Out With The Old....

Tonight I sit in my living room (with my new beautiful MacBook Pro) with a margarita in hand, a fire roaring in the fireplace (it might only be the second time we've used the fireplace so far this winter - it has been unseasonably warm), my children tucked in for the night (I hope Gonzo stays there all night!), and the Bridesmaids DVD ready to launch for viewing. As I reflect on 2011, I am grateful for many things this year:

• My loving husband, who puts up with my complaining, works hard for our family, and is a great father.
• My two healthy, happy children, who make life worth living.
• Our wonderful parents, siblings, and extended families, who go above and beyond for us every day.
• Our health, even though we don't do enough to take care of ourselves.
• Our jobs, that provide for us.

I look forward to both the joys and challenges of 2012. Happy New Year!

I Now Have No Excuses About My Lack of Blogging

Because here is what I bought with my Christmas money -

My old Mac iBook bit the dust over a year ago, and since then have been using Mitch's netbook that he bought for his law practice as my own personal computer. The processor was slow, it took forever to load pictures, and whenever I tried to blog, it usually crashed. Things looked up when the IPad showed up a few months ago, but nothing is better than a shiny new laptop.

One of my (many) New Year's resolutions? Do a better job of blogging. Here's to hoping I can do it!

Things That Make Me Think of Punkin

1. The girl in my kindergarten class who always has "bling" and wants to show me.

2. The Justin Bieber Christmas wrapping paper that I saw at Target this past weekend. Mrs., I hope you have bought that for your youngest daughter. If not, you are just a Scrooge.

3. Our neighbor down the street, who is four years old and hung out with Gizmo for a week and a half while Grama JG was out of town on vacation. She is sassy, to say the least.

4. A conversation that the Mrs. and I had about two weeks after I had Gonzo. I was telling her how Gonzo was the easiest baby in the world, she slept all the time, we were so lucky, etc. She laughed and said, "Yeah, Punkin started like that, too. About nine months later, sh*t hit the fan." Gonzo will be nine months old in a couple of weeks, and she is becoming increasingly vocal in her opinions and wants....I fear for the future.

The long-delayed post about the house renovations!

Here's the photos, we'll write about it later.

iPad test #1

New download of the Blogger app.

It is an iPhone app so let's see how it works on the iPad.

Here's a couple photos of the girls!

We Are Still Alive

Things have been crazy here at Fifty Below. Mitch is behind at work, I am in the middle of seven concerts in two weeks, and the girls are just nonstop. All. The. Time.

We don't have all of our Christmas decorations up. There isn't much food in the house. I just ordered my Christmas cards tonight. I'm drinking copious amounts of wine.

One of my (many) New Year's Resolutions? Do a better job with the blog.

Until then...

The First Snowfall of the Season

Yesterday the snow started flying for the first time in the Twin Cities. Our weatherman let us know we'd be receiving 1-3 inches starting around lunchtime, and as the first flakes fell we got the fireplace going and marveled at the winter wonderland taking shape outside.

By the time Gizmo woke up from her afternoon nap, there were two inches laying on the ground, and she was ready to don her snow gear to play for the first time.

Mitch helped her get dressed....

....but she was a little apprehensive about walking in her new boots. (They are a bit big, but bought that way so we can hopefully get two years of wear out of them!)


Gonzo and I stayed inside where it was warm and watched Gizmo play.


Gizmo had a great time outside walking around and trying to "squish" the snow. Sadly, the snow was not good for snowballs. They weren't out long, as she declared it "was too dawk to play outside" since it was dusk.

P.S. Remind me of how happy I was about this snow in February, please. I won't think it's so pretty then.

Because I Promised Granny I Would Get These Online....

...even though it took me a few extra days. Sorry, Granny. Between wiping the noses of sick kids and a slow computer (I really need to bite the bullet and buy a new one), it's taken me forever to put Halloween pictures up. And even tonight, the darn computer doesn't want to cooperate.

In any event, happy very belated Halloween from all of us at Fifty Below!

Random Thoughts and Pictures

A couple of weekends ago, Mitch and I devoted some time to working in the yard. It's this time of year - leaf-dropping time - that we begin to curse our choice in house. (Who wanted to live in an older neighborhood with mature trees, anyway?)

I think the girls had a pretty good time in the leaves, even though Gizmo had to share with Gonzo -





It was the perfect fall day that Saturday. The only thing that would have made it better would have been an Illini win.

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The next day, all hell broke loose in the house. Mitch contracted a pretty nasty virus and was out of work for a few days while I worked crazy hours due to conference week. The best part was that the girls avoided the virus.

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I had a few days of work for the state's educational convention (which I did not have to go to), so I was able to stay home and hang out with the girls. We had a great time!


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Tonight, I watched Gizmo inhale a piece of lasagna. It was the kind of no-breathing, no-chewing, can't look up, use both hands type of eating. I was completely impressed. And I come from a long line of fast eaters, especially when it comes to lasagna.

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Gonzo is seven months old. Where has the time gone? She is sporting two new teeth, and could not be cuter, although I noticed that she's starting to look a little bit like a linebacker. A cute linebacker, though.

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When I was pregnant with Gizmo, I was telling a colleague how ready I was to go home for the day to relax. My colleague, who has two teenage children, just laughed at me. He told me that for him, being at work was relaxing, and that going home was when the real work started. I remember thinking, "How could that be true?"

Now I laugh every time I think about that day, because he could not have been more right.

Instead of Folding Six Loads of Laundry, I Decided to Blog

It's been a while since I've sat down to blog, and we here at Casa Fifty Below have been enjoying the beautiful summer-like weather we've been having in the northland. We know all too soon the snow will be on the ground, so we've taken advantage of the 80+ temps and have been outside! (I am a little annoyed that I am running the air conditioner in October, though....)

Here's what's new -

Gonzo has been growing like a weed. Her Snooki poof of hair is starting to calm down, but she is developing a serious bald spot on the back of her head. Luckily, her hair is long enough to cover it up. She is getting her first haircut tomorrow. She's also sitting up like the big six-month-old that she is. And by big, I mean big. She is in the 95th percentile for her weight. Gonzo loves her some rice cereal! Just last week Gonzo's first bottom tooth broke through, and the second tooth will be through before the end of the day tomorrow. She is, by far, the happiest baby I've ever encountered. Gonzo's favorite thing to do is to watch her big sister, and anytime Gizmo flashes a smile Gonzo's way, she lights up in a way that makes my heart soar. She is in one word - adorable.


Mitch and I made a whirlwind trip to Illinois last weekend to celebrate Homecoming at the University of Illinois.


We had not been on campus in four years, and while a lot has changed, there were a few things that still stayed the same.

Still the same - Mitch and I have a great time together. Man, was it nice to get away!
Different - we are not as young as we used to be. Staying up until 3am, then getting up early to go to the game means that we go to bed by 10:00 on a Saturday night. I think we are both still paying for the trip.


Different - the stadium. The renovations look fantastic! Also different - the team inside the stadium. The Illini are 6-0. Are you kidding me? We saw a great game against Northwestern, although the Illini tried their best to lose it.


Still the same - the squirrels on the quad are as brave as ever. Seriously, I was so close to one I could have petted it. (I know that seriously grosses you out, Mrs.)

Still the same - I love drinking beer at Murphy's. I mean love.


Different - the Marching Illini have a new director, who is doing a great job. Also different - my former MCHS students are all grown up! Several of them march at Illinois, and I was fortunate to catch up with a few of them after the game. I am beyond proud of them.


Today we went to Stillwater to the apple orchard. It was a beautiful day, and Gizmo was worn out from all of the activities. She rode the "Honeycrisp Express", and while she was excited at first, as soon as it started to move she began to cry. I walked alongside, holding her hand.


(Side note - while I don't mind paying the $2 for my kid to ride in a barrel behind a tractor, these people must be making money hand over fist with this racket!)

Gizmo also had a great time in the tractor area - her first experience in riding on a John Deere toy tractor! She had fun trying to chase Lil' Missy, although she quickly realized that she was far too fast for her.


I am loaded up with apples and am looking forward to making apple crisp, apple salad, apple sauce, apple pie, apple scones, and everything apple.

Until next time.....

A Jesus Mash-Up

Oh, Gizmo, how you entertain us with your musical stylings....

The Summer in Pictures

I did a terrible job of keeping up with the blog this summer, but it was only because we were so busy here having fun. As summer comes to a close and school starts tomorrow, here's a look at what we were doing for the last three months. I am so thankful that I have had the last five and a half months at home to spend with my family. Back to the grind tomorrow....