House of Estrogen

Simple Woman's Daybook, April 26, 2010

For Today...

Outside my window... the rhodedendron in the backyard is packed full of gorgeous blooms.

I am thinking... that our weekend was so quiet and peaceful with only two kids. Elise was gone on her Girl Scout trip all weekend, and reducing the number of kids by 30% seemed to reduce the chaos by about 60%. I love having her back, but the quieter, simpler weekend was a nice change of pace.

I am thankful for... my neck feeling a lot better after my bad muscle spasms on Thursday and Friday. My forehead and nose are still sore from my fall, but overall I'm feeling much better.

From the kitchen... buffalo chicken bake, salad, and wheat bread.

I am wearing... a nightshirt.

I am creating... hopefully a bedroom and breakfast nook with new furniture.

I am going... to High Point, NC, furniture shopping today! Yea!

I am reading... I finished The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain yesterday just in time for book club on Wednesday.

 I am hoping... that I can find a hairbrush today. This weekend, I was reduced to brushing my hair one day with a Barbie hairbrush and another day with an American Girl hairbrush. That's House of Estrogen life for you.

I am hearing... J.C. fixing breakfast for Nina and Addie.

Around the house... we did a lot of cleaning over the weekend, so it actually looks pretty tidy around here.

One of my favorite things... the ice cream truck has started coming down into my cul-de-sac, and she gives me a frequent-customer-discount!

A few plans for the rest of the week.... book club for me on Wednesday, and the girls have a snow make-up day for school on Saturday.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... mmm... fettucine alfredo

 
  

   To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

Hardwood Floors are Called Hard for a Reason

I get muscle spasms in my neck on occassion. I'm never sure if it caused by stress, or a movement in the wrong direction, but when they are bad, they are really bad. I'm typically down for the count for several days completely immobile because any movement hurts. Last night, about 1:00 a.m., I rolled over in bed, and BAM! I suddenly couldn't move my neck without searing pain. I got up and chose a pain pill based on which one didn't have a "take with food" label on it because I wasn't sure I could make it downstairs to get food. I stayed up for a little while until the medicine took effect and then went back to bed. About 3 a.m., I woke up again in pain and decided to go downstairs to watch TV. While I was down there, I started feeling nauseous (lesson learned... if a pain pill doesn't have a "take with food" label on it, take it with food anyway), so I started walking toward the bathroom. Next thing I knew, I was flat on the floor, my nose throbbing, and JC was racing down the stairs asking if I was OK. Apparently he heard the thud of my 5'10 whale of a body crashing to the floor when I passed out, landing face first on the hardwoods. Ouch. My arms were under me and had apparently not been used to break my fall at all. My bruised, swollen nose took care of that. He gave me a cracker, and after a few minutes, I sat up. Then, I have no memory of this, but according to J.C., I started falling in the other direction, sort of shaking while falling making him think I was having a seizure. I just remember waking up again with my face plastered to the floor (this time my cheek taking the brunt of it) with him yelling at me, "Talk to me or I'm calling 911!"  I responded, apparently in enough of a cognizant way that he decided we would survive without the ambulance. He helped me over to the couch where I slept most of the rest of the night, but I'm looking and feeling a bit beat up today. When I talked to my pharmacist friend, she said, "Yeah, that drug is a 'stuck in bed not going anywhere drug, not a get up and walk around drug.'"  I wish the doctor who prescribed it had told me that. Clearly the getting up and walking around part didn't go so well for me. My neck is beginning to recover, but now I look as if I've been in a fight. Hardwood floors are certainly well named. Putting carpet in the kitchen is a bad idea, right? Right now, that option is sounding really appealing. Of course, that would involve a decision.... I guess we'll just stick with hardwoods and avoid the 'stuck in bed' meds. I don't think my face could take much more of this abuse.

My Poor Deprived Grandchildren

I come from a long line of grandmothers who sew. That's what grandmothers do. They sew. They sew things like quilts...

(That's me under a quilt my grandmother made)

...and dresses...

(That's my grandmother with her three girls in dresses she made for them. My mom is the one in the middle)

... and flower girl dresses...

 

(Those were the flower girls in my wedding, my cousin N and niece K, wearing dresses my mom made.)

... and matching outfits for twins...

(That's my dad on the right with his twin sister D and older brother J wearing outfits my grandmother made.)
 

... and a cradle liner...

... with the names of the three generations of babies who have slept in it embroidered on the sides ...

(My mom made that before Elise was born.)

... and hand-knit sweaters...

 

  
...and the same sweater in a bigger size when that one gets too small...

 

... and lovely bishop's dresses...

 

... with bonnets to match...

 

... and cute shorts sets...

...and soft flannel quilts just perfect for a bare bum...

... and toile dresses because my girls' grandmother knows how much I adore toile...

 

...and white beach portrait dresses...

 

... and sweet newborn smocked dresses...

  
...and jumpers with doll dresses to match...

.... and soft-as-a-cloud knit blankets...

 

... and dressy frocks to wear to a wedding...

 

... and even Halloween costumes.

 

While I am eternally grateful for all the beautiful creations of these seamstresses before me, they are tough acts to follow. My sewing skills are limited to badges on Brownie vests and an occassional patch to a ripped pair of jeans. I don't smock, knit, quilt, embroider, crochet, or do any type of sewing that might possibly create an article of clothing. How can I ever be a proper grandmother if I don't learn to sew???

OH THE PRESSURE!!!

 

I do have one skill though... I can SHOP. Yes, that is how I will save face. I am quite certain I could out-shop any of those women with one credit card tied behind my back. Surely I can properly endulge my grandchildren with lots of power-shopping.

Or at least that's what I kept telling myself.

Then, my mom had to go and up the ante. Darn her and her sewing skills!

Check out these:

 
  
 My mom made those with the girls as a grandmother/granddaughter sewing project. How fun is that? The girls picked out the patterns, colors, faces, trims, buttons, and ribbons, and mom helped sew them up.

These guys are fun, clever, creative, whimsical, and just plain neat, right?

But seriously Mom, as if I didn't have enough pressure on me in my future as a grandmother, did you really have to go off and involve your grandchildren in such a cool sewing project? I certainly can't compete with that. Cute dresses and blankets I can handle with my retail skills, but THIS??? What are you trying to do to me?  I'm still trying to figure out this whole parenting gig and you go pull off this uber-grandmother project?

 
Sadly, I think the sewing gene may have skipped a generation with me. Perhaps my girls will become inspired by their grandmother and all the grandmothers before her who have sewn beautiful things for their grandchildren. My poor deprived future grandchildren will just have to settle for a grandmother who blogs, shops, occassionally bakes and who will always treat them to a popsicle from the ice cream truck.

 

Simple Woman's Daybook, April 19, 2010

For Today...

Outside my window...beautiful weather! My mom and I had lunch outside today.

I am thinking... that tonight is busy...Nina's swim lesson, Nina's Daisy meeting, and then I may go to my moms' group meeting.

I am thankful for... a visit from my mom... it has flown by, but a short visit is better than none at all.

From the kitchen...turkey meatballs in the crockpot.

I am wearing... jeans, a Boden top, and Miss Trish for Target flops

I am creating... a blog post with lots of pics... it is taking me a while to get it finished.

I am going... to pick up the girls in carpool today... one of my least favorite activities.

I am reading... The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain.

 I am hoping... to help my mom and dad find a nice place to live near us.

I am hearing... a quiet house.

Around the house... toys that Addie drags around and drops wherever she feels like leaving them.

One of my favorite things... Coke Zero now comes in 8 oz. cans! Woo hoo! That made my day today in the grocery store!

A few plans for the rest of the week.... swim lessons, Daisies, and tumbling for the girls, making meals one night with a friend, and then I am helping chaperone Elise's Brownie troop on a trip to the Great Wolf Lodge. They are paying for the trip with their cookie money!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... a couple pictures from the Girl Scout "Breakfast with the Butterflies" event. Look... it looks like my girls actually like each other here!

 

 

   To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

Baking

"Mud-pies gratify one of our first and best instincts. So long as we are dirty, we are pure."

~Charles Dudley Warner

 

Indecision

    indecision: noun; a wavering between two or more possible courses of action

My friend Jodi is a decider. She can decide to paint a room one day, have a paint color chosen and purchased the next day, and have the entire room painted the next night after her kids go to bed.

I love that about her.

J.C. and I most certainly are NOT deciders. We decide to paint a room, think about it for 6 months, spend 3 months choosing a color, spend 3 more months debating whether it is really the best color, then finally give up in despair and just live with the current paint. Making the decision was just too grueling. 

Knowing that background will help you understand how we got to where we are today. We have complained about our aging, hard-to-clean kitchen table for years. Replacing it would involve a decision, so that was out of the question. About a month ago though, J.C. broke one of the chairs. (No, he is not that heavy. It involved a temper tantrum of sorts while I was out of town.) Considering we have five people in our family and were down to three chairs, clearly it was time to buy new chairs. J.C. looked rather silly sitting on an exercise ball at the dinner table for the past month. Buying chairs involves yet another decision though, so it looked as though the exercise ball might stay in the kitchen permanently.

Then, a miracle happened... we made a decision. We received an email from our neighbors who hold a huge charity yard sale every year to benefit the Foundation Fighting Blindness. They were asking for yard sale donations. Suddenly, it all seemed so obvious... "Let's donate the table and chairs to their yard sale!  Then we'll be forced to make a decision about a new dining set since we won't have any place to eat!" Brilliant, right?  Their yard sale was going to be the perfect motivator. Obviously, when faced with no table at all, we would have to make a decision about a purchase.

The best laid plans....

Anyone want to place bets on how long our breakfast nook will look like this?
 

Simple Woman's Daybook, April 13, 2010

For Today...

Outside my window... JC is pruning the crape myrtle even though we have no clue how that is supposed to be done, and it sounds like the girls are playing basketball.

I am thinking... that taxes suck. Mostly they suck when you have a lot due in 2 days, and you haven't paid them yet!

I am thankful for... the rain that washed away a lot of the pollen. We can sit on our porch again!

From the kitchen... nada... tonight was a fund-raiser dinner at Five Guys.

I am wearing... capris, a Sanitary Fish Market tee, and flip flops.

I am creating... lots of checkmarks on my to-do list for the day. Yea!

I am going... to go on a walk tonight. The weather is gorgeous, and I desperately need the exercise, particularly after the above mentioned Five Guys. Hopefully I can work off at least a french fry or two.

I am reading... The Secret Life of Cee Cee Wilkes by Diane Chamberlain.

 I am hoping... to adjust our dependents so as NOT to owe so much in taxes next year.

I am hearing... a basketball bouncing.

Around the house... we need to paint - most of the upstairs and the playroom. I'm not sure when we'll tackle that job.

One of my favorite things... the lovely spring weather we're having right now.

A few plans for the rest of the week.... just the usual - swim lessons, Brownies, and tumbling for the girls. My mom comes in town for the weekend, and Elise is going camping for her big bridging ceremony. She bridges to Junior Girl Scouts this weekend!

Here is a picture thought I am sharing... toddler innovation - "Hey, Mom's chair would make a great water table!"

 

  
 

   
  To read more Daybook posts or learn how to participate, visit The Simple Woman's Daybook. 

Happiness Is...

... the sweet sound of the jingling tunes from the ice cream truck driving through the neighborhood for the first time this season.

We chased him down for our fix - a mega-choco-pop, a watermelon bar, a bubblegum popsicle, and a choclate chip ice cream sandwich. Ahhh.... Life is good.

Easter Holy Week

The week leading up to Easter Sunday is Easter Holy Week. I'm not sure exactly what makes it holy, what types of holy things we're supposed to be doing during Holy Week, or how much of a Heathen I am by not doing these holy things, but by all accounts, Holy Week was a fun one here at the House of Estrogen.

Friday, we made chocolate bird's nests. I have had a couple requests for the recipe. If you Google "no bake bird nests", you'll find no fewer than 2487 different variations of the recipe. Some include peanut butter, rice krispies, oats, marshmallows, corn flakes, or peanuts. Choose your favorite! The recipe we used was just a bag of semi-sweet chips and a bag of butterscotch chips melted together and mixed with 2 cans of chow mein noodles. We used Cadbury mini eggs and Whopper eggs for the eggs, but jelly beans look great too.

On Saturday, we invited a couple of neighbors over for dying eggs.

 

 

Then the eggs were all promptly turned into deviled eggs. Is it wrong to "devil" something during Holy Week?  According to Wikipedia, I can call them "dressed eggs" or "salad eggs" to avoid them sounding so evil. They aren't salad though, and if anything I undressed them more than dressed them when removing their pretty dyed shells, so I think I'll stick with "deviled eggs."

Saturday night, the girls put their baskets out for the Easter Bunny along with some apple slices (Alas, we were out of carrots). Nina left him a note: "Dear Easter Bunny, I will put ot applse. Pleas eat them. Nina write this sintis [sentence]."

On Sunday, the Easter Bunny delivered baskets of goodies. Elise declared that she thinks the Easter Bunny is Santa Claus dressed up in a bunny costume. Picturing that makes me giggle.

This photo is horribly blurry, but I had to share it anyway, so you could see how thrilled Addie was with her Pez. The girl is a serious Pez addict. Truly.. the entire day, all we heard was, "Mo Pez Please! Mo Pez Please!" I think the basket could have contained just one Pez dispenser and a bunch of refills, and she would have been over the moon. Forget the bubble blower, chocolate bunny, and board book... THERE IS PEZ!! DID YOU SEE THE EASTER BUNNY BROUGHT ME PEZ?? I LOVE THAT BUNNY!

She also got a kick out of her light-up egg necklace thingamajig.

Next, they were off to find the eggs the Easter Bunny left.

A highly nutritious breakfast of Pez and chocolate bunnies followed the hunt.

 

Sunday evening was a family dinner with yet another egg hunt.

Addison wore the sweet smocked dress my mom made. I should have taken a close-up photo. It has little bunnies all over it!

 

In the end, a good time was had by all during Holy Week.... despite the presence of deviled eggs and the lack of all things holy.

 

 

  
  

Oh, To Be Two!

"The fundamental job of a toddler is to rule the universe."

~ Lawrence Kutner