Happy Santa Lucia Day Everyone!

Love, Ellie and Maja 

 (Jr. Lucia Girl and Tomte)

Christmas Card Bloopers and Other Musings

We were in Minnesota over Thanksgiving Break to celebrate my grandfather's life and clear out his apartment. Not quite what we had originally planned for this holiday, but what a necessary and important time to provide closure after his death in early November. 

I am still in the process of processing through his passing and have many moments where I feel like he is still up in the North Woods, drinking his daily cups of coffee, reading, and finding interesting articles to share with us on email.   It's just so hard for me to believe that he is really gone. 

There was something more final about his death than the rest of my grandparents.  It seems like a true signal of the end of an era.  The cycle of life is continuing on whether we are ready or not.

Luckily for us, we've got memories, photographs, and trinkets to serve as daily reminders of those who we've lost.

I am just so thankful that my girls had the opportunity to know their GGpa (and Ellie, her GGma) for a little short while. 

Because things have been a little bit unpredictable for us, we decided to attempt a family picture while at the hotel one night.  Thanks to John for being willing to snap some family shots of us crazy Bassetts. 

We only have one salvageable picture that we are able to use this year.  Most of the pictures had at least one of us with weird eyes, some sort of attitude, (reminds me of the McKayla olympian pictures that were everywhere for a spell) a crazy face, fingers or hair a flyin'

Looking at these pictures today have made me smile to myself a bit, so I thought I would share them with you.

May you find something today that brings you a smile as well.

First Snow

We had our first snow/frost/dusting outside this week. I went to get the girls moving along for the day, and I saw Ellie peering magically outside. I asked her what she was looking at, and she said "It snowed, mommy!" almost entranced with the white she saw out the window.

Maja stood up in her crib and started exclaiming "-now! -now!" (snow, snow) and I moved her over to the window to look out with Ellie.  For a few moments they were absolutely captivated taking in the splendor of the outside world.

 

When I looked outside this morning, it was not in sheer wonder, it was of impending winter doom.  What a way to get outside of myself witnessing something anew from a child's view.  For a moment, watching them looking outside, I, too, was enraptured in the first snow moment. How wonderful it is to be around excitement for the little things. 

Maja's Birthday and Grandma's Visit!

Miss M turned two on November 1st, and Grandma came for the weekend to celebrate!

At two, Maja...

...loves balls, babies, books, cleaning up, and doing things her self

... still consistently sucks on her two fingers (left hand)

...is beginning to sing songs over and over again (ABC's and Twinkle Twinkle are favs).

...loves EVERYTHING that Ellie has or is doing.  She wants to be like her big sister.

...is talking so much more than even just a few months ago. 

... loves to be a "ham"

...is fascinated with the idea of the potty and undies, but has no intentions of using them as intended

...is 25.5 pounds (40%), 32 inches tall (10%)

What a difference a year makes!

Halloween - 2014

A few days before Halloween, we had our annual Jed & kids carving pumpkins adventure.  (I usually stay out of the ooshy-gushy pulp in order to take pictures and to be able to sketch pumpkin faces without my hand slip-sliding all along the marker.) 

This year, to help guide me through the drawing process, Ellie designed the "looks" for the pumpkin faces to wear.

One happy face.  One mad face. Comin' right up!  Everyone was into it, E wasn't scared of the pulp and dove right in. M helped in the quest to siphon out all of the seeds inside to make a tasty snack for later.  By hook or by crook, she wasn't going to let any seed pass by her hands un-collected. 

A few days later,  HALLOWEEN and TERRIBLE weather joined us in a night of adventure and intrigue.  (Honestly, I don't think I have experienced worse weather on Halloween. I've had cold.  I've had rain.  I've had snow. I've had wind. But, I have never had a combo of all of these things in one night).  We had sleet, freezing rain, insane bursts of winds, and COLD temperatures to boot. 

Luckily, both girls had warm(ish) costumes (Orphan Annie and her dog, Sandy) that helped them to brave the elements (at least enough to get up and down the street to about 10-15 houses).  After that, we had had enough trick or treating.

Happy (belated) Halloween everyone!

Night at the Princess Ball

Our town has an amazing park district (seriously, we are in love!).  One of the events that we heard was a "must do" was the Princess Ball.

From the invitations that were sent out personally to all of the attendees, the "feast" at the ball, to the  making of crowns and wands, to the autographs of the real-life princesses, and to the dances led by these same princesses, the night was truly a magical experience.

Fun was had by kids AND parents alike, so in our book that constitutes a big success.

And, I stayed home with this little bugaboo, who for now didn't seem to mind one way or the other that she was left behind while her father and sister went to this amazing event.

First Day of Preschool

 

This little sweetie pie was all set for her first day of preschool this year. New dress and Hello Kitty notebook in hand, she was armed for the day of new faces, new classroom, new year.

This year her hopes when she grows up are to be a song writer, a regular writer, and a preschool teacher.

Of course in all these first day pics, we had a few others clamoring for the spotlight. Somehow, they didn't seem quite as excited as Miss E.

Happy School year!

What IS that?

 

If you came over to my house, you might be just a little bit grossed out by this jar on our windowsill.

I'm sure you would be polite and wouldn't actually say "What IS that?" followed by a disgusted look on your face.  But, my guess is that is what you would be thinking about doing upon seeing it.

Well, my friends, I can assure you that it is not quite what you think it might be.  For, at first glance it looks like we are saving so carefully something that should be thrown out immediately.

Any guesses???

It's pollen from my zucchini plant.  

I've learned a thing or two about vegetables this summer.  Well, mainly just this one thing.

And, it has involved me saving pollen in order to actually make sure that zucchinis grow and not fizzle.

I know, it sounds crazy, but it has really made a difference.

Check out this video link on YouTube if you want to learn more about it!

Sea to the "attle"

We went here. Can you guess where?

What a wonderful time we had!

We saw the sights, got to spend some time away, and oh yeah, went to an amazing wedding at a barn on an island in the meantime!

All the while getting to stay in this beautiful air b&b:

Eating this splendor for breakfast (french press coffee, homemade croissants, eggs from chickens kept in the yard):

What a lovely time. An honor to be here. Extremely thankful for the opportunity to go.

A Couple of Hammity Hams

As M is getting older, she and her big sis are beginning to develop a real relationship with each other.  Gone are the days where Miss E would shake a rattle/toy/lovey/you-name-it in M's face, watching for a smile and then going on her merry way.

 Now, there are squabbles, and laughs, frustrations, and silly-poke-you-till-I-get-a-reaction sort of moments that I haven't seen until just recently.  And, they really are quite a pair of hams in terms of bantering with each other in a sisterly sort of way.

At this point in time, if they were to get in an all out brawl, I would bet money on Miss M, as she is a feisty sort of gal, which one would need to be with a big sister like hers.  But, in general their spats don't seem to last very long, and at the root of their relationship seems to be love and tenderness with a dash of spunk thrown in for good measure.

What's for Dinner?

Summer for me (and I think other teachers as well) has become some sort of New Years Resolutions time where I am willing to take on a few new challenges that felt much too daunting to take on during the school year.

My big three of the summer:

1) Conquer meal time/menu planning/sticking to a food budget

2) Read! (Isn't this why nap time was created???)

3) Organize the shelf in the basement next to the computer.

Going backwards through this list, my organization did happen, although I admit I took the easy way out by making the shelf itself look pretty and put together, however all of the things from said shelf that I didn't know what to do with found itself stuffed in the closet under the stairs to be organized for another day. Shh, don't tell anyone.

I have been a reading fiend this summer, I will admit. Although, in all honesty, I've read a lot of books but I haven't really found any new loves except for The Selection series of books, which are total fluff, but totally awesome. I've got a bunch of books that I mostly like, but I would love any ideas if really good books if any of you have them.

Last, but not least, I have finally tackled the beast that is figuring out what to eat every night.  In the past, my least favorite time of day comes around 5 pm, where J and I look at each other, already a little "hangry" and frustratedly try to piecemeal a meal together. This is never a pleasant experience.  But, with extra time on my hands this summer, I have created a little binder of recipes that are both affordable to make a doable for the average human being, and so far, it's been a positive experience.

My favorite website, by far, for recipes has been this woman who blogs about saving money and she creates meals from items at Aldi that she shares with one and all.  Check out her blog:Iamthatlady.com where she features regular recipes and also Crockpot Meals. I can't get enough!  Her food is really tasty, pretty healthy and easy to make.  Tonight, we just made the Thai Peanut Pork crockpot recipe and it was awesome! I am feeling so domestic.

No, seriously, getting mealtimes to be a less stressful part of our day has really changed things for the better,  and, because it isn't random assortments of what we could find in our pantry or fridge, our kids are learning to eat more of what we are eating instead of having a good excuse to eat just what they want to eat.

For the first time tonight, Ellie didn't ask "what are we having for dinner?" in reference to what she and sister would be having versus what mom and dad would have. Score one point for us! She is catching on!

These are the Days

It's been one if those days. A sweet, soak it up kind of day that makes me want to hang on to the marrow of summer, although I know the school year is already beginning to knock around the corner.

The girls and I went to the Botanic Garden this morning. We strolled. We looked at ducks. We counted up yellow flowers. We had a snack in the grass without a care in the world.

It was a lunch of favorites: hot dogs, monster Mac & Cheese (shhh, it has spinach in it!), blueberries.

Nap time was blissful.

And then, more time to be outside. 

Maja so desperately wants to ride a bike, a trike, anything that goes, and big sister gave her the ride of her little life.

I'm storing this day for when we are in the dredges of winter.  And, for right now, I'm lovin' life.

Marker Girl

This girl LOVES to color.  I mean it. 

Since she was really little (as in 13 months or so), she has been content to sit and color for minutes on end.  Seriously.

She has found satisfaction in opening the caps, putting marker to page, and then closing the caps again on repeat.  Sometimes with the same color, sometimes moving on to other colors.  In all honesty, I have always felt that she was more of a mature marker user than her age let on.

Not so any more.

Within the past few weeks, we have had several mishaps (similar to the one below) with Miss M and markers, and after yesterday's escapade (see evidence below), she is currently being cut off from using them.

It appears the news of markers-no-more hasn't quite sunk in yet.

For now, its crayons and colored pencils for all of her coloring needs.  We'll see how those go.

Meeting Moses

We had Vacation Bible School at our church last week, and this was the first time that Ellie was allowed to attend. She had a blast!

When people asked what her favorite part of VBS was she said that it was meeting Moses (and Malachi). Say what?! I thought both of them are long gone?!

Well, not to fear, these were just actors playing the part of the famous M & M. (And, one of these actors just happened to be one of her uncles...I'm not mentioning any names here...)

There were songs (that we're still singing around here), crafts, and games. Overall, it was a success!

Until next year, thanks for a great time!

You're Never Fully Dressed without a Smile!

This little peanut got to take part in her very first recital yesterday.  

She's been in a combo tap/ballet class this spring, and the song that they performed (tap) to was, You're Never Fully Dressed without a Smile from the musical, Annie.

Annie, being a musical near and dear to my heart since childhood (maybe because I shared the same nickname with the main character, perhaps??), somehow made this performance even more special than the fact that this was my baby's first foire on the stage.

From wig to bow in hair (not pictured) to red collar (not pictured) to make up and fancy Annie outfit, this girl was decked out and in character.

On the stage, she was poised, did her best, and we loved every minute of it.  She did too.  

Afterwards, she told us that she wanted to have a recital EVERY DAY.  The sad realization that dance was over for the season set in, and we are now processing through this change.  

The Magnolia Tree - 2014

Our Magnolia tree bloomed in early May this year.  After a long winter, it was a bit more sparse in its blossoms than usual, but we still enjoyed seeing those pink buds pop out when they did.

It's become quite a fun tradition to take pictures at its peak, so without further adieu...

 The Magnolia Tree Pictures - Spring of 2014.

Pool Time

First pool experience of the season. Can't be beat.

Summer is coming!

Easter Family Photo Op

While heading to church a few weeks ago for Easter, our resident church photographer snapped some pictures of families on their way to church (and to the pancake breakfast).

So rare is it for us to have an opportunity to be in a picture all together like this on a beautiful, sunny day, that we jumped at the chance (well, most of us did, some...okay ONE of us was not quite so amused....luckily that someone had some fingers to suck on in her time of need).

I am glad we did it. Moment captured. 

The Terror of Swings

This is Maja's reaction to watching Ellie swinging on the swings. Her face looked much the same as we tried to put her in the swing just before.

I guess we've got some work to do to get her a little more comfortable with the swings.

Snow People

I am loving the artwork that E has been creating as of late.  While she has loved coloring and crafts in the past, she has been reluctant to "go rogue" and make her own creations.

She was on a kick a few weeks ago making these snow people.  This one was my favorite of the people.  Everything about it makes me smile when I see it.  The twinkling eyelashes, the bulbous ends to the ends of the snowflakes, and the buttons all lined up in a row make me think "this is so just Ellie."  Ellie sees the world with a Fancy Nancy lens, with flourishes, sparkles and fanciness.

It's fun to see these snowpeople fancified.  Especially with all the snow that we've had, it's nice to see a positive spin on the substance we aren't really wanting to see much of these days.

Maja as of Late...

And this, captures Maja, our little busy bee.  On from one thing to the next, to the next, without stopping to do anything but sleep.

She's into socks these days (and hats/mittens a little bit too).  If she sees them around, they go right on the hand...and off the hand...and on the hand...and carried in hand.  She's also into returning things to their rightful owners, and then wanting them back again immediately upon their return. 

Silly girl!