It's Starting...

Oh no! Mr. "T" has discovered e-mail!
One of his friends told him he had an email account and so guess what?
We had to get him one.
Now he wants to email everyone he knows and then some.
Thank goodness for parental controls. They are a must.
(A sincere apology to all family members and friends receiving non-stop emails.)

Oh no!

Little "C"announced to me that a little boy from preschool is her "one true love."
How can this be?
She is only four.

Oh no!

At the dinner table tonight all the kids were talking about Christmas and Santa.
Miss "A" chimed in and said, "I bet you're just Santa."
No one else really heard her and I completely ignored what she said altogether.
I'm not ready to go there.
I need at least one or two more years of her believing.
Please!

I Spy

After getting the "nestlings" ready for bed the other night no one was in sight and
it was very quiet, so I sent the "husbird" to investigate.
As he peeked into the playroom this is what he saw.

The "nestlings" took the pillows from their beds, laid down in the middle of the roller coaster tracks, and were watching Baby Mozart.

What a site!
Definitely a moment to not take for granted.
Instead of rushing them off to bed we let them enjoy it for awhile,
after all it can be a rare moment when they are all getting along and enjoying doing the same thing together.
I wanted to freeze the moment in time
and
keep them small forever.

a few of my favorite things

Since the season of gift giving is upon us I thought
I'd join the party at 320 Sycamore.
Here are some of my favorite things:

Duvets

I sleep the best and the most comfortable with a duvet.
I keep one on my bed all year long.
All my kids have one on their beds too.


Here Come the ABCs and 123s dvds
These are not only educational, but entertaining too.
I find myself singing the songs from them, because they are so catchy.

Making Memories Desktop Carousel
This has saved me and my lack of organization.
I use my top slots for pens, pencils, markers, colored pencils, scissors, and glue.
I use the little drawers for kids stamps, paperclips, erasers, and thumbtacks.
It is so convenient having all these things in one place.
I purchased mine at Roberts Craft with a 50% off coupon,
but I've seen that at Micheals too.

Magic Erasers

Crayon and pen marks on the wall have nothing on me when
I'm armed with a magic eraser.
I have at least two Picassoes in training and so these come in handy.

3-M Hooks

I use these for hanging wreaths, jewelry, and pictures.
They are great for wood you don't want to put a nail in and tile.

Bowls and Cups with Straws

My kids use these cups and bowls everyday.
I love that a straw is built in.
I bought them at Wal-mart.

Iphone

What can I say? This is like one of my limbs. I use it daily for multiple tasks.
If you want to read more about why I love it you can find out here.

Neti-Pot

I saw Dr.Oz talking about Neti Pots on Oprah and so I thought I'd try one.
I'll do just about anything to get relief from my allergies,
so I bought one at Rite Aid.
I use it when I get allergies and whenever I get a runny or stuffy nose.
It helps clean out your sinuses.

It is a must have when I get a cold.

Spray Grip

I don't know how I ever lived without this.
Using one of these to spray paint eliminates sore, painted on fingers.
Yea!

Red Plate

A friend gave our family this plate and we love it!
Our kids love seeing this set at the table for them.
It really helps them feel extra special on their
birthdays
and
other special occasions.

Thanks for stopping by.
I hope you got one gift idea for you or someone else.
Happy Giving!

Seeking Refuge

While cleaning Halloween pumpkins off the front porch this weekend I discovered a little visitor trying to get warm.
Isn't it the sweetest thing?

I've felt like this little birdie lately,
but trying to seek shelter from sickness.
My nose has been a faucet for the last month
and if I'm not wiping my nose
I'm wiping one of the nestlings.
I'm bracing myself for winter illnesses.
We've already had two different ones.
It seems as though when winter hits that's just the
way we roll.

Thanksgiving Book

Today I'm basking in the sun of my living room,

skipping church to take care of four year old "C" who has 102º fever.
Poor thing.

Since the ibuprofen has taken affect and she's doing a bit better
I thought I'd take the time to tell about and show a few pages of one of
my favorite books.

It's a great book for children and adults.

It has beautiful illustrations,

but more importantly a wonderful message about gratitude,

appropriate for the season.

I got my copy from Amazon.
(The Secret of Saying Thanks by Douglas Wood)
Get yourself one
and
find out what the
secret
is
(if you don't already know)
and
enjoy the reminder to always
BE THANKFUL!

SEVEN

I can't believe my first baby girl is already SEVEN! She wanted macaroni and cheese for her birthday dinner and since I didn't have any boxes I made homemade mac n' cheese. Have you ever made it from scratch? I made the cafeteria macaroni and cheese from allrecipes. I altered the recipe slightly. I used a little over two cups of dried macaroni and I only used a 16 ounce cube of cheese grated, which was plenty. It is the ultimate comfort food, so yummy, (artery clogging), but yummy.

Miss "A" wanted corn for the side dish and so we had a

yellow and yellow dinner.
At least I served hers on the red "You are Special" plate.

Later in the week we had a family party for her.
I printed out happy birthday letters, cut the letters out, and taped them to a
banner I had.
She requested "Coconut Cupcakes."
Yum!

Seven things I love about her:
She asks for and values my opinion
She loves to draw, color, paint
She is obedient
She entertains herself well
She likes to run errands with me
She got straight A's on her report card
She's helpful

New Neighbors

We watched as a big truck came and moved them in.

It was very exciting to watch!

Introducing

our
new neighbors,

"The Dirt Pile Family"

Ever since the "Dirt Pile family" moved in a couple of weeks ago my life hasn't been the same since.

The "nestlings" new white school socks are now brown.

Everywhere I step I feel a silt like texture on the bottom of my feet.

If you see my "nestlings" fingernails you will most likely think they aren't taught any hygiene.

The toilet lid has dirt footprints on it from the "nestlings" climbing on it to get to the sink when they come in from playing with the "Dirt Piles."

I told the "husbird" that the "nestlings" were not allowed to play at the "Dirt Piles" anymore.
He pleaded to let them play there and told me this time he would do the hour of clean up after they come in from playing.
Let's just say,
once is all it took.
They are no longer allowed to visit the
"Dirt Piles."

*********************

What is it about dirt that attracts children and why oh why did the guy building down the street have to dump all his dirt next door?

**********************

What do you get if you let a one year old play in dirt with a runny nose?

Brown snot.

Bulletin Board Makeover

When the "husbird" brought home a free cork/bulletin board from his job a few years back I got to work with plans to transform it into something a lot prettier.

First I painted the boring wood frame a creamy white.
Second
I cut batting and laid it on top.

Next I cut some striped fabric, leaving enough to fold the edges under.

Then I broke out the glue gun,

cut and crossed grosgrain ribbon in the middle, and hot glued the four corners.

I kept adding ribbon piece by piece, eyeballing it as I went.

I glued the fabric, ribbon, and my finger tips to the cork, ouch!
Until I got smart and used the end of a wood ruler to push everything into the hot glue.

I finished it off by putting upholstery tacks at each cross.
It's great for keeping track of little notes the kiddos bring home from school, pictures, and miscellaneous papers I want in eye site.
Next time you're at the thrift store grab yourself a cork board and then beautify it!
You'll be glad you did.