the burning question...

Chloe: "Mom, if you had seven children, would you cut off your legs if that was the only way you could be with them?"

Me: "Um, I guess, I do appreciate my legs quite a bit though."

Chloe: "I would cut off my legs so I could be with you."

I think I'll take that as a compliment, I think this childhood favorite of mine prompted this random and somewhat grotesque conversation. I take back my hesitation, Chloe never hesitated. I'd do ANYTHING for you Chloe!

turning 9...

As we speak, I'm hosting my first ever sleep-over! I must say, it has been much easier than any birthday party. We kept it pretty low-key and unstructured, they each just invited one friend, so maybe it doesn't even qualify?!

Check out the glasses. Are those really MY daughters? I remember Lauren looking in San Diego at some reading glasses she wanted, she must have been only 4 at the time, so when she spotted these at Claire's last month I knew that would be a big hit. Craziness to me, I've had glasses and contacts for 25 years, who in their right mind would wear them for fun? This year they wanted cakes to match the pajamas I made, which turned out to be easy- for once. They even tasted decent this year, there are firsts for everything I suppose. It's fun seeing them grow up and experience all the fun girly things that are coming their way. The four of them are watching Annie on the couch with popcorn now. Cody's enjoying their rendition of Tomorrow I'm positive. :)

I have to take the chance to say how much I love these two. There were days that I wondered if I was really cut out to be a mom, they've grown with me and been great sports along the way. I appreciate their helpfulness and humor. It's truly a pleasure when you enjoy hanging out with your children. I love you Lauren and Chloe!

the year of the real dead tree...

On one of those crazy de-junking days in mid-July our took our artificial tree to D.I. sure that it would be replaced with something taller, fuller, and pre-lit. I didn't think twice about it. I bought it when we were in college and it's seen us through quite a few seasons. Somehow up to this point, Christmas trees have not made any of my lists, priorities or shopping.

But somehow it is already December 8! I managed to find all the decor, only half of which actually found a spot in our small home. But the girls have been relentlessly bugging us about a tree. Personally this year, I could have managed o.k. without one, well, maybe not, but we do have a one year old residing with us. That didn't excite me too much. Last night Cody found one and brought it home. Today while assembling the stand and putting in up I told Noah we have a real tree this year, but he insisted it was not real, but instead dead. Wise. I guess he's right and the thought of chopping one down every year just seems silly when you can have a perfectly good fake one.

I found it impossible to string the lights or bead garland on in any graceful or organized manner, the branches poked out or were missing entirely in all the wrong places. I then surrendered to the inevitable. The kids loved it. Once I got the lights on I just let them have free reign to put whatever wherever, which isn't my style at all. I don't need a designer tree, but I have been known to hide away a few of the school made ornaments (shame-but tell me you haven't wanted to also!) (See the lovely bead wreath.) I usually rearrange some of the "ornament clumps", but nah, not this year. It's going au naturel in all of it's clumpy glory. It was a decent enough tree, there are a few spots that look as if a large animal took a bite, but it's tall and thin and fits the little space it was alloted in our living room. Sometimes it's refreshing to just let things be, perfectly imperfect. Hey, it's only a month right? And it does smell terrific!

jammin in our jammies

On my birthday I had the pleasure of attending the 1st-4th grade music concert, Jammin in our Jammies. Everyone wore their pajamas and we enjoyed rousing renditions of many favorite Christmas tunes. Good thing I took two pictures to prove I was actually there. I spent nearly the entire concert chasing Ivy around in the hallway. Ah, what a happy day it will be when we can all go somewhere and sit and listen- whether it be church, the movies, or concerts.

Lauren and Chloe's class started the instruments last year, so they had some catching up to do. I think they did alright, but honestly it's hard to tell, maybe that's good! :)

comfort...

Turning 32 today I had the sweet realization that I've known Cody for over half of those years. Wow, I'm really old :) It's incredible to me how time and so many shared experiences can endear you to someone, how you become like each other in some ways, and yet still appreciate your differences.

Comfort is lying on the bed eating chocolate, kids asleep, house quiet, talking about our days. What made us laugh, what was frustrating, what hilarious things the kids said, future plans...the perfect ending to my day. Love you Cody!

mmm...

I have a serious mushy spot in my heart for a man (better yet men) in suits singing a capella. Blame it on my college years, their dashing good looks, or those voices, but I just might have to treat myself to their new Christmas CD. It is my birthday tomorrow after all :)

a Thanksgiving sampler...

A calorie free treat for Thanksgiving brought to you by Chloe. Oh, the reams of paper this household goes through is staggering. My personal favorite is the turkey pondering his fate. Mmm, speaking of calories, can't wait for the white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake with gingersnap crust. That's seriously the recipe title. And the loads of yummy food at my Mom's place. What's not to be thankful for?? Good food and and even better family. Have a terrific holiday!

feeling like home...

I'm guessing it's safe to assume Noah is feeling quite at home and comfortable here. Yesterday morning he took a bath, got dressed and asked for me to help him put on his shoes and socks. It was almost 10:30, I told him we weren't leaving for school yet and did he still want to put them on. he doesn't care much for either if we're just at home. Yes, let's put them on. He made some passing comment about going to school all by himself and I said, let's wait until after lunch. Preschool starts at 1:30. I went into Ivy's room to put her down for a nap. And I must say, I like that time in my day, relaxing time to read and sit down. Noah has always been very good about playing while I get her to sleep.

The phone rings three different times and finally I can escape to answer it. The last caller is Cody, asking me if I know where Noah is. He's apparently at school, without a jacket, but he did grab his backpack, sitting with Cody in his class!! It's obvious he does know the way to school, we live only a couple blocks away- not city blocks mind you :) Luckily my visiting teacher recognized him and took him to Cody. I'm sure he didn't see a single moving vehicle on his way in this one horse town, but nonetheless we did chat about Mom always accompanying him to preschool. I think he sees his sisters leave and go places by themselves often enough he figured he could give it a try. When I gave him a hug I could tell he'd been crying and he tearfully confided, "Mom, I just wanted to come to school." And who can blame him, half our family was there. I hope I never have to remind him of how excited he was about school someday when
it's not so exciting :) Love you Noah.

Ivy's 1st birthday!

How fast can a year go- FAST I tell you! Ivy turned one on the 12th and we finally got around to a proper celebration this afternoon, the weekdays have become a bit crazy. How fortunate we can have cousins, grandparents and everyone so close to have fun with us.

Ivy was pretty much oblivious to all the partying, good thing she had plenty of helpers who were much more excited about presents than she was! I love the expression on her face- albeit blurry- when we presented her cake to her. I think the flame was like nothing she'd seen yet. And by far, the cleanest and generally untouched cake of all the first birthdays I've witnessed. Just like Ivy, dainty and sweet.

Funny how after a baby joins your family it's hard to imagine what life was even like prior to that day, as if they'd always been a part of you somewhere, somehow. We love you dearly Ivy!

deja vu...

How does a face so loving and sweet inflict such a nasty ouchy on a boy as equally loving and sweet?

And while I'm asking questions, what is it about little girls, little Hansen girls specifically? For six torturous months from one year to 18 months Lauren and Chloe's forearms were covered with bite marks-from each other! I was always ultra conscious of them and what people might think. Once they learned to say no, or either get out of the other's way the situation improved.

Now here we are, 8 years later with another biter I'm afraid. In defense of Ivy however, Noah does really get in her (and my!) personal space sometimes. She hasn't quite mastered how to politely tell him so as I have. But still, biting!? It drives me crazy, she's too young to understand NO yet, so I've been coaching Noah that his best defense when he sees her lunging towards him, mouth gaping, four shining teeth, the obvious "AAHH" sound, is to get the heck out of the way! He will learn, as will she, soon Noah hopes. And just for the record, he is a great brother, he just appreciates physical play more than the rest of us combined. Poor guy, all he could muster was "Why is Ivy a bad baby?" with tears of course :)

comforts of fall...

Let it be known- I love fall. I realize fall is on it's way out and winter is coming. The prospect of a winter here in Bancroft is a gloomy thought with traveling and all, but today is a crisp fall day. Something about the change in season makes me want to put away the green salads and move onto warm hearty soups, or warm rich brownies in today's case.

Noah, always willing to sample anything in the kitchen, will probably know a lot about cooking when he leaves home, or at least be able to bake a mean dessert. These little bites are super rich, thus the small size. After snitching multiple times in the frostings I couldn't even stomach one, but I know they'll be delish.

Layered Mint Chocolate Brownies
Brownie:
1 C butter
2/3 C cocoa powder
2 C sugar
4 eggs
1 1/2 C flour

Mint Frosting:
1/2 C butter, softened
1 lb. powdered sugar
1-3 Tbl milk
1/2 tsp. mint extract (I used essential oil)

Chocolate topping:
1 C semi-sweet chocolate chips
1/4 C butter (noticing a pattern here?)

Mix butter cocoa, and sugar. Add eggs one a a time, mixing well after each. Stir in flour. Spread into a greased 9 by 12 pan. Bake at 350 for 25 minutes, cool completely.
Mix butter and powdered sugar, add only enough milk for a smooth consistency. Add mint and green food coloring. Frosting will be thick, spread over brownie layer and refrigerate until firm.
Melt chocolate chips with butter in microwave stir well to combine. Pour over frosted brownies, covering completely, refrigerate until topping is hard and set. Cut into small squares, enjoy!

Another love of mine is lentils. Must have been because I lived in Moscow for so long and enjoyed these. Anyway, I used to get these fantastic red lentils at the Food Co-op, but haven't been able to find them around here. I was excited to find them at Walton's Feed last week. (Sorry for all the links, Walton's is great though if you're ever in the area.) It's a good thing I like them since they came in 25 lb. bags. Lots of lentils...today we're trying this recipe, hoping it's yummy, it smells good in the crock pot now. Mmm, here's to fall cooking!

more 10.31.09

Poor little ones, a bit tired, cold, and wondering what was up! Ivy started to cry when she woke up from her nap and saw me, guess I did look scary!

10.31.09

Halloween- it was a cold night this year. Fun aunt Shay and Steve came down to visit, trick or treat, and see little Callie. Lauren and Chloe ADORE Shay, all morning they bustled around the house, tidying rooms. "Our house has to be sparkling for Aunt Shay Mom!" Please come more often...please? It was fun walking around town, it's been a long time since we did that, no warm mall or trunk or treats, just the old-fashioned way. The kids didn't get a ton of candy either which is always good, just enough to enjoy for a few days, not so much to send them into a sugar coma. We had quite a few trick or treaters too. Our next sugary holiday is Ivy's birthday- can't believe that girl is one next week!

a preview...

Halloween is upon us, not my favorite holiday, but having kids always makes it more fun. Today I made these witch brooms for our ward party. They were easy and quite yummy, just a cookie on a stick. In the mayhem that can only be a ward party I witnessed children waving them at each other sword-style, so I assume they were a hit with the younger crowd.

We had a grand total of 8 pumpkins here this year. Some bought at the store for a smokin' price and some more at an even better price- free. The girls begged and pestered so finally Sunday we decided to carve them. Five minutes into scooping out the innards I hear complaining. But it wasn't even fazing me, I was having WAY too much fun drilling pumpkins. The only disappointment was having just two drill bits to work with. Too many home remodeling projects, apparently Cody had broken them. He was stunned when I told him he better buy more and lots of them, for next year's pumpkins of course. The drilling was super messy and after the carving and cleaning up of six of the eight beauties I called it a night. The next day I spent a half an hour getting the seeds ready to cook, thinking of everything I could have accomplished other than separating seeds from gunk. What a labor of love, sometimes my 'waste not want not' trait is a serious flaw. Then in an effort to get them toasted just perfectly I burnt one of only two huge pans. Ugh, you notice there's no picture here, so you can keep on believing that everything in my kitchen comes out just lovely. Thankfully Cody prefers things a bit on the dark brown side. What a good pair- Cody and my cooking. He graciously declared them "just right." What a nice lie.

But, speaking of lovely, I had to get some close up shots of the girls. I never buy school pictures, which I feel a teeny bit guilty about, but I don't like them. So lots of in-your-face shots the girls despise happen.

Well, happy halloween to all! I'm sure there will be more pictures of the crew- pumpkins and children.

On a completely unrelated note- I am an aunt once again to a sweet little gal named Callie Anne! Congrats to Loren and Carrie! I forgot how big Ivy was until I saw this precious girl today. Ivy was captivated! She loves baby dolls and seeing one that made cute sounds and moved was just her thing!

spookiness...

I just realized today that Halloween is next weekend, better get crackin' on costumes. I've been too busy sewing quilts and other items for the craft fair this coming weekend. I'm excited I hope I can clear out some old Etsy stuff and start some new projects.

The girls are going crazy with Halloween crafts! Lauren checked out a book at the library and they've made ghosts hanging throughout the house. The shrunken apple heads- we'll post an after picture later- and necklaces with more to come I'm afraid. I wanted to do a fun pumpkin display by the front door, but not being close to any stores has made me a bit lazy perhaps. It seems food, fabric, and other things take priority to spiderwebs and pumpkins. What a shame, try telling that to an 8 year old. Pumpkins are coming next week- I promise! Chloe is going to be a pirate and Lauren a hula/Hawaiian girl. The pirate costume is still in the works. Noah and Ivy are undecided for now. We'll just raid the dress-up.

Life is getting busier too. Lauren and Chloe are playing volleyball and I'm helping coach them. They are on a 3rd/4th grade team, it's pretty comical really- kids that age just don't quite have the timing down. But they are learning the basics of the game and having fun, which is all that really matters at this age anyway. I'd forgotten how much I liked playing volleyball, it's been fun to help out. Noah is going to preschool 2 afternoons a week. It's a great outing for him, he often wakes up and asks where we're going today, and most often the answer is "nowhere." He used to run errands and shop with me all the time. I think he now dreads the marathon shopping days, but he's a good sport. Ivy has taken just a couple steps and unless my memory is failing me (possible) she is by far the baby most into climbing. Stairs, small tables and chairs, into baskets and cupboards. She has three good babysitters though who don't let her get into too much trouble. I'll often hear "Ivy Robenia Hansen!"- that's Noah alerting me there's mischief...

Cody is nearing the end of football season, hoping for some state championship action. He's excited for basketball too, even it is is girls basketball. We had Pipsy spayed this week, which makes her officially ours I suppose. Not a moment too soon in my opinion, she has WAY too many visitors. I think there is a problem with cats in this town, too many without owners. Anyway, from our neck in the woods, things look a little rainy, but good. Hoping to meet a new niece or nephew this week!! Happy birthing Carrie!

before and after...

Oh, the beauties of having another older home, the fun little projects that come, just a little sarcasm intended. :) I do like the small projects.

After years of surviving the ugliness, but practicality of mini blinds I have to share this, what I wish I'd known about three homes ago. Some industrious chick- not me- figured out how to make Roman shades out of blinds. Pure genius I say, they still function perfectly, but without the dust and no style of mini blinds. Plus, I'd purchased a pattern to make Roman shades and it completely intimidated me with all the supplies I'd need. I think they're just about perfect in the kitchen. I'd never worked with the Fabritac glue she recommended, but it did give me some fits. I had to spread it very thin with a plastic spoon to avoid having it bleed through the fabric and show, but overall, it's an easy no-sew project.

Much better, don't you think! Check out her tutorial and dismantle your blinds, it's liberating!

KIVA...

What an awesome site! Check out Kiva, someone making a loan every 16 seconds. I love the idea of helping someone on the other side of the world improve their life circumstances. What a beautiful concept, I think this lady will receive my gift.

This is a Afi Mawuli Sessi who opened a store for selling sewing supplies in her district of Avénou in Lomé. She got started in this commerce in 2008 because most tailors and seamstresses in the area were compelled to go far, all over the place at the Grand Market, in order to supply themselves. Right now, she's receiving orders from all the tailors, which therefore allows her to do a good business. Her work also enables her bring to her husband her financial share of educating their two children.

To renew her presently exhausted inventory, she's requesting a WAGES loan to order some overcasting thread, sewing machine thread, and some good-quality cloth and damask fabrics of different motifs.

uh oh...

I knew the day was coming, maybe hoping it wasn't quite so soon. How does a baby learn a spiral staircase? One with holes larger than her? Here's before and after shots, it's apparently lots of fun to climb, but we already knew that with the other three kids that play, do chin-ups, hang, and throw things off of it. :)

Pipsy...

Here we are, still getting pets. This little kitty, Pipsy, has a crazy story, as it seems all our furry friends do. Grandma brought her from an older lady in town who is recovering from surgery and wasn't able to care for her. After dropping her off, she promptly ran away and we didn't see her for about a week.

But surprising us all she returned and has claimed the huge tree in the backyard as her post. She was quite skittish and shy, but is now very friendly and playful. Noah affectionately calls her "my pet kitty." He loves that he can pick her up and she tolerates his small hands partially holding and squeezing the life out of her :) He's had some cats scratch him and a couple dogs nip him, so a gentle animal is just what he needs. She was previously an indoor cat and runs inside our home quite frequently. And of course, you know I'm getting badgered about just making her an indoor kitty again. My only (valid) excuse is that we are renting, and no landlords appreciate pets tearing things apart right?! I'll just do some shopping for a nice little heat pad for what I'm thinking might be a long winter ahead. Love you little Pips!

better than Christmas...

I really should have slowed down in the unpacking of the toy boxes. Every time we crack one open, it's instant fun for a little while at least. I finally cleared out three huge boxes of games and toys from the girls loft, hooray. It looks much cleaner.

Lauren and Chloe have started declaring random days, "Noah Day" "Ivy Day" or my personal fave "Mom Day." This means extra helping, kind words and deeds to make that person feel special. Today it was Noah's turn. I always thought puppet theaters were the coolest toys ever. I think I wanted it more than they did, but it got some good use this afternoon. Tell me Noah does not looked totally captivated by the saga of the fireman and the frog! What a good sport, he even gave up the good chairs to Zilly and Gumdrop.

It was fun to see the four of them playing so well together. I needed that mental image to buoy me up as we went to get potatoes, the park, and the grocery store later today. We (I) couldn't handle the library after the three previous stops. I think they will all gradually adjust. I have been hearing a lot of comments along the lines of "why does it take so long to get somewhere?" The short answer to that lies in the fact that we are so far from anywhere! Our family spoke last week in church and I joked that the only thing here was good people- it's true in all regards!