Pretty in Pink.

Bake at 350 hosts Flavor of the Month. Bridget chooses a theme for the month, and on the last day of the month, you link your theme related post to her blog.
This month's theme is "a tribute to John Hughes." I was born in '86 so technically, I grew up in the 90's. But my Momma raised me right, and I am totally an 80's Girl at heart! I can recite most of the words to "The Breakfast Club" by heart, and I love Prince... well, I don't actually love Prince, the person/artist- he's kinda weird. But I can sing along to all of his songs!
My sweet friend, Ann, emailed me and told me I just had to link up to Flavor of the Month with the cupcakes I made for her babygirl!

To go along with the John Hughes theme, we'll call these cupcakes "Pretty in Pink."
(The movie, Pretty in Pink, was released in Germany on June 19, 1986, just 3 days after I was born!)


I live in a house full of boys.
We had a dog, when I didn't even know I was pregnant with Cade yet. And of course, he was a boy too. I see a LOT of BLUE.
When Ann told me she was having a sweet, precious little girl... I jumped at the chance to shop for PINK.
And then she brought precious Madeline Rose home, and it was my turn to take dinner over to her house. I made chocolate cupcakes with the new babygirl's monogram for dessert! Madeline has 2 brothers who are both a year older than my boys, so I added some sour gummy worms to their cupcakes- to make them less girlie!
Ann's first question was, "Did you take pictures?!?" Sadly, no, I didn't. But she did, and even blogged about these "Pretty In Pink" cupcakes for me. I'm borrowing her pictures; she gave me permission!

I enjoy baking. I really enjoy decorating cakes. But I hardly ever have a reason to make PINK icing. It's always blues and greens.
I made simple, delicious cupcakes using a devil's food cake box. When I choose the easy way out, I add in a box of instant chocolate pudding.
After the cupcakes cooled, I swirled the PINK icing on top.

To make sweet Madeline's monogram, I grabbed a plastic bag and melted some semi-sweet chocolate chips in the microwave. I piped several Ms, Rs, and Ds onto a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and cleared a spot in my freezer. Once the chocolate hardened, I placed them into the PINK icing.

Here's my buttercream icing recipe- pretty basic, and I hardly ever measure, so it almost always comes out different:
2 lbs. Powdered Sugar
1 cup Crisco
a bit of clear vanilla extract
a little butter flavoring
2 egg whites
add milk, as needed to thin
To tint, I always use Wilton icing colors.

Simple. But oh, so sweet!



Don't forget to click over to Bake at 350 to check out everyone else's tribute to John Hughes and to see what next month's theme is!



[Sweet Little Madeline was admitted to the hospital last night with a high fever. As of right now, her doctors are not sure what is causing her fever. Please pray for a speedy recovery!]

Not So Brotherly Love: Wordless Wednesday

Visit 5 Minutes for Mom for more Wordless Wednesday participants!!

Not Me! Monday

I did NOT wash my hair with the boys' watermelon shampoo four times this week because I forgot to grab my blackberry tea shampoo and conditioner off the kitchen counter. My hair does NOT smell like candy!
That same blackberry shampoo and conditioner was NOT left on the edge of the counter for almost a week now. And I certainly do NOT have to tell Austin to keep his hands off of it several times a day.
It has NOT crossed my mind several times in the last week to simply pick it up and put it in the shower... And I do NOT get distracted and forget about that same blackberry shampoo in just a few short minutes. No, not me!

David and I have NOT slept on the futon in the living room all weekend because I told him I needed the bed to sort, fold, and put laundry away. I did NOT use the excuse that we could catch up on movies and football games to make it sound better. I would NEVER do bribe my husband with football just so I could get out of doing chores!
And then I did NOT fall asleep early almost every night this weekend, completely ignoring the tv shows and football games.
My bed is still NOT covered in clothes- and I certainly did NOT stop at the sorting stage of my laundry chores! Our fresh, clean, wrinkle-free sheets are NOT somewhere in the laundry basket beside my bed. And have NOT been there all weekend. I always remember to put my sheets on the bed while they're still warm, so they stay wrinkle-free.

I did NOT wake up ten times last night to tell Austin to stop playng or to turn his light out, or to carry him back to bed when he decided it'd be fun to jump on Mommy and Daddy in the middle of the night. And I am NOT completely stressed from lack of sleep and I certainly am NOT frustrated with a 2 year old for this crazy behavior. He has NOT kept up this same routine for at least the past two nights. It's NOT the least bit aggravating and I'm NOT at my wits end. Me? Aggravated? NEVER!
I did NOT wake up this morning, and promptly steal his light bulbs. I am NOT thinking about taking everything but his bed out of his room either! That would be absurd, and cause more clutter in every other room of this already too small apartment. Climbing over clutter and furniture is NOT worth a good night's sleep or two!


Curious as to what everyone else did NOT do this week?
Head over to MckMama's blog to read other Not Me! Monday posts!

can't get enough...

I love my husband.
I love that most of the time he refuses to bring me a coke.
I love that he constantly tells me that they're not good for me.


But mostly, I love that he added to my obsession last week by introducing me to this....

 

just another day...

David insists that his birthday is just another day. He doesn't like the hype of birthdays and certainly, doesn't want a big to do. I, on the other hand, love birthdays, and want the day to be special and "all about me." Or in this case, all about him.
Last night, we argued. The argument was so big that there was no mention of birthdays in this house this morning. It really was just another day. It was a terrible day that we spent avoiding the elephant in the room.
However, by the end of the day, we settled our differences and David finally told me what kind of cake he wanted for his birthday- a bundt cake.
Awesome.
Two problems: I don't have a bundt cake recipe, and I don't have a bundt cake pan. A quick phone call to his mom for the recipe and a quick trip to the PX for a pan and the commissary for ingredients and I was good to go!

David's birthday celebrations started with a dinner of salad, grilled pork chops, and broccoli & rice casserole. I totally had to wing the casserole. But I was told that it tasted "just like his momma's." And coming from Mr. PickyEater, that's a HUGE compliment, that I don't hear often. I was beaming with pride!



Apparently, I've taught Austin well. He's sharing his mushroom with you. He doesn't like them.


The birthday boy is all excited about the $2.00 party favors I bought and wrapped in a bandana so he'd have something to open. We were hoping his new jacket would arrive before today, but I checked the mail twice and its not here yet.


Austin was ecstatic about the $2.00 party favors! Airplanes are special to the Miller family. And always seem to find a way to sneak into our days.


Austin stealing the airplanes. The orange one is favorite. He will tell you when something is orange or red. And he will tell you until you listen!



Momma's gotta get in on the pictures too!



What birthday would be complete without a family picture! (Thanks, MeMe, for the mini tripod you gave me for my birthday! It's awesome! )



Finally, the cake was done! A little bit over done, but it was still very, very good! And didn't stick at all!

And the candles were lit... We didn't sing the happy birthday song. Austin just yelled happy birthday in about ten different languages!

Austin tried to blow them out. But Mommy was mean and bought trick candles. Daddy blew them out in one breath!


David and his boys with his "happy just another day" card! Can't you feel the enthusiasm and excitement? Austin's still trying to blow the candles out- which are now in a glass of water just in case they decided to re-light! (You totally don't see the fan behind David's head that I totally did not forget to move. We don't have A/C here in Germany.)



And before I could even think about taking a picture of the yummy cake, which was covered with honey and strawberries, the smallest fingers started stealing my piece!

Our lesson for today: Every day is what you make it.

We got lucky and turned ours, or his, into just another very special day!

[Happy Birthday, my love! I am so glad we were together today! I love every bit of you- even the stubborness! I am so proud of you and can't wait to share many more very special days with you! ]

Curve Ball

Baseball is a spring sport.
This is fall, which means one thing...
It's football season.
Hoodies and hot chocolate.
Not shorts and sunglasses and an icee.

So when life threw me a curve ball this past week...
I was surprised.
Shocked.
And I kinda just stood there.
For one second, I took my eye off the ball. And of course, the pitcher threw a curve...

Not quite sure how to take it.
Not sure whether I should swing, or just stand back and watch it slide across the plate.

My brain is geared for football right now. I'm thinking defense. I'm thinking quarterback sneaks, and tackles.

Not bunting, pop flies, and outs. And certainly, not running home...

Wordless Wednesday: I cookin', Mommy!

For more Wordless Wednesday posts, visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Waiting on tomorrow.

There's lots of potential in this tiny apartment. And its all just sitting there, waiting to be grand.

Pictures propped up against the wall. Clothes sorted in bins waiting for a more permanent home in the closets. The living room needs a new, bigger rug. The walls have little hand prints and scratches. Toys thrown in the toy box, waiting to be sorted, and put back together and placed on the shelf. Crafts hidden away for another day. Sewing patterns halfway cut out.

We were waiting to move.
And now, it's all just waiting.

We were supposed to move to a bigger apartment. But we waited. Waited on the chain of command to sign off on our paperwork for us. Waited, when day after day, he kept telling us tomorrow. We were patient for over 5 weeks, and in the end, nothing came of it. We had waited too long. There's not a three bedroom apartment available right now. So we're on a list... to wait some more.

I'm tired of waiting.

This weekend, we hung the pictures. Today, I painted the kitchen table black. [Only to realize I didn't like it. But that's a different story for a different day.] Tonight, I will finish sorting through clothes. The ones that fit will make their way to the shelves. The ones that don't will find themselves tucked away in the basement.

This is our home. Whether its big enough for the four of us or not.
The kitchen table now has little finger prints in the wet paint. And I kind of like it that way.
I keep old shower curtains for a reason... to cover the floor when we feel like making a mess with finger paint or when I got around to coating the walls with fresh paint.
The toys will be sorted. I'll find the missing pieces to the puzzles in the bottom of the toy box, and they'll find their way into fabric bags...not to be lost again.

There's no excuse now.

Well.... David's not home yet. So I need to wait on him to get home. Otherwise, I'll get too distracted from the boys and there will be black finger prints on more than just the wet paint on the kitchen table.....

Calm Day

David came home from lunch today to find Austin, Cade and I camped out in front of the tv glued to "101 Dalmations." Cade was more or less just crawling over us, hitting us in the head with teethers and links; but he was still hanging out with us.
It's very odd for my boys to sit still for five minutes, much less for an entire movie.
We watched the movie through lunch time. Not a sound from either child complaining of hunger.
I got up to get some water and came back to find that Cade had crawled to the bedroom and was pulling out all the toys from the toy box. I made sure to close the bathroom door and came back to the living room. I was going to jump back under the covers with Austin, and then I noticed that in the few minutes I was gone, he fell fast asleep!
Not sure what's going on in this house, but I like that there's an 11 month old that can and will entertain himself for a short while. And I love that my wild man can be just as sweet and calm.
Cade now has a belly full and is snug in his crib. I guess I'm going to turn the tv down and cover Austin up. The kitchen is calling my name...

Grape Kebobs

green grapes + butter cookies + marshmallows...

+ kebob skewers...

+ a grape loving toddler...

= one lovely snack and a happy afternoon for this momma.




[Note: Make and Takes' frozen grape pops gave me the idea.]

Roasted Marshmallows.

I love camping.
My parents and I used to go every summer... ok, not every summer. But we went often. With like 6 other families.
It was always full of chaos and drama.
We'd stay up way too late. Tell stories around the campfire. There was always way too much food. We'd meet new friends. We were always way too loud.
It was always a blast.
My favorite part?
Roasting marshmallows on the fire.
I haven't been camping in a few years. And I'd forgotten just how much I miss those camping weekends.

 

We grilled kabobs the other night. When I saw the leftover skewers on the counter and the marshmallows in the cabinet a few days later, I turned on the stove.
And roasted marshmallows.
They were yummy. And gooey. And perfect.

 

My parents taught me that the key to any good friendship is sharing. Whether it's your time, your heart, your shoulder, your seat, or your food- simply share it.
So I saved you some.

 

Superman.

Tonight, I put both boys to bed on time.
Awesome.
After our fit throwin' nap time today, I was ready for a little bit of calm. Austin fussed for a few minutes, but nothing major. I heard him talking and playing, but he was content and normally, will just put himself back to bed in a few minutes. I decided to jump in the shower before I started on chores to give Austin a chance to fall asleep.
I shower and get dressed and walk in the living room to find Austin propped up on the couch watching whatever tv show happened to be on the tv.
Yay. Wonderful.
I was going to take the opportunity to snuggle and put a movie on and hope he would get cozy and fall asleep... But no. He wasn't going to sit still with me...
What to do? What to do?
Call Daddy!
So we called MeMe. But Daddy wasn't with MeMe. Austin told MeMe all about the planes that happened to be flying overhead at that time. Austin wanted her to "tatch" the ball. Austin wanted to know if Jacob and Sky and Weston [Austin's favorite Germany friends] were with her and if they were hungry.....
Once Austin finished talking to MeMe, we called Aunt Steph. Yes! Daddy answered.
I carried Austin to bed and tucked him in, as Daddy went through their bedtime routine which is not much different than the way I do it.
We folded our hands and closed our eyes, and listened to Daddy say our prayers. Daddy told Austin he loved him and missed him and to sleep well. Austin rambled all that back to Daddy and gave me kisses.
And I walked out.
And he didn't make a single sound.

Know what I think?
I think David is superman.

And the best part about it...
He's MY superman!

He was hiding....

David usually puts Austin to bed at nap time and bedtime. It's easier. So with David away for a few days, it's been a bit of a struggle.
Today at nap time, Austin threw a fit. He screamed. He was so tired. And he cried for Daddy to say his prayers. I tried to calm him, but in the end, I told him he didn't have to nap, but he needed to stay in bed and I shut his door. He finally got quiet and after 20 or so minutes, so I went to check on him.

The boys have the "master bedroom" in our military housing apartment. The idea was that they'd share the room, and it would fit the bunk beds, and the crib, and all their toys- including this fabulous slide with a hideout. It probably rains 4 days a week here, so its wonderful to have the slide inside.

 

The hideout area underneath gets covered in all of the boys stuffed animals. But today, Austin decided that he wasn't going to stay in bed, even after I told him to. I walked into his room, and he wasn't in bed. And then I started panicking because he hadn't come out of his room. I even checked the closets... The last place I thought to look was under the slide....

 

And sure enough, the little monkey had crawled under there, and was snuggled in with his stuffed animals that he fell asleep.
I snapped a picture and quietly moved back out of the room.
When he woke up from his nap, he had a smile on his face, and he ran to me and said, "Mommy, I was hiding!"

same difference

I just bought a sewing machine. And am so excited to start creating! I made these pants [from old pjs and a sweatshirt] for Cade to crawl around the house in. They're nothing special, and are certainly no where near "well made." But they're cozy, and warm, and the seams on the legs are inside out so I know they'll comfy to nap in!

Here's the funny part:
They fit both boys!

 

Austin will be three in February. He's tall and very slender.

 

Cade will a year in October! He's our chunk!

The fit is different on each boy, but they do fit. It cracks me up. There's 20 months between the two and they can wear the same size clothes!

Where were you?

I was a sophomore in high school. I walked into Mrs. Gray's math class. Mrs. Gray and another teacher were standing under the tv mounted to the wall.
Something was on fire.
As I put my books down on my desk, a friend walked up behind me and asked what was going on. I told her, "something was on fire."
We sat. And we watched. Our eyes glued to the screen.
The smoke. The buildings. The planes. The people.
We watched it all unfold.
We turned the tv off only long enough to go over homework. We were given our next assignment and the tv was turned back on. We kept watching. In most of our classes, the tv was on.
I remember our history teacher didn't have the tv on. He told us, "it can wait." We were mad that history was happening at that very moment, and he wouldn't let us watch it in history class. He turned the tv off, and we learned. I don't recall what pages we read from the book, nor do I recall his lecture. But that day, he taught us a valuable lesson- that nothing would, could, or can be accomplished simply by watching history unfold. We needed to act. We needed to carry on as usual. We were in school and we were safe. We needed to learn that day. We needed to soak up knowledge, and enjoy our freedom to learn.
I am thankful for that, for him. He taught us many, many lessons that year.

That day was tragic. It is tragic. It will always be tragic.
And I will always remember.

Do you remember?
Where were you?

Friday Favorites

Visit Monica at Daily Dwelling for more Friday Favorites! Don't forget to add a link to your Friday Favorites, too!
I've realized that most of my favorites are wonderful craft tutorials! I just bought a new sewing machine, and am so excited to have a productive way to spend my free time! I've got a shopping list going of fabrics to look for and supplies I'll need. Once I can find the supplies, I'll let you know whether I'm cut out for crafting and sewing or not!

Courage to be you from (In)Courage by Melissa Michaels

Let's go home from (In)Courage by Tsh Oxenreider

Race Track/Car Holder: from A Wednesday Afternoon. What a wonderful tutorial for BOYS. This looks like an awesome toy to keep in the car!

ABC's "special assignment from JCasa: So easy. And a great little activity for introducing & learning ABC's.

Fabric Dollhouse Tutorial from UK lass in US: We just bought Austin some really cute little wooden farm animals and trees and fence pieces. They're hidden away for his birthday in February... and because they're kinda small, I need something to contain them with! Making a barn like this would be perfect!

Coca-Cola.

I am addicted to cokes.
No. Obsessed.
I like the word obsessed better.
I am obsessed with cokes.
I can drink them like water. All day. And still want more.
I only buy cokes because well, its just easier. But I love Dr. Pepper and Mtn. Dew, also.

We have a rule in our house now...
No cokes during the week.

[Note: I'm from the south. In the south, we don't drink pop or soda. We drink Coke. Coke could mean coke, or dr. pepper, or mtn. dew, or whatever drink you prefer.]

I hate this rule.
And I mean hate.

When the weekend rolls around and I am allowed to have a coke [or three or seven], it's mine. And I savor it.
There are exceptions to this rule. I make them up as I go along.
For example, David is on emergency leave for five days to go home and attend his grandfather's funeral. The boys and I got up this morning and drove him to the airport so he wouldn't have to ride the train. That's a four hour drive round trip. A four hour drive with 2 small children deserves some kind of caffeine... so I bought a Coke on our way out of the airport. And of course, Austin napped the whole way home. So he didn't take a nap this afternoon, when his mommy desparately needed to lay down... and of course, to get through the afternoon, I needed caffeine. That deserves another Coke.
I'm halfway through my 12 oz. of caffeine and this is the conversation that follows:
Austin: I want drink, Mommy.
Me: You have water in the fridge.
Austin: I want your drink.
Me: No. This is Mommy's.
Austin: Mommy, I want Coke.
Me: No, sir. This is Mommy's.
Austin: Please. I want Coke. My Coke.
Me: No, sir.
Austin, pouting: I want Daddy, Mommy.
Me: I love you, too, Bubba.

Independence.

I am married to a soldier. According to the Army, I'm just his spouse. Or a dependent.
Before we were married, I was anything but dependent. I was trying my hardest to find my way in this world. by. my. self. I wanted to do things my way; only, I hadn't yet figured out what my way was. Then we married and I moved to Germany with Austin. I was only a few months pregnant with Cade when David deployed.

When you're alone in a foreign country for months on end, with a baby in your belly and a toddler attached to your hip, you become dependent... on yourself.
You figure things out. If something goes wrong, you find a way to make it right. Because the only person in the house that can fix it, is you. You have to get up when the boys get up. You have to wash, fold, and put away the laundry, or it will sit there and just be dirty, until all the wearable clothes you own are dirty and then well, you still have to wash, fold, and put it all away . You have to stock the cabinets and cook the meals and change the diapers and take the garbage out. You kiss the boo-boos and tell the boys no. You pay the bills a month ahead of time so its one less thing to worry about next month. If the tire is flat, you change it... in the snow. You do it, because you have to. But also, because you want to. Because you're the only one in the house that can and knows how. You hold the house together for those long months that add up to over a year.
Then he comes home. Your soldier is finally home. You can rest a little now. There are two able bodies in the house. Two people to change diapers, and give baths, and change tires. Two people who can drive. Or feed little mouths. Or carry laundry downstairs.
And then your soldier goes away for 5 days. 5 whole days and you are sorely surprised at how lonely you are when you return home from taking him to the airport. It's amazing how fast your life changed. It's only been four months since that amazing month of homecomings. And you are no longer dependent on yourself... you find yourself dependent on him.
He holds the house together. He picks up the slack when you leave the dirty laundry in the floor for a day, [or days]. He reminds you to run the dishwasher after dinner. He takes the trash out when its overflowing. He makes sure the door is locked at night before the house goes to sleep.

For five days, I will find the person I was when he was gone. I will do the chores, and make meals for one and two halves. And make sure he can find his socks and t-shirts when he gets back.
And he'll return, and we'll easily and comfortably slip back into that normal routine.
I will depend on him. And he will depend on me. And our boys will depend on us. (I do believe that's the sweetest part. The part where our boys get to depend on us.)
And our lives will be normal...
[until the Army decides I need to be dependent on myself again.]

Zoo

 

Monday, we went to the Kaiserslautern Zoo. It was the boys' first trip to the zoo. And Austin LOVED it. Cade just hung out in the stroller and babbled as we walked along.
Austin loved the Zebras; he told us they were horses. The monkeys, of course, were his favorite. He tried to climb the fence to get to their cage.
I know I've been to the zoo back home before, but I don't remember any specific trips. This one was small, so maybe we'll take a trip to one of the larger ones soon.

This and That.

I made cupcakes tonight for a friend who just had a baby girl... The icing is the prettiest shade of pink! I'll put gummy worms on some of the cupcakes for her boys.

I was going to make chalkboard paint this weekend so I could paint our kitchen table with it. I was so excited when I walked into the hardware store downtown and found exactly what I needed. Mind you, its all in German, so I made educated guesses. I came home and "google translated" what I had bought. Instead of black paint and tile grout, I'd bought high gloss black resin and plaster of paris. Why I didn't Google to begin with is beyond me.

We went to the zoo yesterday. Austin loved seeing the tiger and the lion. David told him the tiger's name was Mike, LSU's mascot. Austin has been talking non-stop about "Mike" and "lion cat". We also saw pigs and a yak and some zebras. Oh, and monkeys. How can I forget the monkeys? Austin loves monkeys SO MUCH that he tried to cross the fence and get to their cage.... Cade just hung out in the stroller. He's always just along for the ride.

Please pray for David and his family this week. His grandfather passed away early this morning. He bought a new Class A jacket this morning because his other one was a bit snug. Once he has leave papers in hand, he'll be on his way for a few days. The boys and I will be here by ourselves.

We're supposed to be looking into moving to a 3 bedroom apartment, but with David going home for a week or so, our plans are kind of on hold. I need to get some paint and touch up the walls in this apartment and re-paint the boys room so we'll be ready to move as soon as possible. Maybe while David's gone, I'll have some free time to finish up some projects around here.

Thanks for reading. I just needed to clear my head.
Prayers to you that you're week is productive and wonderful!

It just ain't the same.

"In Alabama, we don't play football. We live it."


Football season just ain't the same anymore. Of all the things I miss about home, football season probably tops the list. I would love to be back home for the fall. I'd love to sit in front of the tv all day on Saturday with my parents and our friends, and watch nothing but football.
[Ok, so I don't really like watching the games; I get confused and sometimes end up cheering for the wrong team...But shhh! I didn't really admit to that!]
I just love to eat the really good food-- whether its chicken and dumplings or just chips and salsa and cheese dip. I love the atmosphere. I love the company.

If you live in Alabama and meet someone new, chances are they'll take their first impression from your answer to one simple question...
"Are you an Alabama fan or an Auburn fan?"
And let me tell you. Your answer is everything. Choose wisely, but know that the only truly wrong answer is "neither" or "I don't know."

I'm a University of Alabama fan, by default. It's how I was raised.
And I'm a TROY fan, even though I didn't graduate from there. The two years I attended were enough for the school to become a part of me!
I'm an LSU fan if they aren't playing Alabama or Troy. David was born and raised in Louisiana. So to keep peace in the house, I own a LSU hoodie.

Because of the time difference, the Bama game today airs at almost 3 AM in Germany, and that's just too late for me to stay up. I'll watch the re-run of the game tomorrow. Our football snacks will probably include PB&J sandwiches and grapes. I'll avoid facebook and the internet all day tomorrow as to not spoil the game's outcome.
And then I'll log in to facebook and update my status hours after the hype of the game has worn off...
Like I said, it just ain't the same...
But that's ok. I have two boys who will grow up and be college football players for Bama or TROY [or LSU, if that's what floats their boat. At least, it's still an SEC team.]... And while they're growing up, they can teach me all about the game. Then I'll be able to cheer for the right team when they're out on the field living the game!

When I lay my head down tonight, I'll say a prayer that the players play safe tonight... And that Alabama wins... Cause everybody knows that God is an Alabama fan!


"Rammer Jammer, Yellowhammer, Give 'em heck, Alabama!"

Friday Favorites

Just a few fun and easy things this week. For more Friday Favorites posts, click on over to Daily Dwelling.


Frozen Grape Pops at Make and Takes

Funky Lunch: Cute ideas for alligator, Nemo, and caterpillar sandwiches! And many more!

Tshirt Tote at Not So Idle Hands: I am very attached to my old tshirts. This will be a great way to use them, instead of wear them!

Handprint Pictures at Not So Idle Hands: I've done this before with turkeys for Thanksgiving, but these other ideas are adorable!!

Brotherly Love.

For more Wordless Wednesday participants, please visit 5 Minutes for Mom.

Tough Guy.

Sunday, we took a trip to the ER. Austin stuck a safety pin in a 220v outlet. I'm not even sure where the safety pin came from. All I know is that out of the corner of my eye I saw sparks, heard a pop, and heard Austin scream. My husband later told me that it tripped the breaker... [Thank goodness for circuit breakers.] It burnt two fingers and scared him but he seemed fine. As parents, we were scared to death. Austin was acting perfectly fine and went on laughing and playing and watching cartoons, as I tried to figure out what to do and where to go.
We went to the Krankenhaus [German health clinic] first which is 5 minutes up the road. They didn't even look at Austin. They got on the phone and told me to drive 45 minutes to a Pediatric Clinic. They'd admit him and keep him for 24 hours. I freaked out. I know German's are very aggressive when it comes to health care, and they're very protective of children. But I didn't want my son in a hospital where I don't speak the language. And I certainly didn't want him to be admitted if he didn't need to be. Austin wasn't acting sick or hurt or strange. I felt sure he was ok, I just wanted a doctor to tell me that. There is a U.S. Military Hospital 45 minutes away in the other direction, so that's where we headed.
We spent about 3 hours in the ER hooked up to a heart monitor. His heart was fine. Except for when he'd go to screaming like crazy wanting the "stickers" off his chest and wanting down to play... Then the monitors would start beeping cause he had pulled wires loose and the doctor would walk in with a popsicle or stickers. Popsicles would buy me about 20 minutes of peace and distraction. Winnie the Pooh and Spiderman stickers bought me about 15 minutes as we bandaged up Monkey's boo-boos. When the doctors felt comfortable that this little boy was perfectly heatlhy and needed to go home and burn some energy so his Momma could regain some sanity, they sent us home. He's supposed to have a wound check appointment this afternoon, but honestly, the burns on his fingers are very small and look great. I will probably find the phone in the next few minutes and call to cancel.
So we've made a decision to overly enforce a few safety rules this week.

Rules that will be overly enforced in our house:
1. Do not shut doors.
2. Do not play with electrical outlets.
3. Do not play with electrical cords.

Now that's not to say that we don't already have these rules in our house. Because we do. It's just that before Sunday if Austin touched a cord, we would usually redirect his attention, more than discipline him. [Austin has also started to slam doors, and with Cade crawling around, I'm terrified those little fingers or toes are going to get caught in the door.] Now we have a zero tolerance law in our house for certain things.
Maybe our rules weren't strict enough before. Maybe we should have been watching him more... I'm not sure. I feel as though at over 2 years old Austin is old enough to play in another room by himself for a little while as long we check on him often and know what and how he's playing. Maybe, hopefully, it was just an accident and hopefully, Austin learned from it.

I know I did.
I am so very thankful for healthy children.
God is always by our side, and I'm thankful for that too.



Life is good today. Life is good everyday.