Nutella is health food, right?

She loves Nutella., originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

She must be going through a big growth spurt. Clothes that fit last week don't now, and in a span of 2 days went from wearing her shoes to "these hurt!" She wants to graze all day long, and eats more for breakfast than I do. The other day, that was Silk, 2 pieces of toast with peanut butter and nutella, a banana and a yogurt. Remember, she's not even 3 yet. She prefers crackers and peanut butter at all times of day, is eating apples by the bushel, but tends to not want to eat her meals. (And I know, I shouldn't let her and should make her eat her meals, but she is normally a great eater at mealtime, so I'm not stressing about it. She's craving carbs right now. It's a phase.)

But I guess I don't need to worry too much--half the nutella ends up on her face, anyway. ;-)

Rowan's new Freecycle Tricycle!

Rowan's new Freecycle Tricycle!, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

A friend suggested joining Freecycle to look for a piano. I've just gotten started, but it's a really wonderful service. When a neighbor put a perfectly good mountain bike next to the trash, I listed it and it was taken hours later with a nice thank you. I just *hate* seeing perfectly good stuff go into the landfill, so this service is really fabulous.

The other day I was looking at trikes for her. She's ready. Her own little scooter is too small, and she's growing up fast. I thought it was worth asking, and lo and behold--look what we got! Less than a week later, a practically brand new trike--probably the one I would have bought anyway (it's still listed on Amazon) and in fantastic condition, not a scratch. For free. LOVE it. So thanks to Barb from Bellefonte--Rowan is thrilled with her new Big Girl Trike!

Terrible, Horrible, No-Good, Very Bad Day

Magnolias are starting to bloom!, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

We had two gorgeous days this weekend--65-70F, sunny, neighbors out and chatting, and things were really looking up. Everyone was in a great mood. We ate on the patio, walked the dog without our jackets, and played in the sandbox. It was lovely.

Today was not gorgeous. Cool, cloudy, rainy, and one of those days where everything that could possibly be annoying just was. Rowan wanted to eat constantly all day long, except when I made actual food. Money is tighter than we'd like it and there are more zits on my chin than ever!!! Things that had been taken care of weren't, glitches happened, and someone forgot to refill the TP. Facebook was full of complaints about politics and THE END OF THE WORLD AS WE KNOW IT OMG, the yogurt soured, the projects I wanted to complete got waylaid and Dr. B didn't make it home in time for dinner that looked horrible but tasted good, even though Rowan wouldn't eat it although she wanted a PB&J and apples and applesauce and crackers. The laundry still isn't put away.

But, I'm trying really hard to look on the bright side. The magnolia tree on the next block is blooming, and Rowan thinks they "feel like socks!" God bless her, she was in a great mood even when her mother wasn't. I can look down and watch my stomach moving like dolphins surfacing. (Or sharks. Nope, looking on the bright side. Going with dolphins.) I have a lunch date with a friend after my doc appointment tomorrow, and am picking up a free tricycle from our local Freecycle. I goofed around with my template again and the new Draft Blogger tool thingee is much easier to use. Still not perfect, but more interesting, I hope. (Do you like it?)

Spring is coming, things are getting done, and progress is being made. Not always easy to see that through this flurry of hormones, but I'm trying.

French pj's are so cute, wear them as clothes!

French pj's are so cute, wear as clothes!, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

When we were in Paris last May, Aimee got us into the Message group's annual brocante (tag sale) early by manning the snacks table, and they let me in on her say so. This allowed me to scope out the cute stuff and score several darling dresses, books, and this little outfit for Rowan to bring back to the US. It was too big last year, but when I heard 70 degrees predicted for today, I knew it was the perfect time to break it out. A Japanese print on a delicate cotton lawn, with tulip cuffs and contrasting borders, it's absolutely adorable.

As she "swam" in the bathtub, I read the tag. It's pajamas. No Dora the Explorer--French jammies are gorgeous.

Pbft. Who cares? It's darling, and it's her favorite color.

Sigh. I miss France.



*PS I am not sure what is up with the goofy faces whenever a camera is present. I hope this is just a phase.

UPDATE: on a walk, she tripped in the grass and tore a hole in the knee and grass stained them pretty badly. Really delicate fabric. Darn it.

I had a good idea.

S'mores are pretty good, but they're too messy and a tish too airy for me. I like something a bit more substantial with my sugar and fat. Years ago, I tried to perfect the perfect S'mores Brownie. I failed miserably. The graham cracker crust was never anything but dry, the browned top I wanted meant the brownie itself was too dry or else I overcompensated and it was undercooked, and I couldn't come up with a way to get everything I wanted all at the same time.

I went to this site the other day, and came upon a great method while reading the reviews. It totally worked and the brownies are awesome and were super easy.

Here's the method I used. It's not that site's version exactly, but it's pretty darn easy. You can adapt it to any size pan and you can use your own homemade brownies or cheat with a box like I did.  Excuse the photo--it's from my phone. As you can see, I've sampled them already.

S'mores Brownies

• your favorite brownie mix or recipe, prepared according to directions (with eggs, oil, water or coffee, etc.)
• mini marshmallows
• chocolate bars, broken, or chocolate chips
• graham crackers, crumbled

Preheat your oven and spray your pan with cooking spray or grease as you like. Pour in your batter and smooth. Bake as long as the box (or your recipe) tells you MINUS 5 minutes.

Remove the pan from the oven. Sprinkle with handfuls of marshmallows until it's mostly covered. Sprinkle with chocolate and graham cracker pieces. Return to oven for last 5 minutes until the marshmallows are puffed and gooey and the chocolate starts to melt a little.

Wait a while before cutting unless you like it a gooey mess. (It's good either way. The gooey mess version would be great with ice cream.) The marshmallows will stay fairly gooey even when it's cool. They aren't browned like the perfect campfire marshmallow, but you won't smell like woodsmoke all day either--it's a trade-off.

Yum.

I do not have the skills.

Bleh.

Hate this template. Super bored with my old one. No abilities to make a new one worth a darn. Not enough readership to justify plunking down a chunk of change for a pro to do one, either (as evidenced by my paltry ad checks that show up about twice a year).

I don't even have photoshop, much less know how to use it, and I am really quite lost. This is what I've done for tonight. I guess you could say it's a little bit of nesting. I want it to look fantastic, but really am stuck in 1998 when it comes to web design. Blogger doesn't make it exactly easy to make it look good (you can change it, but only within their parameters), and I don't have the energy to figure out switching everything to a different site at the moment. So there you go.

If the template fairy wants to show up, she'll be welcome. For now, I'm going to eat another S'mores Brownie and then go to bed.

I love this.

The arm swoop, the "actions", and especially the strut off stage at the end--it will be stuck in my head for months.

I think I'm going to download the ringtone.

Yes, I grew up in North Dakota. Loving the Lawrence Welk style is in my blood--even if it is Soviet Russian Cheez.

Girlie Girl

Shoe shopping partner, originally uploaded by MrsBinParis.

She loves to wear dresses while she plays trains and cars. She tromps through the mud in her pink tights. Rarely leaves the house without a necklace or bracelet, but runs faster than the boys and hasn't met a jungle gym she can't conquer, even at 2 3/4.

The day I snapped this shot with my phone, we spent quite a bit of time shoe shopping, just for fun. She loves red heels, just like I do. (I would have bought these, but they were too big for both of us.) We giggled and pranced in the isles of Ross, trying on silly shoes we didn't need just because it was fun and they were really inexpensive, anyway.

I am so proud of my little girl. She is her Grandma Judeen's granddaughter. I have no doubt that she, too, will be bailing hay in a miniskirt or stomping across the cow pasture without looking down, perfectly accessorized.