Happy Easter...

Today was a busy, productive, happy day at the Plate household. We started bright and early around 10am with a trip to Friendlys for brunch... ok, so it DID get better after that. (oh, and yah, my breakfast stunk... but that's besides the point). We came home to get started dying our easter eggs- it was a much less messy experience than in years' past. The one thing I don't like about dying easter eggs is you end up with dirty looking hands on Easter Sunday from dunking your fingers in the dye cups because your siblings are hogging the dipper thing and the dye gets all up under your nails and around the dead skin next to your nails, and no matter how hard you scrub them, it won't come off, so you're all dressed up in a frilly, pretty dress and your hands look like you work in the tannery... whoa, flash back. Sorry again.



Once we got that all cleaned up, we spent the day outside digging out the area for the pool- it wasn't very even, and the 4 ft. pop up pool we put up every summer had a deep end and a shallow end. Yah, I don't think the structure of the thing could have taken another year of that. So we dug, and dumped, and dug, and dumped. I guess I should say Earl dug and dumped while I mostly watched. I helped spread the dirt at the dump site- the big holes in the front of the house where we yanked out the dead bushes when we moved in. 4 years ago. MAYBE this year I'll get something in there. It looks like a new construction that ran out of funds for landscaping. Isabelle helped as much as she could with her broken shovel- and nope- the Easter bunny had no idea, so he's not delivering one to this house- maybe Grandmas??? The girl LOVES to chase the worms, scoop them into her bucket and call them her pets... just don't ask her to TOUCH one. That's a bad idea. At least she doesn't run screaming from them.

We also found a tree that MIGHT make a decent tree house tree. I have always wanted the kids to have a tree house. It'll probably have to be rather small though... it's not that big of a tree. Now Isabelle wants to go buy the materials and start working on it- "today please!"

While we didn't get a LONG list of things done, it was still a productive day. I'll take it. Oh- and we still have to have the Easter Bunny come tonight.




and this is what life with an "almost" teenager gets you:

I'm crafty!!!

So occasionally I truely believe that I can be crafty- well, I can, but not everything turns out the way I'd like. I had success with the knitting loom to make some props, but crochet- well, that didn't go so well. Lets just say that 9+ mos and all I ended up with was a mis-shapen, square-ish blanket looking thing that was only big enough to be used for a doll. Not the beautiful, soft, snuggly blanket for my darling newborn daughter. I tried again with the pillow-case dress- having much more success with that one, and only one not so hot attempt. Anyway- I got bit by the crafty bug again, so I plugged in the sewing machine. I really want to make this cute purse I found online, but settled for a much simpler skirt for Isabelle for now. Not terrible, if I do say so myself. Now I'm not about to try and sell this stuff- so the un-even hem and un-finnished seams are fine by me. But I LOVE that I can pick my own materials and make the colors and patterns I want. I might have to crank out a few more skirts for her for the summer- I think summer clothes are a good idea, that way if they fall appart, at least she won't be cold!