A Big Blogging Thank You

to everyone who took the time to follow Campbell's arrival on my sister's blog. We have heard from so many people that they enjoyed being able to follow the progress of her delivery and they liked not having to bother people at the hospital. Even the nurses and the doctors at her hospital where she works - had all of the computers on her blog page...checking for updates.

I wish someone would have taken my picture when I was sitting in the hall outside her door, listening to my new nephew's first cries....waiting for the SD card from the camera my mom was using in the delivery room. I was blogging as fast as I could to give you all an update and a first glimpse. It was so much fun and knowing that so many sweet people were reading it...icing on the cake!

Sweet Baby Campbell!

Feels like I have waited forever and a day to post that sweet name on my blog. He is here and even more precious than imagined.

What I am doing today!

Waiting for a baby...and updating you!

Feels like a great day to have a BABY!

My sister is at the hospital now. She came in about 3:00 this morning. She is dilated to a 3....making progress. I am the official baby updater/guest blogger on her blog today. All updates from now on will be posted on Walkin On The Wild Side.

My New Crafty Talent

You are all going to be so jealous of my new "skills". I wonder if there is a market for foam board tombstones! Chesley and I made this over the weekend. She had to create a tombstone for a famous person and she chose Herman Melville. I am so glad to have this done and out of the way. It is not due until Thursday. It was a real process and not for the timid crafter. It is pieced together, taped, spackled, and painted in three different types of paint! We are available for special orders! Ü

This reminded me of my high school speech class when I had to write a eulogy and I eulogized Orville Redenbaucher and I wrote my friends eulogy for the Tidy Bowl Man (eeewww).

For The Birds...

I never thought I would be the type to drive by other people's houses and be jealous of their landscaping. Have you priced trees and shrubs!

Once upon a time...I never thought I would have to budget a tree purchase.

Reality sank in and I thought it would still be awhile before we could afford a tree and then I thought it would be a mere stick....never in my wildest dreams did I think this "beauty" would be planted in our yard.

The Hedger Family is very happy today!

My Star Student

Cutter not only aced the sight word test this week...he managed to pick up the Flu and Strep Throat bugs! He is really a sick little guy and he is doing lots of this...

Chocolate Overload!

The Best Chocolate Cake

INGREDIENTS:

1 (18.25 ounce) package chocolate cake mix
1 (3.9 ounce) package instant chocolate pudding mix
1 cup vegetable oil
4 eggs
1/2 cup hot water
1 cup sour cream
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a Bundt pan or 2 nine inch round pans.
Combine cake mix, pudding mix, oil, eggs, water, sour cream, and vanilla. Beat until smooth. Pour batter into prepared pan.
Bake for 45 minutes to 1 hour if using a bundt pan and for 28 minutes to 40 minutes if using cake pans. I just watch my cakes closely....as I HATE over cooked anything. Ü - Allow to cool.

We used the Duncan Hines MILK CHOCOLATE icing in the tub and it took 1 and 1/2 tubs. You could use both of the tubs...just put more icing between the layers.

This cake was soooooo good - it really took care of the valentine chocolate craving. Plus, doesn't a real two layer cake just make you feel special. Chesley did an awesome job making this cake and I think I could just leave and come home to a perfectly baked and iced cake. What happened to my baby that just liked to bake so that she could lick the beaters!

The Pot of Gold

at the end of the rainbow is looking across the table in a loud smelly cafeteria and seeing

this kid - he makes me smile.

Valentine Butterflies

I'm posting this just in case someone might want to make a few before Valentine's Day. Click on the link for the pattern that just prints right onto your pink and red paper. http://www.skiptomylou.org/wp-content/uploads/2009/02/butterflyvalentine.pdf

These would make a great individual classroom valentine. We are going to stand them up and use them for place cards at the Valentine Tea. (if you slightly bend the wings in and push the stick up just a little....they will stand on their own - the butterfly in the top picture is standing by itself)

"just a little busy"

*I have been super busy this week and last with sub jobs almost every day.
*I'm co-planning Cutter's Valentine Tea.
*I cut out 25 double hearts, added blow pops, and I now have to go glue 50 googly eyes to make them butterflies
*I've been coordinating all of the girls church activities and valentine treats
*I still have to make brownies....punch....pick-up balloon bouquets.... while I am subbing the next two days.
*My house looks like the Tasmanian Devil lives here.
*You get the picture.....I'm busy and tired - so I am not ignoring your blogs or mine....just bogged down at the moment.
*I shall return soon with some incredibly insightful posts about thought provoking worldly topics....NOT!

I said it would NEVER happen!

I'm subbing in P.E. today.....wish me luck!

Go Fly A Kite!

Cutter gets a green frog everyday at school that he is well behaved. He has not gotten a yellow or red frog yet....(knock on wood Ü). Chance will ask him every once in a while if he has gotten all green frogs. He knows the answer, but just likes going through the process of holding Cutter accountable. Cutter will get a treat every few weeks as a reward for all greens. This week he requested a kite. Chance was out of town yesterday and I overheard Cutter tell one of the girls that his Dad was bringing him a kite back from his trip. Thank goodness I heard that little bit of news and was able to make a 911 call to Chance so he could make a kite stop at Target. You should have seen the look on Cutter's face when he carried in not one but two kites. He flew one nonstop for over an hour. I made him come in because it was getting to cold.

Fiesta Rolls - The perfect appetizer!

I was given this recipe by a lady in Clovis that went to our church. It has become a family favorite and was personally requested by my father-in-law. He told me just can't stop thinking about these. (hint for please make some- LOL!)

Fiesta Rolls

Ingredients:
1 package hot breakfast sausage, crumbled and browned
1 package softened cream cheese
4-6 tortillas
Bueno or any other fresh or frozen green Chile, chopped (not canned)
butter

Directions:
brown sausage, drain and place in a bowl with the cream cheese. In a sauce pan add a couple of tablespoons of butter and 1/2 cup of the chopped green chiles. Add a little salt, garlic powder, black pepper to taste. Saute until most of the liquid has evaporated. Add to cream cheese/sausage and blend mixture. Spread several scoops of mixture on entire surface of tortilla. Roll the tortilla up. Slice off appetizer size pieces and place on a baking pan. Bake for 20 minutes or until they start to crisp up and turn golden brown in a few places (not all over). This is a fairly cheap and easy appetizer that packs a lot of bang for the buck!

Super Bowl Dessert - Chocolate Eclair Cake

I first had this dessert at a Sunday school party and we were all trying to guess the ingredients. I almost fell over when I found out the secret layer was graham crackers...it really transforms into something so much more rich and decadent than what the ingredients indicate. It has RAVE reviews on allrecipes. The best thing is that you have to make it 24 hours ahead of time - so you can get this dessert out of the way early!

Chocolate Eclair Cake

Ingredients:
2 (3.4 ounce) packages instant vanilla
pudding mix
1 cup confectioners' sugar
3 cups milk
1 (8 ounce) container frozen whipped
topping, thawed
1 (16 ounce) box graham crackers
1 (16 ounce) container chocolate frosting

Directions:1.In a large bowl, combine pudding mix and confectioners' sugar. Whisk in milk until mixture is smooth, then gradually fold in whipped topping.
2.Place a layer of graham crackers in the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Spread 1/2 of pudding mixture over crackers. Cover pudding with another layer of graham crackers. Continue layering until pudding mixture is gone. Cover last pudding layer with another layer of graham crackers.
3.Remove lid and seal from frosting and microwave at 20 second intervals, stirring between intervals, until frosting is pourable (about 1 minute). Spread frosting evenly over top layer of graham crackers. MUST Refrigerate 24 hours before serving.