The Year That Was

I suppose I should do a year-end post, like all the other bloggers of the world are doing. (I must conform if I'm ever going to make it in this blogging world.)

Here are some of my favorite posts from this past year:

I Have Pale Skin

A Conversation After Church

Lent - Day 9 

How Eating Out Is Like Having Sex

Fancy Allison

I only got through part of April, but I'm going to go now and spend New Year's Eve watching Winter's Bone with my husband. Happy New Year, dear readers.

Goofy Mama Answers, Part 1

Okay. Time to start answering some of the questions. Here they are, in no particular order:

If you were pregnant for the 2nd time and planning a VBAC, where would you go for care? It is illegal to homebirth in the state I live in. 

Have you heard of ICAN? (International Cesarean Awareness Network)

I think one of the first things I would do would be to contact them and get information from them. Get resources for VBAC friendly places to birth in the state that you live in.

Personally, I would do everything I could to find a homebirth midwife (even if they happen to be illegal in the state that you live in, because some midwives still practice even though it is illegal). I would get on the Mothering.com forums and ask around there. If I lived close enough to Tennessee, I might consider driving to Ina May's farm. Or maybe going to a birth center (and driving out of state if I had to).

What state do you live in? (I'm assuming it's either Alabama, Georgia, Hawaii, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kentucky, Maryland, North Carolina, South Dakota or Wyoming.) Maybe I could help you with some contacts/information.

How do you feel about trying different things to conceive either a boy or girl (positions, ovulation timing, etc)? Ethical? Or messing with destiny?  

I have no problems with with it and I don't view it as unethical. It's just an educated part of knowing how reproduction works. Totally not a big deal to me.

What would you do if you were part of a mom's group... let's say a homeschool group and you really had an issue with one of the other moms... let's she had VERY different parenting ways along with other red flags, what would you do?  
   A. Stay in the group and make nicey, nicey with her? 
   B. Tell her how much you want her to stop talking? 
   C. Leave the group and all of the other amazing people in it because you can't get past how 
   annoyed you get in her presence? 
   D. None of the above? Then what?

Also, how would you handle it if things in the group were moving towards a homeschool co-op and you didn't feel comfortable leaving your kids with said other mom? How would you go about this within a small group of homeschooling families? I look forward to your answer to this VERY hypothetical question.  :0)

I don't really like confrontation, so I think I would do Option A, and just kind of ignore it as best as I could. But as far as having to leave my kids with her, I wouldn't want to do that. So, that would be a tough situation, especially if all the other members of the co-op were okay with it. Maybe I would leave the group because of that. That's just me though, and I'm kind of a weenie in situations like that.

Dealing With It

I am still not doing very well again. In a way, moving here has been harder than when we moved into that crappy apartment in Colorado. Because, after a couple of weeks in Colorado, we were able to fall into a rhythm with life, and we were able to enjoy it.

But here, I haven't been able to find that rhythm. It has been hard not having our own space.

And it is hard explaining this to Vern because he doesn't understand. When I say, "I'm having a hard time with this," I don't want him to say, "deal with it." I want him to say, "I know," and rub my feet.

This is kind of similar to giving birth, in a way. When I am in labor, I want to be able to say, "This is hard and it sucks." And I would want Vernon to say, "I know" and rub my feet.

*sigh*

Answering Machine and Danica McKellar

We're back "home" (I'm using quote marks because I don't feel like we really have a home yet... we're still living with Vernon's brother) from our Christmas holiday. Before leaving my mother's, I left this as her new incoming message on her answering machine:

Hi. You have reached Anita's Whorehouse... where the service is so nice, you'll want to come twice. No pun intended. Just kidding. It was. Leave a message.

Remember Winnie Cooper (Danica McKellar) from The Wonder Years? Well, this is what her husband, Mike Verta, had to say about Danica giving birth naturally: “Ladies, I’m not saying you’re ‘less than’ if you walk into the delivery room and ask for an entire pharmacy of drugs and an epidural. I’m just saying watching Danica go all cave-woman and do it without a single cc of help was pretty damn cool, that’s all."

Isn't that sweet?

So This Is Christmas...

Large Christmas gatherings with family are more appealing in theory than they are in real life.

First at my mother's... where my teenage niece spent the whole time texting, I felt stressed about my kids being loud and messing up the house, and the prank gift that I do almost every year (where I'll wrap up some of my mom's underwear, give it to my brother-in-law, and sign it from my mom) wasn't really even that funny because I've done it so many times.

Then, at my in-laws... where there is one bathroom for 20 people (although that wasn't even a big deal), lots of noise, and I don't feel good because I can't seem to control myself around all of this holiday food. Ugh.

The kids really enjoy it though.

Winter Hats and a Library Book

I went to a Mom's Night Out holiday party last night where there was a White Elephant Gift Exchange. Well, as you know, we got rid of most of our earthly positions a couple of months ago, so we didn't exactly hold on to anything that was anywhere close to White Elephant material.

So I brought a roll of paper towels.

And this is what I came home with:

Two cute winter hats in exchange for a roll of paper towels... not a bad deal.

Another topic: We have a small library that we go to here. It's so small, they don't have an impersonal book drop to the side where we can inconspicuously drop an enormous amount of books. Instead, the book drop is located right underneath the reception desk. So, one or two times a week, I squat down below the reception desk and unload at least 20-25 books, knowing full well that the one or two people behind the desk are going to have to put them away at some point. I totally over-utilize the library staff, and they can see me, sitting there, doing it.

Anyway, so the other day I requested The Red Book by Carl Jung and it came in. This is what the book looked like (which must even more endear me to the library staff, right?):

Christmas 2010 - The Postcard

Here are our Christmas cards from this year. It's in postcard format. This was nice because Vista Print gave me 100 free postcards (I'm not sure why), so I only had to pay $14 for shipping. Then, I only had to pay 28 cents for a postcard stamp, so... all and all, a really good deal.

This is what the back said (click for a larger version if you want to read it):

Ask Goofy Mama

It's that time of year again... time for Goofy Mama to give back to you. So, in the comment section following this post, feel free to ask me ANY question you want, and I will answer it as honestly as I see fit. You can even post anonymously if you want.

The one thing you don't want to do is pretend to be Vernon again. Somebody did that the last time I requested questions, and Vernon didn't find it very amusing (I, however, did find it quite hilarious). But we're trying to stay on Vernon's good side here, remember?

So, go ahead, ask away. This is my Christmas gift to you.

(I will start answering sometime next week.)

Homemade Toothpaste

Here is the recipe for homemade toothpaste that Vernon made. It's really good and everybody likes it.

2 T coconut oil
3 T baking soda
Peppermint extract, to taste
Stevia, to taste

Mix together with a fork.

Flame-Resistant Pajamas and Glycerin

Two things I have learned within the past two months that I never knew/realized before:

1) Flame-resistant pajamas have chemicals in them so people shouldn't be wearing them. (I know. It's, like, DUH, right?) The idea behind flame-resistant pajamas is kind of silly to begin with. I mean, have they EVER, in the history of the world, actually SAVED anybody from getting burned in a fire? Like, if you're close enough to a fire where you're pajamas might catch on fire, you're probably screwed anyway, right?

2) Natural, fluoride-free toothpaste has glycerin in it, which coats your teeth and prevents your teeth from remineralizing. So, since hearing that, I've started just using baking soda to brush my teeth. Vern and the kids didn't like that, so he looked up a recipe for homemade toothpaste (baking soda, coconut oil, peppermint extract, and stevia) and he and the kids use that. I use that sometime too, but I actually kind of like the plain baking soda just as it is. It makes my teeth feel very refreshed. Another option would be Tooth Soap, but I haven't tried it yet (and I guess it really, actually tastes like soap).

So, what else is out there that I don't know about? What else am I not aware of?

Birthday Fun and My Swimsuit

I talked with Vernon about the future of this blog, and he has just requested that I don't talk about our sex life as much. (So, I guess I won't tell you what we did last night, wink, wink.) And as long as I keep our last names out of the posts (although you can clearly see what our last name is in the posts I posted on our Christmas cards), as long as I don't actually TYPE it, then it won't come up in a google search (like, if somebody is searching my husband's name).

Now, on to today's topics... We celebrated Vernon's birthday yesterday. I'm not very good at giving gifts. They are usually lame. I'm just not very good at it. And since Vernon's birthday is so close to Christmas, there is all this pressure to get all sorts of gifts in a short amount of time, and I fail miserably every time.

But, over the years, for all of the lame gifts I have given (this year it was some winter thing that covers his ears without messing up his hair), I have tried to make up for it with the experience of the day. I'm better at coming up with an experience than with a gift. (For example, one year we went to waterslides, went to Winnipeg another year, I threw him a surprise party for his 30th, etc.)

So, this year, I rented us a hotel room for the night (with the kids, so we could all go swimming and stuff). It was fun.

We started the day at home with birthday cake for breakfast. (I am still not totally at home in the kitchen yet, and haven't really gotten in the swing of cooking, so it was just this organic gluten-free cake mix topped with cream that we whipped up and mixed with stevia for the topping.)

Then we went to an open gym at a gymnastics place. This is picture of us in the foam pit. (I like this picture because I am nursing Peace. How many people do you think have nursed a child in the foam pit at a gymnastics place? I think I may be the only one. That makes me feel special.)

And then we went out to a Chinese buffet for lunch (because Vernon enjoys a good Chinese buffet). Which I bet makes you wonder why I try so hard to have a healthy cake when we go out and eat like this for lunch anyway. I don't know, people. I don't know.

I took this picture of Ezra there, which I like. He looks very brooding.

And here is a picture of me at the hotel swimming pool...

which I wanted to include because, seven years ago, I took this picture with Ocean... and our swimsuits are the same. Isn't that interesting? (read: pathetic)

Happy 33rd Birthday, Vernon!

I posted this video last year for Vernon's birthday. Since I haven't gotten around to making a new one this year, I'll post this again for all my new readers (and because I like to watch it).

A New Baby?

Vernon and I haven't had a discussion about the future of this blog yet, but I feel like posting again anyway.

I keep thinking about having another baby.

No, not any time soon, mind you (I'm thinking at least three or four years from now, if everything goes according to my plans)... but I do feel like I'm starting to get to know the soul of this new being already.

I know this sounds trippy, and it really is kind of hard to explain, but that about covers it, more or less.

I feel like I'm meant to have another baby, someday, and I'm starting to feel that connection already.

P.S. It feels like a boy.

Now What?

One year ago tomorrow, I started this blog with this post.

I had set a goal for myself to consistently update it for one year. (Which I have done.)

So, now what?

Vern has never been a particular fan of me having this blog. He puts up with it because he has no choice, really. Although, believe it or not, I have actually censored myself a little bit here and there, in not writing things that I knew he wouldn't want me to write about. I try to be understanding of his concerns, but I also really, really like to be honest and true. (Did you know that is what the name 'Allison' means? It means truthful.)

Vernon has always said that once he becomes a doctor and has his own practice, he would be REALLY uncomfortable with me having this blog because he wouldn't want any of his patients to stumble across some of the stuff that I post.

I have actually always been really careful NOT to use our last name in any of these posts, so that people wouldn't be able to find out that Vernon So-And-So is connected to it. So, the chances of a patient stumbling upon it are not very likely.

But still, I understand his concerns.

And the year is up. The goal has been met.

Plus, I have almost made enough money to cash in on my meager ad sales finally (I can cash in at $100... right now, I'm $5 short). So, for 365 posts, spending an average time of 15 minutes on each one... that equals out to 91 cents an hour. (But I'm only partially doing it for this lucrative income...)

So, I don't know the direction this blog will take now. I still like writing in it, and I still get a good feeling when I think  people are reading all this stuff because they are interested in what I have to say.

I will have to talk with Vernon about it and see what we come up with... together.

The Very Important Meeting

Vernon and I went to the Very Important Business Meeting yesterday (not really sure why I needed to be there, but, whatever) and we met with a guy that looked like an Italian version of Alec Baldwin who helps chiropractors open up their businesses.

Here is what we came up with:

We (a realtor that Alec Baldwin works with, actually) are now looking for office locations in and near (drumroll please)... St. Louis Park and White Bear Lake.

There it is... St. Louis Park or White Bear Lake.

I've come up with a realization: Deciding on a place to live is kind of like giving birth. When you give up control of it and let God take over, that is when things start to happen. For whatever reason, I've hung on to the confusion of finding out where we're supposed to live for far too long. It feels good just to leave it up to God now.

To let go and let God.

So, wherever we find the best office within those two locations, that's where we'll move to.

I've been praying about this for a long time. I kept praying for some big sign of certainty, so I would know for sure where it was that we should move. But I've come to realize that God doesn't always use a big voice when talking to us. God's voice is usually the quiet one, within us, that we really need to pay attention to in order to hear. (Read the book The Still Small Voice by Echo Bodine for more on this. It's a good one.) And, a lot of time, that voice comes with letting go.

I'm better now.

Vern Got Out the Knives

So, Vern unpacked our kitchen knives today. It was rather uneventful, as I'm sure most of you imagined it to be well before I did.

I was actually going to unpack the knives myself anyway. And then I was going to post on here, Look... I unpacked the knives! I'm independent and capable and I don't need anybody to take care of me. And Vern wins! See... Vern wins! I don't always have to win! (this is in reference to a comment left by an anonymous poster, possibly my mother, in my previous post about the knives. It kind of ticked me off, that comment did).

Still more news: Vernon has an important meeting tomorrow (which I am also required to attend) about some chiropractic business stuff.

Which means that we have deadline in choosing where he is going to practice.

9:00 a.m.

Tomorrow.

Wish us luck.

Where Do You Want to Live?

Vernon made this video.

The Dilemma with the Knives

I am not doing well.

Vernon and I have been fighting since we moved back.

I think that if he unpacks the knives, that will mean that he loves me. It is an unfair test that I'm putting him through (because I know that he loves me). I have even said to him, "It will show me that you care about me if you unpack the knives," which kind of removes any meaning that I'm trying to get from it in the first place... but still, I hold on to it anyway. (Plus, there is also this passive-aggressive way I've been posting about it on here that isn't doing any good either.)

And Vernon is confused by my emotions. (I'm confused by my emotions.) Vernon hasn't had a hard time with the move. I tell him, "Since you aren't having a hard time with anything, you should be able to tend to my emotional needs."

I am such a freaking girl.

He doesn't understand.

("Why is moving so stressful?" he says. "It's not. And there's no reason that you can't use these knives. Look at me. I'm using the knives.")

Oh, why do I have to be such an impossibly particular person to live with?

I keep trying to go to our room so that I can be alone, but Peace keeps following me. She senses my mood. She knows.

Graduation, Miss Content, and Santa

I have been behind on posting pictures. So here are some (which are at least a week or more beyond their relevance).

Vernon's Graduation:

The family attempting to pose for a decent picture with the graduate:

Vernon horsing around at his graduation reception the next day:

Now, on to Thanksgiving. Here is what my mom wore (which might make you want to ask, "Is your mom on drugs, Allison?"):

(Answer: Yes, she is taking blood pressure medication and something for her thyroid.)

Here is Peace posing with my sister and my niece, who also happen to have the hideously long tongue gene:

And here are the kids with Santa and Mrs. Claus:

And then this one of Peace-e-kins (because this is the benefit of giving her the name I did):

More on Moving

Moving back to Minnesota has been tougher on me than I expected. It's not Minnesota itself, of course, it's just the fact that everything in my world has changed once again and, apparently (I have learned), I have a hard time adjusting to change. But, like before, I seriously wasn't expecting it.

Like, when we moved to Colorado over three months ago, I thought it wasn't going to be a big deal. I was excited and happy about it. But it was a big deal.

Same thing with moving back. I didn't think it would be a big deal.

But it is.

I like to create my own space. I feel like I'm getting in the way (which we are, how could we not be?) living in somebody else's space (although I am eternally grateful for it and am not trying to be ungrateful AT ALL).

I like to have my own kitchen. Being in the kitchen making our food is really important to me. I think I spend more time in their than I realize. I should just find out where those darn knives are packed and take them out already. As well as my food processor. And my blender. And my whisk.

I don't like having our lives all packed up in boxes (or, more accurately, Hefty garbage bags).

Blah, blah, blah. That's it for today.

Christmas 2000 - The Board Game

Oooh... this one is another favorite of mine. The Board Game:

And this is another one that I don't have the other side saved on the computer. Maybe I'll get it scanned in some day, but not today.

That about brings an end to our Christmas Card round-up. Vern and I had one previous Christmas card together in 1999 (the first year we were married), but it was pretty lame: We put on Santa hats and took a picture and I wrote a short poem about what we did that year. Yawn.

So, that's it. Hope you enjoyed the ride.

Christmas 2001 - The Report Card

This was done during the first year that Vernon was an elementary teacher:

Again, this was the inside, and the outside isn't really on my computer anymore (and if I wasn't so lazy I'd just scan in a copy of the actual card). But it had a list of the Class Mosts, and this is how that read:

Class Clown: Vernon
Nicest Smile: Allison
Nicest Eyes: Vernon
Class Flirt: Vernon
Most Athletic: Vernon
Biggest Giggler: Allison
Best Cook: Allison
Most Fashionable: Vernon
Best Body: Vernon
Most School Spirit: Vernon
Hairiest Nose: Vernon
Nicest Butt: Vernon
Class Brain: Allison
Most Forgetful: Vernon
Biggest Blusher: Allison
Pickiest Eater: Vernon
Best Dressed: Vernon
Worst Driver: Vernon

What I'm Thinking...

Okay. So, here's what I'm thinking...

Downtown Hopkins is adorably quaint and charming, although the city itself didn't scream, "This is it!" I was actually left wondering why I wanted a cute little downtown so badly because I don't even shop that much in the first place. I think I just liked the idea of it.

So, then I started thinking about what WAS really important, and this is what I came up with:

1. Proximity to my community in Minneapolis. Like my friend Laura said, YOU DO NOT WANT TO FEEL ISOLATED! (And I think that what I was hoping to find in the community/town that I would live in I have already found within my mothering community.)
2. A successful location for Vern's chiropractic office.
3. A good library (that we could walk to).
4. Good food sources available.

But Hopkins was nice, and I think it is actually one of the frontrunners. Northfield seems too far away to be relevant any more given the reasons that we moved back. (Haven't been to Hastings or Rosemount yet.)

The other frontrunner is probably Moorhead. Because, not only does it have a perverted-sounding name, but it is:

1. Close to my mother.
2. Has a good library. 
3. Jake and Mikala will probably be living here.
4. Lower cost of living.

My Minneapolis friends were telling me that we should live wherever we think Vern's business will be most successful... and, honestly, I think that place would be Moorhead. (Although I do feel quite certain that he will be successful wherever he is...)

So, there we sit. Trying to balance all of those things out in determining where we should be.

Let the quest continue...

Christmas 2002 - The Crossword Puzzle

This one is kind of boring. Here's the front (part of it is upside down because that's how it got folded):

And then here is the inside. Boring.

Where in the World is Goofy Mama?

Over the last couple of weeks, we went from Moab, Utah, to Colorado, to Minneapolis, Minnesota, and now I'm in Moorhead, Minnesota (which is basically Fargo, ND, for those of you not in the know).

The kids and I rode back up here with my mom after Vern's graduation weekend so that, 1) We could give Vernon some time alone to work on his business plan, and 2) To check out the Moorhead area and figure out if we want to live here. Well, neither of those things really happened.

Vernon basically just rested the two days we were away from him because he wasn't feeling well, and now he might be coming up today (instead of on Thanksgiving) to avoid the snow and icy road conditions that are apparently on the way. And we really haven't gotten around much to check out Moorhead because, 1) My kids weren't feeling that great, and 2) The roads are icy.

So, there you have it.

Oh, and my mom doesn't have internet access so I have to update from the local library (which is pretty nice, by the way).

Christmas 2003 - The Comic Strip

This was a fun one... The Comic Strip. Probably my second favorite (behind the DVD cover). I did all of this in Photoshop, even wrote the not-really-that-funny jokes myself (click on the thing to see it better).

This was the inside of the thing. I don't have on my computer what the outside was.

Christmas 2004 - The Magazine

This year, we did a magazine format. It's printed in black and white (because that is MUCH cheaper than color) on an 8-1/2 x 11 paper. Click on the image to see the larger version of it.

And here was the picture that we included with it:

Christmas 2005 - The Storybook

This one is kind of hard to describe. Basically, it does comes together to form a story book, but it needs to be set up like this (where page 1 is going to be on the same spread as page 16, page 2 with 15, etc):

And they also need to correspond with these pages, which are to be printed on the back of the 8-1/2"x11" piece of paper that you're using (again, in black and white, because it's cheaper):

Which then get cut out and stapled together to form a book. Got it?

And here is the picture we included with it, just for poops and giggles:

The Move Back to Minnesota

So, we moved to Colorado three months ago, right? And I had a hard time adjusting, because everything was new, we sold all of our stuff, etc., right?

Well, even though we are back in Minnesota, I am having a hard time adjusting to a move once again. Everything is new, I'm driving down different roads, we're living with Vern's brother, etc. (Which, by the way, I cannot believe that Vern's brother has taken us in... Here we are, a family of five, unloading ourselves on the once quiet life of this single guy and his dog. What the hell was he thinking?)

I was cutting carrots the other day, using one of Vince's sub-par knives, and I asked Vernon to unpack our knives so I could use our good ones... the ones that I am used to. But Vernon wouldn't get them because he said we didn't need another set of knives out in the kitchen, and he told me that if I wanted them I could go get them myself.

But I don't want to go get them because Vernon packed them, I don't know where they are, and it's just the principle of it all (kind of like that episode of Everybody Loves Raymond where that piece of luggage sits on the landing for over a month because neither of them think they should be the one to put it away). But it really is the principle. The principle that these knives bring me a sense of familiarity, a sense of *home*, if you will... and he doesn't recognize that and, therefore, doesn't get them for me.

So, meanwhile, I continue to cut carrots like I'm Gary Busey circa 1999 and they turn out horrible.

And you would think the no-sex thing would make Vern want to get our own place more sooner than later... but, no. It doesn't.

But... on a positive note, there was a welcome back brunch for me and it was seriously one of the best things ever. Because, get this... my friends got a GRILLED CHICKEN AND BACON STUFFED PIZZA FROM PAPA MURPHY'S in honor of my return! Isn't that the best? You can't really ask for better friends than that. You really can't.

Christmas 2006 - DVD Cover

This one is my personal favorite... a DVD cover. Just designed the thing in Photoshop and printed it out as a 5x7.

Then, I did the back in Quark XPress and taped it to the photo. (Be sure to click on this one to see the larger version of it because I put a lot of thought into all that stuff in small type.)

Christmas 2007 - Baseball Cards

Ah, yes... 2007. The year we did baseball cards (which was actually Vern's idea, my hard work). I took pictures of all of us in our more-than-lame-baseball gear. Designed them in Photoshop. I had the pictures set up to be 2.5"x3.5" (wallet size), so that I could fit four on a 5"x7" size photo. Then, I had them printed and just cut them apart.

For our stats on the back, I just printed them, cut them out, and taped them to the back (again, click on them individually if you want to see a larger version... if you need help reading the small print or anything like that):

And then I stuck a piece of gum in the envelope when I mailed them... you know, like in a pack of baseball cards.

Christmas 2008 - Facebook

This was the year that I set it up to look like a facebook page. I designed it in QuarkXpress and printed it out in black and white (because black and white is WAY cheaper) on 8-1/2"x11" paper. 

We also included this picture with it (just for the heck of it):

Christmas 2009 - The Simpsons

So, I did end up coming up with an idea for our Christmas cards last year. I Simpsonized us. I created different Simpsons avatars for each of us, then pasted them (along with the background of The Simpsons set) together in Photoshop. Then, I had 5x7 photos printed of it.

(Click on either of the images to see a larger version of it.)

And then on the back, I just printed out the following text and taped it to the back of the photograph:

Our Life, In Boxes

Our life is getting piled into boxes again (or, more accurately, Hefty garbage bags). We're moving back to Minnesota tomorrow. It's a 13-1/2 hour drive to Vernon's brother's house (let's just call him "Vince", since that is his name), and we'll be driving straight through.

So, I'm feeling a bit reflective today. I'm thinking about the feeling that one gets when literally closing the door on one life and driving up to the next. It's interesting.

Vernon is using the word "Hoff" in everything this morning. (He briefly caught a glimpse of America's Got Talent over a year ago where David Hasselhoff was saying it, and he has, for some reason, resurrected it today.) Here is what he's saying: "It's Hoff-tacular." "That's Hoff-some." "Say 'Hoff' kids!" And then just some random chanting of "Hoff! Hoff! Hoff! Hoff!"

It's Hoff-ful.

Anyway, so this is it. We'll be packing up the computer later today, so I'll report again (from Minnesota) on Thursday. (I'll set something to run automatically tomorrow, probably one of the Christmas Card things.)

I'll leave you with this picture from Colorado to remember us by (it's my mom):

Christmas Card Ideas

Let me start this Christmas card thing with this video I made (for facebook) last year:

Pancakes, Pancakes!

We have a tradition. For the first snow of the year, we go out to eat pancakes (5%! 5%! Although, by the way we've been out and about lately, it's more like 10%.) Sometimes (like this year) it's hard to get out for pancakes on the exact day of the first snowfall due to scheduling conflicts (i.e. Vern has to work). So, we give ourselves a week or so to get it in.

When we lived in Minnesota, we always went to this restaurant called Al's Breakfast in Minneapolis for the first snow. Al's Breakfast is probably, quite literally, the tiniest restaurant in the entire world. You cram in with a bunch of other people and wait to get seated on one of the 15 (or so) stools by the counter. And there is always a line. But it is so extremely awesome. Their blueberry walnut pancakes are the absolute best things in the entire world.

Since we're living outside of Denver this year, I googled "Best Pancakes in Denver" and came up with a restaurant called Toast. They have a wide selection of intriguing specialty pancakes.

Vernon and Ocean each got the Strawberry Banana Cheesecake Pancakes:

I opted for the Carrot Cake Pancakes:

And Ezra got the Lemon Blueberry Pancakes (and didn't wait for me to get a picture taken before he started smearing his whipped cream around):

And these all look well and good, but they were definitely no match for the Blueberry Walnut Pancakes (Wally Blues) from Al's Breakfast.

By a long shot.

And that's not really saying anything against the pancakes at Toast, it's just saying that the ones at Al's Breakfast are far superior to anything and are, therefore, really, really hard to compete with.