Merry Christmas

December has come and I've found myself busy and blog-less. For the first time, we did the cute family picture Christmas card that I've always wanted to do once we started a family. It turned out great. Thank you to Janice for taking the pictures for us! Sammy looked too cute in his Santa's hat. My sister, Jessica, came out to stay with us this weekend and we made the traditional pigs in the blanket for the first time. It's a tradition we used to always make with Mom back home. So, now that we are establishing our own traditions, we wanted to see if we could hack it in the kitchen. Turned out...it was a success! We had a great weekend with Jessica and made pigs in the blanket that just about rivaled Mom's. There are some things we need to tweak just a bit for next year and Neil's wheels were turning as to what other combinations we could do for next year. Or, next week! I think he had a good time channeling Bobby Flay in the kitchen.

After 6 hours in the kitchen, we were exhausted and ate the fruits of our labor while watching Ratatouille. I absolutely love that movie! Of course, we were so exhausted we couldn't finish the movie. But, we sure went to bed with piggies in our tummy. And, they sure were good! The Christmas holidays bring so much fun, food, and family. We are excited for all of the Christmas' we will be having, especially experiencing Sammy's first Christmas! This will probably be my last blog until the holidays have come and gone. So, I would love to wish you all a very, very, very Merry Christmas! And, a very happy New Year.

 

 

Gravy, anyone?

The other night I attempted to make gravy for the first time. Key word: attempted. I was excited to find a couple of recipes for a pan fried, breaded pork chop and some milk gravy. I knew that making gravy is the ultimate test of a good cook. So, I knew I had my work cut out for me. I followed a recipe that didn't have exact measurements of the ingredients being used. That was my first mistake. My next mistake? Ever stepping foot in the kitchen. I was in the kitchen for over an hour, had Sammy in his standing toy fussing for about 75% of the time, my pork chops wouldn't cook thoroughly, I burned the outside of most of them, had to put them in the oven for them to cook through, and of all the failures, my gravy was the ultimate. To sum it up, I could throw a ball of it into the air and catch it like a tennis ball!

When the hubby came home from a long day of work, he couldn't help but chuckle at the sight of me with no makeup, red cheeks from the hot kitchen, burned pork chops, Sammy fussing and my gravy as thick as mashed potatoes. We had a good laugh! After, of course, I got over the disappointment of all that transpired with my disaster of a meal. Turns out, the actual mashed potatoes I made were good, the pork chops actually were very tasty, the green beans were good and the gravy was an absolute spectacle. We laughed the rest of the evening about that darn gravy as it sat on the stove. I had to figure out what to even do with it because half of the "gravy" was stuck inside the whisk.

We made jokes all night about it. And, it's like Neil said, I'm learning. Even with that disaster of a gravy, I learned and am learning every day about cooking. The best cooks started somewhere. So, this is all part of the process! We took a picture of my gravy so that Sammy can see 20 years from now that his momma was not always a good cook. Well, that's not the only reason why we took the picture. It's a hilarious picture! It was a constant joke throughout the night. "Do you want some gravy with your pork chops?", "Don't forget to put up the gravy.", "Your mashed potatoes look like they need some gravy." I could have been upset about it all, which I was for a millisecond. But, it was just so funny to see this chunky blob of "gravy". Come to find out, I used maybe over a cup of flour which I later learned you only need a few tablespoons. Whoops!  

Baby, It's Cold Outside!

The cold weather is here and it finally feels like the holidays! Thanksgiving was amazing and Mom's homemade dressing didn't disappoint. I look forward to it every year. And, after many helpings, it always leaves me completely satisfied and a pound heavier. I mean, a pound happier! 

The cool weather kind of snuck up on us when we celebrated Thanksgiving with my mom's side on Saturday. We left the house with Sammy in shorts and showed up to a little bite in the air. So, after just a couple hellos (which there are TONS on Mom's side since our family is so huge) I changed Sammy into some warmer clothes. Well, since I was changing his clothes I just decided to change his diaper, too. Makes sense, huh? Well, I go to change him on the couch and just like that, he peed on Momma! My jeans were wet with pee. Again, we made an arrival! Oh well, it's all part of being a mom. I changed him into some warm clothes and we enjoyed an amazing day at my aunt's lakehouse. It was the first time we celebrated Thanksgiving out there and it is just the neatest place. It's right on the water, has a huge deck, and of course, tons of family and food.

Thanksgiving day we spent at Neil's grandma on his dad's side and it was the first year we were able to stay there all day. Last year, we had three Thanksgivings in one day in two different towns. It's exhausting. It just so happened to work out this year that we had them on different days, though Mom had a little something at her house on Thanksgiving day. We missed it since we would be there the next day and there to celebrate with them and her side of the family on Saturday.

I have to say, all of this traveling is exhausting. And now, traveling with a little one, it makes things so hard. We spend the holidays in a car, jam packed with stuff and driving from town to town from here to there. It makes it a little less fun. I can't wait until the kids are older to where we are able to spend the holidays more at home and are able to wake up on Christmas morning at home instead of stuffed in a vehicle. We just can't make all of these different meals and gatherings on the same day. It makes the holidays miserable for us and makes us feel like we don't have a holiday. We don't want to dread the holidays, we want to enjoy them! It'd be great if we could split ourselves in four people. But, that's just not the case. Oh well, we'll figure it out one day.

The cold weather is fantastic! The other night was the first night we put the heater on. It was just too cold in the house and not only was I a popsicle, but I was afraid Sammy would be too cold during the night. We decided to put the heater on. I woke up at 2 in the morning and was absolutely freezing. I woke up Neil to find out that the heater was not working. Sammy was waking up during the night. We later were thinking it was either because it was too cold or because he's teething. I couldn't believe on one of the coldest nights of the year we were without heat! We put a blanket on Sammy and toughed out the night. When we got up in the morning, it was 59 degrees in the house! Luckily we were able to get it fixed by yesterday evening so that we did not have to go without heat again. I don't think we could have gone another night as ice cubes! Maybe we could have toughed it out, but we didn't want poor Sammy to be a Sammysicle when he woke up.

Sammy woke up on Thanksgiving morning as Tarzan! Throughout the night and him playing in the crib in the morning, his arm must have snuck out. It was cute!

Sammy was fascinated by my candy cane striped socks!

Sweet Little Peanut

The days lately have been escaping me and my poor blog has been lonely! I've been so busy with Christmas decorations for the last few days. Yes, before Thanksgiving. Definitely a first for me. The house is looking so festive! Too bad this Texas weather can't cooperate. But, hopefully soon the cold weather will be here.

Today I went to the doctor for my 11 week checkup. I'm trying hard this pregnancy to try not to gain nearly as much weight as the first time, especially since I wasn't able to lose my baby weight before I got pregnant again. So, needless to say I'm trying to be conscious of what I eat. So far, I've only gained a couple of pounds and I'm almost out of the first trimester. So, I'm doing okay!

I had another ultra sound today and got to see the sweet little peanut, as I call him/her. What a sweet little baby! It started to get me excited and it made it all a little more real. Everything is looking great! I had to get blood work done so needless to say, that wasn't the highlight of my day. I have a serious complex with needles. So, I turned my head and closed my eyes the entire time. It made it better! Sammy was such a good boy at the doctor's office today. We ended up being there for an hour and a half and he was just an angel. He had all of the nurses goo goo gah gahing over him. He's already winning the ladies hearts. Too bad he's marrying his Momma. Ha!  :)

Thanksgiving Came Mega Early

Yesterday we celebrated our first Thanksgiving of the season, with two more still to come. We celebrated really early since half of the hubby's family will be in Colorado on Thanksgiving. So, they wanted to celebrate early so that we would all be able to get together for the holiday. We had a great time! The food was fantastic and I always enjoy the family and a good game of Taboo! I absolutely love that game. It's a quick thinking game that leaves you on the edge of your seat. Well, it does for me anyway. I love it!

Neil's cousin had their first baby in September so we had two babies celebrating the holiday with us. He's 7 weeks old and so tiny! Hard to believe Sammy was once a little squirt. The little one slept practically the whole day, which was a far cry from our little one who made his grand entrance into the house as a screaming ball of love. He was fussy from people passing him around to hold him after church and was super hungry. He sucked down about 8 ounces of formula in a matter of seconds, it seemed! Needless to say, we made an entrance. Sammy is scooting and dragging himself around all over the place. I wouldn't say he is "crawling" yet because I reserve that term for hands and knees, full blown crawling around. So, I'll say Sammy is "traveling". He can get to any toy he wants by scooting and army crawling that way. He'll get on all fours and rock and all. It looks so cute but now I definitely have to keep an eye on him!

Overall, we had a great time for our first Thanksgiving of the year. It was nice to have such yummy food, though I was a little nauseous being 9 weeks pregnant. But, I managed to get down some desserts. (Ha!) Neil's grandma is a great cook so you know the food is going to be wonderful. I'm looking forward to our next couple of Thanksgivings, and especially looking forward to mom's homemade dressing. It's out of this world!

The sleeping boys and their daddy's snuggling beside them. Cute picture!

Deer Season in Full Swing

As a Texan, you can bet your bottom dollar that deer hunting is part of our lives. This past weekend was opening weekend of deer season and like tradition says, it is a guys weekend full of throwing washers, making morning and evening hunts, and hours of poker (and smack talking!). Well, a couple plan changes later and me not feeling well, there ended up being three women and three kiddos crashing this all guys weekend, myself included.

I wasn't feeling well with being newly pregnant and a little under the weather with not being able to breathe, I wasn't too thrilled about me and Sammy being home alone all weekend. And, at the same time, one of the guys had to bring his kids and then my mother-in-law and sister-in-law decided they were going. So, the weekend was officially crashed. I guess since I figured we were there, that we'd all hang out and spend time together. That wasn't the case! I hardly even saw the hubby on the Saturday we were there. And, being a light sleeper, I was counting down the minutes until they would be done playing poker so I could get some sleep, just to be woken up four hours later when they got up for a hunt.

Needless to say, by the end of the weekend and feeling as though a truck ran over us from lack of sleep, my mother-in-law and I looked at each other saying, "I don't think we'll be coming to this again!" I guess even though the weekend was crashed, the guys carried on with their normal, traditional weekend as we were stuck inside. Oh well. They all had a great time and I always enjoy being out at the ranch. Just wish I could have caught a little more sleep!

Cold morning at the ranch and all we could find was a beanie for Sammy. 

So, we folded it up and out we went!

Happy Belated Halloween

Halloween has developed into a big deal in our family over the past couple of years. Because my dad's birthday is November 1st, the day after Halloween, we usually have a big celebration on Halloween to celebrate the two. Last year was so much fun! My mom and sister did tons of Halloween decorating and made the cutest Halloween foods, from spider webbed 7 layer dip to severed shortbread witch fingers. It was fabulous! On top of that all, it was our first Halloween as a married couple (and I was sporting my tiny baby bump from our honeymoon baby!). I love dressing up for Halloween so I found the most awesome Halloween costume at this huge Halloween warehouse downtown...Lucille Ball! My costume was so spot on and I had so much fun with it.

This year was a different story. Halloween came and went and we have not a single Halloween decoration up in our house. Our pumpkin on the front porch is not even carved. Our house has been decorated for Fall and looks to have been waiting for Thanksgiving since the middle of September. Ok, I admit, I'm obsessing over the anticipation of my first bite of Mom's dressing! It's the absolute best. But, "skipping" Halloween just kind of happened. Everyone in our family is so busy right now. And, since Halloween fell on a Monday, our usual weekend Halloween party was out of the picture. So, we just kind of skipped it this year. I thought I'd still be able to wear my Lucy costume so I was pumped! Mr. Spouse's mom said they were going to a Halloween dance and we were invited to come and dress up. I was thrilled! After days of built anticipation to bust out my costume, I got a call from his mom saying that they couldn't go. She had forgotten her husband was going hunting that weekend. Agh! That kind of blew our only plans of Halloween out of the water. But, oh well. We have little Sammy and knew he wouldn't want to be out late.

I can't wait for the day we get to dress up little Sammy to take him trick or treating! We would have this year if we would have gone somewhere, such as the Halloween dance. But, we weren't going to dress him up to take him trick or treating. The boy is just 6 months old, for crying out loud. I'm not about to tote him around town as a disguise to get candy for Mommy and Daddy. We spent our Halloween with Neil watching football while I watched The Real Housewives of Beverly Hills with my tissues, blowing my nose. No, not because I was crying from the Real Housewives. I've been sick the past few days. Oh, and no trick or treaters came by even if we planned to give out candy because our porch light is out because it needs a new bulb! But, this isn't to say I didn't get a good scare. I was watching Halloween H20: Twenty Years Later in the living room while Neil was making him a plate for dinner in the kitchen. As I had Sammy on my lap during the movie, I heard a "BANG BANG BANG!!" on the door and nearly jumped off the couch. Apparently there were some trick or treaters already running around at pure daylight and couldn't see our porch light was intentionally unintentionally off. Ok, I admit it. We knew the light was out days ago. But, what a perfect excuse not to waste money on candy that I'd end up eating anyway!

Halloween 2010 - Lucille Ball

A Bun in the Oven

It's official...there is a bun in the oven! We found out I was pregnant a week or two ago and we are very excited. I'm only 7 weeks pregnant, which is probably still early to spread the news. But, we told family and friends anyway. I went to the doctor yesterday and got to see the little nugget and hear the heartbeat. It's unbelievable being able to hear a baby's heartbeat at only 7 weeks pregnant. The doctor said after you hear the heartbeat, the chances of a miscarriage go down. That leaves me a little more comfortable, but there is still a little nervousness about miscarrying. I just fear that because it would be devastating. But, I know God is in control of everything so that puts me more at ease.

I thought it was very clever how I told Mr. Spouse I was pregnant! When we found out we were expecting Sam, I took the pregnancy test and we looked at it together. I asked him a while back with another kiddo, would he want to be there again or would he want to be surprised. He said either way. So, I wanted to surprise him this time! I took a pregnancy test weeks ago and it was negative. I told him about that test, so I figured he knew I would be taking another one because it was probably too early to detect a pregnancy. I was anxious! I had a feeling I was pregnant, just like I did with Sammy. So, one morning I woke up to take the test. A few minutes later, I went back to the test and saw the results...I was pregnant! That was the last pregnancy test I had, so I actually went to the store to get more just to be certain. I know the chances of a false positive pregnancy test are slim but I wanted to be certain I was pregnant before I told the hubby. I took another test and it confirmed that I was pregnant. Oh my goodness. This is happening! Again. I was anxious to tell him.

I didn't want to call him up at work just to say, "Oh hey, I'm pregnant." That's not very fun. So, I thought about how we'd always joke about a "bun in the oven". That's it! I'm going to literally have a bun in the oven when he comes home from work. I had some frozen dinner rolls in the freezer. So, I decided to cook one of them to have it nice and fluffy and have it in the oven when he got home. When he came home (which seemed like FOREVER!) I had the bun all ready in the oven. He came through the door with a big smile, which made me wonder why. I said, "I have a surprise for you!" (He later told me he had a feeling I was going to tell him I was pregnant.) When I said, "It's in the oven", he said it completely through him off and then thought I had made him cookies or something. He opened the oven, saw the roll, and said, "Oh, yay!" and grabbed it like he wanted to eat it. WHAT?! Ha. I said, "Neil, what is that?!" He said, ".....a roll?" I asked him what else it could be, shocked that he didn't get it right off the bat. He said, "...a biscuit?" I was floored. How is he not getting this? Again, I said, "What ELSE could it be?...it starts with a b?..." He said, "...a bisuit?" Again. Ha. This was not going as planned, and I couldn't help but last. I tried asking one last time and he said, "A bun? A bun. A bun!??" and he got a huge smile. He was so excited and he gave Sammy and I a huge hug. We were excited and all smiles! (I'm just happy he finally got it!)

We are excited about Baby #2 on the way and we hope everything goes well. Please pray for our new little bun in the oven and our growing family. We are excited about our family and are excited to meet the little guy or little girl in nine months. We're going to keep this one a surprise again, just like we did for Sammy, and just like we'll do with all of our little ones! It's such an exciting feeling not knowing the sex of the baby. It's like a big Christmas present at the end of a nine month wait. We're excited!

Our new little one at 7 weeks and is the size of a piece of rice! Amazing.

Just Keep Stitching

When Sammy was a couple of months old, I quickly realized I would like to start a project to keep me occupied during the day between the diapers, bottles, dishes and dinner. Years ago, I used to cross stitch. I realize this is sometimes reserved for women 70+ but in all honesty, I like it. Even if I am 24 years old! I went to Hobby Lobby and found the most gorgeous cross stitching portrait that I had to get. Ever heard of diving in head first? Well, this would be the case. Here I haven't cross stitched in years and I choose one of the most difficult patterns available. But, I know that I'll have here and there to work on it since I am a stay at home mom. So, it will get done (one day!).

The portrait is a beautiful European bistro that has many, many colors and details to make it look so warm and rich. I've been working on it off and on and have done a little piece of the picture. However, it is a large 11x16 portrait so I will have this project for a long time. Even though it was a $40 project, it is well worth the money and knew it would be a source of entertainment for many, many, many months. It is a piece by Gold Collection, which I quickly found has a great selection of quality pieces. I think this will be my go-to brand for cross stitching projects. The more I work on it, the more I realize how beautiful it is going to be when it is all done. My plan, when the project is all done, is to get it framed at Hobby Lobby and to hang it near our dinner table. I'm excited to be at that point, though it may be years down the road! But, in the mean time, I'll just keep stitching!

Enter gDiapers

A while back, my friend Anna had her second child and told me she was going to do cloth diapers. Honestly, I thought she was crazy. (Sorry, Anna! I'm just being honest.) I thought cloth diapers were something only our parents used. Well, needless to say I was wrong. When she talked to me about it and all of the options out there these days, I was starting to change my mind. Could I really do this with my little one?

I started doing a little research on cloth diapers and soon came across gDiapers. I didn't know they made cloth diapers so easy these days. And to think that I thought doing cloth diapers meant I'd be folding up cloth and pinning them with safety pins. That is completely not the case. These awesome gDiapers look and function just as a disposable diaper with the Velcro fastening and cute colored covers. And, because I wanted to use cloth to save money, you can use the cloth inserts instead of the disposable inserts. I talked with Mr. Spouse about it, and I think he was happy to see that I'm finally seriously jumping on his saving money bandwagon. It took me a little longer to get there. But, I'm finally here! Hey, that's what counts, right?

To start off, I ordered a pack of 6 gDiapers and 18 cloth inserts. I'm going to have to learn the routines and ways of making this process go swiftly and quickly. I'm sure I'll learn along the way. I'll admit, I'm a little nervous. But, I'm also kind of excited. I'm a stay at home mom, so I finally thought, why am I not doing cloth diapers? I'm home all day. I don't need the convenience of a disposable diaper. And, soon after that decided to begin to make our own baby food. Hey, maybe at the end of all of this I'll be able to expose my Super Mom emblem underneath my shirt. But, we'll cross that bridge if we ever get there.

I ordered my gDiapers and liners from Diapers.com where you can get free shipping and $10 off your order for first time customers. So, that was a plus. I was going to try the flush-able gCloth liners that line the cloth diapers to make #2 an easier cleanup. But, Diapers.com apparently had them unavailable in my area. So, you can get them on Amazon. They aren't free shipping there, so that deterred me. But, I would still like to try them to see if it makes #2's a little easier to cleanup.

My gDiapers order should be here in a couple days so I need to go out to get a small trash can with a lid to use for my cloth diaper laundry. I need to set up a routine to conquer this cloth diaper venture. For those of you that use gDiapers or any cloth diapers, let me know how they work for you. I'd love any tips for this new journey into the land of saving money. I'll keep you posted as to how it goes when I start. Hopefully I won't want to burn any cloth diaper in sight because it goes terribly wrong. But, I'm optimistic and think things will be just fine. This is just one of those money savers I should be doing since I'm a stay at home mom. Wish me luck!

Up All Night

Recently, a new show debuted on Wednesday nights at 7 PM that has Neil and I labeling it as "our show". It is called Up All Night and it is a show any parent, especially us new parents, can relate to. Once we saw the previews, we both said, "HA! We need to watch that." Now I look forward to Wednesday nights to see "our show" and what's going on that week.

The reason we think this show is so funny is because it's a show based upon everything we are going through! It's about a couple with their first child perhaps about 6 months old? Not sure. But, in every show we find such humor in it because what they go through parallels our life. From the months of being up all night, not feeling like the "cool" couple, and the wife ditching anything remotely sexy for sweatpants and shirts donning spit up. So funny! We just find it hilarious and is definitely something I look forward to in the week.You should check it out! It'll keep both you and your hubby entertained (Well, at least it does us anyway).

Kiss the Slow-Cook(er)!

I'm in love with the slow-cooker! No, I'm not talking about the "slow" cook. I'm talking about my Crock Pot! I received it as a gift a year ago and have never opened it. I wasn't an experienced cook going into my marriage so I had a lot of learning to do. And, I always looked at the Crock Pot as just another kitchen thing I didn't know how to use. Well, throughout the past year or so we've been married, I've dabbled in a lot of different cooking. About a week ago, I busted out the Crock Pot and have been in love every since. It was love at first slow-cook!

I made some baby back BBQ ribs that the hubby and I absolutely fell in love with. It compared to any restaurant style ribs, if not better! I was such a proud cook. Who would have thought something so delicious such as BBQ baby back ribs could come out of a slow-cooker? And I thought they were only made for cooking stews. Boy was I wrong!

We've been wanting to have Neil's grandparents over since they haven't seen the house and Sammy much for that matter. So, we wanted to make them a meal. We knew just the thing to make! Of course, our local grocery store was out of baby back ribs when we made the rib run. But, regular back ribs would work just fine. They were coming at 11:30 for lunch. So, when we calculated the 7 hours the ribs needed to cook, we realized we needed to wake up at 4 to prepare and put them on! Oh well, we were excited for our lunch date so we didn't mind. We cleaned the house, got out our best dishes and glassware, and I made a peach cobbler to top off our meal. We made BBQ ribs, baked potatoes, and the best sweet corn I've had in a while. The frozen sweet corn in the bags are better than nearly any fresh sweet corn I've had.

Lunch went off without a hitch (except for my peach cobbler which I feel had too much dough). But, it was a new recipe so, it was worth a shot. We had a great lunch and visited for many hours. We had such a great time! I'm so happy that they enjoyed lunch. Let me tell you, the ribs literally fell off the bone! I was so excited that everything turned out like it did. (I felt like such the proud cook!) I'm still learning, but it's so nice to be able to make a delicious meal for wonderful company.

Many people have asked me for the rib "recipe", so I will give it to you all. You will laugh, as this is not a "recipe"! These are the most delicious ribs I've ever had. And, the absolute easiest. Give it a try...you will not be sorry. Here's what you do: 

Per rack of ribs, you will need one bottle of any kind of BBQ sauce and an onion. (That's it!) Pour the BBQ sauce and a thinly sliced onion into the Crock Pot. Cut the ribs into 2 to 3 rib sections and place them in the Crock-Pot, stir to coat, and slow-cook for 6 to 8 hours. Voila! You'll have the most amazing ribs. I stirred a few hours into it, but do not know if it's necessary. If you try this "recipe", let me know how you liked them. I'd love to know how they turned out for you. The first time I made them I used one rack of baby back ribs, one bottle of BBQ sauce, and one onion. The second time I made them I used two racks of back ribs, two bottles of BBQ sauce, and two onions. You get the idea.

I can't wait to make these ribs again. And, as we speak at 9:10 in the morning, I already have a roast cooking in the slow-cooker. I'm addicted. But, the hubby loves having these amazing meals to come home to. And, I have to say, I'm loving it as well! For the first time ever, I actually feel like a cook. When we don't need water to choke down my dry meals, you know I'm doing something right!

 Yummy, tender baby back ribs.

 Notice, the bone is not in the rib!

All that's left!

Christmas, Already?

A couple weeks ago, I frequented Hobby Lobby and wandered with Sammy for hours searching through the Fall and Christmas decorations. At the time, the garland and wreaths were 50% off. I spent the first couple of days getting Fall decorations then already started into Christmas...in September! I look forward to the holidays so much that I couldn't help myself.

When I was looking through all of the garland and wreaths they are gorgeously decorated wreaths with some not so gorgeous prices. I was not going to purchase a Christmas wreath for $80, even if it was half off. So, I decided to make one myself. I've always been the crafty type person so I thought, why not? This was before I discovered Pinterest, which has now fueled a craft-driven frenzy. Small frenzy, but still a frenzy. They have the most amazing ideas.

I went to the furthest section of garland and wreaths which was the plain, inexpensive wreaths of just simple greenery. There was a large $10 wreath, which was half off for $5. I grabbed a large bow, $3, and a pick of snowy, berry greenery. It was $9, which was half off for $4.50. So, this brings my grand total to $12.50. Works for me! Now, mind you, this is not nearly all that I purchased, but let's not get into that now. (Maybe the hubby has forgotten about it!) With a few hot glue gun burns and a carpet full of fallen greenery needles, the finished result was beautiful and looked just as good as the pre-decorated wreaths. Can't wait until Christmas!

 I fluffed out the wreath to make it look full.

 I attached the bow by the twist tie on the back.

  With some wire cutters, I cut apart all of the pieces of the pick.

 Hot glued all of the pieces then...Voila!

4-Way Park

Out of all the pet peeves that I have, the hubby and I share one major annoyance...the 4-way stop park. Does anyone else in the world share this annoyance? I'm usually not a nit-picker about other drivers. As long as we're safe and no one puts us late or in harms way, I'm usually okay. Call this my small rant. Hey, I get one every now and then right? 

With every 4-way stop we arrive upon, it never fails that the human brain is perplexed by this stop and go system. Just this weekend, we pulled up to a 4-way stop with three cars at alternate signs already stopped as we rolled up. And, who was the first person to venture out of this stop you ask? Us.  We pulled up to these cars and all three were simply parked there, staring, and not moving a single muscle. This is really annoying. Maybe when you live in a busy city like us, you tend to want to get in and get out. But, with these highly complex roadway systems (sarcasm, of course), it's no wonder these 4-way stops never work quickly. If you stop, you go. I think that sounds pretty simple.

Okay, okay. I know I'm not a perfect driver. However, I do get my chance to do a little pet peeve talk every now and again, especially when these 4-way park situations happen over and over again. I guess I just don't see what is so hard about something so simple. Okay, I'm done. Small rant over pet peeve...check!

Hello, Fall.

Fall has arrived! I've always loved the Fall season. Although the weather is not in the Fall spirit, the Pruitt household certainly is. Hobby Lobby is like a black hole that engulfs you into it's chaos. I can't believe I was there four days last week! Monday and Tuesday I spent the day shopping around with Sammy while looking for Fall decorations. My mom always had the house decorated for the Fall and Christmas seasons, with the smells and scents to make it feel so homey. I want that for my house.

I bought many things including Fall foliage, acrylic type pumpkins, decorated wood pumpkins, and even a "Happy Harvest" picture. I bought a cute scarecrow as well as another little wooden decoration for the guest bathroom. With Hobby Lobby always have wonderful sales, I bought all of the items for either 40% or 50% off. You should never pay full price for anything there, unless you are needing something in a hurry. Their decorations always are on sale at one time or another. I spent more than I should have. But, we will be able to use these decorations every year. Since Neil is really giving me the eye on spending money, I need to work with what I have. I found a cute, cute, cute idea on the internet for a decorative candle holder and I did it today! It involves tying down fall leaves to a glass container and filling it with any type of bean. It's very cute and very creative. Now, I'm just waiting for the cool weather to arrive. I'm ready for the Fall weather to coordinate with the Fall decorations. My scarfs and hot cocoa are begging to come out!

Prayers for Brodie

It seems these days a beautiful little baby boy named Brodie is on my mind so many times a day. And, this same little boy is someone whom I've never met. Many of you who read my blog have heard me mention Brodie, a beautiful baby boy who is very sick. It's amazing how a person whom you've never met can impact so many lives. Lately, I find myself praying for Brodie and his family and thinking about them even more. Lately, they had received heartbreaking news about their son. Yet, their fight to bring their son home is truly amazing.

As a mother, I ache over what they are going through. I see my Sammy and am so thankful for his health. I've talked with other people and other mothers who say that through Brodie's story, it makes you look at your life and become so much more appreciative for all that you have and the health of you and your family. His story drives home how many blessings God has placed in our lives. Even for those who do not have children, you can find such inspiration in him. Our hearts go out to this family. His story is one of fight, courage, and of parents unfailing faith to bring home their son. That is truly inspirational. From day one that I heard of their blog, I've read it daily and kept up with Brodie's progress. I rejoice in the positive and am heartbroken over the negative. And, I pray and think of him every moment in between. His blog and story have reached people across the state and across the country. Donations, prayers, and kind words have poured in from family, friends, and those whom they've never met. I remember telling Neil last night, "Isn't it amazing how people who don't even know Brodie can be so touched by his story?"

Last night we took Sammy to an Astro's game where many of Neil's coworkers would be there. One of his coworkers even got to throw out the first pitch, which was really neat. As many of us sat there at the game, I noticed many of us with our blue, Brodie bracelets to support this amazing little boy. I know of the struggles and stressful days and nights his parents have faced. I thought it would be a good idea for them to see us in our bracelets to show that we are so proud of Brodie's fight and support him daily. I gathered us together and took a picture of our wrists that proudly sport our bands. I posted it to LaVona's Facebook page. I was hoping this would give them a smile and know that we love our Brodie and support him proudly. With many of his coworkers at the game, LaVona and her family were not and I couldn't help but think of them. I wanted them to know that in Brodie's fight, we are all together.

For many of  you who have kept up with Brodie's blog or any of you who have not, I ask you to give it a glance to see this courageous boy and his fight to stay with us. Donations can also be made through their blog. You will also receive a wristband to support Brodie and the fight against CDH. If nothing else, pray for Brodie and his family. They need it now more than ever. Please take a moment to keep Brodie and his family in your prayers.

Inside-Out California Rolls

I'm in love with Inside-Out California Rolls and it's always a treat whenever I get to snag these for lunch or dinner. And, now that Kroger has a sushi department, I always try to talk Neil into letting me sneak some California Rolls in the shopping cart. Sometimes I win.

When Neil's brother, Daryl, came over last weekend for football I was saying how much I wanted them. He said, "Why don't you make some?" Well, I never really thought about it. Why am I not making them? They cost anywhere from $5 to $8 dollars a pop in the store and around $10 or more in restaurants. And what are you paying for, rice and cucumber? I decided to set out on a mission to make my homemade California Rolls.

I found an amazing Sushi Rice Recipe on the internet from Alton Brown and it turned out amazing. The consistency and taste was nearly spot on! And, I searched on YouTube on how to make the roll. You can learn anything on the internet! I went to Whole Foods to get the bamboo mat that you need for rolling the sushi roll. Turns out Kroger did end up having the bamboo mat, so I wasted a whole trip to Whole Foods. I totally suggest staying away from Whole Foods when you can get just what you need at Kroger. I've never stepped into a Whole Foods and don't know if I ever will again. It's way too overpriced. The only reason I went there was because when I called Kroger, they said they had neither the bamboo mat and nori sheets I needed. So, I knew places like Whole Foods would have them. I would end up buying the nori sheets there and taking them back because they were outrageously expensive in comparison to Kroger.

I went to Kroger to get the other things needed, like nori sheets (toasted seaweed sheets), cucumber, avocado, and imitation crab meat. The nori sheets alone were 3 to 4 times cheaper there! I went home, and started the fun. Neil came home before I started rolling the rolls and him and Sammy watched me make them. We were both amazed that you could actually make something like this from home. We never thought of it before! It came out great and delicious and I am so happy that I'll be able to make these instead of spending money by buying them. And, to make myself feel so much better, I finally am able to make something and ENJOY because it is low in calories. Success!

Hand of Hope

I received this as a forwarded email and I was absolutely amazed. I wanted to share it with you...

The picture is that of a 21-week-old Unborn baby named Samuel Alexander Armas, who is being operated on by surgeon named Joseph Bruner.

The baby was diagnosed with spina bifida and would Not survive if removed from his mother's womb. Little Samuel's mother, Julie Armas, is an obstetrics nurse in Atlanta. She knew of Dr Bruner's remarkable surgical procedure. Practicing at Vanderbilt Univ Med Ctr in Nashville , he performs these special operations while the baby is still in the womb.

During the procedure, the doctor removes the uterus via C-section and makes a small incision to operate on the baby. As Dr Bruner completed the surgery on Samuel, the little guy reached his tiny, but fully developed hand through the incision and firmly grasped the surgeon's finger. Dr Bruner was reported as saying that when his finger was grasped, it was the most emotional moment of his life, and that for an instant during the procedure he was just frozen, totally
immobile.

The photograph captures this amazing event with perfect clarity The editors titled the picture, 'Hand of Hope.' The text explaining the picture begins, 'The tiny hand of 21-week-old fetus Samuel Alexander Armas emerges from the mother's uterus to grasp the finger of Dr Joseph Bruner as if thanking the doctor for the gift of life.'

Little Samuel's mother said they 'wept for days' when they saw the picture. She said, 'The photo reminds us pregnancy isn't about disability or an illness, it's about a little person.'Samuel was born in perfect health, the operation 100 percent successful.

Now see the actual picture, and it is awesome....incredible.... And hey, pass it on. The world needs to see this one!

Don't tell me our God isn't an awesome God!!!!! 

Brodie Dick's CDH Story

I don't know if anything pulls at your heartstrings more than your own child. Once I became a mother, those words rang true time and time again. I remember the first night Sammy was home from the hospital, we washed him off for his first bath and when he cried, I cried. He was so new, so fresh, so fragile. He was mine. He was ours. He was forever my precious boy.

For weeks, I've been following Brodie Dick's CDH Story. Baby Brodie has been in the hospital from the moment he was born. He suffers from CDH, which is Congenital Diaphragmatic Hernia. I know Brodie's parents through Neil, who works with Brodie's mother. She is such a sweet woman, and she has a very nice husband and cute little boy, Bradie. Brodie is the latest addition to their beautiful family. When I first met her as Neil's coworker, I instantly enjoyed being around her. I was pregnant with Samuel at the time and I enjoyed talking with her about everything motherhood. I sincerely feel for this family and my heart goes out to them.

As a mother, I am heartbroken as to what these parents are going through. I check on Baby Brodie daily by reading their updated blog. I encourage everyone to visit their blog and to keep this baby and family high on your prayer list. They recently added wristbands for purchase on their website along with a donation button. They are trying to raise money for CDH research so one day they may know the cause of what sickens their beautiful baby boy. I am excited to get in my wristband so I can wear it proudly to support Baby Brodie. Please support this family and this beautiful baby boy. If nothing else, keep them in your prayers.

They are on an emotional roller coaster with all of the ups and downs and twists and turns that Baby Brodie takes daily. I only wish there was more we could for families and children such as this. This beautiful family and baby boy need your prayers. Please keep them on your mind and in your heart.

Dleep Seprived

I'm sure every mother, especially new mothers, knows exactly what the words sleep deprived means. That was my case last night. It's funny how in the beginning, in the first few months, your little one gets up so much throughout the night and you live in this sleep deprived fog. You begin getting used to such few hours of sleep and although hard, you become adjusted and just cope. Then, once they start sleeping through the night, you get so spoiled that getting up again during the night seems so hard.

Sam started sleeping through the night at about 3 months. I remember the first time he began sleeping through the night. I woke up at 4 and was in a small panic. Why hasn't he woken up? Is he ok? Is he breathing? I rush to his room to see him sleeping soundly. Wow...he's finally sleeping through the night! It felt so nice to start sleeping through the night as well, though I am one of those people that wakes up at least once or twice a night. Well, just because he sleeps through night now doesn't mean it is every night. We still use a SwaddleMe to swaddle him at night. He can't sleep without it. I know that's going to be a hard habit to break. Sometimes he'll wake up if he breaks out of the swaddle or wakes and can't soothe himself back to sleep.

This morning was the first time in a long time where I feel sleep deprived. Neil came home late last night after him and coworkers from the company he works for went to an Astros game. I stayed up to visit with him and we finished watching the football game together. I ended up going to bed until late and not able to fall asleep until midnight. Sam was already up at 1:30 a.m. and again at 4 and again when Neil left for work. I was up about five times when he was up at 4 because he couldn't seem to go back to sleep. Neil always wakes me up when he leaves for work to kiss me and tell me goodbye for the day before he's on his way to work. This morning when he did that, I was so out of it from not getting any sleep that I felt delirious.

Now that I have my cup of coffee, I feel a little better but still feel like I'm in a fog. I've noticed Sammy is starting to wake up during the night now. I hope this isn't a new trend! I was really loving him sleeping through the night. But, no matter how tired I am, when I walk over his crib and see him smiling or looking at me with those big, round eyes, being sleep deprived doesn't really matter anymore. (Though, a good night's sleep would be nice!) Maybe I will catch a cat nap today while he sleeps. But, being me, I always mask my sleep depravity with coffee instead of curing with a nap. I've always been that way. Guess some things never change!

I Birthed an NBA Player

Sammy's four month shot appointment was the other day and I always dread these appointments for the fact that I hate to see him in pain. I honestly believe that he knew the shots were coming! Before we left the house, he was in a good mood. I had him on our bed and he was smiling and being his happy self. I started to change him and I said, "I don't want you to get your shots. They are going to hurt, but they are only going to hurt for a little bit." He looked at me, pushed out his lip a little bit, and genuinely got sad and started to cry. I couldn't believe it! Could he really know what was coming?

There is a part of these appointments that I look forward to and that is when they weigh and measure him. We are always so anxious to see how long he is and what percentile he is in. Sammy is a tall boy. He's been that way since he was born and is definitely following in his daddy's footsteps. Neil is 6 foot 6 inches and towers over just about everyone. When Samuel was born, he was 21 and 3/4 inches. When we went to his two month shot appointment he was already 25 inches and was in the 96th percentile! We were blown away (and had our glowing, proud parent moment). At his appointment the other day, he was 28 inches long and in the 99th percentile. Talk about being blown away, again (while we had another glowing, proud parents moment)!

I always joke that Sammy is going to be an NBA player and is going to send mommy and daddy checks! Ha. Joking, of course. Though, I'm really starting to think that Sammy may be a tall guy like his dad. I know that some children are in fact off the charts when they are little but become average height in their adult life. But, with his daddy's genes, there is no telling! With me being only 5 foot 5 inches, Sammy's height is predicted at 6 foot 2. Doctor said I bring him down! But, Neil and I predict he will be 6 foot 8 inches, 240 pounds. We'll see how that pans out. Neil has a feeling that Sam will be taller than him. And, I'm starting to think he is right!

Daddy and Sammy when he was about 3 and 1/2 months old.

Be a Force of Beauty

No surprise to anyone who knows me, I am a die-hard Bare Escentuals fan. Once I stared using it in 2007, I have not turned back to liquid foundation and have become a loyal customer to this amazing brand. One thing I am excited about is the new campaign for Bare Escentuals; Be a Force of Beauty. The concept and way the campaign came together is unheard of. In a summary; Pretty is, Beauty does.

In a recent post in the New York Times, the news of this broke and made many women excited for this groundbreaking campaign. Leslie Blodgett, the executive chairman of Bare Escentuals, is a woman that many women, including myself, respect. She is someone who not only has made amazing products for us women, but is starting an extensive campaign to show people everywhere that pretty is nice but beauty is what we do. In this groundbreaking experience, the company sought out to find models for this campaign...blindly! How many cosmetics companies do you know that would cast models behind a wall and select them without ever seeing there face? The reason for this is because beauty, to them, is more than a pretty face. It is about what you do that makes a person beautiful. It's not just about the makeup. It's about you.

What I'm most excited about is the actual photos for this campaign. In a world where people everywhere are airbrushed beyond recognition, they are advertising and marketing themselves across the world without airbrushing any of their models that will be representing Bare Escentuals. This, to me, is unbelievably groundbreaking. People everywhere look at magazines, celebrities, and billboards and see these "women" that represent beauty. Yet, the airbrushing alone puts them in this unattainable category that no amount of makeup, gym memberships, and cosmetic surgery could ever obtain. What kind of message are these companies sending to women and young girls, and even men? Some men look at these celebrities and think this is what they really look like. How is a woman ever supposed to measure up to that?

This non-airbrushing campaign is something that these cosmetics companies should have done years ago, and I am so happy that it was Bare Escentuals that grabbed this bull by the horns. They are showing people everywhere that beauty is more than a pretty face and a blank set of eyes behind a camera. Beauty is what you do. I'm so excited to see this campaign unfold. Kudos, Leslie, and the whole Bare Escentuals team!

 

One Armadillo, Two Armadillo

Over Labor Day weekend, it was so great to head out of town to Neil's family ranch to enjoy some time with the family. This was Sammy's first trip to the ranch. We are determined he is going to grow up a country boy just like his mommy and daddy! Neil and I, over the years, have spent so much time out at the ranch. It is his grandparent's ranch featuring a cozy camp house, four lakes, and acres upon acres of land to roam.

Sunday night, after we finished an intense game of Taboo and Password (Taboo is a regular game we like to play!) the family started getting ready for bed. Neil and I went out on the porch to swing on the big, wooden swing to enjoy some of the night air. It was a very windy night! It was nice to soak up some time hanging out with the hubby while Sam was sleeping in our room. I value our quiet time together ever since we had our little guy. We were aware that there had been some armadillos tearing holes up in his grandpa's land and around the house. So, throughout the night they had been checking for armadillos and killing ones that they saw.

As we sat swinging on the swing, I heard some rustling along the ground behind us. I looked, and low and behold, there was an armadillo! I wanted to be the one to get this critter since I was unable to shoot a gun for a whole year because I was pregnant every time I had the opportunity to. We grabbed the 22 and realized there were two of them. Show time! We grabbed a flashlight as we ventured closer to the fence near the armadillos. Neil shown the light while I held the gun. At this time, Neil's step-dad, brother and sister all headed out to see what the shenanigans were all about.

I set the gun on the fence, lined up my shot, and...pow! I shot the armadillo. I hadn't lost my touch! Little did I know the series of events that were about to transpire. After I shot the armadillo, he came running right at us! I started squealing like...well...a girl! We all jumped out of the way (I, with the gun) and scared my husband thinking I was going to shoot someone as I jumped around with the 22. The gun was not loaded and my finger was not on the trigger. But, I see his point. The armadillo zoomed past his brother, Daryl, nearly running straight across his toes. The armadillo was injured and I ended up shooting him again as he lay near the tree. One armadillo down.

I regrouped as we looked for the second one. There he was by the fence and he was huge! We were only yards away. I set the gun again on the fence, lined up the shot, and...pow! I shot the armadillo. Here we go, again. The armadillo, who was injured and definitely not happy, went sprinting toward the area we were and ran faster than I've ever seen an armadillo run! He ran, ran, and ran until finally...SMACK! He ran right into the shed. HA! It was absolutely hysterical. He was so huge we ended up shooting him another time or two until he finally stopped walking around. What is it with these crazed armadillos?

This night and series of events was one of my favorites there at the ranch. We always have a great time and spend hours playing Taboo. Though, with me, it's never enough! It's one of my absolute favorite games and am always up for more. And, as always at the ranch, any diet is completely out the window. That is one of the joys of being there. Hamburgers, fried chicken, chips, and cookies is the norm. Love it! We always enjoy the ranch and love any chance we get to go. The mismatched furniture, cozy beds, hanging out with family, great food, and spending the day so far out in the country is all part of the wonderful ranch experience. And, we can add armadillo wrangling to the list. Though, I am known to conquer those little creatures. Can't wait to go back!

 Back in 2008 at the ranch- My first two armadillo kills!

Fantasy Football

My husband, as some of you already know, completely looks forward to this time of year when Fantasy Football rolls around. And, I must say, it is quite funny to see! One of his leagues (one of THREE) is drafting today in a couple hours and you would think we are preparing for D-Day. We even have our son dressed in his "Future Quarterback" onesie for today. Neil works so hard during the week, being gone 12 hours a day, so I am happy that he has something that he looks forward to like this (aside from Sammy and I, of course).

Now when I say "looks forward to", that is a complete and utter understatement! Being the accountant that he is, he creates spreadsheets of players stats to help him create the perfect team. (Oops, I may have just given away his secret!) He came away with second place last year and took home a good chunk of the kitty. I failed to state that you do in fact win money in Fantasy Football, which is one main reason he enjoys it so much. From the minute I met Neil, I learned that he loves to gamble. And, guilty by association, I am in fact in love with it myself. Our three of the five nights spent at the casino spent in the Dominican is proof in itself.

As we speak, Neil is across from me on the other computer, drinking Gatorade and talking out loud about his draft picks, all while finalizing his drafting strategies. Did I mention humming as well? Ever since yesterday, he has been counting down the hours until the draft at 3 o'clock. And, what makes the draft complete you may wonder? Having half priced pizza from Papa Johns (Labor Day special!) and inviting his brother over so that they can draft together. This, in fact, leads to the numerous amounts of trash talking that will be going on about which team is better and who will win. This happens every year! It is a family affair involving Neil, his dad, brother, and our brother-in-law. (Update: Just was reminded draft is in two hours! Ha.)

Because I am a wife to such a huge Fantasy Football fan, I do not want to spoil the fun and be a nag. So, because finding common interests is important, I try to join in on the fun. When he chooses certain people for his team, it makes watching football a little more fun to watch because you are looking for certain players to do good. That has helped me in enjoying to watch it with him. (Update: Just was reminded draft is in an hour and forty two minutes.) When he gets excited about the draft and the day of football, I get excited with him. I don't want to ruin the fun. So, if you are a Fantasy Football wife like me, welcome to football season! 

Burning the Kindle at both ends

After making my cup of coffee this morning, I dusted off my Kindle and continued to read a book I started before Sam was born. After watching the George W. Bush: 9/11 Interview last night with Neil, it inspired me to continue to read Decision Points, which is his autobiography. I am a fan of George W. Bush and wanted his book to be one of my first's when getting back into the reading world. I used to read all of the time. I purchased a Kindle about a month before Sam was born and thought it'd be a neat way to get back into reading. Of course, I do it at a time when I was about to pop and life would forever change. But, leave it to me to start another project and have yet to finish it. That is definitely a pitfall of mine.

Last night's interview with him was very insightful and touching. And, even after reading a 1/3 of the way into his book, I begin to like him more and more. He has a nice, genuine heart and grew up right here in Texas. When I read his book and hear his decisions behind some of the craziest moments of his presidency, I realize more and more that he is, in fact, a good person who genuinely wanted to do the right thing for the American people. Just today I read about how he wrote a letter to each of the families of the those service men that died defending our freedom. At the end of his presidency, it was a total of over five thousand families. That, to me, was very heart-warming.

Even though I have many "projects" I need to finish, such as my cross stitching, Sam's baby book, and all of the other things I have began, I decided that I need to finish Decision Points and check this off of my list. Sometimes, I feel like I have so many things going on yet I don't do anything at the same time. Weird, I know. But, it's true. Sam keeps me busy and it seems like all of the other things like cooking, cleaning, dishes, projects, and all just take a back seat to relaxing on my down time. I am a stay-at-home mom and you'd think that I'd get a million things done. But when the time comes, and Sam is asleep, I value that quiet time and just want to relax on the couch and prop my feet up. Like now, he's asleep beside me and I'm drinking my lemonade and blogging about not doing things I should be doing. Ha! I need to get on the ball.