Precious Sight

The past 30 hours have been some of the roughest I've ever experienced, and let me remind you that I birthed two babies without a single drug.

Thursday evening me and the kids were staying over at Sue's house on her hideabed and in the middle of the night I itched my eye. I had instant and extreme pain in it. I tried to flush it out with water to no avail, so I figured that I had scratched my cornea. It was 1:00 a.m. I then had to try to go back to sleep with sharp pain in my eye that hurt so badly that my ears rang all night. No surprise, I didn't get much sleep that night & I spent a lot of time thinking. I was wondering what it would be like to loose my sight. This was as close as I could come to being blind. I couldn't open one eye and the other doesn't work very well because it can't focus. I had no clear vision & it was scary!

In the morning Chi came and picked us up and took me to the eye doctor. It turns out that I had foreign object under my eye that was scratching my eye like a Brillo pad all night. The doctor removed it and called it "debris."

I was in a lot of pain throughout the day yesterday, but at least I could open my eye.

I slept for 13 hours last night and woke up this morning, and I can see. It's not great vision, but I'm sure I'll be totally recovered by the end of the weekend.

Sight is such a precious gift and I realize that now more than ever.

Cupcake Action

Papa got Hannah a Lil’ Gourmet Cutie Cupcake set for her birthday, and every since, the kids have been begging me to make cupcakes with them.  Today, I finally gave in and we made some.  They include a few different recipes that are for small batches of 24 tiny cupcakes.

The process was very fun, and surprisingly, the end result was tasty.  They really took the time to create yummy recipes.

All set to bake

Licking the mixer and spatula is a must!

All done

The perfect little bite for everyone

Photo Shoot

I did an impromptu photo shoot with the kids last week.  The light that was coming in the bay window was beautiful!  I wanted to share my favorite photo of each of them.

This is before Hannah put a Lego in her nose.

Princess Hannah’s Party

After weeks of planning, the big day was finally here. Hannah asked for a Princess party, and a princess party she had. We had a Princess Hair & Makeup station thanks to Sue and Princess crafts for all to enjoy.

The day was so fun! Thanks to all of the family and friends who joined us in celebrating Hannah.

Sweet Miriam

Autumn and Myles were being entertained by their cousins with all of the kitchen stuff

Hansee and Autumn in her Princess Dress

Marva and the spread

Hannah was putting sparkly power on her legs

Hannah then turned me into a frog

Mischa and Hannah hanging out watching Princess hair in action

The action

Getting ready for cake

All of the kiddos

Tre, Tres, Three

However you say it, it’s sounds strange!  My little girl is 3.  It feels like only yesterday she was a sweet little baby, then a terror that cried constantly and nearly cost her mother her sanity.

Now she’s the sweetest little girl I could imagine, with just the right amount of sass.  She is so loving and is great at sharing! She is becoming so independent now and loves to spend an amazing amount of time each day on Starfall, learning her ABC’s and practicing her computer skills.

We had a great celebration at home on Hannah’s Birthday.  Daddy made her Pasta Nove and then we had cake.

I got her the ribbon that we got for Emmi’s Christmas gift that she enjoyed so much.

She really likes it!

Spring is near

I saw the first sign that Spring is coming and it’s a few weeks early.  I saw my hellebores popping up through the leaves and between last season’s growth.  It’s a beautiful sign that always reminds me of how wonderful Spring is.  Spring is about new beginnings, with fresh, clean leaves, new growth, and beautiful new buds waiting to burst into a new season.

This makes me H-A-P-P-Y!

Hear ye, hear ye…

We are throwing Hannah a Princess Party for her 3rd Birthday.  The Princess Party was her request and we are in full party planning mode.

I made her a princess hat yesterday with the help of the kids & it turned out great.  The problem is that Hannah doesn't like wearing it.  No surprise there.

The task of the day is finalizing the menu for the “Royal Snacks” being served at the party and making sure there will be food for both the kids and adults to enjoy.

New PJ’s

These are the Ladybug and Bumble Bee PJ’s that I ordered for the kids for Christmas.  It makes me really happy that they love them.

They are just so darn cute!

So much for laundry

Oh well!  I’ll finish it later.

Out with the old..

In with the new to me.

Our vinyl chairs for our 50’s kitchen set had their last day on Friday when Ian’s knee went through the bottom of his seat.  I’ve been thinking that bentwood chairs would be a nice option, and found these beauties on craigslist for a steal.

If you know me at all, you know about my love of antiques.  I just don’t have much interest in buying new furniture with poor construction and veneers that can peel and your piece in ruined.  Yes, antiques can have veneer too, but at least they’re thick, and if they get a scratch you can refinish it, or it just adds to the character.  A scratch on a new piece and you see pressed board beneath.  Most pieces are made of solid wood, and good woods, walnut, cherry, & mahogany for a fraction of what new furniture costs.  In the end you have quality, timeless furnishings that will last.

No coffee needed here

Now that I have a new Spring-form pan, I can make my favorite coffee cake recipe again.  The new pan has a bunt attachment, so I’ll have to come up with a good recipe to try that out.

 

Ian was eating the crumbs of this off the table.  The best of compliments!

A New Year

It’s great to get a fresh start and the New Year is a fantastic opportunity to make positive changes in your life.

This past year was a good year for me as I left my home office to a real office in Pioneer Square and began separating my home and work lives.

My resolution last January was to make more time for myself, and to not feel guilty about it.  This year I’m continuing to build upon that to include doing more things for myself beyond just getting out of the house.  I want to focus on the things that I enjoy, like photography, by taking more photos and by building a darkroom in our basement. I will better myself through working out on a regular basis and just take better care of my body.