The Haus of Hughes

Seasons & Being Prayerful

2014-10-06T00:48:00.000-05:00

Been doing a lot of thinking lately......and a whole lot of praying. I have several things going on in my life, some that are absolutely fabulous, and some not so fabulous. We ALL have that going on. One night, I was having a conversation with my Mom about the seasons we are both going through in our lives. I'm talking about the struggles of day-to-day, the big and little problems we face in our lives, the things we "deal" with. My Mom had been sharing hers, and I was sharing mine. We laughed, cried and cried some more, and hugged a lot! Then my Mom had brought up a friend of hers and what she was going through......man let me tell you, I thought I had it rough!! Whew, I was just so relieved that I wasn't going through that. Then I stopped and thought, if her friend had heard my struggles, would she have felt the same way? I bet so! Why, well I'd like to think we are all, in some way or another, in tune with each other on the radar of how heavy is your load compared to mine. We are all sensitive to what it means to each of us. That being said, there are certainly days when I will, and have thought I'm having it rougher you and everyone else on this planet. Heck, I just had one of those a few days ago! Those are what I like to call Valerie Pity Parties of 1. I am no fun on those days. But after the tears, sniffles, thoughts and how am I gonna fix this, I give it all to the Lord, and man is my load ever lighter!!! Amen!

That conversation got me thinking more and more of how in tune I need to be with other people and their seasons, situations, troubles and struggles. Mine can be a drop in the bucket compared to what someone else is going through. These days I've been a lot more open and aware of how prayerful I need and have been, for others in my life. When I have my alone time in the morning, or at night (depending on how my day starts with lil' hoss) I am just amazed at who comes to my mind when I'm allowing myself QUIET TIME, time to think, pray, talk to the Lord, time to just be still. People I haven't thought of in weeks. It's happened twice this week already! I highly recommend you try it if you aren't already in practice of this. There are so many more people in your life, close to you, acquaintance, church friend, co-worker, guy at the grocery store that needs prayer.

Just wanted to share that lil' tid bit with you..........ya' never know what your thinking, I'm thinking or your momma may be thinking that lights a spark!

My Mary & Martha {MM} Moment.....

2014-09-22T00:15:00.002-05:00

Ya'll know the story of Mary & Martha right? Jesus and his disciples visit the house of Lazarus and his sisters Mary & Martha (their story is in Luke 10: 38-42 (NIV).

The visit is right around mealtime, and Martha is busy preparing the food for their meal in the kitchen while Mary is sitting at the feet of Jesus hearing His message. Martha then complains to our Lord about Mary and how she is not fulfilling her duties in the kitchen and making Martha do all the work! Martha is then reprimanded (and she deserved it!) for complaning and Jesus tells her "....Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.” (verse 42) I don't now much about Mary and Maratha's personalities, but I have my inclinations. I'd like to think that maybe Martha was the older sister and was more of a leader and more hospitable than her sister? Mary was maybe a tad bit lazy leaving all the cooking to her older sister, or maybe she was a bit shy? I don't know, but I do know they are two complete opposites!

That right there ladies and gents gave me a spiritual spanking, as my lovely friend Allison always says! It woke me up! I had my first M&M moment, and caught myself in it.......after it happened. I am so glad to be able to share this with you because on my faith walk, I have been realizing more and more moments when the Holy Spirit has touched me, speaking to me and just being alive in my spirit!

We were at the park the other day and we had been there about 45 min and it was about time to pack it up and head home for lunch, then nap time. Of course like any almost 2yr old would do, Holden threw a fit when I picked him up screaming and crying to head to the car. I happened to just glance to my right and saw another mommy at the park with her little girl; and the look on the moms face just touched my heart. She was sitting on a brick wall watching her daughter play and her face just looked somber. I just felt like I needed to stop what I was doing and go to her. So I did. BUT in the back of my mind I was thinking: I need to get home! I gotta get this boy fed, get him down for a nap and finish up the 4 baskets of laundry, vacuum, clean up the kitchen from breakfast and start prepping dinner all before he wakes up! So I put Holden down half way out of the park and he bolted back to the play-scape. I walked over to her and said hi and introduced myself. She didn't even look up, just said hi and a smirk. I started to make small talk about her little girl and Holden, commenting on the weather, ya know the usual suspects in a stranger to stranger conversation. Then out of no where she just broke down crying, and I'm talking the ugly kind of cry; sobbing so loud both the kids looked over to see what the noise was. I just held her, gave her a big hug and told her it was going to be alright. I hugged on her for a few minutes, and she started to tell me that her and her longtime boyfriend broke up for good and he left for out of state a few days ago, and wants no contact with his little girl any more. I told her my I'm sorries and how bad I felt for her, then I asked her if it would be OK if I prayed for her. This is HUGE for me because I have never done this before, let alone to a complete stranger! She said yes very welcoming and with a smile. So we held hands and I said a prayer over her and her daughter and just felt the Holy Spirit in doing this. She gave me a huge hug and said thank you. I gave her my mommy card and told her to call/text/email whenever she need to talk or to just hang out.

Now I know some of you may be thinking, how is this a Mary & Martha moment. Well, it gave me an opportunity to share Jesus with someone, and it showed me that I need to have a heart/mind more like Mary, and not Martha. I need to be more attentive to my spiritual radar and when it goes off and when to engage it. I have been feeling my spiritual radar more and more; I'm just learning how to use it! That moment at the park when I was about to leave, I had a mind like Martha; I gotta get home, put him down to nap and and prepare for the rest of the evening, I gotta get it all done! But the Holy Spirit put in on me right then and there to have a heart like Mary; taking the time to stop and listen to her story and be there for her, share His message with her.

I have yet to hear from her, and I may never hear from her. We've been back to that park twice since that's happened and I haven't seen her. But I've prayed for her and her little girl. I know the good Lord is gonna provide and take care of them! They're in good hands! I think we have Mary & Martha moments like these to become more aware of ourselves and how we look at situations. We are challenged by these moments to grow in our faith and to not be so busy in the world, to take time to listen.

DIY Printable {Firefighter} Chalkboard Birthday Board

2014-09-18T23:50:00.002-05:00

It's that time again! Holden's 2nd birthday is right around the corner (23 days to be exact!) and I'm crafting up a storm. Last years theme was Mustache, this year is Fire Fighter! Pretty fitting for our family! :)

I hand drew his stat board out last year. Not too shabby for not being an artist, crafty is an art yes, but I cannot draw like my talented brother!

Taken with my cell phone, sorry for poor image quality!

After a little Pinterest inspiration, I discovered I could go digital ya'll-- MIND BLOWN! :) Having said that, it was NOT easy for me in the beginning, but I figured it out none the less!

Let's just dive right in! The chalkboard sign I made was a 16x20 Poster size. In the Haus of Hughes, you go big or you go home! So, just keep that in the forefront of your mind when you are making your board; as to what size you want and what size to look for in a download. Everything I used to create this was FREE! Major bonus in my book!

First and foremost, I will try to make this as ~~simple~~ as possible, but it really isn't in reality. Well it is, and it isn't. You gotta do some prep work before you can just make the stat board.

Before you Start:
-I can't remember what blog/site I found my chalkboard background, (I wanna give credit where credit is due!) but I did bookmark the link! So here is the link I used for a large chalkboard background Save this photo to your computer.

-Go to PicMonkey (a FREE photo editing site) to re size the background the the size you want. PAY ATTENTION CLOSELY HERE. Chose the make a collage option; upload your photo. When you start you will have three sections to chose from, delete any two, doesn't matter which ones. Now re size your photo; at the bottom on the one section you have there is a small white box with two different numbers in it "1234x1234" Change those numbers to 2400x3000 which is equal to 16x20. On the left side of the screen you will see your uploaded photo, drag it over into the white box and there you have your newly sized chalkboard background, be sure to save it!

-Go to DaFont and check out the basquillion different fonts they have! Oh, did I mention they are FREE as well! Chose to your liking what you want on your stat board. Here are a few of my favorites. The possibilities are endless! ***be sure to install all your fonts you've downloaded before making your sign, otherwise, they won't be there***

- It's very helpful if you have Photoshop, but I don't have an extra $700 laying around to buy a program I don't know how to use. What's the next best thing, Gimp! Oh, did I again for get to mention this is FREE too! Download Gimp 2.8 (the latest version). Now I'm not gonna lie I spent half of my day trying to figure out how to use the program to make my sign.

So here in order is how I did mine; trust me this will save you a huge headache and time!

Open the program
Under File--choose "Open" and find your 16x20 chalkboard
Under Windows--choose "dockable dialogs"
When the drop down screen pulls up chose "layers"
Here is where you will see all the layers of your work on your project.
To start adding text to your sign on the left side there is a "T" in your toolbox box; which stands for text. Just pick a spot on your chalkboard and start adding text where you want. Change colors, fonts, size even rotate them if you need to.

Doing my sign this was way easiest for me because when I have the layers box open, it showed me every single text box I used on the sign, and that is how you go back to edit/move the boxes where you want them. Take some time to get familiar with the program before you start on a project, so you will be comfortable and knowledgeable in all that it can do.

Drum roll please............................................... ta-da! Here is Holden's Birthday Stat board in all it's glory.

I printed mine at CVS on satin paper, they are $13.99. They have poster boards you can print on, but I wanted to be able to save these for memorabilia for Holden and I can't roll up a board and stick it in the attic. Food for thought! ;)

If you have any questions or need some help on making your sign, please email me and I will do my best to help! Please link my blog if you do a chalkboard birthday sign yourself, I'd LOVE to see your creativity and hard work! :)

Have a blessed day!

Homemade Kiddie Foot/Hand Artwork

2014-07-26T16:40:00.001-05:00

If any of you have a Grandma/Nana or Pappy/Pepaw’s like we do in the Haus of Hughes they LOVE any art of craft that we Holden makes! Check out two of the gifts this year we have made!

So for Nana (Kenny’s Mom) and Grandma (my Mom) we made them these for Mother’s Day

For Pepaw’s (Kenny’s Dad) we made this for him. Which I literally made an *hour* before we went out for his birthday dinner. Thank the Lord for this super-hot summer weather we are having, that it dried in like 10 minutes!

This is just something ~~simple~~ somewhat simple you and your wiggly little one can do together in your own kitchen. J I would HIGHLY recommend doing this after breakfast when they are still peppy or after a nap….any other time will turn into disaster. Fair warning, I speak from experience. And preferably one artwork at a time…..I did two Mother’s Day gifts and even though it was one right after the other, Holden just seemed to sense the urgency in how I wanted them to be toddler messy, but yet toddler neat (haha) and you’d think WWIII was happening when I painted his hands/feet.

Materials:

Canvas or Cardstock

Paint

Foam brushes (one for each colos)

Sharpie

Toddler Feet/Hands

Lots of Patience

Think up any design you like or want to make, be creative. Use the sharpie to write out your phrase or saying. We used canvas for ours, but if you chose to use cardstock you can put your work of art in a nice frame for display. If you chose to use the canvas as we did, there are little easels at Hobby Lobby or Michales for the artwork to be displayed on as well. :)

Please share with me what you come up with! Enjoy and have fun!

Summer Catch Up!

2014-07-15T22:55:00.002-05:00

Soooo again it's been 3 months (again) since I've written on here! Eeeeeek! I keep telling myself I need to post more, but then time gets away and I don't. :( I guess you could say I'm living life, versus writing about it? ;)

What I do have is a list of blog topics to write saved in my phone and a few topics written out but never got posted. So in a nutshell, here are some of our highlights of what we did these past three months. They were kinda epic! :)

Holden and I went glam-ping for the first time in Nana and Pepaw's 5th wheel! Daddy couldn't come because he was on call. :( But we did have an awesome time with Nana and Pepaw!

Daddy built Holden his birthday gift from both sets of grandparents! His own play scape in the backyard! He loves it and it's fun to see him play on it.

Summer is upon us, so we've had several dips in the kiddie pool in our backyard, in our neighbors pool AND hot tub--bonus, and had our first mommy and me swim lesson!

I finished my first ever king size rag quilt for our bedroom. Took me about a month total to finish it, but I did it all on my own and I love it!

I've discovered Parks & Recreations on Netflix and it's hilarious and is what most of my nights after Holden is in bed. ;) I love me some Ron Swanson.........kinda reminds me of my husband! lol

We've gone on our first bike ride with our bike trailer, we got for FREE! Holden loves it and says "weeee" and giggles the whole time we're riding.

Had our first visit to a water park Schlitterbahn! Our good friend Tiffany and her daughter McKenzie went with us and they both had a blast! We had a whole day with no crankiness and water filled fun!

I taught VBS; Agency D3, for the first time ever at my church. I had a blast and loved it. I taught 3rd grade and had two great helpers who made the whole experience great!

We celebrated 4th of July for the first time! Holden being 9 months last year, really couldn't enjoy the festivities of the holiday, so this year we had family shirts that match, walked in a 4th of July parade and saw fireworks!

That about wraps it up! Until next time....(which I hope is next week!) :

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

Easter Basket Ideas {non-candy} for 18+ months

2014-04-17T00:36:00.000-05:00

As Easter is sneaking up right up behind me, and by right up behind me I mean in 4 days! I am scrambling my brain as of what to put in an 18 months old Easter basket. Holden was 6 months last year, and didn’t get to go walk around the yard and search for eggs, so this year he gets to and I want to make the first year memorable! But with that in mind, I also don’t want my son bouncing off the walls from a sugar high that I have to deal with the sugar crash later in the day. No thanks dude!

So what is one mommy to put in the eggs of the egg hunt for her 18 month old? From above talking about sugar rushes/crashes, I surely don’t want to put ~~all~~ candy in there! He’s never had candy, nor will he till he’s 10 if I can help it! And any and all candy that goes in there will be consumed by me or my hubby…probably the latter, but I digress…….

So I got some good ideas from my good ol’ noggin, aaaaaaand my pantry. Also mommies/daddies, keep in mind, these kiddos don't know what's "supposed" to be in the eggs, so let your imagination go wild! It's just fun to watch them explore and the joy on their face when they find it and see the little surprise in there!

So here is what will be in some of Holden’s Easter eggs in no particular order:

-Box of raisins

-Yogurt covered raisins

-Goldfish

-Teddy Grahams

-Coins/dollar bills for his piggy bank

-Buddy Bucks (for our local grocery store game machine)

-Crayons (if they fit haha)

-Stickers

-Baby carrots

-Little People toys

-Dried fruit

-Vanilla wafers

-Animal Crackers

-Granola

***DISCLAIMER*** Before putting ANY food items in your plastic eggs, be sure to wash them! ;)

So now you have some candy free ideas of what to stick in your toddler Easter eggs for their hunt!

Now here is what we will have in Holden’s Easter Basket.

Oh *side note*! I got these really cute bunny footprints at our local grocery store to tape down to the floor leading outside to the deck in the backyard that leads to the grass where the eggs will be hidden! It will be epic! So if you see those anywhere, grab them and have fun!

Here is what all I have for Holden's actual Easter basket....this won't all fit in the basket per say, but I might put it all in his wagon and have it outside for him. :)

Here is are some photos of what is in the basket in case you need some ideas!

I got this basket at World Market on clearance for $4 woot woot! We have Holden's first baby bible in there, The Bunny Book, a train book, and some little rubber duckies that swim in the tub!

These are some plastic eggs I got at the dollar store, for you guessed it, $1! Camo and sports theme. Typical little boy themed stuff. :)

Grandma Sharon got all these lovelies for Master Holden. :)

Praying

2014-02-12T23:34:00.002-06:00

This won't be a long entry, mostly because it's 11:22pm and I need to get to bed. But this was weighing on my mind and had to get it out there in world, so maybe someone else who needs to read/hear this, it will reach them.

Don't underestimate the power of praying. Ever. In my current bible study class, Live a Praying Life by Jennifer Kennedy Dean (who I got to meet last weekend....will post about that in the next week!) and it has just opened my eyes to a new kind of praying. Not "how" I pray, but how I pray. By that I mean, not the words that are mashed in between Dear Lord and Amen, I mean the reason why I pray; the necessity of me praying; the process or prayer for me.

This bible study is just amazing I can't get enough of it. I plan to write a blog 1. about the bible study and my thoughts and 2. all my notes I have been taking during the study, I want to share with you all.

After today's bible study session, I feel that know I have this knowledge of prayer, that I need to share it with whoever is willing to listen. In church on Sunday Pastor David said, to show up, step up and toughen up. You may be asking, what does that have to do with prayer, EVERYTHING. This is how I got the translation to me, everyone else probably got their own translation as well. Showing up is half the battle, as the old saying goes. I am showing up to the Father, I am letting him know I am there, I am letting him see me work through his praises. Stepping it up is what I am doing with my praying life. I am not only praying when I need something, or want something, I am always in prayer. I am always conscious that I am praying and what I'm praying about. Toughin' up with my way of being Holy and prayer. I am not going to let Satan take a hold of my life or come into my life. I am gonna rough house him if he tries to show up; I'm prepared to fight the demons!

I could go on for days right now that all is running through my head, but I got the gist of what was heavy on my heart tonight. I hope the spirit is speaking to you as He is speaking me tonight.

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

Crockpot Banana Bread, Yumo!

2014-01-23T22:37:00.000-06:00

I wanted to make banana bread the other night....but was out of eggs. Whomp Whomp. So I made a post on FB about how I was out of eggs and couldn't make it after all. Well I am glad I did! My friend Jennifer commented on my post and said to try a recipe of banana bread and to make it in the crock pot. Whoa, mind blown!

So I took my own banana bread recipe and just used the crock pot instead of the oven. It only took 30 min more than the oven, and the shape was oval vs rectangle. ;) So here is my recipe and cook times for crock pot. Give it a try and let me know how yours comes out! It was soooooooooooo delish! Just as good as the oven. Great to make during the summer time so you won't heat up the house! :)

Ingredients:

1/2 cup melted butter
1 1/2 cups flour
1 cup white sugar
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 tsp cinammon
1 tsp vanilla
1tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup chopped walnuts/pecans
3-4 mashed bananas

**The sour cream guarantees a moist and tender loaf.**

Directions:

1. Grease and flour your crock pot

2. In large bowl, cream together butter, white/brown sugar. Add eggs and vanilla, mix well. Combine flour, baking soda and salt. Stir into butter mixture until smooth. Finally fold in bananas, sour cream and walnuts.

3. Pour into greased crocked pot and cook for 1 and half hours on high. Every crock pot varies, so just eyeball yours, it may take less or more time.

4. Sprinkle 1/4 cup brown sugar on top, and some extra nuts if you have some! ;)

Enjoy!

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

Grandma's Coming To Visit!

2014-01-20T22:08:00.001-06:00

In two weeks my mom aka Grandma Sharon will be here! All the way from Virginia! WOO HOO! I am so excited, she'll be here for a month. I've been busy getting the guest room all cleaned out. I got a dresser and mirror set for FREE from a Facebook garage sale page. Can't beat free. It needs a little cleaning up, but I can work on that in the next few months. Just something to have for Momma to put all her clothes and stuff. Since she's staying so long, it'll feel a little more like home than living out of a suitcase.

I am going to try and make an itinerary of some fun things for us to do around town when she is here. Now that Holden is older and walking, it will be a little more fun than having to drag my stroller everywhere and now can let him run and explore!

Here are some sites I want us to go see and things I want to do!

Go visit some of the missions
Have a movie night with my mom
Go to Morgan's Wonderland
See the Japanese Tea Gardens
Visit the San Antonio Fire Museum
Visit San Antonio Children's Museum with Grandma
Take Grandma to the Quadrangle at Ft. Sam and feed the animals

That's all I can think of now.....see my parents used to live here back in the 90's so they aren't new to town and know and have seen some of these sites. But I figured seeing it as a Grandma with your grandson would be a little more fun.

Till next time.....

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

How to Bathe The Bath Toys

2014-01-15T22:28:00.002-06:00

I was giving Holden a bath the other night, he's splashing around, laughing and playing with his toys. Then my super duper mom goggles came into play....I saw something floating in the water. **insert Jaws theme music**

Based on a previous experience I wish upon no parent, I in fact thought Holden had pooped in the tub, again. So I quickly grabbed him out, then realized upon closer inspection, if in fact was not poo, but a big ol' nasty piece of MOLD! Groody!!

I was a bit perplexed, he only has one small whale toy that has a hole in the bottom and can squirt water, the rest are letters/numbers and some little people. So I don't know if the mold had floated out of the one and only squirt toy we had or what, but I saw a problem that needed to be fixed.

So the next day while I was on my cleaning spree of the guest room and Hubby/Holden's bathroom, I cleaned all his bath toys. Here is what I did, pretty simple and easy to remember.

1. Fill up tub with 3-4 gallons of water
2. Add 1-2 cups of bleach
3. Let soak for 45-60 minutes
4. Give a good swirl in the water every 15 minutes
5. Scrub EACH INDIVIDUAL TOY down with a toothbrush or scrub brush
6. Let them air dry/or dry with towel
7. Repeat every other week

toys soaking in bleach/water mixture

I let the big toys air dry in the tub. I washed the cloth duck in the washer later that day.

toys drying on bath mat. flipped them half once to dry evenly.

If you’re concerned about the same thing happening with your kids’ bath toys, here are a few tips I’ve learned:

-If in doubt, throw it out!

-Plug up any toys that are able to hold water with hot glue.

-Look for toys that have screw off caps, like these toys we have

-Clean and disinfect bath toys on a regular basis. Even ones that don't collect water.

-Clean and disinfect the toy holder as well.

yay! clean toys! :)

Copycat McDonald's Carmel Iced Coffee

2014-01-03T22:37:00.003-06:00

I love carmel iced coffee's. My wallet however does not. lol But to give myself some credit, I do buy McDonald's ice coffees more than Starbucks, one because of the prices, and two the taste. I prefer McyD's over 4-bucks, I mean Starbucks. So I looked online for some copycat recipes and saw several different kinds, but they were all for mocha or vanilla--no carmel ones.

So one day while getting a iced coffee one day, I watched how they made it. Simple enough, coffee, cream, carmel sauce, carmel +syrup and ice. I can do that! So off to the grocery store I go to get the things I need. I had to go to Wal-Mart to get the carmel sauce, my grocery store only had vanilla. Boo! I got the brand name Torani for the carmel syrup, I didn't see any other options available, but get what your store has. :)

Oh, and to clarify, when I say Carmel sauce--I am referring to the Troani sauce. When I say syrup, I am referring to the syrup you put on top of ice cream. Make sense? ;)

Ingredients:
Brewed Coffee
Half & Half (or your preferred creamer or milk)
Carmel syrup
Carmel sauce
Ice

I brew a pot of coffee and put it in a pitcher and set it in the fridge overnight. This is key, so when you go to make your coffee, it's already ice cold!

1. Put as much ice as you like in cup
2. Pour coffee over ice
3. Pour in 1/4 cup half & half (creamer or milk)
4. Pour in 2 tbsp carmel sauce
5. Mix well, add more half & half or carmel sauce to taste
6. Drizzle carme syrup on top
7. Enjoy!

This is pretty spot on for the McDonald's iced coffee. Let me know if you try it and what you think! :)

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

A Toddler & Mommy's New Year Resoultions

2014-01-01T22:24:00.003-06:00

Happy New Year! First of all I am pretty darn proud of myself. I actually got a blog entry in on the first of the year! WOO HOO!

I am ~~not into~~ new years resolutions, let me rephrase that; I am not into the "typical" new years resolutions: loose weight, work out more, eat healthier, get organized......blah blah blah. Newsflash, we ALL need to do that!

So as I write my new years resolutions down, I started to think.....after much reflecting on this past year, I realized all my resolutions are faith based. I think this year, is a year of working on me. Finding me. Being true to myself.
They really aren't resolutions as much as they are goals. I will strive my hardest to do and keep up with it. I have never done that before with any past resolutions, but I have a feeling this year will be different. They may seem like an everyday type task versus something to work towards, but after much reflecting back on this past year, I know what I need to work on.

Be more diligent in my quite time with the Lord

Give my all in my bible studies, no slacking!

Write my prayers down

Go to church every Wednesday night (even when I'm too tired!)

Pray before meals (I am so bad about this!)

Work on my patience (that one is for you Kenny! ;) )

And of course I just couldn't go without having put down what Holden's New Year Resolutions are......

Holden's New Year Resolutions

Play with my own real toys--for real!
although I thoroughly enjoyed Nana's gifts of my own dog food bowl, my very own pan, my remote and my metal keys I asked for.....I will try to actually play with my little people farm tractor and airplane, and not let the dogs eat my little people.

Take a shot at potty training
I'll be 2 this year! Whoa! But I'm not quite sure how I will "take a shot" but hey, I think if I have mommy's help to get up to the potty, it'll be an adventure for sure!

Master using my utensils
so apparently taking food from my left hand and placing it on my fork in my right hand isn't quite the right way to use my fork, and the spoon isn't for flinging food...hmmmm.....says who?!?!

Stop feeding the dogs ALL my meals
now if my highchair is a dog nose level, I can't help that. And those two beautiful brown eyed girls that are always starting at me sure now how to put on the puppy dog eyes! I can't resist!

Stay adorable
nailed it! ;)

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

My 14 month Old's Letter to Santa

2013-12-11T01:14:00.000-06:00

Dear Santa,

I'm a 14 month old toddler and I am writing to you because my Mommy is giving out my "Christmas list" (and I use that term loosely) to everyone. But ya' see, what she has on that list, I have absolutely ~~no interest~~ in what. so. ever. I don't even know where she came up with that stuff!? Leap Frog magnets for the fridge, more clothes--she didn't even bother asking what my style is! So let me tell you what I REALLY want for Christmas.

My list is below, and in no particular order. Whatever is easiest to fit on the sleigh and that the reindeer won't bother with. Have a very Merry Christmas!

--14 month old toddler

My Christmas Wish List

1. Remote Controls
These are the highlight of my night! I play with them usually before I got to bed, and then in the morning when mommy and I come downstairs, I see her searching for them for hours. I love that game! I need more to hide and slobber on.

2.One of these things
No clue what it is or what it does, but they all make a lot of noise, and mommy and daddy are always looking at them. Any of these three models will do. I'm not picky.

3. Keys!
I do like the taste of a good house key, but man those little black squares with the buttons on them are the bomb!!!! But I would like my own set of keys, and not the plastic ones, the metal ones. I am not an idiot, I can taste the difference!

4. Items in this bin
Mommy is always yelling, I mean telling Daddy to "recycle"....so I would like one of everything that is in this bin from; milk jugs, tin cans, cardboard boxes of any kid will do, junk mail, and especially egg crates!

5. SHOES!
I would like one in every color, and the bigger the better. These things are great to hid small toys that can only be felt once mommy or daddy's feet are jammed in there. I would especially like more of mommy's "nasty hospital shoes". She puts them on the porch so I can't touch them, but man they are my favorite!

6. Cords
I wold like all of these cords, and the power strip with the orange on/off button. I would like any and all cords in general, but to be quite specific I would like these cords that are located in Daddy's office under the desk.

7. Night Light
I have one in my room, and they are many through out the house. I really like the tops that go on them. It's not shown in the picture because I took it off the other day and Mommy has yet to replace it for me to remove again. But you know what it looks like right?

8. Dog Food
Every time I crawl to my dogs Bella & Chloe's bowls someone says "No Sir!" and pulls me away. If they don't want me to eat it or play in the water, then why is it on the floor where I play? Geez!

9. Everything in these cabinets
I would like one of every pot and pan and poisonous chemical that is in the cabinets. There are these strange contraptions on the cabinets that won't let me in completely, but I will tell you the one by the coffee pot I have broken into a few times, so you can see for yourself all the wonderful electrical glory of toasters and blenders that are in there!

Cloth Diapers In Modern Times

2013-11-25T22:47:00.005-06:00

Before Holden was born I decided I wanted to do cloth diapers. Never had an expercience with them, never used them, so I was kind of scared. But I knew how $$$ disposable diapers can be, and we just don't a money tree growing in our back yard, so I wanted to contribute and save. I luckily met a lady on a cloth diaper swap group who was de-stashing from her collection. So for $50 I got 20 diapers and inserts. Jackpot! If you don't know, a cloth diaper ranges from $15-$20 per diaper. So to get started can be a bit pricey, but buying used and being frugal helps!

I have had Holden in cloth diapers since he was about 6 months. I waited until he started solids...I honestly didn't want newborn breast milk baby poop cloth diapers. No thanks! Having solid food baby poop cloth diapers was enough thank you. Wait, having a poopy cloth diapers is enough. Period! Cloth diapers ain't for the faint of heart, that much I can say.

So I am not an expert or super user of cloth diapers by any means. I was actually talking to another mommy at story time one about cloth diapers and comparing what diapers we used. She mentioned a brand I had never heard of and I told her I use pocket diapers, and she giggled. I laughed and asked her what was so funny and she told me at some super secret cloth diaper get together she goes to that they call those "daddy diapers". I laughed! They are super easy to use, and don't require a whole lot of thought to them, so yeah that's why I use them because I have a daddy in my house! :) So ha! The jokes on you lady. ;)

But to make this whole process a little easier, the hubs installed our own make shift diaper sprayer in our downstairs bathroom, so I can just wash all the poop away in the toilet before putting them in our diaper bin for washing. It's rather convenient. It's just like the little sprayer that you might have in your sink in your kitchen. I have yet to master how not get water all over the floor in the rinsing off process, hey, I'm a work in progress! What can I say!

We aren't totally crunchy granola hippies up in this haus, not that anything is wrong with ya'll who are, I just can't do it! We do use disposables from time to time. We use them when we go to church and Holden is in the nursery. I'm sorry, but I love my church nursery ladies too much to put them through that mess. They have 100+ kiddos in the nursery at any given time and then some plus all the diapers changes they do, I am not gonna make them use a cloth diaper/wet bag situation. Plus, I'm always afraid they're gonna put the diaper straight in his church bag and it be full of poop! Not in retaltion (well maybe haha jk) but they don't just don't have knowledge or tools to clean out the diaper, know what I'm saying?

So yeah, we do cloth diapers and Daddy has been on board from day one. That was a big help, just had to show him the ropes a little bit and we are doing good. So there are pros and cons to cloth diapers. If you are intersted in starting or not sure, research, research, and ask question to those that do cloth diaper. There so many webiste and facebook groups that have season mommies who cloth diaper and know so much information. I still go on those groups and lurk and read comments or ask a question when I need to. Helps a lot! So happy cloth diapering, if you dare! :)

Here are few action shots of Holden in his CD. And some super cute print CD that I got him. Beware, the print ones can be addicting! I want to sell some of my solid ones to get more print ones. haha!

We cross the street in our cloth diapers. :)

Firetrucks, mustaches and bumble bees! Too cute!

Holden flexin' with the dogs toy bones. Crazy kid!

Fire Fighter & Law Enforcment Discounts----They Deserve It Too!

2013-11-17T16:04:00.001-06:00

As a LEO (law enforcement officer) wife & Fire wife, I've seen through the years my husband get praise for the job he does for our community; pats on the back for a job well done; a hug from a little old lady who is so appreciative of my husband and his kindness, and thanks your for the job he does. I could go on and on with the the thanks you and we appreciate you's he gets. But that's all he gets. By that I mean, all he gets is the thank yous from the community citizens, the pats on the backs from people he helped on a call, and hugs from lil' old ladies. He doesn't get a 10% at Home Depot for giving service to his community. He doesn't get a free meal on a specific holiday for the service and time he served to his community. He doesn't get a special deal on tires or furniture for the dedication to his community. Just a pat on the back, a thank you and being a local hero is all. Now that just ain't fair! Who's with me?!

Now I don't want you to think I'm mocking the military discounts the enlisted and veterans get, because I'm not! No way no how! They work hard and deserve them justly so, but so do the LEO/Fire Fighters of your local community. I'm a military brat myself, I moved around all my childhood till I was 15 years old. I used the military discounts when they were available to me, no doubt! Who doesn't use a discount when it's available right?! But now that I'm on the other side of the fence, and as a LEO/Fire wife, I see all this hard work my husband does for our community and city, and I think he deserves more!

My whole reason on this post was to bring awareness to our/your LOCAL community of our own LOCAL heroes! Right here in our very own back yard. They might not be fighting for our freedom in a foreign country, but they are protecting our local streets from robbers and murderers, they are putting out a fire in your neighborhood, or saving a child's life who needs medical attention. They are doing it all barbecue they love the job they do, they love serving our community and helping out. I think the least our local businesses could do is give them a discount.

I'm not sure how to get the word out about this to our local businesses, but your gonna be damned if I'm not gonna try and find out how to get something started! :) This wifey is gonna make some noise! It's the least I can do, my husband works hard to provide for our family, and works for out city and he deserves more than a pat on the back!

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

Holden's 1st Stache Bash

2013-11-10T16:34:00.000-06:00

My lil' nugget is officialy a toddler now. :( It's so bittersweet....it's so fun to see him grow up and learn new things everyday...but the days of him being itty bitty and sleeping on my chest are long gone. He is becoming SO independent it's not even funny. He is ALL boy!

Man oh man, I can't wait to see what this next year brings us! So without further ado, here are some photos of Holden's Stahse Bash!

Birthday Morning with Mommy & Daddy


Opening his presents. Daddy made the picnic table. :)

Singing Happy Birthday....


CUPCAKE!!!


His cupcake stand I made. :)


Birthday Banner I made


Welcome sign by the front door


Mustache Pinata I made....not even sure I got a good shot of it. lol

Our before smash cake!

He was not afraid AT ALL!


Mmmmmmm Cake!!!

Thanks for Nothing Goverment!

2013-10-07T23:17:00.000-05:00

I am not political at all by any stretch of the imagination. I do know that the government shut down because congress can't come together on an agreement for a budget. Just stop blaming each other, stop pointing fingers and work it out people! Damn!

What I also know is that the stupid government royally messed up Holden's Grandparents first birthday visit. BOOOOO government! BOOOO! My Mom and Dad got their plane tickets in August to fly (they're in Virginia) down here to Texas on Oct 9th. Well, my Dad's job is marked as "emergency essential" so he has to stay. He will not be flying down as regularly scheduled, but my Mom will. I cried, I was upset, then I got over it. At least one Grandparent (from my side) will be at Holden's party. Then Dad called, he WILL be coming down.....on Oct 30th. I cried tears of joy, I was happy, I got excited! So it will be nice to have both my parents here with me later this month. It gives me more time to plan stuff for us to do, and get some photos scheduled for us to get taken when Dad gets here.

So yeah, there is a silver lining. And thanks goodness for Skype, so we can Skype Dad and my brother in for Holden's cake while we sing happy birthday to him. :)

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

Throw Back Thursday!

2013-10-03T14:07:00.000-05:00

I've seen people post on their Facebooks, Instagrams and Twitters these past few months a "Throw Back Thursday" photo. If you've never heard of it, it's essentially you posting and old, as in old I mean a yew years ago, or 20+ years ago; to show the entire world either how cute you looked or how nerdy you looked. I have yet to post an nerdy ones.....but whos to say I won't in the future. That's the whole fun of it! Well, so I'm gonna try and post a few #tbt photos on here, when I can remember. lol It's kinda fun to reminice and what memeories come up when you post them.

This photo is of Kenny and I back in 2005 at a friends wedding. We had only been dating for a year and a a half at the time. He hung the moon then, and he still hangs the moon now. Ahhh, true love! :)

Brightest Blessings,

Valerie

1 Year Photos done by Yours Truly!

2013-10-03T11:10:00.000-05:00

Not wanting to pay and arm and a leg for photos, I decided to do them myself. Yeah, yeah, I know that the professionals know what they're doing and they do a good job, sorry honey I just don't have the extra $300 for a 1hr photo session. So I did it myself with help of my good friend Jen. Sooooo here is a few of what we took. Holden did exceptionally well! Such a good boy. I wanna do a cake smash photo next week, so that will be coming soon....maybe. lol I have a busy week next week.

Oh, and to answer any questions about the props in the photos....here it goes. My hubby made the mini Adirondack chair--I painted it (nautical blue), got the "ONE" letters form Michaels, I made the mustache name banner as well as the birthday stat board. I will have some tutorials to follow soon! :)

You talking to me?

Had to take one of the meltdown! :)

Such a ham!

Can't expect an almost 1yr old to sit still

Always on the go!

I am in the love with this! :)

I Mustache You A Question....Crayons Anyone?

2013-10-01T22:40:00.002-05:00

So if you've been following me on this blog or know me personally, you know that I am planning Holden's 1st Birthday party as a Stashe Bash! All things are mustache. It's a little bit insane at my house, there is a mustache in almost every crack and crevice of my house....I digress. Ok, so here is how I made my mustache crayons for the gift bags.

Materials:
Razor Blade
Crayons
Mustache Molds
Tin Can
Water
Saucepan
Disposable Spoon

Step One:
Take the razor blade and lightly make a cut down the length of the crayon. This is way easier than tearing the paper, I speak from experience. :)

Step Two:
Take off all the paper, put crayon aside. Put on the Pandora or an episode on Hulu you wanna catch up on, this is a tiny bit of a time suck. whomp. whomp.

Step Three: (Optional)
Divide all the crayons into their color family you wish to make colored molds out of.

Step Four:
Turn oven on medium heat with saucepan about 1/3 full of water. Put tin can in water and bring to a rolling boil. Put crayons you wish to melt in tin can--broken bits of crayons melt faster.

Step Five:
These crayons melt hella fast, so don't walk away. Get a disposable spoon and stir a few times to get the big chunks melted. All crayons should be melted within 3-5 minutes depending on how many crayons you put in tin. (this color turned out to be a pretty shimmery grey-tan)

Step Six:
CAREFULLY pour melted crayons into the molds. Don't overfill, just fill till it's almost to the top! No one is paying attention to the back of the mold, we only care about the front, right?

Step Seven:
Let crayons get a little bit firm; (I speak from experience, again) then put in freezer for 7-10 minutes. If you take crayons straight to the freezer, you WILL i repeat WILL spill crayon wax all over the kitchen floor and counter. So let them get a little bit firm before going to freezer.

Step Eight:
Take molds out of freezer and flip upside down and crayon molds should pop right out!

Enjoy making these, I did! Once you do your first batch, the rest is golden. Have fun!

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

Two Surgeries & A Helmet.....All Under One

2013-09-25T23:15:00.001-05:00

Holden will be uno año in a few weeks. First of all, OMG! I still can't believe it. In the middle of all his birthday party planning and mailing out invitations, we had yet another surgery. Now don't let me mislead you, my kiddo isn't super sick or have a super bad ailment, just had a few things we needed to fix. :) So let's rewind back to March, Holden was diagnosed with Plagiocephaly. If you haven't read my previous blog ----> Plagio-What check it out! It will tell you all about his diagnosis. But to keep you on track for this post, plagiocephaly is where babies have flat spots on their heads. So to make a long story short, Holden go this helmet in April 2013, and did swimmingly with it and got it off in August 2013. One month later after our 6 month visit in April, we were referred to a Urologist for Holden's undescended right testicle. We were told at 3 months that it had descended, so we didn't worry about it any more. By the time he was 6 months we had changed Dr.'s b/c we had issues with the doctor/staff at the previous office; and the new Dr. told us that no, indeed his right testicle was not descended and referred us to urology. Grrrrrrrrrreat! Well found out he needed surgery, but first available wasn't till September, so put that on the back burner to deal with life at is was. So after that visit, fast forward two months to June 2013. Holden had a frenectomy done. Holden, inherited one and ONLY one thing from me, he was born tongue tied. That little tiny piece of skin under your tongue, well his was super duper short and made it almost near impossible for him to stick his tongue out. That was one thing I noticed when I was nursing, he never got a good latch, because of his tongue tied. I wanted to avoid any chance of speech delay or speech impediments, so we got this fixed when he was little and wouldn't remember it. I however got this done as an adult in 2010. HORRIBLE idea. Honestly, I did it out of sheer curiosity because my tongue was super short and lets just say Kenny thinks I'm a much better kisser. Man I feel sorry for all my previous boyfriends......sorry for all the bad kisses dudes! ;)~ He recovered like a champ, was great! Now, fast forward again to 3 months later, it's now September. Holden's surgery was this past Monday he had an Orciopexy--a surgery to move an undescended testicle into the scrotum and permanently fix it there. Talk about intense! They do a small incision in the groin area and a small incision in the testicle. The pull the undescended testicle from the abdomen area and pull it down to the scrotum and suture it in place permanently. This little dude is my hero! He was quite cuddly/sore/tender/tired/mad all on Monday, but Tuesday you'd had no idea he had surgery. He slept through the whole night and took his normal nap time the next day. He was awesome, such a trooper!

We have had two minor surgeries and a helmet all under the age of one! You never imagine as a mother to go through anything but happy and fun time with your baby. I never in a million years imagined my son would have had those two surgeries and a helmet for 4 months. But it made me a stronger Mom, more educated and we bonded in a different way than any other mother and son could bond. I know Holden won't remember any of these things that happen to him, other than photos and Kenny and I telling him what happened. But I'm glad I experienced it, not glad that all that happened to him, but grateful for the positive outcomes we got out of them. Holden is now a strapping almost toddler who no longer has a flat spot on his head, who is no longer tongue tied and who has two testicles where they are supposed to be! Doing any kind of surgery on your child is scary, but when you have God in your life and you give your child to Him when they are going in for their procedure, you know everything will be O.K.!

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

Sometimes Making Mommy Friends is Hard

2013-09-13T01:11:00.003-05:00

So being a first time mom, I had a few handful of friends who were moms before me, or new moms just like me. I knew it would be healthy and beneficial for Holden to have some other interaction with babies his own age. So using the site meetup.com (which is a site that has a bagillion different groups from mommy groups, to photography, to book clubs--go check it out!), I searched for mommy groups in my area. I found a bunch, but two in particular caught my eye. One was a Christian Mommy group, and one was a Hip Mommy group. I had such high hopes, and RSVP to lots of meetups they had scheduled and got ready to make some mommy friends!

Well, without going into too much detail, I was kicked out of both those mommy groups! I know, can you believe it! I was dumped! The first group had WAY too many rules, if you don't un-rsvp in time, you get dinged; if you don't come to enough events you get dinged; if you do a no-show b/c your child is sick you get dinged! These moms just didn't seem very welcoming to the new girl in my opinion. I would try and join in conversation, and they would just barley acknowledge me. :( I would suggest a meetup, and they would just give me a half smile, and suggest what they thought was better. I have some pretty thick skin, and these momma's got to me. It's like they were sizing me up, that I wasn't good enough for their group. No bueno! So I got the email from the founder, telling me that they had dump me because I wasn't committed to their group. Whatever! Oh wait, it gets better! Then the second group I joined, the mommies were awesome! Very welcoming, pleasant and so sweet! And the kiddos were just as great, and lots of babies Holden's age! Well, then a few playdates later, I got the email from this founder dumping me saying I was "changing the dynamics of her group". I simply just suggested to have some baby play dates since all the playdates seemed toddler oriented, and there were quite a few babies in the group. This group I had made a few mommy friends, and was so sad to have been dumped, and was gonna lose them! It wasn't a good day for me when that happened. I felt like if they didn't like me because of my parenting style, and that made me question myself as a mommy. That's never a good feeling. I know I'm a good Mom, but geez man, can I catch a break!??!

Soooo, needless to say after getting dumped twice, I was a little bit in the dumps about being able to find new mommy friends outside of my small group of friends who had babies. I didn't want to feel like I had to put my best face on and sell myself to them. I didn't wanna get butterflies in my stomach showing up to a playdate wondering if I would fit in. I just wanted to be ME.

In light of all that, my sweet friend and close neighbor Candice and I wanted to start a mommy play date group. We wanted it to be Christian based and very welcoming to new mommies, to be mommies and all mommies! Candice and I had both been part of those two mommy group I got dumped from, difference is she didn't get dumped! ;) Lucky her! So we brainstormed one night, sent some emails back and forth and got the juices flowing. We know what we didn't want for our group, one with no rules, no demands, no judgment, just a fun group! So we came up with Moms of Faith. We invited the mommy friends we made in the other groups (take that mommies who dumped me! ha!) and they joined, and we grew like wildfire. We made a Facebook group and Facebook page, and spread the word every chance we got. That was back in June, now three months later we are 56 member strong!

We have awesome playdates, I have made life long friendships for myself, and for Holden. It's a great group, great camaraderie and it's most importantly FUN! We have a different play date scheduled a couple times a week, so moms can pick and chose which one is best for their schedule. Holden and I love our story time on Monday mornings and open gym time on Friday's. We are so proud our little group.

So if are looking for a mommy group, don't be discouraged! It takes some time to be the new girl and to make those friends. Just as nervous as you are, those other moms could be ten times more nervous than you. They just have a really good game face! So don't let those groups that dumped you or didn't let you in get you sidtracked! Go join another group, your mommy group is out there somewhere! Ask a friend, look within your church, or just talk that mommy at the playground or waterpark who is sitting next to you. We all have something in common, so when all else fails talk about the kiddos or pregnancy! :) Happy findings of your mommy group!

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

Birthday Planning Full Speed Ahead

2013-09-12T23:35:00.002-05:00

So Holden's 1st birthday is right around the corner! AAAAAHHHHH!! 1. I am not ready for my son to be one. 2. I am not ready for my son to be one!

So since I am such a bad procrastinator and put things off to the last minute, I got a good month head start on planning his party. We are having a Mustashe Bash! Oh yes, it's going to be epic! I will have so many DIY tutorials to make after this for all the stuff I made myself, it's gonna be awesome!

So stay tuned because I made......a mustache pinata, burlap birthday banner, neck tie goodie bags, photo booth setup, cupcake holder, mustache sign....that's all I made as of now. Who knows what will be made between now and October.

I had to make a entry for this month to get my butt in gear to get back on here more often....I love my blog, I just forget to jump on. Till next time!

Brightest Blessings,
Valerie

Homemade Hamburger Helper

2013-08-18T23:45:00.000-05:00

I've eaten my fair share of boxed hamburger helper....and it's always WAAAAAY too salty! So I thought I'd make my own, that way I can control how much salt goes in. :) And I can make it spicier, 'cause in the Haus of Hughes we like it a little caliente! cha-cha-cha! So here is what I threw together....and it was pretty dang tasty!

Step 1:
Brown 1lb hamburger meat/drain excess grease

Step 2:
Add your 2 cups elbow maccoroni

Step 3:
Add 2 cups of milk

Step 4:
Add 2 cups of HOT water

Step 5:
Add spices once combined

Spices Mixed spices in bowl

Step 6:
Let noodles come to a boil, the cut to low heat. Let it simmer with lid on till noodles are done.

I forgot to take a photo of this step. :( oopsie!

Step 7:
Add cheese

Step 8:
EAT & ENJOY!!!!

INGREDIENTS:

1 lb ground beef
cooking spray
2 cups milk
2 cups hot water
2 cups elbow macaroni
1 tablespoon cornstarch
1 tablespoon chili powder
2 teaspoons garlic powder
1 teaspoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon paprika
1/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
pinch crushed red pepper flakes
2 cups shredded cheddar cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:

Brown hamburger meat over medium-high heat, and drain excess grease. Add pasta, milk, water and spices. Stir to combine. Bring to a boil, then turn heat to a simmer. Cook mixture covered for 10-13 minutes, or until pasta is done to your liking. Stir in cheese to combine. Serve to your loved ones! Enjoy!

DIY Pacifier Corsage

2013-08-08T22:19:00.000-05:00

I am helping put together a baby shower for a friend this week, and I wanted her to wear something cute!

Materials:
Gerber Daisy Flower (two or more colors if making multi-tone corsage)
Hot glue gun
Pacifier
Safety Pin
Ribbon (optional)

Step 1:

Take apart flowers by removing the middle piece and separating the petals.

Step 2:

Stack the petals from largest to smallest. Put a dab of hot glue in the middle of each petal to adhere it safely to the next.

Step 3:

Hot glue the safety pin to the back of the corsage.

Step 4:

Hot glue the pacifier to the corsage. You can use double stick tape if you want the pacifier to be used....but be forewarned, it might stick very well!

Step 5:

Add ribbon

Final product!