will refund you 107 rupees.
L: Marc, I do not want RUPEES! I WANT 107 DOLLARS!
M:Yes Mam.

We then wrapped up our call with me thanking him for understanding the predicament I was in and doing his best to help me get my Christmas cards out. But, the real test will be to see if/when I get my Christmas Cards. So do not despair friends. the farlow family christmas cards are on their way!

The List

There are only 13 shopping days until Christmas. I'll be honest...I'm a little concerned. Not for my shopping...I've been done for weeks. But, I have yet to see any glimpse that Den Farlow has even started his shopping.
Remember the meat thermometer last year? The office chair for my birthday? I'm terrified that Den Farlow is going to fall into his old routine of hitting Bed, Bath and Beyond and Staples on Christmas Eve. The thought sends chills down my spine. Because you and I both know that just won't end well.
So, here's an updated list:
1.) Heel-Tastic

My heels are bad friends. I won't post a picture of them here, but let's just if I accidentally rub them against Den Farlow's leg at night, he screams as if he's been sliced open. They're pretty bad. 
 
  Look at that before and after! How can I NOT get this!! I need it!

2.) Warm Winter Accessories
After getting DUMPED on here, I've really learned the value of good warm clothes. And frankly, I need some new additions. I'm dying for each of these:

Dory Boots. Size 10. In any color but yellow. Buy them here Den.  

Yep. The Trapper Hat. Several years ago i posted about how much I wanted it. Everyone laughed. Now they're all over the place. And I still REALLY want one. It's cold here in Iowa! This would be perfect. Buy it here. Any color would work. (p.s. all outerwear is on sale for 25% off and has free shipping. but you need to act fast!)

3.) A Steam Mop
 
This is one of those things that I didn't know how much I needed it until I couldn't have it. Here's the story. It's Black Friday and this bad boy is on sale at Target for $80. (normally 150) It's last on my list, but only because I had to get to electronics and toys first. When I get to Home Appliances, I see a lady load the last one in her cart. Hoping that i could get her to give it to me I go up and ask her if she's seen any more. "I am dying for this mop. What can I do to get you to give it to me?" Nothing. Her ice cold heart had no compassion on my need for this steam mop. I tried the tatic to some other people, but no one would budge. I walked away without the Steam Mop and my life just hasn't been the same. I need a Steam Mop.

4.) Flip Camera
 
Preferrably in my signature color of Pink. I just think that this would be hours of fun. 

5.) A big chunky ring
 
This one from Sundance would be perfect.  A size 8 would be great so I can wear it on my middle finger.

6.) A puppy

 
This would really be the easiest gift ever. Can you imagine my joy upon finding this little bundle of joy under the tree?? I would die. I ask Den Farlow every day if he's getting me a puppy and he says no. I think he's just trying to lead me off the track. I promise that I wouldn't need anything else but this puppy. 

7.)  My Family

That's my dad. And he's coming out HERE for Christmas! Den Farlow can't claim this one. None of us can. The best gift of the year is that we'll all be together for Christmas. I can hardly wait! It's been since July of 08 since my girls saw my dad. That's 18 months ago. I really didn't think that we'd have another Christmas together! But...in 6 days my parents will be here. That's the greatest gift ever!  

Oh snow.

Mercy. It's snowing hard here. Full on Blizzard until tomorrow night.
Here's what it looked like at 3:00:

Not too  bad...just a dusting. 
Here it is at 10:00: 

 Yikes. 11.2 inches so far.
More pictures to come tomorrow!

I'm off to snuggle down and sip hot cocoa!
xoxo

Giving Thanks...

What a wonderful Thanksgiving we had! We stayed here this year and had dinner with 25 of our friends! Initially, I was going to host at my house, but when the numbers started going up I moved it to the church. Best idea ever. No stress, no worrying if the house was clean, etc. It was perfect.
I went all "Turkey Nazi" on my friends and took over the decorating. its what I do...so sue me!
 

I did not want to spend Thanksgiving washing dishes, so I went with paper goods. Tacky...a little. But so nice when it comes to clean up. 
 
 I kept the Adults table decorations pretty simple. Candle centerpiece and pumpkins. easy peasy.

  
Let's be honest...people were more concerned about the food than the decorations! 
(P.S. that is bottled root beer that the cute elders (and us!) are drinking! Let's not get the wrong idea!!)

The kids table was my favorite. 

 
Butcher paper table coverings, crayons in metal buckets, Turkey Day Activity books at each place, cute Turkey Silverware Roll-Ups. 
And then...my crown jewel...

The Turkey appetizer. So cute, right? The kids munched on the cheese/grape tailfeathers while we got dinner ready. brillant!!! 

Claire and Kohen loved it! 
 
I'm so grateful for good friends here. They've made all the difference. 
Hope your day was wonderful!!!
   

 
 

A Day of Claire...Entry #2

Today this sweet girl is three! Hooray!!! Here are some of my favorite things about Claire Bear.

1.) Claire has always been and continues to be my easiest child. She was a dream baby (which lulled me into a sense of false security...also known as GRACE) (Case in point...she wore this hat and sat quietly in the corner for the entire duration of Emilie's 3rd Carnival Birthday Party. Had you heard the noise level, you would understand that that is a miracle.)

2.) She is sensitive beyond measure. All it takes is a cross look or tone of voice and she tears up.

3.) She is happy by nature. Nothing really phases Claire. She's just happy to be.

4.) She is the wittiest child in our family. She's hysterical. She's always throwing funny things into conversation. It kills me. Her latest is to add "stinky-bum" to every conversation. Example: while saying the prayer the other night "thankful for Mommy stinky-bum". I know it's totally irreverant, but you can't help but smile.

5.) She loves to sing. Any song, any where...Claire will bust it out. She's suprisingly good too.

6.) She's a nurturer. She loves to take care of anything, but especially loves to shepard Gracie around.

7.) She adores Emilie. Wants to do anythinig and everything that she does.

 
8.) Claire loves the morning. She's always the first one up and is always in good spirits.

 

9.) She's also great about going to sleep. However, before she goes to sleep she demands "MOMMY-NUGGLES!!" "DADDY-NUGGLES" "EMMIE-NUGGLES". We all oblige her, because who wouldn't want to snuggle the Bear?

10.) She refers to herself as Claire-Bear and routinely prays for "Claire-Bear".

She's darling. Delightful. Easy. Makes me laugh all the time. There is not one bad thing I can say about Claire. She's perfect!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SWEET GIRL! WE LOVE YOU!!!!!!!!!

A Day of Claire...entry #1

Today is Claire's 3rd birthday! HOORAY!!! So, expect a lot of Claire-centered things today! To start it off, here's Claire's arrival story. It's still one of my proudest moments!

So, here's the story of how Claire made her entrance. My friends Liz and Cyndi threw me a baby shower2.5 weeks before Claire was expected to come. All afternoon I had had Braxton Hicks contractions, but nothing painful at all. They continued throughout the shower and we joked that I was just waiting for the shower to be over to have this baby. That wasn't far from the truth!
I got home at 11:00ish, got ready for bed and crawled in to go to sleep at 12:00. At 12:15, I was having some discomfort and noticed that it was about 7 minutes apart. I called the doctor and told her that they were coming pretty regularly and though the contractions didn't hurt too bad, I came quickly with Emilie and I thought I should head to the hospital. She agreed, but I could tell that she thought I was a LONG way off. Wrong.
The hospital is about 25 minutes away from here in Greenwich, CT. By the time we were 10 minutes away my contractions were 4 minutes apart and increasing in intensity. When we pulled up to the hospital they were every 2 minutes and pretty painful! They put me in a wheelchair and wheeled me up to the maternity ward. The nurses were nice..."how are you doing? etc."  That's when I screamed "I NEED TO PUSH!! I NEED TO PUSH NOW!"
They put me on the table and determined that the baby was coming. Unfortunately, there was no doctor...which meant I couldn't push and they couldn't give me medicine.
All of the sudden the baby's heartrate started to drop and I had to push. Two pushes later and Claire came out! What surprised us all was that she was BREACH! That's right...she came out bottom first, with her feet up by her face!
It turned out to be a blessing in disguise that the doctor wasn't there. Had she been there, they would have done an emergency c-section. The natural delivery was painful...super painful, but the recovery has been exponetially better than with Emilie.
I feel super grateful that Claire made it here safely. She was in fact, the first breech delivery that any of the nurses could remember. Apparently there are so many things that could go wrong with a breach delievery that they do NOT do them. But Claire made it safe and sound, and for that I'm super grateful.
So, from the time they put me on the table to the time that I had Claire was 11 minutes. Unbelievable!!
Here are some pictures of us at the hospital (note: I am not a beauty queen after having a baby...nor do I try to be!)

(Emilie meeting Baby Claire)

(Emilie LOVES Baby Claire)

(Daddy and his girls)

My mom, who is a great photographer, comes on Saturday, so I hope to have better pictures to post then.

Anyway, we are healthy and happy here!!!