Archives for January 2014

Before His Birthday Thoughts

I love birthdays.  I love a reason to celebrate the special people in my life and our family.  I love carefully selecting just the right gift, hanging decorations and preparing yummy treats.  I love an entire day devoted to that special person.  Solomon is always the most detailed of our bunch.  In fact, he’s the most detailed kid I know.  He notices everything and remembers where everything is located.  When I’ve lost something, he’s my go-to guy.  I think this is why he loves legos and puzzles so much.  He works big Lego kits entirely alone and nails them.  Give him a 200 piece puzzle and he’s as happy as a clown.  He is just so very detailed oriented.  He loves books and magazines and sits crossed legged like a little old man studying each page so very carefully.

 

When it came time to chat about planning his birthday day, he had all the details in his little head.  Chocolate donuts with sprinkles and some without.  Chocolate milk to drink.  Chuck E Cheese to play games and cheese pizza for lunch.  Brownies, but cupcake shaped, with chocolate chip cookie dough frosting topped with ninjas.  I let him pick out fun plates and napkins and wrapping paper…he chose Star Wars plates, Ninja Turtle napkins and Cars wrapping paper…who knew.  I didn’t even know he liked Cars.

Today we’re preparing to celebrate his little life tomorrow.  We did some Krogering before 8am this morning for birthday supplies…we were all looking awesome.

I can’t believe he’s 5.  I miss his baby days just a little, like I miss all their baby days just a little, but I wouldn’t go back for all the money in the world.  I love who Solomon is becoming.  I love who all my kids are becoming and I’m so excited to watch them change and grow and I want to enjoy these days.  They were precious baby people and Sol was the happiest baby, but I adore the big kids they are changing in to.  I like seeing glimpses of who they are becoming.  It’s an honor.

His birthday is always a little hard on my heart, as there are always questions and we don’t have all the answers for him.  I received the sweetest text this morning that was a prayer for Sol and his birthday.  It made me weepy.  The things my incredible friend thought to pray over him was just amazingly good for this momma’s heart.  Adoption can be the most joyful thing and then turn right around and be the hardest thing…joy and grief intertwined together.  Gain and loss.  Whys and why nots.  Hows and how comes.  It’s just hard sometimes.  As Sol’s mom I want to take away every bit of pain and grief and loss and protect him and hide him away from the world, but that’s not what God called me to do as his mom.  God has called Josh and I to smother his heart in prayer and love and be there when the loss and grief sets in.  To listen to him.  To whether the storm with him.  Begging God to be all the answers to all of Solomon’s questions and future questions.  Begging God to be his comfort and healing.  Begging God to be his Father and to hold him the tightest and love him the hardest in those moments of grief which are sure to come.

We want more than anything to be the parents God has called us to be.  Ultimately we make lots of mistakes…lots…but God will always be perfect and righteous and just what both Josh and I need and what Solomon needs.  I pray so hard Sol will realize early on how God designed him so perfectly perfect in His image and how He loves him more than anyone else in the entire world.  How God makes no mistakes and how every thing has filtered through His hands in this world.  How after God’s love, our love is the biggest for him.  And how he has made our family even more amazing…how we’re honored and humbled to be apart of his life, how no matter what we will always love and cherish him as our son and how incredibly, incredibly thankful we are for his birth mom.

 I have questioned a million times over how on earth God thought Josh and I were even remotely good enough to be his parents.  Why us?  And every time, I just end up abandoning the question with genuinely deep gratitude towards God for taking a chance on us, for stitching our family together so uniquely perfect and for trusting us, even when He knows we’re going to screw up.  Today as we prepare to celebrate Solomon’s amazing life, I’m deeply thankful to be his Momma and to watch as his beautiful life unfolds.

Happy Friday!

Run On Sentence

Today is one for skipping my run for extra sleep and watercoloring Valentines and Thursday Sonic happy hour and candy birthday treat bags and accepting closed doors and a long toddler nap and extra snuggles and starting new orders and Muffins with Mom and catching up on Parenthood and a long much needed call with Ashley and replying to emails and building card towers and a cancelled date night due to dang germs and $1.29 Lunchable dinners for kids and take out dinner for the adults and pillow & blanket forts and early bed times and fun birthday mail and pretty fabric buying and blogging at 5pm due to the craziness of the day.  And now the sun is setting and I’m looking forward to hitting my pillow.  It was a good, full day.

Happy Thursday!

My First Pot Roast

Cooking a pot roast was one of those things which just seemed so grown up to me.  Whenever I heard anyone talk about pot roasts all I could think was how grown up and responsible and culinary geniusish the person was.  I was completely intimidated.  I never ever ever thought I could cook a pot roast.  Brea has been telling me for a while to just do it and how easy it is.  I didn’t listen.  I thought she was crazy and yes, a culinary genius in the kitchen.

Then when I posted a little while ago about looking for easy, good recipes, my friend Marcie sent me an whole email full of easy, good meals and there sat the Mississippi Pot Roast recipe just taunting me.  I decided it was time I take on the challenge.

The first problem I encountered was figuring out how to buy a pot roast.  Yep.  I’m grocery store challenged as well apparently.  I was so intimidated.  I couldn’t figure out what to buy and finally found a roast chuck or something like that, and asked the meat guy if that was in fact a pot roast…he smiled and said yes.  That’s when I rambled to him about how I had never cooked one before and how I was feeling pretty grown up that day and accomplished because I was actually going to cook a pot roast.  He smiled and wished me good luck.

The next problem was finding this au jus sauce packet.  What the what is au jus????  I wandered and looked and wandered and looked.  Then text Marcie.  Then I found it.  I may have given Hudson and Solomon a high-five.

Next on the problem list was realizing as I’m trying to stick this almost 3 lb pot roast in my broken crock pot that my crock pot is on the tad small side.  Then I proceeded to try and fold the pot roast in half and squish it down to the bottom of my small broken crock pot.  Later Susan asked if I just cut it in half…well, that would have been a much better idea.  It, however, never even occurred to me to just cut the sucker in half.  But I got it all in there, threw in the toppings and turned it on low.

Then like any normal person I got on Target.com and bought this beautiful guy solving all my crock pot problems with a few clicks of my mouse and my Target red card.  Let me take a moment and say, “God bless the Target Red Card and all it’s perks including the 5% discount and free shipping.”

Then I waited.  I felt so accomplished.  So grown up.  I may have text multiple friends to brag on my folded little pot roast.  I felt like I needed to do something else really grown up as well like refinance or get fitted for bra by an old woman at Macys.  I felt like I had arrived.

I even made sides.  I am completely a one pan dinner person.  I rarely make a meal that has sides…other than a salad.  But I went all cooking crazy and made these Oven Baked Parmesan Seasoned Fries and cooked broccoli.  Things got weird.  The house smelled all yummy.  I kept checking on my pot roast all day long like a newborn baby.  I just loved her.

Then came dinner time.  I was so proud.  Pretty sure I was beaming.  Josh started getting everyone’s plates ready and I started pulling out the pot roast.  It was breaking into pieces because it was so tender.  I was shredding each section in a separate bowl.  And that’s when I pulled out a section now entwined in 8 hour long cooked plastic.  Apparently I did not remove a section of the plastic covering.  Hmmmmm.  Would it kill us all to eat pot roast roasted in plastic?!?!?  I started thinking about how some people claim reheating food in plastic containers in your microwave is going to give you cancer and I had just marinated and cooked our pot roast in plastic for 8 hours.

I weighed our options and  then we totally ate it.  Not cancer caused by plastic or a pot roast cooked in some plastic was going to stand in my way of enjoying my first pot roast.  And it was delicious.  I may be bold enough to say the best pot roast I’ve ever eaten.  Maybe a little bit of plastic should be added to the recipe.

I sent Marcie a text asking her, hypothetically speaking, if she thought a family would die from plastic poisoning after consuming a pot roast that has been cooked with some plastic.  She laughed and said to eat it.  And we’re all still alive and there are zero leftovers in the fridge.  They were all consumed the next day on little rolls.  Pot roast sandwich?  Yes, please.

And that’s the tale of me and my first pot roast.

Happy Wednesday.

Looking For Handmade Sellers

The excitement is totally setting in as my first craft night is just around the corner.  I am extremely excited and nervous as all get out.  12 new ladies to meet.  In our home.  Crafting and eating and spending time with one another.  Eeek.  So incredibly exciting.  I am working on getting all our supplies gathered up and sorted out.  Craft supplies {and cookies} are kinda my love language.  It’s true.  I feel like this is what I was semi made for…minus all that loving God and the hubs and our small little humans and others and sweets.

I’ve received several emails and messages asking about the next craft night date.  When February’s night is finished I will announce the March date.  We’re thinking about trying to do two nights in March, a Friday and Saturday night.  The spots will be made available to the people on the wait list first and then I will post the remaining spots here on the ole’ blog.

In the midst of the crazy preparation I really want to try and gather together some special goodies…swag if you will…or door prizes for the ladies that night.  So I am looking for all you lovely handmade sellers out there.  I already have a few door prize items…some lovely Noonday and Timbali.  So much love for these two companies.  Don’t even get me going on Noondays spring launch that’s coming up on February 20th.  I wish it was tomorrow.  Come on Jessica…can’t you just bump that date up a bit?!?!

So if you are interested in sending some sweet little lovelies or you just want some more details shoot me a message HERE.  I would love to hear from you.  And I will make sure to share your information and shop info here on my site and with all the ladies that evening.

Also for all you locals, my friend Brea is sharing the new Matilda Jane line at our house next Tuesday, February 4th from 6-8.  If you are interested in swinging by and checking things out, send me a message HERE and I can get you all the details.

That’s all for today.  Our house is quiet with 3 little boys still asleep and Harper and Josh have already headed off the school and work.  Think I may eat some breakfast alone…without having to share.  It’s going to be a good day.

See you tomorrow and happy Tuesday!

Friends Day

When Marcie mentioned we should have a marathon day of watching Friends episodes, I thought, “That would be fun.”  But when it actually came to fruition I thought, “This is really amazingly fun.”

Saturday I got together with some friends and we had a full Friends day episode marathon.  It was suppose to be from 8am to 8pm, but some of us stayed later…like 9:00ish.  We started the first episode around 8:30am and didn’t stop.  Boom, boom, boom.  Episode after episode after episode.

I joked that I may never mention on my blog just how many episodes we watched because after doing the math of 33 episodes x 23 minutes per episode…well, you can do the math, I said I felt a little shameful.  But then I thought about it more and the shame turned into awesomeness.  And honestly, it was completely glorious.  It was lazy and fun and we laughed so much and we ate yummy food and drank yummy drinks and enjoyed each other’s company and I had a permanent body indention in a black bean bag.  The only time I removed myself from that bean bag was either to A) get more food or drink or B) to pee.  Amazing right????

We had everything planned out…breakfast, lunch, dinner, drinks and snacks. Everyone took part and was responsible for something.  I was in charge of breakfast mimosas and desserts.  And because it was a Friends party all drinks had to be served in giant mugs…even cranberry mimosas (1/3 OJ, 1/3 cranberry juice and 1/3 champaign).

Susan made a kick-a banner.  Seriously.

Marcie even brought her mini popcorn machine.  Whaaaaattt????

And Marcie’s husband Nick did this crazy chalk art on Susan’s chalkboard.  Susan may never ever erase her chalkboard again.

And I don’t want to completely rub it in, but there were even tshirts.  This was serious people.  We go big or go home.

I look tired, but I had just laid in a bean bag and done nothing…besides work on my taxes and watch Friends for like 13 hours.  It’s a hard job, but I gladly took on the responsibility of no one except myself for the entire day.  Tough gig.

And why yes, I do keep all my PPA receipts in a brown paper bag.  I’m super professional people.

And that is how you throw a very relaxing Friends day.  I highly recommend you plan one for yourself and your ladies asap.  It’s an extremely good idea.

Happy Monday!

Chalkboard Cookies

I’ve been seeing chalkboard cookies all over Pinterest for a while now.  Chalkboards are all the rage currently…even the edible kind.  I had read several ways to make them…lots of suggestions on what method works best, but hadn’t had a chance to give any of them a try just yet.  A friend asked me to make some cookies for a super fun Friends party she’s having and I quickly said yes and new exactly what I wanted to try.

I always use Sugarbelle’s Basic Sugar Cookie recipe and love the Decorated Cookie’s Royal Icing (sort of) recipe.  I’ve eaten a lot of cookies in my 31 years and tried a million different recipes, but this combo remains my absolute favorite.  I made my cookies and then let them sit for a day and then lined and flooded the cookies in black and let them dry for another day.  Last night I was really wanting to finally give the chalkboard technique a try, so I used one small heart cookie to test.

After trying several things, here is what I liked best.  I didn’t like how super stark the above cookie looked…I wanted all the cookies to look like well loved little chalkboards, so the first thing I did when I started today was dust all the cookies with some white luster dust.  You can find it in the baking section of most craft stores.  I bought mine at Joanns.

I used to paint a lot and used tons of different sized brushes, I assumed I would want to do the same when painting cookies, so I bought several different sized Wilton brushes.  Again, you can find them in the baking section of most craft stores.

There are several ways to do the white chalk look, but after trial and error and several different techniques, here’s what I liked the best:  1 part vodka, 3 parts white food coloring.  I used Americolor.  And the other little tube is the luster dust.

And yes, there’s not much in the vodka bottle.  A) I spilt some all over the counter and B) Over the holidays friends and I enjoyed some yummy drinks that contained vodka and Cranberry Sierra mist.  So good and festive.

I used a 1/8 teaspoon to measure out my chalk paint.  1/8tsp vodka + (3) 1/8tsp white food coloring.  I mixed it together really well in a little bowl.  And then I got started.

One of my goals for 2014 was to become better at hand lettering.  I can do it some, but I really want to get better and better at free handing lettering…I know it’s a strange goal, but as an artist it’s important to me.  So I have been taking a class online that works on my hand lettering style.  {Insert geek award.}  But I love it and it’s really stretching me as an artist.  So I freehanded my cookies.  BUUUUUUUUTT, before you say you can’t do something like this, you totally can.  Tutorial after tutorial after tutorial I read and looked at showed lots of people using stencils or copying an image off their computer screen and then tracing it on to parchment paper and making their own stencil or using a Kopykake machine or using new, clean rubber stamps.  So there are lots of options out there for this style of cookie for those of you who do not feel comfortable going freehanded.  Just look around and read and see what style would work best for you.

I thought through how I wanted each cookie to look and then I got busy.

I also made an extra set of cookies for a sweet friend who loves these cookies…a little love set.

And there you have…chalkboard cookies.  I’m trying to think through other questions you may ask.

I got the fun shaped frame cookie cutters HERE.  Search frame.

I also like these bottles for lining and flooding the cookies.  Small ones HERE and large ones HERE.

Think that’s it.  Hope everyone has a great weekend.  Happy Friday!

11 Eggs

Anyone else have one of those small toddler humans who is into EVERYTHING????  Like all they need is just a few seconds.  This is Amon.  He is the sweetest child, but is absolutely the busiest child as well.  He’s inquisitive and goes 110% during the day until nap or until he randomly falls asleep.  He’s such a crazy sweet child, but he makes me want to pull my hair right out of it’s roots.  Case in point.

This morning it was approximately 8:50am.  How do I know the exact time, well let me know tell you how I know.  When I was a new mom I struggled getting out of the house on time.  I struggled getting from point A to point B without being late.  I hate being late.  I hate the message it sends the person waiting on me.    I never dreamed that one small baby human would make me have to relearn how to get out of the house.  Then more kids came along and over time I’ve perfected our getting out of the house routine.  I know exactly how long before we need to be walking out the door to give the kids the “hey get your coats and shoes on now” comment.  I know exactly how long it takes us to get from the back door to the car and that it takes everyone approximately 38 seconds to get buckled.  I know how long it takes us to get from point A to point B…important kid places like school and MDO and the pediatrician’s office.  I know it was 8:50am because Hudson and Solomon were both standing by the back door with jackets and shoes on and their backpacks strapped on tight.  They were ready to walk out the door for school.

And then I made this terrible, terrible mistake.  I went to the bathroom.  “Hang on guys, I’ve got to pee.”  Yep, I had to pee.  What a huge mistake.  I should have known better than to actually empty my bladder.

You’ll have to forgive all the potty talk, but as I am peeing…like mid stream, I hear Hudson yell at the top of his lungs from the kitchen: “He’s got the eggs.  He’s got the eggs.”

My immediate thought is, “I could not have heard him correctly.  Who has out eggs?  Sol would never and Amon can’t open the refrigerator.  Maybe he said, “He’s got legs.”  Yeah, I bet that was it.  Funny Huddy.  He’s got legs too.”

Then more yelling followed with a crashing sound…similar to that of a carton of eggs.  “He dropped them.  He dropped them.”  This is when I realized I hadn’t given Amon enough credit and that I had heard Hudson correctly the first time.  I proceeded to speed pee and get the heck out of the bathroom and back to the kitchen which is only like 20 feet away.

Then I hear, “He’s smashing them Mom.  Come quick.  He’s smashing them.”  As I take off running I round the corner into the kitchen and there are the smashed eggs all over the floor.  11 to be exact.  Not one salvageable egg.  What’s not in the picture was Amon standing in the corner holding three crushed eggs in his hands, yolk dripping through his little clinched fists.

So here’s another super fun thing about Amon, when he realizes he’s got something he’s not suppose to have…he throws it.  It’s kind of like, “If it’s not in my hands, then I’m not guilty.”  When he gets a puzzle box off the shelf and we catch him with it, our first move towards him followed by our, “No, Amon.”  makes him fling it out of his hands in whatever direction he wants.  Same goes for everything.  He’d make a terrible robber.  And turns out eggs too.  My first words as I moved towards him were, “No Amon.”  and he threw the crushed eggs out of his hands and onto the kitchen floor and cabinet doors.  I was so overcome with this wild animal mentality I simply grabbed his hand and then let out this  dying animal call.  Head tilted back towards the sky, gnashing of teeth and I tore my clothes straight off.  Okay the torn clothes part is for dramatic affect, but I totally did the crazy wild animal yell.  Imagine the noise Big Foot makes.  I was just so frustrated.  My goodness, it was like one minute of me peeing.  And how in the heck did he get the refrigerator opened.  Hudson and Solomon just stood there with this “Is Mom going to be alright” look on their faces.  Poor kids.  I’ll pay for their therapy in full.

And so I began to clean up all the eggs as Amon sat there and watched and “told” me all about it.  He gave me the whole low down in his own little words which I cannot understand one bit.  And when it was cleaned up and I had sent the picture to Josh, I laughed.  I finally laughed.  These will make for great stories as he grows.  My Aunt Linda says all his inquisitive trouble means he’s brilliant.  Maybe he’ll be a heart doctor one day.

Happy Thursday!

When Things Go Awry

I’ll be honest.  Last night when I was thinking about my post for today I had a very simple post planned that would contain a cute picture of all the Kelley kids all snuggled up together and just a few words like, “No time for a post today.  We’re enjoying a snow day.” or “Hey.  We have no snow, but we got a snow day.  Word up and peace out.  See you tomorrow.” or “Undeserved snow days are the best.  We’re enjoying this one to the max.”  That’s what I had planned in my head.  And then I woke up.

And things went terribly awry.  Snow days are suppose to be fun and full of movies and kind words and siblings who are all nice and kind to each other and mommas who don’t yell at their kids.  Yep.  That’s what a snow day is suppose to look like.  Ours resembled nothing of that and by 11:45 when we were leaving to enjoy lunch with friends, pretty sure I said something along the lines of, “I wouldn’t even take you guys to Chickfila if I didn’t need to get out of this house.  Nobody has earned a fun lunch.”  Yep.  #momoftheyear  There had been fights and whining and complaining and yelling and Amon broke my mom’s beloved red bird which made me cry and get angry and nobody, not nobody including myself, was treating each other like we wanted to be treated.  There was no love in our words.  And there was certainly no love in our actions.  Everyone was mad and ill and annoyed with one another.  I was yelling at the kids to stop yelling at each other.  It was all quite redonkulous.  So with an angry heart and selfish motives we loaded up the car and I gave out strict instructions of no talking and that behavior better get better because clearly I myself was modeling the best behavior for them to all imitate.

As we drove in silence, God started digging into my angry, selfish and sinful heart.  By the time we got to Chickfila I felt awful.  And I could tell I needed to do damage control asap by the looks on their little faces.  I pulled into a parking spot and there we sat.  Then I got busy asking for forgiveness.  I apologized for a million specific things I had done wrong so far that day to the kids.  I had totally set the tone for the day and it had not been a good one.  As always, I was offered forgiveness by three wee Kelleys who I adore.  And you know what, then they started apologizing and forgiving too.  And we had a whole little gush fest right there in the van.  We agreed to wipe the slate clean and start new.  We then practiced our Bible verse before heading in for chicken.

Just like that, our day changed.  I admitted my mistakes and started letting Jesus in and thinking more of Him.  We ate with friends and the kids played while I got to chat with two of my most favorite ladies.  I listened as one of them talked about having older children and I found myself soaking in her words.  And there was laughter and my heart got a little lighter.  Jesus, friends, kind words and chicken do a heart good…my new motto.  Amon even did his sleeping thing right there in the booth.  The guy behind us was all like, “Daaang girl, your kid will sleep anywhere.”

It was just what we all needed.  We hit up Kroger afterwards for baking goods and I even snagged a bag of Rolos…I know, I know, but some days require chocolate even if it is a Wednesday.  Now we’re all piled on the couch watching Dispicable Me 2 and we just slurped down Marshmallow Lover’s Hot Chocolate…which should be the only hot chocolate in the world.

Breakfast for dinner is on the menu and who doesn’t love some brinner.  Harper has some preparation for 100s day and the boys have lego assembling planned for after dinner.  I’m working on cookies after everyone goes to bed…the sugar kind…the pretty decorated kind.  I’ll also be answering emails I haven’t gotten too yet.  The world is right again.  And forgiveness won our day back.  When will I learn.  Glad God is still in the business of renewing and restoring.  Glad He hands out ample amounts of grace and forgiveness and mercy every single day.

Happy Wednesday!

PS:  If you are interested this canvas is still available for sale HERE.