Garden Tradition

Tomorrow is the first "official" day of spring! Can I hear a yippee! ;) 

I love spring. I love to watch the transformation of  a grey, dry pasture, turn into a crisp green field of coastal. I love to look at the little buds coming out of the otherwise dead looking tree branches. I like to see the wild flowers pop up on the side of the road, and especially love when the babies bring their Momma a handful of flowers that they found. :) 

And my most FAVORITE favorite part of spring? 

If you read the title of this post you can probably guess it. Gardening. 

My family has been gardening my entire life. I wouldn't know what to do if there was no gardening. Ha! 

But in all seriousness, I love it. I absolutely love to watch a plain patch of dirt, transform into a full, green garden, full of things that you can eat! :) 

Growing up, my very earliest memories of my Grandpa and Grandma's house, is going out to the back and picking things out of the garden. I especially remember picking carrots, taking them to the sink, and standing on a stool helping Grandma wash them, and then eating them. 

With the exception of meat and dairy, my Grandparents pretty much lived off the land. Every kind of vegetable you could think of, fruit trees, berry patches, they had it all. Grandma cooked, canned, preserved, pickled, froze, and baked with it all. Moving to the hill country my parents continued the tradition and started their own garden. And since moving out on MY own, I have continued the tradition on to my own family! I want my kids to grow up with the same love for the outdoors and gardening, that I have. And so far I have been blessed with them loving it too! ;) 

We planted ours this evening. I am excited because we have expanded our space from last year, and we now have room for 17 different plants! 

Corn

 Okra

Green Beans

Peas

 Cucumbers

Tomatoes - large and cherry size, the kids love to eat the cherry tomatoes right off the vine. 

Green and Yellow Bell Peppers

Jalapenos

"Blaze of Glory" variety of hot peppers

Strawberries

Watermelon

Cantaloupe

Squash 

Zuchinni 

Sweet Onions & Green Onions

And last but not least... Carrots. :) 

The kids really enjoyed the planting process this year. They are really starting to get the hang of it! (Tear... my babies are growing up...)

Wyatt's favorite is the corn

Tay is most excited about the watermelon and cantaloupe. 

 

Sneak peek of  mommy and daddy behind the scenes! ;) 

I of course will be taking pictures of the progress, and hope to update with a few posts along the way! :) 

Happy Spring Y'all! :) 

Life Lately

For me, right now, life is BUSY. John and I are renewing our vows in THREE weeks. Yay! 

Taylor's birthday party is next weekend. Wow!

None the less, I am taking a break from sewing table runners and tutus, and I want to write about my babies.  :) 

I guess they technically don't fall into the "baby" category anymore but they will always be MY babies. 

Taylor is going to be 5 on Thursday. 

She is a sassy, independent, amazing little girl.Tonight, she told her daddy today that she would like a real computer, a real phone, and a real purse. Just like a grown up. When I told her that she was a little young for the computer and phone, she said but everybody has a phone, I will be so different, I want to be a grown up!

At first, I had no response... Thinking to myself, WHERE did that come from????!!!! 

Baby girl. You are FIVE. And I heard the words of my mom come out of my mouth, 

"Don't be in too much of a hurry to grow up baby."

And much like my own self  hearing that as a kid, I can tell she wasn't buying it. 

She keeps me on my toes. 

I am still coming to grips with the fact that in a few short months she will be starting kindergarten. I wouldn't say necessarily that I am in denial but they say admitting is the first step... ;) More on that another day...

For now, let's talk about my baby boy. 

He equally keeps me on my toes. Sometimes maybe even more. We have been potty training and this week has been a great success! For a few months now, he has done very well at home. But as soon as we would go out anywhere, I would put a pull up on just in case, and he would get lazy and use it as an excuse NOT to go. Even with no accidents at home he would act like he did not know a thing about the toilet and go in his pull-up. All that changed though, in the beginning of last week. He started telling me while we were in the stores that he had to go, and we would rush off to the bathroom and he would go! Accident free at home AND away for the past week now. Night time is still a work in progress, but today he woke up from his nap dry, and immediately went to the potty. I am a proud momma, and you can tell he gets so proud too. I just love that boy!

Feeling blessed and content tonight. ♥

A Look Behind The Scenes

Well hello there! Happy 2013! :) I am excited for a new year of blogging, and I have made a promise to myself to write more this year. No more excuses. I will spare you the "catch up" lines because I know, I know, I ALREADY have a couple posts dedicated to the usual "it's been a while, I promise to stay caught up, etc etc" And then 4.5 months go by without one single post. Ouch! 

I always have all these thoughts swirling in my head, it is just taking the time to sit down and write!

 So here I am. 

Making an effort. 

Because I want to look back and know that I took the time to remember the little things. 

To document my children's lives, because as I know too well, they grow up SO quickly. 

One thing that I have been pretty good at keeping up with is my Project365 on my facebook page. If you are not too familiar with it, basically it is taking a picture every day, something to remember that day by. I started in 2011 and JUST started my 2013 album. Yes, it is January 9. But, honestly, I had thought about taking a break for the year. I can't exactly pinpoint a reason why, but I thought I would give it a break nonetheless. Well... I changed my mind. I went through my phone and found that I had already taken at least 2 pictures every day up until now. Thus, Project365:2013 was started, TODAY. :)

 I love pictures. I love the story they tell. I love capturing a moment that will never be there again. 

Taking pictures comes easy to me, so why not take it a step further and document those pictures.

 I thought about making a book out of each year of pictures. What fun it would be for us to flip through, for the kids to flip through one day! It makes me happy to think about. :)

Now, here is where my title comes into play. 

"Behind The Scenes" 

Some days don't feel very picture worthy. Some days you wonder, what could I possibly find in this day that I would want to remember later? Yes, I have had those days. 

But, one thing that I really try to live by, is to find the good in everything. Find the positive. Thank God for His many, many, blessings on my life. 

Take for example this photo.

1/8/13 - Sweet brother and sister. :)

Taylor and Wyatt were watching TV together when Tay calls me into the room saying, "Momma! Come look at us! Take a picture!" I took the picture and both of them looked at it. (Wyatt likes to look and say "aww" at any picture. It is so cute.) Then I walk away. Not 5 minutes later, I hear Taylor SCREAMING, at a pitch I am sure only that girl can reach, it is so shrill. 

"Tay, what happened?"

Crying turns to anger.

"WYATT HIT ME IN THE NECK!"

"Wyatt, you do NOT hit your sister. You tell her your sorry."

"Sowwie sister."

Taylor pushes him because she is still mad. Now Wyatt starts crying.
"Sister pushed meeeeeeeeeeee!"

"Taylor, you don't push your brother."

Pretty picture right? ;) ;) ;) 

This is why I decided capturing these moments are crucial, even if they are brief. ;)

These pictures are proof that there is always some good worth finding, even if you feel like you have been a referee in the midst of a bickering filled day. 

I love my babies more than words can say. 

I love that they have each other to grow up with and I pray they always stay best friends. 

This is what I choose to focus on today. And, I hope you have a happy day too. :)

Old Fashioned Strawberry Shortcake

Howdy friends! How is your Monday treating you?

I have been in a baking mood recently. Pinterest, cooking shows, magazines, almost everywhere I look I find inspiration to make something DELICIOUS. This is not very good when I also am trying to work out and get in shape! Counter productive much? 

This weekend we went out to hang out with my parents. My mom and I went to HEB to get some things for dinner, and I decided we needed something good for dessert. I usually go for anything chocolate, but my dad gets migraines and John and Taylor are not big chocolate fans either. 

So enter scene - Strawberry Shortcake . One of mom's favorites also. Win, win, win. :)

I googled some different recipes and took a variety of what I found to make my own. 

There are different variations of Strawberry Shortcake, some use a sponge cake, some use pound cake, and some use a biscuit type cake which is what we will be using today. My favorite! :)

What You Will Need:

For the biscuits:

-2 cups flour

- 1 tbsp baking powder

-1/4 teaspoon salt 

-3 tablespoons sugar

-1 stick butter (chilled)

-3/4 cup milk

For the strawberries:

-2 lb container strawberries
-1/4 cup sugar

-cool whip or whipped cream for topping

Directions:
Preheat oven to 425 degrees.

Rinse, drain, and slice berries.

Sprinkle with 2 to 3 tablespoons of sugar, depending on how sweet you want them to taste.
Mix well and refrigerate.

Whisk together flour, baking powder, salt, and sugar.
*Tip - if you do not have a whisk you can use a fork*

Cut your stick of butter into about 8 or 9 pieces and add to the mixture.
Using a pastry cutter or a fork, cut the butter into the mixture.

Your mixture will be coarse, with small chunks of butter still remaining.
Next, make a well in the center and add your milk.

Slowly stir it together, until it is just mixed and the dough is moist. It will still be very crumbly and not hold together really well. Let the dough stand for a minute.

Next, turn the dough out on a lightly floured surface and knead gently into a flat piece about 3/4 inches thick.
Remember at this point of mixing and kneading, the less you handle the dough, the better.

Take a round biscuit cutter and cut out your biscuits and transfer to a cookie sheet.

(It helps to have an adorable little helper ;))

Next, brush on a little milk on the tops and sprinkle with sugar.

Bake for 10-15 minutes until golden brown.

Serve with your strawberries and whip cream and ENJOY!

Dear Four Year Old Taylor...

My baby girl, 

Where do I begin? First I guess I should say you are technically not a "baby" any longer. You can swim all by yourself, pick your own outfits and matching hairclips.



You can recite and write the alphabet, spell and write your own name, and so much more.

You are growing up so quickly, I feel like I just blinked and you went from rocking in my arms, to swinging from the monkey bars.
I am so blessed by your sweet and sensitive heart. You are very eager to obey your momma and daddy and I thank my sweet Jesus for your precious spirit.
If I ask you to clean your room, you are very quick to do it.
You are always ready to help your momma with anything, whether it be cleaning, cooking, or helping me get something for Bubby.
You are definitely momma's little helper.
You do have a sassy side and sometimes your sassiness can get you in trouble. That is usually the only reason you get into trouble, and when you do, the sensitive side comes out and you just get heartbroken (and so does momma).

I love your cute, over the top attitude. You LOVE the disney princesses and you are definitely a little princess yourself.



 I love that you can spend hours in your room (you usually lock your brother out) and I like to stand at the door and listen to your imagination playing out in the lives of your Barbies and baby dolls.

I love that you sing songs at the top of your lungs, no matter if you just learned the words, or know it by heart, you sing. You are always singing. You have such a joyful spirit.

 You love to color, and you are an excellent artist. You also love to do mazes, connect the dots, and color by number.
 You are so smart and mommy is so proud of you. It is hard to believe that in just one year you will be starting school, but I know that you will be more than ready.
You love to dance, and play softball with your daddy.
You love to take care of your baby brother. It makes your mommy's heart happy to see you both getting along.

I love that no matter how much you have grown, there are still parts about you that remind me you are still my baby girl.
You still say "sirsty" for thirsty and you call pretzels "prenzels. You like for me to scratch your back and play with your hair before you go to sleep. Every morning you crawl into my bed to snuggle.
Right now, I am just breathing in every moment with you. They are going by so quickly. 

Baby doll, I love you so much and I am so proud of the little girl that you are growing up to be. 

All my love always, 

Momma

Dear Two Year Old Wyatt...

My Sweet Boy, 

You just turned two and I am still blinking my eyes wondering where the time went. It seems like yesterday I was holding your tiny (9 lb 12 oz) body in my arms, wrapped up in a cotton receiving blanket, and barely fitting into a newborn onesie. OK, so in terms of newborns, perhaps tiny is not the word to describe it, but you will always be little in my eyes. 

You are so full of life and at such a fun age. I love your little independent voice telling me "I do it, I do it" for every little thing, like climbing stairs, getting into your carseat, or using your own fork and spoon. It makes me sad and happy all at the same time.

(You are even adorable when you tell me that you don't want your picture taken) 

I love that you get so excited to see your favorite things...Like how the world stands still for a minute so that we can watch a tractor drive by.
Or how your face lights up when Taylor or Coco come into the room.

Or how you run screaming at the door that Daddy is home (and fall to tears if he is leaving).
I love when you tell me your juice is "gol gone" and when you find something you say "air it is!"
 I love that when you hear "Life Is A Highway" you scream CARS, and can watch the movie every day just like its the first time you've seen it.

I love that when we walk through a parking lot, you would rather hold Taylor's hand and form a train, then for me to carry you. (even though it makes me sad that I can't hold you like a baby...)

When I found out I was having a boy, a lot of people had many things to tell me about what it would be like to have a boy, how much of an adventure it would be. And let me tell you sweet baby, it has been the best adventure. You love your tractors, trains, and cars. 

You are energetic and fearless. 

You refuse to wear your floaties in the pool, and would rather just dive right in. 

You jump off the furniture, pull the dogs tail, and love to smash bugs on the porch.

You love to go play in the dirt and chase frogs with Coco.

You are ALL boy.

Yes, everyone told me all about the rough and tumble lifestyle I was about to take on, but one thing that they didn't tell me was the chance that the rough and tumble boy, would have an incredibly soft and loving heart for his momma.

When you are older and reading this I know that you will not like to be labeled a "momma's boy" but that is just the way it is. And I love it.

No matter what way you say it, whether you are crying "mommmmmaaaaa" or "mommy, mommy, mommy" or "MOM-MA!" I will always answer. 

The other day we were at the pool and you saw a bee in the water, and you grabbed my leg to push me back away from the edge and said "momma, atch out" 

Sweet boy, you know how to melt your momma's heart. 

You are only two years old, and your sweet protective innocence just overwhelms me with love and thankfulness. I could not have prayed for a better son. I love you always my sweet boy. Happy 2nd Birthday. :)

Love, Momma