The Life & Times of Mrs. C

Sirlion & Peppery Tomato Reduction w/ Squash Onion Stir Fry

2011-03-04T11:23:00.000-06:00

I made this for dinner the other night and all I can say is wow it was delish! My anti vegetable husband ate 2 servings of vege and even my picky daughter gobbled them up. Alas it was a crazy night when I made this and didn't think to snap a pic but since it was unanimous we loved the flavors it will be on the menu again soon and I will take be sure to snap one then and add it. So without further ado

Ingredients:

1 tsp chile powder
1/2 tsp garlic powder
1/2 tsp onion powder
1/2 ground black pepper
1/2 tsp sea salt,divided
1 lb boneless sirloin steak, about 3/4" thick and trimmed of visible fat.
2 tsp evoo,divided
1 medium zucchini, cut into eights length wise, then cut into 2" pieces
1 medium yellow squash, cut into eights length wise, then cut into 2" pieces
1/2 medium yellow onion, quartered and then layers seperated

Sauce

1/2C diced tomato (I used canned no salt added)
1/2C water
2 tsp Worcestershire sauce
1 tsp balsamic vinegar
1/8 tsp red pepper flakes
2 tsp evoo

Instructions

In a small bowl, combine chile, garlic, onion powders, black pepper, and 1/4 tsp salt. Sprinkle evenly over both sides of steak and press lightly to adhere (I rubbed it and next time I will probably do this the night before fore even more flavor). Let stand 10 minutes.
Heat 1 tsp evoo in large nonstick skillet on medium high heat, tilting to coat bottom lightly. Add zucchini, squash, and onion and cook 3 to 4 minutes or until just tender crisp, stirring frequently. Sprinkle 1/4 tsp salt and place in a medium bowl; cover to keep warm.
Heat 1 tsp oil in same skillet on medium high, tilting to coat bottom lightly. Cook steak for 4 minutes per side or to desired doneness. (Next time I will just grill them because I like the taste of grilled steaks over pan cooked)
Meanwhile, prepare sauce; In a small bowl, combine all sauce ingredients, except 2 tsp evoo.
Remove skillet from heat and place steak on a cutting board. Return skillet to medium high heat. Add sauce mixture to pan residue. Bring to a boil and cook for 3 to 4 minutes or until reduced to 1/4C liquid, stirring frequently. Remove from heat, stir in 2 tsp of evoo and serve over steak with squash and onion stir fry alongside.

**This recipe came from Febuary 2011 issue of Clean Eating Magazine.

Even if you aren't into clean eating this is a recipe packed with flavor and worth a try!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Celebrate.....

2011-02-23T16:22:00.000-06:00

For those of you have been reading my blog since last year will know that we were patiently...err impatiently waiting to see if my lovie had been picked up for promotion. Thankfully he had and just when I thought the anxiety would disappear I was WRONG! Now that he was on the list we would have to wait for them to call the sequence number he was assigned. Well folks today is that day!!!! We have been anxiously awaiting the list to come out since last week and since it wasn't posted this morning we assumed it wouldn't come out today, but when I was at the bus stop my friend Chris sent me a text saying the list was out and they called his sequence #! So as of March 1st my lovie will be promoted to another rank! I am so proud of him and all the hard work he has done to achieve this promotion. Just thought I'd share some of my excitement with you!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

18 days til Spring Break

2011-02-22T16:24:00.000-06:00

I swear it feels like just yesterday was Christmas and now there are only 18 days until Spring break. This year is just flying by. We found out a few weeks ago that my lovie will be whisked away on yet another trip shortly after returning from the current one. Thankfully the beginning of his trip happens to fall during the kids Spring break so we decided that we would tag along with him and spend a week in one of our favorite places. Here is a little clue (this was taken on our last trip to this city)

If you guessed that we are headed to Colorado Springs again you guessed correctly! COS holds such a special place in our hearts. Not only did my lovie and I both live there previous to meeting but it is where we took our first trip together as a couple and it is where we realized we were in love. It is nice that I have family and friends there so we get to kill two birds with one stone. Being there in March the weather is never predictable, but we are hoping for some nice enough weather to enjoy the scenery and fresh air. Oh and secretly we are hoping it snows even if it is just a little.

St.Pattys and my lovies birthday just so happen to fall during our trip and my great friend Joy has volunteered to watch the kids on St.Pattys so I can take my lovie to his favorite local Irish Pub. We had plans to go a few years back on St.Pattys but our plans fell threw so I am excited to be going for the first time.

Anyways I booked our tickets today so I thought I would share my excitement with you. Do you have any special plans for Spring break?

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Baked Ziti

2011-02-20T18:38:00.000-06:00

Well it's Sunday evening which means I have made it through another week of not eating out!! Earlier this week I received the two Clean Eating cook books I had ordered and tonight we tried a new recipe. This recipe came from The Eat Clean Diet for Family&Kids and was a huge hit.

Baked Ziti

Ingredients

1 lb lean ground turkey (make sure skin has not been ground into meat)
2C shredded sweet carrots
1 small onion,peeled and finely diced
2 cloves of garlic, passed through a garlic press
1-2T best quality olive oil
26 oz of crushed tomatoes
1C low sodium chicken broth or vegetable stock
8 oz brown rice penne (or other whole grain pasta)
2T of fresh basil, finely chopped
1/2C shredded low fat mozzarella cheese
Eat Clean Cooking spray ( good quality Olive Oil in a spray bottle)

Insturctions

In large skillet, heat olive oil over medium heat and cook ground turkey, carrots, onion and garlic until brown. Add chicken or vegetable stock, tomatoes, pasta, and basil.
Reduce heat and simmer for 30 minutes or until pasta is al dente.
Preheat oven to 350. Prepare baking dish with light coating of cooking spray. Turn pasta mixture into baking dish. Press down lightly with the back of spoon.
Sprinkle with cheese if using. Place in the oven and bake for 20 minutes or until cheese is melted and golden.

I like this because I thought it was a good way to incorporate a vege (the carrots) without the kids knowing. Lets just say it worked until Kiley asked about them and then Sam was none to happy I tricked him lol.Though I quickly reminded him he was gobbling it up until she said something so to keep eating. Here are the few changes I made and that was only because I based it on what I already had in the house

I used a sprinkle of dried onion flakes instead of a whole onion
A sprinkle of garlic powder since I used the last of the garlic the other day
2 cans of no salt added petite diced tomatoes. Due to Sam's texture issues I also pureed them in the blender so he couldn't tell they were tomatoes. Worked like a charm I might add!
I also used a couple cubes of chopped frozen basil a friend gave me when she moved. I am pretty sure she bought them at Trader Joe's however since I am not 100% here is the link to Dorot which is the brand name.

Since it is still just me and the wee one's there were plenty of left overs and I plan to eat them again tomorrow! Even if you aren't into clean eating this was very flavorful dish and worth giving a try!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Seeing results

2011-02-18T15:54:00.000-06:00

Though I have yet to commit 100% to clean eating I just weighed myself and am already seeing results. If you remember my goal for the month of February is not to eat out at all. So far I have stayed true to my goal and have even snuck in some clean eating meals here and there. Other than that I have been trying to use up as many things as possible that aren't clean. Anyways I can't remember exactly when I bought my scale but it was either the 9th or 11th and that is the day I weighed myself for the first time in a long time. I decided to weigh myself again today just for the heck of it and I am DOWN 5.6 lbs!!!! This was exactly what I needed to see. I am currently skypeing with my lovie and I told him I really felt like eating out today but now that I saw the scale no way am I going to break my goal! He will be returning a week early from his trip and I am excited to go to the big city of Tucson and shop for some healthy things I have on my list that I haven't been able to find here. Anyways I just wanted to share my little triumph with you guys and I am off to the grocery store to buy some more fruits and veges!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Halfway there

2011-02-14T11:02:00.000-06:00

First of Happy Day of Love to everyone! I was lucky enough to get to skype with my lovie late last night and ask him if he would be my Valentine as soon as he woke up. Got to love the time difference. This morning I was wakened by my lovely princess jumping on my bed and saying,"Happy Valentines Mommy!!" I found it funny that I left a little box of chocolates for her and my boy on the kitchen table and they didn't even realize it until they sat down to eat their cereal. I mentioned a few blogs ago that I had a HUGE surprise for them today and I can't wait to see their faces this afternoon when I take them to...wait for it.........Justin Beiber's movie! Of course I could care less about it but they are in love with him (yes even Sam) so they are going to be two happy little campers.

It's Monday which means I made it another week without eating out! I am now halfway through my goal for the month of February. I am even on the down hill slide until my lovie returns from his adventure in Germany. Well I am off to watch some Disney channel and cuddle on the couch with my littlest Valentine before he is off to school. Have a great day.

Peace& Extra Love,
Mrs.C

Cottage Cheese Meatloaf

2011-02-13T19:28:00.000-06:00

We tried another new clean eating recipe tonight and it seemed to go over well. My only complaint is it didn't hold together well when I was trying to get the pieces out of the pan. Other then that the kids gave it two thumbs up.

Ingredients

1 cup cottage cheese (used low fat)
1 egg lightly beaten
1/4 cup tomatoe paste(used no salt added)
2 tbsp chopped onion
1 tbsp dijon mustard
1/2 cup of oats
1 tsp salt
1/8 tsp pepper
1 lb lean ground turkey or beef(used turkey)
1/3 cup grated parmesan cheese
Spices of your choice

Directions

Heat oven at 350
Mix first 8 ingredients
Add in your choice of meat
Press into an ungreased 8 inch square baking pan
Bake for 30 minutes
Sprinkle on Parmesan cheese and bake an additional 10-15 minutes.

Enjoy!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Spinach and Artichoke Dip

2011-02-12T20:15:00.001-06:00

Awhile ago on a board I belong to someone asked what could she do with frozen chopped spinach? She got a lot of answers but the one that interested me the most was a recipe for Spinach and Artichoke dip. So tonight while out grocery shopping I picked up the listed items and when I got home I whipped up a quick batch. When I say quick I really do mean it.

Ingredients

1 cup mayo
1 cup shredded Parmesan
1 can artichoke hearts, chopped
1/2 box frozen chopped spinach, drained

Directions

Heat oven at 350
Mix all the ingredients together in a bowl and spread into a baking dish
Bake for 30 minutes
Enjoy

I added about 3/4 of the box of spinach and sprinkled some grated parmesan on top for the last 10 minutes. Let me just say when I bought the spinach my kids were all,"EWWWWWWW" but as soon as they tasted the tip they gobbled it up!

So thank you Chessa for sharing this recipe with me!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Fiesta Chicken?

2011-02-10T19:55:00.000-06:00

Earlier this afternoon we were at a friends house for a playdate and time slipped away and before I knew it it was 5:30. So we headed home and I knew I had planned to use chicken for dinner but wasnt sure just what. I knew I needed something quick since the kids usually go down for bed no later then 7. On the way home the kids informed how they really didn't want chicken and the old me would have stopped by a drive thru but I just kept on heading home (go me!). Once I was at home I still wasnt sure what I would do with the chicken and then I remembered something I used to like to eat when I was younger that I am calling Fiesta Chicken.

Ingredients

Chicken breast (since it was just me I grilled the whole pack, ate 1, and will eat the rest over the weekend)
1/2 brown rice
1 tbs Greek yogurt
1/2 tbs salsa

Directions

Season Chicken (I just used freshly ground pepper) and grill until cooked thoroughly
Cook rice according to package
Once the rice is done cooking put into a bowl with yogurt and salsa and top with cut up chicken.

Though this version is healthier then what I used to eat when I was a kid (just white rice, sour cream, salsa, and cheese) it still cured the craving. Oh and in case you are wondering what the kids ate they had reheated Whole Wheat Oat Pancakes I had in the freezer.

Tomorrow I am planning on picking up a scale and maybe a few more cookbooks.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Excitement

2011-02-09T18:55:00.000-06:00

After talking to my lovie today he mentioned he had seen some Clean Eating Cook books at the Px where he is currently on "vacation". So I thought what the heck lets go to our Px and see what they have. Now keep in mind we currently live on a teeny tiny post so often the things you could find in a Px elsewhere you wont find here. Much to my surprise they had 1 cook book. Though it wasn't the one I was looking for it was 2nd on my list. I ended up getting The Eat Clean Diet Recharged and the most recent copy of Clean Eating Magazine. Let me tell you I have only had time to flip through the magazine so far between homework and riding bikes but I want to try nearly every recipe in there! So I am sure once I try a new one I will share it with you guys. I am so glad to see a few of my local friends interested in this diet and even planning on trying it out. I hope it is something that can work for them and we can all support each other through our journey to get healthier.

On a side note I took my measurements last night and it made me sick to my stomach. This is the biggest I have been in my whole entire life and I havent been pleased with the way I have looked for at least a year but seeing those inches sure was a punch to the stomach. I can only hope that seeing those numbers are enough motivation to keep me on track.

Quick pat on my back-Today I was headed to my MOMS Club meeting and it is time for me to renew my membership so Sam and I had to stop by the gas station to get some cash. Sam stated he was thirsty so we picked out a Naked Juice to share. I was so proud of myself for not even glancing over at the Mt.Dew's! Only a couple more days and I have made it through two weeks of not eating out. YAY!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Good Deal Alert

2011-02-08T22:29:00.000-06:00

As you all know I love me a good deal! I really am more of a see a magazine at the check out and buy kinda girl vs buy a subscription. Well that isnt really a good deal. I have been wavering back and forth whether to get a subscription to the Clean Eating Magazine but didn't want to shell out the $$$. Then tonight I log on to facebook only to see a friend of mine (who also happens to be a clean eater) posted a good deal for a subscription! If you go to Tanga click on the Clean Eating Magazine and enter the code EATING you can get 1 year subscription for $5.99+tax vs the already shown sale price of $24.99+tax. It states that you can order up to a 2 year subscription. Hurry though because the deal is only for the next 22 hours. So here is to a good deal on something that can help you eat healthier!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Weekend Recap

2011-02-06T22:05:00.000-06:00

Ahhh the weekend is finally OVER! My rents left this morning to head back home but we had a nice visit. Saturday the kids spent most of the day outside with my rents riding their bikes and scooters while I stayed inside and did nothing. It was so nice! Us girls broke away for a little bit to do some shopping. My mom bought Sam a soccer goal and soccer ball because it is all he has been talking about for the past couple weeks. She took Kiley to get 4 inches cut off of her hair and then bought each of them a new outfit for picture day this week. When we headed home my mom picked up a pizza and hot wings and though I so badly wanted to eat it I found enough will power to resist and instead I had some baby carrots and smoothie. For dinner I made some stuff shells which my kiddos love. After that we just hung around talking about Alaska. Now that my dad is retired he would like to become a professional fisherman and mentioned he wants to go to Alaska to do some fishing with my mom. Since I just happened to have gone to Alaska this summer we talked about places and things we did. Also Saturday afternoon I got a sweet message from my lovie! He mentioned he had tried to call but the call wouldn't go through but he was having a good time with Maik. Then this morning right before my parents were leaving he was able to get on skype and talk to them and of course us for a little bit. I know he is just on a trip and not in Astan or Iraq (We've been through both) but still him being gone stinks! It was so nice to see his face again and get to hear his voice! That man and I haven't had it easy over the past couple of years but somehow we always find a way to come out on top together and that is all that matters.

So tonight we had leftovers for dinner and they were still delish! I am so happy to say that despite my parents encouraging me to have a piece of pizza I managed to make it through the first week of not eating out at all. After dinner the kids filled out their Valentines cards and it hard to believe it is already time for that. I swear just yesterday was Christmas! Stay tuned for my top secret surprise gift I plan to give to the kids on Valentines day. Lets just say in their eyes I will be the best mommy ever!

Tomorrow is a new week and lets hope it is a good one! Oh yeah and did anyone notice my kids picked the winning team of the Super Bowl?

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

The Rents have arrived

2011-02-05T10:03:00.000-06:00

After many traffic delays my rents finally got in about 1030 last night. Of course the kids were already in bed so they had to wait until morning to see them. At about 630 this morning (4 hours after Sam woke up) I took him into the living room where they were sleeping in the complete dark. He heard someone snoring and I asked who he thought it was and he screamed,"DADDY!!!!" I felt bad knowing it wasn't. I took him over the window and opened the blinds and asked him whose car is that? "POP POP" and sure enough my dad woke up and Sam ran to him. So all in all I don't think he is that disappointed it wasn't daddy lol. Shortly after I had to run my mom to the gas station to get coffee since we dont drink coffee at home. My mom offered to get me a cappuccino and I was so proud of myself for saying no. I won't lie my mouth was watering just smelling it but I stuck to my guns and drank water when I got home. I made Whole Wheat Oat Pancakes for breakfast and everyone but my dad liked them. The kids have been outside all morning with my parents riding bikes and scooters and I think in a few we are headed out to do some shopping. As great as it is having my parents here I still miss my lovie. He is off to another town in Germany this weekend visiting an old friend and I haven't heard one word from him. I knew they had a lot planned so I didn't expect to hear from him much but I was hoping maybe an email. Oh well he deserves to have a good time and I am still holding out hope he will find a second to drop a line. I hope everyone has a good weekend. Oh and I am not a pro football fan to say the least but my kids said I should tell everyone GREEN BAY PACKERS!!!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Read the labels

2011-02-04T22:41:00.001-06:00

Today I went grocery shopping and although I am not planning to commit 100% to clean eating until my lovie comes home I thought I could slowly add to my clean pantry collection now. So I read every label of the things I put into my cart today and boy was I surprised at what I thought was healthy that isn't! These beans are a great example.

Left Label:
Serving Size 1/2 Cup
Cal:105
Sodium:260mg
Potassium:400mg
Total Carb:22g
Dietary Fiber:8g
Sugars:3g

Right Label:
Serving Size 1/2 Cup
Cal:100
Sodium:15mg
Potassium"440mg
Total Carb:18g
Dietary Fiber:10g
Sugars:<1g

I never would have guessed there was so much salt in one can of Kidney beans! I was even shocked at the amount in the reduced sodium ones I bought the other day when I was in a hurry. Really the label speaks for itself people!

School for the kids was canceled today because they are trying to conserve gas (apparently S. Arizona wasn't prepared for the cold weather we had a few days ago) so the kids had to tag along with me during shopping. I used to be a cashier so I know how some kids can be when seeing candy,fruit snacks etc and I will admit my kids try it every now and then but always get shot down. I was very happy today when they asked for a treat it wasn't candy it was Odwalla Strawberry and Banana Fruit Smoothie for Kiley and Sam picked Odwalla Super food. And because they were so good they even got to pick an Odwalla bar each. I was so pleased that they made good choices!

Well my rents should be here any minute for the weekend so I guess I better finish this up. I can't wait to see the looks on the kids faces when they wake up in the morning and see them here.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

A change

2011-02-01T19:54:00.000-06:00

It had been a few months since my last visit to the salon and when we got a short notice my lovie was headed to Germany my first thought was I need to get my hair did!! I am not one who is afraid to change my hair color or length (though I prefer a bob cut) so I made an appointment with my lovely hair gal and she hooked me up. It turned out better then I expected and I think this color may be sticking around for awhile.
Before:

After:

Goal:February

2011-02-01T19:14:00.000-06:00

Of course when everyone starts a ~~diet~~ err changing their eating habits they have goals. Since I am waiting to convert to full blown clean eating until my lovie returns from Germany I decided that my goal for February is no going out to eat. I have heard from multiple people who eat clean that not eating out the first month to six weeks is a huge deal and so this is where I have decided to start my journey. I will admit I am usually the ones who says hey lets go out and grab some food as where my lovie is more like lets just make a sandwich lol. I figured if I can tackle this ugly beast while my lovie is gone I will be able to keep it going once he is home. Not going to lie I am pretty scared I am going to fail but I am just going to take it one day at a time. I have heard that a great motivation is to put something (like a swimsuit) on that you used to fit in and take pictures so you have something to compare your progress to and work harder. I am still trying to decide if I can do this. My whole life I have never been so heavy and I am very ashamed of it. I have yet to buy a scale but I guess I should before any weight loss takes affect so I can accurately track my progress.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Turkey-Black Bean Soft Tacos

2011-02-01T19:04:00.001-06:00

I am not officially starting clean eating until my lovie returns from deutschland, but tonight I decided to give a recipe a try and I found it to be delish and very filling. Heck Sam even asked for seconds! I didn't take any pictures because I was so anxious to try them but thankfully it made a ton of leftovers and I plan to have them again for lunch tomorrow so I try to remember to snap a pic then.

(don't mind the overload of salsa...Sam helped!)

Turkey-Black Bean Soft Tacos

Ingreds

12 corn tortillas
1 1/4 lbs extra-lean ground turkey
1 15-oz can low-sodium black beans, rinsed and drained
1 cup, plus 2 tbsp chunky low-sodium salsa
2 cups (packed) romaine lettuce, chopped

PANTRY STAPLES

Olive oil cooking spray
Ground black pepper and sea salt, to taste

Directions

Preheat oven to 350°F. Loosely wrap tortillas in foil, making 2 packets of 6 tortillas each. Place packets on a baking sheet and bake for 10 to 15 minutes, or until hot.
Coat a skillet with cooking spray and heat on medium high. Add turkey and cook until lightly browned and cooked through, about 6 to 8 minutes, breaking up meat as you go. Season with salt and pepper, to taste. Remove from heat and set aside.
Unwrap foil packets and place 2 tortillas on each of 6 plates. For each plate, distribute 1/2 cup turkey, 1/4 cup beans, 3 tbsp salsa and 1/3 cup lettuce evenly between both tortillas. Serve immediately.

I found this recipe on clean eating mag and you can also find the nutritional facts there as well.

I seasoned the turkey with a sprinkle of cumin and some onion and I also used plain greek yogurt for a fake out sour cream. Honestly this was so good I am excited to have lunch tomorrow.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Im Baaaaackkkk!

2011-02-01T18:49:00.000-06:00

It's been awhile since I have blogged and with so much going on lately it was a nice break. However with the holidays over things are back to "normal" and I am going to get back into this full swing. Since my last post we have had some great things happen. My daughter recently turned 7 going on 17 and had a great birthday party. I think the final head count at her party was 22!!! My lovie is currently in Germany and we are missing him like crazy. Thankfully we discovered Sykpe and we have been able to talk to him everyday. Also last week we FINALLY got a diagnosis for my son!!!!! It has been a long 2 years of me fighting with a number of Dr's but my instincts were right and he is Autistic. The psychologist labeled him as high functioning and said he is a very bright little boy. They said there is no reason why he shouldn't be able to progress along with the rest of his peers and hopefully soon we will be able to get enrolled into EFMP (which stands for Exceptional Family Members Program) and get to move away from so he can start receiving the therapy he needs. My battle for him is far from over but at least now I have ground to stand on. Sam also started school when winter break was over. He goes for 2 hours a day;4 days a week and loves it so far. While at school he also gets speech therapy and occupational therapy.

So now that you guys are caught up on all that I wanted to share you might notice a difference in the recipes I will be sharing soon. My lovie and I have decided it is time to go on a ~~diet~~ errr change the way we eat. After seeing great success from multiple friends we have decided to give Clean Eating a try. I am sure we will have our week moments but our hope is if we both get in better shape (even just a little) and now that some of stress is gone we will finally be able to conceive our first child together.

Just as the title of my blog suggest this entries are all about my life and some of the very random things that go on day to day.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Washing Machine

2010-12-06T14:35:00.000-06:00

Finally yesterday after waiting 8 long days Lowe's delivered our new washer. Now before any of you get to excited it isn't one of those ultra cool front loader ones. Nope it is just a regular run of the mill washing machine. When I got divorced a few years ago my ex kept the washer and I got the dryer (not sure why) so as a single mom of 2 paying for a divorce and no monetary income from ex all I could afford was a used washer off Craigslist. There was nothing wrong with it other then the couple selling it upgraded to a front loader so at $50 I took it. That thing lasted 3 years and right before Thanksgiving she gave out. Now some of you are probably wondering why we didn't just take this as an opportunity to upgrade? Well because over the summer we just replaced the dryer! So since 7:30 this morning I have down load after load of laundry trying to catch up on the past 8 days. For those of you who think I can't have that much well you are wrong. My husband changes clothes 3 times a day (twice for work), my kids change at least 2 times (pj's, school clothes, and then play clothes after school), and then there is my clothes and towels. I am sure if my washer could talks he would be calling me the B word every time she see's me walk in with another load of clothes lol. Hope you guys are having a good Monday.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Pictures!

2010-12-02T15:22:00.001-06:00

So my sister informed me yesterday that Sarah had posted the slide show of our pictures and I thought I would share. Just click Viewing and our album is titled Christy Family. Let me know what you guys think.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Sneak Peek

2010-12-01T09:54:00.000-06:00

Right before Thanksgiving we had family pictures taken by a wonderful photographer named Sarah and last night we finally got to see the end result. Needless to say we were more then thrilled with the end result. She even helped us come up with an awesome arrangement to hang our pictures in our own home. I am waiting for her to upload our gallery to her website but as soon as she does I promise to share, but for now here is a sneak peek.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 30

2010-11-30T12:02:00.000-06:00

Day 30: A letter to yourself, tell yourself EVERYTHING you love about yourself

Finally the last day! Man this challenge turned out to be harder then I expected it to be, but I am so glad I completed it. So without further ado here is my last entry

Dear Me,

When it comes to something you believe in you will not give up until you feel you get what is deserved. You are a fighter and just know that someday you will get the thanks that makes it all worth it. You are a great and loving mother. You have sacrificed so much to be the mother you are and your kids love you beyond words. You are also a very loving wife. When times get tough instead of walking away you stay, have patience, and lovingly find your way back to where it all began. You are a great friend. Though there are few you would consider a true friend those that you do you would do anything and everything possible to help them in time of need. Just keep doing what you are doing and living life.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 29

2010-11-29T09:06:00.000-06:00

Day 29: Something you hope to change about yourself. And why.

My self esteem issues hands down and the reason is because I don't want to pass it on to my kids. I don't ever want my kids to feel this way.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 28

2010-11-28T12:10:00.000-06:00

Day 28: What if you were pregnant or got someone pregnant, what would you do?

I do not believe in abortion under any circumstances so if I was pregnant I would have the baby. I got pregnant at 18 and though my parents offered to pay for an abortion I refused. I knew my life would change and the road ahead would be a tough one but it was not the baby's (now my beautiful Kiley) fault I got myself in that situation. Almost 7 years and two kids later I still stand by my decision. A child is a blessing from God whether you decide to keep it and raise it yourself or give it up for adoption so another loving couple can experience that joy.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 24

2010-11-27T14:37:00.000-06:00

Day 24: Make a playlist to someone, and explain why you chose all the songs.

I know this one is out of order but it took me a few days to think of who I wanted this to be about and which songs would be perfect.

The reason for the songs is because they describe this person in one way or another or events that has made this person feel this way.

The Long Way Around-Dixie Chicks
Not Ready to Make Nice-Dixie Chicks
Find Your Love- Drake
Your Love- Nicki Minaj
My Two Babies-Corey Smith
Love Story-Taylor Swift
Unbroken-Tim McGraw
The Good Life-Corey Smith
The Way I Am-Eminem
Fifteen-Taylor Swift
Suspicions-Tim McGraw
Blah Blah Blah-Ke$ha feat 3oh!3
That's Not My Name-Ting Tings
Wake Up-Coheed and Cambria
By Your Side-Sade
Never Let You Down- The Verve Pipe
Here Without You- 3 Doors Down
Its Been Awhile-Staind
Who Knew-Pink
Outside-Staind
Happy?-Mudvayne
Cold-Crossfade
So Far Away-Crossfade
The Red-Chevelle
I'm So Sick-Flyleaf
Fully Alive-Flyleaf
Love Song-Tesla
The Only Exception- Paramore
Teenagers- My Chemical Romance
Dirty Little Secret-All American Rejects
Gives You Hell-All American Rejects
Better Off- T.O.A.D
Say Goodbye-T.O.A.D
Since You've Been Gone- T.O.A.D
No Surprise- T.O.A.D
Make Up Your Mind-T.O.A.D
Wait For Me-T.O.A.D
All Or Nothing-T.O.A.D
Not Meant To Be-T.O.A.D
By The Way-Hinder
Without You-Hinder
The Joker-The Steve Miller Band
Mary Jane's Last Dance- Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers
Hit Em Up Style-Blu Cantrell
No Panties-Trina
Wish I Never Met You-Trina
Umbrella-Rihanna
Take a Bow-Rihanna
So Far Away-Staind
Right Here-Staind
Believe-Staind
All I Want-Staind
All The Same- Sick Puppies
18 Days-Saving Abel
Almost Lover- A fine Frenzy

I am sure there are many more I could think of for this person but this will have to do.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 27

2010-11-27T12:52:00.000-06:00

Day 27: What's the best thing going for you right now?

Easy peasy...my kids!! They have always been and will always be my everything! Though Sam is a very tough boy to handle the moments where I see the gentle, kind soul he is deep down makes loving him all worth it. Things always have to be on his schedule or to his liking so when he comes up to me out of the blue and says," I love you mommy", it truly melts my heart. He rarely shows real emotion so when he gets truly happy and excited over something it is those times I make mental note of to remember forever. What can I say when it is ok with Sam he is totally a momma's boy and I love every minute of it. As for Kiley she is just as great. I wasn't sure what I was getting into having her so young but I wouldn't change a thing. She amazes me every day with how intelligent she is. Her heart is so big and she is such a caring little young lady. She just really is the best daughter I could ever ask for.

I think back on all the memories I have made over the past almost 7 years with them and imagine how empty my life would be if I didn't have them. I am not saying having kids so young is for everyone but then I see people I went to school with who are just wandering through life aimlessly and thank the lord everyday I had my rugrats.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 26

2010-11-27T12:39:00.000-06:00

Day 26 :Have you ever thought about giving up on life? If so, when and why?

Sadly my answer is yes. When I was going through my divorce it was my lowest of lows and I often thought about giving up on everything. However the only thing that pulled me through that dark period in my life were my kids. If I didn't have them I couldn't say I would have had the strength to get up and live each day. They will never know how grateful and lucky I am to have them.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 25

2010-11-27T12:35:00.000-06:00

Day 25:The reason you believe you're still alive today.

As much as it kills me inside it is because the last time I saw my dad alive he asked me to spend the night at his house and I said no 1- because I was upset with him and 2- because my grandma had promised to take me shopping that night. There is a part of me that feels like if I had been there maybe whomever murdered him would have had a change of heart or that I would have been able to call 911 and get him some medical care, but then there is the part of me that knows if I had been there they would have shot me as well.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 23

2010-11-23T09:41:00.000-06:00

Day 23:Something you wish you had done in your life.

Tried to have baby #3 sooner. Some don't know that before my Lovie and I were married I accidentally got pregnant, but it ended in a miscarriage a few weeks later. It was all around a tough time for us as short of being abstinent we did everything to prevent getting pregnant. I found out the day after he left for a month long trip and a few days later I started to miscarry. When I went to the ER they weren't sure what was going on because my levels weren't measuring as far a long as I had thought I was. So every other day for nearly 2 weeks I had to go back and have my blood drawn to see if I was miscarrying or not. The first times my levels went up and so we thought everything was fine. My Lovie and I agreed that God had a bigger plan for us and we would be happy as having a child is a blessing. I remember the last time they asked me to come in and have my levels checked they did an ultrasound and saw nothing. Sure enough a few minutes later my blood work came back and my levels had went back down to zero. I had completely miscarried. I think the worst part was that my lovie was out of town the whole time and unable (thanks to his job) to come back. Shortly after all this we got married and he left for Afghanistan for a year. We started trying to conceive as soon as he came home and 1.5 years later we still have not been able to get pregnant. I wish that we would have tried before he went to play in the sand even if that meant having to have a child while he was away. The other day we were talking about this and realized that if the pregnancy hadn't ended in a miscarriage our child would be 2 next month. Like I said in my previous blog everything happens for a reason. Maybe some day we will have a child together and may be we won't. It's all left in God's hands.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 22

2010-11-23T09:31:00.000-06:00

Day 22:Something you wish you hadn't done in your life.

Something I wish I hadn't done was live in an unlvoing and unhealthy marriage as long as I did. Honestly before we got married I knew we weren't right for each other but I was young and wanted my daughter to have her family together. Over the next few years I endured a lot of pain be it physically or emotionally and it was all for the sake of my kids having their family. Finally one day I had enough and decided to leave. In a way I know that by staying I learned a lot about who I was and what I wanted in a partner, but in the same sense I feel like it was time wasted. In the end though I know everything happened the way it did for a reason and it was all part of a bigger picture.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 21

2010-11-23T09:23:00.000-06:00

Day 21:Your best friend is in a car accident and you two got into a fight an hour before. What do you do?

This is an easy answer. I would immediately rush to the hospital and wait by their side. I would apologize for fighting and do everything I could to help them recover. Any true friend would do the same.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 20

2010-11-23T09:17:00.000-06:00

Day 20:Your views on drugs and alcohol

I think unless you are using drugs for a medical reason then you shouldn't use them. Sadly many of my friends from high school have been or currently are addicted to some sort of drug. It is terrible for someone you have been friends with for years come up to you and you barely recognize them because they have changed so much due to their addiction.

Alcohol I am fine with as long as you aren't drinking and driving risking someone's life or it doesn't interfere with your ability to function without it on a normal day to day basis.

One thing I will say about alcohol though is that while I don't think every 18 year old should be able to drink I do think that if servicemen and servicewoman can go overseas and put their life on the line day in and day out at age 18 they should be able to enjoy a beer!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 19

2010-11-19T15:05:00.000-06:00

Day 19:What do you think of religion? Or what do you think of politics?

I grew up all over the world so I like to think that when it comes to people believing in different things I am pretty tolerant. As far as religions go I think to each their own, however if you believe that being a suicide bomber will get you how many ever virgins in your after life then I am not a fan.

As far as politics...meh!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 18

2010-11-18T09:53:00.000-06:00

Day 18: Your views on gay marriage.

I am all for equality! The way I look at it love is love no matter if it is between man and woman, woman and woman, or man and man.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Shouting from the Blog Tops

2010-11-17T19:14:00.000-06:00

We are going to DISNEY!!!!!! Seriously I am over the moon excited, but I have to be hush hush because we haven't told the kids yet. A few weeks ago someone shared a link that Disney had started up their military promotion again and I love that they offer this because it makes a trip super affordable. Summer of 2009 we went to Disney World for 5 days (yep you read that right!). Even though my inlaws live literally right down the road we stayed in a hotel so we could have some real family bonding time. The kids loved and so did I as it was my first time going. After our trip I told my lovie that I wanted to go to Disney one year around Christmas to see the lights. Well he made it happen. Tonight he called and booked our room. Since we live on the West Coast now we are headed to Disney Land for 3 days. He even got the the kids bunk beds in our room! He and I are so excited and he wants to tell the kids next week at Thanksgiving but I know it will be all they can think about so I talked him into waiting until right before we leave. I know they are going to love this trip as much if not more then our trip to Disney World. So if you have any experiences about Disney Land please give me tips or advice. I have been once before but I was only 7-8 yrs old and all I remember is making my parents sick on the teacups and them sleeping in the car most of the afternoon lol. Eeekkk did I mention I am excited?

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 17

2010-11-17T17:01:00.000-06:00

Day 17: A book you've read that changed your views on something

Rachel's Tears: The Spiritual Journey of Columbine Martyr Rachel Scott

I can remember the day of the Columbine shooting very clearly. I was in the end of my 8th grade year and it was so shocking everyone was talking about it. Little did I know that a month into my freshman year of High School I would go to a school not to far from Columbine. We were always having bomb threats among other things and were rarely in school. In fact I'd say I spent a good bit of that time at home or on the football field waiting for the clear to head back inside. I think an ex boyfriends mom gave this book to me to read and I honestly couldn't believe all the signs in here. It was a very moving story and even though I never knew Rachel she seemed like such a good hearted person.It was hard for me to understand how anyone could kill someone for standing up for what they believe in. Anyways this book taught that no matter the consequence to stand up for you what you believe in.

Peace&Love,

Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 16

2010-11-16T12:18:00.000-06:00

Day 16: Someone or something you definitely could live without.

Easiest answer ever DRAMA! I can't stand it yet it always seems to find me. As most of you know I pretty much always have drama with the kids dad. but lately he has been drama free! Also I have one particular family member who causes drama all the time. Almost 4 years ago they caused a big scene over nothing and attempted to ruin an important day for another family member. I have since cut them out of my life yet somehow when they stir the pot my name is usually brought up. Sorry hunny but it is time to act your age! Another great example to life without drama is my inlaws. My father in law is old enough to be my grandfather and is very old fashion and I am not. I think he was very shocked his perfect son could fall in love with someone like me (i.e. tattoo's, had kids at a young age etc) and so the first year or so of my marriage we didn't really get along so to speak. I think now as time has passed and he has come to know who I am as a person and not by my looks or previous actions he is happy his son married someone like me. I respect him as well and it just makes things oh so much easier when those family visits roll around. So word of advice if you like drama stay away from me please&thank you!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 15

2010-11-15T11:10:00.000-06:00

Today is day 15 which means I am halfway done with this 30 day challenge which is exciting but how is it already the 15th of November?? Time is passing by so quickly these days.

Day 15:Something or someone you couldn't live without, because you've tried living without it.

This one is easy and the answer is my Lovie! He and I met when I was going through my divorce and man oh man we spent everyday day together from our 1st date on. However about 6 weeks into dating I felt things were moving to fast. On top of that I had been talking to my ex and he had me convinced he was a changed man and wanted to make our family work. Growing up all I ever said was that I didn't want my kids to come from a broken family so I gave him another chance. That meant breaking up (that sounds so weird since we were in our 20's and not teenagers) with my Lovie, quitting my job, and heading back to Colorado. The second day I was in Co I knew I had made a horrible decision. I tried to make things work but alas nothing had changed. While I tried to figure out what the kids and I were going to do my Lovie was always on my mind. I had tried to IM him a few times but he just ignored me. It wasn't until I watched Diary of a mad black woman that I realized I had given up the best thing I could have asked for (my Lovie). A few weeks passed by and still I heard nothing from my Lovie. I couldn't blame him I broke his heart after he was nothing but great to me. Thanksgiving night I was at my friend Joy's house (We've been BFF's since I was in 1st grade) and she basically told me to man up and call him. I don't think my pride could take hearing my call go straight to voice mail so I opted to text him. For one reason or another he replied and after a couple messages we realized we were in the same city. He was in town visiting some friends for the holiday(talk about fate). We made plans for the next day to meet up and hang out. We went to Manitou Springs and walked around for a few hours. The air was crisp and cool and the scenery was beautiful. By the end of our time there we knew we wanted to be with each other no doubt. We headed back to town where he spent the rest of the afternoon with the kids and I at Joy's daughter's birthday party. When it was time for him to leave I fessed up. I told him that I had come to Colorado to try and work things out but it was a huge mistake, and that I wanted to be with him no doubt in my mind. His reply was,"Shut up and kiss me!" While he headed back to Texas for work I stayed in Colorado trying to figure out where the kids and I would be living. Finally some things panned out and the kids and I left for Texas shortly before Christmas. Needless to say 6 short months later my Lovie and I said,"I do!" and have been married 2.5 years now. As much as I hate that I gave my ex another chance it was something I had to do for myself. There is no doubt in my mind we made the right choice by getting divorce and not only that it also showed me that I can not or do not want to live a life without my Lovie.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 14

2010-11-14T11:29:00.000-06:00

Day 14:A hero that has let you down.

My older brother Josh. We aren't close nor have we really ever been but knowing he was the older brother I expected him to set an example for me and my younger brother. Growing up he was beyond mean to me and I know he had his reasons but you would think by teenage years he would have snapped out of it. The first time he ever told me he loved me was the day he found out our dad had been killed. He came for the funeral but didn't come back to my grandma's like he said he would. Since then our relationship has been more strained then ever. When I was a Jr or Sr he went to jail and would write me saying he was going to change and be better. Well almost 10 years later he is out still doing the same old thing. Sadly a lot of people know who my brother is in our hometown but it isn't because he has done any good. He is just your typical small town thug. I hate to say it that I am embarrassed to share DNA with him but I am. Don't get me wrong I love him because he is my brother but other then that there is nothing there. He could have helped himself long ago and decided to continue down the same path. Nothing is ever his fault. He is a 30 something high school drop out, no ged, has a record, and can't keep a job. My kids have only met him two times that they were old enough to remember and those encounters lasted less then 10 minutes. I don't want them to know him or the person he really is. Even our younger brother is embarrassed to be related to him. I still think there is time for him to turn his life around but I just don't see him doing it.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth:Day 13

2010-11-13T19:34:00.000-06:00

Day 13:A band or artist that has gotten you through some tough ass days.

This is a tough one because I love music, but if I had to pick just one band I guess I would say Staind. I was a freshman in high school the first time I remember hearing one of their songs. The best part is that year they were on the Sick and Twisted Tour with Korn and my brother's mom took me to see them. They weren't all that big back then but their music still reached my soul. I was the only kid at the concert with my brother's mom and her friends and I remember them all saying ok on the count of 3 run. We did and broke into the mosh pit. I lost them for awhile and I some how ended up floating the crowd and got to touch Aaron Lewis' head. Shortly after that my brother's mom and her friends found me and we enjoyed the rest of the concert. Since then though I have loved their songs. Some people say they are depressing and some are but I can relate to them so much. Before I made the decision to leave my ex for good the song "Right Here" really was my life. No matter what he did I was always at home waiting for him to come back. After my divorce and I was married my Lovie my good friend Tanya and I had the pleasure of seeing Staind live. It was an awesome experience to see him all those years later and love his music even more so then I did the first time. I hope they keep coming out with songs!

Here is a pic that I took after I worked my way up to the very front of the mosh pit at the concert I went to with Tanya

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth:Day 12

2010-11-12T12:31:00.000-06:00

Day 12:Something you never get compliments on.

It is hard to say that I never get compliments because there are a few times I have but it is very rare

My wardrobe

I am just a t shirt and jeans kind of gal and so there isn't really much to compliment, but every now and then it would be nice for someone to say you look nice today.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 11

2010-11-12T12:25:00.000-06:00

Day 11:Something people seem to compliment you the most on.

I am going to pick two things because they are the things I get complimented on the most

1. My hair
2. My fingernails

I am glad so many people like my hair because honestly I spend more time getting it just right then picking out my clothes each day. My dad used to spend forever in the bathroom getting every hair in the perfect place so I am guessing I inherited his trait.

I get a lot of compliments on my fingernails because they grow long and always look like I have have a french manicure because my nails are super white.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 10

2010-11-10T14:36:00.000-06:00

Wow already 1/3 of the way through! This month is just flying by.

Day 10: Someone you need to let go, or wish you didn't know.

This one is a bit of a tough question as I usually cut people out of my life fairly quickly if I have no use for them. With that said I am going to go with the or half of the question for someone you wish you didn't know. I won't name names but will say there are a few people in my MOMS Club I go go without knowing. I am not saying they are bad people but they just aren't my type of person. Thankfully they don't come to events all that often but when they do they sure annoy the heck out of me. They have a super loud voice and their child always seems to be doing something they shouldn't so the mom has to get even louder. I know a few other moms who feel the same way so at least I am not alone.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 9

2010-11-09T09:27:00.000-06:00

Day 09: Someone you didn't want to let go, but just drifted.

Today's answer took me a few minutes to think of, but I came to the conclusion of Jenn D. I met Jenn D when I started dating the kid's dad. She dated a guy who lived across the street from R's grandma so she had seen him grow up most his life. She and I hit it off great and though we were never best friends we were good friends. She found out she was pregnant with her daughter a few months after I found out I was pregnant. I am sure that helped us bond since both of the guys we were with could care less. Even when the kids dad joined the army and we moved to Tx she and I still remained good friends. We talked weekly and when we would go to his hometown she and I would hang out. I can't even say we stopped being friends when I divorced R because she was one of the few mutual friends we had who didn't pick sides. 6 months after I left him our communication became less and less. We both had a lot going on in our lives and honestly the most we talked was through myspace. Now 3.5 years later I haven't talked to her in lord knows when and I am sure she still lives in the same town but I have no reason to go back. I don't know if I will ever hear from here again and that makes me sad. So to Jenn D if you are out there and happen to read this for some crazy reason know that I still consider you a good friend and would like to reconnect.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 8

2010-11-08T18:08:00.000-06:00

Day 08: Someone who made your life hell, or treated you like shit.

My guess is once you read today's question you thought immediately jumped to my ex....well at least for those who knew him or of him. While yes he did make my life a living hell 99% of our marriage he also gave me two beautiful children. For that simple reason (and well honestly he isn't worth time to type out anything) he is getting a by today and I am going to pick the person(s) who murdered my father.

Some may say why didn't I just name names? The answer is simple I nor do the police know who killed my father. Yes that is right 11.5 years later and still no justice. This reason alone is has caused me a ton of hell. I have heard so many different stories or ideas about who it maybe that I honestly don't even know if I could trust some people who are in my family. I hate to think that someone who loved my father could kill him but it happens all the time. So not only has this person(s) caused me hell by never coming forward and paying for the crime they committed, but every special moment in my life since the day he was killed has left an empty feeling that can never be replaced. My father never got to see me get my license, graduate from high school, have kids, or get married. Not only did he miss all of these special dates for me but also my brothers, and eventually my children.

So to the person(s) who killed my father,

I hope you know that I believe one day justice will find you. When that day comes I hope I am able to get up in front of jury and tell them because you selfishly took my father's life you have caused years and years of hell for me and the rest of my family. I hope they show no mercy on you and if I should ever be so lucky that you might get the death penalty I will be there to watch the day you take your last breath. If you should never get caught please know that one day karma will catch up to you.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 7

2010-11-07T14:58:00.000-06:00

Day 7: Someone who has made your life worth living for

Hands down my answer is and will always be my children. Other things in my life may change but one thing that won't will be my love and dedication to help them succeed. My children were ultimately the reason I finally got up enough nerve to leave their abusive father and the reason I made it through each day after that. When I am feeling down one look at their sweet faces makes me smile and forget my worries. Having children (even as young as I was) was the best thing that has ever happened to me.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 6

2010-11-06T11:53:00.000-05:00

Day 6: Something you hope you never have to do.

As soon as I read today's question I knew what my answer would be. I hope I never have to lay one of my kids to rest. A child dying before a parent just isn't how it is supposed to be. When Kiley was just 6 months old she was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis and I honestly didn't know if she would make it. It was a very scary thought that at the age of 19 I could lose my child. Thankfully she pulled through and has been a very healthy little girl ever since then.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Balloon Wreath

2010-11-05T15:01:00.000-05:00

Last week I logged on to facebook to see Polka Dot Market had posted a picture of balloon wreath. I was very intrigued by this as I have never seen one and with Sam's birthday party coming up I wanted to make one. Though I cut it close to the deadline (the party is tomorrow) I am the proud new owner of a beautiful balloon wreath! The items you will need are:

straw wreath
greening pins/floral pins ( Sadly I bought greening pins from Michaels that were $1.50 for 50 and then found floral pins at walmart 100 for $1.00)
balloons (You could use any colors but I choose to pick ones that could represent boy or girl)

For a tutorial on how to make it go check out How does she.

This wreath was super easy but time consuming because I could only find an 18" wreath and lets just say there are probably more then 500 balloons on my wreath. I love it!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 5

2010-11-05T11:04:00.000-05:00

Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life

I have so many things I would like to do in life yet the one that is most important to me would be watching my children become parents (of course when they 35 lol). I only recently turned 26 but I talk about becoming a grandma (well I haven't decided what I would like to be called yet) all the time. I am sure it is so important to me because my dad was killed before any of his children had kids or because my grandma was such a huge part of my life. Either way I think I could die a happy woman once I have been blessed with grand kids. I can only hope that when that time comes I can be half as great of a grandma as she was to my brothers and I.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 4

2010-11-04T10:30:00.000-05:00

Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for.

I am the queen of holding grudges so I probably have a list of people I could forgive something they have done, but the one that comes to my mind first is my grandma hiding from me she had a heart attack.

If you have gone through my blog you have heard me mention my grandma many times. Words can not even begin to describe how awesome of a grandma she was. She and I were very very close and honestly she was one of my best friends. She helped shaped my love for cooking and crafting (though I am not nearly as good as she was).

I still remember that day in 2004 when my grandma called to tell me she had been diagnosed with colon cancer. I felt sick to my stomach and scared I would loose her. I wanted to fly up and see her right then but she assured me she was a fighter and would beat this. The summer of 2005 my ex, daughter, and I went up to see her and it seemed she was right. She was actually beating the cancer. Those few days we spent with her I will cherish forever. She was so happy to be around my daughter and kept telling me how much she looked like I did when I was little. Though she was the great grandma who was fighting cancer it didn't slow her down. She took Kiley to the park and chased her around, walked up to the local convenience store and bought her ice cream, and even took her around to all our families houses to show her off. Not only was my grandma in love with Kiley but she was over the moon I was pregnant with my son. We decided to name him after my ex's dad and my dad and she loved it. Soon our time visiting was up and it was back to reality for me. Shortly after we returned home I had my son and 6 weeks later my ex left for Iraq. By now it was Christmas time, I was a 21 year old mother of two kids under 2 with my husband off fighting in the war. My grandma had her first heart attack literally 2 weeks after my ex made it into Iraq. Though some family members felt I should know my grandma told them not to worry me because she was ok and I had enough on my plate at the time.

Now it was New Years Eve and as always I called her to see what they were doing. All she could talk about was how she had received the pictures of the kids I had sent and that they really lifted her spirits. She and my grandpa were headed over to my cousins house for the annual NYE bash and she couldn't wait to show everyone the kids. That was the last time I spoke to her. A few days later it was early in the morning when my cell phone rang. The number showed up as my grandma's and instantly my stomach sank. I knew there was something wrong because there is no way anyone would call me that early. I picked up the phone and as soon as I heard my aunts voice I knew it was about my grandma. Sure enough she had told me my grandma had a heart attack the night before and didn't make it.

It wasn't until 2 days later when I flew home for the funeral that my youngest brother (then only 14) told me the truth. See he stayed half the week at my grandparents ever since my dad was killed and he was there both times. He told me how a few weeks earlier he heard my grandma shriek in pain and called 911. The ambulance came and whisked her away to the hospital. He said this time was no different except that instead of going to the hospital with her he went home to his moms because he assumed she would be ok.

I know she was doing what she felt was best by not telling me, but I am angry she didn't tell me so I could have semi prepared myself instead of being caught off guard.. I am very thankful to have talked to her just days before and to hear how happy she was for new pictures of my kids. The day of her funeral it lightly snowed and I know it was her way of telling me she was ok. My hope is that she finally has some peace now that she has been reunited with my father.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 3

2010-11-03T14:50:00.000-05:00

Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for

Reading today's question the answer came fairly easy for me. My father was murdered when I was 14 years old and the last time I saw him he was dropping off my brother at my grandma's house. I had just came up for the summer and because he and my brother's mother had recently gone to court over child support he told me he didn't want me to be around her. She had been in my for 7 years at that time so I was a bit attached to her and him telling me I wasn't allowed to be around her made me extremely angry with him. While he was at my grandma's he asked me to come spend the night at his house that night. I refused because my grandma had said she would take me shopping that evening. So he then asked if I would like to go to a movie later in the week when he had a day off. I agreed and we made plans for a Thursday to go see Big Daddy. As my dad was getting ready to leave he told me he loved me and because I was still upset with him I didn't respond. 11.5 years later I still carry around the guilt of not telling him I loved him one last time. The reasons I was angry with him were stupid. My dad had done nothing but love me my whole life. Everyday since then I have prayed that he can hear me when I say I love him and deep down I know he knew I loved him, but it doesn't change the fact I just didn't say it.

You would think as horrible as I feel over this that I would never let it happen again, but I do. Every time I talk to my mom she tells me she loves me and I just say ok. I can honestly count on one hand how many times I have actually said the words I love you to her in the past 10 years. I know it kills her inside because the few times that I have said it to her she cries. I think subconsciously I feel like I can't say it to her because I didn't say it to my dad. I just wish I could get a sign from him saying it is ok to forgive myself because he has forgiven me.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 2

2010-11-02T19:08:00.001-05:00

Day 2: Something you love about yourself

This question might be even harder to answer then the previous one. I am going to say something that I love about myself is my will to fight for what I believe in. My current passion (so to speak) is fighting the Dr's to get my son an official diagnosis for his Autism. Around two years ago I really started noticing he was different from other kids his age. At the time he was 3 years old and he could barely speak a couple words. I took him to the Dr who pushed it off as him just being a boy. I ultimately quit my job to stay home with him and try to help him work on his speech and other delays. Fast forward to a few months ago I had heard all these wonderful things about this Ped and how he had helped many of my friends get referrals they needed in getting their child a diagnosis. I came armed with two evaluations (1 from the special education prek and 1 from a program he is currently in) showing his delays along with a list of signs he showed. The Dr took one look at my son and said he seems pretty normal to me and gave me some referrals but not all the ones I need and especially not the most important one. Since then I have been fighting trying to get him the referral he needs. I even drove 13 hrs a few weeks ago back to Texas to see a behavioral therapist so she could tell me what she thought. I was so happy to find that she didn't seem to think I was crazy like all these other Dr's and agreed that Sam is Autistic but is very high functioning. So now the fight continues. Last week I went to a mini seminar for parents who have children with special needs and met an advocate who gave me some tips and pointers in getting my point across to the ped. Sadly the referral to the Dr he needs to get a diagnosis currently has 1 year+ waiting list to be seen. Crazy huh? What ever happened to early intervention?? So I will continue fighting the fight until my son gets the diagnosis he needs so he can start getting the therapies he needs to have a somewhat "normal" life.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

30 Days of Truth: Day 1

2010-11-02T18:53:00.001-05:00

My friend Marie is doing a challenge called 30 Days of Truth. I was intrigued so I asked her what the questions were and decided to take the challenge myself. I totally forgot it was supposed to start yesterday so please forgive me. Here goes nothing

Day 1: Something you hate about yourself

When it comes to myself I am a very harsh critic so to pick just one thing that I hate about myself is almost impossible but I will. I am going to pick my trust issues especially with men. I will openly admit I do not trust anyone 100% let alone men. My childhood was rough to say the least and issues trusting men started then. When I was just about 3 or 4 I was molested by my moms boyfriend at the time. Sadly I remember details very vividly even the part where he told me if I ever told anyone he would kill my mother and I. I can't really remember how long this went on for but I do know it was awhile. My grandma was the one who discovered I had been molested one summer while I was up visiting my dad for the summer. She said that summer I would scream bloody murder when she tried to bathe me and have nightmares and cry out every night. When my dad would come to take me somewhere I would either not want to or beg her to go with us. She took me to a Dr. where they determined that something had been going on.

Being so young I don't really remember what happened when she confronted my mom, but I can remember my mom and I moving back into my grandmothers house. I can also remember him coming into the window at night and me being scared to death. I remember being in a room at the police station talking to detectives and them giving me a teddy bear and telling me I didn't need to be scared because he wouldn't hurt me anymore. Sadly they were wrong. I am not sure how long after this whole ordeal but my mom started dating a cop and I remember one night we spent the night at his house and I had to sleep on the couch. Well my moms ex boyfriend broke into the apartment and kid napped me. Obviously I was found but as you can see my mistrust of men started at a very young age. As I grew older and learned more and more details I became angry with my father for not doing anything against my molester. I know he did the right thing because what good would it have done for him to be in jail, but then it felt like he just didn't care what happened.

I often wonder if those events led to my poor choices in dating during high school. In high school I dated loser and after loser and honestly never learned my lesson until after I got divorced from my kids dad. He and I met when we were seniors and I got pregnant very shortly after we started dating. Coming from a broken family I made the decision that I didn't want the same for my daughter so I married her dad. For 5 years I put up with him cheating, verbal, and physical abuse all for the sake of keeping my family together. He literally broke down my self esteem to the very lowest of low's when I decided to leave for good.

I have no idea why after all this I decided to start dating again, but I did. I found my wonderful husband and was very truthful about my past and my problems with trusting. He stuck by my side and said it was ok we could work on fixing it together. He has never one time in our 3.5 years together giving me any reason to not trust him yet as soon as he doesn't call when he says he will my mind reverts back to my past and I think the worst.

I have done counseling several times and I have never been able to get rid of this under lying issue and I don't think I ever will. It takes so much work everyday to give people in my life the little trust that I do. I can only hope that my kids will never have this issue because it is beyond horrible.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Good Deal Sunday

2010-11-01T12:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday was the first full day my lovie had been home and boy was it a busy day. First thing we woke up and headed out to Apple Annies. We had already been to the apple orchard as a family earlier this year, then when we got back from Texas I took the kids to the produce farm (pumpkin patch), but we still felt like we needed to go as a family so we did. We hadn't planned on buying any pumpkins but we bought two to keep around until Thanksgiving (hopefully). We rode the tractor ride, the kids helped daddy pick out a pumpkin, and then we went through the corn maze. Everyone enjoyed themselves and it was a nice cool day. After that we needed to do some shopping in Tucson so we headed straight there. Oh did I forget to mention that Apple Annies is 1 hr and 15 minutes from our house headed east and that Tucson is 1 hr 30 min from our house headed west?? Needless to say we spent a good portion of our day in the car and when all was said and done we put 250 miles on the car yesterday.

When we go to Tucson we ALWAYS eat out. Let me tell you living in this small border town you have virtually no options here. Kiley wanted to eat at PF Changs (a girl after my own heart) while Sam wanted to eat at Red Robins(just like daddy) so I came up with the solution of eating at Bj's Brewhouse. Luckily the kids agreed and we had a nice lunch but opted not to get the pzookies. Once we were done with lunch we headed over to Michael's to get some stuff I needed for my next crafting project. Thankfully I found everything I needed and even some bonus items. They were trying to make room for their Christmas stuff so their fall stuff was marked down.

This basket was originally $10.99 and I got it for $4.39

This basket was originally $6.99 and I got it for $2.79

Recently I noticed my wedding band had cracked so after we were done at Michael's we headed over to the mall to drop my ring off for repair. Hopefully it wont take too long because we are having family pictures taken in 17 days and I would like to wear my bling! While we were there we noticed that California Pizza Kitchen still hadn't opened but we are hoping next time we are up that way it will be because it is one of our favorite places to eat.

One our way home we stopped by Kirkland's because I had recieved an email they had some stuff marked down plus I had a coupon. I told Shaun it would be a quick stop since I was only looking for specific things but alas I looked at other stuff. We even saw these cute Christmas decorations we will most likely go back and get. Though the baskets we bought were a good deal at 60% off the purchase we made at Kirklands is even better. We got this to put above our bed

Here is a picture of the original price and sale price

The great news is they were having an additional 40% off so we got it for

I love finding good deals!!! By saving so much on the picture it allowed us to buy these to put on either side of the picture

and these (it comes with the candle,sand, and shells) for our beach themed master bath.

You are probably thinking if I got such a great deal on the picture why buy the other things and spend more money? Well the coupon I had was $10 off a $50 purchase or more. With purchasing all 4 items and using the coupon our total with tax was still $20 less then the original price of the picture before tax. So overall I think it was a good deal Sunday.

Now Sam and I are off to Target to pick up some balloons. I hope everyone has a great Monday.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Party Invites,Christmas cards, & Photo books...oh Shutterfly!

2010-10-28T18:48:00.001-05:00

It is that time of year again.Time to start thinking about gifts for grandparents, aunts and uncles, oh and you can't forget Christmas cards. I don't know about you, but I love when December rolls around and when I check the mail there is a Christmas card waiting for me. I love seeing the designs people pick out, but most importantly the pictures. Now that I have turned up the heat a little bit and let you know that I expect totally rockin' Christmas cards who else would you trust to make them but Shutterfly? I am sure you all have heard of them before and let me tell you their work is nothing but exceptional.

For those of you who know me well know that I like to plan months in advance for things like birthdays and holidays (hence why I was done with all my Christmas shopping in August) so I have already been looking for the perfect Christmas card. Here are 3 of my favorites. I don't know how I will ever choose just one. If you want to help leave your opinion on which you like the best.

1. Family Wall Red- I think this one is beyond beautiful and I totally love that it is red and green without screaming Christmas all over. Honestly to me it looks like something you would see in a family room with the pictures all framed and the family letter in the middle. Very classic.

2.Christmas Letter-Growing up I had one Aunt who would send a letter that reviewed what happened in the year along with her Christmas cards. I always looked forward to reading them and thought it was a great idea. This card is the best of both worlds. It includes pictures and leaves you a space on the side where you can enter your own little letter. Who ever came up with this idea...one word Genius!!

3.Snow Pals- Before you even click the link to look at this card I must tell you I am crazy for snowmen (just ask my family) so when I saw this card I couldn't resist. I love the bright colors and honestly it is just to cute for words.

Oh and don't forget that I love a good deal! Right now Shutterfly is offering 20% off all holiday cards.

Maybe you are thinking it is too early to start thinking about Christmas cards, but it is never to early to start thinking about gifts. Why not give that special someone a beautiful photo book.

Are you planning on having a tacky sweater party or a white elephant exchange? No matter what the theme is Shutterfly has a holiday party card for you! In case I have any readers who celebrate Hanukkah instead of Christmas no worries Shutterfly has you covered as well. You can find a good selection of Hanukkah cards here.

Would you like to earn 50 free holiday cards from Shutterfly? Click here for more information.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Drawer full of Bento

2010-10-28T11:32:00.000-05:00

This summer I was introduced to a site called Weelicious. It is a site full of recipe's that are not only healthy, delicious, but appealing to kids (or at least mine). Weelicious also has a facebook where they post pictures daily of lunch ideas. In these pictures everything is housed in bento boxes vs just put on a plate. When browsing through the weelicious site I came across a link to laptop lunches who sells the bento boxes. Not only that but at the time they were running a coupon for anyone who read weelicious. I thought what the heck I would order some and see how the kids liked them. Well my kids don't like them they LOVE them!! They use them daily (not just for taking lunch to school), and I like them because they have no lead, bpa, phthalates, pvc, they are reusable, and help my kids practice portion control. If you haven't heard of them before go check them out and while you are at it don't forget to check out weelicious!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Yarn Wreath

2010-10-27T23:57:00.001-05:00

Earlier this year my friend Sasha posted a yarn wreath she had made. I thought it was beautiful and very unique. Ever since then I have thought about attempting to make one but without instructions where would I start?? After some digging around on Google (oh how I love the modern world) I found this link with a tutorial on how to make a yarn wreath. Since I had a left over styrofoam wreath I thought I would take a stab at it. Though mine isn't as detailed as those featured in the link I still like the way it turned out. I think I may even make some more if I ever get up to Michael's for some more supplies.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Not a baby anymore

2010-10-27T11:00:00.000-05:00

A few weeks ago while we were in Texas my lovie surprised us by having a little family birthday party for myself and my son since he would be missing both of them. Right before we left Texas last year we found an awesome bakery so he went there and designed us each a cake.

Since then Sam has said to me many times he is not a baby anymore. He has been doing things like getting dressed on his own, brushing his own teeth, etc because he was five. Little did he know his birthday wasn't until yesterday but I played along. Yesterday I was looking back through old pics and wondering where the past 5 years have gone? It really seems like only yesterday I was pregnant with him. Join me as I take a little trip down memory lane

Here I am about 3.5 months pregnant

She loved him even before he was born

In labor

This is my favorite pic of him from the day he was born

1st birthday

2nd birthday

3rd birthday

4th birthday

and finally #5
He has had this blanket since day 1

Being goofy with mommy

Silly faces

Kissing my 4 year old boy goodnight for the last time

He is 5

The toys he got with his birthday money

Loving his new tent

He got to pick out what he ate all day and eat it on the special birthday plate

Apparently he didn't want any to go to waste

Sissy singing him Happy Birthday (love his face here)

He decided he wanted to sleep in his new tent

We will be having a birthday party for him next weekend so there will be a ton of pics to follow. I just wanted to say thanks to everyone who called or wished him a Happy Birthday. It made his day!!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Homemade Honey Mustard

2010-10-26T00:18:00.000-05:00

Saturday night at the going away party I tasted some great homemade honey mustard. Thankfully it made a ton and my friend Melissa was kind enough to send us home with a big ol' bowl full.Yesterday she sent me the recipe and along with it came a recipe for homemade chicken nuggets using sour cream and onion chips. So tonight that is what we had for dinner and it was very good. Each kid ate 6 nuggets which in itself is a miracle. Paula Deen is the woman and you can find both recipes here.

What You'll Need for nuggets:

2 cups crushed sour-cream-and-onion-flavored potato chips
1 egg
2 tablespoons milk
6 chicken breast fillets, cut into 1 1/2-inch cubes
1/3 cup butter, melted
Honey Mustard, recipe follows

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Spread the crushed potato chips in a shallow dish.
Beat together the egg and milk in a shallow bowl.
Dip the chicken cubes into the egg mixture and then dredge them in the chips.
Place the chicken nuggets on a baking sheet and drizzle with melted butter.
Bake for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden brown.
The chicken nuggets can be frozen after baking

What You'll Need for the honey mustard:

3/4 cup mayonnaise
3 tablespoons honey
2 tablespoons yellow mustard
1 tablespoon lemon juice or juice from 1/2 lemon
Horseradish, to taste
2 tablespoons orange juice (more or less as needed)

Directions

Combine all ingredients except orange juice; stir well.
Thin to pouring consistency for dressing or dipping consistency for dips with orange juice.
Cover and chill for 2 or 3 hours.

Yield: 1 1/4 cups
Prep Time: 5 minutes
Cook Time: None
Ease of preparation: Easy

Note: Melissa told me she doesn't use the oj because it turns out thin enough.

If you like Honey Mustard this is a must try!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Two Little Monkies

2010-10-25T21:23:00.000-05:00

but they aren't jumping on the bed. It is an Etsy shop owned by a friend and she is having a give away on her blog. If you remember the awesome car caddy I blogged about last month she is the one who made it. Go check her out, enter the giveaway, and hopefully you will win or see something you want to order.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Did someone say kryptonite?

2010-10-25T15:39:00.000-05:00

I can't believe they are for sale already, but they are and I bought 3 boxes. Thankfully my lovie will be home this weekend and he is just as crazy about them as I am so we can get fat together. Really though it doesn't work that way I am just the one who packs on the lbs. What is a treat you like that you can only get around a specific holiday??

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Patting myself on the back

2010-10-24T15:40:00.000-05:00

As this tdy comes to an end I am taking time to reflect how much I have accomplished. Just today I spent 2.5 hours cleaning out the garage and even though I am sore all over I am so happy I did it! We have lived here just about a year and though our house is bigger the area for storage is a lot smaller then what he previously had. With that said you can imagine we have been using the garage for a sort of store all type of storage room. Not any longer! Everything is put in a box or storage tote and stacked neatly. No more small path to walk from the car to the door and heck I even think when trash runs this week I might be able to fit my car in there!! As if the garage wasn't a huge feat in itself over the past 5 weeks I have also cleaned out and organized 3 closets and our dogs "room"(which is no longer her room). Everyone kept asking me what the dogs room was and it is basically a room we kept her cage in among other various junk that is a closet but could be a nursery if it had a window. Now instead of the dogs room it is the entertainment room (holding our dvds, games, books, and other various items like important paperwork). I have a couple more days left before my lovie returns so I am hoping to go through the boxes of clothes in our room and get it all nice and neat. I swear Sam turns 5 Tuesday and I have found clothes as small as 12 months that were his. I ask myself why do I still have these?? I wish I would have taken before and after pictures of all this chaos but even if I did I don't think I would have shared them (it was that bad lol). Now if I could only get my lovie to clean out and organize our tiny storage room out back I would be one happy lady.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

White Chocolate Walnut Blondies w/ Maple Butter Sauce

2010-10-23T23:58:00.000-05:00

Monday I woke up and started checking the blogs and saw this heavenly recipe over on Tasty Kitchen. I honestly do not care for Applebee's one bit but love their blondies. I thought if this tastes anything like that then I would never have to go to Applebee's again. Lucky me I just happened to have all the ingredients minus the walnuts but that was no sweat off my back. I loved them and so did the kids. Lets just say after raving about them to my lovie he was a little jealous he is still out of town, but I assured him I would make them again some day when he was home.

What You'll Need for the blondies:

3 cups All-purpose Flour
¼ teaspoons Salt
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
10 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter, melted
2 cups Light Brown Sugar
3 whole Eggs, Lightly Beaten
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ cups Chopped Walnuts
1 cup White Chocolate Chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
In a medium bowl, sift together flour, salt & baking powder. Set aside.
In another large mixing bowl, mix melted butter with brown sugar until well-blended.
Add in beaten eggs and vanilla. Stir well.
Slowly add flour mixture to butter/sugar/egg mixture. Stir thoroughly but take care not to overmix your batter. Fold in nuts and chocolate. Batter will be thick.
Pour batter into 9 x 13 baking pan. Bake for about 25-30 minutes (until a toothpick inserted comes out clean).

What You'll Need for the sauce:

2 Tablespoons Unsalted Butter
1-½ cup Heavy Cream
6 Tablespoons Maple Syrup
3 Tablespoons Light Corn Syrup
Optional Garnish: Vanilla Ice Cream, Chopped Walnuts

Directions:

Melt butter in a medium sauce pan over medium heat (do not allow butter to burn).
Then add heavy cream, maple syrup and corn syrup.
Allow this mixture to simmer over medium heat for about 20-30 minutes.
This is the hard part: waiting for the mixture to reduce and thicken. You don’t want to bring this to a boil, just a nice, slightly bubbly simmer.
Stir it occasionally. Once it has reduced by about a 1/3, it’s ready.

To serve:
You can heat up blondie on a cast iron skillet and serve with a scoop of vanilla ice cream or you can just heat a slice of blondie on a plate in your microwave for about 25 seconds. Add a scoop of ice cream on top then pour the warm maple butter sauce on top and sprinkle with chopped walnuts.

If you try these let me know what you think.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Pumpkin Caramel Spiderweb Cookies

2010-10-23T23:49:00.001-05:00

The other day I saw this recipe over on buns in my oven and thought they sounded delish! Well tonight we had a going away/early birthday party to attend for a family that is in my MOMS club and I thought these would be perfect. I took about 30 cookies to the party with me and came home with 3. So I think it is safe to say these are worth trying. I thought for sure I would mess up the homemade caramel but much to my surprise it turned out perfect and so much easier to make then I ever imagined. I did leave off the spiderwebs only because I was running out of time.

What You'll Need for the cookies:
Pumpkin Cookies
Yield: 36 cookies

1/2 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 cup canned pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 1/2 cups white whole wheat OR all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking powder
1 tsp baking soda
2 tsp cinnamon
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1/8 tsp cloves

Directions:

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
Cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy.
Beat in the pumpkin and egg until well combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together the remaining dry ingredients.
Slowly add the flour to the pumpkin mixture and mix until everything is combined.
Drop the dough onto a cookie sheet by the tablespoonful.
Bake for 15 minutes or until the bottoms are slightly browned and the dough is cooked through.
Cool cookies completely before frosting.

What You'll Need for frosting:
Caramel Frosting

2 cups brown sugar
1 cup heavy cream
1/2 tsp baking soda
8 tbsp butter
1 to 1 1/2 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp coarse sea salt

Directions:

In a large saucepan, bring the sugar and cream to a boil. Boil for exactly one minute.
Add the baking soda and boil for one minute more.
Remove from the heat and drop tablespoons of butter all over the mixture. Do not stir.
Allow to cool for thirty minutes on the stove.
Place the pan in the refrigerator to cool for another thirty minutes.
Stir the butter into the caramel and scrape caramel into a mixing bowl.
Beat in 1 to 1/2 cups of powdered sugar, depending on the consistency you like.
Spread onto cooled cookies.

What You'll Need for ganache:
Make spiderweb design using the recipe below for chocolate ganache or purchase a tube of black frosting at the grocery store. Chocolate Ganache

1/2 cup heavy cream
4 ounces semi-sweet chocolate, chopped into very small chunks

Directions:

Bring the heavy cream to a boil over medium heat in a small sauce pan.
Remove from heat as soon as the cream begins to boil.
Stir in the chocolate and continue stirring until it has melted.
Cool for five minutes before pouring into a piping bag fitted with a number 5 tip.
Pipe three small circles onto each cookie (like a target) and then drag a toothpick through the circles to make a spiderweb.

I hope you will try these and if you do please let me know how you liked them.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Vera oh Vera

2010-10-22T17:44:00.001-05:00

Thanks to my friend Mary I am totally hooked on Vera Bradley bags. I have been eying them for awhile and finally I got one for a birthday gift from my husband when I went to see him Texas 2 weeks ago. Well am always out looking for a good deal and last week I saw that online they were having a good percentage off their already sales prices. So I took a look around and there were a few patterns I liked so I thought what the heck and bought 5 new ones. The great thing is I got all 5 of them with shipping for $100 and the sad thing is the one Shaun bought me for my birthday alone was over half that price. Oh well you live and learn right? So here are my new beauties

These are the 5 ones I ordered online

This is my whole collection...so far

Do you have any Vera's and if so which ones?

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Huge Milestone

2010-10-22T17:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I got a couple good coupons in the mail/email and decided that when I dropped Kiley off at the bus this morning Sam and I would head up to Tucson to do some shopping. I guess about halfway up there Sam says to me that he zipped up his hoodie all by himself. So as soon as we stopped at the first store I was dying for him to show me and sure enough he got it! He turns 5 on Tuesday and for most kids his age they have mastered this skill already but for him this is a HUGE milestone. I am the proudest mama in the world seeing how excited he is to do it over and over and see his face light up. Hopefully the waiting list for OT isn't too horribly long and he can start attending sessions and begin to master some of the skills that come so easy to others.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Candy Corn Wreath

2010-10-16T19:38:00.001-05:00

Sometime last month I bought Women's Day because I wanted to make the wreath featured on the cover. Well since I live in such a horrible town it took me forever just to find some styrofoam wreath's. I finally found them a few days ago and much to my surprise whipped up the candy corn wreath while watching Greys Anatomy. Here are some pictures of my finished product.

Items you will need:

Roll of black duct tape
1 styrofoam wreath (insturctions from Women's Day says 16" but the only store in town that sold styromfoam wreaths only had 12" so that is what is pictured)
Hot glue gun
bags of candy corn (it took me 2.5 bags for my wreath since I had a lot of broken pieces)
Ribbon of your choice to hang
Scissors are optional to cut the duct tape

Step 1: Wrap duct tape completely around wreath

Step 2&3: Lay candy corn out to see how it lays and do each row opposite ways and then begin to glue candy on wreath ( I didn't take a picture of this step but have a close up to show how the candy should lay)

Step 4: Let dry over night and attach ribbon

Step 5: Hang

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Hello Falll

2010-10-14T10:25:00.000-05:00

It isn't fall to me until I have had a pumpkin pie blizzard from DQ. What says fall to you??

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Tat,Tat, Tatted Up

2010-10-12T11:02:00.000-05:00

So after going back and forth on what I wanted for my birthday I finally decided on a new tattoo and I am so glad that I did! Ever since I got my first tattoo 5 years ago I knew I wanted to get something for my kids, but what? Tons of people do names and that is great but since I want 4 kids all together I didn't want a Santa Claus list so to speak. Over the years I have seen a bunch of different ideas but nothing ever seemed to be the perfect one. A few weeks ago I was reading the kids Love You Forever and it dawned on me that the little poem the mom recites would make the perfect tattoo. I have been reading that book as far back as I can remember and it was one of the first things I bought when I found out I was pregnant with Kiley. Sunday my mom offered to watch the kids so we could see if the shop could fit me in. Shaun and I stopped to eat lunch before and I asked him what he thought about adding some roses on outside of the words so it wasn't just script and he said he thought it would look good. Thank goodness for last minute thoughts because the roses totally make the tattoo. After we ate we headed over to Slaughter House in Killeen, Texas ( a few friends have got work there and they do a fantastic job) to see if they could fit me in. Thankfully it wasn't busy and Gil took an idea and made it reality. I am so in love with this tat and honestly hope I have another reason to head back to Texas soon to get another one.

Here it is right after Gil finished

It says
I'll love forever,I'll like you for always, as long as I'm living my baby you'll be.

Another artist at Slaughter House is currently drawing up a tat for Shaun and I think he will be getting it at the end of the week so I will be sure and let you know how it turns out.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Did someone say road trip?

2010-10-06T19:01:00.000-05:00

The car is all packed and we are waiting for 2am to roll around and we are headed east to Texas. I am so excited to get to be back "home" and especially to see my lovie since he has been there for nearly a month. It is a crazy jam packed weekend so it isn't really a vacation, but we did manage to get a sitter for saturday night and we are going for a night out on the town. I have a few blogs I plan to post next week so stay tuned. Hope everyone has a great holiday weekend.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Streusel-Topped Pumpkin Bread

2010-09-30T15:04:00.001-05:00

Fair warning I am totally in love with pumpkin so expect to see more then a few recipes calling for it. If you aren't aware there is supposed to be another shortage of canned pumpkin this year so if you use it try to stock up now. I went last week and bought 20 cans.

The other day I happened to catch a blog over on Tasty Kitchen about steusel-topped pumpkin bread and immediately starting drooling. I printed the recipe out, checked my pantry, and off to the store I went to grab the few ingredients I didn't have. While this does contain a lot of ingredients it was super easy to make and love it.

What you'll need

¾ cups Butter, Softened
¾ cups Granulated Sugar
¾ cups Dark Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla
4 whole Eggs
2-½ cups Pumpkin Puree
3 cups All-purpose Flour
3 teaspoons Baking Powder
¾ teaspoons Baking Soda
1 teaspoon Salt
1-½ teaspoon Cinnamon
¼ teaspoons Ground Ginger
¼ teaspoons Allspice
¼ teaspoons Grated Nutmeg
⅛ teaspoons Cardamom
½ cups Buttermilk
_____
FOR THE STREUSEL TOPPING:
¼ cups Butter, Softened
½ cups Brown Sugar
¼ cups Oatmeal
¼ cups All-purpose Flour
1 teaspoon Cinnamon
3 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed
¼ cups Chopped Pecans (optional)

Directions

Preheat your oven to 350º F.
Grease and flour the bottom of two 8″ loaf pans.
To make the topping, mix together all the topping ingredients using a fork or pastry cutter until combined thoroughly.
In a large bowl or mixer, cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar. Add vanilla and eggs and mix until incorporated. Stir in pumpkin puree.
In a separate bowl, add flour, baking powder, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, ground ginger, allspice, nutmeg and cardamom. Whisk together until no lumps remain.
Add half of the flour mix to the pumpkin mix, blending well. Beat in buttermilk. Add remaining flour mix and beat lightly until smooth
Pour batter evenly into the two prepared 8″ pans. Cover each with half of the topping mix. Bake at 350º F for 70-80 minutes until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.
Slice and enjoy.

Reviews:

This is very tasty! I will admit I did leave the flax seed and pecans out of the streusel but it was still fabulous! I hope you will give it a try and let me know if you liked it or not.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Baby Bibdana

2010-09-30T00:16:00.000-05:00

I admit I have been out the baby scene for a few years and they have come out with some really awesome things since then. Today while at moms club my friend had her baby girl in a baby bibdana. She looked so cute and stylish and the fabric was beautiful. I kept complimenting the mother and asking her where she got it and she said etsy of course! I am not sure of the seller she purchased from but if you have never seen one click here to see what I am talking about. What a great way to keep your kids top free of drool and since they can be made of different types of fabric they are such much more stylish then a bib. When we have our next child I will totally be investing in some of these. Total awesomeness!!!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Birthday Girl in da HOUSE

2010-09-30T00:03:00.000-05:00

That's right I am 26 years young today! First off my lovie woke up at 2 am his time to call me at midnight my time to tell me happy birthday and then this morning I got woken up at 5 am from two very excited wee ones screaming, "happy birthday mommy!!!" They even surprised me with a cute little card that sings. After I sent Kiley to school Sam and I got ready to head to the cooking club event hosted by my moms club. For some reason I was feeling a little its my party and I'll cry if I want to. After I left cooking club I checked my voice mail and had a message from the local florist saying they had some flowers for me much to my surprise. Since I was on that side of town I swung by and picked them up. They were from my lovie and very beautiful. He even called to make sure there were no roses (I am not a fan) lol. I treated us to some Papa Murphy's pizza for dinner and just as I was about to put the kids to bed my friend Tammy and her boys stopped by. They surprised me with carrot cake, strawberry ice cream and and a birthday present!! All in all I ended up having a much better day then I thought I would and I am truly blessed to have all the great friends and family I do.

Flowers and balloons from my lovie

Being goofy while everyone sang me Happy Birthday

Blowing out my candles (and the kids helped me)

Last week I posted this on my facebook and how I wanted it for my birthday

and Tammy pulled out her inner artist and made this for me

Pretty darn close if I do say so myself! I totally love it and Tammy's husband has named it the ghetto ball lol. Thanks to everyone who helped make this a special day for me especially Tammy! I am so blessed to have a friend like you.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Az to Japan

2010-09-28T17:13:00.000-05:00

No we aren't moving (sigh) but that is the journey this letter is about to take.

Kiley made friends with a great girl when we moved here and then a few months later her family moved to Japan. Kiley gave her our address and months and months had passed with no word from her friend. One day I came home to pick up my lovie and he said Kiley had got something in the mail. It was a post card from her friend! She was beyond excited and wanted to write her back but we didn't have her address. So I took a chance last week and facebooked her last name in hopes I would find her mom or dad. I happened to find a guy with her last name who said he was living in Japan so I wrote him a quick message asking if he was her dad and explained who I was and if we could have their address. Sure enough he gave it to me and tomorrow I will drop the letter off at the post office and even send her a picture or two of Kiley. I always loved having pen pals in school and I am glad Kiley has one now too!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

D is for

2010-09-27T19:39:00.000-05:00

Dentist! Whew it was a busy day at my casa. This morning my son's teacher came to do a session with him before she went out of town, we had to run to the post office to send my son's evaluations to a specialist in Texas we plan to see next week, and then we were off to the kids dentist appointment. This was the first time I have had to take both of them by myself and it wasn't near as scary as I thought it would be. Good news is they are still both cavity free!!! Now if I could only get Sam to stop sucking his thumb.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Monkeys,Cheetahs, Zebras, and baby...oh my!

2010-09-26T21:53:00.000-05:00

About a week and a half after my parents visited us for the 4th we packed up our stuff and headed east to Texas. We were going because well lets be honest without my lovie here there was no need to stay. And oh yeah my mom so graciously offered to watch the wee ones for a week so I could go to Alaska for a mini vaycay with my man (thanks ma). At the time my bestest tanya was 8 months preggo with her first baby and hadn't had a shower. So I came up with the grand idea to throw her a surprise shower before I went to Alaska.

My mom and I learned how to make diaper cakes and here are the end results.

This one is my moms

This one is mine

Instead of a guest book I thought it would be a great idea for us to sign a matte and frame the picture of all of us from her shower

Some of the decorations

Cake

Here comes the mom to be and she absolutely had no idea!!

Opening gifts

I have known Tanya since I was pregnant with Sam and over the years we have become extremely close and my kids just love her.

And finally here are some pics of everyone who came.

.

With the help of my mom and my friend Jenn I managed to pull it off and give her what I hope was a great shower.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

This one is for Sasha

2010-09-26T19:30:00.000-05:00

Because she likes Liberty of London and because she snapped this pic for us when my husband was on his R&R from Afghanistan last year.

4th of July

2010-09-16T16:22:00.000-05:00

Just days after Kiley fell and broke her wrist my lovie was shipped up to Alaska to help train some soldiers who were getting ready to deploy. I figured we would just spend the 4th at home and make no big deal about it then my mom called and said prepare for visitors. She and my sister drove in from Texas and my dad drove in from California so we could all spend the 4th together as a family. The kids had absolutely no idea and the morning that they arrived I told them we needed to go to the store. So we decided for my parents to stand at the end of the drive way and the kids and I would go out through the garage so I could follow them and get some pictures. At first I think they thought they were dreaming because my daughter looked at me and said,"who are they?" and my son just looked so confused. Once it sunk in that they were really here they ran towards them and greeted them with hugs and kisses. While they were here my sister and I took the kids up to the children's museum, played many games of Phase 10, and watched the fireworks in the park. All in all it was a great visit and nice for my family to come see us since they had never been out here (and most likely will never come back lol) but we all missed having my lovie here with us.

Here is the kids giving my parents some love

My sister is currently attend University of Texas in hopes of becoming a pediatrician so Sam was giving her some practice.

I know I'm partial but this picture is a heart breaker

My parents spoiled them with nearly every Toy Story toy,movie, game they could find

Oh and my sister bought Kiley this(Yes its Justin Bieber)

She was trying to jump up to her ceiling to give him a kiss lol.

On the 4th there wasn't much to do in this dessert town so my dad cleaned out his truck and let the kids take his wheels for a "spin"

Here are some of the family pics we took while waiting for the fireworks
My parents with me and the kids

My dad with his girls and grandkids

The whole fam

Three generations

Mom and Dad

He doesnt look old enough to have a daughter my age

The firework display was less then spectacular to say the least so here are some of the best ones they had (dont laugh)

All in all we had a great holiday and it was nice for parents to see that I'm not exaggerating when I say how horrible it is here.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Car Caddy

2010-09-16T16:13:00.000-05:00

I am so blessed to have many talented friends and one of them just happens to be Andrea owner of Two Little Monkies. She makes all sorts of things like childrens neck pillows for naps while traveling to crayon caddies to keep in your purse. Her latest idea was a car caddy and when I saw this I jumped right on it. Only 3 days later (today) I received it in the mail and let me tell you Sam will not let that thing out of his sight. He has deemed it the garage for his cars. So please take a minute to check out Andrea's site and see if there is anything that tickles your fancy. Here are some pics of my happy customer

I took this to show it can hold cars of all sizes/shapes

All folded and rolled up and ready for my purse

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

The tale of the broken wrist

2010-09-15T19:17:00.000-05:00

It was June 21,2010 when my darling Kiley fell from the monkey bars at a local park and broke her wrist. It didnt look like it was broke and she stopped crying shortly after she fell but we took her to the ER just to be safe and thank goodness we did.

Going across the monkey bars with ease minutes before she fell

This was her when we left the ER (she had a soft cast on)

Laid up on the couch elevating her arm

After seeing the ortho she had to wear a plaster cast for a few days

Flowers and balloons sent from my mom, dad, and sister

He got some as well for helping take care of his sister

Her first hard cast

Swimming with hard cast #2

And finally her splint

All in all she was in some sort of cast/splint from June 21,2010 until Sept 1,2010. So glad to have that behind us.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Just call me Mrs.Butterton

2010-09-15T18:34:00.001-05:00

That's what my lovie calls me and I am going to show you why

This is a picture of the butter I bought yesterday. In my defense it was on sale and with the holidays coming up I will be using a ton of butter and honestly don't feel like getting in a fight with someone over the last pack of buttah.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Whole Wheat Oat Pancakes

2010-09-15T18:32:00.000-05:00

Here is another awesome recipe from weelicious that is a huge hit around here.

Again I double the recipe and freeze these for my daughters lunch. She just thinks its too cool for school that she gets to have a pancake or waffle sandwich while her friends eat just plain bread. If she only knew it was healthier then the bread they were eating lol. So here is whole wheat oat pancakes

What you'll need

Whole Wheat Oat Pancakes (Makes 25-30 Pancakes)

1 1/2 Cups Buttermilk
1 Egg
2 Tbsp Butter, melted
2 Tbsp Agave
3/4 Cup Quick Cooking Oatmeal
3/4 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Tsp Baking Powder
3/4 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt

*Optional Toppings: Maple Syrup, Honey, Berries or Bananas.

Directions

Place the first 4 wet ingredients in a bowl and whisk to thoroughly combine.
In a separate bowl, combine all the dry ingredients and whisk to combine.
Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture and stir until just combined (it’s okay if there are a few lumps).
Heat a large pan or griddle on medium heat and grease with butter or oil.
Drop about 2 Tbsp of the pancake mixture onto the griddle and cook for 3 minutes on each side or until golden.
Serve with desired topping(s).

* Prior to serving you can keep them warm on a sheet tray in a 250 degree oven until all the pancakes are cooked.
**Allow to cool and place in a ziploc bag, label and freeze up to 4 months. When ready, place in a toaster over or oven at 300 for 10 minutes or until heated through.

This is the only pic I have of these (also pictured graham crackers and cheese waffles). There aren't very many because Sam and I were hungry...guess I need to make another batch to freeze.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Cheese Waffles

2010-09-15T18:30:00.002-05:00

Again please check out weelicious for some awesome home made goodness.

This is the second time I have made these Cheese Waffles and each time I have doubled the recipe and froze them to use daily for Kiley's lunch instead of bread. She prefers these with cream cheese and jelly.

What you need:

Cheese Waffles (Makes 12 Waffles)

2 Cups Flour
2 Tsp Baking Powder
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Tsp Salt
2 Eggs
1 1/2 Cup Milk
3 Tbsp Vegetable or Canola Oil
1 Cup Cheddar Cheese, grated

Accompaniments: ham, scrambled eggs, bacon or as a Sandwich filled with cream cheese and turkey

Directions:
Preheat waffle iron.
Combine the first 4 ingredients in a bowl and whisk to combine.
Add the cheese and make sure to coat it with the flour mixture (this will help the cheese stay separated).
In a separate bowl, whisk the eggs, milk and oil.
Add the dry ingredients into the wet mixture and whisk to combine.
Pour about 1/3 cup of the batter into the greased waffle iron and cook 3-5 minutes.
Serve.
*After waffles have cooled, place in ziploc bag, label and freeze. Defrost or pop into a toaster oven or oven at 300 degrees for 10 minutes.

Here is a pic I found of my baby girl from her 2nd day of school finishing her cheese waffle sandwich

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

A day full of baking (graham crackers)

2010-09-15T18:30:00.000-05:00

I know I still have to tell you guys about my daughters broken wrist along with what we did with the rest of our summer but per Sasha's request I am sharing some new recipes! Right before Kiley started back to school I came across an awesome site called weelicious and they have everything from breakfast,lunch,dinner, and snack covered for healthier eating. I have tested out a few recipes and even a new one today so I thought I would share.

First off today Sam and I made home made graham crackers and they are so tasty.

What you'll need

Homemade Graham Crackers (Makes A LOT, depending on the shape you cut them in)
1 Cup Whole Wheat Flour
1 1/2 Cups All Purpose Flour
1/2 Cup Dark Brown Sugar, packed
1/2 Tsp Salt
1 Tsp Cinnamon
1 Tsp Baking Soda
1/2 Cup Butter, chilled & cubed
1/4 Cup Honey
1/4 Cup Water

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In a food processor or mixer combine the first 6 ingredients.
Add cubed and chilled butter to the mix and pulse/mix until it resembles coarse meal.
Add honey and water and continue to mix until it all combines.
Remove and shape the dough into a flat disk and place between two pieces of parchment paper.
Roll dough out until 1/4 inch thick. Cut into crackers or shapes.*
Place cookies on a Silpat or parchment lined baking sheet and bake for 15 minutes.
Cool and serve.

*To Freeze: After step 6, place the cut out cookie shapes on a baking sheet and freeze for 20 minutes. Remove, place in a Ziploc bag, label and freeze for up to 4 months. When ready to bake, follow steps 7-8.
** If you have no Whole Wheat, you can use 1 Cup Oat Bran to 2 Cups AP Flour instead of what the recipe calls for and it works perfect!

Here are some pictures of Sam and I today

We like to bake

His first time using the food processor

Buttah Love

We dont have non holiday cookie cutters (though I want some) so we opted to go for Halloween ones

Love his goofy smiles

Before baking

Fresh from the oven

Hope you will try these and tell me what you think.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Help!

2010-09-14T11:57:00.000-05:00

My birthday is in 2 weeks and today I finally decided what I wanted and when Shaun called I told him and he said,"great we can make it happen!" Then he quickly followed with,"that isn't what I was planning on but if its what you want you can get it." So of course I asked what he was planning and now I'm not sure if I want what I decided on or what he thought of. Both are something I have wanted to do for a long time...ahhh decisions decisions. So should I.......

go sky diving or get the tattoo I have wanted for a while and would be a good part of the sleeve I have been dreaming of.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Home of James Dean & Garfield

2010-09-13T12:07:00.001-05:00

This summer wasn't nearly as busy as last summer but for some reason it sure went by a lot quicker. Shortly after Kiley finished school we headed north to my hometown in Indiana (which happens to be the hometown of James Dean and the creator of Garfield Jim Davis). This trip was to see my family and most importantly watch my baby brother graduate from High School. Though somehow we missed Cadillac Ranch we did manage to see some VW bugs with the same concept outside Amarillo,Tx. The kids enjoyed running from car to car to see the different paint colors and writing. We even left our own mark on them.

Though we didn't stop in STL we did manage to snap this pic of the arch as we drove through.

Once we got to Indiana we didn't do much other then visit with family. We did manage to eat at all my favorite hometown eateries such as Pizza King and my brother even volunteered to babysit so Shaun and I could go on a date to Ivanhoe's to celebrate our 2 year wedding anniversary.

We went up to the gas station and this is what we saw....yeah this is how they roll in my town of no stop lights and brick roads lol. I later found out that my great uncle actually is the one who sells these crazy golf karts in the next town. We drove by and he even had a Hummer one lol.

This is Kiley focusing hard on what she is typing after my brother taught her how to text

Me and my gramps

My lovie and I hanging out on the hill watching the kids, my brother, and cousin roll down it a million times...yeah that's what there is to do for fun around there.

My brother and the kids

One day we did make the trek up to Indy and took the kids to the amazing children's museum! It was 4 stories tall and we spent the majority of the day there and still didn't see everything.

Can you tell he was scared?

Touching a real fossil

This was part of a triceratops fossil they were currently studying

This was a blown glass exhibit that was amazing. I really wanted to buy a piece but it was pricey and I didn't want to risk it getting broke on the long drive home.

The worlds largest etch a sketch

The feature exhibit while we were there was All things Barbie. My little princess was in a barbie fashion show and let me tell you she knew how to work the run way

We even got to take a 30 min class and learn how to make dresses for our Barbies. The end result (pink is her's and orange is mine)

And then finally we got to see my brother walk across that stage and recieve his high school diploma. It was weird being back in that school (I attended it for awhile and all of my family has gone there) and running into people I haven't seen for almost 10 years. Overall though I couldn't have been a prouder big sister and I hope this is only the beginning for him.

On our way home we stopped at the home of Abe Lincoln's father (Abe never lived there :( ) but we saw some cute little farm animals I thought Id share.

And this little guy was well disguised. I had leaned up against the fence post trying to get a snap of the little lambs when Shaun said did you even notice him?

I will be back later today to make another post about how Kiley broke her wrist and was stuck in a cast the majority of the summer.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Is anyone out there...there...there

2010-09-12T17:47:00.002-05:00

Why hello my loves Im back!! Finally after months of our internet not working the company finally sent someone out here who knew what he was doing and fixed the problem! I hope everyone had a great summer and I look forward to getting back into the swing of things. I will most likely make a couple posts back to back about things we did this summer and what is going on in our lives now.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Surprise

2010-05-27T19:49:00.000-05:00

I've mentioned several times I belong to the a local moms club and one of our ladies will be delivering a new baby girl any day now. In between my baby girls reading ceremony and graduation I squeezed in a surprise baby shower. I was sad I didnt get to stay the whole shower but managed to get some good shots while I was there.

This is Anna and I love her robot dress (Made me think of Sasha)

This would be baby JJ aka Gordito(this was after he fell asleep in my arms)

Boo Boo and his friend Benji

This is the mom to be and big sister Anna right before we surprised her (this is such a beautiful pic)

Amy and "the belly"

The kids playing pass the diaper

This is baby Kylie and she was too cute playing with the bigger kids

She is too cute for words

Shower Cake

The soon to be big sister opening a gift from us

Trying to open the bath crayons

Anna with a bow that my baby girl picked out for her

Mom to be with the onesie we bought for her new precious girl. Kiley said if she had a little sister she would want her to have this.

I know she was beyond surprised we had put this together for her. Now all we have to do is wait for her to go into labor. She is due this weekend but I guessed she wouldnt have the new bambino until the 4th of June (my anniversary) lol.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Graduation Time

2010-05-27T19:35:00.001-05:00

Hard to believe its already come and gone but my baby girl is officially a Kindergarten graduate! Seems like just yesterday I found out I was pregnant and in a few short months she is headed to 1st grade. I managed to not cry during the ceremony (mostly because I didnt want a big red puffy face in pictures) but when I watched the dvd the tears were flowing.

These are little graduation hats I made for her class

Here come the graduates

Getting her diploma

Aint she adorable?

My baby girl and her bestest best friend.

Her desk

Boo Boo giving his sister flowers

See they love each other...sometimes

Me and my baby girl

Daddy and the graduate

Her and her teacher reading the message she wrote in the card we gave her (I love this pic)

She is ready for 1st grade

Earlier that day the Kindergarten classes had a reading award ceremony and here are a few pics I snapped of her.
Getting her certificate

Getting her silver medal

So proud of her!!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Missing In Action

2010-05-27T12:23:00.000-05:00

I was doing so well with blogging until recently I went M.I.A. Life has been crazy busy around here and its only going to get worse. I will be writing a couple blogs today to catch up and hopefully I can find time to keep up. While my pictures are uploading for todays blogs Im off to clean up the house a bit and convince my girl who is feeling warm to stay in her room!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Airplanes, Trains, & Automobiles

2010-05-18T13:32:00.000-05:00

Whew the weekend flew by for us how about you? Saturday morning we got up and headed into town for the Public Works Day. This was the first time going for all of us so we werent sure what to expect but overall thought it was a nice way for the kids to learn about vehciles that were used in the city and what they were used for.

Sam inside the fire truck they use on the airfield here on post. The fireman was getting ready to turn on the hose so he was focused on watching it move.

Just one of the ways he can make it spray without even getting out of the truck

This was the nice city fireman explaining to all of us while we were inside their mock house what to do if your house catches on fire

The mock house filled with smoke so we knew to get out. At this point the child next to me starts to freak out. He proceeded to hit and kick me then nearly trample the other kids and he tried to get out.

The kids saving the city workers from drowning. This was a model that half of it showed how the city properly irrigates it wont flood and then the other half is not properly irrigated.

A mini monster fire truck

Getting fingerprinted by the local PD for a safety kit

I think he was in heaven

This was the shaded sand pit they had for kids. Notice the mini trucks and trash can...too cute!

After a few hours checking out everything we headed home so the kids could take a quick nap and then we were off to a birthday party for one of the kids in the Moms Club. Nothing beats getting all the kids together to play so the moms can have adult conversation. While we were out my lovie was enjoying his Dads Day Out and went to see Iron Man 2. By the time we got home it was bedtime for the kids and I was beyond worn out so I joined them.

Sunday we woke up and decided to head back into town and check out the local model train open house. As we were pulling onto the road we were a bit unsure because all we saw were run down trailers. Not that this town is much better but I just didnt expect it to be located where it was. Overall though the kids enjoyed seeing all the different models they had there.

I think he has a new obsession

Part of the models inside. The guys by the hanger were welding with lights and sounds.

How was your weekend?

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Buns In My Oven

2010-05-17T19:51:00.000-05:00

.......No not me her. I found Karly through Tasty Kitchen Blog and today she posted a wonderful recipe that I just had to try....Peanut Butter Banana Cake with Chocolate Frosting. Doesnt that just sound delish?? Oh and since I made it today I just wanted to tell you its easy peasy!

What You'll Need
•1 cup butter, softened

•1 cup sugar

•2 eggs

•1 teaspoon vanilla

•1/2 cup buttermilk (or just regular milk with a splash of vinegar)

•3 medium bananas, mashed

•1/3 cup peanut butter

•2 cups flour

•1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda

•1/2 teaspoon cinnamon

•1/4 teaspoon salt

•1 cup walnuts, optional (mix in the batter with the bananas or sprinkle on top of the frosting)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat together the sugar and butter until light and fluffy. Beat in eggs, vanilla, peanut butter.
In a separate bowl (or your mixing cup if you don’t want to dirty another bowl), combine the flour, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt.
Add flour and buttermilk alternately to the batter. Stir in bananas.
Pour batter into a greased 9×13 pan and bake for 30-35 minutes or until a tester comes out clean.
Cool completely before frosting.

Her Mama's Chocolate Frosting
•1 cup white sugar

•6 tbsp butter

•6 tbsp milk

•1/2 cup chocolate chips (milk chocolate or semi-sweet)

Directions

Add sugar, butter, and milk to a small saucepan over medium heat and bring to a boil. Boil for exactly 60 seconds and remove from heat.
Stir in chocolate chips and continue stirring until the chocolate has melted. Use frosting immediately as it will harden quickly.
Makes about 2 cups and will frost a 9×13 pan of whatever delicious treat you’re baking.

Family Review: They LOVED it!!!

So I hope you will go check out her blog and her other wonderful creations! Thanks Karly for sharing with us!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Bacon Cheeseburger Roll Ups

2010-05-10T21:54:00.000-05:00

I've made this for at least three years now and my family loves it. Its quick and simple for when you need something in a pinch. Ive made several times for when we have games to go to and I will let them cool and place them in tupperware to eat during the game.

{Source}

What You'll Need

1 lb lean ground beef
4 slices of bacon, chopped
1 small onion, chopped
1/2 lb (8 oz) Velveeta Cheese, cut into 1/2 inch cubes
1 package (13.8 oz) refrigerated pizza crust

Directions

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Brown ground beef with bacon and onions in large skillet on medium-high heat; drain. Return meat mixture to skillet. Add VELVEETA; cook 5 min. or until melted, stirring frequently. Cool 10 min
Unroll dough onto baking sheet sprayed with cooking spray. Press into 15x8-inch rectangle; top with meat mixture. Roll up, starting at one long side. Rearrange if necessary so roll is seam-side down.
Bake 20 to 25 min. or until golden brown.

We usually serve it with fries or tater tots.I hope if you try it you will love it as much as our family does.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Mascarpone and Marmalade Stuffed French Toast

2010-05-10T20:13:00.000-05:00

I was lucky enough to wake up to this delicious meal cooked by my lovie on Mothers Day and I thought I'd share it with you guys.

{Source}

What you'll need

6 eggs
1/2 C heavy cream
1/2 orange,juiced
1.5 t orange zest
1/2 t ground cinnamon
1/4 t freshly grated nutmeg
1/2 t vanilla extract
3 T sugar
1/4 t salt
8 slices (3/4 inch) day old brioche
16 t mascarpone
8 t orange marmalade
2 T butter
Confectioners sugar for dusting
Maple Syrup for serving

Directions

In a mixing bowl whisk together the eggs, cream, orange juice, zest, cinnamon, nutmeg, vanilla, sugar, and salt.
Lay the brioche slices flat on a clean work surface. Spread 1 side of each slice with 2 teaspoons of the mascarpone. Spread 2 teaspoons of the marmalade over the mascarpone on half of the slices. Place the slices together to form 4 sandwiches.
Working 1 at a time, dip the sandwich in the egg mixture, letting it sit about 1 1/2 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate and repeat with the remaining sandwiches
Preheat a large nonstick skillet over low heat. Add 1 tablespoon of the butter. When the butter has melted, add 2 of the sandwiches and cook until golden brown on both sides, about 5 minutes per side. Repeat with the remaining butter and sandwiches.
Cut the French toast "sandwiches" in half and serve hot, dusted with powdered sugar and drizzled with maple syrup, as desired.

I hope you guys will try it out and be as pleased as I was.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T23:28:00.000-05:00

This morning I woke up to my little ones running in the room to say Happy Mothers Day!! It was too cute because I had already been awake for at least 30 minutes but I pretended to be asleep so they could "wake" me up. Then we had a nice family breakfast cooked by my lovie. He made Mascapone Marmalade Stuffed French Toast. It was very delish and I will be posting the recipe tomorrow. After a nice family breakfast my wonderful lovie cleaned the whole kitchen and we decided what to do for the rest of the day. Initially I thought we should stay home and clean the house but what mom wants to clean on mothers day? We have been trying to find the perfect piece of decor to place over the couch so we looked online at a few places and decided to venture out to Tucson today and take a look. We stopped at JC Penney home store who was having a fabulous sale but alas nothing that caught our eye. We also went to Stein Mart, Pier 1, and Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Of course on our last stop was when we found the winner. Though it isnt exactly what I had in mind it works and we both like it (that is hard to accomplish)! Once we were done shopping the kids and hubs surprised me with a late lunch to Olive Garden. It was packed but overall worth the wait. We havent ate there since we left Texas seven months ago. Living in a small town isnt good if you like to eat out lol. After dinner we stopped by Cheesecake Factory and picked up a few slices to take home. Hey when you live over an hour away from normal city amenities you have to fit it all in when you can. I was so happy to get home just in time to bathe the kids and settle into the couch just in time to watch Army Wives.

As some of you know my lovie and I have been trying to have our first child together ever since he returned from Afghanistan last summer. Next month marks the one year mark and we still havent been successful. Before all of this I thought I could understand how others who had the same issue felt but I was wrong. Unless you have been in the shoes of not being able to concieve whether it be for 1 year or 10 years you dont understand. I think I handle my emotions pretty well but today I just cant help but be sad. I am so lucky to have my two wonderful children as I know some people dont even get that but I just want to share a child with my husband. Something that is a little bit of him and a little bit of me. Is that too much to ask? Hopefully if we dont get a BFP this month next month at my yearly check up the Dr can point me in the right direction for some answers.

I hope the rest of you guys had as great of a mothers day as I did whether your a mommy, mommy to be, or mommy to a furbaby!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Ouch!

2010-05-07T21:43:00.000-05:00

Today my lovie had the afternoon off so we decided to head in town to a tattoo parlor and get my nose pierced (for the 3rd time). The first one we stopped at didnt have a piercer in today so we headed off to the one down the road. Being that it was my 3rd time I figured for sure I knew how it would feel but boy was I wrong. He put a cork thing in my nose which I hadnt experienced the other two times and then the needle. OUCH! I had tears rolling my face. Good thing it was over quickly but I would never have him pierce me again lol. Im just glad to have my nose pierced again. Tomorrow I think we are headed to Tombstone (yes the real Tombstone) and Sunday my hubby is making me some top secret breakfast and I cant wait. Hope you all have a good weekend and shout out to all the moms Happy Mothers Day.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

New do

2010-05-06T17:15:00.000-05:00

When my lovie asked me what I would like for Mothers Day I replied with a trip to the salon to get my hair done and to get my nose pierced (for the 3rd time). Well since he graduated from his class yesterday and doesnt start his next one until Monday I thought I better take advantage of it while I can. So I made an appointment and got my hair did today. I love it! I honestly cant express how happy I am to have found my hair dresser. She is young, hip, and really knows her hair. In fact Im off to take my girly girl to see her in just a few minutes. So I will leave you with a pic of the new do and I hope you like it as much as I do. If not oh well...lol.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Mexican Fried Ice Cream Cupcakes

2010-05-05T22:50:00.000-05:00

This is another recipe I found over on Tasty Kitchen. Though Im not sure where the name came from because there is no ice cream or frying involved, but they were delish!

What you'll need

1 3/4C flour
2C sugar
2 t cinnamon
3/4C cocoa powder
1t kosher salt
1C buttermilk
1/2C vege oil
2 whole large eggs, room temp
1t vanilla
1C hot fresh brewed coffee
1 can (16 oz) white frosting
1/2 jar(about 12 oz) caramel ice cream topping
1/3 C crushed graham cracker
1/4 C crushed corn flakes
whipped cream to dollop on top of frosted cupcakes
2 whole flour tortillas
1/3 C cinnamon sugar(for tortillas)

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees and spray a muffin pan with baking spray.
Sift flour, sugar,cinnamon, cocoa, baking soda, baking powder, and salt into a bowl with a paddle attachement. Mix until combined.
In another bowl combine buttermilk, oil, eggs and vanilla.
With the mixer on low slowly add wet ingredients to dry. With the mixer stil on low, add teh coffee and combine. Scrape sides if needed.
Pour batter into the tins and bake until a tester comes out clean about 22 minutes. Cool on wire rack.
Mixed canned white frosting and caramel topping and frost cooled cupcakes.
Roughly crush graham crackers and corn flakes in a ziplock bag. Just roll the cupcake edges into your crumbs and top with a dollop of whipped cream. Finish it off with your cinnamon tortilla chips.

Cinnamon tortilla chips

Cut up tortillas into triangles like a pizza
Lay them on a baking sheet and spray them with butter
Sprinkle with cinnamon sugar
Bake them at 350 until they crisp up about 4-6 minutes.

Family review: They are FABULOUS!!!!!

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Sassy Mexican Soup

2010-05-05T22:35:00.001-05:00

I got this recipe from Tasty Kitchen.

What you'll need

6 T olive oil, or to coat bottom of pan
1 whole sweet onion,chopped
4 garlic cloves minced
1 whole red bell pepper, chopped
2 cups red potatoes chopped small
2 packages (16 oz) Kielbasa, chopped roughly
1 whole rotisserie chicken, shredded
2 cans (14.5 oz) diced fire roasted tomatoes
1 can (10 oz) rotel
1 can (15 oz) sweet corn, drained
1 can (15 oz) kidney beans, drained
1 bottle of beer
2C chicken stock
2 pinches of red pepper flakes, if you want
salt and pepper to taste
sour cream to serve
cilantro chopped roughly to serve
3 cups shredded cheese of choice to serve
tortilla chips or warm crusty bread

Instructions

Start by sauteing the onions and garlic in olive oil
When softened, add the red peppers
When softened, add potatoes
After five minutes, add keilbasa and chicken
After five minutes add the tomatoes(undrained), corn, and kidney beans
Add in the beer (you can substitute chicken stock) fill the rest of the way with chicken stock. (if you need a little more or less stock its ok)
Add the red pepper flakes and salt and pepper
Let simmer for at least 20 minutes.
Top with sour cream,cilantro, and cheese.

Family Review: We LOVED this!! My lovie isnt a fan of veggies but he ate two large bowls of this. It makes a ton and Im freezing the leftovers.

Peace&Love,
Mrs.C

Chicken Enchiladas

2010-05-04T21:47:00.000-05:00

This goes great with the homemade salsa.

What you'll need

Chopped up boneless skinless chicken breast
Tortillas
Cheddar Cheese
Queso dip
Enchilada Sauce
Sour Cream
Salsa (she used her homemade kind)

Directions
Cook the chicken until it is no longer pink in the center. Add to the chicken 1 can of enchilada sauce and half the jar of queso dip. Cook for about 3 minutes. Place chicken mixture into tortillas and roll up and place seem side down in baking dish. Pour remaining mixture over the top of the tortillas and top with cheddar cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 15 minutes or until cheese is melted. Top with sour cream and salsa if desired.

These were fabulous!! In fact they are on our menu for next week. Hope you will try them.

Peace&Love,
Mrs. C