It seems to me that we have a couple of budding artists in our home! Amber has ventured into the realm of mural painting. The white wall next to Amber's bed became the empty canvas! For a few years now it has been bugging Amber for a little creativity. So, when the opportunity presented itself, Amber filled her empty canvas. So now, we have a mural, complete with Amber's signature. I had to take a picture, just in case Amber is rich and famous one day!
We had a very good Thanksgiving. The party started at my dad's house with our traditional dinner, complete with the addition of celery filled with an absolutely disgusting cheese spread. Kay made some really yummy rolls, I could have feasted on those alone! :) Cori made some apple crisp to die for. I think I need her recipe. Mine just never turns out the same. I made pumpkin cheesecake and a regular old pumpkin pie. Yum . . . we were all set. My dad did the rest. Of course, it wouldn't be a large family gathering if the marshmallows on top of the yams didn't get burned. Thanks to everyone for distracting Dad so he could burn those marshmallows. We all had a laugh over Jeff and Greg fighting over the marshmallow residue!
After dinner we all enjoyed a game of "Ticket to Ride." As a first time player, I enjoy bragging rights for a while now!
Towards the conclusion of the game it became extremely evident that we were no longer welcome at my dad's house! It is so sad that we (my dad's children) can wear out our welcome so quickly. Despite this little glitch, we continued the party at my house down the street. Greg, Kay, Cori, Jeff, and Kim all joined us at my home for a rousing game of Disney Pictionary. At times we thought the game was a little too advanced for our simple minds. We couldn't guess "doorway" when it was on the DVD! Hmmmm . . . simple minds like to think too complex I think!
Everybody left having had a very good time together. Now, we are moving on to Christmas plans. Our tree is up, the nativity set is out, but we yet to pull out the music. I just can't do it! A little Christmas overload at the moment!
Here are some pictures from our activities last night!
Friday, November 28, 2008
Tuesday, November 25, 2008
Random thoughts!
I have had quite a few random thoughts and/or questions in the past few weeks. I thought I would share a few.
1. Kindergarten didn't go to school on Thursday or Friday last week. Then they turned around and only went to school Monday and Tuesday this week. I think it would have made more sense to keep them in school the two days last week and keep them out for a full week! I realize that this wouldn't work because of the schedule of the older grades, but hey, I'm just looking for ease of my own child's schedule!
2. SEP conferences in Kindergarten are an absolute waste of time. I already knew everything Amber's teacher told me and more. I only wish there had been more time to discuss things that really mattered to me! 15 minute appointments, what can you discuss in 15 minutes with a teacher who doesn't really listen?
3. Having three sick kids at the same time is a godsend. At least they get it over with in one fell swoop and hopefully we can all move on at the same time! None of this months of illness for me! Yay! So it isn't all peaches and cream, but we are getting through it. Besides, this is the one time all three kids will actually take a nap! :)
4. Timothy is finally plumping up. He was so skinny for so long that I was beginning to think he would never have meat on his bones. Yay, 12 month clothes finally fit him. That was my hope, that by Christmas Timothy would fit into 12 month clothes! I'm afraid he will grow out of everything way too fast now!
5. Imagine buying a home for less than $100,000. Less than $50,000. John told me about one that sold for $29,000. Hmmm . . . that is just about what my parents paid for their house 32 years ago! Tempting to sell my house and move to where the houses are almost free!
6. Lastly, I have a lot to be grateful for. Luckily it is Thanksgiving this week and we have an excuse to be grateful for things. But really, I am grateful everyday for so many things. I am so blessed.
Okay, there is the end to my random thoughts for the week! Enjoy the random photos!
Oops, don't know where Emma was. I guess she was hiding from the camera!
1. Kindergarten didn't go to school on Thursday or Friday last week. Then they turned around and only went to school Monday and Tuesday this week. I think it would have made more sense to keep them in school the two days last week and keep them out for a full week! I realize that this wouldn't work because of the schedule of the older grades, but hey, I'm just looking for ease of my own child's schedule!
2. SEP conferences in Kindergarten are an absolute waste of time. I already knew everything Amber's teacher told me and more. I only wish there had been more time to discuss things that really mattered to me! 15 minute appointments, what can you discuss in 15 minutes with a teacher who doesn't really listen?
3. Having three sick kids at the same time is a godsend. At least they get it over with in one fell swoop and hopefully we can all move on at the same time! None of this months of illness for me! Yay! So it isn't all peaches and cream, but we are getting through it. Besides, this is the one time all three kids will actually take a nap! :)
4. Timothy is finally plumping up. He was so skinny for so long that I was beginning to think he would never have meat on his bones. Yay, 12 month clothes finally fit him. That was my hope, that by Christmas Timothy would fit into 12 month clothes! I'm afraid he will grow out of everything way too fast now!
5. Imagine buying a home for less than $100,000. Less than $50,000. John told me about one that sold for $29,000. Hmmm . . . that is just about what my parents paid for their house 32 years ago! Tempting to sell my house and move to where the houses are almost free!
6. Lastly, I have a lot to be grateful for. Luckily it is Thanksgiving this week and we have an excuse to be grateful for things. But really, I am grateful everyday for so many things. I am so blessed.
Okay, there is the end to my random thoughts for the week! Enjoy the random photos!
Oops, don't know where Emma was. I guess she was hiding from the camera!
Monday, November 17, 2008
The tale of 39!
Trouble was brewing last night at the McAuliffe household. Only, Jessica was the only one that knew it. John spent the day in complete oblivion, thinking that all birthday celebrations had been had the night before! Little did he know. Jessica was deep into celebration plans, but hush,hush was the biggest plan! Planning a surprise party was a difficult task at best. John was always around. But with the enlisted help of Kim and Greg, everything came together nicely. Kim made the phone calls on Saturday night, leaving messages with some.
Sunday morning rolled around, with inspiration hitting Jessica! What a wonderful idea. Invite people over for dinner and John won't suspect anything is going on later. It worked.
The rest of the family showed up at 6:45 p.m. I had previously sent John downstairs to supervise the kids. Jaime had come for dinner. Our kids were all entertaining each other in the playroom, but I needed an excuse to get John downstairs. The family showed up, driving up without lights, and shutting car doors quietly! When it comes to a surprise, everybody played it up so well! We all trooped downstairs, singing happy birthday! John seemed to have lost his ability to talk.
It seems that this was not all to be. John donned a happy birthday hat while Greg, Jessica, Kay, and Cori worked on serving up cheesecake and sherbet. Yum. We proceeded with the daunting, but not impossible, task of putting 39 candles on one piece of cheesecake for John. He got his cheesecake, complete with a ball of fire and a wax coating! Lighting 39 candles on a piece of cheesecake is no easy venture! Fortunately Greg and Kay were willing to be the pyros for the night. They took care of the candle lighting. Jessica carried the burning ball of fire downstairs without setting off the smoke alarms. Somebody must have taken the batteries out :) Time to blow out the candles! This reminds me of a story that goes like this. "He huffed, and he puffed . . ." Yet, John only need to huff and puff once. The candles were out. Hopefully he made a wish!
What would a party be without gift opening? So John got to open his gift (compliments of Jaime)! No amount of shaking or guessing could have prepared John for what he found inside. Depends, preparation H, potatoes, obituaries, etc., etc.
The night was full of laughter, good conversation, and friendship. A big thank you to all who helped the party go off without a hitch! Kim made phone calls, Greg and Kay made the cheesecake, and everybody else showed up as planned.
Next year?!?! John should be scared!
Sunday morning rolled around, with inspiration hitting Jessica! What a wonderful idea. Invite people over for dinner and John won't suspect anything is going on later. It worked.
The rest of the family showed up at 6:45 p.m. I had previously sent John downstairs to supervise the kids. Jaime had come for dinner. Our kids were all entertaining each other in the playroom, but I needed an excuse to get John downstairs. The family showed up, driving up without lights, and shutting car doors quietly! When it comes to a surprise, everybody played it up so well! We all trooped downstairs, singing happy birthday! John seemed to have lost his ability to talk.
It seems that this was not all to be. John donned a happy birthday hat while Greg, Jessica, Kay, and Cori worked on serving up cheesecake and sherbet. Yum. We proceeded with the daunting, but not impossible, task of putting 39 candles on one piece of cheesecake for John. He got his cheesecake, complete with a ball of fire and a wax coating! Lighting 39 candles on a piece of cheesecake is no easy venture! Fortunately Greg and Kay were willing to be the pyros for the night. They took care of the candle lighting. Jessica carried the burning ball of fire downstairs without setting off the smoke alarms. Somebody must have taken the batteries out :) Time to blow out the candles! This reminds me of a story that goes like this. "He huffed, and he puffed . . ." Yet, John only need to huff and puff once. The candles were out. Hopefully he made a wish!
What would a party be without gift opening? So John got to open his gift (compliments of Jaime)! No amount of shaking or guessing could have prepared John for what he found inside. Depends, preparation H, potatoes, obituaries, etc., etc.
The night was full of laughter, good conversation, and friendship. A big thank you to all who helped the party go off without a hitch! Kim made phone calls, Greg and Kay made the cheesecake, and everybody else showed up as planned.
Next year?!?! John should be scared!
6 Unspectacular quirks
My friend Tiffany tagged me so here is my best effort at this thing. Okay, so I have a little confession first. I am a little blogger illiterate. I am not sure exactly how to link all of this to others. So, here's to the best!
Here are the rules: 1. Link to the person who tagged you and comment in the comment section on their original “quirk: post. 2. Mention the rules on your blog. 3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you. 4. Tag 6 bloggers ( or more) by linking to them. 5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.
1) I am so incredibly anal about the family calendar. Just ask John. He has learned to never schedule anything without first consulting the family calendar, which we now keep next to the computer.
2) I love to sew. As such, I have made many dresses for my girls. I have yet to make anything for Timothy. But, just because I like to sew doesn't mean I like to sew with Satin. That is probably the most terrible material to sew with!
3) I prefer a good book over T.V.
4) I'm very competitive, which is why I cannot play Monopoly with John anymore. He always wins and it bugs me!
5) I love homemade jam. It is sooo easy to make and I love seeing the pretty jars. But, I also hate to open the pretty jars. If I use it, then I can't admire the lovely jam anymore!
6) I am a control freak. I want to be in control of everything. This is so hard when I have kids (and a husband)! But I am slowly learning to give up control and just let things be!
I tag Nicole at http://simplystevens.blogspot.com/, Jaime at http://www.jbwabelfam.blogspot.com/, Jennifer at http://elganfam.blogspot.com/, Cynthia at http://hellofernandezfamily.blogspot.com/, Dawn at http://dawnloveschocolate.blogspot.com/, Ruth at http://shemandruth.blogspot.com/
Here are the rules: 1. Link to the person who tagged you and comment in the comment section on their original “quirk: post. 2. Mention the rules on your blog. 3. Tell 6 unspectacular quirks about you. 4. Tag 6 bloggers ( or more) by linking to them. 5. Leave a comment on each of the tagged blogger’s blogs letting them know they’ve been tagged.
1) I am so incredibly anal about the family calendar. Just ask John. He has learned to never schedule anything without first consulting the family calendar, which we now keep next to the computer.
2) I love to sew. As such, I have made many dresses for my girls. I have yet to make anything for Timothy. But, just because I like to sew doesn't mean I like to sew with Satin. That is probably the most terrible material to sew with!
3) I prefer a good book over T.V.
4) I'm very competitive, which is why I cannot play Monopoly with John anymore. He always wins and it bugs me!
5) I love homemade jam. It is sooo easy to make and I love seeing the pretty jars. But, I also hate to open the pretty jars. If I use it, then I can't admire the lovely jam anymore!
6) I am a control freak. I want to be in control of everything. This is so hard when I have kids (and a husband)! But I am slowly learning to give up control and just let things be!
I tag Nicole at http://simplystevens.blogspot.com/, Jaime at http://www.jbwabelfam.blogspot.com/, Jennifer at http://elganfam.blogspot.com/, Cynthia at http://hellofernandezfamily.blogspot.com/, Dawn at http://dawnloveschocolate.blogspot.com/, Ruth at http://shemandruth.blogspot.com/
Friday, November 7, 2008
Fun in the snow and more
On Wednesday we woke up to snow, much to the delight of my girls! They have been bugging me about wearing their snow boots since I bought them. Amber was especially excited to wear her boots to school! Ahh, the unabashed delight of childhood. Amber had a real treat after school as one of her friends was able to come home with her while we waited for her mom to get home. Noli was only here for a few minutes, but it was enough to delight Amber. They had fun rolling snowballs. I found it absolutely amusing that the first thing Amber asked as we pulled into the driveway was if she could have a snowball fight with Noli! I suppressed a laugh and quickly diverted her attention to a different activity. Snow angels are somewhat safer and better for the fragile self esteem of my five year old daughter!
After Noli left, Amber and Emma spent more time playing in the snow. After a few short minutes, I looked out, noticed a purple glove lying in the snow, and made the quick decision that it was time to come inside. Alas, Emma's mittens are a tad big, thus hindering her ability to pick up the snow! Her hands were red and oh so frozen by the time I got her inside. But, I didn't complain too much. To see the joy on her face made up for any wrongs (taking her mittens off) that she may have done!
Amber did all she could to avoid the camera. She is too much like me in that respect. But I got one! Albeit a far away shot!
Emma enjoying the snow! She was so excited to wear her new winter gear!
After Noli left, Amber and Emma spent more time playing in the snow. After a few short minutes, I looked out, noticed a purple glove lying in the snow, and made the quick decision that it was time to come inside. Alas, Emma's mittens are a tad big, thus hindering her ability to pick up the snow! Her hands were red and oh so frozen by the time I got her inside. But, I didn't complain too much. To see the joy on her face made up for any wrongs (taking her mittens off) that she may have done!
Amber did all she could to avoid the camera. She is too much like me in that respect. But I got one! Albeit a far away shot!
Emma enjoying the snow! She was so excited to wear her new winter gear!
Friday, October 31, 2008
Timothy's Birthday
Okay, so I just have a lot to share today. I know, I am a couple days late on Timothy's birthday, but hey, I think I'm doing good to even get this on here. I can't believe Timothy is one year old. He started walking on Tuesday, turned one on Wednesday, and has been going strong ever since! We had a small little get together with family. He didn't understand the opening presents part, but he sure loved the cake part. I made a been cake and surrounded it with cupcakes that sort of looked like little bees. I think it was fun. I gave him the cupcake as his first birthday cake! He demolished the cupcake. Not too messy, thankfully. But it was fun. Amber and Emma were excited about the presents. I bought Timothy two different things and let the girls give him one! Amber thought that was pretty cool to give Timothy a present from her and Emma.
Here are some pictures from our little celebration!
Here are some pictures from our little celebration!
Halloween
Halloween at our house started long ago. The girls have known what they wanted to be since last year. Okay, so maybe not that long ago, but long enough. I got so sick of the girls asking about Halloween. I'm glad it is over!
Anyway, yesterday Emma had her Halloween celebration at Preschool. She wore her spider costume and I helped out in her class. It was a lot of fun. Emma was so excited to be a spider. Somebody made the mistake of asking if she was a black widow! She was so adamant about being a spider and didn't think a black widow was a spider. She kept saying she was a nice spider. It was fun. I loved having people admire her costume as I slaved over the dumb thing. I can't believe I agreed to make her a spider costume!
Amber has been bugging me about being a princess. She always wants to be a princess. But this year it had to be Cinderella, not just a generic princess. So I had to figure out how to do Cinderella. Luckily I had two different patterns for a Cinderella dress. I just picked one, and of course, modified it to make it easier to sew. It wasn't perfect, but hey, I think I did pretty good for finishing it last night!
This morning we did her hair up and put a headband in like Cinderella. I think I used a whole bottle of hairspray just so it would stay. Lo and behold most of it fell out by the time we were getting ready for trick or treating. Oh well. Amber had a parade at school. Unfortunately my camera isn't that great so I got a horrible picture of her, and I didn't get the pictures from my dad. So that picture will be a little fuzzy. She had a lot of fun at school.
Timothy was a ghost. We dressed him in a white sweatshirt and pulled it up onto his head. Then John put some of his socks on Timothy! He was drowning in all the material, but I thought it was so cute. I didn't really want to do too much, Timothy is still little and will never remember how he was dressed for Halloween.
In the time between school and trick or treating, John went to Verree's house and picked up a pumpkin. Then he gathered the girls and carved the pumpkin while Timothy was sleeping. The girls helped pull the pumpkin guts out. They enjoyed it, even though Amber said it was gross. I hate pulling the guts out of pumpkins. That's why I had John do it. I didn't even care how it was carved. I just didn't want to do it! Yay! John loved it. He had fun helping the girls, and of course, he did the actual carving!
After Trick or treating we went to Grandpa's house. There the girls saw pizza in Grandpa's kitchen and convinced him that they were hungry and needed some pizza! Hmmm . . . I guess lasagna just wasn't good enough tonight! It was a long day and all three kids were fast asleep within about ten minutes. Yay! Peace and quiet!
Anyway, yesterday Emma had her Halloween celebration at Preschool. She wore her spider costume and I helped out in her class. It was a lot of fun. Emma was so excited to be a spider. Somebody made the mistake of asking if she was a black widow! She was so adamant about being a spider and didn't think a black widow was a spider. She kept saying she was a nice spider. It was fun. I loved having people admire her costume as I slaved over the dumb thing. I can't believe I agreed to make her a spider costume!
Amber has been bugging me about being a princess. She always wants to be a princess. But this year it had to be Cinderella, not just a generic princess. So I had to figure out how to do Cinderella. Luckily I had two different patterns for a Cinderella dress. I just picked one, and of course, modified it to make it easier to sew. It wasn't perfect, but hey, I think I did pretty good for finishing it last night!
This morning we did her hair up and put a headband in like Cinderella. I think I used a whole bottle of hairspray just so it would stay. Lo and behold most of it fell out by the time we were getting ready for trick or treating. Oh well. Amber had a parade at school. Unfortunately my camera isn't that great so I got a horrible picture of her, and I didn't get the pictures from my dad. So that picture will be a little fuzzy. She had a lot of fun at school.
Timothy was a ghost. We dressed him in a white sweatshirt and pulled it up onto his head. Then John put some of his socks on Timothy! He was drowning in all the material, but I thought it was so cute. I didn't really want to do too much, Timothy is still little and will never remember how he was dressed for Halloween.
In the time between school and trick or treating, John went to Verree's house and picked up a pumpkin. Then he gathered the girls and carved the pumpkin while Timothy was sleeping. The girls helped pull the pumpkin guts out. They enjoyed it, even though Amber said it was gross. I hate pulling the guts out of pumpkins. That's why I had John do it. I didn't even care how it was carved. I just didn't want to do it! Yay! John loved it. He had fun helping the girls, and of course, he did the actual carving!
After Trick or treating we went to Grandpa's house. There the girls saw pizza in Grandpa's kitchen and convinced him that they were hungry and needed some pizza! Hmmm . . . I guess lasagna just wasn't good enough tonight! It was a long day and all three kids were fast asleep within about ten minutes. Yay! Peace and quiet!
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