Today I Have a Quick Request.

Go to the blog: Me as a Mother and read the post I have linked.  Puh-leeeeeez!

It's all about fixing your settings so that when you leave a comment or question on my (or anybody else's) blog, I can reply.  About half of the people who leave comments, don't have an email address linked.  It's an easy fix. 

Heidi (Me as a Mother) has got it all mapped out so nicely.  Thanks Heidi!!!

Today I am on the Road.

We're going to Utah right now.  Wish us luck and pray for our safety.  I'm not a big fan of non-stop driving (especially since Britt hates being in the car for more than an hour), but I'm hoping that it's all worth it. 

(source)

Tony likes to do the night driving thing.  He took a nap in the afternoon so he'd be rested up.  It's nice because then the kids sleep for a large part of the trip, we skip Seattle rush hour traffic, and we get to our destination with enough time to actually do something besides crash. 

(source)

I don't know if I'll be able to blog while I'm gone, but I will try. 

(source)

If not, I'll have lots to talk about when I get back! 

Today I Watched a Clip about Medieval Zombies.

Weird title, huh?  Well, this video shows a couple of skeletons - the remains of two people who had rocks stuffed in their mouths when they were buried.  I guess back in 700 AD this was done to prevent people's souls from coming back to reanimate their bodies as undead. 

Freaky.

So.  Confession time for me. 

When I was a kid I went through a phase where I HAD to sleep with the lights on.  No dinky little night light would do.  I had to have the bedroom lights on.  Why?  To keep the vampires away of course.  Duh.  Served my disobediant little self right though.  I wasn't allowed to watch TV while my parents were gone and I did anyways.  I came across a show about a vampire who (obvs) murdered a lot of women.  He was pretty scary stuff.  Hence, my fear.

(if only my 9 year old imagination had conjured up something this cute!  i would have been a lot less stressed.  source.)

I also had a bizarre but real fear of the flushing toilet in the middle of the night.  So I didn't flush it.  Gross, I know.

For most of my growing up years I refused to say my prayers kneeling beside my bed (as my parents had taught me) because I didn't want whatever was living under my bed to grab me.  Prayers were only said once I was safely under the covers.

Oh, and when I was older I was afraid of mummies.  Thanks to my study of ancient Egypt.  Nice, huh?

(source)

Confession time for you!  What irrational fears do you have? Or did have?
Come on.  I want to hear about it.  :D

Today I Had a Rough Afternoon and Evening.

Ever had one of those? 

This picture via Pinterest made me laugh though.

(in my case it's not boss, but bosses)

I was pretty happy to see Tony when he walked through the door (more than the usual happy, that is).


P.S.  I don't really think parenting is terrible at all.  I actually think it is very rewarding and mostly fun (in a challenging way).  And to be completely honest, I can't really blame my tough day on the girls.  I'm not going to write about the drama here because it's not worth documenting and I probably would have let it roll right off if I wasn't a huge, hormonal, pregnant lady.  So, there.   :)

P.P.S.  Ash is mostly potty trained.  Only the occasional accident.  I'm loving it.  She still prefers the little bjorn potties over the potty seat on the big potty (boo!), but I'm assuming that will change with time.  Today when I was pouring her pee from the little potty to the big potty she blurted out, "Juice!"  I was like, "Whaaaaaaa????  No girl, not juice.  Not even close."  Hahaha.  Yuck.

Today I Want Your Opinion on Something.

Not that I don't welcome your opinion any other day or on other topics......

Anyway.  This question is just because I've been planning Ash's November birthday party for almost a month now (it's a good thing too because it's not coming together very quickly!) and I'm curious to know what y'all think.

Would these to snacks go well together in a bowl or not?

(think dr. suess' one fish, two fish, ok?)

I kinda feel stupid asking since my own initial reaction is, "um...yuck?" BUT the whole sweet n salty thing is going on here!

Nevermind that it more of a sweet n salty n cheesy sort of thing. 

And then I was thinking sweet and cheese together????  Ew!

But there is cheesecake.  And cheesecake is super good. 

Especially fruity cheesecake.


.....................................


Swedish fish are fruity.





P.S. I asked Hubby if he'd eat these two together and he said, "Yes."
I said, "Don't you think that'd be weird?"
He said, "No. They're both fish."


Well, that makes perfect sense.

Today I Said "MwahahahahaHAAA!" in a Very Villainous Tone.

Have you been dealing with fruit flies this year?

They seem to go along with all the wonderful berries and orchard fruits of this time of year.

I think they are living and breeding in and around the millions of blackberries on the property. 

I hate them. 

Them come into my house and never leave. 

I don't know what they are living off of because I never leave food out. 

They attack my face whenever I try to eat something. 

They hang out on every mirror in the house.

They fly up in swarms out of thin air.

They seem to be worse this year than any other year I can remember.

I've made traps for them before but none of them were all that effective.

Until now.

(my successful trap)

I don't know what made the difference.

I just grabbed a jar, smacked a sandwich bag over the top, secured it with a hair tie, poked about 8 holes in the top and then realized I forgot the vinegar.  So I took the top off and poured a bit of Heinz apple cider vinegar in and then repositioned the plastic bag. 

I put it near the kitchen sink in my house. 

These pictures are 3 days after I set the trap.

(view from the bottom)

I'm dumbfounded.  And thrilled.  The problem is pretty much gone. 

I am now eating in peace. 


**happy**

Today I Signed Up for Google+

I think it's time to see what half of my Facebook friends are raving about. 

(found on pinterest)

So if you are on Google+ please add me to your circle!  {spontaneousday(at)gmail(dot)com}

(found on pinterest)

If you're not, but you still want to be my friend on a social networking site, you can find me on Facebook under "Jamie Bee."  And my profile pic is that cute pick of Ash in my blog header.

(facebook needs this one.  found on pinterest.)

Now, this is a brief post.  :D

Today I Wasn't Very Productive.

I haven't even left myself much time to blog because of this:

(source)

So, I'm just posting the briefest of highlights from my day.

I did go see my midwife today for a normal check-up and a blood draw.  I'll find out tomorrow if I need to up the dose on my thyroid supplement or not.

I made these awesome cinnamon rolls last night.  I will never try another cinnamon roll recipe again.  I mean, if you've found the best, why continue searching?  I didn't take any pictures because we ate them too quickly.  They made a great late night snack AND breakfast of champions!  Tony's not very happy that I shared with my siblings because he only got two.  Haha!

(source)

I put Ash down for a nap this afternoon and I'm the one who fell asleep.  I woke up to find her playing with one of my bras.  Reminded me of when she was little (what am I saying?  I mean littler) and got into my underwear drawer. 

I'm so irritated with Facebook right now. So NOT pleased with the changed news feed. I really liked being able to see only the statuses and only the pictures. And in order, from newest to oldest. The upside is, I'm not going to waste as much time on Facebook if what is see isn't my choice and limited.


Mandy posted pics of the PNW Bloggers Meetup.  The first thing you see is a headless picture of my larger-than-life belly.  Oh my.

(source)

I can't even begin to tell you how tired I am of cleaning poop out of these:

(source)

I cannot wait for the toddler-sized toilet seat I ordered to arrive.  Oh, and I gave up on potty-training Britt on day one.  One child at a time for me!  Sheesh!  Over achiever right here!

Oh hey!  I'm not the only one who has made a skirt out of a completely different article of clothing!  Mommy Chic did it too!

Ash saw a big black ant walking along the cement path, this evening, and decided to end it's life by stomping it with her bare foot.  Only she just left her foot on top of it and grinned at me.  I've been bit by ants before so I told her to move her foot.  She did, only to discover that it was still fully capable of running away.  So she stomped on it again.  I don't think "stomp" is the right word because, again, she left her foot on top of the unfortunate creature.  I said, "you should be careful because ants can bite."  That comment inspired her to jump back from the bug (which was properly mangled this time) and because she obviously doesn't want to touch a biting bug, she decided to roar/yell at it.  I wish I could have caught it on video.  She was crouched over the slightly smashed thing, that was trying desperately to get away from her, and doing her best monster/lion/bear impersonation.  Britt, who always wants to copy Ash, decided to stomp on the ant too.  Only she's not very coordinated and her chubby foot kept missing the target.  Luckily the hapless insect finally hobbled its way over to the edge of the pavement and fell off into the grass.  And that was that. 

Did I actually say "briefest?"  Hahahahaha!!!!  Just kidding. 

Today I Have a Guest Posting.

Guest Blogger: Sarah Lenssen from #Ask5for5
Family photos by Mike Fiechtner Photography

Thank you  Jamie and nearly 150 other bloggers from around the world for allowing me to share a story with you today, during Social Media Week.

A hungry child in East Africa can't wait. Her hunger consumes her while we decide if we'll respond and save her life. In Somalia, children are stumbling along for days, even weeks, on dangerous roads and with empty stomachs in search of food and water. Their crops failed for the third year in a row. All their animals died. They lost everything. Thousands are dying along the road before they find help in refugee camps. 

At my house, when my three children are hungry, they wait minutes for food, maybe an hour if dinner is approaching. Children affected by the food crisis in in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Somalia aren't so lucky. Did you know that the worst drought in 60 years is ravaging whole countries right now, as you read this? Famine, a term not used lightly, has been declared in Somalia. This is the world's first famine in 20 years.12.4 million people are in need of emergency assistance and over 29,000 children have died in the last three months alone. A child is dying every 5 minutes. It it estimated that 750,000 people could die before this famine is over. Take a moment and let that settle in.

The media plays a major role in disasters. They have the power to draw the attention of society to respond--or not. Unfortunately, this horrific disaster has become merely a footnote in most national media outlets. News of the U.S. national debt squabble and the latest celebrity's baby bump dominate headlines. That is why I am thrilled that nearly 150 bloggers from all over the world are joining together today to use the power of social media to make their own headlines; to share the urgent need of the almost forgotten with their blog readers. Humans have the capacity to care deeply for those who are suffering, but in a situation like this when the numbers are too huge to grasp and the people so far away, we often feel like the little we can do will be a drop in the ocean, and don't do anything at all.

When news of the famine first hit the news in late July, I selfishly avoided it. I didn't want to read about it or hear about it because I knew I would feel overwhelmed and uncomfortable. I wanted to protect myself. I knew I would need to do something if I knew what was really happening. You see, this food crisis is personal. I have a 4-year-old son and a 1 yr-old daughter who were adopted from Ethiopia and born in regions now affected by the drought. If my children still lived in their home villages, they would be two of the 12.4 million. My children: extremely hungry and malnourished? Gulp. I think any one of us would do anything we could for our hungry child. But would you do something for another mother's hungry child?

My friend and World Vision staffer, Jon Warren, was recently in Dadaab Refugee Camp in Kenya--the largest refugee camp in the world with over 400,000 people. He told me the story of Isnino Siyat, 22, a mother who walked for 10 days and nights with her husband, 1 yr-old-baby, Suleiman, and 4 yr.-old son Adan Hussein, fleeing the drought in Somalia. When she arrived at Dadaab, she built the family a shelter with borrowed materials while carrying her baby on her back. Even her dress is borrowed. As she sat in the shelter on her second night in camp she told Jon, "I left because of hunger. It is a very horrible drought which finished both our livestock and our farm." The family lost their 5 cows and 10 goats one by one over 3 months, as grazing lands dried up. "We don't have enough food now...our food is finished. I am really worried about the future of my children and myself if the situation continues."

Will you help a child like Baby Suleiman? Ask5for5 is a dream built upon the belief that you will.

That something I knew I would need to do became a campaign called #Ask5for5 to raise awareness and funds for famine and drought victims. The concept is simple, give $5 and ask five of your friends to give $5, and then they each ask five of their friends to give $5 and so on--in nine generations of 5x5x5...we could raise $2.4 Million! In one month, over 750 people have donated over $25,000! I set up a fundraiser at See Your Impact and 100% of the funds will go to World Vision, an organization that has been fighting hunger in the Horn of Africa for decades and will continue long after this famine has ended. Donations can multiply up to 5 times in impact by government grants to
help provide emergency food, clean water, agricultural support,
healthcare, and other vital assistance to children and families suffering in the Horn.

I need you to help me save lives. It's so so simple; here's what you need to do:

1. Donate $5 or more on this page (http://seeyourimpact.org/members/ask5for5)
2. Send an email to your friends and ask them to join us.
3. Share #Ask5for5 on Facebook and Twitter!

I'm looking for another 100 bloggers to share this post on their blogs throughout Social Media Week. Email me at ask5for5@gmail.com if you're interested in participating this week.

A hungry child doesn't wait. She doesn't wait for us to finish the other things on our to-do list, or get to it next month when we might have a little more money to give. She doesn't wait for us to decide if she's important enough to deserve a response. She will only wait as long as her weakened little body will hold on...please respond now and help save her life. Ask 5 for 5.

Thank you on behalf of all of those who will be helped--you are saving lives and changing history.



p.s. Please don't move on to the next website before you donate and email your friends right now. It only takes 5 minutes and just $5, and if you're life is busy like mine, you probably won't get back to it later. Let's not be a generation that ignores hundreds of thousands of starving people, instead let's leave a legacy of compassion. You have the opportunity to save a life today!

Today I Stepped Out.

Well guys.... **big 'ol sigh of relief**  I did it.  I went to the PNW Blogger Meetup and boy! was it ever awkward when I first got there.  But, thankfully, things got comfy pretty quickly. 

I had exchanged comments and emails with Heidi before going and sooooo glad I did (even though I wasn't gonna go).  She and her friend, Rachel, were so fun, engaging, interesting, and pretty darn hilarious.  I sat with them for dinner (pizza!) and enjoyed getting to know them.

I also met Mandy, Chelsey, Alyssa, Emily, and Leanne.  There were soooo many others there, but rather than run around and try to have a 5 minute convo with everyone, I chatted mostly with Heidi, Rachel, and Emily.

Would I go again?  Probably.  It's not as fun as going out to dinner with solid friends, but it was a new and comfort zone broadening sort of experience.  I'll definitely give it a thumbs up.  :P

So - here's what I wore.  I did a bunch of laundry this morning, but it wasn't dry in time so I had to get creative.  That skirt I'm wearing is actually a dress.  A dress that looks terrible with a baby bump under it, by the way.  And though it as a tad, big looking, it worked.  I put it on backwards so the top of the dress was around my belly and the gathered waist as at my hips.  Then I just tied the sleeves around my hips like a sash, and went. 

And here's what the dress looks like normally.  Super cute with the more slender version of my body in it!  :)

Thanks for all the sweet encouragement to get out there and go to this event!  I super-dee-duper appreciate it!

Today I Made a Decision.

Ok. I don't normally post more than once a day.  But, I just had to share.

I did it.  I bought a ticket to the night event for the PNW Blogger Meetup.  **deep breaths**  Send me lots of courage vibes, okay?  Oh, and lots of friendly ones too.  :) 

I also had a hankering for baking this afternoon.  I decided I would just get on Bakerella's blog and pick the first thing I had all the ingredients for.  The first thing ended up being graham crackers.  Meh.

So, I made the second thing.  Chocolate Chip Muffins. 

Um.  You guys?  These things are all kinds of awesome!!!!!!

(source)

Go here, get the recipe, make them, eat them, and you're welcome.  :) 

Gotta love Bakerella!



Today I'm Going to Talk about Blogging.

Two things. 

First off and most important.  I want to direct you all to....

Chapterhouse Lane!

Hero London is a fine writer of stories and I thoroughly enjoyed my daily half chapter of The Streets of Elangard.

(daena-rose, the heroine of the streets of elangard.  source.)

Coming soon is Fathom (mermaids, folks!  And I am stoked!).

There is a giveaway promoting this next tale/tail over here.  Go there.  If I'm not going to win it, then the next best thing would be having a friend win.  :) 

Secondly, I'm in a bit of a conundrum.  I'm trying to figure out just how far I want to take this blogging thing.  There is a big get-together for all the bloggers of the Pacific Northwest.  I feel guilty for not blogging about it sooner (though most of you aren't in the area) and I still haven't decided whether I am going or not.  I only have until this evening to decide.  **soooo indecisive**  At first I was going, then I thought I had other commitments.  Turns out I'm a free woman, and I still don't know!  I'm not a big group sort of person.  What if I get there and don't really connect with anyone?  What if I sit there, quietly eating my food and that's it?  What if I begin by having great convos and talking up a storm and end up saying all sorts of stupid, embarrassing things?  What if I don't go and miss out on making some new, fun bloggy friends?

It really shouldn't be this difficult

Today I Spent the Whole Day Thinking It Was Wednesday.

Today is Thursday y'all!  Haha!  How in the world did I miss a day?  And I am totally stoked that tomorrow is already Friday! 

Have you ever done that?  I hope I'm not getting dementia already (it runs in the fam). 

I have woken up from naps, in the past, and it was dark so I thought it was the morning of the next day.  Sooo disorienting.

(source)

And I've woken up in the middle of the night, to find myself through my jewelry, for no known reason.


I didn't win that dress.  I didn't bid high enough fast enough.  **bummed**  Now I've got to find something else.  And that one was so perfect!  **whine, whine**  But for a mere $135, I could have this one made to fit, right? 

(source)

I don't really feel like blogging right now.  I feel like chatting and planning parties.  **laugh**

(source)

Oh!  For those of you who read this post, I do not have a partial previa anymore (I guess it would be pretty uncommon if I did).  That's good!


Ash continues to win some and lose some in the potty training area of her life right now.  :)  I think I'll just leave it at that unless something truly exciting or entertaining come up.

(source)

I made a really interesting dish for dinner tonight.  And I like green olives!  But not normally.  It must be the pregnancy. 

(sorry it's such a dinky, little pic)

And that's about all I've got.  Can you believe it's almost Friday already??

 

P.S. Please excuse any errors.  My spell check hasn't been working lately.  

Today I Looked for a Birthday Dress.

I really should be focusing on Halloween costumes or something, since that comes before Ash's birthday, but I found THE DRESS on Ebay!!!!  Ack.  I'm posting this pic here but the best ones are on the listing (they say "do not copy", so I'm not going there).  Don't even think about bidding on this dress or I probably won't be able to be your friend anymore.  :P  Seriously.

(source w/ more cute pictures)

We're doing a vintage book theme.  Books because Ash could spend hours reading (and when not distracted, does).  Vintage because I love old stuff!  So, this dress is perfecto!  Now, I just gotta win the auction!  Wish me luck!

I loooove the boots on the model.  The seller told me that are Pepe.  I don't know about you, but I'm NOT spending $100+ dollars on shoes for someone who will probably go up a shoe size halfway through the winter.  Nuh-Uh.

But I love these.

(they are livie & luca)

And these.

(if I could afford to put my kids in only livie & luca, i would in a heartbeat)

And these are pretty cute too (and half the price of the other two)

(source)



Now excuse me.  I need to go figure out how to pin pictures of all these finds on Pinterest.  I'm a Pinterest Newbie.  This could take a while.

P.S.  Potty Training Update:  I gave out THREE "poop prizes" today!!  The secret is to deprive her of wearing anything on her lower half.  She comes running for the potty whenever she feels an urge.  **doing the happy dance**  So, she gets to run around half naked for two weeks and then we'll try the Tinker Bell undies again.  Today was a good day.  **satisfied**  And I made oatmeal cookies, so Tony thinks it's a good day too.  **laugh**

Today I'm Thinking About Names.

Ugh.  I'm so sick of names right now. 

I asked about Elle because the top name on our list would use Elle for a nickname really well.  That being said, I still can't come up with a name for this baby that feels like it's meant to be her name!  Ash and Britt's names were so easy.  And I just knew that they were the right names for them before they were born.  I want that same feeling for this baby!

I hope we get it figured out before she's born. 

Also, on the subject of names, but also on the topic of blogging.  I'm curious.  Some people conceal their true names.  Some people tell all.  Some bloggers will give out their names but not their family members.  I've chosen only give out my children's names partially, but I've got friends who just use their kids' nicknames. 

What do you think?  Why do you go with using real names or nicknames?

I'll be honest.  The only reason I don't use my childrens' full names is because there are so many people who use pseudo names.  So I'm thinking there must be a reason for caution.  But then, so many others don't worry about it (obvs) so then I think, "Why am I doing it this way?"  I mean, we don't even call Ash, Ash! 

So, yeah, input please!


P.S.  Potty training update:  I have no update.  Today was no different from yesterday.  I'm beat.

Today I Think I Said the Word "Potty" at Least a Million Times.

{I've decided to add a warning here.  If you are disgusted by the topic of bodily functions and all that goes with them, please skip this post.  I do discuss, in great detail, those things that go along with "potty."}

I've been thinking about doing Potty Training Round 2 with Ash for the past couple of weeks. She's been wanting to, randomly, sit on her potty (though never "going"). So - I figure that's a step in the right direction. Plus, I've been getting feedback from friends who've just successfully trained their toddlers. I think the decision to go for it today was brought on by two very recent occurrences.


1. Last night when we were just hanging out in the house, Britt yelped, "poop!" And then half squatted to poop in her diaper. I repeated to Tony what she said, so he rushed over to her and said, "Poop? Well, then poop in the potty!" So Britt ran over to the little, red potty and Tony whipped her diaper off. She had already pooped but the log was hanging off her butt, so it fell into the potty (for the 2 seconds she sat there). Needless to say, Tony cheered and clapped and made big deal out of it. And she got all excited about sitting on the potty (though she did seem a little grossed out and bewildered about what was in the potty when her daddy showed it to her). She also really loved the subsequent lollipop she received (though I'm not sure she got the correlation). So, I thought "maybe I'll train both of them."

2. I walked into the girls' room this morning to get them out of bed and was greeted by the two round butt cheeks belonging to Ash. She had taken off her diaper and thrown it on the floor. It was dry. I asked her if she wanted a new diaper or if she'd like to sit on her potty. She chose the potty. **thumbs up** Then she peed in her potty. **two major, happy thumbs up!!**

So - I was, naturally, jazzed and decided today was going to be the day.

Ash peed in her potty again in the afternoon and had totally dry underwear. I had decided this was definitely going to be worth the hassle. I have kept Britt in a diaper but let her take it off to sit on her potty at the same time as Ash. I'm not really pushing it with Britt because she hasn't figured out how to take her pants off yet. But it's all laying the ground work for later, right?

Fast forward to tonight. If I was a drinking woman, I'd be sloshed by now. It was a rough day in the trenches, let me tell ya! Geez Louise! See, I'm supposed to have them sit on their pottys every 15-20 minutes. Which leaves me about.... NO time at all to do anything else. Wanna hear the rest of the story and what got me to this ripping-my-hair-out, teary-eyed, bonked-over-the-head-expression, nervous-twitch-in-my-neck point?

Well.................I'll make it short.

Ok. It was about 4pm when everything went spiraling downhill. Ash came to me and said, "I pooped." I of course was super bummed and let her know. "We don't poop in our underwear. We poop in the potty.  Yadda Yadda." Pretty sure all she heard was, "Blah blah poop blah blah. Blah poop blah blah blah." Admittedly, it did sound pretty funny to hear her say sadly, "I pooped on Tinker Bell!" I chucked those panties. Yuck. Not washing anything the poop doesn't roll out of neatly!

Then she peed all over the boots in the shoe closet in my mom's house.

Then she peed all over her trike.

Then she didn't want to sit on her potty anymore.

**sigh**

Then we all melted down. The End.


And despite the possibility of it embarrassing my poor children when they're older, I'm posting this:



I'm calling it sweet revenge for now.



P.S. I made fajitas with lots of yummy green pepper and now I have heartburn. **groan**

Today I Blew Out Some Candles.

Wanna know what song I've had running through my head all day?

"Go shorty, it's your birthday, we're gonna party like it's your birthday, gonna sip Bacardi like it's your birthday."

Never mind that I don't drink Bacardi.  I don't drink alcohol at all.  And that's not just when I'm pregnant.

I I think it's soooo weird that years after that song was sung, (ad nauseum) to every friend celebrating a birthday, it would pop in my head today.

And if you don't know what song I'm talking about, count yourself lucky.  Haha!

Anyways.  Awesome birthday because I have an amazing husband and wonderful family members.  Tony came home early to make me a cake (I made one too).  He brought Sees Candies chocolates (scotchmallow anyone?  just kidding.  all mine.) and a gift card to Motherhood Maternity (much needed and appreciated!!!). 

Here are the pics to prove how loved I am.  :)

(and it was.  it REALLY was!)

(molly.  one of my incredible sisters.  she made a gloriously, yummy enchilada dinner tonight!)

(the ends of my new scarf.  molly crocheted it!)

(the photographer's self-portrait.  my funny guy.)

(my monkey face cake.  so much fun to make.  it was a big hit with the short set.  got the idea here and simplified it.)

(tony's girls.)

(my chocolates.  as you can see, i've already enjoyed two.)

(blowing out the candles - with  little help.  i can't ever remember to make a wish.  this is the cake that tony baked.  he said he looked through a lot of cake recipes.  so glad he chose this one.  if there ever was a death by chocolate edible, this is it.  if you'd like to have one of your own, go here.)

Happy Birthday to ME!! 

Today I Made Jam.

I finally got around to making blackberry jam.  I used the Ball brand of freezer jam pectin and just followed the directions under the label. 

Potato Masher Mashed Blackberries.

It was surprisingly easy.  I just mixed the sugar and pectin and then the fruit.  Then poured it into jars to set and lastly...

Voila!  Three jars of yummy jam.  And a lot less sugar than I expected too.


P.S.  On a completely different topic, would it be completely lame for me to make my own birthday cake?

Today I Got Really Close to a Baby Seal.

I spent most of my morning taking care of my girls and s-l-o-w-l-y making orange biscuits.  They seriously took me all morning because of the Ash & Britt interruptions.  But that was ok.  I wasn't in any hurry.  I had a yucky feeling at the start of my day so I felt like being quiet and lazy.  I got to feeling better after lunch.  The orange biscuits were good.  Would have been better if I'd taken them out of the oven and their pan sooner.  I shall have to try it again someday.

After leaving a napping Britt in the care of my sisters, Ash and I headed to the park to meet Christine again.  C and I chatted while the little one played (I love how she just goes up to stranger kids and makes friends).  Then we went to go get Britt (nap time was over at that point) before we hit up the bakery for cookies before heading to the lighthouse and beach (where I snapped pics of the girls on the steps of the lighthouse). 



We didn't get to stay long because we were running out of time, but we did get to see a baby seal.  It's mother had left it on the shore to go hunt.  I guess they are safer on the beach than they would be in the water with the threat of hungry orcas.  I've never been so close to a sea animal outside of the zoo.  Of course we didn't touch it.  Who knows if they bite?  And besides it's illegal to touch or harass them.