exhusted...but ever so excited!

We had such a great weekend.  It was packed and we worked hard, but I think our hard work paid off.  I'm not going to show before pictures because they are a bit embarrassing.  Our house looks amazing compared to what it use to.  There is still some work to be done but I feel so much better right now.  We were even able to still have a social life this weekend between all our work.  We met friends for dinner Saturday night at Grad School and stopped by a friend's bday party at the Mud Lounge before heading back to work on the house.  We worked well into the night and got right back to it when we woke up on Sunday.  Sunday afternoon we went to another bday party, Megan came over to take these awesome pictures and then off to the Murdaugh's we went for our usual Sunday night dinner.  Whew!  I'm excited for a snow day tomorrow!
Look at our beautiful house...come on, you know you want to buy it!!!! :) We will be posting our website of the house soon.

Bloopers

Megan came over yesterday to take pictures of our house and then Jarrod snapped a few of us.  I think we were able to get a few good ones but most of the pictures looked like the one above.  Wow. 
Everything is happening tomorrow...The house goes on the market and we launch Social Graces. Yay!

A very busy day.

It was beautiful today in the Ozarks and it would have been a shame if we'd stayed home.  It takes a lot to get me out anymore...since there is still SO MUCH to do on the house.  However, we left the house early and didn't come back all day. 

The first activity was story time at Gold Minds, next a business lunch with Mae Mae (that's what Z calls her) and then off to the park to meet Ashleigh and Aspen.  The girls played and played and played.  I think some good ol' vitamin D was much needed.  Zeda was absolutely in love with the slide, she went up and down, up and down, up and down, so. many. times!  After a short nap, we meet my parents for dinner at the Blue Bull and then went to the HBA Home Show.  Tomorrow is a full day working on the house we have a very long list of things to do.  Boo.

Prayers needed...

We need lots and lots of prayers this morning for Brandon Riddle.  He is Regina's son (my mom's best friend) who I've grown up with.  He needs a new liver and he needs it now.  He has been on the transplant list for almost a year, which means, when he gets a call from St. Louis he needs to be ready in 20 minutes to get there.  About a month ago we got really good new that there was a liver for him.  They made the trip up there, prepped him for the surgery and then found out it wasn't going to happen.  That was a pretty devastating blow, since their hopes were high and they were sent home to wait longer.  For awhile now, he's been in and out of the hospital for various reasons, when one part of your body is failing, it's makes things difficult for the rest of your organs. 

Last Friday night, he was released from the hospital after being there for about a week and wanted pancakes, so my parents met him, his wife and Regina at IHOP.  They called and asked for Zeda...I was like, "Mom. No.  It's 8:30, she's in bed."  She thought since Brandon wanted her to go, I would say yes. Ha.  The Friday night before they all took her to Cracker Barrel and Zeda LOVED eating with Brandon, Why, you ask...he fed her anything she wanted, that's why.  Thanks Brandon! :)
Saturday morning was my Dad's Racers Reunion.  I saw Brandon bright and early and he looked good.  The picture is from the Reunion with his niece, Raleigh.  Later that day, he went to the hospital again.

I got a call from my mom this morning, Regina called her and said he has gone into renal failure and they are air lifting him to St. Louis.  If he doesn't get a liver soon, he's not going to make it.  There is no sending him home this time.  He just waits in the hospital.  Please pray with me today that a liver is available and that it's a match.  There is a tricky part, this is his second liver transplant.  His first one happened when he was 13 months.  They never expected him to live to be 26 so the doctors are going in a little blind. 

I've grown up with Brandon and his liver issues has always just been normal to me, it's a part of him.  When I was little and Regina was our baby sitter, changing his bandage ever few hours was just a part of our day.
I'm so proud of him and who he has become.  I love you buddy, I'm praying for you hard core.

My Big Announcement!

I finally get to reveal the secret I talked about here. I am so excited and proud to say that Megan and I are introducing Social Graces to the the Springfield area on February 1st. Social Graces is our new event planning business that we have been working hard on over the past few months. We are in the final stages and felt it's time to announce it to the world! So be sure to check back on February 1st for the launch of our new Social Graces event planning website!

Rum Chata - It's a good thing

Remember my sourdough bread I made? Well, the recipe made two loaves so the other night for dinner we took the remaining loft and made french toast with it. After we made Z's toast, Jarrod and I put a little something special in ours. It's called Rum Chata and it's amazing! Seriously, the best drink ever!

Rum Chata: is rum cream made as an authentic replica of the best Horchata you have ever tasted. It is made from scratch using real ingredients - rice, sugar, cinnamon and vanilla. This is Real Horchata, not an imitation flavored horchata beverage.

Click here to find a list of recipes you can make with Rum Chata

Sourdough lovin'

My first attempt at homemade bread was a success! I made a simple sourdough bread...the hardest part was the 10 minute kneading process. However, I just counted it as my workout for the day. My arms are sore...seriously.
We ate this delicious bread with a big bowl of homemade chili. Look how domestic I am. :)

2 pkgs. active dry yeast
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 c. plain yogurt (I used Greek yogurt)
3 tsp. salt
5 to 6 c. all-purpose flour

In large bowl, dissolve yeast in warm water; blend in yogurt and salt. Add 2 1/2 cups flour. Blend at low speed until moistened; beat 3 minutes at medium speed. By hand, stir in 2 to 2 1/2 cups flour to form a stiff dough. On floured surface, knead in up to 1 cup flour until dough is smooth and elastic, about 5 to 8 minutes. Place dough in greased bowl; cover loosely with plastic wrap. Let rise in warm place until light and doubled in size, about 1 hour.

Punch down dough. Divide dough into 2 parts; shape into balls. Place on greased cookie sheets. Cover; let rise again until doubled in size.

Heat oven to 400 degrees. With a sharp knife, cut 3 slashes in top of each loaf. Brush loaves with water. Bake 35 to 45 minutes, brushing with water every 15 minutes, until loaves sound hollow when lightly tapped. Remove from pan immediately and let cool on a rack.

It's about time...

Disclaimer:  As I have mentioned before...I'm a hoarder.  With that said, below are bridesmaid's flower from MY wedding almost 5 years ago. Yes, they have been decoration in my kitchen all this time. While de-cluttering my house, I decided the flowers had to go.

Here is what they once looked like...so pretty.

My baby hates the snow...

She's frozen...wont say a word

She wont even look at me

She'll only shuffle her feet (can you see her trail?)

Her feet were buried

She's so mad

She kept pointing to the door...we were outside for less then 2 minutes.

 

My mornings just got a little brighter...

For the past week or so I've discovered my new favorite thing for breakfast...crock pot oatmeal. I've made it in the crock pot and on the stove, it works both ways. I've never tried to make oatmeal from scratch, I just thought it would take too long.  However, it really is simple, easy and way better than instant oatmeal.
This still doesn't make me a morning person, oh how I wish I were. However, it does make me happy so there's a start. :)

Crock Pot Oatmeal
1 cup oats
2 cups milk
1/4 cup brown sugar (I use a little less)
2 teaspoon cinnamon
1 tablespoon melted butter
1/2 cup dried fruit (I've been using craisins)

I have also thrown in other fruits like chopped apples or bananas and if you like nuts throw some in as well!
Spray your pot with cooking spray, add all ingredients then set your crock pot on low for 5-7 hours.  Hint: The longer you leave your crock pot on, the more liquid you will need.

packing it up!

We've been spending most of our days lately, cleaning and packing up our house. Since I am a hoarder, we have soooo much stuff. I've been putting a lot of our things on Craig's list and in the garage sale box but there are something I just can't part with. So, all things that I don't ALWAYS use or that just hold sentimental value is getting boxed up and stored at either of our parent's house. We are really blessed in that we both have parents who so loving let us use their extra space to store our things. I'm trying to make our house look as "clutter free" as possible for our wonderful buyer who comes along...soon I hope!

Zeda girl has been helping me. She thinks an empty boxes is her house and makes a sad face when I tell her it's time to fill her house and move on to the next.

My sad face is starting to appear as well...it's a bit weird packing up your first home. I'm sure the real sadness will come when we have to pack for real.

Until then, my days are spent trying to make our house has pretty as possible, oh, and playing with that cute little munchkin above.

wait...really?

So I'm going through pictures right now for a reason I can't share, however soon, the exciting news will come out! I came across this one and I had to do a double take. Was I really that big! Wow. WOW! Sorry mom and sister for the not so flattering picture but I had to post the craziness of that belly...it's HUGE!

My Favorite Gift

Going back to Christmas...Every Christmas there is a gift I'm a little more excited to give then the others. This year, my favorite gift went to my dad. It was a picture of Zeda in front of his old gas pump.

Here's the story: Earlier in the fall, Megan took Zeda's 18 month pictures (actually she was 16 months but whatever) we drug out my dad's old service station pump, decked Z up in a red and white jumper and took some pictures. For dad, I blew up, not my favorite picture but a picture that reminded me of him. She has his oil rag in front of her face, which is funny because dad always chewed on his oil rag.
The picture is special because my dad and grandpa owned and worked the family gas station for many many years. When Jey, my nephew was born, my dad still worked there. My sister has some pretty special pictures of Jey with my dad in uniform at the station. By the time Z came along, my dad had sold the station.
That place was a huge part of my life, I spent many days in the summer "working" there...he paid me $10 a day to answer phones, roll under the cars with him and pump gas. Occasionally, I got to ride the lift (I think back now on how dangerous that lift was, what was he thinking?!?!) I wanted Z to have some kind of connection to the station, so, we recreated the atmosphere in my parents backyard. I think pops really liked it. To see more pictures from the shoot click here.

baby TOMS

My sweet little Zeda received TOMS for Christmas. Actually all three of us opened TOMS at the Murdaugh's house. Then, I opened another pair at my parent's house. Yep, that makes 7 pairs in 1 year. Do you think I should take a break?

Z's TOMS are too precious. Everywhere we go people comment on them. It's so cute, she's so proud and I'm sure she has no idea why. Ha. Baby TOMS are the most adorable thing, check out this post where Meg and I bought them for Owen.

1.1.11

Well...the first day of the new year was undoubtedly the worst day for Z in the last 18 months. She experienced her first fever yesterday and it continued to get increasingly worse today. She slept in until 10:30 and wasn't awake for more then 2 hours all day. Her and I chilled on the couch pretty much the entire time. What a start, right?

On a brighter note, Jarrod cooked a fantastic meal: general chicken. We decided to start a tradition to eat Asian cuisine every New Years day.

As for Z, she ate a few bits of ice cream. She hasn't really eaten anything all day so my goal was to get some kind of liquid down her. This was Z's "face of the day" when she wasn't sleeping.

However, 2011 IS going to be a good year!