Valentines Favorites

I ama total amateur when it comes to these collages but I had some time and was looking around Etsy the other day and found some really cute little things for valentines day.

 These are things for the kiddos in your life and a few things for yourself or the other women in your life.

I ordered the badge reel to wear at work I think its so cute!

1. Pink Polka Dot Shoes

2. Red and Pink Hearts Headband Etsy

3. xoxo Tic Tac Toe

4. Heart Rattle

5. Squirrel Pillow

6. Ivory Rose Baby Girl Shoes

7. Conversation Heart Crayons

8. Candy Heart Badge Reel

9. Amore Hair Elastics

Whats on your wish list for valentines day?

Say Hello, Will Ya

I'm linking up with Laura at The Everyday Joys today for a fun little one day link up called Say Hello, Will Ya

1. What blogs do you visit daily? Please list 1-3 of your favorites.

  Geez, I read so many blogs I will let them pile up in my Google Reader then clean them out, I guess if I have to pick three they would be:

The Tichenor Family

 From Mrs. to Mama

Stilettos and Diapers

2. Are you on Instagram? If so, what is your user name?

klop12

3. Can we find you on Pinterest? What's your Pinterest address, and what can we expect to see you pinning most? (recipes, DIY projects, home decor, etc.)

You can find me on Pinterest HERE, I pin a lot of stuff for toddlers as well as fun crafts and home decor.  Really a little bit of everything depending on my mood for the day

4. What are your favorite blog link-ups to participate in? (weekly link-ups other bloggers have...any number will do...please link us to them!)

I am so inconsistent with participating in blog link ups so I really cant add much to this one I do them here and there probably one of my favorites would be Sunday Social and one I plan to start participating in is Stop and Smell the Roses

5. Why do you blog?

I blog because its fun, I love writing about our life and looking back on it later.  Its a family scrapbook of sorts as well as just a place to release my thoughts and ideas.  It all started with a way to keep family and friends living away from us a way to stay in the loop with pictures and happenings in our life.

Its become more than that though, its a community and I have learned so much and met so many fantastic people through this lil ol' blog!!

6. Tell us one random fact about yourself.

A random fact...I have a major sweet tooth and have been known to eat an entire cake in two days.  Its an awful thing to do but I guess its proof I just have no self control... guess its good I have been blessed with good genes!!

The Facts of Me

I decided to link up with Whitney for this fun new thing called The Facts of Me.  The idea is when you go to museums, zoos, Seaworld type places you learn all kinds of interesting facts about stuff.  So why not tell you some facts of me here in my little corner of the internet!

I dont know how interesting much of this is but alas here we go a few facts of me:

• I grew up military (Air Force) and have lived in 7 different places
• One of which being Tokyo, Japan...my junior and senior year of high school
• When I was little I had super long hair that would tangle underneath very easy, my parents are divorced and one time while at my dads house I cut a huge chunk of knot out of the underside of my hair, I blamed it on my dad and didn't confess for probably a good 10 years later!
• I had head surgery as an infant...my fontanelles (soft spots) closed around 3 months old and so now I have a huge scar and a lumpy head... no crazy short hair for me!!
• Due to that my head was growing in the shape of a football, thankfully the surgery corrected that :)
• I give myself a better pedicure than the ladies at the salon
• I was in a sorority in college and to this day think it was one of the best decisions I've made, I would not have met my husband or many of my still to this day best friends if it weren't for my sorority
• I ALWAYS fall asleep at the movies even if for just a few minutes..call me Granny K
• Growing up we always had to have milk with dinner which I hated but now, its one of my favorite things to drink with dinner
• Really ghetto rap music is my favorite music to run to, it's what really pumps me up
• That being said, there are two worship songs on my ipod that always seem to play during the part of half marathons when I start to hit a wall...its not always the same part of the race and I keep my ipod on shuffle...God is so good and always carries me through
• Which brings me to my mantra when I run " I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength" and "They will soar on wings of eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint." Whenever the race gets tough and I start to hit a wall...I repeat those verses over and over and it really gets me through

What are some interesting facts about you?

Toddler Food::Ham and Cheese Muffins

I am always looking for new things to feed L, he is not particularly picky just "toddler picky." By this I mean some days he likes certain things other days he doesn't like those same things.  This phenomenon drives me crazy because I never know if it's going to be a bird day ( he eats like a bird) or a horse day (he cant get enough).

If I can find something easy to make that 1. I can store and whip out in an instant 2. he likes to eat on most days and 3. doesn't require much prep then we have a winner.

These, meet all those criteria! Now, don't get me wrong I am not super lazy but some days such as the mornings after I work I am just so tired and gourmet meals just are not gonna happen.

I made these one morning after work which is a huge testament to how simple they are, granted I had more energy than usual that morning but none the less, they were super easy.  Also, I had most of the ingredients at home already.

I found the recipe on Weelicious.  This website is awesome, I have found so many great toddler food ideas on here that really are pretty good to the point that I enjoy them as well!

Here is the recipe, the link to the website is available just click on the title :)

Ham and Cheese Muffins

(makes about 18 muffins, I got 20)

Ingredients

• 1 1/2 cups all purpose flour
• 1 cup whole wheat flour
• 2 teaspoons baking powder
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1 1/4 cups buttermilk
• 2 eggs
• 1/4 cup vegetable or canola oil
• 2 tablespoons maple syrup or honey
• 1 cup cheddar cheese, shredded
• 1 cup ham, chopped fine

1. 1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
2. 2. Combine the first 5 dry ingredients in a bowl and stir to combine.
3. 3. In a separate bowl whisk the eggs, oil and maple syrup and stir to combine.
4. 4. Add the buttermilk to the egg mixture and stir.
5. 5. Add the buttermilk mixture to the flour and stir until just combined.
6. 6. Fold in the cheese and ham.
7. 7. Scoop the batter 2/3 of the way up into greased muffin cups and bake for 18-20 minutes (15 minutes if using mini muffin cups).
8. 8. Cool on a wire rack and serve.

I think next time I may grate some carrots and add in to try and add some veggies, these were pretty good and L loved them so thats always a plus!

The Joys of Motherhood

Being a mom is something I have always wanted to be.  As a child I loved being a "mommy" to my baby dolls and little brother.  Now that I am the real deal, its a million times better!

There is so much I love about being a mommy to my sweet boy, every month he gets older I find myself saying "this age is so much more fun than..."

• I love his crazy bedhead in the mornings
• I love how cuddly he is after he wakes, when I get him out of bed and he just wraps his arms around my neck and rests his head on my shoulder and then just cuddles on the couch while he drinks his milk
• I love his babbles, all day everyday, the kid has so much to say although I cant understand most of it I love to hear his sweet voice. 
• I love how much he does say though, the kid has a serious vocabulary
• I love his big hugs, he wraps his arms so tight around my neck and just squeezes, those hugs are the best!
• I love to dress him up, just because I have a boy does not mean I cant play dress up!
• I love that he follows me around the house wherever I go
• I love that he is such a good sleeper
• I also love when he finally wakes up, I miss him when he naps!
• I love his huge smiles that can truly light up a room
• I love how ticklish he is, those baby laughs are music to my ears!
• I love his goofy sense of humor, especially during dinner, he is always trying to make us laugh with his silly faces 
• I love when he tries to help me with chores, laundry is his favorite, second would be the dishes
• I most of all just love his sweet disposition and how much of a mommas boy he is, he melts my heart on a daily basis and I just can not imagine life without him

3 Years

Today marks three years since we said "I Do", three years since I married my best friend.

I really can not believe it has been three years! These three years have been so fantastic and I am so blessed to have a husband and best friend who works so hard for our family and is so in Love with our son.

Marriage, while it has its challenges, has been so much fun and I cant wait to see what the future has in store for us!

Stuffed Bell Pepper Soup

I have been doing really good lately with planning meals and cooking at home.  This past week many a folks on twitter were posting pictures of and talking about this soup which sounded fantastic!

I love stuffed bell peppers and this soup is even easier!!  I don't like recipes that take a long time or have too many ingredients but this one fit the bill perfectly!!

Source: greenlitebites.com via Brittany on Pinterest

This is the recipe I found on Pinterest and it did NOT disappoint!!

I highly recommend you add this to your weekly rotation very soon!

Landon Lately::19 months

I really really have wanted to get back into the updates on my sweet boy.  I really love looking back and seeing what he has been up to and I honestly think the last time I did this was when he was 10 months!!

At his 18 month appointment he was 26.5 lbs and 33 inches ad continues to have his big ol' 90%ile head!! He has definitely stretched out! He grew 3 inches between his 15 and 18 month appointments which means he basically needed a new wardrobe!

He is still sleeping like a champ! Will usually nap for 2-3 hours and at night sleeps 11-12 hours.  I am so thankful for this I think if he did not sleep as good as he does I would definitely need to put him in daycare because there is no way I could work night shift and keep up with a non-sleepign toddler!

He has all of his teeth except for his farthest back molars, I am not sure which ones those are but I think they are the 2 year molars and honestly I think we are on the brink of those.  He has been chewing and drooling like crazy and has had a clear runny nose off and on which are what happens every time he gets teeth.  I cant see any teeth buds yet but I don't doubt they are far off!

I think by 18 months he had his 7th haircut already! The boys hair grows so fast which really should be no surprise since mommy and daddy have super thick hair that grows crazy fast!

 His eating is hit or miss these days.  Some days he is a bottomless pit and will eat anything I give him but other days he wont touch more than a few bites of food all day.  I don't stress about this because I know he is growing and healthy and I am sure the days he doesn't eat will be made up for on the days he does.

When it comes to food, he LOVES fruit, particularly grapes, "nanas", and those little mandarin oranges cut up in pieces.  Chicken, eggs, and biscuits are also his favorite.  Daddy introduced him to chocolate milk so he loves that as a special treat from time to time.

His talking has blown UP the past few weeks!! He is such a chatterbox! He has started counting to 4 which blows me away that he can do this! He says airplane, dog, cup, snack, mommy, daddy, car, night night, diaper, bye bye, shoes, socks, shirt, train, ton ton (chuggington- his favorite show) kitty, book, eyes, nose, ears, mouth, open, up, off, on I know there is more but I cant think right now.

He is such a goofball! He loves to be the center of attention and especially when we go out in public will try to play peek a boo and get anyones attention that will give it to him! He loves to "do cheese" and take pictures, He knows what the camera is and although he is a busy body and hard to get a good picture of at times if he is in the mood he will play it up for the camera like its his job! Loves to make faces and just be so silly!!

 The "poe" (iPad) is his FAVORITE!! It truly has been a life saver! We don't let him sit and play with it all the time but it is particularly handy when we go out to dinner or on the days when mommy and daddy need to swap cars before we go to work.  Thats a lot of car time for this sweet boy so we let him have the poe to keep him happy...theres nothing I hate more than a screaming baby in a car!

His favorite show is Chuggington which is a train show he will watch that intently for over an hour...I know judge away...I work night shift and have to rest from time to time unless you've been there you don't understand!!

 He knows exactly how to use it and actually even does stuff with it I don't know how to do! He loves to watch shows and play with his favorite apps.  I will have to do a post dedicated just to that because there are a few he loves and will flip through the screens to find.

His other favorite thing is lotion bottles.  I know it sounds so crazy but those lotion bottles he will no joke carry around the house, line them up and loves to snap open the top and smell them.  They are full but he has never tried to dump them so I let him play with them as he will entertain himself for the longest time!!

He also loves to be outside and will walk and walk for the longest time.  Unfortunately it has been so rainy and cold here he hasn't been able to get out and play much!

L is such a blessing to us and keep us guessing and laughing on a daily basis! He really is the sweetest boy and so smart and inquisitive!

2013::It's Gonna be a Good Year

I Usually always try to make some kind of goals/resolution of some sort for each new year but I feel like I never write it down so its hard to look back and keep myself accountable.

These are all things I have been working towards for a while but I thought I would put them in writing so I can look back and stay reminded.

1. Deepen my relationship with Christ- I think this is something we should always strive for, I am starting a bible study in a few weeks at a friend in my neighborhoods church and I am really excited about it! One thing I think my church doesn't do well is have a good bible study program and it is something I have been wanting to get involved in for quite some time so when my friend brought up the idea I jumped at the opportunity.  

With that said I want to carve out some time dedicated solely to bible study/prayer/being intentional with my time with the Lord.  So far I have started the She Reads Truth  Fresh Start Study Plan.  I wish I could wake up before L and do this but that is just not feasible in my life so I either do it after he goes to bed or more often, in the morning after L wakes up.  Usually he wakes up and drinks some milk, has breakfast and then is content to entertain himself for a good amount of time and this is when I do my bible time.

2. Run More- simple enough, I dont want to lose weight or be healthier blah blah I just really want to run more.  I love running, I love how I feel during and after a run.  It's just getting out and doing it thats the hard part.  I have a big race coming up in April and I want to do well so I am hoping to get running at least 3 days a week!

3. Get Organized- This house of mine is a wreck and I want to get back to the organized state it once was.  I plan to do one room or section of the house at a time and really purge and organize!  I am so tired of not being able to find stuff when I need it!!!

4. Live More Simply- I just have been feeling so overwhelmed lately with just life in general! I don't even know really how to put this one into writing other than I just feel like there is just too much going on maybe it's the clutter maybe its trying to read 4 books at once that I just have a general feeling of anxiety and that I am never fully caught up there is always something to do or buy.  I think only time will allow this one to really pan out and become clear to me.

5. Live Each Day as if it Were My Last- I just see too much crazy stuff at work and on the news and it has been made ever more clear in recent times how fleeting life is and that each day is not a promise.  I would hate for something to happen and to regret that "yesterday I wish I had..." I feel like this one makes me seem really morbid but I just don't know, I guess working where I work and seeing what I see so often it has kind of put things into perspective a little bit!!

6. Read More Books- I love reading and the fact that it takes me 5 months to read one book is so not cool with me!! I want to not read 4 books at once but one at a time and really read them.  I have SOOOO many books on my iBooks and Kindle I want to read so hopefully this will be an easy one!

7. Get my CCRN Certification- This is for work and something I have been wanting to do for a while but really have just become qualified to do.  Being that I switched units/specialties I had to wait till I had been in my current area for about a year before I became eligible to take this test.  If your curious as to what it is just click on the link.

What kinds of things do YOU want to accomplish in 2013??