Whoooo Hooooo....I'm Two!

Our baby girl turned 2 on October 29th! I can't believe it! She amazes me everyday and I am so blessed to be her mama. John and I know that we have been given a beautiful blessing and we cherish her.

She had a big family birthday party at Chick-Fil-A last Saturday and she got lots...a tricycle, a baby doll, some games and DVDs, an Ariel doll that sings, clothes, Elmo house shoes, building blocks, a basketball goal, a play rug for her room, an Elmo driving toy, a princess cell phone and camera, a Dora backpack set, bathtub toys and so much more! She isn't a crowd person, so she was attached to me for the majority of the party...but she did enjoy the play area a little....and the presents.

She had aunts & uncles, grandparents, great grandparents, Godmother and cousins come and celebrate with her...we had a great crowd! We all enjoyed some great chicken, cake and ice cream!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, MY SWEET BABY GIRL!

Parker Homestead ~ A Family Tradition

Last weekend, we made the trip down to Parker Pioneer Homestead. This is the third year we have gone and we love it each time!

This year was the first time we took a wagon ride and it was great. It was Emalyn's favorite part of the day!

We toured the barn (including the loft), the old school house, the old house, the country store and the post office. We took in the sights - donkeys, goats, sugar cane becoming molasses, the old cannon, kettle korn cooking, soap and butter being made and so much more!

Emalyn enjoyed the wide open space to run and play...until the cannon went off...we tried to warn her that the cannon would be loud, but as you can see...she had to learn for herself!

check it out at: http://www.parkerhomestead.com/

hit a mark!

I've been doing Weight Watchers for 18 weeks and lastnight I hit a mark...the 30 pound mark! I'm down 30.8 pounds so far...only 36.8 to go!
Some days I find keeping my goal in mind is easy...other days it's really hard. I've struggled with my weight for many years now and I'm tired of it. So, every day is a new day and if I fall off the wagon, I'll just get right back on.
It surprises me how much better I feel already...and I'm not quite as tired as I was previously.

Not a philosophical post...but important.

Fall Festival

Our church recently celebrated it's 28th annual fall festival...games, petting zoo, rummage sale, auctions, food! What a weekend!

Emalyn took in the petting zoo and some of the games. It's amazing how brave she is getting...but still so shy when it comes to people!

Cobbler!

As many of you know, I have been doing Weight Watchers since June. So far, I'm almost 30 pounds down...almost 40 more to go!
John mentioned a cobbler to a friend at church the other day and she said she would like the recipe...so I wanted to share this great Weight Watchers recipe with others that have weight struggles. John found this for me a couple of months ago and it's good for those of us that have a sweet tooth and need to indulge!

Weight Watchers Cobbler
2 lbs. no sugar added bags frozen fruit - do not thaw (we have used cherries and peaches, ummm good!)
1 box yellow cake mix
1 can diet 7 up or sprite zero

In a 9 by 13 pan, place frozen fruit in bottom, sprinkle with dry cake mix, pour entire can of soda over cake mix. Cover with foil and bake 20 minutes in a preheated 350 degree oven. Uncover and bake an additional 40 minutes.
When cooled, cut into 12 equal parts. 1/12 = 3 points

At my Weight Watchers meeting last week, some of the people were talking about using any cake mix and combining it with any caffeine free diet soda...orange, creme soda, coke, grape, etc...from what they say, this comes out much like a sponge cake and it's so tasty that it doesn't need icing...so, if you try something like this, let me know. I'm going to try it soon!

Postings from our church fall festival and a trip to Parker Homestead coming soon!

I'm new here...

Ok, I'm new here...so, I'll just start by posting some of my favorite pictures...