Saturday night fun

The Great Bathroom Remodel, part 2:

Tonight was counter top demolishing night.





And sink removal. Anyone need a couple of sinks?

Eat your heart out Pottery Barn!

Nathan's grandma is amazing. Absolutely amazing. She just made these quilts for Jared, Micah & Emma. (Adana's is still in the works.)

Emma's

We're talking hand stitched!! Check out these hand stitched flowers at the bottom! You can't buy this quality!

Jared's

Micah's

Thank you Grandma Beylik! We love you! (I'm pretty sure she doesn't read blogs, so can someone in Bakersfield please show her these pictures?)

Just another Friday evening

I admit, Bainbridge Island is not the most happening place on a Friday night, but this seems to take it to a new low.

I give you: The Great Bathroom Remodel, part 1.

Brooke’s Top 10 Rules on Calorie Consumption

1. If nobody sees you eating it, there are no calories. (That’s why I always try to hit the fast food drive-thru when I don’t have my kids in the car with me.)

2. If it is served in tiny, appetizer-sized portions, there are no calories. (If you eat a big 'ol hot dog, it’s loaded with ‘em. But eat a few dozen of those little cocktail wienies that they serve at wedding receptions and you’re safe.)

3. If you eat it over the course of an hour or so, there are no calories. (Going back to the wedding reception scenario . . . if you just plant yourself next to the food table and graze while chatting with all your friends, you’re working off the calories just as fast as you consume them.)

4. If you turned down something more decadent in favor of something “healthier,” there are no calories. (So go ahead and decline that Monster Hot Fudge Sundae for a moderate-size banana split. Heck, that’s a serving of fruit right there.)

5. If it has vegetables in it AT ALL, there are no calories. (That’s why I LOVE chocolate chip zucchini bread!)

6. If it was given to you in the spirit of service, there are no calories. (I’m pretty sure that God, in His infinite mercy, eliminates all calories from meals brought in by your visiting teachers when you’re sick or just had a baby.)

7. If you are distracted and don’t really pay attention to your food while you’re eating, there are no calories. (This is why I try to eat my meals while checking my email or watching Modern Family. If I don’t remember the chewing & swallowing steps, the calories don’t count.)

8. If you are merely finishing off what your children left on their plates because you hate to see perfectly good food go to waste, there are no calories. (Duh! Moms have know this for years.)

9. Closely related to #7 & 8 above – If you are absent-mindedly munching on your kid’s Cheerios/goldfish/graham crackers while sitting in church/doctor’s office/school play, there are no calories. (Which is why I typically pack cookies or Swedish fish for such occasions.)

10. If it contains the words “whole grain” or “enriched” or “fortified,” there are no calories. (Enriched Candy Corn . . . Mmmmmm . . .)

I'm sure someone out there (Jessica) is going to raise a question about the fact that I don't eat sugar. 'Tis true. I typically don't. However, by following my above-listed, scientifically tested and not so clinically proven Rules, I am occassionally able to indulge a bit.

Besides, even I can't make it through an entire sacrament meeting without a few Swedish fish little sustanence.

Oh, now I get it.

You may remember back in August, when I went though a very painful thinning process with my carrots. I found it morally repugnant to be aborting such verdant, promising little starts before they even had a chance to grow and grace my salad bowl. Sigh. The memory still haunts me.

Well, after that trauma, I determined that I would only thin one of my two pots of carrots. I just couldn't bring myself to do it to the second pot. I had SEEN THE LIGHT; I was an enlightened person. No longer would I casually inflict death and destruction unnecessarily (and by necessary, I meant before my vegetables were ready to be chopped up and served for dinner).

I. Was. Passionate. Aaaannnnd . . . that passion lasted all of about 5 minutes. Because almost immediately, I forgot that I had even planted carrots.

Until yesterday. I just so happened to be walking on the side of my house (which I rarely do now that gardening season is over), and I noticed two big pots CHOCK FULL of tall, waving green plants. Oh yeah! My carrots!

I harvested one from each pot.

Hmmmm . . . . So THAT'S why you're supposed to thin them. Crud. Lesson learned.

Emma Unleashed

The other day, while I was tidying around the house, I found a small pile of papers. As I read through them, they began to paint a very telling picture of an obviously traumatic moment in the life of my eldest daughter. I suspect that they were created last Saturday night, when both Nathan & I were gone and the 4 kids were home alone. Allow me to walk you through this journey of passive-aggressive anger and female domination :

(I was going to scan the pages, but unfortunately, I just discovered that my scanner is not working. So you'll have to just imagine these messages written in the scrawling pencil script of a 7-year old.)

#1 (in very large letters)

Emma's

Room

(with a stick figure below and an arrow pointing to it which says "me")

#2

don't come in

with out asking

P.S. only mom and dad

don't have to ask

(and no pretending to be my

mom or dad.)

#3

Jared and

Micah not

allowed.

#4

don't you dare

come in

if you are my

brother

#5

mom and

dad and

friends only.

(friend dose not mean bros or sis)

#6

even thoe dad

is a boy

him and my friends

that are boys are

allowed

#7

girls and

my friends that

are boys

ONLY!!!!!!!

#8

non of my

bros allowed

or els

(followed by a picture of a face with x's for eyes and tongue hanging out)

P.S. I am so serius

#9

nobody 5 or younger

allowed without

permeseon from

me!!! or els

#10

The Yes's and No's

no boys unles

they are my friends

dad is alowed too

The 4 major rules

Yes - my friends that are boys

Yes - my dad in my room

No - my brothers in my room

No - sneking in my room and takeing stuff

♪♪Back in the Paddle Again . . .♪♪

(Are you singing the song? Do you even know what song you're supposed to be singing??)

Since I had to miss a couple of our kayak outings last month, I decided to make them up - in one marathon session - on Thursday. Thankfully, two of my kayaking buddies agreed to re-do those stretches to keep me company.

It was a BEAUTIFUL day. It's always a bonus when we are able to spot an eagle. They are fairly abundant around here, but I never get tired of seeing them.

Our trip took us completely around the north end of the island - from Fay Bainbridge park on the east side to Manzanita Bay on the west. I love passing underneath the Agate Pass Bridge (Yes, we do live on an island. Thankfully, it is connected to the mainland by a bridge.)

Happy women and a very happy, cozy little boy skipping preschool.

THIS. IS. THE. LIFE!