the GOOD

this blog post is in response to a challenge posted on a blog that i read daily - Little Bit Funky (thx BC - i found this blog when u posted about her once).....the challenge is to post about the GOOD in your life.....i'm abundantly blessed & have sooooo much to be thankful for - so, consider me up for the challenge!

the GOOD in my life...

God is GOOD - and without Him, none of this other stuff would be that GOOD at all

these 3 rugrats - sooooo GOOD, in sooooo many ways!

these 2 handsome boys - truly GOOD-hearted souls......who i may not see very often any more, & who i actually haven't even spoken to in quite some time.....i pray that they're well & that God puts it on their heart to want to be in our lives again - very, very soon!

my amazing husband - i thank God for putting you in my life! i adore u and feel so loved by u each & every day! it's so special to me that we can do just about anything together & have a great time at it....i enjoy ur company more & more every day, and i can't wait to see what the rest of our lives have in store for us! our love is VERY GOOD!

my booming cake gig - feels so GOOD to have ur work be appreciated! *more on this tomorrow ;0)

my friends & family - without the support of my family & my friends (especially my BFF, Misty), i don't know where i'd be.....it's GOOD to have special people in ur life

our vacay that is approaching fast! only 3 more days until we leave for Atlantic Beach, NC.....and that's VERY GOOD indeed!

Cobbler recipe

as promised, here's the recipe that i used for our cobbler....u can use any kind of fresh fruit u'd like....we used cherries & blackberries since that's what we had growing in our yard.....my mom uses this recipe & makes THE BEST peach cobbler ever....even tho i followed the same recipe, her's just turns out better! it's hard to get that perfect amount of fruit in there.....not too much & not too little....i guess it just depends on how fruity u like ur cobbler too ;0)

cut up approximately 2 cups of fresh fruit
& stir in 1 cup of sugar
these are quart bags - we had a LOT of cherries (u can tell the difference in the 2 trees)....it took FOREVER pitting all of them! i tripled the recipe & made 3 cobblers....one for home, one for work & one for our downstairs neighbor - who shares the trees with us

in a deep baking/casserole dish, mix together:
1 cup flour
1 cup sugar
2 tsp. baking powder
1/3 tsp. salt

wisk in:
2/3 cup milk

then melt 1 stick of butter and pour over top of the batter (yes, i said 1 whole stick! ~lol~)

then, drop in the fruit.....again, go as generous or skimpy as u'd like.....the fruit will fall to the bottom of the batter, so u just have to judge the best u can

then bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to an hour


it's done when it looks like this.....the batter will rise to the top of the pan/dish, get golden brown, and the fruit goodness will start bubbling through....check the 'cake' part with a fork to make sure that it's done all the way through to the fruit bottom


while it's still warm from the oven, plate a generous portion (come on, go for it!) & top with vanilla ice cream.......mmmmm, good!

weekend recap...

this was the last weekend before our beach vacay.....we leave on Saturday & are sooooo psyched! of course, i've got a million things to do before then (including decorate 2 cakes), but i'm so ready to get there & have NOTHING to do! ;0)

Saturday was the Brady reunion (my mom's fam)......we always get together at Lost River State Park in West Virginia.....it's a beautiful park & we got a shelter this time because storms were on their way......the shelter had a fireplace inside & it was nice to sit around the fire & catch up......in my opinion, better than if had been really hot & we would have taken the kids to the park pool, etc.....the kids still got to have water play, just in the rain! ;0) before the storms came, we got in a traditional family walk through the park & the kids caught crayfish & salamanders in the river.....it was a great time!

most of the fam - some couldn't make it & some had left (and curtis & some other hubbies were taking the pics)
catching stuff in the river

jaden was in LOVE with my aunt Sherry's Smart Car....he had her give him like 3 rides in it
on our walk - my brother Joe & Corinn
jaden eating a cheeseburger cupcake that my aunt Cindy insisted i make & bring again this year ;0)
making s'mores by the campfire
here comes the rain - corinn & jaden are shooting water guns into the rain - this was right before the kids all stripped down to their bathing suits and went out to play
corinn & i by the fire (see my crazy cousin ricky in the back? haha)

then daddy's day....i thank God for my wonderful husband! he is the absolute best father & we try to show him that all year long....but it's nice to have a day where daddy gets to pick what we do, what we eat (would you believe he ended up insisting on cooking dinner anyway?! he wanted ribs for dinner & well, he's under the impression that he's the best rib cooker there is! ~lol~ thing is, i think he's right!).....curtis was super happy with his gifts! especially the mp3 player - it's a sports one that straps to your arm & is splash resistant.....so now he not only has his own mp3 player (since we share our ipod and sometimes fight over who's turn it is ~lol~), but he can use it to work out with too!

high five for the mp3 player - look at those crazy-haired girls (just out of bed & anxious to give daddy his gifts)

we went to the playground & played games with daddy.....EVERYONE took a nap that afternoon (which was super nice!), then we headed over to grandpa's to give him his gifts

and to get in some play time with grandpa too

ok, how cute is this?!
curtis is always intrigued by country life....he's from DC & had never even seen a pig in real life until moving down here.....another thing that still amazes him, are stars.....in the city, you can't really see the stars for all the light (& smog)
here he is admiring my parent's garden & having me help him identify the different things growing
can you blame him? look at how pretty!
and of course our little rabbit couldn't leave without sampling the broccoli & asparagus that was ready to be picked

yesterday, i was off work & at home with the girls.....their daycare provider was sick.....in case u're wondering, jaden still went to his daycare.....he's very big into routine & knows his days of the week.....so when it's monday, he knows he's supposed to go to school.....or since it's summer, daycare.....and if he doesn't, it really throws his day off cause he'll continually ask why he's not at daycare....and sometimes even get upset about it.....he also genuinely enjoys the activities & playtime there.....he likes seeing his friends & really loves the summer program because they make a trip to the local pool twice a week.....on days like yesterday though, i'll send him & then pick him up early.....that way, he still gets in the time there, but he also gets to enjoy the extra time at home with ma ;0)

the girls & i spent as much time as we could outside, before the rain came

once inside, we tried our hand at making a cobbler with our cherries & blackberries.....this was my first try at cobbler & i think it came out pretty good! we picked as many of the cherries as we could.....the one tree in the very back is pretty bare.....we've picked the bottom clean & the birds have taken care of the top......but the one tree on the side of our house must have been missed by the birds.....we've gotten all that we can reach, but the top is still so heavy with more! i so need a ladder!

look who was chilling in our cherry tree

here's how it turned out - yum!
i'll post a blog tomorrow with the recipe for those that are interested

weekend cakes...

The birthday girl's mom will be freezing this cake for 2 weeks, because the party is scheduled for when my family will be at the beach.
(the seashells are not edible)

I also made the baby shower cake (last year) for this little girl who just turned one.
And I've made her big brother's birthday cakes every year. I love that! :0)
(of course, the wire is not edible - everything else is)

For a little girl who's daddy owns a tow truck company. You can't really tell from the pic, but these cakes are VERY sparkly - as requested by the bday girl's mom.
(butterflies' antennae are the only thing not edible)

another day off...

yep, the girls' daycare provider has been sick all weekend and needed to take off and go to the doctor today.....high fever & just feeling yucky :0(

sooooo, us girls are home chillin'.....nice weather again today - sunny & warm, and that humid stuff is gone....just the way i like it! :0) we'll b spending lots of time outside playing....and then this afternoon, we'll b trying our hand at making cherry/blackberry cobbler - yum!

my weekend cakes post & weekend recap post will have to wait until tomorrow....i've got a bunch of pics to upload

hope everyone's week is starting out well! talk to ya tomorrow! :0)

♥ sharon

Happy Friday the 13th!

friday the 13th has never been an unlucky day for us - just another day ;0)

here, i had them say "i'm a knucklehead!" ~giggle~

but what better day, than today, to post a totally random blog....complete with totally random pics! ~teehee~

steph sent this to me - cute pic of the girls at cole's bday party

guess who's mohawk is gone?!
yep, he let me trim up both sides last night, and then decided, "uh, maybe u should cut it off"
"u sure bub? u can grow it again another time, but once i shave it off now, it's really gone"
"yep, maybe i'm done with it"
adorable!

i hope everyone is ready for daddy day! :0)
we've been anxiously waiting to give curtis his gifts - we wrapped these weeks ago & all 3 kids have managed to keep the surprise this entire time (from daddy & grandpa) - amazing!
~sniff, they're growing up~
i'm sure they'll come home from daycare with lots more loot for dad today too

i've never claimed to b the most observant person in the world, but how in the heck did i miss the fact that we have yet another cherry tree in our back yard?! last evening, while watering the flowerbed & gathering most of the rest of the cherries on our other trees (cause they're all really, really ripe now & will either go bad soon or be eaten up by the birds & bugs) & just a few more blackberries (haven't gotten too many - the birds just squawk away when i'm gathering the blackberries, like get away from our bush! ~lol~), i looked over to the side edge of our yard and spotted these...

they are tiny still & just starting to turn yellow - but hopefully we'll get another round this summer!

besides celebrating father's day on sunday, by doing whatever it is that daddy wants to do that day....we also have family coming in this weekend - my mom's side....her sisters & my cousins (and their kids, in some cases) from texas, north carolina, west virginia....my papaw.....mom's brother who lives 2 hrs away.....mom's twin aunts who she hasn't seen in 10 years (i think they're living in illinois these days).....it's our annual Brady reunion - but it's more than just an hour or 2 of eating/socializing.....we have a huge lunch with steaks on the grill at the park, the kids swim at the park's pool, we hike the trails & just sit and chat for hours....then we move the party to my papaw's cabin where we start a bon fire & have s'mores.....chat some more & have some drinks.....it's so much fun! i can't wait! :0)

everyone have a GREAT weekend! stay cool & enjoy the outdoors with ur family! and show dad just how much he's loved! ;0)

how big is this turtle gonna get?!

i've mentioned our aquatic turtle "Socks" before....he became a part of the family just over 2 years ago and was only the size of 2 of my fingers then (and actually, he was probably already a year old at this point - lucky that he hadn't been eaten up yet)...

not the best pic - just so you get the idea of his size
look how cute in his tiny tank!
and look at that other cutie right beside of him - wow, was that really only 2 years ago?!

every summer, he sheds his scales & grows a little more! it's a cool process to watch....his scales (the little rectangle sections on his shell) lift off & then shed....they look like thick, dark fingernails when they fall off and sink to the bottom of his tank

he LOVES to either bask under his heat lamp on his rocks (which helps speed up the shedding process too), swim around & nibble at the ferns & plants in his tank.....or even try & crawl up into his plants (he loves to kill them this way - he sits on them until they lay down & die - then we have to replace them).....he gets turtle food & fish flakes (for color enhancement) every evening when it's time for bed & i turn off his heat lamp.....but his favorite treat is the occasional earth worm that the kids find for him in the yard or in grandpa's garden.....these must make him blood thirsty too - cause he gets so hyper & feisty after eating one.....nipping at anything that moves ~lol~

here he is 2 months after we got him.....climbing into his fern to sit

and here he is 4 months after we got him - he killed the fern, so got a new plant that he couldn't knock down as easily.....he missed hiding under the ferns, so i hot glued that fake leaf to his pot....he'd go up under it and sleep every night

here he is last summer right after we moved him into his big 50 gallon tank....he grew tons in that one year!

nipping at some plants

well, he just shed again & i'm wondering how many more summers he'll do this.....i contacted an expert in turtle breeding back when we first got Socks, and his guesstimate was that he'd grow to about 5" or 6" in diameter....i think he's almost there!

i took this pic this past weekend

and then i think about the local Eastern Red Painted turtles that we see in the rivers & ponds here.....most are just a tad bigger than Socks.....but occasionally, we see one that might be closer to 8" or 9" big! i hope he doesn't get that big - even if he still has plenty of room in his big tank.....i've also heard that turtles are one of those animals that will grow to fit their environment - so the more room they have, the bigger they'll get.....well, we're not going any bigger than 50 gallons, so you better just go ahead and stop growing now Socks!

last evening, gabby put a small plastic crab up to Socks' tank & he went nuts! he tried so hard to get at that crab toy....i wasn't sure if he wanted to kill it or make friends! ~lol~ curtis always brings up us getting Socks a turtle friend, and i think it's a nice idea....but i'm not sure how well he'd do.....after not being around other turtles for 2+ years, you know?.....plus, there's the whole boy/girl/baby turtles thing....i don't know, we'll see (btw - we're pretty sure Socks is a boy - i've heard that boys have long tails & girls' tails barely show past their shell)

Dirty Dancing - British reality show

ok, i don't know how i missed this part on our visit, but all those dancers that were at Mountain Lake....that i thought were there for their themed weekends coming up this summer....were actually filming a Dirty Dancing reality show! yes, taping was going on while we were there! apparently, there was already one season filmed last summer for this British reality show (also at Mountain Lake).....i wonder if any will air in the US - or maybe they already have and i totally missed it - i don't know, i don't have cable :0(

u know what else is funny? while we were there, we spotted 2 classic cars in an upper parking lot.....i thought that they looked very similar to the one that the Housemans drive to the resort & the one that Johnny drives.....i bet this show is what they're using them for! why didn't i take a pic of those cars?!

ultimate fighting & MMA

this blog is super late, but i was just thinking about it today & realized i never blogged about it

on May 31st, curtis & i watched the MMA (mixed martial arts) fight - Kimbo Slice vs James Thompson....but for real, the most exciting fight that night was the pre-fight of Gina Carano vs Kaitlin Young....Gina is a Muay Thai fighter & just recently became one of the new Gladiators, Crush....i totally got into these chick battles!

i don't know why i enjoy watching these fights so much.....i've never been one to enjoy violence & i still cringe when they pull a choke submission or pin the opponent down & repeatedly knee/elbow them in the face (shouldn't that stuff be illegal?!).....but i guess it's partly because my hubby loves it so much & partly because it's so different than anything i'd ever do.....curtis REALLY wants to enter a local tough man competition and i'm not too fond of that idea.....he meddled in boxing/fighting before i met him & i know he'd do well.....but i REALLY don't want him to get hurt.....i mean, did u see what Kimbo did to James Thompson's ear?! ewwwwwwwww! and i've got to make sure that jaden doesn't catch wind of these type of fights - as much as he enjoys getting rough with daddy (sometimes even too rough for ma's liking), he'd be quick to want to be just like dad & join these things too! (don't worry - that won't ever happen on ma's watch!)

if u're interested in checking this out, here's where you can find MMA's tv schedule....warning - not to be viewed by those with weak stomachs! ;0)

Happy Tuesday!

my 3 lovelies, under one of our cherry trees this morning

and i wanted to share this with you - it touched my heart so.....the last day of school was last thursday, and we're just now getting around to emptying out backpacks & checking out all the artwork & projects that were sent home.....as well as the gifts/cards/letters that the kids' teachers gave them.....one of jaden's assistant teachers gave him this....

there's a velvet poster for him to color - that has 2 dragon pics!!! dragons that are in velvet that jaden can feel/rub? how perfect! also, 2 matchbox cars - specifically, jeeps! another one of jaden's loves.....when we're riding in the car, he points out all the different types of jeeps that he sees.....he was sooo excited when he opened up his bag last evening!

i just thought it was too sweet that one of his teachers not only gave out gifts at the end of the school year, but such thoughtful gifts at that! it shows that she really connected with jaden & learned about the things he loves