Life is So Delicious

What I Am Loving

2012-01-17T11:21:00.000-08:00

What a blissful start to a new year! So many good things to enjoy, eat and look forward to! Here's a few things that I am loving now...

This sugar-that-I-use-as-a-jar-for-homemade-jam bowl. (Only $4.95 at Crate and Barrel! No, that's not a typo!) To save room, I made homemade jam and froze it in flat ziplock bags. When I thaw it, I just pour it into this cute bowl that comes with its own spoon. Do you know how much I love that? It reminds me of my grandparents which makes it all the sweeter.

My favorite $5 to spend all year. My new planner/best friend.

This little antique silver plate that a sweet friend gave me to keep all my pretties together. How darling is that (the friend and the plate)?

Drooled over this soap pump at Target for the longest time. Now it's at home with me, thanks to a birthday gift card.

Chunky pearl bracelet I whipped up from a $3.99 strand of beads at Michaels. Classic.

Pretty plates. Not just for eating on.

White hydrangeas. Love how serene they are!

Salted caramel cheesecake. Possibly my favorite dessert ever.

Making paper snowflakes with my kids. Because now they match the back yard.

Snow completely cripples Seattle, so we're enjoying some cozy time at home. Playing in the snow and them coming inside to warm vanilla steamers.

Why can't January be pretty? I made a simple bunting by cutting scalloped circles in half and sewing them together on my sewing machine. It makes it look like a party in here.

May you have the loveliest year yet!

Potty Dance

2012-01-05T10:57:00.000-08:00

Okay, friends. I am now in a little bit of weird place where my son is now 6, which is apparently an age at which people begin to frown on him using the ladies room with me. But, consider the alternative--him using the men's bathroom by himself. I'm not a paranoid crazy person, convinced that every bathroom is crawling with pedophiles lurking in every corner just waiting to harm my child while I'm outside. Okay, maybe just a teensy bit, but, hey, read enough news articles and it will happen to you too.

J came home from work with tales of a co-worker's young daughter being 'bothered' by a strange guy while she was in the bathroom with her daddy while they were at the Cheesecake Factory in Bellevue. Did you hear me? At the Cheesecake Factory. In Bellevue. With her daddy!! Because, hello, if that's not safe...

So we were at the store. Sammy was about to wet his pants, and as I pull the cart with all my kids towards the ladies room, a mom comes out and says "Oh, there's a big line in there." Sammy looks desperate, so against everything in me, I say "Okay, just use the boys bathroom." He runs in there, and 3 seconds later a man walks in. I panic, but think "He's probably a perfectly nice man. Don't be ridiculous." and then 1 second later I think, "Forget it. That's my kid in there." I go to the door and prop it open with my foot. "Hey, Buddy, are you done yet? No? Okay, well I'm right here. Do you need any help? Are you sure? I'm right here if you need anything." I kept the door propped open until he came out.

But, he is getting old enough that it's kind of weird that he's using the girls bathroom. On the other hand, he can use the girls bathroom with me til he's 16 if it means I can keep him safe. He can't always hold it, I can't put him in a pull up (just in case), so....

What's a mama to do?

The True Meaning of Christmas

2011-12-07T14:11:00.000-08:00

I thought this story was a cute way to reconcile Santa and the true meaning of Christmas. Someone gave it to me once upon a time and I just stumbled upon it.

The True Meaning of Christmas~~

Just a week before Christmas I had a visitor. This is how it happened. I just finished the household chores for the night and was preparing to go to bed, when I heard a noise in the front of the house. I opened the door to the front room and to my surprise, Santa himself stepped out from behind the Christmas tree.

"What are you doing?" I started to ask.
The words choked up in my throat and I saw he had tears in his eyes.
His usual jolly manner was gone. Gone was the eager, boisterous soul we all know.
He then answered me with a simple statement . . .
"TEACH THE CHILDREN!"
I was puzzled. What did he mean?
He anticipated my question and with one quick movement brought forth a miniature toy bag from behind the tree.
As I stood bewildered, Santa said,
"Teach the children!

Teach them the old meaning of Christmas. The meaning that now-a-days Christmas has forgotten. "Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a FIR TREE and placed it before the mantle. "Teach the children that the pure green color of the stately fir tree remains green all year round, depicting the everlasting hope of mankind, all the needles point heavenward, making it a symbol of man's thoughts turning toward heaven."

He again reached into his bag and pulled out a brilliant STAR. "Teach the children that the star was the heavenly sign of promises long ago. God promised a Savior for the world, and the star was the sign of fulfillment of His promise."

He then reached into his bag and pulled out a CANDLE. "Teach the children that the candle symbolizes that Christ is the light of the world, and when we see this great light we are reminded of He who displaces the darkness."

Once again he reached into his bag and removed a WREATH and placed it on the tree. "Teach the children that the wreath symbolizes the real nature of love. Real love never ceases. Love is one continuous round of affection."

He then pulled from his bag an ORNAMENT of himself. "Teach the children that I, Santa Clause, symbolize the generosity and good will we feel during the month of December."

He then brought out a HOLLY LEAF. "Teach the children that the holly plant represents immortality. It represents the crown of thorns worn by our Savior. The red holly berries represent the blood shed by Him.

Next he pulled from his bag a GIFT and said, "Teach the children that God so loved the world that he gave his begotten son." Thanks be to God for his unspeakable gift.

Santa then reached in his bag and pulled out a CANDY CANE and hung it on the tree. "Teach the children that the candy cane represents the shepherds' crook. The crook on the staff helps to bring back strayed sheep to the flock. The candy cane is the symbol that we are our brother's keeper."

He reached in again and pulled out an ANGEL. "Teach the children that it was the angels that heralded in the glorious news of the Savior's birth. The angels sang Glory to God in the highest, on earth peace and good will toward men."

Suddenly I heard a soft twinkling sound, and from his bag he pulled out a BELL,. "Teach the children that as the lost sheep are found by the sound of the bell, it should ring mankind to the fold. The bell symbolizes guidance and return.

Santa looked back and was pleased. He looked back at me and I saw that the twinkle was back in his eyes. He said, "Remember, teach the children the true meaning of Christmas and do not put me in the center, for I am but a humble servant of the One that is, and I bow down to worship him, our LORD, our GOD."
~Author Unknown~

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-12-02T13:23:00.000-08:00

I went with a totally different theme this year. All silver and glittery. Look at me getting all kinds of wild and crazy.

I attached the lighted garland using the same method as last year, but this time used wired silver ribbon to wind throughout, followed by silver organza fluffing out the top, and silver and gold balls wedged into the branches.

I have two sets of lights going on here--one woven in with the garland and another one on top/behind to make the mantel 'glow'.

When I pick a new decorating theme (any season, not just at Christmas), I pull out any of my accessories, large or small, that are the right color. It doesn't matter if they were being used somewhere else, on the wall in another part of the house, whatever. If it's the right color/feel, it's coming with me. I put them all up on the mantel, then I stand back and start arranging my favorite ones into interesting groups. By interesting, I mean variety--tall/short, plain/intricate, big/small, light/dark, shiny/dull. I try to make the negative space (the space around the things) as interesting as the positive space (the actual stuff). You don't want everything to be in a big clump, all the same height.

Loving the change from my usual red Christmas (though I'll probably return to red next year). And if J asks, yes, I already had all these ornaments. I did a lot of glittery things--crystals, lots of silver snowflakes and deer and sparkly ribbon. It made me a little sad to not have all the usual memory-filled ornaments on the big tree, but I let each of the kids decorate a smaller tree with them.

This is the old trunk that I fell in love with and bought myself for my birthday. It's my new end table, and for now it's holding a silver lantern with a fake-lit candle. I love the new against old.

Girlie's tree gets to be by the fireplace.

My favorite thing in this picture is the little boy who is so patient with his mom, who is interrupting Dinosaur Train.

Usual garland and kissing ball. I did Christmas red everywhere else, because, let's face it, I didn't have enough silver stuff to do the whole house.

I call these my Dr. Seuss trees, because they are so weird and fun.

I hung the stars up with straight pins so the holes wouldn't be too bad.

I tied the garland to the railing by very thin yarn. Then I wove in the berries and the jingle bells. The bow had big twist ties on the back.

I put up lights indoor this year. You can't tell, but they're actually medium sized round glass bulbs. I feel like I'm adding a little 'cantina' to Christmas. :) It's just good fun. Never mind the mess in the back. Leftovers from a little dinner party last night and a honey nut Cheerios breakfast.

Click HERE for 2010's decor and HERE for 2009 and HERE for 2008.

As it turns out, they ARE listening...

2011-11-29T16:58:00.000-08:00

So, I'm not quite sure what I've done. I make a big effort to teach my kids to be grateful for what they have. They know not to ask for things in the store and are generally happy with what they've got. Well...

They seriously think they're not getting anything for Christmas.

Not like 'You were bad, you're not getting anything', but a very matter-of-fact 'We have everything we need. We don't need anything for Christmas.' I know because Girlie's teacher at church asked J if the kids really aren't getting any presents for Christmas?

We had a conversation a couple weeks ago.

Girlie: I am sooooo excited for Christmas!!!
Me: You are?
Girlie: YES!!! I mean, but not for presents or anything, just because I love Christmas and I want to do a service project where we donate newborn kits--
Sammy (looking very surprised and a little skeptical): People really donate newborn kids?
Girlie: No, like onesies and diapers for babies. KITS.
Sammy: Yeah, I'm excited for Christmas too. Not for presents, either.
Girlie: Yeah, we have everything we need.
Me: Yes, we're very lucky, aren't we?
(a pause)
Girlie: Are we really not getting any presents for Christmas?
Me: Have you ever not gotten any presents for Christmas?
Girlie: No.
I just smile.

Fast forward to the conversation where Girlie proclaims to all her friends at church that there are no presents in our household this year. And, while we're doing a more-experiences-instead-of-tons-of-gifts year, of course my kids are getting presents.

But I'm having a bit of a dilemma. Am I Scroogy if I just let my kids believe they're not getting gifts? There's no "I want this", no wish lists, no circling things in catalogs, really...no thought of ...self. And isn't that what I want for my kids? Except...is it? It's weird, because I didn't think that kids would actually be like this. Are they missing some of the excitement of Christmas? We certainly want our kids to focus more on the birth of the Savior, and they're thrilled with the service things we've got planned, and they certainly are getting wonderful gifts and experiences for Christmas. I'm just wondering if they've listened ...too well. We are taking them to see Santa (even though we're not big promoters of Santa), but I'm pretty sure they'll have a blank look when he asks them what they want, since "a farm with horses" is off the table for now. What do you think? Are they missing part of childhood? Or are they exactly the kind of people I have been trying to raise?

Thoughts?

My favorite parenting tips

2011-11-22T18:28:00.000-08:00

My lil sis is about to have her first baby (as in, due today). And, being the older sister I find it my duty to be the Official Dispenser of Unsolicited Advice about being a parent. Here are some of my favorite tips that people have given me, in no particular order.

1--Sometimes when your child wakes up from a nap they will be happy, sometimes unsure, and sometimes freaking mad at the world. There's nothing you can do, just ride it out and they'll get over it soon.

2--Get on their level when you're having an important or disciplinary conversation.

3--When they ask for you, say "Yes?" because it sounds so much nicer than saying "What?"

4--Never buy them something in the store in the moment they're asking for it. Come back later and buy it. Or, when they're small enough, you can still buy it without them seeing it. Save yourself some future entitlement issues.

5--You cannot spoil an infant by holding him/her too much. Too soon they'll be pushing you away saying "'Nuff love, Mommy, 'nuff love!"

6--Write down all the cute things they say, because contrary to what you think, you won't be able to remember them all and write them down later.

7--Empower them. Give them stools and put things on their level so they can help themselves (like putting kid dishes on a shelf their level so they can 'set the table' for snack time, ).

8--Every chance you get, tell them how special they are and how much you love them.

9--Natural consequences: "If I have to spend all of my time and energy cleaning up this mess by myself, I will not have any energy left to {do that fun thing that you wanted to do}" makes more sense than "Clean this up or we are not {going to do that fun thing}!!"

10--People are more important than things/everything is disposable. It doesn't matter how long it's been in the family, how expensive or new it is, or how much you loved it as a child--it can be ruined and thrown away. Just keep telling yourself that people are more important than things.

11--Use encouragement, not praise. I know, sounded weird to me at first too. Examples:

"Wow! You figured that out all by yourself!!" vs. "You are so smart!!"
"I enjoy your sense of humor so much! You make me laugh!" vs. "You are so funny!!"

They might seem the same, but using the first phrases (the encouragement phrases) leads a child to draw conclusions about themselves ('I am smart/funny'), which is infinitely more powerful for them as a person, than for their self esteem to be based on judgements (praise phrases) from others. Praise can acutally be very damaging to their self esteem, because they can come to rely on on praise and will struggle when they don't have it from others.

12--Warning: You will love your baby so much that you can hardly stand it. You will be so out of control, head over heels, crazy in love with this little person that you honestly think that your heart just may burst out of your chest. You will know that you've never witnessed anything as amazing and miraculous as this little person, and you'll be so utterly enchanted with your child that, could he/she ask for a whole herd of ponies, you'd do it in a heart beat. Your breath really will catch in your throat, and you will be so excited about your child that you will experience such a high of emotion that would be exhausting if it were about anything else, but is instead exhilarating. It is a phenomenal, life-changing kind of love.

Join in the advice giving! What's your favorite parenting tip?

Q. What is The Seattle Times? {and my fall mantel}

2011-11-04T14:29:00.000-07:00

A. The big field that we go to play in every fall because our backyard is too small and we don't have these beautiful leaves, and Mommy takes a million pictures of us. Oh, yeah, and a newspaper too.

Sadly, I think her favorite thing is running from the camera.

I didn't tell him to put his arm around his brother. To me, that's priceless.

Sometimes he looks like this.

But most of the time he looks like this...

The joy of fall!! We love the last, outrageous burst of color. It fills the soul.

So, I brought some of the fall-y feeling inside to my mantel. The light here makes it hard to get really good pictures 9 months of the year. But, here ya go. Ideas for fall 2011.

I opted out of my usual leaf garlands and candles this year. I went with a simple berry garland along the mantel and dug through my shelves for an assortment of books. I am in love with the wreath, and I attached it by putting a thumb tack in the top of my window and using a loop of brown yarn to secure it.

The pumpkins I tipped on their side by putting a little adhesive cork circle on the side (I was going to use tape, but didn't have any artists tape).

I took all the jackets off the books and chose them for their color, not their title. I wanted cozy fall colors.

50 lbs of candy

2011-11-02T09:17:00.000-07:00

That's what it felt like, anyway. Here is my little Cougar team (complete with bubble wrap football pads). Clearly it doesn't matter to us where they go to school. ;)

Between the church trunk or treat, Microsoft trick or treating, and the neighborhood, there was a lot of candy to be had. If you need any, just come to our house.

And then yesterday, having reached my personal Halloween saturation point, I tore everything down and now it is Fall here. Ahhhh....

25 things you don't know about me

2011-10-27T06:47:00.000-07:00

So they say it's my birthday, and in celebration of the fact that I am a year older, here are some things you probably didn't know about me. I can do that since this is my blog and all.

1. Most of the time I listen to 'Frank Sinatra Radio' on Pandora, but sometimes I jam to Beastie Boys when the kids are napping.

2. Part of my lower lip is still numb from my wisdom teeth extraction 14 years ago.

3. If I had it to do again, I'd hyphenate my last name. Sometimes I do it for fun.

4. I love fruit snacks, fruit roll ups, fruit gushers, etc. The more sour the better.

5. I won a medal for Latin ballroom dancing in college.

6. In middle school, I played volleyball for a year. I was on not A, not B, but the C team. I was that good. I still remember the time I got the ball. Yes, the time.

7. I have a sneaking suspicion that my left foot is slightly shorter than my right.

8. I have a bad memory, and it can usually retain only good things.

9. I think maybe I was meant for another time--one where people wear more pearls and cheek-kiss 'hello, darling'.

10. When I was little I had bad excema and even my 'best friend' called me red fungi face. Since then I've never really put weight into how I or anyone else really looks on the outside. I see beauty from the inside.

11. If the scale could bear it, I'd eat cheesecake every day.

12. I've played hide and seek in the Utah governor's mansion.

13. I'm a little afraid of things that have more or fewer legs than I have.

14. I've never completely agreed with the order of the alphabet. I've always thought Q should go later, like maybe by V or something.

15. One of my favorite all-time jokes is from my high school physics teacher "There are three kinds of people in this world--those who can count, and those who can't."

16. I have a total crush on my husband.

17. If I could pick an imaginary mode of travel, it would definitely be bouncing.

18. I sang an opera-style solo in a recital while at BYU.

19. When I was little, I'd go into old beautiful buildings (like our Andrew Carnegie city library) and I'd imagine that I lived there. I'd decide what all the rooms would be, which one would be my bedroom, etc. I still do. :)

20. My friends are like sunshine to me.

21. There's a part of me that wants to pack up and move to the country with big, wide open spaces. I think someday I'll probably do it. I know, I wouldn't have pegged me as farmer material either.

22. I find water chestnuts very creepy.

23. My favorite interior "look" is "things that have been salvaged from old buildings".

24. Every day I'm grateful for something. Usually it has something to do with my kids.

25. I can't think of a 25th (it's too early), but it seemed like an appropriately-sized list number.

Tell me something about you. Or something you know about me. :)

Checking in

2011-10-25T14:36:00.000-07:00

In the flurry of life, I've neglected posting. But we are here, and doing well. We've been having all kinds of fun, but as I have forgotten to document much, I'm sure the kids will all look back, see the lack of pictures, and wonder why I didn't love them enough to plan fun activities. Halloween is a big deal around our place. We do 'calendar', where every night they find a note in the appropriate pocket directing them to hunt for a fun game/activity/treat/craft. We've had dance parties ('Monster Mash', anyone?), played 'Pin the Eye on the Ghost,' and today's calendar...shhhh....is caramel apples if we have enough time before the church trunk or treat.

This year the kids are going to be BYU cheerleaders and football players. I. cannot. wait. J and I are going to dress up and be BYU fans, too.  Look at me, all catching the spirit of Halloween. So many chances for candy, too--we've got the trunk or treat, regular trick or treating, and the Microsoft Halloween party. For the latter, I was given strict instructions "Nice trick or treating bags (no chintzy grocery sacks), the kids need to be nice and clean (no grubby crumbs on faces), nice hair (no just-up-from-a-nap-pigtails-fell-out-and-now-I-look-like-a-mad-scientist hair, I suppose)." Microsoft is sure picky about whom they give candy to, huh?

Fall colors have reached us in the Northwest and they are a sight to behold. It got just hot enough at the end of summer that I didn't put up a stink when it was time for autumn.   The insanely beautiful tree colors-- vibrant oranges, deep reds--and gorgeous clothes colors--rich plums, hazelnut leather. My kind of eye candy. I've been loving soft cardigans and boots (J is not a fan of boots over jeans, and when I brought them home he dubbed them my "equestrian hooker boots"). I've been baking all kinds of breads and treats. Did I mention I killed our microwave? Four {very expensive} minutes of cooking nothing in the microwave will kill it. You've been warned. So, for a couple weeks I've been a total pioneer. Heating up the stove everytime I needed something hot. Digging out the toaster oven. But our new microwave got here last night and so I'm hanging up my bonnet and my flint, and rejoining modern life.

I'm experimenting with recipes for caramel apple cider, and I just found one that promises to rival Starbucks'. I'll keep you posted.   Sweetie is now over her 'I hate chocolate' phase of life and it's been ...well, delicious. A little too delicious, if you ask my scale. I would say my scale is lying, but my jeans concur. And, in the mouth of two or three witnesses... One of my friends lost 50 lbs. She was inspirational to me. I don't want to lose quite 50, but, hey, we all have our own Everest, am I right? My Everest just happens to be made out of Costco's salted caramels and oatmeal chocolate chip cookies.

The kids are doing fabulously well. Girlie is lovely as ever, and is quite the little artist--just ask the apple and pear still life she drew. Sammy is loving kindergarten and comes home with little Spanish phrases and songs. Buddy is rocking co-op preschool, and sings the "monkeys jumping on the bed song" incessantly. Sweetie, oh, Sweetie...I cannot get enough of that girl. Seriously, she is so amazing and delightful to me that I can hardly stand it!!!! She toddles around chattering in the cutest voice ever, wrestles with the big kids, lets us cuddle her. The girl is like sunshine. I'm going to cry just thinking about her. I realize that this makes it sound like she is my favorite, but I don't have favorites. (But there is something to be said about the cute, tiny one that doesn't talk back...)

Enough. Have a great day!

Halloween 'Vision'

2011-10-12T10:52:00.000-07:00

Do you LOVE this eye chart? I discovered a website (http://www.eyechartmaker.com/) that lets you put in whatever letters and words you want. Really, the possibilities are endless. I came up with this one for Halloween (I'm getting really excited) and can't wait to put it up. So, go wild! Check it out. (FYI, to save the file and print, you have to right click on the finished image and save it to your computer).

A Little Spooky {Halloween Mantel How-to}

2011-10-06T09:31:00.000-07:00

Buddy has been very excited about making our house "spooky, spooky". I thought I'd share what we did for our Halloween mantel this year.

Left my window up. It just makes a nice backdrop.

Added some spiderwebs.

And some tarantulas.

Placed a bunch of black candlesticks, some of which hold 'fake flame' candles.

Then I added some 'creepy cloth' that I found at Dollar Tree. It's all gauzy and holey. Creepy indeed.

Then I added some small jack 'o lanterns, which I will rearrange in a minute.

I added a bigger pumpkin to the middle (click to enlarge), and a pack of black silhouette rats running around.

Spooky, spooky--yes?

Topped the whole thing off with some fake pumpkins that are not, for the thousandth time, balls.

The rats are attached with artists tape. It holds well with no residue.

After I did it, Buddy said it was "too spooky, spooky" and asked me to take it down.

Happy haunting!!

Style is Where You Find It

2011-10-03T21:01:00.000-07:00

Here's our living room when we first moved in.

Most recently it looked like this...

Then after my sweet sister, Hannah helped me paint, it looks like this...

The color is Behr 'Antique Leather'

What a difference it makes! Exact same mantel arrangement as above, totally different look.

Calming, don't you think?

I love this color, because is it warm and neutral without being boring (to me, anyway!). J said he was (pleasantly) surprised because I usually go for more color, but maybe soothing is just what I need right now. He bought a shirt this color for my birthday last year, and I have loved the color ever since. You never know where you'll get inspiration! I had a college professor that said "Style is where you find it--at a thrift store, an antique find, or an expensive furniture store."

Once I found a gorgeous 'pineapple' design accent table for a client. The table was perfect for her entry way. It was well made, but by a 'value' furniture store. It took her months to even bother looking at it, because she didn't want to buy something from that store. When she finally did, she loved it and it looked stunning in her entry with a custom floral arrangement I made her.

So look around, and find something that inspires you. It might be something in nature or in your closet or your best friend's dessert plates that inspire a whole room. Style is where you find it.

And then he turned 6.

2011-09-30T09:32:00.000-07:00

It's true. That cute little screaming baby of mine is 6 now. I can hardly believe it! We celebrated his day with homemade pizza,

an alien/monster theme birthday cookie,

and presents that included a remote control Millenium Falcon.

We continued the celebrating to his 'friend party'.

Monster plates

Sassy monster cups

Worms in dirt

Eyeballs

Lady monster toes

And bandaged monster toes

More eyeballs (made from $2 worth of styrofoam balls, round stickers and a sharpie)

Assorted body parts

The party scene (Buddy had pants on by the party, don't worry)

Monster making supplies

My super cheap and easy 'pinata'

Monster footprints leading up to the house

I made stencils out of parchment paper and sidewalk paint

All the party people

J serving up swamp slime drink

It was a 'make your own monster' affair

And mummy pizza

The birthday wish

Pin the eyes on the alien

Assorted posterboard monsters

Happy birthday, my sweet son! You are so bright and talented and you amazing me every day. Thanks for lighting up my life and teaching me so much. I love you a million, billion, zillion.

Yet More of the Darndest

2011-09-27T21:13:00.000-07:00

They just don't stop. They don't.

Girlie: For a long time I thought that the handicapped parking pictures were of people sitting on the potty. I thought that people who really needed to go potty could park there so that they could get to the bathroom really quick.
____________________________________________________________________________

At breakfast one morning:

Sammy: Hey, let's play 'I Spy'. Okay, I spy with my little eye, something that is black.
Me: Is it a sign that says 'You need to eat your breakfast before you play this game'?
Sammy: No. (pause, wrinkles up his forehead) I don't think we even have a sign like that.

____________________________________________________________________________

Every time I turn onto an on ramp.

"Free-way en-trance. This is the freeway? I love the freeway!!!"

_______________________________________________________________________________

Ah, my little Buddy. I wish you could spend some time with this kid. He's actually our funniest kid. He's had speech delays, and has apparently compensated with facial expressions and body language. It's hilarious to see a 3 year old look disgusted, put out, or shocked. He can roll his eyes with the best of them. So, he's more of a 'visual' funny guy. He's much improved thanks to weekly speech therapy, and can even say whole prayers by himself. They usually go something like this:

"Dew Heavy Fa-yer, Dear Heavenly Father,

Fakey fo mine day. Thank Thee for my day. Fakey fo mine famee. Thank Thee for my family (and then he names each of us). Fakey for bookies (bookies are blankets), an puppies, an pate paint, an coe-tins curtains (I recently redid the boys room, in case you're not getting that), an diggos diggers, an dup chucks dump trucks. Pease hep me be good boy, obey Mommy an Daddy. Name Jeez Kise, Eemen."

Oh, I just love it.

Continuing the conversation and please help!

2011-09-21T11:41:00.000-07:00

Just a couple things:

The rug: I kept it. It is living happily in my living room. After some serious vacuuming, it is behaving nicely, and I'm thrilled. J is still not a fan, but I love it!! Thanks to all for your input!!

My shoes: Thanks for all the compliments on my family picture shoes. I love them too. For those asking: I got them a few years ago at Dillards, a store in St. Louis. We don't have it here in Seattle (you Midwesterners are so lucky), but it is a Jessica Simpson shoe, if that helps at all. I did make and attach the flowers, and I am going to do a tutorial on the super easy flowers. Stay tuned.

Now, a problem: Believe it or not, my blog told me that I ran out of picture space. I don't know what to do. The options that I can think of are

1-Pay an annual fee for more space. (Not a fan of this one)

2-Start a new blog. (Not a big fan of this one, either)

3-Only writing/no pictures on this blog (Again,...)

4-Start a new blog and put an update link on this one going to the new one. (you guessed it...)

5-Don't blog anymore. (um...)

Has anyone encountered this before? Or heard of it? What should I do? I have a couple things already uploaded, but after that, no more pictures!! Help, please!!

A little like giving a mouse a cookie...{hall & bath makeovers}

2011-09-17T12:46:00.000-07:00

I told you I had plans for that humongous window hanging out in my living room, right? So here's what I did with it. The only 'before' picture I could find of my weird little hallway was when we first moved in. So here's the 'way before'.

And here's the after:

Of course, said J, why wouldn't we hang a window in front of the window? That's just common sense.

And then I went after the powder bath, since it was right next to the hallway.

Before

And then I bought this little sign:

So of course I had to go antiquing to find an old frame to put around it:

And then the black and white of the sign reminded me of the fabric I had left over from the kitchen valance,

Which made me think that buying some fancy-fancy chair rail and painting it black (and painting the wall white since I had the paint stuff out) would be a good idea...

as well as hunting down some old French books
(So that any French people who use our bathroom have something to read? --J)

and French made me think of lavender, naturally...

so I thought I'd hang it all on my wall...

and then maybe I stopped because my husband is "project'd out." But I'd have a new powder bath, and it would smell like lavender. And then I'd go looking for a new sign.

I think this is one of my favorite projects! What do you think?

Oh, There Were Tears

2011-09-15T13:09:00.000-07:00

You may see the smiles, but let me tell you, there were tears. Oh, such tears. The wrinkly face trying to hold them in, the blinking them back, yet they came. Pouring out. Every morning for a full week. None of us were ready for summer to end. The pain of getting back into a schedule, the SEPARATION from mama bear! Tears, I tell you!!

Lucky for the kids, I held them back until they were mostly out of sight and into the classroom.

But when they were gone and I was all alone, except for Buddy and Sweetie...I bawled. The kind of heaving, high pitched whine followed by the gasping for breath and trying to clear my vision enough to see my way out of the parking lot crying.

The best part was that instead of the sweet, sincere sympathy only a small child (Buddy) can give, I got imitation--imitation!!!--fake, whiney imitation followed by giggles and "You're so funny, Mommy!"

Two fantastic teachers, two excited kiddos (who haven't even thought of shedding a tear).

School is back.

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dog Tails {Boys Room Makeover}

2011-09-13T21:13:00.000-07:00

When we moved into this house, my big guy was a little guy.

And my little guy was a baby in a crib.

And this is what their room used to look like, including the sign above the crib that said, "boy, n: a noise with dirt on it." I thought it was adorable. Sammy (then 3), not even kidding, found it offensive and took it upon himself to remove it. In his words, it was "not appwopwiate."

Fast forward to boys room project 2011:

The theme is sort of "vintage boy." The blue quilt is from Target, the red star ones I made.

To hang the artful collage I used this method. The things I had gathered over my years of 'junk collecting', as J terms it.

This is Buddy's side. The art is from Target, too. The color on the bottom is Skipper by Behr at Home Depot. The color on top is custom matched to my trim.

I was thrilled with these vintage-looking synonym signs. I cannot for the life of me remember what website it was, but some talented, generous lady made these for people to print off for themselves!! She knocked off Restoration Hardware (see it here!!!) I got these printed off at Costco for a few dollars and Mod Podged them onto BOGO canvases at Michaels (I painted the sides navy first). I'd say it was one of the highlights of this room process. If you want the file, I'd be more than happy to email it to you so you can make your own!!!! I have 8X10 and 11x14 of brave/valiant and swift/fast. Just leave me a note in the comments and I'll email it right off to you!

Yes, of course it's this clean all the time...naturally......

Oh, my, a little sleeping boy!

It's hard to tell from the other pictures, but do you love the beadboard on the top?? Wanna know a secret? It's wallpaper!!! It's amazing! We were skeptical too. But I know what I want (beadboard), and when I can't do it myself and no one else will ("not a chance, lady") I have to get creative (and discover beadboard wallpaper at Lowe's).

They each have letters above their beds. They are painted paper mache that I got at Joann Fabrics.

A place for my sweet boys to lay their heads.

Cheapskate Tooth Fairy

2011-09-08T10:38:00.000-07:00

Our Tooth Fairy is cheapskate. She only pays 50 cents, but she does leave little teeny tiny notes thanking Girlie for her teeth and telling her how very cute they are. Girlie is still very grateful for the money, and Sammy is still duly impressed. Not that being unimpressed would change the Tooth Fairy's budget. I just don't think she's swayed by popular opinion. One time I visited Girlie's kindergarten class when a little boy, Ishan, had just lost a tooth so he stood up and told everyone about it. His Tooth Fairy apparently operates on a much heftier budget, because that kid got 20 bucks for his tooth with which he was going to buy a new transformer. I'm guessing that by now (3rd grade) his Tooth Fairy is up to her eyeballs in debt. I mean, that first tooth wasn't even a molar. At best it was a canine.

Some more information on the Tooth Fairy you might not already know, according to Girlie and Sam:

Does the Tooth Fairy have a 1st name? Yes, Tooth.

How big is she? One inch.

What are her hobbies? Building a castle out of teeth. She likes taking people's teeth to make jewelry and other accessories. And pot holders, too. And sewing, she likes that too.

What does she do with the teeth? She makes jewelry and accessories, like we already said.

Where does she live? In a tooth castle. Where else would she live?

Does she have a family? Yes. She's a queen. Her husband's name is Robert. Her children are Bob and Jimmy and Toothy-loo-loo. She has a fish named Toothy. She has a dog, maybe, whose name is Toothalicious.

Does she have helpers? Yes. 20,000 million.

When does she sleep? She sleeps when all the tooth work is done. Sometimes her helpers go so she can sleep.

Where does she get her money? She steals it.

Awesome.

I've got to be careful though. One time the kids were looking through their boxes of special memories and all of a sudden I hear "Look! It says it's my first tooth!!" I wheeled around, Girlie was holding a little tooth sized envelope. "Whaaaaattt????" I said in a voice suddenly too high pitched, "She... gave it back to me???? That's soooo niiiiice! She must have known how much I'd looooove it!!" Now, I usually have big problems with lying to my kids, but it seemed to me that since this wasn't detracting from any deeply spiritual holiday that I am aware of, it was okay to perpetuate the Tooth Fairy myth. Innocuous, right? Girlie totally bought it.

Anyway, we'll stick with our cheap Tooth Fairy. Girlie will continue to deposit her 50 cents into our Family Bank, which earns 50% interest (we're trying to teach them the value of saving), and by the time she heads off for BYU in only 10 years (only 10 years...sniff, sniff) her teeth will pay for a semester of books. But, really, how much is the going rate for teeth these days?

The Summer of Nothing and Everything

2011-09-06T12:11:00.000-07:00

Nothing. This summer, we've gone nowhere exciting, exotic, or even warm (except Utah). We've done nothing extraordinary. We've met no one famous, seen anything mind blowing, read anything earth-shattering. We've not done any sort of particularly glamourous trips (unless Utah counts, but I was thinking more along the lines of Maui), or eaten especially fancy cuisine.

Nothing.

But.

We have been together and happy. And together and happily we've been dining alfresco every night, exploring new parks, painting rocks, making fun pancakes, playing "sponge ball", eating fresh blueberries by the 1/2 flat, enjoying family movie nights, blackberry picking, family reunions (in Utah, which included paintball, 4 wheelers, fishing and crafting), canning 63 quarts of fresh peaches, hiking, gardening, exploring a real battleship, visiting friends and family that we adore, and doing yard work together in the cool evenings. Just being healthy, and happy, and together.

And to me, that is everything. What was your favorite thing about summer?

The Thing About Being a Parent

2011-08-23T09:20:00.000-07:00

The thing about being a parent, is that you can take the liberty of thinking your kid is the best/smartest/cutest/most talented/funny child that's ever come into existence, and no force on earth can change your mind. Especially first time parents, that's really fun. With Girlie, I remember calling J at work-- "Honey, she just looked at a toy hanging from her baby gym, and she reached for it! ON PURPOSE!" Those milestones that almost every baby eventually reaches, you celebrate. When you look into your child's face, nothing could convince you that any baby was ever cuter and sweeter than this tiny thing. Because, oh, look at that little button nose and those big blue eyes! Have you ever seen such juicy little cheeks? I once heard that no parent could openly admit that another child was cuter than theirs. I think it's true, because parents really do think that their baby is the most wonderful. We're programmed to do so, and isn't it great. Because, seriously, if a mom doesn't have a child's back, who will? We think our kids' jokes are the funniest we've heard, that their outside-the-box thinking is the most perceptive thing you've witnessed all day, and that your dressed up little princess is the most beautiful thing you've ever seen. Of course we do! Just this morning, I watched Sweetie put pegs carefully into a bottle, and then dump them out, shaking them to empty it completely, and thought, "My kid is a friggin' genius." And so we hug them and encourage them and love on them. We squeeze them every time they'll let us near and stare into their big eyes as long as we can. And we try to make them feel like they are the most amazing thing ever. Because they are.

A long while ago, I would hear that 'everyone is special' and I'd kind of think "Well, if everyone is special, then that makes no one special'. And then I had kids, and I've learned that everyone really is special. Each one of my four is so incredibly special I could scream. I think my parents were really good at that, because I secretly think I am their favorite. I actually think that each of my SIX siblings think they are the favorite too, but I don't have the heart to tell them. As a parent, I can objectively compare strengths and weaknesses of my children, but I really, truly love each of them equally. I completely adore, respect and admire each one of them.

The beautiful thing, is that with each child it multiplies. One child is stunning, amazing, earth-shattering. But to see that one child become a caring sibling, a caretaker, a sharer, a teacher...it adds facets to their already glittering selves that you couldn't have imagined. To hear your kids play together, to plot and pretend. It fills your soul. Recently, after a particularly trying day, I finally wrangled all four kids into bed. I had had it. And yet, as I passed through the loft that separates their bedrooms, I heard little voices chattering to each other. The sound was so sweet I sat for a while on the top step just to listen. I heard Sweetie babbling in her crib and Girlie cooing at her. I heard the boys conversing about...something

Sammy (5): What?? Swahili?
Buddy (3): Yes!!!

Who knows.

The giving and receiving love of a child is unparalleled. For me, it's my world. And that's a beautiful thing.

Say "Cheese"

2011-08-20T20:22:00.000-07:00

Well, the annual torture of family pictures is over. My talented sis-in-law Cory did an amazing job. And even though you'd think asking my sweet family to dress in coordinated clothing and take pictures is the same as asking them to eat staples, the only thing that comes close to how much I love looking at my family is looking at pictures of them. So here are some pictures of my people.

I truly didn't know that getting a normal, nice picture of this fun kid was possible. Really.

(That tells you how good Cory is).

We may need to photoshop a 'nice' face onto a family picture. Seriously, take a look at all of them! He's like a little Calvin (from Calvin & Hobbes).

He Made Fun of My Heritage and I Spit an Octopus at Him

2011-08-05T23:22:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time, I had been married a long time (at least 2 months) and I worked with a guy who had been married a very long time (about 3 years). I asked him if he was still as crazy about his wife as the day that he married her. His response? "Crazy's in there somewhere."

Today I celebrate my love. All 11 years of it. Eleven official years. And crazy is definitely in there, and it started in Dodgeville, Wisconsin on what we affectionately refer to as 'The Boat Night.' Almost 12 years ago, I was doing an interior design internship at the corporate headquarters of Lands' End. I was the only person my age in the state, until a lady at church said her son was coming back from his mission in Honduras. I listened to his homecoming talk in church, and I leaned over to my friend Anna and said "I think that we could be really good friends." Anna, another intern, was heading back to BYU at the end of the summer (I was there until Dec), so I wanted to invite J to do something with us so that I would have a (purely platonic) friend when she went away. We all took a picnic to Governor Dodge State Park, where I spotted a bunch of tied-up boats and thought it would be the perfect spot for a picnic. I had my camera, because I almost always had/have my camera with me. I leaned in for a cute picture. He leaned away. I think he didn't know he loved me yet.

So we continued our auspicious beginning with what we term the First Official Date. Neither one of us was out to get 'involved', which meant we weren't really concerned about what the other thought of us. First he took me to a Chinese buffet. Yum. First, though, I took his knife and fork and handed them to the server.

"He doesn't need these," I said. "He'll use chopsticks." I guess I was just sassy like that. He struggled for a while trying to stab little pieces of rice. He looked at me calmly eating and asked me how I knew to use chopsticks so well. (I don't, actually)

"I guess it's just in my blood." I shrugged.
"Oh," he said, the funny man, "so now you've got a Chinese grandma?"
I looked at him. "Yes. I do."

A pink flush filled his face. He looked like he wanted to die. As it turns out later, he not only wanted to die, but to head straight for the car and never see me again. (He had just come from Honduras where everyone has dark hair and eyes, so he didn't really think anything about my 'exotic' coloring).

I somehow talked him into getting a tiny octopus. "We'll both eat one at the same time" I said. So we each dished up a little octopus onto our plates.

"One, two, three, GO!" I said. He popped his in and started chewing. I tried, I really did, but that darn octopus refused to go in my mouth. I tried again and again. J kept chewing. And chewing, and chewing some more. After an excruciating amount of trying, I announced to everyone in the vicinity that I was now going to eat my octopus. I dangled it in my mouth, but as I did so, one of the little tentacles wrapped its gummy self around my tongue, and it came flying, flying out at J. I don't remember him getting upset, though. Probably figured we were even.

Then he got lost going to the movies ("For Love of the Game") and tried to convince me that they had simply moved the theater. I think it's pretty obvious that this relationship was headed for great things. We had SO much fun dating! This guy worked construction (um, yeah, he had guns) and he worked hard so that he could spoil me. He would drive 45 min up to my apartment every night, even if it meant his socks weren't quite dry yet and he had to hang his foot out the window to dry them. He made all kinds of excuses to see me. It was quite endearing. We were instant best friends and we'd joke "Hey, remember in kindergarten when we..." because we felt like we'd known each other that long.

I know I give him a hard time on the blog, but let me set the record straight and say I utterly adore this man. I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be his wife. I appreciate our similarities (we have many, in case you're wondering :) ) because they keep us strong and pointed in the same direction. I love our differences because they keep things really entertaining and funny, every day. I love him a million, billion, zillion--which, in our family, is the very most you can love someone. And I'm definitely way crazier, and crazier about him than I was when I married him.

Please Shine Down on Me...

2011-08-04T16:28:00.000-07:00

The sun took a long time to arrive here in Seattle, but it appears the wait is over and we are finally getting the vitamin D we need. While the rest of the country is being scorched, we are enjoying highs in the 70's. I'm not complaining. And now that we're shaking off the dreariness of the grey, I thought my interior should reflect that, so I've made a few tiny changes. Maybe you need some ideas and you'll notice them. J didn't at first. You know, sometimes I don't think he even cares how our house is decorated...

(before)

(after)

-change window treatments to white

-new rug

-switch out art on left side

-redo mantel

-switch the garland and candles in window to simple floral arrangement (sorry there's not a better pic)

mantel (before)

mantel (after)

-switched dark mirror for window

-added summery artwork

-hydrangeas

-added clear, light, and natural elements

wall decor (before)

wall decor (after)

-switched from maps to some wrought iron pieces

(don't they make you think garden trellis and fancy patio furniture)

I actually have new paint waiting to go on the walls, and I was just inspired with new ideas for my powder bath. As I started to tell J about it, he put his hand to my head and made a motion like he was turning down a dial. "Can you ever turn off your need to change our house?" he asked. I laughed and introduced myself.

"Hi, I'm Melynie and I'm into interior design."

PS: Yes, that's a new, huge window leaning on my wall. J and I have big plans for it. Different plans, but big plans nonetheless. :)

Mix up your pancakes!

2011-08-02T17:09:00.000-07:00

Occasionally we indulge in breakfast for dinner. It's just good fun. This time, we shook up the routine a little by clipping the top off a condiment bottle, filling it with batter, and 'drawing' pancakes. We spelled out names, drew rocket ships, cars, hearts, stars.

I made one for me too. :) It's fun to see your name on a plate.

(Just remember to write backwards on the griddle!)

First (and only) camping of the season

2011-08-01T10:39:00.000-07:00

I LOVE camping in the Northwest, and I'm not an especially 'roughin' it' type of gal. Here, though, it's cool and there are no bugs. It's totally worth the 17 weeks worth of prep for those 15 hours of camping. We returned to Cascade Park for our annual ward (church) campout.

My very proper camper.

Sweetie's first campout. She did so awesome. Until the middle of the night. When she wouldn't stop fussing. So I stayed awake. All. Night. And then in the wee hours of the morning when I heard the other kids stirring and asked J to check on them because I thought they were really cold and he rolled over and looked at me, as I was still nursing Sweetie for the 4th hour in a row and asked me why I was waking him up to do this. Well, that was just awesome.

My little Buddy just chilled by the fire with his homeboy.

There were games for the kids the next morning. In the center are Girlie and Sammy competing in the three-legged race.

We watched from the side. We are smiling, but we are tired. For a 13 month old, tired=grouchy. There came a point in late morning when I just announced that it was time for us to leave.

Right. Now.

So we did. But he stopped at a farmer's market that I love and let me load up on fresh produce to help me feel better. It worked.

We stopped by {gasp} McDonald's for lunch on the way home. The kids apparently hadn't gotten enough of the great outdoors, so they went outside to 'bask'. (As in, "Mommy, can we go bask outside for awhile?" They crack me up.)

So, I think after that, I'm good. Camping, you're awesome, but I'll see you next year.

Make a Daisy Hair Clip {tutorial}

2011-07-29T17:03:00.000-07:00

Can you say cute? Now you, too, can be the owner of an adorable little clip (you or your favorite little girl, whatever). For this project you'll need

White fabric
Needle and white thread
scissors
fabric glue (I used Fabri-tac)
hair clip (and ribbon to cover, optional)
Yellow brad, button, or fabric covered button
white felt

Using scissors or a rotary cutter, cut six 2" squares.

Like this.

Now fold it once...

twice...

three times.

Fold the edges down to form the petals.

Clip the excess off,

so it's even.

Now stitch through the middle, making sure to catch all the layers.

Repeat that for all six petals.

Pull it tight. Stitch back through the first petal to secure; knot and trim the thread.

Now attach the center. I used an oversized yellow brad, but a button or a fabric covered button would look adorable too. I secured it with fabric glue. I would stitch the button to the backside. See next picture.

Cut a small circle of felt and glue to secure the back of the daisy. I made sure to get the glue in between the petals and on as much contact surface as possible.

I covered a hair clip with light green ribbon (I used hot glue, and just wrapped the ribbon on all sides of the clip).

Use fabric glue to adhere the flower to the hair clip.

Ta-da! This will look adorable in your little friend's hair!! (or yours, whatever)

Freedom

2011-07-28T16:03:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the Fourth of July in style this year. We got to the parade super early and had donuts and chocolate milk while we waited. We met a bunch of friends there, one of whom had the brilliance to bring his canopy, so we sat in the cool shade and enjoyed the parade.

This little thing was all about celebrating the USA.

Much candy was scored by all.

Buddy was very happy about it.

Have I told you lately how much I love this little girl????

My sweet J and Girlie.

Priceless.

Some of our friends hosted the best barbecue. They had a terrific backyard. Almost three acres for the kids to run around and explore.

How did my little peanut get so big so fast?

The first smores of the season. The kids were thrilled with the HUGE marshmallows.

We came back home and did even more sparklers and pop its.

Happy Birthday America!

How much is too much?

2011-07-26T18:55:00.000-07:00

So I got this new rug. It took quite a few discussions, but it's finally here and I LOVE the way it looks.

Except, it kind of seems to be coming apart. It is 100% wool, so I know it's going to shed, but...

It's got long fibers that have come unknotted and are sticking up like this all over the place.

Do you see them?

And it's shedding like a dog in...shedding season. I don't know much about dogs. You get my point, though.

So my question is...how much is too much? When do I send it back? I love it, so I'm not wanting to send it back. J would have done so yesterday. Well, actually, he'd rather it was never here in the first place, but now that it's here and getting his black socks all hairy, he's one unhappy camper.

I have limited time to decide. Tell me what you think. Please.

"I'm going to cut up your credit cards"

2011-07-25T21:31:00.000-07:00

I haven't been getting too much sleep lately. You'd think that since things have settled down around here, I'd happily tuck in at about 9:30 or so. You'd be so wrong. First, J and I routinely check in with America's Got Talent on hulu and see what the mini hip hop dancers or sword swallowers have to offer. Then he goes to bed, and for whatever reason I stay up. I think maybe I like being in a quiet house, knowing all my lovies are tucked in bed, alseep and safe. It's nice having the joint to myself for a few minutes.

But I do get tired, and I'm discovering funny things about Tired Me. Like, I shouldn't go shopping. I got back from helping a friend at about midnight the other night. I checked my email before I went to sleep, where I was reminded that there was an online-only Black Friday in July sale. Hmmm...I should just check it out. It just started, after all. I'll just look. Well, two hours later I climb into bed, and forget all about it. But then, 5-7 business days later, packages started arriving at my doorstep. Oh, fun! ...Wait a minute. Did I order that? What the heck? These jeans don't even fit me. Why are there three pairs? I would never order a cardigan with beads around the neck. What was I thinking? A three-cup food processor? J came down in the morning and said, "It always scares me to find your credit card next to your laptop." Most of the stuff will be going back to the store, except for a pair of jeans that I decided to keep as "incentive jeans". When I can comfortably fit into them (I had gotten all bunked up with juniors vs. misses sizes), I will feel really good. When I told a friend that, she replied, "I have a whole closet of 'incentive jeans'". She makes me laugh.

The other night I was shopping for a baby shower the next day. I thought I could depend on Target to close at a reasonable hour and maybe save me from myself. Well, in case you didn't know, I have a weakness for baby clothes, especially little girl ones. I wandered around Target for way too long, my cart getting fuller and fuller with every aisle. When I finally left, it was past 10:30 p.m. (No, don't tell me I should wear a watch or look at my phone. That would make life too easy). As I looked at my haul the next morning, I kind of wondered what maniac had stuffed my cart full of all these things and made me buy them.

J woke up frowny and said, "I was not very happy with you last night." ("last night"=in his dream). "Oh, no. What did I do?" This ought to be good. "Well," he said, "you went crazy shopping. (I did). You bought a new rug (I did), and a {something I can't remember} (I did not), and a cabinet full of craft stuff to go on the back terrace (I would never do that--the rain would ruin it)." Later that morning he looked around and saw the rug (which he already knew about), and then the miscellaneous pile of returns and said, "My dream is coming true!!!"

Tired Me should not shop, friends. Or, I guess on the other hand, if there's something that you want, just wake me up and tell me it's a good deal. Apparently, I'll buy it. Or maybe three.

My American Girl

2011-07-17T21:40:00.000-07:00

Disclaimer: I, quite shockingly, almost had nothing to take pictures with on our outing. My nice camera didn't have a memory card, I'd forgotten my phone, I was left with the measly camera on our video camera. Terrible quality pictures, but at least I got some!!

Our magical girlie date was on Saturday. I got up and to the mall by 5:30 a.m. to stand in line so that when they started handing out tickets at 6:00 a.m. to get into the store at 9:00 a.m., I would be ready. I heard some people who were there from Portland and thought "Man, they are hard core". Then I realized that I was standing at the mall in the freezing rain at 5:30 a.m. to get into a doll store and thought "Touche".

This was the best girlie date ever. Girlie squeezed my hand so tight as we stood in line, she was so excited. They had lots of little gifts and crafts for the girls to do. Little girls with their dolls just giggled. The excitement was almost palpable. Once in the store, Girlie's eyes grew huge and I think she was a little overwhelmed by it all.

They had the cutest displays with the most adorable outfits and the most darling furniture and accessories. It was hard not to succumb to the American Girl frenzy and fill the oversized shopping bags with accessories, dolls, and playsets.

I will be the first to admit that they ask an exorbitant amount of money for all this cute stuff, but, oh goodness, if you had seen her face when I told her she could pick out a doll.

I did get an extra outfit, because they suckered me in (even though I didn't fall for the $8 doll brush that they tried to talk me into). But it was a special, and I'm saving it to give at Christmas.

She was SO excited. She finally picked the perfect doll (though at the last minute she wanted to get a $75 play horse instead, which we didn't do).

She made a crown at a craft station. They also had karaoke, which we didn't do, but I'm sure Girlie could have rocked it if she'd wanted to. :)

Meet Kanani, the newest member of our family. (I think it also helped her deal with the unexpected death of Nemo this morning. Poor thing just cried. We had a little fish funeral, sang a song, and all said nice things about Nemo before we sent him on his "final swim" down the toilet).

Saturday is a special day...

2011-07-14T16:17:00.000-07:00

The good thing is that I think I've almost caught up in pictures after this. The bad thing is that I was really behind. The good thing is that you'll be getting a conscise, pocket-sized version of our life, sparing you any of the painstaking details. The bad thing is that there will be no painstaking details to read 10 years from now when I, perhaps, want to read the painstaking details. Let's go.

Sweetie and Daddy at the Easter egg hunt at the Brawner's house. It was awesome--huge egg hunt, bouncy house, delicious food.

Don't know if you can tell, but the girls have matching shirts. I know, I know. Cheesy mama. :)

My, what handsome boys!

Easter morning

Girlie's "Go Fish" musical at the end of school. She was the cutest square-dancing seahorse you've ever seen.

Fans of the square dancing seahorse

Giddy up!

My tulips looked like peonies--they were amazing!

Royal wedding party thrown by my friend, Megan. Oh, yes, those are tiaras we're all wearing. I wore my pearls for the rest of the day. The wedding was just dreamy.

Kiddos took swimming lessons. At least one of them can almost swim now. Work in progress.

My Mother's Day wish was for us to wear our matchy-matchy Easter clothes again so I could finally get a picture. You would have thought I asked everyone to eat staples. Hey, the heart wants what it wants.

Okay, now, can I just tell you what I am SOOOOO excited about? This Saturday, an American Girl store is opening up at the local mall. Girlie and are going to the grand opening for a girlie date, and ...shhhhh....I am going to let her pick out a doll!! Oh my goodness I'm just bursting with excitement! She is going to be so thrilled!! She never really asks for things, so it is really fun to surprise her! Yes, there was a bit of a debate between the finance dad and the I-loved-them-when-I-was-little mama, but the "good memories" argument won out in the end. (I remember fondly going to the mall with my mom to pick out a cornsilk Cabbage Patch doll. She was blonde and blue eyed. Her name was Estra Zara. I thought I would be happy forever.) Oh, goodness! We've been poring over the latest catalog, and I've gathered a bunch of American Girl dress patterns that I'm going to make for our new doll. Okay, it started because we were at the mall and saw the store getting set up. So we found out the details of the opening--crafts, dolls, etc. Girlie was so excited and wanted to bring Alexis, her favorite doll--a Target version of American Girl dolls. Well...Alexis is missing a leg, eyelashes, the skin-colored paint is missing from one eyelid, and her hair is completely matted. She is... 'well loved'. We didn't know if it would be a good idea to bring her. So we came up with this idea instead, and I can't WAIT for Saturday!!!!!!!

(You can totally tell this doll is for her and not at all for me, right?)

Playing a little catch up

2011-07-10T09:46:00.000-07:00

So, I meant to post these last month, but we got, uh, a little busy. We did, in fact, celebrate Girlie's 8th birthday. My goodness we love this girl!!!

The day started with heart shaped pancakes in bed (our bed, of course. Wouldn't want to get crumbs in hers now, would we? :) ).

She's a self-proclaimed carnivore, so we had her favorite--ribs--for dinner.

She requested cupcakes instead of a cake, so I made some with two kinds of frosting and some pink sugar, just to make sure there was enough sweet.

She liked them.

She had the choice of a party with friends, or doing something special as a family. She picked horseback riding with her family, so we went to Ensign Ranch where we spent the day doing fun things like canoeing...

I had to set poor Sweetie down to help row, and she got cold and wet. And told us all about it.

...and horseback riding. She declared it 'awesome.'

My little cow poke family.

Her horse's name was Tia. I led her around the field, and I have to say it was a little exciting/scary being that close to such a large and powerful animal. Especially when you need it to stop stepping on your foot.

Buddy loved it too.

Sweetie watched it all from the comfort of her carseat.

I think Sammy was a little disappointed that it wasn't more 'dangerous.'

It started sprinkling so we took shelter on some hay bales in a big shed.

Most of the time, if I want to have pictures of me with the kids, I have to take them myself. Otherwise I run the risk of being completely undocumented in my children's lives.

Wow, where did all these kids come from?

We stopped at XXX Burgers on the way home. A kitschy, greasy diner that served up great big root beers and overpriced food. We had to try it once.

Eight wonderful years with this girl!!!

Pics of the longest Daddy-daughter date ever

2011-07-07T17:28:00.000-07:00

We joked in the hospital that Girlie and J had been wanting to plan a date, but this (a 3 day hospital stay) wasn't what they had in mind. Here are some pics from their 90-hour 'date'.

This was right when she first woke up. (A side note: J and I happened to be wearing the EXACT SAME THING--same color green top, same color jeans, and he first noticed it when we were listening to the doctor and standing-with-arms-crossed in the exact same way--and he was very embarrassed. I thought it showed solidarity.) :)

She kept forgetting not to rip her IV out, so they put this 'pillow' on her hand.

They call it an EEG. We call it a Noodle Hat.

Playing with paper dolls from Grandpa and Grandma.

She's telling you to watch out for the big whale behind her. She's holding her favorite doll, Alexis, who is in a pink sleeping bag (she needed some place to sleep at the hospital too).

A highlight of the date--petting the therapy dog.

I climbed in bed with her and we read "A Little Princess."

Finally time to go home.

An update: She's doing great. About a week after she got home, she developed a fever, which was terrifying, because it could trigger another seizure. Even though we have a video monitor on her, I ended up climbing in bed with her. She's on twice daily medication, which she takes without complaint.

She's totally back to herself, aside from doing things she loves (bike, swings, climbing, etc). We meet with her neurologist on Monday for another follow up. We still have no idea why she had it. They, apparently know nothing, really, about the brain. So we will wait. And see. And have the best summer ever together in the meantime.

On a lighter note

2011-06-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

In the midst of our medical "storm", which went on to include--besides the seizure-- 5 separate fevers, hacking coughs, croup, pneumonia, a damaged ear canal, and no sleep for Mom, we had a bright spot. We celebrated my baby girl's first birthday. I am absolutely c-r-a-z-y about this tiny one, and it's amazing to me that she can still be a complete novelty after a year in our family. I cannot get enough of her and many times a day she makes my heart almost burst with love for this darling, joyful little baby.

the setting

the tissue paper fluff balls

the cake

the birthday girl

the gifts

the first candle

the carrot-cake-made-with-applesauce-and-no-frosting cupcake (yeah, i'm just a really fun mom)

Besides the sweetest little jabbering-all-day voice that you have EVER heard, she also melts my heart with her 'scrunchy smile'. I can hardly stand it, it's so cute, and I'm sure that she could use it to get a puppy or American Girl doll someday. I would say she liked my play table gift.

And some more.

Okay, one more.

Okay, last time.

Okay, seriously. It's going to be very hard not to spoil this one.

2011-06-19T23:43:00.000-07:00

I'm exhausted on so many levels from this past week. I can barely keep my eyes open, but I continue to sit in bed beside sleeping J and play the silly bubble breaker game on my phone. I don't know why, until I figure out that I'm afraid to go to sleep. The video monitor perched on my night stand is breathing a slow, comforting sound and I can see my girl is fast asleep, hopefully dreaming sweet things. It's a calming sound, and one I'm afraid to not hear.

Through this ordeal, I've never thought "Why me?" I understand that things just happen, and it's to our growth or detriment how we handle them. I have, however, thought "Why her?" If there's anyone I know that can learn to be like Christ without the mountains of trials that the rest of us require, it would be her. She's so sweet and good, and it seems utterly unfair for her to pass through this. The most unfair place in the world? A children's hospital. While I love the fact that hurt and sick kids get to have a hospital with starfish on the walls, the fact that kids don't get a 'free pass' through childhood breaks my heart. On my best day I could walk through a children's hospital and see babies lying so still, and cribs in the ICU and bawl my eyes out. They haven't even made any life choices that would land them in a place like that, yet they must begin their existence with adversity. The toddler in the neighboring ICU bed was barely spoken to by parents that briefly visited. It made me want to scoop her up and love on her. Kids are so brave, but I wish they didn't have to be. Of all the injustices in the world, this must be the worst.

I can see the stress in me. It plays out in funny ways, but I know it's there. I couldn't just let Father's Day pass despite our week, so I ran to the mall last night to pick up a few of J's favorite things. Part of me just wanted to shop. Shop and shop and shop. Of course that's a little normal :), but I wanted to shop and buy pretty things, and pretend my life was normal and calm. A little escape from reality. My whole body is tense, maybe from feeling like I will be holding my breath for the rest of my life. We don't know what will happen in the future with Girlie. All the whys and what happens nexts are answered with a frustrating "We just don't know."

We all went to church today. We were met with hug after hug after 'we've been think of you and praying for you' after teary squeeze. Each one melted a little ache away. We've felt so loved and supported from all our friends and neighbors. It means so much to receive heartfelt emails and messages.

Girlie seems to be doing very well. She doesn't remember any of the actual seizure, which is a huge blessing. She's as lovely as ever. J and I don't have much of a defense where she's concerned. The girl could ask for a puppy and we'd oblige. I am not kidding. And I am not a pet person. She could ask for a stinkin' pony and I'd probably move us out to the country and buy five. Please don't tell her that, though. I don't feel like packing.

Despite everything, though, I somehow feel as if I can't be anything but happy for life now. Miracles happen. She's here, and we're all together at home. It doesn't get better than that. We've got summer ahead of us, school is almost out. She'll be attending tomorrow until a doctor's appointment in the afternoon. Holding my breath about her being out of my sight, but I know she's missing her friends and teacher. Forward we go.
I feel better just getting stuff out there. Thanks for all the comments. They really mean so much. I consider each a personal hug and value all our friends that we have scattered around the country. It's funny how sharing burdens with those you love makes them that much lighter.

Together

2011-06-16T22:11:00.000-07:00

I am sighing a contented sigh. It is evening, and my babies are all asleep upstairs. Girlie was discharged this evening, and we are all together again. She had her MRI today, which came back normal. A HUGE, HUGE, HUGE relief because it meant no brain damage. I was honestly preparing myself for that. It also gives us no cause for the seizure, so that remains a mystery, but I'd rather have the mystery and the healthy brain.

She is doing well today. She could walk reasonably well by afternoon, though not for very long. She was beyond excited to come home, and getting very bored (I was thrilled that she was bored, because I took it as a sign that she was returning to 'herself'). The boys and Sweetie were ecstatic to see her, and she them. Once she got home, I felt that she improved greatly. I sat in the playroom and watched them play together, and my heart just about burst with joy. Her walking became much more steady, her voice seemed mostly normal. In fact, by the time she went to bed, she seemed more just like a tired version of her real self.

It will be an adjustment. We had a family talk about our new normal. New normals suck. (I know, it's totally a potty word for me). We were as positive as we could be about the changes. For the next several days, Girlie needs supervision when on the stairs. For the next 6 months, no bike riding, swimming, bathing, climbing, swinging--basically anything that would endanger you if you were to lose consciousness while doing it. We'll be getting a video baby monitor and probably never sleeping a good night in our life again. She will be on twice daily anti-convulsant medicine. As Girlie put it, "Dad, a seizure is a big job." She listened quietly during our meeting, then had J take her upstairs and I heard sobbing from her room. I think all the reality of it (even understanding what a seizure is) came crashing down on her.

But at the end of this day, I have what I pleaded to God for: to have my girl back. My heart is so full.

2011-06-15T23:11:00.000-07:00

Today was better. Girlie had an EEG today. Her speech continues to improve and occasionally she almost sounds like her old self. She is a little sturdier when sitting, and doesn't continue to ask the same questions. She even used the potty today, with full assistance. Walking requires assistance also, but she was able to eat on her own--regular food!-by later in the day. She could now hold a book, and could focus her eyes by afternoon. We wheeled her to the play room of the hospital where she was delighted to pet a therapy dog. Progress was slow, but she had been given a lot of drugs to stop the seizure, so it makes sense that they are taking a long time to wear off. We're hoping to go home tomorrow, but the doctors want to make sure she can walk and function before she leaves.

She is much improved from yesterday, but still appears a weaker, younger, drunk version of herself. Very disconcerting to her mother, but the doctors say they have no reason to think there's any brain damage. If she can hold still, there will be an MRI tomorrow. They, thankfully, don't want to sedate her for it. If she can't hold still, we'll come back for an outpatient visit. She is still gracious, as ever. Thanks all the doctors and nurses. Gets teary when we tell her that people love her and are praying for her. Tells us we're the best parents she can imagine. We look forward to her expected full recovery. J has been living at the hospital with her since Monday night, bless his heart. He's amazing, truly. I have been going back and forth between the hospital and taking care of the other three.

Once again I am completely overwhelmed by the kindness of sweet friends and family. I appreciate every message, call, text, email, prayer, meal, watching my kids, cleaning my house, bringing food for us. We feel so loved and supported. We feel so grateful for true friends. We are grateful for eternal families, and that we've still got our sweet girl.

PS: Our darling baby turned 1 yesterday. We'll celebrate when we're all together.

2011-06-14T21:18:00.000-07:00

My sweet girl had a seizure late last night. I found her at about 11:40 p.m. as I was tucking them in one last time before I went to sleep. She had one 3 1/2 years ago, but it was nothing like last night. It was long, and much worse in a lot of ways. She finally woke up at about 10:00 a.m. this morning. We had both anxiously been waiting for this all night long, so we were right there at her side telling her how much we loved her. The first thing she said was "I love you Daddy. I love you Mommy. Can we go home?" She was so small and delicate. J leaned in to kiss her head and she wrapped her arms around his neck.

She was very groggy today. She struggles to do most things, since she was so heavily sedated and the medicine is taking time to wear off. Her speech was faster and clearer tonight. By dinner time, we even tried to do some clear liquids. The nurse asked her if she'd like a popsicle and some jello for dinner. She said yes, then asked, "Can I please have a healthy option now?" That's my girl.

Tomorrow will bring an MRI and an EEG, and a discussion about long term solutions. There's been a lot of emotion in these last 22 hours. Boiling desperation as the ER people wouldn't let me see my daughter, frantic fear and the thought "No, no, no, no, no, no" going through my head, my heart breaking to see the masses of tubes coming out of her, choking, tearful sobbing in front of anyone and everyone today, and a fervent hope that this is all a bad dream. There's also humble gratitude (gratitude is not actually a big enough word, but it's the only one I have) and love for the people who have already selflessly reached out to serve my family in so many ways. The still small whisper of "Be still, and know that I am God" answer that I got in response to hours of heart wrenching prayer. Thanks to those offering prayers on our behalf. I feel them. Please keep them coming. Thanks for the sweet messages and texts that have touched my heart; they mean so much to me. Sorry I haven't responded yet. Because, like a child who cries their heart out and then falls fast asleep, I am exhausted.

Potty Words

2011-06-10T10:02:00.000-07:00

It's that time again. Potty training. So excited to be done with diapers; dreading the inevitable accidents. I didn't actually mean to start. It started with a whispery promise of new big boy undies and now here we are--Day 3 of Potty Training. We checked out a DVD at the library about potty training. In our home, we use the words "potty" and "bm" (for 'bowel movement', fyi, because I was raised by a doctor who used clinical terms and now I do too. Yes, we get weird looks from babysitters and other grown ups). So my kids think that anything else is a potty word (ha ha, get it?). So as Buddy and I are cuddled up watching this highly informative video, my older ones are sitting behind the loveseat just snickering because, as far as they're concerned, this is one naughty video! Pee pees and poops everywhere. Oh, and the book? Potty Train: Chugga-Chugga-Poo-Poo! Hysterical laughter.

He's actually doing great. I waited until his "window" opened (when he wanted to do it), and now it seems practically done! He also loves running around half naked, but then, who doesn't?

Speaking of Buddy, he turned 3 in May. We held a construction party (okay by "party" I mean that he invited his little friend, Clay over, who happens to have a brother Sammy's age and a sister Girlie's age. They came too. It was more of a themed playdate) in his honor. Proof:

This was the only face he'd give me. What could I do? It was his birthday.

His dirt cake. He had a little friend over, Clay, who refused to eat the cake. When Clay's mom came to pick him up, the first thing he said was "I did NOT eat dirt."

Ah, the thrill of a Toy Story racer that will put the phrase "you have a playdate with destiny" in your head permanently. His speech therapist, Kris, came to his party too. He was thrilled.

See? I told you.

Intense racing going on.

One of his favorite gifts was a "motor-mycle". He rides it around with a pack of toddlers (and their motormycles) in the neighborhood. We've joked about making them little leather vests.

He's my little comedian, my little cartoon character. He's sweet and feisty, cuddly and stubborn, hungry and playful. And I just can't get enough of him!

A Perfect Day

2011-06-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was the baptism of my lovely, sweet, beautiful girl. It was one of the best days of my life. She was so lovely and excited and prepared. She understood what an important day it was, and the promises that she was making with her Father in Heaven. It was a sunny, peaceful day.

That morning we gave her own set of scriptures with her name on them. She was beyond thrilled, and said it was the best gift she could imagine. She carried them around for the rest of the day.

So blessed to have a daddy worthy to baptize her.

We felt so blessed to be surrounded by people we love for this special day. Lots of friends helped, and we felt so grateful to know such wonderful people.

We enjoyed yummy, beautiful refreshments.

I made her favorite peppermint pinwheel cookies.

And a cake that was not at all fattening.

She is the most gracious, lovely person I know. I am not kidding.

She looked like an angel to me.

That afternoon we went down to the temple to enjoy the peace and beauty there. Can I just say I am so enchanted by my daughters, and entertained by my sons.

Girlie wrote down her feelings of the day in a special journal that her primary teacher gave her.

Eternally grateful that these peeps are mine forever.

We had dinner at her favorite restaurant, Dennys. :) Then we headed home for a short family walk and soaked up the last sunny rays of the day. We've missed the sun and it seemed to come out to make her day absolutely perfect!

Click here for the Peppermint Pinwheel Cookies recipe, for all those who asked. :)

Way more pictures of us than you want to see {Early April}

2011-06-01T12:42:00.000-07:00

In a meager attempt to keep my blog updated, here is a nutshell version of early April in our household.

We made a Conference tent.

Sweetie made her first official mess. Isn't it cute?

We went on a fabulous Spring-break-but-it-looks-like-winter-still trip with our dear friends up to Semiahmoo--a gorgeous coastal spot close to Vancouver, B.C.

These kids LOVE to play together.

Buddy hopped up on some driftwood and said "Mo pichurs (More pictures), Mommy. Yun mo (one more). Yun mo. No mo."

We spent a day in Vancouver at the amazing aquarium there. Here's Sweetie at the dolphin show.

Our sweet friends, Christian and Mandy. J and Christian are like secret twin brothers. They act and think so much alike it's eerie. They like to get together and commiserate about all the crafting 'junk' their wives drag home. :)

Pictures with my entire family are my favorite. I'm absolutely crazy about these people.

The boys got Japadogs to eat. Japanese hotdogs with fish flakes on them. ...yum?..

The mommies opted for crepes.

Mmmmm...

It was a fabulous four days. Despite what Sweetie is saying.

There was also a huge rainbow by our house. We all stood for a while in jammies on our front porch watching it.

My delicious smelling hyacinths were so big they had to lay down. That's right, flowers that are just too big.

And, Sweetie got even cuter.

Early April, check.

Good Intentions

2011-05-30T16:02:00.000-07:00

Well, I had great intentions to try and do a massive picture update. Then, it would appear, the blog gods frowned upon me and I can't seem to upload any pictures. Weird. Annoying. So, I'll ramble on for a bit...

I've got a bit of a conundrum, and I'm not sure how to fix it. Or rather, fix me. It seems that I'm a study in contradiction, and I'm making me crazy. One part of me, the interior designer part, is very particular. I like things a certain way--arranged a certain way, treated a certain way, stored a certain way. And I try very hard to make the offspring conform to my lofty ideals. Then there is another (equally loud), artist part of me that firmly believes in coloring outside the lines, thinking outside the box, basically laughing in the face of traditional "normal" confines.

Gracious living. We don't clomp, we delicately stride. We don't plop, we seat ourselves nicely. We don't wear shoes in the house, we deposit them neatly on the shelves that Daddy built. It's how we behave so that we can develop good manners and preserve my home.

Except...

The other part of me thinks--well, if you're going to be an astronaut, of course you need to wear your snow boots. That only makes sense. And, while you shouldn't really use the ottoman to vault, my goodness that was good form. And even though now I've got diapers all over kingdom come, I can see that you needed to cut up the box to make surf boards. Because, after all, you did make one for everyone. I get it when they come in asking for pipe cleaners, or use entire rolls of tape. I would like to do that too.

The crazy-haired artist in me doesn't seem to bat an eye when they need to use chopsticks for an art project or when they ask me for wood scraps or paint or glue. And while I don't enjoy having my fabric stash raided, that's sometimes the only way you can make a cape with an "E" on the back. I wish a little that I noticed before they pillaged my cache of extra glue sticks, but I can understand that it takes a "pretty much" of glue to get that big of a box stuck together. I'm sympathetic to their need to use the recyclables for projects (...the way I hang old windows on my walls like art...).

It's just hard, because then the interior designer comes out and says "Why are all these cardboard scraps in my house? Who decided to make a boat out of the sofa? Where are my measuring cups??? Why can't this house stay clean for more than two minutes??" And it doesn't help that I have a love-hate-but-mostly-hate relationship with house cleaning.

But. I figure that when they're all grown, I will miss the slide-wagon-crate concoctions I find in the back yard. That I'll wish I had a few more strawberry box snail habitats around. That I'll have to make the bath crayon pictures on the shower walls all by myself. And I'll probably be very bored with a house of quiet, gracious living.

*sniff*
I'm going to go pass out glue sticks now before my kids grow up.

Oh yeah, I have a blog.

2011-05-18T13:44:00.000-07:00

I'd almost entirely forgotten.

We are in a busy season. First, I've got four kids, so busy season will last for the next 18 years. Then, J works crazy hours as his fiscal year comes to a budget-crazed close. At night I kiss him, tell him I miss him, and I'll see him in July. I've also got 3 birthdays and a baptism in the next month. Wow, I only thought about what a nice time of year it was to have a baby. I didn't consider what all the birthday parties would do to me (mentally). So much to keep straight.

The first "party" will be for this guy. He found Sammy's old cowboy boots, and dubbed them "My Woody Boots." He will wear them with anything.

Or, nothing.

Someday he'll regret I took this picture. And then someday after that, his wife will love it.

I started out big with birthdays. Creating a 'beach' in the backyard and whatnot. My friends called me crazy. Now I agree. As my third child, this little friend hasn't actually had a party-party with friends yet. I thought it was time. But actually, he's only having one little friend over. So it will be more like a playdate with cupcakes. I was trying to decide what he would really like to do on his birthday. Not what I thought he should think was fun, but what he would enjoy. When I really thought about what he asks for, it is two things: Go home and Eat. So, probably our day will be spent staying home and eating. I'm okay with that.

Speaking of eating, can I just say I love it? My post-30 metabolism has other thoughts on the matter, but, man, food is so great. I didn't always feel this way, because in high school it was more an "eat to live" philosophy, except maybe when there was a prom dress involved. Then it was "eat later". Don't worry, no eating disorders here. Just a skinny dress. Anyway, I have discovered such a joy in food. I love to cook, love fresh flavors, love to feed people I love good food. And then, of course, there's cheesecake, a matter unto itself. A bunch of my friends just started their own "Biggest Loser" contest. I thought about joining in the fun, but I've got a brand new cookbook and a 1/2 gallon of whipping cream in my fridge that say I won't win. I'm really excited about these new recipes. They all look delicious, and I think they're my speed. If I look at food in steps, it sort of looks like this:

Fast food

Hamburger Helper

Casseroles

How I like to cook

Martha Stewart

I'll never be Martha. Ingredients like "the nectar of an exotic flower that grows only in a specific Tahitian jungle" is a little more hard-core than I can do. I do appreciate roasted veggies and the occasional fancy cheese, though. So, stop by my place. We'll have some tasty goings on here.

Well, there you go. Some randomness from me. Soon I'll post on what we've been up to the past couple months. The good, the bad, and the hilarious.

Have a delicious day.

Grateful

2011-04-25T21:05:00.000-07:00

My kids vie for prayer privileges around here. Even Buddy says "[Buddy] tuwn!!" when it comes time for family prayer or blessing the food at mealtimes. And each one seems to attempt to outdo the other in gratitude. It will start off normal enough "We thank Thee for our family and our home...", but soon it becomes "and we thank Thee for our table...and our microwave...and our dishwasher...and our mixer...and the green cups..." I will invariably peek up to see a little face thoughtfully looking around the kitchen for other small appliances to be grateful for. Or another time "We thank Thee for our home, and our backyard...and our garden...trees...and cars...and telephone poles (I caught that kid completely turned around in his chair, chin resting on hand and craning his neck to see around the backyard).

I suppose that it's better than the times that I hear "And please bless us that we can be reverent during prayer. And stop picking up books right now, and stop poking our brother during prayer. And bless that we can keep our hands folded while I'm trying to pray."

Sometimes it's very thoughtfully specific. At bedtime I hear, "Please bless that I won't see monsters in my closet, or hear spooky sounds, or remember the ninja turtle book that I read today, and that there's no one under my bed or behind my dresser and that I won't think about Darth Vader."

About the same time we had Sweetie our neighbors got a puppy. A few weeks ago they decided to give the puppy to someone else, much to the sorrow of the whole neighborhood and my children. Since then, Buddy in every single prayer prays for Abby. Even though he can't speak very well, he always says "Abby new home" ("bless Abby to be happy in her new home"), and it makes me smile every time.

And I'm thankful for the kids that make me laugh every day. Mostly every day. Okay, every day.

(Some of) The Best Advice I Ever Got

2011-04-17T16:12:00.000-07:00

Like most anyone who's ever gone, I loved EFY (Especially for Youth). All four years. And while the weeks of teams, classes, dances, activities, and awkward teenage flirting are just a fun blur, one thing stands clear that I'll never forget. It was some advice that the speaker said would change our lives. Three words:

Be. Here. Now.

I was a little confused. It seemed like a cliche that fit nicely in between "Learn from the past" and "Keep your eye on the future". Or maybe in a category with "Wherever you go, there you are."

It wasn't until later, as I grew up, and now as I sit on my wise eagle's perch of early 30's ;) that I see what it meant, and the wisdom in it. It means precisely that-- to be here, in this moment, right now. Instead of wishing your life away to a far and distant time that will be easier or more comfortable or less busy, to dance in it right now. To love the moments of your life for what they are. To joy in what you are learning and how you are growing right now, even when it's painful (okay, and if not joy, at least recognition). To occasionally unplug, and ignore the phone and texts, and really be in your life and home. Get something out of each moment of your life! For me, it's taking time to really be interested in the latest recyclables invention that my son has come up with, or to enjoy reading the digger book for the 7th time in a row to my little guy, to ask more questions about how one plays horses during recess, or just to sit and stare in to the face of a baby that is like Christmas morning, dessert, and sunshine rolled into one. For me, it means to take time to see through the messes, and be glad I have the kids to make them. To smile at the dryer full of black socks and white shirts, and just be glad that my sweet husband tried to help. To soak up the few hours of sun, and the rest of the time be glad that the plants are getting watered with no help from me.

J has always said that I have a blessing-curse of getting lost in the moment. Because, while, yes, I deal with some scatterbrainedness and punctuality issues--it's usually worth it. I love being able to enjoy a moment with no thought of before or after.

Be here now. I guess it's about pausing in the hubbub of life to really connect with the things and people around you, and enjoying the things that really matter.

Wreath Storage

2011-03-31T17:28:00.000-07:00

I had a problem: a pile of wreaths in my office needed a home where they wouldn't get too beat up.

My solution: in that same office was a wall with nothing on it.

And the wreath wall was born.

I used a level, and spaced the nails out about 21 inches. I also had an extra (homeless) window, so I nailed hanging brackets on the back and hung a wreath on it using a big loop of jewelry hemp. That way, I don't have to nail anything into the front of the window frame and I don't have to worry about different wreath sizes being centered.

As far as storage options go, I like it better than a Rubbermaid tote.

Not sure what else to say about about my preschooler...

2011-03-28T12:41:00.000-07:00

Bedtime stories, anyone?

Pint-sized Fairy Tale

2011-03-25T12:09:00.000-07:00

The Princess and the Frog

Once upon a time, there was a lovely little princess whose mother adored her and loved taking hundreds of photos of her, but that is not really part of the story.

The princess loved to play and sing and laugh, and squeal occasionally. And she'd look in her magic mirror. And it would tell her that she was still the Sweetest in All the Land.

And she'd feel happy about that.

So she'd gaze into the sunset...

...until she got tired at her 7:00 bedtime.

She loved to wave to the crowds, and they loved to tickle her and feed her rice cereal.

And she was always a lady

...and well groomed.

But she had to make sure that no one was following her. Stranger--danger, you know.

She had a ball that she loved to play with. Mostly because it was pink and smelled like strawberries.

But one day, she wasn't watching and...

it rolled away. 'Oh no!', cried the Princess.

She was heartbroken. And then she heard a voice. It was a frog and he said that he could rescue her ball, but she had to kiss him.

"Oh, dear," she thought. "That is rather gross."

They settled on a firm handshake instead.

Suddenly, the frog turned into...Obi Wan Kenobi!!

"My hero!" exclaimed the Princess.

And they lived happily, albeit seriously, ever after.

Awake

2011-03-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

Yum, can you feel it? The world is waking up It's almost gardening season. I can't wait. This year, I'll battle the bunnies and slugs, and I will grow. Flowers, veggies, lavender, basil, rosemary, and other assorted herbs. Because it's just that fun.

Yesterday as the littles and I were leaving to pick up Girlie from school, I stepped out into the sunshine. It was so wonderful, I couldn't help but sing out opera-style "The SUUUUUUUUUUUUNNNNNNN!!!" for the whole world to hear. We picked up Girlie, and when we got home, she hopped out of the van into the sunshine...and sang out opera-style "The SUUUUUUUUUNNN!" Truly my daughter. :) Priceless.

Look at these stinkin' cute garden markers I found at Target's dollar spot.

And I even treated myself to new gardening gloves. A tiny bit clownish, you think?

I'm ready for the sweet smell of hyacinths. That reminds me of the other day...

"Hi, M. How's it going?"

"Hi, Chris (salesguy for our subdivision, across the street)."

What are you doing?

Oh, um, counting to see how many hyacinths survived the bunnies.

What?

Hyacinths...flowers. A bunch got eaten by the bunnies.

You're counting what? Flowers?

Yeah, bulbs I planted in the fall. They're sprouting, but a bunch got eaten.

I don't get it. You're counting flowers?

Yep.

Okay, well, have a good day.

You too, Chris.

That was a difficult conversation...

And packets of seeds of all the deliciousness I plan to grow.

Like peas.

Right here.

My tulips that are starting to show their faces around these parts.

And primroses that I couldn't resist at the store. They wanted to come home with me.

They promised to be good.

So far, so good.

Girls' Room Makeover

2011-03-18T17:55:00.000-07:00

Remember? This is what my girls' room used to look like.

Now, (only) eight months after my baby has arrived (and after a lot of projects and work), it looks like this:

Sweetie's side.

The rug was $20, Target. It somehow went perfectly with the quilt tops I made from Moda's 'Hunky Dory' line of fabric.

Okay, let's be honest, the quilts aren't done. Just the tops. But I didn't want to wait another eight months to take pictures.

I can't put a bedskirt on the crib, because there is a vent underneath it. So I settled for decorating with a little tulle. It made the metal frame just a little more girly. I found the sheet in Target clearance for $5.

Do you love this fabric??

Found this gem of a lampshade in my favorite shop in all of Kansas, Posh. It is not J's favorite shop.

I made this picture out of matching quilt fabric. The background is French book pages. I loved it so much I made some more.

This mirrored hook I found at an antique shop.

The holdbacks were from a different antique shop. Also not J's favorite shop.

The curtains were from Ikea.

Alas, our old crib was part of the recall. Darn it, I had to pick a new one.

My friend knew my fabric and made me this garland to match. What could be cuter than French dresses?

Love. it.

Girlie's side.

I already told you about the lamp and nightstand redo.

Found the chest at the end of the bed at a garage sale for $10.

Wouldn't you love to sleep here?

Even More of the Darndest...

2011-03-15T13:31:00.000-07:00

One day I found Sammy cooing over Sweetie. He goes from tough guy to mush over this little girl. "Oh, hello my little sweetie! Hello my little putrid baby! How is my little putrid doing?" He went on like this for a while before I said, "Honey, do you know what 'putrid' means?"

He looked a little indignant, "Yes, of course! Putrid is that little naked baby who flies around shooting love arrows at people."

Ahh...

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After a hurried morning to get four kids out the door for 2nd grade drop off, I sent the kids to get in the van. I jumped in and looked in my rear view mirror. And saw the kids both wearing goggles.
I laughed out loud and asked the kids what they were doing. They leaned forward so I could see their backpacks. I cocked my head, still confused.

Totally obvious, "Mommy, we're parachuters."

Of course they're parachuters!

So, I obligingly accelerated so they could get a good liftoff, or whatever parachuters need. Sammy called out on his hand radio "Echo base, echo base, come in Firewalker!"

That is an awesome way to start the day.

________________________________________________________

Sometimes my kids use words they don't know, in really funny ways. Today, they were 'babysitting' Sweetie while I pulled a peach pie out of the oven. They danced around her chanting "Car-bo-hy-drates! Car-bo-hy-drates!"

_________________________________________________________

The kids busied themselves this afternoon making leprechaun traps. I overheard them as they were cutting up all sorts of recyclables.

Girlie: Maybe we can make a slide under this rainbow so he'll go down into a trap!

Sammy (shaking his head, a little disgusted at her ignorance): No, Girlie, leprechauns won't go down there if your rainbow colors are in the wrong order.

__________________________________________________________

Overheard as I walked by the playroom:

Sammy: Isn't Justin Bieber a girl?

Young and Sweet, Only 17...

2011-03-13T11:28:00.000-07:00

That was kind of how I felt last night, at a church youth dance. J and I chaperoned at what was the first youth dance I've been to in, say, over 15 years. The music was blaring, groups of girls flocked together shrieking, a few free spirits danced, completely uninhibited--just the way I remember. Oh. so. fun. The groups gathered, no one really dancing at first. Everyone a little too anxious over what everyone else was doing.

Lucky for me, a couple fun girlfriends of mine were also chaperones, and we had no problem getting our groove on. I guess someone has to teach these kids how to have fun at dances (and we figured that if we were going to be spending 3 hours there, we might as well burn some calories). I wanted to tell these kids that now is the time to figure out how to dance, how to talk to someone of the opposite sex, how to interact with people. Do it now, before you go to college! Figure out who you are! Be confident in who you are!

Probably the highlight of the night was when I got asked to dance. Seriously. Cute young man came up and asked me if I'd like to dance. My face registered flattered surprise while I searched for the right words (thinking that "Dude, I'm married" wasn't going to be it). My friend Vanessa explained kindly, "She's a leader." Oh, he was mortified. I felt sooooo bad for him, he was so embarrassed! I wanted to say, "But good for you for being so brave to ask someone to dance! And if I were 15 years younger, not married with four kids, I would totally dance with you!" I even offered to help him look for someone else (probably should have just left it alone); he declined.

So interesting, though, to see a dance from this perspective. Because, while 33 is still totally young and hip, some wisdom of years cast a new light on ...people's characters, I guess. There was the pretty girl in black lace and 4" heels that said no (in the rudest way) to the dance invitation of a really brave, nice guy. There were the guys that were actually way too cool to be there, but showed up anyway--just to show a little disdain, I think. There was the guy who sat on the side with headphones on and refused every invitation. But then, there were the girls that were confident enough in themselves to dance their funky dances without caring that no one else was. The guy who wore knee pads to the dance because he knew he'd be breaking it down on the dance floor, even if no one else watched. The big, slightly awkward guy who had a genuine smile on his face the whole night and took every opportunity to dance. And the young man who, after being dismissed by black lace girl, just went and asked another girl to dance. She said yes. These are the kids who are setting themselves up for success.

And despite the slight despair I've been feeling over the state of the world and mankind, I watched these kids...and felt hope.

A Little Misleading

2011-03-12T03:35:00.000-08:00

One thing that's great about being in a huge ward (church) is that there are tons of other girls interested in the same things you are, which means there are tons of fun clubs. I go to Book Club, and Gardening Club, Craft night and Recipe Swap, and Playgroup. And, no, that's not nearly all of them. So it was no surprise that I saw a clipboard being passed around on Sunday for a new group. What is it? I asked my friend. A Hookers Club, was the response.

A Hookers Club? I'm sorry...?

I looked at the sign up. Sure enough, it was titled "The Hookers Habit." I know what you're thinking...the same thing I was...

...crochet.

I know, because that's the first thing that comes to mind when you hear about the habits of hookers, right? I was actually a little too amused with it to actually sign up for the club, which I meant to do. So, probably this Sunday I'll sign up to be a hooker. And I'll form a new habit. Involving yarn and crochet hooks.

Mid Winter Break

2011-03-08T11:38:00.000-08:00

We had mid-winter break recently. Lots of our friends went to Mexico or Hawaii or Disneyland. We thought it sounded way more fun to just stay home. :) So here's what we did:

Made homemade gak.

Try some, you might like it. So will your kids.

Japanese night.

Then we got some serious snow (really, we did; this was the start, in a few hours we had a few inches).

We hit Jump Planet with some friends. Nothing like using up a bunch of energy.

Because taking a pleasant picture, let alone a normal one, is out of the question.

The kids also put on a play for us. Never mind the boys. For some reason they're acting out Star Wars when Darth Vader chokes that guy with the dark side of the force.

That reminds me, though, the other night Sammy was scared so I came to his room. "I think I heard Darth Vader in the bathroom!" No, honey, Darth Vader's not here. Let me check. 'Darth Vader? Daa-aarth. Darthy?' "Mommy!!!" he looked at me with big, scared eyes, "I don't think he likes to be called that!!!"

We also had "Camping Night" where we made smores over our gas stovetop and slept in the tent (in the playroom).

Seriously, why go to Hawaii?

When I Grow Up

2011-03-04T17:41:00.000-08:00

A ballerina. That was my first choice. I sat there and watched Swan Lake and decided that I, too, wanted to wear a fluffy costume and flit around. It's the earliest thing I can remember wanting to be. I was maybe 4 or 5, taking ballet. I dug in my heels every time class time rolled around, but once I was dancing I loved it. Not sure when the dream faded, but I've settled for dancing with my kids around the kitchen.

Then I watched 'Father of the Bride' and decided that I wanted to be a wedding planner. Hel-lo, planning beautiful weddings for a living? Flowers? Cake? Fancy dresses??? What could be better. That dream lasted for a while, interrupted only by a short stint when I wanted to be a doctor--even when I started at BYU I went into Public Relations. It was the closest thing to a party planning major I could find. And then I planned my own wedding and changed my mind (I'll just play wedding planner to my little girls). By then I had switched to Interior Design, following in the footsteps of my mother. It also seemed to lead along in the party planning direction, but it was much more inspiring to examine textiles than it was to examine statistics. A life in all things to "gladden the eye"? My cup of tea. {Of course, I wanted to be a mom, and not like a friend put it "Yes, I've thought that I wanted to take five years off and be a mom, too." But for today's purposes, I'm not talking about the higher calling of a mother, but about a paying gig.}

I landed in the perfect place for me. After doing my time in the trenches, working for other designers, retail showrooms, what have you, I lived my dream of having my own interior design business. I was my favorite boss ever. I LOVED my clients, felt completely inspired in what I did, found enormous satisfaction from creating beautiful spaces that people loved to be in. That I got paid was just an amazing bonus. It was a dream job.

Now that I have four little ones that keep me hopping, it's not practical for me to work much. Well, actually when people ask me if I work, I tell them I work very hard, I just don't collect a paycheck. Of course I wouldn't change it for the world, and feel grateful every day for my home time. But the crazy haired artist inside me still wonders what I'll be when I grow up. I toss around ideas all the time (including being a missionary in a 3rd world country! I know, me, who just now likes camping!). The yearning to create and spread beauty cannot be squelched.

When J was in undergrad, he sat in an auditorium filled with business students. The professor asked for a show of hands of those who were in business for the love of it. Only a scant handful raised their hands (lucky for me, J was one). The others, given no need for money, said they'd be a photographer, a gym teacher, a florist, etc. How sad, I thought. While there is only honor in honest labor, working at a job I hate sucks the life out of me until I wither and want to die. And that's no way to live. Why not chase after your passion?

Instead I dream of the little shop I'll have some day with handcrafted goodness and beautiful things to make your house a home. Come visit me. We'll share a cup of hot chocolate (when, finally, I'll be done nursing and can eat from my favorite food group again) and chat about life.

Now if you'll excuse me, I'm busy currently raising a veterinarian, an astronaut, possibly a comedian, and (as far as I can tell) someone who just sits there looking extremely cute.

Tell me, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Mixin' It Up (in the family room)

2011-02-25T10:35:00.000-08:00

So I fell in love with a rug. It's beautiful, plush, big, and a lot less money than you'd expect for something 8'x11'. I planned a whole room around it, too. Picked out paint, planned to swap out the current window panels for my summer ones, new art, new accent colors, new pillow covers to sew, new wall treatment, everything. It was going to be grand.

I explained the whole thing to J. Many times over the last few weeks, in fact. I always got a "Mmm..." type response, so during our weekly 'Relationship Inventory', I honed in on him. It was committment time. He listened this time. And then said "No." So vexing. He pointed out the cost--I explained why it was actually saving us money (he went to sleep still laughing about that one). I explained that "This is what I do, though" and he countered with 'you already did this a year and half ago'. He pointed out that we already have a rug and it isn't all thrashed; I pointed out that, actually, it's damaged in a few spots; he pointed out that, actually, you can't see the spots from the surface. I told him I just 'didn't feel inspired by this room'; he suggested I go to a different room.

I refered to him as DC (Dream Crusher) for a few days. It's not my fault he doesn't care if a room is inspiring or not. He suggested maybe we 'need to get you working again.' (He doesn't actually want me to work, he would just rather spend my 'need for inspiration' on someone else's home). I kind of heaved a lot of heavy, dramatic sighs that night. Designers and finance guys don't always see eye to eye.

But designers are tough people. As Karla Nielson, my favorite BYU teacher would say "Designers are problem solvers." I don't know how you deal with problems. Everyone has their own way. Some crazy people go running to soothe themselves, some eat, some do yoga. Me? I rotate artwork and rearrange furniture, redo my mantel and re-accessorize.

My spirit wouldn't be crushed for long, and in an act of...defiance?...I dug through my stores of decor-in-waiting. I grabbed some nails and a hammer, and raided my closets for forgotten pretties. That's right, just try and stop me from hanging the maps we got on our cruise 4 1/2 years ago and moving the little apothecary to the mantel and putting those little 'useless' ceramic balls front and center. Oh, I don't stop there! I will go to Home Depot for a dowel to hang that linen towel on the wall, and plate hangers to mount those beauties I found at that boutique in Kansas over Christmas! (We've moved onto the kitchen now). No, don't bother asking me why, oh, why I keep putting things above our cabinets.

What a rush. When I finally put the hammer and the candles down and took a deep breath, I felt happy. It looked good, maybe even a teensy bit inspiring. And J came home and loved it. A win-win. And I didn't spend a dime. Well, any additional dimes anyway.

{Framed maps that I bought for a few dollars in two of the ports on our cruise)

{Pillows that I re-covered with cloth napkins I found for $1}

{Garden decor I found at the end of the season for $7}

{A Christmas present that one of my (incredibly talented) best friends made me}

{Most of the books were bought for 50 cents at Goodwill}

If I May...

2011-02-22T13:16:00.000-08:00

If I may put in a little plug ...announcing "Life is so Delicious" Etsy style! I've opened up at teensy little Etsy shop, and I'm kind of excited about it. So, I'd love for you to take a minute, check it out, tell me what you think.

And to celebrate, I'm offering sets of my Personalized Notecards for only $12 (reg $18). (sale ends Friday). Or, use coupon code DELISH for 15% off anything in my shop! (coupon ends 2/28)

Have a delicious day!

Crazy Hair Day

2011-02-20T20:18:00.000-08:00

So last Friday was Crazy Hair Day at school. Unfortunately, I forgot until we walked onto the school grounds and saw all the green, blue, and red hair all around me. I dragged the littles back home to grab a brush, some hair elastics and blue hair spray and headed back to call Girlie out of class. Sometimes you just have to interrupt education for the greater good. We crazied up her hair and both felt much better about the day. It actually looked really, really cute. This picture was taken after a whole day of playing, so it just looks crazy-crazy and not Crazy Hair crazy. But, it was inspiration for the evening's "Family Crazy Hair Night".

Apparently, Crazy Hair Night meant that you must make the rest of you look crazy also.

More crazies.

We had a pizza party and played Xbox Kinect all night--River Rush and dance battles. Somehow Sammy beat Daddy and Girlie out-boogied Mommy. Guess we're just not very good dancers. :) Even Little Buddy got into it, and it was hilarious to see his little body jumping up and down like Gumby.

You can't tell, but the boys both had faux-hawks that we're sprayed with some ineffective blue hair coloring.

Even the wee one got in on the crazy action. Her first product. :)

No, I didn't do my hair. I totally should have, but by the time I'd gotten through all that crazy hair...it was time to make pizza. And J...well...I guess I could have spray painted his scalp...

Fun, fun, fun crazy night. Did I mention I'm crazy about these crazy kids?

It's Okay

2011-02-15T12:48:00.000-08:00

I love life. I feel blessed to have wonderful friends and family, and I truly enjoy my day to day. I'm a happy person, love to laugh, and think quite a few things are really funny.

But not every day.

There are days that are hard, some really hard, and I think that it's important to accept that. To know that it's okay to not be happy all the time. Sadness, disappointment, and frustration are part of life too. I sometimes think that, especially as women, we feel like we're supposed to be happy and perfect all the time. Like life should be, or appear, full of white picket fences and flower arranging. Well, it's not.

I think it's important to know that everyone, whether they admit it or not, has events or periods of life where they want to throw themselves to the floor and yell "Too hard! Too hard!" We all have times (hours, days, years) that we just don't know how we're going to do it, and how we could possibly go on. But we do go on, putting one foot in front of the other, because that's the only choice. And eventually it passes, things improve, and hopefully we even learn a lesson or two. Maybe we even look back and laugh.

My muddled point here is that it's okay. It's okay to have the 'dark chocolate' parts of life, not just the sunshiny vanilla. We learn to appreciate the highs and lows, to have empathy for others, and to grow--sometimes painfully--into the amazing, capable person we can be (whether we know it or not).

So, give yourself permission to feel whatever you feel. And know that it's okay. And then, when you're ready, pick yourself up, dust yourself off, and take life by the horns. You're awesome and strong, and you can do it.

Day of Love

2011-02-11T12:11:00.000-08:00

Me: Hey, love, we're going to trade babysitting with our friends so we can each go out for Valentine's Day. When should we go out? Maybe Saturday?

J: Sure.
{End of Valentine's conversation}

{Later}
Me: Babe, if we plan on celebrating Valentine's Day this year, we should probably decide what we want to do.

J: Didn't we already have a plan? Let's do that.

Valentine's Day went a little differently 10 years ago. ;)
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So, I've made a little tradition of making this yummy treat for a teacher gift on Valentine's Day. It's super easy, cute, and delicious. You need:

Big marshmallows (if you can find the pink ones, they are so cute)
Lollipop sticks
White or semi-sweet chocolate (the white chocolate ones are pictured at the very top)
Red food coloring
Sprinkles
Canisters of play dough

1-Melt chocolate, as directed on package. Pour in small bowl. Mix in red food coloring to make desired pink hue.

2-Stick marshmallows on lollipop sticks. Dip in melted chocolate, roll to coat.

3-Sprinkle colored sugar or sprinkles onto the chocolate while still warm.

4-Stick in play dough until hardened.

5-Try to give them away before you eat them all.

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Then, with all the leftover lollipop sticks, make some of these:

Rice krispie treats!! I have a heart shaped pan for these, but you could easily form the rice krispie 'mix' into a heart shape with a cookie cutter and then insert a lollipop stick.

Pipe on some pink frosting (click here for my favorite cream cheese frosting), toss on some Valentine's m&ms and VOILA! These were for a class party, so I saran wrapped them and finished them with a little curling ribbon.

Happy Valentine's Day!!

I {heart} the Dentist

2011-02-02T22:33:00.000-08:00

Part of me dreads taking my kids to the dentist. It's like some parenting tribunal. Somehow your kids' oral hygiene translates into the quality of love and parenting with which you provide your offspring. The dentist looks deep into your eyes, "And do they floss...every day?" Of course you'd love to respond that you brush, lovingly floss and flouridate each one of their chompers morning and night. The truth is that, just maybe, occasionally, you yell up the stairs for them to get ready for bed and hope for the best, just sometimes. I've heard. After a bit, the hygenists call you to the back and the dentist pokes around in their mouths murmuring about tooth numbers and millimeters. "Mmm-hmm. Mmm-hmm. Hmmm." Was that a good mmm-hmm? There's a fair bit of pressure.

However, aside from all that, I love taking my kids to the dentist. I kid you not, we have the best pediatric dentist. My little circus and I show up at the office, which looks like a really expensive hotel lobby. Ellen, the receptionist, greets us serenely and offers us drinks--small bottles of water for the kids, coffee, tea, or bottles of chilled Perrier for the grown ups. I sit, the kids play in the corner with big blocks. Smiling, well-groomed hygenists float out (a little Stepford Wife-ish) to explain what the visit holds and take the kids (also smiling and holding hands) to the back. I sit with Sweetie, sipping water and skimming through People and Martha Stewart Living, texting my sisters, kissing my baby.

Then comes the nerve racking part (re-read the first paragraph).

Then my kids take off their sunglasses, get their token for the toy tower, pick out stickers to put in the 'treat bags' that the hygenists have hand decorated and colored for each child (Buddy's was Elmo, above). They give Sweetie a little pink toothbrush for her cute gums, rave about what lovely children I have, give us huge smiles and thank us for coming. Then small woodland creatures walk us to our van.

To be honest, it's a little surreal. But that, friends, is why I love going to the dentist.

PS: No cavities. I think that means I passed. :)