Tee's Closet

half the story

2012-02-03T15:56:00.001-08:00

It occurred to me today that I've telling my little story on both blogs, but with the lack of motivation I was having, I only told a little each. lol.

Anyway, for anyone who wants to know what the deal was with the past 5-6months check out my other blog. Sorry about that!

Kicking Ass and Taking Names!!

2012-01-31T16:27:00.000-08:00

Hi!!!

How the heck have you been? I know, I know... I've been missing. I haven't actually been a very good companion lately (you know, the past 6months or so) and not just here.

I am sooooo thankful for having the absolute most amazing husband EVER!!

He works 3 jobs, is a great Dad AND still loves me when he still has to do the dishes, wash the laundry, and take care of dinner.

Yup, I am one very lucky woman :)

Anyway, I'm feeling much better! I'm back into a workout routine. I'm eating better again. I'm actually sleeping! Holy crap... what's that??

Wow... I'm running with this and hoping that it never goes away!!

Now, I need to go put the kids to bed, work on my committee stuff, watch The Biggest Loser with my mom and actually still be up to hubby when he gets home from his meetings... hehe

Thanks for hanging in there with me. Just wanted to let you know I'm back!

I know... having the religious quote and a song by pink is kind of an oxymoron... but I love them both!
Sue me!!!

The Season of Giving Part 2

2011-12-12T15:06:00.000-08:00

Christmas this year is going to be much smaller at our house.

I told Henry that I don't need anything.

I told the kiddos that Santa's cutting back.

I skipped out on the family gift swap.

BUT... what we did do is sponsor some students.

Now, the school has a Holiday Helper's program that makes sure that the families who are struggling and the many homeless students enrolled, are able to have at least a little Christmas. Chef Hubby and I are both working at the same school and both emailed each other the blast to see if the other was interested. It was actually a little silly.

So I called the office and stated that we would sponsor a student. I was psyched! That meant I got to go shopping and find deals and totally make someone's Christmas, who otherwise wouldn't have one.

A few days later, I went to her office to get my assigned student, I found out that she had mistakenly given us a very small family. So we took it and then volunteered to take the student as well.

Can I just say the sales that I've been finding are ridiculous!! We've been able to fill their wishlists, including winter coats and infant snowsuits for an average of 30% of the price.

Then we went to church and they had a giving tree. There we were able to give games to a Veteran's Home. The kids classes are taking donations for the Lion's Club and Ronald McDonald House... and who can forget Gifts to Give??

We are so very blessed right now to have so much...
Our health
Stable jobs
Absolutely amazing friends
Loving relationships
A safe, warm roof over our heads
Cars to transport us... and carpool for school
Enough money to pay our bills
Children who are starting to see that it is important to give back :)

My job is settling in.
I've definitely turned a corner.

Things are going to be ok...

and I know that I can do absolutely anything with the support and love of my family and friends!!!

Starting to Feel Better

2011-11-25T07:53:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was a lazy day for me and the family.

My mom had the entire family over for dinner... downstairs on the first floor.

We had dinner at our house on the second floor.

We weren't trying to be anti-social. We just wanted to take the chance to have our own tradition of Thanksgiving Day. I usually work the football games and well, as my last post said, I'm not an Athletic Trainer anymore, so I was home. Me and the girls watched the parade while Henry cooked dinner. He made breakfast too... hehe. Yes, I'm spoiled.

So the girls and I sat on the couch and watched the parade. I sorted through the fliers and created a game plan for Black Friday. We even ate dinner in our pjs :) It was awesome!

Then we went downstairs with our pies (after we got dressed) and joined the rest of the family for the afternoon. It was the best of both worlds. I even got to sneak back up to take a nap.

Told you I was spoiled!!

My mom let the kids sleep downstairs so hubby and I could go out this morning and grab some serious deals. I couldn't believe how well we did!

*** Doing the happy Dance ***

We wanted to run out of Kohl's before they figured out they practically gave us the stuff to take home! Now, I have to wrap and ship out some gifts to my niece and nephew (I love saying that... lol) I just wish we were there to watch them open the packages. Hoping to be able to do that soon, maybe next year ;)

Anyway, now I'm putting up the tree, listening to Christmas music, and maybe even baking some goodies. Still feeling a little off, but I think it might have been the whole missing the game yesterday and still trying to find my "thing". I have some ideas to roll with at school to get the kids more involved, but we'll have to see.

OK - Merry Christmas everyone! And just remember... it's not what you get, but instead, what you give. It doesn't have to expensive or shiny. It can be as simple as a card, or a thank you, or even a smile. In this crazy time of year there are a lot of people struggling and the little things are what really matter.

So, I wish you all enough...

2011-11-23T09:55:00.000-08:00

I've been struggling.

I doubt that most people would believe that, but I have. I feel so lost right now that I really can't explain it.

My family has been so blessed this year. I became a Physical Education teacher at a regional high school. My husband was elected to the city council. Our children are still enrolled in the Catholic School that rocks! We booked our first "real" vacation for this summer... can't say where cuz of little reading eyes, but guess. Yup!

We had to make some house repairs and because of these changes, we had the money to deal with it. I no longer have to work at night or the weekends so I get to spend more time with the kids, my friends and my hubby.

Ok... so why am I struggling?

I feel lost because although I think I'm at least pretty good at my current job, I miss being an Athletic Trainer. I miss being able to "teach". I know that sounds like an oximoron somehow... I become a teacher and feel like I teach less. It's just that it's different.

I can explain the importance of moving and exercising. I can explain the rules to a game and the basic fundamentals to make it happen. I can teach some modifications for different abilities, etc. BUT I still "know" so much more. I want to teach them injury prevention and nutrition. I want to explain that you didn't really "break" your finger because it popped.

I almost miss the stress.

I'm also struggling a little because we just finished an insane campaign for the city council. There was throat cutting and all that. I knew it would happen, but at one point the opponent even attacked ME! I'm not running for office. She said that I made a face and turned away.

I know most people think that doesn't sound like a big thing, but it is.

I am a professional. I have to deal with a LOT of people. A few that I do NOT like. A few that I do NOT get along with. A few that I down right HATE to deal with!!! BUT... I do NOT make faces. I might bite my tongue til it bleeds but seriously?? Don't try to break down my character.

I used to have all day to myself in between dropping off the kids at school and then heading to work after school. Now, well now... I have no time! I always have to do laundry. I always have to clean the house. I am always playing catch up!! How the hell do people do this???

So, I miss my job, I'm in the political lime light, my house is a freaking disaster and I just want to sleep... so what happens??

I gain 20lbs back. Can I cry now??

I am still more than 50lbs less than my most, but I am terrified and for some reason, I feel like I'm caught in a current and can't get my feet under me. This sucks.

So - this weekend, I am going to figure it out. I am going to think about what I am most thankful for. I am going to figure out what makes me happy. I am going to make a plan. I am going to start praying a little more and start reading over the bible again...

Happy Thanksgiving. Say a prayer for me. Ok

The Season of Giving

2011-11-19T12:12:00.000-08:00

Today was an eye opening experience.

Honestly, I knew when I heard, but it was a reinforcing moment.

Today we brought about 48+ cans to the Cans Across the Park collection today. It was awesome! The best part was the kids were upset we had to leave. They were having fun organizing the cans and knew exactly why they were there. We were helping gather cans to feed the less fortunate.

In our house, we discuss this stuff all of the time.

We have a Pantry box that we stock with items from our shopping trips to donate to the food pantries. We don't throw away our clothes. Instead we pass them on to cousins, friends, or the less fortunate. We don't throw away the toys they no longer use. We usually donate them to a charity.

Well, today we left the park and headed over to Gifts to Give. This is a local non-profit organization that truly operates as a non-profit. None of the staff is paid. Yes, you read that correctly. They have been in operation for 2yrs and NONE of the staff is paid!!! Now, isn't that what a non-profit organization should be doing??

Anyway, they are awesome. They collect items from the community and then volunteers of all ages help sort, clean, organize, pack, wrap, etc all of the items. When I say all ages, I mean ALL ages!! They even have the 3-4 yr olds make wrapping paper for the birthday gifts that go out to the kids in need. Older kids can help sort clothes, repair or organize games, or clean toys.

They take everything people bring. Whatever is "rejected" for the gifts is either recycled, repurposed, sold in a yard sale that helps with their overhead, or (very little of it) is tossed.

So you might think that their main purpose is to send gifts and clothes to less fortunate, right?? NOPE!

Their main purpose is to get people to volunteer!

Isn't that great?!

It gives everyone the opportunity to get involved. It gives EVERYONE the opportunity to make a difference in someone's life.

We are now trying to figure out when we can go help. The kids didn't want to leave that either. I love my kids! They are so amazing. I need to make sure that doesn't wear off. I need to make sure that it rubs off on our friends.

They already want to go through their stuff again and donate some of it. Maybe you have somethings you can bring over. Or you might want to volunteer some of your time to help. Visit their website!

It's the season of giving... what can you offer?

Another apology...

2011-10-22T17:22:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's been almost 2 weeks since I've last posted. I didn't mean to step away for so long.

Things have been crazy!!

Phoebe will be in a show this weekend. It's going to be sooo cute... I can't wait. She's a "Who" in Seussical Jr - The Musical.

Her BFF got the understudy part Jo Jo, the smallest Who in Whoville, which caused a little bit of tension in the beginning. BUT then, Phoebe got the understudy part for the Young Kangaroo and it's all better now :) lol

Don't you wish problems were this easy to solve in the real world??

Actually, now that I think about it... maybe some of them ARE that easy to solve.

Since the last post, my husband won the primary election for our Ward in the city. I couldn't be more proud. I am impressed daily by his determination and commitment to this city. He has been nonstop answering calls, attending meeting, doing radio interviews and debates. It's just constant motion. He is so good at handling it. Me, not so much :(

I have to admit... I need to go back to Weight Watchers, because my coping method seems to have packed on a couple of extra pounds. **sigh**

I am NOT the politician in the family. I say stuff that shouldn't be said, without even realizing it. So I've learned to just say nothing... which is very difficult for me! ugh!!! I just keep saying the Penguins of Madagascar's mantra "Smile and wave, boys! Smile and wave."

That's pretty much what I've been doing my entire life because I'm not a big fan of conflict, but it's my coping mechanism now. I'm awful with names so you smile and shake hands, enter the small talk and pray to God you don't get caught not knowing.

Am I alone??

I don't know. The show is done this weekend. The official election is November 8th. I just need to make it til then. Unfortunately, Halloween falls in between which leaves plenty of candy in the house to soothe me!! lol

Have I mentioned how much I LOVE my girlfriends!!! They have helped me in so many ways...

Watching my kids.
Letting me vent.
Dragging me for runs.
Mixing me a drink.
Making me laugh.
Letting me cry.
Just making me feel sane.

I love them...

Changes, changes, everywhere!!

2011-10-08T08:07:00.000-07:00

Phew! It's over.

Remember way back when I posted my "Cryptic message"? Well, I had an interview for a teaching job.

A teaching job that I had applied for way back in March of last year.

My interview was the very first day of Football preseason! As many of the parents out there know... the first day of football preseason isn't pretty.

There are lots of forms that need to be turned in. Lots of kids who haven't done anything all summer. Lots of stupid injuries that could have been avoided. Lots of whining, moaning, groaning, etc.

All of which I am responsible for dealing with!!!

But, I had the interview too...

It lasted 17 minutes. Yeah. That's it. All my eggs in one basket. Hoping that those 17 mins were enough.

Fortunately, I had 2 a days to keep my occupied... oh and those final 30 miles in 2 weeks left to finish for my 99/100 Summer Run Challenge!

Anyway, I got the call with the job offer the following week and was able to start subbing "for myself" the day after Labor Day. It was fun. It was hectic. It was still NOT official, because my husband also worked at the school and they have an Anti-Nepotism rule, which meant that I had to be approved by the school committee the following week.

It passed and I was officially offered the job. THEN, I had to give my resignation at the high school I had been working at for 5+ years as the Athletic Trainer, or more specifically, the hospital I have been contracted out of. They require 2wks, but requested 3 weeks so that I could help with the transition. No problem. I love the people there - the kids, the coaches, the staff, heck, even the parents I work with there ROCK!

So for the past 5wks I have been working as a Physical Education teacher at one school, an Athletic Trainer at another school, a Campaign Manager for my husband's campaign, and a mom. Can you say EXHAUSTED??

Last night was my last "official" night at as the Athletic Trainer and I was sad.

There were so many former students that came to say goodbye and I was swarmed by hugs from the present ones. I cried AGAIN on the way home. Man, this has been a killer.

I am so excited to be a part of my new school. I can't wait to be able to add my spin to the mix. I've already learned so much from my coworkers and there is still so much left to figure out. I'm already planning to go to a lot of the games to make sure that everything is going well... and to actually be able to talk and mingle with the spectators.

Transitions are crazy. Change is scary. I'm not sure what I'm going to do, but I can't wait to figure it out :)

Seriously???

2011-09-18T12:24:00.000-07:00

I have 2 little girls, as most of you already know.

These 2 little "princesses" are very different. Phoebe is the Drama Queen. She will NEVER be happy.

EVER! Seriously!!

I know. I'm tough on her. I need to start "supporting" her more. Chef Hubby keeps telling me that maybe the reason she doesn't listen is because I'm always nagging. Well, maybe I wouldn't be nagging so freaking much if she started acting like a nice human being... ugh!!

Yes, I am frustrated today.

Yesterday, we had to divide and conquer. We had purchased tickets to the Princesses on Ice: Dare to Dream show a while ago. Well, we had purchased them through a friend and I completely forgot about them. Then another friend was planning a birthday and I assured her that we would be there. Of course!

Well, Wednesday Chef Hubby and I were watching tv and I saw a commercial for the show and freaked out! I totally messed up and needed to fix it. Fortunately, we have other friends :) Phew! So I asked if one of Payton's friends and her Dad wanted to go with Chef Hubby and Payton while Phoebe and I went to a "Tea Party".

While at the party, I got a text from Chef Hubby telling me that Payton said "Daddy, I really wish Phoebe was here. She'd like it".

Phoebe was having a blast with her friends and to be honest, even though she was having fun, was still REALLY upset that she didn't get to go to the Princess Show AND the Tea Party! Yeah...

OK - fast forward to when we got home...

Phoebe walks in the door and Payton runs over: "Phoebe, here this is for you!". Handing her a princess crown.

Phoebe turns around and gives her a pile of "stuff" from the Tea Party that was sent home for her, while saying "Oh, and you didn't get a fan because yours' was broken".

I watched a little disappointed and then a little sad when I asked Payton "Where is your crown?" and she replied "I gave it to Phoebe because she didn't get to go".

Please tell me that this is going to get better!! Please tell me that Payton will always be this way and that someday, Phoebe will realize there is more to life that "stuff". I don't know... I guess I'm just bummed. Did I drop the ball somewhere?? Did I get them too much stuff growing up? How do I fix this??

Decoding!

2011-09-17T05:41:00.000-07:00

I know, I've been cryptic for a while, but I couldn't jinx it.

OK - to be honest, I couldn't tell everyone about it and then not get it.

I'm kind of pathetic like that.

Anyway, last year (March to be exact) I submitted an application at Greater New Bedford Voc Tech for a Physical Education Teacher and then never heard anything, at all about it. Well, until the 3rd week of August. I finally "Got a call" and was asked to come in for an interview.

Of course, nothing can be easy because the interview had to be set up for the very first day of Pre-Season! ugh.

Well, I still hadn't heard anything after the 1st day of school started so I figured I should start checking the mail. So, like any other day, on Tuesday, August 30th, I headed out for a run without my phone. Who the heck's gonna call, right??

I came back to 11 missed calls! Wow - all within an hour! I was offered the job BUT because hubby works for the school already and they have a nepotism rule, I needed approval from the school committee. After subbing for myself for a week, I was APPROVED! Then, I handed in my resignation at FHS.

Now, I am still subbing for myself because I have to leave as soon as the last class lets our to run over to Fairhaven and take care of my kids. Man, I am seriously going to miss them :( It's a little over 2wks left for me to juggle to 2 jobs, 2 kids, the hubby, the kids, the dog, 3 hamsters, the house... oh, and the little thing known as the City Coucilor Campaign! I can't wait!!

Then and only then I will be celebrating my new position!!!! woohoo!!!

Wish me luck :)

Fill the Pantry Challenge... Again!

2011-09-11T07:06:00.000-07:00

Today is a very special day for America. It represents a time that we came together as a country and shouted to the world that we are united and we get stronger when confronted. We fight to protect each other. United we stand, right?!

Well, I've always believed that you need to care for your family, your neighbor, your community before you try to help the more global charities. You need to keep your base strong, healthy, happy, and united. So I am reissuing the Fill the Pantry Challenge.

It costs only as much as you are willing/able to spend. Very basically, you can keep a box in your pantry, kitchen, hallway, whatever. Each time you go to the grocery store pick up one or two items to put in it. Or you can start a Fill the Pantry fund and put a dollar or two in it each week. Then pick a local charity, food bank, shelter to donate the goods or money.

The most important part is that you are making a commitment to help... and if you have children, you make them take an active role. I used to have my kiddos pick the items. I have to admit, even we got out of the habit of doing this for a while. BUT - we are breaking out the box again!

So help us unite again to make our community stronger! When people work together, talk together, get along it creates a safer, healthier, stronger environment... that YOU helped build :)

My prayers go out to the families and friends of the victims and heros of 9/11. I will ALWAYS remember!!

The Final Run!!

2011-09-04T11:12:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow is Labor Day... marking the 99th day of the Summer 2011 Run Challenge! We only have 3.8 miles to go.

We WORKED hard for this!!

We overcame sooo much.

We survived 2 surgeries, multiple injuries, sick kids, WAY too hot days, vacations, and well, just a couple days of just pure laziness.

Our mileage per run ranged from 1.6miles - just a little over 7!

We honestly didn't know we were as strong as we actually are. We amazed ourselves more than once. We finished strong on days that we didn't think we could move.

Mostly, we proved to ourselves that we could do it :)

AND... we raised money for the Shepherd's Pantry while doing it!! woohoo!!

It's not too late to help though. Feel free to sponsor us by clicking the "Donate" button on the side bar. Every little bit helps!

Next summer we will be doing this again and we're hoping that more people will join us :)

Reading...

2011-08-23T16:08:00.000-07:00

A lot of people talk about reading.

I was in a bookclub - that I actually started! But it was soooo tough for me to sit down and read.

I didn't even finish the book I chose!!

So yeah, thankfully, my kiddos love reading :)

Anyway, we've been going to church and praying and talking a lot more about religion, the church, where we fit it... all that stuff. I'm still debating the whole conversion to "Catholic" from the Episcopal Church. It's actually a silly debate I have in my head.

To be honest, I think that most of my beliefs are Catholic, but I remember the comfort of the smaller Episcopal Church. As I had stated previously, my grandmother taught us catechism at home for many, many years between making first communion and joining St. Peter's. I remember reading her book of "moral" stories, directed towards kids that always ended with a bible verse encompassing the meaning of the lesson,etc.

I also remember that every time she came, she brought Ring Dings!! wooo hooo!!

Anyway, I've drifted WAY off track... I remember having confirmation classes at St. Peter's and constantly being corrected on my beliefs. Apparently, even when I didn't think I was paying attention, it was sinking in. So, since these beliefs are ingrained in me, the answer should be easy, right???

NO!!

I started reading Catholic Answers and Catholics Come Home based on a friends advice and well, I freaked out!

I am the perfect little parishioner in the Episcopal Church, but if I convert to Holy Name, I'm doomed to hell by a mortal sin. How is that far??

So, I stopped reading those sites and decided to open the Bible.

OH my GOODNESS!!! How the heck does anyone get through that?!?!

I'm sorry, I tried to pick it up and read it... I tried. And to be honest, I even cheated a little. My grandmother actually gave me a copy of the Good News Bible. It's written in "today's language" so it's supposed to be easier to comprehend.

ummm.... yeah.

I understand the words, but the stories are pretty overwhelming. So I talked to Henry and asked him what he thought. He showed me that many people pick up the bible and turn to page each day and read from there. Wow, that's cool!

So I started doing that. I started reading random passages each day and it seems better. I feel like I'm getting something out of it. I have a question though... Is this cheating?? Am I playing the "magic 8 ball" with the bible?

Does anyone have any other tips? And, are mortal sins forgiven if you really are sorry, while at the same time, standing behind your decision??

This is definitely one time that ignorance is bliss!!!

Cryptic, I know...

2011-08-21T12:26:00.000-07:00

Oh my goodness... I can't get my brain to stop!!

I grew up with Calvin and Hobbes and

I keep trying to tell myself...

I hate transitions.

Every year I have a few sleepless nights about this time... Football starts tomorrow.

This year, there are a few more hurdles than I am used to and I am hoping to conquer them as easily as my brother used to in his hurdling days.

I am telling myself that I rock.

I have worked for everything that I have ever gotten.

Nothing worth it, ever comes easy.

And then I found this one...

I love this one!!

It drives me...

Don't take anything for granted and remember to spring through the finish line.

Our Summer...

2011-08-20T09:59:00.000-07:00

I have to apologize for being so absent from the blog this summer. I really meant to stop in more to post about our adventures and stuff, but it's been going by so quickly that I was kind of lost in the whirlwind of events.

I will try to give you a small glimpse of what we've been up to :)

We went camping for an entire WEEK! Loved it!! Of course, we did have pretty much a full kitchen setup and a tent with it's own sun porch, oh and a basket ball hoop... lmao!!!

Ooohh yeah, and a portable DVD player for when they all just about had it...

And amazing friends to spend some time with... Thanks guys it was awesome (and Laurie, Dave and Audrey too!!)

Rebel LOVES camping too... especially, because he usually helps clean up after dinner...

Then there were the playdates... this is right after Henry PAID them to clean the playroom. I do NOT do that... EVER!!!! So they were extremely excited. Can you tell??

Then my big brother and niece visited... SOOO exciting... don't know why I can't fix the pics though... sorry

Most recently, we made our way up to Vermont to the MOST amazing place ever!! The Inn at Essex... It's a Culinary Resort and Spa and everything about it rocks!

Check out the cake they made custom for Phoebe's birthday...

Immediately following dinner, I got to enjoy a massage that Chef Hubby had booked for me :) Then I tried out the eucalyptus steam shower AND the sauna, before heading to the indoor pool and hot tub with the family. Seriously, the best time EVER! Next time we definitely need to go with friends though... and spend more than 24hrs there.

On the way back, we stopped at the Ben and Jerry's Scoop Shop for a tour and of course some samples!

So now we are back home and Monday starts Phoebe's Suessical camp at the school in preparation for the drama club performance she will be in this year. As well as, the first day of Pre-season at school for me. Man oh man, I hate transitions and this year is turning out to be a little more dramatic than usual... more on that later ;)

Will be trying to stay more on top of this - AGAIN! It seems I've been saying that a lot lately, huh??? lol

Very Busy...

2011-07-29T07:43:00.000-07:00

I apologize to the few people still reading, about not posting anything in a LONG time!! We've been very, very busy lately and I promise I will try to post about it all very soon :)

Today, I'm home with the kiddos and their friends... baking!

OK - I'm baking. They are playing relatively quiet in the playroom.

We've already discussed that there will be quiet time later. Naptime for the younger ones and reading time for the older ones. They all agreed (for the most part).

Payton begged for a tea party and since it's one of the things on our summer list, I've decided we might just need to do it for lunch. Wish me luck! Now I have to look up tea party menus for stuff they will actually eat!

The Baptism

2011-07-03T18:59:00.000-07:00

So we were able to get the kiddos Baptized today :)

The church was warm and the kids had a bunch of friends and family surrounding them... so they were less than behaved, of course! Isn't that always the way?? Dress them up, take them out, and they go INSANE... but I love them :)

After the mass, we moved up to the front and gathered near the baptism "area". Laurie and my brother, Donald are Payton's godparents and Mary and Kevin are Phoebe's godparents. My Brother and Sister in Law were unable to attend, but they were definitely in our hearts as they are now even closer to the girls in this bond.

The girls are in Catholic school and understand that baptism is when you accept God into your life and become "one of his children". Also, thankfully, they have been absolved of all their sins. phew!

Payton was thrilled about this baptism thing until Henry picked her up... actually, she was OK..

Until he went to pour the water on her... then she took a minute and settled in...

Phoebe was big enough not to have to be picked up...

I was so proud of my kiddos!! I love them so much and know that we are on the right path for our family. We have amazing friends, family, and teachers... both of the girls asked to invite their teachers for this event and they were both able to attend. YAY!

I looked into the Catholic schools in the area and picked Holy Family-Holy Name for so many reasons. For the most part, it seemed the most "kid-friendly", but I was sold when we went for the tour and the teachers welcomed my girls with open arms, and even hugs! HUGS! yes... these teachers legitimately care about the students... and the parents. OK, OK... moving on... Here are some other shots

Is there a reason these candles need to be 8ft tall???

I think they looked like little angels in their dresses :) It was a great day with great people and amazing food - of course! Crashing on the couch now... so needed.

Summer Fun!

2011-06-23T06:57:00.000-07:00

We've had lots of Girl Power so far this summer... and it's been AWESOME!!! Here is Phoebe with 2 of her BFFs all dressed up and ready to party!! I took this pic and laughed about how funny it will be to show them it in 10yrs when they are getting dressed for their proms.

Then I realized that might not be much fun... wow. In 10yrs, my baby is going to a junior in high school. She might be a cheerleader, or a drama queen, or President of her class. She of course, is NOT going to boy crazy... right?!?! See, of course NOT!! lol

After a few hours of playing dress-up, coloring, building blocks, cooking in their kitchen... I decided I needed a break :)

I packed up my car with 5 booster seats and headed to the movies! The lady at the concessions stand totally rocked and instead of giving me one big bucket of popcorn, I was able to get 3 bags for the price of a large. That way, we were paired up with a "popcorn buddy". No fights, no whining, no spilled giant bucket of popcorn.

We saw Kung Fu Panda 2. It was cute.

Alyssa was bummed for about a half a minute because she'd already seen it, but she was excited to see it with her friends this time.

Later that night, the other mommy's came over and hubby whipped up some drinks and we tried to watch Knocked Up. I couldn't believe Carolyn had never seen it!! Well, she still hasn't seen it, because the kiddos were kiddos and it was thundering... get it? Yup... knocked up is not a kids movie. Especially the uncut version!

The fun resumed Monday at the Buttonwood Park Zoo with Phoebe's friends and the Toe Jam Puppet Band! If you've never seen or heard of these guys, check it out. They rock!! The kids love their music. They are hilarious!

It's an hour show, every Monday at the zoo 10:30am and 12:30pm, that costs $5 per family plus zoo admission if you don't have the membership. We packed a lunch and had a blast.

Tuesday was the first official Tuesday Pool Day!! Had and Brae came over for the day and we packed up the car and headed over to see our friends. It was a great day. I was able to hang out with the grown ups while the kids splashed around for hours! I actually had to drag them out for a bit to force food into their little bellies... lol

Here are some of the best shots...

There was the general splashing in the pool.

Then there were the brave few who were willing to try to conquer the diving board! With a little hesitation...

Then, they took the jump!!

All in all, it was an amazing day!

Yesterday, I was able to whip up the rest of the Peanut Butter, Chocolate Chip, Bacon cookies I had prepped Monday. I had my dad over for dinner and laughed and talked and had fun. This was all after catching up a friend during the afternoon and helping her put together some stuff for the very soon to be baby boy :) So happy for them!

Today, Phoebe requested blueberry scones for breakfast and thankfully, while roaming Luzo's yesterday, I grabbed a can of them for a buck! Score... here you go, hunny. I'm loving this summer stuff!

Summer Has Begun... The Planning Stage :)

2011-06-18T06:06:00.000-07:00

Summer has officially begun and we survived our first full day playdate. Actually, the mom's decided that the playdate wasn't really over after the movies and met up in Claire's for a little shopping with the girls. My kiddos ended up with 11 more headbands... mostly for dress-up, but some are really cute. How could I resist? They were 10 for $10!!

We came home, ate, and the mommies all headed to the meeting at the school, for the Suessical Jr musical production they will be doing next fall. Tryouts were this past week and although Phoebe didn't really practice very much, her best friend kicked some serious butt and scored the understudy role of one of the leads... YAY, Hadleigh!!

Anyway, after hanging out there chatting, we decided that maybe a drink would be nice. So I headed to liquor store, stocked the bar and had hubby mix us some drinks. OK, so we were all done after one drink and then they couldn't leave, because in order to safely drive the kids home, there needed to be a little rest period. hehe

Well, it's now 9am the next morning and I think that one of the kids FINALLY woke up!! They never ever EVER sleep this late. Especially, on a day that I can sleep late too. But the dog decided that I still couldn't sleep and woke me up at 8am. Oh well.

We've been working on our Summer List like Meg and Laura and I think we have a pretty good start at this point. Not sure if we will be able to complete it all, but I can hope :)

The Summer List 2011

~~Blueberry Picking~~
Spend a night in a hotel
Visit the Boston Science Museum
Make a Lemonade Stand
~~Library Trips~~
~~Go Camping~~ - we are staying in a tent (a HUGE tent!) for an entire week this summer :)
Teach the kiddos how to ride their bikes
Water Balloon Fight
~~Watch the New Bedford Bay Sox play - I have to be medical coverage for a few games, but I want to bring the kids to at least one other one~~
Hike some trails
Go the the Freetown Water Park
Make ice cream
~~Go to a Drive-In Movie - with the kids!!~~
Fishing
~~Watch Fireworks~~
Have a Bake Sale
Play Mini Golf
Go to Storytime
~~Go to a Fair~~
Have a Tea Party
~~Have a picnic at the beach/park~~
FINALLY - Get a Family Portrait!!! We've never had one :(

That's it for now. I'm excited. I know it doesn't seem that thrilling, but for me, it's huge!! I took the summer off to be with my family and I want to make the most of it. I can NOT wait!!

Bring it on Summer!!

Addition of Potentially Weekly Events:

Pool Tuesday!
Treat Tuesday - yes, Phoebe saw this on Meg's list and wouldn't drop it... lmao
Pool at Aunt Sue's Fridays :)
Slumber Party in the Sunroom

Summer Has Begun!

2011-06-17T09:49:00.000-07:00

So yesterday was the last day of school for the girls and hubby... my last day was Wednesday "officially". I will be doing work throughout the summer per diem and stuff that I have lingering at the school.

Today I offered to watch 2 of the girls best friends and then it occurred to me that another one of their friends doesn't get to come over very often and took advantage of taking her, as well. Ummm... yeah, that makes for 5 little girls. I thought we could go to the playground or the park, or even the beach. It would be awesome! BUT we do live in New England so, of course, it's raining.

They've played with the kitchen stuff.

They've played legos.

They've played baby dolls.

They've eaten breakfast and lunch.

They've dressed up in EVERYTHING!! I took a picture and I will be keeping it forever... well, at least until they are 16yrs old and getting ready for a high school prom. Very scary thought... that's only 10yrs away!!

Now, we are getting ready to go to the movies.

I will be bringing 5 girls 4-7yrs old to the movies ALONE! I am hoping that they are going to cooperate and get along. I am hoping that I will be able to watch the movie. I am really hoping that no one needs to go to the bathroom!! lmao

Wish me luck - ok :)

I love these kiddos! I love that I have such amazing friends and they have such amazing kids. I love that I have people to discuss my frustrations and concerns about my girls, who truly understand and don't judge.

Oh well, gotta go get dressed for the movies. I would be lying if I said I wasn't nervous, but hey I've been a chaperone on more field trips than I can count... this can't be much different, right? Good thing I have their teachers' number... hehe

All Better

2011-06-12T16:37:00.000-07:00

Phew... sorry about the last post. I wasn't in the best of moods.

I don't know how people like to go out and "Get wasted!!" I never liked that feeling. Well, ok, I liked that feeling in undergrad after I injured my shoulder. Then again, I think just about any other feeling was better than that initial pain. Actually, come to think of it, maybe it's just shoulder pain in general that I have issues with.

Anyway, I'm off the meds and mostly better. Today I even managed to put on a pair of jeans (without a belt) and SIT DOWN!! woohoo!!

This weekend has been insane. We had birthday parties, a retirement party, a baptism, AND a baby shower. I'm tired just thinking about it all. The cool part was that I was able to wear a couple of dresses, show off some new shoes, and spend a lot of time with wonderful people.

I still have a few more weeks before I can really workout, but until then, I will continue to do some low impact stuff around the house. I can't lift more than 20lbs, but tomorrow I think I will be doing a toning workout for my arms and shoulders. I figure as long as I stabilize with a chair or a bench to take the stress off my core for the most part, I can't do any damage. I just have to start making positive changes.

I have a couple more days of work before I am done for the summer. I have to admit, I'm excited... but nervous. Missing 9 paychecks seems a little scary right now, but I'm sure we'll manage. We always do... somehow.

Going to go settle on the couch with my hubby now. Haven't seen much of him this weekend and although last night was fun getting out with him, I pretty came home and crashed instantly following the retirement party. I'm such a pathetic thing this week... lol. Oh well, everyone keeps telling me I have to take care of myself.

Gonna go do that :) Good night!

Man, oh man...

2011-06-08T11:56:00.000-07:00

So, I'm officially "recovering" from surgery. Gallbladder is gone!

The stupid part is that the area that is killing me the most, wasn't even touched!! I am having pretty severe pain in my shoulder. Now, the nurse told me yesterday, not to be surprised if I have pain in my shoulder. She said that the increased pressure on my diaphragm can cause referred pain to the shoulder. No problem, right? Well, it is a problem! I don't like pain in my shoulder :(

I can handle the pain in my abdomen... you know, where the freaking surgery took place!

I can't deal with the stabbing pain in my shoulder for no apparent reason. It doesn't hurt when I move it and not hurt if I'm just sitting there, like an injury pain should feel. NO! It just decides to hurt whenever the hell it wants to!

Oh, I'm also not a very good medicine taker. I never take medicine. I may occasionally take 600 mg of ibuprofen for a headache or an allergy tablet when my eyes feel like they are going to fall out of my head, but I don't take anything regularly. I can't even remember to take a multi-vitamin, so I gave them up.

But the doctor gave me the hard stuff. A narcotic painkiller. Doesn't that sound bad?? I started taking 1/2 a pill yesterday twice. Then 1 full tablet at bedtime... just in case. Today my shoulder started to hurt a LOT so I took 2. NOT good!!! Now, I have some pain in my shoulder AND I feel drugged. How do people like this feeling?!?

Oh well, going to take a cold shower, drink some coffee, eat something, and pray to God that this wears off soon! My baby girl graduates from Preschool 3 tonight and I would really like to enjoy it :)

Was going to write a post about her growing up, etc, but to be honest... not focused enough to look through pics and stuff. Check it out tomorrow though :) Should even have video!

Wish me luck... and check out the status of the 99/100 Summer 2011 Run Challenge

My Baby Girl...

2011-05-31T07:34:00.000-07:00

First Christmas - 4 months old

Today I brought the kids to school, as usual. We parked the car and walked to the school with their friends... like always. But today when I bent down to kiss Phoebe good-bye for the day, I had to say "Good luck, babe. I hope you do well on your exam. I love you!"

Yes, my baby girl has her first final exam today. It's on religion... they go to a Catholic School. I'm pretty sure she knows the material, but this weekend, when we were studying for it, she was saying she didn't know any of the sacraments or pretty much any of the other things either... grrr!

I can't believe my baby girl is taking a FINAL today!!!

2 yrs old and playing in her favorite rocker

When did kids start growing up so fast?? Why do people keep telling me that my kids won't be ready for the MCAS in high school because they are in Catholic School now... do their kids take freaking finals?? She's got more later too!

Oh well, so this is what I've been thinking about all morning... well, except for my run! I am moving the running back over to my other blog though. I feel like this one should stay just family, crafts, recipes, and random thoughts... is that cool?


Almost 3 and she did her own make-up to look "just like mommy"

Here's my baby girl "all grown up"

1st grade - Orphan in Annie Jr.

Run #1... Done!

2011-05-30T10:39:00.000-07:00

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So this was our first run! It was a total of 2.91miles, which I'm pretty bummed about because I thought for sure it was at LEAST 3miles :( Oh well, at least we started on our goal of 100 miles in 99 days!

That means that we have 97.1 more miles to complete in the next 98 days. It's definitely doable and we're looking forward to it. Many of our friends have said that they'd be interested in doing the challenge, and even participating in the 5K we are going to toss together on Labor Day weekend. I hope that this helps motivate you to get up and get going!

Let me know how your workouts are going? Today was an early morning - 7am with a temperature of about 70 degrees F with serious mugginess and sun! This is NOT going to get me down... that would be just another excuse, right??

Have a great day with your family!

The 99/100 Challenge!

2011-05-29T14:02:00.000-07:00

Anyone up for a challenge?? Actually, in terms of challenges, this one is rather small.

There are 99 days between Memorial Day and Labor Day, and in that time me and Elizabeth will be running 100 miles. Yeah, yeah, yeah... I'm sure all you runners out there are thinking this is a pathetically small distance to complete in 99 days, right? Well, not for us! It works out to be a little more than a mile a day... 7.14miles per week actually. However, when you factor in jobs, kids, vacations, dogs, and well... just about anything else; getting out to run everyday is tough. I know, I feel better when I run and I know I like the results of toning my body, BUT seriously, it's just EASIER to do nothing!!

So we are going to be posting about our runs, distances, epiphanies (ummm... yeah), and maybe a little whining... but we're hoping that you might join us! So grab the link at top and post this challenge on your blog. In the end, we will be wrapping it all up Labor Day weekend with a 5K for our family and friends to help benefit a local food pantry... more details to come :)

I will set up a sidebar so we can all keep track of each others' progress, because seriously, isn't a lot more of a challenge/motivation when you aren't doing it alone??

Now, for those of you still hesitant about this challenge... you don't have to RUN! Heck, get the kids involved and walk to the park everyday. Break out the roller blades, scooters, or bikes. The idea is to get moving and you never know, maybe your friends have been looking for a reason to get up and going as well.

Good luck and let me know when you decide to join the challenge! We're starting tomorrow at 7am... who's in?!?

Beginning to Feel Like Summer

2011-05-29T08:32:00.000-07:00

This week I was able to mow the rest of my lawn and tame the ever growing raspberry bush we have in the yard. I know comparatively speaking, we have a small lot here in the city, but it's a lot for someone who has never actually had to take care of any land.

I planted some seeds in a starter kit a few weeks ago and today we are going to relocate them to the yard! YAY!! I am also going to do the daunting task of cleaning the grill. I am dreading it :( Downstairs used it to cook all winter and it's pretty caked on at this point... bummer! I am marinating some chicken and veggies and they WILL be cooked on the grill... so it needs to be done.

I need to find stuff for the yard for the kiddos too. I want to get rid of the sandbox because they are really getting too big for it and would LOVE to put in a swingset, but the cost is ridiculous. Actually, I've also been trying to find one without the stupid seesaw thingy. You might as well call them a concussion waiting to happen! I've never seen a kid get whacked with a swing or mauled by a kid sliding down a slide, but ALWAYS see at least one get taken out by the stupid seesaw. Not cool!!

Side note... Payton just came out with a dress she wore yesterday...

Me: No, you can't wear that. You wore it yesterday.
Payton: But Daddy didn't put it in the hamper so it's not dirty.
Me: It is dirty. You wore it all day. Go find something else to wear.
Payton: It's not fair.
Me: Hey... Oh forget it.
Payton: What??
Me: Forget it.
Payton: What?!?!
Me: I said forget it. I was gonna say something, but I changed my mind.
Payton: Mommy, how can you change your mind about saying something???
Me: Seriously, go get dressed!!

When did she get so grown up?? She pays attention to everything and misses nothing. I am so screwed!!

Ok - Headed outside again :) Yay... I love this weather!!

Regrets

2011-05-22T17:46:00.000-07:00

"Regret the things you don't do, not the things you do"

I have no idea who said it. I have to be honest, I read it on someone's Facebook status last week, but I can't get it out of my head.

I have a problem where I can remember a LOT of things that I've done wrong in my life. When I've said something that hurt someone's feelings. When I've done something that should NOT have been done. I wish that I had the time to make a list that would cover all of my regrets and say I'm sorry to all of the people that I've hurt. I think there was a show about it, right? Earl something or other... I should Google it, but I'm not in the mood.

I've said some really stupid shit in my day. I've been downright mean... why?? I don't know. Most of the time, I can say it was defensive. I have a way of lashing back with some pretty fucked up stuff... I guess it's a perk of growing up with 3 brothers. I couldn't fight but I could talk.

I apologize for the language tonight. I'm stressed. I'm angry. I'm frustrated. I'm a little scared. I just want some time off... I think I need some time off. I need money... I need a way to make more money that is. I'm leaving it in God's hands right now.

I know that might sound corny to people. Hell, a while back I would have read that and called the person who wrote it an idiot. I don't mean that I'm going to sit back and do nothing, but instead, I'm going to do the best I can. I'm going to continue to do the "right thing". I'm going to continue to try to improve myself, my family, my community. I'm going to continue to pray. I'm going to continue to believe that I can make a difference, that I can help create change, that I am showing my girls to never give up.

I'm stressed.

I want to go for a run.

I want to eat an entire pint of Ben and Jerry's Late Night Snack Ice Cream!

I want to go to sleep.

What the hell is my problem??

I keep looking at my Positivity bracelet. I love this thing.

Sadly, in the past few weeks, it's been my ground. You know when people are trying to break a habit so they wear a rubber band on their wrist and snap it when they get an urge or something... well, it's like that. When I start to get upset, frustrated, or even scared. I look at it and it grounds me. I don't know why. I think it just reminds me that things can always be worse.

I am so blessed. I mean, seriously blessed! I think I'm going to go lay on the couch and think about my blessings...

Belly Ache

2011-05-19T16:02:00.000-07:00

Apparently my stomach pain was a little more severe than I had expected. Seriously, I thought it was acid reflux or heart burn at first, then figured it must be an ulcer... NO! It's my freaking Gallbladder :(

So quick anatomy lesson via Health Central... this is what it's supposed to look like. I think that the fact that the damn organ is green, is pretty gross to begin with, but add the bile and acid and YUCK!!

Then this is what mine probably looks like...

Yes, those stupid little stones make it more disgusting!

I've been having pain on and off for a while now. The absolute worst was the weekend of my birthday. We did go out for Mexican, drinking, dancing and then followed it with breakfast at 1:30am, but I didn't know I was a ticking time bomb.

I had the worst pain ever with some other symptoms... basically not fun!

Figured it was acid reflux, went to bed.

A few "attacks" later and I finally decided I had to go to the doctor's to get meds for my "ulcer". Yup, I self-diagnosed myself. I thought I was good. Went in and talked to her and she said it could be a bunch of stuff... one of them was an ulcer. I held onto that!!

Two days ago I got to go for some tests to determine the "exact" issue. I had an upper abdominal ultrasound and an abdominal x-ray to check for gallstones.

Today I got the call... I need to meet with a surgeon to get my gallbladder removed. I have several stones and a thickening of the wall. Uh oh... that doesn't sound very good. BUT it gets worse!

Apparently, if it continues the way it's been going I could potentially get an infection, that could potentially spread to my other organs and I could potentially become septic. Now, there are a lot of potentiallys there, but the whole septic thing could lead to death, so I think maybe I should avoid the potential for that, huh?

BUT - silver lining!!

I was told there are 2-3 days of downtime for recovery... SCORE! OK... so I admit, I've been a little overwhelmed lately. Actually, the other day I thought I was going to get hit by a car and for a minute... or even less... I thought "If I get hurt, maybe I'll be able to sleep in tomorrow".

I know, it's a sick thought, and I wouldn't ever really want to get hit by car, BUT I would LOVE to sleep in... lmao. My hubby works so hard and there are a lot of weekends where I get to sleep in on Saturday, but not lately. Things have been too crazy. The school year is almost over and we are both looking forward to some down time with the kiddos.

Right now though... I need to get them out of the tub. hehe. They've been in there for almost an hour! Ahh.... I love bathtime :)

Lazy Sunday Recipes

2011-05-15T12:40:00.000-07:00

I've been kind of a slacker when it comes to blogging lately, I know. BUT I have a good excuse... the PTO kicked butt this year. The teachers were all impressed with Father-Daughter Dance and Health Fair/Smile Mile that were new to the calendar this year and continued to be thankful for the Teacher Appreciation Week that has become tradition. It's been a great year, working with a great group of people :)

Anyway, it's DONE! We made it... our last meeting of the year is tomorrow and that's when we start planning for next year! Yay :) OK - so that's my big excuse. Now it's time for me to make up for lost time by sharing some awesome recipes that are also pretty healthy, surprisingly cheap, AND super easy!

I had to stock up on ground turkey the other day because it was only $3.29 for the 1.3lb packages of 93% lean ground turkey. Seriously, it's usually closer to $5 so I grabbed 2 pks. Today I started my cooking spree with a Shepard's Pie influence. I know that everyone has a different take on Shepard's Pie, but what I grew up with was ground beef topped with corn and then mashed potatoes. I loved it! But since I've been experimenting in the kitchen so much, I've mixed it up a little.

Lean Mean Shepard's Pie

1 1/2ish lbs of Ground Turkey 93% lean (I wouldn't go lower than 85%)
1 package of the frozen broccoli and cheese sauce
6 servings of instant potatoes
5 cloves of garlic
1 can cream of chicken soup
1/2 cup chicken stock (you can use water)
salt and pepper to taste
onion powder to taste (or minced onion)
extra virgin olive oil
egg white

Throw 3 of the cloves of garlic into a pan that has a cover with a little drizzle of EVOO over low heat. Brown all sides. When it's done browning, shut off the heat and cover for approx 5 mins.

In the meantime, mince the other 2 cloves (I press em) and put them into a skillet with a little drizzle of EVOO until golden and fragrant. Toss in the ground turkey with some salt, pepper, onion powder. Cook over medium high heat until browned. Drain any grease. Add the can of cream of chicken soup and the 1/2 cup of stock or water. Cook until thickened.

Microwave the broccoli and cheese sauce as directed on the package. Make the potatoes as directed and stir in the garlic that you had roasted. Either press it into a paste or use a garlic press to break it up into the mixture. Layer the turkey mixture, followed by the broccoli, topped with the garlic mashed potatoes. Coat with egg white.

Now cook it until golden brown, toss in the fridge for tomorrow, or freeze it for later! Super easy.

Easy Lasagna (made Two 4serving containers)

1 1/2 lbs of ground turkey
3 cloves of garlic
EVOO
16oz bag of cheese ravioli (cheese and spinach would be awesome too!)
1 can Hunts Italian Sausage Spaghetti Sauce (or your favorite)
italian seasoning
mozzarella cheese

Drizzle some EVOO in a pan with the pressed garlic cloves. Heat over low-medium heat until browned. Add the ground turkey and bring the heat to medium high. Cook until browned. Add the Spaghetti Sauce until heated. While the meat is browning, boil the water for the ravioli and cook it approx half the time suggested. Drain the water and toss with a drizzle of EVOO just so they don't stick together.

Put a little bit of the sauce on the bottom of the container and evenly distribute some cheese ravioli.

Then top with some sauce and a little of the mozzarella cheese.

Repeat the layer of ravioli, layer of sauce and layer of cheese until you run out of supplies OR room in your container.

I used microwavable containers so that these can be last minute dinners for the week. They cook up in about 8-10 from the fridge and 15-20minutes from the freezer. If I had wanted to eat them right away, I would have just put the cover on for about 5mins because the sauce can cook the ravioli and melt the cheese the rest of the way without a problem.

Another favorite of ours for dinner, that I didn't make is a Pizza Bubble-Up Casserole. I think I posted about it a while ago, but don't feel like trying to find it again. Here is the recipe:

Pizza Bubble-Up Casserole

1lb lean ground beef or turkey
2 t. onion powder or 1 onion, chopped
16 oz. spaghetti sauce
1/2 t. dried basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 t. Italian seasoning

Veggie Toppings (mushrooms, peppers, olives, any of your favorites – BE CREATIVE)

Turkey Pepperoni or ground sausage - whatever you like!!
15 oz. refrigerated buttermilk biscuits (dice these up - I cut them into 6 or 8)

1 1/4 c. part skim milk mozzarella cheese, shredded

Preheat oven to 350 F. In skillet, brown the meat over medium high heat, seasoning with the italian seasoning, onion, salt, pepper, basil, and garlic. Add toppings and diced biscuit pieces and stir gently until completely coated. Pour mixture into a 9x13" greased casserole dish. Bake for 25mins. Top with the shredded cheese and bake an additional 10mins, until cheese is melted. Let stand for 5mins before serving.

Stuffed Portabella Mushroom Caps

4 Portabella Mushroom Caps – stems removed

1/2 cup Balsamic vinaigrette with olive oil or Balsamic vinegar

½ cup fresh spinach

½ cup diced sundried tomatoes

½ cup diced roasted red peppers

½ cup feta cheese

Olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste

Marinate the portabella caps in the balsamic vinaigrette for at least 2hours. This can be done up to 24 hrs before preparing.

Place caps on a lightly greased baking pan tops down. Layer spinach, tomatoes, peppers, and feta cheese. Drizzle a little olive oil on top. Salt and pepper for seasoning.

Place in 350 degree oven for 25 mins.

** These can be placed in foil packets and prepared on the grill.

12 mins at 400 deg.

** Use the small Bella Caps instead and you have a super easy

appetizer anyone would love!!

Well, I hope that you enjoy some of these... I know we do :) I promise to posting more frequently again too! Stop by and check it out.

The Health Fair!! It's Almost here!!

2011-05-02T10:08:00.000-07:00

I decided to join the PTO this year.

It doesn't seem like a big deal, right? Well, I have this little problem where I think I "can do it all". I mean, the very first meeting I went to I volunteered for the Dance Committee AND I volunteered to be the Head of the Health Fair Committee; how hard could it be? I love health fairs. I have a career in health. I know a lot of people and vendors personally, or through my hubby. Piece of cake - NOT!

So it's been 6 months since that first meeting and the Health Fair is this weekend. YAY!!

We had a logo contest in February and several entries were really good, but one literally blew our socks off. We didn't even have to vote. When we saw it, we knew! Logo - Done!

Then we started pulling together vendors and instructors for demos. Oh did, I forget to mention our highlight?? Yes, we are even holding a Smile Mile Event... with medals for the kiddos. How cool is that?? The even COOLER part... we found a place that was able to put the logo on the medal. hehe. Sorry, I get giddy when I see them. They aren't etched, but the stickers on them rock! I think the kids are going to be excited.

Actually, this morning, I was able to go into several of the classrooms and I was telling them about the event. I said "Every little kid who finishes the race gets a medal!". One of the little boys raised his hand excitedly saying "A medal?? Like a real champion?!" I said, "Yes, like a champion! Because everyone who finishes it is a champion". They were ecstatic!

Anyway, the event is almost here... I'm excited. I don't sleep anymore. I might have an ulcer... but it's so going to be worth it! Check out our poster. How cool is that, huh?? Wish me luck! Maybe I'll see you there?

Lazy Saturday

2011-04-30T11:53:00.000-07:00

It's almost time for me to go to work and I still haven't even gotten dressed. That's the type of day I had in mind when I got up this morning... my kids had a different plan. Why is that they are content to do nothing when they are home with Daddy, but if Mommy's home we need to actually DO something?? This is definitely the unanswered question in my house.
So I was able to watch a few minutes of "Me or the Dog" when Phoebe plopped her Cake Bakery kit on my lap. This is one of the gifts that Santa thought would be a great idea. Why, oh why, doesn't Santa ever actually think through the whole gift selection thing? He always seem to think about what the kids would most want and NOT about how much of the activity would actually involve mommy. lmao! Next year, there will be a lot more "independent" gifts under the tree... of course, I always say that.
So with the box on my lap, I was able to buy a little time claiming that I needed to read the instructions. It seemed pretty simple. Add some water, throw the batter into the little shapes and microwave for 30secs. Then add some water to the fondant, mix, roll out and place on the cake. No Problem! HA!
So the cakes were mixed, cooked, and cooling on the table. Now the kiddos picked the white, pink and yellow fondants. I added the water and tried to mix. This process was NOT going well. We had to add a little more water. Then a little powdered sugar cuz the 2 freaking drops were too many... 25mins later I had a 1-2inch ball of fondant of each of the colors. Then we started to roll it out. It looked good... until we tried to pick it up off the mat.
I was trying sooo hard to keep my wits about me, because today is also the first day that I've had to start decreasing my coffee intake. Apparently, a pot a day on a empty stomach, isn't good for you. So I got to start with Prilosec today and will be scheduling an Upper GI and ultrasound this week. Not cool!
After a LOT of struggling and a few tears... from me. We were able to finish the cakes. I was responsible for covering the actually cake and the kids decorated the rest all by themselves... tada... The faces of the happy artists. BTW - if Food Network is reading... they are both training so that they can have a cake show when they get older!!! You can't make this stuff up :)

Payton and her master piece!


Phoebe with her mini layer cake :)

We Shall Be Free

2011-04-23T12:59:00.000-07:00

Garth Brooks - We Shall Be Free

Another year older

2011-04-20T16:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was my 35th Birthday. Yup... I am officially half way done with my 30's. I think it's funny because I don't feel like I've done enough. I feel like I should be somewhere more... I have the house and the hubby, the kids, the dog and the hamster. I have a career. I'm on the PTO and helping run my husband's campaign. I've managed to learn how to cook, to do some basic cosmetic stuff in the house, even started taking care of the yard... but today I realized why I've been feeling like I should be doing something else. Like something else should be done.

I actually figured it out today. I never thought that I would ever be in the this much debt. UGH!! I mean, it's not the "bad" debt that the collection people are calling us at all hours of the night to track down. It's mortgage, student loans (undergrad AND grad school), cars, and the monthly bill for the kids tuition. It's just non-stop.

We have a plan and we're working towards getting everything done and gone, but right now, I wish we could do more. I wish we could bring the kids to Disney, like so many of our friends. I wish that Henry didn't have to work the second job. BUT then I realized something else. I was looking at my Positivity bracelet that I got from Laura over at Piece of Cake, and realized that there has to be a better way to look at this situation. Our kids watch us everyday working to do what needs to be done. They see us doing the right thing and understand that if you want money, you need to work hard.

I also realized that love is all you really need... and I have PLENTY of that. I have the most loving husband. He is truly the man of my dreams. My world revolves around my kids and I would do anything for them. For all of this I am truly blessed. So what more could I ask for, right... oh yeah...

Finally finishing a project... almost!

2011-04-15T10:44:00.000-07:00

I thought I was done with this project... I really did, but when I was taking the pics just now, I realized I have one step left to finish. Man oh man, I really do have something against completing things, huh?

Anyway, this is the project I did yesterday. It was not on my initial list OR my added to list. BUT I have wanted to do this project since the very first day I moved into this house. This is what you would see when you walked into the front hallway of the house...

scary, isn't it?


The shag carpeting greets you.

I told a friend that I would check out a local store to see if they had any bikes. It just happened to have a serious lack of bikes, but I did find these...

They were perfect!! AND made in the USA!! So I had to rip off all of that disgusting carpet, pull up all the tacks, and wash it down. It would have been much better if I sanded and refinished the steps, but come on... that would take time and MORE money. Did I mention that this project cost me just $20. I was more than excited about that part... hehe

This is the view from the top of the stairs. I should have gotten a before pic to compare, but I realized that I should be taking pics only after I had taken half of that nasty runner off. Hey, better late than never, right?

When Payton saw the new carpet tiles, she told me "Mommy, now we need new walls!". Thanks, Kiddo. I can always count on my kids to help me out. I am debating on finishing this entire hallway up in time to have the family over for Easter. Not sure if it's possible, but I already have the paint and spackle. I even have the frosting kit for the front window. I would have to spend about $30 to install 2 new ceiling lights and put a welcome mat at the front door.

I cannot believe how good it looks!! I kept getting up and looking down the stairs last night... hehe :)

See, isn't it beautiful??

Adding to my list...

2011-04-14T15:56:00.001-07:00

I've been doing projects in my house since we moved in. Thank God I was blessed with such an understanding husband. He loves me even with the house half finished in just about every room!

I started working in the front hallway, and no I haven't taken down the wallpaper OR painted like I was supposed to. Actually, I am working backwards. Payton actually came in and said "Mommy, now we need new walls". That's how bad my hallway is... my 4yr old can see it! lol

Anyway, I will be posting pics soon :) Guess you are going to have to keep reading... hehe

One of those days... again...

2011-04-13T16:17:00.000-07:00

Baby, now that I've found you I won't let you go.

Time in a Bottle

My Bestfriend

Imagine

Wishing and Hoping

Butterfly Kisses

Independent Love Song

Outside Looking In

Each of these has a special place in my life and heart. I'm not going to explain each one, but just picture wedding day, kids, love, college and life. It's amazing how much music can transport you somewhere. How it can make you realize how much time has passed. How it can put you right back into the very moment you where when you listened to it originally. This is my little journey for the day. Did it remind YOU of anything?

I love food!!

2011-04-11T16:30:00.000-07:00

No, seriously. I LOVE food!

Chocolate
    Ice Cream
          Pork
             Chinese
                  Pizza
                     Sushi
                         Breakfast!
                             Pasta....
            FOOD!!

It's funny. People ask me what my favorite restaurant is and I can never figure it out. I can tell you what my favorite Chinese place is, or pizza place, or my favorite fast food, ice cream, or burger joint... but a favorite restaurant?? I don't have one.

I have my husband and he is a chef.
He is an AMAZING chef!
A Certified Executive Chef actually.

He can whip me up something Iron Chef style anytime I want... I am a lucky girl :) Tonight, I called him and asked if I can have seared scallops accompanied by cheese ravioli tossed in a roasted red pepper pesto... and when I got home... ta da! Dinner! Told ya I was lucky.

Well, there are other perks that come with Chef Hubby's skills in the kitchen. We get to go to cool stuff like Food Shows and Tastings and American Culinary Federation Dinners... oh my. Last night just so happened to be one of those times. My mom watched the kids, we got dressed all cute and headed to The Celestial Cafe in Exeter, RI. The people were amazing, so conversation was not short... neither was the food.

Cocktail Hour

Grilled local oysters drizzled with a smoked Ledge Ends chili

and balsamic reduction topped with micro basil.

Carpenter Farm butternut squash made into a wonton filled with

Narragansett Creamery ricotta and drizzled with a Rhody Fresh cream

with Ledge Ends Produce organic garlic.

Local Kenyon Grist Mill johnny cakes topped with hummus, fresh hand cut salsa

and Narragansett Creamery sharp cheese, then well baked.

Tender sliced Maple Leaf Farm duck breast seared to perfection, rolled in an egg

roll wrapper with bok choy, S&P Gardiner onions, Ledge Ends Produce carrots,

Laurel Hill micro greens, and drizzled with a ginger peanut Thai sauce.

Dinner

Schartner’s Farm native winter squash, S&P Gardiner roasted red peppers, winter

spice, and a splash of Amaretto almond liquor.

Baby greens tossed with a Sakonnet red wine vinaigrette and topped with

Reynolds’s Farm goat cheese, candied Green Farm cranberries, South County

Apiary honey and Cajun tossed nuts.

Filet wrapped in a homemade piecrust dusted with a smoked sea salt and served

with an organic mushroom mix including Shitake mushrooms from Farming Turtle

Farm, served with garlic whipped S&P Gardiner potatoes and sautéed Ledge Ends

Produce organic greens.

Chef's Choice of Dessert

Local apples from Barden Family Orchard flambéed with rum and South County

Apiary honey then served over Celestial’s frozen custard made with Pat’s

Pastured egg yolks, and Rhody Fresh cream.

~AND~

A warm flourless chocolate cake topped with a scoop of homemade gelato ice cream

made from Pat’s Pastured eggs and Rhody Fresh cream.

Oh and did I mention they even did a wine pairing for each course? Yeah, I'm a big girl now and I drink wine... lol. I remember back in the day when I thought that Arbor Mist counted! All in all it was a great night, with great food, great people, and most importantly... my hubby ;) I love that guy!

So, all in all, after racking my brain, I have to admit that my favorite place to eat is my dining room. I love having breakfast every morning with my kiddos before school. I love coming home to dinner at night. I can't resist a dinner, cocktail, super bowl, pastry... you name it, PARTY... in our place.

It's the best restaurant in town!

Spring might actually be here?

2011-04-10T10:19:00.000-07:00

Today my mom and decided to pack the kids up and go for a walk around Buttonwood Park Zoo. They got dressed, hair done, wagon in the car, Rebel on a leash... we were set!

Then I realized that there was a 5K there that day. I was bummed at first because we missed it. I was ssoooo going to run it again this year, but thought it was next weekend. Oh well. Then I was bummed because parking was INSANE! We found a spot and headed out.

The kids didn't want to walk. Rebel didn't want to walk.

This wasn't the walk I had imagined.

I ended up pulling 2 kids around the first half of the park. Then my mom took over, so I kicked Phoebe out. There was no way she was going to be able to pull both of them.

Then we made them switch I kicked Payton out. About 5 feet into her walk she decided that her feet were too tired to move, so she wiped out... I was less than sympathetic. These are the kids that run around insanely on the playground. Seriously, this is only a 2 mile-ish walk around the entire park.

So we decided to race. They liked that, but Rebel was very against this idea and I ended up dragging the little guy. Once again - not the walk I had imagined :(

I am hoping that if we do this little by little, they might actually get in shape? Of course, if they keep riding in the wagon, my ass is going to look amazing!! LMAO I could totally feel the burn in my hamstrings and glutes! Maybe this lazy kid thing does have a perk... but I'm still gonna kick em out :)

Saturday Morning Music

2011-04-09T10:59:00.000-07:00

Over at Piece of Cake, Laura has been posting what she's been listening to on Saturday morning. I like it because then I get to check out some new stuff. I already loved the song she posted today, but had to listen to it 2 or 3 times anyway. I'm cool like that! lol

This morning, we woke up, ate, and ran out of the house so I could cover the Freshman Softball game. The kids came with me which is cool because they are finally at the age where I don't freak out if they aren't right with me. Which is very helpful by the way, especially when an injury occurs and I do actually have to do my job. Anyway, about 45 mins into the game I realized that we had forgotten to sign Phoebe up for Soccer :(

I am seriously never going to earn the "Mom of the Year" award... EVER!!

This is the first team we were ever signing her up for and I completely forgot about it. I also forgot to pack snacks for my kids... which is a VERY bad thing.

Trust me... it was frustrating when Payton was crying that she was starving even though she had just eaten 2 1/2 hrs earlier. BUT not nearly as frustrating as it was when she started screaming... and I mean SCREAMING from about 50yds away, because there was a bug on her. Yeah, everyone was looking to see if she was missing an appendage or something. Then Phoebe started screaming an crying because she saw the bug on Payton!! It was a little bug... a moth or something. It was awful.

Well, hubby came and delivered some food and beverages. Isn't he the best :) Then he headed out to pick up the recumbent bike I found for him on Craiglist. I love that site... I really do. He's been losing weight too, which is very helpful this time around on Weight Watchers. I mean, he's always been supportive and my mom lives downstairs and is on the program, but I still felt a little alone. So when he said that's the piece of equipment he wanted, I started searching.

We already have a treadmill, elliptical, and punching bag in the basement, but we don't use any of them because they're in the basement. I wish I could get rid of the playroom and turn it into a workout room. That would be sooo cool, but seriously, the whole room would fit like 2 pieces of equipment and it would be full.

So the bike is parted in the middle of my double parlor next to the bar... lol. It's pretty ironic actually. I've decided that we definitely have too much stuff but I don't know how to get rid of any of it. I think I have to take a serious inventory and figure it all out. I don't know. Anyway, I started with the music... and in the car we got to listen to the kids music. I know a lot of people don't do this but I let them get their time too. Here is one of their favorites...

789 by the Barenaked Ladies

One of those days...

2011-04-08T09:04:00.000-07:00

Remember that cute little hamster I told you about a week ago, Caramel? Well, she escaped last night. Yup... one of those days.

Now I get to tell my kiddos that they hamster is gone again!! 2 times in 8 days. Is that some sort of record? At least this one didn't just die. Maybe I can tell them she went back home or something. Think they'll believe it? I think I'm not going to say anything yet. We'll see if they notice...

*** Update - The hamster HAS BEEN FOUND!! lol
She is now confined to a single cage without any of the attachments... at least until she grows a little and can't fit through the damn slots! Man, the kids were bummed. I was a mess. I have this need to be in control and she is determined to prevent that. Phew - I'm hoping this was the first AND last time. No more hamsters after this. EVER!!

Songs that keep me going right now...

2011-04-07T06:10:00.000-07:00

This is the song the kids and I listen to on the way to school, almost every day. I love this song. Payton LOVES this song and sings it at the top of her little lungs! I love that kid. This was the only song on the entire workout playlist my brother made me, that I NEEDED on it. The only one I wanted on it.

Then you have "Burning Heart" by Survivor. This one is written about 2 men duking it out in the ring, fighting for their country. I have to admit though, I think it goes a little deeper now. You can pretty much use it as the USA's theme song. Man, I love my country :)

And then the song that I have set at about 28mins on my 5K training playlist... it goes me pumped and running like crazy! BTW - It took me FOREVER to come up with this song. I listen to Cat Country 98.1 all of the time... lmao

Beacons in Life...

2011-04-06T08:06:00.000-07:00

I never ever bring up religion... ever! Most of my life I've walked this line of belief, non-belief, unsure. I don't know how to explain it. I've always known there is something greater, something better, definitely something smarter than us out there. I mean, seriously, this can't be it - right?

Well, I was baptized catholic and made First Communion in the catholic church... all alone, in a BIG catholic church. Unfortunately, the day the rest of the my class made First Communion, I had developed the chicken pox. This meant that as soon as I was better, I got walk that aisle alone (my big brother said he'd already done it, and was NOT going up there with me). Great!

I don't remember going up to the altar, although, we have pictures. I just remember sitting in the pew and then being called to go up there alone. It was daunting. Oh well, I got over it. From that point, my grandmother would come over our house every Thursday night and teach us CCD. She had the books and we were assigned homework and readings. Most of which, I didn't do. I wasn't a great student at school and to be assigned MORE homework by Nana... seriously??

As a family, we didn't stay in the Catholic Church because both my mom and my stepfather had been married previously and obviously, had children. The priest would only marry them if they were both willing to get annulments, which they refused, so we moved on.

This brings us to some of my fondest memories... St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Dartmouth, MA. Our reverend was Rev. Ben. He was an amazing man. He made it fun. I was in the choir and helped with the coffee hours. I was even an acolyte. I helped set up the altar for the masses, prepared the readings (ok... put the bookmark) filled the bowls and pitchers. It was fun and I loved to listen to Rev. Ben speak. It made sense. At least in church.

I never really understood the whole prayer thing. I mean, when I was in 3rd grade, I moved to Dartmouth from Fall River and got picked on. I prayed that it would stop, but it didn't... not for a while. Then I made a friend and she had tattered clothes and wore her shoes on the wrong feet and was never really clean. I prayer every night for her. I still remember sitting in bed begging that she wouldn't get picked on the next day. I prayed that maybe her parents would help her, the teachers, someone. But nothing happened.

I started to think that the whole religion thing, God, all of it was a scam. And I declared myself an "Atheist"! Which ended up making my grandmother cry. Sorry. I just didn't know what to think. He wasn't helping, was he?! I was angry. I kept seeing it happen over and over. I was bullied on the bus in middle school. Then I made a friend in 8th grade that was in a foster family. She would sneak clothes and make-up to school because she wasn't allowed to wear that type of stuff. We all knew, if her parents ever found out, she was "gonna get it".

How could my grandparents "know" there was something out there if this was the type of stuff that happened to people?? Why bother?? I went through the motions, and made confirmation at St. Peter's. Rev Ben moved to Florida, I think... and the new Reverend seemed significantly more concerned about the amount of money going into the basket. She didn't really talk to us anymore. She just "was". And we stopped going.

At this point, I realized that there probably was something. God, Budda, something, but didn't really care. I discovered the word "Agnostic". So when I got engaged and my husband said he wanted to get married in the church, I said "why not". I signed a form saying we would raise our children in word of the Catholic Church. We were married. We didn't go to church, we were pregnant... then it happened.

I had a baby. I looked at this little blessing and realized that there HAD to be a God. There had to be something. There was no way this could happen without something amazing. I wanted to go to church but the one we were married in was HUGE!! Even bigger than the one I had to walk in alone for First Communion. I wanted a church that people knew each other and chatted. I wanted to get that feeling that I had when Rev. Ben would speak.

We started going to Holy Name of the Sacred Heart of Jesus and I love Father Bob. He is so nice and open. He high fives the kiddos as he goes down the aisle at the opening of mass. We see friends and neighbors, and know some of the people that you say "God be with you" to. lol. I feel better after mass. I feel like we're doing the right thing. We are raising our girls the way they should be raised. But I still have a problem... I have never received communion at the church because I have not reconfirmed myself to the church. I have not gone to confession. It scares me.

Now, don't get me wrong; I haven't killed anyone or done anything really bad, but it terrifies me. I also am quite sure still why it is, I can tell this mortal man my sins, my thoughts, etc and he can "forgive" me. I am still in the mindset of a conversation between me and God. I guess I need to have a chat with Father Bob, huh? lol

Well, we are in the middle of becoming official parishioners and making arrangements for my girls to be baptized and preparing Phoebe for CCD so she can make First Communion with her class... in a church that she is welcome and comfortable in. We say our prayers together each night and although I know His job isn't to change the things that happen around us, I know that we are changing as people, because of him, and I'm ok with that.

Weight Loss Challenge Update

2011-04-05T17:02:00.000-07:00

I'm going to be honest... I have another blog all about weight loss and healthy recipes, etc, but I can't keep up with both, so I'm going to merge them. Basically, I'm just going to do ALL of my rambling and posting on here, if that's ok with you :)

So this morning was another weigh in at WW. I knew that I had to have lost something, but my scale at home hasn't been the most accurate lately. It's probably time for a new one soon. Oh well. Anyway, as usual, I woke up and got the kids set and off to school. Then I have to wait another hour and half before I can go weigh in. Now, during this period, I don't eat or drink and I go searching for my lightest clothes... lmao. OK, maybe it would be more funny if it wasn't actually true, but hey that's my system.

I got there, waited in line and climbed on the scale. I lost 3.4lbs!! Go me :) I'll take it. That puts me at 158.4lbs now... down about 55lbs at WW or 65lbs from my heaviest, which sadly enough, wasn't while I was pregnant. I want to drop another 25 but my hubby thinks that too much. Well, have to see. I'm incorporating exercise again now so I'm hoping the results will start showing more in terms of inches. I will keep you posted!

Oh... and I'll leave you with a recipe.

Pizza Bubble-up Casserole

1 - 1 1/2 pound 96% lean ground beef
2 t. onion powder or 1 onion, chopped
16 oz. tomato sauce (or spaghetti sauce... Hunt's with Sausage is very low in fat and ROCKS!!)
1/2 t. dried basil
3 cloves garlic, minced
2 t. Italian seasoning
Veggie Toppings (mushrooms, peppers, olives, any of your favorites – BE CREATIVE)
17 slices Turkey Pepperoni (optional)
15 oz. refrigerated buttermilk biscuits
1 1/4 c. part skim milk mozzarella cheese, shredded
salt and pepper to taste (add while browning)

Preheat oven to 350 F. In skillet, saute the garlic and onion in a little oil. Then add the meat over medium heat with the dried seasonings until browned, stirring to crumble. Stir in onion powder or onion, tomato sauce, basil, garlic and Italian seasoning.

Add veggies (mushrooms, peppers, black olives, etc…whatever you like) and pepperoni. Add cut up biscuits; stir gently until biscuits are covered with sauce. Pour the mixture into a sprayed 9x13 inch baking dish. Bake for 25 minutes. Sprinkle with cheese, and bake an additional 10 minutes or until biscuits are done. Let stand 5 minutes before serving.

My kids LOVED this! Payton didn't event want to try it and then ended up going for seconds. I prepared the mixture and poured it into the casserole dish in the morning and put it in the fridge so hubby could just throw it in the oven when he got home. It worked out great!

Getting to the Finish Line

2011-04-04T05:52:00.000-07:00

I have been on the weight loss journey most of my life and it definitely has its ups and downs. Right now I'm signed up for not one, but TWO weight loss challenges. You'd figure that this will help me get to my goal. I'm thinking it might be working. I think the bigger factor is that for the very first time, my hubby and I are doing it together.

Most of the people I hang out with right now never knew me back when I was "big". They kind of chuckle when I say I used to be an chunka or an Umpa Lumpa. It's weird because even when I was big, I never felt that way. I always thought I was a little chunky. I was always strong and I was able to do most of the exercises I was having my athletes do... just not as many! lol. But I was confident. Now, 65lbs less I actually have a complex when I get dressed.

It's so frustrating to have the muffin top with even the loosest pants. I had toned up quite a bit when I was working with my trainer, but ended that last summer. I know what I need to do. I create programs to get other people in shape. Actually, just finished one for some of the Lacrosse/Football players, that would do exactly what I want to do, but have I done it? Not once! Oh well, maybe this will light a fire under my butt... This is me at my starting weight of 223lbs!! Yuck! Not what I ever want to see again. Gonna go workout now!

What I've been up to...

2011-04-03T18:05:00.000-07:00

Shrimp and Veggie Lo Mein

The last post, I was able to talk about the Chinese food and could NOT for the life of me find the pics I took. Weird, I know... lol, but I found them!! Don't these egg rolls look yummy?? They tasted even better and the lo mein totally ROCKED!! You have to check out the recipes and make them immediately :) I didn't have any leftovers. OK, I had about 1oz of seaweed salad (out of 1lb) and a few cups of egg drop soup. I think the meal was a complete success and will definitely be making all of these recipes again.


Shrimp Egg Rolls

Phoebe was in a play. It was Annie Jr. She was an orphan. You would not believe how excited she was to be dirty. Really! When they started rehearsal, the director told them that they needed some old clothes, ripped tights, scuffed shoes, messed hair and dirty faces. She came home sooo excited. She said "Mommy, we need to mess our hair and then they're going to put dirt on our faces!! Mommy, I've been waiting my whole life to be dirty!!" I'm not sure but I think that means I've been doing my job :)

I'm not sure I mentioned this, but I was on a committee for the school, to help organize a Father-Daughter Dance. It was Saturday night. It was a HUGE success! The school hasn't had a dance in many years and this was a "trial" to see if people would be open to it and if we could pull it off. Needless to say, we are already discussing the possibility for a Welcome Back to School Dance for the beginning of the year, for ALL students! Keeping my fingers crossed!

Payton's Cinderella Dress


Phoebe's Princess Dress

These are the dresses that the girls picked out on themselves. Notice the "high heel" shoes. That was a must have item. Payton specifically told me "Mommy, I NEED high heels for my dress!" Do you think I'm giving them a bad impression? Come on, seriously, who can really blame me for completing an outfit (a "going out outfit") with heels?? I'm only 5'2 and a half. Hey at the doctor's the other day, they added the half, so can I.

We also had a sleepover the other day. This little kiddo has such a special place in my heart. She's pretty much my niece... and we LOVE having her over. She just fits in so well :) They all had to get dressed up and then pose for a bunch of pics. This is one of my favorites... hehe. My little princesses. I think I might actually miss this when they get older - and I don't say that much.

We had a little tragedy this past week. After only 9 months, Sparkles passed away. I went to feed her Wednesday night and wasn't greeted by a happy, hungry little hamster as usual. So I tapped a little, called her, and then searched. She was in her "bed". OK - so maybe I should explain about the searching. Our hamster was SPOILED... she had 2 cages connected by the tubing with satellite pods and wheels. She had a lot of space to play.

Anyway, she was not moving... and I cried... a LOT. I'm really pathetic. I get VERY attached to things. I cry at those commercials for the humane society and hate hate hate those youtube clips about poaching and pretty much anything else about animal abuse. It's awful. So the next morning we broke it to the kids. Payton was fine until she saw Phoebe crying and then she got a little sad. Momentarily, anyway. It did not take her long to look up with those sad little eyes and say "But mommy, we can buy a NEW hamster!!", to which Phoebe agreed. So welcome our new member... Caramel:

Oh, and here are some more pics of the Father - Daughter Dance!!

And finally, My hubby is running for City Council. I am so proud of him! He's got so much heart and has the needs of our community on his mind all of the time. Actually, as I'm writing this post, he's watching city council meetings. Fun, right? lol. He really cares and I love him for that. We had our first campaign fundraiser last month and here he is with some friends. Notice the chef coat, because he came right from school (he's a culinary instructor). Did I mention how hard he works?? He's amazing.

And, finally, this is me with the co-owner of the Shawmut Diner. That's the place we had the fundraiser. It's an awesome little place with great food and great people. If you're ever in the area, you should really check it out! So thanks Phil and Celeste... I think it turned out to be the perfect venue!

If you want to learn more about my hubby and maybe even want to help with his campaign, check out his website... www.henrybousquet.com

Thinking...

2011-03-30T17:33:00.000-07:00

The other day I was coming out of a doctor's appointment and got stuck waiting as a long funeral procession passed. I don't know if I'm strange, but whenever I see this, or see people piling into a funeral home, I always wonder what would happen if I passed away?

I mean, I know there's the uncertainty of the kids and I'm guessing that my husband would miss me... and my family, but I wonder about other people. I wonder about the students that I work with everyday at the school. Would they miss my "motivation speeches" and words of wisdom? Would my colleagues miss my input and my hardwork? Have I spent enough time with my friends while my life grows more and more hectic?

Would people actually take time out of their busy lives to even come and say a last goodbye? I know this sounds depressing and I'm not trying to be... I honestly think about this all the time. I think it makes me want to make a difference; an impact. I have so many things that I want to do. I have so many lives still that I want to change.

I still NEED to get to work on making it possible for all of the people who receive meals on wheels to get a card... a simple little card to say that someone cares, on holidays and their birthday. I want to help with the food pantries. I want to become a teacher so I have an even greater impact on some of those kids looking for direction. I don't worry about the ones who live in the guidance office, checking out the colleges they've grown up hearing about, getting their grades, earning their letters.

I worry about the ones who fold up their papers, put away their books, and pull their hoods on. I worry about the kids who are going to college for a major that their parents want them to get; knowing they will almost certainly drop out for lack of interest or motivation to continue. I worry about the kids who are searching for something to grab onto and can't quite find the rope.

It's funny. When I was in college or even in the early years of "Life"... married, house, job, dogs. I thought I knew what I wanted and where I needed to be to get there and then about 7yrs ago all of that changed. I found out that I was pregnant and for the first time in my life, I wasn't the center of my world. I feel like I need to make a difference to make my kids world better... to make my world better. To just make things better.

So sitting in my car, I wondered... have I made a difference?

Book Club!!

2011-03-30T07:21:00.000-07:00

This is pretty much my WHOLE kitchen!!

I was sooo excited Monday... it was MY turn to host Book Club :) Now, usually what we do is the host of bookclub does the main entree and everyone brings something. The normal breakdown would be Salad, Bread, Dessert, and WINE!! Now, I have to mention that prior to starting this bookclub, I never drank wine. I thought it was disgusting and harsh... and well, I couldn't do it. But, thankfully, I've grown up and developed a taste for it. Don't get me wrong, I have no idea about flavor and pairings or anything like that, but I do enjoy a glass of wine with my ladies.

This time, I was craving Chinese. I don't know about you, but I love chinese food. I love sushi, seaweed salad, the soups, the sauces... mmm! Everything about it. So I wanted to make chinese food. I went searching the web and found the stuff I was looking for Egg Drop Soup, Shrimp Egg Rolls, and Shrimp and Veggie Lo Mein. These recipes were AWESOME!! I also grabbed some Seaweed Salad at our local Market Basket.

I have to admit though... I changed a few things. I don't buy regular coleslaw mix anymore because I am in LOVE with Broccoli Slaw. It has more flavor, color, and nutrients. It works amazingly in the egg rolls. The only other thing I changed was that I used egg roll wrappers instead of wonton wrappers because that's what I had in the freezer. I didn't make the dipping sauce, but I'm sure it's just as amazing :)

The Shrimp and Vegetable Lo Mein was awesome too... even though it was a WW recipe. I'm always a little nervous because sometimes their recipes can be bland, but this rocked! I think it was because there was oyster sauce, sesame oil, and yummy veggies. I took out the bamboo shoots and added about 8oz of baby bella mushrooms. Everyone loved it all so much that I really didn't even have any leftovers.

After we discussed the book a little, drank some wine and settled into conversation I was asked if we had any chocolate. I hadn't planned for dessert because of the bountiful assortment I was throwing at everyone, but thanks to The Pampered Chef, I was able to whip together a 12 minute Miracle Cake! hehe.

So we read "The Next on My List" by Jill Smolinski this month. It was my pick and I flew through it. I have to warn you, if you decide to read it... it's pretty much a chick flick within a binding. Some of the ladies had serious trouble reading it because of the ummm... lack of content. But I LOVED it. lol. To be honest, it's been a little hectic around here and it was nice to sink into something that didn't really make me think much.

The book is about a "Bucket List" that needs to be completed before a deadline. Now, there's a twist to it slightly, but that's all that needs to be said right now. It started me thinking and I realized that I've never created a bucket list. I mean, I've had goals for myself, but I've changed so much that those goals aren't even relevant anymore. So I mentioned this point and the ladies had me get some paper and a pencil and wanted me to make a list.

I will be 35 years old in less than a month!! Yes, in 20 days I will be 35yrs old and I have no idea where I am going?? What do I want to do? I could potentially be making a jump in careers, but that's not certain. I would love to be a teacher, or maybe a guidance counselor, or even an administrator... but I LOVE being an Athletic Trainer. I want to do more stuff for my community, the school, my kids, my family. They put a stipulation on the list that doesn't let me put any home improvement items on it... BUMMER!! That would have been easy. Remember a few posts back. And then. But no... I have to do 40 things before I am 40.

I'm working on the list now and will post it when it's done. But, as promised. Here are some more pics of my kitchen...

So I took off the wallpaper to see what was behind it. Now I've discovered I have to change that little board behind the sink before putting on the tile, but I'm ready!! Isn't the sink huge? I love it :)

This is my homemade pot rack. That was stainless steel flat hanger for a spice rack or cup for utensil, like over my stove below. BUT I added some cool shower curtain hooks and now it's my custom pot rack!

ok ok ok...

2011-03-28T08:31:00.001-07:00

I DID take pics, but I don't have time to post them right now... I have to prep for Book Club tonight! Yes, that's our excuse to get together, drink some wine, talk some talk, and eat SUPER yummy food! Tonight's menu is Homemade Egg Drop Soup followed by shrimp egg rolls and shrimp and veggie lo mein... mmm mmm mmm. I cannot wait!!

So anyway, I promise. Pics of the house AND the finished rocking chair tomorrow. If the food comes out as great as the recipes sound, I will post pics and recipes of those too :)

Wish me luck!

Adding to my list...

2011-03-23T18:38:00.000-07:00

Am I the only one who will NEVER complete a "to do" list??

A little while back I posted a list of things that I need to do or finish. Well, since then I added a couple of things. I have been trying to figure out what to do with the sunroom AGAIN! Yes, I did reorganize that space a few years back and it's better, but still not "right".

The girls are getting bigger and they want to do crafts with me. Heck, they want to do crafts withOUT me!! lol So, the other day I was checking out Craigslist and I found a countertop - FREE!! It would have been perfect for those cabinets I missed out on the other day at Lowe's but, I'm not getting down on that... I'll secure it somehow. It's an L-shaped laminate countertop that's 4ft long on one end and probably about 8ft long in the other direction. Can you say PERFECT??? I can :) So I called Chef Hubby and begged him to pick it up. (He was at a meeting and it was about 8:30pm already - Have I mentioned lately how lucky I am to have that guy??)

So, he brought it home - all 80-100lbs of it! lol. It's huge :) Can't wait to set that up. Oh, and I mentioned my Lowe's trip... yeah, well, I figured that the cabinets were gone so I'd look around a little. Am I the only person who also LOVES to "just browse" at Lowe's? OK, well, it didn't end with browsing or my list wouldn't have grown, right?? wow... that was a lot of commas! lmao

Anyway, I a spot over my sink in the kitchen that NEEDS tile. It's seriously screaming for it. At least it would be if it could scream. I have an old double basin cast iron porcelain sink that's 3 feet wide. It would be perfect if it wasn't for the very old - VERY low countertops we have it. Anyway, behind the sink is currently wallpaper that is pulling up :( We put this wallpaper up about 7 or 8yrs ago and didn't even prime the walls first. It has to go. So i was "just browsing" the tile isle when I saw the coolest charcoal colored 1x1inch tile. Then I grabbed some pewter accessory tiles and the Tile Kit!

It was close to browsing... the whole project cost me less than $50! I know, I know... it's not done yet BUT I want to do it NOW! I also have the... wait for it... PERFECT wallpaper to redo the room in. I swear I will post pics soon, but try to picture it... we have red laminate counter tops that are a whopping 17" deep, gray cabinets and chrome accents. The big porcelain white sink and a black stove. Did I mention it's a galley kitchen, so the fridge is actually in the dining room and the microwave... down the hall in the SUNROOM!! lol.

Ok, so there's a LOT of work to do! Well, there was a LOT of work to do on top of these new projects, but I'm excited... hehe. I have 2 projects almost done. My dad (my savior) finished sealing the chair that we refinished for my cousin and the Father Daughter Dance is next weekend. I have to make a BUNCH of mini cupcakes for that, but I can whip those out in a couple of hours - no problem!

Do me a favor and say a prayer or two. Tell me what songs get you motivated (trying to create a new playlist) or tell me what projects you're working on. I PROMISE to post pics next time!! I swear :)

Feeling Calm

2011-03-17T09:32:00.000-07:00

Any of you who actually know me, know that calm for me probably isn't what you might picture. It's not the breeze blowing while you're on the beach basking in the sun listening to the music. It's more of party (at least in my head). It's when I have a million projects going on, but they are all moving in the right direction. It's when I don't feel crazy if Chef Hubby tells me he has to stay at work late.

I have a pretty full plate lately...
Heading the Health Fair Committee for the kids' school
Helping run the campaign for city council for my husband
On the Dance Committee at the kids' school
Potential shift in career
Household issues - plumber has been here more than once in the past week :(
Trying to declutter/organize/complete unfinished projects - last post

But for some reason I'm not stressed out. I mean, I'm scattered and struggling to keep things organized and dates in line, but I'm happy. I can't remember when my husband and I have been closer. The kids are getting older and easier - not the attitudes or the strong wills, but they can get themselves dressed. They can feed themselves, and I have to mention - they go to bed at 7pm! Yes, that makes for a very happy mommy.

I turned off the heat and opened some windows today to air it out a little. I started going through closets and cabinets and bins and I have a HUGE pile of stuff to donate. I have paint and tiles and fans and almost everything I need to finish my list of projects and I have friends that I can call when I need a night out!

As sad as it might sound, I've never really had a "friends". I mean I've had my handful of ladies (3- that's it - sad, huh) that I hung out with and chatted but when I had kids I started getting closer to even them. Since the kids started school last year, my group has been growing and my handful has turned into a group. Instead of having my 3 close friends, I now have an entire support system. It's amazing how calming that is.

I'm going to get some stuff done now and I think I'm going to call some of those lovely ladies to see if someone wants to joint us for a playdate after school. I love playdates - the kids play and I get to relax and chat and enjoy the fact that things are just as they should be :)

Projects...

2011-02-23T07:43:00.001-08:00

I don't know about you, but I have a ridiculous amount of projects that I need or want to get done. I decided that I need to make a list. Mind you, these are in no specific order and some seem pretty silly, but hey... gotta get done, right?

To Do List:
1. Paint and glaze bathroom ceiling
2. Finish the molding in the bathroom
3. Hang the ceiling fan in the bedroom
4. Drywall living room ceiling
5. Drywall Playroom ceiling
6. ~~Declutter the house!!!~~ Wasn't sure if this should be crossed off, but since I've been making such an effort, I'm doing it damn it :)
7. Finish dipping all of the truffle batter in the fridge - and give it away :)
8. ~~Start working out~~ Started doing some stuff... but got back to WW last week! Down 2lbs already :)
9. ~~Go through all of the kids clothes to figure out what fits~~
10. ~~Find a second job (third of being a mommy/wife actually counts)~~ Working on this one right now, actually
11. Strip wallpaper in the attic
12. Paint the walls in the attic

13. Scrape the garage doors and frame

14. Paint the garage doors and frame

15. Paint the front porch (after repairing a few spots)

16. Refinish the glider on the front porch

17. Stain the stairs and railing (upstairs porch and back steps)

18. Prepare the garden... can't wait for warm enough weather

19. Start training for my 5ks
20. Continue with the Health Fair Committee and Dance Committee
21. Replace the ceiling light in the kitchen
22. Finish painting back hallway
23. Strip wallpaper in the front hallway
24. Paint front hallway
25. Replace ceiling lights in the front hallway
26... ~~start thinking about what to do with the sunroom... yeah~~ I have soooo many ideas for this!! Actually I saw some clearance cabinets at Lowe's and if I didn't think my husband would kill me, I would have bought 3 or 4 of them. It would make the PERFECT crafting area with room enough for me AND the girls :) hehe. oh well, I can dream at least, right??

I think those are the biggest ones for now. I'm sure if I read it later today I'll have more to add, but at this point, it seems I will be VERY busy for a while :)

*** Updates - So decided the ones in green need to wait til the weather actually warms up a little more. I'm a cold weather wimp! But I started on some of the other stuff and I'm pretty excited. Debating on changing out the ceiling fan in the kitchen today while no one is around to avoid any fights, but think that I might start decluttering the sunroom. It's amazing BTW how much stuff is actually in our house!! I mean, you look around and it doesn't seem like that much, and then you inside stuff and there are TONS of things! OK - going to be productive now :)

I'm gonna try to be better...

2011-02-16T05:46:00.000-08:00

I've seriously failed this blog, but I want to build it back up! I have pics and videos and all kinds of fun stuff. Today I am going to be dipping some truffles and then I might have pics of those too!

Truffles... mmm mmm mmm... but not just any plain truffle! The ones I am working on have the potential to sink or SOAR! They are Tiramisu Truffles and the cake that I am using as the base has been soaking in a coffee, rum, kahlua, and amaretto solution :) Oh, and that doesn't get cooked out either! hehe.

My Valentines Day consisted of bringing both kids to the doctors office and discovering that they BOTH have DOUBLE ear infections! Yay... and the absolute best part... the medicine I get to literally stuff down their throats 2 times a day for 10 days :( Anyway, I might have to eat some of these truffles to help me through!

Long Overdue

2010-10-06T05:54:00.000-07:00

This summer and fall have flown by... actually, I didn't even notice how quickly until I started going through our pictures! It's crazy. We had a ton of fun... check it out...

Horseneck Beach for a visit with some of Chef Hubby's coworkers. The kids and Henry had a great time splashing in the waves while I chatted with the other wives/moms on the beach :)

Then we went camping again! Had another amazing time and I'm already looking forward to next summer's trip. The kids were a lot easier to do things with and I didn't have to worry about the fire, etc. Good times with great people!

Once again, Daddy and the girls playing in the water while I got to hang out on the beach... hehe :)

btw... this is the 3rd summer that Payton's been able to wear this bathing suit! It's amazing how much room a swimming diaper takes up... when it's gone, there's so much room!

This was the first tooth that Phoebe lost this summer. It was pushed out by the new one growing in. The same thing happened with the other front tooth just weeks later... and no I don't have picture!! I'm pretty sure my mom does though :)

Toasting marshmallows for s'mores is always a scary thing. I hate it when the kids accidentally set theirs' on fire and then swing around with it! Fortunately, Payton could teach everyone about Stop, Drop, and Roll!! lmao

Oh, and fyi... my kids don't usually even eat the damn s'mores... they just like building them and handing them off to mommy and daddy! It's gets sickening pretty quickly - seriously!

Poor little Rebel... he had so much fun, he put himself to bed 2 nights in a row. This particular time, he didn't even bother getting comfy on one of the beds!

The nightly tradition... A sponge bath for the kiddos! Fill the basin with warm water, let them wash their hands, then bring them into the tent and step in it to get their feet, legs, and bodies! It worked great :) and they had a blast

Once they were asleep, we were able to settle in and watch the fire glow... can you feel the moment??

OK, so this is actually Payton's first day of school, Phoebe started a week earlier, but trust me... she didn't change much! lmao

Sisterly love!! Man, I hope they like each other this much - FOREVER!!

Our new daily chart... it's been working great! A friend told me about a rewards catalog and I LOVE the idea, but haven't gotten around to starting it yet. One thing at a time ;)

The first b-day party of the year was a success! Gotta tell you, though - those parents are sooo much more relaxed than I am! The kids had sooo much fun!! I would have been totally stressed out with some of the games they did because of the mess. Ched Hubby told me they did a game where you wrapped a friend in toilet paper to make a living statue... now you know where all of the paper goes after, right??

I LOVE this picture of Payton!! Had to include it :) She's going to be 4 in a couple of weeks. My baby, 4 years old! Wow!!

Well, that's what we've been up to... at least some of what we've been up to. Going to try to do better at posting! Have a great day :) Stay safe!

Pictures!!!

2010-07-06T16:23:00.001-07:00

So we really have been busy, and I was actually going to post some more pics, but got frustrated because I forget how impossible it is to arrange them!!

This was Phoebe right after she got her hair cut. They had to straighten it in order to get enough to send to Locks of Love. She was sooo excited to look like her BFF in school, who has straight hair... can you tell??

Then there was Easter... and decorating eggs. Yes, I know that was over 3 months ago, but I'm trying to catch up!!

Isn't it beautiful?!?! hehe

Yes, I'm telling her where to look. She was doing sooo well, but the other 2 were super fast and I didn't want her to get left with nothing.

They all ended up pretty even :)

Career Day at school... Phoebe is a Vet and Payton was a nurse.

The Zooquarium for the class field trip. I couldn't believe that Phoebe actually touched it!!

The Walk-a-thon and field day. Isn't that the cutest!? The noodle is actually a "hose". It started out that way and by the end, all of the kids were running around whacking each other!

Water balloon relay. Do you believe that none of them popped!?!

There's Phoebe on the right... "preparing"

Our little "Calendar Girl". This was during her graduation celebration. She got to do the days of the week and she did awesome!! So proud :)

Phoebe and Tyler... inseparable. Uh oh... Daddy's not too impressed

Yes, that's Payton chewing on her diploma!!

My brother, sister-in-law and niece came to visit. You can definitely tell they are related. Isn't she soooo cute??!

Yay... the zoo!!

Just before her very first "real" hair cut...

Isn't it sooo cute??

Attack dog... lmao

Oh and this is the Peach Cobbler, but I have a confession. I forgot to ask how he made the crumb topping so I can't post the recipe YET. I promise it will be coming soon :)

Update on the Cooking on a Budget

2010-07-05T11:25:00.000-07:00

We've been doing pretty other than splurging on some locally handmade ice cream... omg, that is totally my weakness! Well, that and chinese, subway, and Honey Dew!! If you don't have a Honey Dew near you, I'm sorry. I'm sorry because you've never had an Iced Mocha Madness. It's sooo yummy. I know a lot of places have the same type of drink, half coffee/half cocoa combo, but it never tastes like theirs. Theirs' is soo yummy. I actually have to get mine decaf because Phoebe steals it usually and I don't think that a 5yr old really needs any more energy.

Anyway, Price Rite is still helping big time as far as keeping food costs down. Apples are $.99/lb, grapes $1.29/lb, banana $.49/lb, pineapples $2.99 each - all the time!! Awesome. It also helps that cereals are under $2/box unless they are the BIG boxes of Pops, Frosted Flakes, or Fruit Loops, but even then, it's just $2.99 each. I wish they sold store cards because everyone would get those for gifts :)

I know it's the middle of the summer and the last thing on your minds, but don't forget that the food pantries still need help, as well. I'm as guilty as everyone else, because we drifted. Not because we don't care (because we really do) but because we got caught up in life and simply forgot. Silly, sad, typical... I know. BUT that doesn't mean, we can't start again! Canned fruit is great, but stored in the juice is definitely better than the heavy syrup stuff. Canned veggies aren't as refreshing as the fresh produce, but it can still be used to make some great recipes!

I will start posting some canned food recipes, and please, if you have any recommendations, feel free to let me know! I want to make a second edition of the Pantry Cookbook this year :)

Summer So Far

2010-07-05T11:10:00.000-07:00

Sorry, I have been the WORST blogger ever, but I am really trying to do better. Even Chef Hubby is helping me get motivated. My plan for today was to show all kinds of pics to prove that we've been busy BUT the adapter for the camera is missing and I can't upload them :(

This is a good thing in way though, cuz that means I will be posting twice this week :) As soon as I find it, you'll get to see my new little garden, Payton's "big girl" haircut, the super yummy peach cobbler that Chef Hubby whipped up for a cookout using some fresh peaches we bought roadside, yesterday, and much much more... hehe. Aren't you excited??

I'll be sharing the recipe for the cobbler when I post the pic, but for now I can share I recipe I borrowed for a work cookout last week. If you love the Girl Scout Samoas cookies, you are going to want to make these IMMEDIATELY!!! lol

Baking Bites made Samoas Bars a while back and I have been meaning to make them since. Unfortunately, I didn't read the recipe and thought that they would be difficult and time consuming... so wrong!! They are very basic and super easy. OK, ok... I bribed Chef Hubby to make them for me while I went out to hang with one of my bestest girlfriends, but I read the recipe and it IS easy :) The most difficult part was dipping them because, the bottoms would break off a little and crumble into the chocolate mixture (then I would just stir it up and smash the pieces to bits - unless the piece was really big, then I would scoop it out and eat it... hehe)

Anyway, check out the recipe!!! She also has other girl scout cookie recipes, including Thin Mints.... mmmm mmm. Those might have to be next!

Now heading to the cookout soon, so I have to get the kiddos ready - it's gotta be a hot summer day cuz I actually got them down for a nap!! Yay! That meant that Chef Hubby and I were able to have some Manchango cheese, crackers, and grapes for lunch. Perfect for the heat. Hope that your 4th of July weekend has been as restful as ours!

Cooking on the budget and more...

2010-06-05T07:08:00.000-07:00

The budget for food was actually pretty easy to stick to this week. Thank goodness for Price Rite, it has ridiculously reasonable prices for fruits and veggies. I also tried to stick to the more wholesome, less processed stuff. It required much more forethought than needed in cooking frozen chicken nuggets, but I liked it!

Some of the things I've tried this week are plantains (fried and baked) which I really liked, but hubby was seriously disgusted. I also tried a new coating for homemade chicken nuggets... corn flakes :) Phoebe LOVED them! Payton is hooked on wagon wheel pasta with tomato soup and parmesan cheese grated on top (I make the soup with milk instead of water... I know it's still processed, but it makes me feel better - ok?!?) We've also been eating more salad. I used some leftover corn on the cob to make a little salsa... corn kernels with chopped tomato and oregano.

I'm sticking with the pancakes and applesauce as a "go to" for rushed days and Payton's making it easy by requesting a toast sandwich every morning for breakfast. BTW... Payton graduated Preschool 3 last night!! OK, so she's going into the same class next year because of her age, but she did amazing :)

Tomorrow Phoebe is graduating Kindergarten and going into 1st grade... that's "real school!" OMG... when did my little girl grow up?? She's become such the little writer, artist, actress. She's so amazing! They both are. It's insane to think that she can now read her little sister a book at night. She loves to read and write... I actually had to put a ban on paper this week because she uses too much of it at a time. She doesn't waste it and she draws phenomenal pictures, but she draws a LOT.

Anyway, between all of this I've also taken to the great outdoors. Ok, actually just yard work. I've never done yard work. I've never wanted to do yard work. It was always the thing that needed to get done and I would wait until my poor hubby would finally do it on his very rare moment off. This year, I decided to help out and take a little stress out of his life. So I mow the lawn and cleaned the side of the driveway, planted a little garden, tamed the damn raspberry bush and I'm finally scraping the garage to prepare it for painting!! I feel pretty proud of myself, and he's pretty proud of me too, which helps :)

So, I'm going to go watch a little mindless television and hit the hay. Tomorrow is the first day of the summer for the girls and I have to figure out what we're going to do. I'm a little excited and a little scared... we'll see how long it takes to before I just let them play on the computer. lol

Food on a Budget

2010-06-02T05:25:00.001-07:00

I'm sure that my family has the same issues as every other family, including debt. I know this is like a swear word, but hey, it needs to be said. Admitting you have a problem is the first step on the journey to overcome it, right?! So, yes, like most American families, we have accumulated debt. We have a mortgage, and car payments, credit cards, gym memberships, the cable/phone/ internet multipack, etc. Does anyone remember that commercial when the guy is riding around his perfect yard on his beautiful riding lawn mower, saying "I'm in debt up to my eyeballs"?

The pressure came when we decided to put the girls into private school. That was another big chunk placed on top of everything else, but we kept spending. Now, don't get me wrong, we aren't going into foreclosure, waiting for the repo guys to come take the cars, or living off processed foods on sale. Well, ok, the kids do love the processed foods, but I'm starting to feel guilty about giving it to them whenever they ask. We were in need of a change, though.

A few years ago I bought Chef Hubby the book "A Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey and since then it's been collecting dust. Recently, I decided to break it out and maybe find a solution, and I think I did. It talks about budgeting and all the fun stuff that we've never done. I know, budgeting... another swear word, right? To be honest, I've never been on a budget. I mean, we've pretended that we were on a budget, but with credit cards, it simple to sneak in things that you really can't afford. So what does that mean - no more credit cards!

Simple enough. Create a budget. Wow, what a shocker. It's tight, but definitely doable. I'm excited!! I like a challenge and I've decided that in our budget we will be getting only $100/week for groceries for our family of 4. I know that doesn't seem like a difficult task, but at the same time, I want to improve the quality of food we're eating and limiting the amount of processed foods.

I think this first month is going to be really easy since I inventoried our freezer and holy crap, it was stocked! I had no idea how much meat we actually had in there. It's because I only buy meat when it's on sale and then I stock up. Just a snip it of the contents:

4 - split chicken breasts
2 - 1.5lb bags chicken breast
2 - corn beef briskets
1 - 1.5lb pork tenderloin tips
1 - 1.5lb pork tenderloin
2 lbs lean ground beef (2 - 1/2lb pkgs, 1 - 1lb pkg)
6 - jenny-o turkey patties
7 - black bean chipotle burgers
3 lb bag of french fries
2 pkgs of french bread pizzas
1 pkg filo dough
2 frozen pie crusts
2 lbs frozen berries
2 lbs frozen haddock
2 lbs frozen turkey meatballs

See what I mean... and there's more! It's insane!! Anyway, it's still going to be a challenge because, I have a hubby who's a chef. He loves to create especially when we are entertaining, which is what we love to do. Now I've informed him that we will be creating "Iron Chef" style... lol. He's on board and we are super excited to get this started. I've decided that I will be starting to post how we're doing.

So, now the journey begins. It's day 1 and what's for dinner? I'm thinking that we might have to throw the meatballs into the crockpot with some sauce, make up some pasta, and create a side salad with the romaine lettuce, croutons, and parmesan cheese we currently have. Yes, this month is going to be the easiest, but at least it will get me into the habit of planning meals. Oh, by the way, if we do happen to go out to eat - that also counts as groceries. Trust me when I say that I will be second guessing my mid-afternoon coffee runs.

It's been a long time

2010-04-24T14:49:00.001-07:00

I know it's been a long time and I once again apologize. I've been pretty busy. I've actually been trying to figure out what I want to do, how to do it, and slowly but surely working on getting it done.

Over the past few weeks, I've actually done more thinking and planning and praying, than I've ever done. A few months ago I decided that teaching might be fun. I'm not saying that lightly, just matter of fact. I can see myself enjoying going to work each day. I love my job now. I love going to the school and working with the kids (young adults... lol) and feeling like I can have an effect on their lives.

I've written several recommendations over the past few weeks for some amazing kids, for colleges, scholarships, and even jobs. When I sit down to write them, I think of how each one of those kids has grown. They've developed into people that I respect. The type of people that I would be happy to someday call a friend. I received a call from one of the parents last week; she told me that my letter almost made her cry when she read it. She appreciated my "kind words" and the thought that had gone into the letter.

I didn't know what to say at first. I thought of the time I've spent working with her son as a patient and now an intern; remembering how soft spoken he was during football his freshman year, how timid he was with the coaches. He'll be graduating in a few weeks and he's already accepted a spot at a highly recognized college. I told her to that she should be proud of herself and I thanked her for the opportunity to work with him. I can only hope that someday, my girls will leave such an impression on people.

So I've decided that I want to teach. It's funny because, the thought of teaching Physical Education was what kept me in graduate school. No, not so that I could one day get a job, but because I wanted to avoid it at all costs! I wanted to work as a Head Athletic Trainer at a Division III College and that's all I had ever wanted to do.

After having my daughter, I realized that college wasn't the best setting for an athletic trainer/mommy. I gave my resignation 1 year later and following a brief period of self-employment, applied for and accepted a job as an Athletic Trainer at a High School/Clinic. At first, I second-guessed myself and thought that I was settling. It wasn't long before I realized that it was where I was supposed to be.

Many people think that high school kids, in general, are a bunch of delinquents. I think that many of them are searching for something, whether it be their identity, a future, a friend, or even just a way out. I've found that the "trouble makers" are sometimes big kids looking for any attention they can get, and sometimes the "good kids" are the ones with the biggest secrets.

I have tests to take, calls to make, and obstacles to overcome, but I think that I'm pretty close to figuring out what I want to be when I grow up... and I just turned 34. My little girls are best friends right now, and growing up faster than I ever expected and my husband just passed a test to become a Certified Executive Chef (he's also a culinary instructor at a local vocational high school). I just finished my very first 5K and I'm working to maybe do a 1/2 marathon with some friends next year. I don't know what's going to happen, but at least, for now, I have some things to work towards. Wish me luck!

Hello Again

2010-03-20T18:10:00.000-07:00

I know it's been a while since I've last posted, but I've been busy! I've been trying to get myself back on the road to healthier things. I started back at weight watchers and with my trainer at the gym. The trainer wasn't an expected thing, but rather, an added bonus for me right now.

I've been working hard for a few weeks and I'm already down over 6 lbs! Hell yeah... that feels good :o) I will also be running a 5k in about 4 weeks, so I'm pretty nervous and excited. I will be conquering a hill that took me down big time in high school. It's funny, I think back to high school and I remember being in great shape... just figured that I was a bad runner. Come to find out I was in awful shape, just really strong... lmao!

So now, I am working on the strength, the speed, the endurance, and the nutrition. I am going to make it to my goal weight and I will stay there!! If you want to check in to see how I am doing, feel free to stop by my other blog. I have been much better at posting over there. I blog about workouts, weigh-ins, and most importantly - recipes!! The healthy type!

Anyway, we are expecting company soon. I hope that everyone is having a great night!!

Valentine's Day

2010-02-17T11:11:00.001-08:00

I know it's a little late, but I felt the need to talk about Valentine's Day. I've almost always loved Valentine's Day. When I was younger, my mom would get us cards and even mailed them to us in college. In college, I had the boyfriends, and immediately following grad school, I met my husband. I have many valentine's memories... most of them, however, include totally stressing about what to get my loved one.

Has anyone else been dragged down by this guilt, this pressure?? Each year, I try to find the perfect card (ok... I always forget and then end up getting the most perfect leftover... lol) and the most perfect gift. Seriously, I usually end up in VS because it's the least brain power required and it's something that I know my hubby will appreciate. Yes, I know, pathetic, and Elizabeth will be shaking her head saying TMI... but it's the truth!

This year my mom said something and at first I was skeptical. I mean, during a conversation, she said straightfaced, "I hate Valentine's Day". Wow... that just struck me. Who the hell can hate the day of love?? But then she continued with, "If you need to set a day aside to tell me you love me, what's the point?" She's right!!

All year my husband and I get each other cards, or cook that special meal, or have a special night. Why do I get so stressed out about this one stupid "declared day of love"??? He knows I love him. My kids know we love them. What the heck were we thinking? So we decided that we weren't going to exchange cards or gifts, or anything. It was freeing!

Then my mom offered to take the girls overnight Saturday. Sweet! We had a night out at a nice restaurant and were able to chat and flirt and have fun. It was so cool... then we pretty much crashed when we got home. Chef Hubby had to go to work the next morning and I was going to spend the day with the girls and my mom. But, unexpectedly, the week before.... I found the "perfect" card, so I had to get it! Wanna see...

love

being

with

you

I love how we continue to

learn from each other...

grow with each other...

and

challenge each other

to be the best person

we are meant to become.

I don't know about you, but that's us :o)

In the Kitchen...

2010-02-16T08:30:00.001-08:00

Portugese Natas...

Holiday Trays that I was asked to do... me! Not Chef Hubby... hehe. I think they came out pretty :o)

Oreo fudge, Brownies, Peanut Butter Cookies, Chocolate Chip Cookies,

Fluffernutter Fudge, Mini Carrot Cake Muffins with Cream Cheese Frosting

Snow Day!!

2010-02-10T07:29:00.000-08:00

So today we are having a snow day. Well, I had a snow day, the kids and Chef Hubby actually had a half day. Last night we chatted and decided that the kids would have a snow day too! Yay! Gotta admit, the whole sleeping late thing was very exciting to me :o) Typically, I have to be up at 6am and then get things ready to get the kids up and ready by 6:55 so that we can be out the door and in the car by 7:38. (I don't know why it's 7:38... it just always seems that that's the time on the dashboard about 98% of the time, so that's my goal now... lol)

So anyway, I woke up at 8:45... hehe. The girls were playing in Payton's room, and very well, I must say. I wondered to the kitchen and grabbed some coffee that Hubby had already set up. Asked them if they wanted breakfast. Both said they didn't want to eat, but wanted to play their Leapsters. Hey, why not.

Since I had the time, I decided that I would make a muffin tin for breakfast. I love muffin tins! I haven't been making them as much as I used to; probably due to time, but today I threw it together... hehe

grapes, corn bran cereal, mini pancakes, hash brown potatoe, ketchup, bacon

Payton has been slightly obsessed with the whole mini pancake thing lately, so I've been going with it. I use my mini cookie scoop to drop the batter and it makes it a lot easier. I also discovered that I can make baked mini pancake muffins! These totally rock for weekend breakfasts. I throw some mini chocolate chips in the batter, use my medium cookie to drop the batter into my mini muffin pan, cook for about 18-20 mins at 350 degrees and serve with syrup for dipping! mmm mmm... they come out super light and fluffy if you make the batter ahead of time and let sit for at least 10-20 minutes before portioning into tin. The same goes for if you are making them on the stovetop.

Well, I have tons to fill you in on, but right now I think I should go play a game, or start cutting some butterfly bodies for the girls to decorate for Valentine's Day. PBS Kids is entertaining and all, but hey, I need to make the most of our snow day, right?!

One of those weeks...

2010-01-29T12:00:00.000-08:00

So this week has been one of those weeks. I've been running from one thing to another and feel like I can't catch up.

Monday started by bringing the kids to school and being asked to teacher Physical Education for the day. I definitely wanted to do it, I mean seriously. It's a great opportunity to see if it's for me. Try to figure out the kids, etc. But I had no idea what to expect. I ran home and showered. Then I prepped one workout that I could modify for grades 2-8. I survived. It was actually kind of fun too!

Then Tuesday I had to cover some Basketball games at school. That morning I finished most of the molding in the bathroom. I think that I'm getting a little quicker and better with my cuts. I'm becoming one with the miter saw. I should post some pics of the bathroom soon. I think I will have to have a photo day to catch you up on everything I've been doing. Anyway, I headed to work at the High School. Then I found out that Chef Hubby needed to go to his night job, which meant that I found a high school student to watch the kids during the game while I worked.

It was going well, until we had an injury. Blood on the floor and no towels in sight. That was cleaned up. When Hubby came to get the kids and bring them home, apparently they told him all about the blood everywhere in gruesome detail - nice!

The next day Payton woke up sick and wasn't able to go to school. She had a fever and slept a LOT so I called into work and let them know I wouldn't be coming in. It was a slow day and the teams should be set. BUT I was planning on being there Thursday... yeah, well

The best laid plans of mice and men often go astray...

Payton woke up sick again, but she seemed a little better. We were all set. She ate a little for lunch. She was drinking liquids like a champ. She even put herself down for a 2 hrs nap. When she woke up she seemed really warm, so I decided to be safe and give her some more meds. She had other plans. Like how about a spat of hysteria that resulted in her puking all over me, her, and my BED!!! NOT COOL... then we picked up Phoebe from school, and went HOME.

As soon as Hubby got home, I had to run to Parent Teacher Conferences. That was cool. My kids are normal. Well, as normal as my kids can be. Payton is really witty and doesn't get spacial descriptions (ie. front of, back of, right, left, etc) which could be part of her problem. She keeps getting yellow tickets, which means she's had a no so good day.

Phoebe is in the middle of the road on reading, and she doesn't have to go to reading club anymore, yay! She's been doing so well. She's very independent in the classroom, but unfortunately, she is a follower when it comes to friends. She needs to learn that she has to obey the rules whether her friends are, or not! ugh.

Then I headed over to cover a track meet... I like track meets, don't get me wrong, last night it seemed to drag. Man oh man.

Today was good. Payton went to school. I got to go to lunch with Chef Hubby, at his work. I like doing that, because it's like a little date. No kids (besides his students) and a little time to talk. Anyway, I have games tonight. Another game tomorrow morning and I think that I am going to watch my director do a show tomorrow night so I can get back into the swing of things with the Pampered Chef.

Wish me luck!!

Can't Get Anything Done

2010-01-19T07:46:00.000-08:00

Am I the only one who has the attention span of a flea?? I was trying to explain to my husband what goes on in my mind while I am trying to do projects in the house. Here is an example of a day where I am trying to be super productive and end up getting nothing done...

So, now I am going to do the molding in the bathroom...

I clean up the magazine rack in the bathroom and bring the ones we can use as references into the sunroom.
Sort and store the magazines, then start to move the items in the sunroom that I took off the rack the other day, into the attic.
Once in the attic, I start to sort through items that need to be thrown away or sorted to stay.
Go back downstairs to once again try to work on the bathroom molding.
Head into the basement to get the molding and the miter saw. Then I start to sort the stuff on a shelf downstairs because I want to make the basement more welcoming to workout in.
Start to sand the table that I want to stain and finish. R
Realize that I will be downstairs for a while and go back to get some laundry.
Start 2 loads of laundry and sweep the floors of the basement.
Go back upstairs (without the molding) for a cup of coffee and start cleaning kitchen.
Remember that the new spout for the faucet still doesn't fit and I need to bring it back to Lowe's to find an adaptor. Put that and the receipt into my coat in the bedroom.
Make the bed.
Sort the clothes that I folded the other day.
Bring Phoebe's clothes into her room.
End up vacuuming.
Bring Payton's clothes into her room.
Try to figure out how to reconfigure the bedroom so that I can set up a TV because she's peeing in the potty like a "Big Girl" and has been promised this FOREVER.
Realize she has too many pieces of large furniture and decide the bookcase in the sunroom would fit better than the larger bookcase she currently has.
Back in the sunroom where I empty the CDs and stuff out of the bookcase and bring them upstairs.
Realize it's almost time for work and I have to get ready.
End up forgetting clothes in the washers. Haven't touched the bathroom. Don't have time to go to Lowe's for the spout. Haven't even finished sanding the table.

I seriously don't think that this is normal... and I swear I am not even remotely making this up!!! It's soo frustrating. UGH!!

Kids are great...

2010-01-18T15:12:00.000-08:00

So I was across the house and heard some bickering going on at the computer. I let Phoebe and Payton play Nick Jr while I made some pizza dough for dinner. All of a sudden Payton is crying and Phoebe is screaming...

Me: "What's going on in there?"

Phoebe: "Payton hit me!"

Me: "Why did she hit you?"

Phoebe: "Because I slapped her, because she wouldn't listen to me!"

Man... I bet it doesn't stay this simple, does it?! Gotta love it when they tell on themselves, right.

Kids

2010-01-17T07:22:00.000-08:00

My kids have never been to Disney World, but all of a sudden have been asking about it. I think that some friends in school either went there for vacation, or will be heading there soon. Anyway, for Christmas we bought them a bank that counts the change as you put it in, so they can learn how to save money.

We told them that we are going to save for Disney, but it's going to take about 2 yrs. Plus, Whenever they complain that mommy or daddy has to work, we say, "We have to work to make money so we can go on trips, and buy the things we want".

Well, at school they are talking about Hawaii now. The kids get very excited about this stuff, so at the dinner table the other day, this is what our conversation was...

Phoebe: "Mommy, when it's not a school night can we go to Hawaii?" - (we have very boring school nights, no tv, no "sleep overs". Just dinner, homework, baths, stories, bed with music)

I said: "Phoebe, do you know that Hawaii is even more expensive than Disney World?"

Phoebe: "Oh, well you and daddy need to work more so we can make enough money to go to Hawaii."

What the hell do you say to that?!?! lmao - at least she gets it, right??

Apology

2010-01-12T09:44:00.001-08:00

I want to apologize to the few people who read the blog... I've been neglecting it again. I know!! BUT, I have been updating my other one on a regular basis. I have a ton of pics to post and will do so, as soon as I get a chance. I promise!

As for why I've been such a slacker... I've been trying to focus on me and lose the weight that I gained over the holidays. I've also been cooking up a storm because a very dear friend finally had her baby! Yay!! OK... so I said finally, but he was actually born almost a week "early". But, man, he's sooo cute and adorable and perfect! Way to go JP!! So I cooked up a bunch of meals for her and hubby for when they get home from the hospital.

Also, just this morning I fixed my kitchen drawer, fixed my sprayer thingy on the sink, and tried to fix the faucet. It would have been done, but the guy at Lowe's told me that the nozzle fits "all pipes"... well, all except for the one in my kitchen, damn it!! Then I had to make a lasagna for Chef Hubby, the kids, and the sitter for tonight. I have to cover basketball games at the high school, and he has yet another meeting.

Well, hang in there - there will be lots of new stuff! As soon as I a get the chance :o)

Happy New Year!!

2010-01-01T09:03:00.000-08:00

Wow... can you believe it's already 2010? I don't know, I think it's crazy!! Anyway, this season has been insane and I've been really really bad. No not in the fun ways you may be thinking, but man oh man, I've eaten my share PLUS over the past 6 weeks or so and my jeans are not happy!!

So, here's the thing, am I alone?? Is anyone else up for the challenge of getting "into shape" for the new year? I think that I am ready to finally lose these last 25 lbs. I think that I've officially eaten myself into satisfaction. I have the fridge stocked with peppers, broccoli, mushrooms, and carrots. I have a fresh pineapple on the counter waiting to be cut and I have my Oats and Chocolate Fiber One bars for breakfast!! I think that I am ready.

I've even looked up some new recipes for foods like brussels sprouts (haven't had them since I was about 10 and thought they were gross) that actually sounds awesome. Figured that I would make them with a pork tenderloin... mmm mmm mmm. I will be posting all these recipes and more on my other blog... One With the Scale!

Getting Ready for the New Year!!

2009-12-28T08:21:00.000-08:00

So in 3 days the New Year will be rolling in. Can you believe it?!? It's been a crazy couple of weeks but I am happy to report that our box is almost full! We started filling a "Pantry Box" after Thanksgiving, and with the help of my friends and family, it's almost full. The best part is that it has everything from oatmeal, peanut butter, canned hams, and mashed potatoes right through to the cake mixes and frostings! I am so excited at how well it's stocked and cannot wait to bring it by the school for them to share it with the families!

I will be researching places that these items can be donated, if you are interested. For now, I can guarantee that any church or parish will be accepting items throughout the year. Remember this is a problem that families are dealing with every single day, not just the holidays!

For more information about what my "Fill the Pantry Challenge" is, check out my post.

I wish you all a Healthy, Happy, Safe, and Satisfying New Year!!

Great Day!

2009-12-13T07:45:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I was able to spend some time with some friends and family to celebrate the holidays with a good old fashioned cookie swap!! It was sooo much fun... at least I hope it was for everyone, cuz I had an awesome time!

I found an awesome website that has a TON of games you can print out... Christmas Games A to Z. You have to actually subscribe, but for $19.95 I had access to at least 50 holiday games... quizzes, puzzles, BINGO... you name it! They even have the answer keys - very important!

We did the games and had prizes, but we also had an old fashioned Yankee Swap. I don't know about you, but I actually included the rules in the invitation so that people knew what they were in for. Apparently, there are many versions of the game and many are EXTREMELY cut throat. I don't think that's very appropriate during the season of "good will". Anyway, we did the games, the swap, the food... oh yummy food!!

Finally, we divided the cookies... mmm mmm mmm! I forgot to take a picture of the tablescape with all of the batches of cookies, but trust me when I say they all looked great!! They tasted even yummier too!!

Happy Holidays Everyone... and maybe with the help of the economy more people will be settling in with the old traditions of visiting, playing games, and potlucking it! One can only hope, right?!?

An Epiphany...

2009-12-09T09:00:00.000-08:00

Growing up, my house was full. It was my brother and I, but on the weekends my stepbrothers would come too. Yes there were the struggles of the blended family. My brother and my older stepbrother were only 1 month apart in age, so sparks flew there a bit. My younger stepbrother and I were about 1 yr apart and we would have our fair share of throw downs, as well... BUT, for the most part, we were a family and we played, and laughed, and had fun. At least, that's how I remember it.

I also remember that every year we went on our camping trip. It was 4th of july weekend and we would pack our stuff and head up to Sharon, VT. The boys were all there for each other, but I got to bring a friend. I think that whole trip would cost us about $150 for gas and food. It wasn't the type of camping trip that you camped at night and visited the stores and parks in the area during the day. We played in the White River, swimming, rafting, catching Crawfish, trying to fish. We would cook the crawfish and eat them with dinner. Usually hot dogs cooked on a stick, but sometimes even the occasional trout. These are the times that I remember so well.

I think that I always "knew" that we were never going to go to Disney, although, like most kids, I probably asked. It didn't really matter though, as long as we went camping. We all had bikes and for christmas each year, we all each got that 1 BIG thing. One year it was a TV. One year a stereo. My friends would laugh and tell me that my parents were secretly preparing to kick us out... one year we actually got dishes and pans. hehe. Hey, we asked for them!

So, I don't know what happened, but I started getting to the point, where if I could have it, I got it. I wanted a simple desk for our computer. Ok... actually, I went to the store to look at desks so maybe I could make one, but what happened?? I bought this big armoire that hides everything when not in use, blah blah blah...

Got the Wii, got the Playstation, got the cameras, got the mp3 player... got it all.

I started volunteering at the kids school this year. I went every Thursday and Friday for 6 weeks to sort nonperishables for families in need. Each week I hoped that more stuff would come in. I thought... "How are these kids going to eat breakfast if people don't bring in cereal??" or "What are these families going to do with 15 cans of chicken soup?". Then each of the kids classes picked a charity to help. Payton's class shopped for a family. We were going to be giving them the only gifts they were going to get this year. Phoebe's class collected new baby clothes for new or due mommies.

I started coming home and seeing all this "stuff" around. Is it strange that all of a sudden I don't care? I actually sold the Wii because we haven't used it in quite some time. Chef Hubby is selling his paintball gun and PS2. I've started cleaning out the basement more aggressively, thinking, "If we had a fire, would I even know that I lost this item?". I don't know what happened that made me change my views, but I wish that it would rub off on some people. I hope that I can instill this in my children.

I've already told them that this weekend is time for the annual, clean out the toy bins. It's when they go through their games and toys and decide which ones that no longer use or want. They are given to the charities in the area "for boys and girls who have no toys". They are actually very good at this activity.

I'm trying to bring back that feeling of "enough". I wish you and your families "enough" this holiday! Merry Christmas!!

my oh my...

2009-12-06T14:09:00.000-08:00

So today I was able to spend some time with friends that I haven't seen in years! Gotta love the holidays and the opportunities they bring for us to all gather, right?

Today I made Chocolate Coconut bars for the cookie swap and they rocked!! But now I have to think of something to make for the cookie swap at my house next weekend... I can't do the same thing, some of the same people are coming. LOL!!

So, I have some ideas, but I was wondering what some people crave for the holidays? Any cookie or bar suggestions that I should make??

Hoping that everyone is having a healthy and happy holiday season so far!

Fill the Pantry Challenge!!

2009-11-25T05:29:00.000-08:00

OK people, it's the holidays and I know that this time of year, most people are trying to find ways to contribute to their communities, churches, or schools... right? Well, why does that have to end with the holidays?

I have to admit, like most, I lose focus and don't really think about the many many families who go without unless there is a can drive, or a specific purpose to raise awareness, BUT... I am going to change that! Do you know that in New Bedford, MA there are more than 546 homeless families?!? That's right... not people... FAMILIES! This is based on the New Bedford Public Schools' figures. Let's pretend the average family is a family of 4...

4x546 = 2184 people homeless (excluding the homeless individuals)

2184/94,000 people in New Bedford (according to the last census)

= almost 2.5% of the population!!

Now, I know these figures are just estimates, but this is a HUGE problem!! A problem that is not going to be helped by supplying a family with a box of food that will barely last a week. So this is my challenge...

Find a box, or a tote, or a spot in a closet or room that you can use to "stock".
Put aside at least $1 a week to "Stock the Pantry"
Now, each week use that $1 to buy an item of food (nonperishable) or if Peanut Butter is on sale, or you make a purchase greater than the $1... keep it to $4 dollars a month (more if you can afford it)
If you have kids, give them the dollar and tell them they have to find something they like to put in the box. Let them take ownership of the box!! Get them involved!! If you have 2 kids, give them each a dollar or alot $2 a month to each box... whatever!
Pretend that you are stocking up for a week, for a family of 4... what would you want to eat?

Now, next year when the food drives come... you are ready!! If you have a place of worship, charity or pantry that would like to donate to... GREAT!! If you aren't sure where to donate, I know that St. Lawrence, located at 110 Summer Street and Holy Family Holy Name School, at 91 Summer Street, would be more than happy to accept any donations that you have. If you live outside the area, I am sure that they are in need, as well!! Please, it doesn't take much to find a center that can distribute the food.

OR... you can have a special piggy bank that you can place $1 a week. This is money you can donate to help these programs; to allow them to purchase the food items that are still need at the end of the collection (i.e. Mayonnaise for the tuna and turkey, peanut butter is the every meal food, tomato sauce for a great multipurpose item)

Challenge your friends, your family, your coworkers!! This is a problem that these families are struggling with every single day. Maybe in the process in making my children aware and making the community more aware, we can help ease it a little. Why not ask your dentist, pediatrician, or real estate agent, etc to place a box for a collection? If you want to participate but are concerned about not being able to deliver the items, do it!

Remember, hunger isn't a religious, or racial, or political issue... it can effect anyone! It effects the young and the old. Please, don't decide not to help because it is a parish or place of worship that is collecting the items. These are the places that care for our community! They care for the people and families that so desperately need it.

*** I know that there are state funded programs, etc, but these are not working. The numbers continue to rise. The only way to start fixing problems is for everyone to come together and start with their neighborhoods, their communities, their local charities... we need to fix it!! Thank you for your help!!!

Happy Holidays!! I wish everyone a safe, healthy, happy holiday!!!

Merry Bah Humbug

2009-11-24T07:08:00.000-08:00

That's pretty much how I feel right now. I can't wait for the holidays to arrive, but between the finances and stress that actually come with them, I could see them leaving without a second thought.

I've gotten almost all of my shopping done which means that now I have time to second guess every single purchase I made. Does anyone else do this?? I mean seriously, my kids are 3 and 5 and I'm thinking... "I hope they like the toys". These are the kids that fought viciously yesterday over a leave! Yes, a leave... well, actually some sort of bean thing that looks like a really big black green bean. I called it the music leave. lol

Anyway, Chef Hubby and I decided that from now on Christmas is not going to be a living room FULL of "stuff". We picked one big thing that they both will share, then a couple little things, an outfit to wear christmas day, and the ever important, Christmas Eve PJs. The Pj tradition we stole from one of aunts... but we cherish it.

So I am going to try to get the housework and work work done before Friday so that we can put up the christmas tree this weekend. I can't wait for the tree to go up. I was also going to start with the "Elf on a Shelf" this year, because I thought it was an awesome concept, but we will probably be doing our own version since the cute little guy with activity book is $30!!

Anyway... Merry Bah Humbug to all!!

Looking for Recipes...Update

2009-11-02T09:57:00.000-08:00

OK.. so I've been helping sort cans and boxes of food for families for Thanksgiving at my daughter's school for about a month. Every week we've been receiving mass loads of soups, mac and cheese, tuna, ramen, and chef boyrdee cans. It's crazy how many!! While packing them up the other day one of the mom's mentioned that its ridiculous how many canned goods we're going to be giving to these families. Seriously, have you ever thought about eating ravioli, tuna, and chicken noodle soup for just about every meal? Sounds dreadful, doesn't it?

Here we are loading them up on nonperishable foods that are loaded with salt and preservatives and virtually no nutritional value, right? So I decided to try to find alternative recipes for these items... so far, I've gotten quite a bunch

Country Chicken Chowder (Chicken Noodle Soup)
Cinnamon Snack Mix (Ramen Noodles)
Tuna Pot Pie (Tuna)
Pizza Casserole (Ravioli)

...just to name a few!! BUT I was wondering if anyone had any other suggestions. I know that I haven't been keeping up with this blog and a bunch of my followers are gone, but if you could do me a favor and spread the word, that would be great! I am looking for quick, easy, family friendly, CHEAP meals you can use nonperishable foods to make.

Some other items that are in excess are pastas, tomato products, canned veggies, gravies, cake mixes... MAC n CHEESE... got it? So any recipes that you can offer would be great.

To make it worth your time and trouble, I will be doing a give away!! I have some small Pampered Chef items that I can throw together as incentive for a random drawing. Please send the recipes by November 14th so I have time to get them together for a booklet I want to put together for the families.

Thank you sooo much for your help!! Happy Holidays!

So far I've had only 2 people email me and one post on here... that makes the chances pretty good in the random selection!!! Last day to add recipes...

So the winner is... MaryAnn Gomes! BUT - since there were only 3 people who participated, I will be sending out a special PC treat to each of them!! Yay... holiday cheer to everyone :o)

Wow...

2009-09-22T08:19:00.001-07:00

The past few weeks have been crazy!! The girls are both in school right now, Chef Hubby is back at school during the day, and I'm back at the high school after school to provide medical coverage for all of the sport teams... oh yeah, and trying insanely to figure out what the heck I'm supposed to do during the day!

So far, I've spent some mornings working out, shopping, going on playdates with my mommy friends, minus my own little ones (that's very weird, might I add), slept in, and tried like crazy to get some work done. Can I just tell you how NOT motivated I am to get the chores done.

Lately, I've been very stressed. I drop the kids off at school, get them settled into their classrooms, and head out, hoping that they will be taken care of. Seriously, that should be a no brainer since they are currently enrolled in a Catholic school down the street, right?!! Well, not so much...

2 days into Kindergarten and Phoebe came home announcing that a boy kissed her ("on the cheek, so it's ok mommy"). She couldn't remember his name, but they were going to get married and then have 3 babies!! WTF? So then she made him a card and he didn't want it. Now she doesn't want to go to school anymore... ugh!

Payton is in school in pull-ups right now because she's still quite strongwilled and I'm not ready to bring in 3 sets of clothes everyday. Actually, in school she's been doing great! She comes home dry almost aways, but it's entirely different on the weekends. Anyone got any suggestions? She is absolutely smitten with her teacher... it's so cute. It's hard to get her to walk instead of run when we get to the hallway that leads to her classroom.

My mom is also keeping me on my toes. As I write this, I'm awaiting the call that lets me know she's recovering nicely after being a kidney donor this morning. She decided that she was going to do it in the end of March and immediately quit smoking after over 40yrs. The recipient is a 25 yr old son of one of her coworkers. To say that emotions are high right now is putting it mildly.

Anyway, I am hoping to start posting more regularly again. Wish me luck!

My Little Girl is Growing Up!!!

2009-07-26T19:35:00.000-07:00

So today Phoebe got her ears pierced! I can't believe it... for the past year or so, everytime we pass an ear piercing place, I ask her if she wants her ears pierced. Every time she says, "No, Mommy, it hurts!". I don't know why I even started asking. I think it's because she's such a girlie girl and she LOVES jewelry and makeup and everything girly!

Well, today we went to a shopping plaza and Phoebe was with me while I exchanged my running shoes and Payton went with Chef Hubby to Best Buy. I had bought a pair a few weeks ago and wore them once - they HURT!! WTF... running shoes aren't supposed to hurt! They should feel like you are running on a cloud... anyway, sorry...

So we exchanged them and started walking over to Best Buy. We passed a Claire's and I asked if she wanted her ears pierced and she said "Yes". OMG!! So being the type of mom that doesn't like to leave my children unprepared, I said "Are you sure? You know it's gonna hurt"

Phoebe: "Not too much though"
Mommy: "But it's going to hurt, are you really sure you still want them?"
Phoebe: "Yeah"

Ok, so we enter the store and I find an employee to find out the info. I asked if they can both get done at the same time - get it over with, right?? Of course, one of the guns is broken so today that isnt possible! UGH... so back to the kid...

Mommy: "OK, Phoebe, they have to do one at a time. We are getting both today. So, it's going to hurt, but we aren't leaving until both get done. Are you still sure you want them?"
Phoebe: "Uh huh"

Deep Breath... ok, so we head over to the ear piercing area. She picks out her pair (pink daisy 14kt earrings - what happened to the plain studs or birth stones?!?! Man, kids have options these days!!) We put her in the chair and I let her hold the "hug bear". The girl comes over and I prep Phoebe some more...

Mommy: "OK, so its gonna hurt, but not a lot. Kinda like when we go to the doctors - OK?"
Phoebe: "Yeah, mommy. It's only gonna hurt a little"

So then this little girl comes over and tries showing her the magnetic earrings. They are butterflies. Now Phoebe wants the butterflies. Part of me was hoping she'd settle for the butterflies, but no she wants the real deal.

The girl marks the ears, and places the stud in the gun... Pop - done! She looks ok... no tears, no fuss... she seems happy!! YAY!! Maybe it only hurts a little - cool! Then she proceeds to clean and rotate the earring and check the backing... all before doing the other ear - WTF?!!

Guess what - it started to hurt! Of course!! So I reminded Phoebe that she needed to get the other ear done... that was our deal. I had to hold her :o( She cried. She stopped crying though, when the girl gave her a lollipop... ok, so I didn't hate her anymore. Then she wanted ice cream. So we found Daddy and Payton and headed over to the Verizon store, who was celebrating their 1yr anniversary. It couldn't have been easier... they had ice cream, frisbees, snacks, etc - FREE!! The kids were psyched! Payton wants earrings now, but mommy needs to recover from the trauma... my little girl has earrings.

Wow... and she's starting kindergarten in only 6 weeks. I've never been the type of mom to be sad when my kids hit milestones, but I think I might be changing. Oh man... wish me luck!

So Unrelated...

2009-06-26T08:37:00.000-07:00

When I was at my brother's house, I was able to read a lot of magazines that my SIL had, and they were awesome! I fell in love with "Real Simple ~Life made easier~" It is the coolest magazine ever... easy to read, tons of stuff from recipes to fashion, to homemade decorations etc. Well, I was reading one from November (I told you I read a LOT of magazines) and there was an article about giving back during the holidays. Of course there were people who donated toys, helped serve food at the soup kitchens, and all of the tradition feel good holiday things. BUT there was one thing that really got me motivated... Making cards to be delivered with meals for the elderly during the holidays!!

I mean, it's so simple! Everyone loves to make cards and seriously, it doesn't seem like the holidays without getting at least one card a day, right?! So I started thinking about when my hubby's grandmother would get her meals delivered each day from the local "Meals on Wheels" and how nice it would have been for her to receive a special holiday card from someone. So, I talked with Chef Hubby and asked him to use his connections to find out how many homes these meals get delivered to locally and I'm going to start making cards... now!

I know I won't be able to make them all myself, so I'm going to try to enlist some friends and maybe even ask the neighborhood association to help. So maybe we can help bring that holiday spirit to some of our locals. Maybe you will be inspired to do this in your area, or something else, who knows. Let me know if you have any other ideas that I can use to pull together the community! For now though, I have a LOT of cards to make... lol :o)

I know it's a little early, but "Happy Holidays" just the same

Finally in Kansas...

2009-06-18T09:31:00.000-07:00

So my brother and SIL live in Kansas and we decided last year that we needed to bring the kids out here to see them. Chef Hubby and I had made the treck via plane last summer and it was sooo much fun! This time we figured that the airfare would be a bit much and for some reason, thought the drive wouldn't be so bad (did I mention, we live in Massachusetts?) Yeah, that would be almost 1600 miles with 2 children under 5 yrs old. Were we insane?? Oh and it was my brillant idea to "just drive".

We left about 5:30pm and the kids, who had been with my grandparents all day so I could get everything done, were wiped out. 3 mins into our trip and our plans were already gone. The kids were asleep in the back seat and we hit BK instead of the sit down meal we had planned.

I had packed a box full of toys, crayons, coloring books, and all of the kids DVDs. We had the portable DVD players secured to the front seats, Henry's father had gotten the kids fold down travel desks that were dry erase, and we had snacks and drinks on hand... we were ready - I thought.

About an hour into our 25ish hr trip and Phoebe started vomitting... great for the first time in her life, she was car sick. Of course! This happened twice and I'm sure that the people in the hotel we stopped behind to clean her up, and change thought we were insane, but you do what you gotta do, right? I bought her some "sea bands" and she was fine for the rest of the trip. Oh, if you haven't heard of these - they rock!! They are accupressure wrist bands that help with motion sickness and they are incredible.

Anyway, we stopped at a Cracker Barrel for lunch and grabbed audio books... they are super cheap and helped get us through more than 5 hrs of the trip. By about 1200 miles I got really frustrated and started complaining... yes, me, not the kids. Although Payton had asked to go home several times. Phoebe was content watching Barbie's Swan Lake the entire trip (ok, not the entire trip... I turned off the tvs while they were sleeping both nights and during the day for a while) but for pretty much the entire time the tv was on. So much for bringing every movie they had, right?

Well, we made it and now we are trying to figure out our plan for the day. We checked into our hotel and then checked out as soon as we woke up because it was disgusting!! Now we're staying at my brother's house. We got to meet my niece and she is absolutely adorable!! Pics to come later.

Chef Hubby made us dinner last night with items he picked up at the local farmer's market...

Grilled Pork Chops with a Peach and Rhubarb sauce
Sauteed Zucchini
Sweet Potato Fries

and for dessert I picked up some Butter Pecan cookies - OMG!! They were amazing! Gonna buy some more on Saturday for our trip home. Anyway, thats our trip so far, but I'll be sure to keep you posted :o)

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T08:02:00.000-07:00

Happy Mother's Day to all of the "super mom's" out there!! While I was in undergrad, the Head Athletic Trainer gave me a poem called the Athletic Trainer's Lament. I have no idea where it came from, but I loved it! As an athletic trainer we are expected to have it all, to do it all, at all times, no matter what. Well, now that I'm a mom, I have to admit... the poem is even more fitting. To all of the mom's out there...

The Athletic Trainer's Lament

We the willing
Led by the unknowing
Are doing the impossible
For the ungrateful.
We have done so much
For so long
With so little.
We are now qualified
To do anything
With nothing.

I think that I'm back...

2009-05-01T20:32:00.001-07:00

Ok, I know that I've seriously sucked at keeping this blog up the past few months now, and I want to apologize. It's been a little insane and I've been a lot overwhelmed but I think that I'm starting to settle in again.

I started doing my tracking for Weight Watchers again this week and that seemed to help me a lot, as crazy as it seems. It actually helps me start to feel in control again. I worked out 3 times this week, but it was hard, not a worked out but didn't break a sweat... I did the elliptical, I jogged, and I worked out with my trainer, William. He's awesome. He reminds me a lot of the athletes I worked with while I was still working at the college level. He's a good kid - Sorry William... it's true. He keeps me motivated and he really pushes me during our sessions.

It's during those sessions that I don't have to worry about anything else but getting the set done. I don't have to worry about trying to get shows, or how to pay for the school my kids just got into, or what to make for dinner, or how many friggin loads of clothes I have to do when I get home. I go to the gym and I'm there for me. I've been working out with a trainer for 56 sessions now and I am the exact same weight as I started?!

I would work out and then I come home and eat... whatever the hell I wanted. WHY!? I worked for more than 2 yrs to lose over 60lbs and once I got into my size 10 jeans, I stopped. I don't know why. It wasn't really planned. I just got comfortable. So now, I decided that I need to find some control. I need to get things done... my poor husband has been looking at an almost done bathroom for more than 2 yrs now! Sorry babe! He actually put a hault on all projects. I am not allowed to start any new projects or demolitions until the molding and painting and everything is finally done. Can't really say I blame him.

My mom thinks that I'm afraid to finish these things. She thinks that I won't know what to work on after I finally reach my weight goal, finish my bathroom, etc. I've been working so long to get somewhere that maybe she's right... what will I focus on then? Well, this week I decided that I'm going to give it a try. I'm going to finish what I started. I'm going to show my girls that when you make a commitment you have to follow through.

I'm going to actually take some pressure off my shoulders and let myself focus on something else. I think that I could really be a great business person once I get my feet under me. I know I can finish the 5k I signed up for in October. I want to be involved in my kids school when they start in September. I need to pull it all together.

Summer is going to be here soon and I don't want to miss it. I'm so afraid that I'm going to fill the days with projects and chores and stupid shit, like I always do and miss those amazing times with my little girls and absolutely amazing husband. I'm committing myself... now watch and see what happens!!

I can't wait to see either....

Dusting Off the Sandwich Maker...

2009-04-16T15:06:00.001-07:00

So today I was chatting with a friend about the phases ours kids go through and remembered that I have a sandwich maker from Phoebe's "muffin phase". This kid wanted muffins ALL the time!! It was insane! So I bought a sandwich maker so that we could make muffins in 5 mins. Well, that was just the beginning...

We originally started making the Jiffy Mix muffins, then when she had a hot dog phase, I made some corn dogs using the corn muffin mix and cut up a hot dog and dropped it in. It was a super easy, no dip, no stick, corn dog!!

You can also have the kids help make triangle fried eggs... even omelets! Seriously, does it get any better for a little kid than to be able to make themselves muffins and an omelet for breakfast? Or you can make grilled cheese, with the crusts sealed like the encrustables.

I'm sure there are tons more options out there, if you really put your mind to it! I don't know about you, but I think I might be pulling the old sandwich maker out for breakfast tomorrow. I'm sure that Phoebe is going to asking for this every morning, after she starts making herself goodies :o)

Actually, I might try making some brownies or "sandwich-cakes" in it tonight, to see if it works. They should all come out with the crusts that everyone loves, in little triangles, that all kids eat, and probably super moist... I'll let you know :o)

What I've been up to...

2009-04-11T13:26:00.000-07:00

For those of you who actually read this, I'm sorry that I haven't updated it in forever! I've been a little busy, and a little sore. I have been trying to get into shape (as usual) but I helped Chef Hubby in the yard last weekend and injured myself - ugh! I was shaking out clumps of dirt from the grass piles one minute and the next minute I couldn't stand up!! Not a cool thing, let me tell you!

Anyway, I'm doing better now, but still not able to move the way I should. It's all good. Like I tell my athletes, as long as we are continually improving, I think we're in the clear.

Aside from that, I've taken up a new "career". I became an Independent Consultant for the Pampered Chef! My husband and I had a show way back in 2002 and instantly fell in love with the products. We even went to a recruiting show way back in the day, but decided that it wasn't a good option for us at that point. Well, every now and again we would get a call to see how things were going and to check to see if we would like to chat about the possibility of becoming a consultant. It never seemed to be the right time.

Well, we got a call back in January and I decided to set up a meeting. I've been trying to decide "what to do when I grow up", if you know what I mean. Right now, I'm a full time mommy and part time Certified Athletic Trainer. Next year the kids should be heading off to school and I don't know what I'm going to do. How can I be a "full time" mom when the kids aren't even going to be around? That's the kind of pressure I put on myself...

So, my options... 1. Try to go full time at work? 2. Continue staying at home, become the best housewife, ever! Go to the gym, etc... and then make myself feel bad because I'm not "bringing much to the table" financially OR 3. Join the Pampered Chef, make my own schedule, earn some money, free products, and some time away from the kids... guilt free!! YAY!

So, I decided to sign up. In my first two weeks, I fulfilled all my "responsibilities" for the company (they give you 90 days to do 4 shows or sell $1250 in products). I did it in 15 days!! hehe. Anyway, I made back all of my money, earned more than $800 in free products, and can't wait for my next show!! AND all the recipes I have to try to make, I can use for dinner for my family and they are tax deductible because they are actually a training tool! Can it get any better?!?!

A lot of people have been trying to drill me lately though, because of the economy. The funny thing is, with these products and recipes, the economy is actually helping me! People can't afford to eat out as much, so they are buying quality tools and cookbooks to make it easier to get in and out of the kitchen fast!! These products are great for that!!

I'm sorry if this sounds like a commercial, I just can't believe I waited this long to actually take advantage of it!! Anyway, if you want to see what the products are, or are interested in the company, feel free to check out my website... www.pamperedchef.biz/teescooking. If you really like it, you can even place an order - super easy!

Anyway, that's what I've been up to! Hope that everyone else is having

I messed up...

2009-03-02T16:22:00.000-08:00

It's been a while since I posted, so yesterday I decided to catch up. I uploaded pics and all that fun stuff. Anyway, to make a long story short... I put it on the wrong blog!! I tried to cut and paste it, but it has links and stuff and it didn't work. I'm not about to redo it all, so if you'd like to check out what's been going on with me, the girls and the hubby... feel free to check out my other website One with the Scale.

Sorry about the mix up. Hey you never know, maybe you'll like the other one too! lmao :o)

2009-02-16T08:33:00.000-08:00

So the whole cookie thing kind of turned into us buying some preformed sugar cookies that you place in the oven for 8-10 minutes. They had bunnies and chicks on them... and well, they were cheap and easy and the kids wanted them!! So instead of pics of those, I figured I would let Phoebe share a song with you...

Hope that made your day!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!!

2009-02-14T05:25:00.001-08:00

Just wanted to wish you and yours a very Happy Valentine's Day! I should have some adorable pics of baking cookies with the kids and hubby and will try my hardest to actually post them!!

Have fun :o)

Wedding Pics...

2009-01-24T19:46:00.000-08:00

So a while back, I was so excited that I was able to wear my maid of honor's dress from my wedding to the renaissance fair. At the time, I wasn't able to show any of the pics from the actual wedding, but I found some!! So here they are...

This was the seating display that my maid of honor painted for us. It was so cool, I have to say. We had decided that each table would be a country, so she made us a map. The bride's room was the "Maiden's Den", dance floor was "Dancing Waters", and the entrance was the "Kingdom of Entree". It was really neat! We still have it!

This was the wedding party. The groomsmen all wore tuxedos at the church, then changed. All of the swords are actually Henry's. We were going to display them someday, then we had kids... someday just hasn't happened yet.

This is our cake. I love, love, love, love this cake!! It was as delicious as it was stunning! Each stone and tree was made individually with sugar. The rope bridge was authentic and the castle towers were perfect. I actually came across the amazing talent who created this on the web. She was just starting out on her own and she did not disappoint. Unfortunately, upon finding the picture, I tried googling her to say "hi" and once again thank her for her amazing work, and she seems to have stepped away. Well, wedding cake wonders will be missed! Thank you, Dottie!

Well, that was my little tour down memory lane. I hope you enjoyed it! I will be back soon with some more updates. I promise!

Goodbye, Memere...

2009-01-02T09:34:00.000-08:00

Last night I got a call while shopping with my mom. It was Henry (Chef Hubby) calling to ask me to come home immediately. Earlier in the day we had gotten a call saying that his grandmother was diagnosed with pneumonia and wasn't eating well. She's been in the nursing home for about 2 1/2 yrs and has always been as strong as a horse. It seemed to be another hump to get past. Until about 4 hrs later, when the phone rang again. Unfortunately, she was gone.

I met Memere when we first started dating, about 8 yrs ago. She was the type of person who told you how it was. She was strong, giving, honest, and very protective of her family, especially, Henry. He had lost his mom when he was only 10 and was practically raised by his grandparents. She made him the man is today.

We took care of her for about 6 yrs before she was unable to live alone. She was diagnosed with alzheimers and was legally blind, but ultimately it came down to a fall. It was heartbreaking for Henry to have to place her in the home; he felt as though he were betraying her. She always said that she never wanted to go and prayed everynight for the Lord to take her home.

I don't have the written skills that my husband has, and this may seem choppy, but I just wanted to honor a woman that gave me the greatest blessing in my life.

Thank you Memere for everything. Thank you for giving me a caring, generous, loving, hardworking, absolutely amazing man! I never knew the true Claire Norcross, but I know that were the most important person in Henry's life. I know that you are the reason he holds himself to such high standards and doesn't let anything stop him from doing anything. You gave him the backing to always go for what he wants and never be afraid to fail. You believed in him and loved him and I can only hope that we are able to leave as large an impression on our children.

You are now with your husband, daughter, parents, brothers and sisters. You are finally at peace. You will be missed deeply. We love you, Memere.

Little Girl's Christmas

2008-12-18T13:05:00.001-08:00

So we went to the Christmas Tree Shop today to try to find some cute stocking stuffers, but Phoebe found something for her room that I couldn't refuse...

It's a 32inch pink christmas tree. It was 12 bucks and came with the pink beaded garland, a TON of pink ornaments and even the little pink star tree topper. She's in heaven!! As you can see, she found all of her pink toys and placed them underneath, because it's their "new home". hehehe

Little Girl

2008-12-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

Muffin Tin - Christmas Theme

2008-12-18T06:41:00.000-08:00

I've been so stressed lately, trying to get everything done. Unfortunately, then I try to conquer it all at once and never actually make any head way. The other day I popped over to Her Cup Overfloweth and saw the Muffin Tin Challenge of the week... Christmas! We do muffin tins all of the time in our house, but haven't participated lately due to time or lack of creativity, but I was up for this one! I put the gate up to keep the kids on one side of the house and I told them I was making a special lunch. They didn't try bothering me once!! Gonna use that again... lol!

Anyway, this is what I came up with:

Ham cut into stars, grape "ornaments", carrots (reindeer food)

tree and star marshmallows, snowmen, cinnamon sugar gingerbread man waffles

Oh well, it was fun, they loved it and I actually settled down a little. Phew... for a minute anyway! Back to the run around today. Wish me luck!

Cherry Garcia Truffles...

2008-12-11T13:22:00.000-08:00

From back to front:

Cookie Dough Truffles in milk chocolate coating

Carrot Cake Truffles in white chocolate coating

Homemade Marshmallows dipped in milk chocolate and rolled in crushed graham crackers

Cherry Garcia Truffles in dark chocolate coating

So I found that I love making truffles. They are so easy and I'm starting to get pretty good at it! Last year I made cookie dough truffles from a recipe that I got from Taste of Home magazine. It was so yummy and a serious hit! This year I decided that although it was pretty amazing, I needed to make it even better.

I decided that I love Ben and Jerry's Cherry Garcia Ice Cream and seeing as though it has been in the top 10 since it came out, a lot of other people must really like it too, right? Well, I took the perfect cookie truffle recipe and added some dried cherries and cherry flavoring, dunked them in dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate and OMG... it was awesome!!!

Here is the recipe:

Cherry Garcia Truffles

1/2 cup butter, softened
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
14 oz sweetened condensed milk
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/2 cup mini chocolate chips
1/2 cup dried cherries, chopped
1-1/2 pounds dark chocolate candy coating, chopped
5-7 drops of cherry flavoring (not extract)

In a large bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Beat in vanilla. Gradually add flour, alternately with milk, beating well after each addition. Stir in the chocolate chips. Shape into 1-in. balls; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Loosely cover and refrigerate for 1-2 hours or until firm. In a microwave-safe bowl, melt candy coating; stir until smooth. Dip balls in coating, allowing excess to drip off; place on waxed paper-lined baking sheets. Refrigerate until firm, about 15 minutes. If desired, re-melt remaining candy coating and drizzle over candies. Store in the refrigerator.

Note: I used a candy making kit to melt the chocolate so I didn't have to worry about it hardening, but last year I used a crockpot on high to melt and then put it on low to dip. This allowed me to dip all of the truffles without having to remelt the chocolate.

Almost Done...

2008-12-09T19:31:00.001-08:00

So I made it through the Holiday Open House!! We had so much food and not so many people. I don't know what happened. I think it was a big flaw in our invitation send outs. Chef Hubby sent some invites inside with Christmas cards that he sent out, BUT then when I went to send out the rest, he wasn't sure exactly who he had invited with the Christmas cards - ugh!! So anyway, we will have a new system in place to remedy this problem prior to next years event!

Come back soon though to see all of the stuff we made!! I will have lots of recipes and pics of the items. Everything was so yummy!! I was going to do it today, but I've wanted to eat it all so I've been avoiding it today. I hope that I have more will power tomorrow! Wish me luck... you have no idea how much stuff I am talking about. Chef Hubby even made a homemade (edible AND palatable) Fruit Cake. He used dried fruits instead of candied and to keep it super moist used a spray bottle filled with Brandy to mist it after it cooled. mmmm

OK... gotta go to sleep so that I don't attack the goodies - AAAaahhhh!!

Craving Chocolate??

2008-12-03T07:11:00.000-08:00

OK, so I decided to make a recipe my mom used to make many years ago. If you have a chocolate craving, this is the perfect fix! It's one of those pies that say to divide it into 16 pieces, and trust me, you can. It's that chocolatey!!

Chocolate Delite Pie - No Bake

2 pkg Baker’s Sweet Chocolate
1 8oz pkg cream cheese
1 8oz cool whip
2 Tbsp granulated sugar
½ cup milk
1 Chocolate pie crust

Put aside 3 squares of chocolate. Melt remaining chocolate with ¼ cup of milk. Beat in cream cheese, granulated sugar and remaining milk. Fold in cool whip and pour mixture into pie crust.

Shave the remaining chocolate squares over the top. Freeze for at least 1.5 hr. Serve.

I took this one out of the freezer to get a pic, so don't mind the little crystals... lol! It's perfect after about 10 minutes at room temperature... mmm mmm

If you end up trying it, let me know what you think!!

Holiday Cooking...

2008-12-02T06:34:00.000-08:00

So I'm still cooking for the holiday swap, more recipes to come soon - I promise!! I'm so behind on everything right now though!! I have to pull it together! Wish me luck, but in the meantime, feel free to check out Talk About Tuesday over at the Lazy Organizer today. It's pretty cool some of the things people come up with; maybe you even have something to add!

Athletic Training

2008-11-25T09:29:00.000-08:00

So right now I'm in the process of completing my continuing education units (CEUs) to maintain my certifications in Athletic Training and as a Certified Strength and Conditioning Specialist. On top of that, I have to work the Thanksgiving day Football game, have the family over for dinner that afternoon (thank goodness, hubby is a chef!!), and prepare for an open house in a week. Oh yeah, and I'm doing a cookie swap so I need to get the invites out and decorate the little books I will be sending everyone home with, including all of the recipes! Wish me luck!!

But this is something that I think is hilarious. If you don't know who an Athletic Trainer is, a simple, very basic description would be the person who runs out onto the field whenever you see an athlete go down. We evaluate, treat, rehabilitate, and educate the athletes. It's fun!

Holiday Cooking...

2008-11-19T08:52:00.000-08:00

I've been reading blogs for a while now and I love find recipes on them that I can't wait to try! Well, for a few months now, I've seen all kinds of people posting about Red Velvet Truffles and I've really wanted to try them. I love love love making truffles, even though mine never ever come out as smooth and professional as all of the ones I've seen, but I have yet to find a box mix for a red velvet cake. I looked online for some scratch recipes, but to tell you the truth, that's where I get lazy! So I was thinking... What kind of cake would go well mixed with some cream cheese?! I actually figured out one morning, in the shower of all places!! LMAO. CARROT CAKE!!

I don't really like carrot cake, but my hubby LOVES it!! So much in fact, that one year I went to this special bakery and spent $27 on a carrot cake for his birthday... bad idea since we didn't even have a party and the cake had to weigh about 8 pounds... he ended up bringing it to work with him to share it... lol

So anyway, after looking at so many blogs with the recipe I kind of did my own. Some people used 12oz cream cheese, some 16oz, but all with red velvet... ok a few with chocolate. Here's what I came up with!! I hope someone else tries it and lets me know what they think. So far in the house, it's a hit!

Carrot Cake Truffles

1 box Carrot Cake mix
3/4 cup raisins
3/4 cup finely shredded carrots
1 can pumpkin puree (15oz)
1/2 cup water
16 oz cream cheese - softened
16 oz vanilla melts

Mix the carrot cake mix, pumpkin, and water together well. Then fold in the raisins and carrots. If your mix has the raisins and carrots, you don't have to add more (I buy the cheap mix and add my own). Bake it according to the directions on the box. If you would prefer, you can mix the cake the way it explains on the box (with the oil and eggs) but I always make my carrot cake this way, and have never had a complaint.

Allow the cake to cool completely. Then crumble into a big bowl. Add the cream cheese to the cake crumbles until completely blended. Then roll into 1 inch balls. Finally, melt the vanilla melts. I used a candy maker my mom had gotten me last year and it was so much easier. I can't do the double boiler thing, it always fails, so I had been doing the crock pot. It works but it's big!

Anyway, coat the carrot cake balls and allow to cool. Enjoy!! This is how a few of mine came out...

Anniversary Weekend!!

2008-11-16T18:20:00.000-08:00

Tomorrow is going to be my 7th wedding anniversary. It doesn't seem that long, but in ways it seems like forever. I mean, thinking about my life and how comfortable I am with my situation and my relationship, it's hard to think about "before us". I've already explained the start of our relationship, but if you need a refresher, here is the link for my Growing Love!

Anyway, last year was the only year that I actually took part in planning anything for this special ocassion. I'm horrible at the romance stuff... I mean just plain awful! Thank goodness Chef Hubby is Mr. Romance to the rescue! He had it all planned.

We headed out about 6:00pm with the kids at my mom's house watching "Kung Fu Panda", and sure as heck, not minding us leaving. He had informed me that we had reservations at 8:00 in Providence, RI, about 30 minutes away, and that I needed to pack an extra set of clothes to change into in the morning... Yes! It's an overnight!!! heheWestin in Providence (yes, Chef Hubby is also a hotel snob!) and man, oh man, it was nice!! I mean, seriously... you needed to use the room card to activate the freaking elevators

Anyway, we had time to check out the price list for the mini bar and laugh, before heading out to dinner. Can you believe that a 2oz can of "homemade chocolate chip cookies" was $7.50?! I mean, what kind of flour did they use?!

We caught a cab at the taxi stand in front of the hotel and headed to XO Steakhouse.. OMG!! We walked and were actually greated by the Chef de Cuisine Benjamin Lloyd. How cool is that? He was checking something on the computer and headed back into the kitchen. We were seated by an adorable hostess and were greeted shortly after by our waiter, Johnny. The feel of the restaurant was modern, sophisticated, and very comfortable. From the moment we were seated and scanned the menu, we knew we were in for something amazing

We started the evening with some water and a martini (I don't do those manly ones though... I had Flirting with Style... hehe) I don't remember which one Chef Hubby chose. We continued to scan the menu trying to figure out the perfect plan. It was a difficult choice, there were so many options that we wanted to try!! When Johnny returned, Chef Hubby asked if they did tasting menus. The reply was a quick, "Of course, how many courses would you like". SWEET!! We had the option of picking our items or having the chef choose... the latter is always the way to go!! We actually ended up tasting 8 different dishes, most of which were not even included on the menu.

I have to say, I did not have a single complaint for ANY of the dishes! Thank you Chef Benjamin and Johnny for an absolutely amazing experience!! The only bummer came between the entree and the dessert. The Chef came to our table and asked how our meal was, and then informed us that at the end of service next Saturday, they would be closing to implement an entirely new concept. Initially, it was a serious let down! I saw a TON of dishes I wanted to try and would never get the chance, but then thought, hey if the quality stays this superior, I can't wait to try a French tasting menu starting on December 1st!!

We ended up going home with a doggy bag because although we were served two incredible desserts, a Creme Brulee Trio and a Hot Molten Chocolate Cake with Coconut Ice Cream, we couldn't leave without sampling the Bread Pudding with Maple Ice Cream. That was sooo yummy later in the evening... hehelol! I know, I can't believe I was hungry still!! We got ready and headed to the Concierge in the Lobby to find a place for some good food. Being only 8:50am we were informed that most spots were not open until 10... BUT there was a little place about a 10 minute walk away, if we were ok with that. Heck yeah, bring it on!

It was a beautifully quiet walk in the city that morning. The air was crisp but clean and all of the storefronts seemed so calm and welcoming without the bustle of midday. We took a wrong turn but eventually found the spot, DownCity.

Upon, entering we grabbed seats at the bar and once again scanned the menu. It was so hard to choose. Why do they make it so difficult?! I ended up asking the bartender what her favorite option was. I hesitated a moment before taking opinion, because as any good employee should, she tossed out without hesitation, the priciest item on the menu... the Downcity’s Uptown Crab Cakes Benedict, two poached eggs with hollandaise on a bolo over crab cakes and sweet potato homefries. It was actually the choice I was leaning towards. Chef Hubby opted for the Our Slow Braised Corned Beef Brisket Hash, served with 2 eggs, toast, and sweet potato homefries. We also ordered a Blueberry Banana Sour Cream Muffin and some coffee.

Mine...

Hubby's...

Yes, they were as yummy as they look!! Oh and as huge!! Neither of us came close to cleaning the plate, but it was fun trying... lol! My clam cakes were perfect, moist and sweet, but not soggy. OMG!! Even the hollandaise is amazing, nice and light and creamy... mmm!

Chef Hubby's Corned Beef hash included potatoes and carrots and he thought it was phenomenal! Well, we finished what we could. I grabbed a bag for my muffin to bring home to my mom... I knew she'd love it! and we headed back to hotel to get the car and head home... to reality. Oh well, we knew it couldn't last forever, but I can't wait to get back!!

Have you gone anywhere special lately?

New Blog

2008-11-15T10:15:00.001-08:00

I started a new blog! This one is going to be about weight loss, nutrition, exercise and just plain feeling good! If you're into that kind of stuff, feel free to check it out!! Hope you like.

One with the Scale