No Snow for Me Today

I live in the Metro St. Louis area, or at least that’s what the meteorologists call it. So, sorry “metro” area – No Snow For YOU!!! If you got snow today I bet that sure was fun to watch. Good for you!!! Yeah!! Can you sense the sarcasm in my voice?! I’ll get my snow eventually. My very own snow to enjoy and watch fall, it’s coming. Soon I hope.

Yep, I blew it!!!

I did not achieve a perfect November NaBloPoMo. I missed 3 days. The first two I was out of town on my very first girls weekend away since my children were born actually ever. So I wouldn’t have given that up for two blog posts and the third was an extremely busy Saturday where we ran errands like crazy and then attended our friend Heather’s extremely fun game night. So I missed for good reasons and had fun missing those posts. I won’t win any prizes but it’s okay there’s always next month, right! Wait isn’t December usually busier than November?! Well I will at least attempt it again. I hope that some of my bloggyland friends that participated win some of those awesome prizes. Good luck. Now, I am off to email the judges… maybe they will have pity on me and I will win the Losers prize.

Thanksgiving Part Two

After the Gardens my mom took us out for brunch to the Adams Mark which is now the Hyatt but it will always be the Adams Mark to me. The food was good but not super great, especially for the price. We had a nice time though and the kids behaved so that’s always good.

After brunch we walked to Macy’s in order to view the Macy’s Christmas windows. They didn’t change them from last year which was a bit disappointing but I completely understand. They are extremely elaborate and follow the story of Virginia and Santa Claus. Last year we went downtown for the tree lighting but they changed it on this year and did it on Friday instead of the Wednesday night before Thanksgiving. We were a little upset but I got over it. Here are pics of Macy’s, there aren’t a lot of the display because of the glare and shadows on the windows.

This picture says so much – if you look closely the sign reads “Santa is Real”. How cute is that.

They also have a large train display in their window that my mom remembers going downtown to view when she was little. I think it’s really cool that they started doing the windows again last year. It’s a tradition for us every year now to go at Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving Part One

On Thursday morning we picked up my mom and grandma and went to the Botanical Gardens to see the Train display. The kids love going to see it every year. We actually end up going a couple of times every Christmas.

We really enjoyed the train display. Every year it’s beautiful and fun to watch. The garden changes the display every year and they always do a spectacular job. This year they added a railroad tie nazi. A woman who I am sure is a lovely person when she isn’t guarding the railroad ties at the garden would yell at all the children if they sat down on the railroad ties around the displays or if they simply fell over while toddling past and placed a hand on the railroad ties. I simply placed my children on the railroad ties to take their picture with the train display in the background, I do it every year, and she sprinted over (kid you not – she actually sprinted) and told me that they couldn’t sit there, my kids were already standing up from the picture. I told her they were done and not to worry I knew the rules and we wouldn’t break them again. She said that we can’t have them sitting there that’s why they placed the benches over on the sides. I gave her a look like really… are you serious. She actually scared L and upset her. We walked away from her but she stood behind us like she was watching us. There was this little guy, couldn’t have been more than one, just learned to walk you could tell. He toddled over near his dad and kind of fell over onto the railroad ties and just sat down. Her she came running over and looked at us, I backed away afraid of another talking too. She approached a man next to me and said “Does he belong to you?” the man said that yes that was his son and she says very sternly “Well he can’t sit there!” Really!!! Talk about *itch. She yelled at a toddler basically. Man she will find nothing but coal in her stocking this year. I bet you could look under Jobs in St. Louis that require you to be an A-hole and this one would be #1.

Despite the b**chy A-hole working there we had an awesome time and plan on going back soon. Here are some pictures of the day.

As you will see there were no plants harmed in the taking of these pictures.

I love this picture of my mom and L checking out all of the intricate details.

Some pictures of the train layouts.

They did have this really nice layout of a fireplace and two large chairs with a tree and stockings so we posed for more pictures. Unfortunately the one of the kids together turned out blurry (that drives me nuts). But there are good ones of my grandma and my mom with the kids and those matter more, so here they are:

So there you have it the first part of our Thanksgiving. There will be more parts because we have had a very busy holiday. If visiting the Gardens to view the wonderful trains beware of the railroad tie nazi lady.

Happy Thanksgiving

So much to tell you about. Had an awesome day did a lot but I am in a turkey comma and I am going to get ready for bed instead. 🙂

I won’t forget to tell you about the Railroad Ties Monitor!!!

Wordless Wednesday – Getting ready!

It’s still Wednesday for a couple of hours and I just downloaded the pics from my camera so I present to you…

Our new tree!

Check out more WW ww. Oh and did you know they do it all week.. not just on Wednesday.

I’m Thankful For:

• My husband. How we are a team and do everything together. He’s my partner and best friend. I cannot wait to have some alone time on Saturday and an actual date night. Two in one month. I can’t believe it.
• L. Your sweet little face and the way you want to be with me all the time and be exactly like me. Your sassy attitude, your love of everything girly and the way you love to still sit on my lap and cuddle.
• J. I am thankful for the way you talk. I know you are going through speech therapy to correct your speech but I will miss the way you say certain things. I am thankful that you are independent but that you still enjoy being babied. I am also thankful for the time we get to spend together while L is in school.
• My mom. I am thankful that she loves me enough to help me clean and organize my house, that she loves my kids enough to keep them overnight so JT and I can have a night to ourselves. I am thankful that she is a strong woman and has made it through an extremly difficult year. She is a great role model to me and my daughter.
• My dad and his wife. I wish we saw them more often but they have busy lives. They are good with the kids and just today L told me that she loves Papa and Nana and boy is that Papa funny.
• My brother. He is such a kid at heart and loves my kids as his own.
• The roof over my head. Yeah it may be small and it may not be a house but I love that we rent and aren’t in trouble like some people in America. I love that each of my kids has their own room and yeah we don’t have a dining room but we have a toy room where JT, the kids and I have fun and play together.
• My friends. Old and new. I hope all of you have a great Thanksgiving.
• My computer. Without my computer I would not have my blog. Without my computer I wouldn’t have the down time and relaxation that it takes to stand back up and take on the day again. A recharge/refueling if you will.

That’s not even the beginning of the things I am thankful for but it’s a start. Have a good Thanksgiving.

Today…

… was another busy day. My house is starting to look incredible. I have room again and I can breathe. Mom helped me move all of my heavy furniture away from the walls and we attacked the dog hair and other nasty things living in my air. I am breathing better and know that the illnesses will stay away, well at least for a short time. I am throwing things away left and right and I have found some awesome things I want to get rid of on Craigslist, like my Pampered Chef stones and our entire collection of Little People toys plus a fisher-price twin dollhouse. I am so happy that I am decluttering before the new clutter enters our lives.

Today my mom and I practiced curling L’s hair. I have to say there is something about a little girl with curly-q hair to make you say ahhhh. I had wanted her to keep it all nice and pretty for tomorrow but tonight was bath night and my little girl/part fish loves her baths so needless to say all of the 4 1/2 hours it took to curl her hair (in sponge curlers) were done in vain. Luckily we can try again, I’m thinking Christmas Eve. I could kick myself for not taking a picture.

Today was so busy that I missed Wordless Wednesday, Works for Me Wednesday and Hobby Hump Day. That just means that next week I will better prepared.

I am ready for bed and it’s only 7:30 pm

Last night we had a lot of drama here in our apartment building with my brother’s roomate (I should say ex) and it wasn’t a good situation. Luckily the kids were sleeping and didn’t wake up through all of the mayhem so I didn’t fall asleep until 3:00 am and then woke up at 8:00 am, got ready because my mom was coming over to help me gut my house and clean from top to bottom with organizing along the way. I am tired, sore and want to pass out at this exact moment but just wanted to touch base. I was supposed to attend a PAT group meeting but I can barely stay awake. Tomorrow there is more cleaning, organizing and two haircuts thrown in there. We are putting the kids in bed and then me. Goodnight.

Would you go?

Blogher 09′ is in Chicago this year. I have to say last year I was extremely intrigued and wished I was there in all that bloggy goodness but it was expensive to go last year. It was in San Fran. But this year it’s in Chicago, a mere 6 hours (give or take). I still don’t know if I will go because of finances but at least I know it’s more of an option this year because of proximity. Would you go to Blogher?