think fast

the cookie adventure

It's quite an adventure undertaking big projects with Miss Eloise around; but, Clara was bound and determined to make cut out cookies. Friday night she made a DOUBLE batch of dough and popped it in the refrigerator. Saturday she and Sophie rolled them all out and had this beautiful stack by 2pm.

Next up, the icing. Harrison joined them and the cookies became more and more creative.

 Then, guess who woke up from her nap?

Glory be! What to my wondering eyes should appear?

I'm sure this frosting is set up, right?

Uh oh, I've been spotted!

Sophie swoops in to rescue the cookies.

Darn, foiled again. I'll be back.

Later.

fun, fun

I'm going to share my weekly dinners in a moment. But, first, a couple of fun things to check out.

LOVE this little video that Torm linked from Brenda's blog. (Does that make sense?) Check out Brenda's blog HERE.

Next, Jessica and Gary had their family photos taken by Sarah Goodman (our sweet friend); you can check those out HERE.

And lastly, the deadline for Card Creations 8 is midnight tonight. You need to submit at least one of your creations. I dare you. Click HERE to submit.

So, weekly dinners. We did great last week. In fact, we didn't even eat out on the weekend. Bonus.

Monday: Pioneer Woman's Marlborough Man Favorite Sandwiches (YUM)
Tuesday: Breakfast Burritos
Wednesday: Homemade Pizza - Sausage (used leftover sausage from burritos) and Pesto Mozarella
Thursday: Turkey (smoked on the grill), Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole
Friday: Grilled Burgers (with Bacon), Chips
Saturday: Bean and Cheese Quesadillas
Sunday: Leftovers and Pineapple Upside Down Cake

Yep, we ended the week with a bang. Keith made the Pineapple Upside Down cake and we enjoyed it with Russell and Lauri over a long game of Scrabble. Fun!

He even cooked it cowboy style - straight in the iron skillet. It was so good.

Thanks for the suggestions on dinners, friends! I used several of your ideas from last week. Care to help me out again? I think we'll do Wild Rice Soup with leftover turkey, for sure. Thanks in advance!

Later. 

so very special

I was so happy to meet Wendy from Blue Lily Photo up front and in person. She was out from CA a few weeks ago and was able to take our family photos. I honestly can't remember the last time we had a photo taken that included Keith and I - years certainly.

So, thank you, Wendy. You are very special.

Here's a few I want to share.

I ordered this one in a 16 X 20 for my wall.

Love this one, too. Casual and happy.

Had this one in the favorites pile until I realized Sophie was acting like a goober. There's one in every crowd, I tell ya.

Love this one of the kids mashing on Queen Bee.

Speaking of Queen Bee... Miss Eloise herself just before she snagged her tights and took a digger into the ground. Sigh. That pretty ended the photo shoot.

Feeling so happy about having a big family today. I'm so very blessed.

Later.  

more layouts

I've been promising several folks, including one of my favorite targets for scraplifting, Tina Cockburn to post my New York layouts. I'm doing an 8.5 X 11 album and having a ball. It's fun to scrap just for myself and use old product with new product and mix it all up. So, here we go.

First, the opener (which you saw yesterday).

I don't always do a title page, but when I'm creating a seperate album (which I do for major trips and vacations) it seems to set the tone. I finished this at a crop several weeks ago and just saw how Lisa Dickinson did this same filmstrip look for one of her layouts. Great minds...I tell you.

This next one is clearly a "Studio Calico" influenced layout. I may have posted this one earlier. We spent the first three days in Buffalo since I was teaching at CKC. This is a cute little eatery with the yummiest breakfast bagel I've ever had.

And what's breakfast without a hot cup of joe? I'll have mine with two creams and one sugar, please.

Had a few minutes to shop in Buffalo's Elmwood area Saturday afternoon. We loved this little fabric shop. Tiny but stuffed with great fabric! (Check out the OLD Daisy's D's paper! Ha).

 
Beef on Weck - a "must have" while visiting Buffalo. Apparently this little house was THE spot to have a sandwich. I must admit - it was awfully yummy. Sliced prime rib on a salted caraway roll. Good stuff.

 
Headed to the Big Apple Saturday night (and yes, I still have Buffalo photos to crop). Fact: three cameras in five days can easily shoot 1, 028 photos.

Totally enjoyed a couple of hours at the Museum of Modern Art. Bliss.

Took a nutrition break at the Shake Shack. It was really good. Check it. A double page layout! Whoa.

A perennial favorite - the Natural History Museum. This is one of my favorite layouts - bright and fun! I love the birthday sticker "I am 65 million years old". Heh.

Love this double page layout, don't love how my scanner can't deal with one corduroy button - yeesh. Excuse the funky shadows -these two pages really do match IRL. Mmmm- donuts! Delish.

So, that's all for now. Hope you enjoyed. I have a big pile of photos still waiting. Maybe I'll have some time over Christmas break to scrap. Or not.
<grin>

Later.   

in a new york minute

That's what my life has been like this week. "Just a minute more" and I"ll be done with my Paper Crafts project. "Just a minute more" and I'll be caught up with my December Daily. "Just a minute more" and my Christmas cards will be done.

"Just a minute more" and I'll be done resizing my New York layouts. Seriously. My computer has been soooo slow. Keith promises to run Registry Mechanic and speed it up. Any other ideas?

In the meantime, here's the title page of my New York album. I have over a dozen layouts to share, but it will have to be tomorrow. I'm such a tease. Or rather, my computer is teasing me. Ha.

I've added the black border, but I kind of like it. I may have to do this for some of the other layouts.

Hey! I've been following the comments from my weekly dinner post closely. Love all the suggestions you guys have! We've tried another recipe from PW Cooks this week and it was a winner. Will share on Monday. BTW, the recipe for PW Macaroni and Cheese can be found HERE. (I'm a tease AND lazy).

Later.

weekly menu

Well, I guess I'm just not on the ball enough to post a menu AHEAD of time. So, how about I share my weekly dinners from last week? We've made a pledge to eat at home every night of the week the whole month of December. It's part of the savings plan to be able to go to Disneyland. That means no pizza, Chik-fil-a or runs to Micky D's. It's hard.

I must have been whining to Meghan about trying to come up with creative dinners because she gave me my Christmas present early.

Sweet. It's an awesome book. If you aren't' already a fan - here's a link to PW's website. It's amusing all the way around.

 Meghan and I made her Macaroni and Cheese onFriday night and it was SOOOOO yummy. It definitely goes on the Favorite Meals list. (We added the optional crumpled bacon on top. If you are already clogging your arteries, you may as well do it right).

So, here's last weeks gourmet menus:

Monday - French Toast, Hash Browns and Sausage
Tuesday - Grilled Hot Dogs/Bratwurst, Beans, Chips
Wednesday - Spaghetti with Marinara and Pesto Sauce, French Bread, Caesar Salad
Thursday - Ham and Cheese Omelette's, Cinnamon Struesel Muffins (we had leftover spiral sliced ham - yum!)
Friday - PW Macaroni and Cheese

Now, ideas for this week? I think I'm going to do PW's Lasagna one night, but leaves four more nights. Help!

Later.

the tree is up

Keith pulled the tree down from the attic (yes, we have a fake tree) and the kids helped set it up Wednesday night. Sophie was especially excited. First, sort the branches out while Dad sets up the stand.

Harry was really into getting the branches just right.

Mom was pretty happy she bought new lights last year at the After Christmas Clearance sale. Ethan is our Light Guy.

Dad is tall enough to get those very top branches.

Then the boys insisted on setting up the train (even though Mom remembers that it didn't really run too well last year).

The evening was rounded out by yummy cups of hot cocoa and cider. Ello even had a bit of hot cocoa in her bottle (I know, sick). It was a fun, relaxing evening.

So, how is your holiday decorating going?

Later.  

because it's easy

...an Eloise update! Our little one has changes so much in the past few months. She's saying a ton of new words and really getting into the "parrot" effect - trying to copy our words. The cutest? When she says "mee-mee" for Meghan and "la-la" for Clara. She's no dummy - she know who her Mini-Moms are. Hee.

Ello's is enjoying her Bilibo shells more everyday. Miss Smarty Pants has figured out how to drag them to the counter, flip them over and use them for a perfect little step stool. Nothing on the counter is safe anymore.

Her hair is out of control. It's just such a rat's nest in the back with enough curl to look adorable for about five minutes after her bath. Not so much after that. Carseats definitely do not add to this look.

 
She loves going "bye-bye" and thinks every time I put her shoes on it's time to go. Her favorite places to go? Grandma's, the grocery store and Jo Ann Fabrics (not really on that last one).

 
Eloise loves the "name the body parts" game and has mastered all of the standard ones. The one she is most proud of? Cheeks. In fact, she will pinch your cheeks just to prove she knows what they are.

Yeah, she pretty much knows she rules the roost. And we wouldn't have it any other way.

Now, any tips on taking a two year old to Disneyland? Help.

Later. 

december daily

Who's on board with this concept? It's similiar to Photo A Day, except you just document one month of your life. Hey! It's only December 2nd, you can still jump in. I created a little album for myself and have started printing photos (second one today). Here's a sneak peek.

To see step by step instructions, head on over to Paper Crafts Connection (you know you want to) and check it out.

I'm not doing so hot in other areas of my life. Feeling a little down this week - I have so many ideas and just not enough time. Still have a couple things to finish up for work, need to work on our Christmas cards, the house is a wreck (it really is) - just chaos. Oh well, need to pull up the bootstraps and get going.

Maybe another short list will help - a specific blog list.

1.  Post New York layouts
2. Share a couple more cards
3. Show off some family photo outtakes
4. Daily menu (um, next Monday. for sure.)
5. Holiday traditions
6. Eloise update

Gotcha.
Later. 

making a list

What could be more appropriate than making a list on this December Eve. Whoa. Scary thought. So, here we go.

 
1. Do not shop for yourself at Christmas time (even if there was a really, really cute cake stand at Target.
2. Double check presents already purchased so you don't forget what you bought last September.
3. Finish blog post for Paper Crafts due today.
4. Upload family photos for Mark and Rachael (and be happy that their card is already ordered).
5. Do wash (put laundry soap on grocery list, too).
6. Call Lauri and welcome them home from Minnesota.
7. Buy Eloise red and white polka dot shoes from Puddlejumpers.
8. Make reservations for a Disneyland trip the first weekend of Christmas break.
9. Call the San Diego KOA and see if reservations are available for next 4th of July (can never plan too early).
10. Badger big kids to write Christmas lists (the older they are the harder to shop for).

Okay, I think ten things is enough for today. What are you up to on this last day of November? Still eating leftovers? Thinking about a pre-holiday diet? Worried about budgeting for Christmas? Share.

Later.