March ??

*Looks out window* Snow
*looks at calendar* Last day of March
*Looks out window* Snow, pretty heavy

Lots of stuff

Last week, my ILs were visiting on Monday (waves hello to Melanie). Since my FILs birthday is coming up, we wanted to make cupcakes for him. Sydney found these really cool cupcakes on the cover of Family Circle magazine:

http://www.parents.com/parents/slideshow/slideShow.jsp?slideid=/templatedata/fc/slideshow/data/1204749018401.xml

If you click on the "next" button of the slide show, it will give you the directions for decorating the cupcakes.

I didn't have time to make them all the correct way as we were trying to get to a restaurant for dinner, but here are the ones we got done:

This morning I made Raspberry Rye Bread muffins. A friend gave me this recipe. I was out of apple sauce, so I had to use oil. I made them as mini muffins today so I would have just a little bite and I plan to freeze them. I can figure out the points if anyone is interested. I have a calculation based on the loaf pan.

Raspberry Rye Bread w/ Flax Meal

Makes two loaves

1 cup all-purpose flour

2 cups rye flour

1 1/2 cups sugar

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon cinnamon

4 eggs (beaten)

1/2 cup unsweetened apple sauce

1 1/2 cups flax meal

2 (12 oz.) bags frozen raspberries or 2 1/2 cups of chopped fresh raspberries

Combine first six ingredients in large bowl. Make a well in the center. Combine remaining ingredients and add to the dry ingredients Stir until well combined. Spoon mix into 2 greased and floured loaf pans.

Bake at 350* degrees for 1 hour.

Cool loafs in pans for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool completely.

Two piggies and a pony

Sydney was sick the past two days. Yesterday was spent laying on the couch, today she was feeling better.

Sydney decided that since she wasn't at daycare, she should put ponies and piggies in my hair. So, today I ran around with two piggies and a pony, a headband, and LOTS of hair clips. She was so proud of her creation, that she talked about how everyone we saw when we go to pick Sarah up would love my hair. So, to school, to the doctor, to the store - I wore two piggies, one pony, one headband, and LOTS of clips. She got lots of compliments, I got kudos for being a good mom.

Thankfully, Sydney didn't get sick until Wednesday as DH's parents and sister were here earlier in the week. I love to see my SIL, who I don't see near often enough. I've not seen her in a few years, but we picked up as if it was yesterday.

She also didn't get sick until after we had signed her up for kindergarten. Yep - little bug is growing up.

Home improvements have continued, but I'm not sure how much will get done next week.

I finished Sydney cross stitch, but discovered that I can't get the sticky mounting board for the cross stitch so I can get it properly blocked. I'm wondering how much it would cost to ship one. Maybe I can use the Walmart 'ship to store' option. Not sure when I'll be in a larger city again.

I'm still missing the mounting hardware to the roman shade for Sarah. I think I will go buy more and see if I can arrange to return the others if I do find them.

We need to continue prepping the walls for the dining room so I can get them painted.

My sewing machine is giving me fits while I try to hem the curtains. I think I might try a different food because I think it might be the way the material is hitting the feed dogs. I'm still trying. If I can figure this out, I should be able to finish these curtains this weekend so I can start working on the dining room ones.

We have company for graduation in May. I have motivation to finish these last few projects.

But, with the sick child, I've had major sleepus interuptus. So I think I may just curl up and read.

Happy Easter!

Such a lovely day. I woke up at 5:50 to go to the bathroom and Sarah was laying in bed waiting for everyone else to wake up. (the girls needed to wait for me to see what the Easter Bunny brought). Sydney woke up at 6:38 and wandered into Sarah's. At 6:45, DH told them to go back to their own beds as they were talking a bit loudly. At 6:50 Sydney fell out of her bed. And the morning began.

So, it's a lovely (that means snowy) day here at our house.

The Easter Bunny came, hid eggs as requested in the note the girls (or Sarah) wrote to him or her, and left easter baskets. The bunny left the girls new easter baskets (sucker - they already had some), Sydney a Princess Lamp she had been admiring, Sarah a frame and books and a High School Musical necklace and each of them a pair of sunglasses.

Now the girls are a bit wound up (and how do you know if it's wound - to hurt, or wound (past test of wind - and how do you know if it's wind - like to blow or wind - like wind a clock? - English is impossible!!)

They want to put on their Easter dresses. I need to finish cleaning house before our family arrives sometime tonight, make cheesecake and easter bread.

WOW, what you can do with Peeps

Merritt's peep contest

Merritt decided that her readership needed to be creative with Peeps.

Now that everyone has submitted their entries, she needs votes to determine the winner of the very special prize.

Voting is today and tomorrow.

Please go visit! and better yet, VOTE.

If only my child listened as well as the door

I went to pick Sydney up for dance today. As usual, the kids at daycare were still asleep or just starting to wake up from their naps and the kids in the classroom next door were in the hallway putting on their coats to go outside.

I told Sydney to go get on her coat and boots, so Sydney propped the door open with the door-stopper and walked out of the classroom to get on her coat.

I mention to Sydney that she should close the door since here friends were still asleep.

Sydney turned to look at me, and the door closed between us - the not always effective stopper still under the door.

I think Merrit's ghost came to visit us.

Match Day

For those of you on my blog who also read "6 Year Med" - what, you don't? Why not, she's wonderful!!

Today is Match Day - the days she learns what is next on her dance card.

So, later today, go check her out - right there, top of my blog list - and she where she goes next!

Danielle - we love ya babe. The program that gets you is going to be soooooo blessed!

Snow

Yes, it's snowing again.

*looks outside*

*sighs*

Today's agenda:

clean house
sew curtains
go to tea with friends
wait for stove repair guy - again! - if he doesn't show up today, it's on to the next company!

Glad to be FIVE

I think Sydney is glad to be five. At five, she gets to play t-ball. She's been waiting for two years for this milestone.

For the past couple of nights, she has fallen asleep with her baseball and glove next to her.

Sign up is this week with opening day May 10th.

She can't wait.

To do today

Today, I should be cleaning house. I should finish sewing the curtains for the hall.

Instead I will finish reading Rebecca for book group (I love this book) and waiting for the stove repair guy (of four burners, one only cooks on high, two don't work, and one will only work 50% of the time.)

He was suppose to be here between 10 and 11 - it's 11:06. . . . and I wait, and read.

Yes, those jeans!

I don't tend to blog about my weight. It's been a source of frustration for me since I was a sophomore in high school. I was never the thinnest, but towards the end of my freshman year, I developed a compulsive eating disorder. On went 25 lbs and I went from being OK (in a world of size 2 Jordache jeans) to being the person my friends mom's would say "she has such a pretty face, if only she'd lose weight."

I was never so heavy, a size 14 - but in a size 2 world it's just a bit too much.

Two years ago, when I sprained my ankle (and as I learned last May also torn a tendon), my ability to do physical activity was dramatically curtailed. So, on went another 20 lbs. Over this past year, I've managed to drop those 20 and I'm back to fitting in my clothes again.

Today I decided to pull out my 'skinny' jeans to see how close I'm getting to fitting in them. These are the jeans I bought back when I was doing triathlons (and exercising 2 hours a day). Even with all that exercise, I was still just a tone 12, but I felt good. But, these are the jeans I have kept in the bottom of my drawer, the ones I've moved from house to house knowing someday . . .

Today, they button almost well enough to wear. They were pretty comfy, but the waist overhang is a little more than I would be comfortable with.

But, I could button them - pretty easily!! I didn't even have to resort to that 80s laying on the bed sucking everything in to button them move.

So, I'm sharing.

Can I also add that I hate diet commercials. The ones that make you feel so inadequate because you are comfortable being 40 and a size 14 - but unless you try nutrasystems to become a size 2 (or even a 8) you are just tooo heavy.

I wish we weren't so hard on each other. At 5'2" I really look pretty good as a size 14 (ok, I feel better in a 12, but in a 14 I feel just fine and happy!)

The annual snow tunnel

Each year, the girls and I have dug a snow tunnel in the combination of the snow that falls on the ground and the snow DH shovels from the sidewalk.

I wasn't completely in the mood, but DH pushed us out the door and said to have fun. I'm a bit happy I did because Sunday was a beautiful day and yesterday was horrible.

My muscles really hurt, but the girls love their tunnel.

The household list

This week I've been a bit busy trying to get some things done around the house.

My ILs were suppose to come for next weekend's ice show, but work interuptus and it looks like they will come for my FILs birthday instead. Not that I'm completely disappointed - next weekend will be a bear with dress rehersal on Saturday morning and a performance Saturday night and Sunday afternoon.

So, I wanted to get a few things completed before they came (or at least progress).

The list:

* Finish sewing Sarah's roman shade (I have one more quilt to go, find the hardware, have DH help me make the mounting board, and sew the rings and velcro on).
* Finish sewing the hall curtains
* Finish the Pooh Bear xstitch for Sydney
* Sand bumpy areas of dining room walls
* Patch walls
* Paint the dining room
* Order the dining room light
* Call electrician to put up lights
* Finish decluttering office
* Finish decluttering back hall

Today, I took a boatload of books to the used bookstore (mine and MILs) and a bunch of stuff to Goodwill.

Yesterday, I went through four paper bags of papers and a few piles of things. Once all that was cleaned up, I moved our casio keyboard to the office. Knowing I was going to do this, I bought a headphone converter and splitter so the girls can use thier headphones together on the keyboard. I need to find a piano bench and it will be ready. I was shocked to discover I had forgotten how to read the bass clef. Internet helps.

The girls want to take piano lessons, but I've told them that they have too many activities but I would be willing to teach them myself. I can't teach technique and phrasing, but I can teach proper hand placement and notes. If they are serious, we can see about more formal lessons.