Category Archives: Nico

Jul 13

Big Girl Room

Since we’ve been indoors most of the week. I decided it was time to seriously work on Agnes’ bedroom. She had outgrown her toddler bed, and the crib was still in the room, along with a lot of clothes for a yard sale. Her room was in need of some work.

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I cleaned out her dollhouse/toy storage, and added in two more bins that we were using for toy storage downstairs. Just a little organization made a big difference.

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She also got a new bed! Dylan did too. Both of the youngest kiddos were in need of new beds, and a local shop was having a great sale. The kids love their new comfy beds.

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I enlisted James’ help to move out the big stuff, and disassemble the crib. We completely rearranged the room, and Agnes loves it.

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She has my favorite vintage quilt (thanks mom) on her bed.

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We moved the toy storage to a different wall, and re-purposed the changing table as an entertainment center.

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The antique chair stayed in the room, but we moved it to where the toy storage was. She likes to rearrange it often and put her favorite items in the chair.

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I also started her book collection with hand-me-downs from the boys. She loves to be read to, especially if it is her big brother Thade that is doing the reading.

The big girl bedroom turned out great. Agnes has so much more room to play, and it is clean and airy. I would like to find a few more vintage finds to decorate it a bit more, but for now, I’m happy.

Jul 12

Like Mother, Like Daughter

I’ve always thought the kiddos looked like James more than me… A friend of mine looked at Agnes, and then me, and said “they didn’t break the mold when they made you, she looks exactly like you.” I thought  it was kinda funny, I’ve always thought that Agnes took after daddy…

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Maybe we are more alike… James thinks so too.

Jul 7

Simple Saturday: Freebie Flower Bed

Today’s Simple Saturday d.i.y. project is all about splitting out overgrown plants for a freebie garden.

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I wish I could remember just what these plants are called. I think I planted them three or four years ago. They are a pretty cool green grass, that sprouts little purple flowers, and it does well in the shade. This year they sprouted through the Winter, and by Spring they were taking over the flower bed.

I decided it was time to thin them out a bit, and transplant the extra growth to another location in the yard. The only thing was I hadn’t ever attempted this before… I was a bit nervous about this task, and I was pretty sure that my plants wouldn’t survive. I told myself though that if it didn’t work, that I would just replant them again next year.

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I gathered up my supplies…

  • I looked over the fence row, and found enough large rocks under the side-porch to create a border.
  • I had an extra bag and a half of Cedar Mulch that was also living on the side-porch from last year’s garden.
  • I grabbed a small pot to hold the transplants, a small shovel, small rake, and gloves too.
  • Also the dog joined me, she was excited about all of the digging…

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I started off at the main plants, I separated what I thought was off-shoots and new growth, and separated the plant. I took one last look at it and dug in with the little shovel. I cringed when I heard the crunching-snaps of the roots, but all was well. I dug up several large off-shoots, and enough new growth with excellent roots to plant along the entire fence row.

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I dug a few deep holes, and gave the new roots plenty of room to grow. I also watered all of the baby plants, and the main plants well. I added in new mulch to the old flower bed, and the remainder to the new bed. Luckily all of the new little plants took, and they are growing well.

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The main plants are doing great too. They have sprouted even more off-shoots, and the pretty purple flowers are popping up everywhere.

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I’m really happy that they survived my little experiment. Give this project a try if you have over-grown plants. I love my freebie garden, it has added pretty green touches to my shady back-yard.

Jul 6

Cleaning Out The Closets

I’ve been spotting these yellow clothing recycling bins popping up all around town. I thought it looked like a great opportunity to donate, and clean a few more items out of the house too.

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I gathered up two shopping bags from the kids closets and dressers.

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We picked an all too sunny afternoon, and made our donation.

I was happy that we could help a little, and the donation helped me to meet my de-cluttering goal too.

Jul 2

June’s Tasty Treats

Get ready for a bunch of food related photos. I was in the kitchen non-stop during June.

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Thade’s Banana Muffins. One afternoon, the kids were bored, and Thade has been wanting to help in the kitchen more. I had some bananas that needed to be used up, and Thade learned a recipe.

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All three kids helping. Thade was busy mashing up bananas.

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Chocolate Chip Cookies and Bananas. I think I make Chocolate Chip Cookies at least once a week now. They make a great treat for snack time.

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Mini Cherry Pies, James loves these. The crust on these bad-boys was crazy flaky.

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Fresh Raspberries from the garden. They were so sweet, and amazingly tasty.

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Pumpkin Bread, I took this along to the picnic.

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Lone Strawberry, finally a pretty one from the plants. The dog ate it though…

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Coffee and Cookies, my afternoon snack on a cluster headache day.

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Play-date snacks, Banana Cake and No Bake Cookies. The kids loved the cookies.

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Yummy picnic food!

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Panko Chicken Sandwiches, I made these a few times in June.

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Good-bye Cookies… My hubby had a co-worker that was leaving, so I made some cookies.

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Milk and Cookies. Make that lactose free milk, darn food allergies…

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Large Bakery-style Sugar Cookies,

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with Vanilla Icing. These were soft and sweet.

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Father’s Day Snacks

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Nothing but crumbs… I made one of James favorite meals for Father’s Day.

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Mashed Potatoes, those were left behind from the Father’s Day feast.

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Father’s Day Dessert, Chocolate Bundt Cake. This one is an all-time family favorite.

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Agnes’ animals guarding the cookies.

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Again, I made Panko Chicken Sandwiches. These have become a favorite at my house.

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I used my bread-maker to proof some dough for Butter Rolls. The rolls were light and fluffy. I’m going to make a double batch for the Fourth of July, and make Pulled Pork Sliders.

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I had leftover dough in the freezer, and homemade apple pie filling too. I had an afternoon where I needed to bake something, so I made some free-form Apple pies.

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I still have a few Strawberries popping up on the plants.

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They were delicious in my Oatmeal.

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Lastly I made some Giant Chocolate Chip cookies at the very end of the month. The kids loved watching these cookies bake in the oven, and they loved the finished product too. They are really tasty.

I have many desserts planned for July too. I can’t wait to get started on all of the tasty treats for the Fourth of July!