Mascara

I was in the bath and Nora walked in.
Me:  Nora do I have any mascara under my eyes?
Nora:  Yeah, some under them, and on top of your eyes, and you look like a mad man.

One time on a road trip....

So the last road trip we took Ethan was doing this thing where he would never have to use the bathroom when we stopped at a gas station, but ten minutes later he would have to go (like, so bad mom!)...
We stopped at another gas station, Ethan said he didn't have to go.
15 minutes down the road everyone in the car is asleep except Ethan and I.
Ethan: Mom, I really, really have to go.
Me: Oh no you don't
Ethan:  Mom!  I'm gonna pee my pants.
Me:  That's right you are.
Ethan:  Mom!!!!!!  Stop the car, I'm serious.
Me:  So am I, I asked you at the gas station, and you promised that you wouldn't have to go soon, now you have to wait.
Ethan:  I can't.  MOM!  I gotta go NOW.
Me:  Put on a pull-up.
Ethan:  No way......
5 minutes later
Ethan:  (while relieving himself in a pull-up)  Mom, just so you know, I'm 100%, NEVER doing this again.

Wes is One

My baby turned one today.
My Best Friend Mollie wrote this about her son turning one, it is exactly how I feel.  I could never explain it as eloquently as she does....
"It’s so odd how much changes in a year. If you were to look at monthly snapshots of how he’s grown, it would seem like each new thing happens in a flash. Wally smiling. Wally rolling over. Wally pushing up. Wally crawling. But the real life experience of milestones is so much more gradual. It happens like breathing. You breathe in one breath, then you breathe out. Then you are on to the next, without even thinking about the fact that the first breath is passed. Some of the air from the original breath is part of the next, some is new. And by the time a minute has passed, the air is completely different from the original. But it all happened gradually and without notice.
Your baby’s cheeks are turning up a little when he makes eye contact with you. Days later, he’s smiling every hour at least once. A week later he is smiling as long as he’s not sleeping or hungry. And you can’t remember when he went from a sleeping, crying lump to a little person who loves the sight of you.
Your baby turns his head a little when laying on his back. Days later, he squirms until he’s on his side. A week later he’s twisting his whole body, determined to flip. And then, when he is sleeping on his stomach every time within minutes of you putting him down on his back, you don’t remember a day when he couldn’t.
And so on with sitting, standing, crawling, and walking. One Halloween you hold him in the crook of your arm to keep him warm and hold his head up, and the next you are setting him on his feet, fighting him to keep his socks on and laughing at him as he stumbles around the room looking for the next thing to throw.

No wonder babies are so popular. That first year, they spend so much time learning how to be human that they don’t have time to hold grudges, be mean, or think about what’s wrong with the world. They live in a constant state of awe and wonder at what is great about what is around them. They look at a half-empty bottle of pop and see the bubbles, hear the crinkle it makes when you squeeze it, and feel the shift of weight when you tip it. (Yesterday, Wally Ben was fully entertained for 20 minutes in the car by a nearly empty plastic coke bottle. He’d shake it, then look at me, like, did you hear that? Do you see these bubbles? Can you believe it?)

What a great time—your baby’s first year. Every stage is better than the last. Every day is a new chance to get to know who your little guy or gal is going to be. And then 365 days have gone by, and your lump is walking, and you are trying to remember if you lived before you knew him, and you know the answer is yes, but you’re just not quite sure how."

  Wesley joined our family a year ago, and it has been the best year of my life.  He brings so much joy and happiness to our family, it is indescribable.  Here are a few pictures from the last 12 months:

Wes has turned into quite a little ham.  He loves to get a good laugh out of anyone who will look his way, and he ALWAYS has a smile for everyone.
Things about Wes:
He snorts when he laughs
His daddy is his favorite person on the planet, by a wide margin
He is so easygoing and calm
He started throwing tantrums- but he gets over them as quickly as they start (they are hilarious!)
He likes toys that make noises
He says, "uh-oh, oh-no", mama, dada, nana, ah-dun (all done), and ooohhh
He has chewed off all the finish on the edges of his crib
He likes to bite
His mama stopped nursing him at 10 months old
He LOVES Kozy Shack rice pudding
   and oreos
He chucks his bottle as far as he can when the milk is gone
He crawls on carpet, when the carpet ends (tile starts) he does the bear crawl
He loves his glowworm and music seahorse, they help him sleep at night
He didn't sleep through the night until 9 months old!
He'll slap you in the face if he doesn't want you that close to him
He will crawl around doing his own thing for over an hour, totally content
He likes to eat paper
He licks something electrical and shuts his fingers in drawers almost everyday
If you yell something to someone upstairs in the house, he'll yell something too
He doesn't mind water being poured over his head
He is great on road trips, almost zero crying every time
He can take knobs off of drawers
I love him more than words can say...  He is one cool cat.
Happy Birthday Wes, I love you!

Ethan's Frog Quilt

So I've been working on this one for like, forever.  It started as a "I'll throw this one together for Ethan's birthday" quilt, and turned into "well, I'll finish it for Christmas" quilt.  Seriously, the concept is the simplest of all the quilts I've ever made.  Take a duvet, cut it, applique something on top, add batting, quilt, and bind.  Easy peasy, lemon squeezy.  Except not.
I cut it, appliqued- simple!  Then I decided to quilt it in cocentric circles to mimic water.  In no time I had half the quilt done, it looked great!  Until you turned it over.  Pucker city.
Long story short, it took me months to finish picking it out.
This time I quilted it in straight lines.  Today I finished binding it.  Done.  phew.

The Many Costumes of 2010

Boxes are Fun AND Tasty

Nora was on par this week:

On Sunday Nora was sitting next to one of the Primary leaders and she leaned over and whispered, "Quick, tell me the answers so I  can get a treat."

Nora said she was going to name her daughter Alice.  I asked her what she was going to name her son.  She thought about it and said, "Coconut."

The missionaries in our church go by the title Elder (Elder Smith, Elder Jones...).  The Elder's stopped by our house last night.  We sent Nora to bed and she said, "Not until I say goodbye to the Elderlies!"

Nora got out of preschool, ran over to me and said, "Mom!  I got to meet my teacher's husband today.  He is one good lookin dude."

Sewing Again

I'm back at my sewing machine after a summertime hiatus.  I really missed it!
Today I'm going to get a head start on Christmas presents.  I'm going to make Nora a baby doll quilt, and I'm going to cut some fabric for a quilt I'm working on.  I also made a nightgown for Nora out of a t-shirt that got a grease stain on it.  That was really fun and I want to make more... I might have to visit the thrift store to find some cool old t-shirts!

I'll post pictures when I get some finish products.

Update, here are some pictures of a few things I've been up to:

The worn out old swing.

The swing after I recovered it.  The headrest was still in great condition, so I didn't cover it.  But I wish I did, so I'll do that when I get some time.

The baby doll quilt I mad for Nora- it was suppose to be for Christmas, but she found it.

.

New House

I'm just starting to get used to the new house.  It's starting to feel like home.

There are so many things I love about it:
1.  the kids have their own space
2.  There is no computer in my bedroom
3.  I have a place I can keep my sewing machine set up ALL the time
4.  The pantry is BIG

5.  It's really close to Ethan's school
6.  The back patio is covered!
7.  the dining room is open to the kitchen
8.  we can grow into it, not out of it- no more moving for a long while!

I'm still putting pictures up and rearranging furniture, but I feel settled and content.  There is a bit of drama with our washer, dryer and fridge.  That's a story for another day, and it includes bounced checks (not ours) and people knocking on our door saying threatening things, hmmmm.  But what's life without a little excitement?

Now that Brian has a job he loves with a great company and he's done with school, life really seems to be in a routine.  It feels good.  I'm so grateful!

Destroying a Dresser

We gave away Ethan and Nora's dressers before we moved back to Texas.  Ethan's was too big and dangerous (he climbed up it regularly), and Nora's barely made the trip to Utah without falling apart- it wasn't going to make the trip back.  Wes has never had a dresser.  So last Saturday I went out in search of some dressers.  I found a great looking dresser and night stand for Ethan, which I secured for $55 total.  Then, I got a call from my mother-in-law that there was a dresser and night stand in need of a home.  The father of someone she knew had passed away and they were giving his furniture away to people who needed it (like us!).

It was a great set, solid wood.  Only, a bit dated for a little girls room.  I wish I would've taken a before picture- sorry!

So I set in to refinishing.   First, I pulled out the old handles and all the gold trim.

 

Nora came out and saw what I was doing and said, "Mom! Why are you destroying that dresser?!" 

Then I filled all the holes with wood filler.  I let it dry, sanded and then filled in the cracks and depressions.  Then I sanded again and filled the cracks- and then- well you get the point.  I had to do that several times.

I sanded the entire dresser and night stand.  Just a light sanding. 

Then sprayed them with primer.  It took way more primer than I thought it would.  The wood grain just kept sucking the paint in. 

 

Then I coated all the pieces with a generous amount of antique white spray paint and attached some new handles.

I love how they turned out.  For sure they aren't perfect- don't look too close, they could've used some more filling and painting.  Just right for a little girls room.

Funny Nora

Nora has a way with words.  In fact she makes up her own words, and her own versions of common sayings.
For example:

Word:  annoying
Nora's Word:  ignnoying (as in "mom, you are so ignnoying!")

Word: Escaping
Nora's Word:  Unscaping  ("Oh NO!  They're unscaping!")

Common Saying:  You get what you get, and you don't throw a fit.
Nora's Saying:  You get what you want, and you don't throw a fit.

Common Saying:  Move your feet, loose your seat.
Nora's Saying:  If you get up and move your feet, then you loose your spot.

And just a quick story about how Nora likes to substitue her own version of things....
She drew a lovely picture.  Then she showed it to me.  I noticed that she had glued some ribbon to it.  I wondered how she had done this because I knew she didn't have any glue.  So I asked and she told me she used tape.  I looked closer, there was no tape.  So I asked again, and she said, "I used my boogers."

Tortilla Soup

Seriously the best Tortilla Soup I've ever had.
Don't forget all the toppings.  You won't be dissapointed!

Hearty Tortilla Soup

Ingredients:
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
6 corn tortillas, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 medium onion, chopped
2 tablespoons ground cumin
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 can (28 ounces) diced tomatoes
3 bay leaves
6 cups chicken stock (I make it by boiling the bones of the rotisserie baked chicken listed below)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon cayenne pepper
Chicken from one Rotisserie Baked chicken, shredded or cubed

Toppings:
Monterey Jack cheese, shredded
1-2 avocados, cubed
1/2 cup chopped fresh cilantro
4 corn tortillas, sliced and fried crisp (actually, we need more than this because we like to eat them plain)

Directions:
First: Heat oil in large saucepan over medium heat. Add chopped tortillas, garlic and onion. Saute 2-3 minutes. Add cumin and chili powder. Saute additional minute to bring out the flavor of the spices (and make the house smell good). Add tomatoes, bay leaves and chicken stock and pepper. Return to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes. Add salt if necessary depending on saltiness of stock.
Second: While soup simmers is a good time to fry tortillas for garnish. Preheat 1/2-3/4 cups of vegetable oil in a small skillet. Cut tortillas in strips. When oil is hot enough to bubble when tortillas hit the oil, put in enough strips to cover the bottom. Strips are done when they start to turn a golden brown color. Remove from oil with a slotted spoon and repeat process with remaining strips.

Third: Remove bay leaves and stir in chicken. Reheat.
Fourth: Garnish soup with shredded cheese, avocado and tortilla strips. Sour cream is optional.

This recipe is from the blog "Salad In A Jar"
Check it out, she has amazing recipes.

French kissing

Ethan:  Did you know that kissing with tongues is called french kissing?

Me:  Where did you learn that!

Ethan:  Mike. 

Me: Oh.

Ethan:  But I'd never do that.  I'm not french.

Back In Utah

Ok, ok, I know I just left Utah, but opportunity knocked and I opened the door wide.

My little sister has had a rough last year with her chronic illness, and while I lived in Utah I could go visit her in the hospital, help her out at home, and watch her son for her.  But when she went into the hospital this last time I was in Texas and I felt very far away and useless/helpless.  I was mentioning to a friend that I would love to go see my sister and help her out, but I'd have to go in the next week or so and driving alone with three little kids isn't very smart or practical.  Well, my friend said , "I'll go with you and we can split gas cost."  Wahoo!  We both went home and convinced our husbands that we were genius' to come up with such a great plan and a week later we were headed back to Utah.  My friend just moved to Texas from Utah the same time as us- she was a bit homesick and so was her son.

The drive went really well.  We stopped at my brother's house in Colorado Springs and spent the night.  Then we spent a couple of hours in Vail, CO for lunch the next day.  We rolled into Lehi about 9pm.  My friend and I parted ways to go hang out with our own families.  Now we are having a blast with our families and enjoying the beautiful Utah weather.

 Wesley and Samantha, cousins 1 month apart in age.

Eating lunch in Vail, CO.  Perfect weather, Yummy Mexican food.

Awesome playground in Vail.  Pirate ship and sea monster right off the deck of the restaurant we ate at.

Kids, getting grouchy.  Still 6 hours to go.

Emmy, Lorenzo and Nora playing at a fun water park in Highland, UT.  The weather was absolute perfection.

The only thing that would have made it more fun is if Brian could have come with us. ;)  (I miss you!)

See Nora in Toy Story 3

Just kidding, she's not in Toy Story 3- BUT she looks just like the character Bonnie.  So much so that I've had multiple people come up to me to tell me so.
Check it out:

I told Nora to just smile, but she wanted to do the same thing as the pictures... Ha ha so funny!

Back In Texas

Whew!  I'm so tired.

We are in Texas now.  All moved in to our apartment...For three months.  Then our house should be finished and we will move again.  ugh/yay.  I'm really hoping that this house will be a long time move (more than 2 years!).  So moving to the apartment is move #12 for Brian and I and moving to the house will be move
#13. 

I'm really excited about the house.  It is just right.  The kind of house that we could live in for the rest of our lives.  This is the floorplan.  (and don't worry, we didn't pay that much!)

So now I've got to remember how to live in 100+ degree weather all summer long.  We've only been here 4 days and my tan is already getting dark.  We will spend most days at the pool.  That's what you do here, swim.  And shop and eat, it's the Dallas way.  I'm trying to avoid the last two because I'm still trying to loose my holiday weight, oh and I'm trying not to spend any money, we've got a down payment to come up with!

So if you don't hear from me for a while it's because I'm at the pool, or I haven't gotten internet yet, or just cause.

Let me guess?.. . You have a great personality.

Nora, Wesley and I were in the tub and I said, "Three cute, chubby people in the tub!"
Nora said, "No, two!"
Nora has a hard time with numbers so I said, "No, three...One, two, three! (pointing at each of us)."
Nora insisted, "No two!  One, two (pointing at just herself and Wesley)."
In my head I thought, oh, how sweet, she doesn't think I'm chubby!
Then she continued, "Only two cute people are in the tub."
Shocked and a bit hurt I responded, "You don't think I'm cute?"
To which she quickly replied, "But you're smart!"

A Blog for Crafters

Jackpot!
I just found another blog I'm gong to stalk.
It has links to every blog imaginable that has tutorials on:
Adding Ruffles to anything and everything!
Making bags, purses, totes and wristlets!
So cool. 

The blog is called How About Orange.

And this Blog, uh wow, the How To's are amazing.  jcaroline creative.
Sorry.  You are about to spend way too much time checking out these websites, and then a lot more time planning a whole bunch of projects!

My Fabric Flower Creations

I've been having fun trying different ways to make fabric flowers lately.  It's so fun because you can use stuff that you already have around the house.  Since we are totally broke right now, it's my kind of craft!  Here's a picture of some my creations:

Super easy, just a lot of hot glue (and finger burns), fabric, ribbon, and fire.  Yeah, you heard me, fire!  Many of the flowers have singed edges.  It makes them curl and it seals the edges keeping them from fraying. 

Bowser Cake

Ethan wanted a Bowser cake.  So here is my version of a Bowser cake.

Cake is Vanilla
Filling is Vanilla custard and strawberries