Flailing. Adventure. And Stuff.

I feel as if I'm flailing about, aimlessly. Helplessly. Never ending. Reaching, but for what? For whom? These days, the last days of my mother's rehab stint, are spent in a confused blur. Where will she go? What will she do, when she may do as she pleases? Sometimes, I don't care. Other times, it consumes me. She is free in 2 days.

Today my 13 year old brother jumped into the front seat of our used minivan and sang (at the top of his lungs), "Today was an amazing day full of adventure and STUFF!" 

My, how I miss the days full of adventure....and stuff. 

Not all days are this heavy, this saturated with family issues. Some days shine. Some days, we book weddings. We teach workshops. We read emails from clients who are thrilled. We laugh, We love on our babies, and no one cries. These types of days are covered in sparkles. Gold glitter, everywhere. There is a light at the end of the tunnel. I know that the end of raising my sisters is coming. One, slow day at a time. We are constantly closer. I am hopeful, slightly. 

Adventure and stuff are coming. I crave this summer. I crave the heat on my skin. There is freedom in the summer. This summer, I will have my family back. This summer, we will have adventure....

...and stuff.

Oh, Hello, 2012

It's officially 2012, and I have to be honest...if these children don't go back to school I may pull my hair out. When my sisters first came to live with us, school was four weeks away. If it weren't for our pool, our glorious, get-your-ya-ya's-out pool, we would have curled up into a ball and died. Now, after having all five of them home for two weeks, I'm feeling it. The crazy is creeping in. Scott has found me hiding in the bathroom more often than I'd like to admit in this past week. I can survive tomorrow, the last day of Christmas vacation. One more day...one more.

I'm now at the end of my very own little vacation, vacation from my business, that is. I'm feeling refreshed, sightly anxious to jump back into the pile of emails and editing that await, and ready to work smarter, not harder this year. New Year's resolutions always feel silly, so this year, I'm sharing my goals for 2012. Goals are real. Attainable. I do adore taking a pencil and scratching one or two out of my daily list, don't you?

This year, we plan on only producing the kind of work that we love. I took major steps toward it last year. Saying "no" is powerful. I plan to say "no" more often, and only work if my heart is 100% in it. Over these past two weeks, I've come to realize how much attention and love my family of seven really needs, and how little I'm able to give them when I'm working like a mad woman.

I will work towards becoming a better singer, musician, song writer and worship leader.

I will become the Queen of Dinner.

I will successfully maintain my garden, and by doing so, teach my children about sustainability and green eating.

I will read 12 books in 12 months.

I will finally buy a sewing machine, and sew things. Lots of pretty things. 

I will NOT be unprepared for birthdays, holidays and special occasions.

I will be INTENTIONAL about my time, my words, and my actions, every day. 

Basically, I don't want to do anything this year unless I plan on doing it 100%. I want to throw glitter all over 2012 and make it the most lovely, shiny, new, and sparkly thing in the entire world. Cheers to you, 2012! 

The McGihon Family

2011 has been a challenging year, to say the least. It's bizarre to have had such a huge year of growth and all around wonderfulness within our business, but also to have had my side of the family fall apart. The ringing in of a new year has never felt so exciting, longed for, and needed. Good riddance, 2011. 

We finally had a family portrait session....just the four of us. This year we had multiple, local photographers offer to shoot our family. In an effort to not ruffle anyone's feathers, we opted to head out of town and avoid the local scene all together. Thanks a TON to Katie, of Katie Neal Photography for capturing these gorgeous images of us. We absolutely treasure them.

Our Favorite Cookies

In the midst of the Christmas Chaos that has engulfed our family, I was able to spend a solid hour with my little girl. She wanted to make cookies....I was happy to oblige, and figured that I should just blog this recipe since it's so yummy! 

Clementine Cranberry Pinwheels 

(Filling)

One cup cranberries

Once cup walnuts

1/4 cup brown sugar

(Dough)

1 cup unsalted butter

1/2 cup fine sugar

2 eggs

1/2 teaspoon pink Himalayan salt (fine table salt is fine...but not as good)

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1 tablespoon clementine zest (orange will do....but not as good)

3+ cups of flour (you'll have to eyeball it)

STEP ONE...you'll need an adorable, mini version of yourself as a helper.

STEP TWO...add cranberries, walnuts and brown sugar to a food processor.

(walnuts not pictured...they looked like bugs when I photographed them!)

STEP THREE...pulse until the filling is in small bits. See that little walnut up top trying to fly out? Very bug like...)

(It should look like this. Set it aside)

STEP FOUR...cream butter in electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and mix for another 60 seconds. Add eggs (one at a time), salt, baking powder and clementine zest. Mix on low until just blended.

(it should look like this)

STEP FIVE...add the flour 1/2 cup at a time and mix on low. You want the dough to be moist, but not sticky. It should hold it's shape a bit. I taste it as I add the flour. This dough is AMAZING when it's raw. You'll know when it tastes right. 

(it should look like this)

STEP SIX....reward your adorable, mini-you helper by letting her lick the beater. An organic, properly stored raw egg never hurt anyone.

STEP SIX....chill the dough in the mixing bowl for 30 minutes....seriously. Do not skip this step.

STEP SEVEN...take half of the chilled dough and roll it into a rectangle-ish (technical term) shape in between two pieces of wax paper. Do not add flour to a cutting board and roll it out that way....flour is bad. Very, very bad.

STEP EIGHT...spread half of the filling over the dough, then, using the wax paper roll the dough into a log. Don't touch the dough.

STEP EIGHT...repeat with second half of dough and filling

STEP NINE...chill wrapped dough for another 30 minutes. DO IT. Then take it out and slice it. Bake at 350 degress for 10ish minutes. You have to watch these cookies like a 13 month old. They should be *just* done...no brown edges allowed. 

Are you excited yet?! 

STEP TEN....try to restrain yourself and eat only one or two at a time. Just so you know, though, I wake up early and have three of them with my coffee before the kiddos are awake. 

Oak Glen Field Trip

A few weeks ago (or maybe 5-6 weeks ago) I helped chaperone Aden's field trip to Oak Glen. He was grumpy. It was a warm day, there were bees everywhere (the very bees that attached me....on that very farm). I was a nervous wreck...Aden could tell. He (a-hem, WE) finally calmed down after about an hour of peacefully coexisting with the little flying monsters. I wonder if I'll ever be able to visit my favorite spot with out panic setting in.