King of the Cakes

Up until a few years ago, I had never heard of a King Cake. The only thing I knew about Mardi Gras was the beads and partying in NOLA that I saw on the national news. Up until last month, I had never tasted a King Cake. Once I did I didn't really get what all the fuss was about. Up until a couple weeks ago I hadn't had a King Cake that had me wanting more. But now that I have I can't get it out of my system...and I only have a few weeks left to indulge!

Down here people definitely have their preference as to where their King Cake is baked/bought. It's like Pepsi v. Coke, Burger King v. McDonalds, Dryers v. Blue Bell (well now that's just a silly comparison because everyone knows that Blue Bell can't be beat). Well I have found my King Cake bakery....Ambrosia. I stopped by there the other day only to find that the King Cake I was craving had been sold out. Which, in hindsight, was probably a good thing since P and I would've been the only ones eating it. This morning, however, I must've instinctively known Rob was coming home (yay!) because I called the bakery and placed an order for a mini (which still feeds 4-6 people in case you're wondering) cream cheese King Cake. I can hardly wait to pick it up in the morning (yes, they made me wait 24hrs!). I think I could get used to Mardi Gras...or at least the King Cake part of it. 

Beating the Blues

The boys and I have been cooped up in the house a lot recently. Part of it is due to the weather and part of it is due to the fact that one of us has been sick at any given time for over a month now (and I'm sick of it!). I pulled the lucky "sick" straw this week and was in "Survival Mode" Monday and Tuesday, feeling like it was an accomplishment when I unloaded the half empty dishwasher yesterday. Because I have had bouts of Winter Depression (SAD) when I lived in Sacramento I know the symptoms. I realized yesterday that the symptoms have been getting stronger lately and I needed to do something before it got too bad. When I was in Sacto, I could spend a day or two in bed all day and then hit the tanning salon to get a good dose of Vitamin D, which helped (and left me sunburned in the middle of Winter) but I don't have those options with 2 young boys. So I decided to be proactive and plan to do housework AND fun stuff with the boys today. That one decision had me out the gate at a lightning speed this morning! I sent P to clean his room while I did a load of laundry, cleaned the boys' bathroom, wiped down the windows and mirrors, shot off a couple quick emails and put my clean laundry away. (Yes, it takes him forever to clean his room because he gets distracted and plays!) Then I found a play group activity at a local library. When he said he wanted to go I cringed because secretly I wanted to find an excuse not to leave the house, to just get back in my jammies and shrink back into "Survival Mode". But his confirmation was all I needed to get it in gear. We went to the library for the craft project and then on the way home I decided we were going to have fro-yo for lunch. P was thrilled and Easton decided he was a big fan of the stuff! Both boys still wanted lunch when we got home and our sweet neighbor made a big pot of veggie beef soup for me so we ate some more. Before naptime I got a wild hair to bleach the kitchen and pantry so I tackled that while the boys played. (And then afterwards I realized why I haven't used bleach in several years. P-U!! Even all stuffed up the smell was bothering me!) I continued on my cleaning spree and wiped down some of the baseboards and in the crevices by the doors. After naptime I topped off the day by taking the boys to Chic Fil A for dinner because that's the place P chose. I'm glad I made the choice to get out and about today because it really did help my mood. The weather is going to be better by this weekend and we'll be able to get out more. That should help beat these Winter Blues!

Lineman's Wife

10 years ago if you would've asked me if I would be married to a lineman I would've said, "What is that?" (To this day I still don't know all that my husband's job entails.) My friends teased that I'd be married to a cowboy and I am~ a retired one. But his career is a journeyman lineman. His profession causes fear, loneliness, and pride. Every day is a day of fear until he returns safe and sound because if one mistake is made it can be a fatal one. There's not a second chance when working with electricity. Right now it has caused loneliness. He's been out of town/state for almost a week now working on a storm. Because my family is not around and I don't really have close friends here yet (Other than Rob's cousin, who graciously offered to bring me chicken noodle soup today), I feel like I don't have any support. I'm sick and no one is here to help me with the boys like I would've had in NV. There are days when I haven't had any face to face adult interaction (unless you consider Face Time). But most of all I am prideful of his job. I'm thankful that my husband is a hard worker who takes pride in his work. I'm thankful that he's a hero to many when he gets their power and heat back on during an ice/snow storm. I take pride in the fact that when someone plows down a powerline he is one of the first on the scene (sometimes it's still gruesome) to restore power as quickly as possible. I take pride in the structures that he's shown me that he's built. I take pride in the fact that I can be a stay at home mom thanks to the paychecks his job provides. Despite the difficult factors of his job, I can honestly say I am proud to be a lineman's wife!

Dirt, Dirt and More Dirt

With Rob gone, I thought I'd take the boys to the river yesterday so I could do Easton's 1 yr photo shoot that I've had on hold forever due to him being sick. Within 5 minutes of being there both boys were covered head to toe in mud! If it had been a client's photo shoot I would've been mortified. But since it was my own child I didn't mind. Instead I captured him having fun in the dirt because that's the way I'll look back on this time frame of his life. His face is usually filthy (despite how many times I wipe it), his nose is crusty and he usually has drool dripping down his chin. Here are some favorites of my dirty, muddy 1 year old.....

2 1/2 months later...

Due to P's virus as a newborn, I have since learned that his compromised immune system means he tends to get sicker than others with a common illness. Case in point is the virus that he got from Easton on Thanksgiving- Hand, Foot and Mouth. I honestly didn't know Easton had it until P got it a few days later. Easton had 3 blisters on his entire body. P had that on his chin alone! He had them all over his body and spent an entire night, crying and begging for the itching to go away. Thankfully the virus isn't a long drawn out one and he was feeling better within a couple days. About a month after the fact, however, he had a few finger nails turn purple. The hypochondriac in me tried to remain calm as all I could think was, "My child has cancer." (Yes, I can be a little dramatic at times!). I told Rob my fears and at the same time he and I both Googled the symptoms. Turns out that the dumb virus makes children lose fingernails and toenails several weeks after the fact. I don't know if it's because he had such a strong reaction to the virus but to date he's lost both of his big toenails and 2 fingernails. He's in the process of losing one more toenail and then hopefully we'll be done with it all and can put it behind us.....although I don't think P will ever forget the misery that comes with Hand, Foot and Mouth. Not-fun-at-all!

Security Blanket

When Easton was first born P made (with A LOT of assistance from friends) a potholder for Easton as a "Welcome to the World" gift. At the time I thought, "That's so sweet but what is Easton going to do with it?" Well, a year later he has decided that it's a small security blanket of sorts. He doesn't carry it with him every day but the days that he does use it, he becomes fixated with it. It goes everywhere with him and he even tries to use it at bathtime. I'm so thankful for the brotherly bond that began the first day of Easton's life and has grown stronger in the past year. They truly love each other!

Friends, Family and Fun

Before this weekend gets here I have to say a thing or two about last weekend. It was one of the best weekends I've had here. Hunting season is over, the sun was out and we had lot of plans. Our weekend included family, friends, 2 birthday parties, fresh fish....and time in the dentist chair. I may be crazy but I actually enjoy going to the dentist. So, when my Saturday started at the dentist getting an "emergency" filling I considered it quiet, "ME" time. I knew then that it was going to be a good weekend~ and I was right. When I got home Rob went across the street to go fishing. So P and I went out in the backyard while E was taking a nap. Once he woke up, the boys and I went across the street to see Rob. We came back to the house long enough for Rob to clean the bass he had caught and then we took off to a family birthday party for our 5 yr old second (or third or fourth??) cousin. It was a beautiful afternoon so we spent the time chatting with family in the backyard while the kids had fun playing together. We had to leave early because the boys were going to have  a "Guys' Night" at home while I celebrated our pastor's wife's birthday. I met up with a group of ladies from the church at a local Mexican restaurant. I thoroughly enjoyed spending time with them, getting to know them, laughing with them. It was fun being with women my own age and eating Mexican food. It was a great way to end a fun day! Sunday we went to church together as a family then the little guys and I napped while Rob fished. When Easton woke up from his nap, Rob took him to the store to buy stuff for dinner so P and I could sleep longer. When I woke up the Super Bowl was on and Rob was getting ready to fry some fresh fish for dinner. We enjoyed a small feast while watching the game. It was a great weekend from beginning to end, one I'll look back on with fond memories!