loving summertime (expecially this cool weather!)

Catching them unaware seemed to be the key. It was hard to get a pose without Lainey smacking Faith in the back of the head, or Faith punching Lainey in the butt. I don't know where they learned that kind of behavior *looks away sheepishly*

We had to take several shots of this one...so maybe Julia is a little miffed, fits her personality. Wyatt cleaned himself up for the photoshoot...then promptly got distracted by everything else that is outside. He did humor me for a few pictures, bless his heart.

This summer has been chalked full of family visits, and I love it! We never really wonder what we are going to do on the weekends -- most the time there is too much to do. My Aunt and cousins from Wyoming were here for a few days. Those kids crack me up. I made them take some pictures with me. They got a little cranky with me over it. They will thank me when they are older. Maybe.

They were all freezing cold, I for the first time felt like I could go outside and not die. It has been so hot lately.

Sad to see them go, but excited to go see more family this weekend!

freya's got her new dress on

Well, I decided that I need to learn to sew! So :) my grandma coached me through this dress. I found some come old sheets at a yard sale and thought they would make some adorable vintage looking dresses. I bought a pattern for $3.50 or so (got a little disgruntled that a few sundresses were on sale at wal-mart for $3.oo...oh well.)

It is a miracle that I got any pictures of this child in the dress at all. As soon as we went outside she was running everywhere. And I do mean...running. It is very hard to get cute pics of a running child.

I made some fun storage for Freya's changing table. I bought some fabric at a yard sale a while back, and recently the "super housewives" (aka Lee, Sunshine, and Bryanna) have implied I need to get organized. *shrug* I am trying. Semi-successfully. After the success of the changing table storage, I decided a toy box was next. Some dollar a yard fabric, a cardboard box and some hot glue. I liked it.

Wow, busy summer! Aaron got a new job a couple months ago. He is the new PACT Activities Director for Adair County. It has been quite the transition, but he enjoys the job. I continue to babysit my nephew Wheaton at least 3 times a week, sometimes more. Hope (my 13 year old sister-in-law) comes over while her mom is at work. Hope really isn't someone I babysit...she pretty much helps me babysit. A week after Aaron started his job, he decided I should quit my part time job -- I was not opposed. It is amazing how much can be accomplished with those extra 4-12 hours a week. Even though I have been mostly at home since Freya was born, this is the first time in 10 years that I have not had a job outside the home. I love it. All the sudden things I have always wanted to do -- I am doing. Cleaning my house is now possible, I am renewing my love for fantasy fiction, making fun things for our house, making dinner, I even put our pictures in a photo album. Apparently making a household functional does take quite a bit of effort. I enjoy it though. God is so very good.

Well, I am currently trying to decide what kind of cake I am going to make for Freya's first birthday -- yeah it is still two months away, who cares? The one pictured is one I made on a whim last night. I was curious to see if cream cheese frosting could be used for decorating. It was a little shakey for a while, but I thought it turned out okay. Just so everyone knows, homemade cream cheese frosting makes a cake amazing. It's pretty easy too...

8 oz. cream cheese

1 stick of butter

1 tablespoon of vanilla

1 tablespoon of milk

1 bag of powdered sugar

Daddy Dressed Baby

It makes my heart merry to let Aaron have his 2 cents in the fashion department. I can't lie, I liked how his ridiculousness turned out.

Aunt Ellen's Chocolate Chip Cookies

I found a beautiful pie plate at a thrift store yesterday. I had to bake something to put on top of it. Aunt Ellen's recipe is the best when it comes to chocolate chip cookies. So, in between feeding babies -- sometimes there is a glorious naptime...

On to the buttery chocolatey goodness:

3/4 cup butter (not margarine my friends)
3/4 cup butter flavor crisco
1 1/4 cup brown sugar
1 1/4 cup white sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
1 t. baking powder
1/2 t. salt
1 cup cake flour
2 3/4 cup all purpose flour
1 1/2 cup chocolate chips

Phew. I am tired, and this was an easy day! Freya slept in, and so did Wheaton...and so did I. In between juggling infants, Aaron doing homework and class, we set up a wading pool for Freya. It has a slide in the shape of a seal. Boo ya.

Some days I can't get over how blessed I am to be the mother of such an amazing child. She smiles at all my ridiculous faces and weird voices (finally, someone who appreciates my talents.) And then there are those things that I am not trying do that she finds so entertaining. I threw her rubberducks in the air and caught (small miracle, I know) them. She giggled, and giggled, and giggled. So, I kept throwing...and Aaron and I laughed so hard we were crying. Well, if you don't have an infant you may think we are just a bunch of sappy, easily entertained folk. If you do have an infant, you know it's true. But we are okay with it.

Freya and I went to Grandma and Grandpa James' today. Granny sang twinkle twinkle little star to Freya, and the second verse. I don't think I knew there was a second verse. Of course I can't remember it now, but it was awesome. Plus, there is just something soothing about her voice, off key though it may be.

And now, I will try (and most likely fail) to get to bed before 1:00 am.

homemade liquid laundry soap

Welp. I already posted this on facebook, but lets face it -- it looks cooler on here. I am getting ready to use my first batch of this cheap goodness!

Ingredients

4 cups hot water

1 fels-naptha soap bar

1 cup washing soda

1/2 cup borax

1. Grate soap bar into saucepan with water. Stir continually over medium low heat until dissolved and melted.

2. Fill a five gallon bucket with hot tap water. Add melted soap, washing soda and borax. Stir well until all ingredients are dissolved. Add more water until the bucket is 2/3 full. Stir, cover and let sit overnight to thicken.

3. Stir. Fill a used, clean laundry soad container half full with the soap mixture, and half full with water. Shake before each use. This solution will gel.

4. Optional -- you may add 10-15 drops of essential oils per two gallons. Add after soap has cooled.

*top load machine 5/8 cup per load (180 loads per batch)

* front load machine 1/4 cup per load (600 loads per batch)

The blogging world? We have been estranged for a while, hopefully we can get reacquainted.

First and foremost I found an amazing idea for a cake plate. I get really excited about very strange things. Plus, if I tried to do an update on my life -- over the time that I have been blogger comatose -- you would be reading until the time I would be starting a Christmas letter. Then there you would be. Reading about me again. So, crafty ideas (that I borrow wholeheartedly from other people) here I come. Instead of actually stepping out this project -- I have provided a link. To sum it up though, you use an epoxy to attach a vase to a vintage plate to create...an amazing cake plate. Reminds me of the time a friend an I attached a giant, plastic ant to the top of her mazda. The epoxy held for years. Good stuff.

http://http://images.google.com/imgres?imgurl=http://www.merrimentdesign.com/images/retro-mini-cupcakes-on-handmade-dinner-plate-cake-stand_3.jpg&imgrefurl=http://www.merrimentdesign.com/retro-mini-cupcakes-on-handmade-dinner-plate-cake-stand.php&usg=__JoSXJNJ8c2s1GVCwKff2XUC6sNw=&h=318&w=475&sz=42&hl=en&start=15&um=1&itbs=1&tbnid=T6iWkYDJxmuemM:&tbnh=86&tbnw=129&prev=/images%3Fq%3Dretro%2Bcupcake%2Bdesigns%26um%3D1%26hl%3Den%26sa%3DG%26rlz%3D1G1GGLQ_ENUS375%26ndsp%3D18%26tbs%3Disch:1