Tina's Place

i should be cleaning

2011-11-07T08:46:00.001-05:00

i should be cleaning my cold infested house right now, but i'm not quite motivated yet. we've all had this nasty head cold. can we say "snot"? good lord, i've never seen so much! it knocked me for a loop on Friday...fever and all! hubs to the rescue! since his building still didn't have power from the snow storm, he stayed home and took care of everything. kids, dishes, snotty tissues. he was an awesome house husband!
i was feeling much better by yesterday. since my parent's came over for dinner, i decided we needed dessert! found THIS recipe for spiced pumpkin cupcakes. oh, betty crocker, i heart you! it was super easy and it didn't have an overwhelming pumpkin flavor. which is nice if you don't have pumpkin lovers in your house(like i do!). i changed the pecan recipe a tad...i added 2 TBS of butter to the pan, and along with the final sprinkle of sugar, i added a couple pinches of salt! mmmm salty goodness! i made my own cream cheese frosting too. (2- 8 oz pkgs fat free cream cheese-softened, 1/4 c butter-softened, 5 C powdered sugar and a splash of vanilla...beat 'em all together til ya have frosting!) num.

as you lick the gooey frosting off of your lips, you get the salt from the pecans! delish!

on a side note: LOVING miranda lambert's new album!!

Merry Halloween!

2011-10-31T08:16:00.001-04:00

yes, we have a white halloween this year. a first in my 30 years! school is cancelled, millions are without power, trees and lines down all over NJ! i feel like i'm in the twilight zone! the town i grew up in has essentially cancelled halloween. ok, let me rephrase, they have "postponed" it to november 4th. just insane! the kids have already used 2 snow days, and we haven't even hit winter yet!!

anyhoo, lets have a little halloween treat anyway! these were supposed to be for the now defunct halloween party at emily's school...

i turned a hi hat cupcake into a bat!! they turned out really cute! i used THIS as my inspiration for the cupcakes! instead of piping a swirl, i just piped a "blob"(yes friends, that is a technical term!)onto mini cupcakes. after the big dunk(and don't be a afraid of the dunk, go for it! that swiss butter cream isn't going anywhere!) i let the chocolate set up for a few minutes and threw on a dash of chocolate sprinkles, then smooshed the eyes on(yes, very specific terms here!) for the wings, i used the same chocolate i dunked the cupcakes in a zippie bag to free hand the wing shapes. this took me right back to coloring in elementary school!! so fun! you can throw them in the frige to set up faster(or if you have a very cold laundry room, that works too!) if the chocolate on the bat bodies sets up too much, the wings will be hard to push in, and even break. so...use a paring knife to slice a slit into their little noggins to help! then let them finish setting up! cute and delicious!! oh, and by the way, i found the candy eyes at walmart in the baking section!

Happy Halloween!!
linking up with:
skip to my lou
the artsy girl connection

mommy to the rescue!

2011-10-14T07:58:00.000-04:00

crisis was averted earlier this week after david's poor blanky suffered serious injuries!

this poor thing has been through the ringer! it was a gift from my sister when he was a baby, and he soon chose it as his favorite. its been chewed on, spilled on, peed on, and dragged! i've been nursing it along for a while, tying off areas that came undone. but this time was different. a huge chunk was pulling out, and it needed some evasive action. he was devastated. i was able to hide it from him for about a week until i came up with a plan. it was simple in my head, but have you ever tried to sew something that has been crocheted(sp?)? it is not easy, my friends! but i did it. it was the biggest pain-in-the-ass-thing i have EVER had to sew!!. i added a satin blanket border. it looks terrible! however, the smile on that kids face made it worth it! (and hopefully it will hold everything together for a while!)

the tingles

2011-10-10T07:48:00.004-04:00

ok, i think i may be feeling them. the vibes, the tingles, the itch...to CRAFT again! and even, dare i say it...to WORK OUT! i really think this weekend was exactly what i needed! this morning, i'm calm. even though the kids don't have school. its ok. i don't really have the usual anxiety that normally envelopes me on a day such as this. even typing that didn't make me anxious! hubs went back to work this morning, but he'll be home for dinner.

david got a little homework from his speech therapist, so i think we'll sit and do that before emily gets up. its some fun color/cut/paste stuff so he can practice his sounds. i think he'll like that. later, when david is napping, emily's teacher sent her home a big packet of coloring pages...so we'll color.

its unseasonably warm here in nj. i'm dealing with that. i want to wear a sweater, damn it! at least the sun is shining! i was going to make a stew for dinner tonight, but its not really "stew weather" so i have to come up with something different. hmmm....

anyhoo. i hope that my new found calm is here to stay. i really haven't been liking the panicked, cranky, overwhelmed me as of late. *deep breath* we'll see!!

here are a few more pics from over the weekend!

daddy days

2011-10-09T08:36:00.000-04:00

a whole weekend with the hubs. i'm in heaven. we weren't sure if he would be able to get a whole weekend off, and we didn't get the official word until thursday night! i wanted him to have a weekend off before the "silly season"(aka, christmas) starts! we know that days off will be slim to none in the coming months.
yesterday we went to the pumpkin patch and a family bbq. we had some beautiful weather for it, too! today i think we're just going to hang around the house. with all of the rain, our grass hasn't been cut since the beginning of august!! so i think that's number one on the to-do list!

my heart needed this.

a seizure?

2011-10-03T08:34:00.000-04:00

emily gave us a scare yesterday. her face completely drained of its rosy color, and her whole body went limp. we couldn't get her to snap out of it. so we called 911. by the time the ambulance arrived, i had already moved her out into the fresh air, and she was perking up. they checked her heart and lungs before we left for the hospital, and all was good. when we got the the hospital, her color was coming back. hubs met us there, he was at work. thank goodness my mom decided to stop over for a bit, she stayed with david at home. they took her blood--she didn't even cry! she's a tough cookie. they got a urine sample. all tests came back normal. thank god. their guess? a seizure. omg, i can't take it. she has always been so healthy. now a seizure? i'm going to call her neurologist to see what he has to say. by the time we left the hospital, she was completely back to her normal giggly self.

it was the scariest.thing.ever. i thought at any moment that she was going to pass out. or stop breathing. i still get overwhelmed just thinking about it. i held it together until we put them to bed. i asked hubs if he would go get me cake or ice cream...then i lost it. holy cow. so scary.

Lost

2011-09-26T20:21:00.000-04:00

it seems that i have lost my way. i'm tired. my heart isn't into much lately. i haven't sewn anything. no crafts. no working out. a little baking. and clearly-no blogging! i want to do all of the things that i love, but apparently i have lost my groove. my day starts off with a plan, and usually it goes pretty well. then i hit the wall. most nights i stare at nothing special on the computer. well, last night i caught up on the season premiere of csy:ny. great episode.

i'm not sure where this funk is coming from. the kids haven't really been too bad. hubs is still working his balls off, but i'm getting used to that now. hell, he's been at wally world for almost a year now! i have help. my parents are amazing. i have a couple of friends. i usually visit with my one girlfriend and her 3 month old sweet little boy once a week. last week, my sissy and i got together with a friend for munchies and wine.

its been a while since i've have had a really good belly laugh. i hate that.

my head is telling the rest of me to snap out of it, but my heart just hasn't followed yet.

ok. enough boo hoo. how about some things that still make me smile:
*its fall, my favorite season!
*emily lost another tooth! such a big girl!
*david has started saying so many new words!
*david is 95% potty trained!!(that darn poop!)
*i love my husband, and he loves me.(just celebrated our 8 year wedding anniversary!)
*i wake up every morning with hope.
*i wake up every morning.

hey, self----snap out of it!!

the latest

2011-07-23T10:01:00.000-04:00

i know, i know...its been a while. no excuses really, just haven't felt like making any time for my blog. i do miss it though! so what have i been up to? the kids are having fun at their extended school year programs. emily goes for a full day, and david goes for four hours. seriously, four hours to myself is simply amazing! i can clean without interruptions, sew, or just sit my ass on the couch! heaven.

i've been in to doing my own nails. don't have the dough to get them done, so i found a polish brand that i'm in looove with. ZOYA. check them out. you'll love them like i do. beautiful colors. chemical free. and if you like them on facebook, they run some amazing promotions. most of my collection has been free or seriously discounted!! i heart that. a lot. i am currently rocking sooki from their summertime collection.

ok, so what else? i've been couponing for about a month now. i'm officially hooked. living rich with coupons is an amazing site that basically does the leg work for you. from coupon match ups to keeping you updated on the latest printable coupons. its been the best move i have ever made. with a little bit of effort, a pair of scissors and a printer, i have knocked $50 off of my average weekly budget(and its still going down). i save anywhere from $60-$80 a week!! my stockpile is growing, and so is my savings account! i round off what i save for the week and transfer it into my savings account. love that!

i need another one of these metal racks!! lol

other than that, i'm just trying to stay cool. new jersey is having a horrible heat wave right now. i hate the summer, i really do! my white irish ass can't take all of this hot sun! come ooon autumn!!

the hubs is still working like crazy, but our michigan vacation is coming up! can't wait for all of us to spend the week together!!! <3

photo tales tuesday

2011-07-19T10:28:00.000-04:00

this passed weekend, the hubs and i celebrated our 14th anniversary! we started dating when i was 16! this photo is from my senior prom, we had already been dating at this point for almost 2 years. no joke-i knew i was going to marry him the night we met.

~~~{~~{@Always & Forever, Justin.@}~~}~~~

photo tales tuesday

2011-07-05T08:53:00.000-04:00

The Deer Whisperer

we took the kids to space farms yesterday. they loved it. and the deer loved david!

hubs and i went to space farms when we were kids. it was fun to take our kids now!!

meeeemoriesssss.....

photo tales tuesday

2011-06-28T07:27:00.000-04:00

after having french toast for dinner with emily the other night, i came up with a cup cake concoction that i think is pretty darn tasty! while we ate our french toast, it made me think of IHOP's stuffed french toast! and i came up with breakfast for dessert!

you can find the recipe for stuffed french toast cupcakes @ my other blog The Bedtime Baker

i'm linking up with beth @ laugh until you cry

some bits and pieces

2011-06-24T07:34:00.001-04:00

*the kids are on "summer break". thank GOD for extended school year programs! david goes back in 8 days. emily in 12. yes, i'm counting.

*i'm also counting down the days 'til our vacation in august! we're off to michigan to visit my uncle and aunt. its going to be, approx, a 13 hr car ride. pray for us.

*i turned 30 in april, and in the last 2 1/2 months, my face has broken out like i'm a 16 year old. WTF?! trying everything to remedy the situation.

*seriously considering starting a mobile bakery. just need funds. and a truck. this could take a while.

*david is going on a sleep over to grandma and grandpa's house for the weekend.(doing the happy dance internally) emily and i will shop.(will do the happy dance down the isles of target with emily)

*hubs is still working like crazy. the money is helping. i miss him.

*my sissy and i are planning a sleepover. sangria, sewing, and baked goods will likely be involved.

*working out regularly again.

*drinking my 8 cups of water daily.

*still hanging on to the last 10lbs. i'm close to just saying eff it...eat the cake and work out. i'm good with a snug size 8.

*my tomatoes plants are getting bigger. i can almost taste the sammiches.

*starting a new quilt tonight. even though i have three that need to be finished.

so that's about it.

photo tales tuesday

2011-06-21T07:28:00.000-04:00

Because i can't usually get the kids to sit together for a nice family photo...

... here they are, separately, with their daddy on Father's Day!

love.

photo tales tuesday

2011-05-31T10:20:00.000-04:00

ok so this is a few photos, but i'm in love with this video that i was able to create through P&G's Thank you Mom video creator! every time you "like" their page, leave a comment, or create a video, they make a donation to the special olympics!

photo tales tuesday

2011-05-24T07:50:00.000-04:00

ok, this is a terrible photo, but i didn't want to wake him up.

i was trying to be all stealthy and stuff...which didn't work, because he woke up as soon as the flash popped. anyhoo. sick kids are no fun...

photo tales tuesday

2011-05-17T08:52:00.000-04:00

this passed sunday, i was feeling weepy. every little thing made me cry. we got to spend a few hours in the morning with my hubs, but then he had to go to work. 2-11pm on sundays(and saturdays too, btw). i was just sad. so i baked. i made hot milk sponge cake with chocolate ganache and chocolate butter cream. it was heavenly.

then yesterday, i was feeling guilty for eating cake all day on sunday. so i threw that beautiful cake in the garbage so i wouldn't sit and eat the whole thing. :o/

photo tales tuesday

2011-05-10T06:53:00.000-04:00

yesterday was huge! monumental even! not only did david turn THREE, but it was also his first day of school!!

i mean really, where does the time go?

he had an amazing first day, and grandma and grandpa where here when he got off of the bus!

Happy Birthday, Handsome! Mommy is so proud of you! I love you more than words can say!

oh, and i made it halfway back down the driveway before i lost it. then i locked myself out of the house---momentarily. (i just had to punch in the code on the garage door). then i cried while getting gas because my car didn't have any kids in it. good thing for large sunglasses!

two preschoolers

2011-05-04T08:25:00.000-04:00

how is that even possible? on monday, my two babies will be in school! someone is going to need to scrape me off of the driveway when the bus pulls away with my baby boy on it! today we go in for his IEP and he gets to see his classroom and meet his teacher! i think he's going to thrive, i really do! he's going to have an excellent speech therapist! she was emily's for early intervention, then she got hired by the district right after emily transitioned into preschool!
emily goes full day, but david is going to start @ 2 1/2 hours 5 days/week(afternoon session). it will be really nice to NOT have to tip toe around the house while he naps! the kid can hear a pin drop, i swear! i'm afraid to even fart!
i think its going to be good for all of us!
i just can not believe how fast they are growing up!

photo tales tuesday

2011-05-03T08:45:00.001-04:00

yesterday was my hubby's 34th birthday. he didn't have to work his 2nd job. instead, he got to spend some quality time with david! it was wonderful. (and i'm halfway to a new garden box! there was something for everyone yesterday! tee hee)

link up your photo and story over HERE!

lonely

2011-04-30T15:12:00.000-04:00

that is what i have been feeling most days. lonely. hubs has been working his second job for almost 7 months now, and while the pay check is helping our pockets...its really hurting my heart. we miss each other, he misses the kids, i miss him being with the kids, i miss having help around here. and there is nothing that can be done about that right now. i'm trying to stick it out and be strong, but i'm wearing pretty thin these days. the pms isn't helping either this week! all i want to do is cry.

he feels completely terrible and guilty, and i don't want that. i tell him over and over again how proud i am of him. he is doing this because he IS a good husband and father. i was hoping that david would get into the full day pre school program, but they are starting him out at 2 1/2 hrs, 5 days/week(which in reality, is better for him...he's going to need baby steps at first). so that means i can't even get a part time job during the day. hubs likes his second job. he recently got bumped up the latter into a new position, and also got a raise. so he doesn't really want to leave, we just want to figure out a way to spend more time together.

i try to break up the monotony of the week be going to my parents' house one night for dinner. david gets to run around, and emily doesn't have to spend as much time alone with him! lol the rest of the nights, its just me. alone. this passed week david slept over my parents' house one night because emily had to get up early for an MRI. it was nice because i got to have a girls night with emily and my sissy. i think i need more things like that during the week. its hard with everyone else's schedules though...and i don't want to be a bother to anyone.

i know this is only temporary. we just need to make the best out of the time we DO have together.

oh well, that's the situation. we'll see what happens, i guess!

photo tales tuesday

2011-04-26T08:51:00.000-04:00

my girl beth has started a new linky party~~and today is the first edition of Photo Tales Tuesday! please link up a favorite photo, and share a little blurb about the story behind it!
here is my photo...ok, well, there are two, really. it was really hard to decide on the first one, but here is goes...

this was our first group shot after we brought david home. it was here that i knew our family was complete. can you see the exhaustion on our faces?! lol

this is us almost three years later:

...still exhausted, but happy. lol

too long

2011-03-30T09:29:00.000-04:00

its been too long! i'm not even going to make excuses, i just haven't made the time to blog. well, how about i just jump right into it with a quick craft?!

Make your own CURLY BOW! i'm all about gift wrap. the paper, the bags, the bows--all of it! my sissy and i will be celebrating our 30th this saturday! after finding the gifts, and the bags, i could not find some bows that were up to par. what's up with that, hallmark?! any hoo, here is my version...

you'll need:
curling ribbon
scissors
yes, that's it.

for the small bag, i cut 10 strands of ribbon approx. 12-18 inches long. for the large bag i cut 10 strands approx. 24 inches long.
after you cut your 10 strands, cut one more. if you have an extra set of hands, insert now:

tie them all up with that last piece of ribbon.

curl away, and tie onto your bags! i just used a single knot...you do want your recipient to be able to open their gift!

much better.
here's a thought: want to stick this to a package instead of a bag? well then, staple your bow to a small piece of card stock, and slap on a piece of double sided tape! ta daaaa!!
happy wrapping! :o)

emily's par-tay!

2011-03-10T20:46:00.000-05:00

it was really a nice day. no fuss, no muss!

a good time was had by all!!

for details about emily's cake, check out my other blog!!

my little girl is FIVE today!!!

2011-03-01T08:49:00.000-05:00

Emily,
You are an amazing little girl. These last five years have been such a gift. I am so proud to be your mommy, and I love you more than words can say. Happy 5th Birthday my sweet girl!! <3

its been a long weekend

2011-02-21T17:29:00.000-05:00

i've been having a hard time putting my thoughts into words lately. with emily's 5th birthday swiftly approaching, i've been feeling sad. feeling sad mostly, i think, because she is growing up so fast, but also, because i'm afraid of what we're missing. with her delays, she's not doing what a typically developing child does. she doesn't play with dolls or do hubby's hair. when we go shopping, she doesn't help me pick out her clothes. she doesn't play with toys that a 5 year old would play with. this has been a very difficult time for me. are we going to miss doing all of these mommy/daughter things? will they just pass us by?? i don't know, and that sucks. i'm so proud of how far she's come in the last couple of years. i need to remember her accomplishments instead of dwelling on things that may never be.
my love and pride for her will never fade. no matter what.

new blog!

2011-02-08T11:01:00.000-05:00

i have started another blog!! lol, i know...now i have three! you can follow all of my baking adventures @ The Bedtime Baker!

stay right here @ Tina's Place for stories and day to day stuff about the fam...and don't forget about The Clumsy Spider! over there my sissy and i share our sewing fun!

thanks for reading! xoxo

valentine's day sock "cupcake"

2011-02-06T12:35:00.003-05:00

i have adapted this project using a tutorial from seven thirty three.

i fell in love with this idea when i first saw it! its perfect for emily's teacher and aides, but i ran into a couple of problems since i was using adult socks instead of child size.

first, these are just too big for standard size cupcake wrappers...so i found these cupcake boxes from oriental trading, and opted not to use the cupcake wrappers at all.

however, the socks were still too big to get the lid closed without smashing the top down. so i had to fold them in half, and roll them as tightly as i could!!

but in the end, it all worked out, and they look super cute!! i have a couple of preggie friends, and will be making some "cupcakes" out of baby socks! can't wait!

to go along with the "cupcakes, i will also be gifting some mocha meringue kisses in cute cello bags! you have to have something sweet for valentine's day, right?? emily's bus driver and bus aide will be getting some yummy fudge!

s'mores love

2011-02-03T10:13:00.005-05:00

yesterday was our second snow day in a row. cabin fever was becoming a problem. baking is always a stress reliever for me, so i decided to bake some home made graham crackers.

Homemade Graham Crackers

1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 3/4 cups whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup sugar
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 cup cold butter, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
2 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoon molasses
1/4 cup cold water
1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a food processor, mix together the flours, sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon. Add the cold butter and process until the mixture resembles coarse meal, about 30 seconds or so. Add the honey, molasses, water, and vanilla. Mix until the dough startes to come together in a ball, another 30 seconds. Scrape dough out of the mixer.
Between 2 sheets of waxed or parchment paper, roll the dough 1/8-inch thick. Chill for at least 1 hour, until firm (I chilled for several hours).
Preheat oven to 350F. Retrieve dough and roll it a bit more if it is not yet 1/8-inch thick. With a sharp knife or pizza cutter, cut into 2-inch squares. Arrange the crackers on parchment lined baking sheets. With a toothpick, prick several holes in each cracker.
Bake for 15 minutes, until lightly browned at the edges. Remove from the oven and let cool on the pan.
Yield: 48 crackers
Found this recipe here.

OK, so what good is a graham cracker if you can't make s'mores?? however, i didn't have any marshmallows on hand. back to the kitchen i went with this recipe!

after cutting out my marshmallows, i dunked the bottoms in melted milk chocolate and stuck them to a cookie.

then i spooned some chocolate on top, and sandwiched it with another cookie.

nothing left to do except make a cup of hot chocolate and enjoy!!!

after the chocolate sets up, they stay together really nicely. teacher gift perhaps?? along with a packet of hot chocolate, a mug and a homemade mug rug?

fudge? yes, please. thank you.

2011-02-01T07:43:00.003-05:00

what am i supposed to do while i am dieting--errr---making a "life change", when i need a baking fix? that's easy---make whatever i want and send it to work with the hubs!!! tee hee i also needed to test out a recipe that i found to use as valentine's day gifts for emily's teacher and aides. here we go...

Chocolate Nutella Fudge with Sea Salt
butter for greasing pan
1- 14 oz can sweetened condensed milk
1 tsp vanilla
8 oz bittersweet chocolate chips
1 c nutella
3 tbs unsalted butter @ room temp
sea salt approx 1/2 tsp

grease bottom and sides of an 8x8 pan and line with parchment paper, leaving 2 inches of overhang to help with removing the fudge later.
combine all ingredients -except sea salt- in a glass bowl. place over a pot with a couple inches of water to create a double boiler. i highly recommend using this method and not microwaving it. stir until everything is melted and smooth. pour into your prepared pan and sprinkle with sea salt. refrigerate for at least 2 hours before cutting.
fill a large cup with hot water to heat your knife.(dry your knife before cutting!) start by going around the edges, then remove from the pan using the parchment paper to lift it out. reheat your knife and dry before each cut. i like my fudge on the smaller side, so i went with approx 3/4"-1" pieces.

while typing this post, i realized that i left out the vanilla--woops! i think i was too busy telling david to stop eating the chocolate to realize that i didn't even take it out! it still tastes really good though!! lol

sweet tooth friday domestic fashionista

"un"friending...

2011-01-29T07:55:00.002-05:00

i love me some facebook! most of my friends are indeed, real life friends and family. i love that we can all keep in touch. lets face it, life gets in the way sometimes, and its hard to make time for ourselves let alone the important people in our lives. i can upload current pics of the kids, post projects that i loved working on, and just plain communicate with the outside world! its hard to get out when you have a crazy-almost-three-year-old that-thinks-he's-35 child running around!

all that being said, there are a few people that are "friends of friends" type acquaintances.   these are the individuals that you wouldn't necessarily befriend in an everyday setting, but since they sent you the request, you accept. why not? right?

ok, so there is this girl...well, she's a 27 year old woman, really--a mom-to-be to boot...i say "girl" because she's really not all that mature for her age. since the moment she found out that she was pregnant, she insisted that she was having a girl. even went so far as to stock the closet full of little girl's clothes. really? i knew karma would intervene on this one. and indeed, it did. she found out yesterday that she is in fact, having a bouncing baby boy! the way that she has handled herself since sharing the news is, in my humble opinion, appalling!   there was no fanfare...not even an exclamation point at the end of her sentence..."its a boy" was her status. seriously? i'd be screaming that to the world! we all know that screaming or yelling in the interweb world would read something like this: ITS A BOY!!!!!!!!!! that wasn't really the appalling part. the comments she started leaving made me cringe. comments about being shocked and disappointed. about how she thought in a few years they'd being playing dress up and going to see the disney princesses--and how that wouldn't' happen now unless he is gay. that she will not have anymore children (and i'm paraphrasing here) only to get fat and be uncomfortable to be disappointed again. she is acting like its the biggest let down of her life!

i am totally dumbfounded that anyone who is about to be a mother could act like this--like a baby!   there are so many women in this world that would love to trade places with her because they can not have a child of their own.

needless to say, i have "unfriended" her. it was so hard to not say something to her, but in reality, we aren't friends in the outside world so its not my place...and i thought i'd take the higher road, and just quietly leave her internet life. if her family and friends choose to coddle her, and try to convince her that a boy is still a gift, that is their choice. if someone needs "convincing" that their child is a blessing, then i don't need to be a part of that. i need people in my life that share the joys of being a parent...not one's that wish the outcome was different. ugh. heaven help her if this kid ever finds out the things that were said...

on that note i am PROUD to be a mommy to BOTH of my children!! they make me laugh and smile, and they fill me up with joy! i love you my babies---no matter what!

its snowing....again.

2011-01-26T11:09:00.000-05:00

ugh. more snow in nj. emily is getting out of school @ 12:30 today. hubs will be staying home from his second job. it will definitely be nice to have him home tonight though. i've been in a pretty good mood lately--even with the snow.
a friend came over last night...we chatted and ate potato chips and a block of cheese. i didn't care that i was supposed to be "dieting"...she's preggers. she gets to decide the menu, and i was happy to oblige! other than the chips and cheese, ive been eating really healthy most days and working out. my jeans are starting to get loose! woo hoo!

i'm am bummed about a couple of things though...first: i can NOT find my valentine's day decorations! apparently they have gotten feet and walked away. second: the little slot in my computer where the memory card goes(sorry, i do not know what the technical term is) is NOT working!! i've taken some cute pics and video of the kiddos and pooch...and i CAN NOT upload them!! grrr

other than that though...things are pretty good around here. i now have to end this post picture-less...

:o/

60 days and counting...

2011-01-19T07:29:00.000-05:00

...until SPRING! at this point it can't get here fast enough! we are completely encased in ice right now! winter, i am officially over you. i couldn't even take the kids out yesterday if i wanted to! poor ginger slipped and fell a few times just trying to pee! yep. done.

bring on the easter bunny, my garden, and ALL of the bugs that go with it! yes, i'd take the bugs over the ice right now.

at least emily is going back to school today. mommy will have to deal with her cabin fever a little longer!

alright, it DOES look pretty...and luckily we didn't lose our power....but that doesn't change anything....

a new addtion!

2011-01-18T10:12:00.001-05:00

ok, so i was totally heart broken that maggie didn't work out for us. however, heartbreak has turned into happiness---because we now have Ginger as a member of our family!

she is a 3 year old yorkie, and we love her to bits!! david is having a hard time understanding "gentle" play and being more quiet! he thinks that ginger should be playing trucks with him--he'll catch on eventually! emily could care less that she's here! haha!! although, ginger and emily have made an unspoken arrangement...emily drops her food, and ginger will clean it up. i think we're all going to get along swimmingly! :o)

let down

2011-01-13T12:38:00.000-05:00

maggie will not become the newest member of our family ::insert sad face here:: it turns out maggie's owner lied when she said that she was 5 years old. after reluctantly handing over the paperwork, it was confirmed that she is actually 14 years old. she said she lied because she knew we wouldn't take her knowing that she maybe only had a year of life left--no doubt filled with medical problems(which i'm sure she happily thought wouldn't be her burden by passing her off to my family).
i am so disappointed. luckily, my kiddos are young enough that i won't have to sit them down to explain this awful news. i really hadn't told them that we'd be getting maggie tonight. being a little cautious proved to be a good way to go. david did see the new water bowl this morning, but he was more interested in filling it with water than the fact that there should be a doggie to go along with it.
oh well, the search for our pooch continues.

snow day? really?

2011-01-12T07:15:00.000-05:00

it seems odd to me that school was canceled last night---before the storm had really even gotten a chance to dump on us. we were expecting about 6-10 inches. i wake up this morning to clear roads, and maybe about 5-6 inches on the ground. back when i was in school, we maaaybe would have gotten a delayed opening! i would have tossed and turned all night with anticipation, only to wake up in the morning to a complete let down. what kind of crap is this? i'd hate to give the old "in MY day..." speech, but really, a snow day for 6 inches? we lived through the blizzard of '96...i think schools today can suck it up for a few lousy inches!
oh well, what am i really complaining about anyway? i get to have emily home, and the hubs has decided to take the day off from his full time job too. i get to spend the day with my family...so ok...i'll stop bitching.

maggie will be here tomorrow night! i'm so excited to bring her into our family! this week has been dragging! yesterday david was cooperative enough so that i could do a little "dog proofing" around the house! hubs is going to pick up a few doggie toys and a couple of bowls. my MIL is supposed to be bringing a dog bed and some food to start her off(she has 4 shih tzus of her own, so she knows what we'll need to get us started). can't wait!

the spark people thing is going really well. i'm feeling motivated, and happy with my progress. i'm starting to notice a difference in how i feel--physically and mentally! i cheated and jumped on the scale this morning, and i've lost another LB...that's -5 lbs in just over a week! love it. i'm going to be 30 and fabulous damn it!

oh well, i'm sure david will be up shortly, so i'll say good bye now!! :o)

taking care of myself

2011-01-10T11:00:00.000-05:00

its been a while! i was so consumed with the holidays, i just decided to give blogging a break for a bit. not sure if i'm back 100% yet, but we'll see. the holidays were nice...uneventful even! the kids had a great christmas, i love watching them and remembering the christmases of my childhood. wonderful memories. i get the warm fuzzies just thinking about it! david is still on a santa kick. there are some lingering books and things that haven't made their way back to the shelves, so he is very much still the "it" thing for david! when he sees his picture, he points out the window--referring to the north pole. "yes david", i reply, "santa is back at the north pole until next year---but you still have to be a good boy!" i loved having emily home, even with the added stress. she and david got along pretty well, so i'd say it was a successful christmas break for her! she was READY to be back to school last week though!

last monday i joined sparkpeople.com. its a free diet/healthy lifestyle website. with the help of their daily meal plans, as well as working out regularly again, i have lost 4 lbs in a week! whaat? its so easy to follow, and the food isn't crazy diet food!! its totally adaptable to any lifestyle, or goal that you may have. i would definitely recommend it if you're looking to get healthy!

i'm looking forward to 2011. i'm definitely hoping for less stress! david may be starting preschool in may! he'll have his eval. with the school district in march(because of his speech needs). the possibility of having 2 kids in school just blows my mind! i also turn 30 this year! i have to say, i think my 30's will bring some new adventures--bring it on!

this week we will also be getting a new member of the family! maggie will be arriving on wednesday(weather pending)! she is a 5 year old shih tzu! we've been considering a dog for a little while now. the groomer that my mother in law works for has a client that needs to give up one of her three dogs(her husband passed away and she's having a hard time coping and taking care of the dogs). i guess we'll call it fate! i'm hoping she'll be what we need to lift our spirits a little while hubs has been working so many long hours.

oh well, i guess that's it for now!! hope that everyone's 2011 has been good thus far!! :o)

the cold that wouldn't DIE!

2010-11-30T08:54:00.000-05:00

holy cow, this cold will NOT leave my house! emily started with it last tuesday, and still has a cough. mine started on thanksgiving, and i still have it! oh, and i'm on day 4 without a voice! yesterday david started with his...my husband will be the last to get it. oh, and he'll get it!

besides the piles of tissues, coughing, and sneezing, we're doing well. its been a while since my last post. we had a nice thanksgiving with the family. i'm really looking forward to getting in to the christmas spirit now! hubs brought up the decorations last night, hopefully i'll have them up by the weekend.

on friday i'll be meeting with emily's school psychologist to discuss some strategies on behavior. emily has been getting better, but i want to find a way for all of us to be consistent. i'm looking forward to it! also on friday--date night!! woo hoo!! seriously looking forward to that!!

i can not come up with a pic(s) to use for a christmas card. i fear that i may use a plain old boxed card this year. for some reason, i just have no desire to put the kids through a photo shoot. i mean, it would be my sister shooting, but we haven't come up with a time to do it anyway. i don't want to push them, i'll just end up regretting it anyway, and having to calm them down! maybe next year! i still have a little time to decide, but the clock is ticking!

david had a terrible night of sleep, so i put him back to bed when i got emily up for school. to my surprise, he went back to sleep!! i think i'll go pull up some couch before he wakes up again. then we have to make a quick trip to cvs for more tissues!! i'll leave you with some pics from thanksgiving! hope you all enjoyed your holiday!

a passage into manhood

2010-11-09T08:42:00.001-05:00

yesterday was an odd day. i was super forgetful--which isn't totally out of the norm, but if my head wasn't attached, i'm sure that would still be missing today. i went to my sissy's house with david. i forgot extra clothes, juice, his sippie cup, and my cell phone! and to top it all off, we got our first taste of snow and sleet all day long.

when david and i got home, i still couldn't find his sippie cup. no biggie, it was nap time anyway. my good napper turned into a one hour quickie and woke up right before i had to get emily off of the bus. crap. instead of bundling him up i thought i would gate him in the living room. the pink panther was on, he lvoes the pink panther. he loves mommy more because he was glued to the window the entire time. so i waved. i knew he saw me wave, because then he got emily's pony flashlight and started waving it at me.

i guess he was trying to communicate with the light! the next thing i see is him banging on the glass, with the pony light. in my head, i knew he was yelling while banging. i gave him the "NO" finger wave from the car...he stopped. "that worked?", i thought..."sweet!" i can scold him with my thoughts...i AM super mom! until i saw him reach through the pain of glass. "SHIT!" i through the car in reverse, flew into the house to see the glass smashed in. then i looked for the blood. there was none! thank GOD! i snatched him up, through him in his car seat, and continued to wait for emily...checking for cuts the whole time. because of the weather, emily's bus was a little late...good thing. i checked again for any cuts when he had his bath. i don't know how he made it through with NOTHING! if that was me, i'd be a bloody mess @ the hospital--crying, no doubt.

so the sippie cup is gone. i have no idea where it is. david has transitioned to a big boy cup...with a straw. so the breaking of the window has lead to a new big boy stage. i'm hoping today is just a regular normal day...broken glass-free! i can only take one life altering moment at a time!

happy belated halloween!

2010-11-04T14:31:00.001-04:00

it dawned on me that i never posted pics from halloween! the kids were awesome! david held it together despite not having his nap. emily was so fun to watch this year! she walked almost the whole time and even held her own bag!

i am now in the process of trying to come down from the sugar high. not an easy task when there is a giant bowl of nummies calling my name!!

apples and pudding on the kitchen rug

2010-10-28T08:54:00.000-04:00

that was our theme song last night!! it made david dance and emily smile. i make up silly songs when i'm in a stressful situation...try it, it helps!

last night, dinner started off a little rough. well, kind of...ALOT rough! emily was screaming like she was being beaten, she was throwing herself on the floor--scary stuff! contrary to her screams, she was NOT being beaten...she was mad because david was playing with his trucks. so i decided to whisk the two of them up for a bath. it worked. no, the tub was not filled with holy water to excercise her demons...but apparently it did wash away her crankies! it was a nice night after that. we went down to the kitchen where we all sat on our little kitchen rug and, you guessed it, ate apples and pudding! hey, whatever works @ this point!! we played, watched cartoons, and the two of them even sat with me at one point for a snuggle--at the same time! good stuff.
this morning, emily was happy as a clam!

progress

2010-10-27T09:10:00.001-04:00

so things have been getting better with emily. we had a really great weekend. i'm not sure who was watching over us, but for two hours we all played nice until david went down for his nap. it was amazing.

on sunday night, hubs gutted pumpkins. at that point the weekend of being alone with the kids was swiftly catching up with me. i wanted no part in the pumpkin carving. so after the kids went to bed, and while i was pouting by myself, hubs carved both pumpkins.

yesterday my mom took david for the afternoon...it was awesome. when emily got home from school i took her down to my parents' house for dinner. she didn't have her nap, and she was totally happy. it was really a great night.

tonight i'll be on my own with the kiddos. i'm going to throw some chicken in the crock pot, and keep my fingers crossed that tonight will go smoothly! with the way things have been going, i'm confident.

so, this is about the only "scooping" that david did:

just a reminder, things are getting underway over at The Clumsy Spider!! check it out!!

i smell cake

2010-10-20T10:20:00.000-04:00

last night i made dinner and brought it over to my parents' house. my dad is a hunter, and he got his first deer last week(his first one in a looong time! lol) *please, no hunting haters! anyhoo, i'm a big stew lover, so i made it with venison! so yummy! besides the stew, we had to have dessert, right? right! i have been eyeballing a recipe from my favorite site, allrecipes.com. its the "too much chocolate cake", however, i was missing the chocolate pudding. dang, i really wanted chocolate too! ok, time to improvise. i had strawberry cake mix and white chocolate instant pudding. seriously, it is a winning combination. while i didn't get the white chocolate flavor per say, the cake was so moist and delicious...and the smell, holy strawberries, did this smell good!!
you'll need:
1 (18.25 ounce) package devil's food cake mix
1 (5.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup sour cream1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup warm water
2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
*keep in mind, you can use any flavor combination you like!!)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, mix together the cake and pudding mixes, sour cream, oil, beaten eggs and water. Stir in the chocolate chips and pour batter into a well greased 12 cup bundt pan.
Bake for 50 to 55 minutes, or until top is springy to the touch and a wooden toothpick inserted comes out clean. Cool cake thoroughly in pan at least an hour and a half before inverting onto a plate If desired, dust the cake with powdered sugar.

i know that i've been on a healthy kick, but really, when you need a treat, this is worth it! i did opt to use light sour cream and sugar free pudding--because that's what i had!! i can't wait to try more flavors!!!

pumpkin picking

2010-10-19T10:25:00.000-04:00

ok, so even though our family photo didn't turn out how i would have hoped(again), we did have a nice time at the pumpkin patch. emily only cried when we got there because the hay ride(with no hay) was coming around. david loved running from pumpkin to pumpkin and helping his grandpa put the winners in the wagon!

the pumpkin patch

2010-10-18T08:41:00.000-04:00

we took the kids pumpkin picking with my parents yesterday. its always an adventure! emily always cries as soon as we get there. david has to touch every.single.pumpkin he sees! every year we try to get a family photo...every year, we fail! hahaha

the proof:

2006

we don't even have a "family" shot with emily because she only wanted grandma, and cried for just about the entire time!

2007

i'm about one month pregnant with david(although i look like i'm already 6 months!), my jeans are too tight, i had a growth on my chin, and emily hated it this year too!

2008

david was clueless, the sun was too much for emily and hubs, and i looked like i was trying to smuggle some pumpkins in my shirt(and my jeans were still too tight!)

2009

holy sun! we were all blind!

2010

this year was no different...except we had a screamer! david just wanted to run around the pumpkins, and try to fit as many in the wagon as he could! emily was the best she's ever been though! this may be a contender for the christmas card...

maybe next year we'll have a winner!

beatitudes for friends of special children

2010-10-14T10:19:00.000-04:00

Blessed are you who take the time to listen to difficult speech, for you help me to know that if I persevere I can be understood.

Blessed are you who never bid me to "hurry up" and take my tasks from me and do them for me, for often I need time rather than help.

Blessed are you who stand beside me as I enter new untried ventures, for my failures will be outweighed by the times I surprise myself and you.

Blessed are you who asked me for my help, for my greatest need is to be needed.

Blessed are you who understand that it is difficult for me to put my thoughts into words.

Blessed are you whom with a smile, encourage me to try once more.

Blessed are you who never remind me that today I asked the same question two times.

Blessed are you who respect me and love me as I am-Just as I am, and not like you wish I were. 

i have been having a hard time with emily again. its really not good timing with hubs starting his part time job. i just feel stressed and weak. i found that little passage above in emily's school handbook this year. sometimes we all need a little reminder to put things into perspective.

i know that this rough patch will pass, just as they all do.

fire prevention success!

2010-10-12T09:54:00.000-04:00

hubs had a blast doing fire prevention for emily's school! he could not stop smiling when he got home! the kids and teachers had a great time!
i thought everyone could use a treat, so i made cupcakes with chocolate fire hats!

i had ordered fire truck molds to make lolly pops, but they came one day too late! dang it! so i used the chocolate melts to "draw" fire hats! i'm not sure i'd recommend this! i was all out of whack from being hunched over these things! i was so concerned with finishing them, that i forgot to take pics! ugh. in essence, i printed off a bunch of fire hat pics from microsoft word's clip art. then with wax paper over a cookie sheet, i traced them with the melted milk chocolate in a zippie bag with a very small hole clipped in the corner of the bag. next i filled in with the red, then the white. it was seriously time consuming, but i like the way they turned out!

mentally preparing...and its fire prevention week!

2010-10-07T08:38:00.001-04:00

tonight my hubs starts his new part time job. he'll be a sales associate @ walmart in the electronics dept. he's excited about it. i'm feeling a little overwhelmed. i'm happy about the extra income...we absolutely, 100% need the money. but his hours are 5pm-12am. that means he won't have enough time to stop home after his full time job. that means i'll be on my own with the kids. emily is least tolerant of david from the hours of 4pm-bedtime. and they both have colds. not to mention he'll be working weekends. this week its saturday and sunday, next week he'll have sunday off. its scary. maybe i should have gotten the part time job(we've both been applying, but he got the first call--actually, i haven't even gotten one call!). i know that if i ask my parents to come over to help, they will. i just feel like its my responsibility. i wish i didn't worry so much! this really is a good thing. he's amazing for doing this...for taking care of us.

anyway. i'll be fine. lol

did you know that this week is fire prevention week? ok, so thursday is a little late to be reminding you, but better late than never, right? hubs is taking a fire truck over to emily's school tomorrow! he's very excited to be able to do it for them. and the school is super excited that he offered. for some reason they have not participated in fire prevention in a few years. i think the old principal dropped the ball. the new principal is awesome though, and very welcoming to fun ideas and suggestions. hopefully we'll get some pics. david and i won't be able to attend because we have his IFSP planning meeting for early intervention. services should be able to start in about a week after we set is goals up.

talk to the kiddos about escape routes and stop drop and roll. don't forget to check the batteries in your smoke and CO alarms ans test them regularly!

you can also check out the NFPA for more tips and activities for the kids!

shouldn't it be friday by now?

2010-09-29T16:53:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-09-26T16:23:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-24T10:25:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-21T09:58:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-16T08:16:00.002-04:00

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

2010-09-14T09:32:00.002-04:00

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

2010-09-13T08:29:00.002-04:00

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

2010-09-11T07:26:00.000-04:00

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

2010-09-08T15:50:00.000-04:00

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?

2010-09-07T06:50:00.000-04:00

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!

2010-09-06T08:10:00.001-04:00

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!

ok, i really just can not come up with a title this morning!

2010-08-02T08:25:00.000-04:00

on friday, we went to emily's pinewood derby. although she didn't win, we all had a great time! hubs is already planning next year's car to get a better performance! she absolutely loved that hubs was there!

and david was just happy that he was finally allowed to play with her car after the race!

after the kiddos went to bed, hubs and i vegged with some root beer floats.(we didn't neglect them, they got theirs after dinner!)

this weekend was pretty relaxing. on saturday morning i did a little shopping with my sissy. specifically i needed to get a bridal shower gift. the bride and groom are registered at bed bath and beyond. not a terrible place to spend a morning with your sissy. the problem with BBB is that once you put certain items on the registry, they have to be ordered--i know because my sissy registered there for her shower. i had something in mind for her, but was starting to get worried because page after page, item after item read "see associate"--which in BBB terms means- "we do not have this item, we must order it...oh, you're here 3 days before the shower?--you're screwed." ok, so i was there a week before, but still...it sucks. but alas, i did find the gift that i had my eye on--the set of cookie pans. i also got her a little cookie spatula and pot holders. they did not have the pot holders she asked for, again the dreaded "see associate" appeared...so...she's getting the other brand! i am also making her an apron. i like giving gifts with a theme!

hubs hung with the kiddos while i was out. i even got to go out to lunch(thanks again, marie!) i love hanging with my sissy.

i made another batch of ice cream. this time, i made vanilla and swirled in the homemade magic shell AND this fabulous peanut butter sauce that i found @ taste of home.

1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
3 tablespoons butter
Pinch salt
1 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup evaporated milk

in a 1-1/2-qt. microwave-safe dish, combine the brown sugar, corn syrup, butter and salt. Cover and microwave on high for 2-1/2 minutes or until mixture boils, stirring twice. Add peanut butter; stir until smooth. Stir in evaporated milk.

*i cut this in half and used half and half instead of the evap. milk--i didn't have any! it was delicious!!!
i did not take a picture of this...we just couldn't wait!! haha

i also was inspired by BJ Mama to bust out my "one yard wonders" book, and make something for myself!
most of my little sewing tools are kept in one of our desk's cubbyholes. however, david has now spotted them...a two year old with sewing pins and a rotary cutter= BAD NEWS! so i made myself the sewing kit to keep all of my essentials together.

i hope everyone has a great week!!

the things we do for love

2010-07-29T07:55:00.000-04:00

emily's pinewood derby is tomorrow. this year, we decided to make her car at home. hubs was all about giving her a great car. last year's performance was less than stellar, and he couldn't have that! ok people, what you are about to see is ALL my husband's handy work! (ok, i did the painting, but only so it could be ready for him when he got home from work!)

now that's a daddy's love!!

i wanted to say a quick thank you for all of the hugs and kind words yesterday. i'm feeling better, and have a smile on my face again. <3

a breakdown

2010-07-28T09:25:00.000-04:00

yeah, a big one.   last night i literally sobbed my eyes out while cooking dinner and explaining to hubs what was going on in my head.

i tend to bottle things up because i don't want hubs to worry. i think my issues are my own--that i am alone. i know that is the furthest thing from the truth.

i'm not sure where to begin. i think david has really hit his stride with the "terrible twos". some days he is just.horrible. i mean, to the point where i want to stuff him in a closet--or better yet, i'd rather hide in the closet!   he's really been wearing on my nerves. i never had to go through this with emily...i think i may be in shock. we stay in the house. i am afraid to take him out in public. he leaves me crying and mortified in the car when i do take him out. the other day we went grocery shopping with my mom, and he wouldn't get out of the freakin car! he is really trying to assert his independence...and i'm really trying not to kill him. its overwhelming.

emily is doing terrific in school. but i still find myself going through periods of grief...even anger. why her? why our family? haven't we been through enough? i worry about her future. will she transition into a regular school? will the kids be mean to her? (btw, i had a terrible school experience-from middle school, all the way through high school. that's where my paranoia comes from!) will she get married and have kids? i mean, these are things that every parent worries about, i suppose...but for me, it seems so magnified right now. sometimes its hard to just "take it a day at a time."

hubs is looking for a part time job. he has an interview on friday with target. his hours are just not picking back up @ his full time job. he was looking into another job--that would have been great--but they have decided to not hire anyone right now. i have so much guilt that he is the one getting the job. but we both agree that it would be better for me to stay home and hold down the fort. i think its important to be with the kids, but its going to be hard to not see hubs as much. i keep telling myself its temporary. when david starts preschool in about 8 months, i'll be getting something part time. but when i think about it, it makes me sad. my only experience with work since i was 16 is as a cashier or receptionist. the two jobs i hate most on this earth. i want to do something that i love. i'd love to be creative. but it takes some $$ to be creative. i have an associates degree, but what the heck am i supposed to do with that?

i want my kids to be proud of me. i'm so hard on myself. i think i'm a terrible mother, a terrible wife. i know that neither of those things are true, but can we say "low self esteem". what's up with that?    sigh.

the bottom line is that i love my kids and i love my husband. but i need to love myself more and give myself some credit. AND i need to tell hubs what's going on--he probably thought he was going to scrape me off the kitchen floor last night!!

a cool treat

2010-07-26T08:00:00.000-04:00

on saturday night we had our friends, sissy and brother in law, and my brother over--so mommy could get a little adult stimulation! i'm going to make more of an effort to do this on a regular basis, it seriously helps my all around well being!! we went easy for dinner. just burgers, some potato salad and a couple of bloomin' onions! oh so yummy!

we were right in the middle of a very disgusting heat wave, so i was NOT turning my oven on! i wasn't sure what i was going to make for dessert...until i remembered about my ice cream maker that i had only ever used once since receiving it as a wedding gift--almost seven years ago!! here is the recipe i used:

Chocolate Chip mint Ice cream
1 cup whole milk
3/4 cup granulated sugar
2 cups heavy cream, well chilled
1 tsp peppermint extract
4 squares of baker's chocolate chopped fine(or use chocolate chips!)

In a medium bowl, whisk to combine milk and sugar until the sugar is dissolved. stir in heavy cream and peppermint. turn on ice cream machine and pour mixture in. let mix until think, about 25-30 minutes. during the last 5 minutes, add chocolate. Transfer into a freezer safe bowl, and place in freezer until ready to use.

that's it!! now, i couldn't just have the ice cream! so to make it even more delicious, i made some homemade magic shell! you'll need: 1 1/2 cups semi sweet chocolate chips and 1/2 cup coconut oil(measured while solid). microwave for one minute(depending on your microwave), let stand for a minute or two, then stir until smooth. pour over ice cream, or store it in the frige--you'll need to microwave again until smooth.
*you can also use butter in place of the coconut oil.

now, grab a can of whipped cream, a box of waffle bowls, some sprinkles and cherries...and you've got yourself dessert!

nice weekend

2010-07-19T08:36:00.000-04:00

i love my hubs...lyme and all! he stayed with the kids ALL day on saturday so i could teach my sister to use her sewing machine! i really hadn't planned on being gone all day, but time flies when you're having fun! we hemmed her curtains...then she washed them, and the backing melted together...perhaps we should have washed them first to save ourselves the time on hemming...but we tend to do things backwards...so, curtains in the garbage, i brought over an apron pattern, and i showed her how to lay it out. at the end of the day, we got the whole bottom of the apron done! she was so proud of herself...and she should be--she did a great job! she is now just as in love as i am with sewing! we're thinking of starting a blog together detailing our sewing adventures! not sure when that will happen...but it will at some point!

mom and dad stopped up for a quick visit yesterday. with emily in school, we don't get to see them as much. i miss seeing my parents on a daily basis. just because i'm a mom, doesn't mean that i don't want to see them all the time too!

how is this for teamwork...hubs and i changed david's poopy diaper at 10:00 last night, and he never woke up!! love it.

i have to start taking more pictures! i don't even have anything to throw in this post! oh, i've got it...how about a few things i'm loving this summer?

my new "summer curtains" i'm thinking about making curtains for every season! these were super easy!

sweet baby ray's barbecue sauce--any flavor, on anything!!

fruit salad...pretty much the only way i get fresh fruit in my mouth!

dunkin donuts blueberry coffee--iced or hot...num num!

last but, certainly not least...a glass of ginger ale with gooseberry patch's fruity slush cubes!! hubby even likes this!

Fruity Slush Mix(from Gooseberry Patch's More Gifts for Giving)
4c sugar
4c water
6 oz can frozen orange juice concentrate, thawed
1/2 c lemon juice
46 oz can pineapple juice

combine sugar and water in a medium sauce pan; heat over medium low heat until sugar is dissolved. add orange juice concentrate, lemon juice and pineapple juice; stir until blended. fill 6-7 ice cube trays w/ mixture; freeze until firm. remove cubes from trays and store in plastic bags in groups of 8-10 cubes. freeze up to 6 months. makes about 8 servings.

fill glass with frozen cubes; add ginger ale to cover. let stand a few minutes and stir before serving.

lyme sucks

2010-07-14T09:09:00.000-04:00

after having another 45 cc's of fluid drained off of his knee yesterday, its swollen again. oh, and he informed me that the first draining was nearly 60 cc's, not the 20 that i originally thought.

the orthopedic doc doesn't like that the fluid is still cloudy. after hubs told him that he didn't get the warm fuzzies from the primary care doc about the diagnosis, his ortho went above and beyond. he called a lyme specialist that he knows in the area, and was able to put him on stronger meds. we also will be making an appointment to see that specialist in two weeks...thank goodness, he happens to take our insurance!!

hubs called me this morning saying that he can barely walk on it. he doesn't want to leave work. he's upset. he knows that we need the money, but he also does have sick/vacation time. he's afraid that if he uses all his time up for the knee crap, that he won't be able to take time off for emily's next break in august. the lyme is not making this easy. i told him to talk to his boss and maybe he can put him behind a desk for today. his boss has seemed pretty understanding about it all.

i'm waiting for him to call me back to let me know the plan.

lyme disease--you can bite my ass, thanks.

can't take the heat

2010-07-13T07:58:00.001-04:00

no, really...i can't take it! i HATE summer weather!! i would so much rather be cold and get warm, than to be sticky and hot with no reief! ok...we do have air condidtioners...but they give me a stiff neck and dry eyes...ok, enough complaining....

i have to go get emily new sneakers today! its kind of a bummer when all she can wear are high top sneakers. i(or my generous sissy) always order them on line, because most stores don't sell comfortable, supportive high tops. i used to have to pass up all the cute little low tops! that is, until emily's teacher sent home a note yesterday saying that they would like her to try low tops to give her ankle a little movement! WOO HOO! say no more! i'm going to go with my mom, she offered to buy them for her. we had planned on taking david, but hubby stayed home from work today. his knee swelled up again...oh...i'm not sure that i've written about this yet...

hubs had been having trouble with his knee for a little while. he's always kneeling @ work, so we figured it was just from the stress he was putting on them. until the day before my sister's wedding...he noticed that it was swollen...really swollen. i made him go to the doctor. he drained 20 CC's of fluid from it!! the doc said it was the most fluid he's seen in a LONG time...great. it also wasn't the right color to be a knee injury...even better. some blood work later, and we discovered that hubs has Lyme disease. fabulous. he's on the routine meds, and will have his blood rechecked, but hubs did not get the warm fuzzies from his doc about it...lets face it, after some research, docs in NJ are trained to give robotic answers to your serious lyme questions. fortunately, or unfortunately i should say, i have a friend that has chronic lyme...as well as her ENTIRE family! all five of them have it! she's been doing massive amounts of research--because she's good like that...and its really not as simple as some meds and blood work. sigh. so i myself will be doing some research, and most likely trying to find a lyme specialist that takes our insurance--and they're hard to come by...ugh. oh, and the kids and i will surely have to be tested as well...joy.

so back to sneaker shopping...i'm going to ask hubs to stay home with david so i can have some time to myself. david was a monster yesterday...mama needs a break!

in other news, kohls is having a contest to give 20 schools $500,000 through the kohls cares program! you get 20 votes total, and can vote up to 5 times for one particular school. here is the link:

i would greatly appriciate it if you could stop over and share some of your votes with Special Childrens School! thanks! <3

wordless wednesday

2010-06-30T07:12:00.000-04:00

daddy and grandpa are so proud! not sure what possessed him to wear his fire boots! he's going to hate me when i show this to his first girlfriend!! tee hee!

i am surviving summer break!

2010-06-28T07:33:00.000-04:00

ok, so i don't have it as bad as some parents! emily only has a two week break, other parents have to get through an entire summer of summer reading, sweltering heat, maybe a vacation, and that terrible monster-boredom!

i was really on edge about this break. i am basically on my own during the day. my mom came up last monday (and will be here today too) because she has off. and last thursday i took the kids to her house in the afternoon. emily has shown so much anxiety with david that i was thinking she'd never have any kind of meaningful relationship with him until she was in her thirties. it was seriously breaking my frustrated heart! i'm happy--ecstatic even, to say that emily has made a HUGE turn around! she has spent hours with david--with little to no tears--playing and walking around WITH david...instead of trying to be as far away from him as she could! yesterday, she even skipped her nap because he wasn't napping with her. ok, so that could have been a jealousy/spite thing, but i didn't care! they played well for another 2 hours until dinner! when she gets tired, she's over him...but hey, when i'm tired, i'm over him too!! lol can't blame her there!!

they've been sharing a room now for over a week. its going swimmingly! we've had a few very minor bumps in the middle of the night. i mean, these kids have two totally different sets of sleep habits. they are really adjusting well, and can even get themselves back to sleep if one wakes the other up. loving it. loving having my room to myself again. love that david can't wait for emily to wake up so he can play with her(although, i am "shushing him" all morning because emily likes to sleep a little later!!)! did i mention that i LOVE it?!

she's not quite ready for kisses!!

we've all had colds for the last few days, so that's kind of sucked! hubs is going to try to take a day or two off this week. we'll try to go out and do something all together before emily heads back to school on friday! kind of wierd to start on a friday...only to have monday off for the fourth of july. any hoo. i'm hoping for another nice week--cold-less, and minimal tears! after all...happy kids are the BEST...and a happy mommy is even BETTER! :oD

i love the daddies in my life!

2010-06-21T08:15:00.000-04:00

what more is there to say? i have amazing men in my life, and i love them so much! emily spent the weekend at my parents' house, so we met them there yesterday for a father's day bbq. we all made a little something, and it was super relaxing--and hot!! emily was coming down with a cold, so after lunch she took a nice long nap. while emily was sleeping, david took a dip in the pool...and my sissy and i had a water fight with mom and dad. it was so freakin' fun!! we had so much fun, that i forgot to take pics! haha

other than coleslaw, i also made these little cupcake sliders and sugar cookie fries!! they were a hit!! i even put the "sliders" on hubby's burger platter!(got the idea from bakerella)

hubs, you are the best father! you take care of all of us, and we appreciate all of your hard work!! :o*

dad, you were/are an awesome dad...and now an amazing grandpa!

ron, i know i never had the chance to meet you, but i am eternally grateful for the son you raised. even though you only had 12 short years on this earth with him, he took your love for him and shares it with his babies. he is an amazing father and husband, and i have you to thank for that.

change is a comin'

2010-06-17T07:55:00.000-04:00

today is emily's last day of school. i have to say, i'm glad i will have her home for two weeks, but at the same time, i know that there will be plenty of tears. she loves to be at school. she does not love being home with her brother. things have been slowly improving between the two of them...which is wonderful, but we've got a little more work to do before i'll say we're through this "phase"--if you can even call it that.

i have mentioned before that david has been sharing our room with us. yes, he's now just over 2 years old. yes, hubs and i have a very minimal love life. yes, it has sucked.

we only have a two bedroom home. there is a screened in porch(where most of the kids' toys are, and where david loves to play when its raining) that we have talked about turning into a third bedroom for us. however, we just can not afford to do this right now. its time to bite the bullet and get this kid out of our room though!! starting tomorrow, david and emily will be room mates. we figured there is no better time than her two week break to get them accustomed to sleeping in the same room. we'll establish a new bed time routine. emily will be sleeping over grandma and grandpa's house for a few nights, so it will give david some time to adjust to his new surroundings. we were calling this a "trial run", but really, this is it...david needs to be out of our room! i think they will be just fine. i also think that this may be what emily needs to get through her emotions with david.

i'm nervous but excited at the same time!! i can turn on a light without waking david up. i can watch tv with the volume ON. i won't have to pick out my clothes the night before. and the best part is, of course, being able to get some nookie any time i want it!! :oD

when emily is on her next break in august, we'll paint "their" room! come one, poor david is already using emily's old car seat--that is covered in flowers. i can't make him sleep in a pink room too!!

wish us luck!!

(these are from emily's end of year BBQ yesterday!)

end of the year gift

2010-06-15T08:10:00.000-04:00

in my usual fashion, i am still not finished with the end of the year gifts, but i do have a few to show you!

i used the same instructions for the flour sack dish towels that i made a couple weeks ago for the thank you gift. you can find the instructions here

yes, these are the dish towels that i sacrificed my dignity for last week.

anyhoo--i used the Berry Delicious Muffin Mix from Gooseberry Patch's "More Gifts For Giving". LOVE their books!(i only own this one--but i love them all, go figure! lol) since her teacher and aides will have the mornings off for two weeks, i thought that a nice freshly baked muffin would be a nice treat.
combine the following in a large mixing bowl;place in a large cellophane or zippie bag:
1 1/2 c flour
1 c quick cooking oats
1/4 c packed brown sugar
1 tbs baking powder
1/2 tsp cinnamon
attach instructions:
Pour muffin mix in a large bowl; add one cup milk, one beaten egg and 3 tbs vegetable oil. Gently fold in 2 1/4 c berries. Fill paper-lined muffin cups 2/3 full. Bake @ 425 for 25-30 minutes or until tops are golden. Makes one dozen.

in a small zippie bag, i place a recipe card with the full ingredients list and instructions--you know, i case they want more, and i also included 30 muffin papers.(the kind you buy in a 90 pack for .89!)

place mix(with instructions) and zippie bag in the center of your newly spruced up dish clothe, and tie with a ribbon. done!

this would be a great addition to any gift basket as well...throw in a strawberry plant and a wooden spoon...hmmm, i'm thinking hostess gift for the next party we go to!!

happy end-of-the-year!!!

Today's Creative Blog

last week was a rough one

2010-06-14T07:49:00.000-04:00

i can't stand long hard weeks...especially when i'm PMSing! after david cracked me across the face, we implemented new time out rules...and it seems to be working. he had a few really good days. yesterday...not a great day at all, but i think he had a long hard week too. emily was very cranky last week as well. which, of course, is making dread her two week break coming up. i don't want to dread her break...i want to enjoy her being home! yesterday, she made me feel alot better! lol she had a great day overall! she ate really well, and she even played with david...now, those are my favorite days!

i'm trying to stay in the positive for this week! not an easy task! lol my sissy is home from her honeymoon, she had a great time! i'm hoping to maybe go out for breakfast this coming weekend. emily will be at grandma and grandpa's house for a sleepover, so it will be easier for me to get out of the house for a bit!! lol my mom told me she's also going to take david for a night--so i can get a break from him!! i've had my aunt take him in the past, but recently she has been fighting with her husband--alot...and he's been drinking, alot. i just can't send david over there without me.

i'm working on the "end of the year" gifts for emily's teacher and aides. although, its not really the end of the year...she'll be going back in 2 weeks! lol oh well, i like to show my appreciation to these amazing people in her life. i have a couple of other projects that i've also been trying to get to, but when you have a tough week, you don't really feel like doing much!

my little angel--yes, i said that with as much sarcasm as i could muster!! ;o)

this was my favorite part of yesterday...he was showing her how it worked!

OK, here's to a good week!!! *deep breath*

it must be a twin thing

2010-06-10T08:30:00.000-04:00

marie and matt are enjoying their honeymoon in beautiful bermuda(while i'm still here getting slammed in the face with toys--i'm not bitter, really!) i miss her. we usually talk at least once a day. i don't want to be the annoying sister that calls everyday while they're supposed to be on their honeymoon, doing honeymoon things--get your minds out of the gutter, i didn't mean it like that...ok, maybe i did-a little.

just before i was going to write this post, i checked my email. there was one from her. i feel better now. she's having a great time, eating great food, and getting a little burnt(definitely NOT jealous of the burn) i'm happy that she's happy. i still miss her, but i'm better now.

i finally got some herbs planted. i'm SO far behind this year! i have seeds to plant, but i may just bite it and buy some veggies that have already been started.
hubs picked me up two pots for my herbs(one was actually a hanging basket, but i decided to just take the hanger off of it) i spray painted them red.

i put a plastic pot in the large planter to use as the base for the small pot, and put a little potting soil in the bottom.

after placing the herbs in and filling in with soil, i added the small pot.

filled it with soil and planted some parsley seeds...if they don't take off, i'll just buy a plant lol!

now that i have nice fresh herbs, i should probably take something out of the freezer so i can use them!! ;o)

mama said there would be days like this

2010-06-08T13:11:00.000-04:00

david, oh david, you test my patience. david has been getting more difficult over the last few weeks. i thank hubby's side of the family for his temper. he screams and throws tantrums like nothing i have ever seen...over silly things! today we were at the dollar store, and i let him choose a toy(something i ONLY do @ the dollar store because they sit right there on the floor where he can reach them...and because they're only a buck)...all i needed to get was a few more flour sack dish towels, i grabbed them and headed for the line to pay. here is where the trouble begins. he refuses to even stand in line! luckily no one was behind us--but the two people in front of me must have bought one of everything in the store because it was taking forever! i convinced him to come stand next to me, and it was our turn. that kid couldn't ring those towels up fast enough! i mean seriously, don't they just have something where they can punch in "quantity 10", and then only ring up one...noooooo, this kid rang each...one...of...them...up... it was a tug of war trying to get david to hand over the toy so that could get rung up as well...eventually the tag ripped off, and i handed that over. then it happened. my little cherub hit me right across the face with the toy. i wanted to crawl under a rock. meanwhile, since the tug of war began, about 4 people filed in behind us. i was instantly red and sweaty...and trying not to choke the life out of my son. all i could mutter out was "david ronald"...you know, in that "i'm going to kill you" tone of voice?! as we walked to the car, i was yelling. i told him how embarrassed i was, how i couldn't believe he acted like that. we got to his car seat, i took his toy from him, and threw it in the back. he cried, but sat still so i could do his straps(i think he knew if he made any sudden moves, he may not make it home in one piece). i got into the car, yelled a little more, then cried. he was silent. we never acted like that when we were kids! i called to ask my mom for advice, but she didn't have any for me. WTH? so i cried again. i vowed i would never be that mom, with that kid in the store. achieving that is going to be a lot harder than i had anticipated. we rarely go out during the day because that is what i fear the most, and i know how his temper is. today, he confirmed my fears about his behavior. i'm so sad. i've tried yelling, i've tried time outs in his bed, ive even tried spanking. none of it fazes him. now i will attempt to put him in the corner. i'm not sure where to go after that. i'm praying with everything that i have that its just the "terrible twos", but i think it may be more than that. my heart is just breaking right now. i'm not really sure what else to say. :o(

my sissy is a mrs!!!

2010-06-06T22:31:00.000-04:00

wow! so much to say, but i'll keep it short and get to the pictures! the thunderstorms held off, although it was hot as hell!! lol the kids did pretty well, david had a few mega meltdowns before the ceremony due to lack of sleep...i held him for the entire ceremony! yep, the 4+inch heels didn't last long after carrying an extra 28 lbs for 30 minutes!! emily was a vision walking down the isle with her daddy...i flashed forward about 20 years and pictured her in a white gown instead of apple green, and nearly lost it! my sister was stunning! her day was flawless. she and matt were on cloud 9 all night long. everyone had a fabulous time, and now they are cruisin' on down to bermuda! here we go:

there are SO many more than this!! lol

my brother and i both spoke...although, my brother wasn't sure if he was going to. he is super shy and was a ball of nerves...he did GREAT though! i got extra nervous because along with our card(with a check inside) to the new mr. and mrs., my speech got stolen!! the staff looked up and down, but it was no where to be found :o( i had to stop payment on the check...and re print the speech when we dropped the kids off @ home with the babysitter. minor detail. i'm not sure where the card or speech walked off to, but if someone really did take it, they ought to be ashamed of themselves. moving on.

my sissy's bachelorette par-tay

2010-06-02T07:41:00.000-04:00

ok, so my sissy and i are far from wild party animals! this point was proven while out for my bachelorette party nearly seven years ago. we all decided to get a little crazy and go to a chip and dales type show. we drove way out of our way in the pouring rain, only to find this whole in the wall, practically underground room that was no bigger than my kitchen! after paying the ridiculous admission price, we entered...barely. that room was so packed full of horny brides to be and bridal parties that we could hardly get the door open! we couldn't even make it to the other side of the room to get a drink from the bar. what i saw was totally appalling. call me a prude, i don't care. these brides were bumping and grinding on these men like they were single and ready to mingle. if that's how you want to act, to each their own...but that's not how i roll--as the kids say. so we left, vowing to never step foot in a place like that again. fast forward to marie's last saturday night as a single woman! i wanted to do something that fit our personalities. i took her to brushes and bisque...its a place to paint your own pottery! can i just tell you, i was so relaxed, and had such a great time...and i think my bride to be did as well. after pottery, we had a nice casual dinner and then ended up meeting the guys at the irish pub where they had dinner. we moved our party to the bar, and really had a good time!

ok, is that not the prettiest bride to be you've ever seen? ;o) 2 more days!!!!

thank you gift and a cute touch for the yard!

2010-06-01T07:52:00.000-04:00

so friday is my sister's big day! we are super excited--and praying the the rain will hold off!! emily and david are both in the wedding, but after dinner, we are taking the home to bed. emily's (former)early intervention therapist is going to babysit for us. this is the first time that a non family member is going to watch the kids! well, basically, they'll be sleeping, she'll be watching tv all night! lol i wanted to get her a little something to say "thank you"! so this is what i came up with!

i've had a bunch of flour sack dish clothes from the dollar tree, laying around--all boring and stuff...then i found a cute tutorial, and it hit me...awesome gift! now, these towels are rather large, but let me tell you, after the first wash...these things are the best towels, EVER!
i found the tutorial for them here
the recipient has celiac disease, so i picked up a box of gluten free cookie mix. while i was strolling through the grocery store, i found the rubbermaid utensils and knew they'd be the perfect finish!! the fabric was left over from emily's birthday outfit! so there ya go! i think its a nice, thoughtful gift for anyone! i may even whip a few more towels up for emily's teacher and aides next week!

project #2! i saw this on gooseberry patch's facebook page, and knew i wanted to do it!! i kind of filed it in the "things that i'll maybe get to" category. until, that is, i was in target over the weekend! i saw the bags in the dollar section for $2.50!! i grabbed 2, then headed over to the outdoor section where i picked up 4 plastic pots for .99. the pots fit in perfectly, except that the bags were pretty deep, so i sent hubs out into the garage, and he brought back some scraps of styrofoam. i fit the pieces into the bottom of the bags, put the pots in with their freshly planted annuals...and that was it!! david really loved helping with this too...the kids loves some dirt!! oh-and they were fabric lined, so i cut it out, only leaving a couple of inches for a pop of color!

there we go! it was a productive weekend!! i also took marie out for her bachelorette party, but i'll post about that tomorrow!!!

today's creative blog

wordless wednesday

2010-05-26T07:28:00.000-04:00

he's such a cheese ball!!

wordless wednesday

5 minutes for mom

rocking chair re-do

2010-05-24T07:39:00.001-04:00

i can't believe i actually finished a project when i said i would...and i'm writing about it in a blog noless! two gold stars for me...thank.you.very.much.

i got this rocking chair from my aunt(by marriage) after emily was born. since she was an only child, she gave me her blessing to use it for our kids. aaaand, i could do anything i wanted to it!! well...4 years later...

supplies:
fabric(i think i used less than 1 1/2 yards...this is child size though...so if you're looking to do this for an adult sized chair, you'll need more fabric)
sewing machine
coordinating thread
pins
scissors
pencil(NOT a permanent marker...i'll explain more later)
paper to create a template(i used a piece of tissue paper...'cause its what was handy @ the time!)
spray paint color of your choice-2 cans
sand paper
primer
iron/ironing board
rotary cutter/mat
1 inch think foam
serrated knife or utility knife

*start by sanding the chair...i hate sanding, but it must be done. just do it enough to take the shine off of the finish.
*spray on 1-2- coats of primer, allow to completely dry.
*spray with your color(mine was blue ocean breeze-gloss, by krylon) at least 2 coats

*after paint is fully dry, use your paper and PENCIL to create a template. i liked using the tissue paper because i was able to smooth it out into all of the curves...however...do not, i repeat...do not use a permanent marker to trace your out line...you will have to spray another coat of paint :o/

*cut out the pattern pieces about 1/2 inch- 1 inch bigger for the seam allowance.

*pin onto fabric(wrong side up), and cut out(this will be the top of the cushion)

*pin on again, this time, you'll want to add 4 inches to the height...i suggest going ahead and making another pattern piece for this...it will make your life easier, and you won't waste fabric--trust me!(this will end up being the bottom pieces of the cushion)
*cut this piece in half...i made the top piece a little larger(this will be pillow sham style)

*repeat for the other cushion
*next, cut out 12 13x 1 3/4 strips(for the ties)
***i will stop you right here...DO NOT cut out these pieces...I BEG OF YOU, just go out and buy some RIBBON for the ties! unless, that is, you like standing hunched over your ironing board for a long period of time to make these by hand. you like being hunched over your ironing board? ...ok, then i guess i'll show you how to finish them....(i'm telling you, go for the ribbon...i woke up with a migraine the next morning!!)

*fold the top down 1/2 inch, press

*fold in half, press

*fold each side into the middle, press

*fold in half again, press again~~~12 tiiimes
....see, that was annoying!!
*edge stitch along top folded edge and all the way down the open side(i left the bottom open, its getting sewn later)
*take bottom pieces of cushion and fold 1/2 inch, press and again to create a hem...edge stitch

*make your fabric sandwich:
take top piece, and lay down right side up, set 2 ties in each corner, then layer with the 2 bottom pieces wrong side up

*start sewing, use 1/4 inch seam allowance. when you get to the ties, back stitch for stability.
*repeat for your second cushion
*cut out foam using serrated knife or utility knife using the original line on pattern; insert into covers

*bonus pillow:
i had extra fabric that was the perfect size for a little throw pillow. sew around all of the edges(wrong sides together), leaving a 2-3 inch opening. snip corners, turn right side out. stuff with batting. fold opening in 1/4 inch, sew closed.

BIG FINISH:

i hope these directions don't seem scattered, i kept forgetting to take pictures!! not good when you're trying to show people how to do it too!! you can easily finish this in a day...if you have a day!! lol i painted this on friday, and finished sewing on sunday. so it made for a nice weekend project!

hi, its me again...

2010-05-21T15:12:00.001-04:00

you know, the "lame blogger'?! i've been finding it so hard to fit blogging in lately. i'm trying to find my groove again! right now, working out has been a huge focus since marie's wedding is only 2 weeks away!! at some point, i'll figure out a system that works for me!

i finally managed to finish david's blanket. yes, his birthday was on may 9th...yes, i was a little behind! here are two things that i recently learned about making a quilt. while i do enjoy it, i enjoy it more using pre cut fabric!! this was the first time i cut my own fabric and laid out a pattern on my own...maybe not the best thing to do for a beginner! also, don't do the shorter, faster binding...it looks like poop.

well, here it is...its a little wild and crazy~just like david!!

yesterday emily had a field trip to a boy scout camp where they did some fishing and crafts. it was a blast! i asked my dad if he wanted to go because he's a nature-type guy...and he doesn't get to come to alot of emily's school activities because of work. i think he really enjoyed himself.

my little goof-ball:

they were sooo pooped! everyone loved that they had matching hats...that grandpa picked out for them!!

my project for the weekend is re vamping a rocking chair that my aunt gave me. it was hers when she was a kid, and she told me i could do whatever i wanted with it!! the spray paint is drying as we speak, and i'm hoping to make a seat cushion for it before the weekend is over!

we all lose the groove every now and again! what matters is that we find it again!!

cookie monster pull apart cake

2010-05-11T06:22:00.003-04:00

i think this is the perfect cake for a two year old!

you will need:
24 muffin papers
2 muffin pans(regular size)
your favorite cake recipe...or box mix
butter cream or canned vanilla frosting(if using canned, you'll probably want at least 2 cans, maybe 3--depends on how much you like!!)
royal blue gel coloring(i used wilton)
one recipe marshmallow fondant(to follow)
black gel coloring
rolling pin
extra powdered sugar for dusting
pastry bag with large star tip OR fork
cardboard or tray big enough to put your cupcakes on
tin foil(if using cardboard)

*bake off your cupcakes as the directions state...allow to cool completely.
*if using cardboard, measure how much you will need. i taped two layers together for stability. cover in tin foil. also...be sure you have a place to store the finished product if you are making it ahead of time!
*arrange cupcakes on cardboard. this may take some playing around...having a "cookie monster" refrence is helpful!

*prepare butter cream, or add food coloring to canned frosting(mix in one big bowl, not directly in the cans, or you'll end up with two different color blues!). i ended up using about half of the blue coloring to get the right "cookie monster" color!
*BE SURE TO LEAVE ENOUGH FROSTING WHITE FOR HIS EYES!
*frost two cupcakes for the eyes
*start piping your stars. this does not have to be neat!! its good if its a little messy...it makes it look more like fur. when you get to a gap, squeeze a little extra frosting in there, then pipe a few stars on top.
* if you do not want to use a pastry bag: smear frosting all over cupcakes, then rough it up with a fork!
*prepare marshmallow fondant:
Marshmallow fondant
1 cup mini marshmallows
1 tbsp water
1 1/2- 1 3/4 cup powder sugar

Place marshmallows in a standard 1 cup measuring cup and push down and pack them in. Place in a microwave safe bowl and add the water. Put in the microwave for about 20 seconds. Just long enough for them to soften and puff up. Take out and stir with a spoon until it is combined well. At this point it looks kind of soupy.(*at this point, if you can add your gel coloring, it will be easier to stir in) Then add the sugar and mix and fold until all is incorporated and it is no longer sticky. I take it out of the bowl when it gets to the point where most of the sugar is incorporated and I knead it in my hands. (*dust your hands and counter top with powdered sugar)This takes roughly about 5-7 minutes. Take a fondant roller or a regular rolling pin and roll out just as you would Wilton's fondant. You can get this fondant almost paper thin and it also repairs well. It's cheap, easy to work with, and tastes great too. *mine seemed a little soft, so i threw it in the freezer until it was firm enough to roll out)
*cut out two circles for the eyes(i used a large pastry tip)
*cut out a mouth--free hand are draw a template first--i recommend the template!!
*place onto cupcakes; if desired-pipe a little more frosting around the mouth.

*note: i only ended up using 23 cupcakes! david really wanted one...how could i deny the birthday boy?! i was only going to use it for the candles, so it was no big deal!
as an added bonus, i made chocolate chip cookies to place around him!

(p.s. you could easily make elmo with these cupcakes as well!)

and...its always good to have a helper:

WARNING: your lips will be BLUE after you eat these!! it doesn't last long though...so enjoy!!

a little all over the place

2010-05-10T07:41:00.000-04:00

first and foremost, HAPPY belated MOTHER'S DAY!! i won't talk about mother's day so much on here today, because it also happened to be david's 2nd birthday yesterday too!! i will say that hubs and the kids gave me an awesome gift...

this was formerly my grandmother's ring. each of the granddaughters got one of her rings after she passed. unfortunately, whenever grandma got a ring, it was usually a size too small...and they had to be cut off of her finger!! apparently she had a hard time learning her lesson, because most of the rings were cut! anyhoo, hubs had it made into a necklace for me!! they did such a great job, and even used some of the gold and diamonds from the original ring. way to go hubs...it'll be hard to top this!

onto the little monkey's birthday!! he was so excited ALL DAY! he played hard with his cousins and his gifts! it was a great day!

i made him his birthday shirt:

grandma and grandpa got him a cool pair of shades:

have you ever seen a more bad-ass two year old?!

he loves his new rain gear(and shades):

he got a potty:

"i'm supposed to do WHAT in THERE?"

grandma and grandpa got him some new wheels:

"VROOM"

i made him a cookie monster pull apart cake, complete with chocolate chippie cookies:

after my last post last week, emily's fever came back! that poor kid missed the WHOLE WEEK of school! it threw us all off...what routine? what schedule? i was a mess by friday! she was diagnosed with strep throat! she is happily off to school again this morning. i gotta say, i miss her already...but at the same time, i'm relieved that we can get back to normal! i'm taking david to my mom's house this morning, and my sissy and i are heading to the mall to get some wedding "undergarments"...you know...SPANX!(or something along those lines!)

i hope you all have a fabulous week!

oh, and P.S. i did not finish david's blanket :o( thank goodness he's too young to know that mommy blew it! i was attempting to finish it on saturday night, but ended up getting a migraine that lasted into sunday morning. i should be able to finish it tonight! sheesh, last week was really screwed up! *note to self* finish projects a week in advance in case of unforeseen illness--that lasts more than a week!!

...and good riddance!

2010-05-05T07:20:00.000-04:00

the fever has left the building! it was around 11:30 last night when we checked on her, and it was normal! WOO HOO!! it was the never ending fever! i didn't have the heart to snap any pictures of her during this time, she was just too fragile to be having a flash pop off in her face! you've all had sick kids, you know what they look like! it took us FOREVER to comb the knots out of her hair! she was a trooper though and sat through it like a champ! for the two full days with the temp. we would comb it the best we could, but it seemed almost painful for her. she is laughing again, and has even started walking. we're trying to have her take it easy though!! we don't want to give that fever any reason to return!! my fingers are crossed that she'll be back in school tomorrow, and friday is their monthly trip to the YMCA for swimming...i hope she can go-she really loves it!

david's quilt is aaaalmost finished! good lord, i've been dragging this thing out! lol i just have to finish the quilting and binding tonight...just in time to give it to him on sunday! nothing like waiting until the last minute!! oh yeah, and i'm supposed to make my mom an apron for mother's day! HAHA, i kill me! that freakin' fever really threw a wrench in the works! my mom won't mind, as long as the kiddos are feelin' good, and she gets lots of hugs and kisses, she won't miss the apron.

i've been spending alot of time on craigslist lately. hubs and i have been talking about repainting the downstairs, as well as sprucing up the kitchen....we've been here almost 6 years, and its been alomst 6 years since we painted!--time for a change!! we live in an almost 100 year old home. i think i'd like to go for an updated farm house look. so, back to craigslist...i found this farm sink for the kitchen:

she was asking $100 for it, but i got her down to $75. hubs is going to go pick it up on saturday! i'm so excited to see it in person. we already have a can of re-glazing stuff that we never used on the tub, so i think it will look gorgeous when its finished! so here is our inspiration pic:

i finally talked hubs into going for the cream colored cabinets! we have oak right now, he loves anything "wood" lol. once i showed him this pic, he was on board! woot! now, i'm not sure when we'll actually be doing this, but at least the gears are turning! :o)

ok, david is upstairs screaming at one of the cats! i don't want him to wake up emily yet. ugh. he's such a boy!

a letter to emily's fever

2010-05-04T06:51:00.000-04:00

dear fever,
i am writing on behalf of my daughter, emily. please, would you kindly leave our home. is 101 really necessary for 3 days straight? she is four. she does not yet have the ability to tell us where it hurts. she does not feel comfort in anything but lying down. to touch her must feel like razor blades, because she practically jumps through the ceiling every time we feel her forehead. she has not had a decent meal since saturday.

more importantly, i want my emily back. you have not gotten her completely, though. i can still see the stars in her eyes, and a faint smile in the corner of her mouth. but i want her all the way back, immediately. i think you have made your point. please, do not attempt to visit any one else in this family. i don't think our spirits could take it. my husband is practically broken. to not be able to comfort is little girl is tearing at his heart. i'm not sure he could take another day.

i have asked nicely. please, fulfill my request promptly so that we may all return to our daily lives.

sincerely,

emily's mommy

mommy moment monday.

2010-05-03T02:48:00.000-04:00

its 2:26am. emily has a virus. no puking, or diarrhea(thank GOD). however, she. is. miserable. this has been an on going things since i had to pick her up from school on tuesday afternoon with a 100.2 fever. by tuesday night, the fever was gone and it seemed like a cold was developing. i kept her home on wednesday. she was fine. sent her back on thursday. they called me to tell me that she had a rash, but no temp. they were just going to keep an eye on her. friday, she still had the rash, i decided to keep her home again.(poor kiddo had to miss swimming @ the YMCA--i felt terrible.) saturday she was a complete grump-ass, all day. i was annoyed at her, all day. then got smacked in the face with a 101 temp by bedtime. i felt like an ass for being annoyed. sunday morning, temp was 103. took her to ER, on poor hubby's bday...i guess a virus doesn't care if its daddy's birthday. diagnosis: virus. admin mortin. luke warm baths. liquids. she seemed like she was doing better. temp went down to 99 before nap time. it was 102 after nap time. it has now been hovering around 101 since bed time. she keeps whining/crying in her sleep. its not quite time for motrin yet. so here i sit. oh yeah...did i mention that during trip to CVS, there was no motrin...only the CVS brand...no biggie. til i got home and found out there is a RECALL on children's motrin, tylenol and benedryl. we through out a bottle of each. we're thinking that's why the fever was hovering for so long.

i hope this poor kid feels better soon. of course we're having unseasonably warm/humid weather. so she got to have her air conditioner installed early. i'm about to curl up with a blanket on her floor so i can steal some cool air!

i bet this sounds a little incoherent...but i can't tell on only a couple hours of sleep. yep...this is what we do. we sit up at night wondering if we can make it go away? should i check on her? give her a smidge more motrin?

she doesn't want to be touched. i think it has to do with her sensory processing stuff. i used to like when i sat with my mom and she would pet my hair or hold the cold washcloth on my head. emily doesn't want me to do that, though. that's the only "feel better trick" that i had in my bag. now what?

i'm going to go check on her again. she's been quiet for a little while now. i hope she gets better soon. this is no fun for anybody. my poor kiddo :o(

sick kids suck

2010-04-29T07:47:00.000-04:00

emily was home from school yesterday. i had to pick her up on tuesday because of a slight fever. the fever never came back, but she was feeling pretty poopy for most of the day yesterday. so the crankies did not come from the constipation monster, as i had suspected, but a darn cold. and now, oh how fun....i think david has it. crap. which means, hubs and i are next in line. and there is NOTHING worse than a sick hubby. sorry, pal...my sympathy for you flew out the door the night emily was born.

emily still seemed a little out of sorts this morning. i'm hoping she makes it through the day.

i just confirmed a babysitter for the night of my sissy's wedding! marie is getting married on a friday night. the kids are in the wedding, but by the time the ceremony and the traditional intros, etc. are finished they're going to be pooped! i keep in touch with one of emily's old therapists, and she has kindly agreed to basically sit on the couch and watch tv while they sleep! lol luckily the venue is only about 10ish minutes from our house. the jammies will be coming with us so we can put them right to bed when we get home. thank goodness bed time is pretty easy for us. we shouldn't have any issues. then, mommy and daddy can go dance the night away. ok, i hate to dance, but i think i can make an exception because A) its my sissy's wedding, and B) not having to keep an eye on your kids in a room full of people is reason enough to dance!! :o)

david's quilt is coming along. should be finished this weekend!! well, i think. i have to bake hubs a bday cake for sunday, and on saturday we're taking the kids back to shop rite for more cake decorating!! so its going to be a busy weekend, but the weather is going to be gorgeous...that always puts a little fire up my butt!

oh well. i have to go wash the sicky sheets and clean the floors today...exciting stuff, i know!

wordless wednesday

2010-04-28T07:07:00.000-04:00

at least MOST of it ended up on the paper.

5 minutes for mom

wordless wednsday

mock edible arrangement tutorial

2010-04-27T09:09:00.000-04:00

ok, my other post from today is pretty boring...then i remembered about my mock edible arrangement from marie's shower! here we go.
*note* completely ignore that you are about to see a watermelon! pretend it is all pineapple. watermelon DID NOT work...it was too heavy and slid down the skewers! but of course, i only took pics of the watermelon.

you will need:
a sturdy container (i used a flower pot...clean, of course!)
Styrofoam block
easter grass or some sort of filler
wooden or bamboo skewers
pineapple, grapes, strawberries, cantaloupe, honey dew
kitchen scissors
flower cookie cutter
melon baller

squeeze styrofoam block into container, slice off the corners with a serrated knife.

stuff a little easter grass into the gaps and a little over the top of the block.

slice pineapple into about one inch slices, cut out flower shapes

slice melons in half, clean out seeds, then use melon baller to scoop out, well, balls!

insert skewers into strawberries, being careful to not come through the top

insert skewers at an angle into the pineapple, coming out about an inch to and inch and a half. place a melon ball on the skewer to create the flower center.

place grapes and the remaining melon balls onto skewers.

start building your arrangement. i placed the pineapple flowers in first, then started filling in with the rest of the fruit. i used the strawberries to fill in any holes. use kitchen scissors to cut skewers for shorter stems.

once fruit is in place, stuff a little more easter grass in between skewers to cover any styrofoam that shows.

*notes for next time*:

*make this the day/morning of the event. some of the fruit slid down the skewers...nothing i couldn't fix, but it could have been avoided all together.

*make the sticks a little shorter next time. i think i will be able to hide more of the skewers if everything is a little shorter.

*measure the frige!! this came out pretty tall, and just fit in the frige after taking out a shelf!(thank goodness we have two friges!!) lol

i think this will be a fun, fresh addition to any summer barbecue or graduation party...or bridal shower!!!

what to do today?

2010-04-27T08:17:00.000-04:00

ok, i'm not sure how this is possible, but i don't really have too much to do today. after all of the shower craziness i feel like i'm on vacation! lol my fingers are crossed that young mr.d will be a nice, sweet, charming little boy today. *sigh* a girl can dream, can't she?

emily has been crabby since last night...i'm thinking the constipation monster is in town. her bus driver(yes, the one i don't like) asked me if i would be able to meet her @ the police station tomorrow to pick emily up(its just down the street from us) because she has to go sign papers @ a lawyers office. i care because, why? ugh, but my nice, agreeable self kicked in, and i said yes. however, while sorting the laundry i decided that i will just go pick emily up at school tomorrow. who wants to sit in the car with a squirmy-doesn't-want-to-be in-the-car-toddler waiting for the bus to arrive...NOT ME! so yeah, i'll pick her up, thanks.

new project! i'm making david a quilt for his bday. i found some great robots and rockets fabric..i'm in love with the colors!

i just have to finish cutting the blocks tonight, then i can start sewin'!

i'll be back to my 'ol busy self next week for sure. we're having cake for david and celebrating mother's day next sunday. well, since david's bday falls on mother's day this year, i figured lets just kill 2 birds with one stone! yes, i'm a glutton for punishment.

hope you all have a great day! :o)

showers of happiness

2010-04-26T08:08:00.000-04:00

we had a loose "kitchen themed" shower. we sent recipe cards with the invitations asking guests to give marie their favorite recipe then bring one non perishable ingredient for the wishing well.(she and her fiance live together, so they don't really need the typical gadgets that you'd get in a wishing well)

it was a beautiful day! my sister looked stunning, the sun was shining, and everyone had a great time.
*warning* LOTS of pics to follow!!

i made a knock off version of an edible arrangement!

here is the ruffle apron and oven mitt that i made for her!(btw, it seemed like i made alot more for her, but apparently it was all in my head, because i only made this and another full apron!! der)

this was the most teary part of the shower. i gave her a vintage locket pin with our grandmother's picture inside. i told her that she could pin it to her flowers or in her dress.

here we are with mom

emily only wanted to look @ marie, not the camera!

she was pretty tired by this point!!

oh, and here is a crappy pic of the other apron!

being a twin, its hard to have your "own" day. everything is shared; birthdays, holidays, milestones, etc. i'm so happy that marie had a great time even though she felt a little out of sorts with all of the attention. only 39 days until her wedding. she is going to be a beautiful bride. can't wait.

chicken with my head cut off

2010-04-23T11:55:00.000-04:00

yep, that's me. i tried to prepare in advance for the madness that would take place today, but it got me anyway! marie's shower is tomorrow. i'm super excited, but not ready yet!! nothing is 100% finished...ie: still need to wrap a couple of gifts, need to make the truffles, fruit display, and rugelach, also need to put the finishing touches on the game we'll be playing. i grabbed half and half instead of heavy cream, so i have to wait till hubby picks it up on his way home, forgot to take the butter out of the freezer...so that's coming to room temp now. yes, i predict a long night! lol at least the laundry is half done and my headache went away!! so this is what gave me some feel-better vibes today(other than david being as good as gold--thank you very much--someone is looking out for me!)

this is me in 1983, age 2:

here is emily 2009, age 3:

can you say "WHOA"?

oh well. this was a much needed little break from the craziness! now its time to get back to it! wish me luck! lol

bad tina, baaad....

2010-04-13T07:41:00.000-04:00

i have been a terrible, terrible blogger lately!! i have so much going on-mostly because my sister's bridal shower and wedding are swiftly approaching!! i've been sewing like a mad woman for her shower gifts...which i have now decided to cut one out because i am just spreading myself too thin. i haven't even gotten a good workout in...and that's bothering me. 10-20 minutes isn't going to get me that rock hard body that i dream about! lol, i was kidding...this stretched out baby belly ain't goin' nowhere fast unless i hit the lottery, or find some rich uncle that's about to kick it! i miss blogging regularly. its a way for me to stay connected to all of you lovely people out there...to be able to have somewhat of an adult conversation during the day. i think after my sissy's shower next weekend, i should be able to get back on a better schedule...you'll be able to follow along with me on future projects(and there are lots floating in my head!). this sucks not being able to write about what i've been up to...but i have to keep nosy peepers at bay! i'm still checking out your blogs almost daily, and comment when i can...i'm trying not to be totally lame!!

the kids are doing great! emily had her 4 year physical, and she is A-OK! now i have to make her appointment with the neurologist for that check up...i'm putting it off a little, because i know that we'll make the drive and he'll have nothing new to say! david is a pain in my butt these days. he's not being bad per say, but man, he's a ball buster!! he knows all of my buttons and when to push them!! his new "trick" is picking his nose and giving me his boogers. lovely.

hubs is looking into a new job. that makes me nervous, but excited at the same time. he's been at his current job now for almost 8 years. hasn't had a raise in 4, OT has been cut for more than a year(which really hurts us with me not working), health insurance sky rocketed a few months ago, and they just laid 9 people off last week. we're confident that his job is safe, but even when the economy picks up there really isn't anywhere else for him to go with the company. he's just in talks right now with the new job. it will be a tough decision if the talks go well. we have kids to feed and a house to stay in...it will be scary to start a new job...but the new one sure does have its perks! i'm keeping my fingers crossed that it will all work out.

that's the skinny on us. oh...speaking of skinny...only 6 lbs to go before i'm back @ my wedding weight!! hellooo light at the end of the tunnel!!

wordless wednesday

2010-04-07T07:16:00.000-04:00

'nough said.

wordless wednesday

5 minutes for mom

hot/cold therapy pack tutorial

2010-04-06T07:52:00.004-04:00

you'll need:

sewing machine

coordinating thread

scissors/rotary cutter

ruler

pins
fabric of your choice
coordinating ribbon
long grain rice(i've heard that long grain hold heat better)
*1/4 inch seam allowance

cut 2 pieces of fabric 6 1/2 x 12 1/2(now, by all means make this as big or as small as you want it...i was "winging it ~ again!)

put them together, right sides facing. sew around three edges, leaving one of the short sides open. trim the bottom corners. turn ride side out, and press. fill 3/4 of bag with rice.

fold in open side 1/4-1/2 inch, sew closed. don't forget to backstich! i also went over my straight stitch with a zigzag...that rice isn't going anywhere!!!(forgot to take a pic of that, sorry guys!)

*its a little difficult to sew something when its full of rice...so take your time!

you can stop here if you'd like, but i thought it would be nice to have a removable cover to be able to wash it.

so...cut 4 pieces of fabric 7 1/2 x 13 1/2. cut 2 pieces of ribbon--long enough to tie a bow when you're finished.

sandwich the ribbon in the center between two pieces of fabric-right sides together~pin in place. sew around three edges, again, leaving the short side open. (back stitch over the ribbon to make sure its not going anywhere!) i also left a little over hang of ribbon, so i could see where it was...trim that before turning it right side out.

snip the two corners, turn right side out and press. repeat for remaining fabric and ribbon.

if you used 2 different fabrics as pictured, decided which one you'd like to be showing(i supposed this could also be reversible though!!) sew three edges together, turn right side out, press. slide rice bad inside. (mine was snug...like trying to put a pillow in a pillow case. so if you want, make the cover slightly larger.) tie ribbon, trim ends and singe with a lighter so they don't fray(or use fray check...whatever you have on hand)

its ready to go!! throw in the freezer, or microwave for one minute at a time until its as hot as you want it!!

my sissy gets migraines, so she likes hers in the freezer.

also linking up @ its so very cheri

handmade birthday

2010-04-05T20:09:00.000-04:00

i can fiiinally share the gifts that i made for my sissy!! its been killing me to not post these! lets get started, shall we?

a little webbing, fabric and a buckle, and we've got a cute belt that goes with just about anything!

some small wooden beads+fabric=cute bracelet!

how about turning some long grain rice into a hot/cold therapy pack with removable cover?(which sissy loves, btw!)

(i should be posting a tutorial for this sometime this week)

finally, a cute ruffle shirt that will be perfect for her honeymoon!!

i got the tutorial here

i was so worried about doing an all handmade birthday, but everything turned out really nice!

onto the shower gifts!!!

easter fun and its someones biiirrrfffday!!

2010-04-02T07:54:00.001-04:00

yesterday my mom david and i went to emily's school for her easter lunch. we had such a great time. everyone is so sweet and kind. they all love emily and

david...it was a warm fuzzy kind of day! david even gave all of his eggs from the easter egg hunt to one of emily's school mates. he melts my heart.

david chose the perfect m&m before he got dressed--he didn't eat it...he just wanted to pick one!!

i can't wait for more easter egg hunting on sunday. they had a blast!!

in other news: my twinnie and i are turning 29 today!!! we will celebrate today with easter egg dying, hot dogs and hamburgers on the grill(its gorgeous out~finally!!), and we'll cap it off with a dairy queen ice cream cake!! i think we've had this cake for every bday but one!!

oh, and as my bday gift, david learned how to climb out of his crib this morning--i'm screwed!

enjoy this marvelous spring day, and have a happy easter!!! :o*

easter teacher gifts

2010-04-01T07:40:00.000-04:00

i made some bird's nests for emily's teacher and aides. here's what i did:

1 bag butterscotch chips
1/3 bag peanut butter chips
1 1/2 cans chow mein noodles(larger size can)
1 big handful of cashews

melt butterscotch chips and PB chips in microwave for 3 mins. using a glass bowl is helpful because it will stay warmer while you are working with the mixture.

thoroughly mix chips together until creamy.

fold in chow mein noodles and cashews until they are covered-do not stir

place haystacks on aluminum foil quickly in small "haystacks"/nests. work quickly before the mixture hardens.

do not double...it is too hard to work with

(to make large nests, wrap small bowls with the tin foil-let them completely dry before taking out of the mold) fill with chocolate eggs!

i found the plastic eggs @ the dollar tree, and they worked out great for this!! i also used the flower pins from yesterdays post as part of the packaging.

in my easter bonnet

2010-03-31T08:10:00.001-04:00

that song always gets stuck in my head during this time of year!! here is emily's easter bonnet for school! this year instead of just bonnet/hat day, they've invited parents for an easter lunch! i can't wait!

this is just a bonnet from the dollar section @ target! i hot glued some silk flowers that i confiscated from my sister.(she was supposed to use them for her boutonnieres, but didn't. i'll take them thank.you.very.much!)

next up, fabric flower pins! (can i just tell you how excited i am that i can actually share some projects with you guys! after friday i can finally share my sissy's bday gifts with you!!!)

these will be part of emily's teacher/aide gifts.

anyhoo...
start with 5 3x3 squares of fabric. (this is GREAT for scraps!) fold into a triangle. using 2 strands of DMC floss sew a gathering stitch along the open edges.(i suppose you could use your machine to make this go faster). pull on the floss to form your petal.

continue on the same piece of floss until all of your petals are attached. sew the first and last petal together;tie off to close.

cut a felt circle and hot glue to the back.

next make a fabric covered button. (sorry, i didn't take pics of this...i just bought a 4 pack of buttons with the tool @ walmart...they are SUPER EASY to make!) hot glue button to the center.

attach pin back...and that's it!!!

now i'll show you the "shabby flower"

start with a circle of felt.

tear a few strips of fabric...tearing = fraying...we like that.

tie the end of one piece into a knot

squeeze a dab of fabric tac in the middle of the felt circle...stick knot to felt. add more glue; twist and glue fabric a little at a time, until you've finished! trim excess felt off. hot glue a button/embellishment to the center. attach pin back. done.

free river raft rides...BYOT

2010-03-30T16:08:00.000-04:00

(bring your own tube) this rain is nuts!! we've gotten more rain in the last few months than we ever gotten in the almost 6 years that we've lived here! i will not get into long winded details, but the short story is this:

the previous home owner also owned the house in the back of the property-which he later sold. there is an easement on our property for the dirt driveway to the house in the back...there was a pipe installed under the dirt driveway coming out in the middle of our front yard(can not figure out his logic for placement of said pipe), for drainage. the flow from this pipe has gotten worse with each passing year that we have lived here. its not the town's problem, we already checked. house in back's owner continues to build up his driveway to prevent flooding to his home--a good idea in theory, however, its making our problem worse. hubs has spoken to him...HIB's owner thinks that we should rent expensive equipment, dig a drainage pipe under our driveway, install new pipe, and let it flow into the development's property(there are no homes directly next to us)then re pave our driveway. so basically, he wants us to make it the development's problem...ummm, no--don't feel like gettin' sued, thanks.

here is our fix: two bags of cement to fill the pipe.

he can worry about his drainage, we'll worry about ours.

this is the geyser coming out of the pipe--sometimes there are two geysers(the other one forms @ the base of the tree, we think the roots may have grown through the pipe--so now we get two rivers)

rain, rain, go AWAY!

mommy moment monday

2010-03-29T08:01:00.002-04:00

theis one is actually not all about david--although, there are plenty i could choose from since last week's post!

my aunt invited the kids, hubs and i to head over to her shop rite to do a little cake decorating. how cool?! right up my alley, and we'd be able to get the kids out of the house for a bit. however, getting two small children out the door takes a bit of planning, luck and praying that there are no melt downs.(as i'm sure you all know!) extra clothes, check. juice, check. diapers, check and double check. we've got snacks, extra wipes and the camera.

part of the plan included putting david up in his crib for about 10-15 minutes so that we could finish getting emily ready, and get her moving towards the car. this way, emily would be less likely to throw a fit when she realizes that david is coming with us. (we are still having issues with her dealing with david...while she is much better, we're still taking precautions so that everyone is happy!) here is where the first part of the plan starts to fall apart. after putting david in his crib(which does not make him a happy boy), hubs decides he needs to go to the bathroom--and i'm not talking about the quick trip. :o/ by the time he is done, and emily is ready, david is fast asleep. crap. i wanted him to fall asleep in the car. that is now out of the question. mission one: FAIL.

moving on to the car scene of our story...neither of them wanted to be in their car seats. so i got to listen to crying on and off between the two of them for the almost 40 minute drive to my aunt's house. did i mention that i woke up with a headache? yep, that didn't help. so what happens when we get to my aunt's house? they're not ready to go. that means, taking them out of the car, and having to put.them.back.in. more screaming ensued.

once we got there it was actually a great time. david had a ball talking to the easter bunny, and emily was hooked on watching the shoppers push their carts by our table. its the little things, people.

can you tell which cake the boys did?! lol

i'm not sure if all the shop rites are doing these cake clinics. for $4/cake you get as much frosting, sprinkles and decorations as you want! we're going to go back in april when they have it again. hopefully with a little less drama to get there!