All Better

Reesi is officially all better. She has a little cough and a little stuffy nose, but she is back to normal. However, that flu did take a toll on her little body. She's down to 29 pounds! She also had trouble getting back into the groove of things. Reesi tried to convince us that she was still sick and couldn't go to school despite the fact that she was well enough to hit our church's trunk or treat. Nice try. Hopefully, I will get some pictures up for trunk or treat soon. My camera is in the shop for 10-14 days so I will be depending on my sister for Halloween pictures. There is never a good time to be without a camera!

Day Four

Day four of the flu is so much better than day two and three! I knew she was feeling better when the silliness came out. But this all would have been much easier if Reesi would take medicine. She absolutely refuses! I told her she would either have to take the medicine in her mouth or I would stick it up her booty. She opted for the booty! Eight suppositories later we went to the doctor today for Elye's six month well visit and he told me not to worry about giving her Tylenol. Having a high fever is totally fine and the only reason to give Tylenol is for her comfort. Too bad for Reesi (and me) I didn't know that sooner! But she was a trooper and finally ate today for the first time since Monday. The only lingering problems are her cough, some occasional watery eyes, and this bad taste in her mouth that makes her spit all the time. Hopefully, tomorrow she will still continue to get better, but as for now, we are still quarantined.

So Sick

Please pray for this baby. It is some kind of flu and it is miserable:(

Fall Break at the Farm

Larry had a busy weekend full of baseball responsibilities and Reesi had Monday and Tuesday off of school so I headed to Indiana with the four girls in tow. When I asked Reesi why she liked going to Mimi and Papoo's so much she said it was because they had bacon for breakfast. I guess I need to buy that girl some bacon. The girls had a fabulous time playing inside and out.

Our Little Cheerleader

Last Friday night our Reesi got to cheer with all the elementary girls at half-time of the football game. This already got canceled once because of rain so it was a much anticipated event. It was so cute to watch Reesi goof off with all the kindergarten girls before the show. She had so much fun!

Wish Upon a Star

Reesi's wish was:
"I wish I would never grow up so I could always be with you."
She really is the sweetest thing.

Reesi's Little Chicken Doll

Off to bed with her new doll.

This is my doll.

This is what the doll was supposed to look like.

The next sewing project I tackled said in the directions: not for beginners. But the pattern was on sale for only $4.50 so I had to try it. Reesi went to pick out the fabric with me, which I wasn't crazy about the fabric she picked out, but it was only $3.00 a yard. She was so excited that I was going to make a doll for her. I kept telling her that it may not be that good because I was just learning. Her response, "It doesn't matter what it looks like, it only matters that you have God in your heart." It is a good thing she was thinking that because there were lots of mistakes!

I decided that if I tried to go back and fix every mistake I would make myself crazy. This was just going to have to be a practice run and I could always make a better one later. This is what I learned.

Mistake 1: I put the arms way to low on her top and it make it extremely difficult to sew the skirt on. In the process of trying to sew the skirt on I sewed the outside of the arms to the body. When I took it off there was a hole in her shirt. I love the zigzag. I just zigzagged it to death to cover up the hole, but it doesn't look the best.

Mistake 2: I forgot to reinforce the seams with an extra stitch. This made it hard to stuff her really full because I was afraid I would bust a seam. This resulted in a floppy neck.

Mistake 3: I need more practice on making turning and sewing a straight stitch. Her hands and head are a little misshapen and the neck resembles a chicken.

Mistake 4: Don't lift the skirt because the legs look pretty bad where I attached them.

The good news is that Reesi does love it. When I finished, I held it up to my mom and said, "It looks a little like a dead chicken." Reesi did not like that comment and reminded me that she loves it no matter what. I love it too, but hopefully, the next one will be better!

Knot-Dress

Now that I am not working everyday I have more time free time. I needed more stimulation than cleaning and laundry so I have decided to pick up sewing. I haven't sewed since pot holders and aprons in seventh grade home economics, but since my mom is in town helping watch Elye Kate I thought she could help.

I should have started with something simple like a pot holder or an apron, but that wasn't what caught my eye. This dress did, but since it is well out of my budget I thought I could just make one. I found a pattern on Etsy for $9.95 and we spent less than $10.00 on all the fabric. We left the apron off this time, but I might add it next time. It actually turned out pretty cute, but I must admit that my mom did the majority of the dress. I did the straps, but I messed them up so bad that after an hour of trying to fix them we just did them over again. After that I "watched" and learned. Next time I want to use some of Amy Butler's fabric, but then again that defeats the purpose of trying to save money!

Crusty Salmon

I had to take a picture of all of Reesi's utensils. She has to have a different utensil for every food on her plate.

Reesi's prayer. She always prays for "animals dead and alive."

I am not much of a cook and Larry is extremely hard to impress in the kitchen. Every time I try something new his response is, "It's okay." I take this to mean don't cook it ever again. I have tried to make salmon several times lately, but tonight I finally got the "It's good" response. I have only gotten a handful of these during our marriage so it's a big deal! Here's the recipe from the Harpeth Hills Church cookbook, Reflections of Joy, p. 179.

4 salmon fillets

1/8 tsp. salt

1/8 tsp. pepper

2 T. Dijon Mustard (I used honey mustard b/c that's what I had in my fridge)

2. T butt, melted

1 1/2 T. Honey

1/4 c. soft bread crumbs

1/4 c. finely chopped pecans (I used almonds b/c Target didn't have pecans)

2 tsp. chopped fresh parsley

Lemon slices for garnish

Sprinkle salmon with salt and pepper. Place salmon fillets, skin side down, in a light greased baking dish or spray with nonstick cooking spray. Combine mustard, melted butter and honey; brush on fillets. Combine bread, pecans, and parsley into a food processor and process a few seconds to make a crumb mixture. Spoon mixture evenly on top of each fillet. Bake fillets at 450 degrees for 10 minutes, or until fish flakes easily when tested with a fork. Garnish with fresh parsley sprigs and lemon slices if desired.

Praise and Worship Time

Look at the hair loss. It's BAD!

The other day after school I was in the office. I sat in there for the longest time listening to Reesi. I knew if I came out she would probably stop. Every day at school her class has praise and worship time. She has learned so many new songs and is singing them everyday. This time she was in the living room coloring and singing her songs as Elye Kate sat and watched. It was so sweet and lasted for quite a while. Of course, Elye Kate was so entertained just watching Reesi and listening to her praise God. I loved it! I also admit I loved the quiet time to myself! I finally came in to take some pictures before the peaceful moment was over. I have a feeling Elye Kate will be enamored with Reesi for quite a while.