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Author Archives: Jen

Ugh. What was I thinking?!

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Minor in the grand scheme of things but I am really regretting cutting my hair. 🙁

As a general statement: I don’t love it but sometimes I kind of like it. In Virginia I was finally really liking it and I could style it decently and easily… And then I colored it and all that went away (the color was cool but it’s a bitch to take care of—colored shampoo creates a huge mess every time I shower, I need to do protein treatments to help it stay healthy and repair damage).

So it slowly grew out more and I started liking it again (I’d always wanted really long hair) but I came to realize the annoyances of long hair so was thinking about a change and after much (but apparently not quite enough) deliberation, got about five inches cut off. And now I’m back to not really liking it again. 🙁

Of course it looked good when the stylist finished but it’s just too short. And whether I leave it curly or straighten it myself it looks bad (to me). Last night Tom said it looks fine and I agree. Fine. Not bad but not good. Fine. Blah. And unfortunately my hair plays a big part of how I feel about myself so this really sucks. Yes it will grow but my hair takes forever so this is going to be painful. I’m now trying to decide if a minor cut will help or hurt more.

I feel like I keep sabotaging myself but at the time I get <whatever> done it seems perfectly reasonable.

😞

I hate that my hair causes me so much grief.

Owen’s 9th birthday sleepover!

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We decided to do a big summer party again so Owen invited two friends to spend the night.

Katie was thrilled to be able to play Xbox with the boys.

Pizza!

Katie helping get the cake ready. (Owen picked it out at Sam’s Club yesterday.)

Oliver and Brandon

Everything went really well. They were crazy loud at times but they were all really well-behaved and were in bed by 11 and had stopped chatting by 11:30…

New hair and new color day!

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A stylist posted on NextDoor looking for people to get their hair done for pics and videos for her website so I said why not. I’ve been itching for a small change for awhile and this was it (it’s the same style, just a bit shorter—I’m not going crazy!). We had a fun time…talked food and kids and lipstick and business ideas…and she surprised me with a new color layer under the purple! I was a little nervous in the chair because I haven’t gotten this much cut off in a looooong time…but it ended up awesome! Plus she snuck in a new color! (SERIOUSLY. She didn’t tell me until she was done!)

Of course it feels waaaaay shorter than it actually is and feels very strange but I’m sure I’ll get used to it quickly enough. 🙂

Polar Bear Plunge!

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Guess which one of us is doing this crazy thing this morning?!

Free s’mores? Yes, please.

Staying warm by the fire.

Waiting…

Watching!

Proof!

It was actually a really nice day for it as opposed to what it could have been this time of year…but it was still REALLY cold. It took about five groups before someone popped up and said HOLY SHIT THAT’S COLD loud enough for the spectators to hear. 🤣

Owen said he’d been in cold water before—swimming with Papa. We told him yes, Lake Superior is cold, but that’s still like 65° and it was in the summer. We looked up the water temp for today and it was about 38°.

Internet axe murderer friends are the very best.

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We have some foodie friends who always make the most incredible-looking meals and we are always jealous when we see the pics on Facebook. But tonight our wishes came true and we were invited to a dinner! (It was last-minute as fill-ins but we didn’t care—if Jami and David ever invite you to dinner, you do whatever you need to do to make it happen!! In our case it was get a last-minute sitter to pick up the kids from Parents Night Out at the rec center and take them home and put them to bed.)

Holy shitballs was that an amazing multi-course meal. Here are just a few pics…and yes, I missed a few courses because wine. We might not need to eat at all tomorrow, though the leftovers will be tempting. Totally worth the 2.5 hours of drive time. Internet axe murderer friends are the very best. 💗

Sesame butter and radish chive tea sandwiches. Aged Gouda. Chorizo foam and goat cheese chantilly with bread sticks. Prosciutto-wrapped artichokes.

The first bottle of delicious wine…

Sous vide pork belly on smoked gouda mac and cheese

Sous vide potatoes and filet mignon (missing bearnaise in the pic)

We then ended the evening with a super fun game and were on the road home by 9:30. A great time was had by all…and we can’t wait to do it again!

Kidisms 44

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My mom and stepdad were prepping the turkey, which had been in the sink all day. 
Katie: The turkey is naked swimming now!

It was time for Owen to go to bed and as usual he didn’t want to so said no.
Me: Yes.
Owen: No.
Me: So tomorrow will be 15 minutes early.
Owen: No!
Me: Then a half hour early.
Owen: No I won’t go to bed early.
Me: Yes you will. You know the rules. When you argue about going to bed, you go to bed early. And that doesn’t change just because Papa and Grannie are here.
Papa [trying to sneakily get through to Owen]: Owen, you’re NOT ARGUING with your mom about bed time, are you?
Owen, totally not getting it: YES! I AM!

Katie couldn’t find a Hershey Kiss she put in the tree.
I can’t find it. Wait. Did magic happen?

We we’re watching a Mythbusters duct tape episode.
Owen: It feels like I’m starting to like duct tape.

Katie: Mom, every time I have water in my mouth I think I’m drinking my blood but I’m not.
Me: Why do you think that?
Katie: It feels like I taste it.
Me: How do you know what blood tastes like?
Katie: I don’t know.