TWO!

I can't believe Reesey turned two yesterday!



We had a little family party .... a pink puppy party because she LOVES dogs so much and it had to be pink because I could make it girly.

It was fun and all 11 of her cousins made it.

We played games that made my kids cry ... but I think they had fun. Pin the tail on the Puppy was a hit! Musical dogs maybe a little too stressful for the 5 and under crowd.

We had hot dogs and chili and puppy chow and scooby snacks and pink cherry fluff.

I made paw print cupcakes and a pink puppy cake that looked like a pig for a while before it was all finished. Opening presents was crazy and very LOUD, my MIL said it sounded like there were 40 kids there not 10. I would have to say Uncle John is the hit of the kids party with every kid even ones he's not related to.


She got the cutest tulle tutu skirt from Aunt Monica and family and she got 3 baby dolls, one almost as tall as she is. Of course lots of cute clothes and other fun toys.

She was so excited for her Puppy Birthday and I think she had a great time! We love you, Reesey!

Thanksgiving

Our Thanksgiving was great!

I did almost all my cooking the days leading up, a couple things everyday so there wasn't much to make except the giant turkey my MIL bought. She got some super deal, a 19 lb turkey for about $8.

Of course as normal I realized that 5 days is not enough time to defrost a giant turkey even when it spent 3 hours in a cold water bath to speed up the process. Next year I'm adding 2 days on to my defrost time. So even though I added 45 minutes on the cooking time that was recommended it still took an extra 45 minutes to cook so we ate late.

But we ate and ate.

It was just us, my in-laws, and my dad.

I made a ton of food and my kids as normal at next to nothing, they're wasn't much left except lots of turkey.

I thought I must have read my mashed potatoes recipe wrong thinking maybe it said serves 6 when I rechecked it said 12 so we just stuffed ourselves silly. My pies turned out good and my inlaws couldn't compliment me enough.
We wrote little cards to tell why we were thankful and I want to make a little book to put out next year (add that of my list of leisurely projects to do ....) It was a great day with NO stress and I love to cook especially when it turns out yummy.
I'm grateful for these four little turkeys:
:
and this big one!

(the husband not the actually turkey ... although I do love turkey!

Sweet as Pie

I made my first pie ... crust and everything. Aaron sure was impressed but well see once he tastes it, how he feels about my skills. I've been busy little bee with Thanksgiving and Reese's birthday preparations. Trying to do a little everyday so it all comes together easily in the end. Yesterday I made sugar cookies (after searching for the cookie cutters I bought for an hour!), the pie, goodie bags, and did a little impromptu photo shoot with Reese. Today I'm making mashed potatoes, cranberries, and decorating the rest of the cookies. Wednesday is the green bean casserole, jello, and a pumpkin pie. Thursday will be turkey and stuffing and bake Reese's cake. I feel like it's all under control but I do want to get some cleaning done too but time is limited since we have a hearing aide appointment today in Peoria and 2 eye appointments tomorrow in Rock Island. I hope your holiday plans are coming together.

Inspiration Roll

I get a ton of ideas from people's blogs. According to my husband, my laptop should be called a hiptop since he thinks I'm attached to it. I love all the ideas I find, just wish I had more time to create. Today was a creative day:
We made four of these turkeys for table decor for our Thanksgiving table:

I made four of these headbands (well the headband part still needs to be made):

then I made 68 of these meatballs and they are so good and I normally do not like meatballs. I can't wait to try some of the recipes that go along with them.

Then I made a little pink dog from a pair of gloves. No photo, mine didn't turn out as cute but Reese will be getting it for her birthday later in the week.

Now I feel like this:

How I Roll

It's that time of year where everything seems to be happening at once. Holidays, gift giving, extra activities, and for us 5 out 6 birthdays plus Aunt Monica and Uncle Ray's birthday. I'm feeling the stress. The stress of I have so much to do but am not doing anything to get things done. Of course that's how I roll ... last minute, procrastination, unorganized right up to the event when it all pretty much comes together somehow. I always have good intentions, had Reese's birthday ideas written down then sort of forgot about it, now it's in a week. Oops! I'm cooking Thanksgiving dinner the day before for Aaron's parents and my dad. Nothing like trying to do everything but I'm not complaining I enjoy cooking, I enjoy having Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner. I even promised the kids we'd make some decorations for Thanksgiving ... big ideas, little time ... plus it passes the time while Aaron has taken on to helping people work on their plumbing ... and did I mention our tile floor is three quarters finished. I'm not worried about it. I know it will not be finished and I don't care. Thanksgiving and Reese's party will still take place with a partially tiled, ungrouted floor. People aren't coming for the floor, it's really not important.

So I'm trying to organize my stress by making lists for groceries, supplies, things to do, things to make ... once next week is over then it's Christmas .... lots to make, lots to plan, decorations to hang, but I want to enjoy it and know that is how Christmas is, a fun, magical time and last year I didn't let the stress get to me and I won't let it get me this year. A million things to do and am blogging ... that's how I roll
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Happy {one day late..because that's how I roll} Birthday to my husband! We enjoyed a dinner alone and cake with Grammy and the kids. He's a great husband and fabulous dad! He's my right hand and takes up all my slack and does many things most husbands wouldn't.

We wear our emotions on our sleeves here and so it may appear to others that we don't have the best marriage but I think we do. It works for us...that's how we roll
We have a great little family and I am thankful that each and every day!

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A special {REALLY SUPER-DUPER LATE} thank you to Cathi and Roger for giving us their old upright freezer. I certainly don't "talk" about things on my blog because I want other people to feel the need to help us out. After I complained about our bread issue Cathi (who is RL friend) asked me if I wanted their old freezer. It is a God-send or Watson-send!

Look at all the bread. I even started going to bread store and buying like 10 loaves at once and when I see it on sale at the grocery store I stock up there too. It's saving us money and me tons of time. Cathi's husband, Roger, got up at the crack of dawn along with my FIL, Ronn, to bring it over here one morning before work. I owe them a huge big thank you and hug for thinking of us! And we all know it's a long over due thank you because that's how I roll...

Just in Time

It was a good thing I made the tooth fairy pillow last night because no sooner did I place those photos in the previous post then Addison comes running to me to show me her tooth that was no longer in her mouth. Wow 2 days and it was out. She went to put it in my hand and dropped it. I heard it hit the floor. Our work-in-progress kitchen floor is not the best place to find a miniature tooth. Part cement board and part tile with no grout. I found lots of things that looked like a tooth. Finally it just appeared. Super excited, we wrote a letter to the tooth fairy. She thinks she brings toys, so for the first tooth she probably will but she's leaving a letter explaining it's only for the first one then it's money only. After all, the tooth fairy is busy and if she has to have a sub, that may not work out so well. I can't believe this is happening already, what's next ... dating????

I'd better go check for fairy dust.

A Project and Another Project

So I started painting the dining room yesterday. I don't do things by the rules {I'm such a rebel that way}. I never tape off -- too time consuming. I didn't even take the entire wallpaper border down just part because to me the exciting part of painting is seeing the paint on the wall. Actually I didn't even take anything off the walls like shelves or photos or even the curtains, doing that as I go too. It's a little messy and chaotic but it's always a little messy and chaotic here, we know no different. So the first color that was selected, 2 years ago in my 9th month of pregnancy was a light aqua blue which I thought would go nicely with the chocolate brown. The paint went on and I was not impressed. I let it dry, not any better, I painted an adjacent wall so I could see the paint against itself, still didn't like it.

It's hard to tell with my poor lighting but it like an ice blue, almost white and both Aaron and I hate white walls. Aaron came home and I said what do you think, "I hate it" and since I did too. I went alone to pick out a deeper more vibrant color rather. I came home with Kingstons Aqua.


Much better. It's really bright but I love color.

Next up is Addison's tooth. After school yesterday it was so loose I couldn't believe it. It's the real deal. I had always planned on making something special for teeth for the tooth fairy. I've only had 5 years but not even started. So I searched etsy and free tutorials. I used this idea with some inspiration from etsy.

This is the front.

Here's the back. It has a pocket for the tooth and some cash or prize from the tooth fairy.
I like how it turned out. 1 down, 3 more to go!

Birthday in Photos

Addison, Ethan, and Caden's 5th Birthday in Pictures:

Weekend in Review

Wow what a nice weekend. I wish I had ESP and knew that it was going to be 70 degree weather, we could have had the kids' birthday party outside now instead of in May. Usually it's freezing and windy and/or rainy and snowing this time of year in Illinois.

Aaron spent the majority of the weekend raking up the backyard leaves.

The kids had a blast one last time jumping in the piles.

Grammy had the older kids over to her house for a birthday slumber party. They had fun and came home with treats and new pjs and slippers. They were tired tonight. They went to bed at 8 and not one peep from anybody. I think they were asleep in two minutes. Aaron, Reese and I went to the Quad Cities while the big kids were away and did a little Christmas shopping and went out to eat.

The kids spent lots of time outside today and even were able to play in the sandbox.

This lovely garage

has been a source of HUGE contention this weekend (and for sometime now). But my MIL, Patti, always says she and Ronn almost got divorced one time over installing Z-brick. I know exactly what she's talking about. Without getting into details, I normally don't get too upset about many things but it's a good thing lawyers don't work weekends or I may have made a call due to this garage. Hopefully things smooth over this week.

I went to the grocery store tonight and come back and Addison announces that she has a loose tooth.

What? She's right. She swears she didn't bump her mouth or fall down {however she is about the clumsiest person in the entire world} so we'll see if it stays loose or what.

Here's the beginning of my project for the week.

I've had my dining room paint for 2 years now so it's time to use it. I thought tonight I could tear down the wallpaper border with no problem. Not so easy. I need some remover. Vinegar and warm water work but I have no vinegar so it will wait until morning. I hate wallpaper and this is the only wallpaper I have in my house and there will be no more. And yes, I did put it up about 7 or 8 years ago. What was I thinking?

I hope your weekend was nice {minus the part of divorce lawyers}.