Magnolia Manor

Playful

2012-01-29T13:11:00.001-06:00

Some of my favorite parenting moments are the quiet ones. The ones when I casually observe from the sidelines. I never plan to do it. It always just happens. An unexpected and welcome diversion from my day. Sometimes they will just catch my eye and suddenly, I'm thrown off my path. My path of getting things done and making progress. Sometimes that path becomes a groove in which I get stuck, and I forget to take a diversion. Then, something they do reminds me, in a quiet and gentle way, that paths are really over rated. And progress doesn't always look like you think it will.

I'm always amazed. Same parents, same environment, same opportunities....it all produces such different kids.

Each unique in their own interests, their approach to life, and the way they respond to their surroundings. I'm drawn to imaginary play like a moth to a flame. I love to just watch. And listen. And wonder where all the ideas and sayings come from. I like watching the plan unfold.

It would be easier if we could parent them all the same. If there was one magic answer. If I had a formula for "what works". But what fun would that be after all?

How do they learn orderliness? Creativity? How do they know to blend the two? A method emerges, and it becomes more and more obvious that they are individuals. They have a purpose.

I spend so much time directing our day. Being in charge. Reminding, asking, assigning, directing, corrective, deciding.

Makes me tired. And I wonder if they are learning a darn thing.

Then I sit back and watch. Silent. And I am the one who learns.

Parenting can be quiet. It can be a spectator sport.

Because sometimes watching them learn is better than teaching them the answers.

Fancy Nancy Skins A Squirrel

2012-01-27T06:39:00.001-06:00

What I'm about to tell you brings being southern to a whole new level.

We ate a squirrel.

With dumplin's.

You see, this all started because the Buzzard and his boys love to settle down in front of the telly vision for repeated episodes of SWAMP PEOPLE. 'Cause sophistication abounds 'round these parts. Apparently, there is an episode about squirrel and dumplings and that became a running joke between my boys. I can't share the joke with you because I'm not in on it, which is okay by me. During these male bonding episodes I'm in my sewing nook watching old episodes of The Office, like real people. Because office supplies submerged in jell-o.....THAT'S sophistication.

Anyhoo...our friend Kenny gave Old Buzz a shout last weekend to make him an offer he couldn't refuse. And when this handy traveling device arrived at my house, I had a sinking suspicion it didn't contain staplers and lemon jell-o.

Ah, that Kenny. I can't ever say he never gave me anything. :-)

Kenny is married to one of my precious high school girlfriends. She chose well, because he has an unparalleled sense of fun and adventure. (Although that first part is open to interpretation.) Kenny went hunting, and when he saw this, he immediately thought of making my boys' day.

I ventured out at early o'clock to snap these pictures, and despite numerous offers to photo document the "process", I was out. of. there.

While Grizzly Adams, CPA busied himself at the sink muttering something about fur and bones, Emmie and I headed to the craft store in search of a birthday gift for one of her friends. It just so happened that the craft store was doing a free make-and-take, so we stayed and decorated our very own Fancy Nancy crown with sparkles and glitter and stickers. It wasn't like we had anything pressing happening back at home.

I can not fully describe to you how amazingly excited my boys were, nor the heights to which they have catapulted Kenny onto a pedestal. I suppose nothing beats wilderness survival skills and a raw instinct to hunt. Even when it happens on a side yard in suburbia with remains that are delivered to your door by a Toyota Highlander.

So, it stood to good reason that we had Kenny and Casey and their sweet girls over for some mighty fine dining that evening. Rest assured, I provided some "side dishes"....

Because I knew the main course was not for the faint of heart. Max's take......tastes just like chicken.

With a dumping.

Fancy Nancy crowns were entirely optional.

Thank you, Kenny!!

Random iphone Photos

2012-01-20T09:26:00.000-06:00

I plugged in my iphone to charge this morning and these are the most recent (random!) photos that popped up. I never download iphone pictures, so here's the riveting news from my phone...

A homemade blueberry pie from a friend. Fresh, handpicked blueberries from Mississippi. YUM.

Did you know Velveeta now makes WHITE cheese? It makes an amazing queso. Velveeta is darn proud of their white cheese though. $7! Yikes!

I begged Aunt Jackie to do this to her Cooper Mini. Just for me. She said ummmmm....NO.

I'm still miffed. I nearly died of cuteness when I saw this in the Target parking lot. It made me forget, for one brief second, that I had just spent seven dollars on cheese.

Neiman Marcus with the girls.

A lunch date with a dude to my favorite burger joint.

The Little One misses her Sissy so much. I find her writing "notes" constantly and leaving them all over the house for me to mail. Yeah, I don't mail any of them. But I do send Sissy the iphone photos.

I'm thinking about joining this block of the month club at my local quilt shop. Because what my 2012 needs is another project. With a deadline. I'm torn to pieces over whether to sign up for red or blue, so I haven't signed up at all. This is a very good thing. :-) But won't all the people who actually sign up for this AND get it done have beautiful beds in 2013?? Won't they???

They say a person's iphone reveals a lot about them.

Food...polka dots...kids...quilts.

Yep. Guess it's true!

Thursday's Thoughts

2012-01-19T21:51:00.001-06:00

1. If you are a friend of mine reading here and you have been to a party at my house in the past two months, you will be very excited to know what the UPS man delivered to my house last night.

Oh yes he did.

It's the part necessary to fix the ice maker and water dispenser which has been broken for-ev-ah.

So, the handy Buzzard hung out behind the fridge all night. I was sure we were going to need Papa's assistance in this matter. Papa can fix anything. But that Buzzard surprised me. Oh yes he did. And after only one trip to the Home Depot at that.

How is it that a luxury like ice cubes can come to feel like a total necessity in life??

2. Today was "wear your school shirt day" at preschool. Emmie went to school wearing her bright orange pullover and black leggings. Nothing screams "MY MOM SCREWED UP" like neon orange in a sea of white tee shirts. I comforted Emma in the carpool line by reminding her that her Mama filled out ALL of next year's registration paperwork AND cut out THREE pictures of things that start with the letter "N" this morning, but the bottom line is that my words were still bouncing off a poor kid in an orange shirt. So, I came back home to fetch the proper apparel, and hustled into circle time wearing my yoga pants and fuzzy slippers.

3. I took myself to Starbucks afterwards for a skinny latte. Yoga pants and fuzzy slippers are actually cool in Starbucks because it makes you look like you've had a really hard morning and deserve to be there. I was paying WAY more attention to a text on my iphone than I was my surroundings as I stood repeatedly hitting the "unlock" button to try to get into "my" van (my hand was actually on the door handle), when the real owner of the white van showed up and kindly asked me to step aside.

4. And suddenly I felt like a total loser wearing yoga pants and fuzzy slippers.

5. Max had a function tonight for one of his homeschool classes and I made chocolate chip cookies for him to take. I used the Nestle Tollhouse recipe, like always. But my cookies turned out really strange. They were all perfectly round and flat. They looked like slice and bake instead of homemade. Mom and I can't figure out what happened, and I've dedicated way too much thought to the matter. Maybe my baking soda is expired? I don't know, but flat cookies are the pits. :-(

6. I dragged Mom with me to Hobby Lobby tonight to look for Valentine fabric, and I ended up buying a gold Christmas tree for 90% off, which I am convinced is going to make a fabulous Valentine tree. She might think I'm crazy. I'll show her. I'll recycle it into a fabulous egg tree at Easter too. :-)

7. I'm off to watch HGTV, cut out a quilt, and pour a tall drink WITH ICE CUBES. Just because I can. Oh yes I can.

Sometimes I Choose Strange Priorities

2012-01-19T12:29:00.000-06:00

Monday was MLK, and while every other kid in the neighborhood had a day off of school, we had a marathon homeschool day.

I was super popular. (NOT.) After what felt like a hundred days off for Christmas break, I wasn't even remotely interested in a holiday. Isn't that strange? My kids sure thought so.

I made a big effort to get the house in order so school could get off to a smooth start. I still had a few random piles that needed dispersing to eliminate any potential of them becoming mountainous by spring break. Clutter on my kitchen counters completely destroys my peace. In an effort to eat better in the new year, I've tried to make fruits and veggies more abundant and accessible. But, it was starting to get a little ridiculous as my counter started resembling a disorganized mini farmer's market.

So, in the midst of desperately needing to plan for homeschool lessons, I decided to tackle a completely unrelated project. As I recall, this was also smack in the middle of the Patriots/Broncos game, which I believe Buzzard may have mentioned to me when I dispatched him to retrieve my new cake stands from storage.

But just look at the stunning results of his efforts. How cute is this??

Don't you love these new cake stands? They just tickle me. I found them on sale at Costco. I adore the color...reminds me of antique jadeite.

The texture on them is wonderfully vintage...like old milk glass. Green and polka dots. With yellow bowls on top. Now, I ask you, what school child wouldn't be eager to get back in the homeschool groove on a holiday while surrounded by such fruit fabulousness? Other than my two. :-)

Ahhh. Just look at the fruit bowl now. Neat. Orderly.

I know. I can almost hear your audible sighs of relief.

As a side note...notice the hand painted little cup in front? Hannah made that for me when she was in preschool and it has always sat in our kitchens and held spare keys. In my organizing flurry, I emptied all the keys (most are spares to our neighbors' homes) and stored them in a zip lock in a random drawer. You know, so they wouldn't clutter the orderly veggie aesthetic. Just so happens I accidentally stashed the attic key away too. So, the following night, while I was off having dinner with a friend with my phone turned off, and Buzzard was here desperately trying to get into the attic to access some baby items we had promised to lend to my mother's pastor, there was a small problem. Oopsie.

But doesn't the cup look nice and tidy??

Okay, one more note on fruit organization. I have no idea what this has to do with MLK, but apparently I was on a holiday roll. Look at this cute little bowl I found at Sprouts this week. It's a berry bowl.

You wash, strain...

...and store, all in one.

Super spiffy.

Scenes From Sunday

2012-01-15T18:53:00.002-06:00

A New Hat

2012-01-14T08:58:00.000-06:00

Friday Favorites - Super Suds

2012-01-13T12:36:00.001-06:00

I'm a soap snob. I love a good smelling soap, and the cuter the container, the better. I don't know. It just is. My long standing top choice for kitchen soap is William Sonoma Tuscan Fig, otherwise known as goodness in a bottle. I ran out over the holidays when I didn't have time to glance sideways, let alone drive to William Sonoma. So I did something rather uncharacteristic. I picked up a ninety cent special at Kroger. In an ugly bottle.

Well.

I've been missing out. William Sonoma should take a cue from Kroger on how to formulate an amazing version of Honey Citrus and Shea Butter. While it is doubtful I will ever endear myself to the rather unfortunate packaging style, I do believe I have forged a long standing relationship with Kroger handsoap. I'm in this for the long haul, and barring some marketing disaster or restocking issues, I don't see myself breaking up with this soap for a very long time. Every time I wander through Kroger I add another bottle (or four) to my basket. For my soap stash. Because I have a lot of sinks.

In order to be true to myself, I do feel that I will need to ultimately find a cuter soap receptacle/dispenser. But when that right jar comes along, I will happily keep it consistently flowing with ninety cents worth of wonderful. For now, ugly lives next to my kitchen sink, but it gets the job done and smells divine.

Seriously. Scan your Kroger's shelves to see if there are any bottles left that I haven't already bought. You'll never need to visit William Sonoma again. (That's a total lie. You'll still need their amazing washcloths and various holiday themed rubber spatulas, but you'll have extra money that you WOULD have previously put toward soap to get a fabulous gadget instead.)

This blog post has been endorsed by my teenage son, who says the new soap smells great. A teenage boy commented on our new soap. Folks, no amount of words from me can top that.

Honey Citrus and Shea Butter.
$.90
Kroger.
It's my Friday Favorite.

This and That Thursday...Rewind and Review

2012-01-13T09:04:00.000-06:00

Tuesday morning Hannah climbed aboard a plane and headed back to college, drawing to a close our very extended Christmas break. You can read more about my Tuesday here on my quilt blog. In a nutshell, it was wonderful. Rainy, quiet, lazy. Wonderful. It was exactly the kind of day I needed to get me through the week with a soft heart instead of a frazzled spirit. I've decided a day off is always a good idea to nurse a Christmas hangover before drinking in real life again.

In the great flurry of activity that has taken place here the past three weeks, I have been spotty at best in recording our shenanigans. We had ourselves some good hard fun, and I don't want to forget a drop.

I don't want to forget driving through the country roads to the quaintest little bakery I ever did see to celebrate the birthday of a very special friend who introduced us to the worlds best (and biggest!) cupcakes. That blue one was the most unforgettable. Almond wedding cake. Ohyummyyummy.

I won't forget Emmie in this apron. I love collecting old aprons. I remember my Mom wearing this one when I was a little girl, and now I can remember my own little girl wearing it while we had a BLAST covering the counters and floors with sugar sprinkles. Those two things don't usually happen simultaneously for me. Notice the hands completely inside the bowl? Oh yeah, she's a real hands on kind of girl.

I'll remember the sound of excited giggles coming from the staircase where I had kids trapped waiting for the obligatory family photos before they could stampede into the family room to see what Santa left for them. I hope my kids never get too old to giggle on Christmas morning.

Speaking of family photos....this one HAS TO make the blog. The boys have gotten matching pajamas from my Mom every year since they were tiny. I've never, ever gotten slack about them wearing matching clothes and having their picture taken. Until this year. I fought hard for this picture, but since I had things like presents and pancakes and Christmas cookies on my side, I won handily. However, I fear I may be nearing the end of my matching pajamas smiling photos era. It might possibly be retribution for all those years I dressed them identically every day of the week. Possibly. But gosh, those were really fun years.

It's impossible to forget the taste of German egg pancakes Christmas morning. They taste just like a special occasion. Hooray to Oma for spending Christmas morning tethered to the stove with her batter bowl.

And Hip Hip to Aunt Kaylyn and Nana for "whipping up" the ham and turkey spread for Christmas Day at the farm. A December baking day with each Grandma produced a HUGE tray of cookies for sharing.

We got a dog! Okay, not. But I wanted to, I really did. Instead, we stole the neighbor's dog. Really, we did. We were dog sitting, and in a fit of big dog nostalgia, I had the boys bring "Hogan" over to our house for a visit. Hogan looks exactly like Sandy. Don't panic!! I'm NOT referring to my mother, whose name is Sandy!! Sandy was the big yellow beast who ruled the Old Buzzard's life when I first met him. I actually fell for his dog before I fell for him. No kidding. She was one cute dog. And he wasn't too bad looking either, so it was a rather nice package deal. ANYWAY, we had Sandy for the first several years of our marriage. That dog hated me. I think she always saw me as the Other Woman. Anyway, she was a great pet, and Hogan looks and acts just like her. GREAT to have a big yellow dog in this house once again. (Hint, hint, you Old Buzzard. Buzzard? You there? You quit reading and ran to hide, didn't you??)

SIGH.....On April 1st it will be two years since we said goodbye to our Golden Retriever, Morgan. When Hogan walked into this house Emma ran toward her and screamed, "Morgan is back!!"

And then my heart exploded.

I'll remember a "playdate" with our sweet friends who we don't see often enough. I'd feed them dinner every night for the sake of their good company. Bill and I retreated to a corner to play with our respective new cameras, and left the rest of our family members to make their own fun. Erin taught Emmie a flying game on Hannah's ipad. I've been meaning to thank Erin for adding "ipad" to my four year old's wish list.

Unforgettable forever friendships.

A reunion with friends from the church we went to when our kids were tiny. A whole night of telling old stories and reminiscing in a very special house. Kelly lives in this house now, but I still remember going there when her Grandmother owned it. So many special people have played a role in our family becoming who we are today. I owe much to the family who fills this particular house with love, and it was joy to spend an evening remembering with them.

They're cute, aren't they?? They filled my living room before flooding out the door to go swing dancing. Wish I would have photographed their feet. Lots of boots scooting that night.

I insisted on crashing this lunch date, and I'm so glad they let me. See that troublesome one on the left? Her mama and I met at church when those girls were in our bellies. She's what my Grandma would call a "corker". I give her an extra hard time. She's tough, like an old goat, so she can take it. I like to lay it on extra thick, and it's way more fun when Morgan and Hannah are there to pipe in too. That kid has the greatest sense of humor of anyone I have ever met. Hands down. It will serve her so well in life. She radiates the beauty of the Christ she so faithfully serves, and I shall always remember the intense teasing and fits of laughter with that special girl.

Yep, our Christmas break ended, and my heart was tired, but oh so full. Hannah is back in her dorm and has two days of classes under her belt. I have *almost* caught up with the laundry, and we have *almost* all engines firing again...homeschool classes have started, choir is back in session, Bible Bowl and youth group kicked off, the preschool doors have reopened (Hallelujah chorus)...........dust is settling, and something loosely resembling some structure and routine is starting to appear. If I didn't know better I'd say I'm starting to catch a glimpse of "normal" again.

Orange Julius

2012-01-12T08:29:00.002-06:00

Hannah caught a plane back to college, and with that, our Christmas break officially ended. This was one last splurge before heading out the door to the airport Tuesday morning. I think this is somewhat of a regional treat. I remember Orange Julius stands at the mall when I was growing up in the north. Once I moved to the south I didn't hear of them much. Anyway, this recipe is pretty close to the original taste!

Blend in blender:
1 cup milk
1 cup water
4T sugar
1t vanilla
12 ou frozen orange juice concentrate
ice cubes (about 8-10)

The Harry Potter Grand Finale

2012-01-09T22:20:00.000-06:00

The three day Harry Potter marathon officially drew to a close last night. Whew. That was a lot of Harry Potter. I suppose the inherent nature of marathons is that they are, by definition, rather long. :-) The kids watched episodes one and two on Friday; three, four, and five on Saturday; and six, seven, and eight last night. I couldn't have asked for a better bunch to be potatoes on my couch.

Hayden got his craft on.

He crafted wands, complete with red glitter tips.

So today Emma has been putting spells on the dog. Oops.

There was plenty of grub...

....guzzling...

....and great smiles.

This was technology central. Old Buzzard was still trying to finish up book seven, so he was feverishly reading during movies six and seven so he could be done by the time eight started rolling. He also had work to do from the office. So...work computer on lap, book seven in hand, and Joel behind him getting football score updates on his ipad. Who says men can't multi-task??

I, of course, assumed my usual role. The kids were delighted. Really. They were.

No eating until you pose for one more picture!

At the end I asked them to vote on which movie was their favorite.

And then I hurried off to bed to sleep off the marathon. :-)

Potter-thon

2012-01-07T22:13:00.004-06:00

We're hosting a Harry Potter marathon. Three days of HP.

My kids never read these books when they were younger. When Hannah turned 18, she decided to delve into the series, and Buzzard decided to read them with her. This led to the boys jumping aboard, and before I knew it, we were all wandering around here with our noses in various volumes. They even roped Papa into finishing the entire series, a fact which completely delights Hayden. Our Papa ROCKS.

Hannah and her game day groupies came up with the idea of watching all eight movies together over a single weekend. That's a lot of Harry Potter.

And it requires a lot of food.

They are teens, and they hunger. Often.

So I feed them. Happily. And regularly.

Who watches eight movies in a row you may wonder? Actually, I have found that given a comfy couch and a steady diet of junk food, teenagers would probably watch dozens of movies in a row.

But I'm evicting this crazy crowd after #8.

Because sooner or later life has GOT TO get back to some resemblance of normal around here.

Probably Later. Probably definitely.

You never know what you'll learn during a Harry Potter marathon. My friend Wendy doesn't like Walmart. Her family calls it "Vol-de-mart", or "The Store That Shall Not Be Named". Ha!

Christmas break is good for these kids.

I'm blessed to see that in times of transition and making new friends at college, they still put emphasis on maintaining and investing in old relationships.

They are good for one another. And they are good for me.

Two days down. One to go. I'll admit I'm fading a little bit. The vacation that started December 15th is still forging on and I'm losing some steam. But we're strong finishers. We're ending this extended break on a high note.

Or eight of them.

The boys returned home last night from a two day bus trip, so now my nest is full once more. I am celebrating by brewing up some Butter Beer and trying my hand at chocolate frogs. This requires a trip to the store that shall not be named and quite possibly a pre-marathon nap this afternoon.

Muggle Mania. Onward we go!!

Friday Favorites

2012-01-06T22:47:00.004-06:00

My favorite way to spend 100 calories.

Have you tried these? They come in a variety of flavors, but I like this one so much I've never tried any of the others. Satisfies the sweet and the crunchy. Very yummy.

Flea Market Fancy

2012-01-05T11:46:00.002-06:00

Our most fun excursion during this break was our first ever visit to the biggest flea market in our state. The best part of the day by far was wandering around with my friend Leslie, who I absolutely adore and don't get to see nearly enough. I found you really bond with someone when you go junking together.

And we both love the same kind of junk.

Leslie collects Fiestaware and we found a good source. Cheap. I'd need service for a hundred because I'd want one in every single color.

Hannah's wish was for an antique typewriter key initial necklace. We found one, and now we need to locate the perfect chain.

Morgan found a vintage camera and a robin egg blue antique suitcase.

Good junk.

Temps were in the 70's so it was perfectly wonderful to wander outside finding treasures that reminded us of childhood.

Old valentines caused us to wonder which was more fun...the vintage pictures themselves or the handwritten sentiments on the backs of them. I debated buying a bunch and making a little banner out of them, but decided there was a likely chance they would stay in a pile and never make it to a banner.

And I don't need any more piles.

Cute girls. Cute truck. Hannah and Morgan would have driven that off the lot in a heartbeat.

It's funny to see what people buy.

You never know what you'll find next at the flea market, and the most fun is stopping dead in your tracks over the PERFECT find.

Hello, Romper Room. I looooooooved my inchworm. I tried every which way to think of a reason to bring this home to Emma.

She's more of a full throttle girl. Not so much an inch by inch girl.

There was a litter of timber wolves ready to go to new homes.

Homes?

It's a little odd to me that Texans would want these for pets, but they sure were magnificent to look at. This guy was only eight weeks old. I don't know if you can appreciate the size from this photo, but he weighed over 15 pounds. These are really big animals.

I had my eye out for big animals.

Too bad for me, there were no golden doodle puppies hanging around that day. That meant the Good Lord was looking out for the Buzzard.

Hannah made a one pound friend.

When I was a little girl I wanted a yorkie so bad. I've always found them to be adorable. Then I met the Buzzard. He calls them "dorkies". Isn't he mean??

He may have a point. This dog would last about six seconds in our house before getting stepped on, run into, dropped........or inched over. We're not a delicate household.

So now I know. Looking at other peoples' junk is way more fun than staying home and organizing my own. We've already laid a plan for Flea Market Fancy 2012.

Christmas Preschool Crafts

2012-01-03T14:03:00.002-06:00

Emma made some really cute things this year and I want to be sure and remember some of these ideas. To the great horror of my older children, I opt not to keep every craft that crosses our doorstep. Instead, I display them for a time, then take their picture for posterity sake while they get filed in the infamous "circular file". My kids will have to add that to the list of reasons they will need a therapist one day.

These first few items actually made the cut and will be making an appearance every year on the tree.

Jigsaw puzzle pieces painted with brown tempra paint.

This one isn't a craft, but it was Emma's new ornament for the year. I love it.

I heart Super Target!

Glass ball with fingerprint reindeer. So. Very. Sweet.

Too funny! These are two plastic drinking cups. Brown paper is wadded up in the top cup. The bottom cup used to be filled with peppermints.

Back in December. :-)

Okay, nothing beats glitter and sequins for a preschool craft, so this one was a big hit. The words on the outside edge of the paper plate say..

"When you take away all the tinsel and glitter, the real reason remains."

The tree is attached to the top of the plate with a brass brad. When you swing the tree to the side...

...you see this!

This last one is so sweet. My neighbor's mother teaches Sunday School at her church in Lousianna. She is always sharing great preschool craft ideas with me, and she brought me a little kit to make this with Emma. You start by cutting the top off a brown lunch sack and "shredding" the top of the bag.

Then you wrap a picture of a baby in a soft cloth and lay him in the manger.

She included a cute bookmark for us too.

I love arts and crafts of all kinds, but I especially love making things with my kids.

I'm thankful for a wonderful preschool that provides so many fun and creative ideas too!

Ringing In

2012-01-03T13:52:00.001-06:00

We had friends here for New Year's Eve. It's become a tradition for everyone to bring their favorite appetizer, and we sit around and polish off the holidays with a year end splurge. Since we are all ridding our pantries of the extra calories and sweets that we don't want to tempt us in the new year, the spread is always quite elaborate.....and indulgent. It obligates us to stay up until midnight just so we can eat it all.

2-0-1-2

And Mexican train with brand new dominoes. (I won! Maybe this means my year will be lucky?)

I'm stepping into the new year lightly...trying to enjoy the last few days that my daughter is in town while also trying to get things in order to get back to a normal routine and homeschool schedule.

Christmas is packed away. The house always looks so naked at first. I tried to keep things super simple for the winter decorating scheme. I'm craving simplicity in every area.

I also got my "Christmas cards" mailed. It became very evident to me in early December that we had WAY too much going on, so I made a conscious decision to send out New Year cards instead. It felt very freeing. I got them all addressed yesterday afternoon while watching The Help with Mom and Hannah. Feels good to have that crossed off the list.

We have friends from Georgia arriving this afternoon to spend two nights with us.

Clean sheets.

Scrubbed bathrooms.

Swept rugs.

Sometimes it's nice to have a reason to get fully organized. And by "fully organized" I mean hide all the piles from plain sight and try to forget they are there. ;-)

A List of Big Fat Maybes

2012-01-01T19:49:00.002-06:00

I'm not a big one for resolutions. With good reason. I'm not a big planner, but even at that I plan better than I implement. I also usher guilt around town as if it were a constant companion. Resolutions invite guilt to settle in and stay awhile. When I begin to slack on my well intended list items, I begin to focus heavily on the things I'm not getting done instead of the things I am accomplishing.

That being said, this day does beg a tad of reflection, no??

I'd be breaking with far too much tradition if I didn't give things the old once over and very unofficially identify an area or two in which I qualify for an extreme makeover.

So.....here's to 2012 and a few ideas I'm carrying loosely into the new year!

#1 - It's the year of the properly exposed photograph. This is my number one goal. I have a new camera, which carries with it a rather long story. She's a beaut, she is. (She still lacks a name, and I'm working on that.) Really great cameras don't necessarily take really great photos. You still have to learn how to use them. So, I'm jumping headlong into the world of figuring things out. This is a can of worms because it entails learning some new things about the computer and figuring out how to update formatting on my blog. These things scare me worse than the camera. But I'm diving in. I have a good start since I've spent a few days during the break like this....quilt on lap, camera book on quilt!

#2 - S-L-O-W it down a bit. I've made great strides since August in my goal to simplify. It's a work in progress. I don't always know the speed limit around here, but I've definitely learned to recognize when it is too fast. The holidays have been marvelous, but packed. Time to put on the brakes and make sure I'm counting on the things that really count.

#3 - The key to slowing down is having a grasp on the schedule. I wandered through the calendar isle at Walmart yesterday in search of the ultimate planner. Do you know it is possible for people to be crazy in love with office supplies? I am living proof. I left without a calendar because I'm still feeling a little shifty about how and where to keep track of things. I currently have separate systems for keeping track of school, family commitments, correspondence, and creative endeavors. The looming question is whether to somehow combine it all into one cosmic record of my daily life.

It seems like more than what one notebook could possibly do.

I know one thing. A decision could not be reached yesterday in Walmart. However, I did settle on pink paper plates for the New Year's Eve appetizers, so the trip was not a total waste. Then I got home and changed my mind to red, so the pink ones are still in the cabinet. I don't know.

#4 - Plan less and go more. Worry less and go more. Hesitate less and GO MORE. Over think less. Go. More. I'm learning. My family members are excellent teachers.

#5 - Rave about the good stuff. I always admire bloggers who can stick with a long standing theme. Yes, I know, I'm clearly not one of them. But it's a new year and all. What's the harm in trying again? I'm going to post on Fridays about Friday Favorites. Mom and I both get a kick out of reading about products or recipes on blogs and then feeling compelled to go buy or make the things recommended. I decided to brag about some of my favorite things in case it inspires others to try something new.

#6 - I might read a little something. I wish I were a better reader. I read books out loud to my kids in homeschool, but I don't model being an avid reader. So in lieu of purchasing a calendar at the Walmart, I bought this. What the heck. I'll jump on the bandwagon.

There we go. I at least feel like I've given it a little thought and can welcome 2012 with my camera, a calendar, and a piece of light fiction.

HAPPY NEW YEAR, FRIENDS!

Celebrating 14

2012-01-01T11:43:00.000-06:00

I think Max had a great birthday, and we certainly had fun ushering in 14 with some style.

Nana and Papa stopped in to visit the birthday boy....and build some wedgits. (Such a great gift. We all love playing with them!)

Max has cleared Nana by a mile, and is gaining on Papa. By next year's birthday photo I think Papa will need to wear his lifts. :-)

We took Max and his friends to the movies to see We Bought A Zoo. It was a really good movie, but I went expecting to laugh and ended up crying pretty hard. For two hours. I'm going to have to assume that as long as I provided candy and popcorn the boys didn't care how much I blubbered.

We came home afterwards for pizza and ice cream sundaes.

A caffeine/sugar rush is a great way to celebrate as a teen. Do you have any idea how MUCH candy/popcorn/soda/pizza/icecream five growing boys can consume in one evening? I felt like I was the one who had bought the zoo. :-)

Yesterday we finished off our celebration with a special outing per the birthday boy's request. Since it was New Year's Eve, the city had huge lighted signs installed along the highway warning not to drink and drive. It particularly tickled me that we traveled down that road like this....

We went on a nature walk....

...right through here!

Ha! We love this store, and both boys requested to go on their birthdays this year. It's fun just to walk around and look at all the cool displays.

This is what the guys all voted we should do to my "theme tree" next year.

They were ALL vetoed with my very powerful voice of ONE.

The big purchase of the day was a set of air soft guns and a target.

Because apparently, I planned to leave all my common sense and sanity behind in 2011.

I've resisted this phenomenon for a long time now. The boys have always wanted airsoft. We came home and set up target practice in our side yard in 75 degree weather. They hung lights when it turned dark. They were still shooting close to midnight. We officially ended our birthday celebration, and the year, with a bang.

Good times ahead for Mr. Fourteen.

Lovelies

2011-12-31T17:47:00.000-06:00

Mom and I both enjoy participating in the blog hops for Christmas homes. This year (and last year) I didn't post our pictures or join the hop. It just got away from me. (Twice.) BUT, I have a sure fire plan in place for NEXT year. We will take all the pictures Thanksgiving weekend when our homes are freshly decorated and load them into my computer, so when the hops roll around, I'll be set and ready.

Oh yes. 2012 is looking very organized already!

This morning I went around and snapped pictures of my tired looking, partied out decorations right before they call come down. :-( I take pictures each year so that the following year, when it all gets unpacked again, I'll remember where to put everything. This is rather funny, because I usually end up rearranging everything every year anyway. But not until AFTER I look at the previous year's photos of where it all SHOULD go. :-) This year we did quite a bit of shuffling to accommodate a second tree, and we all rather liked the new set-up, so there's a good chance this look will stick.

However, I have an entire eleven months to forget it all, so here is my better-late-than-never reveal of our Christmas pretties.

First off, my TREE! I've always wanted a second "slim" tree to use as a theme tree, so this was a gift from the kids last year. This was our first year to put it up, and I was thrilled. For now it has nativity ornaments and glass balls that match the colors in the room. I love it! I never found a tree skirt that I liked, so I used a puff of snow instead. Perfect for my small and cozy space.

The downstairs guest bath.

The countdown calendar was a gift this year from a friend. She chose so well...it's exactly my taste. The kids used it every day in December (it has a little magnet that you put over the date) and every time I looked at it I gave thanks for her friendship.

(This is Lisa and I at a party in November when she gave me the calendar. She is super cute and the most energetic Mom I know!)

My dining room, where we shared LOTS of meals with friends this season.

The rooster bench is normally in the entryway. I moved it to the side of the dining room table for the holidays and I love it there. I think benches at tables are lots of fun, and since this one has a back on it, it's actually a comfy place to sit too.

I have more than a slight crush on felt snowmen. They send me. :-)

I love to display my little collection in my china hutch, just for something different.

Although I feel quite certain that when I set them up back in November I didn't put the silly putty behind one of the them. Hmmmm......

The little hutch above the piano hung in my Oma and Opa's house. It is one of my most special things. I normally have it filled with Hummels, but during the holidays I fill it with Santas instead.

My nativity sets are among my favorite decorations. I always keep it low where Emma can reach it. She loves the little pieces so much, and every time I walk by it looks a little different. I can't have this be a "no touch". I love that she wants to interact with the Christmas story. I especially love how it is usually the animals crowded around the baby Jesus. She does love her animals!

I have two new pieces this year. The first is this precious angel....

...and the second are the palm trees. (Thanks, Mom!! They look great!)

I change the mantle every year. I still have not hit upon a standard look, but that's okay. That is one place that is fun to change.

Someday I'll have a finished handmade Christmas quilt to display here. Someday.....

This year I did make a little runner for another nativity set.

These carolers were my Grandma's. It is actually a music box. I love the vintage look of them. The Bubble Yum chapstick? It too is a rather recent addition to the Christmas decor!

And of course, the village. The very first piece of this village was given to me by my wonderful Buzzard on our first wedding anniversary. The village, and my affection for that Old Buzzard, has grown quite a bit over the years. Enjoying this sentimental display will always be a special part of Christmas at our house. It is always the last thing I take down because I am always the most sad to see it go.

We are hosting New Year's tonight with our friends. Tomorrow I will begin to take down the decorations and get the house cleaned and organized. I'm kind of ready. And kind of not.

I hope my friends and family reading here have a very blessed and happy new year!!!

Giddy Up, Birthday Boy

2011-12-30T23:32:00.001-06:00

Last night we met our dear friends at the rodeo to celebrate Max and David's birthdays.

Our friends are in town visiting from Georgia. We sure do miss them bunches. The mark of true friendship is when you can pick right back up where you left off, and that has always been the case with the H family. What are the chances that these two would show up at a rodeo wearing these hats? Kindred spirits, they are, even from afar!

Sam has been a big fan of Emma's since she was born. We see the H family about once a year, and the first time we were together when Emma was a newborn, Sam gave her one of his treasured childhood toys. It's been a mutual admiration society ever since.

When the H family moved away these two were still in middle school. Time does fly.

I think my birthday boy had a wonderful time celebrating in one of his most favorite environments with some of his most favorite people.

The show was grand. My friend's cousin works for the rodeo, and he gave us free VIP tickets that were front row seats. When dirt clods land in your lap you know you are up close to the action.

Boys. Many handsome boys.

Oh how I miss my girlfriend. I'm so thankful she still has family here so at least she still comes to visit. We have a wonderful time together and I just adore this girl.

Spending time with great friends is a true holiday gift!

This girl was all over the rodeo thing. If anyone could take a bull by the horns, it is this firecracker.

YEE HAW. We had us some fun.

Fourteen

2011-12-30T10:30:00.001-06:00

Dear Max,

Fourteen is a lot of years. I'll go ahead and say it.....I can't believe this many of them have flown right by. You have provided us with so many fun memories. You are the one who keeps this family in stitches. You have grown and matured so much these past several months, and as always, being by your side for the journey has been a great ride. Hey Cowboy, here's how you look today:

You are settling into your own shoes (usually cowboy boots) rather well. You are confident, and that is a joy to be near. Those boots keep you moving; you love to be on the go. Full throttle is your favorite speed.

You wear many hats (usually cowboy hats) well. Your accomplishments in Bible Bowl are so commendable. You love being with friends at youth group, playing football with friends in the front yard, going to classes during the week, and running with cousins up at the farm. We love to see you fit in well wherever God puts you.

Those flannel shirts just get softer and more cozy with time. Max, you are l-a-i-d b-a-c-k. Times ten. You go fast and play hard, but you mellow very well. :-) You are easy to talk to, fun to tease with, and so very easy to please. I love to hear guitar music streaming from your bedroom and see your colored pencil masterpieces in your sketchbooks. I love being lazy with you.

You tighten that (silver studded) belt buckle well. You've learned so many lessons about working hard and going the distance. We've had many big projects with school this year and the work load just keeps on coming. You're finding out that the older you get, the more people count on you. These are big lessons. Life lessons. You're staying in the game, and we are SO VERY proud of you.

In the rodeo, they always save the best event for last. Bull riding. The goal is to stay on at all cost for eight seconds while the bull fights like mad to buck you right off. Max, you do your eight seconds really, really well. You have the courage to take on bucking broncos and the strength to ride them out. God is going to use your tenacity and your tender heart in a great and mighty way. You are in this game to win, and I am so honored to be on the sidelines cheering loudly.

Happy Birthday to my very favorite Cowboy. Here's to many more, buddy! I LOVE YOU TONS.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-28T17:33:00.001-06:00

We ate reindeer donuts for breakfast.
We went to church.
We sat with friends.
We ate a big pot of chili. With rice.
We watched excited kids tear into presents.
We left carrots on the lawn for Rudolph and cookies on a plate for Santa.
Excited, wide-awake children struggled to settle into bed, and exhausted, bleary-eyed parents and grandparents struggled to stay awake to set the stage for Christmas morn'. Funny how that works.

We counted blessings. We gave thanks. We were family.

Joy To The World

2011-12-25T07:58:00.000-06:00

PEACE!

Our Family Joy Tree...Shrinky Style

2011-12-23T15:30:00.000-06:00

Dad and Stacy arrived yesterday to celebrate Christmas with us. Stacy went to a birthday party when she was five years old and made a Shrinky Dink ornament that to this day hangs on her tree. It has great sentimental value to her. So, when she found a Shrinky Dink Christmas tree kit for sale, she decided to bring it to town to share a dose of nostalgia with us.

You know I love me a good family craft. :-)

There were 20 ornaments to color in the kit.

EVERY member of the family was required to color (at least) one.

Some of us (age 4) colored more than our fair share.

I forgot how much fun it is to color Shrinky Dinks. I have not thought about them in many moons.

The kit came with a cute little tree to decorate with all the ornament charms.

What started as a novel idea evolved into an entire evening's worth of entertainment. We had more fun sitting around the kitchen table working on this.

We took plenty of cookie breaks....as needed.

Then came the best part. Into the oven for two minutes!

We stood in rapt attention at my GE like it was a Samsung flat screen. They curl up real tight, then flatten back out again. We all cheered.

Yes, we are THAT family. :-)

They came out super tiny and very brightly colored. The kit included supplies to turn the charms into mini ornaments. Beads, plenty of colored beads.

And lots of sparkly tinsel. (You know who was VERY impressed.)

There was even a tree skirt and accompanying glitter pen for personal monogramming. We thought long and hard about what to name our tree. In the end, Emma got the final vote.

The Family Joy Tree.

We named it. Then we bedazzled it. Because we love a little bling with our sparkle.

Emma hung ornaments and rearranged garland and stayed involved for hours.

This was a home run idea. I feel the need for more Shrinky Dink family nights.

It could be that we are easily impressed around here.

Or it could be that Shrinky Dinks are as ultra cool today as they were thirty years ago.

Either way, it was a winner.

Our family joy:

Hearing about Stacy's new job at MIT in Boston

Listening to Hannah's tales of college life

Sampling many kinds of cookies

Two pots of homemade soup

Opa reading his bridge book and Buzzard reading Harry Potter by the tree lights

Emma giving every single Shrinky Dink a name

The boys excited about their final Bible Bowl practice

Talking about dogs.....we all love them and would adopt a dozen if we could

A Christmas music playlist

A second (and maybe third) round of cookies

Being together.

A December List

2011-12-22T16:15:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was baking day. Part two. I took all kinds of pictures. My sister in law got the most beautiful hand crafted box from her mother for Christmas. I took tons of photos of it to share. We mixed up a double batch of cut out cookies, an army of gingerbread men, and several dozen oatmeal raisins. Nana was a frosting fiend. Aunt Kaylyn painted Hannah's nose red. Emma had on her Mrs. Clause dress and my mother's old apron. All precious.

But I didn't have a memory card in the camera.

D.R.A.T.

I have a new camera, and it is way smarter than me. I'm trying to learn all I can, but so far I'm outfoxed. I need something that flashes or beeps to tell me when my memory card slots are empty because, unfortunately, this isn't the first time this has happened to me.

So....you'll just have to imagine Nana's kitchen completely covered in flour, Kaylyn and Hannah mixing up strange colors of frosting, and Emma wearing a cute dress while biting the head off a gingerbread boy.

I got home from baking day(s) and started making lists. And checking them twice. I'm obviously prone to forgetting these days, so it seemed wise to start pulling together plans. Making lists is a mixed bag. On the one hand, I like to feel in control of all the things I have to do. On the other hand, seeing it all in black and white can feel a bit intimidating. In the spirit of December lists, here is a list of happenings around here over the last few days...

At our church Christmas party we were honored to witness a surprise proposal.

Two of Hannah's friends are now engaged.

So fun!

Emma got a new bird feeder. We hung it from a branch directly outside the living room window so we could keep an eye on visitors. Speaking of keeping an eye....this picture is a riot!

Emma will go anywhere with Big Bro' Max these days. She is his constant shadow and biggest fan. They are quite a team, these two.

I finished a quilt for a new baby boy.

And I succumbed to a moment of weakness in Anthropology with Hannah.

We ventured into her very favorite store in search of a birthday gift for a friend. One of the greatest pitfalls of holiday shopping for others is the danger of falling in love with something for yourself.

I fell fast. And hard.

I was merely strolling by the table where it sat. It was so....noticeable. All I know is that it was firmly in my grasp before I even realized I had picked it up. I tried to return it to its rightful spot, but it was so.......not put down-able.

So I carried it.

And the longer it sat in my arms, the more comfortable it became. I may have whispered sweet nothings to it while complimenting it on its magnificent shade of Tiffany blue.

Just in case you didn't notice.....HELLO.

Orange met Fabulous and fell in love, and they had a baby flower.

Shame on me. In this very season of giving I fell prey to Anthropology goodness. And I caved. This delectable display of orange perfection will make me merry every day of my life.

It tops my current list of Most Favorite Things.

Baking Day, Part One

2011-12-20T23:19:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite things about preparing for the holidays is baking Christmas cookies. I'm a total novice compared to my mother and grandmother. My Oma and her sisters made sky-high towers of tins of cookies every year. It was a big family, and everyone had to have their favorite kinds represented on the cookie tray. My mother carried on that tradition by baking several dozen cookies each year too. I grew up in the cold north, and we used to stack the cookie tins out in the garage to keep them cool and fresh. I remember setting up card tables and lining up paper plate platters to assemble big arrangements to deliver to friends and neighbors.

Cookies have always been a big part of Christmas. This year I took a poll to see which kinds everyone wanted. You know what they voted for? The gourmets who live here? Nestle's Tollhouse! For Christmas! I'm still reckoning with it. Those didn't make the cut today. They are just so....ordinary. I couldn't bear to make them just yet. First I had to do batches of festive things....Christmasy things....things with no chocolate chips, rendering them rather disappointing to my crowd.

But no one complained too loudly when it was time for taste testing.

My Mom came over and we fired up the Kitchen Aid. In no time flat we were rolling, cutting, frosting, mixing, baking, cooling, and the very best part....sampling! We got a lot done, and I'm one step closer to being ready for Christmas. Today's spoils included....

Ginger snaps,

Cream Wafers,

Lemon Snowballs,

"Pinkies" (shortbread),

and one more. We saved the hardest for last. I remember candy cane cookies from when I was very young, and it has been many years since we've made them. Mom is an expert at rolling the dough. Me, not so much. Mine looked more like question marks or Dr. Seuss squiggles than candy canes.

But they turned out really cute and will definitely add a touch of nostalgia to this year's cookie tray.

Tomorrow the marathon continues. We're headed up to Nana and Papa's to mess up the farm kitchen. We're doing cut-out cookies complete with frosting and sprinkles. See how I worked that? I saved the really involved ones for Nana's house. I'm smart like that. :-)

I have not finished shopping or wrapping, and have not begun menu planning or cleaning the house. If my house guests start to notice the dust, my plan is to distract them with a ginger snap.

I always think it's wise to have a good Christmas strategy.

More photos tomorrow from baking, part two!

On A (Sweet) Roll

2011-12-15T07:55:00.001-06:00

So, when my friend Wendy called me this afternoon and asked if she could come drop something by, I exercised every power of humility and restraint that I could muster, but the bottom line is that my hopes were sky high. A request for a special delivery this time of year holds the promise of homemade cinnamon rolls, and sure enough, we got lucky.

I've been meaning to buff up my efforts in convincing Wendy that Valentine Rolls, Easter Rolls, and even President's Day Rolls would be a great idea, but the truth of the matter is that they are Christmas Rolls (at least in this house) and the fact that we anticipate them all year long is part of what makes them so special. That, and the fact that Wendy subscribes to the "don't skimp on the frosting" philosophy, which I firmly believe is always a handy rule of thumb. When you lift these rolls out of the pan, you have to go back with your knife and rescue the crisp little bits of golden sugar crumbles that sneak out of the middles. They are the edible equivalent of a Christmas bonus.

Yes, we counted this as our main course for supper last night. Don't judge. We wore princess attire. And smiles. Thanks, Wendy!

I'm A Little Pine Tree

2011-12-14T20:09:00.001-06:00

My Very Own Buzzard

2011-12-12T21:47:00.001-06:00

Today is our anniversary. The kids surprised us with a colorful banner.

I surprised the Old Buzzard with snowman flannel sheets! How cozy. :-)

(On sale at Target and they came out of the wash sooooooo soft!!)

We went out to eat (steak and salmon), went to the fabric store to buy a backing for a quilt (because he is a gem, that's why), and then looked at Christmas lights.

My Buzzard has a really bad cold and isn't feeling too great, but it sure was nice to slip out for a few hours and tell each other how grateful we are to turn gray together.

Here's to many more, JR. Love you!!

2011-12-11T14:21:00.001-06:00

Dear Santa,

I love that you come to the quilt shop every year. I'm so happy that I got to come see you on my birthday.

You are kind and gentle and tell very funny jokes. Your candy canes are yummy too.

I'm scared of you at the mall, but not at the quilt shop. Here I can hardly chat with you because all I want to do is give you big squeezy hugs.

And please remember that I whispered in your ear I want a Tinkerbell flashlight.

Love,

Emma

We ROAR for FOUR

2011-12-10T13:03:00.001-06:00

Divine Dangling dinosaurs. They were dashing.

They set the tone for our evening last night. They were the chosen theme. Nothing says "party on" like a stegosaurus with a flaming spine.

It was my understanding that the birthday girl wanted a dinosaur cookie, and I was running late in my day. Clearly, I misunderstood, because when I announced that I was driving across town to Sam's to pick up a cookie she looked at me completely stunned.

"Ummmm....it's my birthday, and on your birthday you eat birthday cake."

Well of course. I'm so glad I got my story straight because Super Target sells birthday CAKES, and it is right around the corner from my house. Things rarely work out this wonderfully for me. I explained to the adorable girl behind the bakery counter that I had found dinosaur candles at the Party City and I asked her if she would make little puddles of green frosting on a plain white cake for me so it would look like my dinos were sitting on land.

She gave me a now familiar stunned look.

"Ummm.....why don't I just make you some real grass??"

Apparently I'm the only one who doesn't get how birthday cakes work.

Anyway, three minutes and four piping bags of colored frosting later, she had created a wonderful prehistoric setting atop a marble sheet cake, and I was thrilled.

A perfect sugary background for my dinosaur candles. The lady even made little frosting rocks, which completely tickled me because I thought it looked just like dinosaur poop.

And if you know Emma, you know how incredibly perfect that is.

Nana scored. Our first ever Barbie doll.

We rarely (never) get the chance to see Bill so fully concentrated on Barbie hair.

But he gave her a fetching do, and the party really got started when she rode the pink dinosaur Webkinz bareback. We are all about providing our guests with spellbinding entertainment.

Emma had a personal assembly crew at the ready. They had the mini red flyer wagon done and rolling in.....an hour, was it? Ha ha. I wish this picture had sound because I'm completely wondering what the Buzzard is saying to Uncle Joel.

Good times. Good friends. Go FOUR.

ROOOOAR!

December 10th

2011-12-10T08:04:00.001-06:00

December 10, 2007

ONE!

TWO!

THREE!

FOUR!

Happy Birthday, Monkey Bear!!

Edited to add the correct date to the post title. It is pretty bad when your mother in law has to call you and tell you that you wrote your daughter's birthday wrong! OOOps.....Thanks, Mom! Ha!

The Princess and the Birthday Crown

2011-12-09T23:25:00.001-06:00

Yesterday I was invited to go to Emma's preschool class with a special treat to celebrate her birthday. The timing worked best for me to show up first thing in the morning, which made treat planning a snap.

Sprinkly donuts with chocolate milk. An easy win with every kid.

I stopped at the donut shop on my way to school, and would you believe I got the LAST twelve sprinkle donuts? They had exactly a dozen left, which was a stroke of pastry luck, and the more I thought about it (all day long) the more relief I felt over not having to show up with plain glazed. Or worse yet, half a dozen sprinkly donuts and the job of choosing which kids got sprinkles.

Yes, crisis avoided. The birthday festivities were off to a perfect start.

Thanks to a "deal of the day" special at Michaels, I made Christmas craft party favors for each kid for under a dollar each.

I stayed up super late the night before finishing her teacher's Christmas present. I made a little table runner. The pattern called for that giant red ric rac that you see in the photo. It was quite late when I finished the runner...sans ric rac...and I had to make the difficult decision about whether to move forward with the trimmings. The runner was fine without it, but I couldn't get over the fact that her teacher would have never known just how cute it could have been....so I pulled the infamous late night/early morning ric rac maneuver. It was all thanks to Everybody Loves Raymond on DVD and a supersized sweet tea.

These are the things which occupy my thoughts and keep me awake at night. I had all that good time to worry about the donut shop running out of sprinkly donuts, but that thought never even crossed my mind. My worry radar was off. I was too busy hand sewing red ric rac.

I embroidered a little snowman on the back.

I got to school right on schedule, after waking up at early o'clock to wash and dry the runner and admire my ric rac by dawn's early light. Emma was delighted by my arrival and immediately set to work helping me pass around the reindeer plates and candy cane cups. It was all very fancy.

Her classmates sat stone silent while the teacher and I sang a "Happy Birthday" duet. (Do four year olds not know the words yet??)

I was pretty proud of the fact that I managed to scrounge four mismatched candles out of the baking cabinet before school.

Her teacher made her feel SO VERY special. She got a crown, and the privilege of walking down to Miss Jerry's office.....

.....where she got to pick out a colored balloon and choose a birthday prize from the treasure chest.

Glory Hallelujah for precious preschools that build confidence and character in the lives of sweet kids. School is such a special place for Emma, and the women who pull off this incredible program are missionaries in action.

Birthday Celebration Day was a VERY big deal for Emma, and her excitement was contagious.

I knew when I left there that our Birthday weekend was off to a very good start.

And I celebrated my joy with a sprinkly donut. ;)

Remembering

2011-12-09T22:57:00.003-06:00

Ever get caught off guard by some random little thing that reminds you of your childhood?? I was in a hardware store (of all places) and saw a roll of Butter Rum Lifesavers at the checkout counter.

Butter Rum.

It's been ages since I've thought of these, but they distinctly remind me of my childhood, and seeing that familiar, caramel colored wrapper in the hardware store transported me instantly back several decades.

My Grandpa Les always had a roll of butter rum Lifesavers in his pocket. Right next to his cigars. Always. I could hardly wait to tear into these and taste them again. I shared them with my kids, who gave them mixed reviews. I love them. Still.

They taste just like my Grandpa.

Hmmmm.....did that come out right? :-) Well, you know what I mean!

The Reason

2011-12-08T16:10:00.001-06:00

It's a good one.

And Now It Is December

2011-12-08T11:40:00.001-06:00

I've taken some grief, and rightfully so. I get distracted from the blog because I don't think anyone is reading. Then I get lectures from my daughter about how she misses seeing pictures from home. So, at least one person is reading. :-)

Hannah has issued a challenge...one post for each day in December.

Don't panic; I do realize this is the 8th. That's how December rolls; you blink, and it's the eighth. I'm obviously not on schedule for one post per day, yet I still think I can fit a total of 31 in between now and the end of the month. I'll have to practice my three-a-day skills. So get ready. You're about to get the moment-by-moment run down.

The pressure is on to make the days exciting and photo worthy. Lucky for me, December seems to take care of that on all on it's own.

Tune in and read...and leave me a comment to tell me you're here...so I don't get distracted (again) by something shiny and forget my purpose here.

Okay.....

It's been busy, these days leading up to December the 8th. I've done stuff.

I spent a special day giving many thanks.

I welcomed my daughter home from college for the first time...

....and had fun basking in her enthusiasm for her film photography class.

I watched my favorite ballerinas do what they do best.

I played games with friends. And lost.

I crafted.

I bought my son his first tie. He participated in his first debate, and won.

See? I do stuff while I'm not blogging.

One down. Thirty to go.

Plenty of time. Plenty.

Good Zoop!

2011-11-16T10:17:00.001-06:00

Chicken Tortellini Soup

I don't always get it right in the kitchen. In fact, more often than not when I play and make things up it doesn't end well for me. On a good day, I can hit a right note. Every once in a very great while I put the right ingredients together in a way that makes sense, and I cook them for the perfect amount of time.

It's that last part that usually gets me. I'm a ~~little~~ lot ADD in the kitchen and I usually wander away in the middle of inspired thinking to start doing other things. In any event, my "original recipes" usually leave my family wondering rather than leaving them in wonder.

But Chicken Tortellini Wonderfulness In A Pot happened on a good day. A very, very good day. A day so good it would be down right wrong of me not to share this with you. Go put these things in a big pot so you can have a good day too.

Brooke's Good Zoop

1 small onion, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

2 T oil

2 carrots, peeled and sliced

1 yellow squash, diced

Pinch crushed red pepper flakes

Pinch pepper

28 ou. can petite diced tomatoes

One box chicken broth (reduced sodium)

Approximately 2 cups water

One can shoepeg corn

1 package refrigerated cheese tortellini

3-4 cups chopped fresh baby spinach leaves

1 lidful (about 1/4 cup) grated parmesan cheese

Heat oil in a stock pot. Saute onion until soft and translucent. Add garlic, red pepper, regular pepper, carrots and squash and cook briefly. Add tomatoes, broth, water, and corn. Cover and simmer until veggies reach desired tenderness. (I don't like my carrots mushy.) Add tortellini, fresh spinach, and parmesan cheese. Stir well and cook about 5 minutes, until tortellini is hot.

This would also be yummy with sausage crumbles for a non-vegetarian version. Brown sausage first, then use rendered fat to cook the veggies. That would make it man food. :-)

Enjoy! Let me know if you try it and like it.

Champions and Chains

2011-11-15T18:29:00.001-06:00

The countdown is officially ON. Seven more days until Hannah comes home. Emma is super excited, and mentioned it first thing this morning. A week is a hard concept for a three year old, so we made a Sissy Chain.

One link per day, and each link has a "Go to......" activity for that day.

This will give us a few things to keep us busy while we wait.

The last one is the BEST!!!

Tomorrow we get to start ripping!

In other recent news.....Fall ball has officially ended. This handsome crew won all their play off games and advanced to the city championship on Saturday. These are outstanding young men; good buddies on the field AND off.

The temperature was lovely, but the wind was fierce.

I've never been very athletic, so the sports thing is new to me.

I'm thankful for the lessons it has taught us about teamwork and sportsmanship. There is something very healthy and beneficial about competition, and I'm starting to catch on to that.

Preparing, practicing, and pushing to do your best.....these are all part of growing a good boy.

I count it as blessing to have strong mentors in my son's life; people who invest out of a sincere devotion to fostering a sense of community among young boys. That inspires me. These men spend time, effort, and a whole lot of patience. It inspires me to make a difference in some body's life the way these men make a difference in ours.

These sluggers clenched second place and played a clean, top notch game.

They done did us way proud.

You should see that number five. He's really something behind the plate. He's my favorite player.

I'm totally allowed to have a favorite. :-)

Now the countdown is on for spring training.

Maybe I should make a paper chain for that.

Happy Birthday, Mom!

2011-11-14T22:56:00.001-06:00

To the greatest a girl could ever hope for. I couldn't manage things around here without you. I'm glad you've had such a special day!

Turkey Triumph

2011-11-12T08:23:00.001-06:00

This week it was my turn to be a parent volunteer at preschool. I wish I could do this every month. Every parent gets one day each year, and I chose the month of November since it is my favorite time of year. Thanks to Pinterest, I found a few cute ideas for a turkey themed visit to preschool 3's.

First up, snacks. The threes are passionate about snacks, and the cuter the food, the better.

Max helped me assemble these. We packaged them in little bags with ribbons to keep them fresh for the kids the next day. This is obviously rather self explanatory, but in case you are interested in making them and have trouble making out the ingredients from my bad photos, here is a list of turkey parts...

Body - Double Stuff vanilla Oreos. They have to be the double stuffs or the stick won't fit in the frosting. If you buy the regular ones by mistake, you will be going back to the grocery store in 5:00 traffic wearing your house slippers to buy the double stuffs. Then you will have an extra package of regular oreos waiting around. This might not turn out to be the worst problem of your week.

Head - Miniature Nutter Butter

"Glue" - White frosting that comes in a squeeze pouch (use for tail feathers too)

Tail and Beak - Candy Corn, which Walmart will be sold out of because it's officially Halloween candy. Go ahead and hit THREE stores if you need to, because surely you are committed to having a cute snack for three year olds to devour in seven seconds.

Waddle - Squeeze a glob of that frosting into a dish and mix it up with some red food coloring, then put that in a zip lock, cut one corner out of the baggie, and "pipe" on a waddle. Gotta get your waddle on. It's no turkey without the waddle.

Eyeballs - Look for these in the cake decorating section of your local super store or craft store. Yes, money really can buy you anything these days.

Viola! Cute, but I hesitate to mentally tally up what I spent in order to make this happen. I do have left over ingredients, so these may make an appearance on the kids' Thanksgiving table this year.

Now it was time to prepare the craft, and while I tidied up from the snack and ate a few Oreos, I enlisted help. After much (MUCH) debate (pilgrim masks? paper bag cornucopias? pumpkins? feathered headdresses?) I settled on the ever popular pine cone turkey for our craft.

When you live in the burbs, it should be noted, you actually have to go BUY pine cones. So sad.

The Old Buzzard was asked to cut beaks from orange fun foam. The Old Buzzard is a willing participant in my crazy craft schemes, but as we already established with the turkey derby car, I like things done a certain way.

Including my beaks.

This was what he gave me first round. Turkey? Or hummingbird?

Yes, that Buzzard was called back to the fun foam and ordered to perform beak reduction surgery.

....and this is what I got next.

I am telling you, good craft help is really, really hard to find.

Anyway, we successfully assembled eight pine cone turkeys in preparation for the kids to give them tails. I thought it would be helpful to hot glue the head parts together ahead of time, but now I wish I would have let them put the facial features on with tacky glue. I think they could have managed that, and it would have been even cuter to have crooked little faces done by the children.

We googled and learned that a group of turkeys is called a...

covey,

rafter,

or a gobble!

Did you know that??

(Actually, we just SPOKE and asked Buzzard's new iphone, and the iphone SPOKE back to us and have us the answer. I'm still confused about how technology gets me a voice on the line, let alone a phone that physically answers my questions. Crazy!)

Anyway, the gang/covey/rafter/gobble's all here awaiting a big field trip to preschool where they will be "tailed and feathered"! Ha! (Yes, I put Pointy Hummingbird up front. I wouldn't dare set him behind someone.)

Gluing away while I read library books about turkeys.

Me and the little workers.

Ta Da! Finito!

Eleven. Eleven. Eleven.

2011-11-12T07:42:00.001-06:00

Did you make a wish? Or two?

I hope they all come true.

Yes, we all gathered around the clock and made ours. While talking collectively on the phone with Hannah, who has for years reminded us daily to make a wish at 11:11. Who, coincidentally, got to make more than her fair share now that she lives in a different time zone. She made wishes on Texas time too. Just because.

We miss you like crazy, Boo.

Vrooom Vroooooom

2011-11-10T15:23:00.000-06:00

So, this week was the GRAND PRIX races at three year old preschool.

The notice came home two weeks ago, and I received it with reservation. I wanted to want to do this, but in the most humble and honest places of my heart I know that I send her to school to make my life easier.

That's what old parents do with their fourth children. Don't judge.

Sure, the notice contained all the proper jargon..."keep it simple"..."enjoy the process with your child"...."don't worry about the end result".....blah, blah, BLAH.

Everyone KNOWS that simple and understated carry no weight at all in the Nascar of Competitive Preschool Parenting. The notice may have well been a neon sign that said "START SHOPPING NOW!! SEE YOUR MECHANIC AND HIRE AN ARCHITECT IN PREPARATION FOR RENDERING A STOCK CAR FROM A DOCUMENT BOX!!!"

Emmie was super excited about the project, and surprisingly decisive in her requests.

A Turkey-Mobile, please. With feathers.

I may have, at one or two or several dozen points in my life, been accused of being highly competitive when it comes to crafts. I don't care to admit this on a regular basis, but my closest friends refuse to engage in any kind of creative process with me. They will only stand and watch. I think it is due to a fear of getting yelled at or micromanaged. I'm only guessing here. In any event, a Starbucks date with my neighbor turned into a roundtable discussion regarding proper wing construction for maximum flap-ability and highly debatable theories regarding wheels vs. legs. I left that meeting hyped up on caffeine and I cut loose with my 40% off coupons in the craft store.

Then I loaded my glue gun and prepared to fire several rounds.

I give you...TURKEY-MOBILE.

A'la feathers.

I'm not gonna lie here. I knew the competition was going to be a little stiff, so I was a little nervous going in.

You have to envision "Little Deuce Coupe" playing in the background, lap lanes mapped out in the sanctuary, and a host of parents and grandparents with digital cameras waiting at the finish line.

It was a sight. I truly wish I could have captured photos of every single car. Incredibly ingenious ideas. Check out this Barbie car.

I wish I had a zoom feature on my little camera that would perform well in low light. Check out the car on the far right....some dad mounted blinking flashlights as headlights. He was beaming (no pun intended) with pride. Very cute idea that I may well need to steal for next year.

At the end of the races the pit crew (teachers) gathered all the racers into the winner's circle and asked the racers to blow a kiss to the special person who helped make their car. Here is my driver's shy and humble response. (Blush.)

A turning point in the event was when they made the parents get into the cars and do a race. I will never forgive the preschool director for that, no matter how much I adore her. The Dad in the Barbie car was sincerely regretting his wife's decorative choices. :-)

Good fun. Hayden accompanied me as the videographer, and I'm including a clip for your viewing pleasure. We bought home a blue ribbon, as did every single child, because we're all winners in God's eyes. We also brought home a note encouraging us to save our cars for next year's Grand Prix.

Parents who recycle crafts are the ones who "keep it simple" and "don't worry about the final product." In other words, I'd bet my last dollar we see a whole new batch of cars next year!

Our Pumpkin Past

2011-11-09T20:14:00.001-06:00

So yes, the last two weeks did happen around here, and they were rather festive at that. Pumpkins are ancient history by now, but I need to recap our gourd festivities for the sake of pumpkin posterity.

First off, HELLO cute Strawberry. I could eat you in two bites, you are so adorable. Although your Mother hates Halloween, she looked for any and every opportunity to dress you in this outfit and parade you through town. You are indeed a fourth child.

Opportunity Number One....the fall preschool party. I volunteered to coordinate, and my co-host was a positively adorable and extraordinarily energetic little mother named Ashley. I'm guessing she is twenty years my junior. This isn't my first preschool rodeo, so I kept things on the sweet and simple. I packed up a bean bag toss game, bought some frosting, and planned a really lame craft. Then I showed up and watched Ashley go......outstanding decorations, home baked cookies, sprinkles of every sort and sunder, balloons, crepe paper......a pumpkin paradise. She even decorated all the juices to look like jack-o-lanterns.

Too bad she got stuck with the old lady mother as her party co-host. What can I say? I did provide the canned frosting.

Ready for the littles to show up from music class. They were SO EXCITED when they came into the room and saw all this waiting for them. Yeah for Ashley! :-)

Here's the threes. Isn't her teacher adorable? She is the quintessential preschool teacher and we sing her high praises in this household.

I brought along a pin-the-nose-on-the-pumpkin game, never stopping to consider that the thought of wearing a blindfold would completely freak out the three year old set. (Ashley would have thought that through.) Lucky for me, they thought the game was peachy. And you know what? When you just walk right up to the pumpkin with your eyes wide open and stick the nose where it belongs, this is a very time efficient game.

Paper plate pumpkin craft. It was a fun day, and I loved being there with the kiddos.

IN OTHER PUMPKIN PARTY NEWS...

Marci's sister just remodeled her kitchen, and she invited us over to see (drool over) the new digs, throw down some vittles, and carve up some fun. This is our third year to carve together, and it is an annual tradition that holds great appeal. Could you just die for this kitchen? I want so badly to go there and bake cookies for her children in that Wolf oven. I'd need to bake approximately a hundred dozen to fill that island, which is roughly the size of RHODE island. Gaw.

Sheri's husband kindly dealt with pumpkin guts all afternoon, so we conveniently arrived to a patio table lined with spit shined pumpkins and an outlay of carving paraphernalia. It's the only way to go, really. Remarkably, the patient gent appeared to have his sense of humor fully in tact by the time we all arrived, which is way more than I could have said for myself if I'd have faced that big job.

I really hate the pumpkin guts, and although I dream longingly of giving my youngsters the childhood experience of toasted pumpkin seeds, I can't get past the smell of pumpkin strings enough to ever make it happen. It's the worst smell of October.

If I had a Wolf stove, mind you, I'd roast and season seeds for days. :-) Surely I would.

Uncle Joel gives Christopher some expert advice, and the two of them settle on carving a Christmas tree. It's a bold choice for late October.

Christopher is known as "Boyfriend" 'round these parts. This is the only picture I got of the dynamic duo all night. How can two such adorable kids take such a horrible photo?? Ha! Clearly, the eyes have it in this match. Any bigger or bluer? I don't see how.

There was some serious business going on out on the patio.

Max's masterpiece.

Emmie got an "E" with polka-dots. She claimed emphatically that the polka dots were too big. I did the best I could with my plastic scalpel and saw, but the look was not demure enough for her.

The grand display. Notice how Uncle Joel's pumpkin is waving to us from the far right.

Hi, Uncle Joel's pumpkin!!

We all agreed that Emily's rendition of Tinkerbell was the winner of the night. A glowing gourd. A fright night fairy. A pumpkin princess. A well deserved first place effort.

The girlies...

...and the guysies.....contemplating art. (Look at that ceiling. Gorg-eous!)

Believe it or not...THE FUN DID GO ON.

Surely you question just how much I can carry on about pumpkins in one post.

Plenty.

Onward.

My Old Buzzard has a new job, and his new corporate environment in downright nifty. They pull lots of stunts to make the workers feel appreciated...like Fajita Fridays and free snowcones when we break heatwave records. They pulled out all the stops for Halloween. Each department decorated with a theme, to be judged by HR. Prizes were at stake.

Believe it or not, this had nothing to do with entertaining children.

It had everything to do with entertaining the Dads, who relished an excuse to go hog wild.

Some of the decorations were completely over the top!!

At 4:30 families were invited to come trick or treat throughout the offices. Each employee set out a bucket of goods. We really contemplated whether to expose Emma to the decorations, but once she got the hang of the candy buckets, she didn't even seem to notice any of the other decorations.

She was on a divine chocolate mission, her only goal being to spy the next trick or treat sign.

She made me so proud. I trained her how to dig for the Reece's. She's a pro.

By far the cutest department was the one outfitted from Wizard of Oz. So clever! (And not scary.)

Check out the witch's shoes sticking out from under the cubicle. Ha!

The secretary tried really hard to get in the spirit, but her ruby slippers made her dogs bark.

This gal went all out. She provided a complete buffet, complete with Finger Fries, Hand Burgers, and Eye Scream Sundaes.

This guy clearly put in a little too much overtime.

This was Emmie's favorite spot...

....because she loved the trail of babies they left down the hallway!

We marched her right past these gals, who were incredibly sweet but a little intimidating for small strawberries.

Yes, this was accounts receivable!

We stopped in Daddy's office at the end of the fun and played on the white board.

I'm getting lax in my old age. My boys could hardly believe that I took Emmie trick or treating. Oh well. There are surely worse things in life than panhandling for free tootsie rolls with an adorable strawberry.

And that's a wrap on the pumpkin parties.

East.

2011-10-25T17:52:00.001-05:00

Mom and I were privileged to travel to Tennessee last week to visit Hannah at college while the Old Buzzard held things down here at the Manor.

Day One: With a lavishly illustrated yet woefully inaccurate map in tow, we ventured down country roads and dirt trails in search of quilt blocks on old barns. Some of our efforts were rewarded, others turned to rabbit trails. Either way, we enjoyed each other's company and commented tirelessly on the breathtaking scenery.

We stopped in a small town to visit the oldest and longest functioning covered bridge in America. This handsome devil was the welcoming committee.

Hazy, cloudy weather and the promise of a big storm. The smell of rain wafting in the air.

A grandma and grandchild happy to be reunited. Eager chatting in the car. Questions from us. Stories from her.

The view from inside the bridge.

A necessary stop on our way by. I've been dreaming of their sweet tea ever since my last visit to Tennessee. They know how to do it right. Also discovered it is best enjoyed alongside an order of Pickle-O's from Sonic, a delicacy that our Texas Sonics sadly do not provide.

Each turn in the bend more beautiful than the last. A warm color palette spread across the land, glowing radiantly under the coolness of the blue sky.

Beauty. Everywhere. Intoxicating beauty.

More photo ops than any good spirited teen deserves. She was patient with me and my great exuberance over the leaves and pumpkins.

Papa...this one's for you. Don't you think our bells would look nice set against this kind of backdrop?? Tennessee bells are very lucky.

Next stop: Campus tour. Oma's first time to see the school. A rainbow appears in the sky. A magical welcome indeed.

The church Hannah attends.

Raindrops on roses.

Quite easy to fully understand why Hannah loves this school so very much.

Day Two: Drive to Ashville, North Carolina to tour the Biltmore estate. Oma's first time there.

Lunch! The margarita pizza was to die for.

Gardens decked out in all my favorite colors. Like a quilt of flowers spread out upon the grounds.

Vibrant blooms begging for attention. Every centimeter of the sprawling grounds meticulously manicured. Made me think I could take up gardening. Then I remembered that my black thumb of death could never prompt such boastful blossoms. I only grow weeds, and I don't even do that well.

Nary a weed to be found here.

The saddle shop.

The blacksmith shop.

Cornelius (Edith and George Vanderbilt's daughter) and her beloved St. Bernard.

Day Three: Farmer's Market, where we encountered this talented and incredibly personable woman. A basket maker by trade, and an inspired artist in every sense of the word. We had a lovely visit.

She graciously posed for photos while her hands quickly and rhythmically wove.

If only her baskets would have fit on the plane. I could think of countless uses for such treasures.

City Hall. Decked out.

The ten commandments still posted by the door.

I couldn't get enough of the beautiful white steeples on all the country churches.

Final Stop: A visit to the dairy farm which is home to Hannah's roommate.

Here he is. The star of the show. The Bull.

Handsome, no? A bit intimidating as well. His rather imposing size inspired me to keep my distance.

The property was beautiful. Love abounds on this farm. Two generations living side by side and working together to nurture this land and the animals who graze here. A home away from home for my daughter; an answer to our most sincere prayers. The kindness these folks have shown Hannah could never be tallied, and the sweetness of this family is as stunning as this farm they are blessed to call home. So glad I got to visit.

Tennessee speaks to my soul. The physical beauty of the land, the simple kindness of the people, the promise and excitement that composes campus life. This time away with my Mom and daughter was a treasure of great sorts.

And now I'm counting the days until Thanksgiving break.

(28)

Feeding Time

2011-10-24T13:39:00.001-05:00

We played hooky from church yesterday. Both boys were out of town, so that Buzzard and I slept late and got a lazy, slow start to the day. We stayed up late Saturday night watching an incredibly sad turn of events in the World Series and eating salmon from our favorite take out place. We got Emma a happy meal from McDonald's since her three year old palette prefers marginal cheeseburgers to cedar grilled seafood. It was a special occasion, so I even sprang for the toy, which turned out to be a trick or treat bucket that she could decorate with stickers.

Tickled by my own generosity, I hurried home with my offering, anxious to see her excited response.

She was not impressed, and asked me why in the world I had put her supper in a "very scary pail".

I should have known. If a happy meal fails you, you're in for a rough night. It was pretty much downhill from there as we watched those St. Louis Cardinals snub the poor Texas Rangers like a three year old does a scary pail.

Back to a lazy Sunday.

We loaded the infamous pail, now appropriately decked out with a myriad of eyeball and nose stickers, with stale bread and oyster crackers. Then we headed to the Buzzard's old high school campus to visit the duck pond.

We had frightfully strong storms Saturday night. The ground was blanketed with fallen leaves, twigs, and acorns. Even the poor ducks were plastered with leaves and mud!

Lucky for us, they apparently worked up quite an appetite during the storm, and they were eager to make Emmie feel like a welcomed and appreciated guest.

Note to self: Make a bright orange and green quilt. These two colors look fabulous together.

We met this nice dog at the pond. His name was Baxter. He was willing to be petted, which was a good thing, because he scared away all the ducks, leaving himself as the only available source of entertainment.

Don't know if I've ever mentioned this, but rubber ducks have always, always, ALWAYS been one of Emma's most treasured toys. She adores them. It was natural that she wanted to bring a duck to the duck pond. A reasonable and understandable request. Of course, it's all fun and games until someone accidentally knocks the rubber duck off the bridge and into the pond below.

Then you have a world of sadness that not even Baxter can fix.

It takes an Old Buzzard fashioning tools out of fallen branches and laying on his belly over the edge of the bridge coaxing a rubber ducky back to shore to relieve that kind of panic. (Why didn't I get a photo of that??)

Rescue mission succeeded.

A good way to spend a lazy Sunday playing hooky.

Fried Day Fare; Friday Fair

2011-10-23T14:21:00.000-05:00

Friday was my birthday. We decided, after a very productive morning with school, to take the afternoon off and head to to the state fair. It had been years since we'd gone.

Let's talk food. That's the foremost topic to cover when discussing the Texas state fair; a.k.a. the Temporary Fried Foods Capital of the South. First, the bad news. Fried Oreos. Just not a big fan. We really redeemed ourselves with the friend onion straws though. They may not be terribly original, but they were sufficiently delicious.

We could have done worse. Much worse. I kid you not......

Big news of the day....Emma joined the circus. Those of you who know her will absolutely not be surprised. She is a ham, this one. She would probably belly right up to a role like Bearded Lady Snake Charmer, or Flying Wollenza, but on this day she settled for Ballerina Butterfly. She accepted with great enthusiasm and proudly donned a red tutu.

The role entailed some twirling...and flapping....

....and even running from a kid chasing her with a butterfly net. The role of Butterfly Ballerina was indeed a challenging test of performing arts, but the big stage review was a smashing success. The lion tamer even said so.

After a moderate amount of consideration, Hayden settled on the yellow Camero as his wish for a first car. So important to get a jump start on our 16th birthday wish list at age 12.

Because my kids are my kids, we naturally spent 90% of our allotted fair time with the animals. Children's Medical Center sponsored an elaborate petting zoo this year that was incredibly well done.

They had little plastic shovels tied to the fences so the kids could feed the animals without the risk of getting bit. The vast majority of the animals were completely uninterested in our offerings. They sell $5 cups of food to every hopeful child wandering through the door, without mentioning that most of the animals have been snacking from plastic shovels for eight hours already and have finally lost their appetite. We did find an occasional willing goat to accept our munchies.

There were lots of sweet little babies to admire.

This good looker was by far my favorite.

I also really dug this chick's hairdo. She had style.

Hayden indulged his long time love for John Deere tractors.

And then we headed back to the van with a little something special for the road. The free tram ride to and from the parking lot was Emma's favorite part of the whole fair. That, and her $4.00 glass of pink lemonade. I'm so glad she has valuable memories of the whole experience. Ha!

It was a quick trip, but it was very fun, and it definitely contributed to a VERY happy birthday!!

Pumpkin Pickin'

2011-10-11T20:48:00.000-05:00

My favorite time of year has officially arrived. It's impossible to feel anything short of delighted when I am surrounded by orange pumpkins, indian corn, and chrysanthemums. I love fall.

So....when the local farmer's market offered an outreach to the community last weekend I was quick to announce that family attendance was mandatory.

The hay maze was a big hit with the Strawberry. This face makes me so sad, and I have no idea how this picture got here, because she was LAUGHING the entire day and barreling through this maze like a scarecrow toward Oz. My new point and shoot has a terrible delay, so I thought I was getting a picture of the big hay maze smile, but all I really got was the smile aftermath. Phooey.

The petting zoo was the most popular attraction for our brood. By this I mean that I myself was glued to the fence chatting it up with the owner of the animals while my kids lavished attention on her barnyard beauties.

I just love animals. As much as I love fall and pumpkins.

Would you look at the size of this Flemish Giant? These are typically bred for meat, but their lazy temperaments and luxurious coats make them ideal pets too. I'd have eight if it wasn't for the very mean Buzzard.

But the show stoppers for me were the baby pot bellied pigs. Oh. My.

There was a "no holding" rule, but the owner scooped one up for me and let me snuggle away. She could probably sense my passion for piglets and presumed that she would never actually get rid of me if she continued to enforce that "no holding" nonsense.

I'm not kidding you. Sweeter than any dog. He just curled up against me and.....snuffled.

Buzzard was afraid. Very afraid. He immediately went in search of an adirondack chair in the shade to avoid the whole "can we please have a potbelly pig" conversation.

I got the lady's business card, and you KNOW that a very lucky soon to be four year old will be treated to a barnyard birthday compliments of her mother. I already made the lady promise to bring the pig.

And these chickens. How could Buzzard look at a chicken this GORGEOUS and not be willing to let me break the city ordinance that prevents backyard chicken coops??

He has all these crazy rules about no rabbits, pigs, OR chickens.

But pumpkins he can do. He promised the Monkey Bear she could pick out any pumpkin in the patch, so she began to audition them rather seriously.

First there was this cute little multi-colored one.

Hayden tried to persuade her to really cash in. Go big or go home.

We wandered the pumpkin paths looking for The One meant to be.

Stopping along the way to greet critters here and there....

This one was my clear cut favorite. But rule #1 of being a kid is never, ever, EVER pick the one your mom wants. It's like losing the whole game.

In the end we went with tall and skinny. I applaud the girl with the artistic bend. She really, really wanted a warty gourd, but it had a rotten spot on it so we had to move to plan B. She was determined not to pick a plain, round one. Dare to be different is Emma's take.

It was decided on the way home that the new pumpkin could NOT stay out on the front patio. It would be wrong, wrong, wrong to leave it outside so our entry could look inviting like all the other houses on the street.

No. This is an inside pumpkin.

I don't get to make any of the rules around here.

At least not the ones about pigs or pumpkins.

Happy Fall.

Good Pickin's

2011-10-03T20:23:00.000-05:00

Today we went on a homeschool field trip to an apple orchard. I've been looking forward to this because I've never been to an apple orchard before. Yesterday while I was in the fabric store, I spotted this book of apple stickers in the dollar bin. It was the perfect thing to keep Emma entertained on our long drive this morning.

The orchard puts on a wonderful educational program for the children. This sweet woman taught the children how to grow cotton; and the process of picking, carding, spinning, and weaving it. She asked how many people would like to live in those days and make their own cloth. My heart skipped a beat. All the other moms were rolling their eyeballs and violently shaking their heads. Sitting at a spinning wheel looks like amazing fun to me. My own thread! Of course, those were dreadfully hard times and I don't underestimate the power of shopping at Kohl's. But for hobby sake, that's one "spin class" I think I could manage.

Emma's friend Hai Li was there, and Ems made sure to never let her out of her line of sight. Hai Li is a sweet and patient friend. :-)

The bee keeping demonstration really captivated Emma. The little kiddos were supposed to be sitting in a row of tiny chairs at the front of the arbor, but Emma couldn't help but walk right up and stare at her while she was talking. As luck would have it, the bee keeper was sweet and patient too.

This fancy mama got my full attention. Ain't she grand??? Buzzard, are you looking?

Oh, how I want a chicken coop. More than a spinning wheel, even.

Emma was endlessly fascinated with feeding them blades of grass. There were several different varieties of chickens, ALL of which I absolutely LOVED.

The gardens were spectacular. Lots of cute little displays like this one. My favorite was the "pizza garden". It was planted in a big, round circle, and it contained all the plants and herbs used in Italian cooking. Very clever. (Ever seen a sausage and mushroom with extra cheese shrub??)

The particular variety of apple in season today was called a Blushing Golden. They were small and VERY sweet. Due to seven freeze episodes last winter and a severe drought this summer the poor orchard is struggling. We were only allowed to pick one apple per person, which was a little disappointing. I was really hoping to bring home a bushel for eating and cooking.

We learned that to pick and apple you have to twist the stem so you don't damage the fruit bud.

Harvest.

Sweet. Juicy. Crisp. Crunchy.

Good enough to eat hers.....and then mine too!

I obviously don't have the hang of my new camera yet. I'm having focus issues.

This particular variety of tree is rather small and twiggy.

Such a fun break from school, and a great opportunity to enjoy the outdoors.

The weather was warm and the sun was bright.

The butterfly garden boasted spectacular flowers and dozens of monarchs. So fun to watch!

We ended our trip with a visit to the kitchen to sample raw honey and apple cake with cream cheese frosting. Amazing. They were frying homemade pies and the smell was intoxicating. Our purchase of choice was a small loaf of pumpkin bread which we devoured immediately.

Apple picking. A new fall tradition.

Wordless Wednesday - Preschool Open House

2011-09-28T08:01:00.004-05:00

Our Weekend Was Fruitful

2011-09-25T21:37:00.000-05:00

The perfect costume has been procured. October is now free to arrive.

Humid Hairs

2011-09-22T10:54:00.000-05:00

Last night we made a hygrometer for extra credit in our science class. A hygrometer is a tool used to measure humidity. The best kind of hair to use is horse hair, so I called up our sweet friend who owns a horse and asked her if she would kindly perform a plucking. Or two. A true friend is one who will actually deliver a horse hairball to your house for you.

Anyway, we googled directions for construction. They cost ten cents to make. Oh, and it's best, as Hayden pointed out, to use the tails side with your tail hairs.

You attach a plastic pointer, weighted with the dime, to the horse hair and mount it on a board.

When the hair gets moist it should expand and lengthen and cause the pointer to aim downward.

Each boy made a hygrometer and we mounted them to opposite sides of a cardboard box. We then set the box in the guest bath with the shower running. When we went in to check our status, both pointers were facing straight up! Vertical! There was lots of give and slack in the horse hair.

Hmmm...the hair was supposed to elongate, but it curled up instead and caused significant movement on our primitive tool. I'm not sure if we get extra credit for an experiment gone awry, but I found the outcome very interesting. We tested a second time and got the same result.

We left it sitting on the counter overnight and it was back to the horizontal position this morning.

So there you have it. An interesting tale.