Be Prepared

One VERY happy, kid-free, trip to Sam's Club............ And 25lbs of Oats, 25lbs of potatoes, and 25lbs of macaroni later.....
And I am not even half way there yet!

I'm getting really excited about putting together my 1 year supply of food storage, which we have been counceled to do by the leaders of my church. It's a work in progress as you can see and I still have a long way to go.
If you are interested in getting yours started or just making it better I have a lot of good info to share. This is a great website for purchasing canned food (though it can be pricey): BePrepared. To find calculations for the amount of food your family will need go here. On left side under "browse topic" click on "food & emergency prep", then click on "Food Storage Calculator".


"At one time or another, nearly every family will face accidents, illness, unemployment, or other emergencies that will require them to depend on the resources they have stored."

One Step Closer....

.....To being a mom of two! Chris and I decided it was time for an upgrade. With another kid only 7 weeks away* I am relieved to finally have the buying process over. Today we officially became owners of a Toyota Sienna. Though I still feel too young to be driving a van, I actually do really love it. There is so much space and so many features about it that I love. And I now feel a little more prepared for baby to arrive. * My c-section date has officially be set for June 24th. 7 weeks from today!!

Painting a french manicure (or pedicture) is always really difficult for me. But I love the way it looks. It seems like everytime I try it though I get so frustrated I always end up painting over it. But, last week my friend Ashley brought over these nail kits for us to try and they looked so great! They are $6 glue on nails from wal-mart. They look amazing and so far have stayed on really well. If you want a quick and cheap pedicure (or manicure, they come in both) give them a try! I also did my nails and they look just like acrylics. I was so impressed. Unfortunately I was painting THIS a few days after I put them on and they don't look so pretty anymore.
And just for fun a couple of pictures of Ava's everyday face. Above is Ava showing off her blue tongue after eating an ice pop. Below is Ava feeding herself breakfast. This is pretty much how she looks after every breakfast. Sometimes it's cereal, sometimes it's yogurt, but it's always a mess!

Another Teenage Pregnancy

A few weeks ago Chris calls me to tell me that he found a stray cat and he is bringing it home. I agree so long as this will be a no litter box cat (outside only!) and Chris says okay. He was with his cousin when he found it and it was dark out but he had his cousin look at the cat and tell him if it was a boy or girl. "looks like a boy" he said. So Chris brings it home. Well it turns out it's actually a girl....and she's pregnant! And not only that but she isn't a full grown cat yet. She's a teenager at best. We of course have no idea when they'll be here, but now we have two pregnant momma's in the house.

Pregnancy Glow

Some days are just like this. You wonder how anyone could possibly have such a thing as a pregnancy glow. The only time I remember glowing is from the sweat on face after throwing up repeatedly. And even then I wouldn't really call it a glow. So what exactly is the pregnancy glow? Is there anyone out there who has experienced it and can tell me how wonderful it is? On second thought, maybe I'd rather not know what I'm missing out on.

One other thing...why is it that when we see other women pregnant we just think they look so adorable and cute; but no matter how many times someone tells us we look cute when pregnant we never believe it?

Only 10 weeks left! That's when the countdown for me begins. YEAH!!

Happy Easter

I wasn't planning on doing Easter for Ava because she is still so young but at the last minute changed my mind. And I'm glad I did.

The Easter Bunny came saturday morning. Ava went right for her basket and started digging in.

Showing off one of her candy filled eggs.

It was fun to see Ava get so excited, although candy first thing in the morning was definately a bad idea.

After the Easter Bunny came we went to our church for an easter egg hunt. Ava's favorite attraction at the party was the live bunnies she could pet.

I brought Ava to the party just for fun thinking she'd just be entertained seeing all the kids. But surprisingly she picked up the gist of what she was supposed to do really fast. But since she is so small and slow, by the time she figured it out all of the other kids had found the eggs. She wanted to keep wandering around looking for more even after all the kids started going back inside. It was a little sad. But she did manage to get three.It was cold and rainy but as you can see Ava had fun anyway.

Cookie Day

In the spirit of homemaking (see post below) Ava and I decided to make cookies today. She's scared of anything that makes a loud noise so for a long time she wouldn't come near the kitchen aid. Today however, she sat right next to it and helped me. We made Butterscotch Pumpkin Cookies, one of my personal favorites. I don't really like pumpkin flavored stuff, but these cookies are seriously good!
They dont look the prettiest but I promise they taste good.

Butterscotch Pumpkin Cookies

2 tsp. baking soda

2 tsp. cinammon

1 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

1 1/2 C. shortening

1 C. sugar

2 C. brown sugar

1 egg

1 (16 oz) can pumpkin

4 C. Flour

2 C. Oats

2 bags of butterscotch chips

Cream together first 8 ingredients. Add flour, oats and chips.

Bake @ 325* for 15 minutes

yeilds: approx 7 dozen

This recipe is HUGE so I recommend cutting it in half.

The Art of Homemaking

Sometimes I think how fun it would have been to be a housewife from the 50's or 60's. You know, like "Leave it to Beaver" type stuff. Then again.....

I'm reading this book called "The Art of Homemaking" which was published in 1967. It belongs to my mother-in-law. While in town this weekend my sister-in-law found it, started skimming through it, and found some very entertaining stuff.

I brought the book home as entertainment but it really does have some good stuff. I find that sometimes its hard for me to appreciate my job as a homemaker. I love being home with Ava and soon to be #2, but cleaning and cooking and all that goes with it can sometimes be exhausting. This book really does have some good pointers and advice, BUT, there are a few funny quotations I'd like to share for those of you who are real modern women (Sally). I think you'll enjoy this.

On Appearance

"Not only is your attitude of great importance, but your appearance also plays a vital role in a happy home. One of the most common complaints unhappy husbands have is that their wives have neglected their appearance and slop around the house with uncombed hair and in runover slippers which look like two dead rabbits....
"Each morning get up and get completely dressed....
"Getting dressed means putting on something that is comfortable, combing your hair, applying some make-up, and putting on shoes....
"And remember, as far as make-up is concerned: EVEN A BARN LOOKS BETTER PAINTED."

"Beauty is a duty"

On Husbands

"An ambitious, hard-working husband who is doing his part well to provide for his family shouldn't have to come home after a hard day's work and help his wife with her work....
"A wife, if she is reasonable, doesn't expect a great deal of help from her husband."

Well maybe I don't want to be a "Leave it to Beaver" kind of wife after all.

Happy Easter

Halfway through this project I thought for sure I'd be too embarrassed to let Ava ever wear this. But it turns out I'm not as bad at sewing as I thought. I made Ava this dress for Easter and I have to say I'm pretty proud of myself. I guess it's going to be a Happy Easter after all!!

When I was a little girl my sisters and I would always have little gloves and a hat to wear with our Easter dresses. I'd love to do that for Ava too. If you know where I could find some let me know!!

The Nature Of The Beast

Why is it that certain sayings drive us nuts?

For example, my sister-in-law can't stand the saying "Git-R-Done" (do you blame her). I, on the other hand had a boss who would always say "that's just the nature of the beast" and that's the one that drives me nuts.

What saying drives you nuts?