Embroidered Birthday Cards

I mentioned before that I wanted to expand a bit on the birthday cards the girls made for Daniel.  Let me first say, never send me to Target alone.  It is just dangerous.  Too.  Much.  Great.  Stuff.  So, I found this tool at Target and I simply couldn’t resist.  I bought it under the guise of “I really need this now for Daniel’s birthday cards, and it’s totally justified because we can use it for our memory verse journals next year.”  I have a problem, I know!

So, the tool is quite simple, really.  You roll it along a foam board and it punctures the paper so you -er- the kids know where to sew.  Just look:

Natalie (6) did that all by herself.  I bet you could find it at Michael’s or Hobby Lobby and use one of their 40% off coupons.  I’ll have to look into that!!  Here’s what it looks like.  If you’re a mom of girls, I highly recommend it!

If you can’t beat the mess…

… Add to it!  We’re still living in a mess over here.  Hopefully it will all be done by Thursday.  (Wouldn’t that be awesome?)  So, the girls and I are just adding to it.  Today they all had runny noses, so we looked through our supply cupboard for an activity.  There are several birthday gifts, as well as items from Grandma that we just don’t get to that often.  We decided on “power balls.”

I have to admit, when my mom first brought this box, I was a little skeptical.  But, it turned out to be a lot of fun.

There are 2 molds that you pour crystals into.  Next, you place the molds in water and wait 10 minutes.  You take them out and wait 10 more minutes before opening them.  Then… voila!  You have super bouncy balls!

And, they’re pretty!

True Story

This morning wasn’t exactly a cozy Saturday morning.  The day started for the girls at 5:45am due to a bad case of the coughs, and has remained a bit sleepy-grumpy.  As for me — I definitely could use an attitude adjustment.  We tried a craft that was fun, but required taking turns.  Not the best idea for a day like today.

So, this afternoon I headed to Pinterest for a fun dinner idea and stumbled upon pretzel dogs.  Not exactly a healthy homemade option, but they sounded fun… and yummy!  I mixed the water with the salt, sugar and yeast, then walked away to let it foam.  Five minutes later I returned to find this:

Yup, a love note from God just to me!  (Don’t be jealous; He loves you, too!)  I have been so grumpy and unworthy this morning.  I’ve needed to show more grace.  This was my reminder!  Ok, I’m off to finish my dough.  I’ll let you know how they turn out!

I’m back!  (That was fast, huh?)  So, the recipe…. Easy.  Yummy.  I’d call that a success!  (Wish I could say the same for the broccoli!)  I used this recipe here. And, I am definitely using it again.  Even without the hotdogs, these would make great pretzel snacks for the kiddos.

Daniel’s Birthday 2013

Every birthday I do for the kids has a theme.  It’s fun for them, and easier to plan for me!  But, when I planned to make a carrot cake for Daniel’s birthday, I had no idea the guest of honor would be a…

Yup… Stray brought us another bunny.  This time I insisted we keep it.  At least, for a little bit.  It already has a name: “Cottontail.”  Original, I know.

So, just like that the morning was spent making a temporary box home for our furry friend.  And, for breakfast we decided to try out our “dinosaur egg,” (goose egg), Daniel got from the farmer’s market last weekend.

After breakfast, we headed to the park to open presents.  The girls gave him their latest art class projects and homemade cards. (More on the cards later.)  They were so proud.

And, my parents gave him some Nerf guns… hence, the trip to the park!

After the park, we headed home for lunch.  The bunny had somehow managed to escape, but was found a few hours later.  After that, I picked-up the babysitter, then Daniel and I headed to the movies… we had the entire theater to ourselves!  And, it was an awesome movie.  Check out  Home Run .  From there, we picked-up the girls and went to sushi.  Finally, we ended the night with our carrot cake cupcakes.  Daniel insisted on holding his new friend:

I let the kids frost and sprinkle their own cupcake.

Favorite quote: (In a whiny voice) “Why does Papa get a bunny for his birthday?  It’s not fair!”   I’ll let you guess who said that!

Happy Birthday, D!!

Weekend Surprises!

Friday began like any other Friday.   Bible study.  Piano practice.  A little extra cleaning.  It was almost lunch time, and I told the girls I was going to check for the mail.  I snuck outside with the phone — my parents were just 10 minutes away.  The girls had no idea!  After two cancellations earlier this month, we didn’t want to take any chances in case they couldn’t make it this time, again.

The kids were THRILLED!  (So were we!)  They were also delighted with the fun goodies, and got right to painting on their new canvases!

And, tried out a new game that has already become a new favorite!

That night was still pizza and a movie night.  I couldn’t wait to try grilling pizza, again.

The next day was the girls’ 3rd annual Glitter Glam.  (I had to remind Sierra throughout the day that her sisters missed going one year because of bad attitudes and we had to return the tickets we already bought.  That was a tough parenting decision!)  Luckily, the warning was helpful and Sierra got to attend her first ever Glitter Glam.  Other than being totally exhausted from staying up far too late, a good time was had by all.  (Meanwhile, Daniel and I enjoyed a fabulous dinner date with some of our best friends!)

The next day was yet another surprise… After church we headed up to Big Bear for the day.  The first stop: The Alpine Sleds!

Awesome time had by all…

There was a cotton candy machine; how cool is that?  A dream come true for me -er- the kids.  (I don’t know why, but I love that stuff.)

After a cotton candy break, we dropped the kids off at the local mountain zoo with all the rescued animals like buffalo and grizzlies while Daniel and I headed a bit further for our own little zipline tour!

We were the last tour of the day.  Luckily for us, we were the only two people on the tour — perfect!

It was super gorgeous weather and scenery, as well as super duper fun.  I have a mild fear of heights, which I thought might get to me, but somehow this didn’t bother me at all.  The only time I felt a twinge of nerves was when we were standing on a ledge built on a tree 90 ft above the ground and the tree was swaying — yikes!  But, we were clipped in the entire time, so it shouldn’t have been a big deal, really.

It was a Christmas present I bought my husband, but his birthday is actually in a few days, so it was sort of a double celebration.  I can’t wait to do it, again.

Now it’s Monday.

Back to school.  Back to piano.

Tomorrow my parents leave, and it’s back to normal; sort of.  We still have a house under construction and just one working toilet, (boo), but we also have Daniel home the rest of the week, (yeah!)

We’ll miss you, Grandma and Grandpa!  Thanks for a fun weekend!

The Squeal.

His name really shouldn’t be Stray.  It should be Hunter, with a capital “h.”   Really, he’s so fat and lazy I’m not sure how he manages to bring us “treasures.”  But, he does.  And that is the one thing I don’t like about him, yet the one reason my husband thought we should keep him — no more rats.

As you may have guessed from the picture, today’s treasure was no rat.  Luckily, this little guy escaped.  Let me back-up just a moment…

As I stepped outside to go feed the chickens, I looked down and screamed — a rat!  “Stray!!!”  No, wait — a baby bunny!  Only, it’s head had a huge bite.  It was dead.  Poor little thing.  I was disturbed.  Thankfully, my parents arrived today — (more on that, soon!), and my dad threw it away for me.  Hours later I finally remembered I needed to feed the chickens, again.  I stepped outside and heard the loudest, strange squealing.  Then I saw Stray come running to the back door with another baby bunny in his mouth.  I screamed.  He dropped the bunny.  It was shaking, but alive.  Finally, it hopped away.  Luckily for the chickens, I remembered to feed them this time.

Another few hours passed.  I was about to step outside, when I heard the squealing again.  For the third time, I see Stray running back with a bunny in its mouth.  I scream again.   He drops the bunny again.  The bunny hops away, but is chased by Stray.  It is cornered, so it jumps into the pool.  I scream again.  I also yell at my poor children.  “Get me a bucket!  Hurry up!  Aaahhh!”  I saved the little drowning bunny.  It tries hard to jump out of the bucket.  But, once I set the bucket down, it won’t hop away.  Poor little creature is scared stiff!

That’s when I yell, again.  “Get me my camera!”  (Why do I panic so?  A calm voice would have done fine.)  Anyway, my sweetie girl grabs my camera for me, and we do this little bunny photo shoot.  We tried to feed it, but again — it’s scared stiff.

After watching it for a while, I finally can’t resist.  I reach out and pet it.  That’s when it hopped away.  (I may have screamed, again!)  It stayed behind our garden for hours.  I just checked now, and it is gone.  I’m SO glad it didm’t have a heart attack and die behind the planter.  Isn’t it a cutie?  

Dear Stray the cat,

PLEASE leave the bunnies alone.

Sincerely, 

your loving Yeh family

Living in Chaos

I don’t like chaos.  Most people don’t, I assume.  After all, our Creator is a God of order and we are made in His image.  But, I am certain that some handle it better than others.

The inside of our house is chaos right now.  Torn-up floors.  From 3 bathrooms down to 1.  And, the contents of a walk-in closet that was in desperate need of organization are spread all over our living area.  But, that’s ok.  It’s physical and temporary.  It can only affect my mental state if I let it.  God reminded me of that the other morning. I woke up and was immediately overwhelmed.  “Come to me,” He gently called.

It’s a discipline, really; taking captive every thought to the obedience of Christ.  I don’t have it down… at all.  But, I was so grateful for God’s reminder the other morning.  He so longs to give us that peace that passes understanding, and we think it’s so hard to obtain, but it’s not.  Give it over to God.

Relax, like a little chickie in the hands of a 3-year-old.  (Oh wait, I’m not sure if that’s relaxing!)

For today, I set aside worry.  I will probably have to do it again tomorrow when I wake-up to the mess once again.  But what a great reminder that our peace and contentment shouldn’t come from a clean house or everything in order.  It comes from spending time with a living God who already knows our needs.

And, it doesn’t hurt to step outside and enjoy God’s creation.

Oh, that silly 3-year-old!

Riding to the mailbox with Malachi has become a favorite afternoon activity.  Spending extra time throwing hula hoops in the street, playing with the chickies, blowing bubbles, and picking flowers is a bonus!

Spending time with God.  Spending time with my family.  Spending time enjoying God’s creation.  Setting aside worries and anxieties and letting God take control.  I’m working on it!!

Back to Work…

He’s home!

Daniel got back late Sunday night, so the girls didn’t get to see him until Monday.  That afternoon I got the call from my mom saying, “I’m sure glad Daniel’s home from Boston.”  Then we turned on the news.  Our hearts and prayers go out to you, Boston!

Being the daddy to 3 little girls, his welcome home from Boston was, of course, a tea party!

But, the sitting around and relaxing didn’t last long.  We finally started a big project we’ve been planning since November.  Our little office, (the former “nursery”), is getting a door and a floor!  Words cannot even express my excitement and joy over the prospect of a room dedicated to schooling and crafting.  No words.  None.

Daniel let the girls take the first swing!

Bye, bye window!  Hello door.

And, just like that the door was in.  It took 2 workers just one day.

His expression gives the sentiments of us all.  Can’t wait to show you more progress!  Hooray for fun projects!

The Best… Days 5 and 6!

I so wanted to post “the best” last night, but the week was wearing on me a bit, and I left the camera in Malachi’s room.  Most likely he wouldn’t have noticed me sneaking in, but this tired Mama wasn’t about to take the chance!

I have to say, focusing on the best this week has been a lot of fun.  I look back at the posts and smile.  But, being “optimistic” certainly did not help in my parenting skills.  I noticed the days that I was extra tired and didn’t spend much alone time in God’s Word, I was much less patient.  Conversely, the more time I spent in God’s Word and His presence, the more patience (and joy) I felt!  I know it seems obvious, but it really hit me hard this week.  I SO need my Jesus! More than coffee… more than cute pictures… more than calls from friends or fun crafts… and even more than having my husband home!  Without Him, I would not be pleasant.  Really.

Anyway, on with the best…

Homemade pizza and movie night is the best.  And so is this new way to make pizza I found on Pinterest.  I kid you not… grilling your pizza is the tastiest and fastest way to make pizza!  It is just like having a wood fire oven.  I believe I will be grilling pizza often now.  Very often.  Ok, I need to move on… I am drooling!

This salad dressing recipe is the best!  Well, it’s the one I’ve been using the most lately because it’s so easy to remember.  I just think it’s as “easy as 1-2-3!”  1 TBSP dijon, 2 TBSP oil, 3 TBSP vinegar — (plus salt and pepper to taste!)

My American Girls ecstatic to watch the American Girl “McKenna” movie are the best!

…And fresh chocolate chip cookies for dessert???  THE BEST!

Toddlers in jammies are the best! (Hence, leaving the camera in his room!)

Spontaneous trips to Ikea for nothing but napkins are the best!  (Hey, they have free coffee and 1 hour of free child care — it’s been 6 days; don’t judge me! 🙂 )

Yellow zucchini flowers are the best!

Rainy days and little boy smiles… the best!

Afternoon craft time is the best! (Especially on rainy days with tea and cookies!)

These little fairies and princesses they made are the best!

And, sitting in this clean, quiet house knowing my husband is on his way home is THE BEST!

The Best… day 4

I know you’re going to find this hard to believe, but last night someone broke into our house in the middle of the night, turned-on Malachi’s light making him scream, and then stole the peanut butter and escaped.  Seriously.  Ok, so maybe he didn’t steal the peanut butter.  (after searching for a bazillion minutes this morning, it finally turned-up in the veggie drawer.)  And, I suppose it is unlikely someone broke in last night since all the doors were locked and the dog didn’t bark.  But, I did hear Malachi scream at 3am, went to his room, and found his door was shut but his big bright light was on.  I was mystified and slightly terrified, to say the least.  The only thing I can think is that Allison was sleep walking again, went and turned on his light, then went back to bed… I don’t know!  Crazy, huh?  Then when I was looking for the peanut butter and couldn’t find it this morning, a crazy thought did come to my mind.  Funny what sleep-deprivation will do, right?

Anyway, I promised to share the best this week so let me continue with that.  I will conclude with the worst, only because when I type it out it seems more comical.  Plus, I don’t want to give any false impressions that it’s all the best around here!  Onward!

Sister-brother kisses are the best!

Little boys pretending to do schoolwork like their big sisters are the best!

Sponge stamp painting is the best!

Italian wedding soup is the best… (even if my kids don’t think so!)

This girl getting her first ever braids is the best!

One year olds discovering they can blow the lid off their cups if they blow enough bubbles are the best!

Hand-picked gerber daisies from a 3-yr-old are the best!
Some of the worst… (you know, for laughter’s sake!)

• mouthwash being dumped on the floor by a certain 3-yr-old because her mom accidentally poured it for her not knowing she wanted to pour it herself
• 1,000,000,000,000 pearler beads exploding all over the kitchen and family room.  (I may be exaggerating by a million or so).
• My oldest getting a giant pencil lead stuck in her leg.  (eeeooow!)
• I believe I mentioned the mysterious 3am baby-screaming because of mystery light-on incident
• chickie. poop. everywhere.
• one-year-old insisting on holding his own food and/ or utensil resulting in numerous clean-ups.

HA! HA! HA!  🙂