you did what?

Oh, that.  This is the fun my girls had with Dad while I was out. Thanks to Dad it was all documented. And yes, they're in their pajamas. I thought my bed felt kind of lumpy last night.

Oh, and ignore the awful wallpaper border and miserable paint you see. We haven't touched our room since we moved into this house. We are focusing on the rooms that we spend the most time in right now. My bedroom will be the last to get a face lift. All in due time, all in due time. It's going to take me some time to pick a color and new bedding anyway. No rush. No rush at all.
But, oh, those girls had so much fun.  I'll have to catch Dad in the air next time.  xoANG

fall traditions

The weather is changing. The maple trees are fringed with red. The evening sun shines through the window and casts a golden glow throughout the house. That's when we know it's time for some of our fall traditions.

The first one is like stepping back in time. A day where we get to experience and learn about life long ago. It's always a great reminder of how blessed we are to have so many conveniences.

There were people making candles and butter. There were men and women dressed in period clothing. Layers and layers of clothing. One man showed us a very cool compass-sundial. I'd never seen anything like it. He let me try it out...and it was very accurate. Now I want to make a sun dial. You know, one in the yard made of pretty stones with flowers growing all around it. Hmmm, maybe in the spring.

The next fun thing we always enjoy is a trip to the pumpkin patch. We pass by the pumpkin patch several times before we actually make the trip which inevitably brings about the question...when are we going to the pumpkin patch? Every year we meet our friends there, my mom comes and brings my cousin so he can play with the girls, and we all have a great time. It's always really fun. There's nothing more fun than getting covered in hay, ruining a couple of pairs of socks, playing in the teepee, sliding down slides, jumping in castles, and painting cute little pumpkins while enjoying the company of friends and family.

Before I knew it, it was Halloween. The day before Halloween we went to Grandma and Pop's church for a hay ride and some serious trunk or treat fun which led to more candy then will ever be necessary. Then on Monday we met our friends at the library for the annual costume parade. All of the librarians were dressed up this year and all of the kids were adorable. I saw more of the parents dressed up this year, too. Right after the costume parade we went to the mall to show off the costumes where it was warm.

Some of the mall employees oohed and aahed over our group of kids. There were also a few elderly women who thought the kids were adorable, too. I mean seriously, look at them. How can you not think they're adorable? October was a very busy month and it flew by in a flash. I can hardly believe that it's November already. There are special birthdays, Thanksgiving, Christmas gift making, and so much more on the horizon for this month. Hold on to your hats this is going to be a fast one, too. xoANG

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!

the big five

Today is a special day in the Clothesline family.

This tiny little baby of mine,

that eventually became very roly-poly,

is no longer a baby.

She has, at last, become a big kid.

Alas, she is now FIVE years old,

with a five year old body big enough to match her huge personality.

Time does fly. It really does. I can remember when she was tiny, her loud, mouth-wide-open cry, her scooting - not crawling. And now she's five. Tall and fast. Sweet and helpful. Funny and full of love. Love for her sister, for her cat, and anything that crawls or leaves a trail of slime. She's complex, this one. Girly to the core...loving shoes and fancy jewels, but also loving to get dirty and climb and jump and play.

Happy Birthday Baby!

home again, home again

Well, we are back from the beach. I have so many pictures to choose from but I will share only a few. We had a wonderful time. The weather was beautiful, the water was nice, the shells were found, the skin was protected, and the sand...well that was everywhere. We even brought some home with us...unintentionally, of course.

beach fun

beach sights

aquarium wonders

We spent most of our time on the beach. Beach after breakfast...beach after dinner. There were a lot of baths and a lot of drain-clogging sand. We walked and walked in search of shells and shark teeth. We found a lot of both. By the end of the trip the kiddos were even finding shark teeth. We built sand castles and dug really deep holes. We drew in the sand and watched the seagulls. Okay, we chased them, but we were still watching them. We also went to some shops and played a delightful round of mini golf. Tim made the only hole in one, but the kids came close. Me? Not so much.
Today we are trying to get back into our routine. We are still waiting for the sun to appear. It's been raining since we got home on Saturday...and evidently it rained most of the time we were gone. Great for the garden. My tomatoes plants tripled in size in just one week! No kidding! It's all growing and growing fast. Once the sun comes out we'll be weeding and cutting grass and planting more little plants that I started before we left.
Ah, it is good to be home. Happy Tuesday! xo ANG

return of the rat

The other day while I was doing a little after school tutoring and the girls were being watched by Grandma and Pop something went awry. Not something terrible, mind you, but for a very dramatic and sensitive seven-year-old it was definitely something she had to share. Well, here, see for yourself.A broken hair clip. One that she did not break and she wanted to make sure I knew who did break it. So, Pop, you've been ratted out. I do love that she had to write it down immediately so she grabbed a napkin and a pencil ...and also left the evidence for me to see. happy weekend xoANG

simple equations

two sneaky, giggling sisters + one cleverly tied jump rope + six swiped clothespins = laundry day for the dolls

more snow on the ground + thirty minutes before dinner is ready + the quest for the perfect shot = fun for the whole family (yes, even the cat)

one artistic girl + the family pet for inspiration + a few art supplies = a super idea for training cats

( poster reads:: Cat School...learn to be good and more! Do's and Dont's- Do: sit sill - Don't: lick your toes in class - Do: listen to the teacher - Don't: bite other cats)

one free pattern + yummy cotton yarn + three tassels = my new third-time's-a-charm hat

Some days it all just adds up! Happy Tuesday! xoANG

a remedy

...for cabin fever, that is.
After getting our fill of playing in the snow, drawing, playing games, dancing to loud music, and reading books sometimes you have to create your own cure for cabin fever. Enter...mom with camera. I tried to capture jumps at their highest point by using the sports setting on my camera. Still blurry, no flash, but fun...and energy burning because you know I had to try over and over and over to capture a good shot.

Oh yes, Dad couldn't resist joining in on the fun. Impressive, no?

Once I captured a couple of good shots, although blurry, I just kept on snapping photos...with a flash...oh what fun!

I am a very blessed wife to have a husband who is not afraid to have some fun....

even when he knows I'll probably blog it.

My girls are so blessed to have a Daddy that loves to be a kid...and will let me take pictures until I get the perfect shot.

Yep, we're cured. What's you're favorite cabin fever reducer? I'd love to hear how you fight cabin fever. xo ANG
Please don't forget about Haiti. They're not on the front pages anymore. They're not a major story on the evening news anymore. But they are still in need. The two buttons at the top left will lead you to a place where you can help.

well, hello kitty!

Yes, Hello Kitty was the chosen theme this year for the all important event of turning the grand old age of seven. Seven is a big deal. I mean after all, she'll be ten soon...or so I've been told. :-) So here's the cake.

This is my best cake yet! I can't take all the credit though. My dear friend Theresa shared with me some very, very, wonderful cake decorating tips and man, oh man, that cake came out better than I could have even imagined. Theresa, you're a cake genius! Even Tim was impressed with the results...and the birthday girl? Well, she squealed with absolute delight!

I also managed to finish the traditional birthday outfit. Sometimes it's a dress sometimes a skirt. This year I made a fabulously twirly skirt using this tutorial (version2) and I found the perfect sparkly shirt at Target and simply appliqued some kitties on the front using some of the skirt fabric. Wanna see?

Now in other important birthday news...pierced ears! That's right, the birthday girl kept her word and got her ears pierced. You see, last year when she was a mere six years old she promised that when she turned seven she would get her ears pierced. Last week she reminded me of that promise. There was a little fear, angst, worry, excitement, eagerness, anxiousness, and jubilation leading up to the big day. Well, here...see for yourself.

There were also lots of kitty presents, balloons, banners, family, friends, food, and fun. Okay, a tissue paper ball fight, too. Overall, I think seven turned out pretty darn good for my special girl.

Yes, there was a special little sister in the mix who was torn between excitement and jealousy...happiness and selfishness...being four is hard when someone else is seven. Thank goodness turning five is coming soon.

Thanks to all of our family and friends that made this a special day for both of my girls. xo ANG

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!

treasured

A few days ago my family and I went to visit my grandparents for Christmas. There used to be a huge family gathering there on the actual day of Christmas with cousins, aunts, and uncles. But over the years as our family has grown larger and my grandparents have grown older the gatherings themselves have grown smaller. It's nice to have more individual time at the farm even if we don't get to see everyone all at once. The festivities of the season are nicely spread out and enjoyed over a few weeks between Thanksgiving and Christmas which makes it a little less overwhelming for my grandparents. The Farm, our destination, draws me in and makes me want to stay forever. When we reached the bottom of the hill and turned onto the driveway I saw it, like I do every time, my hill. My most favorite spot on the farm. I chose my hill a long time ago. It's beautiful. It's lined with trees on one side and has the creek on the other. This time though it was covered with snow. We drove slowly up the driveway passing my hill and when we reached the creek three beautifully magnificent deer crossed our path, leaped over the pasture fence and followed the creek to the tree line on the other side. How can you not love the farm? I only wish I had treasured it when I was younger like I do now. I guess that's normal, appreciating things more after they have been a part of your life for so long. We didn't visit for a really long time, it was long enough to spend some sweet time together and to devour a big ol' hunk of my grandma's fruitcake. Yes, fruitcake. I love it...and I'm not ashamed to admit it. In fact, I love it so much I might try my hand at a gluten free version. But I digress. The farm was covered in a blanket of snow and so was the tractor. Yes, that old blue one up at the top. I can't even count the number of hours I spent riding on the side while PopPop fed the cows, cut the hay, plowed the fields, or just drove around for purely for my enjoyment. It's a beaut! And you know what? That shade of blue is the same color as PopPop's eyes...bright blue! He's doing quite well still. Yes, his TIA's have affected how fast his thoughts actually come out as words, but he was always a man of few words so it was okay. He is weaker in body but strong in mind. He was having a great day when we were there. He was freshly shaved and smelled so good...old spice and all. His eyes lit up when we came in and he just smiled and focused on my girls a lot. They were shy around him but smiled and giggled which was great for him and my Grandma. Grandma, now she's still quite the pistol with her beautiful silver hair. She's a mere 50 years older than me and a woman of vast knowledge and opinion. She won't sit still for a minute...unless she's crocheting or playing scrabble, otherwise she's on the move.

Today, Sunday, December 13th is PopPop's birthday! He is 89 years old! Happy Birthday!

xo ANG