This and that

I am so unbelievably tired this morning that I cannot think coherently, much less type coherently so today I'm just doing randomness. Sorry.

• Some of you may remember this post about lunchbox love, the cute little cards you slip into your child's lunchbox.  If you order from sayplease and enter the code MOM you will get 20% off your order.
• I'm having a bit of house lust right now which is very unlike me. I'm sure I've mentioned before that I live in a very small house. It 's never bothered me before, but I made the mistake of checking realtor.com the other day and found a house I adore in a subdivision that I also adore and now it's all I can think about. I love the neighborhood because so many of our friends live in it already.  The homes in it are all very nice, but they are all different and unique (unlike mine where every fifth house is the same plan). I refuse to get pulled in though.  I want to do some fix it things around here and wait for housing sales to pick up again so that we'll get top dollar for our home.
• My youngest two are really trying my patience lately with this whole wardrobe thing.  Audrey of course only does skirts and dresses.  Sophie has now decided to join in with her own opinions of what she'll wear  now.  Apparently no brown (it's yucky) and plaid is ugly and for boys. 
• I have no idea why some of my words are highlighted.
• I really wish today were Friday so I would not have to cook.
• Husband 'caught' me looking at purses online last night.  He made the comment that if I might be slightly addicted to purses.  Who me?  Really?
• I have ten library books sitting on the shelf that I need to read before May 4th.  They aren't due back until about the third week of May, but the new Sookie Stackhouse book comes out next so I need to get on the ball.  I generally read one book a day so I don't know if I can do it. 
• I have not slept well at all this week. I am extremely paranoid about the stupid bunk beds so I keep getting up during the night to make sure my babies are okay.  Hopefully I'll get over this stupidity soon.
• Kylie won citizen of the month at school.  I know that would make some parents proud, but I cringed when I pulled the letter out of her backpack yesterday.  This means that she'll have to get a certificate at the next PTA meeting.  She  has won this award ever since Kindergarten and getting her to go up to the front of the gym to accept it is like pulling teeth. Only I think it's more painful. 
• Again, what is with the highlighting?!?!?!

 

Wordless Wednesday-Sisters sharing secrets

Linking to Angry Julie Monday.

All about the ABC's

Remember these?

Yesterday Sophie and I went to Hobby Lobby and picked up a pack of card stock and they have now morphed into this:

I think I like them much better as flashcards.  

It is done

This was yesterdays project and it was a pain!  We finally put the bunk bed together. I don't know what was the worst part,  putting it together or making the beds.  I knew it would be a pain to make the top bunk, but good grief the bottom was just as hard! So far the girls love it. Audrey and Kylie sat in the top bunk for most of the afternoon and thought they were the coolest things ever.  I even let Sophie get in it for a few minutes, but I'm trying to really emphasize that it's for ages six and up so I told her it was a one time only thing.  In all honesty I think it kind of scared her being up so high. Audrey did shed a few tears when she went to bed because she was worried it would fall in. Completely my fault.  I lectured all three girls over and over again (hey, I'm a worry wart!) about standing, jumping and dancing on the top bunk because I don't want it falling in. Completely stupid on my part considering that it would be pretty much impossible for them to do any of those things without putting their head through the ceiling. 
It was kind of a bittersweet bedtime for me last night. I'm used to lying in Kylie and Audrey's bed with all three girls and reading to them and then we'll snuggle. Audrey and Sophie wanted me to read to them in their "new" room last night so I couldn't do that. *Sigh* I also hated taking the artwork down above the bed, I just love it so much.  I think I'm going to check etsy for a banner to put on the wall above the bed so if anyone has a seller to recommend please let me know. Of course I do have these art clips from Land of Nod that I could always use.  They are the little blue birds so they will match.

I confess that I probably checked on my baby  probably no less than twenty times last night.  And yes, she was completely fine every time

Decisions, decisions

About a year ago husband and I decided to buy Sophie a big girl bed.  She had a toddler bed in her room, but it was too small for her long legs.  It felt like forever that we shopped for a bed and finally we decided to buy her a bunk bed.  We only have three bedrooms in our home and the plan has always been to put Sophie and Audrey in a room together eventually (right now it's Audrey and Kylie that share a room) so this seemed like a good idea.  When we got the bed home we decided to just put one of the beds together and wait a year or two before we put them together as bunk beds.  So that's what we have done and so far it's worked out okay.  Lately having Kylie and Audrey in a room together doesn't seem to be working out that well so I'm thinking it might be time to break out the bunk beds.  Audrey has to go to sleep around 7:30 so she'll be rested for school, but  Kylie cannot go to sleep that early.  She stays in her room and reads with the lamp on and it keeps Audrey up past her bedtime.  She's also been shutting Audrey out so she can talk on the phone with her friends (Lord, help me) so Audrey has been going in Sophie's room to play.  So I know it's time to move them, but I'm nervous.  I have this fear of the top bunk falling in.  Husband assures me that he will make the beds extra secure and they'll be fine, but still it worries me.  The superficial side of me hates the thought of putting the extra bed in there because that will mean having to move the artwork I have on the walls and I'm not sure if I can find matching bedding for the top bunk.  Pathetic, I know. I think what it all boils down to is that I'm afraid of change.  I love the feeling of security I get from having everything always the same day in and day out.  That being said I think that we are going to attempt the room change tomorrow. Wish me luck.

Twirly skirts part 2

In case anyone is interested I thought I would share how the second skirt came out.  Kylie picked out the fabric and I was a little leery at first about the polka dots, but I think they look fine. 

 

 Can you tell Audrey likes to pose?  She cracks me up, everytime she puts on a new outfit she'll say, "mom hurry up and take my picture."  I ordered the top from gap and the pink actually matches the pink in the fabric pretty well. Here's a close up of the skirt on it's own.

Did you notice the tag?  My mom made it, it says 'Audrey Grace' so now she really thinks she's hot stuff, lol.  She wanted me to take a picture of her in the skirt I posted the other day so I'll post that one too.  

 And, no she won't be wearing this top with it, I ordered another top from Gap that will hopefully be here soon. Now Kylie is telling me she wants me to make her something, of course she conveniently forgets that she has a closet full of clothes that she hasn't even taken the tags off of yet.  Girls are so much fun, aren't they?

Happy Earth Day!

Today is the fortieth anniversary of earth day.  I feel kind of bad because usually the kids are talking about it for weeks ahead of time and we try to do something.  Last year we went walking and picked up trash, separated it and recycled it. This year it kind of snuck up on me though so I really don't have anything planned. I'll probably read them this story tonight at bedtime:

 

 Audrey is a huge Fancy Nancy fan so I'm sure she'll get a kick out of it.  I think I may also plant some seeds in our pitiful  garden with the girls after school today.  I definitely plan on talking to them about how important it is to conserve energy and water.  They have been really horrible lately about leaving every light and electronic device in the house on and letting the water run forever before getting in the shower. I think a little reminder would be a good idea.  Other than that I really don't have anything big planned today. If any of you are interested in ways to conserve energy here is a good  link  that I ran across that has some easy things to do.  Hope everyone has a great day today!

 

Springtime

I know I probably sound like the worlds biggest dork, but I just love springtime.  This year has been especially great.  Where I live we don't have much of a winter (it's not unusual to see people in shorts at Christmastime). We usually go from cool weather in the winter and when springtime rolls around just skip ahead to broiling hot summer days. This year however, we have an actual bona fida spring.  The flowers are blooming like crazy and I've only had to run the a/c a handful of times.  Whenever I walk outside I can smell gardenias and roses in the air and it is just wonderful. Last year the girls gave me a climbing rose bush for Mother's day and it is in full bloom.  

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The funny thing is that I've noticed not only do I have hot pink roses on it, but red ones too.  Weird huh?

And, yes I fully realize I should have taken the picture earlier when the pink rose was first blooming and looked it's best. The kids and I have stocked up on Claritin and we've been spending loads of time outside.  I'm probably going to spend a fortune on laundry detergent and stain remover to get all the dirt out of their clothes, but it sure beats listening to super Mario brothers all day.
 

Future supermodel. Or not.

No she's not break dancing.

This is what I get when I tell Sophie I would like to take her picture.  Yes, that's right people. This is her newest 'pose'.  She's actually quite proud of herself for thinking it up, hence the reason for not one or two, but rather three pictures.  She kept saying, "Mom, hurry and take my picture." I think it's safe to say the fashion world can rest easy. For now. 

Back on schedule

Yesterday marked the official end of spring break. If someone had told me nine days ago that I would be sad to see the girls go back to school today I would have told them to put down the crack pipe and slowly back away. Yes, I dreaded it that much.  All I could think about was the constant squabbling I would be putting up with.  I was wrong. The girls all got along, mom got to sleep in and best of all no homework! I felt bad because I didn't have anything special planned, but with husbands work schedule and with the money tree I had planted withering and dying on me it just wasn't happening.  Not a problem though.  We made a trip to the dollar store and bought a pack of water balloons.  Best fun ever!

While it's nice to be back on a schedule again, I think I'm really going to miss those little monkeys!

A perfect day

Do you ever have one of those days that is just so nice you don't want it to end?  That was yesterday. The girls are out of school for spring break and husband had a day off so we went to the beach.  It was an absolutely gorgeous day! The water was still cool so I didn't even dress the girls in their swimsuits (which they are dying to break in!), but they managed to get wet anyway.  I couldn't help but laugh because they wanted to walk along the water and I just knew that they would end up having an 'oops I got wet' moment and they did not disappoint! You can just see the mischief on Audrey's face, can't you?

After getting good and wet the girls started making sandcastles and I thought I would snap a few more pictures.

What, you don't take pictures of your kids just so you can get a picture of a cute guy?  Gee, what's wrong with you people? Oh, and he was facing us until I pulled out the camera.  Maybe he knew what I was up to. Hmm. After getting a ton of sand in our hair and clothes we decided to head home for ice cream sundaes.  What a great way to end the day.

Look what I made (sort of)!

Audrey has recently decided that she will only wear dresses or skirts.  Not just any skirt mind you, but twirly skirts.  Straight skirts are a huge no-no and shorts are only to be worn under skirts and dresses so no one can see your panties when you're twirling around in the middle of the supermarket. So I decided that I would call my mom and ask her if she would help me make Ms. Prissy some twirly skirts.  I went to Hobby Lobby yesterday and picked up some fabrics and today we made this:

And just so you can see how twirly it is:

I

I think it turned out pretty cute and Audrey is thrilled with it. I'll be honest with you. Pretty much all I did was pick out the fabric, measure and then gather it.  My mom did the cutting and actual sewing. I hate cutting fabric because I cannot cut a straight line worth a flip.  We actually started on another one, but then the kids were getting antsy so I brought them home.  I'm crossing my fingers that this one will hold my little girly-girl over for a little while until I can finish the other skirt and buy more fabric for other ones. Oh, and if any of you creative ones have suggestions for tops please let me know. I have a lot of fabric left over so I'm kind of thinking of maybe an initial tee, but I'm not sure.

The azaleas are blooming!

One thing I just love about this time of year is watching all the flowers bloom.  I live on the gulf coast and it's practically a requirement that you must have azaleas in your yard.  My parents used to be in the nursery business so naturally I have lots and lots of them in mine.  Yesterday I thought I would snap a few pics of the girls while they were playing outside around them.  

We were shopping in hobby lobby a few weeks ago and they had parasols on sale and the girls just had to have one. Unfortunately I only bought one, not smart when you have three girls.  Kylie remembered that we had it so I brought it out for them to play with and of course had to snap a few more pics. Note to self, make another trip to Hobby Lobby and hope they still have two more parasols so my kids don't kill each other.

I even somehow  to get a picture of them together. Not the best pic in the world, but hey, you take what you can get.

Weekend recap

Last week was really not so great.  I went all week without a car which surprisingly makes mommy a great big ol' grouch.  Friday after I walked Kylie and Audrey to the bus stop I walked into the kitchen to eat breakfast when I noticed Kylie had left her lunchbox.  Not good at all.  Kylie tends to be incredibly anxious so I knew that without a doubt I would have to somehow or another get it to her. Her school is 2.5 miles away so I could easily walk it, but I had one small problem with that.  Her name is Sophie.  I do not have a stroller and I don't think her little legs could handle walking five miles in one day when it's 80+ degrees out.  So I finally got in touch with my mom and she came to my rescue.  She picked us up and we went to the school where it just so happened the kids were having field day so we stayed for a little while to watch them.  I think they were both secretly glad Kylie forgot her lunch because not only did mom and Sophie get to come watch them, but Granny did too. 

Then Saturday husband had to work again.  I thought that I could drop him off at work so I could use the car to take care of some much needed errands, but when I woke up that morning he was already gone.  Yes, divorce did run through my mind.  A lot. I just kept repeating to myself, "remember the purses, remember the purses".  Yesterday he had to do something to redeem himself.  He surprised us by taking us to the strawberry festival across the bay.  We had never been before so we had no idea what to expect.  They had tons of food, booths and rides for the kids so it was really nice.  Nice, but really overpriced.  The cheapskate thrifty part of me thought it was really stupid to spend $3 per child per ride, but the looks on their faces made it all so worth it.  Kylie and Audrey rode the mini roller coaster and I thought it so sweet the way Kylie would put her arm around Audrey.  

Sophie, of course wanted no part of the roller coaster, but she could not wait to get on the giant slide.  I was kind of worried that she would get all the way to the top and then freak out, but she did great. 

The funny thing is that after we bought a load of tickets for the rides we walked around the corner and there was this nice little park for the kids to play at. I think they actually liked the park better than the rides.  Oh, well live and learn right?

And a few more pics, just because I love showing off my girls!

Sadly I forgot to bring sunscreen and someone was starting to get a little pink so we had to cut the fun short. Kylie and Audrey wanted to get in another quick ride on the roller coaster so Sophie and I waited for them and she picked wildflowers.  I swear that child can find those things anywhere!

Judging by the smiles from the kids I think everyone had a really great time.

 Oh, and for those concerned I do have my car this week.  Which is very good considering the girls are out of school for spring break.

Out of the mouths of babes (no Sophie, I'm not calling you a baby!)

A few years ago I made Kylie a tutu for her birthday.  I was going to run to Gymboree to buy one of their birthday girl shirts to go with it, but apparently I waited too long and they were sold out.  I mentioned it to my mom and she said, "no problem, I'll make her one." So she picked up a white tee and embroidered 'birthday girl' in hot pink on it.  It turned out really cute and I decided I would save it for Audrey and Sophie to wear on their birthdays (the tutu sadly bit the dust long ago, too much dress up I guess).  This year Audrey asked to wear the shirt for her birthday so I pulled it out for her.  Her birthday was last month, but for some odd reason she came up to me today and asked me to save the birthday girl shirt. Why you ask? Because she said when she grows up if she has kids she wants them to have it. Mom will be thrilled.  Then Sophie not to be outdone told me that she wants me to save her princess dress for when she grows up.  Again you might ask why. Because when she grows up she is going to be Rapunzel and she will need a princess dress. It's always good to have goals in life isn't it? 

Day four of no car

Every Friday night I go online and order pizza and husband will stop on the way  home from work and pick it up.  This past Friday I did so as usual and the girls and I sat and waited.  And waited. And waited.  Finally the phone rings and it is husband. Not good.  He was calling to see if I could come pick him up because the clutch on his car went out. Really not good.  So I load the kids up and we go to get him.  In the dark.  Now anyone that knows me well will tell you this is really not a good thing because I do not drive well in the dark at all.  What can I say, I'm old. Luckily he has the weekend off and Saturday we find out that not only does  he need to get his clutch fixed (replaced?  Heck, I don't know), but he also needs new brakes.  Since it's Easter weekend that means he'll have to wait until Monday at the earliest to get anything done.  Which means that he has to drive my car to work.  The first couple of days weren't so bad, but it is now Thursday and I still do not have my car back.  I'm sure that the good people at Target and Hobby Lobby are getting worried about me.  So far they haven't called to check up on me, but I'm sure that their sales have taken a dive this week.  Luckily we still have online shopping.

A few decorating tips from the pro

• Flowers always make a room look inviting.

• Personalized artwork always lends a little something extra to a room.
•  If one tea set is good, then two will be even better

 
 
 

Everyone can rest easy now

My voice is a little on the hoarse side this morning. In case you missed all the screaming going on at my house I'll fill you in, Duke won the national championship last night!!!  I'm sure that a lot of people are relieved.  My children should be because now they can go to bed at night and not have to worry about being startled out of a deep sleep by some lunatic yelling, "ARE YOU NOT GOING TO CALL THAT FOUL!?!" Husband should be relieved because now if someone like oh, say mother in law should be silly enough to call during game time he won't have to explain that 'no mom she is not yelling at me.  Really mom, I'm okay'.  The neighbors should be happy because now they don't have to worry about whether or I'm yelling at the kids or husband and if they should call the cops.  And I'm sure all of my facebook friends will be relieved to read something other than, 'what an awesome' game as my status update.  All I can say is, enjoy the quiet while it lasts good people because next season will be here before you know it.

I'm back!

Last week was so incredibly chaotic that I didn't have much time for the computer.  I was dealing with allergies and excema (Sophie), marital problems (not mine, but a family members), the death of a child (a friend of mine), and car trouble (husband). I am crossing my fingers that this will be a relatively calm week, yet keeping in mind the saying 'man plans, God laughs.' I'm hoping everyone had a nice holiday weekend.  Saturday husband and I took the girls to an Easter egg hunt.  We do this every year and the girls really look forward to it and were so very excited.  While we were waiting for the hunt to begin a reporter asked to interview us for our local news.  Husband does interviews all the time, usually because of his work, but I hate doing them.  I've done interviews before and I do not do well with them.  I always get tongue tied and come off looking like a complete moron. The kids thought it would be cool so I gave in.  I didn't watch it, but apparently everyone in my family did and they told me that my speaking part was cut out, lol.  Anyway, while we were doing the interview they announced that the hunt was beginning. We finished up about two minutes after the announcement and wouldn't you know it?  When we walked out the door there was not one single egg to be found!  The kids were so upset I thought that I would cry.  We went home and dyed eggs so we could do an egg hunt of our own.  The kids loved it.  I'm somewhat embarrassed to say that my children have never, ever dyed eggs before.  No one in our house eats eggs so I usually just hide the plastic ones, but this year I promised them that we would do real eggs.  Did you know they include brown dye in the box?  Weird. Naturally the kids didn't use it, but I made this with it:

 Aren't I clever? The kids also had a little egg hunt at my parents home yesterday and I thought I would leave you with a few pics.  I was hoping to get some nice ones of them in their dresses. My mom made the girls some art aprons and put them in their baskets so naturally they put them on over their dresses.  Oh well, maybe next time.