One Beer Mom

Dear Persimoni Mae – 9 months

2012-01-29T22:50:00.001-06:00

My sweet little Pip! You turned 9 months yesterday! I can’t believe how fast this time has gone. You are so much fun right now! AND you have your Papa completely wrapped around your finger.

It’s impossible to leave you alone at this point since you move as fast as lightening in either a crawling motion or a bear crawl. You can walk along furniture but when we put you behind a push toy you stubbornly sit right down on your bottom. Sometimes you will let go of the couch or us and stand for a few seconds on your own. I’m afraid that walking isn’t too far off…

Your hair is so long that I have to put in a cute and fun little pony tail on the top of your head. If I don’t it hangs out in your eyes and is wild and crazy.

There are two teeth on the bottom gums but I won’t be surprised if a new one pops up soon.

You hate getting your diaper changed but if your older sisters clap for you – you start to calm down. You truly hate getting your coat or snowsuit on but once it’s done it doesn’t take long for you to calm down. Capri has also decided that your belly is the BEST for Herberts (I think they’re supposed to be called Zerbert’s but I messed it up when Cedi was little so in our family they are Herberts)

You are a very good baby. Happy and easy going. So independent right now, I can only imagine how that will translate as you get older. It’s a rare occasion for you to fall asleep in my arms or snuggle into my shoulder, but when those times do happen – it’s truly amazing! Your innocence and beauty – they melt me. I love you my dear, sweet, Persimoni Mae.

Junie B.

2012-01-22T17:14:00.001-06:00

I know I’ve said it before, but I have the BEST neighbor girls. J and S came over last night so Jared and I could go on a date. Along with them came a gift for my girls – an amazing collection of Junie B books!

I’ve been meaning to start reading some chapter books to my girls (one chapter a day) and I was going to start with my childhood favorites – Beverly Cleary. BUT when I saw these Junie B books I knew they’d be perfect!

We started Junie B Aloha-ha-ha! this morning and there is 9 chapters so we’ll done by early next week (or maybe earlier…they may get a treat of two chapters in a day if they’re good).

Uncommon Awesomeness

2012-01-20T12:58:00.001-06:00

This doesn’t happen often but I’ll take it when I can! The girls snuggled together to watch “The Little Mermaid”. Pip played around them. Happy Afternoon to ME!

Interesting find on ‘Pip’

2012-01-08T12:12:00.001-06:00

My dad discovered interesting about what Pip means while working on a crossword puzzle the other day. I had to go to dictionary.com to see if it was true:

pip
³ [pip] Show IPA
noun

1.

a small seed, especially of a fleshy fruit, as an apple or orange.

And sure enough – Pip is part of an apple! Too ironic!

Persimoni and InfantSee

2012-01-08T09:11:00.001-06:00

I heard about the InfantSEE program soon after I had my first daughter, Mercedi. I’ve been able to utilize the program for all three of my girls. Persimoni had her free InfantSEE visit at Essential Family Vision Care in DeForest last week. We see Dr. Trixie Eakin and my girls ADORE her!

From the InfantSEE website:

Assessments at six to twelve months of age can determine healthy development of vision. Early detection of eye conditions is the best way to ensure a baby has healthy vision for successful development-now and in the future.

There are many clinics that offer this visit for FREE – just click HERE to find a doctor near you!

Pip was assessed for her visual acuity, ocular motility, binocularity, refractive status, and ocular health. She passed all with flying colors – no issues were seen at this time. Now I don’t have to bring her in again unless I feel like something is off or before she starts 4K. It was a laid back visit and most of the testing was done using toys.

Cedi had her vision rechecked at this visit as well. We went to see Dr. Trixie before she started 4K and her eyes were at fairly significant levels that may have effected her reading. The doctor wasn’t too concerned yet but wanted to watch her to see how she progressed. Little ones eyes change so quickly – they could have improved in sixth months time – and they did! It does look like she’s starting to lean towards near-sightedness but it’s not to the point that she needs glasses yet. This does not surprise me at all since Jared has bad eyes and I have really bad eyes!

When it was time to leave the Eye Doctor both of my girls gave Dr. Eakin a HUGE hug! If you’re in the DeForest area I strongly recommend going to see her – she’s a fantastic eye doctor!

What a Day

2012-01-01T20:59:00.001-06:00

We’ve all (except Papa) been dealing with super fun pink eye since Christmas. Well, I also added a cold onto the pink eye with a nasty sore throat on Wednesday. I finally decided I couldn’t handle it anymore and went to urgent care today. So – my nasty, horrible, terrible, no good sore throat was…an ear infection! I’m hoping the antibiotics kick in soon and I start to feel better!

In meantime, Jared’s been off work since Friday for the New Year holiday and yes – we put up my new small throat long arm! I still need to go take some lessons on loading the quilt in and using it but it’s UP! Woo Hoo! What that means, in turn, is that I am completely rearranging my crafting area. And I’m sure you all know that when you rearrange/reorganize you always make more of a mess before it gets better. Trust me when I say that it is quite impressive that I could even make more of a mess than I had. I am so lucky to have Jared! Just wait until I show you what he did to store the 8 boxes of carpet/upholstery sample books so that I can actually look through what I have to work with.

Yup – there hanging on the walls as you walk down the stairs…

There were some really great moments with the girls today that I wanted to share with you all.

One – i was helping Cedi with her swirl art kit that she got for Christmas and when she was done she said, ‘Mama, you can blog about this.”

Capri was having a meltdown over something Cedi did and she said as she cried, “I am not happy right now.” *so adorable when she says this*

Pip – wow – I have so much to say about Pip. One of the big things i realized today is no matter how crappy you feel or how cranky you are, if you just look at Pip or hang out with her for even a few seconds, you forget about all that and you smile. She’s got such an amazing personality. She hasn’t felt the best the last few days either but she still smiles, laughs and says ‘Ga Ga’. (Cedi started calling her ‘Baby Ga Ga’ – I swear I didn’t start it!) She is just truly incredible.

She got into a bushel of golden delicious apples today that were waiting for drying and she managed to eat a decent amount of one – with just two tiny teeth! But, boy was she happy!

I hope to get to bed soon and wake up miraculously without my throat hurting…*fingers crossed*

Bedazzled & Caterpillar Beer

2011-12-30T19:19:00.001-06:00

Every year we do something a little different for Christmas – from Making Hats, Ugly Sweater Contests, or Boat Races. This year, in our yearly Christmas email that gave us instructions of what we need to bring to participate in the festivities this was written:

3) Each adult is requested to bring (1) one decorated beer bottle.

The bottles must be capped and full of beer.

So, the Thursday before Christmas we sent the girls to Grandma and Grandpa Lapacek’s for a sleepover and Jared and I got to work on our bottles.

Jared really wanted to use Pumpkin Teeth in his design so he started with that for his inspiration. I was inspired by some jewel cabochons that I found being stored in my breezeway. In the end Jared came up with this fantastic caterpillar. He took the stuffing out of one of the girls stuffed animals and thenMade a fantastic ‘face’ for the caterpillar with the pumpkin teeth. There is even a gold glittery one! Just imagine taking a swig out of that bottle and opening your eyes to this!

Here is a view of my bottle from all angles – I personally am super happy about how it turned out. Maybe I need to make a whole series of ‘bedazzled/bejeweled’ bottles. Both of my girls told me that ‘It was a winner in their contest’.

To see the other bottles brought to Christmas 2011 check out this LINK.

But I will show you the winners…

In 4th place:

In 3rd place:

In Second Place:And First Place:

I am excited to see what my relatives come up with for next years Christmas!

More Christmas FUN!

2011-12-29T20:34:00.001-06:00

Christmas Toes!

Well – we made it through Christmas healthy but we’ve all come down with Pink Eye and colds since (except Papa). So – it’s been a lazy, uneventful week as we all just try to get healthy. This post is mostly going to be a slide show of some pictures I got during our different holiday celebrations…enjoy! Mouse Mask from Mahalo Pig Mask from Mahalo The girls and I in our masks from Mahalo (I had to wear Pips) Pips godparents may have spoiled the girls with toys this year. I have to admit though – they have already had HOURS of fun with their new kitchen set, food, and other toys (thanks Kim, Lee & Shaun!)

Shaun and I assembled the girls’ new kitchen – it’s amazing! I’ll have to do an entire blog post on it sometime so I can tell you about Cedi’s world famous restaurant that she runs now - “The World Buffet” is what she named it… “Hmmm…what do I do with this?” “Maybe if I suck on it I can see what’s inside…” Cedi just tore through her presents from Santa. I think she may have been slightly desensitized to presents after the 8+ celebrations we’d had over the last few weeks… I was so excited for santa to come that I was up a good hour before the kids were! I decided to bake a birthday cake for Jesus – a tradition my Grandma Van used to do every year – I think it’s time to bring it back!So, my cousin Paul isn’t really into kids but he really got into holding Pip. So cute! On the other hand, his brother Scott LOVES kdis – and boy to my kids love him. Cedi even cried when she found out he was getting married!

Six of the nine grandkids sporting their Packer gear (the babies weren’t in this photo). I think it helped the Packer’s kick some butt that night!

The girls all on one of their ‘bikes’. I have to say the girls got A LOT for Christmas this year. Probably too much. But I also have to say – they have spent HOURS playing without me by there side, imagining, creating, and enjoying their things. Sure – we’ve been under the weather this week – but we haven’t been bored.

PS. Pip figured out how to use her knees in her crawling motion today – it’s official – we have a crawler!

We Wish You a Merry Christmas

2011-12-24T20:27:00.001-06:00

I wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas before I shut my computer down for the next few days. My littles are tucked into bed with instructions that Santa won’t come unless they are sleeping. After the last few days of celebrating they’ve had I can’t believe that they will be up long.I’m sitting here enjoying a nice hot cup of Friendship Tea as I blog. I have probably shared this in the past but if you don’t remember – here’s the simple recipe. (also can make a beautiful last minute gift – just put it in a mason jar with a ribbon tied around the lid…)

Friendship Tea

1 cup Instant Tea
2 cups Tang
2 pkgs of presweetened lemonade (if unsweetened add 1 cup of sugar…pink lemonade makes it look even prettier…)
1 tsp cloves
1 tsp cinnamon

Mix together and store in covered jar.

Use 1 heaping tsp or more to 1 cup boiling water

Friendship Tea has become a ‘comfort’ drink for me. It reminds me of childhood – being warm and snuggly, under a blanket and enjoying a good book.

We still have a few Christmas celebrations left but so far things are going nice and smoothly (knock on wood).

We’ve had too many Christmas’s that the girls have laid on my lap and let me open their presents from Santa for them because they were just too sick. Really, really hoping and praying that they wake up super excited tomorrow morning! They are at such a wonderful age for all the Christmas magic of the season…except Pip – but she really does enjoy eating the wrapping paper!

The other day I got really nostalgic about some of the movies I used to watch at Christmas time when I was a kid. They included The Muppet Christmas Carol, One Magic Christmas, and The Night They Saved Christmas. I decided to order them so that I could have my kids have the same memories of them as me. (I have now added Elf and Bad Santa to those favorites…but don’t worry, I won’t let the girls watch Bad Santa for a long while).

I never expected the movies to arrive before Christmas since I asked for the ‘Free Shipping’ method. But, much to my surprise – two of the movies arrived today! It was a Christmas Miracle :) Jared and I are watching the Muppets tonight and I’m sure I’ll be watching it again with the girls tomorrow night while Papa is at the Packer Game with Uncle Brian.

Pip still only has her one tooth…but she’s been such a happy adorable baby. Also – so tolerant of the crazy schedule and rocked to sleep naps in the car seat. We are so blessed to have these wonderful babes. I won’t leave you in suspense too long – I’ll be blogging more about this next week. I’ll leave you with yes – that’s a bedazzled beer bottle full of High Life AND a caterpillar/pumpkin teeth beer bottle full of High Life. AND yes – it is for one of our Christmas celebrations…

And with that – Merry Christmas to everyone! I’m signing off the computer for a day or so and just taking the time to enjoy my family and this wonderful holiday!

See how to make your very own felt stockings HERE!

Gingerbread Houses and Grasshoppers

2011-12-23T22:52:00.001-06:00

We have also celebrated our Christmas with Grandma and Grandpa Lapacek. Earlier, Grandma Diane had made Gingerbread houses for the girls – they were very proud of their creations (Capri especially proud of her mailbox). One of our traditions for this celebration is to enjoy Grasshoppers – the adults are ‘special’ and the girls are alcohol free. The girls sure love these delicious minty treats!

Thanks Grandma and Grandpa!

Christmas Time – the early celebrations

2011-12-23T22:42:00.001-06:00

As I’m sure it is for many of you – Christmas time is a busy time. For us a personally, we have ten Christmas celebrations to partake in this year. So far we’re half way done and my children haven’t quite turned into monsters from all the presents, sugar, and attention they get at the occasions.

One of my favorite ones is the Landwehr Christmas (my mom’s side). My grandma had 13 kids so when we get together there is well over 100 people – we rent a hall. This year our standard hall was booked so my Uncle Mike and Aunt Judy came to the rescue and we used a cafeteria/gym in a school they had bought. (long store) It’s nice because the adults can talk/play cards and the kids can run around in the gym area. My Grandma is 91 so it seems like lately everyone has made an extra effort to get to the celebration. It’s also nice, because they hold it the Saturday BEFORE Christmas so it doesn’t tend to conflict with other celebrations. It also seems like every year there are at least 2 or 3 new babies that join us at the party – this was Pip’s first Landwher Christmas. She definitely had a good time :) I get to see my adorable goddaughter Eleanor at the Landwehr Christmas too! (My sweater is made by the Painted Daisy). Unless your godparents or godchildren are at the party very little present exchanging is done. Instead, everyone makes an ornament and that’s how we decorate the tree at the party. Then, when the festivities are over, we pick a name and that person gets our ornament, and so on. I really enjoy this tradition and I have developed quite the ornament collection throughout the years. We decided to stay at my parents after the celebration and do our immediate family Christmas. Pip wanted her glow in the dark skeleton PJs on for the fun.My parents gave Cedi the adorable pink outfit shown above. When Cedi got it she laid it out just like the picture and said, “See, that’s what I’ll look like in it.” serious as could be! Capri was just a little excited about all her gifts – just kidding. The expressions she made with the gifts she opened is the whole reason that Christmas is going to be extra magical this year. It’s just pure joy and wonderment. And of course – the best part of Christmas is getting to spend time with family you don’t get to see too often. I think when the girls see their Uncle Brian, they don’t leave him alone much. Of course – he had to read them their bed time story.

I’ll have more pictures from the holiday’s to come …stay tuned…

And with that, have a Merry Christmas Eve EVE!

Christmas Lights

2011-12-21T21:58:00.001-06:00

Every year at Christmas time, Jared takes me on a drive to see all the cool light displays around. This year, we put the girls in their PJ’s, ignored that it was a school night and went for a drive… I decide that I love taking pictures when they don’t know you’re going to! They were so excited to see all the beautiful light displays!

Normally we go to Madison for the display on John Nolan Drive but this year we went to Waunakee – the Rotary put a really nice display at the park there. Of course – they had to enjoy some hot fudge Sunday’s for the ride…

First Tooth!

2011-12-19T19:40:00.000-06:00

Pip got her first tooth today! Lower right :) So exciting!

Santa Claus is Coming to Town

2011-12-18T21:14:00.001-06:00

Once again we headed to the Arlington Curling Club to visit Santa Claus. The local Lion’s club puts this on every holiday season and the girls really enjoy it.

Cedi and Capri were so cute – they didn’t even talk to Santa – just handed them their lists which consisted of chickens, ducks, chicken toys, and a tea set.Pip wasn’t quite sure about Santa at first. But it didn’t take too long for us to get this adorable smile!

Cedi just had to draw a picture for school of a family tradition. It got me thinking – what ARE our family traditions? We sure our busy but we do a lot of things because it was MY tradition growing up. I think it’s time we create some of our very own family traditions.

I would love to hear what traditions you all celebrate as a family.

Holidays through the Eyes of Children – Christmas Lights

2011-12-13T07:39:00.001-06:00

Last night we went into Madison to do a little Christmas shopping. It was dark when we drove home and every time we drove by Christmas lights the girls would both shout out ‘Christmas Lights!’ I’m sure you can only imagine how quiet of a ride we had.

We do live in the country though so there were some lull’s in the screams. After one of those particular lulls, I hear Cedi go, “Woah, look at that Christmas Light PARTY!” The house and yard we drove by was completely decked out in lights and it looked so festive and beautiful. With a 5 and 3 year old this year, I am loving remembering what the ‘simpler’ parts of the Christmas season feel like.

I also have a feeling that the girls are going to convince Papa that we need a ‘Christmas Light Party’ at our place next year :)

Oh Christmas Tree!

2011-12-08T09:11:00.001-06:00

We used to always get our Christmas tree the Friday after Thanksgiving. BUT now that Cedi’s birthday on November 29th, I like to wait until after her birthday so as to not mix Christmas and her big day together. So, the Sunday after the Craftacular – we headed to the back of Grandma and Grandpa’s property to pick out our tree.No snow this year but it was pretty chilly. Pip decided she would be best sleeping through the adventure – it was probably warmer for her that way too. Jared cut it down and then had to trim it up a little – it was too tall. We like to have fun Charlie Brown – type Christmas trees. Our other preference is really tall so they look cool in our open ceiling-ed living room. The great thing about our tree this year is that the branches only go around 1/4 of the diameter of the trunk of the tree. You can see it here – not a lot of branches – PERFECT! The girls were actually quite helpful.The tree is standing! We are able to put it up close to the corner of the wall since there is only branches on 1/4 of it. We also have to anchor it to the wall and the railing.

And – with our ‘swimming’ Pip we had to reinstate the baby gate. You may also notice that the ornaments don’t go super high up on the tree…just how we like it! Yes – super festive!

Sisters in Pink

2011-12-06T20:49:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Andrea from TheBookishLife for Pip’s adorable owl shirt!

Craftacular 2011! Sneak Peak - KimsCraftyApple

2011-12-02T20:47:00.001-06:00

As many of you know – once apple season slows down – crafting season begins for me! One of the big things that I do in December is the Craftacular in Madison. The show is actually going to be tomorrow, December 3rd from 10-5 at the East Side Club. I hope you stop by if you have a chance or are in the area.

Here’s some links to ‘sneak peaks’ I’ve given about vendors you’ll see there:

If you’re just tuning in here are previous Craftacular Posts:

Now, I’m going to talk a little about what I’m offering and how I altered my display a bit.

One thing that is going to be different this year is that I won’t have a lot of quilts, bags, or aprons. If there was anything that you wanted to look at please let me know now and I’ll be sure to pack it along.

One of the new things I’m offering this year are tutu’s. I made both my girls one for their Halloween costume and I loved them so much I had to make more for you all to pick from! Not only are there fantastic tutu’s but there is also a good selection of ‘Magic Apple Wands’, funky headbands, and fun hair pins. If any of you remember my display from previous years it was all just brown wood. Well, earlier this week I decided to modify it a bit – I spray painted the earring racks and other display items with chalkboard paint. I tried to spray paint a few of my apple crates white but that really didn’t work so I had to go to brush painting white. I think the white will really help you see into the crates at what’s displayed inside. Overall – I’m really happy with the new look and can’t wait to see what you all think tomorrow! Capri dancing around in the rainbow tutu.Another new item I have this year are hand-dyed t-shirt rosette head bands. Of course, I had to get some fun manikin heads to put them on! Here is a close-up of my earring racks. I organized my earrings this year by price and then wrote with a chalk pen next to them how much they are. This will hopefully ease your ability to shop for the perfect pair! Every time I tried a different tutu on Capri she would come up with a new dance move! It’s amazing what those little circles of tulle will do to your child!

I will also be having a few ‘craftacular’ specials on earrings and ornaments so be sure to stop by my booth! Hope to see many of you at the show tomorrow!

Happy 5th Birthday Mercedi Rose

2011-11-29T21:01:00.001-06:00

WOW! Cedi turned FIVE today! I can’t believe that she’s already FIVE! Before I get into all saga of all the adventures she had for her birthday I thought we’d take a look back at some photo’s…

Click HERE to read the story of Mercedi Rose’s Birth.Cedi – right before I went to the hospital.November 29th, 5:30pm Mercedi Rose Lapacek was born weighing in at 6lbs 13 oz and measuring 20-inches long.

photo by Friends in Photography

Mercedi Rose – 5 years old (well…almost 5 in this photo…)

Cedi and Me on her 3rd Birthday. Me and Cedi on her 4th Birthday. Me and Cedi on her 5th birthday.

We are so blessed to have Mercedi. She is a wonderful little, pistol of a girl. I’m pretty sure she got her stubbornness from her papa ;). She’s a smart little girl that likes everything just perfect (and I know she didn’t get that from me!). I love seeing the excitement when she discovers something new that she can do and the things she imagines up for her and Capri to pretend never cease to amaze me. She’s an absolute sweet heart to Persimoni and calls her ‘Bibble’. Monkey bars are no obstacle for this girl. She came home with bleeding blisters on her hands once she learned she could do them and we had to keep her off for a few days. As soon as her hands slightly started to heal – she was back up there. I could go on and on but really – she’s truly a magical little girl.

Now…enough gushing about Cedi – what did we do to celebrate her birthday!?

We did so much for Cedi’s birthday that I’ll just give you some sneak peaks at it tonight and I’ll show more pictures later. It was lots of fun but I think next year – we’re going to go to a movie and have a quiet birthday. I may have planned TOO much fun into a few days…

Cedi’s birthday celebration all started on Thanksgiving at my parents. She had cake and opened some presents from her grandparents and Uncle Brian. On Sunday night, we headed over to Frank’s parents for a celebration there as well!Yesterday, I took Cedi to get her ears pierced. She did really good – no tears, no whimpers – just a brave little girl. We then came home and had cake with some friends and opened her presents from us and her sisters. It was a very nice night and probably would have been fine to end it there.

But…I didn’t.Cedi had her first day as a 5 year old 4K-er this morning.I brought her birthday treat in towards the end of the day so the kids could take their caramel apples home with them to enjoy. Then, it was off to Cedi’s (and Capri and Pip’s) first visit to Chuck E Cheese. They had lots of fun with their daycare friends! Our next stop was at The Glitter Workshop for the Tuesday Make ‘n’ Take Night of decorating Christmas Cookies!Both of the girls (and me) had LOTS of fun with this adventure! It was great that all the hard work was done for us and we could just have fun with the decorating.

And to end the night we headed to the Melting Pot for some chocolate fondue dessert. Whew…what a birthday!

Now, I have to remember – a movie and cake will be just fine for Age 6!

Who needs a pack ‘n’ play?

2011-11-26T22:51:00.001-06:00

when you have an empty dresser drawer…

Well, we forget the to pack the pack ‘n’ play for Thanksgiving this year…so we made do with an empty dresser drawer for nap time… We had a great Thanksgiving this year – here’s Uncle Brian, Pip and Jared watching the Packer’s kick some Lion Butt! Capri, Pip, and Mercedi right before our HUGE Thanksgiving feast! Excellent job mom – thanks for having us and cooking all that delicious food!

good morning stories

2011-11-11T08:25:00.001-06:00

I am about to head out the door to a quilt retreat but I just had to share the sweet moment I witnessed between my girls.

Photo by Friends in Photography

I woke up this morning to Pip ‘singing’ in her crib. I got up, brushed my teeth and headed upstairs to get Pip. As I grabbed Pip I heard talking from the girls room – yes, quiet talking – not screaming, not whining, not crying. What was going on?

Pip and I peaked into their room to find that Cedi was reading a book to Capri! It was so sweet! She was on her bed on one side of the room sitting up with the book and Capri was still laying in her bed on the other side of the room contently listening to ‘Llama Llama misses Mama’. Naturally, Pip and I joined Capri on her bed to hear the rest of the story!

Later in the morning, I had a talk with Cedi letting her know since I would be gone this weekend she would be the ‘Head Woman’ of the house and I needed her to watch over her sisters and help out Papa. She responded, “But Mama, I can’t really read…I was just pretending.”

Photo by Friends in Photography

The Cow and the Chicken

2011-11-07T22:17:00.001-06:00

I thought my girls were really smart today - they were watching 'Word World' and the character's asked what started with the letter C - in unison the girls answered 'COW' (WOW! I thought...they're amazing!) In the next screen, they were asked what started with the letter H - again, in unison the girls screamed 'CHICKEN' - nope...it was HEN - not quite as impressive as they were with cow...

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T22:14:00.001-05:00

From two sweet Fairies and a crazy octopus! (and me too of course!)

It’s so difficult to get a picture where all three are looking normal… So – instead of stealing a neighborhood in Poynette to trick or treat in (we live in the country…) we headed into Madison. I had heard that Jennifer Street had some amazing Trick or Treating and Papa broke his glasses last weekend. So – we met Papa at work and headed off to Jennifer Street around 4:30. I think we were early. There was NO ONE out – but come on people – I have little kids. We need to do this and do it quick before melt downs ensue and babies get hungry.

So, I called up my friend Naomi to find out exactly where her neighborhood was – and we headed over there. It was perfect – just what we needed – a nice ‘triangular’ shaped neighborhood where the girls could go door to door easily and without going overboard. The triangular shape helped us to nicely have a beginning and an end to things. I just loved how they held each other’s hands as they walked down the street and to each of the doors. They were two very determined fairies…that needed some redirection at time. I just thought this was the coolest seen with the house decked out and framed so nicely by the trees… Here you can see how they held hands going up to the doors.

Pip and Papa hung out by the stroller – everyone loved little Octopus Pip and Pip loved to snuggle with her legs! Here she’s trying to tell me, “Really Mom, Really?”

Happy Halloween everyone! Hope you had fun!

Dear Persimoni Mae – 6 months

2011-10-28T21:51:00.001-05:00

Photo courtesy of Friends in Photography

My beautiful, sweet Persimoni Mae. I can hardly believe that you are already 6 months! I can’t believe that a year ago you were still growing in my belly and I could only dream of how amazing you’d be.

Photo courtesy of Friends in Photography

You did not disappoint! You are still such an amazing little baby. You cry when tired or hungry…that’s pretty much it. I think you’re probably teething a bit so that makes you fussy at time but nothing a little snuggle can’t handle.

Photo courtesy of Friends in Photography

I love when I’m holding you and you just turn around and stare at me with those big brown eyes. Sometime you put your hand on my cheek…it makes my heart melt every time.

Photo courtesy of Friends in Photography

You’re sitting up completely on your own now. If I lay you on your back you immediately roll to your side. It won’t be long until I have to get the baby gate up because you’ll be moving around like crazy. You do push ups when you’re on your belly and do a ‘beached whale’ like chicken pecking motion because you want to be where the action is.

Photo courtesy of Friends in Photography

I can tell that you’re just dreaming about being able to play with your big sisters. Don’t worry…it won’t be too much longer and the three of you will be all getting into trouble together.

I’ve missed seeing you all the time this apple season but I know you’ve been in amazing hands. I know you’ve been given the care and attention that I wouldn’t have been able to in the store. And I know that all your little friends at daycare loved you and took care of you. I am so grateful that I found such a loving, caring place for you to be. Thank you. Thank you ‘Aunt Necie’ for providing that for my children through the years I’ve known you – I don’t know how I would have gotten through apple season without you.

Next week I’ll have you home with me much more and things in general will calm down for awhile. I can’t wait to play with you, snuggle with you, change your diapers (I know – I’m crazy for missing this), and see all your silly faces as you eat.

I love you my sweet Pip, my beautiful Persimoni Mae.

Lapacek’s Taffy Apple Cake

2011-10-23T08:46:00.001-05:00

I’ve mentioned before that I am doing Weight Watchers again. I did it after I had Capri and I lost almost 60 pounds. I’ll admit – it’s going a little slower this time around but I’m still doing it – I got to just over 17 pounds at my meeting last Monday! I broke down one my orchard’s Mixes into points so I could still enjoy one of my favorite desserts and be able to easily track what I was eating! We’ve modified this recipe to not need any additional butter and because of that it’s really important that you use McIntosh apples.

Lapacek’s Taffy Apple Cake

PointsPlus® Value: 9
Servings: 12
Preparation Time: 10 min
Cooking Time: 40 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

just like eating pudding - yummy!

Ingredients

1 serving(s) Lapacek's Cake Mix

4 pound(s) apple(s), McIntosh, peeled, cored and chopped

396 gm Borden® Eagle Brand® Fat free sweetened condensed milk

Instructions

Spray bottom of a 8x12 pan with cooking spray. Put two cups of the Lapacek's Orchard Taffy Apple Cake Mix on the bottom of the pan. Peel, core and slice 4 pounds of McIntosh apples. Fill up the pan to slightly overfull . Sprinkle on the rest of the cake mix. Pour the Fat-Free Sweetened Condense Milk over the entire cake. Bake at 325 for 40 minutes.

Cut into 12 servings and ENJOY!

Escape of the Emus

2011-10-20T13:12:00.001-05:00

It try not to overlap blog posts on my blogs too often but this is just too good of a story to not share with as many people as possible…

Before I go any farther I’ll start by assuring you that emus are fine and they’re happily back in their pen.

At about 8:45 I get a call from Frank - “Is Jared there? The emus are out.” Me, “Crap, I’ll get him…”

I yell for Jared and we both bundle up quickly and head outside…of course I grabbed my camera. We’re walking over to the emu pen area and Diane is organizing the pumpkin area – we quietly tell her the emus are out. Diane and I get the dogs into the shed so they won’t scare the emus. If you remember reading my earlier emu post, emus can sprint up to 30mph so we didn’t want to cause that to happen… Mac never went too far from the pen and it was fairly easy to lure him back in – a little food will do just the trick.Tosh turned out to be a bit more work. She headed over to where the underground building used to be and decided to do a little grazing. Luckily for us our Emu Whisperer (EW), aka Frank, was on the top of his game. He grabbed to sticks to emulate longer arms. If you can be taller than the bird they feel that you are dominating them and will sort of go where you direct them.

If you listen close at the end of the video you can also hear that EW (Frank) is real good at calmly talking to Tosh and gets him to go the direction he wants. Once we got Tosh fairly close to the pen the whole venture slowed down – she didn’t really want to go back. So, taking his dad’s advice, Jared got behind her and wrapped his arms around her in a bear hug and carried her over. Of course – I barely got this shot, let alone a picture at all. Jared said she wasn’t heavy – just boney and awkward to carry. Soon, we had both of the emus safely back into their pen and the door securely shut.

Just another day at the orchard…

5 Months

2011-09-30T21:17:00.001-05:00

Pip – you’re just over 5 months and you are ‘SO BIG’ (and you love to show us just how big you are). What a sweetie! You are such a sweet baby – everyone just falls in love with you! Both of your older sisters adore you and can’t get enough of the ‘Pipperoni’. But… I think both you and Capri still know who’s running the show and who will be running the show for quite some time…

You hate to lay on your back when you’re on the floor – you roll right on over to your tummy! Everything goes right into your mouth and you LOVE to eat food. I seriously tear up laughing every time we feed you just because it’s so hilarious to watch!

I love my sweet Pip, my beautiful Persimoni Mae…

Want a beer with that?

2011-09-21T21:23:00.001-05:00

Since I don’t see my children much during apple season I have to share with you all stories of them from my sitter.

The other day Capri was playing ‘restaurant’ with another little boy at the sitter’s house. As she finished up his meal and was serving him his food she casually asked him, “So, do you want a beer with that or not?”

Go Pack Go!

2011-09-19T21:52:00.001-05:00

The only way I could get Cedi into her ‘green’ Packer’s shirt was to adorn the rest of her in pink – I personally am loving the Packer’s shirt/tutu look.

Madison Quilt Expo - 2011

2011-09-08T09:39:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow is the big day. The Madison Quilt Expo opens tomorrow. The next three days will included 144 informational lectures, 54 stage presentations, 30 sit & sew workshops, 12 hands-on workshops, and a 10 category quilt context and exhibit…let’s not forget about all the fabulous vendors that will also be set up and selling their wares at the show. While you’re enjoying all of the fun things I talked about (including taking a class from my aunt-in-law, Barb Raisbeck of QuiltsbyBarb, on “Long Arm Quilting – What’s Not in the Manual) be sure to look for my quilt, “Spring Convergence” that was accepted into the contest and exhibit!

I created this piece for the ‘Large Scale Print’ Challenge of Project QUILTING’s second season. (and yes, those are mirrors in the middle of the yo-yo’s) To read more about how I came up with this piece feel free to check out THIS.

I am absolutely ecstatic to even have one of my quilts hanging in this show! AND, to top it all off – I have NEVER been to the Quilt Expo before since it always happens during apple season. BUT this year, I get to leave the farm early to get a peak at my quilt before the show ends. Yeah!

First Day of School

2011-09-07T13:25:00.001-05:00

Yesterday was Cedi’s first day of school. I definitely think it was hardest on Mama, Papa, and Capri more than it was on Cedi. Here she is in her gorgeous dress from TheMeasure waiting for the bus to pick her up! I had to take side shots of how HUGE her backpack looks on her! So crazy to think she’s already in school!And yes, I quilted her a ‘name tag’ with where she has to go and her home address/phone number on it. Jared thought I was crazy when I said I had to quick quilt her nametag the night before. But really – what does he expect I’d do for a name tag? Mali, Tank and Princess waited with Cedi for the bus. And here the bus comes! And there the bus went…the driver had to back the bus back. Good thing we were all out there waving at it!Without a glance back, Cedi ran to load on the bus. I didn’t think I would cry but I did. I was just so proud of her and sad at the same time. She’s now in the big world of school – without me – and it makes me proud that I know she’s going to be just fine.

And she was. Cedi had a fabulous first (and second day) of school. She hasn’t been super talkative about it but as the day goes I find out more and more. Yesterday she made friends with Erica and Isabelle. She told me that I should have named her Isabelle and that she was going to tell people from now on that was her name since she likes it better.

And the fun begins…again…

Persimoni Mae – a 4 month update

2011-08-30T12:04:00.001-05:00

My beautiful little Persimoni was 4 months old this past Sunday! I can’t believe how quickly she’s growing up!

At the doctor last week she weighed in at 15 lbs 2 oz (Approximately 1 lb ahead of Capri and 2 lbs ahead of Cedi – just like previously) and was 25-inches long (1/2” longer than Cedi but 3/4” shorter than Capri).

She’s an amazing baby and unfortunately I don’t get to see her as much as I’d like right now. With apple season heading into full swing she spends a lot of time with sitters and family. I just keep reminding myself that it’s only for 2.5 months and I get her for the other 9.5 months.

We started her on food the other day too and she’s doing great with it. Jared commented the other night that he forgot how fun it was to feed babies because of all the fabulous faces they make when they’re trying new flavors.

Craft-Apple-Ar – Sneak Peak

2011-08-27T22:50:00.001-05:00

I’m really excited that my apple orchard will be hosting the very first Craft-Apple-Ar tomorrow! There are so many fun goods and people that will be there that I just had to share! And…if you’re in the Madison area tomorrow between 10 and 4 you should think about coming out!

ART & CRAFT– on the Lawn

The GlitterWorkshop – Hair Feathers!, jewelry, whimsical coaster sets, and much, much more!

My Poplin – Baby Items, flower pins, clutches

Artsy Fartsy – prints and art

blogged!

Recreative Crafts – skirts, etc – this is who made the ‘Made Locally’ you can see on Pip HERE.

AntiqueBasketLady- Purses

Janet Gangler – Needle felting, felted soap

Xanthe Walker – folk art

Meredith Dillman – fantasy art

Jackie Turbot – soap

Full Moon Farms

Heather Raabe – Jewelry

Innad – Wallets

Lilac Hill Soap – bath and body

Spry Whimsy Fiber Art – felted scarves, hats, etc

Nineteen Thirteen Jewelry – Jewlery

Stacy Anderson – Party Kits and Supplies

Genuinely Girls – fairy wands, tutu’s, dresses

Betsey Welty – Quilts, bags, baby things

Wool and Peace – art

Pretty {Much} Art – Coasters, Magnets

Photo of the three Leopold benches I had personalized for my three girls – Pip, Capri, and Cedi. Place orders for yours on Sunday!

Laib’s – Leopold Benches, Outdoor Wood Furniture, and jewelry

The ‘Time Out’ Leopold Bench by the Pick Your Own Herb Garden

ART & CRAFT – in the Apple Store

KimsCraftyApple – quilts, bags, hand-dyed clothing, miscellaneous fun

Diane Lapacek – Quilts, Gourd Art, Hand-dyed linens

TheApple – jewelry

Barb Cook – Knit Hats, grocery bags, and washcolthes

CJ’s Eco Chic - Soy Candles

Blue Sky Pottery – Apple Baker’s and Honey Pots

Miss Pottery – Owls

Pie Birds by Sharon – Pie Birds

Twigs and More – Crayons and Colored Pencils made out of Sticks

UnRavelMe – Apple Cozies

PeacoxCreations – Apple Scrubbies and Pine Needle Baskets

FOOD

Sugarbomb Desserts – Cupcakes

Paoli Bread and Brat Haus

Pasture-Raised Tenderloin Brat w/ homemade Peach Chutney or Grass-Fed 100% Beef Burgers
Served with Door County Kettle Chips and;
Choice of Beverage (Soda, Water, or Lemonade)
Apple Kolaches

lil chocolates - Lisa Nelson - Chocolates

Lapacek’s Orchard

Apples
Caramel Apples
Apple Cider Donuts
Apple Cider – Unpastuerized and unpreserved
Sweet Corn
Pick your Own Raspberries
Various Canned Goods
Veggies

FUN

Funky Monkey – Back to School Mini Portrait Sessions (10am -2pm)

Mini Quilt Shop (in the store)

Patterns
Commercial Fabric
Hand Dyed Fabric

Orchard

goats
emuskitties

Photo of Capri & Cedi by Friends in Photograhpy

tractor tire playground
orchard walk
photo scavenger hunt
sunflower field
regular scavenger hunt

Local Food

Columbia County Local Food Networks will be exhibiting some fun info about buying local!

Made Locally

2011-08-23T21:54:00.001-05:00

Made Locally Onesie from Recreative Crafts

Our Little Apple Sorter

2011-08-23T21:34:00.001-05:00

One of the goals this apple season is to keep Pip happy and content while we get things done. One of her favorite things to do is sit in her bumbo as she goes round and round on the sorting machine…

awww…isn’t she cute!?

Day at the Dentist

2011-08-17T13:29:00.001-05:00

On Friday, both the girls visited the dentist for the first time. I personally hate the dentist but I tried to play it cool so they wouldn’t have the same stigma as I do. They had a tv with cartoons playing and the entire adventure went very smoothly. Mercedi with her 20 beautiful, healthy, cavity-free white teeth. It’s Capri’s turn! And we have 20 more beautiful, cavity-free, healthy white teeth!

I don’t think the girls will dread their next visit and to me that’s a win.

What do Tummy Time and Project Runway have in common?

2011-08-16T13:32:00.001-05:00

Pip and I are enjoying some tummy time as we catch up on the latest season of Project Runway.

Arlington Fest Parade

2011-08-15T20:53:00.001-05:00

Cedi’s in the yellow outfit, Capri is to the right of her in the light blue outfit…

Just over a week ago the girls rode on Center Stage Dance Academy’s float. I’ll admit…I was a little nervous just leaving them at the float, to wait for them to go by over an hour later. But there was an adult walking – a mom and a dancer herself – that assured me that she wouldn’t let them get left behind somewhere. Here’s Pip at her first parade – enjoying it – of course. Our group watching for the girls!And here they go by…all in one piece…looking a bit warm but they happily waved once they spotted us.

All in all, I think it was a good parade experience for them.

14 weeks

2011-08-05T21:25:00.001-05:00

Yes – she actually has a roll on her thighs! I just want to squeeze her! *eek*

The First “Craft-Apple-Ar” at Lapacek’s Orchard

2011-08-04T10:46:00.001-05:00

I’m happy to announce that we’ll be hosting the first every Craft-Apple-Ar at the orchard at the end of this month (Sunday, August 28th). The show is sponsored by my friend Naomi of The Glitter Workshop and will be fun for everyone! The show is open for vendors so if you are interested please email Naomi at {naomi (at) glitterworkshop (dot) com} to find out more.

Bucket of Water

2011-08-01T22:58:00.001-05:00

With all this crazy heat, the girls have found interesting ways to stay cool – there favorite, playing in five gallon buckets of water…

Dear Persimoni – 3 months…

2011-07-28T20:57:00.001-05:00

My friend and fellow blogger, Kate writes these great letters to her boys. I always think they are something fabulous but haven’t had time to write them for my girls. I think it’s finally time. I know I’ve missed Cedi’s first 4 years and Capri’s first 3 but I can start with Pip and try to keep it up. Pip will miss out on things her sisters got and she didn’t (like TONS of pictures and new clothes) so this is something special I can start for her right away. Hopefully I can keep it up.

Dear Persimoni,

You are three months today. I’ll admit, the first few months I was a bit overwhelmed by you. You ate A LOT! I still look back and I can’t believe how much sitting on the chair or couch I spent nursing you. I wouldn’t trade it for the world though. You are a happy, healthy, plump (well, at least the plumpest of our three girls), little girl. And SO Strong! The other day you were having some tummy time and you manage to scoot forward a bit (well…maybe half and inch – but still you scooted!). I sit you up near me and you can prop yourself up with your arms and you love sitting and chilling in the Bumbo.

You spend a lot of time in the swing – both sleeping and awake – for two reasons. 1. You like it in there and 2. it protects you from your sisters. They love you so much but sometimes they love you a little too much and having you off the ground keeps you safer.

I love to snuggle you and play with you. You don’t sit in my lap much anymore – instead you prefer to stand. We just have to smile at you and you give us a big, beautiful, toothless and contagious smile back.

Overall, you’ve become a pretty easy baby. You cry when you’re hungry, tired or being ignored (which would be when you’re awake riding in your car seat – traveling is not super fun right now…). All easy things to fix (except the traveling bit) and then you’re back to being my beautiful, happy baby. You’re still not sleeping super amazingly – up between 2 and 3 and then again around 5 or 6. It could be way worse though so I’m not complaining.

I look at you and my heart melts. My stomach drops and I fall in love with you more and more each time. I can’t wait to watch you grow and develop into even more of your own little person.

I love you Persimoni, my little Piptini,

Mom

Two Week Marathon Comes to an End

2011-07-21T13:10:00.001-05:00

I try really hard to not get my kids involved in too many things at once. I completely failed at that this summer.

We just finished up our marathon swimming lessons. They were Monday through Thursdays from 10:30-11:00 for two weeks. Both of the girls were in the Sea Turtle Class at the Prairie Athletic Club. It was a challenge for me to get all the girls ready and out the door at a specific time everyday (thank you Grandma for taking Wednesday’s for me!) BUT the girls’ swimming skills improved DRASTICALLY with the skills being reinforced each day. Capri has become slightly timid about things and still needs to work on some skills so she’s going to be in Sea Turtles for at least one more session. BUT Cedi has blossomed so much from last summer and is not afraid of the water at all. She has graduated into the Penguin class! I can’t wait to bring Papa swimming with the girls so he can see how much they’ve improved even since our trip up Nort’.

On Wednesday night’s in July the girls had ballet class. This went from 5 to 5:30. I have the girls in this together as well because I wanted to see how they did in the same class to see if I could keep them together this fall. I think I’m leaning towards splitting them up just so Capri has a chance to be her own person but I’m not sure. I’ll have to chat with Miss Erin and see what she thinks…

If you’re in the Poynette area, be sure to contact Miss Erin about the upcoming fall session. She does such a great job with the girls’ and I can vouch that my girls absolutely adore her.

Center Stage Dance Academy

Erin Lyn Geiger
117 Garnet Drive
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
608-577-1648

And finally, this past week, the girls started gymnastics on Monday nights (5:30-6:30). Which means we had one week that we had swimming, ballet AND gymnastics – it was a bit tiring to say the least. The first night of gymnastics went really well and the girls ask me every night how long it is until they go again. I have a feeling this is something they’re both going to really love.

I’ll have to try to plan a bit better next summer…I’m exhausted just writing this all out…

up nort’ for the fourth

2011-07-11T18:55:00.001-05:00

The week before the fourth was a weird one for me. On Monday, the girls and I headed up to DePere to visit my grandma’s and for me to drop the two older girls off for a week with Grandma and Grandpa Van. It was oddly (but enjoyably) quiet on the ride home and for the next four days. The girls and had lots of fun and Pip and I had lots of fun. It’s so crazy how easy just one seems after you’ve had three – I still remember the overwhelming days when Cedi was my only baby. Just having Pip seems almost like having no kids.

Anyway, on Saturday after Pip’s early morning feeding we packed up the van and headed up nort’ to Fence to meet the Grandma, Grandpa, and our two oldest girls. The girls were happy to see us but more importantly – they were happy to see Pip. We had a lot of fun up north. Gratefully, Grandma Van watched Pip while we took the older two girls to the beach to swim. Cedi & Capri with ‘Dippy the Dolphin’ (named by Grandpa Van) I’m not sure if I’ve ever talked about this before but I LOVE to swim. I truly LOVE it. It feels like I never get to actually swim anymore since I always have to be within an arms reach of the girls in the pool which is usually only a foot or two deep. This weekend that all changed. The girls had their life jackets on and their hearts set on swimming to the raft. We got there early enough that the ‘big’ kids hadn’t commandeered it yet so we headed out to the raft. It felt so good to actually swim again – and we stayed in the water for awhile too. The girls lasted in the water for as long as they possibly could. We continually asked if they were cold and wanted to go in but they refused until you could tell it was time. And then we headed to the sand, wrapped them in their towels and let them warm up on the sand. Cedi could have lived in her life jacket if we let her…Saturday night was fireworks over the lake. We all bundled up in our long sleeves (except my mom) and waited patiently for the fireworks to start. They didn’t start until 10pm. The girls had not taken naps. On the plus side, I can’t remember the last time Capri fell asleep in my arms – she was out cold before the fireworks started. Unfortunately she didn’t get to see the beautiful light display.

Cedi lasted in Grandpa’s arms for just over half of the show and Persimoni made it the longest – lasting until just before the grand finale. On our last night up north we had to sit by the fire and enjoy some s’mores. Grandma did all the prep work and Grandpa helped the girls toast their marshmallow’s.

A delightful and memorable treat!

I’m already looking forward to our trip next year to see what memories we make.

6th Anniversary

2011-07-10T20:55:00.001-05:00

On June 25th, Jared and I celebrated our 6 year anniversary! I am so happy and amazed that I been blessed with this amazing man.

One thing we’ve started doing on our anniversary is heading up to the Dells for some mini golf. This year we decided to celebrate with the whole family.

Mini golfing with the ‘ladies’ was either going to be super fun or full of whining. Thankfully – it was super fun and we’re already getting asked when we’re going again! Capr was amazingly good at mini golf (even if she does have a weird swing…)Cedi was okay but seemed to have a left-handed disadvantage. I beat Papa by seven strokes and was the only one to get a hole in one (in fact I got TWO!) even while I was carrying Pip.

Another fabulous anniversary has passed and I can’t wait for many, many more to come!

Yoda and Persimoni

2011-07-09T21:50:00.001-05:00

who’s bigger?

Kelsey & Jordan’s Wedding

2011-07-07T19:39:00.001-05:00

On Sunday, June 26th, our friends Kelsey & Jordan were married. It couldn’t have been a more beautiful day. The girls thoroughly enjoyed themselves as did Jared and I. Using the fabric that Kelsey’s mom, Denise, used for much of the decorating I made this quilt for Jordan & Kelsey. It was an outdoor wedding so the girls had LOTS of fun running around and playing with one of their friends from daycare, Delaney. The bride was absolutely stunning! Papa hanging out with Persimoni. The bride and groom having their first dance. Here I am cutting a rug with Capri. Cedi and Capri dancing with Lovie & Rhianna. My beautiful little Persimoni Mae… Trexen and Capri – perhaps future Mr & Mrs? Capri on the way home from the wedding – I can’t get over how cute she is when she wears her sunglasses – always upside down!

What a fun day!

Persimoni Mae – 2 months

2011-07-04T16:09:00.001-05:00

Persimoni Mae – 2 Months

I am so far behind on blogging! I have so much to tell about our summer festivities! But before it gets too late I have to share that last Tuesday (6/28/11) our beautiful baby girl turned 2 months!

On Wednesday, I took her in for her 2 month check up and the doctor said, “She’s a healthy breast-fed baby!” with a weight of 12 lbs 14 oz and a length of 23 inches. Looking back on my records she’s almost a full 2 lbs heavier than Cedi was and 1 lb heavier than Capri! She’s right between the two on her height though. Now I’m excited to see how big she is in 2 months!

Adult Truths

2011-07-04T15:30:00.001-05:00

Someone from one of my etsy teams shared this with us and I really love it! I had to make just a few modifications to fit my family…

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font. ***SO TRUE!***
5. How are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on # 5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page technical report that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
15. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
16. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with ~~Miller Lite~~ Miller High Life than Kay.
17. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.
18. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.
19. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understand a word they said?
20. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!
21. Shirts get dirty. Underwear gets dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.
22. ~~Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.~~ Do people even own watches anymore? Aren’t cell phones for telling time now…
23. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey -- but I'd bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, out of a deep sleep, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.
24. The first testicular guard, the "Cup," was used in Hockey in 1874 and the first helmet was used in 1974. That means it only took 100 years for men to realize that their brain is also important.

Double Strawberry Cream Pie – Market Fresh Recipe

2011-06-26T22:13:00.001-05:00

Happy Sunday everyone! My Market Fresh Ingredient from this week’s market is STRAWBERRIES! I’ve actually been getting a lot of calls about picking strawberries at our orchard lately. I just want to make it clear that we do not grow strawberries here. Please check out THIS POST about a couple of strawberry farms in our area.

So, the recipe I’m about to share with you is one that I came up with myself. It was inspired by my love of Banana Cream Pie and the fact that I have TONS of strawberries to eat up.

Double Strawberry Cream Pie

Ingredients

1 item(s) Ready Crust 25% Less-Fat Graham Cracker Ready pie crust

1 cup(s) strawberries

4 oz light whipping cream

2 cup(s) fat-free sugar-free pudding, I used white chocolate flavored - vanilla or cheesecake would work too

Instructions

Make pudding per package instructions. Pour into graham cracker crust and let set. Slice strawberries and cover top. Spread a layer of whipped cream over top. Add one more layer of sliced strawberries. ENJOY!

PointsPlus™ Value: 5
Servings: 8
Preparation Time: 5 min
Level of Difficulty: Easy

A ZoZo World

2011-06-24T13:44:00.001-05:00

I am sure you’ve noticed by now that I have a slight obsession for putting my girls into handmade clothing. I was talking with my friend the other day and she asked me why I didn’t make the girls any clothing. The only reason I could think of is that I hadn’t really tried. I decided to look around for some patterns to work from and I happily came across patterns from ZoZoBugBaby. ZoZoBugBaby also makes ready made clothing that is beyond adorable! The owner of ZoZoBugBaby also happens to be a friend that I met through and etsy team so I emailed her to see which pattern I should start with. Right away she responded to try the Little Bow Chic Dress. And she wasn’t kidding! Right away I made the dress you can see Cedi modeling in the pictures. I used a sort of cheesy pink paper doll fabric as the main fabric. It’s typically not a fabric I would use but if you could have seen her face when she first saw the dress you would understand why I chose it! One of the great things with ZoZo patterns is that a lot of them have two dress variations to pretty much the same dress.

Anyone that knows me knows I have a hard time following patterns – not because I don’t understand them but because I always have this urge to make something my own. Once I made the pattern per instructions I decided to make the girls both a slightly modified version combining both of the dresses from the pattern. Here’s Cedi in the second dress I made her.

I did a modified front panel that is actually strip pieced, added the ruffle on the bottom and used the same strap system as I did in the first dress. I also had learned a few things from the first time around and the second one went much quicker!

I didn’t want Capri to feel left out so I made her a dress as well. I used the same fabrics in the stripped front panel in both dresses so they slightly match but are still different. I like when my girls are matchy-matchy but they are starting to not want to be. I figured this was a good way coordinate the two!

My confidence in dress making is definitely at a high so I went ahead and added the Posey and Lola Dress Pattern and The Candy Shoppe Twirl Skirt and Tuxedo Tee Pattern’s to my collection. I have really been trying hard to focus on stocking up shops I consign at and getting ready for the Summer Craftacular but I do hope to make one of each for Cedi before she starts 4K in the fall.

Thanks again ZoZoBugBaby for making such great patterns! What FUN!

Strawberry Picking Time!

2011-06-22T21:53:00.001-05:00

It’s that time of year again – strawberry time! The girls and I picked Diane up on Tuesday morning and we headed north to Pardeeville to pick ourselves some berries. I’m not actually a huge fan of strawberries but they are are to beat when you’re eating them fresh off the vines. Cedi and Capri were fabulous pickers and Pip did a great job napping while we were there. Capri worked ahead of Grandma in the field. It’s not everyday that you see a girl in a tutu-like skirt picking strawberries! Here’s Persimoni – slacking on the berry picking job… Cedi was a good berry picker but I think she mostly just went down the row and ate as many as she could. Regardless, she picked about a quart and a half. Capri was the best berry picker of the two girls. She easily picked two quarts as well as ate her share. If you look carefully at Cedi’s mouth area you’ll see it’s quite obvious that she may have enjoyed a strawberry or two…

Roger Price Produce

N7556 State Rd. 44

Pardeeville, WI 53954

Home: (608) 429-2750

Cell: (608) 697-2756

My playgroup headed a different strawberry farm in DeForest last Friday and had a great time as well. Here’s there info:

U Pick Strawberry Farm

5396 Hahn Road

Deforest, WI 53532

***I made a delicious Double Strawberry Cream Pie today – I’ll be posting the recipe in a few days on my orchard blog…***

God Bless You Persimoni Mae

2011-06-17T09:47:00.003-05:00

Last Saturday, June 11th, Persimoni Mae was baptized. It was a lovely day that I would have enjoyed a tad more if I didn’t have a stomach bug. Here are a few pictures from then. Kim, Jared’s cousin, is Pip’s godmother and her husband Lee is her godfather. Pip did really good for the ceremony – she didn’t cry at all when water was poured on her head. Her baptismal gown was made by my mother-in-law, Diane, from my wedding dress. All my girls were baptized in it and I hope they choose to use it for their children. The godparents, Kim & Lee, and Persimoni.Our little family. Great Grandma with Pip. We took her out of the gown fairly quickly once things concluded – the only bad thing about it is that it’s slippery!

Tired Baby

2011-06-09T22:47:00.001-05:00

I have started doing ZUMBA a few nights a week. I absolutely love it – for the workout and for the few hours to just breathe. When i got home from my class on Wednesday this is what Pip looked like. She was definitely one tired lady! I couldn’t resist snapping some shots – I just love her!

PB & J Day Mom’s Group – Featured Mama!

2011-06-06T14:43:00.002-05:00

I’m the featured Mama on my mom’s group blog: http://pbandjday.blogspot.com/2011/06/featured-mama.html

Be sure to go and check out my story! Check out the rest of the blog while you’re there. Nicole gives great tips and ideas for things to do with young kids!

The Many Names of Persimoni Mae

2011-06-05T12:40:00.001-05:00

We are a family of nicknames, especially in the first year – Cedi started out as ‘Silly Putty’ and Capri was our little ‘Cabbage’. Persimoni has acquired a nickname from pretty much everyone. Papa calls her ‘Pip-eroni’, I call her ‘Pip-tini’, Capri likes to call her ‘Pip-ermint’, Cedi is original with ‘Tiny Persimoni’, and my friend Kaitra even came up with ‘Pip-sicle.’

Do you have any other great ‘Pip’ names we could call her?

Roll Over!

2011-06-02T21:18:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I laid Pip on her back and walked away for a few seconds – by the time I came back she was hanging out on her belly…

Today, Pip was chilling on her belly and it wasn’t too long before she was on her back…

She’s falling in her sister’s footsteps on being a strong kiddo. I’m still HOPING that she doesn’t walk as early as they did (Cedi at 8.5 months, Capri at 9.5 months).

Pancakes With Papa

2011-06-01T22:11:00.001-05:00

Every weekend, Papa gets up with the girls and makes pancakes and/or waffles (sometimes, rarely, they have cereal). Lately, he’s been letting me sleep in a bit and I found these pictures of the pancakes he made on my camera later in the day… How cool is that!?

What an amazing Papa and husband! Don’t tell but I’m going to try to make THESE for him on Papa’s Day…hopefully it works! I should also figure out exactly when that is too…

Ballet 2011

2011-05-29T15:04:00.001-05:00

The other weekend was Cedi’s first ballet recital. Cedi started taking ballet at the beginning of this year (I was the mom that forgot to sign my kid up when dance started in the fall).

I tried to get a picture of all three girls together…here’s what happened…

Cedi LOVED ballet and I LOVED taking her (until I got ridiculously hugely pregnant and then papa and grandma took over for the end classes).

Aunt Karma flew back from Virginia for the recital (and to meet Pip I guess…)

It was honestly the most amusing half and hour of my week. Well, the whole thing wrapped up with a big recital – two and a half hours of a recital to be exact. It was really well done and I have to give Miss Erin props for keeping it all together the way she did. Kids from ages 3.5 to 18 performed. It was pretty amazing. Jared did have to stay for both recitals as he is unable at this point to feed Pip. Next year will be better for him since I’ll be able to handle the dress rehearsal and the two recitals – AND we’ll have two beautiful girls in it.

Cedi in her ballet costume. I think one of her favorite parts of ballet is getting to wear tutus!

And here’s Cedi’s little dance – fast forward through the first minute… Even Pip got into the action. SHe wore a beautiful dress from Auntie Nise…complete with her very own ballet slippers!

If you live in the Poynette Area and want to sign up your little one for the summer dance program here’s some information:

Summer Dance Registration
Center Stage Dance Academy
Erin Lyn Geiger
117 Garnet Drive
Sun Prairie, WI 53590
608-577-1648
Regular Classes Wednesday: July 6, 13, 20, 27

Miss Erin does a fabulous job and is very reasonably priced – and your kiddo(s) will LOVE her!!!

Easy Rhubarb Dessert – Market Fresh Recipe

2011-05-28T19:26:00.001-05:00

The other day at my woman’s group the host made this delicious Rhubarb Dessert. I requested the recipe at once and was given permission to share it with you all as well.

I’m going to try to post ‘in season’ recipes for delicious foods you can find at your local farmer’s market. Stop by frequently to see what we’ve created!

EASY RHUBARB DESSERT

~Sue Karman

10 cup diced rhubarb (I found this growing wild by my fence line)
1 (3oz) pkg. strawberry jello
1 cup sugar
1 cup half & half (milk or water can replace the half & half if you prefer)
1 stick butter melted
1 yellow cake mix (dry)
1 cup oatmeal
In a 9x13" cake pan, layer rhubarb, jello, sugar, then cake mix. Pour Half& Half over
all. Sprinkle oatmeal evenly over the cake mix. Drizzle melted butter on top.

Bake 1 hour @350 My favorite way to serve this is warm with ice cream!!

Enjoy!

Rainy Day Update

2011-05-25T14:29:00.001-05:00

It’s a perfect rainy day out here. The one that I used to cuddle up on the couch with a good book and a hot cup of tea. Now that I have three kiddo’s with lots of energy – these days aren’t quite as peaceful as they were. But I have managed to get all three to sleep at the same time. Once I’m done with this post I hope to join them.

Since the last ‘Update’ our family has gotten much healthier. Cedi’s cough is gone and she’s completed her antibiotic's. My painful boobs turned into a fun case of mastitis – I’m also done with my antibiotics and feeling much better. Capri had the same cold/cough Cedi had and on the Monday after Cedi’s pneumonia diagnosis she had a fever. I brought her in (yup – we saw the doctor a lot in just a few days) and she had an ear infection (no pneumonia) and she’s also done with her antibiotics. Last weekend, Aunt Karma came for a visit. She wanted to meet Pip and Cedi had her ballet recital (pictures to come). I brought Pip outside to visit with Aunt Karma and show off her tummy time skills. Within seconds she was fast asleep on the quilt! Without anyone holding her – a miracle! So, I grabbed a book and just hung out with her as she napped – I think I may have an outside baby… Cedi is doing great. She’s loving being a big sister and she still has ridiculously long legs! Capri is loving being a big sister BUT I don’t think she’s loving the attention from her mama that she’s lost. Lots of crying and meltdowns. I hope she gets through this phase quickly. I think as Pip gets onto more of a schedule things will get easier for us all.

Jared’s doing fine too – I know I don’t talk about him much but he doesn’t change too often. He’s back to work and still trying to do lots around the orchard. I have to give him lots of credit for including the two older girls in as much of the work he has to do as possible. This is not an easy task and involves more patience than I have.

I mentioned that I was going to be re-starting weight watchers. I now have two weeks under my belt. The first week I lost 2.4 lbs and this past week I lost another 3 for a total of 5.4 lbs! I really love this program and hope to continue to be successful with it. I’ve also started a ZUMBA class on Sunday’s. I LOVE it! I want to do more but I think I’m going to let myself heal a bit more before I add in another class a week.

My question for today is:

What healthy snack do you munch on during the day?

Roller Derby Girls

2011-05-23T11:16:00.001-05:00

I bought a pair of adjustable roller skates at a garage sale a few weeks ago. Cedi was really excited to try them out but I had to pick up some padded gear first. Yesterday was her first day on her skates and she spent well over an hour on them – already well worth the $2.

This morning, the girls were up at 6am ready to go roller skating! I did make them wait until everyone was fed, dressed and ready before we headed out.

Now I just need to come up with some great Roller Derby Names for them.

Cedi I was thinking “Princess Pandemonium”

Capri I’m not quite sure yet…

Anyone else have any ideas?

Bath Time Baby!

2011-05-22T22:00:00.001-05:00

LOVING Pip’s huge belly!

I have so much I want to write for you all but this adorable little one is not really giving me ANY time at the computer! I’ll update when I can :)

What’s She Saying?

2011-05-17T12:28:00.001-05:00

Right after I had Cedi someone was on Oprah that could understand what a baby was saying with its cries. I actually found that it really worked! I had to just look these up to remind myself so I had some help with Pip:

The basics:

Neh means “I’m Hungry”
Owh means “I’m Tired”
Eh means “Burp Me”
Eairh means “I’m Gassy”
Heh means “I’m Uncomfortable”

Can you guess what cry Pip makes the most…yup, Neh!

2 Week Update

2011-05-13T13:38:00.001-05:00

Normally I would try to split up all the news I’m about to share with you into multiple posts but considering I rarely get a few minutes to be at the computer these days I figure I better just do it all now.

PIP

I’ll start with an update on Pip. I can’t believe that she’s already 2 weeks today! We went to the doctor for her checkup and she already weighs in at a whopping 9 lbs 4 oz – that’s 1 lb 1 oz more than she weighed at birth! The doctor says they like to see them back to their birth weight by now – I think we have that covered.

I’m sure you’ve figured it out but Pip is an eater! She eats every 2 to 3 hours during the day and she does it at her own pace. A bit here, a bit there, a nap, more milk…I spend most of my days in the recliner right now. I’m really not used to this and have gotten pretty much nothing accomplished. I’m not too worried about this as I’ve really enjoyed my time with Pip but things are going to be interesting once Papa goes back to work and I have a 3 and 4 year old that want to be outside 24/7.

Boob Question: So, since Pip eats so much my boobs are SUPER full of milk. I’m not a small girl in the first place so they are rather large. I’ve been wearing nursing tank tops but they aren’t very supportive for moving around or flattering either. I wore a underwire nursing bra earlier today – moving around felt great but seemed to result in clogging a few ducts which led to a very painful afternoon going on evening. (a warm bath helped for a bit…) Does anyone have any suggestions? I’m clueless as to what to do?

Cedi:

Yesterday Cedi complained about her ear bothering her. When I looked at it, it was super red behind her ear – like a bight or she’d been rubbing it a lot (rubbing it because she had an infection and it was bothering her?). She’s also had a decent cold for the last couple of weeks but it really hasn’t been slowing her down at all. She’s been go go go just like her normal self. But, we figured we’d see what it looked like this morning to decide if we should bring her in. This morning she complained that her other ear hurt too and she didn’t eat much of her breakfast (very unlike Cedi). Since Pip already had an appointment I called to see if I could squeeze Cedi in with her. So, around quarter to 10, the three of us headed to the doctor. Cedi weighed in at a whopping 36 lbs…she seriously is tiny! The good news about Cedi was that she didn’t have an ear infection or strep throat. Bed News: Pneumonia! I couldn’t believe it – but I’m super glad I brought her in… So, she’s on an antibiotic regiment for the next 10 days – I’m also super lucky that at least two of my girls LOVE medicine – it really is a bit ridiculous.

Cedi & Capri working on Mother’s Day Breakfast

Capri:

Nothing to report as of now. Hopefully I won’t have anything next week either. She does happen to have the same cough as Cedi so the doctor said that if it doesn’t get any better to give her a call on Monday…

I also am loving that Capri keeps calling Pip a “woman”. it makes me laugh every time!

ME:

I started back on Weight Watchers. I get LOTS of points since I’m nursing. Hopefully I’ll have some good news to report next Tuesday…

Jared:

I am officially married to a 32 year old man :) I think he had a nice low-key birthday celebration yesterday with the family including lunch at his favorite spot – Pizza Hut.

Happy Mom’s Day!

2011-05-08T19:07:00.001-05:00

I hope all the mom’s out there are having or had a fabulous day!

Here’s my mom with two of my beautiful little girls – do you think she’s proud to be a Grandma again!?

Here’s my favorite picture of my three beautiful girls that are how I became a mom. And now…I have to go and feed Pip – I swear – I’m pretty much just a milk machine right now…

Bad Day?

2011-05-06T14:10:00.001-05:00

I am so in love with this picture! Pip is a pretty easy kiddo (so far…knocking on wood) but when she’s hungry she wants to eat – NOW!

Picture(s) of the Day

2011-05-03T20:48:00.001-05:00

You’ll just have to bear with me for a bit…I am so in love with my beautiful little girl. I may overwhelm you all with too many pictures – I’ll try to limit myself – at least a little…

Here’s my little Pip. She’s all bundled up in a Cocoon I purchased from AllThingsBelle. I just love it! One of my favorite things (on a different picture) is when her little big toe peaks out of the bottom…so cute!Here’s my ‘sisters’ picture for today – oh, and of course Penguin. Uncle Brian’s tradition is to bring my new babies ginormous stuffed penguins after they are born – I LOVE it! And, the last picture for today is Papa snuggling all three of his girls – this makes my heart melt.

Our New Little Bundle – Persimoni ‘Pip’ Mae – a Birth Story

2011-05-02T09:24:00.001-05:00

I am proud to announce that our new little girl, Persimoni ‘Pip’ Mae decided to join us on April 28th. Everyone is doing great and the girls are enjoying their beautiful new baby sister.

The Birth Story

I went to the doctor on Wednesday, April 27th and a date for induction was set in case Pip didn’t decide to join us on her own (May 2nd). While there, the doctor stripped my membrane’s in hope to getting things started on it’s own.

I went to my farm to school meeting and proceeded with life as I had been – large and uncomfortable. At about 3:15 I started to have contractions…was this really happening!? Eek! They stopped just after 5. SERIOUSLY! Arghh! So annoying how they kept starting and stopping. Grandma and Grandpa already had the girls so we decided to make it a sleep over – just in case. Around 3 in the morning I woke up a few times with contractions. After the third time I figured I’d better just get up and start timing things to see if something was happening. The contractions were about 10 minutes apart until about 5:30. At that point I got up and took a shower. While I was standing and moving around the contractions were coming 2 to 3 minutes apart. After about a half hour of this we called triage and they told us to come in.

Here I am before we left for the hospital. Jared couldn’t believe I wanted to stop and get a picture but I couldn’t resist. I had one from both of the other’s girls’ births.

The contractions slowed to about 4 or 5 min apart when I was sitting in the van on the way to the hospital. Once I stood up to walk around they became closer together again. When I got to triage they made me lay down to get checked and to monitor things. Since I was laying, things slowed down but I was 4 cm and they decided to admit me. I stood whenever they let me and the contractions picked up. When my doctor came she checked me and was slightly progressed. We discussed pain management. At this time I was handling the contractions just fine but I really didn’t want to miss out on getting the epidural this time. So, we decided to do it.

The anesthesiologist game in and got things going. It wasn’t as nice as I remember the last one being but I wasn’t concentrating through 9cm contractions either.

They decided to do a different type of epidural this time where it starts with one drug and then switches to the standard. Well, this first drug was not my favorite. My blood pressure dropped really low and they had to give me lots of fluid and put me down on my side. Once it wore off though, I felt much better and much more like myself. IF I ever decide to have another baby I’m telling them I do not want this first drug.

Since you’re not able to walk around with an epidural contractions had also slowed down. I was ready to get her out but it was nice to just be able to relax and wait for her to decide to come. Jared kept the parents’ notified – we didn’t want them to be worrying since the last two had come so quickly. His last update to them was around 12:30 saying that things were progressing but slowing. The doctor had just checked me and I was at 6cm.

Not long after that I called the nurse in because things were definitely becoming more intense. The epidural was not covering all the pain. She told me I could push the button to get more drugs but I knew that feeling at least some of it would help me with the pushing portion so I didn’t go for it.

When the doctor checked me just after 1:00 I was fully dilated and was given the go ahead to push. At 1:27 we welcomed our new beautiful baby girl into the world. To both of us she was blue and not making any noises. The doctors were happy though because there had been meconium in the fluid when my water broke and that gave them plenty of time to suction her out to make sure she didn’t breath any of the nasty stuff in. Soon, we heard her beautiful cries and they gave me my baby. She was perfect. The doctor agreed. She weighed in at 8 lbs 3 oz – my biggest baby yet. She was 20 inches long. AND she had a full head of hair! I’ve said it before but I’ll say it again – maternity nurses are AMAZING! I don’t know how I would have gotten through any of my births without them. Thanks Nurse Jackie for all your help!

Pip already being snuggled and loved by her two bigger sisters!

Favorite Quote since coming home:

I was nursing Persimoni and Capri asked what was happening. I told her that Pip was getting milk from me. Her next question: “Is it chocolate?”

Birth Analysis:

Mercedi – definitely the most painful and intense of them all – I was induced because of high blood pressure and things went from 0 to baby in just 4.5 hours – no drugs.

Capri – intense and painful naturally occurring labor, epidural at 9 cm, easiest delivery yet – 5 hour labor

Persimoni – easy labor with the epidural, epidural didn’t seem to have much effect during the birth portion which was quite intense – 10 hour labor

Fully Cooked at 40 weeks

2011-04-25T09:59:00.001-05:00

How Far Along: 40 weeks

Size of baby: 7 1/2 pounds and 20 inches

Heart rate at Last Doctor’s Visit(4/21): 135

Measuring at Last Doctor’s Visit(4/21): 39 weeks

What to Look Forward to at the Next Doctor Visit (4/27): I’m hoping I won’t be going to my next visit but if I do…I hope to find out I’m more dilated than 2cm and another membrane strip…

Total Weight Gain/Loss:+Maternity Clothes: ~36 lbs no change from last week – woo hoo!

Gender: It’s a GIRL; name will be chosen when we see her!

Please – keep suggesting names…we really don’t decide until we meet her…

Movement: I can definitely feel feet and knees…sort of weird…

Sleep: pretty terrible – but I’m starting to things done in the middle of the night…

What I miss: champagne, beer, being able to walk without pain, sleeping on my back, my ankles

Cravings: nothing really – I’m tired of eating in general

Symptoms: heartburn, terrible hips, ridiculously emotional, an enlarged stomach, anxious

Best Moment of the Week: Jared, the girls and I have been walking the orchard a lot lately. I’m really enjoying all this family time together. Watching the girls just run and being able to chat casually with Jared has been so nice. We are all so ready to start the next phase of our little family. Anyone that knows me knows that I’m a planner – all this waiting and not knowing is literally driving me crazy!

Still time to get in on the Baby Pool!

Happy Easter Eve!

2011-04-23T20:01:00.001-05:00

I hope everyone is excited and ready for Easter tomorrow! Here’s some snapshots of some Easter fun we had today.

The girls are ready for the hunt – they were in different sections this year since Cedi got to move up to the 4-5 years old! Cedi managed to actually grab some eggs this year. Last year she didn’t get the shiny one and through a fit and refused to get ANY! It was quite the morning… There’s Capri – she found the shiny egg this year! You can also see her cousin Payton and Kate in the foreground of the photo. There was a decent turnout to the hunt! Cedi would actually pick up an egg and then put it back on the ground…like the blue one in this picture – it ended up in someone else basket in the end. No idea. Capri was afraid of the Easter Bunny so we just have Cedi in the picture this year. Next event – dyeing the eggs! The girls did great! I love how Capri’s feather’s match the eggs she dyed!Jared was really proud of this picture that’s just basically my belly! Still nothing but feel free to join in the Baby Pool fun on my crafty blog – prizes are involved! Ced’s got a bit of a runny nose which always seems to translate into one red cheek… The fruits (aka eggs) of our labor…

We hope everyone has a safe and happy Easter!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-20T15:36:00.001-05:00

39 weeks – 7 days to go

2011-04-18T07:19:00.001-05:00

I turned to the side while chatting with Jared and he blurted out “Are you sure you’re not having twins!?” – I feel like a whale!

How Far Along: 39 weeks

Size of baby: 20 inches and just over 7lbs

Heart rate at Last Doctor’s Visit(4/14): 150

Measuring at Last Doctor’s Visit(4/14): 39 weeks

What to Look Forward to at the Next Doctor Visit (4/14): Hopefully to find out I’m more dilated than 1cm and another membrane strip…

Total Weight Gain/Loss:+Maternity Clothes: ~36 lbs no change from last week – woo hoo!

Gender: It’s a GIRL; name will be chosen when we see her!

Please – keep suggesting names…we really don’t decide until we meet her…

Movement: Slightly creepy as I can see feet and hands as they poke out of my belly. She starts to do her ‘exercising’ right around 9pm – it’s so weird to watch. I could be in Alien.

Sleep: less and less good. I hoist myself out of bed about every 2 hours to pee. If I’m lucky I can fall back asleep – usually the 3/4 wake up it becomes an issue and I’m up for a few hours.

What I miss: champagne, beer, being able to walk without pain, sleeping on my back, my ankles

Cravings: canned pears, whipped cream, bacon, chocolate, cake

Symptoms: heartburn, terrible hips, ridiculously emotional, an enlarged stomach

Best Moment of the Week: Helping my mom make TONS and TONS of meals for my freezer for ‘post’ baby time! So excited about that! Thanks MOM!

Every morning each of my girls talk to my belly and let the baby know that they’re ready to meet her TODAY. I am so so ready for this – even the labor and delivery bit. I can’t wait to start the next phase of our family!

Happy Birthday to Me!

2011-04-17T09:29:00.001-05:00

Last Friday, April 15th was my 29th birthday (yes, I’m a tax baby and yes, my father worked for the IRS). Being ridiculously huge and pregnant we had a pretty laid back celebration.

In the morning I took Cedi to her registration/screening for 4K. Then my parents came to spend the day with the girls and I. While they were here my dad entertained the girls while my mom and I cooked up some casseroles for after the baby (well…my mom pretty much did it all and I helped here and there…). By the end of the day my mom had made 17 different casserole meals for the freezer plus at least 2 meals of hot beef that just needs to be reheated. Seriously! This is AMAZING! After the last two kiddo’s the best thing anyone ever gave us was a meal that was ready to pop in the oven. It’s so nice to not have to worry about ‘what’s for dinner’. With all this food in my freezer I figure we’re set for 3 weeks to a month – woo hoo!

I’m sure you’ve noticed the amazingly beautiful cake I have pictured throughout this blog. I was lucky to enjoy three cakes for my birthday. The night before the big day my hubby brought home cherry cheesecake (yummy…truth be told, I’m enjoying a slice as I type this and yes, it’s not 9:30 am yet…). My mom brought my favorite – angel food. We topped it off with whipped cream, strawberries and raspberries. Delicious!

THEN, on Friday night my friend Julie dropped off this GORGEOUS cake that she had made and decorated for me! The girls were in awe and couldn’t wait to dive in and eat it up! It was hard to cut into something so beautiful…

but…as you can see – it was gorgeous on the inside too! And DELICIOUS as well! Thanks so much Julie – what a fantastic surprise!

4K Screening

2011-04-16T18:46:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I had to take Cedi in for 4K Screening and registration. It was definitely a proud ‘mama moment’. Cedi did fabulous for her screening – no concerns at all.

Cedi was a ‘very friendly’ child. Instead of calling it purple – she said ‘violet’ – perhaps a budding artist!? And, my favorite, boys and girls were ‘humans’.

I can’t believe she’ll be starting school in a few months! It will be slightly sad but I know she’s going to love and thrive their.

Perler Beads – HOURS of Fun!

2011-04-14T09:58:00.001-05:00

As most mom’s know – if you can find an activity that will occupy your children for even 30 minutes – it’s amazing. Well, the other day I pulled out the bin of perler beads and we had two hours of quiet – minimal chatting and no arguing – and I’m not exaggerating! The girls were in a state of serious concentration while they created their pieces. And after they were done – I had two very proud little girls! What’s even neater is that they decided that one of their pieces was for the other sister, and one for their loving mama (aka me).

I also had fun with this little project – I put together a couple of ‘quilt square’ inspired blocks.

Henry Vilas Zoo

2011-04-12T08:01:00.001-05:00

Last Friday, after we had feathers put in our hair, Jared took a long lunch break and we headed for a little visit to the Henry Vilas Zoo in Madison. It really is a fabulous zoo for small children – not too big, but big enough with enough animal variety to keep them excited about going – oh, and it’s Free! It was a bit chilly out so we made sure to check out the Aviary – this was actually our first venture through it – pretty nice. The girls were really into pictures with their heads through the cut outs – Capri is the polar bear above and Cedi the polar bear below. Papa and the girls checked out the bison in their fairly new exhibit. The tiger was out pacing. It’s so crazy to think – there’s just a pane (grant it, a super thick, strong pane) of glass between that tiger and my two girls!

I had to snag a picture of the giraffe’s – the girls’ favorite animal at the zoo. They were still napping when we first went to visit them, but much to the girls delight they woke up and were out an about before we had to leave.

I think overall – our little adventure to the zoo was a success and everyone had some fun!

38 weeks – 14 days to go

2011-04-11T19:20:00.001-05:00

How Far Along: 38 weeks

Size of baby: 6.8 lbs and over 19.5 inches

Heart rate at Last Doctor’s Visit(4/8): 145 – both girls came with me and were able to hear the heartbeat!

Measuring at Last Doctor’s Visit(4/8): 38 weeks

What to Look Forward to at the Next Doctor Visit (4/14): See if I’m dilated any more and hopefully some membrane stripping to get things moving…

Total Weight Gain/Loss:+Maternity Clothes: ~36 lbs

Gender: It’s a GIRL; name will be chosen when we see her!

Please – keep suggesting names…we really don’t decide until we meet her…

Movement: Slightly creepy as I can see feet and hands as they poke out of my belly. She starts to do her ‘exercising’ right around 9pm – it’s so weird to watch. I could be in Alien.

What I miss: champagne, beer, being able to walk without pain, sleeping on my back, my ankles

Cravings: canned pears, whipped cream, bacon, mayonnaise, chocolate,

Symptoms: heartburn, terrible hips, swollen ankles, emotional, an enlarged stomach

Best Moment of the Week: Spent A LOT of quality time with my girls – including a spontaneous trip to the park, getting feather extensions in our hair and a trip to the zoo!

Feather Extensions

2011-04-10T05:11:00.001-05:00

I’ve been seeing feather extensions in people’s hair on the internet for quite awhile now. Since the first time I saw it I knew this is something I wanted – but I never took the time to see if anyone in my area put them in. I knew that someone in Milwaukee did it because it was frequently talked about at one of the boutiques I sell at – Project M – but I really hate driving in Milwaukee. Finally, the other day i decided it was time. I did a quick search and easily found that Jece, a small salon near the Capitol, installs feathers in your hair! I called her up and made an appointment. I thought it would be fun if the girls got feathers put in their hair at the same time. Jece said she would try but the youngest she’s put them on was an 11 year old – the issue being fine hair. I figured it would be fun anyway – even if they don’t last very long and I know my ‘princesses’ would get a kick out of it.

Cedi was first in the chair – you can see she’s having fun already!

Cedi’s new set of feathers – she chose rainbow. I really love this bundle – so much fun!

Capri’s turn! Capri, at age 3, is officially the youngest that Jece has put fine feather extensions on. You can’t see in the pictures but of course Capri chose a bundle of blue feathers. Capri trying to sit patiently for her feathers. She did pretty well but it also helped that it really didn’t take long to have them put in. I think we were in and out with all three of us getting feathers in less than a half an hour! You can sort of see the girls’ feathers in this photo. I’m sure in the days to come, as I post more photo’s of them online, you’ll notice them as well.

I haven’t taken a picture of mine yet but will try to have it show up in my ‘38 week’ update tomorrow.

Spontaneous ‘Park’-ing

2011-04-08T15:01:00.001-05:00

The other day when the girls and I were out on errands we were driving by a fun looking park in Morrisonville. It was nice out so I decided to stop and let the girls run for a bit. Best decision ever! The girls had so much fun and I loved every minute of watching their happiness. They just kept saying, “Mama, this is SO MUCH FUN!” – truly priceless!

It tired to edit the number of pictures I put up but I’m terrible at that so you’ll just have to look at most of them – this is why I don’t scrapbook! Cedi got really good at climbing the spider web thingy…Capri enjoyed it too but wasn’t quite tall enough to climb very high (which was fine with me). What’s a park without a slide!? When’s the last time you were this happy? Determined to climb the wall. Proud when she did. Cedi decided to climb up and over the spider web thingy… As you can see…Cedi’s slightly concerned about how she’s going to get down now that she’s all the way on top…I was so glad she figured out how to turn around and go backwards back down…I can’t imagine how I would have climbed up there with my big gut! Classic fun on the swings!

Wordless Wednesday

2011-04-06T16:49:00.001-05:00

Full Term: 37 Weeks – 21 days to go...

2011-04-04T17:42:00.002-05:00

How Far Along: 37 weeks

Size of baby: 6 1/3 lbs and just over 19 inches

Heart rate at Last Doctor’s Visit (3/17): 155

Measuring at Last Doctor’s Visit (3/17): 36 weeks

What to Look Forward to at the Next Doctor Visit (4/6): I typically go to the doctor on Thursday’s but they had to reschedule so I’ll be heading there on Wednesday and taking the girls with me. It will be neat for them to hear the heartbeat. Strep B culture from last appointment came back – negative!

Total Weight Gain/Loss:+Maternity Clothes: going to have to up this to 34 pounds…went to the doctor last week. Definitely wearing Maternity Clothes…I have been for pretty much the whole time.

Gender: It’s a GIRL; name will be chosen when we see her!

Please – keep suggesting names…we really don’t decide until we meet her…

Movement: Still crazy but I don’t think I’m noticing it as much since I’ve been much more active now that I’m feeling better.

Sleep: okay – crazy, crazy, crazy dreams. I’ve also tired to quit with the caffeine and I think that has helped with the mid-night waking up…for now…

What I miss: champagne, beer, being able to walk without pain, sleeping on my back, my ankles

Cravings: canned pears, whipped cream, bacon, mayonnaise, chocolate, pineapple, pineapple upside down cake

Symptoms: heartburn, terrible hips, swollen ankles, emotional, an enlarged stomach

Best Moment of the Week: finishing up LOTS on my to-do list!

2011 Maple Syrup Festival at MacKenzie Center

2011-04-02T10:31:00.001-05:00

We got up early this morning and headed right over to the 2011 Maple Syrup Festival at the MacKenzie Center in Poynette. It is $7 for adults and $5 for kids 4 and up to eat a yummy breakfast consisting of scrambled eggs, ham, and of course – pancakes! This was actually our first time making it to the event but I hope to make it a family tradition. My girls LOVE the MacKenzie Center and anything I can do to help support it or the programs it runs is great in my book. Cedi really enjoyed her meal – she cleaned up both of her pancakes and a good portion of her ham and eggs. Capri – my child who doesn’t always eat much – scarfed down at least 2 pancakes – papa had to keep filling her plate! As you can see many others were enjoying their meal as well. By the time we finished up a decent line had formed and I’m sure it will be another successful event for the Center. If you have time – the breakfast runs until noon today so head down for a little mid-morning snack. Otherwise – this festival is the first Saturday in April every year so be sure not to miss it next year!

Once we were done with breakfast we decided to go and check out the sugar bush demonstrations. The first station when we got the sugar bush area was how to make maple syrup at your own home. Not a difficult thing to do but it takes time and patience. The next stop was how the pioneers made it using big iron kettles. The lady demonstrating this let Cedi try on the yoke the kids would use to carry buckets of the tree sap (sans the actual buckets of course) Next stop was how the American Indians made it way back when – they typically made sugar though – not syrup. It was done in a hollowed out log using fire heated rocks to boil the water. Now this would have taken some effort!

After we walked around this we decided to head home as it had gotten a bit colder. There was still lots more to do but we’ll wait until next year to experience some of that.

Here’s what the brochure advertised:

Guided tours of the sugar bush. Demonstrations of how to tap a maple tree for sap and how to make maple syrup. Interpretive talks about how American Indians and pioneers made syrup. Live, old-time country music. Horse-drawn wagon rides. Home-made ice cream churned with an antique engine. Refreshments, maple products, souvenirs sold by the Friends of MacKenzie.

The festival goes on until 2 so if you’re not in the mood for the delicious pancake breakfast you can still head over and learn something about maple syrup.

Other events at the MacKenzie Environmental Center for 2011:

Spring Clean Up Day: April 30th; 9am – 2pm
Outdoor Skills Day: July 9th; 9am – 2pm
Hootenany: October 1st; 6:30pm – 9:30pm
Fundraising Banquet: October 8th, 2011 – advance sales only
Haunted Hay Ride: Fri, October 21st, and Sat, October 22nd; 6:30-9:30pm

Easter Egg Hunt

2011-03-30T15:46:00.001-05:00

One of my goals for my apple orchard is to open up for a public Easter egg hunt. We did a ‘trial run’ last year and it went over pretty well. I was already prepared to have a public one this year but since Baby #3 is coming sometime in April I thought it would be difficult to set a date, advertise, and then not even be sure if I would be there. So, I’m doing a second trial run – a bit larger than the first – for my friends and mom’s of the PB&J Play Group.

We’re having the hunt at my place on Friday, April 22nd from 10-2 – just 3 days before I’m due…

Nicole – the creator and organizer of the group has agreed to put the eggs out if I’m busy with something else that day (ie having a baby) and Diane would be here with the girls so she would be in charge of any ‘location’ issues that may come up.

So…my main concern was to get the eggs stuffed. I had Jared bring in the boxes of eggs and goodies I had ordered on clearance after the last successful hunt and the girls and I got to work. Capri was in charge of finding all the smaller candies. Cedi started out by emptying the packages of eggs into a single bag.(I had LOTS and LOTS of eggs…the picture above doesn’t even start to show how many I bought…) Cedi then found all the fun finger puppets and to try them out for herself first. The girls would hand me the toy or candy and I stuffed the eggs. This was no small task and pretty much took up our Monday.

But it was a success! I would say I have about 400 to 500 stuffed and ready for the kids to find thanks to Cedi and Capri for all their hard work, help and most of all, patience!

36 weeks – 28 days to go

2011-03-28T17:33:00.001-05:00

How Far Along: 36 weeks

Size of baby: 6 lbs and more than 18 1/2 inches long

Heart rate at Last Doctor’s Visit (3/17): 150

Measuring at Last Doctor’s Visit (3/17): 35 weeks (about a week ahead)

What to Look Forward to at the Next Doctor Visit (3/30): Strep B Test

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +Maternity Clothes: going to have to up this to 32 pounds…went to the doctor last week. Definitely wearing Maternity Clothes…I have been for pretty much the whole time.

Gender: It’s a GIRL; name will be chosen when we see her!

Please – keep suggesting names…we really don’t decide until we meet her…

Movement: Still crazy but I don’t think I’m noticing it as much since I’ve been much more active now that I’m feeling better.

Sleep: decent – lots of potty breaks

What I miss: champagne, beer, being able to walk without pain, sleeping on my back

Cravings: canned pears, whipped cream, bacon, mayonnaise, chocolate, pineapple

Symptoms: heartburn, terrible hips, swollen ankles, emotional, an enlarged stomach,

Best Moment of the Week: Having my girls home with me again after they were with Grandma and Grandpa Van. I really appreciated the break but it was so good to be with them again!

before eight am

2011-03-27T18:30:00.001-05:00

My parents came and picked up my girls to spend four days with them last Thursday. This morning was our last morning of quiet. Jared and I decided to go and grab some breakfast.

My contract for the Prairie Athletic Club is up at the end of April – and I’m not going to keep it (at least for now). So, when I got the notice I had called to cancel it and after the 20 questions wondering why I was leaving and many reasons why I should say they finally let me know that my paperwork would be at the front desk of the club for me to sign at anytime. But, I had to do this before the 30th of March since they need a months notice to cancel – if I didn’t get there before then, I would be paying for the month of May as well.

So, when we decided to go to breakfast I thought going to a place in Sun Prairie would work well since we could stop by the club to sign the papers. We got to the club just around 7 (yup, we were up early) and I the papers weren’t available for me to sign. I guess the story was that there needed to be a manager there (who didn’t start until 9:30) and the papers were locked away. Seriously!? Hadn’t I specifically asked when I could come into sign it? There response – ANYTIME…shouldn’t it have been ‘Anytime there is a manager on duty.” ARGHHH!

Fine. So I wasn’t going to get the papers signed at that point but the club was definitely getting a call from me once the manager was in. It’s time for breakfast.

We thought we’d head to Sir Hobo’s for a yummy diner breakfast – turns out that they had a fire back in February. What terrible news for them and for us – I really wanted to eat there.

Then, we decided to head to another Diner in Sun Prairie for breakfast. I had heard they had a good breakfast buffet. We pulled in around 7:30ish – buffet starts at 9 – of course! So, I finally decided to order a Belgian Waffle with Pecans from the menu. When it arrived it was just a plain waffle (yes, that’s right plain – not even a dollop of whip cream!) and a small cup of crushed pecans! I can’t even express my disappointment – seriously!? This was my Belgian Waffle – ridiculous!

I’ll admit – the waffle was good but it was hard to enjoy it after all my disappointments. Being 36 weeks pregnant I’m already really easy to upset. I know these aren’t major problems in the grand scheme of things but it was a truly annoying first few hours of the morning.

The day did get better and my girls are home with me – wow, I missed them!

A mini vacation

2011-03-24T17:25:00.001-05:00

My parents came and picked up my two girlies this morning. They’re taking them home (Green Bay) with them until Sunday – yes, that’s FOUR days with no kiddo’s! It feels so crazy. There is so much that I should be doing but honestly all I want to do is sleep…

We’ll just have to see what actually gets accomplished in the next few days…

35 weeks, 1 day – 34 days to go…

2011-03-22T08:56:00.001-05:00

Capri, mom and baby bump

How Far Along: 35 weeks, 1 day!
Size of baby: 5 1/4 lbs and 18 inches

Heart rate at Last Doctor’s Visit (3/17): 150

Measuring at Last Doctor’s Visit (3/17): 35 weeks (about a week ahead)

Gender: It’s a GIRL; name will be chosen when we see her!

More name suggestions from some friends that I liked: Delia, Acacia (a-kay-sha), Signe, Estella, Leena, Imogene, Nevaeh

Please – keep suggesting names…we really don’t decide until we meet her…

Movement: Still crazy but I don’t think I’m noticing it as much since I’ve been much more active now that I’m feeling better.

Here’s my thoughts on baby moving. I LOVE when she moves because it reassures me that she’s doing okay in there. BUT it is a bit creepy to see my belly just moving around…reminds me of ‘Alien’.

Sleep: pretty good still..knocking on wood…

What I miss: champagne, beer, being able to walk without pain

Cravings: canned pears, whipped cream, bacon

Symptoms: heartburn, terrible hips, swollen ankles, emotional, an enlarged stomach, sleeping on my back

Best Moment of the Week: Meeting my brother at the Cheesecake Factory for a great dinner and of course some cheesecake to take home (I only ordered two pieces…it was hard though). Then we went to his house to hang out for a bit and the girls were AMAZING – so nice to have well behaved children :)

Crazy Idea: I have decided to host an Easter Egg Hunt for the mom’s group I attend – PB&J on Friday, April 22nd – yup, that’s 3 days before I’m due… Any other mom’s and kids are more than welcome to attend as well..it’s in my orchard!

Cedi giving mom’s baby bump a kiss (Capri’s in there too but she’s behind Cedi so you can’t really see her…)

Little Fish

2011-03-19T09:29:00.002-05:00

Cedi and Capri will be having their sixth and final swim lesson this session next Wednesday. We’ve already had five over at the Prairie Athletic Club. I was so happy to see that they offered some classes during the day instead of right around dinner time – so much easier for everyone (especially since my schedule allows for daytime lessons). They have a great teacher and a class of five kids (should have been 6 but the sixth little girl was really not into it when she came…we haven’t seen her since…)Cedi and Capri learning the benefits of ‘teachers pet’ early on. Capri is a great floater! Cedi’s slightly less buoyant.

During their swim lessons this past summer – Capri passed her class with flying colors and was allowed into the next level with administrative approval since she wasn’t quite old enough (she turned 3 in the middle of the session). They decided Cedi should stay a ‘Seahorse’ for another session. You have to understand – Cedi is a ‘Princess’ and ‘Princesses’ don’t put their head underwater. What all this meant was that both girls would be Seahorses at the same time. In my mind this was either going to be really good or really bad. Luckily – it’s been wonderful! Since Capri is not afraid of putting her head underwater Cedi went right for it and showed her stuff. Capri on the left – a fabulous floater, Cedi on the right – needs to work on relaxing a bit…

I found out at the last class that Cedi will be moving into Sea Turtles for the next session and Capri will be staying in Seahorses one more time. Of course, I really think this has to do with her age. She’s really good at all the activities the class is doing but she needs to work on her ‘listening’ skills. Being the first time she’s been in any sort of activity without her mom or dad I’m still really proud of how well she did.

3/24/11 UPDATE: So, yesterday at their last swimming lesson the teacher informed me that if I wanted I could send Capri into the next class! She was only not doing two of the things on the checklist so she passed! I'm really happy about this because I'm pretty sure that Sea Horses and Sea Turtles happen at two different times and I had no idea how I could keep one of the girls out of the water while the other had a lesson. Woo Hoo! Yeah for my littlest swimmer!

I’m excited for the next session of swim lessons (I’ll probably sign them up for sometime next summer). I hope to be able to hang out in the adjacent hot tub and observe the classes since I won’t be pregnant anymore!

34 weeks, 1 day: 41 days to go

2011-03-15T18:51:00.001-05:00

As promised…belly photo and new ‘do’ photo :) I also had Jared take the photo outside as the weather has been BEUATIFUL the last few days!

How Far Along: 34 weeks, 1 day!
Size of baby: 4 3/4 lbs and just under 18 inches

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +Maternity Clothes: still going to stick with about +29lbs since I don’t go to the doctor until Thursday and I refuse to stand on a scale at home

Gender: It’s a GIRL; name will be chosen when we see her! (Supposedly…we’ll see – I wouldn’t be surprised if she surprises us and is actually a boy – she’s HUGE!)

Movement: Still crazy but I don’t think I’m noticing it as much since I’ve been much more active now that I’m feeling better.

Sleep: Fine – except Jared and I are currently addicted to watching episodes of 24 on netflix so it seems that we’re staying up later and later which makes the mornings tougher. On Saturday I somehow managed to take two naps and wow – that was amazing!

What I miss: champagne and beer

Cravings: canned pears, whipped cream, dried blueberries in my mac & cheese

Symptoms: heartburn, terrible hips, slightly swollen ankles, an enlarged stomach

Best Moment of the Week: I sort of have two…I pampered myself – I had a pedicure last Thursday and a haircut today…sometimes you just have to do things for yourself…

Potential in the Kitchen

2011-03-14T18:31:00.003-05:00

So here’s the deal. I actually don’t mind cooking…but I hate a few things about it:

1. deciding what to make
2. the time it takes
and 3. the clean up

It’s like bills and taxes…if I was just given an extra ‘x’ hours to my life to accomplish those things specifically I would not mind doing them.

Anyway, tonight I decided to cook and have dinner ready when hubby got home.

I pulled out our new Rachael Ray 365: No Repeats Cookbook and decided to go for the ‘Mac-n-Smoked Gouda with Cauliflower.

Well, I got everything going and of course had to tweak some of the recipe. Part of it called for some onions – hubby can’t stand onions. (I also usually don’t like onions but it seems like Baby #3 doesn’t mind them too much). So, I omitted them. I think in doing this I sort of screwed up the ‘prep’ work to make a decent cheese sauce for the macaroni. Needless to say, when I was all done my cheese sauce was lumpy and weird and overall the dish didn’t have much flavor (I did omit the onions which usually add lots of flavor to dishes). So, in an act of desperation I added a can of cream of mushroom soup and three-fourths a block of cream cheese and mixed it in. I’m pretty sure I saved what would have been a terrible meal. Jared and I ate 3 servings and the girls even ate some of it too – they didn’t seem to be fans of the cauliflower which seemed odd to me since veggies are usually their favorite. I also added dried blueberries to my bowl of mac and boy – that was AMAZING!

I would definitely make it again but would half the recipe…this yielded LOTS of food…we probably could eat it for the rest of the week if we don’t get sick of it.

So, with that – here’s my ‘tweaked’ version of the ‘Mac-N-Smoked Gouda with Cauliflower’ meal.

Ingredients

1 pound elbow macaroni
1 bag of frozen cauliflower florets
3 T all-purpose flour
1 tsp paprika
3 cups 2% milk
1 cup chicken stock
3 cups smoked Gouda
1 T. hot mustard
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
3/4 can of water
3/4 chunk of cream cheese

Directions

Bring a large pot of water to a boil. Add salt to season the cooking water, then add the pasta. Cook for 5 minutes, then add the cauliflower and cook for 3 minutes more or until the pasta is cooked al dente and the florets are just tender. Drain well and return to the pot.

While the pasta cooks, add the chicken stock, milk, flour and paprika to a pot. Whisk together and raise the heat enough to bring it all to a quick boil. Add the cheese to the mix and stir to melt it, a minute or so. Stir in the mustard. Pour over the broccoli and cooked pasta. Add the, mustard, can of cream of mushroom soup, 3/4 can of water, and cream cheese. Mix until everything is melted and mixed thoroughly.

Feel free to sprinkle with dried blueberries (I would let each individual decide if this is something they’d like to try).

Enjoy!

PS. I would be posting my 34 week update but I'm getting my hair cut tomorrow so I thought I'd just wait until then...super excited!

A Delicious Handmade Treat - Potato Chip Cookies

2011-03-08T22:27:00.001-06:00

Such a fabulous combination of sweet and salt - it is difficult to stop eating this delicious treat!

Potato Chip Cookies

INGREDIENTS

1 pound butter, softened
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
3 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 1/2 cups crushed potato chips***
2 eggs
Powdered Sugar
Optional: 1/2 cup chopped pecans or walnuts

DIRECTIONS

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Lightly grease cookie sheets.
Cream together the butter, sugar, eggs and vanilla.
Mix in the flour and potato chips and stir well.
Drop by teaspoon onto cookie sheets about 2 inches apart. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes.
Sprinkle powdered sugar over cookies after removed from the oven.

***Tip for saving up your crushed potato chips: When your bag of potato chip is almost empty and all that is left are some crumbs, put those crumbs in a baggy and freeze them.

Super easy recipe and fabulous treat!

Recipe yields about 4 dozen cookies.

33 weeks – 49 days to go

2011-03-07T19:35:00.001-06:00

How Far Along: 33 weeks!
Size of baby: a little over 4 lbs and is past the 17-inch mark

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +Maternity Clothes: going to stick with about +29lbs since I don’t go to the doctor until next week and I refuse to stand on a scale at home

Gender: It’s a GIRL; name will be chosen when we see her! (Supposedly…we’ll see – I wouldn’t be surprised if she surprises us and is actually a boy – she’s HUGE!) BUT my mom did send me a list of names of her aunts – check these out – lots of goodies!

Henrietta (Retta), Petronella (Nellie), Minnie, Stella, Marcella, Beulah, Rita, Lucille, Ethel, Loretta, Mildred, Bernice, Caroline, Theodora (Dora), Hattie, Agnes, Johanna, Lenora

Movement: This kid is going to be an acrobat!

Sleep: Okay – I seem to be waking up at about 4am and not being able to go back to sleep. If I put a movie in it helps me not think so much and fall asleep again…

What I miss: beer

Cravings: fruit (especially at room temperature) still and then General Tso’s Chicken tonight

Symptoms: heartburn, terrible hips, slightly swollen ankles, an enlarged stomach

Best Moment of the Week: feeling better and finding an entire tote full of maternity clothes that I forgot that I had!

32 weeks + Doctor Visit Update

2011-03-04T08:54:00.002-06:00

I already posted the 32 week update picture but I figured I’d do a little more updating and let you all know how Capri did during her well-~~baby~~ child visit.

Yesterday was a very special day. I dropped just Cedi off for a day with Grandma and it became a ‘Capri & Mom’ Day. It started off with a visit to the doctor. Capri turned 3 last week but I figured it would be easiest to just piggy-back her well-child visit with one of my bi-monthly appointments. Yesterday was the day.

Capri’s Visit:

Diagnosis – very healthy child

Height: 33 3/4” – 95th percentile (at 2 she was in the 90th – I think she may have had a recent growth spurt)

Weight: 33.5 lbs – 75th percentile

Shots: No more until she’s 4! All caught up.

Mom’s Visit:

The awful crazy cold I’ve been dealing with for the last 10 days – sinus infection. Hopefully the antibiotics will kick it’s butt soon so I can breathe again.

Heartbeats: 135/min – Capri got to hear and was really excited about that!

Measuring: 33 weeks (yup – a week ahead of my 32 weeks)

I’m stealing these stats/questions from The Vander Velde Family Blog

How Far Along: 32.5 weeks!

Size of baby: 3.75 lbs and 16.7 inches

Total Weight Gain/Loss: +Maternity Clothes: about +29lbs. It seems like I’ve been having an ‘every other visit’ weight gain…they seem to coincide with my illnesses… I’ve also been consistently measuring a week ahead of my due date.

Gender: It’s a GIRL; name will be chosen when we see him! (Supposedly…we’ll see – I wouldn’t be surprised if she surprises us and is actually a boy – she’s HUGE!)

Movement: This kid is going to be an acrobat!

Sleep: With this crazy cold I’ve been taking one benadryl – sleep has been fabulous with a few groggy trips to the bathroom.

What I miss: beer and breathing without coughing

Cravings: fruit (especially at room temperature) I’ve been making myself smoothies for breakfast everyday now…

Symptoms: heartburn, terrible hips, an enlarged stomach

Best Moment of the Week: seeing Capri’s face when she heard the baby’s heartbeat

I almost forgot... Tank's Visit

Weight: 28 lbs

Shots: all updated for rabies

32 weeks

2011-02-28T18:38:00.001-06:00

Pictures of the entire family as I hit the 32 week point! As Cedi would say…my belly is not just big it’s “monstrous”.