Thankful...

 So very thankful for family,

 and games, and naps,

 and gorgeous fall days to throw a ball,

 and making memories,

 and laughing about stories from the past, 

 and food, lots and lots of food,

 and fishing, and cousins,

and this beautiful life!

Forgive me, Lord, if I don't love it enough.

When life gives you lemons...

You make gallons and gallons of lemonade.

And lemon icebox pie.

And lemon bars, limoncello, Starbucks Lemon Loaf, lemon sugar scrub, lemon curd, and this wonderful citrus cleaner made from lemon peels and vinegar:

Oh, and we did get a whopping two oranges this year, too.

And we just straight up ate them right off the tree!

DIY hand lotion

I am a nurse.

In a typical 12 hour shift, 

I wash my hands no less than 50,000 times.

I wish I was kidding.

Combine that with the drier and cooler air we have now in south Texas and it is a recipe for very dry, cracked hands.  My sweet friend at work brought in some of her homemade lotion and I instantly fell in LOVE!  I almost passed out when I found out how easy it is to make, and now I'm passing that wonderful little secret on to YOU!

 Ms. D's original recipe calls for one bottle of hand lotion, one container of Vaseline, and one container of Vitamin E cream.  Well of course I have to mess around with things and here's what I came up with:

One 15oz. bottle of baby lotion 

(I used this lovely "Vanilla Oatmeal" because we have loads of the pink stuff at work!)

One jar of Vitamin E cream 

(found at Walmart for dirt cheap!)

Half a jar of coconut oil

I melted down the coconut oil and combined it with the rest of the ingredients.  Use a hand mixer or a whisk to blend ingredients thoroughly.  And then try to convince your kids that you aren't making frosting and that it isn't a good idea to lick 

these beaters!

This lotion is fantastic!  

It's very rich and creamy. And while it goes on a bit greasy, it soaks into the skin right away.  My hands feel so good and soft.  I think we'll be making more of this stuff for our handmade Christmas gifts this year!

Sriracha Salt

The most commonly used condiment in our house is Sriracha, 

also known as "Rooster Sauce".  

The older boys and I eat it on everything!  

Not only is it hot, but also quite flavorful....and very addicting.  

So when I saw a recipe for Sriracha salt, I had to give it a try.

The recipe is so simple:

1 cup of Kosher or sea salt

1/4 cup of Sriracha

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix ingredients together in a small bowl and pour into a baking dish.  Place dish into preheated oven and turn oven off.  Over the next hour, take your dish out a couple of times and stir up the salt to make sure it all gets dry.  By the time the oven is cooled off, the salt should be ready.

Put your salt in an airtight container....

and use it on EVERYTHING!

You're welcome.

The best kept secret in town!

Let me tell you, the best kept secret in our small town is the 

Wharton County Jr. College 

Cosmetology Department.

My son is currently enrolled there and made an appointment for me in the salon for a cut and color.

Here is a "before" picture, 

what a hot mess!

And after,

a HAWT mess!

The salon allows students to practice on live clients and clients get salon quality services at rock bottom prices!  

This cut and color only cost me $18!

I know, right?

I can't get a decent cut for that amount!

They offer a very wide range of salon services including:

Manicures: $4

Facials:  $10

Eyebrows:  $2

Updo:  $10

Perm:  $20

Even a "Spa Package" for just $20!

The students are closely supervised by licensed instructors.  The salon is clean, students are friendly and well trained, and name brand professional products are used.  I really wish I had known about this treasure years ago, I could have had a different hair color and style every month!

So visit your local beauty college, 

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised!

And if you live in Wharton, call WCJC and schedule an appointment with my boy, Ryan.

He does a great job, and I'm not the least bit biased! 

Me and my best friend

Twenty years ago today I married my best friend.

I don’t need roses. 

I don’t need chocolate. 

Okay, maybe, I need a little chocolate. 

But I don’t need typical romance from my husband. 

When he does small things that catch me off-guard, 

things that make me feel cared for,

I swoon.

He always fills my car with gas.

He brings me sweet tea.

He texts me in the middle of the day.

He cleans up dog vomit.

I do the cooking, he does the cleaning.

He loves God.

He still makes me laugh.

He tolerates the way I load the dishwasher 

even though it drives him crazy.

He comes from a long line of love.

Our family is everything to him.

His heart is made of gold.

He prays for me.

He's an amazing dad.

He homeschools our children.

He gets up with fussy babies so I can sleep.

He's a wonderful example of a Christian man to our children.

He shaved my legs when I was pregnant.

He kisses me goodnight, even if I'm already sleeping.

He gets my weird sense of humor.

And even after twenty years, 

HE STILL WANTS ME!

Happy anniversary to my best friend!

I love you more today than I did twenty years ago.

Twelve

October is a big month of celebrations at the Creamer house!

On Friday, John Paul turned TWELVE years old.  

He reminded me that he is officially a "tween" now.

JP is smack-dab in the middle of all our children 

with two older brothers he tries to imitate, 

and two younger siblings he tends to like a mother hen. 

 It can't be easy being in the middle and I see it in him all the time ~ too young to hang out with the big boys yet too old to play with the little kids.

I don't worry too much about this boy, though.

He's carving out his own path quite nicely.

He's funny, talented, creative, and there is NOTHING he can't achieve once he sets his mind to it.

A birthday spree at the LEGO store and the giant wall of bricks!

Happy birthday, precious boy!

I can't wait to see the young man you become

(but don't do it too fast, mama wants to hang on to her little boy just a bit longer).

The Sally Dress

I absolutely adore the Sally Dress

from Luvinthemommyhood.

And you know that I've already made all three versions 

of the pattern for Miss Mary Grace!

The first photo is of the short sleeves, above is her birthday dress in elbow length sleeves, and below is sleeveless. 

I'm not sure which one I love best!

The pattern is easy enough for a beginning sewer and has darling details like a fully lined bodice and these precious points at the shoulders.

My favorite are the two HUGE pockets at the bottom.  They are just perfect for all kinds of treasures.

Totally girly, totally twirl-able!

The only thing I'm loving more than this pattern right now...

is my adorable red headed model!

We party like rock stars!

On Saturday, the Divine Miss M turned TWO 

and we got our party on...

Minnie Mouse style!

 At first, the birthday girl was a little shy, 

especially when we sang to her.

 But she soon figured out that pizza and cake were good, 

and there was something special about the day...

like presents,

and games,

and ice cream,

and lots and LOTS of extra hugs and kisses!

Happy birthday, Mary Grace,

we love you so!