Teatopia

little pumpkins

Busy, busy bees! We've been hard at work decorating for Christmas both inside and outside the house. Thanksgiving was great, but first, I realized I never shared anything from Halloween. 'Tis the season for holidays. Before you know it, one is gone and another is one its way!

Olivia has been something super girly in the past, but this year she really wanted to be a pumpkin, and what a cute little pumpkin she was! She had so much fun this year, despite the rain.

Liam was a cuddly teddy bear. He enjoyed trick-or-treating, but he was still a bit young to really get it. Poor little guy. You can't even see his face here. We had to keep adjusting his hood and ears. :-)

'Tis the season for good eats. I've been attempting to make good Indian food for years, and finally, last week, success! I learned some tricks that made it good: wait for the spices to release their beads of oil, make a paste instead of garlic/ginger instead of just adding them. It also helps that I now have an Indian friend who kindly shares her recipes!

There's chick pea curry, rice, mutter paneer (peas and cheese cubes), and flat bread for dipping.

Our Thanksgiving was unusual this year. We generally have it at someone's home, but we had so many people this year, that we had it at my aunt's Lillie House, which I mentioned in my last entry. We had a mix of both Canadians and Americans, which was neat, my sister's boyfriend being among the Canadians. There was another couple as well. We also had a rare treat this year. At my aunt's church, they had a sign-up to host 5 soldiers who are stationed here at Ft. Benning who were far away from home and wanted to eat with a family. So, 5 soldiers joined our family dinner this year.

This is my swet grandma I always mention. We are as close as mother and daughter. I am close to my mom as you know, but I often feel like I have two moms. Behind her in the background is one of the soldiers. He was a musician from California stationed here and was writing as song before dinnr. He ended up playing guitar for us. It was a really neat but unusual year.

I made squash casserole and peanut butter pie. It was the most popular dessert. I also made an extra one to send home with my sister's boyfriend to share with his soldier friends who didn't go to a dinner. They loved it so much and wanted to know if the pie baker (me) was single. I told James he'd better watch himself because I now have options. The old saying must be true: the way to a man's heart is through his stomach!

Liam ate his weight in squash casserole and really enjoyed running all around. My kids were the only ones there. Hard to believe with such a big group!

My mom and Olivia:

We're not big on Black Friday. Who wants to get up that early the morning after eating so much food?? James went out somewhat early and got somt stuff, but my favorite find we got online. Instead of a fort (I might still buy a cheap tent one), I found the BEST joint unisex gift EVER! We ordered them a train table with the trains and tunnels and everything like they have in the kids' area at out local Barnes_and_Noble. I can hardly get Olivia and Liam away from it when it's time to go. They are going to FLIP on Christmas morning. Yep, giving is way better than receiving!

Christmas is going to be so magical this year, as well as a little nuts. Keeping Liam away from the tree and is like keeping bees away from honey. My hair might be gray by the time the season is over, but it's ok. I love being a SAHM especially this time of year. It's so cozy to stay home with a tree and listen to Christmas music.

I started this entry eariler, and now Liam is finally sleeping so Olivia and I are going to cut out snowflakes to put on the windows. Off to make hot chocolate first though!

Perfect Thanksgiving Morning

I woke up VERY late. James let me sleep in and presented me with hot homemade waffles. The kids had already been fed and were both running around excitedly. I finished both my pies last night to allow for family time today and all I have left to do is stick my squash casserole in the oven that I also made last night. We'll be going to my aunt's house. She owns an event center and rents out various venues for weddings and parties. She even has an incredibly gorgeous wedding chapel on her property. We'll be eating at one of her buildings, a 19th century home turned venue she named the Lillie House after my great great grandmother.

Hope everyone has a blessed Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for my family and my home, and also all of the friendships I've formed through this blog. I'm also incredibly thankful that I have a happy, healthy son (and daughter too). I thought I was losing him two years ago on this day. My heart aches for those who have actually lost a baby because I didn't end up losiong him and the feeling still haunts me. But today I am going to rejoice in the fact that my kids are healthy and happy and absolutely hysterical! :-) I have a daughter who told me that she prayed for God to give her a boy and girl someday like Mommy has and a son who makes truck sounds and animal noises in his sleep. Precious!

Happy Turkey Day!

Help me find a fort

My kids love forts. What kid doesn't? I bought Olivia the Rose Petal Cottage a couple years ago and it's been a fun thing to have.

Liam loves it the most, I think. We recently moved it out of Olivia's room and into our new and nearly completed playroom only to realize that Olivia is getting too tall for it, so I'm hoping to find something unisex for Christmas to replace it. It's tradition that we always have something set up on Christmas morning, something that isn't wrapped and usually requires set-up that catches their eye when they first come in the living room. My parents always did that for us and I've enjoyed doing it for my children.

Do you have a fort in your house? If so, can you recommend one?

I love this darling little mushroom house from Magic Cabin, but it's huge!

Hoping to find something not too big and unisex. Phew.

fabulous finds!

I've been Christmas shopping off and on for months. This year, because of the economy, we knew James's usual bonus might not be so great or even happen at all and thought it would be better to stagger the spending. I'm glad I got started early because I am at least 3/4 done!

I'm especially having fun this year buying for the kids because Olivia is old enough to have a wish list and Liam will enjoy it more this year. He still doesn't know what's going on, but when he sees the various transportation toys (a train, dump trucks, tractors, etc) on Christmas morning, shrieks of joy and lots of engine sounds are sure to come! It's a far cry from the tea sets and dolls that excited me as a kid and now excite my daughter. With Olivia, it's pretty much just a question of what would I have liked as a child? But I'm also finding myself delighted by all the boy stuff. Finding a giant dump truck that he can push and put toys in definitely wouldn't have mattered one bit to me before, but now I think it's awesome because I know my little boy (aka the transportation sound machine) will love it! He loves vroom vroom sounds and beep beeps.

Olivia loves to play doctor. We really got into playing doctor last year when she had both her surgeries for her hernias. I think it helped her be less afraid. It's still a game she loves to play, but many of the items in her doctor kit are looking worn. Stickers are peeling off and our poodle has chewed a few of them, so she told me she'd really like new stuff so she can take care of her dollies.

You can imagine how excited I was to find the Baby Ah-Choo doll that runs a temperature and really sneezes! At out local Toys_R_Us, I got a free doctors kit toy with her purchase. It was an "until supplies last" promotion and the kits were all gone, but while I was shopping for other stuff, I found one in the wrong spot!

I've also fallen completely in love (and have perhaps already placed too many orders because it's all so cheap!) with this online bookstore. I seldom buy brand new books because they end up looking used very quickly, so why not buy used and be able to buy more? In theory, it would be better to do like the Duggars say and save the difference, but usually I just buy more. :-) As you know, I majored in English ed (and social studies) and have always loved reading. Olivia and Liam love it too, so I have ordered probably 20 books for them for Christmas from BETTER WORLD BOOKS. Unlike half.com, shipping is FREE. Even with Ama_zon you have to spend a certain amount. All purchases are free and are shipped in green materials, and their customer service is fabulous. They have tons of 2 for 1 deals and stuff like that. They also have Oprah's book club list as well as best seller lists-- even lists from Ama_zon. If you have to order any books, I'd order from them. I feel like I've hit the jackpot. I just ordered Olivia the Olive the Other Reindeer book and stuffed toy for $7.50 with free shipping! What a deal!

I also bought this sweet book called One Winter's Day to read to Olivia and I'd highly recommend it. It's one of the sweetes books I've read, and to think I bought it in the bargain section at B&N! I seriously had to hold back tears as I read it to Olivia last night because I'm a mom and everything makes me cry that is sweet or teaches a lesson. I've turned into my mother, there's no question. It's about a hedgehog whose nest blows away in a winter storm, and while he's on his way to badger's house to stay, he metts all these precious animals who are shivering in the storm and one by one, he gives them his gloves, scarf, etc. By the time he reaches badger's house, he's freezing. He stays there for the rest of the storm and when it's over, he goes home to the site of his old nest to re-build, but all the animals he gave to have already built him a new house made from the items he gave them during the storm. It's such an awesome example of self-sacrifice for others. When Olivia and I talked about the story, I compared the hedgehog's deeds to Jesus's sacrifice (although I still sugar coat it a bit-- she's not reaedy for pierced hands and blood quite yet, though she does know He died for us). And, unlike some "lesson" books where the lesson is glaringly obvious and more preachy, this precious prickly hedgehog is fun for kids. The illustrations are gorgeous too. I know you shouldn't judge a book by pictures, but I'm a sucker for a great illustrator.

Wow, this has turned into a mammoth of an entry and my tummy is telling me that it's time for lunch.

Perfect Fall Day . .. almost

Today was almost a perfect fall day, except for the 75 degree temperature. At least it was cold this morning.

I woke up and made breakfast and enjoyed a steaming cup of hot coffee while it was still cold outside. Then, Olivia helped me bake banana bread with chocolate chips and while it was baking, we worked on setting up their new play room. Later, when Liam went down for a nap, I worked on my advent calendar project. Can't wait until it's done so I can show you!

Then tonight, it was dinner with my sister and her new man (great guy!). It was nice to get out without the kids. It rarely happens. James took the kids to play with the Thomas train set and B&N and got them a snack. Today was a long day, so I needed the break. Although mostly things were great today, Liam dumped an entire tin of caramel popcorn on the rug and crunched it into the floor. It was so sticky and the vacuum couldn't suck it all up. I had to pick a lot of it off the floor with my fingers.

Anyway, I promise there will be more blogging. Olivia was so sick for so long and it's always hard to get back into blogging when I've had a break. Also, there hasn't been much action around this blog lately. Anyone still reading???

before you know it . . .

Every year, around this time or maybe a little later, I make a list of all the holiday things I want to accomplish during the upcoming season. I'm usually pretty good about doing them all, too. Included on the list are typically things like: drive around to see Christmas lights, bake cut-out cookies, see a Christmas movie (at the theater) or play. This year, I've added some Christmas crafts to the list.

The craft I most want to do is to make an Advent Calendar. I loved these as a kid. My mom always bought us the boxed kind that came with a somewhat strange but yummy tasting piece of chocolate. As an alternative to that, I want to create something for my family that will last us through the years, and can be filled with small treats or toys, or maybe when they are a bit older, little pieces of paper listing a holiday activity for the day or a bible verse. I also figure that this is a great "work on it when you can" craft because much of it will be by hand and I can watch the kids when I do it, or even relax on the couch at night and sew. I won't be glued to the table with the sewing machine as I am for some projects.

I am not very creative without inspiration, and even them I'm not all that creative. I usually look at other peoples' ideas and then compile them into an idea of my own. I've managed to find a multitude of inspiring ideas for our family's calendar.

Here are some of my favorites:

I love the homemade patchwork look of this one, but I do worry the tediousness of making square after square might get old.

I love this one on Etsy. Heck, I'd love to just buy this one but I don't have $200 so I'd rather use it as inspiration. It's painted, but I'd love to attempt a simpler version made from felt. I love how Mary and Joseph travel through Bethlehem until they reach the stable.

These little birdy friends are very inspiring and maybe could be incorporated into a calendar of some sort.

I also thought about creating a garland-style advent countdown, but it wouldn't be as easy to store, and my favorite spot to hang it would be above the fireplace, which is in reaching distance of my little guy.

Any other ideas? Comments?

Random just works best these days

Another random post because that's just how my mind works these days :-)

-- The family is sick. I am the lone healthy one, except Aunt Flo is here and I'm tired from being up with coughing kids. But since I'm technically not sick, I am taking care of everyone and I've come to a conclusion. A sick grown man is far worse than a sick child. I say this is the most loving way of course. I want to help him, but when I'm sick, I'm not nearly so helpless. I think there's an unofficial rule that moms are not ever allowed to be sick and helpless. Everything would fall apart.

-- Liam tells me every time he poops. He also goes and sits on the little kids' potty. He keeps his clothes on, but he enjoys sitting there and often tells me "tee tee." Is 16 months too early to potty train a boy? Olivia was over 2 years old. I've heard boys are later but he's definitely showing interest. I'm a little worried though about giving him naked time like I did with Olivia. As soon as his diaper comes off, he play with himself and promptly pees. What do you think?

-- Project Home Makeover is on hold until all viruses have left the premises. We also need to make another trip to PBk to exchange O's bedding. We're going to get the owl one afterall. It's all James's fault. He talked me into getting the fairy one after Olivia breezed by all the bedding sets at the store on her way to the fort. She showed little interest in the store because she was overwhelmed by toys. After we got home, and she actually saw the fairy set on the bed, she was upset and asked where the owl one was. I did tell her that was the one we were getting, so it's only fair I get it for her. I lovingly told James that I think moms should decorating a daughter's room should fall under mom duties. He did a great job helping pick furniture and buying safety stuff to attach it to the wall. I'm glad he cares though. It's really cute.

-- I saw a Christmas tree stand going up yesterday. I actually shrieked with joy. I've always loved Christmas, but having little ones to share it with makes it all the more better.

-- Star_bucks has their holiday drinks already! This year there is a new addition: Creme Broulet (or is it Brulet? Don't feel like checking) but anyway, it is fabuous and tastes very much like the dessert but with far less calories I am assuming. Go try it. It even has the hardened sugar topping in sprinkle form!

Off to play nursemaid again to a sick husband and two kids. Ta ta!

Everything has been bought and ordered!

I have Halloween pictures to share, but until I've gone through and edited and re-sized, this is all I have for you today. I hope everyone had a great Halloween. Ours was wet and wild. There were a gazillion cars coming up and down our street because it was raining and people didn't want to walk. The kids had fun and were precious. Liam has been asking for "bops" (lolly-pops) all day. I don't trust him with hard candy, but he's had a little bit of chocolate which he calls cookies.

We are well on our way to having Olivia's new room and playroom put together by next weekend. We made a trip to Atlanta to buy most of it and ordered the rest. Olivia's furniture is coming at the end of the week and some wall decor should be hear in a few days.

We ended up buying her bedding from Pottery Barn kids. I didn't think we would, or even could, but something happened that allowed us to buy some nicer quality bedding. I'm actually glad we bought something that will last, because it's going to have to! We spent enough on it.

I initially loved this one:

and still do prefer it, but it's not for me and Olivia seemed to like this other one a tiny bit more. I'm still not sure she cares about any of it all that much, but this was the girlier option and she is a girly girl! James liked this one more and argued she'd loved it more when it was actually in her room, so he won.

Most of the accessories I'd bought will go with this one quite nicely. I'll post pictures as soon as it's done.

Oh, and remember those $100 wall tree decals I loved? On sale for $50. Much cheaper than buying painting supplies, which was my back-up plan.

The playroom is a mess with toys thrown everywhere from me cleaning out O's room, but it'll come together once the shelves and ultra cool cube storage thingies from Container Store are put together by my strapping hubby. :-) We're also hard at work on the wall decor, which is my favorite part of the room I think.

I have Halloween pictures to share, but until I've gone through and edited and re-sized, this is all I have for you today. I hope everyone had a great Halloween. Ours was wet and wild. There were a gazillion cars coming up and down our street because it was raining and people didn't want to walk. The kids had fun and were precious. Liam has been asking for "bops" (lolly-pops) all day. I don't trust him with hard candy, but he's had a little bit of chocolate which he calls cookies.

My other favorite thing is this Toot & Puddle lamp which I wasn't even sure existed until I saw it on someone's blog. I obsessively searched e_bay only to find that one hadn't been auctioned for years. Then a few weeks ago, one showed up!!! I was prepared to do battle for it, but strangely, I was the only bidder. Maybe it is unusual for a 28 year old woman to be obsessed with children's books? No one wants a darling Holly Hobbie lamp?? Book units were my favorite part of teaching English. :-)

I'll save the rest for when it al comes together. My house is in such disaray but I'm trying not to let it get to me. By next weekend, I should feel much better and the kids will be thrilled!