WIP- Hooty Hoot Kangaroo

Super busyhere- hubby is in San Diego, I'm trying to get the Tiger Den going (oh yeah, I volunteered to be a den leader, did I mention that yet??), and I'm trying to get a quilt done before a certain little boy arrives.  I think I'm safe in sharing because nobody really reads this blog anyway!  But, just in case, if you are Tami or Isaac, STOP READING NOW!


Are they gone??

Good.

Here is the quilt top.  It's WAY bigger than I expected, so while I was planning on adding a thick border, I will thinning that out a bit.  I don't want it to swallow the baby whole!





And here is a little close up.  Isn't this just the cutest fabric??

Busy, Busy

Over the weekend we took a short day trip up to Devil's Lake and went geo-caching for the first time.  The kids had an absolute blast.  I think part of what made the trip a success was the preparation.

 I printed a map for each of the kids of the lake and surrounding trails.  We also purchased compasses for all three of them. 

I printed out several different caches for us to look for, and downloaded Trimble's Geo-Caching Navigator App to my phone. 

It was a complete sucess and we'll definitely be going again.  To find out more about geo-caching, you can visit this website.

I just had to share this... We saw these clumps of mushrooms all over- Maya decided they look like biscuits.  Yum!

In the realm of daily life, I may have gone off the deep end a little.  I actually volunteered to be a leader for my son's cub scout den.  I've completed some of the training already, but I just know I'm going to be very, very busy here.

Swirling around

I have thoughts right now, swirling around in my head.  It's a dangerous thing.  Often when I have thoughts swirling around, I get myself way in over my head.  I get over-ambitous.  Then, I get stuck.  Finally, I get frustrated, and do one of the following: 1.  Push through and have a less perfect than anticipated end product, 2.  Set it aside with the intention of finishing at a later date, only to be distracted by more swirling thoughts, 3.  Quit on the thought completely, only to be reminded at a later time of how I failed. 

I don't like to fail--it really bothers me.  Thus, I get stuck at the point of indecision most of the time.  And, most of my decision making I keep by myself until I've actually made the decision so that I don't drive my husband crazy.  Although, I don't think he really realizes how much of that I keep to myself. 

Part of the swirlings are the vizualizations of a baby quilt for a friend that's having a baby in about a month.  Which means I really have to get to work on it!  I have fabrics picked out I think, and I have a basic pattern picked out too.  So, tonight I have to figure out the exact measurements needed for each of the elements.  I plan on using part of the fabric above in the quilt, along with some 9-patch blocks.  This fabric is from the Hooty-Hoot Kangaroo by Doohickey Designs.  I absolutely love it, but it was still a very difficult decision!!

Sunday

Autumn Sundays are days for chili, football (Go Packers!), and laundry around our home, and today followed that pattern exactly.

I started chili just an hour after breakfast was over, you know it has to cook all day.  I'll share my recipe with you later in the week, when its closer to game day again.  It's super easy and perfect on chilly drizzly days like today. 

We also enjoyed some Buffalo Chicken Dip... num!!  My husband can (and will if I let him) eat an entire casserole dish full.  I'll share that recipe later too (lots of teasers, I know!)

This evening I was still in a cooking mood, so I'm baking my super delicious Cherry Oatmeal Cookies.  These are my absolute favorite right now, so much so that I've made them twice in the last week!

Here's the reciped (altered from the Quaker Oats "Vanishing Oatmeal Raisin Cookies" recipe):

Ingredients:

2 sticks butter, softened (NOT margarine for heavens sakes!  Use real butter)

1 c. firmly packed dark brown sugar

1/2 c. granulated sugar

2 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla extract

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour

1 tsp. baking soda

1 tsp. cinnamon
1/2 tsp. salt
3 c. Oats (Quick or Old Fashioned, uncooked)
1 c. dried cherries

1.  Pre-heat oven to 350.
2.  In a small bowl, mix flour, baking soda, cinnamon & salt.  Set aside.
3.  In a separate bowl (large), beat together butter & sugars until creamy.
4.  Add eggs & vanilla to butter/sugar mixture, beat well.
5.  Add combined flour mixture from small bowl to large bowl slowly, mix well.
6.  Mix in oats & dried cherries.
7.  Drop by rounded teaspoonfuls onto ungreased cookie sheet.
8.  Bake 10-12 minutes (although in my oven it takes 14!) or until golden brown.
9.  Cool 1-3 minutes on the cookie sheet before transfering to a cooling rack (or I use cut up paper bags from the grocery store).

The recipe says it makes 4 doz.  I don't think so, unless they are teeny tiny.  Maybe thats why it takes 14 minutes for me... Anywho, I'd say maybe 2 doz, thus I almost always double the recipe.

Enjoy!!

On Vacation

We're on vacation this weekend, visiting my in-laws in Indiana.  Here are a few glimpses into our little world here:

Playing with puppies

Picking Tomatos

Meeting Grasshoppers

Playing with long lost cousins

Watching the horse show

Roasting hotdogs & marshmellows over a campfire

Grooming horses.

Lots more to do today... Happy Sunday.

Much better

Today was a much better day.  My hair is fixed, though I still don't have a picture of it.  Mostly because I'm the picture taker of the family, although Maya and Caylin have both been into snapping their own pictures.  I love seeing things from their perspectives.  Here are Maya's (3) pictures from the other night:

She has such an obsession with feet & shoes, I think its just hilarious.  Of course, they're right at her level.  I also love that she took a picture up her tiny little nose.  I think it's really too cute.

Now for Caylin (9), she was feeling a little bit bored at the zoo today, so at certain "boring" moments, I allowed her to use my camera.  Here's what came back from her:

I think she did a pretty good job.  We had several that we couldn't use a flash on and she wiggles a bit, so they came out a little blurry, but I like how she zoomed in close on quite a few of the subjects.  She really has a good eye for that kind of thing.

We had a really good time at the zoo today.  We saw all the animals we wanted, skipped the ones that didn't matter, saw the bird show & went on the train.  It was a very nice excursion with the family.

Now, apparently I'm just under my monthly maximum download capacity on Flickr.  So, do I stay at my free account status, or is time to upgrade to pro?  I think I'll give it another couple of months before I make a decision.  But, tell me what you think.  Have you upgraded?  Do you wish you did/didn't?  Is it worth the $25 bucks?? 

Moment of Temporary Insanity & Friday Photo Love

Happy Friday to you!  Hopefully it's been happy to you.  I've tried to stay on the happy side.

Yesterday was a bit rough though.  I decided after two or three months of not wearing make-up that I was really not comfortable natural like that and the next day I would start wearing make-up again.  Then all of a sudden, after two or three months of not noticing my make-up-less face, my husband decides to ask me why I stopped wearing it.  Needless to say, this huge horrible wave of female emotion came over me, and I was moments from breaking into tears in the middle of the sandwich shop.  I couldn't even talk to him except for one or two words after that, for fear I'd start crying!  How ridiculous. 

I wish that was it, but it gets worse.

I picked up hair color while I was out picking up supper... see, you think you know where this is going, but just wait... So, I colored my hair, and after I was done rinsing the color out, I decided that I wanted bangs.  And not just that I wanted bangs, but I wanted bangs NOW.  So, after hunting down the scissors, I hacked off some of my hair into "bangs".  Very short bangs.  And then I thought "maybe putting some layers in will fix the very short bang look." 

Now, I don't have anything against pixie cuts, but unless you want one, don't cut your own hair.  And NEVER cut it when you're already angry and blue.  Or when you have work the next day.

Thankfully, my stylist was able to get me in tonight, and kept the teasing minimal.  And actually, I got more compliments on my hair from my coworkers than I've ever received.  So, does that mean that it really was a good style, or was it just that horrible that they were trying to make me feel better??

Anyway, on to Friday Photo Love.  Here are my favorites ( and NO, my new style will NOT be showing up in my favorites).

  1. cupcake themed owls :), 2. Siargao Island Trip -65.jpg, 3. Belly Flop!!!!, 4. Day 197/365 - You are my sunshine, 5. Planets, 6. Goslings, 7. 53/365....Happiness all wrapped up...., 8. They call it mellow yellow, 9. wild

I've got a lot of naturey type pictures this week.  Lots of flowers... apparently I'm missing my garden already.  If you want to play along with Friday Photo Love, visit the Polka Dot Cottage!

Happy Birthday Mom!

We celebrated my mom's birthday today, with a trip to the Brewer's game.  While they did not win, we did have fun...

tailgaiting...

game watching...

cheering for racing sausages...

surprising mom...

The move is done, and we are mostly set up until we find our new place.  This past week had mostly consisted of getting the kids ready for going to their new school, arranging for new troops/packs, and all that fun stuff that comes mid-August.  And while I'm hoping that it will calm down soon, I don't think we'll have any calm for some time, especially with 3 children in school, 2 in scouts, 1 planning on football, 1 planning on archery, and Mike in school as well!  I'll definitely be looking for those little moments in which to catch my breath.  I hope you're able to find them too.

ps...photo editing software is currently in storage on my other computer... please forgive me for the lacking in editing ability here. 

Catching up...

Been sooo busy- we're moving in the next week, and I just have not had time to do things like blog!  So, here's my Friday Photo Love, a day late...

1. [Teahouse at Koishikawa the morning after a snowfall] (LOC), 2. The moon over Gillette, 3. WOW now that's a macro!!!!!..looks like mega maccaroni, 4. Burgess (LOC), 5. Woman in a rowing boat, 6. Calocybe gambosa (St George's Mushroom) 9430, 7. Sailor of HMAS "Australia" fondles woman's string of pearls, c. 1929 / by Sam Hood, 8. Harry Furniss, (who worked in Australia as Paul Furniss), actor, director, author, singer and dancer, ca. 1927-1939 / photographer unknown, 9. West Moat (Explored), 10. Young women running over a sand dune on an unidentified beach, ca. 1935, 11. Gypsy woman and two young children, 12. 'Lavender Water Lilies', 13. Home life in Japan., 14. Buddha on Wood, 15. Young woman riding on the back of a turtle at Mon Repos Beach, 16. Blossom Canopy

As you can probably tell, I discovered the Flickr Commons this week.  WOW.  What a great resource!  I can't believe some of the strange photos there. 

Speaking of photos, I'm afraid I won't have anything new to share with you over the next week or two, as the camera is packed up.  I'm sure it'll go quick though.

Friday Photo Love

I don't have a lot to share, but here are some of my favorite pictures from this summer.

1. Ice cream after a "Deer Ride" 2. Figherfighter high five 3. Weathered Birdhouse 4. Feeding a little lamb


For some real photo inspiration, check out Lisa Clarke at Polka Dot Cottage!

Thankful

We had a very busy week, and I'm not sure we're going to be getting a break anytime soon, so you may not be seeing a lot of me here (or anywhere).  And although it's not Thanksgiving, I would like to share some things I'm thankful for.

I'm thankful for every minute we get to spend up at my grandfather's (now my uncle's) cottage.

I'm thankful my mom was relatively unharmed after her car accident.

I'm thankful for our tank of a car that might as well be a Duck after the floodwaters we drove through.

I'm thankful for my husband that keeps his head in stressful situations, and makes me feel safe and loved.

I'm thankful for my oversized green chair when the kids come and snuggle on my lap just before bed.

A New Week

Did you have a good weekend?  Ours was great.  Not only did we have the rummage sale, but we attended a parade that Tommy was in & enjoyed the company of our friends for a little grilling action.

This week will be filled with getting back on track.  First things first:  I stayed away completely from caffiene today!  In fact, I've only had water to drink.  I don't remember the last time my only beverage for the day was water... in fact, I'm not sure that I ever have.

Unfortunately, someone brought in an absolutely delicious, very sweet apple cake.  I lasted until noon, and then I couldn't take it anymore.  I figured it was lunchtime anyway, I'd just try a bite.  Well, a bite turned into a piece, which, over the course of the afternoon, turned into 4 pieces.  Ouch.   I've decided that I have a sugar addiction, and as such, I need to go into rehab (read:spa).  ;-)  OK, maybe it's not that extreme, but I do need to start seriously watching it...and maybe I should just stay away from sweets completely.

I did squeeze in about 15 minutes of yoga tonight.  One word of advice:  DON'T eat before yoga!  Never!  Just wait until you're done.  Ok, it may be just me (because I know my body is strange), but eating before practice makes me sick to my stomach.  And yes, this is the 2nd time it's happened to me.  To my defense, I hadn't planned on practicing tonight, it was a spontaneous decision. 

One last thing to share before closing up shop tonight.  Check out what I got in the mail today for free! 

Breaking Dawn by Stephenie Meyer and enLIGHTened by Jessica Berger Gross.  How did I score these for free you ask?  My Points!  I earned enough points for a $25 dollar gift card to Barnes & Noble just by reading emails & taking surveys.  If you'd like to join, email me & I'll send you a link to join!

Garage Sale Day

"Look honey... They salein' the garage!" (In my husband's goofiest southern voice)

We're having a garage sale today... so, stop by!  We're behind the Menomonee Falls High School on Oxford Street.

Also, Caylin is selling Kool-aid and chocolate chip cookies. 

 Her biggest customer so far... is Maya.  ;-)

We'll be here until 4pm today and 8am-2pm on Saturday.

For a short list of what we're selling, visit our post at Craigslist!

Hope to see you!

Gelato

Mike starts a new job tomorrow, and grandma offered to keep the children overnight, so we decided to treat ourselves to some gelato.

He's been around the world 3 times, and he's never had it.  In fact- he's been to Italy more than he can remember.  Can you believe that??

Granted, I'd never had it either... but the furthest I've been is Belize.  I can't believe it's taken us this long.  But, it's a first we've been able to share together, and those are so few and far between.  Oh yeah... in case you don't already know, gelato is amazing.  I can't believe I've been missing out on this.  I'm never gonna have a 31" waist at this point!!

And what a pretty view of a little gazebo across the river.

Happy New Job Baby!!!

Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie

Yum!  I don't know what the deal is this year, but I've been craving some Strawberry-Rhubarb Pie.  I had never made it myself before this summer, and I had only ever eaten it once before, back in highschool... 10+ years ago! 

I used this recipe, at the Food Network, and altered it to fit my needs... Here are the changes I made:

1.  I used Jiffy Pie Crust Mix... the kind that comes in a box and all you add is water.  I know- what a cheat!

2.  This time around, my rhubarb was not fresh, although for my 1st pie it was.  I'll let you know if I notice a difference, but right now, the pie is still baking!

3.  Minute Tapioca??  What the heck is that??  Nevermind.  Per the suggestions at the bottom of the recipe, I substituted 6 Tbsp of Corn Starch, and the 1st pie held together beautifully.  Like I said... 2nd pie is still baking, but I don't think there should be an issue.

4.  I don't have any large granule white sugar.  I have Large Granule Red & White Sugar, for Valentine's Day Cookies, and Regular White Granule Sugar, but no Large Granule White Sugar.  So, on the first pie, we it looked like a Valentine Pie.  It was kind of odd eating it (although it tasted great!).  This time we're trying just regular sugar. 

PS... Apologies for the last 2 pictures... I'm still learning the settings on my camera!!

PPS...Totally forgot I was boiling pasta while typing this!!! Good thing I went & checked on this pie!