Sickness has Stuck....

Sorry for the lack of posting this week, but we haven't been up to much. Anna woke up Wednesday night shortly after we put her to bed and puked all over her bedding and blankets. It wasn't long before I started to feel sick. Before you know it I was throwing up. Brandon woke up in the early morning and startling throwing up as well.

Thursday was a very rough day with everyone being tired sick. The hard part is trying to take care of kids when Brandon and I are both out of commission. Thursday night Gabe got the sick and I had even more puke to clean up. Today is Saturday and we are feeling a bit better, but our stomachs are still weak and we don't have any appetite. I spent the day trying to catch up on laundry & dishes. Oh how the week has flown by. Luckily, little Noah has been feel well besides cutting a tooth, which I am sure is painful.

Today was a nice day outside with temps in the 30's, which is a nice change. I bundled the little ones up so they could go out to play. While outside Anna came to me wanting some apple seeds. She said she wanted plant an apple tree and that I needed to get the seeds out of an apple for her. She had dug a big hole in the snow so she could plant them. After coming inside later she told me that her apple tree was not growing. She was so sad. I told her that it takes time for apple trees to grow and that's it just to cold outside. It's interesting to see the ideas that little ones come up with and how they have a hard time with the concept of time.

Well hope you all are having a nice weekend. If you have time don't forget to leave a message and say Hi. I would love to know that you have stopped by to visit.

Renee

Updated New Look.....

I am so excited. I read many different blog and enjoy seeing the many different backgrounds out there. Finally I came a cross a link that made it so easy to figure out how to change the background. I really can't believe how easy it is, so now I can change the look with the seasons. The link is called The Cutest Blog on the Block if you are interested in a new blog look. Have fun with it.

Noah's Birthday Pictures.....

I just made some simple chocolate cup cakes with blue homemade frosting and sprinkles. They were a hit with the kids.

Noah's brother & sister were very excited to help him open the presents.

Noah's wearing one of his new outfits from Grandma & Grandpa Kostman.
He looks so cute:) Thanks for the outfits. It's nice to have something new for him to wear and keep him warm this winter.

We were able to share the cupcakes and Noah's birthday with our friends the Critchfields.
It was a nice time and the kids especially enjoyed playing. I'll post a few other pictures about that another day.

Happy 1st Birthday Noah

A year ago today our family was blessed with little Noah Ray. He has been such a sweety & joy. He loves to go up the stairs and pull things out of baskets. If I forget to shut a bathroom door he crawls as fast as he can to get to the toilet or to see what he can get into to. He's not walking yet, but I have caught him standing for a few seconds at a time. He's a good little boy and very content. I can't say he's a very good napper, but does pretty good with the sleep he does get. Wow my little baby is almost gone and is turning into a little toddler soon. I'll post pictures of the birthday boy soon:)

Tried a New Recipe....

There's a blog I enjoy reading called I have to Say. She does lots of wonderful sewing and also has a fabric store with many beautiful fabrics. She posted a recipe earlier this week called Blueberry Cake and I had to try it. Since I had just made that crumb cake last week this looked like another good brunch cake recipe and it was. This will be going into the recipe file with a smile on it. this recipe makes a 9 x 13 pan, but if you don't want to make that large of a pan make a half a batch and put it in a 8 x 8 pan. Let me know if you try it out or if you have a brunch cake that you like to make.

New Link....

I just wanted let those who visit my site know that I added a new link Pathway to Ethiopia to my friends list. This blog is about a friend of mine's family and how they decided to adopt a little one from Ethiopia. If you interest in following there journey or learning more about adoption check it out.

So what is it about kids and the computer mouse????

Were enjoying our new pups.....
Here are just a few pictures of Charlie & Ruby

Renee's Kitchen

Here is recipe that I made last night that was a big hit with Brandon. I got this recipe out of my little book were I put recipe that I think are so good. I had written this recipe in there back in high school and I can faintly remember making it. This is a super easy recipe, which you will soon find out. So here it is.....

Crumb Cake

2 c. brown sugar
2 1/2 c. flour
1/2 c. butter (melted)
1 tsp salt

Mix these first 4 ingredients together and then take out 1 cup and put it in a separate bowl. To the 1 cup mixture add 1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon & 1/2 c. chopped pecans. Mix well and set aside for the crumb topping.

To the first mixture add 1 Tb. baking soda & 1 c. milk. Mix well and pour into a 12 x 8 pan and bake at 350 degrees for 45 mins.

Let cool & Enjoy:)

Little note: I actually made this with a stick of I Can't Believe it's not Butter and it turned out delicious, so if you want to try making this with less fat you can try it this way.

Ruby.....
She is now 12 weeks old. What a doll:)

Slowly Digging Out of the Piles....

We got home from our long vacation of visiting family & friends on Sunday evening. We were very pleasantly surprised that our neighbors keep our drive way shoveled while we were gone. So we bought them some pizza, bread sticks and soda as a thank you. The last couple of days have been very busy with cleaning, cleaning and more cleaning. I rearranged the kids rooms, so that I could put Anna's new kitchen and Gabe's new tool bench in it. I've also been trying to do a little decluttering and had to move our DVD collection because Noah keeps getting into it and making a mess. Noah also learned to climb the stairs on our vacation and so now I can hardly keep him away from the stairs. He's not walking yet, which I am surprised about, but in his own time. Also we brought home another little beagle puppy (Ruby) who is 12 weeks old. She a little sweety, but I'll post more about her later. Well time for a little rest.

Doll Cake....

Here is the beautiful cake that my Grandma Beulah made for me for my 30th birthday. I requested a doll cake because I knew that Anna would like it so much. The cake also brings back such wonderful memories from when I was little. I think I may have to try and make one sometime.

Still Visiting & Traveling.....

We are still visiting family and will not be home to our own house until Sunday night or Monday. We are leaving Nebraska today and heading to Council Bluffs to stay and the night. Then Friday we will be driving to my parents house to spend the weekend. One last good visit before Brandon has to work a bit and then head back to another semester of classes. I hope to get back to posting a bit more often when I get home and get my house into order. Until then Happy New Years:)