Happy Halloween

Happy Halloween!

I don't know about you guys, but I am so excited to dress up the little ones and take them out trick or treating. I am also equally excited about handing out candy here. It is our first Halloween at our new house and I am hoping we will get more than 1 trick or treater. 

I can't wait to share all the fun pictures with you tomorrow but until then, come on over to A Little Piece of Me and check out my Q and A with Salena. 

Have a safe and happy evening!  

Winner and another Giveaway opportunity!

According to the random number generator the winner of my giveaway over at The Duty Family is....... comment number 18.

Jessica said...

I also am a follower of mommy a work in progress on GFC




Congrats Jessica! Email me within 48 hours to claim your prize. :)


 If you didn't win, don't worry you still have a chance! I am guest posting over at And Nothing Else Matters and doing another giveaway. So, come on over!

HAPPY SUNDAY!!

Over at AND NOTHING ELSE MATTERS Today

Good morning new friends and old acquaintances!

Awhile back I posted ten recipes I would like to try (you can find it here). One of those items was a recipe for corn fritters. Well, you can find me over at And Nothing Else Matters today with the recipe I used to make them and a giveaway!

*If you are a new follower from the October Follower's Fest be sure to comment and leave me your blog name so I can follow you back. I love to meet new friends :)

Reading a book to you....

Jaxson and I have a wonderful night time routine and and it is something I look forward to every night. He snuggles up in bed and he picks three books out to read. I pick out one book, which is always the same; it's a nursery rhyme book that he can recite all the nursery rhymes from. He also knows if I skip a few pages here and there because I am super tired.


Anyways, I picked up a book at a consignment store for .25 when it was closing and that is the best quarter I have ever spent. Have you heard of this book before? It's called "I'm Thankful Each Day", by P.K. Hallinan. This book has made it's way into our nightly rotation and I think it has a wonderful message. Not only does it teach about being thankful but it reminds me every night to be thankful for all the blessings I have. While reading it last night  I talked to Jaxson quite a bit about all that we have to be thankful for. He seemed to be really listening and taking it all in. He looked at me and said " thank you mommy for all my food and toys." It melted my heart. He just sat there with such childlike innocence staring up at me and I teared up. It made me think about all the little children who don't have near what we have and it made me feel guilty for all that I do have. I am so grateful to be able to provide for my children not only their needs but some of their wants too. Now, that I have kids of my own, other children who are less fortunate have been on my mind a lot lately. I know it isn't much but today I plan on going through all their clothes and toys and finding some to donate to a local charity here in town taking donations for foster children. It's a start.........

Here is an excerpt from the book; " I'm thankful each day for the blessings I see and for all of the gifts that have been given to me and counting the stars at the edge of the sea, I can't help but feel they were put there for me." And another that always touches me ; "and if ever I worry that trouble is near, I always remember that there is nothing to fear... for each hour is laden with infinite love...each second brings comfort and joy from above".

and on a side note..... if you are stopping by from the fall followers fest.... be sure to comment if you follow so I can follow you back. :)

Rice Krispie Pumpkins!

We had so much fun making these rice krispie pumpkins!

 I saw this recipe in a magazine (I can't remember which one, though) and cut it out and filed it away. When I came across it again I knew we had to try it!

I have never made rice krispie treats before ( Crazy, I know!) and my father in law wanted me to make them for his work party. I was a little hesitant not knowing how they would turn out, but I think they turned out alright. :)


Here are the ingredients you will need:

- 3 tbsp. butter or margarine
- 4 cups mini marshmellows ( I used 5 however because I felt they weren't gooey enough)
- Green frosting for the leaves
- Orange food coloring
- 6 cups rice krsipie cereal
- 12 bite size chocolate candies to stuff inside! * I used rolos.... yummy
- 12 green small gumdrops for the stems
- black gel if u want to make faces
This will yield roughly 12 pumpkins.... we tripled the batch.

Directions:

In a large pan, melt butter over low heat. Add marshmallows and stir until completely melted. Remove from heat. Tint with orange food coloring and then add your rice krispies. Stir until well coated.

The recipe says to use a greased 1/2 cup measuring cup to scoop your portions but I just lathered my hands with butter and grabbed scoops and made my own sized pumpkins. :)
Form a pumpkin shape around your chocolate candy( the candy is optional but I think it adds a nice surprise when you bite into it) and lay it down on wax paper.

Use your green frosting to make leaves and your gumdrops for the stem.
Then I got a little creative and used black baking gel to add fun faces on them.

There you have it! Quite simple and lots of fun!


Come join the party!

My Lil' Sassafrass

                                                                

KENDRA NOEL

I can not believe my "baby" is already 14 months old! She has filled me with so much joy. She is such a bundle of energy and curiosity.  Let me just say she was an easier baby than Jaxson but is proving to be a more difficult toddler.

This girl is so full of determination and sass. If she wants it, she wants it NOW and will not let anything stand in here way. Which, brings me to my next point. I can already tell that she is a problem solver. Sure you took that toy away and put it on the highest shelf, but that won't stop her. I can not tell you how many times she has wheeled her firetruck up to things and proceeded to use it as a step stool. I have found her on the couch(not such a big deal), climbing on top of our coffee table, standing on her brother's table and more recently I watched her ( from around the corner because I could not for the life of me figure out how she was getting to my parents stairs which were blocked off) climb on top of a small chair to a larger chair and then on top of a shelf.

Jaxson was never a climber at this age. She has been responsible for so many near heart attacks. She has no fear. I think she is the child that is going to be responsible for a lot of sleepless nights spent worrying.

her mischievous grin

She is quite the little animal lover. She is rarely found without her "stuffty", which is the pink and orange crazy-haired Dr. Suess character. She LOVES stuffed animals. She also loves Kona. I think she thinks of him as one giant live stuffed animal. :)

She also thinks that she must do everything that her big brother is doing. This girl does not let her age or size get in  her way. She is so stubborn but I love it! She gets it from me. :)

She is also an amazing eater. She hears the word food and goes running for the kitchen. If I dare eat something around her I better be prepared to share. I have never seen a child eat and eat and stay so small. She is in about the 14% the last time I checked, but she eats more than Jaxson at every single meal. She has been known to polish off his leftovers.

It is amazing to see the differences between my two children at this young age. Kendra is a much more easy going (except when hungry... you have been warned) child and more social. I think when she gets a bit bigger she is going to be the "ringleader" between the two of them.

I never knew my life could be so full and I am so blessed to be able to stay home with my babies everyday and watch them change and grow.

Love you little girl!

Top ten reasons you know you shop at Target too much.....

So, I LOVE Target, it is pretty safe to say that it is my favorite store. However, I have come to realize maybe I shop there a bit too much. :)

Ten reasons you know you shop at Target too much:

1.) When your child is screaming in his room at night trying to put himself to sleep he isn't yelling for you, but he is yelling to go to Target ( Yup, Jaxson has done this).
2.) Anytime I mention the word shopping and go to another store, he asks where Target is.
3.) When the cashiers know your children's names, ages and greet you when you come in.....( you guys are probably thinking I am crazy by now)
4.) The girls at the Starbucks located inside have your drink memorized and a pink cake pop on standby, just in case it's one of those days!
5.) Your child knows whats on every aisle and helps you locate merchandise.....no joke
6.) You know the days and times they take their markdowns ( I will tell you if you want to know) 
7.) When you say you have a fun surprise planned for him he is disapointed that it doesn't involve shopping at Target.
8.) When you hear your child mutter the word Target in his sleep....
9.) Anytime your child sees a big red circle he screams Target.
10.) Lastly.... at he age of 2 1/2 he can give you perfect directions to the store...


My name is Ashley and I am addicted to Target! :)

Linking up over here today

Guest post and a giveaway!

Today I am so excited because I am guest posting over at The Duty Family. Swing by, take a look and be sure to enter the giveaway!



Hope to see you there!

What I should be doing vs, what I am actually doing

Happy Sunday!!

I have an overflowing pile of laundry that needs to be folded (or hung) and put away. I have clean dishes in the dishwasher and dirty dishes in the sink. I have a lawn that needs to be mowed and toys strewn ALL over the floor. I told myself that I would accomplish a lot today but so far I am lacking the motivation to do so. Newsflash, I just don't really care. :)

All the chores will still be waiting for me tomorrow and for now I am OKAY with that. Instead, I enjoyed a lazy family breakfast at my Mom's, laying on the couch watching football and playing "words with friends". I plan on getting caught up on some magazines and carving pumpkins with my kids. :) I may even indulge in an afternoon nap!Gasp!


Hope you all had a fabulous weekend and here are just a few pictures I wanted to share.

By the time we left, those pants were COVERED in mud

Notice SHE is driving him around

Yes, we visited yet another pumpkin patch!

Coming together

linking up over here
A few days ago I did a post about the birth of my son. I talked more about what happened but not about how I was feeling. You can read about it here

I was on bed rest for five weeks in the hospital. For some people, five weeks is not very long. Some women had been there for five months! I can not even begin to imagine what that would have felt like. I just thank God that I was only there for five weeks.

I went through so many emotions while I was there. First it was shock, then denial, then fear and then a feeling of constant worrying. After that wore off a bit, I came to accept it. The hospital became my home away from home. The only problem is is that I was over an hour away from home. I missed my family, my dog, my bed and all my personal surroundings. I never made it to my baby shower or my maternity photo shoot. I guess I felt a bit sorry for myself and then I felt guilty for feeling sorry for myself because there were so many women there who were in much worse shape than I was.


But one emotion that I never felt was lonely, because through it all Brandon was by my side, without complaining once.
Let me back up just a bit. Before all my complications arose, pregnancy and I did not agree. My hormones were all over the place and my OCD skyrocketed to a whole new level. Not gonna lie, it was a rough time for both Brandon and I. We fought ALOT. Of course, all trivial things and looking back now I realize it was all ridiculous.

Being in the hospital, though, gave us a lot of time to just BE together; to talk, and to rediscover certain things about each other. We realized we had let our relationship slide a little bit, but the fear of something happening gave us gave us a little wake up call. Now, I would never wish for being in that situation but I am glad we made the best out of it and that it gave us some clarity.

During this time, Brandon was with me every day that he didn't have to be at work. He works a combination of 12 hour and 24 hour shifts with his working starting at 6 am. So, after working 12 hours he would then drive through rush hour traffic for another two, just to be by my side and have a late dinner with me. Nurses had set him up with a cot and he slept beside me almost every night. He would then have to wake up around 3:45 so he could make it to work on time. I know he was so tired and wanted to sleep in his bed as much I did. I encouraged him to go home and take some time for himself but he never did. . It meant so much to me to have him by my side. We got through it together and came out the other side much stronger and ready to conquer the world of first time parents!

So thankful for this guy!