Dress up

Joe just gave me an old USB with tons of pictures from the past couple of months. And a very clear trend emerged.....my kids like to dress up. I don't really know why we even bother to plan for Halloween. We should just go shopping in the dress up bin come October 31.






Needless to say, plans are developing to make a proper dress up bin to replace the sagging cardboard treasure box that has been sitting below the heap of costumes in Nealy's room.

Bathroom remodel

We are 7 months away from paying for one less child in day care. And we just got our first pay check with the additional 2 percent retirement systems contribution removed. So, in this year of financial hardship, it makes perfect sense that things would start falling apart. And for some reason, I could feel it happening. It's as if I could sense that the walls would start caving in around me. Luckily, our walls aren't actually caving in. But we are about to have to knock out all of our bathroom walls, get the pipes up to snuff, then build it all back again. Lately, I have been laying in bed thinking about how we could manage completely redoing our bathrooms. And it seems that the gods of homeownership were listening and have answered - we will be FORCED into completely redoing our bathrooms. That's how.

This all started as a drain issue. We called a plumber and gave him a list of concerns - this drain is slow, this faucet is leaking, this toilet keeps running, etc...... This is what became of the first sink he approached. It turned out the drain pipe behind the tile was lead. While that was a wonderful option when the house was built (easily bent), it is now proving to be a terrible choice because it is crumbling and deteriorating. The pipe here was littered with holes. Our plumber started out thinking he would only have to remove 1 or 2 tiles. 15 tiles later, we are busy preparing a bathroom budget.

The plan is to completely rip out the walls, put up new dry wall, install new electrical options, retile the shower stall, replace the sink, and pour concrete floors. When it is done it will be spectacular. We have a dry wall guy coming to check out the situation on Tuesday. Hopefully I will have a new bathroom for Christmas.

The New Year will bring the gift of redoing the other bathroom.....because when you find crumbling lead drain pipes in one bathroom, chances are they are in both.

I'll try to document the good stuff on the blog for you. Will this little house become our money pit? Yes, I think so.....

Things I've loved lately......

Books:

The Hunger Games Trilogy by Suzanne Collins

This series is technically in the YA lit genre, but it is so great that it's easy to forget it is written for kids. The Harry Potter series also channeled that level of greatness, but with the Hunger Games, the material seems so adult. In a post-apocalyptic United States, no longer ascribing to our system of government but more of a dictatorship in which 12 districts are beholden to a Capitol regime, the leaders of this land keep the districts isolated and poor as well as forcing them to participate in the annual Hunger Games. These games were devised as a method to remind the districts that they are absolutely under the control of the Capitol to the point that they must each sacrifice one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 to the Games each year, which is a televised event that forces these children to be placed in grueling environmental circumstances in which they must kill or be killed by the elements, hunger, or one another. A brutal fight to the death with a nation cheering along does not seems like an acceptable YA lit story line, but there it is. And it is amazing.
The movie comes out next spring. I highly recommend spending a few days reading through this trilogy before Hunger Games insanity hits post Christmas frenzy.

TV:

Parks and Recreation
Must See TV is back, y'all. (please say you remember when Friends was on NBC, and Thursday nights were called Must See TV.....) I've been calling Thursday night, "The night mama watches her stories." Now, I don't think everyone is loving Parks and Rec nearly as much as I am, but that entire show is pure genius. Amy Poehler is hilarious, and she has managed to surround herself with a cast of great comedians - including Aziz Ansari, Adam Scott, Aubrey Plaza, and Nick Offerman. If you don't know who any of these people are, watch Parks and Rec. I won't review it here, because I'll just crack myself up at how funny that show is, and you'll think I'm a big dweeb.

Food:

Homemade Granola
I've been making my own granola for a couple of months now. At first I was trying to incorporate more fiber into my diet, and I was also looking for ways to get local honey into my system on a regular basis. They say the honey helps with seasonal allergies - something about the local allergens from the pollen, something blah, blah, blah. Maybe kind of like how when you get a flu shot they give you a little bit of the flu in the vaccine? I don't know. Anyway, now I'm completely addicted. It's like I don't quite feel right if I do a day without it. I've been using a recipe that I adapted from a blog I found called 100 days of real food. This girl has basically dedicated herself to feeding her family real food on a budget, which is incredibly hard to do. I really like her ideas, but I would find it VERY hard to cut out foods that are especially bad for me. Anyway, my recipe is very similar to hers.....

Granola
3-4 cups of rolled oats
1 cup of thinly sliced almonds
1 cup of roughly chopped raw cashews
1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut
1/2 cup of hulled sesame seeds
1/2 cup of raw pumpkin seeds
1/2 cup of shelled sunflower seeds
1-2 tbsp of golden flax seeds
2 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp nutmeg
1/2 tsp ginger
dash of salt
1 stick of butter
1/2 cup of honey
2 tsp vanilla bean paste (regular extract is fine, but I'm in love with this stuff - it is an indulgence of mine. I will always get good vanilla. I believe it makes a major difference)

Mix dry goods in a large bowl. Melt butter (either in a sauce pan on low heat or in the microwave - I've done both), then mix in the honey with a small whisk. When the butter mixture is removed from the heat source, mix in the vanilla. Fold in the wet with the dry, then stir mixture with a rubber spatula until dry ingredients are coated. Spread all this goodness out on a parchment lined baking sheet, then bake at 250 for about an hour. I usually go for an extra 15-30 minutes to make sure it has a little crisp to it. It needs to sit on the pan until totally cool, then broken up and placed in an airtight container.
I have found it is most cost effective to buy the ingredients in bulk. I usually take a measuring cup with me to the Earth Fare, and I buy exactly as much as I need. Then when it comes time to mix it all up, it just involves dumping it all out of the bags.
I enjoy a small bowl of granola each morning with milk, but it is also good with some Greek yogurt and honey. Give it a shot - I think you might find yourself just as addicted!

Home:

I'm on a new kick of making my own cleaning products. I'm not to the point that I'm anti-bleach, but it does make me feel good to use something a little less chemical-ly to clean the surfaces where my kids eat. So far, we've made a good all purpose spray cleaner and laundry detergent. I'm on the fence about the laundry detergent because of our new high efficiency washer. They say you have to buy a special HE detergent for that machine, which we have been doing diligently. But looked around a little bit (on the internet - my only resource these days. how did we ever live without it? I can hardly remember those dark days.....), and it seems that the whole crux of the HE detergent is that it is low sudsing, as is the homemade concoction. So, time will tell. If I'm replacing a washer sooner than later, I will certainly eat my words. But for now, the laundry is cleaner and fresher than ever, the smell wafting through my dank and basement-y basement is pleasant while the washer is running, and my wallet is so happy with me for being so cheap and thrifty. Here are my creations....

Spray cleaner
I don't have exact measurements. I use an old spray bottle recycled from the days when I actually bought spray cleaner (dark days, indeed). I'm not sure of the size - maybe like 20 ounces or something? I pour in about 1-1.5 inches of vinegar in the empty bottle. Then shake in a hefty scoop of Borax - maybe 1/3 cup? Then I add a short squirt of dish soap (7th Generation), more than a few drops of tea tree oil, 3-4 drops of both orange and bergamot essential oils. Fill the bottle with hot tap water and shake.
The vinegar smell is pretty strong, and the tea tree oil gives it that added oomph of antiseptic flavor, but the after effects are sparkling and fresh.

Laundry detergent
1 cup of Borax
1 cup of Arm and Hammer washing powder
1 bar of Fels Naptha soap - grated with a cheese grater

Have you ever noticed that stuff that's next to all the Tide and Gain at the store, and you've wondered what you're supposed to do with all of it? Well, here you go. The Borax and washing powder are between 3-4 dollars a piece, and the fels naptha is .99 - from one box of the first two ingredients, you can make about 4 batches of laundry soap. You just have to buy a new bar of weird soap for each new batch. And it smells lemony and fresh and clean and crisp. And you only have to use 1 tablespoon of this stuff. ONE TABLESPOON! This stuff will last us forever.
At least until I destroy my washer with it. Hahahahahahaha - just kidding. I have full confidence in my oppositional decision to disregard Whirlpool's strict instructions. Seriously. It's cool, man.

I'm also loving Pinterest these days. If you're not on Pinterest, don't ask me what it's all about, just look it up. I can't describe it properly. For months I've been trying to get people on board with Pinterest, and I've been met with questions like, "What do you mean? What is it, again? Why do I need to look at this?" Or in the case of my sister, "Is it a site dedicated to famous playwright Harold Pinter?" Seriously, just get on Pinterest. It has cool stuff. If you don't like cool stuff, then stay away.

And it is November - the month where we remind ourselves of how thankful we are for the blessings in our lives, then we top it off by gorging ourselves on soft comfort food in order to prepare our stomachs for the Christmas girth. I may poke fun, but I LOVE Thanksgiving. If I can stop feeling so beaten down by work and stressed out about my upcoming bathroom remodel (a post for another day), then I will be spending lots of time creating hand turkeys and rolo/pretzel pilgrim hats with the babies. And reminding them daily of how thankful I am that they are in my life and making it crazy. They say that kids change your life, and they're right. Joe and I love every single second of our changed lives.
Happy November!

Halloween, so far....

Tomorrow is Halloween, which means that the kids have already dressed up 15-25 times for various reasons. Well, maybe that's an exaggeration, but I will say that Nealy was sick of her super special butterfly wings by the middle of this past week and she started fishing in the dress up bin for something new. She ended up as a mermaid for the library party Thursday night and for Trick or Treat day at her school on Friday, so who knows what she'll want to pull out tomorrow. My vote is for the pink dragon costume that belonged to her older cousins because it's cooooold out there!
One thing no one is sick of around here? Mustaches. It has been my entire costume plan for myself, because I seriously don't have much time to make myself over into something other than my normal make upped self (no one needs to see the alternative in the winter - you only get to see unshowered, unmake-upped, dirty clothes mama in the summer time when it's too hot for anything), so I hardly have time to make myself into Endora from Bewitched or one of the Mad Men ladies (both costumes I'd love to wear). But a mustache - a little liquid eyeliner that's only used at Halloween goes a long way around here.
What was I saying? Oh, I should mention that I just fed a slew of teenagers brunch, which means I'm pretty close to napping off those extra slices of bacon I enjoyed. But I guess I'll leave you with some pictures of some Halloween fun so far rather than rambling on and on only to get lost in a post brunch stupor.


On Friday afternoon, we made a quick trip over to the college of architecture to see the annual pumpkin carving. This is one of my favorite events that we never properly enjoy because it happens at dinner time when we need to be home getting settled in for the night. I know we will all get to enjoy this event even more as the kids get older - such a wonderful tradition! (the first picture in this post is from the pumpkin carve - I love their method of using old tires for pumpkin displays!)

And we managed to throw in a little game day fun yesterday to celebrate the arrival of actual football weather, which is so much nicer than hiking to campus in 95 degree heat only to visit with old friends while sweating through your pants. Scarves, boots, and jeans make for much cuter football attire. Trick or Treat pictures from tomorrow will be pending. We'll enjoy the evening with some of our subdivision friends, because subdivision neighborhoods are where it's at for Halloween.

One more pic - a little love for some Beckwith staffers, now friends, who were in town for a weekend visit. We all enjoyed a Sunday brunch with Luke. It was a lovely morning

Field Trip

Today was Jacks's annual school trip to the pumpkin patch. Since I have been with Jacks for the last two field trips, plus I had a team celebration at my school today, Joe got to be field trip dad for the day.

This field trip is for the 3 and 4 year old classes. Realistically, Joe could have taken Nealy along for the ride. But I think it's nice that Joe and Jacks got to have a boys' day with just each other. And come on, Jacks hardly gets enough attention these days (heavy sarcasm there - I mean, did you see the last post about the greatest birthday party ever?).

I haven't been given a full blow by blow about what happened, because Joe and Jacks are boys and don't detail the minutia of every event like I do, but there are pictures to document the day.

Picking a pumpkin....

Goofing with best friends.... and this is a truly unique class that Jacks has had the privilege of being a part of for most of his life. He has been friends with all of these boys since they were all on the baby hall. They are all just like brothers at this point. When they are all split up in kindergarten, we are all going to go through a serious period of adjustment.

Jacks touched a horse!!!

(This is actually a big deal for him. He has always been pretty leery of large animals. Okay, I'll go ahead and admit - all animals. He's not very trusting.)


And he touched a rabbit!

And he touched a billy goat!

And he touched a tractor!!!


I think they had a really great day together. And they know that they better not use the checkers on the air hockey table.



I was sad to miss the field trip, but I know that my boys had a great time together. And Joe captured every moment so much better than I would have. Since I am NOT the photographer of the family, I usually spend days like this gabbing with the other mothers and wishing Joe was there to take pictures. I guess I'm pretty spoiled....

Maybe next time we go we can capture photos of all of the oddities involved in a family run pumpkin patch (checker boards, air hockey tables, threatening signs, and more!).

Jacks is FIVE!

Well, almost....

His real birthday is next week, but the football game was away this weekend, so we jumped on the date to plan the party.

The theme: Super Jacks
(this is an original superhero of Jacks's own creation, helped along with some creative skills from his father)

The plan: A simple park party

The execution: Have cake and play at the park. Oh yeah, and everyone needs a superhero cape. (this is the part of the blog where I go on and on about sewing 20+ superhero capes over the past couple of weeks. I will refrain for now because I'm tired. This post might have to be all about letting the pictures speak for themselves)

The result: Perfect!

Today was the sunniest, breeziest, fall-iest, most gorgeous beautiful day which was tailor made for being spent in a park eating cake. Each guest received a superhero cape with a white emblem on the back which could be colored, a mask was selected (white or black), and playing ensued. After some good time park fun, all the children were gathered on the hill for some hilarious group photos, then cupcakes and snacks were enjoyed by all.

And that was the whole plan. And it was just right.

Enjoy some pictures of the big day. It was a huge success!

Here are the kiddos getting ready for the party....And the cake.....

The cupcakes
(cake and cupcakes made by Cakeapotomus, toppers made by Joe!)
The capes....
And the capes in creative action....

The juice boxes.....The goody bags....
The tiny superheroes who can't sit still for long.....
The big moment.....
Joe got in on the fun as the villain.....

This is possibly my favorite action shot ever....

I call this picture "Reunion."
(Tristan - with the curly hair - has been in school with Jacks, Allen, and Carter since infancy. And he has been at a new Pre-K school this year. The boys were thrilled to see each other.)

Nealy was in heaven following her cousins around.....

This might have to be about it for this post. There are nearly 300 pictures from the day. It is a lot to rifle through when I'm trying to watch SNL with one eye and blog with the other.

But it is important to reflect on the fact that my tiny baby has turned 5 years old out of the blue, and he's not tiny anymore. Nor is he my baby. He's a big boy who knows so much and can almost read and can't wait to start kindergarten and loves superheroes and comic books and loves his family and his home and his friends and he might be a little bit hard to handle at times, but he's my precious boy who I will always be proud of and support and love and be continually amazed by. (pardon the run ons, poor sentence structure, verb inconsistency - I don't teach language arts anymore....)

Here's one last shot of the big boy loving every moment of his big day. It was a wonderful party spent with great friends and family. I am generally at a loss for perfect moments like these.

Sunday Visit

Jacks's birthday party is rapidly approaching. As the day gets closer, I feel like super hero capes are multiplying around my sewing machine, lists are growing ever longer, and as usual, time is running out to prepare. My parents will be here for the party and a weekend visit before we know it. Unfortunately, Joe's parents aren't able to make the party, so they came to Auburn for a visit with the kids today.

We enjoyed a perfect lunch of bacon, tomato, and avocado sandwiches on sourdough toast (thanks to Pinterest for the idea) followed by coffee and cookies on the deck.

Here are some pictures of the fun the kids had with their grandparents (who, by the way, Nealy is calling Gramma and Bob - when their names are Rick and Glenda, but they go by Racko and Glendo as grandparent names. Apparently, Nealy is having none of that.)

Guess who had nail polish in her purse? And guess who discovered it as she was rummaging through other people's things? (that would be Glenda with the nail polish, and Nealy who was sticking her nose into Glenda's purse. Glenda was sweet to share her hand cream and nail polish with little miss diva)
Rick enjoyed playing outside with the kids in this gorgeous fall weather.

After they left, Nealy and I both crashed for a late afternoon nap. When we woke up, we were pleased to find that the fall weather was still perfect and lovely. The kids played out on the deck until it was dark outside.

And here's one last dash of Nealy cuteness to round out your weekend...

Thanks to Rick and Glenda for a great Sunday afternoon visit. We hope you come again soon!