Royal Icing Recipe

This recipe is the best decorator's icing, I've every made. I found this recipe in a "Martha Stewart Living Magazine" many many years ago and I still use it to this day. It does great on Christmas cookies.

Royal Icing
2 large egg whites
4 c. sifted confectioners sugar
juice of 1 lemon and 3 drops of glycerin (optional)

Beat egg whites until stiff but not dry. Add sugar; beat for 1 minute more.

If icing is too thick, add more egg whites; if too thin, add more sugar.

Makes about 2 cups

Mom, Colton Touched Me!

Katie and Colton have already started fighting. HA HA! I've been telling Katie to pull her hair back before playing with Colton because he will begin grabbing soon and he will accidentally grab her hair. Sure enough, we were playing with Colton in the floor, Katie's hair was hanging down close enough for Colton to grab it. "Ouch! Mom come get Colton," I could hear from the Kitchen. I had to give her the "I told you so." He got a hold of it one more time before I got him up to feed. The next thing I know, Katie is yelling "mom, Colton keeps scratching me." Well, I had just cut his nails, so I know it wasn't because his finger nails were too long. I told her not to sit so close to him because he doesn't mean to scratch her. Colton just turned 3 months and they are already fussing. Ha!

Colton thinks he is too big to lay down when he is awake. Unless, someone is in the floor playing with him, he doesn't like it at all. I've put him in his rocker and he spends a few seconds trying to sit straight up. I guess he thinks he is too big to lay down and I think, he associates laying down with sleeping. He fights sleep with everything in him until he finally gives up.

I was so proud of Katiebug today. We haven't been committed on our learning (ABC's, numbers & etc.). If you remember, I started number and letter recognition with her. I created these sheets the the letter both in uppercase and lowercase along with photos that begin with the letter. We've only gotten to the letter D because Katie would have difficulties recognizing the letters. For the past couple months, I've gone away from the letter recognition to focus on counting objects because she seemed to not understand how to count objects or count her fingers. Now, she is doing much better counting on her fingers and counting the objects on a piece of paper. I thought today I would bring back the letter recognition. Would you believe she remembered the letters "A" and "B". YAY! I had her give me a high 5, for remembering the letters. I'm hoping this will encourage her to learn more. I know it encourages me because there are times where I feel like I'm teaching her nothing. She loves playing the games with me like "where do they belong?" and "what number belongs?" "Where do they belong?" contains 6 pictures to a sheet of paper. Today, I had a fish, bird and spider. Katie is suppose to draw a line from the animal to where they live. For instance, a spider lives in a spiderweb. A fish lives in water. She really likes this game. "What number belongs?" is a fun way to learn number recognition and counting combine. She has to count the amount of one object and circle the number listed below. She gets a little mixed up on number recognition, but she'll learn.

Katie is doing so much better with her "Rewards." She's getting dressed in the morning much easier, cleaning up after herself and do little odd jobs for mom without acting like a drama queen about it. She tells me every morning that she's got to get those rocks in her jar, so she can go to the Disney Store and get Jasmine & Snow White. Hey, whatever works. Right?

Date? What's That?

Date Night
Millard and Peggy suggested that Doug and I go out on a date Saturday night. It was so nice to be able to get out of the house with my husband, to enjoy each other. While I was getting ready for our date, Doug was on the phone with a friend, Chuck. It just so happened that Chuck was going to one of our favorite Mexican restaurants, Cantina Laredo with a friend, Ann. He asked Doug if we wanted to join them. Doug didn't have to convince me to go. Shoot! A beef Taco al Carbon, guacamole dip and adult conversation, I'M ALL FOR IT! This was the first time I got to meet Ann and is only the second time I met Chuck. I think Ann and I hit it right off, she was so sweet. As we were enjoying our meal, to my surprise, an old co-worker came up to our table. I haven't seen Simon in 4 years, so it was good to see him. Of course, I had to give him a hug, followed by showing him pictures of our babies. I had such a nice night out (lots of laughes) that I almost hated to see it end. As we were leaving the restaurant, I couldn't believe it when Doug told me it was 9:00 PM. Time didn't seem to go by that fast, but I guess it shows how much fun I had. We'll have to do this more often. Thanks again Millard and Peggy for allowing this to happen.

When we got back from our date, I went to Katie's room to kiss her goodnight. As I'm walking back down the hall into the Living Room, I saw this and had to get a picture. I guess like they say, Like Father, Like Son.


Our Growing Household
Colton's New Chair

Doug brought this chair home from a short trip to Walmart Saturday morning. He talked about getting this chair before because Colton likes to sit up in your lap now. If he's not ready to sleep, he'll fuss to let you know that he doesn't want to lay down. He's been alert for some time now, but he insists on sitting up and looking around. The only down fall for him is his back and neck gets tired after a while. He gets so frustrated, he'll start grunting as if he is trying to stay up. He's still not strong enough to sit in his new chair for a long length of time, but I think he likes it.


Growth Spurt
It think Colton is going through another growth spurt. As you know, he's been on cereal fed bottles this past week. Once I got all the bugs worked out, he was taking a 4 oz. bottle (with 4 Tbsp. rice cereal) every 5 hours. He has been taking his bottle so well and sleeping a little long, which helps momma out a lot. By Thursday night he has been sleeping all night, from 9:00 PM to 5:30 AM. WOW! I actually got some rest. Yesterday, he threw me a curve ball. I was going by a 5 hour, 4 oz. bottle schedule. Nope! He didn't want to go by our newly established feeding schedule. I think he actually started this change Saturday night. Anyway, I ended up feeding him a 4 oz. bottle every 3 hours until he went to bed at 9:00 PM. This morning, I picked him up out of bed and man you talk about a chuck. It took him an hour, but this morning I fed him a 5 oz. bottle. It took him so long to drink because he kept falling asleep on me. Little stinker! He was a happy little camper after eating (all smiles).

Foods In Review
Papa Murray Pizza
Have you every heard of "Papa Murray's Pizza"? Doug brought home one Thursday night. From what I understand, you custom order a pizza and you bring it home still raw. He got a stuffed crust pizza. Now, the stuffed crust pizza I know of is usually stuffed with cheese only. Nope, not this one. It was stuffed with all kinds of meat and toppings like onions and peppers. The cheese and tomatoes were on top. After we took it out of the oven, we devoured most of it. Doug didn't like that it had so many onions, but I thought it was so good. I told him the next he orders it, just get it without onions. Simple enough.

New Products
My New Favorite Cleaner
I've always been a big fan of Greased Lightning, but I went astray. I've been having problems getting rid of mildew stains in my bath tub. Not even Greased Lightning would remove it, even after strubbing the tub. Nothing! At Walmart, I picked up Arm & Hammer Scrub Free with Bleach spray cleaner. I don't know what possessed me to get it, I just know I was frustrated with the stains in my tub. So, I wanted to try something new. Like always, I was running around the house with laundry, dishes, kids, etc. I had to run Katie to swimming lessons and knew that I needed to clean out the tub. I sprayed the tub before I left for swimming lessons and by the time I got back home, the stain (I was complaining about) was just about GONE! Oh my gosh! I couldn't hardly believe my eyes. So, I sprayed it again (all over the tub/walls) and waited a little longer. All I did was turn on the shower head to spray off all the cleaner and my tub looked as if I scrubbed it clean. I love this stuff. Yeah, it smells of bleach and I'm very sensitive to chemical smells. I normally get really bad headaches after cleaning our bathroom with strong chemicals. With this cleaner, I opened up my bathroom window and turned on a vent in order to get out most of the fumes and that seemed to help my head. The other day, I tried this cleaner on my shower curtain liner. Wow! It cleaned all the mildew off of it and it looks brand new. I highly recommend it!

Political Update
Cap & Trade Bill
I just emailed my state Senators regarding this bill and I encourage you to do as well. As you may know, this bill barely passed the House and it is headed to the Senate this week. Supposedly, this proposed bill is to help for "cleaner fuel/energy." From what I understand this 1000 page bill, all US carbon companies will have a cap. It they exceed that cap, they have to purchase allowances or permits to cover the excess emissions. There is a fear that if this bill passes it will not only increase mine and your energy bill, it will force these companies to move to other countries. Now, I don't know about you, but I think we've had enough manufacturers move out of the country because of government influences. EPA says they "ASSUME" a bulk of these purhased allowances will go towards lower income families and people in general as a rebate. They feel this energy rebate will be used to encourage Americans to buy cleaner energy like the energy saving lightbulbs. Come on! You can't tell me that if someone receives a rebate check, they will go out and purchase lightbulbs with it. They did add maybe people will use the money on consumption of other goods and services. The majority of the American people will probably use this "rebate" check to pay off already existing bills. Personally, I feel there are too many loop holes and why run the risk of these companies leaving the country. And who will have to pay for another falsed policy? You got it! YOU and ME.

Genealogy Stories

Allison - hey, thanks girl for letting me know about the dolls. I really hope Katie will like these Groovy Girls dolls. You'll probably think bad of me, but I got all of them off of eBay. Normally, I don't purchase birthday gifts off of eBay, but they're brand new or like new for really reasonable prices.

Katie brings up the Snow White & Jasmine dolls often. She needs to work on getting some rocks in her jar, so we can go to Disney. I try to make it easy for her, like tell her to change her clothes for a rock. I told her to empty her travel bag, full of toys, into the toy box for a rock. The bag is still full of toys by her bed. Oh well, it's her fault if she doesn't get all the rocks into her rewards jar.

My Genealogy
I've been busy this afternoon, working on my genealogy through Facebook. I found a group for the Adkins & Powers families. Believe it or not, but I couldn't find a group for the Brindleys. There are so many Brindleys on Facebook from the states and UK, I was surprised when I couldn't find a group for them. So I created my own group for the Brindley family. I'll work on it, whenever I possibly can. Right now, I have a picture of the coat of arms, Mace T.P. Brindley's picture & a short story about Phoebe Riggs Brindley. I've got this huge book that's full of information about my family history. They are mostly biographies from past family members. I've gotten my hands a hold of the books and made copies of them. Most of them have family trees in the back of them. The newest book I have is "The Story of Brereton Hall Cheshire" by Arthur L. Moir. Brereton Hall is a castle from supposedly where the first "Brindleys" resided. Through the years, the family name went from "Brereton" to "Brindley" or other versions like "Breton," "Bretune", and "Brindlee." The castle eventually was made into a school. I will quote a paragraph for you.

'Brereton Hall near Sandback in the Cheshire plain was built in the days of Queen Elizabeth I by Sir William Brereton, who became the first Lord Brereton. His ancestors had probably lived on the spot for centuries. But the history of Brerton did not begin with the building of the Hall. It already had a history of at least 500 years, though its name was then spelt in various ways, Bretune, Breto, Breton, Brerton, Breerton.'

Royal Sabotage
I found this interesting. Sir William Brereton, owner of Brereton Hall at the time, was a member of the King's household. He was executed on Tower Hill in London falsely charged with being a lover of Queen Anne Boleyn. Shame, shame on William. Okay, here's more to the scandal. According to the book, in the year 1536 a Tournament of knightly sports was in progrss at the Tilting-Ground at Greenwich. King Henry VIII & Queen Anne Boleyn were there. The Queen accidentally drops her handkerchief and a chivalrous knight picked it up on the point of his lance and handed it back to the Queen. The King was furious and ordered the knight, Sir William Brereton and 4 companions arrested immediately. They were carried off to the Tower of London and charged with High Treason as lovers of the Queen. Anne Boleyn was arrested a few hours later and never saw the King again. King Henry was watching for a chance of deposing the Queen and this was his opportunity. A jury of Henry's choosing was impanelled and the 5 prisoners were hastily tried and though they pleaded "not guilty" were sentenced to death and beheaded on Tower Hill on May 17th 1536. The names of the condemned were Lord Rochford, Anne Boleyn's brother; Sir William Brereton; Sir Henry Norris; Sir Francis Weston and Mark Smeaton, a mere boy, who pleaded guilty under torture. The Queen was beheaded 2 days after at a scaffold within the Tower. The booming of a gun at 9 a.m. was the signal that all was over, the Queen had been decapitated. The next day the King was betrothed to Jane Seymour, and the marriage took place 10 days later at York Place, privately. Hmmm Hmm, some men! I guess I'll be more careful when it comes to dropping things and someone else picks them up for me. Ha!

Food Recall
Have you heard about the Nestle Toll House Raw Cookie Dough recall. There have been reports of some people getting sick after consuming cookie dough from Nestle Toll House. They are working closely with the FDA and CDC to resolve this problem. The recall doesn't include other Nestle Toll House products like already baked cookies, all varieties of morsels, chocolate baking bars, cocoa or any ice cream products with cookie dough ingredients. For more information, CLICK HERE.

The Loss

It's sad to hear about the loss of two American icons,

Farrah Fawcett & Michael Jackson.

I like these pictures of Michael because this is the way I would want to remember him. He might have been a little wacky, but he had a great talent.

I Don't Know WHAT I'm doing!

Okay, after seeing what was going on last night, I feel so stupid. You're probably wondering what in the world I'm talk about. Can you say "dumb mom"? As you may know, Dr. Lunsford advised me to add a little bit of cereal in Colton's bottles. In my defense, this is the first time I've fed cereal to my baby through a bottle for reflux problems. I started putting cereal (3 Tbsp. - 3 oz. of milk) into Colton's bottle early yesterday morning. As soon as Colton would wake up (CRYIN'), I'd make him another 3 oz. bottle with cereal. By late yesterday afternoon, Colton was really getting mad at me (throwing a fit). I didn't know if it was the cereal, different bottle or what was the matter. By 8:00 PM last night it finally hit me, he's probably not hungry. Colton decided to stay awake more often yesterday, wanting to play and not necessarily wanting to eat. Oops! At 2:00 PM, I could tell he was feeling like a chunk of lead. I guess I've been on this routine where all he wanted to do was eat and sleep. Who knew he wanted to get up, look around and play? I couldn't figure it out for the longest time because he would cry, so I thought he was hungry. Then I stopped, figured up how many times I was feeding him. Oops! TOO MUCH! I was staying with our originial feeding schedule without the cereal = 3 to 4 oz. every 3 to 4 hours. Yeah, he got his tummy filled to the brim.

You know, I feel the cereal is helping with his spit up. He didn't spit up over half the time compared to times past. I'm hoping the cereal will continue to help with his reflux problems and I'm going to have to relax when it comes to feeding times. Shoo! Before Colton went to bed for the night, I kept apologizing to him. I told him that as long as he cries, I'm going to think he's hungry. If I think he's hungry then I'm going to try to give him a bottle. He grinned and talked back to me as if to say, "sure I forgive you, you clueless soul."

Katie's Birthday Plans
As you know, I've been debating about postponing Katie's birthday party. Well, I spoke to Sandy the other day about it and she gave me a good idea. Her and Doug both have suggested that I order Katie's birthday cake/cupcakes. It's the only way I'm going to pull this party off without going completely insane. So, I think I've decided to order plain white cupcakes. The plain white cupcakes will allow me to still place ballet slippers in the middle of the cakes. I want Katie to have a small 6" single layer cake just for herself. Doug seems to think I might be able to pull off baking and decorating the cake the morning of the party. Since it's such a small cake, I'm hoping it won't take long to cool. Working with fondant icing, it's very important that the cake is completely cool. Please pray for me!

I took advantage of Katie staying with Leslie yesterday. I drug out all the Groovy Girls gifts and got them all wrapped. I've been deciding if I should get the Groovy Girls bed or sleeping bag. I originally wanted to go by Target and purchase a couple for the dolls. I may wait and if she likes the dolls, then get the sleeping bags/beds. I know she really needs a new duffle/overnight bag. Right now, she is using whatever duffle bag we have in the closet. I told Doug the other day that she needs one of her own, especially since she'll be starting school this Fall. Who knows if she'll be invited to a sleepover. Today, Peggy is coming by to watch the kids for me while I go update our car tags. I plan on stopping by Monograms Plus and purchase the bag on the way back home. I just hope they have some in stock.

Katie has been driving me crazy about going to the Disney Store. She does this every few months. She has these stuffed Disney Princesses (like the Groovy Girls) of Belle, Ariel, Cinderella & Sleeping Beauty. Well now she wants Jasmine and Snow White. We haven't been there in months, so who knows if they still make these dolls. She is so sure the Disney Store sells the stuffed Jasmine and Snow White. I thought this would be a good opportunity to bring back the "Rewards" jar. She's been slacking on the good manners and doing chores. The main problem I'm having is she completely ignores me. I've heard of this happening to moms. I don't know if it's because I'm around her 24/7. The spankings and time-out chair don't seem to be working right now. I've gone back to taking things away from her or take priviledges away. It seems as if all I'm doing is disciplining her and not praising because there hasn't been much to praise about lately. So, I'm hoping the resurfacing of the "Rewards" jar will bring back the good manners, lots of praise and very little discipline. The jar came out the day before yesterday and she ended up with 3 rocks. By last night, she has zero. She was so upset and dramatical about her rocks being taken away. How did she lose all 3 of her rocks? She was messing around with my jewelry and I told her to leave them alone. I don't mind her looking at them, but I was afraid she was going to drop my earrings and lose them. I didn't think she would deliberately disfigure them all together. As soon as I saw my poor earrings, I told her what she did wrong, spanked her and sent her to her room. Doug was coming through the door from work when all of this unfolded. I told him what she did and how she refuses to mind me. He suggested that I take all 3 of her rocks out of her "Rewards" jar. I called her into the Kitchen to witness what was about to happen. I explained to her again why I was taking her rocks (her not listening and minding momma). The Drama Queen came out and she went whaling back into her room. Later, I was putting some things away. She came out of her room, "mom, I want to tell her something." I stopped and got down to her level to listen to what she had to say. "Why are you so mean to me?" she asked. I told her that I don't want to be mean, but I have to because she won't obey me. I went on about if you don't obey your mommy or daddy then things are taking away. I asked her if she understood and she confirmed that she did. I hugged her and told her that I loved her. Boy, she didn't like having those rocks taken away. She wanted me to put them back. So, I told her that she will just have to earn them again. "How?" she asked. I gave her a list like: clean your room, say "thank you" and "please", no jumping in the house, no jumping on the furniture, no running in the house and mind mommy and daddy. Right off the bat, "isn't my room clean?" Yeah, it was clean because she had been gone all day and it wasn't messy. "Can I get a rock for cleaning my room?" she asked all bright eyed. Ugh! GIRLS!

Colton's Doctor Appointment

The report is in, Colton is a very healthy little boy. Ha! He weighs 13 lbs. 4 1/2 oz. and is 26 inches long. Dr. Lunsford said everything sounds and looks good. He even added that Colton seemed like a happy little baby. I informed Dr. Lunsford about Colton still getting strangled either on his own spit or milk. He's been like this his whole life, so far. Dr. Lunsford seems to think he might have reflux. So, he wants me to start thickening Colton's bottles with rice cereal. I'm to put 1 tablespoon of rice cereal to 1 oz. of milk. Sounds pretty thick, which he said it would. I think once Colton begins drinking rice milk, he'll really put on the weight and hopefully sleep a little longer during the night. Dr. Lunsford feels that the thick milk won't choke him so easily. He's been averaging 4 oz. of milk every 4 hours. Poor baby had to have 3 shots and 1 liquid vaccination today. Bless his heart, he screamed so loud. I went ahead and warned Katie about it before hand. She can't stand it when he cries. Dr. Lunsford said that I can start spoon feeding him cereal at 4 months. I was thinking for some reason it was 3 months. Colton's suppose to go back when he is 4 months old. I've made him an appointment for the end of July. Poor baby, he'll have to go through those shots again. I hate it for him, but I know it's good for him.

As soon as we got home, I gave him some Tylenol, fed him 4 oz. of milk and he went right to sleep. He seemed fine until he woke up from his 4 hour nap. You could tell he didn't feel good and he acted like he had a little bit of a tummyache. I gave him some Gas Relief before he went back to bed for the night.

I'm not familiar feeding a baby cereal through a bottle. Doug and I are unsure if the cereal would be able to go through the nipples that I fed Katie. I have these fast flowing nipples that I put slits in them because Dr. Lunsford thought Katie wasn't getting enough milk. We thought it would be best to get some nipples that are made for feeding babies cereal by bottle. I guess me and the kids will make a store run tomorrow. Doug offered to go, but something like this, I would feel comfortable doing it myself.

Katie's Birthday Party
I'm at the point where, I think I need to postpone Katie's birthday party for the next weekend. I'm so glad I hadn't sent out the invites yet. I don't know what I was thinking having the party the day after Zayne & Whitney's wedding. And I was really crazy thinking I could make the cake and cupcakes myself. I got to figuring. I would have to bake the cake and cupcakes Friday night in order for them to still be good by Sunday. The only thing is, Friday night is wedding rehearsal night and we're suppose to be at the church before 6 PM. We'll be gone all Saturday, getting Katie's hair fixed, pictures taken and the wedding that evening. Sunday, I'll be too busy decorating and getting everything in order before the party at 5 PM. Ugh! I spoke to Doug about tonight and he doesn't want me to do anything definiate until we talk about it a little more later. I just think it would be best for me. Sure, it would be great to have everyone over that Sunday, but I just don't see it happening and my nervous all in one piece.

Speaking of party, I got in Katie's party supplies. The ballet slipper pinata is so cute! All of Katie's Groovy Girls, GG Couch and pony came in. Cute! Oh, I've got to tell you. The "Father's Day" cake I made this past weekend, Katie thought it was hers. When I explained to her that it wasn't, she began asking where was her cake. Now for the past couple of days, she has asked me where was her cake. She is so impatient, just like her mother.

Happy Father's Day

I think all of the men in our family had a real nice Father's Day. We started the day by having Colton dedicated to the Lord this morning at 9:15. Several family members were able to attend and we appreciate every one that shared a very special moment with us.

Doug, Katie, Colton and myself were backstage of the church auditorium for the dedication, while everyone waited patiently for us to come out on stage. I had to explain to Katie what we were doing because the lights went out and she was saying "oooh mom, what happened to the lights?" Katie ran into one of her little friends, Heather. Of course, they had to talk and play (quietly). When we made our way to front stage, Katie began waving to June and Nicholas. She continued waving until we left the stage. I have to say, she did good because I was afraid of what might come out of her mouth. I was really surprised after the dedication. I figured she would want to stay with us during church. Nope, she asked to go to her class. I guess it's a good thing that she enjoys her class.

After church, Millard & Peggy came to our house for lunch. We decided to pick up our dinner from The All Steak. Everything was really good and we had my "Father's Day" cake for dessert. I couldn't hardly wait to cut into it. I was excited to find out how the fondant tasted. I thought it tasted good, a marshmallow flavor. Leslie compared it to a moon pie, which I think she's right. Several people seemed to like it (looks and taste). Susan couldn't believe I made it, she kept asking if I really did make it. I guess she was waiting for me to admit that it was bought.

At June's house, Katie hit the pool. She didn't come out except to eat supper and when we left to come home. It was so hot today (approx. 95 degrees). Even the pool water was like bath water. I think Nic said that the water temperature was around 80 degrees. Yuck!

Colton got his first experience in the pool. I don't think he liked the glare off of the water. He didn't stay long because we were afraid he might get a sunburn. Later in the evening, we brought him back outside before we left.

More pictures are on the photosite. I hope to hear that you had an enjoyable weekend.

Practice Makes Perfect!

Alright, I know it's not perfect, but it is my very first fondant cake. You talk about nervous! I'm always nervous when I try something new. Yes, there are a few cracks and my bow could be better. I wanted to do a very simple cake. I tried embossing for the border, but I think it needs some icing border as well. I actually forgot to do a few things to my bow, but like I said it's my first. I have to say it was fun doing it. Let's just hope it will taste as good as it looks. I'm hoping the more I do fondant cakes, the better they will look. Ha!




I'm pleased with my ballet slipper candies! After SEVERAL trial runs, I came up with these. I think they are pretty. Now, I need about a couple dozen more by party day.



CMT Awards
My gosh, do you know who saw on the CMT Awards today? Do you remember the group B-52? When I was a teenager, one of the big hits was "Love Shack." I use to know all the lyrics to the song. Anyway, B-52 came out on stage with Sugarland singing "Love Shack". Wow! They looked so old. I guess they would be in their late 50's.

Happy Father's Day!

Colton is to be dedicated at church tomorrow morning. After church, Millard & Peggy are coming to our house to celebrate "Father's Day." Later, we'll head over to Mom & Dad's. June said, we were just going to grill out hamburgers & hot dogs. I'm bringing stuff to make icees and of course I'll take my cake, I made.

Swimming Lesson Video - Day 5

Katie's Last Day At Swimming Lessons

Katie did so good with her swimming lessons. If you haven't noticed she has a slight fear of jumping into the pool. I think it's because she's still learning to keep her mouth closed and holding her breath long enough to go under water. Every morning, she tells me that she doesn't want to go under water. By the time she gets into the pool, she gets a little more confident. There is still that slight fear. In a way, I'm glad she has that respect (fear) of the pool/water. I don't think she would intentionally jump into the pool without an adult with her. Every day while we are walking down the hallway towards the gym changing room, she tells me with a big smile on her face, "I had so much fun mom." She knew today was her last day with Mrs. Knight until next year. She had to kiss all the toys and tell RuthAnne "goodbye." As we are walking towards the changing room, she asked me if we were going to see Mrs. Knight again. She seemed happy as soon as I told her we would take lessons again next year. Oh and guess what? She has informed me that she's ready to go back to ballet class. Ugh! When does momma get a vacation? I can hear Gulf Shores hollering my name - M-I-R-Y-A, Come visit me! Oh, I can imagne now {The ocean wind blowing my hair. The smell of sea salt in the air. The sugary white sand oozing through my toes. The breaking of the waves, while sea gulls swoop down to sneak a piece of bread from a local beach bunny.}

Okay, I've waiting a very long time for today's video to upload and process through YouTube. Unfortunately, it's still going through the processing and I'm tired. I even tried to spend my time by answering quizzes on Facebook. Hopefully, I'll be able to post Katie's Last Swimming Lesson video tomorrow.

What's Happening With Colton
I'm so proud of my little man. I can tell that 3 months are fast approaching because he is going through a big change. He likes to look around and nothing passes him by without him noticing it. He laughs when you give him kisses on his tummy and talk to him in baby talk. He is very ticklish! He acts like a little squirm worm when you tickle his ribs. He thinks it's a big game when I act like I'm going to eat his toes or act like his feet stink. When I tell him "shoo wee", he has the cutest grin on his face. I've got to video him one day, when I'm playing with him. I feel like it won't be long before he rolls over. I say this because he can push down with both of his feet, causing his bottom to lift. I've been slowly introducing him to his toys, letting him feel the different textures. He really like the frog teethin' toy. You should have seen him chompin' down on it.

He finally gets to go to the doctor Monday for his 2 month check up. It's a long story, but he will undergo his 2 month check up when he's almost 3 months old. HA! I'm interested as to how much he has grown. It might be just me, but I really think he has gotten much taller. Bless his heart, he is so much like his big sister at this age. His head is much bigger than the rest of his body. Katie was at this stage for many months until she discovered "real" food and liked it. Have you ever just smelled formula? It STINKS! I wouldn't drink it as much either. I guess if that's all you know. Anyway, Colton is still drinking an ounce an hour. He could drink 4 oz. every 4 hours or 3 oz. every 2-3 hours. It just depends. He went back to drinking 5 oz. every 4 hours for a little while, but I guess he got his fill because he went back to 2-4 oz.

He's in a #2 diaper because we've had too many accidents with the #1 size diaper. It just wasn't holding the pee-pee at one time. Trust me, I check his diaper every time he wakes up.

Speaking of waking, he is sleeping a little less which surprises me. I was just getting into a routine. Sleep, wake up, feed, rock back to sleep, etc. Pretty simple, right? Now, he's got me all off. I'm warming up his bottle after a 30 minute nap and he's not hungry because it's only been an hour since he drank 3 oz. What? Then, why is he crying or whining. I think it's because he likes it when momma holds him up on her shoulder and takes him on a grand tour of the place. Can you say "spoiled"? He loves it when momma and sissy "Katie" pays him a lot of attention (talking, singing, showing him his toys, lots of hugs and kisses and let's not forget rocking). He loves to be rocked! He holds onto his blanket with all his might, sucks his pacifier and as I'm rocking, he's eyes roll in the back of his head. Such a sweetheart.

Movies In Review
My hero, Doug, brought home the two movies I really wanted to see "Confessions Of A Shopaholic" and "The Pink Panther 2." I was so excited! We sat down and ate KFC Grilled Chicken and watched movies all night.

I knew I would put too much hype in "Confessions Of A Shopaholic." Overall, it was a pretty good movie, but it wasn't anything like the book. The movie combined both books "Confessions Of A Shopaholic" and "COAS Takes On Manhattan." They had the right situations, but all in different places and times. I wished they would have left it in the order according to the books. They made Derek Smeath out to be the really bad guy, when he ended up being one of Becky's good friends. Some of the scenes, they had Derek and John Gavin mixed up. And it was sad that they didn't stick to the original way Luke Brandon and Becky Bloomwood met. I guess that was my down fall for reading 3 of the 5 "Shopaholic" series. Right now, I've moved on to "Shopaholic Ties The Knot." I've had to put the book down for a little while because of weddings and birthdays. I guess Summer overall. Hopefully, I'll be able to pick it back up by August or September. I may have to revisit the other 2 books to refresh my memory.

Doug and I laughed a lot throughout "The Pink Panther 2" movie. So funny! I loved the first movie and I think this one is just as good. I would highly recommend watching this comedy.

Katie's Swimming Lessons - Day 4

Prez Is Frowned Upon
President Obama didn't get a warm praise from PETA after slapping and killing a fly during an interview. According to PETA, not only do animals have rights, so do insects. They reported that the president should have done the catch and release. I have one thing to say. What a crock? While PETA is mourning the loss of their fellow fly, I raise my fly swatter and say "POWER TO THE PEOPLE."

New Bluebell Ice Cream Flavor
I've discovered a new favorite ice cream flavor. Normally, I just pick up plain chocolate ice cream. I would consider myself a chocoholic and this new flavor is right in that category. What's it called (you're probably wondering)? It's called "Groom's Cake". You will find chocolate ice cream with the following added: chocolate cake pieces, chocolate heart-shaped candies with strawberry cream inside, strawberry glaze swirls and chocolate icing. I really like it.

Katie's Swimming Lessons - Day 3

Katie's Swimming Lessons Today
It was so steamy in the pool area that it fogged up my camera.


After swimming lessons, Natalie and Nia came by to pick up Katie to go swimming at June & Pat's pool. When Katie came home, she was bubbling about how much fun her and Nia had today. Then, Nia had to go home. Katie began crying because she didn't want Nia to leave. They were having too much fun for it to end. Poor Natalie felt bad, but she had to take Nia home. Natalie told me the days that she takes Nia over to the pool to swim. So, we'll have to meet up one of the days that they'll be over there. Poor Katie was so tired. She kept asking me if we'll ever see Nia again. "But momma, I just want Nia" she said with big crocodile tears in her eyes.

While Katie was off with the girls, Colton and I went grocery shopping. I got the ingredients for two recipes: "Cheeseburger Pie" and "Italian Chicken". We like Cheeseburger Pie. I've made it a couple of times before, but it's been awhile since I made it last. Sometimes, I get into a rut and make the same thing over and over. That is until I decide to go through my recipes and bring back some recipes.

My camera was giving me fits this afternoon. I don't know what was wrong with it. Not even Doug knew what was wrong & then all of the sudden, it began working right.

Cheeseburger Pie Recipe
1 lb. ground beef
1 cup milk
1 cup chopped onion
1/2 cup Bisquick baking mix
1 cup shredded Cheddar cheese
2 eggs

Heat oven to 400.
Cook ground beef & onion; drain. Stir in salt. Spread in greased 9" pie plate;
sprinkle with cheese.
Stir remaining ingredients with fork until blended. Pour into plate.
Bake 25 minutes or until knife inserted in center comes out clean.
Makes 8 servings

Note: Don't worry if knife doesn't come out completely clean because it's the melted cheese that it's picking up.
High Altitude: Bake 30 to 35 minutes


The Proposal
I've seen the previews for this movie and it has "my kind of movie" written all over it. I love Sandra Bullock! Maybe Doug and I will have a movie date night at the Rave and see this movie. We'll see! However, I'm not too big on the movie theaters. I've wrote about this problem I have before, so I won't go there. I just prefer to watch my movies in the comfort of my own home.


Speaking of watching movies in the comfort of mine own home. Guess what movie is coming out next Tuesday? Yes, "Confession of a Shopaholic." I'm so excited!

Birthday Plans

Groovy Girls "Calypso Callie" Pony

The other dolls that I'm to be expecting:

Groovy Girls "Macy" Mermaid

Groovy Girls "Anastasia" Sparkle

Groovy Girls "Lourdes" Doll & Loveseat

Swimming Lessons - Day 2

Make a Smilebox slideshow

I actually made it back in plenty of time to make a few pictures before the next children came in for their lessons. Ruth Anne was praising Katie about her swimming skills today. She put flippers on her feet and taught her how to use them. Katie liked swimming around with her flippers and board. I wished you could have seen her, she was swimming all over that pool. Ruth Anne said Katie was holding her breath better as she goes under water. She continued to have a good time learning how to swim, but she gets so tired. She begins whining, while we are in the changing room. I finally told her that if she continues to whine after swimming, then I can't allow her to take lessons. She starts begging to come back. I told her, she can't act like a little baby that she has to be a big girl. At home after we have all rested, Katie asked me if she could go to swimming class tomorrow. I told her she could as long as she didn't act like a crazy baby. Well, she loved that. "What's a crazy baby?" she asked giggling. I began mocking her actions from earlier this morning. She began laughing and promised she wouldn't act like a crazy baby.

Katie's Kitchen
Katie helped me with supper again last night. We made Grands Biscuit Pizzas. I had planned on putting hamburger in the pizzas, but Maryann was having a crises with Whitney's wedding. I didn't mind helping her out at all and we just didn't put hamburger meat on our pizzas. You know, they still tasted just as good without it.

Check out the mound of cheese

Grands Biscuit Pizzas Recipe
Press each biscuit to 6" round and place on greased cookie sheets.
Top with pizza sauce, cheese and pepperoni.
Bake in 375 degree oven, 10-15 minutes.
Makes: 8 pizzas

Note: Don't feel bad if you can't get each biscuit slice to 6", I couldn't get them that big either. I think they ended up being 3" instead of 6". Also, I think they would taste good with hamburger, sausage and olives. My first 4 biscuits, I cooked for 14 minutes and they turned a dark golden brown (not burnt). My next 4 biscuits, I cooked for 12 minutes and they looked prettier. I guess it depends on your oven.

Katie's New Hairbows
I want to thank my new friend, Shannon, for the beautiful hair bows. I knew Laura had bought a hair bow from Shannon a while back and she highly recommended her. I wanted one for Katie's birthday party. Shannon was so sweet to work with me, despite her busy schedule (according to Laura). She was so helpful and created three beautiful bows. Yes, she ended up sending me 2 extra bows with my order. Katie absolutely loves them. If you need a hair bow for your little girl, I highly recommend Shannon. You'll have to check out her blog, click here. Here are a few pictures of the hair bows:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Shannon - Katie wanted me to tell you "thank you" and she "loves them very much." Thank you so much. You did a great job & I will be coming back.

Swimming Lessons

Well, it's that time of year again. Katie was so excited last night when I informed her that she would begin swimming lessons this morning. I had the hardest time getting her to stay in bed last night. I guess she finally fell asleep around 10:00 PM. She snuck into our bed twice last night with the same excuss, "I can't sleep." As soon as I told her that she had to go to bed or no swimming lessons, she went running back into her bed.

I was surprised to see Katie come waddling out of her room around 5:30 this morning with her arms full of stuffed animals. She hit the couch for a little while, watching "Tigger & Pooh." To get a head start, I grabbed her swimming suit, flip flops, swimsuit cover & ponytail holder and layed them out on the couch. After I got out of the shower, she came in the bathroom so proud because she put on her swimsuit by herself. Every few minutes, she kept asking me if it was time to go. We didn't have to be there until 8:00 AM. Colton & I dropped Katie off at the gym. She was excited to see Mrs. Knight and told me "goodbye." Thirty minutes later, Colton & I went back to find that she was finished with lessons. I was sad because I wanted to get a picture of her swimming. Unfortunately, we were running a little late and the next two kids were there waiting to start their lessons. Ruth Anne said she did great. In the truck, I asked Katie a bunch of questions. She told me, "mom, Mrs. Knight said I could jump into the pool." I ask if she did jump? "Yeah," she responded. "I forgot to close my mouth." "Uh, oh!" I reacted. I asked her if she got choked. "Uh,huh!" Then, she began to act out by coughing with her tongue stuck out. All I could do was giggle. When I got myself under control, I reminded her thats why we keep our mouth closed. "Uh, huh!" she responded. She absolutely, hated leaving the pool. She kept asking me if we were coming back.

Birthday Party
Well, the birthday party is coming along. I recieved confirmation last night that the party supplies have been shipped. Doug and I couldn't come up with anything big for Katie's gift. We debated on getting her a bike, but the cons out weighed the pros. Maybe next year or so.

As I was going through the toys at Target online, I noticed the Groovy Girls. I remember last year, Katie asked to get one. I thought they looked too growney for a 2 1/2-3 year old little girl. Now, I've come to realize that Katie's a little girl and not a baby anymore. I showed her pictures of the dolls. She fell in love with the mermaid, "Macy". I've purchased a couple of the dolls, including "Macy" along with a pony and couch. I think she'll like it.

I tried working with the ballet slipper candies, but came to a hault. Well, I was trying to be smart. The only color candy melts Walmart & Hobby Lobby had was white. I needed pink for the slippers. I thought I could add food coloring to the white candy. Nope! It didn't work. All it did was make the candy clump. I'm planning on calling my baker tomorrow to see if they have the pink candies in stock. I would have called today, but they were closed. :P If they don't have them, I just order them from Wilton.

Katie's Custom Pool
Doug and Katie were out washing the car this past Saturday. Next thing I knew, Doug came inside the house looking for the camera. He had me come out and see Katie playing inside her new pool. I had to laugh seeing her all folded up in the cooler. But you know, she was having a blast. Here are a few pictures: