our new hobby!

today, gracie and i found our new hobby. grandma taught us how to sew! i wish i'd had the camera when gracie heard that sewing machine start humming. oh, and when grandma said she had pink thread to sew a blanket, you'd have thought we told her we were going to disney world. gracie was giddy! she sat for the longest time and just watched grandma work on some curtains (ok, so i sat there riveted too). we both just stared in awe. i know it seems silly, but it's one of those things i've never learned to do and have wanted to. i have a friend who quilts... that's something i'd love to be able to do! sure, i can sew on a button if needed and i do own a pin cushion (that hasn't seen the light of day since i was in fha in 9th grade).

now, i give you the proof...

grandma had a great idea to give her a needle and thread, i found an old shirt, and gracie spent a while "needling"
(that's sewing in 6 year old terms).

gracie made a ruffle on the bottom of my tank top.

so proud of her work!

then, grandma let me take a spin with her sewing machine...

grandma's idea for me to sew edges on a blanket and then for gracie to cut the fringed edges. gracie was so excited about her blanket, she's going to take it for her special show and tell (she's student of the week!).

ok, so i really enjoyed it. i mean really. grandma told me i needed to practice 'cause the next lesson is cutting patterns. she said we might make some dresses for the girls. yay! oh, the things i could sew... so, i'm thinking a blanket for cale and maybe a pillow case (or two) will be practice. so the little fleece blanket isn't a quilt... one step at a time, right?

homemade buzz

you read the title, and i know what you're thinking... you're wrong.

last night, i was in the kitchen trying to get the plates, silverware, napkins, drinks, rolls, and butter (ahhh, yes... the butter) ready for dinner. kyle fixed linguini and roasted garlic sauce and was hovering over the sauce. as if that wasn't enough going on in our kitchen, gracie pranced through (with cale on her heels) requesting scissors and tape. i glanced over to see that she had several paper sacks in her hands already. you may be thinking, "what could her imagination be cooking up"? not what i was thinking. mine had something to do with dinner being ready and the mess we'd have to clean up. i decided to let this one go. glad i did.

2 paper sacks + scissors + lots of tape + grace and cale's imagination =

buzz lightyear vest and wings!

happy 6th birthday, gracie!

oh, what a day this has been... starting at 5:30! no, i didn't wake her. lily did. and since, it's been full of excitement and sugar... and birthday boots!

• birthday donuts for her class treat.
• lunch with daddy... her choice... chili's.
• family dinner... her choice... mcdonalds (specifically "the big one"). let me pause here and tell you that i offered to take her anywhere** she wanted to go for her birthday dinner. i mean anywhere**. apparently i didn't explain that "anywhere**" means you have to look at the footnotes, and here it means no mcdonalds. next time, i'll be sure to explain the limitations before i make the offer!
• dessert/birthday cake... mama's suprise... cherry berry (yum!) with aunt b and big dad.

we sang "happy birthday" and i'm pretty sure much of cherry berry did, too!

then... it was off to get her a pair of boots. yes, that's what she asked for. my little heart was pitter-pattering when she picked them out. she loves them!

my little cowgirl!

she's adoreable in them.

on the way home from getting her boots, i was telling her about the day she was born. i told her about holding her and staring at her. i told her how in love i've been with her from the first moment. i told her how thankful that i am that God gave her to me. i told her how proud of her i am and how much i enjoy being with her. i paused and then she spoke... "um ok, but... are you done, cause i want your phone"... really? really. someday she'll understand. someday.

gracie's birthday eve

tonight is the night before gracie's 6th birthday. wow. 6 years already! as she was getting ready for bed, we were talking about this being her last night as a 5 year old. about how this was the last time she'd brush her teeth as a 5 year old... and how it was the last time she'd brush her hair as a 5 year old... and so on. so, then i asked her what the best part of being 5 was... she said "being your daughter". that was the best answer ever.

God knew i needed that... and her.

first snow of the season

ahhh... the first snow of the season. remember how exciting it was? i do. started last night at the ranch, and ended this afternoon. unfortunately, there's not much to show for the extended timeline. but to my children it didn't matter. you'd have thought it had snowed 2 feet by their excitement. the entire way home from school, they discussed playing in it. meanwhile, i was trying to talk them out of it. it's really cold, ok? there's not enough there to do anything. but, cale wanted to make a snow angel and gracie wanted to build a snowman. oh, and gracie also wanted to make snow ice cream. um, no gracie. definitely not enough for that! we pulled into the garage, they piled out, and straight to the snow they went.

oh the excitement... giddiness abounds...

what a good big sister... gracie voluntarily showed cale how to make a snowball.

what an arm... can you see that snowball (look closely on the road)... aunt kathy would be so proud.

gracie, ever the sweet big sister, offered to throw one at cale. he tucked and ran.

the entire "first snow of the season" experience lasted about 90 seconds. oh, well. there's always next time.

hot chocolate, anyone?

meet my... new love...

oh ok, i know... i should be blogging about christmas with the kids... or the 2 1/2 weeks we played musical sickies... or that jack (the elf) had to go back to the north pole until next year... or all kinds of other blog-worthy activities that have been keeping busy.

instead, for my blogging return i've chosen to introduce you to...

drum roll please...

yes, folks... that's right... those are my feet in my boots. my new boots. christmas present from the hubby. one present i'll not be returning, thank you. for those of you that know me well, well you know about me returning gifts. maybe my dad should go with him more often. just kidding, honey! (dad... i'm really not kidding.) the boots... well they're cute. really cute. like hot mama cute. he's really proud of himself. he should be.

i'm so excited i may just sleep in them.

black friday recap

it's the day after thanksgiving. some hate it, some avoid it, but plenty ... i love this day of the year. it's like an official start of the christmas season for me. normally, i am not a shopper, but on black friday it all changes. i've only been a b.f.s. (black friday shopper) since i've had kiddos. you know, big discounts on the toys they "need". i'm always up for a good bargain. so today, like many of my days, began with little... very little... sleep, a cup of coffee, and lots of adrenaline. at 4:10 am i picked up jackie and at 4:25 we were in line at wal-mart... "helping santa". the sad part was that i was late. most people had been there for hours. some since 8:30 thanksgiving night. i'm dedicated, but not that dedicated. although, since i wasn't sleeping, i probably should have been there. anyway, i got what i went for and then it was off to the next store... and the next... and the next... and the next... occasionally interrupted by phone calls from gracie who was desperate to put up and decorate the tree. "go ahead" i said. "NO!", replied daddy. jackie and I made it 8 hours. i'm as astounded that we made it 8 hours without kids as i am that we just made it 8 hours. do you know how long it's been since jackie and i spent an entire 8 hours together without kids? me neither. back to shopping... i'm sure our measly 8 hours is nothing compared to some b.f.s., but by noon we were done. and by done, i mean tired. really tired.

i napped for a bit, and then we got busy at "the ranch"...

today, gracie officially learned to ride her bike without training wheels.

isn't it pretty? you should see it from the road.

we finished decorating the tree... after a trip to wal-mart for lights that actually work. there is something about lights and our family that don't go together. every year i think we have to buy new lights. i don't get it. some work and some don't. and yes, we changed out the individual bulbs and the fuses. still didn't work. lights should last more than one season. you know, when i was little, things were made a little more sturdy. ok, a lot more sturdy. and a string of lights didn't cost $10.00. blah, blah, blah...

oh, and the elf showed up for the second year. his name is jack. he is our "elf on the shelf". we've been talking about him for weeks, hoping he'd come again on thanksgiving night. he stays with us until christmas eve. each night he goes back to the north pole to report on how the kids have behaved that day. they love it. it's pretty neat. gracie and cale called while i was shopping to tell me he came to our house last night. they were so excited! it's a race in the mornings to see who can find jack first. and, grace is convinced that me moves a little each time she looks at him. somehow, sis, i don't think so. i wonder where he'll be in the morning...

i think i'll go pour myself a sip of wine, put my feet up, and enjoy my tree... nite.

mmm... pecan pie

you know what i love about thanksgiving? food. i've still got 15 hours until it's time to eat, and my mouth is already watering. my job this year was "the fixin's". everything between the turkey and the rolls is up to me. and i love it. ok, so i'm a little nervous about the stuffing, but i'm sure mama has some stovetop in the pantry, just in case.

what i'm really excited about is the pecan pie i just made. oh... my... gooooooddddnnesssss!

the crust...

the filling...

the finished product.

(in my new pie plate... that i'm in love with!)

all modesty aside, i'm pretty proud of myself. i love to conquer new dishes... or "staples" that i've never tried before. i sure hope this pie turns out to be as good as it smells and looks.

i'll let you know tomorrow.

oatmeal chocolate chip...

when i walked in the door tonight, my nose was met with a scrumptious scent. a smell that only comes from something yummy baking in the oven... or one of those yummy candles that make you want to eat every time you light it. what i found was my sweet hubby slaving in the kitchen over some cookies. oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, to be exact. or, at least that's what he claimed they were. the dough (and i use that term loosely) wasn't right. it smelled and even tasted just like it should. the problem was that it was more like, um... batter. when the "cookies" came out of the oven, they resembled something more along the lines of a pancake. and they were no longer individual cookies, but more like one large, but very thin pancake... maybe even a little more crepe-ish. ok, honestly, they would have really been like crepes if he hadn't put oatmeal in the batter. oops, I mean dough. see what i mean...


now, please don't misunderstand this blog. i am not... really, i am not... bashing my husbands baking skills. he can make cookies. yummy cookies... and really yummy eggs! and, these cookies were really good. maybe they bent slowly to the left when i picked them up, but they still tasted good. so, my point is... what happened? he said he followed the directions... any ideas? i've not a clue...

scaling the coffee table

lily-bug has discovered she can climb up onto the coffee table...

i give you exhibit a:

once up there, she giggled loudly and yelled "mama"... as if i wasn't paying attention. now, i give you exhibit b:

she was so very proud of herself. she would climb up, daddy would get her down... she would climb up, daddy would get her down... you get the idea. ironically, this morning's message at church was about climbing your mountain...

i don't even know what to title this one...

here was the scene at our house a couple of nights ago:

it was bedtime. ahhh... sweet bedtime. and at our house, bedtime (or anytime relatively close to it) means we start winding down, getting quiet, and maybe picking out a book to read. i had just bathed all the kiddos and both girls were in their jammies. cale, on the other hand, was being particularly difficult about getting dressed. surprise, surprise. i'd been following him around with the clothes, but i got sidetracked picking up toys... and books... and laundry... and toys... and then cleaning up cale and lily's room. meanwhile, daddy... in the spirit of bedtime and winding down time... turns on some music. awww... sweet, right? wrong. what he turned on was a fantastic praise & worship song by jesus culture. now, don't get me wrong, i l-o-v-e that song. so do my children. but it's not what "calms" them. the next thing i know, gracie is dancing on my bed, lily is doing fist-pumps in the air (which, by the way, you must see), and cale... who is still naked... is using his "junk" as a guitar (which no one needs to see). that boy will us whatever he can get his hands on (literally) to "play" music. do you think slash ever did something like this? wait, don't ans-ver that...

deep thoughts...

here are my "randoms" for the day...

1. at the top of my blog page is a "next blog" button. have you ever clicked it? well, i did. in case you're wondering what it takes you to, let me enlighten you... you never know. yep, that's right. there's no rhyme or reason, no certain order, or classification system to what comes next. there might be a really cute blog by a really creative person... or a funny by a crazy mama (no comments from the peanut gallery!)... or a practical blog offering blogging advice... or a practical blog offering recipes and cooking advice. there are lots of really neat blogs out there. however, amongst the fun, cute, practical blogs there will (out of nowhere) be a freaky blog. who knew freaky people blogged. ok, i'm sure you did, but i did not. i don't get out much. anyway, freaky people blog about some really freaky things. freaks! i'm really not being judgements, just calling it like i see it. i think i'll stick with the funny and cutesy blogs, thank you.

2. boys and/or men should never... e-v-e-r... ever run in white running shorts. honestly, who thought that was a good idea? let me tell you that a good idea, it is not. never, ever.

3. ever wonder what happens when spaghetti attacks... or it is attacked...


yep, that's lily. and that's what happens when lily and spaghetti get together. no, the spaghetti didn't win. i'm pretty sure at some point she was licking her plate. you know, if we gave her white eyebrows and a green/white striped shirt, she could pass for an oompa loompa! surely she'd be the cutest little oompa loompa willy ever had!

sunday morning cinnamon rolls

when i was cleaning up the kitchen last night (at 11:30), i was seriously questioning my sanity for even suggesting to gracie that we make cinnamon rolls. it was 8:30... p.m... when i got that bright idea. you know that i love to bake just about as much as anyone, but starting cinnamon rolls at 8:30-ish at night... yes, even i will admit it wasn't so smart.

i got out all the ingredients, started a couple of different stations... one for the mixer, one for the what needed to be microwaved, and then the yeast. here's where we ran into a problem. what i knew was the yeast wasn't "doin' it's thang"... and what i didn't know was that it was expired. all 5 packages. lovely. just what i need at 9:15 pm when we are already up to our elbows in flour. we went through 3 packages of yeast before finding one that "sort of" worked. oh, by the way, gracie kept stopping to run to the living room to watch the cop show that was on.

so anyway, we finally got the dough made and then i took a little nap while it was rising the first time. after rolling out the dough, adding the filling, and then cutting the cinnamon rolls, gracie wanted to play in the left-over dough. it was 11:00. so, what did i do? got her the cookie cutters. she had so much fun. after rolling and cutting, and cutting and rolling her little ball of dough, she decided she wanted to make some cinnamon rolls out of what she'd been playing with. so we did. they were cute "mini-cini's".

when i got up this morning, i was so hoping hers had risen. i wasn't sure hers would do anything with all that she'd messed with the dough. and honestly, i was hoping and praying mine had too. they did. all of them. so we baked, then we tasted. the verdict... they were yummy. really yummy. then i decided that the 3 hours last night had so been worth it... mostly for the special time with gracie.

(this was the 2nd pan. the little one in the corner was the last of gracie's mini-cini. sorry, i forgot to take a picture before we attacked them!)

i was gonna...

i was gonna blog earlier, but then gracie and i decided to make cinnamon rolls for tomorrow morning. we've been discussing doing this for weeks, but just haven't taken the time to do it. so, tonight we did. tomorrow there will be pictures! and they will be y-u-m-m-y... yea for cinnamon rolls!!!

gracie's at it again...

have you ever wondered what would happen if dorothy and the good witch merged into one character? or if they had a head-on collision in mid-air and melded together? me neither... until a couple of nights ago.

gracie and cale were playing "quietly" in her room (it goes downhill from here). when all of the sudden, she dramatically emerges (i don't have a clue where she gets that...) and announces the presence of "the pretty fairy princess"...

poor cale. one day he will realize what's happening and not be such a willing participant. but, for now, he just goes along with it. and, most of the time, daddy just shakes his head and walks away from the scene.

i know you're thinking "why can't gracie play dress up with lily?" good idea, but no. let me tell you why. i'm figuring out that it's cause lily is a lot like gracie... extremely independent and opinionated. i thought she was going to be the quiet, laid back one. after the last couple of weeks, i'm not so sure. if it's not what she wants to do, then look out. an all out fit ensues. apparently she doesn't know who she's messin' with. i've ridden in this rodeo before... twice. i'm experienced and i'm not backing down! i know this sounds a lot like a pep talk for myself... cause it is.

anyway, back to the "situation"... sometimes i'm not sure whether to laugh at what gracie has done to cale, or be concerned. like i said last time she did this... someday she'll learn.

halloween 2010

oh... halloween. not my favorite of holidays. lots of people love it, like my husband. again, me... not so much. you know, it would be so much better without the scary stuff. why can't it just be dress up. why's it gotta be creepy? really, i don't need demon masks. my imagination is creative enough... i don't need the help. but, we go anyway.

i'm sure everyone else goes through the same drama-filled costume selection that we did this year. this was the first time that gracie really cared what she was. not cale. he just wanted to be a pirate... again. you'll see. he looks a lot like the pirate from last year. only this time, he's a little more, um... "healthy"... costume was a little snug. ok, a lot snug on top. and buggie had no clue. she was more interested in anything other than being snow white. i went as a mom. clever, right?

before heading out, i wanted a picture of all three of them. this was as good as it got...

really? 2 seconds. that's all i'm asking. is that too much? i just want one picture of everyone together... looking at the camera... smiling. just one. no? whatever. lets go.

however, thanks to lulu, we got great individual pics of them. dang, my kids are cute.

arrrr, matey. it's pork chop... the most feared pirate in rogers county.

awww... what a cute kitty. it's rather appropriate, considering her independent streak (that of which i know nothing of...).

before heading out into the dark and scary abyss (ok, not really) of aunt b's neighborhood, we had to have a test run...

looks like it went rather well. she must have passed.

lily even joined in on the action. if it wasn't what she wanted, she threw it on the ground. she was rather opinionated...

and couldn't wait to taste test.

there were lots of cute decorations. besides my kids, of course.

ok, i have to say i'm very surprised that there was any candy left in these bowls. no one was manning them. the big kids must not have found them yet.

it took 3 tries to get a family picture. goodness gracious. thank you aunt b and lulu (and big dad, of course) for being so patient. and for herding the circus. and for letting us invade your house.

we'll do it again next year. yea.

gracie's trunk-or-treat

today was "trunk or treat" for gracie and the entire kindergarten. the "trunk" part of trunk-or-treat was that parents decorated their cars and were there to hand out candy to the preschoolers and kindergarteners. i originally volunteered my trunk until i realized that cale and lily would be with me...

can you imagine? me, neither.

so, i my trunk and i resigned. maybe next year.

the deal was everyone was supposed to dress up in their halloween costume, bring their goodie bags, and a good attitude ready for lots of fun and an entire morning of candy acquisition.

gracie ready, in costume... check. manually applied kitty cat nose and whiskers... check. pumpkin bucket... check. good attitude... hold on. what happened to the giddiness? it was all fine while we were getting ready. so fine, that while gracie was meowing and laughing hysterically, mollie watched her in the bathroom mirror and proceeded to growl and bark at her. it was really funny. then, when daddy said it was time to go, she starts crying about her cat nose. she doesn't want it... she doesn't want to trunk-or-treat... she doesn't even want to go to school. really? what the heck? so, we spend the next few minutes discussing why she should have a good attitude and enjoy the fun things that are in store for her today. she can't spend her whole life acting like this. she'll never do anything fun. she'll shut down exciting adventures before they even begin. you get the idea.

as they're headed out the door, i make her stop for a picture...

what a cute kitty cat she makes. this is the only cat that will ever live at my house.

so, this afternoon i am soooo excited to pick her up and hear all about her trunk-or-treat experience. she gets in the car and and i ask how trunk-or-treat was. gracie's response... "mom, this morning when we went out there, i thought i am totally going to have so much fun at this. my mom was so right".

it would serve her well to remember that. she is one smart cookie!

i've got nothin'...

tonight, there are no pictures of my darling children or hysterical stories to tell. because tonight, they were not cute, and they were not funny. all i'm sayin' is that tonight was one of "those" nights. that is all.

lily's re-bath

hello, stranger. i know it's been a while (again), and i'm sorry. we've had d-r-a-m-a recently, and i've just not been in the blogging mood. but, now i am. tonight i'll keep it short. let's get started...

ok, let me set up the situation tonight: i was doing laundry and kyle was bathing gracie. cale and lily had already had baths before dinner. all of the sudden, kyle hollered at me to come see what was going on in the bathroom. this is what i found...

lily... in her jammies and diaper. a 6 pound diaper. it was lovely. she thought it was hysterical. this give "re-bath" a whole new meaning.

at our house, it's always something.

a monkey dinner

sometimes, i can be a little controlling. i know, you're shocked. really shocked. now's the time to pick up your jaw off the floor. some of you are shocked at the notion that i could be the least bit controlling, while others (ok, all of you) are in awe that i've actually just admitted it. whatever the case may be, letting go is a challenge, especially when it comes to my kids. one thing they love to do is cook. it's very hard for me to let them just do what they can and make a mess. but, again, they l-o-v-e it! so, tonight i had an idea... i let the kids make dinner.

it was very easy to put together, dump and stir.

then, it was stir and dump.

casserole was in the pan. now, shakey, shakey, shakey... shake those onions on top.

yum. their finished dinner casserole. what's better than chicken with french fried onions? they loved it!

aren't those the cutest chefs you've ever seen? they fixed such a great dinner! i'm so proud of them for cooperating and making our meal. and, i'm proud of myself for just letting it go and allowing them to do it their way.

by the way, there happened to not be an questions about where the chicken, cream of chicken, french fried onions, tomato soup, or corn came from. what? no questions about our food? they must've been concentrating on the stir and dump...