Misc Ramblings

• Last night our ward had a Talent Show.  The girls have been so excited about being in the talent show.  Ken and I were worried that they'd get scared at the last minute and wouldn't want to participate so we kept it simple, but they surprised both of us and danced and participated in our skit just like true daughters of a thespian ;)
• I think Amelia has inherited some of my Dad's "engineering" genes.  She is always trying to make something with whatever is on hand.  The other day Amelia wanted to make a leotard for Sophia so that she'd have one to play in.  Amelia undid the serged edges on 3 scarves, then came and asked me for a needle so that she could sew the scarves together with the "yarn" she had just pulled off the edges of the scarves.  I was way impressed, and sorry that I couldn't actually make a leotard out of scarves - maybe I should have put on my "engineer" hat . . . or at least used some duct tape.
• One of Ken's bosses from AZ turned 50 and invited us to her Pajama & Whipped Cream Birthday Party.  Instead of attending the party in AZ, we had our own pajamas and whipped cream event.  Amelia loved it . . . Sophia thought we were too silly. 

• So a few weeks ago, I made this amazing caramel for dipping apples in.  It is delicious!  I halved the recipe and it still made a ton.  And who wants to eat that many apples, right?  But I discovered that if kept in the fridge, it is the perfect consistency to scoop out a chunk and eat like a piece of caramel candy.  Perfect for a little "I need a piece of sugar right now before I throw a fit too" moment.

Happy Halloween

I'm not a huge Halloween fan.  I've actually disliked it for quite a few years.  But I must admit that in the last few years, I've been warming up to the holiday.  I've always liked picking out and carving pumpkins . . . and it appears that my daughters like that too.  I was surprised that both girls "dug in" so enthusiastically.  Maybe it was because I gave them free reign to be dirty?

Neither girl would look up at me while they were digging out the "guts".  They were "too busy" to smile ;)

Apparently Daddy wasn't too busy to look up and smile for Amelia.  (And on a side note, I wish Sophia would keep her clothes on.)

2 of the 3 finished pumpkins.  We didn't get a picture of Ken's pumpkin with a light in it, but you can see his in the next picture.  

Choosing (and making) costumes is definitely the most stressful part of Halloween for me.  I stress about it for months.  I was thankful when the girls chose something easy (and both chose the same thing).  The costumes turned out like I had planned and the girls seemed to be happy with them, so that's a plus, right?

I went as the "Master Gardener".  I had a sign - so people wouldn't wonder why I was wandering around in gardening gloves - but hadn't put it on yet in this picture.  Me and my "can't hold still" blue flower - love her to pieces.

We went to our ward's Trunk or Treat as normal, then decided to come home and trick or treat a few houses in our cul-de-sac (the first time we've gone door-to-door).  Amelia loved that idea and wanted to keep going.  But then she complained that her trick-or-treat basket was too heavy . . . definitely time to go in. Amelia and Sophia's favorite treat?  A Pez dispenser they got from our neighbor.  They were fascinated by how it worked.  They haven't tried the candy yet, but I'm thinking the actual dispenser will be more of a hit than the actual candy ;)

Happy Birthday Sophia!

Our little girl is growing up.  "I'm a big girl now" she says.  And big she is getting.  She grew 2 1/2" in 6 months.  No wonder she's been complaining about achy knees - she's growing fast.  It was easy to plan a celebration for Sophia - all she wanted was purple balloons, party hats, and pink cupcakes - made by her and Daddy.  I spare no expense, as you can see by the $.88 cake mix, ha-ha.  3-yr olds aren't picky - at least not when it comes to cupcakes.

Daddy made the cupcakes, or rather, supervised the girls making the cupcakes, as you can see in the video, while I wrapped the presents.  A win-win for everyone.

I frosted and the girls sprinkled . . . and Amelia wondered why she couldn't have candles in her cupcake too ;)

We did a small party for Sophia with 2 of her friends.  Planning a party is easy for 3-yr olds.  Put a bunch of balloons into a big open room and let the kids go crazy with them.  That lasted about 30 minutes . . . and one of the girls told me it was the "best party ever" - wahoo!  And all I did was blow up a few dozen balloons.  Of course, we fed them too - that was only slightly chaotic . . . only one little ghost got a "black eye".

We colored and played and ate cupcakes.  And poor little Sophia couldn't get the candles on her cupcake to blow out . . . but Daddy stepped in and saved the day.

Amelia and Sophia are best friends . . . and best enemies.  They play together so well . . . and they're getting really good at fighting too.  Sophia doesn't let Amelia push her around - she just pushes right back.  She's definitely got a temper, but she's also so loving.  Sophia gives the best hugs and loves to cuddle.

We loved having Grandpa Ernie come up for the party too - friends, balloons, Grandpa, pink cupcakes, and presents - a practically perfect party.  When I asked Sophia if she had fun, she said "yes, but I am so tired".  And that my friends, is another sign of success - wear them out then put them to bed ;)

Happy Birthday to my "sweet pea".  

Nothing Better Than Homemade

I have had this recipe for homemade peppermint patties (recipe from Mel's Kitchen Cafe) on my "must try list" for almost a year now, and finally got around to making them today.

Mine didn't turn out nearly as pretty, but oh my, the flavor is amazing!  And WAY better than store-bought peppermint patties.  With dark chocolate on the outside . . . with no wheat, or oats, or peanuts inside . . . a totally no-guilt pleasure (BTW - eating sugar does NOT make me feel guilty). 

And the best part, the girls think the mint is "too spicy" and they're not really Ken's favorite treat, so it looks like the majority are all mine, mine, mine :)

And I think I'm going to be needing the entire bag of treats to handle my nearly 3-yr old, who has abruptly transitioned into the "Terrible Threes".  Today, Sophia got mad at me because I had to change her diaper.  So, in retaliation, she took all the clothes out of her dresser and threw them on the floor.  A few hours later, this was repeated after another needed diaper change: clothes all over the floor again, but this time, I found her naked, buried under the covers in her bed, sound asleep.

I may have to make a batch of these mints every few weeks to keep me smiling ;)

Family Outing

Ken had Monday off, so we spent the afternoon at Schilter's Farm playing around and picking out pumpkins - and enjoying the non-rainy day.  Amelia loved anything related to the hay - parked hay wagon, hay maze, hay jump, hay wagon ride.  I was trying hard not to sneeze ;)

The girls also loved the animals.  Sophia loved the small ponies and Amelia thought it was pretty cool to be able to hold a baby kitten.  My favorite was definitely the baby kittens . . . too bad they don't always stay that cute and small.

Sophia and I were a bit fearful of the roosters walking around the farm.  I kept my distance and my eyes on them.  But here's Sophia looking tough while driving a tractor.

Amelia's favorite part of the farm was a big fast slide they had - it was so fast I couldn't get a picture of her on it.  But here's one of her near where we picked our pumpkins. 

A fun family day followed by whining and an early bedtime.  So, all in all, a successful day!

One Liners

• Don't ya hate it when you're really looking forward to what you're fixing for dinner and then none of it turns out?
• There is nothing better than a homemade roll (or any other homemade bread product) . . . even if I am allergic to it.
• I started listening to Christmas music this week - it is never too early.
• It is the middle of October and our tomatoes are finally ripening faster than 1 every few weeks.
• Have you ever spent more time making room in the dishwasher for just one more dish, and realize you could have just washed it by hand in less time?
• We went to Tolmie State Park after General Conference to enjoy a beautiful Fall day.
  
  
  
  
• Looking at my Facebook feed with Amelia next to me is like playing the game of 20 questions.  I'm not sure why I do that to myself.
• I was reminded this week why it is important to practice the piano every day, and am grateful that the Primary program is still a few weeks away.
• I really dislike sweeping after every meal and snack.  Just sayin'
• We are approaching the 1-yr anniversary of my mom's death; somehow it seems a lot longer than 1 year.

Ballet and Other Interesting (or not) Tidbits

• I've been taking the girls to story time at the library as part of my at-home pre-schooling.  Amelia claims not to like it and doesn't want to go back, but she always participates when she's there . . . which is more than she's ever done in the past.  I'm hoping to compromise with her to go every other week.
• Last year, I knew for months what the girls were going to be for Halloween.  This year, I've been stressing for months because I had no idea what they wanted to be.  So I started asking them, and when their answers were consistent, I went with it . . . and then told them it was too late to change their minds ;)  So in the last few weeks, I've been working on Halloween costumes, which included dying shirts to match pants and tutus I bought.  Unfortunately, the dye did not turn out at all like I hoped.  My only consolation is that the girls don't seem to mind . . . and they'll be wearing the costumes at dusk/nighttime, so hopefully no one else will notice. 
• Amelia's 2nd ballet class started today - and she was so excited.  Afterwards she told me she already knew everything and wondered if her teacher knew anything else to teach her ;)  I love that she's all lined up, in position . . .

And I love that there is a little boy in her class.  Good for his parents!

• Sophia loves to dance as much as Amelia and has shown interest in taking a ballet class.  So we bought her a leotard, skirt and ballet shoes and told her she could take a dance class in the Fall.  But then when we went to register her for a class, we found out she wasn't old enough - by 4 weeks - so we couldn't do it.  Sophia took the news okay, but still talks about taking a dance class.  Today when Amelia's ballet class started, we found out we could get Sophia in a class anyway, but then Sophia told us she didn't want to go.  But she looks like she wants to go, right?

• General Conference is this weekend - and I am loving it.  Here are the girls waiting for it to start before they headed to the ballet class.  Last Gen. Conf. I was over-prepared for activities for the girls to do while watching conference.  This time, I pulled out all the stuff from last time, but added to it a buffet of snack foods.  That was a bigger hit than the activities - letting them graze for 2 hours at a time - and when they were eating, they weren't talking - so I think it was a win/win.  And even better, they were eating healthy snacks!