Potty Training

In all honesty, potty training Paisley has been 100 times easier than it was with Marshall. It could be the fact that I was not eight months pregnant trying to squat down in a tiny little bathroom for "hours on end", or it could be the fact that she is a girl...and apparently girls potty train faster than boys, OR it could just be that she is that awesome!! :)

Back in February Paisley was showing interest in the Potty, not only did I think she was a little young, but I honestly did not have the time! We (the kids and I) worked every morning at the Gym, and I did not think it was fair to her to only 'potty train' half the day...as I could not give my whole undivided attention to her while at the Gym. So we had the portable potty out and available, and she would use it before bed, and baths.

At the start of July I was working much less, and it worked out that I had 6 days off in a row...I thought "it's now or never" so we went for it! And you know what?! By the end of the first day, she was rocking it! She told us every single time she had to pee!! I could not of been happier! Mentally I was in it for the long haul!! She was doing so well that I didn't even think she would need a chart!

As much as the #1's were making it into the potty, the #2's were not. Which I understood, I didn't expect it to happen over night. But after four weeks of cleaning up poopie panties, I was spent. Each time we would transfer the log to the toilet, explain that this is where we poop, NOT in our precious princess panties. Each time she would say "Poop, potty, no panties"....but would continue to poop in them.

Although I tried to pay attention as to what time of day she would release the torpedo, she started going at different times every day...I think she caught on to what I was trying to do!

SO finally I made a Potty Chart!! It seems to be working VERY well! We've only had it two days...but those two days she's made it to the potty! Better yet, today she TOLD me she had to go!! (day one was luck, Marshall had just finished and I told her that it was her turn, stuck her on and she went!!)

...In fact I think I owe this success not to the potty chart, but to Marshall. We had been explaining for a while now that Daddy poops on the potty, Mommy poops on the potty, Marshall poops on the potty AND Paisley can too! So yesterday, I took her into the bathroom with Marshall and "made her watch"...I think the light bulb came on!! :)

Here are a few pics of my little girl in her big girl panties...I believe she was trying to take her shirt off...but just couldn't figure it out. 

Oh and if anyone knows how to add a link or something for an excel and/or a pdf document, let me know...I was trying to figure it out so I could add the potty chart if any of you Mom's venturing into this stage wanted to take a peak at it....maybe I will just have to take a picture of it! :)

Do you know the Muffin Man?

I don't know the Muffin Man, but I'll tell you, I sure felt like him last weekend. Ever since I saw the muffin tins that make the cute little muffins, I have wanted one. I don't have my own set yet, but boy am I putting these borrowed ones to good use :)

The first batch of muffins I made were Cinnamon Raisin, Oh.My.Word, they are ever Delicious! The kids really enjoyed them, in fact, Paisley somehow snuck THREE of them, and I didn't even realize until I was taking them out of the tins!! What a silly girl!

Here is the recipe:
Cinnamon Raisin Muffins
Ingredients

3/4 cup light brown sugar
2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 tsp nutmeg (or all spice)
1/2 cup golden raisins
3/4 cup granulated sugar
57g (half a stick) unsalted butter, softened
2 eggs
170g plain yogurt
1/4 cup applesauce
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 3/4 cup all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Method:

1) Preheat oven to 180C or 350F degrees. Line a muffin pan with paper liners and set aside. Mix together 1/2 cup brown sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and raisins in a small bowl and set aside.

2) Place granulated sugar and butter in a large mixing bowl. Beat with an electric mixer until well blended, about 2 minutes. Add eggs, yogurt, applesauce, and vanilla to bowl. Mix until well combined, about 2 more minutes. Slowly add flour to bowl, mixing well as you go. Add baking soda, baking powder, and salt to batter and continue mixing until combined.

3) Set the batter aside. Pour brown sugar raisin mixture on top of batter and lightly fold into batter using a spatula or wooden spoon. You should only fold this 3 or 4 times - you don't want to incorporate it into the batter too much.

4) Spoon batter into muffin cups, filling each one about 2/3 full. Sprinkle each muffin evenly with the remaining 1/4 cup of brown sugar.

5) Bake for 15-18 minutes, checking for doneness after 15 minutes. Muffins are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Let cool in pan for 2-3 minutes before transferring to a wire rack to finish cooling.

The next ones I made are Pumpkin. This recipe comes from my Sister In Law. I don't normally like Pumpkin...anything, but I tried these muffins that she made last year and they were surprisingly good! (And I only say Surprisingly...just because I wasn't expecting anything from it, as in the past I have not liked anything made with Pumpkin)


Pumpkin Muffins
2 cups flour
1t baking soda
1t baking powder
1t coarse salt
1t ground cinnamon
1t ground ginger
1/4 t nutmeg
1/4t ground all spice
1 cup packed light brown sugar
1 cup sugar
1 cup butter
4 large eggs lightly beaten
1 can 15 ounces pumpkin puree

1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Line cupcake pans with paper liners; set aside.
In medium bowl,whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, salt , cinnamon , ginger, nutmeg , and all spice; set aside.
2)In a large bowl, whisk together , brown sugar, granulated sugar, butter, and eggs. Add dry ingredients, and whisk until smooth. Whisk in pumpkin puree.
3) Divide batter evenly among liners, filling each about halfway. Bake until tops spring back when touched and a cake tester inserted int the center comes out clean, 20 to 25 min , rotating pans once if needed. Transfer to wire rack; let cool!

Next I made some Apple Oatmeal Muffins. These were pretty good, they weren't my favorite, but we still ate them. Next time I think I might add a little more cinnamin, or even apples. I just needed a little more flavor.

Apple Oatmeal Muffins

Ingredients:

• 2 cups apple, peeled and shredded
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 1 cup quick oats
• 2/3 cup firmly packed brown sugar
• 1 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1/2 tsp baking soda
• 1/2 tsp salt
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1/4 cup fat-free milk
• 2 tbsp canola oil
• 1 tsp vanilla extract
• 1 cup plain fat-free yogurt
• 2 egg whites

Preparation:

Spoon flour into measuring cups and level with a knife. Place flour in a large mixing bowl and add oats, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, salt and cinnamon. Stir with a whisk. Combine milk, oil, vanilla, yogurt and egg whites, stirring until well blended. Add wet ingredients to flour bowl and stir until just moist. Blot shredded apple on kitchen paper to get rid of excess moisture, then add apple to mixture and stir.
Spoon batter into a lined 12-cup muffin tin. Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

And Last, but NOT least, I attempted to make some 'two-bite brownies'. Now I new that the tins were small and that I shouldn't add too much batter, and I thought I was doing good....but I guess I still added too much! I used the recipe that I posted a little while ago, on a post titlted 'calling all chocolate lovers'

Now the reason why I said I attempted to make 2 bite brownies was because I had put too much batter in the tins and they rose up and over...so getting them out of the tins in one piece was a little tricky....but they still tasted the same!! 

I think in all I baked over 250 muffins/brownies...it was a good baking weekend!

Delicious Orange Chicken

OH.MY! Was this EVER Delicious! I love finding new recipes to try, and it's even better when they are a hit! Although it took a little bit of prep, it was SO worth it! Pair it up with some Rice and Broccoli and you've got one great dinner!!

I found this gem on 'The Noshery' blog (go and check her post out, because she has some mouth watering pictures to go along with the recipe.

Here is my mouth watering picture :)

Here is the Recipe and Instructions:

Chicken

• 2 lbs boneless skinless chicken breasts or thighs, cut into 1-1/2” cubes
• 1 ½ cups corn starch
• 1 cup panko bread crumbs **I just used regular bread crumbs**
• 2 eggs, beaten
• ¼ teaspoon salt
• ¼ teaspoon pepper
• Oil (for frying)

Orange Sauce

• 1 ½ cups water
• 1/4 cup orange juice
• 1/3 cup rice vinegar
• 2 ½ tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon orange zest, grated
• 1 cup packed brown sugar
• ½ teaspoon ginger root, minced
• ½ teaspoon garlic, minced
• 2 tablespoons green onion, chopped
• ¼ teaspoon red pepper flakes **even with only 1/4 tsp this adds quite the kick, so if you don't like the spice, don't add so much :) **
• 3 tablespoons cornstarch
• 2 tablespoons water

Combine corn starch, salt, and pepper.  Prepare a bowl with beaten eggs, another with panko bread crumbs and another with corn starch. Dip chicken in egg mixture, dredge in cornstarch, then again in the eggs and finally in the panko bread crumbs, set aside.  Heat pan with vegetable oil to 375 degrees, fry chicken in batches until completely cooked.
In a large saucepan combine 1 ½ cups water, orange juice, rice vinegar, and soy sauce. Blend well over medium heat for a few minutes. Stir in brown sugar, orange zest, ginger, garlic and red pepper flakes. Bring to a boil.
Combine 3 tablespoons of cornstarch with 1/4 cup of water and mix thoroughly. Slowly stir cornstarch mixture into sauce until it thickens. Pour sauce over breaded chicken, and if desired garnish with green onions.

Now I know what you are thinking, "where is my pad of paper and pen, I need to make a grocery list"...so GO, GO, GO!!
Enjoy!!! :) 

Tortellini with Creamy Butter Sage Sauce

Irish and I came across this recipe just the other day, it looked so good we decided to try it! And you know what?!? It was pretty good! When I make it again I think I will change a few things though. First I'll give the recipe, and then add what I would change for next time.

INGREDIENTS:

• 2 lbs fresh tortellini, cooked according to instructions (I used 4 cheese)
• 1 cup butter (2 sticks)
• 1/4 cup chicken broth
• 1 cup baby bella mushrooms, chopped ( just used the white ones that you put in the brown bag at the store)
• 1 tablespoon olive oil
• 4 cloves garlic, minced (I used 5)
• 1 tablespoon fresh rosemary, chopped (I used 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh sage, chopped (I used 1 tsp dried)
• 1 tablespoon fresh oregano, chopped (I used 1 tsp dried)
• 1/3 cup heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup grated Pecorino Romano (I just used pizza mozzarella...because that's what I had in my fridge)
• salt
• fresh ground black pepper

PREPARATION:

Heat the oil in a medium sauce pan over medium high heat.
Sauté mushrooms until browned.
Add the garlic and cook for about 3 minutes more.
Add the butter to the pan and melt.
Add the cream and grated cheese and chicken broth and bring to a boil, stirring occasionally.
Remove from heat and add the fresh chopped herbs and salt and pepper to taste.
Serve over the tortellini.

*Things I would do differently*
-I would at least double the mushrooms, they were soooo tasty and just soaked in the flavour!
-I would use LESS butter, we found it to be just a bit too much.
-I would like to try it with the Fresh spices and also use the Pecorino Romano

Here is the link to where we found the recipe, you should check out this guys website, he's got some other really yummy looking recipes!! Tortellini with Creamy Butter Sage Sauce

Japanese Cabbage Salad

This salad is a winner!! It's so quick and easy, and oh so tasty! This particular recipe comes from my Aunt Diane. Every time we have a family gathering, I look forward to this Salad!

The Recipe is as Follows:

1 medium cabbage shredded

1 pkg. of bean sprouts

2 cups fresh mushrooms sliced

1 small bunch gr onions chopped

1/2 pkg. chow mein noodles

1-2 ichiban noodles (beef) broken up

1/2 c. roasted, salted sunflower seeds

1/4 c roasted sesame seeds

1 c slivered toasted almonds

Mix the above together

Dressing:

3/4 c oil (canola)

1/4 c soya sauce

1/4 c vinegar

seasoning pkg. from ichiban soup

1 T white sugar

1 t salt

1/2 t pepper   

Mix together in a shaker style container and pour over salad right before serving.

This makes a very large salad, perfect for pot-lucks! Although it can easily be halved, ENJOY!! :)

P.S. I am sorry, but there is no picture to go with this...it was devoured before I even got a chance to take one....I guess I will just have to make it again and take a picture then! 

Felt Flash Cards

 I came across this fantastic craft about six Months ago and have wanted to make them ever since. I honestly had so much fun making these! Yes there are a lot of repetitive steps, but it's not an overly difficult craft.

. The best part was seeing it all come together so fast! I made two sets, one for each of the kids. Also with the intent of them being able to play memory with them.

You can find the tutorial I used here

Stained Glass Jello

I recently came across this cute blog called Our Best Bites, which is where I came across this recipe.
This was FUN to make!! Yes it takes TWO days...but it was fun! If you have patient kids that can wait two days to eat this goodness, they would love making this too!

Cranberry-Topped Chicken with Baby Potato Sage Toss

 

Doesn't this look amazing!! ...I thought it was!!

I love trying different recipes! I LOVE the Company's Coming recipe book series! This recipe comes from their book 'Healthy in a Hurry'

Cranberry-Topped Chicken

1 tsp Olive Oil

1/4 cup Finely chopped onion

1 Garlic clove minced (or 1/4 tsp powder)

Cranberry Sauce

1 cup fresh (or frozen) cranberries *(I used craisins)

1/4 cup low-sodium prepared chicken broth

1/4 cup granulated sugar

1/8 tsp parsley flakes

1/8 tsp dried sage

salt, sprinkle

Cayenne pepper, sprinkle

4 Boneless, skinless chicken breast halves

Seasoned salt, sprinkle

pepper, sprinkle

Preheat gas barbecue to medium. Heat olive oil in small frying pan on medium. Add onion and garlic. Cook for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until onion is softened.

HINT (If it's too cold to barbecue, you can place the chicken on a greased broiling pan and broil on the top rack in the oven for about 5 minutes per side until it is no longer pink inside.)

Cranberry Sauce

Add all 7 ingredients. Stir. Bring to a boil. Boil uncovered, for about 5 minutes, stirring occasionally, until cranberries split and sauce is slightly thickened. Remove from heat. Cover to keep warm.

Sprinkle chicken with seasoned salt and pepper. Cook on greased grill for about 5 minutes per side until no longer pink inside. Transfer to plate. Spoon sauce over chicken. Serves 4.

Baby Potato Sage Toss

1 lb Baby red potatoes, quartered *(I used the potatoes I had on hand)

2 Tbsp Chopped fresh sage

1 Tbsp Olive Oil

Honey Dijon Dressing

2 Tbsp Olive Oil

2 Tbsp White Vinegar

2 tsp Liquid honey

1/2 tsp Dijon (or prepared) mustard

4 cups chopped or torn green leaf lettuce, lightly pakced *(I used a mixture of romaine and spinach)

1 cup Sugar snap peas, trimmed in half

1/3 cup Chopped green onion

Preheat oven to 400F. Combine first 3 ingredients in large bowl. Toss Well. Spread in single layer in ungreassed 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake in oven for about 15 minutes until tender.

Honey Dijon Dressing: Meanwhile, whisk all 4 ingredients in small bowl until combined. Makes about 1/4 cup dressing.

Combine remaining 3 ingredients in large bowl. Add potatoes and dressing. Toss well, serves 4.

ENJOY!! :)

Quinoa Oatmeal Granola Bars - YUM

This weekend I decided I wanted to make some sort of granola bar. A while ago a friend of mine had made some with Quinoa, they sounded good, I thought I would give it a try.

Now before I go ahead and give you the recipe, let me give you a little history on myself and Quinoa. It has taken me a L O N G time to finally get back on the Quinoa 'bandwagon'. You see, growing up it seemed like we ate Quinoa and rice ALL THE TIME, not even joking...because we did, honestly!! When I first moved out to go to College, I didn't eat rice or quinoa...ever! Just the thought of it made my stomach turn! In fact just in the past 2 years or so have I come to the realization that you CAN 'spice up' rice and quinoa so it's not so blah!!

Here is the recipe I used: (also found here)

Ingredients:

• 1 1/2 cups flaked quinoa *(I used 1 1/2 cups of cooked quinoa, not flaked)
• 2 cups old fashioned oats
• 1/2 chopped nuts
• 1/2 cup shredded coconut
• 1/2 cup chocolate chips *(I used carob chips instead of chocolate...you know, to keep with the whole healthy thing)
• 1/2 cup honey
• 1/4 cup butter
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons vanilla
• 1/4 cup brown sugar
• 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon (optional)
• 1 egg
• 1/2 cup chopped dried fruit, such as raisins, dried pineapple, dried mango, etc.

Preparation:

1. Preheat the oven to 350 degrees.
   
2. Line a 9x9 or 9x13 inch pan (depending on how thick you like your granola bars) with foil or parchment paper, letting the paper overhang the sides.
   
3. Spread the oatmeal, quinoa, and chopped nuts on a baking sheet and toast in the oven until golden and fragrant, about 10 minutes.
   
4. Melt the butter over low heat with the honey and brown sugar until the butter is melted and the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and stir in the vanilla and the salt.
   
5. Stir the butter/sugar mixture into the toasted oats and nuts. Stir in the eggs, chocolate chips, and dried fruit.
   
6. Spread mixture into the baking pan and press firmly into pan.
   
7. Bake for about 20 minutes, until golden brown.
   
8. Let cool completely, then lift from pan using parchment, and cut into bars. Store granola bars in an airtight container.

And now for the pictures :)

And you know what, they actually taste GOOD! They are soft, moist and just a little bit crumbly. ENJOY! :)

One Lucky Girl

I have always thought how lucky Miss P is to have such a wonderful brother as Big M. He has honestly loved her since the first time he saw her! When he first walked into the hospital room he had a big grin on his face and wanted to hold her instantly, while constantly giving her kisses and squeezes.

 

Over the past 22 months they have become quite good friends. It is so cute to watch them play together. Almost anything Big M does will make Miss P laugh, and anything he does, she has to do too (sometimes that is not such a good thing, haha). Don't get me wrong, they do have their (to be expected) sibling moments, but the issue is usually resolved fairly quickly and they are back playing together.

 Saturday night (actually it was more like EARLY Sunday AM) reinforced my feelings of what a lucky girl Miss P is to have such a WONDERFUL big brother! Before bed (Saturday night) they were both fairly whiny, they were both 'suffering' from runny noses and Big M was getting over a cough, but that was the extent of it. After a somewhat overwhelming "last hour" I finally had some peace and quiet :) I knew they were tired...especially as I didn't hear any talking or laughing after I put them to bed (they share a room and so there is usually a tiny conversation filled with giggles before they actually fall asleep).

Around 3am we hear Miss P crying, not just whimpering but a pretty upset cry. At first I thought maybe she had a nightmare or something. Irish went to investigate, and I knew that as soon as I saw the bathroom light go on something wasn't right.

I get up to go and offer my help, only to find out that poor little P has thrown up all over her bed :( While Irish is taking care of changing P, I change her bedding. We almost had the deed done without Big M waking up...but just as I was finishing he woke up. He asked me what I was doing and I told him that Paisley had thrown up. To which he replied "awww, poor baby!"

So we get them all settled and back into bed, and we ourselves return to bed. Only to be summoned out of bed not even 10 minutes later by the sounds of Paisley throwing up.

As we are walking to their room Paisley is crying and we can hear Marshall saying "Don't worry sweetheart, it's okay, Mommy and Daddy are coming" We walk into their room, Marshall is sitting up in his bed and says to us "awww, maaaan, paisley threwed up again"

SO we change her and her bed, again. Marshall is right by Paisley's side trying to help Irish clean her up and change her PJ's. We give them hugs and kisses and put them back in bed....and the same thing happens (right down to what Marshall said).

I honestly can't remember how many times we changed her bed Saturday night/Sunday morning...I'm sure it was at least four times. At which point we had run out of crib sheets and were on to using our queen sheets...and then a blanket for the last time.

In between the second last time and the last time we decided to give her a bath and some medicine. Marshall wanted to help. So as the bath was running he was talking to her in such a sweet voice telling her that the bath would make her feel better, while helping Irish take off her clothes. I let him give her the medicine as he REALLY REALLY wanted to! He put it in her mouth and said "here you go baby, this will make you better" and stroked her cheek so softly!!

It honestly just melted my heart to see how concerned he was about his little sister!!

I finally went downstairs to sleep with her on the couch, as it seemed every time she layed down, she threw up. So we went to go sit on the couch and try to get some sleep! We did finally both drift off...but boy was I ever tired in the morning!!

Then Sunday morning as Irish and Marshall were heading out the door for Church, Paisley and I are sitting at the table. Marshall runs from the door to the kitchen saying "ohh I forgot to give Mom a kiss"...he gives me a kiss and runs back to the front door, only to turn around again and run back into the kitchen saying "Ohh I forgot to give my Paisley a kiss" SO.CUTE!

So to all you future boys who will be dating my little girl, here is a heads up. You will not only have to go through P's Dad to date her....but you will also have to go through her big brother! At which point, if you have the approval of them both...you must be someone special!

And Marshall, thank you for being such a caring, wonderful brother. It makes me so happy to see that you love your sister so much, and she in return loves you SO much!

Priceless

Isn't this just the cutest thing you have ever seen?!

I sure think so...but then again my opinion just might be biased ;) Marshall was drawing in his notebook on the couch. Paisley wanted to draw with him, but there wasn't enough room to go beside him...so naturally the next best option was to draw ON him! The best part, is Marshall just laid there and let her be his "back pack". Oh how I love my kids!

Free Drawing Time

This morning as I was trying to get the kitchen all cleaned up from breakfast...and the dishes from the night before the kids were (at first) playing well with each other in the living room. 

It all came to a halt when Marshall came and asked me if he could watch cartoons, to which my answer was "No, but you may go and play with your cars, or make a puzzle, or build something out of lego, play basketball or read a book"

Of course this automatically means that the whining begins! For some reason Paisley thought she should join in on the whining too! How fun!! I decided, instead of trying to 'work through the whining'...and becoming aggravated with my kids, to stop what I was doing and do something with them!

I pulled out the craft box, grabbed the markers and some paper. I told them that I wanted them to draw me a picture of somewhere they would like to go!

This is what we drew:

Marshall's first picture is of a Camel in the desert drinking water. (The Camel is obviously blue because he is so full of water!!)

 For his second picture he wanted to go to the Jungle. The colorful middle object is a Leopard, with water on the right hand side...and if you look closely, there is a darker spot at the very top...ya that is Marshall swimming in the water. On the left hand side you have a basketball hoop...because everyone knows there are basketball hoops in the Jungle!! :)

Now, this is my picture, please don't laugh...I am not very artistic! BUT I want to go to the beach, so I drew us, as a family sun-tanning! Oh and the basketball hoop and ball were added as by request from Marshall! (I was showing him mine, and he said "But Mom, you need to have a basketball hoop!")

aaaannnnnnnnd, Paisley wants to go somewhere over the Rainbow...or maybe IN the rainbow :)

Anywho, we had a good day! I'm glad I took time to draw pictures with my kids, they Loved every minute of it and so did I!

She Loves it!

Sooooo just like I thought, I could NOT wait until Miss P's birthday to give her the new purse I had just finished making her! I mean come on, do you really think I could wait three whole months?!?

This afternoon, just before lunch I revealed to her 'the purse'. At first she smiled, held it, looked at it...and didn't quite know what to do with it. Then I showed her that she could carry all sorts of things in it! She seemed to immediately know just what she wanted to carry around with her!

 Yep her puppy and her baby!

 Trying to put the baby in by herself... :)

I'm so glad she loves it! I get this wonderful feeling once I have completed something...especially if it is something for my children. I get an even more wonderful feeling when the child loves/appreciates said object!! Today my heart was filled with joy :)

And yet, my heart sunk when Marshall came up to me after Paisley had received her new purse and asked in the sweetest little somewhat disappointed voice "Do I get a new bag to carry my toys in Momma?" Ohhhh I felt so bad! I gave him a big squeeze and asked "Would you like Mommy to make you a special bag so you can carry your cars around?" His eyes widened, and a grin appeared on that handsome little face of his and he replied "uh-huh". SO I gave him another big squeeze and told him I would make a bag just for him! Now to find some cute, affordable BOY fabric!!!

Cute Little Purse

For a while now I have been looking all over blog land and in different sewing magazines to try and find a cute little purse to make for Miss P! For some reason I have just now come to the realization that she does not have any girl toys. Okay maybe she has ONE, her pink tinkerbell cell phone, but that is it!

After she was born we didn't buy any new toys, so she has just played along side Marshall with his Cars cars, Toy Story Figures and his basketball.

SO for Easter, the Easter Bunny brought her a cute little baby doll!! Now I am 'stuck' in 'high gear' with the thought that she needs girl toys!! She now has a baby, but she needs a purse, a stroller, a cute little necklace, more hair clips/flowers, a blanket for for baby...etc!

Well Yesterday I finally found the cute little purse I want to make!!

It was SO SUPER EASY!!! I made it in two nights, I could have made it in one, but I took a break to have some snuggle time with my love!

SO here are some pictures of Paisley's new Cute Little Purse.

 It's just the perfect size for someone her age, I can already see her holding it on her arm!

 I free motioned quilted the purse (only the 2nd time I've done this)

...She is going to love this! I'm really not sure if I can wait to give it to her for her Birthday (July)...so she may be getting a 'Just Because I Love You' gift tomorrow :)

Now GO and make one for a lucky little girl in your life!

Little Moments

Today was such a good day! It started out wonderfully as neither Irish or I had to work (in the morning) so there was no hustle and bustle. Just a taking it easy, being lazy, enjoying each others company kind of morning! (it also helps when the kids wake up at a descent time and play so well together in their room, which they did today!)

We all went and had breakfast together, when Marshall was finished we asked him to clear his dishes and then go up stairs to get dressed. He obediently cleared his dishes & went upstairs.

A few minutes later he comes down the stairs saying

"Momma, check this out!"

He then walks into the kitchen dressed like this...

...Yes you are seeing correctly...he came down wearing PAISLEY'S Skinnies!! What a character!! Irish and I just about busted a gut laughing!!

It's little moments like this that make me love this little guy so much!!! It's little moments like this that make me so happy to be a Mom to the wonderful children I have been blessed with! It's little moments like this that forewarn me of the future 'funnies' we will have together as a family!!

Big Time Slacker

I can't believe I have not posted anything, anything since February!! Goodness!! Perhaps I have been busy!? Let me check...umm Yep, I was busy! Here is our past little while, Readers Digest Version!

One Sunday before Church we were actually ready BEFORE we had to go and I had some time to take some pictures...I don't know why, but I just LOVE this picture of her!

 One afternoon Marshall asked to play my iPod...and then 'shared' it with Daddy :)

 

 Irish and I actually went OUT on a date!! We went out for Wings and then to a Movie!

Started making 300 of these pretty little things for my Sisters wedding at a craft weekend my Sister in Law put on! I had some much APPRECIATED help from my Mother In Law, Father In Law, a few of my Sisters In Law...and believe it or not, Irish and his brother even helped out a little too!! THANK YOU AGAIN!!!!

 Some of the Cousins Visiting Great Grandma

Mini family shot...with a husband who was 'MIA' as he had to work this weekend

A cute little picture I got of Miss P walking down the hall, holding hands with her Great Grandma!

 My baby sister got Married on April 08th, and at the end of March she went through the Temple for the first time! She spent that weekend with us!

 Miss P with Auntie Kristi

Auntie Kristi with the Kids

After the afternoon session of General Conference we had some really great family time, and snapped this fun little picture!

 

 THE WEDDING!!

...and as I was a bridesmaid I didn't carry my camera with me...so I had to rely on others for these pictures...and for some reason I don't have any with Kristi and Curtis together!! Lol!

 We took this opportunity of us all at the Temple and dressed up to snap some family pictures!

 Having a little fun with Auntie Lacey on our way to High River after the wedding

On their way down to Kalispell, the newlywed couple stopped at our house for a quick visit!! The kids LOVED it!!

Marshall and Paisley have started to play hide-and-seek together...SOOOO CUTE....and their only hiding spot right now is under the table!!

 We went to Curtis and Kristi's gift opening and Miss P was quite amused by this nerf gun!

 Ohh la la, cupcake cookbook! Kristi will be baking up a storm!

 Sharing some cake with Auntie Kristi

Later that same day was Grandma Koltuns 60th birthday, Marshall enjoyed playing Tile Rummy his own way!!

 Auntie Kaly taking advantage of the situation! P is finally starting to not be such a "mommas/daddys girl"

 My Mr taking a cat nap after church

 M with a moustache like Grandpa :)

 The brains behind the glasses!

M, giving the Glasses a try!!

So as you can see the last little while has been a little busy for us! Hope you enjoyed the little update!

I'll be back sooner that later :)