Trick Of The Trade

I discovered some time ago that the key to getting good photos of Savannah is ice cream. It seems the same goes for Scarlett. This morning I dressed them in matching outfits, gave them ice cream cones, and Jon clicked away with the camera. Of course, we got a lot of these kinds of pics....



but we also got some really cute ones.



Savy started out by helping Scarlett with her cone.













Ok, imagine the the "Jaws" theme here...da - da, da - da.... Vita enters the scene...circling....




Scarlett was finished with her cone anyway.




After photos, we had lunch at El Porton and hit Lowes for some wood. I've been building Savy a bunk bed for her dolls, and I also built Scarlett a nightstand. I finally decided how I want to decorate her room, and I can't wait to get it finished. No hints...I want it to be completely done when I unveil it.

The New Do

I took Savy to Le Bella yesterday to fix her DIY haircut. It's actually pretty cute - like I said, she didn't cut it super short in any places, so at least there was a lot to work with.




It's all shoulder length, except for the front "bangs" she cut. They are too short to go behind her ear but so long they cover her eyes - so she'll have to wear a barrette until they grow a bit longer.

I hated to see her long hair cut off, but she loves it and it's definitely easier to care for now.

It's Been One Of Those Days

Scarlett woke up at 6 am this morning - I think I've mentioned before that she wakes up earlier and earlier each passing day of my week off. When I was stumbling to her room in the dark (half asleep), I kicked a moving dolly that Savannah had left in the middle of the living room and hurt my foot pretty badly. It's going to be black and blue and swollen for days, I'm sure.

Some idiot nearly ran me off the road on the way back home from dropping Savy off at school this morning. Funny, they had a sticker on the back of their SUV that said "911 is my business"...drumming up business for 911 by running people off the road?

And the finale - well, I shouldn't say the finale YET....after all, it's only 5 pm. While I was trying to get a VERY fussy Scarlett to take a nap, Savannah decided to give herself a haircut.








She's quite pleased with herself. I guess it could have been worse - at least she didn't cut it super-short in any places. I'll be taking her to the salon tomorrow (if they have an opening) to get a bob.

Hummingbird Moth

We've been seeing these huge moths that look like hummingbirds lately. They show up just before dark, and they love my moonflowers. Jon made this great video last night. The best views are midway through to the end. Watch closely and you can see their tongue in a few shots (I'm sure there's a proper name for it that I don't know) - it's incredibly long.

This one is much better and clearer than the previous one I shared on Facebook.

Make sure to click on the lower right corner to enlarge the video to full screen.


Aren't they gorgeous?

It's my week to work, and we all know what that means....no time for anything else. I did clean off some of the pics on my i-phone today, and there are a few I want to post.

Scarlett playing peek-a-boo with me while I was working - she loves this little space between my shelf and the wall.




Very pleased with the fact that she's sitting in the "big-girl" chair.


Savy and Scarlett cuddling - so sweet!



Scarlett trying on Savannah's cowgirl hat. Is that Savy mooning the camera in the background?



In Costco parking lot Saturday.



Scarlett was just so tired!



Savy is such a good big sister...always taking care of little Scarlett.

I Swear, Officer, We Were Just On Our Way Home From Bible School...

Savannah was so excited to go back to AWANA tonight. We dropped her off, then I went to the market with Scarlett. Afterward, I left Scarlett at home with Jon and went to pick up Savy by myself. She asked to go get ice cream on the way home (a tradition Jon started last year), so we went to Sonic for an oreo blast. Then we headed home.

I had just turned onto Hwy 194 when I thought I saw blue lights behind me. They stopped almost immediately, so I didn't really think anything of it...probably just saw a reflection from a traffic stop somewhere. I made it a little farther down the road (where there are no street lights and it's absolutely pitch black), and it happened again - this time there was no doubt there was a cop behind me. Again, they stopped. My windows are tinted pretty dark, and I didn't see anything behind me. I looked to make sure I wasn't speeding (anyone who lives here knows that you'll get stopped for anything more than 5 miles over), but I wasn't even close to going over. Again with the lights...on then off. At this point, I thought maybe he just wanted to get around me, so I slowed down. No car passed, but he hit the lights again. I had no idea why I was getting pulled over, but I was passing the golf course, so I pulled over at the entrance. It was really dark, and I still couldn't see anything, and no one was walking up to the window...maybe Omar was back there and just messing with me. I'm waiting, and then AGAIN with the lights.....

Savy's new Sketchers Twinkle Toes - I can't believe I got pulled over by a pair of shoes!!!

Been So Long

Wow, it's been so long since I posted that I actually had to re-login on my blog. Last week was another busy work week, and we've been super busy around here this week. Monday Jon and I (mostly Jon) did some serious yardwork. Jon dug up all the evergreens that were dead/dying and put brand new crepe myrtles in their place. I moved around some smaller plants and pulled a LOT of weeds...two wheelbarrows worth of weeds, actually. We aren't completely finished yet, but here's a sneak preview of the front garden.




To fully appreciate these pics, you would have needed to see the garden BEFORE we did all this work. It was in very bad shape since Scarlett has been demanding all my attention this year....haven't been able to keep on top of the weed situation.

I've been working inside the house too. I hung these little herb crates on the wall beside the doulbe ovens a couple of weeks ago. I used to keep all my recipes stuffed inside one of the kitchen drawers. Jon told me one day that I needed a better way to "organize my recipes." Once I stopped laughing - Jon telling ME to organize something! - I went out and picked these up at Hobby Lobby. One holds napkins and the other holds my recipe cards.




I also decided to tackle the coat closet this week. Yes, we have the little "mini mudroom" by the garage door, but our real coat closet is by the front door. It was terrible...crammed full of coats, bags, boxes....you get the idea. It only had one crappy wire shelf that was sagging because it wasn't even installed in studs. So I tore it out, patched the holes, and repainted. Then I installed braces (in studs), put a real shelf over the top, and hung a new heavy duty rod. I really wish I'd taken a before pic.



I hung the rod as high as I could (and still be able to reach it) so I could put in a shelf at the bottom too. I even added a piece of molding to the front edge to make it look nice.

It has a weird shape, so I had to get out the jigsaw...took about three tries before I got a perfect fit.


Now I just need to get some of those fabric storage bins to sit on the shelves for all our stuff...scarves, gloves, etc.




It's not completely Martha-tized yet since all the hangers don't match, but I'll be picking up some new wooden hangers soon.

Savannah and Scarlett have been pretty good today. Here they are helping me sweep.




Kiki even came inside to play for a little while today. Here's Scarlett chasing her, intent on putting her in the doll stroller.