Trick or Treat

Big Girl Bed

We have had a great weekend. The weather has been nice and cool. We spent last evening visiting with our friends Emily, Todd and Nate. Nate is Em's buddy. He is a few months older than she is. They had a ball playing and dumping all of his toys out and destroying their living room. Sorry, no pics though.
With much support from Emily, we decided to make Emery's bed a big girl bed!

That's right, no more crib! It is not a Dora Bed. She loves her some Dora. It took her a while this afternoon to grasp the concept of not playing with her toys instead of taking her nap, but she finally fell fast asleep. Hope you enjoy the pictures!

Gatlinburg Trip

We had a fabulous weekend in Gatlinburg. Our cabin was amazing. The hot tub cover was attacked by a bear. Lovely to know huh, as it was right outside the back door of the cabin. We went with 2 other couples. More pictures to come!

I love George

So we all know that Emery loves Curious George. I was getting ready for church and Michael put on George for her to watch. I came out of the shower to the pictures above. She has been carrying around her birthday pinata today and she had both her Georges on her couch and she was watching the movie! Gotta love George!

These old boots are made for walkin....

Emery was watching Dora and boots and looked down at her feet and said boots. So, my mother in law found my brother in laws old boots. They are 43 years old. She had a ball dancing around and wearing them.My mother in law captured these pics. Gotta love a shiny red pair of boots. I knew she had some Texan in her!

Yummy Recipes

It is getting to be that time of year for baking! Here are a few yummy recipes I thought I would share. They are my mommy's Pumpkin and Banana Breads! Enjoy The other one a friend sent to me!

Banana Bread

2 eggs, well beaten
1 1/3 cups of sugar
2/3 cup vegetable oil
1 2/3 cups mashed bananas (4 to 5 bananas) ( use really ripe ones)
2 teaspoons vanilla

Mx well and then add the dry incredients:

2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cloves
1 1/2 teaspoons cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash of allspice (optional) (I always use it)
2 3/4 cups sifted flour

When all mixed, add walnuts (about 1 cup). You may also use pecans if you choose or no nuts at all. Bake at 350 degrees for about 45 minutes to 1 hour. I use a 9 inch loaf pan or cupcake or muffin tins also are good. The baking time would vary as to the kind of pans you use.

Pumpkin Bread

4 eggs, beaten
2 cups sugar
1 1/4 cups vegetable oil
2 cups canned pumpkin (1 small can)

Then, mix in dry ingredients:

l teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
3 teaspoons cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1/4 teaspon ground cloves
Dash of allspice (optional)
3 cups sifted flour

Then add about 1 cup of nuts of your choice or no nuts.

This makes quite a bit! Bake in 350 degree oven for about 1 hour.


Caramel-Soaked French Toast


Slice into 1 ½ in thick slices:
10 slices French Bread or 2 Baguette Rolls (perfect for large groups)

Cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, 5 minutes or just until mixture is bubbly:
1 ½ cups firmly packed Brown Sugar
¾ cup Butter or Margarine
1/3 cup plus 2 T Light Corn Syrup

Pour syrup into a lightly greased 13x9 dish. Arrange bread slices over syrup.

Combine and gradually pour over bread slices:
4 Eggs, beaten
2 ½ cups Milk
1 T Vanilla Extract
¼ tsp Salt

COVER & CHILL 8 HOURS.

Combine and Sprinkle over soaked bread:
3 T Sugar
1 ½ tsp Ground Cinnamon

Drizzle ¼ c melted Margarine over.
Bake uncovered 350° 45-50 minutes or until golden and bubbly. Garnish with powdered sugar. Serve immediately.

I got Tagged~!

Ok, so I got tagged by Cindy Loo.
1. I do my makeup in the car on my way to work. Every day. I have for years!
2. I have a denim comforter that I sleep with that I have hadand slept with for 13 years. It is ratty, has a huge hole in it and my mother hates it and thinks it is gross. I can't bring myself to throw it away. It is cool in the summer and warm in the winter. I did get a duvet cover for it this weekend though. My mom would be so proud.
3. I hate bananas but love banana pudding. I hate tomatos but loves spagetti.
4. Each season I buy a ton of clothes for Emery. I don't have a $ limit that I set, I just know when I get to a point that I am done buying.
5. I grew up terrified of dogs. I never had a bad experience I just always was very afraid. I now own a dog and part of the reason I got her was to break my fear.
6. I am a huge movie buff. I can quote almost all of How to loose a guy in 10 days, Good Will hunting and Top Gun-which I saw 24 times in the movie theatre. No lie!

Now, if you're tagged, here's what you do:
1. Post the rules on your blog
2. Write 6 random things about yourself
3. Tag 6 people
4. Please pass it on for fun...

I tag: Heather, Jessica F., Angela N., Amber, Sharon, Trina.

Boyd's Apple/Pumpkin Orchard

Today we went to Boyd's Apple and Pumpkin Orchard. We had a great time. Emery got to feed/pet the animals and play on the slide and pick out our pumpkin. It was a beautiful day and we enjoyed it as a family!

You know it's going to be a bad day when......

You cook up a batch of oatmeal from a packet and eat 3/4 of it before discovering there are bugs in it. No lie. I had brought another package for tomorrow so I opened it up and they were moving around and crawling on top of each other. Which makes me understand that the ones I ate were alive until I scorched them with hot water from the coffee maker and cooked them alive in the microwave! This is one more reason to add to my list of reasons why I HATE Wal Mart.
Needless to say I vomited in the bathroom and I have been trying to get it out of my head all morning. I always said I could be on Fear Factor..... NOT ANY MORE!!!!

2nd Birthday Party

Answered Prayers

Here is an amazing story for you!
When Emery was born, I prayed to God that her life would have a special purpose. I prayed that someone, somewhere would benefit from all of the struggles she had the first few months of her life. Well, God answered my prayers this week.
My mother in law Mary has family in California who came to Kentucky last year and we got to meet them. Bev had been following Emery's story from the beginning and Mary has sent pictures to her along the way.
Bev is very active in a pro-life group that speaks to different groups and hands out material etc.
Bev asked Mary for some pictures when she was first born and in the incubator. She sent them and never really heard back for a little while.
Yesterday she received an email back from Bev and in it was this story:
Bev took the pictures and made a brochure out of it that they distribute to abortion clinics and anyone else where they can reach pregnant women. One of the brochures landed in the hands of a young woman who is pregnant and just had an ultrasound to determine that her baby is going to be born with a rare form of dwarfism. This woman had been debating on terminating the pregnancy or not and when she saw the brochure and the pictures of Em, she decided against it. She said that she is going to just pray like we did and hope that God blesses her as much as he did us. Will you join me in praying for this mother and her unborn child?
A young couple also came into an abortion clinic where the brochure was and after being there for 10 minutes and reading the brochure, they walked out and didn't keep their appointment!
Thank you father for answering my prayer! I pray that many more lives will be spared by the story and pictures of my sweet blessing.
I would go through all of this again, just for this reason!
Let this be a daily reminder to us what an awesome God we serve!

Blessings!

As I lay there with Emery at the nights end last night, singing to her and running my fingers over her head and through her hair, tears came down my face as she reached up and ran her fingers through mine. I thought about how far she/we have come in 2 years and am still so very humbled that I am her mother. Why God would choose me to have such an amazing blessing, I don't know.
She learns new things every day and says new things too. She is such an amazing child and I am so truly blessed to have her in my life. 2 years ago yesterday was one of the most life changing day of my life and I had no idea how we would get through it. I say all of this to simply make one statement-God is good all the time and he certainly knows the plan for our lives even when we don't. I will post pictures from the birthday festivities we are going to have on Saturday for all to see. Thank you to all of you who have prayed for us and supported us through this last 2 year journey! We love you all.

Happy Birthday to my sweet girl!

A big happy birthday to my little monkey today. 2 years ago today you were born and changed our lives forever. You are an amazing child and mommy and daddy are so lucky to have you in their lives. You have grown into an amazingly smart and funny child and I love to watch you do new things everyday. I love you very much!

Hangin with my Grandee

Grandee is in town and we are enjoying our time. Today she helped Mommy clean the house! Thanks so much Grandee.
We went to Cracker Barrel yesterday and had pancakes and bacon for lunch. It was very yummy.
Next weekend is my birthday party and I am having a Curious George Party with cake and banana splits.
Just wanted to update you, now leave me along blog nazi's. Ha Ha.

Saturday Night Boredom