Just A Swingin'...

Andy decided a few weeks ago that we had the perfect tree for a swing in our front yard and it was a waste not to use it. He constructed a wooden seat and we all worked today on decorating it. At my suggestion, he drew a giraffe (one of the wee ones favs at the zoo) and we all painted it. Mr C painted a little we didn't intend on doing, but you can hardly tell! It's lots of fun, so you will have to give it a go the next time you come over!

Miss M and Daddy hard at work...


Mr C working on his own masterpiece...

The finished product!! Check out the video clip for fun in action too.


In other news, the wee ones and I are heading on a little road trip tomorrow after church. We are meeting my mom, brother, and sis-in-law for a mini-vacation. So this is the last post until sometime mid-week. Enjoy your weekend!

Not So Dreary Rainy Day

We made it to the library today for story hour - we hardly ever miss, but missed the last 3 weeks so it was good to be back! I signed up for the adult summer ready program; every 10 books or 50 hours of reading gets you one entry into a drawing for some nice little prizes. (Where was this in the winter when I was plowing through Karen Kingsbury books like a madwoman?)

Since it was raining, Miss M and I settled in to watch Eloise In Springtime. We had a treat of popcorn popped on the stove with a little sugar and salt for flavor. We NEVER do that icky microwave stuff at our house! In addition we shared our favorite sugary drink...Fitz's Strawberry Pop. Mr C took a nice long nap.

Before the movie started, I followed some directions from my mom who is an EXCELLENT cook!

1. Wash and pat dry a chicken. (I prepared two since I was turning on the oven anyway!)
   
2. Rub olive oil under the skin of the bird.
3. Rub seasonings under and on top of the skin - be generous! Miss M came in at this point when my hand was up a bird's you-know-what and I thought she just might become a vegan at that very moment.
4. Cover a pan with foil and spray with cooking spray. Place birds breast side down and cook for about 1 1/2 hours at 400.

This makes a moist and tasty chicken you can use for anything. We had baked sweet potatoes, salad, and green beans with ours. I pulled the meat off the bone after dinner and now have almost a gallon size baggie of yummy chicken to use in lots of things: enchiladas, topped on salad greens with fruit, chicken and rice casserole....Freeze it into smaller portions if you want!


Once the wee ones were in bed, I washed, sliced, and sugared about 1 quart of strawberries fresh from the garden..organic too baby 'cause we don't do anything to them!

But the highlight of the day was getting a package in the mail from our cyber-buddy over at Whimsy-Love. I "met" her through the MOPS leaders forums and we have been friends ever since. She was the inspiration for Miss M and I to begin blogging. Do us a favor and hop over to her Etsy store the next time you are looking for a special little gift. She has lots of fun crafting and creating with her two girls and they put together a special box of goodies for Miss M.


You are looking at a felt play set (which she already went to work with her Daddy's help) a supercute cupcake notebook, mini-cupcake post its, and headband. You can't see my fav of the group very well...a cupcake necklace made out of stacked vintage buttons! Most of these were created by Whimsy Love herself!

OK...another contest...probably no prize except bragging rights! Name this photo:
.

And the winner is...

Interestingly enough Charlie's suggestion was the one summer treat we won't be trying: BBQ pigs feet with whipped cream. Charlie attends our church and is somewhat of a tease...can you tell? I might have disqualified him if we didn't like his wife so much! (You don't see his entry and a few others because I learned how to import our blog to my facebook account and he posted there.)

So, what's the prize you ask? Well, since Charlie is local he can pick between the two prizes. What will it be - delicious homemade cupcakes OR a set of cupcake greeting cards and envelopes created by none other than Miss M? Thanks to everyone who entered - Miss M had lots of fun checking the posts so I am sure she will come up with another contest soon.

Continue praying...

I bumped this up as a reminder to continue praying for Garet. He is off the vent, but on O2 and on the heart transplant list. His condition is being helped a lot by meds, but he heart is not able to keep up with the demands of his body. Pray for Garet and his family and then leave a comment on his blog letting his family know you are praying for them.

My friend in real life, Tara from The Virtual Home of the Vansell Family sent me a prayer request for her cousin's son Garet. He was born very healthy about 6 weeks ago but was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. He will have a heart cath tomorrow morning to try and determine the cause and extent of his illness. You can see pictures of this cutie and follow his story at

http://garethoward.blogspot.com

Miss M Opens a Contest

Miss M has declared a contest in honor of our (almost) 100th blog hit. Leave a comment telling us your favorite summer time treat between now and tomorrow at 1 PM - that gives you a full 24 hours to enter! We don't know how to use that random selection program used on other blogs, so ours will be totally low tech. We will write your name on a slip of paper and Miss M will choose one from the hat. The exact prize will depend on if you are a local or distant reader, but either way it will be a "sweet" little prize! Remember...you can't win if you don't enter - uh comment!

Memorial Day

We had a much more fun and relaxing Memorial Day than last year. Last year, our basement flooded on Sunday night and we spent the entire next day and several more cleaning/sucking water out, and working with restoration companies. But a year later, all is still well and DRY in the basement!!

What an incredible sacrifice made by so many men and women who paid the highest price for our freedom. I am proud that Miss M understands that Memorial Day is much more than just a fun day for celebrations. She is proud of her Uncle Cupcake (Nathan) who served his country well in Iraq. We are so thankful for his safe return and that our family was not called to lose him.

Lest you think we didn't have a little fun on this somber holiday, here you go! We invited a family from church over for dinner. There was lots of eating (kabobs, grilled corn, homemade bread, & a cup"cake" for dessert), laughs (as Miss M and her friend provided an after-dinner show), and just plain old fellowship and time spent chatting with friends. Mr C also enjoyed that his sissy was occupied by her buddy the entire evening so he was left to his own devices.

I didn't think to get my camera out except to take a picture of the cake - not my best, but I am sure I will get better with the particular pan. If you have the giant cupcake pan, I would suggest putting about 3.5-4 C batter in the top and 4.5 C in the bottom. I did a little less than that and wasn't entirely pleased with the results. This would require two cake mixes, but you can always use the extra for regular cupcakes. We didn't find the little flag toothpicks at Wal-Mart or the grocery store and didn't have time for a hobby lobby run, so Miss M made the little star picks. I think it worked out even better that way, don't you?


As previously mentioned, Miss M LOVES riding with Popa on the Harley. We haven't been to their house since Christmas and she has had the itch to ride for months. Our associate pastor heard about this, felt pity on her, and took her on a ride today. The girl waited at the front window, boots and jeans on, helmet and shades by the door until she heard the bike! Thanks Keith! They plan to ride another day when they have more time.

Strawberries!!

Don't they make your mouth water?Mr C was ready to eat a berry, can you tell?

Sweet peonies and even sweeter wee ones...

We are managing to stay ahead of the critters and seem to get more berries than they do! It helps that I have two super fast pickers with me! Miss M is a big fan of Farmer's Markets so having our own berry patch is very exciting. They didn't produce much at all last year but are going great guns right now! Off to bed now...had a great dinner on The Hill with hubby..still trying to figure out the scanner but I am helping in 2nd grade at church tomorrow so I need rest to be on my best game!

Carnival Pics

Even while working the MOPS tent, we had time for a little fun of our own last weekend. Miss M can not stop talking about the roller coaster!! She also said "I better not tell Nana too much about it because just thinking about it might make her throw up!"
Ahh...makes me remember riding horses at my grandparent's ranch in Texas.

Not sure why she enjoyed this kiddie ride so
much when she rides a real Harley with her Popa! A friend from church learned how much she likes to ride and so they have planned a little ride Monday afternoon. She can hardly wait because " I have not been riding since Christmas!!"

Three Memorial Day Giveaways!

Miss M has been after me to sponsor a contest/giveaway on our blog, but until we decide on all the specifics, I thought I would post this fun easy little contest. I have been eyeing these beautiful engraved tiles since seeing them on another blog a few months ago. Now, the artist is giving away THREE , yes three! Go here to enter the contest - you just have to leave a comment to be entered!

Go here for to win a $100 gift certificate for some of the cutest threads for wee ones I have ever seen!

And finally, just a fun giveaway full of one blogger's favorite things. (She too is a cupcake fan and you know we like cupcakes at my house!) See all the goodies and post a comment to win here.

Now I am off to get sweet smelling and primped for an anniversary dinner with the hubby! (I really need it too because we spent all morning getting the screened porch ready for the season.) If I can get the scanner to work, I might just post a picture of what we looked like 12 years ago - although the actual day is May 24th.

Fabulous Free Friday Chocolate

Mars chocolate is joining in on their own version of the stimulus package by providing free candy bars of mars, M&ms, Snickers, Twix, Dove, and 3 Musketeers every Friday from May 8th through September.

Go here to enter and score some free chocolate! After entering your contact info, all you have to do is wait on your mail carrier to deliver your coupon! I have already entered my email address today and last Friday and am waiting on two coupons!

*Limit: 250,000 Coupons per Friday (9:00:00AM ET to 11:59:59PM ET)

Ice Cream, Ice Cream: We All Scream for Ice Cream!

Edys is hosting a contest in which you can win an ice cream party for you neighborhood - wouldn't that bring some smiles to your street?

Each winning neighborhood will scoop up a doorstep delivery of Dreyer's/Edy’s® Slow Churned® Light ice cream (with half the fat than regular ice cream, Slow Churned® gives neighbors even more reason to celebrate!). The package includes all of the fixings (cups, bowls, scoops, etc. and of course, ice cream, to host a summer block party for up to 100 guests.) Contest ends Friday May 29 so check it out quickly!

Also, if you hop over to Kelly's Reviews you can learn how to win a coupon for a free 1.5 qt tub of Edy's Slow Churned Light Ice Cream. Sweet deal, huh?

For complete rules and details on how to enter, just click here.

Please pray....

My friend in real life, Tara from The Virtual Home of the Vansell Family sent me a prayer request for her cousin's son Garet. He was born very healthy about 6 weeks ago but was diagnosed with an enlarged heart. He will have a heart cath tomorrow morning to try and determine the cause and extent of his illness. You can see pictures of this cutie and follow his story at http://garethoward.blogspot.com

Busy, Busy Busy!

Miss M wanted a lazy day, but that is not what was on the calendar for today! We started out by working on Mt Laundry and a few little outdoor chores. After an early lunch and nap for Mr C, we all three headed to church to work a few hours helping with my MOPS group's photography fundraiser. (WARNING: Don't ever let Antiquities take your child's photo unless you are willing to part with lots of your cash! EVERY picture was so cute and the kids had a blast doing it.)

After our shift was over, we ate at the spaghetti dinner fundraiser at church. Then it was Awana Award night where the hubby received a pin for serving his first year as a Cubbies leader and Miss M received an award for completing her third year of Cubbies. After a bite of cake, we headed home for a fast bath and were able to catch the last half hour of American Idol. I admit...we watch and let Miss M watch it sometimes too. Being that Kris is from the town just down the road from my hometown, I voted for the first time last night. (5 times, I will add!)

Now two funny things:

1. Mr C has learned the word "bravo" and shouts it anytime his sister or I try to sing anything around him. He also said it a few times tonight at the award presentation.
2. Mr C also says "Mama Rocks" a few times a week - but not tonight at church when I asked "Who rocks?" DADDY was his answer...in front of several of daddy's friends I will add!!

Library day tomorrow! Yeah because I finished my book two days ago!!

Pre-Summer Craftiness

We harvested the first strawberries from our little patch last night. They were better than last year, having a good berry taste but not very sweet - still yummy though! The tomatoes have a few yellow blooms - Miss M and I are very anxious for that. I thought I would post a few crafty pics - per Miss M's request. I know some family members are anxious for carnival pics, so I will get to that later!

First off, we attended a super fun party at a children's hair salon several weeks ago. This is my first attempt to duplicate the fancy do at home. This isn't actually a craft, but still creative! I emailed directions to a grandmother we met at the post office, so let me know if you want them too -it is way easier than it looks!

Next up were May Day Baskets we made for friends and neighbors. We used leftover ribbon and wallpaper samples to make little cone-shaped baskets, which we filled with chocolate covered pretzels. The kids really enjoyed trying to hang them on front doors without getting caught!

Finally, a little Memorial Day Bling for the mailbox! Using materials leftover from previous projects, I made up this little decoration. Super easy & cheap too!

picnics, diapers, and more!

For the 2nd year in a row, our MOPS group hosted a diaper/feeding tent at a carnival in our town. It ran Thursday-Sunday. Although our tent wasn't open the entire time, we were still open for many hours. My steering team and a few church members helped out, but Miss M and I win the award for being there the most hours! (Of course, I am the coordinator so it kinda comes with the job - 7.5 hours total, if you are interested!) We gave out 60 goodie bags to preschool moms, had about 50 families enter our free raffle for a family fun basket, and I didn't even count how many people used our diaper changing area. If even half those ladies join our MOPS groups, we will need to start a 3rd group at our church! The coolest thing that happened was when one mom stopped by - looking much less conservative than me - and mentioned attending our church as a teenager. As she took the goodie bag, she smiled and said "God bless what you are doing this weekend - this is great for families." Miss M and I talked about how God loves everyone, even the ones who look and seem very different from us. That really encouraged us to reach out and engage families who were just passing by our tent.

My former teaching buddy (Mrs. T) came out to help this afternoon, so Miss M was able to sneak away for a few carnival rides. She LOVED the kiddie roller coaster (her first coaster experience) and also enjoyed a pony ride, among other fun rides. We decided against the ferris wheel - the line was WAY long and it took 5 tickets per person. At $1/ticket, that is a lot of cash! We also watched lots of dance groups and Mrs. T and I decided that lots of the costumes looked too much like lingerie and the dance moves didn't leave much to the imagination.

After packing up the tent at 5, we headed to meet the boys at the church picnic. Miss M played in the beach volley ball pit with some friends but realized on the way home she had lost her little gold ring. It was mine when I was little, so we were both disappointed. She told me that Agent Oso on TV used a metal detector so maybe we could borrow one from a friend. "Mama, post that on facebook, OK?" Whew...too much interest in technology from my almost in kindergarten girl!

No pictures tonight as I am too tired to even get the camera out of the car. Miss M has a dentist appointment tomorrow AM - expecting a pretty good report from that.

Mother's Day Weekend

Ok...since I am new at this, I don't know how to post a note and a picture at the same time. But the photos show just a little of the fun we had when my folks flew up for a few days last weekend. (Side note: My dad owns a small private plane and they hit a wild turkey during take off on the way here. Only the turkey was killed, I mean harmed!) We hit Chuckee Cheese, Cabela's (or Clarabelle's as Miss M calls it), plus enjoyed a great game of mini golf. Popa and Miss M also went on one round of go karts. Can you tell she loves speed?? The folks stayed for church Sunday morning and then we sadly told them good-bye all too early that afternoon. Even sadder for Mr C...they took their beagle Rudy home too.

Mother's Day Weekend in Pictures

Miss M said riding the Harley with Popa is still better because you go faster!

Yeah for such a calm 2 year old boy who stayed with us and waited his turn the ENTIRE game!

Welcome!

After following several blogs (mostly crafty ones) my daughter informed me that we should start our own blog "to tell other people our good ideas and how much fun we have." Mind you...she is a mere 5 1/2 years old! After talking and thinking of several names, we came up with cupcake daze...mostly because we LOVE cupcakes at my house (I mean who doesn't!?). Also, as a full time at home mom with two wee ones - life is spent in a daze many times! So here we go...check back for those "good ideas and fun times" Miss M mentioned.