Polly

There is a serial killer on the loose.
He has a passion for Polly Pocket's.
I keep finding Polly's missing their appendages.
Sometimes they are even...*gasp*...headless. 

He spies the Polly.

He smells the Polly.

Who me?
Look at my puppy dog eyes...I would never!
Innocent until proven guilty, right?

Guilty!
Poor Sinead O'Connor Polly.

A Tantrum: In Pictures

...all because I opened the door first.  

Two-year-old's...gotta love 'em.

If you blog it, he will come

Yesterday, while I was making these...

He was doing this...

Remember when I mentioned how I was patiently impatiently waiting for the back splash to be finished?  I think I may be on to something here.  If I blog it, he does it...hmm, time to get that honey-do list together for future blog posts! ;)

He'll grout it today.  I'm in love.  With the subway tile...and him. :)

Teething

I found a teeny little Booth tooth the other day, so I think he might me teething.  As if I couldn't look around the house and tell...

Like Camdyn's rocking chair...

Or my dresser leg.

The cats are in hiding, afraid they'll be next.

His incredible shrinking basket of toys.

How about my newly ventilated boot?

Yep, I think it is safe to say he's teething.

Banana Muffins

I made banana muffins today.  Comfort food after the miserable game yesterday.  Stupid Bears.

Yes, the backsplash is still yellow.  I'm patiently impatiently waiting for someone to install the subway tile.  

The stars of the recipe:

½ cup vanilla yogurt
½ cup applesauce
1 cup sugar

1 cup mashed bananas (about 2)
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla

2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
½ tsp salt

Mix together dry ingredients in separate bowl, including flour, baking soda, and salt.  You can also add cinnamon if desired.

Mix yogurt, applesauce, and sugar.  Once combined, add mashed bananas, eggs, and vanilla.  Mix well.  Slowly add in dry ingredients.  Once mixed, you could add in extras at this point if you choose, like chocolate chips or nuts. 

I usually make 6 large muffins and one small loaf pan, but you could certainly make regular sized muffins or a loaf of banana bread.

At a 350° oven, bake 40-45 minutes. 

I usually like them plain, but today called for extra sugar...it is a Monday after all.  Just mix together some powdered sugar, skim milk, and a dash of vanilla.  Mix and pour over muffins.

I'm

I'm having a debbie downer day.
I'm questioning whether we're doing the right thing for Camdyn.

I'm sick of snow and cold weather.
I'm annoyed with the floors constantly being wet, dirty, and salty from their boots.
I'm tired and want a nap.
I'm not having a productive day.
I'm mad at the laundry fairy, she's a no show once again.



But I did find some things that make me smile.

Like this Kumari Garden fabric by Dena Fishbein found HERE. 

Or this cake stand found HERE.

Rowyn

She's electric, boogie, woogie, woogie.

And she dressed herself in "poky dots".

I feel better already.

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

If the Bears win on Sunday, I'll feel even better.

Remember the Super Bowl Shuffle?!

The Bestest Mommy Ever

I have been awarded the prestigious 'Bestest Mommy Ever' award, by Camdyn Elisabeth.  You see, Camdyn is my shoe addict, and when she spotted some boots on clearance today at Target, she fell instantly in love.  She begged, pleaded, and then resorted to promises. 

Camdyn:  I promise if you ask me to do something I'll do it the first time.  You won't have to ask me again.  Please, Mommy, please!

Me sucker:  Okay, let's try them on.

Camdyn: They fit Mommy!  Please!  Please?  Please!

Me:  Yes, put them in the cart. (clearly defeated)
 

...and without further ado

Camdyn's new $4.xx hooker boots, which she's already informed me she will be wearing to preschool tomorrow.  I'm sure they will be VERY impressed. 

She's happy and I'm the 'bestest Mommy ever'...what else could I ask for..except maybe for her feet to grow very quickly.

*Edited to add that I really don't like heels on little kids, hence the reason the boots are not my fav.  Only my opinion and I'm sure there are plenty that disagree...including Lumpy. ;)

Camdyn Colors

Camdyn decided we needed more artwork for Valentine's Day...

She asked my mom for help with the words, then she colored and glued, folded and put it in our mailbox, so I had mail when I got home from work.  My favorite kind! 

She also made me a rainbow of hearts ♥ 

Camdyn started Concerta today in lieu of the Focalin. Still searching for that balance.  So far so good this morning.  We'll see what the next few days bring us.

New Colors

We finally took down the Christmas decorations the other day and since everything looked so blah, I decided to bring up the Valentine's decorations.  

That el-cheapo lamp is so ugly.

  

I like the one from Ballard Designs, but not the price...ouch!

Everything is the same as last year, except for the two felt hearts I made, and the big star, which is actually a doily stretcher I found at Goodwill. 

Yesterday, we cut out paper hearts and I sewed them together to make a garland, which we ultimately hung on the back door.  They are different shades of pink, not that you can tell from the picture.

Clyde was a big help taking down decorations, he took down all the lights, ornaments, and boxed everything up...so I guess I shouldn't complain that when he took the tree out, it only made it as far as the deck.

Zips

Rowyn playing "babies" with him.  He doesn't seem to be minding it, does he?

We've decided we picked the dumb one in the litter.  He's one of those that's lucky he's cute, because otherwise, he's got nothing to offer.  His retrieving is mediocre.  He still isn't completely housebroken. 

And...

 

He chews everything.  Seriously, everything.  We took him to the vet the other day and talked to her about it.

Vet: It sounds like he's a chewer, you're going to want to get him in obedience training...and more than likely we'll see him at some point for an obstruction.

Me: As in he eats something and it gets stuck?

Vet: Exactly.

Me: Great.

Booth has apparently decided to test his limits.

If you're weak of stomach, you may not want to read on.

This morning he went outside and had a peeker, you know the end just peeking out, and no, not of the organic variety...of the Glad variety.  A Ziploc, to be exact.  Thankfully, the extraction went fine, no vet visit...this time anyway.  Just one not so happy husband extractor.

Zips came in and promptly ate Rowyn's granola bar.  Just what he needs, a little extra fiber.

Yesterday, he ate two bowls of Eukanuba Large Breed Puppy Food...along with one granola bar, one peanut butter and jelly sandwich, one ball of playdoh, one kleenex, and apparently, one ziploc baggie, of the snack variety, not freezer. 

Remind me again why we got a dog? 

Riley's Room

After bringing folded laundry into Riley's room, I looked around and smiled at how she's injected her personality into her room.

She loves to read, so there are books everywhere. 

Right now she's reading the Harry Potter series.

And there are library books...like the Iowa Curiosities.

The little flower hooked to her curtain.

Her bulletin board chock full of favorites.

Friends and family and Riley.

Angelina and Lanie ready for school.

And (keepin' it real), her closet...which is a constant disaster.

I love finding clean, still folded laundry in the dirty clothes hamper.  Please tell me my kids aren't the only ones that pull that trick.

Handprint Ornaments

Since several of our ornaments were 'accidentally' broken this year, I wanted to find a way to replace them with personalized keepsake ornaments.  I found my inspiration HERE.

Ornaments, acrylic white paint, a paintbrush, and something to dry them on.

Paint their hand with the paint while coaxing them to hold still.

Place the ornament in the palm of their hand and have them squeeze it.

My make-shift drying rack.

Once dry, have them (or you) draw on faces, buttons, arms, hats, etc...and be sure to write the name and date on the bottom.