Amber teething necklace

My mom picked me up an Amber teething necklace the other day for miss addy. I had never heard of them, but she did through a coworker who's little guys teething and apparently thanks to this necklace you wouldn't ever know! The idea behind it has to do with the oils in the Amber absorbing into the skin and being a natural pain medication..or something like that;) So we think our girl is starting to work on some molars or the end of her eye teeth so we have been giving the necklace a try..and to be honest I actually think it works:) She doesn't seem to be as agitated or upset, chewing as much..and overall just more content:) So I thought I would pass it along, anything that isn't medication to me is worth checking out. And if anything its pretty cute!

sunshine:)

The sun is out so that makes me happy! Our apartment looks like it is officially rented out so that makes me even happier!!! but I won't quite breathe until that rent check is in my hand:) Its been an exhausting process around here. its been a month and a half of showing after showing, disappointment after disappointment:( and last week we paid the two mortgage payments this month, and that hurt..a lot.. but today looks brighter in so many ways! My faith is continually challenged and just when I start to feel like i have hit the bottom of the bucket my spirit is renewed! I think that is why I have had a hard time blogging lately is I feel like there has been a wall up blocking my thoughts and emotions so I don't come undone..because I am a wife, a mom, a friend, a daughter, a sister, a tax payer, and employee, housekeeper...I don't have time to come undone:) So we keep truckin along..and soon one day I know that surviving will turn into thriving again around these parts!

I think one thing that has been helping me lately is I have been getting out lately. Seeing friends more, talking, laughing, loving..and being me..because I am pretty cool, and I have missed myself:)*grin* I am just saying..

and then there is this girl..

She's been talking a lot lately..I mean a lot..some somedays we dial papa, or uncle, or grandma and I hand her the phone and she goes to town:) Thats my girl..and I adore her..really adore her because she is just really cute right now..even though my brain hurts by the end of the day some days because she doesn't stop..all day:)...I just really like my kid, and that is such a great feeling:) She is becoming a little girl, and I am so loving this time with her..just me and my girl, hanging out, trying on shoes..painting mugs for papa's birthday..and so on:) She's up now, and daddy's home, so off to the park we go where the sun is before we have friends over for dinner tonight..see i am telling ya, the love fest just continues lately..and I love it:)!

Spring Madness

Thats what I call March and April in our house;) Spring Madness! Its our birthday months. So far we have had five this month, I have an engagement party this sunday a baby shower next week, and than about 7 birthdays in April, including my dads 60th! And while we are at it lets throw Easter in there as well:)

But the sun is out so I couldn't be happier! And today is a spring cleaning day around here! time to open up the blinds and see the dust bunnies that have been collecting the past few months!

March has also been super busy for us with showings on our apartment. We were so blessed last year when we decided to move before my mat leave was over to find great tenants in two days! They are now moving on and for the past month we have done showing after showing, people no showing, people not calling back, people seeming like it was a done deal and than nothing..ugh...its exhausting! So I have been a tad stressed..ok a lot stressed as we are preparing to embrace an extra mortgage payment this month. With just days away, I have come to a more peaceful place. One thing that i have learned to do this month is pray differently. Life just keeps seeming to happen, and I find myself getting let down time and time again with expecations I set for myself and for us. Hopes, dreams, plans..which are not bad things, but if thats all i focus on I am know i am doomed to fail. So It clicked somehow this month..I just need to pray for peace. Because I can't control what is happening around me, only what is inside. and let me tell you, its helping. So I am learning to trust God in our circumstances and pray for the fruits of the spirit that he has given to me to get me through this harder times with Joy and peace!

So that is where we are at:)! So back to get stuff done while the little is being babysat by Veggie tales..her new found love;)*grin*

oh and I am off for a big walk this afternoon, in the sun!!! I can't believe I am finally saying that!

The writting is on the wall..

Well it was bound to happen sooner than later:) With our little miss's new love of colouring, I so far have discovered it on the floor, which was fine and easy to wash off, her car(whatever its a toy!), but I was waiting for the wall to get it and it did! its faint and its hard to see but its there! It was on the stairways as well..so wierd, and I only discovered it because I was vacuuming the stairs! Otherwise, it might have gone unnoticed for a while:) And it obviously didn't happen on my watch because I never leave my toddler un attended to at home..I watch her every second of every day:)*grin*

From my kitcken to yours..

I a made these last night, and I love them:) I got this recipe off of the Rachel Ray show months back and have been eating them ever since! and with spring time around the corner, and summer getting closer burgers will become more a staple in our house!

So lets call them Franks hot sauce chicken burgers;)

So sautee up some carrots, celery and onion in some olive oil and butter. Make sure they are really small pieces.

Once they are nice and soft, but not carmelized, transfer them to a bowl with the ground chicken. Add your seasoning of choice. I threw in some montreal spice, and some salt and pepper. Mix it up and make into nice size patties. Fry them up in a frying pan for a few minutes on each side. once they are brown on both sides remove them from the pan and add some more butter about a tbsp, and some franks hot sauce to the pan. Let it simmer for a minute and than add the burgers back to the pan, flipping them once until they are fully cooked through! If you love franks you will love these! If you don't love franks I think you could totally due this with a bbq sauce or whatever other sauce you love on your chicken burgers..terriyaki maybe??

add whatever you want on your bun and you are good to go!

One trick that i have been doing lately to one, tighten the budget, two eat less meat and three make more food..is to add a lot more veggies to things. So I used a lot of veggies in this mix and ended up getting a good 7 burgers out of it. Also with stirfrying, we have been trying to eat more organic meat and its expensive! so usually, for a stirfry I would get a pound of steak..or about two small striplion steaks, and it would cost about $7ish bucks. Where as now It still costs about $7, but I get probably, 2/3 the amount of meat. so I replace that other 1/3 with tons more veggies. Still filling for my hard working man, healthier and as cheap as possible with the new eating route we are trying to pursue!

Anyways, I have a few more recipes that I will be back to share, as I try and do one new one a week, and I have discovered a few goodies recently!

Happy monday..I am off to work!

Bully at the playground

So i have a situation that I would love your opinions on:)

So today I took Addy to go meet her little friends at McDonalds. They have a lovely little play room that traps the kids inside and they can run free. Now, I realized once we got there that my little is a bit young for this type of thing but we were making it work. Anyways, obviously there were other kids there of all ages. So there was this one little girl..I am going to say she was 4ish?? With her grandparents I am guessing?? Anyways..get to the point...well the point is that she shoved Addy over while I was standing right there. I was a little shocked, and it caught me off guard. Addy didn't seem to be too fazed by this so she kept going and I just politely and calmly said to the little girl, please don't push sweetie..meanwhile in my head I had a few other choice words. Well, later on Addy went climbing up the stairs, and I followed, as again she is still a little bit to little and I don't trust her on those things. The "shover" was at the top of the stair as the little kids were coming up. I said to her be careful sweetie the little kids are coming up..still calm and polite at this point..and all of a sudden she shoves Addy in the face. Now if I hadn't been there, my child would have proceeded to go flying down the stairs backwards. Tears came this time, and I took her away immediately...poor little thing had even a scratch on her face from this kid. So heres the thing..I was annoyed..I know it was a kid but I was annoyed. I know she was with her grandparents..but I was annoyed. So my question is, what would you have done?? A part of me wanted to tell her grandparents, part of me wanted to say something to the kid, but she isn't my kid...but instead I just walked away..because I am new to this whole thing:) Now, I am all for kids, of the same age working stuff out, fighting over toys, learning how to share, or not share because they just aren't there yet...but physical stuff, that just doesn't sit right with me. Anyways, anyone else have something like this happen? What did you do, or what would you do? And yes I know my kid is going to have run ins in life, and I an't always protect her...but you know, when you are standing right there, and thats your BABY...it sucks!

I love this girl

Todays post is all about this little girl:) I love her. I can even say this after I wanted to rip out my hair today because she is cutting eye teeth and the whining never stops! Anyways, through it all, I still adore her, and she still melts my heart, makes me laugh and more and more I am in complete awe of this little creature.

These are some pictures from last month when we had our one and only big snow dump. It lasted a day, it was fun, daddy stayed home from work and than it was gone. But let me tell ya, we loved the snow. I have never seen this child sit so still for so long so content and fasinated with her surroundings. It was lovely. So what am I trying to say; well this kid is a little bit of a busy one:) She doesn't really stop moving unless she is sleeping and even than I am sure she flips and wiggles constantly all night.

She is such a ham! seriously, this kid cracks us up. She is so dramatic(I wonder where she got that from??:)), a comic, and a constant ever changing world of wonder.

She talks non stop and comes up with new words every day. Her favorites have always been and if you spent a day in our house you would hear a million times over, "whats that?", "where is he?", "oh daddy", "mama, mommy!", "there you are!", "oh baby," and my favorite right now is her singing of "baby babapa"..which of course is baby baluga:) Oh, and there is a little dance to go with it!

Than there are those moments when she makes me eyes fill with tears. The other day we were singing, and playing games, and I started to sing Jesus loves me, and immediatly she ran over to her books and picked up her little book, called Jesus loves me...really, really? So smart..what can I say! you ask her where jesus is and she will point to her heart:)

She is also our child in the sense that she finds bodily functions humorous..burping, farting, well thats just cheap laughs for that girl:) I love when she does something, finds it funny and than asks you what it is..like blowing raspberries. Like hey mom, look what I can do, but what the heck is it!

And the hugs, everyone, and everything gets hugs, even her computer...I love this girl...