Has Anyone Seen Juliana?

Juliana likes to sneak off and crawl into small, dark places. It's all cute and fun when I find her all nestled up, snug as a bug. But then there are the times when I have looked all over the house and can't find her and then begin to convince myself that maybe, just maybe she actually figured out how to unlock the front door and has run away...

Then I find her sleeping under the bed or in an old box...

Should I be worried?

Pure Excitement

We had a wonderful, but short, visit with my mom over the past two days, and how fun it always is to have her here! We took the kids strawberry picking this morning and now have enough strawberries to keep Juliana (who can never have enough strawberries on her plate) happy over the next week at least! It was fun to take a drive through the SC farmland and see an area on the outside of our town that I hadn't been to yet.

My mom also shared with us this short video clip from Juliana's birthday last month- Jules was in absolute awe over the gifts and sounds like she is hyperventilating over all the excitement! It's really funny!

Now, before you scroll down and look at the video, please keep in mind that my sharing the terrible still image on the post here is one of my "self-sacrificing for the good of my children" moments! After watching the video, please erase from your memory that you ever saw this awful, awful picture of me!

Enjoy!

New Look...maybe?

Once Again...I am fooling around with a NEW look for Kate's Musings, so excuse me while the look changes (a million and one times) today!

*Today's Memories*

Nate dressing up like a pirate and Juliana a ballerina with her tutu and all! The best part was Nate taking "captive" Juliana ballerina doll, hiding her under the laundry basket and then sitting on top of it. Poor Juliana didn't know what to do!

Morning Discovery

After my post yesterday about coming home from our trip to find all of my little seedlings withered and dried up, I just had to share this morning's discovery!

When I went to bring the kitchen scraps out to the compost this morning, there inside the container were little plants sprouting up! Now if only I could remember what it was that I threw out a few weeks ago that produced these great little plants! Cucumber? Melon? We'll just have to wait and see!

Earth Day... Every Day

Happy Earth Day everyone!

Earth Day represents so much to me, but one of the things I love most about celebrating the Earth is what it is capable of providing for us. I LOVE to garden. I love seeing things come to life and getting my hands in the dirt. For the past few years I have made great attempts at semi-sustainable gardens, trying to raise a good varieties of vegetables for my family during the summer months. I've had good luck with some things and not so good luck with others. This year started out right on track- seeds in sprouted right up and loved the South Carolina sunshine...all was moving along fantastic until we went away for a week, and in the craziness of packing and wrapping up all the little details, I forgot to leave my poor little seedlings in some water. You guessed it.

I left with these growing strong and healthy...

and came home to this...

Oh, how devastated I was. But not defeated. I was able to save some of them and simply replanted more seeds. And as much as I had hoped to grow my own vegetables from seed this year, I have decided that it will be just fine if I have to pick up a few seedlings from a local nursery. No problems. Stay tuned and hopefully, I'll be able to share with you all of the progress our garden is making!

In the meanwhile, anyone who is just getting started in gardening and wants to keep things simple, check out this site, courtesy of Joy The Baker (By the way, she has the yummiest recipes!) for a great and easy One Pot Garden!

Want To's & Need To's!

Today's need to do's and want to do's:

Need To's:

1. Put away mountains size piles of laundry
2. Clean all bathrooms (sweep floors/mop; clean counters; toilets; sinks; mirrors)
3. Sweep Laundry Room
4. Clear off top of bedroom dresser
5. Water plants
6. Prep for dinner
7. Inventory artwork for upcoming show
8. Compost remaining leaves/trimmings
9. Move compost to new location
10. Clear off kitchen counters
11. Make costume for Nate's parade tomorrow!
12. Begin organizing family room/play room/office/TV room....UGH....


Want To's:

1. Artwork with kids
2. Plan new honeybee garden
3. Read friend's blogs
4. Work on new blog design

I'll be back later to talk about one of my all time favorite things to do- gardening!

Today's Memories

*Today's Memories*

Nate asked me if his cousin Mackenzie could come over and play- Mackenzie lives near Buffalo, NY- 12 hours a way! After I told him I was sorry but she lived too far away to come over for the day, he then announced..."well Mackenzie could ride her scooter here!"

Turning A House Into A Home

We had a wonderful week visiting with family up in Buffalo NY. The kids had a blast digging into their Easter baskets and participating in two egg hunts in 35 degree weather!

Grandma and the kids and I discovering all the fun things in the Easter baskets

Oh. My. Word. It was so cold!!!!

So now, it's good to be back home, but that also means back to reality! Time to get back in check with making our house and our community, home for us!

My sister-in-law, Holly, helped to give me some major motivation on decorating a house and more importantly, about making your house a home. About five years ago, she and her husband and their family moved into the home her grandparents had lived in and had built more than 75 years ago.

Holly and I this past week

Over the past few years, they have literally put their amazing touch on every room in the house- even adding an additional living space of two extra bedrooms, a family room and third bathroom to the once dreary, stone walled, 5 foot tall cellar!

My niece, Mackenzie jumps the new basement stairs during an Easter performance in their new basement last week

Holly spent what I presume to be dozens of hours painting all of the walls in shades of warm paint colors and has added just the right amount of decorative and personal touches to each room to make them feel as though a heart beats in each one. Their hard work paid off handsomely, and their house is now the comfortable haven they dreamed of, having transformed it from their house, to their home.

Some of our family gathered together outside of their beautiful home- one that just radiates warmth and life...

Happy Monday everyone, I hope your week begins with as motivation as mine is!

Back from Buffalo

I've missed you blog world! We have been in Buffalo, NY for the past week- with next to NO Internet access (if you can believe a place like that even exists today!).

Twelve hours there, twelve hours back...and I am happy to say that we survived the drive with two little ones- no problem!!!

We had so much fun visiting with so many people in both of our families...I am off to begin a major unpacking session! I'll be back again soon with loads of photos and updates!

Edit in Process

Please forgive my frequent change in background here...I just couldn't take the dreary, sad willow branch anymore! I am working on finding something new and lively looking!

Late Start

I can't believe how fast this week is going by! I have been meaning to post for days now, literally, but my (evil) "to do" list has kept me pretty occupied. If you've been around here for the last few months, you know that things at the Agliata house have been pretty chaotic with Pete's travels and my feeling out of sorts and overwhelmed, spending most of my time alone with the kids. I am happy to report that I have NOT lost my mind, in fact, as of lately, I have begun exploring options to help keep me happy, healthy, and well, otherwise able to keep my marbles from spilling out of my head and falling all over the floor!

I am re-vamping my weekly schedule (I promise I am not as much of a nerd as this makes me sound) in order to help me stay organized and focused on the household cleaning, shopping, etc...I need to get done each day. This helps me to have at least one area of the house cleaned and organized each day and leaves the rest of the day to get other things done (ie. raise the kids!). I was starting to feel a bit frazzled everyday and well, actually completely out of control with all of the things I was expecting myself to accomplish...

I like Erin's take on things over at House on Hill Road...Have-to's and want to's, it's important to make time for both in your life so you have that crazy little thing called b-a-l-a-n-c-e...know what I mean?



I am also developing a passion for sewing! And it's becoming a great outlet for all of the creativity in me I've been harboring since I started having children (in other words: no time)! I recently made some pants for Juliana (hanging from the tree above- don't ask, I was just feeling silly). I'm really excited about all of the possible things I can create and have been enthralled with all of the really cool and inspiring blogs I have found in the last few days which focus on creating handmade items. I'll share some of them with you soon. I also finally got around to adding more fabric to the castle I had made for Nate several months ago...he LOVES it now...except he keeps telling me that he wishes it was green...oh well, can't please everyone!

And, just because they were cheap, cheap, cheap, I bought a ton of red bell peppers the other day and roasted em this morning to jar and puree...


Can we say, oh. my. word...YUM!!!



And finally, getting around to *Today's Memories*...

-Juliana falling asleep in my lap- that never happens anymore...I actually allowed myself ten minutes to just sit there and do nothing but smell her hair and enjoy my baby...

-Seeing Nate smile with pure joy at finally getting to ride his newly repaired bike (ie. motorcycle) again after daddy accidentally ran over one of the training wheels and broke it a few weeks ago!

Thank God for Fridays!

Ahhhh, I love Fridays.

All week long I hustle, I cheat time here and there, eat on the go, or standing up while throwing the ball to the kids, clean, clean and clean and do even more laundry...but Fridays, Fridays are different.

It's not like I actually take the day "off" or anything, (I mean seriously, does a stay-at-home mother (or even one who works outside the home) ever really get to take the day "off"?) but for me, Fridays mean time to slow down. I get up, do what I do every day to get the kids and myself dressed and fed and ready for the day, but then, I steer us away from our normal routine and usually pack a snack, some water and juice and get the kids in the car. In the past it has been the zoo, the State Museum, or the park. Today however, it was the shoe store, Lowes and the sporting Goods store. Yeah, yeah, I know that doesn't sound as exciting as the zoo to most people, but to me, a mom who dreads the idea of running errands with two toddlers in tow in the incredibly short period of time I usually schedule myself to do so, doing them on a Friday is almost, almost I say, enjoyable!

The kids had a blast at the shoe store, running around with other kids, getting their feet measured and feeling important because I let them decide on their choice of Summer shoes. Nate got to linger a little longer on the seat of the ride on lawn mowers at Lowes, and Juliana got to pick out a new princess baseball bat and Nate a new baseball mitt at the sporting goods store.

I on the other hand, got the new shoes out of the way, (Velcro sneakers are more encouraged- stated a recent e-mail from Nate's teacher, who apparently was getting tired of having to constantly re-tie Nate's shoes). I got to return a broken rake, (can you even believe a brand new rake BROKE in half the other day, while little old me was raking up some leaves- and yes, I was very dissapointed that I had to stop one of my favorite activities mid way through) get some new garden supplies and leisurely browse through the patio furniture. And I finally got an air pump for the 10 deflated balls in our garage!

It feels good to slow down the pace a bit, breath a little easier and look forward to spending the weekend with my husband home for a change- the way it should be!

Enjoy the day everyone!
Love, Kate

Yesterday's Memories...Thursday, April 2, 2009

Me: Nate, did Anna (our new babysitter (who is studying French)) teach you anything in French this afternoon while she was here?

Nate: Yes, Momma! Zippity zoo za, ya, ya, yeah, yeah...!

Me: Oh...! Um, wow! What does that mean?

Nate: it means, dinner is yummy!

Maybe he won't be following his Aunty Krista's multi-lingual abilities after all...!