sheppard girls

School project

 
After book club today I went to Michael's to look for materials to help the big one with a project.  When I was checking out the woman said "oh, you must be making a diarama, is it about a racetrack?'  No, I replied "it is about the physics of the luge."  She looked at me like I was crazy.  I did however find these super cute pencils.

Signs of spring

The first mention of "putting on our swimsuits".

Signs of spring

 
I love it when the first graders plant grass.

Cookies

Monica: Wow, I haven't made this many cookies since the 8th grade!

Phoebe: What was that, for a bake sale or something?

Monica: No, just a Friday night

A few years ago I decided that I wanted to have some signature cookie recipes.  You know, like be the mom with the best cookies at her house.  First I perfected the Chocolate Toffee cookie recipe from Bon Appetit.  Recently I added Blonde Designs Snickerdoodle recipe as well.  Then I saw a recipe on Amateur Gourmet referencing a recipe from Smitten Kitchen for a white chocolate oatmeal cookie with salt.  I heart salt! 

Look.  They are so pretty.  Not very popular. 

Then I made the chocolate peanut butter cookies in the same article from Amateur Gourmet.  Better, but still no love.  Next I am trying the Momofuku Compost Cookies.  I might not call them that right away.

Christmas cards

And the award for first card of the season goes to.... the Sorenson's!  Good work people.

I was so very excited for this

 
to be the picture for our Christmas cards, until I came across this one last week. 

The dad took it with a timer.  Sorry super cool feet idea, maybe next year.
 

Knitting

The big one's fifth grade class is learning to knit.  All of them.  Maybe then she can teach me.

Water

 

With two lunches and two snacks to pack each day, plus dairy allergies that eliminate the option of buying a school milk, I am horrified by the number of water bottles we are using each day. 

The dad and I both use Siggs (Although a few weeks ago the dad actually said to me - you haven't been putting out my water bottle, so I haven't been drinking any water all week.  That really deserves it own post.) so it seemed like a pretty easy solution to have the big one and the little one just bring Siggs back and forth to school each day too. 

Oh the drama.  Hello Kitty, retro or not, is so not cool enough for 5th grade.

First day of school

Good-bye small people who live in my house.

Hello trip to the bookstore that doesn't involve the children's section and solitary mozzarella sandwich from Rustica.

Hello mother, hello father, greetings from camp

The big one is spending a few days at the cabin with her grandparents.  She sends us emails each evening that go something like this:

 

    We had eggs for breakfast @ 10and then went grocery shopping and gave grandpa lunch we were home for a while then went mini golfing and got a pinapple slushy thing. then we got home and hung out before having dinner.just got home from one of grandmas ''talk about your life and eat with woman of your age'' meetings thing where I had 7 up anad m&m's and peach pie .I have defenatly got my share of suckers --  today I also finished aritmus fowl 2.

I look forward to each new installment

Signs of summer part 2

Breakfast on the deck.  Most Saturdays the dad makes breakfast. 

Today Swedish pancakes, strawberry jam still warm from the pan and creme fraise. 

Pretty, right?  Except if you had a video you could hear the bickering over who got more caribou thin steaks (ish) and the little one whining because she was coooooold, but she didn't want to go get a hoodie because none of them looked good.