snips and snails

we're having a boy!

right on track, healthy and happy, due October 25th!

1000 days

today is the mark of a huge accomlishment for me. from 2001 to 2008 i fell deeply into a path of personal destruction. i had no direction in my life and pushed away people that i loved or who tried to help me. alcohol became my family. cigarettes were my best friend. i made lots of other terrible, terrible mistakes. i entered into a relationship without any real goals or direction. we were married. neither of us really knew what we were doing or where we were going in life. we ended up getting pregnant when there was not much of a chance for us to grow any longer. we seperated when i was 3 or 4 months pregnant. though we were failing at marriage, that divorce was one of the most difficult trials of my life. that pregnancy was bittersweet. i was excited to finally be having a precious child, but the heartbreak of a failed marriage was devastating. my son was born in November of 2007. even after he was born, i still had a lot of growing up to do. i didn't try to improve. i was a lost soul. i repeatedly hit rock bottom (and i mean ROCK bottom) . . . i really had given up hope that i would ever be able to change . . . i gave up hope. then . . . a pivitol moment. february through april of 2008, i was dating a guy who i had known for about 6 years. he was a really good guy, but like me, he had his own problems. i broke up with him because i decided to try and change. days after, he died of a drug overdose. someone just like me. a good person who was just lost. unfortunately, even with the slap in the face that was, it still didn't wake me up enough to change. i tried, but not a valid effort. shortly after, i fell back into old habits and continued to plummet further downward. inwardly, i kept feeling like if i would just stop all the stupid stuff i was doing that my life would greatly change, but it required making that effort. i tried to ignore that feeling, until finally on Labor Day of 2008, i went to a bar and got trashed. in all my stupidity, i left my keys in the ignition of my car, with it running. didn't even realize it until i was ready to drive home. smart, huh? i called the guy i was dating at the time to see if he could help me, but he was busy trying to 'score some weed'. nice guy, right? the next day, i made a vow to myself that i would never drink again. i was so tired of being a loser. 1000 days later, i haven't so much as touched the stuff. a month later, on October 8th, i gave up cigarettes for good (this is coming from a person that was a 1-2 pack a day-er). a month after that, i met my husband, two months after that, we were married, 10 months after that we had our daughter.


now, i look in the mirror and see the real me. not the image i'm trying to hide behind. i'm real. i don't need to be drunk to be me. i don't need to smoke to be comfortable or relaxed. i'm no longer a slave . . . i'm free . . . and look at what i have because of it . . .


this handsome guy . . .

these beautiful babies . . .

. . . and a baby on the way . . .

every night, when i pray, i thank my Heavenly Father for my family and that i had the ability to change. life is so much simpler now. so much safer. so much more comfortable. i've had moments of regret and anger towards my past. i realize now that without those experiences, i would be nowhere near where i am today. i learned so much about people and the world and also about myself. because of where i have been, i have confidence in where i am headed. 

. . . so i am a huge quote junkie. here are some that helped me through the tough times.

"Having faith in the Lord also means having faith in his timing." 

- Neal A. Maxwell

"Press forward. Do not stop, do not linger in your journey, 

but strive for the mark set before you." 

- George Whitefield

"My chance for a better past is gone.

My chance to live life without creating more wreckage is upon me.

I will try to live each day so I have great memories of yesterday, tomorrow."

- Unknown

"No matter what your past has been, your future is spotless."

- Unknown

happy friday!

my 3 year old, Bailey, singing his ABC's . . .

yeah . . . he pretty much melts my heart.




Have a fun, safe Memorial Day Weekend! 

yummy. crafty. funny.

yummy.


Homemade Twix Bars






Milky Way Cake









crafty.


Hula Hoop Rug




Heaven. Well . . . it is if you are a crafter.









funny.


What Did You Do All Day?


By: Veronica Kavanough (Via http://www.divinecaroline.com/22324/37661-did-do-day#ixzz1NTd3IOHd)


A man came home from work and found his three children outside, still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and wrappers strewn all around the front yard.


The door of his wife’s car was open, as was the front door to the house and there was no sign of the dog.


Proceeding into the entry, he found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was wadded against one wall.


In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a cartoon channel, and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.


In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was spread by the back door.


He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill, or that something serious had happened.


He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out the bathroom door.


As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap, and more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.


As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel.


She looked up at him, smiled, and asked how his day went. He looked at her bewildered and asked:


“What happened here today?!”


She again smiled and answered, “You know every day when you come home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?”


“Yes,” was his incredulous reply.


She answered, ‘”Well, today I didn’t do it.”




First published November 2007

color me cute

the other day my 19 month old daughter decided to get into my 7 year old brother's marker supply. this was the result:



i couldn't help but dive for my camera. she was so proud of her masterpiece!


i LOVE this little girl.


i found this article below awhile ago on the internet and thought i would share it with you. totally rings true, as far as my kids go!




Toddler Miracle Diet!


DAY ONE----


Breakfast: One scrambled egg, one piece of toast with grape jelly. Eat 2 bites of egg, using your fingers; dump the rest on the floor. Take 1 bite of toast, then smear the jelly over your face and clothes.


Lunch: Four crayons (any color), a handfull of potato chips, and a glass of milk ( 3 sips only, then spill the rest)


Dinner: A dry stick, two pennies and a nickel, 4 sips of flat Pepsi.


Bedtime snack: Throw a piece of toast on the kitchen floor...........


DAY TWO-----


Breakfast: Pick up stale toast from kitchen floor and eat it. Drink half bottle of vanilla extract or one vial of vegetable dye.


Lunch: Half a tube of "Pulsating Pink" lipstick and a handfull of Purina Dog Chow (any flavor). One ice cube, if desired.


Afternoon Snack: Lick an all-day sucker untill sticky, take outside, drop in dirt. Retrieve and continue slurping until it is clean again. Then bring inside and drop on the rug.


Dinner: A rock or an uncooked bean, which should be thrust up your left nostril. Pour grape Kool-Aid over mashed potatoes; eat with a spoon.


DAY THREE-----


Breakfast: Two pancakes with plenty of syrup, eat one with fingers, rub in hair. Glass of milk; drink half, stuff other pancake in glass. After breakfast, pick up yesterdays sucker from rug, lick off fuzz, put it on the cushion of your best chair.


Lunch: Three matches, peanut butter and jelly sandwich. Spit several bites onto the floor. Pour glass of milk on table and slurp up.


Dinner: Dish of ice cream, handfull of potato chips, some red punch. Try to laugh some punch through nose, if possible.


FINAL DAY----


Breakfast: A quarter tube of toothpaste (any flavor), bit of soap, an olive. Pour a glass of milk over bowl of cornflakes, add half a cup of sugar.. Once cereal is soggy, drink milk and feed cereal to dog.


Lunch: Eat bread crumbs off kitchen floor and dining room carpet. Find that sucker and finish eating it.


Dinner: A glass of spaghetti and chocolate milk. Leave meatball on plate. Stick of mascara for dessert.


(taken from Toddler Miracle Diet)

an ode to indulgence

i love food. more specifically, i love to cook food. even more specifically, I LOVE TO BAKE AND EAT DESSERT. these warm, sunny, in-between-spring-and-summer-days definitely call for a tasty treat that doesn't fill you up so much that you feel like you inhaled a barrel of hot rocks. that's why i prefer fruity-sweet dishes for this time of year. i tried a new recipe last night and was instantly transported to heaven and back. it's quick, easy and simply one of the best apple dessert dishes i have ever had the joy of devouring.


Sunday Dinner Apples (click image for recipe)






now, i am on a huge kick to find and try as many good apple dessert recipes as i can. i'm hoping to make one a week, or at least until these mutant pregnancy cravings settle on something else.


so far, this is what i have collected (click images for recipes)


Dutch. Apple. Dumplings. need i say more???





Baked Apple With Crisp Topping





Best Ever Apple Cake





Apple Cranberry Tart & Galette





Toffee Apple Cheesecake





Caramel Apple Cheesecake Bars






if your mouth is watering, i've done my job!



now for a little fun. . . . .




Happy Baking, Kids!

in case you didn't know...

this is why the rapture was postponed...





SQUIGGLY!

happy veloci-rapture day!

Harold Camping is a SLEEZEBAG. Click image for article:











Happy Veloci-Rapture Day To All....and To All....A Good Night!

happy rapture eve!

"Chuck Norris volunteered to miss the rapture so he can fight the anti christ single handedly.



















click image below for article:

to prayerfully ponder upon

click image for a good read.




And when ye shall receive these things, I would exhort you that ye would ask God, the Eternal Father, in the name of Christ, if these things are not true; and if ye shall ask with a sincere heart, with real intent, having faith in Christ, he will manifest the truth of it unto you, by the power of the Holy Ghost. (Moroni 10:4)

And I say unto you, Ask, and it shall be given you; seek, and ye shall find; knock, and it shall be opened unto you. (Luke 11:9)

change the world.

"How wonderful it is that nobody need wait a single moment before starting to improve the world." - Ann Frank



click image for inspiration.






"Don't ask yourself what the world needs, ask yourself what makes you come alive. And then go do that. Because what the world needs are people who have come alive." - Harold Whitman



click image if you don't know where to start.

growing little people brains

i love to read books to my kids. truly, it's one of the best parts of my day. we read one book before naptime, then three at night before bed. i'm always working to update their collection, because let's face it...reading the same books over and over gets a bit tiring. i love to get our books at thrift stores and secondhand book stores....i feel they have the widest and best variety, not to mention they are significantly cheaper than the brand spankin' new ones. just make sure that if you go the 'used' route that you set aside some time to read through the book before you buy it. we bought this one awhile ago:





it's not that the book wasn't good...just not the best for my then 2 and a half year old little boy, as it talks about a giant gobbling up the fatest guy in the bunch and then Sinbad dropping an old man off in a vineyard because he's tired of carrying him, letting the poor guy get sloshed off of grapes and then pass out so he could leave him...that book has definitely been put back on the shelf....

here are some of our most favorite books...especially for toddler and preschool aged kiddaroos:

click on images









this one is one of our all time favorites!























...and a few thoughts to leave you with....


"It is not enough to simply teach children to read; we have to give them something worth reading. Something that will stretch their imaginations--something that will help them make sense of their own lives and encourage them to reach out toward people whose lives are quite different from their own.” - Katherine Patterson


“The more that you read, the more things you will know. The more that you learn, the more places you'll go.” - Dr. Seuss



Here are some great article about why it's important to read to our kids:



Why It's Important to Read to Your Kids



Ten Important Reasons to Read to Your Kids




HAPPY READING, FOLKS!

rare and rad finds

since we moved (about a month ago), i haven't been able to find the charger for my camera battery, so i've been doing everything i can to keep myself from thinking about it....because i'm losing my mind without it!!!! so for your viewing pleasure, i went ahead and gathered some of my favorite finds as of recent from the great and glorious internet. enjoy! (click images to be directed to websites)

THE RADDEST headbands i have ever seen!





pickle lips anyone????......





what kid wouldn't love this shirt?! heck....i want one!





too true....tooooo true!





my hubs is a bow tie kinda guy, so this just jumped right out at me....i'm in love!





...and last but not least...this little gem....

needed to hear this today

this too:
(click on image to be directed to website)





and one more (my favorite hymn):



here are the lyrics:

Abide with me; 'tis eventide.
The day is past and gone;
The shadows of the evening fall;
The night is coming on.
Within my heart a welcome guest,
Within my home abide.

O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.
O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.

Abide with me; 'tis eventide.
Thy walk today with me
Has made my heart within me burn,
As I communed with thee.
Thy earnest words have filled my soul
And kept me near thy side.

O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.
O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.

Abide with me; 'tis eventide,
And lone will be the night
If I cannot commune with thee
Nor find in thee my light.
The darkness of the world, I fear,
Would in my home abide.

O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.
O Savior, stay this night with me;
Behold, 'tis eventide.

sweet tooth

ever have one of those days that you just HAVE to have something so rich and sweet that if you can't get it you feel like your head will surely implode? i am having one of those days. normally, i'm not much of a chocolate lover, but lately it's all i can think about...especially when i've had a bad day. today is definitely a day from hell and all i can think about now is something drowned in chocolate to devour. lately i've been a bit of a recipe junkie so i decided to share a few that i've found that i'll be trying soon....

the first is actually a website with some of the most AMAZING, mouth-watering, recipes i have seen in awhile.

(click images to go to websites)





feast your eyes upon this beauty





or there's this bad boy....





just had to post this one too....there are too many to choose from!





i think it's time to send my husband out for some ingredients!