A Little Bit O' Christmas 2011

It was great seeing Santa!

A right, cute, jolly little boy.

A baker deluxe- did her own Christmas Tree Cake.

The big one of our Christmas trees.

Our blessings -not in disguise here :-)

All Boy / All Girl:

...and both sooo cute.

The Smuge-ster

aka:  Smudge, Smudgie, Smudge-puppy, Smudge-pie

March 7, 2005 - Nov. 16th, 2011

 

One of the sweetest.

I saw her come into the world ...and saw her go out.

No words...

An Iron in a Bottle

What WILL they come up with next?!?  I got this stuff on a whim thinking, "Ahhh, really??" ...and Holy Ironing Board... they put an iron in a bottle and made it liquid.  A.MA.ZING!
 

Typical Weekend Morning... (of which, the pups are used to)

...before we go out & about our day, this is how we start our day on the weekend.

What are you looking at ?!?

Haven't you ever seen a toddler with food in his hair?!?

Stumbled upon Expression

When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart and you shall see that, in truth, you are weeping for that which has been your delight.

Khalil Gibran

Dog Tired...

Laddy

This is a Blogger test...

...if this post, then Yahooo!!!! ... I have had Blogger issues.

Our Latest Addition:

No, it's not these two.

(We added them some 5 & 1.5 years ago... and boooooy, if you could cage them, I'd have more of these crates around the house. Okay, no I wouldn't, just kidding.  However, they both threw a fit to BE locked in it.  IT was paraphernalia for our new addition.).

They asked for it.


And here he is, the third child in our home...

Isn't he cute!?!

My Sweet Lumps...

Bah-Deee-Uh!

Bah-Deee-Uh:  a sound that comes from a certain 19 month old boy when calling for his blanket that HE just threw on the floor (from his playpen or crib) for the UMTEENTH time.

Thank Goodness he's so cute!

Whoa... check out my sis!

...actually, thinking about that further, now that it's been typed... makes me nervous about the future.



Two of my FAVORITE & EASY Recipes...

....that we have had SOOO many times in the last number of months.  My husband and I love both because they are both cool and fresh - especially when it's hot outside.  The first recipe (mousse) is one that I came up with kind of accidental like and then refined.  The second one, I found online and tweaked/added to.

Why?? are these in my "favorites" file??

Because:

1. They are YUMMY!

2. They are SO EASY.

Blueberry Mousse

• 4 C (1 lb) blueberries
• 1 large box blueberry Jello
• 1 can sweetened condensed milk
• 1 -8oz tub cool whip

In a large bowl, make the Jello with 1/2 the water called for (1 c boiling & 1 c cool water instead of 4 total cups).  Then add cool whip (if it hasn't thawed, that's okay-will just take more stirring to melt).  Then add sweetened condensed milk.  Stir/mix all until smooth.  Pour into decorative glasses and leave about an inch at the top.  Divide and add blueberries.  They normally sink somewhat or you can push them down with a butter knife a bit if you want.  Chill for a couple of hours and they're ready!

My kids and husband love this. It is a hit in our home.  I'm going to do strawberries next time... just change the fruit and jello flavor, my guess is it will be just as yummy. 


























Texas Caviar

• 1 can Black Beans (drained/rinsed)
• 1 can Black Eyed Peas (drained)
• 1 can whole kernel Corn (drained)
• 1 can Mild Rotel
• 1 can 'Mexican Cilantro & Lime' Rotel
• 1 can mushrooms stems/pieces (drained)
• 4 oz (1/2 C) Zesty Italian Dressing

(Not my pic, but looks similar)



Mix all thoroughly and ... there you have it!  If you're not a mushroom fan, leave it out.  It's something that I added after 'playing around' with this recipe.  And/or you can do different Rotel flavors to your liking too.

On a chip, cracker, over chips or crackers OR BY ITSELF, this stuff is great!  I must say, by itself is how this is how been eaten quite frequently in our home.  Hey, this is cool zesty eating that is not 'bad' for you.  We absolutely LOVE it.

Hope someone out there in the land of Internet abyss tries and enjoys!

Cherubs watching Sesame Street

Sweetness abound...

He is all boy. Really, he is.

But still, this is too cute to not share:  Mr. C in Miss E's shoes...

E & C -isms

     Mr. C. has started to say some things, so I've included a few herein.

E:  I love times like this. (sitting on stone culvert w/ Smudge, coming back from getting mail)

E:  When I smell yummy smells, the slobber just droops out of both side of my mouth.

C: (pointing to windmill/flags) ..."tar, tar..tar" (on the ceiling of his room, he has glow in the dark starts I've put up).

E had a dream that she was embarrassed to tell me about ( I made sure I didn't laugh even though it was very cute)... her dream was that she was a sister to the "wild Kratts" (a PBS kid's show with two real brothers that changes them into animated versions of themselves having animal adventures).

(E after a loose stool and looking at a tissue in the toilet that I wiped her with...)
E: There's blood on that tissue. I think I'm in puberty now.
Me: No, that's not blood.
E: Oh, it's poop juice?

C: Helllllllllloooe

E: Her DNA messed up she has nipples growing out of her leg. (Noticed Smudge 'had some skin sticking out').

C: (some random things he says):  Mmmm-oe-rrr, bird, dog, kee-ki, momma, daddy, Emma.
     [C is at the stage where he:  throws food, takes it out of mouth, opens/gets into everything, hits, goes to hand me things & pulls back and laughs.]

E: Momma, I have a photo album in my brain. And I can also watch movies when I'm not watching them on the computer. And I can even listen to them... shhhh, I'm listening to one right now.

(while cleaning the windshield while driving)
Me: Ewww... look how dirty the windshield is.
E: look at the bug guts, but not just bug guts... their lungs...and...
Me: Yes, when people say bug guts, they mean the whole thing; their lungs, antennae...
E: Well, not all bugs have antenna.
       (must I quality myself on everything?? ...and "ps" ...I know bugs don't have "lungs' per se.  Just qualifying myself.  Geees, must be genetic. :-) )

E: Why do roses smell?

E: Gotta go poo-poo... energize... ... activate poo-poo power.
(this child has been watching way too much "Wild Krats").

Conversation on the way to swim lessons:
M: Hold on, got to call Grandma... I call my mommy all the time, don't I?
E: Yeah.
Me: do you think you'll do that when you get to mommy's age?
E: I don't think I'll be something, I think I'll stay and live with you.
M: Well, you'll have your own home and decorate it your own way and put up whatever pictures you want.
E: I will make my home completely of Unicorns.

E:  How do engines make cars move?

E:  Let me know that she wanted to talk about spirits, God and Smidgen dying and missing her.

(May 6th -E has a loose tooth) In evening getting ready for bed, E comes back teary eyed and tells me that she doesn't want to lose her tooth b/c that mean she's getting older and growing up and if she's getting older and growing up, that means I'm getting older and then I'm going to die and she doesn't want me to die. Told her not to worry about it, that I planned to be here a long time. She says, Are you sure? (geees).. then says, It's okay mommy, I'll take care of you when you shrink.

E:  I want to live where the mustangs live and Daddy can bring a hammer, nails, wood and a saw and build a house and I would like a horse that looks like Spirit. When I grow up, I will live where the mustangs live and you and daddy can live with me and you (mommy) can be my child -and I will name you princess (yesterday, it was 'Kate').

E walks in with her chin slightly tipped down and says, "Momma, I know it Mother's day... sorry to tell you, but you're going to have to go get your gloves."   (.. I told E I would mush through her poop to find her first tooth that was swallowed when she lost it and she was letting me know that she had to go to the potty).
:-~

Easter Weekend 2011...

....at a club near us that has an Egg Hunt every year. Turned out the drain here was our stand for many pics.

I know, Mr. C is in none of posed pics below (he was with momma).

Daddy & Miss E...

Grandma & Miss E...

Grandpa & Miss E...

And Mr. C!...

Then, with these eggs below that we colored (and a few others plastic ones with goodies inside), we had the official Easter Egg Hunt (Easter Morning) that the Easter Bunny had orchestrated.

Checking out our stash after the hunt!

See ya later!

Oh My Gosh ...and she's Only Four!

Yes, she is only four and she has lost her first tooth.  Went to the dentist and all looks great/normal... she is just "very advanced".  Gees, that would be music to most parents' ears... but maybe not so much when it comes to "physically-speaking" (and it's just another reminder that Father-Time is running).

:-)

Did you know...?...

....that you can nurse an elephant?

...that shoes taste great?

...and that sleeping sideways is quite comfy?

I can only hope that they grow to have a bond even stronger as adults...





The Children's Museum Diet

Within a week and a half:

My husband lost 22 lbs.
I lost 15 lbs.
My daughter had to go to TX Children's hospital and get hooked up to IV fluids
and
My son, faired best, with a fever.

Children's Museum Diet~ a.k.a.:  Viral gastroenteritis~ a.k.a.: gut bug~ a.k.a.: severe diarrhea

Sleeping Sweeties...

Quote:

In the best of times, our days are numbered anyway.  So it would be a crime against nature for any generation to take the world crisis so solemnly, that it put off enjoying those things for which we were designed in the 1st place:  the opportunity to do good work, to enjoy friends, to fall in love, to hit a ball, and to bounce a baby.
~Alistair Cooke

Miracles Happen

from AP News...
The photo, below, shows a Japanese soldier right after he discovered a four-month-old baby in the rubble in the village of Ishinomaki. The soldiers somehow managed to locate the baby's father, who thought his baby had washed away with the tsunami's waves, and reunite them. "Her discovery has put a new energy into the search," a civil defence official told The Daily Mail. "We will listen, look and dig with even more diligence after this."