cozyblue

checking in...

hi there!  i've been drowning in this pool of photos from our trip to atlanta last weekend, and i have finally sorted through them (there were over 650!) and uploaded a bunch onto flickr.

i highly recommend that you click here to view the slideshow!

we had a super-fun time.  mostly, it was great seeing papa and pippi (it had been waaay too long since we saw them last!).  we also had a bunch of fun things to see and do:  the amazing georgia aquarium, the atlanta zoo, the parks and playgrounds, seeing the downtown sights, and some quality pool time too.
it was wonderful to get out of town, and what better way to kick off summer vacation?!

this week has been a nice quiet week of being home together:  library outings, garden tending, crafting, reading, cooking, drawing and building, science experiments, swimming, and more.  griffin and adella (though they are driving each other batty at the moment) are SO happy to play and be together all day.  they are so sweet.  despite the usual sibling squabbles, they are keeping each other very busy...  they're outside in the yard (usually in pj's still) as soon as the sun comes up, and have been happily playing and hanging out together.  i love watching the games they make up and the way they cheer each other on!

i've got more to post, soon.  right now i've got to get these kiddos ready for a trip to the nature center!
happy thursday :)

as the saying goes...

when life hands you lemons,



make lemonade!



we were handed a pretty big lemon today, when we took the car (the camry) in to have a clinkery sound checked out and learned that the clinkery sound (which had turned into a big clackety by the time we got downtown) means that our car need a new motor.
then on the way home, it stopped.  dead.  and not the fix-it-with-a-jumper-cable sort of dead.  
we're not talking about a few hundred dollars repair, not even a few thousand dollars repair.  we had it towed back to our house so we can decide what to do with it.  



as big a blow as this initially (and suddenly!) was, i'm actually feeling a little optimistic about it all.  i know, i'm even surprising myself!  it might be all part of my big master plan.  i'll fill you in later.

anyway, we spent most of the day at home.  when adella got home from school, she suggested we make lemonade.  i'd never heard a more perfect idea!



the kids did all the work, together.



and we all enjoyed it.



lemonade IS the perfect remedy for a lemon of a day!

p.s.  i used our standard recipe:  4 lemons, 4 cups water, 1/2 cup sugar
p.s.  want more nostalgia?  click right here   --  i'm sorry but i just can't help myself from taking these trips down memory lane...

(hey!  i just wanted to clarify, in case it sounded like i was saying that our car was a 'lemon'...  it was not.  we'd had the toyota for about 5 years or so -- it was a great car!  we've had only very minor repairs the entire time we owned it.  it was older, but not ancient, and i'm not sure why the motor went bad.  it just did.   it is an unfortunate situation, but not a lemon of a car!)

merlefest wrap-up

it's been such a busy and fun week, that i've hardly had time to sit down and write about our merlefest weekend!  i don't actually have much time now either, but i wanted to post a link to some pics, for those of you who haven't seen them yet.  i took so many photos, but managed to whittle it down to 40 or so, over here on flickr. ( i think the set starts at the end, so you may want to look at them in reverse!)



we all had a really super time.  there was so much to see and do, and plenty to keep the kids busy.  great, great music wasall around, the people were all friendly, and we really enjoyed hanging out together in places and ways that were a little out of our normal zone.

dehlia low was amazing, of course, and it was so exciting to see stig and the band right in the middle of all the action.  they got to be backstage and received all sorts of 'special artist treatment' -- but we weren't totally left out either -- we got the VIP wristband, and got a little special treatment too!

so, check out the pics!  and i'll be back soon.  have a great day :)

we ::heart:: spring

everybody say 'waterfall', originally uploaded by cozyblueliz.

we've been happily busy this past week, enjoying the beautiful spring weather. and i've just uploaded oodles of photos to flickr, so please hop on over and check them out.
click right here to see a slideshow -- it's fun!

(i think the pictures do a better job of summing up our days than i could, anyway!)

xo

first front yard picnic of the season

some cooking with the kids

the kids have been helping me make meals more lately.  for a while it was so hard, because griffin was all over the place, helping one minute and touching everything with his gooey hands the next minute, and it was very difficult to give adella the attention and direction she needed in the kitchen.  plus, it might have been dinner time, and everyone was tired and cranky.  many times, i hate to say, it ended on a sour note.

but lately, we've found a nice little groove and it's been working.  i've found some nice, easy, non-exact dishes that the kids can do (mostly) by themselves.  this is good because it keeps me from hovering too much, and it gives them the freedom they need to experiment and have fun, but still turn out an edible creation.  and they love it!  they are so proud.

we've been doing a weekly family movie & pizza night for while now.  last week i planned ahead and got everything together ahead of time, so that we could all make our own little pizzas.



and our recent favorite kitchen creation -- pasta!



i had no idea how easy it was to make simple, fresh pasta.  it turns out -- it's really easy, and really good!  a little flour, egg, oil, and salt (for the basic version) and just a little time, makes a big bowl full of yummy hearty pasta.



the second time around i pureed spinach and added it to the dough (and omitted the oil) -- it came out beautifully!



the kids really like turning the crank on the pasta machine (which i've had for a LONG time, but had only used for polymer clay until now.  of course i cleaned it well.)  and adella enjoyed cutting the noodles.  



it would be fun to find some tiny cookie cutters and make little pasta shapes too!



here's the basic recipe i used, in case you want to try it:

2 cups flour
2 XL eggs or 3 large
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp olive oil

whizz it in the food processor, then turn it out onto a floured board and knead it a little.  cover and let rest for about 15 minutes.  then, roll it super flat using the pasta machine (or a rolling pin if you're really good) then cut it into strips, boil for a few minutes, and eat!

happy halloween!

some super trick-or-treating this year!
 


drizzly wet weather, golden leaves blowing around, kids dressed up, creepy beautiful old houses and brick sidewalks, lots of sweets and treats... and the cutest little dinosaur and loveliest fairy ever.



griff's costume was store-bought (and will last a year or two more, for the dress-up collection) and adella's was the 'simplicity' tinkerbell costume, with some minor adaptations.  mom and i worked on it together, and it came together relatively easily.  i'm happy that it'll definitely get some dress-up action after halloween has passed.  adella really wanted the sparkly ballerina shoes, and she insisted on the polka-dot tights also.  adorable, huh?



griffin caught on very quickly to the 'trick-or-treat' routine, (though it sounded a lot like "a treat?") and he had a blast on our fun adventure.



more pics over on flickr!   .... and hello november!

griffin is TWO

our little guy turned two today.  



it started with a breakfast cupcake.  adella really wanted to start his birthday off right, so she went ahead and gave him the gifts and a card from her.  (she drew the card for him weeks ago, and had it hidden away until this morning!)



after dinner we continued the celebrating with another cake (strawberry frosting on vanilla cake), ice cream (strawberry), balloons and gifts.  so much fun!  griff had a great time.  he was SO excited to see the cake and candles, and all the fun new toys & books.  he loved every minute of it, and we had such fun watching the excited smiles and squeals.



it's hard to believe he's already TWO years old!  happy birthday to our sweet, funny, crazy little guy -- we love you!!!

today's post is brought to you by the letter P

we went to the pumpkin patch today,



to pick out the perfect pumpkin (or two).



piles and piles of plump little pumpkins,



and piles of pudgy ones too.



i'm all p'd out now...  see more pics over on flickr!

ay-pround!

we've been getting out as much as we can to enjoy this AMAZING fall weather we're having, and spending lots of time at the "ay-pround," which is griffin-speak for playground.

these were the photos i took in the morning.  then we went home, i put griffin down for his nap, and stig stayed home with him while i went to have lunch with adella at school.  (i swear, i almost didn't recognize her -- she looks so grown up!)  then after school, stig took the kiddos back to this same playground for round 2.  what can i say?  the kids love it.  and adella found out that we'd gone without her, and really really wanted to go.  on a day as pretty as this one, how can we refuse?