Before And After A.K.A. Summer Home Winter Home

SaturdaySeven

1. It was nice to sleep in my own bed last night. Ah...
2. I spent some quality time with me, myself and I at Wegman's this morning....Ah...
3. We went on a free shopping spree this morning--burning up all of the gift cards we had--shopping without paying a penny ROCKS. We scored some awesome deals at Old Navy, Barnes and Noble, Best Buy.
4. The babies took long naps and I took in a Project Runway Marathon.
5. We just burned up the rest of our Cheesecake Factory meal on a most delectable meal--with leftovers to spare--yay!
6. I'm listening to my family sort the laundry....it is priceless to me.
7. I'm heading out in a few, for a girl's night--woot!
Happy Saturday!

My New Best Friends

Thanks Mom!

Home Is Sweet

We're home, from home, and our Thanksmas Extravaganza.

It was lovely to see my brothers and my sister by marriage.

It wasn't that lovely to see, drive through, trudge through the snow...but it comes with the upstate NY territory.

(Although Amelie was IN LOVE with NY winter and sledding and making snow people with Granny and Pop)

(and I guess it was good to hone those rusty driving through a blizzard skills)

All of our wonderful and fun presents are put away and I had some time tonight to decorate my tree! (The hubby is out at a well deserved movie night with friends and the babies are sleeping--for the most part).

I'm watching a happy little love story on tv and enjoying a quiet night with a tall glass of chocolate milk (and thanking myself for cleaning the house thoroughly and decorating for Christmas before we left so I only had relaxing and tree-decorating to do).

After we got in, we headed back out to pick up our Christmas pictures--which are all lovely and now nestled in frames around our home.

We drove home past a parade of fire trucks decorated in Christmas lights...I have never seen such a thing--it was fun and a little noisy.

Now, to put my feet up and turn off the overhead lights so I can enjoy the sparkly white tree lights. Ah...

My Thanksgiving Gift To You: Buckeyes (Or at least, the recipe...)

I made delicious buckeyes again today for my brothers

(a delectable Christgiving/Thanksmas present)

I had decided to go about documenting the recipe Pioneer Woman Cooks style but I just don't have that kind of time on my hands =)

The Super Easy, Super Delicious Recipe:
2 Cups Peanut Butter
1/4 Cup Butter (soft, not melted)
3 3/4 Cup Powdered Sugar
2 Cups Chocolate Chips
2 Tblsp Shortening

Directions:

• Mix peanut butter, butter and sugar together (when it comes together it'll turn into a big ball).
• Shape mixture into small balls (you could use a melon-baller but I use my hands and that works just fine).
• Put peanut butter balls on a cookie sheet and let them harden in the freezer.
• Melt the chocolate chips and shortening in a double boiler on the stove top (I just put an inch of water in a regular pot and use a bowl that "hovers" inside the pot since I don't have an actual double boiler). Stir occasionally until totally melted. (You could also do this in the microwave--but I hate to risk burning all of that chocolate!).
• Take the peanut butter balls out of the freezer and dip into the chocolate---I've dipped them in using a toothpick, my fingers and a spoon--they all work--use whatever makes you happy.
• Freeze until set (30 minutes-ish--or as long as you can possibly bear to wait--or don't wait at all and eat them when they are warm--STILL delish). Keep these in the fridge and they won't last long!

I've only ever made a half batch which gives me about 30 buckeyes. So it's totally fine to cut this recipe in half--it's given me no problem. Or double it--I won't judge you =) So, go make some and leave me a little note and tell me all about it!

Happy Thanksgiving!

This year I am thankful for (in no particular order):
* grace
* my Mr. Wonderful
* my sweet babies
* our loving family
* good health
* home (in nj, where it doesn't snow, much, at all)
* thigh high socks and long skirts
* chocolate
* cafe mocha
* God's Word
* friends
* turkey (that i didn't have to kill, stuff or cook myself)
* bubble baths
* blogging
* blog readers =)
Happy Thanksgiving!

Snowed In

Snow is stupid.

Snow is gross.

Snow I really hate the most.

The End.

TV Temptation

While I was up with the early morning baby "we" watched this infomercial

(i heart infomercials they are so full of info in commercial form)

which showed all of this video of little babies reading.

Like 18 month old babies reading words (sight words) and 3 year olds reading books.

I know it's possible for 3 and 4 year olds to read without a learning system

(as evidenced by Mr. Wonderful and I--where did all of that early intelligence disappear to?)

but I was tempted to get it for Maeve to see if I could turn her into a little super genius mastermind.

{Although, I must admit, that it was just a little creepy to watch the littlest little ones reading....}

What do you think?

I Love These People A Whole Bunch.

(The "Wonderful Family" of the East)

(The "Adventure Family" of the North)

That is all.

Monday Meanderings

* I think Maeve and I are on the mend---like a 12 hour bug for her and a 24 hour one for me--the rest of the family remains unscathed---let's hope it stays that way!

* When Maeve and I arrived at the Dr.'s for her weight check they said, "Oh, she's just getting the second part of her flu shot today b/c there isn't a doctor available to give her a weight check...so if you'd like to come back..." Mer. I'm not gonna do it. It annoys me that we've been waiting for this day to come and then it did and it was uneventful. I guess we'll check her weight at her 15 month appt. which will be here before we know it. Still...

* I think my Christmas pictures are ready to pick up...but silly me, I can't find my receipt thingy....Mer.

*I'm still working on my free Cheesecake and it is still delicious.

*As soon as Mr. Wonderful and Amelie get home from Granny and Pop's (we are borrowing their fabulous wheels for our northward journey) I have to pack up all our stuff for Thanksmas/Christgiving in NY. As long as we're done...you know...being sickies.

* Oh and somebody, please remind me to stop looking at Baby Gap. It's a sickness and I just can't help it. Here's what caught my eye tonight:

(Um, I heart leg warmers--I so love that they are in style now!)

Good night and have a pleasant tomorrow!

In The Spirit Of The Season

Snapfish sent me another offer I'm planning on taking them up on!

I figured I'd pass it on since it's "that time of year."

I love picture gifts! They are so affordable and special--they make me happy.

For a limited time, when you order one or more 12-month calendars of any size, you'll get an 8.5"x11" 12-month classic calendar free. Add the free calendar to your cart when you place your order and enter coupon FREECAL08 at checkout. Hurry, offer ends November 31.*

Shelly's Snippets

*I ought to post mysterious craft items more often--ya'll are de-lurking like crazy and I love it! Yay for new connections!

*I felt a little weird yesterday...you know like...weird and then last night I realized that I don't feel weird, I feel sick. BLECK. I also realized that my baby feels sick...the first clue was when she barfed all over me, and my bed, in the middle of the night. Somehow just Maeve and I are under the weather--everyone else is happy and healthy. Mer.

*I hope our illnesses don't keep us from our Thanksgiving plans! Oy!

*I ate free Chocolate Godiva Cheesecake from Cheesecake Factory last night---let me just say, that everything tastes better when it is free!

*Maeve's big weight check is today so let's keep our fingers crossed that she's put on some weight so I can escape the glaring scrutiny of the doctor's office.

Happy Monday!

It's confirmed--she's an ANGEL!

Amelie came home from Church this morning with big news:

She's an angel for the Christmas program at church!

Not just any angel, mind you, the angel!

And she has a line:

"Mary, Mary, Mary!"

I shudder to think that she may not utter it but she is super excited about it for the time being =) and even had a "consultation" for her costume "fitting!"

I'm just glad that I'm not the only one who thinks she's an angel (sometimes) =)

To the curious...

Remember that post about my homemade Christmas presents?
Well...if you want to see what I made you can either leave me a comment with your email address or email me at michellerose630@yahoo.com
Happy Sunday!

My Favorite Christmas Song

I have this cd of Christmas music by Kenny Rogers and Dolly Parton which is my absolute favorite!

It was one from my Grandmother's collection and listening to it never fails to bring a smile to my face and a tear to my eye in remembrance.

My favorite song of all if Winter Wonderland.

Upon singing it the other day Amelie informed me I was singing it the wrong way.

"But Mama...it goes":

"Walkin' In An Alice Wonderland!"

A Sigh of Relief

Two things I dislike immensely in life:

*secrets

*not telling my Mr. Wonderful everything about every single part of my day

So now, I'm breathing a BIG sigh of relief!

For the last month I've been planning (with the help of the Gracious Granny and Pop of the East) a surprise party for my husband to celebrate his master degree!

We had a couple of close calls and I nearly outright told him a few times b/c of how stressed I was about a few people details but I didn't and

he

was

surprised!

We had a lovely gathering of friends and family and I hope Mr. Wonderful felt as special as he should feel.

Our friends and family also gave very generous gifts which I was not expecting--I'm not really a party thrower and that part was icing on the cake!

So a big thank you to everyone who came and for our family for helping it come to fruition!

We love you all!

Our Annual Date Night

Mr. Wonderful and I actually went out last night WITHOUT babies...for like the first time...since Maeve! Our very loving and support Granny and Pop of the East watched the girls for us as we headed to a local coffee shop to watch our friends perform.

(You can hear them here)

They were excellent in concert and the coffee was delicious and it was so nice to spend time with Mr. W. I heart him.

At one point I looked over at Mr. W and asked why he looked sad and he said to me,

"I'm not sad--I'm thinking about the chord progressions of each song and what they would look like on paper. The songs Jon writes always use a blues progression with flat 7ths and Carrie's songs are always in a minor key."

And I was like..."Um...I just like listening to it."

That's the difference between my husband and I--I listen to music and he SEES the music.

Anyway!

Jon and Carrie were great--it's so nice to see a married couple that make such a good team!

When we got back home the girls were VERY sad to see the grandparents go

(which is a very good thing=).

Thanks Granny and Pop for watching the little ones!

Friday Family Five

1. My husband took a day off today for a fun family day--can I get a woot woot?!
2. We went to the mall to walk around and since Amelie has been obsessed with Santa lately (even though I told her that Santa is just pretend and that Christmas is about Jesus she STILL loves him--i think it's his fashionable suit), and there was no line to see him, we let her go through to tell him what she wants for Christmas. She was terrified. Refused to touch or talk or be near him. Oy!
3. We went to Build A Bear for the first time as we rec. a coupon for 50% off in a magazine Amelie was gifted for her birthday (Thanks Janet and Megan for the gift that kept on giving!). Amelie picked out a puppy, a princess shirt and promptly named him Bear. She's different that girl of mine.
4. After a delicious lunch Amelie decided to try Santa again and this time became quite chummy and relaxed and let him in on the fact that she wants a Barbie Princess Big Girl Bike for Christmas.
5. We drove home in the snow eating ice cream (it was delicious} and we all took naps.
The End.

Phone Number Phenom

We were driving in the car last night and as we passed a sign Mr. Wonderful read a phone number off a sign:

555-555-

Amelie chimed in:

2! 1! 7! 3!

Mr. Wonderful and I looked at each other--surprised that she rattled off 4 numbers (we've never taught her how many numbers are in a phone number etc...) and then realized that we recognized those 4 digits somehow--they were part of a phone number--but what number?

And then it hit us.

She had said the last four digits of our home phone number!

The home phone which has been unplugged for just about the whole year b/c I don't want the ringer to wake up anybody during naptime and I always forget to turn it back on.

The home phone we just dropped b/c I only ever use it to find my lost cell phone.

The home phone number we don't give out to anybody b/c we NEVER use it--we always give out our cell numbers.

How in the world did she know those numbers?

It was one of those moments that just kind of left of speechless.

I think...

...Chocolate and coffee are soulmates.

{Just thought I'd share}

I Just Saw My First Real Snowflakes Of The Season!

It's so much different here in South Jersey during the winter than those upstate NY winters of old--we always had school--even when it snowed feet upon feet (which it did all the time without stopping every day...for months...and months...until the snowbanks were huge and you couldn't walk in the backyard without falling into a white abyss of snow...from october until may...seriously).

But here...here in South Jersey I can celebrate the first flakes...cause we never see very many of them and they never last for long and winter is so short here...

It's all about trade offs--horrible traffic/awesome climate.

Sometimes you just have to be thankful for the little things.

13 Mae-vel-ous Months A.K.A. When You're This Sweet Everything Tastes Good

mmm....stick snack!

Happy 13 months Maeve!

You are getting more big-girl-ish every day!

You are signing words and even saying a few:

mama

dada

hi

bye

all done

something that approximates "i love you"

(like wuv oo--probably cause she hears it 154 times a day=)

and nodding your head yes to some easy questions (like...do you want a drink?)

You are climbing on everything and when you're excited you do a hilarious fast walk and when you are sad or overwhelmed or tired you lay down on the floor and say..."Ahh...

You are our little sunshine--we love you Maeve Veronica!

He's Back...."Weggie" Strikes Again!

So remember the whole...is he or isn't he real post about Amelie and the mysterious water spilling Weggie of Awana?

Well, I told Mr. Wonderful that his job tonight was to ask Amelie to point out the mysterious Weggie so we could find out if he was a real person or not.

Drum roll please....

Just like I believed he was--he is--REAL!

Apparently when Amelie was leaving for the night and Daddy was helping her get her stuff together she literally grabbed his head and pointed him in the direction of Weggie, whom our favorite Cubbies director identified as Wesley.

So he's real...and luckily he isn't named after Wegmans after all.

That toddler of mine...what a trip!

Ahead of Schedule

You know...this blogging business...it's sort of like free therapy for me--I tell you all about the problems I have and then you leave comments and make me feel better...

and I like it.

See..I have this little problem where I like to plan things...WAY in advance....

you know...like our Christmas pictures and birthday shopping and parties and next year's wardrobe etc...

I just like being prepared ahead of time.

It makes me feel all safe and warm and comfy cozy inside.

{I know I have at least one friend out there who is the same way and I'm so glad A's around because otherwise I might be the only one and one is the loneliest number...}

Behold: My newest prepared way ahead of time project:

The girls' Christmas Day (i.e. opening presents) ensembles:

Target had the cutest (cheapcheap) Christmas shirts on sale and I couldn't resist the light blue tutu for Maeve and the fun circle skirt for Amelie and of course the coordinating leggings..because I'm living vicariously fashion-wise through my babies.

You know...cause I'm the Mama and that's the way I want it.

The GIrls In The Brown Coats

On one of her antiquing expeditions, our Granny and Pop of the East found these really sweet brown felt-y coats.

They are absolutely perfect for playing outside when it's chilly and for wearing 115 layers underneath (which it seems like we'll be doing every day from now on).

Gaze on their cuteness...

CONGRATULATIONS Master Honey Pie Hottie Pants!

My darling husband, Mr. Wonderful, is a music teacher.

Not just any music teacher mind you...but like the best music teacher ever

(and you don't have to take my word for it)

His music team--under the competition name of Vocal Forte-

has made the semi-finals (or regionals or tournament end-i-ness or

something really good) of:

The Varsity Vocals International Championship of A Cappella

Yay honey!

You are amazing and I love you and your Championshipness!

Oh the things that have changed...

they say motherhood changes you
and i can prove it's true
i just de-gutted a turkey
with my bare hands
(and it didn't bother me at all)
never before
motherhood
would i have attempted such a feat
(such a gnarly victory)

Ode to Tom the Turkey
oh gigantic turkey, at .50 cents a pound,
Lord knows I didn't need you
but I couldn't resist
such a coupon

you're in my oven warm and toasty
(already smelling delish)
i'll be putting you in every dish
for a month

so dear tom continue please
to cook and get all roasty
just five more hours until my friend
upon my fork you'll meet your second end
so lightly brown and lightly buttered
newly gutted salted smothered
i'll see you soon oh cook with speed
dear dear tom, the cooking roasting toasting tur-key

A Belated Birthday {A.K.A. Brain Failure}

My dear friend celebrated her birthday a few days ago and it completely skipped my mind.

(StupidShelly)

So, in better late than never style, I say:

HAPPY BIRTHDAY SARAH ROSE!

(and yes, i stole this picture from your facebook)

I am thankful everyday that you were born.

May God bless you and your little family in a thousand little ways every single day.

Love you!

Not Me Monday: Say It Ain't So, Shelly, Edition 2

Ah...it's Monday again and I thought you'd loveee to hear all about all the things I totally didn't do today...

Nope--Not Me! =)

Even though it's Monday

and Monday always brings out a case of the blecks, blahs and mehs in me,

I did not visit my husband at work only to lay down on the choir riser while he wrangled both babies in his nice shirt and tie.

I did not whine and moan about the fact that Maeve fell over again and hit her head again on another picture day (which I have not had to reschedule 3 times due to injury).

And, "I hope her head doesn't bruise--I don't want our pictures to be ruined." certainly wasn't the first thought I had when she fell over, of course I thought of her safety first!

We also didn't go out front to play today because I was too lazy to take them to the park and I sure wouldn't have let Amelie dig in the mulch around our apartment and plant a "garden" (i.e. sticks) all over the place and I would never let Maeve EAT sticks while Amelie was busy planting them.

I also didn't make homemade bread, cinnamon bread and fried today and allow myself to eat ALL of the fried dough that I didn't make (instead of lunch). And I sure wouldn't let my girls eat their lunch off of the (dirty) kitchen floor just because they wanted to and it was easier that way.

Nope, not me!

And there is NO WAY I am going to go ahead with our family Christmas picture tonight just because I don't feel like rescheduling for Maeve's new head bruise and I am not the kind of mother who would just dab a little makeup over the wound to make it less noticeable on our Christmas cards.

And last, but certainly not least, I do not plan on watching Desperate Housewives online while my girls are sleeping instead of cleaning the house.

Not me!

Imagination Situation? Toddler Fodder? Creepy Coincidence? You be the judge.

The other day Mr Wonderful picked Amelie up from AWANA and something just wasn't right.
She was soaked--from her cute little cubbie vest all the way down to her cute little cubbie toes.

So, Mr. Wonderful asked, "Amelie what happened? Did you have an accident?"
Amelie says, "I can't know."

Like a good dad he sniffed the saturated areas (you know all parents do this--sniffing foreign objects and questionable stains becomes a part of daily routine) and declared it to be smell free so we assumed that it had to be water.

All through the car ride home Mr. Wonderful asked her with differing techniques (getting accurate information from a toddler is like...impossible..that's what it's like) and every time she gave him the same response.

"I can't know."

When they got home he asked me to talk to Amelie to see if I would have any more success in the 20 questions department.

"So...Amelie, did you have fun tonight?"
"Yes Mama."
"I see that you are a little wet. How did that happen?"
"Weggie."
"Um...excuse me? What's a Weggie?"
"I can't know."
"Did "Weggie" get you wet or have something to do with getting you wet?"
"Weggie spilled water on me. On my vest, my skirt AND my pants."
"Who in the world is Weggie?"
"A boy."
"You mean, Reggie? Or Bobby? Or?"
"No, it's Weggie."
"How did Weggie get water on you?"
"He reached for my cup and then spilled it on me but it was an accident so I'm ok."
"Ok...that's fine honey, we just wanted to know what happened."

Fast forward two days later, we still didn't know who or what Weggie was and so Mr. Wonderful asked her again...
"So...Amelie, about Weggie--is he a real person or did you just make him up."
"He's made up. He's not real."

I still kind of believe that "Weggie" is a real person (although, I doubt his name is actually Weggie or anything resembling Weggie) but Mr. Wonderful thinks that she spilled her own water and then made up a story and the only thing she could think of for a boy name was "Weggie" which is our affectionate nickname for Wegmans.

The world may never know...

My Babies

Shelly's Triumphant Sunday

After Saturday morning was such a bust (i.e. picture incident) I have bounced back and achieved shopping glory today!

(And yes, Maeve and I skipped church today-

-we were a little traumatized by nursery last week)

She took a nice long nap and then we headed out to pick up an item I had my eye on for Amelie for Christmas.

I headed into one of the local teacher stores and asked for the whereabouts for the item (currently sold out all over the place online) and was told that it was out of stock and that hopefully they would get it back in stock for Christmas.

I was a little bummed but decided to head to the Baby store (the next store over) and as I was passing the store front window I saw this:

Melissa and Doug's Slice and Bake Cookie Set!

I convinced the store manager to sell me the one on display (they were hesitant although--they had none left in the store to sell so...?) and smiled gleefully as they crawled into the front window to fetch it.

Yay!

The other triumph of the day involves my Christmas card! I rec. an email from Snapfish.com (my favorite picture place) with a coupon code for 20 Photo Christmas cards for 20 cents!!! (Usually $15!) So I dressed the girls up in matching dresses and made up a card today (and can now return the box of cards I had already bought at Target).

I tried to save a picture of the card but Snapfish has thwarted my efforts--you'll just have to take my word that they're cute. =) And since Snapfish thwarted me I'll go ahead and thwart them by telling you that the coupon code for 20 4 x 8 inch photo cards for 20 cents is CARD08.

Happy Sunday!

Seven Facts About My Saturday

1. I woke up at 4:55 with Maeve and was thwarted by the rain when I tried to take an early morning slow jog

2. Maeve and I went grocery shopping together at Wegmans and were home by 8 (am=)

3. On the way to get the girls' Christmas pictures taken I tried to cancel our Verizon phone/internet service and was transferred 15 times and disconnected 6 times. It wasn't pretty.

4. We were early for our picture appt but weren't called until 30 minutes after our set time. When we got to the room it wasn't set up and while they were hanging the backdrop curtains the girls both had a horrible melt down and we only got a handful of shots. The photographer was on the "inexperienced" (nice way of saying inept) side and didn't arrange/encourage the girls at all--which left mommy and daddy as two huge puddles of sweat.

5. After lunch we came back to view our prints--two people budged in line in front of us (somehow?--Sears is DISORGANIZED) and this ended up being a 3 hour ordeal. Nice.

Here two pictures (luckily we got 1 cute one which is ALL we needed and ended up costing us $4 for 40 pictures! Woot!)

The rest are at my other blog (well, the rest that were even worth putting up)

6. I finally got through to a normal person at Verizon and cancelled our service. Mer. Goodbye and good riddance Verizon--parting is such sweet sorrow brings me joy!

7. I did get to start Christmas shopping as originally planned but b/c of my late start didn't get to do everything I had wanted (Christmas/Thanksgiving in NY SOON!)

So, if you get a chance, tell me about your day...you know...so that I can forget the ugly parts of mine =)

I think these would make my feet happy...or at least *more* happy then they are when I force them to wear flip flops in Winter...

Home Alone

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh

Shelly's ABC's

I saw this on one of my favorite blogs, Quiet Life, and just had to do it b/c I have a little problem saying no to a survey...=)
A - Age: Almost 30...

B - Band listening to right now: Casting Crowns

C - Career future: elementary school librarian

D - Dad's name: Jim

E - Easiest person to talk to: Mr Wonderful

F - Favorite song: oh so many...winterwonderland by Dolly, come what may (moulin rouge style), you're best friend Queen, most anything Mariah Carey or Weezer or Harry Connick Jr. and I'll stop there...

G - Gummy Bears or Gummy Worms: Neither *BARF*

H - Hometown: Altmar NY

I - Instruments: Piano/Flute/Voice

J - Job: Christ Follower, Wife, Mama, Chef, Maid, Laundress, Errand Girl, Stylist, Photographer, Mama Blogger

K - Kids: 2 lovely little ladies

L - Longest car ride ever: Altmar NY to Ruskin FL--29 hours

M - Mom's name: Denise

N - Number of jobs you've had: oy--um...i stopped counting at 14

P-Phobias: Chickens, aloneness

Q - Quote: Amelie says, "Sometimes I cry out to God for candy and sometimes poop comes out hard." (Applebees fall 2008)

R - Reason to smile: Amelie's skirt playing the chicken dance

S - Song you sang last: I sing all day at home...I can't remember what I sang last--probably hummed along to the chicken dance song that amelie is playing and then i started making up words to the song about amelie...yes...it's a strange and musical home

T - Time you wake up: 5:20 with the Beacon

U - Unknown fact about me: i used to play piano most excellently but stopped immediately upon dating my husband because a)we don't have a piano b)it's futile to play near him as my playing so much less perfect than his would hurt his perfectly pitch finding ears (not that he would ever say so)

V - Vegetable you hate: brussel sprouts

W - Worst habit: doing before thinking

X - X-rays you've had: lungs

Y - Yummy food: Mozzarella Cheese sticks from Applebees

Z - Zodiac sign: Pisces

Puzzle Pro

Amelie is a puzzle genius.

Ok...I might be exaggerating but she is really good at puzzles!

Here's the one she did ALL BY HERSELF tonight!

Yay Amelie!

I love puzzles...especially big ones that take her 1 hour to complete...Ah...

(I love them even more when she works on them for 1 hour on nights when Daddy isn't here!)

And yes, I digitally "enhanced" the picture by coloring a shirt on Amelie...at this point in the night using photoshop is MUCH easier than dealing with a grumpy toddler and trying to make her put her jammies back on! =)

The Baby Steps of Faith

Today while tucking Amelie in for nap she told me that she wanted to "live with Jesus in Heaven" She asked me how she could get there...what she would do with Jesus (play hide and seek) and wondered when she could see Him.

I explained to her that in order to see Jesus in Heaven we need to tell Him how thankful we are for all He has done for us. Apologize for not "listening and obeying" and tell Him how much we love Him and want to spend forever with Him in Heaven.

So, Amelie prayed (twice) to Jesus telling Him how much she loves Him and how she wants to listen and obey and is sorry for all of the times she was a "bad girl."

The baby steps of faith are so sweet.

Then she started talking about my little pony but once again before I left her room she asked to pray to Jesus to tell Him again, how much she loved Him and was thankful for Him and wanted to live with Him in Heaven.

I'm pretty sure I'm never going to forget those sweet moments!

Lowered Expectations

I'm counting down the days until *Saturday*

Ah! That magical day when my husband will be all mine again (for a few weeks anyway) and we're getting our Christmas picture taken and I'm going out ALONE Christmas shopping!

Woot!

I've been perusing the ads to see what the heck I'm going to get my girls this year and have become increasingly disappointed with "traditional" toy stores.

(Remember this one here?)

Want to see the latest atrocity I've found?

Meet the muy disgust-o "Baby Bratz"

Now, I'm not a fan of the average Bratz dolls because I would never call my daughter a Brat no less give her leave to play with a toy of the same name.

I've always thought they looked to much like "women of the night" for toddlers (or anyone) to play with.

And now this.

Sexy little *BABY* dolls? Who is the sicko coming up with this stuff? I think it's absolutely reprehensible to market toys like this.

So..I may not know exactly what I'm buying this Christmas but I know what I won't be!

Learning store--here I come!

The First *Let*Down*

Don't be fooled friends...

This box of inexpensive Wegman's brand pizza might look almost as delicious as...

....this box of Amy's pizza but....

it. isn't.

Don't bother trying to save $3...cause it just isn't even worth it.

Oh Wegmans, I still love you but your pizza has GOT to go.

Totally disgusto.

You know what isn't disgusto?

Buckeyes!

They came out yummy-licious and I'll be posting the recipe as soon as I get a new CF card for my ailing camera....

Another thing that isn't disgusting?

All of your awesome chocolate dipping suggestions...next time I melt me up a batch I'm going to post pictures of my successes and failures...you know...

because these things need to be documented!

Do You Have A Motto?

I do.
Go read about it here...

and leave me a comment!

{because...you know...I'm home alone and could use the company =)}

When The Cat's Away....

These Mice Will Play!

The "Cat's" going to be away a lot this week--
Mr. Wonderful's annual Broadway Revue happens this week and that means late nights and no husbandly help!
How will we occupy ourselves?
It's a good thing I'm crafty...we'll have to create some fun!

Oh! The Conclusions I Come To...

Our ladies Bible study comes to an end this week (*sob) and I was challenged to make a "Fall Dessert" for our last get-together.

15 people had already signed up to make "apple-this" and "apple-that" so I decided that I'd pick something in the "other" category and make something chocolate-y.

(Chocolate is a multi-seasonal treat I think)

I'm test driving a recipe for Buck-eyes (like a homemade Reese's cup) and have come to the conclusion everything tastes better dipped in chocolate.

So far I've dipped:

pretzels

chips

bread

strawberries

apples

the buck eye peanut butter ball thingy's

my spoon

my finger

cheerios

Things I'm thinking about dipping:

cheese

turkey

my plate

my face

my cell phone

the computer mouse

my ______ (fill in the blank)

and my babies

{I bet nothing would be more delicious than a chocolate covered baby-metaphorically speaking of course}

Any ideas while I've got a vat of melted chocolately goodness over here?

Window(s) Shopping (Ha! I Made A Funny Computer-y Joke)

Ooo and Tra La La

I want you little green swing coat from Old Navy.

Get out of my dreams and get into my car!

(80s songs anyone?)

*Sigh...

At A Recent Family Gathering...

Both of my sister-in-laws, at different times, said to me:

"Shelly, I didn't even know that you owned jeans."

Apparently I ususally wear a skirt =)

!!!MISSING!!!

Have You Seen Me?

Beloved Compact Flash Card MISSING!

Compact Flash Card:

Color: Black and White

Size: 1 inch by 2 inches

Missing since early this week

Last known whereabouts: The Wonderful Household

Presumed to have met its early demise in the trash can

****If found please contact Shelly for she is heartbroken and unable to use her camera without it. ****

*insert frowny face here*

Making A List And Checking It Twice

I don't know about you but nothing feels quite so good as checking things off my to-do list:

*Clean House (muy disgust-o)

*Make and wrap all Christmas presents for extended family (we celebrate christmas with the NY clan at Thanksgiving)

*Grocery Shopping (because the cupboards are bare)

*Re-organize kitchen cupboards (so that the groceries will fit)

*Blog (the important things)

What did you do today?

Ah Martha Stewart! Stop Tempting Me With Your Delicious Chocolate-y Recipes

This cake may not be in focus but I find that it doesn't affect taste at all =)

Dear Carolyn, If you didn't like my blog before you really aren't going to like this post...

Do you ever get those totally awesome passive aggressive ill-informed anonymous comments? Oh man, I like totally live for passive aggressive ill-informed anonymous comments!

This one's for "Carolyn"

(if that is your real name har har...)

whose comment didn't make the cut mostly because it was written by someone who didn't really try to understand what I was saying and also because it annoyed me.

(I am all-powerful on my blog...tee hee...well, all powerful until blogger won't upload my pictures or accept my template or ...anyway)

Have you heard what some people think about President Elect B.O.?

I do not ascribe to this theory (You know my theory--Liberal with a Capital Left and all) but I might possibly share living space with someone who does.

What do you think?

Disclaimer*****The ultra-sensitive bleeding heart liberal type or even the regular every day totally normal Democrat type probably shouldn't click on that link cause you're just gonna write me annoying comments that I'm not going to publish.*******

Ah...I Have A *Secret*

I hate secrets

and surprises

(beacuse they are like secrets, you know?)

I lament because I am in the middle of making the most stinkin' awesome christmas presents for my family.

Inspiration has struck and I've been feverishly honing my new craft...

{which I would tell you about if it weren't a secret}

I want to post pictures and talk endlessly about how fun they are and how happy they make me...

but I can't

because it's a secret

a secret surprise

which is the worst type of secret there is.

In other news, it's friday--my favorite day of all--full of our own Wonderful family traditions.

It's like christmas once a week

except without the secret surprises

and maybe that is why i like it so much

happy friday!

Maeve and Her Nemesis Alternately Titled "She Ain't No Farm Girl"

Early on in Maeve's life she met her arch enemy.

Can you spot it?

Nestled in on Amelie's bed--the thing Maeve fears most in the world...

The Dreaded Fisher Price Cow Flash Light!

AHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHh

I remember when Maeve was about 5 months old I was playing with her on the living room floor and pulled out the cow flash light and when it opened it's mouth and mooooooo came out--Maeve ran for the hills!

It was so bad at one point that merely seeing the cow flash light was enough to send her into fits of tears!

We've been working on her terror a little at a time and I am happy to report that,

except for some lingering shyness,

SHE HAS OVERCOME!

I wish I had videoed her when she was at the height of her terror...

but that would have been a little mean

(that and the camera was never handy).

Mr Wonderful Asks (While Setting Up His Classroom For Band)...

"Amelie what instrument would you like to play?"

Amelie says, "I would like to play the harp for God! Just like David."

Mer: The Morning After

The election is over.

I suffered through months of endless tv-ad torture and hours of weird network tv coverage and the creepy shifty eyed Fox anchor squinting the vote-y news to me.

I can't say I'm happy with the liberal (with a capital LEFT) man our nation has elected

(it makes me throw up in my mouth a little bit to be honest)

and I can't say I haven't thought about a northern migration

(America Junior anyone?)

but I am so happy that this outcome wasn't a surprise for God.

{He holds my future in His hands as well as the countless babies' lives whom a certain future president doesn't think matter}

HE knows what our country needs and exactly how things will unfold.

In a time of uncertainty for the beliefs of evangelical Christians

(and a time when 1 Peter never rang so true to me)

{ 1 Peter 1: 17 Since you call on a Father who judges each man's work impartially, live your lives as strangers here in reverent fear.}

we can be certain of our hope and our future and certain that we need to start praying for our president elect.

I'm probably going to need a new nick-name for him--is Oprah's Little Helper less offensive than B.O.?

After all, it's the details that concern me most.

Shelly is wishing...

...that she had cable so she could watch something other than the gut-wrenching election coverage.

Mer.

Read This And...

Get Down On Your Knees And Pray.

In The Spirit Of Election Day

Submitted for your approval: One of a kind Cabbage Patch Candidate Dolls

(that I found being auctioned off on Ebay)

The Palin

The McCain




Joe the Biden

B.O.

Now...do me a favor and

GO VOTE!

{republican=-)}