Chop Chop

 My hair thinks it's a jungle plant here in Samoa.  Since we moved here it has become ultra wavy, frizzy and bushy.  It's been fun to have ringlets and dreadlocks since I've had either really short hair or straight hair my whole life.  But lately it's just too much.

Last weekend I decided I'd had enough of losing brushes, pencils, and earrings in my hair. It was time for a haircut.  I went to Vogue barbershop.  I knew I wanted someone Asian since my favorite haircuts have come from Asian people.  These ladies were Chinese and they were very efficient.  I had her do Ella's hair first-- test the waters.  It turned out fine, so I got in the chair and explained I wanted her to thin it, layer it, and add bangs.  She held my hair in her fist and tried to get a comb through it.  After lots of tugging, she finally gestured that she was just going to chop off the bottom six inches.  Which I thought was great.  She did lots of chopping, thinning, tugging with a comb, (all the while sighing and grumbling) more thinning, layering with a blade, and finally we were done.  I now have half the hair, a nice thin ponytail, and I'm so relieved!  Maybe I shouldn't wait so long to go back.

Blue-Eyed Beauties

 I can't believe how my babies are growing up.  Ella will be eight in May.  She's definitely my favorite daughter.  She's a great help and companion.  She's like my little shadow, and I adore her.

 And this one will be three in March.  He claims to be a big boy.  Although he still wears diapers.

 I don't know why it's just these two in the photo shoot, but aren't they lovely?  My blue-eyed cuties.

 

(What's up with Owen? Ha!)

Sneaky Treat

Ephraim's been telling me about sneaky treat for years, and tonight he finally made it. 
Sneaky treat is the concoction that Temple children would make when they had free reign of the kitchen and needed something sweet.  (Did you know about this Ma?  Am I getting Ephraim in trouble?)
It is made by combining a spoonful of butter with some sugar and cocoa powder, then adding oats.  No exact recipe needed. 
When he was mixing up the butter and sugar I thought, "I'm not eating that much butter."  But once the oats were added, it just looks like granola.  Healthy. 
He reports it tasted okay.  He says it's not amazing.  That's why he hasn't made it this whole time.  Apparently, it's the aspect of sneaking the forbidden treat that gives it its true taste.  That forbidden flavor is lost when it's your own home and you've bought the ingredients, and no one's going to come home and discover missing butter and get suspicious.  I wonder what my kids' sneaky treat will be.