Living with Three Hobbits and a Giant

Super Easy Valentine

2012-02-14T07:02:00.006-05:00

Okay, I know I put together a list of Valentine's options, but in the end we decided to do something totally different. I saw these a few weeks ago on Pinterest (of course) and immediately thought they were perfect.... well with one little tweak.

On Pinterest they are painted silver with paint

I wanted them to be girlie so red or pink.... and I didn't want to get out the paint.

So we used food coloring instead. I put it off for so long and almost talked myself out of it. It just seemed like so much work...

Then Sunday night the girls wanted to do something so I mixed up 1/2 cup salt, 1 cup flour, and 1/2 cup warm water.... plus a few dr0ps of food coloring. it probably took a total of 20 minutes from start to oven. (they have to cook on 250 for 2 hours). Of course, the kids loved cutting out the shapes

and piercing them with a pencils. Seriously. I don't know why I waited so long.

I was worried the batch wouldn't make enough, but one recipe made about 40 small (1-inch cutter) hearts. The girls, bus driver, babysitters, teachers and anyone else the girls add to the list will get the necklaces. The boys got bouncy balls.

This project was fun. It was easy. And they're cute.

Happy Valentine's Day.

Winter thoughts.

2012-02-13T07:02:00.001-05:00

Everybody warned us about the weather in Pittsburgh. It's cold.... there's lot of snow... it's dreary... blah, blah, blah.

I happen to like the weather. I know it's been a mild winter and I might have to eat my words next year, but so far, I'm liking that many days we have snow flurries and temperatures low enough to keep the white stuff on the ground for a few days.

For a dreary place that gets a ton of rain and not very many sunny days, the white canvas is a welcomed respite from the gray.

It's peaceful and pretty. And the maintenance crews around here actually know how to get it off the roads so you aren't stuck following a rear-wheeled compact skidding all over the place. (Just sayin')

How to Fix a Kitchen Chair

2012-02-10T07:02:00.006-05:00

This week for our Pinterest Party, I'm featuring a project I did on my own (gasp!) instead of seeing online. I know, I know. Crazy me for coming up with something all by myself, but here goes.

It's annoying when one of our kitchen chairs gets a little loose... Last time this happened I ended up eventually throwing out the chair and buying a new set of four. Luckily I found them for $20 at a yard sale. Now that set has one broken chair. Seriously. Why is it always only one?

When a furniture repairman came to work on our living room sofa (which the movers broke) I asked him how much it would cost to have him fix the chair. "It's not worth it," he said. "If I take that back to my shop it'll cost $60 to fix." Sixty bucks?! For a chair I spent FIVE DOLLARS on? Ah-em. "How would I fix it myself? I tried using wood glue but that didn't work at all," I said.

"It's actually really easy," he assured me. "All you have to do is tap the chair apart, apply some 2-ton epoxy - not the five minute drying stuff, the regular stuff - and then put the chair back together. Should hold really nice for you."

Armed with this information, I went to Home Depot for 2-ton epoxy... the slow drying kind. They didn't have 2-ton epoxy, but they had some that holds 3200 pounds. "What's an extra 800 pounds gonna do for me?" I thought and bought it. It cost something like $2.98. Or maybe it was $3.98, I can't remember. The point is, it was pretty inexpensive.

Here is the chair broken and coming apart.

Here it is really apart when I tapped the back piece off the frame.

I applied epoxy in all four holes.

Then tapped the chair back together, anchored it down, and let it dry.

I can't even tell which one in the set was broken. That's how good the trick worked.

Hopefully it will be a long time before I have to replace my new set of chairs.

Okay, your turn. If you did a project this week, link up or comment below. I loved seeing everything you did last week.

Back to One Chin

2012-02-09T07:43:00.003-05:00

It's only fair I should post a few pictures of Ryan being back to his happy self. I got more calls on Tuesday from family members than I've gotten all year, combined. Kidding, of course, but I will say I did get a fair amount of calls. My poor family has to hear about everything at the same time the rest of the world does. So here are a few pics of an improved Ryan.

This is the first face he gave me:

...not sure why he's hiding his teeth so we tried again.

While viewing the pictures I realized how scraggly he's gotten. We went upstairs for a quick trim, which he was pretty good about. Then another pose:

Don't forget about the Pinterest Party tomorrow. There's still time to get a project done. Have a great day!

Lately

2012-02-08T07:02:00.001-05:00

Ainsley is just now putting together that the meat we eat at dinner comes from living things. The other day she said, "Mom, what animal are chips made from?"

At the hockey game a few weeks ago when the first fight broke out, the guys were locked into each other pulling at each other's arms, etc. The one player grabbed the end of the other player's sleeves so suddenly their arms were moving in tandem. Natalie, having never seen a fight in her life, said, "What are they doing? Dancing?" I couldn't help but laugh.

Ainsley often finds things to cry about. The other day she was wailing her little eyes out. I said, "Sweetie, what are you crying about?" She said, "Boys are better than girls! Waaaaaaaa!" Appalled I said, "Why are boys better?" Her eyes grew big as she said, "They never forget and wear fancy shoes and a dress to gym class!" "Boys don't wear fancy shoes or dresses. They aren't better because they remember not to wear them. They're not better at all. Their wardrobe is just limited." At this she smiled.

Sick of being Sick

2012-02-07T07:02:00.006-05:00

You may remember Ryan had a cold back in December that landed him in the hospital. He had it through the second week in January. Then he was better for a week. I began dreaming of going to the Y and sleeping through the night again.

Yeah. Never happened. Within a few days of being well, Ryan started coughing again. And waking up every hour in the night. And generally being cranky.

I stuck out my stiff upper lip and trudged on. Trudged on is a slight overstatement being that we didn't go anywhere. So maybe we really trudged in place. You get the idea.

Mid-week last week Ryan got puffy again in the mornings... an understatement as documented by this photo:

He's awake, his eyes are open, they just aren't open. Know what I mean?

Each morning the girls would ooh and aww over him saying, "Poor boy, he can't open his eyes." "Poor baby." Ains would rub his face while he sat in his chair waiting for breakfast. Then after a few minutes... five or ten... his eyes would open a crack.... "He opened his eyes!" one of them would exclaim. "He can see!" they'd chorus.

There's something so sad about watching your child struggle. I felt the sadness creep into my heart last week and by the weekend, I was on edge...overwhelmed with the reality that this is our life. Ryan's heart defect... no matter how stable he is, is not going away. Robert Frost romanticizes the road less traveled, but I'll tell you what, our less traveled road sucks. It's one I'd gladly jump off of with my son in tow in a heartbeat.

I wasn't sure quite what had stolen in my heart... to tell the truth I was up and down, on the verge of tears at every turn, patience-thin, and sensitive to every single thing I was NOT providing for my children.... it wasn't until Ryan woke up Monday morning looking somewhat normal that I realized it's source. That and the sun was shining. The sun always makes things better.

It's a reminder to me how much I've taken Ryan's 'health' for granted. He generally so chipper and stable I forget what it's like to be the mother of a sick child. This is the second year he's been sickly in January/February so we may be setting a trend. One I need to be aware of and look for, and psyche myself up for.

For now, I'll be thankful that Ryan's face is it's normal size, he's singing and beating on tables like they're drums, and back to his smiley self.

Small World

2012-02-06T08:21:00.001-05:00

It all started when I got the following email:

Dear Leighann,

Just a few minutes ago, my husband forwarded me a link to your story at the TribLive web site about Ryan, your gorgeous little boy! I loved the interviews with your doctors and your family!

My husband is Kenny Smith, and he sent me the article to say, "Incredible! These two "kids" were my students when I taught at Heritage, and they were in my choir as well!"

And yet there is more: I recognized you and your husband and I couldn't figure out why. Then it dawned on me: I read your blog for a while several months ago. I think I found your blog from a link at another blog, but I had lost the URL a while ago, so I had no idea you were in the Pittsburgh area now!

Kenny and I live with our boys in XX, on a little hobby farm. I think it would be so fun to meet your family. Would it be weird for you and Henry to hang out with an old high school teacher…as friends? I'd love to find a date where you guys can come for dinner - a Saturday or Sunday.

Sincerely,

~liz smith

I think I read the email twice before laughing out loud and forwarding it to Henry.

We connected with the Smiths this past Saturday at their hobby farm about an hour from our house. They have sheep! And chickens! And a guard donkey!

Natalie jumped at the chance to hold a chicken:

The night was surreal as we caught up over dinner... how we all ended up in Pittsburgh and everything in between. I just kept thinking, "Ohmygosh! I'm hanging out with my high school English teacher." Like this moment -

Where my old teacher is serving my kids brownie sundaes. Cuh-ray-Z!

We talked about kids from our school... every single one of YOU! - okay, kidding. Not really. Not every single one... mostly just the ones in our graduating class and what we know of them now. We figured out that Mr. Smith, a-hem, I mean Kenny was 22 when I was in 9th grade so he's really only 8 years older than Henry and I... less of a difference than between me and two of my siblings. He also reminded me he adopted a kitten from one of my family's mama cats... the kitten was part of his life up until just a few years ago. HIS KIDS MET MY KITTEN. Seriously.

Speaking of kids, here's the lot of them.

And here's us... all grown up and married:

Henry and I had such a good time reconnecting with Kenny and meeting his wife, Liz. We hope to get together again soon!

And hey, all you HA folks, give Mr. Smith a shout out, won't you?

Come join the Pinterest Party!

2012-02-03T07:09:00.004-05:00

Welcome to our first Pinterest Party! I'm so excited to see what pins you guys tried this week. For us, we were inspired by this:

A button monogram! I saw it a few months ago and really wanted to do it for the girls' rooms. With the hundredth day of school coming up, Natalie's class is assigned to bring in a poster with 100 items on it. Guess what we made:

We'll send it as a poster to school, then frame it for her wall when they're done with it. We also made one for Ainsley's room.

First I let her arrange the buttons in an A pattern on the poster board. She saw Natalie and I work on the N so she knew just what to do.

Then under close supervision, she hot-glued her buttons to the poster.

Whether a kindergartener does it or a thirty-something mom, there is a lot of wispy glue. Don't worry, after it dries (which is pretty quickly) you can go back and clean up as much as possible. You'll still be able to see the globs of glue under the buttons so try to make the initial dots small.)

When she got tired of gluing I took over and finished the project. I then cut the poster board to size and put it in a frame I picked up from freecycle or a yard sale, can't remember which. The A is a little rounded, but hey, it was done by a 5-year-old. Pretty good if you ask me!

Now it's time for you to share your pinterest project of the week! Add your link below. If you don't have a blog, feel free to leave a comment with an inspiration link to your project.

Reagan update

2012-02-02T21:45:00.002-05:00

Reagan is off the vent and recovering in the ICU. He came through the surgery well, but still has a long road ahead of him. At last update, he is unable to stomach liquids yet - even ice. Please continue to pray that his body will heal quickly, he'll be in as little pain as possible, and there won't be any complications. Thank you.

February Reading List

2012-02-02T07:02:00.003-05:00

You're invited...

2012-02-01T07:04:00.003-05:00

You're invited to participate in a Pinterest Party this Friday hosted on this here blog. Remember, your project can be anything you've seen on Pinterest - crafts, decorating, cooking, exercising... just let us know what you've been up to this week putting inspiration into action.

Reagan "Beast" Smith

2012-02-01T07:02:00.003-05:00

Please pray today and tomorrow for Reagan "Beast" Smith - a long-time reader's son who has open heart surgery tomorrow. Pray for his brothers who are very worried and his mother and father (Sarah and Warren) - that they would feel God's strength and peace.

Like I said, Sarah reads often, so please feel free to leaver her a message in the comment section.

A Boy and His Batter

2012-01-31T07:02:00.001-05:00

Ryan helping me clean up from baking.

The Request

2012-01-30T07:02:00.001-05:00

Henry took the kids to the pet store Saturday. This was in our door Sunday morning.

Dear Mom,

If we take good care of Taurus for 20 weeks can get a hamster?

Love Ainsley

*I love Taurus. Love, Natalie

And this picture. Of a hamster. Or a mole. Or a baby seal.

Natalie wrote the note per Ainsley's request. Ainsley drew the picture.

Famous last words.... "WE ARE NOT GETTING A HAMSTER." I know this because the girls cannot take good care of Taurus for 20 weeks, a number they came up with on their own. They cannot take good care of themselves for 20 weeks. That's why God made me their mother. Besides that, we have a cat. She eats mice. And moles. And hamsters. She has yet to eat a baby seal.

Easy Paper Heart Garland

2012-01-27T07:02:00.007-05:00

I don't know how many of you are on Pinterest, but I'm hooked. For those who don't know what it is, it's an online idea board where you can pin things you see on the internet. It's an electronic version of all those idea and recipe books I've been keeping for years.... years I tell you. It's so nice to have it paperless and accessible from anywhere. ANYWHERE! Whew, this is an organized-crazy-person's dream.

It's also a fun place to follow what your friends are pinning.... yes, there's now another way to stalk people. Oh the joys of the internet.

The black lining of all this pinning is that sometimes too much inspiration can have the opposite affect and become overwhelming. And paralyzing. With all the pinning in the world to do, who has time to actually do anything?

The time has come for me to start doing some of the projects I've pinned. And of course I'm going to share it with you. (and as a confession, I actually don't remember where I saw this... I scanned my Pinterest folders and can't find it, so I can't site the source - agh!) But I think I remember how she did it.

Here's an easy heart garland just in time for Valentine's Day.

1. Take a book you've already read or no longer need (or buy one from the thrift store because you love all the books you own and don't want to rip them up. And don't ask me why it took me a very long time to decide which book to buy and rip up... I couldn't get just anything... the words are going to be displayed in my house afterall).

2. Measure the place you'd like to hang your garland and divide by 2.5. Divide that number by two and cut out that many 2.5" hearts and that many 2.5" rectangles. (see, you do use math in everyday life)

3. Ink up the sides of the hearts if you wish. My girls wished.

We don't have any ink pads that aren't dried up so we used sharpies.

4. Start sewing the hearts and rectangles in a line on your sewing machine. The trick is to get them as close as possible without sewing them together.

Like sew, I mean, so...

5. Gently rip the rectangles off the thread.

You are left with hearts on a string.

6. Hang on your mantle, or around a door frame, or on your bed.

Next week I'm going to try to make another Pinterest idea. It can be a project or a recipe. Anyone want to join me? I can put up a linky button if you guys are interested... comment if you want to make it a party.

*If you aren't on Pinterest and would like an invite, email me and I'll send you an invitation. We can stalk each other.

I don't even know what to title this post

2012-01-26T07:02:00.001-05:00

Grocery shopping is a totally different experience when going with daddy. Ainsley and Ryan came home the other night with Scooby Doo graham cracker dog bones (oh what fun to have three kids crawling around barking like dogs begging for a treat), Go-gurt Italian Ices (let alone that mommy won't even buy Go-Gurt yogurt!) and Gatorade. While drinking her glass of Gatorade Ainsley asked, "Does Gatorade have caffeine in it?"

"No," I answered, "But it does have high fructose corn syrup."

"... and dye," she added.

"Yes and dye," I sighed.

Am I ruining my kids that they know the evils of every treat?

Our Climber

2012-01-25T07:02:00.001-05:00

She's been a climber since she started crawling. Many times I'd find her sitting on our dining room table playing - at 9 months. Several heart-attacks and attempts to keep her floor-bound later, I gave up.

She rarely falls. But she's still giving me heart-attacks.

The Fabric that Forced Me to Sew

2012-01-24T07:02:00.001-05:00

This is the way our living room looked the day we moved in. Yellow walls and cream carpet.

This is how it looks today. Creamy white walls with dark hardwood floors.

That is the fabric that forced me to learn how to thread my sewing machine.

A close-up of the fabric with the couch.

Looking at this room - which I stop to do every time I come down the stairs - is surreal. I've spent the last twelve years turning builder-grade linen white rooms into colorful rooms. This is the first room I've ever painted white....

I needed the calming effect of white to balance the curtains. I needed the curtains to liven up the couch. (I looked all over trying to find already-made curtains in stores that would match our grey-green couch but alas....) I needed the couch because it was on uber sale and fits my giant of a husband.

There's so much still to do in this room... several refinishing projects that have to wait for warmer weather.

While waiting for Spring, I'm doing indoor projects - thus the curtains. I was so intimidated by my sewing machine... but once I figured it out, these curtains are pretty simple. I used Miss Mustard Seed's curtain tutorial. I also used her curtain hanging template idea. If you're making or hanging curtains any time soon. I highly recommend checking out the links above. You'll be glad you did.

So until April... I'm enjoying the curtains.

Pertinent info:

Wall Color - Sherwin-Williams Greek Villa (SW 7551) - mixed at Home Depot with Behr paint.

Fabric - Alsbrook Spa purchased at Calico Corners.

The Marquiss Family and the NHL

2012-01-23T07:02:00.003-05:00

Friday night the girls, Henry, and I headed downtown for an NHL hockey game. We scored some tickets randomly through a lady who bought a rug from me off Craigslist. Yeah, I know. I'll let that sink in.... she works for a division of the Chamber of Commerce. Her job is to make people feel connected to the city.... so she made us feel connected. So random. But I'm not complaining.

(the singing of the anthems - which incidentally was sung by someone I recognized from our church)

(the face off)

Our seats were really good. It made seeing things like this....

and this...

...easier to see by looking at the ice and not the big screens. The only time I looked at the screens was when the puck was in one of the corners closest to me.

The game was a fabulous one to attend - we planned it that way, of course. The Penguins were down 4-2, but managed to come back with goals by Jeffrey and Malkin late in the third period.

The game ended tied 4-4.

Then there was a five-minute overtime that went scoreless.

So there was an exciting shootout where Malkin was the only player to make it. Whoot! Whoot!

(Malkin shooting the winning goal)

The crowd went wild and the Pens won!

We had a great night at our first family NHL Hockey game. I'm hoping it's not our last.

Keeping New Year's Resolutions

2012-01-22T14:17:00.005-05:00

Over the last few years I've made less and less New Year's Resolutions. Part of the reason is I've had a few too many things on my plate already without adding something else to think about. The other part is I struggle to keep up with my resolutions.

So this year in thinking about how to keep on keeping on, I came up with a few tips.

1. Don't let your eyes be bigger than your stomach. Some people approach new year's resolutions much like a dinner buffet. They put a little bit of everything on their plate. The problem is that trying to change one habit is hard enough... changing 20 at one time is impossible. Choose one or two things to focus on and do them well.

2. Be specific. To be attainable, resolutions need to be specific. Instead of saying: I'm going to eat healthier this year, try eliminating just one thing from your diet, like high-fructose corn syrup or partially hydrogenated oil. Or instead of saying get in shape, say exercising three times a week for thirty minutes.

3. Be reasonable. To say you're going to work out every day of 2012 or stop eating all processed foods (as your first attempt to becoming more healthy) is probably stretching it a bit. Set small goals which over time relate to the bigger life changes you desire. If you want to read more, start by trying to read one book a month or every-other-month or every quarter. If you know your limitations, you're less likely to set your self up for failure.

4. Remove and Replace. When we're conditioned to certain habits our brain is on autopilot. To keep up with changing habits we must have a plan in place to help us create new brain patterns. For example, if I want to stop eating junk food, it's easier to do if my pantry not only doesn't have junk food in it, but has healthy snack options. When I'm starving I need to have something to reach for eliminating the urge to jump in the car and drive through Dunkin Donuts. Same with eliminating drinking or smoking. These are coping mechanisms and need to be replaced with something to get through stressful times. Alcohol mellows us out and takes the edge off. So does taking a warm shower or having a hot tea or latte with a friend. Smoking helps elevate anxiety and pent up energy. So does knitting or taking a run. Find something that works for you and replace your old habit with a new one.

5. Get over the guilt. Just because you miss a day at the gym or give in to a sweet craving, it doesn't mean you have to throw your hands up and jump back on the wagon. Simply start fresh in the morning. The more you say no to hitting snooze or taking that bite, the easier it becomes to stay the course.

6. Grab a friend. When there's something I want to do, but just can't muster the willpower to stick to it, I grab a friend for accountability. Sometimes I makes pacts to modify behavior, create reward systems for sticking it out, or literally grab a friend to hit the gym. Life is better when lived in community and so is keeping resolutions.

By now you know if your 2012 goals are too lofty or if your willpower needs a boost. The year is far from over. It's not too late to get back on the wagon and make 2012 the year you keep your New Year's resolutions.

For more tips, check out what Alicia from Get Buttoned Up has to say on BlogHer.

Click here to find out how to enter to win a Kindle Fire from BlogHer's Life Well Lived Sweepstakes.

This post is part of the Life Well Lived editorial program for BlogHer and P&G.

Eye Exercises for Kids in Every Day Living

2012-01-20T07:02:00.001-05:00

As you know, Natalie was diagnosed with vision convergence issues this past summer. We've been working on doing eye exercises daily, although I'll admit we probably never succeeded in doing them that often. In her prime (for about 6 weeks this fall), Natalie was doing eye exercises 3-4 times a week, sometimes twice a day.

The good news is that Natalie's reading comprehension went from 85% in September to 96% in November, just six weeks later. But because this can be a life-long weakness, I tried to come up with some games that help eyes work as a team for Natalie to work into her every day play time. I'll add to this as I can, but for now here's the start on "The List":

Games for Every Day:

Mazes
Word Searches
Chess
Checkers
Object searches or “I Spy” books
Battleship
Memory
Badgammon
Tennis
Table Tennis
Ball connected to paddle
Dominoes
Sequence/Sequence Jr.

(basically anything that makes them look back and forth while concentrating on objects. )

Games for the computer:

Mystery Search Game: (Warning: this site is for all ages. I can't account for the ads that may appear. I plan to supervise Natalie on this page.)

http://www.addictinggames.com/puzzle-games/mysterycasefileshuntsville.jsp

Hightlights Magazine Online - Including object search puzzles and matching games:

http://www.highlightskids.com/

Announcement: American Idol in Pittsburgh airs tonight!

2012-01-19T15:24:00.003-05:00

There are few reality tv programs I watch willingly - in fact there are some I'd rather pull my toe nails out one at a time before watching - but the American Idol auditions makes the cut. You might remember the American Idol judges came to Pittsburgh this past summer on their auditions tour. The show airs tonight at 8 pm on FOX. Be sure to watch so we can come back tomorrow and talk smack!

We came, we saw, we conquered

2012-01-19T07:02:00.001-05:00

We met our goal for Girl Scout Cookies.... Ainsley's troop set their goal at 30 boxes each and Natalie's troop set theirs at 60 boxes. I know this is probably low for some troops, but this is our family's first year so I am glad for the chance to ease into this experience.

I'm happy to say, as of last night, we met the goal for both girls. We are two boxes short of Natalie's goal, but since we plan to order a few boxes for our family I'm not worried about it. When I told the girls we were done selling due to hitting our goal Natalie said, "We can sell more than our goal, mom."

"Yes, dear. I know." I said.

Great. I've got an overachiever on my hands..... so if you're in the Pittsburgh area and still want to order, email me... We deliver mid - February. Orders are due next week.

I'm Raising a Rapper

2012-01-18T07:02:00.001-05:00

Spirited Children.

2012-01-17T07:02:00.002-05:00

I once had a Bible Study leader confess that one of her children was more sensitive than her others. She realized later she and her husband could've done a better job understanding how to parent her better.

At that time I only had one baby - Natalie - who was about 15 months old. I asked the leader how to tell if a kid was more sensitive.... she said I would just know.

She was right.

I recently read the book Raising Your Spirited Child by Mary Sheedy Kurcinka. It's a book about raising your spirited child.

Okay, in all seriousness, it's a book about raising children who are "more intense, sensitive, perceptive, persistent and energetic." I might have a few of those. Two to be exact. I'll leave you guessing which ones.

Here are some things to describe this type of child:

adverse to change

adverse to new environments

adverse to textures

adverse to new foods

adverse...... ha!

A child who obsesses... like won't take no for an answer. Who needs transitions between activities. Who without them breaks into a temper tantrum when you try to pull them away without warning.

A child who doesn't have a volume button - you're constantly telling them to lower their voice. A child who makes noise - talking, singing, etc. - even when spending time alone.

I know what some people are thinking.... that this sounds like a spoiled brat. Sounds like a kid who needs a consistent disciplinarian for a parent.

Kurcinka suggests instead some ways to lay down the law while helping these children recognize their own behavior and modify it. I highly recommend this book to anyone who's parenting a child who fits this description or perhaps is married to one. I recommended the book to Henry right away.

Favorite Winter Passtime #1

2012-01-16T07:02:00.001-05:00

Winter has me thinking of gardening. It might seem strange, but it's really the best time to plan for the spring. This is what our side yard looked like this summer when we moved in:

Here's a side yard I found on Better Homes and Gardens.

Look how pretty and clean theirs is.... we both have hostas and a brick path. They made their egress window into a positive instead of negative by creating a charming arch in the pathway around it. I already know I want to remove our ferns and thin out our hostas. They're overgrown and the ferns are too close to the house. And I like how they have a border around the bricks... hmmm.... something to think about.

Here is our backyard in the fall being eaten by deer.

It's hard to tell because of the overgrowth, but there are three large tiers in our backyard before it flattens under a group of hardwoods at the top. I'm trying to decide if I want to try planting herbs and a few veggies like tomatoes and pickling cucumbers on the first tier. My hope is to put up salsa and pickles this summer. My quandary is the deer and chipmunks. Do I try to fight this battle? Or just buy the produce from a local farmer?

Whatever I decide, I think the tiers have the potential for beauty if they're cleaned up and tended to. I found some inspiration in my cyber-traveling:

How about a fountain of succulents or some containers here and there on the tiers? This one from Traditional Home has me salivating.

As did this idea also from Traditional Home...

I'm trying to convince Henry to let me rip off the grey wooden deck on the back of the house and replace it with a stone patio. Perhaps he'll go for it if I make it a chess board instead.

There's a set of steps... I'm considering finding something like this to dress them up

(photo from Pinterest. No source sited)

This year I will probable make small changes while trying to nurture what is already here. From what I can tell there are day lilies, russian sage, lamb's ear, irises, rhododendron, and roses.

Have you started your garden planning yet?

10 Easy Homemade Valentine's for Kids

2012-01-13T07:02:00.005-05:00

The school Natalie went to for kindergarten and first grade did not do a Valentine's Day party or allow the kids to bring in Valentine's for each other. It isn't that they have something against the day... they actually do not do parties for any holiday. Their philosophy is that they want the kids to look think of school and learning as fun. Not as something you stop in order to have fun.

So this year, I'm kind of looking forward to Valentine's day. I know this might seem a little early, but in case you see an idea you like I want to give you plenty of lead time to get your supplies and do these ideas with your kids. Here are a few things I found on the internet for homemade Valentine ideas. Some deal with food; others with crafts. There are two that are my favorite, but I'll leave you guessing.

If you click on the picture it will take you to the source where I found it....

1. Hershey Kiss Gnomes

These sweet little gnomes are easy to make and easy to transport. Make one per person or more depending on how much time you have on your hands. One thing I like about this is that Ainsley and Natalie can both pretty much handle making these with little guidance. They're super easy and super cute.

2. Lollipop Valentines Pictures

These Valentine's have been floating around the web for some time. Take a picture of your kid with their arm held out; slit holes above and below their hand, and slip a lollipop inside. They're already personalized so you don't even have to sign them! How easy is that?

3. Cupid's Arrow

Personalize these by having your child write "To" and "From" on the backs before completing. My girls would go gaga over the feathers. You could even go one step further and use a #2 pencil for the Valentine to keep.

4. Heart-shaped Red Velvet Whoopie Pies

Nothing says "Be Mine" quite like a heart-shaped piece of cake. Whoopie Pies aren't difficult to make. Wrap in clear cellophane with a Valentine ribbon with a "To" and "From" label and you've got yourself a delicious gift sure to please.

5. Valentine Love Bugs

Probably one of the cutest treats I've seen in a long time, but also one of the more labor-intensive ideas I found are these darling love bug marshmallows. Seriously, who wouldn't love getting this on Valentine's Day. Again wrap in cellophane with a personalized tag and you're good to go.

6. Easy Candy Valentine

I seriously think these Pop Rocks are one of the easier projects I found. If you scrap at all you may have all the tools on hand to punch the music notes and scallop the scrap paper. I know I do. By handwriting the message, it becomes even easier. (especially if you have your kids write them!)

7. Valentine Pencil Toppers

If your school, like ours, is encouraging healthy lifestyles, you can opt to give a Valentine that is neither candy or sweet treat. These cute and easy pencil toppers are as fun to look at as they are to make.

8. Shaped Rice Krispie Treats

These adorable Rice Krispie treats are festive and fun. The best thing is that they are wheat, nut, and dairy free. They are one of the 'safer' snacks to bring to school if there are multiple allergies in the class. Thankfully, neither of the girls have to worry this year.

9. Heart Crayons

I saw these crayon Valentine's on Pinterest. Unfortunately there was no source behind the pin. Fortunately, the picture tells the whole story. Take your broken, recycled crayons - or several of those boxes you bought for a quarter at the back-to-school sales - and cut them up, melt them down, and stick to a homemade Valentine.

10. Felt Hearts

Felt hearts can be personalized with fabric markers or tagged by safety pinning a "To" and "From" label to them. They're awfully cute and a fun activity to let kids try their hands at sewing.

There are tons more projects on the internet if none of these strike your fancy. You have a month to complete them. Now GO!

January Reading List

2012-01-12T07:02:00.003-05:00

Currently on my nightstand:

What are you reading?

2012-01-11T07:02:00.001-05:00

Making a fire with daddy never gets old....

Thought for food.

2012-01-10T07:02:00.003-05:00

It's clear I don't make enough variety for dinner. Each night I make a protein, starch and veggie. Sometimes I even throw in a salad. However, it never fails, Natalie and Henry will eat all their food, possibly even seconds and then hit the cupboard looking for something to finish off their meal. There might even be food still in my pans, but they want something.... different. Sometimes it's fruit other times it's chips and salsa. So I'm trying to figure out if I need to add something to the meal. Any suggestions? I'm avoiding dessert and bread so there aren't empty calories sitting around, but maybe these two need empty calories?

Tebowed

2012-01-09T07:02:00.003-05:00

The Pittsburgh Steelers played the Denver Broncos yesterday in the AFL playoffs. I say that for anyone who might not follow football and needs the back story.

"Let's watch the game today so we can be socially relevant," I said to Henry as we drove home from church. I wasn't being funny. These 'Burghers eat, sleep and breathe football.

Later at a preschool open house the lady giving me the tour said, "You watching the game today?" Boy was I glad I asked Henry what time the game was. "Yep, sure am." I answered nonchalantly. "4:30, right?"

See, socially relevant.

It won't end there. I'm sure there will be talk tomorrow if I'm out and about. So I watched the game. And I found myself rooting for the Steelers. Seriously. I think I might be a bonafide Yinzer and I've only been here for five months! Whoot! Whoot!

The Steelers were up early in the game, but Tebow did what he does best. There's been a lot of criticism that Tebow runs the ball too much... that perhaps he isn't that great at throwing. Yesterday he didn't seem to have any problems throwing the ball. He won the game on the first possession of overtime by throwing a sweet pass to his boy Thomas up the middle who ran about 50 yards for a touchdown. And boy can Thomas run.

But wait. If I were totally honest, there was something nice about seeing Tebow win. He's such a nice guy.

Maybe I still need a few months to be a total Yinzer... I don't think they're happy at all that Tebow won.

Brownies, Daisies and everything in between

2012-01-06T07:02:00.001-05:00

I have this thing about not leaving my children with people. Actually, both Henry and I do. It's not that we don't trust people, it's just that we don't trust them. Ya know what I mean? So there are very few people we leave them with. The whole Penn State scandal didn't help matters.

I hear friends rave about how great family cruises are. How you can leave your kids in the cruise day-camp - or even leave them there in the evening to watch a movie while you're at the evening entertainment.... um, yeah, right. Can't do it. Just can not do it. About the only place I leave the kids is for an hour or two at the YMCA child-watch and the church nursery.

So when I overheard a conversation about the overnight camp out for Girls Scouts at a recent holiday dinner I about had a panic attack. You see, I just signed both our girls up for our local troop. And overall, I'm really looking forward to the girls being involved in such a great organization. They're excited too.

I decided during that conversation I'd have to be one of the moms on the campout. Call me a freak or paranoid or over-zealous. I really don't care. You can call me anything in the book because I'll have you know there are three precious children who call me "mommy." And here's what they expect: to be loved.. to be taken care of... and to be protected.

So Henry and I are will continue our "it's better safe than sorry" motto. Scouts Honor.

P.S. Anyone need Girl Scout cookies? Sales start soon!

Embracing the Cold

2012-01-04T07:02:00.001-05:00

Last night was the night the girls started to skate,

On a rink in the cold 'bout a mile from a lake.

First Natalie shuffled across on the blades

Then Ains came across with no help from the aides.

Poor Ry was so cold in the fourteen degrees*

No shame as his sis couldn't help but agree.

*I did not make little boy blue stay out in the cold. We went into the skate house and watched from the window. Ains lasted almost the entire lesson. I saw her from my perch inside come up to the side to rest. She was trying not to cry. I went out and asked her what was wrong. She said "my bum and toes hurt." I pulled her off the ice and let her come in the ice house for the last 5 minutes... and praised her for trying something new. When Natalie came in she said, "I stopped falling and got the hang of it at the end." She loved it.

Making Friends

2012-01-03T07:02:00.002-05:00

I'm not an expert when it comes to moving to a new town. Growing up I lived in one house for the first twelve years of my life and another house for the next seven years before I moved out to marry Henry. My family moved just that once and although it was to a new town I took my best friend with me. We met as infants in the school nursery. Her mother worked in the nursery that took care of the teachers' babies. My mom taught high school math. Our educational paths continued in parallel but we didn't really start hanging out until the third grade when a boy named Jerry told Mandy she should do reconnaissance for him. I didn't know this until later... much later. But I'm grateful for his interest since Mandy and I were inseparable for the next three years until we informed each other we wouldn't be in school the following year. Imagine our surprise when both of us showed up in the same town and the same school as each other the following year even though our families had moved over sixty miles from our original houses.

My sisters were so jealous I had a friend in our new town that they created the "hate Leighann" club. We were at the age of making a new club every week and this club kept them busy while I was off playing with my old friend in our new town. The club didn't hurt my feelings. I didn't know about it until years later. We laugh about it now.

I left that town to marry my high school sweetheart. We lived in DC our first three years then moved to northern Virginia to be near college friends. We stayed there the next twelve years. During those twelve years we lived in five houses. Our houses grew with our family and kept my nomadic husband - who had been to ten different schools by the time he was in tenth grade - from feeling stagnant.

Four months ago we moved to a town where we knew no one. I wondered how I would feel and worked hard to make the transition easy for the kids. They're doing great.

Life is pretty much the same. My life has the same tasks and moves in much the same rhythms as it did in Virginia. The hardest thing has been meeting friends. The girls naturally met friends at school. Each of them have a gaggle of kids they enjoy hanging out with and having play dates with. Henry also has a social outlet at work. Many of his colleagues he's worked with before at prior companies so it's sort of like me taking my friend with me in the sixth grade... except I'm not holding any meetings for a "hate Henry" club.

Making friends has been slow for me. I'm a stay-at-home mom so there's no socializing around the water cooler. I've tried joining a gym, a Bible study, and a book club. I found out it's difficult to get to know someone while participating in a class structure like at the gym and Bible study; and hard going deep when you only meet for book club once a month. The people I've spent the most time with are the moms I've met through the girls activities like soccer and school. There are a few moms I hope to get to know and a neighbor who likes to sip hot tea in the afternoon just like me.

The biggest hindrance to meeting friends in my life stage is that everyone, including me, is busy running their households and running two or three kids to after school activities. Even the neighbor who loves afternoon tea and I haven't had a chance to get together three weeks after learning about our common interest.

Making friends requires getting plugged in, being friendly, and time. I'm doing the first two and need to accept the last. It will happen... I'm confident. Until then I'm talking a little more over the phone with my sisters - there is one for each weekday - and some Virginia friends and my mom.

Welcome 2012

2012-01-01T19:51:00.006-05:00

Here's my daughter's foot sneaking its way into the front seat while we were driving home. She's getting so long..

We came home to a light dusting of snow on the ground and flurries today. It's so pretty. I'm learning it flurries and dusts a lot here. It's nice because you can enjoy it without having it stop traffic.

We're home after a week away. Everyone is off schedule and picking at each other. I'm thankful for the day off from school and work so we can ready the house and ourselves for the week ahead.

January is going to be a full month. I signed the girls up for free ice skating lessons at the local park and a soccer clinic through the school. As someone who typically tries not to overload the schedule, I'm hoping it won't be too much. They already have Girl Scouts every other week.

Henry and I are planning a few trips for the family this year as well as possibly a long-weekend away for us. Yay! And I know there will be lots of memories and growth this year. I'm looking forward to it. I hope you are too.

Now is the time: 9 Tips for Thrift-Store Shopping

2012-01-01T07:02:00.001-05:00

Happy New Year!! I’m so excited for 2012. With the holidays over I have so many things dancing around in my head I want to get to work on… one of them is thrift-store shopping. Believe it or not, JANUARY is the best time to go thrifting. Why? Because everyone and their brother gave last-minute donations in December to get their tax write-offs. Thrift stores are typically bursting at the seams come the new year. Here are a few tips to get you in the door:

Don’t take the kids: My number one rule is to leave the little ones at home. It’s extremely difficult to keep kids occupied while you’re busy digging. And for thrifting you really have to dig. Which brings me to rule number two.

Be willing to dig: If you aren’t willing to put in the time you'll miss some really great things. Be willing to go through clothes one at a time and dig through bins of cast-off housewares.

Keep an open mind: Use your imagination. See a cheese dome? It can easily be used as a stylish cloche. See a framed piece of art? The frame is the perfect size for your new family picture. Have enough placemats, but love the fabric? Turn them into a throw pillow with the help of your sewing machine. There are tons of ah-ha uses for every day things. Thinking outside the box will help you see the treasure in another person’s trash.

Look for damage: Don’t be in such a hurry that you don’t look for wear and tear. Thrift stores sell items that are ripped, stained, and missing buttons. Make sure to look for snags in knits, stains on clothing and holes in pockets. My rule is “if it doesn’t look new and fit right, it doesn’t come over, not for one night.”

Know what you need and what you don’t need: Just because something is a good price doesn’t mean you have to buy it. Unless I absolutely, hands-down love it, I don’t buy something unless I know exactly what I’m going to do with it. Otherwise it ends up sitting on a shelf in the garage or storage room waiting to be used or donated the following year.

Ask about the return policy: Most thrift stores have return policies. The ones I frequented in Virginia allowed returns with tags and receipt within seven days. If you want to wait until you’re home to try something on or are buying something for the kids but are afraid it’s not their taste, you most likely have the option of returning it.

Know the area: It stands to reason the more affluent areas have better donated goods. If you live near an upscale part of town, venture to the other side of the tracks and see what their Goodwill has to offer. Many times you can find luxury name brands at a fraction of the cost. If you’re lucky you might even find something with the tags still on.

Go early and often: Chances are the people finding the best deals are going often. Many days I’ve returned from thrifting with nothing or a 50 cent book. What keeps me coming back are the times I find a wool Ann Taylor skirt for $4 or a naturally-distressed farm table for $5 or the book, Outliers, on audio book for $2 or a sunburst mirror - $100 price tag still on the back – for $17.50. I could go on and on. The moral is sometimes there are deals to be found and sometimes there aren’t. Don’t take it personally… if you like the thrill of hitting the jackpot, then keep going back.

(As a sidenote, if you become a regular, you develop a rapport with the staff. It makes them more to call you if an item you’re looking for comes in or haggle on the price of something that’s been sitting there awhile.)

Don’t go empty-handed: If you’re headed there anyway, you might as well take a few things from your closet that hasn’t been used in awhile. Our family rule is if you haven’t worn it for a year it gets donated. There’s no need to hoard perfectly good things when other people can be enjoying and using it.

This is by far not an exhaustive list, but it’s a good start. Let me know if you find any good deals. I love living vicariously through others when it comes to a bargain.

On the Eve.

2011-12-30T07:02:00.002-05:00

On the eve of New Year's Eve, it's time to talk about resolutions. Are you making them? I'm on the fence which probably means I'm not! It's just too much hassle. Traditionally I'm all for goal-making. I think goals push us to attain growth.... that without goals we typically stagnate. But somehow I'm not that motivated to make a whole list of things I need to do this year. But if I were going to make changes in 2012, it would be to read more, write more, and eat better. General enough for you?! How about you guys? Any resolutions?

Some thoughts on Sugar.

2011-12-29T07:02:00.001-05:00

A little before Thanksgiving Henry and I made a pact to cut out processed sugar through the holidays. We had two cheat days… Thanksgiving and Christmas. I thought putting it on the blog would keep us accountable. It didn’t. I did pretty well through the beginning of December and then it was over. I ate less baked goodies than I normally would, but I couldn’t go sugar-free.

Eating it sporadically instead of every day I noticed a few things. One: when I eat it, it makes me tired. Really tired. Some days if I ate something sugary for lunch, I could hardly keep my eyes open about an hour later. I’ve heard of a sugar high followed by a crash, but I never realized how much it affected me.

Second, I noticed the less I ate sweets, the less I craved them. Sugar is definitely addictive… the more you eat, the more you want. In fact, if I’m eating a low-sugar diet and eat watermelon I suddenly crave sweets so natural sugar can be a trigger too. The first few days are truly the hardest, but once you get through them, it’s easier to say no.

Last, I noticed my tastes changed the less desserts I ate. It became harder to please my palate with just anything. There were times I’d bite into something I enjoyed in the past and it tasted bland. I decided I wouldn’t waste calories on something that didn’t thrill me.

All this talk of sugar has me thinking of our eating habits for 2012. I’m researching organic markets and CSAs in our area. We were members of a CSA in Virginia and loved every minute of it. I’m thinking our diet will include less sugar. Maybe.

5 Tips for Catching up on Family Photos.

2011-12-28T07:02:00.003-05:00

I’m an avid documenter. There’s typically one of us in every family. We’re typically known as the family historian. My maternal grandmother, Virda, is a historian. She has family albums going back several generations with pictures that are actually labeled, handwritten notes, and things like the hospital bill for her first baby. I admire her a lot and credit her for giving me my love of recording facts.

Part of being the historian is being a picture-taker, or at least a picture organizer. From the time Henry and I married I’ve kept our pictures well-preserved. Most of them are in acid-free scrapbooks telling tales of our various adventures over the last 15 years.

I realize not everyone is a born historian. I also realize there are people who wish they also could tell their stories, but don’t know where to start. Here are a few tricks to getting a handle on your backlog of pictures:

1) Start with your most recent pictures and work your way backward: Starting with your oldest pictures and watching the pile getting bigger as you take more pictures can be discouraging. Instead, start with your most recent and work on your backlog as you have time.

2) Purge, Purge, Purge: Delete pictures that are blurry, unflattering or unimportant. The less you have to weed through when the time comes to put together an album the better. When working with thumbprints online or on a screen it can be difficult to tell which pose is the one with your eyes closed without spending a little bit of time flipping back and forth between files. Deleting pictures you don’t need is always useful and saves time in the long run. (The same is true with print photos)

3) Determine your personal style: When choosing how to document your adventures, decide whether you want to use store-bought picture albums, store-bought scrapbooks, online picture books, or online scrapbooking software. Knowing your comfort level upfront lets you move on to the process of getting your pictures organized.

4) Give yourself permission to make it good, but not perfect. If you have a backlog consisting of years, possibly decades of pictures, it’s important to understand your books don’t have to be the best out there. Getting your pictures organized chronologically (this can be harder with printed photographs), labeled and into a book is what’s important. Your grandkids won’t care if you used a perfectly matching scrap of paper with your grandparents’ wedding photo as much as they will knowing who’s in the picture and when it was taken. The details are always more important than aesthetics.

5) Set aside time: Once you’ve decided if you’re using online tools or paper tools or a mixture of both (one for print photos and one for digital), sorted all your photos and uploaded the ones you want to use, set aside time to make your albums. Whether you do it once a month or once a year make it your goal to complete a certain number of albums this year, even if it only means keeping up with the current year.

In our family’s case, I used scrapbooks for all our photos before Natalie’s birth (when we purchased our first digital camera) and online photo books from places like Snapfish and Shutterfly for everything after.

When I was paper-scrapbooking I had to put aside time every month to work on pages or I’d get too far behind. I still do a first-year baby book for each of my kids and had to work on them monthly to finish them. Embarrassingly enough, I’m still working on Ryan’s… or I should say…. I keep meaning to work on Ryan’s. There a lot more to document, but I’m happy to say I’m at least halfway through.

For our annual family books I take about two or three hours every year to go through the last 12 months of photos and select and upload the best ones into one online album. Then I use the site’s software for another hour or so to make the book – both Snapfish and Shutterfly (and several others) have super easy software allowing you to change layouts easily and click and drag photos into place. It may take me another hour to put captions and dates throughout the book. So in about 5 hours I can complete an entire year’s worth of photos. It’s the fastest way I’ve found to keep up with each year.

I must warn you though – the more you document the more you might want to take pictures. So when you leave the house make sure to grab your camera. You never know what fun pictures you might get in an ordinary day.

The Ornaments 2012

2011-12-27T07:02:00.001-05:00

Merry Christmas everyone! We've been spending the last few days with family and are looking forward to the rest of the week visiting with family and friends. This Christmas was pretty stress-free - hallelujah!

Every year we give the kids ornaments. I try to make them specific to something they liked or experienced during that year. This year, Henry made them play "Daddy says" to see who would get to open theirs first. Ryan won out of default of not mimicking his sisters fast enough the first time Henry didn't use the phrase "Daddy says."

Ryan got an angry bird. He loves that and Mickey Mouse and I didn't see anything in the stores of Mickey that we liked so angry birds it was. Ryan was giddy when he opened it...

The girls got little soccer players. (Ainsley didn't want in the pic) They liked theirs too.

The girls have really come to enjoy this tradition. They start talking about it as they decorate the tree each year. What's your favorite holiday tradition?

Christmas Cheer.

2011-12-23T07:02:00.001-05:00

I know I said several weeks ago that I'm ready emotionally for Christmas for the first time in a long time. I think I still am, but I'm noticing something different this year. As opposed to last year when I mapped out 2 whole weeks of activities for the family, this year I haven't mapped out a thing. We made sugar cookies because Ainsley wanted to do something special. I made peppermint bark and cinnamon-sugar nuts spur of the moment because I wanted to and they're easy and they make nice presents, but they weren't somewhere on a list. We did the gingerbread house (at the end of November!) because the girls begged to do it.

I can't explain my actions. It's nothing like the old me. Something happened this past fall where suddenly the things on my list didn't drive me anymore. I still make a list... more to remind me what needs done as opposed to keep a running tab of the things I'm doing or have to be doing. I don't feel like I'm explaining it very well... and I don't quite know how to clear it up. In language it becomes semantics, but in ideology it's a big difference.

I think it spilled over into the holidays. I'm still enjoying the season... I love looking at our tree lit up at night, the garland on the stairs. I'm playing Christmas music during the day and shopping (a lot of thirty-one products and online shopping this year) and wrapping presents on time. But there's no drive to do everything possible to fill our days with the season.

This is one aspect of the old me I don't miss. I don't miss pressuring myself to do all the projects on my list before the week is over. Maybe because I'm still getting things done without all the stress. Either way, this Christmas season has been quieter... less activity filled, but with enough to make it feel festive.

Oh and one of things to go was the Christmas card. I think I'm going on our third year without one. So Merry Christmas everyone!

It's not too late to make these goodies for Christmas

2011-12-22T07:02:00.001-05:00

Yesterday Ainsley, Ryan and I made two delicious treats: Cinnamon-Sugar Pecans and Peppermint Bark. Both are remarkably easy. It's not too late to make them if you need a gift for a neighbor or teacher. Here's the recipe for the pecans:

6 cups pecan halves

2 egg whites

2 Tbsp water or vanilla (I used vanilla)

1 1/4 cup brown sugar (dark or light)

1/2 tsp. salt

3 tsp. cinnamon

Whisk egg whites and vanilla together until very frothy

In a separate bowl mix the dry ingredients, except the nuts.

With the nuts, toss them in the egg whites until they are nice and wet.

Then fold them into the dry ingredients to coat them nicely with the cinnamon and sugar.

Place them on a baking sheet in an oven that's preheated to 225 degree F. Bake them for an hour, flipping them every 15 minutes.

Cool them completely before storing.

The peppermint bark is just as easy, if not easier. The recipe is:

1 cup of crush peppermints or candy canes

2 lbs white chocolate or vanilla almond bark

A dash of peppermint extract (optional)

Crush up your candy.

Break apart the almond bark and melt it. (I used less than 2 lbs per 1 c candy and it worked out fine)

Stir the candy into the melted chocolate.

Spread onto a waxpaper-lined cookie sheet (I used one, I wish I would've used two to make my bark thinner).

Place in the fridge for 45 minutes or until hard.

Break into small pieces

and serve.

Ainsley didn't want to help me at first, but as soon as I started breaking eggs and measuring things she jumped up on a chair. Ryan pulled a chair over and said, "Too, too." It's his way of saying he wants in on the action. They both were very helpful making the nuts and unwrapping the candy. Ainsley even helped crushed the peppermints. Once I started working with hot chocolate, it was hands off for the little ones. Other than that, these are very kid-friendly recipes.

Have fun!

The Perfect Play Date: Decorating Christmas Cookies

2011-12-21T07:02:00.001-05:00

Ainsley wanted to do something "special." She says this about every day. I try to explain if you do something special every day it's no longer special. She explains to me if you bake something different every day, it's not the same.

Friday we did something special... we baked cut-out sugar cookies in preparation for a play date that evening. What better way to spend it than being creative and getting hyped up on processed sugar?

You might remember I bought plastic bottles a few years ago when we donated cookies to the Ronald McDonald House we stayed at when Ryan was born. I still love the bottles. They allow all ages to participate without getting overly messy...

I thought Ryan might be old enough this year....

But as much as he tried, he couldn't get much icing out. He kept holding the bottle upside-down and saying "stuck, stuck". I told him to squeeze the bottle so he turned it right-side up and squeezed it with both hands. The icing ran down the side of the bottle. So much for that.

Instead he took to saying, "Help! Help!" until one of his sisters or Natalie's friend answered his call.

The girls, however, had a blast.

I think next time we need a few more cookies...

You can find the icing bottles at Michael's craft store and the icing recipe here.

Let's talk about the second hobbit, shall we?

2011-12-20T07:02:00.008-05:00

This picture has nothing to do with this post. It's how I found Ainsley's school things last evening. Those are her shoes tucked inside the front of her coat. And somehow she managed to leave her sleeves in the backpack. She's a funny kid.

She's also a discriminating eater. I say it in this way so I don't jinx myself into having a picky eater.... because I refuse to admit we might have a picky child. But I tell you this - she was born this way. She's been more particular about what she accepted into her mouth since the time I started her on solids. The other day I made a list of all the things she likes for dinner. I sat at the kitchen island while she dictated what she likes... homemade mac and cheese, ham sandwiches, potato soup, chicken, asparagus, and so on. Natalie also wanted to make a list of her own with foods she likes to eat which included everything but the kitchen sink.

I told Ainsley the purpose of the list was to help me remember what she likes and doesn't like. I specifically told her I'd still make things on her 'dislike' list, but I'd try to make the things she likes more often.

Last night I tried a new recipe for fish coated with crushed almonds, parmesan cheese and bread crumbs. Fish is not on Ainsley's like list. It is on her dislike list. When she saw it she said, "What is that?.... That's not on my list.... (more panic in her voice) I only eat things on my LIST. WHERE'S MY LIST?!" At this point she was doing laps around the kitchen island, the very one we sat at to make her list, and yelling in a high-pitched voice. I felt bad for her.

I purposely didn't tell her the mystery meat was fish. Instead I said, "I think you'll like this. Let's just give it a try and see what you think. You don't have to eat a lot, just two bites, if you don't like it, you don't have to eat the rest."

Popping out from her hiding place at the far side of the kitchen island she said meekly, "But it's not on my list."

I dished her up the tiniest nugget of fish along with rice and steamed veggies. "Just try it," I encouraged and walked away to plate up more food. Out of the corner of my eye I spied her picking up the chicken-nugget-sized fish and taking a bite... then another... and then another. I put Natalie's plate on the table, stood right beside Ains and looked down at her nonchalantly. "How is it?" I said meekly. She smiled at me shyly.... "I like it, but I'm not eating the vegetables."

If I may...

2011-12-19T07:50:00.002-05:00

I interrupt this holiday season to brag for just a minute if I may. My fridge is spotless. And it's not because of me.

Every nook and cranny.

Even the onion drawer.

My loving husband spent several hours this weekend cleaning every inch of our fridge. He took out every removable piece and washed it in warm soapy water.

He rocks!

Little Heaters

2011-12-16T07:02:00.002-05:00

I'm not sure why but my kids are typically hot. The girls wear a t-shirt and their undies to bed no matter how much their father and I beg them to wear clothes. At our request they might start out with pjs on, but by morning, they're down to their skivies. Only recently have they started using a blanket. Like seriously, how do they not get cold?

The other night I was tucking Ainsley into bed but had too much to do still before my night was over. "Can daddy lay with you a little?" I asked. "No, he's like a big heater and makes me hot!" Ainsley said.

Even Ryan refuses to wear socks to bed and kicks his blanket off in the night.

Case in point - the other day was mild - probably in the 50s. The girls changed into shorts, t-shirts, and flip-flops upon arriving home from school then went outdoors to play.

They were not happy when I told them they needed pants and long-sleeved shirts with socks and shoes. No wonder they all have colds.

Our Tree...

2011-12-15T07:04:00.001-05:00

Henry met the kids and me at a local farmer's market so we could pick out our family tree. I know the romantic way to get a tree is to bundle up, drive an hour to a Christmas tree farm, walk through beautiful snow to find the perfect tree, and then warm up by a fire with warm apple cider while daddy cuts a tree and drags it to the car. Yea... that's not us.

We've always bought our tree from a lot and made decorating it the big tradition. Here we are with our tree. It's a bit smaller than last year's.

Ainsley wanted to drive with Henry because it was the car with the tree. There was only one carseat so Natalie and Ry were stuck with me even though they both wanted to be with daddy too.

Henry and I set the tree up after the kids went to bed. The girls came home from school the next day and convinced me to let them decorate. I put the lights and garland on and then let them at it while I made dinner.

Of course I had to stop and get pics of Ryan trying to help.

He put this ornament on the tree

And then looked at me like this -

Ainsley worked very hard to get her ornaments just like she wanted them.

When I suggested she spread them out she said, "But they're a family!"

Natalie was very proud of their handywork.

And so am I!

The Gingerbread House

2011-12-14T07:02:00.002-05:00

The week after Thanksgiving we started decorating for Christmas. I buy my gingerbread house kits after the new year when they are typically marked down to like two bucks. Then I put them in storage with my ornaments. When the girls saw the kit from last year you can guess what they wanted to do. It wasn't even Dec. 1! However, I thought, why not? And being I lost the last week unexpectedly, I'm really glad I gave them the go ahead.

Here are the girls putting the decorations in bowls.

Waiting for the gingerbread house to be sturdy enough to work with was torture for the girls. They could hardly stand it. Boy were they happy when they were able to get going.

Ryan is now old enough to participate. At first he was taking the candy off as the girls put it on, but it didn't take long for him to catch on.

The kids worked together on the top and then each had their own side to work on. It cut down on the fighting and they were able to imagine their own design. Ainsley made as many smiley faces as she could.

The finished product.

Is your family doing a gingerbread house this year?

How I felt. (I know, I'm getting better at this feeling thing)

2011-12-13T09:43:00.005-05:00

Wednesday morning was rough. I hadn't slept much. Ryan coughed almost non-stop through the night. Although he seemed to be resting through it, I was up giving him an antihistamine and making sure he was still in an inclined position on his pillow pets. When Henry's alarm went off I felt like I'd been hit by a big ole Mack truck.

Soon the kids were up and we all moved downstairs to eat... Ryan fussed as I put him in his chair. "I have to make Natalie's lunch, Ryan. I can't hold you right now." He looked at me moaning but acquiesced. He ate two bowls of Cheerios.

My plan was to work out with Jillian Michaels since I clearly couldn't take Ryan to the Y. I headed upstairs to put on appropriate attire. When we entered my room (I was now holding him) he pointed and said, "Bed." "You want to take a nap?" I asked and set him on my bed. "Mom. Bed," he said. I crawled up beside him. He quietly curled up in my lap and tried to fall asleep through his hacking cough. We laid in my bed for about an hour. Ainsley was bored and jealous. I'd been away for a long weekend with my sister and had only returned the day before. She wanted to play.

Sometime around 10 a.m. Ryan said, "potty." I sat him on the pot. He moaned and tried to lay his head on my lap, but my lap was too far away since I was sitting on the floor beside his elevated body. "Ryan, you can't lay on me. Just go potty and then we can rest again." He continued trying to lay down so I put my head to his chest to support his body. It was then I heard a very strange sound... much like a train coming swiftly down a track. "chuga-chuga-chuga-chuga" Writing can't do it justice. Let's just say for a moment I wasn't sure what it was... then my brain clicked in and I realized it was his heartbeat. It sounded nothing like a heartbeat it was going so fast. I lifted his shirt and looked at his heart beating wildly in his chest. "Ains - go get my phone, quick!"

The pediatrician felt we should see the cardiologist or go to the ER immediately. They placed the call for me while I took a speedy shower and made some calls to get Ainsley a playdate and way to school. The nurse called back to say the cardiologist would see us right away, but that he didn't want me to take my time. In other words, come NOW.

I'm not going to lie, my adrenaline was pumping. We've never had an emergency situation at home where I had to take Ryan to the doctor. There was once when he had just come home that I thought he might be in distress, but Dr. Kanter was the doctor on call and he talked me off the cliff. But Wednesday there really was a reason for concern. They were actually telling me my fear was valid. I was scared. On the brink of panic and tears, put-one-foot-in-front-of-the-other-as-fast-as-I-can mode. Just do the next thing.

As an afterthought I grabbed my bag (that was still packed) from my trip to my sister's just in case we had to stay overnight. Once-worn clothes are better than none. Running to the car grabbing my camera ran through my mind but I rebuked myself for thinking of documenting at a time like this. In hindsight, I wish I would've taken the 20 seconds to grab it. There were so many cute moments in the last 6 days.

I thought about what I would tell the officer if I was pulled over for speeding (I really wasn't going that fast, but I was passing a lot of people - these Pittsburgh folks take their time getting places, I've noticed.) I wondered if I'd actually pull over or make the cop follow me the entire way to the hospital. I thought about how smart it would be to make a sign to keep in my car that read "Medical Emergency, meet me at Children's" but I'm not sure how well that would work.

By the time we reached cardiology Ryan's heart was visibly slower, but still beating faster than normal (150 bpm vs. 100-120 bpm). The cardiologist wasn't concerned about the heartrate, but was concerned Ryan's sats were hovering in the 50s. I didn't believe the machine... they're known for inaccurate reads, especially below 65. But Dr. Beerman wanted to be safe rather than sorry. He sent us to admissions who sent us to the heart floor where we stayed for the next 5 nights waiting for Ryan's sats to come back to baseline.

Like I said before this was our first real emergency - run from home - unexpected admittance. Thankfully the stay was short. There are many families who are in this situation for weeks, even months.

I'd like to say Henry and I handled it smoothly. I'd like to say we were supportive of each other and didn't snap while trying to figure out logistics for work, school, hospital needs and caring for the girls. Instead there was tension... nothing too heated, but definitely expectations on both our parts of what should happen and how. I'm guessing this is normal, especially given our entire network of family and friends are now 3-4 hours away. I'm saying all this because I want to remember that by the end of Ryan's six-day stay, Henry and I had worked out the kinks. We'd figured out a way to see each other's side of things and work a plan we felt prioritized the kids. (clean underwear is overrated anyway)

Um, okay. Not sure how to end this. I will say that marriage and parenting are never-ending learning experiences. Just when you think you have things figured out, something happens exposing another area that needs tweaked. So happy tweaking folks.

And to my hubby - there's no one else I'd rather tweak with.

There's no place like home.

2011-12-12T15:13:00.004-05:00

I watched Tangled a total of 10 times in 6 days. I can quote the lines now. Not that I want to, but much like London Bridges Falling Down, some of them are catchy and stick in your head.... "I want you to know this is the strangest thing I've ever done." If you don't know what I'm talking about then watch the movie. It's cute. The first time. Okay and the second time too. After that it's pretty much overkill.

We also watched Yogi Bear a few times. Not as funny (IMHO) or as catchy. But hey, a little variety never killed anybody.

Enough about me. The real thing you want to know is how Ryan's doing.

I'm happy to tell you he's recovering. And as of 3:00 today, he's recovering at home. The oxygen equipment is on its way. We walked into a house that needs it's floors swept, laundry piled in the bathroom (and some clean on the kitchen table), a smelly cat's box and nothing for dinner. Yep, we found the right place.... there's no place like home.

I'll leave you with a fun fact. We somehow ended up in the right place at the right time and met a few guys from the Pittsburgh Penguins. Unfortunately because Ryan has a virus they weren't allowed in the room, but they stood in the doorway. They didn't tell me their names (I think I was supposed to know who they were without fanfare) so I'm guessing when I tell you the guys below are who we saw.... I know for a fact Latang and Staal were part of the group, the others I think I recognize. Forgive me if I'm wrong, they had on Santa hats.

And for the record, seeing their cherubic faces, barely old enough to shave, standing in the door made me realize I'm getting old. That, however, is for another post. For now, here are our visitors. (All photos credited to the official Pittsburgh Penguins website)

Kris Latang

James Neal

Richard Park

Jordan Staal

Paul Martin

Update

2011-12-10T16:45:00.002-05:00

Ryan's still in the hospital. After several cultures and swabs, we got the results back yesterday that he has a common head cold. It seems he may have more than one type of cold germ in his body...

Last year he was sick in January - almost three weeks - with a GI virus. We were able to manage it at home because he had a feeding tube (nothing like force feeding liquids) and oxygen equipment. After finding out there's nothing serious going on and that IV fluids aren't necessary I requested we be discharged with equipment. The team thinks I'm crazy. I explained we've managed oxygen before and doing it at home isn't as hard as it sounds.

When Ryan's new cardiologist came for his evening rounds I mentioned my request. "Sounds reasonable to me," he answered. He met us in October, knows Ryan's story, and knows how much we've done at home. He talked to the floor team and okayed us going home. Now, the team is trying to secure us equipment which is sometimes hard on the weekends. Our goal is to leave tomorrow, but it may be Monday.

Opposite of the first time Ryan came home on oxygen, I'm not disappointed to take him home on it at all. I know it's temporary and I know it means I don't have to be stuck in a room waiting for Ryan's cold to go away. We're just waiting now for insurance paperwork and approval so we can get our ticket out of here.

Thanks for your prayers. As always, we'll keep you posted.

In-house again

2011-12-08T08:38:00.005-05:00

Ryan was admitted to the hospital around lunch time yesterday for respiratory distress. It seems he has a virus affecting his ability to breathe. His O2 saturation level is sitting in the low 70's on 3 liters per minute of supplemental oxygen. I brought him in initially because his heart looked like it was beating faster. By the time we arrived it was coming back down to normal but still working hard. His heart rate is now back to baseline. The biggest concern is that his O2 levels dip into the 40's without supplemental oxygen. We will most likely sit tight until he can sustain acceptable levels.

Ryan was very unhappy to be at the doctor's. He associates white coats with vaccinations and now thinks every visit will involve a shot. He held onto me like a little monkey and cried whenever they tried to assess him. Once we were admitted to the floor he continually fought the nasal cannula and the ox probe taped to his foot. In the night he woke up almost as if in a night terror crawling around the bed in circles. I think he was trying to get away from the tube in his nose. Otherwise he slept well and continues to nap this morning.

A new friend that I met in September whose children are the same age as Natalie and Ainsley graciously picked them up from school and took care of them last night. She said the girls are not anxious at all. Please pray Ryan wouldn't be too anxious and that his little body heals quickly so we can go home. We will keep you posted.

Thanksgiving 2011

2011-12-07T07:02:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry to still be talking about Thanksgiving, but with last week's computer snafu I still need to catch up.

This is the first year we had to make a T to fit everyone at the tables.... there were five guests who didn't end up making it so I think we had 29 people. And it will only grow from here. No announcements this year, although we did joke with one another, but really we're just getting started. John and Dottie aren't even married yet.... oh the possibilities!

Our kids' table is too small for all the grandkids so those who wanted to sat at the adult table. Somehow everyone got to sit where they wanted.

It was such a nice day we took a walk after dinner.

(Ainsley, Kenneth, Ryan, Abby)

After taking a pic of the kids in the wagon I gave Ainsley my camera. Here's what she documented.

Jack...

Aunt Christine

Ryan looking back at mommy

And of course, there was Angry Birds with Uncle Dean.

And riding horsey on Grandma's knee.

The 'big' kids: Natalie, Adyn, Ainsley, and Kael, told us they were playing in the forest. The forest is one huge pine tree in my mom's backyard that had the branches cleared out from under it creating a tent effect. Funny thing is, there are lots of pine trees and groups of pine trees back there, but the kids chose the one that stands alone to play under. Cute.... reminded me of when my cousins, sisters, and I used to play in the (real) forest beside my grandparents house.

How many parents does it take?

2011-12-06T07:02:00.001-05:00

We did this....

To get this....

All seven of us were home for Thanksgiving. It's getting fewer and farther between that we are all able to make it back at the same time. And we've multiplied. It just keep getting crazier and crazier.

Here we are in reverse birth order: John, Dottie, Christine, Katie, Amy, Leighann and Johanna.

The full story with links.

2011-12-05T08:31:00.003-05:00

Here are the two links for the news article the Pittsburg Trib did on Ryan:

Day One: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/health/s_770318.html

Day Two: http://www.pittsburghlive.com/x/pittsburghtrib/news/pittsburgh/s_770388.html

There is also an online photo gallery and short video.

Another Confession

2011-12-05T07:02:00.002-05:00

It's no secret. I've mentioned before how hard staying at home with my children is for me. It's not like I hate staying home, or resent it.... in fact I choose to do it. I can't imagine it any other way. I mostly like it, even through the hard. But the last seven years have been isolating and mind-numbing and patience-wearing. There are great moments of joy, but mostly it's doing the mundane - the laundry, the dishes, the floors, and the hard - the disciplining, the training, the teaching. And, oh!, the whining. For pete's sake, the whining alone is enough to kill a woman.

Recently in my prayer time God brought to me this verse: "Children are a gift from the Lord." It convicted me. (Psalm 127:3 "Behold, children are a gift of the Lord, the fruit of the womb is a reward." NASB) It's so easy to be restless in these days I'm pouring into little lives who don't often show they care or understand my sacrifices. It's easy to feel overworked and generally taken for granted. Because I am. That's kindof part and partial of being a parent.

I thanked the Lord for the reminder that my children are gifts. My prayer changed.... instead of praying about Natalie's seemingly constant state of worry, Ainsley's back-talking, know-it-all attitude, and Ryan's development, I thanked the Lord for my gifts.

The gift of Natalie's responsible, mature attitude and her soft-heart toward the things of God. The way she loves her siblings and nurtures them. How she truly wants to make her mama happy and her daddy proud.

Ainsley's cuddly spirit that reminds me it's important to stop and hug and love on each other. How she sees the importance of relationships and not projects. She brings life into perspective, causing me to stop and smell the roses, not because it's on my to-do list, but because it's necessary and fun.

Ryan's determination to keep going despite any obstacle life throws his way. I thanked God for ALL that Ryan brings. ALL of him.... his heart defect, his hospitalization. For without them, I wouldn't have learned the importance of relying on God. I wouldn't have come to the end of myself... unable to do anything, but rely. I wouldn't have learned how much my husband loves me and supports me. I never would've given him the chance to show me. With the other two it's easy to work my way in and out of situations, with Ryan's illness, there's no working at it. It's only surrender. For that I'm truly grateful.

And it reminded me God gave us a gift in another child.... His only Son, Jesus. It is this child's birth that we celebrate at Christmas. This gift that changes the story of life should we chose to accept it. Have you ever stopped to consider what His gift might mean for you?

In the News...

2011-12-02T07:02:00.003-05:00

UPDATE: LINK FOR NEWSPAPER ARTICLE AND VIDEO, CLICK HERE.

Um, I blinked and it's suddenly December!! I was without my computer Monday until Thursday morning (had a few posts pre-set) so I have a lot of catching up to do. But today, I have some big news... no pun intended! Our family will be featured on the front page of the Pittsburgh Trib this Sunday, Dec. 4 and again on Monday, Dec. 5. They rarely do a two-part series, but the editors thought Ryan being the first survivor of his combination of defects is worthy of two days!! We've been working on the article since the end of August, and by 'we' I mean them... Chris the reporter and Andy the photographer.

You might remember we met Andy in a local park before we settled on our house. Out of all the families playing that day he walked up to me and asked if he could take pictures of my kids. One thing led to another and the rest is history.

I'll try to get a link up for the article (there will be an online version, a photo gallery, and a video) as soon as I can. And don't worry, Papa, I'll get you a hard copy of the paper. You too, mom, and Pop and Marmi.

For the rest of you, I hope you have a great weekend. It's starting to look a lot like Christmas around our house.

I lost the battle and I might just be losing the war.

2011-11-30T07:02:00.001-05:00

So my son and I have this ongoing battle. It's about movies. About which ones he should watch, how often he should watch them, and if he watches them on the t.v. or the computer. Seriously. He's not even three-years-old. The moment I reach out my arms to get him out of his crib in the morning he says, "movie." He says it with this hopeful tone and raised eyebrows. "No movie. It's time for breakfast. We don't watch movies during breakfast." I must say this EVERY morning. He still asks for one EVERY morning.

The problem is Ryan doesn't really like to play. He likes to either be flat on his back watching a movie, or doing.... doing somersaults, putting toys in and out of containers, picking his letters out of a book or taking everything out of the kitchen drawers. So almost every day I break down by the afternoon and let him watch a movie. It's the same every day - I get him out of his crib after his nap, he looks at me with eyebrows raised and chirps in his little voice, "Movie". I nod this time and he says, "Yay! Movie!" He nearly wets his pants with excitement.

Okay, problem solved, you think. Yeah, not so much. See, Ryan has the attention of a 2 yr-old. He watches very few movies the whole way through. So we spend the next twenty minutes with him picking out movies, me putting them in going through the whole menu and pushing play, him watching 5 minutes before starting the process all over again. It's painful. Very painful. The only movies he'll watch the whole way through are The Story of Joseph, Little Einsteins (until it gets to the scratch and won't play anymore), the Letter Factory et al, Barbie in the Princess and the Pauper, and Barbie and the Three Musketeers. Henry and I have decided he needs a boy movie for Christmas. Maybe then he'll watch them. Any ideas?

Holiday cards.. yes or no.

2011-11-28T07:02:00.005-05:00

Tiny Prints is running a Twelve Days of Ollie sweepstakes to help celebrate the Christmas season. Go to their facebook page here and click on the Win a Trip to Jamaica link on the left nav bar to enter for the grand prize.

To order cards to send out this holiday season, go to their holiday card order page here and select the style you want. I looked around this weekend and found a couple different options. They offer traditional cards or the photo cards that are so popular these days. There are a few different ones I liked and can't decide if I want to do the family pic (with Natalie not looking)

...or one with just the kids. I might have someone take a new family photo and try to fit it on a different style. They have some awesome ones to choose from.

Do you send cards out for Christmas? Do you send out a family pic or just ones of the kids?

Disclaimer: I was compensated for this post, but the opinions and pictures are my own.

Shopping for something that will make a difference...

2011-11-25T07:02:00.002-05:00

It's Black Friday. Millions of people got up early, or put off sleeping, to wait in lines for the biggest deals of the season. It's officially the Christmas buying season and billions - with a B - will be spent on consumer products in the next four weeks. The girls' favorite catalog came in the mail last week....

So did mine...

This holiday season I encourage you to look beyond giving to just your family or coworkers and look to the global community. There are so many ways to give. Here are a few suggestions:

100% of your donation to Charity: Water is used to drill wells in developing nations. What I like about them is not only do they drill the wells, but they also teach the people the well serves how to maintain it. Many organizations don't do this so if the well breaks or needs maintenance there can be issues where the people no longer have water again.

Amazima was started by a girl name Katie who visited Africa during her senior year of high school (I hope I'm remembering the story right). She went back "for a few months" after she graduated and has yet to return home to the States for good. After seeing the devastation she was unable to turn her back on the literally millions of orphans on the African continent. She started adopting children that came to her door for food and now has a house full of (over 13) daughters who now rely on her for food and shelter. She often takes in more children and mothers with young children as they come. She started an organization that can receive donations to sponsor children in her area... much like World Vision or Compassion International, but on a personal scale.

Your donation to World Vision helps developing nations in many ways including sponsoring a child, buying life-sustaining animals, funding micro-loans, giving clean water, and rescuing those enslaved by human trafficking. We love sitting down as a family and letting the girls pick out what animals they want to send to a family across the globe.

Samaritan's Purse is an organization who reaches poverty-stricken communities in various ways including offering food, shelter, and medical services. They have many ways to opportunities for giving from nation building (Sudan and Haiti) to paying for heart surgeries for kids in third-world countries who are born with congenital heart defects.

Kristen from We Are That Family started an home in Kenya where pregnant women and girls can go to gain shelter, nutrition, and love in their decision to carry their babies to term in the poverty stricken nation. Kristen and her family's decision to step out in faith and start such a great ministry in a true testament to what God can accomplish when we live in obedience. To find out more about their story or to give, please click on the logo above.

For something a little closer to home and perhaps a little more personal, donate your time by helping feed those in your community at a local food shelter; helping build a home for the homeless with your local Habitat for Humanity; helping mentor a child in your community at your local Boys and Girls Club. You can also bless hospitalized children and their families by donating Christmas toys to your local Children's Hospital or money to your local Ronald McDonald House. If you don't have a local pediatric hospital or RMH, please feel free to donate to the ones our family used during Ryan's first year of life. You can find out more information about each by clicking on words in blue above.

I'm thankful for....

2011-11-24T07:54:00.003-05:00

I'm thankful for hobbits who climb into bed to snuggle in the wee hours of the morning, making their way in one-by-one until our bed is full of little fingers and little toes.

...for a giant who remembers to be the tooth fairy time and time again (Last night as I'm putting Natalie to bed: Mom, the tooth fairy didn't come last night. Me, incredulously: She didn't?! She never comes the first night! Natalie: I know, she's sooo busy! ..... and I still forgot, but the giant remembered. Whew!)

...for a little hobbit whose heart beats against me when I hold him, who throws his arms around his mama and squeezes tight.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Homemade Cranberry Sauce

2011-11-23T07:02:00.001-05:00

Cranberry Sauce is one of those things you either love or hate. I happen to love it. A few years ago I found out how incredibly easy it is to make so today I'm going to share it with you. It's as easy as making a peanut and butter sandwich. Seriously.

First you gather all your ingredients. All three of them: One bag cranberries, one cup water, one cup sugar.

Combine them in a saucepan. Give them a stir if it makes you feel better.

Turn on the flame. Have your assistant watch over it to keep her busy.

Bring the mixture to a boil and boil for five minutes or until berries pop.

Turn off the stove and let it cool. This is what it will look like.

Put it in the fridge for up to three days (go make it now and stick it in the fridge. For Realz. It's better if you let it sit) then serve in a pretty bowl.

Um. That's it. Think you can handle it?

Looking for Liz!

2011-11-22T15:32:00.002-05:00

Liz - If you're reading this... email me!! You won the TRX suspension training package and I haven't heard from you!! Email me STAT. Thanks.

The Unplanned

2011-11-22T07:02:00.002-05:00

Monday was not the day I planned, but that's okay. I wanted to sew two curtain panels because somehow I got it in my mind to paint and make curtains for the living room in time for Thanksgiving. That will not be happening. The painting and two of eight panels are done. But I'm accepting the fact the room won't be beautiful yet.

Instead of sewing curtain panels, I spent the day doing something "special" with my five-year-old. Natalie's a morning person. She's up with Henry before the rest of us crack an eyelid. She tries to wait for us to naturally get up, but once Henry leaves for work she gets lonely. She has learned trying to wake me up gets her nowhere. Yesterday morning she decided to wake up her sister.

Ainsley's a night owl. It often takes her longer to fall asleep than the other two and longer to roll out in the morning. Her sweet spot's between 8 and 8:30. Natalie began prodding her before 7. That made for a rough morning. Ains cried, fussed, and generally complained on and off for an hour before I was smart enough to drop everything I was doing (at that point it was cleaning up the kitchen, doing bills, and thinking of heading to the treadmill) and pour into the sourpuss. It's a much better (although more time-consuming) approach than battling through the grouchiness.

So we baked. And baked. And baked some more. I'm in charge of half the desserts for my family's Thanksgiving feast on Friday and just one little measly dessert for Henry's family here on Thursday. So it was something I needed to do anyway and I knew Ainsley would enjoy.

The first thing we did was to make cookies - about 8 dozen. With 34 people expected on Friday and some staying throughout the weekend, I figure it's best to have plenty on hand. I personally prefer Hershey's chocolate chip recipe (the salt ratio gets me every time) so we made chocolate chip, the same base recipe with craisins and white choc. chips, and snickerdoodles. Ainsley loved the idea of sugar and cinnamon on the outside of the cookie and giggled at the name.

To make things go faster, I measured out the ingredients for the Hershey's base recipe twice - but at the same time. Each kid had a dry ingredients bowl to stir.

Ainsley was in charge of the wet ingredients in the mixer.

We tried letting Ryan help put the dry ingredients into the mixer, but some ended up on the counter and floor....

To keep him busy I let him sweep when he was bored.

After dropping Ainsley at school I came home to make a pumpkin log and a huge batch (6 dozen) of Courtney's pumpkin muffins. They are delish.... not that I tasted them or anything, ya know, being on a sugar ban and all, but I was told they are delish by the kids who scarfed a few down. (Oh okay, I had two bites of pumpkin muffin, and a bite of choc. chip cookie, and a bite of snickerdoodle, but that's it.)

And by the way, Ainsley was soooo much happier when we started baking it was worth not finishing the living room.

I couldn't help myself.

2011-11-21T07:02:00.001-05:00

10 Crafts to Keep the Kids Busy on Thanksgiving

2011-11-18T07:02:00.006-05:00

When we went camping last weekend, I tried to take crafts that didn't require a lot of supplies to pack. Here are few ideas you can use over Thanksgiving or any time of the year.

1) Pet Rocks

Pet rocks are pretty self-explanitory. Find large rocks (or mushrooms as Ainsley did) in the yard. Paint them any way you want. I used a trash bag opened at the seams as a table cloth. Once the kids were done and the rocks dry, I collected anything that wasn't trash then folded up the whole garbage bag and threw everything else away. It made for very easy clean up.

Martha has some great ideas here for making rock critters.

2) Q-tip Trees

We used q-tips to make these trees. If you don't want to bring q-tips, you could also use thumbprints.

3) Handprints/Footprints.

I like to mark the passage of time by recording my children's handprints and footprints every so often. I try to do it annually, but sometimes the years slip away from me. I took advantage of a captive audience and their paint last weekend and captured their handprint sizes last week. We didn't have a big tub of paint so we simply applied paint to their appendages with a paint brush. My biggest tip is to apply a thin layer... a thick one makes their hands slippery and you don't get as clear an image.

4) Leaf Rubbings

I taught the kids how to do leaf rubbings. Ainsley especially liked that you could make the leaves different colors. We also rubbed some ferns we found during our hike.

5) A Thankgiving turkey

If you have some scissors on hand, here's a great tutorial from Enchanted Learning on making a Thanksgiving Turkey. If it's not Thanksgiving time, you could do the same idea but make a flower... cut the circle and glue (you can make a simple glue paste with flour and water) petals around the outside.

6) Painting with pine needles

The Disney Family Fun website suggests using pine needles to paint snowflakes on wrapping paper. This would be a fun activity to do with your kids on regular craft or construction paper. Acorn tops could be used to make circles too.

7) Family portraits.

Have your kids make portraits of each other paying careful attention to eye and hair color. Or have them draw a family member and have you guess who they drew. Ainsley was ecstatic to realize Natalie had drawn a picture of her.

8) Family Handprints

I don't have a picture of this one, but start with the person with the largest hand. Have each person make a handprint on top of the last person's layering the largest to smallest. Label each hand for posterity.

9) Hand(or foot) print Animals

Draw simple animal shapes and complete them with your handprint or footprint, like this one from Meet the Dubiens

or this penguin

There are several more ideas here...

10) Paint free-style

Just let them paint. Anything they want. My kids aren't given free-reign over paint that often so just having the freedom to do what they want with it is a treat. You might be surprised with what they come up with.

Of all the things we took last weekend the crayons, paint and paper were used the most. It just goes to show the simplest things in life can be the best.

Planning a Feast

2011-11-17T07:02:00.002-05:00

A few years ago I spotted a holiday timeline in a magazine and clipped it for future reference. I finally got around to reading it this year and realized it's an 8-week guide to planning out the holidays. Eight. Weeks. That's two months. I'm a planner and all, but planning two months for two days of the year is a little extreme. For Thanksgiving, they suggest planning out your menu a month in advance, shopping for nonperishables two weeks in advance and making place cards a week in advance. Place cards? It seems to me like someone has too much time on their hands! Or has staff. You're talking to someone who didn't have time to read the article for several years, let alone have time to make place cards.

Eh-em. Thanksgiving does not take four weeks to plan. Seriously. It's a meal for goodness sakes. It's roasting a bird and making a few sides and several desserts. Throw in an appetizer and some after-dinner coffee and you've got yourself a nice feast.

This year Henry and I are hosting his family. There will be 12 of us. That's 3 more people than I cooked for on a regular basis in high school. It took me longer to figure out how to cook for 2 people when I got married (instead of 9) than it did to figure out how to roast a turkey. And the nice thing about Thanksgiving is that everyone pitches in and helps. I'm not stuck making all the food.... or setting the table by myself.

There are tons of resources out there to tell you how much bird to figure - 1.5 pounds of meat per person... so an 18-pound bird should do us. If you don't want leftovers, figure 1 pound per person.

The Butterball Turkey website has a lot of information on choosing the right bird for your group and how long to cook it. Whole Foods has a few delicious sounding recipes if you want to mix it up a little this year. We'll go the traditional route since we're set in our ways.

I might live on the edge and try a couple new dessert recipes out on the gang. How about you? Are you staying local or headed somewhere? What's your favorite dish? Do you help cook?

The Last Day

2011-11-16T07:02:00.002-05:00

By now you are sick of reading about our weekend. I promise this is the last day!

Sunday morning we packed up the car with everything we brought, plus more, and headed out for another hike. Henry wanted to check out "The Lost Children of the Alleghenies" monument. A monument marking the place where the bodies of two brothers (ages 7 and 5, ironically) were found in the late 1800s after their community searched for them for two weeks. They'd wandered off one day to play and never made it home. Just seeing the sign (and not yet knowing the story) made me shudder. I run from anything reminding me my children may one day fail to return home. Not Henry... he never thinks something could happen to his kids.

When we'd seen the memorial then taken the kids to pee (Natalie: I should've gone potty when you told me to) we came back to the mountain to see if we could hike our trail from the rear and find where we'd ended the day before. The girls found us all hiking sticks, including Ryan. Um, so cute. He twirled it around and held on to it for the entire hike.

We found our spot from the day before - Henry had marked it with a rock and dead branch sticking haphazardly out of a tree stump.

When we got back down the mountain the girls wanted to take Henry and my picture. "Stand with your leg up, mom!" they chorused. So I stood with one leg up feeling much like a flamingo. A flamingo that hikes and wears tennis shoes and a parka. (the things we do for our kids)

Before leaving I couldn't resist taking the kids down to the creek to get some pictures. I wish I could show them all to you, but alas, I think blogger would shut me down. So instead I'll give you a sampling.

(Ryan signing cat)

We ate lunch and then took a driving tour of 6 historic covered bridges in the area. Henry and I like to drive on our vacations - to see as much as we can see. Our kids are used to it. We told Ryan it was time to go to sleep. He was asleep within five minutes. Natalie used to go to sleep on command too. We thought we were awesome parents. Then we had Ainsley who didn't sleep in the car until she was three. We fought her the first year then realized no matter how much we fussed her, asked her, begged her, etc., she was not sleeping in the car. We realized we weren't so great of parents as much as Natalie was such a great kid (not that Ains isn't a great kid. She IS. In many ways. She just humbles us a lot more.) So Ryan slept for some of the trip, the girls colored in the back seat before taking a nap of their own, and Henry and I listened to music and chatted as we navigated through the countryside of Bedford County. It was great.

We headed home about 4:30 in the afternoon, in time to stop at the grocery store on the way home and almost get the kids to bed on time. Whew. What an amazingly perfect trip, even with all it's hiccups.

Day Two - Blue Knob Park

2011-11-15T07:02:00.003-05:00

Saturday morning we headed back to the 'cabin' and found the ranger had unlocked the door. Yea!! We unloaded all our things and then headed out for a hike. The weather turned out to be gorgeous! We didn't need jackets at all and the sun was shining. Awe-some!

Ryan wasn't sure about the hiking pack at first, but soon got used to it. I'm not sure what we're going to do when he's too big to carry. With his low-energy, he'll probably never be able to hike long distances. And by long distances I mean more than a half-hour at a time. Stink. But we'll cross that bridge when we get to it. For now, we threw him in the pack.

At the end of the hike we came to a playground. These two headed right for the swings and complained when we left.

Back at the cabin the girls broke out the crafts....

Henry started a puzzle.

Ryan played with some toys I brought especially for him.

As it got dark, Henry built a fire for Ainsley. The girl loves fires. "We should've brought marshmallows!" she said.

Marshmallows you say?

We spent the evening playing quietly. Henry and I finished the puzzle after the kids went to bed. With the first night spent out and the weather being so wonderful today, we only did half the activities (if that) I brought. Henry and I agreed we could use another day or two in the mountains, but decided it was too much to keep the kids out of school. We'll plan better next year and take advantage of a holiday weekend. We'll definitely do something like this again. We were asleep about 5 seconds after our heads hit our pillows. Sigh.

The Winner is....

2011-11-14T07:04:00.001-05:00

Number 24! Liz who said, "I am at home with our son and don't have much time to work out at the gym! My time working out outside is coming to a halt soon with cooler weather (Indiana). I love reading your blog and your upward and encouraging words!"

Liz, congratulations. Please email me with your address so I can send the TRX package out to you!

National Lampoon's the Marquiss Way

2011-11-14T07:02:00.003-05:00

It all started with a plan. A plan to get out more as a family... into nature... away from technology and all the busyness that comes with it. "When we move, I want to camp more," Henry had said. And by camping he meant staying in a cabin with heat and electricity. I knew what he meant cause I'm his wife and all.

So I planned. And did research. And made lists.

The cabin (we'll call it a cabin even though it's a house the state park calls a cabin) comes with electricity, indoor plumbing, and heat, but does not come with bedding...

Or a television (a bag of games, toddler toys, and a bin of crafts)

We knew we were cutting it close for still having good weather. Pittsburgh and the surrounding area isn't exactly known for mild winters so I packed gloves, hats, scarves and heavy coats. Good thing.... as we drove closer to the park we ran into snow flurries. Nothing sticking, but swirling wind and frigid temps. Now you know why I packed all the 'fun' stuff. I wasn't exactly sure how much hiking we'd be doing with the weather forecast, but I did know we'd be having fun.

Henry asked me about a half-hour into the trip, "Did you grab a pair of shoes for me?" Um, no. Turns out he was packing up the car in his slippers. Guess what he wore all weekend? I have soooo done this. More than once.

When we pulled off to eat, we saw a sign for the Flight 93 Memorial. Being the spontaneous folks we are, we decided to take a detour and remember those who lost their lives in a heroic act 10 years ago. I meant to take a picture of the entrance and forgot. I found this photo on the National Parks' website.

(photo credit: National Park Service website)

We bundled up in our winter accessories and made the trek to the outside memorial.

The crash site can be seen from a walkway built to the side. (Only family members of those who lost their lives are allowed to access the crash site. All other visitors can view it from the walkway and visit the monument)

At the end of the walkway is a monument listing all those who died.

A close up.

It was really moving to visit the crash site. We explained to the girls that it was like a cemetery built for people who had lost their lives trying to save others. Henry and I both teared up reading the plaques that outlined the events of the day and the actions of the plane passengers. I highly recommend paying your respects if you're ever in the Shanksville, PA area.

Soon we were on our way to Blue Knob State Park. The girls were ecstatic to be staying in a cabin. They were a little disappointed when we arrived at a brick and mortar house. Henry and I were more disappointed when we realized the ranger locked the door on his way out after leaving our key on the counter. He was supposed to leave the door unlocked! We tried calling the park office and reservation line, but it was 5:09 and both were already closed. Drats. We left messages and then did what any blue-blooded American parents would do. We found the closest hotel we could and checked-in. Then headed out for dinner.

We ate at the Jean Bonnet Tavern in Bedford. Can anyone say YUM? Henry'd done some research prior to our trip and was going to bring us here Saturday as a surprise. With the cabin mix up he decided to bring us here Friday. It was amazing. Amazing atmosphere, amazing food.... just what we needed. Henry had a filet sandwich. I had scallop, asparagus, tomatoes and orzo pasta drizzled with pesto. Both entrees were excellent. Then we took a hiatus from our sugar ban to try the peanut butter pie and chocolate cake. It was worth it. But now we're back on the wagon.

(sorry for the terrible picture. blame the point-and-shoot camera)

While waiting for their meal, these two colored the kid's placemat.

This one piled his crayons on his pewter plate and then dumped them out. Over and over and over.

After a blissful dinner, we went back to the hotel, kissed each other good-night and went to bed. All of us. At 8:40. 'Cause we're cool like that.

Right around the corner

2011-11-10T01:58:00.004-05:00

Thanksgiving's two weeks from today. It kind of snuck up on me. The day after Halloween I felt immense relief from tension I didn't know I was holding. I guess the busyness of planning Natalie's birthday party, Ainsley's class Halloween party, Henry's birthday, and making Halloween costumes was a lot of pressure for one weekend. Within three days all the different "to do" lists left my mind and with it came pure excitement for the season ahead. But instead of transitioning to turkeys and pumpkin pie, I can't get my mind off Christmas. It's the first year in at least three that I'm ready for Christmas... mentally and emotionally. I keep reminding myself we haven't had Thanksgiving yet. So I'm going to try and take the next two weeks to settle down and count my blessings (although I try to advocate being grateful year-round.)

Taking advantage...

2011-11-09T07:02:00.001-05:00

... of the 68 degree day while we can.

My new favorite snack

2011-11-08T07:02:00.003-05:00

Henry and I made a pact that we'd abstain from as much processed sugar as possible now until the new year to help ward off the holidays pounds. Our only exceptions will be Thanksgiving day and Christmas day. I'm not sure I can do it, but I'm certainly going to try. After binging on Halloween candy most of last week, I'm ready for a little reprieve from sugar anyway, but going cold turkey is one of the crazier things I've done in my life. What can I say, I'm pretty tight-laced.

In trying to keep myself satisfied, I'm working on having food in the house that's delicious and nutritious. Here's one of my favorite new snacks and couldn't be easier to make. It consists of canned beets, crumbled goat cheese, and a sprinkling of arugula. Add a little salt and pepper to taste and you have a scrumptious dish.

What's your favorite snack that doesn't use processed sugar?

TRX Suspension Training Giveaway!!

2011-11-07T07:02:00.004-05:00

I've been talking a lot about going to the Y and exercising and some of you are saying, "Yeah, great, but you stay home. You have tons of time to go to the gym. I don't have that time to commit." Well I have exciting news.

TRX, the makers of the TRX Suspension Training system generously offered to give one of my lucky readers a TRX Suspension Training Propack plus a TRX Door Anchor (over $200 in value).

If you haven't heard of the TRX, click here to check it out. It's a portable home gym system consisting of a simple strap assembly that you can do various strength training exercises on where ever you might be. With the addition of the door anchor you can even take it with you traveling (or decide not to bolt it to the wall of your home).

I was first introduced to the product at Natalie's school, but this product is used international by athletes, military personnel, and trainers alike. This is the perfect product for someone who doesn't have the time to drive to and from the gym and needs flexibility in their strength training regimen.

Here are the ways you can qualify for the giveaway. Comment separately for each action to receive multiple entries:

1) Comment telling me if you would use the TRX Suspension Training system for yourself. If you plan to gift it to someone, tell me who.

2) Facebook, blog, or tweet with a link to this giveaway and leave me a comment saying you did so.

3) Sign up as a follower of this blog. If you're already a follower, let me know.

I'll leave the giveaway open until Thursday at 11:00 p.m. EST. I'll announce the winner next Monday morning. This is an awesome giveaway so hurry and enter!! (make sure I have your email so I can contact you in case you win.)

What do you do all day? Do you get bored?

2011-11-04T07:02:00.003-04:00

Thursday:

1 a.m. - Hit the sack

7:45 a.m. - Get out of the sack

8:45 a.m. - Natalie on the school bus

9 a.m. - Ryan's physical therapy appointment

10:30 a.m. - Pilates class at the Y

11:45 a.m. - Pick up car from shop (drive through Wendy's to get lunch for me and kids, drive off without my drink)

12:50 p.m. - Drop Ainsley at school

1:15 p.m. - Ryan's 2 1/2-year well-baby checkup

2:30 p.m. - Finally home... Ryan down for nap; 20 minute nap for mom

3 p.m. - Start painting family room

3:30 p.m. - Ryan awake; put movie in so I can keep painting

3:50 p.m. - Girls home from school

6:00 p.m. - Heat up leftovers for the kids (still painting)

7:50 p.m. - Put kids to bed (still painting)

10:00 p.m. - Start cleaning up after finishing the family room. whoot whoot!

10:15 p.m. - Hot shower

10:30 p.m. - Sit down.

Friday:

9:15 a.m. - Kickboxing class at the Y

10:30 a.m. - Drop Ainsley at play date

11:30 a.m. - Natalie has mole removed from ear (they're putting her under for the procedure to decrease anxiety. Pray there are no complications)

Hoping for a relaxing weekend!

A New Type of Fingerprinting

2011-11-02T22:50:00.001-04:00

Let's take a vote. Are these the fingerprints of a seven-year-old, a five-year-old or a two-year-old?

Trick or Treat

2011-11-01T07:02:00.001-04:00

Today's kindergarten party was really sweet. Here's Ainsley with two of her friends.

And the whole class.

The school has a parade. Here's Ainsley watching the older grades go by.

Natalie catching sight of Ains.

Showing me her panda tail.

Trick or Treating would've been much nicer if it wasn't raining... but this is Pittsburgh. (I just found out we get more inches of rain per year than Seattle. Great.)

You can barely see them, but here's Ains and Nat getting candy from the neighbor. We walked with another family from just down the road. Their daughter, Gabriella, is friends with Natalie.

After about five houses, Ryan and I headed inside to hand out candy while Henry and the girls toured the neighborhood. Our little Angry Bird was sitting in his stroller eating candy while getting rained on. We figured it'd be better for him to sit inside a warm house eating candy. I might've eaten a few pieces myself.

Hopefully next year won't be so wet!

Natalie's Spa Birthday Party

2011-10-31T07:02:00.001-04:00

Friday night we had the girls in Natalie's class over for a spa birthday bash. Natalie loved the decorations.

The drink and dessert table:

The food table:

We served hot ham and cheese sliders, roasted potatoes, fruit kabobs, and dried fruit. Most the kids ate it. :)

Before dinner the girls made a bag of scented bath salts. The babysitters I hired to help out with the party led the girls through the activity while I put the finishing touches on the food.

The girls loved picking out their own custom scents and making their sachets.

After dinner, we headed upstairs to do mud masks. Ainsley thought it was hilarious to put cucumbers on your eyes.

Natalie just thought they were cold.

Then we headed downstairs to do hair. Each girl got their own brush to take home with them. (My mama didn't raise no fool!)

Next up - manicures and pedicures

While the girls were waiting for their nails to dry, Natalie opened her presents. She's old enough to read her own cards now. Wow!

We ended the evening with cake and ice cream. At the last minute, something had to give and it was making a wonderfully designed theme-cake. Natalie didn't seem to mind too much. She was more excited to have real decorations and a boat load of friends to share her day with.

After filling the girls up with sugar and more sugar, I sent them home like any good party host would do. I'm nice like that.

Happy birthday, Natalie!

Friday's Random Ramblings

2011-10-28T07:02:00.001-04:00

I have so many things randomly floating around in my head it's hard to make sense of it all. I'm tired the last few days. I haven't been getting enough sleep and it's catching up with me. I resorted to drinking caffeine and taking naps when I can... which isn't that often. The good news is my manuscript is due to my editor (one I'm paying for, not a publisher's, boo hoo) around November 1. The better news is I'm done the rewrite and just going back now searching for a few words I need to fix. This part is monotonous and long. No fun at all really, but makes for better writing. If he says it's not good enough to pitch to an agent, I'm not rewriting it. I lived through it once and wrote about it twice. I can't, just can't, do it again. How did I ever get through all that....? (God's grace is the only answer. Seriously.)

Okay, enough about that. This weekend's full. We're celebrating Natalie's birthday tonight with a few of her classmates. I have to finish Ainsley's and Natalie's costumes by Sunday night so they can wear them to school on Monday (for some reason I thought it'd be great to sew them costumes even though I've never used a sewing machine - except once in a sewing class where the teacher didn't teach me a thing!). I'm proud to say I'm getting the hang of the sewing machine and embarrassed to say my lines aren't very straight. But they're just Halloween costumes.

Monday's Halloween. I'm the classroom mom for Ainsley's class so I'll be volunteering for their afternoon party. Then there's a neighborhood party followed by trick-or-treating. I'm trying to figure out when to fit in Henry's birthday cake. The poor man competes with candy every year.

I made a list of things I need to do over the next few weeks... it's not complete, but here it is.

Winterize the house
Nail down Thanksgiving and Christmas plans
Garden planning for the Spring
Pruning plants for winter (roses, take out raspberry plant)

There's more, of course, like painting the entire first floor including kitchen cabinets, making curtains, hanging pictures on the walls, Christmas shopping, etc, etc, etc. It'll all get done in time or deleted from the list when I can't stand looking at that line item anymore. The biggest up in the air item is planning a garden. I've wanted to have one for umpteen years and was hoping to sow a few crops this year. By crops I mean a few plants, not a few acres. The neighbors tell me the deer are a problem. Anyone have any tips for keeping them out of the veggies?

Maple-Glazed Pears

2011-10-27T07:02:00.001-04:00

I love the cool, crisp weather we've had lately. It makes me in the mood for homey food like maple-glazed pears. I got this recipe from Southern Living's Slow Cooker Cookbook. It's easy to make - just throw the ingredients in a slow cooker for the afternoon - and it's delicious.

Maple-Glaxed Pears

6 Bosc pears, peeled, cored, and halved (I've used apples too)

1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar

2 tablespoons maple syrup

2 tablespoons butter, melted

1/8 teaspoon ground ginger

1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon

Vanilla ice cream

Caramel sauce

Place pears in a 4-quart slow cooker

Combine brown sugar and next 4 ingredients in a small bowl. Pour over pears.

Cover and cook on LOW 4 hours or until pears are tender but still hold their shape.

Serve warm plain or with ice cream and caramel sauce. (I also add pecans or walnuts for extra yumminess.)

Enjoy!

New Kid on the Block

2011-10-26T07:02:00.004-04:00

Ryan had a meet-and-greet with a cardiologist here in Pittsburgh Tuesday. Dr. Donofrio felt it was a good idea to get a team in our area in case there's an emergency or we need something checked out. We met with one of the "Top Docs" referred to us by a local. Ryan's medical file didn't arrive on time so he asked me to give him Ryan's history in a nutshell. He knew none of Ryan's story.

As I progressed through Ryan's first year Dr. B said, "This is a tremendous story you're telling me." He was fascinated by some of the innovative things CNMC did in Ryan's case and had lots of questions. He said Ryan's looking great, especially for all of his heart defects and length of stay in the hospital. The only thing he really wants to track is Ryan's hemoglobin to make sure his blood doesn't get too thick. We're set to go back in six months.

Ryan's truly growing up. Today was the first time he stood to be measured instead of lying down and having the nurse draw a line at his head and heels. He's 2 ft. 9 in. - exactly 4 ft shorter than his dad.

It is also the first time he stood to be weighed. He's a whopping 29.6 pounds. His weight has stayed the same for about a year even though he's growing. Now that he's thinning out, I'm worried he won't be able to keep his weight up. Ice cream anyone?

He got a quick EKG... he wasn't too sure about the probes until we told him they were special stickers.

We tried to get his blood pressure, but the machine wouldn't read it on his arm or leg. (It's so hard for a little boy to stay still)

And they took his O2 saturations - they bounced around a bit, but we definitely got some high 70s and all the way to 80. It was good to have confirmation he's still satting that high.

I filled out a new patient form. It took me about 10 minutes. One, I was distracted. Two, there's a lot to fill out for him. It's a bit overwhelming reading the questions and realizing I had to remember and write everything Ryan's been through. Questions like:

How many times and how long has your child been hospitalized?

What surgery(ies) has your child had?

The Joy of Cooking with kids

2011-10-25T07:02:00.002-04:00

Watching the icing turn purple...

When did it happen?

2011-10-23T23:01:00.003-04:00

Dear Natalie,

Today you turn seven years old. Seven! Can you believe it? You seem so much older to me sometimes. You're curious about everything, always wanting to know why or how something works. And while lately you've been a little shy around new people, you're mostly adventurous when it comes to trying new activities or food. You want to experience life to the fullest.

You are compassionate. One time you told daddy and me that you wanted to make lots of money. When I asked you why you said, "So I can give it to all the poor people."

You are nurturing. You always make sure your little brother has what he needs. And when your sister isn't getting on your nerves, you like to take care of her too.

You're administrative. You like to make lists, plan activities, and manage those around you.

You are loved. Daddy and me love you very much as do Ainsley and Ryan. We are so grateful to have you in our family. We hope you have a wonderful seventh birthday.

Love,

Mommy

One King's Lane

2011-10-23T16:57:00.002-04:00

Just saw that One King's Lane has a few reasonably priced items on sale today. There are quite a few things in the $17-20 range in a Co-Op of home accents and also some pretty napkin rings (set of 4) for $15 in the flatware sale. If you're looking to spend your $15 credit for signing up, today's a great day to get something for almost free. Happy shopping.

The boy: An update

2011-10-21T07:02:00.001-04:00

In the last three weeks a cognitive light-bulb has gone off in Ryan's brain. He's mimicking everything the girls do whether it be singing, spelling or dancing in circles. He's asking for things in groups,.. "bread, peanut butter, jelly." "Movie. Steins (Little Einsteins)." Still no verbs, but lots and lots of words. And questions. "Happened?" "Come? (How come?)" And connecting dots. When I say, Let's go! He says, "Cars!" Or when I say, The girls'll be home soon. He says, "Bus!"

He started initiating games too. Typically when I'm trying to keep him stimulated in the car I'll say an animal and ask him what it says. Last Saturday while we were driving around he said, "Mom, cow. moo." I repeated what he said (if you don't have a toddler just know that if you don't acknowledge what they say, they say it over and over until you do). Then he said, "Sheep. Baaaaaaa." He continued through all the animals he knows and then started over.

He's also suddenly constantly on the move. He's always taking my hand saying, "Play, play." He loves the playground, especially the swings and slide; he's taken to puzzles, which I've tried to get him to like for the past year, he loves movies... what male doesn't!, and throwing balls. He's all boy. Oh, except he like Barbie movies. His sisters have trained him well.

The biggest thing to happen this week is that two days in a row he's come to me and asked to get on the potty. He's done this before. He likes to wipe. What can I say? I don't pee in private anymore. But the last two days, the times he's asked me to get on the potty, he's actually gone poopy. Both times. Within a minute of me putting him on the pot. The boy knew he had to go. Whoo hoo for poo poo. I've been putting him on the pot the last few weeks when I think he's about to go poop. It wasn't until this Weds that he initiated getting on the pot. I think the light bulb has gone on for him.

He loves pointing out letters. I've been pretty laid back with him and learning. But along the way he's picked up about half the alphabet. When we're in stores or out and about and he sees a letter he knows he'll point to it and yell it's name. He started this in late August. We were at kindergarten orientation when he pointed to a banner with the letter R and said "R!" It surprised me so I came home and tried to figure out how many letters he knew. He probably knew about 5 or 6. In the last two months he's picked up quite a few more.

While we're on that note, he knows what a circle, square, rectangle, heart, diamond, star, and triangle are.

It's exciting to see the little wheels turning in his brain. As I sat crouched down by the potty waiting for my son to drop a log the other day, I looked at him and realized he's a becoming a little boy. Yea!

Our little dancer.

2011-10-19T07:02:00.001-04:00

No-Sew Angry Birds Costume

2011-10-18T07:02:00.002-04:00

For those of you living under a rock Halloween is coming up in a few weeks. I normally buy the kids' costumes at yard sales. With the move, I was a little distracted. Now I'm at the mercy of whatever their little brains come up with. Natalie is undecided. Ainsley wants to be a bat (for the love?). Ryan... Ryan doesn't know what he wants to be. He's two-and-a-half. But he knows what he likes. It looks like this:

I looked an Angry Bird costume up on the internet. It was big and bulky. And not really that cute. So I decided to make a dumb-down version of my own. Here's what you need...

Stitch-Witchery; sharp scissors; a red t-shirt; black, white, and yellow felt; an iron, a permanent marker, round things to trace, a scrap piece of material, and safety pins.

Start with a t-shirt larger than your child.

Measure a panel of scrap material and iron it onto the interior front of the t-shirt with stitch-witchery leaving the top open to make a pocket.

Cut your face parts from the felt. I traced the bottom of Henry's contact lens solution for the eyes, you can use a small glass if you need to. For the eyebrows I cut a rectangle, folded it over and cut angles from it until it resembled angry eyebrows. I was afraid the eyes were too Simpson-esque, but I kept the faith.

For the bird breast, I used a plate to guide my curve. I did not trace the circle. I made my arch wide enough to cut on the inside of my line in case it bled through.

Here's where it got a little tricky. The felt is too thick for the iron to heat through to melt the stitch-witchery. So I had to line up the pieces one-by-one with stitch-witchery and flip the shirt inside out to iron them on. I layered from the bottom up. If you have a better idea, go with your gut.

Or your butt..... okay, kidding. Here are the tail feathers. The kids thought they were hilarious. Even Ryan.

Then I tried several different things to stuff the front pocket of the shirt with. You forgot about the front pocket, didn't you?

I found a small stuffed animal the size of a ladies size 8 shoe. I guess I could've measured it, but I'm a busy mom of three young children so I had to think on my feet.

I folded him up into a circle and stuffed him in the shirt. Ryan laughed and thought I was tickling him.

I told him to hold still with his hands at his side for a picture. He thought I said "hands to the sky."

He finally got the idea and I decided I didn't like the poof.

It's much better without the dog, but with the pocket which flares the shirt out a little. Now to work on being angry.

Weekend to Remember

2011-10-17T07:02:00.001-04:00

We had a full weekend. Henry's mom came into town on Friday to visit. We love having Marmi with us. Saturday morning was cold and windy. The girls had games at the same time so Marmi, Ryan and I headed to Ainsley's game while Henry went with Natalie. Here's Ainsley on the field. It ended up being so cold I gave her my fleece to wear over her own two layers.

Marmi and Ryan

After soccer and lunch we headed downtown to the Carnegie Natural History museum. One thing we love about Pittsburgh is that we still have access to wonderful museums. We were kindof shell-shocked the first time since we're used to the free entrances at the Smithsonian Museums in DC. We bought a family membership and now it feels free. This was our first time going to the Natural History museum. We were impressed by their hall of mammals and didn't get to finish with the children's floor. We can't wait to go back.

Sisters.

Sunday we just hung out after church, relaxing. The girls played outside for several hours before coming in and watching some movies. We couldn't have asked for a better weekend. Well, okay, warmer weather on Saturday would've been nice...

Looking forward to a quieter week than last week. How 'bout you?

You're invited to One King's Lane

2011-10-16T21:09:00.003-04:00

Have you visited One King's Lane yet? It's a website with overstock brand name items for up to 70% off. Click here to sign up for a free membership and receive $15 in store credit on your first purchase.

*Disclaimer: I receive an incentive if you sign up from the link above and decide to make a purchase.

A dinner date with the kids

2011-10-13T07:02:00.002-04:00

I think a lot about my kids. About what I should be doing as a mom to give them the best environment to grow into the best them they can be. Henry once made a joke that my idea of fun is sitting and reading five chapters of a child psychology book. It'd be funny if it weren't so true.

I read something about a month ago that I can't get out of my head. I think because it hit so close to home. It was on the subject of building confidence in your kids. One of the simple pieces of advice was "pay attention to them." Don't be checked out all the time. Play with them. Look them in the eye when they're talking. Get off the computer/phone/iPad. Turn off the t.v. Don't act like you're annoyed when they want your attention.

Basically, act like they're important enough to engage with. There's nothing more demoralizing than thinking that even your parents don't want to be with you.

Yes, my toes were stepped on. It was a wake-up call because as an introvert there are many times I want to check out. I still think it's okay to check out every once and awhile on a day when I'm with the kids the full 12 hours. But on days when they're in school for most the day, there isn't any reason I can't engage for the four hours they're home.

Thursday night was rainy and dreary. Ainsley loves having a fire in the fireplace. She's always asking for one, even in the summer. She saw some firewood in the garage and asked if we could make a fire. I thought for a minute, "Why not?" I said. "Let's do it." She was ecstatic.

"Nat, go get the games. We're gonna do dinner and games by the fire. Let's go!"

Now Natalie was ecstatic. She loves games.

It was supposed to be soccer night so dinner was already casual. Cocktail meatballs in the crockpot with cantaloupe, apples and cheddar. I had to give some things up in order to do dinner and games. I had to clean and sweep the kitchen once the kids were in bed so I didn't sit down until 9 o'clock, a full hour after the kids were in bed.

But they're worth it!

My girl

2011-10-12T07:02:00.001-04:00

I had so much fun with Ainsley on Tuesday. For whatever reason I can't find my tennis shoes. So it was Yoga in the living room. Ainsley decided to do it with me. She does the cutest downward dog I've ever seen.

Right before school we headed to the dentist. Our neighbor recommended this dentist for kids and I thought we'd give them a try. The hygienist was amazing with Ainsley. His name is Ryan and right away he had her number. She didn't cry one time and did great during the x-rays.

My little Ryan kept himself busy with the toothbrush the hygienist Ryan gave him.

Busy, but great day.

A word or two about Zumba

2011-10-11T07:02:00.001-04:00

Looks like everyone agrees with Clayton - the person who called first should be the one to call back when callers become disconnected. This is now the official International Cell Phone Dropped Call Rule. K? Thanks for helping us settle that one. Whew!

Now on to something equally important - how I'm still going to the Y after a month. Last week was a little crazy with Ryan's cold. I only made it twice. It's noteworthy though because on Thursday I tried a Zumba class. In case you haven't heard of Zumba, here is a short clip to give you an idea.

That's mild compared to what the class was like. It was way faster. I'd like to tell you I knocked their socks off and danced my heart out, but we all know it didn't go like that. Give me a ball and basket to shoot at and I know how to handle my body. Give me a floor and a beat and I'm dead in the water. Literally. Several times I found myself standing still looking at the instructor with a puzzled look on my face. I couldn't figure out how to pump my hips and move my arms at the same time. It was quite like patting my head and rubbing my stomach at the same time, except I can actually do that.

After the second song I was tempted to leave the class not because I was embarrassed, but because I wasn't getting any fitness benefits. We all know I hate wasting time. However, my competitive spirit kicked in and I didn't want the ladies to think I couldn't hang. So my embarrassment over leaving the class trumped my embarrassment at how badly I dance. Figure that one out.

Anybody else try something out of your comfort zone lately?

A weekend and a question

2011-10-10T07:02:00.002-04:00

We had an awesome weekend. Henry's two brothers, Clayton and Ryan came for the weekend. Saturday we spent the morning at Natalie and Ainsley's soccer games. Poor Natalie got hit in the face with the ball but after a little lovin' from her dad, she was back in the game. She told me later the boy who kicked the ball came up to her when she got back in the game and apologized. It meant a lot to her and shows the power of good sportsmanship and compassion.

Ainsley told us during her game she had a "deal buddy." She explained she made a "plan" and asked another little boy to join her. Her plan? "When the white team is down by the goal we guarded it and kicked the ball out. When the yellow team has the ball, we help them (she was on the yellow team). Henry nor I have talked to her about defense. Love that girl!

Saturday night we got a babysitter for the kids and took Ryan and Clayton downtown. We ate at a Tapas restaurant and then walked the Southside Flats to get dessert at The Milkshake Factory. We ended the night with a quick tour of Mt. Washington.

During the course of the evening Ryan brought up an excellent point. There should be a universal rule for who should call back when two callers get disconnected. As it is, when I'm disconnected many times we're both trying to call back getting voicemails or busy signals. Ryan thinks the person whose name is first in the alphabet should do the calling. Clayton thinks the person who was the original caller should be the one to call back. So I'm taking a vote. What do you think the international rule on dropped calls should be? Feel free to come up with your own solution, too. (and for the fun of it, put where you're from in your answer.)