Let the Fall crafts begin.......

Here are my first 2 Fall crafts. I went ahead and painted the triangles to look like candy corn...I HATE the taste of candy corn, but they look cute and "fallish." My paint job is pretty horrific and I should do a second coat on them, but I didn't feel like it. They work for now. I think I actually want to rough them up a bit and make them look distressed with some sand paper.

I wanted a Fall centerpiece for my table, but the craft budget has not kicked in so I had to get creative. I went into my backyard and ripped this branch off of my lime tree. I bought a bag of leaves from the Dollar Tree and wrapped them around the branch. Very rustic....very cheap.....very satisfied. I already had the pail (although it is a little too big for this branch)...oh well...you make due with what you've got.

Newest Blessing

Yesterday, my sister in law gave birth to this precious angel, Ryleigh. She lives in Texas but I got to listen to the birth on the phone. We won't get to see them for 2 more weeks and it is going to kill me. I can't wait to get my hands on this adorable blessing. Thank you God for a healthy delivery and our new baby niece.

Bubbles

I realized the other day that I haven't blown bubbles for Dixie in a long time. So I dug out the bubbles and we had fun in her room as she scooted around trying to pop them. Such a magical thing for only $1.

My Fall starts now!!!

It's still not officially Fall and the weather here definitely proves it (upper 90's), but I just couldn't wait anymore. I finally got Evan to take down my Fall decor from the attic. This is my first time to have the front door of MY OWN HOUSE to decorate. It's not much, but it's enough to make me smile every time I walk up to my front door.

I woke up this week to this on the table. Evan knows I have been dying to smell a pumpkin candle, do some crafts (the triangles will be painted to look like candy corn) and make that pumpkin roll I mentioned in an earlier post, so he gave me a "Fall" treat. I smiled all day at his thoughtfulness:) I have the best husband in the world!

Here is the finished product of the pumpkin roll. It's yummy and would go perfectly with a cup of chai but I thought it could be a little sweeter. Apparently a cup of sugar and a cup of powdered sugar are not enough for the taste buds of this preggo. But I did enjoy making it and will probably sneak another piece before dinner:)

Can't wait to do more "Fall" things. Hobby Lobby opens here next week and I am SUPER pumped to bust out some crafts!

How we "roll"

Had to post a picture of the double stroller we got on consignment for under $100. I was so excited to find one that looks brand new and wasn't really old. We already have the Graco car seat and it just pops right into this one (front or back). The back seat sits higher (hello stadium seating) and it has a huge basket underneath for diaper bags. It felt weird to get it knowing it would soon be filled with 2 babies. Dixie looks less than thrilled as I think this was just another reminder that soon she will no longer be an only child.

31 days of treats!!!

I am more of a Fall fan than a Halloween fan, but how adorable is this candy advent calendar???? Super cute, super easy and super cheap for a month of fun! If you have kids..they would love this. I would love this because I am pregnant and want chocolate EVERYDAY...ok I would love this even if I wasn't pregnant.

Click HERE for the tutorial at Oopsey-Daisy to find out how to make this adorable and clever craft.

2 seasons

Can't believe there has been a year in between these 2 pics. I remember taking the first one. So much has happened since then. The Saints won the Superbowl for one, we bought a house, Dixie got big ( imagine that), and we are expecting another baby in 4 months. Wow...time flies. And yes....I am wearing the same shirt. Guess I need to invest in a real Saints shirt:)

"Stand up and get Krunk"

At 14 1/2 months Dixie is finally standing on her own without having to hold onto anything. She just decided to stand up and do it one day. Remember the yoga baby pictures...she was prepping for this next step. Hopefully she will take a step soon. She was also ready for some Saint's football!!!!

6 months!!!

Mini homemaker

Dixie absolutely LOVES helping with the dishwasher. I think next to bath time, it's her favorite time of day. Her job is to close the dishwasher when we are finished loading or unloading it, and she takes a lot of pride in it. She expects a high five after she is done:)

My sister had bought her this apron before she was even born, knowing my obsession with aprons. I decided to put it on her. It is still too big, but cute. She is my little homemaker in training:) On a side note, my poor child has got to grow some hair on the sides. This is a BAD hair phase for her...bless her heart.

Where for art thou Fall?

Seriously, I have been having the Fall itch for about a month now. I am ready to burn a pumpkin scented candle, hang my wreath on my door, make some fall crafts, sit outside in the cool weather, decorate some pumpkins ( I am thinking mod podge this year), drink HOT chai and not sweat and bask in God's beauty in everything FALL!!! I am a little obsessed with this time of year. It just makes me giddy! Well, technically the first day of Fall isn't until September 22, so in the mean time I am gathering up lots of ideas on how to spend my craft budget and yummy smelling/tasting things I can make. I ran across this recipe on another blog and I MUST try this! I love pumpkin!

Pumpkin Roll

This reminds me of Thanksgiving. I don't like Pumpkin Pie, so this is always my dessert of choice! And it is so easy!

3 eggs

1 cup sugar

2/3 cup canned pumpkin

1 teaspoon lemon juice

3/4 cup flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

2 teaspoons cinnamon

1 teaspoon ginger

1/2 teaspoon nutmeg

1/2 teaspoon salt

Beat the eggs and sugar for 5 minutes. Then add the rest of the ingredients. Bake at 375 on a greased cookie sheet for 15 minutes. Remove from heat. On a dish towel line heavily with powder sugar. Remove pumpkin roll from pan and put on the dish towel. On one of the shorter ends, roll with the towel and let cool.

Filling

1 cup powder sugar

8 oz cream cheese-softened

4 tablespoons butter

1 teaspoon vanilla

Mix well.

Once the pumpkin roll is cooled, unroll, and spread evenly with filling. Roll back up (without the towel). Cover with plastic wrap and place in the fridge before serving.

The Not so boring sandwich

This is totally random and no genius idea of my own making, but I had to share. I had a party this past weekend and was looking for an easy cheap appetizer. I came across pillsbury's page and all of their neat appetizers made with cresent rolls. Everyone has had pig's in a blanket...and if you haven't, where have you been? I decided to do the same thing but with deli ham and cheddar cheese instead. By the time I got one to eat at the party they were cold and mediocre at best.

I had a cresent can left over and decided to make them for Dixie and I for lunch, but this time I did sliced mozzarella and ham. We ate them warm right out the oven and I was super sad when they were gone because I am certain I could have eaten about 10 of these things. Dixie loved them too. They were the perfect replacement for the boring sandwich and oh so delicious! If you try these at home, I found that cutting a piece of sliced deli cheese in half and laying it length wise on the cresent roll from top to point makes them much cheesier and yummy! I can't wait to make them again:)

Too Cute T-shirts!!!!

I LOVE personalized kid's clothes! I see monogrammed clothes everywhere and they are adorable, but I really like the kid's shirts on this site because they are different! My best friend's sister and mom started this business: My Sweet Peanut Designs. Show them some love and check them out at the above link and you won't be disappointed!

TV FREE???????

Evan hates TV! He has wanted to get rid of ours for a while. He thinks all TV is dumb and a waste of time. Can I deny that....no......but I still like it:) Plus, when mommy needs a little break, PBS can be a life saver (not all day just a little while). I was having nooooo part of getting rid of our TV.

I had lunch with a new friend this week and I knew they did not have a TV so I asked how they managed. She has a son Dixie's age so I was curious. After talking with her, I was inspired to try to challenge myself. I brought it up to Evan and he said he would be willing to get me a gym membership anywhere I wanted if I got rid of it. Being 6 months pregnant a gym membership will not do me much good now or for a few months after giving birth. I asked if I could have a craft budget each month instead...you know something to keep me busy. Yes, I am a dork..but I love crafts! He said ok. Yet, I kept going back and forth.

What about football season? (are we huge football fans...no, but I like having company over for games) What about movie nights? What about .......etc...etc..... My list of excuses is endless. The truth is that I know having no TV would be super beneficial. I would get more done around the house, spend more time with the Lord, play puzzles more with Dixie and my head wouldn't be filled with "crap."

So I decided this week to test myself and see how I will do without it. Today is Wednesday (Day 3). I hadn't even turned the TV on for 3 days until suddenly I cracked during Dixie's nap. I turned on HGTV. I was only watching it for about 10 minutes before I realized I didn't need it, and I turned it back off and went and read. I think I can do it, but to make the permanent decision to get rid of the TV is such a hard one!!! I hate that I am so attached to it for whatever reason, but I am.

Anyway, we are doing Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace and have to have the DVD player for 13 weeks anyway, so it won't happen anytime soon, but I will keep you posted on what my final decision is......can I do it???????? We shall see. I kind of like the challenge:)