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10 Things I Love About Fall

Sunday, September 20th, 2009

Out of all four seasons, fall is by far my favorite. It has been since I can remember. There are so many great things about fall, here are ten of my favorites!

Apple Orchards – Growing up I would go pick apples with my grandma at Haney’s and grab and apple pie. Now that I live in Bowling Green I like to frequent Jackson’s Orchard for an apple cider slush, apple pie, and great fall atmosphere!
Pumpkins and Halloween parties – For the last three or four years Ben and I have hosted a Halloween party. We aren’t very social people, but this has come to be something our friends expect each year. We have contests for the best costumes and we even have a pumpkin carving contest. Last year the carving was kind of a dud for several reasons, but we hope to pick it back up this year.
Fall leaves – I love the colors that fall brings: reds, oranges, yellows…they are all so great. I like to watch them change on the trees and then float to the ground. One of the best sounds in the world is walking along on a leaf covered path and hear the leaves crunching beneath your feet. So peaceful! And believe it or not, I actually enjoy raking leaves. Too bad our wimpy trees don’t have enough to warrant raking!
Apples – Caramel apples, applecake, apple muffins, apple pie…the list could go on forever! Each year at school we have an apple unit and for the culmination we have an Apple Celebration. Each family is invited to send in their favorite apple dish and then we have a taste test with the kids. It is so much fun to see all the creativity and taste the deliciousness.
Weather – Cool and crisp…not too cool like in the winter and not too crisp like on really windy days, but just perfect. Perfect for long walks with my puppy and my baby! Perfect for afternoon and evening rounds of disc golf with my husband and friends.
Fires in the backyard – We haven’t had our fire pit for very long (I think right at a year), but fires on a fall night our the best. I have just recently rediscovered my love for smores, but only if Ben makes them for me!
Fall Food – Chili and Thanksgiving food are two of my favorites. I could eat a big bowl of homemade chili almost every night in the fall. And don’t get me started on Thanksgiving food: mashed potatoes and gravy, veggie casseroles, rolls, pumpkin pie…just around the corner and my tummy is already starting to rumble!
K-Scope Showcases – I love watching what kids can create when given a positive outlet to do so. Kaleidoscope showcases never let me down!
Fall Break – I love my job for many reasons, but one in particular is the many breaks I get throughout the year, fall break being one of them. This year we are heading to the Smokey Mountains with some good friends of ours and I can’t wait! Leaves, crisp weather, good food and wonderful friends all combined together. Does life get any better?
Fall memories – Some of my favorite memories took place in the fall season. In college it was somewhat of a tradition for Ben and I, along with a couple of friends to take road trips to various places. Two of my favorites were the road trips we took to Baton Rouge and Maine over fall break. They were long car rides (which I probably wouldn’t be very good at today), but well worth it in the end! In high school many of my friends played soccer (a fall sport in Kentucky). I have many fond memories of sitting bundled up in a blanket cheering them on!

What are your favorite fall moments? I will end with some favorite fall pictures:

Jackson's Orchard Fall 2009

Favorite Halloween Costume - Cave People Fall 2007

Jackson's Orchard Fall 2008

Another look at our costume Fall 2007

Tags: apples, Ben, disc golf, fall, Halloween, Mikayla, Shiloh
Posted in Random |

Today is day nine in our Top Ten Lists. Today we venture into CyberWorld for our Top Ten Websites. I am taking mine a little different route than Ben, I am going to do my Top Ten Blogs. So here are they are in no particular order:

Happy in the in Between – This is my dear friend Catherine’s blog. We have been friends since elementary school. She is one of the few people in my life where I can be completely real with. We have been through so much together, and she knows me almost as well as Ben! She is going to have a baby in December and I couldn’t be more thrilled! Mikayla and her little one are going to be great friends I just know it! Her husband is pretty great too. He has a blog, but hardly ever updates it! They are one of Ben and I’s favorite couples in the whole world. Ben and Dave actually grew up together as well.
My Charming Kids – This dear family has endured so much, but throughout it all keeps a positive attitude. I started reading MckMamma’s blog about a year ago. She is a mom to four adorable children, the youngest of which has SVT (a rare heart condition). They have battled her son’s SVT since birth, but even throughout the heartaches she remains positive. She is also a wonderful photographer, I love looking at the pictures. Even though I don’t know this family personally, I feel like I do because I read the blog so often!
The Diaper Diaries – In case you didn’t read this post on Ben’s blog, Mikayla is being cloth diapered. At first people thought we were crazy, but after awhile people just wished us luck! So far I haven’t had a problem with cloth, I honestly can’t imagine spending fifty bucks a month for disposable diapers. Anyway, I digress. This blog is a great resource for those using cloth diapers. These are also some of my other favorite cloth diapering blogs: this and this.
Cake Wrecks – I think this blog is hilarious! The author finds cakes that have huge errors, or are just ridiculously funny and post pictures and comments about them. The author is very witty. If you need a good laugh, check this one out.
Joy the Baker – Another funny/witty blogger. Joy loves to bake and take photos, and combines both in her blog. Her passion for life really comes through in her presentation. She has some amazing recipes, and whether or not they are tasty, they look delicious!
Meal Planning Mommies – This is a group of three mommies and their adventures with meal planning. Recently they have take a blogging sabbatical, but when they were more active they would plan out weekly meals. They would post the frugal meals on their blog including grocery list, recipes and pictures. Their recipes were always easy and crowd pleasers. I hope once they all have their babies (they all had kids and were pregnant at the same time), they get back into the blogging routine.
Jenny Bakes – Another random baking blog (cooking blogs is somewhat of an obsession of mine). She is not afraid to experiment and admit her mistakes. I love the honesty.
Friends Blogs – I also stalk read a lot of blogs written by friends. Here are some of the more visited ones: Katie, Jenny, Jason, Michelle, Stephanie, Sarah, Cheyenne, and Bella/Jennfier.
The Africa Mercy – This is Ben’s cousin Jana’s blog. She is not afraid of adventure and will often take off for six month adventures. Her most recent adventure is working on a Mercy Ship in Benin, Africa. She is a physical therapy and has been using her expertise to help the people living there that can’t afford expensive medical assistance.
Other favorite websites – Even though I mentioned at the beginning of this post that this would be my Top Ten Blogs, I decided to make Number Ten, some of my favorite websites. They are as follows: Craig’s list, Amazon, Autism Society of America, Facebook, The Weather Channel, All Recipes and Google. I know I am kind of boring, but that is just who I am.

If you are a blog reader and have not discovered Google Reader, you should check it out. It makes it easy to organize and keep up with all the blogs you read. Check back soon for Day Ten of the Top Ten Lists.

Tags: Autism, Ben, Cooking, friends, Mikayla, recipes, Top Ten, websites
Posted in Random |

10 Random Facts

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

Today’s Top Ten List is 10 Random Facts. By the end of this post you will probably know more random facts about me than you bargained for. Some of you may know some of these, but hopefully you will learn something new about me. Ready or not, here we go!

Evens OCD – Most people are semi-aware of this one. Everything I do has to be in evens. This was worse in college, but still exists today. When I eat, I eat two of everything and if I am only eating one (like a piece of chicken) I take an even number of bites. I don’t even realize I am doing this half the time. If I touch something, I have to touch it twice (for the most part). It is an obsession I know, but I manage it! I mean in some way we all have our little OCDs
Alarm clock – There are only certain numbers I can set my alarm clock to. I can’t really explain the madness, it is just that way. Obviously odd times are out (see Random Fact Number 1). Then when it comes to even certain numbers are out as well. Times ending in zeros and eights never get set (i.e 3:00 or 3:08). That leaves 2, 4, and 6 (i.e. 4:06 or 4:14). Six is by far the most common time to set my alarm clock, but two and four are acceptable as well!
Cutting split ends – This was a favorite pasttime in college. When I got bored in class I would search my hair for split ends and cut them or break them apart. I ran a contest against myself to see how big of a split I could find! I think my biggest split was 10 on the same hair. Again, I know it is strange, but this list is Ten Random Facts.
Picking things (scabs, scalp, sunburn, you name it) – Who doesn’t like to pick scaps and sunburns? Oh wait, is that just me? As a child my sister and I would take turns putting sand in each others hair so we could pick it out. It was a challenge to find all the grains of sand. Even today I love to pick at things. Just ask Ben! I have to restrain myself from picking at the scratches Mikayla has made from her fingernails!
Nostril sizes – This is probably Ben’s favorite flaw to pick out on me. My nostrils are two different sizes. One is short and fat and the other long and skinny. If he hasn’t already shown you, next time you are with us, just ask him about it. I think it comes from all the years of him picking my nose (ask anyone we hung out with in highschool and they can explain), but I am not sure!
Birthmark – This one is a little personal, but hey we are all friends! My birthmark is located on my bottom. I think Mikayla has one on her eye (we can’t tell if it is going to stick around or not), she is much luckier than me!
Name sake – I was named after my Great Aunt Ann Elizabeth. My parents named me Elizabeth Ann. My daughter is named after Martin Luther King, Jr. Both are pretty cool if you ask me.
Nephews – I have two nephews that I adore! I don’t get to see them very often, but when I do it is priceless. Tyson, or T-bone as some call him, is two and full of energy. He makes me laugh. He is talking up a storm these days too.Tanner, on the hand, is almost one and lazy! He isn’t really lazy, he just seems it compared to his big brother. Tanner just learned to crawl. I can’t wait to see it! My sister has her hands full!
Great Grandparents – When I was born I had six great grandparents that were living. I only really knew four of them, but thought this was a fun fact. Sadly, I have since lost all of these great grandparents. I spent many days with my Great Granny Carew. Lillian was her first name and we used it for our daughters middle name. Granny Carew would make us grilled cheese sandwiches when we came to visit. She would also make yellow cake with homemade chocolate syrup for us to enjoy. These are still two favorites of mine today. People think I am funny when I make a yellow cake and put chocolate syrup on it instead of icing, but this is the way that Granny Carew used to make it! My Great Granny Clark (fondly known as Leila Belle) was a collector. Two of her most famous collections were corn husk dolls and a stuffed doll (I am not sure of the exact name of these). Both of these collections were passed down to grandkids and great grandkids when she passed away. Mikayla has 7 great grandparents alive today!
Fingernail wart – This last fact is really random, but I am running out of ideas! I have a massive wart under my ring finger on my right hand. I have tried to put wart remover on it to get rid of it, but it always seems to come back. I have had warts in some capacity forever it seems like, I actually think I passed this on to my loving husband unfortunately. In high school I had a planters wart that was so bad I had to have it dug out by a dermatologist. I couldn’t condition for basketball (bummer 😉 ) and had to walk around with socks on one foot and bandages on the other. It was attractive!

Well, that ends my ten random facts. How many did you already know? Is there anyone besides my husband who knew them all? What about you, what are some random facts about yourself?

Here is a random family photo to go along with my Ten Random Facts

Tags: Ben, Family, Mikayla, Top Ten
Posted in Random |

10 Books

Tuesday, July 21st, 2009

Disclaimer: Nice Sunday at KY lake with Ben’s family (pictures to come) + last day at KAP was insanely crazy (every student was out of sorts, it was basically crowd control) + entertained KY Kickert’s and Steve tonight = One tired Sugar Mamma. Post is going to be short and to the point. The equation above should explain why I am two days behind on this one! That being said, enjoy today: Top Ten Books.

In the past year or two I haven’t had the chance to do much “free reading”. I was working on my second masters, pregnant, and working full time, so free reading was non-existent. However, I do teach kindergarten and so I read a lot of children’s books. I thought I would make this list my Top Ten Children’s books. They are as follows:

The Secret Garden – I read this book over and over as a kid. I am not sure why I like it so much, but it is definitely a favorite of mine!
Any Dr. Seuss book – Ben says this is cheap, but I love them all, just ask my kids at school. We actually spend two weeks during the year doing nothing but Dr. Seuss activities!
Little Women – I just re-read this a couple of years ago, what a great story. I read it as a kid, but I think I missed out on a lot of the story.
The Giving Tree – Shel Silverstein is a great author and this is one of his best books!
Runaway Bunny – A classic children’s story of a young bunny who tries to run away from his mother, but his mother follows him every step. He discovers that he can’t run from his mother because she loves him so much.
Chicka Chicka Boom Boom – This is one of my favorite read alouds, the kids really get into this one.
Charlotte’s Web – This is another one of my favorite chapter books from my childhood. Wilbur is hilarious, and Charlotte is very sweet. I cry at the end everytime.
Bread and Jam for Frances – I am not sure why I like this one so much, but I really enjoy it.
The Polar Express – Another one of my favorites to read aloud. We also make a train and enjoy hot chocolate while listening to the story.
Alexander and the Terrible, Horrible, No Good Very Bad Day – Why? Because sometimes we just have a bad day!

I have several other favorites, and maybe when I am not so tired I will share those, but this is my list for now. This tired Sugar Mamma is going to bed! Night all!

Tags: Ben, books, KAP, Masters, Mikayla, Top Ten
Posted in Life, Random |

10 Places

Saturday, July 18th, 2009

These are my Top Ten Favorite Places to be:

My bed snuggled with Ben, Shiloh and Mikayla – This one should explain itself. Two of my favorite people, my dog and my comfy cozy bed. Does it get any better than this?
Waterfalls – I love them all, big or small. I could sit and watch a waterfall for hours. I think they are some of the prettiest things God created.
Frank Lloyd Wright House built on a waterfall

Ohiopyle Waterfall
Guatemala – Spent a summer here with Amy and fell in love with it, the people and the culture. The food is awesome, the people are so loving and accepting and the countryside is gorgeous. My brother just led a group down there for 10 days. I couldn’t go because of commitments here (mainly Mikayla), but I relived my summer there when I saw pictures.
Coffee shops – While in Guatemala I developed a love for coffee and cute coffee shops. In college coffee shops were a popular hangout spot with friends and mentors. Today I enjoy heading to a coffee shop with a good book or some good friends and enjoying a nice, steamy cup of joe! In Bowling Green, my favorite coffee shop is Spencer’s on the square.
Outdoors – I love being outside on a sunny, slightly breezy day. You can do so much outdoors (and a lot of my favorite places are outdoors). In the summer time we love to start a fire and sit around the pit watching movies on the side of the house. In college we would spend an entire day rock climbing. Walking through the woods on a crisp fall afternoon with the leaves crunching underfoot is another favorite. There is so much to do outside, why would anyone want to be glued to a tv screen?
Anywhere with family and friends – I love spending time with family, even if it is just a quick trip to Target! My love language is quality time and just being together is enough for me.
On a disc golf course – Steve and Luella introduced me to this fabulous game about three summers ago. I have been playing it ever since. BG has some of the best courses in the state. We actually have 8 courses. If you unfamiliar with disc golf check out this informational video. I have some fond memories of times on the disc golf course – like the time I played disc golf in the rain in Florida with Cat, Dave, Ben and Potter…good times!. Check out these photos:
Disc golf in Ohiopyle with some great friends

Disc golf woth some of my favorite kiddos! The love it as much as me!

Disc golf in Hartford with the Pavey's
In the garden (vegetable garden that is) or a pick your own orchard – As mentioned earlier I love being outside. What better way to spend the day than harvesting fruits and veggies? This is mine and Ben‘s third year gardening. This year we have our garden at our house. Check out this post. I also enjoy a good pick your own orchard. As a kid we would go with my grandma to Haney’s and pick apples. Last summer I went with Dana to The Orchard to pick blackberries (which were made inti blackberry jam) and snagged some blueberries across the street.
The Farm – My grandparents farm holds some great memories for me. We always argued over which route to take (1, 2, 3, or 4), even to this day I will say let’s go Number 3! Then we would take turns driving up the driveway (this was before we had licenses of course). Even as a little child, dad would put us behind the wheel and let us “drive”. Fishing, family dinners, gardens, blackberries, horses, golden retrievers, cinnamon rolls (but only at Christmas)…so many memories!
KAP (Kelly Autism Program) – I just discovered my love for KAP this summer (read here). I hate leaving Ben and Mikayla everyday, but I have really enjoyed my time there. Contrary to popular belief I get energized (most days) when working with these kiddos!

Tags: Ben, coffee, disc golf, Family, friends, Garden, KAP, Mikayla, Shiloh
Posted in Life, Random |

10 People

Wednesday, July 15th, 2009

If I could sit down and have coffee with anyone in the world, dead or alive, these are the Top Ten People I would choose:

Martin Luther King, Jr. – Such a powerful man…if only I could pick his brain for thirty minutes.
The Obama Family – They seem like a down to earth family that is working hard to make some positive change
Dr. Seuss AKA Theodor Seuss Geisel – Don’t judge or think I am silly. This man was a genius and I just love his books!
Bill Cosby – Not only is he funny, but he is smart. In my book, that is quite a combination and worthy of a cup of coffee.
Anne Frank – I have always been fascinated by the Holocaust, I would love to chat with her.
Rosa Parks – What was she really thinking on that bus? What would she have to say about the world today?
Helen Keller – She overcame so many obstacles. I really admire her perseverance and determination.
Abraham Lincoln – On of our most famous Presidents, yet he still got down on the level of children. Check out this correspondence with Grace Bedell.
Oprah Winfrey – There are things I like about her and things I dislike, but she has a huge influence on our society. A coffee break might be fun!
Albert Einstein – This one may seem odd to you, but I have my reasoning. You see, I wouldn’t want to talk to him about his experiments or reasons why he is famous. Instead I would want to talk to him about autism. Some people claim that he was a person with autism that had never been diagnosed. I would love to have coffee with him and see if he had some of the characteristics of ASD.

These are my Top Ten, who would you add to the list?

For those of you interested I have updated my Veggie Patties with pictures. And here is a fun picture of Ms. Mikayla!

How can you resist that smile?

Tags: Autism, Top Ten
Posted in Random |

10 Movies

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Here is the first in a series of top 10 lists that Ben and I are each posting. I cheated a bit and listed both children and grown up lists.

Children’s movies:

The Lion King – Makes me think of Africa! Love it.
Aladdin – This is a magical movie. The genie is my favorite character.
The Little Mermaid – I am not sure why, but I love this movie!
Willie Wonka and the Chocolate Factory – Chocolate, candy and fun…who could ask for anything more.
The Wizard of Oz – A group of people you wouldn’t picture being great friends, but they are. Reminds me of some of my groups of friends.
Finding Nemo – An underwater adventure filled with laughter and fun!
Horton Hears a Who – A classic Dr. Seuss movie, my favorite children’s author.
Mary Poppins – A spoon full of sugar…
Sandlot – You’re killing me Smalls…a great movie to quote.
E.T. – This was a favorite as a kid, but I honestly have not seen it since then. We watched it so much, we wore the tape out!

Grown Up Movies:

Cool Runnings – I used to watch this movie over and over in Emily’s basement…good times!
Dirty Dancing – Nobody puts Baby in a corner.
Pretty Woman – I love me some Julia Roberts
Billy Madison – A classic watched with my dear friend Gretchen. We worked for hours to get the “stair” dance down, never quite got it!
Shawshank Redemption – A wonderful movie that makes you think.
Schindler’s List – Just re-watched this one with Ben, really makes you wonder how anyone could be so cruel.
Hotel Rwanda – I cried very hard the first time I saw this one, and the second, and the third…you get the picture.
Blood Diamond – I am realizing I have some depressing ones, sorry but I love them.
Friends (The Series) on DVD – I went through almost the entire series while I was pregnant with Mikayla. Then finished the rest off while nursing her at night. I had it completed by the time she was one month old…is that depressing?
Grease – I think I can sing every song in this movie! Another classic, must see!

Tags: Ben, Mikayla, Top Ten
Posted in Random |

Top Ten

Tuesday, July 14th, 2009

Ben and I are preparing to launch a ten day series of Top Ten Lists. We are working on ten different lists of things about us. If you tune in for each list, by the end you will know more about us than you bargained for! We will start tomorrow with our Ten Favorite Movies. Check back in for all the Top Ten Lists and enjoy the fun.

This has nothing to do with my post, but isn't she cute?

Sleeping Beauty

Two loves of my life!

Tags: Ben, Top Ten
Posted in Random |

To Market, to market to buy a fat hen.

Saturday, June 20th, 2009

Does anyone else out there like shopping at the Farmer’s Market? I absolutely love it. Fresh fruit and veggies, homemade breads and goodies, dog biscuits, crafts, cheese, coffee…the list could go on. I try and attend the Farmer’s Market here in Bowling Green by the Medical Center on a weekly basis. (However, with Mikayla my track record hasn’t been so hot! We typically make it each week, but by the time we get there it is close to closing and the top picks are mostly gone.) That being said I wanted to offer up some Farmer’s Market tips for anyone thinking about venturing out to one.

1. Spread the wealth. There are a ton of marketers at each market and each one worked hard for their product. Don’t spend all your money at one vendor.

2. Check it out before you begin shopping. I typically stroll down the aisle of vendors once before I begin making purchases. By doing this I am better equipped at spreading the wealth!

3. Take cash. Sure some vendors will accept checks, but cash makes the transitions quicker and more efficient. Plus, you will know exactly what you are spending.

4. Pre-order. Some vendors will actually do pre-orders. Here in BG there are actually two that do: O’Daniel Farms and Au Naturel Farms. Pre-ordering saves you time and ensures that you get exactly what you want.

5. Shop the market first. Since Farmer’s Markets only sell what is in season at the time it is best for you to shop at the market and then head to the grocery store for anything you didn’t get.

6. Get there early! This is perhaps one of the best pieces of advice. Farmer’s Markets do not have an unlimited supply of products, once they run out they are out. If you don’t show up until thirty minutes before the market closes, you will probably not find much produce (trust me I know from experience).

7. Talk to the farmers. They are a wealth of information. Plus once you get to know them they might cut you some deals! Everyone loves a good deal. If I am having trouble with my garden at home or just have a gardening question, I know I can talk to the farmers at the market and get the questions answered.

Can you tell I love shopping at the Farmer’s Market? I hope Mikayla wakes up soon so we can head out there today!

Tags: Farmer's Market, vegetables
Posted in Random |

Hello blog-world!

Wednesday, June 17th, 2009

Hello blogging world! Since I follow several (and by several I mean lots) of blogs, I thought it was only appropriate that I start a blog of my own. So…here it is! What do you think? I am not much of a writer and I stay pretty busy, so I can’t make any kind of promises as to how often I will blog. That being said, let me explain my blog title: A Sugar-Mamma’s Thoughts. The title was a joint effort by my husband and I. Here is the explanation:

Sugar-Mamma – I teach kindergarten and love it! Wouldn’t trade my job for anything. My husband stays at home with our baby. Thus making me his Sugar Mamma.

My sweet kiddos at Christmas time!

Sugar – I love to cook and hope to share some of my passions with the blog world.

Mamma – This one is pretty obvious. I am a mother to a beautiful 7 week old baby girl. Mikayla Lillian Kickert! We think she is the most beautiful thing in the whole world, but we are her parents. Judge for yourself. I am also a “mamma” to our dog Shiloh. She is a rescue from the Humane Society, and in my opinion the best dog ever.

My wonderful husband and Mikayla

Mikayla

My other baby, Shiloh

Thoughts – I plan on including anything else random under this category.

I am glad you stopped by my blog. Check back soon for some of my ramblings!

Tags: Ben, Mikayla, recipes, Shiloh, teaching
Posted in Random |

Archive for the ‘Random’ Category

10 Things I Love About Fall

10 Websites

10 Random Facts

10 Books

10 Places

10 People

10 Movies

Top Ten

To Market, to market to buy a fat hen.

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