Wordless Wednesday

Get In Our Bellies!!

Layla had fun baking these adorable pumpkin

sugar cookies. They are so cute & yummy...Layla

already ate 3! I took the easy way out and bought

them pre-packaged, but they were just as yummy,

AND we took the left over dough and made ball shapes

and rolled the balls in sprinkles! :0 Super fun!!

Things I Can't Live Without

Monday means another day of makin' friends.

Today's topic is:

A few things that you cannot live without.

I couldn't live without my family. My husband, kids & puppies are amazing. Everyday is a new & fun adventure in our house...thank goodness for my blog...you guys get to read about our fun and crazy life!

I couldn't live without Mexican Food...'nuf said!!

You want Mexican for lunch now don't ya?

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I couldn't live without manicures & pedicures.

I love fresh polish even if I do it myself!

I couldn't live without coffee!

Of course you knew I'd say...

I couldn't live without my camera.

What are a few things that you couldn't live without?

To Join in on the Friend Makin' Monday fun hop on over to Amber's Blog.

73 years young

We had a fun afternoon celebrating MeMaw's birthday.

She requested a birthday feast of fajitas & margaritas.

We had a wonderful meal & a fun time with a house full of family!

Here is the birthday girl about to blow out her 3 candles.

Happy Birthday MeMaw...we love you :)

Cherries in the Snow

My mouth is watering just posting this fabulous dessert recipe!
I'll go ahead and warn you right now...this recipe should be against the law...so yummy ;)

What you will need:

1 1/2 sticks of butter
1/2 cup chopped pecans
1 1/2 c flour
2 Tbsp. sugar

1 8 oz package of cream cheese
1 tsp. vanilla
2 cups powdered sugar
9 oz whipped topping

1 can of cherry pie filling

What you need to do:

Mix butter, flour, pecans & sugar together. Press into 9x13 baking dish.
Bake for 20 minutes at 350. Cool.

Mix cream cheese, powdered sugar & vanilla together until creamy. Add whipped topping. Spread mixture over cooled crust & top with can of cherry pie filling. Refrigerate.

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Kelly @ Kelly's Korner is hosting a recipe swap of sorts. Go check it out...last week everyone linked up and shared dinner recipes. I think it is a great way to get new recipes. I get tired of cooking the same dinners week after week. Anyway, this week is about desserts...so head on over and find some yummy desserts!

It's all about the boy

Hayden Cole is turning into quite the little character. If he were in school right now I think he'd be the class clown. He is so fun and full of personality. He is always making us laugh. He does not say much…a 'mamma' here and a 'mamma' there, and that is about it. He does manage to get his point across…if you know what I mean. HC lets us know what he wants and when he wants it!

I think she went...

that way!

He totally over exaggerates his head nods. Yes & No are quite funny to see. He nods with such enthusiasm, his whole body shakes. As he is trying to touch something he knows he isn’t supposed to, I say No no!! He then shakes his head really fast left to right. He knows he isn’t supposed to do it, but he is testing the waters. And usually touches anyway.

If I look at it maybe it will move!

or I can just scream at it! (I promise he has shirts!)

Hayden is so busy. He is into anything that isn’t locked up. Once he gets into something he is loud about it, banging and hammering things together. For the love of pete…my house is crazy. He kicks balls, and tosses them around the house. He even pushes Layla around on one of his ride on toys! He is a strong little man. It is always a fight to change his diaper. He is so busy getting into everything, that he has NO time for a diaper change. I have to chase him and hold him down to change him. It is so funny to see him do the Frankenstein run.

He does the same Frankenstein run around in the backyard like a mad man. He loves to be outside, and is loving the slide. He tries so hard to climb up the slide. He has gotten half-way up, and then usually falls down only to try again.

My sweet little guy loves to give kisses. They are open mouth slobbery wet kisses, but oh so sweet. For the longest time he wouldn’t kiss Layla. But he did and I captured it on camera and posted it yesterday on Wordless Wednesday. He is the sweetest busiest boy ever. I am amazed everyday at the differences in my two children. They are like night and day. I love them each so much and am very thankful for my silly, happy & healthy kids!

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Hayden is a great eater. He loves to eat anything and everything in sight. He loves juice and can drink a juice box faster than anyone I have ever seen. If he had it his way he would drink them all day every day. He has 3 bottom teeth and a molar pushing through, and 4 top teeth with a molar pushing through. Teething is hard work and makes him super cranky!! He has some cranky days, and evenings are more cranky than any other time of day. Evenings in our house are crazy, but I can usually calm him down with a bath. He loves taking a bath and cries when I take him out of the tub...he loves to splish and splash.

Hayden has a terrible temper. Gary took a balloon away from him the other night. Holy Moly!! He was in a seated position on the floor and threw himself backwards. He was shocked because his head hit the tile floor. I was freaking out, because the other times he has done that he hit the carpet. Hopefully he learned his lesson. If Layla takes a toy from him he screams loudly and chases her. I can always tell when they are fighting by the tone of his shrieks!

That is an update on Hayden who will be 14 months old tomorrow!!

Wordless Wednesday

Falling for fall

The first day of autumn usually goes by without a weather change here in Texas. The middle of September is often still in the high 90's and humid. BUT, today is nice. It is in the low 70's and the breeze is wonderful. I watched the midday weather and it should be in the high 50's tonight...Yippee!



Hayden is amazed with his pants. He always wears shorts, but today I have the windows open and the breeze is a bit chilly at times. He'll watch himself walk and then sit down to touch the pants that are so new to him. Get used to them buddy. Hopefully this FAB weather will stay with us for a while!

Layla and I busted out the fuzzy socks. Our toes are cold.

Happy First Day of Fall!!!

Do you use Craigslist?

This weeks topic on Friend Makin' Monday is Craigslist.

Amber wants to know...

Do you use Craigslist? What have your experiences been?

Good or bad? What was the best thing you've ever bought?

What was the best deal you ever sold?

I LOVE Craigslist. We. (Gary & I) have sold and bought tons of things using this service. I strongly believe that one persons junk is another persons treasure! We are very safe about how we interact with the buyers of the things we sell. I always make sure that someone is here when they come look at the items. I NEVER let them in my house. I usually have items in the garage, and I haven't sold anything while home alone. Gary or another adult has been here with me just in case. I have met people in public places to buy/sell and that is even better!

We recently sold a BBQ pit. We are a grilling family, and Gary purchased a pit that didn't quite cook they way they liked, so he asked me to post it! And sell it I did! It sold in about a week and a half! We have sold a ton of baby stuff...baby stroller, crib bedding, clothes, a bouncer, and infant formula that Hayden was allergic to.

We have purchased a pick-up truck and a jeep on Craigslist. Gary is a handy man, so with the truck he fixed it up and resold it. The jeep we got attached to and still drive it to this day. We bought Hayden's captains bed and a double stroller. The double stroller was a steal...and it was barely used.

We also cleaned out the garage and posted a free listing. That was crazy. We got more hits on the lawn mower and weed eater that didn't work than on anything else. I am assuming the little old man used them for parts, but couldn't wait to beat the next guy here for a broken down lawn mower. If you want something gone in a hurry...post it for free.

All in all we have had success with Craigslist. Sometimes scammers email me, but I just delete the email and go on. I don't have time for crazy people.

My next Craigslist venture? We are searching for an old gaming system. Layla has been asking us to play video games like her friend Mia. I don't think I want to go out and by a Wii, because neither Gary or I are 'gamers.' She will probably just get bored with it, so I don't want to spend a ton of money. I'm thinking an old XBOX or something similar that has some kids games included would be fun to have. If you have any recommendations let me know so I know what to look for!

Head on over to Amber's blog to tell us about your Craigslist experiences! Happy FMM!

Duhhhhh

Look at the fabulous pictures I captured today, oh you don't see them? I don't either because there aren't any! I FORGOT MY CAMERA...Wha?? Yes I did...totally forgot it!

We went to Alex's 6th birthday party and I captured zero pics of the 'StarWars' festivities. I am not happy about it! We had a fun time and Darth Vader made an appearance, but I'm thinking Mr. Vader was over served. He was completely obnoxious and for lack of a better word...stupid. He kept wanting to tickle all the kids. That is not the image I have in my head when I picture Darth Vader. Bless his heart...he was creepy.

I am off to watch the Longhorns!

HOOK 'EM HORNS!!

Fall Peppers

I was looking for a fun fall dish to get me in the fall cooking spirit. Finally, I found a great meal and it was fun to eat and fun to cook. The kids actually ate it, which surprised me. I searched a few websites and found a few recipes on Allrecipes that sounded good, but I ended up making up my own recipe from what I remembered from when I was a kid. My mom is/was a great cook!


Stuffed Multi-Colored Bell Peppers


What you need:

6 bell peppers, tops cut off and seeded
2 bell peppers, chopped
1 pound ground beef
1 stalk celery, minced
½ cup of chopped bell pepper
½ cup chopped onion
salt and pepper to taste
1 (14.5 ounce) can whole peeled tomatoes, chopped
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
chopped parsley
chopped basil
1/2 cup uncooked rice
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1/2 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
1 (10.75 ounce) can tomato soup


How to do it:

Bring a large pot of water to boil.
Place peppers in boiling water, and cook 5 minutes.
Set aside to cool.




Preheat oven to 350.
In a large skillet, cook beef until almost brown.
Drain fat. Stir in celery, carrots, bell peppers, onions, and garlic.
Cook until soft, about 5 minutes. Season with salt & pepper.




Stir in tomatoes,
Worcestershire sauce, parsley,
basil, rice, and water.
Cover, and simmer until rice is cooked, about 15 minutes.
Remove from heat, and mix in Monterey Jack & Cheddar cheeses.

Place peppers upright on an oven safe pan.
Stuff each pepper with the beef mixture.
Sprinkle extra cheese on top.

In a small bowl, combine tomato soup with just enough water to give the soup the consistency of gravy. Pour generously over peppers.
Cover with foil.
Bake in preheated oven about 30 minutes.





Here is the yummy ending! Fresh out of the oven and piping hot!

So good :) Happy Fall cooking!

A ladybug, chairs, more chairs & the wagon

Layla is on her 3rd week of preschool and she is having a ton of fun, and most importantly learning many new things! There is a huge change in her daily structure at school this year. Last year it seemed like the kids played more. This year they have different stations with activites for math, art, science and reading.

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I was feeling crafty and needed a simple task. So...

I got out my handy dandy iron and added this lovely ladybug to this simple black shirt. I found the shirt at Target (of course) for $2.88. The ladybug iron on was $1.49 at Hobby Lobby!

Woohoo! $4.37 for a fun new shirt. It wasn't hard, and I shouldn't even call it a craft, but it was all the 'craft' I had time for.

Layla put on the new ladybug shirt one morning with jeans and said

"I am not so much into dresses anymore, mommy!"

Well all-righty then.

She insists on dressing herself everyday for school and I am good with that!

Hayden & Layla have their share of fights over toys and chairs, but they also have really started to enjoy hanging out together. Hayden loves the wagon, and I really like it when he holds on. He has fallen out several times. Layla would have been in tears at his age if she fell out of the wagon. HC~ he thinks it is funny. Oh me, Oh my!

I'm going to age very fast with this wild boy!!

Layla is loving riding her bicycle. I don't know if you can tell, but on the other side of the fence is a sidewalk/green-belt that we LOVE! Families from all over the neighborhood travel this lovely sidewalk from house to house all year 'round. It winds (spelling doesn't look right) all though the neighborhood from the park to the pool and beyond. We love it, and I really enjoy feeling safe playing on it instead of the front of our house. Our street isn't overly busy, but I still get nervous when the kids play out front with just me watching them. Every once in awhile a crazy driver will fly down the street and I get annoyed with that. The green-belt is amazing and it is much more comfortable for the kids to play on since the weather is much cooler!

Since the holiday season is coming up, which I am SUPER excited about~ I have been snapping shots of the kids as often as I can for a possible Christmas card picture. I love bath time pictures. When the kids have wet hair I think they look identical! This isn't a good example of that, but I thought this one was cute of just their little faces...oh how I love those faces!

Hayden is really into chairs ~ have you noticed?

He likes to climb into them, fall out of them, ram his head onto the back of them while seated, and

stand in them.

Layla is into blogging!

She is all set up right next to me in the office with her glass of water. Ready for 'work'

wordless wednesday~~~he is loving cissy's chair

for more ww posts visit 5 minutes for mom

Layla ♥'s Juliet

Layla is about all things Taylor Swift!

Dancing & Singing to Fearless

Layla told me this morning after seeing TS on The View she wanted to see her in concert!
So fun..me too! Taylor Swift is so cute and we love her! Bless her heart for all the drama she is going though. Layla calls her 'Juliet' because of her Love Story song, and she has been running around the house all morning wanting me to rewind 'Juliet'. You can go here to see the 3 minute conversation on The View's website. If if doesn't pop right up go to September 15, and then scroll to her interview. She is such a sweetheart!

Fall TV Shows~FMM

Here are a few of my favorite fall tv shows!!

Desperate Housewives

Brothers and Sisters

Grey's Anatomy

Private Practice

90210

Todays Friend Makin' Monday is all about Fall TV shows.

Jump on over to Amber's Blog to make some friends this Monday!

I am loving this fall rain!!

This weekend has been so nice due to the rainy weather. We need the rain so badly. It is a fabulous fall day in Texas. We are enjoying the sound of rain and the comfortable breeze. YaY~Finally! I have been waiting for this weather for weeks. We had fun romping and playing in the living room while watching the Cowboys. Go TEAM!

I'm so happy we won our first game!

Here is a picture of our future Dallas Cowboy.

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I hope you are having a fun Sunday.

I am off to have more family time and watch the rain of course. Hhhmmmm I wonder if I can say rain a few more times?!? Can you tell I LIKE it?

Love is the only Gold

I don't pretend to know what love is for everyone, but I can tell you what it is for me; love is knowing all about someone, and still wanting to be with them more than any other person. Love is trusting them enough to tell them evertything about yourself, including the things you might be ashamed of. Love is feeling comfortable and safe with someone, but still getting weak knees when they walk into a room and smile at you.

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I found this quote online several months ago and couldn't wait to post it today! I'm not sure who wrote it, but I am thrilled to have found it. It sums up my feelings perfectly!!

Happy 9th Anniversary Gary!!