Another benefit of marriage...

if you are lucky enough to marry a guy with four sibblings, not only you gain 4 sort-of-sibblings in the deal, but you may also be lucky enough, like I am, to get some very, very cool 'sistas'
So, I'm not unbiased, but I must say that the Mayer kids know how to pick 'em!!

I have a huge ear infection and I probably should go to bed.. enough studying for the day. I almost fainted from the pain this afternoon.. my ears popped, and I had to close my eyes and hold on to the chair because I was sooo dizzy.. into minute clinic I go tomorrow if no improvement..

My darling husband BBQed today! yeay!! the weather was lovely and the four of us (3 + Ginger) played in the backyard for quite a long time. Maybe, maybe, maybe we'll have that pool open in 4 weeks!! that's nothing!
and maybe, maybe, maybe, we'll get rid of one huge tree from the yard so that the sun will actually hit the water in the pool.
Earth day is approaching.. our compost is not doing so well.. apparently did not water it as much as we should have during the winter.
I want to get some bins to collect rain water so that we can use it to water our plants. We have been really good about using cleaning products that are environmentally safe. If you are wanting to try some new products, I absolutely love Biokleen's all purpose cleaner. It's super concentrated and will remove any stains off anywhere! again, concentrated = small bottle.
After trying many, Ecover dishwasher liquid is my favorite. It may seem expensive, but it goes a long, long way.
We are growing herbs at home, and hopefully soon we'll start on some veggies too.
No more washing clothes with hot water - haven't in months...
We have a long way to go, but we are taking little baby steps. Maybe in the next year or two we'll have some solar panels on the roof - I hope!!
I digress... sometimes being just half as good as I would like to be is twice as much work as I'm willing to do.. :-)
take a reusable bag next time you go to the store.
Mary - apparently in a very know-it-all mood tonight (quiet, dad!)

ps. pic is from this evening.. Sofia knows how to throw a frisbee!!!

Explore Minnesota!!

Greetings!

Staying up past my bedtime was definitely worth it tonight. I caught an advert for Explore MN on ABC and was so pleasantly surprised to see our friends Nancy and Dudley on the screen.
Check out http://www.exploreminnesota.com/myfavoriteminnesota/
and look for Dudley's 14 Favorite Wonders of MN. The pictures (his, I assume) are SOOOO beautiful. He's such an amazing photographer. Brandenburg has nothing on Dudley!! Pass on the link to anyone who you think may enjoy beautiful pictures.
Spend sometime on Dudley's website www.raptorworks.com - beautiful pictures there too!!! I better buy some of his work now before he goes on Oprah & I definitely can not afford it anymore.
ps. Nancy is a kick-butt artist too.

peace and sunshine,
Mary

Where is SpRiNg???

Happy Spring!!

I just took the picture of our deck a few minutes ago. Nice weather, uh? Just yesterday we were looking at the pool and the brown grass and thinking/hoping that we could have the pool open in early May.. ummm.. hopefully the snow will be gone tomorrow.

The other two pictures are from Sunday morning. Andy & Sofia went to the Children's Museum in St. Paul.. here are the before and after pictures. They had a blast!
I stayed home studying. The big test (Series 7) is in just over 3 weeks.. April 23rd. Wish me luck! That's the biggie - 6 hours. On May 8th, I will take the Series 66 (after I pass the 7, which I get one shot at). Next studying/exam taking (last for a while) will be in early June when I get the insurance (health, life.. whatever else) license.

ok.. so my life is revolving around studying these days..
All is well with everyone (so they tell me) :-)
Andy has just this week received his license to go elk hunting in September. He's so excited! Mostly about having a chance to bug Jan for a couple of days! ;-)
He'll be going fishing in Michigan (Lake Michigan) in late May, which I think he's pretty excited about too.

ok.. gotta go hit the books. Andy keeps throwing Ginger's toy above my head so I think it's time to get off the chair before he hits me with it! Sofia is pretending that a little calculator is her cell phone.. oh! our baby turns 3 on April 10th!!! where has time gone?

Peace & flowers,
Mary

Hiya!

Hello!

Oh, where does time go?
Two weeks ago I was in Spain having dinner with my long-time friends. As much as I enjoy the anonimity of living in a place where not many people know much about me, it is such a wonderful feeling to get together with people that know you - almost instictively - and go down memory lane.
I remind my friends in Spain to cherish the fact that they have each other nearby. I say the same to you, wherever you are - if you have good ol' friends that you've known forever nearby, reach out to them. So sometimes it's hard to make that first call because it's been way too long.. so what? There is something so great about sitting down over a brewsky with someone that knows what you were like when you were 16. Truth is, we may have more wisdom, more inhibitions, and more baggage, but in essence we are the same. :-)
So at the tender age of 36, I'm finally at peace with that!
So, you may wonder how many pairs of shoes I came back from Spain with (bad sentence!).. ummmmmm... 7 pairs of shoes/boots for Sofia + 3 pairs of house slippers for her; 2 pairs for me (two pairs of boots - one pair of awesome riding boots, one pair of fucsia shitkickers - gotta see them!), 1 pair for Angie, one pair for Andy.
I did NOT pay for all of them! Sofia got 3 pairs of slippers, 3 pairs of shoes as gifts. I point that out so you don't think I'm extravagant! :-)

Our friends Brent and Steph (originally from KY, residents of Austin, TX by way of Minneapolis and Providence, RI) were supposed to be here this weekend. Unfortunately, Steph's dad is in the hospital so they obviously have postponed their trip. Please send some prayers or good karma over their way.
We hope that they will be able to make it this summer when the weather is nice and the pool is so inviting!! Can't wait!!

I've had a super busy week. I spent 50+ hours of employers time studying for the Series 7 securities exam, which I'll be taking the last week of April. I have a full schedule of studying ahead of me until the end of April. Andy and I were invited to dinner by one of the Edward Jones partners this past Tuesday. It was a dinner to welcome me to the company, with four other couples besides us. It was enjoyable. What a great company!! They have a huge initiative to hire women, so if you know of anyone that may be intrigued at all about what being a financial advisor is all about, let me know. Michelle????

Andy has been busy doing things around the house - replaced toilet, bathroom faucets last weekend. He is - as always - being awesome about being primary parent when I have to study. What a guy!! :-) I did know this about him when I married him :-)
He'll be turning 41 on March 15th, which we may be celebrating in my parents' new kitchen. New kitchen - btw - out of necessity, as mom created a small kitchen fire that forced a complete kitchen remodel. Parents are ok and house - apparently - is cleaner than ever. This should serve to a reminder to us all to make sure that we are insured to the level we should be, that we have some baking soda near (but not-too-near) the stove, and that the fire extinguisher is not so close to the stove that the handle will melt if it burns (yeah, ask my dad about that!).

ok, so that's it for now.. hubby and I are watching a movie together tonight. OMG - how long has it been??!! :-) million years?

Be good to each other. hug your loved ones. drop us a line. know that we're thinking about you... and, if you are reading this, leave a comment (see bottom of post) so that I know you were here!!

ps. I'll try and post pictures soon!

peace & sunshine,
Mary

i´m in Spain

greetings from spain!!
just connected to the internet w- the neighbor´s connection.. not a bad deal!
arrived this am and have already managed to buy a pair of shoes for Sofia! adorable!
we´re meeting friends for a beer-light dinner yes, it´s 930 pm
i´ll write more soon.
be good all!
cheers
mary

Where was I 8 years ago?

As they say, time flies when you are having fun!
8 years ago, we were at a lovely restaurant in Duluth, surrounded by our loved ones, excited and nervous about what 'tomorrow would bring'. Tomorrow, Andy and I will be celebrating our 8th anniversary. WOW!! I have never doubted that we would make it this far.. I can't imagine going down this road with anyone else.
Sometimes, he drives me as crazy as I drive him; sometimes, he annoys me as much as I annoy him. At least now when he burps at the table he says 'excuse me, mommy'.. oh, man! no one told me that once you become your kid's mom, your husband starts calling you mommy..
Yes, we've become THOSE people.. and it's surprising how much I'm enjoying it.
Anyway, toast to our anniversary and to another 8, and another 8, and another 8.
May we still make each other laugh 40 years from now!
Thanks go to our respective parents - nearly 50 years on both sides. BIG WOW!!
As Franklin P. Jones said
'Love doesn't make the world go 'round. Love is what makes the ride worthwhile'
Happy Valentine's Day!!!

I will be flying to Madrid on Valentine's Day, on my way to 11 days with my brother. When I get back I'll be starting my new job, and probably unable to go anywhere for a long while.
I heard today that the weather in Madrid has been wonderful. My friend emailed yesterday saying that they had their dinner out on the patio!! 60 degrees sounds like heaven right now!!
It was -12 this morning.. yes, yes, I continue to complain about the cold.

Ok, time to go give Ms. Sofia a bath. Marilyn- you should know that the curl that showed up on Saturday is still there! She has her mom's hair - crazy!! ;-)
For those of you in the Twin Cities, please call Andy in my absence to make sure he has fed Sofia something other than M&Ms!! He, he, he!!

Have a great week!! I'll try to post while I'm in Spain and will certainly do so when I get back, including pictures.

Hugs,
Mary

I got the offer!!

I got the call from Edward Jones today!! Yeay! They offered me the job and they are sending the formal offer via UPS, to arrive tomorrow.

I'm excited!

This is just the beginning, but exciting nevertheless.

I now have to go to the local jail to get fingerprinted (or I could get arrested, I guess!), get a drug test, and read and sign all the paperwork and send it back.

I will start studying for the Series 7 exam test on March 3rd. 10 weeks of study-at-home program, paid by the Firm. I get one shot at the test; but I'm not even going to think about the possibility of not passing. After that, it's 9 more weeks of training - 2 weeks (1st and last) in either St. Louis, MO or Tempe, AZ, and then I'll be licensed to sell.

.. and then 2 or 3 years until I'm established. Tough road ahead, but the potential is so exciting.

I had to do a door knocking exercise as part of my hiring process and I loved it. And we wonder why I was nicknamed 'motormouth' when I was a kid? ;-)

Anyway, enough about me.

Ms. Sofia continues to be the most adorable child in the whole wide world. She's such a kind-hearted kid!! :-) Today when I picked her up at daycare she was so bummed because she got a baloon and a little boy popped it by accident, so - by no fault of her own - she lost her balloon and could not get another one (no more available). Her teacher was mortified to see Sofs so sad, and Sofia just held her tears and gave her teacher a hug and told her that it was ok.. oh, what a kid!!

She's going to make a good wife someday! :-) resignation, yeay!

Today, we were happy to hear that our friends Stephanie and Brent are hopefully coming to visit in March!!!! Yeay!!! I'm so excited!!! We were with them at their place in Austin, TX, but they have not yet met Sofia. WE're already telling Sofia that she has to be in her best behaviour and tell Brent that he would make a great daddy!! he, he, he!!

ok, I should get to bed. Tomorrow I'm driving up to Duluth to pick up mom and dad. We'll be back home on SAturday morning. Dad has a doc's appt (post eye surgery) on Monday and then I'll drive them back to Duluth on Monday.

Sofia is SO excited!!! She gets to have dinner with Grandma and Grandpa Mayer tomorrow and then see Abuelo & Abuela on SAturday! What a lucky girl! And Angie (Ansi) too!

If she can feel this loved for a long while, she'll be OK!

ok, if you read this, please send a comment so that I know you're reading it.

If you have a caucus this coming week, please rememeber to get out there a cast a ballot!!! we do have some control over our political process!!!

peace and flowers,

Mary

Quiet time

It is so bloody cold!! -16 F
I love the electric blanket that we got for Christmas. We don't have to crank it up; just putting it on a low setting makes the bed warm when we first get in and keeps it nice and warm all night. I am waking up less often during the night. Thanks mom & dad!
Sofia slept in her new bed - until 3:00 am. Baby steps. The mattress is very comfortable. I'll post a picture of it later.
Greg & Cat were over for dinner last night. As always, fun to have them over. They brought yummy desserts from Byerly's, including creme brule. :-)
I ended up making a roast that turned out pretty good.
Interested in a new recipe? here it is.. approx.. as I added some stuff
Make slits in roast & put in them slices of garlic (8 - 10 slices/slits) Brown roast on all sides, in same pan or dutch oven brown 1 medium onion and a small package (8 oz) of mushrooms (oyster or shytake).
Mix together 1 can of tomato sauce, 1 cup of red wine (cabernet sauvignon prefereably), 1 tsp brown sugar, 1 tsp mustard, 1 tsp horseradish. Pour mixture over roast.
Add 4 stalks of celery cut to 1"
Add 2 or 3 carrots cut to 1"
I roasted it in convection over at 350 for 90+ minutes. You could make it on the stove top and cook for 1 hour without the carrots & add carrots & potatoes after 1 hour. You would then cook an additional 90 minutes. It turned out great in the oven. I roasted the potatoes separately w/ olive oil & herbs. Yummy!!
Sofia loved having Cat & Greg over!! She never wants to miss anything and ended up going to bed after 10:30pm. There is definitely some Spanish blood running through her veins!!
I think she'll grow up to be a well-adjusted person; even with the late nights and the excess chocolate that her parents allow her to eat! :-)
It's 7:30am and I'm sure that Sofs and Andy will be up shortly. I wonder if the paper boy made it to the door or just threw the paper in the driveway.. better go check it out.
Peace & sunshine,
Mary

waiting...

Waiting to hear back after a job interview is so draining!! I am hoping to get this great job/career, to start in the spring. I am in step 7 of 10 steps in the process. They are running a background check and it looks like they won't be getting back to me until Wednesday of next week. Arghhh!!
Anyway, at least knowing when I'll hear I can schedule some hours on my now regular job (answering incoming phone calls of folks calling to order stuff after watching infomercials). It's a nice gig; pay is decent and it's definitely flexible. I've been enjoying time with the muchkin in the mornings (nice change from being out the door by 6:00 am of the last couple of years).
Sofia has been getting used to not going to daycare until 9:00 am or later, so the mornings that we try to get out the door by 8:00 am are a challenge.
Today I went to downtown Minneapolis to pick up some free planters (huge: 5' long x 30" tall x 10" wide). I've been three trips so far; got a total of 6 home. We've put a couple on the concrete patio by the pool already. They are going to look awesome full of plants in the summer.
Cat has volunteered to help me plant - which I hope means that I pay for the plants and do the digging and she tells me what will look pretty and thrive. She has a green thumb!
Looking forward to having Cat & Greg over for dinner tomorrow.. salmon or curry? ummm...
I started cleaning and reorganizing the kitchen cupboards today. We've been in the house for a bit over 3 months now, and I'm already getting the itch to move stuff around.. no surprise!
I've also been posting stuff on Craig's List and Ebay, in an effort to minimize, unclutter, and make a little $$. Sofia's bottle warmer (not used since she was 3 months old!) was sold to a church lady for $10.
We got rid of Sofia's cute (but unused!) pink Ikea bed and tomorrow we'll be picking up a captains bed that we found on Craig's list. Andy and I are probably more excited about the new used bed than Sofia is. Maybe Dora sheets will entice her to sleep in the new bed? ;-)
We'll have to try that.
ok.. done with the procrastination and back to cleaning the kitchen. Where does time go? 8 hours at the office are certainly much more productive than 8 hours at home.
I'm sure that Ginger likes having me around so that she can go run around outside every 20 minutes.

Stay warm!
Mary

First Post

Just created this blog.. I thought I would give this a try as an easy way to stay in touch with friends and relatives near and far. Cool way to post pictures too!

It's super cold in MN this week. -60 w/ wind chill factor expected in Duluth. Much too cold! I keep looking at the swimmingpool covered with tarp and snow & hope that the next 5 months will go by quickly!

ok.. I'm going play with this blogger stuff now..

Cheers,

Mary