Sugar, sugar and more sugar

We went to four Halloween events this year. I stopped accepting candy at the third!! The girls loved it and even Nathalie caught on to trick-or-treating. Eyeore--and a good thing too, because it was pretty cold! Nathalie was warm, but definitely did not like her hood.

Emily at the trunk-or-treat. She is being a kitty, just like Granny's kitty, Felipe. We lost her tail the day after the trunk-or-treat and I had to construct a new one.

Emily, right before trick-or-treating. She wanted to wear the mask this time. She also wore this costume to her very first dance recital ever. Where she just stood on stage and didn't dance. The entire song. I laughed and will tell that to her first boyfriend! Halloween was really fun for me this year because Emily understood the holiday and was so excited.

Projects, big and little

For some reason, I have lot of little things to say tonight. Read on.

Our clothing output has dramatically increased in the last month or so. I have absolutely no idea why, only that I make sure that the clothes that are washed are actually dirty. I get this pile every other day or so. And I put off folding it....like the basket that's sitting in my bathroom right now.

Matt finished our table today. Yes, he MADE this. With his hands and brain. My husband has skills.

We had our once-a-year FHE two nights ago and carved this pumpkin. The girls were beside themselves with excitement.

Emily helping. Nathalie directing.

The inside of a pumpkin is SOOOO cool and gross. Emily thought it was neat, but Nathalie said, "yucky" everytime she put her hand in.

Finished. Yep, I'm awesome.

Emily, getting ready to dip the end of the car charger into the hot candle wax-- which I didn't notice until after she had done it-- and Nathalie looking adorable.

More on the table. Matt has been working on this table for months. Our apartment is small and we wanted something that would be convenient for most meals which is just Emily, me and Nathalie, but also something to pull out for guests. Matt made this BEAUTIFUL drop-leaf table. I picked out the stain and Matt did everything else. The table is truly gorgeous and frees up a lot of space in the kitchen.

It's oak and from trees around here, just cut this summer. Couldn't be prettier. Next up? We have a couple of fun ideas-- toy chest for the girls, matching chairs, toddler bunk beds, shoe rack....Matt has already drawn plans for most of these. What a talented guy!

It's been one of those days

It was not a great day for us. You know the days when you wake up cranky, your children catch onto your mood and they either a) become grouchy and cranky themselves, b) become wired and hyper, c) don't listen or d) all of the above? It was a d day for us. Nathalie decided to do a, Emily decided to do b-d. Sigh.

Also, it rained for half the day. And if you know my girls, you know that they are like puppies--destructive when bored or cooped up. Does this make you nervous for winter? Because it does me. Finally after dinner, when we couldn't walk Matt to work and Emily was literally climbing up the doorframes, I let them watch a movie. Best decision I've made all day because I felt renewed. A little bit.

At least I got these cute pictures. In between yelling at them for climbing people's stairs or grabbing them after running in to the street. Good night.

What do you recommend?

I am in the market for a new sewing machine. Many years ago I bought a cheap Singer and it was exactly what I paid for. Some light use later, the tension is broken and I can't do a running stitch (but I can do other stitches--any idea on that?) and the machine overheats after 30 min of working with cottons. There are some other problems, but maybe it's time to upgrade.

So....to those of you who sew regularly, what is your machine? What do you love about it and hate about it? If you have taken a sewing class or sewed extensively on a machine other than your own, what other brands have you tried and what are their ups and downs?

I'm looking for a not-too-fancy machine, heavy duty that will withstand lots of layers and heavy fabrics. I don't need a kajillion stitches or 53 different feet. Just want something reliable, powerful and good for quilting. But I really really need your experiences!

How to make bagels

Included in our efforts to be more frugal and healthy, I decided last week that we would start making our own bagels. And I have to say, it's been a raging success! Let me tell you how you, too, can make these beauties. Dough Recipe:

1 C very warm water
3 C flour (I usually do half white, half wheat)
1 1/2 tsp salt
2 TB sugar
2 1/4 tsp years (or one package)

Proof yeast in warm water. Mix salt, sugar and some of the flour together, then add yeast/water mixture. Mix and slowly add more flour until dough is pulling away from sides. Knead until soft and pliable. Let rise for 1-2 hours in a warm sport. Form into several round shaped dough mounds with holes in the center. Let rise for another 1-2 hours. When ready, drop dough into a pot of boiling water. Flip the bagel over after 60-90 seconds to let other side be in water. Then cook at 350 until bagels are brown on top, or 20-30 minutes.

The best part about these bagels is that they are HUGE and FLUFFY. You can't buy bagels this big at our local bakery, and if you could they'd be $3 or $4 apiece. And they're REALLY GOOD. And you can add things--like onion powder, poppy seeds or cinnamon and sugar. (Just sprinkle top of bagel before you put it in the oven for a topping, or add into the recipe if you want a through mixture).

One batch makes about 4-6 bagels. 4 if you want them huge with no holes, like Matt. I use my bread machine and it makes the dough really smooth and elastic (something I'm not willing to take the time to do for a kajillion batches of bagels).

Anyway, we now have 3 bags of 6 bagels in our freezer. Next up? How to make cream cheese.

Dear Granny and Grandpa and all the people we love:

Emily, I love you. You loved the ocean. I was a little scared the whole time you were on the pier because the railings weren't close. Buddy, you're a crack up. I can't believe you're finally taller than me. First time EVER IN MY LIFE that one of my siblings is taller than me.

Granny, Emily loves you. Tonight in the car I said, "Emily, do you know I love you?" She replied, "Yes. I love Granny too." Not exactly a reciprocal statement....

I love my hair. But then I cut it off because it was too long. And I love the ocean. I kept taking deep breaths and felt like, for the first time since the last time I saw the ocean, I could breathe. It must be the Norwegian in me. And Nathalie wouldn't look at the camera because she was fascinated by the ocean. She said, "water!" about 400 times in 30 minutes.

I love Matt. He dared me to climb out on this rock and stand at the edge. I wouldn't, but he did!

Emily loved the aquarium, but was afraid the fish would come and "get her." She didn't really believe us about the glass.

Nathalie, you are my doll baby. I love your chubby body, your huge smile and sometimes I even love your curiosity about everything. Sometimes I don't though--usually when you find our extra toothpaste and smear it everywhere.

Emily really wanted her swimsuit on...but it was a little cold outside and the water was not inviting.

The sand was quite inviting however.

Nathalie and Granny at the restaurant.

Nathalie, cranky before bed, and Grandpa, holding his new friend. Grandpa, we love you. Thanks for taking a few days off to take our trip with us.

Dear S family, we love you. We wish you lived closer!

Emily and Grandpa.

Emily's last night with her favorite person in the whole entire world. She misses you like crazy.

Dear everyone on our trip: Thanks for letting us come. We had a beautiful time. Can't wait to see you in a couple of months! (And to my sisters: I loved seeing you too. I just didn't get any good pictures of you with the kids. )

Dear Granny and Grandpa...and Uncle B this time:

Especially for B: Thanks for playing outside with the girls every day. They loved it. Absolutely adored it. Thank you.

Thanks for playing with Emily at the park on our trip. Remember how I used to climb everything? Well, apparently Matt was worse than I was. Now I realize why Emily thinks our entire apartment is a jungle jim.

Thanks for giving Nathalie her cow. (Other readers: Nathalie was obsessed with cows. All she wanted to do was say "cow" and "moo" and read books about cows all the time. ALL THE TIME. So my mom bought her a cow, and when we gave it to her, Nathalie got this HUGE smile, ran over and yelled, "MOOOOOOO!" as loud as she could! It was worth every dollar....of the five.)

Thanks especially for taking Emily to Build-A-Bear for her Missy Missy. She loves this bear. Like I told you, she sleeps with it daily. She uses it as her pillow, makes sure she doesn't need medicine, gives her drinks and covers her with a blanket. She loves this, and loves that Granny gave it to her.

Thanks for letting us play at your school. Isn't she a doll?

Maybe a future teacher in the making?

Thanks for taking the girls on the "ride". They were bummed when we recently borrowed a big cooler and it didn't roll like yours.

Monkey child. She climbs up my doorframes. No, not by straddling it. By actually holding onto one side and climbing up it like a pole. Seriously.

I had to throw this picture in. Nathalie looks super chubby in this and I love her little hand. She'll be a climber too.

Love,

Michelle

Dear Granny and Grandpa:

Thanks for letting us come visit you. We had a blast and it was a really nice break from our busy lives here. Emily loved all the attention. She talks to me daily about things we did or saw with you. She talks about reading books all the time with you, playing ball and just having you all to herself. She's been struggling a bit since we got home! Emily loved being your little shadow, especially you, Granny, and running all sorts of errands with you. She misses you a lot.

Nathalie loved reading books all day long. If I let her, I would be reading to her every minute all day.

Nathalie loved being your (Grandpa) little buddy. She misses the height advantage you gave her while holding her. She loved following you around outside and tries to "help" Matt in the garage now.

Both girls miss reading. (And by the way G&G, don't you love the fact that Emily is holding that balloon in this picture? Remember how we watched "Up" and she held her balloon the WHOLE time? What a funny girl.)

Emily loved going to the lake, even though she wouldn't wear her life jacket to get on the boat. The water was a little cold though and wore her out!

Nathalie is just plain cute.

Thanks for letting us play with the kneeboard while you took my siblings tubing. They loved that Grandpa has a boat and Daddy pulled them on a little boat.

Nathalie misses eating cereal at the big table. She's not a fan of her high chair anymore and wants to be big like she was at your house.

And both girls loved all the loving they got. Granny and Grandpa are definitely more patient than Mom and Dad!

Love

Michelle

P.S. Another letter or two to come.

My First 3 Acts of Tightwaddery

A very good friend recently gave me this book, "The Complete Tightwad Gazette" by Amy Dacyczyn. She (my friend) and I are always looking for ways to not only save money, but cut down on the waste in our lives. The author talks about many different ways to recycle, reuse, check prices for the best possible deals (and without coupons!), find things for extremely cheap or almost free and essentially, save money on every aspect of your life.

You're probably interested in this. At least most of us are saying, "How can I make my money go a little further?" Some of you are saying, "How can I make my money go further AND recycle things?" So I suggest to read this book.

But for this blog, I'm going to tell you three things I did today to save money.

1. I looked in the dented/damaged can section at the store. I found 3 cans I needed for dinner and all were $.30 each, normally $1. Saved $2.10.

2. I created a small clothesline. Hard to do in my second floor apartment, but my line should hold 4-8 shirts. I hung 4 shirts with stains on them to dry in the sun. Saved a few cents in electricity, and who knows how much in trying to wash out those stains.

3. I found a broken kids trampoline on my walk today. Knocked on the door, asked the owner if I could have it. Took it to a friend's house who is willing to fix the frame a little bit. Tomorrow I'll see if I can find replacements for 2 missing legs and then buy some rubber bottoms for the legs. Total cost of broken trampoline? Free. Repairs? Probably about $10. Saved anywhere from $25 to $75 on a present I really wanted to get the girls for Christmas but couldn't afford.

There are some things I won't scrimp on. Food, for example, since I believe very strongly in eating whole foods that are ethically clean and of high quality. Also, I'm not sure about going to cloth diapers yet.... (advice/opinions??)

Where do YOU save money?