Product Reviews & The Secret Garden

I can't take credit for finding the following products, but they are too good not to share!

#1 Candy Cane Green Tea via Trader Joe's

I'm not a big tea fan (unless chai tea lattes count), but this tea is ridiculously good.  You must try if you haven't already.  It is seasonal, so watch for it next year!

#2 Coffee Mugs via World Market

These are the cutest coffee mugs and I love their smaller size (my sweet friend and sister-in-law totally hooked me up).  I now, not only have one, but TWO cute coffee mugs!   

Thank you!  I love them!

#3 Eucerin lotion and Johnson's baby oil gel
These two products bring a smile to my face.

I rub baby oil gel on the kids before they get out of the shower (while they are still damp), then towel them off, and it makes it so easy on me.  I like to use it too; it is something we started using in Hawaii. 

Eucerin works wonders for those trouble areas of dry skin.  We've had patches of dry skin and my hands are perpetually dry, but this stuff works instantly.

#4 Sweet Cajun Mix via Cash & Carry

Yummy, Yum, Yum! 

My Grandma brought this mix to Christmas and talk about a crowd pleaser!  Everyone loved it and we have a large, diverse taste testing group to satisfy.  It is the perfect combo of sweet, salty, and spicy.  The kids love it too, so it can't be too spicy.  Pick it up at Cash & Carry and then add whatever else you want to it (sunflower seeds, etc.).  It freezes well too!

Olivia and I watched The Secret Garden last week while we were recovering.  I wasn't sure if it would be too dramatic for her, as she's only seen a handful of movies (note her concerned look below), but we both enjoyed it and it provided wonderful material for imaginative play.

We got outside later in the week with The Secret Garden as our inspiration. 

"Mary" going down the slide, technically it should be the swing :)

They dug around with sticks, found daffodils pushing up through the ground, and thoroughly enjoyed the mild temperatures we're having!

"Dickon"

We are prayerfully considering what we are going to do for schooling for this little girl. 

 She was my baby and now such a little lady!

Bird Feeder & Hello

Greetings from the farm!  I was hoping to put together a post with all the miscellaneous things we've been up to (besides getting over being sick that is), but a quick update will have to suffice, and I'll dump a big "catch up" post on you soon! :) 

I do believe we are finally well.  Julia was the last one to get sick (oh, how I prayed she would stay healthy), but she came through it quickly and without incident.  She developed symptoms on Sunday, and by early evening, the nurse advised us to bring her in immediately.  They do not mess around when it comes to a nine week old baby!  She was so happy through it all, and I actually enjoyed the quality time with her and my man as pathetic as that sounds.:)  I told David that we must be really desperate for a date to spend three hours in the ER.  Ha, ha!

 
The birds are singing up a storm this afternoon and I want to share this cute, easy bird feeder that my MIL made with the little nuts around Christmas.  I don't have very good pictures to share, but hopefully you get the idea.
Take an apple (any one will do), and use a skewer to push a ribbon through the center of it.  Next, roll the apple in a dish of peanut butter until it is completely covered.  Finally, roll the apple in bird seed, and string them up for the birds to enjoy.  The chickadees loved them and we loved watching them!  Thank you, Grammy!

In addition to the lovely virus we all had, I've still been afflicted with the clean out/organize/rearrange bug.  You too?  There is much to do these days and it should serve my family well if we can improve some of our processes.  What better time to implement them than the New Year, right?  I'll share a few soon if any of them seem noteworthy!  Take care!

Sickies, Hot Cocoa & Hawaii

Good Morning!  I hope you are doing well and have escaped the terrible stomach bug that is going around.  We have a house full of sickies.  Olivia came down with it first, on our way to a family dinner Saturday, in the back of the car, all over her car seat... poor thing!  I am starting to feel puny myself :(, so I'll make this quick.

I have three simple hot cocoa recipes to share with you via my all-time favorite magazine, Real Simple.  It is the only magazine I subscribe to, read on a fairly consistent basis, and routinely get something from.  I know, I should branch out, but I like to keep it real simple. 

The following pictures, recipes via Real Simple



Malted Hot Cocoa With Toasted Marshmallows
Serves 1

Ingredients
1 serving hot cocoa mix (plus the ingredients called for in the package directions)
3 marshmallows
3 tablespoons malted milk powder
Directions
1.Heat broiler (of oven or toaster oven).
2.Place the marshmallows on a foil-lined broiler proof baking sheet and broil until just golden, about 30 seconds.
3.Meanwhile, prepare the hot cocoa mix according to the package directions.
4.Mix with the malted milk powder.
5.Top with the toasted marshmallows.

Minty Hot Cocoa Float

 Serves 1

Ingredients

1 serving hot cocoa mix (plus the ingredients called for in the package directions)

1/4 cup mint chocolate chip ice cream

1 sprig fresh mint

Directions

1.Prepare the hot cocoa mix according to the package directions.

2.Top with the ice cream and mint.

Mexican Spiced Hot Cocoa

Serves 1

Ingredients

1 serving hot cocoa mix (plus the ingredients called for in the package directions)

2 pinches ground chipotle chili pepper

2 pinches ground cinnamon

2 tablespoons sweetened whipped cream

Directions

1.Prepare the hot cocoa mix according to the package directions.

2.Mix with half the chipotle and half the cinnamon.

3.Top with the whipped cream and sprinkle with the remaining chipotle and cinnamon.

Aren't they yummy?  I had to shake off the sand from my Real Simple magazine to get the recipes.  Sniff.  I'm pretty sure they don't have nasty stomach viruses in Hawaii.

This is how we did lunch on the beach- the human table.

This sign totally cracked me up; can you read it?  Only in Hawaii!  Hang Loose, Man!

 Sweet Cheeks

A Week in Paradise

Aloha again!  I'm getting off my feet for a bit, with my Hawaii coffee mug of hot cocoa, to document our trip.  I am getting so close to being caught up... phew!  So, if you would like to escape the cold and come away with me to warm, wonderful Hawaii, here are pictures from our trip to Hawaii for a week!  This post is lengthy (as in lots of pictures), but it was a monumental trip for us, so feel free to look at our 'scrapbook' of pictures, if you'd like!

The trip held a lot of firsts for us.

First airplane ride

First morning- waking up in Hawaii

First time in a swimsuit

First time seeing whales!  Two of them jumped out of the water when we were on the beach, and I was shocked by their enormity, even from a distance.  We saw whales on several occasions, and learned it is a really good time for seeing them.  They come up from Alaska to give birth.

We drove 40 miles to visit Parker Ranch, only to discover it has been closed for a year!  Apparently, there hasn't been enough interest. 

Daniel and Liza rented a car with us and we took turns cramming in the back.  We decided to forgo naps on the trip, so the little keikis caught an occasional nap in the car or just screamed (Paytay and Jules).  So sorry, Daniel and Liza! :)

We savored daily walks,

incredible beauty,

reading at the condo,

and family devotions on the lanai.

This little girl grew a ton on the trip and soaked up all the new surroundings.

We also hiked, snorkeled, kayaked, surfed, played paddle ball, and built sand castles. 

It is good to be home, but I really, really wanted to stay!  Olivia told us that she was going to stay at the condo when all of us went to the airport and be the 'condo lady'.  She said she would take care of it until we came back.  Me too, girly!

For my own recollection, Julia took her first real nap in her crib yesterday (she has previously slept in her moses basket, on my chest, etc.); she has also outgrown much of her newborn clothes- she's wearing 3 month now.  It marks a new season and is a reminder how fleeting the newborn stage is.  I am pulling on my jeans and t-shirt and feeling a bit more like myself (even with 10 more lbs of baby weight, but the rest will come off slowly for breast feeding!)... it goes too fast! 

Mahalo for sharing this experience with us! 

Aloha and Love from Hawaii!

Home!

Aloha, friends!  We are home and thankful to be far, far away from any airport!:)  We got home late yesterday afternoon after a 19 hour return trip!  Oh, and after swinging in to meet our new nephew!  He is too, too sweet!  Praise God for his life and for placing him with the perfect parents!  You are GOOD GOD!  Congratulations, Bryan and Amy! 

We had a 5 hour delay in Honolulu, where we shivered in the freezing cold airport, and laid on the floor in the wee hours of the morning.  The kids were troopers, but it was not fun, to say the least, and we only kept our sanity by laughing about the whole ordeal.  We had several connecting flights on our way home and e.v.e.r.y. o.n.e. was d.e.l.a.y.e.d for one reason or another!  Thank God for our family and all the help we had!  We had an absolute blast and wish we were there now... BRRR!  I have pictures to share, so hopefully I'll get to it tonight... I must tackle laundry, mail, grocery shopping, etc. first!  Happy New Year!