Baseball Ring Bearer Pillow

I love when I get custom orders. It's so much fun taking someone's creative idea and turning it into something wonderful. On of my co-workers is getting married in a few weeks. Her fiance is a big baseball fan so she thought it would be fun to have a baseball ring bearer pillow. 

I love how it turned out. 

 I'm lovin' the sweet little heart...

Hoosier Outdoor Experience

Last weekend the Hubby and I took the kids to the Hoosier Outdoor Experience. It's a FREE recreational event in one of the local parks. This was our first year attending and you can bet we'll be there every year from now on! We had such a good time. It's all hands-on fun, we could have easily spent all weekend there. Next year we'll plan better and get their early and stay late. We got there in the late afternoon and only got to experience one of the 4 areas. Even though I'm not what you would call "outdoorsy" the girls, especially Lo, love everything about the outdoors and wanted to hear all about the animals, camping, flowers and leaves and all the activities. It was also the PERFECT day to be outside. To quote the hubby, "Best. Day. Ever."

The first thing the girls saw were these huge animal. Of course they wanted to snuggle and take a picture with each one!

Another big hit was seeing the horses. The girls have never met a horse they didn't fall in love with. Lo went up to each horse and asked the trainer ALL kinds of questions. She is so knowledgable about all the different kinds of horses and their nature. 

Lo has also been riding her "horse" quite a bit these days. She was so excited to hear that she could bring it with us (she's not allowed most places). Here she is taking her for a ride in the park.

You know us Murrays, we never miss a meal. 

As soon as we got off the bus the girls spotted other children with bows and arrows. The have been wanting them for quite awhile. We were at a party in the park earlier this summer and there were two girls with them. They generously shared with our girls and got them hooked. They really are awesome. The hubby and I had planned on making our own, but things have been a little crazy around her lately so we thought the $10 was worth it! (If you want to make your own check out these tutorials I found {HERE} and {HERE}.The girls LOVE them and are actually pretty good at shooting them. As soon as Lo gets off the bus each day they ask if they can go outside and shoot their arrows.

At the end of the day we asked the girls what their favorite part of the day was. The unanimous decision was the BIG, BIG hill! They could have run up and down it all day long. I wish I had a better camera lens with me to catch the HUGE smiles on their faces!

G was there too and was the BEST BABY EVER!!! He is so "go with the flow" most days! When the girls were running up the hill he got to spend some time in the shade and couldn't have been happier. I got a bunch of shots of him (thanks Dad for the new lens!), but this is my favorite from the day.

The hubby was so right...Best. Day. Ever!

What We're Eating

Every Saturday I plan my meals and make my grocery list. This week I was kind of in a rut. We've been eating the same things and the whole family was getting bored. I asked my friend what was on her meal list and she replied, "Your teriyaki meatballs. They're still on your blog right, because I need the recipe." Hmmmmm I totally forgot my best resource for recipes, MYSELF! So often I look for new recipes to share, that I completely forget about the ones that we love so much! This week we're having four of our favorites and I wanted to share with you....just incase you've forgotten about them too!

Tortellini Soup

This is one of our favorites. It has fresh spinach, is super quick to make and only requires one pot!

Broccoli Cheese Soup

The weather has changed and we're on a soup kick. This is the soup that my oldest declared was "Better than Panera's" so yummy and creamy and full of delish fresh broccoli.

Baked Teriyaki Meatballs

The sauce on these is so amazing! The whole family loved them and the girls always have fun helping me roll the meatballs.

Rosemary Chicken Pockets

Another super quick recipe. They are perfect for the nights when you don't have a lot of time to make a big meal. The girls love that they can just pick them up and pop them in their mouth!

There's something comforting about a favorite dish. What's on your on your meal plan for dinner this week? Do you have a family favorite dish you'd like to share? Shout 'em out, I always love hearing from you!

Thanks for stopping by,

Blankie's Box

This is Noa's one true love, Blankie.

The hubby and I gave her Blankie when she was 9 months old. Over four years later she is still in love and the two are practically inseparable. The only problem I have with Miss Blankie is that when Noa is snuggling her, she sucks her thumb. Just like we did with Logan (pretty much un-successfully), we told Noa that once she was 4 she needed to stop sucking her thumb. That meant that we would have to do something about blankie. I didn't want to take her away but with Blankie comes the thumb sucking...we needed a plan.

Noa and I had agreed that once she started Pre-K she would only be able to have blankie in her room during bedtime. She would no longer be able to tote her around. We decided that blankie needed her very own special place. I headed to Jo-ann Fabrics and picked up a cardboard box and some stickers and let Noa decorate the box all by herself (I could have done a beautiful and elaborate design myself, but I think it was important that Noa decorate it the way she thought Blankie would like. After all she is going to be spending most of her time inside it.).

The box has been pretty successful so far. In the morning Noa tucks blankie in for the day and then gets her out at bedtime. Occasionally Blankie "accidentally" finds her way out of her box, but for the most part we haven't had any problems or meltdowns over it....now if we could only get her sister to stop sucking her thumb...

Make Over Your Monday

*YAWN* Oh my am I T-I-R-E-D, tired! I know because I found a bag of goldfish crackers in the fridge this morning...

It seems that when we get the baby to sleep at night one of the girls doesn't. Noa had croup this weekend which leads to no sleep for everyone and then the steroids for the croup make her CRAZ-ZEE! Good times around here!!!

So how was your week? Did you smile a lot? My week started off rough, but it ended great and we had a fantastic family weekend. By the end of the week I didn't have to force the smiles, ahhhh....they just came because I was happy!

This week's challenge (inspired by my oldest daughter) is to ASK FOR HELP (I'm not sure where she gets her stubbornness and determination to do it all...*ahem*....) 

Sometimes we feel that asking for help makes us appear week, or needy or incompetent, but it's actually a strength to know when you need some assistance. Something that I'm still working on. I'll get there...eventually.

Have a wonderful week and thanks for checking in,

For the Non-Runners...

Yesterday I came across this...

So funny and perfect for quite a few of my friends. Thanks People I Want To Punch In The Throat for the great laugh (...and if you're not following her blog I HIGHLY recommend it! SO FUNNY!!!)

Happy Sunday,

Erin's Mac n' Cheese

The conversation is ALWAYS the same...

What's for dinner?

Mac n' Cheese

Erin's Mac n' Cheese?

Yes

Yay!!! Yippee!!! That's my favorite! It's the BEST pasta ever! etc...

And that's how it became know as "Erin's Mac n' Cheese"

After G was born my WONDERFUL friend Traci organized meals for us. We were so lucky to have so many generous people bring us amazingly delicious meals for several weeks. It truly was a sanity saver! Mealtime can be crazy, add in a newborn who needs to eat every few hours and you can have utter chaos! I can honestly say there was not one meal that was not loved by my family. Night after night I watched the girls gobble up the food and demand I ask the chef for the recipe! 

The recipe I am sharing today comes from my good friend Erin. You also know her from Lois Pearl Designs. This is hands down our family's favorite mac n' cheese. We inhaled it!!! There may have been tears when we realized it was all gone. G is only 3 months old and we have had it at least 5 times since he was born. The ONLY problem is that there NEVER are left-overs! I would double the recipe, but I'm not sure that would guarantee any...we'd probably just eat double! 

You probably have everything you need already in your pantry and fridge so make it tonight! Your family will think you are a Master Chef!

Ingredients

• 2 cups uncooked macaroni noodles (cooked al dente) 
• 2 cups shredded cheese (I mix it up, pretty much use what I have on hand)
• 2 cups milk (I used skim and it thickens up just fine)
• 3T butter
• 3T flour
• 2t season salt

Melt butter in pan. Add flour, stir until bubbly. Gradually whisk in milk. Stir until milk thickens. Add cheese and salt. Pour over cooked pasta. Bake at 350 degrees until bubbly.

And then stand back and watch your family DEVOUR this amazing pasta!

Make Over Your Monday

Happy Monday! Oh my was it a L-O-N-G week last week and unfortunately this week doesn't look any better. Sigh... It seems like for every item I cross off my to-do list I add two more! Sometimes it feels like I'll never catch up! I'm really trying to be positive this week and just do what I can and not stress over what I can't....we'll see how that works!

How did you do on our challenge two weeks ago (you had some extra time to get it done)? Did you do a few things you've been putting off? I have to give props to the hubby who spent a whole weekend peeling off decals from our office/playroom that we are planing on redecorating. I got a few odds n' ends done. There was quite a stack of things needing gluing or sewing on my crafty desk and I tacked a few.

This week's challenge is to smile.

Not only can smiling bring you out of a funk, but you can also brighten someone else's day!

Have a wonderful week and I hope it's full of smiles!!!

Fun With Lois Pearl Designs & Lauren Lewallen Photography

A few weeks ago the girls got to be in a photo shoot for my good friend Erin from Lois Pearl Designs for the new fall collection. The A-MAZ-ING pictures were taken by Lauren Lewallen Photography. It was so much fun to see my little mini models in action! To see all the pictures and fabulous clothing click {HERE}. 

For my Indy friends you can meet Erin in person TODAY and see the fall line at the Zlions Fall Festival. She will be there until 5, make sure you stop by and tell her how wonderful she is!!!

Have a great Sunday,

First Day Of Pre-K

Earlier this week my little Monkey started Pre-K. She was SO EXCITED! Mommy was a little sad to learn that she would not be there for her first day, I was on a plane from Cali to Indy, but Daddy and Grandma were both able to share this special event with my sassy little NoJo! 

In true Noa fashion she made them work for the traditional first day pictures.

 Ahh...there's that beautiful smile I love so much...

Noa declined to do an interview, but here are a few likes and dislikes that we have observed:

Loves...

Taking care of her baby dolls

Swinging on the swings with her eyes closed

Shoes, shoes, shoes

Dressing up and dancing to Taylor Swift

Crossing her eyes and making silly faces

Making up her own rhymes

Bedtime snuggles

Doing everything "by myself!"

Coloring

Her Blankie

Doesn't love...

Thunder storms

Dogs

Being told "no"

Matching clothes

Broccoli

Her first day was a success. She had a great time and met some new friends. She was excited by all the different backpacks and lunch boxes everyone had and I got to hear all about them.

She is my sassy, spirited, independent child and I love her so much!

I'm Back, Back From Cali, Cali

Hi there! Did you miss me??? G and I got to take a little mini vacation to Cali, just the two of us. My nephew was born six weeks before G and I wanted to get in my snuggles before he got too big. 

Guess what? 

Too late!

I love this picture of the two of them. It's so funny if you know that they are pretty close in age!

G also got to spend some time with his Uncle Ryan and Auntie Mel. We miss them so much and wish they we all lived closer together!

Ryan and Mel took me to a fab-u-lous restaurant in Long Beach, Schooner Or Later. It's right on the water and it has the most amazing Bloody Marys. I've added it to my list of restaurants that I have to visit whenever I'm in Cali.

I also have two wonderful friends that changed their plans last minute, got sitters and drove in crazy traffic just to see me. I love that even though it has been months (sometimes years) since we've all been in the same place together, we just pick up where we left off. Lots of drinks, lots of laughs and lots of love!

...and now I'm back to reality. Back to laundry, dinner and dishes and running here and there. Noa started school this week so G and I have a few days each week just the two of us. I have lots of crafty plans...I hope G's on board!