Easter 2011

This has been such an enjoyable Easter.  We have been to quite a few Easter events the past week and have had such a good time with family and friends.  Ava is at such a fun age right now for all of these holidays.  I tried to document everything with pictures but I didn't get to take any at a couple of Easter parties.  The first egg hunt we went to was at our church, Hope Presbyterian.  Unfortunately, it was last Saturday when the weather turned pretty chilly and it was just not a good day for an outdoor event.  We did the egg hunt (there was really no actual hunting involved--just eggs scattered in a field every two inches or so), played a couple of games, got a balloon animal, and watched the puppet show.  There was lots of other stuff to do but by then poor Ava's teeth were chattering so badly we just gave up and left.  I did manage to get these pics:

Ava and Kevin with her balloon butterfly

Ava and me waiting in line to see the Easter Bunny--when it was her turn she chickened out 

Competing in the tire race against her daddy.  She "won". :)

Next up was her Easter party at school.  Since the grass was still muddy from the rain the day before, the teachers hid the eggs inside.  The children each had their name written on five eggs and they had to hunt for only those five with their names.  If their name wasn't on the egg, they couldn't pick it up.

Ava was so excited before the hunt:

She was the first one to identify all of her eggs!

Last night, we had Easter dinner with my mom's side of the family at my aunt and uncle's house.

Ava loved seeing her cousins Lawson, Addison, and Austin and hanging out with all the family.  Ava, Addison, and Jess relaxed outside before dinner.

Then she and Lawson decided to check the temperature of the water in the pool.  73 degrees!  Soon it will be pool time!

Lawson and Ava posed for me for a couple of pictures

Then it was time for the egg hunt

The adults got to hunt too

The kids got their prizes first and then it was time for the adult prizes.  We had tons of stuff to choose from:  jewelry, Vera Bradley items, sports equipment, picture frames, food items, and gift cards galore.  Kevin and I got hooked up--Vera Bradley stuff for me and then gift cards to Sports Authority, 

Chick-fil-a, Malco, TCBY, Starbucks, and Lowe's.  We all had a blast!

Surprise, surprise--when you leave carrots out, the Easter bunny stops by your house!

We got up early this morning and went to the 8 am service at Hope.  Ava went into "big church" with us today and was such a good girl.  She sat on the edge of her seat listening intently and crossed her legs at the knee so primly.  We were cracking up (quietly!) watching her.  I really wanted to take a picture but I figured that would be inappropriate in the middle of church.  :)  After the service was over, we went to the playground at church which is our Sunday morning ritual.  I tried to get her to pose for me in her dress, but my daughter would rather run around playing soccer in her satin and tulle.

When we got home, she posed for me outside but she insisted on wearing her sunglasses.  Ava must have about 10 different pairs of them and she wears them religiously when outdoors.  The mothers of the other kids in her class call her "the diva" because of this--it's meant lovingly, though!  Ava and I both have very light eyes and they are just sensitive to sunlight.

This has been such a great week!

However, we must remember the reason we celebrate this day:

"He isn't here!  He is risen from the dead, just as he said would happen.  Come, see where His body was lying."

Matthew 28:6

Hallelujah!  Hope you had a wonderful Easter!

This Week's Projects

This has been a busy week!  Lots of preparing for Easter and Easter-related activities, we were short-staffed at work this week so I volunteered to help out and work an extra day, and Kevin was out of town.  I did manage to squeeze in a couple of projects.  

I went a little overboard with stuff to put in Ava's Easter basket and her basket from years past wasn't going to be able to hold it all.  So I decided to hit up Hobby Lobby and get the supplies to make her a new, bigger one.

I think I will change it up each year--different colors, themes, just whatever she is into at that time.  One of my co-workers saw it and wanted me to make one for her daughter so back to Hobby Lobby I went.  Can I just mention how much I love that store for craft stuff and decor?!  Her daughter is twelve so this is my take on a sophisticated, teenage Easter basket.

I found some cute little items 50% off at Hobby Lobby that I thought her daughter would like in her bedroom so I just went on and picked those up for her too.

The temperatures have finally warmed up the last few days and that means it's time for landscaping!  I actually like going to the nursery and picking out flowers and plants and then working in our flowerbeds.  

Here is what we have gotten done so far:

In this bed we planted knockout rose bushes (which I love!) and azaleas in different colors.  Once they grow bigger and fill in all the space, I think it will be pretty.

Our knockout roses that we planted last year are thriving!

We planted gardenias, golden spirea, purple diamond loropetalum, and different colored impatiens in our other flowerbed.

I planted lots of marigolds in my stone turtle planter.  My grandmother told me that marigolds are supposed to help keep bugs away so we will see.

Now I just want to get some hydrangeas to plant along one wall of our house and if we can keep it all alive we should be set!  

This busy week is turning into a very busy weekend--we have four family meals to go to in the next 24 hours!  We are so blessed to have such amazing family and friends and a God who gave his life for us to experience all of this.  Happy Easter, everyone!

An Allie Adventure

Hello, everyone.  This is Allie.  My mom has been taking a nap and I decided to take over her blog!  I haven't met very many of you.  That's probably because I haven't been a part of this family for very long.  I have lived with my new family for about six months now.  It really seems like I have been with them forever though.  I have quickly adjusted to my new life and I love all the attention and love I get here.  My new family loves to play with me and pet me and just talk to me.  It is what I have always wanted but thought I would never have.  I am so thankful that they loved me enough to adopt me and keep me as one of their own.  Today I got to do something so cool.  My mom and dad told me a couple of weeks ago that I was going to get to go to school to meet my sister, Ava's class for show and tell.  Ava has been so excited. I am not sure what school is but the excitement is contagious and I have been ready for this day and it finally came!  Mom and Dad took me to the doggie spa last week so that I would look my very best.  It was so fun!  I love riding in the car and I loved the neat place they took me to get beautiful.  I spent the day there having lots of relaxing treatments and getting my hair cut.  They gave me a bath and a pretty pink bandanna for my neck.  I felt so special!  When I got home, everyone said that I smelled so good and looked so pretty.

This morning we all got up and got ready to go.  Mom and Dad made me wear a seatbelt just like them so that I would be safe.  I love having a family that wants to keep me safe.  Daddy buckled me in next to Ava so that we could ride together.

Ava petted me and played with me all the way to school.  When we got there, Ava had to go to chapel with her friends for a few minutes so mom and dad and I waited outside for her class to come out for recess.  A bunch of people coming in and out of the church wanted to pet me.  One elderly lady asked if I was a service dog.  I'm not sure she meant but then dad said to mom, "It's those huge sunglasses you wear.  I'll bet she thought you were blind."  Hmmm, not really sure what all that was about.  I was a really good girl and let everyone play with me.  I did have a moment where I forgot myself when a lady walked by with a box of donuts.

I lunged after her because hello, donuts!  My favorite past time is eating.  Mom pulled me back before I could tackle the lady (gently, of course) and gobble them up!

Right after that, Ava's class came out to meet me.

Ava got up to tell her class all about me.  She said that I am a Golden Retriever and that I am eight years old.  She also said that I am very soft and sweet and I like to play.

After that all Ava's friends got to come pet me.  It was heaven!

All the kids loved me.  My sister was so proud of me.  She loves me so much!

One of Ava's teachers took a family picture of us.  At this point, I was getting a little sick of all the pictures.  Honestly, you would thought my mom and Ava's teacher were the paparazzi!

Then, it was time to go.  Ava was a little sad that I wasn't allowed to stay and play with her the whole day.  Mom said I was such a good girl that I should get to ride in the front seat.  Dad buckled me in the front and put the window down for me.  Then he petted me the whole way home and he and mom told me that they were proud of me and that I am a sweetheart.

It was a really busy day and I am tired now, but I wanted to share my adventure with you.  Oo, gotta go!  Mom appears to be waking up and she doesn't like it when I mess with the computer.  She says I might get drool on it.  Whatever.

Quick and Easy Dessert Recipes

I love to cook and desserts are among my favorite things to prepare.  I don't get to do it too often because Kevin and Ava don't really like sweets.  This is actually for the best as desserts are my weakness.  I like recipes that are quick and simple and don't require a ton of ingredients.  I thought I would share two of my favorites today.

Oreo Balls 

(Yield 25-35 balls)

1 bag of regular Oreo cookies

2 bars of Philadelphia cream cheese

1 package chocolate almond bark (or candy coating)

1 package white chocolate almond bark (or vanilla candy coating)

Crush entire package of Oreos (I use my mini Cuisinart food processor).  Combine crushed Oreos with cream cheese (I usually use just 1 1/2 bars) and mix in stand mixer or with handheld mixer until well combined.  Scoop walnut-sized balls of mixture onto a plate or cookie sheet.  Place in fridge and chill for at least one hour.  Right before taking balls out of fridge begin to melt 3/4 package of vanilla almond bark on stovetop in saucepan (make sure to cook over low heat and stir often--this will take about 10 minutes).  Once almond bark is melted, remove from heat.  Using a toothpick, dip each ball into melted almond bark until well covered.  Place onto wax paper to harden (this will take about 15 minutes).  While waiting for the vanilla dipped balls to harden, melt 1/4 package of chocolate almond bark following the same directions.  Once balls are no longer sticky and have hardened, pour melted chocolate almond bark into a ziploc baggie and cut a tiny piece off of one of the corners.  Squeeze the chocolate almond bark out of the baggie and drizzle onto the Oreo balls.  Refrigerate until ready to serve.

**You can also reverse the chocolate and white chocolate so that the balls are covered mainly in the milk chocolate.  The darker color actually covers a little better, in my opinion.

Strawberry Cake

1 Angel Food cake (bundt style)

1 3oz. package of strawberry Jell-O mix

1 16oz. container of frozen, sliced strawberries

1 8oz. Cool whip

1 container strawberries

Red food coloring

Remove bundt cake from packaging and place onto serving platter.  Cut across the the cake sandwich-style about 1/3 of the way down from the top of the cake.  Place the top of the cake to the side.  Cut around the inside edges of the cake so that you can make a tunnel inside the cake.  Take the pieces of cake that you remove to form the tunnel and place in mixing bowl to the side.  Here is what it should look like so far (sorry, the pic is a little blurry):

Now take the dry Jell-O mix and the now thawed sliced strawberries and mix with the pieces of cake that were placed to the side.  Use the mixture to fill in the tunnel.  Place the top back on the cake.  I like to decorate the cake by mixing red food coloring in with the Cool Whip to make a nice shade of pink.  Then frost the cake with it.  I then take strawberries, cut the tops off, slice in half and place around bottom edge of cake.  Finally, place some whole strawberries in the hole in the center of the cake.  Now, you have a festive, summery dessert!

ENJOY!!!  More recipes to come!!!

Our New Toys

We bought Ava a "big girl" bike a couple of weeks ago and she has really enjoyed riding it.  So, Kevin and I decided to get ourselves bikes as well so that we could ride as a family.  We really want to start taking advantage of the nice weather and bike over at Shelby Farms and on the Greenline.

I chose my bike because the colors are fun and it has a built-in amp on the handlebars that I can plug my phone into and listen to my iPod through the speakers while I ride.  It sounds really great and it will be nice for when I go riding by myself while Ava is at school.  It is also a cruiser bike which means that the handlebars are raised and curved in toward the seat.  This will allow me to ride while sitting more upright so that it won't be as hard on my already bad back.  Kevin was laughing at me today when he saw me sitting on it--he says all I need is a straw basket to put on the front and a little bell and it will be even more retro looking!

I told Kevin that he and I are also going to have to wear helmets (which he was not happy about) because how can we preach to Ava the importance of wearing one and then not wear one ourselves?  And let me tell you, I was glad to have that helmet on when I started riding today.  It has been quite awhile since I have been on a bike and it took me a minute to get used to the sensation again.  But I guess the saying "it's just like riding a bike" is true because I was rolling along in no time.

I am really hoping that this helps me to get the weight I have gained off too.  I had to take steroids for several months starting back in November for my disorder and they caused me to gain almost 30 pounds.    I weigh more now than I have ever weighed with the exception of when I was pregnant.  It is wreaking havoc on my self-esteem.   I have almost no clothes to wear that fit me anymore and I have just refused to go and buy bigger sizes.  I told Kevin that I was going to try to find some comfy dresses to wear this summer that maybe will hide the weight a little and not make me feel like such a slob (I have been living in sweatpants and yoga pants for the last few months).  Yesterday, Ava and I went shopping for dresses. I ended up trying on almost 30 cute ones at various stores and I felt like I looked like a whale in all of them.  I was so depressed.  I ended up not buying anything for me, but Ava got several swimsuits and new pairs of pajamas.  At least I have been having fun buying stuff for her the last few months.  She has the opposite problem of mine--she is built like a rail and has to have adjustable pants so that we can tighten them up to fit on her skinny frame.

Getting the bikes is just one way that our family is working on becoming healthier.  We are really trying to promote ways to live healthily--mind, body, spirit--to Ava so that it just becomes a way of life to her at an early age.  Let me know if you have any good health tips or ideas on ways for us to exercise as a family while having fun.

My Beauty Must Haves

Now that I have entered my 30's, I feel this urgency to find products that will help with anti-aging.  However, I am also a sucker for beauty products that make me feel pampered.  I've put together a list of some of favorites.  I also love discovering new products and when people feel strongly enough to recommend one, I feel fairly confident that I will love it too.  So let me know what you love and I will give it a try!

1.  Lansinoh Lanolin cream

Okay, I confess--this is actually a nipple cream.   I bought tubes of this stuff when I was pregnant with Ava because it is supposed to be great for breastfeeding moms.  WRONG!  This cream did not do a thing to help relieve my pain throughout breastfeeding.  So, I was stuck with tubes of a worthless product.  Then, I happened to read an article about how lanolin is good for chapped lips.  This cream is pure, natural lanolin so I decided to give it a whirl.  Lo and behold, it works amazingly well!  I have been using this cream daily for the last four years to keep my lips soft.  People laugh when I tell them what I use, but I don't knock what works.  

2.  BeautiControl Lip Apeel

I am a big fan of BeautiControl products (and no, I don't sell it!)  I just really like their stuff for pampering and several of their products will be on this list.  The Lip Apeel is the other product I use on my lips.  As a matter of fact, I have it on right now as I am typing this.  Simply smooth the cream all over and around your lips and let dry.  Once dry, rub off with your finger or a washcloth and you will be amazing, and horrified, at the amount of dead skin that comes off.  Follow up with the attached lip balm and your lips will never have felt better.

3.  BeautiControl Instant Manicure

I am a self-described germaphobe which means lots of daily handwashing for me which leads to dry, chapped hands.  I use this daily to help them feel soft and smooth.  I like that it is fast--it doesn't take any longer than it takes to wash my hands.  Simply put a little bit on your hands, rub, and rinse.  The mixture of dead sea salt and oils work miracles.

4.BeautiControl Warming Trend Green Tea Mask

Okay, this is one of those products that makes me feel pampered.  I love this facial mask.  When mixed with water, it begins to heat up and feels so good.  I like to keep mine in the shower which also saves time.  The green tea scent is unbelievable!

5.  Olay Regenerist Night Cream

This product gets great reviews and once I tried it, I could see why.  I want a night cream that is going to help my skin and keep those pesky wrinkles away but I don't want to spend $100 on it.  I discovered this for $20 and it made such a huge difference in the softness of my skin.  After using it for a few weeks, my skin improved overall and just felt great.

6.  Aveeno Positively Radiant Tinted Moisturizer

I hate wearing make-up because most of the foundations I have tried feel thick and heavy.  Unfortunately, my skin is not flawless and I need some kind of coverage.  This does the trick for me.  The tint gives me just enough color and it does not feel sticky and gross.  The combo color/moisturizer/sunscreen is also a timesaver.  

7.  Jergens Natural Glow lotion

I am Irish which is obvious by my coloring--red hair, light eyes, and PALE skin.  I hate being so pale but I am VERY anti-tanning.  If I am in the sun, I always have my sunscreen on or am covered up.  This lotion gives me some color so I am not so blindingly white once summer rolls around and I break out the dresses and sandals.   It's also goof-proof!

8.  BeautiControl Nourishing Eye Pads

Another product that makes me feel pampered.  These are great for puffy eyes and circles.  Stick them in the fridge and they work wonders.

9.  BeautiControl Detoxifying Bath Soak

Living here in Memphis, I get my fair share of sinus headaches.  I actually use this not as a bath soak but as sinus/tension headache reliever.  I just soak a hand towel in water and mix in a little of this bath soak.  Pop the towel in the microwave for 30 seconds to a minute and then lie down with it over my face.  The rich peppermint smell relaxes me and soothes my headache.  

10.  Hot Tools Ceramic Curling Iron

My hair is naturally curly and while I usually straighten it, I often think it looks better curled.  

When I take the time to curl it, this is what I use.  I just recently discovered this brand and it works great.  I like hair tools that are ceramic or tourmaline and this brand comes in several barrel sizes and features adjustable settings. 

11.  CHI straightening iron

I usually try to straighten my hair so it doesn't seem so unruly and this flatiron is the one I have found works best for me.  Now I have to include a word of warning:  this gets HOT!  Now I know you are saying, "Well, duh, Stefanie!"  But I mean it gets seriously HOT!  Hot enough to do this when you trip over the cord and knock it onto the floor and then step into it as you are falling:

Yes, that is probably a freak thing that would only happen to me but I feel duty-bound to warn you!

**If you are interested in any of these BeautiControl products, let me know and I'll give you the contact info for my consultant, Lori.  She's a sweetheart and may even be convinced to come to your house and let you try all this stuff!

Which beauty products can you not live without?