Oh Dear!

She likes to suck her thumb.

Sew and Tell

I made some easy bean bags this week. The purpose? Kid gifts. And don't you love the fabric? It's so bright and cheerful. I am thinking of using it to make quilts for the bunk beds in Patch's and Mini-me's room.

My sewing time has suffered with the Olympics. Anyone else in the same boat?

Again, linking up with amylouwho.

No Snow

I had a successful no-TV day today. It was fabulous. Patch played happily with his trains (branching out from Lightning McQueen), and when Mini-me came home from school they did art (which means they used crayons and safety scissors). I enjoyed it. We're going to try again tomorrow. Although, since it's Friday, I'll probably let them watch a movie while they eat dinner. I'm fun like that.

We dodged a huge snow storm today. I am so thankful. I have learned this winter that I love snow as a novelty, but not as the norm. If I wanted to live in Minnesota, I would. Although, I am pretty sure we've had more snow than them this winter, dontcha know.

I got some good quilting done today. I finished Flower's new quilt for her bed. But, shhh, don't tell her. It's a surprise. I just have to do the binding now, so look for it next week for Sew and Tell. I also have the idea brewing for Mini-me's and Patch's new bed quilts. They are going to be so cool! Now to convince Curly that they're a necessity....

Weight Loss Wednesday

I had a lackluster week. I didn't lose anything. It's something that I know has happened to anyone who has ever tried to lose weight. The important thing is to not dwell on it and keep on. I was thrilled that my good friend Lenore joined me this week. It is so nice to have someone who is going through the same thing I am. Now if we can only get Debbie to come...

It was brought to my attention that I put the wrong book on yesterday's post. Oops. I meant this book:

And now, while my sweet baboo watches hockey, I am going to go read it.

Lookie Here!

I was at the library today and found this book just waiting to be checked out. Adriana Trigiani is one of my favorite authors. Just try not to get swept away by her characters. Start with Big Stone Gap. You won't be sorry!

Thursday?

The kids went back to school today and the angels sang the Hallelujah Chorus the entire way. As a result of having nearly 2 weeks off of school, I have no idea what day it is. All morning long I thought it was Friday.

We took Ginger to the doctor this morning. She is two months old and weighs in at 11 pounds. She is also 23.5 inches, which places her in the 80th percentile for height. She's only in the 50th percentile for weight, which means she is like the other O'Kigin children: taller than she is heavy. Do they make adjustable waist pants in a 3-6 month size? She did not like her shots. They caused the vein in her forehead to protrude.

I have been watching the Olympics. Does anyone else think the snowboard team has the coolest pants? They look like jeans. Two members of the halfpipe team decided to play into the slacker stereotype and had their pants down. I saw London, I saw France, I saw Scotty's underpants. It was duly noted, by me, that Shaun White had his pants firmly fastened at his waist. And he won. By a lot. He is me second favorite red-head. I was also moved to tears by Lindsay Vonn. Despite injury, she won a gold medal. She is a great example of not letting small setbacks derail you from your goals.

I'm going to take a nap now. Ginger decided she didn't like sleeping all night long and wanted to eat a lot last night. She has given me thrush, so it was not a pleasant experience. Hopefully tonight will be better.

Weight Loss Wednesday

I finally made it to my Weight Watchers meeting yesterday. It was nice to get out of the house for a bit. I also like that they are kid friendly. Patch and Mini-me played off to the side while Ginger slept in her car seat. Flower actually had school yesterday, mainly because there wasn't as much snow up in Hagerstown as here in Frederick. So, after 2 weeks of being snowed in, I am down a total of 6.8 pounds. May I just say, YAY FOR ME!! It is hard not to eat everything in the house when you are stuck inside it for two. whole. weeks.

Lest we think I am depriving myself, I am not. For example, I had a donut for breakfast this morning. It cost me 8 points out of my daily total. That's a lot of points to give up in the morning, so I know that my snacks will have to be curtailed this afternoon. It's why I like Weight Watchers. I can eat what I like. It's teaching me that if I eat a donut, that's okay. I just can't eat a donut for breakfast, a cheeseburger for lunch, a ginormous burrito for dinner, followed by ice cream for dessert. I also can't eat 2 donuts. Just one. My food choices need to balance each other out.

We are out of school yet again today. I am hopeful we will be back in tomorrow, but that all depends on the roads. There are lots of roads in the county that only have one lane passable. To open school, the roads need to have two lanes open. The road right in front of us is fine, but the two roads on either side are not. With so much snow, we cannot rely on the melting factor. So let's hope the plows can get out today and get these kids back in school!

Another Snow Day

We're still stuck.

She's Our Valentine

Wardrobe

When we go to Sun Valley this summer, and I am 2 sizes smaller than I was last time, I would like to wear this skirt. It's from my favorite store. I would pair it with this shirt. It's from my other favorite store.

That is all.

Sew and Tell

Lately I have had a bee in my bonnet to make some doll clothes for our American Girl dolls. Since we were stuck inside with the snow, I had time to do an extensive search. I ordered a great pattern from Bunny Bear and then proceeded to not really follow it. The original had a cute collar and sleeves, but I wanted a little sundress. This is what the result is:
It's not perfect. Not even close. But, it's pretty darn cute. And, at $2.75, you can't beat the price. Next time I will follow the pattern and add sleeves and the collar.

Mini-me was pretty dang pleased with it. She asked for one in her size.

I also made this little Valentine's Day mini-quilt. I used my Cricut to cut out the letters and the heart. I love my Cricut. It's awesome.

The envelope opens. I am going to put little treats in it for my kids for Valentine's Day. Next year I'll put it out earlier so I can be putting notes in it all month long.

Again this week I am linking up over at amylouwho. Go check out the other fabulous projects and be inspired to create something this week!

Weight Loss Wednesday

Due to Snowmaggedon, I could not make it in to a Weight Watchers meeting this week. I really made a valiant effort, but we only have one car that can function well on the snowy roads, and Curly has to make a living. I did my own weigh in this week, and I have lost 4 pounds. I feel great. Do I look smaller yet? My goal this week is to add exercise. This is going to be tricky because I don't think we're getting out of the house anytime soon. I have some great workout DVDs that I can use. I am hopeful that I will lose about a pound this week. It has not been easy to avoid eating my way through these storms, but I'm doing okay. I have stayed within my points and am being mindful of what I put in my mouth.

How have you done this week?

Kids on February 6

After the storm ended on Saturday, Curly and Aunt Beanie took the kids over to the park. They love to go down the slide into the snow.

Gracie on February 7

We have lots more snow today. When we opened the door for her to go out this morning, she took one look at the new stuff and turned around to go back in. Curly spent about an hour shoveling a path for her, and then taking care of the sidewalk out front only to have the blizzard winds start up and blow snow back over his work.

For Curly

Curly is the greatest. He is also the grammar police. So this is for him. It's also for me, who is sick of listening to kids scream and watching them fight.

Dear Curly,

Your the best husband ever. I love you sooooooooooooooooo much! If anyone says they have a better husband, there wrong. Its a dream life we have. Your just hunka hunka burnin' love!

xoxox

Mrs. O'Kigin

PS -- No, I won't fix the mistakes. So their!

Happy Birthday

A Tribute

Today my Grandma Jeanne's birthday. I won't tell you how old she is, because you wouldn't believe me. She is simply amazing. The glue that holds our family together, she remembers everyones birthdays and special occasions, from her first born Mike to the newest great-grandbaby Silas. She sends a card to her great-grandkids for all the fun holidays, like Halloween, and it usually has a $5 bill in it. She keeps track of everyone and knows our interests and hobbies. At last count, that's 51 people she follows. See what I mean by amazing?

Grandma and Patch, summer 2009

Martha has nothing on my Grandma. My grandma makes the best tacos. And her roast beef? Don't get me started! When she was my age, she sewed clothing, even for herself. She had a degree in Home Economics, which if I knew then what I know now, I would have majored in myself. I like to think she passed those skills along to me. Grandma is always perfectly dressed, a skill I'm sure she learned from her father and his clothing store in Brigham City, UT. From her I learned how to set the perfect Thanksgiving table. I also learned that jeans do not belong anywhere near a special meal, and that shoes must be worn.

That's Grandma on the right, 1930

My grandma wrote me every week while I was on my mission. That's roughly 78 letters, folks. They were always newsy and full of encouragement. And when I came home? She was always interested and complimentary of my "single girl" lifestyle. When she came for a visit, I took her in my orange Explorer to see the townhouse I lived in. After that visit, I realized how cool it was that I had a few years post-graduation and pre-marriage to just be me and do the things I liked to do. Now, she keeps up with me and my cousins on blogs and facebook. She emails instead of writing letters. I am fairly certain she had high speed internet before I did.

So, happy birthday, Grandma Jeanne! I hope it is full of chocolate and diet coke.

Snowtorious B.I.G.

Care to sit down and have a meal? No? I don't blame you. 30+ inches of snow is not very welcoming.
The view down the side of our house. So much snow!

Aunt Beanie made snow ice cream with the kids. They thought it was delicious.

We took Ginger out. She enjoyed it. The snow is taller than she is!

Now we begin the great dig out. It will take days. And more snow is on the way next week. We have plenty of milk, bread, toilet paper, and fabric to last us a few more days at least!

Sew and Tell

I got quite a bit of sewing time in this week. First, I finally finished this quilt for my sister-in-law. It was her Christmas gift. From 2008.
To give you some perspective on the size, here is Mini-me standing in front of it:

I made a sewing cover, following this tutorial.

It's reversible.

Personally, I just like how the ties make it look like a bonnet.

Once again, I am linking up with amylouwho. Go check out the other great projects!

Boy Errands

With the birth of Ginger, Patch has been feeling a little out of sorts. BG (before Ginger), Patch didn't feel the need to cuddle or sit on laps. But, AG (after Ginger), he suddenly needed to sit on a lap, mine in particular, especially if already occupied by the baby.

Enter Curly with the best idea ever: Boy Errands. A Boy Errand is something only boys can do, and must be done on daddy's day off. For example, picking up shirts from the cleaners. Or looking for Redskins shirts at Target. Boy Errands always involve lunch, usually from the Scottish Restaurant. They also include something fun that 3-year-olds in particular enjoy.
On one Boy Errand, Curly and Patch went to the local hobby store that boasts a large race track. For a small fee, they rented a car and drove it around. The car went forwards, backwards, and raced at a pace of close to 40 miles per hour. Patch would like to have his birthday party here.

Another Boy Errand took the boys to the new bounce house in our local mall. They have about 8 large inflatables, plus several wii systems and a chess board that had pieces almost as big as Patch. This is ideal for a Boy Errand, because parents get in free and are allowed on the inflatables. Mommies are no fun at this. Patch would also like to have his birthday party here.

Boy Errands aren't all fun and games; they are educational. On Boy Errands, Patch learns to be nice to girls, and that it's his job to protect his sisters. He also learns that just because we have a new baby, doesn't mean his life is over.

The most important rule of Boy Errands is to not tell the girls in the family. Mini-me and Flower must have no idea of what happens while they are at school. So far, the secret is safe.

Weight Loss Wednesday

Before:
I wish I could skip ahead by a few months and get to the "after." That which does not kill us makes us thin, I suppose. Yesterday I went to my first Weight Watcher's meeting. I enjoyed it. The other people there oo'd and ah'd over Ginger and were very supportive. That's why I like the meetings: the support. I know myself enough to know I need a crowd cheering me on. Today is Day 1 of Week 1. Do I look smaller yet?

For those who are joining me in the quest for a smaller bottom, please share the program you're following. Let's support each other and be good cheerleaders. And by July, hopefully we'll all be 2 sizes smaller!

Connected

I have the internet again! It's been a rough few days. Luckily I've had Ginger to entertain and enchant. I have yet to get a good shot of her grin, but trust me -- it's to die for!

It's snowing again. It's been years since it has snowed on top of snow. It's a wet snow, and the kids can hardly wait to get started on the snowman. I doubt we'll have school tomorrow, which would be fun. However, if we don't, it will be our 5th snow day. Any more after this, and they'll start taking away vacation days. That won't be so fun.