it's december already!

man where does the time go!! we are in December & in a few short weeks it will be the end to another year,which means new challenges,new reasons to be thankful,my girls get another yr older,this mama gets another year YOUNGER ;)i can't believe how fast the time flies! well every yr i make ornaments with my little ones so i wanted to share the two I've made this yr so far & the wreath i made for our front door,this was my first time making a wreath & I'm so happy with how it turned out!!can you tell I'm loving the bling lately,from my rhinestone covered wreath holder to the little gems on the ornaments ;)

the smell of fresh pumpkin...

...is wafting through my house as I'm baking a pumpkin pie & pumpkin roll :) one year at thanksgiving i might even make some pumpkin muffins,or pancakes etc there are SO many recipes to make with pumpkin but if you make too many i think it loses that yummy specialness of one or two pumpkin items you just love :)i only make them at the holidays & hubby cannot wait,he could eat a whole container of cool whip alone with his pumpkin desserts. well i am off to go relax until the oven timer goes off,busy day of cooking & baking ahead of me tomorrow!

cake truffles

a friend of mine was telling me about these 'no bake' cake truffles & i came across this recipe,looks like something to try for lillian's class christmas party & of course i can just holiday-ize them with some red green :)



CAKE BATTER TRUFFLES
Recipe from: The Girl Who Ate Everything
½ cup unsalted butter, softened
½ cup white sugar
1 ½ cups flour
1 cup yellow cake mix
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/8 teaspoon salt
3-4 Tablespoons milk
2 Tablespoons sprinkles
Truffle Coating:
16 ounces (8 squares) almond bark (or white candy melts)
4 Tablespoons yellow cake mix
sprinkles

Beat together butter and sugar using an electric mixer until combined. Blend in vanilla. Add cake mix, flour, salt, and vanilla and mix thoroughly. Add 3 Tablespoons of milk or more if needed to make a dough consistency. Mix in sprinkles by hand. Roll dough into one inch balls and place on a parchment or wax paper lined cookie sheet. Chill balls in the refrigerator for 15 minutes to firm up.


While dough balls are chilling, melt almond bark in the microwave in 30 second intervals until melted. Stir between intervals. Once melted, quickly stir in cake mix until incorporated completely. Using a fork, dip truffles into almond bark and shake of excess bark by tapping the bottom of the fork on the side of your bowl. Place truffle back on the cookie sheet and top with sprinkles. Repeat with remaining balls until finished. {Note: for smoother looking truffles, don't add cake mix to melted chocolate, just leave it by itself}


Chill cake batter truffles in the refrigerator until serving. Makes around 24-30 truffles.


Enjoy!

breaking dawn

was AMAZING!!the last time i was this excited for a movie it was years ago for titanic,& i saw that 7,yes 7 times in theater,(we also had the $1 theater than so that was nice ) :)i could not wait to go see this in theaters!!they leave you at a good stopping point right where you want to know more,maybe they'll move up that year from now when pt. 2 is set to be released,here's hoping! my best friend,her girls & i went opening day,at a reasonable time of course,not the midnight show & then out to dinner afterwards.it was a nice best friend 'date' picture coming soon :) (hint,hint to my best friend reading this )

HAPPY HALLOWEENY!!!

FROM MY CUTE LITTLE SPOOKS TO YOURS!! lily was so excited to be what she told everyone, a "beautiful angel" "with wings & a hoop"(which is a halo) :)

Amber updates

updates on amber straight from nate's mom:
10/31
Amber's surgery went much better that the doctor expected. Thanks to all your prayers, no debris was found in or around the spinal cord. Though a tedious process, the three crushed vertibreas were repaired and it went very smoothly. They also repaired the one between her shoulders, which took longer due to its location. They found no brain or nerve damage. She will to be in a brace for several weeks to three months.

They will do surgery to repair her crushed lower jaw in the morning, and the doctor expects her to be sitting up in 24 hours. They will still need to do surgery to repair her collar bone which what shattered, and they will have several surgeries to repair her right arm which has two fractured bones, broken tendons, cracked wrist, and what remains to be seen.

We are so very grateful for all the prayers. Please continue to pray for Amber as she recovers and greives for her husband, my son Ryan. When they let her wake up tomorrow, she will have that yet to face.

11/1


I just got a phone call that they will be doing all of Amber's other surgeries tomorrow (Wednesday). Please keep her in your prayers. They did not let her wake up after all. So hopefully after tomorrow we can all take a deep breath, relax, and let the healing begin. They have had to coordinate several doctors and their teams, so we have been up in the air about several things for a week.

11/2


OK just got off the phone with Josie. The miracles are coming in one after another. This morning they repaired Amber's collarbone, upper arm, lower arm, wrist and reattached and repaired the torn ligaments. This evening they were going to fix her jaw and face. They found that her upper jaw was shoved backwards and had separated the plates in her face. They pulled her upper jaw out and all of the plates popped back into place. No incisions or surgery in her mouth. Our Heavenly Father is wonderful.

We would like to thank everyone who has prayed for us and for Amber. May God's blessings be poured out on each and every one of you.

11/3
They decided to keep Amber under today as her blood oxygen was low. They needed her to rest and get it back up. They plan to take the tubes out about noon tomorrow and then she will be waking up. Pray for us as we give her the news that she has lost Ryan. I am at a loss has to how to comfort her. Perhaps we will just greive together. I am asking God to help me to be what she needs me to be.

11/4
Amber is recovering nicely; however, her oxygen levels are still in the gray area, which means she had sufficient for her current status, but it needs to be much higher before she can be allowed to be conscience enough to be told about Ryan. The stress from that news will quickly deplete her supply. Due to the jaw surgery when they remove the breathing tube, they will not be able to intubate her again, so they would have to do a trach and we really do not need that to happen should her breathing be affected. They will be checking her oxygen level again at 3am, so hopefully we will know more tomorrow.

11/5
They are weaning Amber off her pain medications. She had a rough day today and they kept her sedated most of the day. I was told that they got her up, but she was probably unaware that they did so. She has been moving alot in her bed and has not been resting well. They removed the breathing tubes and her oxgen levels are good and consistant. They are saying it may take several days for her to become completely conscious. So we are waiting on her to respond. There is not definate time line. Pray for her mother who is exhausted and is constantly by her side and the grandparents who are watching baby Chloe for the most part as she needs some consistancy in all of this. They are tired also.

Rest in Peace little brother

Nathan lost his little brother in a horrible motorcycle accident 2 weeks ago,his wife,Amber,who was also on the bike is in the ICU but is now stable,thank you Jesus,please continue to pray for healing for her and prayers for the family during this hard time,Nate & his little brother were very close. we went up to Texas to visit the family for a week and be there for the funeral,not under the greatest circumstances but it was really nice to be with the other half of our family. I know grandma really enjoyed being around the 2 grand babies :)and the rest of his family got to meet Violet for the first time :)Lily got to play with her cousins and spend time with her great-grandma's which she doesn't have here in FL.Nate's mom is doing surprisingly well,she has a lot of faith and she knows he's in Heaven & one day she'll get to be with her baby boy again.I guess God just need a warrior up there in Heaven more than we needed him on earth.Forever in our Hearts baby brother,We love you.

Little artist

Looks like i have a little artist in my family now :) she has been drawing her family,her dog,little bunnies,rainbows,grass,sunshine,opposites & shapes all over my printer paper,the shower walls(with those tub safe crayons-thank goodness) & in her little notebooks,she is so creative & loves all things crafty,she might get that from me ;) and boy does it make me smile to see these sweet little happy drawings of hers :)

pumpkin cream cheese bread

came across this recipe & boy does it look yummy,might have to make this soon & give it a try,we love all things involving pumpkin & cream cheese :)




PUMPKIN CREAM CHEESE BREAD

FILLING:



■1 package (8 ounce) cream cheese, softened
■1/2 to 3/4 cup sugar (depending on how sweet you want the filling to be)
■1 Tablespoon all-purpose flour
■1 large egg
■1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

BREAD:




■1 2/3 cups all-purpose flour
■1 teaspoon baking soda
■1/2 teaspoon salt
■1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
■1/2 teaspoon ground cloves
■1/4 teaspoon ginger
■1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
■1 to 1 1/4 cup(s) pumpkin puree, canned or homemade
■1/2 cup canola oil
■2 large eggs
■1 1/2 cups sugar
■1 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

CINNAMON GLAZE:

■1 cup powdered sugar
■2 to 2 1/2 Tablespoons half & half
■1/2 to 1 teaspoon cinnamon
■1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts for garnish




Preheat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour two 8 x 4 x 3-inch loaf pans. In a medium mixing bowl, combine cream cheese, sugar, flour, egg, and vanilla; beat until smooth and creamy. Set aside. In a large bowl, blend 1 2/3 cup flour, baking soda, salt, cinnamon, cloves, ginger, and nutmeg; set aside. In another medium bowl, combine the pumpkin puree, canola oil, eggs and sugar; beat well. Stir the pumpkin mixture into the flour mixture just until combined. Fold in the chopped pecans or walnuts.

*

Pour half of the pumpkin bread batter evenly into the two prepared loaf pans. Spoon cream cheese mixture on top of the pumpkin batter layers in each loaf pan and then spoon or pour on the remaining pumpkin batter (if you don’t have enough pumpkin batter to cover the cream cheese layer entirely, that’s okay, because you’ll be swirling them together anyway). Take a knife and stick straight down into the top pumpkin batter layer and middle cream cheese layer; swirl the knife around in these two layers, creating a marble effect; this will give the cream cheese filling a nice swirly shape as it bakes.

*

Bake in a preheated 325 degree oven for 55 to 60 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted in center of the loaf comes out clean. Cool bread in pans for 10 minutes; remove to a rack to cool completely. While waiting for the bread to cool, mix your cinnamon glaze: combine powdered sugar and half & half, blending well; then add cinnamon and mix until smooth and creamy. Note: the cinnamon makes this glaze darker in color, so if you want a lighter, creamy color glaze, just add a dash of cinnamon to the mixture. Drizzle over completely cooled bread loaves and then sprinkle on nuts for garnish.

the magic of disney

we all had such a wonderful time at Disney,going up wednesday late afternoon,hitting downtown Disney,eating a delicious meal at Rainforest cafe,staying at our Disney resort(a 1st time for all of us)getting to the park an hr early for special 'magic hours' the Disney resort offered,so we got to get in the park at 8 am,we got to see & do so much,meet all of the princess's-Rapunzel,belle,sleeping beauty-which ended up being nate's favorite because of how sweet she was to our sleeping beauty,little violet,kissed her on the forehead & everything :)Cinderella,Tinkerbell,Ariel & prince eric-which my daughter who is never shy was actually a little quiet & speechless when she met them.we got a front row seat to the parade where she got to meet woody & jessie from toy story & daddy even was picking up 'fairy dust' after the parade,he loves his girls. lily's favorite part was getting the autographs,she was so excited about that, & we tried chasing down daisy duck twice & both times she disappeared & finally while we were in line to meet Pinocchio,daisy duck was coming back out so daddy waited in line because lily really wanted to meet daisy duck.next time lily said she wants to meet "nuno" the dog,she means pluto so I'm not sure how lily confused that one, but it was a great family vacation even if only for a day or two :)

No truer words have ever been spoken

This quote tugs at my heartstrings :)

It all started with some fabulous blue shoes..

I never really splurge on myself,other than scrapbook supplies but i chalk that up to making memories for my family later on,so it doesn't count as a "selfish splurge"I bought myself this adorably cute blue shoes,that i didn't need,that don't match anything i own but i love them! & such a pretty shade of blue! i sent my husband a picture message to his cell & said where are you taking me out later so i can wear these? :)later that day on his way home from work he stopped at the car dealership & actually showed the salesman my text message picture & said," i need a nice ride to take mama out in later" i seriously thought he was kidding but he swears he did that & of course the salesman laughed & they had a truck that just about matches my fabulous shoes!hubby brought me by later on and when we were walking up to the truck i knew it was coming home with me,it's a gorgeous shade of blue(i think blue is my new favorite color right now :)) & hubby just loves it. we've been talking about getting a 2nd vehicle for awhile now, and hubby said a truck is what he wanted,he thinks i only agreed because it's a "pretty truck" he could be partially right;) glad you love it hunny,happy early birthday to you(and probably Christmas & valentines day too) ;)now i just need a new outfit to wear with my blue shoes when we go out on your birthday!

Every once in awhile....

..you take a picture & the expressions or the moment or the awesome timing really makes it one of your favorite pictures,this is one of those pictures,everytime i see this picture it truly makes my heart smile & reminds me how very blessed I am with my two sweet girls :)

a couple photo shoot

My husband is such a good sport,he is not a fan of having his picture taken,that's putting it mildly,he really hates pictures LOL,in the beginning he would gripe & complain about having to take pictures or be in them,6 years later he's realized I'm gonna make him be in photos it's inevitable,having kids they'll treasure those family pictures later on & the sooner he cooperates,the sooner it's over ;) i really wanted us to have a couple shoot for our anniversary back in august,he agreed,didn't complain, & wore his matching shirt proudly & i secretly think he is starting to like pictures(maybe just a little) but hey it's progress & we got some AMAZING shots from our couple shoot!! Thanks again Barb & sandy,you two Rock!

Less than one week till we are at Disney!!

I booked our disney resort tonight,Lillian can't wait to meet her long list of princess's,princess dress for lily to wear-check,adorable minnie mouse dress for violet to wear-check(& lily was minnie mouse on her 1st trip to disney,so now it's a little tradition)have to get an extra memory card for the camera of course & plan out what to do first,but I can't wait! also staying at a disney resort you get magic hours where the park will open earlier or stay open later for their guests,so we get to get in the park an hour early!

Homework..

yes at four years old,she is getting homework but so far it's all fun stuff,drawing pictures of your pets & family.well this assignment was draw a picture of your family,so here we all are,mommy,daddy,baby violet(that's what she calls her :) lily & Rita,this one just melted my heart :)

Breaking Dawn

okay so I've been told this was aimed towards teenagers,young adults crowd,but I'll admit I watched the first movie & was totally hooked! One movie a yr & 3 yrs later I CANNOT wait for breaking dawn to come out,my girlfriends & I are going to the midnight showing!! :)

These last few weeks...

are flying by!!! It's hard to believe my sweet baby will be one next month!! She is standing by herself now for a few seconds at a time,before i know it,she will be walking!

Feeling green??

...Not green with envy,just green. As I picked up my littlest daughter to feed her the other night i noticed she got "green" something all over me,i quickly look at her to realize it is all over her face & hands,after further investigation,I find this crayola 'leprechaun green' pipsqueak marker on the ground,no lid,next to lily's art desk,aah-ha,i found the culprit & Violet sure did enjoy getting it all over herself :)

another rainy day

it seems like rainy days in fl are all over the place, sometimes it rains all morning & then sunshine,other times it's a beautiful day & we get those late afternoon showers,today is a gloomy rainy day over here.although forgetting the umbrella made Lillian a happy little girl when we were running up to the doors at school in the rain,she says," oh boy mama, I just love the rain!"how can I not smile about that :) but now that i picked up my sweetheart from school for the day,there is some coloring,story reading & of course some rice crispy treats to be made :)

catching up on some old layouts

there is never enough time in the day,but can't everyone say that :) between my 4 yr old keeping me busy & asking me 1,000 questions & a baby that is constantly hungry,loves to cuddle & she's so cute i just have to take lots of pictures not much free time lately. but alas I've caught the creative bug & have been finishing up some layouts i started that never finished & a couple new ones :)

A Beautiful Day

Sundays are the best,they are our family fun day/lazy day of relaxing,filled with church,lots of relaxing, fun & a little bit productive. yesterday was great especially just really nice quality time all together,all four of us. I've been wanting to go the beach & the last 2 times we've gone it started raining halfway there,not just a few drops,full on raining,so when i suggested we go yesterday,i was kind of skeptical we would actually make it onto the beach because of all the rainy weather lately but we did & it was just a BEAUTIFUL day!! Lillian had a blast in the sand,some days she wants to swim the whole time other days she wants to play in the sand all day,yesterday it was all about playing in the sand :) & little violet well i swear she thinks she can swim,she was crawling all over the shore,so fast,all over the beach,she would crawl right into the water almost till it was touching her face when we had to pull her back to the shoreline & right back to the deep water she would crawl again * again,i was exhausted chasing her all over the beach but they had a blast & i got some EXCELLENT photos to cherish the day :)

My baby started pre-k today

yep,those first 4 years flew by & today she started school,pre-k,it's only 3 hrs a day this first year but it's every day,school holidays & everything.i think they are trying to gradually work you up to that full day of school,away from mommy, time when they start kindergarten,which happens to be next year(GASP)!Man we've only made it through one whole day & i can't believe she isn't home with me all day,every day from now on & i think I'm a little more surprised that she had SO MUCH fun & such a good time. Every mom wants their child to enjoy school & make friends & be happy but i don't think they are suppose to like it THIS much lol. she loves her teacher,eats her lunch,loves the outside playtime & is already so smart,so this is gonna be a great year! On a brighter note,her school loves volunteers(wink,wink) & they go on field trips & have class parties which all need some 'help' or chaperones so i know where this mommy will be! volunteering at the school,helping with the thanksgiving feast & Christmas party,making crafts with the elderly at the nursing home,it's gonna be fun for both of us!! :)

Happy anniversary to us!

Well August is off to a great start!Yesterday was my anniversary,my husband & I have been together for 6 yrs,only married for 4,but 6 long,crazy,happy years together none the less :) I have a house,a dog & 2 beautiful little girls that keep me busy all from this marriage,one might say I'm living the dream :) But on a serious note,he loves me unconditionally,lets me buy all the crazy craft(or crap) as he puts it, stuff i want & puts up with my picture taking habits so I can't complain :)for my anniversary i wanted us to get some nice couple photos taken,so we did,they came out GORGEOUS!!Love those ladies at Sandbar Photography,they are amazing women with excellent photography skills :) i should have them in a few weeks for now here is the sneak peek she sent me,Love all the feelings in this picture :)

some recent layouts :)

My heart

Here is my take on this lovely sketch,used my mind's eye papers Lime Twist :)