Skip to Content

Miscellany

You know the drill…a post full of random bits of things that don’t go together.

______________________________________

I’m really happy that all of my tulips from Aldi came up.

IMG_8236

I am not happy that the surround-the-bulbs-with-crushed-glass trick failed to deter the voles, and that all of the tulips except for those in pots are now dead.

At least I took a picture before they were eaten.

______________________________

I’ve been thinking about how grateful I am for the grace my kids show me. Sometimes, I have a really hard time seeing anything but my mothering faults, but the four cards I got on Mother’s Day all said very lovely things, which I think were quite sincere.

IMG_8540

I know good and well that I am not the world’s best mom, but I’m glad my kids somehow see me that way!
_____________________________

I can’t manage to save every cute/hilarious paper thing my kids produce, so sometimes I just take a photo and then recycle the item. Saves space and costs nothing!

I liked this exchange between Sonia and Zoe because of the juxtaposition of colloquial and formal language.

IMG_8777

They’ve been writing fortunes (like you’d get in fortune cookies), and I’m hoping this one was meant for me.

IMG_8226

(I think the other one says, “You will have a good time at the pool.”)

______________________________

On the food waste front, I recently rescued some wrinkly potatoes by making a half recipe of scalloped potatoes.

IMG_8781

And when we had many bananas ripen all at once, I did a little preemptive food waste fighting by cutting them into chunks and topping them with peanut butter. My kids love this and they can down a lot of bananas this way.

IMG_8773

I could have let them go until they were overripe and then made banana bread or banana chocolate chip muffins, but this was significantly easier. And faster.

___________________________

You know I’m a big fan of hand-me-downs.

Well, I saved all of my very-loved childhood dolls, thinking that one day my then-hypothetical children would play with them. How fun to hand down your toys to your children, right?

Given that I have three girls, you’d have thought my dolls would be very popular. But somehow, none of the girls have been interested in playing with dolls.

Last week, though, Sonia and Zoe got inspired, and so my Fisher Price My Friend dolls have gotten some love.

IMG_8786

I suppose these are considered to be vintage by now.

IMG_8790

Oh, man. I just looked it up on eBay, and yep, everyone’s calling them vintage. Dear me.

At any rate, I’m glad my beloved (vintage) dolls are being played with.

_____________________________

Signs of a good meal to come (in my opinion): Chopped onions and cilantro.

IMG_8708

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Donna B

Saturday 17th of August 2013

Kristin, this is my first time to find your site and I am thrilled. The people posting to you are AWESOME! I am not a young mother, nor homeowner but I do have friends and family who are. The tips and suggestions here are so worth passing on. To think I came here for a recipe and got so much more than I bargained for. I'm 65 yrs. young, living in an apartment and caring for my mother (now 84) who suffered a stroke and lost her speech. I never cared much about cooking and baking but now, even though my mother is a picky eater, I just love trying new recipes. Thanks!

Sarah

Friday 31st of May 2013

So good to see Mandy and Mary again!!!!!

Jessica

Saturday 25th of May 2013

I understand the passing down problems of dolls. I had Samantha, the America Girl doll from my childhood in the box, kept neatly, that I gave to my daughter. You know a couple of weeks later, they retired her. *sigh*

Mary

Thursday 23rd of May 2013

We applied Milky Spore to our yard & it is now mole/vole free! This stuff expands every year & one application is good for around 15 yrs. This was recommended by our local nursery. It was a bit expensive up front, but was worth it!

Linda H.

Tuesday 21st of May 2013

My Friend Mandy!! I treasured that doll when I was little. I can even remember that vinyl-like smell she had.

Kristen

Tuesday 21st of May 2013

Yep! I have two of those and I have a Mikey doll as well. My sister had the Becky doll and my friend had Jenny. So, we had all the bases covered!

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.