The Boxcar Child

This past weekend, we bought a gun safe (something Trav has been drooling over for years) and it came in this huge cardboard box that was just asking to be made into something exciting for Petey.

Rocket?

Boat?

Car?

In the end, Trav settled on a train - and made our little man the happiest fella around. He decorated it with chalk to look like Thomas and stuck a little chair inside so Petey could have something to sit on. Underneath is one of those roller boards you lie on to change the oil - adding instant wheels to our little FHE project. Petey still wants to play with it every chance he gets. I just don't know who had more fun with the entire project: Trav or Petey...

Hiking in Malibu

This weekend we went hiking near Malibu with some of Trav's co-workers. They seem to know all the best places to go and this was no exception. It was a beautiful 3 mile hike that would have resulted in some lovely views of the ocean if not for the mountains of fog that rolled in over the coast. Petey was actually a pretty good little hiker- he enjoyed trying to catch lizards and picking all the wildflowers.

I love this photo of us. Don't be surprised if this picture shows up on your annual Millet Family Christmas card.

Afterwards, we went to this cozy Mexican restaurant in Malibu where we saw more trendy people in one place than I've ever come across before. We felt a little out of place being all sweaty and in our hiking gear - but the food was yummy!

And of course, we couldn't make a trip down to LA without making a stop at the beach. It was quite foggy on the shore and the waves crashing scared Petey a bit, but we had fun playing in the sand and wandering around in the surf. I'm already planning a trip back for when the weather gets a little warmer.

I love those little guys

Petey has discovered the joy that is band-aids. He loves those little guys. A few days ago he insisted on having one on each hand and ended up wearing them all day until they finally fell off in the bath. It was hilarious - he looked like some kind of colorful  boxer running around the house.

Would you look at that?

Several years ago my parents gave us an antique dining room set which came with 4 rush bottom (woven) chairs. Over the years, the weave has started to sag and even break and I've cursed my inability to clean them well numerous times. Last week I had an epiphany of sorts. I always figured if I wanted to re-cover the chairs, I'd have to take them to a pro to be re-woven.

Duh.

I finally realized I could do it myself - with a little help from my resident engineer, of course. So off to the hardware and fabric stores I went. And last night for FHE, Trav and I recovered them - I'm quite pleased with the results.

Here's a chair with the woven part ripped off and the new bottom cut specially by Trav. To make them softy, we just cut out several pieces of foam from a mattress we've been using for camping and then stapled the fabric over top. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy.

And the finished product. Can you believe something I have been waiting years to do only cost about $20 and an hours worth of time? Love the DIY.

 I love my chairs now. They are purty and comfy.

Happy Pi Day!

 today is 3/14, we celebrated Pi Day by making.... PASTA!!

oops. We totally forgot about making a pie, but I did make homemade pasta - by hand, no machine required! And oh boy, was it delicious. So good in fact, it wrinkled my brain. And it was stupid easy, all you need is a little elbow grease. And shrimp. It will be made again.

I have also been meaning to post more chicken pics for a while now, so here is Trav's new and improved chicken house with two of our fowl friends below getting a little exercise. Yes, we only have 3 of the original 11 but they are a good 3. It's a good thing we have a better track record with little boys than chickens...

And lastly, Travis in all his 'Moustache March' glory. He tells me he's growing it out the entire month but so far I am just getting scratched every time he wants a kiss. *sigh* I think he's been wanting to do this for quite some time after living under BYU's no facial hair policy for 6 years.

This is an artist's rendering of the projected outcome of Mustache March - if it turns out to be contagious. 

Lazy mornings with Thomas and Friends

What do you do when you are looking at a lazy morning and don't want to start finish up all those little projects that are giving you the stink eye?

Oh yes.

I know some of you actually tackle said projects, but around here we pull out the beloved train set that will effectually keep Petey busy for hours. I'm talking from 8 to 11am folks.

He was entertained and I was in heaven.

And seriously after taking so many pictures that my camera battery died, do you think I got even ONE shot of Petey looking up? No. Of course not. And don't be silly.

He was playing with the choo-choos.

Box 'o Veg

Ever since we found out we would be moving to California, I have been looking forward to signing up for a locally grown produce subscription service. So as soon as we moved in, I started asking everyone if there was any such local service and then I finally stumbled upon one called Abundant Harvest. The best part about AHO is that it's a year round program since the CA growing season is so good - most places only run from May to October. We got our first produce box today and I couldn't have been more excited. Why? I'll give you a couple of reason (mainly cause I adore lists)...

1. It's like I'm getting a Christmas present every Saturday
2. The produce is locally grown
3. It's all organic baby
4. Everything is picked just a day or so before delivery, so food you get is fresh and IN SEASON

For some reason, I feel totally yuppie/hippy-ish admitting to this but I just can't wait to see what we get each week. Today our little box contained kiwis, artichokes, oranges, shallots, carrots, potatoes, chard, collard greens, pea tendrils, and parsley.

So, who's coming to dinner?

Hooray for being cheap!

One of our fun new neighbors was getting rid of their old swing set and asked if we'd like to take it off their hands. Of course, we readily agreed and after a few liberal applications of duck tape, Petey was really to start living out there. He loves to play outside and we are just enjoying the nice weather while we can.

What a turkey.