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!