Buddies for Bastrop/Austin area

As most of you know, most of south Texas seems to be on fire right now. So many families have lost their homes and everything else. I want to do my part to help, so I am collecting Scentsy Buddies. For just $27 you can *sponsor* a buddy. My goal is to collect 500 buddies and then I will drive them down to Austin/Bastrop area. I know we can't give those families their homes back, but we can give them a little piece of home. When I think of all those kids that have lost anything, it breaks my heart, cause I can just picture my kids going through that. Please share this with all your friends and family...I know that we can do this! It breaks my heart to see all these families with no place to go. If you want to sponsor a buddy, please send your payment to:
jessicahoisington@gmail.com with Paypal . Please just add a note saying it is for the Buddies for Bastrop/Austin Buddy Drive.

Edited to add our Facebook page with up to the date buddy counts!
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Buddies-for-BastropAustin-TX/112009985571510

Please leave a comment if you have any questions....we can do this!!

Happy Easter!

This was our first Easter as a family of 5, and besides poor Avery having a fever of 102.6 all day, it was a fun day. Poor baby is cutting her top teeth. When I was getting her diaper changed I checked out her mouth and can see the one tooth cutting through, I hope it does it soon so she gets a break. The boys woke up to bunny poop in the house (colored mini marshmallows) and a full basket. Then they were off to hunt eggs, Avery got to play with the eggs the Easter Bunny left on her pottery barn anywhere chair. Then we were off to church, back home for naps and then off for another egg hunt at my parents. The kids were all spoiled by the ones that love them.
I know at times I wonder if they really understand the TRUE meaning of Easter...why we celebrate and that Easter is not all candy, bunnies and eggs. I am always asking Ethan was Easter is all about and he can tell me, but after asking Aiden I know we are doing something right. He was able to tell me the whole story of Jesus dying on the cross for us, going in a cave with a big stone in front of it, an angel moving the stone and then Jesus ROSE AGAIN! (He likes to yell this part). I was able to catch part of it on video and I know I will treasure it always. I leave you with this picture of our perfect (to uss) family picture from this afternoon. I love it because:
1. It was after church and the kids had food sitting on the table behind us that was just tempting them, but they let me go crazy and snap a few pics.
2. Did I mention it was after church? They were hyped up on candy from the morning and I didn't hear one complaint!
3. They are ALL looking at the camera! Do you understand what an EASTER MIRACLE this is? Ethan never looks at the camera! This was done on a self timer since we brought the camera to church and then forgot to have someone take a picture of us, so we set it up on the self timer, snapped 3 pics and picked the best out of them :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 3 My views on Drugs and Alcohol

My view has drastically changed since I have gotten older. When I was younger, the *cool* thing to do was get trashed all the time, every weekend, all.the.time! It was crazy and I did a lot of stupid things, but now that I am older I see how stupid that was. I just don't have the desire to do that anymore. Yes, I will admit there are a few times when I have one glass of wine too many, or one more 7&7 than I should have, but it is nothing compared to days gone by.
As for drugs, never tried them and have never had a desire to. I don't get it. That's about all I will say about that :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 2 Where I would like to be in 10 yrs.

Let's see, in 10 yrs I will be 42. HOLY CRAP! I am going to be old! Seeing that number on paper is kinda freaky!
Okay, so in 10 yrs we will have a 16yr old, a 13 yr old and an almost 11 yr old. Wow.

I hope to have sold the current house we are in and move closer in to DFW. It would make commutes much easier on Seth and give him that much more time with us. I am selfish and want him home with us more than time on the road commuting.

I hope to still have a wonderful relationship with my kids, one that they also want to *keep up*. I love that Ethan is always wanting me around him right now at school and up at the theater. I pray it stays that way and he sets a good example for the other two littles :)

I hope to have traveled more, I would love to take the kids out of the country, expose them more than what the US has to offer.

I hope to have a few more things accomplished, but those are private for now :)

30 Day Challenge: Day 1 My Current Relationship

My current relationship is: happily married for almost 9 yrs now (June 15, 2002) and together for almost 13 yrs (July 23, 1998). Honestly I cannot imagine my life without the man. I thank God that I was lucky enough to meet him and have him choose me to spend the rest of his life with.

We met on the dance floor at Blue Planet night club in Dallas, and the rest is history!
I just knew from the night I met him that he was the one for me. We have had our ups & downs, what couple hasn't, but 99% of the time, life rocks!
We have been blessed with three beautiful children and watching him turn from single guy, into devoted boyfriend, into a sweet fiancé, into a strong husband and now into a loving father just makes me love him that much more!
Sorry, I promise the rest of these won't be as mushy :)

Maybe this will help?

I am stealing this idea from my friend Kelsey, I need something to kick my booty back into blogging, I hope this will do it! I can't promise that I am going to blog for 30 days in a row...but I can try. After all, I think 99% of the people that read this are all my family members down here in Texas and in Michigan :)

Goals for 2011

Goals for 2011

1. Read 100 books

2. Drink nothing but water for 2 weeks

3. Stay off the computer more in the evenings when the kids are awake

4. Learn a new hobby and or craft

5. RUN an entire 5k, like not walk one time

6. Run a 10k

7. 2011 3P Challenge Paddle, Pound, Pedal

8. Keep the house in a picked up state where I won’t panic if someone stops by unexpectedly

9. Go to bed with a clean kitchen sink nightly

10. Wake up at 6:30 on school mornings so I won’t rush around

11. Stop trying to make others happy, just worry about myself and my family

12. Make a housecleaning schedule, and stick to it!!

13. Once I start a load of laundry, follow through. Wash, dry, fold and PUT AWAY. That last part is my nemesis!

14. Go eat REAL sushi, like the raw stuff, not the smoked/cooked stuff

15. Work out 5 days a week

16. Be a healthy weight

17. Try a new recipe once a week

18. Go on a date once a month with Seth

19. Have quiet time every day, be it 5 minutes or 45 minutes….

20. Read the bible with the kids on a daily basis

21. Organize the house so everything has a place. If it doesn’t have a place, out it goes.

22. Volunteer

23. Become a Director with Scentsy

24. Go to bed by 10:30 on school nights

25. Wash my face every night before going to bed

26. Give blood at least twice

27. Go on a family camping trip

28. Cook a gourmet 4 course meal for us and another couple

29. Let loose and play with the kids more, be a kid myself!

30. Worry less about what others think or perceive about me

31. Meal plan and have dinner started/ready when Seth gets home from work

32. Go to the dentist twice this year

33. Nurse Avery till her 1yr birthday

34. Order pictures starting from my pregnancy with Aiden from BluDoor

35. Decorate the living room

36. Finish the kitchen *renovations*

37. Sew kitchen drapes

38. Make picture books of the kids pictures, starting from when Ethan was born

39. Sell/give away the kids clothes they have outgrown

40. Private J

Almost a year with no blogging!?!?!

I can't believe it has been since March since I blogged...I guess being pregnant with my third child and then having her and two crazy boys running around will take up that time...
:)
One of my *goals* this year is to blog more, I figure if I blog at least once a month I will be golden! This is mainly for my family and myself to remember things...I have about 10 posts I have started and plan to back date, beginning with Avery Lynn's birth story, but first to post about my goals for this year :)

Let them eat CAKE!

This past Sunday a few friends of mine and I got together and had the best party ever, a cake party!!
The idea got thrown out there a few days prior when someone mentioned having cake for breakfast. Over 60+ replies later to her status, the cake party idea was born. We ended up having 5 people there and the cakes were sooo yummy!! We had a Black Russian cake, a Butter Brickle cake, Coconut Layer cake, Strawberry layer cake and I made a Lemonade Layer cake.
After we started to come out of our sugar coma, we have decided that it is now going to be a once a month thing, with a different dessert every month. Pies, cookies, ice creams, candies, trifles, etc. You get the point! I can't wait to see what we do next month. It was so much fun to just sit around and talk with everyone. We were there over 3 hours and didn't even realize it, oops!
Here is my recipe that I used and will be making a lot more I can tell, I loved it! When Ethan got a piece later on he said it was lemonicious!

Lemonade Layer Cake



Cake:
1 1/3 cups granulated sugar
6 tablespoons butter, softened
1 tablespoon grated lemon rind
3 tablespoons thawed lemonade concentrate
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
2 large egg whites
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1 1/4 cups fat-free buttermilk (I couldn't find FF so I used regular and it was fine)
Cooking spray

Frosting:
2 tablespoons butter, softened
2 teaspoons grated lemon rind
2 teaspoons thawed lemonade concentrate
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
8 ounces 1/3-less-fat cream cheese
3 1/2 cups powdered sugar

Preheat oven to 350°.

To prepare cake, place first 5 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed until well blended (about 5 minutes). Add eggs and egg whites, 1 at a time, beating well after each addition. Lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour, baking powder, salt, and baking soda; stir well with a whisk. Add flour mixture and buttermilk alternately to sugar mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture; beat well after each addition.

Pour batter into 2 (9-inch) round cake pans coated with cooking spray; sharply tap pans once on counter to remove air bubbles. Bake at 350° for 20 minutes or until wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans 10 minutes on a wire rack; remove from pans. Cool completely on wire rack.

To prepare frosting, place 2 tablespoons butter and the next 4 ingredients (2 tablespoons butter through cream cheese) in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at high speed until fluffy. Add powdered sugar, and beat at low speed just until blended (do not overbeat). Chill 1 hour.

Place 1 cake layer on a plate; spread with 1/2 cup frosting. Top with remaining cake layer. Spread remaining frosting over top and sides of cake. Store cake loosely covered in the refrigerator.

So tired...

I am not even sure if I am going to publish this post, I think I just need to write it all out...to get it off my chest.
I was talking with a really great friend lately, telling her about some of the stuff I have been going through, etc and getting her feedback. I love her cause she will tell me the TRUTH! She won't bullshit with me, which I love about her. If she is mad at me, has a problem, or feels the need to call me out about something, she will! I need more of her in my life I have decided!!
Anyways...
The past year and a half has been crazy, and after talking to her, seems like most of it was all caused by things I did, and not necessarily on purpose, but regardless.
I had a really crappy time in middle school and high school. I know it was mostly because I was super shy and quiet which translated to snobby and unwilling to talk to people. I had a great group of people in my cosmetology class that I bonded with in 11th & 12th grade that really helped. But even then, some of them I never really fit in with. I am not saying this in a pity post, just telling some past.
So after I had Ethan I met a few girls on a board and became friends with them. Then the group split, I was in the middle, Swiss you could say. I hated that and felt I needed to "play both sides", so I would say one thing to one group, yet a completely different thing to the other group, trying to make everyone happy and fit in with everyone.
For as long as I can remember I have wanted to fit in, no matter what, and it never worked. Yet here I was, with a bunch of friends, saying and doing whatever I needed to to fit in. Was I lying? At that time, I honestly didn't think it was lying, I was just "bending the truth" right? Yeah, not so much. As my friend so nicely put it, lying is lying, no matter your intention behind it. Wow, she is right.
As time went on, things really changed and I felt like I needed to do more to fit it, I didn't want to lose my friends, and I was going to do whatever I needed to to fit in. There started the problem. I lost a lot of friends, and it was all my fault. I know there is nothing I can do about it, I was the one who messed it up, and now I have to deal with that. The only thing I can do is say I am sorry and that I am trying to just be ME now, which I know some people may not like, but man will it be a lot easier on me. Do I email everyone I know I hurt, angered, pissed off and tell them I am sorry? Heck at this point I have lost count. I'm sure there are people that aren't too thrilled with me, but will they actually tell me? I hope so, I really do hate who I *was*.
I have been doing an awesome bible study the last few weeks and it is really opening up my eyes. I know that I need to be happy with myself and the life I have right now and I really am working on that. My poor husband has had to deal with me being constantly worried about what other people are thinking about me, if people are looking, etc. I was at a point where I could only have fun and be myself around people if I had a few drinks to loosen up. That provided it's own set of problems, who knows what I would say when I was drinking?
Now I am rambling. The whole point of this post is that I have been a really crappy friend and person to be around the last few years and for that I am truly sorry. If I hurt you, I am sorry. If I lied to you, I am sorry. If I was fake around you, I am sorry. I am sorry for everything I have done. I know these are just words, but they are truly coming from my heart.
I hope this post doesn't upset anyone with me, but I feel like I needed to post this.
My goal this year is learn to be me, and believe me, that is truly a learning process for me. I have a long way to go...

Easter is springing up in our house!

Ethan decided today that we needed to start decorating for Easter. We got our tub out of the storage area and started pulling stuff out. I pulled out the boys two new Easter baskets that I bought for them last year:
Then once I started pulling everything else out, I noticed this basket, once I bought about 4-5 yrs ago at Target when they put all the Easter stuff on 90% off...I think I paid about $2 maybe for it. It is a perfect match to the boys...looks like Avery has an Easter basket already! Guess I was always meant to have a little girl huh? :)

Ethan=speechless mommy

So, Ethan may/may not have broken one of our Wii-motes from fooling around. I told him if it was broken, we were taking some of his money in his fun spending account to replace it. He looked at me and with a little *attitude* told me
"It was NOT GOING TO HAPPEN! That money is being saved so I can buy you something pretty...don't you want pretty & nice things mommy? So thats why I get to keep my money...cause otherwise you get nothing and then you will be sad and you don't want to be sad do you mommy?

::insert eye roll from mommy off to the side::

What do you say to that?

Girl=shopping...right?

Since we are having a girl, the nursery is getting an overhaul. :) Here is what it currently looks like:

(look at how little Ethan was! This was right after Aiden was born)

Here is the new bedding we are going to order:


Since we have that green on the bottom of the chair rail currently, we are going to keep it and paint it pink above, and do something like this possibly, I have a few different paisley stencils already:
Here is the new car seat we grandma & papa are buying her:

And here is her first official outfit:

It's a GIRL!!

We found out last week that baby #3 will be our little Avery Lynn. We had both felt from the beginning of this pregnancy that it was a girl, but neither one of us wanted to say anything. :) When we went in for our sonogram, we brought both the boys with us and they were both enthralled with the baby up on the big screen. She did all her measurements first and every time she moved between the legs I was looking and I never saw a penis...then she asked if we wanted to know and what our guess was. We all said girl, and I mentioned that I never saw anything, and she said yep, it's a girl! I immediately started to cry. Poor Aiden was sitting in Seth's lap and was right next to my head and he turned on the sad lips and started to whimper a little bit. Once I smiled at him and told him I was all right he was all smiles again.
I think I am still in shock...I am so excited...yet I am scared. I have only ever dealt with boys...this is a whole new ball game for me...

Aiden's photoshoot

We got Aiden's headshot taken for his birthday and they refuse to let me just take the one picture, even though I tell them from the begining I am just there for my free 8x10, it will take a minute of their time, blah blah blah.
This girl got some really cute shots, and even though she was REALLY pushing the extra prints and picture club on me, I stayed strong and just got my free one...oh, and this full size Mr GQ picture of Aiden...soooo adorable!!
She also got a few cute sports pictures, which I promptly got off the website. They are small, but I can print them off as a 4x6, so I am going to print these for his new sports room