July 2, 2009

It has been a LONG time since I joined in on Things I Love Thursday. So long, in fact, that I can't remember the last one I did.

So todays TILT is all about the holidays. I just LOVE holidays. Actually, any day that involves family getting together and food. This year we are heading out to Michaels parents' house for a BBQ and fireworks. I am taking Firework Shrimp, Pink Lemonade cupcakes, Baked Potato Dip and BCT salad. I am posting the links to each of the recipes so just click on the dish to find it.

BCT salad is pretty easy to make. My kids just LOVE it! It is probably the most requested side salad in our house. the ingredients are pretty simple.

Box of pasta (we use farfalle or fiori)

Bacon (chopped small)

Cheese (cut into small cubes. Like pencil eraser small)

Cucumber (cut to the same size as the cheese)

Tomato (also cut small)

Ranch

Simply cook your pasta, drain and set in large bowl. Add ingredients. Mix well. You can add as much or as little ranch as you like. We like our pasta coated but not dripping.

May 30, 2009

SUMMERTIME!!!

Summer is time for catching frogs, swimming, sleeping in, visiting friends, stay up late, camping, yard work, reading, aloe vera gel, tank tops, sleepovers, boat trips, sunblock, popsicles, summer camp, the ice cream truck, road trips, sticky fingers, sun burns and family.

May 10, 2009

The week before Mother's Day the local fabric store had an AMAZING sale. They had all their fabric priced at $6.00 per yard! As an early gift Michael sent me (alone) to the fabric store to shop to my hearts content!The top picture is 1/2 yard cuts of yummy fabric that caught my eye. The second picture is also 1/2 yard cuts but they are going to be used together for a lap quilt.


The third picture is a group of fabric I am going to make a twin sized quilt with. I am going to put the quilt on the bed that's in the sewing/guest room.

This last picture is of three 2yd cuts that I am going to use with quilt tops that I've already made.

Today was a very relaxing day. We went to the park and had a picnic. The kids played kickball and ran around like crazy people. We left the park and headed out to Michael's Mom's house. Its been a while since we were last there so it was really fun to see all the changes they've made. Cindy is one of the most creative people I have ever met. I took a lot of pictures of her and Lonnie's house and I'll try to put up a post with them in a few days.

All in all it was a great Mothers Day. Surrounded by family. I loved it.

This afternoon Michael and I loaded up the kids and headed out to pick our Christmas tree. We went to the same tree farm that we went to our first Christmas together.

So we spent the evening hanging lights and decorating the tree. Listening to Christmas music and looking through our Christmas books.

I really love this time of the year.

Thanksgiving was a big success. We had about twenty people over for dinner. Which I had started preparing for on Monday. I let each of the the kids make their own dish. Devon and Regan each made a pudding pie in a graham cracker crust and Ryan made a jello salad. I made the mashed potatoes on Wednesday and had them warming in the crockpot Thursday morning. That was a huge timesaver! This was also my first year where I made the turkey and ham by myself. We usually buy a spiral cut ham from the store but this year I made one of the hams we had from the pig we had butchered this summer. There wasn't a big difference in the cooking time and it tasted great.

I was a little nervous having that many people over thinking it would be too crowded but I thought a lot about where to set up tables and it worked out really well. There was plenty of room for the guys to watch the Cowboys/Seahawks game (that was just sad) and for people to visit.

So now its on to Christmas and the New Year.

Michael and Devon bought me an early Christmas present last night. Two baby Lovebirds!

For our first anniversary Michael bought me a parakeet. I had never had a bird before and had no idea how much I would love them. So for the next four years Michael bought me another parakeet on each anniversary. When we moved into my Moms house I gave my birds to my Mother in Law who also has parakeets. I missed having birds but life was pretty busy so it was ok.

So now I have two new babies! They are so cute! They cuddle and kiss each other all day. The kids are so excited to have them and ask constantly to have them on their shoulders. Well, except Ryan. He is so ticklish he can't handle having them on his shoulder so he puts on a stocking cap and carries hem on his head.

Trick Or Treat!

Yesterday was the fall party for regan and Ryans class. Devon volunteered to help with pin the nose on the Jack o'lantern and I helped fill goodie bags. I wish I had taken pictures of them. They were so cute! We painted paper lunch bags orange and puffed them out to look like pumpkins. I tied them with a green ribbon so the good stuff wouldn't fall out.

After school I ran over to pick up Payton from Juliannas. She was sooo nice to watch her for me so I could help out at the school. Devon walked Payton home while I ran to Papa Murphys for dinner. While we waited for our order I scooted the kids over to Aunt Kristys salon for haircuts.

We had to race home so Devon could leave with MaryBeth. (Who was so nice to wait!) They were going to help the youth pass out candy. As soon as Michael got home we took the kids trick or treating around our neighborhood.

Here's our loot!

In my upstairs closet I have three shelves of legal boxes. I've labeled each of the boxes with a season/holiday and filled the boxes with books, decorations, baking/cooking stuff, candles, projects the kids have made, etc. Actually, I have a lot for Christmas and Fall so they have tubs in the garage. But right now I'm talking about the boxes in my closet so lets just stick with that. 'K?

As I was putting our Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving books into our bookcase I thought 'Hey! I should share some of these titles on my blog.' Since I can't think of anything else to write about that's what were going with!

P is for Pilgrim - Carol Crane

A Plump and Perky Turkey - by Teresa Bateman

Pumpkin Town - by Katie McKy

Squanto and the Miracle of Thanksgiving - by Eric Metaxas

Thanksgiving Day at our House - by Nancy White Carlstrom

Some other books we have are:

The Great Turkey Walk - Johnny Appleseed - Pooh's Fall Harvest - The Monster Mall - Pumpkin, Pumpkin - Thanksgiving is... - Autumn's First Leaf - Thanksgiving - Thanksgiving, What makes it Special? - Winnie the Pooh's Thanksgiving - 'Twas the night before Thanksgiving - The Thanksgiving Story - The Pilgrims' First Thanksgiving

Fourth of July Weekend

We spent our weekend visiting family and eating. Does it get any better than that?

We had Danyelle with us this weekend. Isn't that the cutest picture of her with

Payton? I just love it. Danyelle got to go out to Jake and Octavias house on Friday.

We had a BBQ and set fireworks off as soon as it got dark. Oh wait. Michael and

Jake started playing with some of them as soon as they finished eating but the

main fireworks were saved for darkness.

On Saturday we all headed out to Lonnie and Cindys house for more BBQ and lots

of visiting. Their Pastor is a licensed Pirotechnitian and was putting off the towns

fireworks display that night. I have got to say that fireworks show was the best I

have ever seen! They had some DC Talk and other old school christian music

playing in the background. We parked on the edge of a field and let the kids dance

around in front of us. It was a pretty great weekend.

This nation will remain the land of the free only so long as it is the home of the brave.

~Elmer Davis

Have a safe and happy 4th of July.

Summertime!

Summer has finally arrived! We have put away all the schoolbooks, received our report cards from WAVA and pulled the kiddie pool out of the garage. For the next 10 weeks it will be all about the lemonade, BBQ's, cousins, swimming and staying up late.

For Mothers Day this year Michael took the kids shopping for items I can use in the new sewing/craft room. Devon found this Desktop Rotary Trimmer for me to use when I scrapbook.

Regan wanted to get me a new wooden playground/swingset but Michael talked her into finding something I could use for sewing. She found a scissor set that included a 10 in. fabric scissor, an 8 in fabric/paper scissor, a 5 in craft scissor and a scissor sharpener. I'm not sure but I think the brand is CuttingEdge. I tried to find the packaging to show a picture of it but I think its been thrown away.

Then Michael and Ryan took me to two fabric shops. They had me pick three quilt patterns and fabric for one of them. I also picked up a template for a windmill quilt and some insul-brite for the water bottle carrier I am going to make.

Happy Mothers Day!

PARENT - Job Description

This is hysterical. If it had been presented this way, I don't believe any of us

would have done it!!!!

POSITION :Mom, Mommy, Mama, Ma

Dad, Daddy, Dada, Pa, Pop

JOB DESCRIPTION :Long term, team players needed, for challenging, permanent work in an often chaotic environment. Candidates must possess excellent communication and organizational skills and be willing to work variable hours, which will include evenings and weekends and frequent 24 hour shifts on call. Some overnight travel required, including trips to primitive camping sites on rainy weekends and endless sports tournaments in far away cities! Travel expenses not reimbursed. Extensive courier duties also required.

RESPONSIBILITIES :The rest of your life. Must be willing to be hated, at least temporarily, until someone needs $5. Must be willing to bite tongue repeatedly. Also, must possess the physical stamina of a pack mule and be able to go from zero to 60 mph in three seconds flat in case, this time, the screams from the backyard are not someone just crying wolf. Must be willing to face stimulating technical challenges, such as small gadget repair, mysteriously sluggish toilets and stuck zippers. Must screen phone calls, maintain calendars and coordinate production of multiple homework projects. Must have ability to plan and organize social gatherings for clients of all ages and mental outlooks. Must be a willing to be indispensable one minute, an embarrassment the next. Must handle assembly and product safety testing of a half million cheap, plastic toys, and battery operated devices. Must always hope for the best but be prepared for the worst. Must assume final, complete accountability for the quality of the end product. Responsibilities also include floor maintenance and janitorial work throughout the facility.

POSSIBILITY FOR ADVANCEMENT & PROMOTION :None. Your job is to remain in the same position for years, without complaining, constantly retraining and updating your skills, so that those in your charge can ultimately surpass you

PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE :None required unfortunately.On-the-job training offered on a continually exhausting basis.

WAGES AND COMPENSATION :Get this! You pay them! Offering frequent raises and bonuses. A balloon payment is due when they turn 18 because of the assumption that college will help them become financially independent. When you die, you give them whatever is left. The oddest thing about this reverse-salary scheme is that you actually enjoy it and wish you could only do more.

BENEFITS :While no health or dental insurance, no pension, no tuition reimbursement, no paid holidays and no stock options are offered; this job supplies limitless opportunities for personal growth, unconditional love, and free hugs and kisses for life if you play your cards right.

(I received this in an email from my Mom and thought I would share it.)

Two Years

I can't believe I missed it! Saturday (the 3rd) was the two year anniversary of me starting this blog! I was planning on doing a big commemorative post but my creative juices have evaporated. So in place of something witty I will take a trip down memory lane and relive some of the past two years. We lived at the pool for about six months while the kids had swimming lessons.
We took a vacation that was so much fun we still talk about it.
We had,oh, maybe 300 dr. visits.
Because Regan needed surgery to remove a bone tumor.And Michael needed sinus surgery.
We had some major flooding in our region.

Grandma went home to be with Jesus.
It snowed.
We had some awesome holidays!


A HUGE family reunion.Some good eats.
And best of all we had a new baby join our family.

What a great two years we've had. Hopefully the next two will be just as good.
Well, minus the surgeries.