Realizations

1.  My 3-year old is hitting that age that naps are becoming optional.  This is becoming detrimental to my sanity.  If naps are skipped by 6 p.m. I become irritable, grouchy, and just plain ol' mean.

2.  There is an inner war going on within my head.  My frugality is fighting tooth and nail against my hatred of being cold.  When it got cold at the beginning of the week, I shivered...I covered up with a blanket...I made another pot of coffee.  At this point in time, my frugality is winning.  We shall revisit this topic say mid-January and February.  (How in the world did I survive in Illinois?)

3.  It is best to take showers when your toddler is asleep.  Or at least have another somewhat responsible individual there to make sure he doesn't head for the door while you are mid-shampoo.  (I realize this is a no-brainer, but I thought just maybe I could squeeze in a quick shower, wrong.)

4.  The cleanliness of my house also affects my sanity.  By no means am I a perfectionist.  Clean doesn't even mean floors vacuumed, bathrooms shiny, or furniture polished.  To me, clean just means toys picked up, dishes put away, and being able to walk through a room without going through an obstacle course.

5.  I find it very hard to deliver something I have baked/cooked without sampling it first.  What happens if it is a flop?

6.  My dryer is not shrinking my clothes.  I have gained weight, blech.  Admittance is the first step, right?  Now I just gotta get up off my hiney and get some exercise, yuck, yuck, yuck.

7.  My son can destroy a room in 13.5 seconds flat.  You can see how well this goes with realization #4.

8.  It is a good thing that the closest Target (with a Starbucks) is 30 miles away.  It is a bad thing that the closest Target (with a Starbucks) is 30 miles away.  I'll just leave it at that.

Catching Up

Life has gotten busy lately.

I've been doing some computer-work for Clint while he has been in the field harvesting corn, soybeans, and sorghum. After he finished harvest, his meetings began. To sum it all up, he is a busy guy and we haven't seen much of him.

I have quite an update to give. The first part of my update isn't all that special, but the last part is awesome.

1. You know how I said that I was a tad on the clumsy side? Well, this totally clarifies how extreme my clumsiness can be.

The kids and I were visiting my parents at the lake a couple of months ago. We had been to my cousin's wedding and stopped on the way home for some Braum's ice cream. I had managed to get myself all dressed up. Gone were the athletic shorts, t-shirt and flip flops...I was wearing a black dress and heels *gasp*. Back to the story and less of what I was wearing, we were getting ice cream. C-man was over the top excited about ice cream. He was jumping up and down and pulling on my hand as I went over to the cash register to pay for our ice cream. He pulled on my hand, I took a step, and I tripped. It was real graceful-like. I fell on my knee and other than my pride being hurt, I was pretty sure everything was fine.

My knee turned several different shades of blue, purple, and brown, but eventually the bruising went away and all looked fine.  It still hurt whenever I was on my knees picking up toys or giving my boy a bath though.  Fast forward to two weeks ago.  I was picking up toys one afternoon.  I was scooting around on my knees and didn't think much of my previous accident.  The next morning my knee was swollen right on top of my knee cap.  Apparently, I am still trying to heal from my clumsy fall.  The doctor indicated that nothing was broken and that the swelling will go away.  So all that to say, I'm so clumsy.

2.  This is the awesome update.

 

We were at church on Sunday the 23rd of October.  Our preacher was out of town and our youth minister was filling in for him.  His sermon was out-of-the-park good.  He finished and we were getting ready to sing our invitation hymn when Hailey grabbed my hand and she shakily said, "Mom, I want to be baptized." 

I was giddy with excitement and could barely control my emotions.  I was smiling, shaking, and tears were spilling out of my eyes.  I told her that that was fantastic and we would talk about it with Daddy when we got home.

The following Sunday, October 30, 2011, Hailey made Jesus Christ her Lord and Savior and was baptized by her daddy.  Her grandparents were able to come see this amazing occasion.  Our best friends were also there to see her make this decision.  It was such an emotional, wonderful moment.  Words can not describe the love and amazement I have for my girl.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

Bubbles, Bubbles, Bubbles, My Bubbles!!!

My kids got a couple of bubble guns when they were being spoiled watched by my parent's last weekend.  C-man found them last night, and had been talking nonstop about them.  It was inevitable that the bubble guns would make their way into the Monday afternoon line-up. 

The kids were having a blast, but I think our four-legged beast ended up having more fun.  Gage ran, he jumped, he bit, he snapped, he frolicked, he bound...he had an all around good time.

Take a look!!

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

Gypsum Hills at 70 mph

First of all let me just say, this week has been absolutely Crazy. That's right crazy with a capital C! Along with the normal school routine of homework, gymnastics, and drill team, I threw in some computer work. I have spent an exorbitant amount of time staring at my computer screen and entering data. Once I finished my projects for the day, I was done. I was done with my computer, done with wanting to cook supper, done with wanting do my mile-high pile of laundry...I think you get my picture...I was done.

So here's my apology for not getting any posts written this week...sorry.

Last weekend we made a quick trip to Oklahoma. The kids were excited to see their grandparents. C-man packed all his toys up early Friday morning so that he would be ready to go. We decided to take the scenic route to their house. We drove through the Gypsum Hills between Coldwater and Ashland, Kansas.

There is some really pretty scenery right through there. I really wanted to stop to take some pictures, but the kids would not allow it. They had already done the Grandma dance and there was no more delaying. So I did what any sane, normal, country lovin' girl would do...I stuck my head out the window and started snapping pictures while we zoomed down the highway at 70 miles per hour.

Some were pretty blurry, but I got a few good ones.

Check out the rich, red soil at the base of that hill. It is truly a beautiful little section of Kansas.

One of these days, I will stop and take all the pictures my heart desires. That might be a long trip.  Drive a few miles, get out and snap a few pictures, drive a few more miles, get out and snap a few pictures...

As we continued driving East, we watched the sun set in our mirrors.

Fall Leaves, Pumpkins, Kids, and a Friend's Giveaway

It is really starting to look like fall around here. Doesn't feel so much like fall, but I welcome the cooler temperatures when they do decide to come. My air conditioner really welcomes the cooler temperatures. It is still kicking on quite regularly.

The leaves are starting to change. They are starting to fall, especially with the 900 million miles per hour winds that we are having today.

I just love the colors of fall. The reds, the oranges, the yellows...love them all. I love pumpkins and all the colors of the fall flowers.

When the winds are not going to pick them up and blow them away, my kids have enjoyed going outside to play.

They have been playing so great together. I hesitate to say it, but it has been AWESOME!!! It makes my heart sing when they play together.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

P.S. My friend Beki over at The Rusted Chain is having a giveaway for 2 $25 gift certificates to her jewelry. Her hand-stamped jewelry is super cute. (I use the term friend very loosely here. She doesn't know who I am. I just stalk her blog.  And in my head we are almost BFFs.)

L,M,N,O,P

After fighting with my computer all day yesterday, I think I finally got this video uploaded.  Seriously, it was a technology disaster. 

My little guy has been working on his ABC's.  I think he about has them down.  Except for that whole awkward L,M,N,O,P sequence.  He'll get it.

His volume level is always blaring.  The kid just doesn't understand the "inside voice".  1,2,3 Hush puppies is not his forte either.

I love his comment after I tell him what a great job he did.  Listen closely.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

Simple Sweet Mid-Week Treat: Caramel Apple Dip

I made this apple dip for a church get-together. It is so easy to put together that I didn't even take step-by-step pictures to go with this recipe.

You need to make this dip. You will not be disappointed.

Alright, here it goes...

8 oz cream cheese, softened

1/2 teaspoon vanilla

2/3 cup brown sugar

4 oz chopped walnuts

Apple variety of your choice

Mix cream cheese, vanilla, and brown sugar. Top with chopped walnuts. Chill.

Enjoy!!!!

Told you it was super easy.

(I really wish I had a bagel. The dip spread on a bagel would be heavenly.)

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

A Pair

Last week I posted some pictures of Sissy that I took at my in-laws house.  The light is absolutely gorgeous filtering in through the leaves and branches of their drive-way. 

The photo shoot was supposed to be of my girl, but it didn't take long before we had a visitor.  If you will notice, there was a certain four-legged friend that spied us.

 

That is Missy.  Missy was the first dog Clint and I owned together after we got married.  She was and still is a great dog.  We got her as a puppy when I was 6 months pregnant with Sis.  My mothering instincts were going crazy and that dog was spoiled rotten.  She is blue healer and was a great snuggler.  We had A LOT of couch time, her and I.  Those last few months of pregnancy were spent taking naps.  I took morning naps, afternoon naps, and sometimes evening naps with her.  I never could catch up on my sleep...still can't. Only now my sleep deficiencies are a little more in part to my daughter's blond ornery into everything brother.

She was my dog and after we had Sissy, she was her dog.  Missy was very careful around Sis.  She moved with us when we moved a couple of hours away.  One weekend when we were visiting our in-laws she ended up staying at my in-laws and has stayed ever since.

When we come to visit, she loves on me and I love on her.  She is still my dog.  She will always be my dog.  She just prefers to spend her time at my in-laws.

 

If you can't tell, she loves Sissy too.  Sissy is pretty fond of her first dog too.

 

They spent their first few years together.  Yep, Missy and Sissy are quite a pair.

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

This Girl

 

This girl is usually so calm. This girl is usually a go with the flow type. This girl is usually sweet, mild-tempered, and so loving.

Because of her usually sweet, loving, and laid back personality, I am completely floored when she has a huge meltdown.

Tonight was the meltdown of all meltdowns. She forgot her study guide for her test tomorrow. Apparently, it was the end of the world. At least she thought so.

If tonight is any indication of what her teenage years will hold, boy howdy it is going to be a rough one.

Please start sending prayers now. We're gonna need 'em.

Love,
Carrie

Lesson Learned

It has been a while since I wore that purple and white uniform.  Living in a small community and going to a small school, there was not a lot of options when it came to school sports.  We had basketball and track.  There were no school tryouts.  If you wanted to be on the team, you were on the team. 

I was never an offense threat.  My career high came in junior high when I scored eight points against our school rival.  We lost in overtime by one. 

Defense was more my thing.  Generally if we were playing man-to-man defense, I was paired with one of the opponent's better shooters.  Sometimes, I would get a tad bit mean.  I would throw an elbow occasionally.  I would block out excessively.  And at times, I would pinch.

Here's where that lesson learned comes in...don't be mean in school sports.  You just never know what might happen in the future.  Your cousin might just marry that girl that you guarded.  That one that was a big offensive threat to your team.  That one that you pulled out all of the stops when guarding her.  You made sure to throw elbows.  While blocking her out, you caused her to fall down when going for a rebound.  You might have pinched her when the referee wasn't looking. 

I am certain that she has forgotten all about those mean defensive tactics.  She is sweet and not the type to hold a grudge. If for whatever reason we decide to have a game of pick-up at our family Christmas, I think I might just sit it out.

A New Phase

Since my first born was a girl, I knew all things girlie.

I knew all things frilly, all things sparkly, and all things glittery.

I knew all about little girl jewelry, all about fairies, and all about princesses.

She was always a fashionista. And VERY opinionated about what she wore and how her hair was fixed.

She is still very much a fashionista and is now handing out advice to her yoga pant wearing momma.

My son is growing and going through all the little boy phases.

As a three year old, he loves Mickey Mouse.

He loves Woody and Buzz Lightyear from Toy Story.

He loves anything and everything Cars related.

He is now going through a new phase.

He is all about dinosaurs.

This morning he came running into the kitchen asking where his Stegosaurus was.

He had a dinosaur in his hand so I asked if that was what he had with him.

He told me that it was not a Stegosaurus. It was a Brachiosaurus.

I told him that I didn't know where the dinosaur was and asked him to show me a picture of the Stegosaurus.

Sure enough, he showed me a picture (with caption) of a Stegosaurus.

I was then able to locate said dinosaur and all was right in the dino-lovin' boy's world.



The Weather Cracked

The weather finally cracked. We have had some really beautiful days with sunshine, light breezes, and temps in the 70's. 70's I tell ya!!!!

The kids have pretty much survived on popsicles alone this summer. The little guy is a messy eater and what I call a kitty licker. Instead of biting his popsicle, he licks, and licks, and licks. Because of his messy status, I force him to eat his popsicles outside. This was rather problematic when it was a million and two degrees out this summer. As soon as he would walk outside, it would start dripping.

Now he can fully enjoy his popsicle outside with minimal drips.

That's all for now. We are headed outside to enjoy our evening.

Hope your evening is pleasant and that maybe you too can enjoy a popsicle (or beverage of your choice) outside where you can admire God's handiwork.

Love,

Carrie

The Measurement of a Boy's Love

Last night at bedtime, I did all the usual stuff. I read him a story, sprayed the spiders away, told him a story, sang him a lullaby, got him a little glass of water, and did the usual good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite.

We used to have a really simple, no fuss bed time. Then as all kids do, we added to the bed time routine.

It used to be a simple good night, sleep tight, don't let the bed bugs bite.

Then he went through a scaredy spider phase. It was then that Febreze was transformed into Spider Be Gone. That miraculous spray would scare those spiders away. His room never smelled so good.

After the spiders made a beeline for the other room, he asked for a lullaby.

A few weeks later, he asked for me to read a story.

A few more days passed, and he then asked for me to tell him a story. My creativity is shot at this point in the day. His bedtime story usually has something to do with whatever toy I tripped over while putting him in bed.

Lately, he has asked for something to drink.

It is a long process. I can't believe I allowed myself to get suckered into such a long bed time routine.

But it is what it is. In a few more years, he won't let me tuck him in.

After I got him all settled and went through the million step ritual, Daddy went in to give him a hug.

He sat down on his bed and their conversation went something like this...

Clint - Hey buddy, I love you. I love you bunches.

C-man - Yeah...

Clint - Do you love me?

C-man - Yeah...

Clint - How much do you love me?

C-man - Well, we were just at Grandma's house and Christmas is coming soon.

Clint - Ummm, alright buddy.

C-man - Yeah, good night Daddy.

C-man's love for his daddy falls somewhere between being at Grandma's house and Christmas. That's a pretty good position, isn't it?

Through the Trees

 

My brother and I grew up in the country.  We couldn't ride our bikes to our friend's house down the block.  We couldn't go play at park down the street.  We couldn't walk down to the convenience store to grab a Dr. Pepper and a Snickers.  We kept ourselves entertained doing other things, like catching frogs and lightning bugs, climbing hay bales in the barn, and riding the four wheeler.  Our favorite was riding the four wheeler.  We got ourselves into quite a bit of trouble riding four wheelers when we were younger.

We had grown up quite a bit since those early four wheeler almost catastrophes.  I was finishing up my 4th grade year and Derek was finishing up 1st grade.  We were practically grown-ups.  We tried to prove it with our mad four wheeler driving skills.  It was boring just driving up and down the dirt roads.  We wanted excitement.  We wanted adventure.  So we created our own four wheeler track.

We would fly around our house, go back by the out buildings, go up and over the little bump by the cellar, turn sharply to miss the long row of gnarly cedar trees, and zoom back out to the driveway.  I had it down.  I drove it like I was a pro.  It was Derek's turn.  We got on and drove on our track.  He drove it several times with me hanging on behind him.  He decided that he had it down and that it was time for some speed.  Each time around we got a little faster, a little faster, a little faster.

He flew around the front of the house, went back by the out buildings, went up and over the little bump by the cellar, and he turned.  It wasn't a sharp enough turn though.  We ended up in the long row of trees.  Thankfully we hit a tree in the middle of the row.  Derek turned around and found me on the ground.  I had scratches on my face, arms, and a huge gash on my knee.  The four wheeler's cattle guard was dented.  Derek was...Derek was...he was fine.  He had a few small scratches.

Derek's first words after brushing ourselves off, "Why didn't you duck?"

From that moment on, I refused to ride with him.  I told him that I wouldn't ride with him ever again.  It was one week later.  I was riding the three wheeler in front of him.  He was on the dented four wheeler.  I stopped for a low-lying branch and I kid you not, he ran right into the three wheeler.  The three wheeler tipped on its side. 

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

There is one more four wheeler story involving my brother.  It is a doozie.  Stay tuned.

Meme's Chicken and Sour Cream Enchiladas

I have always called my mother's mother Meme.  She wasn't ever Grandma to me.  She was and still is and will always be Meme. 

Funny side story here. When Clint was introducing my grandparents to his parents a long time ago, he forgot my grandparent's names.  After introducing his parents he said that this is Carrie's grandparents...um...well...um...Papa and Meme.

Meme used to make these enchiladas for us every time she came to visit.  We loved them and still do.  My hubby loves them, um hello, green chilies!!!  Remember, he is kind of into those.  I love this recipe because it is really easy and scrumptious.  

Start with some cooked, diced up chicken.  (I use a rotisserie chicken from the store.  I'm lazy like that.)

Dump some cream of chicken into the pan.

And some sour cream.

Then add drained green chilies, salt and pepper.

Combine. Over medium heat bring to a boil.

Spread a little of chicken mixture into the bottom of your baking dish to prevent burning.

Spoon chicken mixture into a tortilla.

Wrap and place the filled tortilla seam side down into your baking dish.

 

Repeat.  And repeat.  And repeat.  You get the idea.

Spoon remaining chicken mixture onto the top of the filled tortillas.

Top with cheese.  I used Colby Jack to keep the enchiladas mild (for the kiddos), but you could really spice it up with Pepper Jack cheese.

Bake.

 Delicious!!

 Mmmmm, yummy.

Chicken and Sour Cream Enchiladas

2 cups diced cooked chicken

1 (4 oz) can diced green chilies

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 teaspoon pepper

1 1/2 cans cream of chicken soup

1 cup sour cream

9 flour tortillas

1 1/2 cups shredded cheese (Cheddar, Colby Jack, Monterrey Jack, your preference)

Combine chicken, cream of chicken soup, chilies, salt and pepper.  Over medium heat bring to a boil.  Put a small amount of chicken mixture into the bottom of your baking dish to prevent burning.  Place 2 tablespoons of mixture on each tortilla.  Roll and place in an oblong baking dish.  Pour remaining mixture over enchiladas; sprinkle with cheese.  Bake uncovered for 30 minutes or til bubbly at 350 degrees.

We were under attack...

My, oh my, how the time does fly. Especially when you are having fun.

Our Labor Day weekend was packed with fun. The kids went to the zoo on Saturday with their grandparents. As can be imagined, they had a blast and they wore out Grandma and Grandpa. While our kids were busy keeping their grandparents in line, Clint and I got to go cheer on our OSU Cowboys at their season opener.

We had a wonderful night out with our great friends, but were ready to get back to our little hoodlums. When we pulled into Clint's parent's house Sunday afternoon, we were under attack.

Princess Katrina and Chief Loud Pants came running.

Chief Loud Pants was, well, he was loud. Letting out a battle cry he came running. Of course his weapon of choice was a monster bear hug.

Princess Katrina came running and gave us a hug as well. Her weapon...beauty. She can take anyone down with it. Good grief, that girl is going to create some trouble among the boys (and her parents).

Thanks for stopping by,

Carrie

The Grass is Greener on My Side of the Fence

It has been incredibly hot and dry this summer. We have been watering our yard like crazy in an effort to keep it looking nice. Our neighbor has not. Can you tell? Can you tell where the property line is?

 

He does have one thing going for him that we do not. He has only mowed his grass weeds twice this year. So there is that.

Thanks for stopping by,
Carrie

Summer Highlights

Today was Sissy's first day back to school, thus marking the unofficial end of summer in the Dotson household.

I thought it would be fun to go back and do a recap of our summer.

Summer started off with a bang.  Sissy finished school on a high note and won two blue ribbons in the grade school field day.

C-man and I had our first ambulance ride.  Hopefully that will be our last.  (Don't worry, he was fine.)

SW Kansas Stonehenge was created.

Lots of swimming...

Lots and lots and lots of swimming.

There were a few trips to the lake which included fishing...

and water skiing.

There was a special hair cut.

And there were hall races.

That leads us to today.  Sissy's first day of school.

She starts 4th grade. 

WWWAAAHHHH!!!  When did my little baby girl grow up. 

Excuse me, I need to go grab a tissue.

Signed,

The emotional mother of a 4th grader