Trimming the Tree

Bow Tie!

 The Craft Night girls and I threw a slam-bang baby shower for one of our own, and Jennifer with her Pretty Party Papers really stole the show, but my humble contribution was a batch of Pin-tastic cookies.

 Decorating cookies like this is not for the faint of heart.  

This was only my second attempt, because even though it is satisfying, it is very time consuming!

First, you have to make the cookies and frosting from scratch, and a couple of hours later, your cookies are still naked.

My biggest mistake with this batch was not buying professional navy blue food dye (they probably have it at Wal-Mart), which made my darkest blue icing behave very strangely so I had to use it sparingly.

 Ta-daa!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am writing this a few days ahead of time, because on Thanksgiving Day I am tasked with the weighty responsibility of heating the Sister Schubert rolls, and couldn't possibly find the time to post with all that kitchen-related cooking stress hanging over my head.

 I thought I would share this project that I undertook at the end of September, looks like around 11:15 in the morning, if my mirrored-clock-reading skills are correct.

You remember the time I discovered hardwood floors hiding under the dingy carpet in the butler's pantry?

Well, I always wondered about this mirror in the living room.  It was held in place by these four screws with little medallions around them in the four corners.  I thought they looked a little out of place, chronologically-speaking, with the rest of the house, and I thought it might look better with a big wooden frame around the edge.

 Since I do not currently possess mirror-framing capabilities, I decided to loosen the screws and take a little gander at what might lay behind that mirror.

I stuck my phone down the little crack to take a picture and it just revealed that the entire thing was covered with thick brown paper.

I pecked a little hole through and saw an old mirror and some other interesting details so I decided to take that heavy mirror down completely for a better look.

Eleonora was along as my helping hand throughout.

You can see we were also decorating for fall and potty-training on this particular day.

 Hmm...promising?

 Eleonora was able to remove the spots, no problem.

 Then I had to rip this sturdy wooden frame off the wall.

 Then we headed to the cellar for some paint and had the new old mirror looking as good as new by the time Caleb arrived on the scene to continue with the decorating.

While I have been told by at least two dear family members (thank you, ladies!) that they liked the bigger mirror much better, I am enjoying the more vintage vibe myself.

A fun project, indeed!

Caleb's Birthday Interview

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Josiah's Birthday Interview

Due to technological issues, there has been a sharp decline in bloggity posts.

Here, for your reading pleasure, I present the long-awaited and much anticipated birthday interview.

My name is Josiah and I am nine years old.

My favorite thing to do is to build Legos, especially Lego Mixels.

Especially?  Only!

No, I like building other ones, too.

Jonathan makes me laugh, and sometimes Wild Kratts.

Why do I look so happy and he looks bored?

I like to read.

My favorite books are 'Tales of a Fourth Grade Nothing,' 'Double Fudge,' and 'Super Fudge.'  Also Beverly Cleary books and Diary of a Wimpy Kid and Magic Treehouse and books by Dav Pilkey.  

And I kinda like science books.  

I LOOOVE hidden picture books.  But those don't count as books, more as puzzles.

The best books that have been read to me are The Little House books.

I like when the bull steps through their roof in By the Banks of Plum Creek.

I really want a dog.

No, I don't want one.  I think a robo-dog would be easier.

I like to go to the Creative Discovery Museum.

I love that place so much.  It's so fun.

One question.  You can ask me one more question.

If I could wish for something, it would be a later bedtime. 

Like 8.

Even if we stayed up until 8 or 9, you would still have one or two hours for yourself.

I love having Eleonora as a little sister.

She's nice to me most of the time.

She gets really feisty.

If she's feeling nice, she wraps her arms around my neck and squeezes really tight and says, "Huggy, huggy, huggy."

Happy birthday (on September 9th), Josiah!

We love you so very much!

Solar System

Check out Josiah's Solar System poster. He loved using his Grandma's Cricut to cut out all the letters. Each family member watercolored at least one planet. We just gave Eleonora a random circle to paint, but we should have included her too. Good job, Josiah!

Fall

Jenn and I took the kids on our longest local bike ride. Caleb found these tiny stray kittens while we got ready. 

We have enjoyed our playground, too.