Putty (mispelled and corrected for my mom) October 23, 2009

That is some weird stuff. It’s sorta like sawdust foam, sorta like sand, sorta like play-doh. And then it dries to the crunchy, crusty stuff that trails all over the house. The kids and I had the job of filling nail holes today(which I sunk into the wood). #2 and #3 (yeah, can you believe it?) moved all the leftover wood from the living room to the kitchen for the time-being.

 

And for those of you who are wondering what possessed me to allow #2 to touch a bucket of puddy- it was over before it started. He was fired after the first two handfuls of puddy.

 

Here's what #3 was doing. That thing on the floor is a little clay dinosaur that #1 made in 1st grade. She is absolutely TERRIFIED of that thing and will scream bloody murder if you even think about putting it near her. I set it one the floor and she actually walked up to it. She thinks it is real.

 

A close up of the clay dinosaur. Not too scary.

 

And Husband finished laying wood the foyer the other night. It looks so awesome, especially next to the french doors.

 

 

 

Thought I would add this other pic of Husband and #3. It is so cute of them!

 

And also, #1 decided that I needed a break after this week of work, so he made dinner- french toast and eggs.

I know what you're thinking- but there wasn't any Windex in the toast that I know of.

Birthday on Friday September 21, 2009

#2 had a birthday on Friday. We let him pick a friend and a restaurant, so of course, he picked his new love and we went to our favorite pizza buffet. This place has a game area too, where you buy tokens and earn tickets that get you nothing except plastic army men and bouncy balls. But they have a killer cinnamon roll cake thing that is to die for. After pizza, we came home and had cake. Since neither of the kids like the icing on store-bought cake, I usually end up making one. My artistic talents stop right before cake decorating, but it really tastes good.

 

Dough Girl September 5, 2009

So I was making some bread since we were going to have company over for dinner last night. As I was putting out the ingredients, I realized I had a little “shadow” following me around. And since I already know her fascination with flour, I had to watch closely. Well, guess who ended up making the bread? #3, while I don’t consider her a helper, was doing most of the work until the dough was too thick to stir.

Yes, still in pajamas even though it was lunch time. Try to get #3 to take off her princess nightgown with the customized cut sleeve...

 

She was very serious about making this bread. I couldn't peel the whisk from her fingers. It was really cute how she would look at the recipe book and she can't even read.

 

On another note, it rained for a whole weekend a couple weeks back and so we spent two days watching movies with the kids.

Afraid of Yeast February 24, 2009

I am going to admit it to the whole world. I have been afraid of yeast. Yes, scared of its mythical and magical powers to transform flour and water into a fluffy lump of bread. A few months ago, I took a leap of courage and bought a book called the “Bread Bible.” I haven’t bought a cookbook since I got some as wedding presents, but I wanted to confront my ultimate baking fears. The result? Three kids, one husband and a dog swarming the kitchen eating up every morsel of homemade bread. Now, I haven’t really delved into the book too far. Currently, I am consistent with Mountain White Bread and Whole Wheat Honey Bread. These are both great for sandwiches- and the goal is to go exclusively to homemade bread and leave the store-bought at the store. So far so good. Husband likes the wheat and kids like the white. And the biggest plus, is that the cost is significantly less for a better product. So there is a 25 lb bag of flour in my pantry now.

Honey whole wheat made with local Georgia orange blossom honey

Just to peak your interests February 5, 2009

I am making plans for our suburban farm for this spring. It entails more than just gardening, but a few new members of the family. I am choosing to become an outlaw and smuggler of live poultry….but that is all I will say for now. When things are up and running, I will submit a full (and secretive) report.

One of the things I have been putting off for awhile because of other projects, is an outdoor kitchen. No, not the kind you see on HGTV for $50000, the poor man’s kind of outdoor kitchen. Basically, I am thinking of putting a metal grate over our built-in brick firepit, so that I can cook out there during the summer. Nothing is worse than sweating in your own kitchen with the air conditioner pumping at full capacity. Besides, I have found a couple of dutch oven recipes for open fires in which I could bake bread or make delicious soups. So if I could use the firepit to supplement a couple of nights a week, that would be great (and save energy!). An herb garden is in the midst, as well, but instead of putting them in raised beds, I will pot them on the back deck. Today, I may go out to our side yard by the fence and start ripping out all the ivy that has completely invaded the ground. That little area will be for berries, strawberries to be exact. And hopefully, this will really get the kids excited about “farming.” (and boy, do I use that term loosely since I am in the learning process)

Cheers to a bountiful harvest!

Stay at home mom February 4, 2009

When I’m not complaining about being a stay at home mom, I am loving it. Things have been pretty slow around here lately for me. Husband has had a busy couple of work weeks which have required him to stay later than usual. So me and the kids have sorta bucked the system- meaning loose schedules- late dinner, less enforced chores, etc.

This is me and #3 playing on the patio in the backyard. She totally gets what the camera is all about now.

 

Realizing she needs my help getting on her bike.

 

Walking away from me when I said I wouldn't push her lazy little bottom around on the bike

I am getting back in gear though, after my slump of laziness. I’ve been experimenting with bread recipes again and had a wonderful success with Honey whole wheat bread. Mmmm. That was a hit. With the prices of food high and still going higher, I figured it would be a good idea to start cooking everything (that is feasible) from scratch. Yesterday, #2, #3 and I went to the Farmer’s Market in the next town over. I hardly ever go, because it is a little drive and the prices are high. But, funny, the prices are now on par with the other grocery stores, except now I am buying from local farmers and you can pronounce all the ingredients on the side of the box. I got some great deals on meat and fresh veggies. #2 was very excited about shopping somewhere new and demanded to know what every single fruit and vegetable item was. So this was a longgggg grocery trip. Well worth it though. We will definitely be going back for some of the meat deals! We only bought ONE snack item while we were there, which is a miracle for us. I want us to start eating better and making it a permanent lifestyle change to live long and healthy. Okay, so that was on my resolutions list. Check next to that one!

Ten Years Ago January 29, 2009

I had #1 during the “storm of the century” in a small Louisiana town. I can’t believe ten years has already gone by and that baby is now approaching preteen years. #1 is every mom’s dream child- obedient, sensitive, overachiever, and most of all, reflects the heart of God. Everyone who knows him loves him. There is no such thing as a stranger, and no such thing as a “bad” person. He is every teacher’s favorite- as was reaffirmed with the last conference I had with his teacher. And is totally adaptable to ANY situation life may throw at him.

He will be having a big party at the bowling alley next weekend- but somehow this happened today. Like I said, he is a people magnet. All the kids ended up in our backyard playing tag and chase and then we grilled burgers and hotdogs (in the 45 degree chill). We followed it up with homemade cookies. Nothing beats good friends and homecooked meals. Amen.

Sorry about the glare- I was inside. And there were about four more kids that did not make it into the picture.

You should've seen the grease dripping into the grill....

Sweetest dreams January 5, 2009

The sweetest dreams can happen when you are sleeping in a pretty bedroom. Some of you have asked me to show what my bedroom looks like these days. Well, it all goes back to the inner fight of light blue vs red. After years of a light blue comforter and sheets and pillows, red won for the quickie remodel. Here are some pictures of our bedroom. And no, we are not this clean- I had to throw the heaping piles of books, magazines and hair rubberbands into another room to take the pictures.

View of bedroom when you walk through the door.

 

I painted that Caravaggio knock-off above the bed.

 

Solid wood door that husband installed and I painted over the holidays.

 

I realize that this has nothing to do with the rest of the post, but last night the boys begged me to make “scones.” Normally, we would swing through the Starbucks drive-thru and pick some up, but now that the budget has been revised, this will become a rarity. So we made our own homemade version of chocolate chip scones. They came out perfect!

mmmm. homemade chocolate chip scones.