Stuck On Pot

 On this day, I was testing out a hack I saw to remove stuck-on gunk on pots.

I added a dryer sheet and hot water and let it soap.

See how it went here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Canning Chili

 On this day, I am canning up the left over chili from the day before.

I like to have jars on my shelf of homemade chili for anytime the Big Guy has a taste for it, or for when I'm not in the mood for chili.  I make a large batch, then can whatever is left. It starts with Chili, however you like to make it for your family.

Watch the video here to see how I do it:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Snow in Tennessee

 It doesn't snow often down here in Tennessee and definitely not like it used to snow in Indiana.  But I will admit that I enjoyed the way everything looked during the snow and was happy it didn't stay around for long.  

See the snow in Tennessee and Waverly's first snow here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Brownie Kid

 Ok, so I gave Waverly a brownie.  I was not expecting her reaction to the brownie. 

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Deer in Town

 I was raised on the south side of Chicago and I currently live in central Tennessee.  Big change and I love it.  I am still surprised by wild life in town, but hey, maybe they are pets.

You never know here.  Watch the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Waverly's Flat Tire

 I am not sure what the baby had going on in her mind on this particular day, but she was cracking me up.  

For one thing, she doesn't usually sit still.  Still is usually only when she is asleep.  Even waiting at the doctor's office, she is usually walking around the room in circles or looking at the different wallpapers on the walls.

Here is Waverly's Flat Tire:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Glow Stick Bath Time

 When Skye was younger, she loved playing in the bathtub.  I would find different things for her to play with there. She wasn't locked in the bathtub, it was just where we did our messy play inside the house. 

So, for example, one of the things I did with Skye was glow sticks.  I put water in the tub, pop the glow sticks, do the normal wash time, then the magic happens.  Turn off the light and its like an underwater playground has appeared.  

For privacy sake, I didn't include any video with the baby in the tub with the lights on.

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Waverly & Athos

 Athos is such a sweet dog.  I am still cautious with him when it comes to the baby.  I explain that she has to be gentle to him, but she is still a baby.

See them play here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Taste of Home Winter 2023

 It's one of my favorite times again.  Time for that fun box of gadgets.

See what I got in this box here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Update on My Teeth

 My teeth are in horrible shape.  It is not because I didn't go to the dentist growing up.  So lets just clear a few things up right away:

yes, I went for regular dental visits almost all my life.

yes, I brushed my teeth regularly.

no, I never used drugs.

yes, I had severe morning sickness during my pregnancies and threw up for 9 months straight.

yes, I have gastroparesis.  This means my stomach does NOT digest food properly (sometimes at all) which leads to gas, bloating, nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, and did I mention VOMITING.

These plus years of eating lemons straight; drinking coffee, tea, and soda; and smoking, have removed all the enamel from my teeth.  I am also a teeth grinder from years back and have ground down my molars quite a bit.

Anyway, they are working on my mouth here today in this video.  I will show you the before and after the visit.

Watch it here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Tator Tot Baby

 Since her momma was working for Sonic, Waverly became a valued member of the tator tot fan club.  She loves them.

See her antics here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Talking to the Baby

 Waverly, along with her contagious giggles, also loves mirrors.  I am sure it isn't because she is looking at herself (or even realizes that it is her own image), but she acts like she is meeting a friend.

She talks to the mirror and talks back and forth like she is actually having a conversation with someone.  Here is one of those conversations.

Watch it here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Giggling Baby

 Waverly has such an infectious giggle.  Everytime she gets to giggling, I can't seem to help giggling right along with her.

Watch that giggle attack here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Waverly and the Birthday Cake

 When I say, "Waverly likes cake", I mean that girl loves cake.  

I still get a kick out of how much she likes cake though.  Once in a while, having something sweet as a special occasion is perfectly fine.  

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Happy Birthday Skye

 We already had Skye's birthday lunch, but we couldn't forget about the birthday cake.

We had just a small celebration with a cake.

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Skye's Birthday Lunch

 We try to celebrate the kids' birthdays with a special dinner or lunch.  I say try because it may not be on their actual birthday, but will be for their birthday.  The children can choose to have either lunch or dinner.  They also can ask for a specific meal to be made or to go to a specific restaurant.  

This year Skye asked to have a girls' lunch at the Rainforest Cafe at a mall in Nashville. There is a reason that this is considered special.  I am not a shopper.  I have never really had the ability of buying whatever I wanted when I wanted.  I had a kid and a limited income.  I also have issues with crowds which affects my ability to be around a large crowd and most of the time I avoid this.  

When I can't avoid it, I have to push through the feelings of anxiety and it tends to make me somewhat short-tempered.  I also want to get in, get what I'm there for, and then get the hell back out as quickly as humanly possible all while talking or interacting with as few people as possible.  My patience is like a sponge filled with water.  The sponge starts out full and takes a lot to squeeze it.  The longer I am there, the tighter that sponge gets squeezed until its dryer than the desert.  So when Skye requests this for her birthday, she knows that I will let her go to as many stores as I can possibly handle without complaining.  Ok, with as little complaining as possible.  If I wouldn't let her complain than I can't either.

We didn't take much video because it was a public place and I did want to respect the other peoples' privacy.

Watch the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Waverly Waiting for the Doctor

 I am so reminded of Skye's childhood when Waverly takes on personality quirks her momma had at that same age.  They make me giggle every time.  

She definitely has Skye's mannerisms and facial expressions.  

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Molly The Bedtime Warden

 Molly is one of those cats that you just know was some kind of royalty in a past life.  She carries herself with the grace of a queen.  She is also the oldest of the pack.  I say she has a resting b*tch face.  She doesn't really like to be touched and acts like you will hurt her by just touching her.  Her fur is soft and supple.

See the video of Her Majesty here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Gordo & The Soap Crayons

 Waverly isn't the only one that had fun with the soap crayons.  Gordo (also called Fat Boy as he was the biggest of the litter). He batted that crayon around for a few minutes and it was very cute.

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Soap Crayons

 Are you old enough to remember the click pens that had more than one color ink in them?  You would push down the corresponding color peg to choose a color to write with.  These soap crayons remind me of those pens.  As the child uses them, they wear down and would need to be pushed up.

She loved drawing on the fridge and floor with them. She had a blast and because they are soap, they wash right off.

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Cheerio Time

 Any time Waverly is in her high chair eating, the dog sits on the floor right by her feet, waiting for any treats she throws at him.  He is a good boy though and doesn't jump up to steal food off her try, he waits patiently for her to give it to him.

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Nashville Zoo

 During Fall Break here in Tennessee, we took the kids to the local zoo.  Orion and Skye had been to the Nashville Zoo before but the rest of us were newbies.  We spent quite a bit of time walking around and taking pictures.  I didn't take many videos just because there were a lot of people and I wanted to respect their privacy.  

Orion and Skye also took pictures at the zoo and their pictures are also included in the video (with their permission, of course).

Join us at the zoo here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Playing Outside

 Now that Waverly is a bit older, and the weather is getting nicer, we are going outside more often.  I am grateful that weather in Tennessee is usually nice most of the time.  Tennessee gets more rain where as Indiana gets more snow.  

Waverly still isn't sure about the whole grass thing, but she loves running around outside.

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Ring Pop Time

 I don't know about anyone else, but I always enjoy giving Waverly sweets.  I know they aren't good for her, but once in a while won't hurt.  Sometimes, those are the funniest moments.

Here's a smile for your day!

Watch it here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Trying the Stairs

 Now that Waverly is a bit more steady on her feet, though she still gets the typical toddler falls, she is getting braver.  She has been showing an interest in the stairs going up to the apartment (we are on the second floor).  

Knowing she can't learn without practicing, she did just that.  

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Play Time

 I love seeing the imagination and creativity in Waverly.  It is so amusing and inspiring to see her joy in simple things.

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Taste of Home Fall Box

 It's that time again.  It's time for the Taste of Home Fall Box. I always love the gadgets that come with it and am excited about getting new recipes and cookbooks.  That always makes me happy.  

See what I got this box here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Walking Walking

 Now that Waverly is mobile, she loves just walking around.  Since she was born with club foot, it brings so much joy to watch her walk without having to use any aids.  Her foot doctor is so pleased with her flexibility that she (at least as of now) doesn't need surgery to fix the club foot.  

It seems like lately, since she is mobile and getting better at talking, she walks around saying "walking" repeatedly as she does.  It's like she is so proud of herself and she should be.  I am so proud of my daughter and grandbaby.  

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Milky Way Time

Yes, I give the grandbaby candy.  I grew up in a big family.  There was no telling anyone that Skye couldn't have something growing up.  That seemed to be the first thing everyone then gave her.  And we do it with a giggle.  Yes, it can seem mean to the parents, but it really isn't about that.  

When I was little, my mom didn't allow me to have candy.  I thought dried fruit was candy.  But, when I finally tried candy, it was amazing.  I like giving Waverly those new experiences and tastes.  It is also amusing to see her reaction to new tastes.

See her try a Milky Way bar here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Nana Karen's 60th Birthday Bash

 This year, my mom turned 60.  Yes, you read that correctly.  My mom had me young.  This year, she wanted to spend the day with as many family members as she could.  That was what she wanted for her birthday.  So we made the trek to Indiana to celebrate with her.  

This was also the first time a lot of the family had met Waverly since we are so far away from them normally.  We had so much fun and glad we were able to join in on the party. 

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle

Brush Hostage

 It is amazing what things kids love to play with.  Usually, it is something simple that they like to play with.  Skye, as a baby, seemed to like playing with the boxes of toys more than the toys themselves.  Waverly seems to have similar tendencies, but she seems to like everyday items more.  Like brushes, for example.

See the video here:

See ya soon!

Danielle