Don't blame me

I decided to look for a bumper sticker that says"Don't blame me I voted for Romney".

Still teething

Miss Elizabeth is getting her 2nd 2 year molar. Poor baby. Thankfully she can now tell me "my mouth hurts", but it still makes a Momma's heart ache to see her baby in pain.
Thankfully she's easily distracted now by fun so going sledding on Sunday when the weather was beautiful was a perfect opportunity to spend time together outside & distract a sad baby girl.

18 weeks w/ BB2

145-150 beats per minute. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. Lub-dub. 20 wk ultrasound in 2weeks. Baby Brooks #2 is well on its way. I felt this one stirring much earlier than BB1, but my placenta was also on the anterior wall last time too, which could have prevented me from feeling the early twists & tickles. Plus I know what to feel for this time. Elizabeth is @ a stage where she is cuddling her babies more and soothing them when they cry. "It's ok baby," she tells them as she pats their back and they stop crying. Hope she had that magic touch w/ this one too.

Brrrrrr!

-30 on the drive to work this morning. 13 above in the garage. Thank God for insulation & a wonderful husband & Dad-in-law who blew it in the ceiling this winter! Yikes. "This too shall pass."
Time to hang out w/ the girls in the house.

Check Out This Stringer!

GF Pumpkin Brownie Muffins

Ingredients: 1 can pumpkin and 1 box brownie mixMix: 1 can pumpkin & 1 box Gluten-Free Brownie Mix. Fill muffin tins. Bake @ 350 for 30-40 min.  You get a beautiful, dense chocolate treat.  Don't add any water, oil or eggs.  But remember to shape them pretty because they don't puff up.  They stay the same size and shape you put them in, but with a greased pan, they popped out nice.  I don't taste the pumpkin, but it's a really moist brownie/chocolate cake treat. Mmmmm. Thanks Mom!

Cookie Secrets

I love a good soft cookie. So here are two of my secrets to keep my cookies soft: Bread and pudding. To a single batch of cookies add one package of instant vanilla pudding. After your cookies are baked and in the cookie jar, add a slice of fresh bread. I use an end piece.
K there you go. My secret is out. :)

Can a Flashlight Burn a Rug?

Can a Flashlight Burn a Rug?
The MN MythBusters' results? YES! 
Elizabeth loves to play with flashlights.  This time she turned it on and stood it up (facing down) on the rug.  As you can see, it melted it.  For the longest time afterwards, she'd go over to the burn/melted rug and say "flashlight".  David had to explain to me what happened.  Needless to say the flashlights are now on a high shelf in the closet.
Just a warning to anyone who uses a flashlight and may forget it on anywhere -- they have the potential to be a fire hazard.

Petroleum Jelly

 After 3 winters of trying to find out what works best on my little Angel's dry winter skin, I've come to the conclusion I'm going with the ol' trusty: Petroleum Jelly.  The scents in the other lotions burn her dry, dry skin, even the unscented Arbonne Baby lotion, and she cries when we would put it on.  There are no tears with this and we only have to put on every 2-3 days because it works so well and lasts longer than mineral oil for her dry knees and elbows.  I highly recommend this no-tears approach if your baby is as dry as mine - and me.