5 on Friday: December 18, 2015

1.  A Boy & His Food

Little man has had me laughing all week with his food escapades.  It all started with his desire for a late night snack last weekend.  I had gotten home late with the kids on Friday night.  We had left the house at 6:45 that morning and were pulling into the garage just a bit after 9:00pm.  I was racing around to unpack the car, the backpacks, the lunches, etc.  I look over to see little man helping himself to some late night chicken.

"What, you want some mommy?"

Round two of “fun with food” was with our exciting adventure/discovery of a fabulous pizza parlor that served dairy free pizza!  We had no idea that it was an option and typically shy away from Italian eateries because there is so much cheese in the entrees.  I had been craving some pizza so we decided we would check out the menu first before sitting down.  That’s when the magic happened and it didn’t end until we left!  Little Brady was hooked and managed to eat five slices.  It's truly the little things. This boy loves his pie!

 Finally, who doesn’t love homemade spaghetti?  I think he’s starting to fancy mommies favorite cuisine…Italian!

And yes, sans clothing of course!

2.  Beaming

This girl had been trickling onto the naughty list as of late but this week everything turned around for her…thank you, Jangle? 

Regardless of the reason, she has been my little beaming girl; either by her facial expression or her love for all things balance beam.

“Mommy, I can’t beam in boots!”  Real problems, my child, real problems.

3.  Pamper

I don’t know about you ladies but a little pampering goes such a long way in terms of my attitude.  The relaxation from a manicure or pedicure, a massage, or hair appointment all bring me such a fresh start and new boost of confidence. 

This week I had my hair appointment and I tell you what, I walked out the doors of the salon feeling as if I looked like this!

And I not-so-secretly wish I really did-She’s-On-Fire!

4.  Holiday Parties

Both the hubs and I have had holiday parties for our work.  Some have been formal, and some not so formal (sushi night out, anyone?)  Regardless, I absolutely love and enjoy this time of year when everyone makes a special point to spend a little more time together, share a little Christmas joy with one another, and take time to appreciate those you work with and how blessed you truly are to have a job.

Between the meals, santa surprise visits, special peppermint latte deliveries, cookies and sweets al a mode….it’s really been a great couple of weeks.

Does your office do anything special for the holidays?

5. Treats Everywhere

Holy, moly-I don't know about all of you but I literally feel as if I am swimming in holiday treats. Everywhere I go, every move I make; I bump right into them and then they fall right into my mouth. My food groups these last two weeks consist of 

1. Sugar

2. Sprinkles aka fancy sugar

3. Chocolate and chocolate bark

4. Sugar

5. Coffee with flavored syrups

6. Sugar

So, you know, the same as Buddy the Elf.

There is a small bakery near our home, which I love because it's family owned (yay, small business), and he makes the best frosted sugar cookies. I wish this photo showed the true size of this giant cookie! 

Confession: no person forced me to turn into the parking lot, walk in, and purchase this dessert. Eek!

 

6.  Merry Christmas

With next Friday being Christmas, I won’t be doing my traditional Friday blog post.  In lieu of that, I want to take a moment now to wish all my readers, new and old, a very Merry Christmas.  May you enjoy the special time together with family and remember the true reason for the season!
 

Snowballs

I haven’t done a ton of Christmas baking this year.  The days seem to just be scurrying right along and with all the activities going on, it has been trickier to find the time to fit it all in.  I guess my waistline will appreciate it even though my tummy doesn’t. ;)

One holiday treat I love making with Tess is Russian Tea Cakes, Mexican Wedding Cakes, Snowballs….whatever you choose to call them.  The list of ingredients you need is minimal which is so nice when keeping a little one focused.  However, the mess is maximum so make sure you’re ready for some good not-so-clean fun!

Here’s my recipe.  I’m not quite sure where it originally came from; maybe my grandma?  Regardless, here ya go!

INGREDIENTS:

• 1 cup butter, softened
• 1/2 cup powdered sugar
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 1/4 cups flour
• 1/4 teaspoon salt
• 3/4 cup finely chopped nuts (I usually use pecans or almonds)
• powdered sugar for rolling (lots!)

DIRECTIONS:

1.  Preheat oven to 375°.

2.  Mix butter, ½ cup powdered sugar, and vanilla with an electric mixer until fluffy. Add flour and salt and mix until the dough comes together. Stir in the nuts. If dough is too soft, chill it in the fridge for a bit.

3.  Scoop or roll balls of dough and place on cookie sheet.

4.  Bake cookies for 7-8 minutes until bottoms are just slightly brown. Remove from oven and cool for just a minute, until you can handle them. Fill a small bowl with powdered sugar and roll each cookie in the sugar until coated.

5.  Place on a rack to cool.

6.  Once cookies are cooled, I re-roll them in more powdered sugar!

 

I never seem to get the bake time quite right even after all these years.  When it says to wait until the bottom is slightly brown; don’t.  They keep cooking and they are oh so fragile.  (Mine are too crispy again this year; whoops!)

Here’s the fun part; rolling them in powdered sugar!  I always do the first “roll” because the cookies need to still be warm for the sugar to stick.  After that, it’s a free for all for Tess and she goes wild!

 Here she is after rolling got to be soooooo exhausting.  “Let’s just throw the sugar on mom!”  Yeah, awesome idea child.  

Anyway, we had a blast and now we have some yummy treats to share this holiday season!
(PS Santa...I may need some new cookie sheets soon!)

5 on Friday: December 11, 2015

1. Dear Santa

The hubs and I don’t typically exchange Christmas gifts with one another.  But, I’d be lying if I said there weren’t a few items out there that I’ve been eying! 

 

2.  The Elf

Ok folks, remember my post just last week with how excited I was that my children had finally shown interest in our Elf??  Ugh…that darn elf!  Seriously, I’m trying really hard to not be a Grinch this holiday season but this elf is turning out to be a royal pain in my *$@.  The first thing both kids ask about when they wake up is to see if Jangle has come back home.  It’s only been a week and there have been two days where I’ve had to run like a maniac down the stairs to move our little companion.  I’m not even afraid to tell you that one situation went a little something like this:

 

Brady: “Mommy, where Jangle is?”

Me: (Saying oh shit in my head)  “Brady, look at Mason!  He’s drinking water out of his bowl!” 

This excitement in my voice gets my child to look towards the kitchen to visualize an activity that isn’t in the least exciting to anyone.  Yet, it gave me time to scamper to the living room and move the Elf to another location.  Boring and lame, I know…but at least I got the job done and I didn’t get caught.  Because, well, he’s only two.

How many more nights do I have to do this? 

Today my phone looked like this:

3.  Trimming The Tree

We picked out and decorated our Christmas tree this past week.  I always look forward to this tradition.  It usually takes me twice as long as it should to put on all the ornaments because I tend to reminisce on the history behind each one.  Growing up, my folks gifted us a new Christmas ornament every year on the night we put up the tree.  I’ve since continued this tradition with my kids and it’s always so much fun to pick them out.  We choose ones that relate to an activity they like, a special character they enjoy, etc.  

I had two little ones that loved helping trim the tree this year and simply can’t get enough of it.  Needless to say, nearly every ornament has been moved at least three times thus far this week.  I am very lucky none have broken…yet!

After decorating the tree, there's nothing more fun that airplane rides and oven mitt fights!

(I'm not really sure why they do this...child entertainment at it's finest)

(#thisiswhyirarelypurchasethemtoys)
 

4.  Holiday Lips

I love changing up my make-up a bit during the holiday season.  I feel like it gives me a good excuse to doll up a little bit more; as if you really need a reason.  I love red lips but have never been one to pull it off.  I decided to give it another go around after seeing countless photos of beautiful examples from other women.  I paid attention to the brands they used, composed my list, and then went a tried a few on.  I ended up picking this one. 

It has more of a blue undertone instead of orange, which compliments my skin tone a little bit better.  Now, it’s still pretty bold so a little goes a long way.  It definitely isn’t the best choice for me for everyday but it was a fun and festive change!

 

5.  Fuzz

I’ve always been a sucker for warm and cozy fabrics.  There’s nothing better than feeling good regardless of what you’re doing.  Then with Mr. B and his sensitive skin, I’ve become even more particular about what I wear since I’m holding him often.  I stumbled across this warm cardigan from Target the other day and had to throw it in my cart simply because of how soft it was!  Plus, with a 40% off special, how could one not? 

 
I also picked up this little number from Aerie.  And yes, it's on sale too!

And how fab is this one?  Yes, please Santa.

Cool temps = Soft Sweaters for this girl!

6.  Secret Santa

This little man showed up on our front porch and I am in love!  I'm not sure who is responsible for this wonderful and festive gift but I am over the moon about him.  We have him all plugged in now so his star can shine oh, so bright!

 

7.  Seasonal Exhaustion

I have always believed that I have a tad bit of SAD (seasonal affect disorder) or whatever they call it.  It's so dark in the morning and dark by the time I leave work.  It's very un-motivating at a time of the year where there is so much to do!  Between our holiday festivities, traditional crazy schedules, and the recent medical issues with Brady; I am one tired mama.  Luckily, this too shall pass and I am still doing my best at making every moment count with these littles of mine.  Here's to a weekend of cookie baking, Christmas movies, and more holiday fun!

5 on Friday: December 4, 2015

1.  Jangle

I missed the boat on our Elf arriving with the month of December.  You can’t win ‘em all I guess.  I wasn’t too bent out of shape about though as Miss Tess hasn’t taken to this holiday activity yet.  She doesn’t like the idea of a little person flying into her home.  I wouldn’t say she had been afraid of him, but she was skeptical and really wanted nothing to do with him.  We had attempted this Elf fun for two years now and when she saw him in the morning, she would pretend he didn’t exist.  She refused to acknowledge his presence so you can be assured she wasn’t going to talk to him or join in on any of the fun.  Needless to say, we gave up after a few days.  With little brother being older, we decided to give it another whirl.  We read the story and took nearly thirty minutes naming our Elf (because, of course, Tess wouldn’t even consider that in years past).  Jangle joined our household on Wednesday and we’ve had two successful mornings of fun.  I don’t know if it’s because Brady is excited too, if they’re enjoying it because they’re obsessed with the elves in The Polar Express, or what the case may be.   Nevertheless, I’m not complaining because it’s been pretty fun for us adults so far as well (until we forget to hide the darn elf…)

 

2.  Ginger + Bread + House

Tess and I made our first gingerbread house last night.  In all my years of living, I’ve never participated in doing this (that I can remember).  I wasn’t sure how long she would stay focused on the project, but with her being as OCD as her mother, she was determined to see its completion.  I think it turned out pretty cute for our first attempt.

3.  Thanksgiving

It seems like at least once a year my whole family ends up being in the same place at the same time.  This year, that was during Thanksgiving.  

It was a full house and a loud house, but we had a great time.  We even managed to take a group photo….not without chaos and at least 30+ attempts though!

4.  I’m A Mess

Some days I just don’t know where my head is at.  On my morning commute, I knew I needed gas.  I figured I could make it to the kid’s school and would stop on my way to work.  I get to the gas station only to find myself sans wallet.  Seriously, why wasn’t it in my purse?  Oh yes, I had taken it out earlier in the morning and left it on the kitchen counter…awesome.  No money, no ID, no gas to drive to work.  It was the perfect combination, right?

I scrambled through my purse and found my checkbook, whew.  I get inside and they ask for my ID.  Really?  Today is the day I get the awesome employee who follows the rules?  I have to say how I don’t have mine, turn completely red, and walk right out the door.  I realize it’s time to call in for reinforcements.  I picked up my phone to call an employee to come rescue me only to find a $20 dollar bill stashed in a tiny little cubby of my car!  I quickly hung up and ran pack inside, still entirely embarrassed, and got myself enough gas to get to work and get us home. 

5.  Friday

I say this nearly every week, but I am beyond thankful that today is Friday.  This week has been one for the books.  I am emotionally exhausted – emotionally drained to the core.  After the events that took place this week, I can’t wait to have a fun weekend at home with the family.  Thanks to everyone who read my story and offered your kind words.  It’s amazing to know we have such wonderful friends and family to support us!

51 Hours

I’m not a writer.   I don’t pretend to be.  Sometimes I can express how I feel with words.  Other times I look back and think how I could have written things so much differently.  This is one of those posts.  I’ll never get it right.  I can and have re-written my thoughts and emotions a multitude of times.  I know what I mean to say, yet it just isn’t there.  I did my best.  And with that, here’s my story.

 

Brady is my delicate child.  He is often sick.  And believe me when I say I do not take healthy weeks with him for granted.  Since his procedure on October 5^th; he has been sick.  He has had hand-foot-mouth, strep throat, at least two UTIs, and viruses here and there.  Somehow though, this last illness was different for me.  Thanksgiving, even though it was wonderful, was challenging with Brady.  He didn’t sleep well.  In fact, I was up with him nearly an entire night (until I convinced myself that 5:00am wasn’t too early to ask grandma for help so I could sneak in a couple hours of sleep).  And his behavior during those restless nights weren’t typical either.  We made it through the weekend and Monday morning an appointment was made to see the pediatrician.

The appointment time came and all four of us were in the doctor’s office.  I explained my concerns, our pediatrician did his “doctor-like” checks, and then we sat there to discuss what could be ailing our little boy.

And that’s when it happened.  That’s when the words came out.  That’s when my heart stopped, my chest got tight, and it took all I had not to vomit as I held Tessa on my lap and David held Brady.

"I need to test your son for Luekemia/Lymphoma.”

It seems like we all know someone who has heard these words before.  I would never be too naïve to imagine that I wouldn’t hear them myself.  But I guess, in my mind, I assumed that if and when I ever did hear those words, that they would be in regards to me…not my child.

Right then, on November 30^th at 2:50pm, my life changed forever.

I left the room with Tess, so they could take the blood they needed to run tests on my son.  I cried as I heard him screaming five rooms away.  I cried because I knew he was hurting.  I cried because I wasn’t there to hold him.  I cried because I knew I needed God’s strength.  And I cried because of the unknown.

We left. 
We left with stickers, with suckers, and in silence.

We prayed.  All night I cried and I prayed.  Life doesn’t stop with news like this; no matter how much you want to hold on to moments or rush through the hours. 

We did what we had to do.  We made dinner, we went to work, the kids went to school, we lived life as “normal” as we could.

We cried, a lot.  And we prayed, a lot.

There were some other concerns the doctor had and because of them, Brady was scheduled for a CT on Wednesday, December 2^nd.  David and I made arrangements with our jobs and we took Brady for his test.  It wasn’t easy or painless for any of us but the images they needed were achieved.  We took our tired boy home and the four of us made the best of our evening.  We, as the adults, pretended that life was normal for the kids.  They’re too young; they don’t understand.  It’s the Christmas season, they’re excited.  They want to watch Christmas movies.  They want to make cookies.  They want to eat candy canes and talk about Santa.  So we do.

The phone would ring, and our hearts would stop.  No news is good news they say…

And around 6:00pm…we got our call.

 

“First of all, there are NO tumors.  Brady does not have cancer…  …  …  …”

 

By the grace of God, Brady does not have Luekemia/Lymphoma or the other form of cancer that they were suspicious for.  He does have his issues, all which we can deal with. 

I screamed, I cried, and we all hugged each other so tight. 

Tess wouldn’t let go of me and kept asking “mommy, are you alright.”  I had to explain to her that sometimes you cry really hard when you are happy.  And so, that’s what we did.

We cried happy tears.  We called our families and shared the good news.  We made dinner together, we prayed and thanked God for blessing us, we watched Christmas shows, we named our silly Elf and started our Christmas traditions a few days late, and then all four of us slept in one bed. 

And it was the best night of my life.

I will never forget those 51 hours.  I will never forget how much I prayed and who to thank for blessing our little boy.

5 on Friday: November 20

1.  Kid Pics

Last Sunday a dear friend took holiday photos of the kids.  She actually ended up taking some family ones as well.  I wasn’t in sweats, which is a first on the weekend; but I was going on four day hair.  So, hmmm….the rest of the world may not see those. ;)

Getting ready was an ordeal as expected.  Tess decided she didn’t want to wear this and wanted to wear that.  Brady threw his standard “lay on my tummy and lift my legs as high as I can” superman tantrum over me attempting to come and style his hair.  You know, typical family get ready for the day fun.

I was all set to throw in the towel and have a nice cocktail halfway through the process.  But, somehow we ended up on time for photos, the kids actually smiled and cooperated (bribed with sour patch kids, of course), and  I think the kids only fought once when Tess attempted to put Brady in a head lock….so I feel really confident there will be some great photos to chose from.

Whew…another year done!

2.  Curls

My girl loves to do her hair and pick out her bows each day.  Lately though, she had been very insistent about combing out her curls.  I’m not entirely sure why she had been doing this.  She made a few statements referring to them not being pretty.  I don’t know if she had been told that by someone at school or if it’s an idea she’s made on her own or what.  Needless to say, I’ve been on a mommy mission to show her how beautiful they are!  (If she only knew how much her mommy wishes she had those curls!)

I took little miss with me to get some new shampoo and styling products so she would be excited about trying them on her hair.  I let her help me use everything and style her hair this last weekend. 

If I may, I think these are the most beautiful curls I’ve ever seen….and most importantly, she is embracing them again too.

3.  Christmas & Mickey

There are two things that my children love all…year…long.  The first of these is Mickey Mouse and the second is Christmas.  I have to admit we’ve been singing, watching, and dancing to Christmas music and watching more Mickey Mouse Christmas shows than I want to admit. 

Yet, despite it all, I love to see how much these kids “love.”  This is just a typical afternoon scene at our house.

Side Note:  The letters hanging in the background should say TESSA.  Funny, they spell out SEATS.  I can’t say I helped them with this one, but I am happy to see they made an actual word during their madness!

2^nd Side Note:  We have a blow up Christmas Mickey that goes in our yard.  The kids have been asking for it for weeks.  Neighbors beware: it’s probably going up this week!

4.  Holiday Yum

I have a severe problem with the Dark Chocolate Pretzel Crisps.  They were first introduced to me by a wonderful Costco employee who was running the sample stand.  (By the way, the sample idea…insanely good marketing strategy!)  Anyway, I tried them…I was hooked…and they are forever in my pantry.  Then, last night as I walking to grab my trusty stand-by snack; I see these.

Folks, game changer.  If you like peppermint, candy cane peppermint, not wintergreen or spearmint peppermint, you know, true peppermint, then you are in for a treat! 

I thought because of the mint flavor that I would be satisfied with only one or two….three, four, five….  Needless to say, grab some while you can!

5.  Like My Mommy

Tess is my little mini me.  She is very much in an imitation phase and wants to do whatever it is that I do as part of my routine.  She’ll pick out clothes that look similar to mine, she will want to eat only what I eat, and her nighttime routine mimics mine.  That being said we wash our faces together, brush our teeth, use our floss, and follow up with some chapstick. 

Last night before we began our routine, I looked over to see little miss getting ready to put on her pajamas; only to realize that wasn’t what she was putting on!  You can imagine my surprise when I saw this.

It took everything I had not to laugh and make her feel silly (and I secretly snapped this photo), but lordie bee…let’s not grow up too fast my dear!

What’s everyone doing for the weekend?  We have a winter storm warning out for our area today.  I’m trying not to be Pessimistic Patty but I just know that any snow we get is going to come right when everyone needs to get home.  My commute is going to be awful and I’m guessing there’s a chance we won’t make our evening activities.  Ugh.  Be safe everyone!

World Prematurity Day

I have to admit, I often to forget about this day.  But, never do I forget the day my child was born, or the difficulty to put into words the experience was of having him in the neonatal intensive care unit.  Little Brady was my premie baby.  I never thought he would bless us with his arrival a whole month early.  One can’t really plan an event like this.  But since he did, I knew he was going to need some extra love, extra prayers, and extra care.  He received all of that and though he be little, he continues to thrive.  I’m sending thoughts to all those mommies who have had to endure a child in the NICU (the hardest days of my life to date), those currently living this moment, and sending prayers to all little ones born prematurely that they are given a chance to grow like my little man did.

5 on Friday: November 13

1.  Update on B-man

We are in a holding pattern in terms of what move to make next with Mr. Brady.  He spent nearly the entire month of October and beginning of November sick.  Right now we have our pediatrician, our pediatric urologist (who is also a pediatric surgeon), and another pediatric surgeon analyzing his records and sharing opinions on his case.  We will see in the upcoming days what they all have to say and hopefully it will provide us some direction for his care moving forward. 

As a mom I do want to trust their opinions, but I also have to follow my gut.  Depending on what they say and how I feel about it will determine if I go with my instincts to send his records to a hospital on the coast.  They specialize in children with Brady’s health issues and well, as parents we all want what’s best for our children, right?

Also, I have to share one of Brady’s newest actions – eating with his eyes closed.  I have no clue why he does this.  Maybe he’s trying to savor every little bite or perhaps he just doesn’t want to look at us anymore?  Whatever the case may be, it’s pretty comical; especially with spaghetti.

2.  This Life I Live & Simply Love

I know I have mentioned these blogs before, and for those of you who haven’t ventured to the websites, I encourage you to do so.  There is so much power in prayer and both of these families can use that power today and every day.  I could write many more words but quite frankly I think their stories are enough. 

3.  Chaos

This is really the only word I can use to describe my life right now.  I was telling myself that with fall here and the cooler temperatures coming in that life would slow down a little.  Boy was I wrong!  I knew October would be a blur but didn’t anticipate November to follow in the same pattern.  I am very thankful for some family time last weekend which allowed us to breathe just a little bit.

For you runners out there, you know how you get to the end of the race – you can see the finish line – and there’s that moment of joy knowing that you are almost there?  That’s how I feel; except I’m never crossing the line.  I have moments where I feel like I am getting so much accomplished in one area of my life, only to fall short in another.  I guess it all has to balance out somehow but I just wish, for a moment, that I could feel caught up.  Caught up with work, caught up with laundry and housecleaning, caught up with projects….
 

I know that will never truly happen because life happens, but here’s hoping some parts of life will slow down so the OCD person I am can feel a little more complete!  This mama wants to find time to bake some cookies again with her kids and spend less time running here and running there!  Ok, vent over.

4.  Buxom

I was having a conversation with a friend this morning about how the little things really can make you feel more like a lady and overall just make you feel good about yourself.  Maybe it’s getting a manicure or a new lotion.  For me, any little beauty purchase or time to pamper myself is so refreshing and really gives me a new outlook on myself.  We can all use a little confidence booster, am I right?  If you are looking for a little something to make ya feel beautiful, try my favorite lip gloss.  They’re by Buxom.  I’ve been using them for years.  My favorites are Dolly and White Russian.  I will warn you that they have lip boosting powers in them too so you’ll feel it.

5.  Growing Up

I was racing like a mad woman through the mall last night to find outfits for some upcoming photos of the kids.  Miss Tess is in between sizes right now, depending on the item of clothing.  That being said, I found myself walking from the toddler section to the little girl section of my favorite store.  There was a piano playing music in the background and for a second I just stood there and “had a moment.”  I literally almost cried right then and there.  It stopped me dead in my tracks and I realized yet again that time is crawling away from us every day.  Agh!  That moment made me even more out of sorts that I was all confused about outfits and ended up coming home with nothing that really went together!  (Insert another trip to the mall tonight).

My Little Photog Took This :)

I did score some cute little kitten shoes for Miss Tess on crazy clearance so hey, maybe the trip was a success after all (whatever I have to tell myself)?

6.  Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

Wow, oh, wow is the only way to describe the yummies that are the new bars I tried this week!  A co-worker of mine brought these in to the clinic on Tuesday.  They were so amazing I may have had two??  Needless to say I asked for the recipe. Once I give these bars a whirl myself, I will post the recipe on the blog!

7.  Weekend Escapades

We have quite a bit on the agenda for the weekend.  We have gymnastics class, photos for the kids, we are going to put up Christmas lights outside (and maybe some decorations inside), I want to start some of my Christmas shopping, and do a little overhaul of the kids’ closets.  It should be a great weekend and if there’s a little time left, the kids and I are going to make some sweet treats and watch yet another Christmas movie (because we do all year round anyway). ;)