Ham and Cheese Rolls

Last night's dinner in photos!

I start with a can of crescent rolls. If you're a bigger family, you'll need a second can. This is designed to be a lighter dinner. We were all in the mood for simple last night.

I unroll the dough onto a baking sheet(while the oven is heating up as directed on the crescent can!) I fold a piece of thinly sliced ham(folded into a triangle seems easiest) onto each unrolled triangle.

I then place a proportional slice of cheese on each piece of ham. I roll up each roll like normal, wrapping it around the ham and cheese. When I put it in the oven, I have found if I add 2 extra minutes to the cook time of the crescent rolls it cooks better.

This is how it comes out! Cheesy ham filled crescent! Yum!

This has become our favorite tomato soup. Our true favorite is the tomato bisque that is served at Medieval Times. Since, we could not afford to go every time we want some, we have found a good substitute, We've probably tried every brand by now. This is our top rated! It is easily bought at our local Target. That makes it even better! I serve 2 cartons of it because it goes fast around here. If it doesn't, then the leftover makes an excellent lunch the next day!

So yummy! I do add a dash of Italian Seasoning. It adds a nice flavor.

Sweater Weather Tag

Last year I saw this tag video float around YouTube and kept thinking how fun it would be to do. So since I'm in "Project: Force Fall to Happen," I bring you the questionnaire in blog form! So here I go:

1. Favorite fall candle scent?

We had this out last year and I just bought a new one for this year from Cracker Barrel! It's amazing! So in love! I bought another one so definitely worth the money!

2. Coffee, tea or hot chocolate?

Well, I do love coffee and all the flavors that you can make it. Except I cant really get into the pumpkin flavored drinks. I don't know why. I love pumpkin treats that you bake and eat. I even love pumpkin seeds. I, however, do not enjoy hot pumpkin drinks. Coffee becomes my favorite at Christmas when the peppermint starts being added(and mocha!) 

I'm definitely not into hot tea either. I've tried it in many forms and my grandmother use to make me drink it with honey when I was sick. I would very slowly sip through it, wishing I could have it iced and sweet instead! I loooove sweet iced tea. There is always a pitcher full in our fridge. So I suppose that leaves me with enjoying hot chocolate in the fall! Here in Texas, though, it's usually not quite that cold yet..So I'm not real sure what my answer is here!

3.What's the best fall memory you have?

I'm not sure I've created one yet. I am so excited that our kids are old enough for us to do so much with them! I'm sure a favorite fall memory is just about to be made!

4. Which fall makeup trend do you prefer? Dark lips or winged eyeliner?

Winged eyeliner. I think eye makeup is my favorite to play around with. My skin is such a pale color that dark lips look a little funny on me.

5. Best fragrance for fall?

My year around favorite is my Victoria's Secret Heavenly. I don't know if it's seasonal or not but I like to wear it.

6. Favorite Thanksgiving food?

Cranberry sauce. I like all kinds of course, but what I really prefer is the kind that comes out shaped like the can! It may not be considered the most healthy or anything. I just love it that way. For some reason, it tastes best to me!

7. What is autumn weather like where you live? 

Here in Texas, we barely have a change in weather. During the day is usually still pretty warm. At night it gets crisp and cools down though! There are usually some cool days leading up to Thanksgiving but it takes until pretty late in the season.

8. Most worn sweater?

I love sweaters..I'm not sure any are most worn! Actually what's usually worn the most is my black hoodie! Oh that's where the true comfort is!

9. Must have nail polish? 

This time of year, I start drifting towards grays and cranberry red colors. Sometimes grey-purple colors. I like the ones that make me think of fall leaves.

10. Football game or jumping in a pile of leaves? 

Leaves! Most definitely leaves. My kids discovered piling up leaves to jump in last year. I loved watching them do it! I don't get into pro sports at all. I do really love listening to and watching the high school marching bands though! *geek alert*

11. Skinny Jeans or leggings.

Neither. I don't like to wear tight things. I like things fitted and comfortable.

12. Combat boots or Uggs?

If I had to choose, uggs

13. Is pumpkin spice worth the hype?

I do enjoy baked goods made of pumpkin. I don't really enjoy hot drinks flavored of pumpkin or pumpkin pie though.

14. Favorite Fall TV Show? 

I loooooooove Parenthood! I love the shows Lauren Graham and Ray Ramono came from. Now they've been put in a show together? I'm in! I love everyone in the show. I'm just particular to them too! Just a great show! It makes me cry so often!

15. What song really gets you into the fall spirit? 

Probably my old high school song. Every fall, every pep rally and football game. That time of year, this was a pretty prominent song in my life. To this day I can easily remember it and it brings back the Friday nights at the high school games. The half time shows that I really enjoyed. The cute drummer I dated. Seeing the entire little town shut down to come out and cheer the team on. it was such a classic little town come Friday night!

My high school team ^^

So I hope you enjoyed the read! Go answer the questions on your blog! Comment with the link!

Christmas Farted in My Daughter's Room

It started out a lovely Sunday morning. Stephen is working today(not so lovely.) The kids and I woke and had a nice breakfast together. Then I turned on some morning cartoons for them(Lorelai requested the Sprout channel today) and started doing some dishes that I was too lazy to do last night. As I'm loading the dishwasher, Lorelai walks in and is behind me talking. I just talk to her for a few minutes without really looking back. Then, as I finish dishes, I ask her to step out of the kitchen so I can get the floor swept. She says sure and runs off! The next thing I know, they are playing in Lorelai's room together. Great!

 So I sweep and get the stuff to mop out. I decide to go check on them real quick. As I walk to her bedroom at the end of the hall, I'm engulfed with the overwhelming smell of cinnamon. It's in that moment the dread hits me, as I know what I'm about to walk in to. I put on my serious mommy face and walk to the door...

Turning to me are 2 very brown children in a brown dust covered room. It was everywhere! I notice they were particular about covering the window sill. I find the bottle and it is, of course, entirely empty.

They went straight to the shower! I am now spending my Sunday vacuuming over and over in one little room. I just can't believe the sneaky little turkey swiped it from the kitchen while talking to me! This happened right under my nose! Her room now smells like Christmas farted.

Oh and did I mention our vacuum has become incredibly unreliable. We've actually been shopping for a new one. So that's making the clean up process real fun.....

So how is your Sunday going?

My Fall Show Lineup!

I love this time of year. The holidays start fast approaching. Things cool down and turn crisp. You can start getting cozy after putting the kids down in the evening. What goes well with all of this? The return of all the good shows! This is the first time in years that we have cable. In the past I just watched everything on Hulu. Now I'm anxious about getting to watch most of them at their regular time on their regular channel! Hulu(as well as Charter's On Demand feature) is now just for when I miss an episode. So here is my lineup! There are some double bookings, so I'm glad there are other places to catch the ones I have to miss!

-It all started with the new show THE RED BAND SOCIETY which aired this past Wednesday at 7( all of these are central standard time) but I caught on Fox's website after. I did notice it aired again Friday night though!
-This Monday the 22nd is the return of  THE VOICE at 7pm on NBC. I do know this is always added on HULU as well. That's how I watched it last year.
-On Wednesday the 24th I will be watching the premiere of BLACKISH on ABC at 9:30
-Thursdays has some double booking! Argh! I have GREY'S ANATOMY at 7 on ABC, PARENTHOOD  at 9 on NBC and HOW TO GET AWAY WITH MURDER premiering on ABC at 9 as well. Luckily ABC has playback on their site and this is available on demand with my cable.
-Im pretty excited about these two new series SELFIE on Sept 30th at 7 (which you can watch the first episode of on abc.com.) and MANHATTAN LOVE STORY at 7:30.

I will also be watching LAST MAN STANDING when it returns October 3rd and ABOUT A BOY  when it returns October 4th. Of course, GLEE will be added into the mix when it airs too! Once I know the date of premiere for HART OF DIXIE it gets added in too!

I watch a few other fall shows like ONCE UPON A TIME but I can not find time to watch what I already do, let alone add any more to it. So I tend to watch those in my own time on Netflix a season behind!

What shows are you waiting for?

Lemon Chicken using Fogg City Spice

Tonight's post will be brought to you by pictures. I have more to say on this spice I used. It came in my Food With Love box this month. That will be a whole other post though. It also includes a Knorr pasta side. I love grabbing a few of these when they are at sale prices. They are such an easy add on to any meal!

Preheat for chicken 

Sliced up a fresh lemon

Opened up my sample of Fogg City Spice Co.'s Lemon Rosemary seasoning. I was actually excited to receive this little packet. I had been planning to make lemon rosemary chicken already. However, when grocery shopping I forgot to purchase a new thing of Rosemary seasoning. I've just planted a sprig of it so I'll eventually be able to use fresh. It hasn't grown much yet, though. So this saved my dinner!

I placed a slice of lemon on each chicken breast. I also used a slice to squeeze juice over all of them and a little in the bottom of the pan. After I added fresh lemon I evenly sprinkled some of  the seasoning on all 6 of them.

Placed in oven for 30 minutes

Cooked up this quick and easy(and tasty) side while I waited for it. I also prepared side salads to add to our meal.

I forgot to take a picture straight out of the oven but here is one lonely piece left at the end of dinner!

Which didn't last much longer than this picture! 

It turned out so yummy and the pasta side and salad were great compliments to it!

Progress of Finnigan- PPCD-3 Program, Part 1

 Way back in January, I posted about our concerns with Finn and his lack of communicating and the beginning the process of getting him some help. Shortly after, I lost my laptop. So, I wanted to come back and give an update of what has happened with that. I feel this is an important post, in that this is something that makes life a little better to know others are going through similar situations. If you have a child that is behind, then you know it can be such a worrisome thing. Constantly wondering if you're doing enough. Trying to research for any and all tips or anything to reassure yourself it will all turn out fine. That your child will someday function on a level with his peers. Worrying if someday he'll be bullied or left out because he is a little different from those around him.

 In January of this year, as I mentioned in the previous post, we took him for an evaluation by the school. It was a definite that he needed some speech therapy and needed the classroom immersion to go with it. So they placed him in the PPCD program. Which here is preschool for 3-4 year olds who need the extra help and push. Kind of a special education, with the goal of having the child where they need to be by kindergarten. At that point, they want to evaluate him again. Then they will be able to see more clearly if autism still may play some role in his development or if he truly is at his own pace. They believe a good portion of it all is contributed to communication. So they want to give him some time to get more speech therapy under his belt. He currently goes to school daily for 3 hours. He gets 1 hour of speech therapy twice a week. They did say that he isn't needing behavioral therapy. That they think he will benefit greatly from the immersion in class with the socialization that comes from that.

He started the week of Valentine's day this past February. Within 2 weeks, I noticed him starting to change. He LOVES school. He went with no issues and actually cried when I picked him up the first couple days. Once he noticed he goes daily, that went away. I was so glad it was easy for him since he had always stayed home with me. In those first couple of weeks, he started making more effort when we talked to him. He'd start looking at us instead of down or at something else in the room. He started telling people bye and acknowledging when things were said more. As the weeks went, this continued. It was slow improvements but with each week Id notice them.

When school let out for summer, I was nervous about what this would mean for him. So I got on Pinterest and armed myself with some activities and things to do daily. I didn't want him to lose some of his progress. So daily I would have him sit at the table for about 30 minutes and we would go through a few things. Review letters, introducing sounds, counting, weather(which is kind of boring in Texas in summer since everyday is about 100 and hot) and by recommendation of his teacher we also incorporated activities of sorting. She mentioned that's where they were leaving off in class. So we did sorting by color and size. We are still working on sorting by categories.

In July, his school district offers a summer school program that lasts 3 weeks. It doesn't teach new things but it is a maintenance course. Just reviews things to keep it fresh on their minds. He did really well with that. It was at a different school with different teachers but that didn't seem to even phase him! My husband was having to fix things on his motorcycle so we were on one vehicle. I made the choice to let him try riding the bus and that went really well. He loved it. It hurt my mommy heart a little to see my little guy climbing up those big bus steps!

Now we are about a month into school starting. I have to say that between when he originally started until now, his speech has made vast improvements. As well as the rest of his communication. He will now indicate he is hungry. He'll point to things he wants and when asked to choose one or the other he will verbally choose. He says quite a few more things now. No where near where he should be quite yet but enough to know we are heading in the right direction. It's the biggest relief to see this happening for him. His teacher has actually mentioned that he is ready to start the beginnings of reading. Which I think is great and I think could be really helpful with his speech! His vocabulary is probably in the 50-70 word category now. We still cant hold conversations but we can get one word answers.

The biggest thing I've noticed is he sings quite a bit now. He loves music! He actually enjoys when I turn classical type music on. He will play around on our piano as well and we don't hate the sound he makes. He actually is seeming to understand there are orders you can play in to make it sound a certain way. I will definitely be looking into piano lessons when he seems to have a little more focus.

So as of right now, that is the update. I think I will try to track him weekly on here. With this post I've tried to remember everything I could about the last few months. I'm sure there is plenty I have forgotten to include, so hopefully updating weekly I can track his progress more accurately.

I would love to read posts about others in similar situations. We are still so new at this and are just kind of learning as we go. Id love to read posts about the issues you have gone through!

Cooking My Way Through Pinterest: DIY Pizza Bagel Bites

It's Friday, Friday! Gotta get down on Friday!
In my mind Friday nights=pizza nights!
Why, yes, we did have pizza earlier in the week. So, yes, that means we had a pizza type dinner twice in a week. Your point?
Tonight's creation is based on this finding from Pinterest:

You can find the original recipe over at RainingHotCoupons.com

I did tweak a few things and had it turn out like this:

And let me tell you, they went quick! I made 24 of them! For a family of 4(two of them with small mouths still) that's a pretty tasty dinner!

I bought a bag of 12 mini bagels and of course split them in half. I placed each piece on the oven racks for 2 minutes at 350 degrees to toast.

Pulled them out laid them out on a baking sheet. Then I spread on pre-made pizza sauce(original recipe has directions for making your own, if you prefer that route.) Then I topped them all with Mozzarella cheese. For the last note, I put pepperoni on majority but left a few just cheese(kid preference.) The original recipe says mini pepperonis. However, when on the aisle to buy the pepperoni, I noticed the tiny ones cost more. I thought that was silly so just bought normal ones. I think I would still prefer it that way even if they were same price. It made it so you had a good bite of it every time.

These came out so tasty and filling! I dont think I would have made any less. The kids had their bagel pizza with a side of pears. The hubs and I just filled up on these. So so good! I definetly recommend this recipe as a great dinner choice. I do think it would be pretty good with a light basic salad served on the side.

Hope this was helful!

The Real: New Talk Show

If I'm near an available TV at 3pm during the week, I'll probably watch the Ellen Degeneres Show. I love it so much! Sitting in the audience one day would be a dream come true. Last week, she has on the hosts of the new show "The Real." While on the Ellen Show I was intrigued. I thought the conversation was funny and I knew I wanted to try their show out when I could catch it on.

Today was that day. In fact, it's still going up there on my TV. However, after about 20 minutes a resounding SLAM signaled the closing of my mind. These ladies are enjoyable to watch in the shows and forms of entertainment from which they came. However, creating conversation on a talk show, it just isn't working for me. Maybe my mindset isn't right for watching. They talk a lot about dating and fashion and as a stay home mom, who spends a lot of time in comfy house clothes that wont be missed if a child stains them, I'm just not staying interested enough.

Now, I'm liking today's guests on but the interviews almost seem awkward. You can really tell they are use to being on the other end of the interview. I know it's new and they are kind of new at this, so hopefully it starts to seem less forced.

I'm sad I don't like it. I like all these ladies in other things they've been in. I'm very much hoping I can revisit after a while and I can enjoy it once they get better at what they're doing here.

Cooking My Way Through Pinterest: Mini Tacos

Hi, I'm Kasie and I'm a Pinterest hoarder...
Who else is guilty? Why is it soooo addicting? There's just so many good ideas. When I pull them off, I feel like such a genius, lol.

So, upon my New Year's resolution to learn to cook, my biggest resource has been Pinterest. I need easy directions, and recipes that offer various ways of making them(family that includes picky eaters over here.) I wish I would have had my blog accessible since I started but I still have so much to learn that I think this will still work perfectly.

So a few times a week, I would like to have a series dedicated to this. I will be calling them "Cooking My Way Through Pinterest." I look forward to writing about my triumphs and fails(there are still plenty, there has even been a night that resulted in throwing dinner the trash and going to CiCi's.)

So, stick with me and let me do the testing for you! Have a favorite recipe or one on Pinterest that you've been wondering about? Send it to me, I might try it and let you know what I find out! Nothing too complicated yet! I'm getting there!

We'll start with what I made tonight to kick things off!

Tonight I made

Mini Tacos!

I thought they looked super tasty! So I bought the ingredients to use:

Tostitos tortilla Scoops

1lb of ground beef

Shredded Mexican Blend cheese

El Paso taco seasoning

Sour cream

Lettuce

Tomatoes

The picture I have saved on my Pinterest board is one of the annoying pins that goes no where when you click it! Seriously dislike those duds! So I just winged it. 

I preheated my oven to 250 degrees F.

In a pan I browned the meat and added the seasoning. 

In a baking pan I laid out as many scoops as it took to fill the little pan and spooned some of  the finished beef into each one and sprinkled the cheese over them all.

Then I popped them in the oven for 5 minutes. They came out looking so delicious!

Beautiful, eh? Toot Toot(<= that's the sound of me tooting my own horn, in case you didn't know!)

I was so excited, while it's a fairly simple thing to make, I still get excited when things come out the way they are suppose to.

I served it topped with lettuce, tomatoes, and sour cream.

 I added salsa to the plates to dip, if wanted. I also added a side of refried beans.

They were so tasty. Kids and husband both ate them right up! My son is extremely picky so I didnt add the lettuce to his but he ate his up real fast too! 

Now if there wasnt a side with it, it wouldnt have been all that filling. They were tasty, yes but it was kind of like eating Chinese food. Everything is small so you eat more to get full. With as tasty as they are and being the perfect little bite size, I think they would be perfect to serve as party food! Maybe a cuter version of a taco bar? Other than that we really loved them, I think our own family will move them to a lunch item or for future parties. For dinner, I think we'll stick to more hearty nachos.

Question for the Aging Hair!

I have always really like my hair. It's thick and wavy. I've never had any desire to dye it before. I don't like to straighten it. It's always been pretty low maintenance hair. As long as I kept it trimmed and brushed, it has been good to me.

Well in the past year, I've noticed it changing a lot. It's not as easy to keep nice, it sheds ALOT and it's just not as healthy. Also, these started showing up

I'm 27! Why? Why hair, have you forsaken me? I've cared for you all this time! Oh, and might I add, they are not just the occasional graying hair. They are full blown bright white. No slowly getting there about it! 

Needless to say, I've begun looking into hair coloring ideas. I know there is all that hullabaloo about aging gracefully and I plan to but I need a little more time to accept it! My 20s just isnt fair! Ive come across one that I quite like and plan to look into. On top of this though, I'd also like to restore a little of the general health of my hair. So, I have been toying with the idea of different options. Which is why I'm here. Can someone give me some insight to the "no poo" methods or some good products that will do this. I'm not looking to break the bank, but I'd like to be proud of my hair again. So if you have any ideas, please, let me know!

Mickey and Minnie Parties

Congratulations, Disney! Mickey Mouse Clubhouse has achieved exactly what you meant it to! The new generation of children are seeing Mickey and Minnie as beloved characters as did their parents! This past couple of months, I've assisted in putting together two Minnie and Mickey parties for two sweet little girls turning 2.

There are few things I love more than receiving a message from a friend asking that I help with their party. I seriously love it. I coordinated weddings before kids, my favorite part having been the decorating. I very much miss it. So I've turned that energy into birthday parties now! It's unpaid and just helping friends for now, but Im hoping to maybe turn it into more, once I fine tune it a little. My designs havent quite reached that crisp perfectly put together look yet you see online. Which I think with the existence of Pinterest, is what any customer would expect. Hoping to get there though! So I just keep taking any chance I get for experience! 

So I just wanted to share some pictures from these couple of parties I have worked on. Both moms came to me with smaller budgets, so I created schemes that could work with that. One was at the family's home and one was at a park pavillion. I didnt get as many pictures at the park pavillion. But with it being a park (and raining) the decor was kept more minimal. We let the table cloths and even the gifts wrapped in theme make up the feel of the party.

In the home party, we created a very simple but adorable tablescape using only 1 red plastic table cloth, white polka dots I cut out myself, and we attached different sized paper plated in the recognizable shape of Minnie and Mickey.

We also attached tiny bows since Minnie was the main focus of the party.

We continued with the plates to create fun decor for around the room.

We also cut out more polka dots for the front door.

For the park party we created some DIY Minnie ears with bows and Mickey ears without. The ears were cut from felt and hot glued onto some basic plastic black headbands. Laid out at the party for each guest to pick up when arriving created a cute decor on it's own! 

We attached balloons to the pavillion posts, each table had a red or yellow tablecloth and we also added a fun little touch with water bottles. I love when items such as water, that you would have at the party anyways, doubles as decor!

And of course, the star herself made a couple of appearances!

I know this post is small for a party post, but I'm hoping others who are going for affordable as we were, can gain something from it! The party at the park had a professional photographer, so I'll see about getting permission to use some of those here so you can see more! In the future, I must remember to take more of my own shots. Two more parties down, and the new thing I learned, take more pictures! Ha

Papa John's Chocolate Chip Cookie A.K.A. Pan of Deliciousness

I love chocolate and I love cookies. Which is why this blog is happening. It's going to sound like a commercial but I think if I try something I love then it deserves to be shared!

Last night, the husband worked late. I have been working hard learning to cook and making sure I cook a family dinner nightly. However, last night I just wasnt up for cooking the (already very grumpy and ready for bed) kids and then making sure it is something that can easily be warmed when he got home. So I decided, dragging my fit throwing 2 year old to the van at the park(yeah it was that kind of day) that Papa John's sounded fabulous. It's 2 minutes from our house, so it makes hot and easy dinner very accessible!

While at the counter ordering my take away pizza, feeling like one tired mommy, I made an impulse decision to add the big chocolate cookie onto my order. I thought it would be a great treat once the kids were in bed. I looked forward to it, but I was just expecting a cookie cake type confection. It's the size of one and it looks like one(one big cookie!!!), so I expected something I had at birthday parties with out the uber sweet icing.

However, once I tucked the kids in to bed, and settled down with a good show with my slice, I bit into it and was oh so pleasantly surprised. This was every bit the expectation you have for a chocolate chip cookie. It was sooooo yummy, lots of chocolate chips, moist and perfectly baked. I was in love. Not going back for more was the biggest dose of self discipline I've have ever had!

So next time you're going to order pizza, make it a Papa John's( because well the pizza is really freaking good, too) and add on one of the delish cookies! Don't tell the kids though, you wont want to share!

*Disclaimer #1 i wasnt asked to write this, the cookie was just that good
#2 I didnt actually drag my daughter, I was feeling like I was going to have to though!

Edible Campfires! How To Use Some of That Yummy Candy Corn!

To get the flow going again, I'll share a fun little fall treat I made for my family! Now, my New Year's resolution was to learn more in the kitchen. Up until, literally this year, I was pretty useless in the kitchen. In the past my husband did the majority of the cooking. Finally, his job hours cut in to how much he could do and I got tired of how much I was spending on things already prepared. Plus, I just hated feeding my kids so much of it. Now, Im not saying we are automatically healthy for cooking at home, but I certainly feel like it's heading in the right direction. Just based on variety alone, I know it's better.

One aspect I have loved is learning how to make the fun things, like seasonal desserts. Which is what I'm here to share today. Today's recipe is a twist on one that has been made time and time again by anyone who can melt things!

Just by this picture alone, I'm sure some of you who are more seasoned in the kitchen know where Im going. If not, these two ingredients create a tasty little treat known as haystacks. I wish I had a picture of my own to share what I'm talking about but I don't own one. So go Google or Pinterest, Ill wait.....

Ok, now that you've seen that, this will make more sense :)

So all you do is melt the butterscotch, pour some of the chow mein noodles in, coat them and then make little piles on wax paper and allow to cool/harden.

Here is my fun little fall inspired addition, though

That's right! The season of candy corn has arrived! It was price matched this week to a great price at Kroger(so if you have one near you, check your ad! I just price match at Walmart!) 

When you add these yummy little morsels to a haystack you get....

A cute little fire.

How cute are those? My kids thought it was the coolest thing ever. Now they are 2 and 3, so pretty dern easy to impress but I cant argue with them! And yes, that is a dern you see back there! Welcome to today's lesson of Texas slang! 

Dern-can be used in place of dang or darn.

 Haha! 

These were quite tasty. Also, when I posted to my Facebook page, a friend commented they might taste yummy with some honey roasted peanuts mixed in. She may be right! So when you make these for your family, throw some in and give it a try! Come let me know how it is!

I'm Baaaaack!

Finally! After a lengthy absence, I'm back! I didn't even know how much I was enjoying having my blog until I didn't have good access to it for a while. I lost my laptop to a destructive 3 year old and it took me a while to finally replace! I tried a couple post from my phone, but that just (for lack of better word) sucked! So now I have a replacement, finally! I'm back. I have so many things to post about! Parties, my path to being able to cook, my son's speech/development(he's been behind but is slowly catching up!), our life now, and so much. I've hated not being able to document things! So while I will be keeping this return post short, I'm going to be here a lot! Have a lot of time to make up for! Hope people are still willing to read!

Post Pregnancy Cravings

Most women endure pregnancy cravings.  Time and again,  you hear the crazy stories of odd pairings or husbands being sweet and running out to get the desired food. Mine was never sweet enough at 2am for that but I didn't hold it against him.

However,  I'm curious,  how many still have one of those cravings pop up after delivering? My personal preference was ketchup.  Often enough I would cook or order fries just so I wasn't the crazy lady eating ketchup on its own.

Now my youngest is 2 and I still find myself occasionally having the craving. It's not as often or fierce but I have those occasional cravings pop up which require an order of fries.

So here I am,  wondering if anyone will answer my curiosity,  does this happen to others?

I should also add that my children now love the condiment as well.  They don't get it terribly often, as it's not terribly healthy. I just think it's an interesting and funny link.

Photo of the Day 11

Photo of the day time!

Day 11: colorful

In my previous post, I mentioned spending time at the playground today.  I found my inspiration of the day there.

Follow my photo of the day challenge on IG! @mamaeye

And post your own! #fmsphotoaday

Finnigan's Journey

Today, it was a beautiful(but very windy) Texas day. I received an invite from a friend, for a play date at a nearby playground.  We took then up on it and went to enjoy the company.

As I sit with the other mom watching our kids,  I notice myself watching Finnigan playing and interacting with the other kids.  This may not sound like a big deal for a 3 year old kid but in our case,  it's actually rather significant.

Over the last few months,  I've started worrying myself about his lack of desire for talking or how in social settings playing on his own is his normal.  So I got in contact with the people I needed to for inquiry about therapy.

The school ended up being the direction we were pointed in. The first thing the therapist there wanted was to do a small examination to see if she thought just some help with speech would get him on the necessary track.  The initial thought was maybe the stuff stems from him not grasping how to communicate.

So in we went. After about a 30 minute series of little tests, the word autism was thrown out. Not only was she concerned about speech but his entire mindset.  He followed and was able to do a lot of what she asked.  He also ignored,  showed lack of understanding simple things and blatant shyness/social interaction. Not the normal 3year old with his own agenda kind but almost like in his own world.

So another and more thorough exam was set up for later with a psychologist and occupational therapy, as well as, one more additional speech exam with her.

That exam took place this week.  Now over the last couple weeks or so,  I have noticed a lot of significant changes.  He specifically asks for things when he never did before.  Normally he let Lorelai do all the talking.  He has stopped ignoring us so much. Also, like today,  he understands playing with others and making friends.  It's like a switch flipped on!

The exam went amazing,  he did a lot of what they asked for.  There were still some hang ups of the last one,  and his words and how he says them have him in need of AT LEAST speech. I think they are still considering a well rounded therapy for him,  also. We have a meeting with their official plan soon.  They also gave me some things to do at home to help with dexterity.  He has great coordination and gross motor skills. However, when he works with smaller things,  his hands shake like he is cold. That will also have to be addressed in what they do.

This is the journey,  thus far.  I have a feeling they while he did great at the meeting we still have quite a bit of it left.  However,  this experience is really teaching me patience.  With Lorelai taking off with flying colors in everything,  I have to remind myself often to not compare them.  I use it as a standard of where he should be getting to. I can't company,  though. Im having to learn to slow down and let him go at his pace.

I get weekly journal prompts from the Fill Your Cup subscription from another blogger.  This week the theme was patience. It prompted me to spill about this.  While we dont have a result to include,  I thought id write where we are on the journey.

When he was making friends at the playground today. It just made my heart smile.  It's like getting a sign that all this that has me nervous and anxious will be ok.

Photo of the Day 9 and 10

Photo of the day catch up. I've been posting them on my IG, mamaeye. I like having them here, as well.
So I left off at day 9. The theme for the day was "nature."
I knew I wouldn't find that in our apartment complex and I have been wanting some mommy/son time.  So even though the world here was wet,  cold and drizzly,  we got our warm jackets and found a nearby place to take a nature walk.

When we started walking we saw so many things he wanted to stop and look at.  Minus the soggy shoes we were getting,  it was fun. One thing I noticed is a number of damaged trees from the ice storm,  a month ago.

However,  the one that impressed me the most and deserved the photo of the day honor was:

The one growing sideways.  Even in nature it's ok to be different!

The next day was the opposite.  My challenge was to find something to fit the "man made" prompt. Well, I knew from the beginning it would be my favorite man made object.  

While it's not as dirty as I like them to be.  It's a very visually appealing to me :) 

What can I say? There's somethin' 'bout a truck!

So that's caught up.  I'm still in search of my photo of today! 

I'm finding this to be so fun.  It's nice to be encouraged to go out and see things and go places I wouldn't go,  normally.  It's adding just the right amount of adventure to my life,  I suppose. 

I'm in no way a photographer.  I've always wanted to be better at taking pictures, though,  so I'm hoping the challenge gives me the practice I need.  

If you would like to join the challenge, it's easy! I'm starting with this list,  

And when I take and have a photo ready, I simply post it to the instagram account I mentioned above. Just add #fmsphotoaday in the description.  

I love searching the#  and seeing all the interpretations of the prompts from others.  It's just a fun thing to be a part of! .

Saturdays

It's a lovely Saturday here in the metroplex! Still chilly at 52°. However,  the sun is out and shining bright! I have our patio door open,  letting the kids go in and out as I do some Saturday morning cleaning.  As I was doing this,  it really got me to thinking about the Saturdays of my childhood.  The main ones I remember are from when I was 3rd or 4th grade.  My younger sister was just a baby.  As babies do she would wake up very early crying. Since I had the room next door,  it would of course wake me.  While this would have upset me later in my teenage years,  as a kid it actually worked perfectly.

You see,  she woke me just in time for Bugs Bunny and all my favorite Saturday morning cartoons! So I'd wake and go get her.  I changed her diaper(I thought diaper genies were so neat then) and would then take her to the living room with me.  I would get her settled in her swing and we would watch them together.

Now that I have my own kids,  all I can think is,  how amazing that must have been for my mom! Now don't worry,  they would often be up not too long after and didn't make me do this.  They knew I was capable of doing at least those things though. I was a total little mama to her up through her toddler years. As I was saying, though,  I can't help thinking how nice that must have been to have as a mom. That one extra hour of sleep. I loved getting to do it.  It made me feel big to take care of her for that hour.

When I think of Saturdays,  I always tend to drift back to that.  Today it will include chores and take care of my own children.


What are you doing on this Saturday?

Date Night! ♥and Saving Mr Banks☆

Tonight was date night! After a fun busy day with the kids,  we dropped them off with a volunteering friend and went out for some adult time.  Over the last 2 months,  my husband worked a lot.  The hazards of retail management over the holidays.  While I'm thankful for him having a job and all that comes with it,  I missed him.

Since our birthdays were this past weekend,  we returned to where we love to have birthday dinner.  Texas Roadhouse.  We can't go often because it's not usually something we can budget for.  However,  our birthday it's exactly where you'll find us.  My favorite restaurant,  hands down.

We followed up with a movie because we are sadly cliché.  I had been waiting weeks to see Saving Mr. Banks.  Tonight, we made it happen! It was a lovely movie.  I enjoyed it so much.  Tom Hanks did a wonderful job, as did the rest of the top notch cast.  Great film! It's another view and different feel than what you would expect from a Disney movie.  In fact,  I think most children would find it quite boring.  It's a story for the older people for sure.

That's where our night ended.  A simple and fun break.  A chance for it to be only us. Just what this momma needed.

Now for my photo of the day challenge.
Today is day 8 and the topic is, lucky number.  My lucky number has always been 7. As we were getting dressed today, I found my daughter can now fit in size 7 shoes.  So I decided to note that and achieve my challenge.

To follow my challenge,  see my IG mamaeye. #fmsphotoaday

Date night

Doing my hair and make up deserves a selfie

Loce noting what she picks to wear. 

Helping daddy make a repair to the washing machine, today. 

My 1st Photo of the Day Challenge!

Due to lack of easy to use for blogging technology, I have been away from this blog.  I miss it! But now with the help of my handy dandy galaxy s4, I'm ready to keep going.  There is just too much that happens daily with my now 2 and 3 year old to not put it somewhere!

Today,  I want to talk about a challenge I have taken on. I have always wanted to do a photo of the day challenge.  So I found one for January on Pinterest.com to start with.  If I like it,  I may challenge myself to a year!

The cruddy part,  I started 7 days late! At least I did start though.

So here is today's challenge:
 Day 7, upside down

this one is easy to catch in my house as my guys rough house daily together. It's probably my son's favorite thing in the world.  Pillow fights are his crack!

Feel free to follow this on my IG. Username mamaeye.  Tag me if you join the fun! Tag all challenge pics #fmsphotoaday! I like that this will require creative thinking and even some exploring!