A Couple of my Best Friends.

I happen to love tea tree oil and baking soda. When browsing the internet for a good recipe for a wet bag deodorizer, I came across the one below. What more could you ask for? You can never go wrong with these two ingredients, which I find out I am using more and more often as I become more environmentally friendly. So in turn, this is what I am about to attempt making -  scented soda discs for the diaper pail! Right now, the pail seems to contain the stinkies, but every time I open that thing it is like there is pee soaked pads in there...which...um....there is! So, I thought I would share with you a recipe that I was inspired to do from http://clothdiapernews.com.

Diaper Pail Deodorizer
• 2 cups Baking Soda in a stainless steel or glass bowl

In a separate glass measuring cup, combine:
• 10 drops pure Tea Tree essential oil (antibacterial agent)
• up to 1/4 cup water

Slowly pour the water/tea tree mixture into the baking soda and stir until you create a thick paste. Be careful not to add too much water or the soda will begin fizzing and dissolve.

Pat the thick paste into approximately 6 muffin tins lined with paper cups and let sit for up to 24 hrs, or until completely solid. Remove from muffin tin and wrap or store the ‘pucks’ in a cookie tin, away from moisture, until ready to use.

I really hope to find that these help. It seems like such a natural way to deodorize. I also am inspired to place a tea tree soaked cotton ball in my car to get my car smelling fresh again. I absolutely LOVE the scent of Tea Tree! I might try some lavender scent to add as well.

Psychedelic Cake Pops.

I just thought I would share the Psychedelic cake pops I made along with my Mom and brother's girlfriend for Jeff's 35th birthday. We used a vanilla cake mixed with butter cream frosting, then dipped in a variety of colored candy coating and sprinkled with nonpareils. I have such a blast doing these and wish I could actually bake for a living! What fun that would be. I'm looking forward to the next time I have the opportunity to make these for a party-with a different theme of course!

One

As I look back at the past year, I think, how did all that happen so fast? I feel like Mark and I went from 0 to 60 after having our son, Breckan. He gives us inspiration and purpose in our lives and we now could not imagine our lives without him! Everything goes by so fast. When those Moms who already had babies told me about "how fast it goes" while I was pregnant, and even when Breckan was in the "newborn" stage, I thought there was no way that it could go by as fast as it actually has. At that moment in my life I thought my little boy would NEVER come and once he did arrive I thought he would NEVER be anything but an eat, sleep and pooping machine! HA-HA.

So here I am, at the point where the pregnancy, newborn stage and nursing every two hours is a distance memory. How could it be? Has it really changed so much in a year? Yes it has, and it keeps getting better and better. Sometimes I look back and miss those brand-new baby moments. Even though I miss those moments, it is unbelievable to see how much he has grown and I am trying to embrace the present before it flashes by. I feel as if every day Breckan learns something new. He is absolutely like a sponge, absorbing everything and anything he can. In the past month, he has learned how to ride his mini four wheeler, signed Milk and All-Done, Gives hugs, says Ball (Ba) All-done (Ah-Da) and Balloon (Bbboon), learned to sip from a straw, puts shapes into corresponding holes and.....RUNS! My little "baby" is now a toddler. It is so amazing to see this growth and development. Mark and I still cannot believe that this little bundle of personality is OUR son and WE gave him life! What a beautiful thing.


To celebrate Breckan's first year, we had a fantastic first birthday party bash at our house last month. Despite the super HOT weather, I think it was an overall success and good time for all involved. We had a pool party and rented a blow up water slide, made pizza in the pizza oven, ate an array of Mexican food and had a candy bar and yummy cake and cookies. Although all these things were nice, it was even better that we had our friends and family to share in Breckan's special day. We are so blessed that we have everyone in our lives that we do, and we couldn't be more appreciative for making Breckan's birthday so special! What a fun time with GREAT people.

So. I end with this.

I have a handsome, bubbly 1 year old.

Can you believe it?

I can't.

10 years ago today.

10 years ago today, our country was attacked by terrorists. I was in my senior year of high school. One of my teachers (I cannot remember who) told me to write down what I was feeling about what was happening. So I went on writing. It is crazy how cheesy my writing was, but hey, we all evolve, right? I am glad I saved this little paragraph. It brings me back to this sad time in our country's history and the beginning of all this chaos that is going on in the world. Who would have thought that this attack would bring our country so much economic despair? Today, I am remembering those who lost their lives 10 years ago today. We will never forget.....

So, in words of a 17 year old's mind 10 years ago:
"I can't believe what has happened today. Terrorists highjacked four planes. One hit the New York trade building, the other hit the second New York Trade Building, one hit the Pentagon and one crash landed in Pittsburg. This was just about one of the biggest/important days of American history. I am completely appalled by how many people died. Right now they are saying there is 10,000 people that died. On the news it says "America under attack" George Bush says that we will find these people, show their faces, and do whatever possible to punish them. All the Lifesources in the country are jammed packed with people who want to donate blood. It was so sad to see the plane actually fly into the trade center and thinking about the people in the plane and the people at the trade center. George bush considers this an act of war. I am so worried that we will go to war because all of my friends will be going and it's a creepy thought. People are claiming that the gas is going to go up 20 cents tomorrow. Man a nation in chaos, let me tell ya! I can't believe someone would do something like this. 800 could be dead from the pentagon only."