Current Favorites and Muffin Madness

Good morning friends! We've had a busy morning already over here and it's not even 10:00! Oh the things you can do when your child loves to wake up bright and early! Now Oodles is down for her morning nap and Mister is watching his episode of Sesame Street so I thought I would share with you some things I am loving.

                                             

1.I am loving that this little girl learned to clap. She now claps almost all day, but at the most appropriate times. Daddy's home, she claps, Mister helped, she claps, Mommy spilled paint, she claps, seriously this girl is smart! She also has her fake little laugh down pat, so now any time any one opens their mouth to speak she busts up laughing. And claps of course. 

2. Yes, I am loving apples, oranges and cinnamon. If you peel the orange and cut the apple up into rounds, put them on a cookie sheet and sprinkle them with cinnamon, put it in your oven at 250 it makes your house smell   AMAZING! It last a long time too, you can use the same pan five or six times before they get a little too crispy! Try it, you'll love it!

3. Twisted Peppermint lotion from Bath and Body Works. I got this last year as a present from one of my kindergartners. Yummy! I like to put it on the babies when they are done with their baths. It makes them smell sweet and Christmasy.... 

4. Our first Fancy Nancy book! I have been dying to get Little Miss a Fancy Nancy book and I finally broke down and bought her one last night. I always get Mister a new Christmas book each year so last night at the store he got to choose one, and I chose this one for Little Miss. This book is so cute!! Can't wait to buy Little Miss some more! 

5. Little Miss's stocking. I bought a plain white stocking at WalMart and then added some doodads and voila! Its so cute, and she loves it. She clapped when I was done....

6. And lastly I am loving these muffins! Cappachino Chip and Lemon Berry Cream to be exact. Here are the recipes.

Cappachino Chip
These muffins will change your life...(or your pant size) Seriously these are so good! I found the recipe : here. Yum, yum and more yum.

And now for the Lemon Berry Cream Muffins. These are kind of summery, but last night they had a sale on raspberries so I had to make them. These are the muffins I have made for my doctor and their assistant right before I have had my babies.  I want to offer them something yummy so that they are super nice to me while giving birth, or the second time chopping me open, but I also dont want them to think I just sit around and eat baked goods all day, henceforth that is why I am HUGE! So I make them these "healthy" muffins. Healthy because they have two healthy ingredients, lemon and berries.... So far it has worked, they have been very nice about chopping me open and have not made one comment about me being huge...

2 cups flour
1 cup sugar
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 cups fresh or frozen raspberries or blueberries (if frozen do not thaw out)
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup of lemon yogurt (I use two of the 6 oz Yoplait yogurts)
1-2 tsp of grated lemon zest
1/2 vegetable oil
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a bowl combine the first six ingredients. Carefully fold in the berries.
In another bowl combine the next five ingredients.
Fold the wet ingredients into the dry.
Fill greased muffin tins about 2/3rds full.
If you are not making the streusal topping now you can Bake for 18-22 minutes at 400. (My oven tends to run hot, so I bake mine for 15 minutes and they are perfect)
Let sit for five minutes before removing!

Streusel Topping:
Today I did not make a streusel topping because I'm going to freeze these but usually I do. To do this you combine:
3 tblsps flour
3 tblsps quick cooking oats
1 tbsp white sugar
1tbsp brown sugar
1/8 tsp cinnamon
Cut in 2 tblsp of cold butter until crumbly. Sprinke over muffins before baking. Follow the instructions above for the baking/cooling.

So there you have it! I hope you enjoy!
here

It's Beginning to Look Alot Like Christmas.....

Merry Christmas Season Friends! It's beginning to look alot like Christmas around here! Here is my sweet Little Miss in a festive little outfit I picked for her last year on Christmas Eve on the clearance rack! I have waited a whole year for her to wear it!!! It made me so happy for her to wear it to church yesterday! 

And here is my Little Mister who isnt so little any more. Here he is sleeping in his big boy bed for the first time! He has done great, super easy transition. When Hubcap was taking his crib apart Little Mister kept telling me, "Daddy's breaking my bed! I'ts ok, I'll fix it! " :) Cute kid.

Here Mister is decorating his and Little Miss' tree. We are going later in the week to get a bigger real tree, but I thought it would be fun to decorate this little tree with the fun kid ornaments in their little corner of the living room. Mister did a great job, but he did want to play with all the tractor ornaments, instead of hanging them!!

What are all those cute numbered envelopes hanging in the background you might wonder? Well that my friends is the super cute advent calendar that my sister in law and I made last night! It is too cute for words! Here they are up close:

And here is the whole thing! It is so festive and cute, it might be my most favorite Christmas decoration! 

In each little envelope is an activity to do for the day leading up to Christmas. This idea is all over Pinterest so my sister in law and I combined some ideas to make up our own. 

Here are the activities I put in our little envelopes. Obviously not everyone's would be the same, these are fitted for a toddler, but some are for everyone. You could make it work for your family/season of life!  I think its a great way to enjoy the Christmas season. 

 1. Read about the birth of Jesus.

2. Eat a candy cane.

3. Go to Christmas Parade.

4. Get a Christmas tree.

5. Make Christmas tree footprints.

6. Donate food.

7. Read a Christmas book.

8. Make chalk angels.

9. Go to fun Christmas party!

10. North Pole Breakfast.

11. Go look at Christmas Lights.

12. Make a Christmas book.

13. Decorate felt Christmas tree.

14. Go see Santa.

15. Drink hot chocolate.

16. Watch a Christmas movie as a family.

17. Go see Gramsie and Papa Red.

18. Be a Shepard in the Christmas Play.

19. Make Christmas Cookies.

20. Take Goodie Baskets to neighbors.

21. Rudolph Lunch.

22. Make the house smell like Christmas 

23. Listen to Christmas Music-Dance Party!

24. Hang up Paper Snowflakes

25. Rejoice, Rejoice for our King is born! 

Doesn't our Christmas season look fun? What I did was go through my calendar and look at what we already had planned. Some of the events worked for a "advent" event for the day. Then I just plugged in other activities that would work for that day, smaller things on the days I work, etc. I am so excited because I think if we open the envelope right before we do the activity, Mister will really get it! I am also excited about our North Pole breakfast I'm planning for him, fun! 

Next week I have some really fun Christmas crafts to share with you, but until then Merry Christmas, and I hope you have a very FUN Christmas season! 

8 months!

Oh Oodles! You turned 8 months on Thanksgiving Day, how festive! You are your mother's child! I cannot believe that in 4 months you will be one years old! I know I tell you this every month, but time really is flying!!

At months you:

-wave hi

-say mama and dada

-still have no teeth

-still do not crawl!!!! You have made a few small crawls, but for the most part you roll, stretch, scoot to get where you want to go. And you can go pretty far.

-Eat baby food two times a day now, fruit at lunch, veggie at dinner. 

-Love to sing and LOVE to talk. Your poor brother gets an earful!

-Have the funniest fake laugh! Your brother taught you and so now we will look at you and you do this hilarious fake laugh.

- suck your top lip in and look like a bull dog. A very beautiful bull dog.

-love jewelry

-You can now go from lying on your back/tummy to sitting up on your own, which is nice for mama! 

-have wild and curly hair..you have this one little ringlet on the side of your head that I could seriously eat with a spoon it is so adorable! 

Little Miss you are just too cute! Seriously every time I look at you I can't believe how gosh darn cute you really are!! You make everyone around you happy and I love that about you! You are my sweetest baby girl and I don't know how I could love you more!

Mama

Miss Crafty Pants Monday: Thanksgiving Book

Good Morning! Mister decided to wake up bright and early this morning so we are enjoying Sesame Street on the couch. Oh how I love Sesame Street.
Last week Mister and I made a Thanksgiving Book using his handprint. It turned out really cute so I am excited to share it.

Here is the cover. I cut up a diaper box into the shape I wanted and then covered it in paper. This made the book a little more sturdy. Dont you love our little Thanksgiving tree? I made these little turkey handprints when Mister was three months old, they make me happy. The tree was a tree that my mom had at her baby shower and we used all growing up. Then when I was pregnant with Mister it was at my baby shower and now we use it!



And here are the pages. Oh my stars, arent they so cute! I probably look at this book once a day, just because his little handprint is so cute. I eventually wrote under or next to each little Picture as well; The Mayflower, Pilgrim, Indian or if you would like to be politically corect Native American  and finally turkey. Mister is proud because he can read his book!
Heres what I did:
Mayflower: painted whole hand brown, added sails 
Pilgrim: only painted four fingers black and his palm peach, then drew on his bill of his hat and face
Native American: only painted four fingers in "feather" colors, palm a light brown and then drew on face and headband
Turkey: painted all five fingers
So there you have it! So cute!!
And speaking of cute, I will leave you with some pictures of my cute fall babies. Love my lovelies!
Happy Fall Y'All!

Noah's Ark

Happy Sunday Morning! Usually we would be at church during this time but this is the second Sunday in a row that I have stayed at home with the kids due to pink eye and allergies. So today I decided to do Sunday School here at home. We studied Noah's Ark and Mister really loved it.
We started off by singing the song Arky Arky. Mister got a set of Sunday School Sing Along cd's for his birthday (thanks cousin!) and he loves to listen to them and dance. But today was different. I had the three of us sit in a little circle and we sang the song and did little motions. It was a great practice of self control, seeing as Mister is usally on the go. I have been working on him sitting still and following directions in that setting.
After we sang our little song we read this book:


I got this book for 10 cents at a garage sale a year ago. It is a really cute book and even has little stuffed animals and a Noah that you can play with. It is the perfect book to fit the attention span of a two year old!
After we got done reading we made this art project:

Mister helped me glue the "boat" on and then he handed me the different color "puffs". I had to use a hot glue gun so obviously he couldnt help glue.... but he still had fun. While we worked I had him work on a two year old version of the verse written on the boat, " This is my sign"...  At our church the kiddos always memorize a verse and recite it to the congregation before the main service. Nothing sweeter than little ones quoting scripture!

And here we are playing Noah's Ark. What you didnt know Rainbow Brite was on the ark? Mister went and got his animals and lined his chairs up so I had to put Little Miss on the ark too! So sweet...
So there was our special Sunday School for the day! Short and sweet, about thirty minutes but the perfect way to spend a Sunday morning if we couldnt go to church.

" I have hidden your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you." Psalms 119:11

Miss Crafty Pants Monday: Frames and Felt....

Happy Monday Friends! Glad its the start of another week, even though time is flying by. I took Little Miss into the doctor today and she got her 7 month shots, it was weird because I promise you I was just there and  she was five days old! And now its Thanksgiving...
We had a fun weekend; met up with some friends, celebrated Hubcaps birthday with my family, watched our team LOSE...sniff... but it was a relaxing weekend.

Mister had pink eye this weekend so I stayed home with the babes while Hubs went to church. Two weekends ago he painted our bedroom and I have had this wall that I just didnt know what to do with. I finally figured it out, and Mister and I did this yesterday morning:

I love it!!! It's just perfect...and the best thing is Hubs liked it too... I was a little worried he might think it was a little busy, but he liked it!

I really love Thanksgiving and I am so excited about all the little crafts we are going to make leading up to the big day. I made Mister this nice, quiet activity felt board last weekend..... we are still working on the nice and quiet lasting for more than five minutes.

He does like this turkey and its a great, fun way to practice his colors. I made him a Jack-O-Lantern one for Halloween and will make him a Christmas flannel board as well. Its not that hard of a concept, I just cut felt out and you can stick it together.... :)

This last picture is for "Gigi" ...Here we are all dressed up on Saturday for the big game....poor Alabama. Like my dad said after we got done watching, "That game wore me out"... Seriously... Roll Tide!!!

Happy crafting friends... next week I have some fun crafts to show you for Thanksgiving. Have a great week!

To My Little Mister

To My Little Mister:
It's the month of November and thankfulness is swirling.Everywhere I look people are talking about being thankful and today little man, I am overwhelmed with thankfulness for you. My Mister Bister who made me a mama, who fills each day with joy..I am thankful for you.

Tonight I finally cleaned out your closet and it flooded me with memories. Memories of me standing in this same spot on a Thursday night years ago, Daddy at Mens Group and me hanging clothes in your closet, excited and nervous about this little boy who would call me mom. Tonight, as I took too small shirts and onesies off the hangers and replaced them with "little men" shirts and a Super Grover cape  a new excitement filled my heart. Sad too that my little baby boy who I waited for so eagerly is now a little boy. A little boy who can now play pretend with his toys and call me Mom and ask me for "Num Num Num" (bubble gum).
But excited too, to see who you have become and who you are becoming.

Little Mister most days you give me a run for my money. You are wild and full of energy and so strongwilled. You are teaching me so much about patience and love. There are low moments that I feel like I am failing as a parent when you flail on the floor and pout or act naughty at church and then you turn around and raise me to the highest of highs when you say on your own at the dinner table, " Done, excuse me mom" and "thanks", and will help me at the drop of a hat.

I love watching you learn new things and then explain them to me. Today you told me all about the clouds in the sky, the train at the Pumpkin Farm and playing with your Papa Red. You are smart as a whip and I'm pretty sure you know it.

You are a fantastic big brother. Your sister is so spoiled by you. Even on the roughest of days your sweet side shines through with her. You have never once been mean to her, jealous a few times of course but always kind and loving to her. She is your baby and when you look at her and light up, my whole heart melts. It is love at its finest....

Little Mister I love you with my whole heart. Today I thankful for you, for the moments you bring, high and low and the joy and "family" you have brought to our home.

Love, Mama

"Train up a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not depart from it"