Ear Infection number 4 &5 (the last ones!!!)

Xander has been getting sicker again. I took him in today to see a doctor. I didn't get his new doctor but, while while we were waiting for him in the room, their new doctor came in! He said that he saw that we were in and just wanted to see how Xander was! I thought it was so nice of him!
Then, while we were waiting Xander spat up about 5 times all over. Savannah, took out all of the latux gloves out of the box and rolled up the paper on the waiting table twice. The doctor finaly came in and he said that their doctor had apparently filled him in on Xander. I like that they communicate with each other!
Xander has lost a little weight. He is 17.6 pounds. He has two ear infections. The doctor was going to give me a reffurell but, I have savannah's Otolaryngologists programed into my phone, plus ten other doctors. Scary, I know. Plus my Big brother, who I go to to ask silly doctor questions. I'm so lucky to have a doctor for a brother! He's the greatest! Anyway, Xander has his appointment with the Otolaryngologists on Wednesday! I can't wait! No more Xander being sick, and no more ear infections, and not as many sleepless nights!!!

Cheerios and Crawling!

This is what we have been up to the last couple of weeks! Xander has been eating lots of cheerios!
Xander started crawling Sunday, January 23 at nine months!!!
I took care of sick kids with runny noses, including myself.
I've been trying to make sure we have more semi family dinners. Court's usually at school until seven this semester, so he doesn't get to eat with us.
Grandma and Grandpa Jensen got Savannah a tent for her birthday! Savannah loves to read books in it and put her toys in it and play. She doesn't like her little brother in it though. LOL

They have so much fun with it!!!
I baked cookies for Visiting teaching.
I made marshmallow pops for our beehives!
My friend Jamie and I made homemade mint marshmallows! It was really fun!!!

Felt Butterfly Game

This is a butterfly shape game for Savannah! I thought it would be a fun craft to do together! She loves butterflies! If your child loves cars, bugs, bunnies, or something different like that you can use that as your basic shape! It was very easy and I just used my felt that I just had lying around! It is a great way to teach your child colors and shapes and they will have so much fun!!!
Materials:
Felt
Paper
Shapes to trace for pattern or a cricket
1 pipe cleaner
embellishments( stickers, jewels, sparkly glue)


I cut out shapes using my cricket, pinned then to felt and started cutting!


Take a pipe cleaner and cut it in half. Twist it around a pencil to get it to twist.Glue it to the back of butterfly head. To make the butterfly I cut a sheet of felt in half and placed one on top of the other and just winged it to cut out the wings! I cut a different color of felt to make it's body.Hot glue the wings to the body.


Put the pieces in a baggie to keep them together!

Have fun!!!

Magnetic Menu Planner

This is my new Menu Planner! My friend Stephanie and I made them last week! They are so easy and so much fun! I can't wait to start using it, to plan our meals for three weeks at a time!!!

Materials:
4 12/12 contrasting Scrapbook paper
3 construction paper
Sticky notes
7 Bottle caps
A little bit of ribbon
embellishments(Stickers, flowers, triangle things)
Hot glue gun
Scissors
Small cookie sheet(I just used an old one that I had)
I also used my cricket but, you can do the words and stuff how ever you want and change it up a bit!



I glued magnets onto the back so, it can stick to the fridge. I was surprised how well it holds!
Glue magnets to each of the backs of each bottle cap. Use cricket to make 1 inch circles out of paper. They fit perfectly! Hot glue them into caps. Wright days of the week, or I just used my cricket 1 inch letters. Stephanie used clear rock pebbles and glued the days of the week onto the back of them, which can be really cute too!!!
You make a little pocket at the top by, folding three of the sides of the paper. I hot glued the back of the sticky note pad to the paper to get it to hold. If you notice I had to round all four of the corner edges next to the corner of the pan so it looks nicer and fits better! I hope it works out for you! I'd love to know how yours turns out! If you have all of the materials it should only take you around one and a half to two hours, but, if you're like me,with a baby and a toddler, and not prepared it took me a few days! Have fun!

Thursday Thought

“The unreal is more powerful than the real, because nothing is as perfect as you can imagine it. because its only intangible ideas, concepts, beliefs, fantasies that last. stone crumbles. wood rots. people, well, they die. but things as fragile as a thought, a dream, a legend, they can go on and on.”
-Chuck Palahniuk

Oreo Cookies

Oreo Cookies

Cookies
1 package devils food cake mix
1 c. Shorting
2 eggs

Bake at 350 degrees for 8 minutes

Frosting
2 oz. cream cheese
2 TBL. butter
1 c. & 2 TLB. powdered sugar
1/4 tsp. Valina

Colors of the Rainbow

Why is it that just as I'm starting to get more stable emotionally, something that may seam small and insignificant happens and sets me off the edge? I want to be a happy and positive person. I don't want to be looking at the negative things in life. Today was Savannah's 4 year doctors appointment. I have finally found a Pediatrician who has dealt with BBS. I couldn't wait to hear all of his insight and advice! I asked him about Savannah's rod cone Dystrophy, and exactly what will happen. He told me that she will go color blind first. That surprised me. I hadn't known that. Then, she will have night blindness, and next, start losing more and more of her vision, and so on from there... He said that the color blindness usually starts around age five. FIVE! Savannah just turned four! Of course I didn't think much about this until we had left.
When we got home Savannah wanted to color. So, I put Xander down to play and colored with Savannah. Then, the tears came. My sweet little Savannah, who finds so much joy in colors, who gets so excited and points out all of the yellow she sees. How will she feel when she sees her world in dark and black and white. No more bright Vibrant shades of yellow or pink, or green. Her sweet incessant face that lights up when she sees the yellow sun, or the pink flower, every time she sees a rainbow... My heart aches so much for her. And she has no idea, no reason to believe that her beautiful colorful world will change around her to never see again. That her whole life will change.
I am so scared that she will lose her sight and forget my face, her father, her brother. To might never see her husband, her own children. The idea is so frightening to me. One of the worst things about it is that there is noting that I can do to fix it. No way to stop it form happening. I want so badly to just be able to stop it, and it just breaks my heart to know that my little girl will have to go through it. To have to stand there and watch her world disappear from her sight. The beautiful world that she loves. But, I know that this is why Heavenly Father made her to be such a strong individual. She is so special. I know that I just need to be strong for her! I can't dewel on this! I want to show her the world, to show her so just in case, so she will be able to know and say, I've see all that my heart wants to see!

Savannah's Fairy Princess, 4th Brithday Party!

Migraine cookies with whipped cream filling



Happy 4th birthday Savannah!!!
Birthday Girl!!!
Fairy Princess crowns
Dasie Cookies
Daisy Cake
Vanilla Cupcakes
Flower Fairy wands
Brithday Banner

Fairy Princess Birthday Invitations

Savannah's Cookies for her Birthday at School!

Love Family Sugar cookie Recipe

1 C. Butter
2 C. Sugar
2 Eggs
1 C. Sour Cream
1 TLB. Valina
1/2 tsp. Backing Soda
4 tsp. Baking Powder
1/2 tsp. Salt
5-6 C. Flour

Let sit in the fridge for at least an hour. Bake at 350 degrees for 10-12 minutes.
They are the greatest!!!
Royal Icing

• 3-3/4 to 4 cups confectioners' sugar
• 3 tablespoons meringue powder
• 5 to 6 tablespoons warm water

• In a large bowl, combine all ingredients. Beat on high speed with a portable mixer for 10-12 minutes or on low speed with a stand mixer for 7-10 minutes or until peaks form. Yield: 3 cups.

Marshmallow Fondant

16 ounces white mini-marshmallows (good quality brand)

2 to 5 tablespoons water

2 pounds icing sugar (C&H Cane Powdered Sugar for the best results)

1/2 cup Crisco shortening (place in a very easily accessed bowl)

Make sure you wash your hands really good and you are going to want to take off any rings you have on and pull up your sleeves!

Melt marshmallows and 2 tablespoons of water in a microwave or double boiler. To microwave, place the bowl in the microwave for 30 seconds, open microwave and stir, back in microwave for 30 seconds more, open microwave and stir again, and continue doing this until melted. It usually takes about 2 1/2 minutes total. I like to add almond extract for flavor to the marshmallows!

Pour the whole bag of powdered sugar onto a clean counter top.

Now grease your hands GENEROUSLY (palms, backs, and in between fingers), then heavily grease the counter you will be using and dump the bowl of marshmallow/sugar mixture in the middle.

Start kneading like you would bread dough. You will immediately see why you have greased your hands. Re-grease your hands and counter when the fondant starts sticking. If the mix is tearing easily, it is to dry, so add water (about 1/2 tablespoon at a time and then knead it in). It usually takes me about 8 minutes to get a firm smooth elastic ball so that it will stretch without tearing when you apply it to the cake.

It is best if you can let it sit, double wrapped, overnight (but you can use it right away if there are no tiny bits of dry powdered sugar). If you do see them, you will need to knead and maybe add a few more drops of water.

Prepare the fondant icing for storing by coating it with a good layer of Crisco shortening, wrap in a plastic-type wrap product and then put it in a re-sealable or Ziploc bag. Squeeze out as much air as possible.

MM Fondant icing will hold very well in the refrigerator for weeks. If I know that I have a cake to decorate, I usually make two (2) batches on a free night during the week so it is ready when I need it. Take advantage of the fact that this fondant icing can be prepared well in advance.

To color fondant, use fondant gel food coloring. Just put a dab on a toothpick, and place it in the middle of the fondant.
Fold fondant, with coloring inside. With Dark colors, this will stain your hands. Knead!
Now you have yellow!!!