KristinHorgan

Spirit Week

It was spirit week at school this week.  Monday was Crazy Hair Day.  I think Eva looked like little Cindy Loo from The Grinch!  But I am thinking myself "supermom" today for coming up with Elsa's costume for "Hero Day".  We had talked about some different outfits but we really didn't have anything on hand for the ideas we were coming up with - ie Little House on the Prairie and American Girl themes.   Then I remembered our Different Like Coco book by Elizabeth Matthews.  So Elsa went today as Coco Chanel!  Complete with scissors on a strand of pearls.  (Which they will probably take away from her, saying they are a weapon - I sent her with plastic scissors in case she has to swap them out.)  Plus I had the coolest crushed velvet hat for her to wear with it.  The only thing missing was a beribboned cardigan sweater. 

Eva's scrap on her face is a Light Saber injury from over the weekend!

Inauguration Day 2009 and 1981

Our family was very lucky to be living in the Washington DC area in 1981.  One of our neighbors who I babysat for worked for a Senator, and they gave us tickets to Ronald Regan's Inauguration.  I remember it being colder -but looking at the photos last night I realized it wasn't as cold as I thought it was!  I was a little shocked to see my natural hair color!  I remember being blonder!  I was 12 years old in January of 1981. An interesting note about that Inauguration, was that the minister who swore in President Regan, happened to be the minister that married my parents in Santa Monica in 1965!

I will always remember this day in 1981 and today!  Elsa says they are going to be watching the Inauguration today in class - I'm sure she will remember today as well. I'm hoping the speech about sacrifice and duty will inspire her.  I haven't paid much attention to Inaugurations in recent years as I wasn't too fond of the man elected.  But today is different.  I only hope that President Obama can live up to the expectations. 

We so rarely have an event of this magnitude in the US.  You might argue that we do, every four years, but today is different.  I came home last night and Will was watching "The Queen" on Bravo.  It was halfway through the movie at the point where they were showing news clips of Diana and Charles' wedding in August of 1981.  Seeing the news clips during the movie reminded me of that event as well.  I remember getting up early to watch the wedding.  That was such a HUGE event.  This morning watching all the hullablo it made me think of how HUGE today is and that we just don't have events like this in the US that are big enough to compare to something like THE royal wedding back in 1981.  Maybe today is as big as that was. 

MOM & Me 1981 Ronald Reagan's Inauguration.  (Dad took the photo - Scott was there but didn't make it into any good photos!)  

Okay - Obama is walking out to give his speech and I'm already tearing up.  Better go grab Eva and make her watch it.  Maybe she will remember. 

Productive Sunday

First off, I must say that Jordin Sparks certainly knows how to sing the national anthem!  She just sang at the Cardinals - Eagles game.  Didn't she sing at the Superbowl last year?  Well anyway - she did a really nice job.  One of my favorite versions I've heard of the Star Spangled Banner! 

While there has been record cold in the midwest we have had unseasonably warm weather.  The girls decided to have picnic this afternoon!

Eva, Elsa, and Gracie.  (Elsa and Gracie are wearing Crocs and Eva is just wearing a dress - although she did come in a few minutes ago to get some leggings!)  Temp.  35.6 degrees in the shade.

This shot is for my parents.  Yes that is Will FINALLY doing the trim on the window in our great room - only 8.5 years after we built the house!

Sunday morning hunting

Will and Nute went hunting yesterday morning with Ozzy and Lucy yesterday morn and Nute took these great pictures!  This was Lucy's first time hunting.

Opposites

Eva's thought provoking question of the day?  "Mom, what is the opposite of IN BETWEEN?"

Where does a 5 year old come up with a question like that?  She didn't like my answer - OUTSIDE.

I put a piece of paper IN BETWEEN the pages of a book and then put it OUTSIDE the book.  She said that "no, INSIDE is the opposite of OUTSIDE so OUTSIDE can't be the opposite of IN BETWEEN."

hmmm

Gingerbread Deathstar

It looked like Christmas circa 1978 around here for a while on Christmas Day.  Little House on the Prairie books flanked by Star Wars figurines and Lego sets.  At one point I looked up from my book to see Darth Vader holding court at the Gingerbread House.  It was pretty funny!

On Christmas Eve we all opened one gift.  There was NO WAY I WAS GOING TO WAIT ONE MORE MINUTE to get Breaking Dawn!!!!!!!!  As I've been completely obsessed with the Twilight series the last two weeks it was making me crazy to wait for the final (?) book in the series!  So here are the girls with the Twas the Night Before Christmas traditional reading.  I did put down my book for a few minutes to listen.  (I stayed up till 1:30 on Christmas night reading, then read all day yesterday and finished it last night.  Not bad for a 700 plus page book!)  Will is SICK of me talking about it!

Here are the girls with their Santa gifts!  Elsa got a PINK camera that takes movies too.  She's made some very nice Star Wars flying action films in the last 24 hours - good camera work.  Her future is in Hollywood, either in front of or behind the camera!  Eva got the American Girl Doll Felicity (Elsa has Felicity's best friend Elizabeth).

 

Mom, Mom, come quick - it's snowing in the house!

The girls were VERY excited to show me the snow blowing in through the laundry room door this morning!  The cat has long since torn off some of the weather striping, it was replaced (poorly) by Will a few years back but it's gone again.  So the snow was blowing in and leaving a little pile this morn.

The snow started about 5:50 this morning and the temperature dropped quickly - a few degrees every few minutes.  Not only is it blowing into the South facing laundry room - it's sticking to my screen in my office, facing North! I have to get the plastic on my office windows today - it's going to drop to 20 below or so.  Although I must say, it's not as cold in here as it usually is.  Will put bags of soil that didn't make it into the garden on the ground right outside my office wall and it's making a big difference.

Will and the girls headed out to Bridger Bowl at 8 this morn to ski.  They opened yesterday or the day before I think.  It's going to be a zoo up there!  8 degrees mid mountain according to the website at 7am.  My guess is that they will have over a foot of snow by the end of the day.  It's blizzard like out there right now. They will probably only be gone half the day.

So I'm here getting ready to clean my office (as always right), wrap presents, work on the christmas cards, make two necklaces for gifts, sorting January Kits, etc.  I'm listening to Christmas with Frank and Bing right now and I have on ABC Family in the background on the tube so I can watch the Christmas Classics all day while I work.  Right now it's that stupid Pinocchio one, so that's why I have the boys singing to me instead.

I finished Twlight last night, so at least I won't be distracted by the book.  LOVED IT!  I think I must go see the movie now. 

I finished Nora's stocking last weekend and BJ said it arrived yesterday - Yeah! 

As usual I left it to the last minute.  I'm waiting for the yarn to come in so I can make Justin's.

I took Lucy to the vet yesterday and she got her rabies shot.  She's gained 9lbs since her last visit, almost doubled.  She is doing great.  I'm sure the grandparents want kid picutres, but here is Lucy instead...

Lucy Day Two

Reason #1 to have a dog, it gets you outside when you might not otherwise venture out!  The sun rising over the mountains this morning, in the crisp 22 degrees was stunning.  The grass looked like it had been sprinkled with glitter, all in all a nice time to be outside. 

How about this paw print?  It was left when I swept off the deck this morning.
 

Introducing...LUCY

Here is the newest member of our family, Lucy.  She is a black lab and is between 7 and 10 weeks old.  (I'm going to pin down the exact date today)  She slept all night long in her crate and got us up at 5:15. This is my first dog.  I have never owned a dog.  You should have seen the faces of several people I discussed this with recently.  They were horrified I had never owned a dog!

First contact...

D-Cat's last moments as the sole guardian of the homestead.

Election Day in Gallatin Gateway

Will voted via absentee, but I LIKE going to the polls and casting my ballot in the little booth.  I waited about 10 minutes to vote.  I would have had no wait at all had I not socialized as soon as walked in!  That's another reason I like going in to vote.  The community feeling you get seeing your neighbors and community members. Plus I like getting my "I Voted" sticker and wearing it proudly all day long.  We have about 900 registered voters here in Gallatin Gateway. 

So here are some shots of where I voted and the drive home afterwards.   I actually met a friend at the polls and then we headed out for coffee and some quick shopping!