http://www.activityvillage.co.uk/paper_dolls.htm

These are too cute! There are beach clothes, winter clothes, Halloween costumes, etc. Check it out!!

I am a bad parent

Last night, Jillian made me the greatest cake for my PhD graduation. It was chocolate cake with dried tart cherries inside and a fantastic chocolate frosting.* Payge has come up with the title 'happy' for cake. She can say cake, but she calls the cake happy. So this morning, when she first woke up asked daddy for some happy, it melted my heart and I couldn't say no. So yes, I am a bad parent and let my baby have cake for breakfast so she could have some happy.

*Zachary, who has the appetite of a teenage boy during the day, did not like the frosting - yay! more for us. Fortunately Chayce, who has the appetite of several teenage boys after bedtime, has a controlled appetite during the day. But I digress, revealing my cake selfishness.

My Big Fat Check!

So, I've been using Ebates for awhile now, but didn't want to go advertising it until I knew that it was legit. It is. I got my rebate check back from last quarter. I did a lot of clothes shopping (Children's Place, with coupons, of course! Making some pants for Chayce $1.50), and some other things. Anyhow, here is a link to check it out!
Ebates.com

Happy Saving!

Another Marshmallow Recipe.

http://technicolorkitcheninenglish.blogspot.com/2010/04/orange-blossom-water-marshmallows.html

I might get around to doing this sometime. Maybe soon. Maybe.

Use it Up!!

Well, it seems I've been absent! We're still here. And we know where we're going. But we can't tell online yet. You locals better keep it hush hush in my comments section! Stephen says.

BUT, that doesn't mean that I can't talk about what I'm up to.

I'm still taking time to run in the mornings, which is nice. It's my brain break, ya know? Even in the rain. In fact, I've been enjoying rainy runs. Does this mean something is wrong with me? Nah.

I've been trying to cook from our pantry more--again. Only this time, there's this odd sense of a deadline, so I need to use up the "least likely to travel well" stuff (ha, how's that for a yearbook award?). Today, that meant making a chocolate cake with dried cherries in it, topped with an experiment. I've been reading about making coconut oil frosting (melting the oil, adding the other ingredients, whipping it, then chilling) and so, I'm taking it on. Maybe cooking is my other form of relief. If it's nasty, I'll just whip up some buttercream. That never hurt anyone. :)

Perhaps I haven't been on here because I feel like there's nothing exciting to say. No big art projects, bathrooms not even made spic and span in any special way. I did re-paint the banister on our upstairs landing yesterday. I suppose that was fun, but I didn't feel particularly inspired to take pictures. The kids are watching PopEye, because I'm being a bad mother and letting this rainy day be an excuse to use the TV more than usual. They don't seem to mind. I'm sure the days I think I'm failing are their favorites, and the days that I just KNOW I'm building character, they dread. Such is parenting, right?

Now, off to decide what to use up next. Perhaps the millet. Millet pilaf with diced tomatoes and sea salt anyone? I think that sounds good. With bacon and spinach. It's like a BLT in a bowl. Yes, I did just pull that out of my head as I typed. Not too shabby. I hope it will really taste as good as my brain is imagining it.

Getting off the chair is so hard when you're 2

While talking with Jillian as she was getting ready to go sing in the choir tonight, Payge was having a snack. Oranges. Or so I thought. I came back down, and found her sound asleep, on the chair, as seen here:

Our Own Hidden Wonderland...

This week found me turning this old suitcase...

Into this awesome place for plastic dinosaurs and lizards to play!
The children have had a blast helping put this together, and I love that it closes and looks decent when put away (who doesn't love stacks of old suitcases?!). I didn't take any "in the process" photos. I wish I would have, but we were elbow deep in paint. Chayce now wants me to make a hidden house for her Polly Pockets. I can't wait! I still have some plants that need to be hot-glued on.

For a great tutorial on how to do this, head on over to At Second Street
I believe her suitcase was a little deeper than mine, but either way, it's fun!