My Little Life

Well, I was hoping to get this up before we went to a hockey game, but, alas, clearly I did not. Our school was playing to go to the state tournament against our rivals...and we lost. So stinkin' sad, but oh well. I'm over it. Pretty sure they're not, but I am, and that's all that matters, right? ;) Okay, right to the questions! Welcome to Five Question Friday!! You've come to the right place if you want a fun, easy post or if you've suddenly discovered your muses are worn out from all the stupid sicknesses going around.  Rules for 5QF:  Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky post to appear Friday morning and LINK UP!  Oh, and remember (pay close attention...this is the important one)...HAVE FUN! Questions for Friday, March 1st :  (Special thanks to  Pam ( @trooppetrie ) from  Troop Petrie , Deanna ( @deannajw ) from Musings , Julie ( @newmanjulie ), Sandy ( @PardonMyDust ) from Pardon My Dust

Deciding on a title for this post was hard..."Caramel and Orange Pull-apart Rolls" sounds like a combination of caramel and orange flavors...*sigh* the challenges a blogger faces. ;) Anyway, as Gram's Vegetable Beef Soup simmers on my stove top, I figured I should finish up today's recipe! So, let me share this amazingly simple, incredibly delicious breakfast companion! These rolls remind me of Easter brunch...they're one of Gram's "signature" breakfast dishes (served alongside soft boiled eggs and sausage? YUM. Is it Easter morning yet?) and I have yet to find someone who doesn't like them. And, BONUS...they're super easy. Okie dokie, let's get started. Generously butter two 9x13 baking pans: Now, it's time to mix up our "stuff" for each pan of rolls. Orange roll "stuff" first: Sugar, And orange zest: Caramel roll "stuff": Melted butter: Brown Sugar:

I'm working in my In the Kitchen with Gram post, and while I do, I thought I'd share a little something with you. As you know, my baby just turned 5 *sob*...you may not know this though: she loathes getting her pictures taken. Well, actually, that's not entirely true. She just loathes anything that anyone wants her to do...it's all gotta be on her time. So, I totally bribed her. TO. TA. LLY. I was all about asking nicely at first. Then pleading. Then I resorted to the bribes. First, a treat. And her eyes lit up...then, I threw in going out for lunch and she was putty in my hands. I'm quite pleased with what I got! Take a look:

Word on the street is that I'm gonna get to hold my sweet nephew this weekend! Haven't seen him in what seems like forEVER! Can't. Wait. Bought new bedroom linens that I'm dying to get on the bed, but I'm all "well, maybe we should paint first and if we're gonna paint we might as well get new flooring and while I'm at it maybe I can spruce up our cheap old dressers with a little paint and Distress Ink and gosh, I can't do a ding dang thing until the bed skirt is on and the bed weighs 8 billion pounds so I can't do that by myself..." see what happens? I just can't toss on the comforter and call it good. Geepers. Anyway, let's get to the questions! Welcome to Five Question Friday!! You've come to the right place if you want a fun, easy post or if you've suddenly discovered your muses are worn out from all the stupid sicknesses going around.  Rules for 5QF:  Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post

Just a lazy night around here, kids getting in missed snuggle time with daddy, since he was gone for the last three nights, me, just biding my time until I get my own snuggles in! ;) Was so good to cook with Gram today...seems like it's been forever since we've cooked (2+ weeks), what with all the people getting sick. Ugh...and now, Belle has another cruddy cold. SERIOUSLY. So over the sickness. Let's get to the questions! Welcome to Five Question Friday!! You've come to the right place if you want a fun, easy post or if you've suddenly discovered your muses are worn out from all the stupid sicknesses going around.  Rules for 5QF:  Copy and paste the following questions to your blog post, answer them, then watch for the linky post to appear Friday morning and LINK UP!  Oh, and remember (pay close attention...this is the important one)...HAVE FUN! Questions for Friday, February 22nd :  (Special thanks to  Pam ( @trooppetrie ) from  Troop Petrie , Mrs. E. Sch

So, I was all Pinteresty this Valentine's Day (and just getting around to posting it after crawling out of the great, dark abyss of norovirus)...last year, I did this after getting the idea from a Facebook friend: And this year, I went all out. Even woke up early so I could get things going for the kids! The Mr. and I did the streamer love notes again for the kids...I just love the whole process, thinking of numerous reasons of why I love each of my kids and all for their very own and unique ways and writing them down so they can see it in black and white. Or, you know, black and pink. ;) Then, this year, I made bacon hearts and heart shaped (use your imagination) cinnamon roll muffin waffles. My kids? They loved me. And, I'll admit...heart shaped bacon tasted just a little bit better. Must've been all the love I added to it. ;) Now, I'm off to Gram's to cook...been way too long with all the illnesses we've had around here!

So, I get home from picking the kids up from daycare yesterday and we walk into the house and instead of being met with a welcoming, warm, enveloping atmosphere, we are hit with air that is no where near warm enough to keep us comfortable from the below zero temperatures outside. Turns out Hambone didn't shut the door all the way when he was the last one out this morning (Pal had morning duty, you'll see why in a sec) and our home was filled with cold, frigid air. Here's the kicker, we have "off peak" heat because we have a fireplace...so when energy usage is at "peak" the electric company can shut our heat off for a bit because we have a back up heat source. There was a very unfortunate series of events that happened yesterday...first, the whole "leaving the door open when it's -20 below" outside and then, like a kick to the gut, I believe we also entered an "off peak" time because the temps were so low everyone around us wa

Today, my friends, my Gram celebrates her 81st birthday!! My Gram is one of the most important people in my life. She and I share a bond that I cherish and I hope someday that I will be able to experience a bond like this with a grandchild of my own. She's taught me what it really means to be a grandparent and I am so, so, SO very grateful for her! For the time she gives me. For the love she shows me. For the cooking she teaches me. For the relationship we have. I love you Gram, to the moon and back! Thank you for being you. 

Well, if you follow me on Twitter, you have a general idea about what this post will be about. Ages and ages ago on February 9th (so, yeah, okay it was just over a week ago, but it seems like eons ago) my wonderful husband surprised me with a date night for our anniversary . Dinner reservations and even an overnight sitter, so we could spend the night at a sweet little cabin (that his brother owns). A nasty storm was blowing in, so we decided to scratch the overnight plans and walked in the door just as our wonderful niece (the babysitter) was putting Hambone in the bath because he "had a tummy ache and a fever". And that, my friends, was the beginning of the end. Hambone got sick, no vomiting, but massive diarrhea (again, if you saw my Tweets you may remember something about "sharts") and an off tummy for several days. Sunday, we were celebrating my birthday at my mom and dad's when Baby Girl started feeling punk and running a fever. We rushed out of ther