tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-87785838335872386802024-03-12T18:35:29.902-07:00Creative IdeasPhoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.comBlogger100125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-80036636437830426082014-09-13T06:00:00.000-07:002014-09-13T06:00:15.188-07:00Just a little braggingI completely forgot to mention...bragging moment coming...I RAN MY FIRST <a href="http://www.superhero5klancaster.org/">5k</a> in June!!!<br />
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<br />This photo is anything but flattering, but I'm proud of it; I finished in 36:19 minutes. My next challenge... a triathlon in February. <br />
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Since I'm already bragging, I might as well continue. Benjamin received 100% plus had the bonus words correct on his first spelling test...or should I say his first graded test ever! <br />
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</span></span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-44848478710200684392014-09-06T06:29:00.002-07:002014-09-13T06:06:06.856-07:00Never Enough Hours in the Day! <div style="text-align: left;">
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been a long times since I’ve touched this blog! I have thought about updating
often, but there never seems to be enough hours in the day…especially with two
kids in school and involved in activities! A lot has happened/changed since my
last post in 2011:</span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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working full-time, doing what I love- graphic design field. John left his
employer of fourteen years, started working at a sister company, and within
three years he was promoted to a senior developer in a team leader
position (LOL-that isn't the technical job title). John joined our local
volunteer fire company, earned his firefighter II and EMT certification. On
August 7, 2014 we celebrated our 10th wedding anniversary. </span><span style="font-family: "Times New Roman","serif"; font-size: 12pt; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Benjamin started 1st grade on August 25th, he's doing well and coming home daily with positive marks on his class chart :-). I can't get over how much homework a 1st grader brings home- Reading, writing, math, spelling words and vocabulary words!!! Yep, I miss the easy carefree days of the 3 year old preschool program ;-). Benjamin played T-ball for a season, but we quickly realized that wasn't a sport for him. Benjamin started taking swim lessons around 18 months, he's moved up the "ranks" of swim America and on September 12th he'll be evaluated for the Swim America Diplomat swim team. He is starting boy scouts this month and has shown interested in joining FFA (Future Farmers of America). </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Ben
has a kind heart, but since he tends to be a follower, he has occasionally
gotten into trouble with peers. He is shy at first, but quickly opens up; Ben
is the type of child that is friends with everyone and does well when placed
with new students. At times, Ben shows signs of anxiety; he is also sensitive
and empathetic. He will ask about kids that are out sick and tries to comfort
those that are hurting. Benjamin is very organized and thrives on routines. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Benjamin
enjoys reading, math, art, crafts, video games, bike riding, swimming and being
outside. With the exception of swimming, Benjamin is not very athletic and
quickly loses interest in sports. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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Hayden started pre-k on September 5th; John and I are excited to see him learn, grow and mature this year as he prepares for Kindergarten in the fall of 2015. Hayden played Spring soccer in 2014, and is also moving up the "ranks" of Swim America. </div>
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Hayd is EXTREMLY active, sociable, the class clown child, and at times has an aggressive side. Hayden has an awesome imagination, he loves to play make believe and dressing up in his superhero costumes.<br />
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After a lot of research-I realized Hayden has an allergy to synthetic dyes (<a href="http://www.danacera.com/about/research/red-dye-40/">this describes Hayden on synthetic food dyes)</a>, I'm constantly reading Nutrition ingredients these days, but it's helped our family eat healthier. We've come along way, at four years old- Hayden can looks at a food, know if he should eat it or not. On his own doing he'll choose healthy foods over junk foods; LOL- as I was writing that last sentence, Hayden handed me a chocolate fruit popsicle asking "you take the chocolate off and leave me the mango?"<br />
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<span style="font-family: "Cambria","serif"; font-size: 12pt;">Hayden enjoys running, swimming , fishing and riding his scooter. Hayden is not one to sit still long, he needs to be constantly moving and engaged in activities.</span></div>
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Unfortunately we haven't been doing a lot of at home art/creative projects; however one of the creative Christmas traditions we added to our family three years ago was the Elf on the Shelf. While Elfie isn't half as mischievous as some of the Elves out there (he'd be kicked out of the house if I had to clean up after him daily), we still have a fun together.</div>
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For the second year, we purchased season passes to Hershey Park.</div>
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We also have a family membership to the Lancaster Science Factory</div>
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We've taken family vacations over the years; August 2014 we spent a week in Ontario, Canada.</div>
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The big news for 2014 is we sold our house and are in the process of building; I'm still in shock, we sold our house in 15 days and had to be out within six weeks. Talk about answered prayers, not only did we sell our house within a short period, but we had two offers on the table to choose from. We wanted to keep Benjamin in the same elementary school, John wanted to stay within his fire district; that left us with three development choices. Two of those were a no, one is a swing area for redistricting and the other we couldn't foresee it being our forever neighborhood (until nursing home/grave), that left us with one choice...to build. We moved out of our house in July and are currently short-term leasing, while our apartment is nice and we have friendly neighbors, we are anxious to begin the next chapter in our new home. The house is scheduled to be complete October 31st, we settle November 14th and plan to move in November 22nd (we want to take a week to do painting before moving in). I'll be honest, as excited as I am, I initially had some worries. I can now say God has been in control the whole time and he's bestowed so many blessings, and "slapped" me in the face reminding me this is his plan and he's in control. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> June 6th- Sold our house, Benjamin's last day of Kindergarten. </td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 7th- the 12th anniversary of our 1st date, <br />
we signed the contract on our new house <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">August 15th- 7 years to the date we closed on our first house,<br />
the superior walls were installed.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">September 5th- Framing began, Hayden's 1st day of pre-k.</td></tr>
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Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-63074479742352729882012-12-16T13:11:00.000-08:002012-12-16T13:11:21.847-08:00A Response to Tragedy
<span class="usercontent"><span lang="EN" style="color: #333333; font-family: "Tahoma","sans-serif"; mso-ansi-language: EN;"><br />I’m not one to preach, but I have to share the sermon from church today. Our pastor put a pause on advent and lit 27 candles...grown men were in tears.<br /><br /><a href="http://hempfieldumc.com/sermons/2012/aresponsetotragedy/20121216.mp3" target="_blank"><span style="color: blue;">http://hempfieldumc.com/<wbr></wbr>sermons/2012/<wbr></wbr>aresponsetotragedy/20121216.mp3</span></a><o:p></o:p></span></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";">But whoever causes one of these little ones who believe in me to sin, it would be better for him to have a great millstone fastened around his neck and to be drowned in the depth of the sea. Matthew 18:6</span><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif"; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman"; mso-fareast-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><br /></span><span style="font-family: "Corbel","sans-serif";">Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” <br />Deuteronomy 32:35</span></div>
Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-59744011727047522852011-12-25T13:40:00.001-08:002011-12-26T05:06:34.398-08:00Merry Christmas<div><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIE-6v6OIqFUJdbk2k35q7RgFi2_B9i7eCUi3eai8gzD3mbOPZWAkKE5zZVv7zvpAl_1VDdovzQXd8gpcmHkD9Ayx14NhYbCthNzYLh_DSoZV-CrmLydO_tuAlds-w783p28H21rdgB4x/s1600/Christmas+2011blogger.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690184090665201650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioIE-6v6OIqFUJdbk2k35q7RgFi2_B9i7eCUi3eai8gzD3mbOPZWAkKE5zZVv7zvpAl_1VDdovzQXd8gpcmHkD9Ayx14NhYbCthNzYLh_DSoZV-CrmLydO_tuAlds-w783p28H21rdgB4x/s320/Christmas+2011blogger.jpg" /></a><br /><br />25 days of Christmas projects didn’t go as planned, or should I say my children’s health throw us a curve ball this year? Two rounds of the stomach bug for Benjamin, bronchiolitis for Hayden and a “Merry” Christmas Eve from the Urgent care for Benjamin…soooo yah…crafts weren’t very high on our list.<br /><br />Santa made two little boys’ day a whole lot brighter :)<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PKtoKOgdR3x4-rLWF4Tmj2EviuRvHVZehVxTNdqOZjhcuIAG7g-2cfw2fWA0Ic7e0sQ2IhSlC8ZtwahtRGjVsSPIQClNq5s-mjDZsumf4PkNH2-VTFAfaedL7ijf4QdUuqvuF4opZUcf/s1600/bounce.jpg"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 214px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5690186631621481026" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5PKtoKOgdR3x4-rLWF4Tmj2EviuRvHVZehVxTNdqOZjhcuIAG7g-2cfw2fWA0Ic7e0sQ2IhSlC8ZtwahtRGjVsSPIQClNq5s-mjDZsumf4PkNH2-VTFAfaedL7ijf4QdUuqvuF4opZUcf/s320/bounce.jpg" /></a><br /><br />The boys gave me an WONDERFUL & AMAZING gift, 8 HOURS OF SOLID SLEEP AND THREE HOUR NAPS AT THE SAME TIME!!!! I’ve been sleep deprived, I was at the point I was becoming delirious and sick myself…SLEEP IS GOOD! </div>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-67824029892362431752011-12-13T16:46:00.000-08:002011-12-13T18:22:09.863-08:00Stomach Bug- Day 13<div><font face="verdana">I received a text message from my husband around 9am; Benjamin was vomiting and my husband called off work to attend to our sick "baby" boy. Needless to say today's Christmas activity has been postponed but I can share two yummy recipes. </font><a href="http://www.culinaryconcoctionsbypeabody.com/2011/08/24/snickerdoodle-muffins-aka-the-refund-muffin/"><font face="verdana">Snickerdoodle Muffins</font></a><font face="verdana">- I made these for Benjamin's snack day at school. <a href="http://annies-eats.net/2010/10/07/roast-chicken-with-caramelized-shallots/">Roast Chicken with Caramelized Shallots</a> - LOVE, LOVE, LOVE this recipe! It's so simple and easy, I recently discovered it can be made in the crockpot (toss all the ingredients in a crockpot, cook on low for 8 hours) which is better yet :)!</font> </div>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-73250877861730504432011-12-11T12:52:00.000-08:002011-12-12T15:39:17.331-08:00Play-Doh Gift Tags- Day 12<span style="font-family:verdana;">Instead of handing out candy for Halloween, we handed out mini containers of Play-Doh; we had a lot left over and I decided to give them out as “gifts” to Benjamin’s preschool friends. I created labels, using double sided tape I affixed them onto the Play-Doh lids.<br /></span><br /><br /><br /><div align="left"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlc9S-FfW7fKamqO0RL0fnUxlkq_j_BcZUAX91EH4gTW6unj4l0Hu9LlbGS45X4o1ubFNIH2zFx347Yg4yP8oO7wwZvRAM_q1bQ66_PRXgTjKy7pk1p103tKlE2CoMnSQKsFh98jlE8bx/s1600/Day+12.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 263px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 265px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684977321049768818" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgIlc9S-FfW7fKamqO0RL0fnUxlkq_j_BcZUAX91EH4gTW6unj4l0Hu9LlbGS45X4o1ubFNIH2zFx347Yg4yP8oO7wwZvRAM_q1bQ66_PRXgTjKy7pk1p103tKlE2CoMnSQKsFh98jlE8bx/s320/Day+12.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4__wUVJXmXo2la_yv_35SCSEkYg93uFfU1J4-bHQAfPt8BYeje0xyA7t79hfYvan0dXrmTK6DIX0rS9wRbHYmtDf8xNDiDzBZrk6qe-NL6B0Z5jgbGii1bp-2GfWTilwlLmXjq21ob8a/s1600/Play-Doh.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 247px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5684976802894389282" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ4__wUVJXmXo2la_yv_35SCSEkYg93uFfU1J4-bHQAfPt8BYeje0xyA7t79hfYvan0dXrmTK6DIX0rS9wRbHYmtDf8xNDiDzBZrk6qe-NL6B0Z5jgbGii1bp-2GfWTilwlLmXjq21ob8a/s320/Play-Doh.jpg" /></a>Labels<br /><br /><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Big-Woods-Little-House/dp/0064434877/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323636989&sr=8-1">Christmas in the Big Woods </a></div>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-7007227106963399052011-12-11T05:50:00.001-08:002011-12-11T12:34:31.240-08:00Avent Sunday Week 3- Day 11<span style="font-family:verdana;">Luke 2: 10-11<br />Fear not: for, behold, I bring you good tidings of great joy, which shall be to all people. For unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord.<br /><br />There are many ways to serve God and other this season, embrace new means of celebration to breathe new life into the holidays.<br /><br /><em>Lumina- Advent Project<br /></em>Lumina is the Latin word for "light". This advent season from November 27-Christmas Eve donate Visa gift cards or monetary donations to support the ministries of Lumina, a Lancaster organization supported by many United Methodist churches that serve in places where poverty and despair are common in people's lives.<br /><br /><em>Food Drives<br /></em>Donate a few cans or even a bag of groceries to help feed those in need during the holiday season.<br /><br /><em>"Adopt" a child for the holidays<br /></em>Bring a smile to a child in need by purchasing a present for an underprivileged child. Work with a local charity that organizes events to bring gifts to children in hospitals or in foster care.<br /><br /><em>Bring some joy to a public servant<br /></em>Police offers, fire fighters, military personnel, doctors, nurses... many of these workers do not get off for the holidays. Threat these people to something enjoyable when they may be missing their own festivities. Cook or cater a meal for a fire house, deliver cookies or put together care packages for military personnel.<br /><br />FEAR NOT, GOOD IS WITH US! </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime story day 11- </em></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Very-First-Christmas-Paul-Maier/dp/0758606168/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323611348&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>The very first Christmas</em></span></a>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-39645366682456363712011-12-11T05:47:00.000-08:002011-12-11T12:33:28.542-08:00Christmas Cookies- Day 10<span style="font-family:verdana;">Every year a great group of girls that I've known since high school get together in December for our annual Christmas, we've been doing this since 1998. Last year we started a new tradition of awarding a golden spatula (an inexpensive kitchen spatula spray painted gold) for the best recipe that year, it was decided the golden spoon would be awarded for best Christmas cookies in 2011. Last year I won for my </span><a href="http://creativeideasforkiddos.blogspot.com/2010/12/holiday-baking-day-10.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">peppermint patty</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> recipe; last night I gladly handed over the golden spatula to this years winner for her cookie truffle (I came in second).<br /><br />This year I made Pecan Sugar Cookies and dark chocolate, chocolate chip cookies.<br /><br />Pecan Sugar Cookies<br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Ingredients<br />Cookie<br /></span></em>1/2cup butter, softened<br />1/2 cups hortening<br />2 cup ssugar<br />1 teaspoon baking soda<br />1 teaspoon cream of tartar<br />1/8 teaspoon salt<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Pecan Filling<br /></span></em>3 egg yolks<br />1/2 teaspoon vanilla<br />1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour<br />1 egg<br />3/4 cup packed brown sugar<br />1 tablespoon butter, melted<br />2/3 cup coarsely chopped pecans<br /><br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Directions<br /></span></em>Preheat oven to 300 degrees F. In a large mixing bowl, beat butter and shortening with an electric mixer on medium to high speed for 30 seconds. Add sugar, baking soda, cream of tartar, and salt. Beat mixture until combined, scraping sides of bowl occasionally. Beat in egg yolks and vanilla. Beat in as much of the flour as you can with the mixer. Stir in any remaining flour.<br /><br />Press a rounded teaspoon of pastry evenly into the bottom and up the sides of 24 ungreased 1 3/4-inch muffin cups.<br /><br />For pecan filling, in a bowl beat egg, brown sugar, and the 1 tablespoon melted butter until combined. Stir in pecans. Spoon about 1 heaping teaspoon of filling into each pastry-lined muffin cup. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until pastry is golden and filling is puffed. Cool slightly in pan. Carefully transfer to a wire rack and let cool. Makes 24 cookies.<br /><br /><br />Dark Chocolate, Chocolate Cookies<br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Ingredients<br /></span></em>1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker® chocolate chip (or sugar cookie) mix<br />1/2 cup butter or margarine, softened<br />1/4 teaspoon orange extract<br />1 egg 1<br />1 package Wilton dark candy melts<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Directions</span></em><br />Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir cookie mix, butter, orange extract and egg until soft dough forms.<br /><br />Drop dough by rounded teaspoonfuls 2 inches apart on ungreased cookie sheet.<br /><br />Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are light golden brown. Cool 3 minutes; remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely, about 15 minutes.<br /><br />In small microwavable bowl, microwave candy melts uncovered on High for 45 seconds, stirring every 30 seconds, until chips are melted. Dip each cookie halfway into melted chocolate, letting excess drip off. Place on waxed paper and let stand until chocolate is set, at least 2 hours. To quickly set chocolate, refrigerate cookies 15 minutes. Store between sheets of waxed paper in tightly covered container at room temperature.<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime Story Day 10- </em></span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Little-Shepherd-Girl-Christmas-Story/dp/0781445132/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323611573&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>The Little Shepherd Girl: A Christmas Story </em></span></a>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-52875230101567739152011-12-11T05:46:00.000-08:002011-12-11T09:29:41.986-08:00Hersheypark Christmas Candylane- Day 9<span style="font-family:verdana;">"The magic of the holidays comes to life at </span><a href="http://www.christmasinhershey.com/christmas_candylane/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Hersheypark Christmas Candylane</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">. With two million twinkling lights, rides for all ages, festive decorations, and Hershey's Product Characters decked out in their holiday best, there is something for all to enjoy!"<br /></span><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2UHMwfZiVxmoGaY9FIMqmAFS8ZajMxIvA9iogmJs8mq7c0NU2YnI3PhS5umyS_BxWaBnmPOWid9rdUs99i14TAZpHwNcUB0FwKPR0udjz5IuNuQy7vDLcYQlCMURWqQ5XqtosNzB5G5l/s1600/day10.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682426054631635618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiN2UHMwfZiVxmoGaY9FIMqmAFS8ZajMxIvA9iogmJs8mq7c0NU2YnI3PhS5umyS_BxWaBnmPOWid9rdUs99i14TAZpHwNcUB0FwKPR0udjz5IuNuQy7vDLcYQlCMURWqQ5XqtosNzB5G5l/s320/day10.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I leave you with one of our family tradition, Christmas stocking pictures; my mom knitted all of us personalized stockings and requested I take a picture of the boys next to their stocking ever year.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8tg8Jkng64MCV_KAm3KELhoJEwQk29xI6p4gv8qWJ6oyPSXqb_AC4try7OQvTG-nj8tXvP304g4hwK3FS1A7SK8zTEZIK32NlfGNRG2vP0YOomQR6cLisoBrpTDdCDX4IzKEiDhh8Ys6/s1600/Benjamin+5th.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682425855528104994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiO8tg8Jkng64MCV_KAm3KELhoJEwQk29xI6p4gv8qWJ6oyPSXqb_AC4try7OQvTG-nj8tXvP304g4hwK3FS1A7SK8zTEZIK32NlfGNRG2vP0YOomQR6cLisoBrpTDdCDX4IzKEiDhh8Ys6/s320/Benjamin+5th.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAk4yzYomr03t9ERy5Osrmum280jk7w3YFnUQmi0lA91naUdjCe7Mogxe6OT6cBxgDOnnAAfU5HSyDSGWsD209BHFlo5ii7Pn0Wvyf8aWmxrcLvaYIzkHJOjN4DIKI2XknEJ00ufmVF2x/s1600/Hayden+3rd.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682425782552430162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieAk4yzYomr03t9ERy5Osrmum280jk7w3YFnUQmi0lA91naUdjCe7Mogxe6OT6cBxgDOnnAAfU5HSyDSGWsD209BHFlo5ii7Pn0Wvyf8aWmxrcLvaYIzkHJOjN4DIKI2XknEJ00ufmVF2x/s320/Hayden+3rd.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime story day 9- </em></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Cliffords-Christmas-Clifford-Norman-Bridwell/dp/054521596X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323611165&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Clifford's Christmas</em></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em> </em></span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-91597180786350692152011-12-11T05:42:00.000-08:002011-12-11T09:29:03.810-08:00Magic Reindeer Food- Day 8<div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Magic Reindeer Food- Day 8</span></strong></span></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:85%;">I'm "cheating" on today's post, this is from 2010...hey, magic reindeer is a yearly activity! </span></div><br /><div align="left"><strong><span style="font-family:Trebuchet MS;font-size:180%;"></span></strong></div><br /><div align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">When googling reindeer food poems I came across this warning <em>"<strong>please do not use any non natural ingredients. These may harm birds and other animals looking for food during the cold winter days.</strong>"</em> Adhering to the warning I ditched the oats and glitter recipe and came up with my own recipe with ingredients in the cupboard. </span></div><br /><p align="left"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Materials</em><br /></span>Oats or Bird Seed<br />Colored Sugar Crystals<br />Baby Food Jar<br />Crushed Colored Cereal (we used Trix)<br />Tag (print template file)<br />Ribbon<br />Scissors<br />Hole Punch<br />Love, Hope and Faith<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em></span><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Directions</span></em></span><br /><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Layer ingredients in a baby food jar for a "sand art" look. Place lid on jar, cut out tag, punch hole and attach to jar with the ribbon. Sprinkle the magic reindeer food on your lawn Christmas Eve after dusk.</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8Y2dYKZUNm7WabTMS88HhJa9yeFIXArJSRnRIebio3DMJgyzZ5iYUNy9q7nFvSDwwDeWU9gMxRg1fo6zF3eVrCF4A8LLleUIdMafLoCIm15xDbTp1WrR0va2ZFXUNUCOKJo-yZJlQydz/s1600/IMG_1122.jpg"></a></p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8Y2dYKZUNm7WabTMS88HhJa9yeFIXArJSRnRIebio3DMJgyzZ5iYUNy9q7nFvSDwwDeWU9gMxRg1fo6zF3eVrCF4A8LLleUIdMafLoCIm15xDbTp1WrR0va2ZFXUNUCOKJo-yZJlQydz/s1600/IMG_1122.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549896864140948850" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEis8Y2dYKZUNm7WabTMS88HhJa9yeFIXArJSRnRIebio3DMJgyzZ5iYUNy9q7nFvSDwwDeWU9gMxRg1fo6zF3eVrCF4A8LLleUIdMafLoCIm15xDbTp1WrR0va2ZFXUNUCOKJo-yZJlQydz/s320/IMG_1122.jpg" /></a><br /><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 247px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5549896808357932930" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgC_9tAi0QzVmsCWQenc2L1ih7EsWLaSguWDWo8A0suAdbgm-niTeQCm1RtxlX17oCUjm_XWxtRGrU-t8paHCQvqJ-_RS7qstmU1HoD8eJXOyNkgLNp-WphTMuGNQLwJ_xuE5EfWofjMTV6/s320/Tags.jpg" /> <br /><p align="center"><span style="font-family:trebuchet ms;">Tag Template</span></p><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime story day 8- </em></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Christmas-Sweater-Picture-Book/dp/1416995439/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323611050&sr=1-3"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>The Christmas Sweater: A Picture Book </em></span></a>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-17708636353757389932011-12-07T14:38:00.001-08:002011-12-07T15:27:10.780-08:00Marshmallow Christmas Tree- Day 7<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;"><strong>Marshmallow Christmas Tree- Day 7<br /></strong></span><a href="http://planningwithkids.com/2009/12/19/marshmallow-christmas-tree/">Planning with Kids</a><br /><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Materials:<br /></em></span>Mini Marshmallows<br />Melting White Chocolate (I used Wilton)<br />Wax Paper<br />Cellophane Bags<br />Ribbon<br /><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Instructions:<br /></em></span>1 Heat chocolate on high for 45 seconds in a microwave safe bowl, stir.<br />2.Heat on high for further 10 second intervals until completely melted.<br />4.Line a small tray with wax paper.<br />5.Dip a marshmallow into the chocolate, so it is covered with about 3mm chocolate on the base.<br />6.Place marshmallow onto the wax paper and begin making row of 5 marshmallows. Gently press marshmallows together as you build the tree.<br />7.Continue this process, making rows of 4, 3, 2 and 1.<br />8.Add the final marshmallow to the base of the tree. Keep excess chocolate.<br />9.Place in the freezer for 10 minutes.<br />10.Take marshmallow Christmas tree out of the freezer and peel off baking paper.<br />12.Place the tree gently back on to the baking paper and place in the freezer for a few more minutes until the chocolate has set.<br />13. Place the marshmallow Christmas tree into a cellophane bag and tie shut with a ribbon.</span><br /><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk17LKIaxoZV9ww2QyqtdFl4Xll9ifuiTQbMcRp_5tyLQ23V_neqj-DhqKJBScEBOrD9pFs0NRacdvJhMMKjUdX_OV13ZhnnhJxjITIY2uaEpCdroc3QVVFBp9mG1cpMLP-8HPE6VNNU3x/s1600/IMG_4237.JPG"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5683519515029862450" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhk17LKIaxoZV9ww2QyqtdFl4Xll9ifuiTQbMcRp_5tyLQ23V_neqj-DhqKJBScEBOrD9pFs0NRacdvJhMMKjUdX_OV13ZhnnhJxjITIY2uaEpCdroc3QVVFBp9mG1cpMLP-8HPE6VNNU3x/s320/IMG_4237.JPG" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime story day 3- </em></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Reindeer-Hardcover-Vivian-Seibold-Illustrator/dp/B002VGPELG/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1323297542&sr=8-3"><em>Olive, the Other Reindeer </em></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;"></span></em>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-60544845569683254682011-12-06T18:38:00.000-08:002011-12-06T18:39:31.258-08:00Hot Chocolate- Day 6<span style="font-family:verdana;">Need something to go along with all those yummy Christmas cookies, why not a warm cup of homemade hot chocolate? </span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Ingredients<br /></em></span>Half a milk chocolate Hershey bar, broken into pieces<br />2 cups milk<br />Whipped cream, optional<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Directions<br /></span></em>Heat milk and chocolate on low heat until chocolate is melted, stir occasionally so chocolate doesn't burn. Garnish with whipped cream<br /><br /><br /><strong>For the over 21 crowd!<br /></strong><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Ingredients</span></em><br />4 cups milk<br />4 pieces milk chocolate Hershey bar, broken into pieces<br />2 Tbsp Creme de Coco<br />3 Tbsp Amaretto<br />Whipped cream, optional<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Directions<br /></span></em>Heat milk and chocolate on low heat until chocolate is melted, stir occasionally so chocolate doesn't burn. Garnish with whipped cream<br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime story day 6- </em></span></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/New-Improved-Santa-Patricia-Wolff/dp/0439352495/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1323132599&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>A New Improved Santa</em></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em> </em></span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-17646187757336641342011-12-05T16:21:00.001-08:002011-12-05T16:44:25.871-08:00Festive Paper Pines- Day 5<span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:130%;"><strong>Festive Paper Pines- Day 5<br /></strong></span><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Materials<br /></span>Red and yellow paper (or other colors you like for lights)<br />Green card stock (we used construction paper)<br />Scissors<br />Hole punch<br />String or ribbon<br />Glue<br />Printing Pattern from below<br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="font-size:85%;">Instructions<br /></span>Sandwich the red and yellow paper between 2 pieces of green card stock. Using the pattern cut out a tree shape.<br /><br />Remove the red sheet and punch a few random holes through the 3 remaining layers. Then remove the yellow sheet and replace the red one. Punch several new holes through the stack.<br /><br />Glue the layers together in the following order, green, yellow, red, green.<br /><br />Use the pushpin to poke a hole through the 4 layers, about 1/4 inch from the treetop. Thread a length of string or ribbon through the hole, knot the ends of the line to create a loop for hanging.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihU8Az15jdlX4s_1eQPhjeVxX9LfmBcJ38wrJkch5mbN78Zy4vdEaMskIsZXFMaqqJTAs7RHIaVoNVUQovF3b5OUf8YrELmgmTay4x3uYVRiLe7f3q4vAjFZ-DqoL50yVnTRcNiztT4fOF/s1600/day5.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682422139350423122" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihU8Az15jdlX4s_1eQPhjeVxX9LfmBcJ38wrJkch5mbN78Zy4vdEaMskIsZXFMaqqJTAs7RHIaVoNVUQovF3b5OUf8YrELmgmTay4x3uYVRiLe7f3q4vAjFZ-DqoL50yVnTRcNiztT4fOF/s320/day5.jpg" /></span></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcId6otv37R6_eNBZ6glY8l1svsflMF-aEeOPywYugqiLgU9jVxjZgMR0K_cpTPT5lnF03QiMfytaKb0a1xs1YVyVB8MuM0AO3BGMRTP2Kp8bUQbNbSVvtRUC9F_d5R1fVLDPVn48TNPn/s1600/treetemplate.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 313px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682803890204106146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKcId6otv37R6_eNBZ6glY8l1svsflMF-aEeOPywYugqiLgU9jVxjZgMR0K_cpTPT5lnF03QiMfytaKb0a1xs1YVyVB8MuM0AO3BGMRTP2Kp8bUQbNbSVvtRUC9F_d5R1fVLDPVn48TNPn/s320/treetemplate.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime story day 5- </em></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/If-You-Take-Mouse-Movies/dp/0060278676/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1323132147&sr=8-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>If You Take a Mouse to the Movies </em></span></a><br /><em><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">A book for the moms- </span></em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0345505913/ref=s9_simh_gw_p14_d0_g14_i1?pf_rd_m=ATVPDKIKX0DER&pf_rd_s=center-2&pf_rd_r=1BP0MDZYXPEQK3ZWBY8P&pf_rd_t=101&pf_rd_p=470938631&pf_rd_i=507846"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>The Handmaid and the Carpenter</em></span></a><em><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><br /></span></em>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-82283619335469099082011-12-04T15:17:00.000-08:002011-12-04T16:05:05.098-08:00Avent Sunday Week 2- Day 4<span style="font-family:verdana;">For the last twenty-seven years our church has given crèche figures to the Kids Konnection program; today the kiddos received their nativity piece. Each age level receives a different piece of the nativity beginning with the two year old class, six graders receive the stable completing their set. 2 year old class receives baby Jesus, 3 year olds- Mary, 4 year olds-Joseph, 5 year olds- shepherd, Kindergarteners- sheep, 1st grade- donkey, 2nd grade- cow, 3rd grade- kneeling king, 4th grade- camel, 5th grade- king with box, 6th grade- king with vase and stable.<br /><br />I love this tradition; it is so meaningful on many levels and reminds adults and children the reason for the season. Luke 1: 28-33 The angel went to Mary and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.” Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”</span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoJMDpbdJNfCgy6Rxm3d4jQSpz05K3-bjETcoDHn82eFTw7wftGwaYKj1cgmoi58pwVJsKq_K5zUXe0cZmG_0en2eSbhwn5w4k1I8LbGNLohD2lXgOydX_XR7OaXpMfx6-BVvbQ9Sz9KU/s1600/Mary.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682416627817521778" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLoJMDpbdJNfCgy6Rxm3d4jQSpz05K3-bjETcoDHn82eFTw7wftGwaYKj1cgmoi58pwVJsKq_K5zUXe0cZmG_0en2eSbhwn5w4k1I8LbGNLohD2lXgOydX_XR7OaXpMfx6-BVvbQ9Sz9KU/s320/Mary.jpg" /></span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime story day 3- </em></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Room-Little-One-Christmas-Tale/dp/141692518X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322946546&sr=8-1"><em><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">Room for a Little One, A Christmas Tale</span></em></a><em><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> </span></em>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-86064030619328965102011-12-03T13:03:00.000-08:002011-12-03T13:04:27.833-08:00John Deer Country Santa & Painting- Day 3<span style="font-family:verdana;">I’ve been told many times that Benjamin should have been born into a farming family, he LOVES digging, dirt and planting; when he and Hayden received their </span><a href="http://www.onestepahead.com/catalog/product.jsp?productId=536247&cm_ven=R_Google&cm_cat=OSA_NonBrand&cm_pla=General&cm_ite=Google+AdGroup&orderType=2&utm_source=Google&utm_medium=cpc&utm_campaign=General&utm_term=Google+AdGroup"><span style="font-family:verdana;">John Deere Gator</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> over the summer, I had two little boys who thought they were in toy heaven. A few weeks ago I saw an advertisement for an afternoon outing at our nearby </span><a href="http://deercountry.net/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">John Deer Country</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> (we live in farming [Amish] country), I marked my calendar, I knew it would be something my boys would love!<br /><br />They boys had a blast at the John Deere store; they enjoyed the tractors more then seeing Santa. Hayden is terrified of Santa this year, unfortunately I won’t have my yearly photo of my boys together with Santa :( and when Benjamin saw the John Deere reclining chair seated next to Santa he refused to sit on Santa’s lap.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbt4O19Y_lEIBqK_p0uzLR_izpa-KdeSVHUfFeA6_FMIO3b3MNRPEd1AwLwWiM-j3DBO4QfAKY6ved_1m89keAXDAM9KRNRndjTWepFGlmSz7NNEhEz5QknTNGtx370iP6wuA79_d5Snv/s1600/day3johndeer.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682005083768868258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNbt4O19Y_lEIBqK_p0uzLR_izpa-KdeSVHUfFeA6_FMIO3b3MNRPEd1AwLwWiM-j3DBO4QfAKY6ved_1m89keAXDAM9KRNRndjTWepFGlmSz7NNEhEz5QknTNGtx370iP6wuA79_d5Snv/s320/day3johndeer.jpg" /></span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">If you’re looking for something for the kiddos this year, a friend referred me to </span><a href="http://www.portablenorthpole.tv/home/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">personalized video from Santa</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, Benjamin LOVES it…he made us watch his video at least five times in a row.<br /><br /><br /><strong>Ornament Painting</strong><br /><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Materials:<br /></em></span>Premade unpainted wooden cutouts (I purchased ours at </span><a href="http://www.acmoore.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">AC Moore</span></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">for $0.20)<br />Paint Brushes<br />Acrylic Paint<br />Cup of Water (for rinsing paint brushes)<br /><br />With the exception of painting himself, or trying to eat the crayons/makers/glue/paint/etc, I’ve quickly realizing Hayden will not be an artist, he rarely wants anything to do with my craft/art projects; Benjamin was only to happy to paint Hayd's cutouts. Once the cutouts were dry, Benjamin had the idea to use rub on stickers for the snowmen; I plan to have my husband drill holes in each of the snowman to be used for ornaments & decorate Christmas packages for the grandparents.<br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_B_MhMC9uoxWOS0ggWMqey2aT-F-CgwaM1i3RPCDfc6koM5MyOKP1zxrV7iUcC6Xe4mYkTAHniqtvClpvaY8nkCUseCQeRvAM_h0aEtMH2V-w_kww7mGfJi0opVtdclNIKmxIg6iO5SlC/s1600/day3wood.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 254px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5682005011017193986" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj_B_MhMC9uoxWOS0ggWMqey2aT-F-CgwaM1i3RPCDfc6koM5MyOKP1zxrV7iUcC6Xe4mYkTAHniqtvClpvaY8nkCUseCQeRvAM_h0aEtMH2V-w_kww7mGfJi0opVtdclNIKmxIg6iO5SlC/s320/day3wood.jpg" /></span></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime story day 3- </em></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Merry-Christmas-Stinky-Face-McCourt/dp/0439731232/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322943934&sr=8-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Merry Christmas Stinky Face</em></span></a><em><span style="font-size:85%;"><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Saturday family movie night- </span></span></em><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Polar-Express-Widescreen-Tom-Hanks/dp/B000AGTPUK/ref=sr_1_1?s=movies-tv&ie=UTF8&qid=1322943981&sr=1-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Polar Express</em></span></a>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-6163513098747876542011-12-02T16:35:00.001-08:002011-12-02T16:43:09.010-08:00Holiday Craft Night- Day 2<span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;"><strong>Holiday Craft Shop- Day 2</strong></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Tonight, Benjamin's preschool hosted a holiday craft shop/night.<br /></span><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5ufJ5418tWJXbMQl1PijShXXLWV6KneFzJzgkI25ySfBVyWyf7uGKpILdxxN5Ct1zRKRwvo3jAlKGlyqChR81o5ymIeesu8wooqcDjCiCt7WeGhzZYrFXyNBti0oxXj_7CFDGVOSIJBw/s1600/downsized_1202111827.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681694506742625618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgK5ufJ5418tWJXbMQl1PijShXXLWV6KneFzJzgkI25ySfBVyWyf7uGKpILdxxN5Ct1zRKRwvo3jAlKGlyqChR81o5ymIeesu8wooqcDjCiCt7WeGhzZYrFXyNBti0oxXj_7CFDGVOSIJBw/s320/downsized_1202111827.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWMdXDYaSdzmq2nmRcjAGzeK2PhF_BDfkbF9v_uG8v7R6SADDDV1TDHAoJuCTjmOJPBpVvPcQDvah0k_-no0NBArnLy2bpoxTO5fvScjjcKQ6RGx5KMI6Bp0nbjk_I5S3vCcc6nRyOVOm/s1600/downsized_1202111827a.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681694434674768274" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiCWMdXDYaSdzmq2nmRcjAGzeK2PhF_BDfkbF9v_uG8v7R6SADDDV1TDHAoJuCTjmOJPBpVvPcQDvah0k_-no0NBArnLy2bpoxTO5fvScjjcKQ6RGx5KMI6Bp0nbjk_I5S3vCcc6nRyOVOm/s320/downsized_1202111827a.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhITd9WRn0oh03DW7AA9OlDiCsww0qZyyrUWI7EXM8w0Q82yfcoGekTm4ZEBF8c9Hd6J_hMIl9y-KW9_mQkJdue6MyXFTwP2npYSdBs6wyfRj55O-FpZNWuMQr-9l0iIQ5jK1sSPMYRvIv/s1600/cookies.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 240px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: pointer" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5681694371202303650" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhhITd9WRn0oh03DW7AA9OlDiCsww0qZyyrUWI7EXM8w0Q82yfcoGekTm4ZEBF8c9Hd6J_hMIl9y-KW9_mQkJdue6MyXFTwP2npYSdBs6wyfRj55O-FpZNWuMQr-9l0iIQ5jK1sSPMYRvIv/s320/cookies.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Bedtime Story Day 2- </em></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/Elf-Shelf-Christmas-Tradition-Pixie-Elf/dp/B000XR6MBQ/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322781985&sr=8-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Elf on the Shelf</em></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em> </em></span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-26486191968747650052011-07-24T13:42:00.001-07:002011-07-24T13:43:19.865-07:00What's Been Happening<div><div align="left"><font face="verdana">It’s been forever since I updated; I’ve been very busy and when I finally have time to sit down in front of my computer…well, that’s the last thing I want to do!<br /><br />After approximately 2 1/2 years working M-F 5am-10am, then being unemployed (laid off) for 11 months, I was fortunately to find an employer hiring in my field and began working full time on February 14th. For the most part I enjoy my job, like any place of employment there are small things that can slowly irritate an employee; I quickly realized, though I greatly cherished my SAHM time with my children, I am not a long term SAMH! However, now that the weather is FINALLY getting nice and we have a pool pass I’m finding myself longing to be outside with my boys instead of cramped up inside.<br /><br />With staring a new job I don’t officially get vacation days (two weeks) until my one year anniversary in February, however after my six month anniversary I’m allowed to borrow a week. We decided to forgo the family week vacation this year in order to save as many days for 2012 (I’m hoping we can go to Kingston, Canada or Savannah, Georgia where my brother-in-law is stationed); I/we decided however to take two days off this year. We’re going to Sesame Place the end of August and the other day is so I can be present for Benjamin’s first day of preschool.<br /><br />We’re all doing well, John’s EXTREMELY busy with firefighter training course classes (after four years of talking about it, he finally volunteered with the local fire company); I became a member of the support group (auxiliary) and joined the local Rec Center. We’re spending a lot of time at our local community pool and playing outside every minute possible…overall just crazy busy! I've been doing special activities/adventures with the boys while John's in class, it keeps them busy and from driving me batty ;) .<br /><br />Benjamin had pink eye three weeks ago, poor little guy woke up freaked out because his eye was “glued shut”; John took him to the doctor ASAP. Big brother Benjamin lovingly shared his pink eye with Hayden a week later, unfortunately the doctor wouldn’t just call in a prescription stating she needed to see Hayden to diagnose him herself, even after explaining multiple times that his brother had it the week prior and Hayd has the same symptoms…so yeah, we got screwed with a $$$ bill for two doctor visits.<br /><br />Benjamin, who is three years old, 42” and 35 lbs, thinks his firefighting daddy is the coolest thing ever, “daddy’s my hero!” Ben baby loves to hang out at the fire station, sit in the trucks and go for rides. He started Swim America classes over the winter and I’m thrilled to say they are paying off, Benjamin is able to swim; he swims 8-10 feet underwater and the doggie paddle! Benjamin starts preschool on August 29th, I’m excited for him to begin this new chapter but incredibly sad that my first born is old enough to be a preschooler.Benjamin is inquisitive as ever, he enjoys taking things apart, putting them together, everything is hands on with him, wants to know how everything works and a total outdoors boy. Benjamin has also taken to photography, he loves to carry around Leap Frog Click n' Create Digital Camera and take pictures. He’s been helping me with our vegetable garden and with minimal assistance, I allowed him to pick out flowers, dug his very own flower garden under our deck stairs (we have a daylight basement) and plant the flowers however he chose. God has been working through Benjamin to reach me, out of the blue Benjamin started asking to go to church; thanks to my little man we’ve become regular attendees at church again.<br /><br />Hayden, whose 21 months, 29lbs and 34 3/4”, has become my wild NO FEAR child…holy moley; he’s a three year old trapped in a one year olds body! ANYTHING and EVERYTHING that big brother does, Hayden has to do, when I try to stop him- he’ll have a mother of all temper tantrums. He tries to jump into pools, plays soccer & football, climbs rock walls, counts to two, sings part of happy birthday and twinkle little star, bounces on beds and sofas, talks/babbles non-stop…I’m constantly looking at him and saying “really Hayden, really, you’re ONE!” Hayd transitioned into a big boy bed (toddler bed) about 2 months ago, we had no problems what so ever with the transition…he took right to his “new” bed; since the transition the boys have had sleepover in Hayden’s room. We decided not to enroll Hayden in Aqua Tots (sorry buddy, the joys of being a second child ;-P ), main reason is we figured could the techniques we learned from Benjamin’s classes and “do-it ourselves”; I’m thrilled he’s taken to water just as easily as his big brother…LOVE MY WATER BABIES! Hayd puts his head underwater, blows bubbles, floats on his back with very little adult contact and with the assistance of his Puddle Jumper, able to doggie paddle to wherever he wants to go.<br /><br /></font></div><font face="verdana"></font><font face="verdana"></font><p align="center"><font face="verdana"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 288px; height: 235px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633015160308901858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6rgQpPvMBVpYRZBr_N0WooIO052fEYOeiFjiR5ECWHO-FkaMCh6LCrGWaB-gbxVjpOtAQ9pwHOaczwlOgYaXVHb7T9pI8OfG6Z5qMVYySYK-dszg3d4MT5qyYdyzQycyk2NJo_Dn748HV/s320/Photos.jpg" /><br /><br /></font><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7c1yByuY7rFpcneRj1-DMtSt_O4PpFyoEsKjmEbW2Y3-2ETNRqY6FEedRHvmn2we9VrxY3PYL4HTYSbI7FDQ-km6kCrPMSoqYjQItlnwa2vtmaDx38CF-BSDFdXXhJf-JCXhgy4BIXIau/s1600/BrotherlyLove.jpg"><font face="verdana"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 133px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633015068158726258" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7c1yByuY7rFpcneRj1-DMtSt_O4PpFyoEsKjmEbW2Y3-2ETNRqY6FEedRHvmn2we9VrxY3PYL4HTYSbI7FDQ-km6kCrPMSoqYjQItlnwa2vtmaDx38CF-BSDFdXXhJf-JCXhgy4BIXIau/s320/BrotherlyLove.jpg" /></font></a></p><p align="center"><font face="verdana">Brotherly Love<br /></font></p><font face="verdana"></font><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqMRN2PQnppJBXwuJdSZ2je_oPPiWw-dBKngHgaP8YFjW-1XCw3thztwWmHQ1JbBE1lDvVGy4qrKsbi4mKRVspHK-SjpPupo-a55IQ_VgC49wfIJYZY8R8io1qKUeA-5xqWLGeUqSZgrY/s1600/Cooking.jpg"><font face="verdana"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 70px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633014990958613666" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidqMRN2PQnppJBXwuJdSZ2je_oPPiWw-dBKngHgaP8YFjW-1XCw3thztwWmHQ1JbBE1lDvVGy4qrKsbi4mKRVspHK-SjpPupo-a55IQ_VgC49wfIJYZY8R8io1qKUeA-5xqWLGeUqSZgrY/s320/Cooking.jpg" /></font></a><p align="center"><font face="verdana">Cooking & Baking<br /></font></p><font face="verdana"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 70px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633016736815554642" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiUwVC-3RBV0BwZ84tVpQnJO8r9yL_hFCnfZkEQ3jVWN93JW-2hdXBK3IzKB7zsbt5P8rqgAUeDJ6R3kbC0VBb663QqwjBajWiYXUIFt_uE4-s79W5kLKrdPQFJ5vaCl8lgokSrZP37JUXU/s320/Crafts.jpg" /><p align="center"></p></font><p align="center"><font face="verdana">Crafts</font><font face="verdana"></font><br /></p><p align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXZrXDla2S3hX1U_sJO8b9Dw02m5Yd-6nLakoE7DpUsa_NHj2FpN3_rjiLTFFl6aJXxnzKtxgduMS2mgNAIwDc63CejlRopcwMPwSjuggYV0BCLgv0Hf_CdC7HZRC6fohQ_3JdpFCdMG4/s1600/Park.jpg"><font face="verdana"><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 320px; height: 74px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633014803026260994" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFXZrXDla2S3hX1U_sJO8b9Dw02m5Yd-6nLakoE7DpUsa_NHj2FpN3_rjiLTFFl6aJXxnzKtxgduMS2mgNAIwDc63CejlRopcwMPwSjuggYV0BCLgv0Hf_CdC7HZRC6fohQ_3JdpFCdMG4/s320/Park.jpg" /></font></a></p><p align="center"><font face="verdana">Outside Play<br /><img style="margin: 0px auto 10px; width: 256px; height: 320px; text-align: center; display: block; cursor: pointer;" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5633014677237690018" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9IiEJLz9TgR46xWGvlnNu_09bLmovrU9a0o80xAfH9L3TUMgpogecSZbQl1aZhz7-S-1Ua_G8rUtJxp2F7FQsazI2v0GRBZauXIoMWrLR1cPv8hgszC98_ZZEMLQNV7sEQFuoXCUE4SMV/s320/BenjaminsPhotos.jpg" /></font></p><p align="center"><font face="verdana">Benjamin's Photos<br /></font></p></div>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-60245679267232172162011-06-26T17:12:00.001-07:002011-06-30T14:20:31.921-07:00Family Bucket List<span style="font-family:verdana;">I've been meaning to document my family bucket list for sometime, but for whatever reason never got around to it. Some of the things on my list are activites my family enjoys doing ever year (marked with an *), there are also activites on my list that we've done with Benjamin and not Hayden (I'm putting them back on the family bucket list).<br /><br />A friend recently wrote asking for ideas stating "you tend to have good ideas for kids activities"; I figured since I wrote her a list, I might as well jot them on here. I was honored that she felt she could ask me for ideas, especially when I wonder from time to time if my boys are getting enough "adventure" in there life.<br /><br />Hershey Gardens<br />Lancaster Airport air show-August 20-21, 2011<br />Sandy Point State Park or North Point<br />Sesame Place<br />Lake Tobias<br />Tucquan Glen*<br />Gifford Pinchot*<br />Baltimore Aquarium<br />Port Discovery<br />Please Touch Musuem*<br />Smith Kids Play Place http://smithkidsplayplace.org/<br />Camping<br />Family bike ride on the Lancaster (E-town) Lebannon trail*<br />Long's Park petting zoo*<br />Hershey Adventure Sports<br />Landis Valley Museum<br />Toy Train Museum*<br />Train Musuem*<br />Strasburg Railroad*<br />Schreiber Pediatric Rubber Duckie Race http://www.schreiberpediatric.org/ducks/<br />Renaissance Faire<br />http://www.eastlandalpacas.com/events.shtml *<br />Columbia Bridge Bust<br />Gettysburg<br />Philadelphia Zoo<br />Washington Zoo<br />Visit Philadelphia<br />Visit New York<br />Visit Washington DC<br />Visit Arizona- I want the boys to see where their mommy grew up :)<br />The Caribbean- The boys can experiance beautiful crystal clear blue water<br />Knobles<br />Bowling<br />Mini Golf<br />Whitaker Center<br />Lancaster Science Factory<br />Disney World<br />Central Market<br />http://www.cherryhillorchards.com/<br />http://www.shenkberryfarm.com/<br />http://www.cherrycrestfarm.com/<br />http://www.wolfsancpa.com/<br />Hayride & Corn Maze http://www.countrybarnmarket.com/</span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-33924934592494495362011-02-20T12:16:00.000-08:002011-02-20T12:22:07.421-08:00Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits<p><a href="http://www.bullwrinkle.com/Assets/Recipes/Peanut%20Butter%20Dog%20Biscuits.htm"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;">Homemade Peanut Butter Dog Biscuits</span></a></p><span style="font-family:verdana;"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Instructions<br /></span></em>½ cups water (add more water later if required)<br />½ cup oil<br />2 eggs<br />3 tablespoons peanut butter<br />2 tsp. vanilla<br />2 cups flour<br />½ cup cornmeal<br />½ cup oats<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Directions</span></em><br />Blend wet ingredients together. Whisk dry ingredients together and mix into wet mixture to form a ball of dough. Roll out and shape. Put onto a non-stick cookie tray or lightly greased one. Cook 20 minutes at 400 F. Turn off oven and allow the biscuits to cool in oven until crisp and hard. Store in airtight container.<br /><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6PK31IlTB8_txle7bkohBl4AbHCGjGuUhTuSTL0t3z7P4TvR4n5SObjH0OdZKJY94W1hiLGksrRkslVe6wJ_e0X5z6CiOaz-ZSJhdquffzkI0iPJ9RtbKlN8SK8qv3t1i9M5WQWfzCjD/s1600/treats.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575868668359840370" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH6PK31IlTB8_txle7bkohBl4AbHCGjGuUhTuSTL0t3z7P4TvR4n5SObjH0OdZKJY94W1hiLGksrRkslVe6wJ_e0X5z6CiOaz-ZSJhdquffzkI0iPJ9RtbKlN8SK8qv3t1i9M5WQWfzCjD/s320/treats.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /></span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-55623686944070133882011-02-20T12:11:00.001-08:002011-02-20T12:15:52.603-08:00Biscuit Donuts<span style="font-family:verdana;"><strong><span style="font-size:180%;">Biscuit Donuts</span></strong></span><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span><span style="font-size:85%;"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><em>My husband shared this recipe with me years ago, it's from his Boy Scout days.</em></span><br /><em><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></em></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="font-size:85%;"><em>Ingredients</em><br /></span>Refrigerated Biscuits<br />Vegetable oil<br /><br /><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Directions</span></em><br />Preheat deep fryer to 375 degrees. Open biscuits, separate, place a hole in the center. You can use the holes for donut holes or roll them into a few large donuts.<br /><br />Have an adult place the doughnuts in the deep fryer one at a time. As you see them browning on one side, carefully flip them over and let them brown on the other side. Once both sides are brown remove from oil and let cool on a paper towel, you can then coat the donuts (powder sugar, cinnamon & sugar, glaze, chocolate frosting...)<br /><br /><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjqM358VqFF7lbqgwETDUTYLqzS1t9Wx83tW-VbY4W3268Ir5ed1POW41ir6eaLW9EpVuCvuBYq35IbN2XCMIV8VRcDs0axkS-6bmIEQ-4znIM-wN0L3AdUt5W5Zv71D6CMHHYnUL1q4_/s1600/Ben.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575867189172181794" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjpjqM358VqFF7lbqgwETDUTYLqzS1t9Wx83tW-VbY4W3268Ir5ed1POW41ir6eaLW9EpVuCvuBYq35IbN2XCMIV8VRcDs0axkS-6bmIEQ-4znIM-wN0L3AdUt5W5Zv71D6CMHHYnUL1q4_/s320/Ben.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><br /><br /></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyRGJnqrNKAKg4EQL3YSZTMqu6Sbf06a58lp3RLmJ3Zg__2069cM_L9yW94JSBdD780w8v2mQ53xg1yAVoOsIwMxlTLwLJ4ilMdJOO1N_MiWcIL-tIPaAG9kLPMdi4oJlRhyj-CA6PYbo/s1600/finish.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5575867103271409858" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcyRGJnqrNKAKg4EQL3YSZTMqu6Sbf06a58lp3RLmJ3Zg__2069cM_L9yW94JSBdD780w8v2mQ53xg1yAVoOsIwMxlTLwLJ4ilMdJOO1N_MiWcIL-tIPaAG9kLPMdi4oJlRhyj-CA6PYbo/s320/finish.jpg" /></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-6328651883901238652011-02-13T06:27:00.000-08:002011-02-13T06:29:25.785-08:00Valentine's<span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color:#cc0000;">I've never been a big fan of Valentine's Day, I'm sure it doesn't help that my birthday is two days later and knowing that I'll be showered with love, happiness and smiles at that time; however two years ago Valentine's took on a new meaning. On February 9, 2009 my husband and I were ecstatic to find out we were pregnant, a few short days later I started bleeding (not spotting, bleeding with clots), I frantically called my OB/gyn. Every other day for the next few days I was at the doctors' having blood test done, on February 14th I received a phone call from the practice informing me my hCG levels weren't rising like they should, they wanted to see me early morning on February 16th (my birthday) for another blood test and ultrasound in the afternoon. The doctor then tells me that they believe since my numbers did go up slightly that most likely it's an ectopic pregnancy, ending the conversation with a HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND. February 16th I rushed to the lab, had blood drawn then impatiently waited by the phone; around noon my OB/gyn called with the BEST birthday present ever...the hCG levels more then doubled, the baby I was carrying was growing in my uterus! That night my birthday dinner turned into a celebration of life, after everything we had been through the previous week we decided not to wait any longer and share the news with our parents (my mom already figured it out). God answers prayers, today that little baby I thought for sure I had lost is now a happy, healthy, smiling, curious little 15 month old; "I love you yesterday, today and tomorrow too"! </span></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;"></span><span style="font-family:Verdana;color:#cc0000;"></span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color:#cc0000;">I cheated on Valentine’s cards this year; I’ve been extremely busy (more on that below) and needed a craft that wouldn’t require a lot of time, off to</span> </span><a href="http://www.acmoore.com/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">A.C. Moore</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> <span style="color:#cc0000;">we went. I found</span> </span><a href="http://www.creativehands.com/project-planner.php?occasion_id=4&gender_id=&age_id=&kids_id=&skill_level_id=&type_play_id=&find_projects=Find+Projects&search_for="><span style="font-family:verdana;">Creative Hands sm’ART Kit</span></a><span style="color:#cc0000;"><span style="font-family:verdana;">, it made 24 “Glitter Too Cool Hearts” and best part according to Benjamin…STICKERS! Benjamin placed the sticker faces on the hearts, on the back of he drew pictures for his friends and I wrote a short message wishing them a happy Valentine’s Day. </span></span><br /><br /><br /><p><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxR0LUOegtLI537K2lLIPkiTfMzSR1GFyGYS63LqhezilbT1cmn2ToGHtBXiXl1fBVPuRIp_mj6eXyN_uNqxKMpeGJPtJi9Cm6Va7Jso6UNwTmU7ykMglsesGfNcAKY4g_sudfTBiGpgo/s1600/Valentine.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 230px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 161px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5570962848547667618" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlxR0LUOegtLI537K2lLIPkiTfMzSR1GFyGYS63LqhezilbT1cmn2ToGHtBXiXl1fBVPuRIp_mj6eXyN_uNqxKMpeGJPtJi9Cm6Va7Jso6UNwTmU7ykMglsesGfNcAKY4g_sudfTBiGpgo/s320/Valentine.jpg" /></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;color:#cc0000;"><em>On the menu for Valentine's Day<br /></em></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color:#cc0000;">Breakfast-</span> </span><a href="http://annies-eats.net/2011/02/08/strawberry-stuffed-french-toast/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Strawberry Stuffed French Toast </span></a><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;"><span style="color:#cc0000;">Lunch-</span> </span><a href="http://www.shutterstock.com/pic-56841253/stock-photo-heart-shaped-peanut-butter-and-jelly-sandwich.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Heart Shaped Peanut Butter Sandwiches</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> <span style="color:#cc0000;">&</span> </span><a href="http://www.browneyedbaker.com/2010/03/25/chocolate-peanut-butter-cup-cheesecake/"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Peanut Butter Fudge Cheesecake</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> <span style="font-size:85%;color:#cc0000;">(my husband made the cheesecake for me for a family dinner on Saturday)<br /></span><span style="color:#cc0000;">Dinner-</span> </span><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/braciole-recipe/index.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Braciole</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"><br /><span style="color:#cc0000;">Dessert-</span> </span><a href="http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/tyler-florence/raspberry-souffle-recipe2/index.html"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Raspberry Souffle</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> </span><br /><p><span style="font-family:Verdana;"></span></p><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">I’m thrilled to announce that I accepted a job offer and begin working on Monday, I’m beyond excited to be back in my career but it is also accompanied by anxiety when I think about being away from my babies 40 hours a week. To slightly help ease the anxiety, I’ve loved on my boys extra special this past week and planned special activites together. One of the days we went to Babies R’ Us and Build A Bear to pick up a leave at the sitter </span><a href="http://www.toysrus.com/product/index.jsp?productId=3126578"><span style="font-family:verdana;">fuzzy blankie</span></a> <span style="font-family:verdana;">for Hayden and a </span><a href="http://www.buildabear.com/shopping/productDetail.jsp?productId=prod82136&selectedParentCategoryId=cat110056&categoryId=cat110066&dressMeMode=true"><span style="font-family:verdana;">Bear</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"> for Benjamin. Since I’ll be missing out on early afternoon cuddles and story time I picked up </span><a href="http://www.hallmark.com/online/in-stores/recordable-storybooks/#"><span style="font-family:verdana;">All the Ways I Love You</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">, this will allow me to “read” to my babies while I’m at work.<br /></span><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">My husband and I have solely raised the boys, I’m finding it difficult to hand the reins off to someone else for 6 hours a day. My sister is going to watch the boys; she’s WONDERFUL with kids making this process a lot easier! I can honestly say I'm not worried about leaving them with her, I know Benjamin will be just fine (daily interaction with other kids his own age will do him good) but Hayden is a MAJOR mommy’s boy and has been clinging to me for dear life (he knows something is up); Hayden has only known me as a stay-at-home mom. We have Benjamin on the waiting list for a 2-3 day a week full day preschool program, which I think he’ll really enjoy.<br /><br />I’ve enjoyed and cherished the time I’ve had with my boys, being there for their firsts and I’ll miss the field trips, crafts, afternoon cuddles, play dates, etc. But I’m ready to start my career again (I paid a lot of money for a degree and I don’t want to lose my skills) and I truly believe in my heart that this is the best thing for everyone in my family.</span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-87975585238183770412011-02-11T09:04:00.000-08:002011-02-13T06:32:13.492-08:00Baggie Painting<div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">February means oodles of birthdays; today I gathered my assembly line (aka kids) for card making day. Hayden did great finger painting, for oooo...two minutes, and then began eating the paint. It just didn’t seem fair that he couldn’t join in on card making day; I remembered hearing or reading about a fun activity for little hands, unfortunately I can’t give credit where it is due since I can’t remember where I heard about this activity. Take a plastic sandwich bag, fill it with paint, seal and let your little one mush the colors inside the bag together with their fingers. </span></div><span style="font-family:verdana;"><div align="center">
<br />
<br />My little artist
<br /></div></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572479374346882162" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJOPdfLG4Rvr1pIJwKI92ZEzRorJ-t0Je8lreLbre3-dqDVWDXpH-93Mwj2qCQt4mAEyOKBETTNZMysTmJKwDw_jlayuwOmVqk-gybEGLELlflaVxN81neRMRxs0ntnf91sjSKkf3PTFrq/s320/1.jpg" /> <p align="center"></span><span style="font-family:verdana;">
<br />Apparently paint is yucky!
<br /></p></span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNf5gdidLj5CcVMCxxyA8B6NTmSlrX529jrGJm364cmar9F4dgGSn7dBd-ZqM2blQN74Rt030vRPipqRIdltDUpUefNx_yBVW1sVJv4aN0SMVRTm9toM6zkkHeiPvvkAw7ce3n9jRXUWq/s1600/2.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572479316876751970" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdNf5gdidLj5CcVMCxxyA8B6NTmSlrX529jrGJm364cmar9F4dgGSn7dBd-ZqM2blQN74Rt030vRPipqRIdltDUpUefNx_yBVW1sVJv4aN0SMVRTm9toM6zkkHeiPvvkAw7ce3n9jRXUWq/s320/2.jpg" /> <p align="center"></span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span></p><p align="center"><span style="font-family:verdana;">
<br />Honest mommy, I wasn't eating paint!</span> <p></p></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572479245617684146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp2VDt2_nEMGnXos02ff5iUa9_0-VqonWzMcnNzITEdc9MhojanddJD8-fWoFm_RuE5zFjDMdubKgxtjZ2ZIiHRsbP8QuwMEq-RFgID5yUv0rimIma5HNFFpu223OR3Rdf7DsHh4mQ79Qs/s320/3.jpg" /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"> <p></p></span><p align="center">
<br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">Baggie Painting</span><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRuQy-s4DXgFaxEpewqgXEIW_ac6vvxDflu7ziQHlc39lL2QC2WrNrSgY6wNJaSsQShfbYKK57_eOwa_8jYC7qa2f2Q-65r78pm_Fv2oup8UHZUP98x-bay_q6ddkDqZ0-T3OHxNCI58V/s1600/4.jpg"><span style="font-family:verdana;"></p><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 214px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 320px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5572481226463995586" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMRuQy-s4DXgFaxEpewqgXEIW_ac6vvxDflu7ziQHlc39lL2QC2WrNrSgY6wNJaSsQShfbYKK57_eOwa_8jYC7qa2f2Q-65r78pm_Fv2oup8UHZUP98x-bay_q6ddkDqZ0-T3OHxNCI58V/s320/4.jpg" /></span></a>
<br />Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-82339491002427118272011-02-11T08:47:00.000-08:002011-02-11T09:32:23.478-08:00Snow Fun<span style="font-family:verdana;">Young children love snow but they usually don’t love being in the cold for every long. Here are some ideas that you can do inside.<br /><a href="http://stpaulsmtv.com/st-pauls-christian-preschool/"><span style="font-size:85%;">Toddler Gym</span></a><br /><br /><strong>Paint Snow-</strong> Lay snow on a tray. Let your child paint the snow with watercolors.<br /><br /><strong>Shaving Cream Snow</strong>- Give your child shaving cream to play with on a table. This is an excellent way to begin drawing shapes and letters! Beware…this is messy but smells great!<br /><br /><strong>Cotton Ball Snow</strong>- Have a snowball fight with cotton balls! Try to see who can get the most cotton balls across a line or into a bucket. You can even use sand toys for shoveling!<br /><br /><strong>Happy Snow Day!</strong></span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-36376000018858549402011-01-21T13:16:00.000-08:002011-01-21T13:29:17.902-08:00Easy Berry Ice Cream<div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:180%;"><strong>Easy Berry Ice Cream<br /></strong></span><a href="http://www.amazon.com/You-Can-Cook-Annabel-Karmel/dp/0756658632/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1295644837&sr=8-1"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;">You Can Cook by Annabel Karmel</span></a><br /></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"><em>Ingredients:</em></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">1 lbs Strawberries<br />8 oz Rasberries<br />8 oz Blackberries<br />1 cup Superfine Sugar<br />3/4 cup Heavy Cream<br />1 to 3 Tbsp Confectioner's Sugar<br /></span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;"><em><span style="font-size:85%;">Directions:<br /></span></em>1. Wash your fruit, pick out any bits of stalk, and hull the strawberries. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">2. Put fuit and superfine sugar in a pan, cover, and cook slowly for 5 to 10 minutes. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">3. When the berries let out their juices, turn up the heat and simmer for 5 minutes.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">4. Let the fuit cook. then blend it until it's smooth. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">5. Pour the blended fruit through a strainer to remove the seeds.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">6. Pour the strained fruit into ice-cube trays and freeze until solid.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">7. Put the cream in a bowl and whip it until it forms soft peaks when you lift the whisk.</span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">8. Let the frozen berries thaw for 5 minutes, then roughly chop in a food processor. Add the cream. </span></div><div align="left"><span style="font-family:verdana;">9. Whizz to combine. Add confectioner's sugar to taste. Serve now (it is very soft), or freeze for an hour before serving. </span></div><div align="left"><br /><br /></div><div align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPCUfTGv-sUx5Xf9VJJe_Q_OMs4BYGO3qIf1TflGVBd7kPERVe2T_ysbJCpSHfPi3yhX_twIHEqQo3NNCnJqRkYWTDRl7ML_1AFhvbe0SN3Fm4UtUKUPy1_haOJbvZYiYV1uxvA8u3_gi/s1600/0121111252.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 240px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564751285355598226" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicPCUfTGv-sUx5Xf9VJJe_Q_OMs4BYGO3qIf1TflGVBd7kPERVe2T_ysbJCpSHfPi3yhX_twIHEqQo3NNCnJqRkYWTDRl7ML_1AFhvbe0SN3Fm4UtUKUPy1_haOJbvZYiYV1uxvA8u3_gi/s320/0121111252.jpg" /></a><span style="font-family:verdana;font-size:85%;"> Sorry for the horrible picture, I had to use my crappy cell phone<br />camera since I left my Canon Rebel in another area of the house. </span></div>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8778583833587238680.post-45256139003504502782011-01-20T07:22:00.000-08:002011-01-20T07:44:14.883-08:00Indoor Camping<span style="font-family:verdana;">Growing up in Mesa, Arizona where the average winter temperature is 41 degrees, I despise South Central Pennsylvania winters; I HATE being cold and trying to dress a 14 month old for the snow is like fitting a square peg into a round hole (</span><a href="http://community.babycenter.com/post/a25825969/11_step_program_for_those_thinking_of_having_kids"><span style="font-family:verdana;">11 Step Program for those thinking of having kids</span></a><span style="font-family:verdana;">- Dressing small children is not as easy as it seems. 1. Buy an octopus and a small bag made out of loose mesh. 2. Attempt to put the octopus into the bag so that none of the arms hang out. Time allowed for this - all morning)! I’ll admit I like one measurable, sleddable, snowman building snow a year but after that I’m ready for warmer weather…well, we’ve had snow and I’m ready for spring, kiss the cabin fever goodbye and send my kids outside into the wide open.</span><br /><br /><span style="font-family:verdana;">To change up the indoor play routine I dug out and dusted off my old 2 man tent from my collage days, set it up and the kiddos and I had an indoor camping experience. We piled pillows, blankets and sleeping bags into the tent, we read books and for lunch I served a camping style lunch of hotdogs, trail mix, fruit and macaroni and cheese.<br /><br />Since warmer weather doesn’t appear to be in the forecast, another winter wonderland front is scheduled to arrive tonight, the boys and I are off for a little change of scenery at the <a href="http://www.handsonhouse.org/">Hands on House</a>.<br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPe8CtRejs1hjillSQPDfkq2LeSrGBygd6lRrJvX8lEGOwA0vtg5wXS8kmvePozQ3dDQDGyYd_l1aowDb4wfoEUrEXWPpSwjr1D9hxiEdJG-AYbg8ynv03E2oox4OYJoNrSA_xPUXoX3Z-/s1600/1.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564289170744264146" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPe8CtRejs1hjillSQPDfkq2LeSrGBygd6lRrJvX8lEGOwA0vtg5wXS8kmvePozQ3dDQDGyYd_l1aowDb4wfoEUrEXWPpSwjr1D9hxiEdJG-AYbg8ynv03E2oox4OYJoNrSA_xPUXoX3Z-/s320/1.jpg" /></a><br /><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimic_1EPeJ8x6YWJPEN5jGnMXGKQzWNJcK-KiOUO2bCQn7Zdi66o7Tl8etawvOf366ZBLzHbI7KjlJO_Zz7EVNWB5hSAjuH72XyoP_lizKxvEbradYKg8RJA1P9Z0BX6fZgWrS8OMjmT-_/s1600/2.jpg"><img style="TEXT-ALIGN: center; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; WIDTH: 320px; DISPLAY: block; HEIGHT: 214px; CURSOR: hand" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5564289090705924546" border="0" alt="" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimic_1EPeJ8x6YWJPEN5jGnMXGKQzWNJcK-KiOUO2bCQn7Zdi66o7Tl8etawvOf366ZBLzHbI7KjlJO_Zz7EVNWB5hSAjuH72XyoP_lizKxvEbradYKg8RJA1P9Z0BX6fZgWrS8OMjmT-_/s320/2.jpg" /></a><br /></span><span style="font-family:verdana;"></span>Phoenixhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/10024094647140425577noreply@blogger.com0