Fuzzy Friday...

Hope you had a very warm and "Fuzzy" Friday!

Deceptively Delicious...

We spent Christmas Eve at my older sister's this year and instead of the typical ham, etc for dinner she decided to go with Mexican food.  A great decision that resulted in a delicious meal. We had enchiladas, taco soup, frito salad and much, much, MUCH more... but my FAVORITE... was the "Avocado Spread." I simply could not stop eating it.  Now this is coming from somone who could eat an entire bowl of guacamole by herself... but still... if you like avocado's AT ALL... you must try this dip.  It is SUPER simple to make and tastes GREAT with tostitos!! Try it and let me know!! :)

This recipe comes from the cookbook "Deceptively Delicious" by Jerry Seinfeld's wife, Jessica Seinfeld.

(I snagged a picture of the recipe from my sister's cookbook and made it at home for New Year's Eve!

It was just as yummy the second time around!!)

Happy snacking!

My Frugal Tuesday...

    For about a month now I have been searching online for some peel-and-stick alphabet/animals decals to put up in Fuzzy's room... however, each time I search I end up leaving the computer disappointed because I can't find anything cute for under $30!! Call me cheap... but I am not spending $30 to stick the alphabet up on the wall.  So... yesterday I decided to make my own... and today I accomplished it. :) With a $3 box of cute flashcards, 55 cents worth of poster board and a glue stick I already had... $3.55 is MUCH more reasonable... and just as effective!! :)

On another note, I don't think C is ever going to get a break from school work.

But he did stop for a moment last night and let me take some handsome pictures of him.

What a good lookin' boy!!

Hope you all had a great day!! :)

Things I never knew...

Reading.

Ohhh reading.

I don't remember reading being so difficult... but as an adult with a six year old learning to read... I am much more aware of how many "rules" and "exceptions" there are in the English language. I never realized how difficult it can actually be... I guess when you are six it is just something you do.  For an almost 30 year old mother, it is a large source of frustration and a great test in patience.

So now ... with everything we do... we serve up a little reading along with it.

For example... we read while we shop.

We read at home.

And we even read while we drive.

By the end of each day... we all need a little break (especially from reading)... so C takes his nightly (hour long) bath to play with his toys and relax.

Fuzzy and I?

We relax on his new throne.

The best part of all this?

Every night I get to sit on the floor of my bathroom for 30 minutes with my 21 month old son, watching him play on the iPad and waiting for that moment of pee-pee celebration and (though some may think I'm crazy)... I can't help but think, with a smile on my face...

that these are the best times of my life.

I can't remember a time that I have been happier.

Thank you Lord for the blessings in my life... from the biggest... to the very very smallest.

Whether it is reading, or peeing, or playing and laughing... how very blessed I am with the things He has given to me.  I pray that God gives me that 30 minutes everyday... in some way... to help me slow down and remember just how good He is to us. 

Fuzzy Friday...

(Funny face... he was growling like a bear)

Hope you have a very warm and "fuzzy" Friday!

Like Father Like Daughter...

     In every family... children are created in the likeness of their parents... some favoring their father more and some their mother.  In my family... the first two seem to be a spitting image of our mother.  Then the fourth... well... she is a pretty even combination of the two.  I, the third, am the most like my father.  Left-brained more than right, honest to a fault (as my mother would put it), a little OCD when it comes to some things and generally more practical than creative.  There are really only two differences that I have ever seen between my father and I... his love for (what I call) strange music (i.e. indian instrumentals? I think thats what I've heard him listening to... not quite sure) ... and sci-fi.  Anything sci-fi... movies, books, etc.  I remember growing up that my father was always watching some sort of sci-fi movie... something about killer spiders, The Fly, ALL the Twilight Zone movies... and so on with movies that seemed so impractical that I just could not see his enjoyment.  And then one day... I stumbled upon a semi-sci-fi book... and realized ... once again... my father and I are not so different. I still don't want to read anything about killer spiders... however... my new favorite kind of book is the one where I find myself in a world that is hidden to the common people but somehow believable.  A stretch maybe... but believable.  My most recent? A suggestion made by sibling #4... you know... the one that was a perfect combo of the two.  So, after reading the complete series (3 books) in 4 days... I thought I would recommend it to those of you that might like... well... a little sci-fi. :)

Let me introduce you to... The Hunger Games.

In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Long ago the districts waged war on the Capitol and were defeated. As part of the surrender terms, each district agreed to send one boy and one girl to appear in an annual televised event called, "The Hunger Games," a fight to the death on live TV. Sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who lives alone with her mother and younger sister, regards it as a death sentence when she is forced to represent her district in the Games. The terrain, rules, and level of audience participation may change but one thing is constant: kill or be killed.

May the odds be ever in your favor.

 

The end of an era...

     My husband was raised in a small Texas town called Dublin... most well known for it's Dr Pepper bottling company.  It's the oldest remaining bottling company and the town revolves around it, but what makes "Dublin" Dr Pepper so special is its use of real cane sugar (making Dr Pepper the "old" way) instead of high fructose corn syrup.  Everyone I know LOVES this Dr Pepper... and I'm not exaggerating.  People everywhere are ecstatic when they can get there hands on a can or bottle with the ever-so-sweet taste of Dublin Dr Pepper.  You can go to the bottler and tour the process of bottling, go in a soda shop and have a Dr Pepper float along side a piece of Dr Pepper cake... and then tour the Dr Pepper museum.  Every year the town has a "birthday party" ... changes the city limits signs to read Dr Pepper, Texas... and literally has a party.  It's a tradition that not only Dublin... but tons of surrounding towns look forward to every year... until yesterday.

For months we have heard about a lawsuit in which the parent company, Dr Pepper Snapple Inc, has sued the over 100 yr old bottling company in Dublin accusing them of selling outside of a 44-mile designated radius and "trademark dilution."

Apparently they think that the use of the word "Dublin" on their bottles and cans is a problem... so they want the name gone off of the label. Interestingly enough... it was approximately 1 1/2 years ago that the parent company started selling their own version of the popular drink called "Heritage Dr Pepper" ... made with real cane sugar.

It's a sad day for the people in Dublin, Texas.

:(

With all that said, I understand that there was probably fault on both companies parts... it just seems like it was an unnecessary move by the Dr Pepper Snapple Company.  Either way... I also find it sad that the Dublin soda shop won't ever be the same.

Christmas has come and gone...

SO much has happened in the last two weeks... and the best way I know how to show you... is with pictures.

It all started with milk and cookies for Santa...

Then in what seemed like a whirlwind there were presents to be opened...

 

 a Santa pile to be discovered...

and before we knew it Christmas was behind us.

Leaving one more celebration... HAPPY 2012!!!!!!

Then, on January 3rd it was time to get things back to routine. 

Daddy went back to work, haircuts were in order and school was back in business.

Just when I thought we were going to start cruising along smoothly... our little fella woke up on Tuesday with 102.5 fever. :(

So one trip to the doctor and 3 days later....

We are still working on recovery.

Not to worry though... he's our little "Iron Man" and is sure to be back in business in no time!

Here's to having a warm and "Fuzzy" Friday!! :)

Fuzzy Friday...

Hope you had a warm and FUZZY Friday!! :)

Tis the Reason for the Season...

We had the pleasure of going to church tonight & celebrating one very special birthday....

 HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS!!

We started by making some pigs-in-a-blanket for the party...

(which C LOVED telling everyone there that he made... he was so proud!).

Then we got there and got party hats, party cups, great snacks and yummy birthday cake!

Then on to musical chairs and TWO pinatas!

And we made it through the whole party with only one small attempt at a meltdown. :)

Remember... Tis the Reason for the Season!! :)

HAPPY EARLY BIRTHDAY JESUS!

Fuzzy... uuummm... Saturday...

Well... as a stay-at-home mom, sometimes I lose track of my days.  So here is your Fuzzy (Friday) Saturday. :) Lol.. I love it when he lives up to his (nick)name.

Green versus yellow...

After staying on green (the "good student" color) for about 2 months straight... C got into the car today and told me he was moved to yellow (the "not-so-bad but not-so-good" color).  I explained to him that it made me very sad when his color was moved and that I knew he could do better than that... however, I told him, I was going to let it slide this time because he had been doing so good for so long.... but told him I fully expect him to stay on green next week.  So we ride along in the car for a few minutes and he is very quiet... then he so seriously asks me, "So if I get on yellow next week are you going to make me CLIMB it?"

                                          I guess sliding sounded like much more fun than climbing. 

My super happy point for the day?  I was talking to a friend today and discovered they were wishing someone would take a perfectly good quilt off of their hands so that they wouldn't have to take it to the goodwill.  As it turns out... I LOVE quilts... so I got to be that someone! :)

This quilt just inherited a whole new lifetime of kids laying on it at the park, sleepovers in the living room with spilled popcorn and pizza and the incredibly important job of keeping a mama and her babies warm on chilly winter days. :) I hope it doesn't mind. :)

Have a great day!!

Life lessons...

     If you don't already know... we didn't get custoday of our nephew C until 11 months ago (January 2011)but have had him off and on through the foster system since he was three.  He came here for the first time not being able to talk ... and he didn't know things such as body parts, colors, etc.  So, I started on those things and as a first time parent have just worked my way through little lessons as time as moved on.  Well, he recently made the statement that he wanted 150 presents for Christmas.  I feel like I work pretty hard at making sure my children understand that the meaning of Christmas is to celebrate the birth of Christ... but I guess that simply knowing the meaning doesn't change their idea about getting presents on this holiday.  So, after hearing C proclaim the need for 150 presents, I decided it was time to start working on a life lesson.

     I explained that those presents cost money and that someone had to buy all those presents.  So this year... to help him understand a little better... I told him he needed to pick 3 people that he was going to buy Christmas presents for - any three people.  I expected maybe a best friend... a teacher... a brother... even a parent.  But I got two aunts and an uncle.  Okay... whatever floats his boat.

     So today was the big trip - we went to Walmart and began shopping.  The aunts went pretty fast - he picked out a couple of practical items and was excited to continue on.  At this point we moved to uncle.. he decided on and then against ... a coke, pajamas, a christmas r&b cd, a christmas gift bag and a box of greeting cards.  Let me just tell you... 40 minutes later and 7 laps around Walmart... I was questioning the need for this lesson... and then finally... we found it.  The perfect present for the above mentioned uncle.  The thing that will make his heart happy when he opens that perfectly wrapped gift.  What is it might you ask??...

                                                            A package of post-its.

Finally ... we stand in line... his gifts are scanned... he counts out his money... he gets his 11 coins in change (he counted) and we walk away.  Halfway to the door I turn around and he is happily walking along... "Where are your presents?" I ask. "Oh" ... he says.  We returned to the check-out counter and retrieved the bag.

His life lesson? Generosity, selflessness, thoughtfulness.  My life lesson? Patience.

No words...

A little early...

     Every year I manage to talk "The Papa" into giving me my Christmas present early.  I almost always know what it is and somehow I always know when he gets it too.  So, once it's here... who wants to wait??!! The pleading and sweet talk begins almost immediately.  Well this year... I knew what the gift was again... but as soon as he ordered the gift online the pleading was cut off with an immediate... "You're NOT getting it until Christmas." So, when the package was delivered Friday I decided that it wasn't fair for me to argue my present out of him every year and made up my mind that I was okay with the fact that I had 23 more days to go.  Then ... miraculously... the Papa walks into the living room today with a box in his hands and a smile on his face.  "Hmmm... I wonder what this is???" he says.  After ALL that... he decided to give it to me anyway! Whew... I am SO glad he did!!

So here it is.  A beautiful new Nikon D7000 - with a Zoom and Macro lenses.

I am SO excited to start on Christmas card photos!! (I'm not sure my kiddos feel the same.)

Now I just have to figure out all these buttons!

Merry (early) Christmas to you!

Oh Christmas Tree...

By far, one of my favorite Christmas traditions... the Christmas tree.

This year was just a LITTLE different... as C and I worked so diligently to hang the ornaments... they were secretly disappearing at the same time.

After finally understanding that he couldn't steal the ornaments... our adorable thief decided he would just kiss them all. :)

What another great tree day!

God Bless You All!!