Appropriate that this picture was taken after a night of hardly any sleep. This is Hallie’s audition photo for the new Kiss Cover Band.
(Please excuse the post bottle milk tongue)
That’s my girl!
Also I saw this photo looming around Facebook and it brought me back to this face!
Lol! Love my girl!
Happy Wednesday y’all!
<3 Kelly
Archives for September 2014
Life is short, Eat cookies for breakfast!
And that is what I am currently guilty of! Cookie and a cup of coffee!
Whenever Fall rolls around I am so ready to fill my house with the sweet and spicy scents of cinnamon, pumpkin and brown sugar! That is why I always turn to these two recipes the first time the Texas weather dips under 80 degrees for a high! Yes folks…that’s Fall for us!
So this weekend was the perfect opportunity to pull out my cookbook and make my 2 favorite Fall cookie recipes and I thought I would share them with you! ENJOY!
Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients:
1 cup pumpkin
1 beaten egg 1 tsp milk
1/2 cup vegetable oil 1 tsp vanilla
1 cup sugar 1 cup chocolate chips
2 cups flour 1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1 tsp baking soda
Directions:
Combine Pumpkin, egg, oil and sugar into a large mixing bowl or stand mixer and mix well.
Gradually add flour stirring constantly. Add baking powder, salt and cinnamon and mix well.
Add baking soda and milk while stirring. Last add vanilla and chocolate chips. Mix again until chocolate chips are evenly spaced.
Drop onto a greased cookie sheet with an ice cream scoop.
Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes. I usually do 12 because I like mine very soft!
And now for the Oatmeal Raisin! Mmmm! I just love gooey warm oatmeal raisin cookies!
Ingredients
1 cup of butter
1 cup of packed brown sugar
1 cup granulated sugar
2 eggs
1 tablespoon vanilla
3 cups of flour
1 1/4 cups of quick cooking oats
1 tsp salt
3/4 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 cups raisins
Directions
1. Cream butter with sugars
2. Add eggs and vanilla and mix well
3. Add butter, flour, eggs, oats, salt and baking soda and mix again.
4.Stir in raisins until evenly spaced.
5. Drop onto greased cookie sheet with tablespoon
6. Bake at 350 for 8-10 min
7. Lick the bowl while you are waiting and brew a cup of coffee or tea
8. INDULGE!
We made these Sunday morning! Hallie and I listened to Halloween music and she happily squealed in her rock and play while I did all the work!
Hope everyone enjoys these recipes as much as me!
<3 Kelly
Linking up with Green Fashionista
Must Have Monday Halloween Fashions
By now you should know that I am already a little lot excited for Halloween! So I thought I would share with you the cute outfits/accessories we have gotten/are getting to celebrate Halloween in style! Most of the things are from Carter’s, I went in there in search of a few long sleeved newborn outfits because it’s getting chilly and Hallie doesn’t fit in any of the 3-6 month clothing like we thought she would by now!
1. Halloween Skeleton PJs- Carters 2.Daddy’s Under My Spell T-shirt- Carters 3. Witch T-shirt- Carters (I need to get this one online! It’s my favorite and they didn’t have it in Hallie’s size! 4. Black Glitter T-shirt 5. Mix and Match Halloween Leggings 6. Halloween Headband- Similar Here 7. 1st Halloween Dress- Sold out…It was a gift from Hallie’s Nana and Bapa- Similar Here
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For Mommy I thought I would keep it pretty simple. Tshirt, jeans skirt and funky tights. Paired with my favorite Halloween Jams (though there are many styles available) and earrings!
1. This Girl Loves Halloween Tshirt- I’m going to ask my father in law to make one for me, but here is where you can get one online 2. Halloween Tights- Joy of Socks– they come in LOTS of colors! 3. Jamberry Monster Mash Nails or check out other Halloween styles! They also come in girls sizes!
What are your Must Haves for Halloween?
Hope everyone had a great weekend! Ours was so much fun! If you missed our weekend Shenanigans, Read up here and here! Also stay tuned for the Fall cookie recipes that I made over the weekend! Yum!
Happy Monday!
<3 Kelly
Linking up with Life of MegIt’s beginning to look a lot like Halloween! Soup recipe!
It’s beginning to Look a lot like Halloween at our house! Which means soon I get to introduce Hallie to one of my favorite traditions! It’s the Great Pumpkin Charlie Brown will be hitting our TV screen very soon! Yay!
Yesterday the weather was nice and cool, so I took the opportunity to decorate for Halloween and not seem like a crazy person…okay, maybe I’m still crazy, but who cares! I LOVE this time of year! Hallie happily played on her activity mat, while Momma decorated our mantle and put our homemade wreath on the door!
She is really doing great lifting her head! This is one proud Momma, let me tell you!
Our Pretty wreath which is now being displayed on our front door so that everyone who comes over can see how.jpg)
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Here are the pictures of our pretty mantle…notice the cute picture of my husband dressed as Dracula as a kid! Can’t wait to get Hallie’s first Halloween picture up here! Eeek! She’s going to look cute you guys! Can’t wait to share the costume I have in store for this little pumpkin….no she’s not going to be a pumpkin, but see what I did there?!
After all the decorating fun I made a delicious pot of Black Eyed Pea soup! I got this recipe from my Auntie Janie. I remember long Sunday afternoons studying when I lived with her, she would make big pots of this stuff and bring it to me while I was studying! She was sweet enough to let me share it with you guys, so here you go:
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Auntie Janie’s Black Eyed Pea Soup
Ingredients:
- 1 Medium Yellow Onion Chopped
- 4-5 Slices of Bacon (I use Turkey Bacon because I don’t eat pork)
- 2 Cartons of Beef Broth (Again I am lame and use chicken broth)
- 4 cans of seasoned Black Eyed Peas
- 2 Garlic Cloves minced
- 1 can of Rotel tomatoes (I like the HOT one!)
- 1 can of green chilis
- I can of diced tomatoes
- Chili powder, Salt and Pepper to taste (I also add a touch of Cayenne because I like it super spicy!
Directions:
- In a large soup pot saute onions, bacon and garlic in a touch of olive oil until onions appear see-through
- Add the broth, Black eyed peas, both cans of tomatoes and green chilis
- Add seasoning to taste and bring to a boil
- Let simmer and serve over rice with cheddar cheese or with corn bread!
I just love a nice pot of soup on a cool crisp evening and will be sharing many more of my favorite soup recipes!!
Today comes the baking! Pumpkin Chocolate Chip and Oatmeal raisin cookies are on the horizon!!! Mmm! My house is about to smell delicious!!
Stay tuned for those recipes and have a FANTASTIC Sunday!!!
Only Us
Who would go in chilly rainy weather to get snowcones? Only us! We wanted to make sure to get a final snowcone in and Joyce had yet to experience the goodness of Bahama Bucks, so Christopher and I bundled up Hallie and headed to meet Joyce and her boyfriend Jay for snowcones last night. A last hurrah of the Summer if you will!
After we ordered, Joyce and I let the boys wait on our snowcones, and we hopped in the car to stay warm! The boys finally met us in the car and we all squished in to eat our yummy treats and share a few laughs!
I got my favorite, toasted coconut! PS..I don’t know if you can tell in this picture of Joyce, but they have color changing spoons! So cool! They are blue but turn purple when you put them in the icy snowcone!
When we got home, we put Hallie in her crib and she slept 9 hours you guys!!!! I kept creeping on her on the monitor to make sure she was breathing!
Today we are baking cookies, decorating for Fall and I am making my Auntie Janie’s Black Eyed Pea soup for dinner! Yummy!!!
I hope everyone has a great weekend, and now I leave you with a laugh…
Hallie seriously has the cutest sneeze!
Enjoy!
<3 Kelly
Oh hey, Friday Going into the weekend
Linking up today with September Farm for Oh hey, Friday.
Going into the weekend:
1. We are making progress on the crib transition! I put Hallie in her crib last night at 8:45 and didn’t hear a peep from her until 4 am. I was thinking, “Okay, not bad…another 7ish hours like last night” When I went in to get her I realized her eyes were still closed, so I put her paci in and she went right back to sleep for another hour, AND SO DID I! This crib transition is bittersweet! I miss her at night and I peek at her on the monitor an embarrassing amount, but it’s all worth it to see this sweet smile when I come to pick her up from her crib in the morning!
(this was after getting the sleep sack off…her pjs are just so much cuter!)
2. The weekend means slowing down a bit. Taking a break from the crazy schedules and spending some quality family time together…but it also means 2 whole days without my BIG girls at work! Hallie and I have so much fun with them during the week and they love Hallie to pieces! And of course, I love them so much and am always excited to hear about their fun weekends on Monday!
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3. Today we are saying goodbye to Summer! (I HOPE! TEXAS WEATHER CAN BE TRICKY) A little rain today is supposed to bring on a cold front…our high…72! It’s not even supposed to leave the 80’s all weekend! AMEN! So to put Summer to rest, tonight, Joyce and I are heading out for one…last….snowcone at Bahama Bucks! Mmm! Toasted Coconut!
4. Packing up Summer also means unpacking Fall! This weekend I fully intend to unpack all of our Fall/Halloween decorations and bake some fall inspired goodies!! I LOVE decorating for Fall and love even more when our house is filled with the sweet and spicy scents of cinnamon and pumpkin! Lots of recipes coming soon people! I love baking/cooking for Fall! Which reminds me, I will also be making our first BIG pot of soup this weekend! Hurray! I will also be purchasing Hallie’s Halloween costume! Can’t wait to share that! I love Halloween entirely too much!
5. The weekend also means catching up on things I didn’t have time (aka didn’t have the hands) to do during the week! Thanks to Christopher being home to help out with Hallie, I will have time to send out Jamberrry samples (which if anyone from the bloggerworld would like one, send me an email and I would be happy to send one your way, they are the BEST! kelhof87@gmail.com) and work on Hallie’s 0-3 month photobook on shutterfly! I can’t believe she is almost 3 months old! Time is flying! Slow down!
So with that, I will leave you with a few new favorite pictures of our little sweet pea…where she still looks teeny and not too grown up!
<3 Kelly
Currently at the Mock House
For today I thought I would give a little update on what we are up to currently…
Reading: I am ALMOST done with Sophie Kinsella’s Wedding Night. It has been pretty good! I am OBSESSED with her Shopaholic series and CANNOT wait for her new one to be released. This one is about 2 sisters. One going through a divorce, and the other rushing into marriage. It’s all about one sister trying to save the other from an impending divorce. It has been pretty funny. Not my favorite by her (Undomestic Goddess) but still entertaining!
Working on: SEVERAL things!
The BIGGIE is transitioning Hallie to her crib. It has been a challenge because it is so much easier to but the paci back in her mouth when it falls out if she is right next to me…but now I have to walk down the hall. She finally hit what I hope was a turning point last night though. I only had to wake up once to put the paci back in and she slept for 7 hours, which is good….but not great for her! SOMETIMES SHE WILL GO 10 HOURS! Seriously!
The other thing is planning Hallie’s Baptism…we had a class for it last night.
Watching: Not much right now. Waiting for our favorite shows to return (Parenthood, Big Bang Theory, Pretty Little Liars (okay that one is MY favorite…guilty pleasures and all) and Last Man Standing. Right now we are in that Filler show limbo…You know Shark Tank, Guy and Rachel’s Kids Cookoff, Garfunkle and Oats, Rewrapped…
But…I just heard some AMAZING news you guys! Another reason to look forward to October! GILMORE GIRLS is coming to Netflix!!! YES! So I guess you know which show I will be binging on!
Loving: I know I have said this MANY times but I am seriously OBSESSED with the new Fall/Winter Jamberry catalog! I am just itching to get my hands on the ones I just bought…or itching to get them on my hands rather! Ha! Also loving that the weather is supposed to cool off this weekend…it’s time to decorate for Fall Y’all!
You Know You’re a Mom When
I have been a Nanny for SEVERAL years now! And I truly believe that as a Nanny I have worked just as hard as a mother and done everything a mother has done before I became one. I was definitely prepared for what was to come when I found out I was pregnant! The only differences I have found are:
You know you’re a Mom when:
1.) You get the Mom brain…yes folks it’s a real thing…I wore my shirt inside out to the grocery store this week….Mom brain at it’s finest.
2.) Your bedside goes from:
This…to….
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This! Yep, book for Mommy, book for baby..
3.) You spend more time assuring your mini-me looks cute than you do on yourself!
4.) You become even better at multitasking than before!
5.) Your bedtime is the same as your 2 month old baby!
But Mother and Nanny, neither experience would I trade! I have loved every minute of both and have been so blessed to have had so many children enrich my life. Each child, including Hallie has taught me something new. Love, Patience (though I still work on that one), imagination, and kindness. Each child is different and thanks to all the children in my life, I am a better person because of them.
<3 Kelly
Mom Jeans
I know I have talked about this before, but I am still far from where I want to be losing my baby weight. I was so excited when I came home from the hospital with only 12 lbs left to lose! And even more ecstatic when I stopped pumping and I only had 10 lbs to lose. Well let me tell you something about those 10 lbs my friends! They have stuck to me like a pesky tick!
I have been working out several times a week and I cut out sodas…nothing! I told myself I wouldn’t buy my Fall wardrobe until I was a bit closer to where I want to be, preferably fitting back into my adorable pre-preggers Gap jeans, but I was just left feeling bad about myself…like a frumpy mom.
This is where the best husband in the world stepped in! Ladies be jealous! My loving husband came home from work last week with a gift card to Old Navy for me to get some transitional jeans. With the gift card and the great sales going on as well as a coupon from RetailMeNot (which if you haven’t already downloaded this app, WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR!) I was able to get 2 pairs of jeans, several shirts and a sweater! I paired them with some things from last season, some new Jamberry nails and VIOLA! A new Fall wardrobe for Mommy that leaves me feeling comfortable and confident!
Here are some of the outfits I have put together and cannot wait to wear!
The Boyfriend Skinny Jeans- Old Navy
Brown Plaid Combat Boots- Overstock last season- Similar Here
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Same Jeans and boots with another Tshirt I bought after Hallie was born this Summer
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Same Jeans
Old Navy Baseball Tee- (I got it on clearance) Similar Here
Same Jeans
Old Navy Varsity Shirt I picked up this summer- Similar Here
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Sweetheart Skinny Jeans (Thanks to my new curves)- Old Navy
Chiffon Shirt (Also a clearance steal)- Other designs Available Here
Lightweight Cardigan- Old Navy
Animal Print Sperry’s (Old Design) Similar Here
Same Jeans
Black Shimmer Shrug- (Old Style from Express) Similar Here
Calvin Klein Gray Heels (Old Style)
Same top and Jeans paired with Pink Glitter Toms
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Same Jeans
Allison Taylor Blouse- Similar Here
Nude Ballet Flats
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And of course I had to splurge on some items from the new Jamberry Catalog! They are Buy3 Get 1 Free after all!
1. Glam 2. Monster Mash
2. Icy Boysenberry Polka 3. Boysenberry Chevron
Have you bought anything new for Fall?
<3 Kelly
Our Wonderful Weekend
Hello All-
Hope everyone had as great of a weekend as we did! Here is what our weekend consisted of:
Friday: I got home late from work, so we went out to dinner as a family. Here is my little sweet pea before we left…
Christopher’s Dad made it for her in his print shop! We love it!
Saturday: Saturday was super busy and super fun! First, Hallie and I went to brunch with my friend Emily, who just moved from Austin to the big D. She was so sweet, she even brought a little Lamb dressed Hello Kitty stuffy for Hallie…which Hallie already loves!
After Brunch Hallie and I ran a couple of errands…one of which included getting some Fall clothes for Mommy because it is supposed (Fingers crossed, lots of prayers) to cool off at the end of this week!
I can’t wait to share with you what I got! I’ll post about more of my Fall faves for Mommy later in the week!
After our errands we popped over to my parent’s house for what was supposed to be a good swim and pizza’s on the grill….but it started thundering and lightning, so it ended up being a quick dip and oven baked pizza. It was still SUPER fun and we got some great pictures!
Hallie and her Bapa
Baby and Mommy
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Snuggled up after our dip!
The wine we had with our pizza…Middle Sister Wine…which was fitting because both my mom and I are middle sisters! 🙂
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Sunday: We woke up early and went to Mass. Hallie wore one of my Church dresses from when I was a baby. So sweet seeing her in my clothes! (The bathing suit was mine too!)
After Church we went to Lunch and then bummed around the house for the rest of Sunday!
Snuggling on the couch with Mommy!
Hanging with her BFF after Bath!
Looking forward to another great weekend this week! Hopefully with Fall weather! I am itching to take out my decorations and bake some Pumpkin Chocolate Chip cookies!!
What did everyone else do this weekend!?
Happy Monday!
<3 Kelly