Happy Valentine's Day

Well, I have always wanted an excuse to try and make cake pops....finally Valentine's Day arrived and I actually had a little time....

Of course I followed the tutorial on www.bakerella.com, but I ran into a few problems. My chocolate seemed a little thick, next time I might try thinning it with some shortening.

The when I went to let them dry I realized that I wasn't as careful as I needed to be when I dipped those little babies. Some of the cake from the inside found it's way out of the tiny holes....next time I will be more precise.

It didn't matter once I had them all bagged up for gifting. You wouldn't even notice.

Such a sweet little treat.

Our Valentine's adventures didn't stop there. Miles helped me make plates of cookies for the neighbors. He iced them and sprinkled them all by himself....such a little pro for 3.

Well, maybe he has a little practicing to do. 

Hope you all had a fabulous Valentine's Day.

The Boys.

Hudson is WALKING! Yep, that's right. This boy is on the move. What a busy kid trying to keep up with his brother all the time.

He's holding onto the red hair. And he has a personality to match. Definitely not an easy going kind of kid. But he has a great sense of humor and loves to laugh.

Miles finally got a much needed haircut the other day. He continues to make us laugh with all his funny comments. He talks about meeting Grandma and Grandpa in Hawaii. He loves trucks and cars and can't get enough....as you can see from the next picture....

Miles got this dump truck from Hudson for Christmas and it has become his prized possession...carrying and keeping safe from Hudson all his other special toys.

Christmas in Hawaii!!!

My parents took the whole family to Hawaii for Christmas. It was so amazing. We had incredible weather, and it was so wonderful to be with my family.

Miles trying on James' scuba gear.

Hudson loved the sand and surf. He would go for the water any chance he got.

My family went on a whale watching excursion. (James and I opted to stay at the hotel with Hudson) but Miles had a fantastic time and said he saw TONS of whales.

Thank you so much for such an amazing trip. We loved it, and Miles is ready to go back any time. :-)

House #3

What we have been up to...House remodel #3
James really wanted to move closer to work....so we bought a new house.

Here is the kitchen

and the little window that looks into the living room

ugly countertops, and laminate floors

the master bathroom....laminate floors again. But what a great space!

Isn't that shade of pink just fantastic!

It only rivals the orange in the bathroom. :-)

Carpets in all the bedrooms were stained and filthy. The Master bedroom is such a great space with high ceilings and lots of light.

House #3 after....

Ahhhh, now that's better. Who needed that wall anyways.

Ooooh and what fabulous appliances! I love the double oven and the pull out drawer microwave.

Such a better view to a newly tiled fireplance.

I love the way that James and his dad transitioned from tile to hardwood, really framing the eat in kitchen area.

here are the pictures from in between the before and after....

No more orange bathroom. Isn't that better. We repurposed the existing sink, but put in tile floors and marble countertops.


James' Dad revamped the fireplace with some beautiful tile. And James installed hardwood floors into the entire house. They look so beautiful.

My favorite bathroom with the copper sink, waterfall faucet and dark chocolate walls. I would do it again in a second, it looked amazing.

The master bathroom, no more laminate floors, and new marble countertops.

But......after all that work we didn't get to move in to the new house. We put both houses on the market and this one sold first. We close on Feb 28th. We are disappointed not be able to live here, but feel blessed that in this kind of a housing market that we weren't stuck with two mortgages.