Day 31

   I did it!!! I posted every day this month!!!

I learned a few things during this challenge...

My husband is even more competitive than I am!  Well, I guess I already knew that but he really didn't want to see me fail this project. A couple of times he had to drag me kicking and screaming make sure that I posted for the day.  Love him. ♥

I have a new appreciation for those people who post every day.  It can be a lot of work and I think I might get burnt out or either run out of things to say.

My mom is sad to see this challenge end.  She really doesn't get sick of seeing her grand kids every day (imagine that)!  I will do my best to post more regularly, Mom. :-)

All in all, I'm happy I did it and I might even have to come up with something else to challenge myself with on the blog.  Does anyone have some great ideas?!

 This is how we put Jack to bed every night. 

 He knows the routine...fan, blankets, bunny bear and book all snuggled up in his chair.

I leave you with a picture of my first cut hydrangeas of the season, my favorite!

Day 30

Today...

* We made banana chocolate chip muffins.  Yum.

* I bottled up my liquid soap. My father-in-law's homemade lemon soap is my ultimate favorite. This is my attempt to make it last longer since we seem to fly through the bars.

* We cleaned bathrooms complete with a freshly laundered inner shower curtain. I shared my love (ahem) for cleaning showers here. Don't worry my little shadow watched how I do it and he got to play in the water so, I am pretty sure he will be cleaning it for me next time! A girl can dream, right?!

* Jack mastered the art of blowing bubbles and cooked up some rose petal and mulch soup. Ella just wished she could get her hands on the bubbles.

* I made a mental note to make new cushions for the patio chairs. Now if I can only find some outdoor fabric that I like. Did you know we have no Joann Fabrics here?  Very sad.

* Speaking of fabric, I am getting excited to make some quilts with my mother-in-law for the kids! I am in love with this fabric!

 Riveting stuff, I know. Who knew my life was so...normal. :-)

Day 29

We had a beautiful morning here.  There was a warm breeze and a shady spot to play and relax.

I gave Jack various things full of water and the squirt bottle was his favorite.

Everything in his path got a good spray including me a couple of times!

He even sprayed a small section a few times that formed a shape.  He looked at it and told me it was a badge.  Sure enough, it did look like a police badge!  This is the same kid that told me his piece of popcorn looked like a bunny and it really did.  He has a good eye. ;-)

Day 28

Happy Memorial Day!

Little Miss Ella was full of funny faces today...

the Miss Pris face

the "Mom, you are a riot" face

Then I tried Jack and Ella together...it didn't get any better!

Yeah right, Mom!

Then an ambulance was heard in the distance and Jack's full attention was on that and...

Ella was concerned whether I was shooting her best side or not... kids, you gotta love them!

 Dad with his 2 crazy kids!

Day 27

Where we live there are many beautiful kinds of roses blooming.

I have taken lots of pictures of Jack in that gazebo but I don't think I have ever shown you the flowers that surround it.  The gazebo has been a welcome addition to our complex.  We enjoy stopping there to relax on our walks or when we get the mail.

It is good to remember and enjoy the nice parts about where we live when sometimes all you can see are the negative parts.  We will have a bigger place one day where our kids can run around without being surrounded by parking lots.  Where we are free to to put some of our dreams into reality.  

 

Until then,  I will remember to look at the beauty and thank God for the home He has for us right now.

Day 26

I have no Instagram photo today but don't worry I took some with my camera.  We went to a Percheron (draft horse) Show that was in the field behind Seth's parent's house. It was a very hot day but it was really neat to see these strong horses up close and watch them work.  I wish we could have stayed longer to see more but the horses and my kids were hot and both needed a break.  We got to enjoy a delicious lunch together and visit for a while too.  Such a nice day!

 My little hot babies!

The horses pulled some different wagons and we enjoyed our ride.
It was a little bumpy so Jack held my hand tightly!

The ride was very relaxing for Ella too.
I think if we made one more pass she would have fallen asleep!

I thought the guy that was plowing was going to get taken down with the plow...they are very powerful!  It puts a whole new perspective on a scene from the movie War Horse.
Excellent movie, by the way. ☺

 Jack is on a big animal kick so this was very fun for him!

This is right about at Jack's height. 

I thought this was cute because it looks like Ella is signing I love you!

The kids enjoyed lots of snuggles and laughter back in the cool house.
Fun times...we will have to try to go again next year!

May 25

The weather felt like summer here and we were all happy to enjoy a nice sweet dessert at the end of the day.  I made some biscuits and whipped cream and we had some delightful strawberry shortcake. ♡

May 24

During dinner tonight, Ella was hysterical!  Jack just needed to look in her direction and she would burst out laughing.  We had a lot of fun making her laugh. Baby giggles are the best! 

Notice how she has her toy ring up over arm.  She keeps doing that with her toys and I think maybe she is just trying to accessorize her outfits!  I think we might have a girly girl on our hands! ♥

Day 23

We had a fun family day picking strawberries!

Jack had a blast again this year.  He loved the tractor ride, running up and down our aisle and of course eating as many strawberries as he could!  Ella sat in her seat and just watched us.  I'm sure she will be following her brother's lead next year.

We ended up being the last people in the patch and the owner let Jack sit on the tractor!  This was very exciting, of course!

Seth's parents live near the strawberry patch so, we stopped in to say hello and ended up staying all afternoon.  Thankfully, mom helped us wash, cut and vacuum seal the strawberries we wanted to freeze.  When we got home we made a batch of jam.  I am looking forward to using the rest for some yummy desserts.  Oh, how I love strawberries!

We had only been there a few moments and his fingers were already red!

The owner commented on her perfect strawberry picking outfit! ;-)

It was very hard to get his attention so I could get a picture of his face.
 He was so busy checking it all out!

Ella flashed me a smile while we waited for Dad to pay.

BIG wheels, little boy.

Now, I'm already thinking about picking blueberries!

Day 22

After a 7 day stretch of work for Seth, we are all a little tired around here.  We enjoyed a good dinner of meatloaf and potatoes, comfort food.  

After a year of not being sick, I started to feel sinus pressure yesterday.  I have been taking extra garlic and the few herbs that I can take while nursing.  Hopefully, this cold won't stick around.

After a long day,  it is nice to know that I can relax with my husband and I'm thankful he has the next 3 & 1/2 days off.  I'm also thankful that God has it all figured out. We can always put our trust in Him.

Day 21

Oh boy, I almost forgot to post a picture today! 

Nothing too exciting going on around here.  Just random Monday-ness.

I turned around to see Jack was over in his little craft corner cutting little strips in his paper.

 I was impressed!

I actually got out the scissors for him to try about a month ago but, I realized that it was just too involved for him.  So, I just stuck them in his colored pencils jar to use at a later time.

He told me "open and close" while he demonstrated his new abilities.  He looked very happy with himself!  It really is fun to watch them change and grow.

Jack 30 months

Good job, buddy boy!

Day 20

Today Ella turned 5 months!

A lady at church told me today that she couldn't believe she is that old already and it does seem like time is flying by.  I guess kids have a way of doing that to people.

 * She squeals with delight and blows raspberries!

 * She is grabbing at more things too.  

 * She actually grabbed the 5 month sign and crunched it up today.  Lil' Stinker!

 * She had her 1st cooked egg yolk the other day and loved it. It won't be long now!

 * She lights up when she sees one of us which makes us feel pretty special. 

We love you Ella Grace!

Happy 5 months! ♥

Day 19

What a beautiful Saturday!

While Seth is at a school this weekend, I have been doing my best to stay busy (which isn't too hard!).

After Ella's morning nap, we headed out to the bank, the thrift store to make a donation, some garage sales, the dairy and to get the Saturday newspaper.

Our new sit-and-stand stroller worked great at the garage sales.  People were commenting on it and how well behaved my kids were being.  That is always nice to hear as you are sweating bullets heaving the stroller up hills and making sure the brakes lock so my kids don't roll back down the hill while I look at their items.  I also got my first "how old is he?" comment about Ella.  I knew I should have put a bow on her head before we left!

Since it was dairy day,  I decided to tap into my inner Ma Ingalls and make some butter with our fresh cream.  I almost feel like I cheated since I just poured the cream into the KitchenAid and let it work while I ate my lunch! It has been awhile since I have made butter but it really isn't that hard and I don't know why I don't do it more.  Maybe the fact that we were out of it the other day got me thinking about what people would do if they didn't have a Costco or grocery store to run to when they needed something.  There is also something to be said for fresh local food instead of the bland nutrient-lacking store bought food.  Just saying.

Now we have some lovely buttermilk as well.  I'm thinking pancakes are necessary!  By the way, you can make butter just by shaking cream in a jar.  It would be a fun summer project to do with your kids and with some yummy results at the end! Check it out!  We enjoyed our butter on some homemade strawberry muffins.  I am trying to use up last year's strawberries because the plan is to go strawberry picking next week.  Mmmm, now I'm thinking about fresh whipped cream and strawberries.♥

Day 18

Bedroom overhaul 1st stage

Looks like a big mess, huh?  

Today, I took everything out from under the bunk beds and gave it a thorough vacuuming. Jack was in his glory with a screwdriver and later turning that space into some sort of jungle gym.

I went through all of my various bags of fabric and crafting materials during nap time and it is much more organized now. I listed some items on Craigslist including the rose bedding that used to be on these beds.  I hope I get some takers!  We are trying to get this space set up for Jack.  Once Ella is consistently sleeping through the night we will move her to the crib and they will share this room.

So, be looking for more updates of their bedroom space.  I have lots of ideas taking up space in my brain and I need to get them in the works!

Day 17

Today we worked on making a new dishwasher powdered soap.

It involved a lot of grating, pounding and grinding and the little guy was happy to help.

I decided to save the liquid hand soap recipe for another day since it will require a lot of grating.

Hopefully, this will be a wonderful alternative to store bought dishwasher soap.

Day 16

I made a big bowl of popcorn for snack today.  We had a popcorn picnic!

We LOVE popcorn.

This actually has no butter in it (not that we are against butter, we were just out of it) and it was really good.  We cook our popcorn in coconut oil and then we add salt and nutritional yeast.

We are new to nutritional yeast.  It adds a slight cheese flavor + health benefits to an already healthy snack.  I'm all for that.

Jack loves popcorn too but he just had to finish his puzzle first. :-)

Day 15

Today I had the pleasure of doing some thrift store shopping.  

I hit 3 stores in a 2 hour span. 

I looked for clothes for me but I always end up with something for the kids.

I got some immediate needs and some birthday gifts as well...

Pink crib sheet (The picture doesn't do it justice. It is actually quite new looking.)

Basket for Jack's vehicles

School Bus book (he loves it!)

A floor puzzle for his birthday

Ravensburger puzzle 

He won't be ready for this one yet but I couldn't pass up a firetruck puzzle plus, I love this company's quality games and puzzles.

Milly-Molly-Mandy Book

I have heard good things about these stories and was happy to find it. 

Has anyone ever read these stories?

Clothes for me? Maybe next time.

Day 14

2 out of 3 people looking towards the camera isn't bad!

Today we celebrated Mother's Day.  Seth handled all the meals and we just hung out as a family.  It was nice and relaxing and we even all got a nap!

I'm so thankful for these kiddos and all that they teach me about being a mom.

I love them to pieces.

They definitely are my little blessings.

Day 13

Mothers are special people.

Here are just a few things about my Mom that put a smile on my face...

1. She is an amazing crafting lady.  Whether it was sewing us (or our dolls) clothes, stamping cards, paper crafting of any sort or even doing our hair.  She has some serious skills!

2. She loves her cats! We always had a cat when I was growing up and no matter how silly, grumpy, frustrating or crazy they were she has a special place in her heart for those felines...and always will.

3. She knows how to have fun!  She would play rousing card games, take us swimming, play badminton, turn mini vacations into wonderful adventures, dress Barbies with us and watch our silly homemade performances. True love.

4. She can whistle really loud! No matter where we were, if we heard that familiar whistle we knew to come right away. I need to learn to whistle like that.

5. She took me shopping and endured my overly penny-pinching ways.  She even bought me a calzone while she listened to me explain the pros and cons of making the purchase. True patience.

6. She created holiday traditions that bring such fond memories that I want to recreate them for my own family.

  Thanks for your great example, Mom and for being such a wonderful Gammy.  

Happy Mother's Day to our wonderful Moms!

We Love You! ♥

Day 12

This is a common place to see Jack throughout the day.  You all know he loves Curious George but his new thing is to listen to the audio version of the stories too.  I think audio books, both classics and christian, are going on his gift list this year. We like the fact that he really enjoys books and we want to keep introducing him to new ones. 

What are (or were) some of your kid's favorite books?

Day 11

We had another sewing day and it was Ella's turn to be the happy recipient. 

I put together 2 new bibs for her and was quite surprised and thrilled that they went off without a hitch!  Except, for an emergency run to the Walmarts for some Velcro it was quite enjoyable.  We called it an adventure because a.) going to the Walmarts is always an adventure and 2.) I'm proud of myself for getting everyone ready, out the door and back again before someone needed a nap or food.  Thankfully, we got in and out with no problems and with some new peach tea to try!  

Side note: I read a funny blog post the other day about the Walmarts and she is the reason I call it that now.  It just seems appropriate. For your reading enjoyment! Funny, right?

Anyway, it was another fun day of sewing.  I have to decide if there is anything else I want to make because I sort of need my dining room back.  Oh a craft room, I'm dreaming about you now.