Dying Easter Eggs

Today Reese and I dyed Easter eggs! It was super quick and easy.

For the dye we used 1/3 cup boiling water, 1 tbsp of white vinegar, and about 1/4 tsp of food coloring. (I reused old applesauce cups for the containers.)

After hard boiling the eggs, we let them cool and wrapped them in rubberbands for a different effect.

After we let them dry, this is what they looked like! (Yes, we only made three. Didn't see the need in making a ton w/ just one child...more children, more eggs.) We also decorated them with stickers.

And because you haven't seen much of the little guy on here lately, here he is tonight before our walk to Dairy Queen. (Hooray for ice cream weather!!!) His little belly (with food all over it) gets me every time. Oh man does he look old here!

Random Snipits from our Weekend

*More painting.

*Some book reading.

*Eating some Peanut Butter Caramel Popcorn (from Ms. Greene) Have I shared this before? Because it's reeeeeaaaally good. Wade wants to make it all the time after the kids go to bed. Which is exactly what we did Saturday night while watching old episodes of Modern Family. Perfection.

Peanut Caramel Popcorn

1 bag microwave popcorn

2/3 cup brown sugar

10 large marshmallows

1/4 cup butter

1/8 cup peanut butter (basically a big spoonful)


Make popcorn; pour into a bowl.


Place sugar, butter, and marshmallows into a bowl and microwave 1 minute or until smooth. Stir in peanut butter until melted. Pour over popcorn and toss to coat.

*An Easter Egg Hunt. No pictures because I could not find my camera. It was cute though! And cold.

*And lots of work on the basement. It does not look like this anymore:

And I've been promising to post pictures of our just-about-finished basement, so as soon as I pick up all the toys, I'll snap some pictures and reveal all of Wade's hard work.

Our Letter Window

Reese and I have been working on our letters. She's known her alphabet since she was 2, so we've now moved on to writing each letter and talking about what sounds they make. She's doing so well. This fall we starting making letters to represent a word that started with that letter.

To save on paper, we used the thin cardboard from granola boxes and crackers waiting to be recycled. I usually used the letter of the day that was on Sesame Street that morning. We chose the word together, then I let her decorate it with markers, crayon, paint, collage, etc.

We put it up on the window with tape so she could see it and then got out her whiteboard and markers so she could practice writing that letter.

We are over half way through the alphabet and this is what our window looks like so far!

Y is for Yellow

P is for Pig

R is for Rice

M is for Monster

K is for Kick

Q is for Queen, etc

It's been fun so far since she can see them every day and is constantly saying things like "P makes the 'puh puh puh' sound like the potatoes we're having for supper!" It's soooo cute!

The window was getting kind of full, so we just took the letters down this morning and put them in an "alphabet book" so she can flip through and continue to practice writing her letters.

(And then a little while back I found the fabulous site No Time for Flashcards where that mom did almost exactly the same thing! It is UNREAL how similar our letters turned out, and I thought I was a genius for coming up with such a creative idea on my own. Check out hers for even more ideas!)

She's getting so big! :(

Our Bet

Awhile back, I mentioned something about a little bet that Wade and I had going. I didn't say much more, but you've probably noticed the little tickers of people running on the right hand side. (Yes, Wade's the little black man.) In order to get back in shape, we challenged each other to see who could reach 100 miles first. Whoever won would get $100 to spend on anything the winner wanted.

I quickly decided that since he was already such a great runner, it wasn't fair for it to be equal, so we cut mine in half- I only had to run 50 miles to his 100.

And basically, he's doing awesome, while I'm still loathing it. He is trying to convince me that running outside is much better than running on a treadmill at the Y, but I have yet to get out there this spring and do it.

My goal is to run the 20K in the Dam to Dam on June 5th.

I've already practically given up on the $100. (He runs 3-4 miles at a time, while I only run 1-2. Bleh. Not a good way to start, I know...) But I'm serious about this upcoming race!

I'll try to update you all on how my progress is going throughout this spring. My first goal is to change the way I talk. I always tell people how much I "hate to run. HATE IT."  And I always just figured if I ran enough, eventually I would start to like it, then that's how I would talk. But I'm thinking the talk has to come first. (Kinda like when people say in passing, "Hey, Liz how are ya?!" I almost always say, "Fabulous!" even if I'm having a bad day. If I say it enough times, I start to believe it.)

Anyway, just some of my thoughts on running. How do you get motivated to run? Please help! I need lots of suggestions!! :)

"The greatest pleasure in life, is doing the things people say we cannot do."

- Walter Bagehot

My New Favorite Picture

And a side note to an older post about praying for us and changes...

Gosh, I've had you all worried, huh!? No need to fret, all is well in our world. The part about praying for us was innocent. God is awesome, and I know he answers prayers. I don't pray nearly enough for little things that I take for granted and I also don't pray enough for my friends and family.

"Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus"

(1 Thessalonians 5:16-18).

"And I will do whatever you ask in my name, so that the Son may bring glory to the Father. You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it" (John 14:13-14).

And the changes part, hmm... some I will share, some you will just have to wait and see! No, we are not pregnant. (yet) :) Other things are Reese will start everyday preschool in the fall, we are selling our Jeep and eventually looking for something with a third row, and possibly more but that's all I'll reveal right now.

"Oh, that's it?"

Yup, that's it. :)

Gross Bath Toys

Saw this little video from the Today Show the other day and just had to share it. Gross, gross, gross!

I've heard that sticking toys like that in the dishwasher with the hottest water possible can sanitize them. (Except we don't have a dishwasher.) So since I don't really feel comfortable washing my kids' toys in bleach (such a harmful chemical, especially toys that they chew on) I usually use vinegar.

Just a random thought for ya to put in your back pocket...

Today we are off to the Children's Museum!

A big step for Reese

I now have a child

who is old enough

to ride

a bike.

How is that possible?

Couch and Nachos

Hope you had a great weekend! We definitely did. I wanted to thank to Angie for letting us come down on Saturday and hang out with them. There are some friends in life that are really worth hanging on to and I know she is one of them!

(Such an old pic!)

I also wanted to thank Wade's cousin Sara for the couch and other furniture that Wade's parent so graciously hauled here from Chicago. What was meant to be a quick process of transfering the couch from the trailer to the basement, turned in to an ordeal that took a couple of hours. It resulted in dismantling half the couch, a trip to Lowe's, and lots of squeezing, pushing, and manuvering to get that darn couch through the door!

(Stuck in the kitchen. Wade is convinced in will not fit down the stairs.)

And finally, we had nachos last night and instead of salsa on them, I tried Texas Caviar. Have you tried this stuff?!?! SO FABULOUS! Like, right up there with Pottery Barn Dip!

Texas Caviar

1 can of garbanzo beans (chickpeas)
1 can of black beans
1 can of Navy beans
1 can of corn (I used frozen)
2 avocados
1 small red onion
a bunch of cilantro
Italian dressing
sugar
lime juice
salt


Directions:
Drain the beans and corn well. Put them in a bowl. Chop up the onion into very small pieces. Add them. Add about 1/3 bottle of Italian dressing to the mixture. Squirt in a whole buncha lime juice. Add about 1/2 cup of sugar. Then shake on some salt. Stir well. Cover. Chill overnight in the refrigerator.


Before serving, drain the Texas Caviar quickly in a colander. Cube up the avocado and add it. Rip up as much cilantro as you want and add it too. Toss together. Can be served as a dip, or on nachos, or with shredded chicken as a salad. 

(I also added some drained, fire roasted diced tomatoes so it would be salsa-like, but they're not required)

It doesn't look so great in the picture, but believe me, it was tasty!

Happy Friday :)

Today I...

...spent the morning at a new friend's house playing with kids.

...ate peices of a GIANT cookie that was intended to be a gift, but I wasn't aware that she is out of town.

...got a latte from McDonald's.

...cuddled on the couch with my sweet baby girl.

...thanked God for gray, gloomy, still-a-little-bit-chilly days like today, because it makes me appreciate the warmth of spring sunshine even more.

...found this quote and wanted to share it.

To live content with small means;

to seek elegance rather than luxury,

and refinement rather than fashion;

to be worthy, not respectable,

and wealthy, not rich;

to study hard,

think quietly,

talk gently,

act frankly;

to listen to stars and birds,

to babes and sages,

with open heart;

to bear all cheerfully,

do all bravely,

await occasions,

hurry never.

In a word, to let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious,

grow up through the common.

This is to be my symphony.

William Henry Channing

Have a wonderful weekend :)

3rd Anniversary Follow Up

Our anniversary tradition is going out to eat. Not at a fancy restaurant, kids in tow. Totally original, right? And extremely romantic. HA! We also forgoe gifts and just write each other a letter. (Except Wade did get me some glazed donuts for when I woke up. Love that guy!)

But Wade and I have date night away from the kids every month, so it's not crucial for us to get away. Plus, I kind of like having them with us. It feels more like a celebration of where our family is at right now.

This year we went to Applebee's followed by Coldstone. Here's a couple of pictures of our night on the town. ;)

Also check out or first and second anniversaries. :)

And will you pray for us as we enter our 4th year of marriage? A few changes are coming in 2010 and we would be honored if you took a moment to pray for us and our family!

3rd Anniversary

Three years ago today, Wade and I were on a beach in Florida vowing to spend the rest of our lives together. I pray that God will slow down time for us because this is going by way too fast!

He is the perfect fit for me. :)

Marraige Retreat

This past weekend, Wade and I got the chance to attend a Marraige Retreat at Riverside Lutheran Bible Camp. It was our first retreat that we had attended as a couple and it was awesome! It was based on Galatians 5:22-23. It was a great (and timely) refresher for our marriage since we will have been married for 3 years tomorrow!

Another great part of the weekend was experiencing a drama ministry called AWAKEN. It is the story of Jesus' life set to music and w/o words. So cool and so moving to see God's love for us portrayed in a such a unique way. These pictures really don't do it justice.

Well, I'm off to Zumba while Wade hangs out w/ the kids and gets the black bean burgers ready for supper!

Costa Rica Part 2

Randoms

Jeep Ride/Wildlife Tour

(This little white faced monkey ate that banana right out of my hand!)

Reese's Room Makeover

I can tell that I'm getting older because my tastes are changing. When we first bought this house I thought something along the lines of, "I'm going to paint the walls all kinds of fun, bright colors because that just reflects my personality!"

After awhile it felt like my house was rainbow colored and disconnected, not relaxing and cozy like I wanted it to be. I am learning that my personality can still be vibrant while my house can be a calming place to come home to.

Currently, I am much more into beach tones, Ikea, comfy throws, less picture frames (less clutter) and kid friendly. Before, I was nick nacky, craft show, bright colors, hand-me-down-take-what-I-could-get, improvise for the time being.

I was not born with an eye for decorating. It's something that does not come naturally to me. As I said w/ Beckett's room, I am not entirely content w/ this room either, but I do know that I'm at least a step closer to where I want to be. (And seriously, if you have advice or would like to help me, by all means suggest away!!!!!!! Or just come do it for me. Marilyn.)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

(It looks a bit bare in these pictures, but it there are things along the other walls.)

And just for fun, here's what it looked like a month before she was even born:

Have a great weekend and enjoy this weather!!!!!!

Costa Rica Part 1

Last month, Wade and I got the incredible opportunity to travel to Costa Rica w/ Wade's parents, Roger and Mary. It was AMAZING! We stayed at the all-inclusive RIU Guanecaste, located in the upper Northwestern part of the country, near Coco. While we were there, it was the dry season, so lots of the foilage was dry and brownish.

Around the resort

Scuba Diving

Volcanoes