October Snowstorm

As we celebrate our second October as residents of Monument, I have become one of the people who readily accepts that there will be at least one snowstorm in the month of October, and it will be really cold on Halloween.

It snowed a couple of weeks ago, a full-blown snowstorm, snowing all night Saturday night and all day Sunday. Doug and Frank shoveled the driveway and the front walk, and then Monday morning at 5:00am I heard the snowplows come through and the sidewalk crews taking care of anyone's walk that hadn't already melted or been shoveled. And by the following Thursday it was a balmy 75 degrees, sunny and beautiful.

I like the October snowstorm. It reminds me of everything I still need to do to get ready for winter, and then I have several more weeks to actually get it all done. Summer clothes are put away, winter clothes are washed or dry cleaned. Winter coats, gloves and mittens, hats and scarves are bins in the garage and everyone has tried on winter boots to make sure they still fit.

This year our winter is made more complicated with the addition of Ballou to our family. He isn't quite a house dog, although someday soon we hope he calms down enough to be. In the meantime, I've started thinking about having boots and a jacket by the front door so those potty outings are a little easier on me. Doug has also completely rehabbed our garage. Bikes hang from the ceiling, snowboards and sleds are now within reach. Outside toys are in bins and Ballou's got a new doghouse complete with a great sheepskin and wool blanket to lay on.

I have a freezer now, one of the things I got from my mother's house. It is the only way I would have ever gotten a freezer, because had I told Doug I wanted one he would've given me one of those "you've lost your marbles" looks. Said freezer is now full, our trip to Sam's Club today made it so. Doug didn't do any complaining as I filled our shopping cart with freezables. Perhaps his mouth was watering with all of the pre-made dinners I merely have to thaw and heat and dinner will be on the table.

We eat at home almost seven nights a week. Occasionally there will be an exception, or a run to Subway on the way home from the art market, but mostly I make dinner and we eat as a family at home. I think we're all healthier for it and we certainly spend far less money than we did when we lived in California and had every type of restaurant we could imagine within a two mile radius. The freezer makes this much, much easier for me to handle, the eating at home every night part. And I think in general anything that reduces my overall stress level makes Doug happier.

The art market is almost entirely online at this point. For anyone who doesn't receive my emails, click here and you can sign up for them. Otherwise, click here and see what we have to offer. I'm working on adding the hundreds of Christmas decorations and will add twenty or so every day, so check in and see what great stuff we have!

Today is another 75 degree, sunny beautiful day, more like California than Colorado in late fall. Tomorrow will be a different story as temperatures drop to low fifties. That's okay, we're ready for whatever comes our way.

Beckett Dreams of Sushi

Yesterday Beckett was sick, some kind of stomach flu. He slept most of the day off and on and stayed on the couch until almost 5pm. By then, he was up and ready to eat. I started things slow, but he was starving and can always get Daddy to give him a pb&j sandwich. He held his own just fine and was his usual high-energy bundle of joy.

He must've been hungry in the middle of the night because I woke up this morning and there on the coffee table were the remains of the Whole Foods sushi pack I picked up on Friday. He polished off most of the salmon (both boys really prefer sashimi, so the rice is often left uneaten).

Today he woke up and wanted a haircut. Right away, before breakfast. Go figure.