Such Different Kids

Bugs 5 1/2 months old

Tink 5 months old


When I used to envision having another child, it was a daydream in which naturally I had two SP's (and now I need to change that name because Supreme Princess doesn't cut it when there's another Princess in the house too - hmmm, what shall I call her...Bugs. It's her nickname around here - so be it). So of course I had two Bugs following me around the house. That I could handle.

Now 5 years old is a difficult time for me. I'm not loving the changes between 4 and 5. She's always been a very sweet girl but she's started being mouthy, talks incessantly, is still pretty clingy and just not that awesome little 4 year old I used to have. It also could be that I have another person to care for too so my "love" is being divided. Not fair but it'll get better - everyone says it will.

Anyhew, if I thought I'd get another Bugs, I was sorely mistaken! Tink is nothing like Bugs AT ALL. And here are just a few of the ways...

Tink hates the car.....Bugs was copacetic
Tink's a binky girl.....Bugs is a thumb sucker (yeah, I thought Tink would be but alas, no)
Tink's a mover/shaker...Bugs laid placid as a stone 'til 9 months
Tink's got no teeth yet...Bugs had 3 by now
They look nothing alike, those two
Tink sleeps, oh does she sleep.....Bugs was a bugger!
Tink self-entertains as an infant.....Bugs would not self-entertain until she was like 18 months

But seriously guys. I'm freaking out. I feel like a prisoner of my house because when I say Tink hates the car, I'm serious.....she is like a different child - SCREAMING and crying the entire time unless she's #1) asleep or #2) someone is constantly interacting with her (that would be Bugs upon demand from stressed out Mommy in the front seat).

What do I do? Someone out there has had a kid who detests the car as much as Tink does and someone knows some solution other than "wait it out, it'll get better." Yeah, I know it will. But between now and then, I seriously can't drive further than downtown before she's a bloody mess in the back seat and I wish I'd just stayed home where at least my sanity is held in check.

What Do We Do With All the Tomatoes

So I've currently got a whole sink full of tomatoes and another crop to pick probably today or tomorrow. I'm giving them away by the bagload to people that I see or that stop by. For people that don't have a garden, I know they love it.

Every year I can a whole bunch of tomatoes - just like the stewed tomatoes you buy canned at the store...and I really us them a lot! I know some poeple don't know what to do with them but I've never had a problem finding uses for stewed tomatoes...soups, noodle dishes, spaghetti sauce, and casseroles. I nearly always get through last year's supply before the summer comes around again.

This year I will bottle the stewed tomatoes like years previous because if I don't, I'll hate myself everytime I have to buy a can at the store. But I had another idea to bottle sundried tomatoes. It would be easy enough I think! Just slice them, dehydrate them and pack them in oil. At that point, I don't know if I'd need to pressure cook them or if I could steam can them. I'd have to look into that. Wouldn't that be a great idea? They are so good in so many things!

If anyone else has good ideas for what to do with all the tomatoes (besides tomato juice - I've thought about it and just don't use it very much!) - I'm all ears!

I Shoulda Majored in Finance

I'm such a doughhead. Especially when it comes to money. I hate money...okay, I love money just the spending of it but the paying of it to creditors is just probably my least favorite task. It's the juggling and balancing act that is so excruciating!

A couple of years ago, The Marshmallow I guess got fed up with my lack of management for want of a better term. He took over wielding of the check writing pen. I was grateful - "good riddance" I thought and happily went on my way. I have some cash that comes in from my job that doesn't go toward bills but toward the "other" stuff that a household needs (lol, like clothes and shoes...jk). I can manage my paltry funds adequately, or rather most of the time.

However somehow in the past several months I've been noticing that that obnoxious responsibility has somehow found its way back into my realm of duty and I'll tell you what - I'm not happy about it. Especially because for a long time, we were ahead of the game, I mean doing awesome and virtually debt free. But with the onset of this crappy economy, we've taken a hit along with most of the rest of blue-collar America - and some white. And what does that mean to me while I'm paying bills? That it's a red figure at the end of the column. And trying to finagle it so that the number is not red and yet all the creditors are happy is difficult if not impossible.

What even sucks more is that now that I have that dreaded and onerous duty of managing our finances, I also have the same despicable duty of managing our credit and The Marshmallow is like Hitler when it comes to his score. He's got that credit services that notifies him immediately if I do a big screw-up job with paying the bills. It's like Big Brother breathing down my neck.

But, it's a good exercise in self-discipline for me...something I literally am horrible at. Self-discipline in any area is something that I always feel like I'm working on. Here I go...hope I don't lose our house for us.

No Go on the Meteor Shower

I got up at 1:30 and again at 2 AM to check to see if there was a meteor shower worth watching. I walked out front and then out back. There was nothing to see. I know I'm blind but it's not THAT bad.

This was before Tink woke up but when she did at 3 AM, I fed her, put her back down and then headed back outside to check on conditions. Now there was a cloud cover.

In my sleepy state, I was disappointed...but not too disappointed as I stumbled back inside and curled up in my cozy covers.

Maybe next time, zzzzzzzzzzzzzz....

Catching Up

I suppose I'll come back. It's been nearly a month since I blogged last and several times I've missed blogging but then I get caught up in other things and the moment passes. But I have more than just one reason for blogging and some other reasons came back to me and so here I am.

I want to keep this up; I miss the constant back-and-forth communications with readers. I miss living my day through my blog and writing out my next post in my mind, testing phrases, taking a relevant picture...it's fun. But in a day of busy things, it can become just another thing. With a baby, you have prized moments to achieve goals when they're sleeping. Tink still sleeps a lot but less and less all the time. The good thing is that she's now old enough to sit up and play for isolated amounts of time by herself or with her sister. I'm able to get more done.

Tonight there's a meteor shower between 12am and 5am. Daughter #1 has made a special request to watch it. I considered...what could it hurt? I told her when Tink wakes up to eat in the night, I'll feed her then come get her and we could go outside and watch the meteor shower. It's supposed to be pretty spectacular and it's been a long time since I've seen one. I hope it's a memory she'll be able to retain.

The Marshmallow's out of town and has been going out of town frequently for work. I'm grateful for the time "off" so to speak. No checking the clock for the 5pm downer - dinnertime where I'm on the spot to produce food that all will enjoy - a task virtually impossible anymore since Daughter #1 stubbornly refuses to eat a single thing and patently "hates" all foods I cook on sight. Perhaps I don't blame her.

While The Marshmallow is gone, my schedule/routine changes a lot indicating to me that I make a lot of compromises in my lifestyle to be married. Do we all do that and to what degree? I sleep with a fan on my face: he hates it. I stay up late: he goes to bed early. I sleep in: he gets up early. I eat dinner whenever I feel hungry and I eat random weird things: he likes a set time to eat and a "real meal". He watches TV - like the news etc religiously every night until 10:17 when the weather's over: I hate TV and avoid it at all costs. I don't know if he would be different than what he does now if I weren't around but my gut tells me no. He does what he does because that's what he likes. But these compromises I make aren't awful, they're just not how I would live were I single. It's probably good. I lack discipline.

My "quest" to lose weight is going well. I've managed to rid myself of over 50 lbs. of whatever it is I gained while I was pregnant. I have about 8 lbs to go to be pre-prego weight, a size I didn't like at the time anyway but if things keep going like they're going, perhaps I can get below that dreaded size and into some of my smaller clothes. The journey's good.

My baby is growing up. Can you believe she's nearly 6 months old now? When I hold her in the rocking chair to feed her in the night, her little fat legs hang over the side of the chair. I remember not very long ago I could hold her whole little body right inside my arms. She's a happy baby, very active and stubborn. She's a wonderful sleeper regularly dropping off at 7:30 and sleeping until 7:30 or 8:00 AM with only one night feeding. Yea, I've got it made. My night independence only had a slight sabbatical. I'm lucky.

What else can I ramble on about to catch you up? Who knows. My life is getting back to normal and I'm finding myself again, shaking off the dust and wiping down the cobwebs. The rooms in my house are remembering the old Amy and the layers of junk are getting cleared out finally. Organization is becoming more of a theme every day and I'm happy.

My only complaint right now is that I miss my friends. My life, or the life of a mother with an infant, changes so much. I feel removed somewhat from former social circles mainly because I can't participate fully with such a small baby. I make efforts where and when I can but it's difficult and I look forward to the day when I can re-assert my personality back into life the way I am used to.

Oh, and today I got an MRI on my back. Weird procedure. If you were around me at all during my pregnancy, you'd remember how much I complained about this incessant back pain that completely debilitated me. Oh, I'd had it before I got pregnant just not as bad and now that I'm "back to normal" the pain is still here and it's something I just don't think I can tolerate for the rest of my life without intervention. I had an X-ray last week with no significant findings. I'm anxious for Thursday to find out the results of this test.

So...if you're still with me, I'd like to mention a little thing that happened to me this past weekend. In a forum where I frequently discuss my sprituality and things that happen at church, I received my very first "persecution". Living in Utah and being a "Utah Mormon" we get little of this head-on. We hear about it a ton but rarely does it manage to penetrate our culture, right? Well, in this forum some anonymous person called me a "worthless Mormon" - just like that. I suppose it could have been a more heated term, filthy and rude. But it struck me all the same. That some person in this world considers a person "worthless" just because of their religion is a theme that has been at the heart of many conflicts - some bloodier than a Gettysburg battlefield. But now I'm worthless...because I'm LDS. Strange.

I'll leave it at that note. Sorry to blather on and on and on but catching up can take a while. TTFN.

Preparation

I was at Costco yesterday not giving a second thought to buying 50 lbs each of flour and sugar to refill a few 5 gallon buckets I have in my basement. It's second nature to me to store such bulk staples. Not only was I raised that way but it's also a cultural thing too. Nearly everyone I know stores in bulk because of what we believe the Lord wants for us.

And so today I was reading in the the June issue of the Ensign, an article by Allie Schulte. It's called "Focus on Family Finances", an issue of much interest lately which is consequently why I was reading it in the first place. There was a lot of really good advice but what really caught my attention was this quote from "All Is Safely Gathered in: Family Finances", a guidebook put out by the First Presidency to help Latter Day Saints figure their way through the financial maze. The quote was:

"Latter-day Saints have been counseled for many years to prepare for adversity by having some money set aside."

But the article goes on to say this: "Families and individuals, both past and present, have witnessed the blessings of peace that result from their obedience to this counsel..."

This struck me because it wasn't only referring to having money in reserve, but also the stores of food and other items that we're counseled to prepare and keep ready. I dutifully prepare 72 hour kits for each member of my family and am working toward a full year's food storage, and preparing an evacuation kit. Each of these is in various stages of completion. But the more prepared I become, the more peaceful I feel about the events that could disrupt our lives on a large scale, or even a small scale for that matter.

And as I thought about that, I realized that many of the commandments that the Lord has given to us are along this same principle of peace. If we are able to follow the things that he has asked of us, we will find peace because we've done what we can. It's entirely possible that some huge cataclysmic event will never happen in my lifetime and that I might not ever get a chance to use my awesome 72-hour kit, or to put my particularly thorough evacuation kit to good use. I should be grateful for that, but for now I'll just feel peace knowing that should something awful happen, I've prepared my family as best I can. The Lord wants us to feel peace. What a good lesson.

So Much For A Plan

I haven't posted since Sunday? That's insane! I feel like only a day has passed since that post.

I re-read my post from that day to see what it was I was actually supposed to have accomplished. And while I achieved steps in each action item, none of them were 100% achieved. I suppose at this stage in the game, I have to be satisfied with progress, right?

My friend Rachel recently posted something to the affect of, "I live in my life in 3 hour increments." That's my life too! And it's all based on Tinkerpot's feeding, diapering, sleeping schedule and somewhere in there, I get about 1 1/2 hours to do a few other things. A "few" is the key word. Between laundry, housework (yeah right), taking care of Bugs, running errands, cooking etc. - not much else gets done.

Would you like to see my life in pictures? It's exciting folks...make sure you're sitting down...

This is where I spent 75% of my day feeding, rocking, consoling, surfing (the Net and wasting precious minutes)...This is what's for lunch almost every day...This is what I stare at all day long... (precious baby dreaming)This is what my living room has turned into (child's circus)...This is what it's all about (still sporting the binky holder - what? she's got a really abnormal tongue thrust and still can't keep that sucker in!)...


My life is EXACTLY how I envisioned it 10 years ago. I love every second. It's perfect.

It Doesn't Get Any Better...

than a baby sucking on your cheek. I'm in heaven.

Just Another Sunday

...and it was the first Sunday where I became painfully aware of how difficult it is to have a baby at church. I didn't go to church until Bug's was about 16 months old and by then, while it wasn't exactly easy, she was an easy child and #1 I didn't have to haul a whole lot of crap to church, #2 I spent no time in the Mother's Room, #3 she was practically potty trained and #4 I didn't have to carry her anywhere.

I feel like a walking gypsy train with all the stuff I haul around. It would be absolutely ridiculous if I didn't need each and every single item I took. But I discovered one of the primary problems...my shoes. If I could wear shoes that were a little more practical, I might not mind schlepping the child and kitchen sink everywhere. But in 3" heels, it just gets to be stupid. This week, I'm going to buy a couple pairs of new shoes - not ugly, just practical, to get me through this phase and then I can go back to the pretty shoes.

I've allocated nearly all of tomorrow to Personal Progress interviews with the Young Women. I failed to mention that I've been called as the Personal Progress Specialist and it is my duty to keep it all organized for all of the girls. I've divided the day into 15 minute chunks tomorrow and have appointments nearly all day long. I've needed to do this so that the girls can spend the summer actually working on things and perhaps someone can finish up before school starts again. Much as I hate to give an entire day away like that, I suppose my day never really belonged to me in the first place and that the Lord just let me borrow it :) I'm happy to be doing His work.

I've got several goals this week and want to jot them down so as to document it somewhere.

#1 Start/finish the 1/2 curtain for Tinkerpot's bedroom under her changing table (it's a storage space that needs a screen)

#2 get 70% of all Personal Progress interviews completed

#3 Organize the new Mix 'n Fix that I'll be hosting. Anyone interested just let me know.

#4 Make a new bow board for our bows. (the last one is already full)

Wednesday is a canning day. Renee and I have put aside every Wednesday this summer to do canning of one thing or another. I don't know what we're canning on Wednesday but I know it'll be good. We're hoping to do beans, peaches, tomatoes, tomato juice, pears, chili, salsa, and a few types of hard beans just to say we tried them. If anyone knows some good recipes for doing those, we'd be grateful!

How To Make Korker Bows

So, I was asked several times how to make the Korker bows that I showed a couple of weeks ago in a post. It's taken me several times to actually get the pics together to do an instructional post so if you see lots of different colors of ribbon, that's why.

These are the supplies you need to start with. I use 1/4" grosgrain ribbon and for the white bow I finished, I used 1/8" grosgrain ribbon for the middle although it works better to use 1/4" for the whole thing. Just a thought. The dowel I use is also 1/4".
Cut the dowel into pieces that will fit inside your oven preferably on a cookie sheet. Secure one end of a piece of ribbon onto the end of the dowel as shown and wind it all the way down the dowel. Secure the other end, snip the ribbon.Bake the ribbon for about 25 minutes at 275 degrees. Remove and let cool.
Unwind the ribbon.Cut the ribbon into 3 1/2" to 4" pieces. I cut 4" pieces and then shape at the end although I've found that cutting pieces several different sizes makes for a fuller bow and you can singe the ends (discussed later) before putting them on the bow and that's easier than doing it later.
Using a lighter, take each piece and burn the ends to prevent fraying. This is the best method I've found for doing this. Don't try this with every type of ribbon though as some discolor. Grosgrain ribbon just burns well usually without discoloration unless you burn for too long.
Cut about a 7" piece of 1/4" or 1/8" ribbon and lay it down covered with all of the curled pieces of ribbon. I do 10 to 14 pieces although I've seen 18 pieces that made a very full cute bow. Just mess around with it.
Tie the ribbon into a double knot.
Turn over - this will be the top.
To prepare the barrette: For Bug's hair, I use these double pronged clips as they seem to stay in her hair better. For babies, I use the pointy clips that can easily stick into headbands, etc. Use what you feel is better. The preparation is the same.
Cut a 4" piece of the ribbon you've chosen to cover the clip with. Singe both ends.
Lay the clip down flat to determine it's top & bottom sides. Apply a small dab of glue to one end of the ribbon and glue it to the open the clip and apply the ribbon to the inside of the top part back near the hinge.
Wrap the ribbon up and around the top applying glue along the top all the way up over the hinge.
I put glue all the way inside the hinge and then put a tiny bit of glue on the end of the ribbon and wrap it around the back. You should have barely enough.
Once the clip is ready, take the korker and turn it upside down. You should have two dangling ribbons on the back. Put a small dab of glue on the inside of the clip on top of the ribbon already glued there. Then, wrap one of the dangling ribbons on the korker around the clip, making sure that the other side of the korker is aligned properly on the other side of the clip. Hold the dangling ribbon over the glue until it dries (you have to hold the clip open while you're doing this).
Clip the dangling ribbon you just glued and singe.

Put another dab of glue on the top of the ribbon you just cut and then wrap the remaining dangling ribbon from the korker up around pulling sort of tight to make sure the korker is secure on the clip. Hold until dry. Don't let go of the clip at this point because any excess glue that oozes out from the ribbon will adhere to the clip and you'll not get it open again. It's a pain.
Clip the remaining dangling ribbon and singe.

Depending on how the korker ended up getting glued on, you may have to turn it over to the top and align it properly on the clip adding a little extra glue on the clip to make sure it's straight. I have to do this abou 50% of the time.

This is what you should have now...If you like, you can now shape it by cutting off little pieces of ribbon from wherever you'd like. Just remember to singe the ends you cut.Ta-da! You're done!

It's Done

My hair's gone. It's a beautiful thing. It's not even styled and I already love it.

The Mop's Going Down

You Guys. I'm so excited! If there is no other reason for growing my hair to the point of hating every single strand every single moment of the day, it is to be so excited for the day when you get to chop it all off!

And that, my friends is what I am doing. Do you remember me from days when my hair was really short? I know. It's been a long time. Well over a year since I began this painful process of growing it out, and for what? To look like crap every day? I guess so. Because I do. I know.

But that's all about to change. Wednesday at 3:30 my whole outlook on life will change. I'm going for the cut and color and I wish I could just fast forward to then. Here's a pic of me about 3 1/2 years ago...and that's where this mop is headed. I LOVE my hair in this picture - it's the "me" I look for in the mirror. (Isn't Bugs so cute in these pictures? It almost makes me cry to see her so little again.)

Things To Do That Don't Cost A Lot of Money

Poverty can cause one to get creative in terms of entertainment. And while I'm not necessarily down to the last pennies in my jar, it's getting close and frugality has become a rule.

I have managed to keep myself busy these past few weeks and it's been fun. As I look back at most of the activities I've been doing, I've discovered that most of them have been pretty crafty and/or domestic. Well, that's my life.

So thanks to Tiffany and her resource list of various blogs dedicated to little girls' hair, Bugs and I have had much fun in the past few weeks doing her hair lots of different ways. It's a mother/daughter thing as she helps decide which hair-do we're going to try today. Today was this...The other day, we tried this...My friend, Kim has been coming over fairly regularly and we've been making some fun things. Last Friday we made bow boards. If you look around for things to hang on your wall to keep all your hair bows, there isn't a huge selection. But I found this so we decided to make them. It turned out SO cute. I think I'll be selling them soon. If you're interested, I can customize them however you want and they'll be $15. I also made 90% of the bows on this board. I'll probably be selling these too so if you see something you like, they will be competitively priced. Just lemme know! I'll be adding to my Etsy shop soon. (if you click on the pic, it'll enlarge so you can see everything better).I also decided that PJ's are too expensive. It's summer now and that means summer PJ's. I don't want to buy any so I decided to pair regular boy's T-shirts with these cute shorts that I made. I made several different pair in bargain-priced fabric or whatever I had leftover from other projects. We love these ducks & frogs! I just realized it's the same fabric as the bow-board! See, I'm getting the idea of frugality!

Well, That Didn't Work Out

Tinkerpot is 12 lbs now and quickly growing out of the 0-3 month old clothes I have for her. So today I ventured into the abyss of my storage room and found the 3-6 mo. clothes and started going through them. The memories...so sweet.

Anyway, I got thinking back about when Bug's wore these clothes. She was a runt of a baby, born in May and didn't wear 3-6 month old clothes until Christmas. Hence, nearly all of the clothes are winter clothes. Gah! It just figures! I have this HUMONGOUS stack of clothes that Tink will probably never wear and a small stack of things like boring old printed onesies and ugly shorts. There are only 2 dresses and one of them has long sleeves.

Fortunately I was gifted (thanks Katie) several large bags of girl baby clothes today that will supplement what I have. What a blessing they are though - without them, I'm afraid I might be needing to go buy summer clothes for Tink, and right now just isn't a good time for that.

Not Really a Funk - More Like Bad Habits

When does reading a book become a bad habit? When it takes over your life. I used to judge a book by its thickness. If it wasn't thick, I didn't even consider it. I wanted a book that would capture my attention for at least 3 days vs some of these thinner books that I can get through in one night. And then I met "The Trilogy". Ahhh. What a wonderful little invention! I can escape for weeks on end!

And then...I became a mother. And escaping for weeks on end is not a good thing. It's scary and irresponsible. But I'm like a freakin' kid in a candy shoppe. I get my hands on a good book and it's the worst addiction EVER. And right now I'm into a "trilogy" that's not really a trilogy but more like a seven-ilogy. Whatever THAT word is. But it's so awesome!

(*my head bobs to "I Kissed a Girl and I Liked It") OM - I LOVE that song! Yeah, I'm awful - but at least I don't play it when my kids are around.

I download the books from the Salt Lake County library and they either can be transferred to my little PDA (like a palm) or just read them on my computer...which I do...ALL DAY. Think I'm wierd, I dare ya. It's alright - I'm okay with it.

So I'm not doing much else right now. Ya, the laundry is getting done slowly and I seriously have to force myself to do it. I clean - if I have to. Stuff gets done but the bare minimum just so I can read.

And I know I need to do something about it. I'm praying about it. No seriously. I am! And things have improved a bit. I don't read every single minute of every day. I've shifted my attention a bit to other things. Here and there I've made some more girly bows for my kids, and I made a "blankie" for Tinkerpot. I plan to weed one of my flower beds today before the soil dries out too much. And we're going to the pool this afternoon. And really folks...that's progress! Last week, I finished 3 of the 7 books in 5 days. It's just pathetic. It's a sickness. I'm sick.

Holey Jeans - The Solution For Girls

I've been complaining of holey jeans for about a year now ever since Bugs decided her favorite occupation is to be a kitty. Thus, lots of crawling around on her knees ruining pair after pair of perfectly good pants, new pants that cost a lot!

My friend Kim was over the other day telling me what her sister does. At the end of every school year, her sister cuts off the legs of all of her kids' pants (the girls), and sews ribbons and/or lace onto the bottoms. So Kim and I went to the store and bought some cute ribbons. She has a daughter the same age and has similar problems with pants.

I spent a couple of hours this afternoon fixing several pairs of jeans for Bugs. And now I don't have to go buy any shorts for summer! What a great fix! Thanks Kim!

Bumbo - My Friend

Bumbo first came out when Bugs was about 18 months old, and when I saw it for the first time I could have cried that it wasn't available when she was an infant. I recognized its value immediately.

When I found out I was pregnant this time, it was one of my very first purchases. I buy them quite frequently for baby gifts too. They're about $35 depending on where you get them - and you can buy them anywhere, Target...WalMart...TJMaxx... ShopKo...KMart - wherever.
When all else fails to please Tinkerpot, I put her in Bumbo and she is entertained for more time than I can even imagine. She sat in Bumbo at the pool for 1/2 hour without her binky, just watching all the kids and splashing in the water.

Tonight, she was quite fussy but I needed to get dinner made. In Bumbo, she sat watching me without her binky again, just so happy to be upright and near me.
I love you, Bumbo!

p.s - you can buy a small tray for Bumbo so it turns into a smaller version of a highchair or a place for them to play.

So Happy To Be Me

Bugs at 6 M0.

I have me another thumb sucker! If you know me at all, you know I love me a little thumb sucker!

How lucky am I?

Getting The Real Story From a Five Year Old

The other day, Bugs came home from a friend's house with this weird doll thing made from a bedpost that she said "Polly gave it to me me". Who's Polly? Polly isn't one of Bug's friends that I know of. Turns out, she's her friend's next door neighbor. Ok.

"Why did Polly give you that?" I ask.

"She gave it to Lindsey!" Bugs says. Ok. That's clear as mud.

"Well then why do you have it?"

"She gave it to me!"

Alright, I think. Whatever. If someone really wants this thing, someone will call. At this point, I'm not really expecting anyone to call. Have you seen this doll? It's odd - like from the 1970's or something.
A few days later, I'm still wondering who Polly is - not like I'm worried because if Bug's friend's mother lets her daughter play with Polly then I'm sure she's harmless. I trust this friend's mom. So Bugs is prancing around with the artifact from the Natural History Museum and I say, "so is Polly a kid?"

"No."

"Why did she give Lindsey the doll?"

"Because she was on the floor in her garage and Lindsey saw her."

"Did she fall?"

"Yeah. She's old and she can't get up." A-ha. It's making sense.

"She's old?"

"Yeah. She's really old. She has bumpy skin - really REALLY bumpy skin."

I see now. It's all in the details.

Birthday at the Preschool

Bugs is turning 5 at the end of this month and since she won't be in school anymore, they're celebrating it tomorrow at school.

So, for the first time of probably many times, I made cupcakes (from scratch!) for the class to deliver tomorrow during their little celebration.

I would post pictures of the cupcakes that I just finished baking but I am mortified at their turn-out. They are the ugliest cupcakes I have ever seen. And the only thing that makes them look edible (to a 5 year old) are the liberal sprinkles and the single M & M on the top. I hope I get better at making them (maybe I should just buy them).

However, if you can get past their appearance, these cupcakes are the yummiest thing I've eaten in a long time, and I'm not a huge fan of cake. They taste like the moistest brownies in the world and the frosting is a cocoa buttercream that has more of a gourmet flavor than the Betty Crocker frosting in a jar at the grocery store. I'm in love with it. I will eat it straight. Right now. Excuse me please.