thankful for...

It's the simple things right? Thanksgiving is next week, gasp, can't believe that! In honor of all things yummy and decadent I'm sharing a couple of my favorites with you. I came across ZOI yogurt at Winco and honey is definitely my flavor of choice. Last night while chatting with Cody about the first win of the season I was sneaking spoonfuls. I felt a little better about eating an entire one when I was running this summer. Somehow yoga doesn't leave me as famished. It is not a low fat low calorie splurge, but oh so worth it! Print this out and go shopping!

I'm also very glad for this food blog. I have to be honest in saying that nearly everything I've made from their recipe archive has been well received by big and little kids alike. (The chipotle burgers were a bit spicy, if that complaint even counts?)They have fantastic photos and tutorials. I read they are publishing a cookbook next year also. I'm making their white chocolate pumpkin cheesecake with pecan gingersnap crust for my Mom's birthday this weekend. How can something with a title like that not be divine, trust me it is. Perfect for Thanksgiving dinner. Mmm, happy feasting! I can't wait to have some time with family and be grateful for my blessed life!

Sweet Ivy

Ivy girl, how sweet and spicy you are. I can hardly believe that two years ago I was thinking we were about to welcome a little boy into our family. Maybe it comes with being the youngest of four, but you are never one to miss out on any of the action. If everyone else has a straw with their drink, no way are you having a sippy cup. Wherever your siblings are up to you want to be a part of it and make sure we know if you're unhappy about it! I love how you drag a step stool into our room at night and climb into our bed, so sly. I love how you tell me goodnight, love you- "night, uv you." I sometimes love how you insist on 'helping' me, putting clothes into the dryer, cleaning up toys, and cooking, mostly eating though. Happy two years little lamb! We're celebrating on Sunday when everyone can join us, appropriate since that is Great grandma Robenia's birthday. Pictures coming soon :)

new lease on life?

When putting away summer clothes and pulling out sweaters this week I found an oldish cardigan and shell set that I've had for a very long time. I guess I'm sentimental about it since I still have it but rarely wear it. My Mom bought it for me during a visit to Moscow when L & C were babies. While internet window shopping (because that's the only kind I do these days :) I saw the pink cardigan at DownEast. Every time I see all those embellished tees and sweaters I think that would be so easy to do and much cheaper. I cut up the shell and sewed the pleated strips onto the cardigan. So....be honest.....would you wear this in public?? It turned out a little more "ruffly" than I wanted. When I showed Cody he voted two thumbs down- too puffy in front. What do you think?

my Thursday...

Well friends, here's to another day! Which of the following did NOT happen to me today? Any guesses?

-One blanket, two washcloths and a handful of pretzels were thrown in the bathtub whiled I showered. Thanks Ivy.

-Had the pleasure of renewing my driver's license which I discovered last week had expired in December of 2009 not 2010!

-Realized I gave the wrong street address to the lady after receiving above license, didn't care and was too embarrassed to go back and beg for a new one. (I am so used to using a P.O. box now!)

-Lauren told me she had the "worst day ever." I've heard that before, but then she told me she was sent to the principal's office for BITING the senior boy who is an aide in their class. (Rough housing gone bad. Lauren, the teacher, and the boy are equally at fault.)

-Spent two hours de-seeding (is that a word) 30 pomegranates. My family wasn't eating them so I had to take action before they rotted.

-Did yoga for an hour this morning.

-Killed 6 spiders in our house today.

a boy and his cat

What kind of cat lets you spoon with it?! Pipsy and Noah were curled up tonight when I came in to turn on his nightlight. Can you feel the serious cat love here, or hear the loud purring?

a spooktacular weekend!

I used to like blogging, and maybe I've had a long enough break that I'm ready to return. Halloween was enjoyed by everyone, with the exception of Ivy. She didn't want to dress up as anything, but did help pass out candy to trick or treaters. I love Spiderman's chocolate brown eyes, he's such a sweet boy. Lauren wanted to be a ninja and Chloe was Miss Piggy. The night before we hosted a festive dinner for some friends. We served mummy dogs, candy corn pizza, and bones and blood, it was fun, crazy and loud, but fun. We carved 7 pumpkins, I'm addicted to drilling them now, it's easy and the design possibilities are endless. No pictures there, I realized my picture taking has been lacking, terribly. I must do better, the days are zooming by and my little ones are getting older every day. Happy Halloween!

more summer afternoons...

More parades, horse 4-H, and Yellowstone!

well hello there...

I'd almost forgotten about my little piece of cyberspace! Just a little of what's been filling our summer afternoons...water, animals snuggling, reading, and parades.

July 2010 p. 136

After four changes of clothing, one very muddy fall, and one shower later, Lauren and Chloe finally decided it was too wet to play outside today. In my defense I went to the library this week and came home with several good books to hold their interest for a while. But coming into the room I hear Lauren quizzing Chloe.
"Would you rather be a small business owner with a suit that maximized cleavage, or a retired dental hygienist with a suit that minimized your hips?"
Tough call. The words cleavage and hygienist were mispronounced and I called her on it. "Do you know what cleavage is?" "No, should I Mom?" Maybe, maybe not, not today at least. Quit reading about swimsuits that flatter middle-aged women and go outside.
Summer time boredom... :)

rain rain...

It's not a good sign when you've only downloaded pictures one time each month for three months. There haven't been too many taken lately with no good excuses. I don't want Ivy to wonder why her toddlerhood wasn't documented, life just gets busy. We've had a very rainy spring, evidenced by the huge puddles in the street and the bumper crop of dandelions here. Funny to me how our yard would stick out like a sore thumb in our old neighborhood, but here it blends in with most the other yards. Weeds run amuck in the country. I love the view past Ivy's soggy bottom to the end of the road, straight up to the green hillside. Makes me want to put on some running shoes and head out at sunset.

After another mostly rainy Saturday morning the sun popped out and so did these fresh-faced beauties Lauren and Chloe, escaping the house. Noah soon followed and I peeked in to see Ivy banging her head against the window, never wanting to be left behind in anything. While my Mom and I stood out visiting and shooing kids off the road when the occasional car puttered by the kids had a grand time getting wet and muddy, some muddier than others. Unfortunately I have no pictures capturing the priceless look of your child tasting dirt for the first time. But seeing Ivy's look of regret and disgust makes me laugh! A neighbor drove by, rolled down his window and remarked how he never thought he'd see the day when my kids were getting wet and muddy in the street. So here you have it, proof in pictures that we Hansens know what warm puddles are for! Happy spring!

good things on a Tuesday...

-Watching Ivy share Cody's trail mix. You don't want to share your mix with her, all she can eat are the raisins and M & M's. :)

-Talking to my sister on the phone, if only she could move to Bancroft!

-Not hearing the heat kick on once today, beautiful spring weather!

-Coming in from outside and smelling bread baking in the kitchen.

-Having my piano tuned, hooray for rich lovely tones.

-Seeing Lauren's huge smile and her winning safety poster from school.

-Cuddling on the couch with Chloe before bedtime.

-Seeing Noah run back and forth, back and forth, panting, "Mom, am I fast as a superhero?" Faster Noah, much faster.

-Knowing that my couch full of laundry means my home is full of people I love!

ugh...

At least it's all clean, if only there was a trio of machines that washed, dried, folded and put away laundry. Lauren and Chloe's is always the biggest task, partly due to my procrastination but mostly due to their habit of throwing ALL clothing in the hamper, dirty and clean. Hope there's something good on TV tonight!

sweetness...

What's for dinner Mom? Strawberries, whipped cream, and waffles. What's for lunch Mom? Chocolate dipped strawberries! I love it when flats or boxes of fruit come available! We've been enjoying all of the above, and putting some in the freezer as jam and topping for later. One day last week I was making jam and watching it snow outside my kitchen window, that was a definite first. Can't say I've ever made jam while a snowstorm raged outside.

What's a boy to do when his Mom is up to her elbows in sticky goodness for the majority of the morning? Build a super cool apartment complex for his horses. I was instructed that NO pictures were to be taken or the horse Midnight would be very angry, it was a private building. But I managed to sneak one in, he doesn't look too upset. :) Yummy, yummy spring!

spring dresses...

Every time I pass the beautiful brocades at the fabric store I have to walk over and run my hands across them and admire their gorgeous colors. Lauren and Chloe picked out their favorites and I made them Easter dresses. The prints were elegant and the pattern simple. We picked out the cherry blossoms for Ivy. So glad to have three beautiful ladies to sew for!

Feeling crafty? Try out this cool tutorial for the flowers. Thanks Cheryl!

left, right, left, right, middle?

Today was Grandparents Day at school, and while I have no grand kids to enjoy yet the girls had been talking about this clown dance/song routine the class has been working on for a few weeks. So I had to sneak in the back and record the fun for future viewing pleasure/embarrassment. Several weeks ago they told me they needed some clown attire and I immediately thought of a couple pairs of my old jeans waiting downstairs to be made into a quilt or something equally cool- three-legged pants. When I was in sixth grade my Mom constructed some for me and a friend out of my Dad's old Levi's. They were fantastic! We wore them as a Halloween costume to school, perfect, we were literally joined at the hip. Memories of tripping in the road while trick or treating, HAVING to sit right by each other at a special table during school (how did the teacher allow that?) Shay- I know you're having some memories all of your own as well :)

Anyway, those pants have since been retired, but I figured this new generation needed a pair to enjoy for a few years to come. They come in handy for all kinds of situations, and perfect for twins! Lauren and Chloe love these events, what a cute group of gals!

Easter

A few pictures from Easter weekend. We woke up to 30 mph winds and snow on Saturday so the community egg hunts were at the school, more of an egg race, since there was no hiding eggs in a gymnasium. Spring in Idaho drives me crazy, just warm up already!!!!

We enjoyed Conference, dying eggs, eating chocolate, and a yummy dinner with family. Hope everyone had a great Easter!

housing available...

preferably a small bird, bonus if blue. Springtime birdhouses made by third graders (and a few parents operating the power tools.) Hope we picked a good spot and they will have occupants soon, especially since they have to report back to the class. We're all glad the snow is melting, enjoying bike riding, rollerblading, and running outside. Looking forward to a long spring break/Conference weekend hanging out together dying and hunting for eggs and celebrating spring!

size 7?

Cute shoes huh? I was in Idaho Falls a couple weekends ago, by myself, doing some shopping, but mostly doing some painting and cleaning. Anyway, my daughters alarmingly fast growing feet brought me to Payless to find new gym and church shoes. I couldn't believe it when the saleslady told me a size 5 in kids is the equivalent of a 7 in women's sizes! I ended up in the women's since the selection was so much better. I was CERTAIN none of the four pairs would acutally fit, but three out of four isn't too bad, we'll exchange the fourth this week. Where has the time gone? How did I wake up with two girls wearing just a few sizes smaller than me?! On the flip side, it's incredibly fun to plan the first day of spring break going shopping and spending the day with them. So blessed to have these two lovely ladies in our family!

routine...

Yesterday morning over waffles Chloe lamented that every day in her life is the same. "I get up, eat, go to school, come home, watch TV, read, eat, go to bed." There is some variance to that routine, an occasional activity, music lesson, or play date. I had to laugh and sympathize with her woeful state though. It sounded a bit like my college routine, only piano practice could be substituted for TV. I feel like that sometimes, for all the good things that life has to offer, it does get a bit predictable sometimes. Maybe I shouldn't even put that into writing, I don't need my life shaken up. :) Here's a little picture catch up...

Much wishing for summer time, everyone, desperately.

Much listening to these books on CD by Lauren and Chloe, all Sunday afternoon.
Much reading of this story, one both Cody and I liked growing up.
Much wiping off, sweeping up, and stepping in the beauty that is spring.
Much teaching of piano lessons.
WAY too much playing of this game, Noah's absolute favorite.
Much tastiness, and cleaning up after the yummy snacks.
Much lounging in a sunny rocker reading board books.
Much playing of this battered guitar, don't mind the missing string. Much drooling while browsing online for a new guitar.

And lastly, where did March go?