Mondays, Special Notes, & Butts

Mondays are not Fundays for me. I treasure sleep. I remember I used to sleep in until 9am or so. And I love those days when you don't have to leave the house, so you can stay in jammies and have hair that is sticking straight up. Those days have long passed. I can hardly remember a day when we didn't have to leave for something.

I did find a special surprise this morning. It helped my morning go a bit easier.

This note was better than my cup of coffee when it came to getting my butt in gear!

Speaking of butts, btw, mine is a tad smaller! I have lost 10 lbs!!! Ten stinking pounds! It sure feels like it should be more, but it isn't. I am doing it the right way though. I am eating healthy and exercising some. I am no longer in my 20's so I don't expect it to drop off overnight!

Live Long and Prosper!
Karen

Sewing, Politics & Coloring

We had a fun and productive weekend. We went to a party and had a great time! And we rented Toy Story 2, made popcorn, and had a blast! I am pretty sure we have to go see the third one now. Miles is obsessed with anything from Toy Story. It is a shame they don't sell any of the characters at the stores....hehehe. Also, I wish I could have been a fly on the wall when the writers came up with the names of the characters. Seriously, they HAD to have known what they were doing when they named them "Woody" and "Buzz."
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I also had a chance to get some sewing done:
Place mats for my sweet friend Angel! I hope she likes them and I hope she doesn't mind their egg like appearance....They are mostly oval if you squint your eyes and look at them through the corner of your eye....

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We got this in the mail the other day:

We are supposed to put it on a window in the house. I feel slightly uneasy about this. I don't know that anything would happen, but lately some of the sentiments from the far right have been frightening. Yes, I will vote for Democrats in November, and I do proudly have an Obama magnet on my car, but I don't know about a window on the house. Thoughts?
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The other day Miles was coloring and working hard at it. I was getting dishes put away and doing some general cleaning. Finally he finished and it was better than any other picture he has ever colored. I wonder if it had to do with the image:

Can you believe this was in a Spiderman coloring book? Too funny.
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Speaking of coloring....Amelia colored this at school:

She told me she couldn't resist leaving a pee puddle under the unicorn. Too funny!!

Have a great week!
Karen

It's Friday!

Look at this face:

It's been a rough day here. The kids kept coming into our room all night last night. They wanted to play. They weren't tired. They wanted to sleep with us. And now they are grumpy.
I am too.
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Mimi has been spending her birthday money. I like this wood dollhouse. It came from Tuesday Morning. All the furniture and two dolls were $15. I thought that was a good deal. She's been playing with it a lot.

She's also been playing with my least favorite toy: Slutty Barbie Doctor.
Her high heal leg wrap shoes made the outfit so glamorous. I think Ralphie may have eaten one.
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I found this at Goodwill for $8. It is maple, I think. And stained very dark. So, I decided to prime and paint it.
It has cute little shutter doors:
I am so tired. Last night reminded me of late night nursing sessions. Glad those days are behind us, and I hope we all get a good night's sleep tonight!
~Karen

Mimi picks out her clothes now. She doesn't pick them out when I buy them, but she certainly is opinionated about what I do buy. She wears mostly skirts these days, and she always wears some stripey tights with them. She will throw clothes around like a teenager when she is searching for the perfect ensemble. Look at her dresser, and this is a good day!
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Ralphie is all better now. His favorite place to sleep is here:

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I've been making jacket/coat pins.

They are fun! Let me know if you want one!

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These days Moe is all about computer games :
He got a hair cut. I think he looks so grown up now! My baby is no longer a baby! And Mimi will be 5 soon! How did that happen so fast??!

I want life to slow down so I can enjoy each moment more .

Tomorrow will be pure chaos! We are getting a new heater installed. It will take 5-8 hours!!! And Moe has a dentist appt for another filling.

Maybe life can slow down after tomorrow?? I hope it goes quick and pain-free!

~Karen

I'm sick....

I'm sick. The kids have entertained themselves. On a trip to the sink for more water, I noticed they were playing separately in their rooms, and Mimi had a sign on her door:

I asked Moe what he thought of the sign and he said "She's being grumpy, so I am leaving her alone."

Too funny! I am glad they are working it out. I hope I am better soon.
~Karen

Yay! It's Friday!

I can't believe how big Moe is. Here he is at naptime. Zonked out.

More Moe. He said he is going to give up his thumb, but I doubt it. It is amazing to me all the things children learn in the first 3-4 years of life.

And finally..some more curtains. I don't know what I think about them. Sometimes I like them, while other times I am ambivalent. Maybe they will grow on me....

I am making an effort to use the supplies I have versus hoarding them! I have held onto this fabric forever...I think up grand projects, but then never do them out of fear I will mess it up. Sad. So I am trying to live by the following: I would rather try than not try at all.

Hope everyone has a good weekend. Sorry for this post...it isn't very interesting!
~Karen

Busted!

I'm always asking " Where is the camera? Who took these pictures??" Finally, my suspicions have been confirmed. I recognize the reflection in the monitor! I showed this to Mimi, and she told me she thinks it is Moe! :)

~Karen

Good Things!

This sweet picture was taken yesterday after Miles said "take a picture of Daddy holding me like a baby." :)

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I found this chair at Goodwill for $5. At first I thought I would paint it, but now I find it charming and would never consider it! Ignore all the clutter on the desk. Despite my best efforts, it is always a mess.

Cool, huh?
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Not much else is going on here. I think I am going to have a surgery soon, and I am nervous about that. I am glad tomorrow is Friday. Looooove weekends and Fridays!

~Karen

So Long! Adios! Auf Wiedersehen!

This week has been a lot of fun! Our good friends John, Amanda, Mary, and Ellie were in town visiting! The kids had a great time playing!

Mimi is pleased as punch! She has her good buds in town from northern Indiana.
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The gang loved the popsickles.
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Miss Ellie sleeping! Oh, how I miss having a wee one. Thank goodness I have friends who do! I can get my lovins in on them!!!! :)
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Goodbye sweet friends! We enjoyed your visit and miss you already! Hope the ride home was a good one! :)
~Karen

In Our Backyard

One sweet little girl. She's almost ready for us to remove her training wheels.
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Our future garden. Not looking so good, huh? I am hoping by Monday it will look a lot better.
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Look at Moe go!
He really is always happy.
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A super sweet dog...who really needs a bath!
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Last year, towards the end of summer, we were completely out of outdoor paint. Out of desperation, I colored the bricks with chalk, and let the kids use water and paintbrushes on it. Turns out that it makes a really cool paint that can be smothered all around. They like to do it, and it is pretty darn cheap!
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Our beautiful plum tree better produce some fruit this year. For the last several years it has not bore fruit. One year we got snow during April, and that seemed to mess the tree up....I am hoping this year we will have LOTS of plums!

Hope everyone has a great weekend!
~Karen

Making Clay Birds

Unpainted birds

More unpainted birds...with some painted ones

The legs are cheap, easily bendable craft wire.
These can be ornaments or they can be used year round. I have several scattered about the house..hanging on nails, hanging on pegs...You get the idea....After I paint them I apply several layers of glaze. You can use Mod Podge too.

This is the clay I use. You can get it at any craft store and is around $12. It is a pretty good sized box...10lbs is a lot o' clay! I let the birds dry for a minimum of 3 days....sometimes longer. I think it depends on your climate. Humid climates may require more time.

Happy boy!

Happy girl!

Hope everyone is having a great week! ~Karen