A little bit crazy...

Mr. CB got me this shirt a while ago. I like to wear it with striped socks.

I wear it when I'm a little mischievous. But since I'm a parent and need to act like I'm an adult around my kids, goofing off has to wait until they're in bed.
My mom says this video of me is embarrassing and she can't believe I'm posting it.
I say it was way fun, and besides, this is how Mr. CB and I relate. No, really, it is. We're dorks. In fact, I knew Mr. CB was the one to marry when he partially closed a ziplock bag leaving a small opening where he could suck all the air out, then finish closing the now vacuum packed leftovers. My heart went pitter pat.
On another note, we had Blue's party yesterday which rocked! I'll post some pictures soon.

Happy Birthday Blue!

 

 

Dear Blue,

At 11:11am Central Time you entered this world 2 years ago. At the exact same time your sister was diagnosed with RSV and wasn't allowed near you without being disinfected and masked for two weeks!

 

But once you were allowed to be together again, you guys have been the best of pals. I love that you're a Mama's boy, never wanting to leave my side. I'm glad you force me to find new ways to parent, since you and Razz have such different dispositions. Thank you for having your Daddy's brown eyes, his nose, and his hitchhikers thumb. My love for him makes it easy to love you.

Have a great 2nd birthday!

I love you,

Mama

It's a long one!

Alright, so now that school has officially started, I have no time to blog. I expected this, so I've been keeping a list of things I'd like to write about, hence this post is a hodge podge of subjects and events. This will probably be the norm until summer when I have more free time. Okay, back to school.
I just recently received a letter telling me I made the Dean's List for the College of Nursing last semester. This isn't really surprising but at the same time I wasn't expecting it. All I have to do is keep my GPA above a 3.6 each semester and I'm in. This could prove difficult given the amount of homework and studying I have to do as well as taking care of two little Crackle Berry babes. So far I've kept up with studying and reading assignments, but this is just the beginning and it's only going to get more hectic. Going to school with kids is not easy!!!!! Being pregnant and being in the same room as moldy petri dishes (like I was with Blue) is not ideal!!! As much as I wish I had finished school before I had my family, having kids really makes me focus on putting in quality work into school because I have other people depending on me. Flunking a class only takes food out of their mouths and clothes off their backs, which is not an option. I don't have time to repeat anything, I'm not getting any younger, and I don't have the patience. Four more semesters to go!
Our house if falling apart. We need to replace the windows. Here, you'll see what I'm talking about.

This is an old problem, but not one that has happened since we've moved in four years ago. My parents replaced the roof, so we thought that it was taken care of. I understand why the window is leaking, but I don't know why the ceiling is leaking too. I'm worried about mold. Luckily I haven't found any, but we'll see what we run into when we insulate the roof this spring. But wait! There's more!

Our lovely awning is breaking from the weight of the snow and ice. Okay, so it's not that lovely or well made of an awning. This too will be replaced this spring. Yay! Mr. CB took off all the icecicles and as much snow as he could. Goodbye Door of Doom! You were breathtaking, but also house breaking, so you had to go.

Besides the screen door being frozen shut, we can use the front entrance again! Not that we will, but it's a nice option.

Since we were outside, we decided to have a little fun. Blue was inside taking a nap, but Razz was frolicking in the snow...

She made it all the way down on the snow skate without falling! Mr. CB wants to take her snowboarding this year. I think she's ready. We also made a mini snowman.

 

The snow wasn't packing really well, so this is as big as we could go. Still, we had fun!

Blue will be 2 this Tuesday! Here is his invite I made up. The bottom picture we cut out around the shapes and attached them to the bottom of the invite with some star brads.

 

I would usually make the cake too, but since I've started school full time, it's just not possible. Luckily, my sister Kay used to work at a bakery in a local grocery store. The head decorator there got to know our kids pretty well and loves to do really intricate stuff for them just because our kids are awesome. We love you too, Vicki! We were there ordering the cake and I gave her an invite to go off of, and she decided to frost a cookie for Razz to practice a bit. Not that she needs to practice.

Blue's cake will rock, I'm sure.

On another Blue note, he is obsessed again. Not with balls this time (although they are still a favorite), but with a certain orange fashion accessory...

(Sorry I forgot to take out the red eye!)

He has to wear it everywhere. To the babysitters, to the store, around the house. It's the last thing off at night and the first thing on in the morning. He even has to wear it outside. In order to keep his bald buzzed head warm, I insist on him wearing his knit hat. We've compromised.

I love you Blue, you make me laugh.

(If you're not up for mushiness, you might want to skip this last little bit. Just warning you there are some PDAs.)

Because it's hard find lots of outfits to match Blue's orange hat, I went by the bookstore to buy a toddler hat from Mr. CB hoping that Blue would see the error of his ways and convert to a nice blue hat that showed some school spirit (The answer was no, in fact when I asked Blue if he wanted to show Grandma his new blue hat he said "No! ORANGE!". At least he knows his colors.). As I approached the returns window where Mr. CB was located, I asked him a very simple question.

Cherry - Excuse me sir, do you have any kisses in stock?

Mr. CB - I think so.

Cherry - Oh, great! How much?

Mr. CB - Well, that's the tricky part. They cost a kiss.

Cherry - Hmm, so in order to get a kiss I have to give a kiss?

Mr. CB - Correct.

Cherry - Okay, sounds reasonable.

*K*I*S*S*I*N*G*

I was almost late for class....

The bookstore has great customer service, don't you think?

The things kids say...

Cherry - "Blue, I'd like a kiss. Will you give me one?"

Blue - "It downstairs, I go get it!"

Yummy Gummies!

About a week and a half ago, Razz and I made homemade gummies! We had friends over tonight and made some more so I thought I'd let you see what we were up to. They were so good and easy, plus it helped me get rid of some of the Jello that has been in my cupboard for ages. I don't like Jello, but I like gummies. Weird, but true. So, I got the recipe from SkipToMyLou, an addicting crafting site. I have used a ton of things there, like the instructions for chef hat I made for Razz and fun templates for cards. Anywho, here's the recipe! You'll need a mold, and a pan or cup measure with a spout as well as water, Jello, and unflavored gelatin. First we whisked 1/3 C water, 1 pkg Jello, and 2 packets unflavored gelatin in a pan and let sit for 10 minutes for the gelatin to absorb a bit of the water. (Mr. CB said that to make it "healthier" we should use juice. A good suggestion, but I keep forgetting. It would probably make them a little more flavorful too!)

Next, turn on the burner to medium and stir until the gelatin is dissolved. We discovered that if you whisk vigorously it creates a foam which gives the gummies a lighter texture.

Once the gelatin is dissolved, let it cool for a minutes so you don't melt your molds! But don't wait too long! Pour slowly (I learned that lesson the hard way!) to fill your molds evenly.

Do you like my molds? Did you notice what they were? That's right! Advent calendar trays! We went to the Christmas clearance section at Walmart and scored these puppies for 60 cents a piece. WoOt! Plus, we saved the chocolate to coat the gummies with. Don't mock it till you try it. Delicious....

...and Disastrous.  Apparently, these gummies don't do well in a warm chocolate bath. Next time I'll just put chocolate chips in the molds and then pour the hot gummies on top. Here is what our finished project looked like (minus the chocolate!).

Yum! They were gone super fast, so I had to make a couple more batches ;). Now all I need are some worm molds...

Yum!

Yesterday was customer appreciation day at DQ! Blue enjoyed his second ever icecream cone...one lick at a time. It melted before he finished it!

Revised: I Very Much Dislike Winter!

I just forgot a few details, so I revised this post for my memory's sake. Read on!
This post is neither cheery nor humerous(it did, however, turn out to be touching and heartwarming), so if you're in the mood for a laugh, go here and do not continue reading. You have been forwarned!
Saturday we spent the day at home, glorious home! Having been stuck several times in the past couple of weeks away from home I was very happy to relax in our own house. Mr. CB miraculously did not have work, so we got some stuff done around the house then decided to drive into the other big town (i.e. not the one we work/educate in, but the one we go to Church in) to return some Christmas items. We should have never left our comfy, cozy, teeny, tiny crackle berry bush!
The roads weren't all that horrible, and by the time they started getting scary we were over halfway there. Mr. CB is an awesome winter driver and he felt confident we could make it there and back. So we continued on our merry scary way. It took us 1 1/2 hours to get there, in opposed to the 45 min it normally takes. That should have been a clue to start making some plans, but we didn't. We had dinner instead. We had left around 6 and by this time it was 7:30. Blue didn't eat very much, which is normal, but neither did Razz, which is abnormal. She was also looking a little pale. I just chalked it up to the fact that she had just woken up from her snooze on the loooong car ride. We finish dinner and get to the store. They gave us peanuts for the returns, but we had other stuff we needed to buy so we started shopping. There was nothing there. Everything was the wrong color, size, style, etc. Zilch. At this point it was past 9 and I wanted to start heading home soon, plus we had another store we were going to hit. Then Razz started screaming these blood curdling screams that her stomach hurt. Then she puked, and puked, and puked some more. Poor Razz, poor really nice Columbia jacket, poor boots, poor had, poor pants, socks, gloves, cart, aisle, my boots, and pants. Mr. CB hightailed it out of there to go look for some clothes for Razz since he can't stand the stuff. I and a worker slowly started cleaning up. It took us until 10, but we spent our peanuts plus on jammies, long johns, and slippers for the girl and got her all squared away. The other store we wanted to go to was now closed so we went to Walmart for some Gatorade and a cheap jacket for Razz before heading home. By the time we were out of there it was after 11. We started on the road home and once we were out of the city, visibility was almost nothing due to blowing snow. Mr. CB kept going very slowly, but he kept having this sinking feeling until he became almost frightened. He knew then the Spirit was telling him not to drive us home so he turned us around. Even though we had lots of friends we could have stayed with, we found a hotel that gave us a good discount. I just didn't want to bother anyone, or get them sick. We were lucky enough to find a parking spot in this little nook that was protected from the wind. Since we didn't have our engine heater with us, I was hoping that the car would start again in the morning. At the hotel we realized that we didn't have enough diapers with us so I sent Mr. CB back to the store and I tucked the kids in. He came back close to 1 in the morning, and even though it was late, we were so worked up from the night we couldn't sleep. When we finally did go to sleep, it wasn't long before Razz was crying for me because she was going to be sick again. I took care of her and spent the rest of the night adjusting the heater due to waking up too hot or too cold. It was a long night. In the morning we decided to skip Church and just go home. We didn't have any nice clothes, and the last thing I wanted to share were Razz's germs. Luckily, Darby started up first try! His little nook did the trick, keeping him warm enough over night. On our way out, Mr. CB checked the roads and they were impassable. To church we went, late, sick, disheveled, and unprepared to worship, but as always welcomed with open arms and warm hearts. Many members heard our story, offered us comfort and compassion, and then soundly scolded us for not bothering them! The most touching thing to me was that a sweet Sister we visit pulled me aside and offered to pay us for the hotel room. She is a single mom, and often is short on funds. She said she had a little extra that month and wanted to write us a check! As my tears started to fall, I refused the money but accepted her hug. As her arms surrounded me, I felt the Saviors love poor into my heart. Even though this weekend was harrowing, we were always under His protection. His Spirit guided us, and His flock comforted us. I didn't get much out of the actual words spoken during Church last Sunday, instead it was the actions of His followers that spoke to my heart. After church we were welcomed into another members small apartment, feed, and entertained until the roads had been cleared. Razz started to perk back up, and I was humbled by the unselfish giving of our friends. On the drive home we realized just how bad the roads had been the night before. Because our snow here is so dry and powdery, it acts like sand, forming dunes and scattering when the wind blows. Because the winds were so strong last night, huge drifts had accumulated on the road that were easily 4 ft tall. The evidence of these mountains of snow loomed over us, cut in half by the plows. There would have been no way we would have gotten home. If Mr. CB had pushed on, we would have spent the night stuck, cold, and possibly hurt with little Blue and sick Razz. But we were given the opportunity to listen to His voice through the sweet whisperings hollering of the Spirit. How blessed we truly are.

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I did not end up buzzing Blue's head because he wiggled during his haircut! Blue always stays still and even if he did wiggle, I am such a talented hair dresser that I wouldn't cut too close and ruin his mohawk. I especially wouldn't give him such a short haircut in the freezing cold weather we've been having. That would be irresponsible.

And I definitely did not strap him into his booster using one of Razz's friends belts that was left at our house. I always use the straps that come with the product, and if I remove them for any reason, I always put them in a place I can find them. Using something other than that would be unsafe.

And certainly did not throw the whole thing in the shower and rinse it off instead of just wiping it off. That would be very lazy, and I am never lazy.

And lastly, I did not let Blue run around for the next couple of hours in nothing but his diaper. I always get the kids dressed after I throw them and the booster in the shower. My kids love wearing clothes and do not relish frolicking around the house doing a "nakey" dance or posing for me and shouting "Nakey!" at the top of their lungs.

Razz has Telekinesis!!

So, we're still stuck at my parents due to the unfashionably cold and dreary weather. And I'm still without my camera's USB cord to upload photos, plus the battery in my camera died. Plus, Darby won't start again *sigh*. We left the engine heater at our house, thinking that the weather wouldn't get that cold again so soon, and that if it did our new battery would have no problem. Oops. On the bright side, I didn't leave my door open so it's not my fault! Anyway, they canceled school yesterday and today so Razz, Blue, and I have been hanging out and goofing around.
Yesterday when it was time for the kids nap, I had Blue in one room and Razz in the living room on the couch due to Blue's inability to refrain from physical violence when his sister is in the same room during nap time. Bed time is usually no problem, it's just nap time where his mean streak come out. Odd, don't you think? Lately Razz has been pretending to move things with her mind. I'll ask her to put a toy away and she'll rush and put it a way and then come back and say "Mom, did you see that? I didn't even move! I made the toy put itself away with my mind!" and I usually say "Wow, Razz, you're magic! Can you put X,Y, and Z away with your mind too?. Funny thing is I know she's done this at school because the other day she told me her teacher told her she was only allowed to move things with her mind at home! Well, during nap time I guess Razz was exercising her mental abilities. From where she was laying she could see the front door. Now, you must understand that my parents front door sometimes doesn't like to latch and it pops open with any sort of pressure change, like a gust of wind outside or the back door being opened. Guess what, the door popped open! While Razz was staring at it! Proof! At least proof for Razz, that is. She screamed and ran up to me and said "Mom, I really move the door with my mind! Before when I moved stuff I was just pretending, but this time it was REAL!". I had a good chuckle and sent her back to bed.
Hopefully I can get the car started soon. I have a new bunch of Knee Knickers to drop off.

Hopefully we keep warm! The high is suppose to be -9. Yikes!

TMI Alert! Skip this post if you have a weak stomach!

The day started out pretty normal, normal for a pending blizzard that is. The drive into town wasn't horrible, but it wasn't that good either. There were a couple times we couldn't see the road, and the plows refuse to run until the snow stops flying. I digress. We got into town fine, Mr. CB was on time for work and Razz made it to school. After running a couple of errands, I got a call from Mr. CB saying they were closing the schools and the interstate. So I picked up Razz and we headed to my parents house who live in the same town we work/go to school in. Earlier this day I saw this post from Skip to My Lou for homemade gummi candy. So while Blue was taking his nap, Razz and I made some. Except Blue wasn't sleeping. He was awake. For a very good reason involving the lower half of his digestive tract, the bed, carpet, and his clothes. We won't go into specific details here, but to say that the candy was put on hold for a good hour and a half.
After a bath in the tub, and then another in the sink, some good scrubbing of Blue, the carpet, and his clothes. A couple trips to the washing machine later, we were back to making candy. I took some great pictures of it too, but it will have to wait until I can get my USB cord for the camera. Since we're staying the night at my parents, it might be a day or two 'til I can post some pics. For those of you who don't know, the crackle berry bush in which we live is 30 miles from town. This usually makes for an interesting winter. We religiously check the weather forecast the night before to see if we need to bring clothes with us into town in case we need to spend the night. It happens quite often and I am soooo thankful for my parents patience with us. I get sick of staying at there house because I feel like a little girl and not the teenager grownup that I am. They get sick of us because we're messy. But we're working on that, at least at their house.
One of my New Years resolutions is to keep my house cleaner, not spotless, just cleaner. It gets a little tricky when we're only there to sleep, and homework usually (okay always) takes precedence over housework. I'm trying to incorporate some small little cleaning routines that once I get into the habit of, I can add on. What works for you?

Knee Knickers!

So, I've been busy and haven't really had time to sew. I have, however, had time to watch Lost and play Wii. I guess you see where my priorities are. Anyway, I make these baby leg warmers I call Knee Knickers, but I haven't made any lately.

Isn't Blue adorable? I call this the "Look Ma, no hands!" photo.

I sell them at a consignment store in the big city (not the tiny city where we live in our tiny crackle berry bush) and have been getting lots of calls from the owner saying my supply is dwindling rapidly thanks to the freezing temps, and I need to stock up. So today I am sewing. And sewing. And sewing. And tomorrow I'll be sewing too. I just ordered my labels and will pick them up in an hour. Which reminds me, anyone into digital scrapbooking? I'm not, per say, but it does come in handy when you want to make customized greeting cards...

Invitations...

Or even recipes!

I use the semi-free website Scrapblog for mine, or if you live in the Alphareta, Georgia area you could use my awesome photographer. She does a much better job. But on the cheap, you can use a lot of Scrapblog's templates for free, or buy some inexpensive credits. It's free to export your pages as a jpeg files and they look great just as long as you aren't printing them bigger than a 5x7.
Anywho, Mr. CB is home due to the construction workers at his job puncturing the main gas line! It's going to be the rest of they day before it is repaired. They had to evacuate everyone due to the explosion risk! Since he works on campus at the bookstore, if it blows up school will have to be delayed! I'm not really ready to start the semester yet, but I'm don't want a big crater to engulf the buildings either. UPDATE: Aparently it's not as bad as it seemed. They just opened up the building again. Back to work he goes.
Ok everyone, I need your help! (Way too many exclamation points in this post, I know) We are doing a monster theme for Blues birthday. Nice cute monsters like Grover or Broby from Yo Gabba Gabba. Any help would be appreciated.
Well, it's off to the store than back to the sewing machine. See ya!

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

I do not shop for purses with the requirement that they must fit my wallet, baby wipes, and a diaper. Nope. Not me! I only go for cute, fashionable purses that match my outfit. Definitely not army canvas green purses.

I do not put pureed sweet potatoes in my pancakes so my toddler will consume some form of vegetable. That vegetable is definitely not the only vegetable said toddler has eaten in a week. Nope. Not me! My kids love veggies and eat only healthy snacks and meals and never rely on Pediasure for all their nutrients.

I do not scour the internet for make and freeze meals I can use for Mr. CB and my lunches and then give up and buy oodles of Lean Pockets instead. I am nowhere near that lazy. I always serve health homemade food to my family.

And last of all I would never use one of those gimmicky "As seen on TV" products to rid myself of the peach fuzz on my upper lip. And when that peach fuzz starts to grow in again, Mr. Crackle Berry wouldn't dare tell me I was poky when we kissed. Nope. Not me! That would be very embarrassing.

What have you not done this week?

We have transportation once again!

Darby finally decided to wake up! After a couple hours of engine heating, a couple of jumps, and Mr. CB working his tail off in the freezing cold for 45 minutes this morning, Darby purred to life. Mr. CB thinks it was mostly the cold, but partially the door I left open two nights before that drained the battery(oops!). We have a magnetic engine heater now that is temporary (thanx Mom and Dad!) because it has to be removed before you start the car. Since it attaches to the oil pan, we have to jack up the car and lay on the frozen ground to get it on and off = not fun. Not to mention walking out into the thigh deep snow of our back yard to plug it in in the dark. Hopefully Darby can be seen by the car doctor soon and get a permanent engine block heater that plugs in through the front grill. Much easier! And I'll try to remember to shut my door, really I will.
Mr. CB is back at work, and little Miss Razz is back at school. I miss them, but it's nice to have a some time to myself and Blue. He's growing so fast! Yesterday he, Mr. CB, and Razz we watching XMen 3 (totally appropriate for a 5 and almost 2 year old) while I was taking a bath. Suddenly Blue burst in. In his sweet toddler voice he said "Mama, a man!" Me - "What about a man?" Blue - "Turn blue!" Me - "A man turned blue?" Blue - "Yeah, perfect!" then turned and walked out leaving the door open and letting my lovely steam out and cold air in.
Mr. CB just called. He said the car doctor told him we probably need a new battery and would be willing to squeeze us in during lunch. *Sigh* Apparently you need to replace car batteries every couple of years. News to me. News to Mr. CB too. More $$$ we don't have. Oh well. Thank goodness we pay tithing. Somehow we always pull through.
School is starting up again for me and the Mr. Hopefully things will go smooth. I don't know my schedule until the first day of school so trying to coordinate daycare and picking Razz up from the bus stop is going to be a little dicey.

New Years!

Did you have fun? We sure did! Great Grandma was with us as we rang in the new year, as was my sister Kay visiting from college. Razz stayed up, but sweet Blue headed to bed long before the ball dropped. We had some lovely sparkling juice and then called it a night morning as Great Grandma and Kay were leaving the next day.

 

Goodbye Grams and Kay! We'll miss you.

One thing we won't miss is the weather we're currently having. But I did get to make a couple of fun things for Razz. Grandma had gotten her a toy wooden rolling pin, spoon, and cutting board for Christmas so we decided to accessorize.

Mr. CB found the fabric at Walmart in the super-cheap-fiber-content-unknown-because-it's-made-from-whatever-is-on-hand pile. I think it's lovely. I got the pattern for the hat here, and the apron I just copied from another I had. We had lots of fun today, but I'm getting a little cabin fever. The only thing that is keeping me from delirium is my sewing machine. Well, that and Mr. CB. He's great.

Mr. CB, you are so handsome.

Ode to Mr. Crackle Berry

You are my sunshine when there is no sun.

You are my sanity when the kids take it away from me.

You are my driver on icy winter roads.

You wash all my clothes so I don't have to face the scary basement.

You are not a potato.

I think it's time to go to bed. Or watch more Lost. One of the two. I think Lost wins.

Letters to the Weather

Dear -35+ temps,
I don't like you. Please go away.
You wreak havoc on my asthma. Every time I open the door my lungs rebel. I'm tired of feeling weak and shaky from the double doses of my albuterol inhaler.
Our lovely car Darby has refused to start because he doesn't want to get out of bed. Even the Emergency Roadside Assistance man couldn't coax him from his slumber.
Mr. CB had to miss work and therefore we are out $$$.
You made me and the kids miss an awesome Ghost Busters party. I had stayed up late last night finishing the present for the party and now I'm tired. Grrrr.
We had to spend $$$ to buy a warmer for the oil pan that we can't put on yet because it's dark and too cold!
We will have to miss Church tomorrow. Double grrrr.
The sun was out today, but I couldn't let the kids outside because they would freeze to death. That means they were stuck inside destroying the house all day.
Please tell the southern winds to come for a visit. I like them.
Thanx,
Cherry

Dear -35+ temps,
I like you. Please stay a couple more days.
Because the car won't start Mr. CB got to stay home and snuggle me and the kids. Yay!
I didn't have any schedule to keep so I was able to relax and do cute crafty things for the kids.
I also had time to make homemade mac and cheese with Razz's help. Yum!
I got to take a nap!!!!!!
I read lots of books to Blue. He's getting so smart. He also peed in the toilet, but I don't think that has anything to do with you. Moving on.
The icicles are so pretty and the crisp air is so clear. Wow.
You remind me how thankful I am for a warm house and electricity.
Feel free to stay until the food runs out.
Thanx,
Cherry

Dear -35+ temps,
Unfortunately the cons outweigh the pros. We simply cannot afford your extended stay. You must leave. Now.
Thank you for your cooperation,
Cherry