Channelling my inner Minnesotan

In my heart, I will always be a California girl.  Yes, I grew up in Michigan, and only spent a few short years living west of the Rockies, but when I was there, it just felt... right.  Hated being far from family, but there was a peace in my soul in Northern California.  I've lived lots of other places, and enjoyed most of them (Columbia!) but my dream is to someday return to California.  Hopefully after they've fixed all the political and budget problems, and home prices become somewhat reasonable.  I'm not holding my breath on the last two...

I digress.  It was -22 here this morning when we got up.  -26 if you count the wind chill.  Now, I have learned to really love winter, especially if there's snow on the ground, because I love to ski.  There aren't a whole lot of places in the country where you can have an active xc-ski-life like I do.  It's awesome that I can ski 4-5 times a week, schedule permitting.  But seriously, -26 -- that's cold.

Especially since I'm supposed to go snowshoeing tonight.  I signed up for this women's outing; 60 minute hike with a bonfire at an igloo at the end.  (Yes, I know the two don't seem to go together, bonfires and igloos).  So, I'm channeling my inner Minnesotan, putting on my 27 layers, and going to tough it out.  I think.  Hopefully I won't end up like this little guy.

This photo was taken Tuesday morning in Redwood Falls, Minnesota. A squirrel was found frozen, standing up with its hands up to its face. Submitted by: Chris Lee, Fairfax, MN.


3pm update:  So far it's only gotten up to -3.  I doubt that it's going to get warmer after the sun goes down, regardless of the weather forecast, so I made the decision to stay home and stay warm.  My snowshoe adventures will have to wait. 

Inspiration or Procrastination?

Does it really matter?  I finally took care of a problem that had been bugging me for years.  Granted, I had a lot of "important" things to do instead, but now one less thing on my "I need to fix that..." list.

About 6 years ago, I painted the living room.  At the time, I had no money for art on the walls.  I bought two picture frames at Ikea, and vowed that I would find posters for them.  In the mean time, I took out some craft paints, swirled them around on the back of the sheet of paper that came in the frame, and called it "art".  Here is one of the frames:

Embarrassingly, this "art" has stayed in that frame until today, when I decided that I had to find something to put in those frames!  I spent 2.5 hours on the internet, trying to find posters I liked, with no success.

I was so frustrated, I decided to try my hand at art again.

Here's my supply list:

• 2 Ikea posters purchased on clearance a few years ago and never used
• 1 gallon of brown paint purchased for $5 from the mis-tint bin because I loved the color
• Foam paint roller
• Colored sand from an old sand-art kit (to texture the paint)
• Black and cream-colored scrapbook paper
• Circle punches
• Scissors
• Glue stick

If you think the above reads like an elementary school art project, you're not far off.  Here's the end result:

I was able to create a cool mottled effect with the roller, cut the leaves and stems freehand from the paper, and glued the pieces in place.  If you look at it up close, it does resemble an art project, but hey, it should buy me another few years.  It's less embarrassing than what I had before, and cost me nothing but time.

Only problem - The plexiglas in the frame glares terribly with dark artwork, so I may have to invest in some anti-glare glass.  Still, the cost is minimal, and the satisfaction of getting something off my list is great!

Update - my kids came home and declared they hate the new art.  Sigh.

Missing it

I really, really want to be spending time blogging, but one of my resolutions is to finally attack the mountains of paperwork piled up, and get our "filing house" in order.  To do so means tackling one of my biggest demons - the "I can't throw it away - I might need to know it someday" curse.

So.... I've been extra diligent in tackling paperwork projects lately, and I refuse to stop skiing while there's still snow on the ground, so that doesn't leave much time for blogging.  I hope to post more pictures soon, but don't hold your breath.

:)

Christmas morning

Here's the money shot... both girls opening the hot gift from Santa - iPod touch!

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Wishes 2010

Why packing at 4am is NOT a good idea

So it's Christmas Eve, and we've safely arrived at our destination, had a good night's sleep, and now it's time to get ready for the day.  I check my suitcase, and find that, to my horror...

I have no pants.

I packed shirts, underwear, socks, shoes, xc ski gear, and the outfit for the family portrait. But no pants. All I have are the jeans I wore on the drive, and the dress slacks for the party this afternoon. I now need to go shopping on Christmas Eve. Those who know how much I hate to clothes shop on ANY given day of the year can imagine my horror and dismay.

Sarah overheard my plight, and said "Mom, you need to ask Santa to bring you pants (tonight)!"

Oh, if only. So, I'm off to shower, put on yesterday's jeans, and head out in search of yoga pants.  And toothpaste.  And deodorant, because I forgot them, too. I suspect that this will be the 2010 Christmas party running joke, once my Dad hears about it.  It's just too rich to pass up.

Christmas Letter 2010

Merry Christmas from the Poulsens!

We’ve had a good year in 2010 – here’s an update on what we’ve been doing.

Trips:  4-day kayak/bike adventure (Laura only), Utah for the 4th of July, Wisconsin Dells with Kotziers & Grimes in August, Utah for the fall deer hunt (Gary only), Michigan for Christmas

Gary still works for 3M, and spends quite a bit of time on the road travelling to Ohio and New York state. He’s on a first name basis with most of the hotel staff in those cities, and loves the perks he gets as a frequent flier.  He really got into shape this summer – he lost 25 pounds by logging 768 miles on various fitness activities – mostly cycling during the summer.  He and Laura completed the 30 mile St. Paul Classic bike tour in September.

Laura is staying busy as president of the young women’s organization at church.  When she’s not driving kids around, or teaching church lessons, she’s either on her new Macbook (love!!), writing the occasional blog post, riding her bike, cross country skiing, or… big accomplishment for the year… learning how to swim.  (Yes, in her 40’s she finally took swim lessons – it wasn’t pretty!)  There are no Olympics in her future, but at least now she’ll be safe when she starts kayaking next summer.  She’s logged 860 fitness miles, not including the endless laps in the pool, and still doesn’t look like someone who exercises.

Sarah is in 7th grade and settling into middle school.  She’s enrolled primarily in special-ed classes, but is mainstreamed for choir, which she loves.  She’s a good “mommy” to her two goldfish, Goldie and Nemo, and continues to collect Care Bear, panda, and Rudolph items – even though there’s not much extra space left in her room!  She’s pretty open to trying new things (for someone with autism) and so she spent a great week this past summer in a day camp for kids with autism.  She wasn’t as crazy about the sports camp that Mom enrolled her in, but she was a trooper and found out that T-ball is kinda fun.

Madi is in 3rd grade, and excels at reading.  Math is a little harder, but she doesn’t mind practicing using math games on Mom’s iPhone.  She loves her rabbit, Marbles (aka “Bun Bun”), but still pines for a dog.  She’s fierce at Pokemon on her Nintendo DSi, and is excited about learning to cross country ski on her brand new skis.  She loves to collect just about anything, which tends to drive her mom crazy.  She just had her first sleepover, and is really starting to dive into the “tween” lifestyle.  She scares her mother with her computer proficiency; she’s gotten way too good at Googling, and would be addicted to YouTube if Mom didn’t get in the way.  Her hero is Speed Racer (from the 1960’s animated series) and whenever she’s in the car, she insists on listening to the Elvis XM radio station.

As 2010 draws to a close, we are grateful for family, friends, and our many blessings.  Have a wonderful and blessed Christmas and a joyous new year!