The Bees Get The Blues

I used to think that I would be a good interior designer. However, after the recent experience of picking colors for our new hive, I do not think interior design is going to be in my future!  I am not good at making decisions.  I constantly go back and forth.  I over think things too much and drive myself crazy!

 



I will start with the colors we picked for the outside of our house.  When we first saw what was available to pick from we picked all neutral colors that consisted of a lot of clay/taupe/browns.  Then Honey said on the way to church last Sunday, "Do you think that will look boring and be too brown?"  Honey suggested that we make it more colorful.  You might understand the differences in Honey and I better if you were to look in our closets.   I have mostly brown and black clothing.  Nothing real daring.  When you look in Honeys closet you will see red, yellow, and all the colors of the rainbow!  One of the colors on the outside of the model home we were able to view was blue.  Blue shutters, blue tinted shingles, and country beige siding to be exact.  It's a risk. I usually do not like risks or take risks.  But guess what?  We are going to do it anyway.  Honey has a weird way of making me take risks which I love.  I always joke how if I would have married someone like me how boring my life would be! I need someone like Honey to move me out of my comfort zone!  

Here are the Harbor Blue Shingles:

and the Country Beige Siding:

Unfortunately I could not find a picture of the blue shutters but they are a dark blue like the roof. I hope we like it because we had to sign off on our colors last night and the Bees got the blues!

Our New Hive Update

 After much thought and discussion Honey and I have picked the house that will be our new hive.  I should say after much, much thought and many, many, long, long, drawn out discussions and prayers we have finally decided on a plan!!! So here you are, our new soon to be built hive...

 

 

In case you have trouble visualizing floor plans here is a 3D version...

  
You can view more of the inside of this house, including actual pictures of the model home by going to http://www.homesteadoak.com/photos.html (It is the Washington Model.)
Our hive will look like the pretty pictures on this site, only imagine Stinger standing on the nice new coffee table and toys spread from one end of the room to another!!!  We plan on building this home with a 12:12 roof pitch so we will have room upstairs to finish later.  We will also have a walkout basement.  Each of these items, the upstairs and the basement, were Honey's ideas.  I have come around to see things his way. I guess you could say that is what the much, much, thought and many, many, long, long drawn out discussions and prayers were all about! 

The Ultimate Laundry Basket Climbing Experience

Last week during a day that seemed to go on forever and included nothing but laundry, I had a brilliant idea.   After the third time of prying Stinger off my kitchen counter it came to me.  Why not give him the ultimate laundry basket climbing experience?  So I lined up three of my laundry baskets... 

 

 

and just let him climb...

 

 play...

 

and jump...

 

 

It seemed to work well.  He forgot about my kitchen counter and was content with climbing on these.  Until...

 

 

 

Bumble thought she would do what Stinger was doing.  She fell straight through after she jumped on it.  She felt soooo bad for breaking my laundry basket.  Of course her first response was, "It's ok Mommy.  We'll tape it!"  In her mind tape fixes anything! I explained that this basket will be put out with the trash this week!  Oh well, the ultimate laundry basket climbing experience was nice while it lasted. Even though my laundry basket broke, I enjoyed my break from pulling Stinger off my counter!

Slow-Cooker Hearty Beef Chili

Want something to eat on a cold winter night that will warm you up?  Do you also want it to be so easy to make that you think you must have missed a step?  Here is the recipe for Slow-Cooker Hearty Beef Chili.  This recipe earned the word "yummy" written next to it in one of my cookbooks.  Does anyone else rate recipes that they try in their cookbooks?  I have tried some recipes and I am ashamed to say I have written "never again" next to some of them!!

 

Here are the ingredients for "yummy" Slow-Cooker Hearty Beef Chili:

 

 

1 1/2 lb lean ground beef

1 can (15 oz) dark red kidney beans, rinsed

1 can (15 oz) light red kidney beans, rinsed

1 1/2 cups thick and chunky mild salsa

1 can (16 oz) tomato sauce

2 Tbsp. chili powder

1 onion, chopped

1 cup frozen corn, thawed drained

1 cup Mexican blend cheese

 

 

Let's begin making this dish.  First cook the beef in a frying pan. 

 

 

While this is cooking, chop the onion and make sure the corn is thawed.  Then mix the kidney beans, salsa, tomato sauce, chili powder, onion, and corn together in a slow-cooker.   Doesn't this look so pretty and yummy already?

 

Then add the ground beef when it is finished cooking. Cook on Low for 5 to 6 hours or on High for 3 to 4 hours. It will look like this when it is all done.

 

 

Now put some in a bowl and sprinkle the cheese on top.    I have also discovered that a dollop of sour cream on top of this is delightful as well!   Then fill your belly with as much as you like so you stay warm.  You wouldn't want to get "chili" now would you?!?

"I Believe" Harmony 5

The Township

     There have been a lot of discussions in our hive lately that revolve around building our new hive.  The words square footage, permits, and mortgage have been spoken more times in the past month then I think we've spoken them our entire lives.  Lately we have been dealing with the local township with permits. 
     It never dawned on me how much Bumble was picking up from all our conversations until we were in the car driving to the local craft store, Michaels.  She said, "I didn't know this township had a craft store!" 

Funny Bunny

      The Bees did not have the best week. There was the time Sunday when all of us were locked out of our hive because someone forgot the keys. Then there was the time we ran out of kerosene because someone forgot to check it. While Honey and my father were figuring out our heating situation, I had Bumble and Stinger at my parent's house so they would stay warm.  While there Bumble found this stuffed bunny...

 

She brought it home with her and informed me that it was the bunny's birthday.  She made him a birthday hat...

 

It made me laugh.

 

She also made it a yard to play in...

 

Here is the bunny in the yard at it's birthday party!

 

When things go wrong I can always count on Bumble's imagination to cheer me up. Funny Bunny!

 

Free Cereal and Milk at Weis

This week at Weis selected General Mills Cereals are on sale for $1.49 a box.  You must buy 4 of any of the selected cereals to get this sale price.  If you printed the $0.75 off of 1 Peanut Butter Toast Crunch at www.coupons.com and your store fully doubles you can get this cereal for free!

 

 

Also for every eight General Mills cereals you buy you get a coupon for free milk (up to $3.99) that will print at the register! 

Have fun grocery shopping this week!

Stinger's Toothbrush

Stinger's teeth came in very early.  It seemed like he had a complete set when he turned one.  We started including him in teeth brushing time awhile ago.  This is a normal teeth brushing scene that occurs in our hive just before bedtime.

 

Stinger loves to brush his teeth.

 

 

 

 He loves to play with the water.

There's just one problem. He loves to put his toothbrush down the drain!  The one you are witnessing in the drain was the third toothbrush to get up an up close and personal view of what's down there.  All we have to do is turn our backs and he does it.  He is so quick.  Bumble never would have even thought of this when she was his age.  I am amazed at how different my children are!

 

 By the way, I hesitated putting this picture on because of my dirty bathroom sink. I will swallow my pride. I promise I do clean! 

 

Here are the toothbrush extracting tools that I keep nearby the sink. 

 

 

 The most effective one is usually the good old pair of tweezers, but this all depends if he puts it down the drain bristles first or handle first.  From now on Stinger will be strictly supervised at teeth brushing time and the toothbrushes are at a place where Stinger cannot get to them.  I'm starting to get a "sink"ing feeling that I may get to know our plumber quite well as he is growing up! 

 



Welch's Juice at Weis

At Weis Markets this week Welch's Light 64 oz Juice is on sale for $2.00.

 

There is a $0.75 off of 1 Welch's Light Juice coupon at www.coupons.com.  If your store fully doubles, a 64 oz bottle will cost you $0.50!!!  Stinger will be de"light"ed that this deal is going on. He loves his juice! 

The Running Pants Post

Dear Important Person at Target in Charge of Big Decisions,

     Can you please bring back my favorite pair of running pants? To be exact the C9 by Champion black semi-fitted pants that have the white stripe across the front. These are my absolute favorite pair of athletic pants and I can not find them anywhere in stores. I checked online and unfortunately the extra small/short size that are available will not fit me.  You see, I have tried all the other brands and nothing looks good on me.  They are all too long.  If I ran around a corner the pant legs would still be coming around the corner 30 seconds after I did.   I also have had two children.  I have jiggles. The skin tight exercise pants do not look good on me. Trust me.  I wouldn't even wear them around the house and I wouldn't want to scare any neighbors as I am running.  I also have hips.  Large enough to push out babies in record time as my baby doctors have told me.  Skin tight is not the way to go! So you can see why I like your semi-fitted pants.  They do not show the jiggles. They are not skin tight.  They are comfy and fit me perfectly.  So please, please bring them back.  I beg of you.   My neighbors that live along the road I run, beg of you.  Let me know soon and I will "run" to the store closest to me and pay full price. I don't care. Just bring them back!

                                                                                                       Thank you,
                                                                                                       A jiggley Bee that justs wants to run

"Going Away Party" White River

 

 

 

 

 

The Golf Joke

This joke was posted a couple of months ago on facebook by one of our friends. Hopefully that person will not mind if I share it with you.  It is totally my kind of humor.  Ready?

I am going to wear two pairs of pants today to the golf course just in case I get a hole in one!

Three Deers

     Every now and then when I start to doubt how I am doing as a mom, Bumble will say statements that make me feel like maybe I am a good mother after all!  Things like, "Mommy, can you please make spinach tonight for supper." I mean, what other 4 year old in America says that!  Also, she was viewing wedding photos of Honey and I the other day and I asked her if she would like to get married someday.  She replied, "Yes, I think I will marry my brother when he gets a little older."  Ok, so I may have to explain to her why she can't do that, but it's so nice that she loves her little brother.  I try to promote getting along as much as possible! But this one is my favorite...

     A couple of Sundays ago, just Bumble and Honey went to church.  I stayed home with Stinger because, well... let's just say we had a rough night.  He decided 3:00AM was the perfect time of day to wake up and take on the day.  I could not convince him it was not morning!  When Bumble came home from church with Daddy she said, "Mommy, guess what I saw today? I saw deers on the way to church today!" She was so excited.  And yes she thinks the plural of deer is deers.  Later that afternoon after Stinger and I both had much needed naps, we all headed to Honey's parents house for supper.  Guess what was standing in a field alongside Honey's parents driveway?  More deer! Or as Bumble put it, "Mommy look at those three deers!" Then she said,  "I have to tell God that I saw deers today. I'm gonna have to talk really loud so He will hear me!"  It made me smile that of all the people she knows she wanted God to be the first to know what she saw! Then Honey explained that she didn't have to scream in order for God to hear her, and that God hears us even when we pray quietly.  After about 30 seconds of silence Honey and I heard a low quiet whisper from the back seat say,  "Dear God, I just saw three deers! Amen." In that moment Honey and I looked at each other and smiled.   Maybe we are doing something right! 

   

Valentine's Day Cupcakes For Honey, Continued

Happy Valentine's Day everyone! As you know Bumble and I made cupcakes for Honey yesterday. 

 

Let's see if Honey and Bumble like them. Here is the play by play action!

 

 Honey and Bumble both take the cupcake in their hand and slowly peel back the pink cupcake paper.  They carefully examine it hoping to make the basket. 
 

 

They raise the cupcake to their mouth in one single motion...
 

 

 

and into the mouth/basket it goes!

 

What's that! Do I see a smile!

 

 

I think Honey and Bumble both liked it! Thanks Honey and Bumble for being good "sports" and showing everybody how bees eat cupcakes!

 

I am also happy to report that Bumbles pajamas did not get dirty! I wish I could say the same thing for her mouth!

 

This cupcake recipe came from www.kraftfoods.com which is an excellent website for quick and easy recipes!  Check it out for more great cupcake ideas!

 

Happy Valentine's Day Honey!   Thank you for all that you do for us! We love you!

- From Queen, Bumble, and Stinger!

 

Valentine's Day Cupcakes For Honey

I thought Bumble would enjoy helping me make cupcakes for Honey for Valentine's Day.  Here she is explaining that she would like to help me, but she didn't want to get her princess pajamas dirty! 

 

 

She received these princess pajamas from a girl at church that outgrew them. Bumble has yet to take them off even though they are a little too big for her.  I reassured her that her pajamas would not get dirty, and if they did we owned a washing machine!

 

So what cupcake recipe did I choose to make for Honey? I decided to be brave and try a recipe I never made before.  The reason I chose this recipe is because it had a lot of steps that Bumble could do by herself.  I wanted Bumble to be able to help as much as possible.  Here is the recipe for Mini Oreo Surprise Cupcakes...

 

First you will need a chocolate cake mix.  Any brand will do. 

 

Most chocolate cake mixes call for water, oil, and eggs in order to make them, so please make sure to have whatever your cake mix calls for on hand.

Here are the additional ingredients you will need for this recipe...

 

 

1 package (8 oz.) cream cheese, softened

1 egg

2 Tbsp sugar

48 mini oreo cookies

1 1/2 cups whipped topping

 

First I had Bumble count out the 48 mini oreo cookies.  This was a long process.  She would forget what number she was at and have to start all over! 

 

But she finally arrived at the correct number.

 

 

Then I had her put the cupcake liners in the cupcake pans.  This recipe makes 24 cupcakes.

 

This was also a long process also as she wanted to use all the pink ones!

Here she is trying to sort them.

 

While she was counting and sorting, I mixed the cake mix according to the directions on the box. 

 

Then I filled each cupcake liner with about 1/4 cup of the chocolate cake mixture.

 

Now it is time to make the cream cheese filling. In a bowl whisk together the cream cheese, egg, and sugar until well blended.

 

 

Bumble did this until her arm was too tired!

 Then I put about 1/2 Tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture in each cupcake liner.

 

Then Bumble put a mini oreo cookie on top of the cream cheese mixture. This was her favorite part. She was quite sad when she was finished.

 

Then I covered each cupcake with the rest of the chocolate cake batter.

 

 

Now comes the baking! Bake in the oven at 350 degrees for a 19 to 22 minutes. Please check these because the time will depend on what type of pan you are using.  Here the cupcakes are cooling.
 

When the cupcakes are totally cool spread a little of the whipped cream on top and decorate it with a mini oreo cookie!

Will Honey like his Valentine cupcakes from Bumble and I?  More importantly, did Bumble get her pajamas dirty? We will have to wait until tomorrow to find out!

The Bees Indoor Sliding Board

Somedays it can be very difficult to keep Stinger entertained.  I try my best, but his idea of fun isn't always mama's idea.  His entertainment must consist of height, danger, and speed all of which is hard to provide in our hive!  I will admit I am ready for spring to get here, so I can spend time outside on our swingset with my children.  Outside is where they are happiest! 

 

Stinger pushed a chair over the other day and then started climbing on it.  It reminded me of a sliding board.  So here is Stinger on his inside slide.  This activity contains height, danger, and speed so he was quite entertained for some time! 

 

Here he is climbing the slide.

 

and going down...

down...

 

 

down...

He had a blast and I am happy to report no splinters were involved!

Of course he had to climb up the slide when he was done!

 

Oh Stinger! Normally I would not condone this type of behavior, but I know you were bored.  I guess I'll let it "slide" this time!