My life...just not on the road I expected (but it's still dang good).

Mental Health Day

Yans and I took a Mental Health Day today.

It was just one of those mornings.

We normally go out to coffee on Thursday mornings (used to be Fridays) to study spelling words and Bible verses, but Courtney needed to be to school early so there wasn't enough time. So instead, I got everyone up early and fed them smoothies, with the intention of stopping by the coffee shop drive-through to grab a couple of muffins on our way to school.

But of course, no one could get ready on time and that meant I got to listen to the complaints of children that were quite sure they were going to perish on account of being sent to school with nothing but smoothies in their stomachs.

Add to that the fact that no one had even bothered to study their Bible verses or spelling words because apparently, they cannot prepare for those things unless their mommy specifically drives them to a coffee shop to do so.

And of course, there was bickering. 

Always bickering.

So as I was dropping off the big kids, I told everyone that our Thursday morning coffee dates were temporarily being discontinued and that when they could show me they were responsible enough to study their spelling words and Bible verses on their own each week prior to Thursday morning, that I would consider reinstating their coffee shop priviledges.

And then Annie and I sat out in the parking lot in silence for awhile (It was too early to leave her at school.) before she took off her shoes and crawled up into the front seat of the car and onto my lap. (We spend a lot of time waiting in the parking lot of the school for the big kids and more frequently than not, we spend it with her on my lap - sounds silly, but it kind of refuels me and makes me wish the other three were little enough to do the same.)

And that's where the idea hatched.

For the two of us to just go back home and to lay in bed all day together, watching The Biggest Loser.

A Mental Health Day if you will.

And I realize that letting your kid play hookie from school probably isn't the most responsible thing in the world to do as a parent, but since we've never done it before (and I already informed her that she can only have one Mental Health Day per school year and only if her grades are good) I just made a judgment call and decided to go for it.

And all Mental Health Day long, I was glad I did.

Chocolate Avocado Pudding

After hearing about Chocolate Avocado Pudding from two different sources in the same week, I decided to make it last night - and had I known how good it was going to turn out, I would have taken pictures to document the momentous occassion.

This morning, with Chocolate Avocado Pudding still on the mind, I decided I wanted to pass along the recipe, but alas, I had no pictures (and you all know how much I hate blog posts without pictures.)

So I grabbed my camera just as we were heading out the door for school and asked my kids to show me what they thought of last night's pudding...

Yep, that's a Five-Thumbs-Up rating.

And then they started goofing off, so I kept shooting...

And without further ado, I give you my slightly altered spin on Chocolate Avocado Pudding:

- 3 ripe avocados (The recipe says, "peel and pit removed", but somehow, that just seems glaringly obvious to me.)

- 1 cup almond milk (You could use soy, hemp, coconut - whatever.)

- 5 Tablespoons natural, non-alkalized cocoa powder (The recipe actually calls for 8, but start with 5 and then decide if you want more.) This is the brand I use.

- 12 dates (Don't forget to take the seeds out.)

- 2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

This made enough for all five of us.

Put it all in a high-powered blender and mix it like crazy. If it's too thick, just add in a little extra almond milk and start mixing again. Then spoon it into small bowls, (I used 4oz. Ball jars because I use Ball jars for everything now, thanks to my friend Michelle.) top it with a little fruit (We used raspberries.) and stick em' in the fridge for a couple of hours.

It's ridiculous how good it is.

Annie said I should quit my job and go into the pudding-making business.

The Rest of Christmas Day 2013

I'm not even quite sure how to start out this post.

My family likes to play games.

Sometimes it's Guesstures, sometimes Apples to Apples, oftentimes Balderdash. (Why in the heck is the old, original Balderdash so expensive?)

On Christmas though (I'm struggling to find a delicate way of saying this.) we like to celebrate with a rousing game called...A$$ho!e.

I actually considered making up a pretend name for blogging purposes, but then I'd feel like a big, fat liar, so I'm just going with the truth. 

My family plays Asshole on Christmas.

There, I said it.

And here's what this year's game looked like...

First, the boys fashioned an A-Hole worthy hat.

Then Ross decided to model the hat for us to commemorate the first year he was old enough to play A-Hole. (It's a drinking game, so if you're not 21, you get to spend the evening in another room, watching movies and playing video games with all the other Under-21'ers.)

The fact that my uncle's house is adorned with antlers, bear skins and weaponry only makes these photos better.

And then, the game began...

That's my sister's stank-face (and believe me, you never want to be the reason for my sister's stank-face.)

And then my little cousins got into an arguement (No, I'm not joking.) because one was sure that the other was cheating.

And for a moment, it looked like our game might end.

That's when my sister started a disco dance-party, and all was made right again...

No clue why Ross is dancing with a Guinness World Records book.

And once the Under-21'ers heard the music playing, they joined in as well.

I know they're all blurry...But cutting a rug to Play That Funky Music White Boy, while simultaneously trying to take pictures is much harder than one might think.

And then, the Under-21'ers were told to go back to their room.

Because us grown-ups had a very serious game to get back to.

Yes, that's me.

Disco Dance-Party #2.

Back to the game once again.

Seagram's Pineapple Coconut Wine Coolers...For the Manly-Man in you.

Another break (for snacks and dating advice this time.)

And self-portraits.

And then one, last round.

And then Jesse Ray told me to meet him in the garage, where we proceeded to laugh until our stomachs hurt about all the cards he had been hiding up his sleeves.

And then we decided to take pictures, so that days later, when our family was checking out the Christmas photos on my blog, they would find out why they lost the last three rounds of the game.

And just when we thought the whole situation couldn't get any funnier, my sister and Josh Downs came down to the garage to find us.

And began posing for pictures. 

Oblivious to the fact that they were posing with the very cards that has cost them the game.

And then we all had a slumber party at my Uncle Brad's house.

And that was the end to a very, merry Christmas.

Christmas Day 2013

Once we finished opening presents at our house, the kids started playing with their new stuff while Josh and I began cleaning up the aftermath of Christmas morning. Then we ate some breakfast, got ready for the day, picked Ross and my sister up from the airport, and headed over to my Uncle Brad's house.

And when I saw my Uncle Brad wearing a buffalo hat, I knew it was going to be a fun evening.

That's Ross, showing Roshelle the "I love you Ross" bracelet Annie made for him.

Sam & Jesse playing video games.

My Uncle Donnie considering how he might look with a toupee.

Sammy and his girlfriend, Jasmine.

The boys, saying their greetings.

 The girls, loving on all the pups in the house.

And did I mention that there's another photographer in the family now? (Ross is taking my current online class.)

My Grandpa and Bev.

More puppy loving. (For the record, none of those puppies are ours.)

My sister.

Hanging out in the garage while everyone played pool.

Annie doing hair. (Braids are her new specialty.)

Meanwhile, back in the house...

My Uncle Donnie had fallen asleep - which makes you fair game in this family. (You can actually see my Uncle Brad in the background, calling Jessie over so they could scheme up a plan.)

First, Donnie narrowly escaped the attack of a wild buffalo.

Then, a dramatic knife-fight ensued behind him.

And then...Well, I can't even really mention the whole fruit thing, nor can I show the next photo in this series, because this is a family-friendly blog you know.

And then there were presents.

Coley was Santa (though I have no idea what Santa was doing with a wine glass in his hand.)

 And there's still more to come...

He Made it Home...

In the weeks leading up to Christmas, it looked like Ross wasn't going to be able to make it home due to his work schedule, but then somehow, it all worked out.

He and my sister flew in on Christmas day...

Apparently, it doesn't matter how old they get - Christmas just doesn't feel the same when they're gone.

Christmas Morning 2013

And our Christmas morning looked something like this...

Mr. & Mrs. Claus each left a note to clear up an rumors that Annie had heard about them not being real.

Wrestling time.

Stocking time. 

Socks, gum, Goldfish crackers, body soap, notebooks, pens, hair-ties, etc. for the girls.

And deoderant, body wash, gum, Goldfish crackers, notebooks, pens, Nerf darts, etc. for Coley.

Oh ya, and a bow-tie for Coley too (per his request.)

And then we got to the presents.

An earring holder and a gift card to Claire's for each of the girls.

Books for Coley. (You can get some pretty incredible deals on used, hardbound books at Amazon.)

A robe & slippers for Courtney Lee.

A fish-pillow (from Courtney) for Cole.

A gift-certificate for ballet classes and a fancy, pink, ballarina leotard for Miss Yans.

I think that hug was for the Harry Potter beanie Annie got for Cole.

A new scarf for Courtney.

A fish-pillow being retrieved from someone's pants.

Annie in her new ballarina outfit.

Baking supplies for Courtney.

A toolbox for Cole.

New Shoes.

A new wallet (from Annie) for Courtney. 

 

The old, classic version of Risk.

A nerf gun. (When I reminded Josh that Cole already had a Nerf gun, he reminded me that Nerf Wars require two guns.)

A Twister Skip-It for each of the girls.

A karaoke machine.

A big, comfy beanbag for reading.

A hanging chair for her bedroom.

Karaoke CD's.

Legos.

And a puppy for Annie.

Christmas Eve

Sorry...Meant to get these posted yesterday, but then the day went and got busy on me.

We had a nice, quiet morning on Christmas Eve, (No photos of that.) and then we went to the early service at church, so as to not interfere with the Beaver's Bowl Game, (No photos of that either.) and then we went to my Dad's house to eat dinner, open presents and watch the said Bowl Game on his giant T.V. (I've got photos of that, but I haven't even had time to look at them yet.)

And then we went home to do the regular things we like to do on Christmas Eve...

This year though, Courtney Lee had put in a request for new pajamas on Christmas Eve.

So that's what we did.

After a quick battle of Roshambo to see who got to open their present first.

Yans beat Cole and Cole beat Courtney.

And that meant Annie got to go first.

And though Cole was up next, I put the pressure on him to act like a gentleman and let Courtney open her present before him.

Cole is usually more of an underoo-kind-of-a-man than a pajama-kind-of-a-man, so he got a robe (and a new book to read while wearing his robe) instead.

All he really cared about was the new book though. (The final installment in a trilogy he's been reading.)

The girls also got stuffed animals that are filled with lavendar and can be heated up in the microwave.

And then the girls and I got ready to make cookies, while Coley did what Coley does...Read.

And that last one isn't the best shot, but I had to include it because before Josh and I left for our Christmas-shopping trip up to Portland, the kids all decided to draw pictures on the chalkboard of what they most desperately wanted for Christmas:

Annie = a puppy.

Courtney = a karaoke machine.

Cole = Legos.

Since my sister hadn't gotten into town yet to make home-made sugar cookies and peanut butter cookies from scratch, the girls had to settle for my kind of cookie-making...The kind that are pre-made and just need to be thrown on a cookie sheet.

I even pulled sprinkles out of the cupboard to make the cookies extra-special.

 

Still reading.

And then we put the cookies in the oven, which gave us approximately 12-minutes to write letters to Santa.

Annie decided to pull-out her cursive-writing guide to impress Santa.

And Coley surprised me by announcing that he'd probably still write to Santa for at least one or two more years.

Courtney Lee decided that she's still got another 5 or 6 years of Santa-writing left in her.

And Yans decided that she was going to keep writing letters to Santa until she was 25.

And then Coley finished up his letter (so he could get back to reading) and folded it up oragami-style into an envelope.

And then Courtney Lee finished up.

And then Yans spent a few more minutes thinking (That's her thinking-face.) about what needed to be on her list before finishing up hers as well.

Just in time to pour some milk and pull the cookies out of the oven.

And then Courtney Lee played piano for awhile.

And Yans hung out with her Daddy (who was glued to radio that was playing the Beavers game since we don't have cable.)

And Cole kept reading his book.

And then (after the game was over), Josh read Twas' the Night Before Christmas.

And then we put those rugrats to bed.

Winner(s)

I just turned 41. (Loved 40, so I'm thinking I'm going to love 41 even more. A friend just sent me a link to this article about being 40, and it's a great read.)

It's 2014.

I was born on the 4th day of the month.

I have four kids.

I had an OCD problem that started in the 4th grade where I neurotically counted everything (sounds, food, objects, etc.) in fours.

And to this day, I have an odd love-affair with the number 4. In fact, one of my friends (Thanks Amy!) just sent me a necklace with the number 4 on it.

So it only seems fitting that I draw 4 winners, instead of just 1 (for auditing seats in The Photographers' Workshop, which kicked off bright & early this morning.)

I used a random number generator, and here's the winners...

If that's you (Amber, Fiona, Laura and Kelly), email me at karen@snapshotsofagoodlife.com, so we can get you set up in class!

And all you gals that left comments in hopes of winning a seat for a loved one - I need you to know that your generosity has been on my mind all weekend and the next time I give away seats in class, I think I'll make it a drawing exclusively for people, who are wanting to gift a seat in the class to a loved one who otherwise wouldn't be able to afford the workshop - so lets plan on doing that for the next workshop that starts in March.

Hope your week is off to a great start. (Will be back later to start posting Christmas photos.)

Happy New Year

Am I too late to the party to wish you all a happy New Year?!?

If not, Happy New Year!!!

1. Our New Years was a quiet one. The girls decided to spend the evening with their Grandma Jo (Yans changed her mind at the last minute because she had never spent New Years away from home.) so it was just the four of us. I spent most of the evening at the grocery store/cooking, while these guys played a 4-hour game of Risk. (Cole got Risk for Christmas and they've been playing almost every day since.) Yans and I retired around 11:00 p.m., shortly after dancing to Blurred Lines. The boys made it up till midnight though.

2. Yes, that really is the best photo I got of the whole evening, and that ain't saying much.

3. I know we're only three days into 2014, but so far, it's been a good year.

4. I didn't make any resolutions, but I spent a lot of the month of December breaking some bad habits (like my daily run to the coffee shop and falling asleep with the T.V. on), tackling some long overdue stuff on my 'to do' list like seeing a chiropractor about the arm I haven't been able to raise above shoulder-height without being in excruciating pain for the last 6 months (Blame it on Jillian Michaels kettlebell workout.), and doing a whole lot of healthy cooking (lots of Paleo and Whole30 recipes, but without all the red meat since I really don't like it.) And because of all that, I made it through the holidays with my chunky butt about 10 lbs. less chunky.

5. I didn't do a ton of shooting over the holidays, but I've probably got about a week's worth of Christmas photos to share. (Will start posting those on Monday.)

See you next week!

P.S. It's kind of late, but I want to give away an auditing seat in the next Photographers' Workshop which kicks off this coming up Monday, January 6th. 

So if you'd like to enter, just leave your name and email address in the comments section below and I'll draw a winner on Monday morning.

Note that regular seats in the workshop are full, but there's still Auditing Seats available for those of you who want to start off the New Year learning how to take better photos. (Auditors can still ask questions, post photos, and have access to everything regular students have access to - the ONLY difference is that I do not provide evaluations for auditors. So auditing is typically ideal for those who want to save a little money and/or those who want to work at their own pace.)

We kick of "Week 0" of the class on Monday (January 6th), which is just a nice, slow-paced, introductory week (before we start diving into the hard stuff) so you can still sign up anytime between now and the end of next week.

Oh, and Roscoe-T (my 21 year-old who lives up in Seattle) and his roomate are taking the class too, which has me even more excited than usual for the first class of the year!