Art by C :: Lizard

A Weekend 'Fur' Relaxin'

To say I have been looking forward to this weekend for awhile is quite the understatement. A few months ago, Melissa, Penny, Amy, El and I decided we needed to get away together and I'm so excited to say, we actually made it happen. On Friday, we met each other in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. It turned out to be the perfect halfway point between Milwaukee and Chicago. Melissa had found a fantastic log cabin to rent that we called home for three days and two nights. And by fantastic, I mean, it was ridiculously fantastic. It was super comfortable and accommodated our group nicely. Plus, it featured a remarkable amount of bear and wilderness tchotchkes and pine scented candles. What more can you ask for? Besides a quick outing for bloody marys, hamburgers, firewood and Walmart, we pretty much hunkered down the entire weekend relaxing, chatting, eating and just enjoying being in each other's company. I miss these ladies like crazy, and sometimes the two hours that separate me from them is unBEARable (ha ha, get it?). But honestly, this weekend is exactly what I needed. It was an absolute blast, and once again, I just can't help but realize how extremely lucky I am.

Family portrait

Fun, friendship and relaxation

Great minds think alike

Don't ask

Fingerling potatoes, green beans and pork chops with sauteed apples, bacon and triple cream cheese

Can you find me?

Inspiration Files :: South Hampton

What a nice, clean space. Originally built in the 1960s, it has been updated without gut renovating it. South Hampton house by Cecilia Dupire of Cezign -- the company behind some of these amazing furniture pieces. (photos courtesy of Costas Picadas via Desire to Inspire.)

Ice Skating

The boys were off of school today. They were pretty lazy this morning, but this afternoon, we decided to get out and finally made it to the ice skating rink. We are so lucky to have this so close to our house. In fact, C gets to use it in his P.E. class during the next month. Luckies.

Family Dinner

Last night my sister and her family came for dinner. Between dinner, cupcakes and Just Dance, Christie even got ahold of C and was able his hair. He thought it was pretty funny. It was a really nice, relaxing time and I can't wait for it to happen again.

Silly Hat Day

It's "Silly Hat Day" today at C's school, and he decided to wear his Beaker hat, which he wasn't excited about at all, as you can tell. Goofball.

January 15th

January 12, 2013 -- We went on a hike


January 12, 2012 -- It finally snowed, and the boys went sledding


January 15, 2011 -- Had brunch with my cousin, Brad


January 16, 2010 -- We went to the zoo


January 15, 2009 -- I interviewed a 6-year old H

January 15, 2008 -- Student-parent night at H & C's school

It's kind of amazing to me that I've been documenting our lives on this here blog on a pretty regular basis for six years or so now. It's always so fun to look back at, and I thought it would be interesting to see what we were up to at or around the same date over the years. When I first started PFour, C was 3 and H was 5. They are now 9 and 11. My, how they have grown!

Futsal

This winter, the boys soccer teams have been playing futsal, and while both prefer outdoor over futsal, they are having an absolute blast. Today H played against a team that some of his classmates are on. They lost, but it was a good, fun game. And check out who got to keep score! C and his friend M, who's brother was on the other team. Sweet.

Inspiration File :: Reuse

What made me first say "wow" about this house was the bathroom. Our kids share a unique bathroom space. They each have their own toilets and sinks, with access to the shower. Once you open the shower doors, you realize the shower is what separates the baths. It's really cool, actually. But when you think about remodeling it some day, perhaps there is a better use of the space. For example, we really don't have a decent bathtub in our house. (I sure do miss a decent bathtub....). This configuration would not work for us, but I do love the bath and open shower, and the space is long and narrow, just like ours. What I love about this house, besides the bathroom, is that the owners tried to recycle or leave some of the original features while updating it. I think the brick walls are great and love the quirkiness of the large table hanging into the two "spaces." (project by Make, via Desire to Inspire -- photos courtesy of Make)

Yep, It's Cold Again

It was still brutally cold out today. So cold, that school was cancelled again. Thankfully, I was reminded about a snow maple syrup taffy recipe I had seen about a month ago. Our cold weather activity for the day. (P.S. It really was delicious!)

A Very Cold Day

I'm not sure I ever remember such a thing, but school was closed today due to the extreme cold temperatures. I took that -- and the fact that I fell asleep on the sofa twice before 10pm last night -- as a sign to just stay home and not do much of anything. It did feel great to catch up around the house, that's for sure. H had a friend over and the boys stepped outside for a moment to make some clouds out of hot water (crazy stuff). But that's pretty much it. Tomorrow is supposed to be another day of unbearable cod. School has already been called off again. Quite frankly, I'm kind of over it. My poor old house is having a hard time keeping up (it was 61 degrees in my bedroom last time I checked -- and the heat has been running all day). Brrrrr.....

Packers Playoffs

The Green Bay Packers once again made it to the Superbowl playoffs this year, going up against the San Francisco 49ers. Last year, Brian was able to score tickets from the owner of his company and took H. This year, he was lucky enough to get them again, and C got to be his guest. (One of these days it will finally be my turn, I hope.) The weather in Wisconsin is quite horrific, if you haven't heard, and the temperature dropped all day long. I can't believe how many crazy people were there who braved the conditions for hours on end. I'm 99.9% confident I would not have been one of them. C had an absolutely great time though (they even got primo parking, so he didn't have to be outside too long ...), and made friends with the woman in charge of the food in the suite, who hooked him up with popcorn, celery and hot chocolate all afternoon. The other exciting bit was who they were in the suite with. Brian noticed the bodyguards and security officers, but had no idea beforehand that they would be sharing high-fives with the Governor the entire game. Hilarious! No matter what your political opinion is (or ours, for that matter), you have to admit, watching the game with the Governor is a pretty cool experience. Green Bay ended up losing the game, 20-23. But what a fantastic day!

A Big Night

 







Last night, our friends Penny and Chris hosted the most amazing dinner party ever -- An Homage to Paradise Restaurant, "Big Night" Style. Everyone who came brought a dish. As it was in the movie, the centerpiece of the entire meal was the timpano, which was pulled off without a hitch. Seriously, it was amazing, and I cannot stop thinking about that dish! Everything was quite fabulous, to be honest. It sure is nice to be friends with people who like food. Between the incredible dinner and awesome company we were surrounded by, it certainly was a big night. (I did not leave my seat the entire evening. To see some more photos and read a great recap of the night, check out Mel's blog.)

A P E R I T I V O
{negroni} gin, campari, sweet vermouth, orange
{bicicletta} campari, pinot grigio, club soda, lemon
{prosecco}

A N T I P A S T O
bruschetta con pomodori
fennel focaccini
salame olive farcite
pane fatto a mano

P R I M O
zuppa di pastina di pollo
timpano

S E C O N D O
pollo arrosto con verdure
terrina di salsiccia, peperoni, polenta e mozzarella

I N S A L A T A
insalata di mare
insalata caprese
insalata verde conditi con balsamico

D O L C E
parrozzo con gelato alla vaniglia
biscotti con vin santo

D I G E S T I V O
{sgroppiono} prosecco, lemon sorbet, vodka