Suzi's Baby Shower

One of the things we did when Debbie, Hannah and Nadia were here was attend my sister, Suzi's, baby shower.

Suzi is finally starting to get big. She looks so darn cute.

Even though we were guests at the party... Suzi wanted a special punch that I make. So, we arrived early to make the punch. The food was catered by the same people who catered Suzi's wedding... Delicious!

Hannah and Nadia wanted to learn how to make the punch... so they helped.

Debbie enjoyed getting her baby fix with Jenna (the shower hostess' little girl). We had fun reminiscing about when Hannah was that small.

We had the opportunity to visit with friends what we haven't seen in a while.

Why is it that it takes weddings, babies or death to see some people? I really need to make more of an effort to get together with my friends...

Pam and Ganny

Usually I dread playing games at Baby Showers... but Beth had planned some awesome games.

On this game we had a race to diaper a baby with our eyes closed. Ashley (in the middle) won.

The second game was to guess what the "poop" was in each diaper. There were 8 diapers...

Nadia and I worked together on this one. We smelled and tasted each diaper. She looks less than thrilled :)

The last game was a baby food guessing contest.

I found this game particularly hard since I never gave Bryant any store bought baby food. I was the fresh food in the food processor queen.

After this game I totally realize that baby food is DISGUSTING... especially the chicken and vegetable dinner. YUCK!

The list of items we ended up tasting

And what would a shower be without showing the mother to be with gifts? I was surprised to see how many new things are out there. It seems like just the other day I was buying things to get ready for Bryant.

Now all we need is the BABY... although we're patiently waiting.

MIA... Where have I been?

Thanks to all of you who emailed me to see where I've been!

We've had some VERY special guests.

We've been busy playing and showing them around... rather than blogging.

Do you know who they are?

My birth-daughter, Hannah (green and white dress)

Hannah's mom, Debbie (white shirt)

Hannah's sister, Nadia (purple tank)

(also in the picture are me, my sister and my mom)

Here's my beautiful daughter and I last Saturday.

She is so gorgeous, sweet and kind. She is so well adjusted and told me she feels special to have so many people who love her!

A complete testament to our OPEN ADOPTION.

And Bryant is beside himself having Hannah visit. It completely overwhelms my heart to hear him say "my sister" when referring to Hannah. I'm so glad that neither of them are alone in this world... they'll always have each other.

Anyway, I hope to get caught up on the blog this weekend... we have lots of pictures to post from our days of playing...

Favorite Foto(s) Friday...

Have you ever eaten at a Mongolian BBQ?

Mongolian BBQ is a favorite of Suzi (my sister) and mine.

Ganny and Bryant hadn't ever experienced it... so on Saturday we took our virgin eaters to Mongolian BBQ.

We all enjoyed piling fresh vegetables, noodles, rice, meat and sauce in our bowls to have custom stir fry.

Bryant could hardly contain himself... he wanted to dig right in.

Ganny took our advice of "pile it big and high" quite seriously... her bowl was overflowing!

The Mongolian BBQ really satisfied Suzi's pregnant belly... but the salt almost did her ankles in!

I enjoyed the meal too... especially because the ghost of my dead grandmother joined us (hence the white apparition in the photo...LOL)

But the funniest thing... the reason I am making these foto's my FFF... is that they remind me of one of the funniest things Bryant has said.

As we all opened our fortune cookies, Bryant wanted to "read" his first.

Of course he can't read... but with all the sincerity of the world he "read"...

"When you grow up you'll want to work here too."

We busted up.

I thought Suzi was going to go into labor she was laughing so hard.

Oh Bryant... you're so darn funny. We do love you so.

Bryant and Ganny's Ice Cream Social

Some of the best things in life are the simple pleasures, such as sitting down with a bowl of ice cream and pouring on your favorite creamy flavor of ice cream sundae topping.

Perhaps vanilla or caramel suits you?

Or are you more of a chocolate and peanut butter person?

Last week Bryant's school had an Ice Cream Social for students and grandparents.

The idea: "Treat yourself and your family to a few moments of indulgence before returning to your hectic schedule. You will be so satisfied that you did!"

So, Bryant's Ganny drove over from Portland, Oregon to attend the Ice Cream Social.

They both have their own favorite flavors, but Bryant and Ganny enjoyed sharing the smooth rich ice cream.

Bryant especially enjoyed feeding his Ganny the slowly melting ice cream.

By the time I showed up, they'd been enjoying and savoring every delicious spoonful until their bowls were empty and they were scraping the bottom for the last drops.

But you know me. I had to liven things up a bit.

So I showed the kids how to spray whipped cream from a can into their mouths!

Am I a super cool mom or what???

All in all the Ice Cream Social was a ton of fun. Bryant loved having his Ganny there and Ganny loved being there to make special memories.

Jam Session

Our grandmothers, and their mothers before them, have been canning jams and jellies ever since there was toast to spread them on.

The idea of canning has always appealed to me... but I figured why go to all the trouble when I can buy a pretty decent jar of jam in the store?

Recently my friend, Jen and I were discussing making Jam. We decided that we might not be ready for "real canning" but we could certainly give making Freezer Jam a try.

So we gathered the kids and our main ingredient... strawberries!

The strawberries were huge! Look at this one Karsyn is holding. It looks like a Red Bell Pepper!


Bryant was more than happy to use a butter knife to cut the strawberries for us.

Now I have to tell you... making Jam is the ultimate in easy satisfaction.
It's slow, it's sensuous, and it makes the kitchen smell like candy.

The process was quick and straightforward: Just combine fruit, sugar, a little pectin and then ladle it into containers.

Nothing compares to the gratification that comes from filling the pantry with jars of your own production.

That you get to eat it, too, is just icing on the cake—or, rather, I suppose, jam on the toast!

Before we knew it, we'd made a quadruple batch of strawberry jam.

We made just enough that we decided we could part with some and give some to our neighbors.

Our kids were happy to deliver such Yummy gifts...

As summer progresses, Jen and I plan on moving on to raspberries, peaches and then blackberries, too.

I guess we could say we're going to start having "Jam Sessions!"

The Enchanted Forrest

We got to go to one of our favorite things... go to the Enchanted Forest in Oregon!

The Enchanted Forest has been around since I was a little girl.

My mom would take my brother, sister and I there several times each summer. I think we would all say it is one of our favorite childhood memories.

I am so happy that I'm able to pass along the love of the Enchanted Forest to Bryant.

My brother, Travis, Bryant and myself at the Entrance to the Enchanted Forest.

Travis loves going as much as I do.

The Enchanted Forest is not an amusement park.

It's a hidden gem that lays within 50 acres of lush forest.

It's a place where kids and adults can see favorite storybook tales come to life.

One of Bryant's favorites... Humpty Dumpty

Another favorite is the Rabbit Hole from Alice and Wonderland

This is my brothers favorite... the Wicked Witch.

My mom, Travis and Bryant
My mom's favorite... the Crooked House.

Some additional photo's from our fun day at the Enchanted Forest!

If anyone wants to make a road trip to Oregon for fun at the Enchanted Forest, Bryant and I are always game.

Soaked Waterlogged Cannonball Swimmer on Duty

My husband, Zac, is a sucker!

He took Bryant to Target to buy a kiddie pool for the backyard so he could play and keep cool.

$100.00 later... guess who owns the biggest kiddie pool in the neighborhood!

Yep... our 5 year old!

This pool is 12 foot round and 3 1/2 feet deep. It has an electric filter and is chlorinated.Bryant has had more fun playing in this pool.

Even though Zac is a sucker... I must say the pool is worth the money.

Bryant spends his days diving...

He practices his swimming techniques...

And he stands there working on his tan and looking cool...

But, by far, Bryant's most favorite thing about the pool is having his Uncle Ostridge (Austin) and Big Foot (Mike) throw him into the pool...

PS: My favorite thing about the pool is that it's big enough for my fat a$$ to get in without feeling like I'm hogging up the entire water supply.

FFF... Favorite Foto Friday... Ouch!

Notice anything?

Do you know what that is?

It's the burn that came from dropping my curling iron!

I guess that's a downfall of having breasts....
things don't drop on the floor... they drop on the "shelf."

Ouch!

Disappointment in Blog Land...

I’m not really sure how to describe what is bothering me right now… so I’m just going to “put this out there” and hope it makes sense.

I’m a BIG BELIEVER of giving handmade gifts to people. I like making handmade gifts for three reasons:

• Because They Can Be Personalized- When I make a gift for someone, I always keep in mind what is important to them or about them. Whether it's a name on the gift, remembering their favorite colors, or making something of a sentimental nature, a handmade gift is one way that I feel that I can show I care.
  
• Because Handmade Gifts Are Unique- I know when I give a handmade gift, it’s not anything anyone else is going to give them. I know my gift is unique and different. I know that I can make the right gift for just the right person.
  
• Because The Gift Can Become a Family Treasure- All the gifts I make are made from the heart. I make them as keepsakes… often using photos or letters than can be family heirlooms in generations to come. I feel that even something as simple as a crocheted blanket can remind someone of my love and friendship.
  

Unfortunately, a recent experience has soured me.

A couple of weeks ago I was working on a gift for someone suffering from a great loss (I’m trying to make this very generic as to not hurt her feelings if she happens to read this). My mom, my friend Christy, and Christy’s mom were with me while I worked on it. My mom actually said to me, “Jenny- you and Christy are the two kindest people I know. You could be working on projects for yourself and yet you’re sitting here for 12 hours working on a gift for someone else. You’re both so nice.”

I think most people who know me would say I am extremely thoughtful. I don’t do things for people because I feel I have to… rather I do things for people because I want to.

So in this particular case, I was working on the gift. That morning I almost ran to my craft table because I was so excited to get started on my project. I had painstakingly and carefully selected the materials. I remember feeling so "giddy" when I found just the right color choices that would coordinate with the feelings I wanted to evoke. Everything that I wanted for the gift to make it a “gift of lifetime,” I found! I hoped she'd love it as much as I loved making it for her.

The gift came out perfectly. Everyone who saw it raved about it. They all said they couldn’t believe what a great gift that was… a gift of remembrance. A gift to that would cause tears of joy, sadness and also of love for her. A gift to show I cared and that in some small way I recognized the loss and feelings she stated she was having.

I sent the gift by mail. I carefully wrapped it and wrote a heartfelt letter to this person who (in my opinion) needed to know that someone cared. In my mind I imagined watching her elation as she opened that gift.

Unfortunately I never heard anything. Not even a “thanks I got the gift.”

I finally checked with the post office and learned the gift had been delivered. I got up the nerve to send an email to see if she had received the gift. I received confirmation from her… she had received the gift LAST WEEK and she appreciated it. She said a few generic “thank you’s”, but still not at all what I had expected.

I guess that’s where I am torn. I feel like I’m on a roller coaster ride where my strong hope and faith collided with unexpected reality. My expectations, desires and dreams for this gift were shattered. I have a strong feeling of disappointment… I suppose it's a natural result of this experience.

I sit here questioning her actions… even if she hated it… couldn’t she have at least let me know it arrived? Considering how obvious it was that I had spent a substantial amount of time on the gift (not to mention money)… couldn’t she have at least given me more than a general “thank you.” Even if she hated it… couldn’t she at least pretend the gift was great? Even if she loved it... did she have to group its importance up there with the generic Hallmark Teddy Bear she received?

And even worse… Now I’m questioning myself. Should I have spent the time making that gift when I could have sent a crappy store bought gift that she obviously would have liked just as much? Did I even need to send a gift at all? Did I give too much of myself when making the gift? Should I only make gifts for people who I KNOW will appreciate them?

Quite frankly, I know I’ll continue to make handmade gifts…irregardless of this experience and others… handmade gifts are what I love… it’s who I am.

But if I happen to send you one… my friends... promise me you’ll at least pretend you’re thankful!

The End of Baseball

The baseball season is finally over for both of my guys!

They both had great seasons...

Zac as a high school coach and Bryant as a Babe Ruth T-Ball player.

As team mom on the T-Ball Team, I organized our team party... complete with a jumping house (donated) and a BBQ dinner for all the players and their families.

It was sad to see the season come to an end.

We had two WONDERFUL coaches this year. They taught the kids so much... but also let them have fun. We couldn't have asked for better coaches!

Here's Bryant receiving a Trophy from Coach Jeff

And he even got a medal from Coach Garrett!

Both the trophy and the medal are proudly displayed in our home for EVERYONE to see!

On behalf of the parents, I presented our coaches with plaques, gift certificates and some wonderful handmade artwork containing picture of the kids playing ball this season.

Bet you can't guess who made that artwork???

It was well worth the time and expense to make the artwork when both coaches got choked up over them!

Could you pass the Kleenex please?

Now summertime is here and we have a short break in between sports. In a couple of months we'll start soccer (Bryant's not old enough for football yet). I can hardly wait.