Miller Memories

I'm a continuing participant in Tot Talk Tuesdays started by Niecey of The Monkeys and Me. This week I shot a quick video that was just too cute. This is my 21 month old "reading" with daddy. So sweet!

Please save up your weekly quotes and join in the fun next week HERE.

I wanted to make sure I preserved some of our family memories from Christmas 2009. This year we had three separate celebrations:

The first was spent with my parents from Texas. Since they were already here for Thanksgiving, we opened many of the gifts they brought from Texas just the weekend after Thanksgiving. Here's a collage of some of those memories (you can click on ANY of the pictures or collages to see them bigger):

On December 12th a package arrived from Nana and Pappaw. They told us to open one box in the package to use it right away, so we did. This video was the result of that. The kids really enjoyed making it and EATING it.

The second Christmas was on Christmas morning here with just the five of us. On a very snowy and cold Christmas Eve we stayed up late sneaking around to wrap presents and also setting up the train set that was passed down to us this year by my Dana. It's a special set that can be set on a variety of speeds, it can move forward or backward, it makes noise, and it even blows puffs of smoke (if you get some smoking oil). I'm placing both a photo and video clip of it in action. We'll be setting it up every year just for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day!

Aaaaaaand after that video you'll be humming "We Wish You a Merry Christmas" all day long. You're welcome. :WINK:

The following morning we couldn't wait to see the kids faces as they came down the stairs. They were absolutely shocked at the presents under the tree and the train set.

We started the morning off with opening stockings before breakfast. Oh what fun!!

We ate biscuits, gravy, eggs, and SAUSAGE. After breakfast, and still in our pajamas, we set up the camera to take a quick family snapshot before opening presents (don't mind our unfinished walls).

Then the opening began. And the kids were just tickled. They received beautiful clothing, jewelry, a watch, bath toys, a train set, a Buzz doll, a Woody doll, a Karaoke machine, and much more... We are so grateful!

Finally, our last Christmas was in January after a surprise package arrived from my grandfather and his wife. I'm so thankful that I caught most of it on video. Check it out below:

And one last video clip...this is of the kids using their new sleds from their cousins in Texas. I just love how she says, "...and we got them from someone." Bwahaha! They really had a BLAST, though!!

Thank you, again, to all of our beautiful friends and family. It means so much that you would think of our children and take the time to send them such lovely presents. We had an amazing holiday. We enjoyed the snow, the snuggles, and the time spent together making new family memories. And, even though I've said it before, Happy New Year everyone! (Now that I finished this post, I suppose it's time to finally get my Christmas cards mailed out. They're written, sealed, addressed, and even stamped. WHY is it so hard to just get them to the post office??)

It's been a long while since I've posted one, but... Believe it or not, I AM still a participant in Tot Talk Tuesdays started by Niecey of The Monkeys and Me. I've gathered up a few from the last month or two.

Scenario #1:
My son and I were hanging out one day and he said to me:
Brandon: "Mommy, I want a kiss."
So I leaned forward and gave him a peck on his lips. But he didn't seem very happy about it. He got a very serious face and said:
"No mommy. I wanna fall in LUB!"
Apparently, falling in love means you close your eyes and hold your lips together for a very long time. So we did, in fact, proceed to fall in lub. And I had the slobber to prove it.

Scenario #2:
One recent day it was snowing very heavily and we were out and about running errands, so we swung by hubby's work place to pick him up. When we arrived he was standing out in on the sidewalk, bundled up tightly, and chatting with a female student who looked to be waiting for her ride, too. At that very moment...

Brayla: "Let me guess, THAT'S the girl that daddy likes??"
Me: "Um, no. Your daddy and mommy are married. That means Daddy doesn't like other girls anymore."
Brayla: Oh.
Of course he climbs into the car and busts out laughing when we told him what happened.

Scenario #3:
We were getting the kids ready to go outside. For those who live in freezing areas of the country, you'll understand when I say that often times it takes longer to bundle up to go outside than it does to actually PLAY outside. So I'm trying to get my youngest ready. He's very excited about his new mittens and he keeps holding them up to me before I can get his snow pants and jacket on him. I tell him firmly:

Me: "Brighton, we have to put your coat on before we can get your mittens on."
Then a very frustrated 1 year old YELLS, with all of his might, to his daddy up the stairs:
Brighton: Daaaaddddddddyyyyyyy!
(he's learning to appeal to the other parent when he doesn't get what he wants right away)

Scenario #4:
The last month, my middle child has started using a new tactic to get his way. Whenever something happens that he doesn't like or if anyone says something to him that hurts his feelings, he gets a very sad look on his face and says:
"Mommy, you broke my heart!"

Scenario #5:
Brayla: Mommy, you know what I've always wanted?
Me: What's that?
Brayla: A box-in-the-jack.

Please join in the fun each week HERE.

January: In early January we were finishing up our holiday trip to Texas. While there, we spent time with our families and with our friends Marc and Christy (a college roomie and dear friend). We also made the decision to become a TV-free family by selling our two TVs and canceling our service (we now only do Netflix or Hulu, which is FREE). It was a really wonderful way to start off our year and realign our priorities.

February: I sorted and gave away several boxes of maternity clothing to Birthright (Pssst...they also take baby items). Brighton took his first steps and I wrote my first letter to the Nebraska Health and Human Services Committee regarding the oppressive birthing laws in our state. This is the month where Brayla really began getting into serious art (thank you to her two uncles who went in on a marvelous beginning art set for her).

March: We drove to Texas in the middle of a BLIZZARD! Lee completed his dissertation defense. We celebrated Brighton’s first birthday. I attended the first couple sessions of the Controversies in Childbirth conference and also met my friends Laureen & Lisa! We received some disturbing news about a few of Brandon’s blood tests which our doctor said raised concerns of possibly Leukemia (which turned out much better than we though). On the upside, we also had a mini-vacation to the Watiki Water Park. Oh and I blogged about sex (just seeing if you’re awake).

April: We had a very shocking snow this month. I finished teaching three sections of Information Literacy courses at the local college (lots of grading and personal comments there…whew!) and began ordering gardening supplies.

May: We drove to Texas (AGAIN!!!). We attended my brother's graduation and Lee’s doctoral graduation (during a very quiet moment in the ceremony, Brayla yelled across the auditorium “I love you, Daddy!” which made everyone laugh). We got to spend an evening with some old high school friends (I hadn’t seen them since the early 90s!) which was SO awesome (great cooking and conversation) and we also spent the night with Kathryn (my old college roomie who’s been a friend since elementary school) & DeWayne while in Texas (why do we do this only every several years?). After arriving home, we spent two nights in a cabin at Chadron State Park for our summer vacation. And finally, Brayla lost her first two teeth (the first while we were at Storybook Island in South Dakota).

June: We planted our first raised Square Foot Garden, took many trips to the swimming pool, and Brayla began dance lessons and art lessons. I sprained my foot while running (which, incidentally, took about 4 months to heal). Brayla and Brandon both started swim lessons. Brandon had his first trip to the dentist. Brayla had her very first bicycle ride without training wheels! And we sadly said goodbye to our dear Chadron friends (who moved to Texas -- :sniff, sniff:).

July: We attended our first homeschoolers get-together. Lee flew to Boston for the SAKAI conference and had to sleep on the airport floor due to a delayed flight. Brayla had her first eye appointment and Brandon had his first dentist appointment.

August: Celebrated our 14th anniversary. WOOHOO! We also celebrated Brandon’s 4th birthday and Brayla's 6th birthday.

September: I took a (much needed) break from blogging. We harvested the remainder of our garden and hung any green tomatoes in our garage while they ripened. We celebrated my birthday and I was invited as a guest speaker to the Mountain Midwives conference in Spearfish (where I met some amazing people). Brayla began taking gymnastics (which she LOVES). We also attended a conference in Kearney and I got to meet my precious online buddy, Lenetta from Nettacow!

October: We celebrated Lee’s birthday and prepared for our fabulous fall weather. I became the new Education Chair for the Nebraska Friends of Midwives and published my first global article as a syndicated Google author (which received numerous hits world-wide and sent thousands of viewers to our website).

November: November was really all about preparing for Thanksgiving. We rented two cabins in the woods for 3 nights and had a rustic Thanksgiving with family from Texas.

December: I finished the last of my coursework for my 2nd master’s degree (specializing in Educational Technology) which I started August of last year. Then we had a fantabulous and quiet, but very white and snuggly, Christmas here in the Nebraska Panhandle. Roads and businesses were closed down for a couple days, but the kids had a great time building snow forts and sledding down huge mountains of shoveled snow!

In a nutshell, we've been blessed this year. Through good days and even the roughest of days we've learned a great deal about love and grace. We appreciate, so much, you having kept up with us through the year and THANK YOU for keeping us in your thoughts and prayers. Now we'll see about posting some New Year's Resolutions (if I'm brave!).

Happy New Year!!!

It had been a particularly packed summer. During those long months of swimming, gardening, and travel, I had understandably fallen out of touch with some of my blogging pals. So just before the school year started again, I decided to visit an old friend's blog to touch base and, hopefully, reconnect.

I really should back up. I originally met Maya at her blog Springtree Road a little over a year ago. I instantly found delight in her personality and flare. Timidly, I participated in her 2008 November in Black and White photography project and learned so much through that experience. Her eye for detail was fantastic. Alluring, really. I appreciated her private emails that patiently answered my endless stream of questions and she had a way of making me feel like part of her inner circle, even though I was obviously an amateur.

On this particular end-of-summer visit, though, I discovered that Maya had started a new business creating hand spun yarn. You know, the real stuff where you gather wool from an animal (sheep, llama, etc.), dye it yourself, and tenderly hand spin it into silky skeins. Is that cool, or what?!

I think it was her post on "Tink" that first piqued my interest about the whole start-to-finish process. Her Etsy shop, now lined with beautiful skeins, kept me hopping from photo to photo imagining all of the potential projects that 'someone' might create with each one.

Quality hand spun yarn is a little pricey, but for obvious reasons. Having claimed to be a supporter of hand made, I figured I should really give this stuff a try before balking at the cost. Besides, this is about the most 'hand made' purchase I could make. I finally settled on a skein of 140 yards named 'Red Delicious.' It was 100% Bluefaced Leicester wool which honestly meant nothing to me at the time. But my daughter looks so lovely in red, and I knew that somehow, and some way, it would be used to create something special for her this winter.

Using this yarn was nothing like the many experiences I've had with the usual $3 to $4 acrylic (synthetic) skeins of yarn I've frequently purchased from places like Walmart, Michael's, Hobby Lobby or elsewhere which always make my hands sweat and sometimes even itchy after prolonged exposure. Nope. This hand spun yarn was soft, yet hefty...thick, yet not overly fluffy. There's something almost magical about working with yarn that's been carefully hand crafted. I'm convinced that it's got all of its creator's love and affection embedded deeply within its delicate fibers. And when crocheted, it had a natural luster that only further showcased its intricate detail.

I figured I should stop to take a photo of my "in the beginning..." portion.

But a little while later, things were really cookin'. And I was enjoying the feel of this yarn so much that it seemed to be moving along a little TOO quickly.

So, can you tell what it is, yet?

Yep, it's a cozy tassel hat!! (my first, actually)

And boy oh BOY...look what Maya just listed this last week. I noticed this blue mix (on sale) for the first time TODAY and it's exactly what I was looking for to start a similar hat for one of the little guys. I've already spent my budgeted December play money, but if it's still there on December 31st (pay day), this baby's mine! Can't you just see another tassle hat of this dark blue and gray? Next, I'll probably be looking for a dark green and grayish mix for my one remaining child. And I know that if anyone can do it, Maya can! :)

What about you? Have you ever knitted or crocheted with authentic hand spun yarn? Would you ever consider trying it? Just once? If you have any interest, whatsoever, in high-quality yarn for a very special (smallish) project, do be sure to check out her Springtree Road Etsy shop when you have a moment.

And, believe me when I say that this experience had me looking at several of these to help support a developing new habit:

Yeah, it's really that great!

Yep, we're looking a little different these days. I'm just trying on a new layout that I've been eying since last summer. If you're confused, our old header is pictured to the right. I may still be doing a little shifting here and there as I have a few add-ons lined up (if you remember our previous discussion about Disqus, that's still a serious consideration), but things should look relatively the same over the next few months.

So...where do I begin? I'm (apparently) still blogging without obligation. Life has been extremely busy. And that's a good thing, right?

In recent days:

*I'm taking my very last course for my second master's degree and preparing for my oral comprehensives where I get to sit in front of a room of smarties and get drilled with questions. Oooooh, don't you wish you were me right now?!?!

*If you keep up with me on Facebook then you already know about our Thanksgiving cabin experience with my parents, from Texas. That was sure fun! I've put those pictures up HERE (you have to keep clicking "next" in the upper right part of the picture). If you have a (free) Facebook account, then you should be able to see them just fine (for this week, I've set my profile to allow everyone in).

*As of October, I'm the new Education Chair of Nebraska Friends of Midwives. This wasn't planned at all, but last year I declined because I was "too busy." And when I was asked again this year, I felt a stirring in my heart. Yeah, the stirring was probably just gas, but the deed is done. So here's my shameless plug: If you live in Nebraska and aren't already part of NFOM, I encourage you to join NOW! It's only $10 a year for individuals and you'll be welcomed to our discussion forum and our Yahoo e-list with open arms! Or you can also keep up with us on Facebook or Twitter (NFOM is still new to Twitter, so it's not really active yet)!

*I've been working on a couple small projects. I'm looking forward to sharing them on here when I have time (hopefully later this week). I burned my right hand in boiling oil back in September and it took quite a while for the blisters to heal. I'm so glad to be back to working with my hands again.

Look at YOU! You're still here!! And you've graced my blog today. That makes me a happy camper...happy to know you and to have (I'm guessing) built some sort of cyber-friendship with you, happy that you care enough to drop by today even if I haven't been to your place in a while, and happy to know that this blog (and its feed) really does still work after all this time.

I'm really looking forward to catching up with everyone this month.