Crawling and other news

Well it's official. Emma can crawl for real. And four days after she started crawling for real, she started pulling herself all the way up to standing. It's a very good thing we lowered her crib a few weeks ago, otherwise she would have fallen out by now. All afternoon long yesterday I tried to put her down for a nap, and she would stand up and not know how to get back down. She would scream and scream and I would go lay her back down, and back up she would go. She is rather proud of her two new skills, so now I am waiting for her to start walking and for the rest of her teeth to come in. It is all or nothing with this child, after all. Might as well get it all out of the way. She also makes a specific noise when she sees my parent's birds and my cat. Every time the birds chirp she makes this squeak noise that we think is her trying to chirp. Whenever she sees Leo she makes a different noise that she associates with him. It's too cute!

My life has also just gotten that much crazier. Liz went back to work, so I am watching Kate for three hours in the afternoon. So far she just naps, but one of these days she is going to snap out of the baby stupor and I am going to find myself surrounded by energetic babies. It will be crazy but fun =). And I am going back to school! I will be taking online classes starting this summer. I know it's not going to get any easier for me to do this, and I might as well start working on it now. Hope will most likely be paying the tab for me, so I might as well take advantage.

Brian's school is moving along just fine. He has a big paper due monday, but he is taking it in stride. He is still enjoying classes, and it really striving to do the best he can. I think he's doing a great job juggling everything.


I leave you with some pictures I have taken the past week or so. Enjoy!

Diapers

I am wondering if anyone has tried costco, sam's club, or bj's diapers. If so, were you happy with them?

My computer is alive again.

Monday morning I walked into the office to the sound of silence. I pushed the power button for the computer multiple times, and puzzled much before deciding that my husband must of done something to kill the computer just to keep me off it. Having concluded this, I called him to tell him exactly what I thought of that. But I was wrong, as he genuinely seemed to have no idea what I was talking about. At that moment I began to panic. Brian wouldn't be home until late that night, and my dad was on a plane to Florida. There was no hope to be found. For three long days I was forced to go to my parent's house to check email. The humanity!! And then dad came home and took the ailing desktop to the doctor, and it's all better now. So I'm back!!!

There. Now you know why I have been silent all week.

Emma is starting to pull herself up. I walked into her room this afternoon after a nap and she was on her knees holding the top of the rail. She was doing the same thing on the coffee table earlier. My life is desperate moments away from getting a whole lot crazier. We have also decided she is a Chia pet. We have watered her, and now her hair is growing like crazy! Soon, I will be taking some of it for me, as I am still feeling rather bald. Oh and a huge praise. Mom and I took Emma to the opthamologist today, and he said that she doesn't appear to have the same eye problem that I do (mine is genetic and I have worn glasses since I was 2). Hopefully she won't have her dad's issue either(legal blindness). Brian and I were hoping my extreme far sightedness and his extreme nearsightedness would cancel each other out. What are the odds?

Well. I am sleepy. Just talking about Emma pulling herself up makes me want to go sleep til next week. Do you think Emma will be okay with that? =)

So here are pictures for the whiney aunts..I mean adoring public =).


I woke her up for this meal. Can you tell?


She wanted you to see her yummy clementine.

This was her starting to pull herself up. She is also contemplating how tasty the wood is.

Hair cut!

It's a good thing my sister lives in another state. I think my hair looks almost exactly like hers, only mine is longer. But I really like the cut =). The stylist was running behind so I got my eyebrows waxed, and they let me do a paraffin wax on my hands while I was waiting too. My hands are incredibly soft now. It was really relaxing, and the best part is that I got $10 off the eyebrow wax and the haircut, so it was $20 cheaper than it normally would have been. I am a big fan of a good deal! Anyway, it was a very pleasant afternoon, and a much needed break. Now if I could only figure out how to make Emma sleep all night again...

Good to know!!

Maybe everyone else already knew this, but I just found out, so in case you didn't know...
If you order from Amazon, you should go back and check Amazon's prices to see if they are any lower. Although they dont state it on their site, Amazon will give you the lower price on the items you purchased if you notify them within 30 days. All you have to do is call 1-800-201-7575.
I felt this was worth mentioning. Hope it helps =).

On to other things.
Brian found out his grade for his last class and he did very well in it. This was a great encouragement to him, and I am glad. I hope he can do even better now that he knows what is expected and is giving more time to it.

Emma is doing very well and is officially sitting herself up. We were just playing in her room and I was reading to her. When I looked up at her, she was proudly sitting up beside her trash can, moments away from eating its contents, so I was glad to snatch that away in time. She is crawling, though mostly backwards, but crawling nonetheless.
She is in the "only mommy for me" stage, and has been very sweet and cuddly with me. I was at my mom and dad's last night and we put her down for a nap. She screamed and screamed, so we got her back up a little while later and when she saw me she just started grinning and hugging me and wouldn't let me go. Evidently she is terrified that I will leave her if she takes a nap there.
She is finally eating green beans, but only if they are steamed and pureed with butternut squash..but it's a start. Maybe someday she will find a new love. Until that day, though, she will keep her orange skin tone from all the squash she eats. Too cute!

I am doing fine. I get a haircut tomorrow and possibly an eyebrow wax(which is not that painful...c'mon.), so it will be nice to have some "me" time. Maybe I will even get coffee. Hmmm..this is sounding better and better. Anyone want to give me a certificate for a free massage? I won't be saying no...
Oh and Brian and I finally had a good date! It was a few weeks ago now, but we went to Carraba's and it was wonderful! The food was excellent and the service was great as well. We then went out for coffee and to the bookstore and just had a pleasant evening. It's about time =).

I am also soon to paint our dining room, and I would like to make a headboard for our bed. I have seen this done on Trading Spaces, and I am wondering if anyone who reads this has actually done it and could give me some tips.

I think that pretty much catches everyone up. I have to go get some things done before Emma wakes up again!

Update time...

Well, I guess it's been a while, but nothing really has been happening. Brian has grades back in two of his three classes, and he hasn't failed anything yet =). Emma is continuing to grow and get harder to keep up with. I am just keeping up with house work and trying to rest when I get the time. I will say that I am happy 24 is back. We are watching them as they come this season, so that's been fun. Other than that, things have been really boring. So here are some pictures to amuse you since I have nothing clever to say.

And We're Crawling!!...Backwards!!

It is so cute to watch her scoot around on the floor. The other day I put Emma down on her tummy right in front of the futon. I was laying down reading and watching her, and all of the sudden all I saw was her head. She had scooted herself underneath the futon feet first, and then she cranked her head around and gave me a big smile =). And she is also sitting herself up now. I just have to say it again...I cannot believe how big she is getting!!

On another note, I have a question for the people who read this blog. Emma has started reacting VERY badly to both rice cereal and oatmeal. It makes no sense, as these are supposed to be the least likely things that she would react to, but she is reacting violently to both. I know it's these two. There isn't a doubt in my mind, so I am wondering if anyone has heard of this or has any idea why she might be. She has no problem at all with butternut squash, carrots, apples, pears, or prunes. She also had no problem with the rice initially, and has only recently begun to be so sick from it. Anyway. I know I have already asked some of you about this, but I am just curious if anyone has any ideas.

Brian started back to school today, and all has gone well so far. He gets his grades over the next two weeks, so please be in prayer for him. He is convinced he has failed all three, while I am sure he made all A's. I am praying that he will be encouraged by his grades, not discouraged. He just loves it so much, so I am hoping that things will be okay =).

I am doing fine. I am having to readjust to Brian not being home all the time, but it's not a big deal. I am thankful he is getting to do something he loves. He couldn't have such a great schedule forever, so I might as well get used to the real world now. And it does give me plenty of time to read and update Emma's blog, so how can anyone argue with that?

I leave you with a picture of my munchkin eating her giraffe(and a few bonuses). Doesn't it look so tasty?

Happy New Year!

We threw an impromptu party last night, and all was going fine until Emma woke up screaming. Evidently she's allergic to her rice cereal, and she didn't want it in her stomach anymore, so she thought I should wear it instead. But the party went on, and we all had a great time. I even got to sleep until 9 this morning because Emma went to bed so late. Ah well. Never a dull moment.

It has been a really nice vacation from reality, and I can honestly appreciate it so much more since there is actually something to vacation from now. Sadly, Brian returns to school in a week, and will be gone even more this semester than last, but I look forward to the goal of all of this. He will be doing something he loves, and that is worth so much to me.

Emma is days away from crawling. She was on the floor at the Abraham's house and Avalyn's yellow cup was near her. She got up on her hands and knees and actually managed to crawl a few paces before giving up and stretching to reach for it. I am really excited about it, but the thought also just makes me tired. I am going to have to earn my rest from now on, and that's no fair. But she is growing and loves food (except the rice cereal), and she is going to be 1 before I know it. Sigh. Who flipped the miracle grow switch?

I leave you with a picture of my lazy cat. He slept in this manner for a good 20 minutes until I decided I needed a little more room. He has it so good....

Christmas and pictures

Emma's first Christmas was a flurry of activity. She got to stay up until 9 pm on Friday because Aunt Sarah was around and Emma seems to adore her. Then on Saturday she went to sleep at Nonny and Grumpa's, and we were successfully able to transfer her from there to home without much of a hitch! Ah, the possibilities that opens up! On Sunday, we went to my in-law's house for Christmas Eve, and she received a lot of really cute and useful things, so she was very excited about that. She even got to chew on wrapping paper, and we all know that that makes a holiday wonderful! Then on Christmas day she received what seems to be her all time favorite gift...her own rocking chair. She adores it! She has the flu, but every time I sit her in it she grins and just looks around, proud to be sitting on her own in her own chair. It is adorable! So here, without further ado, is Emma's first christmas in pictures!

The Sippy Cup I love

Emma has officially chosen a sippy cup that she will drink from. It thrills my heart, really, because I tried the expensive one first, but no, she wanted the $.99 target brand sippy cup! I am completely okay with this, and hopefully she will continue in this low maintenance vein.

On another note, my sister got in yesterday so we all had dinner at mom and dad's. It got to be Emma's bed time and she was acting tired, so I put her down. We were playing Mexican Train and being very loud about it so 20 minutes later she started crying. I let mom go get her up, and she proceeded to sit there and watch us all play and very happily was the center of attention. She is becoming so aware of everything around her, and truly wanted to be in on the action. It was so cute! She behaved the whole time, and after one more attempt to put her to bed, I gave up and she just reveled in being able to stay up 2 hours past her bed time. She isn't even cranky today! Anyway, I just think it's cute that she is becoming so aware of everything.

Anyway, merry christmas everybody. I am sure I will get some adorable shots of my munchkin's first christmas, and when I do I will pass them on to you =).

Trader Joes, Tupperware, and Other Things

Friday, mom and I loaded Emma up in the car and went to the opening of Trader Joe's. It was fun and exciting, and everything I had hoped that it would be. I just want them to put one closer to me. So does Emma...all the driving makes her tired =).





Today I decided I would clean out my Tupperware cabinet. I had thought it would take a matter of minutes to organize it, but as I got it all out, I realized just how wrong I was. As you can see, I managed to fit an obscene amount of the stuff in a cabinet I had no idea was quite that large. Worry not. There will be PLENTY of Tupperware at the church soon, compliments of me. I got rid of tons of it, and I still have tons. Oh well. At least I have a little more cabinet space.


Also today, I embarked on a mission to make Emma's food. I purchased a butternut squash from Trader Joe's, and I steamed it for her. I was so very proud of myself! And even better, she loved it!

I got to hold baby Kate today, and as I held her, I was struck by how tiny she is. And it made me sad. Emma is not quite 6 months old and she has already changed from that so much. I tried so hard to hang on to those moments when she was tiny, and they slipped away from me. Now I cannot keep her in one place, she is eating solids, and she jabbers nonstop. Before I know it, she'll be all grown. I am thankful for her, and I am thankful God gave her to me. I just wish she could stay little just a little bit longer. I am also looking forward to what's ahead, though. I had so much fun with the girls I watched. We went everywhere and did all sorts of fun things. It's exciting to know that that's just around the corner for us. Anyway. I know that was sappy. I just cannot believe how the moments fly.

I leave you with pictures of my sweeties. The first picture is of her enjoying the squash I made for her. The second is of her scarfing up prunes. Who knew that she would be a vacuum cleaner. She'll eat anything, it seems! (for which I am sooooo thankful!)

One of those weeks

Emma has decided she doesn't need naps or bedtimes, and Leo has decided he can do whatever he wants. Who even knew that both of them being unruly at the same time would be so trying?

Emma used to be a VERY good sleeper. Even if she wasn't all that tired when I put her down, she would play for a little while and then go right to sleep. Sometimes she would cry for a little bit, but she would always go right to sleep. Now, whenever I put her down, she SCREAMS. and screams. and then screams some more. Last night she screamed for 30 minutes or so. I don't have any clue as to what might be wrong. Could she be trying to see if I will come and get her? Is she mad that I put her down and is just letting me know? I know she is tired, but she just fights it! Any input would be great, because I am at the end of my rope about it.

Leo has decided that he can claw up my pantry. Those of you who have been to my house know that I have a nice set of cabinets that my Dad built that I use as my pantry. Leo knows where I keep his food, and now tries to get into that door all the time, even when he has plenty of food. He has also started jumping on the counter all the time which he never used to do, and everytime I put Emma down for a nap he goes to her door and meows so loud my neighbors can hear it, and throws himself into her door to try to get in. He never used to do this either! Is it me? am I going crazy? or are my two children conspiring to drive me so? Oh well. If this keeps up, I will have a cat who thinks he's a human to give away. Anyone interested? He loves to get in the way!

Pictures, but keep scrolling

The only shot I got in Kentucky!


Here is Emma, enjoying Earth's Best Organic Rice Cereal!

Kentucky and Rice Cereal

Well, Emma and I have returned from our three day adventure. We left on Tuesday around 10 in the morning without incident, and were making very good time. We stopped for lunch and gas around noon, and then continued on our journey north(or whatever direction it was...west maybe?). We were flying when we came to a screeching halt in Murfreesboro. Now for those of you who don't know, I have been to this very city before, and it was a WEIRD experience. So here I am, stuck on 24 west, in a city where weird things had already happened to me before. Emma is screaming, because she is no longer happy to be in her car seat, and I am ticked, because I am only an hour away from my destination. So we sat. And we sat. And we sat. I moved 1/4 mile in an hour. Finally we got to what turned out to be a HUGE wreck. They were routing traffic over a bridge and around back onto the highway, which was what was taking so long. Needless to say, I did not even attempt to obey the speed limit for a while.Lynzi called to ask where I was, and she told me I was about a half hour away. I asked if it would take that long if I were going 90, and she said no. She was right. It only took me 20.

We arrived, happy to be out of the car, and Emma played some. She really was enjoying her first time in KY, so much so that she just had to go to sleep! Lukas got home a little while later, and he got to stay with her while Lynzi and I went to a Bible study on Post. It was the first time I have ever been around soldiers, and it was really interesting. I was truly struck by the fact that these are the people who are fighting this war. They have friends dying, and this is their life. It truly is a whole different world, and I enjoyed observing. I could never be a military wife. I am just not cut out for it. Anyway, then we went out for drinks because we could, and then went home to go to bed.

The next day, Emma and I went with Lynzi to her doctor's appt. While in the waiting room, a woman who was leaving started talking to Emma. This was one of the largest women I have ever seen, and when she started talking, I was unsure whether or not it was a man. She clearly smoked. I was scared for Emma, who did not smile. Her appt. went fine, and then we headed back to give Emma a nap. After that we went to a friend's house on Post to watch What Not To Wear, which Lynzi had never seen. I thought that was a travesty, so I insisted we had to go. We had a good time, and I was most amused to discover that her friend is me, only blond. She owned the same boots I had on, she had the same Southern Living items I have, and she loves polish pottery. It was very strange. Emma needed a real nap by now, so we headed back for the rest of the day. We took it easy, then Lynzi made dinner and Lukas came home. I introduced them to Speed Scrabble, and I just barely beat Lynzi by 6 points. Lukas was holding his own very well until he got stuck with the x,y,q, and some others. But he was a good sport, and we had a good time. Then we all went to bed.

Emma kept me up pretty much all night because she wanted to see how long I could drive on 2 hours of sleep. Evidently I can drive 5 hours, but that is with caffine. Anyway, she got up for real around 6:30, and then went back down for a nap. Lynzi and I talked until it was time to go, just before 10, and then I went to load the car. To my surprise, it was snowing! It was soooo cold. Emma got to see her first snow, and that was very exciting (more for me than her). We said our goodbyes, and sadly left Kentucky. I was making VERY good time (pace cars going 90 are always really great), and then I decided I needed gas. I kept passing up good exits until I finally knew that if I didn't stop, I was going to run out of gas. I saw a sign for Chick-fil-a, and since those are usually in highly populated areas, I decided to stop there. And wouldn't you know it, it was in Murfreesboro. And I of course had to have a weird experience there to keep up tradition, so that's just what I did. We went into Chick-fil-a, and there was a weird Santa there for you to take pictures with. He came up to me and started talking to and touching Emma. She was not smiling at him, either. And then he said "Let me hold her for you while you get your food." I almost slugged him, and the look that must have jumped on my face must have told him that. I politely told him that I had gotten really good at juggling things, and thanks but not on your life, buddy. He didn't bother us again. Do I have "Stupid" written on my forehead? He was three feet from the doot, and all he had to do was run. Anyway, we then got gas, and it was snowing like crazy. Thankfully, the roads were not icey, and I never had to worry about that. Anyway, we got home in very good time from there, and I was soooo glad to be out of the car.

Random bit of info...you can pick up WSB in the middle of TN still. Who even knew? Oh, and I forgot to say that when Lukas watched Emma, he was so sweet. He told me when we got back that she scared him because she was the quiest sleeper in the world. He said he had to put his head right near hers to make sure that she was breathing. I thought that was adorable, since Brian used to do the same thing. Anyway...

On Tuesday night, Emma woke up at 5:45 as has been usual lately, and I fed her. She went back to sleep, and I lay awake wondering why it is that she had been continuing to do this lately. Then it occured to me that she was probably ready for solids. I don't know why it always takes me three weeks to realize that she is ready for something, but I'm a little dense. Anyway, I went to the store today and got bibs, bowls, spoons, and rice cereal. Mom and Granny came over, and we video taped Emma's first time eating solids. Since it wasn't digital, I am unsure how to post it here, but I got a lot of stills and those are cute enough. She loved it! She wanted more, and ate all of what I gave her! So since it went over so well, I am officially ready to start giving it to her at dinner too. I hope this means I can sleep all night again. It would make me most happy =). So that's that. My baby girl is getting older, and I cannot believe how time as flown. She is already 5 months old! Anyway. I am having a great deal of trouble posting pictures, so I will post those later when blogger is cooperating more.

Round Here

Sorry to Emma's adoring public for the long delay in posting. I've been busy. Emma celebrated her first Thanksgiving in style, partying so hard she had to go to sleep at 6:15! Okay, that's when she always goes to sleep, but she still had a good time for the hour she was around for celebration. I think Thanksgiving will mean more to her when she can actually eat it, but that's just my thought on the matter. I am pondering starting her on solids in a couple of weeks. She is grabbing everything near her, and is extremely interested in what I eat. I figure with two teeth, she's ready. I am sure there will be great pictures of that =). Other than that, all is well. Emma had another cold this past week, but since I had medicine on hand when she started sniffling, I was able to stave off the worst of it thankfully. She has also officially moved on to size 3 diapers, and those fit perfectly. Hopefully those will fit perfectly for all 104 I have of them =).

Brian turned in his paper last week, so now he only has two exams to go. He has been studying like crazy, and I think he is really looking forward to the end of the semester. I am getting spoiled by his being home all the time again, however I was shocked to learn that I have to cook for every meal now! I don't think that's very fair, but I suppose I can handle it if it means he's home.

I am doing well. I am on fire to get this house decorated, and am starting the painting process. Unfortunately all my painting pals are pregnant, which I am taking personally. Oh well, I will manage somehow =). Emma and I are headed up this week to visit Lynzi in Kentucky, which we are very excited about (okay, Emma doesn't know yet, but I am SURE she will love it)! Brian and I got the christmas tree last night, and as you will see, it has it's lights and one ornament that Emma helped me put on.

I feel like all of that seemed rushed. I am sorry if it seemed that way to you too. Maybe my next post will be more organized and detail filled. I am just too tired to remember much of what's happened this past week. I will end with a few new pics of my sweet girl.


Taking a walk with mommy! It was very cold that day...


Showing off Emma's first ornament

I know you can't see her face, but I think it's so cute that she sucks her thumb and grabs whatever she can with her other hand!

Emma's Uncle Dax caught this cute one at Thanksgiving

And then there were two

Emma's second tooth is coming in now! It is the other bottom front tooth, so now the first one won't be lonely. I don't have anything else clever to say, so I will leave you with this super cute picture of Emma, who adores her feet!

You can't be serious

A few weeks ago, Brian and I broke away for a real DATE. It was a Friday night, and we decided to go to Johnny Carinos. They were not busy at all, and we were seated as soon as we walked in the door. Our waiter was extremely nice, but we noticed right away that he took forever to get anything to our table. We were there for a good 20 minutes before we got any bread, our drinks took just as long to get to the table, etc. After we had been there an hour, Brian finally got his meal and it was wrong. Our waiter sent it back to get the correct thing, and 20 minutes later we finally both had the right thing, though mine was cold for the waiting on the corrected meal. So yes folks, we were there an hour and a half before we got our meals. People came and went before we got to eat. And like I said, it was not busy at all. Our evening was by no means ruined by this, and we still had a great time, but the wait was pretty much unacceptable, especially considering he never let a manager know what was going on. So when we got home, I emailed the company to complain. We were immediately responded to, and they sent us some "be our guest" slips to come back with and try again.

Fast forward to last Friday night. Mom and Dad came over to watch Emma, and we finally had a chance to break away and use the coupons. And who do you think was our waiter this time around? You guessed it. The same guy. At first I wasn't worried. He couldn't possibly remember us? Oh but he did. He did. We could not stop laughing, because what on earth were the odds?! So we ate, and when it came time to pay, Brian slipped the coupons in with our credit card. We were hoping against hope that those things were handed out for other things than just unhappy customers. And we were wrong. Our waiter came back with the manager, who asked if everything was better this time, and our waiter knew exactly why we had those coupons. I wanted to melt into the floor. I don't even know what the moral to this story is. At least the service was much better this time around, and he did get a much better tip...but maybe next time something like this happens, we will just go to another location.

A week of firsts

Yes, I know it's Monday, but Emma has already had a busy week. Yesterday morning, she woke me up early, crying and very upset. When I came into her room, she was perched on her back, eating her feet. As I most definitely did not leave her that way, I was thrilled to see that she had finally rolled over! She has yet to show a desire to do so again, but I think she has simply checked it off of her list of things to do. Now she can move on to something else. So this morning she woke me, quite upset again, and at 3:30 am this time. It took quite a bit to calm her, and she finally went back to sleep. So our day went on as normal, and this afternoon we were playing when she stuck my finger in her mouth and chomped down on it. I immediately realized that a tooth is coming in! Her front bottom left tooth is coming in! She is only 4 months old!! This does explain the EXCESSIVE drooling she has been doing lately, and the general fussiness. I alomst cried when I saw it. My baby has a tooth! She won't be completely toothless ever again, and it makes me kind of sad. Anyway, I thought Emma's adoring public would want to know. I am sorry I don't have pictures, but I am sure I will get some soon.

Problem solved

Evidently I didn't need to ask all of you what to do about my crock pot. My husband, who has no fear of destroying non-stick coating, attacked the crock pot with a knife. The apple carbon came right out. I knew he was good for something =). But I think it only came out because I soaked the whole thing in dishwasher detergent yesterday, which is stronger than my dish soap. So I loosened it. So now the world can return to spinning, as I can use my crock pot again. I suppose technically I could have used it before, but I think it would have left all my food with a distinctive burnt apple flavor. I don't consider that to be appetizing. Anyway, I just thought I would share the good news.

Things I have noticed:

Emma has found her feet, and is quite enamored with her new toys
Everytime I pick Emma up, she snorts with happiness
Every since I was pregnant with her, she has clasped and unclasped her hands when she is tired or focusing on something else. It always felt so cute then, and it's even cuter now
She grabs my arm with fascination everytime I change her diaper. It's so much fun watching her discover the world

I am sure there is more I wanted to add to that list, but I can't remember any of it, so that will have to do for now. I am off to take a shower and clean my bathroom. It's long overdue. Sorry no pictures yet, but I am not too good at taking pictures of myself...

Help Me!!

So about two weeks ago, I made an attempt to make apple butter in my crock pot. All the reviews said it could sit in the insert for hours, even days, and would make no difference in how it turned out. So I followed the directions and, without fear, set it for 10 hours overnight. When I woke up in the morning, the apple butter was CARBONIZED. I mean, so stuck to the pot that I am STILL trying to get it off. So what I want to know is does anyone have any ideas for getting it out? I have tried soaking it overnight, soaking it for days, putting soap and water into it and putting it back into the crock pot to cook...just about anything I can think of, and it still won't come up. I am starting to get very worried that I have destroyed my crock pot insert. This stuff is like cement, no joke. I don't want to start bashing it with something, since the insert is non-stick and I don't want to ruin it if I can help it. So ANY ideas would be very appreciated...I would hate to have to get a new crock pot for christmas because of the horrid apple butter...sigh.

In other news, I am getting a hair cut today, which I am quite excited about. And then, because Brian will be home, I have big plans to get some shopping done. I have two long sleeve shirts that look decent on me, and no sweaters, so it's time I got some winter clothes.

Emma is finally better. No runny noses or coughs anymore, and I am very thankful. And to top it all off, two weeks later, she is finally adjusting to the time change. I get to sleep in again!!

So now you are all caught up. I will post more later, when I think of anything more interesting.

A Bonus

The only way you'll ever see my dad anywhere near a cat...

Cow girl

Jen bought this costume for Lydia last year, and unable to resist ourselves, we had to put Emma in it too.