This and That

Who knows where this fashion forward tike discovered a 6-12 month sized red sock to pair with a cream and blue one, but rest assured, she dressed herself this day. A diva in the making, just add a lowly peasant dropping grapes into her mouth and the transformation is complete.

Speaking of this diva, I ENROLLED HER IN PRESCHOOL TODAY. Yep. Beginning next fall, she will be cutting and pasting with the best of 'em. I found a lovely, lovely preschool where I truly believe she will flourish--especially on the days when she is the designated special helper. Right up Lilly's alley, she grabs life in a huge bear hug and takes it for a ride. On HER terms. I'm proud of her.

Random thought #2: I'm loving this honey's "rock star hair." He selected his hairstyle straight out of a magazine, letting Miss Alissa (hairstylist) and mama know he wanted "rock star hair." I respect that.

My rock star's kindergarten registration is this week. Be still my racing, troubled, excited heart.

Random thought #3: Hello, chocolate chip pumpkin bread. I know it is not the season for pumpkin, but there was a lone can of it leftover in my pantry from the holidays, and I found this delicious recipe! Thank you, Kitchen Sink. That makes two great recipes I have discovered on your blog!

Did you know a can of pumpkin has 300% Vitamin A per serving and 5 g of fiber? This made a great snack for my kids.

Finally, the arrival of this package, courtesy of Jocelyn and The Trendy Owl, in my mailbox made me oh, so happy.

Any random thought you'd like to share here today? Oh, and my one year blog-iversary is Saturday. How should we celebrate?

This is the Life

(Click image to enlarge)
Text reads:
Mother's Day weekend
fancy-schmancy breakfast
backyard picnic
planting a garden
Ian singing "Happy Birthday"
yummy lunch
dinner with mom and dad
2009

I truly hope you all had a wonderful Mother's Day weekend. We mostly celebrated on Saturday to make getting ready for Sunday church easier. Ian ran in and woke me up singing, "Happy Birthday" and letting me know a Mother's Day surprise was ready. It's not my birthday, but Ian knew the day was special and expressed that in his way.

I came into the kitchen to an amazing breakfast. Thank you, sweetie! (I told you he's the greatest.)

Menu:

• Blueberry sour cream muffins (Nathan substituted fat-free yogurt for sour cream, used 1/2 whole wheat flour, 1/2 white, and used 1/3 less sugar than recipe recommends)
• Bacon cheddar quiche (Nathan used 1/2 half and half and 1/2 skim milk but added more cheese and double smoked peppered bacon)
• sugared blueberries, straight from the freezer
• fresh strawberries

Here is another delicious recipe from my weekend that you have to try! Nathan made Strawberry Cream Freeze for an evening Mother's Day treat (he used fat free Cool Whip, substituted chocolate pudding for vanilla, and froze it in muffin liners).

We went outside after breakfast and got to work planting our herb and veggie garden. Nathan nailed it together right outside our porch.

Maybe I shouldn't have gotten that bag of manure to add to the soil . . .

Ian: "Mama, this is stinky. Did somebody poop in this?"
Me: "Umm, yeah. It IS poop."

So, tonight when grandpa asks him, "Tell me about your new garden, Ian!"
What does Ian say? "IT'S GOT POOP IN IT!"

It's okay. Nathan assured me this truly was the most interesting detail of the new garden, so we couldn't really blame him. And at least it didn't stop Ian from helping me dig. Stay tuned to find out whether he'll actually eat food out of that, umm, stuff.

My honey and kids outdo themselves each year on Mother's Day. I realize how truly blessed I am. I am thankful. I hope your weekend gave you cause for thanks, too.

Coming later this week:

• John and Amanda photo shoot!
• The REAL Rebekah . . . real life outtakes that don't make the blog cut