Happy BZZZZaloween!!

October was filled with lots of fun activities for the VerStrate clan. This year we dressed Addison up as a BumbleBee. We got lots of good use out of the costume. She went to her first baby costume party, got to go trick or treat at the zoo and make crafts, and story time at the library had a costume party read along.

 We also took her to her first pumpkin patch to pick out her very own pumpkin. As you can see she found the perfect one.  I found a "Mr. Skeleton Potato Head" from target to dress her pumpkin up(we weren't quite ready for her to dig into the pumpkin and be wearing the entire pumkin on her. Knowing our daughter we would be have pumpkin findings all over our house and her for days!)

I thought I would leave you with this classic picture from her costume party, it was for sure a hallmark moment, all of us moms are still giggling about the entire ordeal, but the moment was for sure a precious one! We hope everyone is enjoying their fall!!

Happy Bzzzzaloween,

love the VerStrate's

Cards by Me!

Well ever since my daughter has gone to one LONG nap in the afternoons, I have found that I have way more time on my hands to do things I want to do!! So I dusted off my craft box, sharpeded up my scissors, found some cute paper and stamps and this is what I came up with:

I call this collection "just cause"

Quote of the Day

I am not sure who came up with this quote or motto, but I found it through a google feed I was scrolling through and thought how funny, but true it is!

I LOVE my Husband!!

I have noticed recently that I blog more about my daughter and random things than I do about how great my husband is. Which I am sure he is thankful I don't post pictures of him and all he does every other week:) and get all mushy mushy on him to the world, but this post is dedicated to how wonderful he is***WARNING*** this could get really mushy, cause you to gag mushy mushy, and maybe even get you to blog about your husband mushy mushy ;-)


Where do I even begin, lets start with...
**I love that on Saturdays he will play with Addison and let me sleep in and have coffee and breakfast ready for us as I mozy on about the morning
**I love how diligent of a worker he is around the house and at his job
**I love that he will clean up after dinner and let me relax on the couch so I can watch my fav shows
**I love that he takes time from work to stay home with Addison so I can go to MOPS and relax
**I love that I can call on a whim to see if he will pick up dinner on his way home from work
**I love his Integrity
**I love how he cares and provides for Addison and I
**I love when he looks at me acroos the room and gives me his smile and winks ;-)
**I love how we can talk about anything and overcome obstacles together
**I love that no matter how busy he is with work he is never to busy for me
**I love his love for God and his desire to follow him daily
**I love my husband!!!

I could go on and on but lets just end with how much I do appreciate my husband and all that he does for my daughter and I! He is the best!! love you mister:)

Apple Pickin'

Well we rounded up the gang over the weekend and headed out to Minnesota Harvest in Jordan, MN to go roam around the orchard and pick apples. Addison had a blast with her cousins running around and picking up the apples off the ground. She even got to pick her first apple from the tree(with the help of mom) and she was so excited she developed a new expression  :-o "ooooh" it is the cutest expression! She even took a few bites and carried it around like it was her prize possession.

Moments Like This...

I love sharing moments like this with my daughter!! I will make toast with grandma's homemade strawberry jam in the morning and she will come find me and look at me to share with her. So we sit on the kitchen floor and I take a bite then she gets a bite:) As we take our bites of toast she chit chats with  me and we giggle and eat the toast all up! yummy:)

Footprints on our Hearts

I was given this poem by my aunt way back in the day that hangs on my wall. There are a few verses that always stick out to me and as I read them I sit and reflect on the journeys I go thru in life with my family, friends, and the random people I meet in the store or on the street. It is the last verse that I seem to dwell on the most lately as I have been going through this new chapter in my life...

“Some People” By Flavia Weedn

Some people come into our lives and quickly go… Some stay for awhile and embrace our silent dreams.

They help us become aware of the delicate winds of hope… and we discover within every human spirit there are wings yearning to fly.

They help our hearts to see that the only stairway to the stars is woven with dreams… and we find ourselves unafraid to reach high.

They celebrate the true essence of who we are… and have faith in all that we may become.

Some people awaken us to new and deeper realizations… for we gain insight from the passing whisper of their wisdom

Throughout our lives we are sent precious souls… meant to shareourjourney however brief or lasting their stay they remind us why we are here.

To learn… to teach… to nurture… to love

Some people come into our lives to cast a steady light upon our path and guide our every step their shining belief in us helps us to believein ourselves.

Some people come into our lives to teach us about love… The love that rests within ourselves.

Let us reach out to others and feel the bliss of giving for love is far richer in action that it ever is in words.

Some people come into our lives and they move our souls to sing and make our spirits dance.

They help us to see that everything on earth is part of the incredibility of life… and that it is always there for us to take of its joy.

Some people come into our lives and leave footprints on our hearts and we are never ever the same.

Bears, Moose, Deer, OH MY!!!

We took our first family camping trip this past week up to Twin Lakes State Park in the upper peninsula of MI. We met Rich's family up there and had a great time exploring, feeding ducks, seeing wild life, and collecting rocks...lots of rocks!! Addison loved playing with her cousins and chasing them around the camp ground. Grandpa loved to take Addison and Daisy for a morning walk in the wagon around camp before breakfast. The weather was perfect all week and surprisingly the mosiqitos stayed away!! A couple of days we went out to Lake Superior and played along the beach to find pretty rocks and ended up in the water a few times. It was actually really nice water to swim in. Addison had a fun time trying to eat every rock she picked up and running out into the water. Needless to say she kept mommy and daddy on their toes!

And She's Off!!

Our little baby is girl is walking at 10 months!! It was a process for her to get to this milestone but with her daddy's mindset she was bound and determined to make it!! Around 4 or months she decided she was done sitting and just wanted to stand on her own feet! So we picked up a walker for her because mommy and daddy's arms could only handle so much of holding this little one up:) She figured out fast how to tool around the kitchen in that thing, in no time was she cruising around our center island and under the table and back around again:) At 6 months she realized, hey if I grab onto mommy or daddy's fingers and pull myself up they will help me walk around. And so began her walking fetish. She new how to find your thumbs and pull them up and if you weren't quick to your feet she was more than happy to help you up!! She was getting braver and braver by the day and soon was scaling the furniture on her own and was down to a one thumb helper. On July 19th she took her first couple steps on her very own by walking from daddy to mommy! After a few tumbles she reverted back to the crawling deal. I am pretty sure she was inspired by a few of her baby friends that are now walking that she decided within the last few weeks shee too can walk all by herself and she did!! Yay!!!

Still the BEST Day EVER!!!!

On August 8th Rich and I celebrated the gift of "Leather" or in laymans terms our 3rd Anniversary:) Although we didn't exchange "leather" type gifts we do have the best give ever from God to celebrate our anniversary...our little baby girl!! We had a pretty low key day spending time together and a nice dinner at night. I am deffinately blessed by this man!

Ummm...YUMMEEE!!

The original name for these bars are Warm Toasted Marshmallow Bars from Betty Crocker, I have changed the named to Yummeee Smore's!! You can also say I "enhanced" the recipe a little:) ok all I did was use Nutella chocolate instead of the suggested chocolate chips!
div>Here is what you need:
1pkg of Betty Crocker Sugar Cookie mix
1cup of crumbled up graham cracker
1cup of butter(melted)
1jar of Nutella Chocolate
1/2bag of mini marshmallows

Here is what you do:
Heat oven to 375°F. In large bowl, stir together cookie mix and crumbs. Stir in melted butter until soft dough forms. Press into ungreased baking pan

Bake 18 to 20 minutes or until set. Immediately spread chocolate evenly over crust.

Set oven control to broil. Sprinkle marshmallows over melted chocolate. Broil with top 5 to 6 inches from heat 20 to 30 seconds or until marshmallows are toasted. (Watch closely; marshmallows will brown quickly.) Cool 10 minutes.

ENJOY!!

Watcha Been Up Too?!!??

Boy oh Boy has this summer gone by fast! I almost forgot I even have a blog:) So here I am bloggin' away once again!! In July we took a road trip back to Michigan to visit family and friends. Along the way we made a pit stop in Wisconsin to see my grandma and a few cousins and Aunts! As always grandma loaded us up with the "good" fireworks and we were on our way. Over all the trip was fun even though Addison decided she would start teething again:-0 She loved playing with her cousins and toolin' around grandma and grandpa's back yard! She even had her first 4-wheelin' ride with daddy!!

Being a SAHM brings lots of play dates with Addison's friends. We learned she loves the water from all the pool/splash pad outings we had and we frequented the zoo as well! Rich and I were able to play softball this summer, our team came in 3rd over all!! with the season over we have been out running the neighbor hood and getting back to the good ol house projects. Which I am proud to say the outside is almost done!!

Now with fall around the corner I am getting ready to serve in the MOPS group at our church. I am excited and nervouse for this adventure. Being that I am still a rookie mom and all, not sure I will have the best advice for the moms at my table, but way excited to meet them and use the talents I do have to minister to them all!

well I better be off, the babe is about to wake from her nap, I will try and post pictures soon of our summer adventures!!

Guilt Free Brownies!??!!!

Yes it is so, I was prusing the aisles of Trader Joes and found this box of brownie mix. All you add is a thing of vanilla yogurt, stir the yogurt and brownie mix together and bake for 25 minutes. I was a little skeptical at first but I have to admit they are the yummiest brownies I have had...sorry Pillsbury and Betty Crocker!! They are super moist and all sorts of yummy chocolately goodness:)

Diaper Babies

(Brandon,Summer,Addison,Adry)


for daddy's day a friend of ours(summer's mom) thought it would be fun if we got the babies down to their diapers, laid some paper on the floor, took out the paints and with mom's help of course we let them decorate a pot with their hands and feet! I think the moms had more fun than the babies did, but it was deffinately cute to see the end result. They were more interested in crawling around into the paint and sticking the paint brushes in the mouth!

the finished product...Happy Fathers Day!!

Milestones

I can crawl now!!!

Yes we are mobile, she started out with the army inch worm crawl and would pout the entire crawl until she reached a toy and then the pouting stopped. she would even look up every so often to see if you were going to help walk her over to the toy... so rough being a baby:)

Big Girl!!

no more car seats brought into the store or resturants...mainly because mommy's back needs a break(I feel so old after hauling her car seat in and out)and she is to the point that she can sit up so big!! she loves it:)

Walking??!!??

no not yet, but she would much rather walk then crawl!! she will even grab for your fingers to help pull her up so she can walk wherever her hearts desire. She is deffinately a determined little girl:) if she sees something she wants(mainly the remotes, or our phones) one track mind until she gets the prize only to be taken away...mean mommy and daddy:) She can pull herself up now and walk around the coffee table, and transfer to the couch(if it is close enough) now only to figure out how to get back down after we are up...yes we have had quite a few tumbles, but we are learning:) Addison proofing the house has deffinately begun, we have had to move a little shelf and all the picture frames and magazines on the bottom shelves....GONE!!

MID WEEK LAUGH:-)

as I was scrolling through my fb wall I came across this funny little diddy:) and wanted to share it with you all!

MIDDLE AGE TEXTING CODES:

ATD -at the doctor.
BFF - best friend fell.
BTW -bring the wheelchair.
BYOT -bring your own teeth.
FWIW -forgot where I was
GGPBL -gotta go, pacemaker battery low.
GHA -got heartburn again.
IMHAO -is my hearing aid on?
LMDO -laughing my dentures out
OMMR -on my massage… recliner
ROFLACGU -rolling on floor laughing and can't get up.
TTYL -talk to you louder!

Cashew Chicken Thai Salad

YUMMEEE is all I can say about this recipe. I found it on http://www.cookinglight.com/ . I have to admit I changed a few things about the recipe... for instance, the recipe is actually called Peanut Chicken Soba Salad. I grilled the chicken in a frying pan instead of boiling it, and then cooked the cashews(I also used cashews instead of peanuts) with the chicken for a few minutes. Instead of Soba noodles (I could not find these noodles for the life of me) I used Pad Thai noodles. Being that I love lots of sauce I doubled the ingredients for the dressing as well!!(just an FYI the sauce recipe below is not doubled) All I can say is we love love love this salad. I think it just became a regular meal around the Ver Strate household!!!

Ingredients
Asian Seasoning
6-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
4 teaspoons unsalted, dry-roasted cashews

Sauce
1 tablespoon rice vinegar
2 tablespoons roasted peanut oil
2 teaspoons low-sodium soy sauce
1 teaspoon honey
1 teaspoon chili garlic sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 bag of Pad Thai noodles cooked
1 cup grated carrot
1/2 cup thinly sliced green onions
1/4 cup minced red onion
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
Lime wedges (optional)

Preparation
Cut the chicken into salad pieces and season with Asian Seasoning. Cooking in frying pan until done. Add the nuts and cook for 5 minutes. (Set aside)
Combine vinegar and next 5 ingredients (vinegar through salt), stirring with a whisk. Pour over chicken; let stand 5 minutes. Add Pad Thai noodles and the next 4 ingredients (noodles through chopped basil) to chicken mixture, and toss well. Garnish with lime wedges, if desired.

yeah for MOMS!!

Being a full-time mother is one of the highest salaried jobs... since the payment is pure love. ~Mildred B. Vermont

Happy Mothers Day!! I always knew my mom loved me and I have always appreciated her but it wasn't until I had a child of my own how deep her love was for her children and how much more I truly appreciated her. I love my daughter through and through. She has the best giggles and can fill the room with laughter instantly. I have quickly realized that being a mom is a FULL time job. You don't get sick days or vacation, and what is a weekend!??!!! My daughter is only 7 months and we have already had our ups and downs. And to think we have many more months and years to go:) (this is where my appreciation for my mom is even greater!) I know, I know, how could I give my mom any trouble...I was the perfect princess:) haha even I know that's not true:) the saying "redheads have a bad temper"... ya...well that is all I'm sayin'! That is why I think God gave me a daughter...to be my mom and His entertainment for the next 18yrs:) (I say 18 yrs cause I am sure those were some of the best years for my mom and I) so here's to all the moms out there...have a fun mothers day and enjoy your babes:)

5 Minutes feels like an Eternity...

...when you are putting down your baby for a nap in her crib for the first time! I know I should've started nap time in the cribs alot sooner, but sometimes I would lay down with my babe for nap time too so it was just easier to take her to bed with me. Although she does sleep in her crib at nights, nap time just happened to be with mom in bed. Addison is 7 months now and thought it would be time to put her in her crib for nap time. She cried and cried and cried some more!! I know there a some parents out that have mixed feelings on how long to let your baby cry before running to pick them up. I just remember reading and having my pediatrician tell me to wait let them cry for at least 5 minutes and then go to their attention. So I tried the 5 minute rule per say and ended up crying myself :o After she finally settled down to sleep I went and checked on her to only hear her little wimpering cries while sleeping :( you know the one...that broke my heart, just thinking about it brings a tear to my eye! So what do you think?? I am not sure it helps that she might be going through seperation anxiety. The rest of the day and even today I couldn't set her down to play while I went to the bathroom or get a glass of water. But as soon as I am back by her side the crying stops! What is a mom to do?!!??

a few of my favorite things....

mmmm...nothing like waking up to a cup of coffee and strawberries topped off with some Nutella Chocolate!
BUT.... I would have to say my absolute favorite to wake up to in the morning is this....

my little bella babe is such a joy and so much fun. She has the best giggles and cutest smile that could brighten up your day:) She deffinately knows how to fill the room with laughter!