Tomorrow...

I was 11 when the school library had announced about the new book Harry Potter and the Sorcerers Stone.  In fact, I had just turned 11.  I was a lover of books, my favorite at the time being the Bunnicula Series... so I decided to give it a try.  I was hooked from day one.  I felt like I was part of the story, I felt a special bond between the main characters and myself that made me cry and laugh out loud while hidden in the corner of my room with a blanket.  I never put it down, I didn't even sleep... by the end of day 3 I was finished with it.... A week later I read it again.  I am now 22.  I have read the first 4 books 7 times a piece and I have read the last 3, 3 times each.  When the first movie came to theaters, it was like Christmas for me. I remember the magic and enchantment that movie brought to my heart.  I was entranced by the words and music.  I left the movie theater with the theme music echoing in my ear (only to beg my mother to take me to walmart so I could spend what little money I had on the soundtrack)  I had a portable cd player in which I listened to that cd everywhere. In the car, on the bus, while at home, I even had it playing while I slept. I was at every midnight release of both book and movie.

Harry, Hermione, Ron and I grew up together. Now, we are coming to a close.  I am not afraid or ashamed to say that the Harry Potter series are my favorite books of all time, they have not only been a good read, but a very special friend to me.  They have been with me through sickness and grief. They have been a very welcomed escape from a sometimes depressive and dreary world.  The wizarding world was real for me, it was a place that I spent most of my childhood.  It has shaped me into the person I am today, I have no doubt of that.  Some may think I am crazy, or immature... They can think that if they want, I am only speaking the truth.  Tomorrow night, the first part of the last installment is released.  I will be there holding hands with my husband as we search for horcruxes and battle death eaters together alongside my lifelong friends in their world that was for so long my world as well. I hope to leave with a smile, but I will undoubtedly lose some tears.  This is the beginning of the end, a relationship that has lasted through the most pivotal years of my childhood.  I will continue to visit Harry's world the rest of my life and I will share the same magic with my children and their children.

Harry, thank you for being a constant friend and companion, I owe so much to you. We will be together at your end, and I know that you will be with me until I come to my end.

cozy morning

I woke up this morning to a crisp, rainy autumn morning.

This day is the perfect day to relax, eat good food, watch movies, and sit by the fireplace.

Luckily today is also a day off for husband and I

Charlie made us a fire...

 and I made hot chocolate and Pumpkin Waffles.

I decided to post the recipe so that others can share in the wonderfulness.

 Ingredients...

 

batter...

 cooking...

 tools...

 final product.

yummmm....

( I have never attempted taking photos while I baked/cooked/grilled anything, so please forgive the photos...) 

Here's the recipe:

(you can also find it here)

INGREDIENTS
makes 4 round “Belgian” style pumpkin waffles

• 1/4 cup light brown sugar
• 3 Tbsp. cornstarch
• 1 1/4 cup all-purpose flour
• 1 1/2 tsp. baking powder
• 1/2 tsp. salt
• 1 3/4 tsp. cinnamon
• 2 tsp. ginger
• 1/4 tsp. cloves
• 1/2 tsp. freshly grated nutmeg*
• 2 large eggs
• 1 cup whole milk
• 1 cup canned solid-pack pumpkin
• 4 Tbsp. unsalted butter, melted and warm

*Grated and lightly packed into the spoon, use 1/2 tsp. Grated and loosely scooped, this is about 1 tsp. of nutmeg. If you have to use pre-grated, dried nutmeg, use 1/4 tsp.

DIRECTIONS

1. Lightly oil the waffle iron with vegetable oil, and set it to the desired temperature.

2. Combine brown sugar and cornstarch in a large bowl. Whisk together to break apart the cornstarch. Add the remaining dry ingredients, and whisk to blend.

3. Separate eggs: yolks go in a medium sized bowl and whites get set aside in a smaller bowl.

4. Add pumpkin and milk to the egg yolks. Whisk to blend and set aside.

5. Whip egg whites with a hand mixer on high until stiff white peaks form – about 1 1/2 – 2 minutes. Set aside.

6. Pour melted butter into the yolk/milk/pumpkin mixture. As you pour, whisk to combine.

7. Add the pumpkin mixture to the dry ingredients, and mix them together until just combined. A little lumpiness is fine. That will smooth out when the egg whites are added.

8. Slide the whipped egg whites out of the bowl and onto the mixture you just prepared. Gently fold them in until no white bits are obvious.

9. Once the waffle iron is heated, you’re ready to pour the batter!

10. Top with syrup/powdered sugar/whipped cream/roasted pecans/honey/butter/peanut butter/cream cheese.... :) 

--- I was out of some of the ingredients, so I substituted fast-cooking tapioca for corn starch... I also added vanilla for some extra flavor---

Hope your morning was as cozy as mine :)

List

Here is a list of thoughts that have been on my mind lately:

1. Organization

2. More time at the Zoo

3. Christmas

4. Crafts for Christmas

5. Winter clothes

6. Christmas gift list

7. Christmas baking

8. Rent a cabin for Christmas

9. Cleaning

10. Grocery list

11. Thanksgiving shopping

12. Planning cooking for Thanksgiving

13. Heat the Chicken's house

14. Love my Children more

15. Love my Husband more

16. Love my life more

17. Be more grateful

18. Give thanks everyday

19. Be more loving to everyone and everything

20. Just love.

The end

13 Days, 5 hours, 10 minutes and 11 seconds... 

 

Not that I'm excited or anything... 

What a bitter-sweet moment this will be...

Sound of Music

This puts a huge smile on my face... Enjoy!

babbies!

Everyone is getting ready to have babies! 

It's so exciting! 

Just counting off the top of my head I know 15 ladies who have either had a baby in the past couple weeks are are currently baking babies

Our good friend Lissa is actually at the hospital as I type this getting ready to welcome her new baby boy to the world. (Good Luck Lissa! I'm SO SO SO SO SO excited for you and Bryce!) 

It's so crazy! 

I love babies! 

...It's time like these that make me wonder if I'm really sure I want to stop with two...

The Duke

I grew up with two fathers... My dad and the Duke.  I have seen every John Wayne movie at least 20 times and I don't plan to stop watching them over and over.  My father installed in me an undying love for him since I was old enough to pay attention to a movie.  

Charlie and I went to the movies last night to see Hereafter (which is very good and refreshing, by the way...) and a movie preview came on that really shook my core.  As soon as I heard the name Rooster Cogburn I knew it could only mean one thing...

Someone has taken on the ultimate challenge of remaking True Grit.  I was shocked yet highly intruged.  These directors better do justice, or they are going to have a lot of very sad and unhappy people, me being the number one. 

True Grit was my favorite movie growing up and still holds a very important part in my life.  You may think I am crazy, but this is who I am. If I could meet anyone that was already passed on it would be The Duke, and I would make sure to give him the biggest hug I could muster.  Like I said, he feels like a father figure to me.  

I look forward to watching the new film and hope with all my might that it is at least half as good as the original.

Here's the trailor, in case you want to check out what I'm talking about.

 

P.S. If you have not seen the 1969 original, you must. 

October 31

What a good day! 

It started with a party for Liam :) A lot of loved ones showed up, thanks to all that came! 

We had a baked potatoes and cake and ice cream. 

I was a little zombiesque thanks to staying up all night working on the cake... Here was the final product:

 

Liam was spoiled in new clothes and toys. 

I can't believe he is getting so old!

Afterwards it was time to go trick-or-treating in Uncle Josh's neighborhood.  Liam was a Ninja and Autumn was Ponyo. 

If you haven't seen Ponyo yet, you really should.  It is a beautiful movie, and Autumn's favorite.

I don't have any pictures yet of Liam, but I got some cute ones of Autumn.

I hope everyone was able to have a safe and fun Halloween this weekend! 

Next up, Thanksgiving!!

What are you doing this Friday?

I think we may go to the

Anyone want to come with us?

This week

Did anyone see the sky around 5:30 this evening? 

It was gorgeous!. 

I took Autumn out on a little date to the movies to see The Gaurdians of Ga'hoole.

  I'm not gonna lie, I didn't have very high hopes for the movie, but I was surprisingly very impressed.  In fact, I liked it a lot :) 

We ate popcorn and drank sprite (things we don't get to do when Charlie is with us... He tends to care a lot about the prices...) 

We got to lounge in our own theater, feeling like princesses and not having to worry about bothering other people.

  It was great.

Actually, I think I may always go to the movies around 2 in the afternoon.  

Afterward we went to the store to get supplies for Liam's birthday tomorrow and his birthday get-together on Sunday. 

Let's just say Autumn was pretty tired by the time we were driving home...

Since Liam doesn't read my blog, I will tell what he got -

 I think he is going to be happy :)

I am currently planning his cake... I hope it turns out alright, so far its 3 tiers with a lot of homemade fondant... 

Lastly, (as if I didn't have a busy enough day) I am working on halloween costumes! Autumn is going to be Ponyo while Liam is going to be a Ninja.  

Tomorrow we are going to Spooktacular, followed by on Friday night the Trunk'n'Treat.  

I love halloween.

And birthdays.

What an awesome week!

I love Autumn

My little Autumn.

She is so funny, I just love every moment with her!

She gets her good looks from her dad :)

Vote for a change

I am usually not very interested in politics, but this time I believe it is a very important mission.  

I am asking all of you to please vote YES! on Prop B this November 2nd

More information about it can be found here - Prop B

Please stand up for those that can't stand up for themselves.  Let's make a difference for MO and for our four legged friends!

Saturday

This past saturday, Charlie and I went to Worlds of Fun! 

It was awesome, minus the crowds... 

One of the workers even said she isn't used to it being that packed.  

It was open until 1 a.m. and we got there at 2 in the afternoon, so we had a pretty good amount of time.  We rode every coaster (they have 7) and almost every thrill ride we could. Then, at 7, the park became haunted and they opened up 9 different haunted houses you could explore. It was an awesome time and we had so much fun! To top it all off, we got cheaper tickets then usual because we got the buffet as well... Which didn't cost anything extra... So the tickets were cheaper and they included all you can eat BBQ. Awesome.

If you love roller coasters and haunted houses, now is the best time to head out there! You can find the deal we got here.

I love this time of year!

planning pumpkins

We live in the country on 4 acres... 

So, naturally, we have plenty of space to play, lay around and grow fun things :) 

I am so excited for the spring because I am taking on an awesome project...

 A pumpkin patch!  

I am going to be growing all kinds of neat pumpkins to sell and craft with for next fall season.  

I think I may even take them to farmers market to sell :) 

October Birthday

Life seems to be going so fast! My little man is 20 days from being a year old... I feel like crying when I think about it.  He's having a Halloween birthday, so I went and took pictures yesterday of him with some pumpkins :)

Isn't he a stud? :)

New Student

Hooray for starting school!  I am stoked.  I am just getting my transfer degree, but I think these next two years are going to fly by.  Once the husband and I both have our Associates, we are relocating to Corvallis OR to attend OSU.  It is there I am to become a Marine Biologist :)  It's a couple years away, but there is so much to do! I just hope we can get everything in order in time.  We are super excited about what the next couple of years bring and starting a new chapter in our lives.
P.S. Missouri is gorgeous today, in fact all of my windows and doors are open.  Super low humidity and in the low 80's??  Ontop of that, its supposed to be like this a couple more days.  Aw yeah.

Fresh Start

I am on an adventure of self discovery. 

I am finally figuring out who exactly I am and what I want to achieve to be.  

One thing that I am slowly doing is reorganizing/redecorating my home.  I'm moving room to room and its proving to be a much larger and slower task than I had imagined.  So far I have the bathroom, laundry area, entertainment area and one half of the kitchen complete.  The difficult part has been making it "my own" without having a budget, meaning... I am spending nothing on decor.  Everything I am using is something that I have come across for free, or (to be honest) found outside.  We'll see how it turns out in the end.  I have been surprised a little at how I have risen to the challenge, for example I couldn't afford a comforter set for my bedroom, so I took a sheet and I painted it and sewed it onto the front of our old comforter.  It may look completely odd, but I am proud of it non-the less.  I hope to be done by the end of the week with my "new" home, and will post some "I'm proud of the hard work and love I have put into this place" pictures. :)

In other news, my home isn't the only thing getting a face lift.  I guess I'll just skip the small talk and go straight to saying that I haven't really been taking care of myself for like, I don't know... since I had Autumn?  I've neglected my skin, weight, clothes, hair... It's really very sad.  I have ceased being Sara, and have become a blah-person. So, I am taking charge of things again.  Slowly, I will get rid of all my clothes and build a wardrobe that is meant for a Sara.  And I am going to save up some money to get some skin care products and new makeup ( I have had the same makeup for about 18 months now... ugh)  I am going to start making myself get up earlier than my kids for once so I can have time to exercise and take care of myself in the morning! 

AND! Just to add some more excitement, I am registering at MSU tomorrow! I will be a student again, learning and growing! My mind has been begging to absorb some much needed education.  I think I have exhausted all the documentaries I could get my hands on.  I will be a wildlife biology major at MSU until I transfer in 2 years to a different school... Needless to say, this is long overdue.  I feel so happy just thinking about it.  Welcome back to me :)

I would like to end this little post with a picture of one of my favorite places, I'm so happy to think that I am going to be calling it home again in a couple years.  

 

September 2011

My ultimate goal in life is to be the best mother I can, and to be a wildlife biologist/ marine biologist.

I will eventually be going to OSU, but until then I need to be working on my resume and experiences right now.I am currently volunteering with the Dickerson Park Zoo where I work with animals and kids, teaching conservation and facts.  I love it, very fun and the kids make it so rewarding.  Well, recently I have been looking for other things to do to enrich my life and give me experience... So here's the scoop:

I'm going to China.  Why?  To work on a Panda conservation.  I hope to be there for a month.  I have to start saving/earning now... I'm thinking I am going to need around $10,000 for the whole thing... I have a year to save and plan, sooo... I am setting aside money starting today. Also, be on the lookout for a bake/handmade/garage sale. 

If anyone else has ideas on how to earn some money, let me know... I am going to need all the help I can get.

Here's a few pictures of the place I will be going

Deathly Hallows

awww yeah.

blended

I feel as though I have lost my defeniton.  I think I need to do some serious inner discovery and figure out who or what I am.  I have been blending in with my enviornment for so long that I have let my self become lost amongst the wallpaper.  I need to stand out again, I need to be myself, not just a someone.  I don't even know what my favorite color is anymore.  I am ready to be unique again, I am ready to have personality.