Finally in Kansas...

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)

Anniversary Weekend!!

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?

The Renaissance Faire!

Ok, so I never ever have pics of myself, but today is an exception... Today is the renaissance faire and I think I look pretty cute! This is actually my best friends Maid of Honor dress from my wedding. We had a medieval wedding and trust me, it looked amazing! My grandmother and my mom made all of the dresses, including my wedding dress. I am actually going to be calling the photographer soon to find out if he has the pics on disc that we can buy, or I'm going to have to scan some to show off!!

This is me and Phoebe in our backyard before heading to the faire. Payton was supposed to be in the pic which is why I'm yelling... hehe!

Chef Hubby (AKA... King Henry) does role playing and this is one of his outfits. Don't we look like the royal family?! OK, except for the chainlink fence behind us.

The faire is an amazing place! This is what you see as soon as you start walking in. How can you not want to run in and play?! All of those windows on the bottom are actually where you pay, then you enter through the gate. It's really an amazing scene.

And this is the end of the day. The kids were screaming, my feet were starting to get tired, but hubby thought I still looked pretty cute... lmao. Hope you enjoyed our little adventure!

We made it!!

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

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

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

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










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

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

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

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

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

The Beach... and Playground... and well everything!!

Remember, I'm on vacation, so we've been doing lots of stuff these past two weeks. This is a quick recap... with a bunch of pics!

We started by heading over to Elizabeth's family's house with the kids to take a swim in the pool and play in the sandbox and all that fun little kid stuff.

Did you know that you could tie the noodle around the kid and it works better than a swimmer?!?

Me either!! It was soo cool!!

Then I had to get my hair done so I headed downtown. While I was there, I figured that I would go to the visitor's center and hit up some of the local stores to grab some items, postcards, maps, magnets, etc, for my swaps. I have to tell you, though, I never expected to see this on my journeys...

How cool do they look?? Can I just say, it was 93 degrees that day! I wanted to get them some water. It's cool to live in a historic district, huh? Bet you wanna come visit now??

Elizabeth and I were able to sneak out of the house without any of the kids!!! Isn't that the best feeling, every now and then?! We went blueberry picking... This is what 6 pounds looks like!

THEN!!! My mom and I grabbed the kids, and LH and headed to the beach with the girls. I'm not telling her I put her picture on my blog, cuz I think she'd kill me, but I think she looks awesome in her cute little swimsuit!

Anyway, we had a great time. We packed a lunch and brought a cool little half tent and blanket and toys... it was fun! Payton, once again, way more of a daredevil than Phoebe.

AND... Chef Hubby and I brought the kids to the playground. They loved it... freaked out when we left, so we had to hit up one of the local creameries before heading home... lol! Did I mention I've been avoiding the official weigh ins right now? I weigh myself to make sure that I don't get out of control, but I haven't been to WW in a few weeks... oops!

And finally... We had a big storm. There were tornado warnings and everything!! Nothing actually really happened, but we had a lot of rain... it was sideways!!! So we let the kids play in it... They had fun, it was free, and practically no clean up - YAY!!

Well, I go back to work Tuesday... wonder what I can squeeze in between now and then?!? hehe

The Fair!

We headed to the Barnstable Fair today. It was the last day which meant, now or never. See, now the worst part about the fair is that it's in the Cape Cod area which is very touristy. I have lived here for my entire life and have never really been to Cape Cod because I HATE traffic!! So today, what should have been a 30 min drive turned into a little over an hour. I know for traffic, that doesn't seem bad, but I HATE traffic... remember. Just to let you know, I'm not a road rage traffic hater. I'm actually a very very nice traffic hater because I terrified that someone's going to shoot me if I'm not - now do you understand the traffic thing?

Ok - so we are on our way... until we get to the Bourne Bridge. A very scary bridge. Just before you get on it has a big sign that I wanted to get a pic of, but couldn't reach the camera. Anyway, it basically is supposed to urge someone who is suicidal to call good samaritans instead of jumping... isn't that insane?! I mean I got depressed seeing it! So then we have to go over this super big bridge... Chef Hubby finally reached the camera while we were decending...

Then we got to the fair, grabbed the kids and headed over... They loved the animals. Well, Payton was a little more comfortable with them than Phoebe, as you can see

(I missed her getting licked - I know it's gross, but it was really cute - honest!!)


Then there's the food!! Chef Hubby found a meal "made for him".... lol! I didn't think it looked very good, but it tasted yummy. This is a "Pot Roast Dinner Sundae". It has mashed potatoes, corn, pot roast, gravy, and a cherry tomato on top!! I had to get a picture... lol

I had a chicken pita with lettuce and tomato, nothing to write home about. It was good, just not picture worthy. BUT... a giant chocolate eclair for dessert! This thing was about 8-9 inches long and ended up feeding me, hubby, and the kids! Look at it after I gave Phoebe a chunk... it's huge!

So we headed back and recovered from our day. Aaaahhh... hubby let me take a nap... hehe