The 6 Month Old :)

While doing a family photo shoot for my friend Wendy (her 'unrefined' favs (meaning I have yet to really put my hands on them :) can be seen on her blog here) I took advantage of the moment and snapped a few of my little guy! I don't know why I love this top one so much, but I do :) Here are a few favorites and some messing around I did with them :)

There are others, but I think this will suffice :)  The one that's in the group of 4 is my favorite, I think.. though I'm never really very sure :)  Last Friday on the big day we were horrible parents and bought Krispy Kreme which we shared with him, much to his delight!  Priya made him a card and we sang "Happy 1/2 birthday!"
I cannot express the joy this little guy brings to my heart!  He smiles, often at the drop of a hat and those eyes could melt the coldest heart - Truly, little man, you are a Gift from God!
Here's to many a birthday ... 1/2 birthday more! :D (and keep smiling when your mom tries to take pictures - it makes her happy! See Wo's of a Mom Photographer :)

Bread Maddness!

Last Saturday I decided to take a bread making class from our new downstairs tenant, Adrian!  Well, it seemed so easy I got the necessary ingredients and Sunday made THESE top 2!  Italian bread and STUFFED CRUST PIZZA!  Actually, the pizza was a team effort, but I made the bread - SOO good!  And start to finish, the bread is done in 1 HOUR! (10 min prep folks, that's it!)

Well, it went so well, I decided to do another half batch (this is a 4 loaf recipe mind you), however this time things did not go so well - flour stuck to the bottom of the bowl, runny beyond imagination... I couldn't figure it out!  I managed to salvage a couple lame loafs, but a work of art it was not!

Yesterday, however, we were having an end of summer BBQ and I was DETERMINED I was at least going to make a loaf of Italian bread to share, if not some rolls but AGAIN things were not going right - I couldn't figure it out!  I'd add flour, and it would look like it was going to work, but then it would turn back into a bowl of soupy mess!!  Gross!  I worked it and worked it in the bowl, adding more and more flour.  After probably 20 minutes (this stuff is supposed to only mix for 5 mind you) I realized my mistake!  While I halved the recipe, I FORGOT to half the WATER!  No WONDER I had a mess! I quickly added more ingredients and below are some of the results!  Beautiful, if I do so say myself!

 

Some were lighter and fluffier than others, but after all of that I'm just happy I came out with anything edible!  Thanks Adrian and I can't wait for the next class! YUMM-O!

Post Script: Adrian is an instructor for Pantry Secrets and if you'd like to take her next class, I'm sure she'd love to have you!  You can find info on her classes here:
http://www.pantrysecrets.net/classes-instructors/adrian-selle/

The Swapping Beauties-Frozen Dinners & Recipes, Oh My!

Some of you may be aware that I am part of a frozen dinner exchange group!  Well, we started a blog outlining how we do things and since I've spent some (ok a lot :) time on it, I thought I'd share it with you!  You can find it at www.swappingbeauties.blogspot.com.  We've also started posting favorite recipes and while so far I'm the only poster I have assurances my co-collaborators will be joining me soon (nudge nudge :).
It's still a work in progress, so let me know whatcha think!  In the mean time, Go Swap something - it'll make you feel good!

Broken Crayons? No problem!

While I have several adventures to post about, I just couldn't help share this next 'day off'' project - and it's so easy we shouldn't even have to wait for a day off!  Here a link: http://cookienut.blogspot.com/2010/08/coloring-shapes.html All it is is turning old crayons into new fun shapes!  Awesome!

Coming up next - adventures in the photo and baking world and 'the perfect play-date' - Excited?

What would you do with 2 hours and a box of band-aids?

Poor Peewee - she went to the doctor today because I found a few little bumps on her skin - turns out they were molescum and they were EVERYWHERE!  From her head to her toe (or shoulder to foot - close enough), she was covered!  And worse, the only way to get rid of them is to dig out the center - GROSS!  THANKFULLY, the doctor covered her with numbing cream that sat on her skin for 45 minutes before they went to work on her little body and while I don't think it was very comfortable, she hung in there and didn't even complain once!  I think her daddy and her BoBo may have helped a bit with that too :)  Either way, after 2 hours, a gagillion band-aids and lots of pokes and prods, Baby P has proven herself quite the trooper!!

When they were done, she had over a DOZEN new band aids (including 1 for the scrap she got while we were waiting and she stepped on a pack of BBQ sauce and I tried to clean it and she fell over, skinning her knee, but that's another story), many covering more than one of the spots she had removed :(  Tough day!  The nurse was laughing though because she had 2 little band aids on her bum - one on each cheek!  HaHa - I know, TMI but it was so funny!  I wish I had pictures - not of her bum, you freaks, but of her covered in band aids - it was a toddlers dream come true!

As for me, I've been working on a secret project that you will NEVER persuade me to tell you about!  Oh, ok, it's another blog, but that's all I can tell you!  Well, it's for our frozen dinner swap group - there - exciting I know :)  But it's been fun to prep and I'm excited to roll it out soon!  Oh, my exciting life! ;)

I've got a few more projects in mind for my next 'day off' but ... I'll save that for next time - until then!  Oh, and if you're having a rough day, just grab a band-aid - the 'experts' say they help ;)

A Day Off!! (Kind of :)

For once Joe got to stay home on a holiday (Yay!) No, he doesn't have some pressing carrer that requires him to work holidays - he just has a silly employer that thinks it's better to give a couple 'floating' holidays than actually give the guys the day off when normal people stay home! (not that I have an opinion ;)  Oh, I guess I like the floating holidays too... let's just give 'em both and call it good - Deal?  Well, it was worth a shot!  Who am I kidding?  Today I'm just glad he has a job and he likes it and the future looks decent- 3 things to be grateful for - but enough of my tangent!

We had a great weekend complete with a trip to TGP (Thanksgiving Point) and a lot of family time (yay for siblings and kids!) and then on Monday decided to take on our yard a bit!  In case you don't remember what it looked like at the beginning of the summer, check out Joe & Pee wee here :)

After months of work and care, we finally have GREEN!  We've been slow often times to cut it because it's still just baby grass (and, well, we forget :) but yesterday it was CUT and EDGED! AND we added red lava rock to the front along the sidewalk - doesn't that sounds cool? LAVA rock...lava lava lava...ROCK (easily entertained :)

And here are the results!  Ok, again just taken with my cell, but at least you get the idea!  You can even see the construction going on across the street -wild!  It's taking lest time to build those houses than it took for us to get grass!

So THAT'S what we did with a day off... well, sort of :)  We still were parents and still had to, ya know, take care of them and all, but still!!

Next day off... repaint THIS!

Vids of my Kids :)

1st off, my baby is WAY too big!  What in the world?!  He's going to be 6 MONTHS in just over a week - madness :)   (every mom sounds like this, doesn't she?oh well - might as well embrace it) He's also decided he's ready to be a 'sitter' so way to go him!  So to kick of our vids of the kids here are 2 of him - one from Monday sitting on a ... whatever you wanna call the thinger, which Joe for some reason feels the need to push - the kid can hardly sit and he's trying to take him for a joy ride! Boys! :)

 

This next one is of him tonight- I know, the quality on both of these  is horrid, shot on my cell phone, but I think his personality outshines the video quality, especially on the first one! ;)

Kids - they grow up so fast ;)

Our last kid vid is of P. yesterday recording a video for her uncle in Iraq - it's nothin fancy, but it's cute to see her little face :D



Well, that's it for this episode of 'Vids of my Kids - tune in next time for Priya starting high school!  Or...not ;)

PS - bubble painting!

Bubble Painting!

Doesn't this look fun?!  We've got to give it a try!  Find it here at WhiMsy Girl or Love or something like that :)
THIS I might actually be able to do without a day off! :D

The Masterpiece!

Remember that 'Crafty Bug' that bit a few weeks ago?  Well, that day Priya and I went outside, I pulled out a canvas and paint and I set her up and let her go to town!  Below is the result:

Notice the cutie hand and feet prints?  I think she did great!  I really didn't help, except to steady her feet a few times and help get her paint set up!  After painting the base coat in the morning she couldn't wait to do more, so in the afternoon she finished it off!

After we had our little painting party I stumbled across this blog with a great idea for spicing up toddler painting in a fun and creative way - check it out! It's called "Impress your Kids" and it even starts out with a nice tutorial about how to cut out paper letters really quickly and easily - but that's for my next 'day off'!

We actually attempted a few 'crafty' things today with a little modge podge, some scrapbook paper and
some block letters, but I'm not sure how they'll turn out yet so we'll save that for another day :)  It's truly my first real project attempting to decoupage so we'll see how we do! (Priya is always my little helper, hence the 'we' - could you imagine Joe attempting to use Modge Podge! HA!)  So hopefully you'll hear a success story someday soon!  If not, I'm sure the letters will end up back in my closet where I found them this morning, awaiting future enlightenment and rescue.  Till then!

It's time to celebrate!

Finally I have a functioning blog again!  I've been so bad about posting I'm sure I've lost most of my audience, but maybe we can work on that :).  While I'm trying to catch up on posts I'm hoping to start sharing some projects I'm saving for the day I finally get some 'time off' - haha, HAHA er, I mean, when I work it out that I can try out a few new things :)  I have to be careful not to give away any secrets though!  Who knows - if I EVER get to any of these things, they might be a present for YOU! :D

To kick off my list of things to do on my 'day off', there is this great photo book I'd love to try out!

Let me back up-

The other day I found this blog "We Talk of Christ, We Rejoice in Christ" . This month this site is celebrating the family, and is doing so by focusing on an AMAZING document called The Proclamation on the Family, put out in 1995 by the Prophet, President Gordon B. Hinckley as well as the Twelve modern-day Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.  Anywho, this blog is having guest bloggers all month and the one for today came up with this great idea for a photo book celebrating the Family and this incredible Proclamation!  Check it out here!

I might tweak it a bit... if I ever get to it!  :)  But there you go!  For you, for me!  And if you'd like to learn more about the sacred importance of the family and what we can do to help strengthen ours, check out their Celebration - who knows, we might just learn something, and, well, celebrate ;)

PS - I'd love feedback on anything really, but especially about my header - is it too much?!  I love playing with stuff, but I'm afraid I might have gone a little over-board!  HAHA well, at least you can see 2 of my favorite Silly & Precious Things!  And, let's be honest, they're probably what you're here for! ;)