{To Do List}

I'm overwhelmed. I'm nursing baby Ella as I type this....(yes, literally)

{by your third you can type and nurse at the same time}.

I have a TO DO list that's kicking my booty!

While I am so thankful for my new found creative outlet, and the "creative juices"; I am also feeling overwhelmed by all of the projects I want to get done!

So on my TO DO list:

1: My Bible Study:

{Ironic...right?}

2: Finish my Family Rules Sign:

Pinterest

3: Make Ella a holder for all of her bows and clips:

Pinterest

4: Finish, deliver, and mail some of the clips I've sold

5: The Dishes, The Laundry, and Everything Else Home Related...

6: Return Clothes I've borrowed for Ella

7: Go To The Bank

8: Try a few new ideas I've come across:

Pinterest

Pinterest

9: Makes the gifts for my MOPS ladies:

Pinterest

10: Christmas Shopping/Crafting

Pinterest

And yet...here I am typing....

better get to work!!!

Today I'm linking up with Yes, Teacher for Tickle Me Tuesday

What I Love About...Thanksgiving

It has been a CRAZY week.

Family started coming from all over on

Wednesday and we've been going nonstop since then.

It's nice to have a break to "journal" for a moment.

So here's what I love about Thanksgiving....

Big Family Get Togethers

Funny Mug Exchanges

The Kids Table

Cousins Getting Along

Seeing family I rarely get to see

Gorgeous Weather Outside

Pumpkin pie, stuffing, green bean salad...and everything else

The food coma

But the thing I love the most about Thanksgiving is that I am reminded of everything in my life to be grateful for.

God has blessed me in more ways than I could ever imagine.

Pumpkin "Carrot Cake"

I saw this cake on Pinterest and knew I had to make it.

I am so excited that this year Thanksgiving is at my in-laws and we're having a big crowd. Like...close to 30 people big.

SO this was the perfect opportunity for me to make this cake!

It was crazy easy.

Step 1: Bake 2 bunt cakes of whatever cake you love...I chose carrot cake

Step 2: slice the top off of one of the cakes {cake #2}

Step 3: Frost the top of cake #1 and lay cake #2 on top.

Step 4: Frost the rest of the cake {I used my Mom's amazing cream cheese frosting recipe}. And "pull" the frosting down toward the cake plate to give it a beveled look.

Step 5: Soften and twist 2 tootsie rolls together for the pumpkin stem. Trim to the correct length, and add your leaves.

There you have it!

Happy Thanksgiving to you!!

New Design!

I have never been one who wins a lot of things.

But what do you know...I actually won something!

Not just something...I won a new custom blog design!

I just wanted to give a huge thanks to Life Made Lovely Designs for doing an amazing job with my blog.

I love it!

And thanks to Alison at aPearantly Sew for hosting the giveaway.

What a great day!

Not So Super Mom

Today was Jo's first dentist appointment.

He was amazing! He sat in his little chair for an hour while they hacked away at my teeth.

And when it was his turn, he didn't move. He was the perfect patient. I'm so proud to be his Mom. He is so obedient and accepting of all things. He is my super boy for sure.

But as for me....

I'm not so awesome. I had 5 cavities...yes I said 5.

Josiah had 3. Please don't judge me. I feel horrible!

I thought I was doing right by him. Brusing his teeth for a long time, not letting him eats lots of sugar. You know...what I was told to do.

They said it's not my fault, that he has weak enamel. But that's not how I'm feeling.

I think he is cursed with my horrible genetic coding. Bad freaking teeth!

I have always had cavities. And now that I'm an adult, I do everything they tell me to. I floss, I brush twice (for a long amount of time), I rinse with a anti-cavity rinse. I do it all. And I still get 5 cavities.

And what does my hubby do? He brushes his teeth for maybe 15 seconds...and he's good. He never gets cavities!

Oh my. This is just one of those moments when I feel like I'm failing my kids. It's the worst. Now I have to worry about Jo getting those 3 cavities filled. And getting a flipping shot in his perfect tiny smile.

Argh!

Not. A. Good. Day.

But at least this picture always makes me feel better

Our first of 3 attempts at potty training Jo.

This may not have worked. But it sure was cute!

Thankful

So there's a craze on Facebook right now {30 Days of Thanksgiving}I started doing it and have failed horribly! I forget to post about half of the time.

I really try to be thankful every day about something!

I have learned that the best way to begin a prayer is by telling God what you are thankful for. I'm teaching my kids this same thing. When we can put aside what we worry about, and what we "need", for a few seconds to remember what we are grateful for; our lives can be transformed!

God is so good! He is in control over my life. And I am so thankful for moments like these:

Thankful I caught this moment on camera. I see a senior graduation picture in his future!

He's even rocking the white man's overbite!

Seeing my kids be proud of something they are creating

Dressing Ella Up

Having Grandparents who adore my kids and want to spend time with them

When I can get my kids personalities captured on film...Oh Micah you're such a sweetheart

Josiah laughing

Silly moments with the boys

Thankful that I finally have a hobby!

Days when my 4 year old decides to take a nap with his siblings

Beautiful Naked Babies

I am so thankful for each moment I get with my kids. Even the crazy, noisy, messy, tearful, and stressful times. I know I'll blink, and then I'll be dropping them off at college.

So thanks be to God for this time in my life!

Linking Up With Emily For Embrace The Camera

And Thankful Thursday

Balance

I've been crazy busy.

It's all my fault. I'm killing myself to get some clips done, and trying to keep up my creativity. It's fun to be so creative.

But I'm finding it hard to balance my time well. I want to be able to be the Mom that my kids deserve and the wife that my husband needs me to be. It's a battle that I feel like I'm losing. My house is a wreck, and my craft table...don't even get me started.

I need to figure this out...and quickly before we all get burried in the mess!

But here's a few pics of what I've been working on

(note these are not pictures of the mess that I have not working on)...

What I Love About....Lasagna {with recipe}

Weird title I know.

But it's Monday again and it's time for what I love about...

And today I love my lasagna.

Not just my lasagna...but the people who eat it.

The kids saying a prayer before we eat.

"God our Father. God our Father. We thank You. We thank You. For our many Blessings. For our many Blessings. Amen. Amen."

See...it is a good lasagna.

Everybody loves Ella

Mushy Snuggles

You know you have a messy child when he is dirtier than a 15 month old. I love Micah : )

I am SO blessed to be in an amazing Bible Study. It was such a "God Thing". James and I were just not connecting with our Church and felt God calling us to leave and join a church closer to our home. The first Sunday we attended we met the Wurth's. I bonded instantly with Lori, and joined their small group. In the three years that we have been a group people have come and gone, but we have stayed as a team.

They have all encouraged my walk with Christ and we have all bonded through various challenges and difficulties.

What makes our group fun is that we are all in the same "stage of life". There are 5 couples in the group with 14 kids. This is a pic of 11 of the 14 kids eating dinner at my house on Sunday night. It was SO loud, but I love the fellowship!

This is a rare moment of calm...yes it was before a giant storm of noise!

Ella really wanted to take a bit of the lasagna. She is her Mommy's daughter

Our current group is SO strong. We have a core of strong believers who are hungry to learn about the Lord. I am so blessed by them. Right now 3 of the couples are on a volleyball team (we suck...it's true). But the "team dinners" before the games sure are fun.

Enter...Lasagna.

THE. BEST. LASAGNA. EVER.

Ingredients

• 1 pound ground beef
• 3/4 pound bulk pork sausage
• 3 cans (8 ounces each) tomato sauce
• 2 cans (6 ounces each) tomato paste
• 2 garlic cloves, minced
• 2 teaspoons sugar
• 1 teaspoon Italian seasoning
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 1/2 teaspoon pepper
• 3 eggs
• 3 tablespoons minced fresh parsley
• 3 cups (24 ounces) 4% small-curd cottage cheese
• 1 carton (8 ounces) ricotta cheese
• 1/2 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• 9 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
• 6 slices provolone cheese
• 3 cups (12 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese, divided

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook beef and sausage over medium heat until no longer pink; drain. Add the tomato sauce, tomato paste, garlic, sugar, seasoning, salt and pepper. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; simmer, uncovered, for 1 hour, stirring occasionally.
• In a large bowl, combine eggs and parsley. Stir in the cottage cheese, ricotta and Parmesan cheese.
• Spread 1 cup of meat sauce in an ungreased 13-in. x 9-in. baking dish. Layer with three noodles, provolone cheese, 2 cups cottage cheese mixture, 1 cup mozzarella, three noodles, 2 cups meat sauce, remaining cottage cheese mixture and 1 cup mozzarella. Top with the remaining noodles, meat sauce and mozzarella (dish will be full).
• Cover and bake at 375° for 50 minutes. Uncover; bake 20 minutes longer or until heated through. Let stand for 15 minutes before cutting. Yield: 12 really hungry adults servings.

Taste of Home

I hope that our group will stay strong and that our friendships will last a lifetime. God has been so good to us! It is my strong belief that all Christian couples should join together and form friendships and "do life" with each other! I hope you have found strong friends you can rely on as well!