If Not For the Library, We Wouldn't Have Found the Phone

The purse that hides the best loot!

The twins have taken their penchant for pinching and squirreling away important items to a new level, one that has some benefits.

I should know better. They've removed cabinet locks to get to envelopes and stamps to create a collage with our collection of old and Forever stamps. It was beautiful, and a steal at exactly $2.42. They've moved on from hiding my wallet and, separately, all its contents, for more banal items such as borrowed books. At least that is only .25 cents a day in penalties rather than the $25 it costs to replace my license! I still can't find my Barnes & Noble member rewards card.

I have a basket next to the TV so we can easily keep track of all our library treasures, and not send mommy in a tizzy when it's the dreaded return day. It's so convenient! You just wade through the bits of crayons and broken toys to access the pretty little white-washed basket and voila! Your books and DVDs are neatly organized and ready to return to their rightful home far from the chaos of your house. But somehow the dear little ones have taken every item out of the pretty little basket 24 hours before story time at the library and I can't find one single DVD or preachy parenting book that I can't help but check out and is now creeping into the overdue category because some other mother needs to read this latest trendy parenting tome.

After hunting and gathering up every overdue item but one, and finding the cordless phone in the process (note, check Morgan's talking purse daily for expensive household items), we are only 10 minutes late for story time, and that will only bring a slightly disapproving glance from the rather uptight story lady.

Where is the strangest place you’ve found missing objects in your house that are invariably ferreted away and hidden by your stealthy little one?

A Glimpse of the World at Just Under 48"

Morgan is becoming quite the photographer. I started saving her photos because, well, they're kind of interesting! She is thoughtful with her subjects and doesn't snap haphazardly.

Isn't she though? Her fickle fancy went through a "Mouse and the Motorcycle" phase. I for one am glad we've moved on, albeit to "Strawberry Shortcake." Makes me want to bake cupcakes!

Post tornado or pre-clean up of the play room.

Mommy cooking.

This is Jack and Morgan enjoying candy, she says. It's "very pretty."

The butcher block where many a head has been bumped coming around the kitchen corner. Is this a warning shot, or is she paying homage to the goose egg on her forehead?

She is fascinated by this Halloween pair who sing "I've Got You Babe." Just don't turn it on if she's within a few feet of them!

It took us a while to figure this one out. It's a closeup of a tombstone from the 99 Cent store for the front yard.

Love the angle, love the composition, love the subject!

Her brudda, a favorite subject.

Baking Season is Open!

It's the most wonderful time of the year! When I can officially indulge my desire to try all sorts of new recipes. Haven't found the new official holiday cookie yet. Last year was caramel shortbreads. This year I'm feeling really adventurous. Any suggestions would be most welcome.

Here's our first food foray into the holiday season, Halloween cupcakes! Got a great deal on these little knives I've been eyeing since last year. They are not terribly tasty, but not awful either. A bland, crisp little cookie. Made red cupcakes so tasters can really get the full experience. Next time I might try a deep red velvet cupcake with a touch of cinnamon to give it a little 'bite', or does that sound gross?

Did I Say It To The Dogs or The Twins?

The hubby found it funny that when he’s in another room, he can’t tell if I’m talking to the dogs or the twins. Here are a few highlights. Can you guess which messy being I’m attempting to corral?

1.) "You’ve had too much ham, go lay down."

2.) "Good boy!!! Belly rubs!"

3.) "Take it outside. Outside now!"

4.) "Get out of there, that’s yucky."

5.) "Get behind the gate and I’ll give you a treat."

Woof

Answers:

1.) Mommy to the dogs after a big ham was cooked and trimmed. Gassy puppies!

2.) Mommy to Jack giving up Tablet to go play outside with his sister.

3.) Mommy to Morgan walking in to the kitchen with a stick covered in ants. She was shaving the trees “jacket.”

4.) Mommy to the dogs rolling in the twins’ sheets after Daddy let them go to bed with BBQ potato chips.

5.) Mommy to the twins after almost making the same mistake Daddy did at a particularly difficult nap time.

Too Busy To Be Tied Up

Saw a great sign today at the pony farm as we were wrangling up some old-fashioned morning fun.

"I'm so busy I don't know if I found a rope or lost a horse."

Twins! 'Nough said.

Hot Update! Sriracha PB Cookies

After some contemplation in a PP, we have completed our first experimental cookie of the season!

We chose Persnickety Plates recipe for Sriracha Peanut Butter Cookies, and, with a few minor changes, it tastes great, with just a little heat on the back end.

The twins pitched in, and not entirely sure Morgan didn't double dip her tiny teaspoon into the baking soda jar while my back was turned. At that point, we’re so close to putting it all in the mixer, I figure a baby teaspoon half full of baking soda can’t really hurt.We take a few minutes to decide between stuffing them into mini muffin tins or rolling into cookie balls.

The M&M guy looks as worried as my testers!

Meanwhile, Morgan's cheeks are bulging with the M&M's she thinks she’s stealing. The recipe calls for 1 cup of chocolate chips. We put in the whole bag of Pumpkin Spice M&Ms. I think we should have bought another bag and added more.

So does Morgan, because now we are out of the M&M's. She wasn't thrilled when I poured the entire bag into the brown blob in the bowl.

"You put them in there? Why?"

"Because it's thier chocolate destiny," I retort.

This gets her thinking.

"Oooh, it’s pretty," Morgan said. "You put my candies in the cookies! You’re the best, mommy."

Jack agreed, mainly because I snuck him a few candies before all the little M&M's were sacrificed.

Then we had clean up. And they both took off. I dragged them back to the kitchen.

“Mommy, look at the mess you made! Clean it up!”

Great.

The result? More peanut butter than Sriracha or chocolate, but a fun Halloween cookie. Hubby's co-workers were spooked by the ingredients, but they were fearless. They ate every last one and requested the recipe.

Put a Lid On It - Scrapbooking in Two Easy Steps

A few years ago, as the babies were really starting to test their mobility and my patience, and the daily pictures and videos dwindled from hundreds to two, I decided to start scrapbooking.

After I realized that would never happen, I began a memory jar. I bought months-of-the-year tablets in a cutesy package complete with tiny themed Post Its, on clearance of course, and regularly jotted down the things they did and said in the amount of time it took to change a diaper. Awesome. Pop it in a jar and tighten the lid and the good-mommy points just pile up! Plus it's nearly water proof when the kids take it for a bath.

Now I’m working on our third jar, and the memories have yet to make it into a glossy scrap book with themed pages, but at least I don’t feel guilty about not recording every moment. And I know it’s going to make a great New Year’s Eve tradition when they are old enough to open the jars and unfold the little pieces of paper and learn all about themselves, from first step to first public curse word.