Make it and Love it!

Because I need more things to do, I am now addicted to this blog, Make it and Love it!

Thanks to Nicole Ferguson for making me go to bed even later than I was previously.

St. Paddy's Day Leprechaun Shenanigans

 What's really funny is that ten minutes after we discovered the chair piled with books and the footprints leading to the cookies...Gavin used it to climb up, get the tupperware, and help himself to a cookie for breakfast.

 Did they put anything in the freezer?

 A collection of random green items.

 A note (they picked all the green crayons out of the crayon box).

 Shamrocks on the window (although Ian asked why they didn't leave any 4-leaf clovers...?  He's getting very detail-oriented!)

 Green pee again!

 They must have stayed up really late blowing up an entire package of 15 balloons last night (*gasp, wheeze*).

 Foot prints in the green sugar leading to the box of cookies.

Ian's trap- propped open with his own shoes!!  They ate the cookie and left Eenie some gold.

 He HAD to have a St. Patrick's day shirt on-- he was VERY VERY concerned about the pinching that may go on at school today.

 Another failed trap.  They cut their way out of the bag AND ate the cookie.

 The third trap- cookie gone, we gather that they used that spoon to sweep the treat out without setting the trap off.

 Happy face left on the floor.

Guy with his 'gold' and his stolen cookie :)

Chase missed the fun- he slept in too late.  It's ok.  I sent him a green lunch.

'Twas the greatest mix-up cookies

In preparation for "Leprechaun Day" - as Ian calls it, I'm in the kitchen baking cookies.

I don't know about any of you, but my parents instilled a giant love for folk music.  It can't be normal.

My brother and I grew up listening to records from the Irish rovers, the Limelighters, and the Kingston Trio.  So much so, that I pretty much can sing along to the Irish folk groups playing in any Irish pub that we end up in.  It also makes me break out into weird songs at the mere mention of partial lyrics in conversation.

I think the title of my family life growing up would be "Meech: The Musical".

Anyhoo.

Today's cookies are tweaked for St. Paddy's Day tomorrow (we have to have something to put in our Leprechaun trap tonight, right?).  They are inspired by one of my favorite Irish folk songs-- you can listen to it here while you bake:


Me Father He Was Orange, And Me Mother She Was Green Cookies

INGREDIENTS:

2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour 1 teaspoon baking soda 1/2 teaspoon baking powder 1 cup butter, softened

1 1/2 cups white sugar 1 egg 1 1/2 t orange extract

DIRECTIONS:

1.	Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). In a small bowl, stir together flour, baking soda, and baking powder. Set aside.
2.	In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar until smooth. Beat in egg and vanilla. Gradually blend in the dry ingredients. Roll rounded teaspoonfuls of dough into balls, and place onto ungreased cookie sheets.  Flatten slightly with the bottom of a small glass dipped in green sugar.
3.	Bake 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until golden. Let stand on cookie sheet two minutes before removing to cool on wire racks.

Bye! See you soon!

Whenever Gavin wants to do something naughty (ie, climb on a chair and take stuff off the kitchen countertop) he says to me, "Bye!  See you soon!"  I think he believes that if I think he is going away, I won't watch him anymore, and he can do what he pleases.

That boy!

Apple Boot

I was trying to help Gavin put his boots on (as per his request) but was having trouble getting his foot all the way to the bottom.  I couldn't figure out why it wouldn't fit (was he scrunching his toes up?) and I also didn't know why he kept saying, "Apple!  Oh, no.  Apple,"  and I kept saying, "No, this is a BOOT!  B-O-O-T-S, Boots!"

It was because the apple that he had been eating earlier was stuck in the toe of the boot.

He must think I am so stupid.

Disney/Pixar Animation

Chase and Gavin have a thing that they do before movies...actually, I think they like the part before the actual movie starts the best.

Here they are, acting out the fireworks at Cinderella's castle, and then jumping with the Pixar desk lamp.  I can replay this part of the video over and over and they will do it every time.

Easiest Fund Raiser EVER. Please please please help!

Ok-this is the easiest way you can help us raise money to bring Danil home.  Read on, please please please!

My cousin (in-law, but I don't really count that 'cause I like her so much!) Megan, is an awesome photographer.  She recently went to a fun photography convention-conference thing in Vegas, and while she was there, entered into this fun contest- the Laying Down Game.

Basically, everyone took a bunch of pictures of themselves laying face down in creative places, and people vote for their favorites.  She is right now in SECOND PLACE and almost into the $1000 prize money...BUT it ends tomorrow morning (3/7) and she needs some more votes!

SO- here's where you come in.  Megan is offering a $5 donation for Danil's adoption fund  for every LIKE that she gets from you guys on her photo!!  (Can I get a Woot! Woot!?!?)

It will take you 3 minutes to do this, and to spread the word to your Facebook friends.  Not that I want Megan to go broke over this...but, hey, if it helps us get Danil home....?!  ;)

1.  So, go HERE and LIKE Kevin Kubotu Photographer on FB.

2.  Then LIKE for THIS IMAGE in the Laying Down Game contest.

I'm going to post this in a thousand different places, so you will no doubt be sick of hearing about it soon.  Advance apologies for that.  Sorry, folks!  $5 is $5!!

Baby Genius/Stomach Bug Con't

We were driving home from dropping Ian off at school, and Gavin says, "I hurt..."

and 2 seconds later he throws up all over the place.

On the up side, I'm happy that he can tell me when he doesn't feel well.

Best things today:

Aside from the gastro-intestinal fun, some things were good today.  Like:

*The way Guy holds my hand and pulls me, saying, "Mommy, um-ON!  Mommy, um-on PEEEZ?"  Translation:  Mommy, come on, please!!

*The way Chase sneaks up behind me and hugs my legs and smiles his giant open-mouth grin when I turn around.

*The way Ian explains everything he does in his Spiderman Wii game to me- he is so animated.  It reminds me of how my boy cousins used to tell me everything about the latest action movie they just watched when we were little.

Kelsey's Movie

If you have a sec, go vote for my lovely friend Kelsey's movie that she made for Wingate University.  She could win $500!  All you have to do is "Like" it :)

http://www.facebook.com/WingateUniv

And if you need a reason other than because she is my friend, but she is also a supporter of our Buddy Walk team, she babysits my kids, she is an advocate for people with Down syndrome, and she has an older sister, Lindsay (who happens to have an extra chromosome), and is her "most favorite person in the world".

Not that I am complaining...(warning: graphic virus post)

It's really just a vent, of sorts, and maybe a record of what I have done for my kids so that I can use it as guilt leverage in 60 years when they are choosing my nursing home.

We've had some kind of gross virus going around our house since Thursday.  It has been mostly mild- Chase had a low fever for a couple days, and this morning Ian stayed home from school for the 2nd day (potty issues- how embarrassing would it be to NOT make it to the bathroom in time in Kindergarten??!).  We thought Chase was over it, but last night he woke up 3-4 times throughout the night and was still sleeping soundly this morning, so I kept him home, too.  Guy has been my chipper little healthy dude the whole time.

But this morning.  Oh.My.Goodness.

Chase was still sleeping when I opened his door to check on him and bonked him on the head- he was sleeping face down on the ground, head against the door, with all the lights on.  I closed the door and let him sleep.

Ian is mostly ok, and is content to sit near a bathroom and play Spiderman on the Wii.

Gavin woke up crying, and when I went to get him, that distinct whoosh of vomit smell filled the hallway as I opened his door.  Nasty, nasty, nasty- all over him- his jammies, sheets, blanket, pillow, Monkey, HAIR.  Oh, the hair.


I get him cleaned up and the bed stripped, and no sooner get him downstairs when I hear Chase upstairs crying.  So I go up to get him, and he has also exploded.  The other end.  And he's wearing footie pajamas.  Gah.

Shower, bath, clean diapers, clean clothes...BRAT diet for everyone.

...and now I am just waiting to see how badly I'll get it.  As much as I would value the quick weight-loss effect of a good stomach bug, I don't have time to get sick now.

Oh.  And there is a mystery smell coming from my fridge.  I cleaned out everything questionable.  Wonder what is hiding in there?
AND
There are little tiny ants that keep sneaking into my kitchen and onto my counter tops.  I cannot figure out where they are coming from, and my dad sprayed toxic chemicals (the GOOD ones) all around the cabinets and outside the house.  Bah.