Growing pains...

I can hardly think of it....my baby is growing up!!!! OK, so it's been happening for a few years now but the fact became crystal clear at church yesterday. Here's how it went down; Daddy took Tallen to use the restroom during sacrament meeting and before class I asked if he'd been. The reply was,"Yes and he even stood up!" Now this is not a big deal - even at home he sometimes wants to be the big boy and stand. The big deal came later, during Relief Society (3rd hr) when his teacher came and got me. The child would NOT come with me to the ladies room, he insisted he be able to go in the Men's room to "Go like Daddy!" So there I stood, just outside the door standing guard. On the OUTSIDE for the first time! I have a feeling that this is just the beginning of my being on the outside of all the guy stuff......"welcome, Bronwen, to being the Mom of a boy!" Now how do I handle this when in PUBLIC? Hmmmm. I think it will be a few more years before little man can go in by himself and even then I will be standing guard at the doorway. Boys are just DIFFERENT!!!!

All Things Domestic

Somewhere in my bedroom I have a pillow that says “Domestic Goddess” on it…you caught the “somewhere in there” part? I feel there are lots of different kinds of Goddess with the title of Domestic. Cleaning ones, decorating ones, baking ones, knitting ones, and sewing ones, there are even home repair fix-it ones. Well, I am not the usual kind of Domestic Goddess, I hate cleaning! Just ask my Moms, both of ‘em. They’ll tell you…I have never been inclined to clean. I love to sit in a clean and peaceful room but I don’t like cleaning the room to get it there. Needless to say, my family struggles with this tendency – but really, who doesn’t?? OK, I’m not the cleaning kind, but I am the kind of Domestic Goddess who happily slaves over brownies and knitting sweet things for family and friends, I sew up a cute skirt for myself and the girls. Most happy when crafty stuff is involved.

Today it is gloomy outside but happy as all get out inside! Tallen is happily playing with his trucks and cars and making those cute sounds that go with… I have 3 baskets of laundry to fold and at least 6 months of socks to sort…actually it IS time for Nana to come. She LOVES to sort socks – yes, I get some of my weirdness form her! But instead of being the “laundry folding Domestic Goddess” I ought to be, I am making tuxedo brownies for Cindy Hougaboom’s baby shower tomorrow. And blogging about it of course… These brownies are SOOOOO good. I first had them at my wedding in 2005. My awesome visiting teachers made them as there was no cake.

Let’s travel the road of preparation together shall we? I got a rather inexpensive box of brownies last night at Wal-Mart, if I had been REALLY on the ball, I would’ve stopped at Aldi to grab theirs. Next time! I mixed it up and used my handy dandy scoop (from Meijer) to put in my ultra-cool and expensive ($9.99 @ Target) square brownie pan from Wilton (the cake decorating people). I only have the one of those, and it holds 24, so decided to also throw some batter in my mini silicone cups (on sale for $.75 for 12 @ Meijer) to compare. I always forget I have these sweet babies…I will never forget again!! OK – I digress. I sprayed all cups & squares with Baker’s Joy – the kind with the spray & flour combined and put in the batter. Baked for 15 min. removed the pans and tried to take the brownies out to cool them.

The square pan is nifty looking and has a fancy name, but let me tell you, those babies WON’T come out hot!! (please notice the broken bits clinging to the pan...)

So Tallen & I sacrificed ourselves and put the broken ones out of their misery…he’s such a helper when there are baked goods about. Here he is helping clean the bowl:

The squares will have to cool completely before removal but those little silicone cups were great! I popped the brownies out and was able to refill in a jiffy – thus saving on energy by a quick turn around. Here’s the 2nd batch baking:

I am going to get MORE of those cups and be able to make like 48-55 cups in 15 min!!!

Watch out bake sale Mamas, here comes Bronwen! Woo-Hoo!!!

OK – now after I fold this laundry and maybe make a healthy (rather than an un-healthy one) I’ll run up to the store, Aldi is across the street, so I’ll go there, and get the whipped topping and cream cheese for the frosting. Oh, and some raspberries to garnish. I’m drooling now…gotta match the socks so Sariah doesn’t wear mismatched socks to school again…it’s so embarrassing to me.

Surprise !…you get a shot today $

The girls went to the doctor today.  We have new insurance fort hem and I knew with winter coming on, we’d better get that “new patient check everything out” visit out of the way, so that I’ll be able to take them in at the first hack or sneeze. 

Mary had her garden of flowers, Here’s how my grows…

Lovely Sariah is growing into a beautiful slender young woman.  She is 60 in. tall and 76.5 lbs.  Miracle of Miracles!! She is “normal” for her age. No longer in the 25th percentile??? Surely she is still a peanut? She got the flu mist and TWO shots. She sat on my lap and protested loudly, until the actual shot!  The needle went in and she calmly siad “That didn’t even hurt!  Why is it so little?”  She is funny!!

Miranda is catching up to sissy fast!  She is a tall and shapely 56.5 in. and 68.5 lbs. Miranda is growing into the curvy young woman she will be.  She had the flu mist in her nose as well and THREE shots…complaining loudly the entire time.  The intern did one side and the Dr. the other at the same time.  Randa’s funny comment was “NO – not ANOTHER one!! I don’t want it.” As the intern got out the band-aid for the 3rd shot.  Miranda was so busy watching the intern, she didn’t feel the 2 in the other arm…silly girl!!  Both had the Hepatitis A shot and the 2nd Gardisil; and Randa had the Chicken Pox booster.  If I had to go back and do it again, I would have had her have the pox instead.  Permanent coverage…no booster.

It is so AMAZING to step back and see them as Father does.  I love to watch these spirits I have been given to help grow into Heavenly Father intends them to be.  They amaze me!!  We all made a cartoon of ourselves the other day.  I look fresh and beautiful – no grey hair, no wrinkles, no blemishes.  PERFECT!!  The girls, amazingly, look like themselves – only older.  They were thrilled to see that they could wear tank tops on the computer, even though they don’t in real life.  Too Funny!!!!