Snapshots of our life.....

Catch up.

2012-02-15T23:00:00.001-05:00

Things have been busy around here.

The bathroom renovation is at a screeching halt. There is always some kind of hold-up.

Of course it was like opening Pandora's box. We are doing more than we had planned on, but that's how it goes.

We are getting the house ready to put on the market, cleaning every nook and cranny--of which there are many.

Did I mention we are moving to the Boston suburbs?

We are moving for the third time in less than three years.

Lots of reasons to be excited about that, but definitely sooner than I was hoping to leave.

Finley is in some kind of hyper-attachment phase. Anxiety if I leave the room, wanting held constantly, waking up every 90 minutes at night freaking out, crying when he gets dropped off at the nursery.

I even got paged to come get him during MOPS.

Skylar never cared where she was left. She couldn't wait for me to leave.

Finley's first phrase is "No Jack!" If you even ask him about Jack he says "No, No!"

Probably because the whole time he's in his highchair, Jack is trying to scratch at his legs and get crumbs, so he hears "No Jack" a lot.

Learning to defend your food is an important life skill around here.

He's into everything. He emptied a box of ribbons while Skylar and I were crafting, got his legs all tangled up and signed "finished" over and over until I rescued him......

Meanwhile, Skylar made Valentines. Topless. And then we mailed them out late. {You can expect yours by St. Patrick's Day}.

She spends a large part of her day doing shows. Finley and I are the audience and we are told what to say and when to clap. Ribbon dancing is a big one right now.

We had company last week. One of our favorite old friends, Doug Armstrong, was visiting. We had fun catching up with him. Wish they lived closer!

Finley has stopped fighting the snowsuit. As soon as you put him in it, he goes limp and stops moving. {Similar to Sabot in the hot dog costume}. And he's such a guy, when you unzip that snowsuit it smells like a locker room in there. I don't know how a baby can be so sweaty and stinky.

We had Finley dedicated at church last Sunday. He and his daddy ended up wearing matching outfits, which seems to happen a lot {and not on purpose}.

The Lion King pose {this is a requirement for all Rue baby dedications}.....

My dad came up for the dedication and spent the weekend with us. He came bearing goodies--a Rockland Bakery smorgasbord for the adults and lots of Valentine treats for Skylar.

This is the look of steely determination, usually when something fun has been spotted like a forbidden snack or the dog's water dish.

Last Friday we had a movie night with Skylar. She got to stay up really late and eat popcorn and ice cream and watch Tangled. She was so engrossed that her ice cream just melted in her lap and she didn't even touch her popcorn.

And now she pretends to be Rapunzel. Here she is watching her daily show with her Rapunzel hair on.......

Never a dull moment around here.

Sunshine and tea parties.

2012-02-08T11:41:00.000-05:00

The winter in Northern New York is characterized by endless cloudy days and boatloads of snow. We haven't had much snow this year, but sunshine is rare.

So when we get a sunny day it is reason to celebrate!

Skylar picked out her outfit and set the table all by herself.

Then she had a tea party with one of her little friends who was visiting.

Little girls are so fun:)

Please don't feed the baby.

2012-02-06T19:43:00.000-05:00

I told Skylar she could give treats to the dogs today.

I was in the middle of something and wasn't paying close enough attention.

Apparently she threw one to her brother too.

I found him just as excited as the dogs, with Grade F meat by-products dripping down his face.

He loved it.

Homemade Laundry Detergent.

2012-02-03T11:42:00.000-05:00

Making my own laundry detergent would never have occurred to me. I'm pretty loyal to Tide. But I was given a jar to try {along with a very convincing list of reasons to use it} so I decided to keep an open mind and give it a shot.

We've probably done a dozen or so loads with it, and I'm pretty happy with the results. The laundry is definitely softer, and the stain fighting is good. In fact, Skylar accidentally squirted green food coloring on a shirt last week and I didn't even bother to treat it or wash it right away because I figured it was a goner. I was shocked to see that it all came out.

The only negative is the absence of that clean, perfume-y smell I'm used to from the Tide. The Fels Naptha has a distinct smell, it's not bad, just different.

The recipe:

1 cup of Borax

1 cup of Washing Soda

1 bar of Fels Naptha Soap (grated up)

Mix ingredients and store in an airtight container. Use 1.5 Tablespoons per load of laundry.

Some reasons to give it a try:

-Safe for regular and HE washers.

-Great for babies (no dye, perfumes, etc) so no need to buy the special baby detergent.

-Earth friendly, no giant plastic bottles.

-Since you use such a small amount of detergent per load, it lasts forever.

-Budget friendly. Laundry for a whole year for only $20? That's what I spend on detergent every month.

-If you don't like the smell, I'm told you can substitute a different bar of soap for the Fels Naptha, but I haven't researched this.

Stuff.

2012-02-01T23:40:00.002-05:00

Have you tried this stuff yet? It's so good. You need to pick some up. Only open the bag if there are other people around to share it with. Don't attempt to eat it alone. Just don't.

There are a couple of deals at Target right now worth checking out.

Apparently I've passed my love of Target on to Skylar. Today we were going to go to an open gym time at the Y where the kids have free reign of all the gym equipment. She usually loves it. But today she said she wanted to do something different....something more fun. "Let's go to Target instead mom!"

Well okay, we can do that. (whew! At least she didn't ask me to ride on a dolphin again.)

So since I'm on my second week of couponing, I was happy to discover Target's website has coupons for all kinds of things I already buy there {like my beloved Tazo chai concentrate}.

Two deals worth passing on to you {in case you care}.....

Twenty-four packs of play-doh are currently on sale for 12.99. There's a coupon on the website for $5 off, making them $8 (almost half off regular price). That's a lot of play-doh for eight dollars. So if you have a play-doh lover in your life go here and print one off.

It's fun to make it at home, but seriously....don't you remember how cool it was to open a brand new can of play-doh and dig into it? {The only thing cooler was a brand new giant pack of crayons....all those colors in little rows.....gives me chills just thinking about it....}

And if you are a Method soap snob like I am, there's a coupon for that as well, bringing the price for this bonus pack down to $4.99, or $1.25 a bottle {instead of $2.99}.

So that is my dorky coupon update for the week. Now go eat some chex mix.

My husband thinks I've flipped my lid.

2012-01-29T23:08:00.002-05:00

Our bathroom is gutted....now the fun part begins.

I've had a hard time finding a bathroom vanity that is well-made, affordable, and small enough to fit in the space while still providing storage.

Before this whole project started I mentioned to Micah that we could make our own vanity out of a dresser. He said "Um, I don't think so." He tends to not see my vision at first.

So I started searching online and in local stores and everything looked cheaply made and/or was ridiculously expensive. I mean seriously, the drawers were already broken on the displays. Then I came across this beauty online.

I showed it to Micah and Jon {the guy helping us with the bathroom}. Micah thought I was joking. Jon wisely said nothing. They both hated it. Seriously, what's to hate? It's glorious!

So logically I took a facebook poll {isn't that how all minor life decisions are made?} to see if my friends thought future home buyers would be deterred by my choice of vanity.

Of course everyone agreed with me because 1. they are my friends for a reason and 2. the people that hate it will never actually tell me and 3. no males responded.

So really, the facebook poll accomplished nothing except to boost my confidence.

Since the the one I loved was the style of a converted dresser, I went back to my original idea of converting a dresser.

I went to my favorite antique store that very day and found not one, but two dressers. I negotiated them both for a great price. Jackpot.

Then I came home and googled the "how to" and found great examples that got me really excited:

traditional bathroom design by other metros showroom donna reyne jenkins

So today after church I dragged the whole family into the antique store to show Micah what he would be coming back to pick up {the place is an endless maze, you could seriously get lost and not be found for a month in there}.

I was so excited to show them my perfect vanity dresser. After weaving our way to the back of the store I said "HERE IT IS. ISN'T IT AMAZING?"

Micah was grimacing. Skylar frowned and said "Really??"

And that was it, that was the only reaction I got from them.

Micah continued to grimace for a couple more hours.

But the dimensions are perfect. I love the way it looks.

But alas, this story is not over. {And at this point you are probably wishing I would just end it already.}

I knew my ever-supportive friend Lindsay would be excited and understand my idea. So I was telling her on the phone that I had rushed straight to the jailhouse yesterday and found two dressers. She of course got all excited with me and then told me about one she had completely fallen in love with last fall but had decided not to buy because she didn't technically need it. She described it perfectly. The very same dresser.

And as for the second dresser I bought, it was a little too big for the bathroom. So that one is going to be in Finley's room.

I won't miss you at all.

2012-01-27T15:58:00.000-05:00

Bye-bye grimy shower door and bulky cupboards that take up way too much space in our tiny bathroom.....

Bye-bye hideous tile that never looks clean.....

Bye-bye hidden shelf with a sliding mirror door that is always splattered with toothpaste...I never have to clean you again.....

Bye-bye insufficient light source......

Bye-bye stinky little pug in the pink polo....just kidding...now I'm getting a little carried away......

This weekend is the start of our bathroom renovation! Demolition starts tonight. Woo-hoo! {Here's praying there are no scary secrets hidden behind these 100 year old walls....}

Ways we entertain ourselves.....

2012-01-25T19:53:00.000-05:00

Moustaches came in the mail! SWEET! (Thanks Kristy!)

And when we offered to put one on Skylar? Total meltdown.

Apparently the thought of having facial hair terrifies her. {Just wait until she meets her first bearded cafeteria lady! Every college seems to have one.}

A new hobby.

2012-01-24T13:27:00.006-05:00

I have quite a few friends who are avid couponers and consistently score amazing deals.

I love a good bargain but coupons have never worked for me.

It requires a certain level of organization that I just don't have.

If I come across a coupon for something I would normally buy then I'll clip it.....but then I usually forget it at home or lose it in the black hole that is my purse.

So generally I just grab what I need and throw it in the cart without much thought.

I always compare brands in the store, and if there happens to be a coupon hanging there then I'll grab it, but half the time I've lost the coupon by the time I get to the register.

Once I joined the Grocery Game website, but in the end I never used it.

I've checked out some of the many couponing websites that do all the work for you, but I didn't even know how to read all the abbreviations or where to find the coupons they were talking about. It's like a secret language.

I've even bought the Sunday paper for the coupons and there wasn't a blessed coupon to be found in it.

So this past fall when our local MOPS group asked for suggestions I said "Couponing!" mostly because I wanted someone to explain it all to me. It kind of annoys me that I haven't figured it out.

So they brought in a local expert--a sweet christian lady named Erin who was on the Extreme Couponing show using our local Price Chopper. {Some of her information is region specific, but she has a video series on her website}.

She started talking and it was like drinking water from a fire house. The amount of information was completely overwhelming. The hour she spent talking was just the tip of the iceberg.

So I signed up for her class.

That's right, I spent last Saturday at a couponing seminar.

I've always been a little afraid of those binder-wielding, shelf-clearing, register holder-upers.....and now here I was spending a Saturday morning surrounded by them.

But thankfully, that's not what this class was about. No binder lugging required and she teaches good coupon etiquette.

I learned all kinds of things I didn't know....like our local Price Chopper doubles all coupons under a dollar, and if you see a special that requires you to buy $25 worth of merchandise to get $5 back it's actually referring to the regular shelf price not the sale price....so it may actually only be $15 worth of merchandise. Add your coupons, get your $5 store credit...and you've got a bargain.

So armed with my new knowledge I bought the Sunday paper {apparently they keep the coupon inserts behind the counter because people steal them}, made my list, gathered my coupons and headed into Price Chopper with great trepidation.

While fumbling through the aisles in a store where I never shop, I ran into a fellow couponing classmate who gave me a tip-off about a half price nut sale in aisle 9. And she had a coupon. There was a wild look in her eyes. She scared me a little. I decided it would throw off my game to pursue the nut deal, and stuck with my original plan.

My #1 goal was to only buy things we can actually use. Unless of course it ends up being free, then I'll get it anyway because someone will use it.

I have to say it was kind of fun. I felt victorious because I finally know how to do it!

My first attempt:

All of this loot was about the same price as one box of Thermacare, just over $10.

{I wouldn't normally buy this random assortment of stuff, but it's all things we will eventually use}.

So this will be my new hobby in 2012....dabbling in the art of couponing and potentially saving lots of money in the grocery department. {Or just ending up with a stash of medical supplies big enough to save a third world country}.

Friday.

2012-01-20T21:26:00.000-05:00

A few pics from our uneventful day......

And a snowy night...........

Happy friday!

Plan toys.

2012-01-18T21:34:00.001-05:00

I do about 75% of my shopping on Amazon. I'm obsessed with Amazon and their free shipping.

It was on Amazon that I first discovered Plan toys. Now that we own a few of them I feel like I can vouch for their quality. I am completely hooked. They are really simple, well designed, and my kids love them. They are the kind of toys that you can pass down to your grandchildren.

{And call me old fashioned, but I love that they don't light up, play music and vibrate obnoxiously. Does anybody else worry that we are completely overstimulating our children with all of this stuff?}

Finley got this pounding bench for Christmas (thanks Granbabe and GranStud).......

I got these ABC cards for Skylar. We have spent many hours doing them. She loves them.....

And I think this Lacing Sheep is the cutest thing ever....

They have so many other great things. Definately worth checking out!

The "fun hangover".

2012-01-16T20:24:00.003-05:00

Uncle Josh is home from China and we can't stop smiling!!!!

I mean, we are soooooo happy!!!!!!!

Seriously, we love him so much! Welcome home Uncle Josh!!!!

Okay, so maybe I didn't pick the best time to take a picture. We were heading out the door to drive 5 hours back home. Finley was beyond ready for his nap. Skylar was in melt-down mode.

BUT I forgot to take a single picture all weekend.

A weekend full of Skylar and Uncle Josh practicing dance routines together and doing a stellar performance to the Lion King's "Can You Feel the Love Tonight". Not to mention baking virtual cupcakes on his ipod, baking with Noni, getting treats from Papa, and watching way too much football. She had a blast!

And then she had a "fun hangover".

But I made my miserable children sit on Uncle Josh's lap anyway.

And this was the best one I got:

We really are glad you made it home safely Josh and can't wait to hear about your new life in NYC!

9 months

2012-01-14T20:39:00.001-05:00

Nine months old in the blink of an eye.....

The Chiweenie

2012-01-12T13:58:00.000-05:00

An ugly dog....

breed with another ugly dog.....

results in an even uglier dog....

If you're thinking...."Hey wait, you have a pug and they don't get any uglier than that!" I totally understand.

I once came out of a gas station to find a stranger waiting by my car just to tell me that Jack (who was sitting in the driver's seat) was the ugliest dog he'd ever seen.

But one persons ugly is another man's beautiful.

And I still think pugs are the cutest dog ever created by Chinese royalty.

So no offense to the Chihuahua and Dachshund owners of the world.

But we saw a Chiweenie live and in person at a pet store and......well....why?

Not sure whose idea it was to breed those two, but two wrong do not make a right.

{At least they gave it a fun name}.

Fish tacos

2012-01-10T21:15:00.001-05:00

We love fish tacos, but they are hard to come by here in Northern New York.

And there are so many ways to make them--from types of fish, to preparation of fish, types of tortillas, sauces and toppings--it's almost easier to make them at home so that they are exactly the way you like them.

I'm not a fan of fried fish or mayonnaise sauces, so here's my version using tilapia:

Marinate five tilapia fillets in 1/4 cup of oil, 1 teaspoon of chili powder and the juice of one lime. Let sit for 20 or 30 minutes and then pan fry. (Micah likes his breaded for a crunch factor, so you can dip some in bread crumbs before pan frying if that's you).

La Tortilla Factory makes some amazing tortillas that are part corn, part flour and they are sooooo good. If you warm them in a pan with a little cooking spray they taste freshly made. We have them in our regular grocery store, and if we have them then you probably do too.

For toppings I use a little bit of grated Gruyere, fresh cilantro, sliced avocado and some shredded cabbage. I toss my cabbage with some red wine vinegar, oil, salt and pepper before adding it to the taco. {If you prefer a cream sauce of some kind there are numerous yogurt, sour cream, mayo or avocado sauce recipes out there to try}. Have fun with it and customize your fish taco!

Birthday boy.

2012-01-07T21:30:00.000-05:00

Micah turned 30 today!

We woke him up with breakfast in bed: chocolate chip pancakes, heart shaped eggs, cantaloupe, and a birthday picture from Skylar--all of his favorite things.

And all of his favorite people of course. What good is your favorite breakfast without a crowd watching you eat it? {And little hands helping you eat it.}

For someone used to waking up at 4:30 {by choice} and having a few hours to himself every morning, it was a whole lot of excitement right away.

But at least he actually slept in until 7 something.

He spent the day flying his new toy helicopter with the kids, ice skating and watching veggie tales.

Birthdays have changed a little bit over the years.

But there will always be cake, candles and singing.....

And "dad gifts" like a hat with patches, a portable car vacuum, and a new lunch bag....and of course the remote control helicopter.

And he danced around the table several times when he opened the vacuum.

Yep, times have changed.

Happy birthday to my best friend and an awesome dad! Welcome to the next decade!

Oh happy day.

2012-01-05T21:51:00.000-05:00

Skylar sat in the window looking out at the driveway and waiting....

and waiting.....

"Uhhhhh mom, it's taking her too long to get here!"

"She'll be here in the next few minutes"

In a MINUTE??"

"No, in a few minutes."

"ONE minute?"

"Do you want me to call her and find out how many minutes?"

A long, dramatic sigh......"Nooooo, I'll just wait".

Sigh. Sigh. Sigh.

Then "AUNT B IS HERE!!!!!!!"

Followed by hugs, kisses, a small dog attack, more hugs and hours of playing.....

They even had coordinated outfits.

Oh happy, happy day.

Grace for the new year.

2012-01-03T22:59:00.003-05:00

I am always working toward {and failing daily at} my goal of parenting with grace.

And to be honest, I'm not even sure I fully comprehend what grace is myself.

But a new year is a new start and a chance to refocus and continue to refine.

So in 2012 I am striving toward....

Listening rather then lecturing.

Responding rather than reacting.

Engaging rather then dismissing.

And praying rather then judging.

Knowing that the days can feel long but the years are fleeting.

And someday my nights will be uninterrupted by bad dreams and teething babies, and I'll have plenty of "me" time, and I won't have an audience in the bathroom, and things will still be where I left them, and I won't have to pretend to be Prince Charming or Mufasa all day long, and maybe I'll even lose the last few pounds of baby weight.

And when I send them off into the world someday I don't want to wonder if I did enough, said enough or loved them enough.

I want to shower them with grace now {even if some days I only manage a sprinkle} so that they will see Him in me--because otherwise all of my doing, saying and loving will fall short.

And I am going to mess up a lot. A lot. A lot.

But His grace is sufficient.

The time to shop.

2011-12-30T19:14:00.002-05:00

January is the time to score the retail deals. {That is if Christmas hasn't completely sapped your shopping motivation.}

Skylar, Finley and I went out today to see what bargains could be had.

Really I was just trying to get everyone out of the house so that Micah could take a nap and hopefully recover from this debilitating illness that has seized him and ruined his week of vacation.

So I was left unchaperoned and to my own devices with two small children that have to stay warm.

I had two goals (in addition to the welfare of my ailing husband of course):

I wanted to stock up on discount toys for the birthday parties to come this year, and to score some bargains on clothes for the kids for next winter.

Toys are 50% off at Target right now. They will soon be 75% off--I know this from last year. This is the time to stock up people! Especially if you know you have 18 birthday parties in the year to come.

And at Old Navy....75% off sales all over the place.

Then a trip to Petco so the kids could watch the ferrets play for ten whole minutes. {Seriously....maybe I need a ferret around here so I can cook dinner. Not.}

Anyway, as I was doing my own scavenging, Skylar was doing a little shopping of her own. She found a pair of bunny slippers and a puffy vest that she loved. The slippers were $3 and the puffy vest $6, so she was allowed to get them. She put them on as soon as she got home and said......

"I feel......famous!"

How she even knows what that means is beyond me.

Here's a blurry shot of her little booty shake.

We did not teach her this, she was just born this way.....

Now you know how to feel famous {for under $10}.

It came!

2011-12-29T19:36:00.000-05:00

Finally, a little bit of snow....

A quiet little Christmas.

2011-12-27T21:32:00.002-05:00

This was our first Christmas in eight years that it was just us without any extended family.

I thought it would be kind of sad and lonely and too quiet.

But in the end it was fun and relaxing.

{And not quiet at all.....Skylar does live here after all}.

It was nice to not travel or worry about cooking 20 different things for a big dinner.

Christmas morning had us playing "grocery store" at 5:30 am......

Finley joined us awhile later and Skylar was happy to help him open his presents.....

The whole family took a nap at 9:30 in the morning and then opened our presents around noon when everyone woke up again. It was awesome!

We waited all week for snow that never came. So instead of a sled ride we had a wagon ride. Not having a white Christmas in these parts is almost unheard of. Last December we got 71 inches, this December....one...maybe.

In the end it was a perfect Christmas and we are so thankful to be together this year!

Peace and Good.

2011-12-24T22:43:00.001-05:00

Skylar has been walking around the house in her "Jesus dress" (aka: bed sheet costume from the church Christmas musical) delivering her very important line over and over and over.

Not a line from the musical--she didn't have one--and except for yelling "Hi mom!" and mouthing "Take a picture of me", she did exactly what she was supposed to.

All she had to do was sing "Away in the Manger" with sign language.

But as I was pinning the bed sheet to her body and cutting it out (the second frantic night-before costume making episode of the year) she suddenly burst out with.....

"GLORY TO GOD IN THE HIGHEST AND ON EARTH PEACE AND GOOD".

(Yep, just good).

And she's been dramatically declaring it ever since.

Believe it or not, that's only a third of the poses she managed to fit into one short sentence.

(And Glory in the Highest by Chris Tomlin just came on Pandora while I was typing this, how appropriate is that!)

Not the sharpest tool.

2011-12-22T21:13:00.001-05:00

Sweet, dopey, eager, endlessly patient with the kids and perpetually hungry.

But smart.....um....not so much.

He had a "not very smart" moment the other night.

Micah was making a fire for me (like he does every night so I can drink a glass of wine and wrap presents).

He was messing around in the fireplace and left to get a load of wood from the basement. I was sitting on the couch reading and paying absolutely no attention to the dog when I realized he was eating something.

He's always eating something.

Just then Micah walked back in the room with the wood and we realized simultaneously that the dog was finishing off the Duralite fire starter log.

He just ate it straight out of the fireplace.

Seriously?

"We have to take him to the vet RIGHT NOW!" I yell.

"No! Let him die!" Micah yells. (Okay, he didn't say to let him die, but what he did say wasn't very nice).

So I decided the first step was to call poison control, all the while very thankful that I had never had a reason to call poison control before, and at least it wasn't for one of the kids.

I called people poison control, not realizing there is a separate poison control for animals.

But the nice lady helped me anyway and didn't make me call the other number. She said calling the animal poison control costs $65. Who knew?

After going through the ingredient list with me (mostly wax and wood by-products) it was determined that he would not die, but could get very sick.

We put him in the basement with a bowl of water and woke up the next morning expecting to see Armageddon.

And there was nothing.

None of the prophesied diarrhea. No vomit. Just a hungry dog.

What he lacks in brains he compensates for with a gut of steal.

And the next time we used a starter log Micah realized it does smell exactly like a dog treat.

The crazy wreath lady.

2011-12-20T22:20:00.000-05:00

This year I can't stop with the wreaths.

A couple of weeks ago at the comissary I went to the back of the produce department to inquire about wreaths. They carried them last year, so where were they this year?

I was told they weren't putting them out because they made too much of a mess last year.

(And I suppose because they are a government organization they can afford to purchase inventory and then just not sell it???)

So there they were just sitting in the back, piles of wreaths, not being sold because nobody knew they were there.

I asked for two.

He said he would give them to me for three dollars.

So I said, "I'll take four...make that six!"

Okay, so I have eight.

But they smell so good and we have a fake tree, so it kind of compensates to have that fresh piney smell all over the house. (And you know....needles dropping left and right).

I have put them everywhere inside and out. And thanks to my 75% off post-Christmas shopping extravaganza at Target last year, I have oodles of ornaments to put on them.

In the playroom I used scrapbook paper cut-outs of Finley and Skylar's little hands....

The living room wreath and mantle are loaded down with all of those discount ornaments. {The three reindeer are from the Target dollar spot. I love them.}

And I'll spare you a tour of all eight wreaths, so here's just one more (and I just realized a light bulb is out in one of the porch lights when I looked at this picture).

He wants you to know....

2011-12-19T23:25:00.000-05:00

....that his teeth are ruining his life.

I have never seen a child teeth like this....

screaming like a velociraptor from 8 pm to 3 am.....

the whole family awake and miserable and sleep deprived......

immune to tylenol, teething tablets and orajel....

banging his hands against his head all day because it hurts....

I took him to the doctor today for the THIRD time just to make sure there is no ear infection....

He's totally fine.

Except that he's not.

He's miserable.....

All I want for Christmas is to sleep.

Lazy girl caprese salad.

2011-12-18T21:32:00.002-05:00

I talked Micah into letting me throw a little Christmas party this year.

If these walls could talk, I'm pretty sure they would beg for parties.

This house was made for entertaining.

I like to think of all the soiree's that have occurred here in the last 111 years.

I didn't want a potluck party, everything these days is a potluck (which I really do appreciate most of the time!)

But I wanted it to be a no-strings-attached, come-empty-handed party where people could relax and enjoy themselves without having to think about making something.

I may have invited 40 families because I knew so many people would have scheduling conflicts or be out of town and I wanted to ensure we would still have a crowd.

We ended up with 10 families making it, which I thought was a perfect number--roughly 40 people give or take.

We had a fun, crazy, busy, full house......lots of food.....kids everywhere.....and I got the party bug out of my system until April when it's birthday week for the little Rue's.

I didn't want the party preparation to be stressful so I did all of the desserts ahead of time, used disposable paper products (sorry earth!) and kept food prep simple the day of.

(Well...simplish. I would like to think I'm a minimalist, but let's be real here...I'm not. I am trying though).

My plan was to some make caprese salad skewers that I saw in Southern Living. (Thanks Nana for keeping me in the southern loop!) They had a cherry tomato, a bit-sized mozzerella ball, and a large tortellini on a skewer drizzled with balsamic vinegar and basil. Very festive and easy.

But in the end, I was too lazy to make skewers so I changed my plan and bought smaller versions of the above ingredients and threw it all in a bowl.

And I may have fallen in love and found something that I want to eat every day for lunch.

In a bowl combine:

1 container of grape tomatoes sliced in half
1 container of mozzerella pearls (found in the deli section)
1 box of cheese tortellini cooked al dente

Over the top I drizzled some balsamic vinegar (use the good stuff for this--something imported from Italy) and some basil. Mix together and refrigerate until eating time.

The Buckeye and the Oreo Lollipop.

2011-12-16T22:45:00.001-05:00

Making buckeyes has become a Christmas tradition in this household.

I would argue that chocolate and peanut butter is the best combination in the world. Period.

(Unless of course you're allergic to peanut butter and a buckeye would kill you--that would be a sad fate indeed.)

Some of ours are given away in confection boxes, others shared at parties, but the vast majority are destined to be devoured behind closed doors......

Traditionally they are only partially dipped in chocolate to resemble an actual buckeye, but I don't believe in halfway dipping things in chocolate. (Well okay, except pretzel rods...but only because you need a handle).

I like to use a recipe with as little butter and as much peanut butter as possible.

My favorite:

1 1/2 cups of peanut butter

1/2 cup of butter (softened)

1 tsp of vanilla

1 pound of powdered sugar

1 bag if semi-sweet chocolate chips, melted

Mix the first four ingredients together, make it into little balls (easier with a mini scoop), chill them for awhile to firm them up and then dip in the melted chocolate!

Or if you're lazy like me, keep the balls in the freezer and dip as needed (I find the process tedious).

And this year for the little people in Skylar's life, we are making Oreo pops......

You are going to need a whole lot of melted white chocolate for this one. I used white chocolate chips because the candy making chocolate disks weird me out. (White chocolate in general kind of weirds me out, but that's a personal problem).

2 bags of white chocolate chips

1 bag of oreos (whatever flavor you like--I used double stuff)

Popsicle sticks

Sprinkles/decorations of choice

Lollipop bags to wrap them in

Melt the chocolate, then open the oreos and dip the popsicle sticks in white chocolate before pressing them into the cream and closing the oreo again. Give them a few minutes to harden before dipping.

(This step is crucial...my first two oreos slid right off the stick when I dipped them.)

When they firm up just dip the oreo and decorate (I found it easier to kind of frost the oreo with a knife).

Then give one to your husband and hide the rest. (Also a crucial step!)

Baby's have all the fun.

2011-12-15T12:47:00.000-05:00

I wish I could pull off a head to toe sweater outfit. It looks so comfy....

But alas, knits look so much better on baby bulges then they do on mommy bulges. So not fair.

Balloon pool.

2011-12-13T22:49:00.002-05:00

I was doing my most dreaded task the other day {folding laundry} with HGTV on in the background {my mindless channel of choice}. They had a Christmas special with celebrity homes being decorated for the holidays. Most of the decor was atrocious, but there was a swimming pool filled with silver and white balloons to mimic snow.

Today I was rummaging through a closet and found a bag of balloons. Our pug is obsessed with balloons, so Skylar and I like to play "keep away" with him as he hits the balls with his nose like a seal.

Finley wanted in on the fun, but he was getting frustrated that they were floating away from him...and then I remembered the pool.

So out to the sketchy, spider-laden attic over the garage I went and retrieved our dirty kiddy pool {today was the second time I've ever gone up those stairs} and then attempted to wash it in the utility sink in the basement to avoid the freezing hose water outside.

Our non-celebrity version wasn't nearly as elaborate, but the balloons were contained enough for Finley to grab them and Skylar was entertained long enough for me to finally hang up curtains in the playroom (it's only been 5 months since I took them down to paint).

Random.

2011-12-09T21:05:00.003-05:00

Yesterday was one of those days where we didn't even leave the house.

When I quit working to stay home with Skylar, the thought of spending a whole day in the house with nowhere to go made me all panicky. How was I going to fill an entire day?

And when Micah is away I cram our schedule to fill the days and pass the time.

(After Finley was born, I realized that maybe three bible studies was overly ambitious with a newborn, but I was already committed at that point.)

But now that I have an extra pair of hands at the end of the day, and adult conversation, I am at this new phase of life.....the "it's okay to not be busy for a day" phase.

It's weird, but I kind of like it.

If the kids wake up crabby and we are all off on the wrong foot, instead of pushing us all out the door to the first scheduled activity, I just don't go.

It's so simple, but I've never done that before.

That's what happened yesterday.

I desperately wanted to make it to a 9 am class at the Y and it just wasn't happening. Finley has been a mess for days with more teeth coming in and was already ready for a nap.

This is pretty much what he's looked like all week. It's so sad. (And I know it's not his fault, but at 23 pounds he's so darn heavy to carry around all day!)

So the kids took a looooong bubble bath, I showered, we put on new pajamas, and we stayed that way all day.

I pulled out Skylar's nativity set that Micah's mom got her last year. It's a big hit around here. She loves to rearrange it.

At some point she disappeared for awhile and then came back and said...."Mom will you forgive me?"

She had drawn all over her mouth and then tried to clean it off herself before realizing she couldn't get it all off and I was going to see it eventually.

So I called her Pedro and spoke in Spanglish the rest of the day, which really bugged her.

We made gingerbread cookies with creepy cute faces.....

The Finster woke up feeling like a new man, and then 15 minutes later was back to his whiny self. It was nice while it lasted.

Today we hit up the town Christmas party for one reason, and one reason only.

Not Santa. Not the free toy, cookies, or hot chocolate.

Not to meet Dora or Swiper.

Not even for the bounce house or balloon animals.

We skipped all of the above.

Skylar went for the pony rides alone. She's been talking about it since last year.

And there were bunnies too. And a big nasty sheep that she couldn't stop petting.

Finley ate baby snacks and sat in the driver's seat like big stuff.

And on totally unrelated note, if you like the Jelly Belly then I have good news for you. For a limited time you can scoop up a bag of Belly Flops...all the messed up jelly beans that didn't make the cut.....for just $3 a pound. Merry Christmas to all the jelly belly lovers out there.

Oh so pretty.

2011-12-07T21:38:00.002-05:00

There is a sign that I drive by several times a week.

It's outside of a warehouse and it reads "Free Pallets".

And every time I see that sign, this beautiful picture from Under the Sycamore pops into my head, and I think for the zillionth time "I am sooooo going to make one of those someday".

It's amazing.....and I love the sideways door as a headboard.

But instead of pulling over and shoving pallets in my car, I just keep driving.

Sigh.

And since I'm on the topic of the genius that is Ashley Ann, I have been in love with this idea of hers as well. Every time I go into an antique or thrift store I look for doilies.

A girl can dream.....

Pumpkin buttercream frosting.

2011-12-06T21:14:00.003-05:00

So for Bekah's 21st birthday we celebrated with this chocolate/spice cake/ganache/pumpkin buttercream concoction. (Sounds like way too much going on, I know).

It wasn't "professional cake pretty" (I have no patience or interest in cake decorating) but it was tasty and thankfully all of those flavors actually worked.

It started off as a spice cake with ganache frosting intended as a dessert for Thanksgiving.

But then we had so many desserts it was never frosted. Or even taken out of the pans.

Two days later it was B's birthday, but it seemed wrong to use a two-day old spice cake for her birthday. So I made a chocolate cake as well and decided to go with four layers to be fancy.

I didn't want to do a ganache filling. I haven't had much luck with that. The layers just slide around.

So I decided on buttercream.

But I wanted to tie in the "spice cake" part so at the last minute I added a couple of dollops of pumpkin puree to the frosting.

Then I whipped some unsweetened cream and folded it in to lighten it up.

Thus the spice cake evolved into this mess....

The pumpkin buttercream is great with spice cake, gingerbread cupcakes or chocolate cake.

So here's the frosting:

1 stick of butter softened

A glug of vanilla (I'm really precise here)

A couple teaspoonfuls of unsweetened canned pumpkin.

Most of a bag of powdered sugar.

Then I add a little milk until it reaches the consistency I like.

At this point it's ready to go.

BUT if you fold in some whipped cream it makes a great filling or lighter frosting.

Now go find an excuse to frost something.

Easy holiday centerpiece.

2011-12-04T19:44:00.001-05:00

This is my favorite holiday centerpeice.

When I find something that I like, I repeat it the next year. Why change what works, right?

Three glass cylinders (purchased a couple of years ago at Wally World....$4 or $5 each I think).

Three unscented pillar candles....Wal-mart $2.88 each

A bag of cranberries...$1 at Aldi.

Some bulk nuts (found in any grocery stores this time of year)....$2.

Cinammon sticks....free from the pantry.

Greenery cut off my bush.

There are endless options here. I like to stick with natural things, but your imagination is the limit.

Rice art.

2011-12-02T14:35:00.001-05:00

I am always looking for ways to entertain Skylar. Art projects are her favorite thing.

So this morning I decided she could glue some noodles to paper. And just to be fancy, we would even dye them first.

When I checked the pantry we didn't have the right shapes for gluing, BUT the bag of rice was sitting there.

So we improvised and grabbed that rice and dyed it in baggies with food coloring.

And it was a hit!

It works just like sand art. (No doubt fun moms everywhere have already done this and I'm just now thinking of it.)

I made shapes for her to fill in and then I did a "mystery picture" with the glue stick that she couldn't see until she shook off the rice.

So now I have one more trick in my snowy day arsenal.

"Tis the season.

2011-11-29T20:06:00.001-05:00

We are in the Christmas spirit around here.

Last Christmas was fun, but I remember thinking ahead to this Christmas last year. Wondering what it would be like with two kids.....having Micah home....being all together.

And now here it is.

Our FIRST and LAST Christmas all together in our house. {There's a slim chance we could be here next year, but it's very slim}.

So I am trying to enjoy every second.

We wasted no time getting the tree up.....

It's always fun to see your kids experiencing Christmas for the first time. Finley was dazzled by all the shiny and sparkly things....

{Please excuse the runny nose...homeboy got 4 new teeth in 48 hours}.

Oh how I'm going to miss those cheeks when he grows out of them....

Meanwhile Skylar and Micah snacked on chocolate covered strawberries.....

I guess we were supposed to be munching on Christmas cookies and eggnog, but chocolate covered strawberries are a favorite in this house.

Last year Skylar couldn't get the ornaments on by herself. This year she hung her first one, and looked at me with a supremely satisfied smile and said "Well, I guess I'm a big girl now!"

She loves this little straw angel that my mom passed on from my childhood. She takes it off the tree and plays with it everyday. Actually, she spends a lot of her time undecorating the tree. We haven't outgrown that one yet.

Now all we need is some snow around here. It's been unseasonably warm in the North Country, and I'm ready for it!

The Rockland Bakery.

2011-11-26T22:33:00.000-05:00

It has previously been established on this blog that:

1. The Austins are eaters.

2. We are also feeders, aka "food pushers"

3. We don't apologize for this, so just open your mouth and eat the food already. You don't have to be hungry, okay?

4. Bakeries are a BIG deal. We can sniff them out like blood hounds.

Enter the Rock-my-land Bakery.

The bakery to end all bakeries. A mecca of pastries, breads and all things delicious. Open until 10:30 pm.

So what to do on a Friday night after a couple rousing rounds of bowling?

Go to the bakery of course.

After putting Skylar to bed, and attempting to put Finley to bed, we piled into the car and took Bekah, Karen and our friend Justin to Rockland for the first time.

I had to document the occasion.

Please note the unbridled joy on Bekah's face.

Karen and Bekah were in the third row seat.

My dad drove with steely determination. Micah played music to get everyone pumped up. We relived past bakery experiences.

By the time we got there we were pumped up. Ready to pillage and plunder.

Do you hear the angels singing? I do.

First order of business, get those gloves on and get to the bread room ASAP. {Notice Micah playing it cool on the side}.

Bekah and Karen were giddy and unashamed.....

Everywhere you look there are racks and bins of rolls, bread, bagels, pretzels, etc. Large machines spit them out fresh and warm and people just scoop them right up and put them in bags.

The choices are overwhelming.....

I could not believe there was a half-eaten loaf sitting on a rack. Shortly after I took this picture an elderly couple came over and finished it off. Who knows how many people shared it.

Behold the goods....

A little bakery lover in the making.....

Micah may have gotten carsick on the way over, but that was just a minor setback....

Hello pastries, nice to eat you....

We got home, all grabbed forks and sampled everything.

The aftermath.....

Micah and I are currently hashing through a long list of job assignments to choose our next place to live. He thinks we should put all the jobs close to a Rockland bakery at the top of our wish list. That's how we make major life decisions....one cream puff at a time.

The solo act.

2011-11-23T13:32:00.000-05:00

This past weekend was Skylar's first dance recital. She spends a good part of every day dancing around the house, so this was the pinnacle of her little ballet dreams.

Her biggest complaint about ballet class is that she "doesn't get to do ballet" because she has to stand in line, practice positions, stretch, etc. and it's so booooring. She thinks her class should be a dance party every week.

She doesn't get that whole "ballet takes discipline" concept.

She also finds an excuse to leave class every week so she can come out to the lobby and say hi to the parents and watch her friends on the tv monitor. They think it's hilarious. I don't.

Anyway.....

As I was trying to get her out the door for the rehearsal she said "I don't want to be on stage with everybody watching me!" I had flashbacks to my childhood stage fright. I was a wreck before every recital I had. So I told her she would get to watch the big girls on stage dance, and she was happy to go.

I should not have worried about the glimmer of stage fright. After watching the big girls practice she couldn't wait for her turn.

That child came alive on the stage.

A little too alive.

All 25 preschoolers were standing in a row when the curtain opened and "We are Christmas Elves" started playing. Skylar was on the far left sticking out like a sore thumb because I didn't get the memo about putting her in her Christmas costume like all the other children.

(It wouldn't have mattered if I had gotten the memo, because she didn't even HAVE a costume yet. It was up to the parents to choose the outfit. I had decided she could squeeze into last year's size 2T Christmas dress. Then I realized that wasn't going to cut it. So as of rehearsal night, there was no Christmas finery to show off anyway).

Back to the stage....

So the music starts and all the little girls just freeze. Nobody is dancing. The teachers are stage right and left trying to show them the motions and nobody is paying attention.

And then IT happens.

Skylar steps out about 3 feet in front of the line.

Uh-oh.....

And then she free-styles it just like Olivia the Pig. Twirling, jumping, kicking her way all the way down the stage.

The crowd roared. But I overheard a parent say "Does she have a solo part? Why does she get a solo part?"

Um, she gave herself the solo part.

When she got to the end of the stage a teacher jumped out and put her back in line.

But she wasn't done, oh no, she was just getting warmed up.

She got right back out in front and gave a strong finish with a large dramatic bow at the end. The crowd ate it up.

Oh.my.gosh. I could have died.

I thought for the millionth time, where did this child come from?

In fact I think I must have been mumbling "that is not my child" because the person in front of me turned around and said "That's YOUR child?"

When she came down I said "Wow Skylar, that was some performance you gave."

She said very proudly "I know!"

So I asked her why she didn't stay in line with her friends and do the dance her teacher taught her.

To which she replied, "But mom, I wanted to do ballet!"

I couldn't really argue with that since clearly she was the only one on stage doing ballet.

I mean, I guess I should be proud that she took some initiative and gave a performance of some kind.

But I still reiterated that she needed to stand next to all of her friends. And so did her teacher the next day at her lesson.

The night before the performance had me frantically driving around town collecting up materials to make a costume and then gathering and hand stitching 6 layers of sequined and glittered tulle to her old Christmas dress to get it performance ready (all the while wishing I had just been like the other moms and ordered a dang costume off etsy).

It appears I am still the procrastinator I was in college.

The the big day came. I was a little nervous to see what kind of tricks she had up her tutu.

But she stayed right in her spot and did exactly what she was supposed to. She couldn't resist adding a nice dramatic curtsy at the end. That's my girl.

Her daddy gave her a rose:

I'm thinking she might be a born performer. Just maybe. I could be wrong. We'll see.

Her friend Maddie came to watch her. Skylar LOVED that Maddie was there.

The performance was really secondary to the fish and turtle pond in the lobby. It was the main attraction for sure.

Santa gave her a candy cane. She love love loves candy canes. And those little round peppermints that grandpas keep in their pockets. In fact, she will pick a peppermint over chocolate. Further proof that she cannot be my child.

We had to sit through an hour of ballet performances before we slipped out at intermission. Finley was Micah's ticket out. He got fussy. Luuuuucky.

We all look a little goofy in this picture. I guess ballet just really takes it out of us.....

Micah taught Skylar to do the stink-eye. So I'll leave you with that.....

Different from birth.

2011-11-20T00:04:00.000-05:00

It's amazing how rough little boys are. Even as babies.

The things that would have scared Skylar are hilarious to Finley.

Give him two shots....not a tear.

He hits his head and he shakes it off.

Physical pain, no problem.

But try to wipe his nose or change his diaper and he flips out.

I think it's funny that acts of hygiene really annoy him. Probably until he starts noticing girls.

And he loves to wrestle with his dad.

Actually, unless he's hungry, he seems to prefer his dad most of the time.

This evening I caught them playing "attack the face":

He's such a little nut. I can't wait to see all the trouble he's going to cause around here.

Important life lesson #274

2011-11-16T20:53:00.000-05:00

Being sick and missing play dates is a bummer.

But being sick has it's perks.....

Like unlimited jello, popsicles and being able to watch lots of movies in your bed.

And something I have finally learned.....

I'm not so quick to lower fevers with tylenol or motrin anymore. (Within reason of course.) A raging fever keeps a child lethargic and resting which actually helps them heal faster, as opposed to feeling better and running around like a mad person when the meds kick in and then feeling even worse when they wear off. I was always too scared to let Skylar run a fever. But now that she's older, I kind of enjoy how mellow and cuddly she gets. And I can actually get something done too. Bonus.

The chocolate chip cookie.

2011-11-15T21:23:00.004-05:00

We have been doing a lot a lot a lot of baking around here.

It makes Skylar and I both relaxed and happy, and Micah enjoys the fruits of our labors.

I love that she is such a little cook, and hopefully she has lots of good memories from all of these hours in the kitchen together.

I've discovered so many great new things, I could probably blog recipes for two straight weeks.

But alas, this isn't a food blog remember? It's a blog about absolutely nothing. And I take that responsibility very seriously.

Since I haven't posted a recipe in awhile, allow me to introduce you to the best chocolate chip cookie recipe I have ever tried. EVER.

If you aren't a baker then this will mean nothing to you.

But for at least a dozen years I have been making the basic chocolate chip cookie. I've tried the recipes on the back of the chocolate chip bags. Fail. Always too thick, or too runny, never quite right. Same with online recipes.

And it always annoyed me that I couldn't get it quite right. How hard can a stinkin' cookie be? But it alluded me.

Then the other day I cracked open a Hershey's cookbook that someone gave me many years ago and I confess I have never used before.

I had low expectations.

But then.....

Not only did they look exactly right, they had the perfect texture.

Like the kind of giant cookie you would pay way too much money for at Starbucks.

Then I made more to make sure it wasn't a fluke. It isn't.

I feel triumphant.

So here's the recipe in the off-chance that this is as exciting for you as it is for me....

Giant Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 stick of butter

3/4 cup sugar

1/3 cup peanut butter

1 egg

1/2 tsp vanilla

1 1/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

1 cup chocolate chips

I won't tell you how to mix it all together, I'm sure you know what to do. Bake at 350. 10 minutes for smaller cookies, 15 for the giant kind.

Then do a victory dance around your kitchen!

"Little Mermaiding"

2011-11-13T21:21:00.001-05:00

My brother Josh is currently working in Asia. He recently made a request.

Well Josh, the people have answered.

In a show of support, your incredibly ~~dorky~~ cool and agile family did some "Little Mermaiding" just for you....

Micah took a break from bagging leaves.....

Then we all went to the park, and that's when the fun really began.

Mother mermaid.....

I risked life and limb to achieve the greatest heights the playground could offer.

And we may have thrown in a few extra poses.

I bring you, The Dead Cockroach.....

Micah was by far the most eager mermaid. He got really into it.....

Ooops, that would be a plank, not a mermaid....

And still another plank (I told you he got really into it)....

And now for the littlest mermaid.....

The end.

Pomtastic.

2011-11-11T09:36:00.003-05:00

Last week we were in the grocery store cruising through the produce section to pick up some lettuce really quickly (ha!), when Skylar yelled in her very loudest of loud voices (the one she saves for life's most exciting occasions)......

"POMEGRANATES!!!!!! MOM, THERE ARE POMEGRANATES. CAN WE GET SOME? THEY'RE BACK MOM. THEY CAME BACK! POMEGRANATES ARE BACK! CAN I HAVE ONE? MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM! MOM!"

You get the idea.

Because what is more amazing then princesses, sparkles, puppies, ponies AND rainbows combined?

The pomegranate. It's the great love of Skylar's life.

She's cried bitter tears the last TWO years when we've gone to buy one in January only to discover they've gone out of season again. Gone just like that. Not to be found anywhere, because believe me I called every store in town. I even looked on Amazon. I kid you not. (I almost blogged about it last year).

This year I will remember and prep her in advance to ease the good-bye.

I really don't get the attraction. I grew up eating them. They aren't THAT great.

So anyway, back to the awkward grocery store reunion.....

I nodded and smiled at my gawking fellow shoppers who no doubt were headed straight to the pharmacy to get some aspirin after our encounter, and grabbed a bunch of pomegranates.

Skylar wanted to sit in the back of the cart with them.

She held them....clutched them to her heart.....out of the corner of my eye I saw her give one a little kiss. And in my head I'm thinking......really??? My child is sooooo wierd. Is she going to fit in at school? What if the kids see her kissing pomegranates at lunch?

Meanwhile Skylar is still yelling to anyone who will listen.....LOOK I HAVE POMEGRANATES. MY MOM IS GETTING ME THESE. DO YOU LIKE THEM? THEY HAVE MORE. THEY ARE SOOOO JUICY. I LOVE POMEGRANATES.

I am trying to concentrate on my task at hand as I ~~barrel race~~ calmly maneuver through the crowded aisles, trying not to squash her excitement by saying "guess what? nobody cares!!! so please STOP!" But my blood pressure is rising. I just want to get out of the store. Why, oh why, didn't God install an off switch?

It continues through the register. She shows everyone in line. Tells the cashier how much she loves pomegranates. They smile politely, but I can see the confusion in their eyes....because nobody in the history of the world has ever been this excited about Disney World, let alone a fruit.

She requests her pomegranates be put in a "baby bag" so she can carry them herself.

She feels the need to tell the Wal-mart greeter. Then the Salvation Army bell ringer.

Then, sweet mercy, we make it to our car.

She doesn't understand why she has to wait until she gets home to eat it. Tears. Drama. Tears.

We get home.

I crack that sucker open and it's just Skylar and the pomegranate. And finally....silence. For like 30 seconds.

She had no interest in getting her picture taken, but I had to show you what happens to her face.
I get to clean up pomegranate stained faces and clothes until January.

And then there are those teething biscuits that slime everything. So appetizing.

He like pomegranates too. But not as much as sister. Not yet anyway.

Time to throw them in the leaves.

2011-11-09T21:58:00.001-05:00

Oh how I love to take the annual leaf pictures.

Someday I'm going to look back on these pictures and cry. And eat chocolate. And cry.

Anyway....

Skylar loves the leaves like she loves the sand.

She does not, however, like raking.

Raking was fun last year. This year apparently she realized it's work. She must be growing up.

Little man was very, very serious. Not sure what to think.

Then again, his sister was screaming and dumping leaves on his head.

I would have been a little scared too.

And he was not happy to be wearing his puffy vest.

He hates his puffy vest.

But a puffy baby in a puffy vest makes me laugh, so too bad for him.

'Til next year.

Kiwi berries.

2011-11-07T21:48:00.001-05:00

Have you tried the latest genetically modified fruit?

Baby kiwis.

No fuzz on the skin, so you can just eat the whole thing. They're a big hit in our house.

The beach in the fall.

2011-11-06T21:52:00.002-05:00

The day after we got home from Niagara, we hit the road again....this time for Myrtle Beach. It was a spontaneous trip with the Lathrops planned less than a week out. We decided to take our time getting down there and make a road trip of it. The trip down was a breeze.

And when we got there.....sunshine, waves, perfect weather, meeting baby Cora, and time to relax......

Isn't little Cora Bella Ballerina the cutest with her concerned little eyebrows?

And speaking of concerned, should we be?

We took Skylar to the aquarium where she unfortunately saw pictures and heard about "finning" and has been stressing about it ever since. As in EVERY DAY she brings it up. She's really worried about the sharks who die and if they are going to heaven. Oh dear.

It was fun taking Finley to the beach this time. He loved the sand and kept trying to get it to his mouth, but it would slip through his fingers (thankfully) before he got his hands up there.

He couldn't figure out why it was in his hand one second and gone the next. He thought maybe yelling at it would help.

The tide pools are perfect for little ones....warmer than the ocean and nice and shallow.

Love the sand in my toes. (Just not in my bathing suit!)

The tide pools were great, but the real ocean was a bit too much for Finley. He was not a fan.

Skylar playing with daddy and Uncle Andy while Aunt Kristy photographed her and mommy watched the babies....a pretty perfect scenario in her little mind.

Micah was like a kid again playing in the waves and rolling in the sand. Way more fun than me.

I thought it was funny that Kristy and Cora matched (inadvertently of course).

Andy playing in the waves....

And gettin' his Kindle on.....

Great beach memories with my girl....

Um.....not sure about this one....found it on the camera......

We went to a restaurant where they shoved a hat on everyone's head. Cora looks a little embarrassed by her parents head gear.....

This picture was taken at dinner our last night at the beach, and we are smiling because we have no idea of the road trip horrors that await us the next day. Awful, terrible, very bad things happened on the way home. (Poo, vomit, the mafia, leaving an important bag sitting on the curb at a rest stop.....just to name a few). But we made it to my parent's place safely, and didn't lose our children even if we did lose our minds, so I guess that's all that matters.

I'm now convinced that October is the best month for the beach. It feels like we somehow cheated the cold weather here in the North Country and stole some extra summer. I'm all for stealing me some summer;)

A whole lotta water.

2011-11-01T20:54:00.004-04:00

We got home from our Virginia trip (with a stop off in Hershey, PA for a Chocolate World tour) and repacked and left the next day for Niagara Falls, Ontario.

Our hotel room was on the 35th floor overlooking the falls. This is the view from the bathroom, there was an open wall so you could sit in the tub and look at the view.

The view from the window:

Next to the falls, the giant jacuzzi tub was the main attraction. I personally used it five times. The whole family piled in after we went swimming. It was our personal hot tub.

We hiked over to catch a boat tour. Love that ergo (thanks sibs!)...

The falls are even more amazing from water level....

Micah was loving the spray....

Skylar wasn't so sure. She ate applesauce. Finley fussed. I got a little seasick.

The seagulls were nutso....

We were even treated to a rainbow at the end. Amazing. Definitely worth going to see at some point in your lifetime. It's also the honeymoon capital of the world. I had a very awkward newlywed elevator encounter. I'll spare you the details.

Check one more thing off the bucket list:)

Alexandria

2011-10-31T22:53:00.001-04:00

The day after Micah's parents left we hopped in the car and drove to Alexandria, Virginia for my cousin Elizabeth's wedding. She looked beautiful....

Weddings are just an excuse for family reunions. The focus used to be on extended family, but now that everyone's grown and gone, it's more about the immediate family reunion.

The cousins were cute. Hannah and Skylar actually played together without screaming. And there was no biting this time. I won't say who the biter is, only that it isn't MY child......

A wedding was the perfect occasion to pimp the miniature suit.....

Skylar danced for hours. Literally from the time we got to the reception to the time we dragged her home to bed. She barely stopped to eat. The elbows are her signature move.....

Sister picture for the first time in years....

My little family:

Next up, Niagara.

Where to begin....

2011-10-29T17:56:00.002-04:00

This has been a crazy busy month.

Family, travel, vacation after vacation, packing, unpacking, repacking......lots of fun and no time for blogging! And even if there had been the ~~motivation~~ time, there was no Internet at our house this month anyway. We broke up with Verizon and haven't been home long enough for the new provider to come set it up. Not to mention I've lost all track of time. I don't even know what day it is most of the time and now....HELLO...it's almost November for cryin' out loud.

So,"what we've been up to" installment one:

Micah's parents came from Kansas to help welcome him home. GranBabe decked out the front porch with festive fall decorations and bought the kids a new wardrobe. Bill worked the BBQ, creating feast after feast for us---scallops, salmon, chicken, ribs, pulled pork...and that's just what I remember. My jeans always getter tighter when they visit, but it's soooo worth it.

Finley was S.P.O.I.L.E.D. when Granbabe/Mimi left.

We had a late birthday celebration for Gayle, which of course was an excuse to eat cake. Not one cake, but two, mind you. Skylar and I couldn't decide so we each picked our favorite.

Micah was pretty happy to be back in America.....

Skylar was pretty happy to have so many other adults around after being stuck with just me for most of a year.....

Cutie cute cute....

We are excited to be in a new chapter of life...a together chapter:)

Next up...Virginia wedding weekend.

He's back!

2011-10-02T22:34:00.001-04:00

Excited.

2011-09-27T19:57:00.000-04:00

It's hard to believe that we are sooooooo close to the finish line.

A year is so long and so short all at the same time.

We've been tracking the last month with a paper chain. Skylar rips one off each night before bed. (I've had to add a few while she was sleeping since she logically assumed ripping them off quicker would bring daddy home sooner).

She loves going to bed every night just to rip a link off the chain.

She never, ever forgets.

Because.......

It's just so exciting!

She can't say "daddy's coming home!" she can only SCREAM it.

"AHHHHHHHHHH!"

Two days left. That's it. TWO. Is that even possible?

Thank you thank you thank you to all of our family and long time friends who have been so encouraging this year. The prayers, texts, e-mails, letters, facebook messages, phone calls, care packages to Micah (and even Skylar and I!)--we appreciate it more than we can express!

Stay tuned for REUNION pics:)

Home made pudding pops.

2011-09-25T21:34:00.003-04:00

I know popsicle season is over.

But popsicle molds are on clearance at Wally World for $2. And really there is no such thing as popsicle season at our house since we always have them in the freezer. I figured it was worth picking up a pack or three and spending the 5 minutes to make some.

My slightly OCD assistant washed the molds for me and then lined them up in color-coded rows to dry.

Basic pudding pop recipe:

1 box of pudding mix
2 cups of milk
1 tub of cool whip

I didn't have cool whip, so I used a leftover tub of ricotta cheese I had from the Italian deli next door. This isn't like the regular ricotta I've gotten before, it was the real stuff--almost a cream cheese consistency. I figured it would reduce the sugar, add some protein, and quadruple the fat. And well....I just needed to get rid of the ricotta cheese. They actually taste good. You would never know it's ricotta.

My recipe:

1 box of cook and serve chocolate pudding made according to the box (I know it's more work but it tastes soooooo much better)
A cup of ricotta cheese mixed into the pudding while it's still warm

The perfect treat after ballet class. Rehearsing your elf routine for the Christmas Recital is hard work. (Seriously, the little ones are elves....total rip-off...why not a sugar plum fairy or something fun??)

Photo dump: the farm edition

2011-09-22T21:46:00.001-04:00

This past weekend we took a quick trip to Highland Falls to see my parents and grandparents that were visitng from North Carolina. The weather was beautiful, so we decided to take the kids apple picking. In the end, we didn't do any apple picking because there were too many other fun things at the farm to do. They had a child-size town with ten different buildings to play in, assorted animals, a maze, pumpkin patch, yummy food, hay rides, etc.

Finley was ready for his first day at the farm...

She doesn't stop talking long enough for me to take a decent picture....

There were tiny pumpkins in the tiny field behind the tiny stable in the tiny village.....

The horses were a big hit.....

She kept going back....

And then there was a dog the size of a horse.....

Sweet Papa....

Riding the fire truck in the little fire station....

Chubs McGee about got his little thighs squeezed right off by Nana....

Skylar ran the counter in the Ice Cream Shop. She took orders, used the cash register and told everyone to have a nice day. My dad pointed out that when she decided to become a customer and sit at the counter instead, chaos ensued. Apparently her peers needed her to be ~~extremely bossy~~ the leader.

Um, Grandpa....we'd like one of these playhouses at GraceFull Acres farm please???? Thanks!

Oh yeah, and there were apples....

Tuckered out in the wagon.....

Fun, fun, fun.

The bubbliest.

2011-09-18T15:08:00.000-04:00

What happens when you add ~~way to much~~ just a few drops of soap to a whirlpool tub and then turn the jets on? (My mom swears it was "just a few drops".)

The same thing that happens when you put the wrong soap in the dishwasher.

Bubbles everywhere.

It was a mess.

And quite possibly one of the funnest bubble baths ever.

What to do with fabric scraps.

2011-09-15T23:33:00.000-04:00

Here are a few ways I've been using scraps and leftover pieces of fabric {since I have lots of projects but NO quilting aspirations}.

Last summer I used a hodge podge of fabric squares to recover the bench in the guest room....

Before that there was Skylar's little pillow that has become her favorite and she sleeps on every night.

I came across this pin cushion idea a couple of years ago and stashed it in the back of my brain. I remember from sewing with my Nana how handy they are. So when I came across a sturdy little tea cup for $1 at a local antique store, I brought it home, washed it and approximately 3 minutes later....voila!....pin cushion. I don't love the way it looks, but it works.

Home made taggies. All the credit for this goes to Cynthia, who showed me one she had made in her sewing class. She did not however give me any instructions. It appears easy, but I had to rip that sucker apart four times before I got it right. So do yourself a favor and google a tutorial or contact Cynthia to save yourself some time. Or just think it through before you start...that's always helpful. After you figure out, it's a piece of cake.

Since it has crinkly plastic in the middle, Finley loves to play with his. Not only does it use up fabric scraps and an old wipey bag, they also help deplete my enormous ribbon supply....win, win, win.

Then of course there are the easy applique tee's that make an appearance annually....

I also went through a fleeting head band stage a couple of winters ago....

A couple other ideas that I may eventually try are these coasters and this wreath.

If you have any other fun/useful ideas feel free to pass them along!

On 9/11.

2011-09-11T20:59:00.004-04:00

This past week leading up to 9/11 all kinds of tributes have been swirling around on blogs, facebook, television....And I'll admit, I've paid very little attention to them.

It's not because I don't care. Of course I do.

Just like everyone else, I remember exactly where I was when I heard that the plane had struck the first tower, and then the second. I remember being glued to the TV in horror watching the footage of them collapsing.

It was to our generation what JFK's assassination was to our parents, and Pearl Harbor was to our grandparents. A pivotal and horrific moment in history that will never escape our memory.

Except that just like with most things, time seems to erode the shock of it.

But then I started watching some of the footage tonight, and listening to the individual stories, and remembering again the suffering of all of those innocent people.

And suddenly my evening plans didn't seem so appealing as I thought about all the widows, widowers, parentless children....the families and friends that live with the loss every day as the world moves on around them.

Every September 11th the country pays it's tribute (as it should) and then goes right back to it's own life again. It's politically correct to be patriotic on this day. Not so much every other day.

And that angers me.

What about those who are daily living with the consequences of that day? Ten years later our soldiers are still fighting what is now being dubbed a "forgotten war". Thousands of Americans have lost their lives since 9/11. And thousands of children are growing up without one or both parents at home as a result of war.

In fact, the children of this war are sacrificing more on a daily basis than the average New Yorker who pays tribute on 9/11 can even fathom.

Yes, we chose the military life. Micah was commissioned during a time of war. That is not a decision we regret, despite the consequences on our family and personal life. While we as individuals obviously didn't choose war, it is our reality, and we did choose to marry men (or women) who are fighting in it. And of course it's hard. But nobody ever said it was going to be easy. So we deal with it, make the best of it....choose to accept what we cannot control.

But then my daughter comes sobbing into my room in the middle of the night because she misses her daddy. And I look at my son who wasn't even kicking in the womb yet when his daddy left, and now he has teeth, and giggles, and has a little personality.....and Micah has missed all but two weeks of it. I don't feel sorry for myself. But I do feel sorry for them. It occurs to me that they are paying for 9/11 every day and they weren't even born yet.

At least we have the hope of being together again, while many families--both from 9/11 and the resulting war--do not.

So of course we remember on 9/11.

But what about the other 364 days?

It appears that many Americans, myself included, are oblivious to the sacrifice going on around them every day.

Cheeky.

2011-09-08T14:35:00.007-04:00

What's the point of a neck anyway?

It's just a space between the head and shoulders, it serves no real purpose.

As long as you have a place to rest your cheeks, that's all that matters.

A tale of three golfers.

2011-09-06T21:53:00.005-04:00

Skylar was given a hand-me-down bike from a friend, and this summer we've gotten into the routine of taking it for a daily spin down our street. To avoid crossing any busy roads, we stay on our block and pass exactly six houses. Then we are at the golf course at which point Skylar suddenly gets tired and drops her bike under the exact same tree every time.

It's pretty much the end of the ride.

Then if nobody is around and I tell her she can, she takes off and clmibs the "mountains" on the golf course. (The same "mountains" that become her sledding hills in the winter).

But if people are golfing nearby, then she drops her bike at Par 4 and sits on the bench and watches them tee-off. She's become a regular there. The golfers love her, and she loves them. She claps when they swing. They tell her how pretty she is. I ~~roll my eyes~~ say thank you.

Meanwhile Finley drools....

One day last week, she was perched on "her bench", wearing a tutu of course, when a gentleman offered her a golf ball. She ran over to the green and took it from him and said "WOW" with great reverance. Then he tried to give her a second golf ball. (I didn't let her take it).

A few minutes later another golfer asked Skylar if she would like a Tee for that golf ball. So she ran back up to the green and said "WOW!" again and then came back to show me. She whispered "I'm soooo lucky!"

Those two left and a few minutes later a third golfer came along. He saw Skylar on the bench and asked her if she would like to hit his ball for him. Would she ever! So she went running up to there for a third time and got a little golf lesson. She couldn't stop smiling and told me it was "the best day ever!"

The kindess of those strangers meant a lot to me because I know she's starved for male attention. Then I got to thinking......maybe if I set her up with a lemonade stand on the golf course she could start working and pay for college. They can't resist the tutu.

Just a thought.

The bare essentials.

2011-09-05T14:10:00.000-04:00

How a three year old packs for a trip......

Would you like thighs with that?

2011-09-03T21:20:00.002-04:00

At 5 months old, Finley is in kind of a hurry to grow up. He's ready to take off....

Standing up is his favorite game. We say "big boy" and he giggles....

And check out those meaty thighs. Especially when compared to Skylar's.

Those rolls aren't squishy either. This kid is dense. My scale said he weighed 20 pounds this morning. No wonder I have a constant back ache. Maybe he does need to start walking and help a mother out!

Life according to Skylar.

2011-09-01T16:11:00.001-04:00

Some thoughts Skylar has shared lately, usually spontaneous and unrelated to anything going on around her.....

On marriage: "I want to get married. I want to marry daddy. Cause he wants to marry me too"

On finding out daddy's already taken: "I know.....I have an idea! We could marry daddy together!"

On her youth: "When I was a little girl I liked milk. But now I only drink Chai. 'Cause I don't like milk. 'Cause I'm too big for milk. Chai is sooooo yummy."

On our house: "I don't like white. I don't want a white house. I want to paint it purple. Can we paint it purple? I want an upstairs porch on our house, 'cause we only have a downstairs porch"

On cow manure: "I smell pirate poop!"

On being told we have a two pet policy: "I know! Sabot could go live at the babysitter's house and then I can have a cat!"

On her baby brother: "I know! Finley could go live at my friend's house. 'Cause I don't want a boy baby, I want a girl baby."

On asking Jesus to live in her heart: "He said SURE!"

On wanting a snack: "I know! We could go to Dunky Donuts and get some baby 'nuts" (that would be donut holes)

On daddy coming home: "I'm going to wear a princess dress and dance and daddy is going to say "Oh Skylar, you look so pretty!!!!" and I'm going to dance...and wear a princess dress....and dance. 'Cause I like to dance. "Cause I'm a ballerina."

......And that is just a sampling of the conversation that fills every.waking.second of my days.

Beer Bread.

2011-08-31T23:23:00.002-04:00

Mmmmm....beer bread.

My mom used to keep cans of beer under the kitchen sink to make beer bread when I was a little girl. I remember feeling a wee bit naughty for eating it since it was made with an adult beverage.

A friend recently brought over a loaf from a mix she had. It reminded me of how good it was.

So I decided it was time to bring it back again.

When I looked up the recipe I couldn't believe how simple it was to make.

Easier than whipping up a batch of biscuits.

Why have I not been making it all these years?

I have a fridge of leftover beer from Micah's R&R just begging to be used.

And my trusty little kitchen ~~destroyer~~ assistant.

And plenty of hours between wake-up and bed-time to be filled.

So I opened the test kitchen, and we made three different batches until I found the winner.

This may be the quickest of quick breads.

So easy a three year old can make it.

No really, she really did make it.

She measured all the ingredients herself.

I just had to open the beer for her and keep her from chugging it.

If you use a little assistant, just be prepared for this.....

And this.....

And a little dusting on the nose too.....

But it's okay because she said it was the best day ever and even though she says that almost every day, I think she means it every time.

The original recipe is as follows:

3 cups of self rising flour
1/4 cup sugar
1 can or bottle of beer
2 Tablespoons of melted butter (to brush on top of the loaf)

Bake in a loaf pan at 375 for 40 minutes. A few minutes before it's done, brush the butter on top and return to the oven.

Seriously, that's IT.

Except that I don't have self-rising flour. So I had to adapt it to this:

3 cups of all-purpose flour
1/4 cup sugar
4 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1 1/2 teaspoons of salt
1 can or bottle of beer, plus 1 ounce of liquid
2 Tablespoons of melted butter, brushed on top a few minutes before baking is done.
Bake in a loaf pan at 375 for 40 minutes.

Adding 6 extra teaspoons of dry ingredients made the dough too dry, so you have to add a little extra liquid. You can either open a second bottle of beer, use a little and pass it off to an eager beer drinker, or you can just use water. I tried both and they worked equally well. You want the dough to be really wet and sticky.

Also, I didn't think the dark beer was a good choice for this when I tried it. Some of the recipes advise against a light beer. So something middle of the road.

(And for all my Southern Baptist peeps out there--go ahead and sneak that beer in the bottom of your cart and hope you don't run into anyone. It'll be worth it!)

Focusing on the happy things.

2011-08-29T21:19:00.003-04:00

Bear with me as I have a teeny tiny pity party......

With one month to go in this deployment, I am weary. The solo parenting is wearing thin. The teething baby has been fussy for weeks and wakes up every two hours screaming. The worrying about "what would I do if (insert terrible thing) happened....." is getting old. The cars that ran perfectly before Micah left have been in and out of the shop--6 times between the two of them. (On Sunday I was home bound with not one, but two broken down cars. How is that even possible???) All of the maintenance required to run a home starts to feel overwhelming when you are doing it alone.

All this to say, I am trying to remember that I have two healthy children. And at least I HAVE two cars that usually work and are paid for. And my husband is safe. And we are all in good health. And I have a beautiful place to live, however temporary it may be. And as Micah says "Time will pass, it always does". And you want it to pass quickly so that you can have your family back together, but you don't want it to pass too quickly because your children are growing up too fast and you want to soak up every second.

---End pity party---

An eternal optimist I am not, but I am trying to keep things in perspective here. I live a very blessed life. So now for a few things that make me happy, in no particular order.....

A table (or two) full of friends. We like dinner parties. A lot. I'm going to miss the regular dinner rotations when the husbands all come home.

Crabby little sweet cheeks. He can't help that it hurts:(

Just another day of doing crafts in a princess dress....

Love fresh flowers, love the silver tray from my mom, and love my trifle dish.....a trifecta of pretty.

Jenn sent me this wooden bowl from Hawaii and it's my new favorite.....square and wooden...awesome.

I had to smile when I was doing laundry today and counted six tutus on the drying rack (yes I realize how excessive that is). Skylar has dragged out every tutu in the house size 18 months-4 years and wears them at some point every day and to bed most nights. They get stuck in her bike tires. Tutus are to Skylar what jeans are to other people. I'll miss this phase when it ends.

On having two...

2011-08-27T13:43:00.005-04:00

Twice the work.

Twice the fun.

Twice the cuteness.

Twice the love.

Worth every exhausting second.

S'mores Cups

2011-08-25T23:33:00.004-04:00

I recently discovered that Pampered Chef has some great free recipes on their website. (I don't sell or endorse Pampered Chef --they do have some fun gadgets though). I highly recommend trying their tropical fruit salsa (using fresh pineapple not canned) and spicy thai noodles.

But when you have an army of kids coming over for dinner, these are the perfect dessert. All the greatness of a s'more in one convenient bite.

Ingredients:

7 whole graham crackers (1 cup finely crushed)

1/4 cup powdered sugar

6 tbsp butter, melted

4 bars (1.5 oz each) milk chocolate candy, divided

12 large marshmallows

To make:

Crush up the graham crackers and mix with the powdered sugar and melted butter. Put a small spoonful of the mixture into each cup of a mini muffin tin. (I used a mini scooper I had and a tart shaper to push it all down--convenient but not necessary--I just wanted to use my tart shaper for something).

Bake the crust for about 5 minutes until bubbly. Remove from oven and place one square of chocolate in each cup followed by half of a marshmallow. Return to oven for 1-2 minutes. Allow to cool before removing from pan. Melt remaining chocolate and drizzle on top and let harden.

Whose that Spartan in my tee pee?

2011-08-23T19:51:00.007-04:00

This started out as a very simple post with a link to an SNL skit.....and then I got all nostalgic and ran up to the attic to dig out some old photo albums....and it became a saga from Spring Canyon in the late 90's.

What started it all was Skylar's Chihuahua pajamas (so, so ugly).

There is also a Chihuahua that jumps maniacally in a window of a house that we drive by frequently and we always watch for him.

And then our neighbor across the street gave us a stuffed Chihuahua that didn't sell at her yard sale (not sure why that wasn't snatched right up!) and now Skylar sleeps with it at night.

And all three of those things take me back to my summer camp days when Marie, Betsy, Sarah and I would do "The Perfect Cheer" Chihuahua style on skit nights. It was an ongoing series, and let's just say we were kind of a big deal.....

Pictured here rehearsing our #2 greatest performance of all time: "It's Raining Men" lip sync.

We were a fearsome bunch, mud wrestling in our free time, which thankfully we didn't have much of.

One of our many successful midnight raids against various people groups at camp. We took many captives in the wee night hours and spared no one. Other staffers slept fitfully, fearing our ambush.

Not only were we incredibly talented performers, we were also having the time of our lives. And it didn't hurt that we were really, really ridiculously good looking. And modest of course.

Hey! Speaking of ridiculously good looking, whose that guy in the wife beater? Is he cleaning a camp bathroom? No wonder I married him!

And oh look! There's my sister-in-law Kristy and Angela Haddick. They haven't aged a day.

So when I see Skylar in the Chihuahua PJ's....the cheer starts up. And when I tuck her in at night with the stuffed Chihuahua...it's cheer time again. I just can't help myself. The cheer lives on.

Obviously Skylar picked it up. I've completely nerdified her.

I heard her in her room today holding her dog and chanting.....

"Chihuahua, small dog,

Chihuahua small dog,

ARF, ARF, introduce yourself....

My name is Finwee, I like to toot, but that's okay, cause I'm so cute! ARF".

I guess some things are important enough to be passed on to the next generation. (We've also been working on John 3:16, but it hasn't taken yet--maybe I need to make it into a cheer).

And while I'm at it, I may as well post the inspiration for it all. SNL just hasn't been the same since Will left....

The last of summer.

2011-08-20T22:03:00.003-04:00

I hate to see summer waning. It's my favorite. Today was a perfect late summer day.

While Skylar was riding her bike down the street I saw two trees losing their leaves, and then as if on cue I detected a hint of a chill in the air. Fall is just about here. Normally I would internally scream "NOOOOOO!!!!" But this Fall there is a lot to look forward to.

In the meantime, we are enjoying the last of the warm lazy days. I've been making Skylar take naps this week with the hopes of being really productive. But the little guy has thwarted my plans every single time, refusing to nap more than 20 minutes and fussing unless I am looking straight at him. He's teething with a vengeance and has already cut two teeth--one being a canine.

So Jowls McGee has been my little companion. And if Jowls doesn't like it, it hasn't happened. He doesn't like much right now.

He helped me make some cookies (the ones my sister-in-law Margaret shared awhile back). I was tasked with making a wheat-free, dairy-free dessert, and this recipe came to mind. If you omit the chocolate chips there is no dairy, and they are gluten free anyway. I've made them at least five times, and this is the first time they have actually made it out of the house. They are just too good to share. So I don't. But I did this time.

We also did some flower picking. The Coneflower bushes behind the garage are heavy laden these days. I cut them daily and there are still tons left. So I've been sharing the love. We've have dinner plans 4 nights in a row which means flowers for everyone! My new motto: You feed us, we flower you.

My inspiration to craft comes in waves, and after an extended dry spell I finally got my mojo back. Right now there are a dozen projects rattling around in my head. I ransacked a newly acquired pile of fabric (my friend was getting rid of hers...score! Like I needed more fabric.) and made some plans. Then I thought about organizing the craft closet. Changed my mind. Took a picture of the mess instead.

I've had this fabric for at least 9 months. It was supposed to be curtains. I was feeling motivated to knock it out this week. By the time Finley is done getting his vampire teeth I will probably have lost my motivation. And then it will be time to move again.

But such is life. And really, there will never be enough time in the day to get it all done, teething baby or not.

What NOT to do.

2011-08-18T23:00:00.002-04:00

Yesterday I put Finley down in his bouncer and ran to the kitchen to make Skylar and her friend a snack.

I didn't strap him in.

I came back and he had.....moved.

He wasn't the least bit upset and my camera was right there so of course I took a picture before I rescued him.

Because I'm Mom of the Year.

When I did pick him up he started giggling. He seemed pretty pleased with himself--not at all traumatized like his sister would have been.

Except that it never would have happened with his sister.

Because she was a first child and first children are always strapped in.

But second children live dangerously.

Just look at that drool spot. He's a wild man.

Chapstick bandit.

2011-08-15T19:52:00.021-04:00

Three year olds are from another planet.

It must be a nudest planet because our three year old absolutely, positively does not want to keep her clothes on. It's a planet where you eat pancakes in your birthday suit.

And you pour sand in your underwear to see what will happen.

And pick every.single.dandilion on the way to the park, thereby ensuring it takes an hour to walk 2 blocks.

Anyway.....

Skylar was gifted chapstick for her last birthday. She applied it 100 times in as many minutes, and then took a nibble off the top. By the end of the day there was a little stub of chapstick and teeth full of petroleum. At some point she stopped applying it and just started eating it.

She thinks chapstick is delicious.

Last week I was putting her in the carseat when I saw this:

Just for reference, it's supposed to look like this:

She had pulled it out of the diaper bag and eaten my chapstick. Again. She knows it's wrong. So we had The Chapstick Conversation....again.

"Skylar, why did you eat my chapstick?"

"But Mom, I liiiiike it".

"It's for your lips, not for eating".

"But Mommmm, it's okay"

"NO, it's NOT okay"

"But it's okay mom. I still love you even when you do bad things".

"I didn't do a bad thing. You did".

"But I still love you mom"

"DO NOT EAT CHAPSTICK".

"I still love you when you yell at me mom"

"I'm not yelling at you. I just don't want you to eat my chapstick".
"I love you mom"
"I love you too. Stop eating chapstick".
"Soooorry mom.......Can I have some gum?"

Bear Mountain.

2011-08-13T23:45:00.013-04:00

This past week we've been in Highland Falls with the family. Bekah, Nicole and Margaret were all here for part of the time. We had one full day with all three of them here, so we headed up to Bear Mountain to do a little hiking.

The weather was perfect.

I think this is one of the prettiest parts of New York.

After enjoying the view from the top, we drove down to Bear Mountain Lake and did a couple of laps around it.
If Uncle Thomas had been there, he would have said "Hydrate or Die". So Skylar hydrated.
Jack isn't used to that much exercise and he was getting warm, so I thought he'd appreciate a little swim to cool off. Margaret gleefully offered to throw him in (she's not his biggest fan).
Except at some point while he was in the air, he flipped...probably because he's so round and top heavy...and landed on his back. Whoops. We all let out a collective gasp as he hit the water and went under like a brick.
In all the excitement, I forgot to prep Skylar and let her know that Jack is a good swimmer and he would be just fine. So she freaked out. "I'll miss him! I'll miss him!" She was sure her "puggy pug" was gone forever. Just look at the anguish on her face.
But Jack is a survivor, and being a Colorado dog at heart, he is no stranger to cold mountain water. He got himself right out, no problem.

Rit it.

2011-08-04T22:23:00.005-04:00

So what does one do when there is nothing left to spray paint besides your children and dogs?

Pick up some Rit Dye, that's what. Then start going through your closet and drawers. Surely there is something in there that can be revamped.

I had a college roommate who talked about this stuff and I'm ashamed to say it's taken me all these years to give it a try.

It all started with this $3 grey sundress I picked up at Old Navy last fall. (I buy all of Skylar's clothes a year in advance when they go on clearance). I remember thinking "this is a really cute play dress in a really boring color, but it'll probably just get stained anyway and it's a bargain" and I bought it. Except that little girls aren't supposed to wear grey. Which is probably why it ended up being $3. It's so drab I found myself never putting it on her. But the ruffles and buttons were cute, it had potential. So I picked up some Rit in Teal.
I figured while I was at it, I would get some black dye as well and fix all of the bleach splattered black yoga pants I currently own. Why I always wear black yoga pants when I am pouring bleach or cleaning, I cannot say. It must be my mom uniform--yoga paints (or in the winter my beloved $5 sweats from Wally World--I miss them, oh how I miss them) and a Target t-shirt in some form or another.

That's what happens when you've been out of the workforce for 3 years. All your clothes are from Target. Or if you're feeling fancy, Old Navy. Maybe for a hot date night--The Gap. But let's not get carried away.

Speaking of Target tee's, I grabbed one of my dozen whitish ones and tossed it in with the sundress. And an olive green knit skirt while I was at it, just for good measure.

I did the bucket dye method: 3 gallons of hot water + dye. I did not remove the existing colors from the fabrics first as they suggested. I wanted them to be varying shades so I left them as is. Plus I was curious to see what would happen to olive green in teal dye. They soaked for 25 minutes. Then I threw them in the wash.

Of course the white t-shirt was the truest shade. The olive green skirt is now a dark green and I like it much better.
And as for the grey dress that started it all? Much improved.

Next up: I'm going to start on Micah's 25 faded black t-shirts since he will never, ever part with them.

Best baby buys.

2011-08-03T21:53:00.007-04:00

As is the case with most second children, Finley has all of his sister's hand-me down baby equipment (not that he cares). But there are two new things I've purchased for him that I would recommend to every parent.

1. The portable mobile. It attaches to a car seat, a stroller, a portacrib...you name it. Best money I have spent on a baby item in a long time. I use it on the car seat. It can either spin and play music, or just spin---and it gives him something to look at and keeps him happy in the car.

The doorway jumper. Call me a spaz, but I live in constant fear of the "flat head syndrome" plaguing so many back-sleeping babies these days. Yes, I know their heads are moldable, but I find it disturbing nonetheless. (Where does their brain go when their skull squishes in like that?) Because Finley sleeps 10 hours in the exact same position--flat on his back with his head tilted slightly to the right--he's starting to get a little dent from the constant pressure on the right side. The pediatrician said to keep him off of his head to avoid that.

He hates being on his tummy. He's not a big fan of the bumbo chair. Lasts 5 minutes in the excersaucer. But fortunately, he loves this thing:

He pretty much just hangs out like this. Skylar walks by and helps him bounce or gives him a little push. The first time I put him in it, I left the room for a minute, and she spun him around in circles so many times that he projectile vomited everywhere. Then she cried (ironically he didn't) and now she is verrrry careful.

I love that I can move it from room to room so he can watch whatever we're doing and it adjusted enough to fit both our regular and extra tall doorways. It's also nice and compact (unlike most baby stuff) so it's something I can actually travel with. I was trying to remember why I didn't have one with Skylar and then I realized we didn't have doorways in our Colorado house. But if you have a baby and a doorway, this is a must-have.

Look alikes.

2011-07-30T21:01:00.003-04:00

I realized today when I took this picture of Finley, the older he gets the more he looks like his big sister......

I didn't think they looked at all alike when he was born, but maybe they will be like Micah and Kristy: the male and female version of each other:) And hopefully as good of friends!

New reading material.

2011-07-29T15:04:00.003-04:00

In case this blog is making you a little sleepy these days......Check out the sibs new blogs. Josh is blogging about his very entertaining adventures overseas and Bekah is blogging from Clemson, South Carolina (which has always felt like a foreign land to me).

Puddle jumping.

2011-07-26T21:18:00.006-04:00

Summer rain is the best kind of rain. Rain boots are optional. But getting soaking wet is not.

Bruschetta.

2011-07-24T21:54:00.004-04:00

This is my favorite way to do bruschetta. Okay, it's my only way. But that's because I like it so much that I haven't even looked for another way.

It's inspired by the bruschetta we had at the Tennessee Pass Cafe in Leadville, Colorado the evening Micah proposed. Maybe I should call it "Engagement Bruschetta". Maybe if you're single and you make it a man will suddenly show up at your doorstep and propose to you. No promises though.

Anyway, I crave it mostly in the summer. I think it's great as a light meal with a salad. I made it twice last week when I was THIS hungry (enter gratutious picture of starving baby):

So here's how to make it. No exact measurements here, just add more or less of whatever you like. Mix together:

-Cannellini beans (although navy or great northern beans work too)
-calamata olives chopped
-cherry tomatoes chopped
-handful of flat leaf parsley chopped (I frequently substitute cilantro if I already have it)

Just slice your baguette about 1/2 inch thick on the diagonal, brush with olive oil and toast until crispy and browned. After you take it out of the oven, peel a clove of garlic and rub it on each slice (the garlic flavor will get all over the bread without any pieces of raw garlic--it's yummy). Then give each piece a smear of herbed goat cheese. I go easy on the stinky cheese. You could omit it altogether or use feta. Then spoon on your topping and enjoy.

Recap.

2011-07-20T22:02:00.006-04:00

We had a perfect R&R. It felt like a month. We hit all 20 things on Skylar's extensive "To-do with Daddy" list in the first week and spent the last half hanging out around the house.Micah is still in transit as far as I know, he hasn't been able to call since Monday when he left. I don't think he knows that his sister had a baby last night. (We love you Cora Grace!)

So here is R&R in a nutshell--trying to fit a year's worth of memories into two weeks. It's always bittersweet to come out of "survival mode" into "vacation mode" and then have to say good-bye again. But of course, you wouldn't trade the time you have for anything.

We hit up the beach....

Micah got to see Skylar in full on "Sandageddon". He played with her and I got to sit with Finley under an umbrella that a nice lady wasn't using and offered to us. Micah stressed about the umbrella and kept checking it every few minutes to make sure it was secure. It was.
We grilled out and made s'mores on the 4th.

It really bothered her that Micah had marshmallow on his face. "Get it off daddy. GET IT OFF!"
There was a whole lot of wrestling. Many times a day it was "Do you want to wrestle with me daddy?" Funny, she never asks me to do that.

We went to see the fireworks on the old battlefield at Sacketts Harbor. A nice man took two pictures for us. He chopped our heads off in one, and the second one was blurry. But the occasion was documented nonetheless.

We took Skylar to her first drive-in movie. She loved it and stayed up really late eating pizza and ice cream.

We hit the farmer's market up both Wednesdays so Micah could get his fill of whoopie pies.

Then it was off to Rochester where we spent a couple of nights and had some Dinosaur BBQ and Chipotle.

Skylar wanted to stay in a hotel and swim in the pool with daddy. Check and check.

We went to the children's museum and then the zoo the next day.

We took Micah to our favorite breakfast spot so he could experience the wonder that is Stuffed French Toast.

And this is the kids meal for $4.....seriously.

We fed the ducks at least twice.

Went on lots of walks to the park. We hit up the County Fair, the CanAm Festival, and Sam's Club twice so that Micah could gawk at all the american excess. We hit up our favorite ice cream stand...twice.
And then it was time to say good-bye. When Micah came downstairs in his uniform Skylar asked him why. He told he had to go back and she said.......
"Oh well, too bad. Thanks for visiting me. I had fun!" Like he is just one of her many visiting relatives passing through. We decided that was a good thing.

So now we are on the homestretch. Only 10 more weeks give or take. And then as Skylar says "daddy is home FOREVER". Let's hope.