Jenny's "collection"

I *SO* wish I had new batteries for my camera, so I could have taken a picture or video of this...it was super, super cute! Jenny has taken to gathering up "collections" of things in one of the many metal baskets I have. Just lots of little things that she likes, until the basket is full. Then she comes to find me and asks if I would like to see her collection...um, Of Course! She then sets the basket down on the floor, squats next to it, and unloads the items one by one in a circle around her, while naming each item. Here is this morning's list:

A puck (pacifier)

A cup

Music notes

A lego

A crocodile

ball

cup

chugachoo train

soap (not actually soap, lol)

breakfast (from the kitchen set)

a bead

a cat

a phone

a... shape

a clip

another clip

a blue lego

egg

lid

*grin*

At this point she sees a larger metal basket and sets off to find another collection, leaving her circle of goodies. A minute or so later, Anthony will wander in to ask me something/get a kiss etc. and will spot the circle of wonder, squeal and sit down in the middle and proceed to name everything that he likes. When he's done he very carefully chooses three toys and runs off to play with them. Rinse and repeat! I just love watching those two!!

"Belly fat, Mama?"

:-D "Um, no Honey...ballet flats." Thank you Jenny!
Here's another snippet of the day...
Jenny and Charlotte had sat Zoey (who was doing something naughty-ish) down and then proceeded to give her their best shape up, or ship out talk. Evidently they DO listen when we talk! ahem.... It involved a variety of voice tones, encouragement, and some very sound scolding...Lots of, "Okay, Honey?" lol Then when they were done Jenny skipped past me and said, "Don't worry, Mommy-- We saved the day!" :-D SO funny!

I'm off for an at home date-night with subs from our favorite pizza/sub place and "So You Think You Can Dance"...perhaps not the most exciting...but wonderfully fun!

Oh $.99 pattern sale, how I've missed you!

What a lovely Sunday we've been having! It started with Joe getting home from his camping trip almost four hours earlier than expected, which was perfect since I had a sick little boy who woke up crying for his "Ba-Ba" (which translates to Da-Da). What a relief to the rather sleep deprived Mama!! We had a yummy breakfast of scrambled eggs, turkey bacon and blueberry pancakes...

While I do prefer regular bacon, I am amazed everytime I make this by how much less fat there is in the pan when I'm done. (Almost none!)

Thank goodness tylenol works so well those times that I give in and give it to them!! Since he was still a bit feverish and coughing so much we did decide to stay home from church though...I hope he will be better by next weekend though...this is two weeks in a row now. :( (NOTE: if you look carefully, past Anthony's head on the left you can see something shiny silver...well it is the shell of my duct tape dress form!! I'll post pictures when I get it finished!)

After breakfast I remembered I had promised to take Jenny to the big JoAnn's sale that's starting this weekend. (For those interested, it goes all week!) So she and I got all dressed up for a mommy-daughter day and headed out. Our first errand was to drop off some camping stuff at my parents' house, and after a bit of persuasion, my mom (and thanks to a bizarre insident with ketchup, Eliza) joined us for the trip. :)

They have all of their red tag clearance fabrics marked 50% off, so I got each of the kids some yummy thermal knit fabric for pj's this fall/winter. Regularly $9.99/yd, I got this for $2.50/yd!!This is the fabric (I already had it) for my living room curtains. I got the lace today with my 40% off coupon to go along the bottom of the valences. I used such strong, masculine colors in that room, that I think this touch of femininity will be a nice ballance!As you know, Jenny just turned three, and in honor of the occasion, her great-great aunt sent her some birthday money. I had promised her that she could pick something "fancy" out the next time we went to JoAnn's, and she was so excited to get to do her own (ever so slightly guided) choosing! This gorgeous batik and pom-pom trim will be for her very own library tote bag! She chose the trim while I was picking out lace, and then said she needed fabric with bugs on it. :) This was the prettiest one we could find! :)Then she saw this red buggy print and said, "Oooh, put that one behind me Mommy!", and from her seat in the front of the cart, that meant add it to the basket! This pattern was on my list anyway ($.99 for McCalls patterns!!), but I think that these bugs will become a top like the white one on the cartoon girl. I think she has just enough money left over to get a bright blue for the pants to complete the outfit! Quite the birthday gift, isn't it? She had so much fun, and really knew exactly what she wanted! :)I have been in desperate need of clothing lately, so I'm so excited that I found two patterns for myself. I got this denim for this twirly skirt pattern, view B...the longer of the two cartoonish ones. This fabric was really hard to photograph. The color is pretty close, but you can't really tell that it is the loveliest embroidered gauze. The pattern looks like it will be wonderful fun, and it takes ALLOT of fabric. I just love long, full, twirly skirts! I'm making the one that is completely shown in the picture, with the blonde girl in the white tank top. Now I just have to preshrink everything!!

I hope you all had a lovely weekend! Hopefully I'll be posting progress on my sewing by the end of the week!

Tony, the nude model....

hee hee, how cute is that smile?? (over exposed due to bad lighting in my bedroom)
Okay, onto the post...

*WHEW* What a sick 4 weeks we have had!! And I mean totally blah, too, not just the sniffles. We started off with a nice round of the flu (the respiratory sort), followed immediately (and sometimes simultaneously) by what may have been the worst cold ever, and most recently topped with a 12-24 hour stomach bug...although that has only hit the babies thus far. Let's just say that I am *SO READY* for the beach next week!!

It hasn't been all bad though, earlier today my Boy got me THIS lovely blue vacuum...I feel positively giddy. :) After being without one for a good month, well...I'm sure all of you housewives can understand my delight. :) And how perfect that it was on sale when we got there! I have already cleaned two rooms. :)

So, you might be asking yourself, what has been going on here, during my computer/TV free time? Well...first off, I have been knitting LOTS. Sadly my camera isn't working at the moment, other wise I would show you. But I'm working on a gift for my friend Sommer's upcoming arrival, as well as a darling little Easter vest for Tony. (On a side note, for any of my readers are on Ravelry ~and if you knit or crochet and aren't on ravelry, you really must sign up!~ then please feel free to add me as a friend, or at least look me up... my username is MackenzieH) As far as around the house goes, I decorated my hall way a bit. It still really needs paint, as does that mirror there, but that's okay. :) I like collecting cheap-y mirrors, that have those really ugly plastic, fouax gold/bronze frames. I spray paint the frames a nice glossy white, and *poof*, they instantly go from really REALLY ugly to really REALLY pretty. :) (I wonder if white spray paint has this effect on other things...perhaps if I just spray painted that extra post-baby belly....?? lol) The really great thing about these though, is how very, very cheap they are. I find that people will often just give them to you if you ask (Mommy, when you re-do the bathroom can I have that hideous mirror? etc.) And spray paint is of course very cheap...and lasts for more than one mirror. The heart baskets/wreathes are from my Mama, the tea set was for my 13th birthday, the little silver image of Our Lady of Guadalupe is from Joe's mom, and the sweet little candle and holder are from my good friend Sommer. The sewing machine itself is from my aunt...so really it is sort of a wall of my favorite things. :) I often find myself standing and starring. :)

Tony has been doing allot of riding around on my back...(to keep him from climbing and/or terrorizing his sister) which has led to lots of this...

Oh the joys of play silks!! I was a bit hesitant at first...I mean, what would they actually *do* with them?? By Joe's mom got some for Jenny at Christmas time and they have been in nearly daily use since. The sling is by far the most popular use for now! Although, there are other uses...

Costumes for example! She loves to have me tie them into a dress for her...and she loves how the feel against her skin. ;) So funny to turn to a "Mommy, help me!" to find a diaper clad face and a fist or two full of silk. :) What does one do when decked out so fancifully??Play tamborine of course!! She loves playing music with her daddy...mostly Irish/pirate-y stuff. She knows so many songs now!! And we're really amazed at how steady her beat is on that thing. :) Oh, and Tony likes to sing...but we're slightly less impressed with that...for now! :)This is the other "like Mama" thing she does...grocery shopping! If you look, you can see her baby Julio (the "J" is said like an "H"), her ever important mail, some "good books" in the cart. She's holding her notebook and pencil (I wonder where she got that one! lol) and the purse contains her cell phone, wallet and keys. :) I have to say it's rather flattering. :)

Well, I'm off to care for my sick little man, please pray that we are all over and done with all of these germs!!!

Favorites - Jenny

As hard to swallow as it may be, my sweet baby girl will be three very soon. BUT I'm not thinking about that yet (to hard to swallow, lol). Instead of thinking about the inevitable birthday, I thought I'd show you all a few pictures! Sort of the highlights of her little life right now. Well, the ones I have my camera handy for anyway. :) Let's start with her little room...

Come right in! Her curtains are hand-me-downs from my cousin, made by my aunt. I hadn't done it for in this picture, but they are almost always tied back with purple ribbons. :)

Here is her sweet little bed, made by my Opah. The closet is on the right, but since it has only the smallest bit of trim paint on it (dark brown) I didn't think it was worth a picture. That's Julio (J is said as an H) there in the bed...don't ask, I didn't name him. Over the bed is her name made out of flower petels from our wedding...isn't that cool? It was a great baby gift!

This is her little reading spot. The rocking chair was mine forever ago, the books rotate and are occasionaly lined up neatly, but not as often as they're just stacked by sweet little hands. The gorilla sings "Wild Thing"...It is Tony's favorite toy. :) (It figures, huh? The one toy we have that makes noise...oh well)
This is her (Waldorf isnpired) nature table. This is our first, so I'm sure they'll get better, but this has been fun for now. The white cloth is for snow, and the rest is pretty self explanitory. The Nome is a bit random, but he is so cute, and we've gotten to talk about how wool is a warm thing we wear in the winter thanks to his soft fuzzy self. :) Today when we were getting the mail we saw new green blades of grass sticking up so we snagged a few for the table...I'm already planning her spring version! :)This is a happy spot. The dresser was Heathers, and has been given a few coats of "Tu-tu" pink, it is big, but will hold our girls' clothing forever, so we will grow into it. On top is the lamp I decorated for her while I was still waiting to meet her, the tea set we gave her for her first birthday, some treasure boxes from her Daddy and a Monarc Butterfly from her Nana. The mirror has been over my dresser since my 10th (or 11th?) birthday, the Crusifix was also mine, and the icon is of St. Genevieve. It will of course be fun to add things as we add girls, but it is fun for now to share my childhood things with my first daughter.This is the other artwork in there...I love Love LOVE it. The colors match perfectly, even though that wasn't planned (by me!)...it's just such a sweet picture!
A few of her favorite things right now...her new dolly bed (a child sized pack'n'play from WalMart) and her two babies. She says that they're in their pj's, not naked (for what it's worth). :) This scottie jumper is my favorite thing to put her in right now, and we are both loving her "elf boots", made from recycled sweaters! (And how about that day-after-pig-tails hair??)She wanted a picture of Julio and Casey... :)These are some of the pants I've made her recently. Each kiddo got three pairs, these ladybugs are the favorite though. :) Another favorite thing are her fuzzy lined pink crocs. Her daddy shared his Christmas money and treated her to new shoes....quite the lovable fellow. :)She has an amazing ability to cover not only her paper....

but also herself in (washable!!) marker in about 1/3 of the time it takes me to make dinner. :) (and yes, that's crayon on the wall behind her...I confess to loving it there)This was the answer to "How did you color your nose??" heehee

Right now the other favorite things are cashews, smoothies, and these hair clips. We have several sets, and I confess that I occasionaly clip one in for an around the house day. :) I love that Etsy seller right now...I can't get enough of her hair clips...and most of the other things she makes are on my wish list...I did get those Peter Pan push pins though!

So...that's my girlie right now. We're about to start picking out fabric for her summer clothes. I got t-shirts for t-shirt dresses again this year. WalMart has wonderfully bright, happy colors in the Garanimals line, with little bloomer type pants to match! We will be sharring when we get those made up. And you can look forward to the anual birthday photo shoot for more Jenny-loo goodness! I leave you with my very favorite picture...

Recent Pictures--Catching up! 2

Virginia is not a snowy place. One day I will live in a snowy place, but in the mean time, my children will have to work with what the get. :) So... After our first snow, Jenny went out after Joe got home from work, and in the few moments left of light, they built her first snowman. It could be argued that it was more of an ice man, but she was happy with it, so we didn't mess with it. :) She put on her snowsuit and boots for about 5 minutes outside. Lots of bundle-ing, not allot of snow!

What was left after the snowman got tracked in on her gloves. :)

Then the other day, we got more snow...what excitement! What shouting! The snowsuit went back on right after lunch, because *gasp* the snow was already melting!

She explained to me how you have to start with a tiny ball and then Daddy pushes it around and makes it bigger. (I wonder where she learned to delegate like that??) ;)And then TA-DA mommy walks outside at just the right moment with a scarf, sunglasses, raisens, and a carrot nose! Jenny ate raisons, Joe put the mouth on, and I got the extreme honor of placing the scarf around the rather hard to find neck. :) SUCCESS! This is Jenny's very first taller-than-her snowman. Here's to many more!!

ps) I'm nearly at 300 posts (yay!), and I'm thinking of doing a giveaway...and, my sister-in-law Heather (known more commonly as Ducky) is nearing her 100th post, and is also thinking of a giveaway.... so head over there for a peak at what's going on there, and keep your eyes opened here for details! Oh, and be sure to scroll down on Heather's blog...she has been sharring some of her b-e-a-u-tiful quilting over the past few months!

Goals for 2009

I'm not much of one for resolutions...I think because they are made to be broken, and everyone knows this. Resolutions or goals in general I'm all for, but making them just for new years often just leads to them being broken as soon as the shine wears off the new year. That being said, I do think that the end of the year is a great time to evaluate your past year, and plan your new one. Not that they ever go as planned, but it does give us something to do after the gift making high wears off. ;) My goals last year were fairly simple, and I achieved most of them...
Move ~check!
Birth a baby ~check!
Move into new house (different from moving, as anyone who's done it can tell you...) ~great progress has been made here...especially *ahem* this year...
Improve my knitting enough to knit socks ~knitting socks just seemed like the most complicated thing I could think of...all of those tiny needles...I didn't know much about knitting when I made this goal, but I have improved enough to start my first pair of socks (for Anthony) as soon as my yarn order from Knit Picks gets here! soooooo ~check!

Not a huge list, but it has kept me very, very busy. :)

SO

Now that my "baby" has betrayed me and is crawling around, pulling himself onto his chubby little feet and climbing onto anything he can wiggle his fat belly over...I have little excuse to sit on my sofa and cuddle him all day. I do still drop everything when he wants to nurse, but even that has (thankfully!!) slowed down a bit. But just a bit. :) I'm rambling... *ahem*....a train of thought....Jenny wants a train set...Target maybe? Nova? AH! Focus!! But, I haven't had more than 3.5 hours of sleep a night in three weeks!! No? Okay, focusing.

This year, my goals are again, simple.

~Declutter my home. A place for everything, and everything in it's place. I never quite got this one, until now. I think that this will be my quote for the year. :)

~ Continue knitting!! I'm addicted. It's that simple. When I'm not knitting, I think about knitting, my hands are just itching to pick up my needles...I have a mental "to knit" list running, that I've just added a stack of small rainbow striped sweaters too...(Thanks Ducky!!--really!) My goals for this year as far as techniques (last year's being able to knit socks); knit my first pair of socks, knit my first lace item (no matter how simple!), knit an assortment of wrist warmers for Eliza, and knit something with cables (the wrist warmers would count, if they have cables). I think it's very doable...I'll just have to be careful which projects I start! The nice thing about the knitting is that you can only have so many projects going...and I've found that if I keep them in plain site then I work on them whenever I have a spare second! I'll have to share some of my recent/ current projects soon!!

~Resume cloth diapering. 'nuff said

~Meal planning! I plan to use Once A Month Cooking...with a bit of an organic twist

That's pretty much it. Allot of my "little things" are just out of necessity or fall under one of these categories. :) Sooo what are you doing this year?

btw.... While we were getting dressed this morning, Jenny said, "I love my 4:00 (yes, she said four o'clock) toes." ahem Anyone with information that would help me to interpret this statement can feel free to leave a comment below. :)