Connect Four

Valentine's Day

2012-02-13T09:37:00.000-06:00

We're all ready for Valentine's Day.

Grammy made the girls these cute bracelets.

Camdyn has her outfit picked out and wants her hair done in a heart like this again.

Tomorrow night, we're doing family movie night. Pinterest has provided plenty of inspiration for dinner, so we're making homemade heart-shaped pizzas, with these Love Potion floats from Sweet Cheeks Tasty Treats.

I'm also planning on making these chocolate chip ice cream sandwiches from The Idea Room.

We all worked together yesterday to get the Valentine's ready for the kids to take to school tomorrow.

I made the labels on the computer, printed them off, cut, folded, and stapled. We stuffed them with a hot chocolate mix and strawberry heart-shaped marshmallows.

Etsy inspiration for Valentine's Day...

Love carries all from here

Love one another from here

personalized print from here

The beatles quote from here

I hope you spend tomorrow with all the ones you love!♥

Food, tv, and treadmills

2012-02-10T12:14:00.001-06:00

I'm still on board with the smoothie craze. It's fun trying different combinations.

This was plain greek yogurt, mixed berries, flax seed, and almond milk. Not bad, but a little too tart for the kids.

Cooper called this the dirt smoothie. It was spinach, mixed berries, banana, a clementine, flax seed, 3 oz of plain greek yogurt, chia seeds, and almond milk. It was delicious. I had it for lunch yesterday after my visit with doctor drill and fill. They finished my root canal which took all of fifteen minutes.

Have you ever had grilled cauliflower?
Delicious!
I adapted a recipe from here.

A whole wheat tortilla, hummus, broccoli sprouts, tomato, onion, lettuce, pepper, and a little feta cheese served with baked Lentil chips.

Broccoli sprouts are like super broccoli. They provide up to 100 times the power of mature broccoli to neutralize carcinogens.

I've been concentrating on eating better.
I honestly feel like I have more energy which is good, because God knows there's plenty to get done around here.

*******************************************

Once the kids are in bed, it's time to start up the DVR'd shows. Our DVR is pretty busy, we have a pretty big line up of shows we watch. A list that just got longer thanks to some great new shows.

Alcatraz. Lost fans, Hurley is back! Clyde and I are digging Alcatraz.

From executive producer J.J. Abrams (FRINGE, “Lost,” “Star Trek,” and the recent blockbuster “Super 8”) comes ALCATRAZ, a thrilling new series that follows a unique trio investigating the mystifying reappearance of 302 of Alcatraz’s most notorious prisoners and guards, 50 years after they vanished. via

The River. The two-hour pilot was almost packed with too much at once. That said, I'm still going to watch the next episode next week. It stars Bruce Greenwood, whom I still associate as Nick Parsons from Double Jeopardy. Funny how some roles stick in your mind.

Revenge, without a doubt one of my favorite shows on right now.

We also DVR The Good Wife, Criminal Minds, CSI, Bones, Unforgettable, and American Idol. Throw in a occasional episode of Hoarders or Pawn Stars and that DVR is well worth it.

Pathetic, right? This is why we're almost never in bed before midnight...and why I need more energy.

*********************************************

Walking on the treadmill has to be one of my least favorite things to do of all time. Our treadmill is pretty basic, no ipod plug in, no cool screen to mimic a walk outside, just a ridiculous button to take your pulse...or so it claims. So to battle my boredom, I turn on Pandora and usually play these two games...

Temple Run...oh my addictive. Currently, Cooper holds the record in our house with around 2.5 million points. It's a little tricky to play on the treadmill and I'm honestly waiting for the day I fall. I'm sure that will be quite the sight.

7 Little Words is like a crossword puzzle meets a word find. It's fun and time flies by when I'm playing it.

I also discovered that having Rowyn paint while I walk on the treadmill is not a good way to keep her occupied. She painted the dog.

Basketball and a banana-orange smoothie

2012-01-30T11:08:00.003-06:00

Well, Riley made it through her first Iowa Games tournament. She couldn't fall asleep the night before, undoubtedly nerves and excitement. They started at at 7:40am and played five games that day. She was one tired girl by the end and came home and took a long nap. She had a great time even though her team went 2-3. This was her first season playing basketball and it has been fun watching her progress. She's gained more confidence, learned the basics, and made some great new friends.

********************************************************

I jinxed myself at work last week. Someone asked me how I work at the desk and am not sick all the time. I made some comment about how my immune system has become pretty good since I've been there for nine years.

The next day I woke up with a sore throat.

Next time I'll just smile and say, "Oh, I do."

So, I decided to try some Vitamin C to combat the stupid virus.

So good! The kids each had some and once they got past the look of it and actually tried it, they emptied their glasses. Good stuff!

There are a plethora of smoothie or green monster recipes on the web, but since I only had bananas and clementines on hand that's what I used.

1½ to 2 cups baby spinach
3 clementines, peeled
2 bananas, peeled and sliced
½ to ¾ cup soy milk, almond milk, or skim
ice cubes

blend until smooth.

****************************************

source google

Inspiration for this Monday morning.

This morning I choose to be tired and sick of this sore throat.

Not very inspiring. Ha!

Friday randomness

2012-01-27T11:38:00.003-06:00

Well, I had my first root canal this week. Honestly, the pain I had before the root canal made the actual procedure seem like a walk in the park. I'd heard so many horror stories about them, that I damn near talked myself into an anxiety attack sitting in the chair waiting. I go back next week for him to finish it, but now that I know what to expect I feel much more relaxed.

source

************************************************

I saw this on Pinterest and laughed...

I saw this heart hair do on Pinterest too and did Camdyn's pony tail like it today.

I've had this wreath for awhile, but made a felt heart to go with it this year.

On the weekends, my kids love to sleep in the same room.
Sometimes, it works fine.
Sometimes, I want to rip my hair out by the roots because of the constant fighting.
When I'm at the end of my rope, I need to remember that there will be a day...probably all too soon...that they won't want to have a sleep in with their siblings.
They'll be teenagers.
They'll be too cool for that.

Cooper LOVES eggnog.
I don't mind it in small amounts, but it's so rich.
Clyde bought these for Cooper at the store...I had no idea So Co made eggnog.

******************************************

Tomorrow is a big day for Riley.
Her basketball team is playing in the Iowa Games.
She is excited...and nervous. I just hope she has fun. I think once they have their first game under their belt, she'll feel much better.

On Sunday, we're planning on keeping it pretty low key, but we'll definitely be watching the 2012 Pro Bowl...go NFC!

********************************************
Inspiration today from Miss Audrey Hepburn...

3lambsgraphics

Instafriday

2012-01-20T13:05:00.001-06:00

Our week by Instagram...

Zucchini, carrots, tomatoes, marinara sauce, on a whole wheat english muffin topped with feta.

Our sweet neighbor, Katie, helped Camdyn make a snowman. We're currently getting dumped on with more snow, so I'm sure they can build him a snow friend. :)

My parents took us out for dinner. So nice not to have to cook!

I had stuffed french toast with bananas and pecan sauce. Oh my delicious!

Lump had a smiley face breakfast, except it isn't smiling most likely due to the fact the chef threw an egg on its head.

Cheeks filled with water. Thankfully, she didn't decide it would be fun to spit it out.

I made a braided fabric key chain fob with inspiration from here.

I saw this on Pinterest and immediately thought of my sister Meghan. She's the queen of inappropriate, yet hilarious jokes.

We sat down to watch some of our DVR'd shows, but some of us didn't get to see them. Must have been a long day!

Snow day today, so I better come up with something for these stir crazy kids to do! Have a great weekend!

pinterest, puzzles, and a passage

2012-01-19T13:54:00.000-06:00

Lunch today via eatliverun on Pinterest. I made another pin. Better slow down here, two in one week. Yeah, the other day I made the homemade apple chips. They were horrendous. I overcooked them or something. They were like little cinnamon charcoals with no hint of apple to speak of. Clearly, I did something wrong, which is no surprise.

These turned out much better than my apple mess. I had mine on whole wheat english muffins that I had on hand and added some feta cheese to the top. It was yummy, but I think next time I'll go with a spicy hummus instead.

****************************************************
Rowyn and Booth and I spent most of the morning playing and doing puzzles.

Okay, Booth didn't do the puzzles, but we are seriously questioning whether or not he ate the missing corner piece.

What? He ate the puzzle piece!? Ahhh!

***************************************

Have you heard of the passage Mother Teresa wrote on the walls of her home for children in Calcutta, India? Some sources say she also wrote them on the walls of her very own room.

What an inspiration.

source artichokey studio on etsy

Rowyn gives another haphazard performance

2012-01-17T11:27:00.000-06:00

Rowyn gave another performance...this time as Belle. She dressed herself in three of Riley's shirts, a pair of my heels, and one messy hairdo.

*******************************************************

Inspiration from Pinterest. What a good reminder given all the ugliness we read or hear about daily on the news. The world is a beautiful place.

Saturday and The Spazmatics

2012-01-16T12:47:00.000-06:00

What a great weekend! We packed our fun in on Saturday and Sunday was just a take it easy and relax family day. The 49ers won and the Packers lost, my husband couldn't have asked for a better football weekend!

Cooper had his first basketball game on Saturday. He was so excited, he couldn't stop smiling. They dubbed themselves the 'Orange Crush' and he gets to play with many of his best buds from school and from our neighborhood. His coach is also his school principal...so, I expect Cooper will be on his best behavior. ;)

Saturday night was my work party at the Diamond Jo Casino. First we did team gambling...my team lasted less than five minutes. Ha! Afterwards, they had a burger/chicken bar for us. We then had the option to go bowling or go to a concert downstairs. We opted for the concert...and I'm glad we did!

We saw The Chicago Spazmatics: The Ultimate New Wave 80's show. They were awesome, the music brought me back to my Aqua Net days.

Oh 80's and your big hair, John Hughes films, Kirk Cameron, The Breakfast Club. I remember playing The Outsiders and fighting over who got to be Ponyboy, Dallas, and SodaPop. But your music, your music helped get me through those awkward teenage years.

*********************************************

I'll leave you with a link to some sweet and FREE printable from Sprik Space. Oh happy day is one of my favs!

Snow and stuff

2012-01-13T10:25:00.001-06:00

Not much to recap with Instagram this week, but...

Tap and ballet started back up this week.

She felt her arm needed the lint roller.

No one likes stray arm lint while you're practicing position one.

Valentine's Day sprinkles from The Calico Bean

Potato soup on a cold night.

***************************************************

The kids and Booth were very happy it finally snowed. It was freezing out there.
I just don't have that drive like I did when I was a kid to stay out there and play in that crap. But I sucked it up for awhile for the kids.

Booth LOVES the snow.
He was ridiculous when we first let him out.
Jumping, running, eating, rolling.
He had no interest in coming back inside.

Oh hell no!
I'm going back inside.

Sledding.

Riley played catch the snowball with Booth.

Our yard gets most of the snow from the snowplows.
Bad for the grass, but good for the kids!

Even Booth helped dig.

The face I got when I told him it was about time to come in for some hot chocolate.

Speaking of hot chocolate....this is what we've been drinking. I will admit the kids like it, but I'm not a big fan. I'll stick with the classic hot chocolate warmed on the stove.

************************************************
Inspiration today comes from Martin Luther King Jr...

A Feline, Food, and Felt

2012-01-12T13:00:00.004-06:00

We ran out of cat food the other day.
Our cat decided desperate times calls for desperate measures.
So he ate the dog food.

Booth was clearly all WTF?!
But he waited patiently, albeit not happily, until Three was finished.

And once Three left, he gobbled up every single remaining morsel.
Then he licked the empty bowl for several minutes.
Cat germs on his bowl, you know.

********************************************
I made a new recipe for dinner the other night.
Clyde and the kids were having grilled pork chops...not my cup of tea.
So, Clyde brought home a butternut squash for me instead.

I found a recipe to try on allrecipes.

Ingredients

1 (4 pound) butternut squash - peeled, seeded, and cubed
1/3 yellow onion, minced
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs
1 tablespoon minced fresh thyme
6 ounces crumbled blue cheese
sea salt and ground black pepper to taste
1/4 cup Italian bread crumbs

Directions

Preheat an oven to 425 degrees F (220 degrees C).
Toss the squash, onion, olive oil, 1/2 cup Italian bread crumbs, thyme, and blue cheese in a large mixing bowl. Season with salt and pepper. Pour the mixture into a large baking dish. Sprinkle 1/4 cup bread crumbs over the squash.
Bake in the preheated oven until lightly browned on top, 35 to 40 minutes.

I used blue cheese, but I'll probably try it with Feta instead next time, since none of kids liked the taste of the blue cheese. Anyway, I thought it was delicious!

**********************************************

For breakfast, we had corn muffins with honey butter. Corn muffins are like the all time easiest things to make and Rowyn loves them. Next time I think I'll add some chia seeds to the mix. Sneak in some extra protein, calcium, and vitamin b, among other things.

***********************************************

I actually made something I pinned.
I needed to, really.
I had to justify all the time I spend on there, pinning things.

So, I made the Valentine's day felt headband I pinned on Pinterest. I ended up used ribbon for mine, in hopes it stays on her head better.

******************************************************

My inspiration today comes from Katie Daisy of thewheatfield. Love her prints and this isn't any different. So, I'm getting off this computer, dragging Rowyn away from Jem and the Holograms (whoa, been awhile since I've seen so much 80's hair!), and we're headed out to play in the SNOW!

Yes, it finally snowed. Actually, it dumped on us. Nothing like easing you into it.
Yesterday afternoon it was in the 50's...now we're working on windchills in the single digits.
You sneaky winter.

Links, Lego's, and Life

2012-01-10T09:54:00.000-06:00

After taking all the Christmas decorations down, my house always seems so drab. I know people are always in a hurry to get them down to get back to normalcy, but I miss all the colors from the tree and lights and everything else.

So we made old school rainbow paper chains to add some color.
Just like the ones we made back in grade school.
The pack of construction paper was from the dollar tree.

Better. :)

****************************************************
I ran into Wally World the other day and they had a big advertisement right when you came in the door for the new Lego Friends. They look like Polly Pocket meets Lego...and they're pink and purple and all things girly. Have you seen them yet? Rowyn and Camdyn have decided they want every set.

Olivia's house

butterfly beauty shop

tree house

*************************************************

Inspiration.

While it says five simple rules, we all know they aren't always that easy.
But that's life, right?
Internal and external struggles.
In the pursuit of happiness.
So, I like these simple rules.
They give me inspiration.
Something I should reflect on when life gets in the way or when my brain starts over processing.

source

Cleaning and Sleeping Beauty

2012-01-05T14:01:00.001-06:00

Seriously, it's like 50 degrees out right now.
It's January. What?!
I don't really care if it never snows, this is my kind of winter weather. :)

I've been cleaning and organizing like a mo fo.
It takes hours and I hate it.
But I love how good it feels when you're finished.
Don't you?

Today I finished my closet, the hall closet, and the bathrooms.
I have a bag for Goodwill, a bag of old towels for the Humane Society, and two bags of trash.
Purging is good.

I took a break to make lunch for Rowyn and she announced she is not Rowyn anymore, but Sleeping Beauty instead.

So I interviewed her.
It's long, like seven minutes long, just to warn you.

Going for a walk outside later, for sure!

Inspiration and a craft

2012-01-04T11:52:00.001-06:00

Did you make any New Year's resolutions?

I'm determined to get this house organized.
Finish all the things we've been putting off around the house.
I want to exercise more.
I want to eat better.
I want to craft more.
I want to be more aware of the things I have and be thankful for them everyday. I often have tunnel vision and I'm focused so much on something that I miss everything else wonderful around me. I get wrapped up in one thing, whether bad or good, and it consumes me.

Every day is a new day and should begin that way. Fresh.
Everything around us is changing, no matter how subtle and if we would only just stop for a moment, we would see it.
You know, the whole stop and smell the roses thing.
Well it's true, we need to.
Every day.

Etsy never fails me for inspiration. Like this from the erinjaneshop.

Love this...how fitting it's from theloveshop.

What a good reminder and so very true.
From grassgreendesign

*********************************************************

Riley needed something to hold her Kindle and I wasn't prepared to spend over $20 on something, so I made her one instead with things I already had on hand; fabric, felt, a button, and an elastic hair band.

The smile on her face when I gave it to her was all I needed. :)

New Year's Eve

2012-01-02T18:28:00.001-06:00

New Year's Eve 2011 was dinner and a movie. The kids all put in their requests for what they wanted, so we had: salami, cheese and crackers, chips and dip, pizza rolls, cocktail wieners, deli ham, and mom's request...baked squash.

Goofy faces, of course.

We watched Shirley Temple's version of Heidi. After one complaint that it was in black and white, the kids were mesmerized for the rest of the show.

We made Buckeyes for dessert. Yum! Just what I needed, more calorie consumption this holiday break.

Anyway, it was fun...low key, but fun.

Here's to hoping for nothing but the best in twenty twelve!

Christmas 2011

2012-01-01T12:52:00.001-06:00

On Christmas, my sister Caitlin, her boyfriend Ryan, and her naughty dog Maddux drove in from Chicago. Meghan and Carrie also arrived after having spent Christmas Eve with Carrie's family. They brought Scout and Tucker with them, so as usual, it was a little busy with dogs, cats, and kids. Just enough madness to remind my dad to take some Xanax. Ha!

Clyde bought us bears fans a suitable wine. :)

My neighbor made the cheesecake. In a word...divine. Seriously. She owns her own cheesecake business and ships them often, so let me know if you want her information.

After dessert, we had some Tom and Jerry's and sat by the fire to play Trivial Pursuit. So much fun and always a good laugh.

Just in time for Christmas, my Amaryllis bloomed.
I'm surprised since my youngest managed to snap the stalk last week while farting around with it.

Christmas Eve

2011-12-31T22:21:00.000-06:00

Every Christmas Eve, we go to my parents for a Christmas Eve picnic. We have hors d'oeuvres and eat picnic style around the fireplace.

My mom wrapped all her pillows like presents...cute!

We got to enjoy family time, including my cousin's little freshly one-year-old daughter who has the cutest belly laugh ever.

Grandpa brought out his tank.

Which Cooper thoroughly enjoyed!

The food was amazing and I don't even want to think of the calories I consumed this past week. Sorry for the lighting in the photos, no flash because I hate it.

One of my all time favorite holidays, which could only have been better if my siblings were all there. We missed you Kathleen, John, and family, Rosa, Brendan and Christina, Caitlin and Ryan, and Meghan and Carrie!

Christmas morning and more

2011-12-30T14:12:00.000-06:00

I haven't uploaded pictures from my camera yet...because I forgot it at my parent's house on Christmas Eve, so iphone pictures it is. Christmas Eve pictures yet to come.

We told the kids they couldn't come get us on Christmas morning until 7am. By 6, we could hear them whispering in excitement, love that! At 7am exactly, they came barreling into our room, "Can we open presents now, it's 7!?" Rowyn was in bed with us (as usual) still sleeping, so after coaxing her to wake up we all headed for the living room.

Halfway through the opening, Rowyn had a mini meltdown when Camdyn asked to see her doll.

Booth decided to put himself in the middle of the action, undoubtedly waiting for a stray Polly or Barbie shoe to land his way.

This picture tells it all--- mad chaos and presents ripped open in a nano second.

The only thing sleeping was ~~a mouse~~ Tashi...on Booth's dog bed. She ate the mouse earlier that morning and left it on the deck. Yuck.

****************************************************

My sister Kathleen and her family came in town on Thursday. After exchanging gifts, we headed down to Vinny Vanucchi's for dinner.

Isabel and Grammy deciding what to order

Caroline, John, Mikey, Cooper, and Grammy

Kathleen and Isabel made little gift piñata's for the kids...packed with a bell, candy, and little Christmas trinkets. Fun!

We each had a salad with the house dressing and bruschetta for an appetizer...which I ate too quickly to take a picture.

I had angel hair pasta with VINNY SAUCE - A Blend of Olive Oil, Garlic, Basil and Hot Sauce. Delicious...with a little kick.

Today, we're heading down to go swimming at the Hotel Julien.

Hope you had a great Christmas!

Instafriday

2011-12-23T12:02:00.001-06:00

December 19th was my dad's birthday. He chose to go to Texas Roadhouse for dinner, since none of us have been there yet. The kids couldn't believe they not only give you peanuts while you wait, but you can just toss the shells on the ground when you're done. They all decided they were glad they didn't have to clean the floor at the end of the day. Ha!

I don't care to think about how many of those buns I ate. The butter was pretty awesome too...although my dad hated it. What?!

For an appetizer, we had a baby blossom. It was delicious! Rowyn gobbled it up...and when my mom asked her what she was eating, Rowyn said, "French fries!" Little did she know. ;)

I had a salad, salmon, and fries with cheese. No calories there.
My husband and my dad had steaks that I'm pretty sure were still mooing. Gross.

All in all, we had a good time. My biggest complaint would be that it is SO loud there. It was hard to have a conversation with my mom across the table, because I could hardly hear her.

Aside from that, it was fun. The staff broke out in line dancing periodically...it was somewhat reminiscent of the Wilderness restaurant we went to at Disney. There's a saddle you can sit on while they sing to you for your birthday...my dad declined, thank God. Instead they gave him a "Yee haw!" and announced he was turning 17 again.

********************************************

Booth thought it would be fun to shred our down comforter. There were feathers strewn all through the house. I.was.not.amused.

********************************************

Yesterday, Clyde took Riley and Cooper to an Iowa Hawkeye basketball game, our friends from up the street went with. The tickets were $10 and that came with a free hot dog and drink...not a bad deal.

The kids said they had a fantastic time and Iowa won...even better!

I had planned on doing some wrapping while they were gone, but a certain three-year-old was up until after 11pm. So, looks tonight will be some power wrapping. I don't know why I leave it until the last minute every year.

Actually, I do...because procrastination is my middle name.

Making pins

2011-12-19T09:42:00.001-06:00

We did some baking this weekend, both things I pinned on Pinterest. I certainly pin more things than I actually try, but did manage to make these two...one much less labor intensive than the other.

On Saturday we made melted Rollo's. According to the website I pinned the recipe from, we made 'bastard Rollo turtles', because we left out the pecans and replaced them with white chocolate chips. Easiest, fastest recipe ever. No pictures, because I accidently deleted them on Sunday and couldn't take new pictures, because they were ALL gone by then.

Saturday night, I made a batch of sugar cookie dough...I followed the recipe that I pinned and let the dough chill overnight.

On Sunday, we started the all afternoon process of rolling, cutting, baking, frosting, and decorating. While I rolled and cut, Clyde and Riley made the Royal Icing (also from the same pinned recipe).

Then we decorated...

Rowyn dressed herself, in case you weren't sure. ;)

Daddy helped with the royal icing...which is a royal pain in the ass, by the way. Kudos to bakers that work with that stuff, because trying to get the consistency right and having patience outlining, filling in, and then decorating. oh em gee...not for me.

I'm going to a neighbor's house tonight for a cookie exchange, so I decorated a few dozen to take with. Thank God I don't bake for a living.

The kids did a great job decorating theirs, very colorful...perhaps a little hard to chew due to hundreds of sprinkles...but they had fun. The recipe I followed, while time consuming, was very tasty and the royal icing is really pretty once it dries.

What are some of your favorite go-to recipes for Christmas?

Petey Woody Charlie

2011-12-16T12:46:00.000-06:00

I can't believe the countdown to Christmas is in the single digits.
Yikes!

I keep thinking about all the things left to do before then.
We've had two down with the stomach flu and I'm praying that's where it ends. I've bleached every surface in my house. Next up is santizer baths for the kids. Ha. Seriously though, the stomach flu hits, I get pink eye, and a note comes home from school that someone in Camdyn's Kindergarten class has head lice and I need to check her head for 15 minutes. Perfect, I'll look in between vomiting sessions. Anyway, Isn't it too cold for lice? Geez.

I'm making the same teacher/bus driver gifts that I made at the end of the school year last year.
I found a lot of cute ideas on Pinterest, but in the end I went with easy and practical.

Yesterday, we made these cookies with a recipe I followed from here.
So, I made them yesterday...and they were gone by last night.
I guess that means they went over pretty well...well, except for Riley who spit hers in the sink when I told her they had cranberries in them. That was dumb...a little white lie would have been much better.

Oh, they're just chewy little chocolates...they're supposed to be red for Christmas.

No, instead I tell her the truth, which quickly elicits her gag reflex.

I got sucked into all the Elf on Shelf crap. Honestly, the thought that this little stuffed creature might stop some of the fighting and naughtiness around here, was enough to sell me on it.

So, meet Petey Woody Charlie.
Yes, he has three first names. Why? Because they even fought over what to name him. Tears were involved, yelling, and even a slap when someones name wasn't drawn out of the hat.

So, I used my executive decision to name him Petey Woody Charlie. Everyone won. Well, except Rowyn whose name choice was Bear Poop.
Bear Poop, really? Where does that even come from? (The idea, not the poop...duh, I know that) Ha!

In honor of Instafriday...my one and only Instagram picture the entire week.

After circling around on the bed fifteen times, he finally found just the right spot and stayed there all afternoon. Lazy dog. Plus, he pissed the cats off, because they claimed the foot of our bed long before Booth was here.

Have a great and productive weekend! :)

Instafriday

2011-12-09T11:30:00.000-06:00

Friday! What a week, extra shifts at work, doctors appointments, dentist appointments, school functions, basketball practice, Christmas decorating, cleaning, laundry...and the basement is still a mess from last weekends storage room clean up.

Rowyn waiting for her xray...can you tell she was a little nervous? She cooperated and everything came back fine.

Waiting to pick up the kids...heat cranked up and Snoop dee oh double gee provided the entertainment. I love the Holly station right now, but need some variety.

It looks like Rowyn organized a Fisher Price prayer group on my nightstand. She also managed to get Eucerin lotion on the nightstand, down comforter, pillow, and how did we know it was her? Little lotion footprints leading to her bedroom. Guilty.

St. Nick found our house.

Back to the doctor's office. Three weeks ago, she had a wart removed on her hand. He used something he called Beetle Juice...and yes, it really is from a beetle. Gross. Anyway, it was horrible, traumatic. She had to keep it on for 24 hours and it was terrible. She screamed, she cried, she didn't sleep. I about died when we took the bandage off.

No wonder she was crying! OUCH!

So, here we are back at the office three weeks later for a recheck. Rowyn tried letting her baby be the patient. Nice try.

So, apparently the virus (yes, warts are caused by a virus...not handling a toad as my not-so-bright coworker tried telling me) was pushed out to the outside of that horrendous blister. So instead of one central wart, she now has a ring of little warts. Seriously, I almost cried for her. I showed him the picture on my phone, because I couldn't believe that's NORMAL. He assured me it was. What?! So, she had to get another round of Beetle Juice. Poor girl. She had a rough night last night...and she, Mommy, and Daddy are pretty tired today. This had better be the end of it, I don't like feeling like I'm torturing my three-year-old. :(

In much better news, Riley couldn't wait to tell me she qualified for her school spelling bee! In addition to telling her how proud we are of her, we also emphasized that this is for FUN. Riley has a tendency to stress herself out and holds herself to some pretty high standards. Hopefully, win or lose she just has a good time.

Have a great weekend! Shopping finished yet?

Christmas and Collages

2011-12-08T13:31:00.001-06:00

I've slowly been getting the Christmas decorations up around here and even managed to send an entire box of things that don't fit my taste anymore off to Goodwill. Every year I'd just leave them in the bins in the basement...why?? Let someone else enjoy them.

I found this two-tiered basket at Goodwill last week...it was tucked in between two bins of clothing.

The Christmas spinner my parents gave us. My kids love it and ask us to light it every night at dinner. Cooper always asks why it can't spin faster. You know, so quickly that the figures are a blur as they zoom by. He'd probably also like it to come with a remote control, so he could fly it around the kitchen.

Have you tried making a collage with Picnik yet? It even allows you to print them off at home.

Proof

2011-12-06T14:35:00.000-06:00

Over Thanksgiving, my sisters took turns riding the four wheeler. Caitlin said her boyfriend Ryan would need photographic proof she rode it...and did so without injuring herself. :P

Mud...from riding a four wheeler? No way!
Ha!

A Party

2011-12-05T11:27:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Camdyn's birthday on Saturday. She wanted a Tinkerbell party with pizza, pop, Cheetos, and chocolate cupcakes.

Riley helped me hang green and white streamers.

Chips and salsa, peanuts, and Camdyn's request...Cheetos.

Cupcakes in flower cupcake holders I found at Hobby Lobby.

The birthday girl doesn't like frosting...weird, I know.

She wanted a picture with her Aunt Meghan...who, of course, couldn't just smile like a normal person.

Take one.

Take two.

Take three. Finally! :)

Camdyn geeked out, she got her own pair of binoculars from her aunt Meghan and Carrie!

From Uncle Brendan and Aunt Christina...cute! She's already made several thumb pictures for me.

A replacement Ariel...Booth ate the head and legs off the last one.

No nail polish remover needed. Perfect.

So excited, because...

Grammy and Papa bought her the whole set of fairies!

Hugs for Papa. Notice her sister, the train wreck...risqué Snow White, longingly eyeing the fairy box on the floor.

Happy 6th Birthday, Camdyn!

Six

2011-12-01T15:03:00.000-06:00

Camdyn Elisabeth is six today.

It's hard to believe it has been six years since that snowy day we headed to the hospital to have our little strawberry blonde, blue-eyed girl. Funny thing is, she was my easiest labor...but has proved to be our most interesting child since then. She was an early walker, an early climber, always busy, and had such an infectious smile and never ceased to make us giggle.

Sometime early on, my sister Meghan started calling her Lumpy. I'm not even sure how or why it started...but it stuck. Now that she's getting older, the old Lumpy nickname only seems to come out when she's up to something or done something silly.

Wee Camdyn.

Little Lumpy.

Always such a snuggler.

Definitely her father's daughter!

Probably one of the many reasons Tashi is antisocial.

I remember Lumpy taking on her uncle Brendan. Pretty sure she won.

Oh Lump. No wonder it took 100 pictures to get one halfway decent shot. Someone always had to be silly.

Looking back at pictures, these past six years seem like a blur. It makes me sad to think she's six years old already, yet proud to see the little girl she's becoming. Camdyn is so creative, she's an amazing artist, I'm always hearing how she is the most polite little girl. She's sweet, she's caring, and yeah, sometimes wears my patience thin...but then again, they all do from time to time. Honestly, I wouldn't change a thing...she's packed full of personality and I love that crazy girl.

Happy 6th Birthday, Lumptastic...we love you!

Thankful

2011-11-30T12:13:00.000-06:00

A blog post! Only took me 2 weeks to update. Geesh.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving, how about you?
I have so much to be thankful for, first and foremost that I was able to spend time with my family. Nothing better. I miss them oh so much and wish time wouldn't go by so quickly when they're here.

I'm also thankful my sister took pictures, because I took zero pictures. Not even an iphone picture. Lame. So, thank you Caitlin for all these pictures.

We had dinner at my parents house. My mom always makes the most amazing meal and her presentation is always gorgeous. This year she did it all with bad back pain...anyone who's ever had back pain knows how miserable it is. Poor mom. :(

The cute relish turkey she made. Her inspiration came from Pinterest...she actually made something she pinned...I'm so bad at that.

Camdyn and Cooper each got a turkey leg. Camdyn devoured hers...literally, down to the bone. Ew.

Pumpkin cheesecake...divine!

Her fall mantel.

Her built-in china cabinet. Love!

Rodiggity provided mood music.

Caitlin and her bff got up and did the Turkey Trot that morning. Way too early for me...I slept in until 9! HA!

Riley was busy all weekend making scarves for Christmas presents. She still has to show her mother how to knit.

We had a great holiday weekend, hope you did as well!

Basketball and Butterfinger Bars

2011-11-14T11:13:00.000-06:00

This weekend was filled with a basketball double-header, basement and bedroom cleaning, and work for me. Flu season is starting, so we've been super busy. So much coughing and hacking and sniffling...I feel like wearing a Hazmat suit to work.

Anyway, basketball...it's fun to see how much confidence she's gained since the beginning of the season. She's learning the fundamentals and having fun doing it. Perfect!

Rebounding!

She has a great coach, he's done a great job helping them learn the basics.

************************************************************

I also made the homemade butterfinger bars with inspiration from Caitlin...I used the same recipe she did from Bunsinmyoven.

Three ingredients and no baking...how easy is that?

It is crazy how much they taste like Butterfingers, CRAZY! I kept mine in the fridge, because she mentions they're more crisp than chewy that way. Please excuse the horrendous lighting, I forgot to take an after picture until later that night.

Even Booth thought they smelled yummy, he tried on several occasions to help himself to ~~ten~~ one of them.

Friday

2011-11-11T15:39:00.002-06:00

Our week by Instagram ~

Saturday, Meghan and Cooper organized my parents basement.

They got rid of quite a bit of crap...it looks great down there.

The basement staircase has a door that leads under the stairs.

The kids think it is a secret fort.
When they opened the door, they found writing on it. It was from when we were kids.

It said, "People in the clubb" and listed Meghan, Brendan, and several neighbor kids. Then someone added, "Not Caitlin".

Which made me giggle. I'd forgotten how much fighting Caitlin and Meghan used to do when they were little.

After the clean up, we headed to Carrie's farm in Wisconsin.
That's their farm straight ahead.

Last few flowers hanging on.
I miss summer already.

I love the sun shining through.
Heavenly.

Rowyn fell asleep watching Rapunzel.
Nice boots Ro-dig.

We celebrated my mom's birthday at Red Robin.
She's beautiful...inside and out.
They sang Happy Birthday to her and announced she was turning 21 again. :)

Camdyn had so much chocolate milk, I surprised she didn't float away.

I had a garden burger, sweet potato fries, and a Cabernet.

We got a new car this week. I'm pretty much in love with it.
My dad got it washed for me today. Free car wash for veteran's.
Thanks, Dad.
For the car wash and for protecting our freedom.
Thank you to all our veteran's...those with us and those not.

Snow

2011-11-10T15:39:00.000-06:00

Well, it happened.
We woke up Wednesday morning to white crap.
The first snowfall of the season.
Rowyn came running into the room, "I wanna make snow angels!"

So, after waking myself up enough with some coffee...out we went.
I don't know who was more excited, Rowyn or Booth.

He wanted to play with her in the worst way.

So, she threw handfuls of snow in the air for him to play with.

Then she climbed to the top of the hill and announced,
"I'm on top of the world!"
I love that girl.

Back to crazy Booth flying past.

And finally...

Snow angels.

The first snowfall is always the best.

A Wisconsin Dairy Farm

2011-11-07T09:16:00.000-06:00

We were invited to Carrie's farm in Wisconsin on Saturday. What an eye-opening experience for us city folk. It's crazy the amount of dedication it takes to be a dairy farmer. You have to milk twice a day...and it's not like you can just wake up and say "Eh, I don't feel like working today." Their poor udders would explode from engorgement. Carrie's dad goes to bed every night by 8:30 and he's back up by 3:30am.

Three Thirty AM! That's not early morning, that's middle of the night. To go to bed at 8:30...we don't even begin watching our dvr'd shows until after 9pm.

Dairy farming is a whole different world to me, and I marveled at the dedication, the drive, the hard work...all so we can have milk in our cereal and cream in our coffee.

A two-day-old calf.

The dogs were very interested in it. The smaller Golden Retriever is Carrie's mom's dog, Chaney. He, Tucker, and Booth all came from the same breeder in Wisconsin.

The kids really loved all the calves they had, much less intimidating than the big cows.

The kids couldn't believe that every cow had a name.

The milking parlor was unbelievable. Every day...twice a day...they milk over 65 cows. Crazy!

Every cow has a name...this one was Shakira. You know my hips don't lie and I'm starting to feel it's right. Haha...no, she didn't break down into a beat, but she was swinging those hips waiting for her turn at the gigantic Medela-like pump.

Rowyn found herself another boyfriend. That's Maverick, Carrie's four-year-old nephew. Right now he just hangs out and plays when his dad and mom are helping milk, but I imagine he'll be right in there helping once he's a little older. My kids growl and moan when I ask them to make their bed...they have no idea how easy they have it compared to the hard work farm families do every day.

Cooper could have played on the tractor all day.
For real.

I think she just realized we were all wearing Iowa Hawkeye gear...right in the middle of Badger country. Haha!

Thank you for inviting us to your farm, Carrie. We had a great time and learned so much...and we'd love to come back next summer! :)

Instafriday

2011-11-04T13:34:00.001-05:00

Friday by Instagram

We were a little early for dance class, Rowyn was doing her best to be patient...but it's tough when you're so excited.

When we went to bed the other night, this is the mess we found on our bedroom floor...right next to a sleeping Rowyn.
The top left corner looks like Tink's blond hair ran on the carpet...or even worse, she had bladder incontinence. I assure you it's neither. It must be from the photo effect.

A Bordallo Pinheiro gold duck plate I picked up at GW for 50 cents. Turns out it's a rare discontinued plate worth $500! Not. More like ten bucks, but I like the color and it will work well on my November mantel.

Which I've started putting together.

I got a new canvas in the mail this week...I seriously stalked the UPS man waiting for it. It was from Snapfish and I had a 35% off coupon code, plus I went through Ebates which gives you 20% back. Pretty sweet deal!

It's 50's day today in Kindergarten...Lumpy was all ready to go.

Clyde's going this weekend with a friend. He's a Michigan fan and his friend is an Iowa fan. I told Clyde it might be a long ride home for him after Michigan loses. Ha!

Yesterday, my husband managed to break two needles on my sewing machine while trying to mend a pair of jeans. He even broke the heavy duty denim needle. I think he needs to just stay away from my sewing machine before he blows it up or something.
Have a great weekend!

Catalogs

2011-11-03T13:20:00.000-05:00

Rowyn had her Halloween party at dance class yesterday.

She helped me stuff treat bags before we left, complete with Pirate's Booty. My kids love that stuff.

Dressed and ready to go, complete with attitude.

Once we were home, we checked the mail and found a Target toy catalog. Rowyn sat down and started circling all the things she wants...which clearly was most of the book. I remember doing that as kids and of course, fighting over who circled it first...because we all know there is only one of them in the whole wide world.

So, while she was wrapped up in toy dreamland, I figured why couldn't I make my own grown up dream list? If I was the lucky lottery ticket holder in Connecticut, it would be a shopping list instead of a dream list. *sigh* That stupid computer drawing forgot to pick my numbers. Again.

Erin's Dream List:

Have you seen the ads for this Electrolux washer and dryer...you know, the ones with Kelly Ripa? Well, they wash clothes in 15 minutes and dry them in 14. What?! There are six people in this house, laundry is out of control...these are genius.

The Keurig B60

The Silhouette Cameo...crazy cool the things this can do

The Canon EOS 5D Mark II...it's my dream list, why not go for the mack daddy? ;)

Adobe Lightroom 3

This hamper and most of the rest of Anthropologie.

This armoire from Dwell Studio.

Okay, I have to stop. I could go on and on and on. Couldn't we all? Don't we see things we'd like everyday?

In a magazine.
In a store.
At a friend's house.
On the internet.
On the television.

I think that's why I like Pinterest so much. It's a giant catalog of things I like, inspirational things, things I'd love to have, new ideas for my home. I guess what it boils down to is that even after all these years, I'm still 'circling' the things I'd like...just in a different format. :)

Halloween 2011

2011-11-01T09:35:00.001-05:00

Happy Halloween!

Holy crap do we have a ton of candy.
Seriously way too much.
I honestly feel like throwing half of it out.
It's just saving my kids from a cavity.
Or me from extra calories...cause God knows I've already been picking through their bags.

Halloween and the days leading up were busy. On Friday, Cooper was invited to a Spooky Forest party at a friends house. Fun!

On Saturday, Riley was invited to a Halloween party put on by two neighbor girls...little party planners in the making. :) Riley had a great time and said the girls did a neat job with decorations. Riley and I made the dipped Oreos for her to bring with.

For Halloween, we had two vampires, two witches, and a punk rocker.

Riley wouldn't wear a cape..."just normal clothes, because that's what real vampires look like"...she did go with teeth and makeup to make her look pale. I'm surprised she didn't want glitter so she could sparkle in the sunlight. Bella Swan. ;)

I think Cooper was channeling his inner Eddie Munster...and he insisted on black vampire teeth, unlike the normal white ones he wore on Friday. In black and white, it looks like his mouth is just open. Ha!

Booth...clearly thinking,"I can't believe she made me wear this."

Insta Friday

2011-10-28T12:56:00.001-05:00

Friday already! Normally that would be great, except it's my weekend to work. Boo.

Breakfast on Monday was a pumpkin cupcake...yummy! My mom made them for dessert on Sunday and was nice enough to send the extras to our house. She made the recipe Caitlin shared, except these aren't vegan.

Dessert on Tuesday!
What a perfect combination...Hawkeyes and chocolate!

The kids found him crawling down the window. They were amazed by how big it was.

A gift from Meghan and Carrie...perfect on a whole wheat english muffin.

Halloween cards from Grammy. ♥

We took Booth to the pond on Tuesday and I found this little yellow flower just starting to bloom. Stay away cold weather!

The owlery at Hogwarts. :)

Conferences.
Mommy and Daddy are very proud of all three of them!

Fun with Picnik.

Leggings

2011-10-27T15:36:00.001-05:00

Target had women's knee highs socks on sale this week, so I picked up a few pairs...but not for me, for Rowyn.

I cut the feet off, sewed a hem, and...

now they're baby leggings. I saw the idea here last year and have been meaning to try it. She needed something to go with her aqua leotard, so I gave it a whirl. So easy. I'm a beginner sewer and if I can do it anyone can. I promise.

This little girl was not very nice after her last ballet class.
She wanted me to stop at the gas station to get her something to drink after class, but I explained we'd get something as soon as we got home.
She wasn't pleased.
Apparently, she devised a plan to show her displeasure.
Once we were home, I opened the door to let her out and it was then I realized her tights looked like swiss cheese.
The little snot face used God knows what to strategically poke holes all over her tights.

She threw a tantrum when I took this picture and told her I was putting it on the computer so all her boyfriends could see.
I should make her wear them as her Halloween costume.
What would you call it?
Naughty Toddler?
Precocious Preschooler...she took the fashion world by storm?

Pigskin

2011-10-24T11:13:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was Cooper's last football game, I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little happy about the season being over. I'm looking forward to things calming down a little with our schedule...and I'm more than happy to stop finding pads, jerseys, and cleats lying around the house. Not to mention the cup Booth almost ate the other day...and I don't mean the drinking kind. ;)

Clyde pointed out this picture busted Cooper for carrying the ball incorrectly...he's supposed to have his hand over the end of the ball. I also love how the little guy is out front blocking for him. There were a lot of little guys playing yesterday, but what they lacked for in size, they made up for in intensity and drive. So fun to watch!

**********************************************

On Friday, Rowyn and I made our version of the Three Little Pigs.

We ran out of pigs, so we substituted Hamm the Cars version.

The kids have had more fun with this...and I love hearing the stories they come up with while playing.

Can you believe Halloween is only a week away?! We're still getting costumes together. Riley and Cooper are still going back and forth on what they want to be. I'm just really hoping the weather is nice enough we don't have to bundle up in coats.

Insta Friday

2011-10-21T11:30:00.001-05:00

Insta-Friday

My birdcage has a new occupant.

The kids school pictures came home.
Someone always has to have a goofy smile.

This is going to hang in the laundry room to organize all those papers that come home from school.

I bought these at Hob Lobs for them to hang their backpacks on.
Finally some organization!

Camdyn has decided she wants to be a witch for Halloween, so I'm making a shirt to go along with her hot pink tutu and striped tights.

Rowyn found an old wall plaque in my closet and used it to tell me the story of the 3 little pigs...Rowyn style.

"I'll blow your house down...no you won't, I have brick-es!"

Also, the scabs on her forehead and under her nose were from her biffing it down the driveway. :/

Sleep and Ballet

2011-10-20T09:01:00.002-05:00

I'm watching Regis and Kelly while I blog this morning. I try and watch them a few days a week, especially on days like last week when they had my other husband, David Boreanaz on. Anyway, they make me laugh and that's a good way to start the day.

Rowyn is still sleeping, so I'm enjoying the me time. Rowyn is our crazy sleeper. By crazy, I mean we always find her in the most awkward positions, in the most uncomfortable places...sleeping like a baby. Last week, she fell asleep on a pile of books she had pulled out of her book case.

Or half on, half off our bed.

Yesterday, I found her resting on the couch.

She was resting up for her first class of ballet and tap!

Before leaving, I wanted to get a few pictures of her...she even wore her baby legs as little leg warmers. I'm glad I didn't get rid of them yet, we certainly have gotten our use out of them.

At first, she was less than cooperative.

Warming up a little...

There, finally a big smile! :)

So, off we headed to class...

She got right to work hanging her coat up, getting her shoes ready, and then off they went...a whole group of 3-year-olds tapping all over the wood floors...and one instructor, she must be a brave, brave woman. They don't allow parents in the dance room, so as we left (my mom came with us)...all we could hear was tap, tap, tapping and lots of little voices. My mom and I walked down to Cafe Manna Java for a light lunch and some coffee.

Afterwards, we headed back to pick up Rowyn from class. She told me she had fun and made fee (three) friends. When I asked if she could show me her dance moves, she told me she couldn't, it was "too much work dancing". Drama much?

PB and a Book

2011-10-17T11:44:00.001-05:00

What a great weekend...but man does it seem like a blur. They always go so quickly, don't they?

My sister Caitlin, brought me the peanut butter I ~~asked~~ begged her for. She was in town for her 10-year high school reunion, which happened to fall on the same night as my 20-year high school reunion. Yes, I'm that old.

It was great to spend time with her, but I really wish we had more time. What I wouldn't give for a shopping trip with my mom and sisters!

Breakfast was so delicious. No lie.

**************************************************************

I worked on Sunday and since Cooper and Clyde had football, my mom watched the girls for us.

Can I just say they have the best Grammy ever?!
She's always playing with them, crafting with them, reading to them...and yesterday, she took them for a walk and they each collected leaves and nuts, which they then made into a leaf book for me.

They recycled cardboard for the top and bottom, the stick and twine held it together, and then Grammy helped them iron the leaves onto waxed paper.
Can you tell she used to be a Kindergarten teacher?

What a cute craft project!
Thanks, Mom!

Instafriday

2011-10-14T11:08:00.000-05:00

My week by instagram

It's my birthday today!

We actually celebrated last weekend.

While at my parents house, the kids found a mature giant puffball mushroom.

They kicked it and were amazed by the greenish/yellow noxious cloud that followed.

Ok, really it's spores, but it looks like an airboure toxin being released.

The kids played for quite some time in the leaves.

We live in a newer subdivision, which means small trees, which means barely any leaves, which makes for a boring fall.

Booth drove.

Birthday soup! A family recipe my dad makes me every year on my birthday. This year he made a beef version and a veggie version. Served with Panera bread...delicious!

My mom made me a card, complete with a zipper flower.

Love it!

Cooper reading Shel Silverstein to Camdyn.

She loves the poems and laughs and laughs!

And they're not fighting for once, a rarity.

Proud of Riley for being selected...she said they spent the day doing all kinds of science experiments.

Fun!

I love my UPS man.

Very little blogging this week, we've been painting!

I woke up to find a pink bag on my dresser. ♥

Have a great weekend! My sister Caitlin will be in town, can't wait!

Football

2011-10-11T13:44:00.000-05:00

This weekend we went to Cooper's football game...what a perfect day for a game!

There he is, 35.

It's hard to figure out what's happening half the time, because they're all bunched up in a big blob. I much prefer football on the flat screen, with close ups, and commentary. ;)

Every team has their own cheerleaders.
Riley had no interest in cheering...way too girly, you know.
I think Lumpy might use the pom poms as weapons, so I think we'll pass for her.
Rowyn's got a few years before we even need to worry about it.

Dad is the offensive coach for Cooper's team. At this level, they get to be out on the field helping them line up on the correct side and calling plays in the huddle.

It drives him nuts that they always go the opposite direction that they're supposed to. You run a play to the right...they go left.
I think it's cute.
They're still little boys after all.

Rowyn had zero interest in football.
The long jump pit was much more fun.

So was filling your shirt with sand.

Her headband is from here.
I was so happy with the charcoal, that I ordered them in chocolate brown, plum, and soft pink too. They're adorable, the seller is awesome to work with, ships quickly, and we've gotten so many compliments! They actually tie in the back and not only fit Rowyn, but Camdyn, Riley, and even myself.

Clyde signed up to help coach, because of the extra one-on-one time with Cooper and because of his general love of football. I think he's gotten more than he bargained for...you wouldn't believe the drama with youth football. Coaches, parents, even players that throw their helmets and quit every other practice. It's too bad that something that is just supposed to be for fun, to teach them basics, ends up being so competitive. I heard a mother screaming at the last game, "Cream him, get him, CREAM HIM!" Oh.em.gee. They're 8 and 9-year-old boys. I won't lie, I wanted to cream HER...but instead I burned a hole through her with my laser eyes. ;) Society already teaches our boys to be hard, to be tough...they don't need it from their parents too. Teach them to follow directions, teach them sportsmanship, teach them the basics of the game, but most of all, teach them to have FUN!

Okay, off my soap box.
Sorry!

Cooper got a turn at kicking off.

We all cheered him on.
Rowyn yelled, "Go Pooper!"
Darn those first C's.

In for a drink...and a smile at his Mommy.
I imagine some day he'll be completely embarrassed by mom waving and taking pictures, so for now I'm going to do it as much as I can.

Halloween

2011-10-10T09:56:00.000-05:00

What a great weekend...but for the fact it went by too quickly.
The weather was perfect, I wish it would stay like this through February.

Riley had soccer Saturday morning.
Cooper had football Sunday afternoon.
In between, we took a family walk, celebrated my birthday, and I put up the more of the Halloween decorations.

The bats from last year.

Ghost on the front porch a la Picnik.
Broken screen door a la Booth, he made his own doggy door...again.

Saturday night we were to go to a friends 40th birthday party...they were meeting at their house and then rented a RV to take them around to the bars. I decided to bring them jello shots for the occasion, with inspiration from Caitlin.

Raspberry vodka and raspberry jello, I thought I had this nailed.
Nope, I managed to screw them up.
The jello didn't set very well.
I managed to get them cut and the orange wedges looked like crap.
The worst part was the taste. Way too strong, I overdid the vodka.
However, I'm sure if I waited to break them out later in the night no one would have noticed how strong they were.

I never did make it to the party. I managed to pull a muscle in my neck/shoulder area and I was in no mood to do anything but pop some ibuprofen and soak in a hot bath. Nothing like a pulled muscle to make you feel really old.

Next weekend, Caitlin will be in town...can't wait!

Insta-Friday

2011-10-07T11:55:00.000-05:00

Friday by Instagram...

A turkey pretzel roll and acorn squash.

From the hospital cafeteria...they're stepping up their game!

Halloween decorations are going up.

I tried a slightly new flower design.

Shopping...Rowyn found a new boyfriend.
She wants five after all.

I made Claudacious a honey-do list.
He wasn't amused and I don't know why?
Ha.

He still brought me a PSL to work.
He must not be too annoyed.

I'm going to try linking up for the first time.

Fort

2011-10-06T09:16:00.000-05:00

During our walk the other day, we decided to make a detour up this path that leads to...

a secret...

tree fort that the neigborhood kids have built.

Many a summer day was spent carting wood, nails, and tools there.
I heard a lot of, "Mom, we're going to the fort!"

I haven't been there in awhile and was surprised to see the fort is now three stories high.

Cooper told me yesterday that someone wrecked part of it, including the bottom ladder. So, they're in the process of fixing it.

Ingenious little carpenters, architects, engineers in the making.
Years from now, I can imagine them saying...
"Remember that fort we built in the woods when we were little?"
Now there are pictures.
They can look back at them and marvel at what they were able to create at 7, 8, 9, 10 years old...and I hope it teaches them they can do anything they set their minds to.
And have fun doing it.

A Surprise

2011-10-05T10:12:00.000-05:00

It was absolutely gorgeous out yesterday.
We jumped on the chance to go for a walk.

At first, we were a little distracted by our shadow.
I love her little calves of steel.

More shadows.
You see she brought backpack with her, packed with a baby doll, chapstick, and Booth's leash...all the necessities.

Okay, she's ready now.

Down the path we went.
The colors are amazing right now. I love that about fall.

We had a surprise when we got to the pond.
Booth didn't know what to think.

Geese!

After debating for awhile whether or not it was safe, he finally decided to jump in.
Eww...pond scum!
Didn't seem to bother him.

The geese kept an eye on Booth and honked at him from time to time, but he pretty much ignored them.
He was much more interested in fetching sticks.

All the shaking in the world didn't help.
Booth had a bath when we got home.

I went for another walk that evening, because walking with Rowyn doesn't exactly get your heart rate up. I was singing to myself, so hopefully, no one heard me. I listen to such random songs.

Yesterdays play list was...
T-Pain ~ 5 O'clock
Lily Allen ~ Everythings Just Wonderful
Pink Martini ~ Hang On Little Tomato
Priscilla Ahn ~ Lullaby
Norah Jones ~ Sunrise
Citizen Cope ~ Sideways
Lily Allen ~ Smile
LMFAO ~ Sexy and I Know It
Adele ~ Right as Rain
Ray LaMontagne ~ You Are the Best Thing
The Swell Season ~ In These Arms

I hope this weather sticks around for awhile, ease us into fall...none of this 30's weather already.

B is for Breezy

2011-10-04T12:41:00.000-05:00

Last week we worked on the letter B. We went outside to look for things that start with B, but we were sidetracked by other goodies.

A leaf.

A dandelion.

It was so windy last week, we didn't stay out long.

We went in and did some crafting.

We made a bumblebee with construction paper, pipe cleaners, parchment paper, markers, and googly eyes.

Then we sorted bears.

And we counted them.

And then we gobbled them all up.

I love my time with this girl.
I am so lucky to be able to be home with her during the day.
Before I know it, she'll be climbing up onto that yellow bus with her brother and sisters.
It makes me sad to even think about it.
So for now, I'm going to cherish every minute I have with her.

It's gorgeous out today, so we're walking Booth to the pond.
Have a great Tuesday!

10

2011-10-03T11:09:00.000-05:00

This little girl turned 10 yesterday. Double digits. How quickly the years have gone by.

She was the only baby of ours that came on her own...3 days early. My water broke at 2 am, in bed. Being a first time mother, I didn't know if I peed myself or if my water broke. Ha!

We were talking about the day she was born, a beautiful sunny and 75 degree day. She was born on a Tuesday...and Mother Goose was right on when she said Tuesday's child is full of grace. She is considerate, caring, compassionate, and kind. She shows patience that sometimes just amazes me.

I worked this weekend, so I finished the decorations on Friday. We celebrated on her actual birthday...Sunday.

I came home after work on Sunday to see Rowyn was all dressed up for the occasion. Apparently, horizontal stripes are all the rage.

Riley wanted hamburgers, Sun Chips, grapes, pop, and a cookie cake for her birthday...so that's what we had.
Clyde found the Coke tin and mini Coke cans at Sam's Club, perfect...well, except that Riley couldn't get the lid off hers.

Rodiggity provided the comic relief, with grapes in her cheeks and cross eyes.

Not to be outdone, Cooper had to prove he could fit six grapes in his mouth.
Boys.

The birthday girl and her cookie.
Mom got off easy this year...no fancy cake request.

I had to include the homemade cards from her Grammy and great aunt. The owl was from Grammy and the cupcake from Aunt Gigi. Adorable and Riley loved them!

Happy 10th Birthday, Riley Breck!

We love you!

I wish I had five...

2011-10-01T18:52:00.000-05:00

Rowyn decided to sing for me before bed last night. Quite the song she came up with...

Fall, Fur, and Flowers

2011-09-30T09:30:00.000-05:00

My mom brought Booth a birthday cupcake for his birthday...and six others for his humans.

He promptly inhaled it. Afterwards, he stole Rowyn's. He tried for Camdyn's, but she was on to his shenanigans. Naughty birthday dog.

We're Tucker sitting this weekend, because Carrie and Meghan are going to a wedding in South Dakota. Apparently, it's a casual western theme...Carrie said the bride was hand stamping metal spoons with their initials for wedding favors. I told them to take pictures, I'm interested to see the details.

Tucker is watching her leave and I imagine begging her not to leave him at this madhouse. ;)

With the cooler weather, I've finally felt like doing some sewing and crafting. I made a banner for the living room.

...while Rowyn played under my craft table. That's Rapunzel's hair you see whipping around. That girl is all about princesses and fairies right now.

I found the blank bag at Hob Lobs and sewed on an R from some scrap fabric and some ribbon from my stash. I added the rolled fabric flower, but looking at it now, I think it needs a little more. Maybe a big tulle bow on the other handle? Anyway, it's for Roywn to put her ballet and tap shoes in.

I dug up the fall decorations and started my fall mantel.

I made a few new flowers to embellish...

my fall metro retro bag. Small addiction...perhaps, but it's such a pretty plaid and look, even Booth likes it.

Booth

2011-09-26T13:07:00.000-05:00

This little guy is having a birthday today...only he's not so little anymore.

We took him to Petco so he could pick out his own presents.

To say he was a little excited would be an understatement.

Along with a Kong Wubba, he picked out this kitty. Mean Dad wouldn't let him get it.

Riley turns 10 on Sunday and she tried talking us into one of these for her birthday. I think not. Between the cats, dog, and Lumpy, the poor thing wouldn't stand a chance.

For dinner we went to Grammy and Papa's for walking tacos. Mom and I opted for beans in ours, Camdyn and Rowyn would only eat theirs in a soft shell, and Riley had cheese, Dorito's, and tomatoes in hers. Picky eaters. Geez.

For dessert, the birthday doggy had yoghund organic banana and peanut butter frozen yogurt and a bone from his bff, Tucker.

Camdyn made him a card and dropped her snickerdoodle cookies last night for an extra treat for him.

Happy 1st Birthday, Booth!

This week

2011-09-23T11:54:00.001-05:00

This week...

I did a little crafting.

Rowyn found kittens when we stopped at my coworkers house.

She was quite enamoured.

"I'll get to the bottom of this, Darling."
Yes, I've blogged about it before, but I *heart* it!
Mad Housewife Wine

Why won't that text center?
Why don't I know HTML code?
Whatevs...pretend this is all centered. Kay?

My husband brought me lunch at work...

the Mediterranean Veggie from Panera

Zesty Peppadew™ piquant peppers, feta cheese, cucumbers, lettuce, tomatoes,

onions and cilantro Jalapeño hummus on our Tomato Basil bread.

and broccoli and cheese soup.

Yum!

And that was even after I managed to blow a spark plug and coil out of our Ford Expedition. Ok, not my fault, but since it happened while I was driving, he's got to give me crap. ;)

image from google images

We have a weekend of...
football
softball tournament
celebrating Booth's first birthday
family time!

Hope you have a great weekend!

A's and a recipe

2011-09-22T16:27:00.000-05:00

Today, we read The Awful Aardvarks Go to School, which she was very interested in. They're naughty little Aardvarks, so of course she'd be drawn to them. ;)

Afterwards, we made A's with our homemade playdoh, that used to be one batch of purple and one pink...now they're yuck. Anyway, they work and they made a pretty good color for the ants we made to go with the A's.

In keeping with our theme, we made Apple Crisp. A new, super easy recipe. Easy is good.

Ingredients:
4 apples, I used Gala which I had on hand
½ cup butter, melted
¾ cup packed brown sugar
¾ quick oats
½ cup flour
1 tsp pumpkin pie spice

The recipe called for 1 tsp cinnamon and ½ tsp allspice, but since I didn't have allspice, I just used the pumpkin pie spice instead.

Peel, core, and slice the apples and spread them evenly in bottom of pan, which I first sprayed with Pam. In medium bowl, combine other ingredients.

Sprinkle the mixture evenly over apples.

Ready for the super easy part?

Put the pan in the MICROWAVE for 10-12 minutes.

I don't normally bake using the microwave, but I was willing to try this for a quick dessert.

Okay, so guess what?
Not only was it easy, it was delicious!
Keeping this recipe, for sure!

A is for...

2011-09-21T13:52:00.002-05:00

Rowyn and I are working on the alphabet.

Yesterday, we started with the letter A.
We made an apple tree and read a book about apples. She loves cutting, so she cut the contruction paper into lots of different sizes. We glued them on to make the leaves of the tree and used red glitter glue to make apples. More cutting and she made the grass for the bottom. Great for working on those fine motor skills.

Today we made a capital A into an alligator(inspiration from here) and read a book about alligators.

Vintage

2011-09-16T11:03:00.000-05:00

My latest Etsy purchase from Liz Hutnick, a rose ring and she sent along the bobby pin and 20% off my next purchase. How sweet!

In keeping with the vintage feel, have you seen this video on youtube? She teaches you how to get vintage curls in your hair, without heat. It works, it's crazy how cute the curls are.

I had a less than willing subject for photos, but it works really well. Camdyn and Rowyn have such thin hair, they curl up in no time.

I found a set of vintage 1950's Fire King Fleurette dishes at GW for 50 cents a piece. Score!

I couldn't resist.

Have a great weekend!

Wednesday

2011-09-14T13:24:00.000-05:00

Such creative titles I'm coming up with lately.

I ~~wasted~~ spent the better part of the morning laughing so hard that Rowyn asked me if I was alright. Doing what? Perusing Bluntcard. Completely inappropriate...hence the reason I love find them hysterical. If you find no humor in any of them, we can't be friends anymore.

Tuesday

2011-09-13T17:29:00.000-05:00

Rowyn and I played with Batgirl, Wonder Woman, and Tuck today. They had to save the town from the mean dragon.

Poor Tuck, looks like Booth likes turtle feet.

Then she occupied herself for quite sometime with her cardboard box boat. Typical, isn't it...all these toys and they prefer a box.

Once the kids were home, we made duct tape pencil flowers, like these, only without all the cool colors.

We have an exciting night planned of homework, softball practice, baths, reading, and bed.

The Weekend

2011-09-12T12:08:00.000-05:00

Saturday morning, Riley started fall soccer. She loves soccer...so getting up early on Saturday mornings is worth it to play. Plus, her friend, Natalie, is on the team, so she was even more excited to play.

She's the tall one, second from the left

Sunday, was fall softball for Riley and Cooper's first football game. Of course, they had to run at the same time and since Clyde is offensive coach, he went with Cooper and I took the younger two to Riley's game. Riley's team lost and I missed half the game thanks to a certain 5-year-old that shall not be named. Really, you pack a whole bag of things to do and snacks to eat and they still misbehave. Love that.

Cooper's first game and an injury already. He injured his knee on a run during the game and complained about it all night. This morning the inside of his knee was completely swollen...so off to the doctor we went. They couldn't see anything on the xray, but because of the location of the swelling (the inside of his knee), she referred him to orthopaedics. In the meantime, he's wearing a compression brace and Ibuprofen for the inflammation. Boo.

I had one of McD's mango pineapple smoothies the other day. I have to say it was really good. 220 calories, not bad, considering it's from McD's...most of the sugar grams are from the fruit base and just a few from the low fat yogurt. Instagram made it look like radioactive urine...it's actually a much less offensive color, I promise. It's the only smoothie I've actually liked from there, you should try one if you haven't...really.

The Bears won.
The Cubs won.
Michigan won...so Clyde was happy...and it was an awesome game to watch, especially the last half.
49ers won...so again, Clyde was happy.

The Hawkeyes, however, managed to ruin an otherwise perfect football weekend. Although, my brother, the Iowa State alum of the family, probably begs to differ.

9/11

2011-09-11T22:03:00.000-05:00

Still surreal.
Still raw.
Still heart-wrenching.

We still remember.
We still pray for peace.
We still think of all the victims and their families.

We still need to teach our children not to judge, not to hate, and not to blame.
We still need to teach them tolerance, equality, compassion, and humanity.

Riley's school wrote letters to the families of service men and women and the local news briefly aired them reading them.

KGAN video link