I Can't Think of a Title

I made some more buttonholes tonight. I am working on a birthday present for my friend. We are having birthday day on Friday night. I am just making a purse, but you use buttonholes for the clasps to secure them a little more. I hope it turns out alright. I actually made one purse last night, which was supposed to be for her, but I didn't like a defect in it so it will be mine and what was to be mine will be hers:)

We took that pain-in-the-rear for a walk today. How can a dog so small pull on my arm so much? You would think he was a sled dog. He tries to race down the sidewalk, and I hold him right beside me. He barely has any leash because he is so uncontrollable, and I don't want him to trip the girls. We only walked around the block, but that is enough with him. I do feel bad because he really would like to get out there and run, but he is just too small to take to the dog park. Maybe some night I can take him for a little run while Joel watches the girls.

Pnut walked to the playground instead of riding in the stroller today. She did a really good job! We didn't go the long way, but she didn't complain at all about the walk there or back and she stayed with me very well and made no mad dashes for the road. She loves walking. I have probably shot myself in the foot and will never get her to ride again without protest. But it was fun to have her walking and observing and enjoying herself so. I had also hoped it would tire her out more, but that did not happen. She did take her nap, but she certainly did not fall asleep any more quickly!

And all of that was the interesting part of our day...I do love it, this life of staying home with the girls. The thought of having to interact with people in a workplace is enough to send me to a corner crying. Besides, how could I flex my imagination in the workplace?! They probably don't like to play fairies or tea party there.

I was flicking through our pictures this evening, and I came across this one. Do you know who this is?



This is Pnut, but I think she looks especially like Pilly in this one. Her eyes and cheeks look bigger. She grew into her cheeks a little more quickly than Pilly is. I think they are part of what makes Pill still look like a baby to me. Or maybe denial. I am sure that has something to do with it as well.

Well, my goal is to be almost lights-out by 10:00 most nights so I need to scat. Have a great day tomorrow:)

Lost and Found

Have you ever misplaced something?



And you know that you know where it is...but you can't quite remember?



And you are checking everywhere?



Well, don't give up because that crack in the porch might really hold what you are looking for!

And in case you are worried about him:



No mad dashes were made into the street today.

However, he did drink gross water, but I think he has an iron stomach:



Would you like to know what I learned how to do tonight? I am so excited about it. I almost hopped around the computer room because I was so happy! I know how to make buttonholes. Isn't it shameful that I haven't learned until now, but now I know. What's that? You need some plumbing installed? Well, sure I can handle that. It's probably no harder than buttonholes. But I won't tackle that electric until I learn to do a zipper.

It was wonderful to open my sewing machine after almost two weeks. I still haven't cleaned it, but I decided not to wait until that happens. I do want to sew before Christmas!

Well, I am trying not to stay up too late, and I got a bunch of exciting books at the library so I need to head upstairs! Have a wonderful evening and following day:)

From Good to Stressful!

Today started off as an innocent enough day. We went to a friend's house to help pack boxes and successfully made it home with all parties awake with the help of some McNuggets and fries. The girls took a nap, I got all my work done and exercised too. We played in the basement after they got up and Joel called and asked us to pick him up from work. It was a drizzly afternoon. We got ready to go, but I decided not to put Java in his cage. That stupid dog, who I thought was in the kitchen, raced out the door as soon as I opened it. He ran down the alley out into the road. I called him and called him to come back as he was going down the alley sniffing things. I didn't want to chase him to fast because I knew he would just run away. Well, he turned the corner, and I almost had him and he darted out into the road. A car was coming and couldn't see him because he is so little. Thankfully the girl was going slowly. I screamed and she stopped. I grabbed him and said sorry and carried him back to the house. I threw him rather forcefully inside. I was so mad at him. He does not listen at all. It is so irritating. I was so stressed out. It made my whole body so tense. Then, after we got Joel and came home, Pnut walked out into the road. There was a car coming. I have no idea why she walked out there. She knows she is not supposed to do that! I grabbed her after Joel told her to get back on the sidewalk. What a stressful evening! My very sweet husband did the dishes for me, and I relaxed with the girls in the living room and played Mario Kart. They haven't gotten to play that for a long time so we all enjoyed it. Tomorrow is the first day of Bible study and I am very excited. Hopefully Tuesday goes a little bit less stressfully than Monday!

Movies and TV

Today, Joel took a personal day, and he took Pnut to see Cloudy with a Chance of Meatballs. It was Pnut's first time at the movies, and Joel said it would be the last time they went to the regular theater! She behaved very well, but it was just too expensive. It was a matinee so Joel expected it to be a leetle bit cheaper... Next time, they will go to the $2 theater:)



This is Pnut when she was seven months old. It just reminded me of the movie with it's giant food, and I read that people would rather see a picture, even if it is unrelated to the post. Ha!

We also enjoyed our free treat from Carvel this evening. It is their birthday, and from 3:00-7:00 they gave away oreo ice cream sandwiches. Yum-O! Pilly was a mess. I wish we had had the camera. She held it in the same place for so long that she had a white stripe with a brown stipe on either side! By the end, though, she was just a mess with the lower half of her face entirely brown!

Joel asked me to watch the new show Flash Forward with him. I'm not sure if I will continue watching that. It is a little creepy...but it is interesting. It does seem like the stuff nightmares are made of. I think Lost is enough intensity for me!

My mom is supposed to come to lunch tomorrow, which she hasn't done for-ev-er! This will probably be her reminder. We think that she might have short-term memory loss. Just kidding:) But the girls are very excited. I told Pnut tonight, and she jumped up and down in the bathtub:) Our weekend is filled with a wrap-up of softball (which was over two months ago) and church. I hope that you all have some fun enjoying Autumn this weekend!

Applesauce and Squirrels

Today, we made applesauce. A lot of applesauce. It is so good. Honey Crisp apples are so beyond any other apple! They are a taste sensation. :) Each morsel is a joy. A celebration in a bun. Oh wait...these aren't hot dogs. If you don't get that, you need to read for Pigeon books:)

Tonight, the girls made a new friend.



Pnut named him Peanut. They fed him all sorts of nuts. I am afraid that he is going to become a pest.

There isn't too much to say tonight and Bear Grylls is going to be on in a few minutes so I have to go. Catch you on the flip side!

Autumn Arrives!

Today is the first day of Autumn!



We are experiencing some early leaf-changing here, probably somehow related to the non-summer we had.



Can you smell the crispness in the air and odor of falling leaves?



This is also the perfect time to look for pine cones. Pine cones are the new acorn for my girls. Or at least today anyways.

Yesterday, we found a rose garden at our park. I don't know how we missed it all summer, but I have never seen anyone in it so I guess my gaze was never attracted enough to realize what we were missing. I realize now!



That is poetry for the eye.



There are but a few left. You can see the slowly decaying ones around this beauty who clings to life.



This is such a unique color. I would love to have a room accented in this color.



We all had great fun smelling them. I don't known a purer smell, except baby skin maybe.



This was a sweet way to end our summer.

Then we met this gentleman on the way out of the park.



He is quite charming, n'est-ce pas? He kindly waited for me to creep closer and closer to capture him for posterity. I had the zoom all the way forward, but I really was quite close.

We had some excitement at the playground today. After our romp in the rose garden, we made our way up through some trees with very big roots, where we discussed how the trees use roots to get water and how it was mean of people to carve things into trees, and as we crested the hill, we noticed a large piece of machinery quite near the playground. The closer we drew, the closer we realized that big machine was to the playground. It was, in fact, right beside the covered slide and overshadowing the swings. Apparently, the tree that shaded our stroller all summer whenever we played was hollow inside and had to go. I guess it probably posed a risk of falling onto someone or something. We stayed far away, all the way over by The Big Slide and watched them cut the tree down. They had removed all of the leafy branches by the time we got there, and it was quite an interesting process to see them bring it down piece by piece. One man up in a lift would tie a rope to the piece he was cutting and then cut several feet below it. Then two men on the ground would hold said rope so that when the piece came loose, they could guide it to the ground. This only worked while they had another branch sticking up to use as their guide. Then they just started using the rope to help pull the pieces down as they were cut. Revealing her inner barbarian, Pilly demanded "more" after the first large piece fell. I must say, it was quite enjoyable to watch. They worked so smoothly together while always checking on each other's safety and being quite systematic. Quite a way to spend our morning! We must have watched for about 45 minutes!

Well, tomorrow it is to The Apple Store for some Honey Crisps to make deliciuos applesauce. No sugar needed! You should try it:) Have a honey of an evening.

A Milestone

We really had a pretty hard day today, but it ended well, and sometimes that makes the rest seem not so bad and I think "why did I complain about this day?" We went to the playground this morning, which was fun, and found a new section that I plan on photographing tomorrow, and got all wet in the dewy grass. That all went well. Then when we got home, Pilly turned into a cranky monster and just cried about everything. We got school done, and I wanted to make cream cheese potato soup, and she cried through that. Then I gave her some food, and she was quiet. She had applesauce and the soup and this happened:



This picture really doesn't do it justice. You can't see that the front of her shirt is caked with food and tell how much she smeared on the table or how much was stuck to her face. I really only remember meeting one child messier than her! He was at the daycare when I worked there!

Thankfully, nap time came quickly and they were happier after they got up from that. I let them play out in the backyard while they worked, and they really were playing well. They seem to play better when no one is watching. Then I turned around to check on them and found this:







She dug about half of my potted plant dirt out and threw it all over the place. She was filthy. She had already ripped the plant from its happy home on a previous day. What a mess. Thankfully, she didn't get any on the clean clothes which were drying on the line still.

But tonight brought a new milestone:



It should be noted that this is what is *supposed* to happen.

This is actually what is happening:



But thankfully not this:



I told Pnut if she got out of Pilly's bed, she would have to get into her own. I was going to make her sleep in her bed, but she really wanted to help Pilly stay in her bed. She was going to "squeeze her tight." She cried and then I let her get in Pilly's bed. So they were very cute together. Pilly looked like she was ready to drop off right away so I am not really concerned about her getting out. She usually goes to sleep very quickly. And maybe this will help Pnut stay in bed! I haven't heard anything yet, and they have been up there for 25 minutes!!!

So now I am actually going to work on some projects and then watch TV for half an hour at 9:30!:)

School and Painting

We started school last week. Did I mention that already? Well, in any case, we are enjoying it a lot.



We are up to letter E. Every four letters, there is a day of review and then the following day is a rhyming day. Pnut even asked to do it on the weekend, but I said no. We were kind of busy last weekend.



Pilly is very interested too. She watches every day. I would not be surprised if she is super-easy to teach because she really pays attention!



We love school!

Pnut wanted to paint today. We were trying to mix red, yellow, and blue to make different colors, but the only colors that got made were orange, which I showed them, and brown. They had fun though! I was not allowed to sit with them because Pnut wanted her picture to be a surprise.



She loves art projects! Maybe I should start doing letters in fingerpaint! It might make her catch on even quicker!



I didn't notice this at first. I was on the clean side. Then I walked over to clean something up and saw her face. Pnut didn't see her do it. She must have been so fast! I kept looking at them while they were at the table even though I wasn't sitting there. What a monster!:)

Tomorrow we are going to a fair with our mom's group. I am excited and looking forward to seeing the things there! We get to have a picnic too, which is always fun! My Lyn is coming over tomorrow night too, which is super-exciting! Have a great night and day and weekend!:)

CocoaDreams Aprons Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

CocoaDreams Aprons Gift Card GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!

Baked Ham and Macaroni and Cheese

This is one of my favorite meals, but we do not have it that often. Joel is not a big fan of ham so I try not to make it too much. He would rather have ham this way than just plain though!

1-1 1/2 c of uncooked elbow macaroni
1/4 c butter
1/2 t salt
1/4 t pepper
1/4 c flour
1 3/4 c milk
8 ounces extra sharp cheddar cheese, shredded
1 c fully cooked ham, cubed.
Bread crumbs

Cook macaroni as directed. In separate pan, stir butter, salt, and pepper until butter is melted. Blend in flour. cook over low heat, stirring constantly (flour burns easily!), until mixture is smooth and bubbly. Remove from heat, stir in milk. Place back on heat and heat until boiling, stirring constantly. Boil and stir one minute, remove from heat. Stir in cheese until melted.

Place cooked macaroni in ungreased baking dish or bowl. Stir in cheese sauce. Mix in cubed ham. Sprinkle top generously with bread crumbs. Baked uncovered in 375 degree oven for 30 minutes.

This is so tasty and filling! Even the girls liked it, and they do not always like homemade macaroni and cheese.

Today, we had the second meeting of our cooking club. Cheryl made margherit pizza and tiramisu. It was so good. I can't even begin to describe. The pizza had fresh basil and tomatoes on. The tiramisu was delicious. The girls even ate both things (this after they had already eaten their lunch!). It is so fun to have such good friends. I seriously think we should take up a crafting club too! I am excited for next month because it is Jackie's turn, and Jackie is one of the best cooks I know. I would like to make her my full-time cook, but I think her husband would protest!

The girls opted (read with sarcasm) not to take a nap after we came home. They considered the two minutes their eyes were shut in the car three blocks from our house their nap. So they bounced around in their room, jumping on beds and such for an hour while I tried to do my Wii Fit and work some. They did go to bed early tonight!

Tomorrow looks like a rainy day so we will probably have to stay inside all day. If it weren't so chilly, I might let us go out, but it is chilly! So I will be glad when Friday comes. We are going to a local fair (as long as it isn't raining). It will be good to get out of the house. I think we are going to keep going out every morning for as long as possible. Hopefully December. Or January. But I always plan that and then it hits 45 degrees and I wimp out. I do not really like the cold!

Well my Scribblenauts is calling. You can imagine how much crafting I am getting done!

Bullets

I was going to post a recipe, but then I got sucked into a new game called Scribblenauts and need to go to bed now. So, this will have to be a lame post. I'll put our day in bullets to make it more exciting.

• Worked, breakfasted, dressed, and out the door by 9:00
• Delayed by neighbors outside:)
• Long walk and then playground for an hour and a half
• Shower
• School
• Lunch
• Pilly, don't touch Java's poop! (She didn't, she just examined it a little too closely for my liking)
• Nap
• Wii Fit and Pilates (It hurts to cough and laugh)
  
• More work
• Supper
• New Thrift Store
• Baths and bed for girls
  
• Scribblenauts

Wasn't that exciting? Ha! Alright, before you become over-excited, I am going to bed:)

Indian Summer Shirt and Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Indian Summer Shirt and Skirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Super Bubbles

We had a super-fun weekend. My sister and her family visited. Eric is back in school for his third year so their time is harder to get! Basically the only thing we did at our house this weekend was sleep and eat breakfast!

On Saturday, it rained and we all had to stay inside, but much fun was had anyways.

We parents took advantage of this useful thing called "grandparents" and enjoyed playing two heated games of Trivial Pursuit in the basement on the Wii. It should be noted that the men cheated and corroborated answers once they saw we were going to crush them. There were only four players and there were five of us so Randa and I were teamed up (not that we minded), and when we took an impressive lead, the three guys decided to help each other. B A D.

Meanwhile, this was happening upstairs:



Does that babysitter look awake to you? I think she looks a little too relaxed. Finding Nemo was watched, and fun was had. Thanks Gramma and Pap! Can we come back next weekend?

On Sunday, we had beautiful weather! Joel's grandmother had gotten the girls this huge bubble wand and tray and mix so we decided to try it out with some fun little friends. It was harder than we anticipated.



Do you get this excited about bubbles?



The kids each had several trys. We couldn't get the bubbles off of the wand without them popping.



Uncle Eric did a pretty good job with it, much better than the rest of us were doing!



The bubbles that did come off were significantly bigger than our regular bubbles:)



Then it was decided that the ground was not even enough so the tray was placed in the recently emptied bird bath.



Putting your fingers in a circle makes a pretty good bubble wand!



Hands work pretty well too.



Then this troublemaker came out and took over. He did do a better job than we had been doing, except for maybe Eric.



I think he had more fun than the rest of us put together. He was so funny!



Poor little Pilly. She chased bubbles and sister and cousins and a puppy and a mommy running with a puppy all over the yard and her little legs were quite worn out!

All good things must end, and we did eventually have to come home and return to our regularly scheduled programming. Some resisted:



But in the end, she was returned to her bed anyways.

Lovely. Perfectly lovely. I do enjoy weekends!

Bubble Gun

Joel's grandmother went on a trip with her Joy Group while we were there. They went into a shop that had lots of bubble stuff. She bought the girls a bubble gun. You can see inside of it and is has lots of flashing lights. Very exciting.



The poor woman was bamboozled though. She paid $17 for that bubble gun. We got one from Target last year for $2 or $3.



It does work very well and make beautiful bubbles!



We love bubbles. She also got us a giant bubble thing, the one where you can put the bubble over your kids' heads. Nice. Each package of mix only lasts for one time so we are saving it for a special occasion.

Well, tonight we are having movie night so no sewing. I did learn how to make fabric yo-yos today. Very neat. Have a lovely night.

Our Last Day

This is a squirrel. A very friendly squirrel. A squirrel who thought that we ought to have a treat for him.



This is a groundhog. He did not think that he needed to be so friendly as his buddy Squirrel and scampered away when he noticed me trying to get close to him.



This is a little girl who likes to hang. She also likes treats.



This bigger little girl performed some new tricks for us. She learned how to hand from her knees with no hands (with help). She also likes treats, and really, she thinks that is all we should eat, regardless of the rules of nutrition.



Pnut was so excited to see the motorcycle. Pap rides a motorcycle, you know.

These pictures are from the playground we visited Friday with the girls. We were going to go to a beach, but it was a little chilly. Instead, we went to a waterfront park near Joel's grandmother's. Pnut thought that we ought to swim anyways. Umm, no. In case you are wondering, Chesapeake Bay water stinks.



Pilly walked in the sand after we carried her over it to keep her feet clean. She didn't care about the plans of her parents!



What a nice place for a picnic!



Look Dad! You can jump in there and hold me!

So this was our last official day of vacation. We returned home on Saturday with one feverish child and another slightly cranky one. Naps were missed three of the four days we were there and we were not home so sleeping just wasn't as good in general. It was so nice to be able to go away and relax, and we so appreciate Joel's grandmother letting us come and stay and disturb her life for most of a week, but it is wonderful to be home! It was also nice that Joel didn't have to return to work until Tuesday!

Tonight, I am going to work on some sewing projects. Soon I will post some pictures of my new sewing shelves. Joel found a bookcase at the mission and it is wonderful! So much more organized. I do like to be organized, whether you may be able to tell from our house or not!

First, I have to eat an ice cream sandwich. Then I will sew. Have a happy evening!