Wednesday, May 1, 2013

Welcome Back to Turner's Take

It has been far to long since I stepped away from my little blog

Turner's Take
My absence was on purpose but just kind of happened as life picked up and my baby girl is becoming more of an active toddler everyday.
Harper is now 18 months and doing great I promise in the next week or so I will have a big update for you on our sweet girl who brings us so much joy and love everyday.
It seems that the last few months went by in a blink of an eye. Joe has been working crazy hours which meant we weren't able to travel for Easter or do whole lot for about 2 months. Now that is over and his hard work has paid of with a well deserved promotion! Have I mentioned I love how ambitious that guy is!
I am doing good. I thought Spring was never going to come and had vowed to Joey that if it didn't show up in April we were moving somewhere warm. Luck for our family it showed up in the last few days!!!
Working around our house has been one of our main activities as well. We just finished out main floor bathroom re-do! Next up is landscaping the front and the back, thank goodness we don't have to do it! After that comes new flooring for the kitchen , and some painting in the rooms and after that a possible sign in our front yard!!!
My birthday was last week and to say that I wasn't jazzed about entering my last year of 20's is an understatement, that all changed though because m dear friends and family planned me a wonderful surprise party and the hubby and I were able to get away for a weekend getaway to Galena which was awesome!
The look of the blog is going ot be changing in the next few days so it you check in and things are a little upside down, dont worry they will work out!
More to come in the next 2 weeks!

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

15 Months

As I typed 15 moths into the title of this blog post I just couldn't believe it. Time has been going by so fast lately and Harper is changing and growing into a little lady right before our eyes.

She recently had a check-up and here are her stats

Weight: 25 1/4 lbs in the 80%

Height: 31 1/4 inches the 75%

Photo: Her future's so bright...

The doctor said she is looking great and doing everything that a 15 month-old should be!" Here are a few more details of our sweetheart.

Sleeping: We have been blessed from the beginning with Harper and she has been a great sleeper with her naps and at nighttime. Recently we have noticed though that she must be dreaming alot because she will make sounds in her sleep. She is still taking 2 naps most days.  She can go with 1 a day but she is much more fussy before bedtime.

Eating: About 2 weeks ago she went on a food strike and would only eat berries I was worried that my once good eater was gone but she returned and is back to eating just about anything. I have been making a bunch of different smoothies in the mornings for myself and she loves them as well. We have noticed lately that she really likes to feed herself at meals and we have started giving her baby utensils to try to get the hang of.

Playing: Harper loves to get out all of her toys and play hard. She loves her baby doll, stroller, blocks, and books. She loves to plop down on your lap and have you read a book to her. She plays with her numerous fake phone calls and has full conversations.  If she has her sippy cup with her she will be asking to cheers you about 10 times in a row.

Clothes: She is wearing 18-24 months and needs the length, this girl has long legs and we have a feeling that she is going to be tall.

Harper can do the following:
get up onto the couch
get off the couch/bed
waves goodbye and hello
can say dadda, momma, cheers, please, drink, more, all done, and squeals really loud if you do.
does downward dog pose
likes to squat
runs in place
tells us when she has gone #2
plays peek-a-boo
imitates someone laughing
does high 5
gives hug and kisses when asked
bear crawl
Photo: It is a good afternoon for some Yoga!!!

In the next few months we will be tackling some hard things like getting rid of her beloved bottle in the morning. She only has one bottle a day but we know the time is nearing where we need to say goodbye. We are also going ot say good-bye to paci. Harper loves her paci so much that we know it wont be easy but we can do it!!!

We love you so much Harper Regina

Monday, January 14, 2013

The Color of 2013

I don't know if you have heard this yet but Pantone has named the color for 2013 and  Icouldnt be more pleased with their decision.

Emerald Green

I love this color and couldn't be more excited to wear it all year long.

A little emerald I received as a Christmas gift


The Emerald color is al about prosperity, and growth who doesnt love that???
Are you happy with this decision or not?

Friday, January 11, 2013

HGTV Dream House 2013



Well it is that time of year again!!!! HGTV gives away a dream home along with some sweet other prizes every year. And this year they dont dissapoint.

The house is located in Charleston, South Carolina and has an amazing vew


Joe and I have entering everyday and are crossing our fingers that we win this year. Along with the house yo uwin $500,000 and a new GMC


Here is Joe's favorite part of the house


My favorite part of the house

Don't get me wrong I love all aspects of the hous but the outdoor entertaining really appeals to me since I live in the midwest and outdoor entertaining is a hit or miss and limited to about 3-4 months out of the year!

WHO IS COMING TO VISIT?

Thursday, January 10, 2013

looking back on Sandy Hook Elementary



Another catastrophic day was etched into America’s heart on December 14th 2012.Just like on September 11, 2001 we will never forget when the TV broke with the news of the shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary killing 20 children and 6 teachers. Sadly our hearts have heard this tale before of a deranged person going into a school and and killing innocent people for unknown reasons.
These recent events have tugged at my heart like never before. I believe this time it has hit me differently because I am a parent of a young child. I was baking cookies with my grammie and daughter when the news channel broke through the normal televised program with the devastating news. We immediately took a seat and were horrified with the events that were unfolding.
How could this happen. . . . AGAIN?
How could this happen to babies? Yes in my opinion these children were still babies.
Over the next couple of days the TV imploded with the coverage of the events, social media was filled with outrage, sadness, and varying opinions and I started to question the world that my children are going to grow up in.
The day after the shooting Robbie Parker, father of deceased Emilie Parker, 6, took part in a news conference expressing his deep appreciation for the outpouring of love and prayers and said that he does not have anger towards the killer but a deep sadness. He concluded his speech by stating how proud he is to be Emilie’s father. What a true and perfect statement for all parents about their children, for they fill our hearts with joy and pride everyday. When we become parents it is such a surreal experience, there is a piece of our hearts that is forever outside our body in our children. Parenthood brings us immense joy but with everyday that piece of our heart is growing, changing, and slowly distancing from us.
Days have passed since the shooting and it is evident that something has to change in our nation so this doesn’t happen again. There is no one answer in my opinion but rather this is a multi-faceted situation of the mental health system, gun control, and the culture of our nation. The future of our nation relies on our children. If we don’t like where we are as a culture we must look to our children and choose a different path. Do we choose compassion in difficult situations? Do we choose fear? Do we choose anger? Do we choose a pro-active spirit that engages real change in our society?
My hope and prayer is that the events at Sandy Hook Elementary inspire a call to action for this nation. Parents must become more engaged in what is important to us. We have the power for change whether it be joining the PTA, voting on various topics that impact our children, taking up petitions for change, or using our voice for what we want-we must do something. I challenge you to take action whether it be for more arts in the school, new lock-down procedures, additional resources for teachers, stricter gun laws, additional resources for menatlly-ill, etc. Choose a matter and use your voice. This post is intended to inspire a discussion about the events at Sandy Hook, the climate of our schools, and the dreams and hopes for the culture that our children will grow up in.

Monday, January 7, 2013

Christmas 2013

After a LONG LONG break from blogging Guess what??? I am BACK!!!

We had so many holiday get together and I wanted to soak up the time with family so this week will be jam packed with updates from this Haluska family!

We had a great holiday with family. Joe was able to take 2 weeks off from work which made Harper and I so very happy to have extra time with him. Unfortunately we did get another bout of the flu and it took all 3 of us down which was no fun, but overall it was great!!!

We spent 5 days in Indianola. A big snowstorm hit which was pretty but had us inside the house for 2 days straight. We spend a day in Des Moines shopping which is never a bad things. We did a cookie baking day and had a fun Christmas get-together with that side of the family!!! We did however miss Joe's sister Kelsey who was unable to come home since she lives in Hawaii.

After that we headed to Geneseo on Christmas Eve to spend the day with my family. Harper had a great time because she loves being around other kids. Even though the closest in age to her is Madeline who is 6 she loves it! Christmas Eve we enjoyed a fun night at my uncle and aunts who throw a themed evening every year!

Christmas day we woke up at our house which I love. Bringing Harper down the stairs was such a happy memory and hearing her squeal was the best!!! My mom was with us and we opened presents with Champagne and Breakfast casserole.

The weekend after Christmas we headed to Albia for another Haluska get-together. We checked out the new brewing company in Alba which is slot of un! and Harper got to spend time with her 2 cousins!

New Years wasn't so great because the flu arrived and took us ALL down.

We are very grateful for the time we had together, the family we love and the memories we made.


Wednesday, November 28, 2012

Our Favorites for November

November has come and gone almost and I thought a new post that I would do towards the end of the month would a feature on what the Haluska family is loving at that very moment.

Joe's Favorite-besides being showered with love and gifts on his birthday he is loving the show American Horror Story. It is pretty hard to get Joe interested in anything besides sports but every week when Wednesday rolls around he wants to make sure we can sit down and enjoy the show!! It is pretty scary/creepy in my opinion.

Erin's Favorite-IT was very hard for me to narrow it down to one thing. But those are the rules for these posts 1 favorite and 1 only.  Right now my favorite are Candy Cane Jo-Jo's from Trader Joe's. When I was in Naperville last time I picked up some of these and for me they are a little sneak peak of what is to come for December and the Christmas spirit. Plus they are delicious!!!

Harper's Favorite-Harper's new favorite isn't really a thing right now but rather a talent. She recently started doing this and absolutely loves doing it now. Whenever we sit down to eat dinner or during the day this is all she wants to do!! What a big girl!

Thanksgiving 2012

Thanksgiving is such a wonderful holiday in my opinion. It is a time to reflect on family and friends that you are so grateful for when life is going at warp speed.

Our Thanksgiving weekend started on Wednesday night when daddy got home from a long couple of weeks on travel. We were so excited to see him that we got all dolled up and went out for a fancy dinner.

This is Harper giving Daddy his birthday card, a turkey from her hand and footprints. His birthday was on Thanksgiving this year so it was fitting for the occasion.
 
It was so great to go for a nice dinner with my loves. Have I mentioned what my new winter drink is, a white russian. It is vodka, Kahlua, and a splash of cream!!!
Here is my sweetheart and I at dinner
 
After dinner we headed home and finished out packing since we wanted to get on the road bright and early the next day. Thanksgiving day we loaded up the vehicle and began out trip by listening to The Polar Express on cd in the car. I love that story such a classic. We had Thanksgiving with Grandpa and Grandma Zanoni and a relaxing evening at their house. Friday we braved the crowds for some great deals. We stopped and visited with nana as well in Albia and enjoyed seeing some of Joey's friends from college.

Saturday night we headed home since we had lots to do in anticipation for the following weekend.

The Haluska's are very thankful for a warm and loving home, a great group of friends that we love and that make the WC feel like home, and family that is always there to support us!

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Blackberry Market

Over the last 4 year I traveled to the Naperville/Wheaton area quite frequently so  I have frequented many of the shops and restaurants. It is a wonderful area and I adore spending time in both areas since I am surrounded by family.

Recently a friend of my aunts began a journey to open a res truant in the Wheaton/Glen Ellyn area. I know her personally as well because she has helped me when I have been watching the She-She's.

On Halloween I was able to talk to her about her restaurant. It is going to be AMAZING and it makes me wish there were more places like this where I live. Friday and is shop small business day, remember to support your local vendors and shops on this day.

Below is a video about Blackberry Market
http://www.indiegogo.com/blackberrymarket

I highly recommend watching it. They needed to raise $15,000 and did it through donations through their town!

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

It Is Almost That Time Of The Year

Good Morning Everyone,

I don't know about you but I am starting to get in the mood for some Red and Green. I know I ma being totally cliche since it isn't even Turkey Day but I can't wait for the Mr. to carry up the tubs of decorations and to get busy.

I had to share something that I have followed for you a few years and it is great during the Christmas season.

Food Network does an email series called the 12 Days of Cookies. Different chefs from the channel feature a different cookie for 12 days!!

Get Ready to Bake Food Network's Best Holiday Cookies

So go sign up today and get ready to be hungry and use alot of flour!!!!!

Wednesday, November 14, 2012

Wordless Wednesday

Halloween 2012 ( Yes I know it is November and I am just now posting a picture from Halloween, I must do better at keeping this blog up)
 
 
Harper was a very cute Oompa Lumpa!!!
 

Monday, November 5, 2012

Milk and Cookies Party Part 2

On to the next part of the party
The favor bags for the adults and favor kits for the kids.
A long time ago I saw on Pinterest how you could re-purpose formula cans and I loved this idea since we had an abundance of them. So I started saving them months before Harper's birthday and they were simple to dress up.
Inside the kits were crackers, crayons, paper to drawer on and a juice box. It was Perfect! Thanks targert for providing the the coordinated color scheme for the crackers! To cover the formula can I wrapped a simple piece of scrapboook paper around the outside!


The adult favor bags were simple brown paper bags with scrapbook paper to dress it up a bit! Inside was a red crush drink and my mom's special batch of "crack" crunch mix.
I had the favors in the foyer which made it very easy as people arrived and left to grab a bag!
Joey tackled a big part of the decorations as well and that was a hand drawn canvas all about Harper at 1. He did such a great job and it is perfect. It nows hangs in her room and I smile everytime I see it.

Above the cookie bar I had every picture from her monthly photo shoot on one side.

Tuesday, October 30, 2012

A Milk and Cookies Party Part 1

I started looking for ideas for Harper's party when she was 7 months old!! Yes I know that is early but I couldnt wait and there are so many cute ideas for children's birrhday ideas. I had 3 ideas going strong and narrowed it down to the milk and cookies theme by the time she was 9 months.  I loved this idea for the simplicity of the menu, and the idea of being able to do cute little touches along the way and in different areas of the party.
Let's start with the invitation. I looked, and looked, and looked and couldnt find one online that I really liked so I took the color scheme, and started to put together different ideas. I love how it turned out and although I spent a good week cutting out cookies, and milk bottles it was worth it at the end
 
 

The Color Scheme: I purposely picked something other than Pink! why?? Because I thought pink was to obvious of a choice and I wanted it to be something different because when Harper gets older I am sure she will want a pink girly party and we will have pink galore than!! The color theme was brown, reda nd white polka dots. I carried this theme through the invitations, decor around the house and favor bags.
Menu: The menu was extremly simple and was cookies and milk. I had chocolate and white milk and 6 differnt cookies. The cookies were Harper's Kisses, Fall Fest Cookies, Chocolate Chip, Grandma Eileen's Special Cookie, Chocolate Yummies, Yum Yum Balls.

 
Part 2 Coming Up!!!
 
 
 
 




Wednesday, October 17, 2012

A Year Of Harper

For Harper's Birthday party Joey made a video from this past year!! We had it playing on the tv for some of the party on autoplay. I love watching it!!! Thank you so much Joey for taking th time to do this!

We love you Harper Regina!!!!

Tuesday, October 16, 2012

12 Months Old

Harper Regina is 1 Year Old!!!

Height:30 inches

Weight:25 ilbs

Sleeping: Still doing great! She typically goes to bed around 8 and gets up at 7:30-7:45. She is still taking 2 naps most days but a few days a week she only has one. I can tell on the days that she only has 1 nap she is a little more sassy come dinner time. Either way for right now we are blessed that sleeping has been so well.

Eating: This girl loves to eat!!! She eats about 3 solid meals a day along with 2 snacks. She drinks from a sippy cup and has done great transitioning to only 2 bottles a day in the morning and at bedtime. Next month we are planning on moving towards only 1 bottle a day being at nightime.
Some of her favorite foods contuine to be fruit, veggies, pasta, and hot dogs!! Whole milk is what Harper drinks in her bottles and occasionally she gets a little bit of 100% of juice dilluted with water.

Playing: Harper is a dancer. If there is music on she is moving and bouncing up and down. Normally in the morning I am unloading the dishwasher and Harper stands at the dishwasher and dances as I put the dishes away. We recently got her a new carseat and she has loved the box that it came in. Sometimes the best toys are the ones that are the simplest.

Harper Can DO:
-Stand holding onto something
-Climb up the stairs all by herself
-Say Dada
-Say Momma
-Wave Hello and Goodbye
-point out her tummy
-point out her hair

Harper is still working on walking and standing along she is getting closer everyday!
I plan to contnue updates on Harper but they wont be every month.

More on Harper's Birthday Party to come!

Tuesday, October 9, 2012

A Weekend Away So The Parents Can Play

This past weekend me and the hubby headed on Thursday to KC to start the celebrations of Joe's best friend wedding. It was such a good time and despite the cold weather we had a great time and got to soak up every adult moment.

The rehersal dinner was at a beautiful italian resturant called Trezo Mare. I loved the selection of dinnedr and the cold drinks!! This is a picture of the groom, Joe and I.

Unfotunately they had planned the ceremony and reception to be outisde and it was cold. But during the day I ran out and got some much needed tights to coplete my look for the evening.
 The tent was gorgeous and Katrina made all of the decor herself!!!
 Me and my the best man at the wedding! Love him!
Yes we had a very long weekend and Harper and I were in some much needed time in bed together sleeping!

Monday, October 8, 2012

Show and Tell: If


 

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1. If you could relive any memory in your life, tell us what it would be, and what/if anything you

would change about it?
I think every mother would automatically say the day their child was born. To change things up and be a bit different I am going to say my wedding day. Every single person that has gotten married would probably say the day goes by so fast. I would love to go back and relive that day over again. There are a few things I would change. I would love to be getting married at sunset. I love the color of a summer sun setting and I would love to be able to enjoy the day getting ready with my bridesmaids and family. I would love to get the rush I experienced again in seeing Mr. H standing at the altar and the once in a lifetime experience of saying those special vows to him again!
 
2. If you could be any celebrity or well-known person, show us who you would be.
 
I would be Savannah Guthrie the new host on the morning show The Today Show. She recently took over the anchor co-host position with Matt Lauer and she gets to do a variety of stories from current news topics, to fashion, cooking, etc. She always has a smile on her face and she gets to meet the group of fans outside everyday which seems like a great day to spend working.
 
 


3. If you won the lottery, tell us would take the lump sum or take the money overtime, would you continue working or quit right away, would you reveal who you are, and what are some of the first things you would spend with your money?
This is a question that the Mr and I talk about all the time on our road trips. First up I would take the money overtime. First I don't want to lose any of that money for a quick pay-out. Secondly we aren't in dire need of the lump sum so we can afford to take it in a monthly payment. Yes I would reveal myself but I wouldn't be interested in alot of publication or media attention. I would love for my husband to be able to quit working so we could travel, spend time together as a family and/or open a family business together.
 
4. If you could live anywhere, show us where it would be and tell us why.
This was alot of fun picturing where I would pic and searching for a house that I would choose. A year and a half ago Joe and I almost made the move to this state for a job opportunity for him but God would have a different plan for us at this time in life. I would choose for Tuscalossa, Alabama. It is a beautiful city, great southern charm and the University of Alabama is right down the street, roll-tide roll!

This is for sale in Tuscaloosa, AL right now!
 
 
 
5. If you could have one magic power, what would be and what would you do with it?
 
To fly. I know a very generic answer but I think it would be incredible to feel the wind beneath and the view that you could see. I think everyday I would take a quick fly around town and when traffic was bad I would put those wings to work!
 
Want to take part in show and tell next week the topic is
"When I was 17" and here are the questions
1. When you were 17, tell us what kind of car you drove, where you worked, and what you were usually up to on the weekends.
2. Show us a picture of you when you were 17 {roughly}.
3. When you were 17, tell us what you wanted to be when you "grew up."
4. When you were 17, tell us the kind of boys that you dated. Did you have a type? Do you have a relationship you remember well? Tell us about it.
5. When you were 17, tell us where you pictured your life 10 years from then. Did it turn out the way you expected it to?






 
 

 
 
 
 

Thursday, October 4, 2012

A Mantra For All

Good Morning All,
Can  you believe it is October already? I am having a hard time really believing it myself. September really flew by!

I found this saying the other day on the great and wonderful PINTEREST and wanted to share!
Pinned Image

Isn't it peaceful???To me iot is wonderful!
We have a big day ahead of us, Harper Regina's 1 year old pictures! Her outfit is laid out and we are crossing our fingers for big smiles!
Have a great day!

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

A Year Ago Today. . .

A Year Ago Today. . . . .. . . . .  ..

-I was starting to get pretty anxious about meeting the baby inside my belly!

-I was starting to go crazy wondering if it was a boy or a girl(I really thought it was a boy)

-I had come to the conclusion that I couldn't get any bigger

-My house was filled with little (very little) clothes

-My nails and toes were in tip top shape for the big event!

-Tums were constantly at my side

-My love for diet coke was SURGING since I knew a cold one was right around the corner!

and this is what I looked like

This was the actual picture I posted on October 3rd 2011 with my 37 weeks report!
And now I am enjoying this sweet face!
 
LIFE IS VERY SWEET

Tuesday, October 2, 2012

An Awesome DIY Cleaner

I must admit something right now on this blog. . . . I AM NOT VERY GOOD AT CLEANING MY HOUSE! I procrastinate and wait till I know I am going to have people over, or guests are coming over and then I do a mad scramble to clean and organize. This always creates stress in my household and I don’t like it at all. So, going into the Fall season, I decided this was something that was going to change in the Haluska household. I decided to try a cleaning schedule and sticking to it is a MUST!!!!
 
With this new cleaning regimen on the agenda, I started realizing that cleaning supplies are expensive and not the best to have in your home with a little girl that is very mobile. The search was on to find some great useful DIY cleaning recipes, and I must say that I hit the JACKPOT!
 
I have never liked the tile in my main floor bathroom, it always looked dirty to me and no matter how many times I scrubbed it with my Swiffer it never really looked that clean. Until the day that I went to the dollar store and stocked up on cheap toothbrushes, baking soda and water.
A scrubbing party started, and I was literally amazed at the difference that these simple, household items could make.
 
Kitchen/Grout Cleaner Recipe
1/2 Cup Baking Soda
4 Tablespoons of water
Mix these ingredients together, and you can use a sponge or toothbrush to clean your surface.
Here is a picture of a row of the floor that has been cleaned, a row that is about to be scrubbed, and the untouched portion-HUGE difference right?