Amber Waves of Grain

It's a wild and crazy New Year's Eve at the Amber Waves of Grain household tonight! Nathan is getting over the stomach flu and the kids will be in bed by 8pm. I'm sure I won't be far behind! I know, we're animals! I thought it would be good tonight to review the TOP 10 THINGS I LEARNED in 2010 . In no particular order.... here we go: 1. Don't sell all your baby clothes at a garage sale 2 weeks before you conceive a baby. 2. A toddler left alone in the church bathroom could be found standing in a toilet full of water. 3. Buying a new minivan will produce an additional child. 4. Always answer your cell phone in the gym locker room. It could be James Best (Roscoe on Dukes of Hazzard ) calling to wish you a happy birthday ( LINK ) 5. If you're going to lock yourself out of your car at the gas station, try not to do it on a bitter cold winter day and with a toddler in the backseat. 6. If a cat ever drops a mouse in your bedroom, it could be ali...

Introducing the "New & Improved" Amber. The new Amber who can take a relaxing trip with a girlfriend and not have a 3-page spreadsheet of activities with a timeline and agenda . The new Amber who can splurge and order dessert. The new Amber who does not have to go-go-go on a trip and can sit.... and do nothing . The new Amber who orders room service, goes to the spa , and even (* gasp *) doesn't make the hotel bed ! That's right, some of you would not believe it!! I just returned from a 2-day girls only trip with my BFF , Jennifer. Clearly, I'm a whole new woman. We went through some antique stores. I use the words "antique stores" loosely. I should clarify that to find the antiques, we first had to sort through a LOT of junk. Like in the store full of stuffed cats: Or the creepy lady: I forgot to take a picture of my treasures, but I did find some antique shaving brushes and a cute little tin to decorate the bathroom, an old film ...

Merry Christmas, everyone! In case any of my readers have not read the real Christmas story (we're not talking Twas the Night Before Christmas ), here it is below! This is the story of Christ's birth from the Bible. I love to read this story with my family on Christmas morning as a reminder of why we celebrate Christmas. The Christmas Story For unto us a child is born, to us a son is given, and the government shall be on his shoulders. And he will be called Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace. Of the increase of his government and peace there will be no end. He will reign on David's throne and over his kingdom, establishing and upholding it with justice and righteousness from that time on and forever. The zeal of the Lord Almighty will accomplish this. - Isaiah 9:6 "In...

Happy 2 nd birthday to Kennedy!! Kennedy is a sweet, sweet little girl . She is very affectionate and loves to give hugs and kisses. She also adores babies and is usually found with a baby doll that she's feeding or caring for. She has also become quite mischievous . If I leave her sight for even a minute, she is either in the fridge making havoc, turning a household item into a ladder to climb up high and be naughty, she's standing in the bathtub, stripping her clothes off, or playing with the toilet... just to name a few. She has a new love for crayons and legos. Her favorite song is This Little Light of Mine where she gets to 'blow' the candle out. She likes to be a diva and always wants to wear her sunglasses in the car, even if it's dark outside. And, she likes to carry her purse into stores like a big girl. She even sleeps with a purse. This girl loves her accessories. Kennedy brings us joy, love, and fun! We love you, Kennedy-- Happy Birthday!

I love peanut butter fudge. However, I simply don't have time to make it the old-fashioned way. Plus, the thought of using a candy thermometer scares me. I think I'll save real fudge-making for another season of my life. Until then, I cheat . Here's my recipe for Quick Peanut Butter Fudge. Now, if you have the time to make 'real' fudge, please do. It is better. But, this is great too and it only took me about 10 minutes to make. Peanut Butter Fudge ( from Quick Cooking magazine ) 2 cups sugar 1/2 cup milk 1 1/3 c peanut butter 1 jar (7oz) marshmallow creme In a saucepan sprayed with Pam, bring sugar & milk to a boil; boil for 3 minutes. (Note: Don't use a 2 qt pan like I did because it was too small.... go for your big 5 qt pan so it won't boil over). Add peanut butter & marshmallow creme. Mix well. Quickly pour into a buttered 8" square pan. Chill until set. Cut into squares. Nathan & I found that the texture of this fu...

We somehow managed to squeeze another birthday celebration into the month of December. Yesterday was Kennedy's 2nd birthday party (her birthday is the 23rd). Luckily, she's not old enough to care that she's not at Chuck E Cheese or a bowling alley with loads of friends and family, so we can keep her parties simple. We had 4 grandparents and 1 great-grandma over for lunch to celebrate. I was really proud of myself again for keeping things simple and store-bought. My inner-Amber has fabulous party ideas involving everything homemade and creative decorations. However, my outer-pregnant-watching 2 kids-busy month of December-Amber needed to take the easy route this year! We had pizza from Papa Johns for lunch. Then we opened presents. Kennedy got this fun rocker chair from my parents. ( I helped them shop, of course ): And, a Tickle Me Elmo Extreme from my in-laws. She calls him "Melmo": And, a Hello Kitty purse (that she slept with last night) and Elmo toy...

As I mentioned in my last post, the painter came today and painted the nursery! Here was the nursery BEFORE , in smurf blue. And, here is the nursery AFTER today, in Sherwin Williams "Mythical". The lighting is horrid and the color in these photos isn't true to real life, I don't think. But, it gives you an idea anyway. Like I said, it's hard to see this color in the lighting. But, here is the cartoon version of the paint color again. So, use some imagination! Next steps-- getting the crib sheets in the mail, getting some furniture, decorating the walls... and delivering a baby ! I'll upload photos of the nursery as we make progress!

I want to show you the ' before ' photos of the nursery because it's being painted today, but I'm a little ashamed . Have you seen that episode of Friends where the usual neat-freak Monica has a secret closet that is a MESS? She kept it locked and inside it was loaded with junk. Well, the nursery was my "Monica Closet". We used it as an office and for storage for over 9 years. It was ugly . Here's Monica's Closet on the show: Here was my Monica Closet in PHASE 1: I'm so embarrassed. This was worse than normal. I think. There may have been a small child lost in here. We'd never know. Then, item by item, I went through everything in this room, including the closet. I got it down to this: You mean the room had a floor!?! Nathan assembled the crib last night and today the painter is here. The room will go from Smurfy blue to Sherwin William's "Mythical". It's sort of a smoky, gray-toned purple: I'm having fitte...

Last night was Birthday Club Christmas . Birthday Club is what we call my close group of girlfriends from many years ago. We get together for each of our birthdays and also Christmas, hence our club name. For Christmas we all bring appetizers. We're good eaters and have quite the spread. Our favorite food groups are bread and cheese: I took veggie pizza ( aren't you proud of me for incorporating veggies? ). Jenn brought lots of really good bread and cheeses along with caramel corn. Mel brought a fun lentil dish with Naan bread. Mindy brought her famous sausage balls, homemade guacamole, and a dessert. Lisa had yummy pot roast for us. Like I said, we know how to eat. It was delicious. Lisa's table was beautifully decorated: Here we all are. Mindy & I are both pregnant so we totally framed the group with our bellies: (Mindy - Jenn- Mel - Lisa - me) And, here's the recipe for my veggie pizza! It was good; I'll be making it again! Veggie Pizza 2 p...

You know I'm a sucker for trying limited-edition foods. Check out what I found at Walmart today: That's right, folks. Kraft GINGERBREAD marshmallows! They are shaped like gingerbread men AND they are flavored like gingerbread as well. Are you kidding me with the cuteness of these? I tried one and they really do taste like gingerbread. It's a Christmas miracle. Not only are they good to eat plain (and fun for kids), I think they would also be good in cocoa. Or, cute to use for decoration on a cake or gingerbread house. Or, maybe little toothpick kabobs with these marshmallows and some type of chocolate product. Or, give a bag as a gift with some cocoa and mugs. So many possibilities! I'm wishing I picked up more than one bag now! Give them a try. And, as always, marshmallows are a 'fat free' food so don't feel guilty! :)