I cannot believe it's already June!

Wow, it's been a few weeks... for awhile, life was filled with uncertainty. I had a lot to digest and a lot to work out. The good news is that now, I'm feeling the best I have since ... well other than the days my daughters were born, I haven't felt this good in a LONG time.

I'm a single mama, no longer an army wife. And life is improving on a daily basis.

Here are a *few* of the positives:
- feeling more self-relient
- my opinion matters
- for that matter, my opinion is what matters
- I'm not afraid to be myself
- I'm happy with myself
- my children have BLOSSOMED!
- we are HAPPY!

signing off for now, but just wanted to say that I haven't disappeared! I'm so excited for what life has in store for myself and my family from this point on!

When Turmoil is for the Better

It's been quite awhile since I last posted. I've had a lot going on in my personal life. The quick low-down is that Mr. Smitty and I are going through a sticky divorce. The girls and I have moved and this is a time of upheaval and stress in our lives. The good of it is that I'm feeling better than I have in over a year. The marriage was toxic for all of us and this is going to be better for everyone in the long run. The girls are so much less stressed and they're dealing with the separation rather well. They are much better off with Mr. Smitty and I being separated. The girls and I are enjoying the freedom and relaxation of being able to spend more time with friends and family as we are now in Minnesota. The bad of it is that the girls are soon going to start a custody rotation between Missouri and Minnesota, 1 month at a time. This is temporary and will only last until late fall, when Toddler will become Preschooler and start school here.

Baby girl will remain with me through her 1st birthday as she is exclusively bf'd and refuses to take formula. She will take breastmilk in a sippy, but I'm not super-woman, I cannot pump an entire month's worth of milk to send with her! Toddler starts her first stint with her father this upcoming weekend and she's a little nervous. Glad that she gets to spend some time with daddy, but terrified that she will be leaving mommy and sister. 

We could definitely use some prayer to help us through this time.

Since I'll no longer be "Mrs. Smitty", nor will I be an army wife, the blog might go through a few changes in the upcoming months. Since it's a secondary concern in my life and I only blog "for fun", there might be a lot less in terms of posts, but that's only realistic. 

As for now, here's a late Happy Easter! from the Smitty clan!

#FEBphotoaday 'front door'

Since we're renovating, I'm using today to dream about the color I'm going to choose for our front door...

what about this one?

or this one?

My own front door is drabby factory-finish white with muddy finger and paw prints from my lovely kiddos and dogs.. not going to share that one. I'll share the picture of when it's done!

#FEBphotoaday 'dinner'

Yum.

#FEBphotoaday '10 AM'

We're currently renovating our home... It's a work in progress. Example.. We have since 'finished' the kitchen and dining rooms, but have not put trim in...

This is my dining room at 10 this morning. Yup, no window. But the good news is, Mr. Smitty has finished this window, adding a custom flower box on the outside! One down, 8 more to go (for now at least).

#FEBphotoaday 'words'

Toddler's Quiet Time

Can she read them? Nope. But she LOVES making her own story to go with the pictures, then have me read the story to see how close they are. Sometimes she's right on the spot, sometimes I like her version better than the actual written storyline. 

#FEBphotoaday 'Your View Today'

Aha. You thought I forgot. Well... I did. But by my count, I still have an hour to post, hehe. 

My girls were both sick today. Nothing sucks more as mom than watching your child go through illness and being powerless to help them. At least I can offer comfort via cuddles. 

Obsessed with Honey (Pinterest Finds)

This week, my most recent package from Tropical Traditions arrived. It was my Raw Organic Honey and I was really excited!

I am obsessed with honey lately. It's sweet, it's healthy and it's helpful when you've got a cold.. what's not to LOVE!?

Here are a few of my most recent Pinterest finds focused on HONEY

Honey Is Always Better in a Jar

Banana & Honey Acne Fighting Mask

Honey & Brown Sugar Scrub

DIY Honey Bath

Honey Hair Conditioner

Honey Soap

Homemade Honey Balm

Salt & Honey Scrub with Grapefruit & Rosemary

Goat Cheese & Honey Sandwich

Honey Wheat Bread

Honey Beer Bread

Cinnamon Honey Butter

Deliciously Self-Explanatory

Honey Cupcakes with Honey Cream Cheese Frosting

And Last But Not Least... 

Chocolate Honey Cake

And of course, feel free to

^^^ Feel free to Link Up with Musings From a SAHM ^^^

February photo-a-day challenge

Hmmmm! I'd love to make this happen. Do you think I can stay on track and post once a day? 

Thanks to FatMumSlim for this amazing idea and terrific marketing skills! This project is world wide after only one month! She just started it in January!

Cold Season and Ear Infections

Well, it's been a long and painful start to the year. The Smitty household has been dealing with cold after cold after cold. And now Toddler is dealing with an ear infection. Here are a few of our home remedies that have helped us deal with the cold symptoms.

1. Liquids. Water, tea, orange juice, coffee (for myself). And lots of it. Room temp or hot, keeping the fluids going helps clear your body out. Toddler has been running around with a water bottle and asking for me to fill it several times a day. She asks for tea and OJ every morning. Baby Girl has been nursing like crazy. Almost every hour during the day and she's even been waking at night to eat (which is unusual since Baby Girl has slept through the night since month 2).

2. Pepper, Garlic and Ginger in our food. Hubby has taken over cooking this week since I've been sick and taking care of the girls day and night. He's been sure to get a lot of pepper, garlic and ginger into our food.
- Pepper ... clears out your sinuses. Try eating something heavily peppered without your nose running. Perfect for anyone who is completely stuffed up.
- Most people don't know garlic is actually an antibiotic. It's practically an antibacterial for your innards. While it's true that garlic works best as a preventative in colds, it can't hurt for us to up our garlic intake for awhile. We usually eat a ton of garlic anyway so it's par for the course for us.
- And ginger has long been thought to have healing properties. I'm not well voiced in the subject, so I'll just link to some information HERE. In any case, we eat a lot of ginger on a regular basis so this is also par for the course for us.

3. Steam showers. 2-3 times a day, we've spent 30 minutes in the bathroom. Toddler and I sit under the steaming hot water while Mr. Smitty holds Baby Girl. It definitely helps.

4. Honey. Toddler has been loving this one. Once a day, I allow her to have half a tbsp of honey. She practically inhales it, but I know it's coating her sore throat, and thus, soothing it. If I wait for bedtime, she has an easier time falling asleep too!

5. Cuddling under the blankets. There's no other way I can get the girls to actually rest. They're tired (overtired) and restless (i.e. fidgety). Cuddling not only comforts them, it keeps them warm and rested. And if I'm lucky, they drift off for half an hour of really good rest and I get a few minutes to relax too!

As for her ear infection, Toddler doesn't show any symptoms during the day. But at night, it's nearly impossible to get her to sleep. We were able to sooth her pain by squirting breastmilk into her ear and giving her a warm rice pillow to fall asleep on. The milk soothes the skin surface in her ear and the heat makes the pain bearable as she falls asleep. But now she's getting antibiotics and on her way to mending, as long as we keep handling her symptoms alright, it should be over in a week!

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

And goodbye to 2011. 

Toddler potty trained in March.

My grandfather died in May. We welcomed Baby Girl into our lives a week later.

We brought Apollo, our Saint Bernard Puppy into our home in October.

Toddler turned THREE this December.

We bought a new truck for ourselves for Christmas.

Only a few of the big events of the year, not all good, but all part of our 2011 history. 

I'm excited for 2012, bring it on!

Growing Up So Fast

Where has the time flown? 

Toddler is now THREE!

Then: 7 months old, crawling

Now: My 3yo sporting a necklace she made herself

I still cannot believe it! Three whole years since we welcomed her into our lives. We were a young married couple, Hubby still in college, myself working at a pizza joint. We were both working 50 hours a week to get by and making huge plans for our future. Then BAM, an unexpected surprise. The best surprise I've ever gotten. 

Baby Girl is now SEVEN MONTHS!

Then: 1 month old

Now: 7 months and happily playing!

 Now here we are, 3 miscarriages and another pregnancy later. We've gone through 3 vehicles and are now on numbers 4 & 5. We've moved 6 times. We've been through relationship hell and back. We bought a home. And now we have Baby Girl. She's growing so fast, I completely understand parents who miss their kid's infancy. Every time I turn around, she's already doing something new. Christmas Eve, she said her first word: Mama. And she says it all the time. Now just a few days ago, she started waving bye bye. Soon it will be crawling.. I'm doomed!

And Puppy is almost 4 months old!

Then: 7 weeks old, first day home, barely bigger than a then 4 month old Baby Girl

Now: He's as heavy as both my kids combined and bigger in frame than Dakota, our 4 yo collie mutt

He's 42 pounds already. He's outgrown our 4yo Collie Mutt. He's a gigantic, monstrous baby. And he's fallen in love with Baby Girl. It worked out great. Toddler and Dakota are buddies, now Baby Girl and Apollo are cuddle bugs. 

Savor the moment, because all too quickly, it's completely gone.

Sausage-Stuffed Chicken Breasts & Spaghetti Squash

It's been a few weeks, we've been busy busy with Holiday crafts, baking, gift making, wrapping and playdates!

My husband is a terrific cook. He loves to dabble. One problem with this is he's awful at remembering recipes. He'll whip up a fantastic meal and forget what he did a day later. This one was so good, I made him sit down and talk me through it right after dinner.

I'll post his recipe for Hollandaise at a future date, but we use it for quite a few meals! And when I'm finally able to snap a few pictures while he's cooking, I'll add them to this post!

Chicken breast stuffed with Sausage and Cheese, coated with a Parmesan Bread Crust and drizzled with Hollandaise atop garlic-baked Spaghetti Squash. Terrific served along with Crescent Rolls.

Ingredients:

1 Spaghetti Squash

2 tbsp Butter

2 Cloves Garlic

2 Boneless/Skinless Chicken Breasts

2 tbsp Olive Oil

¼ Cup Chicken Stock

1½ tbsp Lemon Juice

1½ tbsp Soy Sauce

¼ lb. Ground Mild Pork Sausage

2 tsp Corn Starch

1 tbsp Water

1½ tbsp Molasses

1 Slice Sourdough Bread

1 Slice Whole Wheat Bread

1 tbsp Italian Herb Blend of choice

3 tbsp Grate Parmesan Cheese (for stuffing)

¼ Cup Grated Mozzarella Cheese  

¼ Cup Grated Parmesan Cheese (for crust)

1 Egg

1/3 Cup Milk

2 tbsp Ranch Dressing

Spaghetti Squash Portion: 

Preheat oven to 375F. Pierce squash with paring knife 10-12 times. Place on tinfoil covered baking sheet. Bake for 60 minutes.  Check to see if knife will pierce skin easily. If needed, add 5 minutes baking time until done.

Let cool 30 minutes.

Cut in half, length wise. Remove seeds and discard. Scrape spaghetti like meat and place in medium bowl.

Heat 2 tbsp butter in a large skillet. Add garlic and heat on medium for 2 minutes. Add squash and toss. Heat for 5 minutes.

Chicken Portion: 

Shake together corn starch and water. Heat Olive Oil in a Medium Skillet. Add chicken stock, lemon juice and soy sauce; bring to a crackle. Add sausage and cook. Add corn starch/water blend and molasses.

Toast wheat and sourdough bread in oven at 375F until dry (about 8 minutes).

Mix together Italian Herb Seasoning in a small bowl. Butterfly chicken breasts. Coat inside with herb seasoning blend. Layer parmesan and mozzarella cheeses on top of herbs. Stuff with sausage and close chicken breast. Wrap tightly with plastic wrap and let sit for 10 minutes.

Preheat oven to 350F. Crumble bread slices and parmesan cheese in food processor. In a small bowl, wisk egg, milk and ranch dressing to make an egg wash. Unwrap chicken. Roll chicken in the egg wash. Roll chicken in bread crumb mix. Repeat both egg wash and bread crumbs.

Place on tinfoil covered baking sheet. Bake for 30-35 minutes.

Serve on top of Spaghetti Squash and topped with Hollandaise Sauce.

Never. Gonna. Happen.

That's what I told Hubby when he asked for a second dog. When he begged. When he pleaded. When he gave me a laundry list of reasons "why another dog is a good idea."

We already have a 4 year old Australian Blue Heeler/Border Collie mix. He's a stroke of luck dog we got at the local shelter shortly after Hubby and I got engaged. Dakota is the smartest, most well behaved dog I know. He follows all our house rules, listens to all voice commands, follows a few hand commands, doesn't jump or bark excessively and won't even snatch food off the floor unless I've given him the okay. He's amazing with both Toddler and Baby Girl and he's intelligent.

I cannot deal with high energy, hyper, loud, "stupid" dogs. The kind who bolt when they're not leashed, won't stop barking at squirrels and knock you over with their exuberance. The hyper kind who scuttle and rush under your feet that you end up tripping over. I didn't think any dog could ever live up to my perfect pet. And so I told Hubby he had no chance in hell of getting another dog until after Dakota dies (hopefully 12-15 years from now). And I told him consistently for over a year. 

For the longest time, Hubby kept asking for an English/American Bulldog Mix: super hyper, not very smart and clumsy, although very very loving. Perhaps perfect for some families, but not at all what I consider a great pet for our family's needs. Then Hubby stopped playing fair (and stopped thinking about solely what he wanted) and started looking for the perfect dog for what I wanted and what would work best for our family instead.

Powerful, protective, gentle, intelligent, great with young children, obedient, friendly, and well "trained" (when you put the work and effort in of course). Don't forget a watch dog, a deterrent to potential break-ins or harmful individuals. Sounds too good to be true, but Hubby managed to find a dog that fits ALL of these qualities. Unfortunately, that means I need to deal with excessive drooling, shedding and SIZE. 

Photo Credit

Yes. Somehow, my harebrained Hubby somehow talked me into getting a Saint Bernard Puppy. 

I'm in the whole nine yards. Potty training, obedience training, dominance training. Constant supervision to make sure the pup is getting the right amount of physical exertion without hurting his SUPER FAST growing bones... to be 100% consistent in training him and making sure I'm the dominant "bitch" of the house. 

3-5 groomings a week (which Hubby has SWORN he will be doing at least 3 of, I'll let you know if he keeps up that end of the bargain) and ALL THE POOP (again, something Hubby has SWORN to take care of weekly, I'll update how that goes as well). 

So, 7 hours in the car and a fair chunk of change later, we have ourselves a 15 lb, 7 wk old male St Bernard. And we named him Apollo. 

To be fair, he's absolutely adorable.

What on earth have I gotten myself into?

Pumpkin Tutorial and Bragging on Hubby & Toddler

I hate carving pumpkins. I really dislike the feeling of the goo and guts. And even though they're left uneaten every single year, I still feel compelled to dig out all the seeds, save and clean them, then waste Olive Oil and my time by baking them. And I always challenge myself to carve something extravagant and "fun". This year, Pinterest inspired me to try something different and I left the amazing carving production to hubby. 

Yup. I didn't even cut them open this year. We were able to get these amazing pumpkins at a little pumpkin patch only 20 minutes from us (a huge improvement from last year when we drive 90 minutes and payed out the ass for every little thing). Toddler and Baby Girl were free and they each got a free pumpkin. Hubby and I were $7 apiece and pumpkins were only $3 each, regardless of weight! All of the games and activites were free of additional charge except for feeding the animals, which was only 25 cents for each little cup of food. And corn stalks were only a dollar. I dare you to find anywhere as kid friendly and family oriented with those prices!

On the way home, we stopped at the store to get a can of spraypaint and a package of thumbtacks.

Once home, I started by painting the bottoms. Maybe 5 super thin layers of spray paint and that was covered. I let it dry for an hour and then set them upright to paint the tops and sides. For really good coverage, I painted 6 super thin layers and made sure to get the cracks and crevices around and on the stems.

I then took a thick sharpie to the short pumpkin. That's all it took to do the spider web pumpkin. 

As for the spider, I spray painted the tacks with some spare black paint. This is a total of 70 tacks, one package from the store... if you want to do anything more extravagant, be prepared with plenty of them! They don't go as far as you'd think! This design was freehand, I wasn't looking for anything too flashy or complicated. All in all, I'm really happy with how they turned out! When kids are Trick Or Treating, I'll light a tealight or two in front of them so they're more visible.

I cannot help brag on hubby's awesome carving skills though! Look at that Haunted House!

And this is were I admit that Toddler BEGGED me to carve her a ghost. And I conceded. So it wasn't a completely carve free year for me, but that little ghost only took 8 minutes start to finish so I wasn't too upset by it, seeing as Hubby's pumpkin took almost an hour. And I downright refused to save seeds, which Hubby didn't mind at all.

And of course, Toddler's pumpkin! We decided to let her do her own instead of her sitting there bored and watching us carve what she wanted. She had a blast and we didn't have to deal with her chirping around us like an overexcited chipmunk while we were gutting a pumpkin with sharp knives.

Wordless Wednesday: Perfect Day at the Pumpkin Patch!

Toddler asked for Pumpkin Costumes, this is the closest I could get an hour before we left. Not to bad if I do say so myself. And oh the wonders of a few spare tshirts and some scrap fabric..

Note the very upset Baby Girl in the right corner?

More than 4 years together!

Toddler always loves the animals. Baby Girl surprised us by getting right in their faces, she loved them!

A Butterfly and a Pumpkin, one on each cheek

Somehow Toddler talked the owner into letting her ride the Yak... oh her powers of persuasion work on everyone but Mommy.