In my last blog, I talked about how I've become inspired by my new favorite website, Pinterest. I've done more crafts this fall than I ever have before and I've also been more inventive in the kitchen. If you know my fam, then you know how hard they are to please. I've accepted the challenge to cook new foods that we can ALL eat. And it's definitely been just that! In this blog, I'm just going to show some things I either have done or will be doing soon.

1. Cracker Barrel Hashbrown Casserole- Planning on making this for Thanksgiving...mmmmmm.

2. Garlic Lemon Chicken- Brandon loves lemon chicken so I thought this may be something different. Trying it next week.

3. Chicken Enchilada Puffs- Obviously these would just be a treat for me. :)

4. Marshmallow and Pretzel Bones- Made these for our annual Halloween dinner and they went over well. And they're just adorable!

5. Apple Pie Caramel Apples- Haven't done these yet but need I say more???

6. Pumpkin Butter- Haven't done it yet but sounds DELICIOUS!

7. Hand and Foot Print Turkeys- I'm going to have the kids do these for gifts

8. Hand Print Turkey- This is going to make some cute fall art on the wall :)

9. Foot Print Ghosts- I had the kids do these as gifts and they turned out fabulous!

10. Fall Wreath- Love, love, love this!

Falling for Fall....and Pinterest

We started school!!! Here my guys are on the first day back at Farley. And riding the bus *sob*.

Now that that's out of the way! Just kidding. They seem to like it there and the teachers are really great. Cameron's teacher actually had Brandon in kindergarten *hehe*. She's truly come full circle! All in all, it's working out well and they are adjusting better than I could have asked.

We got out this weekend some to enjoy the beautimous weather, or cold front, I should say. I just hope it sticks! We started out at Dixon Springs and ended up at the Round Knob Corn Maze where the very nice man let us in even though they closed the night before. We had a blast!

The awesome fall weather is making me think about chili, camp fires, caramel apples, and hayrides. It's my favorite time of the year! And through word of my facebook friends, I have come across a website that is awakening creative bones that I didn't even know I had! I am gonna spend my fall trying new recipes and creating neat crafts. And oddly enough, I could NOT be more excited! Maybe I am more domesticated than I thought. Fall is the perfect time to experiment with my new found creative spark so stay tuned!

I Stink at Blogging

Yeah, that's right. For whatever reason, this falls to the very bottom of my list, although even I was surprised when I saw that the last time I updated anyone about our family was J-A-N-U-A-R-Y. Pretty pathetic, right? Well, I'm here to fix that so here we go. And by the way, I have assigned myself some reading ---------------->

We had a wonderful family vacation in Gatlinburg in April. It was just a week of total relaxation. We got an awesome cabin, brought our dogs, and just chilled out.







We came home only to deal with massive flooding. First time for everything.






In May, Cameron had his second grade Fairy Tale Ball. Isn't he just gorgeous??? <3


And of course, May is our birthday month. Cameron turned 9 and Cadin turned 7. Oh, and I turned 30 in March!! Still can't get past that one.






Well, I guess that brings me to this summer, which by the way flew by entirely too fast. Quite frankly we've had better summers but there's always next year, right? No big vacations- instead it was filled with jury duty, masters classes, and sickness and stuff. Boo. So for the first time in a long time, I have been looking forward to school starting and so far it's shaping up to be a pretty good school year. Here's hoping! Even though the summer was sub-par, we did manage to squeeze in some fun things.

Here they are at Venture River.


Brandon's sister and her family came to visit from Michigan!


All four of the cousins had professional pictures made for my parents' birthdays.


I could literally spend my entire day posting pictures on here but that's what Facebook is for, right? ;) Say a little prayer for my kiddos as they start back at Farley on Tuesday. It will be an adjustment for them but I know that they'll do great. Thanks for reading and I'll update soon!

Out With the Old

Out with the old year and in with the new. So long 2010! You were better than 2009 but I think 2011 can beat you both. Although, I must admit the prospect of turning 30 in March has me in quite a tailspin. It just doesn't seem right! As my Dad says, "It's better than the alternative." I know. He's right. But still, 30 seems awfully adultish. I guess it just reminds me that I am one! My hubby did a good job at comforting me a little bit ago. He said it's a beginning of a new ten years. A new ten years to reach the goals that I didn't reach in my twenties. I knew I married him for a reason. ;)






Christmas morning at my parents' house






This is what school does to Cadin. lol


So onto the kids, which I know is why most of you check here! They had a wonderful Christmas and have gotten settled back into school. They did excellent on both of their report cards. I couldn't be prouder of them! They are so smart. They're also really into their Dad here lately. Their new game is playing cops. So they "locked Brandon up" after supper tonight. Cadin comes in the living room where I am and says "Excuse me Ms., your husband needs his lawyer!" I laughed. These kids are hilarious! And to wrap that story up, Cadin and his "dog-wife" (big stuffed dog that sleeps on his bed- don't ask...that was a new one for us tonight!) ended up framing Brandon and committing the crime, which entailed stealing a backpack. They don't lack in the imagination department, do they?






Cam looking cool

We're planning a much needed vacation to Gatlinburg in the spring. We have a nice cabin booked and are excited. Eventually we hope to make it to Disney (next year or so) but until then, The Smokys will be perfect. It will just be nice to get away for a bit.




So among my many other resolutions, I am resolving to update this blog more this year. And if anyone has any words of comfort to share regarding my mini-pre-mid-life-crisis-ish, please send them my way! :)

Free stuff??? Bring it!!

Yep. You read right. Thanks to my sis-in-law, Stacey, I have been informed about a way to get free, professional Christmas cards this year! Usually I stand in line at a photo developing kiosk waiting for the machine to become free. Being bumped into by frazzled shoppers that have no idea what they're doing is not my ideal way of spending a Saturday afternoon. Especially when you get the ones that don't know how to operate the thing. So when this amazing opportunity from Shutterfly presented itself, I couldn't turn it down. They are offering 50 FREE Christmas cards for bloggers!


After browsing through the extensive selection of Shutterfly products, I came across calendars. Definitely something to consider for the new year. I'm also thinking about using Shutterfly for birthday invitations next May when Birthdaypalooza hits. I figure that things are so crazy that month, I might as well take any opportunity I can to simplify my work!


But for now, I've got Christmas on the brain and if you read my previous blog snippet, I am in desperate need of Holiday Cheer this year. What better way than to score free Christmas cards, right? If you blog, all you have to do is mention their promotion and cha-ching! You get free cards! And that, my friends is definitely going to help me get into the Christmas spirit. So, check your mailbox soon because you will be seeing some darling pictures of my little men in the coming days, thanks to Shutterfly. :)

Can We Rewind????

Today is December 8th. If my math is correct, that would mean there are 17 days until Christmas. How is that even possible??? I guess I'll go ahead and be honest and admit that I'm not exactly in the Christmas spirit this year. I'm trying but it has snuck up on me and I'm not at all prepared. I have hardly started Christmas shopping, haven't baked a thing, and don't even have the outside lights up. And the only reason I even have time to update this blog is because I'm home sick today. Ahh, the joys of winter. But with all that being said, I'm going to put forth my best effort to attempt to get into the Christmas spirit, for my kids if nothing else. That's what it's about afterall, isn't it?

Fall is in the Air....

Okay, so I realize it's been forever since I updated. I'm sorry! Things have been wild in the Hawkins world, what can I say? :)

The boys ended up with a fantastic school year and I couldn't be prouder of them. Straight A's all year! The summer flew by, just as it always does. We enjoyed some much needed time off and just chilled out.

I guess the main event of our summer was the special arrival of two little babies! Kittens, that is! Phoenix had three babies on July 14th (one died sadly) but the other two are doing great. Full of energy and rotten to the core. We have named them Selena and Jasper so I guess that answers the question of if we are keeping them or not! You may not believe it but Brandon was the one that pushed to keep the little felines. He's a softie afterall...just don't tell him that!

We're off to another great school year. The kids love their teachers and are again doing wonderful in school. I love my class as well. We are taking things one day at a time and trying to enjoy life. Very much looking forward to fall!! I gotta get to bed but I will update again MUCH sooner! :)