Amber Waves of Grain

For those of you who are ' regulars ' on my blog, you know I have a weakness for foods that are labeled ' limited edition' . I love to try new flavors. I also love that some of you readers send me emails from the store (even with photos!) when you are out and about and see new foods. Keep em' coming! :) So, today at Walmart I saw these: That's right, those are STRAWBERRIED PEANUT BUTTER M&Ms . If you are like me, you are thinking, "Gross. Why add strawberry to peanut butter M&Ms?" However, I sacrificed my palate for my readers and bought a bag. I would have stayed up all night thinking about them had I not bought them. First of all, apparently you can take the name of a fruit, add 'ed' to the end and turn it into an adjective. I'm going to start using the word STRAWBERRIED. Like, "That cheesecake is strawberried." Second, I love regular peanut butter M&Ms. I will say that when you first bite into them...

In honor of Nathan's birthday, I'm going to share pictures of him throughout the years. That's 33 years worth ! The quality isn't that great, but here they are. Most of these are pulled from a scrapbook that his mom made me when we got married. Love those cheeks: He apparently loved this shirt. He still talks about it... 25th birthday..... 30th birthday... While there are few more candles on his cake now, he's still cute! Happy birthday, Nathan!!

Keegan has reached a phase where he doesn't know how to smile for the camera. I used to be able to get him to laugh. I sang, I danced, I made noises . Now, he just watches and thinks, " My mom is a little crazy. " No smile. His default poses now include a big fake smile with very squinty (practically closed) eyes, a wide-open mouth, a funny pose, or his fake smile where his teeth are biting down over his bottom lips. None of these are his adorable REAL smile where his cheeks get really big and his dimples show. His real smile makes me want to eat him up. So, today I took him for a mini photo shoot. I tried Kennedy too but she just froze and wouldn't smile either. I think someday I'm going to take pictures of fruit or cars or something that doesn't need to pose. :) Anyway, here are a few from today. I still like them even though they aren't my kid's real smiles. If you're on facebook with me, I've uploaded several there too if you'd lik...

Whoooooo wants to know how to reach me!? I finally ordered a set of "Mommy Cards" which arrived in the mail today. They are simply business cards for moms. I picked some fun owl ones made by Amy on Etsy ( link ). I think these will come in handy. Here is a picture of what mine look like, but I used paint to mark out my family's last name, phone number, and email address. Just use your imagination for that part. I didn't need any new stalkers. I can't wait to pass them out! They will be a real HOOT. :)

I'm pleased to announce my new invention: Edible Arrangements- Fair Version! We have all seen edible arrangements where they take various foods like fruit or cheese and put them on sticks to make a bouquet. Then it occurred to me. Food on sticks? Why not make a bouquet of fair food? I suggest making a bouquet including a corndog, steak on a stick, and deep fried twinkie. The possiblities are endless. The Iowa state fair shared a list of all their foods on a stick for 2009. Here they are: Frozen s’more on-a-stick Chocolate-dipped cake on-a-stick Chicken club on-a-stick Buffalo chicken on-a-stick Chocolate-covered peanut butter round on-a-stick Chocolate-covered key lime round on-a-stick Carmellows on-a-stick Pretzel rods dipped in caramel or chocolate Pickle on-a-stick Pork chop on-a-stick Corn dog Cheese on-a-stick Cajun chicken on-a-stick Sesame chicken on-a-stick Carmel apple German sausage on-a-stick Teriyaki beef on-a-stick Corn on the cob on-a-stick Cotton can...

We made a trip down to Apple Works ( link ) today. It was beautiful weather and so fun. Here are some pictures! They have a big slide that Keegan loves: Then Nathan & Keegan rode the train: He rode a pony too which he loved!: Not bad for using the timer: Kennedy just chillin': My little pumpkins:

We took Keegan to the dentist today for his first teeth cleaning. Well, technically we took him once before (6 months ago), but he wasn't quite ready and he wouldn't cooperate. Today, on the other had, he did AWESOME . I couldn't believe my eyes; he opened wide and was even giggly and giddy about being there. He did incredibly and surprisingly well. My parents went too so they could help me juggle the kids while I also had to have my teeth cleaned (yes, I also cooperated for the dentist). The family that goes to the dentist together, stays together, right? Here are some photos from our trip to the dentist! My parents helping with the kids: Keegan was fascinated by the fish tank: In the chair. He insisted that they have 'dragon' flavored toothpaste: Being good for the hygenist (who, by the way, cleaned my teeth too when I was growing up): Walking his dog (balloon animal made by the dentist): What a big boy!!!

First, I want to thank MICHELE for coming to my house last night and bringing my favorite juicy lemon cake for my belated birthday! She gets serious brownie points for that! Ok, now to the HALLELUJAH HOTDOG . There are certain things in life that make us all cry. Usually it's the birth of children, funerals, the movie The Notebook , or pulling a nose hair. For me? I cry when Keegan eats a new food. For those of you who have kept up with my blog (bless your souls!), you know that Keegan has some food issues. In a nutshell, he has Failure to Thrive which means he's not eating enough food to grow. And, he has some sensory issues with food that have hindered him from eating normal table foods. All that combined with his very strong will has made for some incredibly difficult mealtimes. This week.... (drum roll, please).. he ate a HOTDOG . This is huge! Keegan has tried many new foods in the last few weeks including white rice, pudding, caramel apple, Honey Smac...

On Friday night I went out with my favorite group of girls, my ' Birthday Club '. If you read my blog, you know that 5 of us go out on each of our birthdays. We went to the mall to do some much needed shopping for me. I am not one to buy myself new clothes and rarely shop at 'nice' stores. My goal was to shop like other people shop , with the help of my friends Lisa, Jennifer, Mel, and Mindy! I spent money at Ann Taylor Loft, New York and Company, Old Navy, and Macy's. I got jeans and shirts for fall mostly. What fun! Then we went to TGI Fridays for dinner. We went to Cold Stone Creamery for dessert too and got a pack of their cupcakes. They have a chocolate shell filled with cake, ice cream, and then some type of icing on top. I got this one with red velvet cake and cake batter ice cream inside. Yum! Most of all, I enjoyed the company. My friends are the best. They're so abundantly thoughtful and full of love! On Saturday we got the carpet clean...

Just a few quick snapshots of the kids playing today! If you can't tell, that's a Harley Davidson shirt she's got on..... girly, but still edgy. :)

Happy Birthday, to me! Happy birthday, to me! Happy birthday, dear MEEEEEE! Happy birthday, to me! In honor of my 32nd birthday, I'd like to share with you a recipe for one of my all-time favorite birthday cakes. This is one that I requested pretty much every year for my birthday growing up. I'd request it now that I'm older but let's face it, I'd be the one at my house doing the baking. Amber's Juicy Lemon Cake 1 Box lemon cake mix 4 Cups powdered sugar 1 Cup lemon juice (the kind from the bottle) Make the lemon cake according to the directions on the box. Allow it to cool a little bit. Poke several holes all over the top of the cake. In a separate bowl, combine the powdered sugar & lemon juice. Pour it all over the cake. It will take some time to soak in (so it's OK if it pools on the top at first). Now, I'm not kidding you... this is very lemony and juicy when done. If you're not a fan of in-your-face lemon, this cake may not b...

Today Nathan & I took the kids and headed to the outlet mall. It was a beautiful day for some shopping and we splurged on some clothes from the Banana Republic outlet. We decided to head towards the country instead of back on the highway after our shopping. Lo and behold, we went through a tiny town (the kind with a store called BAIT & GUNS and they have live bait vending machines). Then .... we saw it.... That's right, that sign said OX ROAST . Nathan and I laughed at the idea of an Ox Roast. Then we looked at each other and knew.... we had to stop . If you know anything about Nathan and me, then you know we don't pass up any fair-looking event with the word "roast" in the title, no matter what animal they are claiming to cook . Lucky for us, we always travel prepared to stop at a good fair.... camera, sunscreen, hats for the kids, you name it. We hung out with the locals (don't worry, I didn't come home with one of their dresses): And, ...

Amber : So, Keegan, you go to preschool now. What do you think of that? Keegan : Good. A: What's your favorite thing at preschool? K: Riding on the playground. A: What do you ride? K: The fwings (swings) and stuff. A: Do you have friends? K: Yes. A: Who are they? K: I don't know. You tell me. I think there's a Willy-am (William). I think his name was Willy-am. A: What did you learn about this week? K: Squares, but I don't know. Them didn't let me paint squares, just circles. A: It's THEY didn't let me paint. K: I like "them" better. A: You can't just use words you like; there is a word that is right to use. A: Next week is show and tell. You need to find something that starts with the letter S to take. What do you want to take? K: Woody. Or, take all my stuff that goes in Toy Story. Woody goes in there. And, Buzz Lightyear goes in there. And, piggy bank goes in there. And, the car goes in there. A: None of those sta...