Friday, October 31, 2008

The Princess and The Titan








For Halloween 2008 we went to a Halloween party put on by some friends from church. The kids had a blast eating and then trick or treating. Their neighborhood was nice because all the houses were close together. CG was, of course, a princess. I even got out all her makeup, stick on earrings, and hair sparkles. She and I had a fun makeup session. She loved all the sparkles. HJ was a Tennessee Titan. The kids are now passed out in their beds from a sugar coma! Enjoy the pics!

Thursday, October 30, 2008

Spiders Everywhere!


Okay, well they aren't anywhere but in my kitchen and I don't have a problem with these spiders! I signed up to bring cookies to CG's Halloween party at school tomorrow. So our project this morning was making these adorable cookie spiders. We both had a ball and they turned out so cute! I haven't tried one but the dough was good. She is so proud to take these to school tomorrow.
The recipe came from the All You magazine.

1 1/4 cups flour
6 TBSP unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
10 TBSP unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 large egg
1 tsp vanilla
sprinkles (about 1 cup)
M&Ms
pretzel sticks broken in half

Preheat oven to 350. Line two baking sheets with parchment. Whisk together flour, cocoa, baking soda, and salt.

Cream butter and sugar until fluffy. Beat in egg and vanilla until smooth. Beat in flour mixture.

Roll a teaspoonful of dough into a ball and roll in sprinkles. Repeat with remaining dough, putting 9 balls on each baking sheet. Press lightly to flatten each ball. Place two M&Ms for eyes and 8 pieces of pretzels for legs on each spider.

Bake for 12 minutes. Let cookies set on baking sheet and then transfer to cooling rack.

This is a great kitchen project to do with little ones. She loved breaking the pretzels, putting them in and then putting the eyes on and of course dumping in ingredients! She is so proud of her spiders!

It is so sad

At HJ's school they have fire and tornado drills. That is completely understandable as those are natural disasters. We even did those when I was in school. However, now there is a whole new drill that is just heartbreaking to me in its need. They call it the bad guy drill. It is practicing what to do should someone make it inside his school with the intent to hurt. His school has a great security system in place but just the fact that we are in a place in society where this new type of drill is a need, breaks my heart.

Monday, October 27, 2008

Pumpkin Patch





I took the kids to a local pumpkin patch last week. This patch is a lot more than a pumpkin patch as they had hay bales to climb on, tire swings, a corn maze, and lots more. The kids were not in the mood to get their pictures made so I only have a few to show. They just weren't having any of it.

Saturday, October 25, 2008

I am a Winner!

I know you guys already know this about me but hey it is nice to have it confirmed every now and then! Ha! Ha! But I am so excited, I just won a giveaway on a blog! I never win anything and I won! How exciting! The blog is SuperHealthyKids and she is documenting how she is changing her families eating habits to be healthier. It is a great blog full of wonderful ideas and recipes.
So what did I win? I won a wonderful assortment of goodies from Quaker Oats. It consists of 2 canisters of oats, 2 boxes Oatmeal Squares, 2 boxes instant oats, and two boxes of Oatmeal to go.
So thanks Amy for a great contest!

Thursday, October 23, 2008

Some Randomness in My Day


My friend Aimee over at Daisyeyes, tagged me awhile ago for a fun little meme. The tagged person is supposed to list 7 random or weird facts about themselves. I am just now getting around to doing mine. So without further ado and just in case you don't think I am weird or random enough, here are my 7 facts.

1. I used to have my Ham radio (or amateur radio) license. It was actually something that was more or less forced onto me. You see, my Dad used to be big time into Ham radio. Growing up we even had a huge tower antenna in our backyard. (Yes my Dad was a nerd, something I think he would have freely admitted and been proud of). Anyway, I turned 16 well before cell phones were a common thing and my Dad wanted to make sure I was safe and had a way to get in touch in case of an emergency, should one arise when I was driving. So in order to get my driver's license, I had to get my ham radio license. Therefore, after 2 or 3 tries and lots of protests, I received my Ham radio license and the call sign KE4OHO. I even got a ham radio in my ultra cool Pontiac Bonneville car. Yes, I was uber cool in high school!
Anyway, my license expired after 10 years and I declined to renew it. So I am no longer licensed to talk on the Ham radio, should I even know where one was or how to turn it on.
Also, in case you were wondering, I did have to use the Ham radio once to call my Dad because one of my tires went flat and being the pansy I am, had not a clue what to do about it. You can be sure I was glad I had a way to get ahold of my Dad then!

2. I got a scholarship to college because of my Ham radio license. Apparently, it is pretty rare for teenage girls to have a Ham radio license (shocking, I know) and I received the female scholarship to my choice of schools.

3. I can not stand for anyone to touch my face. I think this goes again back to puberty when I had bad acne (acne, a Ham radio license, and a Bonneville, do not an uber cool girl make). Anyway, the doctor warned me that dirt and oil from hands could make it worse, so I became obsessive about it and still am to this day. I don't even want the kids touching my face. Sad and weird, I know.

4. I no longer watch TV (not even HGTV). I used to love TV, however, I am not sure what has happened but I have no interest in any shows anymore. I will watch The Office with KJ but that is all he can get me to watch with him. I would much rather read. I am really not even interested in movies anymore. I am always disappointed after I watch one so I don't really enjoy them either.

5. I have developed a love for baking. So much so, that it has become a way I deal with stress. It relaxes me so much and soothes my soul. If I am stressed, you can be sure I will be in the kitchen baking something. My favorite thing recently, has been experimenting with different yeast breads and dough. I am loving trying out new recipes and seeing what works for me and my family. I also love making old favorites healthier with whole wheat and grain flours. Baking has become a major stress reliever for me!

6. I have mentioned this one before on my blog but it probably fits well with this meme. I drink and make my kids drink a green smoothie almost everyday. They taste good and are so good for you!

7. I collect raku animal pottery. It is fun, wierd, eclectic, and colorful and I just love it! I can't help but smile every time I look at one of the pieces I own. I currently have a goony bird, a blow fish, and a cat (not much of a collection, but it is a start). It is expensive but so fun. I hope to get a dog next. Below is the picture of my goony bird.

Tuesday, October 21, 2008

You never know

So my wonderful, amazing Mom came to Nashville this past weekend to keep the kids while KJ and I went kayaking. The kids always look forward to visits with Grandma and this one was no exception. I think they were even more excited because Mommy and Daddy were leaving. This of course means all the normal rules go by the wayside! Grandma also always has a bunch of projects to do with the kids, it is always a surprise to find out what the kids will be making when they see Grandma. She warned me that we were going to love the yard art that would be waiting for us when we got back. So take a look at our new lawn decorations! Grandma and the kids made these three friendly ghosts while we were gone. Now we get to proudly display these until Halloween has come and gone. Good thing they are kind of cute because I jump every time I walk by the window in the study and see something white outside at night. I am so thankful to have a Mom who makes her time so special and fun with my kids!


If you want to know, they made these with gallon milk jugs, old sheets, and twine. They are stuck on sticks.

Monday, October 20, 2008

Once Around the River Bend






Soooo, it was finally the weekend to go on our overnight kayak trip! Of course, the weather took a turn for the colder right before we were to leave! I woke up on Saturday morning, not real sure that this was a good idea for me to go, seeing how much I love to be cold and wet. However, I am so happy that we went! We had a blast! It was a great group of people, beautiful scenery, and great food! With warm clothes and a camp fire, I was not a bit cold! We kayaked for a total of about 8 miles down Chattanooga's River Gorge. The scenery was breathtaking. I only got to start enjoying the scenery after lunch on the first day as the first part of the day I was completely absorbed in what I was doing. I had a traumatic first experience in the kayak. As soon as they put me in, the wind was blowing and quickly blew me way out into the middle of the river and down the river in the opposite direction from where we were supposed to be. I have never been in a kayak before and had not a clue what to do. Luckily, the one of the guides raced down river to save me and give me some direction on turning around. After awhile in the kayak, I felt much calmer and in control and could then enjoy the scenery and experience. Hanging out at the camp site was a lot of fun. The men played poker and the women yahatzee. We also sat around and talked, roasted marshmallows, and ate and ate. It really was an amazing trip and would recommend it to anyone!

Tuesday, October 7, 2008

Where in the World?

It has been a super busy month! I have been in an ebay selling frenzy, baking frenzy, and then we went to the beach! We had an amazing time at the beach and got to enjoy gorgeous weather and a gorgeous beach! It was perfection! Since getting home, I have been working on pictures, packaging up ebay items, and visiting the local Children's Hospital with CG.
She met her match with the driveway last night and completely scraped up her face. However, her mouth took the blunt of the trauma. Two of her teeth are very loose and the ER doctor prepared us that she may loose them and not have any teeth there until her permanent ones come in. Her thumb sucking will not help matters if they stay in because it will probably pull the loose teeth in weird positions. She is not in a lot of pain anymore except when she eats and her face is still swollen. I won't torture her by taking her picture as that would not make her happy right now. Poor girl! Luckily, we had professional pictures done a few weeks ago and then I got some on the beach. All that to say, it has been a busy week already!

Here is a sneak peek of beach pics. If you are interested in getting a link to the whole set, email me and let me know!




Hopefully, it won't be much longer and all the craziness will subside and I can get back to regular blogging!