Mini S'mores

I've really gotten off-track with lunches. It's been a sleep-deprivation issue.

Don't worry. I have big, big plans to begin making lunches again this week.

Anyhooo, here is a flashback lunch idea, from when I was being awesome and original every day.

MINI S'MORES!!

They would have been even better if I had a tiny blowtorch, but, alas, such things are never around when you need them. I made due with the oven, and they didn't brown like I would have liked.

Let cool. Put in baggies. 

They didn't turn out beautiful, but they were delicious and unexpected.

Hangin' up Stuff

I've been meaning to hang these things up in the Cozy/Annika room since we moved in....picture of the girls....a Holly Hobby my Grandma Cozette made for me when I was little...and other lovely pictures....and now I'm thinking it might have been helpful to have someone hold things up for me, while I stood back and mulled it all over.

I think I'll just stick a lamp on the left to balance it all out. It's dark in that corner anyhow. ...and we'll just pretend that was the plan all along.

For Sofia, Love Grandma

Sofi got a surprise package in the mail. Her Grandma has been sewing...and I think sometimes it pays to have an obsessive interest in something. It makes people see a fabric and think, "Must - make - for - Sofia!"

So, Sof got a bag, complete with "emergency chocolate" (For those of us who have monthly chocolate emergencies).

Pretties!

I've been trying REALLY, REALLY hard not to buy fabric.

...cause it isn't as if I don't have any.

Then SewMamaSew went and put their Ruby Star Typewriters on sale...

...and I just felt I had to get some before they were gone again.

What do you know, some other cute things were on sale too, so I bought my typewriters some matchy friends.

...including my first cotton voile.

Rosh Hashanah

The kids had yesterday off of school. Jonny has been waiting for just such a moment to drag those teenagers to the aquarium. Don't they look thrilled. I just ignore their unimpressed complaining and assume they LOVE it.

That's us waiting to see dolphins - the coolest creatures ever!

Since we've bought our tickets to Hawaii for next summer, I told them they should start saving up for something awesome, like swimming with dolphins! We'll see. If they don't, they'll be inwardly jealous when Cozy and I are out there petting and feeding dolphins.

Sofi and James were great aquarium buddies. I totally called it.

They both like to take their time and watch the animals they like.

Anthony was more "give everything a quick glance and then chase after Cozy, who is twice as fun to watch".

Jon - trying to show Anthony everything cool he remembered from last time. :)

So, Happy New Year, and  Peace Out, Yo!

another change on it's way

 

I'm finally painting my buffet.

 

 

I've been putting it off, because I knew it would make  my kitchen look like this:

...and the color is a little lighter than I had planned (a definite first for me - usually I go the other direction! I must have over-compensated.) I'll just cross my fingers and hope I like it in the end.

My Quilt in Progress is Finally Progressing

Vital part replaced. Quilt construction begun. 

And it is a dang good thing! It's a lot easier to fold up a pieced quilt top (so we can eat dinner) than it is to try and stack the pieces in a way I'll be able to "decode" when I finally unstack it.

I was going to make a starry doll quilt out of the scraps, but Jonny was playing with them. He got very attached to the "broken dishes" pattern he made. Funny he ended up with that one. 

Jon made me hurry and put them together, because "people keep messing them up!"

(Um...been there.)

I made some more squares to go with them, but he wouldn't let me include them in the little quilt....and apparently it's for his Pokemon - not his cousin. 

Dang.

I guess I'll be making another one tomorrow.

Girlifying

Girlifying in a matter of minutes!

Got this shirt for cheap, cheap, cheap at Target.

Cozy likes SpongeBob, so I thought I'd girly it up for her with a bow and some elastic.

Requirement #1 : matching thread.

#2 : two small pieces of elastic and a ribbon. I "fray-checked" the ends of both, since I had some on hand. I've skipped this step with elastic and been fine, and, for the ribbon, you can carefully melt the ends with a lighter to avoid fraying. 

Tied my not too girly bow and sewed it on a little to the side.

Now to "easy ruch" the sleeves: I start by the hem (so that ruching on both sleeves have a chance at matching each other...as long as I stretch both elastics the same amount).

Use a few stitches to anchor the end of your elastic, and then stretch out the elastic (by pulling on the end) as you sew the rest of it down.

I try to follow the sleeve crease to get as straight a line as possible.

I went a little crazy and did the sides too. Still not sure how I feel about that. (The longer elastic twists a bit.)

...and it doesn't look like a boy shirt anymore! Yay!

Threw it together with her black, polka-dot legging...

...cause Cozy rocks a lot of polka-dots!

...and off to the aquarium!

Where we saw adorable dolphins...

...and I got suckered into renting a paddle boat (Chessie, the Chesapeake Bay Monster)....

(That's the aquarium in the background!)

.....with a kid who could barely reach the peddles!

Pajammie Love

Made Cozy some new jammies.

She loves them.

 

...and closer up for you, Mom. (It's the only one I had.)

 

School Lunch

First day of school! Woot! Woot!

They actually looked a lot more enthusiastic before school, but we were just too busy to take pictures.

Of course, the real test is this week, when seminary starts. I honestly don't know how I'm going to make it thru my day getting up that early.  ....and poor Anthony, he doesn't get home from cross country until 5pm. :(

To help with their long, long days, I've decided to make the kids' lunches for them this year. To show love - not just because they mostly did a very poor job of it last year. I think Annika was the only child who reliably brought a lunch. Sofia would say things to me like, "I ate breakfast today and actually didn't fall asleep in math!" Yipee. 

 About halfway thru week 1, I had a genius lunch idea:

mini-lunches!

I ran to Korean Korner for quail eggs and tiny potatoes.

They're so cute! I only wish I had fried a couple of them!

Tiny baked potatoes, green beans and baby corn on the cob!

Steak, bite-sized boiled eggs, baby carrots, and baby gherkins. 

All neatly secured in her lil' bento.

And, what do ya know, I'd already made tiny banana bread loaves. Convenient.

Tony threw in mini-cheez-its and crabby patties.

Everyone's lunches turned out a little different, since they have different containers and won't all eat the same vegetables.

I guess I owe my stay-at-home kids a fun lunch. Those kids are so easy. They love anything that I put on a tray!

Bon appetit!