Pina Colada Cake

First layer with whipped cream and drained crushed pineapple.

I also brushed some cream of coconut(also added to cake) on the top of both layers.

Little helper!

This cake is full of love!
Second layer also brushed with cream of coconut.




Final product with homemade cream cheese frosting and coconutflakes.


This was the only candle I could find. I know 50 years from now someone
will find the photo and think it is of Isha's 3rd birthday.

Yum!

This cake was originally called Cream of Coconut Cake. But after some of my own additions, I gave it a new name. I made this cake for Roque's birthday. I wanted to make something I hadn't made before that he would enjoy. Something different with a little island feel to it. Not a regular, "satisfies the kids" cake. Something more sophisticated. I really wanted to impress and dazzle him with my culinary skills.

My hubby was very impressed and can't wait for his birthday next year to have it again. Although it was a very yummy cake.

Two Peas in a Pod

Do they look sick?

Ummm...No Comment!

As Isha is getting older, these two seem to do everything together. I encourage this relationship, although there are some things that I would rather they keep to themselves. Like illnesses!

Pumpkins and the Pumpkin Patch

Barrel of fun

Hog Heaven

Oops! Forgot to correct red eye!



Gorgeous Boy

Another one!

Wanna kiss?

This would have been a good photo if it wasn't blurry.

I love fall. I love the smell of spices on a cool fall day. To celebrate the season, I have been trying out some fall recipes.
Pumpkin Cookies were a big hit at my house. These cookies were more like a seasonal Little Debbie cake complete with caramel frosting on top. Great with a tall glass of cold milk. Not a big fan of Chili, I had to try Pumpkin Turkey Chili. This recipe did not call for any beans. I had to give it a try. With pumpkin and turkey being the main ingredients and the right amount of peppers and spices, this was a personal favorite for a cool fall evening. Of coarse the season would not be complete without a batch of Pumpkin Bread. This bread is so yummy, it is good that the recipe makes 3 loaves. Eat some now and freeze some for later or share with friends and family.

Do you have any fall favorites you would like to share?

Of coarse fall would not be complete with out a trip to the pumpkin patch. We went on a dusty hayride, fed the animals and explored the pumpkins. Isha proclaimed, "it's fun!" And that about says it all!

Achievements and Milestones

Isn't that the cutest baby tooth you've ever seen?

Andan lost his first tooth this morning. He sure was excited! He is anticipating a visit from the tooth fairy. He seems a little young to be loosing his teeth already. But he had another tooth pushing through behind it. I took him to the dentist last week. The dentist did say that his jaw is still very small and there is not enough room for his permanent teeth. I guess there is nothing to do about it for now but wait for his jaw to mature. Though none of this is of concern to Andan who is just excited to have a gap to show off.

Achievements

Andan and his best bud (from preschool!!). Can you believe they

are in the same Kindergarten class (out of 4 classes!). They both got

an award.

Andan and his kindergarten teacher.

Last Friday was a very special day and a proud moment for us. Andan received an award for being a great helper and always being very polite. I am so proud of him! He really has a gentle spirit and a good heart. I hope that this is a characteristic that he will always have and the world will not taint him.

A Rarity

The block

The huddle

The wrong game?


The catch (great catch! Great shot!)

The line

The fall? The catch???

When Roque asked me if I'd seen the photos on the camera, I didn't think too much of it. We are always taking photos. He said he got some photos of the kids playing. That's not unusual either. So imagine my surprise when I was down loading photos this morning and saw the pictures that he captured.

He got photos of ALL the kids playing. TOGETHER. Yes, five children together, playing (together) the same game at the same time.

But wait!! There's more... He got photos of it! Yes, there it is...proof! Proof that they play together. Proof that the older three children actually exist and reside in our home.

I don't know how he did it. If he hid behind the shadows barely breathing in fear of exposing the fact that he was in possession of the camera, I don't know. I wasn't there to witness it. But I can attest to the fact that he accomplished a great feat. There's proof... and I stand and applaud!

He's going for it!

Competitive

Is Isha ready to catch the ball or what?

Action!

A hug or a quarterback sac?

I Had To Do It AGAIN!

It began when Isha was 7 months old. Pure torture! I don't know if there are other mothers that can relate, but to cut my baby's hair just rips my heart apart. Yea, weird, I know! The child starts looking like a rag muffin, it should feel like the most natural thing to do. But for me it's not. It's a battle within. No, I don't know why.

Isha was blessed with a head full of hair when he was born. A fast growing head of hair, that is. When he was seven months he had long black ringlets. Truly beautiful. I know because everyone commented on my beautiful baby GIRL who "looks just like a living doll". Well mommy can field those comments much better than daddy. I finally had to concede and do the deed. So at seven months I was faced with cutting my precious baby's hair. SEVEN MONTHS!!!

You would think that the pain stops there at that pivotal first hair cut. Not for me. I had to cut it again before his first birthday. My (ex marine) husband is so gracious and does allow Isha's hair to grow (as you can tell from photos). But there comes a point when he says it's time for another haircut. And he's right. I did take him into the hair salon to get a "professional" cut once, shortly after his first birthday. I hated it. It was like his little personality had been cut away. So, for now I continue to take on the task of cutting his hair when it reaches that rag muffin stage.

I dread the day that clippers are taken to his beautiful head. So until then I wield my scissors and admonish my hubby, "Babe, back away from the baby!" and I go about my heart breaking task.

Adjustments

I haven't posted in a long time. To be honest, I haven't been a good follower either for the last several weeks. I don't know why, but adding one more thing to my plate has kinda sent me off my regular coarse. I'm sure with time I will jump back on...but for now I am allowing myself the time to adjust. So here is what I've been up to:

Working part time at Target has become better with time. I have found my niche in "soft lines" which (if you've been in a Target) is anything in a carpeted area, namely clothing.

Unfortunately, I have not figured out a way to keep up with going to the gym. Work has kinda taken my night time workout...out! No, I don't work every night (only 3-4 nights a week), but I find when I am not working, I don't have enough self-discipline to get to the gym. I just want to lounge around. The good news is that I have started to walk with a friend around a local school track. I think I can fit that in at least twice a week. I also tried walking to Andan's school to pick him up and walk home. It worked out well, was a nice hour round trip walk and Andan had no complaints (and kept the pace!) on the way home. I'm going to give that a try a least a couple times a week.

The kids are all settling into their school year, Roque is settling into his same position/different location job and Isha is settling into his many life changes. He is adjusting to momma going to work and his best friend, Andan gone for a portion of the day. He is enjoying our little outings to the zoo, library and other errands that I need run. Sometimes he lets me know when he wants to escape the house and "go bye-bye".

And like I mentioned, I am adjusting too. Days are more divided now that summer is over and kids need to be dropped off/picked up at school. I find that I don't have the energy to do the one thing I truly love, scrapping. I have decided to put a hold on it until I have an area that I can create for short spurts of time without having to be concerned about picking everything up and just to haul it all out again to finish a layout or project. I think that I may need to wait 2-4 months until Isha is ready to make that transition from crib to bed. I have been having fun using my digital point and shoot camera in manual mode (I sure do miss my SLR). The photos above are some of my favorites.

We are going through colds in our house right now. And with colds comes asthma, so we are trying to keep that under control. Isha is our biggest concern in this area, so he is under red alert surveillance. Speaking of Isha, he is now potty trained and in underwear all day! Yea!!!

So as you can see, it is all about adjusting to the changes and challenges that life throws at you...and that is what we are up to right now.

Why? What You Want and Are Pirates Extinct?

Andan

Isha. Look at his hands. This is what he does

when asking, "Why?"

If you are a parent, you have no doubt been through that stage where your child asks "why?".

Isha is at that stage right now. He has a "why" for everything!!!

"Don't throw your milk!" (me)

"Why?" (Isha)

"Momma's going to take your picture!" (me)

"Why?" (Isha)

But I almost fell over the other morning when his daddy called him to get his shoes on and Isha said, "What you want?"

Andan, being five, has more complex and thought provoking questions, like:

"Are pirates extinct?"

No Andan. Sadly, they aren't.

And a conversation Andan and I had a while back:

"Mom, why do old people die?"

"Well...to make room for the new babies (Oh gosh, couldn't I have come up with something better...like the truth!)." I said.

"Is the earth crowded?"

" Yes, it seems to be getting that way (I'm digging my own hole here)." I said.

" Why don't we just move all the old people to Mars? Nobody is living there!"

Good answer son!

Reading

Sisters, INK

By Rebeca Seitz

I love to read. Sometimes life can get so busy that it leaves no time. And sometimes life is busy, I have time but I don't want to put too much thought into it. In other words, I want an easy read. Not something that has to have an action plan to go along with it (for instance The Five Love Languages or Love and Respect). Sisters Ink is a great easy read. I discovered this series just by browsing my local library. I'm surprised I haven't heard of it from my fellow christian scrap pals. Sisters Ink is a story of four adopted sisters who are all at different stages in their life. Yet their faith, scrapping and love for each other brings them together. The book has a light mood even though the characters go through some difficult life circumstances including the loss of their mother to cancer, infertility issues and tough career choices. I love how this fictional book combines so many things that are important to me in my life. Faith, family and scrapping!

Oh...and I am also reading those books that require a plan of action....more on that later.

Jared and Justin

Jared

Justin

Jared and Justin are the oldest two boys in our family. Jared is an easy going young man who is growing up fast. We don't have to motivate him to do well in school or with his study's. For that we are grateful.

Justin is down to earth, yet has a very creative side. He likes to build, draw and create things. Once he starts something, he usually sticks with it until it's completed.

Pizza...It's What's For Dinner

Supreme Pizza

Andan's Creation

Isha's Pizza "soup"
He is waving his hand back and forth. This was his baby sign
for "hot". He still uses the sign while he says "hot".

My family loves pizza! When I was pregnant with Isha, the obg nurse told me the worst thing to eat while I was pregnant is pizza. I thought, "oh boy, either I'm in trouble or my family is." Well, I didn't give up pizza during my pregnancy. My family still loves to eat it, including Isha. But for a family of 7, three being growing teenage boys, pizza can get expensive. When we buy frozen or eat out, we need at least 4 pizzas. So I started to make pizzas at home. The advantages are obvious. I can get by with making 3 LARGE pizzas. I can buy fresh ingredients all for just under $15. Roque and I get to have a supreme pizza. Andan gets to have a hand in helping with dinner. Isha's imagination is sparked by watching big brother. Mmmmmmm............

I still don't understand how pizza can be so bad for a pregnant woman...bread, cheese, tomato sauce, pepperoni, and vegetables. Isn't that all of the food groups?

Homemade Laundry Soap

These are the ingredients that you will need.

I had to order the fels-naptha online. I bought 5 bars(plus shipping!) for $9.90.

The Super Washing Soda(not baking soda) and the Borax, I purchased at Albertson's

for $4 each, approximately.

Ivory Soap...I got at Target. 3 bars for $1.

I bought a five gallon bucket, lid and funnel at Home Depot for $5.

Total cost: $24

This what it looks like.

I used an empty one gallon water bottle to funnel a gallon at a time.
This is the 1/2 cup measuring cup we use per laundry load.

First, let me tell you that I didn't know it was possible to make one's own laundry soap. It never crossed my mind! I was reading Jenn's blog a couple of weeks ago where she explained that she had just made her first batch after running out of the batch that her friend, Hannah of Lima, had made for her.

We were just about to run out of our 2 years supply of Tide (we got SUPER cheap) and were not going to be able to get more. So this was definitely something that I wanted to look into and give a try for our family of 7.

Half of my battle was finding all the ingredients. Our local Walmart and Target do not carry any of these ingredients minus the Ivory soap and the borax. But once I was able to locate and purchase what I needed, I realized that I was set for the next 8-12 months.

So...I made the soap. It was very simple. Grating the soap was easier than grating cheese! Here's the step by step directions.

1. Grate one bar of Fels- Naptha and one bar of Ivory soap. The smaller you grate it, the easier to melt.

2. Add soap together with 8 cups of water in large pot.

3. Simmer and stir until soap is completely melted, keeping water under boil (mine formed foam on the top, this was fine).

4. Add one cup of Borax and one cup of Washing Soda. (next time I m doubling both of these ingredients!)

5. Continue to simmer 30-60 minutes. It's supposed to thicken~ mine didn't until it cooled completely(the next day).

6. Remove from heat. Cool.

7. Pour into five gallon container.

8. Add 2-3 gallons of warm water and stir mix well.

9. Let sit over night and stir again.

Ok. A couple of things...I did some research here and found out that 1. there are many different recipes for liquid and powder and 2. that I may not have used enough borax and washing soda.

I also found that the soap does not clean quite as well as Tide (which may be because I need more borax and washing soda!).

But all that said, Was it worth it? YES, I believe it was. My laundry smells clean...not perfumey...just clean or fresh. And I am going to save a laundry load of money. This is a non-sudsing soap and works well in front loaders.

I will definitely be making this again...In about 3 or 4 months!