Rites of Passage: The Last Minute

Last night at 7:48 pm (bedtime is at 8:00 pm) Ella informed us that her large, end-of-year project, presentation on Egypt was the next day.  After much prodding and verbal meandering we found out that she has known about said project for a MONTH. And even had a research outline grid she was supposed to have filled in as she prepared.  Well, of course, no grid, no plan, no time left.  She needed a written report, a poster and flash cards.  I freaked out.  There was much Mommy yelling.  Then, we buckled down.

Luckily, in her misdirected thought process, she had borrowed another child's research grid (who was done with HER project ages ago) and brought it home.  I was able to find the same grid online and print on off for Ella.  BUT, one of Ella's research sources had to be a physical book.  Now, you're thinking "Egypt?...Easy peasy? What did she choose? The pyramids? Mummification? Pharaoh?"  Nope. She chose Ma'at.  Mmmmmm.....yeah, I've never heard of her either.

I really debated letting Ella fry and get an F for this.  But then I reconsidered (more on WHY later) and headed to the library while Matt put the other kids to bed and started the online research with Ella.

Within the hour we had collected six library books, an on-hand blank poster board, and the Silhouette Cameo and had mostly finished up.  The good news is she had actually written some of this report on our computer earlier in the month and saved it.  Because I'm a Nazi-Mommy, I forced her to look up the spelling of every misspelled word in her document.

After she headed to bed (a bit more than an hour late) Matt and I sat at the table, mounting her hand-drawn pictures of a vulture and an Onk symbol onto black card stock, reminiscing about how many times this happened during our school years.  Matt's dad was the typist for his family and my Mom was for ours.  I told Matt about a time I was quietly sitting at our Dining Room table, working on a poster and my Mom walked in and went ca-raze-zee. "I can't believe you! Why does every - single - thing have to be left to the last minute?! Now I have to drop everything and help you for your deadline tomorrow and I have a lot to do! I am SO sick of this!!!" To which I replied, "But Mom, this report isn't due for three weeks."  We laughed and laughed because you can't blame her.  It was the first (and probably only) time I ever started a project on my own sooner than the night before its due date.

I guess, in the end, that driving to the Library after 8pm to scour the shelves for kid's books on Ancient Egyptian Goddesses is just karma for the many, many, MANY times my own mother bailed me out.  And for the many times that Matt's parents did the same for him.  It is a childhood rite of passage and a parental rite of passage that we have just dipped our toe into for the first of many times to come.

Ella headed out to the bus stop this morning with her finished poster tucked in between to pieces of cardboard and wrapped in a plastic bag.  She had screwed up, but we fixed it together. And that, in and of itself, is a lesson I want her to remember.

4

This & That Thursday

Of course, I could easily make this growth chart myself.
But I really just want someone else to do it for me.

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I miss Paris.

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I started reading
I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings
yesterday.  It seemed fitting.
I have not read it before and, so far,
it's a-MAH-zing.

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This Jude kid of mine is a happy-boy.
He makes each day pretty fun.

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Baby Sinko is kicking a lot now.
Stop it, baby.

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Can we have a Happy Endings spin-off with Jane and Brad
and a separate spin-off with Penny and Max?

Alex and  Dave were always total throw-away characters.
They killed that show.

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Will Emily Foley and I never be in the same
place at the same time again?
It's weird that it's been SIX years since we've been together.

What if that crazy bird had never landed in our stairwell?

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The Freezer Meals I made are pretty awesome.
I'm just saying.

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I can't decide if I'm dreading Summer
or excited for Summer.

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Bad Blogger

Ugh! I kind of suck at blogging lately.
Here's what's going on...We are

- finishing up the school year

- finishing up Girl Scouts

- getting ready for church Girls' Camp (I'm teaching craft classes AND designing t-shirts, handouts, etc.)

- doing my church calling (which I love!)

- ob/gyn appointments

- doing graphic design work for friends

- and Jude is cruising (and is a wild animal these days...in a good, but exhausting, way)

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Brave Women | Janet Yellen

I shared this video recently that makes me cry every time I see it. Despite my tears, I realized I am not totally familiar with each of these amazing women's stories. So I decided to share them here in case you weren't familiar with all of them either. I will just give a very brief overview and then provide links where you can get more information on these inspiring women.  I plan on sharing these stories with my daughters.

JANET YELLEN 

Janet Yellen was born to a Jewish family in Brooklyn, New York. She graduated summa cum laude from Brown University, where she earned a bachelor's degree in economics in 1967, before enrolling at Yale University for her doctorate. After completing her Ph.D. in 1971, she spent several years as an assistant professor at Harvard University.

Yellen held her first post with the Federal Reserve in the late 1970s, serving as an economist there for a year before returning to academia. From 1978 to 1980, she lived abroad, becoming a lecturer at the London School of Economics and Political Science. She then joined the faculty of the University of California, Berkeley. Yellen took leave from UC Berkeley in the mid-1990s to serve on the Federal Reserve Board of Governors. From 1997 to 1999, she also served on the White House Council of Economic Advisers for President Bill Clinton.

In 2004, Yellen became president and CEO of the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, showing remarkable insight into the country's economic situation as one of the few economists to forecast the housing crisis of 2008. Yellen has been an outspoken advocate for using the powers of the Federal Reserve to reduce unemployment, and has seemed more willing than other economists to risk slightly higher inflation to accomplish this goal. In October 2013, President Barack Obama nominated Yellen as chair of the Federal Reserve and the Senate voted her into that position. She is the first woman to serve in this capacity

At a White House press conference, President Obama praised Yellen's "good judgement" and said that she "knows how to build consensus." Considering the challenging political environment in Washington, he expressed his confidence in Yellen's ability to get things done. "She's a proved leader and she's tough—not just because she's from Brooklyn," the president said.

*To read all posts in my BRAVE WOMEN series click here.

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This & That TH-riday

As per our tradition, when we found out Baby Sinko is a girl

we went out, as a family, and bought her first outfit.

The girls picked out this cute outfit for their little sister.  SO CUTE!

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The OBGYN asked me my age this week and I wasn't sure. 

Am I 36 or 37? It took me 24 hours to figure it out. 36.

The one thing that I'm certain about is how pathetic my brain is currently.

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Emily Foley is always right.

Lame.

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Does anyone else watch Survivor?

This season was pretty awesome.

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A friend from our church has a really cool blog.

He writes about being prepared (in all situations).

It's really awesome and he's really awesome.

Around Mother's Day he made a list of Mother's Day gifts

you could give to your wife.

One of them was Pepper Spray.

And I can't help but wonder:

did he actually consider what might happen 

if a man got his wife Pepper Spray for a Mother's Day gift?

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Sometimes stupid Etsy customers just wear on me. 

Today is such a day.

Just. Read. The. Item. Description.

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I saw an ad on TV for Grey's Anatomy.

I was compeltely unaware that that show is still on.

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I weighed Jude this week by weighing myself 

and then holding him and weighing myself again.

This is clearly a very unscientific way to check a baby's weight.

BUT....if it's correct he has gained two pounds this month,

which would be awesome.

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I cleaned for hours yesterday and my house is still a disaster.

Sheesh.

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Baby Sinko Gender Reveal!

This morning we got up early, dropped Ella off to a before-school orchestra rehearsal and got Evangeline on the school bus. I got Bianca and Jude dressed and dropped them at my friend, Ariel's house and met Matt at the Hospital for Baby Sinko's 20 week ultrasound.

Baby Sinko was the perfect picture of health in every way.  Here's a sweet little profile shot.

After hearing that all was well it was gender reveal time. I was not feeling that this baby was a certain gender. I have always wanted a certain gender before, every single time, but with Baby Sinko I was surprised to find that I didn't mind.  A boy would be convenient, since we have all of Jude's clothing saved, but this pregnancy has been anything BUT convenient, so I wasn't too concerned either way.  We were happy when we heard the news.

I dropped by Party City on the way home and grabbed three large lollipops of a certain color.  When I got home I covered them with brown paper and drew a question mark on them.  This was Ella's genius idea, by the way.

When Matt got home we sat the girls down on the front lawn and handed them their mystery pops.  They knew that PINK would mean a girl and BLUE a boy. 

On the count of three they opened them up.  1.....2.....3!

Then I got out the pink party hats and everyone was involved in the celebration.  Jude in that hat? I die. Soooo cute!

And....IT'S A GIRL!!  We are thrilled and excited!

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this week in cuteness

somebody loves the swings at the playground.

3

Recipe: Emilie's Shepherd's Pie

I really hate Shepherd's Pie. I always have. My mom's version combined a number of ingredients that I hated as a child. Namely....green beans, tomato sauce, weirdly crusty mashed potatoes. But recently it was 5:30pm and I have no dinner planned yet. I assessed the cupboards and realized I could make a Shepherd's pie, my husband's favorite. Ugh. I could not find a recipe so I winged it and voila!

I feel very lame saying this, but it was the best Shepherd's Pie I had ever had. Quickly I jumped up and wrote down the recipe. We decided we're not too into melted cheese on top, but if you wanna add it...go for it.

Emilie’s Shepherds Pie

2 lbs. lean ground beef
1 c. diced onion
2 cloves minced garlic
2 large carrots, peeled and diced to 1/4"
1 c. frozen peas
1-2 T. seasoning salt
1 (14 oz.) can tomato sauce
3-4 c. prepared mashed potatoes
(I used instant potato flakes to make my mashed potatoes and it was great!)

-Put carrots into small bowl with 1/4 c. water and cover with plastic. Microwave on high for 6 minutes or until tender. Set aside. (you may also substitute frozen carrots, but it won't taste nearly as homemade)
-Saute onion and garlic until soft. Add beef and fry until brown. Drain. Add seasoning salt and stir to coat meat.
-Add tomato sauce, carrots and peas. Stir to combine.
-In separate bowl make 3-4 c. mashed potatoes using instant potato flakes (or use leftover mashed potatoes).
-Pour into 9x13 pan and top with layer of mashed potatoes.

-Bake at 450* for 15-20 min or until bubbly and slightly brown on top.

If Freezing:
- Cover UNBAKED casserole with aluminum foil and freeze for up to 6 months.

- Thaw for 24 hours in fridge.
- Bake with foil on at 350* for 20 min. Remove foil and bake 10-15 more minutes or until bubbly and slightly brown on top.

1

Freeze-A-Thon time

Week 19.5 and the morning sickness rages on.  It is punctuated by the occasional migraine.  Fun times.

Yesterday afternoon I planned a Freeze-A-Thon for this weekend to fill my freezer with easy and healthy meals or my family may just starve to death.

For details on how I plan and execute a Freeze-A-Thon click here.

On the menu:

Shepherd's Pie (x3)

Mini Meatballs (x90)

Beef Taquitos (x30)

Tamale Pie (x4)

Chicken Taquitos (x30)

Chicken Pot Pie (x3)

Chicken Tenders (x30)

BBQ Pork (2 crockpot meals)

Baked Pasta and Spinach (x3)

Whole Wheat Waffles (x30)

Mini Omlettes (x24) 

Whole Wheat Garlic Bread (x4)

The large, stand-up freezer is defrosted and cleaned out completely.  It's ready to start working to make my life easier.  

Oh, do you want copies of my newly designed Freeze-A-Thon Planners? 

Here you go. 

Because I love you.

Wish me luck!

6

This & That Thursday

How can anybody be so happy first thing in the morning?

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I really need one of these drawer organizer things

to get my craft room under control.

But...seriously....$80?!!!

I tried a bunch of plastic shoe boxes...no dice.

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Is anyone else watching Survivor?

Last night's episode was awesome!

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There's a cute little blond girl in Eva's GSA Troop 

whose name is Niamh. 

Guess how it's pronounced? 

Neev. 

Have you ever heard a pronunciation so far from the spelling? 

It's Gaelic apparently.

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The crappy-pregnancy-sleep has begun.

Awesome.

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My children are expert phone-talkers.

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"Don't put your bum by my face."
"Don't show the neighbors your bum."
"We don't touch our bums."
"Don't take those off. You HAVE to wear panties."

Oh, Bianca.

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 When is a new season of Top Chef gunna start?

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Jude is eating like a crazy-man.

I swear he will have gained 5 pounds by his next appt.

Hooray!

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On Monday we find out.

Señor Sinko or Señora Sinko?

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Bianca is convinced that singing while on the potty

helps the poos come out.

It's pretty adorable to hear her belting out songs

from behind the closed door about 

Jude's evil twin and

Mickey Mouse Clubhouse and 

heart-shaped candy.

9

GSA Tula the Tulip | Alex's Lemonade Stand

Evangeline's GSA Troop is having a petal catch-up day where they have a few mini sessions to catch the girls up on earning their petal patches.  Snow days really killed us this year with missing meetings.  I was asked to host a 10 minute session on Tula the Tulip - teaching girls about being COURAGEOUS and STRONG.  I could read straight from the manual, choose a role model to highlight or do a craft....basically anything I wanted.  

I wanted to find a role model these 6-7 year old girls could relate to. Marie Curie was great, but do girls at this age feel they can emulate her?  Maybe not as much.  I went to Facebook and asked my friends for suggestions.  Some great ones came in.  In the end I decided on ALEXANDRA SCOTT from Alex's Lemonade Stand (as suggested by my awesome friend, Amy).  If you don't already know about Alex's Lemonade Stand and little Alex CLICK HERE.  She was amazing.

I found a wonderful picture book at our Public Library called ALEX and the AMAZING LEMONADE STAND written by her parents. It was perfect!!! 

It takes about 5 minutes to read the book aloud.  Then we had five minutes left to have the girls make a simple, 5x7" wall hanging to remind them of Alex's courage and strength. Alex's motto was "When life gives you lemons, just make lemonade!" so I made a craft based on that.

I used my Silhouette Cameo and the Echo Park Lemon & Lemonade file from the Silhouette store. Here's what I did.  First, I designed a 5x7" card in Photoshop with the foundation of my quote, using some of the Echo Park graphics.  The font I used is Carnivalee Freakshow.  I printed these out two-to-a-page onto card stock and used a paper trimmer to cut them out.

I cut striped, paper, straws into 2-1/4" lengths. Then flattened one end.

I used a hot glue gun to glue the flat end onto the pitcher.

I made Print & Cut files of the whole lemon using the Silhouette software.  Then I attached a dimensional pop dot to each lemon.

I added the lemon overlapping the printed lemon.

Next I print and cut the lemonade out of light yellow cardstock. I had the software also cut two small squares from the shape to become ice cubes.  I attached two dimensional pop dots to each lemonade piece.

 

I added the lemonade piece onto the pitcher outline and over top of the straw.

Next up are the actual lemon slices. Again, I used the Print & Cut feature on my Silhouette.  Otherwise I would have been hand-cutting 75 mini lemon slices. Oy!  Buy all I did was press a button and walk away.  Victory!

More dimensional pop dots on the back of each lemon slice and I place them on top of my pitcher of lemonade.

 

And we're done! 

2

Taking the title from Vanilla Ice

You tell yourself you'll never write a blog post about Vanilla Ice.  But then we all fall into the trap eventually.

Up until now the biggest rip-off in music history was Vanilla Ice straight-out stealing Ice, Ice Baby from Under Pressure by Queen and David Bowie.  Vanilla Ice was sued and lost, by the way.  But there's a new thief in town.

The family was driving to the library last night and heard this song on the radio. I immediately recognized it as Lonely No More by Rob Thomas, but it's not.  It's called Me and My Broken Heart by Rixton....whoever Rixton.....is...

Have a listen.  They are even almost in the same key.  

Here is Rob Thomas' song from 2009 (chorus at 0:42)


And here is Rixton's song from 2014 (chorus at 1:55)

Right? I'm gunna assume he'll being hearing fron Rob's lawyer shortly.

7

baby shower obsession

on saturday morning i woke up and sewed this little dress for my friend, elissa's, baby shower. she is having her third girl. i remember when i had bianca i definitely wanted some non-pink options, so i chose this blue/brown fabric.

i used the polly peasant dress pattern by sew much ado. i highly recommend it. it's soooo easy.  start to finish it took me 90 minutes, including cutting the fabric (and i also altered the pattern slightly by making the brown strip along the bottom and adding a rosette).

i kind of love baby showers to an obsessive degree.  i had a great time chatting with friends and celebrating a new little life!  while there i made plans to throw a baby shower for my friend, crystal, who is having a little girl after three boys in a row!  i won't be making a little blue dress for her.....hello, pink!

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