birthday post...super late

I've been meaning to write a post about the recent birthday celebration and share pictures. It was super fun. The chosen theme, as I mentioned before, was a detective party. For the annual birthday outfit, I made a detective cloak of gray and black hounds tooth check that is lined with some adorable, tiny pink floral cotton and trimmed it all with black bias tape. I also made a matching a-line skirt, which was also trimmed with black bias tape. I found the pattern for the cloak over at Martha Stewart. Really, though, I only used the pattern for the collar. I kinda just winged it with the skirt and thankfully it fit just right.

I made the cake per request. Thankfully the birthday girl knew exactly what she wanted...a magnifying glass. No problem. She still wanted the final product to be a surprise so I made it after she went to bed. It's not my best cake work, but she was thrilled and that's really all that mattered.

There were many wonderful detective themed gifts. She also received some adorable clothes and toys and girly lip gloss. Besides wearing her cloak often, the gift that has gotten the most use is Scrabble Flash. Everyone that enters the house can't help but play it for a few minutes. If you love playing regular Scrabble, you'll love Scrabble Flash. Seriously. Oh, her most favorite gift, much to the cat's dismay, was a cat training kit.Oh yes, she's been training the cat. Although, as time goes by and I hear the excitement about him learning new things and being rewarded with treats, it occurred to me that our little fur ball is quite clever as it seems, from where I'm sitting at least, that he is the one training her to give him more and more treats. Either way, they're both happy.
Also, to make the day even better, my mom, my sister, and my niece all came to the party as well. It was really fun to have them here.

So there you have it. Finally, some photographic proof that someone special in the Clothesline house turned 8 years old!

eight

Eight years ago, eight days after Christmas she arrived. She was over due and I was huge. Huge, I tell you. January first came and went and still no baby. But before the end of January second we finally welcomed our first baby into the world. The best gift in the world, my new baby, me - becoming a mom, our family growing. It's hard to believe that it all began eight years ago. My, how time flies.

As you can see from the following pictures, she loves to dress up still...and in the same purple dress she got when she was just two years old. Now it's more like a tutu. When I told her to strike a pose for the newest picture in that dress she posed very much like a favorite Degas sculpture of mine.

Today we celebrated! It's been a whirlwind of a day. This year's chosen birthday theme was a detective party. There were cloaks and magnifying glasses and clues to follow in order to find the birthday gifts. She had a blast! Tomorrow I have a feeling we'll be spied on and probably get fingerprinted. I'll share more after we all come down off of our sugar high. Until then...I hope your new year has had a wonderful beginning, much like ours. xoANG

life changing

once i was a daughter and a sister. then i became a wife. now i am a mother with two daughters, sisters. it's life changing, this thing, this gift, called motherhood. my prayer is to be the mother, the example, the vessel, that God has planned for me to be so my girls can grow and learn and long to be everything God has planned for them. (me and miss O in 2003)

(me and miss E in 2005)

Happy Mother's Day

a day to celebrate

Well folks, today is a special day in the Clothesline household. Today we celebrate a very special girl who is SEVEN years old. It seems like only yesterday that we were blessed with our first beautiful, healthy, baby girl. Only yesterday that I joined a wonderful group of women know as mothers. What a wonderful gift and a tremendous blessing she is to our family.

(to save your from another picture heavy post i opted for a collage -top row::1yr old, 6yrs old, a few hours old, 5yrs old - bottom row::3yrs old, 4yrs old, 2yrs old, 7yrs old)

::a loving daughter::a sweet sister::a caring friend::an avid reader::a talented artist::a creative storyteller::a hilarious joke maker-upper::a serious thinker::a shy singer::a graceful dancer::an eager learner::a great helper::a gift from God::

Happy Birthday my sweet girl! I love you!

let there be art

Not a day goes by where there isn't some drawing going on in my house. Now this drawing could be on paper, in a sketchbook, on my grocery list, or on a magnadoodle, but most of the time the dry erase board is the coveted spot to be creative. The only problem is it has to be erased to draw another picture. Thank goodness I take pictures of everything all the time. Okay, so I don't take pictures of everything they draw, but when it's a super special, most spectacular, colorful feast for the eyes and they want to save it for Dad to see I just take a picture so we can share it with the world! Here are some of the more recent drawings. After I took these pictures I was asked to post them on my blog so the whole wide world could see them. So, whole wide world...I hope you enjoy these drawings!

If you have any doubt, we have a black and white cat named Shadow. In the above picture he is a super hero capturing the bad cats. His little orange kitty friend helped to hang the wanted posters. Miss O was the artist.

Cats News was quite the treat. Miss O worked long and hard thinking of each headline. Of course Shadow was featured in every story. He is super after all.

Here, little miss E was using every square inch available on the board. Obviously we've been working on letters and a few tricky numbers. Of course, a lovely striped cat had to be added for extra cuteness.

Miss E again with a picture of her and her big sister as princesses with many sparkles around them. I'm not really sure why all of her people have cat eyes now, but dang, they're cute!

It is apparent that miss O is longing for warmer, sunnier days in this picture. A beautiful rainbow, a kitty chasing a butterfly, kids playing in the sprinkler, a pony, and a mom watering flowers...hmmm...warm sunny days sure are nice. Oh, and I was told to explain that the sun is light green because we don't have a yellow marker.

And last but not least, another super fancy, pink princess with sparkles and curly hair (ahem...like mine), a dress for the ball (that doesn't conceal her wide hips..certainly not mine) and a fancied up cat with curly whiskers and all!

So what art is happening in your house these days? Leave a stack of paper and some crayons in view of the little ones and let there be art!

Happy Tuesday! xo ANG

she ratted me out...

so I might as well tell you. It's not a huge deal, just a moment of brilliance that would make my husband cringe. So, we were at the pool last week for swimming lessons and I took apples for snack time. I washed them before we left, had napkins to lay them on, but oh man, I forgot my handy dandy apple slicer thingy. No knife either. It's probably not a good idea to take a knife to the pool whilst I'm surrounded by lots and lots of excited, dripping wet, shivering in towels children. What to do? Use a key?...uh, no. My finger nails?...uh, no. They're too short anyway. Oh wait! How about a credit card or something? Yeah baby! That's the ticket! Okay, the germs from swiping my card in who knows how many machines...disgusting. But I just got a new loyalty card that had never ever been used so I wiped it off and hoped for the best. Let me tell you...it worked like a champ! Apple slicing brilliance! My friend Kim said I should take pictures so I could blog it. I said no because I knew Tim would be grossed out by the germ factor so he didn't need to know about it, let alone see pictures. Well, Kim, you were right, I should have gotten pictures. So how did Tim learn of my brilliant apple slicing device? Simple, miss O ratted me out.

one reason

...and it's a good one.

When I take pictures of my girls I usually end up with lots and lots of shots like these.

You know what I mean? As soon as my camera turns on and makes the little chiming sound these cute, sweet, adorable faces begin to contort and twist and...well, you get the idea. Oh sure, it's funny (and I laugh, which isn't so helpful). I especially enjoy the pictures of a big smile with angry eyebrows. Try it, it's funny. Make the meanest, most angry face you can...now freeze your eyes that way and try to smile really big. Funny, right? Okay, so after about a gazillion pictures of funny faces I just want to scream. I try my best to capture the girls in candid shots because posing for the camera obviously doesn't work very well, but every once in a while I'd like a shot of them together, happy,smiling, and yes, looking at the camera. Is that too much to ask? Huh? Is it? Okay, don't answer that!

So after many, many pictures of super silly faces I eventually end up with gems like these.

So it's all worth it in the end. Yes, I download a gazillion pictures from my camera, but I delete the super-ridiculous shots, of course I also keep some. (You never know when you'll need an embarrassing photo.) And yes, when I finally get pictures of my girls like these I think it's my one good reason for carrying my camera with me everywhere I go and taking enough pictures to choke a horse. What's your one good reason? Happy Weekend xo ANG

this post brought to you by Miss O

monumental milestone

Exciting things going on here! My big girl got her very own library card!!!

She's been working on getting our last name just right (without help...it has 11 letters).

Then after she got it all down just perfect she had to practice writing it small enough to fit on the little rectangle on the back of the card. She could not and would not be stopped. She had a goal to reach and a reward to acquire.

Yes, not only can she now check out her own books by herself...she got a snazzy, new library bag to put them in. She'd been eyeing the purple one for a very long time. Now it is finally hers! There was a problem though...it wasn't nearly fancy enough and there was no place to store her card. No, she didn't want me to keep it in my purse. She wanted to be responsible for her card, her library bag, her books. Oh, what a big kid she is now. Growing, learning, maturing, becoming more responsible and independent. Is there a pause button for that? A simple fix for making the bag fancier...just add a pocket, without covering the pretty design or the words of course.

I had the perfect fabric in my stash! Who knew I'd have bright green with yellow and purple butterflies that would match the library bag perfectly?! Thanks Mama for adding that fabric to my stash! So I made a pocket and sewed it to the outside of the bag being careful not to cover anything important. And, thanks to Lola...again for teaching me how to incorporate magnetic snaps, I put that in there, too. I know...fancy, right?

Well, I couldn't just leave it that way, now could I? Because the material of the bag can be easily torn if too many books are crammed in there, I decided to line the bag as well. But, I wanted the fabric to come out over the edge so when the bag was closed it would be all cute and gathered.

It worked! It was super easy to line and it's so much sturdier now. I just love it...er...uh...I mean she absolutely loves it! Here's a peek at the inside. It's so bright and beautiful...just like the sweet girl that owns it.

Sometimes the simplest of things bring the greatest joy. And you know what made it even more special? The librarians. They oohed and aaahed over her new card then when she took her new bag in the next week they oohed and aaahed again. She was very happy that everyone was so excited for her. I was very happy that people like the fancied up version of the bag :o)

Now I have one highly motivated three-year-old (almost 4) on my hands. You know she wants a bag, too, right? Now if we could just tackle that 11 letter last name.

funny, but not

Yesterday miss O came out of her room and she was very excited! She told me that she made up a new game. It's a game that you have to use coins and if you lose the game the winner gets to keep your coins. Wanna know the name of her game? It's called Tic TAX Toe! What a little stinker! She heard Tim and I discussing taxes while working through the filing process over the weekend. She is such a question-asker and a reads-over-your-shoulder kinda girl. She is also a very determined 6 year old that likes to learn new things. So, with her limited explanation of taxes she already knows that it means someone is going to take your money. Funny, right? But not!

acoustics

Often times I wonder why in the world it takes so long. All I told her to do was go to the bathroom and wash her hands so we could eat lunch. Well, after waiting for a long time I started to hear a little singing. This is what I found....

...yep, as she washed her hands she got carried away with a tune. Head back, singing loud, and drying her hands. The song? I have no idea...I was laughing to much to notice! But, if you're going to sing it may as well be in the bathroom...the room with the best acoustics.

two down

Oh my goodness...look who lost her second tooth!

It was getting really loose and I kept asking her if she wanted me to pull it out but she would say..."Don't worry Mom, it'll come out on it's own."

Today during our much needed rest time it came out. Yippee!

wuv, twue wuv

...through the eyes of a six year old.

It began with this picture of miss O and well, the one.

Then the beautiful sunset and blooming heart flower was added.


Lastly, the three important words!
Oh, and by the way, this is a "picture of them marrying."
(notice the fancy dress with puffy sleeves)

pow wow wonderful

The Indian Pow Wow birthday was a huge success! Miss O was thrilled with her cake and all of her Indian gifts. She got plenty of regular presents but it's tradition to find gifts that go along with the theme. She got a tee pee, bow and arrow set (suction cup kind, of course), books about Indians, a headband with long Indian braids, the set of Powhatan Indians from the cake, and of course the birthday outfit. I normally make a dress with fabric that matches the theme but this year I decided to branch out and go with a skirt and vest. They both turned out great. Also, let me tell you, I had a hard time finding little Indian people for the cake. I searched high and low...then I went to A.C. Moore. Sheesh! I should have gone there first. They always seem to have the perfect thing. Note to self: Always check A.C. Moore first...it saves time and prevents panic and headaches!

Thanks to all for the birthday wishes.

Now, Miss E is ready to plan her party...a princess party. SWEET! That should be a piece of cake! Yes, pun intended....and I have until the end of May for that one. And if you were wondering, yes, Miss O has already decided on her theme for next year...Ballerina birthday. We'll see if she changes her mind by next January!

whoa....six years old today!

Happy Birthday to Miss O!!!!
Here you are just hours after entering the world...so sweet.

At 7 months you already had a love of books.

At 18 months...growing, talking, learning and amazing us every day!


Time flies...now at two years old you're about to become a big sister.


So cute at three...sweet, smiling sister with sassy short hair.


Four years old and full of life...what a good girl you are.


Wow! Five years old is huge! Reading, writing, drawing...the best story teller in the world! What an imagination!


Now you're SIX years old! How did you get so big? Riding bikes and scooters, reading chapter books, building incredible things, playing with your sister and helping her learn. What a gift from God you are...we are truly blessed.
Happy Birthday Baby!

fancier is always better

Last Saturday we took the girls to Home Depot for the Kid's Workshop. Miss O has been really into building things lately...building with Legos, building with magnetix, building various contraptions with jump ropes and toys. Of course E follows right along. Then we read the book Littlejim's Gift. It's a great Christmas story about working hard, loving your family, and thinking of others. Oh, the life lessons to be learned in just one story. Anyway, the little boy in the story wanted a child-sized set of tools. Well, that just put O right over the edge. So when I learned from Heather how fun the Kid's Workshops were I just had to take the girls. The project was to build an easel. The girls received a Home Depot apron, a pin to attach that shows the project they built, and a certificate of completion. There were safety glasses, child-sized hammers, nails, bolts, wing nuts, washers....oh the joy! They really enjoyed the whole experience. I had to help E a little bit, she was like a mad woman with that hammer.O did most of her project independently...I just had to (bravely) hold the wood together so she could hammer the nail. She didn't hit my hand...not even once! Pretty good for her first project. They were both very pleased with the final product but when we got home they thought it needed to be a little fancier. They immediately got to work adding just the right amount of girly-ness.