Max the Great

Max is a common name for a dog, but Max is not a common dog. Well after all he is a Golden Retriever, which is a common dog, but the essence of Max is not common. Redundant much? Ha.

This is our ferocious Max. See how he is completely alert to any threatening danger? No? Me either. Since the weather has been so nice outside, I have kept the windows open during the day. He just sits there taking in the moment, the breeze, and quietly guards our home sweet home. When an animal or person walks by he growls a bit, and maybe barks a time or two. He really is a sweet dog, I promise.

Look how precious he is laying his sweet little head on the window sill! He didn't know I was standing there, he doesn't like his picture taken. 

This right here is what life is all about. Life in this moment cannot get any better than this, unless I was eating chocolate... Do you see how Max has become Max the Great? 

Max and Aiden are 6 months apart in age. Don't ask me what I was thinking when I decided to get him when I already had an infant. Nevertheless, it has been worth it. Aiden and Max are the best of friends. It looks like Max already loves Ava too! 

It's Beginning to Smell a Lot Like the Holidays

Let me tell you somethin'! My house smells AMAZING!! This is something that you can do any time of the year. But for some reason, I only think of this when October rolls around. Go figure.

I know what you are thinking right now, "What is that?!" It might look like something that a grizzly regurgitated, but it sure doesn't smell like it. The best thing about this, other than the smell, is that you probably already have these items on hand. 

You can customize this really any way that you want. The "recipe" my mother showed me years ago was just some water, and a couple tablespoons of ground cinnamon. I had an epiphany the other day, and realized that I could customize the scent. I am so proud of myself for thinking outside of the box, or saucepan.  In this case I used:

2 cups water

2 tblpsns ground cinnamon

1 tspn ground nutmeg

1 tspn ground cloves or 5 whole cloves

2 tspns vanilla extract

Just mix it all together in a saucepan, and turn the stove on low and just let it sit. Of course check it from time to time, because the water level will decrease. If it gets too low just add some more water. 

There are so many different ways that you can customize your scent. Aren't you excited? You should be! You can add apple or citrus slices, herbs like rosemary or mint, and a variety of extracts like peppermint, coconut, and almond. The possibilities are endless!!! 

Let me know how it turns out! I would love to hear from you!

I have a confession...

I have a confession to make. I am quite sure a good bit of you suffer from the same affliction. I. Am. A. Food lover. Ok I said it. Whew! That felt good getting it off my chest. Actually, any of you who know me, know this fact well. I have recently become obsessed with trying new recipes, and then taking pictures of them. Being that I have mush for brains half of the time, I make the recipe, marvel at it, and then EAT it! After I am full as a tick on a hound's neck, I realize that I forgot to take the picture.

Homemade pancakes... I was feelin' the love that morning.

Omelet with onions and peppers topped with cheese and salsa. If you like it spicy add some sriracha. Yum!

Chicken n dumplings. 'Nuf said.

Beef enchilaaaaadas and mexican rice dude (in my Cheech Marin voice)!

These are the few recent recipes I have made AND took pictures, before I devoured them! More to come...

I'm a Window Washer

After having Ava, understandably I was drained. It took some time, like 6 months to where I felt like I had some energy. I don't remember feeling this way with my firstborn. Shoot, I can't even remember what I wore two days ago.

With the weather being so beautiful outside yesterday, I decided to open the windows, turn the air off, and just feel the breeze. I. Was. Loving it. I looked out the window and I realized they were dirty, extremely dirty. Like extremely.

With all this new found energy I thought to myself, "I'm gonna clean these windows!"

I already had the supplies on hand, because I am the queen of starting projects and not finishing them. I am working on that...

It really wasn't too arduous of a chore. I had to do it in stages considering Ava's nap and picking up Aiden from school.

I had two spray bottles, one that I filled with just plain water, and the other with half water, one quarter white distilled vinegar, and a few drops of dish soap. It doesn't have to be exact. First, I sprayed the outside window with water. Then, I sprayed the window with the vinegar solution and wiped it with the rag. Afterwards, I sprayed the window again with water, and squeegeed it off. As far as the bottom part of the window was concerned, I just popped off the screens and did the same thing. The screens were not dirty, so there was no need to wash those. Thank God.

When it came to the inside windows, I used the Windex vinegar all purpose spray. It smells a lot better than making your own vinegar spray from home. I sprayed the inside of the window pretty good and rubbed it with a couple of paper towels. I needed to make sure it was good and wet so I sprayed it again, so that I could squeegee it. The squeegee just does something. It's magical.

The sun comes in with such vibrancy now. This is the perfect time to do this because the weather is just so, well, perfect!

Last night as I laid the kids to bed, I felt accomplished, but I was... tired.                

Soccer Time!

Ok, yes I thought that I was doing good at my picture taking of the kids playing soccer. I realize now that I was delusional. I promise I will be better next time. We have been to the soccer field at least 3 times during the week. Aiden loves it so it's ok with me. The games are an hour unlike tee ball so that is also a win for me considering I have an almost 8 month old Ava. The weather is just starting to get cooler and it is just FABULOUS to be at the soccer field. 

Ava loves being outside. If she is ever fussy we can just bring her outside and she stops. It's amazing. Needless to say we spend a lot of time outside. This is her at the soccer field just hangin' out. 

Of course when it rains, we just sit in the truck and watch from inside. The kids really loved playing in the rain. This particular day it was warmer outside so the rain really cooled them off. 

Trip to the Pumpkin Patch

Yes, yes just like about every other family with small children, we went to the pumpkin patch in October. This was our first adventure in a pumpkin patch; I mean a REAL pumpkin patch. Normally there are a sea of pumpkins all in pretty little rows that are in the front yard of our local church. In this case, the farm also produces peanuts so the aroma of boiled peanuts filled the air. We went on a hay ride to the field. Of course Aiden picks the largest pumpkin he can find. I remind him that I cannot help him because I am holding my own 17 lb. pumpkin Ava. 

This is the PUMPKIN.

This is how he tried to get it back to the trailer... until he realized that it was a better idea to get one that he can manage. Smart boy!

This is the line for the zip line. Yes! They had a zip line! I was so much fun to watch them. If I had gone, my butt would have dragged the ground. I will give you a moment to picture this ... and laugh...

This is like a sand box, but full of corn kernels! I have never seen such a thing. The kids loved it. 

Ava had a great time as well. She is biting on her upper lip here because she is getting her two top teeth in any day now. Needless to say she has been fussy lately, but today she was quite the angel. 

It was a great day. The weather was perfect and the kids had a great time which is the most important thing. 

Have ya'll been to any pumpkin patches this season? Were there any pumpkin patches that were out of the ordinary? If so let me know!! I would love to hear from ya'll!

My Silly Girl

Ava Ava Ava... What a sweet little wonderful girl. She does not want ANYTHING to do with baby food! Me thinking, "Oh I should make my own baby food!" If you do not know me I am an all or nothing kind of person, but I'm trying to work on that. I am a work in progress! Hey! Who isn't? Did I ever mention I was a rambler too... I have made loads and loads of baby food and now it sits in the freezer waiting to be eaten. Did you know that baby food can be sad, because my baby food is sad. 

She sticks her tongue out and just lets the baby food just fall off of her tongue. She thinks she is a comedian. That's ok though she is so cute she can think whatever she wants. She will, however, eat small pieces of bread. I will take what I can get. I have also read that some babies skip baby food altogether. Have any of you other moms ever go through this?

She doesn't know what to think of Max just yet. 

My Not So Bountiful Harvest

I have always wanted to be a full on gardener. Well only during the summer months at least. Ha! I have realized this year that you have got to fully commit or you are going to waste some money and time. I don't know about you, but I am not into wasting money or time for that matter.

Don't let this picture fool you. They may look like regular green bell peppers, but they are a mini version of the real thing. I have tried let me tell you, I have tried to wait and see if they will grow to be mature like their parents, but it never happened, so off the plant they came and into my humble abode. Tomorrow is the time for me to harvest the pole beans. We will see how that goes...