Cookies promote world peace!!! Mr. President pay attention.

So this really cool girl did a tag on her blog like 2 weeks ago.  Apparently she is really clever so when a number of her readers requested her whole wheat chocolate chip cookie recipe (including myself) she decided to post it on her blog and turn it into a game.  Sorry it took me so long. 

Let's see how it turned out @ our home.

We're all business when it comes to making cookies. Got my gear on and fired up the little black "Betty". Just because my little black Kitchen Aid has a name doesn't mean I use her regularly though. In fact this was a first for both her & I in 5 years. Thanks for the Christmas present 5 years ago Mom.

"Oh yeah Betty works".  S-W-E-E-T!

The excitement is building.

Finally.

Messy!

    

He ate so many cookies that he grew a chocolate mustache.

They ate twice as many cookies so they got a goatee to go with that mustache.

Finally just a sprinkle of antique silver glitter and....oh wait wrong project, I must be tired or something.

No, here's the project that took all of the glitter.  This is my Valentine's conversation tree.  It's talking about lots of love and stuff, just like the love these cookies made in our home.  Thanks Niki for the recipe, it was scrumdidilleelicious! If you want to love Niki's blog as much as I do or simply just want the recipe then go here.

We've made sooo much of this love that now it's time to go make some deliveries.

Love & PEACE out!

P.S. - Don't you think that if more people started making and eating cookies we could solve some of the worlds most complex problems?

What's happening here in this picture besides a cool green shirt to match a cool green vaccum?

Big "M" vaccums front room all by herself for the first time.

Big "M" gets a taste of what it's like to be in Moms shoes.

Kind of hard to get the cleaning done with babies.

Just wait until I show her how to do the dishes.

Babies are obsessed with dishwasher.

Nifty & Thrifty!

When I was in my first apartment with roommates they all use to make fun of me because I loved my nice little vintage items I had collected from various thrift store excursions. I guess it wasn't very cool back then or something. Well speaking of these roomies, every week we got together and met down @ the apartment clubhouse for a little social. We all took turns interviewing different apartments in hopes to get people to know each other better. The activities coordinator asked each one of us to describe our roommates in two words. The two words they used to describe me were "Nifty & Thrifty". I have loved the word nifty ever since and use it whenever I can ( if I refer to someone or something as nifty than you have really made it in life). I especially love the word thrifty because it usually means going on a treasure hunt.

Anyway, I used to spend countless days during the summertime with my sisters digging at the biggest gold mine of a place in Afton, Wyoming called Smiths Seconds (first person to get me a picture of that place wins a prize). The town itself only had 1500 people so with this huge second hand store that was always dead you can imagine the prospects. It's like the place was locked up for a century and then in 1994 they decided to open it back up like a time capsule. Have you ever been involved with a time capsule? Well I have, and I buried it in my own backyard for 1 month until I couldn't stand it anymore. If I told you I was excited back then to dig up my long lost treasure than probably my thrill with hunting them out @ the stores would come as no surprise. Still to this day if I had time I would be on a constant treasure hunt. Since time is so limited, I don't make it out much.  Not the case last week. Yep I packed up them thrifty triplets & met up with one of my closest friends at the nearest thrift center by my girls preschool.  I'd never had so much fun in two hours. We both came home with many different items. The highlight for me were the vintage CIRCA 1978 posters. I love artwork and when I saw these my heart skipped a beat. Two are more contemporary lithographed prints that are beautiful and the third was an artichoke print. Well after I got them home I googled the prints. I found out a little of their background. What I was shocked to find out was that the artichoke print was actually worth more than the other prints. The lithographed prints were going for about $150 a piece and the artichoke print was in the range of $400 - $500. I know that may not sound like much but considering I only paid $5.00 a piece and I liked them to boot meant that I was on cloud nine. So the moral of the story is, call me to go on a date to the thrift store and I'll be your best friend or Antique Roadshow here I come!

Keno brothers rule!

I thought this lamp had potential with a fresh makeover.

Stacey found these beauties. Wouldn't they look great in an office.

Nice new but old prints.  Not too shabby that these prints are going for around $700 total.

{Not pictured, all of the cool new costume jewelry @ half price}

What a great day!

SupercaliFRAZZLElisticexpialidocious

Here's the thing, if I'm having a hard time I probably wouldn't blog about it.  Most things in my life are good and I choose to focus and capture those moments, but if someone were to ask about the whole picture than they would get much more than is ever posted on this blog. For example take a look at the above pictures.  One may see very happy faces.  I see something a little different.  Let me just keep it real and tell the other part of the story behind those pictures because today it may make me feel better to sort things out in blogland.  Let's first start out by saying I am drug free.  That's right nada, nothing, nunca.  I thought I better establish that first because I get many reactions from people that allude to them thinking I must be taking a little somethin somethin or thinking I need to start taking something but whatever which way I will take ownership that I could be part crazy.  

To preface I have been a little extra frazzled as of late.  I can't seem to get my head above water. I guess I've also been feeling guilty because I don't get my kids out in the sunshine enough so I loaded all of them up and took them to the park by myself.  I even brought my camera along just in case I had a spare moment.  Well let's just say that after we got there I quickly got over the fact that the boys were eating sand.  I had bigger fish to fry with one running into the street every minute, the other who wouldn't quit crying, two girls who wanted to be pushed on the swings and oh let's not forget the other baby who became "attack baby" on an innocent bystander.   I was seriously hoping I didn't break right there on the spot.  I finally just put the boys back into the stroller and pushed the girls in the swings but only after they got a quota.  What kid gets a quota of 20 pushes on a swing?  I did manage however to take a few photos of the girls before we left but none of the boys.  I'll tell you what on our way home I didn't really feel glad about taking them. I didn't really feel glad until I downloaded those pictures and saw M & M's smiling faces.  This is why I blog.  It's good for my little soul to focus on the good things that have happened and to have hope for a new day.  I still feel frazzled and overwhelmed but I think we're going to make it.  

Now excuse me while I go get a tissue.  



One of my most favorite things is walking. I love it when Mister is home. He is really good @ pushing the other stroller. The above just illustrates a perfect Sunday afternoon.

Nice day for a little MLK parade action!

What's a momma to do when it's 70 degrees and there is a parade downtown? Well pack all 5 up & go of course.



Haha! Just trying to give my Westwood friends some love.  Toros were a no show.

Little "M" was really ticked that there was not any candy @ this parade. It was still fun though.

Connecting cross-stitch and sisterly bonding in San Diego.

I have been obsessed with cross-stitch as of late. In fact I found this cute little place where they they have so many darling little patterns to choose from. As I plan to start making a big boy room for the triplets I have struggled for something to kind of inspire the whole project, partly because I love so many different things and also because I have wanted to stick to a strict budget. When I saw the above cute cross-stitch patterns (oh which by the way can be found in andwabisabi's etsy shop),I decided to let whatever one of the patterns I picked out to serve as the inspiration and the direction I would take the room. They look simple enough.  They don't look like they would take too long to complete.  Also I like the fact that it would be adding something handmade into the mix.

        

Also I may be soft for cross-stitch because my sister did the one above and gave it to me many moons ago. Speaking of moons, did you know they rule over the ocean effecting the tides? When I was at the ocean last we were in the middle of the full moon cycle where the tides were very high. It was interesting because I too was on a high. I guess my stars were all in line because I was so lucky to be able to go to San Diego with my sweet sister (the same one who made me the above cross-stitch) with no kids. Even though we were there and back under 24 hours, the time we got to spend together was priceless. We got much accomplished in that short time. We shipped her car to Korea and then we picked up my new Christmas tree. After we took care of business we made our way down to the beach. Sissy & I were both going on 3 hours of sleep but somehow felt rejuvenated when we got to the beach. It was so calming with the sound of the waves, small breeze, clean smell, a photo lesson and great company. I don't know how we made it home but the long drive was worth it. Another great stitch to add to the pattern of my life.

Here are a few photos from our little excursion. As soon as sister gets settled there will be more photos of her to add to the mix.  For every photo you see of me there is a matching one of her because we both took turns taking photos so that I could learn.  Wow there really are so many factors when using the camera, it's overwhelming! I miss & love you sister.