Time to buy a New Blanket

I have something to tell you guys. I am 32 and I have a blanket.  I sleep with this blanket every night since I was pregnant with Noah. I don’t sleep well without it. If I am going on vacation for more than a week, I bring it with me. It is not a small blanket by any means, It’s a queen sized quilt. It is just the most comfortable thing in the world to me.  This blanket is 10 years old. It has been falling apart for the last couple years. A few months ago, it ripped. It didn’t rip on the sides but down the middle. I had to get up really quick and I guess I kicked up my legs and then it happened. I was so sad. I know it was just a blanket.  I am 32 years old, suck it up and move on. I couldn’t, I tried to sew it back together. I can’t sew so that didn’t work. I was heartbroken. I was trying to figure out how on earth to save my blanket. I thought, maybe I could find one exactly like it. I was unsuccessful. I then went shopping at Target. I didn’t find anything I liked. I decided that I would just staple it back together. So I made my precious blanket in to Frankenblankey. It is green after all. Even possibly the color of Frankenstein himself. 

Even though I stapled my blanket, I don’t think it is working too well. For the first few weeks I had to sleep like I was in a cocoon and it was weird. The staples are falling out, and I have to be careful where they are at all times. I think it is probably time that I retire my beloved blanket and buy a new one. I would want something similar, in color and thickness because I want to be warm enough but not sweating every morning.  I would like a soft and comfortable quilt to sleep under. I am looking in to allergy free down bedding. I like the feel of down but not all the feathers and sneezing it brings.  I am sure I will love this blanket as much as the old one, if I take the time to find the right one. I will probably also keep my old blanket in a closet and remember all the times I held baby Noah wrapped in it, all the shows we watched together with it and how we would go in our cave with the spiders, scurrying along as we played pretend.

Our Entry in the AlexandAlexa Fruit Carving Contest

Noah and I had the opportunity to participate in the  AlexandAlexa Fruit carving contest. The prize is £250 AlexandAlexa gift card. Here is my entry:

This was so much fun. I am not much of a carver but it was fun to try! Noah decided he wanted us to do a traditional jack-o-lantern face. He did the carving himself with a butter knife.  I think it turned out great for being made by a seven year old.  His name is Eyeballs and Brains.

Weekly Playdate with Friends

One thing I really look forward to each week is the weekly play date we have with one of Noah's friends from school. We both look forward to it for different reasons. Noah loves to go out and play with a friend and other children. He's an only child so he doesn't have the luxury of always having another child to play with.  Luckily this friend has many siblings and the park always has kids running around playing.  Noah really looks up to his friend's older sibling.

I really enjoy it because I get to talk to a grown up. Noah's friend's mom is really nice and really interesting. Both of us being first year transplants we don't know a ton of people here. Making local friends for me is a challenge since I work from home online. I have become friends with this mom. She is really a blessing to us and I am so happy to know her. She is interested in my blog too. She told me she spent hours looking at it. When she spends hours that is awesome because those are precious hours I am sure.   She is a great mom with an amazing heart.  I look forward to every week. I look at the weather and pray its not going to rain or be really cold, just so we can have the special park time with this family.

I love Snickerdoodles

I love to make Snickerdoodles. I remember the first time I made them. It was in Mrs. Shrewsbury’s Home Economics class at Clay Jr. High.  She gave everyone a packet of recipes of things we were going to make.  I had eaten snickerdoodles before of course but, I hadn’t made them. It was a really good recipe and I lost my packet of recipes. I thought about going and asking for a new packet even after I was out of jr. high.  I was pretty sad that I couldn’t find the packet anymore.  As you might know I keep cookbooks for forever. I still have my 4-H cook book and my cookbook from when I was 8. I had to find a new Snickerdoodle recipe.  I found my new one on Crisco’s website. I think it was originally on the package of Crisco sticks, which are really convenient when you don’t want to mess with measuring shortening.   We have made these many times. We even made them in the shapes of fish and other sea life.

Here is the recipe from Crisco’s website:

Snickerdoodles

• 2 cups sugar, divided
• 1 cup Crisco® Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
• OR 1 stick Crisco® Baking Sticks Butter Flavor All-Vegetable Shortening
• 2 large eggs
• 2 tablespoons milk
• 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
• 2 3/4 cups Pillsbury BEST® All Purpose Flour
• 2 teaspoons cream of tartar
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 3/4 teaspoon salt
• 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

PREPARATION DIRECTIONS:

HEAT oven to 400°F.

COMBINE 1 1⁄2 cups sugar, shortening, eggs, milk and vanilla in large bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed until well blended.

COMBINE flour, cream of tartar, baking soda and salt in medium bowl. Add gradually to shortening mixture at low speed. Mix just until blended.

COMBINE remaining 1⁄2 cup sugar and cinnamon in small bowl. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in cinnamon-sugar mixture. Place 2 inches apart on ungreased baking sheets.

BAKE 7 to 8 minutes. Cool 2 minutes on baking sheets. Place on cooling racks to cool completely.

What kinds of cookies do you like?

Retro Mike N Ike's Candy Review

When I have to get Noah after school we always get a drink and a snack at a local gas station. One of the times we went he ended up getting a little box of Mike N Ike’s. The little boxes are a perfect size for Noah. So, now he always gets a little box of Mike N Ike’s which is fine because he is happy and I am happy because they are cheap. He really likes the ones in the red box and the ones in the blue box. I personally love Hot Tamales.  One day Noah and I were talking about Mike N Ike’s as he was eating them. He asked me if I liked them. I said yes. I started telling him about an old kind they used to sell called Cherri N Bubb. Cherri N Bubb are cherry and bubble gum flavored Mike N Ike’s. I told him that they don’t make them anymore and how much I loved them. I also told him I wished they made them again. I am not sure if someone heard me or not, but a week or so later, I received an email that Cherri N Bubb were back for a limited time.  It was a dream come true!  They also brought back Lem N Mel. I had never tried that kind before. I love watermelon candy so I thought it sounded good. I would give all the Lemon ones to Noah. I am not a lemon candy fan.  I had to tell Noah about Cherri N Bubb coming back, we just talked about it. He was as excited as I was. 

When I got the candy I was so happy. I had to open up the Cherri N Bubb's as soon as I got it in the door.  They were as good as I remembered, if not better. Sometimes you remember something being really good but isn’t after a long time. This was not the case.  They were amazing. They were soft and delicious. I had to share with Noah and he would hound me for Cherri N Bubbs.  We also like Lem N Mel but Cherri N Bubb have a fond place in my heart. I remember eating them growing up and I definitely loved them as much as I do now.   I love when they bring back things from my past.'

Cherri and Bubb and Lem N Mel candies are only available for a limited time. I am going to go to the store and stock up. They are good for a year so I thought I would buy a bunch and snack on them throughout the year. You can find Cherri N Bubb and Lem N Mel in the candy aisle.

Thank you to Just Born for sending me samples of Cherri N Bubb and Lem N Mel Mike N Ikes for my family to try out and review. All thoughts and opinions are our own.