A pumpkin mishap...

I have been planning a pumpkin patch party for my Love Nugget since before he was born. I was so excited about his due date because I knew every year we could celebrate with a "patch"... now I am sure he might halt this tradition as he ages, but for now...
SO I ordered 40 pumpkins for his party thinking it would really add to the authenticity of the party. Well through some miscommunication we ended up with 88!! Quickly, at the farm where where we purchased these, Brendan began giving me "the look" ... you know, the "where are we going to put all of these", look. OH this is wonderful, we will find a place, just what I always pictured... was my response!
So we loaded them up, and headed for home...

Collins loved them, but trying to find a place to put him while we unloaded quickly became a problem...

So I placed him in the box like any reasonable parent would...

That was until he was over the box experience...

Nope, Collins found another calling...

It was a little heavier than he anticipated!


I must say that I might be getting "slightly" carried away with his party. Honestly, you are not going to believe the extent we have gone to make this party special. Everybody keeps asking me, "If you do all this now, what is for years to come?"
I don't know. All I know, is we are going to celebrate this year, and what a gift it has been. I will worry about years to come... in years to come.
Courtney

Race for a Cure

If you follow me on Twitter than you are aware that we have been involved in a running group for the past while. Part of the goals set for this group is to run in the Komen race (5k) and the Vulcan race (10k). This was the 1st year I have been involved in Race for the Cure in any capacity. I cannot begin to tell you what kind of experience it was. It was so moving to see thousands of survivors fight back and to run along side 14,000 people all running for the same goal. It was not the best run I have ever had... I grossly underestimated the emotional toll that running that race would bring. However, when I would get tired I was so encouraged by those cheering for us standing on the sidelines! Those people, along with courage of the survivors, brought me across the finish line.


As I was running I thought about what a metaphor for life this was. How important it is to get off your tail and do something bigger than yourself and if you don't want to get involved... at least stand on the sideline and cheer on those who are doing something!
I started running to get back in shape and combat laziness, but somewhere in the middle of all this, I have gained amazing clarity. Sometimes in life, you lose vision, you start thinking this life is about YOU... It's not! Something about getting off my tail and running made me more focused and severely proud of those I know that are making a huge difference... like the Jonas Family who left everything behind to go to China and introduce others to Christ or the Drew Family who moved their family to plant a church in Fairhope. So many people who are running an amazing race, and I want them to know that I am standing on the sidelines cheering them on! I could go on cheering people on... like my "mama friends" that day in and day out just inspire me by their hardworking, Godly parenting! Who knows, maybe I'll starting doing that... highlighting and actively cheering on folks, because I know what a huge difference it makes getting across the finish line!
Courtney

Nothing says "Happy Halloween" quite like it...

I go to the mailbox yesterday and get a lovely card...

On the front, " Know what's great about a special family like yours?"
In the Inside I found this...

A coupon??? How nice, what's it for...

NuvaRing!!!!
From who.... My Mother... of course!
Wonder what she was implying? What ever happened to candy corn???
Me and Brendan got the biggest laugh, only MY MOTHER!
She honestly thought I'd be excited about a 15 dollar off coupon... umm... ya if it were to Publix or something, not NuvaRing!!
If you are in the market for birth control I'd be glad to send this your way ;)
Courtney

Why are we so happy?

What is this boy so happy about??

He is so excited because...

gDiapers have been "sold out" of the cloth inserts that they make specifically for the "little gpants", however they are restocked and we have some! I have been using birdseye cloth squares ( bought at cottonbabies.com ) which work great, but have been looking forward to trying these out. I couldn't believe how trim they were, so trim I thought they would surely leak. Nope, those suckers soak up pee like a sponge... and keep his bottom dry at the same time! This diapers are by far the trimmest on the market.

Just slip these in the g pants and you are good to go! Love um!!!!!

So while this little guy is busy playing, he is also busy saving the environment, and far from harmful chlorine... and that makes me happy!
Courtney

Fall is in the air

I am loving this weather! We tried to get as much out of this weekend as possible and was it busy! We did make it to Homestead Hollow and it was so much fun. I have been going to this event since I was a child, so it is really cool to see my kids enjoying it. Collins hung out in "BOB" and Jack ran around and shot his marshmallow gun he got there. We also had the opportunity to be apart of Callie's dedication. So proud of Jason and Melissa for taking that step. Nothing like giving a sweet baby back to Jesus!

Jack named his horse "Gun smoke"

Brendan had to lug this heavy log stacker around... he'll be glad he did come this winter when the logs are close to the door.

Check out her pretty dress!

Could she be any cuter?

Courtney

Spaghetti Pie

My most requested recipe by far is my spaghetti pie. I feel so bad because I have been promising so many people the recipe for a long time. Tonight I decided to make it and document the whole thing. I hope you enjoy this recipe as much as I do!

Spaghetti Pie

1-2 pounds beef
1 jar of your favorite sauce
1/2 small can of tomato paste
1 can petite diced tomatoes
6oz sour cream
4oz cream cheese
garlic salt
ranch dressing mix
2 cups mozzarella
parmasan cheese
1 box angel hair pasta (boiled and drained)

Mix together cooked ground beef, sauce, paste, and tomatoes in sauce pan.

Mix together sour cream, cream cheese, 2 tbls ranch dressing mix, and a generous sprinkle of garlic salt.

Layer noodles on bottom of 9x13 or two 9x9 pans, dallop and spread "white" mixture on top, top with red mixture, and sprinkle mozzarella and parm.

Bake at 350 till bubbly!

Oh and while you wait for this to cook, you could always do what Jack did...


Courtney

My Favorite Things

I figure if Oprah can have a favorite things list, so can I! So here goes my top ten... In no particular order!
1. Yogurt Mountain. It's new in Mountain Brook and its the greatest thing. Think 16 flavors of fat free yogurt and endless toppings, all "serve yourself"!
2. Heather Cummans Photography. She captures the sweetest images on a matted fiber paper. While its not cheap, I have never regreted one penny spent on those pics! Love her work!!

3. Ecover. Its an organic all purpose cleaner that works! It shines granite beautifully, you can mop the floors with it, clean the bathroom, and the high chair... I love it! Throw away the 20 other cleaners you have and exchange it for this... its non toxic and good for the environment! I got mine at Whole Foods.... oh and it last forever!

4. The Nesting Place. It's in Cahaba Heights Village and its a wonderful store with great gifts. It has everything you just can't possibly live without! Like this cute basket that folds and holds everything perfectly...

5. gDiapers. {gasp}... your still into that???(yes) Didn't the poop scare you off??(no) Yes, I still cloth diaper and I love it. Actually, I would love any cloth diaper because I love what they represent.

6. David Leeman. He owns Circle L crafts and he has made much of the furniture in our house. His quality far exceeds anything you can purchase in a store and you get to design it yourself. And did I mention he is affordable?? I love supporting local businesses and individuals. ( oh and I HATE Walmart if you were wondering!)

yes, this is my 11 month old climbing to the top bunk all by himself!

7. Charlies soap. It is a organic laundry detergent that I starting using for my cloth diapers and ended up using for all of our clothes. I promise you it cleans better that tide. There is no build up of yuck things.
I love this pic of our laundry room because it looks like I'm a total hippie... I'm not, I promise ;)

8. Dr.Brown Bottles. Ok, I am a huge fan of breastfeeding, I think its the greatest thing you can do for your baby, but if you have to turn to the bottle - This is the one. I love glass ( no it doesn't break easily), after the whole BPA thing, plastics make me leary. While these are a tiny bit harder to clean, I think its well worth it.

9. My running shoes. I love them simply because they represent discipline in my life and have taken me further than I have ever gone! Love that you can slip a gps tracker in these and sync it with your iphone... only nike and mac could ever come up with that!

10. MacBook Pro. Love this computer and I assure you I will never own a PC again!

Courtney