Baking and Bedding

Yesterday I was the bloggerazzi. I was jumping from blog to blog to blog in search of inspiration. Any kind of inspiration. Jumping to blogs I have never been to and never heard of. At this point of the winter season I get frumpy. Wishing for sunshine and green grass. I am in the mood to paint every room in my apartment neon yellow just to feel some sort of sunny warmth!! Now I love yellow- but not that much. I am sick of the snow, sick of the ice, sick of the cold, and sick of the white ground and grey skies. So Spring- if you are out there- COME ON ALREADY!!

During my blog hopping (which by the way if you haven't tried this- you should! I found so many amazing blogs!) I happened upon a blog called "My Maine Cottage" If you have never been there, I encourage you to go. It is fantastic!! The pictures alone will leave you drooling....and dreaming of living in a little cottage in Maine. As I was reading through the last several posts I found a recipe for "Delicious Downeast Maine Pumpkin Bread". It sounded so good I just had to make it. Right then! So, I hopped to my kitchen, pulled in my little assistant and baked some bread! It sounded like comfort food and in these cold months what could sound better!?!
Bella and I went to work measuring and pouring, mixing and prepping pans. She is very good at greasing those pans!! And so focused too!


And of course we had to make muffins too. I think my kids would eat dirt if it was in the shape of a muffin.

And this was our end result! Now if I could only copy and paste the smell into this post you would truly be inspired to make this bread as well!!! My apartment smells FANTASTIC!!

Oh beautiful loaves of delectability!! How do they taste?? Well, all two dozen muffins are gone and when I woke up this morning I found that one of the loaves was missing!! Marc took it to work!! I have never tasted a pumpkin bread that I loved more. So to you, My Maine Cottage, I say THANK YOU for this AMAZING recipe!

This week I found something that I have been searching high and low for. Years of hunting, searching, pining, worrying that I would never find.........................

Perfect, dreamy bedding!!! If you have been following my blog for awhile you will know that my master bedroom has been the source of contention for me. I would go as far as saying complete and utter decorating stress and rage, actually, but I am just not an angry person. My bedroom is............well...............I hate it. I had beautiful bedding years ago. I loved it! I loved my room! But then we decided to upgrade to a King sized bed and I have not been able to find the perfect bedding since. That was five years ago!!! URGH!!!

I am always checking all of my favorite stores on a very regular basis. Nothing. Until yesterday. I was wanting something casual but with a formal touch. Something cozy without being too boring. Something that looked classic- that looks like it could have been around a hundred years ago, but still looks fresh and modern. Something feminine but not too over-the-top girlie. I want to walk in to my bedroom and feel like I have stepped into a fine Bed and Breakfast. I think this bedding fits the bill perfectly!!!!!!!!!!!!! It is from JCPenney and is the new Savannah bedding collection by American Living.

The fun part is- this poster bed actually looks almost identical to mine!! I love the entire room they have staged here. From the creamy pale gold walls to the ivory roses on the nightstand.

Oh I am swooning over this bedding! When I saw it online yesterday my heart actually started beating faster!! Isn't that crazy?? The only problem is- it's not my birthday, nor my anniversary. Christmas has already passed and further more we have been house hunting. This bedding is a little pricey. I want the whole package- comforter set, quilt, shams, pillows, sheets and window treatments. I figured it up and if I bought everything I want (including curtains) it would cost over $1,000.00 OUCH! I know that, for bedding, that isn't terrible. But it is terrible right now!! LOL!! So, for now I will keep dreaming- and hope that it goes on sale!! At least I know now that my dream bedding exists!!

Until next time, I hope you are all doing well and finding your own inspiration!!!

~Heather:)

**Photos of Savannah bedding are from the JCPenney website

Decorating and Kids

Before I had children I used to be one of those people that said things like: "My kids will never act like that." "My kids will never tear things up." "I will teach my kids to take care of things better than that." "My house will never look like that!"

I now find those words haunting me. I realize that I had no grounds to make those statements or think those statements because, back then, I had no actual experience. As a mom of three I have learned one valuable lesson...................if you think your kid won't- he will. If you think she can't-she can...................and if you think they would NEVER- because they have been taught better- Oh! They WILL! And they do. Usually when your back is turned, when you are on the phone or somehow otherwise distracted.

Now, I know that kids are kids. And I want them to be kids and explore and discover and figure things out. I also don't expect my home to look like a picture in a magazine (at least not during the hours of 7am and 10pm LOL!!) However, I do find myself envious of those people who have a beautiful, well-kept, well-decorated house AND children. Children who seem to have been born with a certain gene to respect and a knowledge to leave nic-nacs alone, not use curtains as Super Hero capes (while still attached to a curtain rod) and who seem to have super glue on their little bums until dinner is finished and their hands have been wiped clean.

Now, I LOVE my children and I would NEVER in a million years trade them or their personalities and traits. I just think my kids are.......... maybe.................a little more curious and daring than those nic-nac friendly kids I know.

Because as much as I would love our bedrooms and home to look like this..................


Our rooms seem to ALWAYS look like this.................

A few weekends ago Marc and I were up pretty early on a Saturday and all of the kids were still asleep in their rooms..............we thought. I kept smelling something hot and convinced myself it was probably the coffee pot or the college student next door trying to fry eggs during a hangover. After my first cup of coffee the smell seemed to be stronger. So, like a hound dog I went through the apartment with my super sniffing powers and found that the smell seemed to be coming from Bella's room. I opened the door to see Bella quietly playing in her kitchen and smoke rolling from her lamp!!!!!!!!!!!!! I yanked the plug from the wall and went running to the kitchen with smoking lamp in hand. My curious Bella had laid her pajamas on top of the bulb, all curled up in a ball.........................

The bulb ended up busting as the plastic cooled and shrunk and the Strawberry Shortcake pjs??

Well, let's just say I never appreciated the term "flame resistant" more than I did that day.

I was pretty shook up the entire morning. Our apartment wreaked of burnt plastic and the kids got a very long lecture on fire safety and know now that they are not allowed to play with lamps. Bella's lamp- just to be safe- will not be returning to her room.

And then we have Monday's events. We had purchased an armoir for Kyle to keep his clothes in since his new room doesn't have a closet. Monday the kids were in his room laughing and seemed to be having a good time so I went to check on them. Now, most mothers know there are two times that are red flags- when you know you better stop what you are doing and go check on your kids. #1 When they are extremely quiet and #2 When they are laughing and squealing.

When I walked into the room, I was floored! I had to leave the room, count backwards and go back in. What I found was two little monkeys swinging from the last remaining door on the armoir.

What happened to the other door, you ask? Well......................

Yeah. I don't think this requires an explanation. And I think it goes without saying that the two little monkeys had to sit on time out for a very long time. Which, for them, is 15 minutes. Long enough to finger paint the table and the walls with their peanut butter sandwiches.

These are the things my kids get into almost every day. I clean up one mess while they make another. I guess looking at it from a positive perspective I could say that my kids have great imaginations and impeccable motor skills. They are, after all, learning.

As for Cali..............well, she is still innocent and well-behaved. But I think as soon as she learns to walk and swing she will be right in there with the pack of wild monkeys!!! I know that will happen sooner than I think. She is FIVE months old today!!!!!!!!! Five months already!

She loves to watch everything and everyone around her..............just soaking it all in.

She is teething and has mastered the skill of shoving almost her entire hand in her mouth.

She is happy and fun and smiles almost all of the time. She squeals and jabbers and makes a lot of noise. She is still trying to master sitting by herself and she is getting there.

I had her to the doctor for her well-visit last Friday and she weighs 15 pounds and 8 ounces which places her between the 75th and 90th percentile amongst her peers. She is also 26 7/8" long which puts her OFF the growth charts!!! The Dr did detect a heart murmur but with the way she is growing and developing they are not overly concerned. We will continue to monitor it regularly and she should out grow it by the age of two.

Happy Birthday Cali!!!!!!!

~Heather:)

Another Year.............

Well, another Christmas has come and gone and as much as I hate to admit it................I'm glad it is over. Scrooge! I know!! This holiday was so crazy busy I feel like it went by in a big huge blur and I didn't have time to really enjoy it. With traveling all over Ohio and down to West Virgina we spent so much time in the car with exhausted, cranky kids. What was left after the whirlwind of holiday chaos was a dirty vehicle with hundreds of added miles on the odometer, lots of toys that seem to all make noise and a feeling that my apartment has shrunk in square footage. I want to go crawl in my bed and sleep for a week!! However, New Year's Eve brought a new sense of calm and excitement. The feeling of a new year and new possibilities to explore. The thought of starting anew and making this the best year ever. We have been blessed with a new person in our lives that has opened doors to things we have only been able to dream about until now. He is truly a Godsend...................but that is another post. I will be filling you in as things develop!!
For now, I want to share some of our Christmas holiday. This year we decided to let the kids have total control of the tree decorating. We didn't even get out tree up until 2 days before Christmas................it was buried in storage. And then we never did find the box of decorations. Oh how I long for a house so we can be better organized!! However, it all worked out for the best and the kids had a ball. This is what they came up with...............


A toy themed tree!! They gathered toys from all around the apartment..........

Nothing was off limits.......................

We have Fairies and flowers, dinosaurs and giraffes................

And ornaments the kids made out of stickers...........

Handmade beaded ornaments................

It turned out so adorable! And the kids were so proud of their creation.

Even the FedEx tag made it on the tree!! LOL!!

The candy canes that were used to adorn the branches didn't last long..............

and ended up decorating the kids faces and hands instead!! LOL!!!

On Christmas Eve we went to Marc's Aunt's house. I made 6 dozen cookies and icing in red and green for all of the kids to decorate cookies to leave out for Santa. The kids had such a good time that we decided to make it a new tradition. I made a container of each icing and sprinkles for each child to have their own icing and sprinkles. I didn't want to hear "That's my icing!" and of course we didn't want any cross-contamination when the kids licked their fingers and suck them back in for more!!! LOL!!

Little Betty Crocker herself...............

And my little Emeril................

Bella takes her job so seriously!

Daddy acted as supervisor.......and photographer..............

And the end results were priceless...................

Then we opened gifts. We did a very simple gift giving this year. We wanted to keep it simple and just get together as a family. After all, isn't that what Christmas is all about?

We decided to start another tradition this year. Christmas pajamas. Bella couldn't even wait until she got home before putting hers on. Of course- They ARE Dora the Explorer!!

This is what the tree looked like after "Santa" got it ready.............at 4 in the morning!!

And then Christmas morning it was on and paper was flying!! Bella was excited to get her first Barbie..............

Kyle was excited over his tv and vcr. Mostly excited with the remote!! LOL!!

They even helped each other open gifts!

Wow! Somebody was a very good girl this year! Peek-A-Boo Bella!

Cali got Disney collector's books. Winnie the Pooh of course!

Poor Cali didn't really get the whole concept. She could have cared less but loved the sound of all of the paper!!

And then mommy and daddy brought out the big dawgs!! A Dora ride-on quad for Bella.

And a John Deere ride-on tractor with detachable wagon for Kyle!!

Even Cali got in on the fun..................

A little parade went up and down the hallway all day.....................

Don't worry- we didn't leave Bella or Kyle in charge of riding Cali around.............Daddy was always within inches!!

I honestly think Daddy has had more fun with these things than the kids have!!

Then again, I could be wrong. :)

All in all it was a wonderful Christmas. I'm just going to need a full year to recover!!!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and have a very wonderful New Year!!

~Heather:)