Contest Continues!

Christmas was wonderful-family, games (we played a great game of Monopoly!), good food, playing with new toys, sewing, heehee.  What a day!  What did you do?

I have to review whenever I finally upload pictures from my camera-I remember what we've been up to!  I forgot to post our finished gingerbread cookies-we only found red squeezy frosting at Wal-Mart, so we used it, plus some white we made with confectioners sugar and milk (2.5 cups sugar to 3 T. milk)-it set up stiff too!

Yes, I see the spotty brown bananas up there too-I was going to make banana bread.. Ok, so we had tons of white frosting, and the kids had lost interest, so I did the last couple of cookies with big smears & zigzags of white frosting, don't look at those.

I have to say, they ate the smears of white frosting first-they were so thick with frosting!

On Christmas Eve, we went to the Children's Mass at church.  There was a year where I was making dinner for everyone, and it got crazy and stressful, and I couldn't figure out how we were going to make it to church plus get dinner on the table for guests (and we were trying to get pregnant I might add-with Ethan-and it didn't go well that month!), and it was the worst Christmas-Ches was MaD we didn't make it to church, and we vowed to never miss church on Christmas again.  We changed our plans up, we make Christmas DAY dinner, or we have pizza on Christmas Eve.  It has realigned our priorities, and I'm glad he put his foot down (he very rarely does this, so I listened!).  I think when your kids are young, you are still figuring out how to make it all work.  By the time they are older, you have a plan, and small things get easier.
We made it to Children's Mass, and the kids chose to not be shepherds and angels this year.  They are getting so big!  It was fine with me, I'm sure they'll join in next year again.
Here they are after Mass, our annual picture:

Mary Claire sat up so nicely, and Clay always wants to be right with Ethan, so it makes her look older!  Something else to work on for next year!  Last year we got a family picture, but we can skip one year. : )

We saw some friends after church (with grown kids), and the mom told me that I hadn't changed a bit since she met me (she just needs new glasses, I'm sure), and then her husband told me that you wouldn't even know I'd had three kids, and then she said, "4" to him, and I corrected and said, "3", and she said four again.  I can't decide what to make of that.  She got our Christmas picture card (with three kids), but Ches thinks maybe she means he's the fourth kid.  Of course to me it's cryptic, and means one of my babies in Heaven.  I could've added them all up and corrected again, but I didn't.  Some times you have to shut up and let go.  (Life Lesson 18)

One of our "make life easier on Christmas Eve" resolutions this year was to make dinner reservations-out.  We all went to PF Chang's for dinner (it was crowded! so I think other people have our idea? or we just caught on to theirs?), and it was wonderful!  Ethan was kinda walking/climbing around our booth-he was so hyper and excited for Christmas!  We couldn't get super mad-it was Christmas Eve!
Then we came back, and had ice cream cake for Ches' birthday.  Since we'd spent the day out alone on his actual birthday, we hadn't celebrated with the kids yet.  We like to do both for them.  Even on their birthday, we let them pick somewhere to eat, and that's usually separate from their parties.
Here's our birthday man:

Ethan couldn't take time to take off his coat-there was a cake on the counter!

Speaking of birthdays, Ethan's is on Monday!  He got his first card in the mail from his great-great aunt and uncle-they NeVeR forget my kids' birthdays, and we take pictures of them opening their cards and mail them pictures and thank you notes!  We love them soo much! : )

Big Four-Year-Old! (on Monday!)

And then, they stayed up late watching A Christmas Story (we knew they wouldn't sleep in their beds early anyway-they'd just play that rubber ball game of getting up fifteen times, so we let them stay up till almost ten!)


And Christmas!  They woke up around 2am, Ches sent them back to bed, then they got up around 6:30-good enough for me.  We got Ches up, and he video'd, and I took a couple pictures.  It's so much more fun to put down the camera, open, untie, add batteries, unscrew, add batteries, put together, add batteries, cut tape, pull things from stiff plastic, and add batteries!  Seriously, I went to Sam's on Thursday just to buy batteries-a big package of AA, and a mixed set of all sizes (including AA).  Guess what we don't have enough of?  Yep, AA.  We have to get more to make sure everyone's things work at once!  We were "sharing" to let everyone get a turn with their toys!

Ethan playing with Criss-Cross-Crash, his M&M's and opening his gum!

Did a pink bomb explode?  That little heart tin is my gift card from Brighton! : )  Can you see my new pans over to the right?

Thanks for taking a minute to smile!

And then yesterday morning, I remembered that my sister-in-law had asked for some towels..and I hadn't made them yet!  I got out my embroidery machine and hauled it up to my desk.  In transit, I accidentally hit the USB jump drive, bent it, and the little USB part (pretty integral to it communicating the designs with my sewing machine), broke off!  I was sad.  All those designs, fonts, etc. were gone.  I couldn't access the drive with the plug-thing broken off!  So, I sat and did two new designs for her: a lower case T (from my new baby alphabet!) in a double-frame, and the Love design (redone, so not exactly the same).  Then I started sewing in between making dressing, taking pictures, and getting ready!  The little T kept giving me trouble-the stitches were so tight and close together, the bobbin thread kept stressing out and breaking-good thing I didn't. : )  They are fine, and done! : )  She didn't look at them on Christmas, but I hope she likes them anyway-they took me almost four hours!  Maybe I need more practice.

Oh, I forgot-Ches and Mary Claire got their eyes checked on Friday (Mary Claire has to get her eyes dilated every year to have the blood vessels checked), and Ches needs driving glasses, I think he's farsighted?  He reads fine, but has trouble seeing far away.  I told him to wait so I could pick out his glasses! : )  I want cute rectangle ones-he'll be adorable in them!

Speaking of her yucky diabetes, she's been high!  I know, I know, it's the food.  But, I changed her site this morning, and she's still high.  It's so hard to get it right-especially on holidays!  She got lots of non-candy in her stocking: gum packs, chocolate-covered pretzels, juice, fruit snacks, Ken clothes, a movie, Build-a-Bear panties and purse, chapstick, new toothbrush head (she has a special toothbrush for her braces!), and yes, one "candy": an M&M tube.  I really think it's all the desserts and extras.  I'm praying we'll pull it together in the next day-she's high and irritable! (and it's contagious!)

**Don't forget to leave a comment to win our contest for a monogrammed acrylic tumbler to be given away on December 31st!  I have found a site that will randomize a winner based on an uploaded list.  It generates a drawing (or winner) for me, so it's fair!  All you have to do is leave a comment with your name, the color cup you want and what it should say (name, letter, quote, etc.).  How easy is that? : )

Merry Christmas!

Merry Christmas, Friends!  It is Christmas Day, but I wanted to take a minute to wish you a wonderful giving season, AND give you something!  I'm in a giving mood, got new Gingher scissors for appliqueing (thanks, Ches!), and I'll do a random drawing for a new acrylic monogrammed tumbler.  Just leave your comment/name below with what color/words you'd like, and I'll announce the winner on December 31st (I can't exactly monogram it today!) heehee

In the meantime, you can enjoy another goofy post with us! : )

This is the man who came to see us today!  He left great joy in our house : )

Ethan helping sift confectioners sugar for frosting.

Loves turning that crank!

We let them open one more gift on Christmas Eve-pajamas!

He got Woody (he's wearing out Buzz!)

I didn't know if he'd be too old, but he ran upstairs to put on the shirt I made him.  Think the design is a little small?  We all have a learning curve. : )

And then he wanted to look in the mirror, and get his double-barrel shotgun (I told him Woody has a small gun!)

Daddy got her Justice jammy pants, and I added a peace sign and her name. : )

Among other things I did yesterday..I made Sissy a bow to match her dress!  I started with these.

Made a star-she says she needs her bows to be smaller. : (

And..it's finished!  She did take it off once in church, but then put it back on.  My little girl is getting big.

I'll add a couple more of the kids at church last night later.  I must get my groove on and get ready to go to my mom's house!  Love you, Merry Christmas!

Use Me

Tough.  Day.
Ethan had an appointment to get an (invisible, seriously.  Only the little beeping laser device can detect it) cavity filled.  It went well until the shots/"magic balloons".  He got calmed down, they they wanted to put on the "ring" and "raincoat" to protect the other teeth, and he had the full-on meltdown/get-me-the-heck-outta-here cry!  They gave me some prescription fluoride (1.1%-5x the normal amount) toothpaste, and told me I was "good" (code: take your crying child out!).  They'll check it again at his next visit, to see if it's stronger, or if it still needs to be filled.  It just has bacteria in it. : (  He was seriously sad that he didn't get to buy a car on his way out with his points.  Ha!  He didn't earn any since he didn't get the "cavity bugs out!"!  That just made him cry louder.
So then I dealt with the crying, wailing, and knashing of teeth (literally) for the next hour and a half, as he wanted the balloons out of his mouth!  Ahh..I couldn't say much, I didn't want to ruin it for next time we have to go for a cleaning (or filling!).
At home, I gave him juice, a yogurt drink, and he kept screaming for an apple (yes, he'd bite his cheek and all!), so we agreed on macaroni & cheese.  I was in the pantry, kinda shoved in between the door and the shelves (because the laundry was packed so tightly-can't explain-at least they were clean), and I was starting to melt down after all the crying, and I began to D-I-G for macaroni!  I swear, I bought a five-pack about two weeks ago, and couldn't possible be all gone.  Well, the digging caused an earthquake, and down came a big, new bottle of low-sodium soy sauce.  All over the floor, my adorable Company C rug, my dryer, cabinets, door, clean hanging clothes, box of clothes for Salvation Army, root veggies in the pantry, etc.  Yes, all brownish liquid and busted glass.  I wanted to laugh and scream at the same time.  First I ran upstairs to get the "old" towels to sop it all up with, then I began to pray, seriously pray.  I could still hear Ethan's relentless screaming about the balloons in his mouth, the apple he wanted "Now!", and the macaroni.  I thought if I didn't have some divine intervention, it was not going to end well.
I totally forgot he had gymnastics, as I was soaking up brown stuff with my knees and avoiding glass.  I had to alternate sopping up with vacuuming the glass, but didn't want to suck up liquid into the vacuum-a very complicated job (will note on future job resumes).  I finally got it cleaned up, rewashed four loads of splashed laundry, vacuumed and mopped again, then made him some microwave macaroni (thank goodness for that instant garbage Ches buys!)  I had myself some real Coke, and some caramel pecan bread pudding for lunch-I'd really worked myself into negative calories! : )
The day went incredibly better after that (could it have gotten worse?), and I got some cups made:

They are gifts for teachers that I made for a parent at our school.  She pretty much knew what she wanted on each one, and they turned out cute! : )  I hope the teachers like them.  It's always hard to decide on fonts, colors, fabrics, what to write, etc.  I'm making lots of decisions, but they are fun!


Then dinner, dance, and a quick trip to Hobby Lobby-I always have crafty stuff spinning in my head!  I'm getting ready to make the little baggies for girl scout patches for the girls, and I'm working on a wreath for a friend, and Mary Claire wanted to look at dance ornaments (for her teachers!).  We could live there!


I watched the Barbara Walters interviews this evening, and I will remember Oprah quoting Bill Withers, "Use Me, till I'm all used up."  I already pray that God will use me, and show me who to help, but maybe I should pray more to be used.  I think that's what is happening-my family is getting use out of me. : )  I really wouldn't have it any other way.

Hidden Food

I have to learn code so I can use my own fonts.  I have SO many!  I like this plain one okay, but I'd love to dress it up.  Alas, not possible right now. : (

Mary Claire came home sick again today!  She's had that tummy ache since Saturday, and hasn't been able to eat.  She has no fever, no throwing up, and no weird poop.  I took her to the doctor, thinking it really could be something.  At our house, nothing is impossible!  The doctor told us to try Zantac (he says maybe acid reflux?) liquid 2x a day, and come back Monday if it's not better.  He also gave us a prescription for dissolving Zofran for when she's so sick and she can't eat or drink (especially when she's high or low!).

She was asking for a Zinger this afternoon, so I'd say she's at least 50% better!

I have been working on some items to donate for Springdale High's choir.  My friend is the choir director, and she's having a silent auction to raise money.  I made two monogrammed cups:

And I was working on making a white bath towel with an appliqued SHS, but I'm having trouble.  I don't know why the design on my jumpdrive won't show up on my sewing machine...  I'll keep working on it.  I've never done appliques with my embroidery machine, but I'm always up for learning something new!  I've heard that you just put the fabric on top of the item you are monogramming, then cut the fabric from around the stitches.  I know, it can't be that easy, but I'll let you know if I ever get it to work!

And while I'm laboring away on my computer/sewing machine, here's Ethan.

Just "working" away!  He tells me he's writing Happy Birthday and Congratulation notes for Mommy and Daddy and Everyone, and that he needs to mail them away to people.  He used most of a post-it pad, but I was glad to see him stay so focused for so long.  He's not crazy about writing (or coloring or drawing..), and I can't help him.  He's left-handed, and it's hard to teach when you are right-handed.  We colored lots last night, and he's trying to learn to stay in the lines.  We also worked on drawing people, since he's not-so-good at that (well, he just scribbles for people), but we'll keep at it.

You can't really see it, but his shirt says, "Bad Hair Day" with a spinosaurus, and I thought it fit him well today.

Alrighty, folks!  I have now made the Chicken Rice Soup from Double Delicious.  It took me two days, but All in the Name of Healthy. (I would totally suggest you take two days, since my entire family walked in our house yesterday-at different times-and told me how sTiNkY it was!  (It was the day I made the purees to go in the soup: Hidden Food.  I made cauliflower and carrot, and bagged them.  Apparently the cauliflower smelled super-gassy!)

This is the big head of cauliflower-it took forever to get into it-the green at the bottom was so stiff, and then they were packed tightly!  I had to just cut into a :stalk: to get into the thing!

Albino Broccoli

My first strainer-works in any size pot!  You have to keep the water level below the bottom of the strainer, or it'll leach out your vitamins!

My slightly fancier steamer!

All those carrots made just one cup of mush puree.

Obviously, cauliflower is full of hot air.  Remember the really full blender before?  It cooked down to this.

And here are my finished purees!

So..I finished the soup today, but I didn't take a picture.  All the chunky chicken, rice, and veggies were at the bottom, so it looked like orange-y water.  It tasted okay, not great.  I don't think I'd make it again.  I also made her cheese bread (I'm sure she called it something fancier) with bean paste (kinda like hummus: white beans, olive oil, garlic, lemon juice, salt and pepper) and mozzarella on bread.  It was pretty good, but I'd toast the bread first next time, so it's crunchier.  I broiled it in the oven on a cookie sheet, so the bottom was just bread.  It was all just okay, nothing to write home about.  Sometimes all the work is for naught.  Yes, I still learned (that my sweet husband will eat anything I make, and that sometimes Clay will, and rarely Mary Claire.  Ethan gobbled up his cheese bread, but didn't like the soup.  Mary Claire was skeptical-she kept picking off the cheese asking what was under it.  I don't know why Mrs. Seinfeld hides beans-my kids love them!  I think they'd prefer to just eat them.)

I need a Control Board

I think I need a Halloween background on here, don't you think?  I'll work on that. : )  Right after I decorate my house for fall..whenever that happens!  (Don't I have a couple weeks?)  I have to get the Husky Hoedown under control (well, my little part!), and then plan a fall party for Clay's class, and um..I think he wants to have a movie party again this year for Megamind, coming out on November 5th (his birthday is over Thanksgiving weekend, so we try to have it early)!
I'll get it done, just one thing at a time.
Today I had the joy of cleaning one small boy's sharts.  Have you heard of them?  No, not sharks.  I have to laugh (sorry).  We saw it in a movie, and we haven't stopped laughing since!  We'd never heard a word for it, but kids are notorious for them.  It's a cross between (to put it as politely as possible) tooting and a little poopy coming out.  Think of the words....yep, that's them! Ok, found the movie-it's Along Came Polly with Jennifer Aniston.
Sorry if the link on the word (movie quotes!) offends you.  It was really funny in the movie, and I kept asking what he (Philip Seymour Hoffman) said!  We had to rent it to figure it out.  Seriously.
So, anyway, I've changed his undies three times (four if you count after bath!) today.  I guess it's the antibiotic?  It's only a tiny bit, but enough that you don't want them back on his bottom! Ahh, my incredibly exciting life!  (There for a second, I thought maybe he was doing it on purpose-just waiting too long to go to the bathroom, but then after I finally got onto him the third time, I think it was just an accident.) (Yes, I'm sending more undies tomorrow to school! and praying it doesn't happen there!)
So..onto my day.  Ran some errands, cleaned more laundry, got groceries.  Then, I started on the Hoedown ticket info and made some monogrammed cups.  I have one for Clay's student teacher that is finishing up her nine weeks in his classroom, and one for a Razorback basket that we'll auction off at the Husky Hoedown as a fundraiser for the school:

And, while I was at it (on the embroidery machine..) I went ahead and monogrammed Mary Claire's new hot pink towel, that I've been putting off for over a week!  It's to go in her bathroom, since I got lime green rugs.  It still has the H2O dissolve stuff over the letters (to make the needle/machine move easily over the loops), just ignore that!

Can you tell I like that font a lot?  hahaha! : )
Then, I made some phone calls and emails, bugging people to help me (Distress Call!!), and got two takers!  Yay, for helpers! : ) (and one email that was wrong/canceled-just since school started!)
We had another guy come look at our crazy garage door opener.  It is soooo frustrating!  It won't just close.  It does the rebound thing, like a crazy girlfriend!  Up/down, up/down, etc.  You have to back out, get out, open the other garage door, hold down the button in the garage while the big door shuts, then push the little door button, RUN for it, and jump the beam.  Yes, this is what I do about four times a day.  FUN!  So, the guy comes, and tells me it's the beam. (I tell him:) Not.  Then he can't fix the beam and says it's working fine (like I told him when he got there).  So..he says it's my control board.  (my van is parked under it the entire time, he's just guessing that's it.) Ha!  He's coming back tomorrow to take $85 and try the new control board.  If he doesn't ask me to move my van, maybe then I'll finally get really mad! : O
Then tonight after Mary Claire wants to wear another Halloween shirt for school tomorrow, I decided to go ahead and make her a Halloween pump pouch (since I bought the fabric on sale at Hobby Lobby today!).  It didn't take me too long to totally make her happy.  (it's the little things!):

So, tomorrow she'll be stylin' in her Halloween clothes, again. : )  Don't worry, we make her rotate! : )
I am hurrying to get ready for bed, I've started another good book: Mini Shopaholic-I love Sophie Kinsella-she's so funny!  (and Becky Bloomwood so reminds me of me shopping-minus the overdraft! heehee)  Check her out! : )

My FaNcY new pan! Shopping for the coolest stuff!

Redundancy is not cool. Redundancy is not cool. (just had to, sorry!) I mean, everyday I feel like saying, "Today was so busy!"

Let's see. Bible study, laundry (between errands), made lunch for the kids, Ches came home, I ran to get Mom for the Friend Lunch Wednesday (her car is on the fritz, and she doesn't trust it), then lunch till 2:30, two quick errands and some ice cream, I ran her home, we took Italian Reading Room pix, called Ches to see if he could make it alone for dinner/evening, and we took off again. Sam's for groceries, shopping for lamps (entry way-to match the table we put together Monday afternoon!) and great greeting cards (I bought way too many-they were all so great), then WM for more stuff and groceries, then took Mom home, unloaded, set up lamps, then back home. : ) And here I am to greet you, sweet reader. : )

I was supposed to make some sippy cups, but alas, it's too late now. I have to get to bed so I can rest up for tomorrow's excitement! Tomorrow is library and story time for Ethan, (monogram sippys maybe?), pick up the order (that I was suppose to get today..), call Medtronic to argue about our latest bill. (insert much throat-clearing here)

How did our expected copay of just jump up over $500? Don't think so. We got the new pump (remember our fun Disney/Florida/tragedy-turned-relief shipment?), returned the loaner plus our old one, but I think they failed to give us the $500 credit for returning the old one. I'll get to the bottom of it tomorrow while I multitask: make dinner, talk on the phone (uh-I mean, stand on hold), hold a waking-up toddler, empty his potty-chair, demand the kids turn down the tv and put away their laundry, and possibly empty the dishwasher.

Ok, did I mention the FaNcY new pan I got today? It's a fabulous new saute pan with handles on both sides, and a glass lid. It's 5 quarts, which I can't even imagine! I could feed, like 3 more kids or something! Wow. I even bought a Hamburger Helper mix to try it out. I couldn't think of anything else to put in it besides stir-fry, and Mom kept naming fried things: pork chops, eggs, etc. I was thinking veggies, kinda like Chinese or even bell peppers for fajitas. So, I compromised, and I'll fill our guts with meat and noodles tomorrow (while I'm on hold!). Anyway, I shoud tell you why I got it. I had this shower last month (well, a had a few, but it was a wedding shower), and the bride got all these fancy new things that I'd never even thought about. I seriously take pans for granted. I've had the saute pan I use the most since before I was married, and never even think twice about it! But this one (I think) is magical! It'll make me a better cook! It'll be easier to wash! It'll last twenty years! It parted me with my money, didn't it? Sometimes you don't even know you need something till you take five minutes to think about it. I've been looking at them for a while, but today, I commited (it totally helped that it was on sale)! I'll let you know how well it performs. I shall go before you into Saute Pan World, and send word.

In other boring news, my baby peepee'd twice in the toilet while I was at Bible Study! Yay! I didn't take the potty chair with us, so that alone was big. I was so proud of him! I also checked out pull-up vs. diaper prices for our continued nap/nighttimes. If you would like the info, Sam's diapers (size 4) were 22 cents each, and their pullups (size 2T-3T) were 32 cents each. At WM, the diapers were 24.5 cents each, and their pullups were 35 cents each. I think I'll keep him in diapers for sleepy times for a while longer. Not a big price difference, but over the next 6 months, it'd be a $36 difference (two pullups a day x 6 months). I'm strange that way. I can blow $600 on shopping, and not blink an eye, but other things I totally evaluate. Must be my emotional connection at a clothing store. (and no attachment whatsoever to pullups)

ps-my fave button on my keyboard is the delete-x which deletes from the right. Super cool, and I miss it on my laptop. Useless info, but all in the name of knowledge. It's power, right!?

Love you! and I wish you happy shopping days, full-moon evenings with chocolate, sweet husbands who allow you to run wild, and people who care about your pullup prices! (maybe)

Party Day!

Ok, Ches is taking the kids to school-at 7:51-hope they make it! I was making last minute teacher gifts (precious chocolate zebra with lime green monogrammed tumbler and chocolate with white dot, red monogram for other teacher, ahhhh..) since Clay decided he wanted to give Mrs. Gawf her gift this morning instead of at the party...Last minute mayhem! : O Then I shut the door on my babies as I yelled, "Don't mess up the bow!" I meant "I love you!" Now I have five minutes-could be shower time, but I feel the need to update my one reader on my excitement-filled life!
Oh, and Ethan is sick again...Pneumonia last week, the kid's been on home arrest since last Tuesday, and he woke us all up (Climbed out of bed) and needed a breathing treatment and a diaper change, and bygolly he wanted it now! Then he just continued generally whiny-ness. He got some chewables (thank God for chewables) and settled down to watch Little Einsteins. for 3 minutes. then snacks (fruit snacks), doos (juice), and up (hold my body while you work feverishly!)
Ok, to the shower for real!