Thoughts on this Fabulous Friday

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! :)

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?

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...

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...

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!!!!

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!

Happy Independence Day from two spunky independent kiddos! ;)

Catch up...

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

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...

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?

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...

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...

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

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

Firsts...

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

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!

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

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...

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...

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.