Diva Mamma & Her Crew

BBQ Chicken Pizza Verdict

2012-01-15T18:53:00.000-06:00

Look how scrumptious this looks......It tasted even better! My family couldn't stop talking about how it was the best pizza they had ever had....that is my husband and oldest daughter. The little ones stuck to their cheese version.

After the bread machine...aka "the black panther", was done doing all of the hard work. We let it rise in a warm microwave. Here's a tip for you: if you need dough to rise quickly. Put a cup of water in a microwave safe cup of course in the microwave for 4 minutes on high. When finished remove the cup quickly and place your dough with a tee towel in the microwave. Do it quick so to keep the steam locked in. It works like a charm!

All Time Best Pizza Dough It's worth keeping in your rotation!

Orange Julius Verdict

2012-01-14T17:01:00.000-06:00

Made Orange Julius this morning with the kids breakfast. But I altered it a touch as I was worried about how much sugar was in the recipe. Swapped the sugar with Agave and didn't add as much frozen orange juice concentrate.

One of my kids really liked it and the other didn't.....It took me back to childhood and walking through the mall with my Orange Julius treat. Yummy! So, give it a whirl and see what you think.

Verdict

2012-01-13T23:15:00.000-06:00

The Granola was a hit! I took some to our Rally....Did I tell you our new Spring/Summer line of jewelry and it "SMOKIN HOT!.......Everyone loved it!

Couple extras I added.....Got some Orange infused dried cranberries from Sprouts and used Organic Shredded Unsweetened Coconut. The cranberries added that touch of sweetness.

It was great in my favorite coffee cup with milk but just as yummy as a snack. Try it out....your family and friends will be putty in your hands. Wink Wink!

Menu Plan Monday....but late

2012-01-11T13:16:00.000-06:00

Late, again...but I've been trying to follow a menu in my head and use up leftovers in the refrigerator. I have decided that I'm not crazy about the prepacked-frozen chicken. It always seems to go come out dry no matter what I do with it.

Wednesday: Chic fa la....Kids have activites than we have church.

Thursday: Breakfast: Kolaches Can you tell I'm excited about my new bread machine....The Black Panther! Blueberry Orange Julius Hoping this helps little Miss have a great day at school. Dinner: YOYO ( Your On Your Own)

Friday: I'll be gone at Premier's Regional Rally....getting the New Spring & Summer Jewelry! So Alexandra and Daddy are in charge.

Saturday: Breakfast: Orange Julius, Lunch: Turkey Sandwiches, chips & fruit Dinner: Homemade Pizza Night.... BBQ Chicken Pizza and Cheese for the kids

Sunday: Breakfast: Cinnamon Rolls and Milk, Lunch: BBQ-Ribs, Lambert's Throw Dinner Rolls, Oriental Coleslaw, Beans

Treat for Alex to enjoy on her drive back to school: Granola

Pantry Basics: Homemade Vinaigrette

2012-01-09T01:06:00.000-06:00

Have you been looking for a great "Go To" vinaigrette? I have....I've found it! And, get this....there are multiple ways to change it up to suit your taste buds for the week. You can also use them as a marinade.

Pantry Basics: Homemade Vinaigrette

My favorite thus far is adding the raspberries or blackberries. I even tried added a bit of my homemade Christmas Jam.....Wow, out of this world! Full of flavor and extra yummy on my greens!

Menu for the Weekend

2012-01-06T22:18:00.000-06:00

Ok, Ok.....I'm behind on my "Menu Planning Monday." But later is better than never, right?

Friday: (tonight) We made homemade pizza. I had to use my new bread machine that I've named the Black Panther. Can I just say....it's the bomb! Here's the dough recipe we used. My Favorite Pizza Dough

Saturday: C.O.R.N. (Clean Out Refrigerator Night)

Sunday: Breakfast: Banana Bread & fruit Lunch: Pork Chops with Apple & Stuffing , Roasted Broccoli and Green Salad,
Dinner: YOYO (You're on Your Own)

How does this sound?

Lasagna Soup Recipe - Food.com - 143719

2012-01-06T13:46:00.000-06:00

Doesn't this look YUMMY!!

Lasagna Soup Recipe - Food.com - 143719

This Mama says......: New Recipe of the Week - Easy Chicken Enchiladas

2012-01-03T23:18:00.000-06:00

This Mama says......: New Recipe of the Week - Easy Chicken Enchiladas

Adding this to our rotation this week. Looks yummy and will add a batch of my homemade salsa.

Happy New Year.....Welcome 2012!

2012-01-01T23:21:00.006-06:00

We had a great time ringing in the New Year! The indoor s'mores with the homemade graham crackers were a hit! Even the older kids enjoyed them. My 15 yr old said his favorite part was the homemade graham crackers so well worth the little bit of time. Happy New Year from our home to yours!

Perfect Black Beans on the Food Network

2011-12-31T14:24:00.001-06:00

Going to serve this with our Pork Shoulder. My plan is to jazz it up a bit and add black eyed peas. I mean....who doesn't want to see if these things really work?

Sorry about the separate post. I haven't mastered this yet. Thank you for the grace.....but if you know what I'm doing wrong. Have mercy and help a girl.

Perfect Black Beans on the Food Network

Succulent Braised Pork on the Food Network

2011-12-31T14:24:00.000-06:00

Here is our Pork for New Year's Day. I'm excited about taking an inexpensive cut of meat and making it yummy! Woo-Hoo!

Succulent Braised Pork on the Food Network

New Years Eve Dinner

2011-12-30T22:14:00.005-06:00

I'm so excited for 2012! This year has been tough but we've diffenently seen the Lord working with us during these times. After all, my ultimate goal is to glorify Him in every situation I encounter. Bring on 2012.....10,9,8,7,6, 5....

Thought we'd have some fun to kick off our new year. I'm going to make a center piece out of all kinds of clocks and set them all for midnight. (Well, that will actually be earlier but the kids will think it's midnight.) I'm going to use watches for my napkin rings....this jewelry lady has a few in her stash. My kids love eating on the china so setting it out tonight.

We normally have fondue but the younger kids didn't do so well with it last year. So, I'm going to use it for dessert so I can play off of the theme but add it back in when they're older.

Grilled Rib Eye Steaks or whatever steak is on sale....Grilled courtesy of my hot husband. Roasted Brussel Sprouts and Alton Brown's Baked Macaroni & Cheese. http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/alton-brown/baked-macaroni-and-cheese-recipe/index.html

For dessert: Chocolate Fondue with Pound Cake, Marshmallows, Apple, Orange Slices & Rice Krispy Treats cut into star shapes. We can't use strawberries cause my little man is allergic to them....bummer cause he loves them.

We're making our party hats tomorrow. I've been working on the yarn pom poms today so anxious to see how they like them on their hats.

We wish all of you a Happy & Blessed 2012 from our house to yours!

Egg Breakfast Muffin Cups

2011-12-27T15:21:00.002-06:00

Wanted to update you on this new recipe.....It was a huge hit! I could so see changing them up a bit to have a Mexican flare and top with salsa. Made some extra & popped in the freezer so my honey can grab one in the early morning when he welcomes the sunrise...I mean heads off to work. Served them with fresh fruit & toast with my homemade jam.

Menu Plan Monday

2011-12-27T00:47:00.006-06:00

I'm very excited about jumping back on board with http://orgjunkie.com/ and Menu Plan Monday! I think it will make dinner time less stressful and hopefully save money on our grocery budget.

Monday: left overs from Christmas Dinner....it was just as yummy as yesterday.

Tuesday: Egg Casserole Muffin Cups for Breakfast....Make extra to freeze.

http://thehappyhousewife.com/cooking/egg-casserole/

Slow Cooker Cranberry Pork Chops, Rice, Green Beans (left over)

Wednesday: Baked Teriyaki Chicken, Shredded Potato Casserole, Roasted Broccoli

http://allrecipes.com/Recipe/Baked-Teriyaki-Chicken/Detail.aspx

http://www.tasteofhome.com/recipes/Shredded-Potato-Casserole

Thursday: YOYO (You're On Your Own)

Friday: Still Thinking

Saturday: Annual Fondue Party for New Year's Eve....stay tuned for which recipes I select.

Sunday: Still Thinking (We've decided to make a nice lunch a tradition. Our china adorned dining room table awaits us after church on Sundays. Really excited about this! My 5 year old and 2 year old love eating on china. It's so cute!)

Kids Dessert for Christmas Dinner

2011-12-23T01:18:00.001-06:00

These Snowmen Cupcakes are so darn cute! Thought it would be fun to make them a special dessert too.

http://familyfun.go.com/christmas/christmas-recipes/christmas-desserts/christmas-cupcakes/frosty-the-cupcake-685655/

Planning our Christmas Dinner

2011-12-23T00:48:00.002-06:00

We've decided to shake things up a bit for our Christmas dinner and start a new tradition. And, you know I love family traditions! We're going to continue with turkey & ham for Thanksgiving and move to beef for Christmas. I'm jazzed as this girl loves beef! So here is my plan thus far...

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/prime-rib/ and a horseradish dipping sauce.

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/brussels-sprouts-with-balsamic-and-cranberries/

http://thepioneerwoman.com/cooking/2011/12/duchess-potatoes/

Than our traditional Cornbread dressing that I think I've finally mastered to my husband's excitement and my family's tradition Sausage Dressing that is a family favorite. They insist on having both or someone isn't happy.

Sweet corn is a must for the little ones and my famous sauteed green beans with prosciutto & toasted almonds. And, I can't forget the warm yeast rolls.

I'm still working on the plans for dessert. How does this sound?

Toddler Craft Ideas

2011-12-22T11:03:00.003-06:00

I am loving this blog! So many ideas for the kids. We're going to make a couple of the ornaments so they can add them to their mini Christmas tree. Than we're going to tackle the nativity scene made from empty toilet paper rolls. It is so cute! I thought this would be perfect to play with while we read the Christmas story.

http://toddlerapproved.blogspot.com/2010/12/foam-santa-ornament.html

http://daniellesplace.com/html/christmas_page2.html Lots of Christmas crafts here too.

Pumpkin Pie French Toast

2011-12-22T01:56:00.002-06:00

Oh my does this sound YUMMY!!!!! Everyone here loves anything pumpkin so I think I'm going to give it a whirl on Friday to celebrate my birthday. I've got 3/4 of a loaf of french bread to use up so now I've got a plan for it. I'll let you know how it turns out.

http://millerfamilyorganizer.blogspot.com/2011/11/pumpkin-pie-french-toast.html

Ideas for Week

2011-12-17T11:22:00.002-06:00

Sunday Breakfast: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/healthy-treat-for-today-applesauce-bread

I think the smell will fill the house and make getting ready for church a breeze!

Lunch: http://susannesspace.blogspot.com/2007/04/slow-cook-thursday40-clove- chicken.html, french bread, mashed potatoes, Roasted Broccoli

* We're trying to plan out our Sunday lunches to be special family time. My goal is to have meal in crock pot cooking so ready to go when we get home from church.

Dinner: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/high-five-recipes-super-simple-burritos

Monday Breakfast: http://heavenlyhomemakers.com/homemade-healthy-poptarts

Wouldn't this be fun to make our own pop tarts and use my Christmas Jam for the filling. I'm going to make the jam Sunday night.

I'll be back.....this is a start!

Restarting......Let's Get Organized!

2011-12-17T11:09:00.002-06:00

Here we go....It's Christmas time and I can't think of a better time to get organized & be thankful for the blessings the Lord has given me. I've realized that my life has become chaos and unorganized. It's time to get the simple life back and be wise with my resources. How's that for a challenge?

I've started cleaning out the closets, drawers, cabinets. Next is the pantry & refrigerator. Time to get back to Menu Planning and budgeting what we spend. My favorite blog for this is http://orgjunkie.com/ She has an incredible thing going..... http://orgjunkie.com/category/menu-plan-monday Let's get down to the menu planning with is sure to help save money at the grocery store.

Anyone up for the challenge with me?

Another Ellie Editorial

2010-01-22T01:28:00.002-06:00

Mom: "Ellie, what's you doing?" I notice she has a notepad and a sharpie marker.

Ellie: "Drawing my Bible."

Mom: "What are you writing in your Bible?"

Ellie: "God made the sun, the trees....pause and my red shoes."

This was so cute! As I ran out to check the surface of my dining room table where she was drawing, she assured me. "Mommy, don't worry. God didn't write on your table."

Pray for our Dalmation

2010-01-22T01:25:00.002-06:00

Please keep our sweet but sneaky dalmatian in your prayers. The mass on her back came back malignant so we're going into see a surgeon tomorrow. Our IM vet says it's curable and should have success. We'll update you after her appt tomorrow.

Check out my "LESS" of Me post

2010-01-10T00:57:00.002-06:00

Check out my less of me post on my food blog. Please join as a follower! I need cheerleaders and ladies to jump on board with me. Let's loose it together!

Playing in our new wagon from Santa.

2009-12-27T22:15:00.002-06:00

2009-12-27T19:48:00.001-06:00

059, originally uploaded by jewelrydiva.

Santa's Workshop

2009-12-27T19:41:00.002-06:00

Cutest Elf Ever!

2009-12-27T16:38:00.004-06:00

Isn't he a cutie?! Please excuse the boggie. Still trying to get over end of respirtory junk. Yes, that's my Sexy Knight in Shining Armor in the background!

Various Christmas 2009 Pictures

2009-12-27T16:36:00.003-06:00

160, originally uploaded by jewelrydiva.

Christopher and Diva Mamma opening presents. Don't you love his Christmas Jammies?!

Merry Christmas & Happy Birthday, Jesus!

2009-12-26T22:04:00.004-06:00

We had an incredible Christmas in the Sheffield home! I was told that it was the first time since 1898 that we had a "White Christmas" in north Texas! As I was sitting in church on Christmas Eve, I looked out the windows in the sanctuary and could see the beautiful snow falling. The snowflakes appeared big with a delicate appearance. As we sang Silent Night, I felt my heart fill with emotion..... Lord, you have blessed me with so much. My beautiful children, my loving husband, sweet fur babies, beautiful home that I love to open up & welcome folks in, my health and my children's health, my many wonderful friends, and an incredible business that allows me to stay home with my children. Thank you for loving me just the way I am and for forgiving me when I fall short. Thank you for the gift of your Son! I'm looking forward to what you have in my future.

I am thankful for our Church and church family! It was one year ago on Christmas Eve that we found MacArthur Blvd Baptist Church. Pastor Josh is wonderful and keeps me thinking about his message all week long. I can't believe it's already been a year. I look forward to raising my youngest children here.

Christmas was more than perfect this year! I felt myself getting stressed on my birthday and had my own mini meltdown. After taking a deep breath and crying a bit, God reminded me what this time of year was about and it wasn't the gifts or the food on the table but teaching my children about Him and reminding them how much they are loved. The other things are like the sprinkles on the perfect sundae.

We shared our Christmas with a special Mom and sweet daughter. I truly feel like God blessed us with two new members of our family this season. We meet Dedra and Malasian just 3 short months ago but feel so close to both of them. They joined us for Christmas Eve service and our new tradition of a lasagna dinner with fondue for dessert.....Yummy! We ended our wonderful evening with new Christmas Jammies for all the kids including Malasian and new slippers for the Mommies. Daddy got new jammies, too! Than the workshop began......building Santa toys and starting on our Christmas dinner.

Alexandra joined me in the kitchen. I will treasure the memories of the fun we had. She baked her first pumpkin pie and I worked on the breakfast casserole, cornbread for my honey's Cornbread Dressing, and a dear friend's recipe for strawberry pretzel jello salad. We made a big mess.....but had so much fun! Alex's side of the island was covered in spilled spices and I had crushed pretzels flying thru the air because I opened the lid of the blender while it was on. Than off to build the wagon and stuff stockings.....

Alex started in on the wagon. What fun it has been to have her joining us in the workshop. It seems like just yesterday that I was building for her. Daddy and Christopher slept like angels on the sofa while Alex pounded on the tires. I couldn't believe they slept thru it.....than little man woke up bright eyed and bushy tailed. It's a good thing he's so little and won't remember. :)

Christmas morning I meet up with Melissa, April and Jessie to deliver meals for Meals On Wheels. What an awesome experience and something I hope to add to my Christmas traditions. There were so many cars lined up waiting to pick up the coolers full of meals to be delivered to area seniors. God answered my prayer to dry up the roads so we could accomplish this task. As we worked our way thru our route, we learned quickly that many of these seniors would not have eaten if we hadn't made it to their homes.

One of the ladies we meet will forever be in my heart. She was so sweet and thankful to see us. She was basically wheelchair bound and had many medical issues that effected every aspect of her daily life. But she was so full of the Lord and thankful for His love and blessings. To be so ill and remain faithful gave me hope that I could strengthen my walk with Him. Thank You, Miss Pat for sharing your Christmas with me!

After finishing my route, gave Christmas hugs to my friends and headed home. As soon as I opened the door, I could hear the laughter of the little ones enjoying their Santa gifts and playing with Alexandra. The breakfast casserole I left in the refrigerator had been enjoyed by all....well, except Miss Ellie. She preferred the fruit and requested I make donuts next time. Note to self....add donuts to Christmas breakfast tradition. My sweet husband was getting the turkey ready to go. We jumped in together and finished the meal....The house smelled sooooo good! I'll post the recipes soon.

I heart felt heavy at times, I need to find time in my schedule to give back to seniors. I seem to focus on the young and forget about this generation. Note to self....call Meals on Wheels Monday to set up a regular time to serve.

As our meal cooked, we played and laughed......It was wonderful! Our new family, Dedra and Malasian came over for a bit. They looked so beautiful! Dedra gave me the most wonderful gift. She gave me a necklace that belonged to her Mom. It has a charm with an angel on it and engraved with the words , " I will always be at your side." I will treasure her gift of love!

Thank you, Lord for this beautiful time of celebration!

Re-Starting My Blog...

2009-12-22T23:58:00.003-06:00

Okay, Okay.....so I've been on a bit of a long vacation, MIA or let's call it a sabbatical. Are you girls out there? I hope I didn't lose you!

I had get my life in somewhat of a routine. I've never had two babies so close together. I didn't want to be that Mom you see out and about looking like she just crawled out of bed, huge bags under her eyes, no make up and yelling at her kids.....After all, I am a "Diva Mamma" so had to get my ducks in a row.

I know you're saying, blah, blah, blah.....so drum roll.....here we go!

I have another vocalist.

2009-07-30T18:22:00.001-05:00

Playing Catch Up

2009-07-23T13:15:00.007-05:00

We're back from rally and had a BLAST! The new jewelry in fabulous and I love trying to convince my husband that I need it all in order to "help my business." He knows better and says, "Well, honey reach the next contest Premier offers and you can have it." Darn....I want it now! :o)

Thought I'd catch up on a few memorable moments at the Sheffield's....

Alexandra sang her first solo at church on the 12th. My folks came to hear her along with many other friends which sure made her feel good. She did a fantastic job!

Sing it, Girl!

She did such a beautiful job! She sounded like an angel.

Papa holding Christopher after church. Alex was so excited to have her Grandparents here too.

Alex, Stephanie or little Steph & Tomonica....Thanks, Ladies for coming! We love you both!

Brittney, Alex and Stephanie.....Aren't they gorgeous!

Ellie was a tad tired after all the excitement but still looked so cute! She wore her dress that her Godparents Lisa & Frank gave her.

IT'S RALLY TIME AND NEW JEWELRY TIME!!!

2009-07-15T11:45:00.002-05:00

This is my favorite time in my business!!! Our national rally is so much fun! I love that I get to share it with my oldest daughter who is also a jewelry lady. It's like Oprah Winfrey & Billy Graham on steroids! We dance, sing, cry, laugh, share, celebrate, visit with the missionaries, take lots of pictures, eat, snack, share ideas with each other....and did I mention get our new line of jewelry & new catalog!!!

I love looking around at the different ways ladies are wearing their jewelry! A Premier rally is the only place on earth that it's totally normal to have someone come up to and want a picture of your chest. :o)

This year is going to be a bit different.....the entire family is going! Michael is going to take care of the kiddos and stay with me so I can continue to nurse my little man. This means so much to me! Thanks, Babe!

I'll share some pictures when we get back! The "DALLAS DIVAS" are off to rally!!!

My husband is such a honey...

2009-07-09T01:12:00.003-05:00

Guess what he's doing......Bathing both of our little ones! He came home from work and asked what I needed help with....I said bathing the kids and off they all went. Wow, am I blessed or what! Honey, I love you!

"Daddy, me in too."

Look how cute....

2009-07-09T00:36:00.002-05:00

Isn't he a cutie!

Look, he's already being entertained by Alex!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

We started a new project to try and "improve" Ellie's behavior. Okay, stop laughing, I know she's a strong willed two year old but I'm also a determined Mamma.

I bought some fun stickers that I know she'd love.....Mickey Mouse and fashion related stickers. I loved it when she picked out the fashion stickers. :o) We made a chart with 10 circles or squares (depends on what shape we're working on for the week.) For doing her chores such as picking up her toys, helping to feed the dogs, putting the soap in the dishwasher & starting it, putting her Daddy's Diet Coke cans in the recycle....he's leaves them everywhere and she loves gathering them. She also gets a sticker for good behavior if we go to the grocery store or the bank, etc. When she reaches the goal of 10 stickers, we get to go and do something FUN!

Here's a picture of our 10 sticker trip for Ice Cream. She was very excited that just her and Mamma were going for ice cream. We had a great time!

Notice.....she got two different servings of ice cream. I thought she'd like Strawberry ice cream and nope...."Strawberries too cold, Mamma." It's a good thing the lady working the counter liked her cheeks. She gave her a soft serve cone when she saw the tears.

I love this system and it seems to be helping her outbursts.

Muffin Tin Monday

2009-07-07T00:15:00.004-05:00

We love our Muffin Tin Monday! We've been off for a bit but are back in full swing! We've missed everyone! I wanted to try to introduce some new flavors for our theme. Here we go.....

On her 4th of July placement, top left/clockwise: mini vanilla waffers, cherries, blueberries & mangos, peanut butter & banana butterfly sandwich, turkey roll, little cutie tomatoes. Mangos were a totally new food and peanut butter & bananas were a new combo.

Ellie loved helping make the sandwiches!

Verdict is in: she like both new foods!

Go to Her Cup Overfloweth and check out additional MTM'S. http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/

Happy 4th of July

2009-07-05T13:25:00.003-05:00

What an amazing holiday! I just love what it represents! Freedom is such an incredible gift that should never be pushed aside or take for granted. "In God we Trust...." I love this and try so hard to live every day with this saying on the front of my mind.

We had a wonderful day filled with friends, food, fellowship and fireworks! That is fireworks that we viewed from the indoors and air conditioning! :o)

We decided it was time to get back into the Sheffield norm and open our home up to friends! Before the little ones arrived we did this several times a year and both Michael and I missed having folks over. We figure, God didn't bless us with the perfect home for entertaining to not take advantage of it. We had 29 friends and their kiddos over with lots of great food! We made it a point to reach out to some of our friends that we'd lost touch with and bring them in. It was a great time....and guess what, Ellie did great with sharing her toys! I was so proud of her! This was something we've been working on for a while now! This was SO sticker behavior! If you don't know our sticker behavior system, I'll share that later.

We went down to Michael's office to watch fireworks. It was perfect and we were in the AC! We could see 3 different firework shows that were going on around town. We meet our friends Bob & Bonnie Bolander. You'll see by the picture, there was so much to see we had to put our left cheek nice and close to the window to see it all. :o)

It was a great celebration!

Sharing a juice box moment?

Off to see fireworks!

Hanging out with Daddy!

Here we go with some photos. I wish I had taken more.

Happy Father's Day, Michael!

2009-06-23T22:23:00.004-05:00

We had the best time getting our little surprise ready for Michael for Father's Day! Michael had to work all weekend so we decided to bring the party to him. We made everything ourselves right down to the personalized napkins. Sorry about the poor quality pictures! The battery was almost gone so was milking it.

Little Michael and Ellie making their famous Chocolate Chip Cookies.....look below you'll even see some finger licking action. :o)

Our picnic ready to head down to Daddy's office. The kids packed it all themselves. They even brought Daddy a new pack of Diet Pepsi, Pop tarts and Tortilla chips to stock is refrigerator in his office. I thought this was so cute!

Ellie filling out her Mermaid card for Daddy. "Under the Sea..." The problem was.....she didn't want to give it to Daddy cause she liked the music.

Alexandra filling out her card for Daddy.....or should I say, writing her mini novel.

Ellie and Little Michael having ice cream on the way to Daddy office. She was very excited about having ice cream before her dinner. Hope I didn't start something I'll regret!

Our homemade napkins made special for Daddy!

Happy Father's Day, Daddy! Thank you for being such a wonderful Daddy to our kids! I am so blessed to have such an incredible role model for our children....you're the best! Love you!

Christopher's First Smile

2009-06-23T02:01:00.003-05:00

My Sweet little "Blue Eyed" man smiled for the first time on Thursday. He had been having one of his "moments of frustration." Daddy couldn't think of anything to help calm him so he started "rapping." Wow, was it ever a treat to hear from the hallway. Christopher immediately stopped crying and was smiling up a storm. Ellie even joined in on the rapping. They were so cute!!!

Of course, as soon as I jumped in front of him with the camera.....the smiles disappeared. Diva Mamma is going to have to get sneaky with the camera.

Getting Ready for Father's Day

2009-06-20T23:56:00.003-05:00

Well, tomorrow is the big day! Since Michael is on call and gone all weekend, we've decided to bring the party to him. I sure hope he's prepared for a surprise.... The kids and I are making him a picnic lunch or like we call it...."lupper" which means not lunch and not dinner but in the middle. That's a popular word around this house. Use it if you'd like.....it sure makes Sundays easier on a Mom. :o)

I sent the older kids out with little Miss this afternoon to buy their own Father's Day cards. I think it's appropriate that the kids teach Ellie the importance of picking that special card that will make Daddy laugh 10 years from now. Opps....I gave it away. I'm a pack rat when it comes to memories from cards from my kids. OOOHHHHH....I feel better now that I got that out in the open. My husband makes fun of me but when we're lonely after the kids move onto bigger and better things. I'll whip out my stash to make us laugh.

Attention, Diva Mamma......in case you haven't noticed, you'll be in a retirement home before you're last child moves out. God blessed you with 4 children between the ages of 19 and 2 months so no thinking you and Michael are going to have time to be lonely or be snowbirds like your parents talk about. Okay....now I'm awake....I guess Michael will be taking care of patients until he's 80 and I'll be selling jewelry until I can no longer clasp a necklace or go and get my nails done. I love it and wouldn't trade our family for anything in the world!

I'll let you know how tomorrow goes complete with pictures and all! Rest well, my friends in blog world! I pray your father's day is special and that you give all of the special men in your life a big hug and something sweet to fill their tummies! My Grandma used to tell me the way to every man's heart is through his tummy so I'm off to bake my cookies while the house is quiet.

Our latest craft....

2009-06-16T10:32:00.004-05:00

I found these kits on Amazon.com and Ellie loves them! They came with 4 or 5 different animals that she could decorate with the included "accessories." We've had more fun and they're now hanging all over the house. :o)

Check this nifty website out!

2009-06-03T09:34:00.002-05:00

I stumbled across this and love it!!! Garage Sales Tracker

Alexandra and I love a good garage sale, consignment store, flea market or resale shop! This website let's you list your sale FREE. what a great way to get the word out!

As a shopper, you can see what sales are going on on any particular weekend and even plan your route. Have fun finding those GREAT deals, Divas!

Check out my Cooking Blog & the BlogFrog

2009-05-31T17:31:00.008-05:00

I'm excited to share my new Cooking Blog with my blogger friends! I've decided to do this to help keep me accountable to making a menu plan and sticking to it!

Hand Me My Apron http://handmemyapron.blogspot.com/

How's that for a fun name? I know boring. I'm not very creative in this arena so it'll have to do.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Here's another fun blog site...... http://theblogfrog.com/ I found it from another fun Mamma's blog that I follow and love, love, love it. Check it out......it will help grow your blog and guide you to loads of other great blogs. See my "gadget" up to the right? ;o)

Almost forgot....the Mamma's blog that I found this great tool wonderful! If you want to feel uplifted just visit her blog. Her story about her son, Stellan is a tear jerker and is such an incredible example of the power of prayer. I promise you won't be disappointed! http://www.mycharmingkids.net/

****If anyone can teach me how to list a blog with it's actual name and not the boring looking link, please share in your comment. I'm still learning this whole blogging thing so would love a lesson.

Let's Go Rangers!

2009-05-29T12:43:00.002-05:00

As most of you know, we love, love baseball and love our Texas Rangers......no matter how bad they are.....Opps, I mean good they are. :o)

Alex, Ellie, Alex's Friend Rachel and Daddy were headed out to the Rangers vs Yankees game on Wednesday. Ok, we thought the Rangers could use our prayers on Wednesday. I'm sure God will understand as I'm sure He was praying for them too. I mean, the Yankees are the hottest team in baseball at the moment so we need all the prayers we can get.

Look at Ellie's little "going to the ball park" skort. We just love it! I found it on Etsy and am hooked on this ladies work! http://www.etsy.com/shop.php?user_id=5803027 Check her out! She'll make anything you desire and each piece is an original so no other child has one that looks like yours.....she also made Ellie a "jewelry" denim dress! She's one talented Grandma! Be sure to tell her Stacey sent you.

All had a great time, well....except the Rangers! We lost but.....we'll get them next time!

Check out the back pockets....It's a set of denim overalls made into a skort.

Here's the pocket on the other side. It's supposed to look like a baseball bandana hanging out of her pocket.

The baseball fabric on the front makes a skirt. Ellie had to take "all" of her Wabbas with her to the game and her monkey. Let's see......how many things does it take to get a toddler into her carseat to go to the ballpark? ;o)

Sisters are ready to go! Take me out to the ball game!

Please keep Christopher in your thoughts & prayers.

2009-05-29T11:53:00.003-05:00

We're still struggling with little Christopher's reflux/tummy distress is a better name in my book. It seems like he's either nursing, having his diaper changed or crying. It breaks my heart that our little man is so uncomfortable and I can't take the hurt away. I mean, afterall isn't that what Mamma's are supposed to do.....kiss the boo-boo and make it "better, Mommy" as Ellie would say.

Ellie gets so upset when he's cries in obvious discomfort. "Mommy, me kiss Christopher." Than you know what happens.....the post partum hormones kick in and next thing you know Diva Mamma is crying too. You should see my daughter's puzzled look than. Sorry, Sweetie! You'll understand this whole hormone thing one day.

"Mommy, me call Mammie. " "Mommy, me call Harry." (this is our friend Karrie) "Mommy. me call Laura." And the list goes on and on......she was sure that we needed help comforting her little brother. I love that she already loves him! Do you think it will last?

Muffin Tin Monday

2009-05-27T21:11:00.003-05:00

I can't believe it's already time for Muffin Tin Monday.....I love doing these because Ellie gets so excited for lunch! We've actually per Ellie's request added Muffin Tin Wednesday and sometimes Friday too. :o)

There wasn't a theme this week so we used a spring theme since we'd spent time this weekend planting flowers. If you have a chance, check out the other muffin tins on Michelle's blog. (Her Cup Overfloweth) You're kids will be glad you did!

http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/

Ellie was so excited about the new flower muffin cups! Thanks, Michelle for the idea!
We had: watermelon in the shape of a butterfly, alphabet tater tots cause we're working on our letters, asparagus, hot dog (or dot dogs as Ellie calls them) and cucumbers. All of our food started with the first four letters of the alphabet and our tots we're to remind her that we were working on our first four letters. She loved our theme!

***Remember, Ellie calls hot dogs dot dogs so I've got my "d" covered. :o)

Giving Thanks for the reason we celebrate Memorial Day!

2009-05-27T18:40:00.002-05:00

Happy Memorial Day to Everyone! As I enjoyed my family this holiday, grilling a good 'ole hot dog, whipping watermelon juice off of Ellie's face and sharing a pudding cake.......I reflected on all the stories and families whose loved ones have served in our military so we can have our freedom. I thank our Lord everyday for the men & women who have served our country and for the many freedoms that I enjoy everyday.

Please keep our friend, Ashley Dobbs in your thoughts and prayers. He's serving in Afghanistan as I type. His Mom and Dad are dear friends of our family so we get regular updates when they hear from him. The last update shared how quickly the weather is changing and how hot it is becoming. He said by 5 am it is not uncommon to have already sweated thru your shirt.....Wow, I will never complain about Texas heat again. He describes conditions that I can't imagine.

Ashley is an incredible young man! Let me share a bit....He felt a calling to serve in our military. Besides fighting for our freedom, he would have the opportunity to be the hands and feet of our Lord. He's able to minster and love on the soldiers in his team but also on the many innocent children that are touched by the war everyday. Thank You, Ashley for your desire to serve with Love and Integrity! We can't wait to share in your families Joy when you're able to come home!

Here's a picture of Ashley with some of the children in Sadr City. The gifts he gave the children came from friends here in the states. I just love this photo!

If you feel lead to send a note, homemade card or care package to Ashley......Here is his address. His parents shared that the care packages are all shared as some of the soldiers never receive anything in the mail and Ashley desires to share the love. This would be a great project to do with your kiddos.

LT TRENTON ASHLEY DOBBS
2-5 CAV (COMPANY C)
CAMP TAJI
UNIT # 6086
APO AE 09378

Mammie & Papa come for a holiday visit!

2009-05-27T13:54:00.004-05:00

You're not going to believe this.....my parents traveled here to meet little Christopher, catch up on play time with Miss Ellie and college visit with Alexandra......drum roll.....it was a holiday weekend! For those of you that know my parents, you know my Dad is adamant about not traveling on holidays. This has always driven me crazy but now we found a solution! You leave super early a couple days before and leave the day before the holiday. Dad was happy, I was happy and best of all....the kids had a great time!

Check out the action shots.....Ellie keep Dad (Papa) busy the entire time. They played puzzles, read books, potted flowers and played in her kitchen. Wasn't it great, Dad.....You ate loads of "Ellie food" and didn't gain a pound. You got to love that! Ellie even woke up in the morning asking, "Where Papa?"

It was also nice to have any extra set of hands comforting Christopher's upset tummy! Thanks, Mom! This reflux thing has been terrible for my little man and way too many sleepless nights for Mommy and Daddy. I feel so bad for him! My constant prayer has been for God to ease his discomfort and bring him rest. Hang in there, Little Man!

Alexandra was so excited to share DBU with Daddy, Papa and Ellie! It was so cute! So, off they drove on Saturday to check the gorgeous campus out. I wanted them to take some pictures but looks like I have to go myself to get any photos. I was pacing the house with little man and sharing duty with Mammie. To say the least all loved the campus so know Alex is excited to make an appointment with her counselor on campus to make sure she's on track to transfer. I love seeing her so excited about her future!

Papa meeting little Christopher

Papa and Ellie reading. I think they read 6 or 7 books in that sitting alone. She just loves to hear stories and Mammie brought her a new book.

Exhausted after potting 6 plants for Mamma. Thanks, Girls for your help.....and Papa too!

Puzzle Time.....if you've never seen these puzzles by Doug and Melissa, they're wonderful and will bring you hours of quiet time. They have magnets and a fishing pole or another has a butterfly net. Ellie loves these!!!

The kids weren't the only family members excited to see Mammie & Papa....Sammy couldn't wait to snuggle up with his friend.

As you can see, sleep is a precious cometary around here these days. Daddy catching a cat nap while little man snoozes. Aren't they cute?!

Sorry for the randomness of the pictures and my story telling. Diva Mamma is running on low but so grateful for the reasons that I'm tired. :o)

Muffin Tin Monday....Woot Woot!

2009-05-19T19:17:00.011-05:00

This has become Ellie's favorite meal of the week. When I ask her, "Guess what we're doing tomorrow?" She gets so excited and repeats...."Muffin Tin Day!" We have more fun! Thanks Michelle for another fun idea! If you've never spent time reading Michelle's blog....It's AWESOME!
http://www.michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com

The theme this week was, " Make your own theme." We decided to do a "Food that Animals Eat" theme and work on matches the animal to their food. This is where her little people animals came into our fun. And of course, with Ellie we had to include the sound the animal makes. She loves making animal noises. We had more fun!

We thought it would be fun to do our Muffin Tin for dinner so we could include Daddy. Daddy always wonders how our Muffin Tin events go so we decided to include him. You'll see by the pictures that Ellie "really" included him. :o)

from top left: peas are from the rabbits, banana slices from the monkeys, Cherrios from the duckies, Bunny shaped Cheese Toast from Mommy, Pasta with meatball from the piggies "slop" bin and avocado slices as grass for the cows.

Notice the little animals looking on.....okay, I lost her little people pig so had to reach for her bank.

We had an extra space in our muffin tin, so I added a piece of cheese bread cut into the shape of a bunny. Ellie was so excited when she figured out what it was. :o)

Matching up her animals to their food. We had so much fun! It was a "noisely"meal. hehehe!

Now it's time to feed Daddy......

Sorry, Daddy.....forgot to tell you that we help feed each other during our Muffin Tin Meals. :o)

Ellie got a new Baby from Mammie & Papa in the mail.......She loves her! She named her Emily. She's so cute with her. She mimics what I do for Christopher.

You gotta love her pacificer technique. I promise I don't use the same technique for Christopher.

Look at these pictures of my "Little Prince Charming"

2009-05-16T00:54:00.003-05:00

Aren't these gorgeous? Jennifer Mazy took them.....she is so good! I couldn't believe how easy she made photographing newborns look. She's so patient and gentle! Check out her website/blog

http://www.mazyphotography.com/

Be sure to tell her that Stacey sent you.

Can you tell......I had a hat fetish while I was on bed rest. I just loved the thought of seeing my little man in these cute hats. I had purchased 6 and only these three fit. He's definitely got his Daddy's "little" head. :o)

Thought I'd share our sneak peek with you.

A Little Snuggle Time

2009-05-16T00:37:00.004-05:00

Alex and Christopher catching up on their snuggle time.

Does my little prince look happy or what?!

The "Girls" hard at work.

2009-05-15T23:39:00.003-05:00

Alex and Ellie put Christopher's swing together yesterday. Ellie once again was so excited to use her building skills.

The fun is just beginning! Come on, Alex! Hurry up.....I'm ready to put the seat together.

Alex got her injury early in the building stage. The joke in our house is it's either her or I that get injured somehow-someway no matter what we're building or cooking. :o)

High Five, Sis!

So, what do you think Christopher? Ellie asked him at least three times if he liked his new swing.

The "building" audience.

As of today, the swing has been heaven sent! Thanks, Sayda for the perfect shower gift that will be used for hours to come. This is the only way that I got the dishes done today.

We also ordered the best monitor on the market! I love this thing as does Christopher and Ellie. I can start and stop music or beach noises from either remote and the base. It has great reception without interference. This thing is great! Just thought I'd share.

Muffin Tin Monday....We're Back!

2009-05-11T21:00:00.003-05:00

We missed last week and the day Christopher was born the older kids let her eat her meal at that I packed to take to the hospital.....but forgot to take a picture. Opps....and it was a good one!

We had so much fun putting her meal together today! The theme this week was "Your favorite children's book." So, naturally that would be "Pinkalicious" which is one of Ellie's favorite books. Just ask us....both Michael and I can resight the book probably word for word. :o) I just love that she loves her books!

First, we made her cupcakes which is what caused the main character whose name is Pinkalicious to turn pink. Than we frosted them with white frosting that we colored with raspberry flavored jello. They smelled yummy!

She's a serious baker! :o)

Alex & Ellie frosting the cupcakes.....well, Ellie was taking a snack break. I mean come on....frosting is hard work and makes a girl hungry.

Don't they look Yummy? The jello worked great! We just added the dry jello powder straight to the frosting.

Here's our muffin tin.....

top left: our pinkalicious cupcake, grilled asparagus pieces because the doctor told "Pinkalicious" to eat green vegetables to counteract her very pink skin, bottom left: an egg flower with avocado center....egg white for some protein and avocado like the doctor said, strawberry yogurt with fresh "power berries." "Pinkalicious" secretly ate another cupcake and looked in the mirror to see that her skin had turned red.

Her sister, Alex read her story while she ate her muffin tin. We're going to adopt this as our daily lunchtime tradition. Ellie loved having a story read to her while she ate.

Here's our book. Check it out.....you'll love it!

Thanks to Michelle for sharing her Muffin Tin Monday idea. Check out her blog. You'll love it! She always has great ideas for Mommas and Kiddos!
http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/

New Bed for Christopher

2009-05-10T23:11:00.002-05:00

Christopher is battling a nasty case of reflux so we needed to find a better way for him to sleep. When Ellie was a newborn we discovered the Fisher Price Glider. It was the best thing next to sliced bread.....it was the only thing that allowed Ellie or Mommy & Daddy to get any shut eye.

Well, we ran Ellie's until the motor died so had to find one for Christopher. I finally found one at Babies R Us. It arrived yesterday so I thought I'd use it as a way to include Ellie in the care of her brother. Check these pictures out......she was so proud of her work!

Just look at the concentration.

Christopher in his new "Glider."

As you can see from our little man's picture, he's battling blocked tear ducts that have caused his eyes to become infected. We ventured out to the doctor and got some drops. Ouch.......he hates them! We're also using tear duct massage, warm compresses and fresh breast milk per the advice of my Mommy friends. I'm just praying it gets better soon! Look how sore they look. It seems like they bother him especially the right one. Sorry little man!

FREE Easy Bakeware

2009-05-05T11:13:00.005-05:00

Check this out, Ladies.......I love anything free now that I'm in my "couponing" mood! I'm determined to cut our household budget. We need new muffin tins for Ellie's Muffin Tin Mondays......and I guess for cooking too. :o)

http://www.survivingthestores.com/2009/03/more-easy-bakeware.html

Thanks Rachel for sharing!

****Don't forget to cancel your free trail 7 day membership****

Read more about this in Rachel's comments on her blog.

We ordered the pink muffin tin for my little princess. She'll be so excited when I whip out her first muffin tin Monday with her new tin.

Introducing my Prince Charming

2009-05-04T17:04:00.005-05:00

Oh my....my sweet Christopher is so, so sweet! He loves to snuggle, loves his Mommy and loves his boobies. :o) He is such a blessing! We just can't believe that God has blessed us with another sweet child to raise and call our own. "For this child, I have prayed" 1 Samuel 1:27

He was born on Monday, April 20th at 2:44pm via C-Section. He was 9lbs 5 ozs and 20 1/2 inches.....pretty awesome for the scare we got 7 weeks ago. Once my doctor held him up for me to see, I felt an overwhelming surge of emotions but couldn't move my arms to whip the tears off my face. He was taken to the NICU because he was having respiratory problems and couldn't keep his oxygen saturation up where needed. They took him pretty quickly so I didn't get to love on him like a Mamma wants but I also wanted what was best for the newest love in my life.

They keep him in the NICU for about 10 hours to monitor his oxygenation, perfusion and blood glucose. After he got to the unit, they found that his blood glucose had fallen which is common with larger babies. All was treatable, thank you Lord!

I wasn't allowed to go down and see him because of the delay in my spinal block and blood pressure issues. I'm telling you that was the hardest 10 hours that I can remember in a long time. I so wanted to hold my little man!

The NICU nurses we so wonderful! Besides taking great care of my sweetheart, they allowed his sister Alex to come to the unit to see him. She was able to rub his head thru the incubator and whisper sweet nothings to him. She was invited to come back at midnight and spent another two hours with him......isn't that awesome! She was the first in our family to be able to love on him and feed him for the first time. She was so excited! It was so nice to see the tears of sadness turn to tears of joy on my sweet Alex's face!

We're home adjusting and getting to know each other. Ellie is doing okay but having a touch time getting to not being the only one getting everyone's attention. I keep telling her she's still "Mamma's princess" and I ordered some special crafts that her and I can do while I feed Christopher. So, we're hoping this helps! Please keep this transistion in your prayers. It makes me so sad to see my little sweetie having such a struggle.

Thanks to Elizabeth with Earth Mama Photography! If you need a photographer for anything....this is the Go-To-Girl! She's FANTASTIC!!! We'll share her slideshow when it's completed. I promise....you won't be disappointed with her work! I'll share a few of her pictures below....

No more rambling from this Mamma.....here's some fun pictures from the week of Christopher's birth and a maternity picture.

My Sweet Ellie during my Maternity Session....I love, love this picture!

Look at that handsome boy!

My Prince Charmings.......

Mamma & Christopher right before he left for the NICU

Mamma & Christopher after he's released from NICU.

Getting Ready for Our New Little Man

2009-04-18T12:46:00.005-05:00

Well, this is the big weekend! I've got the "honey do list" whipped out and ready to be checked off. Maybe, I should call it my "family do list." I've had plenty of down time to create a to do list for each of them. :o) Michael's at the bank right now.....he started his list early....he's either a really smart man or trained well. I think both!

We've planned our last family meal for 5 before we bump to a family of 6. Ok, the truth....my c-section is scheduled for 2:00pm on Monday so I want a good filling meal the night before since I have to be NPO after midnight. :o) Here's what were having.....Notice the meal is made in two crock pots.....Easy!

Crock Pot Garlic Chicken

-1 large broiler/fryer whole chicken (as big as your crock will fit)
-thyme, rosemary, sage, parsley
-salt
-fresh ground pepper
-40 cloves UNPEELED garlic
-2 stalks celery, washed and cut into 3 inch pieces

Place the celery slices on the bottom of the crock. Season the chicken in and out with salt, pepper, and generously with the herbs. Place on top of the celery. Place the cloves all around and on top of the chicken. Cover and cook on low 8 hours.
Remove chicken and celery to serving platter. Remove garlic to small bowl.

GRAVY: Optional
-1/4 cup cream
-2 - 3 tablespoons cornstarch
-salt and fresh ground pepper to taste
Skim the fat off the liquid in the crockpot. Turn to high. Add the cream. Mix cornstarch with a small amount of water until smooth and add to liquid. Stir, cover and heat until thickened. You can pour some on the chicken and put the rest in a gravy boat.

Crockpot Garlic Smashed Red Potatoes
3 lbs red potatoes
4 garlic cloves, minced
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup water
1/2 cup cream cheese with chives and onions (from an 8-ounce tub)
1/4-1/2 cup milk

Halve or quarter potatoes as necessary to make similar size pieces. Place in a 4 to 6 quart crock pot. Add garlic, oil, salt and water; mix well to coat all potato pieces. Cover and cook on HIGH for 3-1/2 to 4-1/2 hours or until potato pieces are tender.
With a fork or potato masher, mash potatoes and garlic. Stir in cream cheese until well blended. Stir in enough milk for soft serving consistency.
Serve immediately, or cover and hold in slow cooker on LOW setting for up to 2 hours.
Save any leftovers and reheat in the microwave the next day, adding milk if needed.
Serves 4-6

Grilled Asparagus with Sea Salt & Fresh Cracked Pepper.

this is one of Ellie's favorite veggies. Go figure.....it's mine too!

We wash and pop the asparagus. Spread them out on a cookie sheet covered in foil or a broiler pan. Drizzle with Olive Oil, Sea Salt & Cracked Pepper to taste.

And, of course we add some good crusty french bread! After the Garlic Chicken is done, you can squish some of the fresh garlic on the bread. Can we say.....YUMMY!

Bingo.....We hit it Big!

2009-04-16T19:11:00.004-05:00

The Homemade Play Doh was a huge hit! Ellie loved it as did the older kids. They played, played and played! We whipped out the cookie cutters, kid approved knife from Young Chef Academy, a rolling pin and our creativity. Please excuse the color.....wrong mix of colors. Our goal was purple as that seems to be Ellie's favorite color but ended up with charcoal.

Alexandra's creation

This is what we got after an hour an a half of playtime. :o)

I think we'll be keeping this recipe for future play dates!

Guess what we're making tomorrow.....

2009-04-15T01:50:00.004-05:00

Homemade Play Doh

Ellie loves play doh and this recipe sounds perfect! I think we'll add some Kool-Aid to it to make it smell yummy!

Homemade play dough is the best! The soft, pliable texture is perfect for little hands to roll, pound, cut, press, and squeeze. This cooked dough takes minutes to prepare, and lasts for weeks when stored in an air-tight container.

Basic Play Dough Recipe:
2 cups water

1 cup salt

4 teaspoons cream of tartar

4 tablespoons vegetable oil

2 cups flour

add color: 1-4 teaspoons food coloring or liquid watercolor

In a large pot, begin with the water, coloring, oil, salt, and cream of tartar. Begin gently heating over medium-low to medium heat. When this mixture is warm, add the flour and mix well. Don’t worry if it is slightly lumpy. Keep stirring as the mixtures thickens into a dough. You will know it is ready when the dough is pulling away from the sides of the pot and forming a ball. Remove the warm dough from the pan, let it cool a bit, then it’s ready for playing! This is my kids’ favorite time to play with the dough — when it is still warm!

Variations: Add Kool-Aid or extracts to the dough for a yummy scent. Add glitter for sparkle, or sand, oatmeal, coffee grounds, etc. for texture.

Besides the traditional tools of rolling pins and cookie cutters, we use a variety of things around the house:
shells and small rocks
birthday candles
toothpicks, straws, and popsicle sticks
small toy cars and animals
garlic press and potato masher
child scissors
We also like to make two primary colors (red, yellow, or blue) and then mix them together to see what happens.
Happy playing!

I found this on another Crafter Mom's Website

http://lets-explore.net/blog/?p=179

I'll post pictures tomorrow. It'll be later as we'll have to wait for Alex to get home from school to help us "cook our dough." I don't think cooking play doh would be considered following doctor's orders of bed rest. :o)

Muffin Tin Monday....Woot Woot!

2009-04-13T21:32:00.005-05:00

It's that time of the week and Ellie was ready for her muffin tin meal. We talked about it at bedtime last night and she reminded me at breakfast. She actually helped me pick things for her MTM lunch.

top left: tulip shaped pb & Mamma's homemade jelly, mini goldfish
bottom left: blackberries & strawberries, flower made of cheese petals & kiwi center with a touch of purple grape. Of course, she also wanted her milk in her sippy with the zebra print.

She's loving her lunch.......thanks, Michelle for this great concept!

http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/ Check out her blog: Her Cup Overfloweth

You'll love it!

Easter Celebrations

2009-04-13T21:09:00.004-05:00

We had a great Easter celebration at home after Daddy got home from work. I guess that's the beauty of having a child too young to know that the Easter bunny is supposed to come the night before & that you hunt for your basket before church. :o) We wanted to be sure that Daddy didn't miss all of the Easter events since he was on call all weekend. So, the Easter bunny came while she was napping....

Alexandra's Basket......The Easter Bunny was trying to drop a hint to get better at writing thank you notes. ;o)

Little Misses Easter Basket......she loved her Melissa & Doug magnetic puzzle & Rain Boots. We're talking hours of playtime.

I had to show off her little bunny....Isn't it cute?! The darn Easter Bunny just added another night time sleeping buddy to her entourage in our bed every night. I think I may need to move into her room.

Can you tell the rain gear was the hit? What do you mean Mom....it opens just fine in the house.

She wore her boots all night last night and all day today with just a diaper. I think we've created a new fashion trend.

Everybody wanted some of Daddy's basket.

Picture of playing with Melissa & Doug Magnetic Puzzle. We're talking over an hour of playtime for our toddler. She woke up asking to play with her fish puzzle so worth the purchase!

Happy Easter......He has Risen!

2009-04-12T17:50:00.006-05:00

Happy Easter to all of my friends and family! This is one of my favorite holidays for a couple reasons. I love the whole Easter Story and the fact that God loved me so much that He gave His only Son for my Sins. That is so powerful whenever I think about it! Secondly, I love the pretty dresses for all the little girls, cute little plaid vests for all the handsome little boys, Easter Egg Hunts, making Easter Baskets and hearing the laughter in a child's voice thru it all!

Even thought I remain on bed rest so we can safely get our little Christopher here, Ellie still got to enjoy and Easter Egg hunt with my Mom's Group thanks to her wonderful Sister, Alexandra! Alexandra got her all dressed up in her "Bunny" Dress as Ellie calls it and off they went. She chatted non stop when she got home about her eggs. As we laid her down for her nap, she was still talking about her eggs. It just lite my heart up to hear her joy! Here's a couple pictures that Alex took......

I love this one.....look at the "sisterly" love of her buddies. :o)

"Z" found some chocolate.....Yummy!

Don't you love those cheeks?

Just some fun pictures from the weekend

2009-04-07T18:45:00.006-05:00

Ellie decided that her brother, Michael should wear her bows so she could better select what she wanted to wear for the hour. :o) He so loves to entertain his little sister!

Ellie loves her Wabbas and her "Fetti" whose name is actually "Confetti" her dalmatian stuffed animal. This picture was taken after nap time. She loves to carry her favorite things around for her "wake up" time.

Ellie loves her puppies! See the resemblance between "Fetti" and Jessie?

Smoochie, Smoochie!

Muffin Tin Monday....Woot Woot!

2009-04-06T22:55:00.004-05:00

We had another Muffin Tin Monday and loved it! Ellie woke up asking for Muffin Tin. It was so cute! We had to move our big meal to dinner with my doctor's appointments today but still had so much fun! The theme was Spring/Easter.....we focused on foods that remind us of spring. With being on bed rest, I wasn't able to go shopping for some cute Easter ideas. But you know what, she loved what we did and once again cleaned her plate and had fun over dinner. Thanks so much Michelle for this great idea! Check her blog out....you'll love it & find yourself checking it everyday! http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/ Sorry for the poor quality pictures. She wanted to dig in and not wait for Mommy to take pictures. :o)

Ellie ate her first serving of rice and loved it. I guess it helps to make it into the shape of a little girl with one of my bento molds..........Sneeky Mommy!

Friday Friends....

2009-04-04T17:55:00.004-05:00

What a great night with great friends! For the last three Fridays, Dina, Micki and Tracey have come over to keep me company. Of course, we have to have snacks and a chick flick. I love them! I know they're all busy with their families, moving, school, job situations, etc.....but they always make time to make sure I know that I'm loved.......You Girls Rock!!!! Love ya!

My Mom's group has also helped with meals and Wow, what a difference it has made......thanks so much, Girls! I've gotten my fix of cherries....not sure why I'm craving cherry everything. And, cucumbers with Ranch....Alicia brought the best looking cucumbers yesterday! Girl, they didn't even make it to the refigerator. :o) Crystal: your cake saved me! Little man hadn't been moving much the entire day and I was getting so nervous! Your cake did the trick.....you would have laughed if you'd seen me in the kitchen with a fork diving into your cake. It so worked.......little man moved all night! I slept all night with a smile on my face! Everything has been wonderful.....Thanks so much for your love & support! DAMily Rocks! (this is my Mom's group meaning in the family.....I saw this word today and loved it!)

Another great day with my little Princess

2009-04-03T18:46:00.004-05:00

Ellie and I had another great day! Our plan was to work on the first two letters in her name. We were going to cut out the "E" and the "L" and glue marshmellows on them. Well, I forgot that she loves marshmellows so wasn't a good idea. She first tried to eat them....than got upset when I dipped them in glue. :o)

So, Mom had to do some quick thinking as the glue was down on the "E." Back to the faithful bag of Pom Pom's. She had a great time filling the letters with spring colored pom poms.

Look at me go, Mom!

Yippee.....I'm almost done with my "E!"

She was tired of the glue on her fingers by the time she finished her second letter. :o)

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We reached a milestone today......Week 36 of my pregnancy! We are so excited and praising God for each day that Christopher stays put and continues to grow. Thank you, Lord for answered prayers!

Pray for Baby Stellan

2009-04-02T02:20:00.003-05:00

If you have a moment, please go check out MckMama's blog. http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ But, I'm warning you....you'd better have a box of Kleenex close by. As a Mom, it is heart renching to read the story but also keeps me on my knees (well, okay.....I can't get on my knees at the moment but you know what I mean.) praying for her, litte Stellan and thanking God for my children & the many blessings that I have.

At her 20 week appt of her pregnancy, they told her her baby had heart failure and wouldn't survive. Can you imagine hearing such devastating news when you're headed in all smiles planning to find out what you're having at "the big 20 week" appointment. At this point was when she reached out to her blog community for prayers for her unborn son. The support has been overwhelming.......can you believe baby Stellan was born without ANY trouble....Yes, I said born without any troubles!

He didn't become sick until about 2 weeks ago when his little heart starting going into long rounds of SVT (Supra Ventricular Tachycardia). His little heart was beating way too fast.....you can read more details on her blog. But, please have your Puffs at your side and please pray for this little sweet baby and Mamma!

Also, be sure to check out "Stellan's Name Gallery" and see if you and your kiddos can put something together with little Stellan's name. She has said how much the pictures have keep her going and holding onto her faith. We're trying to come up with something here and Michael's going to have his residents do something too.

Happy April Fools Day!

2009-04-01T01:09:00.003-05:00

I found a cute idea for April Fools Day! What do you say to "April Fools Day Vegetables?" I love this idea! If I wasn't on bed rest, my sweet husband would have a special lunch packed and I'd whip something up for Alexandra to take to school. I guess they're safe for one more year. :o)

I found this great idea on http://www.gourmetmomonthego.com/ Check it out....she's got some fun things!

Muffin Tin Monday

2009-03-30T20:05:00.003-05:00

We began our weekly journey with Muffin Tin Monday. Remember, you read about it a couple posts down...... http://michellesjournalcorner.blogspot.com/ Thanks, Michelle for such a fun idea! My little curly top ate her entire lunch!

I was pretty proud of myself for our first attempt. We didn't have a theme this week so pulled out what we had that was easy to put together.

2009-03-30T19:49:00.003-05:00

We broke out her new table top easel this afternoon. She loves this thing! It's got a chalk board on one side with an area to either mount paper for painting or coloring. She painted for over an hour!

Crafting & Playing

2009-03-30T19:41:00.004-05:00

Ellie & I had a great time tackling our crafting/play list! Michael was on call this weekend and Alexandra had homework so Ellie and Mamma started early. :o)

We had a great time......

Here's the start....we used a bag of pom poms, a plastic serving dish & tongs that we later switched to a large spoon.

The PomPom Game was a big hit! Another big plus.....easy & inexpensive!

We celebrated every pom pom!

Muffin Tin Monday

2009-03-28T22:16:00.005-05:00

Picture from Her Cup Overfloweth

Oh my gosh.....did I find us something fun to do! I can't wait to get started! It's called "Muffin Tin Monday." I found it on a great Mom's Blog called Her Cup Overfloweth. I have it listed under the blogs I follow.....You really need to check her blog out! It's great! So, who's up to join us! We'll have to be a bit more creative untill after little man is born but we can work it out. Come on, Mama's don't be scared......jump on board with us!

Planning Crafts & Activities for a Toddler

2009-03-28T12:13:00.005-05:00

I found some great blogs for Preschool/Toddler crafts. (Check out my blog list to the right) I've been trying to find things that I can do with Ellie while my husband is at work. I mean afterall, she's not on bed rest. :o) She wants to play.

So my plan thus far.......
1. Pinching Pom Poms/Matching http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/
2. Marshmallow Letters and sorting sizes of Marshmallows: we love to work on a letter of the week so this is perfect & looks simple. http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/
3. Spring Egg Heads: Alexandra and I are going to tag team this one together. Ellie & I will decorate the eggs and she'll plant the seeds with her. I ordered some egg holders. Hoping they'll arrive soon. She'll love this! She loves planting and gardening of any sort. http://www.alicecantrell.com/blog/

Aren't they cute?!!

4. A Flowering Tree: she'll love this! http://belladia.typepad.com/crafty_crow/toddlers/
This website has the crafts broken down into age groups.....I love it!

5. A Toddler Nature Hike: Ellie and I are going to make pictures for ziploc bags with items for her to find at the park. Than Alexandra or Daddy can take her when they get home. We're thinking after looking at a couple blogs: a stick, rocks, flower, a leave.

6. Spin Art Flowers: This looks like my favorite! She loves to use the salad spinner and I have an extra one. http://jennwa.blogspot.com/2009/03/spring-flower-box.html

So, there's our plan! I'm so excited! We'll let you know how it goes.

We had a great night last night visting with my friend Dina. Thanks so much for bringing dinner, My friend! It sure made my day to have time to visit with you and have my first "Mini Burger!" Michael was also thankful when he got home last night to find a burger waiting for him. HUGS to you!

I am so thankful for my friends from my Moms Group! They've been so supportive and loving thru my bed rest time. I can't wait to return the love to each of them!

Here's a picture from our last get together. Micki and Dina came over with their sweet girls to keep us company.....and you know we had to eat too. Isn't it funny how women like to eat whenever they get together. Throw in a chick flick and you've got a perfect evening.

The girls were very excited when Michael got home to color with them. We also got to finish our chick flick uninterupted. ;o) Aren't they so stinken cute?!

Isn't He Cute....

2009-03-27T17:47:00.003-05:00

We got to see our little man on Wednesday at my check up. Don't you love those full lips and Gerber cheeks?! It was so nice to see him growing and getting ready to come and meet us.

We are so thankful for each day that he stays put. Dr. B is keeping me on bed rest so onto search the internet to come up with more to keep myself and little Ellie occupied. She's been such a trooper! I'm loving our snuggle time!

Give a Girl a Dounut with Sprinkles & Look what happens...

2009-03-27T17:39:00.003-05:00

Ellie loves her a dounut with sprinkles......but look what we always find when she's done. :o)

Let me introduce you to our 4-legged family members

2009-03-26T23:24:00.009-05:00

This is CiCi our 3 year old Lab/Pit mix. She's Alex's buddy and yes....another toddler in the house. She's our portable vacuum cleaner....anything left on the floor is fair game for CiCi to pick up and carry out into the yard. I'll give you a hint....don't ever leave your panties on the floor.

This is Jessie our dalmatian or for short "Mamma's baby." She is our pup with the rare auto immune disease. Look for her case in upcoming vet books.....not a role you want to strive to achieve. She has the Genius Book Record for shortest time to clear a counter clean. One of these days, I'll learn to put our bread out of sight.

This is Jenny or Jen-Girl as she's frequently called. She's our lab/Pyrenees mix that we rescued 9 years ago from a pound. She's a "Daddy's Girl" for sure! She keeps our UPS man in line. :o) If you ever come to our house and find a package at the end of the walkway, you know Jen barked at the UPS man. She's got the strength to drag a leather recliner across the room and block the front door if you leave her alone.....okay, that was 8 years ago and she's grown to be comfy here but it's still funny. She our gentle giant weighing in at a mere 115 lbs. :o)

Bailey is our 15 year old Cocker Spaniel. He's been Alex's buddy since she was 4 so he's faithful. He's been sleeping on her head for years now and loves it. He's now like a teenager with his selective hearing problem. If the dogs are barking, he's the last one around the corner to add his 2 cents. Ellie loves to hug on him!

This is Sammy our vocal kitty! He doesn't know a stranger! I'm never alone in our house as Sammy will hold a conversation with me as long as I make eye contact and talk to him. It's pretty cute! He loves to snuggle up to my preggers belly and with Ellie.

We also have a gray tabby named Zachary but he refuses to come out and have his picture taken. So, use your imagination......he's gray & white striped tabby with the most beautiful blue eyes that will melt your heart.

All of our pets were rescued from various bad situations and have become part of our family. They are all so good with the kids and are quick to come and tattle if Ellie is into something or crying. I know there's a lot but we love them all.....that is until they get in trouble. :o)

Getting myself back on track....

2009-03-26T18:51:00.010-05:00

Don't you think it's about time for me to update our blog? Shame on me, for letting it go so long without sharing something about my cuties!

As many of you know, I've been on bed rest for the past 3 1/2 weeks. My doctor was concerned with our little man making his appearance much too early. He put me on bed rest at 31 weeks. At that time, my sweet baby boy weighed just over 3 lbs so we needed him to stay put and keep baking. It was even too early to turn the foil back. :o)

I am so thankful for my dear sweet husband and oldest daughter Alexandra. They've both been so helpful and loving....and how can I forget patient with me! Ellie has been a sweetie, too! She doesn't understand why Mamma can't carry, lift her or go out and play.

We've been trying to find things that Ellie and I can do while Michael and Alex are gone and me still stay in bed or on the sofa. Alexandra has been doing extra activities with her too when she gets home from school. Today, Ellie and I made colored paper Easter eggs. She was so excited! I'll keep you posted on what we come up with.

So......since I'm here on bed rest there is no reason that I can't stay up on my blog.

KCBI takes homemade Valentine's to the kiddos at Children's Medical Center, Scottish Rite and Parkland's Burn Unit. I first heard of this program when I worked in the Burn ICU at Parkland.

We made Valentine's with some of our friend's from my Mom's Group for the project. We had more fun and the kids did such a great job! Ellie & I mailed 72 Valentine's off to KCBI and were so excited!

Happy Birthday, Alexandra

2009-01-04T01:18:00.007-06:00

I can't believe that we're celebrating Alexandra's 19th birthday already. She has grown up to be such a sweet, caring, beautiful young woman that amazes me everyday.

Her and Daddy went to dinner at Bob's Steak House. Ellie and I got the house ready to celebrate, have cake and open gifts.....Well honestly...we didn't dare take our No-Nap 2 year old to a 5 star restaurant. I was scared they would kick us out. Now there's a memory for you, Sis! Our dear friend, Laura came over along with Alexandra's friend Stephanie. We had a great time!

Alexandra's birthday cake....her favorite colors and accessories are involved.....right up her alley!

Waiting patiently for cake.....Hurry up, Alex!

Ellie enjoying birthday cake!

Alex looking over the birthday card made special for her by her #1 Fan!

Happy 2009 Everyone!

2009-01-01T15:41:00.008-06:00

We wanted to wish everyone a Happy New Years! We started our day out right.....first thing this morning, we got our corned beef & cabbage loaded in the crock pot. We'll enjoy the smell all day long. Can you smell it?

Ellie packing it tight.

Than it's off to have breakfast......warm bisquits, butter and Mamma's homemade Tri-Berry Jam. Yummy! Just look at the concentration on Ellie's face.

Don't you love the cute little bed head?

Playing at the Tubes

2008-12-31T19:58:00.007-06:00

We played at the Tubes yesterday and had so much fun! Ellie loves to take her sister, Alex up in the tubes and down the slides! Aren't they cute!

Alex & Ellie snuggling after sliding.

Now let's say AWWWWWWWW.......together!

Dinner

2008-12-29T22:27:00.003-06:00

I found this recipe on a friend's blog. It was a perfect simple weeknight meal!

http://nomorecreamofmushroom.blogspot.com/

I recommend following her blog. She puts some great healthy recipes up!

I made her Chicken & Basil Calazones. I changed a couple things to fit what I had on hand. Isn't that okay for a Diva to do? I used ground turkey & ground sausage....oops! There went the being healthy. :o) I also added some Italian dry seasoning to the meat as I was browning it. That's it.....the rest was the same.

DH gobbled it up and asked me if I was going to finish mine......So I'd say dinner was a success! Thanks, Holly!

Fun Craft for Toddlers & Preschoolers

2008-12-29T22:17:00.005-06:00

Check this Mom's blog out.....http://www.notimeforflashcards.com/

We can't wait to get down to business working on our "letter cards" and Discovery Box! Ellie loves to do crafts so I think I'm going to hit the craft section tomorrow. Maybe we'll even start with the letter "C" and make C-shaped chocolate chip cookies. :o)

I'll post pictures of our creations.

I also love her book recommendations for the letters and/or activities. Ellie loves story time and she's finally at the point that she'll sit and interact with you & the story.

If you try any of these out....let me know how your letter comes out or if you have other ideas for each letter.....please share!

My First attempt at Blogging

2008-12-28T17:53:00.003-06:00

Thanks for checking out my first attempt at blogging.....be patient with me, I'm a slow learner! I'm struggling just learning how to change the backgrounds.

My purpose of starting a blog is to keep everyone up to date on our family and things going on in our house. Or you could say, whatever I want to share. So check back frequently as I'm going to try to keep up with this.

So here we go.......