Ikea

Someone, who will remain nameless, "reminded" me that I've been slacking on the blog. This week will be different (...maybe). I'll finish all of my half-written posts...or at least a few. 

...starting with the one everyone is most anxious to hear about wink, wink....what I bought at Ikea. :)

The whole reason I trekked out there one dark and rainy night (you know, the very best sort of freeway driving weather), was to get this fluffy-looking pillow...

...that matched my lampshade. (Yes, I finally ditched my unsuccessfully made-over one this summer.)

The pillow looked comfy, it matched my little sewing machine picture, and I was afraid that they were going to stop selling it before I got around to buying it.

The other reason I went to Ikea...I knew they already had Christmas stuff out. So ready for Christmas! I am just faking my way through Halloween and Thanksgiving, waiting for the good stuff. (Christmas food, Christmas decorations, Christmas carols.)

Honestly, I found way more stuff in the holiday section than I could justify. I had to take a deep breath and rein it it. I did walk away with this coral, polka-dot tray...

...and a giant cardboard Christmas tree for the kids to decorate (conveniently wrapped in plastic, so it can live in the basement until tis the season.)

I also picked up a light cord/outlet thingy....

 ...for our plant-growing thingy. (Tony had the week off, so he made this for me - with the kids! Yay for botany projects! We're growing plants in the basement!)

So, between all of that stuff and the Swedish meatballs I brought home, my official spending $ was gone in one day.  Lucky for me, Tony lets me embezzle from whatever other category I want to. I know, it's like Budgeting Gone Wild at our house.

Hawaii Plans

We've been making plans to join Tony in Hawaii when he's there next summer, and it made me all nostalgic for the last time we were there as a family. Yep, that's us all young with four little kids. (If you can't see Jonny, it's because he's hiding...in my uterus.) I just hung this picture up in my kitchen. 

....and we've been playing Hawaiian Go Fish....to hone our fish-spotting skill for snorkeling.  (Tony picked it up on one of his no-kids trips.) James and Cozy love it....almost as much as "The Sneaky, Snacky Squirrel".

My lil' Staches

I had to go to Target for food supplies of some kind. It was a compromise, because I really needed to go to Costco or the commissary and buy a cart-full of milk and other such necessities. I just couldn't. Pounding headache and the knowledge that I had to bring 3 little people...I just couldn't face anything so taxing.

Target. Fairly abandoned on weekday mornings - I thought I could endure.

My kids may have noticed that I'd say yes to anything, as long as they were quiet. We left with a pack of mustaches and glow-in-the-dark, sticky eyeballs. Totally worth it.

It was the funniest day ever. It just cracked me up every time I'd turn around and see little Cozy, with her crazy mustache! 

Best $2 I ever spent.

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.