Cinderelly

My sweet little girl has fallen in love. She's in love with the movie Cinderella. Every day she requests...at least once....to watch Cinderella. She'll say...I want to watch Cinderelly. Yesterday she and I were in her room and she started singing one of the songs in the movie, "Sing Sweet Nightengail." It was one of the sweetest things I've heard! What a sweet little voice she has. Some time I'm going to sit down and figure out how I can relate Cinderella to something Biblical...but for right now, I'm going to sit back and just take it in. In fact, we're watching it right now. Another bonus to having a good movie for Sophie to watch....Mommy gets some down time. Gotta run....it's bibbity-bobbity-boo time. :-D

New things

It's a week of new things around here. Last Saturday, as I mentioned, I got a new haircut. Here it is! I'm enjoying having short hair and new color. Hair is one of the few things that you can change quickly about your appearance...and for some reason, I often need a change just to break the daily cycle. My husband also likes the new do, so that makes me feel good!

Another ongoing challenge is trying to potty train Sophie. I honestly have not been very consistent. It's been hard since Isaac has been with us. It never fails that I'll be nursing Isaac and Sophie will say, "Mommy, I need to go potty." Usually when Sophie needs to go potty, she doesn't actually potty. She just sits there and wants to play with the toilet paper. But I would really love to have just one child in diapers instead of two. That would be nice. Sophie has actually gone potty before, too. It's just not consistent. So this morning we got up and I took her straight to the potty. She sat there, looked at three books, played with the toilet paper, and by that point I was hungry and tired myself. Isaac was making some noise, too, so we had to move on. But we did something new. I let Sophie put on her little cotton training panties this morning. I put the portable potty on the floor along with a couple of Walmart bags and told her she either needed to sit on the bags or go potty. She did well. She didn't mess up her panties...but she didn't go potty either. Any advice on this would be appreciated. I was thinking today that just when you've got your child past one hurdle, the next one comes up. I guess it'll be like that, though. It's part of being a parent, I'm realizing. It's so much harder than you think it'll be!

Little man has being doing something new, too. He's been sleeping in his "big boy" bed this week for the first time! He's actually done really well, to my surprise! We've had him in our room for 6 months in a pack and play so that he would be close when I needed to feed him. It was actually kind of hard to move him into his room. I kind of miss seeing him at night and hearing him breathe so close to me. But, it was time. Joe and I needed our space. I also think that this will help with getting Isaac into a better routine. He's finally been going to bed before midnight (yay!) and he's also being doing something else new...eating baby food! This boy has been eating! Big time! The new food intake has agreed with him and he's sleeping more. I think this was just what he needed. Here he is sleeping in his room. I didn't get him in the picture very much...I didn't want to wake him up.

So that's what's new with us. What's new with you? Thanks for reading and God bless!

Back from a great week!

I think our vacation last week was one of the best. I've called it a "stay-cation" instead of a vacation because we stayed with different family members instead of staying in hotels. Most of the time you use the term staycation when referring to staying at home instead of going somewhere. Well, we didn't stay home...we just stayed with other people! One reason I loved it was because we were able to see family members and do things with them. Another reason is because we had all the conveniences of home...a kitchen, washer/dryer, fridge, dishes, etc. This is a great thing when you have kids!

We started the journey with a visit to Statesboro where Joe's sister, Susan, lives. We had fun visiting with her and her kids, Ally, Tres, and Taff. We took our time getting there and Tuesday we loaded up and drove to Tybee Island to spend some time at the beach. It was Isaac's first time at the beach! Then Joe, Sophie, Isaac, and I went to downtown Savannah, at supper at 5 Guys Burgers and Fries and walked around. We had dessert at my friends, Catherine and Josh's house. I was in Thailand with them. It was so fun to see them and their kids.

The next leg of the trip was driving to Macon to stay at my parent's house. We had a great time relaxing, sitting in their new hot tub, and watching tv. Thursday we drove to Stone Mountain to see the lazer show. We picked up my sister and her little girl on the way up. It was great when we got there, but started pouring rain for a few minutes. We had to pack up our picnic supper and eat in one of the buildings. But the girls loved it anyway! It did stop and clear out long enough for us to set up again in time for the show. It was really fun. The girls seemed to enjoy it! We got back late that night, so we rested the next day and took Isaac and Sophie swimming at my aunt and uncle's house. Sophie loved being in the water! The rest of the weekend we rested and went to church with my parents. This vacation was fun and restful...which is not that common when you go out of town! Plus we came home with almost all of our clothes washed...thanks, Joe, for doing the laundry! I also was able to go to Target (yay!) and get my hair cut. My mom and sister colored it that night. Very different look for me, but I really like it! It's fun to get a new do!

God bless!

Resting up and getting ready

I'm so glad that this weekend we haven't had to go anywhere. Don't get me wrong, I love to hang out with people and do things, but lately we've been going like crazy! I was really getting worn out. Next week we'll be on our first "stay-cation". Well, we're not staying at our house, but we're staying with other people and doing little day trips from their houses. I think it'll be a lot of fun! We will hopefully hit the beach for a day, do something in Atlanta...we're thinking the zoo, a Braves game, or even Stone Mountain. The main thing is that we'll be together. We enjoy spending time together! So you might not hear much from me for a while...we'll be staycationing :D. God bless!

Bags for sale...

Well, I've finally decided to start trying to sell the bags that I've made. I want you to see some of the other ones that I've made that I haven't posted before. Honestly, this is a fun thing for me and I've enjoyed doing them for friends and family. I haven't priced how much shipping is, so that isn't included in the prices I'm listing. If you're really interested, please let me know your email address so we can communicate about it! :-) This is all new to me, so I am still learning!

Price list:

Painted and/or fabric scene on bag with name or phrase: $15

The above with ribbon along the top added: $17

The above with beaded ribbon added: $18

I'm estimating that shipping will be $2-3.

Here are a few more bags for you to look at! Thanks so much for your support and encouragement!

"baby girl"

Pennies for Posho

Tonight at church we had a group called Ugandan Thunder come perform at our church. These precious boys came to sing songs to the Lord and play the drums for us. They did a great job! They are here to promote the ministry, Pennies for Posho, that provides food for starving children in Africa. I don't know if you've ever heard the song Orphans of God, but it had a special meaning tonight as these boys were singing it and images of young African children who were orphans came up on the screen. My heart went out to them. From what I understand, Pennies for Posho supports 6 different schools and orphanages. In one town there were 300 orphans. To support a child for a month, it only costs $9. This will go directly to buying food for these children. It was explained to us that posho is a staple food that is similar to thick grits. Most children have this once a day. It really makes you think about how much we eat and how much food we throw away! We are so blessed in America! Here is the link to the Pennies for Posho website.
http://www.gokittle.com/PenniesMain

God bless!

Look what we've been up to!

We had a great weekend at Mimi and D's house. The hubby was gone to Ridgecrest in North Carolina, so we had fun getting to hang out with family. I was especially motivated to be crafty this weekend. Check out what I've done. I'd love to get your feedback! I made two baby body bibs...they'll cover the top part of the body and the legs, too! I also made a baby sling...the baby doll is sitting in the sling. I also got up the motivation to make Sophie some hair bows. I'm not sure if they're too big or not. But I feel like it's a good first try. I think doing these little projects helps me to have some stress release. It's fun doing them and I hope I can keep it up. I'm still interested in possibly selling some things. I've made a few more bags and I'm still trying to decide on a reasonable price. My hesitation is that I know that I'm not a perfectionist. While I think that what I make has turned out well, I know it's not always perfect....sometimes there's a little blotch here or a letter that's not perfectly symmetrical, etc. So I guess I would have to take that into account when selling them to others. Again, your feedback is greatly appreciated!

So other than being crafty, we got to hang out at Mom and Dad's new hottub. Isaac got to get his toes wet and after the kids were asleep, I got to get in and relax. It was great! I also helped make dinner Saturday night....salsa rice and chicken. Ya'll....this is soooo good! It's a little spicy, so if you have any acid reflux issues, this might not be for you. Here's the recipe:

Salsa Rice and Chicken (another recipe from Catherine....that girl is a great cook!)

• 1 1/3 cups uncooked rice (I used Minute Rice)
• 1 jar mild salsa (24 oz)...or you can use the heat amount of your choice
• 1 can of cream of chicken soup
• 1 8 oz container of sour cream
• 1/3 cup of water
• 1/4 tsp. pepper
• 1 (3 lb) chicken, cut up, skinned (I used 5 small boneless, skinless chicken breasts...or you could use 4 larger ones)
• 2 tsp. paprika
• lime

Preheat oven to 350. I like to put my chicken in some lime juice and water (about 1 1/2 limes and the rest water to cover the chicken) just to give it some extra zing. You don't have to do it if you don't like lime. While that's sitting, mix together first 6 ingredients. Grease bottom of 13 x 9 dish. Spoon the mixture into the dish. Take chicken out of lime juice, pat dry just a little bit, and spray with cooking spray. Lay the chicken on top of the rice mixture. Sprinkle with paprika. Bake, covered, for 45 min. Uncover and bake for 30 more minutes. Enjoy! Let me know how you like it!

I LOVE comments, so don't be shy! If you don't have a google account, you can comment as an annonymous person...I don't mind! :-)

God bless!

Catching up

It's been one of those weeks that has flown by! After my little girlie was sick two nights ago and had to go to the doctor the next morning (thanks to my hubby for doing that after I was up most of the night!), I've just been trying to catch up with things this week. I've been trying to think of something fun to blog about....a neat recipe or picture, etc. There just hasn't been a lot going on...just hanging here at the house, trying to catch up on laundry, dishes, and all the other things I have to do each week. We're going to be visiting with Mom and Dad this weekend and I am planning to cook a salsa chicken recipe that is so good...I'll be posting that recipe when we get back. But....as I write, I wanted to mention my new fun toy I got for my birthday. Let's begin by saying that my parents, brother, sister and their families got me/my family a Wii for my birthday!! I mentioned it before, but I honestly am loving this thing! We consider it a blessing to even be able to have one. What I haven't mentioned is that with the birthday money I received, I bought the Wii Fit. This has been great! It will measure your Body Mass Index, keep you accountable with your weight loss goals, and it has all kinds of aerobics, strength training, yoga and balance exercises. Joe and I have had so much fun getting on it every night. So far I have lost 2.6 lbs! Woohoo! I can feel it in my legs, too. This has been very encouraging to me as I've really wanted to lose weight and get in shape. I was trying to walk outside with the kids, but it's been hard with the heat. I can do the Wii any time of the day (I usually wait until Sophie's asleep) and I feel like I've seen some good results already! Praise the Lord. You know, it's so sweet that God gives us good things like this. I thank Him for providing this for us! I hope you are experiencing His sweet blessings today!

Filling the heart and the tummy :-D

My mom picked up a great little book for me and gave it to me the other day. If you're like me and one of those moms who struggles with keeping up with everything...a home, laundry, kids, etc. then you'll like this book! I get overwhelmed with all the responsibilities of cleaning, organizing, feeding, diaper changing, losing weight, cooking meals, and the list goes on. This book makes me feel like I'm not the only one out there that struggles with all this! Plus she adds some great recipes, craft ideas, travel ideas, things to do with kids, and it's basically like a weekly devotion, so it has a Bible verse for the week and a prayer. It even has two vocabulary words to learn :-). So here it is...it's called Queen of the Castle.

I couldn't just read one entry...I read several. And I'll probably read it more and actually do it as a weekly devotion. Thanks, Mom!

One more fun thing. I love our family's homemade chocolate ice cream. It's the best. Really. It tastes like a Wendy's frosty. If you have a regular sized ice cream churn (that you add the ice and rock salt to as it spins), add these ingredients to the container...

• 12 oz container of whipped cream (I used the generic...just as good!)
• 1 can of sweetened condensed milk
• 1 half gallon of chocolate milk

I whisked the ingredients before closing it up and turning on the churn. You'll love it! I made it twice this past weekend and it's almost all gone!

God bless!

Blessed

(above: my mom made my birthday cake and it was so delicious...just yellow cake with chocolate icing!)

I'm feeling very blessed right now. It's the word that immediately came to mind when I was thinking of how my birthday was this year. Yes, another birthday has come around and I'm now 32 years old. I don't feel like I'm actually that old...but I'm noticing a few wrinkles around my eyes that weren't there before and my gray hair has really started showing! But don't get me wrong...I LOVE my birthday! I was born on the fourth of July, so I've always had lots of activity and fun going on. Fireworks...I love them! I think this year was one of my favorite birthdays.

We started the celebrating on Thursday night when we drove to my parent's house to spend the night. The next morning my wonderful husband, knowing that I was dreaming of Krispy Kreme doughnuts, went out early and bought some for me. He picked all kinds of fun ones...and my favorite...chocolate iced! Then he brought it up to me while I was just waking up...breakfast in bed. What a great guy! After doughnuts we get ready and headed off to Twila Faye's Tea Room in Bolingbroke and had an awesome lunch! I had a Trio plate of chicken salad, potato salad, and a tossed salad along with some nutbread with cream cheese and some cheese wafers. Yum! It was a lot of fun. After the meal, Joe, the kids, and I went to the mall and I got some new shoes as my birthday gift. They are some sandals that I can wear to church or casual and they are VERY comfortable. I also got some cute Yellowbox red and white polka dot flip flops. I've been admiring those for about a year now! We also went and visited my grandfather (Papa) and that was a lot of fun. We grabbed a bite and relaxed at my parent's house the rest of the night. My parents surprised me with an awesome gift (my sister and brother went in on it, too)--a Wii!! I had a lot of fun playing at my sister's house one day when I was visiting and they really wanted to get it for me. I never dreamed I would get one of those! Their generosity was such a blessing to me and I have already enjoyed playing some! Here is Papa and the kids:
My actual birthday morning, Mom got up and fixed a wonderful brunch of pancakes, sausage, and we had some doughnuts again! We headed back to Eastman that afternoon and had a cookout with some friends of ours from church. It was fun, too. We had some great food and fellowship. That night we also went to see the fireworks. They have a big fireworks display at the Dodge Co. stadium. We parked in a nearby lot and enjoyed watching while the kids were sound asleep. They had a busy couple of days! As I told a friend today...my tank has been filled! I have been blessed with gifts, but the greatest gift was the love that I was shown by my sweet husband, parents, family members, and friends!

Birthday brunch (Joe and Sophie), the kids at the cookout

I hope you all had a great July 4th! God bless!

One tired Momma

It's late at night again but I'm enjoying a few moments of quiet time. It's the only time of day...or night I guess I should say...that I can wind down from a long day. Now I know why my mom was always up late. It's just so much easier to sweep and mop the kitchen, clean up, do dishes, etc. when the kids are in the bed. I'm just glad that my hubby is off tomorrow and maybe I can catch a few extra minutes of sleep. As you can see, my peas are nestled away in 6 quart bags that are now in the freezer. Yay! It only took us about 2 1/2 days to shell those things. Every spare moment I've had I've been shelling. I was determined to get it done tonight. Well, at about 1:30 am, I finished. I hope they're good!

Rest well and God bless...