Bed

The bed is gone - wish I had more to give!

Free Ninety Free Queen Bed

We have a queen bed that we are giving away. All you need to do it contact me and haul it away.

Details:

Simmons Beautyrest - Queen Pillow top - Box spring and frame.
Very comfy, clean and has a lot of life left in it. It was our guest bed and we received a lot of comments on how comfy that bed is!

Our San Diego Vacation

It is always sad to come home from a great vacation. We had a wonderful time - a lot of walking, eating and no sleeping, however I will and want to do it again!

Here is the story of our trip-

First day:
It usually takes 5 hours to drive to San Diego - it took us 8 - never drive the I-15 on Memorial day. You don't drive you sit and wait. We checked in our hotel on the bay and played in the ocean. Perfect end to a crazy day.

Second day:
San Diego Zoo!
The four of us headed to the zoo and we got our only sunny day here. It was beautiful and fun to see all the animals. Matthew had a great time running around and naming all the animals. However I think he had more fun just RUNNING around. He did so good on his potty training - dry pull-ups the whole time! Just don't ask about the other days (not so good). The seal lion show was my favorite part -they were funny and entertaining. The Watson's did Lego Land and loved it and then we got back together and celebrated Jill's 30th Bday at the Cheesecake Factory.




Third day:
A day of rest at our hotel and Seal's Cove in La Jolla, CA.
From a no nap day to let's rest and play in the sand day - was well needed. The Watson's and Papa Jaggi spent the day with us as we played in the sand, and drove to see the seals at Seal's Cove. The seals were so STINKY ~ but had a lot of personality as they gave us a show with funny facial expressions and waving. We found a fun area for pictures - but the tide was coming in and we had to shoot and run. Papa Jaggi watched all 6 kids, as the parents got a night away and had a nice seafood dinner on the beach.


Fourth day:
Sea World
We arrived when it opened and left when it closed - and worth every minute. The dolphins were so fun and entertaining but everyone loved Shamu the Killer Whale (he is so big!). The Seal Lion show was so funny - I wish we could see it again! We did have a low point -we lost Matthew for 20 minutes (the longest 20 minutes of my life!) After a prayer to be able to find him, I saw him playing in the Elmo Park. He had no clue he was missing and we have been doing a lot of talking of who he is and our names and how NOT to run away. We got back to the hotel and finally slept well that night.

Fifth day:

San Diego Wild Life Park

So our last day ended with a bang of freezing weather and rain. However we still went to the Wild Life Park. We didn't realize San Diego was going to be so cold and I hardly packed any warm clothes - so we wore the same thing the whole trip. (But I still had 10 loads of laundry when I got home!) We went on the African Safari Tour and saw so many cool things! Lions, zebra, giraffe, mamas and babies. Matthew was so tired from our trip he fell asleep in the stroller for the last half -poor boy! We drove home that night and spent the rest of our vacation cleaning and cleaning.

I am grateful to have such a wonderful family - from this vacation I know that I love John more than ever, I still love my children and couldn't live without them even though we had some screaming, a lot of whining, crying, and no sleep. I love my in-laws (yes, still and will do another vacation with them). They are so fun and one of these days us girls will win our game.

Here's to- normal life and good memories!

The BEST Oatmeal Cookie I have ever ate!

These have become my favorite oatmeal cookies. I have a hard time not eating all the dough before I cook them and then I can't stop at just one! And they have WHEAT in them - and you would NEVER know!

Ultimate Oatmeal Cookies

*Mix-Ins: Add chocolate-covered raisins, mini chocolate chips, nuts, coconut, mini m&m’s, anything that floats your fancy.

2 sticks unsalted butter (I used both unsalted and salted works)
1 cup packed brown sugar
½ cup granulated sugar
2 large eggs
¾ t fine salt
½ t baking soda
½ vanilla extract
¾ cup unbleached all-purpose flour
¾ cup white whole wheat flour
2 ½ cups rolled oats
*Mix-ins

Heat oven to 350 degrees. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper or use stone.
In bowl of an electric mixer, cream butter and all sugars until fluffy (about 6 minutes) Add the eggs and beat until incorporated, scraping bowl as necessary. Add the salt, baking soda, vanilla and mix at medium speed until blended. Add the flours and mix at low speed until smooth. Stir in the oats and desired mix-ins.
Place cookies on sheet and cook 13-15 minutes. Cool and transfer to cooling rack.

Exciting News!

I thought an update would be nice on how our life is going.

Matthew:
He has decided that going on the potty is okay. It just clicked with him. I think swimming lessons and signing him up for Pre-School helped too - or was it NO movies until he tried to potty. We have had some messes and poop on the floor, but today he pooped in (on on) the potty for the first time! I am so happy, I am jumping for joy. And it is about TIME!

Isabel:
She is now my toddler. In a way I am so happy and love it (she is so cute and small walking around) but my little baby is gone. She was a fast little walker just 12 months and now trying to run! She now wants to feed herself, which is a mess and fun. She loves Cheerios, bananas and breads.

John:
He is always working so hard at work, I am glad he has a few months off with University of Phoenix to relax some. The past few months John has started running after work and looking really good -I am jealous he loses weight faster than anyone I know.

Diane:
Nothing new to report. Busy as usual. I haven't been able to cook or bake as much as I would like because no one is eating a lot at my house. I am focusing on feeding Izzie. Her meals have to be careful (she still only has 2 teeth). I cook for her mostly and we all eat what I plan, mac and cheese (homemade of course!), shepherds pie, tacos (non-spicy), noodle dishes with peas and carrots. It is so hard! Matthew isn't a fan of 'Izzie meals' as I call it.

Family:
Exciting plans for our little family. This weekend we are heading to San Diego and staying on the beach and visiting Sea World, Zoo, Wildlife park and just enjoying ourselves for a whole week! I can't wait! Thanks to Taren and Jenna for puppy (Piper) sitting!

Tutu

This tutu is the easiest thing to make and

cheap!

Need:

About 2-4 (I used about 4 - it is very full!) yards of Tulle (I bought at JoAnn's for $1.49 yard) Bright colors show up better - notice the bright pink in picture.

Ribbon or elastic (I used elastic band about (2 feet)-again I bought at JoAnn's and is very cheap) Cut to the size of your child plus tieing.

First, you're going to need to cut the tulle into strips. I cut my stripes about 3 inches wide - the width of these stripes is going to determine the poofiness. After you have your strips cut, you're going to want to fasten them to a ribbon or elastic. If you use ribbon, make sure it matches the tulle - or at least compliments it. There are several methods for fastening the strips to the ribbon/elastic - I tied them on. I just doubled them over and looped them around the elastic. See picture on 'looping around the ribbon'. Keep ties close together to get the poofiness and the loose part of the tutu is near the feet. Good luck -any questions -ASK!

Big 1 Year Old

My Beautiful Baby Girl is 1 today! What wonderful memories - she is such a joy in our lives! She was 7 lbs 13 oz 1 year ago. Now she is 20 lbs and walking! I am grateful for her sweet spirit and so happy she chose us as her family.

A few hours old at the Hospital - sleeping. I remember when we had Matthew we would never let him leave us for a minute (in the hospital) and when the nurses would take Izzie for her hearing test or something - we said "Here you go" and then both John and I would fall asleep! We wouldn't even hear them bring her back - we were that tired!



Izzie and her beautiful blessing dress (2 Months old)


Our 1 year old - we had her pictures done - but I had to take a few to share.

Isn't she to die for! (I made her tutu)