Friday, October 29, 2010

Silly Glow Stick Faces and a renewed Viola

Mr. Freeman as been very busy catching up with school work so I have been enjoying extra time with my little ones. A couple nights ago I found these glow sticks and we had the funnest time with them. Is funnest a word? Well, you get the idea. Master Elliot especially liked making frowny faces and smiley faces. He kept singing the "Frowny Face Song", as he calls it, from church.

Did I mention I got new viola strings?! Well, it's kind of a big deal because they cost a lot. Even more so because I'm supposed to get new ones every 6 months and it had been almost 5 years since the last time I replaced my strings. Needless to say, my viola sounds fabulous all over again. During orchestra rehearsal earlier this week my viola seemed to say "It's about time!". I mean, when the viola itself is worth several thousand dollars it's used to pampering, which I have not been providing recently. That is, until this week.

Thursday, October 28, 2010

Flashback

Being very busy this past week, I haven't had a chance to spend free time on the computer. It's nice to be back on the internet but this time it's at my parent's. Mr. Freeman re-vamped the computer last night and now we can't get on the internet because we forgot the password. It should be fixed tonight. In the mean time, I've been looking at old photos on my parent's computer. I thought I'd share some.

Mr. Freeman showing off our very first crop of corn earlier this year. We chopped that tree in the back ground because it was planted too close to the house and now I miss it.
Who knows what Master Elliot is doing here. Such a character.
Stabbing the camera man with a plastic sword.
Miss Avery all boxed up.
Sucking her fingers at Boutique in the Barn this spring.
Now these photos date a lot farther back. This is Mr. Freeman and me Hull city center. The building directly behind us is the free Marine Museum. It has some amazing crown molding on the ceilings. This picture was taken shortly after a moved to England a couple months after we were married. We lived apart for a whole year, the last 6 weeks we were married. On his visit to the states we were married. We look so young!
This was Andrew's graduation at Hull University about a month after the previous picture. Recognize the building in the back ground? Yes, it's the same one as the above picture. He graduated in the City Hall which is another amazing-looking and super old building. Instead of the typical graduation procession music - Pomp and Circumstance - he walked to a live organ. The affect was priceless. On a side note - I sort of miss Andrew's old glasses.
I hoped you enjoyed my flashback!

Saturday, October 23, 2010

Good night

It's been a long day with Boutique in the Barn but Mr. Freeman did great with the kids - I think they mostly just napped - while I had fun at the boutique. I'll share some more about it today. I just wanted to show you a couple things my friend gave me.

Tonight my good friend, Michelle brought this cute white chair and little white railing over and said they were mine! I was so excited. She gave them to me because she knew I would like them. What a thoughtful friend! The chair is already in it's home and I know where to put the railing but the spot is currently occupied with a Halloween decoration so I'll put it up next month.


This is us at the end of the day all tired.


Good night!

Thursday, October 21, 2010

Henry, Chesna, George, and Ratchet

Did you know we have four chickens? We do, and since they are a daily part of my family's life I thought I'd post about it.

Originally I didn't want to name them in case we planned on having them for dinner, but they are such funny birds to watch, and each have their own personality, that it couldn't be helped.

Henry and Chesna were our first two that we got from friends at the beginning of the year.

Henry is the head of the chickens and very much so. She pooped on my dryer in the garage once, which made me mad, but she lays the best eggs so I forgave her. Most of them have boys names because they act like boys - pooping every where and such.
Chesna is the only chicken we didn't name. My sister, Nora, named her and got the name from a name book. We think it suits because it fits perfectly in a Christmas song.

"Chesna roasting on an open fire. . ."

Chesna is the only fro-head and is the most sassy of them all - if a chicken may allowed to be sassy.
Next is George. We George and Ratchet this summer from a different friend than we got the first two, and they really needed a better home. They were living in a chicken pen of about 60 chickens all cooped up, never to be free because they had a wild coyote problem. They lost a lot of feathers from bigger chickens pecking at them and from the stress of the coyote.

Whenever I open the chicken pen to let them run loose George is always the first to run back for the fresh chicken feed I give them. George has no feathers on her bum.
Mr. Freeman named Ratchet. Silly name, but it works. Ratchet is the only red feathered of our chickens. She single handedly ate a whole corner of my newly planted winter grass.So, as you can see, all my chickens have their own little personalities and it's fun to watch them on a boring day. Elliot and Avery really love them and are proud of having chickens.

Urban chickens is quite popular these days. There are many pluses to owning chickens such as knowing where your eggs come from and building a compost for a garden, plus they're really cheap to feed. If you are interested in having chickens in your backyard you can find answers to your questions here and here.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

What made me smile :)

Usually when Mr. Freeman comes back from work he doesn't ask me how my day was, he asks me what made me smile.
I like that.
It helps me count my blessings instead of brooding over how many times Master Elliot told me "no" or how Miss Avery emptied the entire contents of my wallet multiple times.
What made me smile today was the little sprinkle of rain we got and watching my kids enjoy it.

Can you tell I'm looking forward to Halloween?
I still don't even know what I'm going to dress up as.
Any ideas?

What makes me smile is different every day.
Sometimes it's sweet Elliot giving me a big hug and kiss telling me he loves me.
Sometimes it's Andrew Dear giving me smooches.
Sometimes it's Avery Bug making a funny face.

Yesterday it was making homemade cookies and sharing them with the people I love that made me smile the biggest.
(Elliot and Avery both have a cookie in their hands in the above pictures.)
What makes you smile?
To share the love here his the recipe to these yummy cookies. Compliments of Better Homes and Gardens cookbook, 14th edition.

Oatmeal cookies
preheat oven to 375
combine:
3/4 c butter, softened
1 c brown sugar
1/2 c white sugar
add:
1 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon (optional) - I always add the cinnamon.
1/4 tsp ground cloves (optional) - I don't have cloves and it tastes fine without.
mix:
2 eggs
1 tsp vanilla
add:
1 1/2 c flour - I always do 1/4 c wheat flour and the rest white and you can never taste the wheat.
2 c rolled oats
Lastly add:
1 c raisins or choc. chips (optional)
bake:
8-10 minutes

They are easy breezy to make and taste delish!

What are you Wearing?

It's time for What are you wearing Wednesday again. The webs are in honor of Halloween coming up. Duh.
cardigan - Love and Photographs {the shop}
top - Kohls, recent purchase
belt - thrifted
skirt - Rainbow
shoes - Payless
bracelet - Charlotte Russe
Every time I wear this bracelet I get a compliment. The best thing is it only cost me a dollar or two!
Sorry this picture is so fuzzy. ^ ^
cardigan - H&M
top - made by me; I had some scraps of fabric and I really like the color so I sewed it into this shirt and it turned out ok.
hair clip - Simply Memzelle
skirt - Target
shoes - thrifted, Old Navy
Now it's Your Turn to share what you're wearing!

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

A true friend and an embarrassing moment.

Tonight was my orchestra concert and all went well until I had a little embarrassingmoment. In past concerts I have hiccuped really loud when all was silent, my shoulder rest has come off my viola so I had to put it back on really fast, and I had a string go out of tune, but I never forgot my music before!

So . . we played our warm up piece on stage at the Mesa Arts Center and my stand partner puts the next piece up while the director is talking only to find that I was missing a page. How did that happen? I taped all my music months ago. I guess one page riped off without my knowing it. I had to think fast. I was section leader so I had to have music, because it wasn't memorized, so I asked the stand behind me to trade music. Instead they hand me a pile of music. At first I didn't realize it was their extra music because all I saw was the last piece we were going to play, but eventually I found the wanted page in the middle of the stack of music but not before the director and the whole orchestra and the whole audience's eyes were on me. NEVER AGAIN!

Other than that it was a good concert.

Any embarrassing moments you would like to share to make me feel better?

On Sunday I got to spend some time with my best friend. We've best friends for 6 or 7 years but we haven't spent as much time as we've liked to since we haven't lived in the same city since high school. This summer was supposed to be our chance to catch up but she's been busy with her new boyfriend. She's so happy that I don't mind sharing her. I guess she has to share me since I have a family and all.

Today is her birthday! Happy Birthday Julie! For her birthday I gave her a book by a local author. I was the inspiration for one of the characters! I also made Julie a headband that she's wearing in the pictures. Below is me, Julie, and her mom.



The best thing about Julie is that no matter how long it's been since we've seen each other we can always pick back up where we left off. Now that is a true friend!

Sunday, October 17, 2010

MCC Orchestra Concert details

I just woke up from my Sunday nap and now Mr. Freeman is taking his. Sunday naps are the Whoop Diggity Best Ever! Although, while I took my nap hubby was on the computer and now it's slow. I think the computer needs a nap too.

Just want you to know MCC's Orchestra concert is this Tuesday at 7:00pm. Don't come until closer to 8:00pm unless you want to hear the MCC Jazz band and Concert Band, who will be performing before us. The performance is at the Mesa Art Center. Admission is $8, $5 students and seniors.

We are playing some amazing music!

Beethoven's Leonore Overture No. 3, Opus 72 - This one starts out really slow but gets moving before long! I love Beethoven. He is such a genius.


Dvorak's Slavonic Dances, Op. 46, 1 - This one is my favorite. It's a dance and that's exactly how we play it. So light and fun.

Schubert's Symphonie In H moll, 1st mov. - This piece is more intense and has a lot of emotion. You may have heard it before. I love this recording! I wish I were in the orchestra in the recording!

Ok, thank you for bearing with me and my love of classical music. Please support me as Principal Vioist by come to my orchestra concert at The Piper in the Mesa Arts Center this Tuesday!

Now I'll go so my computer can have a nap.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Boutique in the Barn

I share an online boutique with my sister-in-law, Kristy, called Simply Memzelle. We have so much fun creating new hair clips and headbands. Next Saturday we are going to be a vendor at Boutique in the Barn for the second time. Here are some new items we will be selling.

If you like these grab them now or risk waiting for Boutique in the Barn next Saturday. The first 50 people at get a bag full of freebies and coupons toward vendors there that day. Don't miss out!

Thursday, October 14, 2010

Cupcake Taste Tester

I wrote on this blog that my sister, Julie, deserved three Sprinkles cupcakes for saying that I looked like Zooey Deschanel. Truthfully it was an ungrounded statement because at the time I had never had a Sprinkles cupcake.
Then a little peep said this:
"And by the way...sprinkles cupcakes taste like poo next to SugarMama's cupcakes! if you havent tried one you are truly missing out!!!There store is just around the corner in the old mervyns building...try it!"
Guilt overcame me and I had to give both of them a try. It was fun being a food taster. You should try it!

At Sugar Mama's Sweets we tried coconut, red velvet, andes mint, and vanilla.



At Sprinkles we had carrot, coconut, dark chocolate, and chocolate marshmallow.



Now I can think of two reasons I'm not a professional taste tester!
1. I would get fat eating yummy, yummy food.
2. I'm not a good judge on determining what was better.
I think I liked Sprinkles slightly better. I mean, they've been around a lot longer so they've had more time to perfect their recipes. Plus they had cool stickers. I enjoyed each of the cupcakes we got and only regretted not getting the Sprinkles cinnamon one because cinnamon is the BOMB! Sugar Mama's Sweets were really good too but I prefer not to have chocolate chips in my red velvet cupcake. I think Sugar Mama's Sweets' best thing going for them is that they sell more than just cupcakes. I really look forward to trying some of their other goods like the chocolate dipped oreos, Rocky Road brownies, or chocolate dipped pretzels. Try both stores and see what you prefer, or if you have already tell me your favorite cupcake at each so I can try them!

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

My little joy named Avery Bug

My little Avery Bug is such a joy in my life. She's such a funny little girl. She definitely has a mind of her own but then again, so do I! Tomorrow is her 18 month check up and I look forward to seeing how it goes. Six months ago she was 3 percentile weight and 50 percentile height. I know she's grown in height in the past six months but I'm not sure she's gained enough weight so I've put her on a fat diet the last few weeks. Not really a fat diet but I just have her drink milk instead of water all the time and I feed her until she refuses to eat anymore. Despite all of this she has lost one pound, but her cheeks got rounder! I feel I have tried my best so I guess I'll stop worrying since she's as healthy as can be, apart from the cold she recently caught. Anyone have tips on fattening up an 18 month old in a healthy way?
In conjunction of What are You Wearing Wednesday, here are the details on her little outfit.
dress: made by ME! The fabric was given to me by my sister-in-law, Kristy, and the purple fabric is vintage. I'm getting better at sewing, have you noticed?
leggings: Walmart, recent purchase
shoes: thrifted, Old Navy
bracelet: made by me
necklace: Mervyns (forever ago) I forgot I had it until Miss Avery went through my jewelery and found it and kept putting it on.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

Little Women

Today I finished a favorite book of mine for the second time called Little Women. Now this book is special to be because it was the first book I ever owned and I bought it with my own money about 15 years ago. I also love it because I can't help reading it without comparing the March sisters to my sisters and me. They had such a good relationship at the beginning of the book when they were still girls that it's hard to believe that Amy wasn't even there for Beth's funeral toward the end when they were all grown.
The above is the only Little Women film I've seen and I love this film but books are always better than movies and this book was no exception. Reading the book made me wish someone would come out with a new film longer than the other one so it can be more accurate to the book. The problem with that is it wouldn't have the same cast I love in the Little Women movie I love so much. Isn't Susan Sarandon perfect as Marmee and Claire Danes a perfect Beth. You can't forget Cristian Bale as Laurie. I fell for his boyish ways as Laurie and the boy in Newsies well before he got really popular with films like Batman and The Prestige. I think I almost prefer him in those early films.
That reminds me. Watching the film I can't help wanting Laurie to end up with Jo instead of Amy and I know I'm not alone in that. I understand why but the book makes me feel much better. If you haven't read the book you MUST. If you can't get one at the library you may borrow my sorry copy.

Before I leave you get the book Little Women I must tell you about a really sweet giveaway. If you don't have a little girl ignore this or enter the giveaway to use winnings at a baby shower gift. These little clips are really too precious. Enter the giveaway here.

Monday, October 11, 2010

PR beat

(Mr. Freeman, Miss Avery, Master Elliot, and Hammock 3)
I decided why hammocks are so appealing to my Andrew Dear. It's because they are extremely cozy. Coziness is his purpose in life. I've mentioned it before.
Miss Avery did a good job making a mess during Sunday dinner and I didn't even care.
(Me exhausted looking my worst after a tough workout tonight. I'm not even wearing my cute earrings I always wear because they were recently lost. Bummer!)
So tonight I beat a personal record (PR). I biked 10 miles, my farthest distance ever, which is now tied to my running PR. Not only did I bike 10 miles tonight but I it was immediately followed by a three mile run. I'm training for my first triathlon next month. Now I just need to tack on another 1/4 mile swim and I'm good to go. Did I mention I haven't swam in two months? Well I better start soon. Either way tonights workout was a good hour + spent. Must.get.faster.and.start.swimming!

That's all!