The Englar Fam

Puzzles

2012-01-25T14:23:00.001-06:00

One of Hailey’s favorite things to do is put together puzzles. She used to struggle with them and not even try. Then one day it clicked! Hmm just like potty training. She just got it.

Now she can put them together in no time. Not just ones she has done many times but also new ones.

It’s so cute watching her concentrate real hard. She loses her patience sometimes but she always works it out

This was a new one my dad gave her. She was so excited when she finished it for the first time!

Here she is doing the same one after her breakfast one day. Love that cheesy smile

Hailey took on the challenge of a whole new set of puzzles at my mom’s house when we were visiting for Christmas. This one she is doing was really tough, or so I thought. Some of the pieces are shaped like pigs! But she still figured it out

Lastly, I bought her this little one at Michaels that she can color. She didn’t do too much coloring on it but she ended up putting it together and taking it apart quite a few times!

So that’s our little Puzzle Monster!

………………

In other news, I am looking into Preschools for Hailey. I am pretty overwhelmed right now. There are a ton to choose from around here, registration has already started, and the age stuff confuses me a little. So I am making some calls and trying to get things going so she can make it in a class for fall. I am hoping to also get her into a summer program as well.

Does anyone have any tips for me? If registration started earlier this month, will I be too late?

Thanks friends!

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2012-01-23T08:00:00.000-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather:::

It will be in the 20s and 30s this week. We finally got snow over the weekend

On my reading pile:::

Nothing this week

On my TV:::

Cooking shows

On the menu:::

Spaghetti

Yesterday I made this Skinny Macaroni and Cheese Soup with Broccoli. It’s so good!

On my to do list:::

Vacuum

Play with Hailey

Crochet

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

Been working on my granny square blanket a lot. I am LOVING this project!

I also finished knitting a dish cloth

Looking around the house:::

Flowers from my birthday still blooming and looking pretty, the sun shining in extra bright as it bounces off the snow, granny squares, and Hailey’s toys

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):::

a birthday post from Enjoying the Small Things

From the camera:::

It finally looks like winter here!

Something fun to share:::

I saw this when I was watching a Packers game with Kyle. Love it!

On my prayer list:::

Patience for Kyle and I as we enter what I think are the “Terrible Threes” with Hailey. She’s a sweet little one but has a hard time listening to mom and dad!

Kyle as he travels

Friends and family

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:::

“Be joyful in hope, patient in affliction, faithful in prayer.”

Romans 12:12

A Little More Birthday Love

2012-01-19T07:15:00.000-06:00

I had an awesome weekend celebrating my birthday! My mom and stepdad came for the weekend. We did a lot of relaxing, watching Big Bang Theory, Dancing to Just Dance, playing games and eating good food. I made Pioneer Woman’s Minestrone Soup, which was a big hit.

Hailey got to open some more birthday presents from them. She got a Dora backpack (which she loves to wear around the house) and a beautiful painted picture my mom painted for her room

Grandma and Hailey

Over the weekend I think Hailey played about 20 games of memory. She loves this game. And she’s good!

We had a blast playing a different game each night they were here. We played Loaded Questions, Pictionary and Apple to Apples.

Look at this cute picture collage my mom made of Hailey. She has so much personality.

Sunday night Kyle and I went on a date for my birthday. It was so nice having time alone with him. We ate at Red Lobster then went to Barnes and Noble so I could spend my gift card.

My mom had to take a picture of us before we left

The food was fabulous as usual. Also, I got an awesome knitting book at the book store. I plan on knitting a lot more this year.

When we got home my mom had be open my other presents. I got a cool winter decoration my mom made and some cute pillows that my mom sewed!

We finally have some more color in our living room!

It was so nice having a relaxing weekend with everyone.

Here are a couple other birthday gifts I got

I really needed a new pair of slippers! My other ones were completely worn inside.These were from Kyle and he knew exactly what I needed

Also Kyle’s mom Kathy got me Rachael Ray knives! I was so excited when I open the box! I got to test the big one out over the weekend when I made the Minestrone soup. It is AWESOME!

Monday my mom and stepdad left in the morning. This was my actual birthday and I was sad that I had to spend it alone since Kyle is out of town. I got a really special surprise though

Flowers!

This just made my day, and made me cry.

Last but not least, I snuck in some time to start crocheting a granny square blanket. I am having a lot of fun with this project!

Overall I had a great birthday! Want to know something sad? I had to ask Kyle how old I was. I must be getting old.

Birthday Fun and a Tea Party

2012-01-17T12:43:00.001-06:00

Wow has Hailey been growing up fast recently! She turned three on January 3rd and since then she has been turning into a little girl.

We decided to take Hailey to Chucky Cheese for her birthday. She had a lot of fun! She is still a little young for some of the stuff but there was still plenty for her to do.

Taking a ride

She loved all the games and getting tickets

This was her favorite game. She pushed the big bone and all the balls flew into the dogs mouth

I loved sitting back and watching her and Kyle play the games together

I had to jump in and play a game of Skee Ball

Time to count the tickets! She got 39, which they rounded up to 40.

She had fun picking out her prize. She picked a little rubber shark.

When we got home she opened her presents

She got a Sully stuffed animal that Kyle got her when he was in Florida

Also a cute Dora match game, which she plays all the time

Reading her birthday cards from family

Mama and Hailey

Another big change is Hailey's car seat! We picked up her new one on the way home from Chucky Cheese.

The day after our little birthday celebration, Kyle and I decided to try potty training again. This will have been our third time attempting to train her. And guess what, it worked! It finally clicked with her. She is doing so well. She is going #1 and #2 all on her own and stays dry through her naps. Our next test will be when we go out somewhere or to run errands. She stayed dry the one time we made a quick trip somewhere. So we’ll see! We are just so proud of her. And she looks adorable in her little undies.

The Monday after, Hailey got a package from her Great Grandma Riffey. She got Hailey two Barbie's and an adorable tea set!

When we got the tea set open, we set it up right away. Hailey knew exactly what to do!

The set is just adorable. It’s one my grandma has had for awhile. It came with all the cups, plates, silverware and even a table cloth and candle holder!

Here it is all set up, including her Barbie's who joined the party

Miss Hailey played with the set for the rest of the day. My favorite thing she said was, “This is the best tea party ever mama!” She’s so funny

We can’t believe she is three years old. We are having so much fun seeing her grow and talk more. She is such a sweet and funny little girl.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2012-01-16T10:44:00.001-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather:::

On my reading pile:::

My new knitting book

On my TV:::

Not sure

On the menu:::

Lasagna Roll Ups

On my to do list:::

Clean

Trip to bank

Crochet

Catch up on things on the computer

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

Oh boy I have a lot! I tend to be impulsive and start too many projects all at once

Knitting a dish cloth and blanket

Crocheting an ear warmer for my cousin. Also starting a granny square blanket and continuing to work on the Tunisian crochet afghan.

Looking around the house:::

Games, birthday presents and other fun things from the weekend with my mom and and step-dad

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):::

Gentle Activity from Attic24

From the camera:::

Kyle and I before our date night for my birthday

Something fun to share:::

I LOVE this outfit! Plum purple is one of my favorite colors

On my prayer list:::

Kyle as he travels

Friends and family

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:::

But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you

Matthew 5:44

A Special Birthday

2012-01-12T07:57:00.000-06:00

Over New Years weekend we celebrated my grandpa’s 90th birthday! He has lived an amazing life and has an awesome family.

We got there early so we could get a little extra time with my grandma and grandpa.

Hailey checking out their Charlie brown Christmas set

The fam

My grandpa got an awesome gift from the whole family. In May for Memorial Day, my grandpa gets to raise the American flag at the Minnesota Twins Game. How cool is that?? He was speechless with some tears in his eyes as he read it. What’s also great is almost the whole family will be there at the game to watch.

After he opened his big gift, it was time for cake! My nephew Westin was excited because he got to eat the piece with his face on it.

Hailey and her cousin Dalton

The rest of the time we enjoyed our time with everyone. I got to catch up with my cousin Jackie who lives in Memphis. We were really close growing up. Practically sisters!

Us with our girls

Hailey and Payton (second cousins) Hmm this picture looks familiar….

Oh yeah! It looks like a picture of Jackie and I when we were little! I am two years older than her and now her daughter is older than Hailey

Finally, a big family picture with four generations. We had everyone there except for one cousin! But we got to see her at Thanksgiving.

I’d say that’s a good looking (and big) family.

That night we drove home in a really bad snow storm. We were thankful we made it home safely!

We love you so much Grandpa! (aka Great Grandpa Zins)

Christmas 2011 {Part IV}

2012-01-10T07:54:00.000-06:00

Over New Years weekend we went to my mom and stepdad’s house to celebrate Christmas. We got to see my brother and his family too!

There are a lot of pictures on this post. I’m putting these on here for journaling. I understand if you don’t want to scroll through all of them!

My mom’s Christmas tree… and Hailey

Grandma and Hailey

Hailey had fun doing puzzles. She put them all together many times.

She also had fun putting things in Grandma’s mailbox… including a clementine.

My mom and the pups

Gregg and Kyle talking over an old newspaper with their coffee

Saturday morning our good friends Justine and Bryan came to visit. We finally got to meet their baby girl, Lilyana!

They even brought a gift for Hailey.

Hugs for the baby

I made Lily a new hat for Christmas. She already has a couple others she got at the baby shower. Justine and Bryan let me use her as a little model for my Etsy shop! She’s just so adorable

Hailey giving Lily kisses. What was cute is Lily is drooling a little because, well she’s a baby! Some got on Hailey and she had to wipe her mouth. She then got Lily’s blanket to wipe her mouth too.

Bryan and Justine…

She is such a good mama!

Time to say goodbye. We wish we lived closer to them! We love hanging out with them

Naptime for Hailey

That night we went to my grandma and grandpa’s for my grandpa’s 90th birthday party! I will write more about the party in another post. For now, here is a picture of our whole family (minus one cousin)! There are four generations in this picture

Sunday my brother and his family came over and it was time to celebrate Christmas!

Hailey and her cousin Lily

My mom made some tasty lasagna for dinner. Lots of noodles cooling off!

Getting ready to open gifts

My lovely husband

Hailey and Uncle Alex

Lots of great gifts!

The kids got my brother a cute board with all of his favorite things on it. They were all talking at the same time, telling him what was on it. He loved it!

Waffle maker for the family

Alex hog tying Westin… Ah another Christmas memory

Kyle and Hailey

All the guys got a very special present… Zubaz!!

Kyle was so excited!

He put them on over his pants right away!

I made all the kids sock monkey hats! They looked so cute

Time for dinner

We had an awesome time! We are so thankful we can see so much of our family around Christmas.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2012-01-09T12:40:00.001-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather:::

On my reading pile:::

Not much

On my TV:::

18 Kids & Counting Re-runs

On the menu:::

Spaghetti

On my to do list:::

Trip to the post office and Michael’s

Stuff on the computer

Clean floors

Vacuum

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

I started knitting a blanket last night! I may be crazy for doing that but I just had the urge to knit. I tried starting a dish cloth but my needles were too big.

Also crocheting some hats

Looking around the house:::

Hailey’s potty chair, Dora undies, and a Mickey Mouse balloon

Hailey is doing awesome at potty training! The Mickey balloon is from celebrating her birthday over the weekend.

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):::

Jolly Festive Bunting :: Ta-dah! from Attic24

This is awesome!

From the camera:::

Hailey and mama

Something fun to share:::

Adorable Bert and Ernie crocheted hats!

On my prayer list:::

My friend’s cousin and aunt

Kyle as he travels

Friends and family

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:::

Christ is the end of the law so that there may be righteousness for everyone who believes.

Romans 10:4

Christmas 2011 { Part III }

2012-01-04T07:59:00.000-06:00

Onto Christmas Part III!

After we ate breakfast Christmas morning, we went downstairs and did some more Just Dance 3. Kyle and Cam’s mom danced too!

It was a lot of fun! My favorite was the dance Kyle and Cam did. Take a look…

Hailey did some coloring with her new stuff while we danced.

After some dancing we thought it would be fun to play outside! We definitely did not get a white Christmas. This may be the first time in my life that we have not had snow on Christmas. It was fun being able to play outside for awhile. Some like the snow but I am ok with out it.

Uncle Cam and Hailey

We played some football and soccer.

The guys turned the shed into a soccer goal since Hailey’s was too small

My dad playing with his new camera

Hailey stopping for some juice

After we played for awhile, we came inside to warm up. I heated up the left over soup and Kathy served us all some hot drinks using her new Kuerig coffee machine. It definitely hit the spot.

Next it was time to get ready for out Christmas dinner. Every year Kathy and Cam make us dinner and it’s so good! We all dress up too.

The guys modeling for me while I test out my camera. They’re sick

We all decided to jump in and take some pictures.

I loved Hailey’s Christmas outfit

Hailey and Uncle Cam

Hailey and Grandpa Riffey

The Fam

So happy to have a picture of Hailey and I! We never make it in pictures together

After dinner everyone went downstairs to watch the Packers game. After a little while we came up and did our stockings. Yeah we forgot about them

Kyle was happy to get an iTunes gift card

While they watched the game, I stayed upstairs and made the rest of the Christmas cookies. Man those are good!

Hailey and grandpa playing with her new flash cards

Hailey also put her stickers in her new Cars book

The next morning we got up and Kathy and Can got ready to go. We first enjoyed some great cinnamon rolls. Not homemade

Hailey loooves cinnamon rolls. We don’t have them often so they’re a big treat

After breakfast Hailey and Cam hung out for bit

We had such an awesome Christmas and time with family! We are so thankful they are willing to come be with us.

I have one more Christmas post from this last weekend. We went to Minnesota to be with my mom and step-dad. Then I will be done! I promise

Happy Birthday Hailey Belle!!

2012-01-03T13:02:00.001-06:00

Miss Hailey is three years old today! I can’t believe it! She has grown so much in the last year. She is funny, sweet, and full of personality. The biggest change has been her vocabulary. She says new things everyday!

My blogger friend Libby posted recently a little interview with her three year old son Noah. Every year you ask them the same questions on their birthday and see how they change. I think this is such a great idea! I decided to do it with Hailey. So here is my interview with my little three year old…

(All answers are exactly what she said)

1. what is your favorite color? Pink

2. what is your favorite toy? Duck

3. what is your favorite fruit? Apple

4. what is your favorite t.v. show? Bubble Guppies

5. what is your favorite thing to eat for lunch? cottage cheese

6. what is your favorite outfit? shirt and pants

7. what is your favorite game? puzzles

8. what is your favorite snack? crackers and goldfish

9. what is your favorite animal? pig

10. what is your favorite song? ABC’s

11. what is your favorite book? Dora

12. who is your best friend? Boots

13. what is your favorite cereal? cheerios

14. what is your favorite thing to do outside? kick the balls

15. what is your favorite drink? juice

16. what is your favorite holiday? pumpkin

17. what do you like to take to bed with you at night? sleeping bag (even though she doesn’t have one?)

18. what is your favorite thing to eat for breakfast? cereal

19. what do you want for dinner on your birthday? cake

20. what do you want to be when you grow up? Juggle

Ahh I can see her now in 20 years as a professional juggler. We’ll be so proud

Hailey’s birthday plans will happen this weekend when Kyle is home. Today she gets to hang out with mama and bake some cookies for her birthday.

Happy Birthday Hailey! We love you so much! We are so thankful God chose us to be your mommy and daddy.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2012-01-02T23:11:00.001-06:00

Happy New Year! Happy Homemaker Monday got a little makeover. A new picture and the questions changed a bit.

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather:::

On my reading pile:::

Skimming through my new crochet magazines and books

On my TV:::

Some cooking shows

On the menu:::

Broccoli Chicken Parmesan

On my to do list:::

Unpack

Organize things

Catch up on blog posts and things on the computer

Relax!

What I am sewing, crocheting, knitting or creating:::

No plans yet! Maybe a new project, which I have wanted to do for awhile

Looking around the house:::

Christmas decorations are put away and I’m missing the tree. We just got back from being in Minnesota over the weekend so random things are scattered about.

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):::

2011 :: Year End Review :: twelve months from Attic24

From the camera:::

Hailey and her cousins wearing the sock monkey hats I made them for Christmas

Something fun to share:::

My mom gave me this camera bag for Christmas! I love the fabric

On my prayer list:::

Friends and family

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:::

Keep on loving one another as brothers and sisters. - Hebrews 13:1

Christmas 2011 { Part II }

2011-12-29T18:04:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve was a nice relaxing day. The guys watched football and Kathy and I did some chatting and crocheting.

For dinner I made some comforting chicken noodle soup! It really hit the spot.

Hailey was busy as usual. She decided to do some cooking in the kitchen with me while I made the soup. I even gave her a wooden spoon to use so she could mix. Well a little later on, Kathy found something in the fridge

I guess her meal had to cool down a little. Silly girl

After dinner Hailey showed off her football skills. She played with Uncle Cam for awhile…

Yes Hailey’s shirt is on backwards. When you let your kid dress herself, why fix it?

Then Kyle decided to teach Hailey something. It’s something Aaron Rogers does from the Green Bay Packers. It’s called the Discount Double Check. Check it out in his commercial if you want to see what it is first, here.

Hailey is so cute when she does it! I had to take a video

Next it was time to open presents. Hailey went a little crazy! She started just opening all of hers one after another. We decided to let her just go but she had to say her thank you’s too.

She got a Buzz Light-year ornament from Gram. She loved it! She turns it on everyday now.

Kyle got her a train from Lambaue Field while he was there. She didn’t know at the time that it would go with her big present Christmas Morning

New PJ’s

Blocks from Grandpa Riffey

Flurrie

My dad got some great gifts this year! He is hard to shop for so he needed a good year for gifts. Kyle got him a Fastenal shirt and an autographed picture of Carl Edwards, who is the driver for the Fastenal racing car. Kyle met him in Orlando when he was there for work.

He also got a digital frame from us and a camera from my brother and I. He loved them! I got everything set up for him before he left. Including a zip drive with over 400 pictures of Hailey and the fam from this last year.

More present opening…

We got cam a cookbook this year. He loves cooking and he is really good at it!

The calendars

I crocheted a hat for Kathy

I got Just Dance 3 (from Kyle) and some awesome gift cards! So excited

Hailey got Kyle a special book full of pictures of her and Kyle

Gram got a special book too. Another photo book full of pictures from this past year

Kathy got Hailey a little pack n play for her baby. I would have loved one of these when I was little

That night after Hailey went to sleep, Kyle and Cam got to work on her big present. It was fun watching them build it. They work well together! While they did that, I made Christmas cookies.

After it was all set up and I was done baking (cutting up the dough, putting them in the oven and frosting them. No homemade here!) Kyle, Cam and I went downstairs and did some Just Dance 3. It’s awesome!!! I just love it. I have been doing it for the last three days on the workout program. I have been getting carried away and going for at least an hour and a half. But I LOVE it!

……………………………….

Christmas Morning…

Hailey got a train set!

Kyle and Cam also set up her blocks she got the night before

Here’s a video of Hailey coming out of her room. She had no idea she was getting something! We don’t do the Santa thing so it was a big surprise for her.

Kyle also got something special… One share of the Green Bay Packers stock! Very cool. It’s more to show off and frame than anything else.

Everyone played with the train set

Christmas is even better because of this little one

For breakfast Kyle made some awesome wheat blueberry pancakes. They’re from a box but he can still make them better than me! Cam helped with the bacon. It was all really good!

It was such a great morning! I loved seeing Hailey’s face when she came out and saw her present. But the best thing of all? Knowing that day, Jesus was born. Sent from God to die for our sins. What an amazing gift. God is awesome!

Oh I’m not done yet… Part III is coming next

Click here for Part I

Christmas 2011 { Part I }

2011-12-29T12:42:00.001-06:00

We had a great Christmas! We were able to spend it with my dad, Kyle’s mom, and Kyle’s brother. There’s nothing better than having a house filled with family. My dad came earlier in the week and Kathy and Cameron (Cam) came on Friday. Everyone got settled and we all hung out for awhile.

The presents… oh my

Kathy gave Hailey a special gift for her baby doll. She gave her a quilt sewn by her grandmother! It was made just for baby dolls and it is so pretty! Hailey went in her room right away and put in on her baby. Now Hailey has a high chair from my grandmother, a cradle my grandpa made and my mom painted, and a quilt from Kathy’s grandma! I think it is so cool she is able to have those things passed on to her.

That night instead of making a big dinner, we just did a bunch of hordevours. We used to do this a long time ago when we would have Christmas at my mom and dad’s cabin. It’s easy and tasty!

Kyle made some great chili cheese dip. I think this was a favorite for the guys.

After dinner Hailey got into her PJ’s and then we let her open her birthday gifts from Gram

More play doh stuff!

She loves blocks

Thank you Gram! (Love this picture)

When Hailey went to bed, we decided to play a game. We played Loaded Questions, which is a favorite of mine.

So fun!

The next morning, which was Christmas Eve, I made some toad-in-the-holes for the fam. Then we had some fun with the new Play Doh toys!

I have lots more to share! Come on back for part II and III

{ Slow Cooking Thursday }

2011-12-22T11:50:00.001-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

Lime Chicken Tacos

12 Servings

Prep: 10 min. Cook: 5-1/2 hours

Ingredients

1-1/2 pounds boneless skinless chicken breasts
3 tablespoons lime juice
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 cup frozen corn
1 cup chunky salsa
12 flour tortillas (6 inches), warmed
Sour cream, shredded cheddar cheese and shredded lettuce, optional

Directions

Place the chicken in a 3-qt. slow cooker. Combine lime juice and chili powder; pour over chicken. Cover and cook on low for 5-6 hours or until chicken is tender.

Remove chicken; cool slightly. Shred meat with two forks and return to the slow cooker; heat through. Stir in corn and salsa.

Cover and cook on low for 30 minutes or until heated through. Serve in tortillas with sour cream, cheese and lettuce if desired.

I’m using this picture because my picture wasn't as good.

These are awesome! I make a half batch for our family of three. This is great to make when guests come for a visit.

{ Wordless Wednesday }

2011-12-21T07:56:00.000-06:00

Weekend with the Fam

2011-12-20T08:34:00.001-06:00

We had an awesome weekend together as a family! Hailey is really enjoying her time with Kyle when he is home. Unfortunately she is also very aware when he is going out of town or has been gone awhile. She now will ask him to stay home and play with her. I think she will just start missing him more and more. But, that’s why we have weekends like we did this last one.

Friday I found Hailey like this in her room. She never falls asleep in random places. So when
I saw this, I had to get the camera

Later she did some posing for me in front of the Christmas tree. Ha now when I have my camera out, she runs and stands in front of the tree. Sunday she did it in the middle of eating her lunch!

Man she is growing up fast

Hailey loves the sunsets. She talks about how she likes the colors in the sky.

Hailey made this lovely “cake” for me on my night stand the other night. Tasty huh?

Saturday morning Kyle, Hailey and I ran some errands. We went to a total of seven different places and finished most of our Christmas shopping. It felt so good to get all that done! Hailey was a really good girl. It was so fun being out with the family. We had a lot of fun!

One of the things we wanted to get was a star for out Christmas tree. The one we had been using was made by Kyle using a Santa ornament in the shape of a star and a coat hanger. So yeah it was time for a new one. We looked at Menards… nothing good. So we hoped Target (our last stop) would have something. They didn’t have a horrible selection but we settled for one that we thought wasn’t too bad.

We got a kind of retro looking start with color lights. It matches our lights on the tree so it’s not bad! (I’m just noticing it’s not straight. We’ll fix that. )

We also got new stockings for everyone except Flurrie. We have been using these very basic red felt ones I bought for Kyle’s and my first Christmas. I used green glitter puff paint and write our names on them. I found another one just like it for Hailey later on. They weren’t bad stockings but we thought it’d be fun if we all picked out new ones.

I had a dumb moment though. We had Hailey choose her stocking between the blue one or a Toy Story one. She chose the blue and we were good to go. Well I get home, take all the tags off our stockings, and hang them up.

Notice a problem with Hailey’s?

Yeah this isn’t her first Christmas and she’s not a baby. But I love the stocking so much that I will figure out something to cover that up!

By the end of the weekend Kyle and I had wrapped most of the presents and put them under the tree. We can’t wait for people to open their gifts! There’s some good stuff under there. I added some more yesterday and I have a couple more things to add as well.

A couple weeks ago I had printed out some Christmas pictures for Hailey to color. One day she came up to me and gave me the Christmas tree. I thought she did a great job! There aren’t any ornaments on it but it’s just perfect the way it is. Now it sits up on the shelf and is one of our new favorite decorations.

Lastly, I was able to crochet some Holly. Sadly, this is the only Christmas crocheting I have done. I had plans for other stuff but it didn’t happen. But hey there is always next year!

I hung this on the the end of the yarn I hung on our wall for our Christmas cards. (I use clothes pins to hang the cards on the yarn) It’s little but makes it look a little more Christmassy. I just can’t believe this is the only Christmas thing I crocheted!

I am just loving our weekends with Kyle. We have been really good about staying together as a family and spending as much time as we can together. Kyle’s long Florida trip was really hard on us so it was great making up that time apart.

We are so excited for Christmas!

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-12-19T08:00:00.000-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Looks like we won’t have a white Christmas this year. We don’t have any snow now and there isn’t any in the forecast.

Things that make me happy:

Having a great weekend with Kyle and Hailey

Crossing big things off my to-do list!

Finish big projects

Seeing this when we walked into Hailey’s room last night (when she should have been sleeping) She’s so sweet

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Hmm maybe some cooking shows?

On the menu for dinner:

Turkey Sausage and Rice

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

I may try some Whole Wheat Brown Sugar Banana Bread Pancakes on Christmas morning!

On my To Do List:

A couple things on the computer

Mail some Christmas presents

Relax a little!

Clean for visitors coming for Christmas

Wrap some gifts

In the Craft Basket:

Girly Hat for my friend’s baby girl Lilyanna

Tunisian Crochet Squares

Looking forward to this week:

Christmas!!

Time with family

Seeing everyone open their gifts

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

Home Tour: Our Living Room from A Beautiful Mess

I have never seen decorating like this but I love it! It’s so creative, unique, and fun.

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:

Running errands with the fam is way better than just by myself.

On My Prayer List:

That everyone can have a blessed Christmas

My aunt Polly who broke her arm Saturday playing hockey

Friends and family

Leanne

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

“Set your minds on things above, not on earthly things.”

Colossians 3:2

{ Wordless Wednesday }

2011-12-14T10:28:00.001-06:00

Charlie Brown Christmas

2011-12-13T08:26:00.000-06:00

Recently Hailey really likes reading her Charlie Brown Christmas book in the mornings. She flips through the pages and has me push the buttons.

This is such a cute book! My mom gave it to her last year for Christmas. Sunday night we watched the Charlie Brown Christmas on TV together as a family. Hailey is starting to like Charlie Brown more and more.

I have a new favorite mug! I got this Charlie Brown Christmas mug at Big Lots for really cheap. I love how big it is with the thick handle.

I am so excited for Christmas to come. Well we all are! We get to celebrate Christmas with our family for the first time this year in our new house.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-12-12T07:50:00.000-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Things that make me happy:

Cuddling with Kyle

New and funny phrases said by Hailey that make us laugh

My new camera!

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Just some shows to catch up on with Kyle

On the menu for dinner:

Crock pot chicken tacos

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

Nothing this week

On my To Do List:

Stuff on the computer

Vacuum

Crochet orders

Work on Christmas gifts

In the Craft Basket:

Hats

If I get time…

Little stockings

Snowflake garland

Looking forward to this week:

Having Kyle home!

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

The Reason for the Season from Kelly’s Korner

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:

I love my family more than ever. I want to spend every second with them!

On My Prayer List:

Friends and family

Leanne

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

“Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.”

Proverbs 4:23

Thanksgiving

2011-12-09T08:04:00.000-06:00

(Sorry this is so late!)

We had a great Thanksgiving! We went to Minnesota to see my mom’s side of the family. We don’t get to see them very often so it was great to be there.

Fun at Grandma and Papa’s

Hailey always has a blast at their house. We just relaxed and spent time together. My step-dad and I made a couple morning trips to Starbucks together, which was nice.

Thanksgiving day Hailey got to do something special. She was able to help my mom make her famous Sweet Potato Casserole.

My mom’s good friend Patti gave Hailey a bunch of adorable aprons. They are from when she was a little girl. Hailey got to wear one while she helped my mom

My mom also took a great family picture of us. I can’t wait to frame it!

In the afternoon we headed to St. Cloud for Thanksgiving. Hailey got to meet her second cousin Luke for the first time. (Luke’s older brother was home sick unfortunately) But these two had a great time! Luke is the cutest little guy who always smiles.

Hailey and her great grandpa enjoying some snacks.

My cousin Kelly and I

My grandma working her magic with the gravy

Time for dinner!

My uncle’s Jimmy and Tom with my step-dad Gregg

My Uncle Larry, Grandpa, and Uncle Bob

Hailey

My Aunt Polly, Mom, Aunt Mary, and Aunt Lori

Dinner was fabulous and filling… which led to tired people watching football

Hailey and Luke riding the rocking horse

All the kids love my Uncle Bob

Everyone admiring my grandpa’s train!

The conductor

Hailey wanted to play with it pretty badly.

Hailey saying goodbye to Luke. I was overwhelmed with the cuteness.

We are so happy we were able to see everyone. It was such a great day!

Friday morning we all woke up and relaxed. Gregg and Kyle did some serious Black Friday shopping. We had fun listening to the stories they had when they got home.

Yes Kyle is using a snuggie

Hailey was showing Papa how to use the iPad. She’s a pro

We had such a great time! We left Friday so we could have some time home together. Kyle has been traveling a lot so time at home as a family is so important to us.

…………………….

Lastly, I wanted to let everyone know that my mom started a blog! I was able to help her get started while I was there for Thanksgiving. I am really excited to see what she writes about. She is one of the most artistic and creative people I know. If you get a chance, please head over and say hi!

The Path Leading Home

Have a great weekend everyone

New Camera Fun…

2011-12-08T12:13:00.001-06:00

Very random and unedited pictures but I’ve just been having fun playing. I’m excited for my mom to show me some tips and tricks!

Oh and the camera takes video!! Awesome

Sorry I am just very excited and am blown away by this thing.

Ok I’m done

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-12-05T10:33:00.001-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Pretty cold this week

Things that make me happy:

Beautiful snow falling outside

Having a warm home to live in!

Having my dad visit while Kyle is gone

Wrapping presents

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Hmm not much today.

On the menu for dinner:

Left over turkey, mashed potatoes and Amish noodles

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

Nothing this week

The soup I made last week was good but I made a big mistake. I didn’t use the right amount of liquid it told me to because it seemed like a lot. Well the orzo pasta absorbed it all and it was no longer soup! The left overs were no good

On my To Do List:

Crochet orders

Vacuum

Hang with Hailey and my dad

Grocery shop and post office

Put stamps on Christmas cards and mail

In the Craft Basket:

Sock monkey hats

Little stockings

Snowflake garland

Looking forward to this week:

Hanging with my dad

Saturday when Kyle gets home from Orlando!

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

Party at the North Pole from Enjoying the Small Things

Probably the coolest and cutest little Christmas party I have ever seen. Kelle is so creative!

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Ahh the messes my kid can make. But she does take the time to enjoy some milk with her baby at the table.

Lesson learned the past few days:

I refuse to be overwhelmed and stressed for Christmas. I may not get to make or do every project I wanted but the goal is to celebrate Jesus’ birth on Christmas and be with family.

On My Prayer List:

Safe travels for Kyle

Friends and family

Leanne

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

My salvation and my honor depend on God; he is my mighty rock, my refuge.

Psalm 62:7

{ Wordless Wednesday }

2011-11-30T11:40:00.001-06:00

……………………

I finally got a new picture up on our blog banner! That other one was so old. I love our new one. Thanks mama for taking the picture!

Little Mommy Moments

2011-11-29T08:36:00.001-06:00

I got this video a little while ago of Miss Hailey. Hailey brought upstairs her monkey and baby, along with some food from her kitchen. She had fun playing on the kitchen floor and feeding both of them. She doesn’t do this often just because she is usually busy putting toys in other things like buckets and bags.

She was also making toad in the holes

It’s so fun to see her little mommy moments! But we won’t be buying her any more dolls in the near future. She still loves her United States puzzle, books, kitchen, and other random little toys she likes to put into stuff. Just last night she found a Christmas bag and in probably less than a minute she already had gone downstairs and came up with toys in the bag!

Have a great day everyone

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-11-28T09:41:00.001-06:00

*** Happy Cyber Monday! I’m giving 25% off in my Etsy shop today. Use coupon code CYBER25 when you check out. I just added some fun Java Jackets that are perfect for Christmas gifts! ***

Fountain Top Creations

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Things that make me happy:

Seeing family we haven’t seen in a while

Thanksgiving

Hearing fun Black Friday stories from Kyle and my step-dad

Christmas decorations!

Catching up on sleep

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Not much right now

On the menu for dinner:

Turkey Sausage and Rice

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

We’ll be trying Spinach Tomato Orzo Soup this week

On my To Do List:

Wrap Christmas gifts

Answer emails

Do some things on the computer

Crochet some hats for the Etsy shop

In the Craft Basket:

Sock monkey hats

Two ear warmers for my cousins

Hats

Looking forward to this week:

Time with Kyle

Getting some Christmas things done

Doing some Christmas crafting with Hailey

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

I don’t have one this week

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Hailey giving her second cousin Luke a hug and kiss. They had a lot of fun playing together on Thanksgiving. Isn’t he just adorable??

Lesson learned the past few days:

Sometimes plans change

On My Prayer List:

Safe travels for Kyle

Friends and family

Leanne

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of Gods grace.

Ephesians 1:7

{ Wordless Wednesday }

2011-11-23T08:09:00.000-06:00

I hope everyone has a happy Thanksgiving!

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-11-21T08:11:00.001-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Things that make me happy:

Sleep

Doing Thanksgiving crafts with Hailey

Kyle being able to go to Lambeau Field and see the Packers play

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Not much

On the menu for dinner:

Turkey sausage, veggies and pasta

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

Nothing this week

On my To Do List:

Laundry

Vacuum

Answer some emails

In the Craft Basket:

Tunisian Blanket squares

Sock monkey hats

Looking forward to this week:

Thanksgiving

Time with Kyle

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

I LOVE this ripple blanket Lucy is making. The color pattern she is doing is perfect

Ripple ♥ Ripple ♥ Ripple

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Kyle doing the “Lambeau Leap” in the hall of fame. He had so much fun!

Lesson learned the past few days:

That we miss Kyle more and more when he is gone. Him traveling so much isn’t getting easier, it’s getting harder.

On My Prayer List:

Safe and happy Thanksgiving for everyone

Friends and family

Leanne

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Every house is built by someone, but God is the builder of everything.

Hebrews 3:4

Cell Phone Randomness

2011-11-18T11:59:00.001-06:00

Lately I have been taking way more pictures with my phone. It’s so much easier to catch something quick then running to get the camera, then missing it. So this is just a bunch of random pictures from my phone from the last week or two.

Hailey asked me to take her picture. She does this a lot!

Making flower hair clips while listening to Pandora

My model trying one on

Someone on our street lost their cat

Trying on a hat I made… I didn’t have anyone to take a picture and I wanted to text it to my mom. Yeah I’m a nerd

We had to go and buy a snow blower. It BARELY fit in our SUV! It was tight

One night when Hailey wasn’t falling asleep Kyle went into her room and saw this. She set up her little turtle and tucked him in.

Miss Hailey was feeling under the weather one day so we spoiled her a little with some Blue Clues on the iPad. Her and Flurrie are buddies

Watching a movie after a bath

Our pup Flurrie is a big dog. BUT she is a very timid dog! She is one of those dogs where if you put something new in a room, she sees it and is afraid. The biggest are balloons. She usually goes and lays in our bedroom for the day. Yesterday Kyle had put one of those reusable grocery bags on top of the fridge. Flurrie noticed it when we woke up and headed to the bedroom. I tried calling her and she didn’t come out, which she usually does. After breakfast we went in to get her and she wasn’t there. I assumed she went downstairs. I made the bed and cleaned up a couple things. Then I heard Flurrie’s collar jingle. Hailey looked and found her under the bed! She never goes under there. She must have been really scared. The worst was she seemed stuck. Thankfully she got out ok. What a weirdo. I moved the bag off of the fridge and we were good

She was a little stressed and tired after

I got this in the mail a couple days ago. It says “Team CHIN”. This is a prayer bracelet for Leanne who is starting her journey with breast cancer. On the other side it says, Phil. 4:13. If you could pray for her she and her family would really appreciate it! If you head to her blog you can read about her and even get a bracelet.

In other news, we have been struggling with Hailey’s sleep schedule. Ever since the time change, she has been waking up at least an hour earlier than she used to. A couple times it has been between 4:30 and 5:30! I have tried putting her to bed later and earlier and it doesn’t seem to matter. We do try putting her back to sleep if she wakes up earlier than 6:00. She only goes down for maybe another hour. So overall I am very tired but the plus side it’s turning me more into a morning person! I have always wanted to be a morning person. You seem to get a lot more done when you’re up earlier. Also we get to see the sunrise everyday, which is so beautiful. Anyway, we are still working things out and hoping she will adjust into her original schedule. It’s hard to type this knowing there are a lot of moms and dads dealing with toddlers not sleeping through the night or babies waking up for feedings. So I feel your pain and am still thankful she sleeps through the night.

Kyle gets to go to Lambau Field in Green Bay to watch the Packers this weekend. This is the first time he has been to a game there. We’re very excited for him! He also gets to go with his brother Cameron who likes the Bucs (who they’re playing) so they’ll have a blast. I’m sending him with a camera so I hope he takes some good pictures.

I hope everyone has a great weekend!

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-11-14T08:24:00.001-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Things that make me happy:

My winter gear! I made this hat about a week ago and I just finished knitting the scarf over the weekend

Finishing crochet projects

Soup

Cuddling with Hailey

Thinking about Christmas gifts for people

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Hailey may watch some of her shows. I might watch Jan & Kate + 8 on Netflix

On the menu for dinner:

Left over soup

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

Nothing this week

On my To Do List:

Rest

get orders packaged and shipped

Crochet

In the Craft Basket:

Tunisian Blanket squares

Sock monkey hats

Thanksgiving turkey

Looking forward to this week:

Having Kyle in town

Hopefully feeling better. I’ve been sick since last week.

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

Hooky Trim from Attic24

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Sunset

Lesson learned the past few days:

That I need more sleep when I’m sick. This has been dragging out too long. It’s basically just a cough now but it wakes me up in the middle of the night and really early in the morning.

On My Prayer List:

Leanne

Friends and family

That I can feel better soon

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

When pride comes, then comes disgrace, but with humility comes wisdom.

Proverbs 11:2

Soup Sundays, Recipes and Veterans Day

2011-11-11T12:28:00.001-06:00

Happy Friday everyone! I wanted to share today a little tradition I have started for this fall and winter. I love trying new recipes, especially soup recipes. So I started something in our house called “Soup Sundays”. For the past three weeks I have made some type of soup on Sunday for the fam. Well the second week it ended up being in the middle of the week, but that’s ok! I made one soup that we have tried before and two new recipes. I’ll be trying a new recipe again this Sunday. It’s been so fun!

The first soup I made was The Pioneer Woman’s Roasted Vegetable Minestrone. I made this once before when my friend Rachel and her daughter Olivia visited. Unfortunately we were the only two that liked it. What’s great is this time around, Kyle enjoyed it too! He has become a lot more open to new foods. Hailey on the other hand, well she isn’t a fan of trying some of these new soups. But I am not going to give up on her. I think she would like them if she ate more than one bite.

The next soup I made was Tortellini Vegetable Soup. This soup has been one of my favorites so far. I honestly wish I had the ingredients this last week because I’ve had a cold the past couple days. This would have totally hit the spot!

The recipe is really easy!

Tortellini Vegetable Soup

Ingredients

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
1 small zucchini, diced
1 medium carrot, peeled and diced
5 1/2 cups chicken stock
1 teaspoon dried basil (more if fresh)
1 bay leaf

1/2 cup canned crushed tomatoes
1/2 teaspoon salt
8 to 9 ounces fresh or frozen tortellini
(cheese or meat filled)
2 to 3 tablespoons chopped fresh parsley
Black pepper, to taste

Instructions

Heat the olive oil in a medium soup pot or large saucepan. Add the onion, zucchini, and carrot. Sauté over moderate heat for 8 to 10 minutes, stirring often, until the onion is soft and translucent.
Add the stock, basil, bay leaf, tomatoes, and salt to the pot. Increase the heat and bring the mixture to a low boil. Add the tortellini and bring the soup back to a low boil. Cook it for 2 minutes, then reduce the heat and let it simmer for 5 to 6 minutes longer. Gently stir in the parsley and pepper during the last minute or so. Makes about 5 servings.

Last Sunday I tried another new recipe. This time we decided on a good and hearty chili. I have been looking for a good chili recipe for awhile that everyone would like. We don’t like things too spicy and we also wanted something healthy. I finally found the perfect one! It’s awesome, easy and so tasty!

Quick Turkey Chili

Ingredients

2 tablespoons vegetable oil (I used Extra Virgin Olive Oil)
1 onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 1/4 pounds ground turkey
2 tablespoons chili powder
1/2 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 teaspoon ground cumin
1 (15 ounce) can black beans, drained

1 (15 ounce) can pinto beans, drained
1 (14 ounce) can diced tomatoes
1 to 2 cups chicken broth
1 cup frozen corn kernels, thawed
Salt to taste

OPTIONAL TOPPINGS

1 cup sour cream
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Instructions

Heat vegetable oil in a large pot or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add the onion and garlic and sauté, stirring occasionally for about 3 minutes until onion softens. Increase heat to medium-high, add ground turkey and stir, breaking up large pieces with the back of a wooden spoon. Add the chili power, black pepper, and cumin; stir and continue to break up the meat to incorporate the spices. Allow mixture to cook for 5 more minutes, stirring occasionally.
Add the black beans, pinto beans, tomatoes, 1 cup of chicken broth, and corn. Taste and add salt if needed. Continue to cook for 5 to 10 more minutes, stirring occasionally. Add more broth if the chili is too thick. To serve, ladle chili into bowls. If desired, top with a dollop of sour cream and a sprinkle of cheddar cheese.

I am going to make this for my mom and step-dad when we see them over Thanksgiving. I think they’ll really like it.

I am so excited that we started this little tradition in our house. What is better than a comforting bowl of soup on a cold fall or winter day?

Also I have a couple other recipes I have tried in the past couple weeks that I want to share. Maybe next week!

Linking up to Kelly’s Food Fixing Friday

………………………………………………

Also Happy Veterans Day! Thank you to all who have served or are serving our country.

This is my Grandpa Zins last year on Memorial Day. He is a WWII veteran. Handsome fella isn’t he?

My Grandma and Grandpa

Next my Grandpa Riffey who also served in WWII. He passed away but we think about him all the time. We miss him so much. Another handsome fella

Also my brother Dave who is serving in the Navy. We are so proud of him. Ok he is handsome too!

I also want to thank my uncles Larry and Tom who served in Vietnam.

Have a great weekend everyone!

Creativity

2011-11-09T10:07:00.001-06:00

Miss Hailey is always busy. Her little mind is going and going. I’m always fascinated with the way she plays with her toys. Her big thing is taking her little toys and putting them in different containers. She also likes to organize her toys in different ways. Whether it’s lining them all up or stacking them in different spots.

I was making Hailey lunch yesterday and she started lining up her toys in the kitchen

Then she grabbed her books

She was proud of her little accomplishment.

I then had her clean up all of her toys, which she is getting really good at by the way. She does it when I ask the first time (most of the time).

She cleaned up everything, but she must have gotten another creative idea. The next thing I know, all of her stuffed animals are stacked in her rocking chair.

I never know what she is thinking or doing but I see a lot of creativity.

In other news, Hailey is getting better at writing and coloring. For quite awhile she wasn’t too interested in learning or writing. She would color but it would just be swirls of color. Now she is starting to try to draw stuff and make little details. When she color in her coloring books she will fill in the little things and try to stay in the lines. She also can now write the letters “H” and “A” and draw hearts. She gets so excited when she draws hearts. Now she will try to draw different things in her notebook. The other day she came up to me with a drawing and told me she drew mama! It was so cute. So it’s been fun watching her try to draw and create.

Last but not least, I wanted to share a couple funny phrases Hailey likes to say now.

1. “Alrighty Then!”

2. “Yoooou betcha!” She does this when I ask her if she wants to do something like color or whatever.

She is such a goofball! She either wants to be Ace Ventura or live in Minnesota.

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-11-07T08:26:00.001-06:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Things that make me happy:

A great week with Kyle

Happy customers from my shop

Trying new recipes

Hailey making us laugh

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Not sure, maybe a couple cooking shows

On the menu for dinner:

Left over chili

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

I made two new things last week. A pasta recipe that wasn’t the best and an awesome turkey chili recipe. I have been looking for a good and easy chili recipe for awhile and I finally found it. It was so good!

On my To Do List:

Trip to the pet store

Vacuum and dust

Laundry

Crochet

In the Craft Basket:

Knitted Scarf

Tunisian Blanket squares

Looking forward to this week:

Time with Hailey

Relaxing in our warm house (which I am so thankful for!)

Obviously not much is going on for us this week

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

Reader Space: Crazy for Cool Artwork Displays!

Great ideas for displaying your child’s art

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Hailey has been working on writing her ABC’s on the iPad. She can now write the letter H and A on paper with her crayons. She can also draw hearts, which she is very excited about.

Lesson learned the past few days:

The time change sucks when you have little ones. I’m sure Hailey will adjust but we did not get that extra hour of sleep like some people. Also I am not a fan of it getting dark so soon. We’ll adjust but I think it will result in earlier bed times for everyone. I do like the bright sunny mornings though!

On My Prayer List:

Kyle

Leanne

Friends and family

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Make every effort to live in peace with everyone and to be holy; without holiness no one will see the Lord.

Hebrews 12:14

Pumpkins and Candy

2011-11-03T09:59:00.001-05:00

Sunday we carved our one pumpkin we had. We originally had two but one was all soft and gross on the bottom. We still kept it outside along with Hailey little painted pumpkin.

We haven’t carved pumpkins in a long time. Last time we carved together was when we were dating in high school.

I think this was 2002 or 2003?

This year I did the dirty work of cleaning out the pumpkin and getting the seeds to bake. Then Kyle did the actual carving. He did such a great job!

Hailey just kind of stood to the side. She was more interested when I was cleaning out the pumpkin. Notice her watching….

getting distracted….

…and bowl on the head

Then she poses for the camera

Kyle’s masterpiece!

It looked a lot better lit up

For Halloween we didn’t take Hailey out trick or treating. We think she actually had more fun watching the kids come to our house. We figured we would put on her Green Bay Packers sweatshirt and if someone asks, she’s a little Packer Fan.

We first had to get some pictures of her with the pumpkins

Before dinner I explained that kids were going to come to our door and say “Trick or Treat!” Then mommy and daddy will give them candy. She seemed excited but still not sure what was going on.

Hailey waiting for the kids

Giving out candy ended up being really fun for her. She got really excited when she knew what the costume was. Like Jessie or Buzz from Toy Story. Every time the door bell would ring she would jump up and say “come on daddy!” It was fun to watch.

I didn’t hand out the candy because I wasn’t feeling well. But I decided to keep track of all the costumes that came. Surprisingly there weren’t a lot of repeats. Of course there were like four kids with no costumes. Not cool. But some were really cute and creative.

Next year we may get into the costume and trick or treating. This year was fun staying in and seeing the kids.

On a side note, are were just skipping Thanksgiving now?? As soon as Halloween was over, in came all the Christmas commercials and decorations. Well actually I saw decorations way before Halloween. I love Thanksgiving and don’t want to think about Christmas yet. Am I the only one?

Have a great day everyone

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-10-31T08:33:00.001-05:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Things that make me happy:

When Hailey says things like “your welcome” or “bless you” when we sneeze. Her manners are getting better and better!

Finishing projects

Kyle working in town this week

Colorful yarn I got in the mail last week

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Kyle and I like watching reruns of Boy Meets World and Big Bang Theory

On the menu for dinner:

Making Tortellini Vegetable soup tonight (new recipe)

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

I’ll be trying Bacon and Peas Pasta and Tortellini Vegetable Soup this week

On my To Do List:

Vacuum and dust

Fold laundry

Trip to the post office

Crochet

In the Craft Basket:

Knitted Scarf

Tunisian Blanket squares

Hat for myself for winter

Possibly start a ripple blanket

Looking forward to this week:

Kyle working in town this week and being home at night.

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

Found a cool new blog called Coco Rose Diaries

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:

I can be too sensitive when it comes to certain things. I need to also give people more credit for some things as well.

On My Prayer List:

Leanne

That everyone stays safe today for Halloween

Friends and family

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in them.

1 John 4:16

Pumpkins

2011-10-28T12:20:00.001-05:00

I finally finished the lovely pumpkin garland earlier this week!

I’ll be honest and say I didn’t have a lot of places to choose from for hanging. We don’t have a fireplace or mantel, but boy I wish I did! Anyway, this will have to do.

Hailey loves the garland. I put it up while she was napping the other day. When she came out she was very excited to see it.

Pattern

We may not be fans of Halloween but we do like pumpkins, especially Hailey.

In other pumpkin news, Hailey painted her own little pumpkin last weekend. This is the second year she has done this. We let her paint and paint until the pumpkin can’t take anymore.

Towards the end it turned into extreme painting

This weekend Kyle and I will carve our pumpkins. I think I am more excited to bake and eat the pumpkin seeds

Have a fabulous weekend

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-10-24T10:42:00.001-05:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Things that make me happy:

Getting a sweet card in the mail from my friend Jess. Totally made my day!

Minestrone soup on a cool day. Can’t feel bad about a big bowl of soup full of great veggies

Running errands with Kyle and Hailey

Snuggling in our comfy bed under the down comforter

This candle

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Maybe some reruns of Big Bang Theory, our new favorite show.

On the menu for dinner:

Left over soup

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

I won’t be trying anything new this week.

On my To Do List:

Vacuum and dust

Crochet orders

Answer some emails

Play with Hailey

In the Craft Basket:

Hat and headband

3 Hats for Leanne

Tunisian Blanket squares

A Pumpkin garland (almost done!)

Man I have too many projects going on don’t I?

Looking forward to this week:

Not much going on this week. I always look forward to cooler weather.

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

Buddy Up. from Enjoying the Small things

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:

That I think Halloween is pointless. We went and got candy and I felt like it was a total waist of money. We aren’t even dressing Hailey up this year. Spending money on a costume she would wear once isn’t worth it. I don’t even care if others think I’m crazy for thinking this. It’s one day of weird and creepy decorations and kids coming to our house to ask for candy. It’s all just weird and dumb to me. The only thing we will do is decorate pumpkins because Hailey loves them and they are also great fall decorations.

Alright I’m done

On My Prayer List:

A girl I went to high school with that was recently diagnosed with breast cancer. She is also pregnant with their first baby. Please pray for her if you can. She had her first chemo treatment last week. She is an awesome Godly woman with a great attitude.

Check out her blogs

Miller Time (personal)

Team CHIN

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
For great is your love, reaching to the heavens; your faithfulness reaches to the skies.

Psalm 57:10

Random Hailey Happenings

2011-10-20T08:20:00.000-05:00

Hailey makes me laugh on a daily basis. Whether it’s saying weird little things, making a face at me that is random and cute, or her pretending to tickle me. (I humor her by doing this odd little laugh, which makes her laugh) Either way, she is a funny little thing. And… a little weird! Oh I shouldn’t use that word, how about creative or unique?

Here’s why…

Hailey now likes to sleep on her bedroom floor. Not just for at night but also for her naps. We start her in her bed but her and all her little bedtime objects head to the floor when we leave. We don’t know why she likes sleeping on the floor so much but we just let her do it. What’s funny is we have no clue what she does in there. It’s completely dark yet I think she has some type of little party at night.

Also, Hailey now knows how to work her boom box. We put on some classical Baby Einstein music on when she goes to bed. Recently we hear the music start up again. At first I thought I had accidentally put it on repeat, but no it was Hailey starting it up again.

Speaking of bedtime objects (also known as her “guys”), she has quite the collection. Sometimes it’s a bunch of stuff, other times it’s just one item. Usually when there’s more, daddy put her to sleep.

Let me make a little list of her usual bedtime companions…

Her pillow pet

Goofy

Bunny

Monkey

Woody (Buzz and Barbie used to be in there but they retired to the playroom)

Her little bowling ball

Two pumpkins (A small gourd and a small regular one we got at the grocery store. The stems were cut off)

And finally, lots and lots of books.

After one of her naps, I went into her room and noticed all of her stuff was gone. She finally told me where it was. On the other side of her dresser, she had put her changing pad up against the wall. She called this the slide. ALL of her things were sitting on there. And she chuckled at me and said, “all my guys are on the slide mama…heh” I couldn’t help but laugh.

Yes there are a couple diapers is the mix as well

………………………

Moving on… We also catch Hailey hanging out in her purple bucket from time to time.

The other night I made some spaghetti for dinner. Usually I use some penne noodles but this time I did regular spaghetti noodles. For some reason Hailey loved them and totally pigged out! She had about 4 servings! On a side note, someone taught her how to twirl her spaghetti onto her fork and it wasn’t me. She’s really good at it too. I’m stumped on how she learned that one.

Last but not least, I got this picture on my phone of Hailey wearing her new Green Bay Packers sweatshirt. She’ll wear the full sweat suit on Sunday.

Kyle asked what was with the cheesy smile. I had to say, well to get her to smile I have to smile at her first. So her smile must look like mine.

Alright I’m done with my post of random Hailey fun. Again she is just a fun little goofball that I love hanging out with.

Wall Art

2011-10-19T10:56:00.001-05:00

I have realized that some of the best art to put on a wall is a child’s. So I decided to put Miss Hailey to work and make some art for our house!

We moved into out house in June and we still have a lot of white walls, that were also empty. (Yes I put things like painting and decorating off)

Over the weekend I had Hailey paint three 12x12 canvases.

She loves to paint! I wish I could say this is like mother, like daughter but it’s actually like grandmother, like granddaughter. (My mom is an artist)

I didn’t think the colors through very well on one of them. It turned out a little… well brown. But it’s still cute and I still put it up

Now we have some lovely one of a kind art on our wall! I love how they turned out

Next I am going to do some art of my own for another empty wall in our house. It will involve more canvases but I won’t be using paint, I’ll be using scrapbook paper!

Happy Wednesday

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-10-17T08:09:00.000-05:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Things that make me happy:

The cool weather

Fall decorations

Wearing sweatshirts

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Hailey may watch some of her shows

On the menu for dinner:

Sausage and Rice

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

The Zucchini, Black Bean and Rice Skillet was really good! I’ll share the recipe this week

On my To Do List:

Vacuum

Put away laundry

Make wall art

Crochet

In the Craft Basket:

Hats and headband for my friend Rachel

Tunisian Blanket squares

A Pumpkin garland

Looking forward to this week:

Doing some more decorating in the house and art projects with Hailey

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

Blanket Journey from Attic24

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:

Exercise and eating better rocks

On My Prayer List:

Friends and Family

Kyle’s family

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ.

Ephesians 5:21

Friday Foto Dump

2011-10-14T08:24:00.001-05:00

Made some hair bow clips for an order. I had to try one on Hailey

Hailey emptied her whole box of wipes into her cradle… (sigh)

Loves her butterfly clip

Flurrie checking things out. She does this a lot

Our new toy!

Hailey likes playing the shapes game and the Toy Story 3 match game. Man iPads are cool!

Have a great weekend my friends

Time with Grandpa

2011-10-12T07:56:00.001-05:00

Last week my dad came to visit for a couple days. Hailey is always happy to see her Grandpa Riffey.

They had fun coloring, watching videos, building big castles with her blocks, and giggling. He can really make her laugh!

Hailey put a bunch of stickers on her balloon and the next morning it was pretty deflated. But she still liked pulling it around.

My dad also got her a special big girl gift. She now has her own stool in the bathroom so she can wash her hands and brush her teeth on her own. Of course one of use is always in there too

She thinks she is pretty cool doing all of that on her own.

I also wanted to show you a hat that I made for my friend Jess’ daughter. I made matching ones for her girls

This is the same pattern as the Spring Fling Beanies I make but I added another color and an cute edging.

We had a great time with my dad! Unfortunately the time went by way too fast. We miss him already

{ Happy Homemaker Monday }

2011-10-10T08:34:00.001-05:00

From: Diary of a Stay at Home Mom

The weather in my neck of the woods:

Things that make me happy:

Our new IPad2

A great weekend with family

Random hugs and kisses from Hailey

Rain

Book(s) I'm reading:

The usual

What I'm enjoying on TV:

Not really sure today

On the menu for dinner:

Quesadillas

New Recipe I tried or want to try soon:

I made some really good lime chicken tacos last night

Also this week I’ll be making Zucchini, Black Bean and Rice Skillet

On my To Do List:

Vacuum

Fold laundry (well I need to put it through the dryer again because I put off folding for too long. All wrinkles again)

Wash bedding

Crochet

In the Craft Basket:

Bow Hair Clips

Hats and headband for my friend Rachel

Tunisian Blanket squares

Scarf

Looking forward to this week:

The weather cooling back down

My favorite blog post this week (Mine or other):

Bringing Fall: Hallmark

No words needed (favorite photo or picture, yours or others you want to share):

Lesson learned the past few days:

I learned that I need to apologize for things even if I am stubborn and don’t want to. It’s way better to let little things go than to stay upset.

On My Prayer List:

Friends and Family

That people’s hearts can be touched by this awesome movie

www.180movie.com

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
This you know, my beloved brethren. But everyone must be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not achieve the righteousness of God. James 1:19, 20

{ Wordless Wednesday }

2011-10-05T08:41:00.001-05:00