Because...

if you don't lick the plate, how else do you get all the ketchup?

Funny Face

Miss Lucy likes to frown. 

I have a hunch she knows just how cute this is.

 If you frown back, she'll follow up with this:

Which is equally adorable.

There's a reason I'll often tell her I love her face. 

Mini Project

In case you haven't noticed, my posts on crafts and projects have been few and far between.

Mostly because of those cuties I call my Offspring.

Partly because of Offspring the Third siphoning all my energy to grow.

So, when the bug to create hit, I kept it very low key.

A friend picked up these cute little frames for me a whole summer ago. I stuck them in my "to do" spot, and debated where they would work best.

And I finally figured it out.

Look at how fancy these are:

 I think they look like something you'd find in a musty old church, probably the prayer room.

Or my great grandmother's house.

Either way, they are gorgeous but very outdated. (And hello! Have you noticed that I don't do brass?!)

A good scrubbing with some tarnish remover helped clean the surface so paint would stick. (You better believe these things got a face lift.)

Also, I don't have big hands, and that's a standard toothbrush. So, a proportion maker for you.

 I still had some pink from frames in the girls' room. Convenient, since that's where these cuties are going.

 Can you see them??? One has a heart on a gray pattern, and another a star on the same gray pattern. The whole insert (backing, photo, glass) pops out then sits back in the frame snugly. At some point this will be handy because I'll get around to putting photos in these. Someday.

Notice anything else? There are new prints in the frames because Ava loves all things ballerina right now.

And the corkboard is gray to match the other large frame, and I took off the sagging string and used standard push pins to add new photos.

So like I said: it was a mini project.

(But even a mini project takes a long time when two little girls decide to fight just as I'm trying to find a nail, making much frustration and causing the daddy to be vented on by the mommy who wants to know why she can't have ten stinking minutes to hang two little things on the wall.)

Sorry, folks. These pregnancy hormones swing fiercely. Yes, it's catastrophic fun.

To Eat an Avocado

My favorite way to serve an avocado is to put the most amazing blend of flavors together with it.

First, get a puff pastry sheet from the frozen section of your grocery store. Thaw it according to package directions. This is very important, because improper thawing will affect the quality of your final product.

Next, lay out the puff pastry sheet and cut it into equal(ish) squares. 

On half the squares, smear some cream cheese, top with finely chopped avocado, and a dollop of your favorite chunky salsa. (The more runny your salsa, the messier this becomes.) Make sure to leave plenty of room around the edges!

Finally, take an empty square and use it to make the roof of the pocket. Crimp the edges. However you do it, seal those edges as best you can. It takes practice, and sometimes stuff oozes out. Not a big deal, you just don't want all your toppings to end up all over your baking sheet. 

Cook at 375 degrees for 18-20 minutes, or until golden brown. Then enjoy.

I enjoy them so much that this picture was taken as I was ready to finish the last pastry. Which is why there isn't much left. Oops. 

**Note: The size of these can be whatever you make them. Although you get more filling and less pastry if you make them 4"x4" rather than 2" squares. Experiment and adjust to your taste.

Fancy

Us.

Bedtime

This is their favorite part: