This is not a picture of the one I made. . .my camera battery seems to be dead. . .but aren't these pretty? And cheap! And easy! This is a great project for all you recessionistas out there, and fun to make with your kids. Get the instructions here, and enjoy!
Hey y'all--my mom has four new listings of her Ella Bella dress currently up on ebay, all one-of-a-kind, all in different sizes. These outfits include 8 different pieces, so your little one can wear the design in multiple ways. They also are virtually "season-less," meaning that depending on which pieces you pair them with, you can wear the design year round. Total bargain in my (unbiased) opinion. ;) Check out this eye-candy:
http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Handmade-4T-OOAK-Girls-Dress-Set_W0QQitemZ190274029518QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item190274029518&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318
http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Handmade-4T-OOAK-Girls-Dress-Set_W0QQitemZ190274283267QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item190274283267&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1318
http://cgi.ebay.com/Boutique-Handmade-3T-OOAK-Girls-Dress-Set_W0QQitemZ190274006896QQcmdZViewItemQQptZLH_DefaultDomain_0?hash=item190274006896&_trksid=p3911.c0.m14&_trkparms=72%3A1205%7C66%3A2%7C65%3A12%7C39%3A1%7C240%3A1308
Hey friends and fam,
My mom has started listing her dress designs on ebay, with this one being the first--check out the link below to see her amazing handiwork:
Click on above image to see a larger version. . .
Did the neighbor's cat finally get his revenge for being squished into our fridge? No, Grant just went to work with his Daddy, and in what was clearly an unsupervised moment, decided to stamp himself all over with red ink--and I do mean all over! He must have had over a hundred stamps on his skin! And that ink doesn't come off all that easy, as he now knows after being scrubbed within an inch of his life. So maybe he won't do that again. But then again, he's 4. . .
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Here are a few of the homes and communities I've been working on.
When your son greets you at the door, covered in dirt, with a handful of flowers he's just yanked out of your garden, and says, "these are for you mom, I love you!", it is your job to kiss him on his grubby cheek, give him a big squeeze, and tell him how much you love him back. Soak up every bit of that sweetness, because I suspect moments like these will happen less and less as he gets bigger. So what if there's a hole in your orderly flower border--I'd take tender mercies like these over landscaping any day! :)
The next-door neighbor's cat had a kitten not too long ago. This has been both a blessing and a curse. A blessing because the kids play with it all the time (letting us off the hook about getting our own pet) and a curse because it keeps sneaking into our house or garage every time the door opens, leaving me to run around screaming and trying to block him from entering--usually when I'm trying to go somewhere, and I'm late, and now I have to spend 5 extra minutes chasing the thing back out. Annoying, to say the least.
Yesterday, Dan was out mowing the lawn, and as a result, the garage was left open for some time. Grant followed him outside to observe all the manly lawn maintenance. When he tired of watching, he went to help himself to a chocolate milk from the outside fridge. I think that was when his little brain was hit with inspiration. . .
Dan finished up not too long after Grant left, and came inside the garage looking for Grant. As he shut the garage door, he turned to Grant:
"Did the cat get in here?"
Grant, sucking down the chocolate milk he knew he should have asked for before consuming, nonchalantly replies, "Nope."
Garage door down and cat safely (according to our four-year-old) not inside, Dan prepares to enter the house.
He stops in his tracks as he hears a small, muffled, "mew!"
"Grant, is the cat in here?! Dan asks again, slightly more concerned.
Grant takes another casual drag from his chocolate milk box before calmly replying, "He's not in the fridge. . ."
Cut to Dan racing to open the fridge to find that, not only is the neighbor's cat in our refrigerator (!), he is shoved into one of the vegetable bins (!!!).
I can only imagine what my reaction would have been if Dan hadn't happened upon this whole scene when he did, and I had been left to find the cat, days later, when I went out to get a new gallon of milk or something. I mean, are we raising a serial killer here, or do other four-year-old's do things like this?!
Too bad we didn't get a picture--that would have been totally inappropriate, I know--but I mean, if the cat wasn't in such obvious distress, it would have been a pretty funny sight to see. I admit, Dan and I did chuckle over the retelling of it (albeit not in front of Grant). And on the bright side, this experience has solved one unpleasant situation--I don't think I'll ever find that cat in my garage again.
Last Saturday, Ted Mason Signature Homes (Dan's partner) sponsored the St. Luke's Women's Celebration, and as a result, Dan got to high five all these women as they came through the finish line. I would have loved (snicker) to have been one of them, but darn it, I had to watch the kids. Notice the umbrellas--it was pouring all morning and Dan got to stand in it in. . . .
. . .a tux. And I say he still looks pretty debonair 
Today my husband went and hired me a maid. Now, some women might take offense at this--"am I not doing a good enough job? Am I inadequate as a wife?" they might ask. Not me. Can I clean a toilet? Sure. I've been known to wield a pumice stone, stick half my body inside that thing, and scrub so hard that the glazing almost comes right off. But not today. Right now there is a team of ladies cleaning my house. That's right--once a month someone else gets to do all of the unpleasant chores I loath doing. Toilets, stove, floors--these ladies are cleaning super heroes! And you know who else is a super hero today? That guy, that handsome devil right up there, my very own partner in crime for the eternities. The man that knows that the way to a gal's heart is not with flowers and chocolates, but with sparkling clean showers. Man, the smell of someone else using the cleaning products turns me on! Come home early hon, I wanna smooch ya!
Doesn't he look the tiniest little bit like one of the Who's from Dr. Suess? I just want to eat that little button nose right off his face. I love love LOVE this sweet boy!
Grant has been waiting all summer for preschool to start again. I opted out of the ward co-op preschool in favor of sending him to a professional preschool I had heard great things about. Grant's teacher is Miss Janice (Atwood). He now goes three times a week for 2 1/2 hours. He totally loves it and loves coming home to show off all the things he learned and made with Miss Janice. Grant is a social butterfly and has already made friends--maybe even a girlfriend! We are hearing a lot about a little girl named Hailey lately. . .
We're so proud of our big boy!
We took the scenic route home from our reunion, driving through Yellowstone park and staying in a condo overnight in West Yellow stone. We thought the kids were a little young for Old Faithful this time around, so we took it easy at the condo, swimming in the pool and watching TV. Tuesday we drove home and made a quick stop at "Craters of the Moon" national park. When we told Grant we were at the moon, he was a little apprehensive about getting out of the car to investigate, thinking it highly possible that a little alien might just pop up from behind a rock and zap him with his laser beams ("that's what happens on the Buzz Lightyear ride at Disney Land!" he said). We assured his that this wasn't really the moon, but a lava flow. He happily got out of the car and found himself a good specimen of moon rock to take home for preschool sharing time.
After the updates were through, Grandma and Grandpa bore their testimonies to us. It was a sweet experience and a fitting end to the reunion. I sure wish we were able to see each other more often!
Grandma ends the fireside with more give-aways--this time a bear for each grandchild. No fighting please!
With the spiritual part of the evening all wrapped up, it was time to play and enjoy each other's company just a little longer.
Papa tries out a new curly hairstyle a la Ella
"Up high, down low, too slow!" This may be Ella's new favorite game (and note the aforementioned gold-velvet couch!)
Georgia has accumulated a lot of things over the years, and especially books. I can't remember how many titles she said she had, but I do know there are enough that they require a kind of Dewey Decimal System to keep track of them all. Ella took full advantage of this treasure-trove of knowledge (notice the book is upside down)!
The reunion just wouldn't be complete without killer hearts and 7 up and down. No having fun people--this is serious!
Ella and Grant made fast friends with all of the great-grand kids. We found these cute girls (Daisy, McKenzie, and Ella) playing dollies and house atop the green shag.
It was truly a great trip with some great folks. We hope it won't take another 10 years for us all to get together again. We love you crazy Canadians!
Saturday was spent preparing a feast of dainty sandwiches and desserts for the party celebrating Georgia and Norm's 60th wedding anniversary, Georgia's 80th birthday, and Norm's 85th birthday. Many milestones indeed. We are thankful for Grandma and Grandma's committment to each other and for the legacy of love they have passed on to us.
After the big party we had dinner as a family and enjoyed the vocal stylings of uncle Scott--a rare treat. The kids jumped in the bouncy castle and enjoyed their treats from the fishing pond. And I enjoyed the introduction to a little confection called the Nanaimo bar--this little bit of brownie, frosting, and chocolate heaven is named after the city where it was invented (Nanaimo, BC) and available at the local Canadain Costco (why, Mr. Costco, don't we have them here?!). I thank you, and my hips thank you.
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