Pumpkin Cake

I discovered this from Jill. Then Megan made it so I had to have my turn. I didn't even wait until it cooled off completely its good. Next time I think I might add some pumpkin spice to the batter or just used the spice cake instead and make the icing. Here's how mine looks......

2 ingredient Pumpkin Cake Recipe

Back in the groove.....

I can't believe its January already. That long school break was really nice and today started our first day back to reality. S is back in school, it's weird that they started them on a Tuesday vs. yesterday. We were able to sneak in a dentist appointment for S which I was nervous about but she did wonderful and didn't take my camera opppsss!! She also started up skate lessons again yesterday. She got ice skates for Christmas but we had to send them back to get a different size so we should have them for next Monday. When we got to the rink yesterday the parking lot was PACKED!! I can only imagine it is from the results of the show and that everyone wants to try it out. I like the smaller classes since u really get more for your money but thankfully they separate them according to levels of experience.

I finished up another class of school and waiting on my next book to get here. I am really not looking forward to this class. The good news, is after this class it should be smooth sailing...ok with a little ripples here and there but nothing that I can't accomplish.

So on goes my day, laundry day that is...and lil H is sad since her sister is not home. When I dropped S at school this morning she got out we said our goodbyes, we love u's, have a good day and S closes the door. H says, "Mommy, I am going to miss....Shelby" Sisterly love...I love it!!!


more news next time......

Kids Tea Set

This tea set is the CUTEST thing EVER!!! I absolutely love it...

This was a Christmas present for the kids. It's from Constructive Playthings this was money well spent. It is a six piece service set and a tea pot with a milk and sugar. The tea pot and sugar have removable lids. Online it doesn't show the chrome rack that comes with it but it is included. I got the catalog in the mail and spotted this for the girls. It's made of ceramic so I just make sure they play with it on soft surfaces so they won't accidentally break. The age limit on the web site suggests 5 yrs and older.

Christmas 08

I have fallen of the wagon with blogging as you can tell. Life has just gotten in the way holidays, my school work, kids and of course the school winter break. Preparing for Christmas ate up most of the month. So Christmas has come and gone it's sad. The kids had a great time this year its so magical when they are little. Why can't they stay little forever?

Our Tree

Making Gingerbread houses, the kids always love making these. The icing came out wonderful this year. We saved all the leftover candy from Halloween for them to use. Yes, I've been hanging on to it...no since in wasting money, right? It's all going in the trash anyway.

H inspecting her Candy Cane ornament.


to be continued...........

Here it is!!!

Her solo performance. This is from the in-laws camera. A videographer was at the show so I can't wait sit with S and watch the show together. I'll have to wait until Feb tho. They also too photos I am excited to get those back as well!!

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

This show was awesome the instructors worked so hard on all of the details and choreography for all numbers. It last two hours, it started last since they had a line of people out the door to get into the show. Of course we got to the rink early to get good seats. I can't wait for spring show and next christmas. This Friday we have the family Christmas show its going to be FUN. I can't wait to put on a pair of skates and see if I can attempt to do the moves Shelby has learned. I hope H will at least try to get out on the ice I am sure she will be scared.

This was after the show she was showing off for the family hahah!!


Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing

Ice Skating, Ft. Bragg

So I finally remembered my camera, fresh batteries and memory card. Here it is her solo routine, minus the decor and spotlights....

Photo Sharing - Video Sharing - Photo Printing - Photo Books

I love it, it just warms my little heart...memories in the making, oh sweet memories!!! I just can't wait for this show.

Polar Express Train

I know seriously stop with the Christmas related blogs, right?

The Polar Express Train

It goes along with the book. You board the train head up to the North Pole to pick up Santa and enjoy hot chocolate the book reading all in your fluffy pj's. Of course the trip would not be complete without the bell. Interested, find a train near you and check out the video.

I seriously wanted to do this last year but J was in Iraq and it would not be the same without him. The drive is about 7 hours or so from here. They could quite possibly be reserved already but its worth a phone call.

Elf on the Shelf

Elf on a Shelf

OMG, I just love this and I am sooo excited that I stumbled upon this yesterday on, Our Ohana. If u have little kids that "Believe" this is a MUST!!!! U really can use an elf of your own or if u are crafty make your own. I want the book to tell the story for kids, but it would be fun to make my own elf for the kids to pass down after all it's a "tradition". This would make a fun gift for someone having a baby.

From "Elf on the Shelf" the Tradition,

This charming tradition began for our family when my children were very small. Plagued by their desire to know how Santa really knew who had been naughty or nice, I searched through the Christmas decorations for a plausible explanation. Nestled among them was the answer; a small elf doll from my own childhood. With that discovery, the idea for the elf tradition was born.

At our home the elf would arrive around the holidays, usually at Thanksgiving. His sole responsibility was to watch my children's behavior and report it to "Santa" each night. The next morning after the children awoke, they discovered the elf had returned from the "North Pole" (with some parental assistance) and was hiding in a different place. My children would race each other out of bed to try and be the first to spy him in his new position.

Over the years the tradition was perfected and rules were even introduced. For example, to better preserve his mystique the children were not allowed to touch him; however, they were allowed to talk to him. For obvious reasons, he was not allowed to reply. Eventually, my children even gave him a name - officially adopting him into the family.

Unwittingly, the tradition provided an added benefit: it helped the children to better control themselves. All it took was a gentle reminder that the "elf was watching" for errant behavior to be modified.

I never dreamed this simple tradition would lead to so many Christmas memories for our entire family. It is my earnest desire that The Elf on the Shelf: A Christmas Tradition will bring as much joy to your family as it has to mine.

Make it your own,

Christmas is coming....

Since Christmas is upon us I thought I'd share some of the kids favorite things.....

How can you not love Fancy Nancy??

My mother-in-law started the girls on the Fancy Nancy book series, last year!! This little girl is so darling, the illustrations are bright, colorful and very detailed. Everything in French sounds fancy and of course my girls can not eat ice cream without making it fancy. They have easy readers too for those with kid beginning to read. I would love to see them come out with a movie!

I love IKEA!

My aunt introduced me to them if ever get a chance to go to one of the stores, GO it's a MUST!! We have the KALAS the kids textile set. I actually picked up another set when I went to the Atlanta store a couple months ago and a table and chair set too, SVALA. $40 bucks real wood with two chairs I painted it pink and purple. I love all the products we have bought from them.

Brain Quest

These are AWESOME!! They start at age 2 and go up. It's perfect one on one time with your kids while learning at the same time. We take them when we go out to dinner it kills time when you are waiting on a table. They are small enough to fit in to a purse. S sometimes opts for this instead of choosing a book at bedtime. The Brain Quest website has a listing of all the products. You can find them at Target and Toys R Us.

Melissa and Doug Responsibility Chart

S got this last Christmas, she loves it and so does mommy!! The one we have is just a single board and it has the magnets on the back. I wish I would have gotten this version instead. U can interchange the chores out on ours they gave blank ones also so you could make up whatever you wanted to add.

Leapster L-Max

S's favorite games are Letters on the Loose, Kindergarten, & Animal Genius. She has a couple other but these are the ones she plays the most. H also picks it up and draws with it, colors in pictures. They have a new version Leapster2, you can hook it up to your computer and see your childs strengths and weaknesses. I love it, it's educational and portable!!

I highly recommend the Leapster DVD's they sell them in a set of five now, Amazon has them. My kids love to watch them, which is how Shelby learned her ABC's sounds. As you can tell we are Leapfrog lovers in this house. We also have Fridge Phonics, Word Whammer, USA puzzle map & Phonic Railroad. The railroad is not as popular these days, ebay is where I got ours last year.




I have recently discovered a toy site I thought I'd share Fat Brain Toys! Go check it out they have what appears to be unique, quality toys.

Santa Baby

It's here!! Her Santa Baby outfit for her routine. Actually it came weeks go but I just got around to snapping some photos. S is insisting on wearing it for her private lessons, that she is taking to learn her routine. Last week was her first private lesson and she learned the full routine she just needs to work on hand motions being sync with the music. She still has a month to get everything down and will start Saturday dress rehearsals. She is skating to Martina McBride, "Let It Snow, Let It Snow, Let It Snow". I added the song to my playlist so u can listen.

It's going to be a fun show. For those Fayetteville families looking for something to do its going to be $3 admission so its affordable for the whole family. I'll post the flyer soon!!

Cleland Ice Skating Rink, Ft. Bragg

I've always loved being at an ice skating rink for some odd reason its relaxing to me. My dad would take us to hockey games when we were younger and even tho it can be an aggressive sport I've always found it relaxing, maybe its the smell of the air crispy and chilly...I could just be weird.

Ok anyway back to the point of this post......

S was doing ballet and I wasn't too happy with the end result of recital she had and the school she was going through they were unorganized and everything was last minute with them. The teacher ended up leaving after the show and that is the only reason why I was still having her attend, she LOVED her teacher.

So the beginning of the year rolled around and that was when J was gone and we were looking for things to do. We stumbled upon ice skating, I inquired about prices and such and let her give it a try. It took her a while to get adjusted one week she would hate it the next she would love it. The lessons are 6 week sessions long enough to get adjusted. It's exciting to see how much she has learned and how comfortable she is becoming on the ice. In the beginning, she was afraid of falling down and looked like a little penguin on the ice. She has advanced to Tot 4- Pre-Alpha which the scale that they are graded on after you learn each skill in ice skating. The instructor wants the kids to master each skill before moving to the next level.

So the holidays are around the corner and this skating director is putting on her First Annual Holiday Show in December. S is now taking regular group lessons and then they have a separate night for rehearsal for the shows. The kids are grouped according to the skill level and they perform groups routines, solos and duets. Imagine listening to Christmas music in September I love it, its relaxing..I think I am weird seriously!! If I could only remember to bring in a cup of hot chocolate with me. All of the kids look so cute and are having so much fun I am glad she has this opportunity. The show program was released last week and guess what!?!?! S has a SOLO!!! AHHHH!!!! I had to talk S before we committed to make sure she was really wanting to do it and understood what the definition of having a solo really meant. I didn't want her to be afraid of being on the ice alone and under a spotlight. So she will start private lessons to learn the choreography for the show she will be skating to "Let It Snow". Her costume is on its way here and I can't wait for her to put it on she is going to LOVE it!! Imagine a Santa girl outfit in blue cordory with white fur like trim and embroidered snowflakes on the skirt with white leggings a santa hat to boot...for a bargain of a price.

For the next month or so I am volunteering to help these ladies take donations for decorating the rink and getting props together. Once it all comes together this show is going to be so fun to see in action.

I intended to snap a few recent pics of her on the ice last night at practice BUT I forgot to bring my memory card...so next time!!

Memorial Day

Draughon & Quartered

Take a minute and read Heidi's blog Memorial Day 2007, she is such an amazing woman!

Cute things

I thought I'd share one of my Christmas presents that I got from my SIL, its sooo ADORABLE! A sewing notions storage box. I love the print on it.





And S LOVES playdoh. One of her gifts a playdoh storage box with lots of tools. Also these little accessories to make lil potato heads outta playdoh. I love when she is using her lil imagination.

Merry Christmas

I hope everyone had a great Christmas. We had my parents here at the last minute. My grandfather woke up Saturday morning and had the ambulance come pick him up they thought he had a heart attack so my mom & dad drove up to see him so they stopped to drop off Christmas presents since they were passing thru. To make along story short my grandfather didn't have a heart attack but they haven't concluded what exactly is going on he is still in the hospital but my parents came back late Sunday night and spent Christmas here and had early lunch then they drove home. Hopefully, my grandfather is gonna be a-ok and will get to go home soon. Last I heard they were doing more tests.

So on to Christmas.....

Last night (Christmas eve) we did the Santa stuff. J fell asleep while putting H down so it left my mom and me to finish wrapping and put toys together. We didn't go to bed until 2am. They were my first house guests, they loved the house.

I got up at 7am to start cooking the turkey so they could eat and hit the road. The girls got up at about 8am and S was soo suprised to see her presents around the tree. S got tired of unwrapping since she helped H with her stuff too. I should have put more stuff together for them. Next year I will.



Here are a couple pics...

Checking out H's toy..S is helping her figure it all out.

As u can tell by her face she wanted this a dr kit..

My mom & the girls. See S's pjs..those are the ones I sewed up for her while in AZ.

H testing our her toy. J is trying to make her hat stand up.

S in her bounce house. It was NASTY outside so she couldn't play outside with it. Everytime we go to a fair or festival they have these and the OLDer kids don't pay attention and trample on the little kids (where are the parents?) so I don't like S getting in them. We picked this up at the end of summer this yr in AZ so it was on clearance. It has a little ball pit then the entrance to the bouncing area. H was scared of it.

This was one of the first pics of the morning.

The girls together.

S riding her scooter, I know she can't wait to get outside with it.

&

Here is my new KITCHEN!! See I have been busy!!

Before & After

Happy!

Well, we had a great Thankgiving. We drove down to my parents house to spend a couple of days down in SC. My brother and his family drove up it was great being able to spend time with them. I think the kids (S & her cousin) said Nana a billion times & of course my mom loved every minute.

Monday we closed on the house and our movers came on Tuesday to deliver our household goods. The garage is loaded with boxes to unpack. We had a couple of things missing. J's dresser, which is a highboy has a broken leg on it. I have NO CLUE why they would ship it with the legs still attached. So its laying on its side until that gets fixed. Thankfully its all minor stuff. I have already dug out my sewing machine!! J is "away" so I haven't gotten far with unpacking, the kids...well H wants to be attached to my hip so that doesn't give much time for unpacking. It will get done eventually. The house is a mess which drive me nuts!

I am really happy to be in this house. It is weird tho. I don't hear other neighbors coming and going like we did in apartments. The kids can run since we don't have neighbors below us. I am glad that we bought and didn't choose to live on post. We have lots of room to grow into this house.

I brewed my first pitcher of sweet tea. Walmart had my FAVORITE chocolate covered cherries, Cella's. One of my favorite tv shows came on tonight (Greys Anatomy) and I got to DVR it to watch it when it the kids were asleep. What more could a girl ask for, ice cream haha just kidding!!

My washer and dryer are being delivered tomorrow. I can't wait to start a load of laudry, is that sad?? Usually I don't look forward to laundry but its like getting a new toy or car. I can't wait to try it out.