He's getting so big!

Project 52 - Week 9 - Colorful

I just love the nice little collection of colorful buttons I'm accumulating. =)

Project 52 - Week 8 - Light

The first morning we woke up to in our new house, I noticed how lovely the light is through my kitchen window. Coming from a dark, cramped apartment for many years, I was so thankful, I stood there in my nightgown and cried. Silly, but it's true what they say; you can't appreciate something until you don't have it.

I feel blessed to be greeted by the morning sun streaming in as I make my coffee. I'm so thankful for our little house and the wonderful freedom and happiness we now have. I'm reminded of it at the start of every day.

Awana Dress Up Night

Matt came up with the fabulous (and slightly obvious) idea of dressing Rob up as a Pepsi Delivery Guy for Awana Dress Up Night. So, a trip to a couple of kiddie thrift stores, a glued-on patch from Matt's old uniform, a borrowed Daddy hat, and a Photoshopped badge - BOOM! Mini Matt! He was a hit!

Stashbusting Bust

So, my original stashbusting project wasn't going so well. I was trying to just randomly choose yarns, alternating from cool to warm colors each round, but it was turning out to be...rather ugly. Okay, to be honest, it looked as if someone barfed up an entire Vegas buffet. I won't lie. It was seriously ugly. So ugly, Matt kept commenting on how ugly it was. Usually, if he doesn't quite "get" the effect I'm going for, he just smiles and nods. But he wore his feelings on his sleeves when it came to this abomination. And I agreed with him whole-heartedly! So, I started over; this time with a plan.

Using mostly stash yarn (with a few "holes" filled with purchased yarn), I decided to make a lovely, rainbowy spectrum of sorts. Rather than repeat the sequence from start to finish every time, I thought a reversal would be a nice effect, allowing it to "flow" a little better. So far, I really like it. It's very vibrant and beautiful! I'm calling it my "God's Promises Afghan", referring to the covenant laid out in Genesis 9:11-13.

Can't wait to finish it so the boys can cuddle with it. Rob is very excited about it! Still trying to figure out what to border it with - black, white, or blue. Thoughts?

Such a Stinker...

 ...but he's such a cutie!

Caught

Caught someone flipping through Daddy's Bible. =)

And it's upside-down. That's how he rolls.

Stashbusting

Stashbust; noun.

1. Completing craft projects with the deliberate intention of reducing your stock of materials.
"I intend to do a major stashbust this weekend."

Stashbust; verb.
2. Making your husband happy by making a small dent in the tubs and tubs of random yarn you have stored in your bedroom.
"Will you please stashbust so I can have a place to sleep?"


See also:
marital strife, fiber addiction, hoarding problem

(My stashbuster is destined to be a Rectangular Granny Blanket for the boys to cuddle with on the couch.)

Carnivore Love

I know how my man ticks.

I love my husband so much, I made him a heart-shaped meatloaf last night. You should have seen the smile on his face when I presented my masterpiece to him. He didn't even smile that big when our first child was born.

And that's ketchup on top, guys. Not chocolate. Someone on Facebook mistook it for such and I'm wondering what they're smoking.

Whether Weather

We woke up to a thin blanket of snow this morning. This is a vast difference from what the weather has been like the past couple of days. Make up your mind, weather! Be winter or don't, but stop toying with us!

See some artsy stuff here.

Nine Years Ago Today

Get ready to witness the worst wedding photos ever, but in honor of my anniversary, they'll come to light just this once. Or end up on Awkward Family Photos with my luck. Fashion choices were just the tip of the bad decision iceberg at that time.

My one and only scrapbook page - also bad.

We had no ceremony. We had no professional photographer. We had no money. We had no hope. But we had an unmistakable bond to one another and that was enough.

Lord, thank You for bringing us together when it seemed impossible. Thank You for keeping us together when it seemed so dim. Thank You for saving us and strengthening that bond that You created even before we met. Thank You for my husband.

Zig-Zag Afghan Project

Or Ripple Afghan, if you prefer. I felt it was more of a "zig-zag" rather than a "ripple", as the peaks and valleys are a little more defined. Whatever.

I made this for my cousin, Emily, who went in for major jaw reconstructive surgery. Poor kid was absolutely miserable, so I set out to make her a "get well gift". A month later, she's almost...well, well again and I still need to ship this thing off to her. Better late than never, right? She's a starving college student - she'll still appreciate it.

Source: Easy Ripple Afghan

Anniversary Flowers

What's my favorite flower? Unique-looking ones. My hubby knows this and wows me everytime. <3

Their vibrancy makes me eager for spring!

Here's to nine years with my beloved and to many more to come.

Project 52 - Week 7 - Wild Card

What? I'm a literalist. =)

Drew's Shoes

"Got my shoes on!"

This kid can be crazy cute. Seriously.

Bowling Night

Since Matt is on vacation this week, we decided to do something fun for a change - we took the boys bowling for the first time! They LOVED it and want to go back!

Cutest little bowling shoes EVER!

Fascinated by the ball return.

This kid is a bowling machine!

Anticipation...

Fun was had by all. =)

Mama *Hearts* Robby

Please excuse the "wild mom hair".

No-Bake Cheesecake Recipe

I so badly wanted cheesecake. SOOO badly! But I didn't want to toil over actual cheesecake. So, I searched for a no-bake version.

While this was tasty, it was NOT CHEESECAKE. It was an imposter that only TASTED like cheesecake. But, if you're desperate for it and are too lazy to make a real one (like me), this will do the job just fine. It isn't disgusting by any means. Just...not real cheesecake. You've been warned.

No-Bake Cheesecake

Source: Cottage Magpie

Ingredients
8 oz cream cheese (one package)
8 oz whipping cream (1 cup)
1/4 cup sugar
1 teaspoon lemon juice
1 graham cracker crust

Directions
1. Whip the cream until stiff. For instructions, see How To Make Whipped Cream. Set aside.

2. Whip the cream cheese, sugar and lemon juice until fluffy. Scrape the bowl often and really whip it up. Don't skip the lemon juice, even if you're pairing the cheesecake with another flavor. It's an essential ingredient. It doesn't make the cheesecake taste lemony, just gives it a depth of flavor that you need since there's no eggs or baking involved.

3. Add the whipped cream back in and whip until the whole thing is smooth, smooth, smooth. It might take a few minutes to get all the lumps out.

4. Spoon the cheesecake mixture into a pre-made crust (I recommend graham cracker) or onto another pie (like pumpkin), or just into bowls to eat like pudding.

5. Chill until firm.

The cheesecake will firm up and be slice able in a couple of hours, and you'll need to store the cheescake in the fridge until it's all gone. Which shouldn't be too long!

No-Bake Cookies Recipe

Ridiculously addictive and dangerously easy to make. That's all I gotta say!

No-Bake Cookies

Source: allrecipes.com

Ingredients

2 cups white sugar

3 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder

1/2 cup margarine

1/2 cup milk

1 pinch salt

3 cups quick cooking oats

1/2 cup peanut butter (go crunchy - you'll thank me!)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

1. In a saucepan bring sugar, cocoa, margarine, milk, and salt to a rapid boil for 1 minute.

2. Add quick cooking oats, peanut butter, and vanilla; mix well.

3. Working quickly, drop by teaspoonfuls onto waxed paper, and let cool.

Project 52 - Week 6 - Emotion

Let it be known that I adore both of my boys equally.

But...

My oldest is a pretty special little boy. We waited, hoped, and prayed for him for almost five years, watching the sad and lonely childless years roll on, completely heartbroken. We gave up. It was never going to happen.

Then...it happened. God saved us and He blessed us. He opened my womb - not because I got saved, but just because He decided to. He blessed me with two beautiful baby boys who brighten (and challenge) my days. Amazing how one moment can turn from sorrow to joy.

I am forever thankful to be their mama.