Wednesday, December 31, 2008

Such a big heart



Today Kai was going through our wedding pictures. He came across a picture with Johnny, a family friend, in it. Johnny is in a wheelchair and has Muscular Dystrophy.

Kai "who is that?"

Me "that is Johnny"

Kai "can he talk?"

Me "yes he can talk"

Kai "I think I want to give him a kiss"

My heart melted as I heard that Kai wanted to kiss him because he saw that he has a disability or "owies". So very sweet!

Monday, December 29, 2008

Pretzel Salad

This recipe is so yummy because it mixes salty and sweet! Seriously it needs to be made by you at least once!



2 c. Crushed Pretzels 1 (20 oz.) can drained Crushed Pineapple
½ c. Melted Butter 1 (12 oz.) Cool Whip
½ c. Sugar
1 (8 oz.) box Cream Cheese ½ c. Sugar

Mix together crushed pretzels, melted butter and ½ cup sugar. Spread in a pan and bake for 10 minutes at 400 degrees. Cool and break into small pieces. Beat together the remaining ingredients and chill. Just before serving mix in pretzel mixture.

ENJOY

My three parenting struggles

If I could snap my fingers and change things right now these would be it:

*Kai would go potty on his own and be completely potty trained

*Kai would eat new foods, veggies, and stop wanting just chicken nuggets

*Nash would sleep through the night


These are the things that stress me out as a mom. They are so frustrating and there is no real answers but time. Can you offer any insight? What are your three things?

Friday, December 26, 2008

Christmas Day






(Getting our Christmas tree) We had to go in the 20 degree weather to saw down our own tree. After walking a few miles to find the "perfect" tree we settled on a crooked tree. Well we didn't know it was crooked until we got home and put it up and it leaned entirely on the wall for support! I was devestated that our perfect tree has such a handicap. Devin got out the saw (we didn't own one so he went to Menards to buy one) and took our 8 foot tree to 6 feet. It's still crooked but it will do. We made the educated decision to buy a fake one for next year to avoid the frost bite and frustrations during our pleasant tree outing as a family :)

The kids opened their gifts. 3 each representing the three wise men. They played with them for a whole 10 minutes maybe....it was worth it.

Christmas 2008


This would be our street on Christmas. One word-ICY!

Makeup Tip

As I was applying my makeup I realized that I needed a new eye shadow brush. As you may know, eye makeup brushes can be very expensive! I always look for deals and ways to cut out expenses and I remembered an idea that I had a few years ago. I am a licensed cosmetologist and I learned alot about makeup. I Love MAC makeup but it's expensive. The brushes especially! So if you want a flat brush for the highlighting, a brush that goes to a point for the dark shadow in the crease of your eye, and any other......go to the craft department! Yes that is right. Instead of spending $15+ on each brush, I get small paint brushes at Michaels for around $4 and they work just as good! So there is my makeup tip, enjoy!

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

Recipe of the Week

Artichoke Dip

People are always looking for a good artichoke dip and this is one that is requested by family and friends A LOT. I've eaten so much that I'm sick of it but that shouldn't stop you from getting sick of it too ;)

1 can of artichoke hearts chopped and drained
1 1/2 cups of fresh parmesean cheese
1 cup of mozzarella cheese
1 cup of mayonaisse
1 small can of green chilies
1 dash of tobasco sauce

Mix it all together and bake it at 375 for 20 minutes or until lightly browned on top. We serve it with Wheat Thins but you can eat it with your favorite cracker or pieces of bread I suppose.

Enjoy!

Saturday, December 20, 2008

#3


My little mouse friend #3 was caught! This wasn't just any mouse. This was a very smart one. I had traps down for a week or two right where he lived (behind my refrigerator) and in the pantry (his favorite spot at night). He never went into them! The other two mice were caught in 24 hours of me laying the trap down right by their hideout. So I decided that I have to be smarter then the mouse! Maybe the mouse doesn't prefer peanut butter like the other two mice. So I gave the little mouse a buffet of a grape, some cheese, a cheez-it, a little oatmeal, and peanut butter. By morning my mouse was caught!

So here is the problem....what if there is more then 3 mice? I have this feeling that it's a nice little mouse family setting up their own little village in places like my underwear drawer or something. Yuck! I can't bring myself to kill the mice but I certainly don't want to share a space with them.

Apparently Kai is so use to the mice that he plays with his toys and they talk about going potty, naps, and of course mice! I wonder if Nash's first word will be mouse.

Friday, December 19, 2008

It got us!

Yep the flu got us! Wednesday night we came home from Church and Nash threw up in his crib and then continued to do so all night. Around 3am it got me. I was out all day yesterday. It was horrible! Seriously is there anything worse then the flu? I'm still weak today but at least I'm not nauseous anymore. I'm praying that Kai doesn't get it. I'm loading him up with vitamins and doing a lot of wash to sanitize. I really hope we are done for the season!

Wednesday, December 17, 2008

Recipe Monday-Wednesday

Okay so Monday came and went and I forgot to post a recipe! Maybe I'll change it to recipe of the week. Do you really care what day it comes on? Just that it's good right? Well I usually do Brie from Trader Joe's topped with pecans, brown sugar, and butter served with wheat thins. Tomorrow I'm going to make this:


Ingredients1/2 of a 17.3 ounce package Pepperidge Farm® Puff Pastry Sheets ( 1 sheet)
1 egg
1 tbsp. water
1/2 cup apricot preserves OR seedless raspberry jam
1/3 cup dried cranberry, softened*
1/4 cup toasted sliced almond
1 (13.2 ounces) Brie cheese round
1 pkg. (26 ounces) Pepperidge Farm® Entertaining Quartet Distinctive Crackers DirectionsThaw the pastry sheet at room temperature for 40 minutes or until it's easy to handle. Heat the oven to 400°F. Mix the egg and water in a small bowl.

Unfold the pastry sheet on a lightly floured surface. Roll the pastry sheet into a 14-inch square. Cut off the corners to make a circle. Spread the preserves on the pastry circle to within 1-inch of the edge. Sprinkle the cranberries and almonds over the preserves. Place the cheese in the center of the pastry circle. Brush the edge of the pastry circle with the egg mixture. Fold 2 opposite sides over the cheese. Trim the remaining 2 sides to 2-inches from the edge of the cheese and fold them up onto the cheese. Press the edges to seal. Place seam-side down on a baking sheet. Decorate the top with the pastry scraps, if desired. Brush with the egg mixture.

Bake for 20 minutes or until the pastry is golden. Let stand for 1 hour. Serve with the crackers.

*To soften the cranberries, mix the cranberries and 1/2 cup hot water in a small bowl. Let stand for 1 minute. Drain and pat the cranberries dry.

I'll let you know how it turns out!

Saturday, December 13, 2008

I am loved

Kara Noel wrote the sweetest post on her blog check it out!! www.elislids.blogspot.com My socks DO make great stocking stuffers and they are on sale for $5 and free shipping! How can you go wrong?Photobucket

Also she has the cutest hats for boys and girls! My boys love them. They fit their heads so well and it's the only hat Nash doesn't rip off. Plus the size grows with their head as my 1 year old can wear the same size as my 3 year old. And they are hand dyed!

PhotobucketPhotobucketPhotobucket

Wednesday, December 10, 2008

My little friend



After I laid my boys down for their nap I noticed a little mouse jump into my fireplace. Yikes! I didn't know I was so scared of them but then I couldn't do anything but obsess over the mouse so I packed the kids up and went to Menards for a mouse trap. I could get a real cheap one for a buck or I could spend $10 and get a cage that will keep the mouse from being harmed. My compassion got the better of me and I was on a mission to save this mouse and let it back into the wild! And that is just what I did. Within 24 hours I caught that mouse with some peanut butter in the trap and I drove 2 miles away (to ensure he wouldn't make his way back to my hospitable home) and let him off into the wild. For some reason I'm not thinking we are done with this mouse thing as Nash's sippy cup had bite marks on it while in the garage. I'll let you know when I find another little friend.

Monday, December 8, 2008

Recipe Monday

I may start to post a good recipe every Monday. I say "I may" because I don't even know if people read this blog and I've started to feel discouraged. Therefore I'm setting up a poll. Please vote and let me know that you care that I blog :)

Merry Berry Cheese Bars

2 cups unsifted flour
1 1/2 cups Oats
3/4 cup + 1 tbsp packed brown sugar
1 cup butter softened
1 (8oz) cream cheese package softened
1 (14oz) can sweetened condensed milk
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 (16oz) can whole berry cranberry sauce
2 tbsp corn starch

Preheat 350'. With mixer, beat flour, oats, 3/4 cup brown sugar, and butter until crumbly. Set aside 1 1/2 cup of that mixture. Press remaining mixture on bottom of greased 13x9 inch baking pan. Bake 15 minutes or until lightly browned.

With mixer, beat cheese until light and fluffy. Gradually beat in sweetened condensed milk until smooth. Stir in lemon juice. Spread over baked crust. Combine cranberry sauce, corn starch, and remaining 1 tbsp brown sugar. Spoon over cheese layer. Top with reserved crumb mixture.

Bake 45 minutes or until golden. Cool and cut, put in refrigerator.

These are a great holiday dessert!

Saturday, December 6, 2008

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Holiday Eating Tips

1. Avoid carrot sticks. Anyone who puts carrots on a holiday buffet table knows nothing of the Christmas spirit. In fact, if you see carrots, leave immediately. Go next door, where they're serving rum balls.
2. Drink as much eggnog as you can. And quickly. It's rare. You cannot find it any other time of year but now. So drink up! Who cares that it has 10,000 calories in every sip? It's not as if you're going to turn into an eggnog-alcoholic or something. It's a treat. Enjoy it. Have one for me. Have two. It's later than you think. It's Christmas!
3. If something comes with gravy, use it. That's the whole point of gravy. Gravy does not stand alone. Pour it on. Make a volcano out of your mashed potatoes. Fill it with gravy. Eat the volcano. Repeat.
4. As for mashed potatoes, always ask if they're made with skim milk or whole milk. If it's skim, pass. Why bother? It's like buying a sports car with an automatic transmission.
5. Do not have a snack before going to a party in an effort to control your eating. The whole point of going to a Christmas party is to eat other people's food for free. Lots of it. Hello?
6. Under no circumstances should you exercise between now and New Year's. You can do that in January when you have nothing else to do. This is the time for long naps, which you'll need after circling the buffet table while carrying a 10-pound plate of food and that vat of eggnog.
7. If you come across something really good at a buffet table, like frosted Christmas cookies in the shape and size of Santa, position yourself near them and don't budge. Have as many as you can before becoming the center of attention. They're like a beautiful pair of shoes. If you leave them behind, you're never going to see them again.
8. Same for pies. Apple, Pumpkin, Mincemeat. Have a slice of each. Or if you don't like mincemeat, have two apples and one pumpkin. Always have three. When else do you get to have more than one dessert? Labor Day?
9. Did someone mention fruitcake? Granted, it's loaded with the mandatory celebratory calories, but avoid it at all cost. I mean, have some standards.
10. One final tip: If you don't feel terrible when you leave the party or get up from the table, you haven't been paying attention. Re-read tips; start over, but hurry, January is just around the corner. Remember this motto to live by: "Life should NOT be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely in an attractive and well preserved body, but rather to skid in sideways, chocolate in one hand, body thoroughly used up, totally worn out and screaming "WOO HOO what a ride!"

Wednesday, December 3, 2008

This is getting old

I haven't been writing about my nighttime adventures in hopes that they will get better but I can't see that happening any time soon so here we go.

A typical night:

7pm-Nash goes down
7:30pm-9pm-Kai goes down
9:30pm-Nash wakes up (we try to soothe with nursing, pacifier, rocking)
11pm-Nash wakes up (repeat soothing,lasts anywhere from 5-20 minutes)
1am-Nash wakes up " "
2am-Nash wakes up " "
3:30am-Nash wakes up " "
5:30am-Nash wakes up " "
6:30am-Kai wakes up
7am-Nash up for good

How long is this going to go on??? He is on his 4th antibiotic and has an appointment with the ENT but that won't be happening for a week or two. I'm exhausted and always sick. So are the boys. I have no patience for Kai because I'm so tired and unfortunetly it's taken out on him. So I would say this is just a down time in my parenting and I'm trying my best to function and be there for my boys. So if you are up in the middle of the night for whatever reason, remember me :)

Tuesday, December 2, 2008

Terribly Cheap

I like name brands. If you held up 5 items and asked me which one I like best I will ALWAYS pick the most expensive one. Well when your husband works for the church you can't afford name brands. So what am I to do? Shop at the Discount Stores!! Seriously TJ Maxx and Marshalls are the best stores out there! I have managed to cloth my kids in complete Hurley gear by shopping at these stores. (There is little to no Hurely in Illinois and I need to keep the Southern Cali alive here) You need some new towels, toys, Robeez, Petunia Pickle Bottom, Seven Jeans, DKNY, Roxy, oh the list goes on! Well I may be a little obsessed but well I am! So go shopping people and make me proud!

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