How Many Shots For A Decent Picture?

It was my neighbor's birthday and I knew the perfect gift for her would be a picture of the kids. Easier said then done! Seriously could you even imagine going back to taking photos of children using film where every shot counts?
I so appreciate digital film!

*Yawn & Stretch*

Welcome!

I know it's simply been ages since I've been around. I think this is the hardest post after such a long hiatus. So let's just get the ball rolling...

I am currently a work from home addicted to Etsy thrifting vintage selling mom of 2 fabulous kiddos. BOTH of which are in now in school (how crazy is that). 

My oldest is a 5 year old sweetie pie with a heart of gold. Time is flying and "the potty" has just now become "the bathroom". Thankfully though when recently given a bowl of cereal for an after dinner snack she declared it was her first midnight snack (it was 7:30).

Here's my sweetie modeling a vintage dress for my shop!

Then there's the little guy, he'll be 3 in 2 weeks! He keeps us all running. He has a moderate to severe hearing loss and wears hearing aids in both ears. He recently started school full time in a special program for children who are deaf & hard of hearing. There's been a few bumps but he's doing great and is starting to speak a lot more. 

He is a busy boy! The busier I can keep him the less of the chance he can get in trouble. 

Me? I'm subbing at the local school and working my etsy shop. Corrnucopia is doing better than I could have imagined which only makes me want it to do what I can to take it to the next level. I feel like it is possible. There's some things I know I need to do to improve it while there's still lots left to learn. 

I want this to be a place where I can share the fun and not so fun parts of being a mom, raising a special needs kid, running an etsy business, sharing fabulous vintage finds, and anything else that comes to mind. So if any of this interests you stay tuned!

Every Little Bit of Help ~ Helps!

There always seems to be so much to do around the house and just not enough time (or motivation) to get things done. I'm really trying to enlist the help of my 4 year old without breaking any child labor laws.

Seriously I want her to learn to be responsible and I need her help! Lately I've been insisting she put her clothes in the hamper right side out. I really don't like doing laundry and having to turn so many clothes right side out really slows things down. It's usually the nightgowns she forgets and I've been having her turn them herself, a bit tricky for a 4 year old I know.

She has surprised me though and has taught herself a new trick ~ how to wiggle out of her clothes when getting undressed and keep them from turning inside out! What a great surprise. I love how she taught herself this as she realized turning your clothes right side out isn't much fun.

Now if I could just get her to realize she should clean up her toys when she's done playing with the them instead of moving on to something else.

I'd love to hear from you ~ how do you have your little ones help you out?

Aaaagh!

I like routine I really do. We've have a great one over here. Pick up daughter from PreK, come home, have lunch, little guy naps. It's nice and I like it. Liked it. Want it back. No. Please?

This started yesterday.

He.

Won't.

Stay.

I frantically asked around at school this morning if anyone had one of those crib tent/top/cover/cages that I could borrow for a few months. (because then he will be able to handle a toddler bed and not get into everything in his room)

I think I scored one but probably won't see it until Monday. Until then I just can't keep this guy put.

I've a feeling it's going to be a looooooooooooong weekend.

Chocolate Covered Cake Balls And Other Fine Treats

We made these decadent treats for the holidays. They were way too wonderful not to share. Whip up a batch before the new year hits and you have resolutions to stick to!

Chocolate Cake Balls

(original recipe)

Ingredients

1 box of your favorite cake mix (we used golden vanilla)

1 can of your favorite icing flavor (we used caramel)

1 bag or bar of your favorite baking chocolate (we used a bag of white chocolate morsels and a bag of chocolate morsels)

Preparation

Mix and bake cake according to directions.

Let the cake cool and crumble into a big bowl.

Add container of frosting and mix well.

Roll into half-inch balls and chill in refrigerator for about an hour.

Melt down chocolate and dip each ball into the chocolate and then re-chill until chocolate is set.

~ My Cake Crumbler ~

I found it easier to use my Kitchen Aid to mix the cake and frosting together.

This mixture was way too sticky for me to roll into balls.

It really needs to be chilled and then rolled. I stopped rolling several times to re chill.

(*and worked on the following chocolate covered pretzel recipe at this time)

Place the rolled up cake balls on wax paper.

When melting the chocolate be sure not to overheat or get water into the chocolate.

I rolled the balls around the melted chocolate then spooned them out & back onto the waxed paper.

I found sprinkled coconut flakes did a nice job of hiding the less than perfect places.

It also gave my daughter a very important job.

These really were scrumptious and I would definitely make them again!

While I waited for my cake/frosting mixture to chill we made these incredibly easy ...

Chocolate Covered Pretzels

and with the many new Hershey Kiss flavors out we made several different kinds (have you tasted the candy cane kisses, wow!). So simple and little ones can really help out.

Ingredients

Bag of pretzels ~ the recipe I found called for circle pretzels but I picked up a bag of these window panes and it worked just fine.

Bag of Hershey Kisses ~ we used dark chocolate kisses, cherry, and hugs. The cherry ones were delicious but a bit messy as the melted cherry filling doesn't quite harden (don't let this deter you if you like the cherry kisses!)

M&M's ~ you won't need a whole bag (oh what to do with the leftovers)

Directions

Remove foil from the Kisses. (perfect kid job but keep your eye on the kid or they will eat your chocolate)

Place the pretzels on a cookie tray (lined with wax paper for easy clean up).
Place one Kiss on top of each pretzel.

Heat in 200F oven for about 5 minutes or until chocolate has softened (the hugs/white chocolate tend to melt faster).

Remove from oven, place an M&M on top and lightly press down.

Cool in refrigerator for about 10 minutes or until set.

Store in an airtight container or eat them all right away!