Olivia and Logan

Pizza 4 Paxten

2012-01-26T23:03:00.001-06:00

Mark your calendars to remind you that Tues night, Jan 31st, is pizza night! If you are interested in going, you must print out this flyer and take it with you to the Pizza Huts in Goddard, Maize, Valley Center or Park City. I was thinking of reserving the room at Goddard Pizza Hut and a bunch of us could meet up, enjoy some pizza and raise money for Paxten. Please let me know by Saturday if you are interested.

Digital Scrapbooking Software Giveaway!

2012-01-24T22:04:00.001-06:00

I am one of those people who tried paper scrapbooking, but I never latched on to it. I realized that I didn’t have the patience, time or space for paper scrapbooking. I, however, love to create designs online and I’m always looking for fresh ideas to create headers for my blog. So, about a year ago I started searching for a software program that was easy to use, reasonably priced and with many design options to choose from. I found that My Memories Suite (at that time was version 2) was ranked #1 out of 11 in digital scrapbooking software. After reading the stellar reviews, I placed it on my Christmas list and received it Dec 2010.

I have been quite pleased with this software and recently received the version 3 that I will be giving away. It doesn’t compare to programs such as Adobe Photoshop in terms of what it is capable of, but to me Adobe Photoshop has too high of a learning curve and too high of a price tag. Plus, I wanted something I could create without asking my husband for help every 10 minutes.

The software comes with quite a few templates, paper patterns and embellishments. If you are looking for something more specific, their design shop has hundreds of downloads that are reasonably priced for just a couple of dollars and many are even free. Downloading new kits is a simple, pain free process as is importing pictures to use in your designs. You can easily rotate images and add text boxes wherever you see fit and create a truly custom design. One of my favorite features is the color editing tool by using the Color Picker. It displays a preview of your page and you can click on the color that you wish to match, creating a truly uniform page. I used it below on my daughter’s 4^th birthday invitation.

Another creation of mine using the My Memories Suite software is the family tree that I made for my family. I printed it out, framed it and gave it as a Christmas gift.

Here are a few of my other creations, but you can also create photo albums, greeting cards, calendars, and even videos.

Nothing truly compares to the look of a paper scrapbook. If, however, you’ve decided digital scrapbooking is the better option for you, look no further than My Memories Suite. You will truly enjoy every aspect of this software. . .especially sharing your creations with your friends and family.

Not only is it a great digital scrapbooking software, but a great company who is giving one free copy of My Memories Suite version 3, valued at $39.97, to one of my blog readers! Simply leave a comment stating why you would like a copy of this software and/or what you would like to create. The winner will be randomly chosen from http://www.random.org/ Contest ends on January 31^st, 2012 at 10 pm CST. Good luck!

Sunday, January 22, 2012

2012-01-22T21:49:00.001-06:00

I sat down to write a post on a issue that’s been tugging at my heart. Sadly, I just don’t have it in me tonight to put it all into words. Another time, perhaps. So, I’ll keep this lighthearted and share a bit about what’s been going on lately.

The other day, Olivia was counting and I asked her how high she could count.

Olivia: 1,2,3,4,5 (she spoke really really fast.)

Me: No, not how fast you can count. . .how high can you count?

Olivia: (in a high pitched voice reaching up into the air (1,2,3,4,5. . . .)

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Olivia enjoys going with me to the pet store to buy supplies and food for the cats. She loves looking at the animals. The other day, she came upon a big barrel of pig ears. . .ya know, the kind dogs chew on? It horrified her and intrigued her at the same time. She’s been talking about it ever since. This morning, I wanted to take her downstairs to show her a surprise (we re-organized the play room.) With a look of horror, she asked, “Is it pig ears? I don’t want to see pig ears!” Poor girl is going to have nightmares about pig ears.

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Yesterday, Olivia informed me that it was Ducky’s birthday. She talked about it all day. She even got out the wrapping paper and asked me if I’d help her wrap Ducky’s present. So, we wrapped a few presents and sang happy birthday to Ducky. If only I’d known, I would have baked him a little cake. He’s 5 now, by the way.

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The Lost Broom

2012-01-19T09:38:00.001-06:00

Sometime around Christmas, I lost my favorite broom along with the dustpan. It was just a little hand broom with a dust pan and I never realized how much I used it until it was gone. After preaching to Olivia about the importance of keeping track of your stuff, I go and lose a broom. I have no idea what happened to it. I figure that someone broke into our house, bypassed the tvs and computers and went straight for the broom. They must have realized how awesome it was. Yes, that must be it because the chance that it got thrown away with the Christmas trash just doesn’t seem very plausible. LOL! So, after a broomless month, I tried to find my exact broom on Amazon and ordered it. It came last week and sadly, it’s not the same. They must have cheapened it because, like most brooms, I’m back to chasing that little line of dust that doesn’t seem to get swept up. But, it will have to do and I’ll always wonder what happened to my broom.

Wednesday, January 18, 2012

2012-01-18T19:57:00.001-06:00

I took Olivia to the dentist today. On Sunday, she started telling me that her tooth was loose. A few weeks ago, she watched The Berenstain Bears Visit The Dentist and Sister Bear had a loose tooth. I thought she was kinda pulling my leg. But, Olivia consistently pointed to the same tooth and I noticed that it was really bothering her. I called the dentist who said it’s not uncommon to lose a tooth this early. Then, you know me. . .I start worrying that it’s a cavity or something else wrong, so I got her in today. They took an x-ray (with Olivia screaming and three people plus me holding her down. . .it was awful.) No cavity and no sign of the tooth being loose, so we have NO idea what’s going on. It’s one of her bottom front teeth, so that kinda rules out sinus problems or an earache. I’ll just give her Tylenol when she complains a lot about it and see what happens, I guess. What we did learn, after seeing the x-ray, is that Olivia’s permanent teeth are HUGE! They are about twice as big as her baby teeth (that currently have no spaces between them.) So, they are about 100% sure that she will have to have her jaw expanded sometime between 7-9 years of age. Her jaw is so narrow and tiny. As soon as I get my dental work paid for (which is an insane amount of money!) it looks like we’ll be paying for hers. LOL! I laugh, because, what else can you do? :) Pray that her tooth gets to feeling better soon or that we figure out what is going on.

My Memories Suite

2012-01-18T00:00:00.001-06:00

Within the next 2 weeks, I will be reviewing the new version of the My Memories Suite software that I’ve been using for the past year. I create all of my headers using this software and absolutely love it! But there is so much more that you can do with it. . .photo books, cards, etc. But the best part is that My Memories will be giving away one software package (valued at $39.97) for FREE! So, keep your eyes open for the review and this awesome giveaway coming soon! I also have a special promo code for you to use (and share with your friends) that will save you $10 off your purchase. Click the link on the right to learn more. I’m super excited about sharing this with all of you and to give this software away to one of you? Awesome!

PROMO CODE for $10 off:

STMMMS18517

The Year 2011

2012-01-17T22:45:00.001-06:00

I thought I would post my favorite pictures from each month of 2011.

January – Playing the piano with Grandpa Sailing

February – In Arkansas visiting family.

March – All pretty after a hair cut.

April- Warming up with cousin Izzy at the March for Babies.

May – Adorable in her jacket and hat.

June- Having a ball in Izzy’s pool.

July – Taking a break from the fourth of July festivities.

August- Sending a balloon to her brother Logan on their birthday.

September- All dolled up and ready to go.

October- Admiring her costume.

November- All Smiles

December- Loving Santa this year!

This past week, out of the blue, Olivia has started talking about wanting a baby sister. She has never shown any desire before now. It breaks my heart because this month the baby that I miscarried would have been due. And Olivia would have been sooo ready to be a big sister. . .just in time for her sibling to be born. We just don’t know what the future holds. In life, we rarely get exactly what we ask for. I prayed for God to bless me with just one child. .. I never asked for more than that. Just so I could be called “mom.” And I gave birth to two babies. And I get to raise the most amazing, miraculous daughter. It’s not that I don’t long to have more children. . .I do, but it’s out of my control. And my heart is content with what I have.

This and That

2012-01-15T18:50:00.001-06:00

We spent the day yesterday fixing up Olivia’s room. It is now officially switched over to a big girl room (and Olivia continues to tell us how she misses her toddler bed.) We still have a bit of tweaking to do. But, it’s decorated in owls, flowers and butterflies and pink.

She is sick today. I felt bad because this morning she kept telling me she was sick, but was acting fine (and she had just watched a show where the girl was sick.) I kinda shrugged it off, then felt her and she was warm. Took her temp and it was over 100. She has gotten worse throughout the day. So, she wasn’t able to go to my grandma’s birthday party today. But, I really didn’t want to miss it.

I haven’t let Olivia out of my sight since and we just woke up from a nice, long nap. Hoping she feels better really soon. I hate when my baby is sick.

Thank you all for your prayers for Paxten. Our prayers for Paxten signs have taken off and are bigger than I ever expected. Amazing. Paxten is the niece, by the way, of my very best friends growing up. I remember when Paxten’s mommy was born. I was 7 1/2 years old. . .to the day (because she was born on my half birthday.) Their family was like my own and when they brought Libby home from the hospital, they were saying, “Oh, she has this person’s nose or eyes, etc.” I asked, “What does she have of mine?” I was so disappointed that she didn’t have anything of mine. . .seriously, I remember that. I didn’t have any little brother or sisters, so Libby (and her sister) sort of became mine. This family is very special to me and I thank you for all of your love and support. Here are some of my favorite pictures:

So, thank you, thank you to everyone. Now, back to cuddling with my sick girlie.

Facebook Page

2012-01-14T12:28:00.001-06:00

https://www.facebook.com/groups/308943799148496/members/#!/groups/308943799148496/?notif_t=group_r2j

I now have a group set up on facebook where everyone can share their Praying for Paxten pictures! Please join and keep the pictures coming!

Keep On Praying

2012-01-13T16:19:00.001-06:00

So, our Praying for Paxten campaign is proving to be a huge success. I’ve already received about a dozen pictures and judging by the number of hits on my blog. . .I am going to receive a ton more. Here are just a few:

This last picture was taken in Paxten’s new room!

We are working on posting all of the pictures to a separate facebook page for Paxten. We’ll let you know the details in the near future. In the meantime, keep them coming!!

Praying for Paxten

2012-01-12T16:57:00.001-06:00

I saw this done on a blog a few years ago and really wanted to do this for Paxten. It only works, however, with your support. As someone who saw my own children fight for their lives, it truly does help to know that other people are taking time out of their lives to pray for your children. Let’s not just TELL Libby and Blake that we’re praying for their daughter. . .let’s SHOW them!

It’s really simple. Make a sign (or you can use mine below) that says: Praying for Paxten in: (wherever you are) and take a picture of yourself holding the sign. The more people we get to participate, the greater the impact. Tell your friends and let’s try to find people from all over the world who are praying for Paxten. And be creative. . .write it in the sand on a beach, find a celebrity to hold a sign, hold a sign in front of a famous landmark, etc. You can email the picture to me at jsail63@hotmail.com or to Libby directly. I haven’t quite decided what to do with all of the pictures, but I’m working on it. Let your creativity soar, but most of all. . .pray for Paxten and show her and her family how much you care!!

We’ll go first. Now, it’s your turn!

The latest on Paxten can be found here:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paxtenpearson/?ref=nl

Parenting

2012-01-12T13:35:00.001-06:00

I thought parenting was going to portray my strengths, never realizing that God had ordained it to reveal my weaknesses.

-Dave Harvey

Wow, how true is that? Parenting is very humbling and definitely shows you the areas in your life that need improvement. I just pray every day that God helps me to be the kind of parent that Olivia needs.

Then, I see this face and realize I must be doing something right.

Tuesday, January 10, 2012

2012-01-10T09:28:00.001-06:00

Olivia: Can we go to Logan’s park today?

Me: Where is Logan’s park?

Olivia: It’s in heaven.

Me: Does he have bouncing animals at his park?

Olivia: Yes! They are farm animals! His favorite is the pig!

Olivia is increasingly talking about Logan every day. It warms my heart and breaks my heart at the same time. Not sure I’ll ever get over Olivia saying his name. . .

Prayers for Paxten

2012-01-08T22:37:00.001-06:00

Lots of prayers for Paxten please! Paxten is the niece of my two best friends growing up. I’ve known Paxten’s mom, Libby, since she was born. Paxten is 22 months old and has been fighting leukemia for over a year. She underwent a bone marrow transplant 24 days ago and is really struggling right now. Please please say a prayer for Paxten and her amazing mommy and daddy.

Libby’s latest update:

Day +24
First off all thank you so much prayer warriors for the extra prayers and support. It has been another rough day. Paxten's oxygen and breathing had been slowly deteriorating throughout the day along with increased and higher feavers, increased fussiness, throwing up, gagging and grabbing at her chest. We were thinking it may be acid reflux but after the CT scan I think we have bigger problems than heartburn. The doctors were very concerned about the fevers and decided they did not want to wait until tomorrow for a scan. The scan showed another accumulation of fluid in her belly but it wasn't nearly as much this time. They decided to drain it and only got about 430ml off this time. But after looking at the scan I believe we have found a source for the difficult breathing.
The Dr. found what was described as "diffused nodes" throughout her lungs. Meaning, she has either some sort of fungus or a-typical bacteria all through her lungs. This could be some form of pnemonia or fungus (I am not familiar with what kinds of fungus is common in transplant patients). She said even a virus of some kind could do this to a transplant patient. She also has a small pocket of fluid in the lungs. They have no idea exactly what it is just by looking at the scan and would have to draw out some fluid to determine exactly what it is. The dr doesn't feel that Paxten is stable enough at this point to do that test. They will also be doing a respiratory panel to test for any viruses. Essentially Pax has some sort of lung disease and we don't know exactly what it is. They have started her on two additional medications to hopefully cover whatever it may be. They are watching her very closely right now since her breathing is very shallow and she is "pulling" for breath as the dr. described it. If it gets any worse we may be going to the ICU. They also saw a slight accumulation of fluid around the heart but she didn't even say much about that because I think they are more concerned with the lungs at this point.
I don't even know what to say...please just keep praying.

You can keep up with Paxten’s progress at:

http://www.caringbridge.org/visit/paxtenpearson

Please please keep her in your prayers.

Olivia’s New Room

2012-01-07T22:44:00.001-06:00

Chicken Fried Steak

2012-01-06T23:01:00.001-06:00

One of my all-time favorite foods is chicken fried steak. Last night I was pretty proud of myself for making it for the very first time. I actually hadn’t made any new recipes lately, so I’m trying to get back in the swing of things. Yummy. . .not healthy, but yummy.

Chicken Fried Steak and Gravy

You have to scroll down a bit when you click on the link to get to the recipe. Enjoy!

Thursday, January 5, 2012

2012-01-05T23:31:00.001-06:00

Today was Olivia’s first day back to preschool. When I picked her up, we headed to the “bouncing animals” park and I tell ya, we had so much fun. We drew letters in the sand and tried to see who could find the biggest rock. It’s not a fancy park or a big park, but Olivia loves it. . .especially the bouncing duck.

I love it because it reminds me of the parks of yesteryear with the old fashioned slide and merry-go-round and monkey bars. No high tech playground equipment there.

I guess it made me nostalgic for the days when I could walk to the city park or swimming pool. We do not even have a park within walking distance of where we live. I miss that smaller town feel. . .granted we live in a small town, but technically it’s on the outskirts of town in a subdivision.

And it was then. . .at the top of the slide that I had an epiphany. We need to just sell our house and move to a small town near a park. It doesn’t have to be far away. It doesn’t have to be a bigger or better house. . .just something different. Sure, when I was telling Ryan about it, it no longer seemed very practical and I was probably only half serious by that point. But, for a moment it made perfect sense. Don’t get me wrong, I love my house, but sometimes wouldn’t it be great to just start anew? Amid our struggles with depression over the past few years, sometimes it feels like we just need a big change in our lives.

Who knows what came over me, but as the sun was starting to set we decided it was time to go home. Olivia had a hard time saying good-bye to her duck and hugged him and told him she’d be back to see him soon. But I think both of us had just the kind of day we needed.

Wednesday, January 4, 2012

2012-01-04T22:44:00.001-06:00

The Vaseline saga continues.

This is what her hair looked like after several failed attempts. No, her hair is not wet. . .that’s all grease. I’ve tried literally every remedy that I’ve ever heard or read about. This afternoon I coated her hair white with baby powder. Yikes!

Then, I washed it with Dawn dish soap, a clarifying shampoo and then a conditioner. Her hair is really drying out from all these frequent washings + the dish soap. So, I’ve just resigned myself to the fact that her hair is going to be like this for awhile. Hopefully, in time it will get back to normal. At least we don’t have a special occasion or pictures coming up. Sheesh. . .who knew Vaseline was such an awful thing to get in your hair!

Tuesday, January 3, 2012

2012-01-03T22:32:00.001-06:00

So, my daughter is usually a very good child. . .sometimes a bit high energy and impulsive, but very good. Today, she gave me a run for my money! It started when I took her to the park. . .a new park that we’ve never been to. She absolutely loved this park. She even told me that she wasn’t coming home and instead is going to live at the playground. Usually when I tell Olivia we are going home, I don’t encounter that much resistance. I literally had to pry her hands from the wheel on the playground and carry her out to the car. Wow. Then, while I was cooking dinner, she decided to put tons (and tons) of Vaseline in her hair. I washed it three times with 2 different shampoos and her hair is still greasy. I’ve been trying to determine my plan of action tomorrow morning to get her hair clean. Some people have suggested washing her hair with Dawn dish soap, baby oil or baking soda. So, wish me luck because her hair is really really gross! The fun continued when she locked herself in the bathroom tonight. She knows how to unlock the door, but she got so upset by not being able to get out that it took her probably 10 minutes (while we were frantically trying to find something to unlock the door with) until she opened it. Drama drama. LOL! I’m hoping that tomorrow we are back to our boring, normal lives.

The Things She Says Part II

2012-01-02T21:56:00.001-06:00

Lately, everything has been “dangerous.” For example, Olivia says that she cannot wear a dress because it’s dangerous. She cannot eat her dinner because it’s dangerous. Basically, about everything I want her to do is dangerous. It’s driving me up a wall! LOL!

When you play with Olivia, you will most likely be told to tell her a story. She will set you up with the cast of characters and the setting and you will determine the adventure. Ryan is especially good at this and can literally tell her stories for hours. I run out of plot lines and possible antagonists (big bad wolf, giant, monster, etc.) Some days I just want to pick up a book and read it to her. That takes a lot less effort! I will forever treasure our storytelling adventures, however, no matter how tired I am by the end of the story.

Another story that I can’t believe I forgot happened last week at Ryan's parents’ house. We were all sitting around and Olivia was “measuring” all of us. She would walk up to you with a measuring stick and say, “You’re a 5 or a 6 or a 4.” When asked what number she was, she said, “I’m pi!” I basked in the glory of her intelligence (and wondered how in the world she came up with that!) It was hilarious. . .even if she was talking about baked goods. The things she comes up with boggle my mind! LOL!

The Things She Says. . .

2012-01-02T00:15:00.001-06:00

If I don’t write them down, I’ll forget them. They never fail, however, to crack me up day after day.

While driving home from her grandparents house after playing with her cousin, Kaleb all day. . .

Olivia: Kaleb put me in jail today.

Me: Oh he did? (We talked for a bit about it.)

Olivia: Mom, what is jail?

Me: It’s when someone breaks the law and they are put behind bars.

Olivia: Like the bars at gymnastics?

Me: No, it’s like a big cage.

Olivia: Like a hamster’s cage?

Me: Well, sort of. . .for people.

Olivia: Because they broke the bars?

Me: No, they broke the law. . .they did something naughty.

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Exchange between Olivia and her dad (as told by Grandpa Glunt.)
Olivia: Sob, sob
Dad: What is the matter?
Olivia: I bumped my head.
Dad: I'm sorry...Where did you bump your head?
Olivia: On the bed
Dad: No, I mean where did you bump your head?
Olivia grabs dads hand ready to show where on the bed she bumped her head.
Dad: Rubbing his head. I mean where on your head did you bump it.
Olivia: Finally shows him where on her head.
Dad: kisses it
Olivia: Kaleb, wait for me!

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While in the bathroom the other day, Olivia starts screaming loudly and making all kinds of noise.

Me: What in the world are you doing?

Olivia: I’m praising the Lord. (Thank you, Psalty.)

Sunday, January 1, 2012

2012-01-01T22:12:00.001-06:00

We got Olivia’s new bed all set up last night. She loved it until it was time to go to sleep. Then, she wanted her old toddler bed back. It has been quite an adjustment for her. I ended up sleeping in her bed with her last night. . .just imagine the two of us together in a twin bed. If I moved a finger, she would wake up. Then, I had to be facing her the entire night as well. If I tried to roll over, she’d cry, “But mama, I need to see you!” It seems to be going smoother tonight, but that’s probably because she got less than 6 hours of sleep last night and she’s exhausted.

I’m sure Autumn took full advantage of my comfy flannel sheets while I was gone.

I’m hoping that 2012 is full of happier times for my family. I hate that it’s starting off with my grandma in the hospital with a staph infection. Last year, we lost my grandpa, I miscarried my baby (who would have been due this month) and my husband and I have fought through some awful depression. Praying, hoping that happier times are ahead.

Kaleb’s 4th Birthday Party

2011-12-31T18:30:00.001-06:00

My nephew, Kaleb, turned 4 yesterday and since they are in town from Arkansas for Christmas, we were able to celebrate with him. He had a Mario party!

Kaleb the birthday boy!

Kaleb and Olivia. . .where one goes, the other one goes.

His Mario shoes that his mom painted for him.

Tonight, Olivia is getting a new big girl (twin) bed. She has been in her toddler bed for some time now and we thought it was time for the next step up. It’s not that she is really outgrowing her toddler bed, but her desire to sleep with any and everything is. Olivia is very attached to her toddler bed, so we’ll see how it goes. In the next few weeks, we’ll be getting her a new dresser, wall mural and nightstand. We’re going with a cute owl theme. I’ll post pictures when it’s all completed! And I wish you all a very blessed 2012!

Christmas # 3

2011-12-28T23:48:00.001-06:00

We celebrated Christmas with Ryan’s side of the family today. Olivia thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her cousins. Her and Kaleb have become really close friends and it has been a joy to watch.

Kaleb and Olivia: Best buds

Great Grandma Glunt and her boys.

Olivia and her cousins

Basement filled with presents and people

Canvas painting Ryan’s sister did for her mom.

Canvas painting for Grandpa Glunt.

Everyone loves a picture of Olivia

Family tree picture I made for Ryan’s parents.

The K-State garden gnome picked out by yours truly. He loves gardening and he loves K-State, so why not a K-State garden gnome?

Ryan and his siblings

Long day for the little ones.

Olivia admiring my kitty cat pajamas. She has kitty pajamas too, so she commented about how daddy needed some as well. Hmmm. . .wonder if he’d go for that?

Here’s Olivia playing in the box of discarded wrapping paper. She had a blast in there. We should have just wrapped that up.

And my cozy, flannel cat sheets. . .washed up and ready to snuggle up in tonight. Good night!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-25T23:04:00.001-06:00

Ryan and I got up a little earlier than usual this morning and got ready and waited and waited for Olivia to get up. Boy, I remember waking my parents up very early in the morning to open presents. Thankfully, she hasn’t done that to us. . .yet. Olivia just took her own time. She was excited to learn, however, that Santa had visited our house overnight.

Here she is running down the hallway to see the presents!

Olivia and her stocking

A My Little Pony!

A Squinkie Zoo!! Just what I wanted!!!

And she stopped to play Squinkies. . .

and played and played. . .

and played. That girl loves her Squinkies!

Those are a lot of Littlest Pet Shop animals. I appreciated the nice, metal case to keep them in though.

We laughed about this being the “tiny” Christmas as most of the things she got were tiny (and hard to keep track of.) Have you seen the Teeny Tiny Littlest Pet Shop? She got some of those too and already lost her beloved teeny butterfly. Hmm. . .maybe big things aren’t that bad after all. That’s what she likes, though. . .tiny, little animals.

Okay, back to opening presents. This morning, we got a call from my dad to tell us that my grandma had fallen and was taken to the hospital. Last Christmas, we received a call that my grandpa was being taken to the hospital. I really don’t like to receive these phone calls. She was taken, however, as a precaution and checked out fine. She was even able to make it to Christmas dinner and I was so grateful.

My husband completely spoiled me this Christmas (and went way over our agreed upon limit!) He got me not only dishes and clothes and books and CDs and pajamas, but an iPad 2 as well. I completely didn’t deserve all of that. I’m really enjoying it all and I know Olivia will love the iPad as well. She loves my iPhone. But, I owe my husband. . .big time.

Here is Olivia opening her stocking from her Great Great Aunt Mary.

And here is Great Great Aunt Mary.

And here is Princess Olivia wishing you all a very Merry Christmas!!

Christmas Blessing–by Newsong

2011-12-24T22:04:00.001-06:00

December 2001

I remember our first Christmas.
We were young and so in love.

December 2002

Nothing to give, but we had each other
Somehow that was more than enough.

December 2003

I remember how you held me.
Said you’d never let me go.

December 2004

Now here we are, another year, another Christmas.
And there's something you should know.

This is my Christmas Blessing
This is my Christmas prayer.

December 2005

No matter where the years may take us
Love will find us there.

December 2006

This is my Christmas promise.
This is my gift to you.

December 2007

Forever we will be together
God will see us through.
And you'll have me, and I'll have you.

December 2008

I know that heaven sent you to me. I know that love’s a gift from God.

December 2009

And I’m reminded every Christmas of the wonder of it all.

December 2010

This is my Christmas promise
This is my gift to you.

December 2011

Forever we will be together
God will see us through
And you'll have me, and I'll have you.

You can listen to the song here: http://youtu.be/OTXQ0t9k4NA

Christmas # 1

2011-12-24T21:36:00.001-06:00

The whole gang

My brother, niece, and sister-in-law

Me and Olivia

Olivia and Izzy with their stockings

Hooray!

Now, what to open next. . .

My brother and a pink, Disney princess guitar. . .ha ha!

Me and my basket

Merry Christmas from our family to yours!

Thursday, December 22, 2011

2011-12-22T23:01:00.001-06:00

Olivia is going through a big Squinkies phase right now. I tell ya, those things are going to be the death of me. LOL! You wouldn’t believe how attached Olivia can get to one and how easy they are to misplace. I mean, they are about the size of the tip of my finger. But, she only likes the animal Squinkies. I’ve seriously just put the people ones in a bag to give away. Her current favorites?

Peacock and seahorse

We’ve created a whole Squinkie town and they even go to school in a “schoolhouse” with their teacher, Mrs. Honeybear.

This isn’t the best picture, but Kelsey’s legs in the background cracked me up.

Ready for school!

And at the top of Olivia’s Christmas list? A Squinkie Zoo! She was sure to tell Santa all about it.

Wednesday, December 21, 2011

2011-12-21T21:53:00.001-06:00

Over the weekend, I introduced Olivia to one of my favorite movies growing up. . .The Mouse and The Motorcycle. The entire movie is on Youtube. Beverly Cleary was one of my very favorite authors growing up. Olivia watched it about 5 times in one day. . .she absolutely LOVED it! She also has a little miniature mouse that looks just like Ralph, so that was really neat for her too. Then, today we went to get our hair cut and at the salon, there was a hole in the side of the reception desk. Olivia was SURE that there was a mouse in there (and a bit disappointed when there wasn’t.) LOL!

Speaking of mice. . .well, sort of. . .we saw a commercial on PBS for an interactive learning website called www.abcmouse.com. Olivia really wanted to check it out, so this afternoon we did just that. I was a little disappointed that it has a monthly subscription, but we got the first month free so I thought we’d try it out. I have a really hard time getting Olivia excited about learning things at home. Some days it’s as if she is not receptive at all. Well, she adores this website! It’s like an interactive classroom with lessons that include books, songs, puzzles, games, art and printables. You can also take a trip to the zoo or the farm and check out books from the library. It is for age 2 through kindergarten and really concentrates on getting a child ready for kindergarten. For each lesson completed, you get tickets and Olivia shouts out loud when she gets tickets because she’s saving up to buy a pet at the online pet store. You have an entire shopping center to buy things from and you add them to your online room. We just started this today, but I am initially very impressed and Olivia can’t wait to learn more! I’m hoping that her interest doesn’t fade and I’m working on ways to keep it very exciting for her! So far, I think it’s something that you should definitely check out!

Breath of Heaven (Mary's Song)

2011-12-21T01:08:00.001-06:00

I did not create this, but saw it and thought I'd share. Be sure to pause the music player on your right before starting video. Beautiful reminder of what this time of year truly means.

Kitties Love Christmas

2011-12-19T17:41:00.001-06:00

Kelsey is constantly either on the railing or under the Christmas tree. As long as she isn’t ON the TREE, right? And let’s just pray she doesn’t fall off the railing because it’s a long ways down to the basement. We thought she was behaving herself, but after looking under the tree, we found multiple ornaments and an entire branch pulled off. She’s adorable, but she is ornery!

Cousin Fun

2011-12-18T17:07:00.001-06:00

Olivia spent the afternoon at my parents’ house so that Ryan and I could get some much needed pre-Christmas stuff done. Wow, I’m exhausted. My dad sent me these pictures of Olivia and Izzy. Looks like they got out every stuffed animal in the house (most of which are my old stuffed animals that I won’t take home. . .LOL!) But, my mom seems to send my old stuff home with Olivia quite a bit, so I guess the jokes on me.

Update on Ben

2011-12-17T23:02:00.001-06:00

Many of you helped contribute to Ben’s basket a few weeks ago. Here is my sister-in-law, Shelley, putting it all together.

I received many, many contributions and I know a lot of you have been praying for him. Ben’s mom, Amanda, wanted to say a few words:

Hello Everyone!

I asked Jodi if I could please post to her blog a THANK YOU from our family here in Ohio!

A special thank-you to Jodi & Ryan, Olivia, Bill & Mary, Stacie, Amanda, Neva, Shelley & Don, Izzy, Kerry, Pam, Don & Pat, Kris & Kim, Alex, Katie, Aidan, Kaleb, and all of you who prayed for our family!

It's been 6 weeks since Ben's diagnoses of Retinoblastoma, the eye cancer that caused him to lose his eye. But, as you all know, the cancer was miraculously contained to the eye, and no chemo was required! Praise the Lord! He is doing fabulous and gets his eye this Thursday :) Right before Christmas!

I want to thank-you all from the bottom of our hearts. First and foremost for your prayers. Little B was being prayed for all over the country, and by so many people who had never even met him! Friends like Jodi, that felt led to tell people to pray for us, played a huge part in Ben's healing. I have to say.. I was overwhelmed with how fast everything was happening, but even more overwhelmed (in a good way) at how many people cared for us.. And gave us stuff!

When the package you all put together (and so beautifully I might add) arrived, it literally left me speechless in the middle of my living room floor. First of all, the BOX itself looked like a box for a refrigerator! Haha. We had received tons of flowers and things, but when the doorbell rang for UPS, and I looked out and saw the gigantic box.. I said outloud to myself, "Oh my gosh! What in the world did I order?!" I knew I was lacking sleep, but surely I would've remembered ordering such a large item! Lol :) Then, when I went to the porch, I saw it was from "JODI GLUNT".. And my FIRST thought was... "Oh my gosh! Is she IN the box?! She's small! Maybe she flew here, had Ryan carry her to the door like a package, and ring the doorbell and run!" I mean, when she surprised me at my birthday I couldn't have been more shocked! So, I have to say, until the box was completely opened, I wasn't convinced it wasn't her! Haha.

Anyways! Wow ;)

I was actually alone when the box came.. Which, is usually unheard of. The two little ones were asleep, Rodney was at work, and Jake was playing by himself in the basement. I started taking the tape off, and as I started to dig through the 100,000 packing peanuts (haha) I thought... "where in the world did she order this from?!"

I pulled it out, and immediately called my mom at work. I told her what just happened, and I said, "Mom, you have got to come here after work, I wanna open this so bad but I want you to see it first!" I still thought it was ordered! So, to see all the special things inside I just couldn't wait to see where in the world she ordered such a perfect gift of so many meaningful things!

Then we opened it. I was blown away. Literally. The card with everyone's name on it was one of the best parts.. And that was just the card! Something about seeing all the written names of people I've never met, on a card to me, just humbled me. Just replaying it in my mine makes me sigh. It was literally a "turning point" in Ben's journey that hit me in that moment. All you guys, that I've never met (but feel like I totally know through Jodi's blog and your own) took time out of your life to donate something towards a package for my children and myself. It was incredible how much stuff was in it! The bible verses on sticks were a great touch too. They are all on my fridge now..The boys all loved everything! I personally liked the Kansas teddy bear :) Ben loved the firetruck! We used the Pizza Hut gift cards for Ben's birthday party. The books, the DVDs, the Elmo, buzz, puzzles, books, etc. Everything was just so perfect. Oh, and the wagon it all was packed in. That's one of the boys favorites...

Thank you Shelley for putting it all together so pretty! It looked so professional! You did a great job.

Thank you all again for your outpouring of love and kindness to someone you've never met. I can't wait to see how God uses this experience to touch lives. I pray Ben will have an awesome testimony to share one day, and hopefully be able to help others.

Everyone have a wonderful Christmas! Sorry this is long overdue... But all you've done will not be forgotten.

With love,

Rodney, Amanda,

Jacob, Nathan, and Ben Rust

We Have A Winner

2011-12-16T09:28:00.001-06:00

The winner of the Psalty giveaway (chosen randomly by Olivia) is:

Neva!

Congrats Neva! Please email me with the cd that you have selected by tomorrow at noon. Thanks to all for entering! Merry Christmas!

Ho! Ho! Ho!

2011-12-15T22:07:00.001-06:00

We took Olivia to a special Santa Jump tonight at Pump It Up. Not only did she have a total blast playing with her cousin, Izzy, but she got to see Santa again! And after recently receiving a video message from Santa himself, she is all about the man in the red suit!

You can request a video message for your children here:

http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home

You should have seen her face light up as she rounded the corner and saw Santa! Pure, complete, utter delight!

Here she is telling Santa about how she really wants a Squinkie Zoo.

What a magical moment! Thanks Santa!

Christmas Craft Day

2011-12-14T13:06:00.001-06:00

I’ve been sick for the past couple of days and, well, I haven’t been too much fun. I’m now on an antibiotic and feeling a bit better today, so we decided to do some crafts. First, we made a Rudolph. We decorated him a bit more after I took this picture.

Then, we made a Christmas tree. I glued some craft sticks together and Olivia painted them green.

After the paint dried, Olivia decorated her tree with stickers. The only appropriately sized stickers we had were letters, Hello Kitty and hearts, so. . .

And on an interesting note. . .don’t let paint dry on the kitchen table if you have cats that will decide to jump on table and wrestle. They WILL get their tails covered in wet paint. However, washable paint does come off tails pretty easily. . .just so you know.

It’s A Give Away!!

2011-12-12T16:49:00.001-06:00

As you may know, the Kids Praise Albums were my very favorite growing up. I feel more than blessed that Olivia now listens to them and loves them just as I did. She goes to bed every night to Kids Praise 5, her very favorite. Now, I want to share this love of ours with YOU! Simply leave a comment as to why you would want to win one of these CDs. Contest ends on 12-16-2011 at 9 am CST. I will announce the winner and you have until noon CST on 12-17-2011 to tell me which CD you would like. Valid on CDs up to $10.00. Valid only to U.S. addresses, unfortunately. I can’t guarantee that you’ll receive it by Christmas, but what a great way to ring in the New Year! So, leave a comment, browse their store and hopefully you’ll receive a CD in the mail very soon! Good Luck!

World’s Best Snickerdoodles

2011-12-12T12:56:00.001-06:00

Okay, so here they are. . .my mom’s famous snickerdoodles. I believe she got the recipe from her grandma and they are delicious. I’m a sucker for anything with cinnamon in them. I made them for Olivia’s preschool Christmas party on Wednesday.

And, I added a hint of Christmas cheer (aka red and green sugar)

Ingredients:

1 c shortening

1 1/2 c sugar

2 eggs

2 3/4 c flour

2 tsp cream of tartar

1 tsp baking soda

1/4 tsp salt

Directions:

1. Mix together shortening, sugar and eggs.

2. Sift together and stir in flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt.

3. Chill for 1 hour.

4. Roll into small balls.

5. Roll in cinnamon and sugar mixture: 2 Tbsp sugar, 2 tsp cinnamon.

6. Bake on ungreased cookie sheet at 375 for 8-10 minutes.

7. Enjoy!

Enchilada Stuffed Shells

2011-12-11T18:10:00.001-06:00

One of my favorite things that my husband cooks are his stuffed shells. I found this shells recipe with a Mexican twist and thought I’d give it a try:

Enchilada Stuffed Shells

They were very very good. My husband didn’t LOVE them because they have refried beans in them and he doesn’t like refried beans. Next time, I may make half of them with refried beans and half without, but I always follow the recipe exactly the first time I make something. Olivia even ate these, my friends, and that is saying a lot! Hope some of you can enjoy a few of the recipes I post.

There. . .I did something productive today with this horrible head cold. Now, I’m seriously going back to bed. . .

Through Olivia’s Eyes. . .

2011-12-10T18:33:00.001-06:00

As you know, I like to go through Olivia’s camera every few months and see what she has taken pictures of. The pictures never fail to make me laugh. . .

This time I found a lot of self portraits:

Some of me:

Some of her dad:

Some of her toys:

One of each Christmas tree:

And I had snapped a few of her as well:

Also, Happy Homecoming Day to my sweet little girl. She is sick today, unfortunately, so we weren’t able to do much to celebrate. When asked what she wanted to do, she simply said she wanted to stay home and watch Scooby Doo. I woke up with a sore throat and sinus pressure, so it seems I’m getting sick too. We still enjoyed spending the day together.

Four Years Ago

2011-12-09T22:24:00.001-06:00

Four years ago tonight. . we were spending our 2nd night at the hospital in preparation to take Olivia home.

To be able to spend all of our days and nights with her was such a joy (and a bit exhausting, I’ll admit.) But, I finally felt like a true mom. I could not wait to take her home and put her in her own room, her crib, her swing and simply cuddle my baby. . .at home.

The next day, December 10, 2007, Olivia was 105 days old and I was FINALLY walking out of the hospital with my baby!! I had watched people do it over and over again for months with their flowers and balloons and I left every day empty handed. I’d like to have fond memories of that day, but I don’t. We had an eye appt because of her ROP on the way home so that we didn’t have to drive back the next day. We waited hours and hours in the waiting room! I was so unbelievably stressed because it started snowing and getting slick outside and I just wanted to get home!! Plus, we had to get used to having her oxygen tank and oxygen saturation monitor to take everywhere. All of that stress went away, however, when we pulled up to our house and saw this simple Welcome Home Olivia sign that our neighbors had put on our door. That simple act of kindness will be remembered forever.

And this is an awful picture that I’ve never shared before, but I bawled and bawled when I brought her in the house. I had dreamed of that day forever and it was finally coming true.

Her first bottle at home.

The first time in her crib.

First time in her bouncy seat. . . .the list goes on and on.

I was so grateful to have her home before Christmas. I’m still eternally grateful for this precious child of my own. I love her more than words can say. . .

Friday, December 9, 2011

2011-12-09T08:45:00.001-06:00

Last night, Olivia discovered an old suitcase of mine full of doll clothes. She thought it was hilarious to dress up all of her dolls and animals. I think I thought it was even more hilarious!

Tobey wanted to join in on the fun. Sadly, we didn’t have any clothes that fit him.

I didn’t realize that Olivia liked to play dress up so much. . .or maybe it’s just with awful 80’s clothes.

We successfully used all the clothes in the suitcase!

More Recipes

2011-12-08T22:11:00.001-06:00

Just thought I’d share a few recipes that I’ve made lately. Tonight I made Olive Oil Garlic Chicken and Ryan couldn’t stop raving about it! Seriously, it’s become one of his favorite recipes! It may overtake my roast, which has been his favorite for almost 10 years!

Olive Oil Garlic Chicken

A few days ago, I made Creamy Bacon Carbonara. . .very good. It didn’t get quite the rave reviews that the chicken got, but definitely worth trying. I liked it because I could make Olivia plain spaghetti (with loads and loads of parmesan cheese on it) before I mixed it all together. It was nice to not have to make her a separate dinner. I left the mushrooms out since we are not fans of it in our house. It still tasted great!

Out Of The Office

2011-12-08T11:07:00.001-06:00

I’m not blogging here today, but you can find me guest posting over at my friend Angie’s blog, Little Worth-while Moments. Hop on over as I talk about my favorite holiday traditions. Don’t forget to leave a comment about your favorite traditions!

No People Allowed

2011-12-07T09:26:00.001-06:00

I'd better follow my last post up with something a bit more positive. Olivia, you see, doesn't like to play with dolls. For instance, she loves squinkies, but only the animal ones. We got her a dollhouse for her third birthday. She loves it, but has kicked out all of the people. You never know who is going to inhabit the house. Today? The big bad wolf is sleeping in the bed, squinkies are in the crib, and rabbit and cat (along with the family pets) are in the living room. Tiny, the dinosaur, is asleep in the kitchen. Oh the randomness of it all. Just a normal day in our house. LOL!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

2 am Ramblings

2011-12-07T02:07:00.001-06:00

Some days I really really miss my son. I have no idea what it’s like to raise a boy. And I had a son, he was here. . .and he slipped away. The other evening, I was cooking dinner and Ryan was working. I went in to check on Olivia in her room and she told me, “I really want someone to play with me.” And my heart broke. One, because I felt bad that we were both occupied at the time. And also because she's a twin, which should pretty much always guarantee a companion. But, she doesn’t have that.

I am also reminded of the baby I carried earlier this year. Had I not miscarried. . .that baby would have been born next month. That would have been a blessing to all of us. . .like a child handpicked by Logan himself. Olivia and I like to play this role reversal game where she’s the mama and I’m the baby. She gently pats me on the back and calls me sweetie and when I cry she frantically tries to find ways to calm me down. It’s honestly such a great way for her to express her nurturing side since she doesn’t care much for dolls. And in those times, I see her with a little brother or sister and she would be so sweet. I want those pictures of the older sibling doting on a newborn baby. I don’t, however, think anything could ever completely fill this huge whole in my heart. It’s been over 4 years and people expect me to be over this by now. I’ll never get over it as long as I live. And that simple fact is overwhelming to me. There’s no point at which it will get better. As Olivia gets older, not only will I grieve for myself but for her too as she learns about the twin brother she never knew. How heartbreaking is that going to be for her when she truly understands it?

I don’t know what has come over me tonight. It could be my friend losing her daughter last week or the fact that I visited Logan today. Or that I’m creating Olivia and Logan’s NICU photo book. Usually I can pretty much hold it together and if I can’t. . .I can usually refrain from writing about it. But, just like when I was going through years of infertility. . .I continue to pray for peace in my heart. That’s all I really want. It’s hard to pray for specific things if it is not God’s will. But, I’m blessed. . .I’m so blessed. It’s hard sometimes to understand how a God who loves me so much that he blessed me with my wonderful daughter is the same God who took my son away. It’s hard to see God as all-powerful and all loving at the same time. But, He is and He loves me and you and you and you. I just need reminding of that from time to time. And then a wash of gratitude comes over me and I feel guilty that even for a second I wasn’t content with what I have. But, that yearning for my son is still there and I’m hoping peace and contentment will at least partly fill that hole in my heart. At least until the day that I see him again.

The Small One

2011-12-06T22:13:00.001-06:00

I thought I would share with you my favorite Christmas cartoon. It was made in 1978, but I actually didn’t discover it until a few years ago. It is so endearing and so heartwarming that I can’t help but cry every single time I watch it. Why does it make me cry year after year? Olivia watched it with me for the first time today and she loved it as well. It’s the story of a little boy who is forced to sell his aging donkey, but he won’t sell his beloved donkey to just anyone. It’s about 25 minutes long, divided into three parts. So, kick back, grab a tissue, turn on the Christmas tree lights and enjoy!

Small One Part One

Small One Part Two

Small One Part Three

Merry Christmas sweet boy

2011-12-06T17:05:00.001-06:00

I took some things out to Logan's grave today. I know the decorations pale in comparison to what he's experiencing in heaven. And he's spending Christmas with my grandpa this year. What a joyous celebration it will be!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Graham’s Foundation

2011-12-05T21:31:00.001-06:00

Here is an amazing organization that provides NICU care packages to parents in the NICU as well as remembrance care packages to grieving parents. What an amazing organization! These packages are sent free of charge to the hospital and baby requested, but donations are appreciated.

http://grahamsfoundation.org/care-package/care-package-request.html

This could be a great resource for you if you know of someone with a preemie in the NICU. They are also needing local NICU ambassadors to work with local hospitals to ensure that everyone knows about this foundation and that the packages are received. They would also need to help raise money to continue sending these packages free of charge to families in need. There is a form to fill out on their website if you are interested.

Parmesan Mashed Cauliflower

2011-12-05T13:35:00.001-06:00

I have been trying a few different recipes for cauliflower mashed potatoes and finally found one I really liked!

http://www.canyoustayfordinner.com/2011/03/03/parmesan-mashed-cauliflower/

They are delicious and a healthier alternative to regular mashed potatoes. (And keep in mind that I hate cauliflower and I loved these!) Olivia even liked them! I also made honey bbq meatloaf, and although it was okay, I only want to share my favorite recipes on here. The recipe is available on my pinterest, however.

Reaching Out To Others

2011-12-04T22:33:00.001-06:00

Below is the obituary for my friend’s daughter.

http://stei-23810.tributes.com/show/Adalynn-Paine-92866354

Please just say a prayer for this family. I remember after Logan died. . .how hard it was just to go to the grocery store. I remember not fitting into any of my black skirts for the funeral (I had just given birth a month before) but I could not. . .absolutely not. . .go out shopping. Luckily, I found one I could borrow. It was like the whole world just continued on while yours felt like it had ended. No matter what tragedy a person is going through. . .the death of a loved one, a child in the hospital, anything. . .it’s so important to know that other people care. It’s easy to just assume that the grieving person has a support system and close friends and family. They most likely do, but that doesn’t mean a gesture, a prayer, a reminder that someone else cares wouldn’t mean the world to them. After Logan died, I got gifts in the mail from people I had never met! How amazing is that? There were people who prayed for my children and didn’t even know them. Olivia and Logan were on so many prayer lists. . .I doubt I even knew about all of them.

Not sure what to do for someone who is hurting? It depends on what they are going through.

Loss of a child?

Purchase a memorial ornament or jewelry in remembrance of their loved one. This website specializes in making remembrance jewelry and gifts for those who have lost infants or children. Beautiful.

http://www.metalstampedmemories.com/

Here is one of the best books to give to a grieving mother. With it’s beautiful illustrations, it paints a picture of what it could be like as a child in heaven. I still can’t get through it without crying.

http://www.mommypleasedontcry.com/aboutauthor.html

Baby in the NICU?

Purchase care packages that encourage the parents to take care of themselves. I did not and I’m paying for it now. Stress relieving baskets, gift cards, soap and hand sanitizer, home cooked meals would help although nothing can quite take away the overwhelming stress of it all.

If they are in the NICU with a premature child, the BEST book on the subject is called ‘Preemies.’

http://www.amazon.com/Preemies-Second-Essential-Parents-Premature/dp/B005EP1QH2/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321246397&sr=1-1

What I would love to do is create an organization in Logan’s honor that would deliver care packages to parents in the NICU that includes this book along with many other things to help them through. Sadly, I think the start up cost would be more than we could handle.

Infertility?

The best book I have read on the subject that offered me quite a bit of peace was called Hannah’s Hope. Amazing book following the biblical Hannah and her suffering. This would be a great gift.

http://www.amazon.com/Hannahs-Hope-Infertility-Miscarriage-Adoption/dp/1576836541/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1321246297&sr=1-1

I’m currently reading a book called Trusting God Even When Life Hurts by Jerry Bridges. This might be a good book to give to someone who is hurting. I haven’t gotten too far into it, so I will let you know my verdict.

http://www.amazon.com/Trusting-God-Even-When-Hurts/dp/1600063055/ref=pd_sim_b_23#_

Simply placing a card in the mail speaks volumes. We would come home from the NICU and find multiple cards in the mail and they would always bring a smile to our face. Now, I ask you. . .those that are going through (or have gone through) various trials and tribulations. . .what would be comforting to you in your situation? Sometimes people just don’t know how to help and fear that they will do the wrong thing. Truly, what is comforting to one person may not be to another, but you can never go wrong by simply stating that you care about them. Leave a comment with an idea that has been done for you or that you have done for someone else.

So, I just ask all of you to reach out to someone in need. No matter what they are going through. . .just show them that you care. Overwhelm them with compassion and love and concern. It will not only change their life, but yours as well.

Christmas Cookies

2011-12-03T17:35:00.001-06:00

Ryan had his annual shopping trip with his brother this afternoon, so Olivia and I decided to make Christmas cookies. I tried a new recipe and it was pretty good, but I’m a sucker for my mom’s sugar cookies. Don’t even get me started on her snickerdoodles! Olivia, however, LOVED these cookies! I thought I’d post both of the recipes here:

http://www.icanteachmychild.com/2010/12/worlds-best-sugar-cookie-recipe/

My mom’s sugar cookies:

3/4 c. shortening

1 c Sugar

2 Eggs

1/2 tsp vanilla

Mix thoroughly. Then sift together and stir in:

2 1/2 c flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

Chill 1 hour. Roll out 1/8 inch thick. Cut into shapes. Place on ungreased baking sheet. Bake 375 degrees for 6-8 minutes.

I also used the following recipe for the frosting and I liked it because it tasted good and was also very forgiving (I’m not good at spreading frosting.)

ICING:

1 c. powdered sugar
2 tsp. milk
2 tsp. corn syrup
1 tsp. vanilla extract

Anyway, so I let Olivia go through the cookie cutters and decide which ones she wanted to make.

Her choices?

Gingerbread babies, Christmas trees and. . .bunnies.

After the first batch was done, Olivia had lost all interest. I froze half the dough and STILL made 4 dozen cookies. Her interest returned for a bit when it was time to frost them. Here are a few of our completed Christmas trees.

So, now what do I do with all these cookies? I had every intention of giving them away, but who is going to want these creepy Christmas bunnies?

Don’t laugh, I had limited decorating material PLUS I wanted something simple that Olivia could do by herself. It’s the taste that counts, right? LOL! We actually only frosted a few and I have multiple bags of unfrosted cookies. Maybe we’ll get around to frosting them sometime and making the other half of the cookies. Now, Olivia is watching her favorite movie, Monsters Inc, and I may get started on the Christmas cards.

Santa Party

2011-12-03T13:37:00.001-06:00

My husband’s work always puts on a Santa Party each year filled with games, arts and crafts, cookies and, of course, Santa Claus.

Olivia has a crazy good, accurate arm on her.

I don’t have a picture, but Olivia also won the cake walk. . .guess she’s taking after her mama. LOL!

Creating her snowman. . .

This little girl loves using glue!

Proud of her snowman.

Now we’re getting ready to spend the afternoon making Christmas sugar cookies! I love this time of year!

Thursday, December 1, 2011

2011-12-01T15:11:00.001-06:00

This morning, Olivia and I went to get her Christmas picture taken. Because she was all dressed up, I got out my camera to get a few pictures of her before we left. None of them turned out. She was either cheesing too much or looking away or moving around, etc. As we were walking out of the house, she sat down by our little Christmas tree and said, “I want my picture taken by this tree!” I pulled out my camera phone and snapped this adorable picture!

How beautiful is my little girl? Although, don’t tell her that or she’ll say, “I’m not beautiful!” I really wish I had gotten this picture on my good camera so that the quality would be better. And I’m hoping that I don’t love this picture more than the ones I spent $70 on. LOL!

Adalynn

2011-11-30T21:36:00.001-06:00

Sweet Adalynn passed away tonight at 7:23 pm. She was just shy of four months old. Please pray for this precious family as they deal with this unbearable loss.

Prayers for Addy

2011-11-30T10:35:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago, I was going through my old scrapbooks and found a picture of a friend named Christina who I met while working at my first job as a courtesy clerk at Albertsons. I hadn’t seen or heard from her in over 15 years. We were often referred to as twins because we were the same size, had the same hair, both played the flute and from the back no one could tell us apart. I couldn’t for the life of me remember her last name, but luckily she had written her full name on the back of the picture. I decided to look her up on facebook and reconnect with her. I’m so glad I did. She had gone on to get a degree in elementary education (just like me) and I even found that she had the same couch as me in one of her pictures. Unfortunately, I also learned that she had a daughter in the NICU. Her daughter, Adalynn, was born in August with RCDP (Rhizomelic Chondrodysplasia Punctata) an autosomal recessive form of chondrodysplasia punctata characterized by defective plasmalogen biosynthesis and impaired peroxisomes. I don’t even know what all that means, but this little girl has undergone many surgeries and has been placed on the oscillating ventilator and on dialysis. Many times, children with RCDP do not survive beyond the first decade of life. As far as I know, Addy is her one and only child. My heart is literally breaking.

Even worse, today Christina was called back up to the hospital (she lives a few hours away) because Addy’s health is continually declining. I remember getting that call with Logan. It is the worst call you can ever imagine getting as a parent. Please say a prayer for Christina and her family and sweet little Addy. I don’t think it is merely chance that I happened to come across her picture when I did. Please ask God to surround this family with his peace and love and pray that Addy will experience an improvement. Thank you.

Reminiscing. . .

2011-11-29T15:34:00.001-06:00

Olivia discovered her pony ornament on the Christmas tree today. Boy, she was in love. If you’ve been a long time reader, you know all about her pony. She didn’t really ride it. . she used it as a walker and it gave her mobility. She couldn’t crawl or walk, but she could get anywhere on that pony. She maneuvered that thing all over the house all day long. Very special toy in our household.

Weekly Menu Idea

2011-11-27T11:25:00.001-06:00

I have been printing off our weekly menu for a few weeks now and wanted something I could reuse. I designed a weekly menu on the scrapbook software that I have and printed it out. Feel free to use mine, but since I go to the grocery store on Thursdays, our “week” starts on Friday.

Then, I framed it behind glass and wrote on it with a Sharpie. I’ll probably buy a different frame, but this is one that I just had laying around.

Each week, you simply wipe clean with a damp cloth and write the next week’s menu. You can include breakfast too, but that’s usually not the meal that we struggle with. Now, I just gotta find a place to hang it. Yep, the Vitamin B12 strikes again. LOL!

Meowy Christmas

2011-11-26T20:39:00.001-06:00

I forgot how much the cats love the Christmas tree (and judging by the amount of cat hair on the tree skirt. . .they loved it last year too.) I don’t know about you, but watching a cat snoozing under a Christmas tree makes me feel all warm and cozy. And, yes, all three cats have stockings. LOL.

I even caught Autumn enjoying the tree.

This is what the kitties are getting for Christmas. I just hope they enjoy it as much as the tree.

Friday, November 25, 2011

2011-11-25T21:06:00.001-06:00

Our Christmas decorating began today and Olivia was beyond excited. She was giddy all day long. Christmas is going to be so special this year for Olivia. She is asking lots of questions about our nativities and we are doing an advent calendar that tells the Christmas story. We have a total of three. . .count them three. . .Christmas trees in our house. LOL! We decided to let Olivia have one in her room this year. It has pink lights and a pink star on top. After we did it, we realized that we will probably never get it taken down. So, don’t laugh if you come over in July and my daughter still has a tree in her room. We also didn’t realize that she would steal all of the ornaments from the big tree to put on her tree.

I love Christmas trees. I love Christmas tree ornaments. Here are a few that are really special to me and my family.

Remember Olivia’s pony? Her grandpa carved her a pony ornament a few years ago to remember the special bond she shared with it.

We received this special ornament to remember Logan by. You can’t tell in the picture, but his footprints are about the size of fingerprints.

We have another special one for Olivia with her tiny footprints as well. What a cherished gift!

I’m a sucker for anything personalized.

Olivia’s special giraffe ornament for her first Christmas. More special pictures of our Christmas trees to come!

Happy Thanksgiving

2011-11-24T21:28:00.001-06:00

We spent Thanksgiving with Ryan’s side of the family this year. We alternate each year between our families. Olivia was really looking forward to Thanksgiving. . .especially after she heard that she’d get to see Kaleb and the rest of her cousins. (They moved to Arkansas last year.) Kaleb and Olivia are only 4 months apart and Olivia thinks the world of him.

Kaleb and Olivia

Pulling the wishbone. . .Olivia wasn’t quite sure what she was supposed to do. The two of them are just too cute together.

After lunch, we had our annual leaf party. Olivia was all about the leaves this year.

I think after this picture, I took her glasses off after I thought about how hard it would be to find them in the pile of leaves.

I’m going to get you!

Olivia and grandpa running down the hill together

She loved being tossed into the leaves.

She adores her older cousin, Alex. He has always been soooo good with her. It’s as if they just understand each other.

What Alex does, Olivia does.

Alex

Watch out for that big pile of leaves, Julia!

Olivia being dumped on!

Let me tell ya, it’s not too fun having a pile of leaves dumped on your head. What exactly do the kids like about this?

Really. . .Olivia. . .this is not fun for mommy. LOL!

And, nothing like a mouthful of leaves while trying to take a family picture.

Ready, set. . .

THROW!!!!

Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours!

2011-11-24T10:00:00.001-06:00

What a great morning! Watching the parade with Olivia while finishing up her Santa countdown. Have a Happy Thanksgiving!

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Wednesday, November 23, 2011

2011-11-23T17:11:00.001-06:00

One thing Olivia has struggled with is her fine motor skills. While other 4 year olds are writing their letters and coloring and drawing pictures and signing their names, Olivia just refuses. She will try to write her name, but when she gets to the v, she gets frustrated and will not continue. Then, she just stops trying altogether. Well, last night we had a breakthrough and Olivia discovered how to make a v!! You should have seen how excited she was!! Then, she made a whole page of v’s! Hopefully, we’re on our way to having Olivia sign the Christmas cards this year! I was beyond proud.

Then, at grandma and grandpa’s house today, Olivia drew with her cousin, Izzy. Izzy is her cousin and best friend who is exactly one week older than Olivia. Izzy pushes Olivia to try new things which is very good for her. Because Izzy plays soccer, Olivia wants to play soccer and has gotten really good at kicking a ball. Izzy wanted to draw today and so that made Olivia want to draw as well.

And she drew a picture of her kitty, Kelsey.

Olivia is so blessed to have Izzy in her life. Their friendship is really amazing to watch.

Tuesday, November 22, 2011

2011-11-22T10:32:00.001-06:00

I think I’ve mentioned before how I went in to the doctor for some blood work a few weeks ago. I’ve been suffering with horrible RLS for quite awhile now and I was being tested for deficiencies in magnesium, iron and B12. All of my results were normal, except my B12 was on the low side of normal. The range is about 200-1000 and mine was 425. I’ve read that it’s recommended, however, that people be treated for a deficiency if their levels are under 450. In Japan, the minimum number is 550. If you are under that, you are considered deficient.

Well, I went ahead and started on a B12 supplement. I’ve been on B supplements before, but I think I was taking 10 mcg or something like that. These are 2500 mcg and the liquid sublingual kind which are better absorbed. The first few days I noticed nothing different. Then, a week went by and I found I was better organizing myself and my time. I actually felt like cleaning and cooking. I didn’t find myself laying down at every opportunity. I was still tired, but I had motivation. For years I have been tired with NO motivation. It took all I had to get through each day. I concentrated all of my energy on Olivia with no time for cleaning, cooking, weeding the garden, hobbies, etc. Honestly, the difference has been amazing! I cook ALL the time. I’ve put together a new cookbook of new recipes. I’m writing poetry again. I have everything on a schedule. . .cooking, cleaning, laundry, grocery shopping. My family stopped eating out. I sold some items in a consignment sale and made almost $70. I’m updating the blog regularly. I purchased a book called Organize Now and it takes you through 52 weeks of organizing yourself, your life and your home. Now, I know my B12 wasn’t that low, but apparently it was too low for me. I’ve seen an amazing difference. Seriously, it brings tears to my eyes. I feel “alive” again for the first time in many years. As an added benefit, I swear that my blood sugars have been lower too. Unfortunately, the B12 does nothing for my RLS. But, hopefully when I go to the neurologist they can sort it all out.

And Olivia is LOVING school again. No tears when I dropped her off this afternoon. Apparently, she’s an “afternoon” child. This morning when she asked if she had school today, I told her that she did. No tears. Then, she asked if she had to go in the morning and I told her not until the afternoon. “Is the afternoon in the morning?” she asked. No, not until after lunch. She was completely fine with that. She really loves to play at home in the morning in her pajamas, watch some tv and take it easy. She never likes to rush around and go somewhere in the morning. . .no matter where it is. So, I’m completely thrilled with school and how well she’s doing.

We’ve also been doing our skill sticks activities every day. The other day, she had to do an activity with scissors. She wanted to make a ghost. I drew one and she cut it out and drew the face on it all by herself. Yeah, she doesn’t want to admit Halloween is over. So proud of her ghost, though.

Cheddar Bay Biscuits and Pineapple Marshmallow Salad

2011-11-21T23:00:00.000-06:00

So, tonight I made salisbury steak, corn on the cob, cheddar bay biscuits and my grandmother's pineapple marshmallow salad. Yep, just call me Betty Crocker. Ha ha! I'm actually going to look for a different salisbury steak recipe. Ryan liked it, but I thought it was a bit too salty. The cheddar bay biscuits (aka Red Lobster biscuits) were delicious, however. I highly recommend!

Recipe for: Cheddar Bay Biscuits

To prepare: Preheat oven to 400 degrees

Ingredients

Directions

2 ½ c Bisquick

4 T cold water

1 c cheddar cheese

¾ c milk

¼ tsp garlic powder

Butter Glaze:

3 T butter

½ tsp garlic powder

¾ tsp dried parsley flakes

1. Lightly grease cookie sheet, set aside.

2. Combine Bisquick with cold water in medium bowl.

3. Add cheddar cheese, milk, garlic powder. Mix by hand until combined, but don’t over mix.

4. Drop ¼ c portions of dough onto cookie sheet. Bake for 13-14 minutes until tops are brown.

5. While biscuits are baking, melt butter in small bowel in microwave. Stir in garlic powder and dried parsley flakes. Use brush to spread over tops of biscuits. Sprinkle a little kosher salt on top.

And I finally got my grandmother's recipe for her pineapple marshmallow salad. Yes, it has cheese on top. As a child, all of us cousins at the kids table wouldn't touch the stuff, but there it would sit every holiday just waiting to be eaten. One by one we started tasting it and realizing it was very good. Now, it's become one of those special things about my childhood.

(I accidentally took a bite before I took a picture. . .Oops.)

Recipe for: Pineapple Marshmallow Salad

Ingredients

Directions

1 pkg orange jello

1 c boiling water

½ c mini marshmallows

1 c cold water

½ c drained, crushed pineapple

½ c Cool Whip

Grated American Cheese

1. Dissolve 1 pkg orange jello into 1 cup of boiling water.

2. Immediately mix in ½ c mini marshmallows. Stir until softened.

3. Add 1 cup of cold water, mix all together.

4. Refrigerate (while stirring) until partially set (about 40 minutes.)

5. After set, add ½ c drained, crushed pineapple.

6. Add ½ c Cool Whip. Stir.

7. Refrigerate until firm.

8. Add grated American cheese on top.

Monday, November 21, 2011

2011-11-21T22:19:00.001-06:00

We had a really rough 12 hours at our house. Let me back up a bit and explain.

When I was originally pregnant with triplets, I searched the Internet for anything having to do with triplets. I came across a site called Got Triplets about 24 weekers Cole, Paige and Kaylee. At the time I knew nothing about premature birth or the fact that some babies don’t survive. I read their blog and I bawled and bawled and bawled. Everything I knew about prematurity came from their blog and as I was in labor at 23 weeks, I kept thinking, “Cole and Paige were born at 24 weeks, they were born at 24 weeks.” Honestly, that’s one of the reasons that Olivia’s middle name is Paige. It was almost as if discovering their blog was an eerie foreshadowing of what was to come. It left me with a really uneasy feeling.

As you know, my dear friend Amanda found out on Halloween that her 2 year old son, Ben, has retinoblastoma. He recently underwent surgery to have his eye removed. And although it saddens me that he had to lose his eye, we are so grateful that the cancer did not spread beyond his eye. Naturally, I’ve done some basic research on retinoblastoma so that I would understand what was going on. And I’ve bawled and bawled and bawled over the whole thing. I haven’t cried like that over a child who wasn’t my own since I read that triplet blog years ago.

Two main signs of retinoblastoma are 1) eyes that don’t align and 2) leukocoria, an abnormal white reflection from the retina of the eye seen in flash photography. Anytime leukocoria is seen it should be treated as an emergency with a trip to an ophthalmologist. Because Amanda got Ben in to be seen, his life may have been saved. It’s serious business. Before all of this happened to Ben, I had no idea about any of it.

As you know, Olivia’s eyes do not align due to strabismus. She has, however, been closely followed by an ophthalmologist since birth. I know that. However, last night I was working on our yearly calendar and reviewing old pictures when I came across this picture from July:

As you can see. . .one of Olivia’s eyes is white.

I freaked out! I mean full blown hyperventilating, full body uncontrollable shaking. I knew she had just had a dilated exam a few months ago, but the more I read online, the worse I got. I have a tendency to panic about things. . .especially about the health of my family. I’ve always been like that, but losing Logan and almost losing Olivia has only made it worse.

I slept 2 hours last night. . .that’s all I could do. First thing this morning, Ryan called our ophthalmologist and they agreed to see us today. They told us that she did have a dilated exam in August and they monitor for things like retinoblastoma. That was enough to calm my husband’s fears, but not mine. You see, I was also told that I wasn’t in preterm labor and we know how that ended up. I have trust issues, I guess. So, we went in first thing this morning. First, they did her usual eye exam where she had to read a picture chart. They covered up her left eye and she had to read the pictures with her right. Ben, as you know, had gone totally blind in his eye due to retinoblastoma. Olivia started spouting off all these pictures that weren’t there. . .like doorknobs and movies, etc. I got really uneasy. Could she not see the pictures? But, you have to remember that sometimes she is a goofball and acts silly. Her other eye she did fine with. They dilated her eyes and when we went back to see the doctor, we showed him the picture. He was a little concerned to say the least. Luckily, he examined her eyes and saw no sign of a cancerous tumor. Her doctor believes that the angle of her head and her strabismus caused her eye to turn slightly inward and made her eye reflect the white. He, however, never once made me feel like a crazy mother and said that if he had found a picture like this. . .he would have had it checked out as well. He said that they take this very seriously. He actually asked to keep the picture. I could finally breathe again. And life is back to normal. And I’m grateful. So very grateful. Not everybody gets that sigh of relief. Retinoblastoma is a rare cancer, however, many times it is the parents who first discover it. . .through a white eye reflected in a photograph. I would love for Amanda at some point to write a guest post on my blog to further bring awareness to this. I know that she’s really busy right now, but whenever she is able to. . .I’d love for her to share Ben’s story with you. It just may save someone else’s life.

Please keep close to your hearts all the children who are fighting cancer. My friend Libby’s little girl, Paxten, who is fighting leukemia. Olivia’s fellow 23 weeker, Tripp, who is fighting neuroblastoma. There are so many more who need our prayers and love and support. Reach out to someone and let them know that you care. Overwhelm them with your love and kindness. That was the #1 thing that helped us after losing Logan and throughout our NICU journey. . .just knowing that people care.

Never Before

2011-11-21T05:48:00.001-06:00

by Jodi Glunt

Never before have I known such love

As that which I feel in my heart.

My beautiful daughter, although physically petite

Fills up an enormous part.

Never before have I seen such strength

From a person who weighed but a pound

And yet she’s a fighter through and through

With very little that gets her down.

Never before have I heard such laughter

With an energy and zest for life.

She consistently shows me the wonder and joy

While overlooking the pain and strife.

Never before have I felt such mercy

From a God who has allowed me to raise

This miraculous, amazing daughter of mine

On earth, throughout all of my days.

A micropreemie shattering every prediction

About the life she had in store.

Teaching us all about the miracles within us

That we never quite realized before.

Skill Sticks

2011-11-20T12:09:00.001-06:00

Today, I made what I call “skill sticks” for Olivia. I adapted them from a chore chart idea on Pinterest. On each stick is a skill or activity that I want Olivia to work on. I can’t tell you how many times we get busy and make it through the whole day without working on something that we should. Every day, she picks a stick out and we work on that activity for a few minutes. We will go through all the sticks in one day and then start over again. They include Count To 20, Say A Prayer, Sight Words, Sing ABCs, etc. We start out with the pink side up and flip them over when completed. Funny story. . . I originally had them with the words side up and was going to flip them over to the pink side up when completed. Ryan told me that I needed to have the pink side up to begin with so that whatever Olivia picked would be more of a surprise. Um, but she can’t read, so it’s a surprise regardless. LOL! But, Olivia does figure things out quickly, so she might recognize the words and avoid the things she doesn’t want to do. So, pink side up it is.

I’m really excited to start this and Olivia is to. Maybe she will get more excited about doing certain things (like coloring) if she picked that activity out of a cup. Hey, maybe I should start something like that for me. . . do laundry, clean the bathrooms, etc.

Saturday, November 19, 2011

2011-11-19T22:20:00.001-06:00

So, besides seeing Breaking Dawn Part I with some girlfriends today (which was great, by the way) I also celebrated National Pajama Night with my favorite little girl. Olivia was so excited when I told her about it. We wore our pajamas, played games and ate puppy chow.

Her favorite game was Twister. It is actually a really good game to practice left and right skills.

My favorite was the puppy chow, unfortunately. Olivia happened to love it as well. We had a great night together!

World Prematurity Awareness Day

2011-11-18T00:19:00.001-06:00

Today, November 17th, is World Prematurity Awareness Day. I meant to get this completed sooner as I have only 30 minutes left in the day. If I could just educate one person or touch one heart. . .I would consider that a success. What is prematurity? Prematurity is waiting over one month to hold your newborn baby for the first time. Prematurity is sitting helplessly by their side for months on end while your children fight for their lives. Prematurity is saying good-bye to your babies not knowing if it may be for the last time. Prematurity can happen to any family. . .I never thought it would happen to mine. But, it became our story and a part of our lives. This is dedicated to my two AMAZING children. . .one on earth and one in heaven.

*Be sure to scroll down and pause the music player before starting the video.

First Day of School. . .Take Two

2011-11-17T14:51:00.001-06:00

Well, a few weeks ago we took Olivia out of her preschool. She had started at a new preschool in September with regular developing peers. It originally started out okay, but her anxiety just sky-rocketed. As a mother, you have to make the distinction between something that she needs to work through and something that is causing her too much anxiety. She would cry every night before school, every morning, on the way to school and stand by the classroom window crying while I drove away. During the day, her teachers said that she did fine, but we could not even mention the “s” word without her breaking down. I didn’t want her to have such a negative reaction to school. . .she’s got a lot of years left. She needs to go to preschool per her IEP and to receive her occupational and physical therapy. She also really needs the socialization with her peers. She had a few weeks off of school, had her surgery and we had another IEP meeting this week. We decided she would go back to the preschool she went to last year. She already knows most of the teachers, paras and kids in her class. Today was her first day back and she is doing awesome so far. I just got a call from her OT who said she is doing fabulous! I am one happy and relieved mama! Way to go, Olivia!

Dear Santa

2011-11-16T00:21:00.001-06:00

So, here it is. . .Olivia’s first official Christmas list. We sat down and made it yesterday. Then, she saw a commercial for Penbo and friends today (I had never heard of it before) and she was in love! I think that has jumped to the top of her list. It’s probably not the normal list of a 4 year old girl. There are no baby dolls, Barbies, dress up clothes, princess stuff, etc. Her love is all about little animals. The list is quite long. . .she kept going and going and going. . .

1. Penbo pink penguin

2. Kokopelli – She saw some at grandma and grandpa’s house and was scared and yet intrigued by them. Now, she has to have one.

3. Big Newt – Because all of her Littlest Pet Shop animals need a mama.

4. Snowman

5. New sled

6. Sink like at haircuts. . .boy, she must really like haircuts now!

7. Toys for her house (dollhouse, I presume.)

8. Caillou house (Here’s where she picked up a Caillou book and her choices became a bit biased towards Caillou.

9. Little Caillou and Gilbert (because she loves little things.)

10. Kite (there was a kite in the book)

11. Bike (there was a bike in the book)

12. Crocodile rocker

13. Little animals (Calico Critters, Littlest Pet Shop)

14. Tire Swing

15. Green rabbit (I have no idea where this came from.)

16. Playground for little friends (Calico Critters, Littlest Pet Shop)

17. Baby Rody

18. Books

So, the list is sealed and ready to be mailed off to the North Pole! It’ll be fun to look back at her lists from year to year and see what she was into. As much as Olivia wants it to be Halloween again, I think she’s looking forward to Christmas.

Mommy/Child Interview

2011-11-14T16:52:00.001-06:00

Today, I interviewed Olivia. She thought it was so fun and wanted me to ask her more questions.

Ahem. . .is this thing on?

What is your name? Olivia

How old are you? 4

What is your favorite color: red and pink

Who is your best friend: Rody (still on that, I guess.) Rody’s been in storage for over a year because she never played with it. Now, it’s her best friend.

Favorite animal : Bunnies and pigs

What do you want to be when you grow up: Mama (Ahhhh)

Favorite movie: Charlotte’s Web

What makes you happy: Rody

What makes you sad: Turtle (Not sure where that one came from)

What is your favorite food: Apple Jacks and Strawberries

What is your favorite song to sing: Psalty’s Camping Adventure

What game do you like to play: Air hockey

Pudding Pops and Tater Tots

2011-11-13T21:53:00.001-06:00

Pudding Pops -- 1 pkg instant pudding, 1 1/2 cups milk, 2 cups cool whip. Dissolve pudding in milk, whip in cool whip. Spoon into 3 oz dixie cups and insert popsicle stick. Freeze.

Enjoy!

I also made tater tot casserole tonight. I love tater tot casserole. . .I mean, who didn’t as a kid? It was my favorite hot lunch at school! Ryan only deemed it as okay, but he’s a really tough critic. I normally don’t like the things I cook, but I enjoyed this enough to get seconds (and contemplated getting thirds!) Maybe I was just really hungry. You guys will have to try it and let me know what you think.

THE Cat Post

2011-11-12T15:17:00.001-06:00

Since I NEVER talk about them, you might not know that I have three cats. LOL! Oh, I do talk about them? Well. . .I have an insane amount of pictures of my cats so I thought I’d group them all together in a cat post. I have three of the best cats: Autumn, Tobey and Kelsey.

As a child I had a dog, a fish, 2 hamsters, 2 bunnies and a bird, but never a cat. Two years ago, I got my first cat and I have since adopted two more.

First, there’s Autumn. It took A LOT of convincing for Ryan to let me get a cat. I honestly didn’t think it would ever happen. Had Autumn not been such a perfect cat, I don’t think I would have convinced Ryan to let me have any more. She is 100% MY cat, however. She is very low energy, sleeps 20+ hours a day and lives for the moments when I cuddle with her. You’ll rarely see Autumn when you visit our house because she runs and hides at the first sign of a visitor (or a vacuum cleaner.) She would probably prefer to live in a house without children as they kinda frighten her. She’s very good with Olivia, but runs away as soon as Olivia gets the least bit rambunctious. She tolerates children and other cats, but she would probably prefer to spend the day with me to herself.

I can’t believe I just posted this picture of myself. These are the moments that Autumn lives for!

Did I mention that Autumn is a back sleeper? LOL. I love that she doesn’t jump on tables or try to eat people food, but she is the worst about clawing the furniture.

Next, we have Tobey. He is quite the ornery boy. I call him my bubby and Olivia thinks that’s so funny. He recently had/has diskospondylitis, which is sort of a bone infection pretty uncommon in cats. He almost had to have his tail amputated this summer, but miraculously gained use of it again. I have to give him steroid shots every month, but he’s doing great. We have no idea how he got it as none of my cats go outdoors. Tobey LOVES Olivia and she loves him right back. They fight, however, like brother and sister. I can’t tell you how many times a day I hear, “Mom! Tobey is bothering me.” The two of them fight over toys. . .seriously!

For example, whose turn is it to ride on the tricycle? Or, slide down the slide? Regardless, Tobey is a perfect cat for Olivia and she has even started wanting him to sleep with her.

Bless his heart, he even has tea parties with her and sits where she tells him to. If only he didn’t nibble on my toes (I always have to wear socks) or tip over water glasses. I used to leave a cup of water for Autumn on my nightstand. Once Tobey came along I had to stop doing that because he knocks over any open container of water that he can find.

Last but not least is Kelsey. We adopted her in July and she is a total sweetheart! She is our dare devil/acrobat! She does things that the other cats haven’t even thought about trying. I worry about her walking on the railing of the stairs because it’s a long ways down if she were to fall. Kelsey and Olivia love each other! She is so good with Olivia and lets her carry her around the house. She’s very much a kid’s cat like Tobey. Tobey really took Kelsey under his wing and they are the best of friends. Kelsey has even adopted some of Tobey’s mannerisms (and bad habits.) Autumn appreciates it because now Tobey has Kelsey to play with and that leaves more time for her to sleep.

I probably have the most pictures of Kelsey because she is so cute when she sleeps. I can’t resist.

Doesn’t she look like one of those stuffed cats you can buy that “breathes?”

Most of the time, you’ll find Tobey and Kelsey sleeping together or playing together. They are pretty much inseparable. What a sweet heart she is. . .if only she didn’t feel the need to lick my face at 5 in the morning.

So, that’s it. . .my cat post. Did you make it all the way through? Olivia has recently started asking for a puppy. Um. . .don’t think that’s going to happen. She may have to wait until she’s 30 something to get a dog like I had to wait to get a cat. Cats are just so much more self-sufficient and our furry quota has definitely been met! I’d better wrap this up. Olivia is napping and Autumn is awaiting her cuddle time.

Friday, November 11, 2011

2011-11-11T21:33:00.001-06:00

Olivia doesn’t ever want to do arts and crafts. I have a really hard time getting her to try writing her letters or drawing or coloring, etc. What is enjoyment to most kids seems like a chore to Olivia. It reminds me of when we tried to get her to stack blocks and she hated it! To most kids that comes naturally. Many times Olivia has told me that it is really hard for her. She struggles with the fine motor skills necessary to do a lot of these things. We are still trying to figure out why it is a struggle for her. . .is it depth perception? Hand strength? We don’t really know. But, I try and try to find activities that she might enjoy to help her progress in this area. Two things that she does enjoy are cutting and painting. So, we try to incorporate at least one of those into everything we do.

Earlier this month, we made a pumpkin and she really enjoyed that.

I precut the pumpkin and the strips.

Then, she went to town with the scissors!

We glued the pieces on the pumpkin and. . .

I thought the finished product came out really cute.

Tonight, we got out the paint and made a fingerprint tree. She enjoyed that, but would much rather have spent her time bouncing on Rody. She got Rody for Christmas last year and paid little attention to it until she found it in the storage room. Now, she says Rody is her best friend. She sleeps with him next to her bed, eats with him, bounces on him. Or maybe Rody is a she?

Biscuit Donuts

2011-11-10T09:57:00.001-06:00

My mom used to make these yummy donuts out of biscuits when I was younger. Olivia really likes donuts, so I thought I’d give it a whirl for breakfast this morning. Just heat about 1/2 inch vegetable oil on the stove. Cut your biscuits into donuts (I used the vegetable oil cap to make the holes.) Plop them into the oil for a few seconds on each side. I burned the first few because I thought it would take at least a minute. Nope, they cook very fast!

Then, have a paper towel covered plate ready along with a bowl of melted butter and cinnamon/sugar mix. Dip each donut into the butter and coat with cinnamon/sugar. I also wanted to make some powdered donut ones, but we were out of powdered sugar. I guess Ryan used that all up when he made chicken* (only a few people will get that.)

Olivia LOVED them. In fact, she took the whole plate and didn’t even want to share. (I snagged one while she was washing her hands and they are just as fantastic as I remember them!) I’ll just sit here and eat my almonds and cheese sticks. . .the only breakfast that doesn’t spike my blood sugar. She liked the donut holes the best, so next time I may just make them all into “baby donuts.”

Yum. . .yum! You gotta try them! My B12 vitamins are giving me crazy motivation. Well, just motivation to cook and clean toilets, I guess. . .but, don’t worry. . .not at the same time!!

While you have some biscuits, try this too! Cut them into fourths, roll them in butter and then cinnamon/sugar. Put them in a loaf pan and cook according to biscuit package.

Delicious! I remember my mom used to make these also and my brother and I would fight over them like crazy. When I moved into my first apartment, I remember thinking. . .”I could make some and have them all to myself!” Of course, now I have to share them again, but I shouldn’t eat them anyway. If you make any of the recipes that I share, be sure to let me know what you think!

*When Ryan and I were dating, he was cooking me chicken at my apartment. He rolled them in “flour” and tried frying them, but they kept burning. He tried over and over again. One day, he finally got them to cook and we sat down to eat them and they were sweet??!! Come to find out, he had been coating them in powdered sugar instead of flour. I remember rolling on the floor laughing so hard. That’s how persistent my husband is though. He can actually get chicken to cook in powdered sugar!

The Funny Things Olivia Says

2011-11-09T22:42:00.001-06:00

Tonight Olivia started saying, “Well, I do declare!” We have no idea where she heard it or how she’s turned into a little southern belle. LOL. Ryan was watching Tombstone last night, but Olivia wasn’t paying much attention to it. It completely cracked us up.

Also, last night we were watching Dora’s Journey To The Purple Planet and had the following conversation.

Olivia: I want to go to outer space.

Me: That might be kinda hard without a rocket.

Olivia: I bet we could get one at Target!!

Some days, I think she’s smarter than me! She wanted to hang a picture up in her room, but I didn’t have a nail and didn’t know where the box of nails was. The next day, she brought me the picture and told me there was a nail in the bathroom. (When we redecorated the bathroom, we couldn’t find a new picture in place of our old one. The nail, however, was still in the wall.) Of course, I said, “We don’t want to hang it in the bathroom. . .it doesn’t match.” Olivia looked frustrated and said, “No, we can use the nail to hang it in my room.” Um, yeah, I was thinking the same thing. . .of course! I just had to laugh.

Tuesday, November 8, 2011

2011-11-08T20:17:00.001-06:00

My sweet, smiling girl. . .

and her cute haircut.

We got our hair cut today and I got mine cut and colored dark (and got rid of the highlights.) I figured I needed a more “fall” color. I really like it!

That picture of me? Not so much, but you get the point.

As you probably know, I’m attempting to be healthier. . .eat healthier, exercise, drink more water, etc. When I got my braces put on over a year ago, I vowed to improve myself so that when I got them off I would be healthier and happier than ever. Um. . .so I get my braces off in four months. . .oops. I haven’t done anything so far. So, I’m fast tracking it now. . .haha! I recently had some blood work done that showed I was not as hydrated as I should be. I don’t drink much all day, actually. I drink maybe 16 oz of water and a glass of tea a day. That’s it. So, yesterday I vowed to drink 64 oz of water (the recommended 8 glasses a day.) Wow, I got to maybe 40 oz and thought I was going to puke. Today, I drank an 8 oz glass of water and my stomach cramped up and I felt awful. I actually researched a bit and found that some people have a hypersensitivity to cold water and will feel like that. Anybody ever hear of that? So, I’m going to try to sip room temperature water all day and see if that helps. The bloodwork also showed that my B12 level was on the low end of normal, so I started taking B12 supplements a few weeks ago. Then, one day I had a surge of energy and motivation followed by another day and another. . .we’ll see if it continues. Maybe that explains my recent cooking craze. I haven’t repeated a recipe in over a month! Last night we had ham and cheese sliders. Delicious!

I am so done with being tired and depressed. I just refuse to feel that way any more. And my legs, my awful restless legs. Did I tell you I might have a possibly permanent drug-induced movement disorder? And it’s from a highly prescribed prescription med. I’m being referred to a neurologist who can hopefully sort it all out. I just want to feel good again. . .emotionally and physically. I have hope that I will someday.

Cooking is like love. It should be entered into with abandon or not at all. ~Harriet van Horne

2011-11-07T00:36:00.001-06:00

After much hard work and determination, I am actually finding a bit of joy in cooking. I’ve figured out a few roadblocks that have been in my way.

1. Hard water – We have horrible hard water and our dishes and utensils never seem to come out looking clean. It’s hard to get excited about cooking when nothing looks shiny and new. So, we started adding A LOT of vinegar to our dishwasher and it’s made a ton of difference. Sure, we go through white vinegar by the gallon, but here’s the before and after. Amazing.

2. I have three cats. . .two of which feel like they need to try to eat everything on the table. (Thanks, Autumn, for being so awesome and just eating kitty food.) I’ve learned to just shut them in the bedroom while I’m cooking.

3. I have diabetes. That makes it really hard to cook things that I really want to make. I’ve been told to eat only protein and veggies. . .what’s the fun of that? I’m beginning, however, to look at this as more of a challenge. Eating at home, after all, is a lot better on my blood sugar than eating out.

4. My daughter hardly eats anything. No matter what I make, she lives off strawberries, applesauce, Smart Puffs and chocolate milk. She will “try” almost anything, but takes 1-2 bites and is done. I can’t even get her to eat more than a half of a Reeses Peanut Butter Cup and its her favorite candy! Getting Olivia to eat (and color) are probably two of my biggest challenges right now.

5. I don’t like cooking the same things over and over. I love making NEW recipes. I don’t think I’ve repeated any recipes this past month! Thank you, Pinterest.

So, I’m putting together a new cookbook of recipes that I’ve personally tried and Ryan’s approved of. Ha! I have like a zillion cookbooks and recipes stashed in different places, so I’m condensing them all into one. And I found the cover of my cookbook:

I don’t look anywhere near that domestic in real life, but the little girl is the spitting image of Olivia. If only Olivia would beg for food like that.

And, for dinner tonight we had Baked Parmesan Garlic Chicken, Onion roasted potatoes, broccoli, strawberries/bananas and 7 Up biscuits. Delicious. Just click on the links for the recipes.

The potatoes were my favorite. Super easy and very tasty.

I will be a cook someday and I will enjoy it! And if I ever find a recipe where Olivia goes back for seconds. . .I’m going to make it every day! She may not find joy in eating, but at least she finds joy in wearing her pajama pants as a hat. LOL!

I Feel The Earth Move. . .

2011-11-06T10:42:00.001-06:00

Living in Kansas all my life, we’re accustomed to tornadoes, but earthquakes? Yes, the 5.6 earthquake in Oklahoma last night was felt at my house. Bizarre. We had just finished watching the KSU vs OU game and Ryan was in the shower. I was sitting on the bed with two of my cats when the bed started shaking and the pictures on the wall started rattling. Ryan didn’t feel a thing in the shower. The weird thing is that all day yesterday, I was plagued with awful dizziness. Honestly, at first I thought the shaking was my dizziness going to a whole other level. A dizzy person + an earthquake is kinda frightening. Thankfully, facebook exploded with reports of everyone else feeling the earthquake and I knew I wasn’t going crazy. Never thought I would feel the earth shake at my house in Kansas, but I guess stranger things have happened.

Friday, November 4, 2011

2011-11-04T22:54:00.001-05:00

Olivia LOVES the story of The Three Little Pigs. I think it’s because she’s a little scared of the big bad wolf and she likes to be scared. Today, we searched the house for three pigs and a big bad wolf. We re-enacted the story many many times. I took pictures and I’m putting together a little story book for her.

“Little pig, little pig, let me in!”

“Not by the hair on my chinny chin chin!”

“Then, I’ll huff and I’ll puff and I’ll blow your house in!”

You know the rest of the story. . .ha!

Olivia was back to herself today, although a little more tired and a little bit crankier. She ate pretty bland food today, but had pizza for dinner and kept it all down. I realized yesterday how quickly you seem to forget about the NICU, but how quickly it can all come flooding back. A single smell, a glimpse of an isolette and I remember the life and death horror of it all. I thought it had toughened me up. I remember parents being anxious about taking their children in for something very minor and thinking, “Try saying good-bye to your child EVERY night and wondering if you’ll ever get to say hello again!” But, the truth is, your baby is your baby. You don’t want them in any pain. It’s still going to break your heart every single time. I’ll never be tough when it comes to that.

Please remember little Ben who has surgery early tomorrow morning to have his eye removed due to retinoblastoma, a cancerous tumor in his eye. Please say a prayer for his parents and family and pray for a strength that only God can provide. We love you, Ben!!!

Olivia’s Surgery

2011-11-03T16:53:00.001-05:00

Thankfully, Olivia’s surgery is over with. I’ve been dreading its inevitability for 4 years! Olivia was a little apprehensive about having surgery, but once she discovered the playroom, her fears were calmed somewhat.

She was thrilled to have her own little bed that she could ride down the hall in!

Plus her own hat, an anesthesia mask that she got to decorate with stickers AND movies on a portable DVD player. Yes!

So, that’s pretty much where the fun ended. The surgery itself went fine. We warned them that she wakes up very combative from anesthesia. This is very unlike her mama whose been known to wake up singing. I don’t know why the parents can’t be in there BEFORE she wakes up instead of being called in there after she’s awake and screaming with 5 nurses holding her down. They kept commenting about how strong she was. Yep, my girl is a fighter through and through.

Then, her iv infiltrated and blew out her vein and the fluids were going into her tissue. This caused a very swollen, very red, very painful hand! No wonder she was screaming!

Luckily, her vital signs were good and we were able to go home pretty quickly. Olivia quickly got to work playing “hospital” with all of her animals. Minnie Mouse even needed a bandage on her neck just like her.

We even had to put wheels (aka sliders) on her crib so that she could rush her friends to the OR.

Soon after, however, she threw up and now has to go on a 24 hour clear fluids diet. I’m assuming it’s from the anesthesia? Yeah, I haven’t told her yet that she can’t have chocolate milk. That is like telling a fish that they can’t have water. She is now taking a much needed nap with daddy and I’m hoping everything is back to normal quickly.

Keloid Cyst Removal

2011-11-02T20:23:00.001-05:00

Despite being under the weather, if Olivia doesn’t run a temp or have chest congestion, she is still scheduled for her keloid cyst removal surgery tomorrow. It is a fairly simple procedure, but they have to put her completely out for it. Last time she had surgery, she had an allergic reaction to something and they gave me a list of about 8 things it could have been. Hoping that doesn’t happen again. She also has a hard time waking up from anesthesia and becomes very distressed. Please pray that things go smoothly and she is back to herself in no time! Thank You!

Prayers For Ben

2011-11-02T16:26:00.001-05:00

My heart has been very heavy this week. I want you to meet Ben. He will be two years old this month and on Monday he was diagnosed with retinoblastoma. He has a cancerous tumor in his eye. Let me back up a bit.

Ben’s mom, Amanda, is one of my very dearest friends. She lives in Ohio and we actually met a few years ago through my blog. I surprised her last year for her birthday with a trip to Ohio and we “met” for the first time. Some of you might remember that. She is such an amazing and caring person and a wonderful mother of three boys (with another sweet boy on the way.) A few months ago, she noticed that Ben was developing what she thought to be a lazy eye. She later noticed a flicker of light in his one eye and made an appointment with an ophthalmologist. That was when she heard the words that no mother should ever have to hear, “Your child has cancer.”

The tumor actually takes up his entire eye and and on a rating from A-E based on size and severity, his is an E! He had an MRI yesterday that showed the cancer is contained within the eye and has not spread. Praise God! He does, however, have surgery on Saturday to remove the entire eye and it will be replaced with an artificial eye. He has actually been going blind over the past few months and the vision in his eye cannot be restored. Many many prayers are needed for Ben and his family.

Throughout this tragedy, glimpses of God’s work can be seen. The fact that the cancer is contained is a blessing, which hopefully means he will not have to go through chemo. We still need to pray about that. The specialist doing the surgery is actually the best in the nation and it is an hour from their house. Basically, if they lived in California or somewhere, they would send them here!

Please pray for this wonderful family. I hope I said everything correctly as I try hard to understand what is going on. I just want their whole family to feel God’s love and comfort and to know that so many people are praying!! Let’s surround her and her family with our love and support. Amanda is the kind of person who would be the first one to help someone in need. That’s just the kind of person she is! And it breaks my heart that their family is going through this. Please pray and keep little Ben and his family close to your heart!

Happy Halloween

2011-10-31T10:31:00.001-05:00

2007

2008

2009

2010

2011

Potato Soup

2011-10-30T21:28:00.001-05:00

I have been trying to find a good soup to fix this fall. My husband does not particularly like soup, so I’ve debated about whether attempting it at all. But, I found this recipe on Pinterest and decided to give it a try.

EASY CROCKPOT POTATO SOUP

1 30oz. bag of frozen, shredded hash browns {I used Ore Ida}

3 14oz. cans of chicken broth

1 can of cream of chicken soup

1/2 cup onion, chopped

1/4 tsp. ground pepper

1 pkg. cream cheese {don’t use fat free. It WON’T melt!!!}

Here are the “cast of characters.”

In a crockpot, combine everything EXCEPT for the cream cheese. Cook for 6-8 hours on low heat. About 1 hour before serving, add cream cheese and keep heated until thoroughly melted. Serve with cheese, sour cream, bacon bits, green onions, or whatever else you think would be good!!

Yummmmm!! My husband even gave it two thumbs up and a “very good.” Wow, that’s when you know you’ve struck gold. I highly recommend. . .very easy and very tasty!

The Facebook Song

2011-10-29T22:22:00.000-05:00

This is Ryan's cousin, a very gifted songwriter/musician. I just love this song that he wrote about facebook. I think it needs to go viral. :) Enjoy!

Harvest Party

2011-10-29T21:54:00.001-05:00

Wow, so are we almost done with Halloween? LOL. Just today we went to Trick or Treat Street at the Wichita Children’s Theatre and a Harvest Party at Evangel Assembly of God. Whew. . .I’m exhausted. Olivia is loving it all this year, however, so it completely makes it worth it. Although she has quite enough candy and it isn’t even Halloween yet. It doesn’t help when I can’t seem to find a cake walk that I don’t win. Maybe I should stop doing them, but they’re just so much fun! Ha ha! Or maybe I should buy a lottery ticket instead. Anyway, before I become completely delirious, here are some pics from tonight.

Wish I would have brushed my hair in this picture because Olivia looks adorable!

Her very first pony ride.

My Little Spot

2011-10-29T14:16:00.001-05:00

Bat Girl and Spot

Ten Years

2011-10-28T22:48:00.001-05:00

Before we get too caught up in Halloween and candy and costumes. . .I wanted to tell you how special this Halloween night is. Ten years ago on Halloween, I was to meet Ryan over at his sister’s house. When I got there, Ryan had not yet arrived. I was told that he went to get ice which I didn’t think much about. I remember Alex and Julia were a little over 1 year old. That alone makes me feel old as they are in 6th grade now! The doorbell rang and everyone was busy getting food ready and tending to Alex and Julia, so I went to the door. A trick or treater, dressed all in black, stuck out a little skull bucket and I filled it with candy. It was really really windy that night and I was ready to shut the door. But, the trick or treater kept fiddling around with his bucket. He then pulled out a ring box. I then realized that Ryan WAS the trick or treater, on his knees like he always said he would be.

These were the days before digital cameras, so I actually had to scan these. LOL!

We had only been dating about 6 months when we got engaged. However, we had an almost 2 year engagement. We got engaged 10-31-2001 and married 06-28-2003. Ryan had three semesters of college to finish up at Kansas State. After a year and a half of a long distance engagement. . .we were so ready to tie the knot.

I can’t believe ten years have passed since that fateful night. We had no idea what the next ten years would hold. They haven’t always been easy, but there’s no one else that I’d want to go through life with. And if he showed up at my door on Halloween night, I’d marry him all over again.

So good

2011-10-28T13:17:00.001-05:00

The letter between the t and u on the laptop is broken, so I have to think of clever words to use instead of ones that contain that letter. It makes a person think as it is hard to get around that. Is it possible that Best Bu (dang it) can fix it? W'e’ll see.

So, now on to what I was writing about. I made these pretzel bites awhile ago and the pretzels were delicious!! A must make!!

http://www.justgetoffyourbuttandbake.com/?p=932

If you (hey I got my Y to work, sort of) love pretzels like I do, you will love these!

Now, I’m off to get Olivia ready to go on her first trick or treating of the season. . .at daddy’s work. She is soooo excited.

It’s My Potty and I’ll Cry If I Want To

2011-10-26T09:39:00.001-05:00

Olivia has a hard time using public restrooms. If they are the least bit dirty or smelly or noisy, she will scream and cry and refuse to go potty. She hates toilets flushing and the sound of hand dryers. I was anxious last Saturday because we were going to a soccer game followed by the pumpkin patch and I didn’t know where Olivia would go potty. We stopped at a grocery store on the way to the pumpkin patch to see if she’d go potty, but that bathroom was unacceptable to her. At this point, I’m stressing because it would be hours before we got home. And then I learned that porta-potties are completely acceptable to Olivia and she had no problem using them at the pumpkin patch. I have problems using porta-potties, but they apparently passed Olivia’s test! She loved the “outdoor potties"!” I’m pretty sure it’s because they don’t flush. I don’t know what else she could possibly find appealing about them.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

2011-10-23T21:28:00.001-05:00

So, I thought I’d share my new recipes for the week. My tilapia was a bust. Honestly, I took one bite and almost gagged. My husband ate his and said it wasn’t bad, but I think he was just being nice. Either that or I just really don’t like fish or paprika. So, I won’t be sharing that recipe. But, if anyone has a good recipe for tilapia, please share. I’m determined to like it.

I also made these new baked potatoes this week. They looked and sounded awesome to me, but I was a bit disappointed. They were good, but not quite as good as I expected. Definitely worth a try if you’re looking for a new spin on potatoes, though.

http://tastykitchen.com/blog/2011/10/scalloped-hasselback-potatoes/

Olivia kept busy while I was cooking dinner tonight. Hey, at least someone is finding a use for my spices. Ha!

Not sure what I’m going to make next, but I’m looking forward to some parmesan pretzel bites and also baked french toast. Hoping I’ll have better luck with those.

AppleJack Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-22T18:05:00.001-05:00

We had a great afternoon at the pumpkin patch. This is the fourth year that we’ve gone and the first year that Olivia has really truly enjoyed it!

The first thing she HAD to do was jump on the giant pillow!

Then, she slid down the big slide. . .all by herself!

Next up was the train. This was the first year that she rode it!

Choo Choo!

We had a lot of fun in the corn maze.

And had to stop for pictures!

She loved the teeter totters.

Halloween Preview

2011-10-21T21:57:00.001-05:00