Darling Daughters

Hello everyone! Not much new to report for now. Here is a long awaited view of our middle girl playing her violin. I didn't think about the fact that it would come out sideways once I played it on the computer, so just have a little giggle on me while you turn your laptop on end, or watch this clip sideways. Enjoy!





Also, here are a couple pics of babygirl tonight. I was so awestruck by the awesome-ness of her post shower curls, I had to go grab the camera before tucking her in.



Yesterday, the girls came with me to the Farmgirls meeting, and we went to a Spinning class at the Foothills Academy in nearby Duvall. It was so cool! We learned how to make yarn from wool roving (basically, brushed raw wool) with a spindle. Its very simple, but somehow very satisfying! Middle girl has found a new passion, and she is my little fiber fiend in the making, loving anything to do with yarn, knitting, crochet, etc. She is spinning her little heart out, and it warms my heart. I bet Anna is going to post some of her fabulous photos from the class soon, since she and her girls were there too.

Until next time,

Daddy's home

And all is right with the world....









Hope everyone has a great week! And remember, BE the blessing...

Randomness

We're crawling out from under the rock of 3 rounds of the stomach flu (me, babygirl and big girl), and the man is in the Los Angeles for 4 days adding to his real estate guru-ness. Did you know that he is a real estate guru? Well, he is. We miss him greatly. I'm very proud of him. He'll be home tomorrow, and then I'm taking a looooong bubble bath. I don't have too much to share right now. I'm generally happy. But honestly, today and yesterday, I've been mostly grumpy. I'm sure it will pass uh, in a few days, if you know what I mean. Ahem.

Anyhoo, I haven't taken too many pics lately, but here are a few I forgot about that I found on my camera today.

I call this, "Tomatoes from My Garden, Glistening in Morning Sunshine" (too much?)





Here's one I like to call, "Cute Moment with Babygirl Playing with Ball of Yarn, Not Quite in Focus"




Here's one (ok, two) that I call "Babygirl in Bathtub, Not Quite in focus and With Too Much Digital Noise, Because I Don't Exactly Know What I'm Doing With My Camera." Still, very cute babygirl!
Oh, and babygirl pooped in said bathtub tonight. :) Don't tell her I told you.

Happy Birthday, Ponchito!

That's what they called him in the song last night at the restaurant, and it made us all giggle, and that includes pretty much the whole restaurant. I bet you just giggled too! :) I tried to look it up online to see what it means, and the official Spanish translator didn't recognize it.(I think maybe that's a bad sign) Other, googled answers came up with "cheap dive/Mexican restaurant", "belly", and uh, other things too. SO, Happy Birthday to my love, my partner in life (and crime), my very best friend. Ponchito!!

And anyone recognize this child??




Yes, that's Lil Ponchito himself, circa 1974 or so. Or is that our youngest daughter, aka babygirl herself? Weird, huh??!

And if there are any spanish translators out there, and know that this is actually some kind of dirty word... just let us stay in the dark, ok? Let us enjoy the giggles!

In a word, me

I made this here.

My Latest Thoughts and Stuff

Hey y'all, just thought I'd check in, and give you a peek into what's going on in my little world and mind lately.

• I love Fall.

• Soccer is not so bad.

• I am going to stop biting my fingernails. Again.

• I might get a tattoo. (gasp! I know! I want one, 'cause I'm crazy like that)

• I love it when hubby man makes a fire in the fireplace. It makes me feel all safe and "schmoopy". I especially like it when he does it with his hat on backwards. He's extra cute that way.
  

• I'm going to knit more, and actually learn how to do things that aren't just rectangles! I made a new friend at the Farmgirls meeting last week (we learned how to make cheese!), and she's going to be my knitting mentor. I'm going to be her chicken mentor. (who'd a thought I'd be a chicken mentor?!)

• I'm learning about this out-there, "woo-woo" thing called the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), which is a pretty straightforward acupressure technique to help with all kinds of physical and emotional issues. I'm learning that its not that out there or woo-woo, and that I think it works, and the mind/body connection is an amazing thing. Ok, its still a little woo-woo.
  

• I love not homeschooling. (there, I said it out loud.) Homeschooling is great for a lot of people. Regular school is great for me.

• I love to read, and yet I don't do it very often. I check out a lot of books from the library, but then just leave them in a pile next to my bed or on the coffee table, and look at them. I love knowing I have a pile of books at hand, in case I get inspired to step away from the computer!

• Right now, I'm not that great at keeping up with this blog, or getting my camera out to capture all the ordinary, wonderful moments, people, and things around me. But, I promise I'll keep at it.
  

soccer, and birthdays and dolls, oh my

I'm back, sorry its been awhile. Its been a whirlwind week of non-stop soccer action, a birthday party, and my most challenging craft project yet, all whilst dear hubby was out of town! Whew! I don't have anything too profound, or silly to share this time.(please forgive my last post, and that you had to look at it for so long...I was in a silly mood...which isn't that unusual actually...but still...) Soooo....let's just get right to the photos!

Ok, I can't even believe that my biggest girl just turned 9!! How did that happen? She decided to "go retro" too for her birthday and we found ourselves at Skate King again, and you know, you just can't get enough Skate King. Happy is she who has her birthday at Skate King. And really, the giant skate is enough to make anyone smile.






And smile she did....



Which brings me to the week of complicated doll making! I've decided to make as many handmade gifts as possible for as long as the spirit moves me, so I asked her to look through a few magazines I have and pick something. I was thinking maybe she'd pick a cute little apron, or maybe a quilt similar to the one I just made for her sister. No, no....she picked a "topsy-turvy Little Red Riding Hood doll", which is from MaryJanesFarm Magazine, Artists in Aprons issue. Which means, that with the skirt one way, it looks like Little Red Riding Hood, but if you flip the skirt up, then it looks like Grandma, and if you turn Grandma around to the back, it looks like the wolf in Grandma's clothes. yikes. So, I immediately told her I couldn't do it. Its too hard. And then I proceeded to try....And....TA-DA!!




Ha! I did it! It actually turned out pretty well, and she was totally surprised and says she loves it, so mission accomplished! I can't believe that the whole sewing thing is actually not that hard. Its kinda like cooking, if you get a good recipe, and learn a few vocabulary words, and follow the directions, it usually comes out ok.

We've got soccer out the wazoo these days, and I'd have lots of pictures of big and middle girls last game, except that it was pouring down rain and cold, so I wasn't much in the mood for picture taking. I have to admit though, it is kind of cool how so much of our community is out at these games on any given night, you see so many people you know, and the kids absolutely love it, so I guess I can't complain too much.



And, I just have to say, I am so loving my new time and freedom with 2 big girls in school full days, and the boy in preschool 3 mornings a week. I LOVE spending my afternoons with just my boy. He's had so few chances to just be himself without the influence and competition for time and attention from his sisters, that its just so refreshing to be able to have a conversation and hang out with him and give him my undivided attention each afternoon. We've been playing "baseball" every afternoon that the weather allows, and he is quite a good little batter, and I've been named the best pitcher in the world several times this week. I've also started taking babygirl to Musikgarten class each week, which is a time I also treasure. Again, here is a child who has pretty much never had time away from her siblings, (who all adore her by the way), and its so interesting to see her just totally shine in her own way in this class. She participates with total abandon and just loves it. I love being able to spend this time with her and get to know her in a way I have not been able to before. I feel like I'm really moving into a new phase right now, and I have to say it feels pretty good. For the first time in almost 10 years, I am not pregnant and/or nursing someone. Wow! I feel myself finding "me" again, and I'm pretty happy about that. Hubby is pretty happy about that too. :)

I'm about to start a new knitting project, as the weather feels more like knitting weather all of a sudden. The air is quite crisp, and the rain is starting. And I'm sitting in front of this right now...



I am loving the season I'm in.