Happy Easter!!!

Happy Easter my friends!! The kids have been out of school since Friday so we've been busy around the house. Dying eggs, baking, Easter egg hunts, and trying to keep the kids from driving me crazy with boredom! Today was a quiet day at home. The girls were up very early to scope our their goods from the bunny. (MAJOR candy overload here!!!) Clint barbecued and my Dad and some friends came over to spend the day with us. The kids had an Easter egg hunt and they loved it! It was a good day for us all.

Dying eggs on Good Friday ~ yes in their bikinis!

Gifts from the Easter Bunny!

Playdoh (that Santa forgot to put under the tree - oops!)

Just a tad excited.

The aftermath. Valerie's "disaster" as she put it.

Easter dresses!

Outfits from the Easter Bunny!

My heart.

Super star Valerie.

Relieved!

Yesterday was Veronica's appointment with the pediatric opthomologist from Oshner's. I had been trying not to worry, but worry I did! There's always the nagging question of "what if? Clint and my Dad both have sight problems, so there was concern that maybe Veronica had inherited it. She really seemed to struggle with the basic eye exam at her four year old well visit in March. I know it happens, but I couldn't imagine putting glasses on a four year old either! Thankfully, she's fine!! Veronica does have a mild astigmatism, but the doctor thought it was best if we didn't do anything just yet. Her vision seemed to be 20/30 and 20/40, but some of that could be age/test related. It doesn't seem to be affecting her much, and it could improve over time... or it could worsen. It's just one of those things we have to wait and see.

One less thing to worry about!!

Next worry - her speech. Now, if only Lafourche Parish School Board employees would step up and DO THEIR JOB. I've been trying to get Veronica in for a speech evaluation but I'm getting no where. Is she really delayed? I don't know. It could be a non-issue, but if she needs help, I'll do what it takes to get it for her.

Luckie

This is Luckie aka Orange Kat.

I first saw Orange Kat sometime in February. As I pulled into my driveway, he was on our porch. He bolted as soon as he saw me. I saw him at a distance a few more times, and one day he was in my backyard. I put a scoop of cat food out for him and a water dish. The next time he came to visit, he only ran as far as the edge of the porch.

Just before our vacation in March, poor Orange Kat had a bit of misfortune. His tail was mysteriously half gone and left was a bloody stump. I decided he was "lucky" that whatever got him had only gotten his tail. Valerie decided he was "lucky" to have found us. By now he has decided he wants us to pet him all the time and won't take no for an answer.

This is the noisiest cat ever. Thought about re-naming him "Talking Tom." I can usually hear him coming from a yard over and he "talks" back when you talk to him. He hung out on my porch for two or three days, so I thought he was here to stay. Nope, he soon was gone again - out tom cattin' around no doubt. He comes and goes, and just when I'm thinking his luck may have run out, he shows back up again. He has graduated to trying to sneak into our house every chance he gets. Somehow he even knows where the cat food is. It's like he thinks he lives here.

Another Milestone!!

Yesterday my Val Gal lost her first baby tooth! We noticed it was loose a few weeks ago, which led to her panicking and crying about it. She got used to it and had been wiggling it for a few days now. Last night she didn't eat supper because she kept saying it felt like her tooth was about to fall out. She kept on wiggling it and then I hear "Uh Oh. I pulled my tooth out." Followed by hysterics!! My poor girl does not like change. It took a while but she finally settled down and was ok about it. This morning she found $5 under her pillow from the tooth fairy! Now THAT she was excited about!!

I dug out her baby book to write in yesterday's date for losing her first tooth, and it made me so sad! At times I can barely remember her being a tiny baby... and here she is a big kid losing her first tooth. Where has the time gone?!

Nothing but silence

Kids are asleep... the house is quiet... too quiet.

I know things could always be worse... but I feel so so lonely these days!! Clint is away working more than he is home. He hasn't been home for more than a few days here and there since Christmas. It's me and the kids 24/7. Of course they're great and all and make life interesting, but I still feel like I'm all by myself. No one calls. No one visits. Friends have gone away. No one invites us to anything.

I know, I know... there are worse things.

And sometimes I don't mind the quiet. I'm exhausted and spread so thin at times that it is nice to do nothing.

Sometimes I do mind though.

Quite a while back I was thinking how nice it was that I had a solid group of diverse friends. We had people to invite over and do things with. Sadly, some of them disappeared or have proven not to be as good of a friend as I thought!! I just wish I had a group of girl friends like in the 'old days' - to gossip with, to go shopping with, have lunch with, movies, and whatever.

Oh I have lots of acquaintances. But that's all it amounts to.... just people I know casually and see randomly. A lot of people these days seem to have no interest in meeting anyone or getting to know new people.

One outlet for the past few years has been a Mom's group and suddenly the organizers have decided to close the group. We weren't able to participate much in playgroups since both girls are in school, but I enjoyed the few activities we did. New people were always coming and going, so it was a great way to meet other moms and their families. Now that's gone...

I need to find a new way to meet people and make new friends.... for me and my kids...

Introducing Bits & Bites

I've been toying with the idea of a baking/cooking blog for a while. As those of you who know me know, I bake. A Lot. Just last week alone I've made homemade brownies, peanut butter chocolate chip oatmeal cookies, and regular chocolate chip cookies. The week before it was Clint's (mostly) sugar free birthday cake and the week before my Dad's birthday cake... and so on. You get the picture.

I'm not a professional nor do I claim/pretend to be! I am just a SAHM who enjoys baking and I'm always in search of that BEST "go to" recipe. As with most things in life, some things turn out great and some not so much. Some weeks I feel like baking and some I don't, so expect sporadic postings ahead. A lot will depend on if I am in in the mood to document what I bake as well. And it may not be ALL baking. I like to cook regular food, too, so I may throw in some other recipes as the mood strikes.

I'd also like to think that homemade is healthier than most store bought, processed snacks. Cookies made with eggs, sugar, and butter have got to be better for you than store bought with ingredients you can't pronounce....

So, with out further adeu... I bring you

Mel's Baking Bits & Bites

Keep in mind it IS in the beginning stages, so I will be tweaking things as I go.... Happy Baking, y'all!!

Yummy things to come.... I hope!

Having a ball with the ladybugs!

Clint was home for a few days, so we had a nice family day Saturday. We took Val and Roni to the Ladybug Ball here in town. What fun! It was super crowded and a little on the hot side, but it wasn't unbearable. The girls got to play a few games and do a few of the $1 craft booths. And of course we stayed until the ladybug release! It was a fun morning. I just wish we would have had some friends to meet there or hang out with!! After the ball, we went to our favorite Mexican restaurant for lunch (El Paso.)

Back at home, the girls put their ladybugs on the trees in the backyard. I let Val and Roni put on swimsuits and we washed the cars and took care of some yard work. Clint cut the grass in the backyard then gave me a lesson on operating the riding mower, and I cut most of the front. He's about to get very busy at work and will be gone for a long while, so I guess I'll add grass cutting to my never ending list of things to do. I don't see any reason to pay someone $50 to cut the grass when we have a fairly new mower.... but after I have to cut it a few times I may change my mind!!!

We ended the day with snoballs and watching the humming birds visit us from the front porch!

And kisses for Daddy on Sunday morning just before he left again....