Let the Christmas Shopping Begin!

Call me a lunatic, but I really enjoy Christmas shopping. I look forward to it every year! This year was a little more exciting because now we have two kids, and our first is older and easier to shop for now, and we know what things he is really into this year. (One of those things you automatically do, even though I was restricted by my parents from celebrating Christmas, it comes so naturally for me now, is taking mental notes to self throughout the year.) ;)

Well, we had a very wonderful Thanksgiving with family this year (just like every year). I was super excited for it, we prioritized and had all of our Thanksgiving shopping done by the 17th, leaving only a few small items like french fried onions and green onions. Other than that everything was done and we were able to relax and enjoy the rest of the two weeks leading up to the big day.

My mother in-law, (Mama Gail), and father in-law (Papa Larry), arrived Wednesday night, and stayed until Sunday. We were so happy to have them here with us longer than one day. Unfortunately, my brother in-law (Nathan) and sister in-law (Melissa) couldn't stay but they did make it for dinner :).

Well, with the grandparents here early, we decided to get the kids' Christmas shopping done while we had the chance. Our work schedules have been so hectic lately (it always is this time of year), and we wanted to go shop for their gifts sometime before or after Thanksgiving.

We did a little shopping online, because we don't have a Toys R' Us nearby us anymore, we ended up having to do that online, but that was great, because it saved us time and everything. I actually decided I prefer Christmas shopping online, and next year we may just do that, except we like getting out of the house together while the kids stay home and going to explore the toy land at Farm and Fleet ;). Both of us are still kids at heart. Me more so since I didn't get to do this as a kid :).

So that was our weekend. And we got all of the kids' Christmas shopping done, and just need to wrap everything soon. Since I am still pretty new to this Christmas thing and gifts and the kids presents, I am following Tim's lead on most everything haha. If I don't know what to do or how to do it, he does!

We also found really great bargains at JCPenny!

Ahhhh so excited!!! Less than one week!! The big day is coming up FAST! :D

I don't know where the time went, but I am so happy with the date we planned for our wedding celebration! I love it because it is right before the holidays, and it's also my favorite time of year. I love when the weather gets cold, snow is on the way, and the beauty comes with colored leaves and crystal snow.

I am not sure when I can blog again, but I will need to soon! :)

Getting Excited!!!

It's almost October! I have been so busy going crazy with wedding plans that I didn't notice how fast this year was going by. And my son started preschool this year, so I've been busy teaching and studying, which on top of wedding planning makes things pretty exhausting and hectic. But it's so rewarding!

The thing about planning a wedding only a month before the crazy holidays get here is that my year will not be slowing down whatsoever after the wedding is done. Which is okay, because I love love LOVE the holidays!! And I also really love teaching, so it will all work out.

We still have to figure out exactly what we are doing for the kids for Halloween (I know, we have plenty of time for that yet, but I am one to majorly prioritize and I am a huge planner, I like all my ducks in a row haha). Lukas' favorite superhero is Iron Man, so I would love to find him a character costume for that!

Well, I am just frantic over wedding stuff. People keep telling me once the day is over I'll forget about everything, but I don't think so. I am one of those people who lives for the memories, I think back on good memories a lot and I just really want it to go smoothly and look beautiful. :)

I didn't ever think I would be scrambling around planning my wedding. I wasn't one of the many girls who daydreamed about her wedding since she was 12. I've always been very independent and I always said I would never get married. But here I am! And, technically already married.

My husband and I tied the knot in a private ceremony a few years ago. We never had a wedding reception or celebration with our close friends and family, though. So, we decided this year would be the year that we would do it all. We wanted the cake, the party, the venues, the music, the photographer, the whole nine yards. So we started planning our wedding as soon as our venues were booked about a year ago. And, in my opinion, even one year was not plenty of time (that's how jittery I've become haha.)

But at the same time I am so excited and looking forward to our big day! I can't believe it's finally happening.

Crockpot Kickin' BBQ Chicken

Ingredients

4-6 chicken breasts, boneless and skinless
1 bottle sweet baby ray's bbq sauce
1/4 c vinegar
1 tsp red pepper flakes
1/4 c brown sugar
1 tsp garlic powder

Directions 

Mix BBQ sauce with vinegar, red pepper flakes, brown sugar and garlic powder.

Place chicken in crockpot (still frozen is ok). Pour sauce mixture over chicken.

Cook on LOW 4-6 hours.

Recipe courtesy: Tamara Martin

Easy Homemade Fried Rice from Scratch

Ingredients

3 cups cooked white rice (day old or leftover rice works best!)
3 tbs sesame oil
1 cup frozen peas and carrots (thawed)
1 small onion, chopped
2 tsp minced garlic
2 eggs, slightly beaten
1/4 cup soy sauce

On medium high heat, heat the oil in a large skillet or wok. Add the peas/carrots mix, onion and garlic. Stir fry until tender. Lower the heat to medium low and push the mixture off to one side, then pour your eggs on the other side of skillet and stir fry until scrambled. Now add the rice and soy sauce and blend all together well. Stir fry until thoroughly heated!

Trisha Yearwood's Baked Potato Soup

This is my husband's favorite soup! He looks forward to it every time I make it.

Source of Recipe
From "Georgia Cooking in an Oklahoma Kitchen" by Trisha Yearwood

Ingredients

4 large baking potatoes *

6 bacon slices

2/3 cup (1-1/3 sticks) butter

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups milk

¾ tsp salt

½ tsp pepper

2 green onions, finely chopped

5 ounces Cheddar cheese, shredded

8 ounces sour cream


Instructions

Preheat the oven to 400° F.
Wash the potatoes and prick them several times with a fork. Wrap them individually in foil, and bake them for 1 hour, or until they are soft when squeezed. Let the potatoes cool slightly.

While the potatoes bake, cook the bacon in a small skillet. Drain the bacon on paper towels and, when cool enough to handle, crumble it into small pieces. Set aside.

In a large, heavy saucepan, melt the butter over low heat. Add the flour, stirring constantly for 1 minute until smooth. Gradually whisk in the milk and cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, for 5 to 10 minutes, until the mixture is thick and bubbling. Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise, and scoop the flesh into the thickened milk mixture. Add the salt, pepper, green onions, reserved bacon, and Cheddar. Cook over low heat just until heated through. Stir in the sour cream and serve.

Serves 10

NOTE:
* Leftover baked potatoes may also be used for this recipe. Peel and mash them coarsely before adding to the milk mixture.

My Favorite Apple Cobbler with Delicious Crumb Topping

Apple Cobbler
Ingredients
2 1/2 pounds Granny Smith apples
2 pounds Fuji apples
1 1/2 pounds Gala apples
3 cups granulated sugar
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 sticks (6-ounces) chilled unsalted butter, plus softened butter for baking dish
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground nutmeg
1 teaspoon grated lemon zest
1 (6-ounce) package sweetened, dried cranberries (I never actually put cranberries in my pie, to be honest, but the original recipe calls for this, you can skip it)
1 large egg

1 egg yolk
1 teaspoon vanilla
1 (6-ounce) package sliced almonds
Note: You will need approximately 8 to 10 apples total.
Directions
Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F and butter a 9 by 13-inch baking dish.

Peel and core the apples and cut them into 1/4 to 1/2-inch dice. Try to get the apples pieces as uniform as possible to ensure even baking in the cobbler. Combine the apples with 1 cup of the sugar in a large bowl. Cover and set in the refrigerator while preparing the cobbler topping. The sugar will draw out some of the moisture in the apples, so the filling will be nice and thick.

Combine the remaining sugar with the flour and salt in a medium size bowl. Set aside 1/2 cup of the sugar and flour mixture to coat the apples. Cut the chilled butter into small pieces and work into the sugar/flour mixture using a pastry cutter, a fork, or your fingers until it forms a coarse meal.

Drain the sugar syrup from the apples and set aside. Combine the apples with the reserved flour and sugar mixture. Add the cinnamon, nutmeg, lemon zest, and sweetened dried cranberries to the apples and stir well to evenly distribute all the flavors. Pour into the buttered baking dish.

Lightly beat the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla and slowly drizzle it into the flour mixture. Don't worry if it seems a little dry at first. Continue to stir the mixture until the flour is completely absorbed into the egg. (You might want to get your hands into it and use your fingers to finish.) Take a small bit of the topping and roll it into a 1-inch ball. Gently flatten the ball into a disk and place it on top of the apple mixture in the baking dish. Repeat with the remaining topping, slightly overlapping the disks.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes or until the juices are bubbling and the topping is a light golden brown. Let the cobbler rest for 10 to 15 minutes before serving. While the cobbler is sitting, coat the almonds with the reserved sugar syrup. Drain off the excess syrup and place the almonds on a buttered parchment lined baking sheet. Roast until the almonds are golden brown, approximately 5 to 10 minutes. Scatter them over the cobbler.

Tips: To make cutting the butter into the flour/sugar mixture a bit easier, try grating frozen sticks of butter on the large holes of a hand grater. You'll have small bits of cold butter which will help the coarse meal form quickly. Use a melon baller to scoop out the core of the apple halves quickly and with minimal waste.

Crumb topping for Apple Cobbler

1 cup brown sugar 
1 cup all-purpose flour 
1/4 cup butter, diced
Caramel (optional, for drizzling on crumb topping if you prefer)

Directions:

In a medium bowl, mix together the sugar and flour. Mix in butter with a fork or stand mixer just until the topping is crumbly. Top your pie before baking.

Summer Craft for toddlers

My son is at that age where everything about nature fascinates him. He loves bugs, plants and all kinds of wild life. He loves animals in general, so does his sister, but she is still a little too young to understand it yet.

June brings one of my many favorite critters... Fireflies! Or, as I call them, Lightning Bugs (the hell if it's not "politically correct" I will always think of them as Lightning Bugs because that is exactly what I called them as a kid).

For a project, we cut out shapes of a firefly in construction paper (black), where we cut out the hole where the firefly would light up, we turned it over, and taped a piece of tissue paper (or plastic wrap works too) over the hole.

We held up our fireflies and shined our flashlights through the holes and watched the fireflies glow!

Like I said before, I love to use specific things each week to teach the kids, I will pick things like colors, numbers or the alphabet, and I incorporate animals into this now. So this week we have been learning about fireflies! This was a fun project of many that my son really enjoyed. We took the fireflies outside at night and he had a blast!

The Royal Treatment

My amazing husband surprised me with a spa basket when he came home after work.

I've felt sick all day, and last night I started to feel nauseous, too. :( So he decided to give me a restock of my bathroom spa supplies, and it was perfect! I had the facial, Epsom's salt, coconut milk, exfoliation, sugar scrub, everything. So tonight I thought it's been a while since I've blogged, and I decided to share my personal skin care regimen with everyone.

To start, I love anything coconut. I'll eat it, wear it, soak in it. It's amazing. I've done this since I was 13. I absolutely LOVE coconut milk especially. I use it in my baths every night.

I usually add around 1/4 cup of coconut milk to a luke warm (not hot!!!) bath, I add bubbles, Epsom's salt, bath beads, or anything like that if I want to.

I use a sponge, a buff puff and nail brush. I use these near the end of my bath, because first I like to soak and read a good book with a glass of wine, some relaxing tea, or even coffee or a martini etc. It doesn't really matter how long you soak. I soak for a good 20-30 minutes, then wash, exfoliate, shave and step out.

Before dressing, I moisturize. Not just my face, I moisturize my legs, my arms, my neck. Your skin needs moisture. So I am really big on moisturizing and exfoliating. It's amazing and my skin stays super soft and smooth all year round.

I am a big exfoliation buff. I exfoliate with a number of things, from Brazilian nut to caffeine and coconut. I like to use whatever I am in the mood for. But I always make sure to use one every weekend.

I do the facial masks as well, and I moisturize moisturize moisturize! I can't stress how important keeping skin clean and moisturizing is for me. It's something I never fail to do each day and night.

I also don't eat a ton of sugary foods, or salty things. I'm not a huge pasta fan and I love water and I drink plenty which also helps your skin stay beautiful.

I don't know if it's just genetics, but I've never had a pimple in my life. It's weird. I've never had acne or anything either, not even in high school. But my mom and my grandma were really big on skin care and so they taught me a lot about taking care of yourself.

I also shave every night. I can't stand the prickly feel of leg hair. I guess I'm weird that way, too, haha. But I've always found my legs rubbing on pant legs or the sheets to be really annoying and so I prefer smooth legs at all times. (It's just me).

After my bath, I rub vitamin E oil or coconut oil into my nails and cuticles. I apply hand cream and read more of my book and have more wine or tea and then go to bed all clean and moisturized.

Wow! So much is going on this year and I've had very little chance to get on here to update or do anything else besides cooking, kids, cleaning and wedding planning! While it's true, my husband and I are technically married, (we were privately married four years ago and none of our family or all of our close friends could make it due to us not making our marriage public back when it happened), so we decided to have an actual ceremony where we exchange our vows and celebrate with our close family and friends.

It feels like we have been waiting for this special day forever! And now it's almost here! We only have 5 months to go. I can't believe how fast this year is flying by!

Well, between wedding planning, I've been doing a lot of things with the kids indoors due to the weather taking a bad turn this past weekend, freezing cold temps and frost and cold rain. Yuck! I know we need it, it is Spring after all, but the cold temperatures I could do without. We also need sunshine. :-/

Our days have been centered mostly around arts and crafts, indoor games, reading and other things that usually fail to keep my otherwise repetitive childrens' minds occupied. They have about a 3 second rebound rate at this age, so I am trying to do everything possible so I do not go insane haha.

I love my kids so much and I absolutely love what I do, so I'm not complaining. I do, however, see the humor in everything and just laugh about it all. Like I do with just about everything in life ;).

This week, the kids learned about frogs. It's one of their favorite animals. For whatever reason they love reading about them and my son especially loves them. I don't know where it comes from, although I love frogs. :)

Yesterday, for Father's Day coming up, we made a frog card out of construction paper and a paper plate. My son painted the plate green on one side, then colored it pink on the other side. We folded it in half and glued a scrunched up (accordion style) piece of pink paper into the folded inside of the frog's mouth and wrote Happy Father's Day on it, so when you pull the tongue out you can read what it says.

We cut out legs and arms for the frog out of green construction paper, and glued that to the paper plate in the back. We took two cotton balls, glued them to the face, marked two nostrils with a black marker, and then glued googly eyes to the cotton balls. I can't wait to give it to Tim! I know he is going to love it. And this is the first year Lukas has been able to make anything for him, last year we did finger paints and other cool things. But this year we got way more creative! ;)



Today we made a chart out of construction paper and frog pictures from Lukas' used up preschool book. I ended up having to cut out the frog pictures because they were so small, but Lukas helped me with the rest and it turned out pretty awesome! We purposely shaped it like a lily pad. I wasn't really sure where we were going with it all at first, but everything came together the further we worked at it. This is the result:

Well, the kids are asleep and so now I plan to do more DIY wedding stuff, and then read a good book with a glass of wine and then get some rest! (Hopefully). My daughter still wakes up at night, so I can use all the sleep I can get at this point! Between her growing, teething and everything she has been a little stinker when it comes to a full night's sleep. :-/ Oh well. Such is parenthood! :)

Where I've been...

It's been a while since I have posted on here, not because nothing exciting has been going on (because it has) but because I have been so busy I have not had any time to blog lately.

My mother came to visit Saturday and we went to David's Bridal to meet with alterations for my wedding gown. This is my first fitting in my gown sicne the first time I tried on dresses here, so i'm nervous to see if it fits right! It's a size 2, and I am not used to wearing such a small size. When the woman tod me she was ordering a size 2 I stood there stunned, because I never believed I would hear those words.

I'm not a vain person by nature, I'm not very focused on body image as much as I probably should be. But I am a female, and I've had 2 kids. I can't really explain why this stunned me like it did, but it jsut did. I think it's because I wore a size 12 while pregnant and even after. I wore at least a size 10 or 8 before pregnancy. I think the last time I wore a small size (size 4) I was in high school. But for years after that I ahd always been careless with my weight and didn't put much thought into it, until the day I stepped on the scale at the doctor's office, 9 months pregnant with my first baby, weighing 207.6 pounds, that it hit me. I DID care. Suddenly I realized I was ina  rut. I didn't want to be 207 pounds, or even remotely near it. I was so uncomfortable, I was constantly out of breath. I was tired all of the time, and when my babya rrived, is til had no energy or stamina to keep up with him.

It wasn't my body image that hit me. It defintiely wasn't the number on the scale either, although at the time I thought that's what it was. But it was my continuing to be disgusted with the shape my body was in, as in I was out of shape. I was exhausted. I was walking to the mailbox and feeling almost winded. I was sick of feeling that way. I wanted to get into shape for my health and for my system, not how I looked.

So, it struck me because I really hadn't been paying much attention to the actual size of my clothes. I just wore what fit. I know wedding gowns tend to run smaller, so it shocked me to hear those words even more, considering.

I suffer from this anorexia thing, I won't call it anoerxia because I don't have an eating disorder, I eat very healthy and get my nutrients and vitamins, but I ahve this imprinted image in my head, where I always SEE the fat me, ratehr than the body I've accomplished. In spite of all the weight loss and muscle tone, I still see myself negatively sometimes.

Our Anniversary 2015!

Well, today my mom and dad came to stay with us for the weekend and babysit the kids so Tim and I could go out for our Anniversary. I can't believe it's been 4 years already! It actually feels like it's been about 8, because so much has happened in these 4 years we have been together. We found our dream home, we had our beautiful kids, and we have finally decorated our home and gotten some other things accomplished as well.

Tim took me to one of my favorite restaurants for a delicious dinner and some yummy wine, but, of course, being out of our normal daily routine, we missed the kids haha. It was still ncie to get out and enjoy time to ourselves though!

I had a delicious Steak toscano dinner and Tim had a steak alfredo dish that looked yummy! Afterward, we had one of my favorite desserts....

BLACK SILK TIE PIE!! :)

Tim got me gorgeous flowers and a sweet card, I love them so much! He is always doing romantic things like this, even for no reason. He is such a sweet, thoughtful person and I am so lucky he is my husband :).

Dan Simmons, Drood and The Fifth Heart

I am a book junkie, I read so much it's actually an addiction. I never go a day without a book in this house. Even if I already have about five or six books to read, I get more. I always worry about not having something to read, and I always have plenty of "back ups" just in case one book doesn't turn out like I thought it would.

I absolutely love my local library. It is my refuge. Seriously.

While browsing the catalog one evening (they have this new feature on there, where you click on a favorite book you have read or want to read, something you find interesting, and it will automatically suggest others related to that genre or story line etc) and this is how I was introduced to the wonderful novels by Dan Simmons.

I just finished Drood by Dan Simmons and am sad it's over so soon.

This is the first book I've read by Dan Simmons but it certainly won't be the last. I was drawn to this particular book because of my love for the works of Charles Dickens, but I knew I had to read it after attending a book signing where Mr. Simmons talked about the book and its "unreliable" narrator, Wilkie Collins. I was not disappointed!

The richness and depth of Mr. Simmons research and prose is exquisite. It is the sort of book one must immerse one's self into. I nearly felt the stays of my Victorian corset poking my ribs it is so spectacularly reminiscent of the writing styles of the period. The story is redolent with details sorely missing from more modern twenty-first century works. I particularly like the way it left me with things to think about for days and days after reading the last pages. Each reader gets the ending they want, really. It's brilliant the way Simmons doesn't tell the reader the ending, but lets you imagine your ending. I would venture a guess that if you asked ten different people the ending, you would get then different answers. That, is true artistry.

Since I discovered Dan Simmons and his novels, reading Drood got me hooked. I love his style and how he puts a story together and how he lays out the events. Some people have said the books are too long. I disagree. I think for some that get into this book expecting a big edge-of-your-seat-thriller, they just go into it with the wrong expectations and feel let down once the story carries out into events that will only appear banal (but really aren't).

It's all in your expectations and how you approach this story. I can't say anything for his other novels, I am just starting the Fifth Heart tonight, and I am very excited for this story!

I will defintiely update whne I get further into it and, of couirse, after I finish it. :)

Good Riddance, Not-so-helpful Potty Training Book

It's another yucky, rainy day outside, cold and damp. I am grateful for the rain we are getting in spite of my kids' obvious boredom and the fact that their short attention spans are going to drive me crazy for the next week. (I say that with humor) in case someone reading this doesn't know me well enough to get my sarcasm or my humor.

Recently, I've begun the journey of potty training my boy. It's been pretty hectic these days with just that alone. It's just me doing it because my husband works long hours, by the time he comes home we have dinner and put the kids to bed and that's pretty much it. The kids go to bed by 7:30, so we get down time to ourselves at least, but the whole potty training thing has been insane, and I don't have anyone here helping me with it most of the time. If ever.

Don't misunderstand that last part. This isn't a rant or a vent. It's a simple fact. It's a part of my life that's been keeping me super busy and on my feet with a can of Lysol and a clean rag. Following a toddler around all day and sitting them on the potty isn't as easy as it sounds. It's very time consuming when you do this all yourself.

I bought (regrettably) this book called Potty Training Sucks! I thought it would be humorous, great. The book itself sucks more than the potty training, to be totally honest. For one thing, it's extremely contradictory, and in turn only renders it totally unhelpful and pointless to read.

The author drones on and on about hugs and kisses and praise not being enough to help your kid figure out using the potty is good. But turns around, in the same chapter, and starts bashing the parents who give their kid an M&M for using the potty and then says "hug them instead...." What a load of crap this book is!

Needless to say it went straight into the garbage. I wouldn't even give this book away to the Goodwill because why should another parent like me have to suffer while reading over such a stupid dialog of misinformation and bias?

The M&Ms and suckers have been working just fine, thank you very much.

If you let your kid be a kid, like, you know, be active enough, you shouldn't be too worried about them getting obese by eating a dum dum sucker. Or a skittle. I really hate that book.

So far I let the kid run around in sweatpants without a diaper. I tell him to go potty every 15-20 minutes, give or take. It's "working" but as far as him understanding to hold it before he gets to the potty is a whole other ball game entirely, and that I believe is the challenge here. Getting the kids to figure this part out can change the entire process of potty training. Once he gets this I think it should be smooth sailing (at least as smooth as it can get for the time being) rather than having accidents all day long, mommy cleaning up all the "accidents," plus taking care of the 1 year old crying child while potty training the other. Yes, parenthood is insanity.

But it's a good insanity, and it is one I would do all over again and again, because I love kids. I am definitely crazy! But I am a Virgo so it's kind of my department anyway ;)

Happy Easter!

Easter 2015 was so much fun! I absolutely love that the kids are older and able to understand and do more this time. Lukas definitely had a blast. Teaching him to hunt for the eggs was pretty awesome.

Yes, I do celebrate both the holidays as well as observe all of my sabbats. ;)

And of course because I love taking pictures and our family time, here are some memories of our Easter 2015!

Yesterday we dyed the eggs. Haylie had already gone to sleep, so we did them before Lukas went to bed.

He definitely loved this part!

Then in the morning, the kids got us up and we went Easter egg hunting! Haylie isn't quite old enough to really get it yet, but she tried following her brother's lead! They made quite a stash of eggs.

Haylie was really packing the candy away like it was going out of style! She especially loved the Starburst jelly beans! :)

Tim said his family has a tradition that every Easter they eat the ears off of the chocolate bunnies. It has carried over into our household tradition I see! Haha

And this little man was absolutely ecstatic! Both kids were on a sugar high after this morning, so we went for a walk and burned some of it off. The kids even crashed asleep on the way back. Once we had them settled into their beds we did some resting of our own.

I hope everyone had a Happy Easter!! :)

Spring has sprung!

The weather has been absolutely gorgeous for the past week! We had our first thunder storm Monday night, which felt awesome, just sitting in bed, reading a good book with my coffee, and relaxing with my hubby right next to me. It was perfect! The kids are well worn out, too.

The kids and I spent all day outside, it was so nice. We have all had a serious case of cabin fever, with the long, cold winter we have had it's not surprising(after all, we had snow since end of October this past year).

We played games and I put together some activities for them that they really enjoyed. I've been really into the sensory play stuff, which I found some ideas from Pinterest, but most of the activities I just thought of on the spur of the moment, to be totally honest. I guess I must be a kid at heart! Haha

I let them play with the plastic mixing bowls and a big soup pot filled with water. I added koolaid to them to make thew water colorful, which they thought was super cool. I added pasta, which colored in the koolaid,and some big gummy fish and bath toys. They put rocks in it and whatnot. I was just happy they had fun and were able to enjoy some sunshine with me! I am sure these above 'activities" sound drab to a lot of people, but it sure made my kids' day and seriously, it really doesn't take much to keep kids happy. Mine love doing the goofiest things, and things that I would otherwise find banal they find fascinating, and end up spending hours occupied with.

I always want to take those opportunities to show them new things, tot each them things, and to help them learn and grow. This time of year a lot of new things are coming out, like bugs, insects, animals, things are growing and blooming, the weather changes, and I love all of those things and hope one day my kids will grow to love and appreciate them like I do.

We also went to the park and went on some walks, so I've been feeling really great, getting out of the house more often than not has really brightened my mood. It's so hard to not fall into that seasonal fatigue. I have had a major case of it. It's great getting rid of that gloominess and being able to get some extra energy and enjoy the beautiful weather. :)

Today it's cold and looks like rain, though, so it's indoor activities for us!

We went to the library twice this past week, so we stocked u on books and movies and stuff in preparation for the yucky rainy days ahead this week. 

I am HUGE advocate for libraries. They are my godsend. I absolutely love them. Its where I get all of my books and the kids love going to the activities there and playing and exploring new things. It's been a huge help this past winter (well, all year round, really) as I do get a lot of the kids' school stuff there, and they love the books and reading with me. :)

Dan Simmons' "Drood"

I decided there was no better way to start this new year off than with a good, gigantic book. I picked Drood, by Dan Simmons. 

I had always meant to read this book since it was first published, but something else always came up or made me forget about it. Going over my to-read list on Goodreads one evening, I was in a rut over having nothing new to read, I saw this one in my list and ordered it.

I couldn't wait for it to come in. I just knew I would really enjoy this one! I can't believe I didn't read it sooner. Although this book really was not so much about Charles Dickens as it was about Wilkie Collins instead, I'm compelled by it and the entire story line is mind bending in that you have to sort through what is fact and what is fiction, simply because Collins is an opium addict. 

What appears to be paranoia or schizophrenia is laudanum and morphia fast at work, or is it? What events are real and what events drug induced? 

I like this book ten times more than Murder As A Fine Art, which I couldn't even finish because it bored me so much after about 250 pages. I couldn't find the characters realistic or intriguing. The author tried to make the female heroin stand out but instead, to me, she simply came off as overbearing and annoying. 

While reading this book, there were a few times I almost thought the author wrote too much, that it should have been a smaller book. I admit, now that I'm done with it, I'm pretty sad. I actually wish it would've been longer. I enjoyed reading this novel in its entirety. I feel the author is very talented and I really liked the ending and how this writer was able to bring these characters to life. 

I said Yes to the Dress!!!

We had such a great time dress shopping! We made it into a girls' day, we went to David's Bridal in the morning around 11:00 AM and spent a good amount of time there. I was so glad the whole bridal party was able to get fittings and find their dresses the same day I found mine, with the distance and everyone's crazy schedules it was nice being able to get it all done in one trip!

It's so funny how you can have this idea that you know exactly which dress you want before you even arrive for your appointment. I had two specific gowns in mind that I fell in love with when Is aw them online. I had one specific style in mind, and that was I had to have a deep sweetheart neckline, lots of beading and crystals, a pure white gown, and a mermaid fit and flare silhouette. However, I also had two styles in mind that I wanted (or, for lack of a better term, thought I wanted, but once I tried them on I decided I really didn't!) I just did not fall in love with them. I didn't even like them. Not even a little, and I felt shocked. I seriously thought either of these two gowns would be THE ONE. And I was wrong.

I first tried on the one I believed was my absolute favorite of the two. This one below.

But I hated it.

So I moved on to the "second best" one, this one:

Not only did I not fall in love with it, the material felt extremely cheap and fragile, and I felt more like I was wearing a hefty bag rather than a gown (that's how light and thin the material was), and I also hated how it folded underneath the hem, making it look like a marshmallow at the bottom. This picture was very deceiving :(. It turned out to be not what I expected.

And so I got really confused, and suddenly I wasn't sure what I wanted, because the specific gown I was really envisioning, to me, was non existent.

The gown I was picturing had a trumpet silhouette, a very beaded bodice, a lace up back, and flare organza at the bottom on the skirt. THAT was my dream gown. But I had yet to find it. The picture was in my head, but it just was nowhere to be found.

After trying on around 4 other dresses besides the first two, I felt hopeless. I never knew what that meant, I always thought girls were crazy for getting so wrapped up in gown shopping, but now I was there and I knew exactly why they felt this way.

I wasn't frustrated, though. Somehow I knew I'd find a gown, I would just have to be patient, and I told myself there were other bridal stores if I didn't find the one today, that was all right. No big deal.

Then I actually explained to my bridal consultant what I was picturing in my head. I went ahead and described it in every single detail possible. And then she pulled this gown.....

The instant I saw this gown on me in those mirrors, my face uncontrollably lit up and I smiled, and tears came to my eyes and I just KNEW this was THE ONE!! My mother in law cried with me haha. It was so sweet! I'll never forget this moment as long as I live.

I even got my cathedral veil that I really wanted! :)

After I picked out my gown, veil and shoes, we moved on to the bridesmaid dresses. It was such a new experience for me today, and I loved every minute of it! Picking out the bridesmaids' dresses was probably easier than the gown haha. Although I did have a vision of what I wanted for the bridal party dresses, too.

Melissa was a trooper! She made it through trying on several dresses before we found the ones for my girls, and she did it all with a smile :). 

I really had a moment of indecisiveness when it came to the bridesmaids' dresses, though. I was caught between two dresses Melissa had tried on, but then they just were not what I was envisioning.

 So on a whim we went browsing through more dresses while the moms went shopping and looking at dresses, and we found it! We found "the One"!! I am so excited. It looks exactly like what I was envisioning. The color is just perfect and my girls are going to look stunning in these!

I love my family so much and am so blessed to be married into this one! Because even after Gail and my mom said they wouldn't be trying on dresses 9they aren't fans of dressing rooms and wasting time trying on clothes) and said they were going to order them from Romans or something, they got into the spirit of it all and started trying on dresses right after me and my bridesmaids!

Mama Gail picked this gorgeous grey dress. I love the flange and the sparkle! She looks gorgeous!

My mom wants to lose weight before the wedding so she didn't decide on any specific one yet, but she found the style she loves and when it's time she will get it in her size. I think she looked beautiful in every single one she tried on, though! She can wear anything and look good! :)

So now I am waiting for my gown to come in (they didn't have it in a white size 0, so they had to special order it) so now I'm going to be anxious over it but oh well lol. I can't wait to try it on in the right size and see how it really looks!

Healing a Cold and Sinus Infection Naturally

Remedy for Colds/sinus infections:

Heat 16 oz. water, either over the stove, through a clean coffee maker, or your handy microwave. (Hey, I do use modern day appliances haha. I'm a witch, not a magician). 

Add 3 TBL. Lemon juice. Must be 100% lemon juice.

Stir in desired amount of real, pure honey. 

Sip this homemade lemonade (warm) throughout the day, refilling as needed, repeating the recipe above, and you should see a major improvement within 48 hours. From my experience it takes at the most 2 days for my illness to clear up after doing this. ;)

New Year 2015

As a pagan, when the New Year arrives, renewal, purification, fertility and new beginnings are so important to me. I am of a nature based faith, and am very in tune with the world and it's shifting of seasons. In fact, seasons are very important to me period. I may not "look" like the "type" but trust me, I am, heart and soul. My destiny, my goals, my lifetime and my fate is centered around the universe and it's many wonders.

Each season means something to me, not the ordinary "I can't wait for warmer weather" or "I wish there was less snow during the winter" but more that I look forward to each changing season for it's own unique beauty and miracles. How can you not? There are those who prefer the warmth, the sun, the ocean. There are those who prefer cooler weather, like Fall and Winter. I'm the type who prefers all the seasons, whichever season it is at this point in time, that is my favorite season for the time being. Because each season means just as much to me as all the rest, just in different ways, because they are all different yet all just as important as the other.

So, I've been preparing for Spring, and I've been starting this preparation inside my home. I recently boxed up, bagged up and got rid of a ton of things that were either cluttering up our space or just not useful for us anymore. Mostly clothes and toys, but some books and other nick knacks that no longer served a purpose or that we simply didn't need. It feels so great getting rid of clutter and extra stuff around here! I can tell a major difference already.

My next step was planning a layout for organization throughout the house. I started with the kids' room and worked my way throughout the home. Our bedroom needed it badly! Now that all the extra stuff is finally gone and out of the way, my next agenda is shopping for organizational supplies such as more shelves, baskets, containers, etc. I will post a bunch of pictures as soon as I get everything squared away!

We do plan on moving soon, so a lot of things I really want to do will be put on hold for our new place. But for now, organizing our closet space and other sections of the home will be at the top of my to-do list.

I also am revamping my wardrobe. Since having my second baby, I've lost so much weight that none of my clothes fit anymore! I now weigh 114 lbs. I am so happy to be at a weight I am comfortable with again. And my metabolism is very high still, so I still eat whatever I want. My kids also keep me extremely active! So I know that keeps me slim, too. I'm definitely plenty busy! :)

And I am also preparing for Ostara and soon after Beltane! I'm so excited! I love welcoming in the warmer months with these celebrations. And now that my son is older, egg hunting this Easter will be so much fun! I can't wait!