Month: July 2019

What I Did For My Birthday

I had SUCH a great birthday this year. Wow! My friends and family knew how hard I took my last birthday, and I could see the special efforts made to ensure I felt loved and celebrated. Thank you, my favorite people in the world!

My birthday actually kicked off the day before my birthday, on the 29th. My mom always offers us a birthday meal – whatever we’d like to eat. This year, I chose her homemade pizza, which I feel like I haven’t had in years!! It was SO yummy, and I ate SO much! The kids demolished it, too. Wavy ate half an adult piece, easily. There were also chips and fresh veggies, and a tuxedo cake! My gosh, if you guys haven’t had that before, go get one from Costco. They’re SO smooth and easy to eat, lol! A tad dangerous. SO good. I felt SO loved and celebrated that day.

The next was my actual birthday, and Brady was working. It was a bit of a bummer, but I had a whole day with the ladies in my life! It was a day of delicious food and even better company. The morning kicked off when Cher brought fresh bagels and cream cheese from the Great Canadian Bagel, and chocolate milk. She had invited my mom to join us for breakfast, and she came bearing cherries to add to the mix. That breakfast went down SMOOTH, my goodness. Balloons were inflated, therefore the kids were distracted and happy, and we spent the morning visiting. It was so lovely and relaxed. We had eaten so much that no one was hungry for lunch, however, haha! My mom ducked out around noon, and Cher stuck around for a chunk of the afternoon. She actually helped me with my blog, as I had received issues that its performing poorly, and she knows way more about technology than I do! Beyond that, though, we just had a really nice time hanging out and chatting. I knitted a bit, lol! It was a really good way to spend the afternoon.

And then one great date rolled into the next! Jerilee came for the evening, and she hauled in SUCH an amazing supper idea! She had hit M&M, and brought home all the makings of a delicious appie night!! Yesssss!! We had bruschetta pizza, mozza sticks, pizza rolls, pigs in blankets, and popcorn chicken. It. Was. AMAZING. And then ice cream cake to wrap it all up. My goodness, birthdays are ALL about the food, and I’m not mad about it. While we ate our body weight in beige food, we watched The Bachelorette. STILL NOT CAUGHT UP! NO SPOILERS! I felt so happy to spend the evening with amazing people, just relaxing and having fun and letting down. It was exactly what I wanted.

For a gift report, I had quite a haul. I was firstly given a beautiful card from my mom, made with one of her own photos, with the most relevant, loving message written inside. I will treasure that, mom. I also got some birthday money to spend. (I think I know what I’ll use it on already…) I was given a gift certificate for a lash perm and tint, which I’ve been wanting to try for quite some time now. I got the new Try Guys book that I’ve been eyeing since it came out. I’m not a big reader (don’t worry, I know how) but I’m so intrigued by some of the things I’ve heard about it. Now that I hold it in my hands, I can tell its going to be a super fun read. (ie: lots of pictures) I’m stoked. I got a perfect little list-making notebook and SUPER nice pens! They have a very fine point, and they write super nice. And I got a set of Lush bath bombs! I haven’t had bath bombs in SO LONG, and I cannot wait to use them and indulge! Yesssss!!

All in all, this birthday was so amazing. It was more than I expected or even hoped for. It was spending time with some of my favorite people, all of whom I am overwhelmingly fortunate to have in my corner. Thank you, friends, for the beautiful day(s) of celebration and love. I feel it.

Thirty-One

Remember that time that I really hated turning thirty? Ya I stand behind that, I really didn’t like it. I kept trying to like it, and accept it, and join the “thirty is the new twenty” club, but I had a really hard time with it. I learned to get over my angst about aging by reminding myself that its not about what I did but who I am. I wrote a really jumbled post maybe a month after my birthday saying these things, and wondering out loud to myself if the “bones” were still good. I remember writing that I think they were. I was in a weird space that I couldn’t really define and didn’t know how to “fix.” Or if it needed fixing. I was SO confused last year. 

I went on to have a really full year. It’s been both lovely and immensely challenging. We saw Wavy through her newborn infancy. We rolled through a year of school for Dekker and Laela. We watched Rowan and Solly grow and change, and sorted out some small health issues for them. Brady had probably his slowest year of work ever, and we worked through those financial challenges. There are MANY more parts of this last year I haven’t shared publicly, and I won’t, but you can trust me. It was a FULL year. 

In retrospect, I would never want to go back to my twenties. Or my teens. EVER. The people closest to me know how difficult this year has been, yet I feel like I’ve grown more as a person in this last year than ever before. I’m SO much closer to the person I hope to be for the rest of my life. I will never fully get to THAT person, because we always can improve, but I’m so much happier to be on track to becoming that person. 

While it hasn’t been an easy, squishy, gentle year for me, I’m so grateful for this year and all I’ve learned. 

I said at the beginning of 2019 that I wanted to be braver this year. Who knew I’d actually really have to be brave brave!! Yet, I think its happening, slowly but surely. I don’t in any way desire to write some weird, braggy post about how amazing I am, lol! But I’m on a track of self-improvement and I’m truly enjoying it! I don’t feel stagnant. I feel like I’m moving forward in a really good way. I feel hopeful, excited, motivated, and less afraid. I still feel afraid, but its more of a challenge I know I can overcome than an excuse not to do something. 

I sulked my way through my first year in my thirties. This next one is going to be SO much better!! 

As We Liked It

Brady took me on a date this past Saturday as an early birthday date. My birthday falls on a weekday that he is working, so we did our date this weekend 🙂 We started at Montatas, because their buttermilk country chicken plate is to DIE for!! Their spiked iced tea is really good, too. Very raspberryyyyy.

Yum. Being parents, however, we accidentally ate at warp speed. Does anyone else struggle to just relax and take your time eating a meal when you can? I swear, our food was gone in less than ten. Easily. 

Lol! Salty and sweet! I was not a willing participant in this picture.

We then headed on to a production of “As You Like It” put on by Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan. It is SUCH a fun event!! This wasn’t our first go round, but it had been a few years since we’d gone. Neither of us are Shakespeare buffs (though I LOVED English in school!) but you don’t have to love Shakespeare to love these productions. You can trust me on this.

It was hot out, but as a storm was brewing, the wind helped a lot. There was quiet jazz nearby, the option of drinks to purchase, and lots of people watching to do. I remember from years past, some people come dressed to the nines, and some people are super casual. Either way, you don’t stand out. Everyone fits. And everyone is nice! Its a pretty low key group of people chatting quietly amongst themselves. About a half hour before it began, the doors opened, and we made our way to our seats. 

Brady accidentally picked the BEST seats! There was a smallish stage in the centre of the tent, and seating all around it. Only four rows, and eight small sections. We had seats right along of the aisles. Turned out it was kind of a central aisle, where lots of the actors came in and out! I’ve LOVED theatre forever, so I felt very up close and personal in my aisle seat 🙂 

We loved every minute of it. Yes, I say “we.” Its not a compromise for Brady at all. While he didn’t grow up knowing about theatre, he dove right in when he met me, and has grown a love for it, as well. Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan is SO well done! No one missed a line. There was lots of music and dancing. They reacted in scenes in a way that included the audience. It was fast paced and entertaining. And even if you don’t follow all the language, you can easily follow the storyline 🙂 You really feel like you’re part of it, being so close!

At one point, I got to be the person I was always jealous of. There was a part in the scene where one actor, who was a VERY active character, plunked down to take a breather. And he plunked down right on the stair right beside me. He took his hat off and wiped his brow, and kind of scoffed and gestured towards the other actors on the stage. He was legitimately beading sweat, though, poor guy. He sniped the program off my lap and started fanning himself. Then he flipped it open, found himself in the cast credits, and whispered some little comment about “who’s this guy?” or something like that. And just like that, he was back on stage in his scene. I know it was such a small thing, but its amazing how it amped the experience for me! I’m sure everyone else who was gently included felt the exact same way. 

The whole show was a total blast. I was surprised at how many people didn’t stay until the end, because it could not have been due to a lack of entertainment! Maybe theirs butts were sore, lol! That would be a valid reason. And then we had some come halfway through. I was just surprised, considering you buy tickets to come… But to each their own, as always. 

The performance ended on a high note of music and dancing. It was a BLAST!! What a great night out!

We drove home and picked up some ice cream on the way. It was a great way to close a great evening. Food, a show, and more food. What more does a person want?? I felt celebrated, loved, and full. 

If you’ve never hit up Shakespeare on the Saskatchewan, I HIGHLY recommend it. Even if you don’t care about Shakespeare. Read a summary of the play you’re going to if you want. That helps. Or just go 🙂 Its so so SO much fun. You won’t regret it.

Sitting Up Front at Church

You know those front rows at church that people rarely sit in? At least thats often how it happens at our church. We call them “dummy rows.” Isn’t that gross? Unflattering? Yup, it really is. To be fair, we have a few people who brave the front rows on the regular. We are not part of that group at all. With our decent sized group of small children, we have nothing but reasons as to why we should sit where we do – in the back. We often have to walk a kid out for one reason or another. Sometimes they talk loudly, or whine. Or they fall off the bench and cry. Sometimes they want a drink or have to use the bathroom. Sometimes Waverly needs to wiggle without being held. Sometimes someone gets angry when reminded to be quiet and screams “NO!” at you. Sometimes the goldfish spill. Sometimes, bringing kids to church isn’t glamorous at all! Sometimes, it feels nearly impossible to get there.

But, we try, because its important. Summer is when we are the worst at getting there, and being in a particularly difficult stage with a kid or two doesn’t make it easier. But, we try. And today, we led worship, so rather than waving the white flag and asking for help on Facebook this morning (like I wanted to) we hauled them all to church.

As tends to happen in summer, we had a much smaller group of people in attendance. We were leading with Carrie, and we mentioned to one another how we should try and ask people to sit closer to the front, just so we weren’t all SO spaced out from each other. But then we took it in a different direction and opted to sit up front 😳 In the middle 😳 Right up there, where any misstep would be a distraction for the whole church to see… No pressure. Thankfully, most young families followed along and sat up front! The family who usually sits in front of us was pretty gun shy to move closer, being that they also have a handful of young kids, but even they made their way up with us!

Guys. This was probably the best decision we’ve made in a long time.

The kids all mixed in together. Laela was sandwiched between two of her friends from school a few benches up, and Dekker was one bench ahead of us which a little guy he’s friends with. We had my mom, Rowan, and Solly on our bench, but I eventually slid one back because Rowan wanted our pastor to sit beside him instead, lol! I can handle your rejection, Ro. So I sat one row back with another family, with Waverly, and she patted our pastors back to get his attention and cooed at him while he wasn’t up front. Not to mention, she had a captive audience behind us to make eyes at, so she was set for entertainment in every direction.

Not only were we all mixed up with other people, but the kids could SEE! Being so much closer meant they could pay attention better. I don’t think any of our kids even noticed that there wasn’t a children’s church program today. They were all so happy with their new spots.

As we left church, they requested we always sit up front. And I kind of think we might. We had one teary moment with one kid, and one time I carried Waverly out for a minute. That was it. No one was annoyed or mad about it. I’m sure they noticed, but our church loves its children, and it really shows.

I’m so so glad we sat up front this morning.

Not Enough Minutes

I think most people can relate to the feeling of not having enough minutes in a day. There is always so much to do. I’m not even talking in terms of my kids or family! I just mean life in general. And not in a bad way, either. We’re all busy, and we’re all tired, and thats ok!

We had no big plans for today. Well, we have a date night in the evening! But nothing scheduled for the day time. We figured we’d have coffee and a relaxed morning with the kids. Then Brady and I would slowly get ready during the afternoon, and leave for our date before supper. I love those casual days. But sometimes, rather than casual, they just feel idle, and I like that considerably less.

This morning, the kids were coloring, playing with stickers, essentially crafting, and Dekker requested a glue stick. He couldn’t find the one that was usually in the junk drawer, so I went into our big scary closet of all the things. Our storage closet. It consists of blankets, games, puzzles, wrapping stuff, empty boxes, gifts, music equipment, some large glassware, craft stuff, and office supplies. Sooooo, it contains everything. Its a terrifying closet. And today, I went into it in search of a glue stick. And I had to sift through three different tubs to find one. It. Was. Ridiculous.

So as you can imagine, it spiralled from there. I gutted the paper/craft/random electronics section of that closet. I made a garbage pile, a pile of craft stuff, a pile of office things, and a pile of stuff for Brady to figure out, like small hand tools, command strips, power bars, etc. Brady jumped right in with me, thankfully, and hauled away the garbage and his little box of goodies. I tubbed up the actual craft stuff to stay in the closet, and moved the office stuff into his own tub to find a home for. Some of it belonged in the junk drawer, which of course, needed its own overhaul. So that happened. And then the rest of the office stuff belonged in my desk, which also needed an overhaul. So that happened. Not having my house completely finished is a constant lingering piss-off, if I’m being honest. We knew, when we built, there would be a few years of tying up loose ends. The basement is going to make SO much more sense, because everything will belong somewhere, and what doesn’t will have to go! But for right now, I often feel like I’m moving a mess from one location to another. Today was one of those days.

Something as small as walking by this one area of our house and seeing the mess of cords. We have everything we need to install an outlet there, because we need one! But we haven’t had the time. And when we do have time for a little project, its spent working on the basement. And yikes, what about those kids closets?? Our kids hoard all kinds of stuff in their closets, and they’re SUCH huge messes. I. Want. To. Gut. Everything.

On top of all of that, we actually really need to make yogurt and granola bars today. Whoops. We need to run to Coop to buy a few groceries to even make that possible, so maybe once Brady is out of the shower, I’ll make my way over and grab what we need. Hopefully we have the time to actually make them when I get back! We’ll be cutting it pretty close…

I wish we could send our beautiful children away for a whole entire day, or weekend, and we could WORK. We could gut all the junk we’ve acquired. We could paint the whole basement and start on the rest of it. We could tidy the furnace room and get rid of one of our freezers that we don’t use. We could do something with our yard that is leaving out house looking basically abandoned. Ok not actually, but I wish it looked better. We could clean our living room carpet that hasn’t been the right color for at least two years now. We’d wash our car seat and high chair covers. We’d organize our whole craft section so it wouldn’t pour all over the floor when the kids open the cabinet. We’d actually clean our appliances. We’d organize our linen closet and pantry. We would make things make sense!

Yet, we’re adults! We’re in a different stage of life now, and our “helpers” are our children, who, while being SO cute, do not actually help speed the process up much. I think the days of blitzing big jobs and getting a ton done in a day might be behind us for now.

“Behind” joke. Get it?

*sigh* Today’s post is a ranty one, I’m aware of that. I promise I’m SO grateful and satisfied with my live! I’m just feeling very behind today. There aren’t enough minutes in the day. Not today.

Nothing But Sun

It would appear our week of grey skies has come to a close, and the sun is back! At least for today 🙂 I have truly enjoyed the “blustery” weather. You all know how much I love the rain, its not a secret. And you’ve probably all heard me say that grey is the coziest color. That counts for the sky, too. That all being said, though, I love the sun and the warmth. I’m very thankful to see the sun again.

The week has been mostly an inside week for us. Brady’s been back at work, praise the Lord. Cher has been over a couple of times this week, which always helps the days go back a bit smoother. The kids have been struggling a bit, but we’re having some small victories along the way, so it doesn’t feel completely fruitless.

Productivity-wise, we’ve gotten a few things done! We’ve started painting our basement, which feels GREAT! We’re nowhere near done, but we’re back at it 🙂 As I mentioned yesterday, I finished up a scarf that was kind of daunting, so that felt good, too! You guys were so nice about that, by the way <3 Thank you for that. Since yesterday afternoon, I’ve gotten a good chunk of the way through another project already! Woot! And on another level of productivity, I have a couple of photo posts planned for the coming weeks! So I’m feeling like at least my creative juices are flowing in a couple of directions, which makes me so happy. Sometimes I stall out in that area and I can get pretty low if I don’t have a creative outlet. If you ever want to brainstorm creative things you’re dreaming up in your head, look no further.

I’m feeling good about how this week has gone, and tomorrow I’m lucky enough to get a date night! But I’ll tell you about that afterwards 🙂 Right now, I’m just enjoying how this Friday is going. All thats left on my list of things to do today is shower, and figure out supper for tomorrow. What food do you plan when your children are being babysat over supper?

Overcoming When it Seems Small

If you’re on my personal Instagram, you may have seen an Insta story a while back about a mistake I made in a project I was working on. I was originally SUPER excited about how it was going!

Buuuut then I messed it up, and didn’t discover it until hours later. I was SO frustrated!

I had accidentally added a few extra rows, putting an extra zig zag where one did not belong. I was pretty peeved, and very discouraged. I had worked several hours past that point, and couldn’t imagine pulling it apart, one stitch at a time. Would’ve literally been over a thousand stitches to remove. But I felt like it would drive me uuuuup the wall if I just left it. I did a poll to ask people what they might do in my position, and the overwhelming majority said to leave it. I got a handful of messages from people saying they couldn’t even see the error I was talking about. So I made it clearer.

Still, I was told to leave it, because no one would EVER notice. Only me, the creator, would see it or be bothered by it. I decided on the spot to complete the project, but give it away, since I could never wear it. Aaaaand then I didn’t touch it for at least a month. I was too bummed.

I grabbed the project on my way out the door to the lake, as an afterthought. I’m so glad I did, because I ended up working some on it, and was reminded that I really enjoy yarn projects. I also discovered that I really didn’t mind the error I had previously been so discouraged by. It wasn’t really anything at all.

Today, I finished it!!!

Cute, right?? I’m SO happy with how it turned out, error and all. Made me feel capable and motivated. I’m enjoying this odd road of trying to be brave and try new things. I think it seems like small stuff from the outside but it feels big to me.

Yay for pushing through and finishing something even though I KNOW its imperfect.

I Know He Watches Me

It really worked in my favor yesterday that I had a post in mind already, because posting about the day was out of the question. Yesterday may have been one of the hardest parenting days I’ve ever had. Top five, for sure, and I’m not exaggerating. It was just TOUGH. Very much a day spent “in the trenches” of motherhood. 

Everything fell apart on a particularly annoying day, where Brady was feeling very behind at work and was not readily available for a phone call when I was at my breaking point. I know I could have called, and of course he would’ve answered and helped me calm down, but I also respect him and his work very much, and didn’t want to interfere. I’d survived hard days before, and could again. But it was close. I was in awful shape. The two oldest had been invited out for a little bit in the morning, and they came home as the little boys were going down for their nap. It was obvious there was tension in the house, and I was so on edge. I was determined to cool off and be a bit more chill for them, but they were SO exhausted from their morning. None of us were firing on all cylinders, and we were all at each other. Dekker finally slumped in his chair at the table and said he thought he could use a rest. He is SO mature to know what he needs and when! Laela didn’t want anything to do with a nap, but then she screamed at me for giving her a granola bar with ONLY ONE SPRINKLE ON IT!!!! Sooooo she went down for a nap, too. Once they were all down, Waverly was ready to hit the sack. And then I was. 

I lay in bed, worked on a project for a bit, but eventually just settled in to rest my head and watch some YouTube. After a while, my mom called to ask me a question about a regular life thing, and poor mom, I just unloaded. She listened so lovingly, and when I was finally done, she asked if she could come over. She understands well how valuable it is, having another person around as a buffer. I jumped at her offer, and she was over maybe ten minutes later. 

The afternoon was so much more pleasant than the morning had been, largely do to her company <3 They love my mom so much, and feel so familiar and safe with her. It really shows, and makes a difference. 

Brady was home soon, and mom left shortly after he arrived. I felt so cared for, having people step in on a day where it was SO needed. Brady fed the kids supper and I hid upstairs a bit more. We ate a yummier supper together after the kids went to bed. 

Last night was a bad night. I was so exhausted, but so anxious from the days events, I hardly slept before 5am. Then I woke around 7am to thunder, which was beautiful, but exhausting. I dozed/blinked time by for the next while and suddenly WOKE in a panic, thinking the thunder was footsteps approaching my house. I needed to be up, for my plans, and my kids!! Gah!

I was feeling a bit gun shy about getting the kids up after such a hard day yesterday, but it needed to be done. So I did, and they were in good shape first off. That helped. It also helped that I knew Cher was coming over in the morning. 

And of course, she came bearing coffee and a breakfast sandwich. Because she knew I needed a pick me up. And it really worked. There was still some struggle today, but it was far less than yesterday’s struggle. What a huge relief. 

I’m so thankful to have people in my life who are willing to help me, and love me, even when things aren’t glamorous, or even a little bit smooth. I really needed the moral support, the listening ears, and the unconditional love. Thank you, mom, for coming yesterday when I was in shambles, and for taking Dekker and Laela for a visit today. Thank you, Cher, for breakfast, your unwavering support, and your lack of judgement. I really needed all of those things. 

I know how fortunate I am to have who I have on my team. Not everyone has the community of people I am, and for them, I thank the Lord. 

Waskesiu ROCKS! (See what I did there?)

From the very beginning, I’ve loved my collections. I still have a stash of pretty pencils and erasers, bouncy balls, stickers, etc. As I grew up, it turned more towards journals and jewelry. But the one collection that has consistently followed me is ROCKS!

Already a handful of rocks…

There was a really lovely man from our church who also loved rocks. He would polish rocks and sometimes give me a few as a gift. I still have a HUGE beautiful raw chunk of quarts wrapped in cloth from him. He’s since passed away, but I admit I think of him from time to time, when I find a really beautiful rock. I’d probably still bring it to church to show him. I bet he’d even polish it for me. Years ago, I got my own rock polisher for Christmas. I used it a few times, but being a child with a child-sized attention span, I only went through the process a couple of times before I lost interest. Last year, finally, I donated my polisher. I did, however, keep collecting 🙂 Because I can’t not! I have kicked myself numerous times since I donated it. SUCH a bummer. My kids would have a heyday with that thing now, as would I.

So because I’m a bit nerdy like that, this is my post about the rocks I smuggled home from the lake. I’m not offended if this isn’t your thing, but sometimes I just have to post this stuff because I want it in my records, and in the books my children (or their children) might read one day.

So we begin! The photos don’t do them justice, but you’re just going to have to trust me 🙂

This one is actually one of my faaavorites. It has such crazy silvery, shiny spots. I’ve never seen another rock like it.

This rock had FULL glitter through it. Not all too unique, I suppose, but a perfect skipping stone that I didn’t let anyone throw.

Similar to the last one, this rock also was LOADED with sparkle. Aaaaand it was pink, so it made the cut.

Ha! This one cracks me up, because it reminds me of a chunk of raw beef, or something along those lines. Its super smooth, and far less disgusting to hold than raw meat is. I like the shape.

Again, one that really stands out to me. Petrified wood, maybe? Its different than the others, with the layers, and the way one seems to have chipped out the way wood might have. I love it!

Suuuuper skinny, and pinky/quartzy/something pretty.

A similar kind of stone to the last one, but yellow! Makes me think of butter.

And then a BIG version of the last one! I’ve never seen one of these yellowy ones so big!

Can you see the shine on this one? Its like when it was being created, God decided to throw a patchy coat of “glossy” on top.

I liked this rock solely because it was kind of green, which I don’t see too often. It doesn’t really show up here, I guess. I like the layers in it, too 🙂 Subtle. Its all very unassuming.

I swear this one has a thumbprint or something!! Its SO smooth!

These ones didn’t come home with me, but I love the bites taken out of them. They’ve been through some things, I think.

This is either a super cool looking rock, or an old chunk of concrete. I almost threw it back, but then figured I’d kick myself over the “just in case” aspect. So, home it came. Not that I’ll ever really find out.

I don’t know what it is about this one. The shape of it, or the “cookies and cream” crumb look. You’re just going to have to take my word for it that this one is a good one.

I wish this one translated better in a photo. Its just a basic flat neutral rock, but it has this little shock of pink out the side! Or red, maybe? I’m not sure, but that little spot in there is sparkly and surprising. I almost want to break it open and see whats all going on in there, but I’d have to just rattle that little speck loose and have nothing to show for it.

Aaaaand a heart rock. A little lopsided, but is love really perfect? Nah, bro. Its a little wonky sometimes, but I’m a big fan of it. We definitely had love in Waskesiu, and we definitely brought love home with us. Kinda symbolic, but kinda simple, too 🖤 This was an obvious one for me to bring home.

Thats it, folks. Thanks for walking through my nerdy post with me 🙂 Sometimes I care a bit too much about what others think, and I’m trying to be a bit more honest and let some of that go. I planned to do this exact kind of post last year after our lake trip and I chickened out so no one would think I’m a dork. I’m MUCH more comfortable in my dorkiness now!

*put a rock polisher on Christmas list*

Birthday Baking

I’m not posting about this to toot my own horn, but loooook!! I made something!

This seems small, but trying new things in the kitchen takes courage for me. These cute little sprinkle scones have been staring at me for literal years from my Pinterest account, and I finally worked up the courage to make them. Today is Cher’s birthday, and she’s not a fan of a big to-do. So I decided these little cones were for both of us – for her because its her birthday, but also for me, because trying new things is hard.

I gave myself way too much time to make them, expecting failure. As it turns out, things weren’t beautifully smooth, and I needed some of that extra time! First off, there was juuust over a cup left of flour in my container, so I got the huge fresh bag from my basement and made a sizeable mess trying to empty it into the canister. The kids laughed mercilessly at me, and I laughed, too. Because I had time.

Then I didn’t have a pastry cutter. But I figured, whatever. Forks can do the same thing. But the “cold butter” I had used was actually frozen, and there was NO way the forks could do it. I decided my Pampered Chef food masher would be up the challenge, and it did a pretty great job, actually! But by the end of it, I resorted to my hands, and got the rest of the job done. Made the little well and poured in the milk.

And then I didn’t have enough milk!! Believe me, I had pulled out all the ingredients in advance, and I knew I was close to the end of the milk, but I thought I’d have juuust enough. No dice. Gah! I worked with what I had, but when I dumped the dough out, it was SO crumby and messy. I was pretty discouraged. Thankfully, it was right around that point when my mom received my desperate “my butter won’t blend in!” text. She grabbed her milk and ran over…

…and reassured me almost instantly that my dough was actually perfect!!! I wish I had more progress pictures, but she helped me see that I just needed to work it all in, knead it a little, and it would very quickly become pretty scone dough! She was totally right 🙂 It worked! We made them into a round, sliced them up, and they baked up so beautifully! Even the bottoms were pretty.

Cher graciously received them, and we spent a nice afternoon together. We indulged in a bacon plate also, lol!

We both have canker sores now, lol! Worth it.
And yes. We’re all in our jammies over here, as usual.

The day has been really nice. We’ve had some more drywall touch-ups going on downstairs, so that feels like progress. Laela was invited out on a playdate this afternoon, so she was excited. And Dekker has had a lovely time of playing Lego, and upon packing it up, he opted to read a chapter book. He doesn’t usually choose to read bigger books, so that feels pretty wonderful. I’m so pleased with how the day is turning out!

Happy birthday, Cher. Not that its a big deal or anything 😉