fourth smoothie

we enjoyed this delicious strawberry banana smoothie at lunch on the fourth. spent the evening with some lovely long time friends. long time friends are a delight. you always just pick up right where you left off, even if you left off long ago.

~type to you soon~

fresh from the garden this morning

the kids have already downed every little bit of this...i had one pea.

~type to you soon~

morning lows and highs

lows:

up this morning at 5:30 with the boys. momma grouchy...very grouchy

highs:

coffee...starbucks coffee...lots of coffee

bike ride to the market with my daddy...felt like a little girl again...even with the sleep deprivation

cookie factory in the kitchen

same boys that woke me up at 5:30 licking "batter stirwers" in the words of g. smacking lips and smiles

the prospect of a nap for all this afternoon
~type to you soon~

photo credit: corbis images

how i roll

here is how i do chocolate chip cookies. double the batch...sometimes triple...bake a cookie sheet full...roll the rest into a cookie sheet servings (about 2 cups of batter) into wax paper rolls. then place the rolls in a gallon size freezer bag. plop those suckers in the freezer. pull out a single cookie sheet serving whenever you like and wha-la...home made chocolate chippers anytime without the big mess in the kitchen.

~type to you soon~

we have a new store charming charlie in our area and i am thrilled. talk about a girls dream. it is this really fun accessory store and it is grouped by color, perfect for the slightly organizationally obsessive person that i am. i just loved it. here is the gift that i gave myself today.

~type to you soon~

a gift from a friend

this may not seem like an extravagant gift to most but to me it meant the world. these are my favorites and if you have been following this blog for any length of time you know the untimely death that approximately 5 endless hydrangea bushes have experienced at the suburban farm. the gift...means so much because this friend knows me, and it was a gift for no reason...just because, and this friend well she is just that kind of girl who knows when another girl could use a hydrangea. love you friend!

~type to you soon~

a weakness of mine

these are delightful...they were first found on a homegoods clearance rack in st. louis by one of my dearest friends. she busted those puppies open and we browsed the aisle munching on the goodness of salty and sweet. it may have been one of the more enjoyable homegoods trips i have experienced.

since they are not easy to find, and they are usually not on the clearance rack, and i ravished (like a wild beast) through a package of them that i found at homegoods a few weeks ago we made some for ourselves yesterday.

let me STRONGLY recommend you making yourself some! S-T-R-O-N-G-L-Y!!!!

we used ghirardelli milk chocolate chips and they were fantastic, in fact there are none left. i am currently considering making more here in the next 5 minutes or so, no let's make that now(i have no control over myself or will power). hold on, i be back in about 20...

ok i'm back (surely i can handle finishing this post before the lack of self control takes over)

i think these will be part of our christmas gifts to our friends this year. i can just see these little lovelies nestled in a tin with some waxed paper cut with some fancy edges.

let me know if you make some of these little goodies because goodness knows i won't be able to share mine until christmas when i will have to because that's just what you do at christmas time.

~type to you soon~

mothers day

mothers day

• slept in (8:00) glorious


• mr. dc dressed the little ones for church and they looked really nice


• new running shoes


• marigolds for the garden


• even better the excited faces that gave the gifts


• church...phe-nom-e-nal!!!!!!!!


• baby dedication and little bums resting on momma's or daddy's arm...lots of little ones dedicated to the Lord


• lunch with mr. dc's family


• evening and dinner with mine


• a run...alone


• mr. dc did bedtime for little ones


• lovely weather all day

i would love to hear about your day!

~type to you soon~

photo credit: images.com

fashion forward or fashion flawed

little cheeks has the odds stacked against her in regard to fashion awareness. i have always been a little fashion challenged or maybe the better term is fashion careless. i like it if it's comfy, makes me look thinner than i really am, or has a lands end tag in the back. really those are the qualifications for fashion in my book. so when i saw this beauty today i asked myself...has she broken the trend of fashion-less-ista's of the family? OR is she blindly following in the footsteps of a domestically aware woman who needs a stylist? either way she is the cutest thing i have ever seen in a pink polka dot crinoline puffed skirt and snow boots.

~type to you soon~

gift idea

here is a fun gift idea if you know anyone with a cricut. bought the jar at walmart for $9. i will be back in full swing tomorrow. took a couple days to spend with friends in st. louis. nothing like being with good friends. one of life's true gifts!

~type to you soon~

let me introduce you

to a chocolate delight you will not want to miss. this sweet little nugget of deliciousness is by far worth the short amount of time that it takes to make vs. tearing open an envelope. hot cocoa you don't want to miss...

1 can of eagle brand milk

i never really measure the amount of cocoa i add to it but if i had to guess i would say about 7 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder to the eagle brand milk. add about 1/4 cup of the mixture to the bottom of the cup. pour hot water (the temp you like to drink cocoa at) over the mixture. add some redi-whip if it's handy. if not the drink stands alone. no need for the fluff. oh and those sprinkles, those little gems are left over from graeters ice cream shop and they are heavenly too!

the carmel corn is not to shabby either
~type to you soon~

making due

with what you have...creating beauty and spending no money. liriope in the landscaping makes a lovely centerpiece. ~type to you soon~

today

we painted our toes today and gave ourselves the new last name of foofoo. time with the girl.
what did you do today?
~type to you soon~

picture credit:dreamstime

money saving tip for the day...

open your windows

are yours open?

~type to you soon~

picture credit: farm 1

all in a days work

i decided yesterday that i was loosing valuable hours while the kids were playing outside in the backyard. i loaded up the sewing machine and took it out on the screened in porch, plugged the thing in, and got to work. it was relatively pleasant other than the few fires that had

to be put out in the sandbox. here is what the afternoon yeilded. remember that

$5 or $10 chair that i bought at an estate sale.

well here is what it looks like now

would you like to come and sit on the screened in porch with me?

total chair cost: $17

~type to you soon~

my new love~serviceberries

we have these 2 lovely bushes in our landscaping called service berry bushes or juneberries depending what part of the country you are from. they have been a part of our landscaping for about 7 years, and each year they flower in the spring and then berry in june. each year we have admired their beauty but not looked into the plants. well this year was different. with the economy in the gutter and our new mindset of running a "small farm" in a suburban neighborhood we looked into these little beauties. they are not only edible, they are delicious. the kids have gobbled them up the past few days at every meal and i made a pie with them last night. it is the most delicious berry pie. the berries have the best flavor. i have eaten the pie for breakfast and lunch. good thing we are about out of these berries or i would have to have some discipline where these little spheres of delectableness are concerned. you better go check your landscaping and see if you have one. and if not check your neighbors. i am sure they won't mind (hehehe).

recipe for the pie coming soon.

what is that i feel?

open your windows

glorious!

~type to you soon~