So I guess we have decided to call our raclette cheese dinner and family Christmas our “Swiss Christmas”. We got our raclette maker out and hooked it up to the electricity converter – it works – yeah. We had a bit of a wild goose chase trying to find Swiss raclette cheese. Turns out we didn’t…

I took the girls to the Wonderland Express – it’s the wintertime model train that the Chicago Botanic Garden sets up. The girls oohed and ahhhed when we walked in. We were fortunate to be able to go when it wasn’t busy.    The trains and the lighting, the plants and all the miniature buildings…

It’s nice to change up our decorated cookies – from sugar cookies to gingerbread – it makes the house smell so nice. The recipe is not overly sweet – they are really good with a cup of coffee in the afternoon. Claire made this one – it’s my favorite: Brian made this management consultant gingerbread…

Standing outside my door stomping the snow off my boots makes me happy. Kid masterpieces like this make me happy. The crazy exuberant light show at a house in our neighborhood makes me happy.  The rock down the street that gets repainted every few months makes me happy.

We’ve been enjoying having Brian home this week. On Wednesday he made a fire and the girls asked if they could roast marshmallows after dinner. This reminds me of a photo of Brian from high school – sitting on the floor at his mom and dad’s house. He looks just the same. I kept having…

…to have a new house and to find spots for all your holiday decorations. I am so lucky. And I just love boxed gingerbread house kits. Seven bucks at Trader Joes and so much fun.

This is the little angel, made out of a coffee pod thingy, that a Swiss bus driver gave to Bea one day. I wonder what the story behind it is? Did he make it with his big hands? Did he find it on the bus? Did one of his grandkids make it? It is precious…

Our biggest one yet.

Each of the stickers below represent a time when Bea bravely talked at school. She is right in the thick of it – getting help from her psychologist*, her teacher and lots of other helpers at school. We are not out of the woods and there is a lot of work to do to ease…

Here I am after doing battle with my TV room walls. I was all motivated after seeing how my sister’s recent paint job turned out (beautiful) but it’s taking forever and a day to get the walls prepped. Patching and sanding and dust absolutely everywhere. Poor Brian cannot handle the dust – he gets all…