Mixed Marriage

It's true I was raised an Alabama fan. Every Saturday I like to wear one of my many Alabama t-shirts along with my houndstooth earrings. I have other pieces of Tide jewelry and even houndstooth rain boots. I mean, I was born in Tuscaloosa. It's in my blood. No, really, my blood is crimson.

There's even a funny story my parents like to tell about when I was a baby & how my dad taught me to stick my tongue out & spit every time I heard the word "Auburn". I was apparently quite the rule follower and one Iron Bowl Saturday I was playing on the floor with my toys & spitting non-stop. My parents didn't understand why I was continually spitting until it clicked that the TV announcers kept saying "Auburn". They laughed and beamed with pride at their Baby Bama Fan.

Yes, I love The Tide. 

But, my BFF growing up was an Auburn fan. Somehow our friendship lasted. I suppose it should have been a sign. I was learning how to live with and love an Auburn fan on an {almost} daily basis as a child so naturally I married an Auburn fan. To this day I live with and love an Auburn fan on a daily basis. Somehow we make it work.

Iron Bowl 2005 -- College freshman! {Taken with a disposable because there was no such thing as iPhones}

Like all marriages it requires sacrificial love and this weekend I LIVED sacrificial love. For Andrew's birthday I bought him tickets to the Auburn homecoming game. I was so excited. I knew he'd love it & we were planning to make a whole day date out of it. Then he got some weird foot infection, got put in a boot half-way up his leg and a couple of prescriptions. The day date was off. 

I tried to sell the tickets. No luck. Then, I tried to give them away! I couldn't do it. Should've known, can't even give away Auburn tickets ;-) But, at the very last minute, my friend Bekah found someone who took them. 

Well, our wonderful friends, Amy & Austin, offered to take us to the Auburn game this past weekend and offered for us to stay the night with them in their gameday condo. We took them up on it but not without hesitation.

We always have a fun time when we're with Amy & Austin and I knew AW would love to go to the Auburn game but should we spend the night? The game wasn't until 6:30. Did we just want to drive home after the game? Did we want to just take Anderson with us? We had never left him over night before. 

I even texted Amy to ask if she would mind if we brought Little Man. Of course she was very gracious & said they would love it. But, we decided to leave him with his Nonnie & Papa for the 24 hours & see if we could handle it.

I laid Anderson down for his afternoon nap on Saturday & then AW & I headed down to The Plains. I was a little nervous in the car wondering if we should have just brought him but I knew he was in great hands and he would have lots of fun especially since Uncle Stephen was home for the weekend.

We arrived in Auburn, got settled in & headed out to walk around campus. It was so much fun! We ran into some friends, took some pictures around campus and grabbed a quick bite to eat before heading into the stadium.

While I think orange is a hideous color and paired with blue isn't exactly flattering I was enjoying the company. It was fun just being with AW without taking turns chasing The Toddler and it was great to talk & catch up with The Dodsons.

We saw Spirit, the eagle, fly into the stadium and that was pretty awesome. The band played, the crowd cheered and the players took the field. The Tigers scored almost immediately and it was all down hill for their opponent after that.

While the game wasn't terribly exciting, the atmosphere was fun! We had great seats and half-time was very entertaining. The band performed and then they had 1,100 {1,100!} cheerleaders from different schools take the field & do a routine. You've never seen so much sparkle & pom-pom in one place!

We all shared a nice warm funnel cake while bundled up under our blankets & coats and cheered on The Tigers. {No, I didn't say any Auburn "phrases" but I did want them to win.}

After the 3rd quarter we headed out. We went back to the condo, thawed out & then headed to get Starbucks & food to-go. We.Are.WILD!

We got back in around 10:30, stayed up for about another hour snuggling in the LoveSac & chatting. Yes, a LoveSac. It's pretty much my favorite piece of furniture. It's a giant bean bag {without the beans} that has a little foot prop & neck pillow. It is so comfortable and SO BIG! 

We went to bed at 11:30 and I could barely hold my eyes open. I was hopeful this might be the best night's sleep I've had in over 2 years! I couldn't wait! But really, it wasn't any better than when we're at home. I missed my morning Toddler snuggles & kisses and couldn't wait to get back. I know, I know, we were only gone 24 hours but y'all, he's SO CUTE!

Ok, funny story about his outfit. My friend, Lyndsey, worked at Kid's Market this season. Since she got to shop early I asked her if she wouldn't mind looking for a couple of toys & a Christmas outfit for Anderson. She called me while she was shopping & said she found a cute little Christmas outfit for a good price. The other side was reversible & it was orange with a little football on it, did I want it? I said sure, it's only $9.

Later that evening she called me & said, "You're not going to believe what I did. I got home & was looking at that outfit & saw there was a name monogrammed under the football. When I turned it to that side the name is 'Anders'! So, it's close but who names their kid 'Anders'?!" 

I was cracking up! "I'll just have the 'o' & 'n' added to it & it'll be great," I said. Well, when I was looking at it I realized I would have to rip the seam, have it monogrammed & then re-stitch it. For a $9 outfit? Yeah, I totally just put him in it & let him wear it around the house.

Anyway, we had a fun night away with our friends, we survived a night away from The Toddler & our mixed marriage is also surviving, nay thriving. Roll Tide to that, y'all!

What's The Secret?

Remember this summer when I thought it would be great fun to pick blueberries and to make applesauce from scratch?

Well, apparently I forgot about that because I decided last week that it would be a great idea to make applesauce again. It being fall and all, you know. I did remember it being difficult to peel the apples but, "the apples were so tiny. I'm sure that's why it was so difficult," I reasoned.

Well, my peeled off fingernails object.

While I had high hopes of going to a semi-local apple orchard this fall when I emailed the owner asking if toddler's would enjoy it I got a strange reply back of, "...wait til next year. But come take pictures. Make memories."

Ok....?

I ultimately decided to wait until next year to pick apples & take pictures & make memories. Instead on my weekly shopping trip to Publix I picked up an extra bag of apples. Red ones. Shiny ones. BIG ones. All the better for peeling.

So, I began to peel. Hmmm, it wasn't quite so easy.

"Oops, there went a fingernail."

"Ouch, my hands are cramping up."

"Oh, well, at least I haven't dropped any apples in the trash this time..."

*anger & curses* "Totally just dropped an apple in the trash! I'm going in for it. Oh wait, two egg shells in there, it's a goner."

"Ok, I'll peel just 2 more apples."

Next apple, dropped in the trash.

"I QUIT!"

I took my bowl of not-dropped-in-the-trash peeled apples, looked at the bits of peel scattered all over the floor & trashcan and shook my head. I checked the clock. 40 minutes. It took me 40 minutes to peel 7 apples.

So I have to know, WHAT'S THE SECRET TO PEELING FRUITS & VEGETABLES?!?!

I decided quick, short strokes with the peeler worked best for the apples but my goodness! No wonder cavemen & women ate "Paleo". It's not because they were health-conscious, it's because WHO HAS TIME TO PEEL APPLES??? Much less chop them, season them & cook them only to come out with 2 small jars of apple sauce!

I've decided the peeler is one of the worst kitchen utensils. It makes you think you can do things that you can't. Or maybe I just need a new vegetable peeler. Either way, do you peel fruits & vegetables often? Does it cause you bodily & mental harm? If not, WHAT'S YOUR SECRET?

Doesn't it just look menacing?

Homemade Chest Rub

With this beautiful fall weather comes lots of time outdoors!

Football games,

His first cowbell experience: LOUD!

Outside play,

Trips to the pumpkin patch, fall festivals & more! But also with the cooler weather comes sickness. Sinus issues, allergies, colds and flu. To combat these issues I made my own chest rub & it was so easy that I thought I would share!

My friends & I have been ordering all sorts of glass containers from this awesome website. The prices are excellent! Plus we all order together & split the shipping costs. I can't recommend it enough!

So one of our orders came this week & I've been pumped to make all sorts of cleaners and potions ;-)

Since Anderson has had the sniffles for weeks now due to seasonal allergies I knew I wanted to make a chest rub.

It was super-duper easy & you can definitely do this one too!

Supplies:

Glass container with lid

Coconut oil

10-15 drops R.C. essential oil

5-10 drops Peppermint essential oil

5-10 drops Lemon essential oil

3-5 drops Eucalyptus Blue essential oil

Directions:

Warm coconut oil so that it liquifies (coconut oil has a super-low melting point so this is pretty easy. I just heated some water on the stove & stuck the glass jar that my oil is in in the pot & it melted pretty quickly)

Once it's liquid pour it into your small glass container

Let it cool for about 10 minutes (remember, it has a low melting point so it won't solidify right away)

Now add your essential oils! Stir it a bit & wait for it to solidify or stick it in the fridge for about 30 minutes.

Rub on chest!

I told you, EASY! Also, you could add extra lavender (R.C. has lavender in it) to help with sleeping. You can tweak this, add to & take away to work with whatever supplies you have on hand or whichever oils you prefer! 

Another "potion" I mixed up was an "Everything Skin Salve". Seriously, you can use this for diaper rash, facial blemishes, dry skin, ANYTHING! I've been rubbing it on just because I love the scent!

Supplies:

Glass container with lid

Coconut oil

10-15 drops Lavender essential oil

8-10 drops Frankincense essential oil

Directions:

Melt coconut oil

Pour melted oil into container

Allow it to cool for about 10 minutes

Add essential oils, give a quick stir

Wait for it to solidify

ENJOY!

Frankincense is one of my all-time favorite oils to smell plus it's WONDERFUL for SO many different things. Also, the wise men brought it to Jesus so it must be pretty special ;-)

Gluten-Free For Fall

Andrew & I have decided to go "gluten-free for fall". Actually, just for October but I like alliteration.

Between digestive issues & chronic migraines we figured going g-free might help. Also, we've done it before & it really wasn't all that hard plus one month isn't a lifetime commitment. If we decide it helps it will make an easier transition to already have one month under our belts. 

What we need to know is: 

What are some surprising items that contain gluten that we may not be aware of? {I know some ice creams contain wheat.}

What are some easy grab-n-go snack options? {We've gone gluten-free for 2 weeks before & snacks is where we really struggled.}

How do you eat out? Is it mostly salad options? Are there any restaurants that have g-free menus? {I know Taziki's does!}

Any encouragement or general tips you may have for us? Want to join in on the gluten-free fun? 

Follow along on my pinterest board!

Cooking School: A Toddler's Tale

Anderson & I love going to the library. There are so many wonderful books for me to comb through and he enjoys the ipads, puppets & puzzles. We went on Sunday afternoon but this time Andrew went with us! It was great because he and Anderman played together while I literally sat on the floor for an hour going through books.

I discovered some new, fun authors one of whom is Anne Rockwell. I had never heard of her but maybe you have. She's been around for a while & has written so many books!

We borrowed Apples and Pumpkins in honor of the first day of fall & Pots and Pans.

We have both enjoyed them so much that I've added them to Anderson's Amazon Wish List so that I can remember them when I'm purchasing his Christmas & birthday gifts this year. Our library has several of Rockwell's books and I can't wait to borrow more!

This morning we read a whole stack of different books, including Rockwell's and then we went to the kitchen, which I think is Anderson's favorite room. He can usually see the cats through the window, it's the "food room" and we just naturally spend a lot of time in there. He has another book that talks about the different rooms in a house & the kitchen is always his favorite one to look at.

Rockwell's Pots and Pans is a simple but beautiful picture book. It has short sentences and goes through the different items found in a kitchen. Items like a rolling pin, measuring spoons and even a wok! 

I pulled out as many of the items mentioned that we have {we don't have a butter warmer or a wok!} & let him see them & pointed to them as I re-read him the book. 

It was fun to watch him make the connections & say "Oooh!" over & over again. His favorite items were the wire whisk & the rolling pin. He took a turn "mixing" with the wire whisk in each of the different pots.

This was such an easy activity to do and my favorite part is that it is centered around a book. This makes me so excited to start Before Five in a Row with him before too long! 

Another fun activity to do would be to lay out all of the items & ask him  to show me "the wire whisk" while I point to it in the book! We might just do that when he wakes up from nap!


What are some of your favorite book-centered activities to do with pre-schoolers?