Ashlynn's walking! It's been a little over a week now that she's become fairly comfortable on her feet. It's her preferred method of mobility now even though she can only go about 5-6 steps in a row before she loses her balance. She can move much faster crawling so if she sees the front door open or the gate to the stairs left unlocked she will crawl to try to beat us to the danger zone. She's thrilled with her new ability and seems to completely understand our excitement for her. Step one to getting rid of pre-toddler frustration-master walking!
A bit wobbly but walking!!! You can tell she's pretty thrilled with herself. |
Aunt Megan sent a box of crafting goodies for us which is always appreciated. I never know when I'm going to need fun colored buttons or stencils. Having a well stocked craft closet is key to surviving long days with the kids in Ethiopia. An awesome monster play stage kit came along in the box and Arabella and I had so much fun putting it together and decorating out little monster puppets on Thursday while Addie was away for her long day at school. Bella's head almost popped off from excitement when she saw the goggly eyes provided for the puppets. She then proceeded to put on a monster puppet show for the next hour and later in the day made up endless adventures for the monsters (who all had extraordinary names-which I can't recall now). I was cooking dinner while she played out an elaborate scene where the monsters were being rescued by Woody and Meles (Meles is the new name of her baby doll. Named after Meles Zenawi the former Prime Minister of Ethiopia). This kid cracks me up!
Halloween costumes have been ordered for the children. Addie is going to be TinkerBell (it took me awhile to find one that was pretty and not a crummy Disney store itchy piece of crud). Bella is dressing as Woody from Toy Story ( I purchased a back-up costume just in case though because of the Curious George debacle of last year). Ashlynn is going to be an adorable owl-because she's still young enough that I get to pick for her. I am beginning my preparations for our annual kids Halloween party that will also double as Ashlynn's first birthday party. Yay for party planning! I have some fun crafts in mind and I should be receiving a box in the mail soon full of fake spiderwebs! Do you get excited for Halloween like me?
I reworked my chocolate chip cookie recipe so now it behaves as if I were cooking at sea level. They are soft in the middle with a crust on the outer edges, just how I like them. |
I was really thrilled with how my Icebox cupcakes turned out. They are imperfectly pretty which is how I like my goodies. I'd rather eat a ragged gooey cookie than a perfect looking tart any day of the week so I especially loved these leaning chocolate wafers stacked with dollops of whipping cream. These little treats mean a lot to me and I hope my MIL is proud. They sat in my icebox for two days and then I topped them with whipping cream and chocolate shavings this morning. They looked divine. Don't you think? We have a friend who's daughter is allergic to eggs and will be turning one a few weeks before Ashlynn. I'm hoping they will let me make an icebox cake for her for her birthday.
I spent a lot of time this week trying to make sense of the events in Libya and the tragic death of the US Ambassador and his colleagues in Benghazi, Libya. I completely failed in doing so and instead I've been praying for the victims and their families. I've also been giving my husband a few extra meaningful hugs and "I love you"s just knowing that it could have been anyone's loved one involved in a similar horrific tragedy in any country around the world. The older I get, the more these type of things hit me hard and make me want to move to a small rural farm, raise chickens and bake pies. Sometimes the ugliness in the world is just too much to process.
Freebie iced green tea for my customers! Leftover from kindergarten potluck the night before! |
5 comments:
Are those red velvet cookies? They look delicious! I am so proud of your girls and how they are adapting to their new surroundings. My sis-in-law recently posted about Third Country Kids (thejolliffs.blogspot.com), thought you may enjoy the post. Have a great weekend!
Those look so YUMMY! I am so glad it is being received well, and that you are selling out, that is ALWAYS a good sign.
I'm so glad your baking business is a success but I'm not at all surprised! You are so talented- I can totally see you opening up your own bakery one day! I do miss Christmas times in our old office when you'd bring in some of your delicious goodies!
Congrats once again Sara. I knew you'd do great! Can't wait to see you and maybe be able to help with some of the baking. I'm so glad that Bella got a kick out of the monster puppets. I thought of her when I saw it. Love you all.
Great recap! So many excitng things in such a short time span. I needed to take a deep breath! We think about you all every day and pray that you are safe. I can only imagine the stress these horific events add to your lives. I love hearing the tidbits about the girls - takes me back to when mine were that age. It's funny how many similarities I see! Love the icebox cupcakes and I am sure your MIL will too! Hugs and kisses to everyone - Love, Donna, etc.
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