Happy Valentine’s Day

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I like to make things. So, when faced with the idea of Valentine’s Day, and with coolers of chocolate covered strawberries at the check-out stand, I came up with an idea. Why pay $8.00 for eight pathetic-looking, grocery store, chocolate covered strawberries when I am in fact in a grocery store. They sell strawberries for $3, chocolate for $2, and sprinkles for $2. So, for cheaper than I can buy eight, I can make a whole batch of them on my own.

And to be honest, it was the perfect solution for celebrating V-day together as a family. I got popcicle sticks to stick into the strawberries, to make them easy to dunk, and it worked out to be a lot of fun for the girls.

Can you even see S under the chocolate?

L is a little more tidy in her approach, but she is two years older.

Lest you think all the chocolate ended up in the girls’ mouths … We did end up with quite a few coated berries.

We had some friends up for the weekend, but I neglected to get pics of them. See the video I made in the next post.

Dipping Strawberries

I shouldn’t be awake yet …

S has taken to waking up between 5:00 am and 6:00 am.  I’ve been putting her back to bed (I try to discourage this early waking by insisting they stay in bed until 7:00).  She woke up this morning at 6:15.  She said she wanted a new pacifier.  I got her one.  A few minutes later, she came out of her room again.  She needed me to sing her a song.  The third time I heard the door open, I met her at her door.  She was holding her little pointer finger up at me,

“Mama, I have a … a …. Mama I have a  …” She stuttered.

“You have a owie?” I finish for her.  It’s not uncommon for the girls to have unexplained owies just to get attention for them, so I don’t even bat an eye.  I take her little hand in mine and plant a big kiss on the tip of her finger, careful to cover a great portion of it, because I know if I miss the part that she thinks is hurt, I’ll just have to kiss it again.

S’s stutter disappears and she insists clearly, “Mama, I have a bugar!”

Said bugar was never found.  I’m just praying, like many of her owies, this bugar was also imaginary …

Interior Decorating help …

That’s what I need.  I’ve been casually looking around for drapes for my front room since we moved into the new house, and after months of looking, I fell in love.  It was Saturday, and I was at Target, and I found the most beautiful … well, I think they’re perfect.   They’re modern enough, which is good, because C accused me of picking “old-fashioned” ones for the kitchen, and the colors are perfect for my couches.   

The drapes are 54 in by 84 in.  So, I’ll have to hem them, that’s a given.

Here’s my living room.

Each of my windows is 60 in tall, 36 in wide. 

Here’s the question I asked C, only to get told he wasn’t the one to ask.  Do I just get one curtain for each window?  If I do, when I open them during the day (we live in this room – the windows will be open every day), do I just push the curtains to the right side of the right window and the left side of the left window, as if both windows were one large one?  Or, do I need to buy one curtain for each window, cut them in half lengthwise, and put two (half) curtains on each window?  If I do that, and cut a 54 in curtain in half (27 inches, minus an inch for the hem, 26 inches for each curtain) will it make the curtains too thin?  In that case, would I be better off just buying two curtains for each window, or will that end up hopelessly bunched? 

I seem to remember somewhere hearing that you want one and a half to double the width of the window of fabric when you hang curtains, so they fall right.  In that case, 54 in comes out at exactly one and a half, but would it get too tight if I cut it in half and use up another two inches hemming the sides?

Please comment with all kinds of advise, any suggestions, etc.

Monkey see, monkey do ...

I was checking my email the other morning when I noticed S sitting at C's computer. She types on the keyboard, clicks the mouse, and then something I was surprised to notice, even runs the little rolly-knob on the mouse. I turned off my computer and offered it to L, who had since noticed that S was getting attention for what she was doing. They played with the computers for a while, and all the while I was thinking - boy, I've got to cut down on how much they see me on the computer!