cait + create

Green Smoothie #1

2012-03-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of St. Patrick's Day coming up, I wanted to share with you a few of my favorite Green Smoothie recipes over the next few weeks.

I love making smoothies for my kids for breakfast, or for a snack.

It's also a great way to sneak things into their diet that they wouldn't normally eat.

Last night we went for a 5 mile walk. We bundled the kids up and put them in the jogging strollers with their portable DVD players. They fell asleep after the first few miles...it was awesome! I love going for long walks, but sometimes I'm starving after. I don't really want to make something to eat since we are usually about to go to bed, so I'll usually just try a smoothie. This is the one we made last night...

1 box of coconut water

1 scoop of yogurt

1 handful of baby spinach

1 handful of frozen pineapple

1 banana

1 Tbsp. milled flax seed

Just put in all in the blender with some ice.

I love smoothies because you can adjust the recipe according to what you have.

If you don't have coconut water...try water, or juice, or coconut/almond/soy milk, or whatever sounds good to you. For example, my frozen pineapple is actually a frozen fruit mix. I think I ended up with mostly pineapple and mango but a few papaya made it in too. Just make sure you have enough liquid...you don't want it to taste like spinach puree :)

Actually, this one mostly tasted like banana, but it was really good!

I've been experimenting a lot with green smoothie recipes lately and this is one of my favorites. I've made some that taste too much like spinach. Some look too much like mud and no one will try them. We called this one a "Leprechaun Smoothie" and that sold my kids on it :)

What's your favorite greens smoothie recipe?

Just Wait...

2012-03-05T06:00:00.000-08:00

One of my cousins linked to THIS article from her facebook page and I really liked it. It's called "Joy, or 'Just Wait'."

The author address how everyone likes to try to scare new parents by telling them "Well...just wait until they are walking...then they'll get into everything." Or, "Just wait until you have kids...then you'll never get any sleep." It reminded me of how much it used to drive me crazy when Nate and I first decided to start a family. I would hear all the time "Just wait until you have kids...then you..." followed by a whole array of threats from "you'll never be able to wear a bikini again" to "you'll never be able to go out to eat again" and all kinds of ridiculous things. It didn't scare me, it annoyed me and made me more determined to continue to do things that I wanted to.

The pattern continued when I got pregnant with Bridger. "Just wait until you have two!..." And again with Dalton..."Three is the worst! Then you're outnumbered!"

I was torn between thinking that some people were truly just trying to help me prepare myself for life-altering situations, and thinking that people don't want to feel like they are struggling alone. Parenting is challenging for everyone. We all feel like we fall short. Maybe if we try to doom others to falling short also, we won't feel so bad about our own challenges.

When Nate and I first got married, I had just been accepted to the University of Utah to get my master's degree in social work. I wanted to keep going to school, and I wanted to start a family. I wasn't sure if I could do both at the same time. I talked to one of my cousins who had done the program and she said it would be extremely difficult to do with kids because the program is so time consuming. After a lot of thought, I decided to start a family instead of going back to school. I could always go back to school later if I wanted to.

I have never regretted my decision. Despite all of the "just wait..." warnings that I received, parenting is the joy of my life. Is it challenging? Absolutely! Did I have to make sacrifices? Of course! Can I still wear a bikini...ummm...that's debatable LOL (but my cousin just had twins and she can still wear a bikini!) But being a mom brings more joy to my life than anything else I could be doing right now.

As the article suggested, maybe we should tell new parents "just wait until your baby smiles at you for the first time...it will melt your heart." Or, "just wait until they first time that they throw their little arms around you and tell you that they love you!" My kids do a million funny things that make my day.

Bridger stuck a seed from a cherimoya up his nose because "it wanted to have a party in my nose!" Just wait until something like that happens! LOL. Just wait until the birth of your first child. Your life will change...but it will be better.

One of those days...

2012-03-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was one of "those" days. You know the ones, right? The one where:

-the car was in the shop.
-we ran out of milk (and no car to get to the store).
-Baby has decided that he doesn't want to nap anymore.
-it was freezing outside, which meant that we were stuck inside.
-Baby pooped in the bath.
-house is a mess.
-etsy orders piled up. One complicated custom order put me behind.
-It's almost midnight and Bridger is begging for Jello.
-Baby is sitting on my lap pounding the keyboard and managed to erase this post once already.
-husband is grouchy (long day for him too).
-we never did do Saxon's homework.
-Baby poured a bottle of Blue Bug Juice on the carpet.
-Someone peed all over my toilet seat and I didn't notice in time.
-Just noticed play-dough in the carpet.
-Baby is happily ripping up my newest Us Weekly and I'm letting him for the sake of getting this post up.
-the snow is several inches deep on the road already and still coming down...I wouldn't care except that driving in the snow terrifies me and I have to take Saxon to school in the morning.
-Baby is now pulling out the DVD's...and it's almost midnight...
Wow...lots about Baby...looks like he's been the culprit behind a lot of the trouble today.
At least he's cute:

On a happier note, I picked a winner for the giveaway!!

The winner is:

#2 MEG

Congrats! Make sure to email me for instructions on how to claim your prize :)

Have a great weekend!

Independent

2012-03-01T10:25:00.000-08:00

Isn't it amazing how kids think that they are "big" from the time they are tiny?

My babies are always trying to copy us or copy bigger kids.

Saxon, who is officially "big" at 5 years old, is always asking if he can drive!

Last night, Dalton decided to show us how big he was by brushing is own teeth:

He started out with "big kid toothpaste".

His is the "baby toothpaste" without fluoride since he swallows it still.

The blue toothpaste is Saxon's.

Showing off his clean teeth:

And he's very proud of himself for being so big!

Each of my kids tries to be "big" faster than the last.

They have to keep up with the big brothers :)

I'm trying to find a balance between encouraging them to be little, and letting them explore their independence.

Next year Saxon will be in kindergarten and Bridger will be in preschool.

I'm kind of sad...I'm not ready for them to be so big!

Yellow

2012-02-29T06:00:00.001-08:00

I LOVE Yellow! I have always loved yellow. It's one of those colors that makes me happy.

But, I'm not sure I can always pull off yellow.

Having blonde hair, sometimes yellow makes me look yellow from head to toe...yellow hair, yellow skin, yellow clothes...you know what I mean?

I still dream of being able to pull off yellow.

I am dying to own yellow pants. It would be far enough from my hair and my face that I think I could do it. Now I just have to save up for some.

But in the mean time, here is some yellow that I love...

(via)

I can't wait for spring and lots of yellow!

I'll let you know as soon as I save up for my yellow pants :)

Cinnamon Sugar Cake

2012-02-28T06:00:00.001-08:00

My family LOVES Amish Friendship bread.

However, it takes 10 days to get ready to make, and then keeps multiplying! And, I use a TON of ingredients making it every 10 days. So, I don't make it very often.

But, we do love cinnamon and sugar, I thought we'd try Cinnamon Sugar Cake to see if it would be an easy substitute.

1 box yellow cake mix

1 cup sour cream

3 eggs

1 tsp. vanilla

3 Tbsp. melted butter

Cinnamon/Sugar Mix

Just mix the cake mix, eggs, sour cream, and vanilla together.

Sprinkle the top of the cake with half of the cinnamon/sugar mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for about 20 minutes.

My oven bakes hot, so mine was done in about 15. It may need more or less time depending on how your oven cooks.

Since I used a decorative pan, I flipped the cake over once it had cooled slightly.

That way the top that I had sprinkled with cinnamon and sugar is now the bottom.

Once it's turned over, drizzle the top with melted butter and sprinkle generously with cinnamon and sugar.

It was so yummy! Saxon thought it tasted like churros. Bridger thought it tasted like cinnamon tortillas from Costa Vida (restaurant). I though it tasted just enough like Amish Friendship bread (because of the sour cream and the cinnamon/sugar) to buy me some time before everyone is begging me to make the real thing again :)

Photo Op

2012-02-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

How cute is this!!!

This awesome photographer (also named Caitlin) bought this sign for her little boy, but then also used it in a photo shoot. Now I want to do a photo shoot with my boys and their sign!

Also, Evanne from Simply FABulous is doing a giveaway $50 worth of prizes from my etsy shop and from Brittany's! Make sure to head over to enter :)

Happy Monday!!

Giveaway - My Memories Digital Scrapbook program

2012-02-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago, I was contacted by My Memories (Digital Scrapbooking Software) about doing a review and a giveaway. I don't do a lot of digital scrapbooking so I wasn't sure what to expect.
I do make Blurb books from my blog at the end of every year, but that's it.
Sometimes I wish I could do digital scrapbooking because I'm always a little jealous of the people that can create their own Christmas cards, or design their own blogs.

Since they were offering to let me try it for free, I thought I would give it a shot.
My Memories is digital scrapbooking software for creating and sharing (or printing) your own designs.
It was actually really easy to use. I was afraid that I was going to have to spend all night watching instructional videos because I could create something. I just played around a little bit and everything seemed really self-explanatory.

First there are some pre-made and coordinating pages.
Here's one that I made using the pre-made desings:

Not everything fit my style though, so I decided to branch out and try the blank template.

Like I said, everything was really easy to use and after a little playing around, I made this:

What do you think for my first attempt? :)

They have a ton of fun papers, fonts, colors and embellishments. You can add buttons, brads, shadows, frames, stitching, etc. to your page. It can be as simple or complicated as you want it to be.

So...

First, My Memories is giving a discount to anyone who wants to order this program.

Just enter the code: STMMMS22063

This will give you $10 off the purchase of the My Memories Suite Software, and a $10 coupon for the MyMemories.com store.

Sweet!

And, My Memories is giving away a FREE My Memories Suite Software program to one winner!!!

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory:

Go to the MyMemories.com page and tell me what your favorite digital scrapbook page is.

Bonus:

-Follow Cait. Create.

-Be a Facebook Fan of Cait. Create.

-Blog/Tweet/Facebook about this giveaway

-Follow the My Memories Blog

-Follow My Memories on Facebook

-Follow My Memories on Twitter

Giveaway ends on Thursday, March 1st at midnight.
Winner will be announced on Friday, March 2nd.
Good luck!!!

Recipe Contributor

2012-02-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

I'm so excited to announce that I'm going to be the recipe contributor on Love Stitched!!!

It's going to be so much fun to come up with new recipes and share them with you on both my blog and on Brittany's.

Click HERE if you want to read more about all of Brittany's new contributors :)

Brooke

2012-02-22T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is my sister Brooke.

She has amazing style, she is creative, daring, and beautiful!

Since she is my fashion inspiration, I thought I would show you what she wore this week:

Brooke is at school at BYU Hawaii, so hopefully her wardrobe will give you a little inspiration for spring :)

shirt- thrifted

(inspiration for the shirt here or here both well over $100 and i got mine for like $2 :))

belt- thrifted

shorts- thrifted

ring- Tracy Couture

earrings- love stitched

Brooke was asked to model this outfit in a photoshoot for the Kahuku Grill.

http://pinterest.com/kahukugrill/

Thanks for being my inspiration Brookie! I love you!

Veggie Pizza Recipe

2012-02-21T06:00:00.000-08:00

This is one of our favorite recipes...esp. in the summer when I have all the veggies from my garden. I like we can change it depending on what we have on hand. My kids like to help make it and it's pretty easy :)

Pizza Crust:
2 1/4 tsp. (1 pkg.) dry active yeast
1 Tbsp. brown sugar
1 1/2 c. warm water
1 tsp. salt
2 Tbsp. olive oil
3 1/3 cups flour

-Dissolve the yeast and brown sugar in water and let it rest for 10 minutes.
-Stir in salt and oil, then mix in the flour.
-Knead the dough until no longer sticky, then let it rise for an hour
-After an hour, punch the dough down and roll it out into 2 pizza crusts.
-This recipe also works well for calzones

Sauce:
2 cans diced tomatoes
1 Tbsp. fresh chopped basil
2 cloves garlic
Salt to taste

Once you roll the crust out, put some sauce on it. Then just top it with whatever veggies you want. We used spinach, mushrooms, bell pepper, and olives. Then I sprinkled it with fresh mozzarella and freshly grated Romano. Bake at 425 for 15 minutes.

How to get kids to eat healthy

2012-02-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

I try really hard make sure that my kids eat healthy.

I doesn't always work, but we make conscious effort.

Here are some ideas that work for us.

I know they won't work for every kid, (they don't always work for mine either) but it's worth a try get your used to healthy eating habits.

(Dalton eating a bell pepper)

1. Make sure to feed your kids a wide variety of food from the time they are little.
From the time my kids can eat solid food, I feed them a wide variety of flavors. I always try to incorporate international options into my menu. We eat Brazilian beans and rice and talk about life in Brazil. We Thai food, Indian food, Italian food, Mexican food, seafood, and lots of fresh fruits and veggies. We usually feed the baby the same thing that we are eating and get him used to new flavors. We love exotic fruits and fresh berries.

(Saxon's lunch)

2. Make healthy options the norm.
We have always had whole grain bread and we always try to avoid "instant" and processed foods. Of course, we always make exceptions, but for the most part my kids are used to eating healthy. They are never surprised to find raw fruits and veggies on their plate, and they don't even know what white bread is.

(The apples that Bridger picked from the orchard)

3. Grow your own.
There is something exciting about growing your own food. We plant a garden every spring, and my kids have to walk down every day to help me take care of it. Once everything starts to grow, I let them sample different flavors and textures straight from the garden. Dalton loved to eat cherry tomatoes right out of the garden, Bridger always picked the cucumbers, and Saxon likes to pick different herbs and taste and smell them. My kids seem to feel an ownership over the things that they grow and it makes them more willing to try.
Even if you can't grow your own, try to go to local farms or farmer's markets. Bridger and I went to a local orchard and picked our own apples. We had to pay for them, but it was fairly cheap and worth it for the fun experience.

4. Rename it.
Big food companies are famous for this! My kids will eat anything as long as it has a Star Wars character on it. I took my kids to get smoothies the other day and I picked a green smoothie for them called "Iron Strong." They were skeptical that it was green and asked me what flavor it was. I accidentally said "Iron Man" instead of "Iron Strong" and they were sold on it. Now, when we make green smoothies at home, we make sure to call them "Iron Man Smoothies."
We also cut sandwiches and quesadillas with cookie cutters into fun shapes so that they can have star shaped sandwiches or pac-man shaped quesadillas.

5. Make it sound like a treat.
Bridger loves broccoli. When we go to the store, I tell him that if he's really good, I'll let him pick out a head of broccoli. Then we make a special dinner with broccoli. We try to find lots of reasons to reward Bridger with broccoli :) Dalton loves broccoli, but not Saxon. Saxon loves carrots.

6. Make it a game.
My boys favorite game is to pretend that the veggies instantly make them stronger. They want Nate and I to watch as they chew, and as soon as they swallow, we pretend to be stunned by how big their muscles are! Dalton likes the traditional "Here comes the airplane!" game. Sometimes we race too. The first one to finish their veggies wins!

7. Let them help.
My kids all have their own aprons and cooking utensils and like to help. When they help prepare a meal, they are more likely to try it. Sometimes I will even let them go through a recipe book and choose. Then they get to help make the meal. It's a win-win situation for everyone because the kids learn something new, they get to spend one on one time with me, and they are more likely to eat healthy foods if they chose to.

8. Disguise it.
I'm actually not very inventive with this one, but I there are several popular books out there with ideas about how to disguise healthy foods into your everyday meals. A few of my favorites are adding shredded carrots or steamed spinach to meals. They cook down really well and become soft and undetectable. They also have mild flavors so they don't ruin a dish by including it.

9. Dip it.
I really think my kids will eat anything as long as they can dip in in ranch. I can give them a bowl of raw spinach to eat as long as it has ranch. They will eat most raw veggies, or even veggie quesadillas. They love dipping apples and celery in peanut butter and fruit in yogurt.

10. Choose the healthier option.
Almost everything has a healthier option. If you need sour cream, choose light. If you need cereal, choose low sugar with whole grain. Don't be fooled though. A lot of things make claims that are deceiving. Read the labels. For example, Bridger was begging for chips the other day. I agreed, but wanted to pick the best option. The low-fat version had 8 grams of fat per serving as opposed to the 14 in the full fat version. However, the multi-grain version (that did not say low-fat) also had only 8 grams of fat. So we picked mulitgrain because it had less fat and whole grains. I know that chips aren't healthy, but we're talking about choosing the healthier option.
I also try to cook from scratch a lot so that I know exactly what is going into our food. It's a little scary to read the ingredients label and not recognize anything in it other than "spices" or "artificial flavors". What is that anyway?

Most of all, have fun and experiment!!

Our quest to eat healthy has been really fun for our family. We've tried new things and learned a lot. Not everything always works. Sometimes something works once and not the next time, or the other way around. All kids are different so you need to find what works for your children and your family.

Love Stitched Winner

2012-02-19T20:47:00.000-08:00

I finally picked a winner for the Love Stitched Giveaway!

Sorry for the delay on it...I had a few computer issues.

The winner is:

Shannau

Congratulations! Make sure to email me for instructions on how to claim your prize.

(You have 72 hours to email me and claim your prize)

Thank you so much to everyone who entered!!!

Instant Waves

2012-02-16T06:00:00.000-08:00

I keep seeing tutorials on pinterest for instant waves and decided to try it out.

I was taking the pictures myself while trying to braid my hair and the camera was freaking out and wouldn't let me turn the flash off. So, sorry about the pictures.

First, start with clean, dry, hair...

*Or maybe a little hair spray or mousse to give it some hold.

Then braid your hair into 5-10 loose braids.

*Some advice: you should curl the ends of your hair first so that you don't get the straight pieces at the bottom.

Then run your flat iron over each braid.

Spray lightly with hairspray and let each braid cool.

*I found that I had to run the flat iron over each braid a lot and very slowly otherwise the whole braid didn't get warm enough to hold the waves.

Then just undo each braid. That's it!

As you can see, mine does look like I slept in braids, but it looks nothing like the pinterest picture. I think I should have curled the ends first, and maybe only done about 4 braids instead of 9. My waves were so small it looked like I crimped my hair.

My hair is really straight though, so maybe this would have worked better on someone with some natural wave to their hair.

Has anyone else ever tried this? Did it work for you? Maybe there is some secret that I'm missing. I'm going to have to keep trying :)

What I Wore...Vintage

2012-02-15T06:00:00.000-08:00

Brittany gave me this cute vintage dress (maybe just "vintage-inspired"...I'm not sure...)

But either way, I love it and this is what I wore out to dinner on Valentine's Day:

I also tried waving my hair by braiding it and running a flat iron over it (pinterest idea)

I'll tell you how it went tomorrow...

Dress - Vintage

Leggings - Charlotte Russe

Undershirt - Shade

Shoes - Steve Madden

For Valentine's Day, we went to get Thai food with our kids :)

One of my neighbors was at the same restaurant and invited my kids to sit at her table.

So it turned out like a date for me and Nate :)

It was so fun!

What did you do for Valentine's Day?

Valentine's Day Cupckes

2012-02-14T06:00:00.000-08:00

I got this amazing new Wendy Paul cupcake cookbook from Brittany for Christmas.

It has tons of yummy, unique flavors, and the best part is...

they can all be made in 10 minutes.

Everything I've made so far has been a HUGE success!!!

As I was browsing through the recipes trying to get some inspiration for Valentine's Day, I stumbled up

Twilight Themed Cupcakes.

Perfect!!!

To my non-Twilight-loving-neighbors, it will look like Red Velvet Cake and Dark Chocolate Ganache Cupcakes.

However, my Twilight-loving-neighbors will recognize their Valentine's Cupcakes as:

Team Edward, and Team Jacob Cupcakes.

TEAM EDWARD CUPCAKES (via)

AKA: Valentine's Day Red Velvet Cake

I altered her recipe a little bit, and this is what I did:

Easy Red Velvet Cake
1 box of Betty Crocker Red Velvet Cake Mix
3 large eggs
1 cup of sour cream
1 tsp. vanilla extract

-mix together, scoop into cupcake liners, and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes.

Cream Cheese Frosting
8 oz cream cheese
1/2 cup butter softened
3 cups powdered sugar
1 tsp. vanilla

TEAM JACOB CUPCAKES (via)

AKA: Dark Chocolate Valentine's Day cupcakes with chocolate ganache

Once again, I changed the recipe a little, and this is what I did:

Easy Dark Chocolate Cupcakes:
1 box of Betty Crocker Triple Chocolate Fudge Cake Mix
3 eggs
1 cup half and half
1 tsp. vanilla
1 tsp. almond extract

-mix together, scoop into cupcake liners, and bake at 350 for 15-18 minutes.

Easy Chocolate Ganache:
1 package semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 cup heavy whipping cream

-melt together and dip the tops of the cooled cupcakes in it. Then sprinkle with dark chocolate shavings.

Happy Baking

and

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

Valentines

2012-02-13T06:00:00.000-08:00

Did anyone else spend all weekend making Valentines?

This cute little face may look like he was happily cooperating with writing his name on 24 THOR Valentines...but don't be fooled.

It was an all day battle to get this project done...

He wanted THOR Valentines, for his class, but also wanted candy.

Which left us writing his name on two dozen THOR Valentine's cards and taping them to two dozen packs of Fun Dip.

His name started off looking like this:

But when left to his own devises

(while I cleaned up 1000 lego pieces off the carpet),

the majority of the Valentine's looked more like this:

I give up. I taped them all on looking like that and called it a night.

How was your weekend?

Giveaway - Love Stitched

2012-02-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have an amazing giveaway for you today from LOVE STITCHED!!!

Brittany is my cousin (but more like a sister) and my best friend!

She is amazing and talented and creative...

Brittany's shop is full of gorgeous headbands, unique statement necklaces and vintage inspired jewelry. She made me a beautiful flower clip that I wear all of the time and always get compliments on. It's actually not listed in her shop yet, but will be soon so keep checking in...

I love her statement necklaces! She made me one like this to give Saxon's preschool teacher for Christmas. His teacher always jokes that she works for soap an lotion because teachers don't make very much money and most of it goes back into buying things for school. But she always gets a lot of soap and lotion at Christmas time! LOL. We thought it would be fun to surprise her with something really unique!

I love this camera charm too! So fun!

Brittany has agreed to giveaway ANY headband from her shop, or a $15 shop credit!

You get to choose.

She is also offering 20% off of your entire purchase by using the code LOVELY20.

Are you excited?!!

Here's how to enter:

1. MANDATORY: Go to Brittany's shop and tell me what you would choose if you won.

Bonus:

2. Follow Love Stitched the blog

3. Follow Cait. Create. the blog

4. Like Love Stitched

5. Like Cait. Create.

6. Blog, Tweet, Facebook about this giveaway (one entry for each)

Good luck! Giveaway ends on Thursday and the winner will be announced on Friday the 17th.

I love you because...

2012-02-09T06:00:00.000-08:00

Brittany and I decided to team up this week and each create something RED to support CHD Awareness Week. This is what I made:

I've listed it in my etsy shop, and the proceeds will go to support CHD Research. Check out what Brittany did HERE.

What I Wore...CHD RED

2012-02-08T06:00:00.000-08:00

In honor of CHD Awareness I decided to wear RED.

It turns out that I don't own very much red...so this is what I came up with:

And I wanted to show you how to do a headband braid:

This is my favorite way to get my hair out of my face, but still look put together.

I just french braided a short length along the front of my hair, starting with my bangs.

Then I bobby pinned it so that it would hide the end under the rest of my hair.

It takes about a minute to do, and is a fun variation from my usual straight hair.

Don't forget to wear RED this week! :)

A Special Heart...CHD Awareness Week

2012-02-07T06:00:00.000-08:00

Because today is the start of CHD Awareness Week, I wanted to tell you about someone very special to us:

Princess B.

I guess I'd better start from the beginning...

Holly was my roommate in college and one of my dearest friends. I was with her the day she found out that she was pregnant and we were so excited! We couldn't have been more excited to find out a few months later, that it was a baby girl! Everywhere we went, we were picking out dresses and accessories and cute baby shoes. Holly even flew out to California for my wedding when she was 6 months pregnant. We found the tiniest little pair of baby jelly shoes at a store in CA...so cute!

On the day that Princess B was born, we rushed down to the hospital to see Holly. We couldn't see Baby B yet because they hadn't brought her back from the nursery, so we stood by the window admiring her. So pretty! I talked with Holly for a while and then told her to call me the next day because I wanted to come back and hold the baby.

The next day I got a text from Holly that Baby B was being transferred to Primary Childrens' Medical Center. Something was wrong, but they weren't exactly sure what it was. Holly checked herself out of the hospital and headed to Salt Lake to be with her baby.

Weeks went by and test after test. They finally determined that Baby B had a broken heart. After a month in the NICU, Princess B was allowed to come home with lots of machines and lots of instructions. Holly and Cory were warned that she would probably need open heart surgery before she was 3.

The time came sooner than expected, and when Princess B was 10 months old, the open heart surgery was scheduled to repair her broken heart. We all got together the night before the surgery to be with B and we all prayed. I remember sitting by Holly and her saying to me "I'm video taping her and taking a ton of pictures because I am so afraid I might lose her."

I took this part from Holly's blog because she explains it best:

"Brynley's open heart surgery in May 2006 repaired two large Atrial Spetal Defects (ASD) and repaired a cleft in her mitral valve. It was a miracle that they found the defects in her tiny little heart and it was by Divine guidance that her surgeon was able to repair them. Now 6 years old, we give thanks that our sweet baby girl was given the opportunity to grow and thrive.

Here’s to the opportunities that the future holds; to the passion and knowledge of medical professionals, to more advanced technology and care, and to those of us that can spread the message about heart defects, bring more funding, more research and better outcomes for kids born with CHD.

And to our Family and friends that carried us through the roughest parts of this journey....

THANK YOU!"

Me and Baby B at Primary Children's in 2006
(I was 6 months pregnant with Saxon)

After her surgery, we headed up to Primary's to see Holly, Cory, and B. The Princess is a fighter and recovered from her heart surgery and came home a few days later!

Now Miss B is 6 1/2 and is healthy and happy and even plays soccer! She is one of Saxon's best friends and she is the one who nicknamed him "Saxy." If you didn't see her scar, her "special heart", you would never know that anything had happened.

CHD Awareness Week is February 7-14...perfect timing to wear RED with Valentine's Day coming up :)

Wear RED this week in honor of CHD Awareness Week and support all of the kids like Princess B and their families!

We love you Bryn!!!

Making progress

2012-02-06T06:00:00.000-08:00

We're making progress on the cabinet. We (well...Nate) has been working on it all weekend. The boys have been trying to pitch in too. The structure is built and almost primed. Next, Nate is going to build the cabinet doors for the sides and two big drawers for the middle two openings. The shelf above the soon-to-be-drawers is for the DVD player, cable box, etc. I'm going to go to Hobby Lobby and pick out some cool knobs to put on the doors and drawers. It's finally starting to come together! I can't wait!!!

I can't wait to have it done because it's going to look so good! And, I can't wait to have it done because I'm ready to have my house not look like a construction zone anymore. :)

Hope everyone had a fun Superbowl Weekend!

Winner

2012-02-03T13:28:00.000-08:00

First, I picked a winner from the Kitty Cat and Airplanes Giveaway :)
Go see if you won!

Also...Brittany is doing a giveaway from Kristen Duke Photography for a free e-book.
So fun! Head over to enter...

Be Beautiful

2012-02-02T06:00:00.000-08:00

Found this on pinterest:

via

Do you notice how once you get to know someone, the entire way you see them changes?

My mom has a really good friend has been going through a really hard time. My mom is always telling me about her friend. I've never met her, but I feel like I have because of how much I've heard about her. My mom talks about her as the most beautiful, wonderful person in the world.

When I finally saw a picture of her, I was a little surprised. She wasn't beautiful, necessarily, she was just ordinary. I was telling my mom that I saw the picture and that she looked different than I expected. My mom said, "Really? When I see her, I just think that she is so beautiful because she is one of those people that lights up a room when she walks into it. She makes everyone feel good just being around her. When I'm around her, I see a really beautiful person, so I don't know what you see since you don't know her."

It just made me think about true beauty. Once you get to know someone, their true beauty shines. Then it's hard to remember what you ever thought of them before.

Just a thought.

Happy Thursday :)

What I Wore...Red

2012-02-01T06:00:00.000-08:00

I decided to try out RED today.

I'm not sure if I look good in red...but I like it on other people so I thought I'd give it a try.

Plus, since it's now February...I feel like red :)

Shirt - Target

Skirt - gifted

Boots - Charlotte Russe

Belt - old...can't remember?

Feather Earrings - gifted

I wasn't sure about this outfit.

The skirt was loose, and the shirt was loose, so I looked pregnant.

So the belt was an experiment, but I think I like it :)

What do you think...does February make you in the mood to wear red?

Valentine's Day Candy Cane Hearts

2012-01-31T06:00:00.000-08:00

My sister-in-law made these for my kids last year, so I thought I'd give them a try.

Valentine's Day Candy Cane Hearts

You start with mini-candy canes (left over from Christmas):

Arrange them on a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, facing each other, so it looks like a heart.

Then bake them at 300 degrees for about 5 minutes.

Mine looked like this:

(I had to use a spoon and push the edges back together because some of them melted apart)

You can also try filling them with white or dark chocolate chips:

When you pull them out of the oven, use a spoon to spread the melted chocolate around.

Make sure it fills the entire center of the heart.

Then sprinkle the melted chocolate with Valentine's Day sprinkles.

They turn out so cute and make the perfect little Valentine's Day treat.

You can also put a lollipop stick in them when you first pull them out of the oven and make them into heart shaped lollipops. I think the chocolate filled ones taste like peppermint bark.

It's a fun craft to make with kids because it is so easy and so quick!

Have fun!

First Time Mom

2012-01-30T06:00:00.000-08:00

The other day, I read a link to THIS article on facebook that really made me think about being a mom. Not just a mom, but a mom of several children.

This author of the article talked about having 9 children. She said that first time moms are always approaching her and saying "Wow...I think one is hard! I don't know how you do it!"

She then went on to agree with them. It is hard being a new mom. If you feel like having your first child is hard, don't feel bad, it really is hard! She went on to describe all of the challenges that are particularly hard the first time because they are new. She also talked about how with each child you gain more experience and feel more relaxed about what you are doing. You also have older ones that can help out.

It made me really think about my life. It was hard to have only one. How many countless nights did I stay up wondering "is he sick?...should his breathing sound like that?...how high of a fever warrants a visit to the ER?...shouldn't he be talking already?..." etc.

My first time potty training was HARD! Once, Saxon went into the garage to get a toy. He pooped, stepped in it, and then walked back upstairs with poopy foot prints. I cried.

My first time nursing was hard. It didn't go well. It hurt. I felt tied to my house because I only had a brief window of time in between nursing when I could run a quick errand before I had to be home and nursing again. I was constantly exhausted. I would wake up at night with every change in his breathing.

When we were expecting Bridger, I worried constantly if Saxon would feel neglected. He was used to having me all to himself. I felt guilty for knowing that his little life was about to change.

I thought 2 kids was pretty hard too. I didn't worry quite so much about the baby (since I was a little more experienced) but I felt so pulled. Every time I would sit down to nurse Bridger, Saxon would need something. Every time I would try to read a book with Saxon, Bridger would cry. I couldn't take a nap when the baby did because I still had to take care of Saxon. I was really tired!

Now I have 3 kids, and for some reason, it's a little easier. The situation hasn't changed, but I have changed. I am a little more experienced. A little more confident. A little more relaxed. A little stronger. I know that I can't expect it to be perfect. I know that I am going to mess up and so are they. Sometimes it's ok to let them cry...sometimes it's ok to put down what you need to get done so you can read with them. Sometimes its ok to stay in your pajamas all day.

With Dalton, I really took the time to relax and appreciate each new baby stage because they don't last very long. I loved having a tiny new baby. I loved having a baby who was starting to learn new things. I let my bigger boys help a lot and they loved the new baby too. I love my 3 boys!

So, like the article, I just wanted to say that if you think your life is hard, it probably really is! But hang in there, because even if the situation doesn't change, you will get strong enough to handle it.

Giveaway - Kitty Cats and Airplanes

2012-01-27T06:00:00.000-08:00

-Giveaway Closed-

Winner:

Megan

Be sure to email me to claim your prize: caitcreate@gmail.com

Thanks so much to everyone who entered!!!

I'm Amie and I run my own little corner of the internet called Kitty Cats and Airplanes. Funny name? I know. But I love cats and I met my husband on an airplane. :) I have a {blog} where I like to share {tutorials}, {recipes}, and glimpses into my crazy life. I also have a {facebook page} where I run special facebook exclusive sales and offer mega coupon codes for {my shop}.

I am obsessed with making jewelry! I'm in the middle of writing Jewelry Making 101 series that will cover everything you've ever wanted to know about making jewelry so don't miss out! (Not a jewelry maker? I just finished {Jewelry Making for the Non-Jewelry Maker} so there are no excuses!)

Back to my shop. Let me highlight some of my favorite pieces! What's the point of a giveaway if you have no idea what you could win with your $30 store credit?

{Two tone lucite flower earrings}

{Coral and turquoise cabochon necklace}

{Starburst rose rings}

Check the {shop} for more listings!

Want to know how you can get yourself a $30 credit to spend in my shop??

Follow my blog, {Kitty Cats and Airplanes}
"Like" my facebook page {here} (Want an extra? Refer a friend to my facebook page for one extra entry!)
Follow me on Twitter {here}
Heart my etsy shop {here}
Follow me on Pinterest {here}
Blog, tweet, or facebook about this giveaway (one entry each)
Follow Cait. Create.

Good luck! :)

Circus

2012-01-26T06:00:00.000-08:00

Guess who's thinking of running away and joining the circus?

Last night my cousins invited us to go to the circus with them.

Saxon and Dalton got their faces painted:

And Bridger almost fell off the elephant.

Saxon put his arms around him to keep him from sliding all the way off.

I thought it was scary.

They thought it was awesome!

On a different note...

Does anyone know the recipe to Disneyland's Vegetarian Gumbo?

My sister and I had it on our trip to Disneyland and I've been dreaming about it ever since.

I've googled it, but I didn't come up with anything that sounded right.

Any suggestions?

*Don't forget that today is the last day to enter the giveaway from Through the Eyes of the Mrs....

What I Wore...new boots

2012-01-25T06:00:00.000-08:00

It snowed here! It finally snowed!

Usually, I thank my lucky stars when the snow hold off for a while.

I hate being cold, and I'm terrified of driving on icy streets.

But...this year has been weird. No snow in December? No snow in January!?!

I was starting to really feel bad for my kids.

They got new snow clothes for Christmas and beg everyday to go sledding.

It snowed a lot on Monday and Tuesday was sunny!

The perfect kind of snow day.

We went out Tuesday morning and played for hours.

The sun was so warm that my kids even started stripping off some of their winter gear because they got hot.

By the time baby woke up from his nap, most of it was melted.

But, we had a really fun morning in the snow.

What I Wore:

Coat - Nordstrom

Yellow shirt - Whole Foods

Jeans - Jolt from Nordstrom

Scarf - Christmas gift...not sure?

Boots - Christmas gift...not sure...but I love them!

Flower clip - Love Stitched

My favorite accessory is my cute baby who followed me outside to take pictures :)

You want to know my favorite thing about my new boots?

They are fur lined.

Perfect for a snow day!

Chicken Bundles Recipe

2012-01-24T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have a really yummy winter recipe for you today:

Chicken Bundles

This is another one from a girl I used to work with. She is an amazing cook! Her recipe book is my favorite one that I own.

These are warm, and yummy, and even my kids loved them!

Chicken Bundles

8 oz. cream cheese

1/2 cup diced celery

1 small onion diced

1/2 tsp. salt

1/4 teaspoon fresh cracked pepper

2 cups cooked, shredded chicken

2 pkg. crescent rolls

1 can cream of chicken soup

milk

bread crumbs

Mix the cream cheese, celery, onion, seasonings, and shredded chicken together in a bowl. Unroll the crescent roll dough and separate it. Put a scoop of chicken mixture into one of the dough triangles and pinch it up around the sides to create a little ball. Then roll it in bread crumbs and place it on a baking sheet. Continue until you have used all of the mixture. Bake at 375 degrees for 20 minutes. While it's cooking, make a gravy out of cream of chicken soup and half a can of milk.

*you can also make them vegetarian by adding small pieces of steamed broccoli instead of chicken. Or you can add it with the chicken :)

I think this meal is best served with a fresh veggie or salad on the side. Bridger LOVES broccoli (I know...weird for a 3 year old...) so we made it with steamed broccoli.

These can be a little time consuming to make because you have to cook the chicken first, cut the veggies, make the mixture, and then still stuff and roll them in the dough. But, it is well worth the extra work! They are so so good.

A work in progress

2012-01-23T06:00:00.000-08:00

For Christmas this year, we got a new TV. A flat one. You know...the only kind they make anymore. We have always had an old TV, it was a hand-me-down from a friend to replace my former, and even older, TV. It never really bothered me, we don't even watch that much TV. My husband, however, has been secretly longing for a real TV. For Christmas this year, he got a TV.

But, I couldn't bring myself to set up a beautiful new TV on our old, dumpy, Wal-mart entertainment center. I've been searching around online trying to find one that I love. And I did...from Pottery Barn. I love it! Guess how much it is? $999. Yep...way out of my price range. We don't even have a price range because we don't have any extra money.

Lucky for me, I have a husband who can fix our build anything. He doesn't have very much experience in furniture building, but he did have $150 in Home Depot gift cards :) He got the measurements off of the website, drew a plan, and then got to work.

Here's how it looks so far:

The inspiration:

(via Pottery Barn)

Like I said before, my husband is very good at building and fixing. His one minor flaw is that he is really slow...I don't mean that in a mean way...it's just his personality. For example, when we had to re-do the floors in our dining room, he offered to do it himself! Awesome, since we wouldn't have been able to afford it otherwise. It took over 6 months!

To speed the process along, I thought of a deal. I told him that I didn't think we should open the new TV and set it up until we had a new cabinet to put it on. :) LOL. He said ok, and our goal is to have it all set up by Superbowl Sunday!

I'll keep you posted on the progress...

Wish us luck!

Giveaway - Through the Eyes of the Mrs.

2012-01-20T06:00:00.000-08:00

-Giveaway Closed-
Winner:
Jen the Craftin' Cowgirl
Congratulations!!
Make sure to email to claim your prize (caitcreate@gmail.com)
Thank you so much to everyone who entered!!!

Today I have a super-fun giveaway from one of my favorite bloggers!

Beth, from Through the Eyes of the Mrs. has a darling guest post and great giveaway for us today. She is so honest and so fun and I know you are going to love her!

Enjoy!

I wish I had it all together all the time.I wish my house was sparkling clean and spent more time playing with my children.That my posts were always done a week in advance. That dinner was always homemade & laundry was done.I wish I didn't stay up late & wake up early.I'm Beth from Through the Eyes of the Mrs.

I'm a mommy, wife and soon to be Etsy Shop owner.

I struggle just like everyone else finding balance.

It's tough to do this and it takes a great deal of time.

Not only are we blogging but we are building relationships.

It's easy to get distracted.

It's easy to spend a day catching up in blog land.

Then spending a day catching up on your house & family.

We are a very close family and I would be lying if I said I never let them down.I can't be everywhere all of the time & it's a struggle.I do my very best to be a great mommy & wife.My family means everything to me.They have a lot of patience for me and my dreams.It's just one of the many reasons I love them!

Here are some suggestions I wish someone told me.First stop trying to be organized all of the time.Find some balance & give yourself a break.This is a lot of work & we are going to make mistakes.We are doing our very best.Get a planner & use it! It will be a life saver.You can't do it all so stop trying.Your blog friends know you love them even if you can't comment daily.Stay focused & it will all come together.Be honest with yourself about your goals.What do you want? Then you just Go For It! Now for the fun stuff already!How about a Giveaway?

Good Luck ladies and make sure you come by and say hello.

Thank You so much for having me Cait!

Here's how to enter:

Mandatory - Be a follower of Through the Eyes of the Mrs.

Bonus Entries:

-Like Through the Eyes of the Mrs. on Facebook

-Follow on Twitter

-Follow Cait. Create.

-Like Cait. Create. on Facebook

-Get my button

-Blog/Facebook/Tweet about this giveaway (one entry for each)

Good luck! Giveaway ends Thursday, Jan. 26 at midnight.

Winner will be announced Friday morning.

The Time-Out Chair

2012-01-19T06:00:00.000-08:00

I found this on Pinterest, but it looks like it originally came from Babble.

I think it's genius.

It's a 5 minute timer...I want one :)

As I've mentioned before, we live in a small, 2 bedroom townhouse.

When my kids are naughty, there aren't a lot of places to put them that are far enough away from the action. If I put them in their room, they either play with toys, or keep coming out because they can hear what's going on in the other room. My boys also have a tendency to want to rescue each other from time-out. Whichever boy is not in time out will try to break the other one out of time out. It's sort of funny, but kind of naughty.

I've finally settled on the bathroom being the best place for a time out.

I sit them on top of the toilet and tell them that they can't come out until I say so.

I usually let them come out once they have calmed down and said sorry.

Sometimes I feel like I need a time out from them.

When they are being especially naughty, and I can feel myself getting too frustrated, it seems to help if I remove myself from the situation rather than them.

It's pretty effective too.

I feel better with a moment to breathe, and they are so baffled by the turn of events that it snaps them out of their tantrums. Usually they are all set to fight because they are expecting me to drag them to time out.

But I would really love a time out hour glass LOL.

What I Wore...leggings

2012-01-18T06:00:00.000-08:00

I have been loving my leggings lately.

Partly...because they are so comfortable.

Partly...because they fit so well with my boots.

It drives me crazy when the knees of my jeans get baggy right above my boots.

It makes me feel sloppy.

And this is what happens when the only available photographer is your 5 year old and your 3 year old decides that he wants to model his jammies:

I couldn't bring myself to enlarge this picture...

Not that I don't appreciate Saxon's willingness to be my photographer...but, you know :)

Then Nate got home from work and snapped a few in between the kids running circles around me:

A few more from Saxon:

And the one where everyone decides to model:

-Saxon-

shirt- crazy 8's

pants- H&M

-Bridger-

put his jammies on half-way through the day because it's jeans "aren't real comfy".

-Dalton-

Not really sure where his pants went...I think he took them off while he was napping...I'll have to check the crib...

Me:

Shirt- shade long sleeve

Dress- hand me down from Britt...not really sure but I think it's Forever 21

Leggings- Charlotte Russe

Boots- Christmas gift...not sure where they are from, but they are fur lined so I love them in our cold Utah winters.

Today I had to run to the grocery store with my boys. When I left my house, at noon, my phone said it was 14 degrees outside. Freezing!

Needless to say...this outfit also included a big winter coat.

Have a happy Wednesday!

Valentine's Day Ideas

2012-01-17T06:00:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the absence yesterday, I was sick all weekend and took a day off.

Today, I have some cute Valentine's Day ideas for you!

First of all, this is a sign that someone custom ordered from me, but I thought it would make a cute Valentine's Day decoration too :)
"I LOVE YOU BECAUSE..." hand painted chalkboard sign in RED chalkboard.

caitcreate.etsy.com

And here are a couple that I found on Pinterest yesterday:

I {heart} U Valentine's Day pop-up card template-

via
Valentine's Day treats for friends-
"I dig you!"

via

I LOVE this idea! Such a cute way to send a Valentine to cousins and Grandparents.
Hope no cousins or grandparents of ours read this post because I think I'm going to send out Valentine's like this :)

via

This one is such a cute Valentine's Day decor piece.
I don't have very many Valentine's Day decorations, so maybe I'll make something like this. Isn't it cute!

via

Are you excited for Valentine's Day yet?
I usually don't even think about it until February, but Valentine's stuff is all over the internet these days and it inspired me :)

Winners

2012-01-16T11:50:00.000-08:00

Hey Everyone!

Just a reminder to check back on the giveaways and see if you won.

The winners from the last 2 giveaways have not claimed their prizes yet :)

If you are one of the winners, email me and I will let you know how to claim your prize.

Big Sister Designs Giveaway link

Stuff I Love Giveaway link 