kiddos

kiddos

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

Fall decor and other things....

We are still so far behind on blogging...and I am trying to catch up today since I only worked til noon, Buttercup is sleeping and Bluebird and Boy are still at school.

I decorated for Halloween this year. Boy wanted our house to be a little spooky...and so I tried to make it that way in the cheapest manner possible.
I did a little more with the Fall decor since it can stay up a little longer.

First, My spooooky decor:







I basically went to Hobby Lobby and got a bunch of the cheapest black fabric I could find and used it to drape over things. I then went to the dollar store and bought some cheap plastic skeleton stuff, spider webbing (which is a big pain), and plastic spiders for the rest.

Other than the Jack-o-lantern, I can use the pumpkin stuff throughout the rest of the season.

We plan to carve our pumpkins this weekend.

I also did a bit of Fall decor and hopefully will do some more before it is said and done...as I have time.









Do you LOVE my wreath?! It is another pinterest hack. I plan to add even more little fabric flowers, but I haven't had the extra time. Covering that "L" with twine was a pain in my rear end...but I love the results.

I am still in the process of switching out my framed photos to be fall photos. Right as I finish I will probably need to switch to Winter ones. I thought this would be a good way to display all my treasured photos at some point each year without cluttering things up more than they already are.

The candle sticks that the pumpkins are resting on were garage sale finds. Basically just glass and crystal candlesticks. I think I got them all for $3, then I painted them with leftover bronze paint that I bought to paint the knobs on my china cabinet. The paint ran a bit, but not noticeable enough to care. I may store them for next year, or may repaint them silver for Christmas decor.

The garland is my favorite. I just drew a bunch of fall shapes on paper and let the kids go to town with paint and glitter. Once dry I cut them out and strung them up with twine. They are so proud!

What do you think of Buttercup on my chair?

Here are a few more of her:





We have been working on a few other rooms all weekend. Boy got bunk beds and I have been trying to reorganize things in there. I am also almost completely done with Buttercups room. I finally caved and decided to convert the playroom/guest room into her nursery. There are still sleeping areas for when guests stay...but it is sweet and girlie. Here is a sneak peak:







Some other household changes have been made in the past few weeks as well. I finally used twine to string up a kid art display over the kitchen window. We framed a fabulous photo of the kids for Daddy's 39th Birthday and I have it displayed in the kitchen (even though he is planning to take it to his office at some point).






I have been trying to use my Saturday morning sleep-in day as a chance to get up early, drink hot coffee and go garage sale-ing. I love it. It gives me my "shopping fix" on our tight budget. I don't let myself spend more than $20. Here are a few of my favorite finds. $5 each...No kidding!





And last but not least, here is a sneak peak at the apothecary console table "we" built (which you all know basically means Daddy, under my supervision)...however, I did find the plans, helped made cuts and stained the top piece. It was not easy and did not turn out perfect...but I love it. I will do a post on it later and link to the plans. I love this site I found full of wood work plans.


Dinner Dialogues

I try to make a couple of vegetarian meals a week. It saves money and time and makes me feel like I am doing a better job on my diet.
This was dinner tonight. It was delicious!





Spinach and Quinoa Salad with Roasted Veggies

Quinoa
Carrots
Spinach
Olive Oil
Lemon Juice
Salt & Pepper
Fresh thyme
1/4 cup Pistachios (shelled and chopped)

Toss Carrots with olive oil and salt and pepper and then roast at 425 for 20 minuites until tender.

Meanwhile, cook Quinoa according to package directions (I use a Quinoa and wild rice blend).

When carrots are tender, toss with a splash of lemon juice and fresh thyme leaves (from the garden best, but dried would work fine).

Arrange a plate with a bed of fresh spinach, roughly chopped. Top with warm quinoa, add carrots and pistachios.

If you have leftovers, throw them in the fridge and eat it chilled for lunch the next day. Yummm.

Enjoy.


-you could also roast crimini mushrooms, but I don't care for them and don't keep them on hand)-

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

Happy Birthday Daddy!!!


Happy Birthday to the man I love. The only man for me. He is a wonderful husband who puts up with more than his fair share of my mood swings and goofiness. He is a tender father who nurtures and cares for his children in a way only a mother could =). He is the most talented man I know. He is an artist who I have people begging me for a commissioned painting. He can make any of the silly DIY projects I happen to have on my agenda on any given day. He is a published doc student who I will soon need to start calling Dr. L. hehe
He is basically one of those guys who puts his mind to something and becomes truly excellent at it. I admire his passion and his ability to never give up on anything. I suppose that is why he is still married to me.
I could never ask for a better father for our three monkeys. The monkeys and I are truly blessed beyond belief.
Happy Birthday Lover, Lifer, and Friend.

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Musical Beds

I don't know about you...but I take pride in the fact that we somehow manage to put our kids to bed early every night, with a bit of time left over for us to have our "grown up" time...
We talk, watch television, finish up on our blogging, emails, and work.

We try to get into bed by 10 or 1030. We do this because that gives us a bit of time in our own bed before the musical bed game begins.

98% of the time, Boy is in between us by 2am. Bluebird is a little less. This is good because when she comes into bed she is a bed hog and usually has a few blankets and toys and a purse or two that make he journey with her downstairs. Boy usually only brings a mask or boots.

Usually one of us ends up trying to sleep at the end of the bed for more room and cover control. Inevitably, this will prove to be too much and I will pack up Bluebird and all of the blankets and toys that trekked down with her. We will go get into Boy's bed since it is bigger than hers.

Boy will soon wake up and ask Daddy where I am. He will then come get into bed with me and Bluebird (what can I say, he is Mama's Boy).

When they fall back to sleep, I usually creep back to my own bed (I love my bed and the extra space).

(Then Buttercup will start to cry and I will send Daddy her way. He will sleep with her the rest of the night on the spare bed in her room (he loves the cuddling).

Boy will wake again and realize I am gone, so he will end up in my bed again(this is actually my favorite little moment of the night...my bed feels like I have it all to myself, but I can look over and see a little innocent face beside me).

...and then at some point we all gather in our bed and the kids will say "the sun is up" and they will jump around and we try to keep them from hurting us, or themselves...and morning begins...

My Mother-in-law caught this morning action with her camera a few weeks ago:

Sunday, October 9, 2011

Dinosaur Hunt

We went to a birthday party yesterday for our friend Jack. It was a Dinosaur birthday. They had a great time. The kids did several crafts, talked about dinosaurs and "hunted" dinosaurs in their safari costumes. It was very cute. They are still playing with the dinosaur bones, "noculars", and masks that they brought home.
One of the crafts was a volcano where the kids pour vinegar and it mixes with baking soda and explodes out of the volcano. The leader said "repeat after me...I will not touch anything and will wait and follow directions"...Boy: "I will not touch anything and will wait and follow directions"...then he quickly grabbed the water bottle (filled with vinegar) and took a big swig...
Natural consequences!




Monday, October 3, 2011

Yo Ho Yo Ho, A Pirate's Life For Me



I'm a pirate! That I be!
I sail me ship upon the sea!
I stay up late - till half past three!
And that's a peg below me knee!

I like to fish, I like to fight
I like to stay up half the night
When I say "starboard" ye go right!
Me ma, she says, "Ye look a fright!"





AARRGGGHH!

Sunday, October 2, 2011

My sweet girlie, Bluebird




Bluebird is really coming into her own.
When we ride bikes in the neighborhood, she has such a friendly demeanor and waves and waves at everyone we pass. When she finds me ironing a dress for her to wear to school, she beams and says "I LOVE dresses, Mama". She told me today that she loved Emma, and Abby and Stone..." then said "I love all the boys"...."and all the girls too". When I take her to her class the kids rush her and tell her how happy they are to see her. I can't blame them. if she is anything like she is at home, then I am sure she is sweet to them all.

Still a little mother, I often hear her tell Boy or Buttercup what a good job they are doing. She is always full of encouraging words. She is full of hugs for Buttercup.

She sings the songs from Tangled with such passion that even Boy will join in and sing them with her. If I start singing they both say "shhh, Mama, don't sing". =)

She is so helpful. I recently got her a kitchen stool and she has been taking utensils out of the drawers and washing them one by one before putting them back.

She finishes the sentences as I read her stories. She loves butterfly and Eskimo kisses. She loves making silly faces.

She has a dozen purses and carry cases and they are always full of her favorite tiny things. She carries at least one of these cases, three blankets and a bear downstairs with her each morning.

She loves to pick flowers and see rainbows and birds and butterflies. Yet she can still navigate around a ball and dirt and trucks and cars. I find she actually has a way of getting the boys to carry a wand.

She loves to have me fix her hair and dress her and then run in for Boy and Daddy to tell her how gorgeous and beautiful she is. The other morning she walked into the family room and Boy said (in a low monotone and trained voice), "woooow Bluebird, you look beauuuuuuutiiiifuuuul".

She is training us all, I think.

It is hard to believe that three years ago she was in incubators with breathing tubes, hard to believe we came so close to losing her.

I am so thankful and blessed to be the mother of such sweet and wonderful children. My cup runneth over.





My Walking Girl



I am a little behind on some posts, I still need to fill you in on our trip to New Orleans, and Grandma's week with the kids.
Buttercup was walking when we left for our trip, but she was still choosing to be held most of the time (Buttercup does not favor crawling).
However, when we returned, she had found her walking feet. She is now all over the place and has developed a new independence (much to her parent's delight).
She also has proven how truly girly she is...because when she isn't pushing a stroller, she is carrying around a purse.

Here are some photos of her last week: