Our Little Bit of Everything

Wow, life is busy. Last week was another "vacation" week with Naomi here. She left on Monday and I have been in a daze since she left, so I'm going to blog about our "vacation" week and forget about the fog I've been living in since the fun ended. I am recovering from what I call "The day after Christmas syndrome"...So much excitement with two weeks of family here and then boom, they are gone...no more Santa, no more presents, no more trips. All excitement replaced by a dirty house, laundry, an empty fridge, fatigue, and of course the memory of a homeschooling dream that has somehow turned into a nightmare that haunts me and makes me want to cry.

Home Schooling... has turned into the enemy. It is trying to kill me with guilt and that nagging little voice that says "You should be doing more. You should be planning. Where is your planner? What is the letter of the week? Where is the letter of the week? Wait, you never had a letter of the week...Presley is never gonna make it without that letter! And oh my goodness, when is the last time she used scissors? How will she ever survive if she loses her scissor skills? HOME SCHOOL NOW, RIGHT NOW, NEVER STOP."

Well, now you've met my homeschooling voice and my perfectionism. I'm going to count them dead and turn um into something nice like a kitten.....yeah, a homeschooling kitten pal. That's what I need. A slow cuddly kitten, not a sneak around type. In other words, Wayne not Pockets. Wayne belongs on a Disney movie with a princess. He likes to sit on snakes to keep them warm. Pockets, on the other hand, is scary. One of those creep around cats that plans your death while you sleep. I'm really not a cat person. "Cat people" can't be trusted. Oops, Naomi is a cat person...it is her only imperfection. She is mostly just awesome!

Home Life...

Speaking of Naomi, we already miss you tons!

She is a crafty lady...don't go further until you check her stuff out

http://www.facebook.com/#!/naomijoydesigns

We are both aspiring photographers. We took pictures of each other all weekend. Sick.

We aren't the only aspiring photographers.

Presley capturing what Sam does best...finding every potential choking hazard. Mr. Potato Head's ear was thrown in the garbage after the photo shoot.

Presley lovin it.

Zoe capturing a Woody moment.

Project #1. Zoe's room. It all started one night with tears in her eyes. Zoe asked so sweetly for a "pink and purple princess room, with a castle, crowns, a secret box, and a magic mirror." Nothing Naomi and I couldn't handle. This is the "before"

After.

Zoe's castle

Presley helped cut circles out for Zoe's room makeover. This was for the "magic mirror"

Cute pink paper was essential. Thanks Naomi.

Naomi has pretty fingers. Mine look like bratwursts.

Don't play with guns.

After we were done making the mirror, we forgot to unplug and turn off the gun...good thing I married a man who notices such things. Kind of a hazard with small kids.

"Mirror, mirror, on the wall, who is the fairest of them all?"
It just hit me...princesses don't use magic mirrors. Only witches. What have I done?

This is what the dots were really for...a chandelier. The magic mirror was an afterthought. We also swagged these dot strings on the ceiling to get a real "am I at a circus?" feel. Regardless, it was genius. Thanks again Naomi.

Look above, the ghetto hooks are to keep Presley from escaping the house. Look at the door knob, the 365 days a year Christmas bells are to alarm us that Presley is escaping. Look at the horse, Presley's new tool to escape the house while I'm showering.

This is where you will find her usually, in the driveway, ready to go snake hunting with her ballet attire. God help me.

The point of this picture is not only to show you a common Presley expression, but also to inform you that paper cups are my new favorite thing. Just throw um away. How easy is that?

Can't forget about Sam. She got a brand new swing. Loves it! Big smiles.

Home Cooking...

I know I said I would post the bread recipe, but still too lazy. So, new deal. I will only blog about recipes I try, really like, and can post a link to get to that recipe, so I don't leave anybody hanging. Here's one I made this week... Chicken Tortilla Soup. Really good! Do it.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/01/chicken-tortilla-soup/

Home Woody...

Just another normal week for Woody. Truth be told, the Woody that lost his head a few weeks back was only the rummage sale stand-in. This here is the true Woody #3. He's family. He was under the bed for awhile getting some respite while his back-up lost his head.

This head is the only thing left of Woody's stand-in. He was a good back-up guy when things got rough.