Shoo Fly

Last night the "husbird" and I were laying in bed watching our dvrd (is that a word?) "Lost" when a fly buzzed past us. He jumped out of bed, grabbed a shirt from the laundry pile, and started swinging away, trying to kill the fly. He put on quite a show.
I needed a good laugh.

After the show I was lamenting to him my woes of the day and he said,"It could be worse. You could be stuck on a deserted island not knowing if you're dead or alive, with the Devil standing right in front of you." I laughed and then fell asleep happy that I am where I am.

Just so they (the "nestlings") remember...

how they should strive to "Be"
I hung up this arrangement outside the "nestlings" bedrooms.
And who am I kidding?
It is also reminds me of how I should Be.

Be
True
Prayerful
Humble
Smart
Grateful
Clean
by Gordon B. Hinckley
I also hung up more of the "nestling's" artwork.
They say, "Trees have blossoms" and "Flowers smell Sweet."

On another note, I think I'm cursed. While trying to move a picture today the glass broke. It's so large. I'm sure it will be a pretty penny to replace it.
Then the wire broke to hang it back up.
If that wasn't enough a stack of papers I had in a certain order, fell to the ground, getting all scrambled up. It's not my day. Again.

Two Today

My youngest turned two today.
It makes me sad.
It's like I snapped my fingers and he went from one to two, just like that.
It was a terrible day. Everything I did seemed to go wrong.
I made chicken enchiladas for dinner and they were too spicy, so no one liked them, including myself. Then I made cake in cones and the cake didn't rise.
They looked like volcanoes.
No cute cake pictures.I felt like throwing a tantrum.
I wanted to lay on the ground and cry, but I restrained myself.
Maybe I should have, just to usher in the twos.

These pictures are of two year old "D" with
a little tractor his grandma gave him for his birthday.
He adores it.

A few things I want to remember:
His newest words are Why and What.
He's starting to talk a lot.
He loves to be outside.
He likes to get piggyback rides from his older brother, "T."
He cries whenever anyone leaves the house without him.
He gives me kisses everyday, but I have to ask please.
He loves rootbeer.
He can often be found with a doll and in one hand and motorcycle in the other.

Just so I can remember...

how small they ("the nestlings") were...

I framed a onesie and a little gap hat that "T" wore.
He was my smallest baby at 5lbs. 2ounces. He was so itty bitty.
The nurses called him "peanut."

The art work to the sides say "Birds Build Nests" and "Baby Chicks Hatch."
"T" made then when he was in preschool. They are so fitting next to the small onesie.

When I walk past this wall during a particularly hard mothering day it helps me gain perspective and reminds me of how sweet and innocent the "nestlings" came.

Privacy Solution

The fireplace in my master bedroom is double sided so it is also seen in the master bathroom, not a bad problem to have, except sometimes my nine year old son, "T" is in our bedroom when I'm showering and he can see straight through to the shower and that's a problem, so I hung up this some cute curtain tiers,
but they always bugged me.
Whenever I see them they make me think that at any moment the bath water is going to come up and flood the surrounding area, so I had the "husbird" move the curtain rod down, but then I didn't like that because it showed the tile above.

It was time to break out the sewing machine.
After my hunt for the right white fabric and a little bit of sewing
my privacy issue is solved.

Linking to DIY day at Soft Place to Land.

On a Hunt...

for eggs, Cadbury mini eggs to be exact, or crack bury eggs,

since they are so addicting.
How many stores did it take to find them?

Well, I went on a hunt to Riteaid, Wallys, Target, and finally found them at Walgreens.
Why is it that when you can't find something you want, you want it even more?
My "nestlings" have to have some cadbury eggs for Easter and
I had to have some today.
I also had to go hunting for white fabric to match these curtains so I can make another curtain. You'd think it would be easy to find white cotton fabric to match this, well it wasn't.
How many store did it take to find some?
Four.
Notice a pattern?
Am I the only one this happens to or
am I the only one crazy enough to drive to four stores to find something?

Fireplace Before and After

The fireplace in my master bedroom didn't turn out quite like I had pictured and
it needed a makeover in a bad way.
It took me a long time to figure out what to do with it.
(before)
I used the picture below for inspiration.

First I primed it and then painted it white.

(during)
Next I wiped a brown stain all over it with a rag and
then wiped it off with another.
It's better than the two shades of gray.

(after)
I've always had a hard time accessorizing it because there is an angled ceiling that runs into it and the mantle isn't very deep.
Here's what I came up with for now.
What do you think?

Thirty Five

It was my birthday yesterday.
We took the "nestlings" to a dinosaur museum.
First we saw a 3D movie.
Then we walked through the exhibits.
"T' almost got eaten by a shark.
Then we got to search for dinosaur bones.
"C' discovered some very large dinosaur fossils.
She would make a great Paleontologist.

When we got home my mom came over with a chocolate cake
covered in Samoas and chocolate covered goodness.
Does she know me well or what?

After we devoured some cake my mom started sewing.
She sewed a stuffed animal with holes in it for a "nestling."
Then she sewed buttons on all our clothing items missing them.
Then while the "husbird" and I were at a church meeting
she cleaned my refrigerator and microwave.
She's just great that way, always doing those little things that I rarely have time to do.

It's a funny thing, because by this age, I thought I would feel more mature and wise.
Maybe in another 35.

Chicken Taco Bake

I make this simple, yet delicious recipe for my family frequently. If you need something quick and easy here's the recipe.

1 can of chicken or 2 chicken breasts

1 can tomato soup

1 cup salsa

1/2 cup milk

6 flour tortillas cut into 1" squares

1 cup grated cheddar cheese

Set aside 1/2 cup of the cheddar cheese. Mix all other ingredients in baking dish. Bake at 400º for 20 minutes. Sprinkle remaining cheese on top. Serves 4.

Tips:

For the chicken I just boil a couple if frozen breasts for about 20 to 30 minutes and then cut them up.

I cut the tortillas with a pizza cutter to make it faster.

Enjoy!

Anthro Adventures

While the "husbird" and I were on our overnighter this weekend we stopped by Anthropologie. I'm not sure I'm drinking the anthro koolaid. Gasp.

I know its all the rave in the blog world, or at least it seems to be.Don't get me wrong I like a lot of the stuff they have, but some of it I just don't get,
particularly some of the prices.
For instance, I liked this light thingy.I thought it would be cool hanging in my boy's room or in a closet.
I asked the "husbird" how much he thought it was.
He said, "one dollar, but it's probably fifteen."
Now this is coming from a guy who has never been to Anthropologie.
Well it was $148.
I liked this ferris wheel that was in the clearance section.
I saw one of these at Pottery Barn too.
Speaking of Pottery Barn, I've determined it's not healthy for me to go there.
It makes me want to get rid of all my accessories and start over.
Have you been there lately?
I am in love with all the earthy displays they have right now.

Download the Dishwasher

After dinner tonight, in a very serious tone, the "husbird" told "T" to
"Get busy downloading the dishwasher."
He didn't even realize what he had said,
but he soon figured it out when I started laughing until I cried.
Then he said, "Now that's a mistake our parents wouldn't have made."

Work and Play in a Grand Way

Do you remember the ripples in my carpet from my fix it post?

Well, in order to fix them all the furniture has to be moved off all the carpeted areas of our house in order to be stretched properly. Since all our furniture would be moved the "husbird" and I decided it would be a good time to clean all the carpet too, so we sent the "nestlings" to my mom's house and got to work Friday evening.
On top of moving all the furniture and cleaning all the carpet we decided it would be a good time to seal our granite counter tops and stone floors as well.
What a pain!

It felt like we were moving out.
It was eerie having all the rooms empty
and no kids making noise.
It was really weird.
Here's one of our bathrooms stuffed full.

The "husbird" and I's birthdays are both in March, one week apart, so we decided to get away for the night to celebrate them and to reward ourselves from working our tails off, so we went here.
Our room was kind of grandma-ish, but very nice and clean.
The "husbird" said it was Victorian.
When we checked in Saturday I hadn't done my cardio for the day
so I jumped on the bed, but only for 30 seconds because my nose started to run,
because I'm recovering from a cold.
We went to see Sherlock Holmes in the theater and
then watched the Blind Side in our room.
I want Sandra Bullocks wardrobe, even though I can't wear it all.
What a great show!
I wish someone would do this to my bed every night,
most importantly leave chocolate.
How Heavenly.
Too bad we had to leave, but we had to meet our hero of the day, the carpet fixer guy.
Now to put my house back together,
at least there was 24 hours of play sandwiched in the middle of the work.
The good thing is that there are no more ripples in my carpet
and my house is clean at least for 30 more seconds,
since the "nestlings" just got home.

Where Am I?

A couple of hints..
I know it's not much to go on,

but any guesses?

A Haunting Article

I read a very disturbing, emotion provoking story about orphanages in Bulgaria in the local Sunday paper yesterday and I haven't been able to get it out of my mind ever since.

Here's an excerpt of it-

"Walking the halls of an infant orphanage in Sofia, Bulgaria, I heard the shrill sound of a screaming baby. Finding myself alone, I quickly opened the door to a small room where I found the baby frantic and trembling. His skinny arms and tiny fingers grasped desperately for comfort. It was against protocol for me to interact with the infant without permission, so I stood there, my heart breaking, and watched this tiny baby struggle. Where was the cozy blanket to swaddle his newborn body? Where were the gentle hands or soothing reassurances of his mother? This precious infant could not understand, and so he screamed on. He had not yet learned that no one would rescue him and that crying would bring no response. Soon he would give up trying, just like the other orphans lying quietly in their cribs. But until then, this tiny newborn was put in a room alone to scream himself into silence before being warehoused with the other soundless babies." — Deborah Dushku Gardner

One visit to an orphanage in Bulgaria was enough to change the course of Deborah Dushku Gardner's life forever.

It was 1993, and Gardner was serving as a missionary for The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. As she entered the neglected facility, Gardner was encircled by a throng of 3- and 4-year-old children, each of them crying, "Mama, mama," in the hope that she had come to take them home.

"That was really disturbing to me, to see all those children needing attention and love and not having anyone to give it to them," Gardner remembers. "I picked them up, as many of them as I could hold in my arms, and I thought, 'One day I'm gonna come back here and do something to change this."

And she did.

The article goes on if you want to read it here.

If you are a local Utahn they are having a benefit concert to raise funds for the orphanages this weekend.

After reading this it made me go into a "save the world" mode, where I felt like I had to do something for these poor children. Then I had to take a step back and remember that I have children of my own to nurture and raise. I still want to help in some way though. Maybe I should go to Bulgaria and take a particular "nestling" with me, not mentioning any names, but maybe then the whining about being bored and not having the things he wants would cease. What do you think?