Let the Little Ones Come

Wilbur for Breakfast

If you just happen to be working yourself into a frenzy because you MUST finish reading Charlotte's Web to your five year old by this Friday (for a discussion on friendship with some of her Little Flowers' friends)... and we still have half of the book to read....and you and your darling girl practically fall asleep reading it to one another (because she just insists on buddy reading it even though we are in a time-crunch) and you dream all night of pigs and troughs and rats...be careful when you wake up to the nauseating smell aroma of Jimmy Dean sausages sizzling in the iron skillet because your husband woke up early and decided to fix himself a little breakfast (cause he has long ago given up on me rising early to do it--poor fellow!)...BEWARE!! The smell and the dreams will NOT complement one another and before you know it, you will feel the urge to visit the bathroom and I mean quickly! If I didn't know better, I would think I was pregnant...but no, it's just a bit too much anthropomorphizing on my part...

...after all Wilbur is so cute! :)

The Kid's version of Meez

Edited to add: Yes, Katherine, it is Dr. Pepper (Diet, now that I've started Weight Watchers again) in that big ole mug! The kids did this hilarious version of me on their own; I even own the pink crocs (bought them on sale this past week--they're oh so comfy!).

A Festive-Smelling Kitchen

I found this at our local grocer and couldn't resist--even though it was pricey! It is a Mrs. Meyers Clean Day Holiday Clean-Up kit (Mrs. Meyers sells aromatherapeutic household cleaners). It includes ginger in all the cleaning solutions: a spray counter cleaner, hand soap, dish soap and all purpose cleaner. It literally makes my kitchen smell like Christmas and it is fun to use at this time of the year, when let's face it, there is a lot of holiday cooking and baking and all the clean-up that entails! :S

At the end of a long kitchen cleaning session, when I am beat and tired and feeling 10 months pregnant instead of almost 9, the clean gingeri-ness (I know, I know that's not a word!) of my kitchen soothes this tired and pregnant momma! I guess that's why they call it aromatherapy! :)

Farewell, Good Friend....

you have served us well! We bought you used 14 years ago with scratches and dents, but we were so excited to have you in our very own cozy apartment--no more treks in the cold to the laundry room!

You efficiently dried clothes when there were just the two of us and I could get away with doing laundry every 10 days or so...(I have never liked doing laundry!).

You fluffed and dried our clothes as we anticipated the birth of our first baby--tossing those lovely tiny sleepers and onesies so gently.

You dried our clothes as baby after blessed baby arrived, finally showing your age about a year ago when it began to take you 2 hours to dry a single load...still we kept you, my frugal dh seemed inordinately attached to you! I put up a clothes line outside to help ease your burden.

Finally, after these many years, your ceaseless tossing and drying of clothes stopped abruptly. Dh hopefully checked the internet for symptoms of your "illness." OH NO, not a burned out motor--can you imagine--after 14 years, thousands of dry cycles, 5 babies, you finally burned out. I consoled dh as we began to look at replacements. We heartily welcome the newest member of our family, who to my delight, can with it's lovely 7.1 cubic feet of roominess, dry a load in 25 minutes flat: