Byington Blabberings

July: Moo, pretty! yum... ow.

2012-01-30T21:17:00.000-05:00

Goldilocks went to the grandparents' farm for a cousin camp this summer, so we had Curly Bear all to ourselves for a few days. She was confused, but really enjoyed all the attention. We went to Chick-fil-a with our little calf one night.

Here is Goldilocks talking to our wonderful neighbor. He always has the prettiest flowers and plants!

Chocolate cake with peanut butter/chocolate filling.

A rare visit to the living room

The afternoon of July 17th, Papa Bear fell while working on the house and broke his ankle in 3 places. (not going to post the picture here, but we have pictures of his ankle and xrays too!) We are thankful nothing else broke on his body, but it has been a long painful road to recovery. He had to wait almost 2 weeks for surgery, had fracture blisters, 3 doctors, and a long surgery, 12 wks non weight bearing on crutches, weeks of rehab, and he was unable to drive his truck. We are VERY thankful for the help of neighbors and friends who helped us take care of the kids.

4th of July 2011

2012-01-30T20:49:00.000-05:00

My dad with his brothers

Back in July, we went up to visit Mama Bear's family for the holiday weekend.

My aunt's mother, Goldilocks, and my sister-in-law

Curly Bear with her great aunt

My aunt and brother

Its always fun to hang out with family!

Cakes

2012-01-17T19:29:00.003-05:00

Here are a few of the many cakes that have been keeping me busy

we're still here

2011-12-14T08:50:00.000-05:00

I have totally neglected the blog for various reasons
1. Tim broke his ankle in July and used the computer to work from home for awhile.
2. We moved our pictures to an external drive and sometimes I can't view the thumbnail photos which makes choosing pictures difficult.
3. I can't upload pictures and watch Netflix at the same time. Our internet connection stinks.
4. Goldilocks started kindergarten, and I'm watching a baby during the week

I will try to update with pictures soon...

visit from friends

2011-08-12T09:58:00.000-04:00

My college friend, Amy, lives about an hour from us and brought her boys over to play one day.

Our kids get along very well and it is always fun to catch up with friends! My camera was NOT cooperating that day and all the pictures are blurry - boo!

80's night!

2011-08-11T09:42:00.003-04:00

Devo guitarist w/flowerpot tray hat

Our friends Marc and Kathy threw a birthday bash for Marc's 40th. All of the guests came dressed up, 80s style and we had a lot of fun meeting new friends and seeing some old friends we used to go to church with.

$3 dress from Goodwill, crimped hair, blue eyeshadow

happy 40th Marc!

Father's Day 2011

2011-08-10T09:40:00.003-04:00

Curly Bear's birthday

2011-08-09T09:40:00.001-04:00

This summer we celebrated Curly's birthday with cousins and friends from church and school at a local park. The kids had fun on the playground and we decorated the picnic pavilion with a Dr. Seuss theme.

We weren't planning to open gifts during the party since we were having fun on the playground, but it started thundering and threatened to rain. We passed out popsicles for everyone to enjoy and let
Curly Bear open the gifts

for me Mom?

We are very grateful for all of the friends and family who helped us celebrate!

Disney part 6

2011-06-19T12:19:00.002-04:00

Our last day, we got up early and headed for early admission to Magic Kingdom. We went straight to Fantasyland and got in line for Dumbo!

Goldilocks favorite ride was the teacups, and we rode them twice!

We rode the carousel

While Papa bear stood in the line to meet Rapunzel, I took the girls to meet the fairy godmother.

Finally, we met Rapunzel and Flynn. "how long does it take to wash your hair?" "3 or 4 hours"

We waved at Pooh and Tigger, Peter Pan, and Pinnochio during the day.

Our last princess to meet was Tiana!

After meeting Tiana and her prince, we went over to wait for the parade. Donald gave Goldilocks and some other girls a big squeeze!

We put Curly up on Papa Bear's shoulders and she had a blast waving at all of the characters

Curly completely conked out in her stroller after the parade was over. She didn't even wake up when we put a Popsicle on her neck. We decided to head back to the hotel to swim, eat dinner, and pack. The last morning, we packed up our truck and took the boat over to downtown Disney for some souvenir shopping and lunch at Rainforest Cafe. The food was delicious, but it was really noisy. Curly HATED it. She had her hands on her ears the whole time, and was scared of the occasional "rainstorm". We had to get her lunch to go. We were all sad to leave Disney and our "ho-tay-el"!

Disney part 5

2011-06-18T07:54:00.001-04:00

After the princess breakfast and meeting a few more characters we missed on the first day, we headed to Hollywood studios. We ate some lunch and then went to watch the Beauty and the Beast show. The girls loved it!

We also saw the playhouse disney jr show - very fun!

Met the Little Einsteins!!

We wore our 3D glasses and rode the toy story ride. Goldilocks got the most points!

We also watched the Voyage of the Little Mermaid. Curly fell sound asleep while we were waiting in line for this, and only watched part of it. We went back to the "ho-tay-el" and had dinner with the cousins on their last night.

Disney Part 4

2011-06-17T07:06:00.000-04:00

Monday morning, we got up and headed to Epcot for the princess breakfast.

We had reservations for 9:25, but they sent us in around 8:45 since we were there early.

Goldilocks walked with Ariel in the princess parade and Curly went with Cinderella

Curly sang her favorite princess song from Sleeping Beauty's movie, Goldilocks and Aurora joined in!

After breakfast, Papa Bear chatted with an old coworker that was also at the breakfast (random!) and then we waited for Pixie Hollow to open so we could meet Tinkerbell.

Next, we went to Epcot's character spot and met 5 characters at once! The line was in an air conditioned room with big screen tvs playing some old classic cartoons.

Epcot truly is the best park to meet characters!

Disney Part 3

2011-06-16T09:41:00.001-04:00

The next morning, we attended a delicious wedding brunch at one of the Disney hotels.

After the brunch we went over to Magic Kingdom

We only had a few hours here today, so we rode the train, the Jungle Cruise, climbed the Swiss Family Robinson tree-house, drove some little boats, and saw the tail end of the parade. Then we took a boat over to the Grand Floridian and surprised the girls with the news that we were eating dinner with Cinderella!

I had hidden some special clothes in the bag

Curly, what are you doing down there messing with Cinderella's dress?

"glass swippers?"

Curly goes down for another look

now they are comparing shoes

Lady Tremaine told Goldilocks to stop hiding in the corner.

"you shouldn't have torn Cinderella's pink dress!" "I don't know what you're talking about. She really should find a better tailor"

dancing with Prince Charming

Has your mother ever been investigated because of the suspicious deaths of two husbands?

After putting the girls to bed in the ho-tay-el room, Grandma came over and babysat so we could go ride some roller-coasters that the girls are too little to ride.

Disney Part 2

2011-06-15T09:34:00.001-04:00

The reason we went to Disney was for Papa Bear's sister's wedding weekend. Saturday night the wedding reception was held in the Italy section of Epcot's World Showcase. The reception was on right next to the water and we had a perfect view of the fireworks show and perfect weather. Curly Bear did not manage to stay awake, she fell asleep in my arms after the fireworks were over.

Disney Part 1

2011-06-14T09:31:00.000-04:00

Oh what fun! We did not tell the girls we were going to Disney until we were almost there! They only knew we were going to Aunt MB's wedding reception. Here they are with a few cousins the afternoon we arrived.

There was a late night fireworks party at Magic Kingdom as part of the wedding festivities, but we did not attend, we knew the girls could not survive two late nights in a row. Instead, we headed over to Downtown Disney (by boat from our ho-tay-el), ate some sandwiches, and let the girls pick out some ear hats.

The next morning, we went with Papaw and Grandma over to "apricot". We rode a few gentle rides and then met as many characters as we could before leaving to get ready for the wedding reception.

Add caption

Daisy Duck was the first one we met!

Stitch messed up everyone's hats

Mary Poppins asked the girls if they kept their rooms tidy.

Mulan was the first princess we met, and maybe the sweetest!

We love Snow White!!!

Aladdin and Jasmine

Marie

Belle! We were originally trying to meet her and the Beast too, but they let everyone who just wanted to meet Belle come to the front of the line before they brought him out into the HOT!

After meeting Belle, we had to leave and get ourselves ready for the wedding reception.

Where have we been?

2011-06-14T08:53:00.001-04:00

Sorry for the lack of posts. We have been busy with end of the year programs, picnics, recitals, vacation with wedding parties, and a birthday party or three. Here are a few pictures from May!

Mother's Day

our house is yellow now thanks to Papaw and his paint sprayer

birthday cake!

baby shower cake!

Dance recital

small birthday celebration for Curly

birthday sombrero!

fun with the grandparents present - water ball popper

having fun getting sprayed by the water hose!

run Curly run!

Easter Bunny 2011

2011-04-19T21:00:00.003-04:00

2010

2009

2008

2007

2006

Trike-a-thon

2011-04-17T21:23:00.001-04:00

Once again, Goldilocks participated in the trike-a-thon to raise money for St. Jude Children's Hospital.. Thanks to all who contributed! She decided to ride her new bike with training wheels even though she needed help from us to ride it. She fell once - no blood - and gave us all a slight heart attack! Thank goodness her helmet was on properly, it saved her face and teeth. She got back on and rode some more after some tears and lemonade - we are very proud of her!

Curly Bear's first haircut

2011-04-16T20:51:00.000-04:00

She's almost 3 and finally had her first haircut this week. Her crazy hair (look at the pictures in the last post) was different lengths on different parts of her head which made trying to fix her hair interesting. First Mama got her haircut, then Goldilocks got a trim, and then it was Curly's turn! She was so excited and did great!

Field Trip!

2011-04-07T12:12:00.000-04:00

2007 trip with Maxeys

This week the girls are on spring break and we have enjoyed the (finally) nice weather. We have spent a lot of time outside playing, and yesterday we picked up Papa Bear at work and headed a local farm for some fun.

The last time we went was in 2007, on a very hot August day. The weather was very nice this time around, and things were a little different. Cagle's Dairy is now Cagle's Family Farm because they recently stopped milk/dairy production, which meant no milk sample at the end of the tour. Instead, we got to help plant some cabbage and got a bean planting project to take home.

Let me show you what we did! First we went through the "cattle" tunnel under the road.


2007 picture of cattle tunnel

Next, we went over to the animal petting/feeding area. We saw a skittish calf get a bottle of milk, then fed some cabbage to some sheep. There was also a funny black pig, some turkeys, 3 ducks (Aflac!!), and some roosters and chickens.

there was a big nest of duck eggs

milking demonstration

feeling the milking machine that feels like a vacuum cleaner

dumb camera wouldn't focus correctly

hayride

border collie herding sheep

the dog also herded the cows and brought them next to us

we fed the goats

demonstrating why all 2 yr olds should wear overalls

learning how to plant cabbages

After the tour, we went to eat at Bub-a-Q - yum!! When we went to drop Papa Bear off at work, we went in for a minute to say hello to his co-workers. Goldilocks told everyone about our trip to the farm and how the dog 'grounded' up the cows. ha!

what do I pick?

2011-03-31T16:22:00.000-04:00

This morning I paid $24 for $40 worth of personalized kids merchandise from Lima Beans kids.

My problem is their stuff is all really cute and I don't know what to pick - HELP!

I'm leaning towards personalized water bottles or personalized plates...or maybe a lunch box?

What would you pick?

Here is the link to Famgrab if you want to get this deal too

target="_blank">Great Family Deals Daily at FamGrab.com!

more Christmas

2011-03-24T15:25:00.000-04:00

Every year, we celebrate Christmas with my dad's family. Here is the annual group photo, which is always an adventure to make.

Christmas!!

2011-03-23T15:08:00.003-04:00

We celebrated at home...

at the grandparents' house...

and we ate birthday brownies!!!

Goldilock's birthday

2011-03-22T15:35:00.001-04:00

We had to postpone Goldilock's birthday party because she had a stomach virus, but we managed to have it in January, right before we got snowed in for a week. All of her church friends came over for a princess tea party and had cake and "tea" with real china teacups.

Before and After

2011-03-22T15:07:00.000-04:00

During Christmas break, Goldilocks finally decided she wanted to get her hair cut -

no more tangles!!!

We are going to send her ponytail to Locks of Love

My Family

2011-03-04T01:01:00.041-05:00

by Mama Bear

Today over at Kelly's Korner its Show Us Your Family day!

I love my family! It all started out with my parents and big brother. We were a pretty normal suburban family. My parents grew up in this small town, which had grown a bit by the time my brother had arrived. It was not uncommon to run into an old or current friend or distant cousin as we were out.

I need to work on scanning some more of my old photos! Here are some OLD pictures of me with parents, grandparents, great aunt and my brother

We had a lot of fun taking summer trips, and many summers visited my grandparents who lived about an hour from the beach. I was blessed to grow up in a Christian, loving family led by parents who truly led by example. My dad worked for the local water dept all of my life (still does) and is a mr. fix-it. My mom cooked homemade meals every night, teaches SS at church, and plays the piano sometimes at church. (she was the church pianist when I was in the womb) My older brother enjoyed playing sports growing up and I watched him play a gazillion basketball games. He and my dad were the sound Guys at church and eventually he got a degree in sound engineering. He got married this past October!!

Here we are today, plus some new members.

www.pixbyrobyn.com

FamGrab

2011-03-01T15:09:00.002-05:00

This morning I met John and Cecilia of Famgrab.com. They were picking the brains of local moms to find out how to improve famgrab and it was fun to talk to all of the other moms.
Famgrab is a daily deal site aimed towards families in Atlanta, but they also have deals in other cities such as Nashville (yay!), Dallas, Orlando, and more. They feature discounts on food, entertainment, services, etc.

click below and take a look!
FamGrab

visit from friends, part 3

2011-02-27T20:49:00.000-05:00

Before our friends left town, we stopped by the playground to get the annual picture of the dinosaur lover and Goldilocks. We discovered they've grown and no longer fit on the bottom of the slide together :(

visit from friends, part 2

2011-02-26T20:37:00.000-05:00

Next we made reindeer ornaments - Natalie traced the kids' hands and feet and cut them out of felt.

Curly Bear's impression of someone with googly eyes lol

These turned out to be really cute

but floppy. So if you make these, glue some cardboard to the back

or your reindeer will have wilted antlers!

Visit from friends

2011-02-25T20:23:00.000-05:00

Every year, our dear friends come to visit us. It is always fun to hang out with them - hate that we live 10 hrs apart!

watching Godzilla on the ipad

Every year we make some Christmas ornaments with the kids. The first one we made (very carefully) was glass ornaments with paint inside. The kids all picked what colors they wanted and liked making the paint move around inside the ornaments. We did have one casualty and learned this needed to be done over a padded surface. If you can somehow find clear plastic ornaments, that would be much better!

dancing

2011-02-24T20:22:00.000-05:00

Goldilocks has enjoyed taking ballet/tap classes every week.

She does half ballet and half tap and is very excited about the "show" in May.

mom told me not to dip my fingers in my ketchup

2011-02-23T17:38:00.000-05:00

We finally got another hard drive which means we were able to get all 761 pictures off our camera!

Papa Bear's parents came to stay with us over Thanksgiving weekend and helped do more work on the house. Poor Curly Bear was very sick (bronchitis) and we went to the doctor the day before and the day after Thanksgiving. She was so congested she was throwing up and I couldn't get the medicine in her.

Curly Bear sat down in front of the tv when the dog show came on, and 5 min. later when I went to get her to sit down for dinner, I found her sound asleep.

the next weekend (I think) Mama Bear's brother and his new wife came for a quick visit. Curly Bear showed off her impeccable table manners. Watch the video to see her in action.

mommy told me not to dip my fingers in my ketchup, but she didn't say anything about my toes!

sigh

Union, dearest Union

2011-02-18T15:03:00.000-05:00

I'm joining up with Kelly's Korner today - its all about alma maters.
Ours is Union University in Jackson, TN, which is about an hour east of Memphis and 2 hrs west of Nashville. Its a conservative Southern Baptist school and I loved it!

Union had about 2000 students when I was there and the class sizes were small enough that you usually knew everyone by name, and you definitely got to know your professors and might even end up grilling out at their house or babysitting for them! When all the residents were displaced by the tornado a few years ago, no students spent the night at the red cross shelter - They were picked up by professors and staff members, and church members in town. That's the kind of Christian love that speaks volumes about Union!
The city of Jackson has 3 colleges in town so the churches in and around town all have great college ministries. Union provides opportunities for students to go on mission trips during spring break and summer. Union has built a lot of new buildings in the past 10 yrs since I've been there and now thanks to the tornado that flattened the dorms, there are brand new apartment style dorms.

I met my husband there!

I was fortunate that I had lots of wonderful roommates, one of which I've known since birth :)

We have managed to see each other every year or so as people have gotten married or had babies :)
Most recently some of us got together in ATL to meet one of the new babies

I'm having NERTs withdrawals to this day.

I have tons of pictures from college, but sadly they are pre-digital. I need to scan them!
Okay fellow Union alums, lets hear some of your favorite memories

zzzzzzz + birthday

2011-02-10T09:52:00.000-05:00

After Thanksgiving we celebrated Mama Bear's birthday. Goldilocks and Curly Bear decorated the bundt cake (devil's food pound cake with dark chocolate chips) with some leftover icing.

I think Curly sampled more than she added

anyone want to hire them?

cakewreck anyone?

Thanksgiving Feast

2011-02-04T16:32:00.001-05:00

Every year, the girls' preschool has a "feast" and invites the families to come hear the kids sing and then have an early lunch

Papa Bear came to the feast, but I'm not sure how well he could see (his glasses were broken)

best friends!

They always have a lot of crafts ready for the children to do, I'm not sure I could squat like Curly Bear, ever.

grinding corn?

Curly did not perform, but they had made costumes in her class anyway

maybe she's on the Indians softball team?

cheering on big sister

Curly Bear is currently obsessed with breakfast cereals and eats them at any time of the day. She loves "o's" (Cheerios), eareal (honey bunches of oats), and rice poppies (rice krispies). This morning she dropped her spoon and yelled "hay-elp!" (she's southern) I picked up the spoon and gave it her. She then hugged it, and patted it saying "it otay boon, you be otay"

Goldilocks has enjoyed making snowflakes out of paper and scissors. She needs help folding, but is very good with scissors. She has made nearly 50 snowflakes that are hanging in our kitchen and dining room windows!

Papa Bear is working hard, working out, and yesterday he gave blood.

I've trying to clean out some closets, baking cakes, reading books for pleasure (couldn't do this while in school!), and cooking for the family - breakfast for dinner tonight :) She is also wondering about velveeta fudge which her friend tried and claims is good. Sounds weird to me, so weird I need to try it. I also need to try bacon chocolate chip cookies. Anyone have a recipe for those?

This summer

2011-01-29T22:48:00.000-05:00

This summer Papa Bear's sister is going to get married at Walt Disney World. We are excited for her, and excited that the girls will get a chance to meet some of their favorite Disney characters. We have hotels and tickets taken care of (yay for military discounts!), and have signed up for dinner with Cinderella and breakfast with some other princesses. One of Papa Bear's co-workers got some autograph books for the girls to use, but I am looking for tips and advice from the blogging world. Our girls will be barely 3 and 5 1/2. I would like to know about the rides and attractions that they would love (or not!), as well as some of the cheaper and or healthy places to eat around Disney. Please share!
P.S. If you know us in real life, please do not mention Disney to our girls. They know about the wedding but not where it will be, we are keeping this as a BIG surprise!

Since October,

2011-01-28T10:38:00.002-05:00

this is our new normal

ripping off siding, adding insulation, repairing, etc.

the work has all been done by Papa Bear and Papaw, with a little help from Mama Bear.

This project started in October/November and is still going. All of the siding on the back of the house and west side of the house is done, and now we are working on the front. We also replaced our back door. The weather is supposed to be nice tomorrow (finally!) so hopefully Papa Bear can make good progress this weekend!

Update: Today we got some work done on the front of the house, but we aren't done yet. We got a late start and had to quit early so I could go deliver a sweet 16 birthday cake. Papa Bear said a lady driving by was in shock to see me cutting the siding with the electric shears (or maybe I was using the drill). We don't think she could see Papa Bear and maybe she thought I was doing it alone - ha ha! um, no. I just take directions well.

Halloween pictures and germs

2011-01-24T13:22:00.000-05:00

I'm behind on posting pictures, but here are our Halloween pictures

Do you know who they are?

Its Dora the Explorer and her monkey sidekick Boots!

They won a prize for cutest couple at our friends' annual Halloween party.

Boots got to go trick-or-treating for the first time this year

2 weeks ago Curly Bear was sick with a high fever and cough and then passed it to Goldilocks. They were both sick for 6 days. They looked at a lot of snow out the window that week!

Today I took Goldilocks back to the doctor's office because she was complaining of her right ear hurting. She had already been on Omnicef for 5 days because her left ear was infected. Sure enough, both ears are infected now, so we have changed over to a different and stronger antibiotic - has anyone else had this issue before? Curly Bear had a stomach bug yesterday, but is fine today.
germs go away!

Pumpkin carving

2011-01-15T08:03:00.000-05:00

Goldilocks dove into the pumpkins this year and cleaned both of them out. Curly Bear was confused. ha!

New Year

2011-01-02T21:17:00.000-05:00

I haven't made any resolutions or goals for the new year. I think I'm still trying to catch up on all of the previous ones such as spending time with family and friends, being more organized, reading the Bible more, exercising, etc. I am already working on clearing out some of the clutter in our house. After 9 years in one house we have accumulated too much stuff!

My apologies for the lack of posts lately. Our computer's memory is nearly full so I haven"t dared to download any pictures from the last 2 months,
We have spent a lot of time in November and December doing two things.
1. Mama Bear has been baking pound cakes in jars and selling them. Between the orders and cakes we gave away to family and friends, there was a total of 213. That's a lot of flour, butter, and eggs! We never took a picture of a single jar, oops.
2. Papa Bear and his father have been residing the house which has been an adventure to say the least. I think they would be done by now if they weren't having to repair/fix the inadequate building they have encountered such as absence of boards, insulation, etc. Today Papa Bear discovered that our front door was not set properly. We are more than halfway done with the siding and then have to paint. Our house will be well insulated and I expect to see fewer insects getting inside too! Papa Bear is doing a great job and I will post pictures eventually.
3. Goldilocks decided on her own that she wanted to cut her hair - no more tangles! We are going to donate her hair to Locks of Love. I will show a picture eventually. We were supposed to have her birthday party last week but postponed it when she got a stomach virus. She is going to have a princess tea party at our house and she doesn't know that Sleeping Beauty is going to pay a visit.
4. Curly Bear is talking and singing a lot. We can now (finally) understand what she is saying a lot of the time. She is enthusiastic about potty training, but it has not clicked yet. She sits on the potty, reads a book, looks in the potty, says "no pee-pee, no poo-poo, no wa-de-pop (lollipop). oh well." She is only 2 1/2 yrs old, and I'm sure one day the light bulb will turn on and she will do well.

Woof woof!

2010-12-22T09:24:00.000-05:00

Christmas cards!

2010-12-02T14:42:00.002-05:00

I love getting Christmas cards from friends and family every year.
Some of my favorite pictures that we have sent include - Papa Bear and I in Scotland,

3 pictures of Goldilocks spelling out JOY, newborn Goldilocks in a stocking, Goldilocks tangled up in Christmas lights, and of course the accordion fold card with lyrics from Santa Claus is coming to town. What was your favorite card from us? Last year we didn't send out cards for the first time ever, but we're ba-ack!

At the moment I haven't decided what card or to use, but I'm going to use Shutterfly for the Christmas cards this year. there are about 800 choices WOW. They have several flat cards I love like the Retro Snowflakes Burst and Sharing the Love. I don't think we've ever sent a folded card - I like styles Dazzle and Shine or Lovingly Wrapped. I will probably get one with multiple pictures since it is next to impossible to get a family photo with preschoolers actually looking at the camera! Remember the Easter family photo attempt? um, yeah.

Shutterfly is now running a promotion for bloggers to receive 50 free Christmas cards (thanks Rebecca!) Check it out!

Before I order Christmas cards, I need to order some invites for Goldilocks birthday - she is turning 5 very soon! I'm going to let her pick her favorite card to send to her friends :)

Picking Pumpkins

2010-12-01T16:18:00.000-05:00

Papa Bear's birthday

2010-11-30T15:12:00.000-05:00

singing to daddy

Goldilocks took this picture of us after dinner!

um, turn your head sideways...

Book signing with Bakerella

2010-11-03T13:17:00.001-04:00

Around here, we like to make cupcake pops

The other day, we went to meet Bakerella, a sweet lady who managed to come up with an idea for cupcake pops. I originally saw her on Martha Stewart a few years ago, and have followed her baking blog ever since. Now she has a book explaining how to make them.

Goldilocks told her about how she likes to help me bake, and Angie told me I need to visit the CakeArt store, which sound dangerous for a baker like me!

trying out the scary pumpkin pop (picture by Tom, the nice photographer who shared a picture taking tip with my husband)

Curly Bear picked out a cat cake pop, she is currently obsessed with cats. She rubs her head on me and meows, and pretends to lick her paw

baby shower cake!

2010-11-03T08:00:00.000-04:00

Treasure Hunt

2010-11-02T16:24:00.000-04:00

before we left the grandparent's house (day after wedding), we had a treasure hunt with Goldilocks and Curly Bear.

First we found a key.....

Pico the cat joined our quest

next, they found some lollipops

look! the treasure box!

my brother's wedding

2010-10-21T10:38:00.001-04:00

curly bear was helping goldilocks practice

some of our relatives

yummy yummy cake that was a joy to make!

she approved of the cake

Zoo time!

2010-10-16T10:42:00.004-04:00

We took the girls to the zoo that is close to my parents' house. I hadn't been there in years, so it was interesting to see all that had been added over the years. One of my dear friends and her baby girl were able to meet us there for the afternoon.

a week ago

2010-10-15T10:29:00.000-04:00

we went up to see Mama Bear's family for her brother's wedding! Goldilocks and Curly Bear enjoyed playing outside after the long car ride. We went up a day early so that I could work on stacking the wedding cake. I baked the layers, filled it, and gave them crumb coatings at home, then took the icing and everything else I needed with us. My dad helped cut the dowels for the cake, and my mom helped wave the crazy gnats away while I worked. Papa Bear helped by going to Sonic. I lost count of how many times he went to Sonic over the weekend.

Finally, I got a nice smooth layer of icing and the border on the cake - flowers will be put on the morning of the wedding :)

more new recipes

2010-10-14T10:28:00.000-04:00

We've tried 2 more recipes from the Pioneer Woman website - Escalloped Cabbage was the first. I had never made cabbage before and this was delicious and pretty easy too. I made half the recipe the first night and we devoured it. This recipe is a keeper
She featured these mushroom fries on tasty kitchen, the recipe sharing website They tasted a lot like the fried mushrooms from Zaxby's, except that these are baked and have less oregano. Goldilocks ate lots of these!

Sadie the Border Collie is Curly Bear's favorite part of visiting the Byington grandparents

2010-10-05T21:51:00.001-04:00

Curly counts "un, two, fwee!", throws the ball one way and runs the other way.

Curly Bear even learned to trick Sadie by throwing the ball behind her

Sadie is an expert soccer player

Curly Bear loves to play with, hug and kiss (yuck!) Sadie

Even when she knocks her over by accident

family and another new recipe

2010-10-02T14:21:00.001-04:00

Goldilocks drew our family. Notice she made sure we all have thumbs, he he he

I made the Pioneer Woman's perfect enchiladas and they were really good! I only made half the recipe and it was just right for Papa Bear and I. Next time, I will have to take the spices down a bit ;)

I turned my back for 5 minutes to wash dishes, and....

2010-10-01T14:16:00.000-04:00

this happened. And it got worse. the end.

Meatloaf and Taters

2010-09-30T14:13:00.001-04:00

Lately, I have been trying out new recipes. I have time now that I am done with my degree!

I went to the library and checked out Ree Drummond's cookbook, The Pioneer Woman Cooks : Recipes from an Accidental Country Girl, and picked out a bunch of recipes to try. Above is a picture of her favorite meatloaf. I was a bit skeptical, because we already really like our recipe, but decided to give hers a try. She has a 2 extra steps that made it phenomenally good - bacon draped over the top, and a homemade sauce. Also, I really liked cooking it on the broiler pan to get rid of all of the grease. (why didn't I ever think of that before?). I also only made half of her recipe, and it still was too much for us!

I also made her twice-baked potatoes. I froze most of them, and we gobbled up the rest - delicious!

Birthday cake!

2010-09-20T11:30:00.001-04:00

Last week, I made this cake for some friends' daughter who is 4 today!

boeuf a la bourguignonne

2010-09-20T11:28:00.001-04:00

A week ago, I pretended to be Julia Child and made boeuf a la bourguignonne, which is beef stew with bacon, onions, and mushrooms, simmered in red wine and herbs. It was so good!

First I braised the pearl onions in beef stock and herbs

Next, I cooked up the bacon pieces

browned the pot roast meat that Papa Bear had cubed for me

cut up carrots and onions, and added this to the meat, red wine, and beef stock

This all cooked together in the oven for 3 hrs and then I added in the pearl onions and some sauteed mushrooms at the end. I wish blogs could be scratch and sniff because it was torture smelling it cooking all day!

Both of my girls ate it, which is testament to how delicious it was! You should try it!

Here is the recipe copied out of Mastering the Art of French Cooking

Julia Child’s Boeuf a la Bourguignonne (beef stew in red wine, with bacon, onions, and mushrooms - For 6 people

Can be prepared a day ahead, and gains in flavor when reheated.

VEGETABLE AND WINE SUGGESTIONS

Boiled potatoes are traditionally served with this dish. Buttered noodles or steamed rice may be substituted. If you also wish a green vegetable, buttered peas would be your best choice. Serve with the beef a fairly full-bodied, young red wine, such as Beaujolais, Cotes du Rhone, Bordeaux-St. Emilion, or Burgundy.

6 oz chunk of bacon

9 to 10 inch fireproof casserole 3 inches deep

1 Tbsp olive oil or cooking oil

Slotted spoon

3 lbs lean stewing beef cut into 2 inch cubes (chuck pot roast, sirloin tip, top round, bottom round)

1 sliced carrot

1 sliced onion

1 tsp salt

¼ tsp pepper

2 Tbsp flour

3 cups of a full-bodied, young red wine

2-3 cups brown beef stock or canned beef bouillion

1 tbsp tomato paste

2 cloves mashed garlic

½ tsp thyme

A crumbled bay leaf

The blanched bacon rind

18-24 small white onions, brown-braised in stock

1 lb quartered fresh mushrooms sautéed in butter

1. Remove bacon rind and cut bacon into lardons (sticks, ¼ inch thick and 1 ½ inches long). Simmer rind and bacon for 10 minutes in 1 ½ quarts of water. Drain and dry. (I skipped this step)

2. Preheat oven to 450°

3. Sauté the bacon in the oil over moderate heat for 2 to 3 minutes to brown lightly. Remove to a side dish with a slotted spoon. Set casserole aside. Reheat until fat is almost smoking before you sauté the beef

4. Dry the beef in paper towels; it will not brown if it is damp. Sauté it, a few pieces at a time, in the hot oil and bacon fat until nicely browned on all sides. Add it to the bacon.

5. In the same fat, brown the sliced vegetable. Pour out the sautéing fat.

6. Return the beef and bacon to the casserole and toss with the salt and pepper. Then sprinkle on the flour and toss again to coat the beef lightly with the flour. Set casserole uncovered in middle position of preheated oven for 4 minutes. Toss the meat and return to oven for 4 minutes more. (This browns the flour and covers the meat with a light crust.) Remove casserole, and turn oven down to 325°

7. Stir in the wine, and enough stock or bouillon so that the meat is barely covered. Add the tomato paste, garlic, herbs, and bacon rind. Bring to simmer on top of the stove. Then cover the casserole and set in lower third of preheated oven. Regulate heat so liquid simmers very slowly for 2 ½ to 3 hours. The meat is done when a fork pierces it easily.

8. While the beef is cooking, prepare the onions and mushrooms. Set them aside until needed

a. Brown-braised onions – for 18 to 24 peeled white onions about 1 inch in diameter: 1 ½ Tbsp butter, 1 ½ Tbsp oil, a 9 to 10 inch enameled skillet, ½ cup of brown stock, canned beef bouillon, dry white wine, red wine, or water; salt and pepper to taste, a medium herb bouquet: 4 parsley sprigs, ½ bay leaf, and ¼ tsp thyme tied in a cheesecloth. (I didn't have a cheesecloth and it worked just fine)

i. When the butter and oil are bubbling in the skillet, add the onions and sauté over moderate heat for about 10 minutes, rolling the onions about so they will brown as evenly as possible. Be careful not to break their skins. You cannot expect to brown them uniformly.

ii. Braise as follows: Pour in the liquid, season to taste, and add the herb bouquet. Cover and simmer slowly for 40 to 50 minutes until the onions are perfectly tender but retain their shape, and the liquid has evaporated. Remove herb bouquet.

b. Mushrooms – a 10 inch enameled skillet, 2 Tbsp butter, 1 Tbsp oil, ½ lb fresh mushrooms, washed, well dried, left whole if small, sliced or quartered if large

i. Place the skillet over high heat with the butter and oil. As soon as you see that the butter foam has begun to subside, indicating it is hot enough, add the mushrooms. Toss and shake the pan for 4 to 5 minutes. During their sauté the mushrooms will at first absorb the fat. In 2 to 3 minutes the fat will reappear on their surface, and the mushrooms with begin to brown. As soon as they have browned lightly, remove from heat.

ii. Sautéed mushrooms may be cooked in advance, set aside, then reheated when needed. Season to taste just before serving.

9. When the meat is tender, pour the contents of the casserole into a sieve set over a saucepan. Wash out the casserole and return the beef and bacon to it. Distribute the cooked onions and mushrooms over the meat.

10. Skim fat off the sauce for a minute or two, skimming off addirional fat as it rises. You should have about 2 ½ cups of sauce thick enough to coat a spoon lightly. ( I didn't have this much sauce left for some reason) If too thin, boil it down rapidly. If too thick, mix in a few tablespoons of stock or canned bouillon. Taste carefully for seasoning. Pour the sauce over the meat and vegetable (recipe may be completed in advance to this point.)

11. FOR IMMEDIATE SERVING: Cover the casserole and simmer for 2 to 3 minutes, basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce several times. Serve in its casserole, or arrange the stew on a platter surrounded with potatoes, noodles, or rice, and decorated with parsley.

12. FOR LATER SERVING: When cold, cover and refrigerate, About 15 to 20 minutes before serving, bring to the simmer, cover, and simmer very slowly for 10 minutes, occasionally basting the meat and vegetables with the sauce.

Saturday

2010-09-17T09:21:00.005-04:00

last Saturday, we had a long busy day. First, we made muffins that taste like doughnuts (recipe from the pioneer woman), and then headed to the annual company picnic.

The picnic shelter was next to a river and it was very pretty. There were lots of activities set up so Goldilocks and Curly Bear decided to start with ping pong.

They mostly chased the ball. There was a playground by the picnic shelter and Curly Bear went down the slide 10 million times.

We got there a bit early, so Goldilocks was one of the first to get her face painted. This lasted until she decided to dance in the rain while we hid under the picnic shelter.

One of Papa Bear's co-workers has a big military truck that he always brings to the picnics. He gave us a hayride - Goldilocks enjoyed it, and Curly Bear LOVED it!

2010-09-16T08:37:00.000-04:00

This month I am trying some new recipes. We typically eat breakfast for dinner on Friday nights, so we made some cheese grits. They were yummy! I got the recipe from The Pioneer Woman, Ree Drummond. I don't think this recipe is on her website, I got out of her cookbook that I checked out from the library.

Just playing around with camera, trying to learn how to use manual settings :)

2010-09-12T16:17:00.002-04:00

Artichauts au Naturel

2010-09-11T02:44:00.002-04:00

The other day, Goldilocks noticed the artichokes at the store and we decided to get one. I had never tried fixing an artichoke at home before, but since I had recently checked out Julia Child's The Art of Mastering French Cooking, I figured why not?

First, we read the instructions and looked at the pictures

Goldilocks helped break off the stem first, and then I tried to cut the end of the cone shaped part off with a knife. Note to self: need sharper knives. Next, we used scissors to trim off the pointy tips of the leaves. This was funny - the tips flew everywhere.

Note to self: move stuff out of the way next time. Leaf tips flew everywhere including into the toaster and my glass of water.

This artichoke was boiled whole for about 35 minutes I think. Goldilocks helped me make a lemon butter sauce for dipping. Wearing a green shimmering cape and flower headband is optional while cooking

Apparently, Julia Child likes butter, and we do too :)

Goldilocks was excited to try out something new that she had helped make. Ready for the first bite...

I totally missed her initial reaction because I was laughing too hard, but I think you can tell if she liked it or not.

pigtails

2010-09-10T14:37:00.001-04:00

Curly Bear is sporting some new pigtails in her hair. It is starting to get longer and harder to manage.

Do-wah

2010-09-09T14:36:00.000-04:00

Here is the latest birthday cake for a friend who turned 5 yrs old today! My girls are currently crazy about Dora the Explorer.

Another first

2010-08-26T10:27:00.000-04:00

This year Goldilocks is taking dance lessons at her preschool for the first time. They are learning ballet and tap. She was (and still is) very excited about it.

Curly Bear's First Day of School

2010-08-21T16:35:00.000-04:00

Curly Bear was thrilled to finally go to preschool. Last year she cried every time we dropped off Goldilocks because she wanted to stay too! She even picked out her own outfit for the day. She is only going 2 days a week right now, and was sad on Thursday when she didn't get to stay. I haven't been home long enough to enjoy the peace and quiet on the days they both are at preschool, however, I enjoyed going grocery shopping without the distraction of 4 extra "helping" hands hanging out of the cart :)

back to school

2010-08-20T08:59:00.000-04:00

Goldilocks is excited to finally be heading back to school. She is in the same class with her favorite school friend and likes her teachers. She goes to preschool 4 days a week this year.

Tybee

2010-08-18T17:53:00.001-04:00

Last weekend, Papa Bear and I took a last minute trip to Tybee Island by ourselves to celebrate our 10 yr wedding anniversary (a little late) and my graduation. Neither one of us had been there before, and we enjoyed exploring a new place.


We preferred to stand next to the lighthouse, instead of peering over the railing.

We survived the climb to the top of the lighthouse, and I have to admit, my legs were a little sore 2 days later, I blame it on the fact that I have no stairs in my house :)

We at lunch under one of the blue umbrellas at the North Beach Grill

All of our food was good, we needed more time on the island to make it to all of the recommended places. Besides the above, we ate at the Sundae Cafe(not cafe-ish at all, but delicious), Cafe Loco (awesome), tried to eat at The Breakfast Club but their power was out, so we ate at JJ's.

We got a condo through vrbo.com and stayed at the Savannah Beach and Raquet Club. We discovered that the north beach has quieter waves and lots of dophins.

Thanks Grandma for keeping the cubs occupied during our trip!!

Finally

2010-08-02T20:40:00.003-04:00

I graduated!

I started working on my masters in education right before I got pregnant with Curly Bear, took 2 semesters off, and finally finished my degree this summer. Boy am I glad to be done, my girls are glad to have mommy back, and Papa Bear is happy to have clean laundry again. ha! Because the graduation ceremony was at night, the girls stayed home with a babysitter while my parents and brother and Papa Bear went to watch.

getting my hood

Megan was right in front of me, I was glad I got to sit by the only other graduate I knew! We also witnessed the university's first doctoral graduate, a neat and unexpected surprise

next picture is me with one of my professors

Dr. Wallace and I

finally found my family!

He is glad I am finally DONE! Couldn't have done it without him!


congrats. you will get your diploma in 6 wks.

yay!

Lately

2010-07-22T20:55:00.000-04:00

I haven't been up to much lately - here is a picture of a 5th birthday cake from last weekend. Papa Bear's parents and their puppy dog came up for the weekend along with 25 lbs of peaches. Most of them are now in the freezer, but we still have plenty for eating. Our favorite way to eat them is in homemade yogurt along with a bit of honey.

This week the girls and I went to an indoor playground with a pirate theme and they had a blast playing in the sand. Afterwards we went to a pizza buffet with friends and Goldilocks ate 4 pieces of pizza, a garlic roll, and a slice of dessert pizza. She ate more than me!

Next week I graduate from the master's program I started when I was pregnant with Curly Bear!

In more exciting news, my brother is getting married!!! I am going to make the cake and we are very excited that he has finally found someone special :)

Latest baby shower cake

2010-07-15T20:54:00.001-04:00

Tellus Museum

2010-07-14T19:50:00.000-04:00

Papa Bear took the day off of work and we headed to the Tellus Museum to check it out. Above is a picture of the pendulum in the lobby. Don't ask me to explain how it works. This museum has a lot of replicas of dinosaurs. FUN!

There is a section with lots of rocks and minerals, as well as a section about transportation.

We really enjoyed panning for gems.

Goldilocks and I had a system, I scooped and shook, and she picked out the gems and put them in the bag.

Curly Bear really enjoyed using the brush to "excavate" the dinosaur "bones". However, the pieces of rubber got stuck in her hair, and I even found some in her diaper later. sigh. After a very reasonably priced lunch in the cafe, we went to the play area and had lots of fun.

Curly Bear's favorite thing was the drum

This museum is only a few years old and is north of Atlanta right beside I-75

Here's a link to their website Tellus Museum

Cranberry Stuff

2010-07-13T11:33:00.001-04:00

That is the official name in my husband's family. They like to eat this along with ham and turkey during the holidays. Maybe one day I'll get a picture of it.

1 bag fresh cranberries

1 large can crushed pineapple

1 large pkg red jello (raspberry?)

1 1/2 cups sugar

4 oz cool whip

1 pkg cream cheese

Prepare jello with only 2 cups of boiling water. After washing cranberries, finely chop using food processor, then add the sugar. Then add pineapple, including juice and chop a little more. Combine this with the jello and put in the refrigerator. After the jello sets, whip the cream cheese to soften, fold in the cool whip and spread it on top of the jello.

A Very Merry UnBirthday to You!

2010-07-12T19:40:00.000-04:00

The other week we celebrated Goldilock's half birthday, complete with half a cake. We like to do this because her birthday is so close to Christmas.

happy half birthday to you!

Mmmm, Corn Casserole

2010-07-11T19:40:00.000-04:00

This is one of the few casseroles I love, and it hasn't made any enemies! I have taken this to many friends who have had new babies, sickness in the house, and potlucks. Whenever we potluck with our friends (hey its been awhile people!) it is my unspoken and required assignment. Here is my most requested recipe.

Corn Casserole

32 oz frozen corn, cooked & drained
8 ounces sour cream
1 can cream of celery soup
8 ounces grated cheddar cheese or mexican cheese
2 sleeves finely crushed Ritz crackers
2 sticks of butter
*Note: original recipe only calls for 1 stick of butter and 1 sleeve of crackers

Put the cooked & drained corn into a 13x9 baking dish.
Mix sour cream and cream of celery soup, and spread this on top of the corn.
Next, sprinkle the cheese.
Mix the melted butter and cracker crumbs and spread on top.
Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Serve hot!
This recipe can be prepared ahead of time and kept in the refrigerator until ready to bake (may take 10 or 15 extra minutes to get done). I would not recommend freezing.

10 years ago...

2010-07-01T10:23:00.000-04:00

2010-06-26T01:01:00.000-04:00

This week Goldilocks went to get her teeth cleaned for the first time. We went to see one of our good friends for this special occasion. Goldilocks confessed to me that she was nervous, but she did great!

Before picture After! Check out those shiny teeth!

Choo Choo!

2010-06-25T09:51:00.001-04:00

Papa Bear and Grandma took Goldilocks and Curly Bear on a field trip with some other preschool kids from our church. They went to the fire station and to DQ for lunch. Goldilocks did not really like it when the firefighter was in his full getup, but she learned that if she sees a firefighter in her house, to go to him and not run away. Curly ran around the fire station and and was her silly self. When they put her in the driver's seat of the fire truck she yelled "CHOO CHOO!"

Father's Day 2010

2010-06-24T09:51:00.000-04:00

Busy, busy, dreadfully busy,

2010-06-15T21:40:00.001-04:00

I haven't dropped off the face of the earth, and I'm not hiding either. Just BUSY with summer classes. I haven't been taking pictures, and most of my time is taken by homework, hugging and playing with little girls, cakes, homework, husband, homework, housework, cooking, homework. did I mention homework?
I will be very glad when graduation arrives at the end of July.

Tonight at dinner,
Goldilocks: mama, when is it going to rain? (we were hearing thunder)
me: I don't know, I'm not in charge of the rain, God is.
Goldilocks: oh, okay.
me: you can ask God about it, but He doesn't always tell us everything, we usually have to wait and see
Goldilocks: "mama, how much do you love Jesus?"
me: "a whole lot, ....more than chocolate milk"
Grandma: wow!
Goldilocks: (eyes got really big), "I love Jesus really much!"

2010-06-03T16:53:00.000-04:00

Go over to my friends blog to see new pictures of the kids. She is a new photographer and I hired her to try to catch Curly Bear being her cute self.

Speaking of Curly Bear, she finally got one of her molars a day ago, and we are waiting for the rest of them. She is REALLY miserable - motrin sort of helps. help me!

Memorial Day Weekend

2010-06-03T01:52:00.001-04:00

We started off our weekend by going to see Papa Bear's parents down at the farm. Nieces #3& 4 were already there for the long weekend, and made this lovely sign.

Nieces #6&7 came up with Aunt A and Uncle M. We hadn't seen them in a year and half, so it was fun to catch up with them and let the girls play together.

Their dog Petey showed us all what he thought of the sign....

There was a lot of tree climbing, gun shooting, trampoline jumping, swimsuit wearing, sand pile digging, ice cream and pie and bbq eating, and giggles.

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

2010-06-02T10:46:00.001-04:00

This is sooooo good. One of Papa Bear's co-workers gave us this recipe and we love to make this for people.

Pork Tenderloin Marinade

1 cup minced onion
2 chopped garlic cloves (I use 2 spoonfuls of refridgerated minced garlic)
1/2 cup soy sauce
1 TBsp honey OR 2 TBsp brown sugar
1/2 cup olive oil
1/4 cup lemon juice
1 TBsp curry
1 TBsp chili powder

Mix together ingredients and marinate the meat for at least 2 or 3 hours, overnight is better. We sometimes freeze the marinade with the tenderloins, works great! This takes about 40 minutes to grill - use a meat thermometer to check the temperature. After taking it off the grill, wrap the tenderloins in aluminum foil and let them rest for at least 10 or 15 minutes. Waiting is the hardest part!
This is enough marinade for 4 tenderloins.

you can bake them in the oven too!

Birthday #2, Party #2 & AWANA awards

2010-05-29T13:49:00.001-04:00

Sunday, Goldilocks and I made some cupcakes for Curly Bear's actual birthday. Papa Bear's parents came to help us celebrate her birthday and attend the AWANA awards.

She got some more presents too!

After this, we went to church for the AWANA awards. I am the Cubbies director (3&4 yr olds) and this was Goldilock's first year to participate.

Afterwards, there was ice cream and bouncy houses for the kids.

Problem solving and Cookies

2010-05-28T09:29:00.001-04:00

My girls love puzzles. Here Goldilocks is helping Curly Bear with an alphabet puzzle.

Since we did not have a birthday party with Curly Bear's friends, we took the party/cookies to church with us on her birthday. Papa Bear, Goldilocks & I made some Sesame Street cookies with a cookie press. The press was frustrating at first because the dough was too cold, but once it started working it was a lot of fun.

We made some bags of cookies to send home with her friends at church.

Rocket!

2010-05-27T01:04:00.000-04:00

When it was time to leave my parents' house, we drove home through Alabama because of this

yep, a big sinkhole shut down I-24, so we completely avoided the area, assuming the detour traffic wouldn't be any fun. I'm just glad no one died, which is amazing.

Anyway, it was kind of fun to take a route we used to take a long time ago through Alabama. It reminded of going to visit my grandparents in the summer because we would always stop at the rest area with the rocket.

Goldilocks thought it was really neat and wanted to know if it was going to blast off and if we could go inside.

Birthday #2, Party #1

2010-05-26T12:46:00.003-04:00

This picture cracks me up - Goldilocks has smushed her face in the chair.

We celebrated Curly Bear's birthday with my family one night while visiting the grandparents. I forgot to take a group picture. Curly squealed so loud (when we were singing to her) that her face turned red.

Curly Bear enjoyed opening her presents. She really liked this pink shirt!

Uncle Bryan gave her some colored wooden building blocks

Babies

2010-05-25T01:55:00.024-04:00

This is my old baby doll named, Baby. I was creative as a child, can you tell? ha! Goldilocks was playing with her at my parents' house last week and I reminded her that used to be my special doll. She said she wanted to take her home and love her forever, and of course that made me melt.

We went to visit a dear friend and her new baby girl. The last time I was in town was her due date and I had fully expected to meet her then, but she did not cooperate. Goldilocks was in love, and kept giving her toys to hold.

Baby L was a little overstimulated by the 3 of us - notice Curly Bear trying to give her some hand sanitizer....

Sand & Water

2010-05-24T11:53:00.000-04:00

Last week the girls and I went up to visit my parents for a few days, and we celebrated Curly Bear's birthday while we were there. "amama" & "B-papa" gave her a water/sand table for her birthday.

The first afternoon was hot, so we played in the water. The next morning, it was cold outside so we decided to skip the water and just play with sand.

The girls also had a lot of fun with the neighborhood cat both days. This cat was really friendly and not skittish at all. He loved to be petted and followed us around whenever we were outside.

Curly Bear kept giving the cat things like sticks and leaves for some reason. The cat humored her and took them, making Curly laugh and laugh and laugh and squeal.

We enjoyed spending lots of time with Grandma, and even got in some reading time with Grandpa too!

Preschool Graduation

2010-05-16T01:50:00.008-04:00

Friday night was the end of the year program for Goldilock's preschool. They sang 3 songs, and we have video. Maybe we can get it on here (cross your fingers).

This is the result of cookies, punch and being up past bedtime...

Fun Morning

2010-05-15T11:49:00.000-04:00

Friday, at Goldilock's preschool, they had their annual fun day. All of the teachers set up a game or activity for the kids to do, and it is always lots of fun. In the picture above, Goldilocks is playing a game with her teacher from last year. Somehow I didn't take a picture of her with her teachers from this year or her best buddy.

Curly Bear got her first tattoo and HATED it! I rubbed it off with a baby wipe about 10 minutes later.

Curly did enjoy the scratch art station. Next we had fun with the barnyard animals who come every year. The laughs and giggles are contagious when the animals eat out of the girls' hands.

Is your mama a llama?

Adventures in dressmaking

2010-05-12T10:24:00.000-04:00

This is a picture of a dress I made for Curly Bear's 2nd birthday. It is made with a (too big) plain t-shirt, fabric sewn on for the skirt, and an applique made from felt and polka dot fabric. This dress was the easier of the two, I think because I didn't have to deal with armholes.

After I made this, Goldilocks wanted me to try making a dress for her too. I did not have t-shirt to use, but I had enough cupcake fabric to make her a dress. I did not want to deal with zippers or buttonholes, so I did some research and came up with this.

I used this website, Prudent Baby, for the instructions.

I am in no way an expert sewer, but I'm not afraid to try. Its just fabric!
This was my first time to sew an actual dress for either girl, and probably it won't be the last :)

Mother's Day brunch

2010-05-12T10:06:00.001-04:00

Every year, Goldilock's preschool has a nice brunch for the mothers.
This year, Papa Bear was nice and took Curly Bear out for lunch so that I could actually enjoy my lunch with Goldilocks.

Curly Bear was surprised and excited to see Papa in the middle of the day.

Meanwhile, I was treated to a show before lunch.

Goldilocks was excited because she got to stand by her best buddy!

There were keepsakes on the table waiting for the mothers, including a nice non-smiling picture of Goldilocks in a picture frame she decorated.

Lunch was delicious as always

Here are two friends who were sitting at our table

and the best buddy who came over to say hello

Last, but not least, a squeeze for Mama Bear!

More fun at the farm

2010-05-09T03:41:00.001-04:00

During the afternoon, Grandma took niece #5, Goldilocks and I up to the garden to get some sugar snap peas.

PawPaw has some new beehives! We can't wait to taste some honey!

On the way back towards the barn/house, I saw a tree with a hole in it.

Strawberries

2010-05-08T03:02:00.000-04:00

After lunch, we took the kids to pick some strawberries. Yum!

The kids did a great job picking strawberries, even Curly Bear got in on it, but got frustrated and whiny (it was naptime)

The beds were raised, which made it easier to pick them.

Goldilocks ended up with half a bucketful, and it was getting too heavy for her to carry.

After we paid for our strawberries, we got some catfish food and let the kids feed the fish.

I was glad I had dressed the girls in overalls, notice the firm grip Grandma had on Goldilocks.

The cousins were very patient while they waited for Goldilocks to finish her bag. Niece #3 and I helped her out with her bag because she was throwing the food ONE piece at a time. I politely reminded her about the juice box waiting for her, and challenged her to see how much she could throw at once.

We enjoyed eating strawberry shortcakes for dessert that evening, and Papa Bear and I made some strawberry freezer jam. YUMMY!

More Sand

2010-05-07T02:45:00.000-04:00

The cousins introduced Curly Bear to the sand pile, she was content for about an hour, she just picked it up and poured it out over and over and over and over. Niece number five decided to cover herself - messy!

Lizards and Cousins

2010-05-06T02:04:00.000-04:00

Our oldest nephew loves lizards and reptiles, always has. I can't remember what kind of lizard this was, but he knows.

He introduced my girls to this lizard.

Curly Bear was fascinated, and thankfully didn't squish the thing.

This was right before the lizard jumped on her, somehow I didn't get a picture of that. Meanwhile, Goldilocks was busy playing the in sand pile with nephew #2

My apologies, it is no longer a sand pile, but more of a beach after a year of grand-kids and rain. Goldilocks looked at her cousin and said "Whew! I've been playing in the sand for hours!" That actually wasn't far from the truth!

Here is niece #3, playing with the newest farm addition.

Tune in tomorrow for more pictures from the farm and our trip to pick strawberries

I scream, you scream,

2010-05-05T01:42:00.000-04:00

we all scream for ice cream!

Last Saturday, we went to visit Papa Bear's parents. The girls played with 5 of their cousins, and we all enjoyed some chocolate ice cream cones after lunch. :)

Chicken Parmigiana

2010-05-04T01:22:00.002-04:00

One of our new favorite recipes is Ree Drummond's (Pioneer Woman) chicken parmigiana. It is sooo delicious.

Papa Bear loves coming home to the smell of this cooking. Too bad website don't have scratch and sniff features.

Mmmmm, delicious!

Achoo!

2010-05-03T13:22:00.000-04:00

tissue anyone? Curly Bear will gladly get one for you.

Tips for saving money

2010-04-30T04:49:00.005-04:00

Today is Show Us Your Life Day at Kelly's Korner - tips for saving money

I was excited to see this topic, because the best way to save money is to talk to those who are good savers and are not in (or getting out of) debt

Naturally, most of us want to save money, but might not put the time and effort into doing so...whine, whine, whine.

1) First of all, when it comes to money, if you are a Christian, you are commanded to give a tithe (10%). I learned this at an early age and have always done this, even when the income was peanuts or unemployment. God has always provided for us financially, and has surprised us with unexpected blessings. I believe tithing reminds us of Who Is in charge...
Some might say "I will tithe when I make/get more money" Do you really want to wait for the blessings you will receive by showing God you trust Him to take care of you?
Tip - we use online banking for our bills, and also have our tithe automatically sent as soon as each paycheck comes in

2) Budget, pay cash, no debt. You can't save and be wealthy if you always have debt. If you have never taken Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University classes, we highly recommend it! This is not just for people wanting to get out of debt. You learn how to work with your spouse (money is #1 reason for failed marriages), learn about budgeting, insurance, investing, college, etc. You can go to his website www.DaveRamsey.com to find a class near you.
If we had paid more attention, we could have paid off our house before having kids and not have a mortgage payment. (hand smacking forehead)

Tip: Don't let the cost stop you, some churches have FPU scholarships available. Maybe you don't completely agree with him, but if you are in debt, what do you have to lose?

3) Make a list and stick to it, and don't window shop when you are bored.
I print out a blank calendar and fill it in with dinner plans for each night for a month, then I make a grocery list for each week. I take all 4 lists with me to the grocery store (just in case I see something I need on sale). We also buy all the meat for the month at once and freeze it.

Making a calendar like this prevents having to figure out what to cook later and wondering what ingredients you have. This has been great for us because with church 2 nights a week, school for me 2 nights a week, martial arts for my husband 2 nights a week, whoever happens to be home can start cooking dinner and not waste time. Also, if you have meals planned, you are less likely to go out to eat, which saves a ton of money.

4) Coupons = free money
There are great coupon sites such as southern savers, the coupon mom, etc. that tell you what's on sale and where to take your coupons. Of course, only buy what you need and will use.

5) skip expensive cleaners - white vinegar and water will clean and disinfect, and the smell evaporates as soon as it is dry. It cuts grease better than anything.

6) don't buy many new clothes, especially for kids - shop consignment sales for clothes. Clothes are really marked up in stores! click here to see how much I spent last time.

7)Cancel your satellite/cable service. We did this last summer and watch most of our shows online on hulu. The kids love PBS. Saves $50/month, $600/yr.
If you are thinking you could never do it, you might be a couch potato. Seriously, get moving. There is more to life... :)

8) Don't buy new books, dvds, or cds - check out your local library and used bookstores. My personal favorite is paperbackswap.com. On this free website, you can post books you don't want or need, when someone requests the book, you mail it to them. You can even pay the postage online and print out paper to mail the book in. In return, you get credits and can request books from other people. I got rid of books and old piano books this way, and got some of my college textbooks this way. big savings!! If you don't want to get rid of any of your books, you can buy credits to use, and this can be cheaper than amazon or ebay. There are sister sites too for trading DVDs and CDs.

9) Another way to save money - keep yourself organized. If you are constantly losing things, then you spend more money to replace what you cannot find. We are still working on this in our house, but we do keep a file box that has a folder for each month. Any paper bills and correspondence about insurance goes in there.
If you struggle with staying organized, check out FLYLADY. When I follow her advice, I FLY, but often I am fluttering. I sometimes get easily overwhelmed and/or spend too much time working on cleaning up. She says to set a timer for 15 min, and when the time goes off, quit. My favorite quote "you are not behind, just jump in..."
If all else fails, watch an episode of Hoarders. If that doesn't inspire you to clean up and organize your house, you should probably be ON the show...