Girls Day

The girls and I will be heading to a Children's Museum today. Both of them are home with me all week and while I have lots to do 'round here I must stop and enjoy the joy of them today. We will have a 1.5 hour drive during which we will listen to some fun kid's music in the car, stop for a treat (maybe they'll let me get them a cookie at Starbucks instead of McDonald's!) we'll head to the museum and spend as much time as they want touching and playing with all of the exhibits. This museum has a big 'grocery store' the kids can shop in and ring up groceries in all day. I have no idea why this sounds like fun to my girls but they are looking forward to dressing up in the museum's dress-up section and hittin' the store. Oh wait, I sometimes I get dressed up and hit shops, maybe it's a genetic thing.

For lunch I am planning, wait for it, Chuck E. Cheese's. I told you it was a day for them. I know I am nuts. But see, I have a few shops I need to hit on the way home and I figure I can kinda' sneak them in if the girls are completely tuckered out, sugared up and on the low of that high. We live in an area just far enough away from everything that when I am somewhere I must make the trip count and figure out what else I need/want to do while I'm 'there'. Don't worry, I never want to stay there for too long (the noise and the traffic about do in this small-town girl) but I enjoy for a few hours.

Tomorrow is Christmas decorating, yep, with the girls home. I'll let you know how that goes!

Plus, I've asked for a new camera for Christmas so I will be posting pics soon, soon, soon! Hang in there with me...

Sick

I'm sick today, and yesterday for that matter. I would say I'm "home sick" but I'm always home so that doesn't qualify. I had to drive to San Diego on Saturday for a leadership conference for church and on the way home I had a sneaking suspicion I was coming down with something. After stopping at Starbucks for the second time that day (and at 5:30pm I might add) I made it home.

Yesterday I was much worse. Fever, body aches, cold symptoms, check. Cranky husband who had to put in 'daddy duty' two days in a row, check. Now, I'm sitting on my couch, laptop in hand, hot tea on coffee table staring outside to the backyard. It's cold and windy out after raining this morning. I'm being a super great mom right now... Bethany is watching Mickey Mouse Clubhouse in my bed after eating the 'bana' she just asked for (banana) and drinking her milk. I may just let her stay there as long as she wants.

Obviously, I'm still not feeling well. Oh, and I just noticed a ginger snap in the pot of my silk tree in the living room. I noticed it and walked on by. We had ginger snaps in this house about a week and half ago. Seriously, who are these people I'm living with? Here's hoping no cold/flu buggie finds you this season. And may all your store bought cookies stay out of tree pots.

It's Looking at Me, part deux

We had a great time trick-or-treating with the girls. Savannah's best friend "since I was a baby" Kylee came too. We all piled into two golf carts and headed off in search of fun and candy. We drove, cold and uncomfortable with kids on every lap into the night. Some streets were busy busy. Some were spookily quiet and empty. We did them all. Bethany didn't want to say her much rehearsed line, "Trick or treat!" "Thank you, bye" in perfect two-year-old lingo, "she's so cute, I'll even give her parents, who taught this adorable child, some delicious chocolate" but she was there nonetheless to collect her share of the spoils. We saw pumpkins, spiders, webs, skeletons, witches and candy candy candy.

There were a few Haunted Houses. The older girls most certainly wanted to go in. Bethany and her Mama, not so much. But for candy, she obliged. Her Mama that is. On our second to last street, Hubby decided to stop at another scary house. "Go on up, I'll wait here with Bethany. Honey, take the girls up." The big girls were in front of me. From behind the big tree in the front yard stepped Michael Myers, calmly. I know it wasn't the real Mike Myers, right? But he had on a dark blue jumpsuit, boots and that awful white mask with the brown hair. He just stared. At me. I decided we needed to hurry. You know, it being a school night and all. "Hurry up girls."

Mike Myers just kept staring, yes, at me. "Girls, grab your candy, now." The girls, laughing at the other decorations and getting their candy and not even noticing the serial killer now stalking their mom. "Girls, move your rears, now". By now the candy giver was starting to gawk, the girls were finally paying attention and Hubby was cracking up watching all of this from the golf cart. And Mike Myers? Oh, he just stayed where he was but would slowly turn to keep staring at me, like eye-contact staring. Ghosts? Witches? Chain saws? No. Just a madman not moving but just staring at me. That'll do it.

I'm Being Obedient

I must blog. I must do it often. Pioneer Woman says so. I'm supposed to blog even if I can't think of anything to tell you. She gave several suggestions. One was to tell you how I feel when I walk into my laundry room. Really? Oh. Ok. Well, I feel a bubble of nausea rise from my stomach. I feel like I may have the vapors. I may faint right there. I will hit my head on the door of the dryer which is still open and go to glory on my tile floor. Or at least dream. I may dream of the days when there were no washers and dryers. There were prairies and horse drawn wagons and farms. Because life was so much simpler there was no need for 17 t-shirts, 11 pairs of jeans, 22 pairs of socks and 14 'church' shirts to wash, dry and maybe even iron. And that's just Hubby's wardrobe. Mine and the girls' are worse, much worse. I mean, in those days a lady might have a work dress and apron, a casual dress and a church dress along with a few under garments. All to be washed in the ring washer (is that their name?) and dried on the line. Yes, more work than what we do now but they were only washing say, eight outfits at a time! Their hour of work then drying time sure beats my full day of laundry. I'll take that any day over mine facing me tomorrow. So, I blogged, and now you know how I feel when I walk into my laundry room. Aren't you glad I told you? You can live the rest of your life now with such important information.

Great Blogs I Just Love

Hi everyone! I just added a new feature to my blog, all the way down the bottom of the blog is a list of other blogs that I just can't get enough of. Of course, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman is on the list. She is so much fun and so talented, from her writing to her photos to her great sense of humor and wit! You know I love me some witty women!!

Also on my list is Sugar Pie Farmhouse. Aunt Ruthie is just as talented but in the decorating arts and her paragraphs about the Lord are so inspirational. I've made several of her pies and she always makes me feel good about homemaking being my Higher Calling.

I just 'found' Purple Chocolat Home while I was looking for fall decorating, I just love to see what everyone else does. It's a beautiful site with more great photos and talent. This author loves chocolate and purple and went to Paris and fell in love with the city of lights (hence the nod to the French word for chocolate!)

Between Naps on the Porch is a blog I have followed for awhile. Susan has a gorgeous screened in porch and uses her table there for all her tablescaping and all her posts on that as well as entertaining. She is wildly popular as well.

I want to remind all of you to click on what all of these ladies read as well and you will discover more great blogs too. It's how I found all the blogs I enjoy reading, when I can of course! There are so many great ideas to decorating to crafting to home ideas, the list is endless.

We have been getting ready for Halloween. Savannah took 3rd place in a recent costume contest dressed as an Indian Princess homemade costume I made her. Way to go, Bug!! Bethany is going as a puppy dog. I will be posting plenty of photos very soon. I know photos make a blog as you will see when you check out all the ones I listed below!

Zucchini Bread, YUM!

I needed to clean out the freezer today, we just have a bunch of hodge-podge stuff in there, 1/2 bag of mini corn dogs, 1/2 bag of meatballs, frozen veggies, frozen strawberries, etc... So tonight we are having a 'clean the freezer dinner', just a mixture of all the items that need to be eaten. A few days ago my next door neighbor brought over zucchini from her garden along with yellow squash. I was so grateful because I had to leave my garden, in the prime of it's production I might add, to move here! So, instead of just weird dinner tonight from the freezer we'll be having zucchini bread with it!

The Best Zucchini Bread

3 cups of all purpose flour 3 eggs

1 tsp. salt 1 cup vegetable oil

1 tsp. baking soda 2 and 1/4 cups white sugar

1 tsp. baking powder 3 tsp. vanilla extract

3 tsps. cinnamon 2 cups grated zucchini

Preheat oven to 325. Sift dry ingredients together except sugar. Beat oil, eggs, vanilla and sugar together in large bowl. Add dry ingredients to wet and stir well. Stir in zucchini. Bake 2 loaves for 40-60 minutes until cake tester comes out clean. Cool for 20 minutes until your family enters kitchen and devours the entire loaf in one sitting, if you can get them to wait that long.

What I Miss

I miss cleaning my house and it staying clean for a week, or longer...

I miss getting in my car and there not being books, wrappers, toys and trash in it...

I miss my waistline. It's still there somewhere... On that note, I miss that things are no longer where they used to be, you know, higher...

I miss my camera... my Buglette threw a fit and threw the camera. Bye bye camera.

I miss my first job, working with all of my friends, making a few bucks for fun money...

I miss money being 'just for fun'...

I miss my high school girlfriends; we are all too busy with our lives to see each other regularly...

I miss that if I saw all my high school girlfriends it wouldn't be the same...

I miss kissing Hubby after a high school football or soccer game when he was all sweaty and he wasn't Hubby...

I miss staring at my engagement ring and getting goosebumps...

I miss my little brother... he's no longer little and lives far, far away...

I miss the smell of my baby's head...

I miss feeling the butterflies of life in my abdomen...

I miss the cute little two-door car I had for so long...

I miss the movie theater...

I miss trying to decide what to do on Friday and Saturday nights...

I miss my dear friend after she left the state...

I miss laughing with said friend till someone had to run to the restroom...

I miss carbohydrates, sugar and eating without counting points...

I miss quiet dinners when Hubby and I could actually talk to each other...

But I'm grateful that life is exactly where it is right now...

Thanks for listening.