Crazy woman martha stewart here!

Who Who WHo in their right mind decides to host 13 people for Thanksgiving Dinner and dessert when they have no prior experience? Yours truly of course! Yes, somehow I have always had it in my head that I would love to have a tv style holiday table full of eclectic people that don't know each other and have gathered around my table for a good meal, and good conversation. Well, that is exactly what I got. We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, and I gained a whole new respect for any woman that has ever hosted a holiday. HOLY SMOKES it is a lot of work. Thank God my husband cleaned the house, or we would have been peeing in moldy toilets after eating our turkey. (joking!. heh. sort of). Anyways, I wrestled the 20 lb turkey into the sink (thats roughly 1/5 of my weight. Oh OK 1/6 , but whose counting pounds?) I bravely unwrapped it all the while praying i wouldn't find a feather. I swear to you if i found one single feather i would have been out! Yep check me out, done, no Thanksgiving for anyone . Thankfully there were none. I really ought to write to Foster Farms and thank them. Because i would have been scarred for life. I attempted to remove the giblets and instead found the neck. Hmm.. why don't they just toss the whole head in there? Beak and all.. i mean really.. Gross! I started freaking out and called steve for moral support. He held the cavity open while reached my plastic bag covered hand in there and pulled it out. He told me to just pretend i was picking up dog poop. uhhh...thanks honey. (lol surprisingly that is less gross to me!) I also then found the giblet bag and dumped it in a pot to make the gravy. I know thats gross and against everything i believe in. But I really wanted my gravy to be a success, i was desperate. It turned out really excellent . (Thank you wondra flour!). So I wrestled the turkey around (i refuse to call it 'the bird'. Thats disgusting, when i eat a burger i don't call it 'the cow'. ) and rinsed the thing in and out, i filled it with celery and carrots and onions. I wanted fresh herbs but not bad enough to go to the store and get trampled by every other overwhelmed housewife who forgot the butter, eggs, pumpkin, mini marshmallows, etc. Then I massaged melted butter into the skin, that was akward! I felt like I was trying to get the thing to relax. Off to the oven it went. I ran around doing the sweet potatoes. Then the chocolate ganache cake (not as great as it sounds, i only give it a 2 out of five probably) (maybe a 3). I took a shower in the mean time, and cut apples for pie. Steve was my excellent helper and arranged the crust and rolled it out. My apple pie was pretty darn good. It came off the NYS Apple website. I love NY. ANyhow, I am all ready, minus the hair. My hair was a big lion-y mane puffy mess. I looked like i stuck my finger in a socket. Blake was decked in his corduroys and waffle shirt. So was Steve. They matched pretty well and both looked great. The house looked perfect and smelled wonderful, and I looked like Cruella Devil! I was putting the touches on the pie, when i heard the doorbell ring. NOOOOooo. I was so not ready. Really i was wanting to paint my toes .. do my hair, maybe even get wild with my eyeshadow. I ran back to the bathroom, threw on lipgloss, threw my hair in a ponytail. And had to spend my first Thanksgiving as a hostess looking like something off a Sesame Street Monster Special. This morning I lamented in the shower "Lord when, WHEN will I have time to have a beautiful house, and a beautiful table, AND a beautiful me!"? I realized, it will be when my little man is bigger. Big enough to watch tv, or to play outside alone, or to be locked up in his room thinking im so lame. And I though to myself, I will take a million years of lion mane hair and just be grateful that the reason i can never catch up is a 20lb chubby man with a smile that melts me to pieces! How easy it is to lose perspective, but what a wonderful day it was! Despite the frizz... oh! and did i mention my roots? I need to call the hairdresser......

Welcome Home Fighting Marlins!

Today I got to be part of a spectacular event. Our squadron guys are coming home and I got to be there to witness families reunited, men meeting their babies for the first time, and wives whose faces showed such joy, and such relief at the safe return of their sailors. I am so proud to be an American, and so proud to be a navy wife. Watching the plane land, and the guys stream off in the cami's with little kids waving flags for them, was a beautiful sight. I got some good pictures (I hope), most taken on a friends camera. But here are a couple!

More hubbies are coming home, and I am gearing up for more pictures!

Happy Veterans Day!

Steve had off of work today, so we got to spend some family time together and it was awesome. First of all *snaps* for Blake (if you don't know what this means you better go watch Legally Blonde 2 again!). He slept from 8:30 pm-5 am!!! It was wonderful! Unfortunately he was up at six thirty, then up for his day at 7:55. He seems to have trouble getting back to sleep in the mornings. But I just bring him to bed with me, he likes to cuddle. I mean I don't . No siree, no cuddling here. If there is one think I like, its kickboxing. Or maybe Karate. I am not a snuggler ;) We got up and let Daddy sleep in since he always lets me sleep in on Saturdays and Sundays! We got all ready to go to story time. Steve could not WAIT to sing "The Grand Ol Duke of York" (ok I am exaggerating). I put Blake in his cute little gap onesie, and his socks even matched each other AND his outfit ( I know I am seriously supermom). I am telling you its like the mom olympics. It is such a challenge to put myself and him together. And mornings when I have on makeup, a cute outfit, and my hair done. You better believe Blake's socks don't match. He is wearing a onesie for the wrong holiday, and his hair is sticking up. No, its not that bad. But mornings when we both look put together..phew let me tell you I feel like i have just achieved ultimate mother-ness. So the three of us went out the door in our Wednesday finest.. to the library. We pull in to a completely empty parking lot. Not one car. DUH! Veterans Day! I wish someone would have told Miss Teresa that she is a librarian, not a Veteran. And furthermore If I have to live 3,000 darned miles from home that library better be giving me my story time once a week, for a full hour and not one minute less. I was slightly bummed, but we decided to head to La Conner. We walked around the stores, and drooled over antique furniture that costs more than my first car did. Steve even encouraged me to look in the knitting store :) ! Blake was such a trooper. He was in his baby B'jorn and smiled at everyone who looked at him, and even some people who didn't! He giggled at old ladies, and smiled sweetly at old men. We found La Conner Brewing company and went in for lunch. Best lunch I have had in SUCH a long time. I asked what kind of clam chowder they had? After all, I am a connoisseur - I worked at Bob's Clam Stand for like three summers! "New England or Manhattan....." I proposed. The waitress looked at me and barked "the white!". Ugh, west coasters, where is the class. I didn't ask what color it was! So I got 'the white' , it was so good, it had fresh dill minced over the top. I LOVE dill. Almost as much as I like Kickboxing. hhahaha. And I got a chicken, pesto, artichoke panini. MMM! Blake got chicken and rice, made a la Gerber. And a side of green beans. He was so well behaved and quiet, we had a great lunch. After that I had to change him. Would you think they could put a changing station in a Brewpub? Nooooooo. He was falling into the sink as I wrestled with him to get his diaper off. All while singing cheerily "who is a pee pee pants??" in hopes of getting his attention. I could not keep his attention however as he was truly fascinated by the faucet. Thank the Lord I am more coordinated than he is, probably not for long though.

We headed off to Burlington to exchange Blake's dinosaur pajamas for the 9 month ones, and then back home. What a fun filled day!

Sunday Funday!

What a very relaxing Sunday here at the Boldt household! Blake and Daddy got up early, (7:30) and let me sleep in until 10! it was wonderful! After we got up, and goofed around the house, Daddy went to take a shower and Blake and I fell asleep on the couch. Steve came back quiet as a mouse, and played his video game. The three of us snuggled on the couch for two hours or so, and Blake and I slept like babies! :) We headed off to church to attend The Six. Thats the edgy cool name for the evening service. Can you guess what time it's at? If you said 6 o'clock your so right! Clever, I know. Blake went to the nursery to play with his pals, once again he was the hit of the evening. He was exhausted when I went to get him, and then we had to whisk him off to walmart to buy wipes and a toilet brush! Leave it to me to screw up buying a toilet brush. I reasoned that we really didn't need the six dollar one, because it comes in a complicated plastic case that will get all dusty and then i will have to clean the dust off of the toilet watery plastic case. I figure, just get the brush that sits in a cup, THEN when i clean the toilet, the brush gets cleaned. uh-huh, i'm a thinker. Not just a pretty face right here! So I get one in sage green to match the bathroom, because we're classy like that. I start scrubbing away at (eeekk 4 months) worth of gross. (In my defense I am a busy woman and when we moved we tossed the old ones. Our new toilets have been cleaned with bleach just not scrubbed really well). Anyhow, I felt like the valiant mold warrior as i swiftly scrubbed...until ...the brush head fell off. There I stood, defeated by the mold. I held a plastic stick in my hand, and had to call my reinforcements in. AKA, my dear husband who came to my rescue and retrieved the moldy scrub brush head with the plastic wand and reattached it. And this folks, is what marriage is all about. When you lose the moldy toilet brush into the depths... a truly good husband will come running to help you out.

Busy day in the neighborhood

Living on Whidbey Island really gets more interesting everyday. I am starting to see why people retire here. Well sort of. I recently started seeing pheasants all over the base.(haha spell check just tried to turn that into peasants.) I have been seeing peasants all over the base! LOL Anyhow, I hate birds. I still really do. But it was like 5% cool to see it. Then tonight I saw two deer on my way home from Safeway. They were right next to the road. I also saw to drunk staggering down the street today, and yelling at my car as I drove past. They were brown baggin it. Oh Oak Harbor, you're so classy.

Today Blake and I had MOPS. He did great in the nursery, and I made the most spectacular cardboard and paper photo album you ever did see! Really, you can just call me Martha. Ok ok, I had a lot of help, and detailed instructions. But still, it was super fun, and as Meredith, my table leader told me. I WAS a crafting apprentice, but NOW I am a craft MASTER!! Yes!

Blake and Daddy had fun tonight while I went to starbucks to meet with a friend. We had some good fellowship and then I headed off to Safeway. It was very luxurious (albeit lonely) to shop alone. I too my time fondling the pomegranates. Hmm...no thats not right. I mean choosing a pomegranate. I was intrigued by the 'buy one get one free', but later disgusted by the fact that they cost four dollars a piece. What a scam. I can go to the commissary and get one half as fresh for a quarter of the price! yum! The privileges of being a military wife!

So in Safeway, I cruised the baby food, leisurely choosing the best flavors and cuisine for Blake. Ham and gravy.. mmmm...green beans...mmm. and the piece de resistance - ground chicken, and corn starch and water! Aka "chicken dinner". Alas, I missed my boys too much and headed home. Haha, i just had a type-o and accidentally typed "headed homo". No, I am very much straight. No worries.

Tomorrow Blake and I are off to explore Anacortes with our friend Brandi. Let's see what other adventures this state holds!

Blake is not too happy....

I just took the most hilarious video of Blake. I was feeding him and kept trying to get the spoon to chew on it. (He is teething like a little angry bear). I took it back and he got quite fed up with me! It is too funny, take a look!

Warnings

Warnings based on my experience

Warning:Do not gargle wildly with mouthwash in the shower in an attempt to save time. You will only splash mouthwash in your eyeball

Warning:Do not remove baby food label, and microwave baby food jar. Upon removal your hand will be covered in sticky glue.

Warning: ....eh thats all I got for today.

My skin hurts, my muscles hurt. Thanks to my hubby for a back massage because it felt like I had done two hours of hard labor. My back was ridiculously sore.

Now here I sit at the computer, and all I can smell is ranch dressing from the bowl next to me that has leftover ranch from my salad. It smells gross.

My throat hurts.

On the bright side, I love my life and I have the CUTEST baby boy on the planet, who I love with all my heart. I honestly don't know if a person's life could be complete with out seeing a little toothless grin covered in green beans giggling at a mommy who is making the buzzzing bee noises with a spoon!