The Orange Rhino Challenge

A few days ago I came across an article on Pinterest titled "10 Things I learned when I stopped yelling at my kids." This article instantly sparked my curiosity--being that I've really felt recently that I yell at my kids way too much. I clicked the link and started reading the article--and I instantly felt convicted. When did I turn into this? Sure, my kids are very well-behaved.. but at what cost? I realized that I was yelling at them for small things that could have easily been avoided. I hated that I was like this--and I knew by the time I was done reading this article that I was going to be part of "The Orange Rhino Challenge." Me not yelling at my kids does not mean that I wont be punishing them when its needed; it just means that I'm not going to lose my mind over everything. I'm a few days deep in this and I already feel a sense of relief; knowing that I'm not a monster, I'm not ruining my kids' childhoods, and I'm not a bad mom.

I think this is a terrific article and a great reminder for every mom (and dad) out there! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

You can read the article below, and also find it here. 


10 Things I Learned When I Stopped Yelling At My Kids

Someone asked me this past weekend, “So, what were your findings from not yelling for a year? Did you learn anything?” Huh. Pretty good question. And it got me thinking, “Well, what did I learn?” I’ll tell you this; I learned a lot, a lot more than I can possible fit in a blog post! So I share with you the top 10 things that I learned from my Orange Rhino Challenge where I promised to not yell at my 4 boys for 365 days straight.

1. Yelling isn’t the only thing I haven’t done in a year (399 days to be exact!)I also haven’t gone to bed with a gut-wrenching pit in my stomach because I felt like the worst mom ever. I haven’t bawled to my husband that I yelled again and again. And I haven’t heard my sons scream, “You’re the meanest, worstest, mommy in the whole world, I don’t love you anymore!” Yep, I learned real quickly that there are upsides to not yelling!

2. My kids are my most important audience.When I had my “no more yelling epiphany,” I realized that I don’t yell in the presence of others because I want them to believe I am a loving and patient mom.  The truth is, I already was that way…but rarely when I was alone, just always when I was in public with an audience to judge me. This is so backwards! I always have an audience – my four boys are always watching me and THEY are the audience that matters most; they are the ones I want to show just how loving, patient and “yell-free” I can be. I want my boys to judge me and proclaim, “My mommy is the bestest mommy ever!” I remember this whenever I am home and thinking I can’t keep it together; obviously I can…I do it out and about all the time!

3. Kids are just kids; and not just kids, but people too.Like me, my kids have good days and bad days. Some days they are pleasant and sweet and listen really well; other days they are grumpy and difficult. By the way, I am always sweet and never difficult.Always. Ha! And like all kids, my boys are loud at times, they refuse to put their shoes on, and they color on the wall, especially if it is covered in brand new wallpaper that mommy loves. So, yeah, I need to watch my expectations and remember that my boys are kids: they are still learning, still growing, and still figuring out how to handle waking up on the wrong side of the bed. When they “make mistakes” I need to remember that not only does yelling not help, but like me, they don’t like to be yelled at!

4. I can’t always control my kids’ actions, but I can always control my reaction.I can try my hardest to follow all the parenting tricks of the trade for well-disciplined children, but since my kids are just kids, they sometimes won’t do what I want. I can decide if I want to scream “Pick up your Legos! ” when they don’t listen or if I want to walk away for a second, regain composure by doing some jumping jacks, and then return with a new approach. P.S. Walking away and taking a breather can actually get the Legos picked up faster than yelling.

5. Yelling doesn’t work.There were numerous times when I wanted to quit my Orange Rhino Challenge, when I thought yelling would just be easier than finding deep breaths and creative alternatives to yelling. But I knew better. Early on, I learned that yelling simply doesn’t work, that it just makes things spiral out of control and it makes it hard for my boys to hear what I want them to learn. How can they clearly here me “say” “Hurry up, get your backpacks, your shoes, your jackets, don’t touch each other, go faster, you an do it yourself!” when it’s all a garbled, loud mix of intimidating orders that are making them cry?

6. Incredible moments can happen when you don’t yell.One night I heard footsteps coming downstairs well after bedtime. Although infuriated that my “me-time” was interrupted, I remained calm and returned said child to bed. As I tucked him in he said “Mommy, will you love me if I go to heaven first, because if you go first, I will still love you. In fact, I will always love you.” Tears still come to my eyes just writing that. I can guarantee if I had yelled “GET BACK IN BED!” we never would have had that sweet, very important conversation.

7. Not yelling is challenging, but it can be done!I am not going to say not yelling is “easy peasy,” but getting creative with alternatives certainly made it easier and more doable. And after yelling into the toilet, beating my chest like a gorilla, singing Lalala, Lalala it’s Elmo’s world, and using orange napkins at mealtime as a reminder of my promise, it certainly got a heck of a lot easier. Sure, I feel silly at times doing these things, but they keep me from losing it. So do my new favorite words: “at least.”  These two small words give me great perspective and remind me to chill out. I use them readily in any annoying but not yell worthy kid situation. “He just dropped an entire jug of milk on the floor…at least it wasn’t glass and at least he was trying to help!”

8. Often times, I am the problem, not my kids.The break-up line, “It’s not you, it’s me” rings uncomfortably true when learning not to yell.  I quickly realized that oftentimes I wanted to yell because I had a fight with my husband, I was overwhelmed by my to-do list, I was tired or it was that time of the month, not because the kids were behaving “badly.” I also quickly realized that acknowledging my personal triggers by saying out loud: “Orange Rhino, you have wicked PMS and need chocolate, you aren’t mad at the kids, don’t yell” works really well to keep yells at bay.

9. Taking care of me helps me to not yell.I was always great at taking care of others; I was not, however, always good at taking care of myself until now. Once I realized that personal triggers like feeling overweight, feeling disconnected from friends, and feeling exhausted set me up to yell, I started taking care of me. I started going to bed earlier, prioritizing exercise, trying to call one friend a day and most importantly, I started telling myself it’s okay to not be perfect. Taking care of me not only helps me not yell, but it also makes me happier, more relaxed, and more loving. Ah, the benefits of not yelling extend far beyond parenting! There is no doubt that I am in a better parenting AND personal place now that I don’t yell. Just to name a few unexpected benefits of not yelling: I do more random acts of kindness, I handle stressful situations more gracefully, and I communicate more lovingly with my husband.

10. Not yelling feels awesome.Now that I have stopped yelling, not only do I feel happier and calmer, I also feel lighter. I go to bed guilt-free (except for the extra cookie I ate that day, oops) and wake-up more confident that I can parent with greater understanding of my kids, my needs, and how to be more loving and patient.  And I am pretty sure my kids feel happier and calmer too. I know everyone wants to read, “I stopped yelling and not only do I feel great, but also my kids are now calmer AND perfectly behaved.“ Well, they aren’t. They are still kids. But, yes tantrums are shorter and some are completely avoided. Now that I am calmer, I can think more rationally to resolve potential problems before meltdown mania.  But forget perfectly behaved kids for a second. My kids are most definitely more loving towards me, and now tell me quite often “I love you Orange Rhino mommy!” and that feels more than awesome, it feels phenomenal.

Oven-baked Sandwiches

Today I'm going to share a recipe for a quick meal that Joe and I have sort-of become obsessed with. We first tried this when we visited some friends while they were camping; we ate lunch with them and they cooked this right on their barbecue. Joe and I never camp, but we still wanted to eat this--and it tastes just as great--if not better--cooked in the oven. Its so simple and quick and sure to please your grumbling tummy ;)

Ingredients:
1 French bread loaf
Lunch meat of your choice
Cheese of your choice
Mustard
Mayonnaise
Anything else you like on your sandwiches :)

First, grab your French loaf and preheat your oven to 425* F (or, if you're camping, fire up your grill)

Slice it up--but don't cut completely through--you want the loaf to still somewhat stay together. 

Put your lunch meat and cheese in every-other-slice (so that when you pull it apart it'll make sandwiches). *If you're camping, wrap the sandwich up in foil and place in grill, then cover grill and let cook.

Place in oven for between 5-10 minutes, or until cheese is melted. Let cool a few minutes, tear apart into sandwiches, and add your mustard, mayonnaise, and whatever else you like in your sandwiches! 

These are so tasty and so easy to make! If you're serving a lunch and you have no idea what to make--this will definitely become your go-to "recipe." :)

Summer Nights

Yesterday was such an amazing day! It started off with Joe letting me sleep in until 10:30--I didn't even know I was capable of that anymore! I got up, took a quick shower, then we headed outside to spend the day out by the pool. We love this little pool; it gave us the best summer ever last year, and its shaping up to do the same this year. Best part? It was only $20 at Target. We spent the day out by the pool, and when nap time rolled around and the kids fell asleep, Joe and I booked our anniversary trip for our upcoming 5-year wedding anniversary! 

Once the kids woke up, we ate a quick dinner then headed back outside (but for a bonfire this time). The kids always get excited when we do a bonfire--because they know that that means they get s'mores. Even though I'm a clean freak and hate when my kids are dirty, I absolutely love watching them get all messy while eating s'mores. I feel like its a right of passage for kids. All it takes is a few wipes to clean them up, so I usually don't stress about it. 

I love days like yesterday. No makeup on, hanging out at the house all day just spending time as a family--this is what I live for. I wouldn't trade my life for anything. I love spending these summer days with Joe and the kids, and although I'm so excited for Fall and all of the fun that comes with it, I'm trying so hard to just cherish these fun times. Fall will be here before I know it, so I'm loving summer while its still here. Here are a few of my favorite pictures from our awesome day yesterday: 

Having fun in the pool! I love it when I get a real smile out of him!

Being silly <3

lol.

Sword fights with the bubble wands. 

Someone is excited for s'mores!

Such a big boy now!

<3

So freakin cute.

Her eyes kill me. <3

Ending the night with cuddles and kisses from daddy <3

Lil' Smokies Wrapped in Bacon

As you may have read yesterday, we were all at Joe's aunt and uncle's house celebrating his mom's upcoming birthday. I always love going to there house for a few reasons: we always have a great time, they have a beautiful house, and the food is always AMAZING. They go all-out. Yesterday his aunt made these bacon wrapped lil' smokies, and I swear I ate the whole pan of them (which would explain my 2-pound weight gain this morning.. yikes. Oh well, it was worth it). This is the ultimate party food-of-all-party foods. I'm having a party in a few weeks for my birthday, and I will absolutely be making multiple pans of these. Brace yourselves--your mouth is about to water. Best part of it all? Its 3 ingredients and SO easy. 

Ingredients:
1 Package (16 ounces) of Hillshire Farm Lil' Smokies
1 Package (12 ounces) of sliced bacon
1 Cup of brown sugar (packed)

Directions: 
Preheat oven to 400*F. 

Cut each bacon slices into 4 pieces. Wrap each Lil' Smokies link with a piece of bacon; secure with a toothpick. Place in a 13x9x2 inch baking pan. Sprinkle evenly with the brown sugar.

Bake for 30 to 35 minutes or until bacon is crisp and sugar is melted. Cool slightly before serving.

*Tip. If you're looking for a lower fat version, use Hillshire Farm Turkey Lil' Smokies and turkey bacon. 

New Car! :)

Yesterday we bought a new car! Joe traded in his Honda Insight for a brand new Kia Optima. We had the Insight for a long time, and honestly we hated it. Yes, it got great gas mileage (with it being a hybrid and all), but other than that, it was awful. The tires were constantly needing to be changed, there were always alerts going off, and it had absolutely no power behind it. I will say, however, that I will miss being able to drive to Vegas on $40. This new car is fancy. It looks pretty on the outside, and the inside is awesome! I'm just excited to have a new car, honestly.

Today we are driving to Del Mar to celebrate my mother-in-law's birthday with family. This is probably the only time Joe and I will ever fight about who gets to drive (he's driving there, I'm driving back). Joe's aunt and uncle (where we're going to today) have a beautiful house and a yard to perfectly match it. I'm excited to have some pool time today!

And for the big news: my birthday is 13 days away! I'm pretty sure I'm getting a new car as well; we will be going from a black-car family to a white-car family--the black cars just show WAY too much dirt! I've wanted a Nissan Cube for FOREVER--so hopefully I'll get one (Joe: hint hint).

I'm gonna keep today's post short and sweet because we need to get on the road soon.. but I hope you all have a fun Saturday! :)

Re-purposing Wine Bottles

I'm obsessed with re-purposing wine bottles. I've seen so many ideas on Pinterest for painting wine bottles and putting designs on them, but I've heard from friends that painting wine bottles is a huge pain in the butt. I love the look of jute, so I thought I would wrap jute around my wine bottles and go from there. Once I got going, I realized I wanted to make TONS of these so that I could have them out any time of the year. With each wine bottles taking about 45 minutes to wrap, I knew that would be a lot of work. I thought about how I could use the same wine bottles but still be able to use them as house and/or holiday decorations, and I came up with this idea! *This is super fun to make and not hard at all. If you're wanting a crafting day, this one takes the cake ;)

I started with 2 wine bottles, a beer bottle, jute, and my glue gun. You could use all beer bottles, all wine bottles, or whatever you wanted. I'm doing a 3-bottle set, so I liked the look of the beer bottle being in the middle--I love the shape of it. 

All wrapped up! Like I said earlier, each bottle takes about 45 minutes to wrap. Starting at the top, secure the jute with some hot glue. Once that's dried (about a minute), start wrapping the bottle. "Secure" the jute every now and then with some hot glue--just in case it starts to unravel, you wont have to start over. It'll also help secure it so that the jute doesn't move when you pick the bottles up. Be sure to wrap it tight! 

Here's my supplies to decorate it. Today I made a Christmas bottle decoration and an every-day decoration. The red fabric, white "plaques", cardboard letters, black paint and the paint brush are all for the Christmas bottles. The flowers are for the everyday bottles (I need to buy a few more supplies for the everyday bottles which I'll do before I finish posting this blog). 

I was supposed to be doing this craft with my sister, but she's been really busy lately so I just went ahead and did mine. Our Christmas bottles are going to say 'Joy' on them and I painted the letters black before attaching them to the bottles. 

Here I made cuffs. Wrap your fabric around your wine bottle until it fits perfectly. Then I used my hot glue gun to attach the fabric "plaques" to the material, then again used my hot glue gun to attach the letters. 

Here's my big idea: using velcro so that I could attach and take off "decorations" so that the wine bottles could be used year-round (it also will help with storage--I wont be storing a million wine bottles 24/7).  

Final product: my Christmas wine bottles. I haven't bought Christmas "flowers" yet (they aren't going to be flowers; they're going to be these bead things on a stick.. almost looks like a tree branch) because they aren't selling them at Hobby Lobby yet (next month!!), but these will not be empty. They are vases; you can put whatever you want in them.  

They'll look so cute sitting at the base of my stairs right when you walk in the front door. I cant wait to buy the stuff to put in them--I love the way these turned out! 

Just like that, I swapped out the cuffs and I now have an every day decoration that I can keep up year-round. 

(I'm not going to leave the flowers in there like that; I need to trim them down so that there isn't so much stem. I just put them in there to give an example). 

These turned out exactly how I wanted them to! They're a bit time consuming; I didn't do all of this in one day (although I'm sure you could if you wanted to). I plan on making a Fall cuff to attach, but I haven't decided exactly how I want it to look yet; hence, no Fall example. The great thing about these is that you can really customize them to fit your decor--and they look great! 

I hope you like it! Have fun! :)

Its a Wild Ride!

Do your kids ever drive you absolutely crazy? Wait--that's a rhetorical question: of course they do. Having two kids that are 22 months apart is both awesome yet awful at the same time. They play together, but they also fight non-stop. Madison will throw a toy at Maverick, he'll start crying and say that 'Madison is garbage..' Madison will then start crying saying "I'm not garbage, bubbas!" and then the whole "playing nicely" is gone. Both kids are in timeout; Madison for throwing the toy, Maverick for saying his sister is garbage--its a train wreck. Its a rare thing that we get a 30-minute stretch without one of them coming crying to me about something. Oh, and the word garbage is now a "bad word" in our house because Maverick uses it so much and it drives me crazy: Captain Hook on Jake and the Neverland Pirates: garbage. The bad guy on whatever movie we're watching: garbage. He doesn't like his lunch? Garbage. I. Hate. That. Word. At first I thought it was cute that he would throw stuff away in the garbage instead of the trash can ...but now that it's turned into this word, I can't take it! 

Yesterday morning,  Joe, Maverick and I were still asleep at the late hour of 5:30 am. Madison woke up, ran down the hall, swung Maverick's door open and yelled "AWAKE!!" while turning his light on. I could tell it was going to be an awesome day. They came into our room, I tried telling them to go play in their rooms--but that doesn't work so great. This morning Joe had to leave early for work, which meant that I could stay in bed however long I wanted because we wouldn't be waving 'bye' at the window. The kids woke up early, I told them to go play--and they actually did. For about 10 minutes. Its hard trying to sleep in when you're screaming down the hall to "share the toys! Be nice! Don't hit!" ...I ended up getting out of bed at 8:00--which is an improvement from our daily routine, but I certainly wasn't sleeping until then. I thought that once the "baby stage" was over I'd get more sleep?! Nope. I think that's what these kids do: they make you so sleep deprived that you're like a zombie throughout the day, then fight and fight and fight until you reach your breaking point.

Exactly. 

I know that this is all part of raising siblings--they fight and drive each other crazy, and when they're older they become best friends. Can we fast forward a few years? No, I'm kidding.. but really. I love the stages that they are both in--individually. Maverick is so smart and I cant believe he is starting kindergarten next year (2014). He is so cute and is constantly making me laugh. He's going to be amazing. Madison may throw fits non-stop, but when she takes breaks from throwing herself on the ground crying, shes actually really cute. We are just wrapped around her little finger--and it seems like anyone who comes in contact with her is the same. She'll be rolling around on the floor screaming for whatever reason, then stand up, compose herself, walk over to you and say "Mommy, you're my best friend. You're so pretty.. I'm really pretty too. I love you." Its just insanely cute. However, that screaming/cute ratio is about 90:10--so we try to enjoy it while it lasts. 

The kids are actually playing nice right now as I type this. Its always funny when we're going somewhere they're excited about--they INSTANTLY turn into best friends so that they can be excited together. "Hey, do you guys want to go get some frozen yogurt?" "YES! I love you Madison! Want to hold my hand?" "I love you too bubbas! You're my best friend!" Every. Time. Joe and I always laugh--its pretty funny to watch.

I always say that their age difference is what makes it difficult, but honestly I don't think it really matters. Siblings fight regardless of what their age gap is. 12 months, 24 months, 5 years difference--they'll still fight. Maybe not as much, but I don't think there's a way to avoid it. I guess the best you can do is sit back and brace yourself for the wild ride--and constantly remind yourself that it wont always be like this. Joe's cousin told us that he heard kids have "on and off years" --either odd or even. I think it depends on your kid whether they are good on the odd-or-even years, but so far its proving true. Last year was an AMAZING year for us with the kids, and this year is just full of fights and tantrums. We are currently in an even year, with the kids being 2 and 4. We're hoping that that analogy is true--and we can't wait for next year's "off year" to get here. ;)

Quit the Criticizing

If there's one thing that bothers me in the whole "parenting department," its how judgmental parents get of each other.  I can't even count the amount of times I've read "oh, I feel sorry for that kid!" on my 'mommy forum' that I'm on. Parenting goes in phases--and before you think I'm crazy for saying that, just take a second to think about it. Back when we were kids, the way you'd put a a baby to sleep is on its stomach. Obviously research has shown that that can lead to SIDS, which is why the "Back to Sleep" campaign came about. However, back then they didn't have the research that we have now, and they thought that stomach sleeping was the thing to do. Now I can't say for sure, but I'm fairly positive that if moms were the way they are now, they looked down on anyone who didn't put their baby to sleep on their stomach.

These days, all I ever read on mom forums is mostly negative; yes, there are a few women who build one another up and give out great advice, but then there are the judgmental ones: "Oh, you don't read your kid 8 books before bed? Your child is going to fall behind in school." "Oh, you let your kid watch more than 30 minutes of TV a day? I feel sorry for your kid because you obviously don't love him." These are obviously made up, but the pettiness of them is about equal to what I'm reading on forums. Its ridiculous. Everyone has their own way of parenting--and its no one's place to judge them. I know that some of you may be thinking I'm a hypocrite right now because I've posted blogs about how you shouldn't let your kid rule your household--but I'm not a hypocrite because I'm not telling you exactly how to do it. If you spank, use timeouts, have structured nap times, use the "cry it out" method--I don't care. You'll never hear me telling you how to parent your child. Sure, I have the methods that have worked for me, so of course I'm an advocate for those methods--but ever child is different, and I think that's what some of these moms don't realize.

God forbid I post a picture of Maverick having a candy bar at breakfast time--I'd have to be sure to post a disclaimer of "I swear I'm not a bad mom! This doesn't happen all the time! We were in a hurry and..." Enough is enough. If I want to give my kids candy for breakfast, then I can do that--because I'M the parent. You may think I'm a terrible parent, but a little candy is not going to hurt anyone. (Now for the disclaimer: I haven't actually given my kids candy for breakfast--I was just using it as an example. "I swear I'm not a bad mom").

It seems like moms specifically look for flaws in other moms so that they can feel superior. "I saw a baby in a baby Bjorn earlier today and I felt SO bad for that baby. I wish I would've told that mom that she's ruining her child's life." Listen: I get it that baby Bjorn's position the kid weird and can cause hip issues, but if it were that big of an issue, the product would have been recalled. I used Bjorn's for both of my kids, and they have absolutely no problems with their hips. I also used formula, plastic bottles, and I didn't co-sleep. I must be a terrible mom--so please, feel bad for my kids. Such a shame, right?

I can guarantee that I'm going to lose some "popularity points" with some of the moms I'm friends with--but that's fine. I don't think you're a bad mom if you co-sleep, breastfeed, use formula, spank your kids, don't spank your kids: what matters is that your child grows up to be a respectable member of society--how you get them to that point is up to you. Us moms need to build each other up more--quit criticizing anything that's different than how we parent. Everything is good in moderation: I let my kids watch TV, I spank them when its necessary, they have a set bedtime that they comply to EVERY night, and I don't mind if they have a little candy every now and then--but you know what? They throw fits just like your kid does, have a blast playing with their toys just like your kid does, and are loved more than they could ever know--just like your kid is. I'm not saying that my kids are going to be model citizens; there's no way of knowing that. This parenting thing is all 'trial and error;' we'll never have a sure-fire way of doing this or doing that. Every child is different, so lets get off our high horses and quit making moms feel bad for the way they do things. We're all trying our best here, and there's already enough guilt that comes with being a mom--we certainly don't need to add more.

And now I'll step down off of my soap box. Happy Wednesday everyone :)

Homemade Apple Pie

Does anyone else feel like this year is just flying by? I swear Summer just started, but its already seeming like its turning into Fall. My nectarine tree has barely any fruit left on it, the weather has been sporadic (one day its 100* degrees out, the next day its 70* with flash flood warnings popping up on my phone all day), and all of the "Fall events" that have been planned forever are starting to pop up on my calendar--bridal showers, bachelorette parties--its all practically here. Next week will be August.. August? Already? I think we all know what that means: ALL of the Christmas decorations at Hobby Lobby will be out--and because of that, it means that I'll be kicking my crafting into full gear--so brace yourselves!

Today I'll be working on those wine bottles I wrapped in jute a while ago; I'm so excited for how they'll turn out! I have a bunch of Christmas crafts planned--I'll be making TONS of decorations for my house! I'm feeling in the "Fall spirit" today, so I'll share the recipe I used last Thanksgiving when I made my first apple pie ever. I dove right in and made everything from scratch--including the crust (which was a HUGE pain in the butt!) but it tasted amazing! If you want to save yourself a TON of time, I'd recommend buying a store-bought crust... Otherwise, here you go!

Ingredients:

Pastry:
2 cups of all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon of salt
2/3 cup plus 2 tablespoons of shortening
4 to 6 tablespoons of cold water

Filling:
1/3 to 1/2 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon of ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon of ground nutmeg
1/8 teaspoon of salt
8 cups of thinly sliced peeled tart apples (8 medium)
2 tablespoons of butter or margarine

Directions:

Step 1: In medium bowl, mix two cups of flour with 1 teaspoon of salt. Cut in shortening, using a pastry blender (or pulling 2 table knives through ingredients in opposite directions), until particles are the size of small peas. Sprinkle with cold water, 1 tablespoon at a time, tossing with fork until all flour is moistened and pastry almost cleans the side of the bowl (1 to 2 teaspoons more water can be added if necessary).

Step 2: Gather pastry into a ball. Divide in half; shape into 2 flattened rounds on lightly floured surface. Wrap in plastic wrap; refrigerate about 45 minutes or until dough is firm and cold, yet pliable. This allows the shortening to become slightly firm, which helps make the baked pastry more flaky. If refrigerated longer, let pastry soften slightly before rolling.

Step 3: Heat oven to 425*F. With floured rolling pin, roll one pastry round to 2 inches larger than the upside-down 9-inch pie plate. Fold pastry into fourths and place in pie plate. Unfold and ease into plate, pressing firmly against bottom and side.

Step 4: In large bowl, mix sugar, flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt. Stir in apples until well mixed. Spoon into pastry-lined pie plate. Cut butter into small pieces and sprinkle over the filling. Trim overhanging edge of pastry 1/2 an inch from the rim of the plate.

Step 5: Roll other round of pastry into 10-inch round. Fold into fourths and cut slits so steam can escape. Unfold top pastry over filling; trim overhanging edge 1 inch from the rim of the plate. Fold and roll the top edge under lower edge, pressing on rim to seal; flute as desired. Cover edge with 2-inch or 3-inch strip of foil to prevent excessive browning. This was the step where I got creative with my crust. Instead of following these directions, I grabbed a leaf cookie-cutter and cut out TONS of leaves; then starting with the rim, lined the pie with them. This took a long time to do, but the presentation turned out amazing. 

Step 6: Bake 40 to 50 minutes or until crust is brown and juice begins to bubble through slits in the crust, removing foil for last 15 minutes of baking. Serve warm if desired. Enjoy!

Expert Tips:

• For a pretty glazed top crust, brush this--and any other double crust pie--with milk or cream and sprinkle with sugar before baking.
  
• Jump-start your pie baking by using Betty Crocker pie crust mix. Just add water and stir; the dough is ready in 5 minutes.
  
• Start with three 20-ounce cans of sliced apples, drained, instead of using fresh apples, and you'll shave about half the prep time off of this recipe. 

Take that Advice!

Have you ever had a problem and asked for advice--only to completely ignore the advice that was given? I feel like I'm constantly guilty of this--but I never really know that I'm doing it. I have two prime examples--I wanted the results, but didn't want to put any effort into it.

The first one has to do with Maverick and bloody noses. This kid gets bloody noses ALL THE TIME. His pediatrician said that it was from the dry heat where I live, and if I wanted to prevent them, all I had to do was spray his nose with a saline spray or put a thin layer of vasoline in his nostrils. For whatever reason, I didn't take his advice (don't ask why, because I have no idea). The bloody noses kept coming, and we just kept dealing with them. Finally I was tired of waking up in the middle of the night to tend to his bloody noses, and I remembered what his doctor had told me. Now, every night before Maverick goes to bed, I grab a q-tip and give his nostrils a thin layer of vasoline in there--and sure enough, it works: no more bloody noses. It makes me wonder how many nose bleeds I could have avoided had I just taken the doctor's advice. 

Another example of me ignoring advice is losing weight. Before I started working out and eating healthy, I kept looking for a shortcut that could get me to my goal weight without me actually having to do anything. Everyone does this; whenever someone loses weight, everyone seems to ask them what their secret was. I received many of these "what's your secret?!" emails--only to disappoint them and tell them that I counted calories, ate healthy, and worked out. No one wants to do that--its not fun--but once you get into the routine of it, it just comes naturally and is no longer a chore. Because I was counting my calories, I am very aware of the portions I eat and how much of it to eat. I can eyeball how much 1 tablespoon of peanut butter looks like now, without having to actually measure it out. I know that those iced coffee drinks (and probably every drink at Starbucks) has an insane amount of calories in just one drink--therefore I never drink my calories anymore. There's no magic pill in the game of losing weight--you just have to want it for yourself. Once you reach your breaking point, eating healthy and exercising wont be hard because you'll crave seeing those results.. and if you're killing yourself in the gym, you can almost guarantee you wont want to eat that brownie because you worked so hard to burn those calories when you did your workout. It took me a while to understand this concept--and my weight ended up getting higher than it had ever been. Thankfully I reached my breaking point pretty quickly and was able to get dialed into the gym. My birthday is in a few weeks, and that means that my drivers license needs to be renewed. I cant explain how excited I am that I don't have to lie about my weight when I renew my license--I'm finally happy with where I'm at. :)

I don't know why I'm hard-headed (sometimes) and don't listen to advice, but now that I'm aware of it, hopefully I can realize when I'm doing it and stop. Are you hard-headed too? Thank goodness I'm only hard-headed sometimes otherwise I'd probably drive Joe crazy! :)

Today I don't feel like doin' anything...

If you are an avid reader of my blog, you probably noticed that I didn't post one yesterday. These past couple of week have just been crazy--I've been so busy and I have absolutely no idea what I've been busy with! Obviously this past week Joe was on a work trip in Dallas, which left me alone with the kids all week. Although I was on my own, I was still able to paint my bedroom, paint Joe's closet, keep the house clean, and most importantly: keep the kids alive. Yesterday morning I was so happy to have Joe home: he woke up early when the kids woke up, took them downstairs, and let me sleep in till 10. I can't remember the last time I did that! At that time, Joe and the kids came upstairs and we all hung out in bed until 11. It was a perfect Saturday morning--just what we needed after missing him all week.

After we all slowly got the day going, we ate some lunch then hung out by the pool for a few hours. We ate fruit picked off of our trees, splashed around, and laid out in the sun (well, more like clouds--it was a weird cloudy day here yesterday). Most of all, we got some great quality time as a family in. Its insane how much we missed Joe--after nearly 5 years of marriage, I still was like a kid on Christmas when I got to pick him up from the airport!

So, I'm sorry for not posting yesterday, but I'm not sorry. I was spending the day with Joe and the kids and having a relaxing day--something that seems to be rare these days. I feel like I'm constantly on the go, so it was nice taking a break from it all :).

Today, we are driving down to San Diego to have lunch in Balboa Park with some of Joe's cousins who are visiting from out of town. Ironically, they live in Dallas (where Joe was) but were out here for work the same time Joe was out of town. Joe was able to visit his aunt and uncle and some of his other cousins while he was there--and I was so jealous! I wish I could have gone! I'm excited to have lunch with them today though :).

If you're like me and you're constantly on the go doing stuff, be sure to take some time to yourself to relax. You can't just go go go and not expect to get run down. Take a day and just lay around doing nothing--I'm constantly telling myself that I'm not a robot, and I need to take a break. Yesterday was that day for me, and I feel so refreshed! Now go take a nap ;)

Sprucing Up Your Closet

Who says closets have to be ugly and dingy? When we bought this house, the closets were a WRECK. They were all painted with a flat white paint--so of course they had scuff marks all over them. Our downstairs closet was so gross and I never wanted to go in there. I finally got fed up and just painted it one day--and now it looks clean! Our master closet was another story though. We have a pretty big walk-in closet, and of course it was painted with that same flat white paint. There were scuff marks everywhere, shoe scuffs on the wall, dirt smears--gross. I think we all know by now that I like things to be unusually clean--so its amazing that I lasted 2 years in this house without painting this closet. With Joe out of town this week, I thought I would surprise him with a little closet remodel. Joe, if you're at the airport right now and reading my blog, 'x' out of the screen right now :). Since I'm a weird one who prefers a dresser over a closet, this huge closet is all Joe's--so I wanted to make it somewhat manly. 

Here is the 'before' picture. Plain white (dirty) walls. 

The camera flash washed out all of the scuff marks on the walls, but they're definitely there. Also had luggage stacked on the shelf and piles of hats sitting on top of the shelf. 

First and foremost, I went with a grey-and-white color palette. Sue me. Its my current paint-duo obsession, and I'm just gonna go with it. 

Ah, fresh paint <3

Once the paint dried, I put all of the clothes back in the closet. The clothes are organized into categories: long sleeved shirts, v-necks, crew-necks, collared shirts, suits/dress shirts, and pants/shorts. It really isn't hard to keep up with the organization once its done :)

I went to Home Depot and bought thumb tacks so that I could hang all of Joe's hats around the ceiling in the closet. Now they aren't stacked up on the shelf; they're displayed nicely so that he can choose one easily. 

So much better, right?

It just looks clean now! And manly ;)

And lastly: Now that he has a suit-and-tie job, he's accrued quite the collection of ties. He had nowhere to hang them, so he had all of them draped over a hanger. I wanted to give him something where he could hang them up nicely so that he could see them all and (again) make an easy decision on which tie he wanted to wear, so I went to Home Depot and bought this $14 towel rack. If you're friends with me on Facebook and saw my status the other day about 'hanging something up by myself' --this is what I was talking about. That's right: miss independent here--hangin' stuff up all by myself ;)

Overall, the closet looks fantastic and I know Joe is going to love it. Not only is it much more presentable for when we're showing people around our house (yes--who doesn't want to see our closet?!), but its also got way more functionality (and looks pretty too--which is a must for me)  ;) This is Joe's new "man closet." 

Homemade Apple Butter

I saw this recipe for homemade apple butter on Pinterest--I had never tried apple butter, but the pictures make is look delicious--and I've been craving it ever since. I've got an apple tree right in my backyard, so there really was no excuse for me to not make it. The whole process is very time consuming--but well worth it. 

First, grab your apples. As you can see here, I used half store bought Fugi apples and half of some apples off of the tree in my backyard.

Peel, core, and chop up your apples. 

Toss all of the ingredients into the crock pot and stir them up so that all of the apples are coated nicely.

And viola! Homemade apple butter! 

Adorable, right? I'm thinking this might make a great gift around Christmastime ;)

Ingredients:
5 lbs of peeled apples (about 18-20 small apples), cored and chopped very small
4 cups of sugar
2 teaspoons of cinnamon
1/4 tsp. of ground cloves
1/4 tsp. of pumpkin pie spice
1/4 tsp. of salt

Directions: First peel and core your apples. I used a peeler and peeled each apple, then used my apple cutter to take the core out. This process took me around an hour--this process could have gone a lot faster if I had one of those counter top apple peelers that takes the core out--if you have one of those, then you're one step ahead of me ;). 

Once you're done with that, toss the apples into a food processor using the chopping blade and pulsate until the apples are in small pieces. Next, you'll put all of your chopped up apples into your crock pot, toss all of your ingredients in, then stir until the apples are all coated.

Then turn your crock pot onto high and leave for 3 hours, stirring occasionally. After the three hours are up, turn the crock pot onto 'low' for 5 1/2 - 6 hours, stirring occasionally.

Finally, spoon the apples into the food processor and puree them. Once its pureed, you can put them in jars and refrigerate them. A lot of sites say that apple butter stays good canned for 18 - 24 months--if you don't eat it before then!

This may be my new favorite Fall-time recipe; my house smells amazing and the apple butter itself is delicious! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Bread

As you all may know by now, Joe has been out of town all week and comes home on Friday. I had to be sure to get my baking in--as he hates it when I bake when hes home (because he always wants to eat it!). I've been so busy with house projects this week--today was literally the only day I could get some baking in--so I made this pumpkin chocolate chip bread and an apple butter (NOT to be eaten together!). I'll post the recipe for the apple butter tomorrow, but this pumpkin loaf was SO quick and easy to make--and it DOESN'T have 3 cups of sugar in it!

Ingredients:

1 cup of pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie mix)

1 tsp. of vanilla

3 eggs

1/4 cup of sour cream

3/4 cup of vegetable oil

1 2/3 cups of flour

1 cup of sugar

1/2 tsp. of salt

1/2 tsp. of baking powder

1/2 tsp. of baking soda

1 cup + 1/4 cup of chocolate chips, divided

Separately mix the wet and dry ingredients together, then combine.

Toss in the chocolate chips

Pour into loaf pan then sprinkle remaining chocolate chips on top

Bake then enjoy!

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 350* degrees. Grease and flour loaf pan and set aside.

2. In large bowl, sift together the flour, sugar, baking soda, baking powder, and salt TWICE.

3. In a medium bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, oil, vanilla, and sour cream until smooth. 

4. Make a well in the flour mixture and pour in the wet ingredients. Whisk together until smooth. 

5. Fold in 1 cup of chocolate chips.

6. Pour into prepared loaf pan. Sprinkle 1/4 cup of chocolate chips on top. 

7. Bake 60-75 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean. 

8. Cool in pan on a wore rack for 20 minutes before removing to wire rack to cool completely. Enjoy!