Nursery Nightmare

Hope is not transitioning well into nursery. The first week we dropped her off, she just looked shell-shocked. She pretty much sat and stared open-mouthed at everyone for the full two hours. The second week she cried intermittently. The third week she wailed her high-pitched scream the entire time. It took her awhile to soak it all in, and to decide it was definitely not for her. We've decided to go in with her and spend the whole two hours in nursery for a few weeks, to help her get comfortable. She needs a little help learning the ropes anyway. She believes every toy in existence belongs to her, along with her neighbor's snacks. She is also still putting lots of things in her mouth, so we need to try and help her break that habit.

I'm hopeful that we can gradually wean ourselves out of nursery, and that she will be as happy in there as she is when she wakes her dad up from his Sunday afternoon nap.

Happy Things

Filling up my bookshelves with things I love: lots of chests and knick-knacks from AD, a bright yellow soup tureen found for $3 at an estate sale, all topped off with Jon's screen prints of the states and years we were born in. Hope and new baby still need theirs'.

Remembering I love salads.

Remembering I really love pitas stuffed with salad and smoked turkey.

Looking at my cute feet in their new slippers from Sam's Club.

Watching Hope try and dress herself.

Fake Birthday

Emma is celebrating her summer birthday at school today. She has been planning this event for days and days. You can imagine the planning that goes into the real thing. She originally wanted to make teapot cookies, because she is thinking of having a tea party in August. The most vital element of the cookies was that they were to have loads of candy on them. Skittles for eyes (these were to be LIVING teapots, and licorice for the pot handles.

I convinced her that we might be better off making butterfly cookies, so that they will be somewhat recognizable. She was only convinced that the integrity of the original vision would remain intact when she saw the bags of candy I brought home, along the butterfly cookie cutter. Then it was just a tortuous waiting game until the weekend was over and it was the big day to bring in the cookies. One little boy in her class is cutting back on sugar, so Emma requested we make a low-sugar treat for him. We came up with the graham cracker peanut butter robot. I'm thinking he's so cute, next time we should make a pan full just of him!

Living Room Progress

I had Jon painting, putting together furniture and hanging frames like crazy last week, keeping him busy before his summer school classes started today. We ended up getting the same couches we had in Abu Dhabi - our tan Ektorps. We also got that cute little Jennylund chair and a couple ottomans. It is so amazing to sit all together as a family and have a seat for everyone. I really like our "conversational grouping". It makes it so fun to sit and be together. As you can see on the back wall, I hung almost 30 family photos. I was scared to death that it would be too busy/overpowering, but we love it. Jon did an amazing job with the calculations to get everything spaced evenly.

Here is another view of the room, with our red Poang chair in the reading/nursing corner. I was also nervous about getting the black shelves, but I like the depth it gives the room. I'm still waiting on my curtains for the window in the dining room.

Here is our before photo of our family room.

Don't you love the sunny difference?

Emma Hair Enthusiast

Emma has insisted on styling her own hair for the last week. She brushes it, pulls it back in rubber bands and clips, and makes the most interesting combinations.

They are not always very polished,

but they always have Emma flair.

This one from today was especially creative, combining a ball rubber band with lots of clips.

Curtain Crisis

I was having a hard time loving the black and white toile curtains I bought for our dining room. They were just too stark of a contrast with the other things going on in there. I decided to take a drastic step and dye them tan.

BIG MISTAKE! They looked terrible. Dead against the yellow walls. And they shrank a couple inches, so didn't reach the floor anymore. I ran out to the store to get some RIT dye remover as soon as I realized the disaster I had created, but then started thinking maybe I was on the wrong track with black and white in the first place. Luckily the curtains were cheapies from Overstock.com - and I figured I could use them for another project in the future. Maybe to line the back of some bookshelves?

I went to a couple different places, I even bought some aqua/gray curtains from JCPenney. Hated them once I put them up on the wall. Returned them. Then remembered seeing some pretty aqua toile fabric at JoAnn's. I zipped on over and bought 90 inches with a 40% off coupon. Hung it up and fell in love.


I bought a second panel to dress one window, and have to order more for the other window. They are so light and breezy. I smile every time I walk past them. Perfection. I think my subconscious wanted to ruin the first set so I could find my true love.

Thank you, subconscious. Sorry, pocketbook.

The Restoration in Playdough

Our sister missionaries were over again last night for our weekly dinner together. Afterwards they had us sculpt any scene we wanted having to do with the restoration of the Gospel. I started things out by sculpting Joseph Smith reading the bible. He is very happy to have found his inspiration in James 1:5.

Emma sculpted Joseph in the sacred grove. The two discs on the playdough containers are the Father and the Son. Joseph is the disk on the table. The pillar is a tree.

Jon sculpted Joseph, laying in his bed, and witnessing the angel Moroni descend into his room. I was very impressed with Moroni's billowing robe.

Jon went a step further and sculpted Joseph fainting in the field after having been up all night talking with Moroni.

Cailin sculpted the Golden Plates.

Madelyn sculpted a wagon being pulled by a turtle. Joseph has the plates inside the wagon and he is escaping pursuers. I don't reckon that turtle will get them out of trouble anytime soon, but what good is art without creative license?

Sister Dietzel sculpted an angry mob and a super soaker.

Sister Gunter sculpted Peter Whitmer's home where the Church was officially organized on April 6, 1830.

We had a great time with our creations, and plan to repeat this activity for future FHE's!

Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mother's Day to women everywhere! My favorite gift today was purely coincidental - Hope is 18 months and was able to go to nursery for the first time today! I attended all three of my meetings. I participated in Relief Society. I was even in attendance long enough to say the closing prayer. It was a miraculous day. I think I'll savor this as much as possible for the next 4 months. And then it begins again... Ah, motherhood.

I have been wanting to make family silhouettes ever since I saw Nienie's wall way back when. We just took profile pics which I printed out and traced on paper, then scanned back into the computer. We filled the silhouettes with black in Photoshop, and now I have these fun images to play with. I felt a little mannish with my short hair, so added in some flowers to make me glam. (UPDATE: Jon tells me my glam flowers look like a brain. He's so right!)

Here is Nienie's wall.

I also love these pendants found here. They would make such cute Christmas ornaments, along with a myriad of other things.

I think this wall is kind of sweet, too. Found here.

One more thing to love about silhouettes - fun fun stationary. Our family probably wouldn't fit this format - but it is definitely an inspiration!

Chandy Facelift

I enjoyed giving our old 1950's brass chandelier a makeover yesterday. We spray painted it, then hung pretty things with fishing line.

Jon got the spray paint job. Doesn't it look like he is enjoying himself, too?

Here's a little before and after. It feels so light and happy. I love how it turned out. (You can click on the photo to enlarge)

This $1,000 chandelier from Anthropologie was my inspiration. I think my $25 makeover is just as pretty!

Black Forestish Cake

Black Forest Cake was my favorite birthday cake growing up... right behind Baskin Robbins Chocolate and Mint-n-Chip Ice Cream Cake. I've been craving a little Black Forest goodness since my last birthday, and finally decided to whip one up to share with the missionaries who were coming over for dinner last night. I tried something new, because I had no desire to try and make a round layer cake, with all the unpredictable slippery shifting that comes with it.

I baked a devil's food cake in a 9x13" pan, then poked holes with a wooden spoon handle as soon as it came out of the oven. While the cake was baking I blended up some homemade sweetened condensed milk, than blended in half a can of cherry pie filling. I poured that over the hot cake, spreading well to make sure the mixture went into the holes in the cake. I refrigerated the cake overnight, then served with a dollop of fresh whipped cream and a spoonful of cherry pie filling.

This cake was delicious, moist and simple, and is still so yummy today. Happy Belated Birthday to me!

Sweetened Condensed Milk (14 oz can)

1/2 c hot water (I bring it to a boil in a mug in the microwave)
1 c dry powdered milk
1 c sugar
1 TBSP butter

Blend VERY WELL in a blender

Thrill Me

Some things that thrilled me today:

#1: I found a $5 Discover card in my Cheerios box. Score!

Jon got the first coat of paint on in our dining room. I also found some luv-a-ly dishes to hang on the wall once we get this part done.

#3: We ate our first sweet corn on the cob of the season and it was scrumptious. I finally found the cooking method to make the corn perfectly:

1. Fill a large stockpot halfway with unsalted water and bring to a rolling boil.
2. Add corn on the cob to the boiling water.
3. Let water return to a boil.
4. Cover pot and immediately turn off heat.
5. Let covered pot sit undisturbed on the burner for 10 minutes.
6. Remove corn and serve hot with your choice of butter, margarine, salt, and/or other seasoning.

Tips:

1. Be sure the corn is fresh. Leaves should be green and pliable. The silk should be dry, not soggy.
2. Avoid buying corn with husks removed. It's probably old. The husk keeps it fresher.
3. Cook fresh corn within 24 hours of purchase.
4. Overcooking toughens corn.
5. Do not salt the water. Salt will toughen the corn. Sugar may be added at 1 tsp per quart of water, but it shouldn't be necessary.

Thank you homecooking.about.com

Friend Website

We just discovered the new Church website for primary kids: www.friend.lds.org. We love it! There are online coloring pages, puzzles, and more fun stuff for the girls to do, and all the while the primary songs play in the background. It was a great thing for them to do on the Sabbath, and Emma loved it so much she is back on it today.

Games and Yellow

We had a busy morning of games today. Three girls, three different fields all at the same time. Emma was a very tough third-baseman. I didn't get a picture of the big girls since the wind was driving me crazy. We'll get them next time.

We also painted color swatches on the wall! That's a whole lot of yellow. I still think I love it, though.