Christmas Card 2012

Hello friends and family, I did a terrible job trying to get Christmas cards out, so this year's card is an update & pics on the blog! Bear with me, the pics are not the best!

I've decorated our outdoor fireplace since we don't have one inside...

an old red gate from our barn

 That lil North Pole sign  is a piece from a broken picket fence I found & painted. The sign found its way to the front door on the antique chicken carrier. Speaking of chickens, we've adopted 2 more hens...which brings us back to 8 and that makes a few more eggs for us yipee!

We had a great time at the Family Farm in Graham picking out & cutting our own tree. All proceeds from tree sales go to purchase food to be shipped out through the organization Feed My Starving Children .

L&L ran around in the "tree maze" playing hide and seek, then we attempted a Christmas card photo and here's what we got.........

then I attempted a cool montage Christmas card....

Awesome! Yes! Finally I got it right......all but the Snyder "Eamily" so I kept it to share with all of you, because I'm just not perfect ....but I'm perfectly happy being the Snyder Eamily mom!:)

We had a great year of firsts!

First ....

year of Kindergarten, ballet, soccer, 6 day motorcycle man-trip, running a 1/2 marathon, and first tooth loss!

The tooth fairy came and left $5.00! She would have left a dollar, but when the midgies loose their teeth right before bedtime they get what's in the tooth fairy wallet...and there were no 1's.

 I almost forgot our very own Lydia was Mary in the Pre-School Christmas Play!

That's all for now......

Happy Christmas to All and to All a Good Night!

bedroom blues...

During thing 2's naptime yesterday I broke out a can of paint & spruced up our little bedroom. I stole furniture, pillows, frames ...you name it all from other rooms and it turned out pretty cute!

(all the other rooms are now naked, but what the hey!)

I'm hoping Tim will get on board with my idea for batten board on the lil blue wall.....so stay tuned!

here are a few close ups..

So there you have it, it's a lil room packed with character. I painted the wall on a whim the paint was leftover from my blue door that you can read about here. I started out just checking to see if I liked the paint with just a can & a brush and I'm so impatient that i painted the whole wall with the brush! Who does that? I'm a dork....I found out later that we actually have rollers & pads in the shop...again I was too impatient to even look! Tomorrow I'll give it a 2nd coat of paint the right way!

The vintage suitcases & trunk came from Tim's grandparents. The trunk went on a roadtrip with the Snyders  I believe 1912 and has an original sticker from the trip I can partially read Ft. Wayne Indiana. I'll have to get the deets from my father in law on the trip ...pretty sure he has pics!

The only thing purchased for the bedroom recently was the casual bedding from target...on clearance! I'm so proud...was $89.99!!! Woot Woot!



Happy Wednesday!

The Rotten Truth

We lost “sister”, one of our hens last week, it was sad….but we got over it real quick. I know, doesn’t that sound mean?

After losing Trigger, our dog about a year ago, I decided not to get too attached to another animal and so that’s just what I did. We call the hens cute lil names and have fun watching them…but they are each other’s best friends, not us. So when we lost sister, I was sadder for her hen-mates than I was myself. …..

The Rotten Trugh is: Egg production has SLOWED down this week and one of the hens that is laying has a stinky egg….like gag me with a spoon stinky! 1989 flashback.  You know it’s stinky when you crack it, it is odiferous and dry heaving immediately ensues.

 Since the hens are in mourning or in protest for whatever reason, I am embarrassed to say I bought eggs this week. Yes, it’s true.  I was hoping I wouldn’t run into anyone I knew at the store, mainly because I’m pretty proud to be a chicken farmer I feel a little less regular and a lil more like a natural live off the land or little house on the prairie minus the outhouse kind of mom. 

 I did buy organic, free range yadda yadda yadda eggs and my first thought was the color was very strong almost a fake brown orange like they stayed in a tanning bed too long, second the white stuck to the shell and third the yolk was much smaller than ours. Tasted the same though, so there you have it.

The tanning bed “brown” organic cage freee store bought eggs & one of our “brown” (looks more like cream)happy cage free hen eggs.

Another Rotten Truth: When Tim’s not home for dinner, I just don’t cook….it’s cereal night. And I don’t think I’m alone I’m pretty sure women can live on coffee, salad & cereal  but men are a whole different story. Meat in the morning, meat in my hot lunch and Meat with a side of starch for dinner (insert Tim the tool man taylor grunt here). I love to cook for Tim because he pretty much likes every meal that’s hot, but my lil midgies are an easy please dinner crowd….last night I took it a step up from cereal with fruit kabobs & cheese quesadillas. They loved it!  By the way a neighbor gave me new tortillas to try & they are melt in your mouth amazing! Tortilla Land All-Natural fresh un-cooked tortillas, I really like that they are only made with 5 ingredients & they take a short 60 seconds to heat on the stove….soo yummy!

But tonight is a whole different story, my man is home & I’m off to cook with some BEEF…organic beef that is!

Back in the Saddle..

I've been a lil absent from 8 lil hens and that has been a good thing..I've been spending time in the snow with the kiddos we did survive Snowmageddan, finished the Hunger Games Trilogy & can't wait for the movies!

2012 has brought on a lil change by way of healthy foods in the Snyder home...mostly un-protested, I just can't mess with Tim's cereal or ice cream...both of those things I learned the first week or two of Marriage (nearly 12 years ago), so it's good to know he hasn't changed much!

 Here is my new favorite blog 100 days of real food...this family ate only real foods ...nothing processed for 100 days. Well I won't be trying that, but she has some great meal plans & recipes to share! (I don't think the ritz or kix actually make the cut, but we ate them anyways...I know living on the edge!)

Here is where a big chunk of my interest to eat whole foods comes from ...another blog, but she's actually my fitness instructor for the past 2+ years! In December she mentioned something about Diet Soda and explained how it tricks our body ....I also read an article that my friend Jennifer posted on facebook...yuk I dumped Diet Coke & 4lbs whoohoo! (my friends & family are so tired of hearing this) I had some of Tim's coke yesterday and it tasted like drinking syrup...I don't think I'll go back.

Besides the weight loss...which I think has evened back out ...mainly because I enjoy food...even organic, crunchy granola people food...so I guess moderation is still something i need to work on. Since dumping the big DC and changing to whole/real foods..I actually fall asleep at night easily, I have more energy during the day & my skin seems way softer. I wasn't planning on any of that happening, so big bonus. Plus my kids are offering to do chores & my husband rubs my back & feet every night...kidding! Ahh I can dream.

Here are a few pics of the snow we were blessed with!

8 lil hens surviving in the cold...did you know chickens actually will do well in  freezing temps?

 the girls view from the barn

Welcoming February & so thankful for the sunshine today....promises of Spring are in the air, Happy Wednesday!

Golden Globes...just by chance

So I walked into the tv room to do a few core exercises and that lasted 2min...i had to turn on the tv and happened upon the Golden Globes at 9:40pm so it's probably half over by now, anywho here are my thoughts!

Madona? Smashy boob dress…ooh but it’s pretty when you see the whole dress, so love it aside from the smashy boobs.

Old lady with the open back dress…not such a good idea (sorry didn’t catch her name)

Claire Danes…beautifully spoken

Matt LeBlanc , wow he ages handsomely and “thanks to my mom” sweet boy oh wait he’s older than me, I hope. Charming

Bradley Cooper , you’re over rated and unfortunately very attractive.

Octavia Spencer The Help, Yes! Yes! Yes! I loved her character! First thing out of her mouth “Nuts” cracked me up! ” thanks to table 10”, that was smart.

Commercial. Sears Appliances……thinking how thankful I am my hubby fixed our dryer this week…but still drooling over a fancy front loader.

Wow, I am a stay at home mom.

Reese Witherspoon is she trying to act like a showgirl? Still beautiful.

Sidney …lots of standing people lots of clapping (he’s thinkin it’s way past my bedtime) and reading a teleprompter very …slowly …much like a certain President. I can say that…it’s my blog. Ha.

Morgan freeman has looked the same for eva

Helen, Morgan isn’t laughing. It’s also past his bedtime. Wow he is talented though. Bruce Almighty must be his most proud moment. I kid. I wish he were my Grandpa, I think he’d tell some great stories.

Oh Lord, he was paying attention to Helen. Quick witted. They love him…they won’t play the music to boot this guy he’s just going to talk & talk

Camera pan to Brad, wow that’s a lot of hair

Commercial, gotta pee

Oops came back a lil late I grabbed some chips…organic though

Downey, I just can’t like that guy since his arrest forever ago with a prostitute.

Angelina, she would make a good bobble head doll. Big head, lil body. Man I’m mean tonight.

Martin, wow your wife is wearing a crazy big purple heartish necklace. Maybe a sea anemone?

Ricky…cursing

Selma wild top geometric thing …boobs are spillin out in case you didn’t notice

Modern family…I hope they let the young kid talk
Oh a whole lotta Spanish… move over …lets hear the kid…really that was the speech?

Wait she’s in the commercial too!

Oh no I had a crying kiddo upstairs 10ish min later & an orange because I’m feelin guilty about the chips……..I come back to find a dog dancing on stage..not sure what that’s about

Natalie Portman, you're right she's a mom she deserves an award!

Oh I forgot I do like Brad Pitt, I forgive you for the lions mane…..I loved money ball….and you didn’t get it so sorry. George Clooney, bad nude golfing joke

My orange was a real lemon…back to the chips & not guilty because the orange was no good.

And Best Motion Picture Drama…The Descendants. Hmm guess I better read some reviews on that one because I’ve obviously missed the boat.:) George Clooney is the Morgan Freeman of White men, he looks the same for eva just a lil more grey

And it’s over. Put the chips away…do it now!

New Year & New Life....or so I thought!

Earlier this week,  we decided to head down to the creek to check out the spawning fish I’d heard about. I guess I had the term confused with hatching fish or baby fish swimming around all cute in a lil pool of water. No, spawning meaning: laying eggs and dying and big ole salmon dead all over the creek bed and the overwhelming oh so horrid stench.  Wasn’t planning on teaching this circle of life lesson to my kids today. 

 We watched this big guy struggle up stream, take breaks & charge up stream again ...I found myself cheering out loud for him each time he made it through another obstacle.

We checked out the fish hatchery and it just happened to be feeding time, you can hear Levi amazed at the crazy response the fish have to food.

Of course we jumped in lots of puddles..that's what boots were made for right?

Happy Friday, Get Outside!

life interrupted

Written on 1/1/12.....

Okay so I attempted to bring my best today since it's New Years day, but plans were thwarted and well, life happened.

 First let me tell ya a little about our morning.

 This morning my husband, Tim,  helped out in kindergarten Sunday school at church with me. Tim sat around a table with 10 lil kiddos and colored pics of baby Jesus …he ate fruit loops with the kids & literally sat in a little kid chair that was obviously way too small for him. The lil people giggled as he colored & stacked his fruit loops in the tallest tower. They had no idea what he would be doing later that day.  As I type this he is on a SWAT call …a man hunt if you will, in the woods…searching for a murderer. And those lil kids had no idea they were sitting next to a super hero this morning, well, our family’s super hero.

 He didn’t have to do anything heroic it turned out, but he was prepared to. Without a doubt he was created for his job. Sometimes I take his confidence for granted and I don’t worry so much about him. I even forget to pray for him at times. Sunday I didn't forget to pray along with many of our family & friends for his safety as well as the safety of so many people on Mt. Rainier. We are so blessed!

As the day wore on & turned into night…I worried and wondered and prayed. I thought of the many military wives that have to push through this stage of not knowing if their loved one is okay and deal with life for a year at a time without their spouses. What a wimp I am. I do like to think I kept my cool, but I was worried. I didn’t realize how affected I was until he came home and gave me the details...(which we all know is about 1/16 of the info you would get out of a woman) then…..I fell asleep. My body shut down as if to say your job is done you’ve used your whole battery now plug in before you lose all your data & memory and a catastrophic coma comes over you.

Life was momemtarily interrupted, I'm thankful for the interruption (of course now that Tim's home safe) because it was a good reminder that this life is short and I should be grateful to God for the people in my life. 

 It's obvious now that I don't have the gift of unworry ( i did make that up)  it’s the gift my husband has of being good at his job that helps me not to worry on the regular days. It’s the crazies in the world that cause the swat team to assemble that make me worry.

 A big thank you to all our family & friends who pray for Tim's safety on the "regular" days too, it means so much to me!