Jonah Lisa Land

Sheriff's Log :: 12

DEC 16

10:25 am   A domestic disturbance was reported between a mother and daughter.

6:53 pm     A civil complaint was reported after a resident complained his
                  neighbor was throwing snow on the front of his business.

DEC 18

2:35 pm    Theft of a snowmobile reported.

6:43 pm    Suspicious activity was reported after a man was reported to be in his
                 car for the past two or three hours.

DEC 19

12:09 am  911 call was made after someone reported that another driver was
                 doing doughnuts in the parking lot of Grand Targhee.

DEC 21

3:31 pm    911 call was made to ask of the pass was open.

Family Organizer Giveaway

IT'S ALMOST 2009!! 

If you don't have a 2009 calendar yet, you really need this giveaway.  Hey, better late than never!

I'm a pretty computer oriented person and I've tried many, many software calendars and organizers.  They always end up neglected and I always end up lost.  In my studied opinion, there's still nothing better than a simple, write on, wall calendar. 

There's just something about writing in events (rather than typing them) that helps me remember better.  And I like something that can be out in the open for both me and Stephen to see multiple times a day.  It just works better for us.

Last year I discovered the Thinkbin Family Calendar.  It was perfect and I thought I'd never need to look for a substitute again.  Unfortunately, due to the economic crisis, they decided not to put one out this year.  So it was back to the drawing board in search of another perfect family calendar.  I found this..

The More Time Moms Family Organizer 2009 Pocket Wall Calendar. 

I don't actually like it quite as much as the Thinkbin one but it's a close second.  It has extra large boxes for each day, extra space for little notes and reminders each month and a pocket in the back for loose pages.  I use mine to hold things like the Art Association and Rec Center Schedules.  There's also a page in the back for emergency and medical numbers, as well as frequently called numbers like neighbors and play date friends.  Very handy.  You don't have to write everything down for babysitters--just show them the calendar.  And there's a full page of event stickers if you want to jazz things up.  Plus, it doesn't have a ton of cartoony images on every page--some, but not a ton.  Just me, but I hate that.

Well, in my haste to buy this calendar and get my 2009 off to a well-organized start, I ordered two of them.  Originally, I planned to return the second one but then I had a flash of genius and decided to offer it up to my readers for a giveaway instead!

Between now and Saturday, January 3th at 9am (mountain time) share your best family organization tip in the comments of this post.  Again, I'm using this giveaway as an excuse to gather tips from you because I did just recently double my need for family organization.  I'll do a random number generator and post the winner that morning.

I'll try to get the winnings in the mail fast so you aren't wandering around clueless about where you're supposed to be!

Wiping the slate clean

Stephen gave this to me as a birth/anniversary gift.  Isn't it lovely?  I'm a lucky girl.

It's from the, famous throughout blogland, Lisa Leonard Designs.  All her stuff is amazing.  I don't generally like most "mommy necklaces" but I think this one is simple and classy. I also like having the "S" on there for Stephen (my first baby).

He actually gave it to me about 2 weeks before both events.  I was a hormonal tsunami in the weeks leading up to the birth and I think he could tell I needed a pick me up.  Oh, who am I kidding?  I unleashed some totally bald pregnancy freakshow shit on him a few times--he was trying to save himself from the jaws of the beast.  I think it worked for a day or two.

Body chemistry is such an amazing science, isn't it?  I felt a tectonic shift within minutes of giving birth, as if I instantly and miraculously became myself again.  Thank god.

It's not always pretty, honey.  But it's always real.  Thanks for hanging in there with me. 

Economic Silver Lining

Something just occurred to me the other day...I haven't seen a credit card offer in my mail box in weeks!   And I have excellent credit!  In fact, lots of my usual junk mail seems to have dried up. 

Over the last several years, I've tried various different methods for reducing the amount of junk mail that comes to us.  I just hate bringing extra trash into the house.  I've sent in my address to junk mail filter organizations and called numbers that are supposed to get you off the catalog and credit card offer lists.  I've called my own credit card companies and asked them not to send me offers and convenience checks.  And still, a ton of crap still gets through. 

Nothing has been as successful as a global financial crisis.  Who knew that's what it would take? 

I've even seen a drop off in the number of catalogs I get from the companies I don't actually mind getting them from.  I'm loving it!  With a quarter-mile walk to the mail box, there's nothing so discouraging as bundling Huck up, getting all the way there and finding a envelope full of stupid "Valu-Coupons" for things I don't need, a credit card offer, notice of a new dentist 5 towns over, and nothing else.  I really appreciate opening the box now and seeing only things I want, need or am expecting.  It even takes the bite off the bills for me.

So, if you're looking for a silver lining to the economic recession, go open your mailbox and marvel at the cobwebs.

Christmas is coming!

I hope you all had a wonderful holiday with your families.  It's a little strange knowing that everyone else has had their Christmas celebration and is out the other end but here we are with 6 days left until Santa comes to our house. 

Over here we're still playing Christmas carols, I've still got Jemma's stocking to make, cookies to bake, and the presents are all still wrapped and under the tree. But delaying Christmas until Jazz & Pop arrive next week has really given me the time to enjoy my new baby without any pressure to get on with life.  This is my life right now, with no distractions.  We just sort of put the world and the calendar on pause and spent the past week in our jammies passing the baby back and forth.

I'll be sharing photos of Jemma's first Christmas after the New Year.  I know, when you're all sick to death of all things Christmas and ready to get on with New Years Resolutions and such. 

Oh well.  It's worth it to me...

PS--Happy Boxing Day to all the Canadians!

Merry Christmas!

Just wanted to officially sign off for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day and wish you all a very merry day with your loved ones. 

We will be having a very subdued holiday tonight and tomorrow--a nice meal, the Yule log and one gift each.  We're actually postponing Christmas this year until December 31st, when my parents arrive from Texas to meet the new baby.  Huck won't know the difference this year anyway and we'd rather share it with them anyway.  Plus, we haven't been big New Year's celebrators for years.  So the big gift orgy and fireworks will all be rolled into one big holiday for us.

Sheriff's Log :: 11

DEC 8 - First BIG snow

7:24 am    One vehicle roll over.
7:38 am    One vehicle roll over and another two vehicle crash at same site.
9:44 am    Vehicle slide off road.
11:24 am  SUV off side of road between 300 and 350 South.
11:38 am  Vehicle accident.
12:30 pm  Vehicles slid off road on Pine Creek Pass. 
                 One fell over the edge and another is teetering on the edge of the mountain.
1:30 pm    One vehicle slide off the road.
2:49 pm    Stolen firearm reported.
3:00 pm    2 car accident.
3:06 pm    Burger King dispute.
4:00 pm    Two vehicle accident.
5:52 pm    Hitchhiker reported.
5:52 pm    One vehicle rollover.
5:57 pm    2 vehicle collision.

DEC 11

8:53 am    Individuals are urinating in public.

3:40 pm    Hot tub vandalism reported.

5:31 pm    Cows out in Tetonia.

DEC 12

12:02 pm    A  truck hit the Quik Way.  No road blockage reported.

1:38 am    Band practicing reported.  Way too loud.

Huck says it's a T-Rex

"T-Rex"
watercolor crayon on paper
8 1/2 x 11
December 2008

Um, is it just blind maternal love or should we be looking for a PR firm and a spot on the morning shows?

Postpartum Perineum Care

Just in case the title didn't clue you in,
male readers with weak constitutions should bow out for this entry.

This will only be helpful to a very narrow cross-section of my readers but, what the hell, maybe the search engines will pick it up.  And please share it with your pregnant sisters, cousins and BFFs.  They will thank you.

You know, those nice little crushed ice packs they make for you while you're in the hospital that you just can't seem to duplicate at home?  This is a brilliant home substitute my wonderful labor doula shared with me.

Take a pad (I like Poise Extra for postpartum), douse the center with witch hazel and pop it in the freezer.  It turns into a soothing, absorbent, iced pad that will reduce swelling and speed perineal healing with the  natural, cooling, antiseptic properties of witch hazel.

It's a truly awesome discovery. 

Now...back to our regularly scheduled program...

Green Holiday Series :: Your Friends & Neighbors

My intention (ahhh, that lovely road to hell) was that this entry into the Green Holiday Series would be just as comprehensive as the others have been.  Unfortunately, it's just not going to be.  In fact, it's likely to be the last Green Holiday entry for 2008.  I'm trying to look on the bright side--it just means I'll be able to continue additions to the series and fill in the few gaps in 2009!

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In my opinion, homemade and edible is the way to go this year.  It's frugal, you can do it all in one big batch, but it says that you care enough to spend some time and labor to show your appreciation for the people who support you on a day to day basis--friends, neighbors, teachers, service people. 

Plus...it's not too late!!

Remember that easy Pumpkin Apple Butter I did in the bread machine?  The "old family recipe?"

 

10 minutes to put the ingredients together, an hour & 20 minutes to cook while I do any number of other things like sit and make goo-goo faces at my new baby, then 5 minutes to package.  I made it in double batches and it will go to our neighbors, the mailman, and a few friends.

My dream neighbor gift would have been to make up small "Bread and Spread" gift baskets (our thrift store always has a bunch for 50 cents).  They would have included a pint jar of pumpkin apple butter, a half pint jar of the spinach pesto, and a small one pound peasant loaf from Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day: The Discovery That Revolutionizes Home Baking.
 
A speaking of this idea, any of the Gift Baskets from that entry in the series would be great neighbor and friend baskets.

Another great idea is Pioneer Woman's Cinnamon Rolls.  She's got a great big batch recipe that turns out 8 pans of the smack.  It looks amazing and the reader reviews are downright evangelical.

I also considered making cookies--a wonderful and traditional standby for this kind of gift.  I would have done a half dozen Ginger Molasses Cookies and a half dozen Snickerdoodles (with red or green cinnamon sugar).  They would have been stacked, wrapped in wax paper and tied with that simple red and white baking string.  I'm still thinking that I might get around to putting up a bunch of dough to have on hand for Christmas cookies--but at this point, it will be for us!

I'm afraid that's all I can muster for ideas this year, but please add your own ideas in the comments section.  What are you giving to friends, neighbors teachers and service people this year?

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For any last minute Green Christmas ideas,
be sure and check out the whole list of Green Holiday entries. 
May your days be merry and bright!

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