Happy Halloween!
I hope your day is "spooktacular"!
Saturday, October 31, 2009
Friday, October 30, 2009
As The Old Saying Goes
If you don't like the weather in Texas, just wait 5 minutes.
It was cold and rainy all afternoon yesterday. It's great napping-by-the-fire weather, but not-so-great for doing anything else...like picking up your son from kindergarten. Lucky for Eli, it started to sleet right after I pulled up in front of his school. Us grown-ups have to get out of our cars to retrieve our children, and if I hadn't already been there, Eli might have spent the night at the school. Just kidding. Sort of.
After we got home and settled in by the fire with our snack and books, it started to snow.
No joke. Snow on October 29th.
We were fascinated.
This is what it looked like out my front door.
We had visions of soup and snowmen dancing in our heads.
And as I was trying to find a way to turn my Sausage and Potato Hash into soup, I looked outside. Imagine my surprise when I saw this.
I guess we were back to plain old Sausage and Potato Hash.
And what is Sausage and Potato Hash, you ask?
It's yummy and easy and healthy and I'll be sharing the recipe soon!
And I'm curious. Does the weather do this anywhere else? I've only ever lived in Texas and it makes we wonder if maybe it's the same in Kansas or Illinois or Minnesota.
Anyone?
It was cold and rainy all afternoon yesterday. It's great napping-by-the-fire weather, but not-so-great for doing anything else...like picking up your son from kindergarten. Lucky for Eli, it started to sleet right after I pulled up in front of his school. Us grown-ups have to get out of our cars to retrieve our children, and if I hadn't already been there, Eli might have spent the night at the school. Just kidding. Sort of.
After we got home and settled in by the fire with our snack and books, it started to snow.
No joke. Snow on October 29th.
We were fascinated.
This is what it looked like out my front door.
We had visions of soup and snowmen dancing in our heads.
And as I was trying to find a way to turn my Sausage and Potato Hash into soup, I looked outside. Imagine my surprise when I saw this.
I guess we were back to plain old Sausage and Potato Hash.
And what is Sausage and Potato Hash, you ask?
It's yummy and easy and healthy and I'll be sharing the recipe soon!
And I'm curious. Does the weather do this anywhere else? I've only ever lived in Texas and it makes we wonder if maybe it's the same in Kansas or Illinois or Minnesota.
Anyone?
Thursday, October 29, 2009
Once Upon A Time, In A Galaxy Far, Far Away...
Once upon a time there was a sweet little girl named Bo Peep who was forced to work as a shepherdess by her evil stepmother. (Her mother had worked herself to death making Halloween costumes for the little girl and her father had remarried on the rebound. It happens all the time!)
One day, Little Bo's beloved sheep were grazing on some grass that grew, unbeknownst to Bo, on the very same spot where the government was testing some top secret chemical stuff. (Of course, the evil stepmother was aware of this, but, as you know, she was evil.) The grass gave the sheep special powers and they flew off into outer space.
Little Bo Peep had lost her sheep! Except the very smallest one, of course, because she had grabbed his little neck in her shepherd's crook. That's not just for decoration, you know!
What was a girl to do? Leave them alone? Hope they'll come home? Wagging their tails behind them?
I don't think so.
Little Bo was one smart cookie so she called her good friend, Luke Skywalker, to help her find her sheep. He's very brave and handsome and pilots his own X-Wing fighter...not to mention, he's also photogenic.
They decided to leave immediately!
With the help of a ninja and a pirate, they tracked down those sheep in a galaxy far, far away.
After a daring rescue, that involved some dangerous scooter stunts, they brought those sheep back to Earth and convinced them never to fly away again.
And they all lived happily ever after.
It's true.
What?! You don't believe me? You think it's just an elaborate scheme to make you believe that I didn't give up my dream of my children's matching Halloween costumes because Eli wanted a Star Wars costume and I wanted Phoebe to wear this precious costume?
Well, it wasn't. Just check Phoebe's story. She explained it yesterday...in detail. It's just as clear as mud.
One day, Little Bo's beloved sheep were grazing on some grass that grew, unbeknownst to Bo, on the very same spot where the government was testing some top secret chemical stuff. (Of course, the evil stepmother was aware of this, but, as you know, she was evil.) The grass gave the sheep special powers and they flew off into outer space.
Little Bo Peep had lost her sheep! Except the very smallest one, of course, because she had grabbed his little neck in her shepherd's crook. That's not just for decoration, you know!
What was a girl to do? Leave them alone? Hope they'll come home? Wagging their tails behind them?
I don't think so.
Little Bo was one smart cookie so she called her good friend, Luke Skywalker, to help her find her sheep. He's very brave and handsome and pilots his own X-Wing fighter...not to mention, he's also photogenic.
They decided to leave immediately!
With the help of a ninja and a pirate, they tracked down those sheep in a galaxy far, far away.
After a daring rescue, that involved some dangerous scooter stunts, they brought those sheep back to Earth and convinced them never to fly away again.
And they all lived happily ever after.
It's true.
What?! You don't believe me? You think it's just an elaborate scheme to make you believe that I didn't give up my dream of my children's matching Halloween costumes because Eli wanted a Star Wars costume and I wanted Phoebe to wear this precious costume?
Well, it wasn't. Just check Phoebe's story. She explained it yesterday...in detail. It's just as clear as mud.
Wednesday, October 28, 2009
Here's A Little Halloween Hint
While I have been a busy little bee sewing and hot glueing and cursing Phoebe's costume into existence, she has dutifully stood by, handing me pins and practicing the little ditty above.
It's a clue to her Halloween costume and if you can understand it, then you must be fluent in two-year-old-ese. In our house, Eli is the most fluent and is often called upon to translate. I'm the second-most fluent and Brad doesn't have a clue.
I am almost finished with her costume. One more trip to Wal-Mart for more ribbon and another glue stick and the transformation will begin! Stay tuned for pictures...
Monday, October 26, 2009
Halloween Countdown: T-Minus 5 Days
And I still haven't started on Phoebe's costume! Actually, the kids need to wear them Wednesday night to our church's Fall Festival, so I really only have 2 1/2 days.
Nothing like waiting till the very last minute, right?
But it's hard to start something when the floors are a mess, there are two loads of laundry I didn't get folded this weekend, the hampers are full of dirty clothes, and the playroom could be declared a National Disaster. I shall be a busy, busy bee during naptime today!
Last year, I was much more organized and "together"...and I had already packed up all the toys and clothes and moved them to the new house.
Sigh.
Nothing like waiting till the very last minute, right?
But it's hard to start something when the floors are a mess, there are two loads of laundry I didn't get folded this weekend, the hampers are full of dirty clothes, and the playroom could be declared a National Disaster. I shall be a busy, busy bee during naptime today!
Last year, I was much more organized and "together"...and I had already packed up all the toys and clothes and moved them to the new house.
Sigh.
Sunday, October 25, 2009
What Happens When The Parents Sleep In On Saturday Morning...
We've spent so many weekends on the road, that Brad and I decided to sleep in a little Saturday morning. (And by sleep in, I mean 8 o'clock.) The kids can usually get up and entertain themselves for half an hour before I get up and make breakfast.
Oh my heavens, how they entertained themselves! Watercolors make for a great past time. The picture above only shows half the story because Phoebe has taken to undressing completely in her bed the moment she wakes up. Her entire body was covered in paint! Luckily, no watercolor got on the carpet or furniture, but Phoebe was a different story.
I took full-body pictures to show her future boyfriends.
Friday, October 23, 2009
A New Yummy Soup Recipe!
I have a confession to make.
I stole the Dinner Doctor cookbook from my mom.
Whew! I feel much better. And in my defense, my mom doesn't use it (her idea of cooking dinner involves pouring milk and cereal into a bowl) and the recipes are too easy and fast for my dad and don't include near enough wine!
I have both the Cake Doctor cookbook and the Chocolate Cake Doctor cookbook and really enjoy them. She "doctors" cake mixes to make all different kinds of cakes and desserts. They are super-easy and super-good...especially for someone who's only a marginal baker like myself. So when I saw the dinner cookbook sitting (neglected and forlorn) on my mom's bookcase, it looked like something I could really use on those nights when I just need something to whip together. She takes the same principle of her cake cookbooks (using convenience or pre-packaged food) and adds to it to make a simple, yummy meal. Kind of like Sandra Lee, but without all the annoying tablescapes and kitchen re-models to match her food. (Seriously, maybe she'd have more time for cooking if she wasn't constantly changing the dishes, curtains, and paint in her kitchen to match the meal!)
After smuggling the cookbook home in my suitcase, I've managed to try a few recipes and they've all been pretty good. I was particularly excited to try the Nacho Cheese Soup. It fit three of my four recipe criteria. (My recipe criteria are: delicious, fast, easy clean-up, and my kids love it. Recipes that fit all of them are rotated into my normal menu planning. Some recipes can just be delicious and only need to fit that criteria for me to cook them, but not very often. It's a complicated system and probably deserves it's very own blog post, but not today.) The soup is fast (20 minutes!), easy, and my kids loved it. It loses points in the healthy department, but sometimes we all have to make sacrifices...or consider salsa a vegetable.
Nacho Cheese Soup:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can low-sodium chicken broth (It's very important that you use low-sodium. I didn't because I had regular chicken broth in the pantry, but mine was almost too salty. Next time I'll be using low-sodium.)
1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa
1 can Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup (I couldn't find this so I used regular Cheddar Cheese soup and added a little paprika, chili powder, and garlic.)
tortilla chips
diced avocado
fresh cilantro
Brown ground beef in a saucepan. Add cumin and black pepper. Drain and return to pan. Add the chicken broth and 1 cup of the salsa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 4-5 minutes until it has reduced a little. Stir in the cheese soup and cook only until blended, but not boiling. Remove pan from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with remaining salsa, crushed tortilla chips, avocado, and cilantro. This makes 4 servings (really). I doubled it so I could have some to eat on next week and send to school with the kids.
Brad told me he liked it, but it wasn't as good as my Tortilla Soup or Tortellini Soup, but sometimes I just don't have that kind of time (or energy) and we still have to eat!
I'm so happy it's soup weather again.
I stole the Dinner Doctor cookbook from my mom.
Whew! I feel much better. And in my defense, my mom doesn't use it (her idea of cooking dinner involves pouring milk and cereal into a bowl) and the recipes are too easy and fast for my dad and don't include near enough wine!
I have both the Cake Doctor cookbook and the Chocolate Cake Doctor cookbook and really enjoy them. She "doctors" cake mixes to make all different kinds of cakes and desserts. They are super-easy and super-good...especially for someone who's only a marginal baker like myself. So when I saw the dinner cookbook sitting (neglected and forlorn) on my mom's bookcase, it looked like something I could really use on those nights when I just need something to whip together. She takes the same principle of her cake cookbooks (using convenience or pre-packaged food) and adds to it to make a simple, yummy meal. Kind of like Sandra Lee, but without all the annoying tablescapes and kitchen re-models to match her food. (Seriously, maybe she'd have more time for cooking if she wasn't constantly changing the dishes, curtains, and paint in her kitchen to match the meal!)
After smuggling the cookbook home in my suitcase, I've managed to try a few recipes and they've all been pretty good. I was particularly excited to try the Nacho Cheese Soup. It fit three of my four recipe criteria. (My recipe criteria are: delicious, fast, easy clean-up, and my kids love it. Recipes that fit all of them are rotated into my normal menu planning. Some recipes can just be delicious and only need to fit that criteria for me to cook them, but not very often. It's a complicated system and probably deserves it's very own blog post, but not today.) The soup is fast (20 minutes!), easy, and my kids loved it. It loses points in the healthy department, but sometimes we all have to make sacrifices...or consider salsa a vegetable.
Nacho Cheese Soup:
1/2 lb. ground beef
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon black pepper
1 can low-sodium chicken broth (It's very important that you use low-sodium. I didn't because I had regular chicken broth in the pantry, but mine was almost too salty. Next time I'll be using low-sodium.)
1 1/2 cups store-bought salsa
1 can Campbell's Fiesta Nacho Cheese soup (I couldn't find this so I used regular Cheddar Cheese soup and added a little paprika, chili powder, and garlic.)
tortilla chips
diced avocado
fresh cilantro
Brown ground beef in a saucepan. Add cumin and black pepper. Drain and return to pan. Add the chicken broth and 1 cup of the salsa and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and let simmer for 4-5 minutes until it has reduced a little. Stir in the cheese soup and cook only until blended, but not boiling. Remove pan from heat. Ladle soup into bowls and garnish with remaining salsa, crushed tortilla chips, avocado, and cilantro. This makes 4 servings (really). I doubled it so I could have some to eat on next week and send to school with the kids.
Brad told me he liked it, but it wasn't as good as my Tortilla Soup or Tortellini Soup, but sometimes I just don't have that kind of time (or energy) and we still have to eat!
I'm so happy it's soup weather again.
Thursday, October 22, 2009
Wednesday, October 21, 2009
Coming Home
“There's nothing half so pleasant as coming home again.”
-Margaret Elizabeth Sangster
It's hard to believe that it's been ten years since Brad graduated from ACU. One minute we were standing on the brink of adulthood as the world flung open wide its doors of opportunity and experience. Then we blinked and we were parents with jobs and responsibilities and the world seemed a scary, lonely place.
ACU does a bang-up job at Homecoming. I know most universities have a Homecoming game, but ACU has a weekend! There's the Carnival and the bonfire and the band fest and the club breakfasts and the parade and the musical and chapel and the dinners and the game seems almost like an afterthought. (At least it is in my book since that's usually when I take a nap because I've been up since dark-thirty for club breakfast...seriously, it starts at 6:30am!)
The parade has always been a personal favorite. I love all the pomp and circumstance and noise and revelry. It's an onslaught of purple and white and college students making fools of themselves. But there's history there, too. The president and family in a purple convertible (although this year it was a truck...something about a "theme") The Christian Village residents who always give out highlighters. The Big Purple with its marching alumni. The Coming Home Court waving serenely alongside the Homecoming Court. It's these gals who have always fascinated me. My whole life long I've watched them closely trying to figure out how to be them. Not so much because I have a secret desire to be a Homecoming Queen, but because they represented what I wanted to be when I grew up. A pretty, young wife and mom who seemed to have it all together. They must because they were the Coming Home Court, right?
This aspect of Brad's 10th reunion did not even dawn on me until we were visiting with some friends at the carnival. (I know, she never updates her blog.) She was sad because her boys were sick and she couldn't show them off in the parade as part of the Coming Home Court. I was flabbergasted! We were old enough to be in class with the Coming Home Court?! When did this happen?! Am I one of those women that I always watched for the 'secret' to life?!
It struck me again at Brad's reunion dinner Saturday night. (Oh, I'm not sure I mentioned this, but I'm actually in the class behind Brad. That's right folks, I'm a whole year younger!) It had been a weekend of laughter and reminiscing and gathering with the folks that were near and dear to our hearts. The people that shaped our young adulthood. The people who were the first major influence after our parents. The people who have walked through some major storms on their life-roads and still have a smile on their face. As we stood around the atrium of the Williams Performing Arts Center and sang "The Lord Bless You And Keep You", I watched the faces of the ACU Class of '99. The people who may or may not be living they life they had always imagined, but each finding that life is full of heartache and disappointment and disillusionment and not at all what they expected. And it dawned on me that all those years that I had watched the ladies on the Coming Home Court with their pretty clothes and handsome husbands and shiny-faced children, they, too, were not living the life of their dreams. That even if everything seemed to be practically perfect in every way, they had children who stayed in NICU and parents that divorced and spouses who got cancer and jobs that were lost. That practically perfect doesn't exist and we all just do the very best we can.
I think Brad's friend, Shane, said it best Friday night at a casual get-together, "All the people that I love and respect and admire most are in this room."
And that's why ACU Homecoming is like Coming Home.
Monday, October 19, 2009
Stay Tuned...
I have a wonderful post brewing in my head about ACU Homecoming, but it hasn't quite formed yet. Hopefully it will be up tomorrow but we have a Pumpkin Patch field trip, sweeping and mopping to conquer, and laundry to start before I can give it my full attention.
In the meantime, I'll just share with you a few pictures from a family photo session we had about six weeks ago. It wasn't the best photo shoot I could have imagined (there were some tears and a broken porch swing), but it's the only ones we've taken since Phoebe was born. Shame on us.
Happy Monday!
In the meantime, I'll just share with you a few pictures from a family photo session we had about six weeks ago. It wasn't the best photo shoot I could have imagined (there were some tears and a broken porch swing), but it's the only ones we've taken since Phoebe was born. Shame on us.
Happy Monday!
Friday, October 16, 2009
When Your Life's A Mess...Nest!
The morning after I wrote this post, was rainy and cold and lonely. Brad was still out of town, Eli had school, and Phoebe had MDO. All of my friends were busy or had sick kiddos. I had a few errands to run, but nothing exciting or time-consuming. There is always laundry and cleaning to be done, but I just didn't feel like doing them. So after I dropped Phoebe off at KU, I ran to the grocery store. (A gal can't make homemade bolognese sauce and not have fresh rosemary olive oil bread from the bakery!)
I went inside and bought the few things I needed and then headed back out to the car. (Wasting a mere 25 minutes of my day.) And then I fell apart. The rain and the cold and the hurt just all piled on top of me and I sat in my car and cried in the rain. Pathetic, I know. At this point, I knew I could do two things. Either go back home, climb in bed and watch HGTV all day or wipe my eyes, go get a Pumpkin Spice latte and hit some junk stores. The pull of a Pumpkin Spice latte was just too much...and my favorite junk store is just across the street. I took it as a sign.
Sipping my latte and browsing through the armoirs, brad boxes, linens, and glasswares, I came across a very cool milk glass cake stand. It immediately made me think of this uninspired, neglected little corner of my house.
It's my buffet and I just haven't figured out what I want to do with it. This website (it's one of my favorites) offers lots of good ideas and I have spent many a half hour just looking and gathering ideas. Anyway, I had *just* seen her video and figured I could do something with the stuff I have lying around.
And Viola! I did.
Other than the cake plate, I had this stuff just lying around. Actually it was hanging out in the attic ready to be pressed into service when I found something inspiring to do with it.
I'm not really one for decorating for fall. I always want to and then the middle of October sneaks up on me and I drag out a few pumpkins. Next year, I'm going to have a plan because I'm going to be organized. Just you wait!
I also filled these containers on my mantle. There were lots of questions as to why they couldn't eat the three-year-old candy that lives in my attic on the off-season.
While I'm not sure it's the very best coping strategy, it's does get a few things accomplished that seem to sit around un-done for months.
What does anyone else do to cope with life's trials and tribulations?
I went inside and bought the few things I needed and then headed back out to the car. (Wasting a mere 25 minutes of my day.) And then I fell apart. The rain and the cold and the hurt just all piled on top of me and I sat in my car and cried in the rain. Pathetic, I know. At this point, I knew I could do two things. Either go back home, climb in bed and watch HGTV all day or wipe my eyes, go get a Pumpkin Spice latte and hit some junk stores. The pull of a Pumpkin Spice latte was just too much...and my favorite junk store is just across the street. I took it as a sign.
Sipping my latte and browsing through the armoirs, brad boxes, linens, and glasswares, I came across a very cool milk glass cake stand. It immediately made me think of this uninspired, neglected little corner of my house.
It's my buffet and I just haven't figured out what I want to do with it. This website (it's one of my favorites) offers lots of good ideas and I have spent many a half hour just looking and gathering ideas. Anyway, I had *just* seen her video and figured I could do something with the stuff I have lying around.
And Viola! I did.
Other than the cake plate, I had this stuff just lying around. Actually it was hanging out in the attic ready to be pressed into service when I found something inspiring to do with it.
I'm not really one for decorating for fall. I always want to and then the middle of October sneaks up on me and I drag out a few pumpkins. Next year, I'm going to have a plan because I'm going to be organized. Just you wait!
I also filled these containers on my mantle. There were lots of questions as to why they couldn't eat the three-year-old candy that lives in my attic on the off-season.
While I'm not sure it's the very best coping strategy, it's does get a few things accomplished that seem to sit around un-done for months.
What does anyone else do to cope with life's trials and tribulations?
Thursday, October 15, 2009
Bragging Rights
This guy is quite a catch.
Not only is he smart, funny, and excruciatingly handsome, he was also named one of Amarillo's Top 20 Under 40!
Way to go, honey! Thanks for all you do for our family. We love you.
Not only is he smart, funny, and excruciatingly handsome, he was also named one of Amarillo's Top 20 Under 40!
Way to go, honey! Thanks for all you do for our family. We love you.
Wednesday, October 14, 2009
An Ode To The Pumpkin Patch
There is a place I love so much
My dear, dear Pumpkin Patch
There's just so much to see and do!
And my children get to match!
My dear, dear Pumpkin Patch
There's just so much to see and do!
And my children get to match!
Every year we find the place,
To see how much we've grown.
It makes me just a little sad,
To see how time has flown.
The picture of the four us,
Turned out pretty bad.
So please enjoy a substitute,
Only with the dad.
The wind was blowing mighty fierce!
We could not stay that day.
So we decided to come back
On a better day to play.
But it wasn't all fun and games,
There were a few tears, too.
Things didn't always go her way.
What can I say? She's two!
But after a ride in Daddy's arms,
The tears, they were all done.
It was time to lose our shoes,
For big, pumpkin bouncing FUN!
It really is the most fun place,
Such great memories we will keep.
But homeward bound, we did go
Because Phoebe fell asleep!
Happy Fall Y'all!
Tuesday, October 13, 2009
My Heart Hurts
My heart hurts because Lil' Lincoln is still in NICU and there have been several potholes in his road to recovery.
My heart hurts because it feels like the God who painted the amazing sunset tonight seems to be so often seems to be silent.
My heart hurts because Carrie and Shane are hurting and angry and tired.
My heart hurts because Ben and Sarah (my brother and SIL) are walking down one of the longest, hardest, unexplainable roads that I can imagine.
My heart hurts because Eli's new buddy at school moved away Friday.
My heart hurts because he told me that he played by himself at centers and recess and no one sat by him at lunch.
My heart hurts because he told me, "They don't want to sit by that dumb Eli. They didn't say that out loud. They said it in their heads."
My heart hurts because I can't do anything for any of these people whom I love so much and would do anything for... and still there's nothing.
My heart hurts because it seems like such a sad, lonely world full of sad, lonely people.
My heart hurts because it feels like the God who painted the amazing sunset tonight seems to be so often seems to be silent.
My heart hurts because Carrie and Shane are hurting and angry and tired.
My heart hurts because Ben and Sarah (my brother and SIL) are walking down one of the longest, hardest, unexplainable roads that I can imagine.
My heart hurts because Eli's new buddy at school moved away Friday.
My heart hurts because he told me that he played by himself at centers and recess and no one sat by him at lunch.
My heart hurts because he told me, "They don't want to sit by that dumb Eli. They didn't say that out loud. They said it in their heads."
My heart hurts because I can't do anything for any of these people whom I love so much and would do anything for... and still there's nothing.
My heart hurts because it seems like such a sad, lonely world full of sad, lonely people.
Monday, October 12, 2009
Please Join My Pity Party
After a wonderful weekend at The Pumpkin Patch, I started feeling crummy and running a fever yesterday afternoon. We left Brad's parents' house early Sunday morning to make it back in time for Brad to catch a flight to Austin. That's right, folks, I'm alone with two children and a stomach bug. Feel sorry for me. Very, very sorry.
On top of that, Phoebe started having tummy bug issues herself late yesterday afternoon...and all through the middle of the night resulting in two pull-up changes and Phoebe winding up in my bed because I didn't have the energy to change her sheets at 2:46am. I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass and that Brad really does love me even though he had a work conference he had to attend instead of staying here and taking care of me and Phoebe. Thank heavens that Eli can make a pb&j for his dinner!
It's a lousy end to a pretty great weekend!
I think I'll just watch an episode of Fringe and wait for the Magical Fairy that will come pick up my house, make me some soup, do my laundry, and take care of my children to come over.
Oh wait, that's a mom and that's me.
On second thought, maybe some Advil will make my outlook a little brighter.
On top of that, Phoebe started having tummy bug issues herself late yesterday afternoon...and all through the middle of the night resulting in two pull-up changes and Phoebe winding up in my bed because I didn't have the energy to change her sheets at 2:46am. I keep reminding myself that this too shall pass and that Brad really does love me even though he had a work conference he had to attend instead of staying here and taking care of me and Phoebe. Thank heavens that Eli can make a pb&j for his dinner!
It's a lousy end to a pretty great weekend!
I think I'll just watch an episode of Fringe and wait for the Magical Fairy that will come pick up my house, make me some soup, do my laundry, and take care of my children to come over.
Oh wait, that's a mom and that's me.
On second thought, maybe some Advil will make my outlook a little brighter.
Friday, October 09, 2009
Wednesday, October 07, 2009
A Halloween Experiment
Last week during naptime, I whipped up this little number for Phoebe. (Actually, I didn't "whip up" anything. I measured, cut, and sewed it together only to realize it was not going to be the right size. ARRRGGG! So I did it again and this was the result.)
Please ignore the fact that her shoes are on the wrong feet. I didn't realize it until after the photos were taken.
This weekend we are headed to the Pumpkin Patch (my children can hardly contain their excitement) and I've been looking for something photo-worthy for Eli to wear. It's harder than you might think. The boy is now wearing boys clothing as opposed to little boys clothing, and in addition to being more expensive, it's also not near as cute. No more jack-o-lantern t-shirts for this boy! My options are a little more along these lines, and I'm just not a huge fan. (Although I did pick up one t-shirt from the happiest place on earth sporting some black and orange spiders.)
Then yesterday, I had an idea. I could make Eli a tie-dyed t-shirt for Halloween. One that he could wear for the Pumpkin Patch pictures. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I have too much time to just dream up these crazy ideas. My craft room has no fewer than six ideas lined up waiting for me to get to work on them! But that's a whole other bowl of beans. Since I didn't really have much tie-dye experience, I found this website to help me along. I didn't want to tie-dye it orange because we'll be taking pictures with orange pumpkins so I decided to dye them black. Here's where the "experiment" part came in. I wasn't sure if I could tie-dye an orange shirt with black, thus making a black and orange tie-dyed shirt, or if I should stick with just a white and wear a long-sleeved orange shirt underneath (the layered look is so right now and that's just the way we roll around here). So I tried both.
I twisted them, to make a swirl pattern.
And wrapped them up with rubberbands.
About this time I started making my dessert for Huddles (a weekly Wednesday afternoon chore) while also tie-dyeing the t-shirts so I forgot to take any more pictures. Except this one of the black dye on my stovetop.
But here's basically what I did: Brought the water to boiling and added the dye packet and the recommended salt and detergent. Then I turned it off and put the t-shirts in for about 5 minutes. I took them out and rinsed them with warm and then cold water. At this point, I was sure I had just dyed the both t-shirts completely black and wasted all my effort. (My advice on this would be to use a different "fold" technique and use more water despite what it says on the package.) However, when they were all rinsed and I took the rubberbands off, I realized that it had not completely turned the t-shirts black. They are still drying in my laundry room sink so I'm not positive what the final outcome will be, but here's a picture from just a few minutes ago.
I'm thinking I like the black on white better because the black on orange looks a little brownish, but that was the whole point of the experiment anyway. I'll have to wait until tomorrow when it's all dry to really see what I think.
I might even recommend this little project to someone else and I might even try it again at Christmas using red and green.
Or maybe I'll just buy this little number.
Please ignore the fact that her shoes are on the wrong feet. I didn't realize it until after the photos were taken.
This weekend we are headed to the Pumpkin Patch (my children can hardly contain their excitement) and I've been looking for something photo-worthy for Eli to wear. It's harder than you might think. The boy is now wearing boys clothing as opposed to little boys clothing, and in addition to being more expensive, it's also not near as cute. No more jack-o-lantern t-shirts for this boy! My options are a little more along these lines, and I'm just not a huge fan. (Although I did pick up one t-shirt from the happiest place on earth sporting some black and orange spiders.)
Then yesterday, I had an idea. I could make Eli a tie-dyed t-shirt for Halloween. One that he could wear for the Pumpkin Patch pictures. Sometimes I wonder if maybe I have too much time to just dream up these crazy ideas. My craft room has no fewer than six ideas lined up waiting for me to get to work on them! But that's a whole other bowl of beans. Since I didn't really have much tie-dye experience, I found this website to help me along. I didn't want to tie-dye it orange because we'll be taking pictures with orange pumpkins so I decided to dye them black. Here's where the "experiment" part came in. I wasn't sure if I could tie-dye an orange shirt with black, thus making a black and orange tie-dyed shirt, or if I should stick with just a white and wear a long-sleeved orange shirt underneath (the layered look is so right now and that's just the way we roll around here). So I tried both.
I twisted them, to make a swirl pattern.
And wrapped them up with rubberbands.
About this time I started making my dessert for Huddles (a weekly Wednesday afternoon chore) while also tie-dyeing the t-shirts so I forgot to take any more pictures. Except this one of the black dye on my stovetop.
But here's basically what I did: Brought the water to boiling and added the dye packet and the recommended salt and detergent. Then I turned it off and put the t-shirts in for about 5 minutes. I took them out and rinsed them with warm and then cold water. At this point, I was sure I had just dyed the both t-shirts completely black and wasted all my effort. (My advice on this would be to use a different "fold" technique and use more water despite what it says on the package.) However, when they were all rinsed and I took the rubberbands off, I realized that it had not completely turned the t-shirts black. They are still drying in my laundry room sink so I'm not positive what the final outcome will be, but here's a picture from just a few minutes ago.
I'm thinking I like the black on white better because the black on orange looks a little brownish, but that was the whole point of the experiment anyway. I'll have to wait until tomorrow when it's all dry to really see what I think.
I might even recommend this little project to someone else and I might even try it again at Christmas using red and green.
Or maybe I'll just buy this little number.
Sunday, October 04, 2009
Hello, Blog...It's Me, Jordan
I have sat down at my computer three or four times in the last few days to write something and absolutely nothing comes to mind. It seems all my emotional energy has been spent on this little guy and his mommy and daddy. There have only been a handful of times when I felt like I was actually intercessing in prayer on someone else's behalf. It's not merely the please-pray-for-my-grandma-because-she-had-a-hip-replacement kind of prayer (and actually I'm not sure how I feel about those laundry list kind of prayers anyway), but the kind I feel like actually reaches the heart of God. The kind of prayer and concern that leave me exhausted, but unable to sleep and upsets my stomach too much to eat.
Brad graciously allowed me to fly to Dallas to be with Carrie and Shane while he kept the children here (and even took them to the Fall Festival at Eli's school). I flew down there in back in an emotionally-charged, rainy weekend. While I'm not sure I actually did anything to help, I was there and sometimes that's just all one can do. Lincoln had just had surgery on Thursday and when I went to see him on Friday, he was still pretty sedated. We were all under strict orders not to touch him (so not to stimulate him) and it might have been one the hardest things I've ever had to do. I'm not sure where Carrie and Shane found the self-control to keep their hands off! By Saturday, they had backed off the sedation and he was starting to move around some and, OH MY HEAVENS, he is the sweetest little guy you've ever seen. Before I left on Sunday, I did sneak in one little leg rub...I didn't want his favorite aunt to leave before I got to touch him. It looks like his recovery is going great and running ahead of schedule. He even had his ventilator taken out this morning and Carrie might be able to hold him again tonight! I think that will do wonders for them both.
And here's a picture of my own little baby reading a story while her daddy watched the Cowboys yesterday afternoon.
I think her book ended better than the game.
Brad graciously allowed me to fly to Dallas to be with Carrie and Shane while he kept the children here (and even took them to the Fall Festival at Eli's school). I flew down there in back in an emotionally-charged, rainy weekend. While I'm not sure I actually did anything to help, I was there and sometimes that's just all one can do. Lincoln had just had surgery on Thursday and when I went to see him on Friday, he was still pretty sedated. We were all under strict orders not to touch him (so not to stimulate him) and it might have been one the hardest things I've ever had to do. I'm not sure where Carrie and Shane found the self-control to keep their hands off! By Saturday, they had backed off the sedation and he was starting to move around some and, OH MY HEAVENS, he is the sweetest little guy you've ever seen. Before I left on Sunday, I did sneak in one little leg rub...I didn't want his favorite aunt to leave before I got to touch him. It looks like his recovery is going great and running ahead of schedule. He even had his ventilator taken out this morning and Carrie might be able to hold him again tonight! I think that will do wonders for them both.
And here's a picture of my own little baby reading a story while her daddy watched the Cowboys yesterday afternoon.
I think her book ended better than the game.
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