Whole Wheat Rolls ~

My new (or old & resurfaced) favorite thing to do is to make bread. I had a huge failure a few weeks ago when I tried to make a whole wheat loaf...the bread didn't cook all the way and the longer it sat in the oven, the more it dried out. Then I tried it in the bread maker and ended up with a brick.

So, when it came time for a healthy food potluck at work today, I decided to make whole wheat rolls. This is my 4th time making them and each time they have turned out perfect. The loaf of bread may not work out yet, but the rolls are always a hit!

The ingredients:

The rising:

The Rolls a'risin:

The finished product:

Dining Room Decor Part II -

Finally I am getting around to posting the decorating finale of the dining room. Though there are still spots on the walls for some more pictures, or a clock, or some other wall art - I can at least say that the room is decorated.

Here is the dining room before:

        Window Wall:     

                                         

Long Wall:

Entry Door Wall:

After some painting and some picture hanging...here is the room now:

Window Wall:

Long Wall:

Entry Door Wall:

We went with Kilz "Mocha" paint color for the window and entry room door walls. It sends off a grayish color which helps to mute the dark/bright green walls. As you can see I will be on the look out for more wall stuff for the entry room wall.

Special thanks to my hubby for hanging my stuff up, and for helping me paint! Love You!

In the middle of ~

A horrible and rainy week, we finally had a beautiful sunny day. Just in time for little Alex's 1st birthday party! The gods must love him, we were just shocked at the beautiful day. Here are some pictures of the sunny b-day party:

Opening Presents...and then in the bag of presents!

Here is Alex's new pose. Sometimes he actually lays on his side and does the same type of pose. It's like he is asking for GQ to come knocking!

Then came the cake. At first he was really excited to see the cake......he almost couldn't contain himself.

Turns out he was only excited about the toy on top of the cake. Levi loved messing in his 1st birthday cake...Alex not so much.

He did not like getting all sticky and hardly touched the cake. He didn't even eat any of it!

In the end, the birthday boy feel asleep in his buggy. He was plum worn out.

What a sweet and loving little boy my Alex is. I can't believe how fast they grow. This year has flown by. It is amazing how quickly he has gone from an infant to a toddler.

Happy Birthday Little One!

Happy Birthday Little Monkey ~

Today is little one's birthday. He is the big 1!
I can't believe that it has been a year since he was born.

I couldn't have asked for a more perfect little baby - he loves to cuddle and snuggle. He sleeps at night, eats almost everything we feed him (no picky boy here). He loves his big brother, smiles when he sees us coming in to pick him up from work. He is walking, starting to drink from his sippy cup and growing so fast. Soon he will be out of his crib and in the beloved Thomas the Train bed (see this post).

Oh, it makes my heart flutter and as I sigh, I think how quickly he will be 5 and getting ready for kindergarten. Then, 15 and getting his learners permit. Then, 25 and graduated from college and off to run his own life.

I can't wait to go home tonight and hug my little one and cherish another night where he is still our little boy.