It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Christmas

This has to be the sweetest, most patient puppy dog in the world!

This is what happens with a two year old in the house.....

 Sweet Katie Bug!

And for anyone who has been to our house at Christmastime, you know that we top our tree with the traditional Razorback hat!  Why I ever let that tradition start, I am not sure?!?!  But I did.  And yes, we really do!  So we got out old trusty last night and Cilla had to try it on before we topped our tree with it!

Love this little Hogs fan!

 Unfortunately, we noticed our tree was a little lop-sided as we (by we, I mean I) put the last of the decorations on it.  So I took off all of the glass ornaments and had to readjust the tree.  By that point I was "decorated out" for the night, so the tree did not get redecorated.  As frustrating as it was, I would have been crushed if the tree fell over and broke all of our ornaments!  Only in the Harris house!

I took Cilla to the mall yesterday for lunch and we decided to pay Santa a visit.  She was so excited when she first spotted him, but she was a little unsure about him the closer we got.  She did go up to him and shook his hand, which is a 180 from the screaming she did when she saw him last Christmas.  But, she is still not ready for his lap!  Maybe by next year!  This was the closest I got to a picture with Santa.  Little Stinker!

 Honestly, she was a little more into the carousel than Santa.

Hopefully by the end of the day I will have pictures of our decorated tree.  I can't believe it is Christmastime!  I have so much to catch up on and so many pictures to share.  Thanks to everyone for checking in on us.  I am happy to report that we are all well and life has been full and wonderful the last few weeks.  Life has just taken a sharp turn toward crazy, so bear we with me!

A Bouncing Birthday

Does this look like the face of a gal who loved helping Zach celebrate his 4th birthday?  He has his party at a local bounce place and all the kids had the best time!

Of course, Cilla would rather rock on the pink horse and play in the play house and drink from the water fountain than jump and slide!  Welcome to the word of a two year old!

 This is her new pose.  Sweet face!

 Cilla and her friend, Brody.  They are a pair of crazy!

 I love this picture of the birthday boy with some of his big boy friends.  They all slid down together and dog-piled at the bottom!  It is so fun to watch the energy of boys.  We are just not accustomed to that at the Harris house!

 One thing I love about helping all my friends' kids celebrate their birthdays is getting to see my friends.  Life gets so busy, so it is one thing that brings everyone together.  I am so blessed God has given me such sweet mommy friends to walk through this phase of life with!

 Brody, Ava and Cilla

Cilla was in class with Ava last year and she still talks about her all the time.  Her friends hold such a special place in her heart.  She is definitely our little social butterfly.

 And the birthday boy, Zach!  

If that face does not make you smile, I don't know what will!!!  He is such a fun boy and we are so glad we got to help him celebrate his birthday!

#3

We had a crazy weekend and I will share more in another post, but look at this reaction when Cilla realized Baylor won, USC won, Iowa State won and her Hogs were #3 in the nation!

Please don't judge me by my nasty front doors!  Oh my goodness, I had NO idea they were so bad!!!

 It is such a fun time for Razorback fans!  And we are so so proud of the Baylor Bears and happy for all of our BU friends!
After all, Cilla was born in Waco and cheered on the Bears for the first year of her life!
I found a couple of pictures while Flint was at Baylor- Cilla's first football season.

I am not sure what was or is more tiring...carrying her around in the Baby Bjorn or chasing her EVERYWHERE?!?!

Look at all that drool on her shirt!  Oh my, how life has changed!  It is fun to look back and to see where God has brought us in the last couple of years!
Look at her now!

I have lots more fun stuff to share and I will soon.  But, I have to get busy catching up from the weekend.

Phone Photos

A couple of nights ago we made a trip to Sam's Club and I couldn't resist this picture!  We go to Sam's at least two times each week.  Sometimes more!  You know your life has taken a sharp turn towards different when Sam's Club is a form of entertainment!  We actually look forward to going.

Recently, I was cleaning out Cilla's closet and pulling outfits that were entirely too small and she decided that she needed to wear this little pink dress, size 18 months.  That's right!  Oh, and this blue step, she carries it every where!  She uses it to wash her hands.  To help me in the kitchen.  To change the temperature on the thermostat.  To put DVD's in the DVD player.  To switch on light switches.  To get things out of her closet that she couldn't otherwise reach.  To get things out of drawers....you get the idea.  They definitely get her into trouble.  

 Yesterday, we had lunch with some of our best friends at Rick's, a local bakery.  These little cuties loved watching the ladies decorate cakes through the window.

Speaking of cuties.  Have you seen these mini purple sparkly TOMS?!?!  They also come in pink, by the way.  They are the cutest things, especially for a little gal who insists on wearing purple or pink in some fashion with EVERYTHING!  They are her favs!  I get nothing for promoting them.  Just thought I would share this little tidbit of cuteness!

Happy Friday!

The Darndest Things

 Be sure to check out my Bread Dip recipe on HolyTurf.  It is one of my very favorite dip recipes!  I know football season and tailgating are coming to a close for the year, but this one is a good App to use around the holidays or for a party or a shower.  It is a definite crowd pleaser!

Check it out here

And a total different subject.  The older Cilla gets, the more and more I realize how I long to document the things that she does.  Sure it is great to look back and remember when she first smiled or when she first rolled over or what her first solid foods were or where her first outings were and when she got all of her teeth.  But, now that she has developed her own {BIG} personality and can talk up a storm and is learning to use her imagination, I long more than ever to bottle up the sweet, tender moments.  I want to record the funny things that cause my drink to spew out of my mouth.  I try to commitment to my memory all the witty things that send my head to spinning because I can't possibly believe my two and a half year old just came up with that!

So...I think I have come up with a perfect idea.  Besides using this blog as an opportunity to record a small glimpse of Cilla's childhood, I love the idea of writing things on little pieces of paper, dating them and storing them in a jar.  What momma or daddy would ever regret having that?!

I wish I could say that this idea was all my own 

but I found it on Pinterest and it originally came from inchmark.

A couple of funny things that I thought I would share.

Cilla is known for being a very independent little thing.  But she also can be very selective in when she wants to be treated like a big girl.  She was recently asked to do something by my mom and her response was:

"Nana, I'm JUST two!"

Seriously?!?!  The sas has already started!

Recently, she had a little conversation with her friend Lilly who calls her "Ciwa", pronouncing the "L's" like a "W".

Cilla's response:

"My name is CILLA not CIWA.  I'm going to call you LIWY!"

Oh my goodness.  I don't even have words for this!

Then there is the filling up the sinks with soap and water...

 Dumping dog food out all over the laundry room floor.....

And her love for dog's water continues.  Only now, she thinks it is funny to drink out of the dog bowl like a dog.  

These are the things that keep me on my toes and keep my days full!  But, I love it and wouldn't trade it for anything.  I don't want to forget any of it!
If you have any fun ways to save memories of your kiddos, I want to hear them!

Winner and a Recipe

Drumroll please........

The winner of the 2 VIP tickets to the NWA Boutique Show is......

True Random Number GeneratorMin: Max: 
Result:11Powered by RANDOM.ORG

That means you KATE FLOYD are the winner!  

Guess what?!   As a thank you for participating, the NWA Boutique Show is giving each of you one free general admission ticket to the show! To claim your ticket, e-mail Julie at

 julie.nwaboutiqueshow@gmail.com and reference this contest. 

She'll e-mail you the ticket!

***And, for a bonus chance to win two VIP passes.... visit NWA Boutique Show on Facebook, like their page and comment on their contest! 

http://www.facebook.com/pages/NWA-Boutique-Show/130367947042342?sk=wall

And now, as promised, a yummy recipe that is a staple in my recipe box!  The are called Tailgate Sandwiches and they are perfect for just that.  I figured I better squeeze this in since there are only a few left for tailgating!  But, they are also great for showers, birthday parties and Sunday lunch!

Sandwiches 

Kaiser Rolls or Slider Buns

Shaved Turkey

Shaved Ham

Sliced Swiss Cheese

Sliced American Cheese 

Sandwich Dressing

1/2 cup butter

1 Tbsp Prepared Mustard

1 1/2 Tbsp Worchestershire Sauce

1 1/2 tsp Poppy Seeds

1 Tbsp Finely Chopped Onion

For the dressing, melt butter then combine all other ingredients and mix well.  Sometimes, I leave out the onions and they are still delicious!

For the sandwiches, slice rolls in half.  Put rolls in either a baking dish or sheet pan.  Either works great.  Spread dressing on both sides of the rolls.  Layer turkey, ham and cheeses.  Put top half of roll on sandwich.  Cover with foil and bake on 375 degrees for 10 to 15 minutes.

These are sure to be crowd pleaser!

Weekends (that's right...weekends) Review

This weekend was jam packed with friends and fun!  We had a house full of company which is just the way we like it!!!  Our friends, the Maxwell's, were in from Atlanta for the weekend.  The main attraction was the Razorback game, but we managed to find lots of other fun things to do to fill our time with our friends.

This picture is for Cilla!  She was so excited that I saw Big Red!  

This guy's name is actually Pork Chop, but because we have a book named "Hello Big Red" she thinks all Razorback mascots are named Big Red.

Flint says this is the most beautiful view in all of Fayetteville.  Although, it is quite a site for all Razorback fans, I happen to think there are lots more sights around our area just as pleasing to the eyes!

We had a fun night out and enjoyed a big win over the Tennessee Volunteers!  Wooo Pigs!

Max and Dru.  

It was Dru's first trip to Arkansas and her first Razorback home game!

Pregame, we had a little tailgate party of our own at our house!  Cilla loved running around like a crazy girl with her friends!

Cilla and Reese.

 Rhett.  Reese.  Stella.  And Cilla.  Four Crazies!

 We had to show our company some of the cute little swanky shops around town!  Cilla found this jewel.  Dear Santa, please take notes!!!  I could finally breath when we found our way to the exit doors.  I was a nervous wreck watching her explore her way through this store.  It is times like those that the monkey leash would come in handy!  HA!

 And of course our weekend wouldn't be complete without some yummy food and time with friends!  Friday evening, we had a childfree night out on the town with three other couples at Bonefish Grill.  Yum Yum!

Now this is when the weekends, yes plural, part comes in.  I wanted to be sure to document all of the fun we had LAST weekend, too.

I already shared this family pic before Flint and I headed off to the Razorback game last week.  My mom, Cilla's Nana, so graciously kept the little munchkin so Flint and I could go to the game. 

We also had two super fun birthday parties celebrating two special little ladies!

Friday, we headed back to Farmland to celebrate Laci's 3rd birthday!  Cilla loved Farmland the first time we went and it was just as big of a hit the second time around!

Pretty sure she rode the ponies at least four times.

Our little animal lover!  Maybe a future 4-H'er?!?!

All smiles!

The birthday girl!

Our sweet friends, the Scott's.

Cilla, soaking up some Katie lap time!  She loves her Katie Bird!

After petting the animals, playing in the corn, climbing the hay bales, riding the ponies and a hayride we ended our night with a bang!  We roasted hot dogs for dinner and roasted marshmallows for s'mores!  It was yummy and lots and lots of fun!

And what third birthday party would be complete without cupcakes covered in pink icing?!?!  

I am pretty sure Cilla was so sugared up she didn't go to sleep until nearly eleven o'clock!  Luckily, she woke up just in time the next morning to head to Adeline's ladybug birthday party!  Adeline's mommy outdid herself with all the red, black, white and polka dots!  Everything was precious!  And Cilla loved loved loved jumping in the ginormous bounce house they had in their front yard!

And yes, this cake not was not only the cutest thing, but it tasted delicious, too!
Such a precious little Ladybug!

 Cilla has reached the point that she loves to open presents.  She had a big ole time (probably a little too big!) helping Adeline out!  

It was so much fun sharing these special days with precious friends!  

As I reflect on the last two weekends, I feel so blessed to have had so much fun and I feel so blessed to have such sweet friends in our lives.

Northwest Arkansas Boutique Show

I am excited to announce a fun giveaway!!! 

The Northwest Arkansas Boutique Show will take place at the Springdale Convention Center Friday, November 18- Saturday, November 19 and I have the opportunity to give away two VIP tickets to one lucky person!!!

In addition to getting first dibs on all the fabulous shopping, each VIP ticket holder will receive a signature shopping tote swag bags, a delicious treat from Briar Rose Bakery, coffee or iced tea from Mama Carmen's Espresso Cafe, a savory treat from My Brother's Salsa and Catering Concepts, free return admission all weekend and the chance to win hundreds of amazing door prizes!!!

This is a great opportunity to get a jump start on your holiday shopping.  There will be over 150 merchants from over 5 states selling all kinds of unique finds from home decor, clothing, accessories, gourmet foods and much much more!!!

For more information of the NWA Boutique Show click here

Don't miss out!  All you have to do is leave a comment at the bottom of this post with either your blog address or your email address so that I can contact you.  A winner will be drawn on Monday.

Happy Shopping!!!

Mmmm, Mmmm Monday: White Chicken Chili

I love to eat soup and chili as the temperatures drop outside.  This White Chili is a delicious variation to change things up a little.  It is one of my favorite things to eat in the winter.  I made this last week and have had several requests for the recipe, so here y'all go!!! This is actually a Pioneer Woman recipe that I have taken and made easier and in my opinion...better.

White Chicken Chili

3 cups Cooked Chicken, Diced or Shredded

1 whole Medium Onion, Diced 

4 cloves Garlic, Minced

2 whole Cans Green Chilies, Chopped

2 Cans Cannellini Beans , Rinsed

4 cups Chicken Broth

1 1/2 Tablespoon Ground Cumin

1/2 teaspoon Paprika

Salt To Taste

White Pepper, To Taste

1 cup Milk

2 Tablespoons Cornstarch (or Cornmeal)

Grated Monterey Jack, To Taste

Sour Cream For Garnish

Cilantro For Garnish

Guacamole (optional)

Pico De Gallo (optional)

Corn Tortillas (warmed)

Preparation Instructions:

Cook chicken for 20 to 30 minutes or until done.  Set aside.

In a dutch oven over medium-high heat, saute onions and garlic for 2 minutes. Add chopped green chilies, then rinsed beans. Pour chicken broth into the pan.  Season with salt, pepper, and cumin. Place lid on pot and reduce heat to low.

I cook this for about 30 minutes then add 3 cups of cooked chicken.

Let simmer then mix milk with cornstarch (or cornmeal) and pour into the chili. Cook for an additional ten minutes to thicken.  Mine is never very thick after adding this, but I think it adds a little to the flavor.  Check seasoning and adjust, adding cayenne pepper and paprika if desired.

You might want to add some Monterey Jack cheese to the pot and stir to melt.

Serve chili in a bowl. Garnish with cilantro, sour cream, extra cheese---even pico de gallo and guacamole, if you have some on hand. Roll up warm corn tortillas and serve on the side of the bowl.  Or it is delicious with Frito's or even sweet corn bread.  Whatever your heart desires!!! 

Love Our Hogs

We had a busy busy game day and a big victory over the South Carolina Gamecocks yesterday.  Here is a family picture before Flint and I headed off to the game and a picture of the Razorbacks taking the field!

In honor of the victory and our #8 ranked Hogs, I thought I would share this video of Cilla singing the Arkansas fight song.  This video was taken back at the beginning of football season but still worthy of sharing.  She knows all of the words, but she likes to add different mascots into the song in place of "Go Hogs!" and she gets a little side-tracked with all the jumping around.  Pardon my voice.  

Without further ado......

                                    

We are such proud parents!

GO HOGS!

Brighter Days

I have been home with a sickling today, so I thought I would share a few pictures of brighter days.

Here are a few more pics of our venture out to the U of A.

Sweet sweet smiles.

She had the best time running around and playing in the leaves.

 So much to take in.

We had breakfast at IHOP Sunday morning with Nana and Poppa before they headed home.  We told Cilla to make a silly face like her pancake.  This was was we got.....

 Enjoying a little froyo after running around the college campus.  Cilla always requests Orange Leaf or TCBY when we go to the U of A!  You can tell it is good to the last drop!

 And to add to the randomness.....

This girl is crazy about sidewalk chalk.  Here is one of our masterpieces!

 We got to spend a little time with our old "roommate", Kelli and her sweet little guy, Jake.  Cilla is nuts about Kelli (and Josh) and soaks in every moment she gets to spend with them.  I just love this picture of Cilla, Kelli and Jake.

She also loves loves loves her puppy dogs.  I think the feelings are mutial...most days!

Tomorrow is a new day and we are hoping to have a healthy little gal.  She has lots of fun ahead of her this weekend!