tryin' to have fun even when feelin' bad...

My poor baby just isn't feeling well. She's had a runny nose since Saturday...and the off and on fever started on Sunday night. She's been miserable with stuffiness and your normal cold stuff which seems harder for little ones. Today we were home bound again, so we tried to have some fun even in the midst of not feeling good.

First we played snowman dress up. I printed off the cute snowman pieces on tag board and covered them with contact paper for sturdiness. Hannah had fun giving the snowman different scarfs and hats. If you want to make this little "craft" with your little one...I found the pattern here. (there are a few other great winter activities to do with your little one and a game that you can play with the snowman if your kids are older)

Then we had fun with good 'ol shaving cream. This took me back to my teaching days. I used shaving cream at kindercare with the preschoolers and in kindergarten. It was a great way to teach letters and get the tables clean too! In spite of how sad her eyes look...Hannah really did have fun. It took her a while to dig in...at first she just wanted to cover her hands and then arms

....but before long she was making big circles and designs on her tray. What fun!

Notice the binki? Even it got shaving cream on it! When she doesn't feel good...her binki is a must!

Touchdown Taco Dip

I made this pampered chef dip for our small group on Sunday and could have ate all of it myself! Thought I would share with any of you who are planning treats for your super bowl parties. I will for sure be making this again for our teens on Superbowl Sunday!

Touchdown Taco Dip

1 can refried beans

2-oz cheddar cheese (1/2 cup)
1 pkg. cream cheese softened

1 medium tomato, seeded
1 cup sour cream

1 /4 cup green onions, with tops
2 Tbs. taco seasoning mix

2 Tbs. fresh cilantro or parsley
2 garlic cloves

1 /2 cup pitted ripe olives

Tortilla Chips

Preheat oven to 350F. Spread refried beans over bottom of Deep Dish Baker using Classic Scraper. In Classic Batter Bowl, combine cream cheese, sour cream and taco seasoning. Finely chop garlic using Utility Knife; add to Batter Bowl and mix well.

Spread cream cheese mixture evenly over beans. Grate cheese over top using Deluxe Cheese Grater. Bake 15-18 minutes or until hot.

To prepare toppings, slice olives using Egg Slicer Plus. Dice tomato and thinly slice onions using Utility Knife. Thinly slice cilantro using Pizza Cutter. Sprinkle olives, tomato, onions and cilantro over dip. Garnish with additional sour cream if desired. Serve with tortilla chips.

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: A mild, gloomy January day. All the snow has melted: and Hannah is wondering where her snowman went.

One of my simple pleasures: hugs

On my bedside table: Toddler Wise

On my TV: off right now

On the menu for tonight: left overs tonight

On my To Do List: laundry, grocery store,

New Recipe I tried last week: apple bars, touch down taco dip, mandarin chicken stir fry, Mom F's spanish rice, and grilled tuna melts

In the craft basket:still workin' on baby hat

Looking forward to: spring...where are you?!

Homemaking tip this week: find an organizing buddy...it's much easier to purge with someone there telling you that you don't need it! Thanks Beth! :)

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): I kinda took a break from blogging this past week with my sister here...so I'm sure that I missed reading some good posts, but I did read a few good ones.

• I'm forever taking to my teen girls about planning a time, but sometimes I need the reminder too! This is a good post!


• my dear husband linked to a post from John Piper in response to the earthquake...check out the great quote in his post too.

Favorite photo from last week: I just love every moment (well almost) with this little girl!

On my Prayer List: Haiti, friends and family

Devotionals, scripture reading, key verses:

Philippians 2:3,4

"Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look on only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others."

A winter walk

Friday was Seth's day off and the first day we had for some family time in a while. Seth was great to help me with some of the cleaning that I didn't get done during the week, and we enjoyed some fresh air. It warmed up a bit this weekend, so we decided to bundle up and take Hannah for a walk. She was so excited to see the snow again! Seth made her a mini snowman which she thought was great! (Now every time we go out to get in the car...she wants to walk over to say hi to him, and she loves to wave to him from our living room window :))

After we made a snowman we went walking. Hannah would stop every few feet, scoop up some snow and throw it in the air. When we got to the park, she loved wandering away from us and walking in the snow. Ah...the fresh air, even though it was cold, felt so good!

A week with my sister and best friend

We got home on Monday, and that same day my sister arrived with Ethan. I was so excited to get to see both of my nephews in the same day! My sister stayed from Monday until Thursday. We had a great week together. It was fun to take her to my MOPS group on Tuesday and Crosstrainers on Wed. It's nice to have her share in some of the experiences that I always talk about and meet some of the people here that are so special to me. We took both of the kiddos and ventured out the the Thrift store on Thursday (found some great deals), and did some organizing all through the week. Beth helped me organize my clothes (I think I filled 3 huge bags of clothes to get rid of..yes I have that many clothes!) and she helped me organize my kitchen pantry. It's always nice to have an organizing buddy...and I love that my sister is mine! It was also a joy to see Hannah help take care of and play with little Ethan. What a great week!

Ethan having a little bit of tummy time. He is starting to pick his head up now...unfortunately, I didn't catch in on camera.

What a cutie pie!

I love that he's full of smiles now!!

Hannah just LOVES her Aunt Beth! They played and read lots of stories together. When Beth told Hannah she was going home...Hannah even cried. The next morning she woke up and said "Where's Aunt Beth?" We both adore her and enjoyed our time with her so much...it's hard to see her go home...but at the same time we are so thankful for the moments that we had with her this past week.

an overnight with baby Eli

After we gave the teens back to their parents on Sunday...I couldn't get my one little one fast enough. The 2 hour car ride seemed so long..esp the last 15 minutes. It was nice to be greeted with hugs and kisses and hear all about her weekend. We met up at Cody and Erica's house so that we could spend some more time with them and Baby Eli. We enjoyed a pizza dinner with Dad and Mom F & Cody and Erica on Sunday night. We spent the night there...had the most delicious cinnamon rolls on Monday morning and headed back home on Monday afternoon. It was great to get some time with Cody and Erica and see them in action as "Mom" and "Dad"...they are already great parents!

my sweet little nephew...Elias

Hannah and Eli hanging out in their jammies

holding him is SO exciting!

I love this pic!

he's so tiny!

Snow Camp 2010

Well, I'm a week behind in blogging...it was nice to get a break from everything last week as I enjoyed some time with my sister and sweet little nephew.

Last weekend, we took the teens to Camp Barakel for snow camp. We took a small group of teens and had a great time with them. The Lord worked on all of our hearts, we enjoyed time of fun and fellowship and had great weather! Hannah spent the weekend with her Grandma and Papa. I missed her terribly, but they all had a great time...and I do know that it is good to get a "kid break" every once and a while. Here are a few of my favorite pics from the weekend:

Barkakel has a great tubing hill

fun ice skating with my girls :)

Seth and I went snowshoeing with Kimberly...it was a snowy adventure!

our broom ball team

what a great group of kids!

many of them made spiritual decisions over the weekend. Seth and I love being back in the camping atmosphere...esp. with our teens. It was exciting to hear from one of the girls this week...she's already putting what she learned into practice and had the chance to witness to two friends at school...praise the Lord!

Fun in the Snow!

It actually took a while for some good snow to come this winter. Once it finally came, I realized I didn't have boots for Hannah to wear out to play. We stumbled on a sale at Target this week, and planned to go out to play today because it was suppose to be one of the warmer days this week. It was a beautiful, sunny day, thank you Lord!

Hannah was ready to go! Thanks to the Rehbines for the great snow pants and coat!

my little sweetheart

She kept saying "look at the big snow"

she loved throwing it in the air

fun sledding! It was a good workout for me! First I pushed her, but that had me out of breath in no time, so I tied a sting onto the sled which worked much better. She had so much fun!

she would sit for a while, then lay down...what fun!

of course when we got inside we had to have hot chocolate. This was her first time tasting it and she just loved it! We sipped hot chocolate and read Biscuits Snowy Day.

What a fun morning with my little girl!

Fun with a Cardboard Box

Mommy needed a new flagpole for the house and found a great deal online. We love online shopping because, we don't have to go to the store, and I get to play with the boxes. This was a really tall box, so Mommy flattened it out and traced my body on it (she said that the kdg teacher in her couldn't resist). I've been coloring on it for 3 days now and still loving it.

Works for Me Wednesday: Homemade Bubble Bath

Hannah loves having bubbles in the tub. This was a super frugal and easy way to give her bubbles in no time.

Here's the recipe:

1/2 cup baby shampoo

3/4 cup water

1/4 tsp. salt

Mix shampoo and water until combined. Add salt and stir until thicken slightly. Use a funnel to pour into a bottle.


See...I told you it was easy...and look at the bath time fun!

collldddd....

we love bathtime!

That's was works for me...for more great ideas head over to We Are THAT Family. :)

Happy Birthday Pop!

Today is my Pop's Birthday! Hope that your day was great! Thanks for being such a special part of my life...I love you!

Happy Homemaker Monday

The weather in my neck of the woods: cold and snowy...but enjoyed seeing the sunshine today!

One of my simple pleasures: flannel sheets

On my bedside table: "Organizing Magic" to help with one of my big New Years resolutions

On my TV: off.

On the menu for tonight: Vegetable Lentil Soup (we'll see how this turns out...healthy for sure...hope it tastes as good as it smells)

On my To Do List: Change sheets, grocery store, clip coupons, get ready for pampered chef show tomorrow, fold & put away laundry

New Recipe I tried last week: Meaty Cornbread Casserole, Apple Spice Waffles, Pork Sausage Patties

In the craft basket: finished one baby hat and working on another

Looking forward to: playing in the snow with Hannah (finally got some snow, went to Target and got some snow boots today)

Homemaking Tip for this week: pick up as you go...saves a lot of work in the long run. I've been trying to work on this...just things like putting the spoon right into the dishwasher instead of in the sink, hang the coats up right away when you get home, make the bed as soon as you get out, etc. It keeps the house looking nice that's for sure!

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):Try Again This Year, Open Letter From a Pastors Wife (I'm so thankful for the wonderful friends that I have here...still a great post from the heart of a Pastors wife who is just like you :)), Sitting in the New Year, and this challenge knowing that my daughter is my Homemaking Intern (a must read!)

Favorite photo from last week: My sweet nephew Elias Lee....born Friday 1/8 at 3:25pm.

Lesson learned the past few days: Trusting in the Lord brings peace and joy

On my Prayer List: baby Eli, who was just born and my brother and sister in law as they adjust to life with him, My Dad (today is his birthday!)

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:

Philippians 4:6,7

"Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace that transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus."

turn worries into prayers :)

New favorite game...Hide and Seek

This week Hannah and I started playing hide-n-seek together. She just loves it! We had to tweak the game a little to make it toddler appropriate...and she LOVES it!

This evening we brought Daddy into the fun, and had a ball!

We have pocket doors all through our house. We start the game in her room...she stands on one side of the door while we stand on the other. We close it and say good-bye to each other. Seth and I quickly "hide", she slides the door open and comes to find us. Hannah gets VERY excited when she finds us. She says "I found you" and then tickles us. It's so cute! If she can't find us right away then she starts that fake cry and we say her name so that she knows we are still around and didn't take off without here :)

Fun times!

(did you hear her calling for Becky? don't know where that came from but every once in a while I become Becky instead of Mommy...for now it's kinda cute!)

A shopping Saturday

Hannah and I spent the morning today shopping. It was nice to take a Saturday morning and just go shopping, haven't done that in a long time. Hannah was great! We made some returns and found some clothing items I've been wanting for a while (it's nice to have some bday and Christmas money to shop with!). After some shopping and mall walking (she loves seeing all the people) I let Hannah play in the play area. She had so much fun talking to the other children and just running around. Here are some pics of my sweetie who is growing up way too fast!

posing with a "cheeseburger" smile on the lollipop.

a fun morning with me and my girl...

Welcome to the world Elias Lee

My little nephew, Elias Lee, came into the world yesterday afternoon at 3:25 pm. He weighed in at a healthy 7 lbs. 10 oz and was 20 inches long. He was almost exactly the same size as his cousin Hannah, she was 7 lbs. 10 oz and 19 3/4 inches long. :)

Erica was scheduled to be induced on Friday morning. We planned to go down Thursday evening for dinner with my in-laws but the snowy weather kept us here. We traveled down to the hospital on Friday morning and arrived back home by 9:30ish that night. It made for a long day, but we were very glad to be able to share in the special day with Cody and Erica. Hannah only napped for about 30 minutes on my lap in the waiting room, but still had a great day, praise the Lord!

We have so much to thank Him for today. Thank you Lord for this precious life that you have brought into this world! We sure look forward to watching him grow and being a part of his life.

This picture is from Erica's facebook. I'll post more pictures after she shares some more...don't want to steal her thunder :)

Thanking God for Eli today!

Christmas Card Puzzles

Still have some Christmas cards floating around your house? Don't throw them away!
This was a fun little activity that we made with Christmas cards. I used an exacto knife to cut out one or two shapes, creating a puzzle with each card.

Hannah enjoyed matching the pieces back to the correct "puzzle". This is good for fine motor practice and problem solving. It can be adapted for older children too...just cut each card into puzzle pieces that can be put back together.