I'm Back!!

I had a dream last night about an old post of mine (my Surrender post and the Surrender Success Stories post) and it inspired me to take a look back.  It made me miss blogging!   A lot of it was full of fun memories, pictures, stories. Some stories I shared, like the Surrender posts, helped or inspired others and that is so humbling!  All of this inspired me to post again!  It's only been a 3 or 4 year hiatus so I'll quickly recap!  

Life has changed quite a bit since I was last on here.... For one, I am married now to my wonderful husband, Marc.  

Isn't he cute?!  

And, for our little family... we'll they are growing up!

Haden is my step-son and he's 12!  He's an avid fisherman who just won his first bass fishing tournament this past weekend at Lake Okeechobee and he also is an awesome bara sax player in his middle school band.  He's also a great big brother to Taylor and an awesome role model for her to look up to.  I am so very proud of the young man he is becoming.  

My little Tay Tay is not so little anymore... She is 6 and in the first grade!  She is smart, funny, and full of spunk and tude!  She amazes me every day with her kind heart and love for her friends and family.  She is such a sweet girl but she also knows how to work her momma!  See all that tude?!?

Last but not least, our little Romie!  She is 9 years old now, but still our little pup!

Well that's the short and sweet recap of where we are in our lives now!  

I hope you are all well - I'd love to hear from my old blog followers if you're still out there! :)

Back From the Dead

It feels so good to return to a functioning member of society!  

Taylor and I were both hit suddenly and hard with the flu!  On Monday morning, Taylor woke up with a 104.3 fever!  That was so scary!  After taking a cool bath and a dose of Mortin, her fever was down to 101 and I took her to the ER.  I don't mess with high fevers!  She looked so lethargic and listless; it was hard to watch.  

It was a family affair in the ER as Tay's dad and little step-brother were all there also needing treatment for their flu and pneumonia!  While at the ER I could feel my flu quickly setting in.  I just couldn't wait until Taylor was taken care of and home resting so that I could then address my flu and get some meds... fast!  Luckily, we have a brand new hospital right across the street from the neighborhood and there was no wait!  We were in and out within 2 hours!

I got Taylor home and comfy on the couch and Grandma came to the rescue so that I could go to the walk-in clinic to get Tamiflu.  Thank God for Grgr to the rescue!  Mom's don't get sick days, so a little help was greatly needed and appreciated!  

After a full week of fevers, coughing, and body aches - we're back to feeling like ourselves again!  Time to get our flu shots!

Make It Stop!

I can’t believe how fast the years are flying by! Every November when Reese and Samantha have their birthdays, it’s tradition to re-take their pictures in the same pose as we did when they were just born. It started out in 2011 when Taylor was 6 months old and the girls were just a few days old. They all fit snugly in a Boppy and Taylor very proudly held the babies…

Then they all turned ONE! That was a tough pic to take!

And then came TWO…

And now, here they are at THREE!  When did this happen?!

Us Mommies took the same picture too, but this time we had the company of three very busy little girls who joined us. What a blessing all these little people are in our lives! What ever did we do for entertainment before we had all these kids?!

 

x

What a Sweet Surprise!

HELLOOOO!  I’m back after a 5 month blogger hiatus! I miss blogging, but life’s just been so busy and filled with lots of (good) changes, so I took some time off. I want to get back into it though, because I miss looking back and watching Taylor grow up on in past posts and being able to chronicle my life.

So, yesterday I was in my bathroom getting ready and the house was awful quiet… No one was hanging on me, no whining or crying, no one was getting into my makeup drawer, no one needed anything, so I suspected SOMETHING was up. Marc went to go look for Taylor and Haden and then came running back to come get me. He said, “You’ve gotta see this! Shhhh!” So, we quietly ran to the kid’s bathroom to find Haden delicately brushing Taylor’s hair after helping her get dressed, and he was even attempting to put a bow in her hair. I almost cried! How sweet is that?!? We didn’t find them fighting over a toy, making a mess, or (play) sword fighting… Nope! He was brushing her hair and she was letting him! I wish I was able to get a picture of it. Instead of had them pose for me after running back to grab my phone…

(BTW, Haden will KILL me if he knew his picture of him in his PJs is all over the world wide web, so let’s just make that our little secret, K???)

Seeing this reminded me to thank God immediately… These are my kids! My miracle baby, Taylor, and my new step-son, Haden! How awesome is that?!

I never imagined this is what my family would look like – it’s much different that what I first envisioned when I found out I was pregnant with the Green Beans SIX LONG years ago. I just knew I wanted to be a Mom and I was open to what God had in store for me. It has been a tough road, but I so glad to be where I am today! So grateful for the blessings that surround me.

DIY {Comfy Cozy Blanket}

 

Taylor’s birthday is right around the corner.  When I asked her what she wanted, she quickly answered, “A Snow White blanket!!”   So, naturally, I had to find a way to make this happen for her….

I found this super comfy fabric that had all her favorite princesses on it, including Snow – so I knew that was the one!  To top it off, I got the comfy dot fabric for the other side.  I bought 1 yard of each, so when complete, this blanket will be about 3 x 5 feet! 

Here’s what you need:

1 yard of fleece

1 yard of dot fabric

thread, scissors, needle, and a sewing machine

This really is an easy project!  I have not broken out my sewing machine in probably 5 years, before today, but I was reminded how fun and rewarding it can be!  I first made her new smocked dress, then begun on the blanket.

First, lay out your fabrics, so the pretty sides are facing each other.  Line them up and cut any access.  You may need to use a yard stick if you have one to make sure the sides are straight and square.  I didn’t have one, so I just eye balled it. 

Begin pinning the sides together. 

Sew the 4 sides of the blanket together inside out, but be sure to leave a few inch opening on one side so you can pull the blanket right side out.  Leave a part of one side open, but not a corner. 

Now, with the small opening you left, pull the blanket right-side out.  Then, hand stitch the opening together.

 

Iron your blanket, and then pick a few areas throughout the blanket to put a few hand stitches in.  This will keep the two layers of fabric from shifting and keep it lined up nicely.

I have a feeling this will be one of her favorite things she gets for her birthday!  Funny how the littlest, most simple gifts can make them the happiest.  I can just picture her now, all curled up with her “princess cozy” watching a movie :)

Super Easy Sewing Project {Smocked Dress}

Want a SUPER easy sewing project that literally takes 2 minutes, and will make you feel proud at your “crafty” accomplishments?!?!  Well, do this!! 

I picked up this fabric that was a pre-smocked at Joanne’s.  It’s got Disney Princesses on it, so I knew Tay would love it.  It’s sold by the inch, so I eyeballed how much I think I needed and bought it! 

Here’s all you need…

Dust the cobwebs off your sewing machine, load it up with thread, and make ONE stitch down the size of the fabric. 

Make sure you turn the fabric inside out and sew!

Two minutes later, you will have a cute sundress/or beach cover up for your little princess and you’ll feel oh so crafty!  

Happy Sewing! :)

Easter Joy!

Easter was a blast this year!  It is such a joy to celebrate the holidays with my Tay Tay!  Now that she is almost three, she really got the whole Easter Egg Hunt idea and had so much fun with it!  On Saturday, we went to two neighborhood’s egg hunts.  She enjoyed collecting eggs and most importantly, seeing what was in all of them!  On Sunday morning she got her basket full of fun stuff fit for a princess, and some candy of course. On our way to church that morning, Taylor asks me if I am the Easter Bunny!!  It was so random and funny!  I’m not big into the whole Easter Bunny tradition, so I told her I was – but of course she’ll keep getting Easter Baskets, plus I’m sure she’ll forget in time for next year. 

I know what you’re thinking…. where did my baby go??!  It’s crazy to me how tall and mature she is getting!  She’s getting so independent now too. She doesn’t have to be glued to me every second now… just most of the time :)  I try to enjoy it though even when my patience is going because there’s going to come a day when she doesn’t want me to hold her… sniff sniff!

We go to a very casual church, so a casual sun dress for Easter is more than enough.  I got Tay’s dress off Etsy here.  I had a hard time choosing just one – all of the fabrics are so cute!  It’s just a basic pillow case dress that can grow with her as it get’s shorter.  The neck and arms are totally adjustable too.  She looked like a cute little Easter Egg in it! :)

And my dress was just a cheapie from Old Navy - $22 on sale, in fact!  I styled it with my ole faithful - jean jacket, which I feel goes with just about EVERYTHING and a silver necklace. 

 

And, viola!  Here we are ready for church!

 

Here’s my whole Easter crew!

After church we headed to The Farm for the day.  The kids drove the golf cart around, played baseball, and cooked a big Easter dinner!  We even played a couple games of Bags.  Old Papa (92 years YOUNG) and Taylor even played!  Old Papa sure knew how to toss those bean bags!  It was impressive!

Mimi even got in on the game playing!  Look at that Frisbee throw!

Tay somehow lost her pants, but she remembered to take her Easter Basket everywhere she went!

Hope you all have a very Happy Easter!