The Sweet Spot

A little adventure

2012-02-08T12:51:00.002-06:00

We have been having a lot of sunshine lately and 50+ degree temps. I am a happy girl! :)
Here is a slide show (or use a link to see the photos larger)of our recent outing to the mountains. It was a fun day, long but fun.

Fall Professional Pics

2011-11-04T14:27:00.002-05:00

Thank you Freckled Photography!
I highly suggested if you live in WA State that you call Freckled Photography.http://www.blogger.com/img/blank.gif
Thanks Jerrah for a fun mini session. We enjoyed meeting you & the pics are great.

Pumpkin Time!

2011-10-31T16:14:00.001-05:00

A few pics at a park with grandma & grandpa and our muddy afternoon at a pumpkin patch.

new pics of the kids

2011-10-08T15:35:00.001-05:00

Makeover(ish)

2011-09-28T15:07:00.006-05:00

I am bored with my hair but not willing to go too risky. I always miss my long hair when it's gone but occasionally find myself willing to part with it to enjoy some change and bring some life back to my hair.
I would love some opinions, if you are into this kind of thing...if not then revisit in a few days and I will post some kid pics or recipes or something of more interest to you than my silly hair makeover. ;)

I did an image search on line for hairstyles, here are some ideas I have for cut.

Here are some ideas I have for color.

I'm thinking I want to go darker. As for the picture of the gals w/ asymmetric hair I don't want to do the large chunk of red she has but some fun dark red or eggplant color peeking out here and there from the dark color is fun to me. I like to other color ideas too and the hints of caramels or reds.

What are your thoughts?

Life as a tourist...

2011-09-15T16:01:00.005-05:00

It's fun to live around so many things to do.
This past weekend we went to Ballard Locks to watch boats transport between fresh water and salt water and each body of water is a different "height" (not sure how to phrase that), so basically the locks are a man made way to help the boats cross from one to the other without problem. I haven't quite taken the time to understand this but it was cool to watch in action.
They have also made a Salmon Ladder which helps the salmon swim upstream and cross from one body of water to the other, although I cannot remember if they are going from fresh to salt or vice versa. I'm no expert (obviously) and I'm too busy chasing a 3 year old & asking if she needs to go potty to spend my time reading signs. Adam reads them & then tries to explain them to me and these are my muddled & confused explanations. haha
Here are some pictures.

We spent Wednesday in Seattle. We road the train, along the coast from Edmonds (which is a town very near our home) to Seattle and then back. It was cheap and fun. We enjoyed the water and the outline of mountains on the horizon. I wish we had taken more pictures, but we were busy having fun & making KJ hold our hand against her will.

All you moms out there can rejoice with me that we are on day 3 of no diapers with KJ, not even at bedtime! I decided to just go for it in the city & prayed we would find bathrooms when we needed them. I was very aware to ask her when I saw clean bathrooms(Thanks Bob A. for the "Always Try" FOCUS advice, it has forever heightened my awareness of bathrooms when away from home. LOL.)

Dance Twirl Sing

2011-09-10T12:25:00.003-05:00

This is our house, if KJ is awake. Dancing, twirling, and singing - and the singing is LOUD! If you are not projecting you are not singing, I think this is KJ's philosophy anyway. She LOVES to dance. Next week she is starting a ballet and tap class so we used her birthday money from Grandma,PopPop and GG to purchase her dance shoes and leotards. I'm telling you this girl is on cloud 9! She keeps asking when dance class is and why she can't wear her tap shoes all day. Here are some pictures of KJ modeling her new clothes. Thank you for the birthday money wonderful Grandparents, you have a very happy granddaughter!

K Turns 3!

2011-09-09T11:27:00.002-05:00

Labor Day we took a Ferry Ride to Kingston and ate yummy crepes, we walked around a bit but there really wasn't much to see on foot near the ferry. Then we rode back. The ferry ride was fun and the kids enjoyed it. Daddy took KJ to the top of the ferry to check out the view. When asked what she thought of it she said, "It's kinda like a pirate ship!" (Thanks to Jake & the Neverland Pirates on Disney she is forever in love with pirates & she hasn't seen the show in months!)

KJ helped we make the batter for her birthday cake and I let her play with the little batter leftover & make cupcakes, which we did bake but did not share because she licked her fingers WAY too many times. LOL

Here are some pics from our week.

Living it up in the Pacific Northwest.

2011-08-22T11:20:00.002-05:00

Headed West...

2011-08-18T12:55:00.005-05:00

Ok, finally, decent internet service.
Here are some slide shows with captions of a few highlights on our road trip from the Plains to the Pacific Northwest.

Kiddo Update

2011-07-14T00:37:00.002-05:00

I'm totally just throwing slide shows at you to play blog/life catch-up.
I'm sure you won't mind after these cute pictures.

House Update #1

2011-07-13T22:40:00.005-05:00

Here is a quick slide show of the house we are building (well, we are having it built).
We currently live a 1/2 mile from where we are building so it has been fun to drive by almost every day and see the house come to life little by little.

I need to upload more pictures soon, the house now has siding on and brick. We should have stone on soon and the exterior painted. Once there is sheet rock and cabinets go in I will happily share interior pictures but all of the framing is great to look at in person but framed bones of rooms don't really translate in a snap shot.

Fun Side Note: I'm told the family that lives in the house behind ours has 4 boys, the 3 youngest are triplets and are about K's age! Hope they are nice little boys. :)

Adventure or Worrisome Journey

2011-07-12T12:06:00.003-05:00

Our family is going on a journey - a new journey - an adventure with some worry in tow. :)

Soon we will be leaving the Central Plains of the USA and living for several months in the Northwest.

We of course will be taking our two small children and our dog. We will drive out there, the Mister will be working, the kids and I will be living it up Apartment life style - ;) I'm not really sure what that means, other than I am going to have to get creative and teach our kiddos to be respectfully quiet or our neighbors are going to hate us!

Good news is they only have to put up with our noise for a few months. Then it's back to the Plains.

Where we will be moving into a new house. We are getting pretty excited for our journey.

Life in the moutains and near the water and some of the best food (seafood) in the U.S. and then home to a new home with the kitchen of my dreams (well pretty dang close to my dreams).

Should be pretty exciting and trying at the same time.

Hope to get some pictures up soon of the house building process and I am WAAYYYY over due posting pictures of the kids!

Try to get you updated soon.

Baby E Update on Tubes

2011-05-25T14:56:00.006-05:00

Sometimes kids get sick. Sometimes when they are sick they are still very happy and have no fever, so you don't know they are sick until they have green goop coming out their nose and their eyes look all watery like this & they have not been crying. Poor little guy! Sometimes you go to the Dr and find their ears are full of puss and it is the 4th month in a row for an ear infection. And your heart breaks.

So your pediatrician suggests you see an ENT doc and then you find your sweet little munchkin in a hospital gown, waiting in a play area to have tubes put in his ears. They will tell you, "It's no big deal." "He will feel so much better the same day" "It will only take 10min and then you can be with your child" and all of these things will be true.
They will also tell you, "He will be crying when he is coming out of anesthesia." This will be a half truth.
What they SHOULD have said is, "He will be screaming mad & cry like you have NEVER seen him cry before. He will still be out of it but look awake. His eyes will be blood shot and it will simply melt your heart like nothing has before and you will cry with your baby while you try to choke out a familiar song you often sing to him so he can be comforted (only it won't work b/c your crying is either also stressing him out or simply he has no idea what's going on because of the sedation meds). " and then you will pass him off to daddy and take a picture and try to pull yourself together. Because really he's fine & the meds are just making him not himself. And then before long, you will see this face!
And you will forget a little bit how sad it was to listen to your child cry so hard and be so confused for just a short time. You will feel blessed beyond measure. He will hear better and he will interact more and he will learn the hand motions to "Itsy Bitsy Spider" in just a few minutes and your heart will swell.
And you will feel blessed beyond measure.
Love ya Buddy!

The PARTY!

2011-03-27T16:07:00.004-05:00

In the post previous to this one I posted pictures of what inspired the party theme for Baby E's 1st Birthday. Here is a slide show of what we put together. We sure love Baby E!

Birthday Inspiration

2011-03-27T15:06:00.002-05:00

Here are pictures of what inspired the party theme for Baby E's 1st Birthday!

January - February Update Photos

2011-02-15T12:47:00.002-06:00

Any time you hold up a camera to take pictures of Baby E, he makes this ornery look in his eye and opens his mouth WIDE OPEN - like "HAHA, see my tonsils?" :) He is such a sweet baby and certainly keeps us all laughing. He and KJ totally love each other and it makes our hearts happy to watch them play together.

For several weeks I never knew what I was going to find when going to get KJ after her nap. She would wake up and quietly, really quietly, play in her room. And she likes to play dress up most of all, oh the "outfits" this little lady can put together! LOL
We now remind her every nap time & every bedtime that she can't play in her closet and she can't open her dresser drawers. So far the reminders are working. Less wardrobe laughs but also less mess, and this mama is thankful for that.

And here are pictures from the last two snows we had. The temps were much to cold to let Baby E explore the snow, but maybe next year we will have a little for him to play in.

Lemonade Confusion...

2011-01-12T11:01:00.004-06:00

I am cracking up at KJ!
A few months ago KJ had a hap*py meal a couple of times and so aquired two toys of the strawbe*rry shortc*ake family.

Strawberry herself and her friend Lemon Meringue.

She can never remember the lemon girl name, or really the strawberry girl name either - so she calls them both "Lemonade". Even after several reminders, she still calls them Lemonade.

KJ has some princess board books. Two of the books are about this princess:

Guess what I am often asked these days?

"Mommy, where is my lemonade book?" and "I want to read princess lemonade, please."

It is SO funny! I still correct her some but not every time, it's too cute.

And for those of you wondering if she still calls candy canes "lolli-canes" - yes she does.

"Let's Go To the Movies!"

2010-12-30T22:25:00.003-06:00

Well shoot! I just blogged a paragraph and now it is floating off somewhere in cyberspace & I'm too tired to retype it.
So the short, less cute, version of the story is this.
We took our little princess to see a princess movie.
It was great.
She loved LOVED LOVED it!
Much popcorn was consumed.
No tears
No wiggles
just fun & smiles
and one tired family
Great Memory.

The following photos are in backwards order. Yep, I keep messing up this blog post.

Yep, the perfectionist in me cares. Nope, not going to change it, because I'm sleepy

and because I'm sure no one cares about the order but me. :)

This photo taken when we returned home from the movie.

She was wound up, wanted to be a princess (fairy?) and wear mommy's shoes. OK Silly! lol

Dear KJ,

Mommy & Daddy LOVED sharing this experience with you. We loved watching the movie through your eyes. You are our princess for SURE! Looking forward to our next movie date.

Praying your family enjoys many blessings in the New Year!

2010-12-27T12:31:00.001-06:00

Scarlet Stars Christmas

Shutterfly has classic, elegant Christmas invitations for your party.

View the entire collection of cards.

Family Christmas Photo Shoot

2010-12-22T14:59:00.005-06:00

Little Miss K loves to wiggle! Daddy is not a fan of photo shoots and since photo shoots with a wiggly two year old take longer, well....... let's just say Daddy doesn't love photo shoots. :)
Baby E, he LOVES to cheese it up and I think even though he is officially on the move (crawling), he is always willing to stop and pose and melt your heart!
As for me, I don't mind a photo shoot. It's probably the one time I am the most patient. Trying to stay calm and patient hoping it will rub off on the two family members who don't find this event so amusing. And also praying the photographer doesn't hate us when it's all said and done, because let's face it - a photo shoot with our family can be somewhat of a circus (or crazy town).

Alas, here are a few shots a sweet gal at church was able to pull off. Although there were wiggles, there were no tears or screaming red faces of tantrum so it was fantastic in that regard.

The above picture is the definition of our independent girl. Doesn't want her picture taken. Then it's mommy & daddy's turn and she doesn't want to be left out and requests to have her photo taken. Silly girl. :)

And this boy...does he melt your heart or what?
Yes, he is THIS happy 98% of the time!

And really, most days they actually do play together this sweetly.
That is, unless mommy is on the phone which pretty much equals a competition for my attention and they mean business! LOL

Seriously over due photo update

2010-12-13T16:09:00.002-06:00

Sorry I dropped off the face of the blog world.
Here are some fun photos of the past few months.
Check it out...Baby E has 4 teeth. His two top teeth are so cute and funny!

Kids are good. Mom and Dad are good. Life is busy and full. Love it!

Itching...

2010-09-28T16:03:00.003-05:00

I am Itch, Itch, Itching to bake bake bake!
On my list:
Pumpkin chocolate chip muffins
Pumpkin Cheesecake Muffins
Pumpkin Ginger Cheesecake
Apple Pecan Cinnamon Roll Cupcakes (yep that is ONE thing!)
Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls
Mulled Cider

Hmmmm....
oh and RANDOM but some Grilled cheese & tomato sandwich which involves using panko bread crumbs and looks heavenly

I feelin' like I need to host a brunch. I may feed an army if someone will buy the groceries and watch my kids so I can bake it. :)

One thing at a time I guess.

I did try making Apple Cider Doughnuts this week - EPIC FAIL! I think it was God's way of telling me not to eat fried things. LOL

The Aunt Sandie Blanket

2010-09-27T13:38:00.002-05:00

There are some babies and kids out there who have the privilege of owning what I will call
The Aunt Sandie Blanket
it is a pretty special blanket. So silky and cuddly. There are different sizes, different designs sewn on, but each one made for a special baby, made by a special friend, and made to bring happiness and comfort.
Thank You Sandie for making my kids something so special.
(if I can wake my daughter up & pry her purple Aunt Sandie Blanket from her grip, I may get a picture of her with her blanket and post it...IF. LOL)

the cast

2010-09-18T19:21:00.002-05:00

In my previous post about vacation you will notice that KJ has a cast on her arm. I realize that some of you may not have heard that she fractured her arm just above her elbow.
So if you haven't heard, that is why she has the cast. She was sitting on a picnic table bench, straddling it, when she put her foot up on the bench to play with the velcro on her new shoes she lost her balance and fell off the bench landing on her elbow first on the hard patio.
Thankfully it was just a fracture and not a break that moved the bone out of place. She is not taking any medicine and seems to act as though she has always had a cast. She has not asked once to take it off. She is so tough.

the road slowly traveled...

2010-09-18T16:08:00.003-05:00

When I go on a trip I really like to drive straight there. Stop for the bathroom as quick as possible, grab food from a drive-thru and then relax and enjoy the destination. Having small children does not work for this kind of travel.
So, patience, a new El*mo doll, a generic travel magnado*odle, a travel dvd player, Mary Po*pins and some Baby Eins*tein videos, a GG (Great Grandma) for back up/help, and a LOT of prayer and we hit the road for a 10hour drive with a 2year old and a 5month old. And you know what...God was with us, the kids did ok (not fabulous but not bad either) and we made it. We had a blast while we were gone and the ride home wasn't as bad either. We did more than just survive and I'm happy we decided to go for it. I'm happy we took GG with us. And finally, I'm happy to share a few pictures/highlights of our trip with you.

We stayed at the YMC*A of the Ro*ckies in Est*es Park.
Here are some pictures I took of our 2br mid size cabin (it was only 1 yr old, and a comfortable, great location, recommended place to stay.

Happy Birthday KJ!

2010-09-06T13:14:00.018-05:00

Today our sweet daughter is offically 2 years old! We are so blessed to call her our daughter. We love her more than words could ever express. We are grateful to God for his gracious gift of KJ and do not take for granted that is it certainly a blessing to have a happy healthy little girl.

This weekend we had a big party with lots of family and a few friends to celebrate our special girl. Here are some pictures of the craziness and fun! (and a little of my party planning craziness, because I LOVE to celebrate birthdays - Love. It.)

KJ loves animals, espcially elephants and pretty much any animal you can find in a zoo. We go to the zoo often and if we don't go for a couple of weeks, she will ask to go. So I thought she would enjoy an animal/safari themed birthday. Then several months ago I found this dress on sale:

It is difficult to see in the above picture but on the far left and far right of the dress this little elephant and monkey are on there too. SO CUTE! The dress is from Gy*mbo*ree. The theme and the dress inspired this homemade birthday invitation:I wanted to order this cake (except in purple rather than blue & with the #2 on top) from Cheri's Bakery (I LOVE Cheri's), however my husband asked if I would put my own baking skills to the test...I hesitated...I complained....and complained...and spent more money on supplies than it would have taken to just order the cake....but it ended up looking pretty cute and I made the animals on the cake to look more like the animals on her birthday dress so that was cute. And the cake was very yummy. The locally owned popcorn shop made a batch of purple & green (grape & green apple) popcorn which I displayed on the food table in a fun tall vase but also I put in baggies (as shown here) for party favors, with foam craft animal heads on craft sticks that are suppose to be puppets but I've found make great bookmarks! So cute and so yummy! The adults enjoyed the popcorn as much as the kids! Here is the Birthday Girl, with her party dress, cake and birthday balloons! There are about 6 people with cameras in front of her taking her picture...she just wants CAKE! ;) After a lot of spilled food on her dress, presents and SO MUCH FUN, here she is at the end of the night (celebrating a birthday AND a K-State Win...what more could a girl want?! not much I tell ya, not much!)

Here is a slide show of more pictures from the big party:

Found this idea today...

2010-08-28T22:31:00.002-05:00

I hope to find this book locally soon so I can flip through it and see if I want to buy it for our family. Reviews I've read are favorable and I think it could be a great way to share my love of food, "cheesy" fun, and family all together!
If you've read or tried this book, let me know...
I will keep you posted if I try it out! Maybe if I don't love the book it will at least inspire me to come up with a few ideas of my own.
Friday Night Bites by Karen Berman

Baby E Update & Pics

2010-08-20T23:47:00.003-05:00

Well it seems that Baby E doesn't get many posts on the blog. Poor Baby! KJ is just full of so much action and Baby E is just learning to move and groove so I haven't had much to post of him that I feel is super interesting to anyone but mommy. However, he is pretty stinkin cute and I feel you need to see this little man more often! Plus he is getting quite active these days.
Here is a slide show of our little guy, or not so little guy.
3-4 months old.

Soon to be 2!

2010-08-13T15:20:00.006-05:00

Well our little sweetheart of a daughter is going to be 2 years old very soon. Her party is just around the corner and we are looking forward to celebrating 2 wonderful years of all things KJ! Those of you getting an invite to the party will notice the invitation says, "no presents needed" this is indeed true. The girl has plenty. However, a few of you have asked what she would enjoy so if you just want some ideas (Aunt Kim ;) ) here are a few...

iTunes Gift Card - so we can download music for her to listen to, she loves to dance and sing.

DVD's - Elmo's World or Mickey Mouse Clubhouse are her two favorite shows currently. Please no Dora videos - she yells everything 3 times (Dora that is) and it drives us crazy!

Books - She LOVES books! Here are some favorites that we get from the Library but that we do not currently own.

Blocks - any kind really, but here are a couple of ideas I found pictures of online.Bath toys - I would love for her to have some foam ABC's for the bath tub, I found these (sassy brand) at Target Online, they also come with 123's which I thought was pretty great.
Paints - washable of course. Or any Crayola Color Wonder paper, coloring pages, etc. She has Color Wonder markers that only color on the special paper - AWESOME!
So there ya have it. Ideas for the little munchkin, if you want them.

A Girl's Best Friend...

2010-08-10T19:40:00.011-05:00

KJ had an adventure today. I've been wanting to get her ears pierced for over a year now. After talking to several moms, her pediatrician, and the accessory store, today we took the plunge.
She was SO brave. She did cry but only for about 30 seconds, seriously I promise she cried less than a minute and the she plopped her lollypop back in her mouth and asked to see her pretty.
Thanks to Chelsea for meeting us there and taking pictures.
And diamonds may be a girls best friend, but for now KJ will have to settle for CZ to be a good enough friend. ;)
Here is a slide show of the adventure:

On this day...

2010-08-09T15:28:00.004-05:00

August 9th, 2006 my husband proposed to me.
(awwww...)
Although we had been talking about marriage, we were dating long distance and I really did not expect to see him on that particular day. He caught me by surprise, with the help of some of my friends.

When I lived in Manhattan I often spent my Quiet Times with God at the top of the Eastside of Old Stadium. It's quiet there, I can think there, it is just one of my favorite places in my favorite town and I love it.
In early August 2005, I was having one of those quiet moments with God, in Old Stadium at the top of the Eastside.
Having been single for a good 10 years, and by single I mean...no dates...none...desert people - desert. And due to some other events in my life at the time that particular day I was really in the dumps. I was crying out to God about it all, I mean crying hard, crying so hard I took my socks off to use as tissue (that part still cracks me up, but I had somewhere to be soon and couldn't go with snot on my shirt, so socks it was. lol)

Anyway, fast forward a year, I went through lots of healing, learning, maturing,etc. and was in a relationship with a great guy (whom I had dated 10 years previous when we were in college, but that's another story). He had no idea about my crying talk with God in Old Stadium, I had never told him. He did know that I loved to spend time with God there.
It was August 9th, 2007 and 107 degrees outside (I'm serious, it was HOT that day), a friend of mine tells me she needs me to come to Old Stadium to help her with her car, when I get there she says she wants to show me something, I think she is NUTS, it is 107 outside, but I agree to look.
I start guessing what she wants me to see, I must have been overheated because I ask funny things like, "Oh my goodness, is Bill Snyder in there?" (I was serious - am I obsessed with Kstate football & Bill or what?!) she told me now and to just come.

As I came around the corner I saw nothing, and then I looked up and sitting at the top of the Westside of Old Stadium was Adam. I was SO surprised. I screamed, "SHUT UP!" ;) Nice and lady like.
He stood up and I walked up to him.
He got down on one knee, said some wonderful things and asked me to be his wife.

I enthusiastically said, "YES!"

We got married 3months later and this has been an amazing 4 years.
Thank you God for hearing my cries, the gift of a man who loves You, loves me, and loves family and others.
I'm so happy, even when I have complaints about him (because He's not perfect, I know I'm not either), I know he is the Best and I love him tons!!!

Baby E finds his thumb...

2010-08-02T16:03:00.006-05:00

Here is a little slide show of our growing boy. He has found his thumb and he has also found it's a great way to snuggle up and relax your way to sleep, so our good sleeper has become a GREAT sleeper over the past few weeks. He is cutting his first tooth, slobber is everywhere and he finds his finger to be entertaining.
At 4 months he weighs 15.7 lbs, is 25 3/4 inches long and LOVES to smile and laugh (although he becomes serious when I try to catch his smile on camera, little stinker!)

Thoughts on this Fabulous Friday

2010-07-23T10:59:00.003-05:00

Top Three Things on my mind right now:
(You are just dying to read this I'm sure!)

***(Not on this list but still on my mind is "Will I finally win the anniversary edition kitchen aid mixer with the amazing glass bowl the Pioneer Woman is giving away? Please Please Please?! But really, I'm only thinking about that a little. Just a little. ;) )

#3 - Made this last night
Bang Bang Shrimp
if you've eaten at Bonefish Grill - you know what I'm talking about. SO yummy! This recipe is fabulous, panko bread crumbs TOTALLY make this dish.
I will say if you want a short cut that would be close to the original then you could just follow the recipe for the sauce, then use frozen breaded shrimp, bake the shrimp in the oven and then toss in the sauce. It would be very close, but not exact.
I served it with steamed broccoli and fresh strawberries since we were eating fried food tossed in a mayo based sauce, I needed something to make me feel less guilty. :)

#2- My husband is embarking on the "Patio Project" -
this means I may not see him or talk to him (unless it is about designing a patio) until mid August. He is a focused individual. I do love it though because things get done and they are done well. He told me the other night (in regards to the patio), "It's a good thing you're married to me, because if you weren't you couldn't afford me." He's so funny but so right at the same time.
Thanks Honey for saving us lots of money and doing a fantastic job on our home improvements!

#1 - ANNIE!!!!!!
Tomorrow (literally!) - Tomorrow! My sweet, hardworking husband is going to .....wait for it....wait for it....TAKE A BREAK from the Patio Project and take me to dinner & to see "Annie" the musical just because I love it! And it is only showing this week!
I was in dance classes from the age of 3-11. I LOVED dance. I LOVED Tap! What little girl doesn't want to sing and dance? My dance class did a tap dance to "It's a Hard Knock Life" and every little 3yr old girl wore an Annie Red & Black costume complete with an Orange Wig! Is that the cutest thing ever? Ok maybe a little creepy too, to see 15 little girls all looking just like Annie and tapping their little hearts out - but it was cute and I got to BE Annie. Oh man! Loved it.
I had the record - the vinyl record of the Annie Soundtrack. I would sing my little heart out. Who knows how old I was, elementary school anyway. I wore out the VHS movie of Annie. My parents gave me a golden heart locket JUST LIKE ANNIE'S - it even is made to look broken and says, "I love you" on it.
And when I was 8 years old....one of my TOP childhood memories EVER....I went to the Crown Uptown Dinner Theatre and saw "Annie" performed LIVE!
So here I am, one month shy of being 33 years old, and I am just as excited as that little 8 year old girl to see "Annie"
and my husband is going to endure it with me. Thanks Adam!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow, I Love Ya Tomorrow.....You're Only a Day Away!

Off to sing my way through the next 24 hours! ;)

Bed Head! :)

2010-07-15T15:15:00.010-05:00

Meet "Little Miss Crazy Hair."

It's true, many times when we go to get her out of her crib in the morning we scoop her out of her crib and say, "Well, Hello! Crazy Hair!" She laughs and repeats, "Crazy Hair" in her cute little almost 2 year old voice.

So while she munches on toast and fruit I have the great pleasure of taming the beast - her hair!

It really isn't that tangled and combs out easier than you might think.

I'm sure someday she will be proud to display these crazy hair photos in a wedding slide show, or maybe not.
A little water spray and a few comb-overs later and she's all ready to go!

It's about this time that she & Mickey breakout singing...

"Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog - It's a Brand New Day, Whatcha Waitin' For? Hot Dog, Hot Dog, Hot Diggity Dog!"

What do you choose?

2010-07-15T08:56:00.004-05:00

Hope or Despair? What do you choose?
Here is an excerpt from the Loux family blog. It is a quote that was given to Renee after her husband had died unexpectedly.
Click on the quote to go to the original post if you'd like.

[She] then began to share some reflections that her pastor had written while he was battling terminal brain cancer for over 19 months.
“Hope and despair are not opposites. They are cut from the very same cloth, made from the very same material, shaped from the very same circumstances. Most of all, every life finds itself forced to choose one from the other, one day at a time, one circumstance after another.

The only difference between the two is that despair shapes an attitude of mind; hope creates a quality of soul.

Despair colors the way we look at things, makes us suspicious of the future, makes us negative about the present.

Hope, on the other hand, takes life on its own terms, knows that whatever happens God lives in it, and expects that, whatever its twists and turns, it will ultimately yield its good to those who live it well. When tragedy strikes, when trouble comes, when life disappoints us, we stand at the crossroads between hope and despair, torn and hurting.

Despair cements us in the present; hope sends us dancing around dark corners trusting in a tomorrow we cannot see.

Despair says that there is no place to go but here. Hope says that God is waiting for us someplace else. Begin again.”

Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is being sure of what we hope for and certain of what we do not see.
I thought I would share these words with you because they keep circling in my mind. Asking me what I have chose in past circumstances, what I would choose in a present or future circumstance, what and how I will pray for others around me who need hope. I pray that these words will bless someone else. Remind others to pray for hope. Reminding us that Hope is real. We are not alone. God is with us. We are God's children and we are not alone. Praise Him! Thank Him for loving us, for Hope and a future. A future where we will dance and sing.

Inspiring, Beautiful, Humbling...

2010-07-13T22:12:00.002-05:00

My friend Christy posted this link on her blog
http://louxfamilyblog.com/

a link to what? A family's story. An adoption story(ies). A Life Story. A story of mission and focus. A story about what is important in life. A story that through tears brought me a reminder of perspective.

If you have a minute swing over to this blog. Read the July 3rd post but, even more, read the June 29th post. Beauty. Life. Mission. Perspective. LOVE. LOVE. LOVE. The POWER of God.

Please excuse my fragment sentences, I honestly have no words to convey all that is stirring in my heart and soul as I read this family's story.

Beautifully Stirred,
H

New Playdate TIME...

2010-07-13T14:41:00.002-05:00

ok if you are coming to the Park for Playdates on Wednesdays, I'm changing the time to 9am.

The heat index is going to be in the 100's and today at 9:30 it was already pretty hot & humid.

So see ya at 9am rather than 10.

If it is too hot then we can go to the library next door and let the kids play at the puzzle table or read books or we can go beg the shaved ice guy down the road to open up early. LOL

Happy Birthday To ME!!!!

2010-07-08T15:37:00.002-05:00

Ok, so It's not my birthday...YET! But I'm totally excited about a recipe I found today for a cheesecake and for my birthday I'm making my own Birthday Cheesecake! I've got about 6 weeks to wait but I'm ok with that.
If you too want to make this cheesecake you can find the recipe at
My Kitchen Cafe
I found it via Foodgawker.
I love foodgawker. I AM a Foodgawker.
I will sign off now. I'm sure you're not even reading this post anymore; you are just looking at the photo drooling & imagining what this must taste like and when you can try it and drink a yummy cup of coffee. That's what I am imagining.
August 17th Baby! Who wants to party with me? LOL

Happy Independence Day!

2010-07-04T12:49:00.002-05:00

Happy Independence Day from two spunky independent kiddos! ;)

Catch up...

2010-07-01T17:17:00.006-05:00

I've had so many things to blog & just havent had the time.
In May we had our family reunion. KJ had a blast playing, meeting new cousins and riding a horse.
Baby E just keeps growing and growing as you will see. 3months old and already a whopping 14.8 lbs!!
KJ has found she loves stickers and finds them and sticks them to things over and over again. A few weeks ago she found a sticker on some potatoes I had bought, while I was unloading groceries she found the potatoes, removed the sticker and stuck in on her brother. I didn't notice until I went to pick him up that she had done this...evidentally Baby E was temporarially on sale for 99cents! lol The sticker was removed. We are keeping him! :)
Enjoy the slide shows. Hope you enjoy catching up with us.

Baby Shower Cake

2010-07-01T17:06:00.002-05:00

Two weeekends ago I co-hosted a babyshower for a friend.
I used the baby bedding she had picked out as inspiration for the cake I made.
I'm not a real baker and with two kids under two and everything else on my plate I decided now was not the time to experiment with fondant to make jungle animals so I used some wooden & craft foam animals I found to help me decorate the cake.
It turned out pretty cute.

Ahhhh...

2010-06-28T13:59:00.003-05:00

Sorry to have abandoned my blog and to have not even posted pictures in forever.

Over the past few weeks I have taken 284 pictures.

Attended a family reunion.

Spent 3 great days with a dear friend and her super cute daughter.

Made a baby shower cake.

Made a Father's day cake.

Went to one bridal shower and 3 baby showers.

Had Baby E's baby dedication.

Celebrated Father's Day.

This weekend my husband is helping at the GTO Nationals and we have a wedding to attend (Hubby is excited about the GTO Nationals, I'm excited about Manhattan and a Wedding!).
Next weekend we have another wedding and then we have...

NOTHING!

Well, other than laundry, kids, the usual. Ahhh...the usual. I'm looking forward to the usual, and a little fun thrown in.

I hope to share a few of the 284 pictures with you.

In the mean time here is a picture of KJ snuggling with her doll that my Grandma made for me when I was little.
KJ has been calling the doll "Chloe" the name of her friend who stayed with us for a few days. The doll doesn't look like her friend but she loves them both and hey, if you can't have your real friend then just name you doll the same thing and maybe it's kind of the same until you can be together. Hey, it works for a toddler. ;)

Manscapeing Tools?

2010-06-01T16:07:00.003-05:00

Oh My! I just had a good chuckle. I just got an email from Bed Bath and Beyond.
Email Subject: Father's Day Gifts

Email Contents:
Manscaping Tools For Dad
and I QUOTE
"Mangroomer personal shavers for every part of every man."

Italics are just as they were in the email - I did NOT add them for emphases, Mangroomer did!

What I want to know is what child has concerns for the "personal" shaving needs of their dad?

They have a rechargeable back shaver, which is some cordless long stick you can swing over your shoulder and use to shave your own back hair.
They also have what they call the "Private Body Shaver."
GROSS. That's all I'm gonna say. GROSS.

So what "Personal" gift are you going to give your dad this year?
I have come to learn there is such a thing as giving your dad a gift that is too personal.
I'm shooting for something in between neck tie and the above - something like a book or some BBQ tools.

pictures pictures pictures...

2010-05-27T14:40:00.007-05:00

Because I know you have been waiting and waiting to see what my sweet kids look like these past few weeks.
Well here they are, more pictures than you bargained for. LOL
We went to visit friends this last week. KJ loved hanging out with the big kids. We were so happy to get some play time in with Baby C, who is almost walking and not so much a baby these days. I'm sad to say I missed a photo op of KJ and Baby C hugging, but needless to say it was very sweet!
Oh and there is a random pic I took of our dog this week, the expression on her face is a HOOT! Tell me what you think the caption for that shot should be!
Friends:

Baby E 7&8 weeks old:

KJ, 20months:

Yummy Simple Breakfast Treat...

2010-05-27T13:53:00.003-05:00

For better or for worse, I have a new breakfast addiction.
Mini Cinnamon Bagels, fresh strawberries and a cup of coffee.

The Pioneer Woman posted a recipe for cinnamon butter she puts on her cinnamon toast.
Here's what I did with it...
I whipped up the butter according to her recipe. I put the cinnamon butter in a container in my fridge so each morning it's just there, ready and waiting for me. (well I don't really eat this EVERY morning, but I want to!)
To soften the butter for use I just put the container (lid off) in the microwave for 8-10 seconds.
I cut a mini bagel in half (or two, but whose counting?). I spread the butter on each half of the bagel and place on a baking sheet. I bake at 350 degrees for 8min on the middle rack. Then I move baking sheet to the top rack of oven and broil for a min or less. Pull baking sheet out and let cool just for a min or two.
So soft. So warm. A little crunch. A little like a Panera Cinnamon Chip Bagel (for those of us who can't have them on a regular basis because there is no drive thru and we aren't willing to drag two small children across town and into a restaurant for an 80 cent bagel - I just have to keep throwing that drive thru comment out there, secretly hoping they get one!).

So here's the recipe & link if you want to check it out for yourself. You can slap this butter on any kind of bread you like. Enjoy!

Cinnamon Butter
2 sticks Salted Butter, Softened
1 cup Sugar (more To Taste)
3 teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
2 teaspoons Vanilla Extract (more To Taste)
⅛ teaspoons Ground Nutmeg (optional)

Preparation Instructions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Smush softened butter with a fork. Dump in sugar, cinnamon, vanilla and nutmeg, if using. Stir to completely combine.
Spread on slices of bread, completely covering the surface all the way to the edges.
Place toast on a cookie sheet. Place cookies sheet into the oven and bake for 10 minutes. Turn on the broiler and broil until golden brown and bubbling. Watch so it won’t burn!
Remove from oven.

Giveaway

2010-05-17T12:10:00.002-05:00

check out this link to win a super cute lunch sack for a little kid you love!
GIVEAWAY

Firsts...

2010-05-13T21:14:00.005-05:00

Well this has been a week of firsts for KJ...Her first real sickness, a double ear infection, fever, major congestion (including her tear ducts making her look like she was crying for 2 days), and requiring prescription medication. She seems to be on the mend now and is such a happy girl and I am one happy mama!
Today I put her hair in piggy tails for the 1st time! I am so excited her hair is finally growing, and I'm not sure if it's all the humidity we have been having lately or if it is because her hair is growing but it is more curly by the day and so so cute!
Oh and before she got sick she got to meet her 2nd favorite dog (our own dog being her 1st), Clifford the Big Red Dog. :)
Here are some pictures...

And a couple of Baby E. He is really growing fast - almost 10lbs now! He is such a sweetheart and has been very patient with mommy while I care for a sick big sister. Thank you for being such an angel Baby E!

Mommy Product Review #2

2010-05-08T11:12:00.003-05:00

LOVE THIS!
My FAVORITE nursing pillow.
Heck, you would even enjoy it if you are bottle feeding your baby. With my first baby I used the Bop*py pillow, which worked fine. However my complaint was that my neck hurt, I always needed, at a minimum, a pillow behind my back as well. I did like it for sitting the baby in it & using it for tummy time occasionally. My daughter still likes to play with it so when I knew I would be nursing baby #2 and changing her world completely I didn't want her to feel I was stealing "her" pillow.

At first I thought I would just get another Bop*py pillow but then I came across the above pillow. The name of it is silly but it works great! It is called "My Breast Friend." I'm not so sure it's my "breast" friend but it is my friend in many other ways: My "Neck" friend, my "back" friend, my "get up and move around" friend. Oh how I love this pillow!

PROS:
Great support for my elbows & arms, which makes me hunch over little to none at all which in turn does NOT leave tension in my neck. Ahhhh...no need for shoulder rubs due to nursing (although I do enjoy a massage, at least I don't NEED one every day).

The pillow wraps around you and can fasten with a buckle, which means two things - great support for the small of your back (great for those deep chairs & sofas that don't support your back well) AND it will stay just above your waist and continue supporting your arms and baby (you do still need to hold the baby with your arms, ok) if you want to get out of your chair and walk to another room, or help another child with a toy, or answer the phone.

This pillow is also more firm and than the other kind of pillow and seems to give better support to me and to baby.

The little pocket that is sewn in the front, perfect for pacifiers, nursing pads, or your cell phone, anything you want to have on hand but don't want to hold.

I'm telling you, I LOVE this pillow and it was so worth the money.

CONS:
The only thing I have not liked about this pillow is it was not comfortable to use while sitting in my hospital bed. I actually never tried it sitting up in my bed at home so I'm not sure about that. Not sure if it was the pillow, or the fact I had a c/section or just the fact that I still had my little prego belly. The Bop*py worked fine while I was sitting up in the hospital bed.

Ready to Roll!

2010-05-03T10:27:00.002-05:00

We have a new toy at our house. A bike trailer for KJ to ride in, we are all very excited about it. Well, except for Baby E, he's not so excited because he will have to wait until next Spring to go crusing with Daddy and Sissy. KJ loves going for rides with Daddy and even enjoys wearing her helmet. The few times they have gone for a ride she has almost fallen asleep. Sounds relaxing. :)

Here are a few pictures of Baby E and his Big Sister. They bring such joy to our lives, we have really sweet kiddos.

Baby Furniture & other things this week

2010-04-17T11:39:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures of Baby E's furniture...it finally arrived after quite the wait. Backorder much! And poor communitication from the retailer. But it is here and I LOVE IT! We still need to hang things on the walls but here is a peek.

On another note, KJ seems like such a big girl these days. She's not even 2 yet but I think in her mind she is 4. Here are some pictures of her playing with a friend and some from her cousins birthday party.

Love & Silliness...

2010-04-10T11:17:00.003-05:00

Not much to report these days. Just adjusting to life with a newborn & a toddler. KJ is loving her new brother. Several times a day she will walk up to whoever is holding him, pat us on the leg, point to her brother and say, "Please. Please?" This is her way of asking if she can hold him. We sit with her & help her "hold" him. She kisses him & stares at him and then is off to play with her toys - until 20 min later when she wants to check on brother again. :) When he cries she is quick to alert us (like we don't hear him too), saying, "UhOh. UhOh."
Also this week KJ has discovered she really likes the pink crocs that the neighbor girl handed down to her. She likes to put them on herself and yesterday insisted on wearing them over her footed pajamas. She is a hoot & certainly keeps us smiling and laughing.

Silly Mommy...

2010-04-06T21:54:00.002-05:00

I shared this story in a faceb*ook message to my cousin today and thought it would be funny to share it with you.
It is wild to me that Baby E is already a week old.
The other day my husband had to make a sharp turn in the car and he said, "Hold on Baby E."
I patted my belly & said, "sorry little guy, daddy's driving crazy!"
There was silence and then I said, "Hahahaha...Eli is in the back, not in my tummy!" We laughed so hard. Poor kid, 5min in the backseat & I already forgot he was here.

A few pictures from this last week...

2010-04-06T14:58:00.000-05:00

Here is a little slide show of some pictures we have taken over the last week. We are really enjoying our family of four. :)

Not your everyday Grandma...

2010-04-04T22:36:00.003-05:00

I called my grandma today to say Happy Easter. My aunt answered the phone & my grandma was busy doing some "spring cleaning" outside with my uncles. My aunt proceeds to tell me about their day so far and I was laughing so hard!

There is a basketball goal that has been attached to a light pole at the end of my grandma's driveway (the pole does not have a light attached * serves no purpose other than holding the goal). I don't remember the last time someone actually played basketball there, and the goal is very high up. So here is the story...

Last night while leaving to go out to eat, my grandma reminded my uncle to be careful backing out the car to not hit the pole
My uncle: "If I had my chainsaw with me I would take care of that pole for you." (Note, my uncle is visiting from out of state)

Grandma: "Well I have a chainsaw." (she says in a matter-of-fact way)

LOL - obviously! Because every one's 76 yr old grandma has a working chainsaw, right? Oh, she is funny!

But it gets better.

My grandma had been outside for awhile watching them take down the pole and she came inside to get something. My aunt asked her how things were going and in the most casual way my grandma says, "Great. Freda brought over a log chain. The guys are almost done."

Freda is the other older lady who lives next door - also a widow.

So if you need any work done in south central Kansas don't worry about renting equipment - just call Clarice & Freda, they may have just the thing!

Mommy Product Review

2010-04-03T21:00:00.004-05:00

I LOVE THESE! Every sore nursing momma should give them a try!

Baby E is here and nursing a newborn has begun. The engorgement, the cracking, the soreness, etc. I actually enjoy nursing a baby, just have to get through those first few weeks of the discomfort and then it's really one of my favorite times with my baby.
Thursday was day 1 of real pain on one side. I went to see the lactation nurse right away. I know soreness is normal, even some cracking but I wanted to do everything I could as soon as I could so that baby would eat, so that I wouldn't dread feeding him and most of all so that I wouldn't get an infection &/or lose my milk supply.
Aside from the usual tips, using breast milk to heal the crack, using lanolin as well, time and patience, the Lactation Consultant said that several women have found that gel pads can be helpful & suggested I stop by Ta*rget to pick some up and give them a try.

This momma gives them 5 HUGE STARS!!!!! I SO SO Wish I had these when I was starting the nursing process with my daughter.
You can just put these right on, or as the instructions suggest, you can put them in the fridge for a few min and then put them on for extra soothing relief. the gel of the pad has lanolin and some other goodness to give you relief and help you heal faster, and provides some cushion for extra comfort so you can just enjoy your baby.
I used breast milk on my sore spot, let it air dry and then applied the gel pads, I did this for about 48 hours and today has honestly been a great day of nursing.

You still need to use nursing pads with the gel pads b/c they are not meant to absorb milk or keep you from leaking.

Baby E is here!

2010-04-01T16:06:00.003-05:00

Here are some photos of our first few days together with our newest family member, Baby E.

Baby Room & Furniture update...

2010-03-20T21:02:00.006-05:00

Still waiting on baby crib & dresser. I did FINALLY get the furniture store to answer the phone. I called every 2 min today until I got a real person and not the answering machine. The store says they will make some calls to track our furniture and we should hear something Monday afternoon. Of course Baby E will be sleeping in a bassinet in our room for several weeks so it's not a huge deal, BUT it would just be nice to not have to worry about picking up furniture & assembling a crib while trying to care for two kids and a healing momma.

I've been waiting to post pictures of the baby room until the furniture was in and things hung on the walls but alas we are still waiting. For now I will share with you the few things that we do have done. The room in painted. Curtains are hung (although they need hemmed) and we have a changing table (reused from Baby K, but with new totes that are more masculine). Oh and we did get a picture of a GTO ordered and it is now framed and waiting to be hung.
Here is a slide show of what we have so far. If you want to know how to paint perfect stripe on a wall read my note below the slide show.

Perfect Painted Stripes are not that hard!
Thanks to my friend Janae for her FABULOUS tip!
So we painted the wall the main wall color.
When it was dry we used a laser level to tape the stripe(s). After the painters tape is up, use the same paint you have painted the main part of the wall to seal off the edge of the tape. Give the paint time to dry. Your tape is now sealed. Paint your stripe. Let dry. Peel back your tape pulling it diagonally toward the newly painted stripe.

Since we had several stripes of different colors we taped & painted ours in the following order:
First the white, taped it off, sealed with gray paint, painted white, then pulled up all tape from white stripes.
Then taped off areas for the black and red stripes,
sealed the tape with white paint,
then painted with black and red. removed tape.

Crazy Bedhead & Helping Puppy

2010-03-18T13:57:00.003-05:00

Here is a short slide show of the last couple of days. Baby K woke up from a nap this week with some serious bedhead. Cracked me up!
The other pictures are of Baby K taking care of our dog, the dog has some allergy issues right now & cannot stop scratching and chewing herself so she in on some meds and has a cone on her head for a few days. Baby K has been really compassionate and it has been sweet to watch her care for her puppy. Yesterday, I found both of them in Baby K's room & K had brought the dog 3 stuffed toys, was giving her dog food one tiny handful at a time, kissing her, and patting her on the back saying, "ow" and her version of "good girl." The dog can eat from her bowl even with the cone on, but K thinks it's better to pamper her.

Cravings...

2010-03-16T21:18:00.003-05:00

So really I've had no real good ideas of what to blog lately.
So with only 12 days left until we meet our new little guy, I thought I'd share my food cravings. Since I'm watching a tv show about food right now. :)
I haven't had many cravings but sadly most of what I have craved is food that is not available in the city I live in. Are you kidding me?! It's torture! LOL
I normally have a sweet tooth but I have wanted sweet baked goods, cookies, cakes, ice cream, candy...ugh, it has been hard to not go totally wild eating these things, especially because for whatever reason what I really crave can only be eaten in Manhattan, KS. Which is a little too far to go just to eat some simple foods.
Fried Pickles, but not just any fried pickles - So Long Saloon Fried Pickles with their cream cheese spread - Off and on I have had very strong cravings for this.
This last week I have wanted a pecan sticky bun or cinnamon roll from Mrs Powell's, also in Manhattan. I can eat these foods from somewhere else I'm sure, or even make them myself, but my mind and my taste buds know...and the craving will go on. So I'm not even wasting my time.
Instead, just pass me a bowl of ice cream. :)

Gearing up...

2010-02-22T19:59:00.004-06:00

Baby E's room is coming right along. Hopefully his crib and dresser will be here next week. I will post pictures then.
This past week I went to gymb*oree to look through their sale stuff and use a coupon I had.
I was so excited to find they had several items for boys with tractors on them!
I think Baby E's grandpa will be excited to have a little tractor buddy. :)
Here is what I ended up getting for our little guy to wear this summer...

Just Because...

2010-02-15T22:20:00.002-06:00

she makes me smile, and laugh! I came across this picture today and was cracking up - I forgot about it! It was taken on Sept 28th. Oh my this little girl can be silly & brings us such JOY!

What a difference a year makes

2010-02-13T22:52:00.003-06:00

Just thinking about Baby E arriving in some 40 days.
I saw a picture of Baby K from last February & thought, I wonder what she looked like on March 29th, 2009? Since my c-section will most likely be on March 29 or 30th.
Well I found this picture from March 31, 2009.
I think I would have laughed like crazy if someone had told me that day I would be having another baby a year from then! LOL
Well here is Baby K on March 31, 2009...

January In Review...

2010-02-03T14:59:00.006-06:00

Just pulled this stuff off the camera.

Here are pictures from a day that Baby K decided her Baby Doll MUST be held while she ate lunch. :)

One day I told Baby K it was time for her nap, she quickly went down the hall, this is where I found her, curled up for her nap. Silly girl!

She keeps finding this brown knit headband of hers & wearing it like a necklace. Sunday after church I took her dress off so she wouldn't mess it up while she ate. Underneath her dress I discovered that she had the "headband" on, guess daddy didn't catch that when he was dressing her that morning.

Baby K LOVES to read and be read to, I often find her sitting with a book "reading." I tried to sneak some video of her doing this but she caught me. The resolution is poor but it's still pretty cute.

Reading

New Phone

2010-02-03T13:37:00.003-06:00

I should upload pictures from the camera to the computer so I can update you on life & how totally cute Baby K is - but I thought while you wait I would share that I got a new cell phone (same number).

It was free & it's Purple & I love it! (I'm sure you really don't care but I'm pretty pumped about it!)

Must Have!

2010-01-31T19:55:00.003-06:00

Black & Decker Paint Stick

I told my husband to blog this but he said he "doesn't blog." Well for those of you who don't know my husband you should know that he doesn't often have high reviews of gadgets. You know, the gadgets that are suppose to make a job easier and are good in thought but fail in design. He's an engineer and is irritated by poor design and poor productivity. Makes sense right.

Well we need to paint the baby room. I love to paint but physically am not able to do it right now. My husband is not a fan of painting but will do it (and does a great job) when it's required or if I beg enough. LOL

He found this product online last night and decided to give it a try.

Husband Review: REALLY LIKES IT! I'd say he'd give it 4.5 stars out of 5

Price reasonable. Functionality great. Time saver. We will not likely paint a room without this ever again. Clean up takes some time but not bad.

Too Cute!

2010-01-27T15:35:00.005-06:00

I just love it when food (especially sweets) are aesthetically pleasing.

Because of this picture I saw on foodgawker posted by the blog La Casserole

I now MUST buy valentine peeps and make some hot chocolate - I just HAVE to - how could you not want to make something this cute?

On another note I read a cute idea for a Valentine treat the other day. I can't wait to have a reason for Baby K to give this Valentine.

A mom mixed up some rice crispy treats & rather than pressing them out in a cake pan she took the warm mixture and molded portions in a small funnel and then placed on a pan to cool. This made the treats look like "kisses." When they were cool she wrapped each one in foil and added a little strip of paper to each one that read, "A Kiss from (insert child's name)"

Oh my goodness it's just the cutest idea I've heard in awhile and I can't wait to try it someday.

Pancake Poll

2010-01-26T10:41:00.002-06:00

I'm taking an opinion poll...
Which do you and your family enjoy more

Buttermilk Pancakes

or

Sour Cream Pancakes?

I rarely eat pancakes, I'm more of a waffle girl. But my family likes pancakes and I've been making them more. I have a buttermilk recipe that works great but I've found some recipes for Sour Cream based pancakes and want to know if they are better, are they as fluffy?

Thanks!

PS - I may not like to eat pancakes but I sure am loving making my sweet daughter "Jungle Pancakes" I got some molds that make Monkey, Lion and Elephant pancakes and they are pretty dang cute! Not sure Baby K really appreciates the cute factor but she does like to eat them & I always show her the "animal" before we cut it up. Last week the Lion had some blue pox - blueberries will do that to a lion you know. hee hee

Cheesecake day...

2010-01-25T17:04:00.002-06:00

Today I taught a friend how to make a cheesecake. I've been learning for years and practicing a lot to get the texture and flavor and yumminess of a cheesecake just right. I'm not perfect. I'm not the Cheesecake Fac*tory by any means but I do like to make them and people seem to enjoy eating them.

So because today I shared with a friend some key tips in making a great cheesecake, I thought I would share a few tips on my blog.

Here are my Top 3 Tips (I have more but I can't share all my secrets now can I?)

#1 - smooth batter is key, the best way to soften cream cheese is to place the packets in the oven while you are preheating it for baking your crust. Also, use eggs that have been at room temp if they are cold they will chill parts of the cream cheese and keep the batter from being smooth
#2 - no matter what recipe I am using I always add 2Tb of flour to the cheesecake batter if the recipe doesn't already call for it.
#3 - bake it in a water bath - worth the extra work (it's not that much extra), it will require a little extra cooking time (at least this has been my experience) but it is SO worth it. I tell you this is KEY to having no cracks in the top of your cheesecake, bakes beautiful & even every time.

Stuck

2010-01-23T10:46:00.002-06:00

I think it would be fun to blog something new, however I have no idea what to blog about. We are finally having Christmas with my sister and brother-in-law this weekend so there will be pictures for sure. :)

In the meantime I have just been busy being mommy, cleaning up toys, making meals, etc. I have also been in nesting mode/list making mode.

I am itching to paint the baby room. I started it a little but didn't get far. If you're bored and you are a good clean painter then come on over. I'd love some help.

Picture Comparison

2010-01-21T11:19:00.003-06:00

For those of you who wanted to see 3D sono pictures of Baby K from 2008 and compare them to the 3D sono pictures of Baby E here are 3 pictures of
Baby K

Introducing Baby E

2010-01-19T17:24:00.004-06:00

Here is a slide show of some 3D pictures of Baby E at 29 weeks.
If you double click on the slide show it should link you to the actual scanned pictures and you can view them larger.

In one picture he is holding his big toe with his hand. He had his tongue out in a few pictures but you may not be able to notice since they are a little small. I just want to scoop him up and kiss him but I think for now I will let him stay safe inside me, where he is also quiet and easy to please. ;)

Baby E: Photo shoot and more

2010-01-19T15:26:00.003-06:00

Ok, so I'm going to try & scan/post the 3D sono pictures we got of Baby E today.
I have to say, "MAN! Our kids look like their daddy and that's all there is to it!"
Baby E is definitely a boy if there was any doubt about it, there is no more (note: I will not be posting the proof of this of which I'm sure Baby E will thank me one day!)
Not only does he look like his daddy he also looks very much like his big sister,

Also I would like to say Craig*slist is awesome. I found the double stroller we need by posting a WTB (Want To Buy) ad on there and someone read it, had one in good condition and with extra seat covers and for much less than the sale retail of a new one and after checking it out yesterday we are now the proud crazy owners of a double stroller! WooHoo!

I went shopping this afternoon and found several clothing items marked 75-85% off and bought items for $3.00 or less for our little man to wear. Things from newborn to 12 months and hopefully seasonally appropriate, unless he starts packing on the pounds too fast. ;)

Now we just need to paint the baby room & order a crib. Oh, and change out the pink ribbon and lace on the bassinet for the little guy.

More Christmas Pics

2010-01-13T14:31:00.002-06:00

Here are pictures of Baby K enjoying our Christmas celebration at Grandma & Grandpa W's house.
We had a lot of fun.

Oh My Oh My...

2010-01-13T13:06:00.002-06:00

If you are not a fan of the blog Cake Wrecks then I'm pretty sure you are missing out.
Today's post was about Baby Shower Cakes and since I am pregnant I just had to share these with you...
Seriously, who comes up with these ideas? Who actually gives these cakes to their friends??? Is the mother-to-be suppose to act like she loves the idea or the "creativity" or is she suppose to laugh? I think it would be difficult to mask my thoughts about receiving a cake like these, and maybe even more difficult to eat a piece.
She has several past posts about baby shower cakes if you want to do a search. Seriously, there is a post from several months ago where someone ordered a C-Section cake! (looks like mommy's belly with incision & baby coming out - WEIRD!!!!)
Ok here is the cake post from today...
http://cakewrecks.blogspot.com/2010/01/labor-of-love.html

Perspective

2010-01-06T11:25:00.005-06:00

Well I really need to post pictures from the rest of our Christmas Celebrations. We had Christmas with my husband's family after New Years. We had fun hanging out with family and Baby K had a BLAST running around with her cousins. I will load the pictures soon. I just keep forgetting to bring the camera downstairs.

Anyway,
I saw this picture on a blog today and I thought it was fitting as an illustration of some thoughts I've had recently. I may ruffle some feathers with this one. Oh well.
I found it sad that the media & those the media interviewed New Year's eve (and the days that followed) all of the responses seemed to be something along the lines of, "Thank God 2009 and this whole last decade are OVER! They were the worst!" "Bring on 2010 - it is going to be amazing! It has to get better than last year, right?"

WHAT?! Agreed, some horrible things happened in the last 10 years. Terrorists, War, Death, Economy tanks, etc. But really the WORST ever? Maybe I feel this way because I'm sitting her in my warm heated home while it is freezing outside (and only getting colder). I wish I had Oprah's cash flow so I could buy out stores and stores of long underwear, blankets, hats, gloves, warm hotel rooms, food, and send people out to warm up the homeless and rescue them from this awful Artic cold. People are on hard times, no jobs, no money, no home. People have loved ones fighting against terror & hate. Agreed these are all horrible things. But do we let them drown out all the good things? Is life really that bad?

We still have freedom(s), we still have people who have money and food and jobs and homes who are sharing with others. Most of us are living on less than before but on the other hand most of us are not hoping against hope we survive living on nothing. Most people in America can find clean water to drink. Food to eat (even if it's not your choice of food, it's food). Most of us have shoes, even if they have holes in them, still they are shoes.
Most important, no one is telling us we can't worship Jesus. No one is stopping us from trusting God to provide for us. Most of us have someone who loves us, who shares their possessions or time or talents with us. I'm confident that as a whole, our 2009, even our past decade, most of us have had it better than the majority of the human race.

So my question is, why are most of us ungrateful for what we did have and only looking on to what we might have in the near future? Why are we so entitled to have a better 2010?
I am looking forward to what good things God has planned for 2010. I love stories and experiences of reconciliation, repentance, hope, love, joy, peace, life, provision, etc. I hope when the bad things come (because they will) that God gives me eyes to see what I do have and that my heart & mind have the strength to believe that's enough.

Fun Easy Treat!

2009-12-31T11:01:00.006-06:00

FOUND: Impressive treat that is easy, cute and sweet!

Check out what I found at the Decorated Cookie

She suggests making these for New Years party, I also think how wonderful these would be for a girls birthday party, carnival theme children's party, a princess themed birthday party, a baby shower, a bridal shower, etc. Oh the possibilities! Love it!
I also think what a fun activity to make with your kids! You could even do this with 2 yr olds (if you can keep them from eating themselves into serious hyper activity! LOL).

Directions for glittery marshmallows:
Skewer marshmallows or put on lollipop sticks.
Working with one marshmallow at a time, very quickly dip a marshmallow into the water, remove immediately, blot on a paper towel and immediately sprinkle with the sprinkles to coat. Let dry.

New Floor & Christmas Pics

2009-12-30T22:19:00.004-06:00

Here are some before and after pictures of our new kitchen/dinning room floor. I took the "after" pictures before the trim and quarter-round was up so it's not really a true "after" picture but you can see the difference!
Also there is a slide show of Baby K on Christmas morning and a few days after. She LOVES her new chair and her baby dolls. The toy baby stroller is a new toy at GG's house and she sure had fun with that.

Sweet Pics

2009-12-22T21:07:00.002-06:00

We finally got around to having 1 yr pictures taken of our sweet girl and some holiday pictures as well. Sadly daddy isn't in any of the pictures because he was called out of town for work. Looking forward to family pictures this spring after Baby E arrives!

ALL TIME FAVORITE COOKIES!!!!

2009-12-21T13:55:00.004-06:00

Ok people - I LOVE baked goods. I have some favortie cookies. But I stumbled on a new cookie recipe a couple of weeks ago and it is now (and maybe forever) my

ALL TIME FAVORITE!

So soft, so chewy, so athesticaly pleasing, Yummy, yummy, yummy. I would compare the texture to that of a soft warm brownie, a turtle brownie.
So get your baking groove on and whip up this yummy cookie.

Turtle Thumbprints

Adapted from Better Homes and Garden
Posted on Foodgawker by Elizabeth's Edible Experience (thank you Elizabeth!)

Cookie Ingredients:
1 egg (separated)
1/2 cup butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
2 tablespoons milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 teaspoon salt

1-1/2 cups finely chopped pecans (all used for rolling dough in)

Filling Ingredients:
16 chewy caramels, unwrapped (like Werther's)
3 tablespoons whipping cream
1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

Topping Ingreds:
1/2 cup (3 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1 teaspoon shortening

Directions:
1. Separate egg; place yolk and white in separate bowls. Cover and chill egg white until needed. In a large mixing bowl beat butter with an electric mixer for 30 seconds. Add sugar and beat well. Beat in egg yolk, milk, and vanilla.
2. In another bowl stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt.
Add flour mixture to butter mixture and beat until well combined. Wrap the cookie dough in plastic wrap and chill for 2 hours or until easy to handle.
3. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Line two cookie sheets with parchment paper or a silicone baking mat. In a small saucepan heat and stir caramels, vanilla and whipping cream over low heat until mixture is smooth. Set aside.
4. Slightly beat reserved egg white. Shape the dough into 1-inch balls. Roll the balls in egg white, then in pecans to coat. Place balls 1 inch apart on prepared cookie sheet.
Using the back of a 1/2 teaspoon round measuring spoon, make an indentation in the center of each cookie.
5. Bake for 10 minutes or until edges are firm. If cookie centers puff during baking (which they most likely will), repress with your measuring spoon. Spoon melted caramel mixture into indentations of cookies using a teaspoon.
Transfer cookies to wire racks; cool. (If necessary, reheat caramel mixture to keep it spoonable.) 6. In another saucepan heat and stir chocolate pieces and shortening over low heat until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Let cool slightly. Drizzle chocolate mixture over tops of cookies using a fork and a quick back and forth motion as the chocolate drips.

Let stand until chocolate is set. Makes about 30 cookies.

Snap Shots

2009-12-20T23:25:00.006-06:00

Here is a little slide show of some cute pics we have been able to take over the last month or two.

(If you think Baby K has the cutest winter hat on, click on the Sugarplum Boutique button on the right side of my blog - you can buy one too, lots of colors/flowers/bows to choose from & you can help orphans.)

Recently the memory in my laptop quit working so we are now a one computer home at least for a while. Honestly, I'm kind of liking it. I spend less time on the computer and more time doing other things. However, the downfall is that I keep forgetting to update our blog and I needed to transfer some pictures so I could share them with you!
Thanks for your patience!
More pictures to come. We had some professional pictures taken of Baby K and we pick them up Wednesday. They are one year old pictures (at 15 months but hey, we got 'em! LOL) and some shots of her in her Christmas dress.

As for our little family, we are doing great. preparing for Christmas festivities with friends and family. Preparing for Baby E who will be here in less than 100 days! crazy! And hoping for a beautiful snow the weather man is promising this week. Praying it is a beautiful snow and not a crazy blizzard.

Giveaway for Wichitans!

2009-12-14T09:27:00.002-06:00

Shorty Smalls gift certificates
I have 4 to giveaway.

Here's the scoop:
They are only redeemable at the Shorty Smalls in Wichita.
Each Certificate is a $10 value and can only be redeemed with a min $25 food purchase.
Can only be used Mon - Thurs.
Expire 12/13/10 (so you have a whole year to use them!)

I have the certificates because I was given $50 gift certificate to Restaurant.com from Motherhood maternity when I bought some shirts this weekend. Problem - only restaurant anywhere close to us that is offered was Shorty Smalls. We are going to use one of the 5 vertificates I was able to get but it is far from our house and we just won't go that much.

So I am sharing my "good fortune?" with you. :)

How to win:
Leave a comment
first 4 people to leave a comment get a certificate
if less than 4 people leave a comment before Wednesday then I will divide the 4 certificates between those who replied. So it's possible you may get 2 or you may get all 4.

Isn't this exciting? Hee hee

Christmas Traditions & Controversy...

2009-12-02T11:50:00.002-06:00

Oh my, Oh my...I have found in the past few days that people are really passionate about how they celebrate the "holidays."
So before I share some thoughts about what our family would like to set in place for tradition, let me just say - You do what is best for your family and we will do what is best for our family - K. :)
I really don't think any of my readers are going to leave heated comments about our way being "wrong" or "magic stealing" but on the off chance that someone finds this through an internet search - I say to them, "Relax! I'm not asking you to celebrate our way."

I once read an article that stuck with me. The author was saying that they couldn't bring themselves to tell their children that Santa (or any other fictional character) was real and also teach their children that Jesus is real and then later tell them the truth that Santa isn't real, but even though you can't physically see Jesus, He is in fact real. I agree with that. Even though I was raised believing both were real, found out the truth and it did not taint my belief in Jesus.
But I'm not sure I can teach my children that lying is wrong and then manipulate them to believe in a Jolly Fat man who drops presents off at our house and then later tell them I was tricking them to believe. I'm not mad or tainted because that's how I was raised but as a parent I cannot bring myself to do this, I just can't.

So after a couple of years of playing around with some ideas our family has decided we would like to celebrate Christmas in the following way. I have ordered two children's books about the story of who St. Nicholas was and how his story has moved on to become "Santa." We want our children to know that St. Nicholas was a good man, a real man, who loved God and Jesus very much and who used his good fortune to bless others around him. We want to teach our children that a fun way to remember what God & St. Nicholas would like us to do is remember the great love of God and to share our blessings with others. Ways we can remember these things are to celebrate the birth of Jesus. Read the Christmas story. Spend time as a family celebrating Advent with an Advent Calendar &/or a Jesse Tree (http://www.eriercd.org/jessetree.htm). I want to bake a birthday cake for Jesus with our kids on Christmas Eve and then eat it on Christmas day. Find ways to give to and bless others with time, talents, or money God has blessed your family with. And finally, we would like to play the "game" Santa with our family. Yes, "Santa" will bring our children gifts. Yes, they will know it is a game. Yes, we will tell them other families play the game by not telling their children it is a game and part of the game is to help their mommies and daddies keep the secret. We will teach our children that St. Nicholas would have wanted children to be kind of heart and to listen and obey God and their parents, so only "good boys and girls" will be given a gift in this game.
My husband and I will pray that our way doesn't ruin the fun of other families who like to keep the secret from their children. I'm sure we may encounter families who are not happy with our decision. I pray our children are able to keep the secret.

When I was searching for books about St. Nicholas I was reading reviews people had shared about the books. This is how I learned people can be very passionate about how Christmas "should" be celebrated. People either LOVED the books or they down right hated them!
One review I read the reader said something along the lines of, "Why are you people stealing the magic of Christmas? Let your kids believe in Santa and when they are older you can transfer the magic of Christmas from the story of Santa to the story of Jesus."
I found this comment SHOCKING! Like just tell them about Santa until their 9 or something and then switch the meaning of Christmas to Jesus later. PUKE! (Here I go - being just as passionate! opps)
I did find one book called The True Story of Santa, I don't know much about it but evidently it tells the story of Santa going to visit Jesus at the manger - WHAT?! One review read, "This is a great book if you want to LIE to your children about the true meaning of Christmas. Someone should tell this author what the definition of "true" is."
I'm telling you this is a subject many are passionate about!

I'm sure over the years our family traditions will grow and we will learn more about how God would draw us to Worship and Celebrate the birth of His Son - the most wonderful Gift of ALL!

If you are interested in the books I found here is a list. I have only seen these online and look forward to reading them and reviewing them when they arrive. I hope they are what I am expecting them to be.

The Legend of St. Nicholas: A Story of Christmas Giving by Dandi Daley Mackall
Saint Nicholas: The Real Story of the Christmas Legend by Julie Stiegemeyer
The Legend of the Christmas Stocking: An Inspirational Story of a Wish Come True by Rick Osborne

A giveaway for little girls (and big girls)

2009-11-24T10:15:00.004-06:00

Want to win a cute bow for your little princess?
Check out www.sugarplumorphans.com to see how you can win. There is also a button for Sugarplum Boutique on the right side roll of my blog.
Kendra makes so many wonderful, beautiful, cute things - you will certainly have a hard time choosing. She can also do custom orders (but hurry quick to place a custom order for the holidays).
If you live in the same town I do then she is right here - if not you can order from her Etsy shop or Ebay - info at www.sugarplumorphans.com

God gave our little princess a lot of natural cuteness - but when we really want to sweeten her up we top her cuteness off with a bow. :)
Most of the bows (and hats) we have were purchased from one place - and the profit from the bow sale goes to help orphans overseas - how much of the profit? ALL of it! Why not buy a bow, love some orphans and top your cute sweet daughter off with more cuteness?

My Cute "Helper"

2009-11-19T22:36:00.006-06:00

This cheesy grin was just too cute not to post. Silly girl.

Here are some pics I took this week. We have two little ones who LOVE to be in the kitchen if I am cooking or just opening the fridge or walking through. They want food - or to look at the food - but usually to eat the food if I will pass it out.
Who are these two little ones? Baby K and our dog Justice.
They can be anywhere in the house and KNOW that I am in the kitchen and appear at a moments notice. If I open the fridge, Baby K has to look inside - and I mean she HAS to. She does not like it if you won't give her a peek.
Here are some pictures of what happens if you need to leave the door open to take out more than one item.

It makes her whole day if I will let her climb in and out of the fridge like this. It doesn't happen often but she does get to every now and then if I am pulling several things out to prepare a meal.
It's the simple things.

Customer Service

2009-11-18T16:29:00.002-06:00

The good, the bad and the ugly of customer service (well, actually I don't have anything ugly to report - just the good and the bad).
In a previous post I mentioned looking for a sweater dress from g*ap kids and how after finding it was sold out online and calling 4 different stores in a 3 state area I was able to locate the dress in the correct size and get an amazing price deal and have it shipped right to my door. Bliss - my family holiday photo dreams on the road to coming true.
Today, the dress arrived (I ordered it on Saturday so not too shabby of a time line, I was happy with that), SO excited I opened the box. There it was so pretty and bright and everything I had hoped it would be.............but wait - OH NO! It's the WRONG SIZE!!!! After confirming with the woman on the phone 3 times that they were in possession of and were mailing me a 12-18month dress I was sent a 18-24 month dress - and it is BIG! sigh.
I debated whether to even call the store. No one seems to have many of these dresses left and any store that does is completely out of the size I needed so really, were they going to have it? I thought I would call just on the off chance they might...
Horray! They DO have the correct size in stock (so they tell me, fingers crossed!) and felt badly that the wrong size was sent to me. So try #2 is in the mail and again I am happy with my customer service experience with the Lincoln, NE ga*p kids store.
Thank you gap lady!
SO that was the GOOD of customer service...

On to the Bad.
Ok, really this isn't that bad but I think some moms out there can relate and if you can relate do you think we can get the following changed.
Thanks to childhood obesity and the American health craze, fast food restaurants and other food establishments are now offering healthier options for our children. I am glad for this.
My complaint is why do they have milk now but only 2%? My toddler cannot drink low fat milk, its not healthy for her.
So if we are on a road trip we have to bring a cooler with milk in it or pay for overpriced pint of whole milk at a gas station. If we are close to home it is ok for her to go a meal without milk but it makes her happier and a better eater if she has milk with her meal.
How hard would it be for these places to offer whole milk, low fat milk and chocolate milk? Or if that is too much how about they offer whole white milk and low fat chocolate milk?
Are there other mom's who think about this issue? Am I making a big deal out of nothing?

Victory!

2009-11-16T06:19:00.002-06:00

I am so excited to announce that I woke up this morning to a perfectly clean shirt with NO GOLDFISH STAINS! :)
I kind of put the whole stain removing venture on hold for a few days after a few failed tries.
Thank you for all your helpful suggestions. I did not try all of them but only because I didn't want to buy a laundry room full of supplies.
I did buy Oxyc*lean Max Force stain remover - it only faded the stain.
So I got a bleach pen and worked very very carefully - and YES! IT WORKED!
Now Baby K's Big Sister shirt is restored to new condition! It's a great day!

Road Trip!

2009-11-15T13:40:00.002-06:00

About 21 hours from right now (2pm on Sunday is when I am typing this) and I off for a day trip. A friend and I are waking up well before we would like to, driving in the cold weather, meeting up with other friends and we are going to enjoy the facinating, fun, funky company of

The Pioneer Woman

She is having a book signing in KC, actually she is having 2 signings in KC be we have the priveledge of going to the smaller of the 2 signings. I am really hoping this means our odds of one of us winning something fantastic (there will be giveaways!) should be pretty good.

If you haven't read Ree's blog, aka The Pioneer Woman, or eaten one of her delicious reciepes then you need to hop on the bus and check it out! She has a fun sense of humor, her writing will crack you up. She is carefree and confident and silly and honest and creative. I am looking forward to meeting her in person and seeing what she is like in real life.

Also I'm looking forward to a great day just hanging out with sweet friends and although I will miss my family and my little princess I will not miss cutting up food for others or changing diapers.

Thank you to my husband for helping make this road trip possible and thank you to my friend Jena for helping out too.

Here's to a day of being footloose and fancy free!

Searching and Finding! :)

2009-11-13T14:29:00.003-06:00

I posted this earlier...I am amending it because the dress has been found and purchased at a discounted price and I am a happy shopper and would like to give thanks to the Manhattan, KS gap gal who was so kind on the phone and the Lincoln, NE gap gal who made my holiday family photo dreams come true! :) And a special thanks to Marie for the discount coupon that could even be used in addition to items already marked down, I saved a lot of dollars today!

I'm searching for this dress...
"Baby G*ap bright hoddie sweater dress"

There are out of stock online. They do not have it at the local BG store.
If you are out shopping the Ga*p friends and family 30% off sale this weekend and you see this dress. I need a size 12-18months. I would like Baby K to wear it for our holiday picture.

Sadness. I lost out because I was waiting to save some money. I may have saved more than I bargained for if I can't find the dress now.

The Life of a Sweet Princess...

2009-11-12T17:14:00.003-06:00

Here are just some cute pictures of Baby K just being Baby K. :)

Here she is being my silly helper - we were cleaning out the lazy susan and reorganizing. She thought it was great stuff to have permission to take everything out!

Baby K is SO ready to be a big sister or at the very least to have a baby to love on! Here she is playing with a neighbor friend.

Today we enjoyed the nice weather with some friends at the zoo. I'm so glad Baby K loves her friends, loves outside and loves animals. We had a great time! (And to all of you who will see these pictures and wonder, "Why did you let her touch those dirty things?" I say to you, a little dirt never hurt anyone and we did wash our hands more than once.)

A Poll, Please Vote... :)

2009-11-11T11:10:00.006-06:00

I have been giving some thought as to what would be a good Christmas gift for Baby K and I would like your opinion.
Baby K really likes to sit on chairs, she especially likes to sit in the rocking recliner downstairs and works her hardest to make it rock. I thought we should get her a nice little upholstered chair just for her. The foam chairs covered in cartoon characters are $20 plus dollars. The PB kid chairs are close to $100 and then I found the most awesome thing I could have found.....
Toddle Rock (click here to check out their site!)
They are located in Alabama and make the cutest upholstered rockers for toddlers. This chair should be good for her at least up to four years old! The best part is that cost plus shipping will cost us less than $80.
A store here in town had a little rocking upholstered chair (ugly and overpriced) and we did have her sit in it. She loved it, so I think she will enjoy sitting in one of these Toddle Rock chairs and reading her books (she loves books) and hopefully rocking her new baby doll too (her other gift she is getting).

On to the survey:
Baby K's nursery is light blue & khaki but soft pink does look nice in her room, and we may move the chair around the house so she can watch a movie or whatever so it won't always be in her room.
Please leave a comment letting us know what chair color you think is best. I'm having a hard time becuase I just think they are all SO CUTE!
(*please note the chairs below are in no certain order, it is just the order the pictures uploaded to my blog)
Thanks for your input.

#1: Soft Pink
#2: Tan Suede

#3: Oatmeal

#4: Pink/Brown Polkadots

#5: Pink Soft Chenille

#6: Pink Chenille (notice it is a little more textured than the "soft" chenille chair above)

Ideas for a baby room

2009-11-10T16:12:00.005-06:00

Thinking more about a car/route 66 themed baby room for our little guy. My husband has an old GTO that he restored and after some inspiration from a couple of blogs I spotted here are some thoughts I'm playing around with for Baby E. I really like this bedding. I like the idea of painting the walls a light gray color (probably lighter than what is in this photo). My husband likes the idea of the "racing stripe" on the wall.
If we don't do a racing stripe on the crib wall maybe we will do something like this (imagine the black couch is actually the crib)

Here are some prints I found online that we could purchase and frame. We will probably keep the car theme pics to a minimum so it's not too much. Maybe we will hang a traditional Route 66 tin sign too, and possibly a red toy car somewhere for decoration.
Just a few ideas spinning around in my head.
I like this because I think it will grow with the little guy. It's not too baby themed. I'm not much for "cartoon" looking baby decorations.

Appreciation!

2009-11-09T12:01:00.002-06:00

I am married to quite the guy, let me tell ya! We have been making a list of things we would like to get done around our house, things like wood flooring in the kitchen/dinning area and replacing the bathroom floors with ceramic tile. We have some ideas and products we like and we were in the process of prioritizing the "To Do" list according to what should be done before the new baby gets here.
On Friday morning I took a peek in the upstairs guest room that will soon be Baby E's room and remembered that the closet is full of office things and my husbands nice suits. I decided to send my husband an email explaining that the first thing on our list should probably be to finish the closet in the downstiars guest room (there are no shelves in there currently and no pole to hang clothes on) so that we can move the items from the upstairs closet down there and make room for baby. Very soon I got a text message from him saying this was a good idea and he had some ideas for the closet. Remember this was Friday morning.
Saturday morning he got up early, went to the store and bought supplies and worked away! He isn't done yet but he made some great progress on Sat and Sun and I imagine it won't be long before we have a very nice closet. I was surprised that he got to work on it so quickly, when I threw out the idea I was just thinking maybe before Christmas we should finish it, but this was a great surprise!
I just wanted to give my husband a BIG THANKS for being so on top of things, for being a hard worker and for using his time to make our home such a nice & organized place. I am grateful for him and very proud of his handyman skills!
You're the Best and I'm so glad you're mine. Love you!

Sad

2009-11-07T22:05:00.002-06:00

Well, Baby K's very special "Big Sister" shirt has stains on it now! I could not be more mad about Goldfish Crackers!
I had her wear the shirt when we went to our sono for her little sibling. She only had it on for a couple of hours. There was a snack bag of goldfish crackers in her diaper bag, which I put in there on purpose for her to have if she was getting to wiggly during the sono.
I had NO IDEA she would be so messy with them, especially because there were not that many to eat anyway. I also had NO IDEA they would stain so badly. I have been scrubbing and scrubbing and I'm not getting very far.
The shirt was custom made and NOT cheap and took much convincing to get my husband to let me spend the money on this cute shirt. I am SO sad and SO mad!

I have hated goldfish crackers my whole life, really I have. I hate how they smell (and other crackers like them), I hate how they taste and now I hate how they STAIN!

I am hoping the stains come out. I want so badly for Baby K to wear the shirt in pictures with her new little brother when he arrives. I cannot stomach thinking about buying another shirt like it.

I am feeling guilty as I type this, knowing that children all over the world and even in our country are going to bed hungry tonight or who only have one or two shirts total in their posession and here I am going on and on about goldfish cracker stains on a special shirt that cost extra.
If you have any tips on what you think may work let me know.
The shirt is white cotton & has colored ribbon & embordery on it.

Sigh.

A New Find

2009-11-04T08:33:00.002-06:00

Because I really needed to find ANOTHER food blog to love (LOL). :)
I found this blog via foodg*awker today. There are some yummy ideas and great pics I thought you might enjoy as well.
visit
http://www.gimmesomeoven.com/

if you want some yummy ideas.

On my mind...

2009-11-03T08:56:00.004-06:00

In just 3 short days we get to have our sono and will hopefully find out the sex of our baby. I'm very excited to find out who this little person is inside of me & will be joining our family in just a few short months.
One of my favorite things about planning and preparing for baby is putting together the nursery. The calm quiet room I will snuggle with our child, the room my husband and I will go in so many times to check and make sure our little one is sleeping safely and soundly. The room that will later become a place of play and a place our child will call their own. I'm not so sure why the nursery is such an important part to me but it is and I love planning & preparing the room.
As I wait and dream about who this little one is I have done a little thinking and searching for what I think a wonderful nursery would be for a little boy or a little girl.
My husband is a fan of old cars, he has a 1974 GTO he restored and it is pretty cool. When I was searching for something totally off from nursery ideas I came across the blog of a photographer who had just finished a nursery for her son that was a Route 66 theme. There are some girly touches to the room because her daughter and son will be sharing the room. But I like the picture she hung and the classy ideas she had so I would like to use those for inspiration should we have a boy. Because the lady is a photographer her pictures are blocked and i could not post them myself but I can give you the link to her blog so you can see the pictures for yourself.
Boy Nursery Ideas

For a little girl I found this wonderful crib bedding set. I love it because I think it could grow with a little girl and not be too baby themed. I also like it because it is not pink. I love pink and love for Baby K to have pink things, however with little girls come LOTS of pink and it's nice to have some things that are not pink.
Mostly I just like the bedding. The curtains are not my favorite and I don't think I would want to paint every wall purple but you get the general idea.
Well, morning nap is almost over so I need to get off the computer and get something done. :)

One Week From Today...

2009-10-30T09:11:00.002-05:00

One week from today is our sonogram and we will get to see our tiny baby and hopefully find out the sex of the baby. I am so excited to know who this little person is growing inside me.

On another note, I do think halloween dress up is fun but sometimes I think it's strange. I'm glad that one week from today hopefully I will not be helped at the grocery store or the bank by people dressed in costume. Maybe I'm a party pooper but I just find it kind of creepy to have a grown adult ring up my groceries while dressed from head to toe like a braveheart warrior or vampire.

So here's to November 6th! Should be a fun day!

Pet Peeve!

2009-10-27T10:35:00.003-05:00

Ok people. I canNOT take it anymore. I have reached my limit and I just can't do it anymore. If one more small child dumps the dog's water bowl one more time I am going to lose my mind!
I can't stand it. EVERYDAY that dang thing gets dumped out and I have to clean up the carpet and change Baby K's clothes, at the very least her pants. On tuesdays I watch another little girl and that usually means I clean the dog water up at least twice on tuesdays.
The Fruits of the Spirit are being tested people - majorly tested - and by DOG WATER!
I can't tell you how many times I move the water bowl to the counter top, just in time. But then later I have to move it to the floor so the poor dog can have a drink and then I always get side tracked and leave it on the floor and every time the dang thing gets dumped. And it never gets dumped when there is 1/4 cup of water or less - no, always when it is full of 1 to 2 cups of water.
SIGH....

Today I am moving the bowls from the dinning room to our bedroom, near the dog kennel. Maybe this will work better.
If you think the solution is to just put the water outside, nope b/c then I spend 1/2 my day letting the dog in and out, in and out. And if I leave the dog outside she will start barking.

Honestly, I love my dog to pieces I've had her for years but this dog water dumping could lead me to finding her a new home and it's not even her fault. Ok, I'm exaggerating here but I am at my whits end and sick and tired of cleaning up the puddles of water!!!!!!

AHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!

Ok - vent over for now. :)

Some like it Hot...

2009-10-26T10:50:00.004-05:00

Baby K likes spicy food. It cracks me up. I guess I shouldn't be too surprised since I craved hot wings & other spicy food when I was pregnant with her. Last night for dinner we had omelets, Baby K would not eat her omelet bite for anything, and we knew she was hungry. Grrr....I did NOT want to make her something different to eat. She watched daddy put salsa on his omelet. She would not eat her own but kept grunting and reaching for daddy's plate. Daddy put some salsa on top of her omelet bites and yep....you guessed it...she shoveled it in my the fist fulls! The craziest part to me was that the salsa was Medium Salsa, not mild. She didn't even flinch and even asked for more.
She is a hoot!

A friend gave me a recipe this summer for some chicken burritos that have chipotle chilies in them - Baby K LOVES them!!!
Not long ago I made some mac n cheese for us to eat that had sweet corn & jalapenos mixed in. I was only giving Baby K noodles with no jalapenos, after a while she wanted to try some off our plates. She loved it, only occasionally panting, followed by a laugh. She thought the spice was funny? We would offer her a drink and after a small sip she would reach for more hot stuff to eat.

Baby K has also begun to notice that Mommy and Daddy like to dip their food in certain things: salsa, ketchup, mustard, BBQ sauce, etc. She will often beg to dip her food as well & even at times refuse to eat if we won't dip her food.
Last week, I put a little bit of BBQ Sauce on her plate and she surprisingly picked up little bite of catfish after little bite and dipped each bite in the small puddle of BBQ sauce just like mommy.

My husband and I get such a kick out of watching Baby K grow and learn and develop more and more of her personality. She is a funny kid and we love her to pieces!

Taco Soup & Fried Ice Cream

2009-10-23T13:10:00.004-05:00

Here is a link to the recipe for Taco Soup that I used last night.
Taco Soup Recipe
It makes a ton, there were 3 couples eating it and there are about 3-4 servings leftover.

I made a couple of changes to the recipe that I think made it even better
print off recipe and then add
1 (extra) can of diced Fire Roasted Tomatoes
1 (8oz) can of tomato sauce

Its not going to make it too soupy, I promise. Before I added those extras there wasn't much broth to speak of.

Easy Fried Ice Cream:
For an added treat, my spin on fried ice cream for dessert.
Heat some oil in a fry pan to just warmer than medium heat.
Cut flour tortillas into strips about 1"x4"
Place a few tortilla strips at a time into the hot oil and turn when they start to brown (this happens quickly)
When both sides are just brown use tongs to place the hot tortilla strips in a mixture of cinnamon & sugar and coat generously.
Place cinnamon strips on a plate or in a container to cool while to finish frying the remaining tortillas.
These will keep in an air tight container for a couple of days (if you can keep yourself from eating all of them in one sitting!)
I like to warm the strips in the oven for just a min or two and then place 3-4 strips in a bowl, top with a scoop of vanilla ice cream and drizzle some chocolate syrup on top.
So Yummy!