Snow Day!

So we have actually had snow THREE times this Winter! And if you ask me, it was plenty! But of course the kids loved it, particularly Sam who's only seen it once before.

(Hat and scarf made by Mama!)

You know you want this girl's sense of style.

Poor Izzy, lol. She is a dog who think she's a pillow, hehe.

After we had enough of the snow and snow ice cream, it was time for homemade hot chocolate and tea parties!

Pre-School Valentines Day.

Now that I'm feeling a bit better, I'm trying to get my camera out more. Trying. So anyways, the kids are in a city-run "pre-school" class called Leland's Little Learners. Once a week we go for an hour to read books, color and do crafts. The kids love it. Mommy--I'm still up in the air about it as I spend 90% of my time running after Sam and trying to make sure he's not ripping the place down brick by brick. Sigh. Thank heavens he at least likes crafts--now if only he didn't zip through them in 3.5 seconds.

This was our Valentine's Day Party. The kids had fun giving each one of their valentines. Brook and I had fun making them. Well, the first 15 or so. The following 25 wasn't so fun for a tired mommy the night before.

Story time! This is the time that I dread. Although Sam really likes reading books one-on-one (for about 5 minutes, and it has to be his level of reading), he does NOT enjoy this.

Of course Brook eats it up.

At home I let them have at their bags. At one point Sam came over to me and had FOUR lollipops in his hands. I laughed and said, "Are you sick yet?" "Yes." "Do you want to throw those away?" "Yes." And he did! Granted he fished them out after nap......

Mud Bath.

Phew!!! Last freaking post, I swear. That's what I get for not posting for 2 months.

Anyways, the kids were driving me INSANE yesterday and around 4pm I could.not.take.any.more. So I did the same thing that any at-her-wits-end parent would do, "GO OUTSIDE!!!!!" Of course I left the back door open so I could selectively hear them.

Let me tell you people, I had a full HOUR AND A HALF of quiet. Of course I looked out every 10 minutes or so. And I was not surprised whatsoever to find this:

I love the "oh &#%$, she's gonna kill me" look on his face.

And you know what? I did not care a lick. That was one precious hour and a half. Plus the added 1/2 hour in the bathtub afterward. Dirt is good.

Hobbies, etc.

So just a little update on me...since having my thyroid nuked, it was completely non-functional at the beginning of this year. I ended up going to a new practice (my dr. retired and I wasn't a fan anyways) and seeing a naturopath (who is treating my immune system more than my thyroid, which is where my thyroid issues stem from).

The new doc put me on hormone replacement and we're in the process of getting it just right. Although, even with hormones I was surprised I wasn't feeling better. Still very tired, cold, depressed, impatient...BLAH. Talked to my naturopath about it and I can officially say that "My name is Trista Teeter and I am a progesterone cream user." WOOT! The woot is for the effects that it brought. It was like a complete 180. I went from literally not wanting to move all.day.long. to having a list of 10 things I wanted to get accomplished in the next 2 hours, lol.

So Russ bought me a sewing machine.

And it began...

Actually, I did this project today. Took a whopping 2 hours to bust out and Brooklyn was super happy about it. She's the one that actually bugged Russ over and over about the sewing machine, so she's super happy to get goodies from it. I let her pick out the fabric and the ribbon. I kept saying, "What about a brown ribbon? Or green? Or white?" Nope, shimmery gold it is. And as much as I thought it would clash, I figured what the heck, why destroy her "sense of fashion. Except that...after I finished it, I decided I really liked it, lol. It fits her personality.

This was actually my first (okay, not my first, that was a dog bed out of a sheet, but that's boring!) project, a duvet cover which was desperately needed for my duvet! And I looooove it! A dark purple on both sides with a strip of brown and cream pattern up the middle, and then the back is covered in a gold/cream so I could flip it over if I needed a lighter color.

We've had this couch for probably almost 2 years. We got it for free from a good friend (thanks again, Jen!) and within 6 months my kids had completely ripped the back cushions off, and ripped them open. Lovely. Actually, now that I finally just cut all of the cushion covers off (they were attached), it looks WAY better believe it or not. Actually, one of them was attached. We went for a good year w/ only 1 back cushion.

Sewing Project #2: Pillows! Although now I wished I would have done box cushions, I still really like these, even if they are bigger than I had expected (plus they're 9" smaller than I'd originally thought they should be! Silly Trista.). Of course with 2 kids and a couch-loving dog, they rarely stay ON the couch (I must admit, they are great floor cushions as well), but I like them.

Although I consulted Brooklyn on these fabrics, I made the final decisions as I didn't want hot red and bright purple with bright green birds on it. However, I did let her negotiate her choices in fabric for the accent pillows--of course one is red (her favorite color) and the other is a khaki and white (both w/ fun designs). Oh, and after some hard and fast first-rate debating back and forth, she won out on the buttons as well--black and clear gems it is. I'm really glad I have her to help me out with these decisions, she definitely helps me think outside of the earth-tones-palate box.

I love this fabric!

Next project: Sewing this crown for Brooklyn's birthday, pacifier clips for my soon-to-be-arriving nephew, and school uniforms for Brooklyn!...oh, and I suppose I should attempt the rugby shirt that I sold my soul for...that was the deal. The dude would get me a new machine if I made him a rugby shirt. Yikes. Hey, at least it's on the list now!



My other "hobby" (aka - obsession) now that I have a bit more energy is organizing. I've let everything go to crap while I've been feeling bad and I'm tired of it. Soooo, jumped on the Organizing Junkie bandwagon and am doing the 52 weeks of organizing. I figured, "I can do 1 project a week!" and figured I'd do something like one kitchen drawer each week. That way I won't get overwhelmed AND I can keep the costs down if I need to purchase bins, etc.

Well...be careful if you decide to take on the 52 week challenge...it's addicting. At first I thought, "I don't know if I have 52 places to pick!" HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!!! Silly Trista.

So my first project was the one that annoyed me the most--the pile of papers on my kitchen counter. And do you want to know what I did? The bathroom instead, which is Week 32, NOT Week 1. But as I was putting papers away I found this shoe organizer not being used, and the kids bathroom was also driving me crazy with lack of storage. Voila! Easy 15 minute fix. Cross that one off my list!

Soooo, back to that nasty pile. It may not look so ominous to you, but it taunts me. The baggy of screws that needs to be put in the garage, the pattern that I need to return but have to find the receipt for first, the manila envelope containing a list of things to do before Brooklyn can go to Kindergarten...eek, it really weighs me down every time I pass it. Plus, the kitchen is the one room I really attempt to keep decently clear and clean, so it drives me nuts to have chaos at the end of it all.

So I decided it was time for my Command Center. I've always wanted one, but it was so daunting and I was afraid of how much it would cost... I'll tell you that the most expensive item in both photos is that T hanging on the wall. And only because I had to buy 2 small bottles of paint for it.

I do need to add a few more things--I need to make a key holder and either a filing system or a magnetic board to go to the left of the T and frames.

Fridge has my To Do list, the grocery list under that, and each kid has a white board w/ pictures of their chores. They get to erase the picture when they do it, then they get their jewel for that chore (although some are time sensitive) and when they fill up their cup with jewels, they get $5 or a date w/ Mommy and/or Daddy.

Need to add a few more things here as well to make it a little more cohesive. But overall, the chaotic feeling when I see that corner of the kitchen is gone. Now I feel much more planned and prepared. Woot!

This week I'm on to the Master Bedroom Closet...dun dun dun! Although I'm not taking photos b/c my doors don't open wide enough to get the "full effect", clothes have been purged, shelves moved around to give shoes a rack, bins have been purchased and things have been stowed (including the bunch of wires in the desk drawer that was for Week 21! Bonus!), and working on a cheap way to store ties and belts efficiently.

Randomness.

Here are a bunch of random photos from the past few months.

Love these mamas!!! We were celebrating Laura's (in the green) third baby, who should be here ANY DAY!

Bubba came last week and although the kids were sick (and then the Bubba was sick), and I wasn't feeling at the top of my game, as always, we had lots and lots of fun.

Sam, Sam, the Chicken Man. I love that I never have to get eggs--he gets a bucket, gently lifts each egg out and into the bucket, and then gently brings the bucket to the back door so I can grab them and wash them. He love it, as do I!

Love this girl! This week has been Get Ready for Kindergarten Week. Brooklyn got in (via lottery draw) to the local Charter school, which we're all pretty excited about. Except they start in mid-July (they're year-round)!! Eek, only 5 more months with her! It hit me that I need to start thinking about her schedule when I scheduled her next dentist appointment today...it's only going to get more crazy from here, but we're pretty excited!

My artsy fartsy kids.

These actually turned out really well and are up on the wall. I plan on getting more canvases for them and making a mural one of these days.

More Bubba Time!!

A Very Short Day In The Life - February 2011

So the other day I woke up to this:

and I thought, "Hmm, this feels like a good day. I should take photos."

Then I got started on morning chores--unloading the dishwasher, dispensing vitamins and juice, starting laundry, tending to the chickens, and I realized what a BEAUTIFUL day it was outside! I was so excited to put my clothesline back up and use it for the first time this Spring. The birds were singing, the sun shining and warming the clothes, a slight breeze on my face...talk about perfection. So this photo kind of embodies all of that for me.

Then into the shower I hopped. I started using the baking soda and vinegar in my hair again, and I don't know what the difference this time around is, but I am loving it this go-around!

Although we'd just had breakfast, I made the mistake of leaving the rest of the cantaloupe out. This is what I found upon getting out of the shower.

Put the word out for everyone to get ready to go and found this. Sigh. I sure don't get much accomplished while this kid is around, but dang is he a cute and adventurous little thing.

Snacks. Much-needed snacks to hopefully give Mommy a mental break. I usually drop the kids off at daycare for a few hours on Fridays and run my errands then, but unfortunately, both kids were still getting over a nasty cold. Soooo, I braved it. I'd been putting off a trip to Joann's all week and I just.couldn't.wait.any.longer!! It was the President's Day Sale for heavens sake, people!

So after an hour in Joann's, this is how Sam felt about it. Although the snacks helped a bit, they were soon thrown on the floor and at unsuspecting shoppers. And he had fun emptying the entire contents of my cart onto the floor multiple times. Lovely. Yes, he was lucky to get out alive.

So I don't know if any of your parents used to let you sit on their laps and "drive", but I was telling Brooklyn about it and we were almost home that particular day, so I figured 'what the heck'. So now she gets to "drive" that particular patch of 1000 feet every once a week or so. She is sooo proud and has surprisingly gotten much better every time. Okay, my secrets out, don't report me.

This boy loves to get the mail.

My loot. We made it to Joann's, Costco and Wal-Fart (as Russ lovingly taught my kids it was called...).

Lunch! I LOVE chili, especially with avocado and mozzarella. I try to make a big batch every weekend so that I can have it for lunch during the week.

After naps we head outside to enjoy the weather. Sam is also my "egg man." He asks to check them at least three times a day.

This is how we know Spring has sprung...we went from 3 or 4 eggs per day to 9 or 10!! Woo hoo!

Daddy comes home and I deem him chef for the night. $.17 package of noodles it is. The kids rejoice.

Mama signing off for the night.

Handsome husband signing off for the night.