There's Within My Heart a Melody

We're long overdue for a Musical Monday so the birdies and I bring you their current favorite: Jesus, Jesus, Jesus! Sweetest Name I Know by Voice of Prophecy. Is it a tad corny - yes. Do the birdies LOVE it - indubitably yes! And lastly, does it grate on my nerves even a little bit - no, I love it too, enjoy! Oh and incidentally if you could translate the Spanish portion, Bluebird would be most grateful.

Spring Fever Fun

Spring fever is here and blogging has officially taken a back seat. Below are some snapshots of what we've been up to. Our outings have been full of fun, but here's a helpful hint to keep the good times rolling - try to include a few down days in your schedule to give your little ones (and yourself) time to recoup from all the pesky pollen and extra exercise. And don't forget sunscreen!

How to make a free speaker & more!

Podcasts are one of my favorite ways to pass the time while I'm folding laundry or exercising, but I don't like to wear headphones in case the birdies need me. I heard that if you place your ipod or smartphone in a bowl, it works just like a speaker dock. I was skeptical, but since bowls are plentiful around here, I thought I'd give it a go. Well it works! The volume was significantly louder, and Bluebird got a kick out of it. It didn't seem to make a huge difference if the phone was standing up or leaning on it's side. I used a medium sized metal bowl, but I think it'd be a fun little activity for Bluebird to experiment with different sizes and materials to see which works best. Have you tried this method? What kind of bowl worked best for you?

For today's second helpful hint, I bring you the clip ribbon. Here's a little secret, I'm a ribbon hoarder. My thoughts are, why not, they're pretty, easy to stash in a drawer, and you never know when they might come in handy. Recently Bluebird acquired quite a haul of clearance clips and they'd been sitting in an untidy mound on top of her dresser. I came up with this storage idea not only because it keeps them from getting lost, but it also looks super cute. Initially I tied the ribbon to a lamp base, and was feeling rather pleased with myself until it dawned on me that I'd just created the perfect way for Chickadee to drop a lamp on her head. Nice! Here's a step-by-step of what I ended up doing (bonus, it's out of Chickadee's reach):

This is an over-the-door hook set I keep on the outside of the birdies' closet to store hats.

 

I tied the ribbon onto one of the hooks.

 

Then I snapped the clips onto the ribbon.

Voila! I have no illusions they'll stay this organized, so please enjoy.☺

 

 

A Lesson In Economics

Today I learned a valuable lesson in economics. Buy the BIG steam cleaner. The $59+tax savings we procured by purchasing the spot-bot version wasn't worth it - true story! Before I continue with the latest Mirthful Mishap installment, please rest assured that no birdies were harmed in the making.

It all began as I sat down to enjoy a mid-morning coffee. Now as any parent can tell you, there are three main times things go south with children:

   1) when you're about to leave the house
   2) when you're about to sit down/currently seated
   3) when you're in the bathroom

But the joke's on you #3 because I solved that problem by letting the birdies play in the bathtub when I plan on being in the bathroom for a while. (har har, inappropriate potty-talk, sorry):

But I digress. Bluebird ran into the kitchen to tell me there was red stuff all over the floor in the living room. What?! Turns out she had a shallow cut on her pinky toe that she hadn't noticed and there was blood everywhere. Everywhere. So after getting her taken care of and putting Thomas the Train on the netbook for her to watch with Chickadee (thank you Amazon Prime!), I got to work. And that's when the stark reality that I should have sprung for the upright steam cleaner sank in. Ah hindsight! Here's a stream-of-consciousness rundown of my adventures. Enjoy...and go for the upright cleaner, it's worth it!

☹ There is blood all over my floor and couch cushions.

☺ I have a steam cleaner!

☹ I have a LITTLE green steam cleaner. We bought it at Target. I hate you Target.

☺ I can do this, I AM doing this.

☹ My living room is 20 feet long. I hate my house.

☹ I'm only 20 minutes in, and my arm hurts kinda bad.

☺ I'm going to have huge arm muscles.

☺ Wow the parts I've cleaned look better than when we paid someone to clean the carpets.

☹ The parts I've cleaned look better than when we paid someone to clean the carpets.

☺ I'm half-way done and it's only been 45 minutes.

☹ I have 45 more minutes of this.

☺ I will take a break to text friends and family a photo of my work in progress:

☺ Glad I wore my workhorse jeans today since my knees are soaked in cleaning solution.

☹ My knees are burning.

☹ My fingers are numb. Is the cleaning solution peeling my skin off?

☺ I will reward myself  for my progress by reading replies to my text - only one reply, but it is awesome.

☺ My Lose It! app says vacuuming burns 148 calories per hour so I'm going to say it's at least 175 when you're steam cleaning the carpet on your hands and knees.

☹ I'm steam cleaning the carpet on my hands and knees.

☹ FUMES, so many fumes!

☺☺ *fit of maniacal laughter*

☺ I'm almost done.

☹ I'm so thirsty, did I drink any water today?

☺ I'M DONE!!!

☹ Why are my fingers bright red? Where are my knees?

☺ The cleaning solution label says eco-friendly, my skin will grow back, no harm done.

☹ I'm so hungry.

☺ I think I have a free sample power bar I stashed in my purse last time I was at Target.

☺ Success, Lara bar!! I love you Target.

☺☺☺ My carpet looks amazing. My living room is 20 feet long. I love my house!

Painting Easter Eggs

 

As I mentioned in a previous post, squeezing in time for hobbies can be a bit of a challenge with little ones in tow. One of my favorite ways to fit in some me time, is when one of the birdies can join me in an activity we both enjoy. Both Bluebird and I love to paint, so Monday afternoon she happily painted alongside me while I prepped some blank canvases with gesso. Bluebird's favorite things to paint are rainbows and colorful abstracts.

After reading this brilliant post by a friend, I decided to adopt the same technique to create an Easter craft with Bluebird. She had a blast cutting out the eggs! We used her rainbow as the basket handle and one of her other paintings for the basket base. I love how cheerful and bright they turned out, and Bluebird said "This is the most amazing fun craft we have ever made Mommy!"  Next week we plan to make another Easter project using this technique - I'll post a photo of the finished piece.



Strawberry Cake Cookies

What's this you say - posting twice in one day?! Well I think you'll agree it's warranted when you see the delicious batch of Valentine's Day cookies little miss Bluebird and I baked this afternoon. They were yummy, or as Chickadee likes to say, "TUMMY!" I used two different recipes I found online and combined them to make a cookie that matches our tastes. Bluebird was excited to get to pick out the sprinkles at the grocery store and she was thrilled the cookies were pink (her favorite color of course).

The recipes that inspired our creations can be find at averie cooks and {sally's baking addiction}, so be sure to check them out because they have tons of other mouth-watering delights on their blogs.

These cookies are not healthy and are not from scratch either, but the birdies couldn't have cared less about that. We all loved them and hope you do too. Here you go:

Strawberry Cake Cookies
{or as I like to call them - bake your cake and eat it too cookies}

Ingredients

• 1/2 cup unsalted butter, softened
• 2 eggs
• 1 and 1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 1 teaspoon baking powder
• 1 box strawberry cake mix (I used Pillsbury and the box was 15.25 ounces)
• Cream cheese icing (I used the Betty Crocker brand, and used a little over half the tub)
• toppings (we used sugar crystal sprinkles and Ghirardelli mini semi-sweet chocolate chips)

Directions

• Preheat oven to 350F and line cookie sheets with parchment paper.
• Combine softened butter, eggs, and vanilla extract.
• Add in cake mix and baking powder and mix well.
• Chill dough for 15-20 minutes.
• Drop rounded balls of dough onto baking sheet approximately one inch apart (mine were a heaping tablespoon which yielded around two dozen cookies).
• Bake for 8-10 minutes. I only had to bake mine for 8 minutes. They won't look very done, but they are easy to overcook. Don't let them turn brown.
• Transfer to cooling rack.
• Ice cookies, and sprinkle generously with toppings of your choice.
• Here's a helpful hint for easy transportation in case you're taking your cookies to school or a party. You can simply tote them in a cupcake holder. Voila, no mess!

Sisters

Happy Valentine's Day from the birdies!

To My Sister

William Wordsworth

(1770-1850)

It is the first mild day of March:

Each minute sweeter than before

The redbreast sings from the tall larch

That stands beside our door.

There is a blessing in the air,

Which seems a sense of joy to yield

To the bare trees, and mountains bare,

And grass in the green field.

My sister! ('tis a wish of mine)

Now that our morning meal is done,

Make haste, your morning task resign;

Come forth and feel the sun.

Edward will come with you;--and, pray,

Put on with speed your woodland dress;

And bring no book: for this one day

We'll give to idleness.

No joyless forms shall regulate

Our living calendar:

We from to-day, my Friend, will date

The opening of the year.

Love, now a universal birth,

From heart to heart is stealing,

From earth to man, from man to earth:

--It is the hour of feeling.

One moment now may give us more

Than years of toiling reason:

Our minds shall drink at every pore

The spirit of the season.

Some silent laws our hearts will make,

Which they shall long obey:

We for the year to come may take

Our temper from to-day.

And from the blessed power that rolls

About, below, above,

We'll frame the measure of our souls:

They shall be tuned to love.

Then come, my Sister! come, I pray,

With speed put on your woodland dress;

And bring no book: for this one day

We'll give to idleness.

Introducing Perennial Ponderings

Today's post will be the first in a new category: Perennial Ponderings (couldn't resist using more alliteration). I've been contemplating when and how to add this into the rotation, and since the winter months provided ample opportunities for reflection, now seemed just right.

To begin with, I'd like to take you behind the curtain for another Mirthful Mishap. You may remember a little post from this past summer about Bluebird in the garden. And just maybe you thought I was prepared to enlist in the fearsome ranks of homesteading moms across the globe, feeding their families fresh grown delectables grown right in their own backyard. Or perhaps those were just my thoughts. 

Well newsflash: gardening is kind of hard! Who knew?! Oh and did you also know that vegetables require a lot of water? Keeping our little garden patch in the green kept us shelling out the green all summer since our increased water usage pushed us into highest rate billing tier. Somewhere between the watering, weeding, harvesting, and bugs {shudder}, I began to realize that I would much rather take a stroll through the local farmers market and spend our money on other's skillfully grown wares instead of our water bill. So next year we'll stick to growing flowers - drought tolerant flowers! And don't worry, we've installed a rain barrel so we can water them if they really need it.

My point in sharing this story is to let you know there's often a flip side to what I post here. As I've mentioned before, blogs can sketch a daunting scene of pastoral bliss, but in reality each day has it's peaks and valleys. I enjoy posting mostly about the peaks as a sort of virtual scrapbook of my adventures with my dear birdies. Additionally the reason I refrain from posting any tell-all tales about the birdies behavior is because I believe children deserve the dignity and freedom of learning life's ropes beyond the internet's glare. So while my mishaps are fair game, I am committed to preserving their privacy.

To close I leave you with one of my go-to sources of reflection, an amazing post on motherhood by Rachel Jankovic: Motherhood as a Mission Field. Below are two of my favorite quotes. Enjoy!

     "Given in faith, even a small offering becomes great."
     "You will never make any difference there if you cannot be at peace here."