Friday, February 25, 2011

Flashback Friday- Halloween 1981

Marta and Dad 2

Here is one of my favorite pictures from the past.  Me, at age two, posing with my dad in October 1981.
Look how excited I am to be dressed up like a ballerina for Halloween!

*Probably because I knew that this would be the one and only day in my life that I could pretend that I was actually a decent dancer!  ;)

And just for fun, which of my girls do you think looks most like me at the same age? I love hearing what others think…

Marta and Dad 2

Here is a closer shot of silly me.

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Mini Mia

Little Sophie (in the beginning phase of her stress induced hair loss!)

And Gracie Lou.

Who do you think is my clone?

Thursday, February 24, 2011

Get Organized with a Backpack Nook :: A Giveaway

 

Are you sick of backpacks lying all over the floor?
Or randomly flung around the house landing on chairs, couches or the stairwell?
So was I up until this past weekend. 

I simply could not take it anymore.
I needed a place for each girl to hang their backpacks everyday so that when they were about to head out the door, they would know right where to go. 
No searching.
No drama.

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So Saturday I made this fun little backpack nook right by our front door.

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I bought these awesome, non damaging, sticky hooks from Joanns for about five dollars each and put each girl’s initial above them.
They love their initials and having their very own special hook.
Grace walked around all weekend saying, “I am going to go hang up my packpack on my G.”

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Do you want your very own backpack nook initials for your children?
Good because I am adding them to my
Haus of Girls etsy shop today!

Or you can win a set right here!
Just leave me a comment  below with one of your best organizational tips and I will select one of you to get your own backpack nook initials.

Drawing will be next Wednesday.
Go!

Wednesday, February 23, 2011

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Soup

This easy soup is a fan favorite dinner around Haus of Girls.
I literally throw all the ingredients into the crock pot at lunch time and when dinner time rolls around, all I have to do is spoon out the yumminess.
 
Anything this quick, this easy and this healthy makes me very happy.
And the fact that all three girls request it every single week?
Simply amazing. 

Crock Pot Cheesy Chicken Soup

1.5 lb thawed chicken cubed ( I usually chop up 3 chicken breasts)
3 cans 98% fat free cream of chicken soup
1 can 98% fat free broccoli cheese soup
4 cups of your choice of frozen vegetables (I do cauliflower, broccoli and carrots)

Add all to your crock pot and stir.
Cook for 4 hours on high.

*8 servings, 1 cup each
124 calories
3.4 g fat

PS Guess who I finally got to meet?

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cooper hat

Sweet little Cooper!
I am going to steal him…

Happy Wednesday!

Thursday, February 17, 2011

Haus of Boys?


My sister Adie had her sweet baby yesterday.
Another boy!

cooper newborn

He is so cute and the fact that I yet to hold him or see him in person is torture.   
I have come down with an annoying cold and I didn’t want to risk exposing his new baby lungs. 
So home I will stay and be tortured until this weekend when I am well again. 
Boo.

We are so excited though to welcome little Randolph (our dad’s name!) Cooper Smith and are so thankful he is healthy.
He’s perfect in every way.
It’s such a blessing to have another sweet boy join this crazy girl-filled family. 
Adie is definitely expanding her house into a Haus of Boys!

I wanted to also share this cute journal entry that Mia, age six, did yesterday evening before going to bed. 
She has started journaling and drawing in her new hot pink and white polka dot notebook I got her a few weeks ago.  I thought it would be fun for her to jot down her thoughts from the day and be able to look back at it in a few years and smile. 

This is what she wrote yesterday:

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Don’t you just love Adie’s big lips?
And how baby Cooper is already standing up walking around town?
Priceless.

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Today I got a new cousin!
Out of my aunt’s belly.
His name is Cooper.
He is cute.
Soo cute.
He is a boy.

Monday, February 14, 2011

love {in six words or less}


I was moved by an article I read in my local newspaper this weekend titled “Love…short and sweet.”
Readers gave their definitions of love in six or fewer words influenced by a legend that Ernest Hemingway once boasted that he could write a complete story in just six words.

His masterpiece: “For Sale: baby shoes, never worn.”

The legend, which has never been proved, provoked this article that I read to apply this theory to LOVE.
Here are some of the responses I wanted to share.

Six Words to Describe Love:
”And they lived happily ever after…”
”Family, Friends, Faith and Something Chocolate”
”Love is watching your daughter marry.”(I kind of teared up on this one)
”An art that’s hard to master.”
”I think love is a choice.”
”Love is pancakes at 4 am.”
”Love is sharing the same dreams.”
”Good times.  Bad times.  Life time.”
“Retired couple: fireplace, movie, separate recliners.”
“Love is my husband and kinds.”
”Sitting side by side saying nothing.”
”My beautiful child smiling at me.”

My two favorites…
An eleven year old wrote…
”Love means peace and security forever.”

And finally, “Love is God’s everlasting gift. Amen!”


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Happy Valentine’s Day!

Friday, February 11, 2011

Flashback Friday- Adie’s Wedding

On Flashback Fridays I post pictures from the past to document fun times before I started blogging.

This week I wanted to share some pictures from my sister Adie’s wedding back in December, 2006.
  

I don’t have very many from my camera on this beautiful day, mostly because I was juggling my sisterly duties of being a bridesmaid, two year old Mia, who was the flower girl, and my 9 month old Sophie who was into everything!  
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The Viefhaus sisters at the rehearsal dinner.

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Getting ready for her debut as a flower girl.
She looks less than enthused.

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The sisters all ready to go.

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Gorgeous!

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Mia and Adie posing by the tree.
(Isn’t Adie’s dress the most beautiful thing ever by the way?)

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And finally, Ryker and Mia, the second cutest couple to walk down the aisle that day.

Happy Friday!

Wednesday, February 9, 2011

Just Wondering

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When Gracie will take this hat off?

Maybe when the weather starts to warm up?
If not, I will have one silly bikini wearing sweaty two year old.

*Update: She no longer refers to this as her “Cow Hat.” 
She is now calling it her “Russian Hat.”
 

Happy Wednesday!

Tuesday, February 8, 2011

our protector

 

As if our two huge, beastly, loud barking, black lab, guard dogs were not enough, this little girl will help protect us from all things bad with just a wave of her glowing sword.

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She’s so dedicated that she even sleeps with it at night.
Look out bad guys.

Monday, February 7, 2011

three little red Valentine’s Day dresses {a sneak peek}

I made my girls some fun and festive dresses for a Valentine’s Day party at my husband’s parent’s house this past weekend.
It was a sea of red

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Mia, like I have mentioned is six and a half now and is so over skirts, dresses and most hair accessories these days.  She was a bit skeptical of wearing a dress for the big party. However, when she paired it with some skinny jeans and her new favorite boots from Aunt Adie, she gave it two thumbs up. 
I was relieved, because there’s nothing like taking the time to sew up something fun for her to wear, and then her vetoing it in the end. 
Have I mentioned how excited I am for the teenage years?

Here is a glimpse at a series of the sea of red as we were about to walk out the door…
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I had to throw in this one to remind myself of the long photogenic lacking journey I’ve taken with Gracie.

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Mia, striking a pose.

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Sophie was so excited to wear her Dorothy shoes for this red-filled occasion.

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Proof of a very improved photo-posing Gracie.
Duckie, her flower necklace, lips purse and all.
(Proof of her hoarding problem.)

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And here is a shot of all the cousins at Nana and Papa’s house. 
(The only part of Maddie you can see is her boppers from behind the table!)
I must say, after looking at this picture again, I couldn’t help but sigh and mumble to myself, “Poor Ethan.”

Are you ready for Valentine’s Day?!

Friday, February 4, 2011

snow full of craft


When life gives you snow, and you are trapped inside for a few day, what should you do?
Make things!
Yesterday during nap I came across
this cute idea and knew I had to make one. 

I can’t tell you how frustrating it is when someone comes along mid-afternoon, right smack during nap time (for eight kids mind you!) and DING DONG!  
Our two black labs bark like crazy and I want to cry. 
Don’t people know how precious nap time is for my sanity, workout and craft time?  Apparently they do not. 

So let’s see if this helps the sitch here at Haus of Girls…
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My version. 
A friendlier way of saying, “If you DARE ring my door bell you will have one raging mad Momma answering the door.”
 

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Sometimes I wish I never had a door bell installed whenever we were building our home.  That’s how annoying it is.

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But since I don’t have a time machine and there is the occasional time I can’t hear atomic bomb, much less a knock at the door when I’m in my basement/playroom/workout room/sewing room, it will just have to stay put.

Now onto my next snow day project. 
Three Valentine’s Day dresses for three little girls to wear to Nana and Papa’s Valentine’s Day party tomorrow. 
It’s really February friends?

Thank your for all the sweet comments yesterday, by the way.  Most of the time I feel this blog is an alternative way of communicating with myself.  I talk-type to myself and document all that’s happening at Haus of Girls, not knowing who is even reading along with me.
So it’s nice to hear from others who are indeed stopping by and reading as well. 

Your input and responses, in a way, make me feel a bit less of a “talking to myself” kind of girl at home all day with eight silly kids. 
Adult reinforcement and encouraging words are always appreciated, as children don’t always have the vocabulary or desire to articulate, “keep up the good work!  You are doing a great job!”  

So thank you to all who stop by Haus of Girls to check in on me!

Have a fantastic (more snow’s a comin’) Super Bowl weekend!
Who is making this?
Or this?
Or both?
You know I am!

Thursday, February 3, 2011

homebound stats

 

Here in the Show Me State we have had a few days of snow…and ice.  I’m sure you’ve heard. 
My husband, who’s a teacher, worked only one day this week, Monday.  And Mia only had only one day of school this week, Monday.
So as you can imagine, we’ve been having a lot of fun all snuggled up at home, spending time together.
Something I feel families should do more of. 
I am thankful, grateful and so blessed to have the opportunity to be such a big part of all the memories my girls are creating.  Memories they will always have. The same memories of togetherness that I will forever cherish, as well.  

Despite a few days of lock down, we have made the most of the wintery drama.  Movies, popcorn, pedicures, more movies, sewing, sledding, hide and seek, the Ladybug game, puzzles, baking cookies, my own version of homeschooling, (…aka worksheets that my girls thought were boring) reading, making soup and even going to a birthday party and taking a road trip. 

Winter isn’t so bad after all!

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We had some “wine” leftover from New Year’s Eve so the girls gladly grabbed their very own size wine glasses for dinner one night.

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Steve shoveled, yet again, our driveway along with the sweet couple across the street who are unable to do it. 

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We built several “forts” to “chill out” in.

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And Gracie continued to hoard her fave items.
(Please tell me that some of you also have a hoarding two year old! I am getting worried.)
The “cow” hat, as usual, and her new bestie, Elmer the elephant!
A thoughtful gift from Aunt Karen and Uncle Craig that accompanied two of the cutest books ever. 

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Gracie also snuggled up with her new friend Macy.
She is one of my friend Kelly’s sweet baby that I watch on occasion.  Gracie can’t get enough of Macy. 

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We ventured out for a fab 6th birthday party for our niece Carly.
I snapped a fun cousin shot before things got too crazy!

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And a few weeks ago we road tripped to my sister Haley’s house to watch my cousin Kelsey high jump!
She did so awesome and Mia and I were so thankful to have finally gotten the chance to cheer her on. 

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My sister Maggie and I cheering Kelsey on.

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While at my sister Haley’s house we ACCIDENTLY hit up a few bridal boutiques.  Here is one of my favorite dresses from the day. She may or may not have picked a different one that is even more gorgeous than this one.

I hope you are all having a fun winter as well.  What have you been up to?  Leave me a comment.  I’d love to hear from you.  Who even reads this? 

 

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