Sweet Giving Spirit

If you are not from Oklahoma then you may not know how dramatic the weather media is here. They like to name all of our winter storms and have competitive commercials about it. Which in some ways is nice cause you can get up the minute weather coverage when needed. The short 17 months we lived in Kansas we were surprised at how calm their media was there. But we were expecting 2 to 4 inches { at the least} of snow and got the above picture. Mainly because the storm turned a different direction and so now it's just really really cold 25 out and wind chill of 11. SO I am glad its Christmas and we are able to stay put in our pajamas all day long!

At about 6:30 this morning we heard the little people loudly proclaiming" Santa Been Here!!"
We expected them to immediately open their gifts but instead Ryan went and got all the gifts he had made and got at school and had us open them first. He then explained what each one was for and why he had chosen them. I hadn't had my morning coffee yet but I was completely surprised by this. It really showed his giving spirit. He turned 6 this fall and is growing up in some ways more than what I realized. 

Ryan got a marble maze and loves it! He looks so serious watching them!
So far there has been 2 different designs put up. I thought I heard someone grumbling about it taking an engineer degree to put it together but I don't know cause I couldn't even figure out the Ariel pool Lily got.

 Our living room is a disaster, there is tons of laundry, lots of chores to be done I 'm sure but for now I will just sit here and watch them play and enjoy them being little this year.

                                         Merry Christmas from Our Home to Yours!

just some pics..

 I haven't had a lot of time to blog since moving back to Oklahoma. It seems like life just keeps going by faster and faster every week. I am hoping to get back in the habit of reading and writing more bogs in 2013! If you know of reasonable blog designer or even how to change the blog look let me know by leaving a comment! I took the little people pictures outside for our Christmas card and well you can see how that turned out. Ryan decided that he didn't like the flash on the camera so this is what resulted of that!

So next year I am going to remember to make an appointment with a "real" photographer!

Wheat planting season

                                    
                         In case you haven't seen us lately this is why! It's wheat planting season which means till it's all in the ground we are busy bees! Well Pete is :) I have been keeping the little people entertained! For some reason blogger is not letting me type past the pictures today. Lily is loving going to  Mother's Day Out twice a week. She wakes up 6:45 on those mornings ready to see her teachers. Ryan is enjoying going to school all day this year. He thinks eating at school is super neat.

School days

    School just started around here! The Summer flew by even with the wheat harvest being really early in June this year. VBS, swim lessons, vacation and some with day trips here and there all of the sudden we were buying school supplies! The little people have some really sweet moments where they really love on each other and help each other but they also have lots of bickering and learning to take turns. I love when I capture a sweet moment!

             Ryan started all day kindergarten this year. He was so excited and likes school a lot. He didn't understand why he can't go on Saturdays.

 Lily started a Mother's Day Out program at a local church twice a week. Next year she will go to Pre-K so this a good way to prepare her for the structure and social interactions she will need in the upcoming years. Yes, she smiles for pictures like her dad does.

           I have been asked what I am going to do ALL day by several well meaning people. This is good example of what keeps me busy. I decided not to embarrass myself too much and show all the closets that I will organize and floors that need scrubbed. We had a great summer of playing but I am ready for the structure and different kind of busyness that the school year brings!!!

A Mental Vacation

Summer is here!! Well at least most days it feels like it. There are still 9 days of school left.

Well, I haven't been in a blogging mood lately. I started reading The Hunger Games and got hooked into reading in any free moment I get. If you haven't read the books you are missing out! It's also getting warm outside. It's warm early this year so much so the Harvest has started in Southern Oklahoma. So our weekends are being devoted to getting machines ready for Harvest. So we are at the farm more often then not. This weekend after scoring some great deals at  garage sales I got to read Mariana by Susanna Kearsley. It was great but I was rather sad to see the story end because I got so attached to the characters.

                                                 
At the farm there is a water fountain with a patio set by the little people's play area. It is really relaxing and I can still pay attention to them, plus get a few chapters in! Later in the afternoon I helped Lily paint rocks. Her and Ryan caught 14 ladybugs so they needed a new activity. She loves to paint and collect rocks.
     

I should meal plan, clean the kitchen and laundry but I think I am going to take advantage on the quiet afternoon and read The Rose Garden by Susanna Kearsley because Cornwall,England sounds like a great vacation for the afternoon.                                      

The last few months...

OK ,so I have been neglecting the blog alot. Holidays came and went. We actually got a vacation in for our 10 year anniversary! (Hope to post a blog all about the fun when I get all the pictures in one place) We had a blast! But on the last day I was ready to be on my couch snuggling with the little people.

We stayed at the stratosphere  in Las Vegas and it was a lot of fun!

I have got to read two books since the New Year! Patricia Cornwell is one of my favorite authors. I love the Scarpetta series.

This is a GREAT and FAST read!! I can relate to so many things in this book!

We have had really nice weather this winter and a just a little bit of snow so we have been outside more than what we normally would.

I have become more addicted to trying recipes off of food blogs and well some have been yummy and others Pete has kindly chocked down.

I am currently looking for a yummy chicken enchilada recipe. Suggestions would be awesome. I tried one with wheat low carb tortillas and it was was not one to be repeated.

Christmas Craft

This time of year our little people are really antsy! Ryan is a child of  routine and several non school days makes him a tad cranky and restless and add in the excitement over Christmas = some wired little people!!!
I happened to read Amanda's Blog and thought it would great to have them do a craft to help structure our day.

                                            I found this craft mixture on clearance at the Perry Walmart for $1.97 this fall.

                                             Cut scraps of paper and made them look like a tree shape.

                                                Lily loves anything crafty. Mainly the making a mess part.

They "decorated" their trees.

                                                           Craft time = peaceful afternoon!
                                                          Thanks Amanda for the idea!

Ten Years

 Well it's a good thing that I am not a professional blogger or I would be out of a job! This holiday season has flown by and I have thought about blogging a lot. Today I am fighting a cold and Grandma Freda came and took the little people for the afternoon,potato soup is in the crock pot and I have some down time. Ten years ago today I was getting my hair fixed and getting ready to get married.

We defiantly had a big adventure ahead of us. We look so young in these pictures! But at the time 22 and 23 seemed so old. So many things have changed since that day. We would graduate from college, got professional jobs,my grandfather and Pete's dad would go hang out with Jesus a few short months apart. We would move four times including out of state. We would take over the farming of Pete's family farm. I learned how to drive tractors, wheat trucks and now can tell you where all the fields are and how to get to them. Not to mention the two little people that joined us a few years ago.

We never would have imagined that we would have two redheaded babies! I have PCOS so our journey to

having a family was longer than we thought it would be.

Or that Pete would battle with Grave's Disease. He looks super skinny in this picture and I look super sleepy. I don't think Lily has enough pink on. Can you tell she was the first girl born on the Matthiesen side in several generations? We had 2 ultrasounds done because we were in such disbelief!

We have had lots of ups and downs over the ten years. Marriage is a big commitment. So many people get caught up in the wedding and forget that you have to live with the person too.

God brought us together and has brought us through alot of the last ten years too!

 I didn't want this post to be all gaggy and sappy cause Life isn't Fair and it isn't easy but I am thankful that I have Pete to experience this journey with me.We laugh a lot and we talk alot we don't always agree on everything but we have turned into those annoying couples that sometimes order the same thing at dinner because we both really want it and sometimes have the same color shirt on when we head out the door.( I always want to tell the waitress no really we both really like this and we didn't color coordinate our clothes either)

 I am excited to see what the next ten years brings and the next 60 years after that too.

 That puts us at 102 and 103.

Warm Winter Love

I am not a big fan of winter. I tend to want to hibernate under covers and not get out in the cold especially when its dreary and windy outside. I have been trying to think about the positive things of this season. Then last Friday about midnight I discovered these really amazing slippers at Old Navy.

old navy
I got mine in store for 40% off and I don't want to take them off ever. I wish I could find boots that were this comfortable to wear out in public. (with these and my comfy leggings I feel like a 80's aerobic instructor so I shouldn't go out in public like that) But after discovering these it takes a lot for me to want to leave the house and have to take them off. Another reason its hard to leave my cozy living room is because the the little people helped decorate the Christmas tree.

Yes, it has taken all I have not to rearrange their decorating but Ryan is so proud of it. Our house in Kansas is still for sale so we are living in a cozy rent house. The lights on the Christmas tree, my hot black tea , two little people to snuggle up with in our fleece OSU blanket and my slippers, I may just stay in till Spring.

A Milestone.

                              I love November. Its not just the changing color of the trees, fun football games (GO OSU COWBOYS!!) and I get to wear fuzzy socks a lot. Its a time where traditions of friends and fun times happen. Life is a little slower since now the farm is in the "off" season till about the end of April when Pete will start getting this ready for the June harvest season. Last year we were in Kansas so I didn't get to attend the EHBC shopping day. It started about 10 years ago, the women go shopping all day long eat at Abuelo's for dinner, shop till Target closes at 10 pm then meet at The Cheesecake Factory for yummy dessert and coffee. Since I have really been focused on weight loss and making better choices I was a little nervous about the trip. I LOVE LOVE LOVE Mexican food. Chips and salsa are a huge craving for me. I love restaurant salsa. So much that in the past I when I was pregnant with both of the little people I would get the salsa to go and eat it all week. yep,probably more of an addiction. But over the last year and half I also realized that I love Mexican food but it's not really the tacos, burritos and enchiladas so much as it is the chips and salsa. I also love restaurant tortilla soup. So now I get a cup of soup, count out my chips (12 for 4 WW points plus). I also break up my chips so that it feels like I have more. Since I really enjoy the soup I don't feel like I am not enjoying eating out!

One thing I realized is that I really enjoy the atmosphere and visiting with my friends. It's not all about the food. I can have fun, enjoy the evening and not have huge amount over the guilt over what I consumed the next day. This what a huge thing for me to think about.

 Especially when I looked up the information on The Cheesecake Factory. My goals for this week and the information didn't mesh. But I focused on the fact that most of these ladies I don't see often ,so really visiting and talking about our finds is what I love the most and being in the atmosphere of the restaurant is one of my favorite things of the year. I found that the caramel apple cider did fit with my goals for this week.

It looked something liked that..but yes I did give up eating these yummies...

But I had a blast, still had a special treat and enjoyed shopping! Also two of my weight loss buddies were there so that helped to have the accountability. This season of Holidays can be tough on the waistline but making informed choices, planning out the trips and meals on the upcoming holidays really makes a difference. I have a lot of all that coming up and I am determined to keep my goals! So whats your plan and whats your goal for the upcoming months??

Pictures Part 2

            Here is the rest of the pictures, I can't decide which ones to put in the frames to update from last year.

Lily again not looking at the camera.