Crafting and Such

I finally finished the baby blanket I've been crocheting. It took me a lot longer than I thought. I liked having a bigger project to work on; although I'm not sure I'd want to make anything much bigger, so no one ask me for a big blanket.

I'm exited about my new project(s). I'm quilting. I'm such an obsessive compulsive perfectionist. When things aren't quite right they drive me crazy. I recently found a blog from an UnRuly quilter. I bought her word play book and I love it. Theres freedom in quilting. There is no measuring and making everything perfect. That's not to say that I won't make normal quilts, because I have one planned I need to start on soon, but I am going to enjoy playing around being more free to have fun. I bought a big table and have set up a sewing corner. Jae even started her own unruly sampler quilt today. We sewed together for several hours. It was fun and a great way to spend time together.

What Kind of Brownies???

I've been crazy in my kitchen lately. My friend, the queen, would be proud. I puréed black beans and added them to my brownies. You have to get passed the texture, which is a little odd, but after that they are actually good and are "almost" healthy. Yeah, they have sugar and chocolate (dark chocolate has good antioxidants, you know?), but they have hardly any fat because the beans replace the oil and egg. They also have 10 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber (with the recipe I used anyway). Jaelyn loves them and she needs every bit if fiber she can get. That makes it worth making them. Caden liked them until he found out they have beans in them.

This was my second batch. I used dried beans instead of canned and I think they have a much better flavor. Last week, I made iced zucchini brownies. The brownies where blah, but the icing, oh my!!!! Even though they had healthy zucchini, the fat and sugar made them a bad, bad choice, but oh the icing. I could have just eaten it all by itself and been a happy camper.

I Found It - When Caden is 100

My life will be terrible when I'm 100.  My hair will fall out.  My teeth will be fake.  Everybody will hate me.  Soon I will dy.  I will sleep all day.  My job will to go to the doctor every Thursday to get my medicine.

Step One

There are always hoops with the military. This latest thing is no different. Dan wants/needs to get his master's degree. The Army has a program called ACS (advanced civil schooling) Dan's branch guys have 5 free slots at NIU (the national intelligence university) and one of those is his...after he's jumped through his hoops or cut his red tape, whatever idiom you want to use. Anyway, the first step is to apply to three schools. Check. Dan received his first acceptance letter on Friday. Funny enough, it's a Missouri University, but this particular program of study is in DC. Once he gets the rest of his acceptances (fingers crossed), he has to apply to the ACS program. Once he's accepted there, then his penciled in slot will be official and we'll be moving. It makes me tired thinking about it. Im not researching anything until we get that final acceptance.

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Scattered Thoughts

We are finally free of the flu and all of it's accessories (tissues, Gatorade and saltines, thermometers, medicines...you get the idea).  I've cleaned my house AGAIN and hopefully have killed all the little germies.  My biggest worry was that I'd get flu B from the kids since I had the other strain.  The kids went back to school last Thursday.  They were both tired.  Jaelyn actually fell asleep on Thursday evening while in time-out and slept for an hour and a half before getting up to eat and going back to bed.  She also went to bed early on Friday and took a nap Saturday morning.  I could definitely tell a difference in their recoveries.  Caden's asthma earned him Tamiflu.  Jae just had to tough it out on her own.

I've been crocheting more.  I made the cutest little hat for a baby girl and I've started a baby blanket for a baby boy that's due soon.  I'm about 1/3 of the way through.  It's so sweet and soft.  I have plans for a couple of quilts for people as gifts and then I have a friend who's going to pay me to make her son a quilt.  I won't make much, if any after materials and shipping, but it's a learning process for me.  I know I'll need to go back to work in the next year or so.  It would be great to find something I can do from home to make us a little bit of play money :).

Doing "Homeschool" with two kids last week definitely taught me that I should never think about homeschooling.  Jaelyn actually did pretty well (as long as it wasn't reading - she hates to read).  It was Caden that I butted heads with.  He just wanted to play or watch movies.  I had the worst time getting him to do his make-up work each day.  It's maddening because he's so smart.  He brought home two writing assignments recently.  The first one is about penguins...

Penguins are incredible animals.  First, penguins can't fly.  Ther bones are not hollow.  Ther wings are to stif and short.  Penguins like to eat krill.  Krill is a tipe of shrimp.  Ther are 17 kinds of penguins.  The biggest tipe of penguin is the Emporor penguin.  Those are some incredible penguin facts.

He's been doing research projects at school.  He told me he wrote this all from memory with no notes or books in front of him.  I wish I could find his other assignment.  I put it someplace safe with the intention of scanning it here.  I've searched high and low, but can't find that safe place again.  It was about when he will be 100 years old (celebrating 100 days of school). It was so cute.

The Flu Strikes Again...And Again

Caden got sick Thursday night and Jaelyn was gloating she was the "last man standing."  You really shouldn't ever gloat.  It hit her a day and a half later.  Caden's first flu test was negative on Friday, but I took them both back to the doctor today.  Both are positive for Flu B.  Caden got Tamiflu because he has asthma.  She wouldn't give it to Jaelyn, but she did get antibiotics because she could hear something in Jae's breathing.  Pneumonia is definitely not something we want.  Both kids are running fevers between 100 and 102.  They have headaches and stomachaches and assorted aches and pains.  Caden has had bouts of vomiting.  Not fun at all!  I spent the day cleaning today in the hopes of killing any germs they might be leaving in the house because I really don't want it again (so far, I'm the only one who's had Flu A).

Karate

On occasion Caden has been the only student at Karate class.  He gets a good workout and usually gets to learn some neat stuff.

Allie's Music Performance

Caden's Birthday Dinner

Route 66 Kicks

The Science Fair

We've been working on Jaelyn's science fair project for what seems like years :p. I am so thankful to say that we are finished!

The Flu

Allie got over the flu a week ago. When we made it to last Wednesday, I thought we were safe. I woke up Sunday with a sore throat annoyed that I was getting another sinusy-cold. I swear I'm allergic to something in my house. By Monday morning I was pretty sure I had Allie's flu. The ER was busy but they were really fast. After a flu test and a chest X-ray, I was diagnosed with influenza A (not Allie's B). I quarantined myself to my room and Dan has done a great job of being Mommy and Daddy. He even put crispy bacon and grated cheese in the potato soup he made me for lunch today. I don't have much energy, but it least I'm breathing better and hardly coughing now. I even folded 3 loads of laundry while sitting in bed. Jaelyn was not impressed as she thinks I "infected" all of her laundry. Would you pray no one else gets this?

A Song From Caden's Play

"Mommy, are you...?"

"Mommy, are you Santa Claus?"  Jaelyn asked me this question last year.  Instead of answering, I asked her what she thought about Santa.  She thought he was real; so I told her as long as she believed, Santa would still bring her presents. I did not confirm or deny. Last weekend, she asked out of the blue if I was Santa again.  This time when I asked her what she thought, she said "I think you are Santa."  I'm not going to lie to her, so I told her the truth.  "Yes, Mommy and Daddy are Santa Claus."  I talked with her a little about the legend of St. Nick and she promised to not tell her brother and sister.  I left her room noticing she didn't mention the tooth fairy or the easter bunny.  It wasn't an hour later that she called me back to her room to ask about them.  She's one smart cookie!

Speaking of cookies and the tooth fairy...Jaelyn had to go to the dentist the beginning of January to have her last baby tooth pulled.  Jae is growing up too fast!

Crafting

I have caught the crafting bug.  Well, actually it hit before Christmas with knitting scarves and then discovering a knitting loom.  A friend has started quilting.  She inspired me to learn to machine quilt.  I pieced together two small doll bed quilts to give it a try last weekend, but when I pulled out my sewing machine, I discovered that I don't have the quilting foot I need.  I ordered it on Monday and it just shipped yesterday.  I can't wait to get it.  In the meantime, I've been helping Jaelyn sew an American Girl doll dress.  I bought her a very simple kit for Christmas.  She's sewn the top, just has to finish the skirt.  Jae's first project was the big girl bag to match.

Next up was tie dying.  Jaelyn has been working hard on her science fair project.  The title is Dyeing to Know, Which Dyes Better:  Natural or Synthetic Fabrics.  I tie dyed a couple of shirts for her to choose from to wear to the science fair.

 

Last night, I had nothing to do; so I picked up a kid's craft book we'd checked out from the library and retaught myself how to crochet.  It's been about 30 years give or take a few ;).  I had to pull it out about 4 times before I figured out what I was doing.  It was just like riding a bike.  I guess that muscle memory lasts a long time :).  I made Jaelyn this little pouch that'll probably fall apart quickly.  I wove some of the ends, but just tied off and cut some others.  It was late and I was tired and definitely not thinking about what would happen with the ends that weren't woven in.  Oh well.

 

Today, I crocheted Allie a flower for her hair.  She wasn't around so Gracie modeled it for you.  Cuteness!

 

 

 

And With a Roundoff

Look What Jae Did on Her Own Tonight

Finally...Snow

We came home from Florida on the 30th...just in time for snow.  I did not enjoy it, but the kids and the dog sure did!

 

She was crushing her snow man...if I photoshopped a board under her feet, she would look like the Green Goblin from SpiderMan.

 

Allie got Caden so good and I caught it all with the camera.

 

Paybacks are bad!

 

The Last of the Christmas Photos

The kids love to spend time with my dad carving in the garage.  He keeps a supply of plastic knives and ivory soap on hand at all times (well, it's probably my mom that actually stocks them, but we can give him credit).

 

I have already put in my Christmas present request for next year.  After seeing my Dad's little men and a Nativity book he was looking at, I have requested a hand-made, one-of-a-kind, to be cherished forever Nativity from my Dad.  I told mom she won't have to buy me anything, but he'll probably need a few new chisels and knives and whatever else he uses to carve :).  Get busy Dad!

 

This is the beginning of Mary!

 

I meant to put this picture with the Exploreum, but I missed it.  Zoom in and look at Jen's face as her tower crumbles.  I laugh every time I see it.  It's so her and that's why she's my best friend!

 

Happy 8th Birthday, Cade-Man

I can't believe Caden is 8.  He's going to be 18 in the blink of an eye.  He and Mom made cupcakes for his party when I was off somewhere. 

 

She said he was very specific about how he wanted them iced:  half chocolate, white with sprinkles for the kids only.  Maybe Caden has some of my OCD in him after all :).  He even places his candles where he wanted them.

 

We had a party for him the Saturday before we went home.  The Beatles, Uncle Nathan and Caleb came for hamburgers, hot dogs and of course, cupcakes.

 

Caden got a jar full of dollar.  Uncle Nathan had fun trading dollars for bigger bills with him.

 

Encase you are wondering, don't bother spending time picking out the perfect card for the girls.  Caden on the other hand, reads every word of his cards.  Cute.

 

 

There are still pictures on my camera from his birthday dinner on his actual birthday....