lessons learned and a recipe

One of my favorite bloggers, Sarah at Clover Lane posted some really great reminders today for mothers in the trenches of raising little ones. she knows as a mother of 5 from ages 15 - 3. she is award winning at this blogging gig... and i know why. she is so very intentional with her writing and sharing, and certainly not afraid to share truths. i've appreciated and applied many of her ideas... oh and her recipes are awesome too!

there are days i feel so lost and frustrated as mommy to just 2 kiddos, then i'm reminded of so many moms out there with a MUCH fuller plate. so i drop to my knees and pray for guidance and strength :)

my boys going off to kindergarten in 3 1/2 weeks has me planning and envisioning a lot these days. {i've already made a long list of to-do's for myself while they are in school. oh it's gonna be so quiet and hopefully productive. {think = clean and organized} anyway, i've been setting my alarm for 6am to get myself used to being up early. it's also essential to my mood first thing in the morning to have a chance to brush my teeth and start the coffee before little fingers are tapping on my arm. cooper will sleep until 7 or 8, but mr corbin is an early riser like me and loud and ready to go right away. this also means i have to go to bed at a decent time at night. there is NOTHING on television worth giving up my rest.
this morning i made the boys turn off cartoons at 9 am and go outside to play. {mean momma} they whined and whined and moped around the garage for 30 minutes because they said it was too hot. i know it's only going to get hotter outside, so i insisted they stay outside and play. now i can hear them laughing and playing happily.

the lessons i'm learning are to be consistent, oh so consistent. and persistent and confident. and to fill my heart with God's truths and keep the faith that "i have this". i'm guilty of trying to simply keep them happy. i know this will do nothing to serve them well in the future. their being happy at all times is not the most important job as their mother. pushing them to do what i know is best will serve them well in life. challenging them, teaching them, praying over them and showing them video games, computers and cell phones are not essential to have a good day. my kids are already at age 5 getting too used to being spoon fed entertainment by technology. it's my job to teach them balance and limit their exposure now. so i'm working on this a lot. ***WE CAN DO HARD THINGS*** i love that saying and believe it. i want my boys to grow up knowing it early in life.
they are learning to unload and reload the dishwasher. they whine and says it's hard but they do it. they are learning to make their beds, put up their clothes, pick up their toys, scoop dog poop in the backyard. they hate it and whine about it, but it's okay mom. they need to learn to do hard things :)

okay onto the recipe. i got this recipe from Sarah at Clover Lane as well. breadsticks! oh they are good. I also used my bread machine to make the dough, but you could also use a mixer and your hands to knead the dough.

i was surprised how easy these were to make. and goooood! think olive garden. we will be making these a lot. if you try the recipe, let me know what you think.

blessings to all! thanks for stopping by my little blog today.
♥ amanda

good monday

hello.
hope your weekend was good.
the boys got new shoes for school on Saturday. they are so funny to shop with. cooper is not too picky and has definite style. he found three pairs he wanted. poor corbin gets overwhelmed with all the options and can't find anything he really likes. it was fun letting them pick out shoes. but i think i'll stick to doing most of the shopping alone for now.

silpada girls, how was your annual conference? i hope you all liked the new wristlets i sewed for you.
i'm making some really cute monogrammed nap mats for the clark twins next. they start preschool in a month. can't wait to show them to you when i'm done. denim and pink for miss halle & miss addison. i had fun shopping around my favorite fabric store for girly pink fabrics. this place is amazing!
we survived vacation bible school. whew, it was a crazy week at shake it up cafe :-)
the boys really loved it. we have all the songs we learned stuck in our heads. good times. good memories.

wednesday

hello.

Monday morning we started VBS at church. i remembered to have adam take a few pics of us before we left.

this is the boys first time as VBS'ers. the theme is Shake it Up cafe. they are in the cheery cupcake class. corbin was very reluctant and cried when i tried to leave him. it was very loud and overwhelming in the sanctuary. loads of kids and loud music. cooper patted him on the arm. told him it would be okay; he would be there with him. one of their teachers found me later in the morning to tell me cooper was sticking close to corbin to keep him comforted. ahhhh i love when my boys are so compassionate to each other.

it's been a fun week. but exhausting.
i'm a shepherd for the 5th graders. there are 38 of them. mostly all boys.
they are fun, smart and sassy. so independent, very few questions. rowdy though.
next year i think i will drop the boys off and enjoy 3 hours of peace and quiet.
:-}




my mini roses are blooming again. love this plant. my sister bought it for me for my very first mother's day. 5 years ago. wow. love my husband's green thumb.


oh, and corbin really likes VBS. like really likes it! i knew he would.
cooper especially loves the music and dances.

cooper had a little too much fun during playground time. i think an older child was spinning him on a tire swing for a long time, very fast. he felt real bad for about 30 minutes then threw up in the car on the way home. a lot. then was good as new.
oh the joys. they are endless. ♥

my BIG boys

cooper peyton
first born twin

corbin pierce
baby b

5 year stats... for the grandparents and so we don't forget :-)
Coop: 45 pounds, 3 feet 8 inches tall
Corb: 47 pounds, 3 feet 10 inches tall

These boys are the light of our life.
Miracles from God.
Conceived using modern medicine. god's perfect design. totally a mix of Adam and I.
they are smart, funny, sensitive, compassionate, silly, loving, handsome, rowdy, playful little guys. right now they are really into playing video games (lego batman, star wars, harry potter), corbin loves riding his bike, cooper his scooter. they really enjoy putting together legos, playing games on the computer or my iphone. corbin likes to color and draw. cooper loves any type of craft we can come up with. their getting so good with using their manners with lots of please, thanks yous and may i's. corbin is so great at throwing out random "i love you's" to all of us. and talks ALL THE TIME. questions non stop. :) cooper still likes to be cuddled and held. is quieter and a real thinker.
we love these boys to pieces!
thanks be to God for the gift of being their parents.
we appreciate the challenges and lessons that go with parenting. and love watching our babes growing up.
5 years went too fast.

July 4th weekend

we enjoyed the long weekend just hanging out at home. relaxing.
these crazy family members came to town.sister and brother in law

the kids played kinect and wii. girls scrapbooked.

guys did what guys do...

Diamond brought me a Cricut. i was so EXCITED! such a generous gift to give just because. i mean really?!
and she gave Corbin a hair cut. Uncle Ronnie let Cooper pretend to cut his hair. such a good sport.


no big fireworks this year. it's so hot and DRY here.
i never even heard any distant or nearby booms. i guess the ban on them worked in our area.

we did do some sparklers a week before the 4th.
on the back patio right before bed.
it was fun for the boys


first sparklers. they liked swinging them around making designs in the air.
sparklers are the perfect "firework" for little guys. and nothing caught on fire.

tea ring cake

this is one of my favorite cakes. my mom made it a lot growing up. she probably still does. :-) i've made it twice in the past month so i thought i'd share the recipe. it's really easy! honest. even if you aren't a baker ♥.

there is a secret ingredient ... instant vanilla pudding. makes the cake so moist.
if you like coffee cake try this one! oh, a bundt pan is required.

Tea Ring Cake
1 box yellow cake mix
1 pkg instant vanilla pudding
4 eggs
3/4 cup vegetable oil
3/4 cup water
1 tsp. vanilla

Grease bundt pan. especially the cracks and creases.
Mix the above ingredients for a few minutes with the mixer.

In a seperate bowl mix:
1/4 cup sugar
2 TBS cinnamon
1/3 cup chopped nuts
(i've used pecans or walnuts. finely chopped)

Pour half of the cake mixture into the bundt pan.
Then sprinkle on half the sugar mixture.
Then the remaining cake mix, and remaining sugar mix on top.

Bake at 350 for 35-40 minutes.
Cool completely. Turn out onto cake plate. Enjoy!

so good with a big cup of hot coffee. or milk.

enjoy!

perfectly paisley

it's been all things perfectly paisley around here this week. of course adam has been a huge help. cutting, monogramming, fixing my spare machine... having an assistant makes things go so much quicker. so thank you honey.

more wristlets complete, and delivered.
love this!



in fact there are double pockets inside on one side. this bag is the perfect size to carry your wallet, phone, keys, and more. measures 10 inches wide by 5 inches tall. custom orders available with monogramming.

more orders to fill... love being sew productive!

boys will be home tomorrow. yay! miss those little monkeys. grateful for this time to work hard, and all our blessings. we are so blessed!

around here

sewing...
love these wristlet clutches! i'm making 34 of them.
they are so sweet with the little monogram initial, and the perfect size.

enjoying...
salads. the garden is producing huge zuchinni & squash, cucumbers, bell peppers, banana peppers and roma tomato. yippee!

more sewing...
we just about finished making new covers for these chairs on our patio.
i'll show a before and after when we get them all complete.
pretty simple DIY project.

quiet...
the boys are at Nana's this week. it's so quiet. i'm taking advantage of the time to sew from sun up to sun down. and catch up on what's on the DVR. friday night lights, deadliest catch.

hope everyone had a good 4th of July. we had such a good time with family in town... more on that another day.

happy 4th of July

grateful for freedom and family. God bless you and the USA!

i ♥ summer

summer saturday evening fish fry with the neighbors
and my sister and Troy in town from OK. ♥
all our beloved doggies
kiddos who love to play together
cold bottled beer, odoul's, capri sun
watermelon and loads of fried trout caught on the texas coast
ahh, it's the life.

kids played go fish on the sidewalk for at least an hour.
everyone was content. dogs got to hang outside in the front yard on a leash.
i love summer.
{♥ the stricklands}
watermelon is a summer tradition, right? and my boys will eat almost anything... not picky eaters at all. and fruit is their FAVORITE. but watermelon, they won't eat. cooper's face says it all. we've tried it every year, and they always take a bite or two and say they don't like it. maybe someday. it's so refreshing, fun and messy to eat! and no big black seeds to mess with anymore. {how do they do that? what happened to the watermelon's seeds?}

eli and hadley loved the watermelon!

*************************************************************************************
yay! it's friday! the holiday weekend is here.
my favorite brother in law and sister in law and neice are coming for the weekend.
can't wait to see our country livin' fam!
i'm off to wash guest room sheets, clean bathrooms, and play with the kiddos. have a lovely weekend celebrating this great countries independence! happy 4th!