PJ DAY

Another genius idea from Brooklyn's kindergarten teacher...pajama day.  Genius because they kids were beyond excited, but also genius because I got 15 minutes more sleep in the morning since she woke up ready to go! (You know I'll do just about anything to sleep in - even a little).  Brett did inform me she can't sleep in her clothes every night...oh well back to 6:30 wake up call for me.

Like Daddy?

Will she love making music like Daddy?

Yesterday, we were in the kitchen with the older girls and heard someone playing the piano.  Leighton had discovered it for the first time and her little fingers were plinking away on the keys.  It is the perfect height for her to reach up and play one note at a time. 

9 months

Top 9 of being 9 months old

9.  crawling fast on all fours (usually chasing Daddy or my big sisters)
8.  pulling up to anything 24" high or lower (thank goodness this excludes the toilet- so far!)
7.  sleeping 8 hours in a row at night (that one is also on mom's top 9 list)
6. climbing to the top of the stairs (with mom right behind of course)
5.  using my 6 chompers to eat big girl food- especially grapes (don't worry they are cut into tictac size pieces)
4.  Mommy still nursing me (despite said chompers)
3.  being able to pick up the most minute pieces of anything and immediately put them in my mouth
2.  being tickled till I giggle uncontrollably
1.  cuddling myself to sleep with my blankie

Collector

Sometimes I get the idea to collect things.  Problem is, I don't want to be a collector as much as I want to have a collection.  Don't get me wrong, the trill of the hunt and the victory of the find are both great, but we all know it takes at least three of something to qualify a collection, and I don't have the stamina to wait it out.  I want the entire collection the minute I think about starting it. I have no delay of gratification (thank you M. Scott Peck).  Like this one for example.  I decided I wanted to collect girly books that I read growing up.  Ones that really imapcted me and that I'll want to someday share with my girls.  And not the paperbacks from Borders- I wanted old hardbacks.  So I compiled a list:

Anne of Green Gables

Island of the Blue Dolphins

Pippi Longstocking

Little Women

Little House in the Big Woods

The Secret Garden

A Little Princess

Charlotte's Web

Heidi

Ramona books

Of course the best way to go about it would be to keep an eye open at thrift stores and used book stores (which was where I actually got Little Women and Mary Poppins) and to collect as the years go by.  But what do I do?  Immediately start shopping ebay.  I had to rein myself in from buying a first edition copy of Charlotte's Web for way more than this beginning collector should ever spend. That one I will delay gratification on.

On the move

Leighton has graduated from army crawl to full-on-all-fours crawling this week.  Lock the baby gates, sweep the floor, close the bathroom doors, put away dirty shoes, and hide the Polly Pockets...Leighton is on the move.

Breakfast Today

Guess where I was this morning?  I'll give you a clue: Its not IHOP, Dennys or Coco's.  Another clue: most people go there to buy things like LEKSVIC, SKOJIG, or SNOIG.  Did you guess IKEA?  You are right!  And I have fallen in love with their 99 cent breakfast.  Seriously eggs, bacon, hash-browns and if you get here before 10am...free coffee too!  Now most people probably don't know that the cafeteria style dining room opens a half hour before the store and serves up a seriously good deal of a breakfast.  Those Sweedes know how to do it right I tell you.

A little birdie...

I've been wanting a little art to add in the kitchen...to spice it up a bit you know (no pun intended).  I thought about doing something with silverware, pears, stacking bowls...(and still may later), but ended up with the well loved bird.  Check this one out- its quite a conglomeration (yes I had to spell check that).  Frame- Target, years ago $3 something- actually have 2 more.  Bird- Michael's dollar bin $1- I think its an ornament.  Blue swirly paper- Michael's scrapbook paper $1 something. Cork tile background- tore it off the wall of the garage in our rental (which unfortunately left behind tons of tacky tape residue- oh well, I don't live there anymore!).  Green metal word holder- scrapbook junk drawer.  I told you it was a conglomeration (dang it, had to spell check again!)

Oh my cupcake!

My sis in law is having a baby girl in just a few weeks and we celebrated today with a shower.  I was in charge of cake which for me, translated to cupcakes.  Of course I had to make the salted caramel crowd pleasers, but wanted to couple them with something new, equally as yummy, and of course chocolate.  Let me tell you, I have discovered the cupcake of all cupcakes.  By far, and I really mean it, the best cupcake in the world.  And lucky for you, I am taking a little break from eating them (I am between my second and third ones of the day) to let you know how to make some of your own- cause I know you won't want to share!

Make a chocolate fudge cake mix as directed on the box.  Fill 24 cupcakes with the batter.  Now here's the yummiest part.  Mix 6 oz cream cheese (softened), 1 egg and 1/4 cup sugar until really smooth.  Then stir 1 cup of chocolate chips into the cream cheese mixture.  Now drop 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture onto each cupcake- it will sink in some.  Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes.  Take them out and let them completely cool.  Now for the frosting.  Mix 2 packages of cream cheese (16 oz. total), and 1 stick unsalted butter until smooth.  Then add 2 teaspoons vanilla and 4 cups of powdered sugar and mix until smooth and stiff.  Put it in a ziploc, snip the corner, and squeeze away.  Top with mini chocolate chips.  Now go make them now- I guarantee you will love.

Graham Good

Leighton is really getting into finger foods now.  One of her favorite thing to snack on is graham crackers. Personally, I can only eat them soaked in milk or as the crust on a cheesecake, but this girl loves them.  The only drawback...the graham mess when its all over.

Next best thing...

So they aren't the adorable mini latte bowls from Anthropologie, but for $2.50 a 4 pack in the dollar bins at Target, you really can't go wrong.