Something Old, Something New, Something "Borrowed", Something {Blue}

We have a new phenomenon in our house...loose teeth. It all started a few months ago when the kids were playing outside. They were doing something they shouldn't have but swore to me they wouldn't get hurt...famous last words. Next thing you know, Hunter hit his mouth on Dallas' head and knocked his front tooth.
He cried for a little bit, but it didn't seem like that big a deal. Then we noticed his front tooth was turning grey...yes grey. I rushed him to the dentist only to find that this is very common in children, and basically it would just get loose and fall out.
Well, this started the new phenomenon. I immediately called my mama, because who else do you call in the state of crisis??? She giggled a little. I then casually and only half way kidding said that she needed to make Hunter a tooth fairy pillow.
You see when my brother and I were little my mama cross-stitched us tooth fairy pillows. I loved mine and had it on my bed for years!
Being the wonderful mama and grandmama that she is she eased my mind and said she'd get to work on it. And of course she did...and did nothing but work on that thing - every night, on vacation, every day...bless her.
A week or two went by and Dallas started kindergarten. The night before she started we discovered that she had a lose tooth. Dallas being Dallas freaked out! She started into hysterics of how she did not want her tooth to fall  out. After calming her down and convincing her that her tooth wasn't going to fall out, she went to sleep. Of course who do I cal...Mama...it's a crisis here. Now both my kids are going to lose teeth...and if you don't know me, know this - I don't do loose teeth.
Mama simply giggled once again and calmed me down...because that's what Mama's do.
A couple of weeks go by and a box shows up in our mailbox. I look at it and it's addressed to Dallas. I help her open it and we both were taken aback. Dallas had received my tooth fairy pillow. Mama Suzy sent her my pillow for when her teeth fall out.
Dallas' reaction was priceless. I will never forget it. We were in the van. She gasped...yes a 5 year old can gasp. She pulled it out and hugged it to her chest. Her response was, "Mommy, Mama Suzy sent me my tooth fairy pillow."
Wait, W.H.A.T.?! Your tooth fairy pillow? That's MY tooth fairy pillow young lady.
Shamefully, yes that was my initial reaction. Luckily it was all inward and I didn't actually say that out loud. Instead I responded "Wow. Isn't it beautiful. I'm so glad you have it. Mama Suzy made that for me when I was a little girl and I'm so happy that you can use it." {Key word here..."use"}
No I'm not stingy and yes it is hers now. But I have to admit there's something about that pillow. It brings back so many memories for me as a child...leaving my teeth in it and seeing what the tooth fairy brought me in exchange.
The back is pink with little rosettes all over it. There's a dainty lace that is part of the trim around it, and the cross-stitched fairy is just beautiful. As a child I cherished that pillow that my mama made me, but now that I could actually pass it on to my daughter I cherish it even more.

Then a few weeks after receiving my old tooth fairy pillow for Dallas, Hunter received a box in the mail. He opened it and the smile that went across his face was priceless. He grabbed his pillow out of the box and carried it around with him for two days...it now has a special place on his bed.
His pillow looks just like the one my brother had including the same blue backing.

Funny thing is, no one has lost a tooth yet. Dallas now has three lose teeth, and she's not quite sure how she feels about that. She loves to think about using the pillow, but she doesn't like to wiggle her teeth or think about them falling out. And Hunter's tooth is still not budging.
We haven't been able to use the tooth fairy pillows as of today but who knows, the time will come, and when it does they will each have their own special pillows to use.

Creamy Chicken Italiano

So, I'm seeing that crockpotting is all the rage these days. Here's one of my families favorites. {Sorry I don't have pictures.}

4 boneless, skinless chicken breasts
1 envelope dry Italian salad dressing mix {I use the Good Seasons kind}
1/4 cup water
8 oz pkg. cream cheese, softened
1 can cream of chicken soup
4 oz. can mushrooms, drained {you can also use fresh mushrooms}

Place chicken in slow cooker.

Combine salad dressing mix and water. Pour over chicken.

Cover, and cook on Low for 3 hours. {I usually forget to thaw out my chicken so I put it in frozen and cook on high for about 5 hours.}

I like to then roughly shred the chicken with two forks.

Mix together the cream cheese and soup until smooth. Stir in mushrooms. Pour over chicken and combine.

Cover. Cook on Low for 1 hour.

Serve over noodles or rice.

**You could add other vegetables if you'd like. I was thinking of adding carrots or peas. I would probably add the carrots in the beginning with the chicken and water mixture and the peas in the end with the mushrooms.

Lima Bean Wreath

I made this new wreath. {I got the inspiration from another blog: http://mylilpinkpocket.blogspot.com/2011/08/lima-bean-wreath.html.}

So, here's what you need:

Styrofoam wreath - I used a 40% off coupon at Michael's and paid a little over $5.00 for it.

2-16 oz bags of dried Lima beans {I used the large Lima beans}

4 big glue sticks {it takes a lot of glue}

Wooden letters {I got mine from Michael's}

Ribbon

Spray paint in gloss finish {use whatever color you want. I used Krylon Ivory}

The first thing you need to do to make this wreath is make sure you have some time and some shows on your DVR to watch. It takes a while..about 2 hours to just put on the Lima beans. Saying that, let's get started.

Heat up your hot glue gun and make sure you have a lot of glue because it takes a lot.

Once the glue gun is heated, place a small dot of glue on each Lima bean and place them along the inside of the wreath.

Keep on gluing around and around all along the inside.

Once you've finished the inside, move on to the outside. Continue with the same gluing and placing along the outside of the wreath.

When you've completed the inside and outside rim, move on to the front. Follow the same procedure...you're not asleep yet are you??? It takes a while and you have to be careful not to burn yourself with the glue {and yes I'm speaking strictly from experience.}

And here we go...All the beans are on...cute huh? Well, there's still more.

Next, you want to take it outside and spray it with whatever color spray paint you've chosen.

I really like the ivory. The beans are already an ivory color, so the paint just adds a gloss to the beans and helps it look a little more 3D to the Styrofoam wreath.

Now, time to decorate. I was looking for an "L" at Michael's to use like Marie did from the "lilpinkpocket". But I couldn't find an L that would work. So, the brain started to think of alternatives...then it hit me...it's football season - ah-ha, here we go.

I spray painted the UGA black and let it dry.

After both the beans and the letters were completely dry, I hot glued the letters onto the wreath.

Last, I used some thick red ribbon I got at Michael's and hung it on the front door.

Is that not the cutest thing ever??? I just love it!

I've been working on another one but can't post the pictures yet...it's a bit of a surprise...shhh.

Hurricanes, Brithday Parties, and Soccer - Oh My...

Even though Hurricane Irene was making landfall in North Carolina on Saturday, we still went forth with our day. We didn't have major weather here. Yes, we had some strong gusts of winds and some rain, but at our house we never lost power or really had any damage. Eric went to the gym while the kids and I hit Target for a short shopping trip.
Dallas had a birthday party for her friend Claire at the dance studio. It was so adorable. Jennifer, Claire's mom {and my good friend}, did a wonderful job getting it all together.

 The food was perfect. Everything was pink. There was pink popcorn, pink chocolate covered pretzel rods, strawberries, candy cane sticks, and pink lemonade.

 She also had these adorable tutus for the girls. She ordered the tutus and then painted some clothes pins pink and added some flowers for decoration. They looked so cute all hanging on the rod for the girls.

 The table was adorned with everything pink and girly. The centerpiece was so cute. Jennifer had also gotten all the girls a princess wand. She put all of them in a vase for the centerpiece. It looked so cute and at the end of the party all the girls got to have one.

And the cake....the cake, was perfect. Another friend of mine, Tara, makes the best cakes.

She made this cake for Claire and her party.

The cake looked just like a ballerina outfit; from the laces up the back to the homemade tulle skirt at the bottom.

And can I just tell you how great it tasted!

Ms. Tracy dressed up with the girls and had a little ballet class for them. The were so cute dancing around the room pretending to be Cinderella and even a swan on Swan lake.

After the party we went home. Eric and I went over to a neighborhood friends' house for an adult party. We had a blast, and can I just tell you that I rocked Flip Cup!

Today we had another birthday party for our sweet little friend, Camille, who turned 3. The kids loved playing at The Little Gym, but unfortunately we had to leave before the cake to make Dallas' first soccer game.

Yes, our little girl, the same one who doesn't like to walk or sweat decided she wanted to try out "outdoor" soccer. I have to tell you, we were a little nervous about how she would do. If you know Dallas, you know why we would be nervous. But I am pleased to tell you that she is doing great. No, she's not the most aggressive player out there. In fact she doesn't really run towards the ball. She runs with the people {most of the time}. But this is her first time out there. And that's what's key here...she's out there. She's not crying, not hanging on our legs, not standing there with her hands in her mouth...she is out there. She has a smile on her face and she is doing what her coach tells her to do. I couldn't be prouder. 

That's my girl, #11. And yes she does have shorts on, her jersey's just too long.

And she has to have pink, so pink socks will do.

Isn't she just the cutest soccer player?

Dallas' personal cheering section

Here she is listening to the coach's directions.

Did I say she wasn't that aggressive?

She makes for a cute defender don't ya think?

Yup, so this is the girl who doesn't like to walk or sweat. Well friends, she did both today. She walked some, but she did run a lot. Sometimes we had to remind her to run after the ball, but she was running, and she was definitely sweating. But that's our girl, she did great!

I sure hope y'all had a great weekend. We had a fun-filled and yet another busy weekend, and we didn't let Hurricane Irene get in our way.

Just a little kid fun

Yesterday I got to do something I have done in about 20 years...I went roller skating. My good friend, Kat, said she was going to take her daughter skating and wanted to know if Hunter and I wanted to go. I've been wanting to try it but knew I couldn't take both of my kids at the same time, so I thought, "sure, why not."
After paying we went to get our skates. Granted they are not as ugly as bowling shoes but they are still pretty ugly. Although, Hunter's were so little they were really cute!

Ella and Hunter were very excited, but had no clue as to what they were getting themselves into....

 The whole time we're putting the kids' and our own skates on, Kat and I were giggling like little school girls.

Once we all had our skates one we began to try and stand..first things first, people. It's been more than 20 years for both of us.
We steadied ourselves and got the kids to their feet and made our way to the rink.
I am pleased to say that once I stepped onto that hard wood floor, it all came back to me.
I could hear Ms. Bobbie Hill's voice in my head. She is the one who taught me how to skate at our elementary school skate parties that we had almost every Friday. As I held Hunter's hands and tried to guide him around the rink, I had so many flashbacks of those days at Thurston Elementary School. The music was the same and the smell of popcorn lingering throughout the place was the same. I was in another happy place.

Hunter and Ella on the other hand looked like little colts trying to learn how to walk minutes after they were born. Their arms and legs were flailing and they couldn't go but a couple of steps without falling down. We were all laughing so hard. It literally took us 15 minutes to make it around the rink...once.
But after a little while they really caught on. There were a few times (toward the end) that they made their way all the way around with only one fall. I think that's pretty good for their first time on 8 wheels (4 on each foot...duh.)

Funny thing was...we didn't even feel the "epic" earthquake that hit. Kat got a call from her husband but we never felt a thing...I guess that's probably a good thing. :o)

By the end of our visit to the skating rink not only did the kids start gaining confidence in ther shuffle around the slick floor on wheels, but Kat and I got to gain our confidence as wel, and we even tried to pull out the ole Tootsie Roll. It wasn't too pretty though! {I won't quit my day job anytime soon.}

As we took those heavy skates off and giggled over how much fun we had and when we're going back, I truely cannot wait. I especially cannot wait to take Dallas for her first time on skates too.



It's Not All Bon-bons and Soap Operas...

As I sit here tonight exhausted from another draining day of being Mommy, I ponder this...what happened to the days of June Cleaver and Donna Reed? I remember as a child watching these shows and taking it all in. June and Donna were always "dressed to the nines", their houses were spotless, and there were wonderful meals they cooked everynight {including wearing a frilly apron}...and let's not leave out the fact that the kids were always on their best behavior and they {the moms} always had a smile on their face.
Even Carol Brady had it together...with 6 kids none-the-less! I'm starting to think all of that was some ploy for us young and impressionable girls to believe that "mommy life" was nothing but bon-bons and soap operas...you get married, you have kids, your husband works, the house is miraculously neat and tidy, the kids are pretty perfect, and life is just g.r.a.n.d.
Well, no wonder those shows were all cancelled because they're NOT true!!! Granted I think my mama was some June Cleaver clone, but something has happened over the years and life is nothing like the Cleavers, Reeds, and Bradys.
I don't know about you but there are days when I just want to run to my room and hide under my bed. The constant whining, fighting, and arguing...not to mention the instant gratification mode that seems to be engrained in these kids. It seems like it's always something: the shoe strings don't lie down "perfectly", the shirt's too itchy, the collar's touching the neck {which it is not}, the food is touching the fruit...oh not to mention they only want to eat "snacks" and no real meals. And heaven forbid me have a conversation with my husband in their presence. Seriously?!
I guess it's the fact that everything is right there for them at pretty much the blink of an eye and we didn't have it that way. Now don't get me wrong, I love DVR, but sometimes I curse it.
And, there are times that my kids really think that I'm Samantha Stephens and can suddenly wiggle my nose and whatever they need, want, or are looking for will plop right in front of them. Well, I don't have to wiggle my nose {even though that would be a cool super power} I usually somehow know where everything is. Don't ask me how...maybe it's God's way of helping keep my sanity.
And my house...don't even get me started. Toys lurke in every room...ev.er.y room. The floors are dirty, there's dust, and the bathrooms could use a serious scrubbing, but there's no time for that stuff. We do have nice dinners most nights and my husband does work {very hard} to support our family, but all-in-all there is no time for soap operas because let's face it, we all live one. And Bon-bons, what exactly are those? I could think of many other better chocolate things to snack on...Reese's Peanut Butter Cups for one.

BUT...

 When I see these beautiful and peacefully sleeping faces, my heart melts and the troubles of the day dimish. I will take the whining, arguing, not perfect fitting shoes, dirty hands, dirty/sticky floors, and nasty bathrooms. I will feel defeated every day for these two.  No matter how batty they drive me some days they are my angels and I will do anything for them. I will wear grease stains from making dinner, and put out as many fires as I need to. I may not always have a smile on my face, but my heart is always smiling with them because there is nothing like them wrapping their arms around my neck and saying, "I love you".  So go ahead Donna Reed and June Cleaver you can have your soap opera and Bon-bons!

The Honey-Do-List

Somehow the summer has snuck away from us and our poor yard has really taken the brunt of it...the weather being way too hot to get out and the fact that we are so busy, we haven't done yard work {besides the cutting of the grass here and there} for a couple of months now. The bushes were overgrown. The grass was too long. The weeds were taking over. This weekend was and is the first weekend in months that we didn't have anything "to do"...no parties, no soccer, no travel, anything {as Hunter likes to say for nothing}. We decided to use our time and focus on the yard and give her some TLC.
I snuck out for a little while and went to the fabric store to pick out some fabric for my new dining room chairs. After many texts to friends and my Mama I decided on one...so excited.

When I got home, the kids were playing with the hose. It was so cute and reminded of my brother and me when we were kids. They didn't need the slip-n-slide or the sprinkler. They were happy with the hose and the spray nozzle attached. They were playing so well and having so much fun. I asked Eric what he needed me to do and the list went on and on. So, I grabbed the trimmer and started trimming up the bushes and getting them back into shape. He sprayed all the weeds{and man do we have a lot}. He cut the grass, and I'm still trimming the bushes and raking up the trash.

After raking up my trimmings I moved on to the Crape Myrtle and started trimming it up. The branches were so long and over hung the sidewalk. It was really shabby, but got itself a good haircut.

I then get out one of my favorite yard utensils, the edger....I love that thing. I edged all around the sidewalk and driveway. I then started to sweep it all up, but remembered we had a blower. Man what a difference. It think it's my other favorite yard utensil.

While I'm doing my yard work, Eric finished cutting the grass and started ripping out bushes that I've been wanting to take out. He only got one so far, but it's already looking better.

 We worked hard and long and all the while the kids were being kids...playing in the hose, riding their bikes, playing ball, and drawing with sidewalk chalk. They were being great. Not once did they argue or fuss. We actually had time to do our work and they had fun playing with each other. The giggles and cackles that came from the driveway and the playset put a smile on my face and warmed my heart.

Dallas with the hairbow of course and me with the headband {with a flower}



And of course Daddy and Hunter














I did notice as I was cleaning up, I still have things to do. 1)I need a new wreath for the front door. My fourth of July one is a bit outdated. {I bought the stuff today for a new one.}

and 2) I need to pay some attention to my front beds. They are a bit sad and burned up from the rough summer heat. I just really want to rip everything out and start over. What do you think?

But, we were all pooped and needed a break from the yard. We piled in the car and went up to get Sno-cones...what better way to cool off, right?

When we got home I showered and started on the next task at hand...the dining room chairs. Eric and I worked together. I covered the seats and he put them together.

I just LOVE how they turned out! They are perfect.

And that was just yesterday? How did you spend your Saturday? I must say though, it was so nice to get a few things checked off our "Honey-Do-List".