The Lung Family

The Best Birthday Party EVER!!

2012-02-29T05:30:00.000-08:00

If you read the blog you know that Brooklynne turned one year old on February 16th, and we had her birthday party the following evening on the 17th, and oh boy, was it fun!! Despite the amount of stress that it caused me (wanting everything to be a certain way),

I was very pleased with how the invitations turned out.

some of the details

we had a wonderful time and little Brooklynne was just the perfect party girl!!

My friend, Giana took all the pictures, what a blessing it was to have a non-family member taking pictures (she did our maternity pictures as well), so Matt, and I and our families could really enjoy the party (I highly recommend having someone taking pictures)!

Saying hi to everyone.

Getting hugs from Grandpa!

The party started at 6 pm and we started eating dinner around 6:30. I had started the crock pots around 9 that morning, we had a taco bar complete with chicken, pork carnitas, rice, beans, and all the fixings, and oh boy, it was yummy!!

Silly Uncle Evan

After dinner, we sang "Happy Birthday" to the Birthday girl and gave her her birthday cake. She was slow to check it out at first, but after I put a little frosting on her lips, she didn't seem to mind it at all!

She didn't seem to mind getting messy or anything like that, she just wanted to eat the cake!!

After cake, Brooklynne opened her presents while everyone else got dessert; I made brownies, rice krispie treats, funfetti cupcakes, donuts, peanut butter cookies with dove chocolates in the middle, M&M's cookies, and a few different kinds of candies. Everyone seemed to enjoy it all!! Brooklynne was in to opening the presents for the first few, but then just wanted to play with everything!

She received so many wonderful gifts, she is so blessed!

Uncle Jared and Aunt Brittany

Matt brought out the present that we had for her (it was a hand-me-down from a friend...yay for free!), and she got so excited!

It is still her favorite present, she's in it half of the day, it seems to have become her clubhouse!

We started saying goodbye to her guests as they left, one by one, and she was so sweet even saying goodbye. B didn't go to sleep until almost 10 that night because she was up playing, and she had a good attitude the entire time, didn't get fussy once, which I was so thankful for!

We were so blessed with a full house of family and friends, and we felt so honored by everyone who was able to come, what loving family and friends we have!

Uncle Evan, Uncle Jared, Aunt Brittany, and the Birthday Girl!!

Uncle Jason, Aunt Bethany, Emily, Antonio, Isaac, and the Birthday Girl!! (my sister, bro-in-law, niece and nephews)

Grandma, Grandpa, and the Birthday Girl!!

Nana and the Birthday Girl!!

Our Beautiful little Family!!

Happy Birthday, sweet baby Brooklynne, we love you so much!!

Tuesday Tutorial: Penant Flag Banner

2012-02-28T19:04:00.001-08:00

OH my goodness, this is my first tutorial since either November or the beginning of December. I didn't completely finish it how I wanted to, but it was getting dark out.

I made a penant flag banner without using a machine to cut the flags so you all can see how easy it is to do without a fancy die cutter (not as easy, but easy).

I'm going to go back maybe tomorrow or this weekend and put "Happy St. Patty's Day" on the flags, so I made the amount I'll need for that.

What you'll need:

Yarn

12x12 Scrapbook Paper

Scissors

Ruler

Paper Cutter (optional)

Pencil

Hole Punch (not pictured)

Ribbon (optional)

Let's get started!

Start by dividing the paper in half by drawing a line at the six inch mark.

On one side use your ruler and make marks at the edge of the paper at 4", and 8" so you have 2 marks, repeat on the other side.

Next, draw a line from the top right corner to the first mark on the bottom of the page, then draw a line from the first notch on the top right side to the second notch on the bottom, repeat with the final top notch. Turn the paper over and repeat.

Cut out the flags on the lines, you will have a little excess on the sides of the paper.

Take the hole punch and punch holes on either side of the top of each flag.

Run the yarn from the front to the back and out to the front again stringing the flags in your desired pattern.

Hang up your flags somewhere in your house, and stand back while you gaze at the awesomeness!!

Check back this week for a picture of the completely finished product!

Tomorrow I will be posting about Brooklynne's First Birthday Party, you won't want to miss it!!

Our Weekend Update {17}

2012-02-27T10:37:00.001-08:00

Matt and I got to go to a marriage seminar this weekend with Matt's parents, brother, and soon to be sister in law, we heard Drs. Les and Leslie Parrot speak and it was great! It was Friday night and Saturday morning. Friday, our friend Abby picked up Brooklynne because they were having a family party and then they went to a concert for the youth group at our church, apparently she had the best time! When we met them over at church I could tell that she was exhausted but so hyper at the same time, I had never seen her like that, it was adorable! You could tell she knew she was with high schoolers and junior highers and she was having the best time!

She didn't go to sleep until 10:30 that night and of course she slept in on Saturday morning...it's the mornings that I can't sleep in that she chooses to sleep in...silly girl!!

We had the second session of the seminar that morning, so Abby came over again and hung out with B until 12:30 when we got home (we are so blessed to have such a great baby sitter!!!!)

Brooklynne got a new tea set for her birthday that makes noise and she loves it, so Matt had a little tea party with her!!

Daddy's already teaching Brooklynne how to play games on his iPhone, I've put a password on mine so she's not calling random people.

I love our little girl, she is such a blessing!

Friday Photo Dump {19}

2012-02-24T15:39:00.003-08:00

Friday Photo Dump photos are taken on the Instagram iPhone app (free) and dropped into a 4x4 collage. I am "annalisaj" on Instagram if you want to follow the feed.

Our Weekend Update {16}

2012-02-20T11:08:00.003-08:00

It's been since December since I've posted a weekend update, but now that the holidays and Brooklynne's birthday party are done (what a relief), I felt a need to post again. We had such a wonderful weekend, for quite a few reasons. Brooklynne's first birthday was on Thursday and I enjoyed spending that day with her and making cupcakes for her 12 month pictures, Thursday night we went out to dinner as a family to celebrate her birthday. We went to BJ's which is special to us for a few reasons, it's where we had our "gender reveal party" and found out that Brooklynne was a girl, and her initials are BJ, so it's fun, and we love their food!! B was such a good girl and had fun hanging out with us!

Going into BJ's with her birthday hat on!

The birthday girl!

Ready to order her birthday dinner!

in her seat waiting for her food.

mmmm...mini corn dogs (so good) and fries...she was in heaven, notice the little hand grabbing at some grub?!?!

yumm

such a happy baby!

Girl loves her water!

They even brought her a pizookie with a candle in it for her birthday dessert and we sang "Happy Birthday" to her.

She would have eaten the whole thing if we weren't there.

We had her birthday party on Friday night so I spent the whole day getting ready for that. I can't wait to get the pictures back from our photographer and I will do a post once we get them back.

I've been wanting to paint her toe nails for a while but Matt said I had to wait until she was a year old, and now that she is, we painted them...they are so cute!

A couple of months ago a friend from MOPs gave us this car, and we've been keeping it in the shed waiting for her birthday, and man does she love it?! She loves to climb in and out of it and shut the door and honk the horn, it is just so cute!

Sunday we had church then Matt's family came over for lunch then we walked to the frozen yogurt shop with them

She's wondering why had water isn't in the cup holder

I could barely eat any of it myself because she wanted all of it...blackberry cheesecake frozen yogurt with graham cracker crumbs (I want more now)!!

I forgot to bring her jacket so we used Matt's flannel and rolled up the sleeves, she wasn't especially please with the idea.

We had such a wonderful weekend, and I am hoping to post the pictures from her party very soon!

12 Months!

2012-02-19T21:49:00.001-08:00

The little baby is officially 12 months old, aka a 1 year old, aka A TODDLER!!! I can't believe it, it's crazy that my little girl is a one year old, and oh man, she is such fun one year old!!

She walks, officially walks and doesn't have to hold on to things in order to walk.

She eats everything that we eat, which has been wonderful to not have to make different meals for her.

She loves to eat, and will eat most anything and lots of it, this girl can eat! She loves meat (any kind), pasta, tomato sauce, peas, carrots, corn, beans, rice, and I could keep going on and on with this list because that girl eats almost everything and eats so much of it! But her favorite food is bananas.

She nurses two to three times a day and I think we've decided that if she hasn't weaned herself by 18 months old (July) then we will be weaning her.

She is talking all the time but only says a few distinguishable words: dada, mama and nana (banana), and she knows what each of those words mean, but her favorite word is definitely nana.

She loves to play, especially with push toys. She got one for Christmas and one for her birthday and she loves both of them, but really anything she can push is great (use chest at my in laws). She also got a big car for her birthday from us and she is loving it, she especially loves to play in the car and with her new cell phone that she got, girls already learning how to break the law.

As I say every month, she is just a joy to raise and she is so much fun!

We love you little miss!

She really wasn't wanting to take pictures next to the cupcakes because it was way past nap time.

Baby Stats:

Weight:

Birth: 6 lbs. 2 oz.

1 Month: 7 lbs. 12 oz.

2 Months: 8 lbs. 14.5 oz. (weighed at home)

3 Months: 10 lbs. 11 oz.

4 Months: 12 lbs. 6.5 oz.

5 Months: 13 lbs. 6 oz. (weighed at home)

6 months: 14 lbs. 4.5 oz.

7 months: 15 lbs. 3 oz. (weighed at home)

8 months: 16 lbs. 8 oz. (weighed at home)

9 months: 17 lbs. 4 oz. (weighed at home)

10 months: 17 lbs. 10 oz. (weighed at home)

11 months: 17 lbs. 14 oz.

12 months: 19 lbs. 2 oz. (weighed at home)

Height:

Birth: 18 inches

1 Month: 20.5 inches

2 Months: 21.3 inches (measured at home)

3 Months: 23 inches (measured at home)

4 Months: 23.5 inches

5 Months: 24.5 inches (measured at home)

6 months: 25 inches

7 months: 26 inches (measured at home)

8 months: 27 inches (measured at home)

9 months: 27 inches (measured at home)

10 months: 27.5 inches (measured at home)

11 months: 28 inches (measured at home)

12 months: 28 inches (measured at home)

So after a few pictures I knew she wasn't going to get any happier and she kept rolling into the cupcakes I let her have at one, and oh boy, did she ever! She started eating the frosting and then the cake and she became extremely upset with me when I took it away to take the paper off of it. She is such a goof and so much like her mommy...I love anything sweet!!

I can't wait to post pictures from her birthday, and I hope to be able to do that soon (our photographer is editing them).

Happy Birthday Baby B! Mommy and Daddy love you so much!!

11 Months!

2012-02-12T21:37:00.000-08:00

Again, I have really done a poor job on blogging this month. I didn't think that it was going to become as hard as it has, but with working grave shift and Brooklynne and trying to keep my house even slightly clean, blogging has obviously taken a back burner. I still haven't decided what my plans are for the blog, but I hope to have it figured out soon.

Brooklynne will be 12 months old on Thursday and I haven't even posted anything on here yet about her 11 months. She just continues to change every day, it is such a blessing to watch.

She eats and loves everything that we eat, I no longer have to make separate meals for her, which makes things easier.

We love you Brooklynne!

Baby Stats:

Weight:

Birth: 6 lbs. 2 oz.

1 Month: 7 lbs. 12 oz.

2 Months: 8 lbs. 14.5 oz. (weighed at home)

3 Months: 10 lbs. 11 oz.

4 Months: 12 lbs. 6.5 oz.

5 Months: 13 lbs. 6 oz. (weighed at home)

6 months: 14 lbs. 4.5 oz.

7 months: 15 lbs. 3 oz. (weighed at home)

8 months: 16 lbs. 8 oz. (weighed at home)

9 months: 17 lbs. 4 oz. (weighed at home)

10 months: 17 lbs. 10 oz. (weighed at home)

11 months: 17 lbs. 14 oz.

Height:

Birth: 18 inches

1 Month: 20.5 inches

2 Months: 21.3 inches (measured at home)

3 Months: 23 inches (measured at home)

4 Months: 23.5 inches

5 Months: 24.5 inches (measured at home)

6 months: 25 inches

7 months: 26 inches (measured at home)

8 months: 27 inches (measured at home)

9 months: 27 inches (measured at home)

10 months: 27.5 inches (measured at home)

11 months: 28 inches (measured at home)

10 Months!

2012-01-10T15:17:00.000-08:00

Seeing as Brooklynne is almost 11 months old, I figured I really should probably get this post written (man, I am such a slacker lately).

She is such a fun 10 month old and is growing and learning every day. She still loves to say "dada" all day long, emphasizing different parts of the word depending on the time of day. She loves to eat, eating four to five solid meals and still nursing two to three times a day (four if I'm lazy).

Brooklynne still takes two naps a day, and gets grumpy if she doesn't get one of them (I do too). She loves toys that she can sit on and ride, and she likes to move a lot. She's constantly standing and gliding along the furniture, and she has become quite good at standing in one spot for a while without holding anything and without shaking.

We love you little miss!

Baby Stats:

Weight:

Birth: 6 lbs. 2 oz.

1 Month: 7 lbs. 12 oz.

2 Months: 8 lbs. 14.5 oz. (weighed at home)

3 Months: 10 lbs. 11 oz.

4 Months: 12 lbs. 6.5 oz.

5 Months: 13 lbs. 6 oz. (weighed at home)

6 months: 14 lbs. 4.5 oz.

7 months: 15 lbs. 3 oz. (weighed at home)

8 months: 16 lbs. 8 oz. (weighed at home)

9 months: 17 lbs. 4 oz. (weighed at home)

10 months: 17 lbs. 10 oz. (weighed at home)

Height:

Birth: 18 inches

1 Month: 20.5 inches

2 Months: 21.3 inches (measured at home)

3 Months: 23 inches (measured at home)

4 Months: 23.5 inches

5 Months: 24.5 inches (measured at home)

6 months: 25 inches

7 months: 26 inches (measured at home)

8 months: 27 inches (measured at home)

9 months: 27 inches (measured at home)

10 months: 27.5 inches (measured at home)

Friday Photo Dump

2012-01-06T21:40:00.000-08:00

Friday Photo Dump

Friday Photo Dump photos are taken on the Instagram iPhone app (free) and dropped into a 4x4 collage. I am "annalisaj" on Instagram if you want to follow the feed.

Our Christmas

2012-01-03T15:06:00.000-08:00

It's obviously been a while since I posted, but with the holidays, work, baby and everything else, I've been extremely busy so I apologize for my lacks of posts!

We had a wonderful Christmas and New Years, so let me fill you in on what we've been up to!

The week before Christmas we took Brooklynne back to Bass Pro Shop to get pictures with Santa, and it was a lot of fun. Even though it was 3 days before Christmas, it wasn't too busy, we only had to wait for a half an hour before we got to see him. Again, Brooklynne did such a good job and loved sitting on his lap.

Our lovely Christmas tree!

Brooklynne's cookies, milk and thank you not for Santa, and our little girl on Christmas eve by the tree.

Barley on Christmas morning checking out the goodies from his stocking...he was the cutest thing, and so excited about each and every thing in the stocking!

my father in law and I got to sing a duet on Christmas morning for church, here's the link if you want to watch the video:

I decided to just leave B in her Christmas jammies for church because they were so cute! She loves playing with her daddy!!

We waited to open presents until almost 1 pm because Matt's brother's fiance wasn't able to come until then, so by the time she got there, it was time for Brooklynne to go down for a nap. We opened presents and then when B woke up she opened hers. She got her very first Ken doll and so many other fun things, Santa brought her some awesome presents too including the Little People Nativity Scene (which I was really hoping she would get).

I worked Christmas night and luckily it wasn't too busy (yay for Holiday pay)

We saw Sherlock Holmes on Monday morning, it was so good!!

four generations

We drove to Fresno on Tuesday morning and got to spend some time with the family down there, and it was so nice, I absolutely love the family that I've been blessed to marry into!

Brooklynne got a new toy from Matt's aunt, and she is loving it more than anything ever!!

We got to spend this last weekend in Concord at my parents house. We celebrated Christmas on Saturday morning

Christmas breakfast

My dad read the Christmas story and then we opened presents.

Saturday afternoon we went to the Oakland zoo and it was so much fun! Brooklynne loved seeing all the animals. We saw the lions, tigers, monkeys, birds, snakes, a warthog, goats, zebras, elephants, camels, giraffes, alligators, and so many others! She absolutely loved the petting zoo area and got to pet the goats and sheep (the pygmy goats are so cute!).

This is how Baby B stayed warm.

I love how our Christmas card turned out!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year, I hope you all had wonderful holidays!!

Friday Photo Dump {18}

2011-12-16T12:45:00.000-08:00

Happy Friday!!

Friday Photo Dump photos are taken on the Instagram iPhone app (free) and dropped into a 4x4 collage. I am "annalisaj" on Instagram if you want to follow the feed.

42 and 43 Weeks!

2011-12-16T12:06:00.000-08:00

yes I know these are a little late.

Yes I did feel a need to get them up before her 10 month post later today.

yes i do love all of my readers and I apologize for my lack of blogging...life, it gets in the way sometimes!!

Recipe: Peppermint Bark Cookies

2011-12-16T11:43:00.000-08:00

These all got eaten before I was able to get a good picture of them, so I hope to make another batch tomorrow and I'll get a better picture!

These are so yummy, a double chocolate chip cookie with white chocolate drizzle and peppermint on top, yumm!

Start by creaming the butter until smooth then add the sugars and beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes.

Next add the flour, baking soda and salt to the butter and sugar mixture, beat until combined. Add the eggs, beating in one at a time, then add the cocoa powder and vanilla.

Add the chocolate chips (I use only a cup of chocolate chips so that I can taste the delicious cookie as well).

Drop by spoonful onto a pan, or use a cookie scoop so that they're all uniform.

Place candy canes in a zip top bag crush them until they're in small chunks.

crush them until they're in small chunks.

Melt your white chocolate morsels until they're warm and smooth. Drizzle on top of the cookies, only doing a few at a time, quickly top with a small sprinkling of the peppermint.

Allow the chocolate to set completely.

This is my personal recipe, so please reference back to my blog if you use it!

Peppermint Bark Cookies

makes 40-2 inch cookies

1 cup butter, softened
3/4 cup white sugar
3/4 cup brown sugar
1 cup bread flour
1 1/2 cup all purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
2 Tbsp cocoa powder
2 eggs
1 Tbsp vanilla extract
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 standard size Candy Canes
1/2 cup White Chocolate Morsels

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees. Beat the butter until smooth, add the sugars and beat until fluffy. Add the bread flour to the butter mixture, followed by the baking soda and salt, beat until combined. Add the eggs, beating in one at a time, add the remaining flour, then the cocoa powder and vanilla. Pour in the chocolate chips. Allow the batter to rest for 5-10 minutes

2. Drop by tablespoon onto a parchment lined pan, or a pan sprayed with non-stick spray. Bake for 12 minutes, or until the centers or just cooked, do not over bake!

3. Place the candy canes in a zip top bag and crush them until you have small chunks of candy cane. Melt the white chocolate in the microwave until melted and smooth. Drizzle the chocolate unto the cookies, only doing 2 or 3 at a time and quickly sprinkle them with the peppermint (the chocolate cools fast, so work quickly). Allow them to set until the chocolate is completely cooled. Enjoy!

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net

www.adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

www.todayscreativeblog.net

www.tipjunkie.com

www.allthingzrelated.blogspot.com

www.sugarbeecrafts.com

www.abcand123learning.com

www.makingtheworldcuter.com

www.skiptomylou.org

www.madincrafts.blogspot.com

www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com

www.craftomaniac.blogspot.com

www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com
www.naptimecrafters.blogspot.com
www.vintagewannabee.blogspot.com
www.letbirdzfly.blogspot.com
www.askannamoseley.com

www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com 

Tutorial Tuesday: Festive Trees

2011-12-13T11:10:00.000-08:00

For todays tutorial I stole the idea from my lovely friend, Leslie. I bought some party hats from the dollar store, but you can buy them anywhere...however, the 8 pack at Hobby Lobby was $3.99, while the 8 pack at DS was only...A DOLLAR, so if you have a DS, go there! I used some things I had around the house, and then bought a few things. For decor that I'm making for Christmas I'm sticking with red and white for my house, with a few hints of aqua thrown in here and there.

Supplies:

Paper party hats

Decorations: yarn, felt, fabric, pom pom balls, anything really.

Hot Glue

Start by glueing the edges of the cone together so it stays in one piece.

Start glueing pompoms on in your desired pattern, continue glueing till you fill up the entire cone.

Put one end of the yarn into the top of the cone and glue.

Start wrapping the yarn around the cone and glue every few inches.

Glue the end of the yarn on the inside of the cone.

Take your fabric or ribbon and wrap it around the cone, starting at the bottom and glue it down to the cone in the pattern of your choice.

I glued a pompom to the top because I couldn't get the fabric tight enough on top, but it's not my favorite.

Use you imagination to make all sorts of fun trees in different colors and sizes, I'm going to check my other dollar store for larger hats. This was a fun, quick project that children would love!!

Great news...we're going to be getting a new camera, so you won't have to be forced to look at horrible phone pictures anymore...yay!!!!

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net

www.adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

www.todayscreativeblog.net

www.tipjunkie.com

www.allthingzrelated.blogspot.com

www.sugarbeecrafts.com

www.abcand123learning.com

www.makingtheworldcuter.com

www.skiptomylou.org

www.madincrafts.blogspot.com

www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com

www.craftomaniac.blogspot.com

www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com
www.naptimecrafters.blogspot.com
www.vintagewannabee.blogspot.com
www.letbirdzfly.blogspot.com
www.askannamoseley.com

www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com 

Our weekend update

2011-12-12T19:22:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful/busy weekend. Thursday evening my mom brought my sisters three kids over while I taught a candy demo class. Once I got home she left, and we put Brooklynne down for bed in our room because the kids were in her room. Matt and I went to bed at 11:30 and she woke up as soon as we walked in and she wanted to play. By 1:30 she was still wide awake and I didn't want her random outbursts to wake up the others, so I packed her into the car (Matt stayed with the kids) and we drove to my starbucks and got hot chocolate. I had been hoping the drive over would have put her to sleep, but she was just as awake as before. We went to wal mart and walked around for an hour and she did not rub her eyes once. We drove home and when I got there, my sisters youngest was awake and screaming, I got him calmed down and Brooklynne still wouldn't go to sleep. She finally conked out after two more trips around the block in the car. Needless to say, we didn't get a whole lot of sleep that night.

Friday morning we drove over to Bass pro shop to get pictures with Santa.

Saturday we had super yummy breakfast to celebrate my moms birthday, then I left for choir rehearsal. I had my choir performance at 3, which went so well. Saturday night we went to dinner with Matt's family and then came home.

On Sunday we went to the Vacaville outlets with Matt's parents and stayed there all day, we had the best time!!

We got ice cream sundaes from fentons that night and then came back home. We had such a good weekend!!

Sorry I was MIA last week, my computer is not working right now.

Our Weekend Update {14} picture overload

2011-12-04T22:06:00.001-08:00

Well the first weekend of December is officially over. We got a few Christmas things done this weekend, the tree is up and decorated (it's been up since Monday),

Brooklynne's baby tree in her room is up and decorated

I'm really excited about her little tree and she gets a huge smile on her face when she sees it in her room. Matt got most of the lights put up on the outside of the house and we got a little bit of Christmas shopping done.

On Friday, Brooklynne and I took our friends Whitney and Katarina out to breakfast at the waffle shop and we had such a great time! Kat is so much fun and a big goof, B watched her play with the creamer!

Friday evening we ran some errands

just putting her feet up

and then decided to go to Fresh Choice for dinner, and oh my goodness, it is not what I remember it was when I was little.

It was absolutely horrible!! The tossed salads were wilted, the lettuce was brown and soaking, the pizza was dry, potatoes shriveled, and cookies so hard they almost broke my tooth. There were probably 10 people in there including us on a Friday night, and it seemed like they hadn't remade any of the food for 3 or 4 hours. I decided to ask for our money back, and the cashier didn't seem too shocked when I told her the reason.

We went over to Black Bear Diner for dessert and got the blackberry cobbler a la mode, which was delicious!

Saturday morning we walked over to church for the Angel Breakfast, which is just for families with children under second grade.

We were served breakfast by angels

and then we got to make a craft, which Brooklynne wasn't really in to.

so Matt made it instead, it's a nativity scene.

love my little girl

After the craft we got to go see animals, and she loved them!! There were ducks, chickens, a pig, goats, sheep bunnies, and even a donkey.

This little chicken had the face of a vulture, it was pretty terrifying.

Brooklynne even got to meet the three wisemen

and Mary and Joseph.

We went to the Farmers Market with Matt's parents that afternoon and saw a bunch of Santas playing ukeleles.

Sunday I went to church by myself (B was napping and Matt was sick). We spent most of the afternoon just hanging out, and it was so nice.

We love this time of year and it's so much fun decorating for it!!

Friday Photo Dump {17}

2011-12-02T07:33:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday!!

Friday Photo Dump photos are taken on the Instagram iPhone app (free) and dropped into a 4x4 collage. I am "annalisaj" on Instagram if you want to follow the feed.

Recipe: Peppermint Bark Fudge

2011-12-02T00:08:00.001-08:00

Hey everyone Happy December, until today I haven't had success with fudge, the first time I made it, it turned out crazy hard, with the second time being very grainy. This batch turned out great, smooth, creamy and easy to make!

Let's get started

Start by melting the sugar, marshmallow cream, evaporated milk, salt and butter together over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, do not overcook.

Remove from the heat and pour in the chocolate, stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla.

Place foil in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth it around the pan.

Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm.

Remove from the pan and cut the edges off (if desired) so it is even all around. Cut the fudge into 36 even pieces.

In a small microwave save dish, melt the white chocolate and pour into a decorating bag. Snip the end and squeeze in a zig-zag pattern on the top of the fudge. Top with the crushed candy canes right after you put the chocolate on top.

Enjoy.

Peppermint Bark Fudge

makes 36 pieces

Ingredients:

1 (7 ounce) jar marshmallow cream

1 1/2 cup white sugar

2/3 cup evaporated milk

1/4 cup butter

1/4 tsp salt

2 cups milk chocolate chips

1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

1 tsp vanilla

1/3 cup white chocolate

1-2 candy canes, crushed

Directions:

1. Start by melting the sugar, marshmallow cream, evaporated milk, salt and butter together over medium heat. Bring to a boil and cook for 5 minutes, stirring constantly, do not overcook.

Remove from the heat and pour in the chocolate, stir until chocolate is melted and mixture is smooth. Stir in vanilla.

2. Place foil in the bottom of an 8x8 baking dish and spray with cooking spray. Pour the mixture into the prepared pan and smooth it around the pan. Chill in the refrigerator for 2 hours, or until firm. Remove from the pan and cut the edges off (if desired) so it is even all around. Cut the fudge into 36 even pieces.

3. In a small microwave save dish, melt the white chocolate and pour into a decorating bag. Snip the end and squeeze in a zig-zag pattern on the top of the fudge. Top with the crushed candy canes right after you put the chocolate on top.

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net

www.adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

www.todayscreativeblog.net

www.tipjunkie.com

www.allthingzrelated.blogspot.com

www.sugarbeecrafts.com

www.abcand123learning.com

www.makingtheworldcuter.com

www.skiptomylou.org

www.madincrafts.blogspot.com

www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com

www.craftomaniac.blogspot.com

www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com
www.naptimecrafters.blogspot.com
www.vintagewannabee.blogspot.com
www.letbirdzfly.blogspot.com
www.askannamoseley.com

www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com 

41 Weeks!

2011-11-30T20:51:00.001-08:00

Brooklynne is 41 weeks old today, and she has a cold, it's sad to see her with such a runny nose, but luckily she has a good attitude about it.

She is really trying to stand all by herself while holding on to nothing.

She's so much fun!!

Tuesday Tutorial: Tomato Cage Advent Calendar

2011-11-30T14:57:00.000-08:00

I knew I needed to get this project done and posted before the 1st, and I guess I'm cutting it a little close. I changed this a little from my original idea because Hobby Lobby didn't have what I needed (did you know they order once for Christmas, and that's it...for all Christmas stuff!) (they're out of most of their Christmas stuff and it's not even December). I had wanted to use the plastic ornaments that separate in half and then have candy or a present in each one, but I think I might do that next year for B. Anyways, with that all out of the way, let's get started.

Here's what you'll need:

Materials:

Tomato Cage (Lowe's was the only place to have them right now)

Ornaments (I used cheapy plastic ones)

Glitter Glue

Thin Ribbon

Think Wire Ribbon (optional and not pictured)

Spray Paint

Tree Topper

Wire Ornament Hangers (not pictured)

First you will want to cover your surface with newspaper. Stand up your tomato cage with the pokey legs up, take your spray paint and spray it well, allow to dry for 15 minutes. Turn upside down and spray the undersides of the cage, then stand it up again and let dry for at least 2 hours.

Number your ornaments using the glitter glue, or you could use acrylic or if you have a fancy cutter you could cut out vinyl. If you want you can dress up the topper a bit (we got this at IKEA last year, and I didn't like it on the tree). Pull the three legs of the tomato cage together and push the topper onto the legs.

Cut an 8 inch length of the thin ribbon and tie it in a bow on the ornament. Slide the ornament hook onto the ornament and hang on the tomato cage. Take a 24 inch length of thick ribbon and tie it in a bow beneath the topper. Stand back and gaze at the beauty.

You could do so many things with this, wrap the cage in Christmas lights, wrap it with tinsel or garland, have fun with different colors and many more things!

Go get crafty!!

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net

www.adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

www.todayscreativeblog.net

www.tipjunkie.com

www.allthingzrelated.blogspot.com

www.sugarbeecrafts.com

www.abcand123learning.com

www.makingtheworldcuter.com

www.skiptomylou.org

www.madincrafts.blogspot.com

www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com

www.craftomaniac.blogspot.com

www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com
www.naptimecrafters.blogspot.com
www.vintagewannabee.blogspot.com
www.letbirdzfly.blogspot.com
www.askannamoseley.com

www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com 

Tutorial Tuesday

2011-11-29T18:42:00.001-08:00

Hi everyone, today's tutorial will be posted tomorrow. I'm so sorry for my horrible blogging, but I will be better, but for now, I am off to work. Thanks for understanding!!

Annalisa

Weekend Update {13}

2011-11-28T16:52:00.001-08:00

Hello everyone, and sorry for being gone for so long! We had a wonderful Thanksgiving up in Oregon, and it was such a blessing to see some of my family. I worked on Wednesday night and got home at 4:30 Thursday morning, we finished packing up and headed out at six. Brooklynne did really well on the six hour drive, but we stopped in Redding so she could have her oatmeal and we could get re-energized.

We got to The Running Y Ranch in Oregon at about one and I started cooking right away! I made the turkey, stuffing and mashed potatoes, and everything was soo yummy!!

We ate Thanksgiving dinner at 6 that night and it was great to be with a lot of my family. I decided to feed Brooklynne from the table for Thanksgiving instead of making separate food for her, and she LOVED it all! I gave her mashed potatoes, yams, turkey, stuffing and cranberry sauce and she ate it all up!

B's Thanksgiving dinner

Brooklynne's Thanksgiving t-shirt

Friday morning I worked at the gym at the resort and then we went ice skating, and B was so cute all bundled up.

Brooklynne hung out with Poppie while we all ice-skated

Isaac loved skating with Uncle Matt.

Saturday morning, the kids all painted pictures for my moms wall

She loved it for a little while

and then hated it.

My brother and his family left Saturday afternoon and then we went on a walk

We left Sunday morning and it was so sad to say goodbye to everyone.

Matt drove the entire way home (thanks babe), and we got to stop at Ikea.

Brooklynne had her very first completely processed meal, mac n' cheese, and we bought some fun Christmas presents for her.

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving but we wish our whole family could have been there (missed the Masons and the Taylors)!

With four families there not one of us brought a real camera, just iPhone cameras, so not a single family picture was taken.

40 Weeks and where I've been

2011-11-27T14:01:00.001-08:00

I'm sorry I've been MIA for the majority of the week, with work and Thanksgiving, I haven't been able to write anything. I worked the graveyard shift Monday-Wednesday, then Matt, B and I headed up to Oregon on Thursday morning, but I will write more on that tomorrow in our weekend update.

At 40 weeks, Brooklynne loves to swim in pools, play with big kids and blow zerberts on my shoulders. She's biting all the time now, and not just me, she bite Matt's fingers. When she's about to be fed and her pacifier is still in her mouth, she'll spit it out so she can open her mouth. swim in pools, play with big kids and blow zerberts on my shoulders. She's biting all the time now, and not just me, she bite Matt's fingers. When she's about to be fed and her pacifier is still in her mouth, she'll spit it out so she can open her mouth.

Our Weekend Update {12}

2011-11-20T23:11:00.001-08:00

This weekend was wonderful! It started on Friday evening with Matt staying home with little B while I got to go hang out with some ladies!! I'm involved with MOPS at a local church and one of the ladies hosted a craft night at her house, and it was a blast! There was about 20 of us that were there and it was so nice to have lady time and not worry about what B was doing or getting in to.

I had such a wonderful time and didn't get home till 12:15 that night (oops, sorry for not calling you, Matt).

This is the face I woke up to on Saturday morning...beautiful!

The majority of Saturday was spent baking and cleaning the house for the baby shower that evening. Brooklynne took a long afternoon nap and then my mother in law picked her up and she stayed at their house for the afternoon and evening (thank you so much!).

The party started at 7, and their we had 3 couples over so there was 8 of us and it was such a delight! We started the evening by having dessert, I made vanilla cupcakes with strawberry filling, pumpkin whoopie pies, lemon cake pops, s'mores pops and mini pecan pies, and everyone loved all of it!

After dessert we started our first "game," each couple got a piece of fabric in a cape shape along with black and white puff paint and they had to decorate them for baby Dirk because every little boy wants to be a Super Hero!

I was a bit nervous about what the boys were going to think, but they loved it, in fact all the boys did the majority of the decorating (Matt did ours...the crazy orange one).

For the second game we split into two teams, boys and girls. Each team got a bowl full of different candy bars and had to write a story about Dirk, it could be anything. Both stories were a lot of fun and very different! Philip opened the presents and then we hung out a little longer and people went home. It was a wonderful evening, but quite and exhausting day!

We skipped out on Skipped out on Sunday school again (I think I'm liking this a bit too much) and spent a few minutes at Starbucks enjoying some breakfast.

Brooklynne was with us in church (not my fav), but didn't want to be quiet, so Matt took her out into the lobby where she climbed the stairs for the first time, here's a video of it:

After church we went to lunch with Matt's family and then headed home, Matt's brother Evan came with us. They watched the football game and then played video games all afternoon and it was nice to have him here hanging out with us. He went home at 9, and we went to bed soon after.

It was such a wonderful weekend, but I am super excited to see half of my family this Thursday!!!

Friday Photo Dump {16}

2011-11-18T10:55:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday!!

Recipe: Rustic Pumpkin Tartlets

2011-11-17T20:31:00.001-08:00

I was craving pumpkin pie the other day, but I really didn't want to make an entire pie (I would eat the entire pie), so I made some pumpkin tartlets instead, and they were super yummy!

Start by mixing the powdered sugar and flour together, cut the cold butter in with a pastry blender or two knives, you could also pulse it in a food processor, you want the butter and flour to resemble course crumbs.

Add in the ice water, a tablespoon at a time gently mixing to combine. Add enough water to make a stiff dough that is not sticky.

These are the tart shells and the cookie cutter I used.

Mix the pumpkin puree, brown sugar and spices, whisk to combine. Cook over medium heat until thick, about 5 minutes. Add the milk, cream and vanilla, whisk to combine and heat until just simmering and remove from heat.

Press dough into each tart shell and up the sides, press a piece of foil on top of the dough, and bake for minutes at 375 degrees for five minutes.

Crack the eggs into a blender and mix for 5 seconds. With the blender running, slowly add half of the hot pumpkin mixture. Stop the blender and add the remaining pumpkin mixture and blend until uniform, about 30 seconds longer. Poor the hot mixture into the the shells and bake at 400 degrees for 10 minutes.

Roll out a small amount of dough and cut leaves out of the dough. Use a knife to imprint "veins" into each leaf. Once the tartlets have baked for 10 minutes, remove from the oven and place the leaves on the top of each one and bake for 10-15 minutes longer or until the centers are set.

Allow to cool and enjoy!

You can also top with a dollop of whipped cream for a special treat!

Rustic Pumpkin Tartlets

makes 14

Dough:

1/2 cup butter, cold

1 1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup powdered sugar

ice water

Filling:

7 ounces pumpkin puree

1/2 cup packed dark brown sugar

1 tsp ground ginger

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/4 tsp ground nutmeg

1/4 tsp salt

1/8 tsp ground cloves

1/3 cup heavy cream

1/3 cup whole milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

2 large eggs

1. Combine the flour, sugar and butter in a bowl and cut the butter into the flour using a pastry blender, two knives or pulse in a food processor until the mixture resembles course crumbs. Add the water, 1 tablespoon at a time until you have a stiff, but soft dough. Preheat your oven to 375 degrees and place a walnut sized amount of dough in each tart shell, press into the bottom and up the sides. Place a piece of foil on top of each piece of dough, bake for 5 minutes and remove foil. Roll out a small amount of dough and cut out leaves from the dough, make "veins" in them with a knife if desired.

2. Whisk together the pumpkin puree, brown sugar, spices and salt until completely combined. Place in a saucepan over medium heat and cook for 5 minutes or until thick, stirring often. Add the milk, cream and the vanilla and whisk to combine. Cook just until it starts to bubble.

3. In a blender or food processor, process the eggs until uniform, about 5 seconds. With the blender running, add half of the hot pumpkin mixture and blend until combined. Stop the blender and add the rest of the pumpkin and process 30 seconds longer. Increase the oven temperature to 400 degrees.

4. Immediately pour the hot pumpkin mixture into the tart shells, bake for 10 minutes and remove. Place the dough leaves on the top of each tart and bake for 10-15 minutes more, or until the center is set. Allow to cool before serving.

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net
www.somewhatsimple.com
www.firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com
www.creationsbykara.com
www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com
www.somedaycrafts.blogspot.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net
www.sewwoodsy.com
www.ladybehindthecurtain.com
www.wearethatfamily.com
www.creationcorner.blogspot.com
www.theshabbycreekcottage.com
www.everydaytastes.com
www.houseofhepworths.com
www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com
www.sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com
www.diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com
www.shanrev.blogspot.com
www.aroundmyfamilytable.com
www.lifeasmom.com
www.aglimpseinsideblog.com
www.momnivores-dilemma.com
www.tidymom.net

9 Months!

2011-11-16T21:02:00.001-08:00

Brooklynne is 9 months old already, that means only 3 months till we have a one year old.

At 9 months Brooklynne can pull herself up on everything, crawl like a crazy person and yell a lot! She uses her pointer finger to point to things. She loves Barley, and plays with him all the time. When holding our hands she can move one foot in front of the other and "walk."

She likes to "help" put her seat belt on in the car seat. She claps if you clap first, she plays drums on everything and she hates to sit still. She loves to glide along the furniture. She nurses 3 times a day and eats 4 solid food meals a day.

She still sleeps through the night, typically going to bed at 7:30 and waking up between 7 and 8, and most days she takes two naps a day still, some days it's only one (those are the hard days).

She has two teeth and she likes to use them a lot, and I expect her to have another one coming in soon.

Happy 9 months birthday, sweet girl!

Baby Stats:

Weight:

Birth: 6 lbs. 2 oz.

1 Month: 7 lbs. 12 oz.

2 Months: 8 lbs. 14.5 oz. (weighed at home)

3 Months: 10 lbs. 11 oz.

4 Months: 12 lbs. 6.5 oz.

5 Months: 13 lbs. 6 oz. (weighed at home)

6 months: 14 lbs. 4.5 oz.

7 months: 15 lbs. 3 oz. (weighed at home)

8 months: 16 lbs. 8 oz. (weighed at home)

9 months: 17 lbs. 4 oz. (weighed at home)

Height:

Birth: 18 inches

1 Month: 20.5 inches

2 Months: 21.3 inches (measured at home)

3 Months: 23 inches (measured at home)

4 Months: 23.5 inches

5 Months: 24.5 inches (measured at home)

6 months: 25 inches

7 months: 26 inches (measured at home)

8 months: 27 inches (measured at home)

9 months: 27 inches (measured at home)

39 Weeks!

2011-11-16T10:06:00.001-08:00

Daughter, you are getting old. She just keeps getting bigger, and it's so much fun. I love looking over at her while she's standing up hanging on to something because she looks so tall. She loves to crawl all over the place and yell, she seems to like to yell all the time.

She has started biting me while she nurses, and holy smokes it hurts to bad. I've been told to just flick her face if she does it to eventually teach her not to do that, but the two times I've done that she gives me this completely shocked face and then starts crying in the saddest sounding cry ever, like I've hurt her and she doesn't know why I would. It's really sad.

She's also 9 months old today, so I will post her stats later this afternoon!

love you sweetness!

Tuesday Tutorial: Holiday Tags

2011-11-15T15:55:00.001-08:00

I am throwing a baby shower for my friend this weekend and while I was making some tags for the dessert bar, I figured I would show you all the easy tools I am using to make them! For editing pictures I usually use the website Picnik, and I love it! It has a free option, but I decided to buy the premier package for $24.95 a year so that I had more options with it. Let's get started

For this project you will need:

Materials:

Lollipop Sticks

Thick Paper (scrapbook)

Glue Gun

Glue Stick

Scalloped Paper Punch

Circle Paper Punch

It is not necessary to have the paper punches if you don't have them, you will just need to cut out the paper.

Start by opening up a "collage." I made mine 2 by 3, but with the basic plan you can only do 2 by 2. Change the page color to white and press "done."

You will then be taken to the Edit page, click on Stickers and choose the stickers that you want to use, I used Thanksgiving themed stickers.

I also made tags for some presents

I started with a rectangle and changed it to brown.

I then took another rectangle, changed it to white and put it on the inside of the bigger triangle, so it made a border.

I again used Thanksgiving themed stickers and added some text. I love the way this one turned out.

Print them up onto a sheet of light colored thick paper. For the small images, cut them into strips so the puncher can get around each image. I simply cut the rectangles out with scissors.

Use the glue stick and glue the round onto the scalloped round.

Apply a strip of hot glue on the center back of the round, press one of the lollipop sticks into the glue and hold to set. Apply glue to the back of the lollipop stick and press a second scalloped circle onto the glue (make sure you line up the images correctly).

You can use these in a cupcake, a tart, a pumpkin (as a place setting), or anything you want.

For the tag I glued it to a piece of ribbon and wrapped it around to pumpkin tartlets in a cello bag.

These would be perfect for Christmas tags for gifts and they would be customized to how you want them.

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net

www.adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

www.todayscreativeblog.net

www.tipjunkie.com

www.allthingzrelated.blogspot.com

www.sugarbeecrafts.com

www.abcand123learning.com

www.makingtheworldcuter.com

www.skiptomylou.org

www.madincrafts.blogspot.com

www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com

www.craftomaniac.blogspot.com

www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com
www.naptimecrafters.blogspot.com
www.vintagewannabee.blogspot.com
www.letbirdzfly.blogspot.com
www.askannamoseley.com

www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com 

Our Weekend Update {11}

2011-11-14T10:42:00.001-08:00

We had so much fun this weekend, we started off our Saturday by going to the gym (we usually just go Monday-Friday). I took a new class called Piloxing which is a combination of Pilates and Boxing, it was a lot of fun! While I took that class, Matt played racquetball with his friend, Ted and then they took the Intro to Zumba class with me afterwards. It was a lot of fun even though I've taken a few Zumba classes before, but it was even more fun to catch glimpses of Matt dancing...he was such a good sport!

After the gym we went over and watched Matt's brother play his last soccer game of the season, then the whole family headed over to Costco. We got some groceries, and we got lunch (mmm...Costco pizza)!

Sunday we decided to play hooky from Sunday school and picked up some donuts then went to Starbucks for coffee (well, coffee for me not for Matt), it was wonderful!

Brooklynne wanted his drink!

Matt was using my wallet to slide across the table and Brooklynne thought it was the coolest thing ever.

We went to church after coffee and after church we went to Matt's parents for lunch and ended up staying for the entire afternoon and got home at 9 last night, and we had such a great time!

Matt and I are hosting a baby shower for my friend this coming Saturday so I am busy working on stuff for the shower this week, and I have lots of hours at Starbucks! Can't wait for Thanksgiving and seeing some of my family next week!!

Friday Photo Dump {15}

2011-11-11T08:46:00.001-08:00

Happy Friday!!

Recipe: Apple Spice Sandwich Cookies

2011-11-10T16:03:00.001-08:00

I don't always bake from scratch, in fact I really like using boxed cake mix (BCM)...I think it's a great tool, and people seem to have such a negativity to it even though it's just pre-measured ingredients. What I love about BCM is that it's dependable and the same every time. With that said, I never use BCM in it's original state, I always add other things to it then what the back of the box calls for. But don't think it's the only thing I use for cake, because I do often make cakes from scratch. The main brand of BCM that I use is Betty Crocker, I like it's flavor and texture best, I do not like the taste of Duncan Hines and I hate the texture of Pillsbury. The only time I will use Duncan Hines is if I'm making something for my brother in law because he's allergic to milk and DH is the only one that doesn't have pudding in the mix. With all that said let's get to the yummy cookies.

This is vanilla apple butter that I made, but you can use store bought if you don't have homemade.

Mix together the apple butter, water, oil and egg.

Add the bag of cake mix and beat for 5 minutes or until fluffy.

These are the scoops that I use for cookies, I used the small one for these.

Drop by even spoonfuls onto a parchment covered cookie sheet. Bake for 12-13 minutes at 350 degrees.

Pipe a thin layer of frosting on the bottom of a cookie.

Top with another cookie and lightly squish together.

Apple Spice Sandwich Cookies

Makes 30

Cookies:

1 box yellow cake mix

1/2 cup apple butter

1 egg

1/2 cup water

1/4 oil

Frosting:

4 oz. butter, softened

4 oz. cream cheese, softened

1 tsp vanilla

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

1 tsp cinnamon

1. Preheat your oven to 350 degrees and prepare your baking sheets with parchment paper.

2. In a medium bowl combine the apple butter, egg, water and oil and mix together. Add the cake mix and beat for 5 minutes or until fluffy.

3. Drop the batter by spoonful onto the cookie sheets and bake for 12 to 13 minutes. Allow to cool.

4. For the frosting, combine the butter and cream cheese and beat together. Add the vanilla and cinnamon and beat until combined. Slowly add the powdered sugar and beat until fluffy.

5. Pipe a thin layer of frosting on the bottom of one of the cookies, and place a second cookie on top and gently squish together.

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net
www.somewhatsimple.com
www.firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com
www.creationsbykara.com
www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com
www.somedaycrafts.blogspot.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net
www.sewwoodsy.com
www.ladybehindthecurtain.com
www.wearethatfamily.com
www.creationcorner.blogspot.com
www.theshabbycreekcottage.com
www.everydaytastes.com
www.houseofhepworths.com
www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com
www.sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com
www.diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com
www.shanrev.blogspot.com
www.aroundmyfamilytable.com
www.lifeasmom.com
www.aglimpseinsideblog.com
www.momnivores-dilemma.com
www.tidymom.net

38 Weeks!!

2011-11-09T15:17:00.000-08:00

Brooklynne is getting so big, she's now 266 days old. She's now officially a daddy's girl, it's adorable! If he's home, she's with him. She bumped her head this morning, I picked her up and she reached for him, but I don't blame her, he's pretty great!

She gets around so fast now, it's crazy. Sometimes it seems like her legs are moving faster than her arms because she'll crawl really fast and then almost topple forward, it's so silly!

She ate pasta for the first time over the weekend, which meant that we had our first official family meal where we all ate the same thing, of course our had garlic and salt and pepper in it, but they both had pasta and pumpkin.

Love you, Sweet girl!!

Tuesday Tutorial: Crafty Tuesday

2011-11-08T17:10:00.000-08:00

I had planned a tutorial for today, but this morning my MOPS table met at our leaders house for Crafty Tuesday so I'm going to show you what we made and explain it just in case you want to make it too.

First we made a "Give Thanks" sign (I know, I already have a few) out of two by fours. We painted the pieces and then stuck letters on them that had been cut using a Cricut out of vinyl.

For the next project we made Thanksgiving shirts for our little ones.

We started by pinning the turkeys body to the shirt. The ribbons are 6 inches long and looped then tucked under the turkeys body. Then we zig-zag stitched around the edges, securing the ribbons down and making the edges of the minky fabric from getting un-wound. I then stitched on a piece of orange felt to the front. I'm planning on making a bow to match the shirt for Brooklynne to wear for Thanksgiving.

I had such a fun time crafting with the ladies this morning, and hope you like the things that we made!!

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net

www.adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

www.todayscreativeblog.net

www.tipjunkie.com

www.allthingzrelated.blogspot.com

www.sugarbeecrafts.com

www.abcand123learning.com

www.makingtheworldcuter.com

www.skiptomylou.org

www.madincrafts.blogspot.com

www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com

www.craftomaniac.blogspot.com

www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com
www.naptimecrafters.blogspot.com
www.vintagewannabee.blogspot.com
www.letbirdzfly.blogspot.com
www.askannamoseley.com

www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com 

Our Weekend Update {10}

2011-11-07T10:13:00.000-08:00

We had such a wonderful weekend which started by waking up early on Saturday morning and packing up for the day. We headed over to Matt's parents house, loaded in the cars and drove up to Apple Hill! We had so much fun hanging out and enjoying each others company and of course, eating yummy apple goodies!

I was hoping to see this non-profit again...this wolf was being raised in a 2 bedroom apartment by someone who thought that wolves can be pets...they're huge, people!!

We were planning on bringing the stroller but forgot it and it was very cold, so Matt kept her bundled in his sweatshirt, I'm really glad we at least remembered her hat!!

The apple fritters were as big as dinner plates, and the walkin' pie with cider sauce was so yummy!

Our wonderful family!!

On Sunday we had church and then Brooklynne and I met up with Brittany and her mom and sisters at David's Bridal to help her pick out her wedding dress, we had such a great time. Matt drove back up to Apple Hill with his dad Sunday afternoon because there were 5 pairs of cross country skis at a thrift store but they had closed early. They drove back up to get the skis and they were all still there, so now I have skis and boots...yay, Matt just needs boots.

I worked last night but it was just a short shift. We had a wonderful weekend, but now it's time for B and me to take a nap (grave shift tonight).

Friday Photo Dump {14}

2011-11-04T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!

Recipe: Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

2011-11-03T04:00:00.000-07:00

A while back a friend asked me to make some muffins for her husband, she wanted super yummy cinnamon muffins. I went online and looked at recipes, and the one I decided on called for cinnamon chips, but I couldn't find them anywhere. Last week I was at Winco and I was looking in their Holiday Baking aisle that was set up when I spotted them...Hershey's Cinnamon Chips, so I snagged a few bags. I wasn't i the mood for muffins, but I really wanted to try them out so I decided to make some oatmeal cookies with them, and oh boy, they do not disappoint. I love my oatmeal cookie recipe, and I don't usually put raisins in it, I think the oatmeal by itself is just too delightful! I hope you enjoy it as much as I do!!

Let's get started (sorry, camera still not working...iPhone pictures here)

Start by creaming the butter and sugars together in a mixing bowl until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition, add the vanilla.

Next add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and beat to fully combine, scrape down the sides of the bowl and add the oatmeal, mix well.

mmmm...yummy cinnamon chips

Add the cinnamon chips and mix until just combined. Spoon onto a baking sheet and bake at 350 for 13 minutes. Allow to cool before enjoying!

Oatmeal Cinnamon Chip Cookies

makes about 4 dozen

Ingredients:

1 cup butter, softened

1 cup packed brown sugar

1/2 cup sugar

2 eggs

1 Tbsp vanilla

1 1/2 cups all purpose flour

1 tsp baking soda

1 tsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp salt

3 cups oats

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 350, prepare 2 baking sheets with parchment or waxed paper.

2. Beat together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy, about 5 minutes. Add the eggs one at a time, beating after each addition, add the vanilla.

3. Add the flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt and beat well, scrape down the sides of the bowl. Mix in the oats and cinnamon chips and beat just until combined.

5. Drop by rounded spoonfuls, or by using a cookie scoop, onto your prepared cookie sheets, bake for 11-13 minutes, or until golden brown, cool completely.

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net
www.somewhatsimple.com
www.firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com
www.creationsbykara.com
www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com
www.somedaycrafts.blogspot.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net
www.sewwoodsy.com
www.ladybehindthecurtain.com
www.wearethatfamily.com

www.creationcorner.blogspot.com

www.theshabbycreekcottage.com
www.everydaytastes.com
www.houseofhepworths.com
www.brandyscrafts.blogspot.com
www.sweetpeasandbb.blogspot.com
www.diningwithdebbie.blogspot.com
www.shanrev.blogspot.com
www.time4mommy.com
www.aroundmyfamilytable.com
www.lifeasmom.com
www.aglimpseinsideblog.com
www.momnivores-dilemma.com
www.blondeepisodes.com

www.tidymom.net

Pumpkin Patch and Halloween 2011

2011-11-02T17:12:00.000-07:00

We went to another pumpkin patch so that Matt and I could have pumpkins

Brooklynne loved riding in the wagon

Ducks!

Helping Dad pick out his pumpkin

There was a "corn pool" which is a fun idea except when your kid puts everything in their mouth.

my girl and me.

B and the pumpkins

We carved our pumpkins on Halloween day. Matt came home from work on lunch and I had already cleaned them out and roasted the seeds, so we got to work. He's definitely a lot better at carving pumpkins than I am! Brooklynne just hung out while we carved away!

Our little girl was a little moo cow for Halloween, and she was just so cute! I turned Matt's Giants arm bands inside out and put them on her wrist to look like little hooves, and since she's a girl I put a black and orange bow in her hair that Aunt Juli sent!

The moo crawling around in the grass

Matt was The Gorton's Fisherman and looked awesome! He said he wanted to do something involving his beard since it's longer than it ever has been right now.

We spent the evening at our church because they have a Fall Fun Fair every year, it was a lot of fun!

Hanging out at church and playing with the light saber.

I was a housewife...people said that I didn't really dress up then...whatever.

The family minus Brittany.

We trick or treated on our way home from work and it was so much fun, Matt and I had forgotten how much fun it is.

Matt's pumpkin is the Casper, B's is Minnie, and mine is the crazy man face...like I said, the husband's got some talent! We had such a wonderful Halloween, and B had a lot of fun. I worked that night, but it was so great to spend the evening with my little family.

37 Weeks!

2011-11-02T04:00:00.000-07:00

Brooklynne has two teeth now, both are bottom teeth and they're so cute, but they're still so little...holy crazy pants, my child has teeth.

We had such a wonderful Halloween, I will post pictures later this afternoon, but Brooklynne was such a trooper the whole time!

Love you, precious girl!!

Tuesday Tutorial: "Give Thanks" Sign

2011-11-01T18:56:00.000-07:00

Happy November everyone, since Halloween is over, I thought I'd start working on some Thanksgiving decorations! Sorry todays post is going up so late, I had wanted to get it done over the weekend, but never got the chance. I had seen a picture of a "give thanks" signs a couple months ago made from boards from a pallet, and when Matt brought home a few pallets last week I couldn't wait to make one! I apologize about the photos, our camera stopped working this morning so I had to use my phone

What you'll need:

Materials:

Glue Gun

Fabric (I use old sheets)

Paint Chips (free at the hardware store)

2x4's or boards from a pallet

Glue Stick

Scissors

Four smalls nails

Hammer

Start by making triangles on the backs of 10 of your paint chips. Draw a line at the end, and draw a line on the other end in the middle of the chips. Connect the lines by making a triangle.

Print off letters, or if you're cool, use a Cricut (I'm obviously not that cool). Glue the letters to the back of the chips so the letters are backward, this way when you cut them out they will face the correct way. Glue each letter to a triangle. Take your boards and put glue on one long end, working fast press it into the long end of another board, repeat with the last board. Take the glue gun and fill in the two cracks on the back of the boards.

Take your fabric and cut a long strip, and fold it in half long ways, crease the fold. Use your glue gun and place a strip of glue on the top of one of the flags, press the fabric onto the glue so that the raw edge is covered by the rest of the fabric. Repeat with the rest of the flags for that word. Fold the fabric over the flag twice so the other raw edge is behind, and glue it to the back of the flag, repeat for the second word. Take the nail and nail up each side of the banner. Make some rosettes if you want to put some on the board and glue them in place. You could put a picture holder on the back if you wanted to hang this on the wall, but I didn't want to.

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net

www.adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

www.todayscreativeblog.net

www.tipjunkie.com

www.allthingzrelated.blogspot.com

www.sugarbeecrafts.com

www.abcand123learning.com

www.makingtheworldcuter.com

www.skiptomylou.org

www.madincrafts.blogspot.com

www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com

www.craftomaniac.blogspot.com

www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com
www.naptimecrafters.blogspot.com
www.vintagewannabee.blogspot.com
www.letbirdzfly.blogspot.com
www.askannamoseley.com

www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com 

Our Weekend Update {9}

2011-10-31T09:44:00.000-07:00

This weekend started off with me working the opening shift on Saturday morning from 4-11:30, it was an early morning. Matt brought Brooklynne over to the store while I was on my lunch so that I could feed her, and we got to eat breakfast together which was wonderful! I had a cake due on Sunday morning, so I started working on it when I got home from work, but luckily it wasn't a big cake.

The client picked up the cake on Sunday morning and we went to church, after church we went to the New Members Lunch. We've been going to our church for 3 years now, and Matt has gone there since high school, but we hadn't become members yet. Sunday afternoon Brooklynne was standing in front of the tv console and stepped on a piece of newspaper which slipped out from under her and she fell and hit her head on the corner, which was her first major accident, but man it seems like her favorite thing is standing.

I made SO MUCH chili last night for the chili cook-off at the Halloween party at church tonight, so hopefully it's good.

We had planned on carving pumpkins last night but never got around to it, so Matt's going to come home on his lunch today so we can carve them, which means that I should probably go and get them all cleaned out (ugh).

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

Thanks for the bow, Aunt Juli!

Friday Photo Dump {13}

2011-10-28T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!

Recipe: Petit Vanilla Bean Scones

2011-10-27T04:00:00.000-07:00

Back in September I posted a recipe for Pumpkin Cream Cheese Muffins which was a knock off of a Starbucks bakery item, and today I'm posting another knock off...Petit Vanilla Bean Scones, and oh boy are they yummy! They're a little labor intensive, but so worth it! The texture of these is a little different than the Starbucks ones, these are a bit chewier, while the Starbucks ones tend to be more on the dryer/crumbly side.

Let's get started so you can eat them!!

mmm...yumm!!

First you want to freeze the butter and then grate it on a boxed grater, I know this sounds weird, but it really does make for a yummy scone! Once it's grated, put it back in the freezer to keep it cold.

I usually use whole milk but I was all out, so I mixed 1% with 2 Tablespoons of dry milk and whisked it together, add the sour cream and vanilla bean paste or extract and whisk to combine. Refrigerate until ready to use.

This is the vanilla bean paste I use, and I got it from the local cake supply store.

Whisk together the dry ingredients, flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder and salt until combined.

To the flour mixture add the grated butter and lightly mix it together with your hand just so the butter is all covered in the flour mixture.

Add the milk mixture to the flour and butter and lightly fold together until just combined, but do not overmix. Turn it out onto a well floured counter and knead with your hands 6-8 times adding more flour so it's not sticky.

Shape into a square and roll it out into a long rectangle, fold it in thirds and place on a floured plate and freeze it for 5 minutes, but do not over freeze.

Again, roll it into a rectangle and fold it into thirds. Roll it one more time till it's 6x12". Cut in half length wise to give you 2 "logs" and cut each one into 8-10 triangles.

Place the triangles onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment and brush each with melted butter. Sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool completely.

For the icing, pour the melted butter into a bowl with the powdered sugar. Add the milk and vanilla bean paste/extract and whisk to combine. I recommend whisking until all or almost all of the lumps are gone, otherwise you'll see them on the finished scones.

You can drizzle the icing on each scone or dunk them each into the icing (which is what I did). Allow the icing to set up for at least an hour before you serve them, otherwise it will still be wet.

Enjoy them as breakfast or a snack, or even dessert, any way you eat them, I doubt you'll be able to just eat one!!

Petit Vanilla Bean Scones

makes 16-20 scones

Ingredients:

Scones:

8 Tbsp butter, frozen

1/4 cup whole milk

1/4 cup sour cream or plain yogurt

1 tsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

1 cup all purpose flour

1/4 cup sugar, plus extra for sprinkling

1 tsp baking powder

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 tsp baking soda

Icing:

2 cups powdered sugar, sifted

2 Tbsp butter, melted

1/3 cup milk

1 Tbsp vanilla bean paste or vanilla extract

Instructions:

1. Preheat oven to 425 degrees and line a baking sheet with parchment paper. Freeze the stick of butter in it's wrapper for at least 20 minutes. Grate 6 Tablespoons on a box grater onto a plate, place in the freezer until ready to use. Whisk together the milk and sour cream or yogurt and refrigerate.

2. Whisk the flour, 1/4 cup sugar, baking powder, salt and baking soda together in a bowl. Add the grated butter and toss with your fingers to coat each piece of butter. Fold in the chilled milk with a rubber spatula until just combined, but do not overmix.

3. Turn the dough out onto a well-floured counter, and knead the dough gently 6 to 8 times until it just holds together in a ragged ball, adding additional flour as needed to prevent sticking.

4. Roll the dough into a long rectangle, fold in thirds and place on a floured plate, freeze for 5 minutes but do not over-freeze. Again, roll it into a rectangle and fold it into thirds. Roll it one more time till it's 6x12". Cut in half length-wise to give you 2 "logs" and cut each one into 8-10 triangles. Place the triangles onto a cookie sheet lined with parchment and brush each with melted butter. Sprinkle with the sugar and bake for 10 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool completely.

5. Prepare the icing by combining all the icing ingredients in a bowl and whisk well to combine, making sure to get the lumps out. Either pour the glaze over each scone, or dip each scone in the glaze (the way covers more evenly). Place on a wire cooling rack on top of your parchment lined pan and allow to fully set for at least 1 hour.

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net
www.somewhatsimple.com
www.firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com
www.creationsbykara.com
www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com
www.somedaycrafts.blogspot.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net
www.sewwoodsy.com
www.ladybehindthecurtain.com
www.wearethatfamily.com

www.creationcorner.blogspot.com

www.tidymom.net

36 Weeks!

2011-10-26T04:00:00.000-07:00

Matt mentioned today that Brooklynne has been out of me almost as long as she was in me, and it kind of freaked me out. So far I've been fine with her "growing up." I'm not the type to wish she'd stop getting bigger, that may change once we have our last child, but it hit me when he said that...she is growing up.

We are such a blessed family to have this little girl, to raise her, teach her, instruct her and love her as much as we can!!

This past week has been very interesting. Some days she refuses to take two naps and other days she's fine with two, but no matter what she has been super fussy when going down for her nap, sometimes crying for 20 or 30 minutes before falling asleep. I just hope we can get her back to her normal two naps a day, but we'll see.

She's crawling all over and on all fours instead of on her tummy now and she stood without holding onto anything for 2 seconds...I know it doesn't seem like much, but she's so cute!

Tutorial Tuesday: Cheesecloth Ghosts

2011-10-25T10:38:00.000-07:00

I love Halloween, but I'm not into scary Halloween I just like the fun cute stuff! I wanted to put up some stuff for Halloween today though, so I made some ghosts out of cheesecloth.

You will need:

Materials:

Clothing Starch

Black Felt

Cheesecloth

Glue Gun

Scissors

Fishing Line (not pictured)

Choose some containers and cut your cheese cloth to lay over you container and touch the surface on either side.

Completely submerge the cheesecloth into the liquid clothes starch and squeeze out the excess.

Unfold the cheesecloth and lay it over our containers and allow to dry completely.

Cut out one large oval and two small ovals from your felt and apply hot glue to the back, adhere the pieces to the dry cheesecloth in and eyes and mouth arrangement.

String fishing line to the top and hang wherever you desire!!

So much fun!!

The winner of the giveaway is chosen by random.org is comment #5, Audrey!! Congratulations Audrey, I will be in contact with you to get this mailed out before Halloween!!

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net

www.adiamondinthestuff.blogspot.com
www.thediyshowoff.blogspot.com

www.todayscreativeblog.net

www.tipjunkie.com

www.allthingzrelated.blogspot.com

www.sugarbeecrafts.com

www.abcand123learning.com

www.makingtheworldcuter.com

www.skiptomylou.org

www.madincrafts.blogspot.com

www.creatingreallyawesomefreethings.com

www.craftomaniac.blogspot.com

www.sumossweetstuff.blogspot.com
www.naptimecrafters.blogspot.com
www.vintagewannabee.blogspot.com
www.letbirdzfly.blogspot.com
www.askannamoseley.com
www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com

Now it's time for me to take a nap...I had my first graveyard shift last night and sleeping right now sounds good!! Make sure to come back on Thursday for a super yummy recipe!!

Our Weekend Update {8}

2011-10-24T04:00:00.000-07:00

Our weekend started with me working on Friday night, which ended up being an okay shift, I'm just struggling a bit to learn all the new things that they're doing when I'm still used to doing everything the old way. Saturday, Brooklynne and I ran errands and then my parents came over which was very nice. I made dinner (bruschetta, pot roast, baked potatoes, asparagus and chocolate mousse), and it was so great just to hang out with them!

Avocados were on sale so I bought some to give to Brooklynne because I've been told they are good food to give to babies. She absolutely loved them! Saturday night as Matt and I were about to go to bed (around 11:30) she started crying, and had my parents not been there I would have let her cry for a bit to see if she'd go back to sleep, but I didn't want her to wake them up. Matt went in to check on her and reached in her crib for her paci and stuck his hand in a pile of vomit, she had thrown up all her dinner (avocados make me sick). It was the saddest thing to see her crying and covered in throw up, she looked so scared and confused! Matt took her into the bathroom to clean her up, but it was all in her hair and hurting her eye, so he gave her a bath while I cleaned up the mess. I decided to let her sleep in our bed that night and I barely slept because I was afraid I was going to roll over her, and I kept waking up anytime she made a noise. I'm so glad she doesn't sleep in our room or our bed, because I would get such bad sleep all the time, and I don't think she got very good sleep either. All in all it made for a very interesting night, but I'm glad I wasn't at work!

We decided to play hooky from church and go to the Waffle Shop for breakfast instead, which was mega yummy!

I worked again Sunday night and it went better, I feel like I caught on a little bit better!! We had a pretty good weekend, and it was great to see my parents!!

Don't forget to enter the giveaway, it ends tonight!!!

Another Pumpkin Patch and A GIVEAWAY!!

2011-10-22T04:00:00.000-07:00

Today I am guest posting over at Blissful and Domestic with a tutorial for a Halloween Sign, so if you're visiting from Danielle's Blog, welcome!!

Make sure you scroll down to the bottom of this post to enter to win my very first giveaway!!

I am involved in MOPS at a local church, and on Wednesday we got to visit a pumpkin patch as a group, and it was so much fun!!

Brooklynne was a very good girl while Farmer Veronica explained how broccoli grows.

We even got to plant the broccoli, Brooklynne loved getting her toes in the dirt!

We got to visit the goats, and luckily B didn't get her little fingers chomped off!

We got to make bracelets and sing the "Water Cycle Boogie" while putting on the specific beads.

At the end of our tour everyone got to pick out a pumpkin, but Brooklynne seemed more interested in eating the hay rather than picking out the perfect pumpkin, so I picked one out for her.

We had such a fun time, and we should only have one more pumpkin patch to go to for pumpkins before Halloween!!

Now for the giveaway!! I'm giving away the Halloween sign that I made for the tutorial on Blissful and Domestic:

This giveaway has ended, congratulations to Audrey!

There are three ways to enter to win this giveaway:

1. Follow my blog by clicking the "Join this Site" button on the right and leave a comment on this post saying that you did so.

2. Tweet about this giveaway and leave a comment on this post saying that you did with the link.

3. Post on Facebook about this giveaway and leave a comment on this post that you did.

Make sure you leave your email on your comment so I can contact you if you win!!

~~I will be drawing a random winner on Monday evening to insure that it will get shipped in time for Halloween, so make sure you enter on time and tell your friends!!~~

~~Good luck all!!~~

Friday Photo Dump {12}

2011-10-21T04:00:00.000-07:00

Happy Friday!!

Recipe: Apple Turnovers

2011-10-20T04:00:00.000-07:00

My original plan for todays recipe was to post the pumpkin spice pancakes I made over the weekend, but I knew Matt was really craving some apple turnovers, and I had apples so I made some. These are fairly simple, but result in such a yummy treat! This is my own recipe, so please reference back to me if you use it. I came up with this recipe while Matt and I were dating, almost our entire relationship was long distance and on one of my visits to Southern California I wanted to impress him, so I made turnovers. I don't make them nearly as often as he'd like, but he does appreciate it when I do make them.

Let's get started!

First you'll want to peel your apples, I could have used my apple peeler corer slicer here, but that would have resulted in pieces that were too small. Dice the apples into a small to medium dice, about 1/2 inch, you'll want about 3 cups of apple.

In the bottom of your saucepan, melt the butter and add the apples. Cook, stirring for 30 seconds to a minute, just so the apples get covered in butter. Add the flour, and sugars and stir to combine, it will make it a little thicker. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves and stir completely. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the juices have thickened, remove from the heat and cool.

I use store bought puff pastry, and this one has 2 sheets of dough which means I can big and small turnovers.

Preheat your oven to 400 degrees. Cut the puff pastry in 4 equal squares, I like to use a pizza cutter for this because it cuts it so smoothly and evenly. Whisk together the egg and water in a cup.

If you want to make small turnovers, cut the puff pastry into 9 equal squares (3x3), and continue with the directions below.

Place parchment paper or foil on your cookie sheet. They can leak a bit and covering your cookie sheet will make clean up a breeze!

In the center of one of the squares of puff pastry put a mound (about 1/4-1/3 cup, just a small spoonful if making mini's) of the apple mixture. Brush the two sides closest to you with the egg mixture (use plain water if there's an egg allergy). Fold over the opposite corner of the pastry and press it into the dough, use a fork to crimp the edges and give it a nice seal. Transfer to the cookie sheet.

Using your fork, poke the turnover at least three times so that it has a vent for the steam. Brush the top with the egg mixture and sprinkle with raw sugar, granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar. Bake for 15-18 minutes or until golden, allow to cool on the cookie sheet. Serve warm or completely cooled.

These are perfect for breakfast, snacks or dessert, Matt ate 6 of the mini ones almost as soon as they came out of the oven.

Enjoy!!

Apple Turnovers

Makes 8 large, or 18 small

2 Tbsp butter

3 cups peeled and diced apples

1/2 cup all purpose flour

1/2 cup granulated sugar

1/2 cup brown sugar

1 Tbsp cinnamon

1/2 tsp nutmeg

1/4 tsp cloves

1/4 tsp ginger

1 package puff pastry

1 egg

1 tsp water

raw sugar, granulated sugar or cinnamon sugar

1. Allow the puff pastry to defrost in the refrigerator for 45 minutes.

2. Wash and peel the apples, dice them into a small to medium dice, at about 1/2 an inch. Melt the butter in a medium saucepan and add the apples. Cook, stirring for 30 seconds to a minute, just so the apples get covered in butter. Add the flour, and sugars and stir to combine, it will make it a little thicker. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, ginger and cloves and stir completely. Cook on medium heat for 10 minutes, or until the apples are tender and the juices have thickened, remove from the heat and cool.

3. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Unroll the puff pastry and cut into 4 equal squares, or 9 squares for mini's. Take one square and put 1/4 to 1/3 cup of the apple mixture in the center of the puff pastry. Whisk together the egg and water, brush a small amount of this mixture on the two edges that are closest to you. Fold over the opposite corner down and lightly press the edges together, use a fork, and crimp the edge. Take the fork and poke the turnover at least 3 times to properly vent. Brush the tops with the egg mixture and sprinkle the top with your choice of sugar.

4. Bake at 400 degrees for 15 to 18 minutes, or until golden. Allow to cool on the pan, and serve warm or cold.

I'm linking up with:

www.iheartnaptime.net
www.somewhatsimple.com
www.firefliesandjellybeans.blogspot.com
www.creationsbykara.com
www.nightowlcrafting.blogspot.com
www.somedaycrafts.blogspot.com
www.bluecricketdesign.net
www.sewwoodsy.com
www.ladybehindthecurtain.com
www.wearethatfamily.com

www.creationcorner.blogspot.com

www.tidymom.net

35 Weeks!

2011-10-19T04:00:00.000-07:00

We had a hard day yesterday...since I didn't get paperwork done at work on Monday I went in yesterday for 45 minutes to finish the paperwork, so Brooklynne ended up missing her afternoon nap. We ran some errands after Starbucks and of course she didn't fall asleep then either. She took a 45 minute nap later that afternoon but that was it. She was fussy the entire afternoon which made for a very long one, but luckily it's not a normal occurrence. We have been very blessed with having an easy going little girl!

That last picture with the pacifier is her "I'm sick and tired of taking pictures, Mom" face!!

Tutorial Tuesday: 2x4 Pumpkins

2011-10-18T10:39:00.000-07:00

Again today I am using items from around my house which means I didn't have to buy anything (yay)! I went over to Matt's wood pile and found a few pieces of mismatched wood and decided to make some 2x4 "pumpkins" (Matt said the yellow and red ones are squash, I think they're heirloom pumpkins).

You will need

Materials:

Rafia

Sandpaper Block

Glue Gun

Branches

Paintbrush

Various Sizes of 2x4

Acrylic Paint

Use the sand paper and sand each piece, getting the edges and corners smooth and splinter free.

Using the acrylic paint, paint each block and allow to dry.

Using either a saw or garden shears cut a two to three inch length of branch. Using the sandpaper, smooth the edges and flatten them.