Pajama Oscars

 Avril attended the "Pajama Oscars" at our church's youth group meeting tonight. I'll say. If there's a prize, she's sure to be in the running! 

My Sewing Tin

In December, I started hand-sewing binding on a lap quilt I had made some years before. 

To store my thread, needle, pins, etc., I took up one of the decorative Christmas tins we had out with all the other Christmas decor. 

I never liked this tin much, honestly. 

It was given by a friend, held a gift from that dear friend, so in a way, the tin was also a gift from that dear friend. 

I'm desperately sentimental, so I have a difficult time ridding myself of anything given to me in love. 

So I kept the tin out of obligation even though I had an almost visceral response to it's ugliness, at least at first. 

But this last Christmas, I found this tin was just the right size for my hand-sewing supplies. 

After Christmas, I just left my sewing supplies in there beside my chair for convenience sake. 

Months went by. The quilt is still "in-process," so the sewing supplies remain there. 

The other day, one daughter shouts from the kitchen where we both are to another daughter in the living room, "Will you bring me the 'Ho-Ho-Ho' tin?!"

The other daughter shouts back from the living room, "Sure!!"

A few moments later, the other daughter comes in and hands this to the one daughter who asked for it. 

The one daughter proceeds to take out what she needs for the project she's working on like nothing significant had even happened. 

I laughed out loud.  

I had inadvertently created a sewing kit! 

And I made it out of an old tin! 

I'm just like every other old lady sense the dawn of time!  

Only I have to say, my sewing kit is not a generic "cookie tin" or "Mom's sewing kit."

No. No. No. 

It is called the "'Ho-Ho-Ho' tin." 

All three Ho's are spoken out in turn.  

That's a kind of perfection you can't even plan! 

You've just got to live your way into it. 

I love my daughters! 

I love what they call this tin! 

And now I love this tin! 

The Muppets Litmus Test

After the girls made their wineberry tarts, my kitchen looked like the Swedish chef had been there.

Flour everywhere!

I was like, "What did you do?!  Did you actually throw it??!"

So then I showed the girls this video.




The fact that my girls all laughed to the point of holding their sides at this video assures me that all is well deep within their souls.

So now we have started watching random Muppet videos like this together when they ask and we have the time.

And now Norah is doing an impeccable Swedish chef impression.

It brings me so much joy and pride and I feel so rich when she does it that it almost feels wrong to be so blessed.

To be able to laugh at what's really funny is the greatest wealth there is.      

The capacity for mirth is the surest sign of a healthy soul.

And there are few things more telling than what sort of things make a body laugh.

Lego Advent Calendars- Thanks, Uncle Donnie!

My big brother sent my kids Lego Advent Calendars in the mail.  The girls will have a little something to build everyday of December leading up to Christmas morning.  Thanks, Uncle Donnie!

Note: My brother gave us an Advent calendar a few years ago and to show him what pieces were inside, I started making up a little story with the Legos my kids got everyday and posting it here on my blog.

But, alas, the Lego Saga was never completed to everyone's satisfaction before the finale. Like all the best shows, it was cancelled, frustrating many (half a dozen) and causing outcry from the masses (my immediate family).  But rumors abound that this blog's producer may decide to try another run this year.  With two or even three times the Legos, this could be epic.  Stay tuned in December!  
 

Marking Personal Growth and Development

Norah's been taking the dirty clothes down to the laundry room, sorting them, and then wearing the empty basket on her head on the way back up the stairs for years now.  In the middle of chores this morning, Norah comes to the kitchen to tell me how she can tell she is a lot taller than she used to be. "This basket used to come down to my knees." 

We found Avril reading her book, as usual, but doing it while trying out the baby's seat, blanket and pacifier.

The girls got carried away while playing with their chalkboard.

Norah

She was pushing the camera away with a finger, fed up with her Momma-razzi.

Instead of using her own finger to point to the pictures on the page, Avril insists on holding mine and putting it where she wants it to be.

One of my recent thrift store finds... This was only $3, still in the box with everything, even the paint and brush. It was solid white then, but Norah spent two days painting, letting it dry, painting it some more. On the morning of the third day, I thought for sure that she was done, so I threw all the paints away and cleaned up her art station. She came into the room and questioned me. I told her, "I honestly thought you were done..." To this, she said, "But there was still some white left on it!"

Second kids are notorious for not talking as early as the first. But, I asked the doctor if Avril was normal anyway. He asked me, "What do you mean?" I said, "She doesn't talk as much as Norah..." To this, he laughed and said, "No one talks as much as Norah."

Well, that made me feel better about Avril, at least. But, that said. Avril doesn't really talk much at all and I am on and off worried over it, especially now that she is two, officially. (By now, her sister knew all the names and sounds of the letters in the alphabet.) But, I know Avril can talk. She just doesn't.

The other day, I hadn't given the kids breakfast and it was going on 11am. (I know. It's just shocking.) So, Avril walked into the bathroom where I was... um... where I was. And she said, plain as day, "I want some num nums." When she said the word "I" she pointed to her chest. When she got to "num nums," she pointed at her tummy twice.

I was shocked. I had to clarify. "Are you hungry??!" To this, she nodded twice and motioned for me to follow her out of the bathroom. As soon as I could, I did and she proceeded to lead me by the hand straight to the kitchen. That's when she grunted and pointed at the fridge.

Amazing.

I thought that maybe I should delay breakfast everyday.

She fell asleep reading.

Norah had candy in that cup she is holding, an M&M for every word she spelled correctly when we practiced her spelling list. Avril was going straight for the candy... thus the hand in the face. (Note: I didn't think the scene would get so ugly so fast or else I wouldn't have been taking pictures when I should have been preventing an incident.)

Right now, Avril's not being home schooled in any official capacity like Norah is, but Avril's definitely a student in "the school of hard knocks." Lately, she will do things that really test her sister's self-restraint such as sending Norah's delicate Lego creations to the ground with one swoop of her little arm, expecting Norah to do nothing but smile with her because the Legos made a really cool sound as they crashed all over the wood floor...

After this, Avril seems totally surprised to find herself flat on the floor along with the Legos, staring up at the ceiling. But, Norah doesn't seem surprised in the least to find Mommy standing in the doorway with that look on her face... again.

Ah, life.

Dwayne thinks the fish are dying and the birds are falling out of the sky because I wasn't blogging for a few days. But, I am sure it's just a coincidence... right?

To my six or seven avid readers,

I apologize for not posting on my blog daily at midnight. I've never not posted daily at midnight, even after I had my last baby, even after I got injured, even after I had surgery...

But, lately, my posts have been more sporadic. I posted one day at 10pm, then skipped a day entirely, and I am writing this post at 9am!! I know it's crazy-talk.

I always have something to say, something to communicate, you know me. Even it is just a picture or a few words. I love my blog. None of that has changed.

But, I want to confess that I have found another love. She's the reason I haven't been posting every single day at the same exact time.

Her name is FlyLady and she's teaching me how to keep my house clean, clean enough to have friends over.

So, I've been busy with that, having friends over (and shining my sink).

And, it's been pretty awesome.

I am thinking of that verse, the one that haunts all us housewives, the one that always haunted me,

"Practice hospitality."

FlyLady helps me dominate that verse.

I thought I needed to be honest with you in case you were worried about me.

I'm fine.

I'm just having some friends over later. I'll post something again soon, it just might not be every single day at midnight.

With love,
Veronica

I make some of the best chocolate chip cookies known to man. It's just a fact. I'm also chubby. These two things may seem entirely unrelated, but I don't think they are. In fact, I am pretty sure it's a rule that you can't bake well unless you are overweight. In my experience, most skinny people make terrible cookies. Their cookies are only edible for the first five minutes after they are pulled from the oven. After that, everyone is just disappointed in them.

But, in defense of skinny people, I have a friend (who is very skinny) who can make tofu and spinach taste like pasta and cream sauce. No, not really. But, what I mean is that she can take something that looks like grass, something seemingly inedible and after she cooks it and spices it up, people bite into it and say with surprise, "Hum! I didn't know _ could taste this good!" etc. and then they can actually swallow this food that is very close to the hey horses eat without gagging it up the next second. This is my skinny friend's gift.

But, it's not my gift.

And, I am okay with that.

Norah got a book of temporary tatoos from one of her friends at her birthday party on Saturday. We spent Sunday afternoon cutting and laughing and customizing the tatoos in the book to say what we wanted them to say.

Well, at least I still have one child who prefers to read...
How much could I get for a used Nintendo DS, do you think? ;)