Party of 28!

So when I was pregnant with Big One we were kind of in a state of limbo.  Living in a rental house for a couple years, knowing we were not planning to stay in the area.  I was working but it was a transfer because we had no choice in the move (thanks to the Hubster).  I really didn't have a lot of friends.  And to be honest, I wasn't really trying.  I've never had trouble making friends.  I'm pretty easy to get along with.  But anyway.  No friends.  No family nearby.  And pregnant (read: emotional).

Not a great combination.  So I found an online forum for pregnant moms.  I lurked for many months, reading but not participating.  This was a group of women that were all due the same month.  Long story short I am very good friends with many of them now.  We have been through a lot as a group.  Births (obviously).  Deaths.  Marriages.  Divorces.  Infidelity.  Health problems.  The "normal" phases children go through.  Lots.

I have been to a few get togethers in the past.  They were fun.  Crazy as you can imagine.  Our first one was when Big One was nine months old.  The kids were just learning to crawl.  It was nuts.  

The next one was when they were about 18 months.  They were all walking around and going in all different directions.  Seriously.  This was the best picture I could get.  Insane.

At almost four years old they follow directions a little better!  We were missing one little girl who decided she was just too cool to sit for a pic ;) but we had eight kiddos under four years old.

We had seven families come to visit.  15 children.  13 adults.  It was loud.  And so much fun.  These women have become a big part of my life in the last four years.  It probably sounds so strange to some, but they really are real friends of mine.

Some of these families traveled a good distance to get to us.  Hours in the car with at least one child.  Money spent on gas, tolls, food, lodging.  I really appreciate the sacrifice.

And we had such well behaved children on Saturday!  They all got along amazingly well.  Toys were shared. Turns were taken.  Lots of hugs.  Dancing.  It was if we had known each other for years.  And really?  We have.

I consider myself so very blessed to be apart of such an awesome group.

Guest Room

So I should have taken some before pictures.  Bummer.  But our basement guest room was just a hodgepodge of leftover furniture we had from various points in our history.  We had a small white dresser and one nightstand I had from just after graduating from college.  A queen sized bed my parents got me for my college graduation present (how is that for practical??).  A headboard that the Hubster and I made while we were in a rental (it was pretty loud fabric as we were not supposed to paint the walls).  Curtains that we had in our bedroom at some point.  And a rocking chair that I found on the side of the road.  Nice.

So it is a little dark in the guest room.  I didn't want it to feel like a dungeon though.  And I didn't want it to be too feminine.  So I sold the white pieces we had.  We bought some old shutters at a second hand store for $20 and spray painted them white and hung it as a headboard.  The Hubster built the matching nightstands on either side of the bed.  He is awfully handy (which makes him even sexier in my opinion).  We picked up a bookcase from Ikea and put it on its side.  Kept the rocking chair.  And my favorite touches were the paintings the girls did.  Big One painted the one on the left and Little One painted the one on the right.  They did a great job.  I am definitely not an artist, but I painted some canvas with the Sweet Dreams sign above the bed.

Not bad, right?  Cheery!  Hopefully our guests like it down there!  We will find out tomorrow!

Spring Cleaning... in July

The Hubster and I have really been on a roll lately.  Just trying to clear things out that we don't use anymore. We have a local consignment board on Facebook and I was able to get rid of a dresser and nightstand and a bunch of baby things.  We made enough money to cover the cost of re-doing the basement bedroom.  That was my goal.  We also cleared out most of the unfinished part of the basement, which was the Hubster's goal.  (Here is where I tell you our basement is the least cluttered, most organized basement you will ever see... but it still drives the Hubster batty that we have things down there that we don't use.  I guess everyone has a little crazy in them.  Heh.)

Then the Hubster decided to touch up some paint in the basement bedroom.  And then he already had that can of paint out, so he figured he would touch up the paint in the rest of the house (I'm not kidding you).  And he decided to hang this window (yes, really, a window) we picked up.

He called me upstairs to look at it, it looks great.  Pics to follow as I'm the only one awake right now and turning on the lights upstairs wouldn't be very nice.

And I said, why don't we take down the baby gates?  And he did.  And it is fabulous!  I hate gates.  In my house.  Hate.  They have been up since we moved in.  And every single time I bring laundry up or down stairs I curse them.  Haaaaaaate.

So hooray for no more baby gates!

I know, boring post with no pics... so I leave you with these gems from this weekend!

Big One had a blast jumping!

Little One is not looking so little with those pigtails!  Geesh!

One of my favorite presents

This past Christmas my husband's family decided to do a Not So Secret Santa Exchange.  My sister got me.  I think I'm pretty darn easy to buy for (I'm sure the Hubster would disagree).  She asked me for an idea and I told her I would love an ice cream machine.  I almost bought one several months earlier but the Hubster scoffed at me, thinking I'd never use it.

I have no idea what made him think that.  First of all, I love ice cream.  Secondly, I use all of my kitchen gadgets fairly frequently!

Anyway.

I got this one.  I love it.

I just keep the freezer bowl in our freezer so it is ready to go whenever I decide we need ice cream.

So anyway.  Ice cream is pretty expensive these days, especially if you like the name brand stuff.  On top of that, the real reason I wanted the machine was because of Big One's peanut allergy.  It is just easier to have control of the ingredients myself.  Plus, I can use organic milk, which I love.

You know what is even more expensive than good ice cream?  Sorbet.  Which the Hubster prefers over ice cream, hands down.  He will be the first one to tell you that he is not a little bit upset that I have a new kitchen toy!

I thought I'd share some of the recipes I've tried so far.

Basic Vanilla.  This was very good.  I also decided the last couple of times I made it to cut the sugar a bit.  So I used 2/3c of sugar instead of 3/4c.  I have also added mini chocolate chips to this and it was extra yummy.

Lemon Sorbet.  This was a huge hit in our house.  It actually makes two batches in my machine, which works out nicely.  We went strawberry picking and I hulled some strawberries (2 cups maybe?) and put them in the food processor and then added them to the mixture (half of the mixture!).  So yum, Strawberry Lemon Sorbet.

I also made Strawberry Ice Cream.  Which was good.  I can't find the recipe right this second.  And we still have some in the freezer after 6 weeks.  So.  Yeah.

I just saw this recipe today for Strawberry Orange Sorbet.  I cannot wait to try it!

One of these days I will try a custard.  I just need to get over a really funny text conversation I had with my girlfriend while we were on vacation.

C: So I'm making my own ice cream and there are white chunks in it... sugar?  Should I be concerned?
Me: Maybe sugar but probably cream.  Taste it.  I'm sure it is fine!
C: In the cooking phase... no cream yet just eggs, sugar, milk, and cocoa...
Me: (clearly not realizing she was making a custard) Whisk it.  Hard.
C: Chunks of cooked eggs??? Ewwww
Me: (Light bulb finally turned on)  I've not done custard.  But maybe you cooked it too fast?  Ew egg chunks.  lol

I really should ask her how the custard turned out...

So who has a tried and true recipe for me??

Playroom Update

We have this great space in our basement.  The previous owners were using it as a sewing room when we bought it.  At the time I didn't sew.  So we decided to make it into a playroom.  (Boy was that silly of me.  Heh.  Hindsight is 20/20, I suppose.)  I picked a cheery yellow color for the walls, green chalkboard paint for another area, and some cute alphabet stickers.  Only problem?  The girls never used it.  Sigh.

I recently decided I hated the alphabet puzzle mat we had on the floor because Little One was constantly pulling it apart.  Letters everywhere.  Drove. Me. Bonkers.  So my brainstorming began.  We need a new rug.  I started to look online at teacher stores.  Then I started to look on Pinterest.  And that kind of morfed into redoing the room.  On the cheap.

Kind of boring, right?  And that puzzle mat.  Sigh.

We've had the book shelves for like 3 years.  And picked up the beanbag chairs after painting the rooms.

I picked up the coat racks at Target.  Mirror at Walmart.  The shelf under the window used to be in the girls' room (and is now perfect for pretend make up and dress up shoes).  The "stools" are actually mega blocks (hello dual purpose!).  The basket I've had for years and is great for tutus and hats etc.  There is also a little key rack (Target) I got and the Hubster screwed it on the side of the shelf so they can hang their necklaces etc.

Spot for me and a spot for guests to sleep when they come to visit in droves!

The Hubster's old tv (the shelf was already there).  The dollhouse (that Santa brought the girls for Christmas) is sitting on another piece of Ikea furniture that has been in Big One's closet for awhile.  I found the kitchen on Craigslist a couple of years ago.  And the easel we've had for a few years is also from Ikea.

So, I do still need to find a rug that is bigger than the one under the table and chairs (Ikea).  But for this make over I spent about $35!  Nice, right?  The girls love it down there!  

Next up?  Guest room bedroom

Ek! Four months?!

Sorry about that!  Things have been a little busy.

Here are some of the highlights.

Big One had her first real ballet recital and she did awesome!

I made super yummy Rosemary Bread.

I went several states away to see one of my dearest friends from college get married.  By myself.  

Spring sprung and Little One loves the swing.  And outside!

The Hubster sliced off the tip of his finger.  It took a few months to heal.  Sigh.

Big One had her first sleepover!

Easter!  Big One was really into it this year!  Easter egg hunt and all!

I snuck away for a day to visit my sister while my mom was visiting!

 

Little One also discovered her love of the slide.  

Little One finally learned to sleep without the woombie... except now it is her blanket.  Sigh.

I cooked my first whole chicken.  Beer Can Chicken that is.  Yum!

The Hubster and I celebrated our five year anniversary.  And he spoiled me.

Big One had her first swim lessons without me in the pool with her!  And she did awesome!

I finally started using my ice cream machine.  Amazing!

The girls got dress up clothes... and this is why I have very few pictures of them together :)

We planted a lot of lettuce.  

Little One got a rocking chair (Big One's used to be The Hubster's).
Hey!  They aren't choking each other!

My sister stopped by one afternoon and we went strawberry picking!
Little One only liked the green ones!

And then I made strawberry jam for the first time!

The Hubster and I got away for a weekend without the girls.  First time since before Big One was born!

We went to visit my family and the girls went swimming and to a water park!  They  love the water!
(PS - Little One was waiting for her suit... but was in a diaper)

Wedding #1 (in 8 days)

Wedding #2 (in 8 days)

Wedding #3 (in 8 days)

The fun of being potty trained...

The In-Laws came to spend the weekend with us!

As you can see, we have been very busy.  And it is going to be a very busy summer as well!!  Hopefully I can do a better job with blogging!  I'm sure I was so very missed ;)

Where have I been?!

Things have been busy here.  The Hubster has been studying like crazy for his licensing audit (aka pre-exam).  He not only passed, he killed it.  I am very proud of him.  It has been a long road.  A very long road.  Mostly for him.  But a little for me as well.  You know, long hours for him equal long hours for me.  Unpaid for both of us.  Heh.  


So that has been going on.

We've also had ballet class for Big One and swim lessons for Little One.  Both of them love their activities.

I've been baking quite a bit.  One of my newer ventures is bread.  As in, sandwich bread.  So far I've only done white breads.  But what I figure is is has to be healthier then store bought bread.  No high fructose corn syrup.  No preservatives (thing about how long your bread stays good for folks).  And cheaper.  It is just something I have decided is right for our family.  Not to say I will not buy store bread (mmmm artisan bread from the bakery), as a matter of fact, I picked up hotdog rolls this week because they were super cheap.

I've also been cleaning and decorating our master bedroom.  Why is it that our room is always the last room to be decorated and the last roomed to be cleaned?

Anyway.  We swapped out our linens for ones I bought when I bought my first house.  I got some new lamps and shades for our bedside tables.  Pulled pillows up from our guest room.  Bought a couple of matching framed pictures from a local chain store.  And my favorite.  We bought vinyl letters for above our bed.  We purchased them from this etsy shop.  She did an awesome job working with me, emailing back and forth, until I figured out exactly what I wanted.

So here is a terrible photo.  I need to take one with the camera during the day.

I have a throw coming later this week from Amazon.  I'm just hoping it ends up being the right color.  It is so tough to tell via the computer.  And we've got some walls to decorate.  I keep going back and forth on what I like though.  Work in progress.

But I looooove our room now.  Love.

I'll try not to disappear for so long.  But.... no promises.