I mentioned in my last post that we play classical music all day long. I don’t know, it seems like it puts a magical spell on everyone! Not as much bickering and productivity is at an all time high. The music is usually left on until well after dinner and actually requested to be kept on…MAGIC, I tell you.

The cool thing about this “magic”, Penny seems to pick up on using the right side of her brain. She can be found creating all sorts of abstract art, scribbling and coloring to the music. I love it. Of course her zone gets interrupted when opera starts playing out on the speakers and everything…STOPS.

Anyway, my kids love LOVE love Halloween. They love figuring out their costumes and of course the candy. But to be honest, the candy loses it’s luster pretty quick and I end up dumping much of the non-chocolate stuff.

Enjoy the photos. The extra cutie is my 4 year old niece Tizzy. It’s tradition to go trick or treating with her and then come home to a festive dinner. We all love it.

This coming week, I’ll be sure to share some of the artwork the kids and I are doing…we are having a ball and look forward to our Fridays filled with art.

Take yourself back to childhood, remember when something like a new pair of shoes was the biggest, happiest event of your life?!

This summer, Penny began camping out on the floor next to our bed. In the middle of the night, if she is awakened by a scary dream, she just comes downstairs and slips into her pre-made bed. I woke up one morning to this image and it made feel so grateful for the simplicity childhood CAN be…new shoes? YES.

Each week, Ellie asks if she can bake something in the kitchen. I consider this a real test of my patience and need to control (ahem!). BUT, give me a break- I bake for a job and let me tell you I strategize quite a bit when tackling recipes!

I have done well and Ellie has been more than capable to make cookies, cakes and these amazing cupcakes! I DID want to join the fun and made the maple buttercream. It required lots of butter, MORE maple syrup and egg yolks so you can see I was trying to prevent a flop…but somehow, I am sure Ellie would have been just fine!

A word of warning: these cupcakes and frosting require a total of 4 cups of maple syrup. So if you happen to have your own supply or don’t mind plunking down some money for this ingredient alone, you will not be disappointed.

Bring on the Fall baking!!

SECOND, I am not a scrapbooker and if I was, I’d still be figuring out what paper to use! There are so many choices, you could go nuts! Instead I kept is simple and just wrote in the book…no computer generated text, just my jaggedy handwriting.

Anyway, I am pleased to share Penelope’s book. Since she is my last, I am even more pleased that I no longer have to make such a book again!

Here she is finally learning what my secret project was all about. She loved her book and especially loved that it was pink. The other kids have black, I guess there is some truth with the youngest getting what they want…ahem.

It started from the beginning, from when she first was born and was just seconds old…

to when her brother and sister first met her…

to sweet quiet moments captured at home (*sigh*)…

to treasured photos with those that are no longer here with us on earth…

to JOYOUS occassions of Penelope’s baptism and chrismation…

to visits with relatives in California and another treasured photo of my kids with their great-grandparents and cousins…

to photos with grandparents that live overseas…and a photo of “Poppy” with his siblings that are hard to keep straight amongst my kids…

to family photos that remind me how much work Nathan and I have done in raising 3 kids…they have grown so quickly…

to reminding me of Penny’s first birthday and all that was celebrated…

to the bitter reality that this baby is no longer a baby, but a school girl ready to make life her own…and I’m ready for her too!

Of course, it made me smile as I watched Penny share her book with one of her best pals. Her enthusiasm made all my guilt go away!

So last Friday, we took out the ceremonial cupcake…

brought out the birthday banner…

hung the “birthday dots”…

made a tasty cake with raspberries and chocolate buttercream…

skipped school and made a big breakfast feast, ’cause it’s not everyday that visiting cousins are in town for a birthday…(I love how Penelope is the only one illuminated in this shot!)

opened gifts…(“cha-ching”, says Penny)

took the obligatory “front steps photo”…

after a fun day with cousins, had a family birthday dinner featuring Penny’s favorite Penne Pasta…

another group photo with Nana and Papa…

AND finally, we ate cake!

I’ll be back tomorrow to share more birthday highlights- the poor birthday girl has been really sick these past few days and I need to tend to her!

Happy Birthday Si- may you have many years!

PS- Our Mac is dead (boo), so until my superhero husband can replace the capacitors…I am using a slower, older Mac. Consequently, my patience for posting is short!

But my key victim is Penelope Tess. She is willing to take my ideas/control and make it her own! I figure I have about 6 solid years still of Valentine making and I’m up for the challenge to come up with something every year!

Her problem? The concentration to create 30+ valentines. We have time! I can help! Hurrah for a crafter in the making!!

We are in full blown summer vacation around here and it’s nice to have a different routine… and maybe not so fun to hear more squabbling, but we are working on it and I’m working on ignoring the conflicts!

One thing I am determined to accomplish this summer is to work on projects together. Enjoy the time we have and scrap my “to do” list. My kids are at such fun ages that it’s my goal to be totally present with them. I am such a focused kind of gal that I’m afraid that I may allow time to “slip by” before I know it.

First thing: a handmade beach blanket for my sister’s birthday. The kids all designed their own block and took about a day to stitch. It was so fun to sit in the living room and just work together- it wasn’t all peaceful (especially since there were lots of tangled floss ), but it was time I could tell the older kids really appreciated.

Didn’t it turn out cute?

hello little blog.

i hope to be your friend again.