Milk, Flower, Sugar, Eggs

A couple of weeks ago I noticed a few flowers outside who's heads were a little too big...for their stems. I don't know about the condition of their pride, but, the bloom-to-stem-size ratio was not on their side, and they were snapping off. So I took them inside, snipped them down to about 1" of stem and put them together in this shallow bowl of water.
They lasted for about a week and a half, looking great. Then Grace decided she wanted a flower birthday party.They were looking a little on the edge of death, but, still fit in nicely with the flower gift bags I got at Target. Perfect match, really.Two big gift bags, and a bunch of 6 pretty latex balloons in colors to match made a great birthday party theme, for under $15.Then for the cake- Grace wanted a white cake with pink frosting. Then we picked out some flowers from outside for the top.

Cut the stem to about 3" (to really get the center one anchored).Then do the same with the others, however you want. I've done this a few times, usually with inexpensive supermarket flowers, but it was a bonus to just have coordinating flowers outside our door. Thanks, spring.

Quick and Rich Vanilla Frosting

from America's Test Kitchen Family Cookbook

Makes 3 Cups (enough for a 9x13, or an 8-9 inch two layer cake)

Takes 10 minutes

2 T heavy cream

1t vanilla extract

Pinch Salt

2 1/2 sticks butter

2 1/2 C confectioner's sugar

Stir the cream, vanilla, and salt together in a small bowl until the salt dissolves. Beat the butter with an electric mixer on medium-high speed until smooth, 30-60 seconds. Reduce the speed to medium-low, slowly add the confectioners' sugar, and beat until smooth, 2-5 minutes. Beat in the cream mixture. Increase the speed to medium-high and beat until the mixture is light and fluffy, 4-8 minutes.

To Make Ahead

The frosting can be made up to 2 days ahead and refrigerated, wrapped tightly in plastic wrap. Before using, let stand at room temperature to soften, then whisk briefly to re-fluff.

The cookbook includes variations to this simple (and fantastic) recipe, like: dark chocolate, coffee, peppermint, orange, and peanut butter.

This frosting is a cake walk to make.

Love it.

Lily, no matter how many times you get one, no matter how many times you hear it the "right" way, you always call it a Flushie.

Bonus Closet, or, Cheap Plates Don't Have to Be Made of Plastic

I got a great start on my bonus closet last weekend.Since he was already building in a new coat closet for our living room, he decided to run a quick idea by me early on- could he just extend out the closet a few feet above the stairs? It was like making storage out of thin air. It's my bonus closet. Storage is hot. I'm 100% smitten with organizational space. It also has a space for our DVD player etc. so there will be NO electronics visible other than the flat screen in our living room, which will be mounted on the wall, which has outlets and cable stuff built-in behind it, so there will be NO cords visible either, and all our DVDs etc. will be stored in the hot jalapeno dresser beneath it and out of sight.

My heart stopped beating a little bit just describing that to you. Give me a minute. It's nice to have the stuff we use for everyday, but not every day close, but still freeing up more space in the main kitchen cabinets. I got that set of espresso cups and saucers for $2 on clearance once. The girls love them for tea. It's nice to have them out and easy to grab, instead of in one of the top cabinets like they were.Can you believe I actually have three sets...of white dishes? There's the Corell set in plain white that we use every day all the time. They know what they are doing at Corell. They aren't talking smack. You really can drop them over and over and they don't break. We're going on 7 years of testing that out.

I love white dishes, because you can switch out other colored plates to mix it up with seasons and they can mingle with the white for a fun table, and of course because you can play with many colors of napkins and table decorations and place cards and etc. and it all comes together and pops great when set on a fantastic white plate.

Then there's my clean-white, heavy and substantial set that is EXACTLY like the Pottery Barn Sausalito dinnerwear you see below, EXACT match in every way- I've compared them in person. And I got them at WalMart on clearance. $30 for a full set for 8. Almost fainted when I saw them. I LOVE this set, and use them whenever I want dinner to be a little more special, and always when people come over.

Photo courtesy of PotteryBarn.com

Then there's my newest addition, my set of fine bone china, that I found at Bed Bath & Beyond for half price last Christmas. It was the display, and was missing a couple of saucers (not unlikely that we'll be missing more in a couple years...and my other white plates make a sly substitute). It's the WHOLE deal- tea set, salt and pepper shakers, all of it, service for 10- because 8 is too few, 12 is too many, right Meg Ryan? That China is reserved for when we have more formal meals here at our house for holidays- it's very delicate, which I love for making holidays etc. more special, and has a nice, simple pattern- pretty, but minimal- just really a pattern I love. And, it matches the pattern that was embossed on our wedding cake. Can you believe that? I thought that was just really, really special. It's the wedding-china I'd never gotten and always hoped to...just 6 1/2 years late. And I found them randomly, the whole set for $60. Jim kindly said nothing when I returned late from a shopping trip with a third set of "white plates". Here it is last Christmas.

China is a girl-thing, isn't it ladies? The specialness, the tradition of carefully, lovingly taking out each piece and setting the holiday table each year together with my daughters, a few times a year taking it out for an extra-special tea...you get me. *weep* *sigh*
If you don't have special glasses, I'd encourage you to get some. You can get a box of 4 Libby glasses for $4 at Target or the Others. Ice Tea glasses look fantastic any time you want water to be more than just water. And champagne flutes make anything bubbly-even soda or of course sparkling juice- special for a date night after the kids go to bed. You can buy them new, or look for them while you're thrifting... but get some. A neighbor girl got a homemade slush at our house last night in an Ice Tea glass and her eyes lit up instantly. A special glass means something.

Color palette for my bonus closet? Bright, warm yellow, jalapeno green, chocolate brown. Finding these storage containers on clearance at Target when I was searching for something exactly like them? Of course that was a bonus. These hold our silver (hand-me-down from Jim's great aunt- see above Christmas picture), our napkin rings and other table linens etc. Oh, yes, and it does of course hold coats etc. on the other side... It did start out as a coat closet, after all.Thank goodness for green and yellow. My they make me happy.

Six.

Grace Daisy, you are six.
You love beauty, and can spend an easy hour making something, anything, more beautiful with thoughtful attention to detail and design. You often tell me how much you like to take what you have and make something beautiful with it. And you really do.
You take the hair accessory drawer and flip it upside down, just for the chance to carefully regroup it's contents into a better, more lovely and organized fashion.
You love to pick out not just your outfit, but your sisters' as well.
You do things with intentionality. You don't just throw anything together. There's always a reason it's just so.
You are the most like me, and in our family I'm the most like you. We generally tolerate one another nicely. You extend grace to me when we don't. I hope you see me doing the same for you.
You dislike talking to new people. And trying new things. But I see you pushing your limits daily, often doing the hard stuff, and introducing yourself in a way that would never let that new friend know that you were afraid. And I'm so proud.
You lead by example and it's tough at the top. You take the roll well, and are so good to take your sisters' and brother's hands in yours while they figure out how to follow.
You know when it's true, and you hate when it's a lie. You talk to Jesus and know He's right there with you. You talk to me, and anyone else, about Him as naturally as you love pink and sparkles.
It never occurs to you to be inhibited about the One who took your heart and sealed it just three years ago. And I want daily to have a heart as wide open as yours is. Maybe someday I'll grow up and be just like you, Miss Six.

Things I Call You Every Single Day...

Buster. Stinker. Rascal. Bandit. Tsunami. Handsome Hudson. Mr. Man. H-Man. Hud. HJ. Son.

Well, sometimes, it's a desperate, "Son!!?!?"

So thankful I can call you mine.

Living Arrangements

A sweet friend was recently over, and upon realizing that one of the flowers in my house was real, she mentioned she'd thought they had all been fake. And she was surprised when I said I'd gotten them all from right outside my door.

Now, I don't think ALL faux is a "no", but I just think that fake flowers that look good are... rare. I certainly have trouble doing them "right".

But I love, love, love having fresh flowers.

And I happen to be madly in love with a hardcore gardener.

So we make it through the winter with a few inexpensive bunches of the longest-lasting flowers from the grocery store, and then go all out once the garden starts poppin'.

I kill anything I try to care for that needs water and food and love to thrive. Children and dogs the exception, of course. I think they're blooming quite well. Jim, however, is a farmer in the city, using his mad skills to grow vegetables and awesome blossoms. Extra awesome.

Last winter- in December- he came home from The Depot the night before a big blizzard would come with Peppermint Mochas for two (not from The Depot), and bags and bags of half-price clearance bulbs. Well over 100 of them, for the bargain price of $30 and freezing fingers after hurriedly planting them on a deep dark freezing winter's evening, and the cost of wondering until spring whether or not they'd be studs or duds.

I love my husband.

And they were............ STUDS!

Him too.

Here's a slide show (well, up there's a slide show) of a little of what we have growing here- Plenty to see from the street, and so many gorgeous, fancy types of tulips and daffodils and etc to enjoy in-house. And this is just the earliest spring bulbs- can't wait for a whole summer de flores.

Flowers just speak to me. My daughters each love them too, and can name all the types we have in our garden, remembering them from long hours out there last year with Dad.

The impact of even one bloom in my room is huge to me.

Do you ever bring the outside in at your house?

THE CRAZIEST CLIFFHANGER EVER!!!

AHHHHHHHH! ARE YOU KIDDING ME?!?!?!

Holly-Lu-Jah

When my seemingly well Patience dropped ill suddenly with a 104 fever this morning, I immediately made plans to take her in to the doctor any time we could be seen, and called work to say I couldn't make it.

Only after we returned from said appointment did I realize today was, in fact, Thursday already...isn't it Wednesday?... And The Office season finale is here. And I'll be home to see it in real time, not online tomorrow.

The "Vomit Phase" just kicked in about 30 minutes ago, and I'm kissing my smelly daughter, rocking the Febreeze, and *SHH* feeling a little bit of inner happiness at the day's silver lining...

Happy Feet and Other Side Effects of My Last Trip to the Thrift Store

Some people just don't have the right "eyes" for thrifting. It's OK. They were born that way. The good news is, they can change. It just takes some practice.

Ralph Lauren and GAP Shoes for Hudson, $3.00 each.

I know a lot of people that love thrift stores and garage sales. And a lot of people that never go because they don't think of it, they don't want to, or they're just repulsed by it. This means that, by the way, 78% of what's in my house and 90% of the clothing on my children's backs is repulsive to them. That's nice. But I bet most of you out there have got The Look. You know just what I mean.

Bookshelf for New School Spot, $7.00

Thrifting with sharp eyes means finding really, really, really cool, neat, useful and beautiful things. Our love for owning only good literature is constantly burning bright with all the fantastic reads we see thrifting- school libraries and classrooms are always donating classics, as well as people who buy and never actually read them.

I waxed on the topic once here and that pretty much covers the basics, if you're wanting to get into it yourself and get to workin' out those eyes of yours.

2 brand new pairs of PLACE for Grace, $4 each- steep pricing for a thrift store, and still a steal.

You've got to know what you want, what you need, what you're lookin' for. You've got to know when to hold em', fold em', when to walk away, when to run.

Grace needed to move up a size, and I found these Sketchers that are practically new, they light up which of course she loves, and were nearly spotless inside, just a few scuffs outside. After washing and a magic eraser, all these shoes were lookin' spankin' new. I just didn't take the time to photograph them...

Once you get the hang of it, it's like shooting up bargain crack. All the ladies out there that know just what I mean say hey.

Mother's Day Went Down Like This...

I woke to receive a gorgeous Sunday, was given three bags full of handmade flowers and cards, a tear-jerker note from my man, and a great morning at church.

We ate lunch out, came home to naptime and hanging out in our garden, taking a lazy siesta myself, then rising to go out to the park- the kids and Jim played with Bebo, while I roamed slowly through the Outdoor Campus for an hour just me and my camera. I heard the phrase, "You pick what we do next/eat/where we go Mama, because it's Mother's Day" many, many times. I was given several sweet random "found" gifts throughout the day, like dandelions, and flower petals, handed by chubby hands and with a sweet "Happy Mother's Day Mama!" to couple it.

We ate some Sonic, then tripped to three stores getting the flowers and vegetables Jim needed to plant our garden full-out and get it into swing.

The day ended with sweet secret treats and a movie after everyone else was in bed.

Basically, it was fantastic.

Don't Call it a Comeback...

Just in case I disappear again from time to time...

But I'm back for now!

I know several of you were hoping to see how things have changed at our house- honestly, it took a lot of time and mi casa got really, really dirty- but Jim did an awesome job, it all went really well, and almost everything we needed for the project was right here in our house anyway- so it was very inexpensive. Of course that's a good thing.

I explained all about what projects we were tackling in this post.

And for befores, if you don't know us IRL, or if you're just really into seeing befores and afters, you can stroll through the House Beautiful tab- there's plenty of pictures there if you're into that.

Here are some slideshows...









Nothing too amazing, but it's so fantastic to have our house our cozy home again, improved and ready for livin' in for as long as we're given it.

Did you notice the frames that don't have "real" pictures in them yet? It's all a work in progress, of course. I'll get to that. Until then, there's a fake picture of someone's wedding hanging in my living room...

The only thing new or purchased for these projects was the paint, except for the red shelf in the school room- that was $7 at a thrift store, it was brown and I painted it red. The dresser in the living room was free- an extra, old, extra-old, unused one from Jim's parents' house, that I think belonged to his grandparents. I bought the paint for it with a gift card, and really love how it turned out after lots of love, cleaning and painting.

Everything else you see is just shopped from the house and moved around- it was so nice to get faces back on our walls again!!

Our new TV will go right where that grey frame is above the dresser, and the dresser will hold all our remotes, dvds, etc. When Jim lands his new job, we're buying a new flatscreen to celebrate. And Jim got the wall all ready for it- so NO CORDS etc will show! We're both pretty excited to have a reason to buy that TV!

The new closet off the kitchen (the yellow closet) isn't finished yet- it's waiting for shelving. We'll do that in the near future- I'll keep all my china and extra dishes for entertaining etc in it. Love it!

And for the color-mind...
Our Main areas in our house are Behr Provence Cream
The dresser is Benjamin Moore 2147-30 Jalapeno Pepper
The stairway is Benjamin Moore HC-104 Copley Gray
The School Spot and Hudson's room are SW 6163 Grassland
The closet and the Play Room are Benjamin Moore 2021-20 Lemon

See you soon?!

A New Season

After months of slush and frozen things falling from the sky,
and months of messy, complicated projects going on in my house,
and months of adjusting to a new job in addition to my beloved old ones,
it's finally really, truly, spring here.

And Jim is finally really, truly, done with all the house projects.
And I am really, truly, almost done with my end of the bargain to put the house together again.
And we're back into a strong routine of doing real, legitimate school lesson plans for these last few weeks, instead of just surviving on the basics like we'd been doing for the first months Jim was home and life was so different than we'd been used to.
And I'm really, truly getting the hang of being gone more, and balancing it all out.

Things are growing and popping up all over the place outside, and the windows are wide open, and my schedule is opening up too, so I can stop and enjoy it all a bit more.

I've painted several rooms in my house,
I've switched out clothes for summer for 4 kids,
I've painted a fun piece of furniture,
I've got pictures on my walls again,
And most of my house is clean.

I hope to take some pictures tomorrow,
and hope to have a bit of a comeback in the blogging world next week.
I hope.
Because blogging, and picture-taking, and decorating, and making you all read about decorating, and my kids, and my thoughts, is a favorite of mine.
Thanks especially to all of you for your little notes and emails and general checking in on me from time to time, I really appreciate it.

3.

Lily my third, today you are three.
You are deep and complex, and have the blessed gift of making nearly everything just a little more complicated than I could dream it to be. You are sharp and clever, and so sweet with just the right amount of sour to keep us on our toes and guessing. You are disarmingly direct, and always so sure of yourself. And what you want.

And we couldn't dream of having you any other way.

Happy Birthday, Lily Hope.