Wednesday, December 30, 2009

Christmas 2009

Christmas '09 flew by! For the Elliott-Ott family it also looked a little different this year. We spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day without extended family. It was so fun for us to wake up in our own home and have our kids find their gifts!

Christmas Eve was new as well because this is the first year Jeremy worked in his new position at Prairie Lakes Church. It was a little sad because we didn't really spend much time together, but I baked with the kids and got everything ready for Christmas Day. Jeremy worked at the T.V. station at 3 a.m. until 10:30 a.m. then headed over to the church for the four Christmas Eve services. The kids and I went to the 5:30 service and Jeremy was able to come home for supper between the 5:30 and 11:00 service. At the end of the night Jeremy had been working for 22 hours straight. CRAZY. What's even crazier it that this is not the first time he has done this.

As you would expect, Christmas Day Jeremy drifted in and out of consciousness. The kids had a blast, and I cooked and baked and snuggled the kids. Really we had a great Christmas. Here are some pictures to prove it!

Sayla got a new robe from Santa! Doesn't she look so old in her bath attire?

We got a chance to head outside during a brief window when Jeremy awoke. I thought for sure the fresh air would wake him up....it didn't.









My Little Drummer Boy!












LOTS OF DOLLS!!!















I hope everyone enjoyed their Christmas and we wish everyone a wonderful 2010!




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Monday, December 28, 2009

What To Do With Leftover Eggnog!

Make these cupcakes of course. I was browsing cupcake recipes the other day, and found one for cinnamon cupcakes. I modified it a little, added some stuff, omitted some stuff, but most importantly added the last 1/2 cup of eggnog. They turned out yummy. So if you are looking to
1.Make some super fattening treats
2.Carry on with your holiday baking
3.Empty out that last 1/2 cup of Eggnog.
Then these are the treats for you!




Cinnamon Eggnog Cupcakes
Ingredients:
For the cake:
1 cup all-purpose flour
¾ tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/8 tsp. salt
½ cup eggnog
4 tbsp. unsalted butter, at room temperature
2 large eggs
¾ cup plus 2 tbsp. sugar
For the frosting:
½ cup unsalted butter, at room temperature
8 oz. cream cheese, at room temperature
2-3 cups powdered sugar, sifted
1 tsp. vanilla extract
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
Directions:
Preheat the oven to 350° F. Line a 12-cup cupcake pan with paper liners. Sift the flour, baking powder, cinnamon and salt in a small bowl. Stir eggnog and butter in a small saucepan over low heat just until butter melts; set aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat eggs and sugar until thick enough for the batter to fall in a heavy ribbon when the beater is lifted, about 5 minutes. Add the flour mixture; beat just until blended. Beat in the eggnog-butter mixture just until blended. Bake until a tester inserted in the center comes out clean, about 16-18 minutes. Allow to cool in pan for 5-10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
To make the frosting, cream the butter and the cream cheese in the bowl of a stand mixer until very smooth. Scrape down the sides and bottom of the bowl to ensure even mixing. Add the vanilla extract and cinnamon and mix until incorporated. Slowly add the powdered sugar, and keep adding until you reach the desired consistency and sweetness. Frost cooled cupcakes.


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Thursday, December 3, 2009

It's Offical...

Winter is here!



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Wednesday, December 2, 2009

Thanksgiving Weekend!

Our Thanksgiving weekend started out with Sayla's program at school. It was so fun to watch her, and of course she did a great job. It is always a little shocking to see her lined up with her classmates, she looks so tiny. Although she is a year younger then some of her friends, it still surprises me!


At 6:30 that evening we headed north to Minnesota. I always joke when we cross the state line, "It feels good to be home." It may get a little old and really I'm only half joking. And in ten years I can just hear my kids mocking me from the back seat. Mock all you want kids, it feels good to be home in good ol' Minnesota, where we eat hot dishes, make Iowa jokes and ride our booats. I digress.


On Thanksgiving day I ate, but not as much as my dear husband. We had our meal with family at around 1:30 Thanksgiving afternoon. Jeremy didn't eat another meal until supper the next night. Next year we will all be practicing self control.

Friday morning a drug/dragged my sister to Walmart at 4:00 in the morning. I know right!!! We stood in line for a T.V. one for my family and one for my mom. There was no running through the door/pushing going on. Walmart had a very orderly system of waiting in line for the item, first come first serve. Then at 5:00 they handed them out in the order you waited in line. We got our T.V.'s, and some other little things. I love Black Friday which is nuts because I don't like crowds. I think I just like the tradition with other women, spending time together, and of course a deal. The 32" flat screen was $250.

This was the first television purchase Jeremy and I have made after 7 years of marriage and only the 2nd television I've purchased as an adult. The first one was a 13" my freshman year of college. Just some random facts for you.

My mom decorated the house with my kids on Friday night....after we napped and looked at Christmas lights.

Anders was REALLY helpful!







Sayla loves to decorate! She loves when I do something different in the house. She always comments, "This looks really great in here!" I can always count on my four year old for a self esteem boost!

Here is a Sayla holding a ornament with a picture of me from kindergarten. I love how my hairstyle was similar to the hairstyle both of my Grandma's had in their seventies and eighties. I think you can click on the picture to make it larger!





We had a fun Thanksgiving with so much to be thankful for. I love thanksgiving! The holiday's can become so overwhelming with buying the perfect gift. On thanksgiving we can take time to feel thankful for what we have already gotten. I really do feel blessed.
“Gratitude unlocks the fullness of life. It turns what we have into enough, and more. It turns denial into acceptance, chaos to order, confusion to clarity. It can turn a meal into a feast, a house into a home, a stranger into a friend. Gratitude makes sense of our past, brings peace for today, and creates a vision for tomorrow.” Melody Beattie
p.s. Sorry there are no spaces between paragraphs, blogger won' let me.

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Tuesday, November 24, 2009

I Went a Little Crazy!


This is what my boy looked like yesterday. Before I went crazy. He needed a little trim in the back. I don't know what happened, but now, his hair is gone. Buzzed. Long on top and shaved on the sides. I haven't taken a picture yet, because it looks....pretty bad.


So for now, we will remember the way he used to look. Little, innocent, and then I went crazy.


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Monday, November 23, 2009

1st Annual Ornament Making Night!

Friday night we ordered a pizza, and spent the evening making Salt-Dough ornaments!



This boy...wasn't so helpful. Next year!









I love how imperfect and bright they turned out. I'm not planning on getting out most of our 'good' ornaments this year, so these will be great!



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Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Halloween, Sick, Wedding, Still Sick

Monday I got sick. Yucky, sniffy, snuffy sick. I've been fighting it for a couple weeks, and finally I had some time. It's weird how your body does that. Sunday night I finished a paper, had healthy kids and wham, it hit me.

Here are some pictures of our crazy couple weeks.

I love this face. She gives it to me often lately.


We somehow fit carving pumpkins in on Friday morning before Halloween. My mom stayed with the sick kids for the weekend while Jeremy headed up to a wedding he was in. Friday was a lot of fun for us, we sat in a coffee shop, just the two of us, that hasn't happened in a looooong time. I felt so cool.

Both kids were sick over Halloween. This picture of Anders breaks my heart. He had a ear infection, and the most horrible congestion/cold. He was miserable.





Good thing Super Sayla was there to save the day!




She rescued this baby duck!














Here is Jeremy looking all dapper. This is the only picture I took....what is wrong with me? Jeremy's good friend from high school got married. Behind Jeremy is his cousin Nick and on Jeremy left is his friend Lew. All four of these guys have been friends for a long time, and when they get together it's like there 15 again, bathroom humor and everything. I hate to admit that I get a good laugh every time!





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Tuesday, October 27, 2009

Art!

First, Sayla wants to say, "Thank you Aunt Wanda!" She has worn her Halloween outfit at least six times so far, and it was perfect for orange day at school! She did not want me to take her picture so this was the best I got!


Art, coloring, painting, coloring, cutting, pasting, all have occupied Sayla for hours every day! She will mostly be content with coloring, but when she wants to do projects, lately I can't think.


So one day I gave her some paper, scissors, tape and markers and she made her bat! I was really impressed and she was super proud of herself.

This project I discovered from Whatever, one of my favorite blogs to read. I thought this idea was so simple but it turns out so pretty. I might have to frame this one! It took quite a bit of restraint for me not to just take over this project myself.


Stay tuned for the "Super Sayla Saves the Duck" post!


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Tuesday, October 20, 2009

What Sayla Said!

So I have to add this story before I forget it. I hope one day to print my blog out into a book for my kids and sometime what I add is for me as much as it is my family.

So there has been a lot of discussion about what Sayla will be for Halloween. She has been DEAD SET on Dorothy. I've let her pick whatever she wants, but I did give her three choices based on what she shows interest in. This year her choices were Dorothy, Sleeping Beauty, and a Super Hero. Today she said, "I've changed my mind, I want to be SUPER SAYLA." I have to admit, although we have both a Dorothy and Sleeping Beauty costume, I love that she likes being a Super Hero. So after we establish that she is now going to be a Super Hero, she asks "What is Anders is going to be?" I explained that Anders was going to be a duck this year. Her response, "A duck, oh no!!! I'm allergic to ducks." That girl!!

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Monday, October 19, 2009

Weekend Fun!

This last weekend we got away! It's been a long time since we've left town with no real plans. We spent a lot of time at our hotel, swimming, jumping on the bed, and walking up and down the halls. I'd have to say Jeremy did most of the jumping....anyway, it was much needed.


Sunday turned out to be one of the nicest fall day's we've had. Sayla was pretty excited about jumping in the leaves. Anders was even more excited to be off and running outdoors. He kept us on our toes!


Sayla then got a hold of the camera and took some great pictures for our Christmas cards....here a couple of my favorites.


We had many rear end pictures, but I didn't want to make anyone jealous. We'll reserve those for the family.
We rounded out the day with a game of Mr. Wolf, ate supper, and then let Sayla boss us around for a half hour. It really was a pretty good weekend!!

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Wednesday, October 14, 2009

Laughing!

I love this video!

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Monday, October 12, 2009

This Sucks

Today Anders had the flu shot and Sayla the flu mist. I really dislike taking my kids into the doctor's office. You wait and wait, kids crying, kids screaming, mom's yelling, not my idea of a good time. Today, as soon as we walked in the door, I wanted to turn around. That office was packed! Crap. As we waited, I parked the stroller, finagled all the winter coats, tried to prevent Anders from pushing a newborn around in her stroller, answered 50 thousand questions and wiped the sweat from my brow, we finally got called in. Whew! Shots and mist, piece of cake. No crying, nothing, just in and out.

Now here is the fun part. After I get everyone bundled, and distribute the cookies, we head out the door. As we make our way to the car, we approach an elderly woman with a walker, SLOWLY making her way up to the door. She was sporting her plastic hair protector as well as a handmade sign taped to the front of the walker that read, "This Sucks." Honestly, I'm not even kidding. I laughed out loud, right in front of her. I wanted to give her a hug for her sense of humor. I couldn't help but imagine her sitting at her kitchen table crafting her colorful homemade sign. "Now where should I hang this?" she probably thought. She did indeed find the perfect place. Right on her walker for the world to read. Her little sign made my trip to the doctor this morning so much more than I ever anticipated!

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Friday, October 9, 2009

Who Dosen't Love a Before and After

I found this sad little fella at the Goodwill last Sunday. It was just screaming for a face lift, and I thought it might have potential. I really wanted a sofa table to put up against this wall, but have found nothing. This buffet ended up to be too large for the place I wanted, but it now has a new job as a TV stand. It actually looks pretty sweet, and it's really functional. I put the DVDs in the drawers and stashed away some toys behind the two doors.


And doesn't this look pretty! A couple coats of primer, a couple coats of cabinet paint and metallic spray paint for the handles. The whole redo, including the buffet and supplies, cost 29 dollars. I love you Goodwill!
I'm taking part in DIY day over at A Soft Place to Land. Head over there for more DIY idea's!

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Tuesday, October 6, 2009

I Guess We're Done

It seems that lately, whenever I'm talking to a friend, the question arises, "So are you having anymore kids?" My answer is no, and to be honest, it's a reluctant no.


It's hard to think I'll never be pregnant again. That I'll never bring home a new baby and get to pick out a name. No more patting little bottoms and smelling there little heads. I don't know that I will ever get over that.


Today though, I was one step closer to getting over my baby problem. I hate laundry. Really. Hate. Laundry. I know, is that a reason for not having another baby? For today, yes it is. Tomorrow I'm going to focus on how much I hate dishes.

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Friday, October 2, 2009

Educational Day!

Today it's still raining. It is finally Friday and we have nothing planned until 6:00 tonight. Our weeks have been crazy and my next class starts on Sunday so slowing down is not in the works. I felt it was important to jam in as much learning and activity as I could today. So far our day has gone like this.
8:30-Breakfast
9:00-Cartoons
9:45-Coloring
10:00-Cartoons
10:30-Stickers


The afternoon is going to just as educational as the morning. I have computer games scheduled for 1:30.

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Wednesday, September 30, 2009

This Looks Like Trouble!

Uh-Oh, is Anders new word!


I'm afraid we'll be using it quite a bit!






Dear Boy, do you need to climb in the tub and turn on the water? Do you need to climb on the couch to practice your jumping? Do you NEED to stand on your top of your high chair?
You could slip and hit your head? Please rethink your choices!
I know you've learned how to walk and you feel really cool about that! And I know your medicine is at the right level now and your feeling energized! Throw me a bone here.
Oh, and Please sweet boy, please don't figure out how to climb out of your crib....I'm not ready for that!





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Friday, September 18, 2009

Painting Pumpkins!




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What You Will Find Here

This is a blog about me and my life. I write about the everything, and the nothing that consumes a stay-at-home mom of two. My monster is my one year old little boy, and his sister is my four year old daughter. You should know that I am not a writer, I'm not a speller, but I think I'm funny. I really get a kick out of myself sometimes. The truth is....I'm funnier in my head. So often, this blog is a bad attempt at humor and sarcasm, but mostly it's about the mundane, wonderful, boring, exciting, crabby, happy days we have together.


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