More of the Same

I'm still on the same topic as yesterday. Sorry! So, I need to think of some more ideas for encouraging B's teacher in September. Can you tell this is my first child? Am I way too into this? I keep thinking that it would be fun for her to have something seasonal on her desk. Maybe I could even take it up there the day before school starts. When I was a teacher, I used to love it when some sweet second grader would bring me a little vase of fresh flowers or a little pumpkin in October.

Apples come to my mind for September, but that won't last like a pumpkin does. I went to the Martha Stewart site for some ideas, but I came back empty-handed. I guess I could make some kind of very small flower arrangement and then hollow an apple and stick it down in there...again, that won't last very long. How long will fresh apples last non-refrigerated? A week? Or less? Here are some pictures I found that could be a guide for me. But, I love ribbon...would ribbon kill the simpicity of it? Any input here is welcome.

Cuties...

I'm so excited about my little teacher gift I just purchased! We sign up to be in charge of encouraging our teacher one month out of the year by sending them a note or bringing them lunch, etc. So, I signed up for September. Kappa Prep showed these water bottle koozies from Lily Lane Embroidery on her blog not too long ago. So, I ordered a hot pink one with bright yellow initials and a bright yellow polka dot bow on it.



Then, I ordered one of these insulated lunch bags in lemon yellow w/ a hot pink monogram from Two Funny Girls. I thought I'd take her lunch to her one day w/ these cuties!



Speaking of cuties...here's B and his buddy JP after playing in the hose and mud today. They LOVE to play in the mud! They will be in the same class this year. Is that a good thing or a bad thing??? I don't know, but I do know they'll have fun!

I Love the Mountains, I Love the Rolling Hills...

The boys and I have just returned from a fun vacation to Taos, New Mexico. My husband's parents have a place there, so we were able to spend some time with "Bird". She is such a fun grandmother...we are blessed!



One day B and I rode the chairlift up to the top of the mountain where we had a picnic. I thought we'd hike back down, but he really wanted to ride that chairlift some more. So, we just rode it up and down the mountain. We've been reading Cubby in Wonderland and I was so glad that I'd brought it with us. It was the perfect read for that setting. Then the two of us stopped at the Taos Cow for ice cream for heading back home. We had such a sweet time together.

J loved Taos as well. There is the most amazing toy store there called Twirl. It has a backyard area that has a huge climbing playscape, a waterfall feature, and a great sand area. We went there five times during our visit. The boys absolutely loved it. Oh, how I wish Dallas had something like this! The toys they sell are unique and well-made. They have great costumes, too.






One night we roasted marshmallows over a fire (I mean a match b/c we couldn't seem to start a fire). While we were looking forward to cool weather, it was pretty warm the whole time we were there. It did get a little cooler last night, though.

The Taos County Fair was this last weekend. We arrived just in time for the watermelon eating contest, and guess who participated? It was a great effort, but he didn't win this time. We'll have to practice!




We had a great trip, but I was so glad to get home and see my husband. I missed him!

A Little Teary Today

I'm a little sad today. B is now five and going to school this year. These years with him at home have been so precious; I'm really going to miss him. Even though he'll only be gone two days a week, that sweet little chunk of life is coming to a close. I have loved having him at home for five years. I have loved not having to rush him out the door every morning. I have loved having days where we stayed in our jammies all morning and read books. I've loved having every day to explore, discover, and play with him. I'm sad to have to hand over those days. He is so much fun. His world is getting ready to expand. He is getting ready to have a teacher that he will love and adore and hang on her every word. That is good--that is hard. He is going to kindergarten, and his world will be bigger than home, mommy, daddy, and little brother...that is good..that is hard. I'm a little teary today, but I know that the next stage will be even more fun than this...it's just been such a sweet five years and it's hard to say good-bye to the special perks of those.

Inspire the Imagination

I saw one of these in an amazing toy store in New York called Enchanted. I loved it! Think of the hours of imaginative play it would inspire.

Catching Up...

1. We're going to see The Jersey Boys tonight w/ our good friends! I cannot wait to see it again. My husband and I saw it in April in New York w/ my dad and I've been listening to the CD ever since.
2. Two weeks ago, I had to call poison control TWICE!!!! The first time it was because our usually very conscientious exterminator was here but was not so conscientious that day. He left his stuff out on the floor and J got into it...thankfully, none ingested, no damage done. The second time I called that week was because J bit into a glow stick. Let me tell you how humbling it was to call poison control again. But, they said they get that particular call all the time and all was okay. I'm thankful the Lord watches out for these children! That thought seriously comforted me after such a scary week.
3. My husband and I saw the movie Mamma Mia a few weeks ago and loved it.





4. The Shrimp and Grits homeshow is this week, so we're gearing up. I received all of the cute ribbon headbands (for children and adults) and school spirit ponytail ribbons in the mail to sell along w/ the personalized bows, keychains, and ponytail buttons. They are very cute...we usually do well with these. I wish my hair was in a headband stage so that I could wear one of those wide jacquard headbands. My husband isn't looking forward to all of this starting--he calls this twice yearly event "The Week of Neglect". Poor baby.
5. We played a really funny joke on our neighbors last night and are still giggling about it. They, coincidentally, were going to see the matinee of Jersey Boys today. The husband, who is not a fan of musicals, has not been excited about seeing it. I've told him our friendship is all riding on this--if he doesn't like The Jersey Boys, then we cannot be friends w/ him. So, late last night my husband and I snuck over there and shoe-polished all of the windows of his Suburban w/ things like "Jersey Boys Express" and "Frankie Valli Rules". We got an early phonecall this morning when they discovered it.
6. My other extracurricular responsibility (besides the clothing show) involving my five year olds' school has been in high gear and I've been busy with that.
7. I watched "Rumor Has It" the other night on T.V. It was cute--hadn't seen it. I always love Jennifer Anniston. I get so mad at the bad rap she's gotten compared to Brad and Angelina.
8. That is all that I can think of for now...I'm off to get ready for our fun night!

My Favorite Sippy Cups

Boon Fluid No Spill Toddler Cup

I love this cup because it is safe--none of the bad plastic stuff. It only has two parts; I'm not one that has the patience to put four pieces of a cup together--it won't happen. It has a hole in the middle making it easy for a little one to grasp. We get comments all of the time on these, and I'm so glad that I just found them on Target's website!

Best-Ever Pot Roast

Here is a new pot roast recipe. I tried it, and my husband loved it so much he wanted to kiss me!

5-6 pound boneless pot roast (I couldn't find one that big, so I think mine was 4lbs.)
Rub salt, pepper, and flour all over it.
Sear all sides briefly in oil on the stovetop.
Pour out oil and add 2 cans beef broth.
Pour 8 oz. bottle horseradish over the top.
Cover and cook on low(275 degrees) for 6 hours.
Add new potatoes, onions, and carrots and cook another 1 1/2 hours. I salt and peppered those when I put them in.
Oooh..yum!

Summer Field Trips

Today we had one of our summer field trips. At my Creative Homemakers group meeting in May, we all brought our calendars and planned field trips for the summer. The fire station, a tortilla factory, Art Day facilitated by our group's art teacher/enthusiast, blueberry picking (rained out), a football stadium (this Saturday), and the public library all made the docket. Today was the Dallas Public Library--downtown branch. While I'm a huge fan of the Dallas Public Library, I NEVER go to the downtown location; before today, I couldn't have even told you how to get there. We have one precious member who spent her years before having children as a librarian at a local elementary school. She is a great reader--entertaining for all! So, she read to the children for about 45 minutes, then we had the opportunity to check out books. I was amazed by the selection of children's books at the main branch!!! They had all sorts of titles that I had never seen at the branch close to my house. I checked out Don Freeman (author of Corduroy) books that I had never seen before, and many books that I know are out-of-print! I was like a kid in a candy store. It was so much fun. My bag was so heavy when I came out of the library, I had to carry it with both arms and push the stroller with my hips! It was quite a sight. I learned a lesson-- library's main branch--more books--more selection--good stuff.

A Reminder to Me...

Nancy Wilson's Blog, Femina, has a wonderful post called "Building Projects". I encourage you to read it..it is a great reminder of the influence that women have in their home. I find it encouraging, convicting and inspiring. Here is how it starts...

A woman will either be a blessing or a curse to her household: she is either building or demolishing according to Proverbs 14:1. The woman who has wisdom is constructing; the foolish woman who has no wisdom is destroying. There doesn’t appear to be a middle road; a woman is doing one thing or the other. The one results in peace and blessing; the other brings confusion and discord. The home will either be growing in beauty or on its way to becoming a heap of rubble.

Keep reading on to find out what makes the difference...

Friday Favorites...Flipped

Today I want to turn the tables. Many Fridays this summer, I've been having fun making a list of my favorite things. Today, it's your turn. I want to know some of your favorite things. Just make a list on your blog and send me the link or just just use my comments section. Please let me hear from you!!