BubbaChic

Cheesecake for breakfast

The Cheesecake Factory Cheesecake has got to be the best cheesecake we can get in Tulsa, its damn fine....hence why I am sat eating it at 7.20am. The boss took his team there for lunch yesterday and I got a slice of Chocolate Raspberry cheesecake out of it...bonus!

So our new chapter with both kiddies at school is fully underway, this Mama is getting over her feelings of guilt of having so much alone time in the house and knuckling down with various projects that have just started moving forwards.

 

Boo is enjoying me at home all day

I am working on a very exciting charity project, which I can't really speak about right now (the wheels are in motion) but when it is finalised, I will share.

I have been flung into the role of being Maddy's 'Homeroom Mom' which I am also very excited about and about to start a new year in Girl Scouts as a co-leader for Maddy's troop.

 
our little summer nature table, all lit up at night

We have started noticing a subtle change on our morning strolls through the estate to the bus stop, a slight breeze in the air and a tiny bit less humidity has got my thinking about Autumn. Autumn is the most wonderful season here, not only do I get to put my beloved jeans back on but triple digit days disappear as the whole world changes colour and the leaf blower comes out.

 

Autumn is our only month of calm serenity, no tornados and storms like in spring, no ice storms or blizzards like in winter and no exhausting heat like we have just lived through. Autumn is perfect and I love this transition in the weather. The change is a real reminder to me to slow down, breathe deep and live in the moment...

Organising

I did actually fall off the face of the planet for the last week, or perhaps it just felt like that. My first week alone with both kiddies at school and Mr B working looooong days. I got to catch up on those things I have been putting off for the summer, like visiting my favourite thrift stores and flea markets to dig for vintage goodies. Those activities helped ease the transition from full and crazy house, to quiet and empty house.

But this week I know I have to knuckle down and find a rhythm, one that involves me being at home alone, doing all of the homemaking stuff that needs doing.

In the spring, I came across this book and thought it may just be the key to helping me get organised and stay organised. I read it, digested it and then went out and purchased my own little file box and card in different colours. Then the hard work began. The theory in this book is that you write down a list of all the chores that need to be done in your house - from the daily chores of cleaning counters right through to the seasonal or yearly chores. You then assign a timescale to those chores and devide your box up into days and months.

 

Then you start working through them and any activity that you are not able to complete to slot it into a new day/month ready to tackle first then. Its perfect for me, getting out all of my cards for the day and checking them off makes me actually feel like I am accomplishing something. When I know I have 10 minutes to spare, I can look through the chores for tomorrow/next week etc and find a job that I could do then.  

The big surprise for me is that the jobs that I often put off because I perceive them to be too time consuming for that moment are actually far less time consuming than I thought and now I know that its easier just to grit my teeth and get em done!

 
what often happens when I am trying to get a photo

Maddy loves my little box and often uses the blank cards in the back to write me little love notes and leave them in the front, which is adorable.

So, with the summer holidays over I am back to following my little box religiously and it is helping to keep me on track and give me some structure now I am home alone all day.

 

So far I have also managed to work my way around the kitchen and organise like never before, I finally have shelves that I can find items in, a tidy fridge and a pantry that makes life easy.

 

So today, with Adele as my company I will start a new week in my little box and try and embrace the extra time I have to get it all done....

 

Right Now

 

Enjoying our morning strolls to the bus stop with my cherubs

 

Breaking a sweat to run home and get tissue for Josh when huge booger appeared on said walk to bus stop and finding that on catching up with him with tissue from home, he had dealt with booger in his own way :o/

Listening to

Crafting a new quilt with this pattern

Finished up a cross stitch for a friend (warning: contains swear word!) Inspired by Honey Badger video she sent me to watch (again, warning contains swear words but is very funny) oohh, need one of these!

Slightly addicted to

Desperate to get these for fall

Better get back to cleaning!

Back to school

 

I prepared a special back to school meal for the family to mark the special occassion of both my babies starting school full time *sob*

 

 

 

 

I cooked Jamie Oliver crunchy garlic chicken along with some homemade chips (french fries) Jay and I also enjoyed Jalapeno poppers and fresh lemonade and the Lemonade layer cake was enjoyed by all.

Then this morning, the big day was here. Backpacks were packed, lunches made, hair cut and brushed, bellies filled with a substantial breakfast, love notes slipped into pockets and then it came, the moment Mama had been dreading...

 

and whilst I was struck by the beauty of the sunshine peeking through the clouds, I was brought quickly back down to earth when Josh playfully nudged his sister as they were walking, sending her flying to the concrete and ripping a hole in her leggings!

Tears followed along with a quick trip back to the house to change into a new outfit and then Jay drove us all to the bus stop!

 

where we waited...

 

 

and then they were gone...leaving this Mama wondering where the last 7 years have gone..

 

 

Be safe my babies, I will be here with a big grin and open arms when you get home, ready to hear all about your first day x

The past week...

Its been a busy week and a memorable one. Temperatures here in OK cooled below triple difits for the first time in a long while. We had storms - pretty much every night during the week. Many a night I lay awake up in the spare room in the wee hours of the morning (often joined by a little person!) blinds up and watching the storm roll through our slice of suburbia.

 

I am still not sleeping well and then you add a lightening storm into the mix and you have a recipe for a even more sleepless night. I must admit, I don't mind being sleepless when I have such amazing natural beauty to watch. The thunder storms here are amazing, so loud at times you can feel the walls shake. It is not ususual for us to see a tree limb down in the neighbourhood after a lightening storm (in fact when my bestie Amy visited from England last August, lightening struck a tree right outside her window one night and brought a massive tree limb down in our yard) The noise, when the lightening gets a direct hit close to you - is amazing, so loud.

 

So this weekend after a busy week we got in our car and headed off on a little roadtrip - as a family, to Oklahoma City. A new outlet mall opened up in OKC (the only one in Oklahoma, the last outlet mall got blown away by a tornado!) it seemed like good timing with back to school approaching this week and wardrobe items and backpacks needed for the children. So we headed out on an adventure.

 

The outlet mall was ok, just ok, nothing special and certainly not as good as the ones in Dallas. But the family time was wonderful. We stayed at a Marriott hotel with a pool which Jay and the kids took full advantage of. I watched on the sidelines, I have gotten to take the kids to various pools at least twice a week throughout the last 3 months of summer, so just getting to sit back and observe Jay and the kids was a blessing. They were pretty much suctioned to him like limpets shouting at him to 'throw me!' 'let me go on your shoulders!' 'Daddy watch me!' and getting to witness them all playing was great, better than great.

 

Now we are home, almost ready for back to school on Thursday (and meet the teacher on Tuesday) I think the kids are more ready for back to school than mama...but thats a whole other story! (and the random photos are of our summer nature table, which I realised I had not shared, and I forgot to take my camera to OKC!)

Self-induced stupidity

So, I am clumsy.

I thought it would be something that I would grow out of, but apperently not! I seem to forever be causing myself injuries out of tripping over or accidentally banging into things.

I know my parents despaired at the number of times I would injure myself as a child and I am pretty sure that any childhood photograph showing my kness, would show cuts and grazes of some sorts. My Nan use to call me 'Calamity Jane'

You could be sure when I was growing up, that if a whole cabinet had come off the wall, a window was shattered or dessert was splattered all over the floor, then I would be the cause of it, its in my genes.

So a couple of months ago, when limping into a spin class, the spin instructor asked me what on earth I had done to my foot, I had to admit that I had tripped in the shower, stubbed my toe and impacted my toenail (which fell off and has, in fact has only just grown back - nice!!) this was just weeks after falling in the bath and landing on my ribs, which then went a rather lovely shade of blue and made me wonder whether I needed to see a doctor.

But the icing on the cake came a few weeks ago, when I sustained the most serious of all my self-induced injuries! A chest injury caused by sleep walking and subsequently falling onto a table!!

I remember it hurting and finding my way back to bed! and I remember the pain upon waking up the next morning, but I remember little else!! On going a week with the pain becoming worse and deep breathing starting to become difficult, I sought medical attention and learned of my condition!

Luckily for me, 10 days of no exercise and being continually dosed up on ibuprofen has made all the difference and I am now back to full health....but I bet there are not many people that can say they have caused themselves a chest injury whilst sleep walking, yep, I am special!! (and I just know my Mum and Dad will be shaking their heads right now, whilst reading this!)

 

Its oh so hot

We have been in triple digits for weeks now...I think some crazy record has been broken on the number of consecutive triple digit days in Oklahoma. Its hot.

Its hot when you wake up and its this hot (still) at 8pm

 

So after a day of doing this...

 

 we headed out one evening to do this...

 

and that became 'the best day ever' for two little people.

 

 

perfect.

 

The S'more Party in pictures

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 
 

 

 

 
 

More party preparations...

We are busy with last minute preparations for the party...

 
Maddy wanted to host a Doll's campout with her friends who are coming. I spied a glass candlestick and candle plate in the dollar store on sunday and thought they would make a wonderful doll-size cake plate!

 

and also great for displaying smaller food items, either way Maddy is very enamoured with them!

 

I am also trying to put the finishing touches to the playroom...

 

 

and finishing up the painting of the pantry!

one. last. push.

Boys Pillowcases

Whilst organising and putting the playroom back together, I sorted out some cute boy fabrics to make into pillowcases for charity.

 

My fabric stash is by far mainly pink fabrics, so I was suitably surprised that I had some rather cute boy ones too!

 

This one proved to be the favourite with the kiddies and I am very surprised that it has not been snatched by my turtle-loving boy!

 

I also managed to sew up a banner for our impending party all whilst refereeing for 2 active children and 4 very active fluffballs!