Thanksgiving week - in retrospect

Beautiful fall flowers...

A girl discovering her love for basketball and Rowdy...

The joys of baking

Making a wishbone wish...

Putting as many ornaments as possible in a 3"x3" spot on the tree and loving the way it looks!

It was a wonderful week and I my heart is full of thanks!

Weekend Happenings...

If you live in Ohio, chances are you are or at least know a Buckeye fan. And you also probably know that Michigan is their biggest rivalry. Well, Saturday, those two met for "the big game" in Michigan and sorry, Jason, but the Buckeyes won... again... for the 7th time in a row.

We just hung out here with our friends, Ryan and Christy and their ridiculously adorable baby, Graham.

Isaac was in heaven, and Megan was ready for Dora by half time, but we had a great time!





Afterward, we went to the local historical Christmas festival where the kids rode a camel and looked at pretty lights and decorations! All in all a great Saturday!

Adventures with pomegranates ...

Well... I finally cut into the pomegranate that has been in the fruit bowl for about a week and taunting me.

I have mixed feeling about it.
Love the juice,

not so much the little seed thingy.


Isaac not surprisingly wouldn't even try it, and Meg tried it, but she agrees with me, and wasn't too sure she liked it. We'll try it again!!

It never turns out like you think...

I saw this adorable wreath and thought I could duplicate it. So while Isaac was at school, Meg and I headed to Goodwill and the Salvation Army in search of old ornaments. We didn't find the cool jewel colored ones, but there was an abundance of red and gold, some were glass and old and some are new and plastic, but I figured it didn't matter too much.
So without further ado, this is what I did during nap time today....



It's not nearly as cute as the jewel colored one, and in hind sight I wish I would have arranged them more instead of just grab and glue, but I think it is ok! It got kid approval... what more do I need?!?!?

ETA
This post has been up for roughly, oh I don't know 7 minutes and Isaac and I are sitting on the couch and BANG! CRASH! SHATTER! My lovely wreath is no more... I knew I should have waited until our normal decorating day... I knew it was too early... I just knew it!


This stinks... really bad. Sorry Honey, I just wasted 15 bucks.

Let me tell you about my boy...

He is a fierce competitor

He believes in super heros and the power of good.He loves babies.

He is an optomist and loves learning

His emotions are very easy to read... he wears his heart on his sleeve.

Yesterday he said to me, "Mom, my heart is full of hearts with love for you"
oh, Isaac, if you only knew... I feel the same way.

5 minute makeover

Before

After

close up

Yikes!...sorry for the crooked pictures!

Thankful for...

...nap time

...tea parties

...acting silly with my girl

...veterans that made and are making this country what it is... I'm proud of you dad!

I really should be...

I really should be stripping the wallpaper border that I have hated for 7 years down from the bathroom. Instead, I am searching Etsy for vintage cocktail dresses for a Retro Christmas party we are going to in a few weeks. The ones I really love are over my price range, and I am a little nervous because I know the sizes then are different than they are now. At the last flea market "extravaganza" I bought a really cute brown house dress that says size 12, but it is way too small and I am not a size 12.

Gorgeous!

Beautiful!

Look at that adorable snowflake pin!!

I love how feminine these dresses are! They are so pretty I can only imagine how many times I would twirl around while wearing one - probably an annoying amount of times!!!
The search continues!

Going By too Fast

We're trying to get in as much outside playtime as possible!

She's electric!

The best part of the super fast slide is seeing how hard you can fall, right?

Channeling My Inner Martha

I have this book, Martha Stewart's Homekeeping Handbook: The Essential Guide to Caring for Everything in Your Home



It has been sitting on my bookshelf about, oh, I don't know three years or so. I have skimmed the pages from time to time. I have even used some of the tips to clean up around the house.
That all changed on late Sunday night... I became obsessed. Obsessed with cleaning my house. Not just normal cleaning, but clean cleaning. Organizing, scrubbing, scouring, you get the picture. Every room has its own list. Every room has it's "problem area".
It took me two days to get the kitchen and dining room whipped into shape... two days ! Now don't get me wrong, I didn't live in a disgusting amount of filth or anything, but you know how it is, to clean the kitchen table off for dinner, I would make a stack and put it aside, then again etc. Well, no more! A place for everything and everything in it's place!
The oven is sparkling, the floor shines! And this is just in the kitchen! The bathrooms are immaculate! You can see the entire floor in our bedroom! It's amazing.
We have one more day, maybe two, of hard work to do today. I can't wait for it to be done. As a reward, I am going to paint next week, not too much, just the hallway and downstairs bathroom. I'll post pictures when it's done.
We'll see how long the cleanliness lasts with a two and four year old running around, but for now, a clean house,...
It's a Good Thing!

Fall Fun

Happy Belated Halloween!

From Little Red Riding Hood, The Big Bad Wolf or Rowdy... (depending on who you ask!), Grandma, and the hunter!!

Isaac's alternate costume.... Michael Phelps!!