Oh What a Decade!

It's almost the beginning of the new decade. This morning I got to thinking about everything I did over the past 10 years. Once I got to thinking about it, I realized my entire life changed in a decade. Who would have thunk that!

Here's the breakdown:

Graduated from college!

Moved a total of 9 times.

Changed my name - for a good reason!

Met my husband.

Married my husband.

Adopted our dog, Holly.

Started a family.

Changed jobs 5 times

Changed careers 1 time

Went up a shoe size

Traveled to Seattle, Las Vegas, Jamaica, Nashville, St. Louis, NYC and everywhere in between.

I'd say that all in all I've led a very charmed life. I hope the next 10 years are even more life changing and exciting!

Happy New Year!

A Christmas for the Record Books

It started out as any other Christmas holiday. Gifts bought/wrapped, decorations up, food in the pantry, schedules of where to be, in-laws coming from Texas. You know, the usual.

Ahh...but this wasn't just any Christmas.

Noooooo....this year we had a blizzard.

They had been warning us all week, but we all know the Will Rogers quote, "If you don't like the weather in Oklahoma, just wait 24 hours." So we all thought, "Whatever. A sprinkling of snow would be nice." Well, how about 14 inches? It's the most snow the state has ever had and add to that 50 mph winds!

Needless to say, the state shutdown. Family gatherings were cancelled and we were indoors for the day/night. Good thing my mother-in-law is like a boy scout. She's always prepared! We had delicious Norwegian meatballs and lefse. After our feast we opened gifts and enjoyed each others company.

Here are some pictures of our time celebrating.

The snow in our backyard. Holly decided to venture out to "take care of business."

Clay and Terry got a great fire going in the fireplace. It kept the entire house toasty warm!

Family picture time!

Clay's folks, Terry and Cheryl.

Courtney opening presents. She's one of those careful unwrappers. We'll have to work on this!

Courtney got a wagon from Mimi and Papa. She loved it!

Courtney's Grammie Nelson (Clay's grandma) sent her a keyboard complete with microphone. She was rockin' out! American Idol here she comes!

Courtney must have been REALLY good this year. Santa brought her a slide! We spent most of the morning sliding down. Well, she did. There is a weight limit, you know! You'll have to excuse her "Nick Nolte" hair. It has a mind of its own!

We had a wonderful holiday despite being indoors. Terry did brave the roads to go pick up my middle sister, Tiffany. She was home alone and I wanted her with us. Thank you, Terry! It made my holiday very sweet!

Today is the day after Christmas. We've tidied up the house, took long naps and watched a lot of Dora. When I came into the living room after cleaning, this is what I found. Can you say Christmas crash?

Hope everyone out there had a very Merry Christmas!

Is That Leftover Ham In Your Fridge or Are You Just Happy to See Me?

We cooked a ham for Christmas Day and we have a ton leftover. So what is a girl to do with all that ham before it goes bad? Make soup, of course! Here is a recipe I stumbled upon while looking online.

Cheddar Ham Soup

2 cups diced peeled potatoes
2 cups water
1/2 cup sliced carrot
1/4 cup chopped onion
1/4 cup butter, cubed
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
2 cups milk (I use fat free milk)
1/4 to 1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
2 cups (8 ounces) shredded cheddar cheese
1-1/2 cups cubed fully cooked ham
1 cup frozen peas, thawed ( I leave these out)

In a large saucepan, combine the potatoes, water, carrot and onion. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and cook for 10-15 minutes or until tender. Meanwhile, in another saucepan, melt butter. Stir in flour until smooth. Gradually add the milk, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil; cook and stir for 2 minutes or until thickened. Stir in cheese until melted. Stir into undrained potato mixture. Add ham and peas; heat through. Yield: 5 servings.

It was delicious! We didn't have any frozen (or canned) peas in the house. We did have a tiny can of lima beans. (Yes, we eat them!) I added that to the soup and it was really good. If you wanted to add broccoli or green beans, I'm sure that would work too!

ENJOY!

Cruising the Mall at Christmas

It's official! We're on Christmas break here in the Harstad house. Better yet, my new USB flash drive came in today. YIPPEE!

This morning I dressed Courtney in one of her holiday dresses and we headed to a nearby mall. No, it wasn't to get a picture with Santa. She likes him from far away, but doesn't want to sit on his lap just yet. This mall is very tiny and doesn't have many stores in it. Plus all the stores close early. I call it the mall for the Ladies Who Lunch.

During the holidays, the mall does have Santa there and that's all fine and dandy. However, they have Christmas trees throughout the mall and other decorations. It's just beautiful! So this year I took full advantage of the free backdrops and snapped away. Thanks to my mom who came to be my wrangler/assistant!

And away we go!

Where's Santa?

I promise I've been good!

Being shy....

Touching the "snow."

She REALLY wanted to eat the "candy."

Sitting in Santa's Sleigh!

Here's wishing all of you a magical holiday season!

No Worries!

We're still alive and kickin' over here. I've been a tad busy with teaching 21 angels, running a house and chasing a 22 month-old. Goodness has she found the energy lately!

The downside is that my USB memory card flash drive (I'm sure there's a more technical term for it, but that's what I call it.) decided to go out on me. So downloading any pictures to my computer is out of the question right now. I've got a new one on order and hopefully will be able to download pictures soon.

Here's a list of things we've done for the last month and a half.

1. We went to Georgetown, TX for Thanksgiving. We had a grand time with Clay's family despite our 10 hour drive from hell. Let's just say that we splurged on a portable DVD player for the car and a Wow Wow Wubbzy DVD and we were all smiles the way home.

2. Courtney loves Christmas. She loves to point out Santa and Frosty ornaments on the tree to us. She also loves Christmas lights. On the way to school, I'll point out all the lights that are still on and she likes to tell me what color they are.

3. While I'm talking about Courtney - She's counting up a storm. This morning on the way to school we practiced our counting and holding up fingers. She surprised me by saying, "FIVE!" right after we said four. Then tonight she shocked Clay by saying six after five.

4. I took Courtney to have breakfast with Santa my friend Melissa's church. Melissa's little girl, Katie Beth, is Courtney's friend from the summer. They were born 24 hours apart. Anywho.....we went there dressed in our finest and walked in all smiles. I noticed that Katie Beth was taking her picture with Santa and wasn't crying. I thought this was wonderful. If Courtney saw her friend not crying, she wouldn't either. We stood in the back and I pointed out Santa and Courtney pointed at him too. Then it was our turn. I'll cut the story short right here. Whining, crying and terror ensued. We snapped the picture and it's a keeper!

5. This is my last week of school before a glorious two week break!

6. We're gearing up for Clay's parents to come celebrate Christmas with us! Let's hear it for a good ol' fashioned Norwegian Christmas!

That's pretty much what we've been up to in a nutshell. Hopefully, my new flash drive and computer will cooperate and I'll be up and running soon with posting new pictures.

Halloween Week!

Last week was a busy on in our household. We stretched out celebrating Halloween with a week of activities. Okay, not really a week. More like 2 nights, but with a little one that can feel like a week. Wouldn't you agree?

Tuesday night we headed to Lake Arcadia with our friend's Melissa, Brian and Katie Beth. For the past few years they've held a deal called Storybook Forest. It's geared towards the little ones to have a fun Halloween without being frightened. Parents walk their children along a wooded path where the stop to hear nursery rhymes and trick or treat. It's such a great idea!

Here we are making a stop by the Old Woman That Lived in a Shoe's house.

Courtney and Katie Beth taking a peek inside the Three Little Pigs house of bricks.

Peter, Peter Pumpkin Eater!

One of my new favorites of my two favorite people!

We had a great time with our friend's that night. It gave the girls a chance to work on their trick-or-treating skills!

Last night we had a houseful of people to help celebrate Halloween! Clay's mom drove up from Georgetown, TX, my parents, sisters, nephews, niece and two of my friends and their kiddos came over too. We made a big pot of soup, threw on the kid's costumes and snapped some pictures. Well, at least we tried. Okay, here's the deal. My friend, Meredith, made this fantastic mushroom costume for Courtney. Her little boy, Trey, was going to be a gnome so we needed a mushroom to coordinate and I volunteered Courtney to be the fungus. It was a riot! Too bad Courtney thought otherwise.

Here she is with Trey "The Gnome".

She took a little break in her crying fit to at least pose with her dear ol'Mom who was torturing her by making her wear this adorable costume! Thank you Mer, for having this kind of talent! I wish I had half of her talent.

We took the mushroom cap off once we headed out to trick-or-treat. She was fine after that. It was then that I realized that we were in such a hurry that I forgot to put any shoes on her. Thankfully, it was a mild evening and she did have socks on her feet! Strike one for Mommy!

After going door to door for two blocks, we headed back home. The kids were so cute once we got there. They were all so quiet and loved playing together.

Here are some pics earlier that day. My sister, Brooke, dropped off their wagon so we took Courtney for a ride. She loved it! Notice she was decked out in her OSU outfit (courtesy of her Mimi). Too bad OSU decided not to show up at the game and actually win! But that's another blog. Back to cuteness:

Here she is with her best pal, Holly!

Hope you all had nothing but treats on Halloween! Now onto the rest of the holidays!

Greek Pumpkins

Okay, so there really isn't such a thing as a Greek pumpkin.  It was just to grab your attention. No need to go look it up on Wikipedia.  

This past Saturday was very eventful in our house.  We all woke up early to check out the local Farmer's Market. It wasn't nearly as busy as it is during the Summer months, but we didn't mind.  Courtney enjoyed people watching and helping her mom find a good bargain.  What she REALLY enjoyed was checking out the cute puppy.  Luckily, it wasn't for sale. Otherwise, Holly would have a playmate and I would have to be committed for taking on another living thing in this house!

What we did take home was two painted pumpkins. They were marked down (I love a good bargain!) and Courtney loved helping pick them out.  As soon as we got home, we put them in the flower bed.  First she had to give her new pumpkin friend a kiss.

Then it was off to find the perfect spot in the flower bed.

Here's my attempt to snap a picture of Courtney with our  OSU pumpkin. Sadly, the airplane flying above trumped me!

After a few hours of resting, we headed off to the annual Greek festival.  It's been a tradition in this area for  years now.  Nothing like Greek food, music and dancing.  It's put on by the Greek Orthodox church nearby and it's a big deal.  Once again Courtney loved the people watching on and off stage.

Courtney really got into all the "OPAs!" shouted every few minutes.

Enjoying the dancers and the honey puffs!

After all the festivities, we crashed for the rest of the weekend and were hermits inside our house.  Tomorrow it's off to the Storybook Forest with Courtney's friend, Katie Beth, and her family.  I see some cute pictures in our future!

It's the Great Pumpkin, Courtney!

Today, Courtney and I headed out to the Parkhurst Pumpkin Patch out near Lake Arcadia. This is an area just east of where we live and takes maybe 20 minutes to get there. It's a beautiful drive and it feels like you've been in another state.  My best friend, Meredith, and her little boy Trey came with us. Courtney's Nana called and tagged along too.

The pumpkin patch was wonderful!  There is a petting zoo, hayride, corn maize, hay fort, tire swings, plenty of running space and picnic tables to stop and take a break. Courtney was a little hesitant and wanted nothing to do with any of the animals.  As she walked past the pigs, we got a "stinky, stinky".  We call this "Cautious Courtney" in our house!  Here are some pics of our time out in the country.

Courtney and me at the patch.

She loved pushing the swing. Didn't like sitting in it, but pushing it was fun!

Stopping to smell the flowers.

She took her time picking out just the right pumpkin.

Trying to decide on the best one.

This week was school picture day at Courtney's school. We worked with her a couple of days that when the photographer says, "Cheese!" that she shows her teeth.  The morning of her pictures, we got her dressed all cute and kept practicing. This is what she did for us.

We'll soon see if our trick worked!

We're Falling!

Yeah, yeah, yeah....so I haven't blogged lately. I know it's a lame excuse, but I have actually been busy.  School is taking up a lot of time. Chasing after 22 third graders isn't easy!  We made it through our first round of conferences and next week is our Fall break. 

On the home front, we're in the beginning of football season. Clay's in heaven!  Fortunately, we some family friends, the Goode's,  here in town that we can spend our game day's with.  We're also lucky that they have a 1 year old too!  The girls play so well together which is fun to watch.  Here are some pics of the daddy's and their daughter's on game day!

The Oklahoma Fair was here just recently. Clay has never been and I haven't been since high school. We decided to venture on out and people watch. Needless to say, not much has changed. Mullets, turkey legs, smelly trash and people everywhere.  We made it over to the barns so Courtney could see the animals. She got to see goats, Clydesdale horses and, of course, cows.  She loved seeing them up close! Actually, she just loved running around the barn!

We found this sign just outside the barn.  I'm giving it the title "Free?!"

Aside from all the fun we've been having, we've had success with the potty. We're not pushing it, but every night Courtney sits on there. Sometimes we luck out, other times we don't. No biggie!  Here she is the first time she actually did do something!  She's so proud. Or maybe, just maybe, she was laughing at her parents both doing "The Potty Dance" on the other side of the camera. Hmmm....

We hope all of you are enjoying the beginnings of Fall!

Toilet Talk

Me:  Hey! You!  Come here.

Kid: ?????? (adjusts his pants)

Me: In the red shirt! GET OVER HERE!

Kid: ????  (Then starts to walk slowly  to me)

Me: What are you doing?

Kid: Nothing.

Me: Then why were you adjusting your pants? And before that you were facing the fence.

Kid: I had to go to the bathroom.

Me: There are lots of toilets in the building.  This. Outside. (waving my arms around) On the playground. Is not a toilet.

Kid: ????

Gosh, I love a good bathroom story this early in the year!

Game On and a Visit From Mimi and Papa

What a great Labor Day weekend!  We rung in the beginning of football season (or as I call it: Single Mom Season) with wins for both our alma maters.  Texas Tech beat North Dakota. Who knew that state had a university?! OSU beat UGA with a nationally televised win.  Courtney sported her OSU cheerleader outfit for the first time.  She looks pretty comfortable in orange and black. What do you think?

In other news, Courtney's Mimi and Papa came up from Austin for a visit. We had a great time shopping, talking, dining out and learning how to play Farkle. Clay and I are now Farkle addicts. Is there a support group out there for that?

Here's Courtney and Mim coloring.

Courtney hanging out with Papa.

The threesome!

We had a great time celebrating the last days of summer!