Tuesday Linky Loves

How is everyone today?

It seems like summer is slipping by, faster than anyone realizes.

My veggies and fruit and growing and blooming, sand is in every crevice of my car, and every member of our family is covered in tan lines in various shades…

it is lovely.

Yesterday and today the humidity was gone and bright sunshine prevailed, thank goodness. I simply can’t take any more humidity.

Anyhow… I wish my hair was long enough to do this.

At least now my candle addiction will not go to waste!

Yep… making a whole lot of this soon…raspberry!

Planning AJ’s birthday party… love these favors…

speaking of parties, this invitation is my inspiration for AJ’s

Looking for something new to read?

I think need to make these asap!

Dollhouses are all the rage apparently… I love these ones!

Mmmmm…. ice cream… need I say more?

Have you heard of Pepsi’s Salty Watermelon flavor?

Moira needs this…

Ok, I will stop for now! =)

Talk to you all tomorrow!

Moving and Grooving

We are getting there… slowly but surely the packing is getting done and preparations are in full swing. Our poor garbage people aren’t too thrilled with us as our whole tree lawn was covered with clothes that we couldn’t donate and miscellaneous things that had seen better days. Today we bought the pretty grey comforter that I spotted on Target’s website as well as a LOT of paint. (I had no clue that paint was so expensive! About $150 for 4 gallons and a quart by Behr!)

The last couple days have been pretty good all in all. Klint has been on vacation and we enjoyed some yummy treats at Menchies…

At our homeschool co-op we learned about rainbows and made rainbows on skewers with fruit… the kids loved this activity!

This little girl, Esme, is the CUTEST little thing ever and belongs to my good friend Lili… love love love her!

and then today we did a lot of cool stuff like bowling at a birthday party!

Gabby really enjoyed this and actually asked if she could take lessons… I see my Buffalo bowling genes were passed on.

AJ also had a lot of fun, she got a kick out of wearing special shoes and was bummed she couldn’t keep them lol!

But I have to admit that the highlight of my day was buying paint… hopefully I will be just as cheerful Sunday night when it is all done!

We are painting our bedroom a pretty grey, Gabby’s room a turquoise and her bed a daffodil yellow, and the living room a lighter navy blue called Captain.

There ya have it! This is been my last couple of days… hectic but really enjoyable.

Cheers and more pics to come of our new house!

Homemade Bread!

Hankering for something yummy, easy, and filling to go with your soup, chili, sandwich, or as a snack? You definitely need to try this bread! Klint has been making us wheat bread for chicken noodle soup and for the girls lunches, but today he tried his hand at white bread and it was YUMMO! I had no clue that it was so easy to make bread, cheaper, and healthier since the majority of store bought bread has high fructose corn syrup. (Seriously, why is that an ingredient in BREAD!?)

Anyhow, here is the recipe…. give it a try and you will not be dissapointed!

Easy White Bread- yields 2 loaves

• 2 cups warm water (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
• 2/3 cup white sugar
• 1 1/2 tablespoons active dry yeast
• 1 1/2 teaspoons salt
• 1/4 cup vegetable oil
• 6 cups bread flour

Directions

1. In a large bowl, dissolve the sugar in warm water, and then stir in yeast. Allow to proof until yeast resembles a creamy foam.
2. Mix salt and oil into the yeast. Mix in flour one cup at a time. Knead dough on a lightly floured surface until smooth. Place in a well oiled bowl, and turn dough to coat. Cover with a damp cloth. Allow to rise until doubled in bulk, about 1 hour.
3. Punch dough down. Knead for a few minutes, and divide in half. Shape into loaves, and place into two well oiled 9×5 inch loaf pans. Allow to rise for 30 minutes, or until dough has risen 1 inch above pans.
4. Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 30 minutes.

This is going to be perfect with our chicken tortilla soup tonight!

{Right Now}

Right now I am….

{reading} The Hunger Games… what great books! I was up until almost 2 in the morning reading the first one!

{eating} Goldfish Cocoa Adventures crackers- They are addicting, especially with a tall glass of milk.

{listening} to Pandora’s Sesame street station. Moira is in looooooove with Grover, Cookie Monster, and Elmo

{making} some scarves for good friends, in some beautiful chunky roving. Eternity scarves are my new favorite and bestest.

{feeling} relieved that my recent crazy schedule is over with. I love selling books but hate being away from the girls, especially Moira.

{watching} AJ complete a sticker book, Moira patter around on every more confidant legs, and Gabby read a new book (with her tongue sticking out of her mouth

{knowing} that in a blink of an eye this scene will look very different and these girls of mine will be grown up

{thinking} about all the yummy Christmas cookies I want to make, like these and these!

{dancing} to this song…. it is a beautiful rendition of my favorite Christmas carol

{wearing} my comfiest torn jeans, glasses, and a simple long sleeve tee… a comfortable outfit before the dance clothes are back on

{hoping} that I can get everything together for Moira’s party, Christmas, and our 8 yr anniversary… two of which are in a week!

{learning} how to use the Sock Loom that Klint bought me as an early anniversary gift! I am so excited to make my own socks =)

{wishing} that there were more hours in the day to make things, play with the girls, dance, and just enjoy life.

{loving} all the Elf on the Shelf ideas on Pinterest… like the elf donuts shown above! (They are really Cherrios!!)

Happy Thursday!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving to you all!

I am so thankful to have all of you,

thankful for happy and healthy children,

a husband who is supportive,

and friends who are my sisters and family.

Today the girls and I headed to a sister’s house for a wonderful family meal. It was everything Thanksgiving should be- men passed out after the meal, kids playing outside, women sharing stories and talking of shopping and family. It was completely lovely! Moira had a great time, impressing everyone with her awesome walking skills, and sampling a ton of food. She sported some brand new ankle bells, which I will share with you tomorrow!

We brought some homemade cranberry conserve and it got rave reviews so I wanted to share it with you!!!

I hope all of you had a wonderful day and have a great Friday!

Are you going out for Black Friday?