North Carolina Austins: August 2013

Monday, August 12, 2013

Upcycled Shoe Box

Handsome Rob is not just another pretty face. This man is a wood working machine. Someday, I should take the time to photograph and brag on some of the very cool things he has created around our house.

I have a tendency to collect ~~garbage~~ discarded treasures from the side of the road. He has a tendency to roll his eyes, but then allow me to store such treasures in his garage. Every once in awhile, we collaborate forces and create something awesome together.

The wood for this project was originally a neighbor's fence. We built it into a giant birdhouse/playhouse for the girls to romp around in the garden. They didn't really play with it, so I tore it down one morning so I could make a piece of art for the living room. (You can see that crafty delight in a previous post from a few days ago, my daughters are sporting mustaches in the foreground.) Rob used the remaining scraps to build this beauty.

I thought it needed a little extra personality. I saw an old Converse shipping crate, and was close to copying that image. Since I'm the only one in this family that sports the Chuck Taylors, I thought we'd just come up with our own brand.

Before winter, I'm hoping we can come up with a coordinating coat rack/shelf piece to hang above it.

Saturday, August 10, 2013

Killer Whales Win Again!

I'm really trying to do some catching up here....
June was all about swim team, Maggie's second year with the neighborhood pool. We'd be at the pool at 10:30 every morning for practice, and we usually hung out there all day. Pool rats, if you will. These are some pictures from the last meet. We went all out with the red hair paint, the intimidation factor is huge among the 6 and under age group, as you can imagine.

They have a big pizza banquet at the end of the season, including a nice, big trophy that wasn't as impressive to her this year, "everybody gets one, you don't really have to do anything."

I love that this kid is 6 years old, and she gets it. If they gave out McDonald's fry coupons for the heat winner like they did at the Elk's Meet at Westside, that would be a different story.

Summer Bucket List 2013- #9 Bike Riding

Magario and Libigi

Uncle Danny was kind enough to give us his Nintendo Wii at the beginning of the summer. Eventually, I got around to hooking it up and letting these two nutballs play a little bit. Danny gave us a stack of games, but these two only play Super Mario Bros. (and they call it "bros", not brothers.)

We have also discovered that Netflix carries the Super Mario Bros. Show, circa 1989. The other day, I was perfecting my role as supermomio, and let them watch 4 hours of this program. (In case you are thinking of turning me in to child services, this was only one day, and Maggie not only plays the Wii, she also READS THE INSTRUCTION MANUAL. )

They even choreographed a dance routine to match the opening of the show.

And, in case you were wondering....the answer is yes, they wear their mustaches out of the home, to the grocery store, library, the art center for crafts, picking apples by the railroad tracks, and wherever else our day happens to take us.

Game Over.

Notable Quotables

Libby and I had steal cut oats for breakfast this morning.

me: Do you want bananas on yours? I'm having bananas on mine.

Lib: No. I want honey on mine. I like honey. I like honey on Scottish biscuits.

me: What's a Scottish biscuit?

Lib: You know, you put them in the toaster.

me: English muffin?

Lib: Yeah, that's it.

Libby does a lot of singing. We are currently stuck on Katy Perry's Roar album. Back when we used to be able to listen to the radio on the way to school, she'd have great comments on the lyrics to songs.

You know that song- "I'm never gonna dance again, guilty feet have got no rhythm..." Then it goes, "Should've known better than to "cheetah" friend", and she laughs and says she wishes she had a cheetah friend.

Another time, she commented that "you really can't rock and roll all night, but you could party every day."

And finally, if you know Libby, you know she has a little 'lovey' monkey that she has slept with every night of her life. We were listening to The Beastie Boys, Brass Monkey, and there's a line, " wherever we go, we bring monkey with us". She thought that was great, "Hey Mommy, me too!"

This afternoon, we were over at Grandma and GB's. Libby asked Grandma is she'd get "that cat fun dip" out.

As the new holiday tradition of Chenekah was being established, we were trying to come up with a 'theme song' or Chenekah carol. Maggie was getting impatient with our singing, and shouts out, "Oh for Christ's Cake! Let's just open the present!" The baking of the Christ Cake....and another Chenekah tradition begins!

At the dinner table, both girls like to have a chance to say their own special blessing. Tonight, Libby was especially thankful. "Thank you, God, for Daddy's favorite (dinner), and the beans. And all my family. And the napkins. And money. Amen. And the Steelers."

Libby just came up to me and said, "Mommy, I want to go somewhere else." And I asked, "where would you like to go?"

"To my bed."

Almost 3 years old, and a good hour before the usual bedtime!

I'm sure every mother can sympathize with my lack of alone time in the bathroom. I was getting into the shower this morning and Libby says,"Whoa. You have big boobies." I smile politely. Then she continues, "They look like meatballs!"

Age 2 1/2

Maggie received an invitation to a birthday party for one of her friends from preschool. The next day in school, all the mothers were hanging around the classroom getting ready for a field trip to the park. As the teacher was trying to quiet everyone down and get the morning started, Maggie calls out to her friend, "Hey Nathan! I'm a big fan of that Chucky Cheese party!"

Age 5

I usually buy generic diapers, or if I happen to find a good deal, we get the Huggies brand with Mickey Mouse on them. Recently, I bought the Pampers with Sesame Street gang print. I put one on Libby last night and she says, " I see Elmo. Who's those guys?" Before I could answer, she asks, " Nerdy and Bert?"

At the $2 movies watching the beginning of Puss in Boots, where they show an intriguing 'fiesta del fuego' somewhere in Spain. Maggie says, "Don't they have fun in Mexican?!?!"

Libby, dressed in her Steelers gear, about to eat some playoff snacks, starts singing to the tune of "O Christmas Tree"...

"Oh chicken wing, oh chicken wing!" Jan.2012

The girls were hanging around on the diving boards at the pool while some bigger kids were throwing a football and catching it as they went off the boards. The lifeguard asked them to not throw the ball with the little kids around. Maggie marched up on the board and said, "I'm all bigged up! They must be talking about Libby." One of the 12ish year old boys got a real kick out of that.

"Is that Annie all grown up?", Maggie asked as we turned the channel to the movie Napolean Dynamite.

Maggie: "Some Daddys have hair, and some don't."
Mommy: "My Daddy has hair."
Maggie: "Only the sticking up kind, like this." (motioning wild hair)
Daddy: "Does my Daddy have any hair?"
Maggie: "Only just a little bit, right by his ears."

"If there's another Maggie in this country, I'll just change my name to Pam"

I asked Maggie what happened to the head band that she was wearing when she went to school one morning. She told me it broke. I asked her if she lost her temper, and she replied, "Mommy, I think I lost all of my tempers!" Like mother, like daughter.

Maggie overheard me make a comment to Rob about it being a great Saturday afternoon for tailgating. A couple of hours later she says, " I think I want to do some tail getting." I asked her what that entails, and she replied, " You sit right here in the grass and wait for your tail to grow."

"Mommy, will you tell me about that sign that has a nortado on it?" Maggie, 3 1/2

"Those aren't farts...those are rockets!" Maggie, 3 1/2

"If you kiss with your head this way (tilted to one side) that means you're in love." Maggie, age 3

"Is heaven a rectangle state?" Maggie, age 3

"It's great packer snow out there, I'm going to make a big, big big, big fat snowman". Maggie, age 2

North Carolina Austins