Honey Pie Accessories

Treasure Map Game

2012-01-27T10:51:00.000-05:00

G is having a Pirate themed birthday party this weekend, and I have been trying to think of games that we could play.

I had first come up with a "Walk the Plank" where we would purchase a large plank of wood that would act as a balance beam for the kids to pretend they were walking the plank off a ship. But, that would mean that we would have to purchase a large piece of wood and set it in the middle of our living room floor and people would have to walk around. Plus, what if a kid fell off?

I then found a Pin the Eyepatch on the pirate type game, but in a way, I didn't want to do that either, because we had the same type game at her Minnie Mouse party.

But, it's the week of her party and I hadn't really come up with anything. I was near a Party City, so I figured I would just go ahead and purchase the eyepatch game, but all they had was a pin the treasure chest on the map game, and I honestly thought it was lame, and I didn't want to spend $5.00 on it.

So, the picture above is what I came up with. I went to the dollar store and purchased brown packaging paper. I unrolled it to the size I wanted and tore the edges. Next, I went into google images and searched for pictures that would be on a treasure map- palm trees, totem poles, an island, pirate ship, etc. I printed out the images and cut them to size. I glued them around the paper. With a sharpie marker I wrote "start" and then drew dash lines that would be followed, with a big red 'x' in the middle. (I'm also going to add a compass, but it's not pictured yet. I'll also print out treasure chests on card stock paper and put tape on the back of those.

So, in essence, we're playing the 'pin the treasure chest on the map game' but it only cost $1.00 Plus, it's going to serve as our pirate dress up back drop, so it'll have more than one use at the party!

My girls....

2012-01-25T22:21:00.002-05:00

My two girls have been so much fun lately. I enjoyed taking Monday off and spending the day with just MC while G was at preschool.

MC turned 8 months yesterday (Tuesday) and I'm having to face the reality that she is getting bigger and closer to one year old every single day.
She is just full of smiles and giggles lately, and she is army crawling all over the house. She loves her baby food, and I just started her on formula one time a day. I have zero milk stash in the freezer and DJ and I are leaving the girls with my parents in a few weeks. So, I'm in the process of trying to get plenty of my milk stored for her while i'm gone. I hope that once I'm back, we'll continue breastfeeding as we are now.
I absolutely love her eyes; they are just so big, and we get so many compliments on them.
Here she is side ways crawling around our living room.
And finally, a picture with G! She's just a wonderful big sister. She loves playing with MC and crawling around and talking to her.

G turns 4 years old tomorrow. I'm finding it hard to believe that she's going to be four. G loves anything princess. She also loves Tinkerbell, My Little Pony, and Strawberry Shortcake. She enjoys going to preschool every day. I think it's her most favorite part of her days; she even asks to go on the weekends! She enjoys watching movies, and right now her favorite movie is Monsters Inc. I think she watched it 6 times this past weekend!

And, how can I not leave you with this cutie picture of MC.... I swear that I don't prefer taking pics of MC over G. I think it just so happens that MC is easier to photograph right now because she's still fairly "still" for me, while G just wants to dance around.

What a Week...

2012-01-19T21:13:00.002-05:00

This week has been full of ups and downs. I had Monday off, thanks to Mr. MLK and those politicians who thought we should have a day off because of him. I was looking forward to staying home with the girls and finishing up all of my last minute things to get us ready for the week.

MC was fussy on Monday, and Monday night was a disaster. She was up at least twice for around an hour screaming at the top of her lungs and nothing would soothe her. I decided that we would need to go to the doctor on Tuesday to get her checked out.

That meant that my Tuesday morning was cancelled, and I was suppose to start at a new headstart. Of course, MC had her 2nd ear infection and we were given another prescription. I dropped her off with her daddy, so I could see a home health patient, and then picked her back up.

DJ has been a big help this week- he's taken G to preschool one day and he's picked her up twice.
He brought home this, um, "box" this weekend and G decided that she needed it for a fairy house. What sort of parent would I be if I didn't let her have her fairy house, so, she has it. I'm thinking we may decorate it with construction paper, stickers, and sequins to make it a little um, more girly.
G and MC have been playing more together, and MC is army crawling all over the place! It's fun to watch them play together, and G really is trying to be helpful.

Although, MC ended up sitting in my bathroom sink twice this week while I get dressed and this morning she fell and bumped her cheek which led to a crazy amount of crying!

I feel like my house is chaos every morning, and we don't even leave our house until 8:30 and I know most people are at work by then. I know I need to wake up earlier, but as I told DJ, if I woke up earlier, I'd never sleep!

Yesterday, one of my good friends came home and we just sat and visited for an hour. It was so nice to have good grown up conversation, and I'm so happy that I've met an amazing friend here!

Today was my busy day at work, seeing Headstart kids, going to a meeting, and then driving south of town to seeing another kid. I was so exhausted, that I thought it would do me good to run and tan just to relax for a bit. I ended up falling asleep in the tanning bed, which just made things worse for me.

G threw a fit when I picked her up from preschool, and she ended up loosing t.v. privileges for the night. I was so glad when DJ called and said he was coming home early. I fed MC and put her down for a nap, and I lied down myself on the couch and took one.

DJ made soup & grilled cheese for dinner and I felt much better when I woke up.

I'm so glad that tomorrow is Friday. I have a few kids to see and a home health visit and then i'll be done until Tuesday! I think i'm going to love having 3 day weekends!

On Saturday, i'm having lunch with the coaches wives as we say good bye to two of the ladies that will be moving. It's going to be nice to be able to officially tell them good-bye because that never happens in the coaching world. But, i'm also going to enjoy a lunch without kids!

Do It Yourself: Pirate Party Invitations

2012-01-16T09:50:00.000-05:00

G's 4th birthday is pirate theme. I went back and forth as to what kind of invitations I wanted for her shin-dig. I was going to order some custom made photo-type invitations, and then I began to scroll through Etsy one evening. I found the cutest pirate invitations, and decided that I would be able to make them myself.

Materials:

Scrapbook Paper

Resume' Paper (or other printer paper with a darker finish)

Printer

Glue dots or stick of glue

Paper cuter

Ink Pad
I purchased a black and creme stripe scrapbook paper (pardon the picture quality, my flash was off, and I did not notice, so everything looks yellow). Using the paper cuter, I cut it down to a 4x6 piece.

Next, I went into my Word program and typed up the invitation. I was able to turn the document horizontally and make it into two columns. I copy and pasted the wording onto the 2nd column, and printed. I was able to use less paper this way, and both columns were a 4x6 size. (I used resume' paper because I had it lying around.)

I found the picture from googling for pirate images. I copy and pasted an image on to the invitation. Once, they were printed, I tore around the sides and made into a ball to give it an 'old treasure map' kind of look.
I used this ^^^^^ ink pad that I purchased from Hobby Lobby. You can also purchase this from a scrapbook store. After you tear your paper and roll it up, unroll it and lay onto a scrap piece. Rub the ink pad over the edges to give it a burnt look. You can also rub it on the middle of the paper in order to make the paper look even older. The ink will be darker on the spots where it creased from being rolled into the ball.

I considered using a lighter and just burning the edges of the paper. I'm glad the scrapbook store lady recommended the ink pad to me. It was much safer and I've been able to use it for other projects for her party.
Next, glue your printed and aged invite onto your 4x6 scrapbook paper.

I was able to purchase brown 4x6 envelopes from Hobby Lobby- just look in the card making section.

The project cost around $25.00. It would have been cheaper, if I had the paper cutter myself. That was around $7.00 for a cheap one. You can also just use a ruler, and make straight lines on the back of your scrapbook paper and cut.

I love the way these turned out! They'll be going out this week to her classmates at school and in the mail as well. Invitations are the way to perfect way to give a hint to all the fun your guests will have in store for them at your party! So, make sure you give them that glimpse!

Weight Loss Progress: 9 weeks

2012-01-15T12:00:00.000-05:00

It's been about 9 weeks since I began working out and attempting to blog about my progress. To see my first entry and my "before" photos check out this blog post.

I have to be honest, that I am not working out as much as I had originally planned, and there are several reasons for that. I started my 2nd job the first of December, which has taken time to get use to and to figure out an accurate schedule for each day, as well as trying to get back to MC to feed her at 2. There are several days where I feed her and then I work out. However, we are having some problems with the sitter saying that she is hungry. There are days where she is distracted while i'm feeding her and she doesn't eat well, and there are other days where I think she is just tired, so she is fussing, and her sitter mistakes it for hunger.

We were also busy around the holidays and were out of the town the week after Christmas, along with the following weekend.

I was able to get to the gym one time this week.

I am trying to cook dinner at home and to cook more healthy meals. However, my lunches are not great because i'm on the run. I eat Subway at least once a week, but other days consist of Sonic and McDonalds. All of which is hindering my progress. I was able to take my lunch one day this week (a turkey sandwich and pita chips) and I plan on doing this more often.

I am also moving to a new Headstart building this week, so I'll be seeing more changes to my work schedule. With this new change, I plan on working 4 days a week and having Monday off. Which, will give me a chance to take MC to her sitters for about an hour on Mondays, so I can work out. Thankfully, her sitter is about 2 miles from my gym.

I have continued with the couch to 5K program, although I am just now on week 5. I also manage to get in 300 abdominal exercises (with a mixture of the balance ball and floor) followed by a 1 minute plank while i'm at the gym.

My next goals are to add in lunges (which I hate) and begin my arm exercises again. Although, I should probably work on actually getting to the gym more often before I fit those in!

But, despite my lack of time (or my excuses) here's my progress thus far:
I feel like my waist is moving inward, however I still have "love handles" and "back fat" along my bra line.
I weighed myself while I was at my in-laws last week (because we do not own a scale) and I was down about 7 lbs, which I was shocked to find out! I am wearing a size 6 or 8 jean, depending on the brand.

I have also started eating the Chobani yogurt, and I highly recommend the pineapple and strawberry! Those are my favorite!

Hanging Out

2012-01-14T18:47:00.002-05:00

MC and I have been hanging out today.... DJ joined my brother in the duck woods for the first time ever and he took G to my mom's house for the weekend. Leaving MC and I to hang out and enjoy quality time! I have to be honest, I was looking forward to this weekend all week! It's been a long time since I've had just a baby to take care of without a 3 year old demanding my time as well.

MC is 7 1/2 months old. She's sitting up like a pro now (which still makes me kind of sad). I pulled out a "new" toy for her, which she enjoyed banging on.
She has also been army crawling for a few weeks now, so I tried to get a few pictures of her and how big she is getting! Yes, we've stayed in our pj's day, and it's been great!
I'm glad I caught her at a happy moment, because she's been fairly fussy today.
She received her Sophie for Christmas and enjoys chewing on it!

I had to get my camera out of the car in order to take the photos above, and I realized I had a few pictures that I hadn't posted.
We made brownies a few weeks ago and G had to help. Really, I think she just wanted to lick the spoon.
We also had our first snow in Oklahoma this week. Thankfully, it didn't snow much and we were still able to get out and go about our day with the snow melting by that afternoon. Which, I find as perfect.

Weekend Wrap-Up

2012-01-09T21:52:00.002-05:00

{I have zero pictures from this weekend, but I needed to document for myself our past weekend. }

DJ decided a few weeks ago that he would love to visit his dad, step-mom, and make it over to see his sister, brother-in-law, and nephew. We decided around Christmas time, that this past weekend was the perfect weekend to go. Mind you, we had only been back a week from Dallas.

Thursday night DJ worked a basketball game here in T-town while I washed clothes, picked up the house, and packed for the girls and myself. He and I both worked a half day on Friday, picked the girls up from their daycares and got on the road, only about 30 minutes behind scheduled.

Thankfully, the girls slept for the first hour in the car and G is a fabulous traveler; I think because she never had the choice and we would make the 12 hour drive every summer to visit our parents. Unfortunately, MC is not a good traveler, and she never has been. I think I can count one time where we have made it to my parents house without having to stop (and it's only 3 1/2 hours away.) I also need to make a mental note here to pack a bottle, or bring my hand pump, so I can have some way to feed MC rather than leaning over the carseat.... use your imagination here folks.

We finally made it to his parents, where we had a fantastic dinner and were able to watch the Razorbacks play in the Cotton Bowl (Pig Sooie!)

DJ was an amazing husband that let me sleep in until 10:00 Saturday morning! I think that was the most fabulous thing ever, as I have not done that in such a very long time! Our Saturday was pretty lazy- DJ went to visit his high school and their "new" gym. (It was built about two years ago, but he hadn't had a chance to see it yet.) And we kicked the ball around with Gretchen outside.

I spent Saturday evening planning G's birthday party... and the past few years I've had birthday themed posts throughout the month of January, but i'm not sure i'm going to have time for that this month, but i'm super excited about her party! And, I will at least post those details.

We left Sunday morning to head to his sisters town about an hour away. Again, G did great in the car, and MC left us all ready to escape! We met for lunch and then went back to their house.

I was so excited to have some free mommy time, where I got to meet and catch up with one of my college friends (who was also our matron of honor) that I hadn't seen in TWO years- entirely too long if you ask me! We had such a blast catching up, and it was refreshing to have some time away, to gossip, and to catch up- we needed that!

Sunday evening we watched our Alma Mater, Arkansas State, take on NIU in the GoDaddy.com bowl- it was their first bowl game in 6 years (their last bowl game, DJ and I were actually with them on our honeymoon!) Sadly, ASU lost, but I was excited for NIU, because one of our old coaching friends coaches there.

Today, we got up and drove around our old college campus. We quickly realized that it had completely changed and we were super lost! Our GPS suggested that we travel through Conway then back up through the state, rather than across the top of the state and through Missouri. It gave us the perfect chance to meet with my mom for lunch, and my grandma surprised us as well!

After lunch, G again did great in the car, but once we stopped for a little break, MC cried pretty much (off and on) for the next hour and a half. Again, this is where I should have had some sort of bottle.

I'm glad to be home. It was a great weekend, and I'm glad we were able to squeeze time in to see so many important people. I have decided though, that we do not need to travel (as a family) again until March, and hopefully we can stick with that because we do love to get away!

DJ is leaving this weekend to go duck hunting with my brother. He wanted to go last year, but he was caught in the middle of his job transition to TU. But, my grandma had the best idea at lunch today that G join him and he could drop her off at my mom's house for the weekend! G was super excited about the idea, and I have to admit, i'm excited too! This will be my first weekend with just MC, and I have so many things that I want to get done, that I just can't do with a 3 year old running around. I'm looking forward to some snuggle time with MC and to some me-time!

So, let's pray that this week goes fast, very, very fast!

Happy Birthday Jesus!

2012-01-07T08:00:00.000-05:00

G's preschool had a birthday party for Jesus rather than a typical Christmas party. The teacher asked for cupcakes, party hats, party games, and favor bags. The kids also got to wear their pi's. G decided to wear her Minnie Mouse pi's that her Nana bought her.
They also made their reindeer food to sprinkle on their yards to feed Santa's reindeer.
And, they sang Happy Birthday to Jesus.
One of their party favors were these glow in the dark glasses.
I kept MC home that day, so she and I could both go to G's party. MC also wore her matching Disney jammies.
Santa even made a visit, and surprisingly, G was the first to greet him!
He took a picture with their class.
And G told him (again) that she wanted a four wheeler for Christmas. Thankfully, all these Santa's told her that it was a mighty big gift for such a little girl!

Christmas Eve

2012-01-06T08:00:00.000-05:00

Only a few weeks late! Here are our photos from Christmas Eve day.... the girls and I stayed home in the morning while DJ, being the typical man, went to run some errands and finish up Christmas shopping!I had to get some cutsie photos of Miss MC on her very first Christmas and on the day she turned 7 months old. My mom made the bloomers above last year for HPA, but we weren't able to sell them, so I saved them for MC.
And, I put an obscenely large bow on her head to take a few photos! I made the bow last year for G.

That afternoon we headed to a Christmas Eve show at one of the churches we have been visiting.
We dressed the girls in their Christmas dresses. And, this was about a good of a picture as I got! At least they are both smiling!
Here's one of the three of us before we left for church...... My necklace is a Dr. Bloom's chewable jewelry that was technically one of MC's Christmas gifts- we just opened it early!

After church, MC came home and took a nap and DJ, G, and I went outside to "feed the reindeer". G made the reindeer food at her class Christmas party with oatmeal and sprinkles.
She did an excellent job of spreading it over our entire lawn- last year she walked outside and just dumped it out all in one spot!
I told DJ that it was nice to not have to bundle up and walk on top of snow in order to feed the reindeer this year! I will say though, that my favorite memory from last Christmas, apart from having my parents there, was walking out of Christmas eve service to falling snow, but I do love these warmer temperatures!
MC spent some quality time with her daddy that night.
And, then we put the girls in their Christmas pi's from their Gee (my mom) and attempted a few pictures!

After we were able to get this picture, G started to misbehave. It honestly started at dinner time, but then it escalated, this may be my worst memory of this past Christmas, because I eventually decided that G was tired and just needed to go to bed. She lost her privileges of getting a Christmas story read to her and lost her privileges of setting out cookies for Santa. Obviously, she was in a lot of trouble.

After we sent her to bed, DJ and I just looked at each other feeling awfully guilty. We decided that we would simply try a "time out" period and start over again. I went in to her room and told her I called Santa and that he really wanted her to set out his cookies. So, I told her that if she stayed in her room until the timer went off that she could get up and set out his cookies. I think that 5 minutes was the quietest that I have ever seen her!
After her time out was over, she was much better behaved, and we set out the cookies.
And, you have to excuse this out of place picture~ but here's our tree after Santa visited!
After we set out the cookies, G said good-bye to our elf, Sally.

She then was able to watch a video that Santa had emailed to me. (It was one I found online where you can place in your child's name and a few of their pictures from the year.) Santa specifically told her that she needed to do a better job listening and obeying her parents and that she was on the nice list this year. I don't think I'll ever forget the look of surprise and excitement on her face as she ended up on the nice list after all! Santa also told her to go straight to bed, and as soon as the video was over she got off the couch and marched straight to bed without saying a word to DJ or myself. After that, we didn't hear a peep as she soon fell fast asleep. So, despite the difficulties of the evening, it turned out to be a memorable one!

The girls went to bed and by 9:00 Santa had visited and we were ready for bed! I remember last year, we were up until almost midnight playing Santa, so it was nice to be done early!
Here are our stockings all trimmed and full! Sally our elf made the snowflakes for us on her last night here. I purchased our stockings from Lillian Vernon. Typically, they are on sale after Christmas.

I hope y'all had a great Christmas Eve and I'm sorry for being so delayed in my posting of Christmas pictures!

Opening Presents

2012-01-05T09:00:00.000-05:00

Opening our presents was so much fun this year! G is at an amazingly fun age, and it was fun having a new baby to buy gifts for.

Christmas morning G woke up around 7, but we've always had a rule that she cannot go into the living room and snoop under the tree without us being with her. MC wasn't as excited about opening presents, because she slept until about 7:45. Thankfully, G was happy sitting in our bed watching Alvin and the Chipmunks on DVR until MC woke up.
G immediately ran over to the tree and began to open presents as soon as we would let her though. She enjoyed her pink football and frantically found a gift with her name on it.
MC preferred the wrapping paper to her presents.
G received a strawberry shortcake.
MC received a Sophie Giraffe.
I'm pretty sure this is another Strawberry shortcake toy for G. But, she also received a few My Little Pony's and Snow White's prince.
DJ's brother-in-law gave him a Cubs hat. Those two are always arguing over the Cubs and Cardinals, and it was a big step for his BIL to purchase anything Cubs!
We let the girls exchange gifts this year. G picked out this little ball for MC, and MC gave G a princess camera. G also received a Rapunzel doll that you can fix her hair..... I remember the Barbie heads when I was little and I always wanted one, so I was excited to find this at the Disney store.
G also received a princess game.
My sister-in-law and her husband gave me a gorgeous scarf- they know me well, because I wear one almost every day!
MC enjoyed chewing on her toys while watching us open gifts.
DJ's step-mom loves to do genealogy research. A few years ago she gave us a framed copy of his family tree. When we received our gifts in the mail, we knew that DJ's was some sort of book and were both pretty confused as to what type of book it would be. But, it was amazing! She had compiled and published her research into a book and even had tons of photos to go along with it! I think it was one of his most favorite presents this year!

Stockings & The Mess

2012-01-04T08:00:00.000-05:00

I'm putting up Christmas pictures backwards, because honestly, it's easier for me to scroll through my pictures that way, but also once all of the Christmas posts are finished, they'll appear top to bottom on the page in order.... yes, i'm pretty good at coming up with excuses!

I actually forgot about our stockings this year- at least, almost forgot about opening them. I was all ready to go and cook breakfast and for DJ to turn off the camera when he reminded me.

I think stockings were my favorite as a kid, because there was always candy, and as I got older, there was money.
G received princess sidewalk chalk in hers. I was able to get a lot of her stocking stuffers from summer clearance at Hobby Lobby or the Target $1.00 section.
MC received a new rattle in hers, as well as some snacks, a new sippy cup, and spoons.

DJ put gum and a new kitchen knife in mine.
And DJ got an iTunes gift card, handkerchiefs, and peanut butter trees.
I always think it's fun to see the mess we make in the house with our presents. Thankfully, I don't think we made too much of a mess this year, because we did scale down with the presents, but there were pb cups scattered all over the living room. One of which was found whole in MC's mouth!

MC loved playing with all of her new toys, and a few of G's as well!
Such a happy 1st Christmas for MC!

MC is 7 months!

2012-01-03T09:00:00.001-05:00

MC turned 7 months on Christmas Eve day. It was honestly a sad day for me. I think as long as she was under the 6 month mark, I could still pretend that she was an itty bitty baby. But now, at 7 months, she's eating baby food, sitting up, and even worse, she's "crawling" in order to reach for fascinating objects. While, I was so excited for G to reach all of these milestones, it's bittersweet to see MC grow. Partly because, we are 90% sure, she will be our last baby, and I want her to stay that way. She is such a joy though, and I have probably said that every month, but I have not seen a happier baby. She just loves to smile, and she knows exactly when to turn it on. She's really good at smiling at me when I break out the camera or my iPhone.

She is developing her sense of object permanence, and she immediately cries when I leave the room. It's rather pathetic.

She is the absolute mommy's girl. She has stranger anxiety when anyone 'new' is around, although she's more willing to let them hold her once I've let her know that they are ok and they've been around for a while.
She has the biggest eyes. I would say her eyes are her best feature. We had several compliments on her eyes while we were in Dallas last week.

Her favorite toy is either her Sophie Giraffe she received for Christmas, or a rolling snail. She also likes her exersaucer. She still enjoys her seahorse when going to bed at night.

Her favorite food is sweet potatoes. But she also eats squash, bananas, and apple sauce. She does well eating mums (crackers) and is able to hold them herself. She hates avocado.
MC spent most of December, battling a runny nose and fever, and finally, right before Christmas, she was diagnosed with an ear infection; our very first in this household.

She has her two bottom central teeth in, and she continues to put anything in her mouth. On Christmas day, I actually found a whole peanut butter cup in there! (Insert the dramatic mother moment as you can imagine.)

She still weighs about 16 pounds.

She sleeps through the night (about 12 hours) with a dream feed around 10 pm.

I'm looking forward to the next few months, as bittersweet as they may be! And, I've also started getting together ideas for her first birthday!

Armed Forces Bowl: Game Day

2012-01-02T09:00:00.001-05:00

After a long, fun, stressed, crazy filled week, game day was finally here!

Like I said yesterday, we had to get up at 6 in the morning in order to get dressed, packed, and to the stadium for 11 am kick off.

Some how, we managed to make it, and we were able to enjoy pre game festivities.
G developed a love for CFA, or Chicken Fil A as she calls it, while we were gone this week. We ate their at the mall earlier in the week and she received a cow watch, that is now her favorite. And, CFA was handing out signs and free chicken biscuits before the game. I do have to let them know that we are the Hurricane, and there is no S.
G even took her picture with the CFA cow, and I was so surprised because she hates largely stuffed costumed people, granted, there's no person in this, but I'm still shocked she was more than willing to go stand by this cow and get her picture taken.

We made our way into the game and managed to get settled, which included spreading out as much as we could, getting out the toy bag and snacks, feeding MC, going potty, and getting lunch all before kick off.

I'm so thankful the girls Nana was there to help. I swear, God should have given mommies a few more arms to do it all!
See what I mean, I could barely hold both girls for this picture, but here we are before kick off!
The pre game festivities inside were pretty awesome as well. There were several parachuters that brought in flags of the armed forces as well as the American Flag.
The Captains were taking the field.
And, we spent the game cheering loud and proud for our TU boys!

We also spent the game taking potty breaks, changing diapers, convincing G to not climb on the people around her, to not eat the popcorn off the ground, going on walks, and passing the baby back and forth.

Finally during the last 3 minutes of the game, which is about 10 minutes of real life time, we cheered super loud and held our breath. TU was up but BYU had the ball. I'm not a sports commentator, but I'll try to explain it the best I can. BYU was about 30 yards from the end zone, and it was 3rd down, and we should have stopped them, but the quarterback kept the ball and ran (that's called a quarterback keep) and we couldn't get to him, because they had been throwing the ball a lot (at least from what I saw). And BYU made the first down, which gave them 4 more chances to make the touchdown and put them closer to the end zone. Needless to say, with only a minute left in the game, they scored. We did get the ball back for that last minute, but we were just too far away, and BYU ended up winning the game.

After the game we headed to eat and then began the 4 hour drive home. Such a great week, and I felt blessed to have time with the girls and to get to know some of the other coaches wives better!

Armed Forces Bowl: Days 2-4

2012-01-01T10:18:00.000-05:00

After the girls and I explored downtown and took naps, we headed to Billy Bob's, which is supposedly, the world's largest honkey tonk. And, by the looks of it, I'd believe 'em. I wish I would have taken more pictures, but to be honest. It was overwhelming keeping up with two girls- carrying one of them plus a 50 lb. diaper bag, and my stress levels were pretty high considering MC didn't sleep well at night. So, we'll take whatever pictures we have and be happy!Anyway, here's DJ with the girls on the bus. I was a nervous wreck taking MC on the bus, but it would have been very difficult for us to drive our own vehicle everywhere. The bus did have seat belts (which I have never seen before) so G wore hers and I put MC in the bjorn carrier, so at least she was strapped to something during the ride. (Please no hater comments about how totally unsafe that was!)

After we somewhat enjoyed our BBQ dinner- getting the food was a process in itself, and trying to find something besides pickles and pecan pie for our 3 year old to eat was next to impossible..... we explored the honky tonk.
There was an indoor bull fighting area.
And, we were able to get up close to the trophy, which was nice considering that TU didn't bring it home. Yes, we lost, but i'll get to that later.

The next day was the Wives Day out, but MC woke up around 5, and continued to cry until 6:30 that morning. So, I cancelled the babysitter we had hired and stayed in with the girls. That afternoon we braved the traffic and headed to a mall just to get out of the hotel. Thankfully, MC felt better and that evening two of the coaches daughters watched the girls so DJ and I could enjoy the Comedy night followed by dinner.

I have never been to a comedy show, but we went to an improv place and let me tell you, it was fabulous and so funny! I think that we need to find one in Tulsa so DJ and I can have a date night!

The next day was busy. We had to repack all of our suitcases and get everything loaded in to the truck so DJ could take it over to our new hotel. I could have driven with the police escort, but I was so nervous about the traffic, that I decided to ride the bus.
We arrived at the hotel, found our room, and I was going stir crazy, because we ended up sitting on the bus for over an hour before it finally left the hotel in Ft. Worth for the hotel in Dallas, so we walked around outside because it was another beautiful day.

Once DJ finished setting up the meeting rooms, we picked up his mother from the airport, came back to the hotel and opened Christmas gifts!
MC got this super adorable purse, that G has really enjoyed playing with!
We gave my mother-in-law a Tulsa sweatshirt to wear to the game.
And, Nana gave G an American Girl doll.

That evening I decided that the girls and I would skip the TU bowl bash for some shopping at the Galleria mall, plus, my mother in law would not have been able to go, so this gave us some more time to spend together.

Our first stop at the Galleria mall was to the American Girl store. I wanted to buy an outfit for G's doll, and my mother in law decided to go ahead and get MC a Bitty Baby.
I tried to somewhat document it, because I took a crazy amount of pictures the first time we took G to the American Girl store in Chicago, but I maybe only took 2-3 pictures! Like I said, keeping up with the girls and lugging around a 50 lb. diaper bag was enough in itself!

Afterwards, we walked through Saks and I tried on a $500.00 Jimmy Choo shoe, and yes, I fell in love. Had our per diem money covered the cost of that shoe I would have bought it, and then DJ probably would have shot me. I thought about snapping a picture of that baby on my tootsies, but I thought it might be in poor taste, so I digressed.
The Galleria had this amazing Christmas tree in the center of the ice skating rink. G has been talking about ice skating for the past several weeks, I'm assuming she saw it on t.v. so she was really fascinated by this, and we ate pizza downstairs so she could see the ice skaters. I think next year we'll have to break down and take her.
Afterwards, we tried to do a little bit of shopping, but I was pooped, so we let G work the runway in this store. She was having a blast!

We eventually went back to the hotel and to bed. The next day was game day and we had to be up by 6 am (no kidding)......

Armed Forces Bowl: Day 1&2

2011-12-31T21:06:00.005-05:00

We spent this last week at the Armed Forces Bowl in Ft. Worth, Texas. I was so excited about going, because I hadn't been to the Dallas area in some time. Our first day was spent unpacking the hotel that we would be living in for the next 4 days. We took the computer, so G could watch some of the DVDs that she received for Christmas. I also tried writing this same blog post while we were there, but the internet connection was awful.
We brought a few toys with us (because as a parent, you know you need something to keep your kid's sane while away from home!) And, our bed was big enough that MC was able to lay and play around.

DJ spent his entire afternoon setting up his makeshift office and the meetings room, as well as going to practice and editing film. The girls and I also hung out with a friend and her little boy, and then we went to the "hospitality suite" to have dinner.

The next day, the girls and I got up and ran to Target with some coaches wives, because we had obviously not brought enough things of our own!

I needed a nap that morning, because MC woke up super early, but once we felt rested, we headed out to explore downtown Ft. Worth.
We stayed across the street from their convention center, and they had a really neat water fountain park. We explored a few of them, and then caught "Molly the Trolly" so we could ride around and explore.
We got off the trolley and G and I shared a chocolate chip gelato! It was divine!
And, we saw where Santa had been just a few days before! There was a ginormous tree and other fun things for us to see.

Next, we explored some of the shops downtown.
Here's G in front of a lamp post with an Armed Forces bowl flag hanging from it.
Here she is on the trolley. She absolutely loved riding the trolley. She made up a song about the trolley to the tune of Rudolph, and she kept talking about it all week!

2011-12-25T23:08:00.002-05:00

We have had such a busy weekend! But, it's been an enjoyable one spending time with DJ and the girls and celebrating Christmas!

MC turned 7 months on Christmas Eve, and I'm really sad to admit that she is army crawling all over the place!
We hung out at the house on Saturday morning just enjoying each other and then we got ready for our Christmas Eve service at Church.
MC was diagnosed with her first ear infection earlier this week, so she's been rather fussy, unless she just ate- then she's happy! I had to take her 7 month pictures and her first Christmas pictures as soon as she finished eating so she'd be smiling & happy.
I dressed the girls in their Christmas dresses, G lucked out with two this year.
I finally broke down and purchased a teething necklace for me to wear for MC- you can see it around my neck. It was suppose to be a gift for MC, but I decided to go ahead and start wearing it. I've been wanting one since I was pregnant!
It was so nice to have DJ home since Friday! We really enjoyed having him and G loved just playing with him! We leave in the morning for the bowl game in Dallas. It'll be a wonderful week to end such a great season, and it'll also mean that we get DJ back for good! (At least until March!)

I'll be posting more pictures throughout the week- I took over 150 pictures this Christmas! I hope you all had a fabulous one as well!

G's Christmas Program

2011-12-22T21:47:00.003-05:00

Tuesday night was G's Christmas program at her preschool. MC stayed at home with a babysitter, so DJ and I could enjoy the time with just G.Here she is modeling before we left for the program.
We managed to arrive early, which is very unusual for our family, so she and I took our photo while we waited.
And G invaded photos of some of her friends- she's not the most photogenic, but it's unusual for her to turn down a photo op!
Her class did very well, and they sang three songs.
G probably won't be much of a stage performer, she managed to lift her dress and pick her nose while she was on stage!
(The photo quality of these is awful, I apologize for that.)

But, it was cute to watch the kids sing their Christmas songs, which helped us remember what Christmas is all about!

Christmas with the Grandparents

2011-12-19T22:00:00.004-05:00

My mom and stepdad came up this past weekend so we could celebrate Christmas together.... even though we live closer, DJ and I have decided to stay home this year and to celebrate with just the four of us.

I was super pleased when my parents said they would come up, so we could open gifts together, and that they'd babysit for our anniversary. DJ had football practice on Saturday, so I spent the morning cleaning and getting ready, and my parents arrived around noon.

We hung out at the house and took naps, well, everyone but G took a nap, while we waited for DJ to get home.
We also tried to get a few more pictures of the girls in their matching Christmas outfits that my mom made.
G was being a bit silly though.... se her orange headband? That was her 'crown'. And, she's worn a 'crown' for the last three days.
MC is always a bit more cooperative with pictures. In fact, when you grab the camera, she often looks up at you waiting for you to snap her picture.
Once DJ came home, we started opening presents. MC got a cute little rolling bug from my brother and sister in law. G received a Strawberry Shortcake.
MC's favorite toy was the paper though! It instantly went in her mouth.
We gave my stepdad a new laptop bag for his new computer.
G also got a My Little Pony toy from my parents.
And, she had tons of fun helping everyone open their presents!
My parents gave me a black Jade bracelet from Guatamala.
MC received this tea set from my parents too. G has had tons of fun playing with it over the last few days though!
DJ was busy filming, which is pretty typical of his day to day job!
And grandpa sat back and took tons of pictures.
And, here's one more of MC when we were all done!

I feel so blessed to have family close enough that we could open gifts with them, without us having to travel. And, now i'm super excited for us to have Christmas with the girls this weekend!

6 years later

2011-12-18T22:31:00.002-05:00

Six years ago, this weekend, I was getting married! I think back on that day, and remember how excited I was to be marrying DJ. He is such an amazing husband and father. He puts up with so much from me and from our girls. He is so supportive, and helps me to realize that no matter how difficult things may seem, we'll get through them.

Our marriage has already been through so many ups and downs, but not because of typical marital problems that some may think of, but because of everything that we go through year after year. In six years, we have lived in four states, seven houses, and have had two daughters. It's a whirlwind surviving it all, and as soon as we get settled, we move again. I think this past year has tested us in so many ways, and it's such a blessing to know that we survived it.
My parents came up this past weekend, so we could celebrate Christmas with them, and to also give DJ and I a much needed date night. He and I enjoyed dinner at Bonefish Grill, and then we drove all around T-town. We use to love to just get in the car and drive and explore, but we haven't been able to since we moved here. G gets too bored, and MC hates the car seat. It was so nice spending time with just the two of us, although we both agreed that dinner was much quieter than it usually is!
G asks me where she was when mommy and daddy got married. She wanted to know who watched her while we had our wedding. It's been difficult to explain to her that she wasn't always here and that there was a time in our lives without her. She's also been begging to watch our wedding, as she's somewhat fascinated with them, so I finally convinced DJ to take our VHS wedding tapes, and transfer them to DVD!

He and I watched our wedding last night, but G was already in bed.... maybe I'll have her watch it this week.
We spent today hanging out with the girls. DJ had daddy duty while I went to the gym, and this evening we had a bowl meeting about our trip next week.
I don't think I could imagine our lives any differently than what we are living right now. We spent our honeymoon at a bowl game, and we're going back to another (our 4th in fact), and we have two beautiful, precious gifts from God. Everyday, I know that I am so blessed, and i'm so thankful for my marriage and my girls.

Christmas Lights- FAIL

2011-12-18T10:08:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday, DJ and I took the girls out to look at lights. It's definitely a fun, annual tradition that we like to do around Christmas.

I haven't been feeling very Christmasy, because i'm so busy with work right now, so I thought this would be the sure thing to get us in the Christmas spirit.

I even dressed the girls in a Christmas outfit.
MC is starting to sit up on her own, which just makes me sad that she's getting so big! She's been sitting up for about two weeks now!
G snuggled in really close for this picture! I really do hope that they grow up to be amazing friends.
G enjoyed riding in daddy's truck looking at the sights.
We went to the OKCastle in Muskogee, because it's been advertised like crazy. It was also too cold to go through a 'walk through' light display, so I was happy we could sit in the car and be warm and cozy! However, we were highly disappointed, because we didn't see many lights.
Rather, we saw miles and miles of blow up lawn Christmas ornament sitting all over the place. Who knew that there were so many kinds?

I hate to say this, but it just felt a little white-trash to drive through and look at these. So, the trip didn't put us in the Christmasy spirit we were hoping for.

But, we did end up getting a few laughs along the way. Mostly in disbelief that this is all we were seeing!

I think it was a Christmas Fail.

Paint Chip Christmas Trees

2011-12-16T09:51:00.000-05:00

I picked up the girls early on Monday, and decided that we had some extra time for G to work on a Christmas craft project that I wanted her to make.

These are super easy, and all you need is: paint chips, scissors, glue, ribbon.
This is a great activity for teacher your tot or preschooler scissor skills!

I picked up some green paint chips from a home improvement store, and traced triangles on the back of them. Then, we cut them out.
I also picked up some yellow paint chips, and made stars with those. You can also use star stickers or scrapbook pieces.
Next, I cut out simple squares and let G glue them on as 'ornaments'. Again, you can use stickers, sequins, pom poms, or any other craft supplies you have lying around.
Then, I used hot glue to put a ribbon loop on the back of them.
These make great ornaments or you can use them as gift tags!

Sally the Elf

2011-12-15T21:26:00.003-05:00

I'm sure by now you have all heard of Elf on the Shelf. If not, you really are living under a rock, and you better find your way out!

We have had our Elf for two years, but this was the first year that we gave our Elf a name. She made her appearance when we got home from our Branson trip, and we read the book, and G picked out the name, "Sally". So, our Elf is a girl, and I know I need to get her a skirt, and maybe a little bow. It's on my ever growing to-do list, that might get accomplished by next Christmas.

If you are on Pinterest, you know that there are blogs dedicated to Elves everywhere, and how they are getting into mischief. Ours is fairly tame, although we do enjoy a little bit of fun every once in a while- mostly on the weekends, when we're not trying to rush out the door, or when I feel like I might have some time to clean up after the Elf (as well as my husband and two girls).

Here are a few things that Sally has enjoyed thus far:
Reading "The Christmas Story"..... i'm glad she picked out this book, that tells the reason why our family celebrates Christmas.
But, here she is hanging out with Santa and helping him check his list..... I love this figurine of Santa, because both of the girls names just so happen to be on his list! We got this before we even had kids, and G's name isn't so common, so it pleases me greatly that her name is on the list!
Sally enjoyed a 'snowball' fight with a little princess.
And, she got into G's stickers and put them all over our fireplace! She even added herself a crown, and is holding a present!
And, misspelled her name with stickers!And, she decided to climb one of our candlesticks!

Do you have an Elf at your house? Are you having fun creating some mischief for Santa's little helper?

Sick Days

2011-12-08T18:11:00.003-05:00

Both of the girls have ran a fever over the last three days! It started Tuesday afternoon, when MC's sitter called and reported MC had a temperature around 99.8 degrees. So, I dropped my afternoon patients and picked her up. MC took naps and I got some things done around the house before we picked up G from preschool.

DJ and I decided to eat at G's favorite restaurant, Olive Garden, and then we took the girls home. And we thought all was well.

G climbed in our bed around 6:15 Wednesday morning, and I could tell she was burning up. Her temperature was about 101, and I told DJ that we'd be staying home that day. G and I lied in bed until MC got up around 7:45, and thankfully, MC was fever free.

Despite G's temperature, she was in very good spirits. She decided that jumping on our bed would be a fun morning activity, so to get her to calm down, I broke out some arts & crafts.
She made a Christmas collage out of old gift tags that I had.
And we played on the floor for a while. I tried to tell her that she couldn't get too close to MC and G would just say, "I promise not to get her sick."
I really did enjoy being home with both of the girls yesterday and we managed to get a lot accomplished.
G watched a movie in the afternoon, because her temperature had spiked back up to 102. But, she did act okay, because she again decided to jump on the furniture.
DJ and I had worked out a plan for today, that he would stay home in the morning with G, and that I would take MC to her sitters. Then, he would take G to football with him around noon and I would pick her up an hour later after my meeting.

It turns out that I was able to see three kids this morning, and then I came home to pump, because I forgot some of my equipment here. (I'm so glad that I my job allows me flexibility like this.) I left home once again, to go see my last kiddo of the day and just happened to check my phone. MCs sitter had texted, and said her temperature was around 100! So, I ran by Walgreens to stock up on some more tylenol and motrin, cancelled my afternoon and picked up MC and headed home.
I know, she doesn't look sick!

I'm really hoping to be able to get in a few work hours tomorrow, or at least have them fever free enough that we can go to the grocery store! I just ordered pizza for dinner because we have zero food and MC was getting fussy again. DJ's making it a late night at work to make up for his missed morning.

It sure is tough having 2 kiddos to look after and right now, I'm just thankful that we aren't having yuckies coming out either end of them!

Deck the Halls

2011-12-07T12:54:00.004-05:00

Christmas is my most favorite holiday, but it never feels like Christmas until our tree is finally up and decorated.

I was proud of myself because I managed to put the entire tree together by myself this year! (DJ was at football practice, and I was determined to not wait on him.) I added red deco mesh going in a downward direction (which I usually wrap it around) and also added gold tulle.

We let the girls stay up a little late one evening so we could decorate the tree as a family.
I put the girls in their Christmas pi's (why only wear them Christmas morning?) and G did the honor of placing the very first ornament on the tree.
She really enjoyed seeing all of the ornaments, hearing the story of where we got each one or who gave us each one and hanging them on the tree.
DJ got in the spirit and helped hang a few ornaments too.
And, then we were done!

I love digging through our ornaments and remember the story behind each one. I was taught by my aunt to always purchase an ornament on vacation, rather than a cheesy t-shirt. We have ornaments from our engagement trip to Chicago and the Sears tower, a football trip to Army and Navy, a trip DJ made to Pearl Harbor, and ornaments from each pregnancy and babies' 1st. We even have mine and DJ's first Christmas ornaments on our tree!
Afterwards, we tried taking some pictures of the girls. I think MC is getting to heavy for G to hold her!
And then we took a few pictures of each of them by themselves.
G really needs to learn to look at the camera, rather than something else in the room. Here she was checking out the t.v.!
MC was mesmerized by this huge thing with twinkling lights. She still rolls over to it and the other day was about to pull on it before I caught her!

Now we just need presents!

MC is 1/2 year

2011-12-07T09:43:00.001-05:00

The last six months have absolutely flown by! MC is already 6 months old, and I'm having a hard time admitting it! There are many moments a day where I think that she's still an itty bitty baby, and I try to cherish the cuddling, holding, and loving.She is the happiest little girl. I don't really remember Gretchen being so happy, she was always so serious. MC on the other hand, loves to smile and play. She has the best giggles. She still enjoys her swing and she really likes her exersaucer, but she'll roll all over the floor. It's very interesting when you put her down in one spot and she winds up across the room or under a chair. Once you find her, she just smiles up at you.
She also loves chewing on her toes!

MC weighs a 16 lbs 14 oz and is 25 inches long. She finally started sleeping through the night right after she turned 5 months. She drinks 6 oz every 3 hours, and has also started solid foods. So far she's had rice cereal, oatmeal, squash, sweet potatoes, and mums.

Her first tooth came in over this past weekend. I was so excited to feel it, but also sad that she's reached another milestone!

She's almost sitting up on her own. She can stay sitting for about 10-15 seconds, maybe a little longer. (I haven't really counted.)
MC has added such joy to our family. I love watching G as a big sister, and I really am trying to cherish all of the little things that she does, and yes, i'm trying to keep her a baby as long as I can!

MC your mommy and daddy love you so very much!

Christmas Cards

2011-12-06T17:52:00.001-05:00

Stationery card

View the entire collection of cards.

I'm super excited about our Christmas cards this year! They'll be featuring a few of our family photos that were taken in October by Madison Vining Photography.

Shutterfly has amazing deals on all of their photo cards, and if you're a new member, you can get 50 free prints! I also love that they safely store all of my uploaded images and projects!

Ladies!

2011-12-06T09:29:00.000-05:00

Our last day in Branson, we took the girls to see Santa and finished up some shopping. Gee made all of the girls matching outfits, which were pretty super cute!It takes a very talented photographer to get 6 women to all look camera ready at the same time, and we obviously didn't have one!
All the grand girls with their gee and great-grandma!

More Than Just the Girls....

2011-12-05T08:00:00.000-05:00

It wasn't just the girls in Branson this year. DJ's aunt and uncle just so happened to have spent all of Thanksgiving week with their family and DJ's dad & step mom had decided to drive up on Saturday (they're only about 3 hours away) to spend the day with them on Saturday. So, it was a great opportunity for the girls & I to see more of DJ's family. We met for lunch on Saturday. They were so sweet to choose a restaurant close to the outlet mall I was at with the girls, so I would not have to get out in all that traffic! I promise, traffic at the mall was horrific enough!

MC enjoyed hanging out with her grandma Dee and with her pops.
And, G, decided to entertain us all with her super model poses.
I was so happy to meet another new member of the family- Mr. L. He was born late last February, or was it March? But, oh, he is just to precious and he's just proof that babies grow up entirely too fast!
We were able to get a quick picture of the cousins together, but next time, we won't be taking it in front of a window!
After lunch, we said good-bye, and the girls and I headed back shopping. And, later that afternoon, we were able to meet up with one of my college friends, who lives only an hour away from Branson, and her fiancé! They just got engaged a few weeks ago, and I'm so, so happy for her! It was so great to see her smiling face and to meet her future husband!

Once it got too cold to shop, and we had literally shopped until we were about to drop, we went back to the condo. We ordered pizza and celebrated my great-aunt's birthday! She had turned 70 years young in October!

And, for all of you guys who wonder what on Earth us girls do while we aren't with you....
We hang around and play cards.
We gossip.
We play with cute babies.
And cute little boys. This is Mr. C. He is my mom's best friends grandson (did y'all get that?) I'm super jealous of his blonde curly locks!
And, sometimes, one of us, dresses a little scantily clad.
My grandma is in her 70s, and she almost always pulls out at least 1 trick like this while she's away! She would die if she knew this were on the internet! Thank goodness, she has no idea how to get on here, and we'll just pray my momma won't show or tell her!
And, my three year old, convinces the grandma's (yes, they're grandma's) to dance to Tooty-tah!

Branson & Santa

2011-12-04T16:19:00.004-05:00

The girls and I went to Branson, last weekend with all the ladies in my family. It has been an annual trip for as long as I can remember. The day after Thanksgiving, and sometimes Thanksgiving evening, all of the guys would pack up for the duck cabin and the girls would head out for shopping. Thanks to college, getting married, and moving far away, I have not been in several years! Actually, I did take G when she was 1 1/2 years old- we drove all the way from Indiana to Branson just the two of us to meet them!

So, I was super excited that we're closer to home and that a trip like this would be so much more manageable.

We managed to leave my mom's house at 7:30, with little room to spare in the car! Three hours later, we were shopping!
We hit up The Landings first. This is probably my favorite mall just because of the atmosphere. It's right on the river, and there's music, street vendors, fountains, a play ground, fresh air and even Santa! I just bundled MC up, and she did very well hanging out in her stroller for the afternoon.
There was a family band playing outside and G decided they needed a dancer. She danced through at least three of their songs before we tore her away.
Another little girl joined in, and I was shocked when she pulled out this dance move. G learned it a few weeks ago from watching the cheerleaders at the TU game, so when she saw that the other little girl knew the move, she decided to show hers off too!

After The Landings, we went to The Grand Village. TGV isn't really on my favorite list, but they do have this amazing Christmas store year round!
I let G pick out her very own ornament for our tree, and we picked out one for MC and had both of their names written on them.
And sometimes, Santa himself is hanging out at the Christmas store! G was excited to see him for the second time that day. (I missed the first time she saw him because I was off feeding MC, but for the first time in 3 years she happily crawled in his lap!)

All of a sudden, G has decided that she wants a four wheeler for Christmas, and she told each Santa we saw that that was what she wanted. A week later, I'm still explaining to her that Santa will not be bringing her a four wheeler because 1) it won't fit in his sleigh and 2) four wheeler's are expensive.
Santa was polite enough for me to get their picture together, and afterwards, he asked G, "What do princess' have, that you don't have?" G thought for a minute and said, "a tiara!" I think Santa was surprised that she knew the word tiara rather than crown, but he pulled out a sparkling blue pipe cleaner crown just for G.
I'm kind of thrilled I was at just the right angle to catch him placing the crown on her head!
She was so excited that he gave this to her. I'm pretty sure she thinks it's the most magical crown in the world.

We were starving after shopping all day, so we headed over to the Hard Luck Cafe for some dinner.
This was MCs first time in a real high chair. She made it just a few minutes before she decided that it was not very comfortable!

I will add, that The Hard Luck is always a must-go to restaurant for me in Branson. Not because of the food, but because the waiters and waitresses are very good at embarrassing their customers while they sing songs. It's just a fun atmosphere. Although, the food is just ok.

My mom and I always joke that we don't go to Branson to eat. We go there to shop. So, we never seem to have outstanding food experiences while we're there.

That evening we met all the girls back at the condo. There were so many of us, we had to get two condo's! And MC's Aunt Jan spent lots of time snuggling up with her.
I think by 8 pm we were all exhausted and ready for bed!

Workin' It

2011-12-03T08:00:00.000-05:00

Well, i'm not really working it right now. My diet and exercise program have been side tracked with Thanksgiving, our girls trip to Branson, and playing catch up from being out of town on Monday.

I did complete Week 3 Day 2 of the couch to 5 K program on Thanksgiving morning. I decided that running outside was much harder than running inside on a treadmill. So, I think this spring, i'll move my running program outside.

My eating has also had ups and downs. Thanksgiving day wasn't so bad. I know I had the usual, but I didn't stuff myself, and only had 1 piece of pie.

The day after was not great. We were traveling to Branson, and the day just started off bad because we grabbed a quick breakfast at McDonald's. I hate that place. I hate their breakfast. I hate that I eat there. G ate the egg, so I ate a little bit of the biscuit and sausage, and about 1/2 of the hash brown. We were shopping during lunch time, and I wasn't sure what there was to eat, so we grabbed ice cream. Fail. I tried to do better at dinner and ordered a turkey wrap with fruit. But the fruit was soggy apples, so I opted for a few crisp fries.

I made it a point to eat a salad for lunch the next day, but I also had pizza, cake, and ice cream that evening for dinner.

On a bright side- I did shop for three day straight, and I was either carrying a baby or pushing a stroller- so can that count as my exercise?

I'm playing catch up at work this week. We lost Monday, because we were driving home. I also started my position with the home health agency, and I've had 5 patients to evaluate in 4 days, as well as trying to get in all of my preschool kiddos. Needless to say, I'm swamped and exhausted. I have not made it to the gym. The last two days I've had oatmeal for breakfast. I've also had Subway twice this week. I've tried to increase my water intake, but I also defrosted some chocolate chip banana bread which is cramping my style.

Next week, I should be more organized with the home health agency job, and know what patients will be on my case load. I only plan on working with them two days a week, which will put me at 2 half days, and 3 full days a week. So, on those two half days, I will be going to the gym.

I'd love to know how you stay motivated when you get overwhelmed with other responsibilities. Please share your tips!

We Eat Turkey: Thanksgiving

2011-12-02T11:01:00.000-05:00

The girls and I went to my mom's house for Thanksgiving, while DJ stayed behind in T-town, because we had a football game the next day..... I was so glad that we live close enough to be able to make the trip for Thanksgiving. There is nothing more special than spending this day with family and not having to cook!MC got lots of spoiling time with all of the family. She refused to take a nap that day, so we kept her happy by holding her a lot!
G was so excited that she had someone to play with her!
MC turned 6 months on Thanksgiving day. Her thanksgiving meal was rice cereal!
I love my girls, and i'm so blessed that we spent the day together.
MC thinks that her feet taste better than any old turkey would have!

MC Eats Food!

2011-12-01T22:53:00.002-05:00

I have been super bad about blogging over the past week, but a few weeks ago MC started cereal! This was a bittersweet moment for this momma! I was not ready for her to grow up and move toward the food stage, but MC was so ready for it! It just makes me super sad, that my baby is getting big. MC was 1 week away from being 6 months. I added a bit of apple juice to her rice cereal, in hopes of it helping guard against any constipation she may get. I think she did not like that taste, and at home, I now leave the juice out of it.

We were able to offer it to her when all of us were home. I didn't want DJ to miss out on this 'first'.
I probably made it a little too thick, but I remember making G's to runny for her the first time.
She definitely thrusted a lot of the cereal out, but she is now a pro after only a few weeks!

2 "Off Days"

2011-11-18T19:58:00.002-05:00

Thursday and Friday have not been the best days for me. I was super excited about working out at the beginning of the week, and managed to go three days in a row. Which, may have burned me out quick.

I knew that Thursday would be my day off, but I had a meeting cancelled, and some extra time, so I could have gone to the gym. I know I could have squeezed it in, but I didn't. I should have.

I started to get down in the dumps Thursday evening. To be honest, I'm overwhelmed. I like to be busy; just ask my husband. He'll tell you that I cannot sit down in the evenings and just relax. My mind constantly swirls with everything else that I should be doing instead. And Thursday night was no exception, but I was exhausted and much of it did not get done. (Which I know is ok.)

I woke up today (Friday), and had my mind set that today would be better, but I think my mind was still exhausted, and after I was dressed, I just wasn't motivated. I took MC to daycare, saw my three speech kiddos (as G calls them) and went home. That was my plan all along; go home, eat lunch, and then head to the gym, before picking up MC. But, after I got home, I was still not motivated. However, I went anyway. I forced myself to go, and I reminded myself of something I saw on Pinterest. "The hardest step of a runner, is the first step out the door." I kept telling myself that and repeating it to myself. Once I arrived at the gym, I completed Week 2 Day 3 of Couch to 5K, and I almost convinced myself to lift some weights when I was done with that, but at the end, I changed my mind.

I'm glad that I went to the gym, but it sucked. This was probably the hardest day so far, because I was just exhausted.

I won't be able to go on Saturday, because DJ is gone this weekend. I'm not even sure if I'll get to go on Sunday, because he'll be at work in the afternoon. But, i'm okay with that. I've told myself that i'll try to do some ab work here at home, and maybe attempt a few weights. (I have a dumbbell- yes, just one.)

Here's what I've had to eat the last two days (which isn't very good either)

Thursday:

breakfast- a bowl of Cascadian Farms cinnamon crunch cereal w/ skim milk

lunch- we had lunch with G at school to celebrate Thanksgiving. I will say the portion sizes were child size. Turkey, roll, peach cobbler, dressing, mashed potatoes, salad.

snack- apple chips, grapes

dinner- Pizza rolls w/ dipping sauce, a few handfuls of chocolate chips

snack- 4 oreo cookies and milk (I know, I gave into weakness)

Friday:

breakfast- a bowl of Cascadian Farms cinnamon crunch cereal w/ skim milk

snack- banana

lunch- 1/2 whole grain pita w/ 1 slice turkey, 3 cucumbers, 2 bell pepper strips, 1 slice swiss cheese, pita chips, grapes (In retrospect, I should not have eaten so much before working out) and 2 handfuls of chocolate chips (oops!)

snack- apple chips

dinner- pb & j sandwich, potato chips, 4 oreo cookies

I hope I can pick myself up and do a little better eating this weekend. I think that because I've been a bit down in the dumps, my eating has reflected that.

If you have 'off' days, what helps you to get back on track?

Loose It: The Excuses

2011-11-16T22:01:00.003-05:00

I know many of us have our excuses for not getting our rears to the gym. Over the past year and a half, I came up with many. I was too tired, too pregnant, living with my husband 12 hours away, a mom to a 3 year old, working full time, and then I was too busy with two kids. The excuses go on and on.

Then, I realized, I needed to buck up and loose the excuses. I have to force myself to go to the gym, because I can think of a million other things to do, but once I get there. I never regret it.

I started my day by dropping off the girls at their respective daycares, and then I saw 4 speech kids. DJ and went to lunch, and my plan was to then go feed MC for her afternoon feeding, and then go to the gym, while she stayed at daycare. MC has ways to ruin every single plan I make. I'm not sure how she does it at 5 months old, but she does. I had planned to arrive at 2:00 to feed her, but she did not go down for her nap until 1:30. I was home from lunch by 1:00, and planned to do a little bit of cleaning before going to feed her. But, when I realized that it would still be another hour or more before she woke up, I went ahead to the gym knowing that I may not get in a full workout.

At that moment, I made a decision. The decision to go, and risk not getting in that full workout, but I knew that something was better than nothing.

I was able to complete Week 2 Day 2 of Couch to 5 K, as well as 3 reps of arm exercises before I got the text that MC was awake from her nap and ready to eat. I was a bit disappointed, because I had not finished my workout. So, I left and went to feed her and again, I made another decision. After she finished eating, I went back to the gym. I'm thankful, that the gym is less than 2 minutes from MC's daycare, but still another excuse I had to overcome.

I went back and managed to do another set of 3 reps of arm exercises followed by 300 ab exercises. I've managed to increase those by 100 every day this week.

Here's what I ate today:

Breakfast: Bowl of Cascadian Farms Cinnamon Crunch (about 100 calories) with skim milk

Snack: 1 Banana and a serving of the apple cinnamon chips I made yesterday

Lunch: Country Potato Soup in a Bread Bowl from McCalister's Deli with a Coke (about 700 calories)- this was my fail b/c it was a lot of carbs.

Snack: Apple Slices

Dinner: 1 whole grain pita stuffed with 1 slice of swiss cheese, 1 slice of turkey breast, 2 bell pepper strips, 3 cucumber, and spring salad mix, along with a serving of pita chips. 2 hand fulls of chocolate chips (I'm a chocaholic!)

Snack: Grapes

Water: 3-4 glasses

Looking back, I need to increase my water, increase my protein, and decrease my carbs.

I also would like a few new ab exercises, and may try to work my abs using the machine weights available. I need to vary my arm exercises as well and try to incorporate the machines more.

Thursday is my busy day at work, so it will be my day off at the gym, unless I decide to go late when DJ gets home from work. (I know, there's another excuse I could loose).

Rest of today's food + a Snack Recipe!

2011-11-15T21:09:00.003-05:00

After I blogged about my breakfast and lunch, I headed out the door to the gym. Unfortunately, I wasn't there long, because I had a baby that needed to be fed. I'm very thankful that I found a gym that is less than 5 minutes from MC's daycare, and I try to get there by 2:00 every day, so I don't have to pump again.

At the gym, I did a 5 minute warm up on the treadmill. Then, I grabbed a bosu ball and worked on my abs. I did 50 crunches, followed by 20 obliques, and then repeated, until I completed 200 total. Next, I worked on my lower abs, with the bosu, and finally did a 1 minute plank on the floor. I do recommend the plank when working on abs; it's hard, but it's effective. The entire minute, I keep repeating "hawaii" to myself, and picture myself on the beach!

I was then able to work on my legs a little bit, doing the abduction and adduction machines, and finally a leg press. But, then I got the text that MC was awake, and I had to leave.

As a bonus, after I picked her up, I carried her in the bjorn while grocery shopping- so that must count for something!

Once we got home, I washed and chopped fruits and veggies. I purchased oranges, bananas, apples, grapes, cucumbers, green bell peppers, and zucchini.

I did snack on a few grapes while I was washing and chopping.

For dinner, I cooked a chicken breast with fajita seasoning (that I won't be purchasing again, even though DJ thought it was good, because it has MSG). I added corn, black beans, and bell pepper to the chicken and served with shredded cheese and chips.

I also started taking apple cider vinegar today. ACV is suppose to help with a variety of things including, sinus infections, metabolism, and acne. I'll try to post more about this later, but you are suppose to take 2 tsp. two times a day. You can dilute it in a glass of water, but I promise, that doesn't make it any easier to actually go down.

This evening, I also made apple chips that I had found on Pinterest. You simply core the apples, and slice into thin strips. Sprinkle cinnamon on top and bake for 2 hours at 250 degrees. I'm hoping these will be an easy snack on the go while I'm driving between buildings in the mornings.

So, that sums up day 1.

Tomorrow, I plan on completing Week 2 Day 2 of Couch to 5 K, followed by a 7 minute relaxation in the tanning bed, so long as MC doesn't need to eat!

You are What You Eat

2011-11-15T13:22:00.002-05:00

I know that in order to keep up with my goal of loosing 20 lbs. I'm going to have to record what I eat. And, knowing myself, and that I will cheat, and that I will not be honest if myself if it's not written down, i'm doing it here. Or at least i'm going to try to do it here. I'll update throughout, and readers may want to skip these posts, although I'll try to post some tips, recipes, etc. throughout.

I'm going to be honest and say today hasn't been fantastic, but i'm going to the grocery store after my workout today. Our house is bare on food, so I could only eat what we had.

Breakfast:

Kashi Mixed Berry Cereal- this is my "kid" version of cereal, and I try to make myself feel better about eating it because it's Kashi.

Lunch:

Hot Dog (1oo calories) on a wheat bun, and 9 pita chips (about 140 calories). I need to tell y'all about these pita chips in a later post, they are super yummy!

Snack:

Skinny Cow peanut butter bar (110 calories) because that hot dog and chips did not feel me up.

And, I've only had 1 glass of water, but i'm working on that, and I usually drink a ton of water in the evening.

Now, i'm going to hit the gym!

Guest Post: Cook With Your Children

2011-11-15T10:17:00.000-05:00

Dan Gilbert, from Primrose Schools approached me last week about featuring one of his posts to my readers. I think that teaching your kids is one of the most important jobs as a parent, and I'm always looking for fun ways to help G grow and develop. One of her new favorite ways is to help in the kitchen, and Dan sums up how you can incorporate your kids helping you cook! Thanks Dan, for writing this post!

Cook With Your Children: A Recipe for Fun in the Kitchen

Offered by Dan Gilbert on behalf of Primrose Schools; a safe preschool environment where children receive a balanced education allowing them to flourish in all aspects of life.

With pots and pans clanging, appliances whirring and timers ringing all coupled with the wonderful aromas filling the home from the kitchen it is absolutely no wonder children often find some way of expressing interest as to what goes on in the making of dinner. While it might be so very intriguing to children it can also be quite intimidating, but with a little encouragement and proper supervision children can be brought into the cooking experience and the result can be both rewarding and educational, not to mention delicious.

So, how can parents bring children into the kitchen safely while still keeping it fun? Follow this simple recipe:

1. First things first—set some ground rules. Educate your child regarding general kitchen safety and procedures for safe food handling. Teach children to always turn pot and pan handles toward the center of the stove to avoid accidentally spilling hot liquids or food. Make sure they know what is safe to touch and what is absolutely off limits, such as knife blades and burners or other hot surfaces. Also, let children know what foods are safe for them to handle, and reinforce surface and hand washing to avoid cross-contamination and the spreading of germs. The most important rule, however, is just for parents: children must be supervised at all times in the kitchen.

2. Establish independence. It is important to get children involved in duties, which they can handle, by themselves. Mashing potatoes, mixing batter and separating lettuce are just a few of the duties children can easily do. Not only does this foster both self confidence and a sense of independence but it can really let them know that they are truly helping out in the process.

3. Connect the dots. Parallels can be drawn between skills used in the kitchen and those being learned in school. Counting out ingredients, measuring liquids and keeping track of cooking times are just some of the real-life applications of skills with direct correlation to those being learned at school. As older children spend more time in the kitchen they can begin to take part in activities which can challenge their coordination skills more, such as cutting soft ingredients like cheeses, vegetables and some fruit.

4. Finally, and most importantly, strive to keep the entire process fun. With so many demands being placed on parents' time, and distractions so readily available for children nowadays, quality time in the kitchen can be a great way to revive a sense of family. Keep in mind that cooking is not always a tidy affair, so focus first and foremost on safety and enjoyment, and address cleaning up as you go—it need not be a chore saved for later if treated as simply a part of the process of preparing a great meal.

To wrap up the process, parents should praise and thank their newly crowned sous chefs for their help, perhaps even letting them try the first bite. Parents can further engage children by asking them what they liked about the meal they helped create, and ask for menu suggestions for next time.

My Journey to Loose the Baby Weight

2011-11-14T21:56:00.002-05:00

I have been waiting several weeks to write this post. Mostly, because it's super embarrassing. But, I know that I need to go forward with it, in order to kick my butt in gear.

I had a baby 5 1/2 months ago. I still have about 10-15 lbs. of baby weight, and 20 lbs. total, that I would like to loose. So, I finally did something about it, and I hope to blog and share my journey with y'all in order to hold myself accountable, and maybe to motivate someone else.

So, here I am. Yuck. And yes, it gets worse....

Obviously, I need to tone my abs. I also want to work on my back. But, I also know that my arms and thighs need some work as well. Let me tell y'all, that i've always hated my thighs.

I'm probably like many other women who have major body issues, and when I look in the mirror, i'm not sure if everyone else see's what I see, but I don't like what I see.

So, here's what I've done about it so far. I've joined a gym. It's been 9 days, and I've gone 4 times. I think I might have been 5, but I sort of lost count. I also started the couch to 5 K program, and purchased the app for my iPhone. For the record, I have always hated running. Seriously, it's torture. Today, I finished Week 2 Day 1, and so far, I do think that it's a great program, and it hasn't been as bad as I feared.

I have also been doing crunches- a total of 100 forwards, and 50 obliques. Although, I would like to up the abs to 150-200 soon.

I know that my diet, is going to play a huge part, and thanks to Pinterest and my kitchen-aid birthday present, I've been baking a lot! I plan on going grocery shopping tomorrow, so I hope that will help. Also, I travel with my current job, so I eat out almost every day- bad! I'd like to pack some quick snacks that I can snack on in the car, and hopefully, I will start making my lunch a few times a week. I'm also going to try to keep track of what I've eaten. And, because I treated G to ice cream today- I won't be starting today!

I'm using our possible upcoming bowl football game as motivation. There are a few places of where we could play, and one of them is Hawaii. So, when I run, I picture myself in Hawaii, and that I want to look and feel good while i'm there. Also, the gym does have tanning, and while I know that fake baking is awful, it's also serving as my reward once a week, if I have good workouts. I've always said that tan fat is better than white fat, so at least I could have a tan in these winter months!

If you're currently on a weight loss journey of your own, I'd love to know! I need some motivation, and would love to know that I'm not going through this alone right now!

Another Family Visit

2011-11-10T18:12:00.004-05:00

Last weekend, I convinced my mom that she needed to come and visit us. She convinced my step-dad, and they both convinced my brother, sister-in-law, and my niece. I was so excited that they decided to come & see us, and we had a great weekend together!MC and A enjoyed playing together, although MC is the little bully, and punched her cousin in the face! (just kidding)
They really were happy to hang out.
And, I got picked on by my brother. I really am thankful for him. We definitely, had our fights when we were younger, but I know now that I can rely on him for anything.
G loved snuggling with her Gee, while we watched football.
My step-dad is really good with all of his granddaughters. I know he wants to spoil them, although he tries not to! He was taking MC on a motorcycle ride in this picture- blowing "wind" in her face! I'm not so sure she enjoyed it!
I'm pretty sure she thought he was crazy!
And, G got a little jealous, so she had to come over for a picture too!
Here's Gee with all of her granddaughters. I don't think she could be any happier to have three girls to shop for and spoil! And, she's taking us all to Branson right after Thanksgiving! Those stores better watch out!

Fancy Nancy & a Baby Z Visit

2011-11-07T18:37:00.003-05:00

A few weeks ago, G had her very first friends birthday party here in T-town. She was invited by a boy in her class for his 4th birthday, and the theme, was adequately, a costume party, since it was close to Halloween!

At this time, I had not started, um, finished, G's real Halloween costume, so I made her choose something from her dress up.
She decided that she wanted to be Fancy Nancy.
We teased her hair in crazy pigtails, added bows, butterfly pins, and a crown to complete the look.

She had a blast, and to be honest, it was kind of torture for me until I convinced DJ to show up! And, we have another school friends birthday this weekend, so hopefully it'll be a bit more tolerable.

To be honest, I want to go because I want to try to meet other mom's of kids in her class, but it's also so hard for me to open up and actually strike up a conversation with them! And, DJ can't save me, because he'll be at the football game. Wish me luck!

The next day, DJ's mom, sister, brother in law, and our new nephew came to visit! We went to a football game, and then enjoyed a yummy dinner at Las Cabos, and finally snapped a few pictures that evening!
Here are all of the cousins (minus the 3 in Florida). Baby Z is about 3 months younger than MC, and he just seemed so tiny! It reminded me that the girls grow up so fast!

And, we can finally see that MC actually does look like her daddy's family! I think my girls honestly get their hair from him, even though it's dark like mine. And, it also appears that Z and MC have the same nose.
It was fun to snuggle with baby Z!
And, Aunt Vanessa, got to play with MC for the first time!
Here's nana with three of her grandkids nestled up before nap time.
And, the next morning, we threw on some clothes and went to brunch. Here's G and MC before we headed out!

It was so much fun to have them visit us, and we look forward to a return visit!

Trick or Treat!

2011-11-02T08:00:00.000-04:00

It was so much fun to take the girls' trick-or-treating this year! I must say, that out of the three years we've taken G trick or treating, that this year, may be my most favorite costume yet!

She started out wanting to be Alice from Alice in Wonderland, but I couldn't really decide on a matching costume for MC. Then, we went with Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, and MC would be the lion. Then, we talked about Strawberry Shortcake with MC being a strawberry. But, we soon after discussed the possibility of Little Miss Muffet and her spider!

With the help of my mom, we came up with the apron (which is made from a bed sheet) and a bonnet. I purchased a long sleeve pink leotard, that G could also use for dance classes this winter, and she wore her pink dance tights for warmth. I also purchased a pair of pink & cream stripe leg warmers for her, and made her a pink tutu. She had pigtail hair bows that I made, but because the hat was a little large, I clipped them on to her apron. I picked up a spider bag from the $1.00 section at Target, because our plan was for her to wear the costume at school, but I later decided I didn't want to risk her getting it dirty during her party, lunch, or on the playground.
I added a little blush to her cheeks to make them rosey.
And, here's the two of them together!
MC wore a tutu dress, made of black and purple tulle. I also added marabou as the 'legs', and she wore black leggings, and a black turtleneck underneath. We just so happened to have a pair of purple 'shoe' socks, and a purple kufi hat. I made her hair piece from a $2.00 foam spider web I found at Target, and purchased a polymer clay spider from a seller on Etsy. I also added marabou on the underneath side of the web, and attached an alligator clip, which easily clipped on to her kufi hat.
I must say, that she's the cutest spider I've ever seen! And, I wouldn't squish this one :)
Here are the girls & I before we headed out.
We walked to neighborhood with our neighbor, P, who is 7, and went as a cat.
MC rode along in our bjorn carrier, and was very happy either sucking on her paci or trying to chew on her tutu!
P allowed G to ring the doorbell, and G would follow knocking, and yelling, "Is anybody home?!" She was also very polite and remembered to say thank you and Happy Halloween to everyone.

She ended up filling her candy bucket three times! And, I was glad that we made a 'tuffet' in our wagon using a pillow with pink pillowcase and pink blanket. We had to actually dump the candy in to her pillowcase, so she'd have room for more!
We finally made it home and turned on our porch lights to hand out the candy we had purchased. G cried on her first halloween when we gave out candy- she did not understand why we were giving it all away! But, this year, she was so excited to share & hand out our goodies. She stood by the door and would exclaim, "somebody's coming!" We had the door open at one point and we could hear people walking, but could not see them. And, we were anticipating they'd be in our yard at any minute. But, we soon heard car doors closing and the car driving away. We explained to G that they drove away, and she ran out the door and into our driveway yelling, "you forgot your candy!" ..... Those kids sure did miss out!
Here's G with all of the candy she received! She was very good at letting DJ and I pick out the 'bad' stuff, and I promise it's not because we wanted to eat all of it! The bad stuff is all the crud that sticks to your teeth that's hard to get off!

Although, I will admit i've already had my fair share of her treats, which is completely ruining the diet I had planned to start this week!

G's Halloween Class Party

2011-11-01T19:17:00.003-04:00

I was so excited to be able to go to G's Halloween class party at her preschool yesterday. It made feel so blessed to have the job that I have, and that I was able to take part in these memories with her.

We made 'mummies' to give out to each of her friends. G helped place on all of their eyes. I found the idea on pintrest, and used king size Hershey bars at $1.00 each, white crepe paper (which I just taped in place) and found googly eyes, that were stickers.
Her class had tons of food to snack on! And, her teacher was smart to not request cookies and cupcakes. In fact, they mostly had cheese and fruit, along with some ham & pepperoni (God bless the lady that made it Turkey pepperoni!) And, only had fruit snacks and oreos as their 'junk'.
I also got to watch her class sing & dance, and it was fun to hear the entire song of some of the songs G comes home singing.
They even had face painting, and since G was a puppy dog at school, she got polk a dots on her face.
Her school also had a 'pumpkin patch' and G was able to pick out a pumpkin to bring home with her.
And, she got her picture made with the angry birds!

After I left her class had a parade and went trick or treating around the school!

We had so much fun, and she said her favorite part was trick or treating to the other classrooms!

Family Visit and Pumpkin Pickin'

2011-10-27T18:00:00.004-04:00

Last weekend was busy and tons of fun! G had fall break on Thursday and Friday, so we were able to stay home and hang out. DJ was in Houston for a football game, and he was able to catch up with some college friends. He also realized that he's too old now to act like a college boy- ha!

Thankfully, TU won their game and the team headed home.

DJs aunt and uncle from Dallas happened to be in the T area for a bowling tournament, so they came over for breakfast Sunday morning. I tried a crockpot breakfast casserole recipe from Pintrest, that turned out okay, and they of course, brought gifts for the girls.
I'm pretty sure G has come to expect that when we have visitors, she'll get a gift, but she was super excited about this birthday play-doh set she received, as I had an anxiety attack picturing all the play-doh pieces on the floor. And yes, they are there, waiting to be swept up tomorrow.

One of my favorite pins is, "Pardon the mess, my children are making memories." I may just decal that to the entry way, and then I will never have to clean again!
I think I know where the girls blue eye's come from after seeing MC with her Uncle R.
And, she even let her Aunt C hold her!

Later that afternoon, I took the girls to the pumpkin farm with a new friend of ours.
G thought the petting zoo was pretty neat, but she was a little timid when it came to actually petting the animals. She would not really pet them on their faces, but a pat on the back was okay. Once.
She fed the animals, but would not let them eat from her hand. Those poor animals had to find it on the ground!
One of our new T-town, coaching wife friends and her cutie little boy E went with us to the pumpkin patch! We all enjoyed the wagon ride, but I'm pretty sure K was more excited than the kiddos!

G would not cooperate for a picture, and you never know with MC, so this was the best we got of the three of us!G on the wagon ride!
The pumpkin farm had pony and camel rides. G told me that she would ride a pony, but I did so not believe her! I went ahead and purchased a ticket anyway, making sure that I could get a refund if she chickened out, but she did it! She went ride up to the pony and hopped right on and rode like such a big girl! I was so shocked and proud of her!

Looks like pa needs to buy his grand girls a pony!
Finally after all of our fun, we went and picked out our pumpkins. I think G had a great time crawling around on them and rolling them over trying to find the perfect one!

Store Closing

2011-10-25T22:33:00.002-04:00

I have finally announced something that has been a very difficult decision to come to. But, I am closing Honey Pie Accessories as a business.

For the last two months I have gone back and forth with this decision, but i'm just not in it anymore. It has been a fabulous 3 1/2 years, but it's time to move on.

Part of me is hoping that I can re open in February 2012, but we'll face that bridge when it gets here.

At this time, I do still have Bow of the Month Club orders to finish through January, and these will be finished. I also have two dress orders that I'm working on, and those will be finished as well.

I want to thank every single one of my customers. You all have truly been amazing. I have loved seeing your babies wearing my products as infants, all the way to 2, 3 + years of age. I appreciate that you have been loyal to HPA. I appreciate that you have allowed me to incorporate my own creativity into your products. It's because of many of you, that I kept going and struggled with the decision.

I'm still toying with the idea, that I will take a few custom orders or that I will attempt to hold some flash sales, but i'll deal with this as the weeks progress and we can see if my time frees up.

I remember starting this business and dreaming of what it could be, and even what it was surprised me! To have over 1000 Facebook fans, just floored me!

I want to dedicate my time to my family, to my daughter's, and to my speech therapy work. I want to dedicate time to this blog, reading, and exercising. And to enjoy things that I haven't in a while.

I hope that those of you who read my blog, will continue with me on my journey through life. I know that this will be a weight lifted off my shoulder, and for that I breathe a sigh of relief.

Again, thank you everyone for your support, and stay tuned to see how life continues to change.

G's School Conference

2011-10-21T20:04:00.002-04:00

Photo courtesy of Madison Vining Photography (can't wait to see our other pictures!)

G's school had fall break yesterday and today. We also had scheduled parent/teacher conferences.

G is doing so well in her class, so I had to share!

According to her teacher, she is able to:

~ identify ABCs by sight and some of them by sound

~ count 1-10, but skips numbers on 10-20 (which we've started working on. For some reason, 13 and 14 confuse her)

~ She can spell her name and almost write every letter!

~She can identify 10 colors and knows all of her shapes.

~ She has many friends and plays with both girls & boys.

~ She follows directions in class.

~ She usually answers the hard questions and they're almost always right. Her teacher even said that she has to stop calling on G during circle time because she answers all of the questions!

~ She knows that Jesus lives in her heart (which makes this mama super proud!)

~ She said that G has difficulty waiting her turn, but she's doing better with this.

~ She also said that G was like a sponge. She takes everything in and remembers it without working at it. Her teacher told me that she wishes all of her kids were like G! (Which, let's just hope she didn't tell all of her parents that!)

She is able to trace and write a horizontal, vertical line, and a circle. Her squares and triangles, still look like circles though.

She can identify 10 capital letters when she was tested, but I know she can do more, and she can identify printed numbers 1-9.

She's also able to draw a person with arms, legs, head, hair, eyes (with pupils), and nose. And, she's started to draw a belly and belly button, but honestly, it looks like her person has a goatee!

I'm so excited about everything that she is learning in school! DJ and I have thought that she was pretty smart and I just want someone else to be able to foster her skills, as we continue to work on things at home.

We've also been working on sight words, and she can identify: a, the, dad, mom, book, stop, to, I, and sometimes car. We taped these on the back of her bedroom door so she can see them as she's playing and we can work on them some more. We also have her 'read' these words as she sees them in books.

We're so proud of our little 'big one'!

Latest HPA Pieces

2011-10-20T10:38:00.000-04:00

I finally got some orders shipped out today, and wanted to share them! I can't say that I've been busy with HPA, but just life in general, so it's taking me much longer than necessary to get them out, and I fully know that i'm slacking.

But, here they are...

The above is a tutu bag, that is perfect for dance! But, they can also be designed for trick or treating and other holiday's, and even school!
GG was able to get a shirt dress made for one of our best customers :) I really hope that she loves it!
And, finally, we have the October bow of the month club bows finished and shipped! I went with a halloween theme, but I didn't want it to be scary or too theme, so I just stuck with the basic colors. Hope these members love them!

Chocolate Chip Oreo Cookies

2011-10-19T10:28:00.000-04:00

Yet again, via pintrest! Thanks so much to Lovin' From the Oven for posting the original recipe.

I baked these this week, and they are fabulous! And, not so good for trying to loose this baby weight, but I suggest that everyone bake these!

Here's the recipe (it's super easy!)

Preheat oven to 350. Cream 1 stick of softened butter, 6 tbsp sugar, and 6 tbsp brown sugar.

Add 1 egg and 1 tsp. vanilla.

In a separate bowl, mix together 1 1/4 c. of flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda, 1/2 tsp. salt.

Slowly add the dry ingredients to the other and mix all together.

Stir in 11 crushed oreos, and 1 c. of chocolate chips.

Drop spoonfuls of dough onto a cookie sheet and bake 10 minutes.

Fabulous! Seriously y'all, you must try these!

Ghost Feet

2011-10-18T22:02:00.002-04:00

Original idea was found via pintrest (of course) and the girls and I had so much fun making it!

Thankfully, Hobby Lobby had their canvas' on sale last week and I picked up a few. I painted this one black, and then I painted a foot on each girl and placed it on, upside down. Using a stencil, I painted the "B" and hand painted the letter o's. I also added the year.

Love this simple Halloween decor! I'm going to attach a ribbon and hang it up.

And, it will be so much fun pulling this out year after year and seeing how much their feet have grown!

Fall in Our House

2011-10-17T19:54:00.002-04:00

It's fall here, as will hopefully be evident with our cooler temperatures this week! It's been in the 80s, and maybe an occasional 70s day, but the next three days will be down in the 60s. Makes me feel like i'm in Indiana again!

I haven't shared my fall decor yet, so I thought tonight would be a great night to do so.
My sofa table just has a few of my fall candy bowls (with no candy, because I have sneaky three year old hands in my house). I love the acorn and squirrel bowl, because they've been with me since my college days.
Our front entry is a plethora. I left my white candlesticks, and added a self made floral arrangement, our candy dish for Halloween, a candle my grandmother made, a bowl, and a pumpkin centerpiece that DJ's step mom gave to us.
On the floor beside the table are two wicker pumpkins, and a large white canister of glittery pumpkins- I love anything that sparkles! Above it is our Halloween countdown, that we may start the week before Halloween! I added the ribbon to it, because it just came on some gold pipe cleaner looking stuff.
I have this red metal shelf on our kitchen, and, as you can tell the homeowners of this house, wanted fall all year long, and painted it in shades of brown and red. But, I placed my Pilgrims and another fall candy dish.
I use an old sewing stand with a butcher block as a sideboard in the kitchen. I placed yet another candy dish (I have way too many of these, and every year I tell myself I'm going to get more fall decor that is NOT a candy dish), and my large serving platter. Along with my squirrel and nut salt & pepper shakes.

I must say, that a lot of my fall decor is sentimental because my sorority mascot is a squirrel. Many of these pieces were purchased for me in college, and I love digging them out again!

Hope your house is getting all festive as well, and that you're enjoying some cooler temps too!

Weekend ReCap

2011-10-16T19:09:00.002-04:00

I was so excited for Friday, because that meant that our weekend had arrived! Last week was long and very busy work wise, so it was nice to enjoy these last two days with DJ and the girls.

I'm loving our home football game schedule here. Typically, DJ doesn't get home on a Friday night until 11 pm, but here, he's home around 7:30, because TU holds their game day meetings on Saturday mornings. So, DJ and I actually get to spend a Friday night together! But, I did spend part of the evening making hair bows.

Saturday morning was spent cleaning and baking. I made homemade applesauce, and went ahead and froze some of it, because MC will be starting baby food in about 6 weeks! I also made homemade tortilla's, and I swear I'll never buy a package of store bought again! These were super easy, and they taste great.

DJ was home for about two hours on Saturday afternoon, between morning meetings, and time for him to be at the office. We watched the Michigan game, and sadly the Wolverine's lost their first game of the season.

After DJ left, the rest of the afternoon was spent getting ready for the TU game.
G decided to wear her cheerleading outfit again, and I put MC in G's first football dress. It was a little bit, but I want her to wear it a little more than G did... it was just to cold for G to wear it to our BSU games while we were there.
G wanted to see daddy before the game, so we called him down from his 'office' and managed to get our first family picture of the season!

We're fortunate enough to be able to go inside the coaches offices to watch the football game, which allows me a chance to actually watch and not be afraid that G will fall off the bleachers or that she'll run too far. She has a great time playing with the other kids on staff.

We only stayed through the third quarter. I needed to get the girls in bed and get ready for our family pictures that we had today!

If you're in the Tulsa area, I highly recommend Madison Vining Photography. I first Madison on an online mom's group, and fell in love with her photography style. So when we found out we were moving to Tulsa, I was secretly excited to get to meet her and that she would be able to photograph our family! She has the cutest little two year old boy and an adorable two month old sweet baby girl!

Our pictures went great and I can't wait to see how they turned out. We met at the Tulsa Garden Center, and i'm thinking we'll do photos again there in the spring- at least for the girls, because the grounds were gorgeous!

We promised G ice cream if she cooperated through pictures, and for the most part she did very well- although, she wanted to be a camera hog during parts of it!

After ice cream, we came home and I somehow managed to get both girls down for a nap, and I napped with them. I will say that this was not the most fun process, but i'm thankful that we all finally fell asleep.
After our naps, I took G outside so she could paint. She's been asking to paint a canvas for her bedroom, so I picked a small one up at Hobby Lobby and gave her colors that matched her bedroom and let her paint away.
MC hung out in her exersaucer while we sat outside to paint and then play. The weather was gorgeous in the high 80s, and I just keep remind myself that it would never be this nice right now in Indiana- there's no where else i'd rather be than here!

Gs Mini Recital

2011-10-13T19:03:00.002-04:00

G has been taking dance for another 6 weeks now! I'm glad that I kept her in it after the summer session. She told me she preferred gymnastics, but we had already purchased the ballet and tap shoes, so I wanted her to stick it out through the year.

She loves going and she's learned a lot already. Her shuffle step is much improved! Her class did a mini-recital yesterday, and they got to wear little costumes.
I think they were suppose to be 'superstars'.
G's made a lot of new friends, and I've even met a couple as well, plus, it's nice having some adult conversation guaranteed every week!
She did much better keeping up with her dance this time compared to this summer.
She told me that her most favorite dance move is the shuffle step.
She was so excited that her baby sister was there to watch her dance!

G's growing....

2011-10-13T10:48:00.000-04:00

G will be 4 years old in January- wow! I thought I'd update on how she's developing....

If you ask her what her favorite color is, she'll name every single color imaginable. I guess she can't make up her mind.

She's very in to interviewing DJ and I and 'writing' it in her notebook. She'll ask us what our favorite house is and what our favorite color is.

She can spell her first name, and is able to identify all upper and lower case letters.

She can read a few sight words: I, stop, car, mom, dad, book, to, a, the

She knows her days of the week.
She knows that you should stop, drop, and roll if you catch on fire.

Her t.v. show of choice right now is Signing Times, and she is picking up on some of the signs that were her first language.

She changed her mind four times on her Halloween costume. I won't reveal what she's going to be, but she had wanted: Alice in Wonderland, Dorothy from Wizard of Oz, and finally Strawberry Shortcake.

She is able to write some letters: A, O, T, G, R, E, F

She can snip paper, but I haven't tried to get her to cut on a straight line yet.

She prefers fruit and vegetables over meat, but you must have ranch dip on her plate.
Her favorite princess is Cinderella.

She loves to look at her books, and play with my 'speech kiddo' games. So much so, that I had to put a child proof lock on the door!

She also enjoys brushing her teeth, but honestly, she's just sucking the toothpaste off the toothbrush, and if you aren't watching she'll keep reloading the toothbrush with toothpaste and sucking it off.

Her breakfast of choice is usually a Special K bar, and she loves fruit snacks. She also tries to convince me to give her fruit snacks for breakfast.

She is able to steer her princess car, and pedal her tricycle.

It's just amazing how she's growing and how kind she can be, but also how smart she is, and hearing the things come out of her mouth..... last week, she stomped into my bathroom and said, "I'm so disappointed in you!" Because, I took away her medicine from her, as she was trying to get it opened. And, on Sunday, she exclaimed that she no longer wanted to be my child, only daddy's, because she was mad at me!

I love how much she's learning, and how excited she is about it!

MC is 4 months!

2011-10-12T10:07:00.000-04:00

Well, she's actually 4 1/2 months. I'm about two weeks late taking these pictures. The weekend she turned 4 months, DJ and I were in Boise, and this past weekend we went home.

It's been an amazing 4 months, that have gone by entirely too fast. It amazes me how much faster she is growing up compared to when we had G.

MC weighs a little over 15 pounds, and is 24 inches long.

She rolled over from her back to belly for the first time the exact day that she had her four month doctor appointment and shots. That was a Thursday night, and by Sunday, she rolled from her belly to her back. I wasn't prepared for that to happen so close together.
She is practicing sitting up, and I do believe that she'll sit up before G did at 6 months. She still eats every 3 to 3 1/2 hours. And we have not started any form of solid foods. She goes to daycare for a few hours each day, and I'm so fortunate to be able to pick her up around 1 or 2 and spend a few alone hours with her.

She smiles a lot, and still makes a growling noise, but she has also started to laugh. She loves her pacifier and is beginning to try to guide it toward her mouth.

She also enjoys playing in her exersaucer.

If we were using disposables, she'd be in a size 3 diaper. And, she is able to wear 6 and some 9 month clothes.

She still wakes up at night, and it was at 4 months that we let G CIO at night, but we haven't been as strict about CIO with MC. She is usually ready for bed around 7:30 or 8, and I feed her around 10:30. She typically wakes around 3, and I've started to go back to put her pacifier in, rather than feeding her every time. (Honestly, it depends on how she did that day with eating.) If she's gone all night without eating, then she'll wake up around 6:45 or 7:00 am.

During the day she takes about a 1 1/2 to 2 hour nap, and hates to be woken up from the nap!

She eats about 5 oz. in her bottles at daycare, and we've just upped those in the last week.
DJ and I were discussing the other day, that in a month and a half, we'll have to start baby food, and that just terrifies me! Only because it makes me feel that she's growing way too fast and that it's not going to slow down!

I think G is enjoying MC more. She has already told me that MC took a toy from her, or that MC wasn't nice to her. She also has a nickname for her, which DJ and I have taken to calling her that as well. And, she's still very protective of her, and wants to know where MC is when G walks into the room and can't see her.

I can't wait to see if they get along later down the line!

In the mean time, we'll enjoy having MC this size, and watching her grow and develop.

More Weekend

2011-10-11T09:54:00.000-04:00

We made it to my parent's house Friday afternoon. Since we had a wedding to go to the next day, both girls needed a bath...I love that G made herself a beard, because I remember doing that all the time as a kid.... I had to snap a picture.
MC got her bath in the tub.
MC got to hang out with her great-grandma before the wedding, and gave her all the smiles in the world!
Which, of course, my grandma loved!
And, this is how you keep a baby quiet in the car..... well, at least try to keep one quiet.

Weekend Wedding

2011-10-10T21:32:00.003-04:00

Not mine, but my cousin's.... and, I must say we had a fabulous weekend, and enjoyed spending time with family that we hadn't seen in a while. I'll also add that i'm super excited that we live close enough now to make these quick trips home!

Now, on to the wedding festivities!
I love these little bells they had or us to ring on their way out- super cute idea!
And the grooms cake- fabulous! My cousin is a duck hunter, as is the rest of the men in my family, and their baker did a fabulous job with his cake- even the duck was edible! Plus, the bride & groom brought it all the way from Fayetteville to his parents house three hours away, and it traveled very well! I also love the 'cake stand' they put it on.
Melissa, the bride, chose vibrant colors for her outdoor wedding.
I had seen this on pintrest, and I loved it! So, it was fun pulling up and seeing that Melissa had probably seen it as well. Super cute for an outdoor wedding.
MC got lots of snuggle time with her Aunt Jan, and I was super excited to get a bit of a break!
This is me, with my cousin Hannah. We were both sporting our cowgirl boots! As my brother said, I'm a true Okie now that i've bought boots. But, honestly, it was a casual wedding, and I wanted a casual look, plus I bought that dress for a football game and realized I probably won't actually wear it while i'm also carrying a baby with me, and I thought the dress would look cute with some boots. And, the grass was dry and dusty- so glad, I didn't wear sandals, so my feet wouldn't get yuck.
The groom's nephew, couldn't make it, so G was able to stand in and carry the sign that says, "Here Comes the Bride"..... loved it! I had also seen this on pintrest, and thought it was the most adorable idea ever; looks like the bride did too!
My uncle, the grooms father, actually officiated the ceremony. He also did the first part of mine and DJ's ceremony, and he's married other family members. I've enjoyed watching him at these various ceremonies, but seeing him tear up at his own son's wedding, was pretty fabulous. Nice to know that the guy who teased me mercilessly as a child, actually has a soft side.
Here's the four of us at the wedding.
And, with my brother, his wife, and my cutie patootie niece.

Emmett's Story~ How it Touched Us

2011-10-09T14:48:00.001-04:00

Emmett's mother is a fellow WTE (What to Expect) mommy. We where both members of the Dec 07' board. I lost my son to a miscarraige in 2007. His name is Aiden Christopher Alvarez.

I became pregnant again and delivered a healthy baby boy in February 2009.

When I heard about Emmett's disappearance, it made me physically sick.... my heart broke for Emmett's mother and her family. I felth helpless and as I watched my own little boy bouncing around, it made me cry that Emmett was out there... alone, scared, hungry, cold..... I had nightmares about him wandering around all alone. All I could picture was my own son and it was beyond devestating. I prayed harder than I've ever prayed before and from the opposite side of the country, I watched the news reports in horror.

When I received the news from another WTE friend that Emmett was found, but it was too late.... I sobbed and sobbed at my desk. So much so that the people in my office thought something had happened to my own family. I left work that day with a heavy heart. Not knowing what to do to help (I'm on the East Coast) I did the only thing I could. I sent the family a small check to help with the baby's funeral expenses along with a note. There hasn't been a day that's gone by that I haven't thought about Emmett and prayed for strength for his family.

Well, that's it really.... it doesn't cease to amaze me that one small life could have effected so many from all around the Country. His picture still hangs on our refridgerator.

-- S.A.

Emmett's Story~ How it Touched Us

2011-10-08T08:00:00.000-04:00

These stories were submitted for me to share:

I never had the pleasure of meeting the little guy...but when Emmett walked out his door around the same time..my son walked out our front door...we didn't know...in nothing but a red Elmo shirt and a diaper..before we even knew he was missing a neighbor recoginzed him and brought him home...didn't really scare me..i feel pretty safe here...it wasn't until that night.. i heard about little Emmett walking out of his house in thing but a green dianasour PJ Top and Diaper..I was kinda scared...but they were going to find him he'd be ok......just like my son did..they then found Emmett...but too late... I suddenly got scared...that could have been my son... We went out and bought better locks for our doors..I could barely operate and he can not!! Emmett saved our house from a simaliar fate..God Bless you Emmett and Trapp Family..I'm soo sorry for your loss..and i never want to see another family go through it...They should have found him..thats why this search dog is soo important!!!

From Julie B.

I also never had the pleasure of meeting Emmett or his family.. but Emmett's story change my life because just as Julie son..my son also walked right out the front door. I was washing dishes the next thing I know he was 3 blocks down it was about 10:00 pm. He was found by some lady driving to work she saw my son and she panicked, she called her husband who showed up right away, then took of his shirt to cover my baby and walked down the street looking for his home. I could just imagine what could of happened that night as there are so many young drivers on our block who love to speed. my son's name is Carlos, he just turned 4 yrs old. and he knows better not to leave the gate.

From Lorraine

Emmett's Story~ Reaching Across America

2011-10-07T17:20:00.002-04:00

I remember logging on to my mom's group one August day, and reading about one of it's members, and how her little boy was missing. I remember hearing the story on the news, and then I remember putting it together, that the missing little boy was her little boy. That I "knew" someone who's child was missing, and that it was actually on national TV.

This message board was made up of women from across the world. We came together to debate, to discuss, and to learn from each other. Never could one imagine that friendships would form from daily log ons and discussions. One minute you could hate someone for what they said, the next you'd love them.

When I heard about this missing little boy, I began to pray for his safe return. I don't think I had ever prayed so hard in my life. I also had the news on all day, I had to try to stay up to date as much as possible with this story.

Slowly, we began hearing details leak in from someone other than the news. And, we all joined together to think and pray, send positive thoughts, and just 'be' with the family even though we were all thousands of miles apart and had never met.

Those few days that he was missing, made feel so blessed for my own daughter. It also made DJ and I discuss that we needed safety locks on all of our outside doors- locks that she would not know how to operate. It reminded us to always have the alarm on, even while we are home. It made my heart ache for the family and missing little boy.

I remember hearing the news that they had found Emmett, and for a second, I was so joyous, and then I was heartbroken for the family. They should not have lost their little boy. The family was being slammed by the media, and it just wasn't fair.

I cried. I tried not to cry, because I kept trying to convince myself that I didn't really know this family, although I had read posts from his mother, responded to them, and without realizing, I had become friends with so many people that I had never met and who were all touched by this story. Who had all joined together in prayer. And, who all had the same questions, of how could God do this.

I think looking back, it's still something that no one could ever explain, but in my own mind, I feel that maybe there are a few reasons. Emmett's disappearance joined together a few hundred women, who realized life wasn't all about debating and trying to prove each other wrong. It made people pray to a God they may not have prayed to in a long time. It made us thankful for our own children, and it opened our eyes, that we need to do everything in order to keep our children safe, including proper child-safe latches on outside doors. And, it gave us the opportunity, one year later, to come together to raise money to purchase a search dog so that this tragedy may not affect another family.

I ask each of you, humbly, to pray for Emmett's family. There's not a day that goes by that I don't think of Emmett. I also ask that you may consider purchasing a raffle ticket for our latest fundraising efforts for Emmett's Search Dog.

You can do so by leaving me a comment with your paypal email. Don't worry, I have to approve comments and I'll delete them rather than publishing them. Tickets are $2.00 for 1 ticket, or you may purchase 6 tickets for $10.00. If you leave me your paypal email, I'll send you a direct invoice. Or, if you prefer, you can send a payment directly to esearchdog@yahoo.com via paypal.com

Raffle prizes will be awarded via random.org. The raffle ends on October 17th.

Make a Direct Donation: Emmett's Search Dog

2011-10-05T09:00:00.000-04:00

Emmett's story has touched so many lives. It has been over one year, since he has left this Earth, but we are wanting his memory to last much longer.

This week we are raising money to purchase a search dog in Emmett's memory. Had one been available when Emmett walked out of his family's home in July 2010, then he likely would have been found in time.

If you are not comfortable with participating in the raffle on Honey Pie Accessories' Facebook page, then please consider making a direct donation.

Here's how you can help, as posted by Elize M:

There are two ways to donate to the Search Dog Foundation:

1) Visit the Search Dog Foundation website – http://www.searchdogfoundation.org/

2) Online raffles and auctions. We will post the links and instructions to these events as they become available. Please participate. It is a fun and easy way to raise money for the Emmett Trapp project.

The Search Dog Foundation website allows you to make a one time or an automated monthly donation.

Instructions on how to donate on the website:

Both options will take you to the donation page.

a) Click the Donate Now (the cute puppy waging its tail) icon.

b) Click the How You Can Help link located in the menu (below FAQS).

Make sure you select the OTHER dog biscuit option. We are not sponsoring the other programs they have. This is the only way to ensure that all the money donated is used for the Emmett Trapp Project.

You can make a one-time donation (default).

- Choose a dollar amount or enter your own donation amount (minimum $5.00).

Important- Make sure you click on the circle next to the OTHER dog biscuit. The dog biscuit must change color to indicate your selection.

- To make a monthly contribution - select ‘Yes’ and enter your phone number. The Search Dog Foundation will contact you to setup a secure account.

- Remember to enter “Emmett Trapp project” in the My gift is in memory of: section.

- You may choose to complete the rest of the page.

- Click on the Submit Donation button to review your donation.

- If you are a new customer you have to register an account to verify your information and make a secure donation.

- If you are an existing customer login with your email address and password.

- Follow the web page instructions after you have logged in to complete your donation.

The Story of Emmett

2011-10-03T18:55:00.002-04:00

Emmett was two years old in August 2010. One afternoon, he and his mother lied down to take a nap. (Isn't that something that we all do with our toddlers, just to get them to take a nap, especially when we're equally exhausted?)

A few hours later, Emmett woke up and quietly snuck out of the room, being careful to not wake his mother. I'm sure he figured she needed her rest. Somehow he managed to escape the family home along with the family's golden retriever.

Emmett's mother awoke and found that he was not in the house and they frantically began to search. During the search, they realized that the dog was missing and began to call his name. The dog returned, but Emmett did not.

The family immediately dialed 911. The sheriff department responded and the family tried to explain the direction that the golden retriever came home from. But, the sheriff department did not listen and began to search in the opposite direction. They also did not make it public that Emmett was missing until 24 hours after the fact.

As soon as the word got out, numerous neighbors, friends, and community members showed up to help. However, due to specific search guidelines they were all told to go home.

A helicopter flew for only 20 minutes in the first night of Emmett's disappearance and the search was not expanded until the 3rd day.

I remember by this time, seeing the story on Nancy Grace, and how Nancy had inaccurately accused the family members, and blamed Emmett's mother for falling asleep with him. I remember praying for his safe return to his family.

On the 3rd day, Emmett was found by a community member who refused the officer's trying to turn him away. Sadly, Emmett had made his way down into the Iron King mine property where he was found in a hole, that had been improperly filled, and was thus filled by rain water.

The area is only 200 yards from the main highway, and could actually be seen from the Sheriff's office.

We all know that every minute counts when searching for a missing child, and sadly, the search team was only 90 minutes too late.

There are many people, including the family, that believe had a search dog been provided, Emmett would have been found in time. Those of us that do believe this, have joined together one year after Emmett's death, and are donating a search dog to Emmett's area of Arizona. His mother has decided to rightly name the dog, Emmett.

We are currently holding a raffle in order to help raise funds to purchase the search dog. Prizes will be awarded via random.org. You can purchase 1 raffle ticket for $2.00 or 6 raffle tickets for $10.00. Utilizing paypal.com send payments to esearchdog@yahoo.com and make sure to include in the notes section the amount of tickets you are purchasing. Should you prefer a direct invoice sent to you, please email us at esearchdog@yahoo.com

Every little bit helps, just as it would have in Emmett's search. We are also still accepting donations for prizes.

Current prizes include, but are not limited to:

Amazon.com gift card

Yoga Mat and Wal-Mart gift card

Necklace by J. Pogo Designs

Ride on toy from Bright Starts

Bow of the Month Club membership from Sweetie Pie Couture

Life Coaching Sessions

Crochet Hats and Scarves

Emmett's Search Dog Raffle How To

2011-10-02T23:45:00.001-04:00

This raffle benefits Emmett’s Search Dog Fund. All proceeds will be donated directly to the fund.

The raffle items can be viewed at http://www.facebook.com/HoneyPieAccessories . Look for the items in the Emmett’s Search Dog Raffle album.

The raffle start: Monday 10/3/2011 @ 6:00 AM
The raffle end: Monday 10/17/2011 @ 6:00 PM
The winners will be announced on Wednesday 10/19/2011.

Tickets are $2 each or 6 tickets for $10.

Tickets can be purchased by sending money securely via www.paypal.com to esearchdog@yahoo.com. In the notes section (in paypal), please remember to enter your name and how many tickets you wish to purchase.

PayPal instructions:
1) Login into your PayPal account or create one if you do not have an account.
2) Click on the Send Money tab
3) Enter esearchdog@yahoo.com as the To email address
4) Enter the dollar amount you wish to send.
5) Select the Goods selection
6) Click the Continue button
7) Important:
a. Before you click the Send Money button scroll to the bottom of the screen
b. Enter a subject i.e Emmett’s Raffle tickets
c. In the Subject body section. Enter your name and the number of tickets you wish to purchase.
8) Review your credit card information and shipping information.
9) Click the Send Money button
10) You will get a confirmation email from PayPal.

If you do not want to use Paypal, you can leave a comment on the Emmett’s Search Dog Raffle album (not on a photo) with the number of tickets you wish to purchase and your email address so we can send you an invoice. All payments are due within 48 hours of receipt of invoice.

Your name will be entered into the raffle as many times as the number of tickets you purchased.
You will not be able to buy tickets for a particular raffle item. The winners for a particular item will be selected randomly.

We will be using this website www.random.org to enter the number of entries. The first number that the website draws will be the winner of a particular raffle item.

Disclaimer:
All decisions are final.
www.Facebook.com is not responsible for the raffle or for awarding any of the prizes.

G lately

2011-10-02T09:00:00.000-04:00

G is tons of fun and she always has been. She's also a very strong willed, stubborn, little girl, and I hate to say, but she's exactly like me. Which could be why we already butt heads a little bit at the young age of 3. I know, I have it in for me once she's a teenager.

But, she does make you laugh.
She found her clown nose the other day, and had to wear it. She proudly exclaimed that it fit!
Her gee and grandpa came last week, and the day before they arrived, was grandpa's birthday, so we covered the front door in streamers and the entry way with balloons. G had a fabulous time playing in them before they arrived. And, she was so excited about grandpa's surprise party.
She had school pictures this week. Her very first school pictures. We gave her a good scrubbing Thursday night and I made her let me blow dry her hair. I even gave her a poof afterwards. Every southern girl needs to know how to poof their hair!
And, here she is before school on Friday morning. Her jumper came from Lolly Wolly Doodle, as one of their Facebook sales. If you aren't one of the 95,000+ fans that follow them, then you're missing out on some great clothes! I purchased her collared shirt from a local uniform store, and bought her new white shoes. My plans for this dress, were that she'd wear them the first day of school, but it didn't arrive in time, and I quickly realized how messy she'd get at school. So, we saved it for picture day.

DJ took her to school that day, and as usual she ran ahead of him. He reminded her that it was picture day and she had to look her best, so instead, she stopped running and tip toed very slowly into school.

I'm just amazed at how much she's growing up, and how smart she's becoming. Smart ass- yes, that too, but you can't help but love her just the same!

MC Rolls Over!

2011-10-01T13:47:00.003-04:00

We have been waiting for weeks for MC to roll over! She is currently 18 weeks old, and I knew that it was time and maybe even past time for it to happen. I kept telling myself that G had rolled over by now, but I also don't want to compare the girls, so I stopped myself from getting out Gs baby book and looking at her milestones.

I also told myself that MC loves being on her tummy, so there's not much motivation to roll over. She sleeps on her tummy during the day. We also don't have much time for tummy time, because she has reflux, I try to keep her in an upright position for at least 15 minutes after she eats. And, she goes back down for a nap within 30 minutes.

DJ was home early on Thursday night, so we were letting MC practice some tummy time.
She was able to get up on all fours, and DJ swore that she'd be crawling before she'd be rolling over. Thankfully, she kept getting irritated while being on her tummy and I thought that was a good sign that she's finally starting to care.
And, then she popped up as happy as can be. As if to tell me that she was not going to roll over and that she had tricked me into sitting beside her for several minutes holding the camera.
We eventually got G tucked in, because she had been watching the show too, and moved MC out from her play mat.
And, she finally did it!

The Very Hungry Caterpillar Bow

2011-09-29T10:30:00.000-04:00

I had a custom request for a Very Hungry Caterpillar Inspired hair bow for A's first birthday!

Her mom sent me a photo of the dress and requested a pinwheel bow to match.
I also made a caterpillar clippie that is interchangeable with the hair bow.
Miss A can wear these alone or separate! Her birthday is this weekend and I can't wait to see the photos of her in the bow!

Happy 1st Birthday A!!!

Oreo Treats via Pintrest

2011-09-28T10:21:00.000-04:00

Yes, another recipe found on Pintrest, that I must share with you!

These were fabulously easy and very delicious! Think rice krispie treat, but with oreos!
These are super easy to make. You'll need a package of oreos, 4 tbsp. of butter, and 5 c. of large marshmallows.

In a food processor crush your oreos. Or, if you want to get your little honey involved, dump the oreos in a large ziploc bag and let them bang, hit, and squish away! Of course, you're going to get a much smoother texture if you put them in your food processor.

Once the oreos are crushed, melt your butter and marshmallows in a large microwave safe bowl. This takes 2-3 minutes. Then, you're going to slowly add the oreos stirring everything together.

Next, you'll line a 8x8 pan with parchment paper. If you don't have parchment paper, don't worry. Just grease that dish with some butter, and dump in the oreo mixture. Then, you'll want to take a piece of wax paper, lay it over the mixture and press it into the dish. I promise, you'll want to use the wax paper, because your mixture will be hot!

Let it cool, and then cut into bars and serve!

Easy peasy, and fabulous too!

MC gets an Exersaucer!

2011-09-27T22:14:00.002-04:00

MC turned 4 months old on Saturday. When G was 4 months old, we broke out her exersaucer, so of course, we did the same for MC. I will never forget G's expression when we put her in her new toy. She definitely had a, "what the heck is this?" look on her face.

Thankfully, MC enjoyed hers much more than her big sister did 3+ years ago.
G and I put the exersaucer together because DJ was still at work. The exersaucer was a shower gift, and I was super pumped that we received it because I hated G's exersaucer! It was small and was lacking activities.

MCs exersaucer is from Bright Starts, and I'm loving their products! It was pretty easy to put together, but it was all pictures, and I would've preferred written instructions as well. I think that's probably because I'm not a pro at putting all of this stuff together. Once, I figured it out, though it went pretty fast, and all of the toys easily snapped on to the top.
I'm so glad that we decided to get this out for her! It gives us another place to put her in the mornings while we're trying to get dressed or after feedings (she has to be upright because she has reflux).
She was also able to move the beads around on the toy above!

Mommy Style: Wrap a Scarf

2011-09-21T09:00:00.000-04:00

I love scarves. They're probably my favorite accessory, because they can add a pop of color, they're cozy, and they just look fabulous dressed up or down.

If you're like me, you usually wrap the scarf in 1 maybe 2 ways. I came across a new way to tie a scarf on pintrest, and I love the look of it!
You simply fold the scarf in half and wrap around your neck, then you take one strand and put it over one of the sides and through the bottom. The other strand has been left out, you'll want to twist this strand, and then loop it under and over.
It's a fun, classic look that can go with you anywhere!

Thanks again pintrest for all of these new ideas!

G-isms: Playing in Dirt

2011-09-20T08:12:00.000-04:00

Last week I found out that G was sent to another time-out at preschool.

Her teacher had told her two times to not play in the dirt, and G did not listen, so on the third time she went to time out.

I always ask G what her favorite part of school was for the day, and she typically answers that she didn't get to do her favorite part because I picked her up too early. So, I follow my question with, "What was your favorite part while you were there?"

On this day, she replied, "playing in the dirt." (Remember, this is the exact same thing she got in trouble for.)

So, I asked her what her second favorite part of the day was. To which she replied, "Getting in trouble."

Ugh... what am I going to do with her!

Weekend Re-Cap: Game & TASM

2011-09-19T19:45:00.003-04:00

What a weekend we had! The girls and I had most of Friday night to ourselves, and G and I watched Mary Poppins. DJ came home early so we were also able to spend some time with him, which is unusual this time of year!

Saturday morning, he had to set up for team meetings at the hotel and I cleaned the house to prepare for DJ's parents to arrive. Of course when grandparents come, they typically spoil the girls with gifts, and this weekend was no exception.
G received a cheerleading dress up set, that she wore for most of the day on Saturday, and an outfit, as well as some dress up shoes.
And, MC got two new outfits for this winter! I swear, i'll never have to do laundry for her this winter, and she'll be perfectly fine!

I have to brag on myself, because I made fabulous pulled pork BBQ in the crock pot as well as garlic mashed potatoes topped with bacon and cheese. And yes, you can actually cook bacon in the oven- thank you Pintrest!

The girls had a babysitter Saturday night, while DJ's parents and I headed to the TU/OSU football game that kicked off around 9:00 pm. It was a super late kick off because we had a t.v. spot on Fox. We arrived at the game, just in time to catch a lighting show, which in turn delayed the game. Granted, the down pour of rain didn't help either. I headed to the coaches offices while his parents went to the car and DJ was in the press box. We all finally made it back together in his office despite the rain and waited. And waited. And waited some more!

Finally, around 11:30 pm they decided that the rain and lightning had subsided enough to play the game. However, we were exhausted and decided to head home to relieve the baby sitter and to catch the game on t.v.

I went ahead to bed after watching some of the 1st quarter, when our quarterback got injured in the third drive of the game and was out for the rest. Which, was a huge disappointment. I knew that the girls would both be up early so I wanted to be somewhat rested and prepared for that.

MC woke up to eat around 3, so I turned on the t.v. to catch the score, and soon after the game finally ended. We lost. And, DJ finally made it home at 6:30 in the morning!

Later Sunday afternoon, we headed off to explore the Air & Space Museum.
G had fun climbing in some of the airplanes.
But, MC was less than enthused to be there.
The museum was small, but it was interactive, which made for a good time.

It's been a while since G and I had a picture together, so I was glad we could snap this one. Although, it's very blue! Do you find that you tend to match your children? I swear, it's not on purpose, but I must have been in a blue mood on Sunday.
The volunteer let G climb in to this 'off limits' airplane, and I know the other volunteers below were not too happy about him letting her do it!

We tried to catch a show at the planetarium afterwards, but it made me motion sick, and pops just fell asleep, while MC cried because she was tired, and G kept asking questions. Needless to say after 40 minutes we left and met DJ for dinner.

We took his parents to Abolini's a fabulous pizza place in downtown T-town. You walk in and can view them making and hand tossing all of the pizza's. G and I stayed to watch and pops eventually took her back over to watch and they gave her her very own dough ball to play with while we waited for our pizza to arrive.
And, I must say, that this was way more fun than the typical crayons and coloring sheets she usually gets at restaurants!

We hope you all had a great weekend, and didn't spend to much of Monday trying to play catch up!

No-Fry Doughnuts via Pintrest

2011-09-18T22:48:00.002-04:00

If you're not yet obsessed with Pintrest, then you should be. I'm having so much fun 'pinning' new ideas and recipes on to my boards.

It's motivated me lately to do a lot of baking and to try new recipes for our family dinners.

Last weekend, G and I decided to make these no-fry doughnuts from a recipe I found on pintrest. They looked relatively easy and for some reason, I've been craving doughnuts lately.

Most of the things I've attempted from pintrest have been successful, but these, I only have two words for; Epic Fail.

Now, it may have been because I had to throw in my whole wheat flour versus the all purpose flour, because we ran out (of the all purpose). It may had also been because the icing had too much milk and I didn't want to waste my entire bag of powdered sugar.

I think whoever originally came up with this recipe had good intentions. But, I'd much rather drive myself down to Krispy Kreme and pay for a dozen of their doughnuts that simply melt in your mouth (and on to your waistline) then spend an entire afternoon baking these.

There are some things that are just suppose to be fattening and fried, and I do believe that one of those things are doughnuts.

I compared these that I made to the frozen Sister Schubert rolls (that are pretty delicious) with icing thrown on top.

So, do yourself a favor, leave some room on your own pin board, and take this one off, if you've pinned it.

Bright Starts Pretty in Pink Pull & Play Pig Winner!

2011-09-15T18:56:00.002-04:00

Congratulations Rachael in the UK! You've won the giveaway!

I've sent you an email and you'll have 24 hours to respond or a new winner will be chosen.

Thanks to everyone who entered.

Last day to win!

2011-09-14T08:47:00.002-04:00

Today is the last day to enter to win the Bright Starts Pretty in Pink Pull & Play Pig Giveaway! (say that 10 times fast!) Click here to enter!

The winner will be chosen via random.org tonight! And, there are low entries, so you have a great chance to win!

Q&A with G

2011-09-13T18:48:00.003-04:00

One of my friends had posted these questions on her Facebook page, and I thought it would be fun to do them with G.

What is your Dad's name?

DJ (and last name)

What does he do?

He cooks and he goes to work.

What is his favorite color?

Red and Blue

What is his favorite food?

Chicken and potato

What is his favorite Movie?

Blue-Ray

How many brother's and sisters does he have?

1, 2, he got two.

Where does Dad take you for fun?

At the playground

What do you want to say to him?

Thank you

1. What is something mom always says to you?

2. What makes mom happy?

When I listen

3. What makes mom sad?

When I don't.

4. How does your mom make you laugh?

When you're silly

5. What was your mom like as a child?

Like me

6. How old is your mom?

Three years old

7. How tall is your mom?

This tall (and stretched her arms wide out)

8. What is mom's favorite thing to do?

Take me to every place

9. What does your mom do when you're not around?

Go in your car and drive.

10. If your mom becomes famous,what will it be for?

For the best momma

11. What is your mom really good at?

On the computer

12. What is your mom not very good at?

Playing (I just kidding). Having a tea party

13. What does your mom do for her job?

Get money

14. What is your mom's favorite food?

Chicken Nuggets

15. What makes you proud of your mom?

When you go potty!

16. If your mom were a cartoon character, who would she be?

Strawberry Shortcake

17. What do you and your mom do together?

Play together

18. How are you and your mom the same?

We wear a beautiful dress.

19. How are you and your mom different?

When we don't wear a beautiful shirt.

20. How do you know your mom loves you?

Because you always good to me!

21. Where is your mom's favorite place to go?

To School

This would be so much fun for you to do with your child! I guarantee you'll have a little laugh or two!

Fall Banner via Pintrest

2011-09-12T22:48:00.003-04:00

Pintrest continues to inspire me with fabulous ideas! One of them was a fabric scrap banner made with a strand of Christmas lights.

I thought it would be a fun project for my fall decorations and would be a great way to use up a ton of my scraps of fabric, ribbon, and tulle. I also had the twine laying around, so this project was pretty much free! (I did run out of fabric, so I purchased two 1/4 yards of fall fabric from JoAnn's and thankfully it was on sale, so I maybe spent $3.00 total!)
You simply cut your twine to length, and then cut your fabric, ribbon, and tulle into strips and tie on. I hammered two nails into my mantle. DJ may kill me for this, but it's a rent house, so I did it anyway.
Here's an up-close version!

How has Pintrest inspired your fall decorating?

G-isms. She's getting smarter.

2011-09-10T10:42:00.002-04:00

G had a package of stickers out the other day. I decided that it would be cute to allow her to put a sticker on each ear as pretend earrings, when we went out for dinner. The next day, she woke up and told me that she had put on her own 'earrings'. I reminded her, as I straightened them on each ear, that she could not get her ears pierced for real until she was 12. She disagreed, and said, 'seven'. To which, I replied, 'no, 12.' Her response..... '7, 12, What's the difference?' in one of the most sarcastic tones I've ever heard come out of her mouth!

On the way home from school, I was trying to explain which of our family members lived together. After a while of going through cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. She asked who her nana was married to. I had to explain to her that nana and pops use to be married, but that they got a divorce. Of course, she asked what a divorce was, so I tried to break it down to where a 3 year old would understand. I told her that when a husband and wife don't really like each other anymore they get a divorce and they don't live together. To which, she simply answered, 'That don't make sense!'

This morning I was in the laundry room. She came in and said, 'Mom, you're waisting electricity in the kitchen!' To which I said that I was sorry, and she said, 'You know better than that!'

You've got to love the honesty of 3 year olds!

The Weekend is Here!

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

Raise your hand if you're super excited that today is Friday! Woohoo! I'm jumping up and down for joy because this has been a long week. Having Monday as an extra weekend day really through me off, and I feel like I've tried to cram 5 days of activity into 4. So, I'm looking forward to chillaxin' this weekend with my favorite girls!On Monday I let G get out her "How To Be A Princess" book, which has a crown that she can decorate with gems (as she calls them). Her grandma Dee and Pops gave her this book forever ago, and while we read it, I had not allowed her to actually get the activities out of it. Mostly, because I didn't think she'd value the aspect of having them, and that the pieces would end up torn and in the trash. But, she's had a blast all week playing with the gems, wearing the crowns, and taking off and re-placing the gems.
I tried to get a picture of her and she quickly hid her face behind the page of stickers. Do you see that placemat in the picture? My cousin purchased it for G and we love it! It came with dry-erase type markers, so G can sit and color her placemat while i'm cooking dinner or cleaning up the kitchen, and I can later wipe it off so she can color all over again!
MC and G took a bath together for the very first time. I cleaned out the garage on Sunday and drug out the Bumbo chair. So, we threw it in the tub for MC to sit in. I've seen other people use the Bumbo in the tub, but to be honest. We won't be doing it that often. It floats just a little bit, plus, I have to get her chunky thighs out of it to bathe her. But, I was in a hurry to get them both bathed so this is what worked.
Here's MC sitting in the bumbo earlier that day. Can you believe how big she looks! And, that's a 6 month onesie! Thank goodness, I can say that she's in larger clothes because of the cloth diapers, rather than facing the fact that she is just a chunk!

I hope y'all have a fabulous Friday. Lawd knows I just want to have a lazy weekend with the girls while DJ's away playing at Tulane, and hopefully kicking some booty! How do y'all plan on spending the weekend?

Twine Wrapped Letter

2011-09-08T18:33:00.003-04:00

Have you checked out Pintrest? Let's just say I've found a new website obsession, and I have so many ideas 'pinned' that I'll be busy if I try to re-create all of them!

I found this idea on Pintrest, but I also found it through a friend, who found it on Pintrest as well. I've actually done something similar to this before making a Valentine's wreath, but this is the first time I've used it for a letter.

I wasn't able to purchase a lot of accessories for MCs room, because we weren't actually in the house while I was pregnant and I wanted to see her entire room wasn't put together until we were moved and settled. But, still, I wasn't crazy about some of the accessories we had in there, so I knew that this would be perfect for the shabby chic look I want to achieve in her room.
I purchased Natural sisal (jute works also) and a paper mache' letter from Hobby Lobby. The sisal was about 2.00 and the letter was on sale, so I think I paid around 2.00 for it as well. You'll also need a hot glue gun.
Start at the back side of your letter and place a strip of hot glue along the bottom. Press the sisal into the glue for a few seconds, and continue to place glue and the sisal all away the letter working your way up. When I was close to the bottom I used a lot of glue to hold the sisal in place, but I found that you didn't have to glue all the time as you worked your way up.
I did both of the 'legs' first, and then I started on the top, following the same as above- glueing close to the start, and then not glueing as often as I wrapped more and more.
The letter M was difficult because I had to do the bottoms and then the top, and finally the middle.
When I started on the middle, you can see that there was a gap.
So, I placed a bit of glue closest to the top and pulled the sisal all the way to the top and held it in place until the glue dried a bit. And, then I continued to work my way down until I had reached the tops of the sisal that I had wrapped on the bottom.

I did have a few cracks between the sisal, so I just cut a few small strips of the sisal, placed some hot glue on the letter, and glued the strips on.
Because her room is a bird theme, I also purchased these two birds from Hobby Lobby for 2.00. I glued one at the top and one at the bottom.
And, here is the final product in her room!

I hope you'll try this product yourself! You can use it on a bookshelf, or even hot glue some ribbon on the back and use it like a wreath!