Another day, another farm

I think I want a farm. I love being in the country. I love the rustic textures - the tree bark, the grass, the wood planks, the metal, the rust, the flowers, the animals. I love all the green and brown. I just love how buildings and the tools sometimes look like they have grown out of the earth - like they belong there - and they serve a purpose, even if they aren't polished, shiny and new. I hope I can keep exposing my kids to all things rural. Maybe I will plant a garden...

Today's morning field trip to the organic produce farm was great! We waffled back and forth trying to decide whether or not to go with rain in the forecast. Turns out the morning was lovely! No rain and mild temperatures and not much mud. We met Pete the horse, went on a hay ride, walked through the greenhouse and sampled fresh greenhouse strawberries, planted lettuce in the field, planted our own seeds to grow at home, and had a picnic lunch. The rain started when I was about 5 minutes from home. Can't complain about that!

This party was cookin'!

Beware - there are a ton of pictures! Fancy went to a birthday party today with all of "her girls" from preschool. I LOVED this party idea. It was at a kids' cooking/etiquette school. Don't get me wrong, I love a good moon bounce or of bowling game, but it's fun to try something different. The party lasted 2 hours and the girls worked every minute of it - making their pizzas in a chef's kitchen, decorating cupcakes, a tour of the walk-in fridge, and a quick etiquette lesson followed by a meal at the world's largest dining room table (ahem - let me just say Fancy wasn't the FIRST girl to accidentally drop and smash her china plate to smithereens; she was the second.) It's hard to believe these little girls are all turning 5! What a fun way to celebrate.

When Fancy arrived, she climbed on the couch with her friends, and they started thumbing through Bon Apetite

chefs hats awaiting a dozen little girls.

Little chefs in need of a boost

the birthday chef


they are so cute - couldn't you just eat them up!



she loved being a chef!

carrying their pizzas to the pizza oven

in the walk in fridge

decorating the party cupcakes

Stole the idea

I quickly stole this cute idea from Heather. But if you're going to post pictures AND how-to instructions for something so cute, what do you expect?! Fancy was a bit miffed yesterday afternoon to come home from school and find that the leprechaun did not leave us any treats. Let me just say, this leprechaun business is all new to me. When I was a kid, the most we did for St. Patrick's Day was wear green and try to avoid getting pinched. It seems that now it has become a preschool/elementary holiday ranking right up there with Valentine's Day. My kids expect nothing less than a visit from the leprechaun, which includes him making a mess somewhere, leaving treats, and coloring our food green. I need to start planning for next year... I thought I would make these cupcakes with Rella this morning so we could say that the leprechaun did actually come and leave us a treat, just a day late. Hopefully they will suffice. I used the Hello Cupcake vanilla cake recipe along with their cream cheese frosting recipe, with an extra large dollop of marshmallow fluff thrown in for good measure. They are quite yummy, if I do say so myself. And now we have 20 or so cupcakes to eat, so if you want to stop by and look pitiful on my doorstep I might just offer you one!

Thanks for the great idea, Heather!

I was very happy with how the layers turned out!

Rella tested, Rella approved! (and cupcake shirt was a coincidence)

Project 365, Week 10

Here's week 10 of our life in a nutshell in a fishbowl.

Argh! I just noticed a date floating off one of the pictures! That will drive me crazy, but I don't have time to re-do it. Kids will have to realize that Mommy just wasn't on her toes all the time... (Geof says, "oh, that's not too far off." That makes me even MORE crazy!)

Anyway, on to the highlights:
- The beautiful weather we had this weekend brought out all the neighbors to play. With literal next door neighbors going to different elementary schools, we hardly get to see them. "Wow! You've gotten taller!" "Look how long your hair is?" "Is that your baby sister? She's talking like a real person!"
- Hi-Hat's pig mask from the infamous night of too much homework. He is Pig #1. He foolishly built his house out of straw.
- Rella likes to sit on the potty. She has not been successful yet, but she can go through the motions like nobody's business. If only she would do a little business.
- Dark and rainy day. It's been raining for a while. Today was clear so we went worm hunting.
- Hi-Hat is heading into drum lessons. We've asked his teacher to relent a bit on the reading music part and to ramp up the improvising. He was getting really frustrated, so we're trying to keep it fun. He's got a startling ear for improvising and copycat drumming. Maybe if we expose him to absolutely everything he won't ever have to read music!
- Fancy is looking so grown up to me lately. Her hair is getting longer (or bigger, as she would say), and her face is thinning out. I just love her smile.
- Date night at Flemings. We have found a new favorite dinner spot. Now if we could just find the money to afford it every week!

These <1/10 Irish Eyes...

just ain't smilin'

Happy St. Patrick's Day from our favorite little grumpy leprechaun, O'Hi-Hat.
(he was not amused by this kindergarten class project, though I was!)

Tough Noogies

Geof was reading to the kids the other night.  They're working through a Jigsaw Jones chapter book, and Jigsaw was interacting with his brothers.  One of the brothers gave Jigsaw a noogie.  Hi-Hat asked what a noogie is.  So Geof explains by giving him a gentle noogie.  Then Hi-Hat exclaims, "oh, I know what that is! I get those on the bus!"  In great dismay, I turn from my pile of newly folded laundry.  "WHAT? Who's doing that to you?  How long has he been doing that?  Is he playing or being mean?  Is he hurting you?  Does it make you sad?  What do you say to him? ..."  I was in panic that Hi-Hat is being picked on on the bus.  Hi-Hat seems good-natured about the whole thing.  The first grader in question gives them to everyone in Hi-Hat's seat, and they think it's funny, but the first-grader has promised not to do it for 100 more weeks.   That calmed me down a bit since it seems he is not being singled out, but I'm going to be out the look-out for knuckle marks on the top of his head!

Update to the Homework

So I asked what the eggs were for. Answer, "Oh, I was wrong.  I thought she said 'Hi-Hat bring in the eggs', but she actually said '[name that sounds like Hi-Hat] bring them in.'  So I didn't have to." Grumble grumble from me... At least I learned to how to boil an egg.  And how did the play go?  "We didn't do it today..."