To Sling or Not To Sling

That is the question. So I'm trying to get ready for this little babe and I only have a couple of items, besides clothing, that I still need to get. The one item that is on the top of my list right now is either a sling or a front pack. I'm not really sure which way to go. So, I pose the question for you...should I purchase a sling or a front pack? Please let me know what you have used, what is good and bad, and what you will continue to use with other kiddos. I have a hard time making decisions about purchases, and feel more comfortable with input from people who have actually used the items. So thanks in advance for your help!!

Watch Out...Pregnant Woman!

So I thought I better post a little about this baby that will be showing up towards the end of March. I haven't said much, actually I haven't said anything, but I thought I better document something about this little girl before she actually shows up.

I have to admit...this has been a more difficult pregnancy than Bridger. It was smooth sailing with Bridger...all I needed was some cereal with cold milk and I was happy! But not so much with this one. I haven't been puking my guts out but I just didn't feel good until I hit about 22 weeks. There were some days I just wished I could have puked...and then I would have been great!! I've also been extremely tired...therefore my blogging time has turned into a regular nap time for me...thank you B for still taking naps! And right now I am feeling very big, even though I have 3 more months to get even BIGGER!!! So, all in all, I'm just another pregnant woman out there trying to find something that sounds good to eat while I am really feeling completely sick, wearing terrible maternity clothes (pull up pants...pull down shirt), and chasing around a 2 year old.

But really, we are SO excited to be having a baby!! When this is all over and I am up every few hours nursing a wee little babe, it will all be worth it! I can't wait to meet her and see what she looks like. It will be incredible to hold her little hand and kiss her little cheeks. I can't wait to swaddle her in the softest blankets around and give her all the love ever. It will be so fun to have a girl around to dress in cute clothes, play dolls with, and have some mommy/daughter bonding. Really, we are SO excited!!

Here's a shot of me prego...taken a week or so ago. So, please don't laugh too hard!!

Thanks

goes out to Rusty today! Rusty has been a sport lately doing lots of jobs around the house for me so I can get my life organized. He's made shelves, put up door stoppers, installed storm doors, etc, etc, etc. I feel like this whole "nesting" thing is coming much earlier than it did with Bridger, but since it's here I better take advantage of the desire to get it together.

Here's a shot of the finish product in our wash room...I even took a before and after shot so you could see how beautiful my new washer and dryer look compared to the oldies. Anyway...thanks big guy for getting so much done for me when there's fish out there waiting to get caught!!

Can I just say, I love doing laundry now!!

Holiday Cheer

So the holidays are here! There are lots of great things going on this time of year and we've had lots of fun celebrating Christmas so far this month. This week I decided to do a little Cookie Exchange with a few girls from the ward. It was fun to get together, have dinner, and chat without any kiddos. We had a great time, shared lots of good food, and found some great new recipes. I thought I'd share my favorite just in case you wanted to try something new this holiday season! Thanks Heather for introducing these yummy little treats to me...I will definitely be making them again!

Glazed Cranberry Mini-Cakes

1/3 cup butter or margarine, softened

3/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/3 cup granulated sugar

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/3 cup packed light brown sugar

2 Tablespoons milk

1 egg

1 1/4 cups coarsely chopped fresh cranberries

1 1/4 teaspoons vanilla extract

1/2 cup coarsely chopped walnuts

1 1/3 cups all-purpose flour 1 2/3 cup Hershey's Premier White Chips, divided

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease small muffin cups (1 3/4 inches in diameter) or line with paper bake cups.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, brown sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until fluffy. Stir together flour, baking powder, baking soda, and salt; gradually blend into butter mixture. Add milk; stir until blended. Stir in cranberries, walnuts and 2/3 cup white chips (reserve remaining chips for glaze). Fill muffin cups 7/8 full with batter.

3. Bake 15 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in centers comes out clean. Cool 5 minutes; remove from pans to wire rack. Cool completely. Prepare White Glaze; drizzle over tops of mini-cakes. Refrigerate 10 minutes to set glaze.

White Glaze: Place remaining 1 cup Hershey's Premier White Chips in small microwave-safe bowl; sprinkle 2 tablespoons vegetable oil over chips. Microwave at HIGH (100% power) 30 seconds; stir. If necessary, microwave at HIGH an additional 30 seconds or just until chips are melted when stirred.

Making A Choice

I am a huge fan of Halloween! I've always loved it...I mean who doesn't enjoy dressing up for a night of fun?! Ok, Rusty doesn't, but I LOVE it!! So I'm trying to pass this love of Halloween down to Bridger boy and one of the ways I am doing this is helping him choose a great costume. Earlier this year he was obsessed with The Incredibles. I really wanted him to be Dash for Halloween, but his love of The Incredibles has faded away. So, why make the kid dress up in something he doesn't care about anymore, right? This month his obsessions have been Sesame Street, Ratatouille, and Thomas the Train. Bridger's sensory overloads helped me easily cross off any Sesame Street character...too much fur and he would have a melt down! My mother-in-law bought a James costume for him at a garage sale, and I thought that would be the ticket. Unfortunately, it was too much for him also. So, in honor of Ratatouille and chef Linguini, Bridger is a little chef for Halloween this year. I have to give a shout out to my mom who made the chef apron by combining 2 different patterns (heck I can barely follow one!!). And the hat just makes the costume...hopefully he'll wear it again tonight! I just love seeing my little man enjoy my favorite holiday.

I hope you guys all have a great Halloween, enjoy the madness for one night!!

Yes, It's Me

Ok, here I am. After hiding out for more than a month, I guess I better start blogging again. Even Rusty is asking me if I've made a post, so it must be time.

October is one of my favorite months...the weather is usually perfect, the leaves change colors, I get to decorate with lots of orange (my favorite), I celebrate my birthday, and of course top off the month with Halloween!! With Rusty in my life, October has turned into much more than that...it's hunting season too. Along with hunting season and Rusty being out on the mountain a lot, it means I get to travel and spend a good week or so with my family. This is so nice, especially now that I don't get down there all that often. So this month has been filled with nice weather, me turning the BIG 30, visiting my family and friends in UT, adding a new nephew, baby Cage, to the Kaiser family, and now today is Halloween! October is a great month isn't it!!

So you are probably wanting some kind of monumental news, since it's been so long since my last post. Well, I got my hair cut while I was is UT...I chopped it off...and I am really enjoying short hair. Is that not enough? Well, how about that I'm pregnant and having a BABY GIRL at the end of March!!! Yeah! Now that's news for you...was it worth the wait?

Lately

I've been spending my time doing other things than sitting in front of the computer. It's been nice...refreshing to really enjoy some other things in life than checking email, returning email, blogging, trying to find good deals, etc. So, here's what September has been for me.

Canning salsa and pickling jalapenos and cucumbers.

Thank you Jer and Janell for sharing your bountiful Colorado harvest.

Reading.

Making loaves and loaves and loaves of zucchini bread.

Most of which are now almost gone thanks to the big man, RK.

Grouse hunting with my boys.

Going to the Temple.

More canning...this time tomato juice.

Reading some more.
Great book, especially if you want to know more about WYO and Pinedale in particular.

Spending time with the YW in our ward.

Taking care of Bridger while he had the flu.

Recovering from the flu...yuck!

Now, I'm just cleaning up from this month adventures and catching up since the ol' bug finally left. Hope you all had a good month!

Derby

This weekend our ward hosted a Mother/Son Fishing Derby. We didn't do much fishing, but we enjoyed the sandy beach and icy water of Willow lake and I have to admit that I really had a great time! Our ward is so diverse, we have SO many young families moving in. I look at these young moms as the "mothers" in our ward. But it was really fun to see the other "mothers" of the ward bring their sons, who are grown, and enjoy a day with their big boys. It made me hope that one day I can do this again with my Bridger, and he can be the big boy taking care of me. It also helped me realize I need to enjoy these days that I have left with him as a little boy, for they only come once.

Just What I Needed

So I'm not talking about a day out with the girls, or a nice pedicure, or even going out to dinner with Rusty. I'm saying I finally had a good day with Bridger, after several bad, Bad, BAD days with my little man. This week has been one of those weeks that makes me ask myself several questions...whether or not I am a good mom...if I can ever handle more than one child...will I make it through this day...what am I doing wrong...should I go back to work...on and on and on. This morning I can report that Bridger has had no melt downs, there have been no spankings, and no tears shed (by either of us). We did laundry together, made the world's best chocolate chip cookies, read books, changed out toys, read more books, had snack, and went down for nap with little troubles. This is a complete change from earlier this week, let me explain.

Yesterday Bridger wakes up at 5:50am. He is ready to play and wants me out of bed. I lay around until 6:20am when I can longer stand him jumping on me, hitting me, and asking for pancakes. We have breakfast and by 7:10 Bridger is asking to watch a movie. I quickly remind him that it's too early to watch a movie, he can watch one when I get in the shower.

Bridger: NOOOOOOOOO! WATCH A MOVIE!!!!

Me: Bridger, please don't yell, you can watch a movie when I get in the shower, let's read some books.

Bridger: AHHHHHHH!!! (Throwing toys at the wall, hitting himself, screaming/running through the house, hitting the blinds, kicking, etc.)

Me: Bridger, STOP IT!!

Bridger: AHHHHHHH!!! (More running and screaming)

Me: I grab Bridger spank his bum, put him in his bed, and close the door. I go into my room and cry.

Now this isn't my proudest post, but it gives you a glimpse into my 2-year old world. I know we've all been through it, but by Thursday I was wondering if it was ever going to end. I guess there is a light at the end of the tunnel, and maybe one good day out of 5 is going to have to be good enough. So yes, I am a good mother (maybe not compared to some of you super moms), yes, I can handle more than 1 child, yes, I will make it through this day, I'm not sure what I'm doing wrong, but I'll keep trying, and no, I don't want to go back to work. So there you have it, today was just what I needed so I can make it through this roller coaster ride we call MOTHERHOOD.

Decisions

So, I need some help. We are looking into making a big purchase...I think only the second in our entire life of being married (next to house and car)...we are thinking about getting a new washer and dryer. OK, so that may not seem like a big purchase to most of you, but the only item in our house that we have bought new is our bed, everything else is a hand-me-down, garage sale, "just get rid of this" kind of item. Yes, we have been married for almost 9 years and are still living off seconds. Anyway back to the subject, I need some help. I don't make decisions well and need some advice on what you are using. Let me know what you like, don't like, couldn't live without, steer clear from, isn't worth it, you know what I mean. Thanks, when the big day comes and I've made my decision, I'll let you know!

Week in Review

So we all returned home safely and are getting back into the routine of daily life. It's always hard coming back to reality, but wonderful to be in your own space again. Here's our top 5 from our little excursion....

My Top 5

1. Visiting with my mom and having her make me an old favorite...pork chops with bread and gravy.

2. Catching up with old friends...Kim, Pam, Jessie, and DX. Love you ladies!

3. Taking naps while my mom hung out with B. You gotta love grandmas.

4. Observing all the rednecks, including myself, at the Kamas Valley Fiesta Days Demolition Derby...glad to see T-Bone didn't win!!

5. Visiting with my brothers and sister and their families.

Bridger's Top 5

1. Playing with Connor and Kendall...what good cousins!

2. Watching Nick Jr. and Playhouse Disney whenever he wanted...grandma is such a sucker for a little blue eyed boy.

3. Riding a horse at Uncle Dean's house.

4. Playing with Connor and Kendall.

5. Getting more candy than he has ever seen in his entire life while enjoying the parade in Kamas.

Rusty's Top 5

1. Coming home with no blisters on his feet.

2. Coming home with his eyebrows (someone on his crew got their beard singed...yuck).

3. Having a Jamba Juice in Sparks, NV.

4. Spending a night at the Nugget in Reno, even though he didn't even spend a penny to gamble.

5. Coming home with no blisters on his feet

Catch a fish

That's what B says when he wants to go to a lake and have Rusty catch a fish. Well, we entertained his little wish last Saturday and took the boat out.

Bridger loves everything about fishing; the fishing poles, the tackle, the net, the boat, but the fish...not so much. He was so scared when Rusty caught a fish I was worried he was going to jump out of the boat! I guess he'll learn the slimy little things can't really do much harm.

This little guys is so lucky to have a daddy to take him out and enjoy the outdoors. They are going to have some big adventure together!!

Let's Take A Walk...

down memory lane.

1. As a comment on my blog, leave one memory that you and I had together. It doesn't matter if you know me a little or a lot, anything you remember!

2. Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. Fun huh?!!

Thought

A few weeks ago while I was going through old papers I found a card with this quote:

CHERISH TODAY

Yesterday is but a dream. Tomorrow, a vision of hope. Look to this day for it is life.

I've thought a lot about this quote. It has been meaningful for me as I have been struggling with several different issues lately. As I've read this quote each day I'm trying to find joy in the things I have right now. So here are a few glimpses into the things I "Cherish Today."

WARNING

The recipe I am about to share is highly addictive. Please do not attempt to make this unless A) you have several people to share it with or B) you are willing to throw caution to the wind and eat it all by yourself. I have chosen option B and eaten more Caramel Popcorn in the last few days than I'd like to admit. Please choose wisely.

Caramel Popcorn

1 1/1 cup unpopped popcorn

1 cup Karo syrup

2 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup butter

1 can sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla (if desired)

Pop popcorn into VERY LARGE bowl. Mix Karo syrup, brown sugar and butter in a pot and bring to a boil until all ingredients are melted. Add sweetened condensed milk and boil another 1-2 minutes. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Pour over popcorn and stir until completely covered. Enjoy!

P.S. Thanks to Heather for sharing this delicious treat with me!!

So, I have a question for all of you TV watchers out there...has Grey's Anatomy been disappointing or what!?!! As most of you know, I LOVE Grey's and was waiting for that stupid writing strike to be over. When it started up again, I couldn't wait for Friday night to watch the latest episode on our computer. Well, I have been nothing but disappointed the last few weeks. I just kept hoping that it would get better, but after last week's episode, I just don't know if it's even worth it anymore. I hate being let down.

Books, Books, Books

So I had my second Usborne books show today. It went really well and I had a great time!! Lots of nice moms and kiddos showed up from all over the area; Daniel, Cora, Pinedale, Barger and Boulder. We had books to look at, food to eat, and pictures to color. It got a little crazy with kids running, people asking questions, and me trying to use a calculator as mach 10, but it was a good learning experience. I think I am really going to enjoy doing this, not only because I make money, but because it is so wonderful to see other mom's believe in the importance of reading with their children. What better gift to give a kid than the gift of reading?! Thanks to Rusty for helping me out today and being such a good husband and dad and thanks all the good people around here who has been so supportive of my little adventure!!

P.S.
If anyone is still interested in ordering books online check out my eShow.

Snot Bars

So the name doesn't sound all that enticing, but let me tell you these yummy treats go down as one of my favorites. My roommate Mandy shared this recipe with me and it will always be a favorite in the Kaiser family.

1 cup Karo syrup

1 cup sugar

1 cup peanut butter

7-8 cups Rice Krispy cereal

1 pkg. chocolate chips

Combine Karo syrup and sugar. Heat until sugar dissolves, but DO NOT BOIL!! Stir in peanut butter. Pour over cereal and mix well. Press into a greased 9x13 pan. Melt chocolate chips and spread over cereal. Cool and then cut. Store covered.

These are delicious warm but very messy!!

Not So Sunny Get Away

So for the past few weeks I have been waiting and counting down until my trip to Salt Lake. I kept saying, "Once I get to Salt Lake and spend a few days with family and enjoy a little sun and warmer weather, everything will be better." Well, I guess that sun wasn't in the cards for me this trip to Salt Lake, but I still had a great time.


I was able to spend time with my family, celebrate a birthday and Whitt's upcoming wedding. We hit a couple of favorite places to eat, Astro Burger and Italian Village, which always makes me happy!! I was also able to go to two of my favorite semi annual events, the Making Memories warehouse sale and the Sunday Morning Session of General Conference, with my in-laws Paul and Laurie. It was great to go to Conference, feel the spirit, and listen to the words of the prophet. I think my 2 favorite talks that session were Pres. Packer's and Pres. Monson's, take time to read them if you didn't get to listen.


I also had some business that needed to be taken care of while in Utah; Bridger got tubes put in his ears. That ended up being an all day event, and probably something that I should block out of my memory FOREVER!! I guess I need to be happy that I won't be taking him to the doctor anymore for those darn ear infections. Oh, we also attempted having Bridger's 2 year old pictures taken, yeah right!! That kid can't sit still for more the 1/2 a second, so we ended up with only 1 good picture and another that just had to do!

Rusty came to Salt Lake unexpectedly to spend a few days with us. He said he missed us, but I'm sure he just really wanted to hang out with Bridger and spend some time at Cabela's. It was so helpful to have him there to take care of Bridger while I enjoyed the bridal shower and General Conference, thanks hun, you are a super daddy!

Last of all I got to enjoy my mom's new kitchen. Mom had her kitchen remodeled during the month of March. It was fun to see how happy she was with her new cabinets, slate floor, built-in dishwasher, and biggest highlight of the kitchen, lots of electrical outlets!! I helped her unpack a lot of her dishes, pots, pans, and food that had been stored away for a month. It's amazing how many cooking supplies a woman can have, especially when she doesn't even cook!!

Overall, it was a good trip but I was happy to come home. It seems like when I finally make it to Salt Lake I am overbooked with family events, doctor appointments, pictures, and shopping (because there in NONE here) that I am so exhausted and I don't get to see all you good friends that live there too. Sorry, maybe one day I'll come to Salt Lake with nothing on the agenda...probably not, but we can wish for things anyway!!

OBSESSION...on hold

I consider myself a fairly smart, educated person, but reading isn't my thing. I rarely pick up a book, even though I really know I should read something every now and then. Since Bridger was born my reading has consisted of Parents magazines and the scriptures. So this year I decided that I was going to make myself a better person by reading a book a month. This may not mean much to those of you who are avid readers, but this was a commitment for me. I did great in January, reading 2 books! February was not so hot. I chose a church book, that just couldn't get my attention. I knew that it wasn't good to give up on this goal so quickly, but I just couldn't do it! Well, March rolled around and a couple of friends mentioned a book that they were obsessed with. I asked Mindy if she could pass the book along to me after she was done, I needed something good to get me back on track. She agreed, but gave me one piece of advice...make sure you have everything around your house cleaned up and in order, because everything would be neglected while reading this book. I laughed and took the book home hoping this would pan out better than my previous try.

Well, I started this book and got into a couple of chapters. I had a lot on my plate so I didn't let it control too much of my thoughts and time. Well, after our little trip to Missoula I finished it off. Within hours of finishing it, I loaded Bridger into the car and headed into the Library to get the second installment. Rusty was gone to another conference so I let the second book consume me, reading it in only a couple of days. Last Thursday when I was at story time, I decided, against my better judgement, to see if #3 was on the shelf. Well, lucky for me, but unlucky for Bridger and my household duties, it was there!!! I checked it out thinking I would read it after my upcoming trip to Utah. Well, that didn't really last long. I finished the book yesterday, and haven't even left for my trip to Utah...so much for waiting!

The fourth book in this saga doesn't come out for a little while, so my house will stay clean, Bridger will be fed, and I won't have this obsession hanging over me for a while. We are on the countdown for #4 release and the 1st movie to come out...we are planning a girls weekend to celebrate our obsession by checking out the movie and doing some shopping.

Well, thanks to a couple of friends I have fulfilled my New Year's goal to read a book this month, well actually 3.