Flirtatious

Flirtatious - Full of playful allure

November 30, 2009

"Most of the young ladies were seated with partners on the long benches that faced the tables, but Scarlett, realizing that a girl has only two sides and only one man can sit on each of these sides, had elected to sit apart so she could gather about her as many men as possible."

-- Margaret Mitchell, author

We watched "Elf" for FHE tonight. It is our tradition to watch it for the FHE closest to Christmas, but due to a planning accident, we watched it tonight. That is such a funny show. I worked on the Christmas cards and got them all ready to mail except for some people for whom I still don't have current addresses, and I need to get more stamps. It is nice to have that little job (mostly) out of the way.

Ornament, Betrayal

Ornament - Something that decorates or adorns; an embellishment

November 28, 2009

We got the tree up today. I should say trees. The green artificial tree we have had since I don't know when refused to stand this year. The stand for it is breaking, the screws are all stripped out, and to top it all off, half of the branches are falling off and won't go back in their little holes properly. So, thanks to the beauty of DVR, we paused the BYU/Utah football game and went on the hunt for a tree. I refuse to pay full price for an artificial tree when I know we can get one much cheaper after Christmas, so we sprung for a real tree. I haven't had a real tree since my teenage days at home with my parents (when sometimes we would go through 2 trees because they would die), so this was kind of a treat. We went to the tree lot in American Fork. The closest my kids have ever come to looking for a Christmas Tree is that scene from A Christmas Story when Ralphie ends up saying the Mother of all Bad Words. We found us a good tree for an ok price and brought it home and decorated it up . . . after we finished watching the football game, of course. Turns out the branches of real trees aren't quite as sturdy as the branches of our old artificial tree and unable to support the weight of some of our ornaments, including my collection of Scarletts. That was kind of disappointing. But it is nice to have the smell of fresh tree in the house. Now if I can just remember to keep it watered so it doesn't die . . .

Betrayal - To be false or disloyal to

November 29, 2009

"No modest, matronly dove grays or lilacs tonight." -- Rhett Butler

The aforementioned Scarletts, from the best book/movie EVER. This is 1997, the first year I have. I'm not sure if it is the first year in the collection or not. I'm also not sure why the focus is so poor. Anyway, getting the Scarletts out every Christmas is a big deal. Even Jack shows proper appreciation and respect for my treasures. One of them was beheaded one year when Addie pulled the tree over, and then after that Hallmark got smart and started making them from resin instead of porcelain. There must be more than one child who smashed their mother's treasured ornament and complained to Hallmark or something. However it happened, resin is much better. WARNING: All 13 Scarlett's will be highlighted before this year is over.

Girlish, Indulge, Sew

I'm almost positive I've reused more than a few words on this year-long quest, and I'm not about to look through 330-ish entries to verify. So if you find that I have duplicated, just keep that information to yourself, because I'm far too lazy at this point to correct it.

Girlish - Befitting or characteristic of a young girl.

November 25, 2009

This is that fabric I bought for a buck a yard. On Wednesday I sewed it up and it turned out cute. Shhh . . . it's for Addie for Christmas. It's pink, has pink and white dots, and it's a dress. I think that satisfies most of her requirements. No ruffles, though.

Indulge - To yield to; gratify.

November 26, 2009

Ah, Thanksgiving. The one day each year that it is not only permissable, but encouraged, to overeat and lounge around all day doing nothing, with the top button on your pants undone. I think we should have one such day per month.


For the Big Feast Dessert, I made 2 apple pies and 2 cheesecakes. For years I have made what has come to be affectionately referred to as "The Traditional Thanksgiving Cheesecake Just Like The Pilgrims Ate," and none of my kids said anything about it. Finally, this year Jack said, "Hey, I don't think the Pilgrims had cheesecake at the first Thanksgiving!" I'm glad one of them finally realized that our Traditional Thanksgiving Cheesecake is anything but traditional (well, except in our family), but when the dessert baker (me) doesn't like pumpkin pie, cheesecake is the next logical thing, right?

Sew - To make, repair, or fasten by stitching, as with a needle and thread or sewing machine.

November 27, 2009

My Black Friday, when I can arrange it, is spent in blissful solitude in my basement, sewing away on the too many Christmas projects I have planned. Everything had been planned out so well: I "suggested" to Lane that he take Jack and his dad and go hunting. I "reminded" my mom that my girls like to come and help her put out her Christmas stuff. Since my "suggestions" and "reminders" were all taken up, I was left at home, ALONE, at 9:30 this morning. I hardly knew where to begin. First things first, of course, and I met Calvin at the shop for my morning drink. I'm a much nicer person to be around when I'm properly caffeinated. Then I came home and dug in. Then I realized that I needed more fabric. Since I figured Walmart would be insane, I drove to the real fabric store in American Fork. Somehow, in a huge, real fabric store, I wasn't able to find what I wanted. How crazy is that? So I decided to brave the crowds and go to Walmart. Surprisingly, it wasn't bad. The parking lot wasn't any fuller than usual. I found EXACTLY what I wanted in Walmart's fabric section, and headed for the checkout. You must understand that for some reason, the lines at the Lindon Walmart are always longer than at any other Walmart. It's not due to a large amount of shoppers, but rather some strange policy Walmart has that no matter how slow or busy the store is, there will only be 1 checker open in the non-foods section, and 2 checkers open in the foods section (1 of which is the express lane where there is always someone with an overloaded cart checking out. What's up with that?) I considered checking out in electronics, which is my typical plan, but decided to chance it up front. What do you know? No lines! How was that possible? Anyway, I got checked out and came home and continued on with my Day of Bliss. Then it ended. My mom hasn't got a Christmas Tree yet, so they got done with the decorating early, and she brought the girls home. Dang. It's hard to hide Christmas presents while they are scattered all over the basement floor! Well, I did my best to distract Addie while Taylor just rolled her eyes at me and my mess. Then Taylor announced that she wanted to go hang with friends and needed a ride. So I took her and came back home. I continued with my cutting out of projects that didn't need to be kept secret only to discover I hadn't bought enough fabric. So back to Walmart. This time the check out lines were huge so I checked out at electronics. Back home to continue with the cutting out. Time to go get Taylor. So I only got 2 projects completed of all that I had hoped to do. If I had been left alone like the plan had been, I think I could have finished one more. Well, they are MY kids. I guess I should take care of them now and then.


So now, bleary-eyed and with an aching back, I head to bed with the comforting knowledge that I have Christmas well under control. I say that now - the real panic will set in around the 15th or so, when I will start crying and say to Lane, "I've taken on too much, HELP!" That's just another tradition of Christmas.

Coconut

Coconut - The edible white flesh of the coconut, often shredded and used in food and confections.

November 20, 2009

There is a free recipe magazine by Kraft that comes in the mail, and this time it had the yummiest looking cake. They call it "Snowball Cake" and I had to try it out. We loved it, I will make it again. The recipe calls for a cream cheese filling, that was ok, but not necessarily needed to make the cake good. Also, the cake is devils food, I think to make a nice contrast with the frosting, but would probably work with any kind of cake. For those who don't generally like frosting because it's too sweet, this is a nice alternative. I had to go and buy a round glass bowl to bake it in because I didn't have one, but I got one at Walmart for about $5.

Snowball Cake

1 pkg. (2 layer size) devils food cake mix

1 pkg. (8 oz) Cream Cheese, softened

1 egg

2 T granulated sugar

1 pkg (3.4 oz) instant vanilla pudding

1/4 c powdered sugar

1 c cold milk

2 c thawed cool whip

1 c shredded coconut

Heat the oven to 350. Prepare batter in a 2 1/2 quart ovenproof bowl as directed on the package; scrape side of bowl (this will help the cake to not stick after baking). Beat cream cheese, egg and granulated sugar until well blended. Spoon into the center of batter in bowl.

Bake 1 hour and 5 minutes or until toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Cool in bowl 10 minutes. Loosen cake from bowl with a knife; using potholders if necessary, invert onto wire rack. Remove bowl. Cool cake completely.

Meanwhile, beat dry pudding mix, powdered sugar, and milk in a medium bowl with a whisk for 2 minutes. Stir in cool whip. Refrigerate until ready to use.

Place cake on a plate; frost with pudding mixture. Cover with coconut. Keep refrigerated.

Pile, Grid, Snuggle, Advent, Filament

Ouch! Didn't anyone miss me? I have to confess, I am a little hurt.

Pile - A quantity of objects stacked or thrown together in a heap.

November 19, 2009

I leave my shoes wherever I happen to take them off. Needless to say, I have little piles of shoes everywhere in the house, and yes I do scold my kids for doing the exact same thing. I just don't understand why it is that I can't ever find the shoes I want when I want to wear them? Good thing I have lots of backups. Lane, shut up.

Grid - A network of horizontal and vertical lines superimposed over a map, building plan, etc., for locating points.

November 21, 2009

Since the NEVER ENDING project is making me go blind, I was forced to grid it off for this last section to finish. I must say, it is helping a lot, and I have made a lot of progress. Another week or so and I should have it done. Then I will be throwing the pattern away so that no degree of insanity will ever tempt me to do this one ever again.

Snuggle - To curl up closely or comfortably; nestle.

November 22, 2009

How sweet is that!?! The funniest part is the difference in their expressions. We were watching a movie that clearly Addie was eating up, and Lane . . . well . . . not so much. The movie? Tinkerbell. What a good daddy to snuggle up with his princess and endure the torture of that show.

Advent - The liturgical period preceding Christmas

November 23, 2009

This is a little project I had the kids work on for FHE. First of all, you must understand that I don't consider it Christmas if there isn't a paper chain somewhere in the house. So I cut up the paper and told the kids that I wanted the to write on each of the 24 papers something that we could do as a family on each of those days. Their little faces lit up like Christmas Trees, and they huddled together and started discussing ideas in excited voices. Then I realized the flaw in the plan, and informed them that none of said ideas could cost any money. It was like I had pulled the plug on the Christmas Tree, I never saw such sad faces. I think they thought we were going out to dinner and a movie for each of those 24 days. When all was said and done, they managed to come up with 24 FREE ideas.

Filament - a fine or thinly spun thread, fiber or wire.

November 24, 2009

I just love shiny things! I use pearl blending filament all the time when I cross stitch, whether the pattern calls for it or not, just cuz I like shiny things. The NEVER ENDING project uses these two colors in the sky and the snow, and since I'm so sick of the NEVER ENDING project, the shiny is the only redeeming quality it has.

Hoop

Hoop - A rigit circular band of metal or wood.

November 18, 2009

Some idiot back in college taught me to cross-stitch. It's pretty much been a passion ever since. In my pre-child years, I had projects all over the apartment so that wherever I might sit down, there was something there to work on. In my post-child years, I pretty much had one project at a time, but sometimes I had to either put the project in the drawer, or, in my utter frustration, create an embroidery hoop shaped divet in the wall. Then I would start a new, less crazy-making project while the other one would sit in the drawer for weeks . . . or months . . . or in a few instances, years. This multi-project business led to a need for many embroidery hoops. I picked up a few here and there, and then discovered that yard sales were an excellent place to purchase such things, so I got a few more. Then my oh-so-helpful Mother hit the embroidery hoop motherlode at a yard sale and bought me more than I could ever use. However, I was grateful because they are in a variety of sizes and sometimes they break or get lost. But as time has gone on and the beginnings of arthritis have begun to set in, I no longer use embroidery hoops. I just wad up the project in my left hand and stitch away with my right. This works better for me now, but I still have a plethera of embroidery hoops. And yet sometimes, that same oh-so-helpful Mother calls me from a yard sale to tell me she has stumbled upon another motherlode of embroidery hoops, and would I like her to pick them up? No, Mom. I'm good. But it's nice to know she is still thinking of me. Especially since most of the projects end up hanging in her house. So if anyone needs an embroidery hoop, I know where you can get one. Or five.

Arrow of Light

We (and I do mean WE) earned all the cub awards. Even his Tiger Cub. Since the church doesn't do Tiger Scouts, we did that together as a Mom & Son kinda thing. He was so excited to start scouts since I was a Den Leader when he was 7, that I did the Tiger Cub just to appease him. He then continued on to earn his Bobcat, Wolf and Bear, 2 gold arrows, 4 silver arrows, and his bead Progress Toward Ranks along the way, and countless Academic/Sport beltloops.

He went on to earn his Compass Point Badge with 2 Compass Points, 10 Webelos Activity Pins, his Conservation Award, his religious knot, and finally his Webelos Badge.

Tonight he capped it all off with the awarding of his Arrow of Light. And if that wasn't enought to make a mother proud, his Arrow of Light ceremony was performed by his uncle (my brother, Calvin), and the Arrow of Light was awarded by his dad. It was a great night for a boy who loves scouting, and for a mother who loves her boy.

Arrow of Light - The highest award available to Cub Scouts.

November 17, 2009

And now with sadness, I say goodbye to my days as a Cub Mom. I'm still involved in Cubs in an official church capacity, and I bet I'll be a Den Mother again someday . . . but my days as a Mom and getting rank advancement pins are over. It makes me sad, but proud of what he has accomplished and that he has developed a love of scouting. He's a good boy, and I'm proud to be his mom.

Creep

Creep - To grow or spread along a surface.
November 16, 2009

I inherited this houseplant from my mother-in-law. I have a long history of killing things, but somehow since we moved to this house, I have been unable to kill anything (I can say that because I have actually tried to kill a few plants and failed). I love ivy and this houseplant is now creeping, just as ivy should. I need to get it up on a plant stand or something so it can do it's thing. It's just been sitting on the floor in front of the window since I got it, and apparently it likes it there, but ivy creeping along ugly, vile, 20 year old carpet isn't as pretty as ivy creeping along the legs of a plant stand. I think it's too big to fit the plant stands I have, so I'll have to find something else.

Now, as to the ugly, vile, 20 year old carpet: I am working on it. I had previously saved enough money to get new flooring, but naturally the van needed new tires so my new flooring money went there. I have again managed to save up enough money for the flooring I want, now it's just all about getting it done. Projects like that have a tendency to take on a life of their own. For instance, just tonight I told Lane that since we are getting new flooring, we ought to take the opportunity to scrape off that horrible popcorn stuff that is on the ceiling. Oh, and while we are at it, we might as well paint the walls. You know how it goes. There is almost nothing in the world that Lane hates more than painting, but as I tell him, it won't be so bad if you don't have to be careful about the floor! He hasn't fallen for that excuse yet, but I'm still working on him. In my Happy Place where I am Queen, it would all get done before the Thanksgiving Dinner I am hosting, but I don't think I will make that deadline. But since Lane is off work through the weekend, I bet if I try really, real-l-l-ly hard, I can get him to work on it that weekend. It's either that or put up Christmas decorations, and I think the only thing he hates more than painting, is decorating for Christmas.

P.S. If you need a good laugh, check out the new blog added to my list "Goddess on Training Wheels." It's written by the older sister (whom I've never met) of a friend of mine (who I have met and adore) and is really fun. Check it out sometime.

Obsessive

Obsessive - Motivated by a persistent, overriding idea or impulse, often associated with anxiety and mental illness.

November 15, 2009

Yes, I'm cheating on the picture thing again. Sundays are very hard.

There are only a few episodes of this series left, and one of our family favorites. The show airs on Friday evenings, but we DVR it (HOW did we ever live without DVR???) and watch it on Sunday afternoons after church. It will be a sorely missed part of our Sunday Routine when it goes off the air. We love Monk and constantly get a kick out of all his phobias. Did you know he's afraid of clouds? round things? milk? Did you know he throws away dirty water? Whenever we are somewhere that is especially clean (which leaves our house out), someone always says, "Monk would LOVE this place!" So, you see, "obsessive" works both for Monk himself, who clearly has issues, and for our little family, who is obsessed with Monk. Farewell, dear friend! We will miss all your quirks and compulsions . . . until we find a new show to obsess about.

Spicy, Race

You know how sometimes you get to eat just the right thing at just the right time, and it is like a little gift from Heaven? Tonight while out on errands with the kids, I decided to stop for wings because wings sounded good. There is this little, little, place, over in American Fork (where, as luck would have it, I just happened to be), that is so little it is easily overlooked or forgotten about. I have been there a few times, and it's always good, but it's clear over in AF, and as everyone knows, I hate to drive ANYWHERE, so I don't remember to go there much. But since I was in the neighborhood . . .


Last time I stopped in I ordered the best wings. And, as is natural for me, I couldn't remember which of their 12 sauces I had ordered. I decided to go with the "medium," because the employee said the "hot" was really hot.

Spicy - producing a burning sensation on the taste nerves.

November 14, 2009

Ohhh . . . so-o-o-o-o good. These aren't even my wings in the picture - they're Jack's. I snarfed mine down so fast, and I just couldn't stop long enough to take a photograph. That and my fingers were covered with sauce. Probably my face too. So the moral of the story is next time you are in a wing kinda mood, stop in over at the Rocky Mtn Wingshak. You won't be disappointed. And if you are disappointed, bring them over to me.

Race - A competition of speed, as in running or riding.

November 13, 2009

We got a new game for the Wii. Jack said it was a good one - it's called My Sims Racing. I sure love our Wii. I know the graphics leave something to be desired, but it is just right for us. We play it all the time as a family. Even me, and I'm pretty pathetic at video games. It may well be one of the best investments we have made. Several of our family nights have ended up just being a Wii night, but that's ok with me since we are all together and having a good time. Sure, there is no spiritual enlightenment going on, but sometimes in this busy world, it is also important to just relax and enjoy being together.

Bills

Bills - money owed for goods or services supplied.

November 12, 2009

Right next to laundry on my list of least favorite jobs is paying bills/updating & balancing the checkbook. If I had any brain at all, I would stay on top of it so it isn't such a chore when I do get around to it. But I let everything accumulate, until such time as I have to do something with it (such as it is time to pay the bills) and by then it is such a huge pile of receipts and unopened mail that I can't stand to look at it. Again, if I had any sense at all, I would enter my few receipts daily so that it isn't such an unmanageable mess. That is, if I had any sense, which, of course, I clearly don't. So tonight I got all the receipts and checks entered into my checkbook and I got it balanced for the last 2 months. Somehow I stopped receiving paper statements from my bank, and that has added to my frustration. At least if I get a statement monthly, that forces me to get it caught up and balanced. I'm so pathetic I can't even bring myself to call the bank and find out why I'm not getting statements anymore. I have to print them off the bank website, and naturally, I'm out of ink. See, it's just a perfect storm of financial headaches. But I did get everything paid that is due right now: the first payment on Jack's new braces, the car payment, Addie's medical bills, and the Pennies by the Inch money I've been ignoring for a while. That should carry me through a little while . . . but not long enough, and then I'll be complaining again. But I vow not to let it get this bad again - it was 3 weeks worth of receipts! I need to hire me an accountant.

Tidy

Tidy - Orderly and neat in appearance or procedure.

November 11, 2009

Oh, it is nice to have my counter space back. This is that same space, occupied for nearly 2 months, where all my apple-preserving stuff was. It had been there for so long that I hardly even noticed it anymore, but what a relief to have it all neatly tucked away it it's home (top shelf of the pantry) where I don't have to look at it. This is the section of counter reserved for food prep: bread making, cake making, the place I put the crockpot, etc., not to be confused with the other section of countertop that seems to invite everyone to put their crap. It is usually covered with homework papers, miscellaneous receipts that need to be recorded in the checkbook, Addie's artwork, a few dirty dishtowels, at least one tie from the previous Sunday, and ALWAYS random legos and/or Barbie shoes.

Marsala

Marsala - A sweet or dry fortified wine of Sicilian origin.

November 10, 2009

I finally got around to attempting Chicken Marsala tonight for dinner. I got a recipe that claimed to be from Olive Garden, and it was pretty easy to make, but it was missing something. Everyone really liked it and there was none left over, but I just think it was missing something. I'll tweak the recipe next time, I think I know what I want to do with it.

I finally, FINALLY, finished up the apples. I got another 6 quarts tonight, and every apple is now bottled in some form. I put away all the apple clutter that has been occupying my countertops for far too long and now have an urge to just sit in my kitchen and soak up the tidiness.

I only have about 50 days of this picture taking thing to go. I am anxious to be done with it in a way, but not so much in another way. Schizophrenia, I've arrived.

Check Up

We got to PCMC today just in time for our 1:00 appointment. We even found a decent parking spot - how crazy is that?!? We got checked in and immediately were sent down for the regularly scheduled chest xray. We had to wait FOREVER for the xray. I don't know what the deal was, they took 2 people ahead of us that came in after us, and even the cardiology dept. had apparently called down to xray to find out what the hang up was since they were waiting for us. Lane was impatient, I was impatient, but Addie was doing just fine since there were books for her to read that were just at her reading level. Finally they got the xray done, and we went back down to Cardiology.

Check up - A medical examination, especially one taken at regular intervals to verify a normal state of health or discover a disease in its early stages.

November 9, 2009

So after the xray, they put her through the other normal stuff: EKG - normal, blood pressure - a little high (huh??), and oxygen saturation level - down to 88 from her previous 91, but still within parameters acceptable for her. Then our cardiologist, Dr. Day, came in to finish the examination. He was pleased with her progress. We told him about the day the school sent her home and he asked Addie a lot of questions about that: did your chest hurt? did you feel dizzy? etc. He looked at the xrays, renewed her prescription, pronounced no procedures were necessary at this time, and sent us on our way with instructions to return next August before school begins. Lane and I were so glad that Dr. Day thought she was doing well, Addie was just glad she didn't have to get a shot or blood drawn. She said that shots were the scariest thing ever. I asked, "Scarier than surgery?" And she replied, "WAY scarier than surgery!!" That goes to show that she has had a shot more recently than she's had surgery. We had some lunch at the hospital cafeteria and came home. We even missed traffic!

Snickerdoodle, Baptism, Scar

Snickerdoodle - A soft sugar cookie rolled in cinnamon sugar.

November 6, 2009

Why don't I remember to make snickerdoodles more often? We all like them, but for some reason I just don't remember to make them when I'm in a baking mood. I baked these to share at the baptism, but what I didn't take was gone in an instant. I'll just have to start remembering to make them, that's all there is to it. Jack helped me and he could probably do it without help now that he's done it once. He likes to cook and bake.

Baptism - A Christian sacrament signifying spiritual cleansing and rebirth.

November 7, 2009

My neice Madison was baptised. It was a very nice service and she looked beautiful in her white dress.

Scar - A mark left on the skin after a surface injury or wound has healed.

November 8, 2009

Isn't she the cutest? There's the scar on her head from her walk-to-school tumble back in September, and of course the subsequent stitches. But more dear to my heart is the large scar on her chest, peeking up out of the neckline of her dress. I'm so thankful for scars because they are a constant reminder of things overcome. I have my burn scar on the back of my leg ( I ALWAYS win "my scar is bigger than your scar") that is a reminder of a challenge that I was too young to remember. And I have a Ceserean scar that is a reminder of what it took to get this little angel into our lives. I adore her heart surgery scar (she calls it her "scratch) because it reminds me of everything that she has been through. I wish I could put into words how brave she has been through it all, I don't know that I could be so brave if I had to do it. Even during her last surgery, when she was so miserable and in so much pain, and she shouted at me "I DON'T LIKE YOU!" I knew how brave she was really being, because if it had been me, I would have shouted something much, much worse. She doesn't understand why she has to be different, why she can't do the things her friends do, why she has to be careful, but she does it anyway, mostly without complaint. And Taylor and Jack take good care of her and worry so much about her when she isn't doing well. I am so grateful for this little trial that Heavenly Father sent us. I remember bawling and bawling when we found out about her condition, but now that we are in it, I have learned it really isn't all about me, and I'm grateful for the opportunity I have been given to be her mommy. What a blessing she is in our lives.

Foliage

Foliage - Plant leaves, especially tree leaves, considered as a group.

November 5, 2009

I picked up my torturous stitching project this evening, and worked on it for a few hours, and now I'm pretty sure I'm cross-eyed. I'm about 2/3 done, but what is left is so tedious and crazy-making that it is taking forever. It will look great when it's done, if I can survive with some of my eye sight and sanity intact.

Monday is Addie's check up at Primary Childrens. I think she's doing great, I hope Dr. Day thinks so too. Addie's last check up went great and we've managed to keep her healthy, at least so far this season. She's a pretty tough little girl. Much to my dismay, she has become sensitive about her chest scar. I'm sure the kids at school have asked about it, so she doesn't like to wear shirts that have a neck line that shows the scar. That's pretty tough since the scar comes up pretty high. We've tried so hard to make her think that her scar is something special, but I guess she's wise to that little trick now. She just wants to be "like everybody else," and doesn't understand why she can't be. I guess as she gets older she will understand more and more.

Lane is planning to pick the rest of my apples tomorrow, so soon the great applesauce odyssey will be over. It has been a lot of work, but it sure looks pretty on my shelves.

Pleasure

Pleasure - A source of enjoyment or delight.

November 4, 2009

The best time of year has arrived. Halloween is over, the kids are busily involved in school, and holiday plans are well underway. I purchased the first round of fabrics for the first round of Christmas sewing. This will become a dress for Addie. I wasn't planning on making her a dress, but I found this cute fabric for only $1 a yard, and I just can't pass that up. Instead of Christmas jammies, I am going to make us all matching Cookie pants. I had hoped to find fabric for said Cookie pants that was a cookie print, but so far I have been unable to find that. Taylor suggested going with camo: regular camo for the guys, pink or purple camo for the girls. That is my backup plan if I am unable to find a Cookie print, which is still my first choice. So if you know where I can get a cookie print flannel (for a reasonable price, of course - I'm extra cheap at Christmas-time) let me know.

Gateau, Kernel

Gateau - (french) A cake or pastry

November 2, 2009

Addie wanted cupcakes for her birthday, with pink frosting, please. No ice cream. Of all the sprinkles I have in the cupboard (all cupcakes MUST have sprinkles) she wanted fish. FISH?? My little princess-pink-through-and-through daughter wanted FISH sprinkles? So, ok, fish sprinkles it is.

Kernel - A grain or seed, as of a cereal grass, enclosed in a husk.

November 3, 2009

Looks like someone spilled the leftovers of the popcorn bowl . . . in the downstairs family room. . . where no one is supposed to have food . . . Hmmm. I wonder how that happened. Surely my 3 angels wouldn't take food down when Lane and I were gone? And, hypothetically speaking of course, wouldn't they be smart enough to clean up any evidence IF they did have food down there? Evidently not. I bet if I asked them, they would try to convince me that someone broke into the house, stole nothing of value, popped popcorn and spilled it all over the floor. Yep, that sounds about right.

Mii, Humiliation, Obey

Mii - A personalized digital avatar for the Wii video game console by Nintendo.

October 30, 2009

We were laughing so hard when our neighbor, Derek, was adjusting his Mii. I think he was trying to make it as creepy as he could . . . Not really sure of his intent, but he kept us laughing hard for some time while he was doing this. In then end, he added an afro and made him short and fat, but by then I was laughing so hard I could no longer hold the camera still. Yes, as a matter of fact, I am easily amused.

Addie got new Barbie things for her birthday. Between the Barbie things, dinner at McDonalds, and trick-or-treating, it was all a now-7-year-old needed to make her life complete.

Jack was attempting to be a Nerd, Addie was going for the 50s day thing. This is Jack's last trick-or-treating, because in my Halloween scrooginess, I cut them off at 12 and he will be 12 in September.

Humiliation - The state of being humiliated or disgraced; shame.

October 31, 2009

This is our neighbor's dog, Rum. Usually Rum is the friendliest dog in the world. But when he came out of the house in this get-up, he refused to move around or make any eye contact. He just stayed in this one spot in the garage, even as people came and went, refusing to make eye contact with anyone. It made me think that the dog figured if he didn't look at anyone, no one could see him. Once his costume was removed, he changed immediatly back to his normal, chipper self. The only other dog I've ever seen act embarrassed is our dog, Jake. Once Lane took him to the groomer for his yearly hair cut, and the groomer made a big poof of Jake's tail. He seemed to be so embarrassed about his tail! Now we tell the groomer specifically not to do that, and Jake seems much happier.

Obey - To carry out or fulfill the command, order or instruction.

November 1, 2009

I asked Addie to clean up her Barbie things and stack her books neatly, and was so pleased to come downstairs and find that she had actually done it! It's a Halloween miracle!