Itching for Christmas

Here in our house, we LOVE Christmas.

Seriously, we are the Griswold's of our neighborhood.

Last year my husband put 5,000 lights on the front of our house and picked out a tree I called Shamu.

Cutting it down...it was 4 degrees outside, and these two kept me out there for an hour looking for the PERFECT tree. Which I said was too large.

After he cut two extra feet off of the bottom...it still touched the 10 foot ceiling. PS that window behind the tree is 4 feet wide.

All decorated with presents from Santa!

This year, we get to take Grayson out to cut down his first tree, so today I bought him his first baby snowsuit and thermal long undies.  If he's going to be in this family he's going to learn how to hang from birth I suppose.  I've also started to pull out Christmas decorations to put up when I get a chance, since its going to be a little harder this year with the Bean and all. 

Usually I make sure to wait until after Thanksgiving...we do respect the Turkey here...but this year the bird is just going to have deal with it. I can't help myself, I've already watched Christmas Vacation and Christmas with the Kranks - tis the season, lovelies!



Cinnamon Roll Waffles

The other day I saw a recipie on Pinterest where you plop canned cinnamon rolls into the waffle iron for 2-3 minutes instead of baking them in the oven.

Sounds quick and easy, but how would they taste?

Ammmaaazzziiinngg.

No crusty burnt bits, soft and gooey, and the icing melts into all the little waffle holes.

I made 5 waffles, and the hubs ate 4.5 of them before I even got a bite. Thats why he only ate 4.5, I finnally yelled STOP and got a half for myself. I would have made more, but we were out of Cinnamon Rolls- so this weeks shopping list has 3 containers on them as they would be great for a quick morning breakfast during the week.

Seriously lovlies, you gotta try these.

Hoo Are You!

Im participating in Night Owl Crafting's Hoooo Are You link up...its a super fun way to get to know other bloggers and to get to answer some questions about yourself that you may have never been asked!

1. Do you type on a keyboard the correct way or do you peck like a cute little chick?

I sort of do a combo. Im a correct typer, who occasionally hunts and pecks...my husband describes me as a hoverer. Apparently I hover over the keyboard instead of putting my fingers on the right keys.

2. Typically how long does it take you to get ready in the morning?

Before Grayson Boy, 45 minutes. Now, it depends on how much time he gives me...usually 15-20 minutes. Thats usually enough time for a shower and to find some clothes, Ive given up on the blow dryer, straightening iron, and make up.  The bean thinks his Mommy is gorge with caveman hair and dark circles.

3. Do you prefer lip gloss or lipstick?

Lip gloss, if I try lipstick I always end up with it on my teeth. Besides, lip gloss tastes way better!

4. Do you take clothes to the dry cleaner or wash them yourself even if they say dry clean only?

I dont buy things that are dry clean only, because Im way too lazy and cheap to take them to the dry cleaner. If something slips by I usually take it to my Mom and she uses that dryell kit in her fancy spaceship washing machine :)

5. Do you prefer Wal Mart or Target.

Target....why is it I cant get out of that store without spending $100? I think they pump something into the air in there that makes you go shopping happy.

Name Art and A Cheater Trick

Yesterday I had a kick ass Mommy day. I baked cookies (from SCRATCH, which is a HUGGE deal in this house), I did laundry, I cleaned out/organized the buffet in the pantry, I made lunch and dinner, and I snuck in a craft project.  All while my hubs was outside getting some work done around the yard to get ready for winter, meaning I had the baby.

Where the motivation came from I do not know, but I'm not going to fight it.

The craft project I tackled was one I have been meaning to do for awhile now, the wooden letters I bought to spell out Grayson's name above his crib.  Right now his crib is right in front of the mantle, and above that is a 5 foot by 5 foot blank yellow wall- of concrete. So its nearly impossible to hang anything there, because you have to literally drill into solid rock.  But oh, lovelies, I am a determined Mommy.

Enter super industrial strength Velcro.

I bought some of this stuff:

You just stick it to the back of the object and the wall and it will hang there perfectly.

Now, onto the letters. I bought the 5 inch wooden letters from JoAnn's (with coupons of course!), a pack of foam brushes and paint that coordinated with the bedding.

I started by painting all of the letters with a few coats of foliage green paint.  Then I realized I can paint two things, dots and stripes.  The dots were easy, they were just the end of different paint brushes.  The stripes were even easier- because I have a cheater trick, scotch tape.

After the letter is painted, break out the scotch tape and cover the letter, leaving open spaces in between. Make sure that they appear even, and rub over the tape edges really well so that no paint leaks under and then just paint away.  You can vary the width, or use something like a popcicle stick as a guide to keep them uniform. Once dry, peel off the tape and you have perfect stripes!

Here's the finished product:

Now- we just have to get them stuck to the wall and we'll be set!



Cheddar Bacon Biscuits = Amazing!

Who doesn't love the Cheddar Bay Biscuits from Red Lobster?

I love them, but I'm not a big fan of anything else that the restaurant serves. I don't do fish...it smells.

So when the hubs gets to go there I typically get a Caesar salad and lots of biscuits. I started thinking about how I could do them at home, and started searching for some recipes.

Thank you Rachel Ray for coming through in a pinch with a super simple recipe that I think is even BETTER than the ones at Red Lobster. Why you may ask? Because these ones have the added goodness of bacon. Mmmm.

Super easy. Start with a bag of Bisquick Complete Biscuit Mix.

After dumping that into a mixing bowl start cooking up 3-4 slices of bacon in a frying pan.  Once done to your liking, remove and let cool.  Pour a tablespoon or so of the pan drippings into the dry biscuit mix.  Chop up the bacon and add it to the mix.  Now grab the cheddar cheese and mix in about 1/2 cup of the finely shredded stuff. Add the needed 1/2 cup of water and mix to combine.  Drop on the baking sheet and bake according to package directions (450*F for 8-11 minutes).

They're beautiful and delish and I can make them at home with anything other than fish. Score!

Happy Halloween!!

Its Grayson's first holiday- so of course we tortured him a bit.

Carving his pumpkin with Daddy

 

He liked standing in the pumpkin...he was in there for about 20 minutes before he got sick of it.

 

Getting ready to go Trick or Treating with our little monster

 

 

 

 

Hope everyone got lots of candy- Grayson came home with a container of formula, some puffs, and some chocolate that he has decided to share with Mommy and Daddy.

 

Happy Halloween Everyone!

One Year

One year married.

Three hundred and sixty five days of being married to my best friend.
We've been together nearly 8 years now, and I still get butterflies when he walks in a room.

I feel like the luckiest girl in the world to be married to such a wonderful guy, and I couldn't think of a better Daddy for our little man (and the pups!).

There have been countless adventures and I never want them to end.
Im so happy we chose to spend our lives together and I can't wait to see where our lives take us next, now as a family of five.

Love you husband- here's to a million more anniversaries, because there is no way Im letting you go anywhere.

Remember, this is for-ev-er.