Makenzy's Mama!

Makenzy and I were outside one day last week. She laid down on the front step - and I thought it was the perfect time to start snapping away! I love how these turned out!

I usually consider myself more of a leader than a follower. But, today I am choosing to follow Sarah and Chris in this Karma and Mystery Gift Extravaganza!

Here is the offer: I hereby pledge to make something for the first 5 persons who respond to AND agree to the conditions of this blog/offer. This offer does have some restrictions and limitations so please read carefully:

I make no guarantees that you will like what I make. What you get is what you get. It could be a papermache statue of me, or a haiku, or a doll made of toothpicks. Or something that you have always yearned for in your secret heart but didn't even know until I gave it to you. Or something else.

What I create will be just for you. One of a kind!

It’ll be done this year (2009).

I will not give you any clue what it’s going to be.

Unless you live near me, it will be something that needs to be mailed, so you’d have to be willing to provide a viable address.

In return, all you need to do is post this text into a blog, bulletin or e-mail of your own and make 5 things for the first 5 to respond to your note under these same conditions. IMPORTANT: This offer is null and void if you do not post your own blog/bulletin/e-mail to pay this forward.

Anyone?

This is me in the beautiful Riviera Maya (Adventura Spa Palace) on our honeymoon in May 2005.

Today, it is cold, rainy, windy, and just plain gross outside. I have had a migraine all day and feel sort of nauseous.

I saw this picture today and really wish I was laying on that beach with David and Makenzy! Not doing anything - but just relaxing in the warm sun spending time together.

This is me and my nephew Mason. This picture was taken in December of 2005 (thanks to photoshop it looks like it was taken in the seventies).


Not too much has changed since then. He still has those beautiful green eyes and I still have that lovely double chin.

We have always been more like brother/sister rather than nephew/aunt. he definitely has a special place in my heart - and that will never change.

Mason's favorite thing to do is go fishing. He fishes from around 11am until they kick him out when the lake closes. Last week while fishing I'm sure he never expected to earn the title "hero".

An elderly man across the lake had a heart attack, fell into the lake and didn't come back up. (Mason didn't know he had a heart attack - he just saw him fall in and not come back up) So, he ran over to where the man fell in and without hesitation jumped into deep waters to save him. He pulled him back to land and called for help. The man lived thanks to a 17 year old boy who decided to go fishing that day.

I am so proud of Mason. He could have just sat there and waited for someone else to step up. But instead he reacted immediately! His 17 years on earth hasn't always been flowers and butterflies - but I know that God has a great plan for his life. I can't wait to see what that plan is!

This won't make sense to many of you - but I will end this post by saying: YEOW!


(YEOW is a "masonism" - maybe I'll explain it here someday?)

Makenzy, David and I were playing with her doctor kit. She doesn't turn into a "real" doctor until she puts her "doctor glasses" on.


I thought it would be a great photo op - so I got out my trusty camera.....this is what happened when I told her she was not allowed to touch the camera:







And then it proceeded to get worse when I told her no for a second time....








All of these were taken within a minute!


One thing is for sure - my little princess has the saddest cry face I've ever seen, and it breaks my heart every time I see it!

I just got Makenzy off to bed and now I am making a new dessert for a carry in at work tomorrow. I thought I would share the recipe. (The recipe comes from The Pioneer Woman here):

Dump Cake:

Ingredients:
1 can cherry pie filling (24 oz)
1 can crushed pineapple (24 oz)
1 box yellow or white cake mix
1 stick of margarine (cut into 8 equal pads)
1/2 stick of butter (cut into 4 equal pads)
Whipped cream

Directions:
Dump cherry pie filling and crushed pineapple into 9X13 baking dish. Stir together.

Sprinkle cake mix evenly over the top of the fruit. Slice margarine and butter and distribute evenly over the surface of the cake mix.

Bake at 350 degrees for 45 minutes to 1 hour. spoon into bowls and put a dollop of whipped cream on top. (You can even whip your own cream if that tickles your fancy!)

~Tiff

Random things I am thankful for:

1. Of course - my precious baby girl! I can't even remember what life was like before she changed my world. In fact - I don't want to remember.....I love my life just how it is.

2. My wonderful husband - he loves me unconditionally and busts his butt every day to provide for our family.

3. Department stores with multiple bathrooms located throughout. (ex. One in the front of the store and one in the back)

4. When my newspaper delivery lady throws my Saturday and Sunday paper in the driveway and not in the street or in the next door neighbors yard.

5. Red lights - some of my best conversations with Makenzy are while we are sitting at a red light talking about things around us.

6. Diet Coke - it's what gets me through the afternoon!