Colton's Handy Dandy Lap Tray

A few months ago, we were in Hobby Lobby.  I love to just go in that store and look around, they have so many awesome items to look at.  I was just walking around checking everything out when I notice this multi-purpose lap tray.  I immediately thought Colton could put this to good use.  He could place his plate full of chicken nuggets and mini corn dogs with ketchup on this tray and bring it in the living room while sitting on the couch.  We had to have it.

It's really handy.  It has other purposes too.  He gets his coloring books out and places them on the tray to color.  He then puts his crayons in the side trays to be able to have easy access.

He has even placed this tray in the floor and put his play-doh on it to mess around with.

This is an item I'm really glad I purchased for him.  It was at Hobby Lobby for only $6.99.  I actually bought it when they were having a sale for 30% off.  They run specials all the time, check them out sometime.  You can't beat that deal!

Spiderman Pillow Pal

We were in Wal-Mart one day last week and Colton was a grouch; he needed a nap big time!  I knew I was going to have to lay him down in the shopping cart to take a nap, because I had too much shopping to get done for him to be a grouchy bear the entire time.  I found an extra large pillow for him to rest on and he immediately noticed this Spiderman Pillow Pal.  It was right by the regular pillows and he just had to have it to snuggle with.  So me being the "pushover" that I am, picked up the Spiderman Pillow Pal, handed it to him and told him he could snuggle with it while we were in the store, but once we were ready to leave, we had to put it back.  He didn't care, he just wanted to snuggle with him.  Luckily, he fell asleep almost instantly.

When we were in line to check out, it was time to wake Colton up.  I had to take the extra large pillow back where I found it along with the Spiderman Pillow Pal.  OH MY GOODNESS!!!!  You would've thought the world was coming to an end..............crying, whining, blubbering.............(don't tell me I'm the only parent who has gone through this)...............big old tears running down his face.............he wanted this pillow all for himself.  He wanted to take it home with him right now.

His birthday is coming up next month.  I told him we could not buy this right now, but we would put it on his birthday wish list as one of the items he would like to have for his birthday.  I let him know when we have his birthday party and people come over to celebrate it with us, someone just might buy it for him as a present.  Still..............tears...............crying..............whining...............blubbering as I took the Spiderman Pillow Pal back to where I found it.  What an ordeal.  When I placed it back on the shelf where I found it when we first entered Wal-Mart, I noticed that it was the VERY LAST pillow pal left of Spiderman.  OH NO...................Needless to say.................we came home with Spiderman.  I'm a pushover!

Night Time Prayers

We always pray before bedtime.  I love to hear Colton call out the names of the people we know.  He asks Jesus to watch over them and protect them.  If someone is in need of a healing, he asks for that as well.  Every night, he ends the prayer by naming all of our church friends and other people we know.

Last night, we had finished our night time prayer and I gave him a kiss good night, when all of a sudden he says, "Mama, we forgot to pray for Chrissy tonight."  I said, "Bubby............I think you are right.  We better pray again and call out her name."  We did just that.  For those of you who don't know, Chrissy is his babysitter.  He loves her to pieces.

I've always felt it's very important that he learns how to pray and develops a strong connection with God and Jesus at a young age.  This goes to show me what a precious, young, little Christian boy he is growing up to be.  He really has a Godly love for people and I am so proud of him for that.

Didn't God know what he was doing when he gave us children?  They are so pure minded, willing, obedient, innocent and humble little people...............they are a magnificent creation of God.

Low Calorie Applesauce Cornbread

I love cornbread.  Normally, cornbread is what my mom makes when she fixes Puddin's Pinto Beans.  We haven't had any pinto beans lately, but I was just craving some good old cornbread hot out of the oven with some butter on top of it.  That sounded so good........yum!  However, since I'm on a diet, I can't have Puddin's fattening cornbread, so I decided to make some low calorie cornbread on my own.  I came up with this recipe after looking at another low calorie cornbread recipe on the internet.  Here it is:

Low Calorie Applesauce Cornbread
Adapted from www.food.com

1 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup cornmeal
2 1/2 tsps baking powder
3/4 tsp salt
1 cup skim milk
2 large eggs
1/4 cup unsweetened applesauce

Preheat oven to 400 degrees.  Mix all dry ingredients in one bowl and all wet ingredients in another bowl.  Spray a little bit of pan spray oil in a cast iron skillet and then put it in the oven to preheat while preparing the cornbread mixture. Add wet ingredients to the dry ingredients, don't over stir.  Take the cast iron skillet out of the oven and pour the cornbread mixture in it, then place it back in the oven.  Bake for 15-20 minutes.  Makes 8 slices at 140 calories each.

Colton's New Doo

Well I decided since it has been so hot this past two weeks and Colton really needed a hair cut that I would just give him a buzz tonight.  This way he can keep cool this summer and I won't have to worry about asking mom to cut his hair every three weeks.  Once his hair was all gone, he said, "Ma ma........I look just like daddy now."  Bless his heart he does.  Barry shaves his head and since Colton is such a cotton top himself, he does look practically bald with this new doo.  Once I buzzed all his hair off, Nana almost cried.  She thought he looked like such a big boy now.  Look below and see for yourself, in the middle of his forehead is a mosquito bite in case you are wondering..........

Tervis Tumbler

I've been wanting a nicely insulated glass that would hold hot and cold beverages for several hours without having all the condensation run down the glass constantly.   I was in Bed Bath and Beyond, which by the way I love this store, several months ago when I saw the Tervis Tumblers.  I noticed all the variety of designs they carried: sports teams, cartoon characters, animals, personalized, unique designs.......they have something for everyone.  I wanted the 24 oz tumbler that was Dallas Cowboys and the lid to go along with it.  I wanted one really bad, but I did not want to spend the money at that time.  I just couldn't justify spending $19.99 on the 24 oz tumbler and then $3.99 on the lid.  They do offer several other sizes though such as a 10 oz, 12 oz, 16 oz, 15 oz mugs and 24 oz water bottles.  Their prices range from $11.00-$20.00.  You can also purchase lids for the 10 oz, 16 oz and 24 oz tumblers, those are $3.99.  They even have handles too for the 24 oz tumblers at $5.99.

I decided I would research them more and see what the reviews were saying about the product.  All Tervis products say they are microwave, freezer and dishwasher safe and come with a lifetime guarantee.  Can you believe that........lifetime guarantee?  That lifetime guarantee really peeked my interest!  They are also made in the USA.  This was a plus for me, now I had to know more.  I found several reviews that were all positive.  Here is one of them you can read for yourself and make your own decision.  It really breaks it down for you and I really liked this one because it put the Tervis to the test.

I finally purchased one which came with a lid for $22.99 and here it is................

My husband has always told me, you get what you pay for.  There was never a more truer saying than that one.  I could not be more pleased with myself since I spent the money and bought this product.  I LOVE IT!  It really lives up to it's reputation and on top of all that, it's made in the great USA.  After I decided that this was so great, I decided to get one for Barry and Colton too...................here's the one that Colton wanted.........................

Barry took his with him over the road to keep his chocolate milk cold in.  We all enjoy them.  If you decide to get one too, check out all their designs here at Bed Bath and Beyond.

Angel Food Strawberry Jello Cake

We had one of our Church Pot Luck Dinners again and one of the ladies, Janice, made this.  I really enjoyed it.  There were so many great desserts to pick from such as......apple pie, pecan pie, brownies and strawberry jello cake.  Since mom and I were not able to eat the high calorie desserts, we decided to try this jello cake one because the calories were fairly low.  It hit the spot for me today, so I wanted to share with everyone else.  Hope you enjoy it too!

Angel Food Strawberry Jello Cake

1 Angel Food Cake (store bought)
1 1/2 cups boiling water
1 (3 ounce) package strawberry gelatin
1 1/2 cups cold water
1 container sugar free Cool Whip
 
Stir 1 1/2 cups boiling water into 1 pkg (8 serving size) strawberry jello gelatin in large bowl until completely dissolved.  Stir in 1 1/2 cups cold water.  Pour into 13 x 9 inch pan.  Refrigerate 3 hours or until firm.  With electric mixer, lightly blend up the jello gelatin.  Next, fold in torn up pieces of angel food cake and the tub of cool whipped topping in a large glass bowl.  Refrigerate 1 hour or until ready to serve.  Makes 15 servings.

Surprise.......

This evening, Colton and I were unexpectedly, wonderfully surprised when Barry called and asked if we could meet him in town tonight.  He had picked up a load in Illinois that was coming through our town headed back to Springfield.  Colton was really missing his daddy, so this was a great miracle.  Barry was only able to stay a couple of hours, so we decided to go out and eat with him at our favorite Mexican Restaurant in town.  After dinner, Colton was so excited to get back up in daddy's big truck.  He loves to sit in the driver's seat to look out the window, honk the horn, and move the seat up and down.  Funny boy!  I'm beginning to think if Barry stays with this job a very long time, we may have two truck drivers in our family one day.  Who knows, they may even team drive together.

Kuhn Rikon Paring Knives

Do you get tired and upset when you use a dull parking knife?  There is nothing more aggravating then to start cutting veggies for a salad and you find out the stupid knife you are using is extremely dull.

Check out these Kuhn Rikon paring knives that are made in Switzerland.  The colors they offer are  awesome too.  My best friend, Angel, introduced me to these.  I watched her cut up veggies one night at her house while using this knife and she did it with such ease.  I knew right then and there..........I had to have one. 

I ordered three in a package from Amazon and they just came in the mail today.  Check them out here.  I was SO excited to finally receive these in the mail, I almost jumped for joy.  I've already cut up some carrots with one.  I love it!

Thanks for introducing me to these knives Angel, they are awesome.

Weight Watchers Taco Soup

Mom and I went to clean the kitchen cabinets at our church dining room this morning.  Since we didn't have much time to worry with cooking something for lunch, I decided we needed something fast and easy that we could just throw together.  Since we are both cutting down, I dug out a recipe mom gave me years ago for Weight Watchers Taco Soup.  Nothing tastes better when you are rushed for time.  I cooked the ground beef with an onion this morning, drained it, then threw it in the crock pot with all the other ingredients, turned the crock pot on high and left for church.  When we got home 2 1/2 hours later, it was ready to eat.  Yummy!  I thought I would share it, hope you enjoy.

Weight Watchers Taco Soup

1 lb. ground turkey or lean ground beef
1 large onion, chopped
1 (1oz) pkg. Taco seasoning Mix
1 (1oz) pkg. Hidden Valley Ranch dressing
1 (16 oz.) can pinto beans
1 (16 oz.) can kidney beans
1(16 oz.) can whole kernel corn
1 (8 oz.) can Mexican style tomatoes
1 (8 oz.) can diced tomatoes

Brown meat & onions and drain.  Mix Ranch & Taco seasonings into meat.  Add rest of ingredients, undrained to mixture.  Simmer for 2 hours.  2 Weight Watchers points per cup.

How To Train Your Dragon

Colton goes through spurts of watching different movies.  He doesn't watch a different one every night though, he has to watch the same movie over and over and over again until I'm ready to pull my hair out.  First, it was a movie addiction with The Transformers, next in line was Real Steel, after that came the Green Lantern which then lead to Spider-Man and now he is on the kick of watching How To Train Your Dragon.  I enjoy all the above mentioned movies, don't get me wrong.  Just let me tell you though, when you have to watch the same one over and over again every day and every night, it can really drive you bonkers.

However, I have really enjoyed watching How To Train Your Dragon.  I had never seen it before until Colton introduced me to it one day a few months ago on our satellite.  Yes, he can operate the satellite better than I can it seems.  I was immediately hooked with him on this little movie and taped it.  I now want to recommend it to anyone out there who hasn't seen it.  It's definitely a cute kid-friendly movie worth watching.  As Siskel and Ebert used to say back in the day, I give it two thumbs up!

Chuck E Cheese

Tonight, me, mom, Colton, Gabe, Ashley and Noah all headed to Chuck E Cheese for some fun play time.  The boys absolutely had a blast.  What can I say.........................we ALL had a blast.

They have games for all ages: toddlers, teenagers and adults.  My favorite was skeeball, I love playing that game.  I could've played that all night long..............well that and basketball.  FUN FUN FUN!  I don't know the name of the game that Colton enjoyed the most, but it was the one where you can hit mice on a screen with this large plastic hammer.  He whacked that hammer hard, over and over and over again and just cackled while doing it.  He loved it and had so much fun.  I'm really glad we finally decided to go.

If you have children and have never been, check it out.  Even if you don't have children, check it out, I think you'll find it's worth your time.  They have Chuck E Cheese characters dressed up in costumes that walk around, arcade games, skeeball, air hockey, throwing basketballs into hoops, football throwing, video games, car racing, kiddie rides, the list goes on and on.  Just go and check it out for yourself.  Everyone will have fun.............trust me.

Weight Watchers Enchilada Casserole

I love preparing easy casseroles that don't have tons of ingredients.  I like simple, so I'm proud to share this one because it is just that.............very simple.  It's also tasty enough and a low-calorie meal.  Enjoy!

Joann's WW Enchilada Casserole
from mexican.food.com


1 lb lean ground turkey
20 ounces enchilada sauce (2 cans)
16 ounces fat-free refried beans
1 medium onion, chopped
12 corn tortillas
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese (to taste)

Saute onion in a non-stick pan sprayed with non-stick spray.  Add ground turkey and cook till browned.  Add refried beans and 1/2 can enchilada sauce and mix well.  Pour 1/4 cup of enchilada sauce in a 9x13 pan, and use it to coat each tortilla on both sides. Arrange tortillas in pan to cover the bottom completely.  Spread half the turkey mixture over the tortillas, then add 1/4 to 1/2 cup enchilada sauce on top.  Repeat tortilla and turkey layers again, then sprinkle with the cheese.  Bake uncovered at 350 for 30 minutes.
Hint: If you like spicy, then use a hot enchilada sauce and add some green chiles if you like.

Cutting Down - Day 15

Well today was the long-awaited day filled with loads of anticipation that finally came to an end.  It was my weigh in day................yes..............the day that would either make or break my dieting adventure.  I would make my decision whether or not to stay on this weight losing path and fight a good fight or just lay down and die.  Maybe I'm exaggerating a tiny little bit, but this was the day I've been waiting for.  I'll have to say, I was very pleased with myself.  The result was good and I have lost a total of 7 pounds so far.  Therefore, I will stay on course, keep the fight going and hopefully lose a lot more until I can get down to my desired weight.  Wish me luck!

Father's Day Quote

Of all the quotes about Fathers, I thought this was my favorite:

"My father gave me the greatest gift anyone could give another person, he believed in me."   Quote by: Jim Valvano

Isn't that what we all want from our fathers?  For them just to believe and be proud of us?  I think that quote says it all.  Thanks to all the fathers out there that let their children know they are loved!

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!!

Barry's New Ride

Barry has finally completed his over-the-road training and has thirty thousand miles under his belt.  Congrats babe!  I'm so proud of him for sticking it out.  He had some ups and downs along the way, but he made it through victorious.  He's done an awesome job.  He was finally issued his very own truck that he'll be driving.  It's just the truck for him too; his color of green and everything!

Bubble Blowing Gun

Colton brought home a bubble blowing gun from Chrissy's (our babysitter) house last Thursday.  He had so much fun with it, he's now become a bubble blowing fanatic.

He could not stop once he was hooked.............doesn't he look tough here?

Towards the end of shooting the bubbles, he started trying to hit the bubbles with the gun itself..................

Then there was a big one that got away..............in some ways it must be just like fishing............there is always one you can't catch.............

Over The Road Snacks

Who doesn't love snack foods?  I was trying to think of some easy preparable, highly fresh containable,  made-with-love snack foods I could send with Barry once he goes back over the road next week.  I know I can just buy snacks for him at the store, but I wanted to make him something so he would know how much he is loved.  I thought about making him chex mix since that is one of his favorite snacks and then I also had the idea for rice krispy treats.  That was where I hit a brick wall (so to speak) and ran out of ideas.  My best friend, Angel, came to the rescue and gave me some other good thoughts.............cookies, haystacks, brownies or chocolate dipped pretzels.  Those are all now on my list to prepare him for future travel.  However, for this trip, I decided to make him chex mix.  Here's the simple recipe I always use when making the homemade version.  Enjoy!

HOMEMADE CHEX MIX

1 stick butter
1 1/2 tsp seasoned salt
1 tsp garlic powder
2-3 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
3 C Corn Chex cereal
3 C Rice Chex cereal
3 C Wheat Chex cereal
1-2 C nuts (your choice of peanuts, cashews or mixed nuts)
1 C pretzel sticks or mini pretzels

Preheat oven to 250 degrees.  Melt butter in 15 x 10 x 2 inch pan.  Remove from oven.  Stir in seasoned salt, garlic powder and Worcestershire sauce.  Then add Chex cereals, nuts and pretzels and mix until all ingredients are well coated.  Bake in oven for 1 hour, stirring every 15 minutes.  Remove from oven and spread on paper towels to cool.

Daddy's Little Helper

Colton was thrilled to see Barry this morning.  He hugged and squeezed his neck and would NOT let go.  The love of a child is so precious!

On the agenda today was the boys fixing the light switch in the living room.  It quit working about 3 weeks ago and I've been waiting for Barry to get home to replace it ever since.  Barry asked Colton to help him fix it and he couldn't wait.  They went out to the garage to get a new light switch and Barry ended up letting Colton pick out some tools of his own to bring back in the house.

Daddy started out with a little helper, however, the little helper got side-tracked and decided to play with his green lantern toy and the tool instead...................what a boy!

Coming Home

Barry is finally on his way home after being gone for six weeks straight.  He should arrive early tomorrow morning which will be a surprise for Colton.  I can't wait!

Colton has been planning this reuniting moment for weeks.  He has told his daddy on the phone what he has on the agenda for them once he does arrive home.  It is the following:

-wrestling
-fighting with swords
-playing in the pool
-watching movies
-4-wheeler ride
-tackle on the floor
-going to the park
-hugs and kisses
-snuggling

He has missed his daddy so much and is extremely excited to see him.  To Colton, I'm sure it seems like forever since they've been together.  I can't wait to see the look on Colton's face when Barry finally arrives.  It will be one of those "PRICELESS" moments.

Cutting Down - Day 8

Well today is my 8th day in the dieting process.  WOO-HOO for me!  One week down and only several hundred more to go!

The weekends are the hardest for me to get through, but I'm so proud of myself because I stuck with it.  I find that what has helped me the most this time has been prayer.  I've been praying that I wouldn't have that terrible hungry feeling I get when I want more food.  My will power is not so good and I'm very easily persuaded to just EAT what I want........which is anything and everything in sight!  However, I know I need to lose this weight, so I'm trying my best and I know that the Lord will help me get through this.  Praise the Lord, so far he has!!!!

I've been going through my low calorie recipes and I found several I want to try.  Hopefully I'll have time to make one of them tomorrow and let you know how it turned out.  If it's good, I'll share the recipe.  Wish me luck!

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

I received this recipe from my sister-in-law a couple of years ago.  The last time I made this dessert was when I was on a diet way back when.  It was so delicious back then that I couldn't believe it was low calorie.  Now that I'm dieting once again, I decided why not make it?  So here is the easy low calorie recipe I thought I'd share.

Pumpkin Chiffon Pie

1 can of pumpkin
1 tub of cool whip
1 pkg of vanilla pudding mix(don't make it, just the mix is needed)
1 cup of Splenda
1 low calorie graham cracker crust

Mix all the ingredients together well and pour it into the pie crust.  Let it set in the fridge for at least two hours before serving.  Enjoy!

Hint - I only used 2/3 can of pumpkin in my pie though, otherwise, it tastes TOO pumpkiny in my opinion.

Cousin Noah's Birthday Party

Today we headed over to Gabe and Ashley's after church for Noah's 3rd Birthday Party.  I can't believe he just turned three.  Colton has been talking about going over to "No-No's house" for 3 days straight now.  I was so glad the Birthday Party day was finally here.

Before the everyone arrived, I was able to take a picture of Colton and Noah with Papa Jerry.

When everyone arrived, the party began, they first served us a yummy CARS ice cream cake.  The boys loved it as you can tell...........

Noah had a Birthday ice cream face after it was all over..............

It was then present opening time......

Then it was time to play with the presents.........

the boys played and played...............then they ate some cookies............

After that, they ran around chasing one another with their cookies......................

They then went to Noah's bedroom to play with more toys and all of a sudden it got quiet in there, I went to check it out and this is what I found...........

Two boys in the bed, they were completely exhausted and were ready to lay down and take a nap.  That was when we all knew it was time to head home.  It was a good day!

Saturday at Dan and Angel's

Mom, me and Colton headed over to Dan and Angel's today for lunch.  It was good food and good company.  Dan grilled some really good tasting burgers for us, Angel made some awesome baked beans and mom brought a great pasta salad.  I just brought the baked chips..........easy cheesy.  We were living it up today with delicious food all around us.  I was very proud of myself though, I didn't stuff myself like I normally would, I just tried a little bit of everything.  I started cutting down Monday and have been sticking with it all week.  So now that I'm on the right track, I don't want to get side tracked and take a detour.  Hopefully, I'm going to lose some weight this time!

After lunch, we headed outside for the kids to play in Katie's new pool.  They had fun together.

Some of their faces were really funny, I'm glad I snapped the picture when I did!

Then they decided they'd both try to swim.

Then they did some splashing and running around............

After playing in the pool, we then headed back into the house for dessert!  The yummy dessert that Angel made was a wonderful raspberry yogurt dessert(I don't know what it's called).  To me, it tasted like a cheesecake and I love cheesecake!  I was in heaven!  While we ate dessert, the kids were coloring.

Then after they were done, they had to check out the finished picture.

We had to leave and go home, so Colton could take his nap.  He was in need of one by then.  We had a great day.