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Sunday, March 30, 2014

Random Pics


My Christmas cactus is providing an encore performance. My plant window is getting full.
 

I made James a Ninjago pillowcase this morning. He needed a pick-me-up.


Katie and Tyler drawing on the couch. Well, not ON the couch, thankfully.


Katie showing off her food creation


I made Chorizo Empanadas last night. Muy bien! I ate one for breakfast. Shhh!


Katie and Tyler reading in their tent

And last but not least, Tyler with his hummus/carrot/cracker creations. He said they were missionaries. I have no idea.

Thursday, March 27, 2014

Comebacks for Bullies

Fairly often, one of the kids comes home complaining of someone being mean to them. I never know quite what to believe. There is part of me that's like 'Oh, no you diiiiidn't mess with my baby!' and part of me that thinks it might have been a bit of overreacting. Anyway, I am always thinking of ways they can stand up for themselves and get the kids to be nice to them, or at least leave them alone. My sarcastic brain is always comes up with some witty comeback which may or may not be appropriate for the situation, so I usually keep them to myself. Here are some scenarios:

Katie: Mom, Joey made a face at me on the bus.
Mom's Trusty Comeback: Listen, Joey, I've put guys in the hospital for less than that.

James: Mom, Suzie says I have the cooties.
Mom's Trusty Comeback: Oh, I'm sorry. You must be mistaken. I have a case of the CUTIES.


Wednesday, March 26, 2014

Chappy And The Birthday Suit

Recently, Chappy was telling the boys a story. I wasn't really paying much attention until I heard certain key phrases, wherein I dropped what I was doing and listened up! Because guess what? Dad is hilarious. So, the story picks up when I hear Dad telling the kids that he was in the shower one time and heard sirens (or something like that). He said he was afraid they were coming to arrest him for having too many wrinkles in his birthday suit. HAAAAAA!!!!! I told you he is hilarious. A few days later, I heard James tell Tyler in an derogatory tone: Tyler, you have wrinkles in your birthday suit!!! I realized he had not a blessed idea what a birthday suit was, so I enlightened him. I could see his 8 year old wheels turning, and then he realized what that meant from Chappy's story. He got a big grin on his face, followed by a snicker and a few giggles. It was so funny to watch his face as he put the story together in his mind.

Sunday, March 23, 2014

Family Fun/Fire Night



Every Friday we have family fun night. I make pizza and we watch movies together. 
Now that the weather is a little warmer, we decided to add fire to our family fun night. 

I made a fire and we roasted marshmallows. I don't know what it is about those little puffs of corn syrup and air, but who can resist a roasted marshmallow? Not me. 

In her younger days, my sister used to eat marshmallows like they were going out of style. There was also a time when we would make a pan of rice crispy treats that would disappear before anyone every figured out we made them. Good times!


Tyler decided to roast his marshmallows from the cozy confines of the rain-barrel-turned-favorite-backyard-toy-of-the-year. He even had his blankie stashed in there just in case.

Saturday, March 22, 2014

Tyler and the Dust Bath

 Did you know that chickens like to take dust baths?
 Well, they do. And so does Tyler apparently.
The chickens didn't seem to mind.

Thursday, March 20, 2014

Sunny Days


When the temperature rises above 50, James busts out the shorts. 


I sit in the camp chair, unless the kids take over...


But they are pretty darn cute.


We made baking soda bombs


Books on the kitchen counter

And a little cuteness for good measure!

Monday, March 17, 2014

Of Uncles and Giant Straws

My kids happen to have two uncles who like to entertain them with a variety of questionable activities. I realize that this is what uncles are made to do, but I feel a bit shortchanged in that neither of them have produced offspring of their own, thus depriving me of being the BEST AUNTIE EVER. (hint, hint) My brother visited recently and brought the kids what must have been nearly 2 dozen of those giant pixie sticks. You know, the kind that have enough sugar in them to put you in a coma for days. I looked at those straws, and looked at my kids. Did they really need to pour tablespoons of rainbow-hued sugar down their gullets? Uh, no. Fortunately for me, they had never been introduced to pixie sticks and Tyler proclaimed them to be giant straws. I went with that and surreptitiously snipped the ends and poured the offending powder in the sink. Tyler caught a glimpse and asked what it was. I told him it was just yucky stuff they put in the straws. That was enough for him, and he happily went off with his new straw. That is, until my brother learned of my deception cleverness. He couldn't believe that I would deprive my little overactive angels of a sugar overdose, and took it upon himself to explain to the kids what was really inside those 'giant straws'. Uh, thanks, Nate? It all came out in the end because after the initial novelty of it they decided they didn't like pixie sticks much. Now, who wants to send their kids over for an afternoon with Auntie Meg? Pixie sticks free of charge.


Saturday, March 15, 2014

The Chickens

The weather has been warming up lately and the layer of perpetual snow has finally melted away. (Please don't remind me that another batch is coming on Monday, because la, la, laaaaa, I can't hear you!!!!) This means the chickens have been free in the yard where they cluck happily and stick their fluffy butts in the air. All was fine and dandy last week until James decided to give one a spin in the rain barrel. Let me tell you, I've never seen a chicken run so fast in my life. As my friend aptly joked: it's gonna be scrambled eggs for that one! Yes indeed. Due to unscheduled events (read: life happens) I didn't end up butchering the older batch last fall, much to the relief of my vegetarian neighbor. They have since resumed laying so I will keep them around for a while. In other chicken news (snooooze?) there has been an interloper in the chicken coop. A gnarly-looking possum has found its way into the coop not once, but twice. The first time, in a moment of cityfied softness, I shooed it out of the coop. The second time was a bit more confrontational, best described as pitch-black stand-off with snarling possum, and the result: the possum left with a limp, and 5 years off my life. Stand-offs with snarling possums not recommended. Don't try this at home, kids. In short, if you made it to the bitter end of this post, the chickens are still alive, still laying eggs, and our shed continues to attract all manner of wildlife. Hope your weekend is rodent-free!

Tuesday, March 11, 2014

Curb Shopping, Creek Shopping?

So I think I've said it before, but trash picking (AKA Curb Shopping) is somewhat of a sport around here. I never remember doing this in Colorado, but here I have found many lovely things in other peoples trash. This week, my parents found a dresser for Katie and an awesome side table with cubbies for next to Tyler's bed. Tyler actually squealed when he saw it. Cute! This afternoon the kids and I went on a walk before dinner because, hello! It got up to 60 degrees! We were exploring along the creek and found a log that looked like it would make a good fire, and we do like a good fire around here. The kids gathered up a bunch of bark for tinder and were trying to figure out how to carry it home when Katie spotted a plastic bag in the bushes. Problem solved! I am pretty sure I am grooming three little MacGyvers. We came home with everything we needed to have a little fire after dinner. One the way back,  we found a really nice sled in the creek. It was in great shape and so we pulled it out and took it home. Creek shopping! I have found more stuff in the creek. Drives me nuts that people dump stuff in it. I think sometimes kids ditch stuff there because they stole it? I'm not sure. I have found a bike, 2 scooters and some sort of saw thing that was in a great shape and still works. We must have been a sight: lugging a log, a bag of bark, two scooters, miscellaneous helmets and a sled all the way home. And to top it off James took a pretty good flip off his bike and I had to tie up his elbow with a shirt so it wouldn't bleed everywhere. Super.

Monday, March 10, 2014

Broom Hockey and Other Olympic Shenanigans


This year was the first year the kids and I watched the Olympics together. They are getting to such a fun stage where they can enjoy something more cultured than Barney. OK, so maybe they were never into Barney but you get the point. They also love watching Chopped with me which is beyond AWESOME! I mean seriously, what are they going to make with the basket full of rattlesnake, soy sauce, gummy bears and bananas?! We aim to find out. But I digress.

After watching the Olympics they were inspired to have their own Olympic games, which involved this rollicking game of broom hockey. Shortly after these pictures were taken, the game made a mandatory move to the driveway. It might have been 23 degrees, but at least nothing got broken. Other Olympic sports we played were sledding (in honor of bobsledding), 'snowboarding', and the skeleton, which involved James riding headfirst across the driveway on the creeper. Who says those things are just for fixing cars! I made gold medals for them out of canning jar lids and ribbon, which were ever so classy and refined. Just like me. ha!

P.S. Isn't James ginormous?? He nearly comes up to my chin. I predict in about 8 years I will be the midget of the family. 

Thursday, March 06, 2014

Pictures!

 This has been the winter of snow....
 ...and more snow.
 ...and ice...
 You get the point.
 Sometimes the snow was good for sledding, sometimes not. We went once on the ice and it lasted until the ice sliced through the bottom of the sled. And I realized, that could have been my butt instead. ha!
 James found my old 'Kids Shenanigans' book and resurrected the ol' finger in the box trick. Life has come full circle.
 He did it until he grossed himself out and decided that he lost his appetite forever, or at least for 12 minutes.
 One day I found these cuties reading in the laundry basket.
They do get along sometimes! Hooray!

Sunday, March 02, 2014

Art!

 I recently set up a dedicated 'studio' room that is organized so the kids and I can be working on stuff together. It is basically the best thing since sliced bread. I have been doing a little more art lately, and I finally got around to finishing this sketch I had started way back when. It is from a picture I took when Katie was a baby. I would really love to do a series of hand drawings someday, or even tackle them in watercolor.