Mr. Independent

So, my boy has finally stopped letting me pick out his clothes & actually told me I was trying to make him look fat with one shirt I picked out! WOW, boys worry about this too and at such a young age!? I mean really, he's 4 and a half! Check out some of his latest outfits...all I can say is that I'm sure giving him this independence is good for him and it's allowing us to get out the door in the morning in a halfway timely manner!


This one was just too funny not to post, but don't worry he didn't leave the house in this!

Favorite Book Character

OK, so it's week of the young child & they are doing things everyday at Tanner's preshool/daycare. Yesterday was dress as your favorite book character. Even though Curious George is not Tanner's favorite, that's what I got him to dress up as! Thought that would be pretty cute! Belle & Lilo were also in his class today! Little cuties!

A little bit of heaven for breakfast...it's called The Kolache Factory

If you've never had one, you need to see if you have a location near your home b/c these babies are THE BEST! LOVE LOVE LOVE them! I just went & grabbed one since I did not like the frozen Dole fruit I brought in at all, I'll save that for another post, as that's another story in itself! Anyways, love the sausage, egg & cheese one this morning. The one with bacon instead of sausage is another favorite of mine. YUMMM...making my mouth water just thinking about how yummy it was!

CrAZy hair day!

YIPEE! Three really fun things today - CrAZy hair day at preschool, a moonwalk and It's FRIDAY! YOO HOO...Also, after a week of total yuck and pain of severe allergies for Tanner, he woke up this morning & his eyes look so much better! Of course we have the appointment to go see the allergist today, but I took plenty of pictures over the past week & I'm taking them in with me so he can see how bad we were! Check out the fun hair this morning...green with purple polka dots!

Ahhh Spring...and allergies!

My poor little guy woke up April 1st & the allergies were in full swing! This weekend was pretty bad for his eyes too! Poor thing woke up & his eyes were all red & puffed up and asked "Can I hunt for my Easter Egg"? He'd not been out of his bedroom but for less than a minute!


Thankfully they stopped itching as bad for a bit and they looked a little better and weren't bothering him as much. He sure did have a fun Easter though & is such a trooper!

aPriL FoOlS!

Made up this cake for Tanner's class today. It sure was fun to see the faces that kids were making this morning when I carried it in! HA...April Fool's!

Goodbye Uncle Ed

So we got word from my Great Aunt yesterday that Uncle Ed passed away. At 91 though, he lived a good long life and now he's dancing with angels in heaven and his diabetes is gone! He's visiting with his brothers, his parents, aunts, uncles and all that have gone before him. I will sure miss Uncle Ed as he was like a Grandpa to me. This is a picture from April 2008 when we were out to visit...love this picture!

What is up with this aging business & why are my pores getting so big!?

So a friend from work was telling me that by not washing your face at night, you're causing your pores to get bigger. HOLY SMOKES I thought, I can't tell you the last time I washed my face at bedtime! It's no wonder my pores are getting more noticable!
I did a search today to see what I could find on the internet for help in reducing these babies! This is one website I found that had some natural remedies to try.

• Tomato has toning agents in it. If tomato juice has been applied on the skin regularly with a cotton ball and left for 20 minutes, helps in reducing the size of the pores. It shrinks the pores and makes them appear visibly smaller. You can add tomato juice to calamine powder or sandalwood powder, which are good to tone up the skin, which helps in even reducing the size of the pores. These packs help skin to reduce the sebum production and it helps in decreasing the size of the pores.
• Mashed papaya applied on the skin helps in toning the pores. You can directly apply a mashes papaya on your skin or can put it over a gauge. You need to wash it off with lukewarm water.
• White portion of the egg has skin toning and complexion enhancing ingredients. Whipped egg yolk applied on the skin with a few drops of lemon juice, improves the tone of the skin and reduces the pore size. This pack is extremely good for Middle Ages women.
• Honey is equally good to tone up the pores and reduce the oiliness from the skin. It can be applied in any of the facemask or can be directly applied on the skin with a little lemon juice and sugar to it. You can massage it on face and leave it for few minutes. Then rinse it off with lukewarm water. Honey added to milk powder too helps if applied on the skin.
• A paste made of salt and butter is helpful in reducing pore size if applied on them.
• Regularly use toner on your skin with a cotton ball. To some extent it helps in temporary reducing the size of the pores.
• Oatmeal and gram flour are good toning substance. You can add a little lemon juice, rose water and curd to them and apply on the skin. Wash this pack off when it dries. It tones the pores and enhances the complexion.
• If you have breakouts on your skin then avoid using lemon juice or any such thing on your skin without a doctor's knowledge. Calamine powder and sandalwood powder are safe to be applied on the pimples or acnes.
• Always remove make up while going to bed. Never sleep with your make up on. Let the skin breath. Heavy make up left on the skin for long hours too increase the size of the pores.
• If you do wax your face, you have more chances to get open pores so always be careful while doing it. Always make sure that you apply a soothing face pack based on calamine or sandalwood on your face after waxing it to close the pores.
• You can rub an ice cube on your skin wrapped in a cotton cloth on your face to temporary reduce the size of the pores. Ice shrinks the size of the pores and it's a good way to make the pores appear smaller if you are going somewhere out as it even decreases the oil production on the skin for sometime.

Source: http://www.beautytips.ayurvediccure.com/homemade-recipies/large-pores.htm

WONDERFUL cupcake artist - A Baked Creation

OK, this gal does INCREDIBLE cupcakes! I've been looking at her dinosaur cupcakes in awe for months & just saw the fun little monster ones she's got on her blog - check these out! How fun are these?!




and be sure to check out the dinosaurs when you go to her blog! SUPER CUTE!
http://www.abakedcreation.com/2009/06/dinosaur-birthday-cupcakes.html

CARAMEL...

LOVE LOVE LOVE carmel & about a month ago I discovered what I really think is THE best caramel ever! I am out right now and can't stop thinking about this carmel! I have a bottle on teh way & seriously I don't think it can get here soon enough!

It's from Tastefully SImple and it is so buttery and sinfully delicious! I finally busted open my jar & made this dessert on New Years Eve - SO good!!

Caramel Fudge Molten Cake
Submitted by Rosemary (MN) HQ Resident Chef

Ingredients
3 eggs
2 eggyolks
Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix
1/4 cup (1/2 stick) melted butter
1 jar Creamy Caramel Sauce, divided

Directions
Whisk eggs and egg yolks until foamy. Stir in Truffle Fudge Brownie Mix and melted butter; mix well. Fold in 1/2 cup Creamy Caramel Sauce. Line 12 muffin cups with paper cupcake liners; spray liners with nonstick cooking spray. Fill about 3/4 full of batter. Bake at 400° for 10-12 minutes or just until edges are set. Center will be slightly dry but still jiggly. Cool in pan 5 minutes. Microwave remaining Creamy Caramel Sauce 20-30 seconds or until warm. Drizzle sauce over each small dessert plate. Place a cake upside down over sauce; carefully remove paper. If desired, sift a little powdered sugar over the top of the cake. Makes 12 servings.