What does this guy have in common with the artist formerly known as Prince? He was formerly known as something else. In his case—as a beaver. But not for much longer if my 2 year old wonder has anything to say about it. According to him, these creatures are not beavers at all, but instead, ”water bears”. Duh—of course they are! Leave it to a kid, who sees things simply and clearly, to clear up confusion for adults. And the repercussions are tremendous.

Beavers, or should I say, water bears, the world over, are singing Liam’s praises. In lieu of the, uh-hum, dual usage of their previous nomenclature, these poor, hard working critters will no longer be at the butt of so many insinuating jokes. And just think of the reduction in cases of whiplash in the human male population? Now while driving through rural areas, or perhaps crossing a rustic old bridge over a creek somewhere, shouting something like, “Whoa! Check out that water bear!”, incites much less risk of injury arising from an overzealously craned neck.

Liam, I really think you’re on to something here. Now if we can just convince the worldwide animal naming committee folks to make the necessary adjustments, we’re all set. In any case, in our household, those fun, dam building friends of ours out in the wild have been smilingly embraced as water bears.

OPI “Extra-va-ganza”, Burlesque collection. I love love love it. I might have hair growing on my chest right now from the strongest cup of coffee I think I ever drank. My mug has been empty for almost an hour and I’m still having tremors. (You don’t need to fill the entire press with coffee, Shawn. Leave some room for the water part!!!) But at least my toes are still girly!

A well balanced blend. Exhibiting a distinctly aged finish for a young wine. Medium-bodied. A rare grape, prized for it’s ability to flourish and reach full desirability despite harsh climates or conditions. Humbly understated characteristics, most fully appreciated after blooming a bit in open air. Loyally pleasing a wide range of palates.  A laid back harvest of flavors, accentuated by deep, woodsy notes and rich coffee overtones. Nuances of peppery warmth mingle with a refreshingly clean background. A classic, crisply defined finish, tempered with a gentle sweetness. Never harsh. Very forgiving, able to meld into most venues. A libation workhorse. Pairs best with full-flavored, comforting dishes with a touch of spice and hints of citrusy tang and brightness. Not recommended to be served alongside bitter flavors, bland fare or anything presented too chilled. This wine loses nothing with age and remains true to flavor year after year. Highly enjoyable, it’s one to always have on hand to savor and share.

Since I met Shawn, he’s been wearing argyles. No matter what the outfit. He might be their biggest fan. Apparently his affection for them has rubbed off on me along the way. And apparently it has influenced the style of sock I dress our son in as well. Let me tell you, mini argyles are the kind of sickening cute that will leave you with a toothache. Soooo adorable. The other day while mindlessly folding laundry, I couldn’t help but notice what’s become of us.

And this was just from one dark load of laundry, except for that lonely little gray one that made it’s way in. Pretty sure there’s at least that many argyles in our light collection as well. Not to mention all the ones tucked away in our sock drawers, waiting for their circulation. When I think of what could be if Shawn had been a fan of those creepy finger toe socks instead—ahhhh—the horror of it all!

Doesn’t the saying go something like, if you want something done right, do it yourself? Yeah. You send your husband out to buy a new bird feeder and doesn’t he come home with the Davy Crocket model complete with a fur tail. Maybe that’s why not one single bird has shown up for a bite in the past almost 2 weeks it’s been hanging.

“Fur” real though, this super brazen, albeit pretty cute, squirrel spent over THREE  HOURS hanging from this feeder yesterday morning. Most of the time he was actually eating, but even when he stopped to catch his breath he still wouldn’t leave the thing. He just hung on until the next wave of hunger hit. Good thing we’re not hardcore birders. This little episode would have put someone from the Audubon society over the edge.

Between the cardinal last week and now this very photogenic squirrel yesterday,  I’m debating on changing my career path. The heck with working my tail off massaging people twice my size! If all I have to do is look out my window for a fascinating and compliant subject to snap pictures of, maybe I should become a wildlife photographer. I’m sure National Geographic would love to hear from me.

* Note to readers: I don’t own a “Davy Crocket” bird feeder—totally a project of my imagination—as far as I know anyway! That’s just the actual squirrel’s tail you’re looking at.

Yes. We know you’re here and you’ve obviously brought winter along with you. Looks like she has every intention of making her presence known as well. Seriously, the wintery weather arrived on exactly December 1st and has camped out, blanketing us with fresh, clean snow each day since. Guess that’s lake effect for you. I just think it was impeccable timing on the part of winter to make it’s grand entrance for the season smack on December 1st. Nice job!

I have to say, I’m not minding it a bit. It’s absolutely beautiful outside and it makes inside all the more cozy. I do, however, worry about Shawn driving in it since every highway nearby is in complete chaos each morning for the work commute. . .ugh. It never fails, each year people forget that they can’t drive in the snow the same way they would drive on a dry stretch of road on the 4th of July. Imagine that! Fortunately, Shawn grew up in this pocket of the northeast and knows to expect the other driver to underestimate the yucky road conditions. “Caution” is his middle name, you know.

No matter what my age, year after year, I never lose that excitement I get over snowstorms. I just have to be out there. Along with the fun parts–sledding, tromping through huge piles of snow, snowmen and snowball fights, I also have to say I don’t mind the work it creates. Shoveling and brushing off my vehicle are sort of fun things to me. Snowstorms are awesome at shaking up the mundane, ordinary pace of things. Everything slows down for a bit and you have to think more about your normal routine. Also, I’m pretty sure I still equate a whopper of a storm with a day off of school. We would play outside the entire day while it snowed nonstop. My clothing would be soaked, but I never noticed till we went in for the night and could practically wring ourselves out. The sheer fun of it all apparently blocked any sense numbing pain that now, looking back, seems like a scary invitation to frostbite or hypothermia, but what kid would ever worry about that nonsense?

So today, being the best day for snow so far this winter, beckoned Liam and me outside.  I love love love winter pictures of my little man all bundled up and I was dying to take some today. I managed to shovel and clean up a bit while Liam milled around, trying to get used to walking in his boots. Every so often I’d hear a muffled little voice call out, “Mommy! Liam falled! Come pick Liam up!”, which I did probably 10 times. He was also less than thrilled with his mittens (so am I actually–I have to find him a decent pair!). Despite my best efforts at rigging them to stay on for more than 2 minute intervals, one would inevitably end up on the ground. This would send Liam into a tizzy even though he was begging to have them taken off the entire time he was outside anyway. I’d hear, “Oh no! Liam’s gloves! Liam’s gloves!”, and the look of alarm on his face as he stared down at the thing was pure drama.

While he was initially having a good time, this whole outdoor experience thing was beginning to lose it’s charm for him after barely a half hour. Normally just the suggestion of going inside will put him over the edge. Not today. The elements were against him I guess. I managed to get a few good pics of him but it took all I had to convince him to play outside just a teeny bit longer for me to do so. And then it happened. Faceplant. Right into a deep pile of snow. Oh boy. Call me a mean mommy for including that as part of my photo op but isn’t this blog for posterity? He’ll be cracking up at that picture one day. Besides, I scooped him up seconds later and he was over it already. Though, that was pretty much the finale of our snow day. 

It’s ok, it ended up being a great day to play together inside as we watched the snow fall from the windows of our toasty house. I even kept the photo shoot going and somehow managed to spot a gorgeous cardinal who was willing to pose for me through our front window for like 10 minutes! That’s pretty much an eternity in bird world. Maybe he was watching me outside earlier and felt sorry for me so he gave me another shot at some pretty winter pictures. Thanks Mr. Cardinal! So here’s what I have for you on this fine winter day. . .

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After coming downstairs first thing in the morning to see my 2 year old son all too comfortable in this outfit I can’t help but ask myself this question. For so many reasons. Honestly, this was all his doing. Yes, they’re my shoes (not as uncomfy as they look and absolutely scrumptious with jeans!) and no, I didn’t follow my own rule of not leaving shoes lying around the living room so I guess they were fair game. But really? I know little kids love to play dress up and wearing their parents’ shoes is for sure a favorite of most. It’s just that somehow it doesn’t seem like it would have been as shocking (or hilarious) to see a little girl wearing a pair of her daddy’s work boots.

Crazy how well he got around in those suckers. He managed to happily munch on his breakfast and watch a few shows on Nick Jr. without them putting a damper on him. Crazier still how unphased he was to be wearing them in the first place. Wonder if he has a night job I don’t know about? Nah. This kid is all boy. He’s just in touch with his cross dresser feminine side. Ninety-nine percent of the time you’ll see him doing things like this. . .

Nope, the only thing worrying me here is how quickly he might outgrow this awesome time in his life. He’s his own man no matter what anyone else thinks. If he feels like slipping into a pair of high heel, lace-up black booties for breakfast, he does it. He doesn’t have a clue what it means to be self-conscious and that only adds to his already very charming little self. So for now, my Liamchop, when it comes to the world of fashion, what’s mine is yours!

Liam Condino, for best idea for Clint Black’s next chart topper. We believe he must be in cahoots with the country music industry (sorry Nanny). Yesterday morning while staring blankly over the back of the couch at the snow falling peacefully outside, he uttered what we’re sure must be a new title for a country tune you’ll be hearing on your pickup truck radio any day now. Out of nowhere and for no reason we know of, he quietly and rather seriously stated, “boobies and chainsaws”.

It was as if he had been working on the idea for a long time and it finally hit him, a title that would surely resonate with the industry. Don’t all good ideas strike when you least expect? Now all he needs is a bad breakup and a loyal bloodhound by his side and he’s sure to gain the respect of the blue-blooded “cont-ree” crowd here in the good old U S of A. Yee-haw!

Sadly, I am serious. Leslie Nielsen passed away yesterday at 84 years old. This man has been making me and my family smile and laugh for as long as I can remember watching TV and movies. We’ve been quoting some of his best lines from Police Squad, Naked Gun and my personal favorite, Airplane, for so long, he feels like part of the family. He will be greatly missed by us all but his humor will keep him alive in our laughter forever. However, I’m still down in the dumps right now. . .sigh. Looks like I picked the wrong week to stop sniffing glue.

It’s not often that he’s the big guy in the bunch. In fact, alot of the time, even if he’s older, he’s still not the big guy. Guess it’s in his genes. His parents don’t exactly tower over anyone—ever. Still, he found himself in the role of the big kid the other day when 2 little friends dropped by for a visit. I’m pretty sure he loved it as much as I loved watching. “Eeeyi” (Eli) and Anja just turned 1 and are seriously some of the most mellow, content little sweethearts to be around. Liam was enthralled with Eli’s hair and couldn’t keep his hands out of it. He was very eager to share his toys—even some of his favorites—and give private tutorials on how to play with them correctly. Anja was just happy to gnaw on the mini pumpkins and practice her new walking skills while Eli tried to keep up with his “sissy”. Adorable doesn’t quite do these pictures justice but they do so much more than I ever could to describe the innocence and absolute darlingness of the moment.

Funny follow-up. . .for the next few days after the visit, anytime Liam couldn’t find one of his toys he’d say rather seriously, “Anja took it”. Upon finding every single one he was sure was pilfered, he’d make sure to come tell me, “No mommy, Anja didn’t take”. Guess he’ll need to learn the concept of innocent until proven guilty—and not to blame everything on the girl in the group.