Dillon rules the roost...

A few weeks ago, when we were doing some school shopping, Dillon reached out of the cart and grabbed some watercolor paints. I told him he could have them if he did his jobs and paid me two tokens for them. He was so excited he clung to those watercolors all through the store.
We got home late, but Dillon still wouldn't go to bed. He just stared at his watercolors until almost 11:00 PM.

The next morning, he got up before I did, and when I walked into the kitchen he was already painting.

I said, "Dillon! You were supposed to do your jobs to earn those paints."

And then he "shined" up his freckles, batted his eyes, and said:

"But I wanted to paint a nice pitchoe foe you!"

And I melted. And he continued to paint without doing any of his jobs.

And this is just a cute picture of him playing in the sprinkler.
We love our Dillon!

Let the Felt Food Fetish begin...

The "felt food craze" on etsy has nearly passed me by...because let's face it...What would I do with fake felt food? But I found out today that MY SISTER IS HAVING A BABY GIRL! And everything has changed. Now, if the mood moves me, I may just start making a few of these tasty looking treats. Wouldn't they be adorable in my little neice's room?

Okay, so I actually already have quite a few neices, but it just dawned on me today that I could make felt food even though I only have boys. Wahoo!

Don't these things look good enough to eat?

I also spent the better part of my afternoon looking at girly quilt patterns and fabric online. I'm gonna have to buy some pink thread...

Potty Training

We are in the midst of Potty Training. In doing some online research, I've come across a few BAD idea's for potty training. Here are a few:


I'm sure my husband would really go for this... (no pun intended)

This one can't be good...



Um, yeah. This will make my three year old excited to go near the toilet...

I have a hard enough time getting my boys to aim...do we really need any more distractions?

This kid is absolutely thrilled with his accomplishment. Good thing he got the T-shirt.


A man definitely came up with this one. Not only do you get to clean out the bucket in the bottom, you also get to reach in and wipe down the entire urinal 13 times a day.

What do you do if you have to throw up?

Hey, it worked for the elephant...I just feel bad for the roto-rooter guy.

Imagine hitting this one with a hose...

I'm still trying to figure out what these are for:
Ah, another T-shirt. This is just what I want my kid wearing around town.

Now this one might actually work...

Fall Fever Giveaway

Ooh...I can't wait for fall! It's my absolute favorite time of the year. I used to love summer so much that I'd leave my Americana decorations up 'til September 11th, but this year I just can't wait. My fall decor is coming out TODAY! I don't care what the calendar and the thermometer say...it's time for pumpkins, apple desserts, cool crisp air, changing leaves, and my very favorite Strudel and Spice Candle from Scentinel Candle Co.

My incredibly talented friend Marci is having a fall giveaway on her blog. Leave a comment to tell her what you love about fall and win this darling pillow.

PS- Marci has an ad in the latest Country Sampler magazine...go check it out!

Dillon made it through the day without his boys...barely!

Here's Dillon, running out to meet "his boys" as they walked home from school. They hugged when they met up...it was adorable...but I missed it 'cause my memory card was full.

I took this picture of Caleb giving me a flower because I thought it was so sweet. It was only after I had loaded it onto the computer that I noticed Dillon in the background, licking Brayden's hand. Did I mention that he was excited for his boys to come home? If he had a tail...it would've been wagging!
The best part, is that Brayden didn't have a fit over the germs (although he would have been justified in this case--ew!). His OCD medicine has helped SO much. Now it's time to start the homework...

It's the most wonderful time of the year :o)

The first day of school!

Poor Dillon. He came down the stairs about 10 minutes ago (10:20 AM) to say "It's time to get my boys from school", and when I told him that they wouldn't be home until this afternoon, he threw a little fit and started ranting about how stupid computers are (that's what he's been doing this morning, after I drug him around town in the stroller for a morning walk).

Caleb was so excited he was dressed in about 10 seconds, and chose cereal because "it's faster than eggs and toast"...as if that would make school start sooner.

Brayden decided, after Back to School Night last night, that second grade would be easier than first grade because there was less stuff in his desk.

House comparison

The boys have been out riding their bikes and enjoying their last night to stay up [sort of] late before school starts on Thursday. I've been sitting in the yard under the apple tree and enjoying the cool summer evening. I snapped this picture of my house with my cell phone, so the color isn't great...I'll take a better one in a few days when my zinnia's bloom.

This year we added the window boxes (I love 'em...thank you, Todd) but they still need to be painted. We also got a new screen door. Todd made the cute red ladder on the left, and we nabbed the old-fashioned wheelbarrow from my dad's barn in the spring. Next year I want to plant more perennials that will grow tall enough to hide the cement foundation. Any idea's?

Todd has been working hard on the lawn and it finally looks great! It had big yellow spots and bare patches for the first part of summer, but he's re-planted in the bare spots, weeded and feeded, treated for grubs, and gave it a treatment of straight nitrogen. Now it has to be mowed twice a week, but he doesn't mind. He finally got the thick luscious lawn he's been waiting for :o).

We'll soon get new windows with almond frames, rather than dark brown. I can't wait to be able to open my livingroom windows to let the breeze in!

This is what it looked like when we moved in: