.:Feeling Springy:. April 10, 2011

Keeping busy…

With random crafty/kid projects.   Owen loved making these (although he did not love waiting overnight for the results).
He is crazy about dinosaurs- although he didn’t understand why the hatched egg didn’t contain baby dinos.
Still love the end results- although I think I like the shells even better then the eggs.
(Got the idea from one of my favorite blogs- they have the best recipes and ideas.)

On a side note- Owen did not love eating the boiled egg. Going to have to figure out a way to get him to try them again- maybe egg salad? Thinking that could be some funky looking deviled eggs too!
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A few quotes…

O: Mom, look at that little doggie. I love it. It’s so cute.  Can we get a chipawawa?

—

O:  Britain is getting old.  I think we need a parrot.

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O: Mom, do you want me to turn 5?
R: No, I want you to stay my little man for a long time.
O: Well, that is not going to happen. I am going to go to college.
R: College? When will I see you?
O: When I come home for dinner. I can’t always feed myself.

—

Never a dull moment.

We are planting herbs and slowly getting our yard back in shape. Half an acre sounds great when we bought the house- but it is a lot of work. Slowly getting our landscaping put in- every year I think we should be playing the lottery. Who knew dirt can cost so much?

Feel the Love February 13, 2011

XOXO- from our little monster.

(Wanna see your kid giggle?  Put googlie eyes on anything.)

Much love… December 27, 2010

I Heart Baking October 10, 2010

Made these today. Made my house smell like spices and fresh dough.

Not just amazing cinnamon rolls, but AMAZING Pumpkin Cinnamon Rolls.
And with icing I always think to myself- “don’t put on too much icing”.
But the icing has cream cheese in it- so there can never be too much. Right?
(And another contributing reason why my pants are tight.)

The recipe is from a great blog- you can find it here.
I have two pans in my fridge- ready to rise and bake.
And maybe (just maybe) I won’t burn the bottoms on the next batch.

Happy Baking
*Rachel
www.sneakypillowjumper.com

.:Quotes of the Summer- 2010:. August 3, 2010

.:Quotes of the Summer:.

Pictures and quotes from the last few months from our little guy. (The ones we remember and wrote down.)

—
O: Mom, what is camouflage?
R: It is the coloring animal and people use to blend into their surrounding to hide.
O: Yeah, like on Diego. I need to turn on my camo so that I am not caught by a predator.
—

After drilling me with questions regarding how babies get in tummies.
O: Here is the line on my stomach that my baby popped out of it.
Then it cried and that is how Makenzy was born.
And I don’t want to go through that ever again.
R: Me neither.
—
R: Soon you will start school again with a new class and a new teacher.
O: I don’t want a new class. Or a new teacher. I don’t need new friends. I need Mrs. Teresa.

—
R: O, what do you want for breakfast?
O: Toast and cereal. And I’m gonna need a big bowl of chips.
—
O to Nana: My mom is my favorist mom in the whole wide world.
(My heart melting!!)
—
O: Mom, remember that Jesus is in our hearts?
R: Yes, is he in your heart too?
O: Yeah, in my heart and in my belly.
—
O: Mom, I am growing up. I am growing up like Andy (from Toy Story). And I am getting bigger and bigger.
R: I know you are.
O: And when I grow up, I am going to talk like this- talk, talk, talk, talk talk.
—
R: O, do you think you ever want a baby brother or sister?
O: No, not really.
R: Why not?
O: I do not want any of Aunt Christina’s children.

—
R: (after time out) Where do you go when you have to go?
O: In the toilet. But remember when I went on my sock? That was funny.
—
(Crawling up his loft bed)
O: Mom, can you hold my crap?
R: Umm, yeah. (Laughing and ashamed.  Mental note- do not use that word).
—
O: Is the lake house far away?
R: Yes, O we just left our house.
(EVERY TWO MINUTES THIS HAPPENED…UNTIL)
O: Is our house far away?
R: Yes, we are half way there.
O: So the lake house is close?
R: No, still only half way there.
O: NOOOOO- everything is too far away.
(The rest of the trip was- Are we close to the lake house?- Every two minutes.)
—

—
After Matt got in trouble at the lake
O: Mom, I need to see Matt.
R: He is in trouble, he made a bad choice.
O: Well, maybe I can talk to Connie for him.
—
O: Mom, where is dad?
R: Work.
O: Oh man, again? He went there yesterday.
—
O: Mom, is Makenzy my cousin? And I am her cousin?
R: Yes- you are cousins.
O: Then who is my sister?
R: You don’t have a sister. Would you like a sister?
O: Yes. I think we should get Kyah as my sister. Or Morgan.
R: Really, well that’s not how it works.
O: You’re right. Kyah is my friend. And Morgan and Kyler too.

—
Can’t believe we are at the end of summer. We have survived a broken arm, swim lessons, the zoo, the aquarium, bowling, sleep-overs, a week away with an amazing group of students in Chicago/O at nana & papa’s and great week at the lake with some amazing friends.
I love school supplies (and fall)- but I am not ready to start thinking about school starting yet. I wish I were working on my classroom and going to meetings- but I am still waiting for the door to fly open and for the crazy adventure of teaching to begin. O will be starting full-day preschool in the next few weeks- which just makes me the more crazy thinking about him being somewhere else all week. Very bittersweet. (A teaching job would make it easier- dear Lord hear my prayer!)

Still counting… June 30, 2010

June 30, 2001- I changed my name from Miss to Mrs- and have never looked back

To my best friend, boyfriend, biggest fan, amazing dad and co-parent- the one I want by my side… here’s to continued blessing and to counting many more laughs, much love, and years of memories.

—

Terry and I met in high school.  We were not sweethearts- not until he graduated and even then it was long distance and firmly planted in our friendship.  We were both very focused and committed to following whatever God had for us- which meant different schools in different states.  And we didn’t continue dating the whole time- but our friendship was very close and held strong.  He knows so much about me, my family and my childhood.  Long story short- he got jealous, we got back together, he proposed, I said YES.

9 years later-  a great family, a dog, a house, a great kid, and a relationship built on faith, lots of laughter, and a bond of true friendship that cannot be broken.  Love you to the moon and back.

Always-
*Rachel

www.sneakypillowjumper.com

.:Week of Us:. June 28, 2010

This week is our 9th Anniversary- I cannot believe it.

Around our house we celebrate weeks- not just days.  (Why? Because my guy likes to give gifts- and I like to get them.  Really he is the best at surprising me and getting me little things I love.)

Today- Favorite flowers from my favorite florist.

9 years may not be a major milestone- but we never want to grow tired of our love and friendship.  We have countless joys and triumphs to celebrate.  This last year we have been faced with the biggest challenges of our marriage.  June 24th was the 1 year mark of my shocking diagnosis of Ocular Melanoma.  It seems like when it rains, it pours. This year has felt like whatever could go wrong did.  But my prayer is that we are stronger for it.  We are surrounded by so much love and support from our family and friends- and we are in love with our little guy who makes our lives a joy.

So to my best friend:

Terry – you are my rock.  Your love and support during the trials of this year has brought us closer together.  I am honored and humbled to stand by your side.  There is no way I can ever repay you for the time and energy you have poured into my life to help me follow my dreams and regain my health.  Thanks for being my biggest fan.  For the hours of work you put in to take care of our family.  And for the laughter that always puts a negative situation into perspective.  And thanks for the beautiful flowers- I love you.  Happy Anniversary week.

*rachel

—

www.sneakypillowjumper.com

Help a baker out… June 20, 2010

I have a handful of posts started- none of which are finished or posted. It’s how I roll.

So back to me- I think I have baked about 100 dozen cookies in the last 6 months. I have eaten about half of them- by myself. But the challenge to my baker friends is this- help me figure out how to re-create the Chocolate Duet Cookie from this restaurant.

Been experimenting with this recipe from a cute little blog I found last year- its pretty good. They are like eating brownies- but they still need a little tweeking to get them where they need to be.  I have tried espresso powder- just made them dry.  (Plus I bought the cookie from the bakery late one night- it was wrapped with an ingredient label- did not include espresso powder).  I think the taste is not far off- but the part I can’t get is the texture that is so perfect about the bakery-cafe version.

So this is a challenge to help me out- my waste line & reflux cannot handle another 100 dozen in an attempt to get this one right.  (And if you know how to make bagels like they do- teach me how to do that too.)

P.S.  This request is specifically directed to this great baker I know and whose blog I stalk- cause I think if anyone can do it-she can.  L

Bedside reading June 1, 2010

Sometimes I tend to get stuck on one thing. This is what my bedside table often looks like.  This is from about a month ago- it is currently filled with past copies of hand-me-down Food Network Magazines and new library books.
To be fair- the top book was actual reading.  (And in full disclosure- O’s bedside table often looks something like this too.)

There is this other cookbook that I love- of which I have checked out at the library and thumbed through at the bookstore-more then a few times.  But I don’t allow myself to buy many books- I save recipes online and try to conserve my limited space for storage- or that’s what I tell myself.  That is why I follow a few dozen foodie blogs- so many great ideas from people who do not have culinary degrees- no expense.

About a month ago a blog I follow was giving it away.  Guess what?  I won it- I don’t win many things, but I actually won it.  A big shout out to Leigh Ann at  Your Home Based Mom for her generosity- (and for actually sharing an autographed copy of one of my favorite cookbooks).  Check out her blog- she has great home cooked recipes like this one I have on my list to try.

So I grabbed my camera when it finally arrived and took a few picks of my oh-so-wonderful package.  It is from the author of one of the first blogs I started following last year- amazing recipes, stories, and photos from The Pioneer Woman. And her blog is not just a blog- there is an entire recipe community that I get great ideas from too called Tasty Kitchen.

I love this book.  Seriously- I have already made The Best Chocolate Sheet Cake. Ever. – several times.  AMAZING.

I get so much inspiration from blogs like the two of these listed- and at times I feel like I know the writers who share their lives with me every day through their stories, recipes, and ideas.  So I feel very blessed to win- even if it is random.

So what’s your favorite cookbook?  Or book for that matter?  (Always looking for new material to read!)  And do you ever win anything?  I am feeling lucky- will have to post about the other two giveaways I have recently won when I get them in the mail!  I feel like I should buy a lottery ticket or a ticket to Vegas.  Probably won’t push it though.

—

Side note: I read a lot of blogs- and when I see a cool giveaway I enter (as long as it is simple, like leave a comment- not when I have to sign up for services I am not already involved in or give up my kid or anything weird like that).  I don’t search out giveaways- they are just part of the blogs I am already following.  I just felt a need to clarify that.  Ok.

~Quotes of the Week~ May 9, 2010

Another weeks worth of quotes from our very active 3-year-old…

(St. Patty’s day breakfast with some Diego in the background- and yes this is the “smile for the camera” smile)
-
O: Daddy is on that airplane. Daddy is on that airplane!
R: He is not on that airplane. The plane he flew on already landed.
O: It was that airplane. I saw him stick his head out.
-
O: God bless all our friends and all our family.  Help them do something.
(During goodnight prayers.)
-
O: Mom, is daddy your boyfriend?
R: Yep, he sure is.
-
O: I like this lady bug. He is my favorite.
R: Well, we might need to let him go so he can find food and water.
O: I don’t want to let him go, he is my best friend.
R: Really? Then you need to let him go so he can live.
O: No, I want to play with him. His name is Kenan.
-

O: Mom, come look what I found for you.
(He picked all of the bloomed iris’ and put them here- just for me.)

-
O: Owen, I am so proud of you. You deserve some cookies.
(This was a conversation he had with himself- “reading” a note with a picture of cookies on it.)
-
O: Mom, come to my office. I am your doctor.
R: You are? What is your doctor’s name?
O: Dr. Coquad. He makes me feel better.
R: And where do you go to visit your doctor.
O: The tractor in the back yard. That’s his office
-
O: Mom, I need to cut your hair. I will be careful.
R: Well, I am not sure I need a haircut.
O: It will make you feel better.
R: Who cuts your hair?
O: Ms. Meredith. And Sydney- she is my friend. We go to the lake together.
-

(This makes me laugh)
-
O: Mom, what are you doing with that?
R: Putting on my makeup.
O: Here let me help you. I am going to get makeup in my stocking at Christmas.
R: You are? What kind of makeup?
O: Boy makeup. Purple and blue and green.
R: Oh, your dad will be so proud.  And I am sure you will look beautiful.
-
O: Mom, here is your birthday card.
R: Thank you, but I think this might be for Mother’s Day.
O: Oh, well there is something special inside. It is sparkly.
R: I love it.
O: Thanks, it’s for me.