Best Dessert Ever...or at least one of them!

Tonight I made an old family recipe. Well, not sure how old...but at least my mom made it for us growing up. I thought it was an original until I saw that you can buy it by the loaf at Walmart and I found numerous recipies for it online. So, even though it's not just a Hartz thing...here it is! (by the way..stock photo!)

Monkey Bread

INGREDIENTS
3 (12 ounce) packages refrigerated biscuit dough
1 cup white sugar
2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
1/2 cup margarine
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup chopped walnuts (optional)
1/2 cup raisins (Our family never added raisins)

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease one 9 or 10 inch tube pan.
Mix white sugar and cinnamon in a plastic bag. Cut biscuits into quarters. Shake 6 to 8 biscuit pieces in the sugar cinnamon mix. Arrange pieces in the bottom of the prepared pan. Continue until all biscuits are coated and placed in pan. If using nuts and raisins, arrange them in and among the biscuit pieces as you go along.
In a small saucepan, melt the margarine with the brown sugar over medium heat. Boil for 1 minute. Pour over the biscuits.
Bake at 350 degrees F (175 degrees C) for 35 minutes. Let bread cool in pan for 10 minutes, then turn out onto a plate. Do not cut! The bread just pulls apart.

Maddelyn goes in the morning for her 1st filling! Not cool! But we do have that awesome peds dentist and I know she'll do fine. She'll do really well seeing how she gets a sedation pill before hand. Can you imagine....Maddelyn loopy??? And like she doesn't jabber alot as is? So hopefully I'll have a few minutes to spare to get soem pictures on here for you. Today was just spent running errands and trying to get my house back in order from after the surgery and being gone for a week and a half. Nothing more than house chores to report today. Oh..I did take the scissors away from the girls today. Maddelyn wasn't cutting her hair or anything but I over heard he say to Emma, who was holding the scissors...."Cut your own hair Emma!" AHHHH! Yep, they are on top of the fridge now. Deviant big sister! I guess that's how you experiment with being a barber without getting in trouble for it.

Still in PA

We're busy swimming and playing cards, so here is one picture to tide you over. I will post Caroline's 6 month shots later!

Me: Maddelyn, what do you want to be when you grow up?

Maddie: I want to be a docotr and a star!

Me: Don't you want to be a mommy?

Maddie: Mom! If I'm a doctor and a star I wont be able to be a mommy too!

Cute Kido Pics!

So I FINALLY downloaded my newest pics. I realized that if I ever took the time to erase all the old pictures off my memory card, it would take a whole lot less time to upload then it does now. When you have 850 pictures since July 1st (no kidding) it kinda takes a while to get to the recent pictures at the end of the memory card. I say that all the time and still never do. So anyways, here are a few new ones of missy Caroline from today. So I know they are a wee bit yellow, but I was trying to see what shots would look like in the evening sun and they didn't quite turn out like I had thought they would. Man I really need to learn all these effects on my Nkon D40!

Oh...she almost has her first two front teeth! I noticed today she was drooling more than normal. She drools all the time (like Nathan did as a baby) but today was even more than normal. So I did a teeth ckeck like I do everyday and I noticed a bit more swelling and kinda two bumps. Well when I looked in her mouth sure enough I could see two teeth under the skin! So that little booger is days aways from cutting teeth and is still smiling at everyone! Can there be a more happy baby! Who knows by being able to see the teeth through the skin it might even be tomorrow by the time one pops through! I don't remember my other girls being that youg? For some reason I was thinking Maddelyn was 8 months old? Doesn't that seem kinda old to you? I'll have to check out their baby calendars at home to see.

Here is an adorable pic of one of our kittens Tinkerbell asleep on a bear on our stairs. How Cute!

Here is what having an uncle will get you as a 6 mo old baby...... yes, he did SHOW Emma how cool it would be to play with your sister as if she were a baby doll.

Well that's enough for tonight! I will have more pics to post next time. Hopefully it will be tomorrow night, but with Nathan coming into town tomorrow....we might be up too late playing cards?

What????

Did you know that there are only 152 days til Chirstmas! How did that happen? I was browsing blogs today and someone said that Hobby Lobby has 1/2 half of their Christmas stuff out already??? WHAT??? Ok, I feel like I just now am finally finding room for all the things the girls got last year, and now it's almost here again! Maybe it's time my kidos start asking for cash for college instead of gifts! LOL! Yeah right, I myself have a hard time not buying for them and I'm not their grandparents. So get your shopping lists ready everyone...only 152 days left and counting!

As for us, we are still in Pa. Nathan is coming up on Friday for the weekend so we will be here until Sunday after church. Did anyone read the Horton Hears a Who article??? Wasn't it great? Well, nice and short tonight. We sat up way too long playing Dutch Blitz so my eyes are getting way too tired for blog'n tonight. I guess that's what happens when you get 4 women together playing cards and laughing as we are trying to throw our cards out onto the piles before anyone else does. If you've never played Dutch Blitz, it's a must! It had been a while since I had played last because of a bit of a tiffle with hubby the last time the whole family played together......yes Nathan...standing over the table to be able to reach all the cards before anyone with your l-o-n-g arms IS cheating! :P Anyways we got out the game tonight and had a blast! Here's the game on Amazon http://www.amazon.com/Dutch-Blitz-Company/dp/B000BBU0KS and here is a cool sit about the rules and history of the game http://www.dutchblitz.com/

"A Person's a Person... No Matter How Small" - Dr. Seuss

Hey Guys! Sorry it's been a few days. That's what happens when you try to keep your blog updated while you're out of state visiting. So things have been relaxful here in PA. Nathan left Sunday evening to get back to OH in time for work Monday. Yesterday my mother-in-law, sister-in-law and the girls and I went shopping. I found some adorable red shoes for Caroline. A girl can't have too may shoes....even at 6 months! LOL! My in-laws are doing a no TV fast right now, so we've been playing a lot more card games and just sitting around talking. It's actually been really nice. You don't realize how many hours of the week get wasted when you say..."Well, I'm going to just sit down for a couple of minutes and watch TV "...then an hour or two pass! Just something to consider for our own family!

I had promised a while back an awesome article that I had been given. My father-in-law had gone to a confrence/prayer meeting in Nashville at the beginning of the month and sent Nathan and I this link....

http://www.lifteyes.com/posts/joe/2007/04/unborn-its-whats-gods-heart

If you are pro-life or love Children's Litature...it's a DEFINITE read!!!

The SHORT sum up is how God has been able to use a classic DR. Seuss book to speak his word for the protection of the unborn. In "Horton Hears a Who," The elephant Horton is able to hear a tiny village of people floating on a speck of dust because of his big ears. No one else believes in the village because they can't hear them and say they need to destroy the speck of dust to make Horton stop making up stories.

What an amazing comparison to the pro-life movement!!! It is amazing that a book written in 1954, long before our sad desicion in 1973, was a testament to what us belivers should be doing. As Horton proclaims ...."I'll just have to save him. Because, after all, A person's a person, no matter how small." A simple children's book is able to spread the message that many adults can't seem to understand!

Just something to ponder on a while......

I'm Still Here

Hey everyone! Just letting you know that I survived! Of course I am still sore, but I'm living. The surgery went rather well and I was able to come home that night. Caroline actually only had to have one bottle that day because they gave me a short acting anesthtic. VERY NICE! The second day was actually more sore than the first day was. Figures! Good news is that I have caught up some on scrap'n while I have been on bedrest. I think this is the first time ever that I have my DT projects done BEFORE the last minute? LOL! Of course I didn't scan anything in so I will have to show you non-design team stuff soon. The DT stuff will be posted after it goes up on the store site in August. We are actually in PA right now. We came up here for the weekend and then Nathan will go back to OH Sunday night for work. I will stay 'til middle of the week here with the girls and then we'll meet up with Nathan in Cleveland for him to take us home. We ended up arranging this so that I wouldn't have to be home by myself with the girls when Nathan went back to work Monday. Not too much to say tonight and tomorrow I will ask my father-in-law for that article link I promised.

Here are a couple of funny Emma pics for you to enjoy! She's such a Character! Like her Daddy!!!

Today is the Day :(

Yep, I'm gettinng ready to head out to the hospital soon for my surgery. Not looking forward to it. They say it's pretty normal, but it's not routine for me! They said I could possibly be home as early as this afternoon, but a lot of people with this surgery stay over night. So it all depends on how I come off the anesthetics? Thanks everyone for your prayers!!!! I have a really great article to share with you when I come back!!!! Until then here is a cute pics to brighten the day! Before and after BABIES!!! :D It's so fun being pregnant with your best friend. Funny that it's her first and #3 for me!

Happy Sunday!

Hey guys! Hope everyone had a wonderful weekend! We had a kinda chill-out day yesterday after dropping off the girls in Cleveland to go to their gradnparents in Pa. Today was the Family picnic for the National Guard so another chill-out day today as well. It was nice to meet some of the other wives behind Nathan's co-workers. Military families have a special bond automatically. Well tomorrow will be a kinda busy day to get ready for my surgery on Tuesday morning. Lots of odds and in such as laundry as such since I'll be in bed all week! So...here is another layout just for fun......HAPPY SUNDAY!

New Layouts

I promised some to show some of my recent work...since this is a scrap blog and all :D So, here you go! I did these layouts while Alicia was here. On this one we actually scrapped the same sketch with the same paper line and you would not believe how different they came out. It was really cool to see how we each saw the sketch in our own way! The pictures are of Maddelyn and Emma at the gardens in May.


I loved how this one turned out. Wasn't too sure while I was doing it but LOVE it now! My precious babe on her 4 month birthday (yeah I know a bit behind on pics since she's turning 6 months next week!)

Well that's it for tonight! I spent the evening making and uploading layouts to put on ebay tomorrow, so check out my auction tab above ----------^ tomorrow to see what I have listed. In the morning I am taking the older two girls to their grandparents in PA for the week while I get ready for surgery. No way I will get and rest afterwards chasing two toddlers on top of caring for a baby. Caroline of course will stay here since she's still nursing. Well night!!

Why???

Why is it that they can be driving you nuts and still look so darn cute??? I guess it's why God made the toddler years some of the cutest....so you won't kill 'em! I saw a sign the other day that read: "Grandchildren are God's way of rewarding you for not killing your kids!" LOL! I have days like that and this evening was one! Funny how whenever you HAVE to get something done is when they choose to need attention from you and if you don't give it to them they will act up and demand it through ther actions! Uhh!

Quick comment...I am going to be having my gallbladder taken out on Tuesday morning, so prayers would be appreciated. Not too keen on being put to sleep and having to give Caroline a few bottles while I have meds in my body, but no real other option. Until tomorrow...... Have a good Friday!

Pictures!!!

So I finally got these posted! My friend Alicia and her baby Emma-Lee left last night. :( So today I finally had time to get these up!!! We had a blast together sharing old stories, laughing at things in the past (both good and bad), getting to know eachother's babies, and just plain ole being friends. One of the many fun things we did while she was here was to take the girls to Kingwood Center...a local flower garden, for pictures. Alicia and her mom bought the girls all these new sundresses, and they looked adorable!!! So these first pictures are of Alicia and Emma-Lee. Look at all the hair on that baby girl!!! You can totally tell she's not mine! Mine are born with plenty and then loose it all! We like baldness! LOL!

Here is Miss Emma-Lee with my Miss Caroline (the bald one! )

The rest are just fun pictures of my girls at the gardens.

I have been scrapp'n up a stom with Alicia, so I'll be posting those later on today so check back!!

A Girl and Her Kitten....

I'm so happy that Emma's kitten has the same personality as her! Yes, the first week or two was filled with lots of screams, scratches, and "she hurt me!" moments, but I think the kitten and Emma have gotten to know each other much better. The kitten actually comes back to Emma once she puts it down after 1/2 squeezing it to death. After Emma is in bed it meows and meows wanting us to pay attetion to it becasue it's lonely without her death grip on it! Just wanted to share some cute pics of her and Tinkerbell as she's trying to strap it into the highchair. I'll post some wonderful pictures and write more later on since my friend is still in town. I'd post some pics we had with the girls in the flowers the other day, but Alicia wants to wait to get home and show her mom before she see's them on here! :P

New Projects

So here is what I have been keeping myself busy with in my scrap room lately. I just finished my projects using my Design Team kit from 2 Sassy Scrappers. I had Basic Grey's Stella Ruby line and actually loved it! I wasn't too sure about it when I picked it out because I'm not a huge Basic Grey fan and not too comfortable with really big patterns, but it turned out great! I really love the page with Maddelyn on it and the photo garland. It was an idea I saw on two peas that I adapted and I plan on hanging it over my doorway in my scrap room.

Alicia is still here with Emma-Lee and we are having a blast. We went to Kingwood Center today and took pictures of the girls in their new dresses form Alicia and her mom, with the girls in the flowers. SO beautiful!!! I'll of course share once I get them uploaded.

To Do:

-Try to pick up the cyclone of stuff from always being on the go with company here.

- Do laundry since this has been a bad week for potty training since someone is so excited about the new friends here!

- Visit Amish Country with Alicia

- Continue to share my world of scrapbooking with Alicia....don't you love it when addicitions rub-off??? HaHa!

- Keep-up with this grea blog for all the newest sneak peaks before CHA! http://www.catsies.web-log.nl/

- Daydream about how fun it would be to be at CHA again this summer!!!

Cute Pics!

Well, they're here! My best friend Alicia and her sweet baby Emma-Lee are here for a visit from NJ. Emma-Lee is just 6 week solder than Caroline. After picking them up at the airport yesterday we took them camping with my parents. I was able to get these cute pictures of all the girls in thier adorable 4th of July outfits while we sat outside for a bit tonight. SO cute!!!!!

I've Been Tagged!

I know corey, but I actually have fun doing these and what better way to end a night of clean sweeping the house than....a blogger's challenge!

My roommate and I once: snuck into the boy's dorm to prank it, but got caught by the RD and had to clean up the mess ourselves! LOL! (ok Mom...this would be one of those tell you several years afterwards when it is funny and not going to bet me in trouble kina things! HaHa!)

Never in my life have I: traveled overseas...someday!

High school was : a stupid and immature time in my life and I'm so glad I'm done with it!

When I'm nervous: I have a nervous laugh

My hair : was already grey in one spot when I was born...family birthmark. Maddelyn has it too.

When I was 5 : I went to Disney on Ice for my b-day and wore a sign on my shirt that said "I'm five today." Tons of people said happy birthday and gave me freebies!

When I turn my head left : I see the present I just wrapped for my best friend's baby! YEAH! We pick up Alicia and Emma-Lee tomorrow morning from the airport!

By this time next year : I hope to own a home and be semi settled??? Not that us Martin's know what settled down means???

My favorite aunt is : Just pick one??? No way luv 'em all!!!

I have a hard time understanding : Foreign Policy...but I really try hard for hubby and his politicalness!

You know I like you if : you're in my scrapbook? LOL!

My ideal breakfast is : combined with lunch and after noon! LOL!

If you visit my home town : let me know if you see anyone trying to pass themselves off with my stolen driver's license?

If you spend the night at my house : be prepared to get up with the sun with my kids! We've learned to let them watch movies and play babygated in their room until a decent hour of 8:30 or so!

My favorite blonde is : Lil Miss Shirley Temple

My favorite brunette is : Katie Scarlett - Vivien Leigh

The animal I would like to see flying besides birds : Uhh??? What??

I shouldn't have been : so stupid in high school.

Last night I: cleaned up and put away stuff from camping and then collpased with my cold!

A better name for me would be : as a child I'd say chatterbox but now??? Mrs. First Lady??? LOL!

I've been told I look like : My Grandma Hamons when she was younger.

If I could have any car, it would be : I really don't have a dream car so let's say a house with two winding staircases in the front entry and a wrap around veranda.

I am tagging (who will hopefully participate):

Rachael
Hannah
Kaytie
Nathan

Yucky Summer Colds!

So I'm sick! UHH! I have this aweful summertime cold that is kicking my behind right now! We went camping with my parents, brother, and his kids. Camping was great and the kids had a great time camping but the cold made it yucky for me. It started with just a little bit of a runny nose and then a sore throat, cough, stuffy nose while still always running, and then today I have a low fever! HUH! With my best friend flying in on Tuesday and let's just say the clean freak in me is in overload drive. LOL! So not the best time to have a kleenex box attached to me!

The kittens are doing well but when Nathan came home today he found Cinderella stick behind the dryer. The way our washer and dryer are set up it is hard to move them out. Well, it took Nathan almost a half an hour to get the kitten out! LOL!

Funny Maddelyn Quote:

Maddelyn "Daddy, what do you wan to be when you grow up?

Nathan "President?"

Maddelyn "I wan tot be a pop star, are you sure you don't want to also?"

Nathan "No, I don't think I do"

Maddelyn "Are you sure.....it's really, really fun!"

Here are a few new pics....doesn't Caroline look like a little boy in all that blue?? Maybe we are getting closer to that 6 mo-ear pierced age!