Boy Time.

We had these two sweet boys over to our house one afternoon this week and what a blessing that was!! They not only entertained my boys, but Juliet as well. I was able to do some sewing while everyone was watching a movie.

They chose Monsters v. Aliens to watch: Juliet sat in John's lap and played, very contentedly for quite a while.

She also played by herself - which really doesn't happen often enough.

I tried to skip Jude's nap (well, I didn't try, it just sort of worked out that way) but by 5 p.m., I layed him on the couch for a rest and he snoozed for awhile.

Juliet now climbs up the stairs and recently started walking herself back down (even though she doesn't do that much walking - even on flat surfaces).

And here's my current project - a dress for Juliet. We'll see if it gets done in time for Easter. Don't you just love that fabric?!

Quirky things about my kids currently:

Samuel likes to tell-all to other people. Meaning all the embarrassing things not meant for the general public to hear, he tells.

Jude chooses random times to throw fits - he states that he can't get up, convulses on the ground a bit and screams. Weird. We are choosing to ignore it because really, the shorter this tantrum season is, the better.

Juliet likes to eat dead bugs. Or at least give them a taste. She also slaps both sides of her head with her palms, Rainman-style. But only when she's bored in the car.

I speak the truth when I say that there are no dull moments around here.

Crafty Things

I sometimes allow myself some craft time. It looks like an ironing board in the middle of the living room while children are either watching a movie or running around me in circles. But crazy craft time is better than no craft time, right?

I tried out a new Amy Butler pattern and this is how the swing bag turned out:And I tried some tattered fabric roses. Here's how mine turned out:
I bought some Dupiani silk at Joann's (pretty much sold my kidney to pay for it). So worth it!

Polaroid of Juliet Just Born

This picture was taken just moments after Juliet was born - many, many hours before I could hold, nurse or even kiss her. The Panda Team gives parents these polaroids as a keepsake.

She sure has come a long way!

Food. And My Meal Plans.

Here are a couple of breakfast dishes that I have tried recently. This is overnight french toast from the Food Network website (specifically Paula Deen). Paula Deen doesn't know how to exclude half and half from her recipes. This included two cups of it!! My brain begins to short-circuit when I start counting the fat grams in two cups of half and half. Here's what my casserole looked like: I thought it was pretty tasty, but the family didn't devour it as I expected. So, there is an entire half casserole sitting in my freezer for when I'm feeling particularly lazy one morning...

And this, my dear friends, is Sunday Oatmeal from Barefoot Contessa's cookbook. I make a batch every week for Juliet - she eats it by the fist fulls and sometimes Colin and I comment about how she will founder if she is left to her own devices. Meaning: she eats a boatload of the food she likes. Here's what it looks like:

A bowl full of mush for sure, but healthy baby food as well.

I just discovered this website called The Joy of Baking and I feel like maybe I have been in a virtual cave, because I bet everyone else has been here already. I've drooled, I've stolen recipes and now I'm off to Winco, Trader Joe's and Costco (well, not all in one day - I do have three children!) to purchase the ingredients for the following meals/treats:

Spaghetti w/arugula, roasted peppers, prosciutto/bread

Potato Bar (broccoli/bacon bits/chives/sour cream/butter)

Tacos (including refried beans, salsa, sour cream, cheese)

Lasagna, spinach salad, bread

Calzones (from my bread maker)

Pasta and peas

Tortilla chip pie (from Kiwi magazine)

Breakfast bars

Double Chocolate Zucchini Bread

Chai tea pancakes

Banana Muffins

Tecate Bread (from bread maker)

Blueberry Muffins

Have I mentioned how much I am loving my Bread Machine Lover's Cookbook? It makes my calzone dough and all my most recent bread doughs. I do a second rising on the counter and bake the breads in the oven for more authentic taste, but it really does all the hands on work for me.

Also, I have discovered that if I let my kids be involved in their meal, they tend to actually eat it. Imagine that. So I let them pick their toppings for calzones, pizzas and tacos.

And now we are set for a week of food!

Yesterday.

We took full advantage of the beautiful weather yesterday. We got our free pastry at Starbucks, headed to the park, had free ice cream at Ben & Jerry's, then played the rest of the day outside until the sun went down. I forgot what it's like to have Vitamin D in my system! It was an incredible day with the kiddos (which I haven't been able to say in a very long time).

This was Juliet's first time in a swing and she loved it. She's on the phone talking to "DaDa".

She didn't love this hat, but I caught a picture before she tore it off.

Jude loved this steering wheel at the park.

I peeked out my bedroom window and saw this:

Samuel and Wes perched atop the big concrete tube.

Elna.

Can I first start by apologizing for the horrendous pictures in my last post? Someone (ahem) yanked my camera out of RAW mode and I felt helplessly out of control in the post editing process. Photoshop is a crutch for me and I now have my RAW mode back on. Never again will I post such green, icky pictures - I promise.

At any rate, this is Elna. Doesn't that sound a great aunt's name? I just purchased Elna off Craisglist for a slammin' deal from someone who just had it fully serviced. It's a serger and I'm scared. I mean look how ominous it is!! What with the towering row of thread and that blade the cuts fabric!! But my goal is to open an Etsy shop sooner than later (with all my spare time).

Here's the question - how do you moms of small children find time to do your hobbies? I need to figure out a time to start making things to put up on Etsy, but I feel like if I do, my family won't get as many good meals or the laundry will go undone. Perhaps less sleep? But I really don't want to be a zombie and unavailable for the kiddos during the day. I'm at a loss - ideas?

New Moon Party

Warning: this post may produce many "ugh"s and eye rolling (at least it did with my exasperated husband).

I had a New Moon party last night with my fellow Twihards. We had lots of food, door prizes and many theme-y things. Here are the pics: Edward doll cheering over the Wolf Pack kibbles.

Isn't he creepy?

Here was the amazing display of food.

Of course, New Moon plates and napkins.

I made Vampire Lover's popcorn.

The door prizes were this DVD and a couple of bookmarks.

A couple of Twihards enjoying their food.

Vampire cookies made by Tami.

Vampire venom.

It was quite fun planning this - I will probably do it again when the next movie comes out...

The Latest With Us

Here's some pictures from the last week.

Juliet is extremely busy still - she found her car seat in the kitchen and had fun rocking back and forth in it: This is so typical of my kids - Jude strapped this Power Ranger from my coat. He was "in jail".

The boys brought this little rocking chair down from the attic and Juliet learned how to get in and out of it and rock really fast.

Auntie Joy brought Juliet a dollhouse - yay for girl toys!

She also got a doll stroller, which Jude quickly took a liking to.

Then the boys pushed Sissy around in it and called her "Dolly".

Samuel took some tight corners and went super fast with her. She loved it!

Gardening has begun - Joel is helping us get our garden together for the season. We will pay him handsomely in zucchini.

And here is Colin's truck, fresh from the auction lot.

I am on the lookout for a serger - if anyone has a Juki or Bernina serger they would be willing to sell, let me know!

Scrapbook Page - March

I've been having a scrapbook night at my house once a month for the past three months - I pick out a design in a magazine and my sister-in-law and a friend join in the fun at my house. I found that if I don't schedule it in, it won't happen. So, here's the page from this month: It had a memory board element on the bottom. So fun.

Jude loves orange, so I thought orange lace would be incredibly appropriate.

I've been insanely busy with the kiddos and all their misbehaviors, but I am planning a theme-y gathering in Sunday night. Pictures to come next week, if I'm not too embarrassed to reveal what the theme is.

Our Evening in Pictures

Oh, my. What a day. I will spare you all the chaotic details of schlepping all over P-Town with the kiddos today and direct your attention instead to a few cute pictures of the (sigh) end of our day. And instead of catching up on meal planning (which I need to do so bad) or laundry or just sit and not multi-task for a few moments, I will blog. Because if nothing else, I have recorded this day and can look back on it years from now and remember these amazing, frustrating, funny, crazy, adorable moments: I give my family kefir shakes every couple/three days. I make my own kefir and fill my family's tummies up with lots of good bacteria. You don't even want to know what kefir grains look like. You might throw up in your mouth a little bit. I do.

Jude even gets mustaches from his "milkshake". I include kefir, plain yogurt, whatever frozen berries I have in the freezer, vanilla extract, flax seed meal, agave nectar (for sweetness), protein powder and perhaps a bit of sorbet, if it's on hand.

Juliet can't believe her good luck when it's milkshake night and beats her cup silly until she gets every last drop. I made the mistake of giving her a full cup of that stuff once. I paid for that later.

Juliet loves to sift through my Trader Joe's purchases as they come in the door. She's eating bagel chips here. Delicious.

Samuel singing his "pants on the ground" song. Have you ever watched that ridiculous Youtube video? I'm not sure how my kids even watched it, but I think it involved some Papa time.

Some people ask me how I do it alone with three kids. This is it. Starbucks Americanos. Not just coffee, but coffee and espresso. It makes my eyes water it's so strong, but it really does the job.