Saturday, December 25, 2010

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

for the love of edible housing....

Dylan has been coveting all things Christmas decor since he first laid eyes on all the shiny trappings a few months back.

Aside from his very own roll of tape, what the kid really, really, wanted was a gingerbread house.  Building a house out of candy....wow, it doesn't get much better.

Well, week after week went by, and I would not entertain the thought of purchasing this classic Christmas trimming.  Lets face it, they're kind of disgusting.  Hard gingerbread, baked who only knows when, adorned with candy that is hardly edible, but made famous soley for it's mark on the Candyland board... all held together by a yearly allowance of high fructose corn syrup. It sits around collecting dust, and who only knows what else...but you can eat it if you'd like.  Brilliant marketing, I'd say :)

Last week the boy won.  I finally cracked.  I was trying to check a few presents off my list, and in exasperation I told him we could buy the blasted house....but we had to wait for the others to get home to make it.  I only purchased 1 quaint home, because I wasn't in the mood for a gingerbread village to gobble up all of my free space....however,  I knew the others would be devestated if we didn't enlist their help.  The sheer thought of a house made of candy was enough to make Stella squeal with delight when we put the kit in the cart.

Well, no sooner than all had gathered round to watch me open up the box, the fighting began....just as I suspected it would.

4 kids= 4 different ideas on exterior design, 8 little hands to keep busy on a house measuring less than a square foot, and somehow dividing all the candy evenly.  No small task.

I quickly told them that if we couldn't all work together, I would throw the house out the window.  For effect, I promptly showed them the window I had in mind, and how it opened and closed :)  It was Friday, and I had zero tolerance for fighting.

And so, while the icing on our walls hardened, I sent them off with a pad of paper and told them not come back until they had a plan they were all happy with.

In the end, they all chose a different wall and split the candy even steven.  One side is pretty sparse, as Stella chose to consume her candy :)

Wouldn't you know, we had a marvelous time...and my kids can get along :)


And now the daily question is "When are we going to eat it, mom?"
Perhaps I shall try to pass it off as my dessert on Christmas :)

Have a blessed week friends!

Monday, December 20, 2010

Christmas- Take 1

We celebrated Christmas in Chicago a few weekends back, and once again good times were had by all.
Naturally, it was the weekend of "the big storm", as seems to be the case every year. Thankfully, we made it back safe and sound.  Personally, I think it's just God's way of granting me a few more hours time to talk with Tim :)

 the cousins

 Stella finally received her beloved owl pillow, that she points out to me @ Target every.single.time.
 My new pink coffee pot!  Yes, it makes coffee that much happier :)  

 The gals



Wednesday, December 15, 2010

reason # 435 why I love this person....

Because it is still 2010,


and I. HAVE.TRIM.

he makes a pretty fantastic pancake too.

and the winner is.....

....#12, Lisa Bosma!!! 

Congrats, you are the proud new owner of 2 fantastical pairs of pom poms.

And thank you all for checking out our store, and all your kind words! 

Friday, December 10, 2010

It's. a. give-away!

I've decided to open an etsy store. 

Go ahead, click the logo and check it out.  My linking skills are impressive :)

I have wanted to do this for some time now.  You know, have an outlet for all my handmade treasures....but the task overwhelmed me a bit, so naturally I brushed it aside and busied myself with other things.

Well, last month when the kids and I began making pom poms, I knew it was time.  A cheap and easy way to try it out...and a good teaching lesson for the kids.  It's been a fun process to work through. Together we chose a name we are all happy with,  picked out colors, discussed packaging, used our math skills to figure out cost and pricing, and they all added their 2 cents while creating the logo.

As of now, we only have pom poms for sale....



....but I've got alot of ideas strewing about, so I'll keep you posted :) I would love to get back to making these....


Just for fun, and in honor of our "grand opening"  we'd like to give away 2 pairs of pom poms, your choice of color.

You may leave 2 comments- however, one comment must include one of your favorite things you like to shop for on etsy.   I'll choose a random winner next Wednesday 9pm-ish, and post :)
.
And since it appears about 10 people check this blog, you've got a really good shot at winning :)

P.S.  They make great stocking stuffers!

Have a blessed weekend friends

Thursday, December 2, 2010

bathroom business

While some people dream in black and white, my head is frequently filled with an eclectic mix of polka dots, stripes, and flowers...in complimenting shades of magenta, teal, and chartruese, naturally. 

On any given day, there are usually way too many crafty ideas swirling around up there. I love just looking at my fabric, scheming up ways to use it to it's best potential.
Too many ideas, too little time.

Needless to say, whenever I spend large amounts of time in one particular room of our house, my mind and imagination take over, and I get the urge to change it up a bit.

Well, this is my view as of late....


How's it going, you ask?  Well, she can successfully hold it from breakfast till naptime...and then from naptime till bedtime. Mind you, she sits on the toilet every 30 minutes.  During her "sleeps" she wears a diaper, and lets it all out.  So much so, that between her and Ellery, I am washing sheets like it's my only domestic job around here.

But, that is not the reason for my post :)

I have actually wanted to refresh my bathroom for awhile now.  We competely remodelled it back in Jan of '05,....and Tim will confirm I was a bit of a pester, quite certain Dylan was going to be born before it was complete.  Well, he got it done, and it has been exactly the same ever since.  A ridiculously long time for me, I'd say.

The way I see it, the shower curtain is kind of the "focal point" of a bathroom....at least it is in mine.  I think it's much easier to find a fabric you love, and match a paint color, rather than the other way around.  So, that is where I decided to start.

 While I simply adore this shower curtain from Anthropologie.....


...it retails for $119.

Let's face it.  There is really no way to sugar coat $119.   Tim would blow a gasket if I spent that kind of money on a shower curtain....considering he'd prefer the $1.99 clear liner to be the only curtain any day :)

So, I found myself a tutorial blog, and decided to try and make it myself.

And let me be the first to tell you, it is worth every penny of that $119. I would charge more :)  This project was a true labor of love.

My new shower curtain....



As Sydney put it  "I think it's too colorful mom" 

Perhaps, but I spent way too much time on it to dislike it :)  Now that I am the proud owner of a seam ripper, I may take the brown stripes out and replace them with something plainer.

Any thoughts on paint colors, friends?

Tuesday, November 30, 2010

domestic engineering at it's finest.....

The beauty of not getting around to taking the leaves out of the table after Thanksgiving....



Plenty of space to fold :)

I had to take a picture, because I got all the laundry done today.  Clearly a fine moment in the land of house wifery.

Some observations on a weeks worth of laundry....
*Dylan had 6 pairs of pajamas that made it to the wash, and only 1 pair of underwear....oye
*Stella had twice as many pajamas as clothes....a true testament to how often I've gotten out of the house these days :)

Have a good day all!

Sunday, November 28, 2010

positively delightful.....

That is how I would describe this long weekend.
 
Quality family time, Tim home for 4 solid days, a night out with good friends, a smokin' hot date, mastering the fine art of making gravy, Tim hunting with the kids, birthday parties, having the time to work on house projects, shopping, getting the Christmas tree.....it was a true delight, and I cherish every minute of it. We have so much to be thankful for.

We celebrated Thankgiving at our house this year, and also 2 birthdays.


Tim was able to take each of the 3 big kids out hunting...for both deer and duck.  While the deer hunting was unsuccesful, they did come home with a few "guck gucks", as Stella will tell you. They had a marvelous time, despite the wind chill. 

On Friday afternoon Dylan grabbed his coat, mittens, and toy bow and arrow set, and proceeded to walk out the door.  As he was heading out he turned back and over his shoulder said  "Don't you worry mom, I'll get us some dinner ".


I hope you had a blessed Thanksgiving as well!

Tuesday, November 23, 2010

one

Ellery is 1!




I feel like I blinked, and our precious newborn turned 1.  While some days, and nights for that matter, can be so long...time is something you can't get back.  5 kids in 8 years has been a state of perpetual busy, and happy chaos....and I wouldn't have it any other way.  I feel so blessed.  Sure, sometimes I think it would have been nice to space our kids out a bit more, so we could enjoy them to their fullest....but this is God's plan for our family.  And I now have a 1 and 2 year old on my hands :)

We knew before Ellery was born that she would be a bit of a handful, considering all the drama she caused in-utero and during her delivery.  She has definately lived up to our expectations :), and I know God has big plans for her.  We look forward to seeing how her little personality begins to unfold, and watching her develop the gifts that God has given to her. 

While I know both in my head and heart that Ellery is our final child, it still makes me sad.  I know, I'm ridiculous.  There is nothing more amazing than being pregnant and delivering a child.  I think it gets sweeter every time.  I often wonder if this desire ever goes away?  Perhaps it's just this time of year that does me in.  The memories of bringing my first and last babies home from the hospital on Thanksgiving Day and the day prior bring it out of me.



Some thoughts @1....

*She LOVES her pink stuffed pig, and is often found standing by her crib trying to pull it through the slats.
*She still owns the 3:00am hour
*She has 2 bottom teeth
*I'm certain she will take her bottle to school with her :)
*She crawls very well, and walks around the furniture....but real walking is a little ways off yet.
*Says dadda, mamma, babba...I'm sure a few more, if i could focus on who the noise is coming from around here :)
*Loves to be held, and she screams when I put her down.  I pretty much spend most days camped out on the living room floor while she's awake.
*She is adored by all of her siblings.
*Household names include...."babes", "Elles", and "Ewee" compliments of Stella.

We love you Ellery.  Happy Birthday! You are beautiful gift from God.
I re-read her birth story, and I thought I would repost it.....because it is such a reminder to me of God's goodness.

ok, here goes...
We found out the good news that we were expecting again on March 24, 2009. After dropping the kids off at school that Tuesday morning, I ran through Target and bought a pregnancy test. The night before I had mentioned to Tim that I thought I may indeed be pregnant.

He was quite certain that I was crazy. But I just knew. The next morning I called him at work to tell him “I told you so” after I took the test. We were quite surprised, and Tim was thrilled! He had always wanted a 5th.

My due date calculated out to be November 28. When we got over the shock, our daily conversations were consumed with topics of bussing, suburbans, bedroom arrangements, and the like.

Well, everything seemed to progress normally. We wanted to see how long we could keep this our little secret. My bloodwork results came back, and my progesterone levels were low so I had to go on supplements. My dr. said I was measuring big, so she sent me in for an ultra sound when I told her about our family history of twins. Everything looked perfect at the ultra sound, and only one sweet beating heart was detected.

On Sunday, May 3, I was 10 weeks pregnant. While making lunch that afternoon, I felt really ill. I finally just had to sit down b/c I thought I was going to faint. During lunch I thought I was peeing my pants, but it turned out I was bleeding pretty heavy. I began to have what felt like contractions. I laid down for a while, quite certain I was having a miscarriage. We finally decided to head to the ER, b/c I had these same symptoms with the blessing that we named Syndey.

An ultra sound in the ER confirmed that the baby was alive and well. However, there was a giant hematoma (blood clot) that the baby was resting on…about 2x the size of the baby.

I was told to go home and take it really easy. The chances of my miscarrying this baby were great, but was told that there was really nothing that could be done.

The following Sunday was Mothers Day. We decided we would tell the world about this little blessing, since I would need some help “taking it easy”.

Everyone was surprised and excited! We told Tims mom by putting the ultra sound picture in her mothers day card. I went in for another ultra sound that week and was officially put on bedrest because there was no improvement. The risk being, if the blood clot was to let go it would take the baby with it.

For the next 6 weeks I sat around. Wonderful family and friends blessed us with their time, meals, childcare, and domestic skills. I was truly humbled by everyones generosity. We re-arranged a lot of our summer plans. By the end of July my hematoma had begun to shrink and I was allowed to resume light activity. All continued to progress normally, and when I reached 30 weeks of pregnancy, my hemotoma was completely gone!

I began having non-stress tests 2 times a week once I reached 32 weeks. Everything was always fine, and I convinced my dr. that I only needed to go 1x a week.

Fastforward to my 38 week apt. After having an exam, it proved the baby was breech. What I had thought was a little butt that i liked to poke at, turned out to be a head! My dr. scheduled an aversion to try to turn the baby on Monday Nov 23. If she was unable to turn the babe, I would have a c-section.

I prayed a lot that week that the baby would turn. I really did not want to have a c-section on my 5th and final pregnancy. I went in for another apt. the following week and the baby had indeed turned! My dr. said she was still “floating” but was now head down.

She gave me a choice. I could either ride it out and see what happens, or she would just break my water on Monday, Nov 23 and I would have the baby.
I was torn. I very much enjoy when things happen naturally. I also thoroughly disliked my induction with Dylan and wanted to avoid that again.

However, I didn’t want to risk the baby turning around again, or going way overdue as is usually the case with me. With 3 kids in school now, it also settled well with me to have it planned out and the kids where they needed to be.

So, after much thought and prayer, i decided to keep my apt....and it turned out to be an amazing blessing.

I didn’t feel much movement over the weekend before I was to be induced, and I was quite concerned. All day Sunday I had contractions off and on. I was excited, hoping maybe I wouldn’t need to be induced in the morning after all. Our induction was planned for 6am Monday morning, but I was told to call @ 5am just to make sure they had a bed for me.

Well, my contractions didn’t continue, b/c I woke up just fine @ 4am the next morning. We called @ 5 and they told us to not to come in until 7am.

Well, if you know my Tim, it doesn’t surprise you that we had to quick make a stop @ the jobsite on the way to the hospital. He liked to think of it as nostalgia, b/c the jobsite was the site of the hospital where our first 3 children were born.
Long story short, we had an extra hour on our hands, so we had breakfast @ the Red Geranium across the street from the hospital. It was weird. The excitement and nervousness knowing that we were heading over to have our baby in an hour. We once again discussed names, b/c we were only really certain of our boys name, Elliot. Tim reassured me we were having a boy and we didn’t need to worry about a girls name.

We arrived in our hospital room around 7:30, and the nurse informed me that they wouldn’t break my water until the baby was more engaged, b/c they didn’t want to risk having the cord come out first. I was dialated to 4. They did a quick ultra sound to see if the baby was still head down. Success! However, the babe was also sunny side up.

They hooked me up to the monitors and right away could tell that the baby was in distress. They came to take blood and put my iv line in. After 4 tries they were able to get it in, and the blood they needed. They took my blood pressure and it was pretty high. Did I pass my glucose test they asked? Fail. They could never get any blood from me @ the test. So, they sent the lab up to get more bloodwork. After 3 tries the first nurse gave up. They sent up another and after 4 tries they finally got it out of my hand.

They started the pitocin, and shut it off after a little bit. Every time I would have a contraction the babys heart rate would drop significantly. They gave me an oxygen mask to wear and had me lay on my side. This helped a little. When the heart rate would drop, they would have me flip over.

Well, the heart rate continued to drop and they began discussing the possibility of having a c-section. They decided to break my water after all so that they could put an internal monitor on the baby to get a better idea of what was causing the distress. They did, and it was filled with meconium. They informed me that after the baby was born they would take her right away to suck her out. They didn’t want her to cry before they did this.

The contractions started to get REALLY bad, especially since they would only let me lay on my side. I usually like to walk contractions off :)

Well, the heart rate continued to drop, and we once again found ourselves discussing c-sections. They checked and I was dialted to 6. They said once I got to 8 they would let me try pushing. They just wanted this baby out! I’ve never had so many nurses and doctors in my room while in labor before! My "main nurse" never left.

Well, I started to get a little panicked and decided I wanted an epidural…now! I just about missed my window to get it. I get so impatient waiting.....once I make up my mind to get one, I have no patience to wait., and apparantly get a little whiny :) Well, they didn’t want me to sit up b/c the baby seemed to be stable when I layed on my left side, so the anesthesiologist administered it that way. I was dialated to 7 right before I got the epidural. They gave me a catheter then, b/c by now I had 2 bags of iv fluid in me. By doing this, I dialted to 8! They had me push and I dialted to 10 just like that! My epidural hadn’t totally kicked in yet(which deep down I was really pleased about b/c I like to feel it), so I felt the pressure to push. It took a few pushes just to get her head out, because she came out facing sideways.

Once her head was out, they had me stop pushing b/c the cord was wrapped around her neck 4 times. It was pretty tight, so they couldn't just yank it off over her head....b/c both ends were still inside of me. The dr. was able to wedge her fingers in between her neck and the cord and unroll the first loop, and after that she unrolled the rest. After they unwound her neck, they had me push the rest of her out. There was a knot in her cord as well. They said they had never seen so much drama with the cord before!

Well they finally(which was probably only a couple seconds :) held her up so that I could see what she was. A girl! We were both surprised! Tim cut the cord and they whisked her away. This made me sad, b/c I’ve been blessed to be able to hold my babies before Tim even cut the cord in the past. As they stiched me up I sat there trying to get a view of her. They put a tube down her throat to suck all the meconium out. After about 5 minutes they brought her back to me to hold.

Ellery Margaret was born @ 12:17pm. 6lbs 9oz. 21 inches long, with a head full of poopy black hair, and absolutely perfect!


When i think back about my pregnancy with her, I marvel and praise God for all that He has given to us. For the blessing of our sweet Ellery. For all of the answered prayers. For the way He watched over and protected her before we even knew of her. I think back about the "what if's" had i not gone in on what is now her birthday. God is good, and He carries her in the palm of His hands.
 

Sunday, November 21, 2010

countdown to double digits....

We have a 9 year old!



A pretty awesome kid. His teachers words, but I would definately have to agree.

He has a tender heart, a studious mind, a knack for drawing, an imagination that takes him to far away places, and a will to try his best.


Some thoughts @ 9....

*Austin LOVES school, and does very well.  Math and memory work are his strongest, easiest, subjects....but he does pretty well in everything.

*Pokemon cards are still organized and traded frequently

*Legos are his most played with toy

*A good Boxcar Children Book can be finished in an evening.

*Monopoly and Risk are board game favorites

*Sports are becoming more and more interesting. 

*Competition motivates the boy to do most anything....but you might want to look out if he loses :)

*Loves to play and fight with his siblings.

*Continues to hold the title for "slowest eater" at dinner.

*His household name is "Bob", compliments of Stella

We love you Austin!  Happy Birthday!

Thursday, November 18, 2010

saved some green....with some green

This week sure has been chock full of good deals. In anticipation of Thanksgiving next week, you can score many a great deal on stuffing, potatoes, turkey, and the likes if you're in the market to do so.

I promise I will stop posting about my great deals soon, but I just wanted to share a little story with you. As you know, I normally don't look forward to taking my kids to the store with me, especially when I am trying to concentrate on my coupons. Last time I shopped, without thinking I handed a coupon over to Ellery in an effort to pacify her. She sucked on it until it disintegrated! I might as well have given her a dollar bill to tear up.

Well, today was no different. I loaded my younger 3 into the van and we drove to Target. We were all in good spirits, the bigger 2 hanging off the sides of the cart, heads back, Stella shouting "woo-hoo", having a grand old time looking for, and finding all the deals on my list.

Ellery was sitting up front in the baby seat, and from the looks on her face I could tell she was pooping. She's been having a real problem with that lately.... meaning, it's been quite explosive.

One whiff told me it was a bad one. We were almost done shopping, so I thought it could wait till after we checked out, and I could get to the bathroom....another one of my Target peaves- bathroom location.

Well, she began to cry, and would not calm down.  I went to lift her out of the baby seat, and I noticed that she had poop oozing out of the top of her tights, and seeping through her legs. The baby seat was covered in a nasty, green, gooey mess.

Nice. I bet you'll think twice before you put anything in the baby seat at Target next time :)

Well, I promptly put her back down, and like any good mom, I situated her dress a bit, in an effort to disguise the mess....not really knowing what to do about the sticky situation we were in.

I quickly grabbed the wipes out of my bag, and for some reason happened to glance down underneath the cart. I saw the bag of dog food underneath, and from where I was standing, I thought I caught a glimpse of green on the bag.

NO!

Yes, apparantly the poop was escaping the baby seat and working it's way down the cart. You know, typical law of gravity stuff. At least I was in need of the big bag of dog food, and the green mess stopped there. LOL.

Well, that's all background,everybody poops, information. We are finally to the part of the story that I really wanted to share with you!

I bent down to wipe off the bag of dog food, and in that exact moment I glanced up, and was eye to eye with Seventh Generation Laundry Detergent.

My absolute favorite brand.

It was on clearance, bottom shelf of the end cap. Had I not been on the ground wiping up baby doo, I would have completely missed it! By far, best deal I've "stumbled" upon in a long time.

Originally $7.99, on clearance for $2.84. The best part is that I had $2 in coupons for each bottle! I had been holding on to them for awhile, playing the waiting game for the right deal to come along.

My best deals.... all of this for around $5!


We all left the store happy, the cart was cleaned up, and the laundry detergent has already been put to good use :) 

Truly a story of shopping encouragement...how my kids green saved us some green!

Have a good day friends.

Friday, November 12, 2010

pom poms

Last week I once again managed a few hours away with my dear friend Michelle.  We hit the mall kidless, and made a quick stop at all our favorite stores.

While at Gymboree, I was admiring the hair accesories, and noticed the cutest pom pom pony tail holders.  With 3 gals, I'm kind of a hair bow junkie.  However, I knew before even flipping them over to do a price check, that I would be disappointed.  After all, they were up front with all the full priced goodies.

Sure enough, $8.99 for a set of 2 balls of yarn attatched nicely to a pony tail holder.  I laughed, and put them back on the shelf.  The cheap-n-crafty in me just couldn't do it.

Well you know me. I got home, googled it, and watched many a sweet youtube video on the in's and out's of yarn craftery. Of course there was a kid peering over each shoulder, and 2 on my lap....so there was no chance pom pom making was going to be anything short of a familly event.

The kids are off school today, so it seemed like a good day for it.  They had a blast making them, and came up with many uses of their own...including, but not limited to, dog toys, roller skate accesories, Christmas ornaments, bracelets, and "fuzzy guys" :)  They were super easy to make, and my kids are now scheming up how to make the "Worlds Largest Pom Pom", to make it in the Guiness Book of World Records, naturally.




This isn't the best picture of Stella's hair, because I took it post nap :)  But she didn't want to be messed with.
 

Tuesday, November 9, 2010

bullseye

My coupons led me to Target this past week. 

I suppose it was probably more than just my coupons.  Have I mentioned that Target is hands down my absolute favorite store?

Grocery, cute and affordable home decor, hip fashion, and clearanced items on every endcap...clearly a bullseye :)

While I heart all things Target, I do have just one little gripe. Join me if you will, while I hop up on my soapbox for a moment.

While I love Target, I hate taking my kids there.

Why, you ask?

Because their shopping carts stink.

I generally have a minimum of 3 kids with me.  While my 5 year old has 2 perfectly good walking legs, my younger 2 are best left belted in.  The carts geared towards a person of my family stature are ridiculous....you know, that ginormous one that has a turning radius similar to a Ford Excursion?

The turning radius is not my gripe tho.

The "family friendly cart is truly not all that family friendly.  While there are 2 seats in the front geared towards kids, the standard baby seat up top is boarded up.  This has irritated me since back in the day when my first 3 were the ripe ages of 3,2, and baby....when i truly needed a seat for all three. 

And that is the reason I always choose a regular cart... b/c I need the baby seat for Elle.  This leaves Stella either sitting in the actual cart, or walking with Dylan.  The problem is, if Stella is in the cart, she is usually standing ...and if she is not standing, she is mad because she is sitting in back....usually throwing our groceries out of the cart for Dyl to pick up. This isn't a huge deal either, except for that one time she threw the spaghetti sauce overboard.  I must say, Stella truly acts her age :)

While I clearly could care less if she is standing, because I'm all for learning the hard way....it seems to be a big deal to every sales associate I pass...at least that's what they tell me. I have asked why the "family friendly" cart has a boarded  up baby seat many a time, and do you want to know the reason ?

Safety

Ha! They are worried my baby might kick my innocent 2 year old in the head sitting in the baby seat.

Really? Couldn't that be my decision to make? The right to choose whether my 2 year old will be kicked in the head, suffocate under the mound of groceries in the cart, or run off and disappear underneath the clothes rack? 

I will always choose a good kick in the head.

Ok, I'm stepping down now.  Perhaps all my problems would be solved if I could just figure out how to make these 2 sleep in, and go to the store when they are both well rested :)


This weeks deals.....I scored all of this for under $10!

I will lay out a scenario for those interested.... :)

Olay Body Wash is on price cut for $5.44
Coupon from 10/31 paper " $5 off Olay Body Wash with the purchase of any Secret product."
Small secret $.97
Total cost $1.41 for both items!

Friday, November 5, 2010

fashion friday- shirt dress, take 2

This past week allowed a little extra time to dink around, so I decided to try making the shirt/ruffle dress again.  I stumbled upon some cute fabric, and had a pink shirt already hanging in the closet.  My machine was still out and fired up after making dwarf costumes last week. Did I mention that I will not be making our costumes next year? LOL 

Ok, back to the dress...it turned out okay, but that's the best I"ll give it.  I think this is the last dress I will attempt to sew for awhile.  While I can sew a skirt no problem, I get really stuck trying to figure out how to piece things all together.  Perhaps knowing how to read a pattern, or actually learning how to sew would help my case :) I would be embarassed if you looked at the inside, and as an after-thought had to whip up a flower to pin on the front, because i ripped a hole in it.


As you can see, Stella is clearly thrilled to be my model :)
I have a few house decor projects up my sleeve, so stay tuned....

Thursday, November 4, 2010

real life...

I finally figured out how to keep the peace during homework time :)

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

election day

I can still see my 8th grade history teacher standing at the chalkboard, teaching us about our governement.  He was surely passionate about politics.  Perhaps that's the reason I can still clearly remember "elections (presidential) are held on the first Tuesday, after the first Monday, in November, on even # years"  Clearly I aced that test, because the only other memory I have of 8th grade history is sitting in the front row and getting spit on. LOL.

All things considered ...Dylan and Stella running around like hooligans and Ellery crawling around under the voting booths...it went well today :)

Monday, November 1, 2010

last weeks notable quotables...

"That was the longest tornado drill EVER!!!"  Austin.  Poor kid didn't realize that it was indeed the real deal :)

"Mom, do hot dogs grow on trees, or plants in the ground?  Dylan.  Just a sample of one of the many questions asked by the boy who also hot glued all of his toys together last week.

On our walk down to the bus stop...  Me: "Sydney, you forgot to brush your hair again"
Sydney:  (in her most annoyed monotone) "I know, call me Rapunzel."

Me: "Stella, did you go poop?"  Stella: "No, baby poop"  Me: "Stella, did you go poop?"  Stella: "No, Phoebe go poop".  Me: Stella, did you go poop?  Stella : "okay"  every.single.time.

a few pics from Halloween...

the girls rule the roost around here, but somehow all wound up dressed as little old men LOL.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

11 months


Ellery is 11 months old...wow!
Don't worry, I won't get all sappy on you....I'll save that for next month :)
She crawls like an old pro, and pulls herself up on most everything. It's so much fun to watch her figure it out so quickly now. She is definately much happier, and delights in exploring her world....especially if I sit there on the ground and watch her :). She often wakes up happy from her naps...standing up in her crib squealing with glee.

This past month has also seen its fair share of sleepless nights.  The combination of a new tooth, persistent cold, and her new found ability to move are the probable culprits.  Stella clearly doesn't like to be left out, and wakes up crying frequently as well. Consequently, I have a hard time planning anything, because I am often times putting them both down for their naps before 8 am.

Ellery continues to love her bottle, any food that isn't green, to be held, Phoebe, and her pink pig!