A Mothers Best Friend....

Wow!!!!!! I am here to tell all you mothers OR stressed out people about my New Best Friend. I don't know how this works, all I know is; I started using this on my 2 very active children and have been amazed with the results! Before bed when my kids get their pj's on I rub just a little bit on their feet. Clayton's nightmares have stopped and he is now getting a full nights sleep. When Lindsy is cutting teeth I let her smell it in the bottle. Sometimes I will rub some on her forehead. Both kids love it and when Clayton is starting to get a little bit out of control (whining or crying) He has begun to ask for his special oil. I use it to calm my emotions and I am better able to handle my kids. I have found I have much more patience! I will most certainly keep a bottle in my purse and at home! To learn more go to: www.youngliving.org/jccronk

What Cuties....

Learning to Brush Teeth. (All 7 of them)Cowboy Clayton!

More Celebrations....

In honor of Wilfred's Birthday I cooked a Huge Sunday Dinner and we had some of my Family over. The main event was Wilfred's Birthday pie. I made him a peach pie from peaches I froze from my Grandpa's Tree. Wilfred always says, "You can tell that cake was invented before pie, otherwise cake would have never been invented!"

Happy Birthday Alexander!...

Here is the Birthday Boy! Feb 16th was Alexanders 1st Birthday. He is my cousin and I guess my kids 2nd? cousin. This is one of his rare smiles.Here is one of the party goers who was quite good at making lots of noise!
Lindsy is 4 months older than Alexander. Here she is on Grandpa's lap.
The biggest partygoer of all! What a goof!
Here is Clayton trying his hand at Kids Bowling.
Lindsy's First Carrousel ride. From her expession I think she loved it!

Whew...Valentines, Birthdays, and.......SNOW!!!!!!!

Happy (late) Valentines Day to everyone! Here is the decoration all our neighbors have been seeing on our Front Door. Next up will be a wreath of Shamrocks and then Spring Flowers!!!HAPPY BIRTHDAY WILFRED!!!!! He is finally as old as me. :) His birthday was yesterday on the 15th. We went out to dinner without any KIDS! It was amazing, the first time in 4 years. We went to a place called Scalos which serves all organic food. The breads and desserts are all made in the Resturant fresh each day.
Here is a picture of the kids blowing air on the fire to help it get going this morning. They love to help light the fire.
Can you believe it? We woke up to snow! This is the most snow we have had all winter. Unfortunatly it was all pretty much melted by the time I am now posting this. Now the wind is blowing again. :( This is a picture of the rock wall Wilfred is building around the front of our place. That is South Mountain in the back ground.

Wind Bunny...we have no snow!

Our Little Snow Bunny (make that wind bunny) all wrapped up to go outside and play.
This was our sunset the other night! I sure was wishing we would wake up to snow with all those clouds, but no luck. Oh Well the sunset was beautiful anyway!

Candyland......

This Goofy boy was running around the house with my headband on his head. Here is Clayton playing with his new Candyland game.
Last but not least here is the WILD THING in our house. Lindsy is playing Candyland the best she can. Her hair is a result of bedhead with the last remnates of yesterdays pigtails.

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Yikes!...

I was heading to the office to pick up Clayton. As I was driving down RT 66 I saw this on the roof of this house. My first thought was "How cute that man has his son helping him fix a roof." My very next thought as realization dawned was, "YIKES!!!!!!! That is my Husband with MY son up there on that roof!"

I drove up very slowly and most certainly DID NOT honk my horn. I didn't want to startle them or wreck Clayton's intense concentration. Clayton was holding a rag in his hand. He was making sure that daddy didn't spill any of the 'glue' and if he did Clayton was ready to do his job and wipe it up. As my Heart slowly started beating back in it's normal rythm I started thinking..."This is why boys need fathers!" As a mom I find myself wanting to smother and well...mother Clayton. But I am finding that I am more likely to never let him help out on any of the dangerous jobs. I want to keep him in this overly protective bubble. Dad's are all about teaching their Son's how to fix things and to be tough. So as my mind was racing with all the probabilities of what would happen if they fell from the roof, I realized that I would rather have a few broken bones and scrapes and cuts to mend, than have a girly boy.

My heart about burst when Clayton came through the door at home later in the evening. With the biggest grin on his face and full of excitement he told me all about how he and Daddy fixed Grandpa Cliff's roof. I asked him if it was scary up on the roof. He said"No, not at all, I had a big job to do!"

So while I am sitting here wiping tears from my eyes, I want to say thanks to my Dear Husband who has helped me to realize that boys MUST be boys. Yes, Clayton is growing up and I must remember that all boys eventually turn into MEN. :)

Beer Bread...

Yummm!!!!!!!!!!!!! Wilfred was glad to come home from a day at work to find this loaf of bread baking in the oven. I found this recipe on Farmgirl Fare's blog. (http://foodiefarmgirl.blogspot.com) I am going to include the recipe here. I left out the dill and just made it with cheddar cheese. It was scrumptious! Thanks Farmgirl Susan for the great recipe and blog!

Farmgirl Susan's Beyond Easy Dill & Cheddar Beer Bread Recipe

Makes One LoafThe optional egg glaze gives the top a beautiful, dark golden color. As always, I encourage you to use locally produced and/or organic ingredients whenever possible.

Basic Beer Bread Mix:

3 cups all-purpose flour

1 Tablespoon granulated sugar

1 teaspoon salt

1 Tablespoon baking powder (make sure it's fresh!)

2 Tablespoons chopped fresh dill (or 2 teaspoons dried)

1 cup finely grated sharp cheddar cheese

12 ounces beer

Optional glaze: 1 egg & 2 teaspoons water, beaten

Heat oven to 375 degrees. Combine flour, sugar, salt, baking powder, dill, and cheddar in a large mixing bowl. Slowly stir in beer and mix just until combined. Batter will be thick. Spread in a greased 8-inch loaf pan, brush with egg glaze if desired, and bake until golden brown and a toothpick stuck in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes.Cool in the pan on a rack for 10 minutes. Remove from pan and cool 10 more minutes. Serve warm or at room temperature.