Ben's 3rd Birthday Bash, take one

So, I have gotten a little behind on the ole blog lately, so I am trying my darndest to get it updated to share some photos of a great little three year old. Birthdays only get better as kids get older- right? Seriously, I feel this privilege will be very fleeting, so I decided to jump in with abandon, and have a "Fish Party" as Ben requested. His actual birthday is on Nov. 25- which is when he will have yet anoter super-sized "Fish Party" at Sea World with his grandparents in Tampa. Bob Bob and Ju Ju - look out! Here we come! Anyway, the party was loads of fun, and Maddie miraculously slept through the entire thing! I had lots of help from my dear mom- Dee Dee, so everything went off without a hitch! Well except for the fact that I didn't think to check my camera battery - which had conveniently died! and, I forgot to serve the fish cookies - which were homemade by golly! I am looking forward to letting these memories live thru the photos! By the way, Grotons Fish sticks are pretty good!

If you were a guest, Ben loved his toys! You are much too generous!

Halloween Fun Young and Old

Ok, Halloween has come and gone. Maddie had her first trick or treat experience, and she buzzed around as a bee, whereas Ben quacked while he trick or treated. Halloween these days is fun- and it is drawn out too! Between Fall Festivals, and now with the advent of "Trunk or Treat" we are covered in too much candy, but we get lots of mileage out of those costumes! Todd and I even ventured out for some halloween fun thanks to my fellow preschool moms. Boy do they know how to have a good time! Many thanks to Allyson for hosting the Murder Mystery soiree. Since our photo might not be very self-explanatory, we were characters in the murder mystery. Todd was Puck (the prankster) and I was Guinevere (Arthur's trophy wife) thus the trophy around my neck. Many thanks to my 12 year old neighbor who loaned me the hardware. Todd wore a mullet; you know, business in the front, party in the back. Well, I have to say, Halloween is inching up as one of my more favorite holidays.
Here we are at the "Trunk or Treat" at Ben's preshcool. It was a great event for families, and the kids loved it. Although Ben doesn't look thrilled in the photo- truth is, he had just gotten up from a long Sunday afternoon nap! He loved the games and the trick or treating from car trunks! Only in America.












Halloween Night was not so frightful. We had fun visiting with a few neighbors. Candy? What candy?

It's About Time You Updated the Blog!

Ok- I am way way behind! When you throw a little travel into the ole schedule, I get all out of sorts, and lose the will to blog- but I am back, so all two of my readers can rest easy. I am sure you all are ready to see the latest photos. These are from a few weeks ago when some fellow moms and myself took the kids to the Museum of Appalachia for their homecoming. It was a great time had by all, and the weather was pristine. A perfect Fall day in East Tennessee! This is the 27th annual Homecoming- so it is a pretty big deal! This is a great place to visit any time of the year, but this event included various musicians and historical stuff that didn't so much impress the little ones as it did us moms. The fresh apple cider was my favorite. And the moms did partake in some awesome fair-like food. (have you ever seen ribbons of spiraled potatoes deep fried?) Well they rock. Anyway, I digress- here are some great shots.

Maddie Discovers Sweet Potatoes!

I just thought these photos were too cute to pass up. Maddie is such a great baby. Sweet potatoes seem to be her mashed food of choice these days. She is warming up to the idea of eating baby food, although she does love that bottle!

Fall Easy Art Project

With Fall in the air, I was looking for some way to bring it in the house...with Ben's help. This is a really easy project that takes very few supplies. It started on Friday, while on a walk, Ben and I started collecting leaves, trying to find all different colors and shapes. Ben had fun, and Maddie looked on! Anyway, I had recently purchase a 8" wide role of art paper at a local school supply store, so I rolled it out across the table, and let Ben (with my help) glue on the leaves. I then took it to a local Kinkos and had it laminated fo $3! I had intended it to be placemats, but because I did not pre cut the placemats, I just decided to make it into a runner. Or, in the meantime, a window treatment! Ha! Anyway, I thought it turned out great! It will be interesting to see if they colors last. As for now, we are enjoying God's artwork in our home!

Time to Blog Daddy! & All Things Orange

What a great week we have had here at the homestead. Today was a particularly great day. The morning started off with cool weather and a breakfast outing to Court Cafe. This is a very old diner that smells just like my Grandmother's kitchen. From there, we went to the "pumpkin patch" where Ben excitedly helped pick out pumpkins for my latest project.

Dad helped greatly today, as I wanted to get some semblance of Fall on my doorstep and in my flowerbeds. I have these great iron rods that fit into a planter, to created this crazy stack of potted plants

I had always envisioned pumpkins stacked on these with drilled holes and filled with christmas lights. If you can't see it yourself, here is the end project;

But, I wanted to note some great "Daddy" moments today that I caught on film. Todd really is a stellar Dad and Ben and Maddie are in for some great times ahead. He knows that all Ben really wants is undivided attention or the opportunity to help "build" something. Even though our nerves get strained now and then, Dad enjoys being Dad- and it shows!

The day was peppered with classic boy moments, as Ben discovered a worm, and brought it to show me.

So many beautiful moments to be thankful for. I simply love days like this.

Ben's Art Project

In the mind of my 3 year old, Crayola Crayons are built for one specific purpose- breaking in half. He occasionally likes to color, although he likes markers better. I even went so far as to buy the "twisty" crayons that twist out of a plastic holder. To no avail, he still is not interested in coloring; painting, yes "I like to slap the paint" he says. Recently I had tired of throwing away bits of crayolas when I came across an idea in one of my favorite publications, Family Fun Magazine. I actually recently purchased two compilation books of Family Fun Craft ideas. So, this is not an original idea, much to my chagrin. I simply took the broken crayons, peeled off the paper cover, and melted them in foil lined muffin tins. Here is the outcome

The Feeling of Accomplishment!

Ok, I know I have been very behind on the old blog here- by the way is anyone really reading? I have been having a great week- the hubby is actually home every night- stellar! So, life is really good. Two weeks ago, I finished something that I am most proud of, because it was a labor of love. I did a photo book as a cookbook of some of my Grandmother's best recipes. About a monnth ago, I traveled to my Grandparents' home and got to take the photos and then feast on the subject matter- what a treat! The end product turned out great! I used www.ofoto.com which is also www.kodakgallery.com . I know many sites offer this service, but I have always used kodak, and I am really pleased with the outcome.














The website gives choice of cover and there are about 10 layout choices for photos. I just used the blank page for the recipes. There are so many other creative things to do with this service, like kids books, birthday books, etc. The final cost- to my door was 33 dollars, so I think it was well worth it for a great keepsake. I can't wait to show it to Grandma.

Report to Board of Directors

If I were working- which I am, technically, I would probably be required to do some sort of report to show that my time was being well spent. So I guess you could say, that this is my report of sorts. Ok, old habits die hard. Just trying to keep my market share at the top, and my customers happy. In my case, I have two of the best customers going- Ben and Maddie. So, in an attempt to celebrate, I will now recap some highpoints of the week so far (it is only Wednesday, for goodness sake!)

Well, the week started strong, with Dad leaving town. Just kidding, Dad. Anyway, with that in mind I set out to quickly call my friend, Jennifer and ask her if her daughter, aka Ben's favorite play buddy, to come over for a morning of great times. She graciously brought over half of her clan and Ben and Kaeley had a real fun time.

After riding around the dining room and kitchen- Vroooom! Ben and Kaeley helped me make bird feeders with pine cones. Remember doing this in Girl Scouts? Anyway, I thought it sounded like a good idea, Ben just thought the peanut butter was tasty. Ben does enjoy watching the birds- which was the end result of hanging the feeders.

So, where is Maddie during all this fun? She is watching and loves laughing at her brother. She is really growing and changing. It is not so apparent to me, but when I look back at photos, realize how time flies. A milestone happened today with Maddie- she sat up on her own. For just a little while, but it was long enough to snap a few photos. Paw Paw should be happy to see that Froggie is getting a second round! Maddie loves it. Something of note this week is that Maddie is having a day with Miss Kim on Tuesdays so mommy can get some much needed "alone" time. 5 hours of sanity repairing, and a possible lunch with friends or dental appointment. Also, we all made it to BSF this week, and thanks to Miss Lori, Maddie gets more excellent one-on-one care. So, for all you moms out there- we've got no time for guilt, only balance. So, there you have it. The weather is unbelievably gorgeous this time of year here in E. Tennessee! Dad - we are looking forward to your return tonight! We hope that if you are reading this in an airport somewhere that it is not during a delayed flight. Godspeed.

Peace.

My Life So Far

Ok, some weeks, really, most weeks, Life is GOOD! Fall is creeping into East Tennessee, and that is typically good. As I have said before, the key to happiness with a toddler who has a 5 month old sister, is a good schedule. Because preschool is back in as is BSF, we are cruising thru our "work-week" and having fun to boot. Monday started right out of the blocks, as we visited Paul and Mary Ann. Many thanks to them for showing us hospitality and lots of love. Paul treated Ben to some time in his workshop, and I feel very honored for my son to be under his tutelage. He still talks about Mr. Paul. He was ready to "go to work" the rest of the day.





Mary Ann was a pro at getting Maddie settled down, as she has had a little experience raising 5 kids and all!













So, many thanks to these fine folks- you make me feel loved, and my kids are so lucky to have you in their lives!!
Tuesday went off without a hitch as Ben went to preschool, and we had a great afternoon playing and then to the dollar store, where he got one dollar for not taking his shoes off all day- this is what I am reduced to, bribery! Anyway, Maddie is an amazingly good baby, and bedtime is not a problem for her, so when I am here solo, as I am this week, she makes evenings a little easier; Ben, not so much. Although the bedtime thing is getting better. Lots better. We are starting much earlier, which seems to be the ticket to a good night's sleep.

So, that brings me to tonight. So Dad, if you are reading, I hope you enjoy these photos while you are away.

It's Pizza Night!

Tonight I was feeling adventurous and wanted something activity oriented...so we made pizza, Southern Style! We used frozen biscuits, rolled them out and dressed them up. Now because the Jello poeple haven't called, I figure the Prego people will be next. Ben was literally eating this sauce out of the jar

Maddie got into the action too, and helped us put on the cheese.

I have to say, these pizzas were really tasty, but not the healthiest way to eat pizza! But isn't that the point? Maddie has started eating cereal now, little by little, so she had to pass on the pizza.

Ok, so there you have it, my blogging fix! Now, lets get some much needed sleep!

Harvest and Helmet Time in Tennessee

OK, I know everyone (all two of you who read this) are probably wondering whatever happened to the sunflower...well, we picked it, and we are going to roast the seeds...does anyone have any tips?













And how about my son's love of helmets? His Dee Dee recently purchased this jewel (actually he picked it out) at the dollar store. He has gone thru many-a-helmet style in his young life, so I thought I would review.... Here he is with his Grandpa Bob, aka Bob Bob. This Atlanta Braves helmet (purchased at a church rummage sale for 50 cents) has been his official favorite! It is now one half of a helmet, as Ben liked to throw it in the air and watch it crash to the ground. He still wears it all the time.

Although this helmet was almost a year ago! (last Halloween) I believe it is what started his fascination with helmetry (is that a word?)