Credits

Just giving credit to Traci Sims (Christmas Freebie kit) for some of my blog header elements as well as Shabby Princess (Holiday Magic kit). My blog header seems to be the only digi-scrapping I do nowadays!

Lookie, Lookie!!

Look who crawled for the 1st time tonight!! It only took her 8 months and 5 days. :) It won't be long now before she's all over the place! Now I need to find one of those big octagonal baby gate thingys to contain her. There are just too many little toys. I'm so excited I got it on video though. I just happened to be sitting there taking pics of her when it happened. I had sat her up on the floor to play with her and brought out a bunch of the boys' baby toys. Next thing I know she's on her hands and knees reaching for a toy. I called dh over and he thinks this is probably the first time he's seen any of our kids crawl for the 1st time. Here are some pics and video!

Can I give thanks...

That Thanksgiving is over? Phew. Everyone just left and I have peace and quiet once again. When my family is over, we talk and laugh. When his family is over, everyone hangs out on the couch and watches a movie. A loud movie since half of them are deaf apparently. And they always bring uninvited guests. Every. Single. Year. It's common courtesy to just let the hostess know you're bringing someone, right? MIL didn't even know they were coming. It usually irks the hell out of me but I just let it roll this year. I just planned for extra food.

Dinner was good though and I got mucho compliments on my food. I'm so full. Time to get back on the WW wagon! I tried not to overdo it tonight though.

What else...I watched a bootleg copy of Twilight last night (flame me if you want). It was a very poor quality picture so I def want to see it again in full color and light. It was that bad. I really liked the movie though. I went into it knowing I always like the book better and I would have added some scenes and possibly taken others out but it was good! I really hope they can put more money into the next movie and make it even better. Dh watched with me since I'm always talking about the books and he even enjoyed it. He went and dowloaded the audio books right after! :) He's not a reader so audio books are about the only way I can get him to *read* a book.

That's it for our weekend so far. Tomorrow is unplanned as of yet but I'm sure you'll read all about it if we actually do something!

Exhausted

Why am I sooo tired tonight? I didn't do much of anything today. I didn't fight any crowds at 5am. In fact, I was home all day for the most part. Dh had to work but got off early so we went by Gamestop for their B2G1 used game free sale and then we went to Mimi's Cafe for dinner. That's it. I could barely drag myself off the couch to drive to Publix tonight to get more green beans for tomorrow's Thanksgiving dinner and I still have a lot of prep work to do as well as clean the kitchen. Ugh. I need a nap.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Just put me in the oven because I'm stuffed! Way too much food but man was it good! Everyone has gone home now and Bella is in bed. And I get to do it all again on Saturday!

Bella had her first taste of pumpkin pie, turkey and gravy, cranberries and who know what else. I think she really liked the pumpkin pie. I have pictures to prove it! She only had little tastes so hopefully there will be no upset tummy tonight.

Logan was funny. He kept coming back for a piece of this pie or that pie. Oh and I want to try that cobbler and this cobbler. (Yes we had a LOT of dessert!! 2 pumpkin, 1 apple, 1 shaker lemon (blech!! came out bitter), blackberry cobbler & peach cobbler). And don't forget the whipped cream. My Aunt told him to say *When* as she was squirting it and she kept going and going and going and he never said when! LOL He also started a new tradition. Instead of the blessing he (and this was on his own) asked everyone what they were thankful for. It was really sweet. It was hilarious when he told Ian that Ian should be thankful for him (Logan).

It was a nice day and I'm thankful I have a great family, awesome friends, a roof over our heads, food in our bellies and we are all healthy and happy.

After Dinner Nap


Our new photo wall and my garland


General silliness before dinner


Oohhh what's that?


I think I'll try it.


Mmm this is good!


I want some more. How do I open this thing?


Forget it! I'll chew thru the top if you won't give me more.


More desserts!

Sweet Hubby

Dh went out Christmas shopping during his lunch hour yesterday. He got sucked in by one of those kiosk people and ended buying so much stuff(some for gifts too). He hemmed and hawed about it for a while and then decided just to give it to me last night. LOL It's from Seacret. It's a line of mineral lotions and salts (and other stuff) for your body. I tried the Peeling Mask Cleanser last night then the Mud Mask and the Face Cream and I swear my pores looked smaller today and my blackheads are gone or lighter. I used the Salt Scrub and Body Cream this morning and I still smell good. I'll keep trying it and report back!

I. Want. That. Camera.

Bella really wants my camera.

8 months old

I didn't realize it until tonight but Bella is officially 8 months old today. She's getting so big already. I was able to buy her some bigger shoes yesterday at Target. She has room to grow into them too (mainly for keeping her tootsies warm now). She's sitting up so much better although she still can't get up there by herself yet. She's close to crawling. She just hasn't made her move yet. She's a happy girl most of the day, just don't make her wait for her food! LOL

I took some pics today but my ISO was still set on high from Phantom so they came out really grainy. I'll try to take some more tomorrow. Here's a video though!

Babywearing Motrin Stupidity

I read about this a week or two ago I guess. I just never blogged about it. None of my IRL friends have mentioned it so I'm unsure if it's reached their ears yet so here I am to spout off about it!

Motrin put THIS ad out and boy oh boy did they catch flack for it! The snarky tone and the message had me fired up. Did they not do a focus group or survey any babywearing moms? Apparently not. To make it even worse, they put the ad out during International Babywearing Week. Oh my.

I love to wear Bella. I'll readily admit I love the attention and compliments I get when wearing her, but I do NOT wear her as a fashion statement(although my carriers are cute! LOL). She's not an accessory to my ensemble. I am also not in pain when wearing her. If you're in pain, you're wearing the wrong carrier or just wearing the right carrier wrong. Wearing my baby does not make me look tired and crazy. In fact, it keeps both her and I calm. I have my hands free to shop or do things with the boys and she loves to look around. She usually naps in it as well. And really? Now I'm an *official* mom? Whatever. I was an official mom the minute I conceived.

Motrin I know you've apologized but from now on, I hope you do a bit more research into your target audience. Maybe you meant for this ad to come off as sympathetic but you missed the mark.

So Wut

Dh and I saw this car last weekend on the way home from Phantom. We passed by them and I told dh I wish I had had the camera out. Lo and behold, they were going the same way and ended up catching up with us. When I saw them in the rearview mirror I told dh to get the camera out quick! There were actually two cars and you mcan see a piece of the other in the mirror. I think the rest of the car says something like *2 outlaw 6*. This has to be the silliest car I've ever seen. I remember when I was younger that the big fat tires on a low car were in. This is worse by far IMO. Nice rims though. :)

Salon Saturday

A few weeks ago I posted about doing something drastic. I erased it nearly right afterwards because I started researching what I was thinking about and realized I wouldn't be able to it without a lot of maintenance. Maintenance that would cost me much moola.

So this is what I did instead...

BEFORE:


AFTER:


My original plan was to go red. Well, more auburn than red. Instead I went back to my roots and ended up with a more chocolatey color, actually called cinnamon. It will take some getting used to but I really like it. I think my eyes really pop. The best part is that my stylist/colorist knows what it's like to be a mom and not have a lot of money and pointed me in the right direction for touch ups from a box. I did splurge and get a good shampoo though so this doesn't fade too fast. I know it may take a few times to *take*.

What do you think??

Thanksgiving

I'm not sure what to even do this turkey day. It's a weird one for me. I'm so used to my entire family being around and with my parents split now and my sister and her family living with my dad, it's really awkward. So this year it's my mom, aunt, mom's bff and our family. That's it. It's like we've been split down the middle. Ugh. I'll make the best of it though.

Here's what I have planned so far for dinner:

Cajun Turkey from HBH
Smashed Garlic Potatoes
Stuffing
Garlic Parmesan green beans
Gravy
Fresh cranberry sauce
Crescent Rolls

I'll let someone else bring desserts. Dh wants peach cobbler. We'll see what we get! I'm sure my Aunt will be bringing one of her two side dish recipes she brings every. single. year. I don't like either of them (shudders). Some people do though so I guess it's all good.

Less that a week to go!

Twilight Movie Reviews

Parts II and III are up on the blog if you're interested.

Cullen Interview (Twilight)

Check it out HERE. I love that they've signed on for 3 movies! I hope this movie is a huge success (which I expect it will be) so we get to see the next book on the big screen.

Twilight Movie Reviews

They are starting to roll in after pre-screenings last night. I'm soooo excited to see this movie. Here's is Part 1 of a review by a TwilightMom.

WARNING: There may be spoilers involved. I didn't see anything I didn't already know but here's fair warning. Okay, here's Part 1. Keep checking back for Part 2.

I've also been reading some messages from Twilight Moms who saw the screening last night. If you want to read those messages (and there ARE spoilers!), go HERE.

No matter what anyone says, I'm going into this knowing that they will never make a movie as good as the book. Never.

Super Easy, Yummy Recipe!!

(I made this tonight adding some apple pie spice and it was yummy! Much like apple pie without all the peeling!)

SUPER-DUPER APPLE CAKE

Cake:
1 box white cake mix (I used a butter cake mix)
1 1/2 cups applesauce (I used unsweetened)

Glaze:
4 tablespoons butter
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup powdered sugar
1/4 cup of milk

For Cake:
Preheat oven to 350. Spray pan with cooking spray.
Mix cake mix with applesauce until smooth. May take more or less applesauce. Use at own discretion. Pour mixture into a 9X9 inch baking pan. Bake for 30 to 45 minutes or until cake tests done.

For Glaze:
Melt butter in a sauce pan. Add the remaining ingredients for the icing, stirring rapidly with a wire whisk until smooth. Pour over warm cake.


My notes from tonight are in italics. The other notes are from the original poster.

• The cake mix powder is mixed with applesauce ONLY, do not prepare the cake according to the directions on the box!
• Many people poked holes in the baked cake before adding the topping. It tastes a bit different, but is not necessary. The Glaze is VERY runny, but don't worry, it's supposed to be! Make the glaze right after you put the cake in the oven. It will thicken up a little bit. I dare you to keep your fingers out of it though, it's that good!!
• The recipe calls for a 9x9 pan, but I used a 9x13 and it was great. I've heard the 9x9 can lead to the glaze spilling.
• I added Apple Pie Spice to my cake batter. Probably 1-2 tsps worth (just sprinkled it, didn't measure). It tasted like apple pie without all the work of actually peeling apples! We ate it with vanilla ice cream, yum!!

Tuesday (not so) Fun

Poor baby. She's been coughing for the past 2 days but this morning she started coughing up green stuff. Blech. Her nose is running clear though. She does have a slight fever so I'm keeping her at home and even gave her some Tylenol. She needs some sleep but right now she's fighting it. I went around the house and sprayed Clorox Anywhere spray everywhere today! By God I'm going to get rid of this bug if it kills me! And I better not catch it either. I have a relaxing few hours planned at the salon on Saturday (my last time for a very long time- back to the box I go I think after this. UGH!!) and I want to enjoy them!

Is This Normal??

Ugh. Logan is driving me crazy. He snuck a donut yesterday and lied about it. He got a timeout and a lecture. This afternoon he came to me and asked if he could have a snack. I said yes and even opened it for him(Reeses Snackster). I came out to the kitchen and noticed an empty yogurt container in the trash bag. Hmm Ian didn't eat it(he was asleep) and neither did I so I called him on it.

"Oh it fell out of the fridge".
Uh huh. Where did it fall?
(points to the floor)
How did you clean it up?
"With a paper towel"
I look in the trash. No towel.
"There are no paper towels in there." (He should be a poker player with his straight face.) The cup is clearly empty PLUS there's yogurt ON his face!

THEN I notice the Mini Oreo package he got on Halloween in the trash bag which I know was on the counter earlier and I notice just how dirty his white shirt has gotten since he got home (he had on a sweater all day). I guess he wiped the oreo evidence from his hands onto his shirt.

OMG. Now he's had 3 snacks and lied about two of them in all of 20 minutes. So he got a timeout. I turned my back to feed Bella and he scooted his butt into the tv room to watch tv. Good heavens he wants to try me now. This time he gets timeout and no tv the rest of the day. I went to turn it off and he grabs my leg and holds on so I have to drag him with me to turn the damn thing off. I got him off of me and then he starts in on the guilt trips. LOL "You're not my friend anymore. You hurt my feelings". Oh geez. After his time was over we had a little chat about lying and sneaking/stealing food since there's no reason for him to do so. Have you seen this kid? It's not like he's starving over here.

So back to my questions. Is lying at age 6 normal? Is sneaking around and trying to do things behind mom's back normal? He's obviously not good at lying despite his poker face since he left evidence everywhere. He doesn't get it that Mom. Knows. Everything.

I've warned him too that Santa is watching him. I think our Elf may need to make an appearance sooner rather than later so he can start reporting all the goings-on in our house to the big guy himself!

Cute Alert!!

Have you seen this video cam??? How cute are they??

These are Shiba Inu pups. There are 6 of them- 3 girls, 3 boys. Here's the link to tell you all about them.

I want one!! ;)

Goose Egg?

My boys are always smacking into something- or one another- and getting some bruise or bump. I've always put ice packs/gel packs on them to bring any swelling down. I learned a new trick recently though and it was amazing how well it worked!

Logan smacked his head and cheek on his bunk bed today. It immediately started swelling so dh grabbed the ice pack. I ran to my PC because I had just read a tip about this very thing and I wanted to find it again and try it. You pour salt in a bowl and add just enough water to make a paste. Apply it to the bump and it will bring the swelling down faster than ice AND you won't hear any complaints about it being too cold. We just let it dry on there and we had plenty left so we did it once more. No more swelling! He doesn't even have a knot on his head although he does have a mark (forehead) and a bruise (cheek). Try it next time your kid takes a tumble!