New Toppers

My friend, Melissa, in British Columbia (Brian and Melissa under "Blogs I Peek At" on the right side of the screen) crocheted the girls two absolutely adorable new hats!!

Check em out...


Why am I just showing the hats and not the models, you ask? Well... apparently the models were on strike today. They were complaining about low wages and not enough macaroni and cheese or something!

SEE! Model #1 has even taken to eating butter...

The poor thing... you can see that life is rough, eh!?

And Model #2 got a bad case of the giggles... it happens to ALL the professionals, ya know!



Attempt #2 on model #1 was even worse than attempt #1. (... it's complicated!)



THUS, the picture of the hats alone!

It's back to the negotiating runway for us!

**Thanks again Melissa!**

Tree Skirt Seamstress

Up to this point my tree skirt has consisted of satin that is kind of "tossed" around the tree trunk. Does it work? Absolutely! Does it stay in place when two girls are constantly crowding around the tree to gaze at the lights and ornaments? Not a chance!

Since we're actually going to be around for the holidays this year Alia and I set out to remedy the problem! We found some fabric that was both cheap and pretty... and made "a skirt for the tree to wear!" (Alia still thinks that is just the funniest thing...that the tree is wearing a skirt!)

The intentional hole in the middle just bothered her to no end! She kept trying to put the "napkin" back in!




I still have to pleat the tree trunk hole a little... because huh hmmm I might of made it too big! But... I think it will do the job.

Task accomplished!

Next task... convince Alia and Larren it's not a blanket!

Play Pals

The girls are finally starting to play TOGETHER... and I just LOVE it!

Today I read a book for a couple minutes while they played in their play area. Goodness... I felt like I was living in the lap of luxury!

Of course, there are some squabbles and sharing woes... but overall I'm getting a glimpse of the joy to come!


Now if only they could figure out how to play together during supper prep! It never fails... if our house is going to erupt, it will be when there's 3 pots on the stove, something in the oven, and minutes before Daddy gets home!

Until the First Snow Fall Hits...

... I'm usually in denial that winter is coming! As is bound to happen, a couple days ago I had to wake up and smell the coffee, so to speak! Our world had turned white overnight and there was no denying it!

Out come the fleece PJ's, the long johns, the snowsuits, the toques, the mittens, the scarves, the boots, the heated mattress pad, the.... SEE?!?! This is just one more reason why I prefer warm weather! The sheer amount of STUFF that ones needs to survive is astounding!

But kids don't quite care how many layers they have to bundle up in... as long as they can make tracks in the snow, throw a few snowballs, take an occasional sleigh ride, and get their snowmobile fix!

Larren was enthralled with the swirling snow outside! Alia was just relieved that her "beloved winter" had come back... she was starting to wonder!


And I'm not sure if it's scientific or not... but there is just SOMETHING about kids licking the windows when it's cold outside! Oh... you're kids don't do that, ya say?! Ha. Haha. Uhhhh, just forget I mentioned it!

BUT, when there's proof... there's proof!!



Wish me warmth... winter has struck... and it's a LONG HAUL til Spring!

The Other Day A Friend Asked...

... if I feel "trapped" during the winter, since we live out of town and all.

Trapped? Nope, has never crossed my mind!

Like I'm part of a circus? Absolutely!

3..2...1...

TAKE OFF!


When the office chair was old news, Daddy decided to up the anty a little bit!


Monkey see... monkey do!



Ohhh... HA...of course... now why didn't I think of this!?!?!?!?


Only daddy.... AKA the ringmaster... can dream up this much fun!!

House #10

Whelp... last week we looked at our tenth house (in the last 18 months), and once again... crossed it off the list!!

*Sigh* I'll be honest... I'm thankful for our house and the work that we've done to it, but I still long for our "family house". We only planned to stay here for a year... and it's been over five! Which is okay... God has helped us reach our goals here in this place, so our goals in the next house will be more attainable... BUT, our family isn't getting any smaller!

We want to raise our kids in the country... and by choosing so, our housing options are GREATLY limited! So... I will continue to learn contentment in our current housing situation and make our cozy little abode as homey as possible!

To help make this house a little more of what we want, we've made a small "to do" list. Besides finishing the basement (which we're REALLY hoping to find a new house before it gets to that!!), there are only a couple things on the list... and here are a few.

Item #1 Hang up more picture frames for extra "homeyness" - done
Item #2 Hang up some kid friendly coat hooks near the front door - in progress
Item #3 Hang a mirror above the deacon's bench - still trying to find a mirror I like
Item #4 Add more lighting to the living room - done

I tell ya... what a difference lighting can make! We've been spending so much more time in the living room, basking in the artificial glow!

One would think adding more light would be as easy as pie... but remember, this is an OLD house we're talking about! And nothing in an old house is as it should be!

During the day our living room is bright and sunny... but in the evening is when we really notice the lack of light!

Here's Alia lending her expertise while Daddy re-wires some stuff!

It took a bit of time and thinking... but Jon managed to hook up the new lights to the 2nd existing light switch (which only powered an outlet) with very minimal problems!


I was standing close by, WITH the vacuum cleaner to suck up all the dust, as he drilled these holes but BOY, WHAT A MESS! Drywall dust is one thing.... but two layers of drywall AND lath and plaster makes for an awful lot of clean up!

But thanks to my Mr. Handyman... we now have a much, much, much better lighting combo!


And that will make winter a little more bearable!

Bag Lady

Alia is such a little bag lady... goodness! If something is MIA, than I head straight to her shopping cart first, followed by a search through her other 13 bags to take a look!

It's a good thing Dee Dee gets her own seat...

... cause we'd never find her if she fell into the basket of the shopping cart!!

Tupperware, a purse, a book, kitchen clips, ziplocks, a watch.... the list goes on and on...


It's amazing how much STUFF she can cram into any, and every, "retainer" she lays her eyes on!! She's been helping me put away dishes for awhile now... but the Tupperware drawer has been seen in a new light! There's a "retainer" for everything!!

And ziplocks... don't get me started on the amount of ziplocks this girl could go through in a day! I'd need a part time job if we'd let her keep up that habit!

Where in the world did she get this from?

It is SO not from either her mom or dad! We're certainly the "a place for everything and everything in its place" couple... and here's to hoping that doesn't skip a generation!!

Baby Bums...

... are one of my FAVORITE things about mothering!

There's just something so adorably, unexplainably, absolutely cute about them!

Fast forward 20 years... aaaannnndddd... not so much!!!

Climbing to the Top

NEWSFLASH!! NEWSFLASH!!

We interrupt your regular scheduled program to bring you this update! We now have a champion stair climber in our home! YES, you heard me right! Larren has officially climbed the unclimbable!

Why don't I let Larren tell you about her successful climb herself... here she is folks... give a big family round of applause to... LAR BEAR!

Well, see... it was really quite easy! I've been eyeing those big beautiful stairs for a couple days now, and have even tested them out a time or two. But ya know... I just didn't have the confidence to take the plunge (well, okay... so maybe I did take a plunge or two, but that's not the point!). After a hearty energy boosting supper, I decided that tonight was the night... I was going to show those stairs who's boss!

I think Mom got some footage... can I have a confirmation on that? Excuse me? Anyone listening, anyone? Thank you! Okay, yes... I have it confirmed that we DO HAVE footage! ROLL IT!

Ahhh yes, here I am... with my award winning smile... ready to start my climb! After much research I decided to go with the "Daddy stand behind me and please catch me if I fall" method. Friends tell me that it works like a charm, and I too recommend this method to fellow climbers!

I had my doubts there at the beginning (that's a long ways up, ya know!!)...

but with the help of a VERY LOUD cheering fan, I decided to continue on!

One down... this might not be too bad!

So here we are... about a 1/4 of the way up... and I was really starting to feel it in my calves, I tell ya!

But I took at deep breath and continued on!

After my moment of near defeat... I was ready to go for the gold!

And here I am *tear* on the last *tear* stair...

I was a little stunned that I made it, actually! I mean... my life long dream had become a reality!!!


I'd like to thank my mom (aka crazy camera lady), my dad (ever my safety net), my sister (speaking of my sister... where was SHE during this whole event...), my...


Alright, THANK YOU Larren! We are just so thrilled about your accomplishments and wish you much success and safety in your future climbs!


... and my pink stuffed teddy bear, and my...


Again, yes, thank you Larren... back to you Bill!


... and if the maker of Cheerios would like to contact me for any contracts...


*Nervous smile* And BACK TO YOU BILL!!!! BILL?!?!

Picture Faces

These two pictures were taken back to back.

This is - "Alia... look here!"

And here's what I get when she knows there is a camera pointed in her direction...

... perhaps I need to change my approach a little!!


Larren, on the other hand, is pretty easy peasy to capture!

The approach is simple - when she's standing or in motion...


... there are bound to be smiles!

Why All The Chocolate... You May Ask...

Let me show you!

Stir


Lick


Repeat


You get the idea!