Swim Suit Season

We had three really hot days in a row this week which means swim suit season is right around the corner. Awful for me (remember I'm trying to "weigh down"), but pure bliss for Ellie. This is a girl who spends more time in her swimsuit than her regular clothes. She would wear one all day every day if I let her. And the poor girl can't wait to actually get the thing wet. She asks every day without fail, "When it gets warmer can I go swimming with Adina?" Its usually the first thing she asks in the morning or the last words on her lips before she falls asleep at night.

That' snot funny!

You may need to look away from this picture and I apologize if it is offensive, but its the reality of my life lately. Actually not lately, as this has been going on for over 3 months now. Ellie has some sort of chronic snotty nose going on and it just won't go away. I'm guessing she has picked up every germ in San Diego and put them all in her mouth, via her beloved thumb.

Spring Has Sprung

Saturday was the official start of Spring. I had great plans to go to Home Depot and buy some new flowers for the yard and plant them with the girls in celebration. But Saturday came and went and no trip to Home Depot. No worries, we'll just enjoy the neighbors flowers until we can get some of our own.

Project Complete

I finally finished this outfit that I had in my projects basket for over a year. I love the way the skirt turned out. It looks so cute on Ellie. About the easiest thing you can make. All you need to know how to do is sew straight (and even if you can't, the fullness of the skirt makes it very forgiving). Hopefully more of these to come.....

Bean Jar

So the whining, fighting, complaining, fit throwing, lack of obedience, etc. has really gotten to me lately. You may have heard of the old marble jar insentive. You know, get caught doing good, get a marble for the jar and when its full, get a prize. Well I had no marbles, but I had a jar and a bag of pinto beans (don't think I cook with them, it was left over from an earlier craft). So we instated the bean jar. Now Ellie has no desire whatsoever to earn beans. She just doesn't get it, but Brooklyn is in love with the idea. I over heard her saying to herself, " I really want to earn more beans, what good thing can I do next?" I showered her with beans today and its about 1/5 full. I plan to taper it off but had to get her excited and into it right away. So far so good.

Chick to the fil- a

Top 10 reasons why I love Chick-Fil-A:

10. Thanks to March Madness we ate 4 completely free meals this month
9. Free kids place-mats
8. 300 calorie Char grilled Chicken Sandwich
7. The way they ask to "refresh" your soda
6. Free kids cones
5. Indoor play area compete with hand sanitizer wipes
4. Coupons and deals galore
3. Honey Roasted BBQ sauce
2. The "My pleasure"answer to every request
1. CAFFEINE FREE DIET COKE!!!!!!!!! (in the perfect Styrofoam cup no less)

love, love, love, liberty of london

I was practically drooling today in Target when I discovered a new line called Liberty of London. Fashion and home in the most amazing patterns and it won't bust the bank either. Check it out at target.com. Here are my faves:

Stress Eater

I'm realizing that I am a stress eater. I'm also a bored eater but lately I have had no time for boredom so that hasn't been my problem. Here's what led to my revelation: Its early afternoon on Monday. Mondays are rough because Sundays are rough. Brett works from 7am to about 10pm with a couple hours in between where he comes home and sleeps. So I'm basically on my own all day, getting myself and the girls ready for church (twice), fed, napped, fed, and put to bed and everything else in between. So when Monday comes, we're all zapped. Couple this with Brett being gone Thursday, Friday, and Saturday on a snowboarding trip. Also he had to work all morning on a project for class he's taking. I'm trying to nurse Leighton, keep the girls from painting on everything and constantly fighting, get them lunch, and get the 2 little ones down for a nap. Ellie won't go down (after repeated threats and bribes), Leighton finally falls asleep then wakes 5 minutes later screaming, Brooklyn is yelling something from downstairs about sponge-Bob coming on and the computer not working. All I can think about is the 2 sugar cookies on the counter that have been calling my name since Friday night (and up until now I have resisted). You know the ones from the grocery store that are the lightest fluffiest cookies ever with the frosting and sprinkles. As soon as Ellie fell asleep, I scarfed them both. I felt much less stressed afterward.

Wooby

This weekend the girls and I drove up to Encinitas to meet up with Mandy and Ruby. I love getting together with my old friends and seeing them with their kids. It is so unreal to think that enough time has gone by in our lives that we have kids that are starting school. I wish we could see each other more often and that our kids could become as good of friends as we are. Its weird to think that we are leading such similar lives all over the country...getting up with crying babies, spending days at the park, washing piles of laundry, playing games, making lunches, kissing little faces... if only we were closer...

Auntie Mandy

So Mandy was the first of the aunties to meet little Leighton. Every time I'm with her I'm reminded of how much I love that girl! One of my favorite Mandy quirks was in full effect when I put Leighton in a velour jacket and Mandy had to create a "barrier" for her skin with her sweatshirt on behalf of her dislike of all things velour/velvet/velevteen.

What I've been working on...

I usually have several project ideas buzzing around in my head. Right now its dolls and a piece of collage art for Leighton's room and comforters for the girls' room. I'm the type that likes to finish a project in one shot, working until it is done (often neglecting chores and children in the process). But my new life with 3 little ones doesn't really allow that so I realize I have to work on them little by little and not give up on them until they are done (and also leave enough room in my laundry/craft room to lift the lid on the washer!) This is my latest project. I worked on it little by little for a week. Happy snuggling Sawyer!

Papa Dan

Brett's dad was in LA for a conference this weekend and was able to swing down to see us for a couple hours last night. The girls hadn't seen him since September and he hadn't even seen Leighton yet. My girls are so blessed to have grandparents who love them so much!

Funfettiness

I have never met a soul who doesn't love Funfetti cake. What is it about that cake mix that makes it so good anyway? Surely it can't just be the sprinkles. Whatever it is, its delish. And now I have found the way to combine funfetti sweetness with chewy cookie goodness...






































Use the
funfetti mix
add 2 eggs
1/3 cup oil
and mix
roll into 1 inch balls
flatten with a floured cup
bake at 375 for 6-8 minutes
let cool on pan for 1 minute
after completely cooling frost with funfetti frosting
and sprinkles
yum yum super yum!

Face Paint

Please note the similarity between Ellie and Caillou...thanks to Brooklyn's artistic skills.
And you wonder what the girls do while I'm online...

Leighton @ 2 months

Loves:

• tight swaddling/paci combo
• nursing herself to sleep at night
• Praise Baby DVD
• smiling at her sisters

Hates:

• baths
• riding in the car

Weigh Down

This is the new calorie counting me. Now that its been 2 months since Leighton was born, I figured its about time to start working on shedding the extra pounds I put on during pregnancy. Now the real catalyst was a 90 something year old woman at church who told me I looked like I was about to have aonther one (baby that is). Leave it to old people and kids to tell you the brutal truth. Now I could blame it on the shirt I was wearing or the way I was standing, but either way, the baby weight remains and I really should thank the old woman for clueing me in. And March 1 was a perfect place to start because I only start things on Mondays and/or the 1st of the month and March 1st happened to be both. I'm 3 days in and doing well...updates to follow...

Lamp Revamp

BEFORE

AFTER

This is a project that I have been thinking about doing for a long time. I had this lamp, which was a perfectly fine lamp, but the shade clashed with my curtains causing me to put it on a table across the room. There was no plug near it, so it was merely a decorative piece since we moved in. I also had this perfect paisley fabric that I wanted to do something with in the living room. So viola! The lamp now has a new shade and a new home. I followed (kind of) a tutorial online, used a ton of hot gluesticks and was overall happy with the outcome.

Orchidus Maximus

I have always had a thing for orchids. They are by far my favorite flower. I love the symmetry, simplicity, and individuality of each one. I am not an orchid expert however. I know one though. She is a little Philippino lady who has raised hundreds and knows the secrets to bringing them back to life. These are secrets I need to know because I also have a thing for letting orchids die. When the blooms fall off (which can be anywhere from a week to months after I buy them) I really want nothing to do with the leaf/stick combo that remains. I keep them around for a while, feeling bad to euthanize a living plant. But eventually the bare stick gets replaced by a new beautiful flowering one. Today was replacement day. Check out this beut form Trader Joe's (the best place by far to buy them). Its a double whammy- 2 different kinds in one pot- that I've never had before. And now I've got a Philippino orchid nurse to take my old one and see if she can work her magic... and I'm guilt free.