My sick day

Aren't these colors and patterns inspiring?
when I was home sick last week I finished a project (to be revealed soon) using some fabric

then to make myself feel better I made cranberry oatmeal scones

hot tea and a scone

crafts in front of the fireplace

how do you make yourself feel better on a sick day?

giveaway at Lisa Leonard

Check out this great giveway just in time for Valentine's Day.  The possibilities are endless. 

special day with my kids

The kids both had dentist appts last week so I took the day off (their dentist sees younger kids in the morning).  Sydney went with the hygienist by herself and was the perfect patient and received a wonderful report.  It was Griffin's first visit so he did shed a few tears, mainly over having to be still and he also received a great report.

I was a proud momma!
Since we were already in Greensboro we headed over to Target to look for plain long sleeved shirts for an upcoming Valentine project and also to look for bargains on tights for Syd.  Next we made a stop at Great Harvest Bread and used a coupon to get two loaves for the price of one- what a taste treat.  The kids sampled a brownie.  Next we went to Panera to have lunch, this is a tradition with Sydney and I on dentist day.  This time it was fun to have Griffin along. 

I love their tomato soup and I tried a new Thai chopped chicken salad- yummy, it had edamame and carrots and the most delicious dressing.  I should have taken the picture before I started to eat but I could not wait to dig in.

Then back to town to go the our library and pick up some great books and play around the new fountain.

Isn't it pretty?  A few weeks ago when it was really cold part of it was frozen and it looked cool but I did not have my camera.

The last stop before heading home was to check out our daycare after school program that we will be utilizing in the fall when Syd starts school.  I wanted to meet the lady in charge and also check out the building and let Sydney see it and play for a but when no kids were there.  I did not take any pictures but we will be going back because Bill wants to see it all and meet the ladies in charge and also I want Sydney to see the place when all the kids are there. 

We had a great day and even though it was exhausting and no one took a nap, I felt so blessed to spend the day with my kids.

drooling

I know this is rather nerdy but I was reading and drooling (okay not really) over the Burpee catalog for an hour and a half last night. 

I am already planning for our garden and this year I want more specific plants than I can find at my local feed store or Lowe's Hardware.

I am looking at bush cucumbers versus vine varieties and also some tomato plants that can grow in containers on the patio or in our landscaping instead of taking up space in the raised beds. 

I also would love to plant blueberries but I need to figure out a place and talk it over with Bill.

Our yard has a lot of shade and it seems most of my favorite veggies like full sun.

So I have my dream list and now I need to think realistically about how much space I have and then of course I need to consider seeds versus plants.

Decisions decisions.

Are you planning a garden yet?  Where do you buy your plants or seeds?

Also this is the perfect time to reveal my special Christmas present from my husband.  Yes, something I have always (at least the last few years) wanted- a rain barrel.  Truthfully I wanted him to build one but he did not want it to look junkie or whatever and so he bought me one, and boy is it nice.  Once the weather warms we will be rerouting our downspout to collect the rain water.

Party pics

Here are pictures from Nate's birthday party last weekend.

The kids had a great time but boy was it loud and busy!

I get overwhelmed chasing the kids and trying to keep an eye on them- plus it wears me out!

Nate!

the whole gang

I was hot on his heels through all the tunnels and down all the slides

" a big ball mommy"

it was fun

big boy bed

Griffin started sleeping in his "big boy bed" last week.  The sides come off his crib and it had shorter end pieces so now its like a toddler bed.  We ended up buying him toddler bedding at IKEA this past weekend, complete with a little pillow.  He is so adorable.  I looked through old pictures on in my photo gallery on kodak to find a picture of Sydney when she started sleeping in a toddler bed but apparently I did not take any.  :(

Sydney was 2 years plus 2 months (I did have the date written down)

and Griffin is 2 years and 3 months so about the same age.

When did you put your kids in a toddler bed?

Blessed

Our church has been blessed by talent.  We have a few worship bands and they are amazing.  A few weeks ago we sang this song and I will admit I think our band sang it better.  This past week our Pastor said our band members can play anything with strings and it is true.  Sunday they played some blue grass type music, we sing traditional songs such as The Wonderful Cross with a twist to the music and also more modern choruses.  Banjos, violins, the mandolin, keyboard, drums, various guitars- they play it all.  We are thankful for a wonderful team to lead us in worship and the freedom to do so. 

Hello Monday

Foggy, rainy, dreary day

We had a wonderful weekend, pictures and details later

I dropped the kids off at daycare and after stopping at my office for a strep test I am home again, SICK

I despise strep throat, so I have already taken my first dose of antibiotics and I am planning a lazy day

I'm drinking hot chocolate and waiting for the ibuprofen to kick in

Last time I had strep throat I was pregnant with Griffin, so thankful I can take ibuprofen this time

so thankful we have access to health care and medication

So hopefully you are having a healthy Monday

Robot

Sydney made this robot at daycare and we wanted to share pictures.

Sydney's teacher is always doing experiments and projects with the kids and Sydney loves it!

She was proud of this robot and since I did not think she would be able to bring him home I wanted to take some pictures.

Sydney wanted to take a picture of Griffin and I holding the robots hand.

We are so thankful for our daycare and the wonderful teachers.

Ribbon frame

I picked this frame up at Good Will for just under 2 dollars.
not quite my style

I unscrewed the screws to remove the back and the glass

then I painted the entire frame with acrylic paint

I glued pretty ribbons across the back at even intervals

and Bill hung it in the kids bathroom so we can display some of Syd's hairclips

I think it would look a little better if the walls had some color but their bathroom is white with stenciled creatures.

Two new recipes

This past week we tried two new recipes and they were both keepers!
The first was Melissa d'Arabian's Ginger-Lemon Oatmeal cookies.  The kids loved them and at first Bill said they were just okay then he changed his mind and decided he loved them.  They were so easy to make and I do keep ginger root on hand (in the freezer) and I had lemons in the house- the zest was a very refreshing touch. 

The second recipe is called Glorious Morning Muffins and I love the thought of carrots and apple and raisin all together in a muffin.  I omitted the almonds but I did go ahead with the coconut.  The kids loved them and I figure they are getting some nutrition and yet it seems like a treat. 

Have you tried any new recipes lately?

More STARS

I am just in love with stars lately and we are all enjoying the recent decorations around the house.

This is the bulletin board above my desk and I decided I needed to redecorate.

Blank- these boards are from Pottery barn

Finished - I hung a few stars for myself and then strung a pretty ribbon across that I can hand pictures on

I opted to leave off the calendar for now

I did move my mom letters to the top and I took off all the ribbon.

My sister in law Rita had these letters as a decoration at my baby shower she had for me when I was pregnant for Sydney and I love them!

what do you think?   do you have a bulletin board?

Fairies

Bill's sister Rita buys the kids an ornament each year and she has been buying Sydney the fairies.  They are precious and they have these delicate wings so we do not put them on Syd's little tree (mainly because of wild man Griffin) but we really do want to display them so the past two years I have hung them from ribbon on Syd's shelf.  This year when we took down all the Christmas decorations she begged me to leave her fairies so she could enjoy them longer.  Of course I said sure!  This picture does not do them justice.  Thank you Aunt Rita!

Score

When I stopped by the local Goodwill I was so surprised to see these items!

I quickly checked the price and scooped them up!
I love the lime green color and also the brand.

Do you know the name on this cookware?

I can always use another small nonstick skillet and at 6 dollars it was a steal.

I have been wanting another soup pot because the stockpot I have is 8 qt which can be a little large at times.

This pot was 6 qt and priced at 14 dollars.

do you see the name?

Yes, this is Rachel Ray cookware and I was so excited to find this deal. 

Do you ever shop Goodwill?  What have you scored?

Wordless Wednesday

Enchanted Forest and Oatmeal

Have you ever played Enchanted Forest?  If you have not you are missing out!  We had this game growing up and it was a favorite.  Just having the world ENCHANTED in the name makes it special!  The game is made by Ravensburger and I just love their games and puzzles.  My parents bought this for Syd for Christmas and her and I played on afternoon.
Under each tree is a picture and you have to travel around the board peeking under trees and remember which item is where so that when the card is up in the castle you can travel to the castle and reveal where the item is.  The first person to get 3 item cards wins.

It is great for learning to add- each time Sydney rolled I had her count the dots on the dice and then count her spaces.

It is definitely a challenge to remember what picture is under each tree.

while we played enchanted forest Griffin played oatmeal

and boy did he have fun!

does your family have any favorite games?

New Year's Eve Party

Instead of going out we hosted the Parkers for a New Year's Eve Party.
Ellie and Garret

Bill and I

Bacon wrapped dates stuffed with goat cheese-yummy- thanks Ellie

We played Pictionary- which as a hoot.

the kids enjoyed watching

and also scribbling some pictures themselves

My dear friend Ellie

Sydney and I

Syd's turn at the board

We had so many yummy snacks: bang bang shrimp, jalapeno poppers, brie, and of course Margarita's

for dessert I made crepes with strawberry sauce and a cream cheese and yogurt filling. 

Our evening was over by 10 but we had a fabulous time with friends and our kids.

windows

We are the proud owners of 4 new windows! 
The windows in our house have all been painted (by me) white and shut.  The grids are just the wooden snap in grids and some of them are broken, plus we have no screens and I cannot reach the top floor windows to clean them on the outside.

The windows on the chimney side of the house were in desperate need of repair because the wood around the window was rotting.  We would love to be able to replace all the windows at once but we have 20 some windows in our house so we are doing 1 side of the house at a time. 

I love the new windows- the grids are between the glass, we have full screens and I can tilt them in and clean them from the inside!

this is one of the older ones that is actually in okay shape- the wood is intact just peeling- Bill was home when the guys came and he did not take before pictures.  Oh well.

Bill used to sell windows so he knew just what we wanted and he measured them for the guy and we got a great price.  Yeah! 

seeing stars

I was inspired by this idea on Little Birdie Secrets blog

and I decided to make a new wreath for the front door
I cut a circle out of cardboard and glued a few flat stars to cover the cardboard then I added the dimensional stars

I decided not to embellish mine- what do you think?

see the dimension

since I was having so much fun making stars I decided to add some to the kids rooms

I want the kids to see the stars I made for them and remember they are a star to me!

simple but fun projects for the new year