Testing,Testing

As many of you already know, my Jaycee baby is going to be turning 1, one week from today. June 2nd! {Insert teary~eyes here} It is  bittersweet and I am trying to be strong about it. I just don't know where the time has gone and it seems like with the second child time flies even faster.

ANYWAYS,

I want to keep her party simple and have decided to do a cupcake them for her party. I  also mentioned that I wanted to do a cake smash session with her and once I found these I knew I had to "try" and bake them.

On Sunday, my lil' helper & I decided to attempt these cupcakes while baby girl was taking her afternoon nap.

We mixed the batter according to the directions from the website and when I came across the part where it said add sour cream, I thought to myself..."sour cream? In cupcakes? That's strange." I added it of course and let me tell you....these cupcakes are the best cupcakes I have had. YUM!

After the batter was mixed we divided the batter into 5 bowls, only because I wanted 5 colors. It worked out to be about 2 cups of batter in each bowl.

Then came the fun part....adding the food coloring. I had picked up these and they were perfect. Just what I needed. JL loved mixing all the colors. =]

Then came time time to put the colored batter into the cupcake liners. JL did a great job of placing all the liners in the pans. We did some with white liners so you could see the colors and we did some with foil liners so they would be a surprise.



{Mommy's lil helper}

Now this was the part that took the longest. You take your first color batter and put about 2 teaspoons{this is what the site says to do, but I think for 5 colors I need to do about 1 1/2 teaspoon} into the liner. Use your finger and spread it out. TIP: use a cup of water and dip your finger into the water then spread the batter around. This helps keep the batter from sticking to your fingers. Now pick your next color and do the same thing. Spread it out. Basically layering the colors. When finished layering we stuck them into the oven and baked them according to the directions on the box or as my mother always taught me, "when the toothpick comes out clean."



Not too bad for our first batch, right? I think they will be perfect for Jaycee girl's first birthday party and even better for her cake smash session. Such bright colors!

{he is definitely like his father}

And here's a cute little picture of my niece and John Logan at their Pre~School Graduation from last week. {insert another tear} Aren't they just cute?!? They are getting so big!

 My family and are headed to the lake this weekend! So excited for some fun in the sun! I hope everyone has a fantastic holiday weekend. Please be safe and let's not forget all of the fallen heroes. ♥

Wee Bit Wednesday

Happy Hump Day!

{Thank goodness.....only one more work day left.}

It's time for Wee Bit Wednesday.

{one} what’s the worst date you’ve ever been on?i didn't date much so I guess I don't really have a worst date.
 {two} if you could be any other person for one day, who would it be?hmm...this is a hard one. probably someone famous so i could have my hair and makeup done by a professional.

{three} what is your favorite kind of cheese?umm....i like lots of cheese except swiss, but i love to eat pepperjack cheese on crackers. YUM

{four} do you remember your 1st grade teacher?I do. Wait...I think I do. It was either Mrs. Bustamante or Mrs. Dragoo. I think Mrs. Dragoo was 2nd grade. Either way they were both great teachers.

{five} who is the first person you call when you have a bad day?My bestie Laura, or Ambrosia, or my husband or my mom.

{six} were you ever in a school talent show?I was. I did a dance. =]

{seven} who is your favorite fictional character?don't think i have one.

{eight} can you open your eyes underwater?yes I can. I don't though if I am wearing my contacts and I don't do it too much because then my eyes get all red and burn afterwards.

{nine} do you look at the keyboard when you type?every once in awhile but I'm pretty good about typing without looking. Good thing there is a "backspace" though. LOL

{ten} when was the last time you took a nap?Oh man do I love naps. I don't nap during the weekdays but on the weekends I try to squeeze one in. My last nap was on Sunday.

Getting somewhere



I am getting somewhere. I am sitting here working on my camping list for this weekend.





{picture taken with cell phone.....and the grocery list is started on the back}

Of course baby girl's list is long...I would hate to forget anything of hers, JL's is alright, mine could be trimmed down a little, I mean we are only going camping. LOL And of course the husband's.....well he will only need one thing to be happy....

Yep...his fishing pole. I probably won't be seeing my husband this weekend as I am sure he will be near or in the water the whole time.

A little bit of this....a little bit of that

My head is spinning and my thoughts are just jumping from one thing to another. I have so much on my mind of things that are happening and things that are going to happen.

I am usually one for "To~do" lists but I haven't even made time to sit down and write one out. As soon as I start thinking about one thing, I will think of something that will then get me thinking about another thing.

These next 2 weeks, maybe even 3 are going to be so super busy.

Last T~ball game

preparing/packing for camping trip for this weekend

going shopping for the camping trip this weekend

JL's school picnic

finding a daycare for my baby girl

planning baby girl's 1st birthday {insert tear here}

baking cupcakes for baby girls birthday

baby girls birthday party

a good friend's bachelorette spa weekend at the resort

somewhere in between all this TRY and do a cake smash session for baby girl, which then I would have to bake the cake for that

vacation Bible School along with finding a sitter for JL for that week he doesn't have daycare

bridal shower and husband's cousin's wedding

AND....in between all this....finding the time to workout. I have told my husband that I am sick of being lazy! I am not happy with my body and if I am not happy no matter what anyone says I won't feel happy. So with that being said, we have bought another jogging stroller {we have one but wanted another for when me & the hub go on long runs, 3-6 miles} and I bought a new pair of running shoes. I did my first P90x workout{this was just to do a workout....I am by all means NOT ready to do the whole program} with the husband and yesterday I did my Jillian Michael's 30~day shred DVD. I am determined to be happy with my body and get to feeling good. If I exercise more then I will have more energy and not feel so tired all the time. The only person that can make this change is myself and I have a wonderful husband who is supporting me the whole way. Love you babe!

 I am doing some late spring cleaning to include going through all the blogs I follow and seeing which ones I really read and "want" to follow. I find that I have followed people but then when they post I don't read their blog. What's the point of following then, right? PLUS, since I am working on myself I am thinking of getting rid of some people on Facebook, that way I am not spending all my time trying to see what everyone updated their status with. Seriously....it makes me question why I have some of the "friends" I have on there. To be honest...it's probably just because I am nosey and want to see what people are saying or doing with their lives. I need to stop that. I need to quit be nosey and just live my life. I find myself getting worked up over things and I hate how things can be taken out of context. Maybe it's time to give up that addiction and spend some more time on myself and with my family. I should get back into the scrap booking thing or find another hobby.

I have totally not been feeling like myself these past few days and I need to find me.

Time for some major spring cleaning, although it's almost summer. =]

Who doesn't love...

Pampered Chef?

As many of you may already know, I have signed up AGAIN to participate in the Susan G. Komen's 3~day for the Cure. This event will take place in Phoenix, Arizona November 11th~13th. This will be my second year participating in the event and I am so blessed to be doing it with my sweet friend Amanda.

{Amanda & I, sweetest girl ever!}

Last year Amanda & I did this event with 2 other gals, the team captain, Ambrosia, who will be crewing this year {Go PINK Ninjas} and Tessa who unfortunately cannot participate because she will have a newborn.

{Our team last year, from left to right, Ambrosia, Tessa, me, & Amanda}

 Each one of us had to raise $2300 in order to participate in this event. $2300 x 4= $9200 that we had to raise in our small town. We did it though and it took a lot of hard work.

Well the reason for my post is I am spreading out and asking my bloggin' friends for some support.

Right now.....

Each of us have to raise $2300. This is our first fundraiser and what better way to start out then with hosting a Pampered Chef party during the whole month of May.

Please visit the website below and then click "shop online". You can search for Amanda Huttsell or susan g komen 3 day for the cure. Take a look around and see what you like or need.

http://www.pamperedchef.biz/materry?page=host-search-results&showId=3121951

Our Pampered Chef Consultant Melissa Terry will be donating her compensation from this party towards our team goal plus a percentage of our sales will go towards our goal as well.

If you are not interested in making a purchase but would like to make a donation please see my personal page here.

Please also spread the word....we all know everyone LOVES Pampered Chef.

SO...there you have it! I am asking YOU

 to please consider purchasing something from our party or even making a donation. Asking is one of the hardest things to do when it comes to money especially when money can be tight for most people.

I will also have a special something for any blogger that makes a donation or purchases something from the Pampered Chef party. AND if you share this post on your blog, please let me know so I can send something special your way as well.

Let's fight breast cancer and help find a cure!

Do I have enough time?

I have been so busy lately and looking at my planner I don't know if I even have a "free day". It many ways  I like that and in other ways I don't.

I'm pretty excited for tonight as I will be going shopping with my mother & sister in Tucson. We are going to be hitting up Old Navy. YAY! We will be shopping for JL and my baby girl who will be turning 1 on June 2nd! EEK! It's so bittersweet! I still can't believe she is going to be a year. Where did this past year go?

I have bought her birthday outfit. =] I bought it almost 2 months ago because I just loved it and I knew if I didn't buy it it would be gone.

{How cute is that?}

I also want to do a cake smash session with Jaycee. I don't want to pay for it {because I'm cheap}, and would like to do it myself. I just have lots of questions about it....

What kind of backdrop should I use?
Should I do it indoor or outdoor?
Should I let her wear this outfit or just a tutu with headband?
What kind of cupcake do I make? {i have purchased a 3D cupcake pan and don't know if I should do chocolate or white cake, or even try to make these.}
Oi Vey! And then when will I be able to do this photo session?

I'm really excited and hoping that I can make it work. I have a vision and well I'm sure everyone knows that sometimes when you vision something it just doesn't come out the way you visioned it.

Jaycee's birthday party will be very simple. I want it to be a cupcake theme, so I am thinking I will just get colored plates and such that match her birthday outfit. Think that will be okay?

I shouldn't be stressing but there is so much to do before then. Memorial Day weekend we are going camping then that week is her birthday. I don't have much time so I better figure this all out soon.

Anyone have any advice?



Have I told you....

that I hate snakes!

Ever since I was a little girl I have not liked snakes. I'm pretty sure I get this from my mother, but there is just something about a creature that can slither across the floor with no legs that scares the crud out of me!

You are probably wondering why I am writing a post about this and here is the answer!

Yesterday, taking JL to pre~school we had an encounter with a rattlesnake.

{not the actual picture of the snake we encountered. Just a picture so you can see what we have here in Arizona}

  

Okay....maybe I am over exaggerating when I say encounter, but with my fear this is exactly how I felt. I know I am crazy....

I parked the car in the parking lot and saw the maintenance man standing on the sidewalk where it turns the corner. He was just standing there acting like nothing was wrong. I didn't think anything of it. I grabbed JL's hand and we started walking down the sidewalk when I heard, " Ma'am, I'm gonna need you to walk around." Umm..."Is everything okay?" I asked.

As laid back as ever the maintenance guy said, "Yeah...I just got a rattlesnake here." "A what?" I thought to myself.I could feel my armpits starting to sweat, my hands and legs getting shaky and my heart about to beat right out of my chest. I'm sure JL could feel my anxiety as he gripped my hand a little tighter.

"I just need you to walk around please" said the maintenance man. Oh I'll walk around alright. I will walk right back to the car and leave with my son. That's what I wanted to do but I couldn't. =[

Grabbing JL's hand a little tighter we walked around. We got to an angle where we could then see the snake. Yep, right there on the sidewalk against the wall, was that darn thing cozy as could be. Really?!? You couldn't cozy up anywhere else? You just had to be at a pre~school? A pre~school where I take my son and happen to go to almost every day? You just couldn't go elsewhere could ya? UGH! Did I mention I HATE snakes.

The police officers had just arrived and as JL & I stood about 15~20 feet away we saw the police officer grab the rattlesnake with the tongs and then you heard that horrible sound......the rattle! It gives me chills just typing it. It was horrible. I wanted to run just because what would have happened if that police officer would have dropped him. We were too close {in my opinion} and that snake could have got to us.

He placed it in the cage and then looked over and asked, "you want to see it?" ARE YOU KIDDING ME? I saw it alright and I can see it just fine over there in that cage. BUT I had to suck up some of my fear and walk JL a little closer. I wanted him to be able to see what it kind of looked like although you know I was not going to let him get that close.

Police officer took the cage away and someone asked, "what you going to do with it?" He said, "I'm gonna go let it go in a field." REALLY? Can't we just set the cage on fire? One less snake isn't going to hurt anyone. That is how I truly feel and I know there are animal lovers out there but seriously I DON'T DO SNAKES! I almost purposely drive over them if I see them in the road, but then I get too nervous that they might get stuck up underneath my car so I swerve! I'm horrible I know. I don't know how to get over my fear of snakes and it bothers me because I can see that I am passing that fear onto my son. He knows no better and only acts that way because of how I act. Any suggestions on how I can overcome this fear?

Today I went to go take JL to school and sure enough I didn't park where I did on Monday. I parked in a totally different parking lot and walked a different way. Now that I know there was a snake in that place I don't know if I will be able to walk that way again. My husband just laughs at me, but this is how scared I am. I wish they could just come get my son out of the car and bring him to me when the day is done. Is that a little overboard?

3 years ago.....

today I married my best friend!

John Duncan Clark

He is my everything and we have created such a wonderful family together.

I enjoy every second, minute, hour, day, week, month, & year that I get to spend with him.

He is such a great man and he takes such great care of myself and our family.

Looking back, a lot of people, including myself, never would have thought John & I would have tied the knot, or John would have settled down in that matter. BUT boy were we wrong!

John has changed my life and I love him with every piece of my heart and soul. He has made me a better person and I don't know what I would do without him. He is truly my everything!

I love you John Duncan Clark! I look forward to growing old with you!

 

For it's One, Two, Three...

 Strikes you're out,

at the old ballgame!

Ahh....baseball season. I love it! It's been awhile since I have been to a baseball game, other than JL's T~ball games of course, but last night the husband took me to Thirsty Thursdays at TEP. No kids, $1 beers, hot dogs, nachos, sunflower seeds, and being a heckler towards the opposing team or umpire for their terrible calls. I love everything about it. I would definitely say it's America's favorite past time. There is something about hearing our National Anthem and then the words, "Play Ball" that get me every time.

We drove to Tucson and got to the game about half an hour early. Right away, I grabbed an ice cold beer {for seriously $1...SCORE} and went to find the best food{SCORE again!}, NACHOS! YUMMY!

{These were delicious}

We headed to our seats and enjoyed the game. Granted this was just Triple A playing, but it was still a blast. Definitely had to pay attention or else we could have gotten hit by a line drive down right field. Left~handed hitters kept us on our toes all night. 

I love spending alone time with the husband. ♥ 

Mother's Day Weekend

With Blogger's malfunction I have lost this post. Instead of re~writing the whole thing or deleting it because I LOVE these pictures I'll just make this short and brief.

Went to the lake for Mother's Day.

{these kids are my W♥RLD}

The lake was perfect. Relaxing with my family. Couldn't get any better than that.

JL caught his biggest fish yet.

{He was so excited to catch this big bass!}

While JL was catching his fish, Auntie Kacey was catching her monster.

{Kacey's catch of the day}

And then of course Uncle Nelson put us all to shame by catching this honker!

{Can you believe we swim in a lake with fish this big in it?!?}

Being a Mother

Somebody says it takes about six weeks to get back to normal after having a baby

That somebody doesn't know that once you're a mother "Normal" is history.

Somebody said being a mother is boring,

That somebody never rode in a car driven by a teenager with a driver's permit.

Somebody said if your a "good" mother your child will "turn out good",

That somebody thinks a child comes with directions and a guarantee.

Somebody said "good" mothers never raise their voice,

That somebody never came out the back door just in time to see her child hit a golf ball through the neighbor's kitchen window.

Somebody said you don't need an education to be a mother,

That somebody never helped a fourth grader with her math.

Somebody said a mother can find all the answers to her child-rearing questions in the books,

That somebody never had a child stuff beans up his nose or in his ears.

Somebody said you can't love the fifth child as much as you love the first,

That somebody doesn't have five children.

Somebody said the hardest part of being a mother is labor and delivery,

That somebody never watched her "baby" get on the bus for the first day of kindergarten.

Or a plane headed for military "boot camp".

Somebody said a mother can do her job with her eyes closed and one hand tied behind her back,

That somebody never organized four giggling brownies to sell cookies.

Somebody said a mother can stop worrying after her child gets married,

That somebody doesn't know that marriage adds a new son or daughter~in~law to a mother's heartstrings.

Somebody said a mother's job is done when her last child leaves home,

That somebody never had grandchildren.

Somebody said your mother knows you love her, so you don't  need to tell her,

That somebody isn't a mother.

Happy Mother's day to all you mothers out there. I hope you have a very special day.

Mom,

Happy Mother's Day! I love you so very much and appreciate everything you have done for me and my family.



{me & my mom, she was helping out with a SGK fundraiser♥}



Wee Bit Wednesday

You know what time it is? Wee Bit Wednesday Time!

 

{one} when was the last time you used a pay phone (if ever)?It's been a REALLY, REALLY, REALLY, long time. I would have to say when I didn't have my cell phone and had a pager...can we say over 10 years ago?

{two} did you ever fail a subject in school?I can proudly say that I have NEVER failed a subject. A's & B's right here!

{three} where do you go to get your favorite hamburger/cheeseburger?Hmm...this is a good question. I really like Wendy's Jr. Bacon Cheeseburger. YUM! Lunch anyone?

{four} have you ever served jury duty?I have not. Partly because I am not {until yesterday} a registered voter. I will be looking forward to those jury duty letters in the mail though. =] {five} how old were you when you moved out of your parents’ house?I think I was 23. Could be 22. Wait I take that back I moved when I was 20 but that only lasted about a couple months then I was right back at home. {six} what is your favorite color to wear?I like to wear black. I feel it makes me look skinner. ;] I'm trying to venture out though. I did buy a coral shirt @ Old Navy this weekend. {seven} do you have a pair of shoes that you wear all the time?Sure do. My black flip flops from Old Navy. I love flip flops. {eight} do you enjoy talk radio?I can listen to talk radio in the morning. I love listening to John Jay & Rich on 93.7 KRQ. They are freakin' hilarious. For the rest of the day it has to be music.

{nine} if you could turn one unhealthy food into a healthy one, what food would it be?oreo cookies. or chips and french onion dip. or pizza. or nachos. Can you tell I am hungry and this diet is killing me?!?

{ten} who is the best speaker you’ve ever heard in person????? I have no idea. I did listen to a Holocaust survivor yesterday and she was pretty interesting. Hope everyone is having a great Wednesday! I couldn't me more happy that it is hump day! The week is almost over. HOORAY!



Birthday Weekend~Part 2

I'm back again with the wrap up of my AH~MAZING birthday weekend.

After the Warrior Dash, John & I headed back to Tucson to meet up with some good friends of ours to stay here. We have been here once before and usually we don't go to resorts often, so when we do I LOVE IT!
I am usually a simple girl and can just stay at a hotel, but the perks of a resort are the poolside bar {insert big cheesy grin} and of course the pool with people who wait on ya! As soon as we got to the pool, I had to have my Captain & Coke PLUS chips with salsa & guacamole. YUMMY! Nothing like relaxing after a rough but fun morning.

{Wholly white girl on the left!!!}

After lounging by the pool we heading back to the room to get ready for dinner. We were going to the Cheesecake Factory. I hadn't been there in over 10 years so I had totally forgotten what their food tasted like. I was just wanting a piece of cheesecake. =]

Ordered our food, had the Cheesecake Factory workers sing me Happy Birthday, and ordered my Strawberry Cheesecake to~go since I was extremely exhausted and about to pass out at the table.

Got back to the room, passed on going to the jacuzzi, and went straight to bed!

Slept really good that night and woke up the next morning to head back home to get the kiddos. It is so nice to get away and have that alone parent time, but for me I am constantly thinking about my kids and wanting them to experience everything with us. Is that bad?

Any who, before we made it back to SV we stopped at the Park Mall and did a little shopping. I must say that I am just loving Old Navy and the way they remodeled their store. It seems like there is way more clothes and their style has changed a little. Very cute! I think a trip back up there in the near future is in order. We also went to see the movie African Cats. Very interesting I must say. 

And then we headed home. Picked up the kids who I missed dearly and started getting ready for the week.

I had an amazing birthday weekend and I thank my husband so very much! I love you baby!

Birthday Weekend~Part 1

Man oh man! What a great birthday weekend!

I felt so loved and blessed. Thank you everyone for all the lovely birthday wishes!

*Please be prepared for a LOOOONNNNNGGG blog post*

The weekend started off with me getting off work and getting ready to go to my mom's house for my step dad's and my birthday celebration {my step dad and I share the same birthday and we are exactly 20 years apart}. On our way to my mom's we had gotten a phone call that my step dad had been in a car accident. A van full turned right in front of him and he smashed right into them. Thank GOD everyone was okay. They had to transport 9 people because the van was carrying kids which were not wearing their seat belt. PLEASE WEAR YOUR SEAT BELT! THEY SAVE LIVES! Needless to say my step dad was really shook up. He was okay, but he was more worried about the people in the other car and about his truck which was now totaled.

{Here is the picture that was in the paper. My step dad was driving the red truck}

 What a way to start your birthday celebration, huh? The pizza he had picked up was smashed, but we all headed to the house and ate it anyway. We definitely weren't going to let that go to waste. HA!

After dinner, John & I took the kids and met up with family and friend at our city's Festival of the Southwest. Basically it's a carnival in the city park with rides, food vendors, and entertainment. We bought JL a wristband {unlimited rides} and he went on his favorite ride about 15 times. It was great and he had such a good time. We couldn't stay out late because we knew we had to leave for the Warrior Dash bright and early the next morning.

BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! The alarm went off at 5am! Wholly Moly! I was so tired, but this warrior had to get ready to depart on her adventure with her other fellow warriors, Klothilda, Warrior Wilhite, Warrior Huttsell and Warrior Duncan! We left SV and heading to the battle ground. Upon arrival we got dressed in our black tu~tus and pink tank tops.

{before gettin dirty}

We were so excited but yet a little nervous about what the course would bring us. 10:30am was our wave time and we were lined up ready to go! The flames shot up and we were off.

Jogging at a steady pace we came to our first obstacle...."Here we go ladies!" Jumped over the wall and crawled under the barbed wire. The nervous jitters were over. We had conquered our first obstacle! BRING IT ON! Cheering other warriors on and keeping a steady pace we ran up and down sand mounds, ran through tires and walked over junkyard cars. Ran through the wash and climbed down the wall. Here came our first mud encounter. Time to get dirty! SPLASH! Now our shoes were a good 10 pounds each. We jogged to the 30ft {don't know exactly how tall it was..} hay stack. Climbed up one side jumped down the other....jogged to the huge cargo wall. Climbed up one side, climbed down the other. Quick water break and we jogged some more. Over the balancing boards, over the wall, thru the spider web, over the chaotic crossover. Almost done, now all we had to do was jump over the fire, hoping that our tu~tus don't catch fire and crawl thru the mud pit! This is what we were waiting for. We wanted to get dirty! =]

One fire hurdle down, second fire hurdle down, now ,mud pit! 1....2....3....jump! Mud all over. Making our way under the barbed wire to the finish line.

{About to cross the finish line!}

We did it! We survived the Warrior Dash! WOO~HOO!

58 minutes!



{I love each & everyone of these Warriors}



{Sister & me!}



Time to get our beer, put on our Warrior helmets and relax. Oh wait....we wanted to get cleaned first. The mud dried to our skin in a matter of seconds because it was toasty out. We had to stand in front of a tender truck and the guys were hosing everyone down. You could only get so clean so sitting on towels on the way home was a must. There was mud in every crevice of my body! It was great!

 

{Me & my bestie, Laura}

{me & my LOVE}

John and I even donated our shoes!

{Sneakers become recycled as affordable footwear for people in need around the world.}

 

Thank you to all my of fellow Warriors who went and made this birthday such a blast! Definitely memories that will be cherished forever. I L♥VE you all!{Hear that Amanda, I LOVE YOU! ;] }

Time to sign up for next year and get an even bigger group to go and start working on some outrageous costumes!

Who's in?!?