Super Hero Shirts

I have happily made my kids (and my best friend’s kids) ornaments the past two Christmases. This Christmas, I had a SNAFU with the paint-your-own pottery place and it didn’t happen.

Luckily, I thought of a different fun thing to make for the kids: Super Hero Shirts! Piecing together info from tutorials on APPLIQUE (hate that word – sounds boring and stodgy), I came up what I think are some pretty cute t’shirts.

I might write a tutorial after a while, but here’s the jist. You iron on some heat ‘n’ bond to the back of some scrap fabric. You cut out shapes/letters, etc. and then you bond those to your t’shirt wherever you like them. Then using whatever stitch works for you, you sew around the edges. Each shirt took me about 30 minutes and I am in LOVE with them (and the kids who wear them).

In the Fog

Endure. That is the name of the game I'm playing this week. I've got some sort of funky not-quite-a-cold thing … it's sort of lingering in my throat and upper respiratory area. Just a bit of a sore throat and some throat-clearing coughing. But I'm not stuffed up … knock on wood.

Thank goodness, because we're packing up this week. Happily, the holiday on Friday means my 10 hour days get turned into 8 hour days so I can sneak in some extra packing before the kids get home. I did the dining room and living room as well as the kids' closet (filled with puzzles and DVDs and coloring books and trucks) last night between my extra hours and Matt and I working in the evening while my sister played with the kids. I need ferret out more boxes today and then we'll attack some more areas of the kitchen and family room. If any floor has to be packed up, this is BY FAR the easiest one, so I'm grateful for that!

So I will happily endure this week of fuzzy head and less-than-thrilling objectives to make it to next week when I get to have a whole week of fresh air and (hopefully) sunshine while we ski in Vail and take a much-needed break. And when that's all done, the madness can start again.

Christmas All Wrapped Up

 


I didn’t drop off the face of the earth (swear) … I’ve just been enjoying Christmas and all that comes with it. We had a very lovely Christmas and the many festivities surrounding it. We got to spend lots of time with friends and family.

 

The kids had an absolute BLAST. They got to see tons of people they hardly ever get to see and of course … THE PRESENTS. They were spoiled beyond belief. Tabby is loving her Marianne doll my parents got for her and changing her outfits as regularly as she changes her own. Ben is not quite as specific in his favorite but he is enjoying anything snuggly (Tickle-me-Elmo from my inlaws and the Pooh Bear my sister got for him) as well as anything that goes (Plasma car from Santa, trucks from … everyone) and of course books. Santa also brought him two Buzz action figures (read: one Buzz, one Woody) and he is a HUGE FAN.

Tabby of course was big into the whole deal and had a wonderful time, but I was surprised how much Ben got into everything. He was much more into unwrapping than I remember Tabby being at that same age – though I should remember, it is a form of destruction, one of his favorite everyday pastimes. He also talked up a storm … it seems his language explosion happened right before Christmas and it was the perfect gift.

Matt and I of course were not left out in the cold either. We got lovely gifts from many. I’m carrying a new purse with me to work today and I have about 10 new items of clothing to try on. Matt got plenty of new clothes too and an Egg Bot from some crazy person (me).

Sadly, we have already put away Christmas at our house (boo. sad.) and this week is the start of a whirlwind packing job. We will simultaneously pack up the main floor of our house (dining room, living room, family room, kitchen) and pack our family to be away for two weeks. While we’re gone, hardwood floors will be installed and I really cannot wait. I want them … but I also really want the whole thing to be over with.

I hope you had a lovely Christmas and I’d love to hear all about it. Cheers!

Making a List and Checking it Twice

Here's what I've been up to. Wonder if I've been more naughty or nice?

• taking Tabby to 2x weekly swim lessons (last one tonight!!)
• sending off our holiday cards
• watching Tabby perform at her Christmas program (soooo cute!)
• neglecting laundry
• sneaking out for a nice dinner with Matt
• neglecting the concepts of a clean house
• listening to Ben talk up a storm
• trying to get packages ready to take to the post office
• running on my treadmill
• to make up for eating lots of stuff I probably shouldn't (who keeps leaving fudge in the office kitchen!??!)
• closing on our re-fi (3.75 BOOYA!)
• ignoring the fact that (Santa and) I have about 50 packages to wrap
• not sleeping enough
• counting the days 'til Christmas (9) and my vacation (14)
• making myself crazy thinking about having to pack up our house before vacation
• contemplating (but not actually executing) a site redesign
• gluing glitter to anything that will stand still

What's up with y'all?

2010 in Review: Visual Media

I doubt it will surprise you, but I didn't play a lot of games or see a lot of movies or TV in 2010 … at least not compared with other years of my existence. I spent most of my time working and being with my family. But I fit some in here and there.

Favorite Movie Seen in a Theatre: I can probably count on one hand the movies I saw in the theatre, but I absolutely LOVED Tangled!!
Favorite Movie Rented from Netflix: Outsourced … now coincidentally one of my favorite TV shows
Favorite TV Show: Big Bang Theory has made me laugh a LOT this year … it's truly inspired.
Treadmill Favorite: Biggest Loser, duh.
Favorite Kids' Show: *blink* *crickets* *blink*
Guilty Pleasure: Teen Mom (*hanging head in shame*)
Favorite Show I Watch with Matt: Top Chef! … though I wasn't a big fan of the pastry series …
Show I Gave Up On: Gossip Girl … don't know what's going on there, don't care
Fave Full Video Game: toss up between Civ V and Sims 3
Fave Casual Video Game: Farm Frenzy Farm Frenzy Farm Frenzy!!!
Fave Console Game: EA Active
Looking Forward to Next Year: well Matt just got a PS3, so I want to check out some of the Karaoke options available with Rock Band … I also can't wait to take Ben to his first movie, presumably Cars 2!!

Stop. Breathe. Blog.

early christmas

We've been crazy busy at Casa Nichols this last little bit. Our Nashville Family flew in last Tuesday and that kicked off a crazy fun week. Wednesday Matt and I worked and Tabby and Ben got to play with The Nashvillians (as I affectionately refer to them). That evening we had dinner at my father in law's favorite restaurant, THE FORT (home of Rocky Mountain Oysters and other unusual eats). Thursday it was up to Vail for some skiing. Tabby went for a couple of hours and had a wonderful time. I was amazed to see how much 8 months time matters to her abilities. She was doing amazingly well. I think we'll put her into lessons here pretty soon. The rest of us got some great time on beautiful, uncrowded slopes. It was a lovely day and every time we rode the lift, you could just breathe in beautiful pine smell.

Friday I deviated from my norm and went into work. I had to take care of some stuff that I hadn't been able to do on Thursday and the kids got to play with their Nashville Family some more. That evening, my Step Mom in Law cooked us a nice dinner and we followed it up with a trip to Apex where we tested our mettle on the ice. My sister in law is pretty good and the rest of us ranging from abysmal (me) to decent (Tabby – her first go on skates), but it was fun in any case.

Saturday we had a double header. We started out the morning by running errands and then getting the kids down for early naps. Then we all went to see Disney on Ice where the kids were spoiled/sugared to an inch of their lives. Both kids loved the show and Ben was (of course) particularly enthusiastic about the Toy Story gang. Afterward, Matt and I took off to my company Christmas party at the lovely Hudson Gardens and the kids took off with The Nashvillians to Chuck E. Cheese. Tabby had a wonderful time, ate cheese pizza and traded in $30 worth of tickets for a plastic snake she christened “Hissy Pis.” Ben apparently went a little insane and tried to make a break for it and take up residence in the ball pit rather than leave. They slept well (if only until 7).

Sunday was our early Christmas. We had a nice Christmas dinner (Honeybaked Ham – Matt was in heaven), mac 'n' cheese, scalloped potatoes, fruit salad and green salad. The kids got to open lots of great new toys and movies and books and we all played Dirty Santa. The Dirty Santa included THREE Snuggies.

It was a very nice visit and we had a lot of fun with our Nashville Family. As I told them, it is a big help to us to have them come here since traveling with little kids at anytime, but particularly around the holidays, is a BIG headache. I also enjoyed it since it forced me to get shopping, etc. done pretty early. Now I can coast just a bit and enjoy the next couple of weeks.

Oreo Truffles

from: Theresa Nichols

Ingredients
8oz cream cheese
1 pkg Oreos
24 oz semi sweet baking chocolate

Directions
Process Oreos in food processor to make fine crumbs. Combine 2.5 cups ore crumbs with cream cheese and form into balls. Melt chocolate over low heat, stirring constantly. Dip balls into chocolate and sprinkle with remaining crumbs. Allow to cool and harden on wax paper.

2010 in Review: Books

I set myself a goal to read 52 books (one book per week) for the whole of 2010. I honestly had no idea if I could do it or not. I rely on audio books for my reading. I listen to them on my commute as well as when I’m doing tedious sort of work at the office and when I’m falling asleep at night. But, surprisingly, it was a very easy goal to accomplish. As of today, I’ve finished 62 books and I think I’ll easily finish 2 or 3 more before the end of the year.

I really enjoyed almost every book I picked up, with one or two exceptions. Most of the books I read were light and fluffy with happy endings, but a couple were more thinking and I enjoyed them very much as well.

Favorite Fiction Book: Cutting for Stone … this was an amazing story and really really well written
Favorite Non Fiction Book I LOVED Born to Run. It tackled everything from history to anthropology and was a really stellar read.
Favorite Author: Susan Elizabeth Philips – I read 16 books of hers this year and greatly enjoyed every single one; JD Robb/Nora Roberts was a close second – I read 15 of her books.
Most Overrated Book: People LOVED Liar, but it just irritated me.
Book I couldn’t Finish: I barely made it a quarter for the way through A Reliable Wife … it was dark, cold, depressing and the big “surprise” I saw coming from a mile away.
Most Anticipated Book: toss up between Happy Ever After, the last book of The Bride Quartet, and Mockingjay, the last book of the Hunger Games Trilogy. I LOVED both of them.

I definitely plan to keep reading at this pace next year. There are so many great books out there!!

2010 in Review: Ben

 

ben2010
What a difference a year makes. This time last year, my sweet Ben was still quite baby-like but there is little of that left in him now. He’s a big boy in so so many ways. He’s given up his bottle. He runs and climbs and jumps everywhere. He talks up a storm (even though we still understand little of what he says). He sings. He throws. He blows kisses. He plays with other kids. He (sometimes) helps. He is BUSY.

 

He has had a good year, overall very healthy, though I’ve commented to many that I’ve seen about 3x more blood from him in 18 months than I’ve seen from Tabby in 43 months. It’s impossible not to compare him with Tabby at a similar age and I find it interesting. They really seem to live up to the boy-girl stereotypes. She was all fine motor skills and VERBAL. He is all PHYSICAL and quite mischievous. It’s really lovely to see and enjoy the differences in them.

Ben’s favorite thing right now is Toy Story … he is not much interested in anything on TV that is not Toy Story. He also loves anything he can throw or vroom … balls and cars for example, but also, in a pinch, blocks and dolls or food and books. He’s actually not very particular, come to think of it.

He is quite a snuggler and has a special attachment to his family, but to Matt in particular. He also is a big fan of my grandma, his GiGi. He says her name with relish and goes to check on her to make sure she’s coming to the table for dinner or keeping up with us at the zoo. We also recently discovered that Ben is having some stranger anxiety issues with our gym daycare. He’s fine without us, but not without us AND without Tabby (Sissy as he calls her). He pretty much worships his Sissy and loves it when she sings to him.

His chatter is mostly incomprehensible, but he does have about 50 words that are clear and a bunch of signs. He seems to pick up the signs more quickly than the verbalizations, so they are nice and very helpful. He has started stringing his words together in sentences as well, his most clear being “I wamma BaBa!!!” One of the funniest things he does is mug for the camera and loudly exclaim “Cheeeee!” when we point the camera at him.

He eats like a champ most of the time. I can probably point to applesauce as his favorite food. He still loves pasta and meatballs and any kind of “cakka!!! or cheeee!” (crackers and cheese). He is still very much attached to his milk, though he now drinks it from a sippy or a cup.

He is a sweet, sunny little guy with a mischievous streak that I adore. He has had a great year and I am so excited to see what 2011 has in store for him.

2010 in Review: Tabby

 

tabby2010
I have been creating calendars for our families this past couple of weeks and it is just unbelievable how much my babies change at this age. Ben is night and day different (as you’ll see tomorrow) from where he was a year ago, but Tabby has changed a lot, even physically. She has lost a lot of her baby look that was lingering and she seems like such a big girl to me.

 

Tabby had a lot of firsts and accomplishments in 2010. She learned to use the potty (thanks again, Grammy!), started school, went to the dentist for the first time, learned to write her name, and learned to ride a bike. Besides those biggies, there are 1000s of other little milestones she reached. She is an excellent helper and has learned tons of little tasks like setting the table, clearing her place, making her bed, folding square objects (blankets, towels, etc.) and washing her own hair. She has made great strides in academic matters as well and now writes most letters in the alphabet, knows something about their phonics, and can do simple addition.

For play time, I’ve noticed a shift between toys and activities. She still does plenty of pretend play, but she will also spend 30 minutes or more looking through books, working in her alphabet book, and even longer drawing or otherwise creating.

She has been delighted to watch her little brother develop from baby to playmate and they have become good buddies. They play chase a lot and get together on various other forms of play, though sharing (both resources and leadership) is sometimes a challenge.

It has been interesting to see that her cast of imaginary friends, including the much-beloved Sheena, has now been replaced by a cast of real-life friends from school, my mom’s group and her sitter’s. It’s interesting to hear about, particularly because it’s a world that’s all her own … another sign of independence.

I’m super excited to see what the next year will hold for her.