13 Random Number Facts

As part of one of my New Year's resolutions (to "get over" some of the things I dislike), here is my T-13 tribute to numbers... one of my least favorite things! (Any of you who know me well, know that I'm not the person to come to if your 5th grader needs help with his math)

1. 42--number of eggs purchased with this week's groceries (also, the name of Gilmore favorite get-together game, involving dominos)
2. 3--average number of times per week we go to the A&M church building. (Also the number of pounds of bananarama-- aka banana runts-- I ordered for Norah's monkey birthday party...it was an online bargain, cheaper than buying 10 oz. from the candy store...anybody need some banana runts?)
   
3. 5.5--number of pieces of furniture Jason has built for our house. (china cupboard, entertainment center, guest room bookcase, storage case for our dvd collection, changing table/chest of drawers, and he's currently working on a beautiful bookcase for Norah's bedroom--I'll post pictures as soon as its completed). What a blessing to be married to such a talented handy man!
4. 45--approximate number of minutes from the time I rise, until the time I make the bed. (Cut me some slack, I have to wait until Jason's out of it, for one, and I have a lot of other things going on in the morning--like packing J's lunch, changing/feeding Norah, etc.)
5. 2--number of Christmas decorations I forgot to take-down before we had post-holiday company (I forgot to take down the holly vines over our 2 living room windows and realized it halfway through the party we gave last Friday night....oh well, at least I got my money's worth on our new decor--they're safely stored away as of today)
6. 5--average number of times per week I vacuum the house.
7. .25--average number of times per week I mop the house. (Did I mention I hate to mop? Guess that's another thing I'll have to "get over" this year)
8. 8pm--time we typically put Nordstrom (Amanda's catchy new nickname for Norah) to bed.
9. 6--number of 2-layer cakes I have baked/decorated this week (and the reason for the purchase of 36 of my 42 eggs)
10. 0--number of times this week Norah has eaten baby food. (She is LOVING table food! For lunch, she's eats a half-sandwich and a whole banana! She eats whatever we have for dinner, plus cereal for breakfast, and an afternoon snack)
11. 17--average number of times I call my mom each week.
12. 27---number of years I will have spent on this earth, as of next Monday. (January 15)
    
13. 1--number of years Norah will have spent on this earth, as of next Friday. (January 19--which, is also the date of her great Grandad's birthday)
    

Laundry Day, New Tricks, and Something Truly Amazing

No, it's not what it looks like. Our little angel hasn't crossed over to the "Dark Side". Norah simply decided that Mommy needed some help (or at least a little entertainment) while I folded the laundry today. Anyone who's spent much time with Norah (or reading this blog, for that matter) knows how much she loves a good game of peek-a-boo (aka "Where's Norah?") Jason and I used to cover her face with blankets, or our hands, or anything that was close-by, and ask, "Where's Norah?". Lately, Norah has taken it upon herself to initiate the game, at will. Her most recent (and laughable) exploit was with Mommy's bathrobe. After playing a few rounds, she decided to dive way down deep into that bathrobe...maybe a little too deep, because I heard her whipmer, as she couldn't find her way out to "surprise" me. After a good bit of struggling, she finally emerged--through the sleeve of the robe! She was confused at the tight fit, but clearly proud of herself for finding an alternate exit.

Norah still loves riding in the laundry basket. I dont know what I'll do when she gets too big to fit. (Maybe invest in a little red wagon?) I think its safe to say she looks forward to laundry day more than I do. (Ok, who am I kidding...every day is laundry day...and I dont relish it!)

In addition to perfecting her peek-a-boo game, Norah has several new "tricks". She covers her ears, puts her arms up, touches her nose, and claps on command. AA gave her a Little People Noah's Ark for Christmas and Norah loves it. Noah is her favorite character, by far. In fact, she can be all the way across the room and if we ask her "Where's Noah?" she'll drop what she's doing and scower the room until she finds him. (She can also correctly identify the elephant and the zebra!)

She's been taking steps here and there for about a month now, but only when she's in the mood to, and only when Mommy and Daddy are close-by. She's getting really good at standing in place, and has even started to figure out how to correct her balance when she starts to loose it.

One final accomplishment I have to note (cause let's face it, this blog might as well be titled "The Chronicles of Norah") is that Norah has started to recognize written words! I know this sounds totally far-fetched, but let me explain. The company that I sell books through (Usborne) recently released a dvd series called "Your Baby Can Read", and this was one of Mom R's Christmas gifts to Norah. We started her on the first dvd about a week before Christmas, and she's already learned to read (or at least memorize) 5 words.

The video shows a written word, then pauses for a second, and then reads the word aloud. Then it shows a video clip that corresponds with the word. Well, last week, Norah began responding to the words, "hi", "clap", "nose", "arms up", and "dog" before the word was read aloud. She simply saw the word (no pictures, just the word) and did what it said. She's continuously done this for the past week, so even though I was a little skeptical and thought it was just a coincidence at first, I really think she's memorized at least these words. It's the craziest thing I've ever seen!

Well, I guess that's enough "That's my girl"-ing for one night. Have a great day!

13 Recipes That Made the Cut

I've already started filling up the cool "Favorite Recipes" cookbook that mom gave me for Christmas. Here are 13 recipes that have made "the cut" so far...I've decided that only the best of the best (and only things I've actually successfully made) will be put into this cookbook!

1. Breaded Chicken Fetticine Alfredo (as in, what I made for dinner tonight)
   
2. Oatmeal Pie (the non-burnt pot holder version)
   
3. Taco Soup
4. Down-Home Chili (my own creation--the first recipe I ever made up from my head)
   
5. Chocolate Chip Cookie Cheesecake
6. Mongolian Chicken with fried rice
   
7. Lemon Meringue Icebox Pie
8. Cajun Fried Turkey Marinade (Jason's Thanksgiving specialty...but we always loose the recipe, so now its in a very safe place!)
   
9. Pork Tenderloin Rub (via Vickie Young...delish!)
   
10. Chocolate Sheet Cake with Fudge Icing
    
11. Plum Sauce with Rice (I think I could eat this every day for the rest of my life)
    
12. Quick & Easy Chicken Spaghetti (from Juanita, our church secretary--I actually met her because of that recipe! I found it in the church cookbook and loved it, then I met her one day at church and said, 'Oh! You're Juanita Pixley! I make your chicken spaghetti all the time!" I think she thought I was a little crazy...but we're buddies now)
    
13. Lucious Banana Caramel Pie (from the Southern Living Cookbook)
    

Norah's First Christmas (Part II)

We have a new family photo! Jason set up the tri-pod and put the timer on the camera (thanks, Mom R) Sunday before church so we could get a family Christmas photo to commemorate Norah's first Christmas. We only took 2 photos (Norah wasn't looking at the camera in the first one--its pretty tricky getting an 11-month-old to smile at an un-manned camera!), but I think this one turned out pretty well! I especially love the way Norah is reaching for Daddy's hand.

And now...the rest of the story. After opening Norah's presents at our house (and combating the soon-to-be-legendary, "Pot-Holder Fire Fiasco"), we headed out to Grant and Paige's house to "crack 'em open". We had a great day!



We arrived to find Uncle Grant, wearing a festive hat, which he'd dubbed "The Landry". (Not everybody would be able to pull-off a hat this cool, but Grant made it look easy). Since he'd already had to wait until TEN THIRTY to crack 'em open, Santa Landry, quickly set to work distributing packages to everyone.

Uncle Grant even let Norah try "The Landry" on for size. (Guess she shares her uncle's ability to look good in super-cool head gear)

Mom R took handled video documentation for the day, while Santa Landry continued passing out gifts. (Grandmother gazed, hopefully up at "The Landry", wondering if Grant would bestow the honor of wearing it upon her, but alas, only Norah was found worthy)

Finally, Jason opened a package with a note inside. It said that he would have to follow some clues to find his gift, and if he failed to find it's location...then Grant would get to keep it! Those cluse were hidden in some pretty crazy places!

All of his super sleuthing paid off. The final clue led Jason to a "safe place" (Grant's gun safe), where Santa Landry awarded him with a beautiful new rifle.


Grant gave Grandmother an awesome set of bear furniture. Grant designed and made them himself--isn't he talented!? Grandmother loved them, and so did the rest of us.

Mom R got an amazing surprise, too...real diamond earrings from Grant & Paige. She was shocked, but very appreciative. Jason's and my gifts to her weren't nearly as exciting, but Grant said it was ok since we delivered the prized "first grandchild".

After all the paper was cleared away and about a million heartfelt "thank you"s and "I love you"s, the guys went outside to try out the new gun. Mom R and Grandmother went over to their house to prepare Christmas dinner, and Paige, Norah, and I went for a long country drive (that aided us in helping Norah settle down and take a nap after morning filled with Christmas excitment) It also helped us work up a good appetite.

Dinner was delicous! We had chicken and dressing, salad, chicken fried deer steak, brown & serve rolls, green bean casserole, and baked beans with sausage. And for dessert, German chocolate cake (Grandmother even left the coconut off of half, just for Jason!), a double-crusted cherry pie (Paige cookie-cut Christmas tree-shaped pie vents in the top!), and of course, my (slightly burnt pot-holder flavored) oatmeal pie.

Somewhere amid the shuffle, Norah developed a bad case of "Bow Bottom", so we decided it was time to call it a day. It was a wonderful Christmas day, that reminded me just how thankful I am to have so much loving family living so close to us.

Norah's First Christmas (Part I)

As promised, here is my first installment of Norah's "First Christmas". I'll have to break this down into two sessions, because let's just say we did a LOT of celebrating!

I've been looking forward to our first Christmas as parents since we found out we were expecting, and I can honestly say, I was not disappointed in any way.

Saturday, December 23rd, we kicked off our celebration with our annual Gilmore Family Christmas at Memaw's. We took our traditional "Grandkids with Memaw" and "Kids with Memaw" pictures, had plenty to eat (including Uncle Wayne's famous peanut brittle and delicious chex mix!), and had a blast playing Catch Phrase. This year there were 28 of us, including Melissa's new fiance, David, Amanda's boyfriend, Trae, and of course, Norah!

Sunday morning, Christmas Eve day, a vast majority of the Gilmore clan attended worship together at Central Church of Christ in Bryan (where most of us grew up attending--including Jason and me). It is always special worshipping with our family. Norah got to wear her Christmas dress, which she calls "Pree!" (Pretty) and she looked just that. Braden Bomnskie asked if "Miss Norah" could go for a ride around the church building with him in his wagon. She had a ball!


Sunday evening, we celebrated with Grammy & Grandpa Gilmore, AA & Trae, and Uncle Johnny at the Gilmore house. We opened gifts and played games until nearly midnight. It was a lot of fun cutting loose with my family, and getting to know Trae even better. (Games always bring out every one's personality even more--we always have so much fun!) Amanda and I got to enjoy some much-needed "Sister Time". Its always hard saying goodbye when its time for her to head home, but I'm hoping we'll see each other again soon, since someone special in both our lives will be celebrating her first birthday in less than a month.

Grandpa read the Nativity story with Norah. (Jason and I gave her a really sweet touchy-feely Nativity board book, to go along with "The Night Before Christmas" to be sure she gets the real message behind Christmas). I hope this will be a tradition for us in years to come. She sure loves her Grandpa! (And he's pretty crazy about her, too)


Norah didn't exactly get what was going on when we opened presents, but she definitely kept herself (and the rest of us) entertained. She climbed "Mt. Present" and finally got to play with some of those "forbidden ribbons"! I had to laugh because by the end of the Christmas season, she had begun stealing ribbons from our packages and trying with all her might to tie them around the back of her head. I wish I had a picture, because it was such a sight! She never wears headbands, so I don't know where she got the idea, but she did it time and time again! We finally helped her tie a couple so they'd stay, and you could tell she felt beautiful by the way she beamed at us.

Jason and I got home around 12:30am. Norah was sacked out and easily transferred from her carseat into her crib. Jason, jokinginly asked (for about the 12th time) if we could "Crack 'em open", and I surprised him by replying, "Yeah, why not!?" I figured it would be more special to open our gifts to one another while Norah was happily sleeping in her bed, when we could actually talk and enjoy some special time together.

I know I will always have a good memory of the two of us opening presents in the wee hours of Christmas morning, our first year as parents. Jason finally got to open his beloved disc golf basket. (He assembled it right there in our living room at 12:45!) We finally called it a night and turned in around 1:30am.







Christmas morning, everyone slept late. I woke up around 8:30 to make an oatmeal pie for lunch at the Robinson's. I put the pie in the oven and headed for the shower, when I got a strong whiff of that unmistakable smell of something on fire...not burning food in the oven, we're talking the overwhelming fumes of something ablaze. I woke Jason and we both dashed into the kitchen, where billowing smoke was pouring out of the oven. I opened the oven to discover that I had knocked a potholder into the oven. I grabbed it with a pair of tongs and pitched it into a sink full of water. We're still working on getting rid of the burnt smell, but on the bright side, it was one of my old, blue potholders (now replaced by my pretty, new red ones), and our house is still in tact.

After Jason got rid of the smoke (and I finished the shower I was about to start when we discovered the burning potholder), Norah awoke in her usual, happy morning mood. We fed her a little breakfast, and commenced with our present-opening.

Jason and I did most of the tearing of the paper, but we let her help. She enjoyed the ribbons the most (naturally), with the exception of one package from Gramps. Gramps had tied a little snowman jingle bell to the top of one of the gifts she gave Norah. Norah played with that bell for the longest time. You never would have guessed she had any new toys--she was just content to jingle the morning away. We saved it to hang on the tree in years to come.





She went for a Christmas victory lap on her new push-car toy (a great gift from Jenny & Daniel), before we loaded up the car to head out to the Robinson family Christmas (after being prompted by 2 phone calls from Aunt Paige on behalf of Uncle Grant, who was ready to "Crack 'em open!")

Ok, this is probably the longest blog entry I've ever made, so I'm gonna call it a night, but stay tuned for the riveting conclusion of our Christmas adventures, coming soon!

13 Things I Got for Christmas

Yet another late-night T-13 post from Robinson County...but better late than never! We had an awesome Christmas. The best one I can remember in years! (Blog and photos, soon to come, I promise!) Santa (and my family and friends) was extremely generous this year---I love every, single gift I received! So, this week's list is 13 things I received for Christmas.










1. Loads of fun, new jewelry---mostly costume/trendy stuff (And one, beautiful James Avery snowflake charm from Mom R, because, "It's the only kind that lasts in Central Texas") I must admit, I'm really enjoying accessorizing, for the first time in my life...but as you can see from the photo above, it just comes naturally to some people. (Norah loves to wear my beads! Now, giving them back...that's another story)


2. Laundry Sorting System. I LOVE this gift from my mom. The "lid" lifts to provide easy-access to the laundry sorting bags, which remove and make carrying loads to the washing machine a cinch. Its also a great place to fold clothes (that is not my bed!) and is pretty, to boot!




3. iHome--Super great gift from Jason. It turns my ipod into a portable boom box. It can clamp onto Norah's stroller to provide tunes for us while we walk at the mall or around the neighborhood. It also keeps my ipod charged. The best part is, I can listen to my ipod without headphones/earbuds, so I dont have to feel like I'm ignoring Norah, and she can enjoy the music, too.


4. TEN Rubbermaid Shoeboxes--this may seem like a strange gift to you, but it was on my wish list and I'm so glad I got them! (And as you may notice, there are only 5 empty containers remaining, because I've already put half of them to good use!)








5. 2007 Gooseberry Patch Wall Calendar. The greatest calendar EVER! Mom spoils me with a new one every year, and I look very forward to it! It always hangs in the same spot on our kitchen wall. Its cute, and has tons of great recipes and crafting tips!








6. Red Striped Apron. Another wish list fulfillment, this time via Grant & Paige. I absolutely LOVE this apron! It matches our kitchen, and its my favorite style--and I love to cook in an apron!









7. Drawer-full of red & beige towels, pot holders & washrags. If you haven't picked up on a theme here, I'm moving toward a red and beige color scheme in the kitchen. I now have more towels (a formerly scare commodity in our kitchen) than I've ever had before, with matching washrags and pot holders to boot!







8. EIGHT VeggieTales dvds! This was a super-sweet gift from Jason. I've been on a major Veggie-kick ever since Quebo started airing them on Saturday mornings. (I'd never seen them before) At any rate, I've been talking about them non-stop, and Jason deviated from my "wish list" and surprised me with them. I was thrilled and I love them!



9. Printer--Hallelujah! After a solid year of no printer, the Robinsons now have the ability to scan, copy, and print, all in one, handy-dandy contraption. I feel some adorable, 1-year birthday party invitations coming on!





10. Refrigerator Magnet Photo Frames. Technically, these were stocking stuffers, but I love them so much, I consider them among my favorite gifts. The fridge looks so neat and clean, and I'm having a lot of fun framing photos/Christmas cards from our friends and family.




11. Sweet, Green Sweater! I even taught it how to wave hello. Amanda always knows what I like/need. I love this new sweater (and she got me some cool coordinating beads so I can accessorize, if I can convince Norah that Mommy needs them more than she does).




12. My Favorite Cookbook. Another Goosberry Patch find. Its a blank, lined cookbook, divided into sections (Breakfast, Dessert, Side Dishes, etc.) so that I can write all of my tried and true favorite recipes in one place. I am so excited about transferring all my chicken scratch recipes into this cute book, and having something to pass down to my kids someday, in my own handwriting.


13. Gift Cards and Christmas Money!! As I mentioned before, Santa (and my friends/family) was too generous this year. I got gift cards to Best Buy, JoAnns, Walmart, American Eagle, and Lowes (are you salivating, Sheri?). Just in time for all of my new year projects and plans!




I know that we are blessed beyond measure, and these gifts (as awesome as they all are) really dont have anything to do with the true meaning of Christmas. The greatest gift that has ever been given was the one that God gave to the world when he sent His son here to sacrifice himself for each of us.

I hope that you had a wonderful Christmas, and if you're one of the many people who helped make my season bright either by sending a Christmas card, sharing a special gift, or spending some time with my during your holiday, thank you so much! This really was a wonderful Christmas for us, and I hope to blog about it soon!

13 Things Finished/Still to Come

Well, here it is, 11:55pm, and I'm just now getting to my T-13...things have been a little bit busy in Robinson County! So, for lack of any better ideas (and in hopes of getting to bed soon!), this week's thirteen is a taste of what's been going on /coming up between now and Christmas. As you can tell by glancing at the first few items on the list, much of my days/nights have been/are consumed with finishing up some last minute sewing projects that I didn't intend to procrastinate on, but somehow managed to. Wish me luck!

1. Finished Christmas shopping as of 8:17pm tonight! (That's right, Dad, your illusive Christmas presents have finally been purchased, but aren't wrapped just yet, so stay away!) Also, took care of all our stocking stuffers.
   
2. Finished knitting 2 stuffed bears to give as Christmas gifts.
3. Finished Norah's stocking for our house--and I've got the picture to prove it! Norah's stocking is the one in the middle. (She's loving puppies, so I thought she needed one on her stocking.) Jason's stocking is on the left, and mine is on the right.
4. Still working on Norah's stocking for Memaw's house...I am currently stitching piece 82 of 117, so we'll see if I make it by my 3pm Saturday deadline!
5. Told Jason "No, you can't open your present yet." (for the 5th time)
   
6. Burned two versions of 2006 Christmas CD---one "classic" and one "upbeat contemporary. I've listened to both almost non-stop for three days.
   
7. 2 pair of flannel pj pants are still in the works...they're not due til Sunday, so my fingers are crossed that I'll find a way!
8. Tomorrow: bake 2 pies (buttermilk and oatmeal) for our annual Christmas dinner with good friends.
9. Tomorrow: wrap newly purchased gifts for Dad, knit bears, and other gifts for aforementioned annual Christmas dinner.
10. Re-stated to Jason that early Christmas present "cracking open" is not permissable.
    
11. Saturday: Christmas at Memaws, 3pm (Gilmore cousin time, woo hoo!)
    
12. Sunday/ Christmas Eve: Worship in the morning, followed by a first-time viewing of "Charlotte's Web" (mom, Manda, and me), followed by Christmas with the Gilmores, 6pm. Fun day!
    
13. Monday/ Christmas Day: Ok, sweetheart, "Let's crack 'em open!" Check out the haul at our house, then head over to the other Robinsons' house for some good times with Grant & Paige, Mom R, and Grandmother.