Thursday, October 30, 2008

crafty corn

I found this very cute printable pattern at skip to my lou. The one on that website looks more polished and professional but I decided to let Zander and Kaya help me put the glitter on the corn. It was easy and the kids loved making it. Here they are hard at work.




The finished banner....trick or treat!

Sunday, October 26, 2008

how to have fun with a scary guy

To all of you moms out there who want to have a girly-girl who feeds her little dolls, and do all things prissy and fancy.......I hope your wish comes true. I guess I shouldn't complain, because Kaya is pretty girly and very "motherly" to her toys. Just not always baby dolls. It is the scary guy again. (She also has the Incredible Hulk figurine that she loves to carry around and kiss, I just haven't caught a picture of that yet.)

So here are some ways to have fun with a scary guy (if you are lucky enough to have one living in your house). Oh and Kaya did tell me that "Scary Guy" was a girl and had a gia (vagina)....I'll post on that topic later. You probably needed to know---I didn't really know how to differentiate sex in a skeleton, I'm glad she informed me.

Tell your scary guy a secret and your big brother will tell you one.


Make sure you talk to scary guy and tell her how much you love her.



Give your scary guy some lunch.


Read her some of your favorite stories.


Get on the floor with your scary guy and see the world from her point of view.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

a new blogging treat

I have found a wonderful blogging treat that I'm sharing with you! I'm sure if you've read my blog for a while you know I often switch out the layout and colors. I like change. But I often got bored with the same layouts.

Today while lurking around in blogger-sphere I found this wonderful site. This very creative gal has many backgrounds to choose from for your blog......and they are free. You can also find her link in my sidebar. I hope you enjoy the many layouts as much as I do!

baking with grandma

What children need most are the essentials that grandparents provide in abundance. They give unconditional love, kindness, patience, humor, comfort, lessons in life. And, most importantly, cookies. ~Rudolph Giuliani





Friday, October 24, 2008

why

Oh the wonderful stage of three, the whys?

I remember before this was my actual child doing the why asking I thought it was so cute. Why did parents get so annoyed? Their children are just curious, exploring, fascinated by the world. Why would you want to squish that enthusiasm?

Why or Why Not? Those are the questions.

Now that I'm in that phase I just look back at my past self and say, "See, you don't know everything. You shouldn't have judged those moms."

Because now I hear Why or Why Not approximately 4 million times a day. And I wouldn't mind if the questions were actual questions that want to know why something is happening. Zander wants to know why about everything. Everything. For example, he and Kaya want to go downstairs to play. So my mom tells them, "lets go downstairs to play." "Why?"he asks. "Because you wanted to go." He answers, "Why?". "Well, why did you want to go?". "Why not?" he answers.

No, we no longer can even get through the most simple daily rituals without hearing Why or Why not. ( I think I've heard it at least 20 times in the background as I've typed this.)

In the midst of the Whys and Why Nots I have tried to keep my cool. I have tried to shove it in my brain that this is a totally normal developmental phase. But this morning, I had it, I had one too many Whys directed to my morning foggy brain that had yet to fill up with its required daily dose of coffee. I had it and went, "Aargh! Then Zander said ( of course), "Why did you say Aargh?" I answer, "Because you ask me why without really wanting to know why, and it aggravates mommy." And then he laughed and said, "I know, it is funny."

Why
, Oh Why......Why not aggravate mommy when you know it will?

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

fall morning

The air is crisp, the sun is out
birds are calling out to migrate south.
Sibling laughter and teasing too
pretending to drive, sliding, peekaboo.
The smell of fall lifting my mood
As I say a silent prayer of gratitude.




Sunday, October 19, 2008

welcome-home bags

Yesterday I decided to make some welcome-home bags for Z & K. I actually got out for the first time since my surgery to go to The Dollar Tree and loaded up on toys and goodies for my babies (along with other various items that was my original purpose for going).

I found plain white bags there that were 2/$1.00 and knew they would be perfect for decorating. I also know I could have gotten other bags for a dollar but when you love to craft, you love to craft.

I used a sponge to cut a heart to stamp the background of the bags. I also used an old sewing thread spool for an additional design.





After I stamped on the designs, I painted Zander and Kaya's names on the front with a message from myself.




It was a fun way to personalize a gift bag. This would be fun for kids to do too!

Thursday, October 16, 2008

letting go

My heart is breaking today......and I know some of you will call me wimpy. Matt is taking my two babies on a trip to Kentucky for four days.......and it kills me to think of being without their cheerful faces that long.

Now, this was originally my idea. Pre-surgery, before I was so emotional and attached to my little ones, I said "Well you could take them for the weekend to go visit your family while I recuperate." I think in my mind that I thought he would go Friday after work, then be home by Sunday afternoon. That I could handle.

But they are leaving this afternoon. I feel like such a weepy, crazy mess. How can I be this attached? I do think if I wasn't so bored resting and recuperating, I would handle this much better.

So I'm gonna try to suck those tears back in, kiss and hug the little ones like crazy before they leave, and wish them the best time. My mom is still here helping out so maybe she can knit while I quilt or cross-stitch and we will watch tons of LIfetime movies. And hopefully I'll be a tough mom this weekend who can live without her kiddos.

Tuesday, October 14, 2008

trashy tuesdays

Tuesdays are a day of celebration in our house. The kids hear a familiar sound and rush outside to wait......




To see their favorite truck. The trash truck.


When the trash truck leaves, they jump up and down and wave frantically while saying "Bye-Bye Trash Truck! Thank you Trash Truck!" The guys working always wave back and smile (if they hear them over the loud trash truck).

Shouldn't we all be so thankful for the trash truck and the things in our lives that make life that much easier.

Monday, October 13, 2008

fun, fall, farm

I love fall. I'm actually sitting in bed now with my laptop with the window open, enjoying the crisp morning breeze and embracing the fall smell in the air. It is definitely my happy time of year.

One of my favorite things about fall is our yearly visit to this adorable farm. Of course, this year, I didn't get to go but Grandma & Grandpa took the kids. I think they all had a great time.




They loved driving their tractors around.



And the hayride to see the cows and pigs was so much fun.


They both have been talking about feeding the cows and goats...



But the highlight of the day was riding the ponies. They remembered seeing & riding the ponies from last year and couldn't wait!!! They also wanted to ride the cows but we explained to them that the cows aren't for riding.

Here is Zander riding Pumpkin.


And Kaya had fun riding Butterscotch.


Can you believe how beautiful the sky looks? Truly, a picture-perfect fall day.

Saturday, October 11, 2008

you don't know what you've got.....

Being unable to do all the things all I love to do for a few weeks makes me realize what I miss most. Like lifting up my kids and bending over to put on socks. I just have the strongest urge to grab Zander and Kaya up and snuggle them to pieces and lift them up and down. I also don't think I've ever had colder feet until now, that I have to ask for help to put socks on. I had an emotional moment earlier this week when I cried over all of these things. I guess Immediate Menopause will do that to you.

But I also have missed something else. My brain. Seriously. I'm convinced when I was under anesthesia that they took a portion of it along with all of my womanly organs.

When I started reading about how long the recovery process could take I made so many plans for things to do while I rested. So many crafts. So many books. So many things to journal and scrapbook about.

But now I have the attention span of a flea. I do still have enough brain matter to read mindless magazines and watch every ridiculous show on television though. For all of the things I'm missing right now I have gained a few things.

Like, how to make sure my eyes are highlighted to their fullest potential with eyeshadow, due to the numerous makeover shows like Tim Gunn's Guide to Style & What Not to Wear that I have watched in the past week. But these shows also make me dream of outfits I can recreate from pieces I already own in my closet. And they've made me fantasize about getting gorgeous purses, shoes, and coats...a girl can dream, can't she?

I've also caught up on all of the Snapped shows on the Oxygen channel. Yep, that is the show about women who "snap" and commit horrific crimes. But that is not as bad as Wife Swap (which I think a month ago I said I would refuse to watch such a show). I've also caught a few of the Disney Channel teeny-bopper shows to deal with my mindlessness.

But my guiltiest, most mindless, pleasure of the week has been watching Gossip Girl. I rented the first discs from NetFlix and have become slightly addicted. Yes, I know that it is sad that a 32-year old woman gets so much joy out of watching over-indulgent, rich teenagers party, catfight, and get in all sorts of trouble. But those rich, spoiled kids have grown on me and I thoroughly enjoy it.

I miss my physical abilities and I miss my brain. But here's to mindlessness.....I'll get back to me (hopefully) in a couple of weeks. I only have so much time to catch up on trashy magazine reading & ridiculous tv watching.

Wednesday, October 8, 2008

recovery treats

A few things that have made me happy this week....


many wonderful cards from family & friends,

such beautiful flowers,


snuggling and watching Noggin with Zander,

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giving Kaya a manicure,

fun books recommended or given to me by friends,

watching Kaya sit & spin.

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

crafty aprons

I made these aprons for Z & K a couple of weeks ago for their painting and art projects.



Making the world a little BRIGHTER one art project at a time


WARNING: Creative Kid at Work

Monday, October 6, 2008

at home, recovering

I am now home and spending my time in bed. It is going fairly well considering what I went through last week.

The total hysterectomy initially went well. Quick, smooth, no problems. It was predicted I would go home the next day. During recovery though, I started losing consciousness and my blood count dropped to an extreme low. AFter an ultrasound it was discovered that I was having internal bleeding. The doctor was immediately called and a blood transfusion was ordered. AFter this transfusion, the blood count was still low so another procedure was done to figure out what was going on.

The next day I had another minor surgery to determine what was going on. On friday I received two more units of blood and finally my count was high enough to start recovering in the healthiest way. I ended up coming home Friday night instead of Thursday early afternoon.

Thank goodness for the wonderful doctors, nurses, and staff at the hospital. Even with all of this going on, I felt totally at ease and in the best of hands. Thanks also for all of your well-wishes and prayers....I think that added to my calm attitude about the additional surgery and transfusions. Everyone did such a remarkable job taking care of me.

Now at home, my mom and Mattie are doing a great job (even though I think I'm getting on their nerves at times). Zander and Kaya are keeping me happy too. They supply me with plenty of kisses and stuffed animals to snuggle with.

I hope to be in true "blogging" spirit soon so I can share thoughts (that aren't about surgery) with you. Right now I just want to sleep......

Wednesday, October 1, 2008

the big day

Today is the big day for the surgery. I officially go under the knife in 9 hours from now. So after this post, I'll not be blogging for a few days. I may get to come home tomorrow afternoon......maybe Friday.

I had all of these fabulous topics to blog about before my surgery today. But Zander is already awake and I hear Kaya. So I'm gonna go spend my last day for a while with them. We are going to play, snuggle, and jump around (well they can jump, I'll watch) before I go to the hospital this afternoon. I'll catch up with you guys later when I'm recovering.

I hope all of you have a fantastic day!!!