This Week

1) These precious, sweet little Stinkerbelles have been fighting like cats and dogs this week. We are trying to relax, take a breath, and help them learn to solve their own problems. Siblings will argue and stress over sharing from time to time; it's normal. But alas... "ohmygoshitmakesmewanttoscreamintoapillow"... is the word of the week.


2) We received a box of goodies from GrandMia's mom shortly after our return home. Inside were GrandMia's dolls from her childhood (more photos to come soonish), complete with homemade clothing from her Mama, and her hair bands, too! The girls got a big kick out of playing with GrandMia's dolls, and Big Sister immediately asked if I would put GrandMia's hair bows to use. Of course!

3) Pacifier free is the way to be! Little Sis is doing great plug less, and we are incredibly proud of her. Nap time is 50/50 now... but she'll mostly stay in her room and "rest." Mostly... so we're working on that. As it's not unheard of for an almost 3 yr. old to give up naps I guess we can't complain. Except that I love nap time, so I can get chores and crafts done without my little helpers helping me quite so much...
Bedtime has been quite easy. Or, well... her normal level of difficulty. Which only sometimes entails her getting out of bed multiple times to mention to Mommy that a) the shadow on the wall from her nightlight is dark, b) she went pee and requests a fresh diaper, c) she went poop and requests a fresh diaper, or d) all of the above.
All in all, a successful transition, and we're glad we finally took that step! It exemplifies how much Little Sis is growing up, which is always faster than we Momma's would prefer.
Little Sis looks bigger to me now!! *Sigh*


4) Our first veggie garden! It's small, but as it's our very first attempt to supplement the summer salads and bruschetta with 'home growns,' we wanted to be conservative. It includes two tomato plants, a cucumber plant, basil and several perennials. We are quite excited! And practically salivating at the thought of home grown tomatoes in bruschetta!

5) My first strawberry pie.* Rest assured, it tasted better than it looked. Something didn't go right with the gelling of the gel. ?? I'll be certain to try it again, though. Add a little Cool-Whip and it's delicious! Even Big Sister requested three bites of strawberry pie; she simply asked that it not include actual strawberry.

*Please excuse the poor photo quality. Interior shot, low battery, and somebody--I'm not naming names--decided to take her fair share of crust off the pie to dip in Cool-Whip. Not saying who. But just know, it's her darn kitchen and she can do what she wants to.

And that's not all that's going on this week, but that's about all I have time to type up! We're also gearing up for a multi-family yard sale and a visit from family this weekend! Which, of course, means that I decide to rearrange table tops and pictures on walls, make art for Big Sister's room, and start my furniture refurbish project I'd been putting off... all while I should be prepping for said yard sale and visit from family. I guess I work well under pressure?

Hope y'all are having a lovely week!