It's Gravy, Baby!

Graduation 2012

2012-05-26T16:12:53Z

I’ve been so busy that I haven’t posted since Tuesday! Sometimes, life just gets in the way of blogging. What can I say? I think it’s a good thing!

We had several graduations this week and they all fell on the same day. Two cousins and my brother-in-law graduated as part of the class of 2012. Justin and Bryson went to Jared’s (BIL) graduation (4 hours away) and are enjoying a few days with family. Bella and I went to Brianna’s then out to eat with the family.

Graduation day was bittersweet for our family this year. It’s been 6 weeks since we lost Kolby, Brianna’s 16 year old brother. Being surrounded by family is the only thing that feels right even though it’s so obvious a huge piece is missing. Watching Brianna walk across the stage and receive her diploma after such a devastating loss was a proud moment. She and Kolby were so close.

As I was taking photos after graduation, I looked through the viewfinder to see a family of three- a mom, a dad, and a daughter, where there once was a family of four. That sucks, just to be blunt. The beauty is that I know without a doubt that Kolby was there. He’s always there- we can’t see him, but I can feel his presence all around. The sky seems a little more blue, the clouds are bigger, puffier, and prettier. Even when it hurts like hell, I know he’s watching over us.

The shirt Rocky has on in this photo is in memory of Kolby. There is a photo of him on the back along with his date of birth (08.10.1995) and death (04.12.2012).

3 Generations

This is my mom and dad with Bella. I love this photo of them!

Congratulations to the Class of 2012!

Cutest EVER – Shaped Hard Boiled Eggs

2012-05-23T04:27:59Z

I hadn’t planned to post about these awesome little shaped hard boiled eggs, but people loved them when I posted a photo on Facebook and Instagram. I was sure that everyone knew about these easy eggs, but not so. Everyone wanted to know “How did you do that!?” So, I thought a post was in order.

It all starts with super cheap egg molds. WHAT!? Egg molds? Yes, egg molds. And seriously, less than $2 bucks a piece. So go buy a pack or.. three. We have the fish and car egg mold set, but I am definitely going to buy more.

It’s so simple that I feel silly even dedicating a post to it. These molds do come with instructions, but they are not written in English.

Step 01: Boil your eggs, just like any other time. Don’t ask me how- I just put a few eggs into a pot of water, sprinkle in some salt, turn them up, let ‘em boil, check on ‘em, and go back to get them.. when I remember. Or hear the water boiling over. Whichever.

Step 02: Let them cool. I know that every other egg molding tutorial on the Internet says you have to burn your fingers off and do it ASAP. Well let me tell you- been there. Done that. Got the burns. After fumbling and yelping in pain with the first two eggs, I decided I didn’t care how cute they were- they weren’t worth the paaaain. So I let the rest of the eggs cool completely. And I gave it a try. Guess what? There was NO difference between the hot eggs and the cold eggs- they both molded perfectly. So save your fingers and let the eggs cool.

Step 03: Peel the eggs. They say that by sprinkling salt in the water before boiling, it helps separate the egg from the shell which makes peeling easier. I think it helps, so there is a little tip for you.

Step 04: Put an egg in the mold. Snap it closed. Some egg guts may squish out, but it will be fine. Trust.

Step 05: Leave the egg (still in the mold) in a pot of cool water for a few minutes. 3 minutes was enough for me. You can leave it longer, no big deal.

Step 06: Take the egg out of the mold, wipe off the squishy guts (if there are any), and admire your super cute hard boiled eggs.

Step 07: Eat & enjoy!

Bryson was a teeny bit upset when Bella ate his car. Be forewarned, eating cars and fish is fun, but can also break hearts. No worries though- you can always make more shaped hard boiled eggs! Wouldn’t these be fun to pack in lunches for a fun surprise?

Next on my list is the Hello Kitty egg mold. It’s more expensive, but I can’t resist!

If you liked this post, be sure to check out our other kids in the kitchen posts!

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Weekly Meal Plan – May 20 – 26

2012-05-21T19:21:00Z

Another beautiful weekend has come to an end. It was the best one I’ve had in a while.. Things are starting to fall back into place, if only bit by little bit. We spent the entire weekend with our family and friends at the river. We grilled Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. The kids played in the pool, the sun was shining, our family was together, and I could feel our hearts lighten. Bryson spent the night with Aunt Brandi Friday night then with his Nana & Pop Saturday night. He didn’t like it when he finally had to come back home yesterday. The weekend ended with a few hours out on the boat, swimming, chatting, and enjoying the good company. Both kids fell asleep on the way home and were so tuckered out that they went right to bed. Justin and I watched a movie on Netflix before joining them. We had to force ourselves to stay awake because we were tired enough to go to bed at 8PM.

our view from the boat Sunday

This is going to be a busy week! We have three graduations and decoration on Sunday. Flowers from Interflora, anyone? Justin and I have to part ways for the first time ever (seriously!) and I’m not quite ready for that. He’s going to take Bryson with him for the weekend (his brother is graduating) and Bella will stay with me. Maybe he’ll pick out an Interflora gift for wife since they say distance makes the heart grow fonder? LOL I won’t count on it. I’m sure we’ll make it apart for a few days, but I’ve never been away from Bryson for more than a day either.

Anyways, on to our menu for the week!

Breakfast

Strawberry smoothies, waffles
Cinnamon & brown sugar oatmeal
Toast, eggs
Pancakes, strawberries
Cereal

Lunch

Grilled cheese sandwiches
Refried bean & cheese roll-ups
Fish sticks, mac & cheese
Leftovers (x2)

Dinner

Cookout at river (x2)
Homemade Cheeseburger macaroni (didn’t get to this last week)
Grilled Chicken, & Veggies
Grilled Quesadillas
Southwest Roll-ups
Meatloaf Meatballs

Whatcha eating this week?

UncommonGoods Review & $50 Giveaway

2012-05-20T16:06:42Z

Last August, I reviewed some unique, educational toys from UncommonGoods. I could spend hours browsing the entire site, because they carry everything from home decor and toys to scarves and necklaces. Whatever you are looking for, they’ve more than likely got it and it’s probably cooler than you imagined.

Like for instance, this clock?

Awesomesauce, right!?

I wasn’t looking for home decor, but when I stumbled upon this tree owl clock, I had to have it. It is perfect for Bella’s room! The 3D, pop-out image is laser cut from plywood and printed with non-toxic, water-based inks. The final sanding and assembly is all hand down and the clock is handmade in the USA. That makes it even more awesome! The bright, cheery colors and playful illustrations are adorable and I couldn’t resist it. It arrived ready to hang and only required 1 AA battery. We put it right above the kid’s play kitchen so it’s close to their level.

As you can see, I have a thing for owls and Bella has quite a few hanging out around her room. So the owl clock fit right in! The kids also got an educational felt mosaic game from UncommonGoods. It’s open-ended learning at it’s best! Bryson played with a felt board at the Creative Discovery Museum and since that trip, I’ve wanted to make him one but haven’t gotten around to it yet. This game features 72 felt pieces in 9 bright colors.

It comes with a deck of 50 cards that have 100 different practice patterns to create. The skill level required varies from basic shapes and colors to harder patterns that work those motor skills. The boards surfaces are flocked to help the pieces stay in place. Bryson and Bella can both play with this game and it will get a lot of use now and in the future. Everything stores in the box and it doesn’t take up near as much space as a felt board, so I really like it!

Whether you are looking for educational games, clocks, or anniversary gifts, UncommonGoods has a unique product to fit the bill!

This giveaway is hosted on the Rafflecopter platform. Please allow sufficient time for the form to load.

a Rafflecopter giveaway

We received products free of charge for our review. All thoughts and opinions remain my own, as always.

Morning Bliss? Coffee-Mate makes it possible. #NaturalBlissWM

2012-05-17T18:56:19Z

I am not a morning person. You will rarely see me up before the sun. I’ve tried and failed more times than I can count to rise early if for no other reason than to have a few minutes to myself. It just doesn’t work. I’m usually awoken by a 3 year old climbing up in my bed for snuggles and baby girl yelling “MOM MOM MOM MAMAMAMA!” as loud as she can from her crib.

Coffee has been apart of my mornings for as long as I can remember. When I was little, my Gangan would make me a cup of coffee on the weekends. She always cooked breakfast and had my sweet coffee ready- it was more milk and sugar than coffee. Coffee isn’t just a treat these days- it’s almost necessary!

How many bottles does one person need?

It wasn’t until 2009 (yes, I totally remember!) that I discovered something that would change my coffee forever- Coffee-Mate creamer. French vanilla, to be exact. I had some coupons that made the creamer super cheap, so I picked up a couple bottles. That was all it took. Coupons or no coupons, I have to have my Coffee-Mate now.

So when given the opportunity to shop for and try out the new Natural Bliss creamers from Coffee-Mate, I could not say no. After printing some coupons, hubby and I went to Walmart specifically for Natural Bliss creamer. While there we picked up a couple other items, but really Coffee-Mate was the star of the show. I bought my old stand by too- French Vanilla. They only had one big bottle left and it took some work, but we finally got it out. You can see our full shopping trip including photos of my sweet husband struggling to get this one last creamer for me over at my Google+ Natural Bliss Coffee-Mate album.

The new Coffee-Mate Natural Bliss creamers have only 4 ingredients and come in three delicious flavors- vanilla (low-fat is available now too!), caramel, and sweet cream. It’s no surprise that the Vanilla Natural Bliss creamer is my favorite! It tastes almost identical to the French Vanilla creamer but is made with only four natural ingredients- milk, cream, sugar, and natural vanilla flavor. Even better, it only has 35 calories per serving or if you go with the low-fat vanilla, it only has 20 calories per serving. The only problem I have with it is that so far, I’ve only found small 16oz bottles. This mama needs the biggest bottle possible to get me through the week! I did see on the Natural Bliss Facebook page that there are 32oz containers available, I just haven’t been able to find them at our local stores yet.

Mmmm.. delicious. Bliss? Definitely.

Where do you find your morning bliss?

If like me, you find it in a good cup of coffee, you’ll want to print this coupon to save $1 off 2 bottles of Natural Bliss creamer.

I am a member of the Collective Bias™ Social Fabric® Community. This shop has been compensated as part of a social shopper insights study for Collective Bias™. #CBias #SocialFabric

A Rare Family Photo

2012-05-16T03:55:02Z

All I wanted for Mother’s Day was a family photo..

and I got one!
Bryson is actually in mid-run, but this one is still my favorite.

Bella wasn’t having any more photo taking, so she isn’t in this one.
I sure do love my boys!
and my girl too, of course

Water Wall out of Pallets and Recycled Materials

2012-05-16T03:36:36Z

If you like the It’s Gravy, Baby! Facebook page, then you’ve already had a sneak peek of this project. If you don’t, what are you waiting for!? It’s fun over there and I share bits and pieces of our daily lives.

When I first decided to make a water wall, I knew that if it turned out well, I would want to share the details with y’all. So, I also knew that I wanted to use items that are easy to find and affordable. Fortunately, it turned out to be so super simple so I’m excited to share the details!

Water Wall Cost & Supplies

Pallets – FREE (hubby’s work – ask around & you’ll find them for free or super cheap)
Funnels – $0.58 each (auto department at Walmart)
Hose – $18 (plumbing department at Home Depot)
Plumbing Ts, Elbows, etc – $.50 – $2 (plumbing department at Home Depot)
Recycled Containers – FREE

Final Cost – $25

As you can see, our biggest expense was the hose. You might have something already on hand or there are cheaper options. I chose this hose because it’s clear so the kids could see the water running through it. It’s also very thick and sturdy, so I know it will hold up. With a different hose, you could probably make a water wall for less than 10 bucks!

The plumbing department will be your best friend during this project. If it looked like it would be fun for the kids and it was cheap, I threw it in the shopping cart. Running traps, elbows, Ts- I purchased all kinds of things that I have no idea what they are really used for, but they are fun on a water wall.

My husband and I are great team. I come up with these crazy ideas that I have no idea how to actually build. He tackles ‘em for me and makes it happen, usually better than I had even imagined. This water wall was no different- I told him what I wanted, helped pick out supplies, then he built the base and we attached the accessories together.

Justin made the base into a “V” or house (as my kids call it) by nailing boards on each side. He sawed those down so they weren’t sticking out. This wasn’t my original idea, but as I mentioned above- he usually takes my ideas and makes them better. Bryson calls this his “water house” and both kids crawl in the middle to hang out in their house. Building it this way also gives each kid their own side to play at, if they want. They play together well so having their own side isn’t important right now.

After the base was built, we started attaching the accessories. There was no rhyme or rhythm to this and you can’t mess it up. Justin used screws to attach all the pieces. If you put something up and it doesn’t work like you want, take it down, rearrange, and screw it back in. Seriously, it’s SO easy! We used empty bottles (salsa, mouthwash, drinks, etc.) and poked holes in them for different effects. My favorite is the mouthwash bottle on the bottom- hubby put holes in the front of it, so when it’s filled with water- the water sprays out toward the kids like a shower.

It’s still a work in progress. As we grocery shopped over the weekend, we picked out some new bottles to add when they are emptied. It went something like this:

Me: We need orange juice.
Hubby: Here’s your favorite brand.
Me: Oh, look- it comes in a cool bottle.
Hubby: That will be great for the water wall.
Me: Score!

Yes, we selected our groceries based on how “cool” the bottles were and how much fun they would be on the water wall. LOL

It doesn’t look like much, I know. And it isn’t much at all, but that’s the beauty of it. It’s basically wooden pallets with funnels, hoses, and empty bottles screwed into them and the kids love it. That’s all that matters- the kids love it. It’s fun. It’s cheap and easy. What’s not to love!?

We’ll keep adding to it as we come across empty containers. For now, Bryson uses the emptiness to climb up and down it so it doubles as a jungle gym.

If you are inspired to make something similar, please e-mail me photos so I can see!

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Meal Plan – May 13 – 19

2012-05-14T16:14:24Z

Monday already!? It seems so! The weekend flew by for me. Friday evening, Justin and I did a little shopping while the kids were at the river with Nana and Pop. We picked them up later that night after spending some time at the campground with friends and family. Saturday, Justin got up early and built the kids a new water table. We spent most of the day at home. Later in the day, we had to make a trip to town and while there, we picked up some pallets to make the kids a water wall- can’t wait to do that! Sunday was mostly a lazy day at home. We had a family dinner that afternoon which was wonderful. Since losing Kolby, our family has become closer than ever. We were already a close family, but everyone is really holding each other up right now. On the way home, we stopped by Kolby’s grave. It was Bryson’s first time and we let him sprinkle grass seed over his grave. Then, he said “I love you, Kolby.” It was so sweet and heart-wrenching. Bryson understands more than I ever thought he would and it meant a lot to him for us to show him where Kolby is buried.

So that was our weekend in a nutshell. The kids slept until almost 10AM this morning, so it must have been a tiring one!

Breakfast

French Toast
Pancakes
Waffles
Fruit and yogurt
Biscuits, gravy, sausage

Lunch

Leftovers
Chicken fingers, mac & cheese
Hot dogs, fruit
Peanut butter sandwiches, yogurt
Fish sticks

Dinner

Family dinner for Mother’s Day. (I took Chicken & Dumplings.)
Lasagna
Grilled pork chops
Smoked chicken wings
Homemade Cheeseburger Macaroni
Dinner at my parents.
Cook out

I’m looking forward to lots of grilling this summer! What’s on your menu?

Summer Bucket List – Family Friendly

2012-05-26T19:30:54Z

We made our first ever family summer bucket list last summer. We didn’t do everything listed, but we had so much fun with the things we did do. I know that this summer will be even better. Our baby girl is now a toddler and Bryson is getting to be such a big boy. It’s easier to go out and I look forward to another fun-filled summer!

I didn’t categorize our list like last year, instead I just typed everything as it popped into my head. It’s possible that I’ll update the list with more ideas and I’ll add links to relevant posts. Some things are simple like taking a walk around the lake while others will require preparation and work like making a water table out of an old sink. Hubby finished up that project today, so I’ll try to have it posted soon. If you want a sneak peek, there are some photos of the water table on my Facebook page. It’s really awesome- my husband rocked it!

Our Family Summer Bucket List

Day Out with Thomas (check!)
Potato Festival
Fireworks on the 4th of July
UFO Days in August
Petting zoo
Homemade liquid sidewalk chalk masterpiece
Water table out of an old sink (check!)
Build a water wall (check!)
Eat fresh from the garden
Fly a kite
Roast marshmallows and make smores
Camp out in the backyard
Rainbow pudding pops
Catch lightning bugs
Homemade bubbles
Outdoor waterbed
Go out on Pop’s boat (check!)
Water balloon fight
Splash pad
Family picnic at the lake
Car wash
Fishing
Swimming
Cook-outs and campfires
Playground
Homemade ice cream
Feed the birds
DIY bird treats
Build a fort
Plant flowers
Family walk around the lake
Shaving cream painting
Cabinet makeover
Story time
Bedroom switch-a-roo
Playroom decorating
Take flowers to Kolby
Try out the new frozen yogurt shop “The Freeze“
Go to the dragstrip
Eat a watermelon
Visit the 4.17.11 Tornado Memorial Monument
Take a trip to see family

So there is our summer bucket list. What’s on YOUR list?

My Babies Captured – Dealing with Loss Through Photography

2012-05-09T14:36:39Z

Over the last few weeks, I’ve grown attached to my camera again. It’s kind of odd, but I’ve found that I deal with loss through photography. When our house burned, I took photos non-stop and now I’m doing the same after Kolby’s death. It’s fun to constantly learn something new and then put it to use. It’s also my way of capturing the moment and knowing I will always have these photos to hold onto. I finally invested in some editing software, so I’m having fun with that too. Below are just a couple shots that I like. If you look up at the header on my blog, you’ll notice that I’ve changed the photos out. It seems like I take a new “favorite” photo at least once a week, so those photos will be updated often. I’ve ordered large prints of those up there now. I can’t wait for them to arrive so I can hang them!