So much to be thankful for these days.  1. These two.  *squish* They enjoy sharing their room. Ella has been doing some calisthenics in her bed at night (and during naps), and I've had to put grips under the feet of her bed to keep her from slamming her bed into walls, doors, and Jack's bed. I found them like this a few mornings ago.  Sweet.  2.  This girl.  She's starting taking steps by herself this week, she's babbling and attempting a few words (hi!, momma, dadda, Ella, Nana, kitty) and sounds (shh!, meow), she's can sign several words (more, milk, thank you, wind, all done), and she's just as sweet as ever with a (un?)healthy dose of sassy thrown in. We're working on toning down the sassy :) She also makes THE BEST faces.  She's a character, and I'm thankful she's ours.  3.  This boy.  He's fun and energetic and has a sweet sense of humor. After 4 months of working with a speech teacher here at the house once a w...

So, Saturday I wanted to try something new in the crockpot. I didn't have a recipe, but I had lots of things to work with.   I had a couple of jars of pasta on the shelf, a thing of stuffed ravioli and a bag of spinach in the freezer, and a box of cream cheese and a container of feta in the fridge. I wish I had some mushrooms, but there's always next time.  Ingredients: ~ 1 20 oz package ravioli (mine was stuffed with four cheeses) ~ 2 23.7 oz jars of Florentine Spinach & Cheese  ~ 3 oz of feta cheese ~ 1 8 oz box of cream cheese - cubed ~ 1 12 oz package of frozen spinach  I started with one jar (23.7 oz) of Florentine Spinach and Cheese pasta sauce.  I cubed a thing of cream cheese and tossed them in.  Then, I added the frozen spinach (12 oz).  Next, I poured in the package of frozen tortellini (20 oz--it's refrigerated when I buy it, but I stick it in the freezer, so it will last longer.) I, then, guesstimated and poured on about 3 oz of feta ch...

Gosh, it's a pretty day! It's 82° outside, and there's a slight breeze. It's almost cool in the shade.  I read this article while I had breakfast this morning. It encouraged me to let Jack take a few risks and play outside my comfort zone more. So, after lunch, we headed out to the backyard. I always worried about ant beds and poisonous plants that could be growing along the fence line, so I normally follow him around and direct where he goes.  Not today, my friends.  I put Ella on a blanket with a few toys and sat next to her. She ignored the toys and played with (and tried to eat) all of the crunchy leaves and sticks on the ground around us. Eh, fiber.  He pretended and ran with sticks, he dug in and poured rocks, he climbed on the playground, and he mowed the lawn (and his playground?).  We stayed out there for nearly 45 minutes, and the only times I gave him directions were when he was trying to pour rocks in the mi...

So last night my children were loud and crazy, and Ella refused to quit whining/crying from before dinner until almost bedtime. Instead of going crazy right along with them while they were in the tub, I started telling them that they were going to be heading to bed early. I just kept repeating it: early to bed, early to bed, early to bed with you. Then, I started humming it to a tune. I completed the chorus, and it stuck in my head the rest of the evening.  Tonight, I sang it to them before bed again and figured I ought to come up with a verse to go along with it.  I think it turned out sort of pretty, so you know maybe I'll become a famous lullaby writer or something one day ;) Feel free to sing it to your unruly children. No guarantees it will help anything, but my own kiddos stopped and listened as I sang, and Jack even tried to hum along, so there's that :) Now, I'm hoping I get to go to bed early tonight! I think I'll hold off on those two loads o...

So, The Husband got a call a few minutes after 9 this morning telling him he needed to be up at the jail to be sworn in at 10. Yeah, that's not a whole lot of warning to get two adults and two little ones ready and out the door. But, we did it.  Because of the very short notice, his family wasn't able to come, and neither could my mom (we missed you all!!). My dad and sister were able to make it though, and that's really the only reason we have pictures, haha. (Thanks, Dad and Beth!)  My hands were shaking since I hadn't had a chance to eat breakfast yet, so almost every picture I took with my phone turned out blurry. :/ It was a very simple, short ceremony.  Perfect for our crazy little family with a baby girl who was missing her nap. You can tell how thrilled she was. Especially when the sheriff held her as I pinned on The Husband's new gold badge. Aw, memories ;) I think the two of us thought this day would never come, but it did. God was fa...

**updated at the bottom with two other uses I forgot!** I'm all about the cheap, y'all. I look for ways to reuse things or get discounts on items we need or use household products in ways that others might not.  Two of those items are baking soda and white vinegar.  Years ago, back when I was dating The Husband, I read about people who washed their hair with baking soda instead of shampoo. It was said that this was a healthier option because, unlike shampoo, which strips your hair of oil (therefore telling your scalp to produce more), the baking soda simply cleans the hair and scalp. It took several weeks for my hair to get used to it, but I've been so pleased with the results. I only wash my hair once every 5 or so days once I've straightened it because it gets oily around the 5th day. If my hair is curly, and I've put product in it to contain the frizz, then I wash it every other night (sometimes every night if it's gotten knotted).  I mix one tablespoon of ba...