One Down

January is OVER at midnight tonight.  How the heck did that happen? 

My babies are growing up too fast.  The boxes are getting unpacked too slowly.  It's all a blur.  I'm waiting eagerly to unpack the rubberstamps!  My beloved art supplies are packed away in the cold and dark.  sniff.  Not that I have time to use them...

Progress on the basement has begun!  Unlike the other house, this time we're using sound-deadening insulation in the basement ceiling and walls.  "Soon" I will have a sewing/stamping room and a brand new classroom--with a sink!  Very exciting.

January in Pictures
Waffle-making helpers.  Liam pulls up a step-stool nearly every time I'm working in the kitchen.

Patrick got another year older.  This is the sorriest looking cake I've ever made.  We referred to it as the "Dr. Suess Cake".  Wow.  Embarrassing.  But it was tasty.  He requested "chocolate, non-ganache icing".  I used the recipe on the Hershey's Cocoa container.  Very yummy. It had four layers.  Four very crooked layers.

Laurel also had a birthday.  She requested ganache--good girl!  She also requested "oreos".  Note the birthday plate--a new family tradition begins this year.  We cut the oreos in two and placed them cut-side down around the top of the cake.  They soaked up the ganache and were so delicious!  See those packing boxes?...full of art supplies.  sniff...

Holly performed an eight-minute long concerto with her teacher at the biannual piano recital.  She did very well!  Laurel and Sean also performed and did great.

 

Progress on the basement whine cellar.  This place will not be finished for some time, but it will be far enough along soon so that the kids can play--and keep their whining away from me ;)
This view is from the future sewing room looking into the future classroom.

 

...and a Declan photo, for good measure!