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It’s a Rainy Day…scratch that… Week in Fort Worth, TX

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This week has been a rare, wet treat for us folks in Texas. Never mind, my kitchen ceiling is leaking and will require professional attention (roof repair and ceiling drywall), it’s been fun. It’s so refreshing to have a break from the heat and admittedly, I have seriously neglected our lawn since moving in, so it’s nice to know my grass is getting a much needed drink of water. Let’s hope it’s not too little too late.

The kids had a blast playing in the Sand and Water Table (sans sand) this afternoon. They were soaked to the bone and could not have been happier. Sometimes it’s good to remember how much fun there is to be had in the little things…

Happy Labor Day!


I had leftover lemons from our lemonade stand so I thought I’d give this frosting a try.
Vanilla cupcakes with homemade lemon buttercream frosting. Yum.

Vanilla cupcakes with homemade lemon buttercream frosting. Yum.

What’s not to love about vanilla cupcakes with homemade lemon buttercream frosting? Apparently, homemade lemon buttercream frosting. My sweet husband of eight years who typically will eat just about anything…isn’t that wild about lemons… who knew? Fortunately, they did not go to waste. Myself and my three children are fans. So don’t even think about coming over. They are all gone.

And there were more than nine…I’m just sayin’.

September 7, 2010 - 5:22 pm

Matt - Hey, that didn't keep me from eating two or three. They were delicious!

September 7, 2010 - 7:47 pm

Seeker - yum! And they look so pretty, too! How did you get the icing so perfect? (I need tips for Ollie's b-day part coming up. You are invited, btw) 🙂

September 8, 2010 - 4:18 pm

America - dude I lover me some lemon…can I move matt out and me in?

September 8, 2010 - 4:20 pm

Sally - I used a piping bag for the icing… you can borrow all my stuff. I'm not expert, but have a learned (and acquired) just a few things since having kids/birthdays.

Also, I just learned on TV that you put a blob of icing on the top/middle and then squeeze the icing on in a circle pattern. That probably makes no sense, but what it does is add more volume so it has that cone shape of icing.

I'll show ya –

And she’s off…


My oldest niece headed off to college today. My sister and bro-in-law escorted her out of the country and up to Vancouver, where she’ll be enrolled as a freshmen at UBC. MInd you, top 30 school in the WORLD. I won’t even start at how impressed I am.

She’s gonna be a wild…success.

Have fun Miss Kate – don’t do anything I wouldn’t do.
(That should leave you plenty of options.)


You can send a girl to Canada, but she’ll always be a Texan.

The Amazing Mr. Ed Emberley


My sister first introduced me to Ed Emberley’s books a few years ago. She bought a handful for her son for Christmas and when I asked her what they were, she kept saying “You don’t know about Ed Emberley? Seriously? He’s awesome. You should know about these (repeat),” etc. And so, like a dutiful little sister, I took note. And when my oldest started showing signs of being able to sit at a table more than 60 seconds (for us, age 4), I went out and bought a couple. Since then, I have found myself preaching the Ed Emberley gospel. Seriously, folks… she was right. He’s awesome.

For those of you who didn’t grow up with his books in the 60’s, here’s a bio. He’s an illustrator that made easy step by step drawing books for kids. It’s great because more than once I’ve heard Francis say, “I can’t draw that one, it’s too hard” and then minutes later, she’s all smiles because she ACTUALLY DID IT and BY HERSELF. Not only does it teach her how to draw her favorite animals, but she has gained so much confidence from it as well. It’s perfect for that rather unfortunate stage of childhood when your kids evolve from drawing everything to thinking they can’t draw anything “right.” I hate that stupid rotten evolution. I am in constant battle with it myself.


Francis: Ladybug and Catepiller
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By Francis: monkey on rollerskates

Francis: Rollerskating Monkey


George: (unfinished) devil

Here are some of his books on Amazon. I actually bought mine at my local Barnes and Noble. And last week, we actually found another one at our local library so be sure to check that out. He also has a pretty nice website that has a bunch of free activities and games.

September 10, 2010 - 3:09 pm

kate - oh WOW! I remember this guy! He had a book about making animals out of thumbprints that I looooooved.

January 28, 2011 - 6:33 am

Kurt - Okay, two things:

1) I grew up with these Ed Emberly books (always wondered if that was a good thng or not…guess it didn't hurt)

2)Randomly RANDOMLY out of all the pages in the world, I happen to land on yours while i was looking for something else completely in image search and see this pic of the 2 books, click, and whoa! AWESOME!!! Fate has been clicking on an upswing the last 24 hrs.

This all happened while August was standing behind me.

Much love from Sweden!!!

Kurt

Thrifting Today


George likes the new pillow

George and Mel

The boys and I went thrifting this morning. I wanted to find some old sewing stuff – maybe some zippers or velcro, but had zero luck. Instead, we came home with a patchwork pillow (that looks quite nice with my other weird pillows) and three beany babies. George carefully picked one out for each kid. He chose a Koala (he later named “Mel”) for himself, a hot pink bear for his big sis and a sneaky little fox for baby Sam. All three in great, tag-still-on, not creepy dirty condition. Overall, a successful trip. Total cost $5.