Friday's quote

"We look forward to the time when the power of love will replace the love of power. Then will our world know the blessings of peace."

William Ewart Gladstone

Guest rooms

Today, the discussion involves guest rooms. Truthfully, this room serves as more of a "spill over" room than anything else. The closet contains mostly the girls' clothing and also doubles as generic storage. I performed a massive re-organization project on the guest room closet last spring, and I am pleased (and a little surprised, frankly) to be able to report that it is still in good shape.

Back then I changed the comforters for a more summer-y look, but it is now time to move back to the darker comforter for fall/winter. (We do not have seasonal bedding, by any means; we merely happen to have two different sets for this size bed.) Of course, that is assuming our part of the country ever notices that it is supposed to be autumn and not still summer.




Other than that, we have a chest and a vanity that, again, is filled with the girls' clothing, as their closet is actually quite tiny.



Lastly, here is the vanity area leading to the Jack-and-Jill bath.



And that's it. Thanks for taking a peak, and have a wonderful, safe weekend!

Fall party

Today I went to the Fall party at school. The girls were very excited, and I was excited that we were not obligated to put together a costume for the party. The original plan was to dress as a community leader, but was later changed, requiring only the wearing of the pumpkin shirts made at the end of September.

There is nothing quite like the dynamic of 20 three and four year old children. (Because of the "birthday rule," they are in K3, although the girls and a couple of their classmates recently turned four.)

The classes trick-or-treated as a class, by visiting other classes to gather goodies. Then, after a feast of finger foods, they sang Fall songs and then settled in to watch a movie.

Hopefully, for all those attending and involved, that will be followed up by a lengthy nap.

Pumpkin patch

Last weekend we made our annual venture to the pumpkin patch. As usual, it did not disappoint.

Here is the experience in pictures:

Evaluations

Last Friday, we trekked to the pediatrician's office for the annual check-up. At that appointment and for the first time, we were given paper gowns to wear. They were not an immediate hit.



The evaluation portion of the visit went very well. Gracie measured 41 inches in height (75-95th percentile) and weighed 33.6 pounds (75th). "She's gonna be a tall girl," Dr. W said. Lauren measured 38 1/4 inches tall (50-75th percentile) and weighed 29.6 pounds (25-50th). Lauren grew two inches over the past year, putting her growth right on track.



Everything was smooth sailing until the moment we discussed the additional shots that would be performed either this year or next year. Thinking that they would be more aware next year, I opted to have them at Friday's appointment versus a year later. As awful as it was, not procrastinating was the right call. The cries of "You HURT me!!!" to the nurse were bad enough, but I could only imagine what they would be screaming/yelling when they are five. They would likely both threaten litigation.

Here is a happier moment before the shots:



They had almost recovered from the shot trauma when we were routed to lab on the way out. Having blood drawn put them right over the edge. After a good cry, they rallied, and we were able to have a nice lunch. Yes, I bribed them with french fries.

Overheard: Gratitude

Lauren brought Gracie a drink today when we picked her up.



On the drive home, Gracie was sipping from her drink.



I overheard Gracie say, "Thank you for my drink, LuLu."



Lauren responded with a smile.



"I really, really, really love you," Gracie said.



"I love you, too," Lauren replied.



Smiles all around.

Happy happy!

Happy birthday, Skip!

Friday's quote

"I like to see a man proud of the place in which he lives. I like to see a man live so that his place will be proud of him."

Abraham Lincoln

Sleepy time

Today we are touring children's rooms as part of Kelly's carnival.

I wrote last week about this room being a work in progress. We are transitioning from toddlers' room to little girls' room. As of now, this is the view from the door. As I mentioned previously, we recently incorporated new bedding (a birthday present), and, as the bare window indicates, we are awaiting the curtain rod (on back order) to hang the matching valance.



Another angle:



The upstairs bedrooms share a Jack and Jill bath, and this is the vanity off of their room:



We read a lot of stories at night. Therefore, we incorporated a little sitting area just for that activity. The girls are very excited to have inherited my old iPhone (one that I dropped and shattered last year). They use it for music only, and it occupies significantly less space than the stereo they had previously.

I picked up these chairs because I loved their feminine shape and thought they would be perfect in their room. I definitely want to have them recovered and am deciding on a fabric. Although I know I should pick a solid neutral, I am very tempted to select a brown, polka dot pattern to echo the comforters.



This corner continues to be a work in progress, but for now we have a glider rocker. I am thinking of placing our second nightstand here for another sitting area, but I am also purposefully keeping the entire room sparse for now.



Lamps and other items are still knocked over occasionally so less is best for the time being. The nightstands are not being used as bedside tables because Lauren has already demolished one lampshade when she was supposed to be napping.

Our next steps will include artwork for the walls, as well as recovering the chairs.

Have a wonderful weekend, and thanks so much for checking out our rooms!

Tights

Although I love picking up clothing for the girls, I often say that the only clothing items I begrudge are tights. Maybe it is the fact that Gracie tears hers to shreds, either by climbing around in them or with her bare hands, but it pains me to buy tights. The purchase immediately adds an extra $10-25 per outfit. I return to the question I have had since the girls were born. Why do tights cost as much as a pair of pants?

Imagine my shock and dismay earlier this week when I saw this Today feature about designer hosiery. The gist of the article is that a pair of designer socks is on the market for $500, while Stella McCartney (lace) and Oscar de la Renta (cashmere/silk) have tights available for $625 and $990, respectively. We are talking about hosiery. We are not discussing a classic suit or a well-made coat that one might own for a decade-plus. TIGHTS! We are talking about tights!

I am aghast by the entire prospect. This is normally how the fashion industry successfully shocks consumers into accepting a $12 pair of tights at Gap (not crazy about the new logo, by the way). Suddenly, if we have knowledge that someone out there might be dropping a grand on hosiery, we might not complain about the cost of children's tights at Target. But, as for me, I will still complain -- bitterly, in fact -- as will everyone I know. I may even fantasize about substituting leggings or jeggings (gasp!) under my children's casual dresses and skirts instead of costly and highly disposable tights*.

*Probably an empty threat.

George Winston

Like most children, ours like to go to sleep listening to music. They have the usual children's music, of course, but they have always enjoyed listening to George Winston as well. Since music has the ability to capture a place and time so perfectly, so that hearing a tune can immediately transport us back to where we were at a given point, George Winston's "Linus & Lucy: The Music of Vince Guaraldi," is going to always remind me of toddlerhood/young childhood and the restorative power of naps.

Specifically, at the 10 second mark of "Cast Your Fate to the Wind," I am back downstairs, hearing the music via monitor. On certain magical days, the girls drift to sleep during this first song on the album.

Eric Carle app

How much fun would this be?

Hospital finds

Today we visited with Grammy who is staying with Bobby, who is having problems with his heart (prayers would be greatly appreciated) and is in the CCU. During one visit, Grammy gave the girls are mini tour of the floor and showed them the best aquarium.

Get well soon, Mr. Bobby!

Home office, redux

Today's carnival topic is a tour of offices. I have written about office space previously, and I have yet to land on the right solution. I still prefer to move about the house, rather than be tied to one spot.

I have restored some order to my official work space, the armoir that is located in one of the dormer spaces in the play room:




Since I do not actually use this location that much (the laptop in the above pic is an old one that either needs to be repaired or discarded), it is a little impersonal. Ok, a lot impersonal. Now that I have tidied it up a little, I would love to be able to use the space more. This continues to be a work in progress, and therefore, I am very eager to see what works for everyone else.

Have a great weekend!

Friday's quote

"Be the change that you want to see in the world."

Mohandas Gandhi

Laundry

Laundry is probably one of my favorite jobs around the house, and it always has been. Lately, that has proven to be a huge asset due to the inordinate amounts of laundry there is to do each and every single week.

Accordingly, I'm always drawn to these types of articles.

Football talk

Skip: You know Julio Jones has a broken hand.
Me: What?
Skip: You know what that means.
Me: ...
Skip: He's out.
Me: He can't play with a broken hand?
Skip: He's a receiver!

Transitioning to the new

We have been transitioning the girls' rooms into the rooms they will grow into over the next few years. I am hopeful that what we are putting together will take them through childhood to the tween years. We found their twin sized beds about eight or nine months ago, and we recently purchased new bedding. We completed some of the finishing touches this weekend, and the girls found our changes when we arrived home from Veggie Tales.

Lauren is pleased with our selection. After all, the comforter is primarily pink.



Gracie is checking the stitch quality.



PINK!!!*



Glorious PINK!



In Gracie and Lauren's minds, being able to wrap oneself in pink makes for the VERY BEST DAY EVER!

*For my own personal record, I am glad to have gotten a shot of the use of doggy as a neck pillow. Gracie cannot sleep unless the doggy is positioned just right around her neck.

Cook's Illustrated

The above periodical is one of my very favorite go-to places for any type of recipe need. They used to have podcasts available through iTunes, and there is, of course, the magazine subscription (a little pricey for me). Now, however, they have an app. An APP! Information is available at our fingertips!

Here is an example of a Cook's Illustrated recipe. Yes, that right there is your standard recipe. Nothing new with the delivery of that information. What I love about them and what appeals to my nerdiness on levels that I cannot even begin to explain is the article that accompanies the recipe, like this article here.

Wordy? Maybe.

Entertaining and informative? Absolutely.