take me to mimi and papas

{read this to the tune of "Take Me Out to the Ball Game"}

Take me to Mimi and Papa's

Take me there right now please!
I want to scoop some horse's poop,
and feed Reese some doggy bones.

maybe then, i'll play with the race track,

before i go out to play

'cause it's the zoo!

a train ride!

and playing all day,

at Mimi and Papa's house!

{the kids and I took a trip down to SC to visit Mimi and Papa this weekend and had a great time. Both my kids cried on and off all the way home begging to go back. Our house must be LAME. Connor was most excited to help Mimi scoop the horses poop from the barn when we got there. And I quote, "Mimi! It's stopped raining! Now we can go scoop some poop!"

tissue pom poms

my heart first fluttered at the sight of tissue pom poms when i saw this picture.{image}

i then saw them in person at my friend Rebecca's home for a baby shower.

i knew i wanted some for my workroom and looked up a tutorial here (thanks Martha).

it was super simple and cost 3 dollars. i am very pleased with the result and hope to add more cool things to the tissue pom poms soon.

what a hoot

one of my favorite customers sent me this picture today. she ordered the original Hoot Owl Family awhile back for her little girl and then ordered a boy Hoot Baby to go with the family when they were expecting this sweet cherub pictured below. Apparently he fell asleep in the nest. This picture makes me happy all over.

Kristi's Favorite Cheeseball

Tonight is my first night to participate in a new "foody" group I was invited to be a part of. We'll meet one night out of the month and each bring a dish (tonight is appetizers) to share and the recipe as well. I thought I would post the recipes of the things I make since they will be some of my very favorites.
This cheeseball was introduced to me by my co-worker, Linda, at the Honor Code Office at BYU in 2004. She is about 30 years my senior and a kindred spirit. We were like two peas in a pod and everything she made was delicious. She brought the cheeseball into the office after Thanksgiving one year and it was devoured before lunch.
This has become a requested item at various my various church activities. I love it because it is so simple to assemble and can be done ahead of time. It is my all time favorite cheeseball. :)

2 packages cream cheese
2 oz package of corned beef, chopped
4 green onions, thinly sliced
3.8 oz can (a heaping 1/2 cup) of black olives, chopped
2 tsp seasoned salt

Mix together all ingredients, varying amounts according to taste. Form into a ball using saran wrap and chill until ready to eat. Serve with crackers. (Side note: This cheeseball would also be very nice with toasted walnuts or almond slivers all around. I just never add nuts to anything because of Connor's allergy.)

couldn't have been better...

the first Tuesdays of every month, the kids don't get to see Byron before bed because he has church meetings right after work and gets home late that night. i always try to do something a little extra fun on those nights to give us all something to look forward to (it's always sad when Dad's not home in the evening). while dinner was baking in the oven that night, i mixed up some brownies (best. recipe. ever) to have after dinner as a special treat. as it worked out, the kids ran outside to play, got all muddy, and needed a bath before we could do anything else. as they protested a bath, i told them that after bath, we were going to come downstairs and watch a show while we had a brownie! what!?! that kind of stuff never happens in the Kubik household! usually, once we head up for bed, there's no more coming downstairs. Connor was thrilled and Kylene just jumped around because Connor was. when we came back downstairs, I laid out a blanket so they could have a picnic in front of the TV. what?!? they didn't even have to eat at the table!?! they were so delighted, Connor threw his arms around my legs and said, "Mom, I love you sooooooooooooooooo much."

it couldn't have worked out better if i had planned it.

My most recent Hoot Owl Family for a customer about to have a baby girl. They ship out tomorrow, hope she likes!

kylene

it's been too long since i've posted an update of our Kylenie Beanie (our friends, MacCade, Jaxton, and Beckam even call her Kylenie now). Kylene is now 22 mths and full of personality! We are so filled up with love for her we think we just might pop! Kylene LOVES to snuggle on some one's lap on the couch with her blankie. I don't think life gets much better than that for her. Her favorite TV show is Jack's Big Music Show on Nick Kids. She loves to dance to children's music and can head bop and hip swing with the best of them! She loves acting out the stories that are read to her now and her current favorite book is Freight Train.
She says, "No" and "Oh" in such a matter-of-fact way it's hard to ever get upset with her. She's becoming a little sassy and wants things when she wants them as illustrated by the picture below. She was trying desperately to get to the camera I was holding.
That girl loves to swing! She could swing the day away and often times says, "Higher!"
Kylene loves to be outside and is right in the mix with all the older kids. She's not one to be left behind! She loves babies, real and imaginary, and takes care of her baby all day. She feeds the baby her bottle, tucks her in her stroller, and wraps her in her blanket. She's fascinated by other babies and loves to be around them.

Kylene loves to be tickled and will often egg her brother on to chase her around the house while she squeals with half delight and half terror. :)

Kylene has concrete opinions about what she wants to wear daily and nightly. It's hard to get her favorite pj's off of her in the morning!

We are so THRILLED with her. She continues to bring JOY into our lives.

who knew a DinOsAuR could edge?

Bev and Theresa came up for a weekend visit a few weeks ago and brought their edger along with them. Connor was all dressed up in his new dinosaur Halloween costume and was so excited to get to edge with Papa. They did a great job and I was amazed at what a difference it made in our yard--so beautiful! Papa swept our driveway, bought us a Dominos value card from a neighbor kid and Mimi delighted us with candy corn. Now does that sound like a good time or what? :)

5K Run/Walk for Breast Cancer

Yesterday, I got to participate in the 5K Run/Walk for Breast Cancer at Moses Cone Hospital in Greensboro, NC. I went with my friend Jami who was there to support a friend, Deborah. Deborah is currently battling breast cancer and has nine more weeks of chemo to go. I found it very inspiring and humbling to be there with survivors, family and friends honoring those who have passed and those that are still fighting. It was a great event and I'm so glad I got the chance to participate. Go Deborah!

first day of preschool!

Connor started his first day of preschool on August 30 at Mums here in Mebane. We were really sad to leave Orange Preschool from last year in Chapel Hill, but as soon as we saw the classroom we both got it excited! It looked so awesome! Even better, Connor gets to attend school with his best buddy and neighbor, Jaxton Peterson. We get to carpool together and listening to their conversations is hysterical. One day they tickled each other the whole way to and from preschool. :) A few days ago, Connor came in from school, dropped his backpack on the ground and said very seriously, "It was another BUSY day in preschool!" :) I think we are in for a GREAT year!

the bike

In early August, I was preparing the kids and I to drive to my parents home in Indiana for a week when my check engine light came on in our car. We were leaving in two days so I needed to get it checked out ASAP. I called my friend and neighbor, Jami, to see if they had a good place they could recommend for the car. At the local BP, I met Everett: a nice warm hearted man in his 60's. He seemed to be the one in charge of the shop and got me going with one of his employees, Jim. The little store was busy with activity and Everett seemed to know everyone that stopped in. It made me feel more confident in the quality of the shop to see so many long time friends and repeat customers coming and going. I sat next to a moving fan in the unairconditioned 100 degree store. I didn't mind though, I was sweating it out the same as the person next to me. Jim came out and gave me a detailed list of the things that needed to be fixed with the car and the expenses. I called Byron and we decided to go ahead with the needed repairs. I had been sitting there for a while, and knew I needed to get back to my friend who was watching my kids, so I asked Everett if he could check to see how much longer the car would be. I explained that I lived very close and it was no problem for my neighbor to come pick me up and that I could come back and get the car later. That's when Everett had his great idea (that's what he said at least, "Come with me, I have a great idea!") I followed Everett to a shed in the back where he pulled out a huge old red bike with a basket attached in the back. He told me happily that I could just ride the bike home and then ride it on back when the car was ready for pick-up. I figured I had riden a bike all over the streets of Tokyo, why not down the street to my home in Mebane, NC? So I hopped on the bike, waved goodbye to everyone and started on my way home.

The road that I needed to turn on out of the gas station was a busy one. As I went to pull the brakes on the handle bar, I realized there were no brakes! I held my breath and turned onto the road and prayed no one would hit me. I rode home with my purse slung over my shoulder, flip flops on my feet, signaling with my arms that I was merging into the next lane and turning. Hilarious. When I got to Jami's house, I brought her outside and showed her the bike. She was shocked and asked why I hadn't called her?!? I laughed and told her because Everett has said he had a great idea! We cracked up and Jami took a spin on the bike around the neighborhood while the kids and I cheered her on.

When Byron got home that night from work, it was time to go pick the car up, but there was no way that big bike was fitting in our car. I said I was happy to ride the bike back up, but there was one problem, a huge, gigantic thunderstorm was rolling in. I said I was going for it and pedaled as fast as I could up the hill back to the BP gas station. I wondered what people thought of me as I rode this big old bike in the blustering wind, on a major road with a thunderstorm at my heels. Pretty crazy I bet. I made it before the storm hit and tried to discreetly wipe the huge drops of persperation off my face as I paid for the car. Everett was so pleased that I had ridden the bike. He said he offers it to custmers all the time but no one ever takes him up on it. Imagine! I think I've made a life long friend in Everett and it's so nice to know I don't need to arrange for a ride when I take our car in to get fixed.