January 31, 2012

The Perils of Pinterest

Do you have a Pinterest account? Is your house work suffering because of it? Mine's not, if not this it would be something else keeping me from housework. I'm not a huge fan. I've wasted spent a fair amount of time on that site. It's the best of the internet on one site! So. many. good. ideas! After my boards started to fill up, I decided that I needed to put this to use or it was really just a waste of time. Perfectly timed with my resolve to make more, buy less processed, and focus on the food portion of our lives more. Without further ado, the perils of Pinterest: 


 : : Bagels : : 
I've made them a bunch of times, I've lost track of how many. They are very good, and not too hard to make. 


This is the end of my second batch. Its decent, not exactly like my favorite Organic Valley French Vanilla. But in the spirit of buying less pre-made, processed food, it will do. 


: : Graham Crackers : : 
Third batch. I think I eat just as many of them as the littles do. I tweak them a bit each time and they just get better and better. 


: : Granola : :
So I've made granola before, just not this recipe. Since I was having good luck with recipes found, I wanted to try this one. The littles love granola with yogurt (on the list of things to try making). Piper says this isn't as good as store bought. Hoping she'll come around. 


: : Mayonnaise : : 
MAYO! Tackling this felt way out of my league. Surprisingly easy, with a bit of help from Calder. And a tip from my brother. Only thing that could make it better is if the eggs were from our own chickens. In time. These eggs came from Ninepatch - which is the best we could ask for. The flavor is richer than store bought, yum. 


: :  Wrapped Cord : :
When I saw this it was done on ear buds. I'm not 'hip' enough to use ear buds. In fact, my iPod is nearly the original version. I wrapped up the conversion kit for the car's cord. While doing so Zac asked me if I had nothing better to do. Of course I did. However, it made it so much prettier.

Oh yea, and then there's this...


: : Haircut : :
My sister says I look 23, my brother says I look like me from high school without the pouf. (For the record, that was middle school - I promise I was much cooler in high school!) Ah, it's just hair, easily changed if it doesn't work out. 

We also have had a few new dinners, this, this and this. Piper declared the chili 'nasty' before even tasting it. Calder follows the leader. So it goes.There is so much more I want to try. 

January 13, 2012

Things Missed

As we go through our days, I happen upon the littles in the midst of play, together play. I'm comforted that they get along - for the most part. Moments like these I wish I would be carrying my camera on me all day. But I don't. I make a habit of keeping it with in close reach, on the kitchen counter or atop the fridge. Even then it's a bit too far. By the time I retrieve my camera and return to them, they're on to something else, or have detected me and I've interrupted them. The moment is gone, saved only in my mind to be recounted later.


Sometimes, just sometimes, I do catch them on 'film'. Proof that I can show them years from now, when they're teens potentially sick of each other (that will never happen right), that they were friends once upon a time and will be again. Often I feel that there is so much pressure on their friend/sibling relationship because there is only two of them. There won't be another sibling to run to when they're mad at each other- like I had times seven. This is it for them. I hope with my whole being that they each turn out to be people that the other can love, accept, support, defend and be friends with.

January 07, 2012

At It Four Years Now


Over the weekend our eldest turned four. Hard to believe we've been working hard at, and always learning on the journey of parenting for four years already. Piper certainly is her own person. So very different from her younger counterpart. Independent, but oh so very needy. Funny. Smart. Kind. Not so patient. And now a big girl.

The days leading up to the day of her birth she talked over and over about how she was going to be a big girl when she was four and all the big girls thing that accompany that title. No whining - which lasted half of the day. Drinking coffee with breakfast. On and on. Thinking she was going to wake up four and much larger in size, she was happy to announce she had indeed not 'busted out of my clothes last night'. Just minutes after waking said that she would be five soon. I begged her to slow down just a bit. Wise beyond her years she explained how it was just life to grow up. Marmar (my mom) hadn't wanted me to grow up but I did. Despite wanting her to stay little, Piper was going to be growing up. In turn, I'm growing with her; learning, changing, adapting to meet her (and Calder's) needs. Besides that I still have Calder, according to Piper. Yes, why yes I do.

Along with four other big girls we celebrated Piper. Dressed in fancy dresses - of course.