Muffin Tin Monday

So I recently found Her Cup Overfloweth, who hosts Muffin Tin Mondays. Here is my first one: Patriotic theme. Chick had "Blue" smoothie (that really turned out purple, but what can you do?), cucumber USA, plain yogurt with red berries on top, and pb & honey star sandwiches. It was a huge hit with Chick : )

Happy 6th

I like you even better now...even if then I didn't know about the aluminum cans & Civilization. I also didn't know what a fantastic dad you'd be, or how I'd really still love to just be around you after 6 years.

Hmm, by the way, I just noticed the ring on your thumb in this picture...do you even know where your wedding ring is now?

Dr Suess, Secrets & Lies, and Murals.

Chick picked up a medicine syringe in the bathroom (used to feed a babydoll who could drink & pee), started playing with it and said, "I'm a doctor. I'm Dr. Suess."

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A while ago I got the bug to start REALLY exercising. For several reasons, I decided to keep it a secret from HH. For 2.5 weeks I worked out religiously, and always put everything back as it had been before HH got home so that he wouldn't know. I even went so far as asking someone to lie for me so that I'd have a false alabi. I thought about going a full month before telling him, but it was just so hard--somedays I couldn't tell him anything about my day because we'd walked to the park or something like that. So I confessed.

HH has always been of the opinion that girls like to have tricks up their sleeves. I generally don't (have tricks or secrets), but maybe I should... I don't want to exercise now because the fun is gone. Too bad you can't untell a secret.

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Lastly, I painted this mural for the girls' room last year. Yup, last year. I didn't post a pic until now because I was waiting to get the trimwork finished...but life is short, so here it is.

il nostro giorno allo zoo

On Tuesday we had a fabulous day at the zoo. We went with my sister & her family. I think it was one of the nicest zoo days I've had--partly because the weather was perfect, partly because we didn't stress about hurrying to see everything, and partly because we had the timing just right.

We saw an elephant show (which was fascinating and very informative. Did you know elephant tusks can weigh over 200 lbs each & be 11 feet long?! And elephants with huge tusks like that can't lay down to sleep because it would be too hard to get back up, so they just rest the tips of the tusks on the ground & sleep standing up?), and were there when the bears, fish, & otters were fed. We loved the new penguin exhibit, too.

And, exciting for me, there was an Italian woman there! I've been back from Italy for almost exactly 10 years now, and in that time I've come across maybe 3 Italians. So it was thrilling for me to talk to her. It was nice to be able to understand her, and to be able to talk to her (she said that I spoke very well, but it's all relative. I spoke very haltingly).

The day was great but could have been VERY disasterous for 2 reasons: 1) I forgot Babe's chupa (pacifier) and 2) Chick was in panties & I forgot a backup diaper. Thankfully Babe was happy with so many people taking turns to hold her. And Chick! With a few potty breaks, she was a happy, dry little girl all day : ) Even after we got home--dry until bedtime. Even when we were playing outside & she told me that she had to go potty & stopped playing to go inside & go potty.

More pics from this weekend

OK, lots of pictures:

Father's day tie gadget pouch (from one of HH's old 15 yr old mission ties)...

HH is replacing the old dark slab master bath door with a white paneled one & new trimwork... YAY!

We went out to dinner at Amante on Saturday and it was delish. There was a very talented balloon artist there who made Clifford the Big Red Dog for Chick. Then, as we were going out the door, she noticed that Clifford had already broken a leg & she replaced it for us.

Here are more pictures of the girls from this weekend & misc playing...

...with Grandpa N......and the only other reasonably decent family picture. Boy, for someone who brings me a camera and asks me to take a picture of her doing random things, Chick was really uncooperative. So was Babe...

My first attempt at Freezer Paper Stencils

So, of course, when you about to try a craft or technique for the first time, it's best to pick a really complicated design.

I've been wanting to try freezer paper stencils, and decided that I wanted to do a picture of HH for father's day shirts. I altered a picture, and came up with this stencil design:


I really like how the stencil turned out--I think it's a good representation of him.

Then, because I took the wardrobe refashion pledge, and because I didn't have two plain t-shirts for the girls that matched, I thrifted a men's t-shirt to use for making shirts for them.




Somehow, (after hours of cutting out the stencils) the end result didn't quite look right. The face didn't translate well with the painting. Oh well.


The girls didn't care. Chick still was saying "I yuv Daggy, yessirree. We a happy family."

Funny stories

Yesterday's funny story:

I wasn't really awake, but I woke up enough to think, "mmm, smells like someone is making some yummy breakfast! I think it's pancakes & maple syrup...." Then I woke up enough to think, "Wait, if I'm not making breakfast, there isn't anyone else here to do it...." Then I woke up enough to think, "Darn it, no one is making breakfast...it's just ME that smells!" I took some fenugreek to help with milk supply & it makes you smell like maple syrup. It was a sad realization, though, to wake up and know that no one was making me breakfast.


Today's funny story:

Chick climbed into her seat for breakfast & I was making oatmeal at the stove. Then Chick told me that she needed a bib, so I grabbed her bib & put it on her & turned back to the oatmeal. I wasn't paying attention to her, though. Next thing I hear is her sort of whimpering and she asked, "Where'd the doggie go?!" I looked back and I'd put her bib on inside out, so the dog applique was on the underside & all she could see was the plain fabric that's on the back.


Lastly, this is kind of funny in a haste-makes-waste-and-more-work-for-me kind of way:


For some reason I have the mistaken idea that I can just do whatever when I sew. For instance: that I can make up my own patterns (sometimes works out ok) and in addition I can do it all without measuring anything (usually doesn't work). So I'm making the girls some shirts for Father's day (stay tuned, I'll post pics when they're done), and when I tried Babe's on her I learned that babydoll Amy would be a better recipient. So now Chick, Babe, AND AMY get matching shirts. (I wanted to add a button that I saw somewhere, but now I can't find it. It said,

"Measure twice, cut once. Meh, just start cutting.")

Me Says Me

So many goings on. I've been too busy to blog about it & now face the task of catching up. deep breath... Well, the title of this blog is from Chick. I picked up a fridge phonics thingy for a dollar at VV because it played the abc song, which she loves. I didn't have any tiles to go with it. Then on Sunday we found a "U" tile in the church parking lot (could have put it in the lost & found, but I decided it didn't really matter that much...do you think less of me?). Anyhow, the "U" song gets stuck in my head, and I've been singing "U says U" a lot. Chick started singing with me, but she sang it "Me says Me!" too funny. I guess we need more letters to put the U into perspective.

Anyhow, so last week was layout, which always makes things a little crazy. Then we also had family visiting, so I had some cleaning for that & visiting with them. It was really fun--it's a fun change of pace to have a houseful. We went thrifting & to the park with my SIL Katie & her two girls, and on Saturday I had a baby shower to go to, everyone else (HH, Chick, & 3 of HH's siblings with their kids & spouses) went to Mukilteo park. Then we all hung out here at my place for dinner. Lots of cousins...lots of cousins who didn't really nap.

I got a cool pillowsham to use as fabric ($1) & 7 packs of vintage rickrack & trim ($1.80)

Chick hanging out with the big girls... On Sunday we got together again (Well, SIL Jeanne & family & BIL Joe & family--Katie was already down in AZ) to have dinner, but before dinner we walked to a nearby park. I think I am so lucky to be so close to the park. Jeanne has recently discovered Letterboxing, and we found 2 letterboxes in the park. It was so fun! We'll definitely be doing it more & I recommend it. I might even see about doing it on the cruise--I know there are some hidden in Grand Caymon (btw, the cruise isn't until December & it's western Caribbean). In the meantime, if anyone wants to go treasure hunting with us, just let me know! Chick's a bit young, but she likes going for walks at any rate.

Speaking of walks, we've taken a few good ones--I think I've finally gotten to the point of being ready to really exercise. Stay tuned about that....

I did a refashion in the last couple of weeks...I started with a very large tiered skirt with a hole in it. I loved the fabric; it called to me in the thrift store. I knew immediately that it wanted to become a set of impressionistic sundresses for my girls. I have just enough fabric left to make a skirt for Chick in a larger size.I don't have a good picture of Chick in hers, but it's forthcoming, because I'm going to alter a shirt to go with it. Here's Babe, though. She also got matching "panties" that are sewn patchwork style using several scrap pieces. And I made matching bracelets & hair accessories & a pin-on flower to wear in the bodice or to pin up the hemline. I made Chick's dress very full to accomodate TWIRLING. This was my first time shirring, and I'm thrilled that it's so easy. Of course, my lines are wonky, but it works fine with the organic nature of these dresses.

Babe is holding Zoe. Or "Zoe Kiggy" as Chick says. Zoe Kitty has a sister who is black and white and is named Maya Kiggy. They both eat paper & go potty in the potty seat. They like to look out the window at "Kitty" our outside cat, and they like to read the "Cats & Kittens" book with Chick. They are named after the cousins that gave them to us. Thanks, Maya & Zoe, we love them!

Other news: after a year and a half of freeloading, I have been given a calling (1st counselor in the primary presidency). Time to get to work, I guess.

quality family time

For Christmas my parents gave us a cruise.
Not just any cruise, but one with all of my siblings + spouses & my parents.

Anyhow, the destination & time has changed a couple of times (coordinating so many schedules and such), but the essential fact of taking a cruise together is still intact.

And really, who could turn down a week with these people?!

(My brother & his wife took this picture when they found out about the cruise. It brings to mind a certain saying about picking your friend's nose, but of course that saying doesn't really apply--you can pick your friends, and you can pick your nose, but you can't pick your family.)