Ahhh! The plague!

If one more creepy crawly VIRUS or FLU bug comes in this house I'm going to go full out quarantine!  We have spent the entire month of my son's life battling off colds, viruses, tummy bugs.  We live with hand sanitizer in every room.  We have gone through too many disinfecting wipes to count.  I feel like I live at the dr's office.  I am seriously with one of my children at the hospital or doctor once sometimes twice a week.

My poor Little Lotte thinks that everywhere we go is the doctor's office.  The last few times have been ultra traumatic for her.  So when we go into a public building (just remotely looking like an office, or with people in uniforms) she SCREAMS!  For example, I took them up to my work office and she screamed almost the whole time.  And worse yet, she freaked out when she went with her dad to the automotive section at Walmart!  I don't get it, but the guy had a clipboard so maybe that is why she thought it was the doctor.

Not sure how to make my little girl stop hating the doctor's office so much.  But if you were 20 months old and getting catheters and xrays and blood work done, you would probably be scared too.  I would be.  Any advice for more pleasant public experiences?

And......here's a cute little face to make everyone's day a little happier!

Parenthood FAIL, Desert NON-FAIL!

I feel like a failure today.  I KNOW it is just hormones and I'm not really a failure, but if you are a mom you know that there are just days when you feel like nothing goes right.  Heck even if you aren't a mom you feel that way sometimes too.

Anyways.  I had both the kiddos today.  Which usually isn't so bad, but I have had a LOT of help the past week since I've been ill.  Today for some reason if one child wasn't crying, the other was.  I'm not talking regular crying; I'm talking hysterics from Brother and that whiny constant upset cry from Lotte.  It was so stressful and I feel so bad that today was wasted.  Wasted constantly saying, "That's enough, stop that, no more, please don't."  I wasn't able to give Girl the schedule or activities she needed to make it a positive day.

Now that they are both blissfully asleep I'm able to reflect on where it went wrong.  I know the pressure and stress can get to anyone, and I definitely let it get to me today.  For example: I was prepping dinner during Lotte's snack time after her nap.  I caved and gave her one of her baby cookie cracker things because I just couldn't take more whining.  I was carrying Brother in my Moby Wrap (GREATEST INVENTION EVER!) while making stuffed peppers.  I am mixing all the ingredients together while turning on sesame street after her snack, all while Mister is screaming.  I look down and realize I didn't brown the hamburger.  Who doesn't freaking brown the hamburger?!?  Completely ruined.

So we fed Lotte left overs and husband went and got McCrap for us to eat for dinner.

At least I didn't ruin desert!  But on top of McCrap I ate my entire week's worth of calories in the most delicious desert ever!  I found a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough without any egg product so you don't have to bake it!  This amazing lady from Cookies and Cups made Pudge Cake and I made a version of it without the cake mix.

I baked brownies.  I used a biscuit cutter to cut up the brownies and layered it with the cookie dough.  I put it in the fridge until it was cold through.  Then we inhaled the Brownie Cookie Dough Brownie sandwiches.  It was so good.  My husband wants me to make the fake Cookie Dough everyday for his breakfast!  I told him that the bus company would end up making him buy 2 bus passes because of how big he would get!

Anyways...tomorrow is another day.  And I am vowing to make the best of it.  Lesson learned, always have some activities pre-planned to keep toddlers busy in constructive ways.  So you don't chase them around the house yelling no!

Spring time?!?

I finally finished some spring decorating things that I wanted to get done for my dining room server.  I still have a few things I want to do.  Once I get my cute frames done I want to add a really cute springy subway art print, and a couple other things in frames.  It's a work in progress.

Oh and that giant brown blob that I call a server is going to get it's own post sometime because I need to redo the finish and I want some advice.

Here is my server in it's current springiness!

So everyone is doing these, here is my version.  I made it with last year's pastel easter eggs, a terra cotta pot, a foam cone, and some moss all hot glued together.

My banners are what I really want to tell you about.  Mostly because they cost FREE!  I'm on maternity leave and I am TRYING to be super frugal since I'm not bringing in any bacon to be spending on decor and craftiness.  

The top garland was inspired by pottery barn.  They have a glitter garland with bunny, egg etc silhouettes.  I just used pastel paper.  I'm a pastel springy person.  I have a cricut...but I don't have a spring time cartridge wah waaaah!  Sooooo........I used my cookie cutters as a stencil.  I cut a bunch out and sewed them together.

I was nervous about sewing paper but it was AWESOME!  Afterwards, I safety pinned it to my trusty green tapestry wannabe.  

And moved on to the "SPRING" bunting.  I used the same paper colors.  I again used cookie cutters as stencils for the poofy flower and for the letters.  To give it some umph I added accordion circles to make it 3d.  Then I hot glued the bunting triangles onto a piece of ribbon.

The way I hung it was my favorite.  I went to the neighbor's yard and borrowed 2 of the hundreds of sticks that are left over when a branch fell in their yard last spring.  They haven't moved used them yet so I figured they were fair game. (Cleaning up my neighbor hood one craft at a time!)  I spray painted said sticks white.  I wanted to make them look springier so I hot glued jellybeans on in little clusters to look like buds.

I like it.  Do you?

A serious Seriously Sunday

For an entire week now I have been sick.  I thought I was getting better, but my dang ear is killing me.  I forgot how stinkin' uncomfortable ear infections are.  It makes me have a new found respect for my sweet little Lotte when she gets her ear infections (quiet often).  She is a grumpy bear when she has them, but now that I am afflicted with the same pain it makes me feel even worse for her.  I hate being sick, but I hate seeing my baby sick even more!

Today has been serious.  We didn't go to church like I wanted to because Brother hardly slept.  My head is about to explode.  We grocery shopped today (which is logistically much harder with 2 children).  And lastly and most horribly the Jayhawks lost.  I'm devastated.  It was a horrible game.  I was very stressed out the whole time.  I cried.  I'm not going to be a sore loser, so I really hope VCU wins it all.  Watching them play, they deserve the title!  Enough sad stuff.

Even though It's been a rough week, I was able to get almost everything done off of last week's lists.  I couldn't finish the window because it has been too dang cold to finish spray painting.  I have the spring bunting and garland finished, but I can't hang it yet because I need to spray paint the finishing touches.  And I didn't do a darn thing to my closet.

So here is this weeks lists...

{Food for Family}

Mon-Lasagna

Tues-Baked Chicken Parmesan 

Wed-Stuffed Peppers

Thurs-Lemon Chicken Bake

Fri-Left overs

{Cleaning outside the Norm}

My clothes

Sell/give Lotte's clothes

{Mommy's Magic}

Finish spray painting projects

Kissing balls

Wreath

Pin it boards

{Longer term Relationships}

More birthday planning

Easter goodies lists

Find dining chairs

Since it has been such a crappy day, I decided that I was going to look on the brighter side and see all my amazing blessings and remind myself of all the goodness afforded to me.  After dinner, Brother stopped crying long enough for Daddy and Mommy to enjoy a little Lotte time.  

We made smoothies!  Frozen berries, Bananas, Low Fat Vanilla Yogurt, and a little Orange Juice.  She absolutely LOVED it!

Here are the amazing pictures that I got!

I love pictures like these because it helps me remember common everyday moments that will mean so much when they are grown and too big to do those things with mommy and daddy (hopefully that is never).

After smoothies we went up to her room and were reading before she went to bed.  I couldn't help but tear up watching her sit in daddy's lap as he read to her the Little Golden Book About God.  She is so sweet!

Look what I found this week!

I was a fairly pretty week.  And then the wind came...and then one day I woke up to find this.

Snow. Spring Snow. Sigh.

How sad does that little slide look.  As if it were saying, "But I thought it was spring, and I thought I could get some good old fashioned "weeeee" time in."

I also found this.  We haven't used it yet, but I'm hoping it will help with his gassies.

It wasn't that great of a price, but cheaper than the mylecon if you figure the dosage.  Plus its all natural.

I also made a few thrifty finds at various places throughout the week.

These are the neatest set of picture frames.  They were only $8.00 for the 3 pieces!!!
They will be perfect once they are spray painted and I pick out/print/make some cute little spring and easter prints to put in them.

The weird striped thing is not only ugly, but it is a tray, and only cost $1.00!

Here is an idea of what I have planned for it.  If you squint really hard you might be able to see the potential.

This is something that we found down in the basement.  It's an accumulation of roughly 3 years of dust on a wonky old glass-less picture frame.  I think I know what I'm going to do with it, but I'm having a hard time committing fully to one project.

And the biggest "find" this week actually happened last night and was the reason why this friday post  sat completely finished until this morning.  As I am adding the images seen above, I hear my Little Lotte cry out up stairs.  She had been asleep for about an hour, so I went to check on her.  As soon as I opened the door, the smell hit me like a stinky old train!

Yep my sweet little toddler threw up for the first time.  I knew I would have to deal with it eventually, but I was hoping it would be when she was 13 or 14 so that she could clean it out of her own hair!

I'm not really a puke person.  But being a mother, I put on my mommy pants and immediately went to work.  I moved her from the giant pile of puke...how can all of THAT come from a toddler?!?!  I took off her soaked pajamas and got her into the bathtub.  All the while telling her that it is okay and gagging at the same time!

I got to be the hero.  I was Batman.  I saved her from the nasties that were in her hair and all over her sweet purple pj's, while my poor poor husband was Alfred.  He did all the dirty work.  While I was washing her hair, he was changing sheets and doing the laundry.  I LOVE THAT MAN!

So what was it? Stomach flu? I don't think so.  She acted like she was feeling fine after, and we gave her some diluted juice and she was drinking as if nothing happened.  She was a little scared when I put her back to bed.  Because she didn't see us (by that I mean Alfred) change the sheets she thought it was all still there.  She didn't want to lay down.  I had to sweep my hand all over her bed and repeat "all clean" over and over again.  Even though she was repeating "keen", she must not have been convinced because she curled up in the opposite corner and rolled into a little ball to sleep.  Poor baby.

She has had some breakfast and is doing well.  So hopefully it was just something she ate, because we have my grandparents 63rd wedding anniversary dinner tonight.  We wouldn't want it to be a puke fest!

Oh, and one last find! JAYHAWKS ARE THE ONLY #1 SEED LEFT IN THE TOURNAMENT!  What the heck?!? Ohio was rumored to be taking the entire thing! Kentucky is my hero.  But honestly if they can beat Ohio, I'm sure that they can beat us if we don't fight hard enough.  Imagine this senario...Kentucky and UNC in the final four.  UNC wins.  KU plays UNC for the championship! Hardcore!  And anyone out there reading this is like...who cares, it's basketball!  WELL I CARE!  I bleed crimson and blue!

This is how I MeatLoaf! New Recipe Thursday!

That my friends is a direct quote from my anti-meatloaf husband.  But he said it, he loves my meatloaf, and he had seconds! I told him it wasn't his normal meatloaf so he said okay and put on his big-boy pants and tried it anyway.  I can't take all the credit for it...I just put all the ingredients together and baked it.  But here it is.

Pardon the disgusting brown blob, but if you look at it like, "This is a pretty meatloaf." It isn't so bad.

So here it is...Woman's Day Lamb, Balsamic and Sundried Tomato Meat Loaf.

1 Lemon (oops, I knew I forgot something)

2 Large eggs

2 Tbsp balsamic vinegar

Salt and Pepper

1/2 cup rolled oats

4 Cloves garlic (or some powder in my case b/c hubby threw the garlic away 2 nights ago)

2 Large shallots

1/2 cup sundried tomatoes, chopped

1 Tbsp fresh rosemary, finely chopped

1 1/2 lb ground lamb (I just used a pound b/c A: that's all they had and 2: it's expensive)

I prepped this during a nap time (which seems to be few and far between lately) and put it in the fridge until hubby was on his way home.  It only took about 15-20 minutes to prep and only 40 minutes in the oven.

-Mix the eggs, vinegar, 1/4 tsp salt 1/2 tsp pepper in mixing bowl and 2 zest strips from lemon.

-Add oats and coat.

-I added my ghetto garlic powder in with the salt and pepper, but now you would add your sliced garlic, chopped shallots, sundried tomatoes, and rosemary.

-Stir it all up and add the meat.  I suppose that ground beef would be fine to use for this recipe too, but I loved how lean the lamb was, and it definitely has a different texture...if meatloaf can have a different texture.

-I used my hand to kneed it together so that the oat mixture was all incorporated.

-Form into a loaf on a aluminum foil covered cookie sheet (making clean up a cinch).

-Bake at 375 for 40-45 minutes

-Enjoy the sound of your husband loving meatloaf after he has spent the last 3 years of marriage saying he doesn't like meatloaf.

And just so this post doesn't leave you wanting a cute picture of one of my sweet babies...here is mister mini meatloaf.  In his meatloaf-ish swaddler!

Isn't it the cutest meatloaf you have ever seen!

ps. how many more times could I say meatloaf in this post?!? :)

Fun's OVER. Counting my Blessings Anyway.

No more fun.  Cold has officially taken over my head.  I'm actually surprised that I haven't gotten it sooner.  Both husband and Little Lotte have been contaminated in the past 2 weeks.  Now they are better and I have it.  Hopefully it steers clear of Brother, but being how "velcro" he is to me, I'm not sure how long he will be clear of the germs.

Not only is there this cold, but I have been having horrible headaches ever since I delivered.  I'm sure it's hormones or something, but dang. it. hurts.

So cold and hormones have been giving me a headache and so have our vehicles.  Flat tires on the car, and now yesterday we were driving home from the science center and the van just stopped accelerating.  Thank God we were close to home, not on a busy street, and I was able to pull over quickly and carefully.

Today I am going to count my blessings.  I'm going to make my seemingly crap-tastic situations and find the blessings hiding within.  And whenever I feel blue or down in this kind of way I'm going to name 10 things that are STELLAR in my life.

1. My husband stayed home from work today to take care of the cars and take care of me and the kids.  

2. I got to spend the weekend with my best friend and had some long needed girl time.

3. JAYHAWKS are in the Sweet 16!

4. My son is finally asleep after being gassy and up all day long=sleep tonight! *hopefully*

5. The weather was so nice that we were able to play outside a lot.  

6. My toddler had tons of fun today with her mommy and daddy.  

7-9. We crafted together (stickers and coloring while mommy worked on spring garland), we were able to play with sidewalk chalk for the first time, and we ran around and played with our outside toys.

10. And the best part of today, Mommy was able to get some AH.MAZE.ING pictures of Lotte playing.  

Check out a few of my favorites.

She looks so happy.

I love to see her and her daddy.  She is a Daddy's Girl 100%

Look at that pincher grasp!

That makes me feel better *cough* :-/

Seriously Sunday...at naptime on Monday

Yesterday was a HUGE BUSY BUSY day.  My bestest friend from college and her man came in town for the weekend to meet Brother and play with all of us!  Saturday we just hung around together and laughed and had great dinner and awesome icecream!  And on Sunday we went to the ZOO!!! It was a very eventful day and Lotte didn't nap very well, or at all.  But she sure loved the train ride, the penguins, the tigers, and the giraffes.  She loved it all but I think those were her favorites...in that order.

Excited to go in!

Waiting for the train

Yay! Trian! And Yay Moby Wrap!

Just like Daddy!

In the penguin house

Watching the monkies.  Yes my almost 2 year old has a

passy...to my defense it was her nap time.

And Mister loved walking with daddy.

So my Sunday wasn't serious at all.  And today won't be very serious either because we are going to go play at the Science Center after nap time.  But I figured just because the past few days have been all fun and games doesn't mean the rest of the week will be...so here is my Serious Sunday...a little less serious.

>Food For Family<

Mon-Grill Night!

Tues-Baked Rotini

Wed-Uber-Quesadillas

Thurs-Lamb and Rosemary Meatloaf

Fri-Chicken bake

>Cleaning outside the Norm<

Organize server

Organize Hutch

Clean out Closet, maternity clothes OUT

De-clutter craft space

>Mommy's Magic<

Easter Bunting

Finish Kitchen Window

Birthday Collages

>Long-er Term Relationships<

Dining room table

Easter dress

2nd Birthday plans

Easter goodies

And here is a re-cap from last week!

I got EVERYTHING done!!!

Except I didn't finish the window yet...but husband has been working overtime and I need his help.

I accomplished all of my tasks while being able to keep up with both my kiddos and keep up with housework! I feel like such a good mommy!

Off to have some more fun!

It's Friday...see what I found!

My greatest find makes me want to cry. Literally. On Wednesday my kiddos and I went for a walk on main street.  There where these AMAZING little people chairs that were PERFECT for my time out chair that I am envisioning.  Better yet...$6.99 a piece.  Since we still were walking I decided I would come back for them.  Well when we got back they were locking up the door.  I almost cried.  So I decided to come back Thursday after I dropped Lotte off at day care.  And BAM! they were gone.  I feel like someone stole them from me.  But I have no one to blame but myself.

Moral of the story...if you find a GREAT find...find a way to get it then before someone else finds it.

Another find...a possible dining room table via craigslist...wait for future post!

During our flea market walk on main street I made this great find.

Tons of awesome vintagy buttons! I'm going to do a dining room decor project with the white ones, and the brass-y ones are going to be used for my master bed room fake roman shades.  And they were only $1.00!

Notice the back ground that the buttons are one...this is my favorite find!

Two vintage pillowcases for $1.00!!! I LOVE the print and the sweet little ruffle at the opening.  I'm going to make Lotte a spring dress with these!

This bad boy was found in my garage last week.  When the previous owner re-sided the house and garage he just covered over the old windows in the garage.  This is the last known survivor.  And he is going to make a beautiful addition to my kitchen.  I'm almost through with it...give me a few days to post how lovely he turns out!

Lotte made a great find too! The sneaky Leprechaun snuck all kinds of green food into her big girl back pack that she takes to day care.  She had a shamrock shaped waffle, green yogurt, and green grapes for breakfast; and she had shamrock shaped sandwich, broccoli, and green cottage cheese for lunch.  And of course green milk.

And another St. Patrick's Day find...a SICK little girl.  We woke up last night at 10:30 to a screaming toddler.  We went to get her and she was running a 103.5 degree temperature and appeared to be in pain.  We called the exchange and they told us to go to the ER.  The doctor there was not my friend.  He made up his mind before he even saw her that she had an ear infection.  He looked at me as if I were a crazy over protective mom who brought in her ear ache infested child.  I wasn't happy.  We got home at 12:30.  I called her pediatrician this morning who already received the notes from the exchange and called for her ER chart.  She told us to come in immediately.  After running several tests which Lotte and Mommy both despised, we were told she does NOT have an ear infection, but she does have a virus.  We are very thankful it isn't anything worse, and she is getting lots of love and cuddles today.

In fact here is what she had for lunch...

A peanut butter banana popsicle! She looks like she feels just fine in this picture.  I'm sure the frozen banana and pb on a stick helps.  She LOVEs eating things on a stick!