So we’re in the ends of God’s Design for Animals. The kids are thoroughly enjoying it. We’ve made lots of models including these:
In case you can’t tell, it’s marshmallow arachnids! We also enjoyed a little marshmallow snack too. Who says Science is boring??
We’re a week out and the polls are now open…will the next one added to our bunch be a boy or girl??? Vote on the survey on the side!
Clues that may be useful:
1. Carrying about the same as Ceili Rain…a little low but not as low as she was.
2. Cravings include: chocolate (but I always crave that) and lots and lots of veggies. Oh, the other night I was begging for hot chocolate chip cookies (and thanks to McDonald’s I got them).
3. I definitely had a ton of nausea and a lot more actual sickness (besides the stomach bugs) than I’ve had with most of them. That could have also been because of the progesterone I was one. But I could not cook as I had not been able to with Zoe or Ceili Rain.
This is obviously just a fun game. We are very excited that God has blessed us with another child…and will be thrilled whether it’s a boy or girl! I just hope if it’s a boy, that we can actually call him something besides boy!
For the past, almost two years, we have been a part of a organic produce co-op. This means that every two weeks our illustrious and fearless leader (and it’s definitely not me) contacts a wholesale organic produce company and places an order. In return for $35, we receive a basket load of produce. Our fruits and veggies range from everyday apples, cucumbers, tomatoes, potatoes, and red leaf lettuce to things that I simply would not purchase if I walked into the grocery/produce store. Things like bok choy, spinach, other squashes besides the normal yellow squash…and even sweet potatoes.
As you can guess, these baskets are a blessing because we are getting fresh produce. Not only that but it’s not the same old everyday stuff that I would purchase.
So, I’m starting a new series called The Cooking Challenge. Here, I will be taking one of our not too common produces (those are the ones that, at least I, would not normally purchase) and finding recipes to try out with them in an effort to get my children to eat them happily! Okay, on occasion me too.
Gourmet chef…I am not. However, I love to cook and try new things. Most of these recipes are going to be very simple and some may be a bit more complicated. Some will taste delicious but, of course, I’m going to have to post my failures. With pictures of course!
My recipe searcher of choice is almost always Recipezaar. I know everyone has their favorite but this has served as ol’ faithful for me and the ratings/reviews have very, very seldom let me down. I will give credit where credit is due and Recipezaar makes it easy by having each recipe marked with a number (so you can find it and print it off).
Now, our basket came in last week and I’ve put off trying to find recipes for my most unusual items because I’m still trying to recover from a cold and all our stomach bugs. So, today, I’ve been exploring and up first in our series is going to be recipes for spinach, eggplant (oh yes, eggplant…I’m a little nervous about this…but I’ll save that story for another post), and cauliflower. I have a recipe for cauliflower but I thought we’d branch out and try another one. I think I may have found a winner there.
So, stay tuned…The Cooking Challenge is underway!
After the third time of us putting on and checking and bathroom tripping with the kids, Mark looked at me and said, “Now do you realize that if we lived up North we’d have to do this every time we would go anywhere.”
This is how it went down to go out for the snow:
“Do you have your socks, gloves, hat, coat…no, not your jacket, it’s too cold for that. You may want to put on another shirt…yes, I’ll help take the coat off. Let me zip you up…zip you up and you and you. Scarf anyone? Where’s the matching glove? Look for it…oh, nevermind, use these. Hold Ceili Rain while I find her coat…no not that coat. Where’s a hat? Did you change her diaper?”
And then to undress: “DON’T MOVE! Stand at the door. Now hand me your shoes. Are your socks wet? Take your pants (covered in snow) off. Lay them here. Hand me your (sopping wet) coat, gloves, hats.”
It looked like we were laying clothes out for some kind of clothes giveaway.
Yeah, it was quite funny to watch! And now, you can breathe, this is the last of my snow posts!
You’ve seen the pictures…and because I can’t bore you enough…here’s the videos! Now, don’t freak and “x” me out. There’s only three. I decided to not include the video where Mark decided to belch in the middle of my snow fight with Ace and Liam (you’ll miss Liam getting mad that I pelted him with snow and then wanting to throw snow at me). Nor did I include the video where I was ranting about crazy drivers trying to drive fast (in our residential area) through the snow and slush when they are in the South.
Without further ado…what we look like in action when it snows!
Fowin’ Snow from justabunchofcharacters on Vimeo.
Here’s my conversation with Josiah if you can’t understand him on the video.
“Siah, whatcha doin?”
“Frowin’ Snow” scoops up a big ol’ handful and gets pelted by Liam and then Ace. “At Acccce!”
Zoe and Ace were practicing their business skills selling snow novelties!
Future Business Leaders from justabunchofcharacters on Vimeo.
This video is funny on at least two different levels. First, Ceili Rain is so cute and when you say, “Yea!” She’ll clap. Mark got her to do it for the camera and was holding the camera and her at the same time. Secondly, when Mark and I watched it last night, we realized how funny we sound when we talk “baby talk” to her. Mark is quite funny demonstrating this! “Ahhh goo goo gaa gaa.”
Baby Talk and Clapping from justabunchofcharacters on Vimeo.
Because this is the first snow my children have ever seen.
Because this is the first time we’ve had snow like this since we moved here (with the exception of like 1 to 2 inches when we first moved to this area…nine years ago).
I’m about to unload a lot of pictures! Get ready to see some snow folks. This is Zoe when it just started coming down around 2 p.m.
Of course, the kids had to get back out in it….
And the boys had to throw more snow.
And, after talking to Papa via Skype and seeing his Shriner’s snowman, had to try and build one bigger than his!
And we had to sit our little Snow Bunny* in the snow…
“Who you lookin’ at???”
Ceili Rain got to visit Zoe’s mini snowman that she made, “All by herself.”
Traditionally, bath time belongs to Mark! He does a wonderful job throwing them all in the bath and getting them pretty clean. It’s a chance for him to hang out with the kids and teach them silly songs and such. I’m starting to get in on bath time too, since we now have two girls instead of mostly boys and one very independent girl. However, last month my services just were not available. And so, Mark was able to squeeze three boys and a little girl into their bath tub. Not bad!
Finally, on Monday, my body and brain decided to start functioning together (after a month of illnesses). I guess it realized that I was in the second trimester and had some energy!
So, after school was finished for the day I tackled a few projects…some of which included recovering our bench that stores the shoes by the door (I have a before picture but haven’t taken an after picture yet), cooking supper and making two homemade (and I do mean homemade) chicken potpies for this month…as well as these two projects!
I attended my first Uppercase Living show a few weeks ago. While I found some cute things, my mind started racing coming up with my own ideas for designs to go on the walls. However, Zoe attended with me and we picked out a cute pre-designed picture/saying to go in the girls room. I have a friend who says I have a weird obsession with closets…and she’s probably right…however, if you want to save space in a room but need a changing table…half of a closet works great! And so, the girls’ have an area niched out for the changing table (and the boys do to…since they had the nursery area most of the time). Above is a picture of the girls’ space. It’s pretty drab. We had hung a mirror up for Ceili Rain to be entertained by but she mostly just pulled it off the wall.
And here’s an after! Simple, yet fun…and it goes great in the girls’ room! Zoe jumped for joy when she saw it. I must say that it was pleasantly hard to do and I had a few hiccups (and I’m thankful that the camera does not show the ladybug’s crooked leg or the s that is a little bunched up) but it’s a closet and if they don’t like it, it can be covered up.
I can’t wait to get the other Uppercase Living things I’ve ordered thanks to other friends having shows…speaking of which…I need someone to have another show by the end of March so I can get at least one more thing I’ve designed! More about that later.
Next up was something Mark has requested I do.
Cost breakdown:
Digital scrapbooking kit (that can be used again and again and again and is found here): under $6
16X16 Rolled Canvas from uprinting: $20 (free shipping…yippee)
Stretch Canvas frame: under $6
Ribbon and hot glue to attach canvas to frame: FREE! I already had it.
Total cost: $32!
Much better deal and way cheaper than trying to get it from a commercial photo company or etsy!
I thought the canvas was coming with a 2 inch border so I could wrap it around the frame. But it didn’t. So, I improvised and glued it to the frame. Put raffia around the edge and white grossgrain ribbon around the outside of the frame and stapled the ribbon to hang it by. I absolutely love it. It’s in our kitchen and so every time I enter in the kitchen I see it and remember what I need to do and why! I can’t wait to create more (and you can personalize the sizes to meet your needs at uprinting)…I’ve got another creative way to hang verses coming up…stay tuned.
Love Your Heart by Tim McGraw and Tom DouglasPublisher: Thomas Nelson
Ages: 4 – 10
Price: Hardcover $16.99
The second book in Tim McGraw’s My Little Girl series is a heartwarming story of a little girl’s selfless act of kindness.
Tim McGraw and songwriter Tom Douglas once again join forces to write another book about the precocious Katie and her dad. Katie has many talents, but she wonders which one will win her school’s talent show. With the help of Dad and her faithful dog Palio, and after several amusing mishaps, Katie finally chooses one talent that includes Palio. But at the talent show, she decides to drop out of the contest to help her friend, showing kindness is the best talent of all. Katie’s proud dad reassures her that she did the best thing and that while he loves many things about her, he loves her heart most of all.
Peekaboo & Brother Love from justabunchofcharacters on Vimeo.
This pretty much explains it!
By the way, this video was shot in January with my new “flip” style video camera…stay tuned for Ceili Rain’s crawling. Once again, for our privacy, email me if you need the password.