shouldn't it be friday by now?

this week is at a stand still!  it hasn't been a bad week, just long.  tomorrow is back to school night at emily's school.  i'm hoping to meet the parents of her three new classmates. 
 i stopped in for a therapy session yesterday at the request of her OT and PT.   she's doing terrific, and they're excited that emily is becoming more aware of her surroundings!  she has basically been in survival mode for the last year and a half, and she's just now really "seeing" the school.  the textures on the wall, the doors, the pictures, etc.  they gave me some great playful activities to do with her @ home to give her more body awareness.  it may sound weird to most, but she's just now realizing that she's got a mouth, and a nose, and that its her hand holding the spoon.  its exciting stuff!   she's ready to have us challenge her now in a way that will make her other senses work hard!  its going to take some time for the "whole package"(emily's body and senses fight with each other!) to come together, but we are very encouraged! 

david has qualified for speech therapy through the early intervention program.  i really didn't think that he's qualify--i was expecting them to tell me that he's just "stubborn".  he's actually only at a 14 month level, he's 28 months old.  he flew through all of the major milestones, except this one!  he'll get it...he's a smart kid!  we have two more meetings before services can start, i think he'll enjoy it--he loves the attention! lol

hubs just landed a part time job @ walmart in the electronics dept.  seriously, we need the extra income, so we're both excited!   its going to be tough...i don't think he'll be home to help me with dinner, and baths, and bed time.  we have to make it work for right now though.  i can always call my mom or sissy for a hand.  fingers are crossed that it will give us to boost we need.

well, that's the story with us this week!  like i said, not a bad week--just looong!  my mom and i are taking emily out for the day on saturday, definitely looking forward to that!

new blog!

i wanted to let you all know that i am taking my sewing adventures over to a new blog---with my sissy!!  we're both very excited about this.  now that we are both old married women, we thought this would be a great thing to do together!  her hubs has to work on some saturdays, and my hubs is so awesome that he stays with the kids all day so that we can get our sew on!  yesterday, we didn't get much sewing done, we were braistorming for our new blog....please stop on over to The Clumsy Spider! 

its a work in progress, but we can't wait to start sharing about our times together as well as solo projects.  i hope you'll stop over and follow along!  i'll continue posting about the kiddos, hubs and recipes right here though! 

pumpkin muffins...on the lighter side

i've been trying to make healthier choices lately...but its hard.  you see...this is the BEST baking season EVER!  the apples, the pumpkins...the candy!   next to baking christmas cookies, this is when i love to bake the most.   i had some leftover canned pumpkin after last weeks pumpkin chip cookies for the reunion.  lately with money being tight, i hate to waste anything.   hubs is not big on pumpkin at all, so i knew it would be me handling the bulk of these babies.  i stumbled upon a recipe at allrecipes.com(where else?!)  however, it wasn't exactly what i was looking for, so i just used it as an outline.  here we go...
Pumpkin Muffins(makes 18 muffins)

1 1/3 c all purpose flour
1c plus 1 tbs whole wheat flour
2 c sugar
3/4 tsp baking powder
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
3/4 tsp cinnamon
3/4 tsp nutmeg
3/4 tsp ground cloves
3 eggs
1/2 of 29 oz canned pumpkin
1/2 c unsweetened apple sauce
3/4 c butterscotch chips1/2 c chopped walnuts


pre heat oven to 350.  grease muffin tins or line with papers.  in a large bowl combine sugar, eggs, pumpkin and applesauce.  in a medium bowl combine all dry ingredients and spices.  next,  incorporate  the dry and the wet.  add butterscotch chips and walnuts(or if you'd like, use your own additions: raisins, pecans, craisins etc!)   scoop into muffin tins and bake for 30-35 mins, or until toothpick comes out clean. 


9 of these muffins fit comfortably in a large freezer bag.  now when i need a snack, i can just take one out and pop it in the microwave!! 


*feel free to use all whole wheat flour, all purpose, or use sugar substitute!  this recipe is easy to mix and match!

a reunion and an anniversary

on saturday we had a little "reunion" with my dad's side of the family.  we gathered @ high point state park and really enjoyed the day.  good food and good people...what more could you ask for?  the kids were amazing!  they were both up early, and had no naps.  i couldn't believe we got there @ 11:30 am and stayed until almost 7pm...with no major incidents!  there were plenty of people to hang with the kids, so i even got to relax a bit myself!  hubs was still away for work, so i missed him...but i really enjoyed myself. 

i made a huge tray of cookies!!  i love having a reason to bake!!

(i had a crappy night of sleep...can you tell?!)

yesterday, hubs and i celebrated our seven year wedding anniversary!!  ok, so there wasn't much "celebrating" going on...it was a monday, i was overwhelmed with david's first gyminee crickets class, david has a cold-which makes him grumpy and whiny, so i was kind of grumpy too!  we don't usually exchange gifts, but he stopped and got me a nice card and a mum.  made me cry!  my parents are going to watch the kiddos on friday night so we can go out to dinner.  

justin, should you see this...you are an amazing husband and father!   you make me smile, you make my heart skip a beat, and i still get butterflies when i think about you.  

now i have to go yell at your son to get out of the refrigerator..... 

simple halloween curtains

when i saw the "boo to you" fabric by riley blake, i knew i needed to make some curtains for my kitchen!  so here we go!

you'll need:
sewing machine
pins
ribbon
ric rac
1/2 yard accent fabric
1 1/2 yds for the panel(you will have left overs, but its better to have too much than not enough...right?!)

*cut two accent pieces 6" x the width of your window plus 1/2"(mine are 27", so i cut a 6x 271/2 piece) 
*cut two panels 20" x your window width(don't forget your extra 1/2 inch!)
*cut two pieces of ric rac that equal your window width...leave a little over hang.
now lets start sewing!

lay panel right side up and pin ric rac in place, lining it up with the edge. then pin accent piece right side down-to create your "sandwich".

sew the layers together using a 1/4" seam allowance.  press. (i believe that the seam will be presses towards the accent border...but i honestly can't remember!!  so basically--press it however you like it!)
next, press in the edges 1/4" on all four sides. then sew all the way around using aprox. 1/8" seam allowance.

after all four sides are sewn, fold down the accent border. the edge will be just passed the ric rac(use that as your guide).  you'll end up with about a 2 1/2" border...you can "scootch" it up a bit if you'd like a wider border though.  edge stitch border to complete. (forgot to take a pic, sorry!)
press to get out any wrinkles.
now hang!  cut ribbon long enough to make a nice tie.  then tie your curtains up, fluff, and enjoy!!

(and yes, i know my windows need to be washed...this photo made that abundantly clear!!...its on my "to do" list today!!)

caffeine OD

is it possible to OD on caffeine?  i really thought that i was yesterday.  i now know that my limit is 2 cups of coffee.  my head was spinning, there were heart palpitations, and oh yes, the shakes!   i skipped my afternoon workout for fear of projectile vomiting while lunging.  why so much coffee?  my son decided he wanted to be up crying for a large part of the night.  i was draggin' ass.  oh, and the best part?  he did the same thing last night!  so mommy is on day two of dragging said ass.  now that i know my appropriate coffee intake levels, i think i'll have a more productive day.  i know, only 2 cups of coffee seems like i'm a light weight...well, i am.  i NEVER drank coffee until david came along.   he's playing nice with his trucks right now.  so far, there are  no signs of him having a case of the "grumps". which is good for me.

aside from being very tired, i'm moving right along.  the house is tidy, i know what i'm making for dinner(the copy cat of outback's alice springs chicken and sweet potato fries), and i'm even thinking about putting out some fall/halloween stuff.  i'm not sure if i'm feeling that motivated though!

its already starting to smell like fall outside, and i love it!  for some reason it just lifts my spirits up...which lately, is definitely a good thing!



**this just in:  i see snot running down david's face....surely the culprit for these difficult nights!! blast!

some yummies

september 4th was my brother's 27th birthday.  we were finally all able to get together to celebrate with him yesterday.   for months now, he's been talking about this "dutch honey cake" that someone had shared with him.   off to google i went!  there were many recipes, but most of them called for the same ingredients...so i chose one randomly!

Dutch Honey Cake:
1/2 c. butter
1/2 c. granulated sugar
1 c. honey
2 eggs
1 1/2 c. hot water
2 tsp. baking soda
1 tbsp. molasses
3 c. flour
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. ground cloves
1 tsp. powdered ginger
1/2 tsp. nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
1/2 tsp. baking powder

Cream butter with sugar, honey and eggs. Mix water, b.soda, and molasses. Combine dry ingredients in a separate bowl. Add wet and dry ingredients alternately to the creamed mixture. Bake in a greased/floured loaf(or tube pan) tin in a pre-heated oven at 300 degrees F. for about an hour or until it tests done.

i promise...your kitchen will smell amaaazing!  i learned that this cake is commonly eaten for breakfast with some butter or jam.  its quite tasey all on its own, i can assure you!  my brother thought it was good too!!

i also wanted to make something to munch on for the gang.  i saw these "alabama fire crackers" on the allrecipes site.  not many of my family likes anything spicey...so i omitted the red pepper flakes, and renamed them "ranch crackers"...fancy, right?

Ranch Crackers:
3/4 c vegetable oil
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/4 tsp black pepper
1 envelope ranch dressing mix
2 sleeves saltine crackers

place oil and all spices in a zippie bag and "smoosh" around(yes, that is a technical term).  add crackers and gentley shake to coat.  lay flat for one hour then smoosh again.  allow to sit overnight for optimal deliciousness.  remove from bag, and watch them disappear.  *if you like the heat, by all means add the red pepper flakes...1 tbs.

i'm a little bummed because hubs has to go away for work thurs-sunday.  i'll definitely miss him, but




my parents will be having a sleepover with us!!  they are going to help me out with the kids.  on saturday we'll all head up to high point state park for a little family reunion!  lots of cookies to bake this week!!  i'm looking forward to it, even though i'll be missing my love.  

 

today

today is a day to reflect.  to remember those we lost.  to be grateful for the people we love.

today i am sending warm thoughts to those who are no doubt still grieving. 

back to school

emily started back to school yesterday!  she seriously loves going!  her teacher is the same...and i love that!  she has the best teacher and aides!  she did get a new bus driver--i'm very happy about that!   last year's driver had no personality, or social skills.  i'm actually surprised that i made it through the whole year with her...although, we did all complain, so i wasn't surprised that she got the replaced! 

day two was business as usual!  dirty knees, stained shirt, and all!!  haha...i should buy stock in SHOUT!!  she always comes home with something on her clothes!  i think that's good though, it means she's busy and having fun! 

david and i have been keeping busy.  mostly getting the house back under control.  the piles of misc. stuff have been growing, i get chance now to go through everything and organize.  "fall cleaning" if you will.   i'm loving it.  i've also started working out while david naps.  i love not having to do it after they go to bed!  i'm going to try and set some short goals for myself, especially since the holidays are swiftly approaching.  next weekend my dad's side of the family is having a reunion of sorts.  i'm going to eat healthy, and watch my portions from now until then so i can treat myself when the time comes.   from there, i'll probably tell myself  "now, you have to be good until halloween."  so we'll see how that goes!!  haha

emily's first day:

(i couldn't get her to look at the camera!!)

day 2:

i love picking out her outfits!! tee hee!

maybe tonight i'll get my curtains finished...

why doesn't he tell me these things?

hubs set the alarm last night to get up extra early for work this morning.  (btw, this getting up early thing will last for maybe the rest of the week...he'll be back to waking up 20 mins before he has to leave for work by monday!!  men. lol)  any hoo.  he never told me he set the alarm!  i rolled over @ 4:30 and saw the little "alarm dot" on, and after rubbing the blur out of my eyes, was like, "i didn't set it!"  i gave him a shove, but got no reply.  so i thought that maybe david had hit it.  i shut it off!  hubs flung the covers off @ 6:13 this morning like his boxer briefs were on fire...13 minutes after he set it for.  he looked at me like i had set the fire. he asked why the alarm didn't go off!  sheesh!!  fill me in next time!!  btw, dear...the alarm is LOUD!  i need your son in bed for as.long.as.possible. so i can get emily ready for school this morning!   

happy monday...OH...its TUESDAY, ugh!!  wow, it sure feels like a monday, right?  well then, enjoy the rest of your week!!  ;o)

i'm back...i think!

emily has had the last three weeks off of school!  i decided to take a long break from blogging so i could suck up her lovins!  tomorrow she is on her way back, and i think she is ready!  she has been so grouchy since yesterday!  she likes her morning routine, she's just like her mommy!! i've been all out-of-whack for three weeks too!!   i'll be happy when things return to normal! 

i was super happy when hubs told me he was taking the last week of emily's vacation off of work!  after the end of the second week, i was downright exhausted!  when emily is @ school, i typically get about 30 minutes to sit on the couch and relax...well, not while emily is on vacation!  its a constant merry go round of activity...or in emily's case, she basically just likes to wander around the house!!  and for me, that means alot of walking, crawling, kneeling, and chasing!!  can i just tell you, my husband has been absolutely amazing!  i actually feel like i got the take a break!  ok, so i didn't get a "vacation" per say, but so much was lifted off of my shoulders that i actually feel relaxed!   not to mention, we were able to get some stuff done around here!!

now i am sad that he and emily will be leaving david and i tomorrow.  i'll probably be a grump...i'm going to try to stay positive though.  i'm signing david up for a "gyminee crickets" class.  it gymnastics type stuff where he can blow off some energy and meet kids his own age.  david still is not talking, and i fear it is because he doesn't see emily talking.  i'm hoping the interaction with kids his age will spark something.  i am also calling early intervention to get him evaluated--just to be on the safe side.  i mean, this kid has excelled at everything except talking.  i hope its nothing. 

without further ado, here are some pics from the last three weeks!!

we visited the crayola factory:

we also went to the turtle back zoo:

my favorite part of the whole summer??  emily got her very first haircut, EVER!  my sweet girl looks so grown up now!!  she donated 8 inches to pantene beautiful lengths!!

i hope you all enjoyed your summer!

ooh, ooh, now that i'm back...i've been wanting to participate in  

so, on a positive note...all last week was positive!!  haha  no really, it was!  loved having emily home, loved having the hubs home, loved being productive with minimal interruptions, and i love my current state of mind!  i'm really going to try hard to carry on with the positivity throughout the week when emily and hubs get back to the grind.  i will miss them terribly, but we'll do it again soon!