Thank You Trike-A-Thon Sponsors!

Griffin and I would like to thank those who sponsored him in the St. Jude Children's Hospital Trike-A-Thon!

Your kindness and generous giving has meant the world to us and will help to change a little person's life.

We will tally the final donations and share the total amount raised very soon. We are just waiting for a few donations to still come in.

Thank you to the following people ... you are the BEST!

♥ Cecile M ♥ Teresa T ♥ Jennifer V ♥ Debbie B ♥ Susie McA ♥ Janet D ♥ Sue McL ♥ Donna F ♥ Aunt Bonnie & Uncle Jerome ♥ James J ♥ William B ♥ David N ♥ Carol N ♥ Donelle M ♥ Roxanne L ♥ Joan B ♥ Marybell K ♥ Erin H ♥ Dana U ♥ Becky C ♥ Erica S ♥ Leslie K ♥ Donna H ♥ Pop & Nana ♥ Jeannette W ♥ Renee A ♥ Jean-Claude L ♥ Kim Z ♥ Earl N ♥ Grandma ♥

With love ...

Griffin & Missy

Trike-A-Thon Is Today!

The Trike-A-Thon event is happening today at Griffin's preschool!

Well ... actually it's going to be at the fire station because it's raining outside. Instead of having it at the preschool like they did last year (it rained then too) we are having it at a local fire station. How fun is that?


This is a picture of Griffin participating in last year's event.

We look forward to a really FUN time!

Frozen Juice Pops.

The other day while I was occupied doing something Griffin was in the kitchen busy himself. All of a sudden he came up to me and said okay Mommy I'm ready to make frozen juice pops.

He had watched an episode of Special Agent Oso and the assignment was to make frozen juice pops. He knew everything to get out of the cupboards and he had almost gotten them all out ... Koolaid, toothpicks, saran wrap. All we need to complete our assignment was something to mix the Koolaid in and something to pour the liquid in.

He was very proud of himself ... I couldn't say no.


As you can see in this picture he also got the salt, tape dispenser and Glad bags out. He was prepared.


Mixing up the Koolaid ...


Since we do not have ice trays I had to find something to use ... ah hah! The mini cupcake pan did the job. After pouring the Koolaid in the pan we covered it with plastic wrap and stuck toothpicks in the middle of each one.


We put them in the freezer for a few hours and they turned into frozen juice pops. I have made the mistake of calling them ice pops and popsicles. Griffin corrects me each time and makes sure I know they are frozen juice pops.


This truly was a fun thing to do with my little guy.

What's our next assignment Special Agent Oso?

Spring Has Sprung!

Though fall has traditionally been my favorite season spring is quickly edging it's way to the front of my most favorite seasons of all!

We've had one heck of a winter. It seems like we had snow on the ground all of December, January, February and part of March. It's so nice to be able to get outside with short sleeves and enjoy the warmer weather.


We've taken full advantage of the warmer weather with lots of playtime outside. Yes, Griffin is wearing his pajamas. He's all about the pajamas lately. Why fight it, right? He LOVES playing with balloons. He figured out a way to blow them up using Daddy's hand held bicycle pump. He's so smart.


Another sure sign that spring is upon us? We decided to change out the winter garden flag and replace it with our Easter flag!


We took one of Griffin's classmates home yesterday after school. Their neighbor has these gorgeous yellow plants growing in their yard. When Mike and I first came to Virginia looking for houses it was springtime and these flowering bushes were blossoming everywhere. They are just so vividly colored and so pretty! I would love to know what they are ... anyone have any idea?


They have an entire row of them ... loving that. I would love to have some of these in our yard.

Warm spring time wishes ...

Took A Breather.

Hi to those of you that visit my blog ...

I took a little breather away from the computer last week.

It's what my son needed and it's what I needed.

I'm back today with a fresh outlook.

Take care,

Chicken & Egg Noodles.

Growing up my Daddy or my sister Joy would occasionally make one of my favorite meals ... chicken & egg noodles.


They would boil a whole chicken (bones, skin & all). Then they would remove the chicken from the water and remove it from the bones. Next they would boil the egg noodles in the chicken stock and add the boned chicken back to the pot. They may have added a little salt to the water for taste.

So ... let's see ... water, chicken, salt and egg noodle.

It was nothing fancy ... but really delicious.

Yesterday I decided I wanted to make a version of chicken & egg noodles. My way.

I put boneless, skinless chicken breast in the crock pot. I covered it with broccoli florets, cream of chicken soup, cream of mushroom soup, salt & pepper. I let it cook for a few hours and then I added mushrooms and a brick of cream cheese about an hour before I served it.


After it was done I served it over egg noodles. The broccoli all but disappeared ... lol. I should have waited to put it in at the end. We'll have leftovers tonight and I will steam some broccoli to add to it for tonight's dinner. I also made corn bread pudding ... it was delicious!


It was tasty and Griffin devoured it.

But you know ... it wasn't the chicken & egg noodles of my childhood. It was a fancied up version that to me, didn't taste as good. I was expecting something different.

I learned a valuable lesson from this ... you just don't mess with tradition.

Next time I want chicken & egg noodles ... I'm making it my Daddy's way!

Jesus Is Always With Us.

Griffin has a great imagination and loves to play with his toys.

The other day he was playing with his Bass Pro Shop boat and accessories ...


He said he was going fishing with Daddy and Uncle Jerome. That's Daddy driving, Griffin in the side seat and Uncle Jerome in the front.

But take a closer look at the boat ...


Yes ... you see Daddy, Uncle Jerome and Griffin.

Who else is along for the ride?

Jesus! He said Jesus was there too because Jesus is always with us.

What a sweetie!

I am one.

Kind of loving this saying today ...

“I am only one, but I am one. I cannot do everything, but I can do something. And I will not let what I cannot do interfere with what I CAN do.”
~ Edward Everette Hale

That's why I do what I can for St. Jude Children's Hospital. I can't do everything ... but I can do something.

I can do what I know how to do.
I can create.

St. Jude Children's Hospital Fundraiser

The Zoo.

We woke up to an absolutely glorious day on Saturday. The sky was blue, most of the snow has melted from our yard and warmer weather!

So ... we went on one of our favorite adventures. The zoo!


Our first stop is always to see the giraffes. So with giraffe kibbles in hand we stopped by to say hello to our tall, spotted friends.


They were definitely ready for a little snack.


The next stop was to the bird sanctuary. We've never been to this exhibit before. The reason? I'm petrifide of birds. Those that know me know my fear of frogs ... well, let's just say birds are right up there with the frog.


I couldn't let my fear stand in the way of Griffin getting to experience this. So, I went in with him. And you know what? It wasn't that bad.


You could buy these little popsicle sticks with this sticky stuff and birdseed on them. If you held them out the birds would come in to eat.


Griffin had a ball doing this ... just look at his face!


Okay ... so I'm kinda digging the birds right now. Aren't they pretty? I do not want one to land on me nor will I hold out one of those little popsicle sticks for them to land on. I will however go in the bird sanctuary so my little boy can enjoy this experience.


Off we went to feed the farm animals. Griffin loved this llama. He said he was fuzzy and soft.


Oh my gosh ... these camels were hilarious! The caretaker was in the pen with them and apparently it's the end of mating season. They had this foamy, slobbery stuff all over their mouths. Apparently it's a sign of aggression. It was hilarious to see.


Just in case you didn't get a good enough look ... LOL. Griffin and I named this one Bubba.


Okay ... so I can't leave you with the foamy, gooey camel picture. Instead I will leave you with a picture of these pretty flamingos. Everytime I see them they remind me of home. Of course we didn't have flamingos running around our yard in Florida. Chickens yes ... flamingos no. But they still remind me of home.

Gift Card Give-A-Way!

Oh my goodness ... you'll never guess what these two amazing people are doing for Griffin!!


Uncle Jerome and Aunt Bonnie are donating a $50.00 gift card to help with Griffin's Trike-A-Thon fundraiser!

Anyone that makes a monetary donation (via the Pay Pal Donate button) or makes a purchase from my special "Griffin's Fundraiser" category in my Ebay store will automatically be entered to win it!

For more information about the GIFT CARD GIVE-A-WAY please visit Bonnie's blog by CLICKING HERE.

Thank you Uncle Jerome and Aunt Bonnie ... we love you very much!

Scary.

Had to take this little guy to pediatric urgent care last night ...


Yesterday when he woke up I noticed he as occasionally "gasping". After a couple of times I started asking him questions like are you okay (of course that's my first question), are you hurting, can you breathe, why are you doing that. He told me he was playing around.

He went to preschool and all seemed to be fine. After picking him up he ate lunch and we played his new "Jumping Monkeys" game. Then I heard him do it a couple more times.

I put a call into his pediatrician to see if I should take him into the office Thursday. The pediatrician called me back and after listening to what I had to say she said I should have brought him into the office. She said he needed to be looked at immediately and I should take him to the pediatric urgent care center. She said it could be any number of things ... crupe, a blockage, build up of mucus, etc.

We left immediately and went to urgent care. As we are going there I'm asking him if he's having trouble breathing, does anything hurt, etc. Finally he says Mommy I think my throat hurts. Okay ... so now I know something is hurting.

After getting there I explain everything to the doctor. He listens to his chest, his back, checks his ears and does a strep test. The strep test is negative. He's not congested ... everything is clear. He has a sore throat. That's it. A sore throat. Thank goodness.

After watching him do it a couple more times last night, I can totally see what he's doing. He's allowing the saliva to collect in his mouth because he doesn't want to swallow because of the sore throat. He's taking a deep breath (the gasping/gulping sound) and then swallowing hard because he knows it's going to hurt. It totally makes sense to me now.

I'm just greatful my sweet boy has nothing more serious than a sore throat.

A Great Idea.

I was over reading my friend Wendy's Blog and she shared a link to a really fun & creative way to celebrate one's birthday.


The link she shared is to Mix Mingle Glow. Robyn decided to celebrate her 38th birthday in a unique way by doing a random act of kindness equal to the number of candles on her birthday cake.

It's inspiring and fun. I sooooo wanna do this. I need my SIL Bonnie to come in September to help me accomplish this on my 43rd birthday. Hint, Hint ... Bonnie are you coming? =)

Please check out THIS LINK.

I promise you will not be disappointed.

Be Happy.

When life gives you snow ...


Make snowballs ... or in this case daddy sized snowballs!

Fixing The 'Do.

If you are a frequent visitor to my blog you may recall this post ... when Griffin decided to cut his own hair.


How about a little visual reminder?


Honestly, that picture from the day it happened didn't even do it justice. He just about scalped himself!


He was going to get a haircut anyway because preschool pictures were coming. So, he sat in the "barber chair" so Daddy could try to fix the 'do he gave himself.


Mission accomplished!!


After cutting his hair it looks SO much better! I'm always reluctant to go so short with his hair ... I think it makes him look so much older. But, when we do I love it!

It's March 1st ... and for the next several weeks Griffin will be collection donations for the St. Jude Children's Hospital Trike-A-Thon at his preschool. I will be listing handmade paper piecing in the "Griffin's Fundraiser" category over in my Ebay store. We will also be accepting sponsor donations here on my blog with the Pay Pal Donate button. If interested in either one of these ... you can find the links on the right side of my blog.

Happy March ... spring is just around the corner!!!