Story Time with Sofia

Each night I read one or two books and Sofia “reads” one.  Tonight she chose a book about mermaids – sort of.  Ignore me and my feet!

 

Do –Re-Mi

Musical theatre tonight – pay close attention to the “free-styler” on the right side of the screen!

“Besties” already

 

Sofia and Lilly

Monday’s Thrifty Finds

So this weekend we were way to busy to hit up any yard sales, but we did go by the Goodwill.  Here are few items I picked up.  I was looking for items to put in my bedroom because I have been working on a redo.  Last night I rearranged the bedroom and just now put it back together!!

Make sure you head on over to Southern Hospitality to check out everyone’s fabulous finds!

I got all of the pillows you see here on the bed (5 total) for .75 – 1.99 each.  As you can se I have my drapes hung that I mentioned here.  I got the comforter at a great clearance price at Tuesday morning.  Now, I need a cream coverlet to lay across the end of the bed.

I also got these Citizens of Humanity jeans for $10 and this great green jacket (brand new) for $8.

    

Last, I got this chair (which I will be painting the back of) for $4.99.  The cushion matches perfectly with the new fabrics in my bedroom.  This is at my desk.  Next I am on the lookout for a new desk.

I stopped by Joanne’s to look at some fabric and found these cute pictures in the clearance section for less than $5 each.  They now hang in my master bathroom (which also got a little makeover this weekend).

Hope everyone had a great weekend and found lots of treasures!

Nutcracker Auditions

Sofia had auditions for the Nutcracker today.  The town I live in puts on a huge performance each year.  It is directed by the dance school Sofia attends.  She had her regular ballet class at 9am this morning and then her audition group performed from 11-12.  She was really tired afterward but very excited.  We found out this evening that she had made it!  She will be an Angel and a Hershey Kiss Mouse. The costumes are amazing and she is now very excited! 

The video below is from last year’s performance.  They will perform 5 times this year.  4 performances at the theatre and one at the Festival of Lights. 

 

Practice starts in about 3 weeks and will be about 2 hours every Saturday.  Wow. 

Flashback Friday – September 2004 – First Wedding to Attend

Music Theatre Fun

Wednesday nights Sofia has Musical Theatre.  She loves this class.  Each week they take a different movie or play and do a different number. 

Wordless Wednesday

Thrifty Treasures

Make sure you head on over to Southern Hospitality to see everyone’s fantastic finds! 

I only stopped at a couple of sales – and one of them was next door.  Below are the few things I found and also a great find I am very happy about from the Goodwill.

 

I got Sofia 3 ballet / dance leotards for $1-$2 each and a brand new pair of ballet shoes to save (they are about 2 sizes too big right now).  They were $1.00 also.  I also found her this blingy shirt and a denim skirt (not pictured) for $1.00 each.

The next item below was…..FREE!  It was sitting on the curb in front of my house.  I believe it belonged to the people who had the sale.  It works perfect!!! 

I found these drapes at the Goodwill for $7.99 per panel!  There are 4 panels and they are 96 inches long!!! Wonderful.  They are custom made and lined.  I am planning a master bedroom overhaul and they are going in there.  While I believe they probably came from a formal living room, I love the colors and they are going to be in my master bedroom!  VERY excited!  They are black and cream and have gorgeous pleating and black grosgrain trim!!!

 

Nacho, Nacho, Nacho

 

Last night was a first for Sofia – she ate Nachos!  Complete with beans (first time she ever had them) and ground turkey (instead of beef).  It was yummy and she actually liked them once she gave them a chance.  She ate about 6 chips with beans, meat, cheese and olives.  Oh and she may have even eaten a green onion or two!  She was so excited that she is the one who told me to post about it!

*to those of you new to my blog, Sofia is about the pickiest eater you could come across!!

It was a yummy dish though. Here is the recipe:

Southwest Nacho Casserole

INGREDIENTS
2lb lean (at least 80%) ground beef

1 cup water

2 envelopes (1.25 oz each) Old El Paso® 40% less-sodium taco seasoning mix

1 can (4.5 oz) Old El Paso® chopped green chiles

2 cans (16 oz each) Old El Paso® fat-free refried beans

2 cups shredded reduced-fat Cheddar cheese (8 oz)

1 cup chopped tomato (1 large)

1/2 cup chopped green onions (8 medium)

1 can (2.5 oz) sliced ripe olives, drained

1 bag (12 oz) gold tortilla chips (extra thick)

Sour cream, if desired

DIRECTIONS

1.
Heat oven to 350°F. Spray 13x9-inch (3-quart) glass baking dish with cooking spray. In 12-inch nonstick skillet, cook ground beef over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until thoroughly cooked; drain.

2.
Stir in water and taco seasoning mix. Bring to a boil; cook 2 to 4 minutes, stirring occasionally, until thickened. Stir in chiles.

3.
Spread refried beans in baking dish. Top with ground beef mixture. Cover tightly with foil.

4.
Bake 30 to 40 minutes or until bubbly around edges.

5.
Remove from oven. Uncover; sprinkle with cheese, tomato, onions and olives. Arrange 18 to 20 tortilla chips around outside edges of baking dish. Return to oven; bake uncovered about 10 minutes longer or until cheese is melted. If desired, top with sour cream. Serve with remaining tortilla chips for scooping.

Just Saturday Stuff

Just a regular Saturday with not too much happening – just the way I like it!  Sofia had ballet this morning and we stopped at a couple of yard sales on our way there – I’ll post those finds later.  After that we just came home and played and now I am supposed to be cleaning the house.  Well, I’m working on it! 

Sofia is busy doing one of her favorite things – taking a shower.  But she is not alone:

     

That is our new friend, Lilly!  She is a chocolate lab/ pointer.  She is really cute and is Sofia’s new best friend.  In the shower they are playing vet/ dog groomer.  The dog loves water!

Moving on to the next random topic.

This is the work Sofia brought home after her first week of school. 

 

School is going great and Sofia really likes her teacher.  It was a great first week. 

have a great rest of the weekend!

Flashback Friday

Whitney- 1981 almost 5 and Sofia – 2009. almost 6

Kindergarten Pictures

 

Kelly’s Korner – Show us Your Life – Favorite Vacation Spots

Head on over to Kelly’s Korner to join in the weekly fun!

Well for those of you who know my, you know I don’t really love traveling. I like weekend trips but not particularly long vacations.  So here are a few shots from my favorite spots.  Oh and I have never left the country (except crossing the border between TX and Mexico – and I promise, that is not vacation!

First up:

Great Smokey Mountains – I grew up going here my entire life. I hope to take Sofia one day so she can hike all the trails I hiked as a child to adult (some of them MANY times!  Since moving out west, I have not been to the Smokies since 1997.

Next up, Las Vegas --  and I don’t even gamble!  Just like to go and shop…and eat!!!  Apparently, so does Sofia. She has already been to Vegas 10-15 times!

Next up – Orange Beach / Gulf Shores.  I don’t care what anyone says, this area has the best beaches!

Next up: Marietta, GA – simple – to see some of the nicest folks in the whole wide world!!!  Hi Elizabeth!  I have been visiting my friend Elizabeth and her family since the moved to Marietta (from Decatur, AL) since 2000.  Sofia has gone to visit every year as well.  We love these folks!  As an added bonus Elizabeth is an awesome photographer and is responsible for some of my most favorite portrait style pictures of Sofia. Including these:

Of course I consider going home (Alabama) a vacation too! 

Sofia and I at our first Alabama football game! November 2008.

Sofia catching her first fist with Mimi and PaPaw, May 2008.

Last and certainly not least, now that I have a child I must admit this place is pretty fun:

Like I said, I’m not a big traveler.  My favorites are simple – just the way I like them!

MckLinky Blog Hop Favorite Photo

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This is my favorite photo of Sofia since she has returned from TX. I just love the look of sheer delight on her face!

It is really one of my favorites from all summer!

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Special School Tribute

A quick look back through some school pictures for Sofia over the past five years.

She is a little over 2 here:

Almost 3

Almost 4

Almost 5

A dinner conversation (sort of)

So many of you know Sofia does not eat fruits or veggies.  I mean none – except for the baby food I smuggle into brownies, pancakes, etc.  Well I have just about had it!  It is really a mental thing – I think.  I mean when you try to get her to eat them she starts crying (with huge tears) and acting as if she was being tortured.  It as if she is afraid of them.

Tonight though I have reached a limit with fighting with her about it.  I have already discontinued any snacks or food after dinner if she does not eat the veggies or fruit and that doesn’t seem to make any difference.  This is what happened:

Dinner was homemade chicken noodle soup with carrots, corn and celery.  I told her she needed to eat some carrots and corn – the tears start pouring down her face.  Crying about being able to taste them, they taste different from the corn, etc.  I mean huge tears as if she was being left alone by herself forever.  Actual fear it would seem of the vegetables.  So I just finally told her that because she was not making smart decisions with her food I was not going to play tonight. No veggies = no play time with mommy.  We normally play (whatever she wants) for 1 hour each night before bed.  Well this of course made more tears come, she ate one more carrot and a piece of corn (which she later took out of her mouth).  Needless to say, dinner did not go well.

So, what should I do?  Is this normal behavior? Does she need to see a dietician perhaps?  Anyone have any experience with this level of difficulty?

Oh and when I say she eats none – I mean NONE.  Not even the sweet ones like strawberries or melons. No grapes.  Nothing.  No apples with caramel.  Nothing.

HELP!

1st Day of School

We had a great morning!  Drop off on the playground (at #86) was hot but fine.  I walked Sofia out to her number and we found her line to put her backpack down.  She then talked with her teacher and classmates.  She was a little quiet and I thought she might cry, but she didn’t!  I didn’t either!  She did decide she needed to bring her blanky so we tucked it inside her backpack. 

 

First year that her back to school outfit isn’t smocked!!

Sofia and Miss Rowe

The first bell rang at 7:40…time to get her backpack on and get ready to go in!

Showing her lunchbox to a friend.

She blew me a kiss on her way in and had a big smile on her face!  Good luck to my baby girl!!