Giant Roosters and More!

Miss M and I recently went on a little adventure that included what is the largest one-day antique/flea market I have ever seen. It's a fundraiser for the local symphony that was started over 40 years ago and gets bigger every year. With over 300 vendors and high temperatures, Miss M and I maybe saw about half of the booths before we decided we were hot and tired!
I didn't get a picture, but one of our most favorite things to browse was a booth with several boxes and albums of postcards. It was a mix of old newer, some with messages that had actually been mailed. One dated back to 1911! The handwriting was faded and difficult to read. Another one from 1943 was written to a soldier back home on the farm from the war. The sender wrote about the heat but "I know you must be thankful and happy to be working in the fields instead of marching somewhere."

 Really fun yard art made from recycled metals - we bought this cute little puppy from the booth.

 

I have never seen a fire hydrant open like this except on Sesame Street when I was a kid. Miss M was all too happy to pose for a few shots while she cooled off a bit.

Cooling OFF!!

We bought some much needed cold drinks from this fire truck-turned-food truck. They will come to birthday parties - wouldn't that be fun?

We snagged a few Christmas gifts for some folks and I selected a set of bird S&P shakers for my collection. I don't know how old they are exactly, but they are stamped "Japan" on the bottom so I know that means certainly not new! Most of the ones I inherited from my Grandmommie were stamped Japan and they were purchased in the earlier days of her marriage, before my mom and aunts were born. We were hot and tired but already want to go again next year!

Welcome Summer!

I really need to get back in to this blogging thing. Wow - almost two months since my last post! Today was the first day of summer vacation. It's a little bittersweet because Mr. C will be starting kindergarten in the fall. Because of that, I want the summer to stretch out but I know that instead August will come rushing up to me.
But enough of that sappy stuff - on to welcoming summer!

 A few months ago, I bought a Groupon for a one half hour carriage ride around the base of the Arch. Today's weather was perfect for the outing. A mild 78 degrees, with sun and a slight breeze. Add two silly children and an "aunt" and the day was complete!

I think Mr. C's favorite part was sitting on the banks of the river and throwing driftwood in! We also enjoyed watching a few boats on the water and the tour helicopter as well. A stop by Jilly's Cupcakes for an afternoon sugar rush and the day one of summer was pretty much in the books.

Boys and Cars

Back in the fall, we took a day to visit a car museum in our area. We invited Mr. C's "BFF" and his mom to join us. The boys had lots of fun. 

 

This cream beauty was one of my favorites.

They were pretty sure this one was related to Francesco from Cars 2.

The two moms learned that the original Volkswagen brand was designed by Ferdinand Porsche but Adolf Hitler took a hand in the planning too.

We were the only ones there, so one of the workers took us into the workshop. The boys were able to get inside a few vehicles and "drive".

I Lost My Pants in the Swimming Pool and other fun stuff...

No, not really! But last summer the kids and I enjoyed a free library concert by Babaloo. With titles like "The Wee Wee Dance", "My Hair Had a Party Last Night", and the above mentioned swimming pool incident my whole family laughs, sings, and dances along to his CD's. The entire family was able to attend another free concert near our home earlier this year and Babaloo sang wee wee dance as a special request from our family!

The lyrics are probably a bit obnoxious to some parents, but after teaching kindergarten/preschool for 6 years I am hear to tell you that kids laugh/talk about gas/boogers even if you don't think they do! I figure if I can't beat 'em, I should join 'em. Besides, it's a whole lot less obnoxious than Justin Bieber! And we do still listen to Go Fish and VBS CD's so often I think we will wear them out someday.

Here's a link to a video a local teacher did with her class for "The Wee Wee Dance".

Nothing says fun like a paint roller with toilet paper attached to a leaf blower. Babaloo's quote "I know what all the dads are going to be trying in the garage this afternoon!"

Snow, Snow, & More Snow

Snow day #1...somebody get these poor children a sled! They are on trash can lids.

Snow Day #2: Down the slide and into an already deep pile of snow!

This was A LOT of snow.

Snow Day #2 and #3: Miss M and I spent a long time shoveling, shoveling, and shoveling the white stuff.

Look Mama! No legs! Hudson had some trouble navigating the deep snow as well. He pretty much just jumped over it like a rabbit.

(Thank goodness for snow pants.) Whew...this shoveling stuff can really wear a guy out.

my helper...and she really did work hard.

Can we go in now? Please???

Even the Touchdown Hog just about disappeared...along with a most of my yard!

Showing me how deep the snow was. He's just too cool in the shades, don't you think?

My friends from further north think this is a just a little bit of snow, but it was an amazing amount to this girl from down South! Too bad Miss M had to miss 3 days of school over the course of two weeks though...a few more days and it will really cut into summer break.

Trunk or Treat, Minnie Mouse, & Go Fish

Our church hosted a trunk or treat for the first time this year. Even though we have known about it for several weeks, our family didn't decide on our theme until last night! We put it all together in just about an hour after church today and everything we used came from our house - no additional purchases!

The giant suckers are part of my porch decorations for Christmas. The candy and jars were collected from around the house and in the pantry.

Minnie and Jason from Go Fish, with our porch ghost and Scooby jack-o-lantern. (Minnie costume purchased at a thrift store after Halloween last year. Go Fish track suit was a hand-me-down from friends. Total spent for both costumes: $15.)

 a blurry tiger...it was pretty windy and I was shivering! They even had it rigged up to ROAR!

 The rockin' Wright family

The winning car, as voted on by the children. Judging from the comments and kids who said they were going to vote for us, Miss M thinks we must have been a close second.

Finally at home again...posing for one last costume shot with the addition of Hudson "Super Dog".  Now excuse me while I go raid some trick-or-treat bags!

Simple Lunch Turned Special

We live in a large city with tons of things to do every day of the summer, but some days it is nice to just stay home. We recently had such an "at home day". It started out fine, but by lunch time the wee ones were in need of a distraction of some kind. First off, they dined on hot dogs and Cheetos, with a side of fruit and milk to drink. Hot dogs are a rare treat at our house...they usually mean that I am sick and/or really tired and that's all I could come up with!

Hot dogs are excitement enough but served in these cute retro baskets....and with little personal flags too? It was just what we all needed on a hot summer day! You don't have to use the baskets - just try a simple flag in your family's waffles, sandwich, fresh fruit...and see if they don't enjoy the special little touch.

(Thanks to my bloggy buddy Nikki for this idea!)

Original Cupcake Artwork by Miss M

Remember way back in SEPTEMBER when I talked about pulling off the kitchen wallpaper and painting? Well, the painting has been done for some time now but I kept putting off hanging anything up on the wall because I just wasn't sure what I wanted.

Thanks to a birthday gift from my SIL, I was inspired to go with some black accents, with a few cupcakes for color. I commissioned an original piece of art from Miss M. My mom, Cupcake Nana, helped a wee bit but Miss M did a lot of the work herself!

Indulge me for one more second...Miss M learned today that a sample of her original writing will be published in the district literary magazine.

More kitchen update pictures coming soon!

Giraffe & Ostrich Gone WILD!!

Miss M had a 1/2 day on Friday and Daddy was off early, so the family headed to the zoo in our city. A favorite stop is always the giraffes. We were excited to see how much the baby had grown since our last visit in November. There are also two ostriches who live with the giraffe family - usually they just ignore one another.

Imagine our surprise when we came upon one ostrich and the baby kicking, pecking, and chasing one another. Finally, the baby went to the area with the adults and came back out front with its mom. Then he strutted around the ostrich as if to say "nana-nana boo boo"!

This first video shows most of the action, with a big kick from the giraffe at the end. The second clip shows a little action but mostly highlights the aggressive side of of Mr C as he continually roots for the giraffe, shouting things like "Get him giraffe! Kick him!" I tell you, it sounded like we have taken him to boxing matches or something....

The otters were also going at it - tugging and dunking one another in their pool. I wasn't too surprised by that since I have read that otters are very playful by nature. I have emailed the zoo to ask them about all the crazy giraffe/ostrich match up and will post if/when I get an answer!
*I heard back from the zoo. The ostrich is new to the zoo and trying to find his place. He also was probably feeling protective and/or showing off for the other ostrich - a female. Makes sense, doesn't it?

Love Is In the Air

It's 2 days until my birthday and 5 days before Valentine's Day. It is also 2 days until Miss M's class Valentine Party. Let's just say I have been busy! Take a peek at what I've been up to the last two weeks or so...

Teacher Gift prototype...directions will follow in the next post!
You know how I love a festive mailbox...using a scrap of pink tulle, the last of some really old silk flowers, a little floral tape, and a strand of Mardi Gras beads...Miss M's Cupcake Love Shirt...made using the same technique from our matching Christmas shirts
seasonal love banner using paper and stickers...
A late night snow that was too fine for snowballs or snowmen...instead we "stomped" out messages and designs which included the heart above and a happy birthday cupcake to help our neighbor celebrate her special day today. Several schools were called off today, more for the frigid temperatures than the measly few inches of snow we received. Even though it is warmer in my freezer than it is outside, we braved it for a bit today! Their cheeks looked like Raggedy Ann and Andy after just a few minutes.
Right now, I have 3 dozen cake balls chillin in the freezer, waiting for their transformation to cake pops from Bakerella's site. I guess I could have just set them in the screened in porch, huh? Don't get excited...mine will not be anything near as fancy as hers!