I Wonder Woman

Digging Out

2012-01-23T22:20:00.000-08:00

So. Snow. It happened.

We don't get much snow here, so when the reports started coming in that something BIG was coming, I didn't pay much attention. OK, yeah. We might get some snow, and it will be here a day or two, and melt, and fine. Snow is coming, got it.

I'm up a lot at night nursing Cocoa, so at 5:30 am, two Sundays ago, I didn't see any snow. I went back to bed.

By 7:30 am, there was a 1/4", the girls were ecstatic, and we got FOUR messages making sure we knew that church was cancelled. (We live in the foothills of the Cascade mountains, most neighborhoods around here are on mountains, or called ________ Heights, or __________ Highlands. Slippery is really, really bad. Plus, we hardly have any snow plows, sanding trucks, etc.) It kept on snowing, we bundled up and had a quiet Sunday, and all was well.

Monday through Wednesday, we were totally snowed in. The nearest mountain neighborhood (my parents') got about 8 inches, roads were terrible, there was no way my husband was going in to Seattle to work (hello, they have crazy hills in that city!) and he didn't want to leave me here with three kids and no working experience driving in the snow. He grew up in South Dakota, getting a car unstuck is no big deal for him. It's a big deal for me, with three kids in the car. Not that I intended to go anywhere, but still- I appreciated the gesture!

Wednesday, the ice storm hit. Thursday was supposed to warm up, with rain in the 40's. We got the rain, but it froze into a 1/4" sheet of ice over everything. The kids were walking on top of the snow, all the bushes and trees were bowed over under the weight of all that ice-encased snow. Then the trees started falling OVER, branches started breaking off (we're the Evergreen State- those trees are old and huge!) By Thursday afternoon 250,000 homes were without power, us included. Unfortunately, we lost power early in the morning, the heat had only been on for a little while. Our house quickly cooled to about 55, as soon as we heard that roads were at least passable in the afternoon, we called my brother and sister to let them know we were moving in (my parents were out of the country, there was lots of room at home! That was a fun e-mail to write. Dad: "Hi! We're in Guatemala today!" Me: "Hi! We're at your house today! And we're not leaving!" Friday and Saturday brought a wind storm (yes, that's three major weather storms in one week) and continued to knock down trees and branches, and taking out power for those that had just been turned back on. Even now, power isn't expected to be restored to everyone till Wednesday at the latest- we have extra teams working, from as far away as Arizona! Those guys are heroes.

(Me, cheering on the kids while they bowled on the Kinect)

I am so grateful to have family close by, but especially in times like this! We were so stir crazy at this point- my husband and I REALLY don't fight much, if ever. There's just not that many things worth getting upset about, you know? But...I was getting cabin fever, storming around the house. "Where are you going, Myrnie?" "I DON'T KNOW! I'M GOING TO GET SOMETHING DONE! ANYTHING! AUGH!!" And I'd stomp off to do some trivial task, and come shuffling back to the space heater we plugged into the neighbor's generator...it was sad. BUT, getting out of the house was marvelous! The kids and I spent Friday at my sister's house- she dolled me up and took some fun photos, I can't wait to show you guys!

(My eye. We were having trouble taking some self portraits, and getting the camera far enough away ;)

Power came back on Saturday, we came home and blitzed through the house work, and the week was over. There are still mounds of snow in the medians, and all our yards are still covered. But we've dug out. And now, my children thank Heavenly Father for electricity in every prayer they give.

Organized Simplicity

2012-01-17T15:29:00.000-08:00

Tsh Oxenreider, the geniusly calm voice behind the Simple network of blogs (!!!), has this amazing book called Organized Simplicity. It's been on my wish list for a while, but right now it is free as an ebook in both the Kindle and Nook online stores. If you don't have an e-reader, you can download the kindle reader to your computer or smart phone. I've just only begun reading the book, and plan on working my way through her suggestions for having an organized and simple life (who doesn't want that??)

I thought it would be fun to do a blog-along/read-along. As I work my way through her book, I'll be posting about our efforts and would love if anyone wanted to join us!

--Myrnie

No Photo

2012-01-16T21:54:00.000-08:00

First off, my camera battery is drained, and I keep forgetting to charge it.

Second off, doesn't it seem like MOST of life is completely un-photographable?

My baby falls asleep in my lap most nights, cuddled up against my chest, head turned up toward my face. I love his sweet little baby breath on my chin, and how at 11 months old he still just smells milky and sweet. I love how his little lips are parted, and his cheeks are flushed. Try and take a photo of that, without making him look like a fluke worm- I dare you. I certainly can't do it!

We went to IHOP tonight. Let me back up- my Ernie LOVES eating at restaurants. There have been times when she's asked daily (multiple times each day, even) if we could eat at such and such, or here, or there....we promised her that WHEN DADDY FOUND A NEW JOB, we would all go out for dinner. Some place nice. "Like IHOP?!?!?!" Umm. Sure. Yes. IHOP is exactly what I had in mind.

So. Sunday we got our first snow of the season- the city ground to a halt after the first 1/4". (Yes, we got three messages from church folks that church was cancelled.) It's now Monday night, it's colder than snot outside, and we are at IHOP. The restaraunt is deserted except for one lone man, but the hostess seats us way in the back corner. My girls have snagged two of the (nasty, grody, I can't believe they're touching that before eating) toys from the toy table. Our coats are a mountain in one corner of the booth. Cocoa is making his terrific "aaaaaaAAAAAA......aaaaaAAAAAAAAAAA" noise while head banging in his high chair. Mimi is wearing pants a full five inches too short, and a purple dress up dress that's more hole than dress at this point. Oh, and her hair is a mess. Ernie sits down and announces she's ill, so she's laying prostrate on her part of the bench. I'm in velour sweat pants that refuse to ever stay where I put them on my waist, so I keep convulsively pulling up my waist band and tugging down my t-shirt. Oh yeah, and I'm wearing a tank top, a t-shirt, a cropped cable knit cardigan, and an oversized (shapeless) tunic length wool cardigan. And it's missing buttons. (I thought we were snowed in today! My one pair of jeans is in the wash.) The girls keep announcing they need to go use the bathroom, so we parade out and back through the dining area, repeatedly.

The food arrives, hooray! The girls both ordered chocolate pancakes that are nearly bigger than their dinner plates, with cheery whipped cream faces. Mimi takes five bites and declares she's done, Ernie eats hers with gusto, then downs Mimi's. Cocoa takes a few nibbles of my pancake, then starts screeching to get out of his chair. By this time, Ernie's face is kind of alarming in its wildness: the sugar and excitement of being at a restaurant are catching up with her.

The next time we see the waitress, we beg for our check- just let us pay you now, because as soon as we're done with our food, we are RUNNING out that door. She laughs, and brings us the check- Wonder Daddy throws his credit card at her before she can leave again.

I know my kids can be angels at restaurants- Cocoa always comes with Wonder Daddy and I when we go out together, and it's never a problem. I know the girls can be just fine. But tonight? Oh no. Tonight was not fine.

We all finish up our dinners, and head home- I run the bath water before the girls even finish coming up the stairs. Bath time! Cocoa is happy not taking a bath, but soon coughs his way into needing a costume change, and I throw him in the tub with the girls.

We all read scriptures and hear the girls prayers, and Wonder Daddy reads them another few pages of Harry Potter (we've been at it for a few years now, and I'm not sure they're past chapter 4. I'm not too concerned about reading anything too scary while they're still young ;)

The girls are in bed, and Cocoa keeps wandering to the front room and crying. Sobbing. We realize it's because we've blocked access to Daddy's guitars- the boy is desperate to play on the strings, like his daddy lets him do sometimes. Sorry bud. Wonder if we should get him a ukulele for his upcoming birthday?

Now it's 9:30, all the kids are asleep, and still I know- I never want to forget these days, but we might not have many photographs to prove it!

Blessed

2012-01-15T10:41:00.000-08:00

I've realized that I am afraid to be blessed.

Once, when I was a young teen, I told my mom that something awful was going to happen to me, because God had blessed me so much. She was appalled at this notion- didn't I know that God doesn't give us blessings to make up for awful things that will happen later?

I've been married 8 years. I spent nearly 6 of those years convinced that my husband was going to die, and I'd be a widow, or that I would die, and he'd need to re-marry, and my children would forget all about me. Because, really, who gets blessed enough to have a husband and kids as great as mine?

When I started home schooling Ernie, I had a terrible, glum feeling- it was too good, it couldn't last. When people asked if I was planning on home schooling long-term, I'd say I didn't know. Because, really, who gets blessed enough to be able to teach their brilliant daughter, at home?

My husband was hired to do some Excel work for a former client this past week- he did a good job, and on a whim the client pulled him aside to interview him for an open position they had.

They offered. If we decide we like the offer, on Tuesday we could be employed. So why do I have this terrible feeling that it can't be real? Consider this post as me batting away that old notion that we can't be blessed THAT much. Because we are, and God is so good.

Grunge is Back

2012-01-09T13:49:00.000-08:00

I had to laugh (after I kind of sort of swooned) when I saw my husband leave the house on Saturday- faded jeans, flannel shirt, t-shirt, ripped up hat, and driving a Ford F-150. (What is it about guys in trucks? Seriously. And can YOU sit in a huge truck without grinning like a fool, because I sure can't.)

We got rid of my little electric organ recently, and decided it made plenty of room to bring up Wonder Daddy's instruments- he favors the Takamine electric acoustic guitar, but sometimes a guy's just gotta get out Big Red and turn up the amp, you know?

He made that guitar in high school wood shop- every one else made sensible things. Thing like gun racks. (What? It was South Dakota!)

The kids had fun playing and dancing along.

(Self portrait)

Find the Sunshine and Dance in It

2012-01-04T19:59:00.000-08:00

I rearranged our school room again. Do you know what the result is of clearing off any swath of flooring in this house? Yes. The girls dance.

Guess who started crawling over the weekend? Yup. He looks just like a little wind up toy...isn't there a little dog that takes mincing steps, and stops every so often to wave his head and "yip yip!" Because that's just what Cocoa does.

The Farmers Market isn't accepting application until February, so I won't know if I get a chance at a slot (or what that chance would cost me) but I pulled out the wire and beads last night. I love them all! The small silver nests are so dainty, which I love. The brown nest with orange eggs is just yummy, isn't it? And the big nest...it is BIG. It took me three times as long to wrap as the petite nests (which makes sense, because it was three times as much wire!!) and it weighs a ton. I've had a handful of ladies ask me why I don't make anything bigger, chunkier, flashier...because that's totally their style. Well, now I know it can be done! I'm not totally, totally in love- the beads are just SO big, it was hard to make the nest come up around the sides of them. But irregardless, it felt wonderful to be making something again after a few weeks' break.

2012 Creative To-Do List

2012-01-03T13:57:00.000-08:00

Sewing: I really enjoyed making my big mama doll over the holidays, I definitely want to get back into sewing this year. My to-do list from Growing Up Sew Liberated:

envelope tees for Cocoa
bubble pants for Cocoa
cross over tees for the girls
play capes for EVERYONE! (Say that in a bravado voice, please.)
play tent (this would make a serious dent in my too-big stash of solid, neutral, fabrics!)

From Bend the Rules Sewing:

Woodland Elf hat for Cocoa (soon!)
Mixy-Matchy napkins (it's time. Ours are TRASHED. And, again, need to deflate my fabric stash!)

Blogging: I really feel like it helps me focus my thoughts, and find the positive in our lives. No, not everything in our life is always positive (see: dirty laundry, messy rooms, and other stuff that comes from active, growing, learning kids) but I can't stand focusing on the negatives when I write! I'll try and be in my various spaces more often this year, to keep a record of what we're doing. I keep wondering if I should bring everything together- I have the cooking blog, the homesteading blog, and this creative musings blog with lots of kid stuff thrown in...what do you think?

Etsy/Selling: I don't know. I really don't. I LOVE making jewelry. I love giving it as gifts, which is why I re-opened my shop last year. I knew that if I got busy in the summer and fall stocking that little shop, I'd be high on the hog when it came time to send out Christmas gifts...I'd be done! And yeah, it worked a treat. Everyone got beautiful gifts, and my shop is empty again :) I'd like to keep creating this year, and who knows- if I have extras lying around, I'll list them. I set a goal last year of doing a craft show in 2012, or a week or two at the Farmers Market. It could be an expensive experiment if my wares don't sell, tables don't come cheap around here! I'd only need to sell 4 or 5 to break even on a Farmers Market table for a week, but add to that the seed cost of the supplies....but I have enough on hand to get going...I really, really, really want to though. We'll see!

(I should throw something in here...have I mentioned that I love bartering? Really?? Let's not be shy about possible bartering opportunities, mkay? Like, if you want necklaces for all your sisters....and make a really neat dooohickey.... chat me up!)

The Year in Review

2012-01-01T22:19:00.000-08:00

(CoCo and Myrnie, Christmas Day 2012)

Hello, 2012!

I've decided that the week between Christmas and New Years is possibly the best of the year- there are no plans, no major holiday to plan for, and no rush. But alas, real life must start again- school and piano lessons start in the morning.

The year in review:

January: I was hugely pregnant. The kids and I did some really enormous craft projects, I organized a bit, and we waited. I made the most of my last baby-free weeks, helping the girls at church by recording this song.

February: He came. 10 pounds, and completely drug free. Pretty sure I deserve a cookie for that one. My MIL came to save the day while I recuperated (bless you!)

March: We started planting seeds for the garden. I started baking our bread again, after a 3 month break. My mom and sister came to help build a green house. My husband's family came to meet the baby (yay!) We started the doctor visits to figure out the reason behind Ernie's on-going gut issues.

April: We had our yearly Spring Event. After losing 10% of her body weight, we finally got some answers for Ernie from the amazing doctors at Children's. Then, we started down the medical and dietary road of healing her guts.

May: We took our first family vacation that didn't involve visiting other family. We were still in the throes of healing Ernie, body and mind.

June: We had Ernie's symptoms under control, and we celebrated a year of Wonder Daddy working at his own firm, with a partner. CoCo found out he could blow raspberries. Ernie found out that being six is a wonderful thing.

July: Ernie started first grade, with me. Wonder Daddy rode a bike race. We had the flu, and the chest cold, and just a lot of laundry!

August: I learned how to make nest pendants. The girls started drawing with thread.

September: Mimi turned three. I had my first guest poster (Ernie!) I started processing apples...and apples...and MORE apples! Ernie started reading "Big Books" from the library- Mrs. Piggle Wiggle, and Magic School Bus.

October: Still kept busy making nest pendants, and teaching other folks how to make them. Lots of fun with Halloween. A surprise visit to the aquarium with Wonder Daddy.

November: Handled the food for a big, fat, fancy, wedding reception. Showed my pendants to a friend at her shop, where my daughter peed on her floor, and then LICKED THE GLASS DOORS when I put her outside. I, umm, never went back. I made a LOT of salsa verde out of the rest of the tomatillos. My husband stopped working at his joint firm, and his partner made plans to purchase our share.

December: Lots of Christmas preparations, lots of music, and lots of having Wonder Daddy at home. I finished an order for a really big, pregnant, doll. A beautiful Christmas season. Lots of Christmas lights. Lots of learning to trust the Lord, and lots of learning to stretch the budget. Lots and lots and lots of prayer. Oh, and a friendly note on the door from the water company, wondering why we'd used nearly 40,000 extra gallons of water the past two months? (We were losing 50 gallons an hour, SOMEWHERE, by the time we found out- two days of our water shut off, lots of ditch digging, some emergency labor help from home-from-college neighbor boys and my family, and some shiny new pipe. I said all I wanted for Christmas was running water, and a job- I'm settling for having running water! I think Wonder Daddy had fun with the rented tools though- a ditch digger? A pneumatic drill? Cutting holes in the house foundation? YES PLEASE!)

Christmas Eve 2011

2011-12-28T14:49:00.000-08:00

We were lucky enough to host Christmas Eve again this year- I love having everyone over that night, and NOT needing to take my kids anywhere! (And, by correlation, not needing to convince them to leave anywhere to come home. Hallelujah.)

(Oh, and I have to tell you that once Wonder Daddy opened up the NORAD web page, Ernie was kind of obsessed with checking it during the day. Naptime? Got to check the page first. Dinner time? Snack time? Potty time? DITTO. And OMIGOSH, I'MSOEXCITED, SANTA IS IN BUENOS AIRES!)

I made a simple dinner this year- Ivar's, a local fish and chips institution, makes a killer clam chowder...lucky for us, it's sold in a frozen concentrate at our local stores! One crock pot of clam chowder, an armful of bread bowls from my aunt, and a huge tossed salad from my sister made our meal. We also had the red Jell-O that my kids request from my aunt at every family celebration, a DIY italian soda bar, a whizz-bang cheese platter from my dad (have you ever had Wensleydale studded with dried apricots? DO IT.) and an amazing bouche de noel from my sister. My candied cranberries made an appearance, and were joined by candied ginger. There was something for everyone to eat, it was easy, and we spent hours just gabbing and noshing and gabbing. Grandma read books to the kids, the girls disappeared downstairs to play kitchen, and it was just perfect.

After the extended family had gone home, we caravaned with Aunt LoLo's family around the neighborhood to look at our favorite Christmas displays one last time. My parents stayed behind, in the blessedly quiet house, to tidy up the kitchen and just...be...quiet. :)

Christmas Eve always brings certain things to our house, once the guests have gone home.

The Christmas jammies (sent by Nana this year- thank you!!)

(His first EVER present. Awwww, bless his little heart, look how hard he's trying!)

The new Christmas story book, with its gold wrapping.

This year's addition was Redheaded Robbie, by Bill Lutrell. Please PLEASE go look up this book- I get a little misty eyed each time I read it. It's the story of a little 2nd-grade boy, Robbie, who can't seem to speak properly whenever he gets nervous or excited. All the kids in his class are anxious to see whose name will be drawn from the hat, to write a Christmas story to read in the school assembly...and of course, Robbie's name is drawn, much to everyone's dismay (and Robbie's most of all.) He goes to all his friends to ask for help with his story, and it's just the sweetest thing I've read in a long time. It teaches kids how to help others and how to stick up for your friends. It teaches what Christmas is about.

Of course, Santa can't be forgotten this night- Grandma helped the girls leave him and his reindeer a little treat.

I think Ernie was worried he'd be confused, she wrote up these labels a few days before hand. (I know it says meringues....she wrote it when we still HAD meringue cookies :) It was the only word she asked for help with. She left a darling note for him, too- I found it when I was tidying the table before our guests came.

Christmas Eve
December 24th
2011

DEAR SANTA,

ME AND MIMI HAVE BEEN GOOD. MOM AND DAD HAVE BEEN GOOD TO. (WE HAVE BEEN A LITTLE BAD.)

LOVE,
ERNIE

PS- SAY YES OR OK HERE. ----->

On the back she drew my husband and my stockings, to make sure Santa knew whose was whose, since they're not labeled like the kids' are. Oh my goodness, I love that girl so much. Santa wasn't sure what the question actually was, but he wrote "yes" and she was thrilled!

We all read Luke 2 together, took the necessary "jammies in front of the tree" photo shoot, and scooted the kids off to bed. Then all we had to do was wait an hour or two for the girls to fall asleep (!!!!), welcome Santa to our living room, and turn out the lights to wait for morning!

Mama and Baby Doll (Birth Doll)

2011-12-19T13:00:00.000-08:00

I have a friend who teaches sibling classes at the local hospital- just a little course to prepare kids for the new babies who will soon be coming. A new clinic opened up, and a new teacher aid was needed!

I had so much fun making her- I call her Mireya. Kids don't all come in one color, and I tried to choose a color scheme for this little mama and baby that many children could identify with as they learn about birth. She's gone to the clinic now, and dressed in a hospital-issue gown.

The hair is Lion's Brand fisherman wool yarn- it's soft and warm and squishy. The body is a sturdy cotton twill, with a stretchy lycra womb (a kangaroo-style pouch on her stomach.) I stitched the face by hand, with two-tone eyes (caramel and chocolate floss.)

The baby has a snap belly button, to attach to the umbilical cord/placenta. (Funny little aside, Ernie stuffed the placenta for me, and spent the rest of the day rolling that word around in her mouth. Placennnnnta. Placennnnta. Is it "La placenta?" It sounds Spanish. I don't think I'd call MY baby Placenta.")

He has blue eyes, and a fuzzy head full of newborn hair. I love newborn hair! Mine never have any :)

(I added a mouth after this picture- just a little blip of pink lips.)

Mama and baby.

I had so much fun making these- it was nice to get back into doll work after a year or two hiatus. I'd still like to open my doll shop one day. Some day :)

(Scroll down for a full shot of the dolls, if you'd like.)

How to Make an Advent or Count Down Candle

2011-12-15T15:00:00.000-08:00

Materials Needed:
1 taper candle
permanent, fine-tip, marker
a festive sticker

This was such an easy thing to put together, but the kids have really enjoyed it, so I thought I'd throw the idea out for anyone who'd like to have their own.

Lay your candle out next to a ruler, and measure from the top tip to about an inch and a half from the bottom. Divide this number by 25, and mark off each section with a permanent, fine-tip, marker (I used a colored Sharpie.) Label each mark with a number, and put a festive sticker at the bottom to mark the big day.

This has been such a big hit, we might do these for other events- counting down to birthdays, the arrival of relatives, last day of school..... if you can't find a sticker you like, you could use a pressed flower or picture on a thin piece of tissue paper, and use melted bees wax or paraffin, painted under and over, to secure.

Getting Ready for Christmas

2011-12-05T22:54:00.000-08:00

Christmas is exploding all over in here!

I don't know why, plastic and lights and fiber optics all just make me so, so happy this time of year!

The girls decorated the tree Saturday night- what a great job! Wonder Daddy did the lights, I helped with the garland, and then I sat on the couch and just watched :) Way to go, girls!! We have such a collection of ornaments, it's funny- my childhood, his childhood, their childhood.... just so many little, colorful, things :)

The girls and I went on a special trip to the store this morning for a gingerbread kit, while Cocoa slept. (Have I told you that there are definite perks to having an unemployed husband?? Gosh GOLLY we love having him around!!)

I figured out the trick- you need to decorate all the walls and roofs BEFORE you assemble the house. Yes. Let those suckers dry, then glue them all together. No more suicidal gum drops.

Cocoa was pretty pleased to sit back and watch his sisters- he sure loves those girls!

It helps that he hasn't figured out how to put anything in his mouth, or why he would want to! (Is that weird? That nary a toy or cracker ever goes from his fist to his mouth??)

This past weekend was the annual Festival of the Nativities at our church. It's an enormous undertaking- the gym has hundreds of nativity sets displayed, all on loan from church members. One large classroom is filled with pictures of Christ, another room is set up like a child's room with activities and a little video about Christmas. Another is set up as a photo studio....

Pretty cute, right?? I'm partial to those angels.... my family helped with music too. The vocal mics weren't ready at our start time, so I punted with a handful of piano pieces for about 20 minutes. That was actually pretty funny- talking to my dad afterwards, he mentioned that we didn't get to start on time, because "they had some piano stuff going on." Heehee, mea culpa! Soon as the mics were up, I sang through a piece my sister and I worked up, and then we were joined by our husbands to sing Christmas carols, and Mom played for us. I love doing music with my family- we all blend so well :) After our time slot was up, I accompanied some wonderful sopranos for another hour. Nearly two hours on that stage....this is MUSIC SEASON!

December 1st

2011-12-01T14:33:00.000-08:00

I haven't felt much like writing the last few weeks.

I turned 30. Something about that seems so final. It's easy to impress people when you're young, and doing big-people things on occasion. Now, I'm not young, and I supposed to be able to do Big People things all the time! The socks next to the bed and crumbs on the counter seem rather incriminating- definitely not feeling like Big People material over here. But, I had a beautiful birthday. My kids each got me a slipper and a package of candy- my feet haven't been cold in a week! Mom and Dad ordered lots of books off my wish list, and wrapped up a Kindle Fire for me. SO fun! I've read 4 books in the past week. I'm totally spoiled. My brother found a really great glass work pendant necklace, and my husband's family sent the cutest Thanksgiving decoration, a wooden turkey head and feathers on metal spikes to latch into a pumpkin. Instant holiday gobbler for the porch! We couldn't find a big enough pumpkin this late after Halloween, so they hung out in my door wreath for a few days. My sister's family found "gardener's therapy" lotion- awesome for this girl who always forgets to wear gloves in the garden.

My husband, after much thought and prayer, said good bye to his business partner, employees, and tax practice he's spent two years building. Our marriage will be 8 years strong this year, and most of those years have been spent with him in college, studying madly for a CPA exam, or working 100 hour weeks building this business. It was time to come home, and be with his family. Get some house projects done. Be here for family meals. Play with the kids, and have time to play guitar. We've been blessed in a lot of things, and this is no change- his business partner was perfectly amenable to this plan, and other financial constraints have changed so that we have some flexibility. But wondering what we're going to do next wears me down!

Holiday preparations are ramping up- the kids are so excited! We have everything but the tree put up. We've entered our yearly negotiations of whether or not to get a fake tree. No needles on the floor, no long drive every year, no driving on the freeway with a tree tied on top. Downside? No pine smell, not as magical, when the lights start failing the whole thing needs to be replaced, need to store it all year. And if we get one, we couldn't possibly get one NOW- we'd wait till after Christmas, for the sales right? And by then we're so totally DONE with everything having to do with Christmas decorations, that we don't even look at the sales!

Our two fish, Stella and Hazel, have passed quietly on. The first was buried in the yard, the second (a few days later) was flushed. My poor kids- when they asked where it was, I said it was with their cousins' fishies. Swimming in the great sewer system in the sky. They thought I meant I'd taken the fish to live in my sister's aquarium. Umm...no. I actually feel really terrible about these fish. Until I brought them home and started reading, I had no idea it was a bad idea to stick two goldfish in a little 1 gallon bowl. I guess they need 10 gallons EACH. I think the second fish might have been eating the first one, too- seemed awfully hungry and listless once she was removed. If we try fish again, I'll get a bigger tank. Maybe set up an aquaponics system.

Broadcast Bloggers Deal of the Day

2011-11-25T14:15:00.000-08:00

Alright folks, Black Friday shopping is here! If you're looking for some pretty little things, here are some great deals. Some of these are even free shipping, but those offers end tonight! (Full disclosure- I would receive a portion of any sales through these links. Over and out.)

Baby Signs DVDs

Elle Decor Magazine

Owl Pocket Watch Necklace

Leopard Print Hard Case for IPhone

Subscription to American Girl Magazine

Eiffel Tower Pocket Watch Necklace

Pandora's Box Necklace

Freshwater Pearl Earrings

GameBoy Style IPhone 4 Case

Mini Car Charger Adaptor for IPhone 3G, 3GS, and 4G

White Silicone Band Watch

November 19th

2011-11-19T10:57:00.001-08:00

I don't expect great things today- it's nearly lunch time, I'm in bed with crunchy cereal, tissues, and marmalade toast, and I'm only getting up to feed the baby. I'll have to do something outside of this room eventually, but for now I'm playing nursemaid to myself, because I can!

Wonder Daddy is marching the kids through their chores today (mwah!!), and they'll spend the rest of the morning present shopping. I'm supposed to go Zumba this afternoon, and my friend's birthday party is downtown tonight. It's happening 8 pm till 2 am....just a titch past my bedtime, eh? We shall see, I'm thinking I'm not partying today!

November 18th: My Next Project

2011-11-18T21:47:00.000-08:00

Meet Anna. She came to visit me about a week ago, for a little photo shoot.

Anna lives in a hospital in the city- she's a big helper in the sibling classes, helping the kiddos get ready for their mom to have a baby.

Anna needs to clone herself, so she can ALSO be at the hospital clinic in our little town. My friend teaches these sibling classes, and offered me the chance to make a Mama doll for them. Since dolls are something I love to make, I have some extra help around the house right now, and the holidays are always a great time to take in a little extra cash job here and there...sure! Everything will be pretty straight-forward- she's a four-foot rag doll, with pretty yarn hair and a pretty little face. I get total license as to how she's made and what she looks like, since she'll never be in the same building as Anna! Under the gown, she has a little rag doll body, but there's an upside down pocket on her tummy to tuck a little baby in. Think kangaroo pouch, but facing down.

We went to the store tonight to get supplies- I have tracings from Anna, and everything I need to get started!

Pocket Watch Necklace (Broadcast Bloggers Deal of the Day)

2011-11-17T13:41:00.000-08:00

I adore this necklace so much, and for $9.99 with free shipping? DO IT. Details are below, but I think this would make a perfect gift for grandma, mother-in-law, friends, or anyone that likes vintage jewelry! Any steam punk loving friends?? They need this too!

Deal can be purchased here.

Product Details:

Bronze color, retro style, round case
12 Arabic number hour markers
Precise quartz movement for accurate time keeping, one button for time setting
Normal water resistant, NOT for showering or swimming
Case back is engraved with flowers carvings
Watch cover is made of thick mineral crystal glass
Battery is loaded
Material: Alloy

Specifications:
Color: bronze color
Watch size: (D x T) 4.7 x 1.4cm
Screen: 36mm in diameter
Necklace length: 39cm

*Deal ends on Wednesday, 11/23/11 at 11:59pm MST (while supplies last)
*Orders open to US mailing addresses only
*Due to the holidays approaching please allow up to 3 weeks for delivery.

November 17th (Tomato Jam)

2011-11-17T13:33:00.000-08:00

I'm sad I can't smell a darn thing today, because I've been told my kitchen smells AWESOME.

This tomato jam is simmering on the stove- lime juice, tomatoes, sugar, cinnamon, cloves, and chili flakes? For sure.

Clementines and limes are soaking for tomorrow's marmalade canning session. Doesn't clementine and lime marmalade sound amazing? I hope so- I'm making it up, and can't smell. Hmm.

Yesterday I went through the salsa, so today I'm going through last year's marmalade- it seized up when I added some last minute sugar, but a big spoonful stirred into hot water? Fantastic! Cold and flu season is not for sissies...unfortunately, I'm a sissy :)

I still need to make a pie today- I invited a friend for dinner, and then had to bail at the last minute, something came up for tonight. Did she want to have dinner with me after the kids go to bed? Because I won't say no to eating a meal with an adult...one that won't pitch a fit over who gets the pink cup, or whether the sauce touched her noodles, and can I please cut everything?? She's bringing the salad, I'm making dinner...and there must be pie. On girls night, there MUST be pie. I think I'm going to give a pumpkin mousse pie a dry run- it's on the docket for Thanksgiving, but I've never made it before. But, I haven't roasted my pumpkins yet. So it will probably be apple cranberry...because I have 45 pounds of apples...

(Watch for another post today- I have a deal on a steam-punky pocket watch necklace that I LOVE. Sigh.)

What I made today? Tomato jam. Lots of marmalade.

--Myrnie

November 16th

2011-11-16T20:50:00.000-08:00

One of the perks of having Wonder Daddy at home this week is that when the kids take their naps, I can LEAVE. Like, by myself. It's kind of beautiful.

Yesterday I abandoned my cooling milk to the yogurt-making-ministrations of my husband and took a long walk. We had a surprise gorgeous day- not too cold, bright sun, and gorgeous leaves. I walked past a chipper truck...and backed up to ask the man running it if he had any plans for those wood chips? No? Well then, here's my address! 3 hours later we had about 7 yards of (free) bark mulch in our driveway. AWESOME SAUCE.

It was too late in the day to get a start on it, but this morning Wonder Daddy and I went at it, gonzo style. Aunt LoLo invited my three kiddos to a playdate at the church. I've been pregnant or holding a baby for so long, it was really nice to get out and use MY muscles in a yard project, instead of just directing traffic. We made a good dent before I had to pick up the kids, and he finished up all but the very last bit by himself. Wonder Daddy!! Maybe 15 more wheelbarrow loads tomorrow, and we will be golden. Love it.

In other news, I have a head cold. I'm currently medicating it with Tylenol, and copious quantities of salsa. I'll let you know how that works out!

Made today: New mulched pathways.

November 15th

2011-11-15T12:58:00.000-08:00

Life is about to get more interesting: My son has developed a super power. He has super suction.

He can't crawl, and only waggles like a beetle if he falls over. He can roll onto his belly, but then wails for rescue. Yet, anything within three feet of him ends up in his lap! His massive thighs splayed on the carpet, he uses them as ballast to bend and stretch, and then bounce back to an upright position with his prize in his grasp. (His sister really needs to learn to put away her school books, he's tried to destroy them three times today!)

Mimi's fancy hair-do last week- I was rather proud of myself for fitting every pink clip we own, onto her tiny head!

In other news, I have four loaves of bread cooling on the counter, half a gallon of milk cooling for yogurt, two kids in bed, and it's sunny outside. The kitchen is clean, school is done for the day, and my husband is at home today. We have friends coming for dinner tonight, and my friend is coming for a jewelry night on Thursday. Friday I get to SEE MY HUSBAND for hours at a time, without the big kids...and life is just looking up.

So, I'm going to go ahead and make this my post for the day. What have I made to be creative today? Bread and yogurt. And now I'll go enjoy it.

Ta-
Myrnie

November 14th (Recipe: Browned Butter-Buttermilk Pie)

2011-11-14T22:07:00.000-08:00

I'm back! Honestly, I was kind of shattered, emotionally, after that reception. Do you ever get that way after a big project finishes?

Saturday was a driving day for me. I can't remember the last time I drove that much in a day!

8:30-10:00, receive produce at the co-op site, divide it into basket. Go home and see my baby.
10:30-11:30, take the girls to the library. Go home and see my baby.
1:00-2:00, use my two-day coupon at Michael's for loads more wire. I cleaned them out, actually. I took E with me. Go home and see my baby.

The rest of the day was chores, and shooing Wonder Daddy out the door to his last dress rehearsal. Oh yes, he's been a busy boy- rehearsals were once a week, and then twice a week, and this past week they had him Thursday, Friday, AND Saturday. Plus a two-hour curtain call before the show on Sunday.

BUT. His show, He Is Jesus Christ (a cantata with soloists, choir, narration, and FULL orchestra written by Rob Gardner) was Sunday evening. It was amazing. Eight years of marriage, and I've never seen my husband perform. Do you know any performing artists? If you've never seen them on a stage, you've never seen them.

My husband really, REALLY doesn't like to dance. When he was in high school, his dad got an electric guitar for Christmas- Wonder Daddy took it to his basement bedroom, and didn't come out for weeks, except to eat. He lived and breathed guitars when he was in high school. While everyone else was building gun racks and boxes in wood shop, he built a new electric guitar. When everyone else was dancing at the church dances, he put together a band and performed the music! (Remember? Loathes dancing?)

Wonder Daddy sang the part of Pilate, the Roman governor who gave the Jewish citizens permission to crucify Jesus. He made me bawl like a baby- luckily for me, a show about the Savior, in a church building, makes a lot of people bawl like a baby. I didn't stand out too much :) I was so very, very proud of him. And so very tired from everything that's going on. And so wrapped up in the message of the show. And so happy for him to have this chance. And so sad I wasn't on that stage.

That last part sounds ugly. Yeah, I tried out. Yeah, I didn't get one of the soloist parts. (The ladies who DID get them were phenomenal!) But.... you know, I feel the same way at most concerts. Is that bad? That I can be at a Johnny Lang, or a Trans-Siberian-Orchestra, or a Farm Aid concert...and think "Hey! I wish I could be on that stage with them!" I absolutely knew going in that I wouldn't have time to join the choir- they've been having nigh rehearsals since September, and that wasn't going to happen with a busy husband, and three small kids who need to get to bed on time. I'm pretty sure, now, that I wouldn't have been able to do a solo part either without a looot of difficulty, and a lot of stress on my kids. I'll have time later. I think.

Anywho. I really came here today to talk about pie. You need this pie, but if you eat this pie...eat nothing else. With three eggs, 2 egg yolks, and 3/4 of a stick of butter, there's no messing around here! BUT (and this is a big but. Ahem.) You need this pie.

I cook a lot. A lot, a lot. And this is the best thing to come out of my kitchen in a long time! Crispy pie crust. Soft custard. Nutmeg that floats to the top. Add this to your Thanksgiving line up, folks.

(If you don't subscribe to Martha's "Everyday Food" magazine, PLEASE do. It's that good.)

Brown-Sugar buttermilk pie
from Everyday Food originally, in my own words

3 Tbsp flour
3 large egg eggs, plus two more large yolks, beaten
1 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups buttermilk, room temperature
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/4 tsp ground cinnamon
6 Tbsp unsalted butter

Press your favorite single-crust pie crust into a glass pan, and bake at 425 for about 10 minutes.
Put 6 tablespoons of butter in a small sauce pan on the stove, over medium heat, for 8-10 minutes and let it melt and cook. It's going to froth up, and it's going to turn brown. Swirl the pan occasionally, especially towards the end. When the froth subsides, and it's nut-brown, it's done!
In a mixing bowl, whisk together flour, eggs, and brown sugar until smooth. Whisk in buttermilk, nutmeg, and cinnamon until combined. This pie, with such small amounts of spices, is already heavily spiced. I wouldn't recommend increasing them at all.
When the butter is done, immediately whisk it into the buttermilk mixture. It will foam up dramatically, be prepared! Pour mixture into baked pie shell, and bake at 425 for 25-35 minutes, until the custard is set but still jiggly. This will continue to cook a bit as it cools.
Let cool completely, 2 hours, before serving. Can be refrigerated up to 3 days.

(If you use this pie crust recipe, you won't be sorry! It mixes together with a fork, IN THE PIE PLATE. Then you just smash it out with your finger tips. No rising, either, so it's perfect for this. My mom has always, as long as I've known her, left her pie crust behind when she eats pie. It's just wasted calories, when she could be eating more filling! She ate this crust, and relished it :)

The Wedding Reception

2011-11-11T23:02:00.000-08:00

SO, I catered my first wedding reception tonight- I was in charge of planning and buying the food, and getting it all set up. The wonderful bride found volunteers to run the kitchen during the reception, and more to do the chopping before hand for the cheese and produce, and she came herself the night before to set up the buffet to look all pretty and fancy. I just had to fill in the platters, make sure everyone knew where stuff was, and that was it! Since there were so many hands, I had time to do a few extra things, like sugared cranberries and oven-dried tomatoes. (My wonderful sister baked the bread for us, 8 loaves! My brain goes haywire if I try and do more than 4 loaves at a time.)

Purty.

Sugared cranberries- cranberries soaked in a hot simple syrup, drained, and tossed with sugar.

Brie

Funny story about brie. The bride apparently REALLY loves brie, and wanted it at the reception. I couldn't figure out how to have volunteers toting hot brie from the oven all night, with a reception held IN the kitchen. The bride actually had no idea that brie should be served warm. So, we scrapped the brie idea, but I needed a few more pounds of cheese when I was a the store and grabbed just one brie. We'd serve it room-temperature, there would just be one, the bride would be happy, no biggie. So almost everything was set up tonight, and a girl walks in with SIX brie cheeses, and maybe seven loaves of bread. (I had 8 loaves of french bread already.) I guess the bride REALLY wanted brie, she called this girl in at the last minute! We had a lot of brie. (And yes- that girl stayed all night, toting brie cheese from the oven to the buffet.)

Oven dried tomatoes.

So, I found a case of tomatoes for $13. My oven was running from Saturday to Friday morning, drying sheet after sheet. Did you know that a case of tomatoes, once dried, fills half a gallon-sized bag? True story.

Swiss cheese

Butter and Olive Oil whip, for the french bread

(Sorry, that pictures blurry!)

Vegetable tray- broccoli, carrots, baby bell peppers, sliced zucchini, and white button mushrooms. That tray was ENORMOUS. Like, over two feet long. Very, very cool.

Orange slices with pomegranate seeds, drizzled with cranberry syrup

Cheddar, pepperjack, and dill havarti cheese

The set up. Those ladies did a great job making this look nice, and the home was gorgeous!

(Please note the CLEAR PLASTIC PLATES. Having those was SO important to the bride, we had to order them from Amazon and pay $20 shipping! The look beautiful on the buffet.)

Hot cocoa bar

We had milk chocolate and french vanilla Stephen's cocoa, plus hazelnut creamer, half and half, whipped cream, crushed starlight mints, andes mints, chocolate sauce, pumpkin spice syrup, and vanilla syrup. This was a big hit tonight!

Simple lemon water. This monster held about 4 gallons- I wish I had cupboard space to store something like this, it makes parties so much easier! (This belonged to the hostess.)

We had a "little" pantry to work in.

I was pretty nervous when I found out that the buffet would be in the kitchen- all the prep work and supplies needed to refresh trays, etc. are NOT pretty and are NOT calm. This little room was off to the side and worked really well.

Which is good, because I brought a lot of food!

Oh, and I didn't take pictures of the meatballs- just simple meatballs in marina sauce, easy as pie.

I am so glad this day is over!

But, you know...getting feedback is nice, too. Someone said recently "No one cares how well you changed that diaper." In the work force, and in public settings, there's always feed back. You do a good job, people notice. If you go the extra mile, people notice. At home, with the kids?? No, not so much. I would never trade what I do, but every once in a while it's so nice to put effort into something and listen to others admire it. To dress up, and be told I look extra nice.

Getting Ready for Naps

2011-11-10T21:46:00.000-08:00

These monkeys. Sigh. Good thing they're so cute, right? I dragged them all over creation today.

8:00-10:30 "Please go get dressed so we can go." Yeah, it took that long. I finally went and put Cocoa in the car, and THAT convinced the girls to stop dancing around in their princess undies....
10:30-12:30 Drive across town to the restaurant supply store, to get all the perishables for tomorrow's wedding reception. I'm a nut job, I know, I know. But...I kind of feel like I owe the universe at least one good wedding reception deal, after all the help we got with mine! But yeah, mostly I'm a nut job. (Wait till you see pictures of my NEXT project.)
12:30-1:30 Drive across town to deliver everything that needs chopping, to the lady who organized volunteers to do the chopping. And we chatted a little bit, because it turns out that she's the most darling, kind, wise, sane, calm lady I've met in a looong time. I kind of wish we could be buds, but her youngest is my age, so maybe she'd feel a little weird about that?
Drive home for lunch- I forgot that I let the girls pick out a cookie each at the store, and they chose the 4-inch, pink frosted, sprinkle-bedecked behemoths of a sugar cookie. (I think these are a regional thing.) Mimi took her bread and cheese, tore it into confetti, and then piled it high on her plate- she made a PIE. Good grief.
Put Cocoa down for his nap, send Mimi to use the toilet, and put the girls in bed.
The girls are still shrieking and playing around. Tuck them in again.
Go back one more time....and drag Mimi to the shower. Poopy Princess Panties. Gah.

I spent the rest of nap time cleaning the kitchen, getting some spreadsheets up to date, and hiding downstairs with Cocoa and my phone, gabbing with my sister and waiting for the girls to wake up. As soon as Mimi woke up, an hour after Ernie, we all piled into the car to meet up with their cousins for Ernie's first Tae Kwan Do lesson at the Y- they're really great about letting kids "audit" the class once or twice to see if they like it. Ernie LOOVED it, but I didn't love the time (5-6 pm.) Cocoa, Mimi, and I spent the class time running to the new Asian market in town, Jing Jing, to get sterno and pomegranates for tomorrow's reception, and stock up on things like spring roll wrappers, air-dried whole grain ramen, persimmons....and panda cookies. What's a trip to the asian market without a package of panda cookies? (They're hollow and crispy, with a frosting filling inside, and a picture of a panda printed on the outside.)

We were happy to find out that Wonder Daddy had some time in between work and rehearsals for an upcoming show tonight, and got to have dinner with us!

And that...is my day. What did I make? Umm...a pile of stuff for the reception. A pile of laundry that needs to be washed. A new friend.

Art Every Day Month, Day #9

2011-11-09T22:50:00.000-08:00

Cocoa helped me make a new pendant- think I know just the person to send this to!

It's copper wire, like the others, but colored a bright gold. The stone beads are a pale, translucent pink. From the recommendation of my sister, I'm toying with a new way of finishing the nests- I attach a jump ring straight to the nest, without fooling around with a wrapped loop. I think I like it!

This nest felt trickier than others I've been making- I couldn't find the way the wire wanted to be until about half way through. It's always so nice when it just *clicks,* I need to remember to slow down and pay attention, instead of getting frustrated it won't do what *I* want it to do!

I'll be ordering more supplies soon, and I'm toying with the idea of getting a different kind of metal wire. But honestly, I'm a little scared- I've never worked with anything but this gauge of copper wire! The shininess of sterling silver wire is kind of alluring, but I LOVE the colors of the copper!

Reading Time

2011-11-08T20:20:00.000-08:00

I don't know when or if Ernie will ever realize how much of a blessing she is to her siblings.

I took these pictures yesterday- I found the girls cuddled up together after I sent them to their room to get ready for nap. Ernie is really SUCH an awesome big sister, and I'm sure she doesn't even know it. It doesn't occur to her to exclude Mimi because she's little- they're just compadres in everything. We went to the library yesterday, and I think Ernie spent at least two hours reading to herself or to Mimi!

These pictures are also appropriate today because my girls are in their room right now....Wonder Daddy is out for the evening, and the kids are giving me a run for my money! Cocoa is so clingy that he starts barking and clapping like a seal whenever he sees me, the girls took a solid hour to use the bathrooms after dinner (and missed dessert AND bath time), and then played some sort of demented May Pole game that ended up with a ribbon around Ernie's neck. Ribbon is in the trash, girls are banished to their rooms to read until scripture time, Cocoa is taking his nightly nap, and I'm just enjoying some quiet!

We had school this morning- Ernie learned about charts in math, I think she'll take to those just swimmingly. I pushed the girls outside after their naps today, it was a surprise GORGEOUS day. Sunny, not too cold...perfect for playing on the swingset, sweatshirts, and getting more of the garden put to bed. We had our first really good frost on Sunday, and the tomatillos and ground cherries and nasturtiums were ready to be torn out after that. I clip them off just below the soil line, to let the roots decompose and leave little air pockets in the soil. There was a lot of fruit thrown away with the tomatillos and ground cherries, but it was almost all split open with the cold and rains. I spread last year's leaf mold on the tomatillo/tomato bed- it's GORGEOUS. Dark brown, almost totally composted, a few worms here and there that found their way in... I'm filling up every bucket I can this year with leaves, to spread on the beds next fall. (Wonder Daddy runs over them with his mower, with the bag attached, and puts the chopped up leaves in garbage cans I've drilled with holes.) So, my creative item today? A compost pile.