How to ... I-Spy-Rice-Bags

The Ls are not the best co-pilots, to say the least.

L usually asks us "are we there yet?!!!" when we reach the end of our street.
In order to make the "LONG" drive to the grocery store (about 5 minutes) a wee bit more pleasant I decided to make two I-Spy-Rice-Bags with a laminated picture of the treasures hidden in the rice, to mark off as we find them. To be honest, the laminated picture has not been completed. Our printer is out of ink but tomorrow we shall have this small detail fixed, na-course :) I found the tutorial here. Easy and fast, 1 hour later ...

et voila - I-Spy-Rice-Bags

backside with pocket for the laminated picture and the dry erase marker

the hidden treasures

The Ls were quite happy with their little baggies, they are sleeping with them right now.
All was well until Lulu wanted to get her toys back.

Lulu: "I found them all, now can we cut it open and get our toys back out?"
Mama : "NOOOOO!!! They stay in there Love."
Lulu: "But Mama, I NEED them. I really, really need them!!!"
Mama: " What do you need?"
Lulu: "The brush. That is my favorite brush in the world!"
Mama: "That little brush?"
Lulu" "Yes, it feels really good on my head."
Mama: ... shaking my head and walking away!

Can you spy the brush?

Yes, she REALLY, REALLY needs that brush, for sure! 

Thats her most favorite in the world. 

Don't you know ... :)

{this moment}

rain outside = peace and quiet inside

For GP

Yeahhh for Lillie-Bean

Good Job!!!

 ... now on to Level 2!

Chalkboard Love

Two weeks ago Pat finished one of my "long planned but never done" projects and presented us with this huge, home made chalkboard. AWESOME!!! Thanks LOVE!!!
I had bought an old frame at a thrift store, Pat worked his handy magic et voila my chalkboard was born.

And let me tell you, it's a HIT!!! We use it all day, every day, all the time.
The Ls are loving it, I am loving it ... everybody is loving it.
Pat writes messages for the Ls on it at night and L responds in the morning.
It's really, really fun!
The original plan was to paint the whole wall with chalk paint but it's not our house so we better not.
... but some day for sure!

Anyhow, here are a few of the latest art pieces and messages. 

Enjoy!

Master Lulu

Id like to point out that her "people/princesses" have bodies now and limbs attached to the correct places,

as opposed to having arms and legs attached to the head :)

L and her spelling master pieces

I like how she is adding borders and such, 

I see a "doodler" in our future 

Translation: 

Sopr Franks = Super Franks

Please note she signed with her FULL name :)

After I helped her spell 3 of her 4 first names she said

"Please don't make me EVER write my whole name again!"

WHAHAHAHAH .... revenge of the evil, 4 name-giving mother :)

This is it for now.
Not much crafty stuff in the making right now. L is on school break and we are running from entertainment to entertainment to keep the Ls happy and/or from killing each other.
Does anybody know when this sister-fighting-war-scene-thing stops??? Just wondering ...

Lulu's comment of the day

At "The Jungle", the Ls were running through this maze of tubes and tunnels for almost an hour straight. They came back looking tired and hungry.

M: Whats wrong? Are you still having fun?
L: Yes BUT we lost our friends. We tried to catch them but Lulu was a slow-poke.
Mama: Oh Lulu, you are NOT a slow-poke (to L: "DON'T call her that Lillie!"). You are just little, with much shorter legs.
Lulu: (standing there, with her hands on her hips and a very assertive look) NOOOO, I am NOT little!
I WANT to be a SLOW-POKE and NOT little!!!
M: ... smile ...

They are just "full of it" this week :)

Lillie's comment of the day

We are at Trader Joe's, checking out. The nice cashier gives the Ls their REQUESTED stickers.

L: "Thank you and have a nice day Joe." (the Ls think that every male working there is called Joe :)
Cashier: "See you, have a good one!"
L: turns around stares at him and says "WHAT good one?"
Cashier: cracking up ...
Mama: cracking up ...
L: "What good one Mama? What is good?"

... that one made my day for sure :)

CZ Garden 2011 - Version 1.0

It's not warm enough yet to plant outside, the iced over windows on the 4Runner are prove of that BUT it's time to start planting little ones indoors.

This year we'll (hopefully) know a bit more about planting and growing and most importantly the selection of things to grow. We definitely do NOT need 4 zucchini plants again ...NO-NO-NO! We still have the freezer full with zucchini from last year.

We are starting with pees and herbs this year (as for growing them from seeds) and the rest of the plants will be purchased as seedlings and planted directly in the garden, once the weather god allows us to do so.
It seamed like the plants we bought last year grew and produced much more than the ones we grew from seeds.

So yesterday, after fining this ingenious article on indoor planting and using household items to build planters, we were all game ... even Papa was on board ... yeaahehaeah!!!

ingenious idea #1

Phase I

design and construction

Phase II

ready for planting

Phase III

wait for something to grow

Take a large soda bottle ,cut, turn around and et voila you have yourself a nice, self watering planter.

ingenious idea #2

use a 9-pocket trading card sleeve and turn it into a seed starter

and as a plus for the Ls, they get to water it with a turkey baster :)

ingenious idea #3 

... can't tell you yet, this is a top secret plan by the Ls, 

 we'll reveal once it grows and has been converted. 

and while Pat and I were inside designing and cleaning up, the Ls were outside doing this ...

Those CRAZY Ls!!!
Despite the sun it was definitely NOT warm enough to be outside half naked not to talk about playing with water. My guess would be it was a toasty 55 yesterday.
By the time we realized what was going on they were already soaked and having a blast out there.
It only took about 30 minutes to defrost them in the bathtub afterwards :)

{this moment}

Monday Morning, 8:00 AM

L makes breakfast

PB&J for everybody and something special ...

... for Papa

Priceless!!!

Fun in a can

Ohhhh .... it's raining in Cali. It's raining pretty hard and it's C-O-L-D!!!! ... brrrrr ...

So the theme of yesterday was "stay inside where it's WARM!".
But now what?
With L at school having fun, my little Issie and I were out of ideas.
Until I walked into the bathroom and saw these two lonely Devil Duckies (we LOOOVE Devil Ducks!!!) and Pat's shaving cream ...

... ahah ... "ding-ding" ... light bulb ...

"Let's make a MESS!!"

Can of Shaving Cream = $1.99

Plastic Tray = $1.99 (thrift store price :)

Pretty outfit to mess up = $20

-------------------------------

Hours of messy fun on a rainy day = PRICELESS!!!!

  mushy, creamy, foamy FUN!!!

We added some lila food coloring (na-course) but you couldn't really tell until Lulu washed her hands. 

Apparently food coloring is very well absorbed into the skin, BUT she was super happy with her lila hands for the rest of the day :)

The Dork, snoring away, close to the heater.

Awww ... 

Dork on his PINK blankie, his favorite!!!!

Often you will find him snuggling on his PINK blankie,  but more often you will find him running through the house, like he was just stung by a hornet, carrying his PINK blankie!!! One of those days I will get a pic of it ... it's pretty darn funny!

more awww ... snuggle-snore time for Dorkie

lunch break

When L came home from school she was VERY excited and dove right in too.

This stuff stays foamy, soft and mushy forever!!!

Cartoon by L 

After everybody took a shower (yes, that was necessary!!!) it was time for Ls book report.

Lulu feels obligated to do home work with L now and insists on getting her own assignments. 

She is quite proficient and much less-whiny/complainy about her assignments than her big sissie. 

Lulu just hasn't quite figured out how to use a chair ... it makes dinner time so much more "fun"

All in all, not such a bad rainy day after all.
The Ls were bathed WAY before bed time (a PLUS), the house smells shaving-cream-clean (kind of a PLUS) and an outbreak of cabin fever and sister-warfare has been prevented once more (BIG PLUS!!!).