Merry Christmas Sheldon

I love The Big Bang Theory. I could watch this clip all day...

Preschool Craft Day

For one of our advent activities, Boo and I went to preschool craft day at her school. They had three crafts for the preschoolers to do. The first was to decorate a little tea light holder, the second was to make a cross bookmark, and the third was to make three cards. There was a lot of gluing involved, so of course Boo had a ball. She didn't accept the fact that she was supposed to be making these crafts as gifts. Every explanation I offered her was met with, "No, MINES!"

She actually gets a lot of mileage out of her little things. She has a candlelit breakfast most mornings, and has picked off all the little colors from her book mark and used them to decorate her bookshelf. The cards make a nice filler for her purse.

Advent Days....

With Kitty being sick, our advent activities have been sporadic. But here are a couple...

Boo made this marshmallow snowman at her school Christmas party. She loved him and carried him around everywhere. She was supremely disappointed when she woke up one morning and discovered he was "old and yucky".

We've haven't done as much crafting lately as coloring has become the activity of choice. But we did have a great time making this reindeer from a traced foot and hands.

Adventures in eating

Last week Kitty had her first rice cereal. I'm not sure which she liked better...sitting up at the table with everyone or eating.

Too bad that by the next day she had a raging fever. She was sick all week, by the weekend I was so tired and stressed. It looked like she had a UTI, we spent a miserable morning at the doctor where she was cathed for a urine sample, had blood taken, and got two antibiotic shots. Boo was incredibly good through all the waiting - princess stickers are motivating, no?

But last Monday we got good news. The blood and urine cultures both came back negative - no infection.

By last Tuesday she was much better, so I tried the rice cereal again. Then I went to work and left J with a puking baby. Sheesh. The pediatrician seems to think that the puking was unrelated, but Thursday I tried oatmeal instead. So far so good. Except that now we all have colds.

Advent Day 4 - Marshmallows!

So I saw this episode of Good Eats where AB made marshmallows, and I've been dying to try it ever since. Thanks to my sister-in-law for loaning me a mixer, Boo and I gave it a try one afternoon.

So it was really fun to make them, and I think they turned out reasonably well for not using a candy thermometer. I didn't think they tasted great...unless they were in cocoa or dipped in chocolate. Guess I just love that store bought taste.

Here they are in the pan before we cut them.
And here is Boo, who loved them, chocolate or not.

Advent Days 2 and 3

Boo loves to play games, especially match...her version of it. In November, she asked for a Christmas match game. And "what my baby wants, my baby gets." I actually made this last Christmas...and finished it this year. This is the new me that finishes projects.

Anyway. We played this a couple of times and she has since squirreled it away somewhere. Hopefully we'll come across it soon.

Day 3 - We watched a little holiday concert on PBS by Straight No Chaser, our boys from IU.

Advent Day 1

We drove around the neighborhood to see the Christmas lights. We let Boo ride in the front seat with J, and she was beside herself with glee. At one point she threw her hands up in the hair and said, "Wheeeee! Wheeeeee!"

The next morning Boo, Kitty and I watched some online Christmas lights. I always have to watch this one a few times.

Pardon the lack of blogging

If we could stay healthy for two days in a row, I have some great blogging to do. My google reader has over 200 unread items. On the plus side, my Christmas shopping is done. I still have a few projects to finish. But I have already finished a lot of things.

Blogging to start soon. After I take a nap.

Our Advent Mittens

Last year I saw Advent Mittens somewhere...there is a mitten for each day from December 1st-24th, and tucked inside each mitten is a Christmas activity to do that day. So of course I thought, "GREAT IDEA! I think I'll make some." After talking to my mom, we decided to do it together...and make a lot of sets. Because if one set is fun, ten sets must be AWESOME. So my mom embroidered and cut the mittens, and I sewed them up and made the activity papers.


And guess what. I finished. Project: done and done. Impressed?

Boo and I have had a ball doing our daily Christmas activities. Kitty has been sick all week, so next week we will be playing a bit of catch up. Coming soon...pictures of our fun!

All smiles

Whatchu talkin' 'bout Boo

"Don't go to work before Daddy come home else I won't have anyone here at my castle."

"This is not so tasty to me."

"MOM WHAT ARE YOU DOING? GIVE ME SOME PRIVACY!"

Thanksgiving

Still blogging about Halloween and Thanksgiving has already passed us by.

We had a fabulous Thanksgiving with friends. Some highlights:

1. At 9 am, Kitty went down for her nap and Boo decided she was going to 'pretend to take a nap', and got in bed. I cooked in peace for an hour. Awesome.

2. The National Dog Show. That I pretty much slept through.

3. We loved our Whole Foods fresh turkey. And we had some wicked sweet potatoes and spiced almonds.

4. Boo randomly began calling her little friend "Buddy". "Come here, Buddy! Look at this, Buddy! Let's go upstairs, Buddy!"
5. After pie, sugar cookies, frosting, M&Ms and sprinkles, Boo and Buddy lost all control and ran screaming around the house. Seriously. Screaming and running laps through the rooms.
6. We tried family pictures again. FAIL. But I cropped a funny one of Kitty.
7. A great holiday afternoon and evening with friends!

We hope you all had a wonderful holiday.

Kitty - 5 months old

After a rough month due to vaccinations, return to standard time, teething, and a growth spurt (that girl is an eater), Kitty is 5 months old. Well, 5 1/2 months now. She's about the 70th percentile all the way across.

The Nazgul scream has returned with a vengeance, I think she's got a lot of teeth about to pop through.

She is mobile and interested in anything that is not a toy. One day I cleaned her up from a big blowout, plopped her down surrounded by toys and went to rinse out the mess. When I came back two minutes later, she had rolled across the room, upended the garbage can, ripped out the liner and was happily beating the plastic.

When she's happy, she is irresistible. She's loves to giggle at whatever Boo is doing, and all J has to do is look at her and she dissolves into giggles. She and I have raspberry conversations.

A Halloween Tale

As told to me by Boo:

Once upon there was a little girl named Boo and she went trick or treating. And all her friends came over to her castle to go trick or treating with her. And she opened the door and said trick or treat and got lots of candy in her pockets. Then her tummy got soooo full so she went to the potty and got all her peepees out and her tummy felt soooo much better. So she went trick or treating some more. And that's the end.

Halloween Revisited

I got some new Kitty Halloween pictures. She's such a cute little chubs.

My Vacay

Yesterday was a big day for me. First, I realized that we are half-way through November, and I still think it's October. Gotta get it together.

Second, and most importantly, I had a vacation day. J had the day off of work, and he generously gave me the day off of my work.

I spent the day running errands, which doesn't sound that fun, but it is so fun to do it without kids. I ordered our Thanksgiving turkey...have I mentioned how much I love to cook my Thanksgiving turkey? I haven't decided on my method yet for this year. But I'm getting Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Advice emails.

I also spent a lot of time scoping out stockings and tree skirts. I couldn't find anything I liked, so I'm going to try and do them myself. I did finally find the perfect fabric. So now I have to figure out how to make a giant skirt for our giant tree. Any advice from my crafty friends?

Happy Halloween

I'm having camera issues again. I think it's the card...I hope it's the card. Otherwise I may be in the market for a new camera. I have been eyeing the new Nikon that also takes video. But oh that price tag.

ANYWAY, most of my Halloween pictures were lost, but I salvaged one of Cinderella Boo. My efforts to talk her into being a doctor for Halloween were all in vain. She insisted on being a "boo-foo pincess". And that she was.

I lost all the Kitty pictures, but we'll recreate Kitty the pumpkin and take some more. Stay tuned.

Sigh of Relief

I have finished all but one of my 36 continuing education hours. Thank you speechpathology.com for having so many courses that I can complete at the last minute.

Now I can get back to blogging, google reader, Christmas projects and Amazon.

Is it really November?

Super Kitty

Just look at those straight legs. The girl is a born gymnast.

Lookin'

"Lookin' out on the pourin' rain..." and wind blown lawn chairs.

"Whatchu lookin' at?"

Help me, Obi-Wan Kitty,..

...you're my only hope!

Overheard in the Kitchen

Boo: You have some croutons for me?

J: Say "Do you have some croutons?"

Boo: You do have some croutons for me?

J: say "Do you have some?"

Boo: You do have some?

J: listen and say "Do you have some?"

Boo: (walking away) I'm tired of talkin' about this.

Raspberry Jam

I made some blackberry jam in August, and was disturbed that the recipe called for more cups of sugar than cups of fruit. After reading this and this, I have recommitted to healthier eating.

So when it came time for raspberry jam, I scoured the internet for a lower sugar recipe. I don't use Splenda, so that nixed a lot of the low sugar recipes. But then...success! I used 3/4 cup of honey for the sweetener. Obviously it is not super sweet, but it has a great raspberry taste. Next year I may try adding a little apple juice or white grape juice to sweeten it a bit more.

If you are canning the jam, you have to buy no sugar pectin. Some people online have reported having difficulty finding it in-store, and have to buy in online. But Kroger carries it (I love Krogers almost as much as Target). It's a pink box.

I need a coffee!

We aren't coffee drinkers. So I was a little surprised when Boo ran up to me yesterday and urgently exclaimed, "Mom! I need a coffee!"

What?

"MOM! I need a COFFEE! I NEED a coffee! I NEED A COFFEE!"

I just looked at her, realizing that if she had a secret coffee stash, that would explain some of her boundless energy and constant stream of chatter.

With an exasperated sigh, she led me to our copy machine and handed me the coloring page she wanted to COPY.

The Power of Children

"The Power of Children Gallery at The Children’s Museum of Indianapolis takes visitors on a journey through the lives of three children who faced profound trials and emerged as heroes of the 20th century. The stories of Anne Frank, Ruby Bridges, and Ryan White exemplify for children and adults how every individual can make a difference."

I took advantage of having my parents with me at the museum and walked through The Power of Children exhibit while the kids were at playscape. I missed all the live re-enactments, someday I'll get back to see those. The exhibit was very moving.

I visited Ruby Bridges first. I have been fascinated with this story since a teacher introduced me to this book.







Next was Anne Frank. There was a display of a concentration camp uniform, along with a video showing interview footage from a woman who knew Anne and Margot in the concentration camp. She described that last time she talked with Anne, and what she likely died of. Only weeks before the camp was liberated. It was chilling.

Speaking of Anne Frank, have you seen Freedom Writers? I didn't care for the movie, but in the course of the movie, this English class raises money to bring Miep Gies over for a lecture. It wasn't the real Miep in the movie, but did you know that she is still alive? And 100 years old.

Last was Ryan White.

I remember watching his story on the news years ago, and was especially interested in his story when I found out that he lived just north of here, in Kokomo. In this display, you sit in "his bedroom", and watch a film about his fight with the school system and with AIDS. Seriously sad.

I rarely see kids in this exhibit, but I am so glad that they have it.

Pumpkin Patch

Our third year visiting the pumpkin patch. First year was very cold, second year toooo hot, this year, just right.Boo loved climbing on and driving this decrepit old tractor, that I was pretty sure was going to cut her and give her tetanus.
Kitty got to face outward in her Baby Bjorn for the first time, and she had a great time watching the world go by.Boo meticulously searched for the perfect pumpkins - one for her and one for Kitty. She gathered several before she decided.
Now I'm trying to decide what to do with the pumpkins. Do we carve them or paint them? Maybe one of each. We have to carve at least one, I love me some toasted pumpkin seeds. Bryan, are those low carb?? :)

The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society

Another recent read, one that I will be adding to my library, The Guernsey Literary and Potato Peel Pie Society. Don't run away just because of the title...

This one is a charming novel set in post-WWII England. The book is entirely made up of letters written between the characters of the book. I was afraid I would find this obnoxious - I never could read Dear Mr. Henshaw. But I loved it. I never gave much thought to the occupation of the Channel Islands during the war, so it was even more interesting to read about their experience of German occupation. Although it has its sad moments, it's not a tragic war book (like The Book Thief). It's...well...charming. Read it, you will love it.

We love fall

Fall is here, we are enjoying the cooler weather. Here is my chubs, all decked out in her warm clothes.

We have been keeping busy (and not blogging about it).

We have been to the raspberry fields. I learned to can raspberry jam.

We have been to the apple orchards. I learned to can applesauce.

We have been to the pumpkin patch. I am NOT going to learn to can my own pumpkin. I love baking from scratch, but I can gather no enthusiasm for making pumkin pie from an actual pumpkin. Even though friend Jenny does, and it is the best pie ever.

So it turns out I enjoyed canning. I liked filling up my house with the warmth and smells of canning. The jar pops were very satisfying, and the jars look so pretty sitting on my pantry shelf.

The Book Thief

I recently finished The Book Thief by Marcus Zusak. It was over 500 pages, but so good that even after 500 pages I still wanted more. I couldn't put it down.

It's the story of a young girl growing up in Nazi Germany. So it's one of those great, but tragic books. The first few chapters were a little confusing and dreadfully sad, but after that it perked up a bit. That is to say I wasn't crying every time I picked up the book. Death was the narrator of the story, which was very clever, and probably my favorite thing about the book.

I also appreciated that this book was about ordinary people living in Germany during the war. All my other war books are about Jews in hiding, Jews in camps, members of the resistance in occupied countries, Allied forces, etc. Germans lived, suffered, died, and showed compassion during the war as well.

Great read - 4 stars.

Ice Cream Run

Hooray for more visitors...my cousins, Pam and Kim, came to visit last weekend. We were crazy kids and teenagers together, and then roommates in college, where I like to think we were more mature, but probably not. I'll spare you all pictures from the past, but only because I don't have any scanned in.

One night we drove an absurd distance to a Marsh that just started carrying Graeter's ice cream.
If you've not lived in Ohio (or near enough to drive there to get it), it's the best ice cream there is. And worth the drive to a shady part of town late at night.

More on Kitty

Kitty is a smiley baby, but for some reason it's hard to capture it on camera. Here's our best shot at that cute smile so far.

And yes, she is already going places. Rolling over from tummy to back and back to tummy. She still gets her arm caught underneath her and screeches for a rescue.

And this is her resigned look. We get this look a lot.

Boo call's Kitty's Bumbo chair the bum-bum chair.

New Dress

Boo talks a lot at home. In fact, I would say it's pretty non-stop. If she can't think of a new sentence or phrase to say, she just repeats the last thing she said until something new comes to mind.

Her new favorite thing to say is "Holy Cow, Mom!" One of those phrases I never even realized I was saying, until I started hearing it parroted back to me. She always tacks a name on after "Holy Cow"..."Holy Cow, Dad!" or "Holy Cow, Kitty!" . Yesterday she did something that she thought was particularly impressive, so she came out with "Holy Cow, Boo!", and then revised "Holy Cow, Me!"

I'm trying convince her to dress up as a doctor for Halloween (we got her a really cute doctor jacket and kit for her birthday). But she keeps insisting on Cinderella. Those Disney princesses sink in their teeth and don't let go.

About a year ago...

This morning I was remembering this episode and giggling to myself.

Three months old

Kitty is three months old. I affectionately call her 'Chubs'. She rolled over for the first few times the other day. If she gets in a position where she can't roll over or squirm around, she squeals and screeches. It's like we have our very own Nazgul. Which I always wanted.

She's a doll, we just love her.

Me & Boo

First Day of School

Boo started preschool last week. She loves her class and always comes home with a craft. I've already gotten in trouble by sending her in clicky shoes instead of tennis shoes. At least they weren't flip flops.

First Colts game

We're ready for a great season!

Except we miss Tony Dungee.