does it have to be in the EARLY morning???

Moo Moo MOOOOO
Moo Moo MOOOOO
Hear the cows in the early morning...

...God has made them MOOOO this way

Meow Meow MEOW
Meow Meow MEOW
Hear the cats in the early morning...

...God has made them MEOW this way

Quack Quack QUACK

Oh, what's that you say?  What am I doing?  Don't mind me, you see this is just the song that my 2 year old sings CONSTANTLY and LOUDLY everytime we get in the car...and although I'm very thankful that God made animals, and gave them interesting sounds...I'm not quite sure that the noise level directly behind my head, as I'm concentrating on driving is necessarily all that "soothing" to the ear...

Little Munchkin has become quite the talker of late.  It happened overnight I'm thinking...and despite my little "outbursts" it really is quite cute.  We broke out the ole felt board recently and she's been going to town with all her colors and shapes and letters and basically just anything to hear herself talk...ahhh a girl after my own heart!!

Daddy has the day off today, as do the girls...I'm off to enjoy them!!  Have a great Monday!

It's like I'm Laura Ingalls

Well...

with out the braids, and the fields of green...

and, I suppose without the electric oven, the Kitchen aid mixer, and the teflon coated pots and pans...

And, I guess they also didn't have Pam spray, quick rise yeast, or pepperoni from a bag and mozzerella cheese shredded in the fridge...

yeah, they didn't have a fridge either...hmmmmm...

Okay, well then, let's just say I felt very Martha Stuartish??? Holly Homemakerish?

You see...THIS is what I had for dinner last night:

Yummy stromboli, pizza dough from scratch, pasta sauce from our garden...

Green beans fresh from the poles in our garden, sauted in pine nuts, garlic and oil...

And...the biggest news: our LETTUCE is back...


Mmmmmmmmmmmmm, that big bowl of leafy greens was delicious!!!

There is just something to say for growing your own food, picking it and then eating it in your own kitchen!! It was so yummy!

Wonder what Italian Stallion would say to raising chickens...hmmmm???

Trouble with my Middle Fingers

Lest you think I’m some crude individual, please understand that my trouble is purely physical…not emotional, or anger induced…unless you count crying out in agony and pain…

For you see, I lopped off a big chunk of my middle finger while making sauce the other day…cuttin’ those herbs…wasn’t watching what I was doin'..actually, I was envisioning myself as Giada (you know, that Food Network star?) and tried to go lightning fast, with my amazing chopping abilites…nope, I’m NO Giada, that’s for sure…and so, this is what my finger looks like now…

I didn't want to post the "gross" version, so you'll just have to use your imagination...think slice, dried blood, puss, puffiness...are you getting the picture yet? Yes, so just look at the bandage and feel sorry for me...

I have no idea if I need stitches because truly, I just poured hydrogen peroxide on it and wrapped it in a bandaid…and then I purchased these cute little finger cots…(I do understand that these have a "resemblance" to other things, but we're just not going to go there okay?) Right now they are very handy when trying to wash my hair, or squeeze a lemon...my middle finger is very thankful!
Now the middle finger on my other hand…yes, well, if it can be done, I’m gonna do it…somehow I managed to jam it while running on up the stairs…yes, folks my KNEE hit my FINGER and jammed it back into my hand…don’t even ask HOW I’m typing at the moment, with my left finger cot on one hand and ice on the other…

Anyhoo…that’s my predicament for the day…in other news...this came today...

And then...half of it got sent back...

It's okay, I'm not overly upset about it in truth...they just forgot to put the plate groove in the bottom of the cabinet part...but, that's what I get for ordering something custom made and changing all their plans that they have set up because they know what is best and I'm just that crazy customer who thinks, "hmmmm, let's change this and this"

Still working on my other website for the photography stuff. I hope to have that up and running early next week, so I'll post a little link for it over on the side when I get a chance...you all can give me your feedback if you want...or you can just humor me lie and tell me what an incredibly awesome, creative and wildly imaginative person I am and how you just love everything about it!!!

Have a great day everyone...I'll be back soon:)

Head is Spinning a Little...

Two birthday parties...

Two soccer games...

A husband on a Z-pack...

A baby with a weird rash and swelling forehead due to a bug bite...

And me with crazy aspirations to start a crazy photography business...

This on top of the normal: like cleaning the house, reading with the girls, making sauce, doing laundry..

I'm a little nuts I think. I don't handle the "crazies" well...I get a bit frazzled...

Italian Stallion knows me well though...he called it a 5 points plan that I meander through whenever I get any idea...I don't know all the points, but I managed to get from totally excited to incredible self-doubt in just under 3 days. That's a record for me I think. Good thing I'm not giving myself a time line here...

In other news...if anyone wants a good laugh out of their young elementary aged kids...you've GOT to read this picture book entitled,
"Once Upon A Cool Motorcycle Dude"

I've read it to Sweetpea and Peanut about three times everyday. They are cracking me up...I've now gotten to put voices to the book, which makes it all the more thrilling to them.

Plus, I've discovered that the word "dude" works just like "dog poop" from awhile back...very entertaining...definitely helps the spinning head!

Just a Test...

Okay, so this is JUST A TEST...Just what you want on a weekend, I know!!! UGH...

I'm trying to figure out this slide show thingy and want to know if it actually works on this blog site...I just put all the random pages that I created from the quick 10 minutes photo shoots that I recently did separately with Peanut and Little Munchkin. Let me know if it comes through on your computer and whether it's actually clear or not...

Just so you know:) I'm just exploring all these different options/availabilities that are out there for FREE...and whether they are worth my time and energies. At some point, as I continue here, I will need to put together another blog site for photograph viewing, etc...I really like the whole slideshow thingy, (do you LOVE my professional lingo?) and want to see if what I already have on my computer will actually work for the time being. Hope you enjoy!

Tum Tum & Nutmeg

NO, I'm not speaking about my stomach and some spices...

I just started reading this book:

Yes, I understand that it is a children's book...it looked so cute sitting there on the shelf at Barnes & Noble and so I did what any other book lover would do...

I wrote down the title so that I could see if the library had it...they did, I got it, I began to read.

It's a cross between The Littles meet the Elves & the Shoemaker who find the Indian in the Cupboard and ride with Ralph on the Motorcycle...did you catch all that?

I've only read the first few chapters, but it's been so quaint and cute...I'm excited to start reading it to the girls. We just finished Poppy by Avi...they may continue that series on their own with the books on CD that I got from the library...but we really enjoyed the personalification of animals.

I'm not a literary critic (although I CAN be critical of literature in some cases) but, I thought I'd just share some book titles that have been really great for my girls at the ages they are...I like to dabble in lots of different genres as much as I can. I tend to creep back to historical fiction, but I try to veer away when I realize it because as a child that's ALL I read...I missed out on a lot of good reading because of it.

I've also realized that the books that my children are able to read on their own...well, let's just say that it's just not all that wonderful...don't get me wrong...if it gets them reading, then I'm all for it...but for heaven's sake, just HOW MANY different fairy books can Ms. Daisy Meadows conjure up...apparantly a TON and with all the SAME basic storyline for every one!!! My girls LOVE LOVE LOVE Boxcar children books right now too...they are fine books, good content, but utterly boring in my opinion...I can't even handle it...

So, you see, I CAN be critical...although in that criticism I DO see some value, b/c in the end, my girls are reading and that's what it's all about...

Anyhoo...I wanted to leave you with a list of read a louds that we've done and have been quite the hit! There are the typical classics in this list and you may see different genres...I'm not really putting them in any particular order...just whatever I can remember:) And so, it's also not an exhaustive list...shoulda kept a running tab there, but somewhere in my excellent organizational skills, ahem, well, I just plain left that out!

Charlotte's Web by E.B. White
The Trumpet of the Swan By E.B. White
James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl
Kenny and the Dragon by Tony DiTerlizzi
Any American Girl Historical Character Series
Hitty, Her first Hundred Years by Rachel Fields
Ramona Series by Beverly Cleary
Poppy by Avi
Narnia Chronicles by C.S. Lewis
Castle in the Attic by Elizabeth Winthrop
Mrs. Piggle-Wiggle by Betty MacDonald
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory by Roald Dahl
The Princess Academy by Shannon Hale
The Penderwicks by Jeanne Birdsall
The Secret Garden by Frances Hodgsen Burnett
The Little Princess by Frances Hodgsen Burnett
Sarah, Plain and tall by Patricia MacLachlin

Do you have any to suggest as well?

Scopin' It Out

I wouldn't necessarily call it "diving" in persay...It's more like dipping my toes in to test the water, with the full intention of getting entirely wet...it's just that it takes my body some time to warm up...and while, in most other cases in my life, I'm the "let's jump in and have fun" sort of person...I'm a bit more tentative in this situation.

I've scheduled a photo shoot for a friend in a couple weeks for her little boy. To say that I am nervous or excited or sick to my stomach or giddy with glee...those would be understatements...I feel like I'm on the roller coaster of emotions...but it's a good thing that I like roller coasters:)

I also am scheduling an engagement session. This one probably has me more nervous that the other one, cuz you can't really "fake" it and take pictures of piggy toes and call it cute...

I asked them if they had a location in mind that was special to them...b/c I'm all about having photos mean something and tell a story. She told me where they met...so, yesterday, Little Munchkin and I scoped out the place.

Although she was a rather "small" substitute for the shots, I used her to get some angles and to see where I could get some nice images...However, when it was all said and done...she looked so darn cute, I just focused on her instead of my surroundings...

It was quite the morning for the two fo us...we had a lovely time!!!