3 Blooming Hearts

More like angels if you ask me! I haven't been updating you much lately have I? Catching up on cleaning - the sun comes out and I want to clean! Working on many ideas for my 'homework' for Shimelle's class and asking my mother for photos of this and that, plus really motivated to keep with the decluttering. That comes and goes in spurts, but right now I'm in the middle of a get'r done spurt for everything! My poor husband, trying to relax on a Saturday and here I am flitting about. I have some great ideas for an etsy shop I've been wanting to open for awhile but I really, REALLY need to finish all this other stuff first. I finally sat down Sunday night (when I couldn't sleep) and brainstormed about all my ideas, and came up with a few more, so that's what's driving the energy right now, thus keeping me from you. Have a beautiful weekend - I'm off to take some more photos. Wonder if I can get them back in time to scrap tonight yet?

Busy Day, Busy week...

Now that the girls are back in school (boohoo), I'm playing catch-up. Mira & I have run a zillion errands this morning, helped at Art Class and are now hanging about. We've read a few books, and now she's having quiet time (12 Dancing Princesses again) while I answer a few e-mails, make some calls, and do my homework for Shimelles No Place Like Home class.

Yeah, like I need a new project. What about finishing vacation albums, planning vacations, decluttering, sewing projects? I have actually been making progress on all of that. Slow, but definate progress. Ok, so the warmer weather will soon demand our being outside 12 hours of the day, going for walks and bike rides, cleaning up the yard, painting the garage to match the house (the neighbors will be SO happy!). I figure it's like one extra hole in an already sinking ship GRIN. I like creating, I can do it after the children have passed out from all that fresh air, and this will help me accomplish a project I've been thinking of doing ever since we started making changes around here.

So this class is just too good to pass up. The price is right, for 25 daily project prompts Mon-Fri for 5 weeks. Small & big projects. Some quick, some much more involved. Archived forever, so what I don't finish (or start) now, I can come back to next summer, Fall, etc. The project prompts sent to my inbox too so I can print them out and keep on file here. Pretty cool. My plan right now is to do the small projects, and start thinking upon the remainder until I have time to finish each in turn.

Check it out! Click on the link or the picture above to find out more.

He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed

Sarah-Angel

Just look at this precious girl! She's so happy :) She sat so patiently while Deb curled her hair - for 1.5 hours, and then another 30 minutes to pull it back and add the wreath and get it all just right... She is enjoying her curls, they have fallen somewhat, but she'll still be curly for Easter.

She's looking forward to wearing her dress again tomorrow, and looking forward to taking communion the 'normal' way.

First Communion Day

Busy day here - picking up baby's breath hair wreaths, doing nails... will be sure to post photos of Sarah in her dress later this weekend, she is SO excited. But I thought I'd share the card I made for her, based on Ali Edwards Weekend Creative project of February 4th...

Spring Break

Taking a quick break while the girls (yes, all of them) watch some Blue's Clues before heading off to the ENT and softball practice. We've had some wonderful days so far, making cat cookies to celebrate Silvara & Horatio's 1st Birthday, visiting the library, playing hours of Boggle, making smoothies... Today Sarah attended a Tea party/birthday party held at the school librarians house no less - she is so cool! While she was gone Natasha, Mira & I took a nice long walk around the neighborhood, listening to the birds and looking for those little signs of spring which will likely be covered by snow again in the next few days.

I've also been busy scrapping, incredibly inspired by Scarlet Limes March Kit (sorry Missy, I am NOT sharing this one! But I may order the mini kit for your birthday if you are nice to me LOL!)

Here are two pages I've been meaning to do since last summer, but have been stuck on until now.

Conferences and Spring Break

Yes, I know I said I'd post recent projects and I haven't yet. Soon. I have a lovely vase of daffoldils of my table right now - Natasha can't seem to keep her nose out of it. I may have to take a picture fast before they disappear into her room...

Poor Sarah is ill again - woke up yesterday with a high temp, that went higher even after meds. Sore throat, horrible headache... yup, she has strep. Thank goodness it didn't happen next week - we would have had to postpone her first communion to Easter Sunday as we drink out of a common cup as a family (a chalice she painted) that first time.

She is feeling better today though, and has read at least 3 Judy Moody books since yesterday morning, between naps. Later this afternoon, when Mira is home from preschool we'll all go for a walk ~ Spring is definately pushing winter away, and we need to find a branch for the Egg tree, listen to the birds singing...

Mom, I have to rub it in a little - I love conferences. I know, that tells people alot about me as child, but still, I have to brag. Love hearing other people say they wish they had a room full of my children as students, that they are smart, kind, thoughtful, intellegent, insightful. I'm still glowing!

Garlic Mango

Sounds yummy. It would be too, if served as a hot sauce with maybe a bit of cream added, over jasmine rice and bits of poached chicken quick seared in olive oil. But it wasn't. And it wasn't yummy either.

See, as I was pulling out odds & ends for my lunch - leftover salad, a half grated carrot, a mango... I thought - "Hmmm, dinner has to be early tonight ~ lets get that roast started browning." Had a nice warm-scented sizzle going on while my lunch sat half prepared on the counter. I tossed in some peppercorns, whole allspice, a bay leaf, some leftover chicken broth, and sliced a few cloves of garlic. Covered and put the whole lovely thing in the oven and went back to fixing my lunch as Mira finished hers. Finished grating the carrot on my salad, washed a few more grapes for the Mira-girl. Turned over the small cutting board I used for the garlic, grabbed the knife I'd set aside earlier for the mango... Can you see where this is going? Yeah. Well, I didn't. Yummy, healthy lunch. Until the last few slices of mango. You know, the first slices I put on the plate. Raw mango should NOT taste like raw garlic. eewww.

However, at least now I'm inspired for tomorrows dinner.

Flier update

Hanging out downstairs catching up on many little bits of business (meeting minutes, ordering some new Spring clothes for me, catching up on e-mails) and popped upstairs for a few minutes. Went looking for Mira. Guess where she is? On Sarahs' bed, sitting right next to Sarah. Yes, THAT Sarah - the one who knows Mira isn't supposed to be up there.

Sigh. That ladder can't possibly come down soon enough for me. Well, I suppose we had better wait until Mira comes down first.

On the sweet sister side of things, they are rather cute, lying next to each other, both reading their own books.

Bunk Bed Flier

Oh My. Huge thump, tumble, bang from upstairs, crying, and sound of other feet running as I jump up and trip up the stairs as fast as I can.

Mira is ok, but can I just scream for a second, or maybe a minute? Thanks. Needed to let go of the adrenaline, though it's quite possible the cats will now be hiding under the bed for a few hours!

Ugh. The one bad thing about having Mira in her big girl bed on the bottom bunk, is that she seems to think this allows her to be on the top bunk whenever she likes. And heaven forbid Sarah be allowed to have a little quiet time to read to herself on her own bed. OH NO, Can't let that happen. Nevermind actually listening to Mom & Dad and staying off the ladder. Mira is often found standing in the middle of the bed, next to the railing (be still my heart) but her favorite place by far is sitting sideways on the mattress at the ladder opening, with one leg hanging down. I pull her off, I tell her to get down, I tell her I need her to be safe (Thank you Mimi for that phrase, I use it often), I set her on the stairs. Usually even mentioning the stairs is enough to set her into hysterics and make her stop doing whatever unsafe activity she is involved in, but not when it comes to the bunk bed.

Have I mentioned she's fallen off the ladder before? I think we have to remove the ladder and poor Sarah will have to figure out how to get up without it. SHE never climbed the top bunk when it was Natasha's bed, until she was old enough to be invited up. Silvie and Horatio like to sleep up there too. Yes, they also climb the ladder. Well, I suppose, Sarah will finally have the bed all to herself, and Mira will have to look forother ways to keep Rich & I on our toes.

Matroyskas and a sick day

Natasha came home ill yesterday. I got it worse than she did. On the plus side of a bad night, it has given me a chance to take a long morning nap and catch up on my sleep. I do tend to stay up too late reading or scrapbooking or watching movies while Rich works beside me...

It also was a wonderful excuse to cuddle on the couch with little Mira while she watched 12 Dancing princesses for the millionth time. Now that Sarah is home (early out), and Tash & I seem to be on the mend, I think we will spend the afternoon making watercolors. Mine just might be on scrap paper though!

Aren't these Matroyska's beautiful? A bit pricey - but beautiful just the same. Hmmm - I could make these, maybe, but they would not turn out quite so lovely. Or these stickers. Stickers are funny things - sometimes they are treasured and refuse to be used forever and ever, and sometimes they are plastered everywhere. I might just have to buy some of these for myself. My mother brought some nesting dolls back from Poland for the girls a few Christmas' ago, and Mira has a Matroyska book that she absolutely loves. I think the dolls must not like living in their book though, as Mira is always doing them the favor of taking them out and lining them up so they can see the world.

RIF, Reading is Fundamental needs your help!

Right now RIF aka Reading Is Fundamental could use your help - RIF distributes approximately 16 million books each year to young, at risk students. I volunteer at our school distribution and you should see how awed the Kindergarteners are when they find out they get to KEEP the book they choose. While some of you know my children don't need free books and that our particular school is excellent in it's reading program and has a wonderful library, 68% of the children at our school qualify for free or reduced priced meals. I feel bad because we have been telling them that each year they will receive 3 books OF THEIR OWN CHOOSING, which adds up to 18 books by the time they graduate 5th grade. As it stands - our next distrubution may be our last.

Right now, funding has been cut from the budget, which means children all over the US will not receive these books. And many of these children cannot afford even one book of their own, may not live near a library, may not have teachers who can afford to stock wonderful classroom libraries. Perhaps, if funding needs to be cut, it could include a grade restriction, or stricter income guidelines, but this program is needed. Foster a love of reading, and encourage literacy. Read more here, and click on the Act Now link, where you can simply send the provided letter (RIF will e-mail it to your representatives if they haven't already signed on- SO easy) or add your own comments and personalize your letter. Do it now - pretty please.

Also, US Airways has a promotion going on in partnership with RIF, the Read with Kids Challenge, aimed to log 1 million minutes of reading by May 31st. I know you all read to your children, so log on, log in your time, and have a little fun with it too- decorate your own airplane, check out some kid games, perhaps win some prizes, even a trip to Disney. Can't hurt, can it?

Let me know how many minutes a night you read with your kids. Who reads to who changes every night at our house, but last night Rich read to Mira, I read a few chapters of one of Natasha's books, and Sarah (who is not at all interested in the current Natasha series) read Despereaux for awhile.

Thanks, and have fun.

Winter Spring Winter

We had a lovely taste of Spring this weekend - 50 degree temps, melting snow creating little streams running down the street, washing away the ice & dirty snow. Birds chirping, my silly daughters running around in shorts. Yes, shorts - but considering it was forty, fifty degrees warmer than it has been lately, who can blame them?

Yesterday Sarah & I went off to Whatta Dish pottery to paint Communion Chalices with most of her 1st Communion class. Can't wait to see the final product in a few weeks. She really thought about the colors and symbols she wanted to use, and took her time with each element. White for Purity and the Lamb, blue for hope, and a cross inside a heart. Plus a little purple for Royalty, and red for Spirit.

Afterwards we went to a REAL car wash, one where you leave the car so they can clean the inside as well as the outside. I knew it was time for this 'treat' when just getting into my car made me crabby. We left the car, walked in and all the way down the hall. We looked at the cards, the scented tree things, the sunglasses and finally paid the cashier. Then we walked all the way back to the beginning to watch the car go through the foam and brushes, expecting to see it at least part-way through, covered with foam. Nope. They were STILL vacuuming it - for another 5 minutes. Oh, I knew it was grungy, what with 3 girls and after a winter of snow, sand and slush, but really! It's beautifully clean now, and I am so happy. And it smells like Jasmine. I love Jasmine.

The storm clouds rolled in while we were at the car wash. The drizzle started, then sleet, then almost 4 inches of snow. I don't mind, it's pretty, and we spent the evening playing Quoridor all cozied-up in the living room, and my car smells like Spring.