Errand Boys

Hey ya'll!  I'm so happy the kids are out (and that I got to sleep in until 8!)- *love* summer!

Mary Claire went to my mom's to play today (tea parties and fun!), and we had the boys.  I've been cleaning (it all went by the wayside while we sorted out the end-of-the-school-year!), and had to catch up on my smell-good laundry.  Loads and loads-I should be thankful for enough undies and linens to make it, and a washer and dryer.  And laundry detergent, and electricity and water.  (I am!)

Anyway, we ran a couple errands with the boys-we checked out fabric at my favorite fabric store!  (yes, boys stayed in the car) and we filled prescriptions (one is now available in generic-woohoo!), and toured Target (love that place) to get glasses wipes, and Sam's for frozen Coke, new Popcornopolis popcorn (yum! the zebra was the best, but we just couldn't bring it home-we got two parmesan and a cheddar) and Clay spent his good grade money on a DSi game (he gets $5 per A on his report card)-I think it's Pac-something.  He just loves old Pac-Man games!  They wear me out with the joystick.  He should've been an Eighties kid-he loves the music, games, trivia (we actually have an 80's Trivial Pursuit!), and I have plenty of stories to tell him! : )


Ok, so back to the good stuff!  I'm soo ready for a change as far as fabric goes! : )  My living room is all lime green with a little pink and yellow.  I want calm (and lime doesn't scream Relax!), and I have the busiest rug ever made.  I used to love it, but now it's too much!  I have a pale yellow/golden sofa, a yellow striped chair, and a pair of lime/white chairs.  I'm trying to decide just how much to change.  The fabrics I found were all pale bluish, khaki, and silver.  One was a gray and pale yellow ikat that I could make work in the living room.  I'll just have to recover or slipcover my swirly, limey chairs.  I did make a fitted slipcover for a big chair once..  I'm sure I could make it work. : )  I can't follow a pattern very well, but I can just eyeball it, and I do okay. ; )


I wish I'd taken pictures of all the amazing fabrics!  Even as I was leaving, I was wishing I'd taken pictures of the entire fabric, since they all have big patterns.  Here are pictures of three samples:

Pictures can indeed be deceiving-this is a gorgeous ikat-the top design/color is a kinda silver color-shiny! : )

gray/yellow-the yellow is pineapple-ish! : )  (Pineapples are Welcoming!)

And here is a sample of the colored swirly circles-they'd blend my yellow/green with aqua/cocoa!

And can I just add to my Summer WishList (while I'm pretending I'm Oprah)?  I got the new Williams-Sonoma catalog today, and I found a couple things I love (IF my birthday was in the summer, I'd have to have them!)  The first is an ice cream maker (that whips it out in as little as 25 minutes and makes gelato and sorbet! and it's on sale for $79.99)  Just think (or dream, like me!)...ice cream every night with yummy mix-ins...even fruit!  (or Snickers and M&M's!)

In the middle on the right! (and don't those fruity creamy concoctions on the left look amazing?)

The second is also cold-a Zoku Quick Pop Maker!  They make in as little as seven minutes (well..three at a time, so you can only invite patient friends!) to the Popsicle Party.  But it makes in the machine, then you refreeze the machine-so cool!  Check out the Character Tool Kit!  I'd have to have it too)  It helps you make shapes and face parts and it holds them in position while the pop freezes!

You could use these for any season! (well..any warm season)

I will give it to Williams-Sonoma...everything they have is brilliant in design and quality.  I know if I get it-it'll be wonderful.  I just don't have room in my kitchen for all their wonderfulness! : )


BUT!  I do have some extra WS white kitchen towels from my shopping trip back in January.  Tomorrow I'll give you more details about the next contest-I'll go check on my applique designs, and get you some pictures of stuff I've made.  We'll start a new drawing, so check back in tomorrow to register!

Branson, Books, and a Birthday

I did indeed shop till I dropped on Friday!  My friend called me at 5am to see if I was leaving yet (ha!), and I told her I wasn't leaving till 7!  Once we talked for a while, I was awake, got around, and left town!  I was in Branson meeting her by 7:40.  It was the Best Sunrise and a great drive-there were no other cars, it was so peaceful.  I wanted to stop to take pictures of the sunrise, but I didn't want to take the time-Shopping was waiting!

We started at the sales that ended at 8, then 10, then 12.  That pretty much determined our path-they should get together and decided when to end based on location-it's total work to shlep from one side of the outlet mall to the other!  We did really well (40% off the entire Tommy Hilfiger store, plus an extra 25% off before 10am! and 50% off all of Banana Republic, got big jar Yankee Candles for $11 each, Bass shoes were buy 1, get 2 free and $20 off before 12, etc.).  I just love outlets.  I feel like I get more for my money-this is why I don't shop at the mall.  And it's nice to have the time-I Really Appreciate my husband understanding this need to hunt and gather!  I feel like it's my job to spend my husband's hard-earned money wisely. ; )


Saturday was a HUGE catch-up day: including no make-up and some deep (room) cleaning!  We worked on Mary Claire's room (to some pureNRG music!)-it was SO messy.  I only clean it for her 2-3 times a year, then she has to maintain it-very hard for her.  She loves to read and play, and it just gets out of hand.  She had dirty clothes in all kinds of places!  In her doll tub, dress-up basket, under her desk and bed, everywhere!  So that's where all her fall clothes had disappeared to.  We straightened up her desk, her dresser, closet, book shelves..I pulled about 2-3 bookshelves worth of picture books from her shelves and moved them to Ethan's room.  He hasn't read a lot of them, and it's his turn.  He inherited the twenty-something Arthur books, and all my old teaching picture books.  She'd even smuggled a few of his Curious George books into her room!
This meant I had to find room in his room for all the new books.  I had to clean out his armoire-So Hard.  I cleaned out baby blankets, onesies, old jammies, socks, crib sheets, waterproof liners, shoes, etc.  I allowed one tub of memories to pack, and the rest will go to someone else's house.  Ethan got to pick two blankets to keep, but there were so many!  I will say, it looks awful nice in there now.  I need to take pictures, because it won't last long!

Ahh..time for my first baby to turn the big 1-0.  I can't believe it's gone this fast-I always hear that, but it's true.  We had his birthday party a couple weeks ago for the new movie, Megamind, but tomorrow is the Real Thing.  He got to pick a restaurant for his birthday dinner, and he picked PF Changs.  He wanted to go today, since he has basketball practice tomorrow night (and he's going!), and didn't want to have to rush.  He's so grown up. : )  He was so cute-he kept asking about dessert-they like to get the little mini desserts-all chocolate!  I like that they don't have to share, and they all get the same amount! : )

Mary Claire wanted me to take her picture so she could use the Megamind app: it puts your face on Megamind's body, then it changes your look-hilarious!

Happy 10th Birthday, Clay!

And the wiggle worm!  He kept playing with the little boy behind us! (the Best reason to get a booth!) : )

Mmmm...dessert.  Chocolate Mousse.

Ches also ran into William-Sonoma to get me a set of pans that were (Very Much) on sale for me for Christmas.  No, I haven't looked at them, I just made a short Christmas list including pans, gloves, new tires, and some new curved-tip embroidery scissors.  I'm not real picky.  Sometimes I can be high-maintenance, but there's not that much I need! : )  I can't see buying junk for gifting purposes, it seems wasteful!  Especially when there are things I'd like to have, and I'd use!

Then we went to Target-I'm feeling lazy.  I got a gift card for Mary Claire's teacher, in case I don't get her anything made.  I'm not feeling crafty, even though I have so many new things to applique!  I think I'm still tired from Friday.  I went to bed last night after I read to Clay (a really good new book: My One Hundred Adventures by Polly Horvath), at about 8pm!  And today, I got a nap!  Such a good one, I was asleep when the crazy decision was made to let Mary Claire skip Girl Scouts for playing in her (clean) room!  She's decided she really likes it in there, so she didn't want to go, and Ches being so nice, said ok!  When I got up to go get her, I discovered she'd never left. : (  I guess we all need a break now and then, so I'll let it go.

We read more of the book tonight-and that girl (Jane) is positively adorable!  I like that she prays, and that she's a normal little girl, watching for signs that God is listening to her.  She does have adventures, and sometimes the chapters end with a surprise!  (most times, they do!)  Sometimes I know books for my kids are going to be good, or I've read them before, but this was a happy accident.  Such a joy!

Great weekend, and time with family.  We are blessed.
And now for Clay's real birthday tomorrow!  He's requested a breakfast birthday dinner since we did his eating-out birthday dinner today.  I'll try to make him happy! : )
 

Can't think of a title, and Ches is rushing me!

Well, still hanging in there!  We went out last night, had tons to talk about (Ha!), and bought two new books on twins.  I don't just need info on now, and what they look like (for that I can double the pix I see on their development each week), I need to know what to do when they come home!  Seriously.  I read about schedules (and wipe off boards and notebooks), and dark rooms, and feeding two at once (don't know that I can handle that!), and keeping all the other kids happy and attended.  Ches asked me if I was going to read the whole book last night (when I was about half way through one of them!).  I think I am just excited and can't sleep anyway!

We talked about where to put them (pretty important..), and I think we are going to use the office.  We'll move our desks into the back of our room (really too big for just us, and wasted space back there!), but it may mean a new desk for Ches.  He wants to be in the middle, so he can look out the windows when he works, and I don't mind keeping my big desk with hutch, so I can keep all my storage-and stamp sets! : )  We'll use the baby furniture that they've all used, but then Ethan will need a new dresser/chest, as he has all that furniture in his room (except the baby crib, thank goodness!).  We'll need another baby bed, but it's not an immediate need (I need a dark wood, sleigh-style, you know, if you see one, need to get rid of one!).  They don't have to be separated till almost 4 months, so it'll be okay.  I really don't want to buy a new crib, since this will be our last baby (do you say birth? pregnancy? babies?).

Ches is all geared up ready to clean out the attic, the garage, etc.  We still have a storage unit, and I hate to keep it, but it may come in handy!  We still have two double strollers from when Clay and Mary Claire were little together.  We have the Baby Jogger (big wheels, so not mall-friendly, but lose-weight friendly!), and we have a lighter, double umbrella-like stroller (with storage underneath, but not huge).  We did the car seat dilemma today at lunch..we still have Ethan's, but then it won't match if we get a new one. : (  I like matchy.  So, either I'll find a size that is close, and order covers, or I'll get two new ones (highly wasteful).  I'll regift, so don't worry.  I won't let all that plastic be in vain!


Ok, rest of my life...there are other things going on, believe it or not!  We had a birthday party at 10 this morning at Cake Party-so fun!  I took pix, I'll try to get some uploaded soon.  They made their own cupcake or cookie, then decorated little cakes!  They enjoyed it, and after they'd designed something beautiful, they ended up piling miles of squiggly frosting on top to make it the Ultimate Sugar High!  We got her sweet little friend (she really is little and adorable!) a cupcake/cookie frosting set/kit at William Sonoma, and then (I know I should really quit..) we ran to Hobby Lobby this morning, got an apron, and ran home and monogrammed it-so cute!  I don't even know if I took a picture-I'll look!  We decided to go ahead and use the William-Sonoma bag, since it was a cupcake party!  I used pink toile tissue paper, and tied on a wooden spoon with pink gingham ribbon, and used a recipe card (printed in pink ink!) as a gift tag.  So cute!  I know I got a pix of the outside, since we actually made it to the party-early!  If you can believe it! : )


Forgot to mention that Ches took Clay and Ethan to a train show in Rogers-very cool! and got Clay an N-gauge train set (maybe wrong gauge?), then we all met at Chick-Fil-A in Rogers to have lunch.  Have you tried their Chargrilled Chicken and Fruit salad?? It is ssoooo good-really! : )  Try one!  I can't find a picture, or I'd post it.  It was so pretty to look at!


Ok, gotta hurry to the next thing..we are headed to a Blue and Gold banquet for Clay-it's a pizza/cake event for the whole family!