Check List

Ok... so while blog hopping last night I was reading The Lazy Organizer and she had a punch list called Mommies Mission Impossible. It's all the stuff that wants/needs to get done. She made it last year and then had an updated one recently. I decided that I need to go through everything that I've done just within the last few months and maybe I'll feel better. Right now I just feel like a big slug!!

Things that we've done in the past year(ish):

1. Completely re-did Payton's room
2. Completely re-did Phoebe's room
3. painted one wall of my living (2 to go)
4. bathroom wallpapered
5. bathroom ceiling wallpapered - it looks soo cool!
6. bathroom panelling almost done - one more piece left
7. bathroom woodwork painted
8. had professional install ceiling fan in dining room and on porch
9. rearranged 4 rooms!
10. bought new couch, a sectional... hehe (still waiting for it to get delivered though!)
11. bought new computer
12. finally hung wall mirror in my room

Just a few things that need to get done:

1. Replace vanities in both apartments
2. Replace oil tank
3. Yard sale in september to get rid of all of our stuff!!
4. Empty sunroom to turn it into my work zone
5. Finish the bathroom
6. Finish the walls in the living room
7. Paint cabinet in Kitchen
8. Stain the deck
9. Somehow set up an organizational system Chef Hubby can work with!!
10. Find a new rug for the bedroom

OK - that's all my little brain can come up with for now, but I'm sure there's more! I will try to keep it updated... wish me luck!

Cool Ideas!

So I don't really feel well but don't want to go to bed... Chef Hubby already let me take a nap, so I'm blog surfing again. I just wanted to share some of the stuff that I've found:

1. Cheap and free toys for young children by Simple Mom
2. Stapleless Paper Chains by World Press Mom
3. Scrabble Tile Pendant Tutorial by Make and Takes

OK - so those are a few... I ended up reading a whole bunch of stuff in hopping from place to place forgetting that I was making my list... lol! Anyway, Chef just shut off the tv and did the "Goin to bed?" groan, so I guess I'm done for the night now too. Have a good one!

I have tons of pics that I have to post... Lots of the kids outside, with ice cream, with their future boyfriends... hehe, Muffin Tin stuff, and even a few recipes. We also have Phoebe's birthday party tomorrow so definitely more to come! Everything has been so insane, I even had to pm one of my swap-bot partners to ask for an extension... man I'm tired!!! I will take pics of that stuff too!

Good night!

What Makes You Believe?

I can't sleep for some reason tonight, so I decided to do some of my blog hopping. I went to The Girl Loves to Talk and read a story about a couple who were severely injured in a plane crash. Another pilot on the plane was killed. He was a father of four older children, 13-25yrs. The couple have 4 small children, although I am not sure of their ages.

It's an awful story. They were both loving, caring, devoted individuals. VERY faithful mormons, apparently. The family is so upbeat. They are talking about how there is a purpose one way or the other and seem to be hopeful; almost eager. The couple has improved from critical patients to burn patients, and I can say that my prayers are with them.

My question is What Makes You Believe? I was never a religious individual. Growing up, I went through the motions, baptism and first communion in the Catholic church, then confirmation in the Episcopal church. I was even an acolyte in the church, but never really religious. I would even tell people, to the horror of my grandmother, that I was an aetheist. I don't think I ever really was an aetheist... possibly an agonistic, but still didn't really have anything to believe in.

It wasn't until I had my children that I started to believe something greater than me, or my husband, or the world, could possibly exist. But, when tragedy struck my family a year and a half ago, I wasn't looking for guidance of the church or the "purpose" behind it. I was looking for "WHY?". Why would something so horrible happen to someone I love? It was tough to believe that anything would want this to happen. That something awful happens for a reason. That in the end, it would all work out. So, what makes you keep believing?

Breakfast Muffin Tin

Can I once again profess my love for the muffin tin idea?!?! I love this thing! We do it all of the time actually. I think breakfast is actually the most popular just because I never know what I will be able to get the kids to eat. Today Payton had a banana before she ate breakfast because she got up a lot earlier than Phoebe and she only nibbled at the muffin tin, but man, Phoebe made up for that!!

I was going to make a blueberry coffee cake for breakfast, but I remembered that it was Breakfast Muffin Tin day, so I made some mini chocolate chip corn muffins instead. (They only took 10mins to cook instead of 45-50mins... don't think the kids would have waited) I still have to make the coffee cake now before the blueberries go bad, but I'm going to ship it out tonight with Chef Hubby when he goes to play cards with his buddies.

Anyway, here it is...

chocolate chip mini muffins, ham and egg scramble, bacon

Peanut butter english muffin, watermelon, waffle with cinnamon and sugar

They ate a LOT of it today too!! I'm very excited... hehe. Ever made a muffin tin, or even a meal that your kids just won't touch? I go through that just about everyday... it's so defeating after a while! Well, one meal down today. I actually bought the english muffins so the kids could make their own little individual pizzas for lunch or dinner. We have some cheeses and meats they can use. Hey, I should just make that into another muffin tin!! lol... I'm on a roll!

Hope you all have a great day - I get to start pre-season conditioning at the High School today. OK, well, I don't actually do the conditioning. I make sure that everyone has clearance, and there aren't any medical conditions, etc. I also get to take care of all of the athletes who decided they weren't going to prepare themselves over the summer for the fall sport. The first two weeks are AWFUL!!!

mmm... sleep!

So this morning I rolled over and looked at the clock... it was 9:45. Yes, 9:45! I freaked out. Chef hubby was just getting out of the shower and I asked him if the kids were ok. He said he thought so, but hadn't heard either of them yet. How could he have not at least checked on them? What if something was wrong? What if Payton fell off her little toddler bed and bumped her head on... I don't know, something?? They just don't sleep this late...

I jumped out of bed to make sure nothing was wrong! As I peaked into Payton's room, I saw that she wasn't in bed and neither were her blanket or stuffed bunny. She had crawled onto the cozy quilted rocker in the corner of her room and was "reading" a book to her bunny... hehe! When she saw me, she jumped down and ran over, "Mama"! It was cool.

Then we walked over to the other side of the house where Phoebe was sitting at her table, in her room, with a book and she had turned on her tv. Is it already that time where my kids can entertain themselves until I wake up, or is this a fluke?!?! I guess it doesn't really matter. In a few weeks, Phoebe is supposed to start pre-school, at least for two days a week, so we will be getting up earlier. I have to tell you though, after staying up to watch the olympics this week, this was a very welcome surprise!

Well, now I have to get my lazy butt into the shower so I can get ready for work. After waking up that late, there isn't much time left to get things done before heading out. Have a great day!

Commercial Break...

OK... so I am an athletic trainer. I get to help protect against injuries, as well as, care for all of the injuries that do occur at the high school I work at. I've worked in the collegiate level in both Division I and III... and I have to say, after seeing all I've seen, I can't figure out what sports to get my kids involved in!

I was thinking maybe soccer, but then there's year round soccer camps that I've had to cover, but not much equipment to buy. The same pretty much goes for volleyball and basketball. I love my athletes and think that girls should have the same opportunity for variety in sports... can we please get rid of the skirts in field hockey and girl's lacrosse though?!?! I mean come on, they have to wear goggles and mouthguards, they're tough sports, wear shorts!!

Then there's dance and cheering. Both are awesome physically, but dance has all these specialities and cheering has the bimbo stigma. Gymnastics is cute when they are little, with the tumbling and cartwheels, but Chelsie in the olympics was supposedly competing with a fractured ankle... what the heck is up with that?! I think this sport takes it a little too far. I mean, in China they take the kids away from their family when they are just 3 yrs old! Isn't the cruel?

Right now, I'm thinking that maybe I will put them both into Karate so at least they will always be able to protect themselves. I guess my big fear is that later in life they won't just be arguing over who stole who's shoes, but instead duking it out! OK - I guess that I won't be able to protect them from everything so I should just be thankful that football, at least in high school, is just for boys, and at this point, there are no rugby teams prior to college.

Am I alone in my concerns? I might just have different views because of my position on the sidelines for so long now. Who knows? All I know is I have 2 little kids with lots and lots of energy and at some point, I am going to have to chose an outlet for them to release it all!! Aaahhh!!

I NEED TIVO!!

OK, so this week I have been completely exhausted! I mean, I am dragging some serious butt! It's the olympics... I'm hooked! Sorry, I'm a little stressed. It's 10:45pm right now and they just said "Girl's gymnastics all around begins live, in 40 minutes"...

LIVE IN 40 MINUTES - are they serious?!! I have kids that get up in the morning. I haven't even really snuggled this week. I have a few swaps that end next Friday and I am trying like hell to force myself to get those done by the end of the weekend. I'm writing this while they are doing yet another background story of Michael Phelps... not that I'm complaining, this guys is freaking amazing!!

Well, I have to go - race is starting! Wish me luck!!

Getting Out with the Girls!

Today Elizabeth, Jenny, and I decided to get together for lunch because this is my last Monday off. Starting Monday, preseason at the high school starts and I get to work usual 5-6 day work week again... good and bad.

A major plus is that I don't have to be at school until 2:00pm instead of 12:30. That doesn't seem to make much of a difference, but it's HUGE!! I mean, the zoo doesn't even open until 10, so if we want to go, we have to rush in and out in order to get home to have lunch and do whatever needs to get done before mommy heads to work. I have to admit though, i am going to miss my three day weekends!!

OK, so anyway, we decided to meet for lunch. It sounds simple until I add the torrential downpours we had. I'm not even exaggerating! My camera decided to die on me so I didn't get any pics, but there were entire streets closed off due to flooding. Chef Hubby was in downtown and said that manhole covers were blown off by mini geisers. I wish I had picks!!

But we are diehards... we still got to lunch with the 4 kids in tow. We each had a helper though. Elizabeth came with her mom and I picked up Jenny on the way. It was yummy. Phoebe was sick, so she slept on the comfy bench while we chatted etc. Oh, for all of those people thinking I am an absolute horrible mom for bringing my child out in the rain while she's sick... She has a cold. She is a drama queen, and she was completely protected from the elements... I promise!!

We were able to chat and eat and enjoy the warm of the local diner. We like frequenting the local places, as opposed to the major chains, because it's usually cozier, cheaper, and the service rocks! Face it, with the big chains they don't care if they aren't going to see you again. They have so much money to put into advertising that if you leave, someone else will find them. It's just as important to support the local stores, restaurants, lumber yards, to name a few, as it is to shop at the local farmer's markets. Keep it in the area!! But always have fun!!

Blog Award...

Elizabeth from My Crafty Mess and Anne from Bee Handmand have nominated me for a blog award. Isn't that soo cool! I found this out before I went on vacation and couldn't get time to sit and think about my acceptance speech until now... hehe!

The award comes with these rules:
1. The winner can put the logo on their blog.
2. Link to the person you received your award from.
3. Nominate at least 7 other blogs.
4. Put links of those blogs on yours.
5. Leave a message on the blogs you’ve nominated.
6. Write an acceptance speech in the style of the Academy Awards, thanking every body’s mother, father, sister, brother, aunties and uncles and the kitchen staff at your favorite restaurant! So here are a few of my favorites!! I hereby nominate the following blogs:

A Little Bit of Life
How to Eat a Cupcake

The Lazy Organizer

Toddler Planet

My Own Little Space

The Pioneer Woman

Franny Kate's Creative State

And now I get to do my acceptance speech... ugh!! The pressure...

I would like to thank my hubby for allowing me time to write this by occupying the kids, making breakfast and changing the laundry. I would also like to thank Elizabeth for turning me onto blogging, and swapping, and now even flickr! Thanks girl!! I have to thank my mom and my grandmother for always being crafty and always letting me use my imagination and enhancing my skills as I was growing up. I hope I can do as well of a job with my little girls! Thank everyone who actually reads this!! It's been fun :o)

Oh yeah...

I was reading Anne's blog and realized that I forgot to mention the meal that Henry cooked for my brother and SIL's friends on Saturday night. It was so cool! We stayed local and made a whole meal using what the area had to offer. We went to the farmer's market in Manhattan, KS saturday morning and were actually trying to figure out whether we wanted bison, beef, lamb, or pork... yeah. That's when you know you aren't in New England anymore!

We ended up getting some bison tenderloin, pork loin on the bone (pork chops), and some polish pork sausage for the protein portion of the meal. We headed over to the veggies and although the corn looked super fresh and yummy, Chef Hubby said it was too "everyday". He instead grabbed some carrots, red potatoes, and acorn squash.

He marinated the bison in balsamic and coriander, brined the pork chops (salt/sugar solution), and then threw all of the meat on the grill. As far as the veggies, he roasted the carrots and acorn squash and salt encrusted the potatoes. After roasting the squash, he removed the "meat" from the peel and mashed it with some salt, butter, and brown sugar... can you say yummy??!

I didn't even think about getting a picture of the spread, but you can probably imagine it was awesome!! Anyway, that was one of the highlights of the weekend and I haven't posted any food stuff for a while - hope you liked it! As usual, if you want more specific preparation descriptions, feel free to ask!

We made it!!

So Chef Hubby and I were able to get away for almost 5 full days... hehe!! It was so much fun :o)

We went to Kansas State for a few days and then spent a few days in Kansas City, Missouri with my brother and sister in law. It was fun, restful, and much needed! Thank guys for a great time - it was awesome!

I also was able to fly without incident. I wore what are called "Sea Bands" instead of having to resort to dramamine or Kava Kava, a natural relaxant, so I actually felt normal and highly recommend them to anyone who gets motion sickness!! I bought them a few years ago when I had to go on a boat while I was pregnant and unable to take the meds. They cost less than 10 bucks and are reusable... and as I stated - YOU FEEL NORMAL!! No recovery period or grogginess... it was great!

See how awesome the sky looked while we flew... and yes that is another plane. We saw it while we were flying. I think we were over Washington DC or something. We saw 4 or 5 other planes, but it took a little while before it ocurred to me that it might make a cool pic.










So there, I flew and felt good. I missed the kids, but I wasn't stressed... well, not the whole time anyway. We called them one day when they were going to bed and Phoebe cried, that made us feel really bad, but she was just tired.

We saw the Red Sox too!! Not at a game, but walking from the hotel to a restaurant on the streets of Kansas City. Here is where I have to admit that I had no idea who they were. Actually none of us did, except my brother... and it didn't register with him until they had walked by, so I was only able to get a picture of their butts... lol!! Oh well, I can still say, I saw the Red Sox!

My brother would be so disappointed in me for not remembering any of their names, but all I can say is one of the two guys in the back is Tim Wakefield. I know, I know, I definitely would not make a good journalist or anything, but at least we had fun!! I actually felt bad for the players though. We were staying in the same hotel and when we were heading back, there were a bunch of people camped out with bags of balls and piles of bats. I don't think that would make for a fun trip, what do you think?

Shouldn't these guys be able to walk down the street without getting stopped? Should there be a one item limit? Would it be rude for them to walk by without signing? Why isn't it considered rude when people chase them? I don't know, I was just wondering if anyone had any thoughts?

Well, we've been back for a few hours and I need some recovery time from my time away... lol. Good night everyone!