Where Does One Begin?

As I sat down to *gasp* blog tonight, all I could think of was:

1) I don't even know where to start.

2) See above.

So I suppose I shall cut myself some slack and use the ever-faithful, ever effective LIST.

I love lists.

I mean, really really love lists.

Like, I can't live without them.

As in, I panic when I don't have paper and a pen nearby. Yes, I know I have an iPhone, and I can makes myriads of lists on that glorious device, but for me, there is nothing as effective as physically writing out a list.

Besides, I have pretty fantastic handwriting. (Did I actually write that?)

So let's commence with the list-making already, shall we? (I shall try to ignore my sudden fierce craving for popcorn)

Item #1:

We spent Christmas in beautiful, breathtaking, and totally rad Colorado this year.

This is the view from my sister-in-law's patio. It drove me crazy that no matter how nice of a picture I took, it didn't even come close to doing the real thing any justice whatsoever. My sister-in-law and her husband (both totally lovely people) moved out to the Denver area last year, and they are really enjoying it. I. LOVED. Denver. My MIL and FIL also drove out to join in on the festivities, and I had the privilege of spending a girl's day out with my sister-in-law and mother-in-law in downtown Denver. It was such a cool city!! We had a delicious lunch at a wonderful cafe (linguini with broccoli rabe, toasted pine nuts, prosciutto, basil pesto, and goat cheese; anyone??)...

Enjoyed a stroll down Larimer street...

There was an actual MILLINER on this street. How incredibly endearing is that? Not that I'm a big hat person (I'm pretty sure I just might have the world's smallest head), but just the fact that it was there pretty much charmed my socks off. And then...

We saw a play at one of the playhouses in the Denver Performing Arts Center! The PAC was an amazing venue. It reminded me of an old-fashioned train terminal; almost European.

Love.

I haven't had this happen to me very often, but Denver was definitely one of those places that I visited and thought,"You know what, I could totally live here." It's true. I loved it that much. And the people were so nice! I even witnessed a man WHISTLING a happy little tune as he crossed the street. People were....HAPPY. And so, despite that fact that our poor David ended up in the emergency room on Christmas Eve due to an allergic reaction AND walking pneumonia (it's ALWAYS an adventure with that one), and both he and Steve had to spend the remainder of the vacation in a hotel due to the increasing severity of David's cat allergies (we made the best of it and brought presents and Christmas dinner to the hotel), we loved Colorado and enjoyed the time spent with family as best as we could. The drive was totally fine- I really do think the kids are becoming seasoned travelers. Now if we just avoid health catastrophes once we get to our destination, then we'd really be in business. In other news, I slept through most of Nebraska, and was pleasantly surprised with Iowa (I know!!). I experienced the best customer service EVER at a Subway restaurant in Urbandale, IA. Besides the fact that there were 20 people in front me and the line took only about 5 minutes, the employee at the front of the sandwich assembly line TIPPED HIS HAT AT ME AND CALLED ME MA'AM. Combine that with great roads, incredibly clean rest areas...Iowa; you're all right. ALSO...we actually got a great family picture during our trip! So all was not lost, and miracles DO happen!

Glasses Nerds Forever.

Thus ends Item #1.

Item #2:

In an effort to change things up around here, I've been scouring food blogs of a slightly different nature. I hate convenience foods, but I've been realizing I really need to add to my arsenal of SIMPLE, yet healthy meals. I think I've struck a balance with the Iowa Girl Eats blog. Tonight, I made this, and it was an indisputable hit. All three boys devoured an entire bowl of this delicious soup, and I must confess to having 2 bowls. It was just perfect; not too thick, not too soupy, and what flavor! All in about 20 minutes, so I think the Iowa Girl and I might have a groovy thing going, baby (Sorry. I've had a lot of Simon and Garfunkel stuck in my head lately). Check it out! I promise you won't be disappointed. Iowa Girl is also a runner, so she has lots of workout posts and fitness tips as well as healthy, delicious, and simple recipes. Sounds perfect for the New Year, doesn't it? I do so love a New Year. I am one of those freakish people who absolutely itches to break free of the Christmas shackles once December 26th rolls around. NO MORE. NO MORE. I LOVE a new year. It's so...pristine. I also love setting goals, and attacking said goals with a most ferocious vigor. Clear out, folks. Mary's got herself a new year! Roar!

*ahem*

Thus ends Item #2.

We've certainly covered a tremendous amount of territory tonight. Life has resumed its wonderfully familiar rhythm around here...

Soothing teething toddlers...

Re-heating Infusino's pizza for lunch on a Saturday...

Making French Chocolate Cake for friends...

Enjoying my little Sous Chef...

Ahh. Home Sweet Home.

What's your favorite aspect of a New Year? I'd love to know. :) Happy Almost-Halfway-Through-The-Week, ya'll!

Christmas Letter 2011

Dear Family and Friends,

Since we sent out our Christmas cards earlier this week, I realized that it just might be a good idea to actually follow through and write our Christmas letter online as promised. And so, here we go: It's time for a most exciting update on the rapidly growing family of Stephen and Mary Johnson!

First off, we certainly hope you are enjoying this most blessed of seasons. I (Mary) am learning in particular how nice it is to step back from numerous activities, focus on the basics, and actually ENJOY the Christmas season. Enjoying Christmas! Imagine! While I may have stepped down from some music responsibilities at church, I have been completely immersed in a new adventure on the home front: Homeschooling our children!

David, who turned 5 in November, started kindergarten in September, and he is doing very well. He is now reading, writing a bit, and never ceases to amaze us with his ability to sit through a good story and his incredibly active imagination. He loves to create "giants" by drawing on numerous sheets of paper, then taping them together. We go through sketch paper and scotch tape like mad, but it's all for a good cause, right? David's absolute favorite literary figure right now is Paul Bunyan. To say David loves Paul Bunyan is a gross understatement. He regularly requests that we call him Paul Bunyan, and his goal in life is to be a lumberjack. It is not unusual to spot David playing outside, hacking ferociously at the fence with a small plastic bat/golf club, etc. He is constantly making us laugh with the funny things that he says.

Daniel, who turned 3 in August, is immensely enjoying doing preschool work at home. He loves discovering new favorite stories, building with Duplos, helping me in the kitchen, playing with trains, and pretending that our treadmill is a train, and he is the conductor. What else would you use a treadmill for? He also loves having races outside with David.

And then there's Lucas! Lucas, who is just about 18 months old, is walking (finally), trying to run, babbling constantly, and generally being adorable and hilarious. Some current words in his vocabulary: "Mama" "Daddy" "Uh-huh" "Brown Bear" "Nana" "Yummm!" "Daydid (David)" "Day-ull (Daniel)", and my favorite: "Seahorse". Why are kids so funny?

Other highlights: we are highly anticipating the arrival of our BABY GIRL in April! Hurray! Such excitement is among all of us- we can't wait to meet her! I have been incredibly blessed to have had an amazingly easy pregnancy thus far (chiropractors are wonderful people).

Steve is continuing to make us proud at work. He is now a Senior Business Analyst, and recently passed the CMA (Certified Managing Accountant) exam. Go, Steve!! Steve is also kept busy with "Daddy Duties" at home (someone has to wrestle with those boys) and is active at church on the missions board.

That just about wraps up the past year for us. We survived a road trip to Vermont in August, and are looking forward to a few more epic traveling adventures this coming year. We have been truly blessed, and we hope and pray that God may bless and keep you during the Christmas season and in the year to come.

God's Blessings,

Steve, Mary, David, Daniel, Lucas, and Baby Girl Johnson

Every Once In a Great While

I took this picture last week. Like the unfolding of a butterfly's wings as it emerges from its cocoon for the very first time, it's like capturing a miracle of nature. Every once in a great, great while...

...David will give in about once a month to a most glorious of naps.

I guess getting up at 6:00 am, moving and talking non-stop for 14 hours/day for a month straight can get to you after a while.

No matter how crazy they are during the day, all is forgivable and even endearing when gazing upon their cherubic sleeping faces.
David, I love you. Even though you dismembered my blueberry bush a few days ago (which I had been so carefully nurturing for the past 2 years) and have apparently disregarded the need the aim in the bathroom any more, you are still my little lumberjack.

To all the little lumberjacks out there who never seem to stop moving...sleep tight.

Fab Five Friday Foto(s)...kind of.

I am pleased to announce that I am resurrecting a long and sorely neglected portion of this sad excuse of a blog...FAB FIVE FRIDAY FOTO(S)!!!

Except there shall only be four foto(s) today, rather than the aforementioned five. Please forgive me for this sad state of things. After Steve and I returned from our wild, highly impractical, probably foolish, and terribly fun epic date from Morton's Steakhouse in downtown Chicago, my poor wittle squishy Daniel settled in to what has appeared to be a 4-day long bout with the stomach flu. Back to reality. I am fully intending on writing an tremendously long-winded, highly pretentious review of our astounding dinner at Morton's, but in the meantime, here's a few pics to tide thee over. Note: The lighting is very poor. I tried using the lightest filters I could find in Instagram, but Morton's is a super dark restaurant. Grr.

I just happened to be seated by the front portion of the kitchen at Morton's. How incredibly fitting is that?? I was simply mesmerized.

This, my dear friends, is nothing other than Morton's house bread and butter. When we cut into it, the steam arose in a most tantalizing and aromatic wisp, and it was the finest onion bread I have ever laid a taste bud on. And the butter!! Don't even get me started. I literally wanted to stick the butter in my purse and take it home for safekeeping. And smearing across anything that could possibly lend itself to consumption. Truly, the finest butter I have ever had.

The Odd Couple. I will go over everything on our plates later on in the most excruciating detail possible.

Poor little man. Ah, well. This too shall pass. Stay tuned for a truly pretentious restaurant review- coming soon!!

Unable to Help Myself

It's been a shocking week here at The Epic Adventures of Skarymop & Co. Really, truly, shocking. Shocking in the best way possible, though. On Tuesday, we made the most unexpected and most delightful discovery.

Do you want to know?

Really?

Oh, okay. I understand. Stay tuned for more adventures next week!!

BWA HA HA. Just kidding.

Something that I thought would never happen...

We are having a baby girl!!! (Forgive the lousy lighting.)

It's true. After three boys, we assumed that we were boy breeders, and I had long put the thought of pink and frills out of my mind. I am fully aware that giving birth to three boys in succession is not highly unusual, but we really, really, REALLY did not think a baby girl was in our future. So don't mind the non-stop goofy grins plastered across our faces...we're just busy having our socks blessed off.

In other news, I walked into the living room after dinner tonight because it was eerily quiet. I had just finished cleaning up the kitchen after dinner, and I could have sworn I heard David whisper,"Let's take off our shirts and pants." This is never a good thing. So I walked into the living room to see two boys jumping up and down on the couch, pretending to punch each other, clad only in their underpants. Lucas was gleefully crawling around, clad in only a precariously sagging diaper. I surveyed the scene, took a few pictures with my phone, sent them to my sister, and then thought,"This little girl is going to have to be one tough little cookie." And then I remembered all of the things I survived with my brother, and proceeded to feel a little bit better. It's going to be an amazing journey.

Speaking of amazing journeys, the Canadian Lumberjack and I will be heading down to Chicago tomorrow night for a memorable feast at Morton's Steakhouse. I'm thinking a lobster and steak combination will hit the spot quite nicely. I. CANNOT. WAIT. It's an extreme rarity these days for us to embark on such an epic date, but we have a tendency to go a little crazy when there's a baby on the way. Yay for ridiculously ambitious date nights! I plan on eating much, walking much, and taking some pictures.

Well, that just about covers it for now. I'll be posting pics from our date night, and I also plan on resurrecting the long-neglected FAB FIVE FRIDAY FOTO(S)!!

Starting next week, of course. :)

On Centipedes, Fantastic Granola Bars, and Tapioca Pudding

Well, we did it. We made it through another Budget Season. Things are wrapping up for Steve at work, and the boys and I have actually seen this man at the dinner table for the past two nights. We look at each other, nod in polite acknowledgement, and silently wonder to ourselves, "Who is that strange person sitting across from me? Oh, wait. It's all coming back to me...oh my stars; can that be the person I married? The person I bought a house with? The father of my children? Can it be?" Why, yes; it can. We've been actually playing board games and interacting with each other instead of waking up in the middle of the night and mumbling,"Hi grumble snort snuffle how are you?" It's been...glorious. On that note, I have three incredibly random things I wish to share with you tonight:

1) More than any other insect on the face of planet earth, I. HATE. CENTIPEDES. Spiders? Meh. Beetles? Nah. Dragonflies? Nifty! But every once in a while, I have the great misfortune of coming across a centipede in my basement, and it literally sends me screaming up the stairs. There's just something about the non-stop, undulating, simultaneous movement of its body and legs that sends lightning bolts up and down my spine. Have you ever googled centipedes? DON'T. Steve did once, and was having a grand time showing the boys when I had the (once again) great misfortune of walking by the computer. I had no idea what they were looking at, and Steve VERY CRUELLY said," Hey mama, take a look at this!" And because I am a gullible idiot, I looked. I'm still having nightmares. Such awfulness. Anyway, what is the point of this incoherent rambling? I really don't know. But all I know is this: I was on my way down to the basement to fetch the dry clothes out of the dryer and start a deep-clean cycle for the cloth diapers when out of nowhere, here it comes, wriggling and undulating its way up the wall alongside the stairs. NO. WAY. I sprinted up the stairs (as well as a 17-week pregnant gal can sprint), and decided that the diapers could be deep-cleaned tomorrow. And the worst thing of all about those odious creatures?? Every time I see one, I feel my skin crawling for the next few hours. I become convinced that somewhere on my being is a centipede, just hanging out, and I'm constantly swatting at my hair and yelping as I frantically brush off my arms and legs. Pathetic, I know. But...I just had to share that with you. It had to be done. And now on the something far more palatable...

2) Well, I did it. I don't know how I did it, but somehow, the World's Best Granola Bars just got better, and I can honestly say it's because of three things: dried apricots, almond butter, and quick-cooking oats. This is not the first time I've posted the link to this most glorious of oat-y bars...but this will be my first time expounding upon my obsession and great passion for the perfect granola bar. Ahh, a homemade granola bar. I dare you to find a snack more filling, nutritious, and satisfying than a homemade granola bar. The options are endless! Add as much healthy stuff as you want, or eschew the wheat germ and flax seed (GASP), throw caution to the wind, and add those chocolate chunks you've been dreaming of. It's whatever you want it to be, and I love that about a good granola bar. They're portable! They freeze well! They keep well (in an air-tight container...let's not get cocky)! You simply cannot get any better than that.

Or can you?

Turns out, sometimes you can make a great thing even better. I had a little extra time (I have no idea how that happened) the last time I made these, and I got a little wild, left out my beloved wheat germ, and added about 1/2 c. dried apricots, snipped into small pieces. Now, let's get something straight: I am not the kind of person who sits on the couch, watching The Office while munching on a bag of dried apricots. No, indeed. I am the kind of person who sits on the couch, folds 10 loads of laundry in 30 minutes, drinks hot cider from October-February while eating a homemade granola bar and greek yogurt, AND watches The Office. Got it? Good. Now that we've got that straightened out...

MY POINT...(because I did have one) is this: I am not crazy about apricots. I appreciate their nutritional value and their *ahem* "regulating" properties, but I'm not going to pass out in excitement over them. But something happened to those coppery, sweet, wizened little fruits while baking away in my possessed oven. It can be likened to roasting vegetables in that the flavor is incredibly intensified after the roasting process. The apricots became sweeter and took on a carmelized texture and flavor. Well, I was sold. So while the apricots were the highlight for me, I must put in a good word for the almond butter and quick-cooking oats. I had previously used peanut butter in this recipe, and while quite delicious, the mild sweetness of the almond butter blew the peanut butter away. It helped that I used Trader Joe's crunchy, salted almond butter with flax seeds- boy, does that add some serious character. And the quick-cooking oats? While I never use them for regular oatmeal, there will always be a canister of quick-cooking oats in my pantry, because they are the glue that holds these granola bars together. The finer texture of quick-cooking oats greatly adds to a granola bar's ability to hold together after being cut into. In other words, less crumbling. And we all know that there are few things more tragic than a perfectly good granola bar crumbling in your hands. To close this brief essay on dried apricots and perfect granola bars, let me just say this: From this point on, there is always be dried apricots in my granola bars, even though the vast majority of folks may not be a fan of them. In addition to apricots, there will always be shredded, sweetened coconut in my granola bars, and I KNOW the vast majority of folks loathe coconut. Why is this? I have not the foggiest idea, but I do know this: I will stand by coconut until my dying day. My final breath. What did coconut ever do to you, world? I will stand by the darkhorse. Another darkhorse I will always remain faithful to...

3) I love tapioca pudding. There, I said it. You can all think less of me now, but I'm being brutally honest here. I love the mild sweetness. I love the texture (yes, even the little tapioca pearls). But what I think I love the most is the memory of my dad stirring up a pot of tapioca late at night, bent over the stove, wearing his pajamas. He gets very excited about making puddings and sweets at night. I definitely get that from him. Last night, I was seized with a burning desire to consume massive amounts of tapioca pudding. I'm sure it has nothing to do with the fact that I am 17 weeks pregnant. So out came the little red box of quick-cooking tapioca (wow, I'm really divulging all of my culinary secrets tonight!!), and off I went to the stove. The boiling of tapioca is such a mystery to me. You can stand there for 20 minutes, stirring and stirring and stirring with absolutely no results whatsoever, and then you blink your eyes, and WHOA TAPIOCA BOILING OVER! Anyway, it was worth it. I ate...much. Nobody needs to know how much.

Well, we certainly have covered a lot of ground tonight. Insect phobias, favorite snacks, and weird food I have an even weirder kinship with. You'll never know what you'll find here on The Epic Adventures of Skarymop & Co.! I'm hoping to get back on the blogging trail here...it's been a bit crazy since we started our homeschooling adventure in September, but I feel like we're finally striking a balance and finding our rhythm. If you're still reading, thank you for sticking with me. Stay tuned for more adventures!

Budget Season

It's Budget Season. Allow me to share with you what Budget Season means to me.

What Budget Season Means To Me

By Mary Johnson, B.A. in Hanging By A Thread.

Before we begin, I must tell you something of the utmost importance. I can't believe I've never shared this with you before. But now, the time is right.

I hate Granny Smith apples. Except in apple pie.

And that is all.

Here we go.

1) Budget Season means many, many extremely late nights for Steve. About six straight weeks of late nights. Like 11:30 pm late nights. These six weeks of awfulness are repeated in March-April, which is also known as Audit Season. Don't even get me started on Audit Season. I am fully aware that despite the six weeks of awfulness, I have it really good. I really, really appreciate and admire all the women out there whose menfolk are serving our country and are gone for at least a year at a time. A year! So I'm being a whining baby; forgive me. Budget Season is tough. It's hard not to lose motivation to make "real" dinners for myself and the kids, but we muddle through. It's also difficult not to lose motivation to bathe my kids every once in a while, but I just spray them with vinegar, and somehow we muddle through that as well. Lots of muddling going on here, I tell you! I shall now share with you some random things that define Budget Season for me, along with some other current events in my household.

2) Budget Season means lots of old movies. I love old movies. Not necessarily old, as in classic Hollywood old (I love those, too!), but old favorites of mine. For example, as I type this, I am half-watching "Sleepless In Seattle". I LOVE THIS MOVIE. Do you love this movie?? BECAUSE YOU SHOULD. A few things happen when I watch this movie: 1) I cry at some point. 2) I want to move to Seattle. 3) I cringe at Victoria's laugh and pray that I don't laugh like that. Other movies I love to watch when Steve's working late:

1) Julie and Julia.

2) You've Got Mail.

3) Dan In Real Life.

I also love making popcorn the old-fashioned way. I use a ridiculous amount of butter when Steve's not partaking of the popcorn, because he hates butter. I know, I know. I KNOW. Hating butter...this I shall never understand.

3) Budget Season means lots of pancake and scrambled egg dinners. The boys love this. I get sick of it after about two turns. Then I start making crazy salads because I can't stand it anymore. I am tempted to start trying Thai salads. Sweet. Sour. Yes.

4) Budget Season means I start baking. Like a crazy, possessed, wild, feral, mad woman. Did I just type feral? I think I did. Pumpkin Currant Cake was my latest endeavor, and it was pretty stellar. I loved it. Which means, of course, that is was successful.

5) I made a shrimp quesadilla for myself tonight, and it turned out to be a very good idea. I couldn't bear the thought of another Bean-and-Cheese-Burrito night. The boys were happy with it, but I just. Couldn't. Do. It. So I consulted The Pioneer Woman and made this. However, I did not add the peppers and onions tonight. Not only did I not have any peppers on hand, but I also found out the last time I made this dish that I have developed a bit of a bell pepper intolerance. Um. Let's just say it wasn't pretty. And so it is with great regret that I have begun to greatly reduce and/or leave out all bell peppers in my recipes. I am greatly grieved about this turn of events, for I adore bell peppers, especially yellow and orange ones. But I contented myself with a shrimp and cheese quesadilla. I think I'll be turning to this recipe a little more often during these late nights.

6) Budget Season means being alone after the kids go to bed and having no energy whatsoever to do anything worthwhile. The fact that I'm blogging tonight is a rather small miracle.

7) I do bathe my kids. Just not tonight.

8) The One Good Thing About Budget Season: Cooler weather is ushered in, and lo and behold; Fall is upon us here in southeastern Wisconsin. And Fall...well, it's just the best. I don't care what they say.

Thus ends What Budget Season Means to Me.

Well, my movie has ended, so it's nighty-night time for moi. Thankfully, Budget Season is slowly coming to an end. Two. More. Weeks. You can do anything for two weeks, right? Stay tuned for more adventures...even if they are a bit on the feral side.