Still Life with Mangoes, Banana, and Po in Crockpot

Arranged by Artist-in-residence Emmett.

(while his little sister was busy decorating the kitchen with a full bottle of garlic powder....)

It's a good thing she's cute part 3....

I had to run to our church today to pick up a book. The kids know the layout of the church like it is their house, so of course Charlotte got away from me.

How did I find her?

Well, it helped that she had filched my celphone from my bag on her way out the door. She had managed to activate the camera, which says "Say Cheese!" before it takes a picture.

I followed the sounds of the camera followed by a little voice saying "Sheese!"

Signs of Spring.

Richard is blaming my sudden interest on the newly budding leaves of this lilac bush on "crazy pregnancy hormones".... I just think the baby leaves are really pretty!

Thursday Funnies.

Emmett likes birds.

I sort of see this blog as a journal to chronicle my family's history and milestones in. To that end the following story took place yesterday afternoon while I was digging in the dirt....

We have a beautiful ornamental cranberry tree in our front yard. The birds have been flying in and eating last year's fruit from the branches and entertaining our kids in the process. Emmett gets so excited to see the birds he runs right up to the tree with a big smile on his face. He can't understand why the birds won't talk to him.

I decided to hang a feeder to attract the birds. (I will be asking for a birdbath for Mother's Day too.) Yesterday Emmett saw some robins pecking the ground in our neighbour's yard. He ran up to them to tell them about the feeder--I know this because he signed "Eat" and pointed towards our seed. The birds didn't stick around to see what he was talking about. I have tried to explain that if he wants to see the birds he must sit quietly on our porch and just look at them. He wiggles with excitement to see them eating and just can't stay put. He always runs in for a closer look.

I don't know who to feel sorry for: the birds who just want to eat, or Emmett who just wants to make friends.

Grow, baby, grow.

Well, it seems that it is not enough for me to grow a person inside my belly. A strange sensation has taken over me since a weekend of sunshine and heat recharged my batteries.

I must go play in the dirt.

My mind is swirling with thoughts of flowers and salad fixings and fresh herbs whenever I want them. I have never had such a strong urge to plant a garden before. My space is limited so I must make every square inch count.

I have jiffy pots planted with flower seeds and gourmet salad greens. On my mental shopping list is tomato, cucumber and herb seedlings as soon as the magical May Long Weekend deadline passes. I ran out of jiffy pots before I ran out of seeds so on my return trip to the grocery store I may end up coming home with little packets of parsely, cilantro and basil seeds too. I am out of control! I spent Charlotte's nap time digging up a fresh flower bed in my front lawn where several shrubs were removed during the construction of our new porch. I have visions of flowerboxes brimming with fragrant herbs dancing in my head.

Is this how my nesting instinct is going to manifest itself this time???

Stolen from CTG

Housekeeping A to Z

aprons - y/n?
Yes--a red one I wear when I am in a Domestic Goddess mood or if I am wearing white and eating spaghetti. I would love a 50's housewife frilly number!

baking - y/n?
Yes, but Richard is better at it than I am.

clothesline - y/n?
Yes--I love it! Nothing beats climbing into a bed made with sheets fresh off the line.

donuts - ever made them?
Richard has--he's the deepfry king of our house.

everyday - one homemaking thing you do everyday?
Wash dishes

freezer - do you have a separate deep freezer?
Yes - it is holding half a cow and leftovers right now.

garbage disposal - y/n
Yes--we are on our second one now because I broke the first one.

handbook - y/n?
I have the Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy....does that count? (Oh yeah, and How to be a Domestic Goddess)

ironing - love it or hate it?
I didn't know iron could be a verb.

junk drawer - where is it?
We have a junk basement.

kitchen - design and decorating?
White melamine cabinets, green countertops and hardwood floors that need replacing.

love - what is your favorite part of homemaking?
Cleaning when the kids and dog aren't around so I can enjoy the fruits of my labours for more than three minutes

mop - y/n?
Not often enough

nylons - wash them by hand or in the washer?
Mesh bag in the washer--although I try to avoid wearing them at all costs.

oven - do you use the window or open it to check?
Yes.

pizza - what do you put on yours?
Cheese, ham, pineapple, green peppers.

quiet - what do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Surf the internet or dive into a book.

recipe card box?
No. I keep my recipes in a binder

style of house?
90-years old, two storeys

tablecloths and napkins - y/n?
No--accidents waiting to happen in our house! (Someday though......)

under the kitchen sink
Cleaning supplies, trash bags, extra shopping bags, cleaning rags

vacuum - how many times a week?
At least two to three, should be daily.

wash - how many loads do you do a week?
I don't want to know. I am sure the number would make me cry.

x’es - do you keep a list of things to do and cross them off?
I base my shopping list on a weekly menu. I go in and out of to-do list making phases.

yard - who does what?
I do the flowerbeds, Richard does the rest.

zzz’s - what is your last homemaking task for the day?
Dishes every night, some nights folding laundry to brainless TV.

I Like Ravioli!

I just showed you pictures of Charlotte all cleaned up and dressed like a lady. That is not her natural state. This is more like it! What you don't see in the pictures is that by the end of dinner she even had tomato sauce in the curls on the back of her head. She is a talented little girl!

See How We've Grown!

I haven't posted many pictures of the kids lately. These ones were taken on Sunday at church. Isn't Charlotte's dress just so, so pretty? A kind playgroup mom passed it on to me when her daughter outgrew it. Char looked like a princess in it, even if she didn't act like one in it!

"It's not a cat."

Quote from the hilarious ultrasound tech at my appointment today. There was a cancellation at some point in the day so everyone was ahead of schedule and in high spirits. I actually got in a full 20 minutes before my scheduled time. It is a good thing I arrived early!

So, after giving almost everyone who read my blog on Sunday heart failure (hee, hee, I am gooooood!) Here is the real lowdown on what has been keeping me from my skinny jeans lately:

There is a single (ONE) healthy 18-week old fetus in my belly. Two arms, two legs, a beautiful straight spinal column that looked like a string of pearls encased inside a beautiful straight neural tube. A four-chambered heart that was pumping away at a brisk 150 beats per minute, and a beautifully formed skull with a leetle brain inside to top it off. Baby performed for the camera and gave us a big yawn and chewed his/her fist while we both watched. This was Richard's first ultrasound appointment--he skipped Charlotte's and I didn't have an ultrasound with Emmett. I am glad this one turned out so well.

Baby thinks my bladder is a comfy pillow. I did not need an ultrasound tech to give me that bit of news. I knew that already!

I won't know the sex of the kiddo until late August when he/she is born--they don't give out that information in our province. It really isn't important to me anyway. I know whoever is in there is healthy and intact and that is all that matters.

I am jaded and cynical and think one ultrasound pic looks like another so Google 18-week ultrasound pictures if you want to see what my bean looks like. Really--I have my pic and saw a bunch online and I wouldn't be able pick mine out if it didn't have my name on it.

There you go--no twins. I swear!

Guess What??

We're having twins!!!!


More info to come later.....

Happy April Fool's Day!!!