Inspiration

I am sort of catching up. I got caught up a little on my friends blog. Seeing her posts truly inspired me. It has been so busy here, I have forgotten to take time to do what I love. I have found a love for homemade and my blog, and have severely neglected both! So thank you, Trisha, for inspiring me to get back to it!!

I saw this recipe for homemade chocolate syrup on her blog. Uh, yummm! And totally awesome!! Here is a link to her post, the recipe, and the original link: Homemade Chocolate Syrup 

It was easy and really good. I agree that is is better than the store bought. Maddie thinks it is amazing, and can not stop drinking chocolate milk! Passed the test for sure. 

Rebecca wanted pink and purple doggie pancakes. Okay. She asked if she could help make them. She stirred in the coloring. She was such a big helper and was very proud of her contribution!

She was a wonderful help in the kitchen! I will have to think of something that the girls and I can make together. That would be fun!

This is my attempt at a pink and purple "noodle" pancake!

Here is a butterfly with chocolate chips.

A lady bug. I really have way too much fun with pancakes!!

We came across this on Pinterest. And it totally works! 

How to make caramel from sweetened condensed milk

Yummy and rich. Was nice with a green apple. Crazy how that works!

I feel so much better! I got to try some new things. I loved cooking with my little girl. It was great to find something that Maddie likes so much. I think we are going to have a lot of fun together in the kitchen. I hope I am able to make the time to do something I enjoy, and that makes my family happy. If I start to lose my momentum, I know where I can turn for a little inspiration....

I hope you all are a little inspired and try something new!

Patches

Another catch up day. It will probably be like this for a few weeks. Oh well, I will get back into schedule soon enough. Here are yesterdays and today's patches.

Yesterday we had some unexpected visitors stop by. It was an old friend of Allen's from the Navy and his family. It was so great to see them, and I am glad they had just eaten because I was NOT prepared! Becca was so excited to show off her patch. It is a baby carrot, and sissy wrote her name for her. Very cute!

Leave daddy to do the patch and it gets put on upside down! Oh well, it worked and she didn't mind. Maddie drew a bow, cupcakes and hearts. All by request. Too funny!

We are going to Old Navy for the $1 flip-flop sale tomorrow. Maybe that is what she will draw on her patch. We will see.

2 patches for the price of 1

I didn't post the patch picture yesterday, so I will add it to today's post. Yesterday she drew rainbow doggies; a mama and a baby. So cute!

Today she had sissy draw some bananas.

You know, someday I will get a smile out of this girl! I promise she is not always so serious!

Today was a fun filled beach day! I will post a little something more tomorrow, hopefully! After a day in the sun and cooking (amazing) chicken enchiladas from scratch, I am beat! So until tomorrow......

Daily Patch

Her choices in art are always interesting! Today she asked me to draw a camera. So here is a picture of a picture of something that takes pictures.

I love the bright colors. She was attempting to look surprised in this shot. She is just so "siwwy". Love this kid!

Patch Catch (up)

Here are most of the patches that I did not post. Some days we had so much going on that we did not draw on them. We are still going strong with the art, and it still helps her everyday! Hope these make you smile!

She drew Saturn because it has rings. She had Grandma draw a space unicorn. I promise that is what it is! =0)

Here she drew a mama and baby turtle and wrote her name.

This is her mama and baby fish.

I drew her a baby bird in a shell, and she colored it. We make a good team!

She wanted a tree with pink apples.

This one is a collaboration. Nana drew the big flowers and butterflies below, I drew the 4 small flowers, and Becca colored them all.

She asked for a diamond ring. I love the colors she did!

She asked Maddie to draw her a house. It is her dream house.

Becca tried to draw a horse, but gave up. Maddie saved the day and made a horse from Becca's attempt. Pretty nice save!

A strawberry! I love this kid!

Today she drew a mommy and baby butterfly.....upside down. So I guess that means I get an upside down smile. I tried to tell her they were part bat, but she wasn't having it.

That is it for now. I am going to try and post these everyday again. Thanks for bearing with me! I hope you smiled at least once! Good night to all!

I am still here, promise!

Wow. I bet you all thought I was done with my blog. I admit, I was a little worried myself! Life has been very crazy for us, and I was just never able to find the time (or motivation) to sit down and write a new entry. I got used to not writing, and it seemed like my blog slipped further and further away. I sit here tonight, ready for sleep, but determined to get back on here. So here is a brief (as brief as I can be) recap on what has happened since my last post. I will post a catch up eye patch post next.

I have a new nephew! Noah Edward James King! 8 lbs. 9 oz., 20.5 inches long. He is beautiful, and perfect, and I am already madly in love with him. I am going to love being his Auntie! My sister had an emergency C-section and had a seizure. It was scary for awhile. I spent the first couple of hours of Noah's life in ICU holding his mama's hand while she came to. It was so amazing when she finally got to see her beautiful little man. It was hard to see her that way, but I am so glad I was able to be there for, and with, my little sister. You are an amazing mommy already, Ash!

My husbands parents, niece, and daughter came to visit. It was packed, but such a great time. I really enjoyed their visits, and was very sad to see them go. It will be nice to see them again in a few weeks when we go down there.

My step-daughter, Maddie, is with us. It looks like it will be permanent. It is going to be a change for us all, but I know we will get through this and come out better people and a closer family. It may be a long fight ahead, but we will not give up.

We are moving. I may be scarce on here for the next 2 weeks while ironing out all the details, but I will post when I can. I will tell you all where we are going when we get there and I am sure it is our final choice. What can I say, we have been changing our minds so much lately, I have myself confused. So to save us all the headache, we will know when we get there! =0)

Health stuff has been on our minds. Not to go into details, one scare is over, but we are not fully out of the woods. All we can do now is wait.

Rebecca had a follow up for her eyes. She has only progressed a little, again, so now she has to wear the patch 4-6 hours vs. the prior 2-4 hours. She is not too happy with this, but is still hanging on like a trooper. She is awesome.

Rebecca got to fly a kite and eat a s'more for the first time. My husband and I built our fist outdoor fire together (we have done this before, just never together. Thought that was a little odd). Maddie got to run on the beach at midnight and eat roasted marshmallows in the ocean for the first time. It was a fun week!

I think that covers the majority. It has been so crazy, and there is still more to come! I hope I did not bore anyone by going on about things. I hope I can keep updated more often and spare you all the novel! Thank you to all who accept me the way I am!

I hope you all have a wonderful day and catch up with an old friend!

Last minute trip

My sister is expecting, and today we got THE call! Hopefully, very soon, my nephew will be here! I am excited and worried. I hope it is smooth for both baby and mama. We had to pack and head over here right away because Allen had to turn right around and go home. He has to work today.

So now we wait. Becca is awesome, and so excited to meet her cousin. It has been a long day, and the next few will be even longer! So on that note, this lady is tired and I am going to bed! Here is our patch today. Rebecca wanted me to draw (I kind of missed it!). She wanted a picture of a bike, and this is what I came up with.

I like the sun with his sunglasses! I hope you all have a wonderful day, full of pleasant surprises!

Just checking in

Today was a very busy day. I hope it slows down soon so I can get on here more. I put dinner on this morning in the crock pot, and we did not get home to eat it until 6 p.m.! Had some things to do in Coos Bay, so it was a nice little road trip. It was a very rainy day, definitely a coastal day. What I love about here is that even when it rains, it is still so beautiful! We had lunch at Lake Woahink, one of the most beautiful lakes either of us has ever seen, down in Florence. Even though our thoughts were on our tasks, we still managed to take in the beauty of this place. Definitely helped ease our tension.

*Sigh*

The bridge into North Bend/Coos Bay is a very long bridge. It was neat crossing it today, so cloudy and drizzly, the water below was barely visible. I got this neat shot of the bridge as we crossed. Love the raindrops!

Rebecca wanted to draw a seahorse on her patch today. It did not turn out exactly like she wanted, so she said she decided to make it a seahorse fish. You know, half seahorse, half fish. I see them all the time! =0)

I think it is cute. I am glad she took it so well, instead of insisting she do it over (and over) until she got it right. I love all the bubbles! Can't wait to see what she draws tomorrow! I hope you all got to see a little beauty today!

Daily patch

Rebecca drew a rainbow, and that is her standing under it. Super cute!

Geese, not ducks!

Rebecca got up from her nap today and wanted to draw on her patch. She said she was going to draw a lake and some geese. So she did. I called them ducks, but she quickly replied that they were geese. Allen made the mistake of calling them ducks, too. She wasn't very happy. So, these are the mama and baby GEESE that Becca drew.

Aren't they just adorable?

A day with my baby girl

I had a very fun filled, and exhausting, day with Becca. We had a blast at the Hatfield Marine Science Center and the local library. It is always great when I can just give her the freedom to do what she wants. The science center is wonderful for that. It has hands on activities and a really cool touch tide pool that allows her to explore at her own pace.

Even though the activities are a little ahead of her, she played with them in her own way. I watched her creativity flow and witnessed her conquer fears. By the time we left, she had touched EVERYTHING in the touch pool, a huge change from when we first arrived (she barely touched a starfish). We got "hugs" from sea urchins and watched an abalone wiggle. She became friends with a flounder. It sat still, buried in the sand, but when Becca (3 different times!) would get close to the tank and peer in, he would swim up to her. He would stay there, looking at her, until she walked away. None of the others did this, and it just tickled her.

I am so lucky to be her mom. I love watching her learn. I love seeing the wonder and amazement in her eyes. Everyday I am her mommy is a true gift, and I hope to never lose sight of that. She is something truly special.

Today she drew on her patch. She drew a fat,very hungry caterpillar (from her favorite book), and a baby one. Then she drew a momma worm and a daddy worm. Where she gets her ideas, I may never know. But they are so creative and great, I am definitely not complaining.

I hope you had a wonderful day full of wonder and joy!

Snails can be cute

So I think the new trend is that Becca will be drawing on her patches. Today she drew a snail. I am very impressed by her snail! I really do not think I could draw a snail this good without looking at picture of a snail. She just sat down and decided on the spot that she was going to draw a snail, then just did it. Too cool.

She was so proud! I loved her snail so much, she later drew me an encore piece. It is a momma snail (who is eating a strawberry), and a baby snail (who is eating plums). LOVE it!

Cutest snails I have ever seen! I wish you all a wonderful day!

Photo Challenge Day 31: Something beautiful

This is it! I made it to the end of this photo challenge! Though it was fun, I have to be honest, I am relieved it is over. I am ready to get on with my blog. I may do another challenge in the future, but probably not one this long. That being said, here is something(s) beautiful:

This is where I am blessed to live right now. We are moving in a month, so we are getting in all the beauty here we can. This is one of our favorite spots. The view never gets old.

I love living in the Pacific Northwest. I did not appreciate it when I was in high school surrounded by it. I sure love being here now.

The most beautiful thing in my life is my daughter. I love this shot because I caught her in the moment, my favorite kind of shots. No posing or planning. I had her laughing and just took the shot. Her laughter and smile makes the world more beautiful!

Good bye to the photo challenge, and thank you to all who followed my posts on this. I hope you all have a beautiful day!