Mac's NEW GUITAR!!!!!

One of the great moments of my fatherhood! I have played guitar for 32 years so this one was extra special for me. Mac is going to be a great guitar player and she is the most awesomest eleven year old ever!
Matt

Eleven! Wow!

Happy Birthday to our most precious daughter.

All of us


love you


. . . <------this much-----> . . .


Here she is this morning for her
birthday stats...4'9" and bright as
sunshine!!

Requests: sleepover, dinner of choice...chili, baked potatoes and Hansen's raspberry soda, and in the morning a "waffle buffet".




Eleven! Wow!

Banner Changing Obsession

Chinese liniments

When you climb mountains with all this stuff (80 lbs)
you'll need these....

From L to R: Po Sum On can and bottle- rub on chest like Vicks for breathing etc
Zheng Gu-analgesic liniment, good for muscle sprains
Dit Dat Jow (recipe #2 /10 years old/brewed in my garage)-HEALS ANYTHING!
and Tiger's Balm-Chinese Ben-Gay.

There is no need for a Doctor! Just rub some Jow on it!

Matt

a quick something I just don't want to forget...

If Emmett had 4 sons he would name them...
ARLO, LUIGI, BLAZE and FLOYD
Come on.



:)
p.s. I'd be curious to hear the names of Pablo's
future sons...he, too, has a way with names.

Hitchcock Rocks

Had a great date night with Matt and Hitchcock.

We watched "Rebecca" with Lawrence Olivier and Joan Fontaine.

Even though I have a miserable cold (day 1) it was really fun to drink tea and hang out at home.

My husband is the greatest person. He made it really fun and took care of me...(he is sitting behind me, dictating...) He's the best most handsomest, no, ruggedly handsomest hunk of man in the universe,

bar none.

the bowls...

Here are the black clay bowls I made a while back and blogged about...in their final form. Actually I always imagine their final form being in someone hands with food in them but...

...These might work well with coconut sesame rice with scallions?

or maybe creme freche and berries?

or sweet potatoes and stuffing?

(this is one of my favorite games...match the food to the pot.)

My Mom and her New Apron!

For as long as I can remember my mom

has worn aprons like this one...this style anyway....with big pockets for kleenex.

If she's working in the kitchen she is 

wearing an apron and I love that about 

her... So I decided this Christmas she 

needed a new one....

So, who to call on but Amy, the apron master!!

This apron is just perfect in every way for my 

mom.  Great fit, pretty fabric 

and my mom loves it.

(And it goes with our kitchen!! :)

DO YOU KNOW WHY THIS PICTURE IS BLURRY?

BECAUSE WERE ON A F#$%#gG HELICOPTER

I can't believe he can do this.

Craig, does this sound familiar? ca-clack, ca-clack!

give me an "FIN" give me a "LE" give me a "Y"....

...and what does that spell????? FINLEY !!!



Love the t-shirts. Much cheering and running around gleefully happened after this package was delivered tonight....and then, much sleeping in snuggly sleep shirts.
"Yeaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah Finley!!!" What a great way to think of that little sweetie!
"THANKS AUNT CAMI AND PADRINO" say these three.

(Silas still prefers Baby Feee!!! but I think he really thinks he is saying Finley because when he says "Chili" it sounds like Cheee!!!)

three good things...

These "healthy lifestyle" items have entered our household and we all really like them!
#1 We've been making popcorn the good old fashioned way, meaning without a microwave, with coconut oil (one tsp oil, 1/2 cup kernels, pot with lid, shake until done popping, sea salt) and its so good it doesn't need butter, or "As much butter as it used to." Emmett says. I guess there are a lot of reasons to cook with coconut oil...something about Omega 3's. It makes me feel like I am giving everyone a healthy snack now when I succumb to my addiction!

#2 Blue Agave!!!!!! I have been trying to replace sugar in our house with this....as much as it possible. It is twice as sweet as sugar so you use less...and it's alot better for you...you'll have to look into why it's better because I forget but it's all good.
The only place I haven't tried it is in coffee but its great in tea, cereal, fruit shakes, in anything you bake (not that I bake) etc. LOVE IT. And it has the Mac stamp of approval. Wow.



#3 Next is Aloe Vera juice. Just a shot in smoothies or orange juice takes care of the many digestion problems that seem to plague the Dreyer brood. And it really, truly doesn't taste bad...kind of citrus like .



So that's it. Just thought I'd share!

First Day of Pre-School for Our Baby

Today is the day. He's in the system now (boohoo) and very excited about it (hurray).Here he is all ready to go...Lunchbox, flowers for the teachers, Emmett's old flannel shirt and the same sneakers Emmett wore on his first day of preschool as well as mismatched socks, as is the Dreyer children way. He's only going 2 half days a week to start but it sure feels like he's embarking on a new chapter in his little/BIG life.

He hugged us at the hugging door and went off to play without a backward glance. Wow.
I called a few minutes ago to check in and I guess he had a moment where he said it was time for lunch because that's when mama comes ...cried a bit, moved on...then during circle time he actually SAT and when kids told a bit about their holiday, he took a turn. He talked about snow and throwing rocks and "rough house". After picking him up, I learned that he had a hard time that last hour...kept saying that it was "nappy time" now. Poor guy. But his report to me was very thorough...the good stuff and the bad. All in all, he liked it. We'll see how he feels about it when he figures out he has to go again, and again.

What a day, what a boy.

He is an energetic, independent, sweet boy who said the other day when I wanted to hold his hand walking down the street, "No, I've got it." ...and he held his hands together. "I am holding my own hand mama."
Love him.

New Years in Idyllwild

 

We had lots of fun over the holiday. We went sledding, had snowball fights, ate beef stew, drank hot cocoa, read books, took a hike in Garner Valley, made animal sounds and got struck in the face by a semi-buried pine tree.

Matt

Our friend Marco

Our friend Marco makes great records.  I (Matt) used to play with him in a folk duo "way back when".  Marco has gotten better over the years.  Check out his website, http://marcojoachim.com, and buy his record! (Annie here...I especially like the "cuckoo" song...you can listen to it on his website!)

OMG!!!!! (mac here)

Merry christmas everyone and merry christmas to the new addition to the family......... ZARINA!

Here's the video of me when I first saw her this morning at 6:30 am...

Hallalujah!!!

Mama told me I'd never asked for my present (whatever it was) before... what a trickster!!

She's spunky , friendly, likes anything that rolls or hangs, and CALICO!!!

Now we are ready!

Christmas Card!

Our card this year was designed by Mac and I just love it!

But if you live here in San Diego, chances are you didn't get one, which is just unfair.

So, this one goes out to you...Lauren, Daleth, Caroline, Amy, Lydia, Morgan, Erica...all my students and friends. xxxxxxxxxxoooooooooo


Merry Merry Merry Christmas
May you feel the LOVE!!

peace in the new year,

annie matt carlie mac emmett silas mabel
rosepanda sapphire lucy

we got elfed

Shoes?

Kung Fu Shoes (Love em)

Pacific Walkers

New Work Boots (Have changed my life-Love em)

BlackHawk Warriors

Hiking Shoes (Great)

Merril Trail Runners 

Track/Road Shoes  (Give me shin splints Hate them)

Nike

Trail Runners (Give me a sore Achilles Hate them)

Nike Ridgeliners

This is not a shoe fetish.  Or is it?  I have many specialized needs for shoes don't I?

Some are good some bad

Matt