Something Sweet

More so than the chocolate chip cookies we made yesterday.

Spring cleaning begun early.

It all started back when we excavated the girls room. Oh, their rooms still look wonderful. Amazing - I think it must be some sort of record and I am SO enjoying being able to walk across the rug without injuring myself on little toys, and to actually sit with Mira to play a game there. Lovely.

And really, the main house itself doesn't look too cluttered as long as I keep the carpet vacuumed and the toys get picked up every once in a while - just a pile on the stairs here, next to my end table there, on the husbands dresser, a pile of school papers that needs to be sorted through. Maybe the mail table - though today that is clean, with just a few magazines in the basket. Hmmm. I should have someone over for coffee, just so I can show off the clean entryway! But when you start looking at the whole picture, and include:

• a few junk drawers
• a basement full of toys, old files, Discovery Toys from my past business venture
• an attic full of the girls old clothes
• my desk (and on top, and under - well, that's it's own little catastrophe)
• a small box or two of toys and tiny bits from the girls room that i am still trying to sift through...

Well, it's a big job. Yes, it's quite doable, and since we've been getting better at throwing things out over the past few years, it could be worse. But no matter how much you try to handle things just once, you still end up having to make little piles to take elsewhere to file or throw/give away, etc. etc. Don't even ask about the growing pile of too-small girls clothing in the corner of my room. I will get to those soon - put them away, pull out things Sarah & Mira have grown into, make a huge box ready for Goodwill. I have to - otherwise there's no getting into the attic for the Easter baskets! Already today I have cleaned the two fridge bulletin boards of old school notices and papers no longer needed. Having that fresh organized space makes me want to go sort something else - and I will, until Mira decides otherwise.

We need to make a few dozen cookies for a church dinner, (and the girls she says), decorate some of our own Easter Decorations, and after school we will finally go shopping for Easter dresses.

A croppin' good time

Yes, I did get to scrap with my good friend Karen yesterday! We both accomplished alot, and a little shopping too. Honest, I didn't overspend as is easy to do when cropping, used mostly what I brought with. That alone is laughable, as I had photos and sketches ready for 30 layouts, plus another 10 for the Hawaii vacation album ready to go. The laughable part comes in when you realize I typically accomplish 4, maybe 5 pages when cropping with friends, so I was happy to have completed 5.75 yesterday!

Gotta have options though. And when with friends, it's as important to enjoy them too ~ and the adult conversation, or even peaceful silence uninterrupted by little girls, while you can. Need to schedule a time to go scrap in her city now!

That said, I think I had better go pay attention to my little girls. Need to go shop for a first communion dress for my middl echild too. How on earth did she become old enough for that anyway?

Free Friday

I love Fridays. By now all of my major to-do's have been crossed off (except Laundry as I have been ignoring it all week) and it is a free day to play and create and look forward to the weekend with family. And although my sweet Natasha will be gone at a sleepover tonight, I know she'll have so much fun - I treasure memories of my sleepovers growing up with Laura and Christy and Theresa and Patti, oh my!

Two more reasons for me to enjoy today - It has been two years since I became cl (co-leader) at Scrap Central at I-village. Funny that I have managed to rack up at least twice as many posts in two years that I managed in 5 years just being a member! I have fun hanging out with my sweet wild sister who will have HER two year anniversary as my co-leader in a month or so. Love ya Missy!

The other reason? I get to scrap with a friend tomorrow. A last minute crazy sort of thing and I am SO looking forward to it.

What are you looking forward to today?
Love ya - Michelle

Which Heroine are you?

Found this quiz elsewhere, and as Pride & Predjudice is my all time favorite book (though I love all of Austen's published works) I just had to take it. Yay! I'm Elizabeth. Wasn't quite sure the answers I was choosing would lead that way.

Take the Quiz here!

"It's an ill wind that blows no good."

Gotta Love Pa's (Ingalls) reasoning. It's so true. Found out that a school activity I coordinate will have to be cancelled because the materials have not arrived, and upon further checking, were not even ordered. The old me would have ranted and raved and mumbled and complained. I must be growing up (finally), because instead I organized. I absolutely love this activity and was looking forward to it (the kids are so wonderful), but the good is: next week was crazy busy as it was, so this will free up Tuesday morning, after school, all of Wednesday. That will make Mira happy (although she also has fun hanging out at the school and interacting with each of the classes). And by the time we can reschedule due to the school schedule, it will be warmer spring weather, which will make everyone happy, right?

Look for the good in everything - there is always some small consolation, I promise you. Here's a quote for you I found yesterday that speaks to the same idea:
"The will of God will never lead you where the Grace of God cannot keep you."

Wild Child and Apple Pie

Had a wonderful day at home with Mira - we baked and baked. and washed dishes, mopped up the floor/lake, and then baked some more! She mashed the bananas and helped mix the banana bread. She helped taste test the banana bread. She helped stir and poke the pie crust dough.

After we picked up her sisters (early out today - YAY!) she helped taste test the TART Granny Smith Apples. Then ran away when I started cutting onions for the French Onion Soup. Oh well.

It was such a good day, I thought I could manage taking all 3 to the Lenten service by myself tonight. By 6 p.m. I realized I was quite mistaken, as she refused to sit & eat, and instead decided it was neccesary to run around the house with a cape/blanket, yelling and singing princess songs. Church? I don't think so. Perhaps a reading will suffice later on tonight.

I think we will have to reinstate the high chair AND safetybelt tomorrow.
Fresh Apple pie anyone?

Mamma Mia

Grew up listening to ABBA music,
Saw and LOVED the musical when it FINALLY came to our area last year for our anniversary,
and now, a movie.
With Pierce Brosnan and Colin Firth. How could you go wrong? Enjoy :)

Mamma Mia

The spirit blows where it will...

Just a little reminder from church yesterday. I have definately been on a spiritual journey these past few years, growing in Gods love and this sentance, statement, truth, really spoke to me.

It's still frozen here - if it weren't for the snow I'd be ready to call Uncle on winter. So much for the blizzard warning yesterday, we received just a few inches, but enough to keep me happy. Saturday's rain is now frozen in bumpy ridges on the streets between slick spots, makes for interesting driving. Ms.-must -be-teething Mira & I will be staying home today, doing some bits of work & volunteer rounding up I need to do. Hoping to paint as well - I had so much fun last night painting a bit of Prima Paintable cardstock that I decided to paint my chipboard and a few other elements as well. Didn't get to put it together as that's exactly when Mira decided to wake up and whine, cry, refuse to be cuddled even though she absolutely HAD to be ON me. Not really even sure she was awake, but I'll post the page when I'm finished.

Was also excited to see a little line called Mira, bright and vibrant, just like my Mira! Of course now I can't figure out where I saw it yesterday, nor remember the company (the one I thought it was has no info). ARGH! Well, when I find it, I'll post it, ok? Great :).

Have a beautiful day.

Valentines Day. Happy Happy.

All my Valentines are finished - some handed out, some patiently waiting, hidden for dinnertime. I can't wait!

It was SO much fun when my Dh found his first card by his alarm clock this morning. And then one in the medicine cabinet, one by the kitchen sink (sweet man cooked last night when I was under the weather, then did the dishes this morning). Then he found a few more - he was starting to wonder whether he'd find any in his office, but alas, I didn't manage to find a way to hide any there. Tonight I am giving him a movie we watched on our first Valentines together, 20 years ago.

He gave me Calla Lilies this morning - so very pretty. Unfortunately (or fortunately?) I have to carry them with me everywhere I go, a la Meg Ryan in You've Got Mail, as my cat Horatio apparently thinks Callas are for eating!

Going to have lunch with my little sweetheart, then off to help with the bigger sweethearts Class parties. Have a pink day :)

hearts, Michelle

Breakfast with your Sweetheart

at preschool. Lovely. Mira was a bit bewildered at first - having breakfast at preschool? But she adapted - handed out her Valentines, grabed a muffin and banana, exclaimed over the decorations... and then we played and played. And we get to do it all again on Thursday :).

This weekend it was time to excavate the girls room. Again. So Saturday we worked on taking EVERYTHING out except the furniture. About halfway through the afternoon I decided this was an insane idea and if I was going to all this trouble (and what turned out to be DAYS of sniffles due to the accumulation of dust, nevermind my dining room is still piled with magazines, books, stuffed animals, lost puzzle pieces, hair thingies and piles of mixed up card games and who knows what else), we may as well switch rooms now, because I will NOT repeat this exercise for at least two years. Didn't tell the girls until almost bedtime, when Natasha said she would go make up her bed with the clean sheets and I told her it wasn't her bed anymore. Screams of pure joy erupted, and Sarah soon caught the meaning. So now Sarah is delighted to have the top bunk, the crib is gone and Mira sleeps on the bottom bunk in Sarah's room, and Natasha FINALLY has her own room. Apparently being the only child for 3 1/2 years didn't count? Mira has had a bit of a time adjusting, looking for her socks in the dresser that now holds Natasha's clothes, looking in the old closet for her puzzles, but she loves her bed, and loves being in the same room as the dress-up box, tea sets, play table, etc. etc.

I've had fun buying a few accessories for Natasha's room - new comfortor, adding fabric to an old bulletin board and painting it's frame and a wooden bowl (for her hair things) turquoise, hanging some of her framed art pieces... but now I have to get back to reality. It would be nice to have Valentines Dinner AT the table, instead of the living room floor... wish me luck! MJ

Sometimes it bites being right...

Poor Sarah has an ear infection - poor dear has been plagued by these things since last summer, even though she has tubes.

When her teacher told me yesterday I took her straight to the Dr. - I've waited before, just one day, and it just isn't pretty. Of course, the (new) Dr. wasn't sure what to do as she didn't see ANY sign of infection/irritation. She finally decided we'd start with meds anyway, and thank goodness because today (as I knew it would if I waited) her ear was (sorry, this is gross) leaking and crusty. Yech.

Sweet girl tried so hard to have fun afterschool, but even with meds was just plain worn out and blue and hurting. She's napping now - looks so sweet cuddled up, wearing her favorite cinderalla blue dress-up skirt over a pink leotard...

Kindermusik and crafts day

Love love love Kindermusik - Mira and I have so much fun dancing and cuddling and singing - she's really come out of her shell - has been so fun to see her willingly play instruments in front of the class or go sit by herself on the blanket during storytime without worrying that I am right behind her. And even occassionally run to hold Mrs. C's hand at the end of class when we sing goodbye (leaving me by myself, harumph!). Not that she is at all shy or quiet at home, no, not this one, but it is nice to see her wonderful personality shining out.

Now we are going to paint and play with foam stickers. Fun :).

Back to school day...

I think we were all secretly hoping for a miracle snow day - but the weather predictions held true - nice & clear today. Not SO bad really, as my house is now clean again. I'll be making Valentines this afternoon while Mira paints. Of course, I full expect Ms. Mira will 'command' me to paint, so if you receive a painted Valentine from me, you'll know why!

SNOW DAY!

Yes, I am happy. Natasha & I have already made chocolate chip raspberry muffins. I am about to finish baking chocolate heart cookies for ice cream sandwiches (recipe courtesy Wilna Furstenburg) while the girls (dressed in princess outfits over jammies) are finishing making flowers from construction & tissue paper, ribbon & pipe cleaners, and then we'll all go play in the snow for a bit. Well, they'll play, I'll shovel. This afternoon we're going to make pretzels and play Carcassonne and scrapbook together.

Would it be too much to ask for another snow day tomorrow?

Ponchki Day

Pronounced 'punchkey'. Otherwise known as doughnuts. Filled with lemon, cream, custard... YUM. Yup - Fat Tuesday it is!

It's snowing, beautiful but very wet. I was hoping for a snow day but since there's less than an hour before I pick the girls up there's no chance of that today. Maybe tomorrow. Why do people look at me strange when I wish for snow, when I'm happy for snow, when I WANT my girls to be stuck at home with me because school was cancelled? It's beautiful - and fun :) As long as we have enough diapers.