Wedding Season seems to never end....

This summer was more mild than last, but we were still busy. In June I spent a weekend in Kenosha for Laura Fornetti's bridal shower. She was my roommate in college (would not have graduated without her by my side) and helped me though some of the toughest moment in the college years. I am very grateful for her friendship. She stood up with us in my wedding and then asked me to be a bridesmaid in hers as well.

Her shower was simple and lovely! Held at the Bull & Bear in Kenosha. All her bridesmaids were there except her sister Jamie...who is slaving away on her PhD and MD in Denver.

Bridesmaids: Kim, Me, Laura(bride), Ashley, Sami

Me and the very tan bride to be....or I'm just really pasty (thanks what working every day does to a girl)

Guest appearance of Mr. Will Waller (groomsman) to cheer on team USA in the World cup game that day....they lost

We got the groom to step in for a pic as well...he ran quickly after he was loved on by the bridesmaids.

Chi Omega's....I blame XO for our unplanned matching attire.

Had a wonderful time with the ladies....wish the weekend would have lasted longer!!!!

It's Baby Time

Most of my friends are due between October and December, but a few babies will be arriving earlier. And one of those little darlings just entered the world on June 5th. I was able to enjoy her for a few minutes on my lunch break.

Introducing Ella Faith Wiley...is she not the most beautiful little girl...

Sleeping and sporting her little hat I made her.

Not going to lie, I took a long lunch, I just couldn't get enough of her.

Just a little peanut

I cannot wait for all the other sweet little babies to get here. Baby Kaelyn arrived in February We have not met as she lives in Texas. And Baby Riley arrived a few weeks ago, but I don't have pictures with her for some odd reason. But she is beautiful and growing so fast!!!

We are still waiting on:

Baby Stein in September (not finding out the sex)

Baby Dunne in September (girl)

Baby Brazis in October (boy: Name is a secret)

Baby Heinold in November (girl: Mackenzie)

Baby Fleck in November (girl: Reese Josephine)

Baby Emlen in December (BOY: once mistaken for a girl, but it is definitely a boy)

Baby Knecht in February

It is going to be a BUSY BUSY year

Hobbies...

My job....stresses me out. Even though I thoroughly enjoy what I do, dealing with sick people, injuries, and death daily does not lend itself to relaxation. Much of the stress at work follows me home and really puts a damper on my evenings. More stress is usually waiting for me at home as our house is still full of projects....which seem to multiply.

On one of my days off I decided I needed to find something that would allow me to relax and escape some of the daily stresses. Thus came my new hobby....crocheting.

I have a lot of friends expecting sweet little babies this year, and wanted to make something for their little bundles of joy. Did a bit of research, bought some supplies, and taught myself to crochet. I am still experimenting with different stitches, styles, and designs. Hopefully I will be able to expand my projects over time. I am still wanting to find some baby blanket designs I like...

These are some of my little creations: (the flowers and details are not permanent but placed on the hats to give examples. All are interchangeable, and i am still experimenting with different designs)

Shell Stitch Beanie (soft green)

Single Crochet, Skip Stitch Beanie with Shell Border (Pink Rose)

Single Crochet, Skip Stitch Beanie with Straight Border (Pink Rose)

Loose Beanie, Muffin Top (Pink Rose)

Muffin Top, Half Double Crochet (White)

Waffle Stitch, Straight Border Beanie (soft Blue)

Mock Mary Jane Booties (Soft Yellow)

Headband (pink rose)

Headband (Autumn Brown)

Coffee Coozie with Button Accents (Maroon)

I will probably add some blogs matching patterns with pictures so I remember what I used for each item....but until then, pictures are it.

I hope to eventually be able to sell these items....but first I must figure up reasonable prices and details. If you are interested or have ideas let me know. I am always willing to try new items or styles people would like.

CAT Truck Birthday Cake

Micah Turned 27 today!!! We never make a huge deal out of birthday's...just kinda do as we feel when they come up. Last year Micah was wanting a cake and I just didn't feel like making one. I still bought the mix so he could make it himself, however this was not what he wanted to hear. For our wedding I was wanting to surprise him and get him a grooms cake that was made into a Cat Truck. Of course i could not find anyone who would make it for me. So that fell through. So this year I felt ambitious.

I started out thinking i would just make a cake....Then I decided I had the day off so I was going to make a CAT cake. I hope to perfect this design as it would make a wonderful cake for some little boys birthday when kids come along (someday). Here is my low budget version:

Ingredients Needed for the Cake:

-2 boxes of cake mix (of your choice)

-3 eggs (per box of cake mix)

-1/2 cup vegetable oil (per box of cake mix)

-1 1/3 cup water (per box of cake mix)

Ingredients Needed for the Frosting: (Buttercream Frosting)

- 1/2 cup butter

- 1/2 cup vegetable shortening

- 3 cups confectioner's sugar

- 1 tsp Vanilla extract

- 1 Tbs milk

Directions:

Combine vegetable shortening and butter. Add vanilla and mix thoroughly. Slowly add confectioners sugar. Once mixed fully add milk and continue mixing. Use food coloring to obtain desired colors.

(creates a light airy frosting)
Choose baking pans according to the size of cake desired. For a cake about 1' x 1' x 1' use a 9x13 pan and an 8x8 pan. Wheels can be made with cupcakes or anything of your choice.

For the body of the truck use the 9x13 sheet and cut off about 2 inches from one end (this will be used for the hub of the truck) Cake can be layered for height of truck or a box wrapped in foil can be used as base under cake. * Next time i will use a small sheet of wood (plywood) wrapped in foil. Prop it up with small wooden blocks placed behind wheels. This will allow truck to be raised off the ground for a more realistic look.

The 8x8 sheet will be used for the bed of the truck. Cut out enough cake to form the bed as shown. Cake mix Box can be use to tip the bed of the truck. Smash one end of the box for the tilt effect.

Use 4 cupcakes as wheels. Attach to body of truck with toothpicks.

The section of cake cut off of the 9x13 sheet can be cut to desired size for the hub of the truck. Attach with toothpicks.
Begin Frosting....(take tires off for frosting time)

Detail truck as desired. I used brown frosting to highlight HUB and TIRES. Chocolate Chips for lettering and grill. White frosting was used for windows.

Use the cake cut out of the bed of the truck as dirt. Crumble cake pieces and place around truck. Oreo's were the crumbled and placed in the bed of the truck as more dirt.

With more time and more money these hints would improve quality of cake:

*More cake mix used and layered with frosting so entire cake is edible.

*Cake Frosting tools used rather than a spatula.

*Black frosting to detail Truck

Happy Birthday Micah :o) Love you

A puppy's life

Cooper is a bit spoiled...big surprise right? But I must say he is more spoiled by his "aunts", "uncles", and "grandparents" than he is by us. He always has people stopping by to visit him. We have lived in our house for almost a year now and my Dad has never visited....until Cooper came along. I guess it's just that puppy charm. He is a cutie but definitely tries our patience...

As we all know, I HATE clutter...everything has its place and should be there 99% of the time unless it is in use. Our agreement was to only get the dog a toy or two (no squeakers)...next thing we know he has 18 (5 with squeakers). SPOILED. And does he pick one and play with it, then put it away before getting out a new toy. Of course not. As soon as i pick them up he has them all out again afraid that clean up time means he has to get in his kennel. He is a true toddler. The positive is he usually likes to play with his toys rather than destroy our belongings. The only thing he is truly tempted by are cords (he pull on them) and any kid of knot or button. I can handle this as long as he is not destroying everything we have in the house.

Cooper also has treats galore, a Snuggie For Dogs, and All the attention in the world.

Waiting for Dad to come back out of the store...Manly

Enjoying his snuggie and 'tiger'...both from Uncle Bryce

Nap time, with dad of course

He is also happy to play with cardboard if he is given random objects. His favorites are toilet paper/paper towel rolls and toothpaste boxes.

We usually have a morning snooze on my days off....since he keeps me up all night. He gets cozy anywhere he chooses and is usually on his back with legs up in the air.

Coopers day is usually quite relaxed. He is potty training and HATE sleeping in his kennel. So we are down to waking up about twice a night to go outside. As much as I do not enjoy this, it is better than the every hour schedule we were on the first week he was with us. And now he stops crying in his kennel just a few minutes after we lock him in. I no longer have to wear earplugs to get any sleep :o) When we wake up in the morning he usually gets a little play time and then sits around watching us get ready for work. Then it is a battle to get him in his kennel when we leave. He sleeps all day and then plays all evening when we get home. We hope to not have to use his kennel much once he is potty trained. At the moment this is not an option since he has accidents every now and then. We are trying to figure out a way to train him to bark or somehow let us know he has to go outside. he is so quiet and usually just walks by the door, looks at us, and if we don't see him he pees on the floor. (suggestions?)

For a while he was peeing in his kennel but this has not been a problem lately so we hope that phase is over. He cries when we leave the room. And sleeps at our feet wherever we are sitting or standing. Needless to say, he gets stepped on quite a bit. But we love him and having him around has been such a joy. We originally wanted to get two, decided to stick with one for now and see how it goes....and now we are pretty sure we will NOT get another puppy. However if we do it will be a newborn that is easier to train and does not have bad habits from the previous owner, or we will adopt an adult puppy from a shelter. But that will be no time in the near future.

Puppy Grooming

COOPER BEFORE

Our first quest was to trim up the pup so we could actually see his little face. His hair being about 3 inches long made him look like a little bum. With a budget we are trying to stick to this year, we figured it would be more cost effective to groom him ourselves. A grooming kit costs about $30.00 and a grooming session is comparable in price per session. We decided we would save hundreds grooming him at home...

Cooper had other plans. He doesn't seem to care that we are trying to save money, and we quickly found out that groomers earn their paycheck with the little pups. But we were determined so through the wiggles and squirms we trimmed him up....puppy cut. We hope to master the skill soon.....within the year would be nice :o)

Day 1. The first attempt at trimming was an hour long endeavor in the kitchen. *Kitchen floor: bad idea #1 due to the large room for him to run away*. Micah was holding the little guy while i would trim here and there attempting not to cut micah's fingers off in the process. Coopers heart was beating so fast and i was afraid Micah would hold him too tight, so we stopped for the day. His body was looking much better but his legs and head were still a bit too fluffy. This is also when we discovered Coopers love for eating his own hair. Clean up was interesting.

Day 2. I was off work and Micah was gone so we tried a new method and new location. On the bathroom floor, with me holding him AND cutting his hair. Solution to first bad idea is the smaller room. Definite plus! *Holding puppy and trimming at the same time: Bad idea #2 due to the excessive amount of hair i inhaled and the furry coat covering my clothes* This method still seemed to work better, however his head was still not touchable, but his body came out more even. I gave up after about 30 minutes.

Day 3. So i was finally sick of looking at his little mop head so I figured 3rd time is the charm. This time I kept the bathroom idea but moved from my lap to the counter. Not as much fur on me, Puppy could not run away, and the mirror helped me trim the side he would not turn towards me. *Bad Idea #3, Puppy doesn't realize there is a far drop from counter to floor and falls off counter twice.* This is the best method thus far as I was able to trim his head a bit and his legs some.

Future plans: Continue with counter top in bathroom and have someone hold puppy leash so he cannot drop off counter.

Coopers looks more like a little puppy now and his hair is not as tangled. Don't judge the 'beard' he still possess as it is quite difficult to trim while he is trying to eat the clippers.

Bathing the little guy is the easiest part of the whole grooming process. Cooper is quite timid in the tub which is helpful. Basically i just put a few inches of warm water in the tub, throw on some old shorts and a t-shirt and hop on in with him (or sit on the edge but he seems to prefer the tub company :o) A hand-held shower piece is so helpful for completely wetting down his hair. Then suds up and rinse. He was such a little trooper! *Note to anyone else to tries to bathe Cooper....he is crazy after bath*

COOPER AFTER

WELCOME COOPER

Nothing truly exciting has been going on in our lives lately.....until now. Micah and I decided we needed someone to liven up our home, so we adopted a PUPPY. He is a yorkie poo hybid which is perfect for allergy sufferers (me) and people who hate shedding (me and Micah).

We drove to Iowa to pick up our little one and he has been a joy ever since. He is 5 months and currently potty training. He Loves playing in the snow so it is not hard to get him to go outside BUT you must be with him. Micah and I are taking turns freezing. He has had an accident but we are very proud of how well he is doing. He made it through the whole night and only cried when we put him in his kennel the first 10 minutes and never made another peep.

He is so much fun and we already love him! He is full grown but mostly all hair :o) He will be needing a trim ASAP as the pictures show.

We welcome visitors as Cooper Loves kids and other dogs.....and love being held and giving kisses. I am sure there will be many puppy posts to come.

Sorry the video is sideways.....not sure how to flip it