sick victor

poor victor {the elf} must have the same virus that we have....... he did not move last night and head back to the north pole to see santa. i checked his temp this morning and it was 102.4 {yup same as jack's} so we will keep an eye on him. i am sure him not moving has nothing to do with mom and dad both having fevers and heading to be at 8 pm....... ;)

victor's been busy

morning 3 we found our mischievous little elf hanging out with the Christmas decorations by the door.

morning 4  we found victor hanging out on the bedside table wearing "his" red hat name tag (aka josh's name tag)--oh victor, you are too busy at the north pole to work for red hat......

morning 5 victor was caught RED HANDED trying to get a piece of candy! oh you stinker victor!

morning 6 we found victor trying to hang a coat up :) were you cold vic?

wordless wednesday: in thes spirit

happy holidays

muscles virus?

so in the past we've had strep foot, strep leg, etc............. and now today we can add to the random list: a virus that got into muscles. poor luke's little legs were so sore today....so a call to the doctor led to getting blood drawn, and that led to hearing that luke's virus is in his muscles and making them hurt. seriously?!?!? crazy talk!

we are now on day 6 of "stuff"............. seems like day 1,000,000,000..... both josh and i have low grade fevers and feel like crap, jack is running a HIGH temp and feels like crap (hit 105 last night :( ) and luke's still got a runny nose/cough and the muscle pain in his legs.

relief where are you???

MORE....

more sickness....... yup. i have to smile and shrug.

jack got off the bus with a cough and fever (over 101).
luke went to school but teacher says he "was not quite himself" and as i lay him down for bed, he was just over 100.0.

what to do about tomorrow? jack for sure should stay home. luke though? bleh!

i love my boys. it does make my day when i see this...........

and know they are home :)

meals for the week

saturday: mc donalds and leftovers (jack was in ER)

sunday: broasted chicken from meijer, baked potatoes and raspberries

monday: chicken quesadillas (leftover chicken from sunday), rice and chips (fruit too)

tuesday: spicy steak stew, bread

wednesday:  jack has appt out of town--josh and jack date/luke and mom figure something out 

thursday: chicken over salad, tator tots

friday: mancinos before the santa parade????

saturday: date night? roast?

sunday: roast? pork?

bronchitis

sweet sweet lukie woke up today not feeling so well. that child rarely complains of pain {well at least for more than a few minutes} so when he continually tells us he does not feel well, we listen and see what is going on. he kept complaining his head was hurting. the poor kiddo has had a cough and nasal drip for about a month now but nothing really seemed to be brewing.....no fever, no pain, just irritating cold like symptoms. well today when he said his head hurt, i took him temp and found it to be about 102. off to urgent care we went {no this mama did not get a shower this morning............ no this mama did not get one yesterday as we were going ice skating and hat hair was fine......so that means both our trips to er and urgent care i was a mess and stinky!}. it was busy busy busy at urgent care and luke felt yucky yucky yucky. after getting a "microwaved" blanket from the nurse, luke slept most of the time we were there. after a lowish pulse ox and a chest x ray, luke was given a breathing treatment and a diagnosis of bronchitis and possibly pneumonia.  our poor sweet love. we grabbed his meds {inhaler, antibiotic and florastor to help keep the c-diff at bay} as quick as we could and he slept the entire way home. then slept all afternoon. then finally woke up for dinner and wanted to play spoons and legos! it was good to see his meds kicking in!!! he is now in bed. here's praying for a quiet night and health to return.

elf

where have you found your elf on the shelf? day 1 we found him "lounging" on christmas ornaments in mama's decoration jars on the window sill. day 2 we found him taking a spin in the kitchen aid. he was either 1. hungry or 2. really wanting to go for a ride!

purging

the need to purge. i have this need to purge.........so  here goes.

tuesday night jack had a pretty severe tummyache. he even ended up falling asleep at the toilet before josh took him downstairs, with a bucket in hand, to sleep for the night. my anxious brain took over for a while. the thought of popcorn puke swirled and swirled {jack's snack before his yucky feeling}. no puke and in the morning jack felt fine.

wednesday i had a great therapy session and felt much improved about my overall anxiety; however, when i got home, i was still anxious (not sure about what.....perhaps jack's illness the night before mixed with the upcoming holiday) and to help myself, i actually took one of my pills. i am proud of that! it helped. i was able to be me. i was able to just relax and play with the boys. 

thursday i woke up to the boys fighting and arguing....... which gave me very little patience. i then found a small pile of dog puke and had to use the steam vac. to clean it up........... BLEH! but i figured it was God's way of giving me a chance to remind myself "hey puke is just gross and not a big deal"....... and then as i was helping luke get his breakfast, he shouted, "oh no!" and i found a HUGE giant nasty gross massive pile of DOG PUKE FULL OF POPCORN {her favorite snack} and josh was NOT HOME TO CLEAN IT UP! i got it taken care of and as i sat back...... i chuckled and realized that it was something that i had been anxious about and once again i felt God was saying "hey dummy....... just gross but not a big deal". overall the entire day was great though. both sets of our parents made it for thanksgiving and it it was a great day.

 after we lay both boys down, i was super anxious about being gone friday for shopping. i had tons of guilt, stress and was just feeling awful about it. i have been gone so much lately that it seemed like one more day of being gone.......and that all those days added up make me feel like i am slacking in the mom-department..... anyways, back to where i was. as josh and i were discussing this, jack came upstairs and was not feeling well at all. his tummyache was back and he was not a happy camper. he ended up again laying by the potty and then heading downstairs to lay with a bowl. i went with him this time and got some {anxious and restless} sleep.....no puke, and in the morning he felt fine. but i was still all worked up and not sure what to do {to shop or not to shop}. 

i decided to shop. it was fun and we made it back in time so i had time with my boys as well. we got our tree that night. got lights up. listened to music. relaxed.

saturday started wonderfully--worked on our tree, tidied up a bit, hung out and scheduled a babysitter for the evening. we took the boys ice skating in the afternoon (four times in 5 weeks) and were having an absolute blast until poor jack-o fell on his bottom and as he was trying to get back up, fell right onto the ice with his forehead. he was crying so hard but answered all of our "memory" questions accurately and seemed to be okay. he did not want to skate and had a headache so we sat for a while. after a bit, he got nauseous so we started on our way home. on the way jack became very tired and hard to wake up so we turned our vehicle and headed to children's ER. yes it was confirmed that jack has a mild concussion. the first doctor did a variety of tests and said that we could go home and keep an eye on him there. 2 seconds later, as jack stood up, he puked and puked and puked........ i went out to ask the nurses to get us a cup of water and to clear the puke "bucket" away and then went back in. jack was feeling MUCH better after that but the doctor who came in 20 minutes later (and still no nurse to remove the puke bucket). the next doc insisted on keeping jack another hour for observation and giving him zofran to help him tummy settle down. a cna finally came and got the puke........good thing since it STUNK! :)  we spent the next hour relaxing in the ER room watching the incredibles :) as we left, we grabbed mcd for the boys. jack was hungry and active. he had lots to say. i am still worried about him but i am not anxious.


seems like a lot of random things but here are the underlying themes that i think keep coming back:

1. puke is nasty. it is gross. popcorn puke is just as gross if not more gross. but, when push comes to shove, i can handle it. it is temporary and cleaning it up is just a part of life.

2. God throws me curve balls to keep me in check. i need to find a bat and hit them out of the ball park. i have done well this weekend with everything that has been thrown at me.

3. i have built a "toolbox" of strategies and resources that can help me be less anxious. i do not always use them but am improving.  my medication helps quite a bit and i should not be afraid to use it during the times i am needing a little bit extra to "smooth myself out".

4. i have an amazing husband. though it all, though all the years, through the ups and downs, through the absolute darkness of anxiety and  internal loneliness, he has been my rock and my strength. i am a VERY fortunate woman to have him in my life. 

tutu?

luke helped helped helped tonight as we set the tree up....and was so excited to find the "tree tutu!" (tree skirt). that kid cracks me up!

to try!

Queso Blanco Dip
Yields about 2 cups

Ingredients:
2 Tbsp butter
1/4 cup finely chopped onion*
1/4 tsp crushed garlic*
2 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 1/4 - 1 1/2 cups whole milk (for thicker sauce use lesser portion)
8 oz. finely shredded Monterey Jack cheese

Optional ingredients:
1 Roma tomato, seeds removed then diced
2 Tbsp canned, diced green chilis
1 Tbsp chopped fresh cilantro

Directions:
Melt butter in a medium saucepan over medium-high heat. Add onion and saute until soft about 4 minutes, adding garlic during the last 30 seconds of sauteing. Whisk in flour, and cook stirring constantly, about 30 seconds.  Slowly pour milk into mixture, while whisking vigorously. Bring mixture just to a gentle bubble stirring constantly, then reduce heat to low. Allow to rest over low heat 2 minutes, stirring occasionally. Add in finely shredded Monterrey Jack cheese and cook over low heat, stirring constantly until cheese melts (it will take the cheese a minute to melt, at first it may look curdled but that just means the cheese hasn't fully melted yet so continue to cook until completely melted). Stir in optional ingredients. Serve warm with tortilla chips (or serve over tacos etc. Note that it will thicken as it rests so reheat to thin if desired).

*For a smooth cheese sauce without the chunky ingredients, omit the chopped onion and crushed garlic. Replace it with 1/2 tsp onion powder and a generous pinch of garlic powder. Since you won't need to saute simply melt the butter then add the flour, garlic powder and onion powder and continue as directed and omit the optional ingredients.

http://cookingclassy.blogspot.com/2012/11/queso-blanco-dip.html

monopoly

seems like everytime i turn around my kids have grown, changed, mastered something new, experienced life and just plain inspire me.

today i am awed by the amount of growth they have made with playing monopoly. sounds silly for a minute but when you think about it, monopoly is a hard game to play! there is a ton of counting, lots of calculations, mergers and deals to be made, communication that needs to happen, {money to count......electronic monopoly}, etc etc etc. just a few months ago we played for the first time as a family of FOUR. now the boys and i have played two nights in a row--they are totally in to it! they wheel and deal, they save and spend, they count and add, they play play play! oh so much fun!

my boys amaze me daily. i am such a lucky mama.

asian recipe

a recipe from a friend :)

Ok... But measurements are not exact... I'm a dump and pour cook... 4 boneless chicken breasts cubed. 3 cloves of garlic (more if you like garlic) 1 small onion chopped. I put about 2 or 3 TBS of olive oil in a pan. Put in onion and garlic and slightly brown. Add chicken and cook until chicken is done. Add to pan: 1 1/2 c water. 1/2c honey 1/2 c soy sauce. A dash or two of red pepper flake and 2 or 3 TBS of corn starch dissolved in water to thicken. Stir and simmer for a minute. Add chopped fresh broccoli. Turn off burner and cover for about 2 or 3 minutes to cook broccoli. Serve over rice. I was also thinking cashew nuts would be good on the top

oh yeah

we are getting a new niece/nephew/cousin some time in JULY!!!!! YAY! we are so happy for sarah, aaron and owen :)

november!

crazy weather we've been having..........freezing freezing freezing cold last week and the week before and then BAM today was a gorgeous 55 degrees! we took advantage of it with a campfire and a random late lunch/early supper of hotdogs and "flattened" hamburger with panko crumbs :)

the feast

the feast for turkey day. as always i will have plenty (for which i grateful for) so if you want, stop on by!

The Menu

Turkey
Gravy
Mashed Potatoes
Stuffing (with apples) both in and out of the bird
Fresh Green Beans
Frozen Corn
Sweet Potato Soufle
Herbed Rolls
Olives
Pickles
Deviled Eggs

Dessert: Chocolate Cake and Pumpkin Cheese cake with Salted Caramel Sauce

Drinks:
Iced Tea
Decaf Coffee
Wine
Milk


Recipes

Turkey not sure how big my turkey will be yet so I might have to adjust times above.... but no matter how big it is, I will rub with sage then butter (under the skin too) and then sprinkle with salt and pepper. In the neck cavity I place a few sage leaves, lemon slices and green apple. I also stuff the turkey (stuffing below) before placing it in a turkey cooking bag. The cooking bag leaves the turkey SUPER moist!

Stuffing
diced bread that has been "crusted" up (good bread is best...sour dough, french, etc)--I have been freezing mine for a few months all torn up as I came to the end of loaves...just gotta get it out now :)
bag or two of pepperidge farm coutons
chopped celery
chopped onion
butter
sage
thyme
salt
pepper
broth
chopped green apple
2 eggs beaten

Saute the celery, and onion in butter. Add to the bread cubes and croutons, salt, pepper, and herbs. Toss with your hands. Add apple. Then add eggs, mix with hands. Now add broth, a bit at a time, until it is moist but not too wet. Place in a baking pan or stuff your turkey. I do both.

Gravy
Made with drippings from the turkey, broth, tad bit of kitchen bouquet and cornstarch thickener

Bacon Cheese Pull Apart Rolls

Ingredients

Savings in greenville, MI 48838  Change Zip >

• 12 bacon strips, diced
• 1 loaf (1 pound) frozen bread dough, thawed  I USE ROLL DOUGH
• 2 tablespoons olive oil, divided
• 1 cup (4 ounces) shredded part-skim mozzarella cheese
• 1 envelope (1 ounce) ranch salad dressing mix

Directions

• In a large skillet, cook bacon over medium heat for 5 minutes or until partially cooked; drain on paper towels. Roll out dough to 1/2-in. thickness; brush with 1 tablespoon of oil. Cut into 1-in. pieces; place in a large bowl. Add the bacon, cheese, dressing mix and remaining oil; toss to coat.
• Arrange pieces in a 9-in. x 5-in. oval on a greased baking sheet, layering as needed. Cover and let rise in a warm place for 30 minutes or until doubled.
• Bake at 350° for 15 minutes. Cover with foil; bake 5-10 minutes longer or until golden brown. Yield: 1 loaf.

Sweet Potato Souffle BEST SWEET POTATOES EVER!!
Beat together: 3 cups cooked mashed sweet potatoes, 1 cup sugar, 1/2 cup evaporated milk, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla, 1/2 tsp salt, 1 stick butter.

Put in a greased cassarole dish.

Topping: mix together and put on top of sweet potato mix.  1 cup chopped pecans, 1 cup brown sugar, 1 stick butter, 1/3 cup flour, 1/2 tsp cinnamon.

Bake 350 for 30 min or until knife comes out clean.

Grandma Johnson's Deviled Eggs
12 egg yolks
4 T mayo
2 tsp vinnegar
1 tsp salt
dash pepper
1/2 tsp paprika
1 tsp dry mustard OR 2 tsp prepared mustard

mix and refill egg whites

Garlic Mashed Potatoes
  I will use Yukons....and then mash them BY HAND (the only way to go) with half and half that is simmered with garlic and melted butter

Pickles and Olive Tray
sweet pickles, dill pickles, green and black olives

Corn
 From the freezer

Green Beans 
fresh green beans, trimmed and simmered with fresh garlic

Dessert: 
Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce
Yields about 10 servings
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups crushed graham crackers (from 14 sheets)
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
6 Tbsp salted butter, melted

3 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened (I recommend using Philadelphia)
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks

topping:
caramel sauce, store bought or homemade, recipe follows 
coarse sea salt
sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:
To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together crushed graham crackers and light-brown sugar (being sure to break up any clumps of the brown sugar). Pour in melted butter and mix until mixture is evenly coated. Firmly press mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan coming within about 1-inch of the top edge. Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

To prepare filling: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together cream cheese, light-brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth, about - 30 seconds. Mix in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add in pumpkin and vanilla and mix on low speed just until combined. Add in whole eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition just until combine, then add in egg yolks and mix just until combine. Lift and tap mixing bowl against the counter several times to release air bubbles from mixture. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and bake in preheated oven (325 degrees) for 1 hour, then turn oven off and allow cheesecake to rest in oven 25 - 30 minutes (without opening oven door). Remove from oven and allow to cool 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill 5 hours. Slice and drizzle each serving with a generous amount of caramel sauce, sprinkle with a pinch of coarse sea salt then top with optional sweetened whipped cream. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup salted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Gather all of your ingredients and have them nearby ready to add to the mixture as needed. In a heavy-bottomed 3 quart saucepan, heat sugar and water over moderately high heat whisking constantly to dissolve sugar. Once mixture reaches a boil, stop whisking and allow mixture to boil until it reaches a dark amber color, carefully swirling pan occasionally. Once mixture reaches a dark amber color, immediately add butter and whisk until butter has melted then immediately remove from heat. Wait 3 seconds then carefully pour in cream and immediately whisk to combine (it will bubble vigorously). Whisk until mixture is smooth. Allow caramel to cool several minutes then pour into a glass jar to cool completely. 

thanksgiving

holy bazolies folks! i have not even starting thinking about turkey day {which is my favorite holiday} and that is NOT like me. i better get going!

Saturday Night	Turkey to fridge to thaw
Sunday
Monday	Bread out to “crust up”
Tuesday
Wednesday	Clean in PM tea boil eggs eggs cut up celery and onion butter out on counter for Thursday am use
Thursday	Morning	Rolls out to thaw
	08:30:00 AM	Rolls out breakfast coffee Clean shower
	9:30:00 AM	Set table, etc. Cheese and Snack Crackers Out (reg cheese too) Make Dessert
	10:30:00 AM	Start getting turkey ready and preheat oven to 350
	11:00:00 AM	Turkey into oven
	11:30:00 PM	Boil Sweet Potatoes Make Deviled Eggs
	12:15:00 PM	Peel Potatoes Prep Green Beans Corn to a bowl for microwave
	12:30:00 PM	Make sweet potato souffle
	1:00:00 PM	Stuffing into oven
	01:15:00 PM	Start boiling water for potatoes Make Rolls Sweet potatoes into the oven Pickles and olives on a tray Put on green beans Deviled Eggs on a Tray
	02:00:00 PM	Turkey out of oven? and let REST! Rolls into oven Make Gravy Put on Green Beans
	2:00:00PM	Corn into microwave
	02:15:00 PM	Mash potatoes
	02:30:00 PM	Eat the Feast

Based on a 12-16 lb turkey cooked in a Renyolds Cooking Bag at 350 degrees. 

pumpkin cheesecake with slated caramel sauce?!?!

have i died and gone to heaven? the title is enough to start my drooling..... :)

in case you want to make me one one for yourself this thanksgiving, you can find the link HERE and the recipe below.

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce

What is the best part of the holidays? Family, friends and FOOD of course! I love that I get to indulge in the deliciousness of the holidays a little early since I like to post the holiday recipes before the holidays arrive. This time around I wanted to create a dessert recipe that would be an exciting twist on a classic. I just have to say it, this cheesecake is dee-vine! Just imagine your favorite pumpkin pie meets a fluffy, rich cheesecake and then it's generously covered in salted caramel sauce and finished with sweetened whipped cream. Yeah, almost to good to be true. I don't know that I'm going to care much about pumpkin pie during the holidays anymore, this has definitely stolen its limelight for me. Start the holidays out right, with a gourmet and autumn inspired cheesecake! Enjoy!

Pumpkin Cheesecake with Salted Caramel Sauce
Yields about 10 servings
Ingredients:
1 3/4 cups crushed graham crackers (from 14 sheets)
1/3 cup packed light-brown sugar
6 Tbsp salted butter, melted

3 (8 oz) pkg cream cheese, softened (I recommend using Philadelphia)
1 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 cup granulated sugar
3 Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 tsp ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
1/2 tsp ground ginger
1 1/2 cups pumpkin puree
1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract
2 large eggs
3 large egg yolks

topping:
caramel sauce, store bought or homemade, recipe follows 
coarse sea salt
sweetened whipped cream, for serving (optional)

Directions:
To prepare crust: Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a large mixing bowl, mix together crushed graham crackers and light-brown sugar (being sure to break up any clumps of the brown sugar). Pour in melted butter and mix until mixture is evenly coated. Firmly press mixture into the bottom and sides of a 9-inch spring-form pan coming within about 1-inch of the top edge. Bake in preheated oven for 8-9 minutes until lightly browned. Remove from oven and allow to cool while preparing filling. Reduce oven temperature to 325 degrees.

To prepare filling: In a large mixing bowl, using an electric hand mixer set on low speed, blend together cream cheese, light-brown sugar and granulated sugar until smooth, about - 30 seconds. Mix in flour, cinnamon, nutmeg and ginger. Add in pumpkin and vanilla and mix on low speed just until combined. Add in whole eggs one at a time, mixing after each addition just until combine, then add in egg yolks and mix just until combine. Lift and tap mixing bowl against the counter several times to release air bubbles from mixture. Pour mixture into graham cracker crust and bake in preheated oven (325 degrees) for 1 hour, then turn oven off and allow cheesecake to rest in oven 25 - 30 minutes (without opening oven door). Remove from oven and allow to cool 15 minutes, then cover with plastic wrap and chill 5 hours. Slice and drizzle each serving with a generous amount of caramel sauce, sprinkle with a pinch of coarse sea salt then top with optional sweetened whipped cream. Store in refrigerator in an airtight container.

Caramel Sauce

Ingredients:
1 cup granulated sugar
1/4 cup water
1/4 cup salted butter
2/3 cup heavy cream

Directions:
Gather all of your ingredients and have them nearby ready to add to the mixture as needed. In a heavy-bottomed 3 quart saucepan, heat sugar and water over moderately high heat whisking constantly to dissolve sugar. Once mixture reaches a boil, stop whisking and allow mixture to boil until it reaches a dark amber color, carefully swirling pan occasionally. Once mixture reaches a dark amber color, immediately add butter and whisk until butter has melted then immediately remove from heat. Wait 3 seconds then carefully pour in cream and immediately whisk to combine (it will bubble vigorously). Whisk until mixture is smooth. Allow caramel to cool several minutes then pour into a glass jar to cool completely.

too funny

"mom i am such a soda idiot! oops! i mean soda jerk!" ~jack-o

residents looking to secede

Residents are looking for secession? Ridiculous! I am not a political person by nature and I usually don't post but this is bugging me! Since when did we lose the UNITED states of America, One Nation Under God, Indivisible........ Those who want to secede sound like a bunch of whiney pants to me...... didn't their own way so they will pout.

If the STATE of MI were to secede, and became its own country, have you
 thought of the ramifications and logistics? Even the "small/easy" things would have to be renogiated--interstate high way infrastructure, railroad systems, communication lines, etc. Then think about trade. We currently don't, in MI, have to think about trading with the USA as we are part of it. Would we become part of NAFTA? Would there be fair trade agreements? Are we going to worry about immigration and patrol our borders to keep those "darn people from Wisconsin" out? This is just the tip of the ice berg.

The Union is not broken. Our country is a democracy. The people spoke. There are still other ways other parties have a say (ummmm how about Congress, STATE governing bodies, etc). If Mitt had won, there would have been others who were upset but I can probably guarantee they would not be trying to divide our country.

Division does no good.

apps

any of you as obsessed with free apps as i am??? i love them! i have a few games but most of my apps are for pictures. i call this one "just sketchy" :) :)

hanging out

every 2-4 months or so i gather with two old college friends. we really have been through UPS and DOWNS.... even a huge falling out with one of the friends. it is so nice to be back in contact and enjoying each other's company. all three of us are so different from each other but all three of us as special educators from hope and that is a bond that won't break :) i love catching up with mud and aud :)

family ice skating

we decided it was high time we reintroduced the boys to the wonderful world of ice skating! they went two weeks ago with josh and then yesterday we went as a family. josh was able to get them skates at play it again sports for a great price! being on skates again has peaked my interest......... maybe i want to play hockey (something new for me).... :) we had a blast and plan to go again next saturday! 

 

wordless wednesday

chicken to try

sounds tasty........ recipe from a friend :)

Teresa, pound some boneless, skinless breasts, slice lengthwise and place slices of cheese inside. Wrap with slices of uncooked bacon. Place in shallow baking dish, and slather with BBQ sauce. Bake at 400 for about 30 min, or until juices run clear, then broil till the bacon on top gets crispy and browned.

reading

luke is READING!!!! oh let the flood of knowledge begin! we are so stinkin' proud of him. he is putting sounds together, and creating sweet beautiful words! go luke go!

wooooooooooo hooooooo

woooooooooooo hoooooooooooo jack hit 50+ AR points today!!!! (accelerated reader) 2nd graders "need" 30ish to earn the party at the end of the year. 50 pointers get an additional pizza party. 100 pointers get to go to dq with the principal. jack's goal is 100 points! GREAT progress buddy! this mom and dad are way proud of you!!!

helping aunt l and uncle j

aunt lynda and uncle john are doing major renovations to their house!!! we are excited for them! luke and i went over one afternoon to "help" out. luke spent most of his time on the trampoline with gunnar the dog {who loves loves love the tampoline} while i sat dangerously close to the edge of garage beams ripping off old roof. :)

night out with aunt l and uncle j :)

griffin's opening night of hockey. josh was out of town for work and even though we wanted him to be with us, we still went to the game. we asked uncle john and aunt lynda to tag along with us :) we started with cokes in glass bottles and amazing hot dogs! from there we "watched" the game........ ate more snacks, played, ran into mr.paul, hung out, watched the craziness of the "in between times" and just relaxed. it was such a fun fun fun night. 

watching the "pop cans" ;)

jack was brave enough to stand by the man "robot" :) and we got these awesome light "sticks" at the game for free

who you lookin' at?

they might be getting bigger but still just snuggle bunnies!

hey we found mr.paul :D

hockey stud

a twinge

today i felt a twinge of what i thought i might feel like in the future..... let me explain. i have no clue how it will feel to have an empty nest but i kind of envisioned it as sad. when the boys are off on their own adventures and finding their own path in life. today we spent some time at the school playground. i found myself doing the "usual" mom bit with luke....be careful lukie. watch what you are doing lukie. is that safe lukie! etc etc etc.......... and then it dawned on me, he is on this playground EVERY day and i am not there to protect him/warn him/watch him. every single day luke makes his own choices. and i felt the twinge. that little feeling of "oh my gosh, mama's boy is growing up" :) for a split nano second i felt sad and then joy rushed into me. it was awesome to feel the growth my youngest has made. to see him find his independence and blossom. i can only imagine what the world has in store for luke and jack. i know there will be big adventures for them and lots to explore. the journey doesn't start in 15 years, it started at birth. what a wonderful realization :) i don't feel any twinges of sadness. i feel pure joy!

visit with great friends!

hayrides, pumpkins, friends, oh my :) what a wonderful weekend of fun with friends and family! we so enjoy when vickie, gordon, carter and logan come to visit!