Awesome, I just wrote almost the entire post and it got deleted... Soooo let's piece it together!
--1--
Our heat/AC has been non-functional for more than a month-and-a-half. It's been okaaaaay so far because we could get decent air circulation with open windows and fans, and the little heating unit in the playroom keeps things from getting unbearable. But now that actually cold temperatures are making their way to us, we had to get a guy in to look at it and...
Not good.
We at least have to replace the entire furnace, since it's so old that they don't even sell the parts to fix it anymore. And since it's the leaking AC that probably broke it, that might need to be replaced, too. So we're getting estimates, but it's not going to be a cheap fix. And considering the fact that we had to spend thousands of dollars out-of-pocket on the basement when our insurance told us, "Hey, we don't cover water damage when the water comes in from OUTSIDE the house," we're not looking at a real comfortable time financially... Hopefully we can finance the cost? Because all our reserves are pretty much gone - down payment on a house, moving costs, basement costs, all that...
--2--
But here are some cute pictures of the kids!
Cecilia is reading "Beauty and the Beast." John Paul is reading "A Handbook for Reading." That's pretty much the big kids in a nutshell.
--3--
I'm almost out of my ginormous tub of instant coffee, and they only had Nescafe at Costco so I couldn't replace it. Grr. We've been boycotting Nestle for a while because of their unethical formula marketing practices in developing countries. It's one thing to push moms in the US to use formula, where at least there's a dependable, clean water supply to rely on.
But in developing nations, forcing moms to depend on formula often kills their babies when they can't afford formula and have to water it down to stretch it, or use tainted water to prepare it. Not cool.
The saddest part of this for me (you know, other than infant mortality) is that there is no Butterfinger equivalent. So I get REALLY excited when Halloween rolls around because I can eat all the Butterfingers that the kids get!
Anyway, any instant coffee brand recommendations? I'm not going to be brewing anything, instant is FAST and easy, and I don't need any more appliances!
--4--
Look! I crafted a thing! I made Cecilia a skirt and while it has many many MANY mistakes, it's functional and she loves it!
Evidence:
Couldn't even wait until she was out of her jammies to put it on!
Not quite as fashionable as yesterday's outfit, but I'll take it.
I'm going to make matching ones for the twins and it's going to be adorable. And way cheaper than buying new skirts for Cecilia, since she will wear pretty much nothing but dresses and elastic-waist skirts. I think the total cost of this skirt was somewhere around $3, and that's being generous with my estimates.
Are you so proud of me, Emily?
--5--
We had a freeze warning so I picked all the carrots, mostly because I was getting too curious!
Well, this is what happens when you don't plant until July:
The kids LOVED them, especially the red ones (Cecilia) and the one with two tails (John Paul).
And how beautiful are the red ones on the inside? Like a sunrise in a carrot! Pretty sure that's a phrase that's gonna catch on. You heard it here first.
Yup, I devoted an entire take to carrots.
--6--
What's she laughing at?
The big kids, of course!
Pretty girls
I love these faces! Mary Claire is quite the clown these days - she's always making silly faces or noises and then doing this hilarious fake laugh because it always gets us laughing!
--7--
Outfit inspiration for the week
Also known as I only have two scarves that I ever wear
Also known as The kids broke the mirror at home so I'm taking pictures in my office
Also known as Look! It's Fall! I'm wearing boots!
AHHH! I am so proud! And so excited that I stopped reading at #4 so I could come comment! It looks fabulous! You obviously don't need my tutorials parts 2 and 3, but I'll probably write them anyway since the first one was one of the most fun posts to write to date. There are so many fun fabrics to make skirts like that - your girls are going to have such a great wardrobe :)
ReplyDeleteAlso, now that I read the rest of it...no wonder the girls will have such a great wardrobe - taking after their mama! I LOVE that second outfit with the gray dress!
DeletePretty sure you can finance a new furnace/AC. I'm almost positive that's how we did it back in the twentieth century some time.
ReplyDeleteYour carrots look just fine! Remember, they will never be as big as the ones in the store, because you don't use artificial stuff. I have never really been successful with carrots or potatoes, though both are absolutely delicious when fresh from the garden. They seem to want rather poor and well-drained soil, and I never remember that. Once I mixed a whole big bag of sand with my soil in an attempt to lighten it up, but it didn't help. ::sigh::
Yay for your sewing!!! But wait—Cecilia liked a pink thing? Who would ever have thunk it???? ;-)
Wow love the boots! So cute with skirts. The best part of fall is skirts+boots+scarves. Also I just sewed an elastic toddler skirt like that for Grace's Halloween outfit... I messed it up a few times because I didn't follow the directions at all, but somehow it still turned out pretty good. I will put up a pic on my blog next week.
ReplyDeleteWhere did you get your boots?! They're super cute :)
ReplyDeleteBooooooo hisssss to home repairs. Yuck and no thank you. I'm so sorry about that, Rosie.
ReplyDeleteThose carrots are so pretty! And your outfits are adorbs. Love them. The only thing cuter are your super duper adorable children. Love love love love (1love for each.)
Thankfully I think we can finance it, but still no fun!
DeleteThis is why you should just be a hobo. You can join me, but you'll have to pick one of your children to leave behind. Or two children and we can bring Andrew, but then who would raise them?
ReplyDeleteAlso, Cecilia's sitting under a pink gingham blanket while John Paul's under a Star Wars blanket. Yup.
Eh, I'd have to get new car seats and seriously pare down on all of our possessions - I don't think it's a viable plan :P
DeleteMajor bummer about the AC/furnace... When we bought our house (about 2 yrs ago) we knew that ours would have to be replaced at some point in the near future. So far both the upstairs and downstairs units are still kicking. We got the AC serviced in the spring and the guy said it looked okay for another few years but I guess time will tell....
ReplyDeleteYeah the AC started leaking and we were too cheap to get it looked at and I think that's what made the furnace bite the dust :(
DeleteHave you tried making a week (or several weeks) worth of coffee at once? My husband always brews his coffee for the week and sticks it in a jug in the fridge. Every day he pours out a cup for the morning and a bottle for midday at work. Saves money and time. He uses our coffee maker, but you can also cold brew a giant batch using the Pioneer Woman's recipe (or a similar one): http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/06/perfect-iced-coffee/ . You can have it iced, like hers, or heat it up.
ReplyDeleteOh! Cold brewing, brilliant!!! Okay now I'll look for real coffee at Costco and see if that is as delicious as it looks!
DeleteI love that reading pic and what they are reading! So funny. Great job on the skirt!
ReplyDeleteSo sorry about the needed repairs, otherwise great takes ~ love the outfits and of course the kid pics.
ReplyDeletecute skirt!!
ReplyDeleteThat picture of John Paul and Cecilia, complete with the blankets, is hilarious.
ReplyDeleteTaster's Choice just sent me a bunch of little sleeves of samples of instant coffee back in the summer, so I drank it iced. It was really, really good.I wanted to buy some, but the tub thing cost $9 so I went slinking sorrowfully back to my $2 tub from Aldi. The TC was worlds better, though.
I know, they really do mark the good stuff up! I used to have this awesome iced hazelnut mocha mix but they stopped making it :( Plus it was like, 50 cents a glass and instant is way cheaper!
Delete