Brilliant!!

I was wondering around Pinterest earlier. Just looking for things, to make our lives a little simpler. I think our older 2 girls, are ready to be a little more independent. And well, I could use any help I can get right now.

This idea, just blew my mind! Maybe because I've got my hands full all the time. And it's summer. The temps are through the roof! And my girls drink water all day. It's not a bad thing. But it makes for a lot of time at the fridge. And in the cabinets. That why this idea is just brilliant.



Magnetic cups. I just bought a bunch of cups at Albertson's. On clearance! Cute and all. For 10 cents a piece. Tomorrow, I'm heading out to buy some magnets. Then, we will all have our own cups. Right on the fridge. Because in this weather, well we can't get enough ice water! A

Just What She Needs!!

Life is getting a little less hectic. We seem to be in a good rhythm right now. I think, we're all on the same schedule. Tough to get 5 souls, on 1 schedule!! But somehow we did it. And now, we have a little more time, to work on fun things. Like crocheting!!

Elena and I, were searching for some patterns. Preferably, for food toys. She's been so excited, about "cooking" us food. Her kitchenette, was the best things we could have bought! My sweet girl, spends hours and hours, playing with it! :)



We found this pattern. And it was a score!! To us, they look like chicken fajitas!! Yum!! And Elena was just so happy about them. Hopefully I'll get some time, to start crocheting. This weekend. I know one little girl, who would welcome that! A

You Made What??

I recently found a new blog, that I'm in love with! If by now, you haven't noticed, I've got a serious sweet tooth! Oh boy do I!! I remember when Mark and I first started dating, my MIL was very concerned about this. Because I'd show up for dinner, and I wouldn't really eat. Then I'd see dessert, and I'd eat everyone under the table!!

Little has changed really. Except now, I really do try, to have a more balanced diet. I promise myself, that if I eat a salad, then I can have some cookies. I have to. Or else, I'd try and live off of sugar!! :)



But recently, I've been wanting salty and sweet, at the same time. And Grateful Belly is helping, in that way! It's a little crazy. Last night, after Elena and Ofelia went to bed, I got one of those cravings. It was consuming my entire thoughts!! That's when I turned to this inspiration.

I know. It sounds odd. Fritos dipped in chocolate. Then dipped in sprinkles. Oh boy it was a treat! A party in my mouth!! Mark looked at me a little strange. But he tried them too. And he really enjoyed this treat. Now I'm feeling a little guilty. Because we finished them off. Last night. Without sharing with our girls. Maybe that's an excuse, to whip up another batch!! A

Perfect for My Daughters!!!

I'm not going to lie, life has been so crazy!! But I'm still wanting to make time, for all my girls. I want our older girls, to feel special. And not left out. Because, let's be honest, Sofia needs me 24/7!!!

Today, when Sofia went down for a nap, I wanted to work on a special project. Just for Elena and Ofelia!! It's been a little hit or miss, whether all my girls will nap at the same time. But today, they all did. I swear, I heard angeles singing. :)



I remembered this project. I seen it, a few weeks ago. Before Sofia was born. And I "favorited it." Knowing, that I'd come back to it. Eventually! Today was the day. I've cut out, all the bunting pieces. I've got some sticks. And now, I just need to start tying. :) Hopefully by tomorrow, we'll have 3 buntings. For 3 perfect little girls!!! I can't wait. A

Yummy!

This video makes me so hungry! I was watching Kandee's videos over the weekend. And this video just made me smile. Not only is her daughter adorable. But now, I feel like I need to go grocery shopping. And we just went on Friday. This is probably not the best video, for this very pregnant lady to be watching. But there are so many yummy snacks, that I want right now. What are some of your favorites? A

So Sweet!!!

It's no secret, that this is our 3rd baby. In our family, we have 1 baby shower. For the first baby. After that, people are still happy for you. With each additional baby. But everyone feels like, now you know what to expect. You should have things from your previous babies to use. A little more on your feet. And your now a mommy, and know a little more about what's ahead.

I think this is a good thing. You celebrate with family, and get advise, the 1st time around. After that, people still bring gifts by. But it's a little more low key. I really like that. Our other babies are not loved less. It's just more low key.

So what happened yesterday, really surprised me! Lola has been in town. Her uncle past away over the weekend. But while the family has been trying to make arrangements, I've gotten to spend some much needed time, with my friend. Who has also been working on baby girl's nursery. :)

Yesterday, I had already agreed to be out of the house. So Lola could finish the nursery. I figured that, as a family, we'd get to see it complete after dinner. The girls and I, left early in the morning. Met my FIL for breakfast. And then we went shopping. About an hour into shopping, Lola called me. And asked if I could come home. I thought, oh no! What happened?

We headed home.When we got here, I was shocked! Lola and Lorenzo planned a "Baby Tea Party" for us! I'm pretty sure that I've said it before, but Mark's family owns a business. Lorenzo runs it. Mark, his brothers, and cousins all work for it. So they got to take the day off, with no problems. My MIL took the day off of work. As did Mr. and Mrs. S, lots of friends, and more family!

This was such a nice and unexpected surprise. It wasn't about the presents. But we really did appreciate those! All of them. :) It was about getting time with our family and friends. Seeing how happy they are, for us. Starting this new chapter, in our lives.



The food was plentiful. Something tells me, Lola spent all night cooking! This was definitely my favorite! If you haven't made it yet, run out and buy all the ingredients. It's super simple. And so delicious!

The day was perfect! Lots of food, friends, and family. An easy going day. Nothing too complicated. Lots of celebrating our baby girl. And our big girls too! And to top it all off, Lola and Lorenzo finished the nursery. Little did I know, it was finished the other night. When they came over, with a few friends. And let me tell you, it's beautiful!

Now I really can't wait for our baby girl to come! This is such a special time in our lives. And we have so many wonderful people, in our lives. We are blessed! Yesterday showed Mark and I, that we picked the perfect Godparents for our daughter. It was not about the gifts or party, but about the love, that they showered our family with! A

Peter the Elephant

Have you seen, or heard about, Peter the Elephant? Over the weekend, my BIL was telling us about this elephant. I don't know where he heard the story. But Mark didn't believe him. Until we pulled out our laptop, and watched the video. Since then, we've seen this video everywhere! This elephant is super cute! A

Lamb of God

I recently came across the blog, Dreams into Plans. Jen's blog is just amazing!! She shares such nice things. Things, that make my heart sing. And bring a smile to my lips. Like this printable.



The second I seen this, I knew that I had to print it out!!! Not only is it my style. With all the fun colors. But it speaks to my soul. Makes me think of my religion. And I just knew, we had to add it to our Easter decorations.

I printed this out out last night. And happened to have a pretty, Spring frame. A pink one!! That I put it in. And added this beauty, to our mantel. Go visit Jen. I promise you, you won't be disappointed!!! A

Happy St. Patty's Day!!

Happy St. Patty's Day everyone!! Around here, we're very excited! Green pancakes for breakfast. I'm thinking green eggs and ham for lunch. And corned beef and cabbage for dinner! Let's not forget about our new green clothes. This is just one of those silly holidays, that makes life so fun!! And anything that brings a smile to my girls' faces is totally worth it!! A

My Gardening Girls

I've said it many times on here, we're a gardening family. Through and through. My husband and his brothers, spent a lot of time, last summer helping my FIL, with his garden. He has a hurt back. And last year, was just tough!!

But Mark and I, have also had a garden. For a handful of years. Elena and Ofelia are growing up, with this same love. Not long ago, they helped us pick out flower seeds, veggie plants, and a tree. We're proud that they are growing up, with this love. And knowledge. That hard work, produces good stuff. :)

So it shouldn't surprise me, that when Elena read "garden" and "doll," that she was totally into it! What were we doing? I was looking over Crochet Pattern Central's updates. Where the new patterns are posted. That's when we first spotted, the "Garden Lily Doll!"



I've never made anything, this complicated!! It's an intermediate pattern. And honestly, I'm a little worried. I think it's going to take me a while. I talked to my girls. And told them, that I'm going to start the dolls. But it's going to take a little while, for mommy to finish their dolls. And more than likely, they won't get them until, after our new baby girl is here. Both Elena and Ofelia, seem to be OK with that.

Honestly, I'm trying to get the garden dolls done before that. Because, I don't know what life as a "Mommy of 3," is going to be like. And my girls, are so in love with these dolls!! I think, these dolls are a good way of linking their play, to our gardening. Today, while Mark is at work, the girls and I are heading to Hobby Lobby. For supplies. We're also working on a project, for their baby sister. :) A

What to Plant????

Recently, the girls and I went to Family Dollar. They were having a "Baby Sale." And I wanted to pick up some baby washcloths, look for some headbands, and maybe look through the garden section.

Well, we left with quite of big bunch of stuff. And I thought, well, we'd be set for planting. After I picked up 4 packs of baby washcloths, 2 bundles of headbands, and a necklace for me, we headed to the garden stuff.

By the way, the necklace wouldn't ring up. And it was super cute!! A chunky beaded necklace. Usually, they'll sell it for a quarter or so. Sometimes a dollar. Because it's usually "out of season." And they're trying to get rid of the stock. But this time, they threw it in the trash!!! Really, I was just shocked!!! Family Dollar, did you read that??? The lady in front of me, they must of thrown away 10 pieces of jewelry, and 5 pieces of clothing. CRAZINESS!!! And she was not too happy. She left the $100 worth stuff, that they had rung up to that point, and left the store!!!

Back to the garden stuff. Sorry about that mini rant. I just had to get it off my chest. :) I decided to let the girls help out. Since they already knew, they weren't going to get any toys. Ofelia was definitely excited about all the "Garden Animals." Especially the bunnies!! We came home with about 12 different animals. For under $20. We also picked up some metal hanging things. To put in the yard, and then hang flower baskets from.

Elena was definitely into the seeds. I'm a little embarrassed to say this, we left with $15 worth of seeds. I know!! And they're either 4 or 5 packs for $1. Can you just imagine how many packs of seeds we have. :) Maybe I should have been paying better attention to Elena. But she was pretty excited. And this purchase, should be bringing us happiness, for a long time!!

I was going through all these seeds earlier. And what did I notice? Only 5 packs of those seeds, are for food!! The rest are flowers. I guess my girl, wants lots of pretty flowers. We now have seeds for watermelons, pumpkins, cucumbers, tomatoes, and jalapenos. Can you tell what Elena likes to eat?? :)



Well, this leads to a little dilemma. What should we plant this year? Since we pretty much have to do all our garden shopping still, I need to make a plan. We have garden boxes. :) It makes things a little easier for us. I'm thinking squash, plenty of tomatoes, bell peppers, jalapenos, lots of herbs, pumpkins, watermelons, strawberries, and maybe some eggplant. I wonder how hard, it is to grow sweet potatoes....

Do you have any other ideas, of what I should buy? What we should plant? What are some of your favorite things? It doesn't have to be seeds. We'd be happy to buy plants. We can even talk about flowers, bushes, and trees. Because we want to add some more color to our yard. I'd love to hear your thoughts!! A

Making Memories

I'm a really big fan of Rice Krispies Treats!!! My mom can attest to that. I remember one day, hearing about them. And making her go to the grocery store. For all the supplies. I think I was in elementary school. :)

We made them that afternoon. And ever since, it's been one of those treats, that I just love! Since I've been married, I've varied my Rice Krispies Treats. Added things to them, like candy, nuts, dried fruit,various marshmallows. Lots of things!! And they are just too darn good!

At one point, I wouldn't allow Rice Krispies, marshmallows, or anything to do with my favorite treats, in our home. At the time, I needed to lose 10 lbs. And it just wasn't happening, with these bad boys in the house!!

I think last year, was the first year, that I heard about these eggs. It might have been 2 years ago. I can't remember. But I saw the commercial on TV. I kept saying, I'm going to try those. Well, it never happened. :(



Last week, I saw that commercial again. And I got an idea. Over the weekend, I just knew, that we had to at least try these. I picked up the supplies on last Friday. While grocery shopping. Yum! I was so excited!! And last Saturday, after nap time, we went all out!

Two hours later, we had a nice stack of eggs. I'll be it, Mark and I, made 99% of them. But that's our job. :) Elena and Ofelia were so excited, with all their hard work!! It was such a fun project. One that I hope, becomes a tradition in our family. :)

And all those Rice Krispies eggs, were happily eaten!! Not all by us. Although, we did have our fair share. But I took them with us, to my parents' house Sunday. They had us all over, including my siblings and their families, for dinner. It was super yummy!!

I'm hoping, to make these one more time. For Easter. But with my due date so close to Easter, I'm just not sure. We'll have to play it by ear. Maybe instead, I should whip some up today, during nap time. For our weekly Family Dinner. :) A

Etsy I LOVE You!!

I should tell you something. I spend way too many hours on Etsy. After my girls are fast asleep. I shop the clearance racks, to buy cute things on Etsy. I like buying things for our home, our girls, and to give as gifts.

Mark laughs, when he sees me, pull out my laptop. He knows, I'm going to be doing some shopping at Old Navy, eBay, or Etsy. Once in a while, I'm searching for crochet patterns. Between, don't you think, there are always better sales on Old Navy's website, than in their stores?

Well, I found a new shop. That I'm in love with!! Purdy Things. This shop, has the most amazing pieces!! And I want one of each. :)



Elena would just love this purse, to pieces!! Those are our favorite colors. And her love of birds, just makes this, an obvious choice. Let's not forget, she doesn't leave home, without her purse!!



Ofelia would look like a doll in this!! Perfect for our hot summer weather. I could see her, running through the sprinklers, in this little outfit!!



And I'd love this, for our new daughter. :) How cute would that be? The Very Hungry Caterpillar, is one of my favorite Children's books. This would be perfect, for newborn pictures!!

I restrained. I just added these, and about another 100 things from this shop, to my favorites. :) But I can't stop thinking, about all these beautiful things. I've got just over 2 months, to ponder these buys. I might just cave!! A

Just Happy

Saturday was my birthday. I don't think it's a special day. I've always been funny about my birthday. I think, that's why I make such a big deal, out of my daughters' birthdays. :) But I have this amazing husband. That likes to spoil me. And our daughters. This year, he was extra sweet! To his extremely pregnant wife.

First came breakfast in bed. Which was delicious! Our daughters joined us. With special little gifts, that they made with Mark. My heart was so full of love. As they snuggled with me. And told me, that God sent them to me. Just because he loves me. I'd have to say, God loves me so much, that he sent me, these precious little girls to love!

Mark then drove me to my favorite spa. Where Cam was waiting for me. And we spent the entire day, getting pampered! Oh it was heaven. I got my hair cut, a magnificent prenatal massage, and a mani-pedi. Honestly, it was just what I needed. And before that day, I didn't even know it!

When Cam dropped me ff at home, I was so happy. And relaxed. I didn't expect to walk into a quiet house. With a delicious dinner waiting for me. And all my favorite movies. Yes, the perfect quiet night. With the man I love!

I still can't believe that Rems and Cam watched our daughters until this morning. Or that we literally spent the most incredible weekend alone. At home. Not doing much. Just enjoying each other's company. Much like we did, when we first got married.



Mark is the kind of husband, that will always make me feel, like that 16 year old girl. Who's heart raced, the minute she saw him. He'll always protect me. And our family. Most importantly, he'll always be here for us, and love us.

I got some amazing presents. I got a fun treat, of going to the spa. Amazing meals cooked all weekend. But the one gift, that my husband can't wrap up, he gives me every day. His love. And that's all I need! A

Happy Easter!!

Happy Easter everyone!! There's just something about Easter, that makes me so happy!! Lent, is a time, when I completely "fill up" my tank. I soak up all of God's grace. I feel like Lent, is a time of reflection. But also, a time of "soul healing."

Our little family, is so excited about going to church today. I'm telling you, we all feel so blessed. The Easter Bunny even stopped by. Left our daughters some treats. That I'm sure, when they wake up, will be so thrilled! :)




This afternoon, we're all heading to my in-laws' house. They're hosting a nice cookout. And my family, is so happy about going! My sister even called last night, to ask me what time she should be there. Secretly, I know that she's excited over my MIL's cooking!! So am I!! I made this cake for the celebration. It was super easy!! And now, I'm wondering why I haven't done it before. Happy Easter!! A

I'm Gonna Get My Craft On!!!

Last night, I got a little lost. In the world of YouTube!! Isn't that the way it works? YouTube just sorta sucks you up. And you lose hours of your time. I feel like it works like this. Anyway, I was catching up on all my favorite YouTubers. And I was so excited when I came to Jen's page!!



This is such a good tutorial. Honestly, I almost bought a wipe case, some burp clothes, and a little blanket on Etsy. It's still in my "favorites." I'm not going to tell you the seller. Because now that I think about it, $100 for this set....is just nuts!! The blanket is just a receiving blanket. With a little fabric letter sewn on it.

But I'm so excited about this discovery!! I'm not crafty. At all! But even I, can figure out how to glue some fabric, on a wipe case. Especially, since Jen does it all on camera!! Now I need to go buy a glue gun and some fabric. This is so exciting for me! I'm going to be making one of these for our baby girl!! :) A