The Viking Family has moved...

Our blog is moving!

2011-01-04T21:58:00.001-06:00

I’ve made a new home for our blog!

The first post is my goals for 2011.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-11-08T06:19:00.004-06:00

Taco Soup
Chili Verde
Italian Beef Sandwiches
Build your own salad
Pork chops, squash, salad
Dinner @ Jeremy’s company party
Paninis

My friend Meg shared this recipe with me.
Taco Soup
1 lb. ground beef
1 can Rotel
1.5 cups frozen corn
1.5 cups frozen green beans
1 can pinto beans
1 can chili beans
1 packet ranch dressing mix
1 packet taco seasoning
Brown the meat and add taco seasoning to it. Combine all ingredients in a pot or crock pot. Basically cook till hot. You can heat on the stove for a quicker meal. Oh, with the canned ingredients, I used the whole can, juices and all. Add water until it reaches a consistency you are happy with.

Italian Beef Sandwiches
Ingredients:
1 boneless sirloin tip roast (about 4lbs), halved
2 envelopes Italian salad dressing mix (use 3 if you want spicy)
2 cups water
1 jar (16oz) mild pepper rings, with juice (You can use hot if you want, but it's already spicy this way.)
Hoagie Buns
Mozzarella cheese, optional

Directions:
Place roast in slow cooker. Combine the salad dressing mix & water; pour over roast. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until the meat is tender & falls apart.
Remove meat; shred with a fork and return to slow cooker. Add pepper rings; heat through.
Ready to serve!

A step we added was putting mozzarella cheese on the roll and sticking it in the toaster oven to toast the bun & melt the cheese. This also helps keep the bread from getting soggy from all the juices.

Second grade

2010-11-06T18:58:00.001-05:00

As you can see…I am horrible at keeping up with the blog. Before Facebook came around, I was great about keeping a blog. Now, it’s just easier to write a short update or quickly upload a photo of the kids from my phone. If you aren’t on Facebook, you should be, and find me, so that you can see the pictures and read the updates on the kids that I randomly post.

Kaylin started 2nd grade in August. SECOND GRADE! She is basically half way through her elementary school years! How in the world did this happen?? My baby girl is growing up entirely too fast! Her teacher is a long time family friend, so this school year has been a favorite so far. Kaylin’s teacher is my mom’s friend, Kay’s daughter. Follow? Ms. H and I also went to middle school and high school together. Our backyards shared a corner before my parents moved. It’s awesome that she & her family are family friends, but beyond that, she is just an awesome teacher! She is great about communicating. She emails both Jeremy and I frequently. She asked us all at Meet the Teacher night if it was ok for her to email us, and warned us that the emails would be frequent. At the time, I thought we would get an email here and there, but we get 1-3 emails from her a week. While that might sound overwhelming, messages don’t always make it home in a timely manner, so having the teacher email updates is a blessing. I feel like I am much more up to date with what is going on at school than a lot of the other parents in other classes do, thanks to Ms. H and her emails.

Kaylin and Ms. H on the first day of school.

Kaylin with her group.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-08-16T17:52:00.001-05:00

Mexican Chicken Bake and green salad
Shrimp Scampi over angel hair and zucchini fries
Red Beans & rice with cornbread & fruit
Maple Apple Pork Tenderloin, steamed broccoli, and brown rice
Hashbrown Breakfast Casserole and warm cinnamon apples

Shrimp Scampi & Pasta
1 T minced garlic
2 t olive oil
1 t oregano
½ t salt
¼ t pepper
1 ½ lbs fresh shrimp, peeled
1/3 c white cooking wine
1 T corn starch
6 c cooked pasta
Sauté garlic in olive oil for 1 min over med heat. Add shrimp, oregano, salt & pepper and sauté 4 min. Reduce heat to simmer. Combine wine, cornstarch and add to shrimp. Simmer until sauce thickens. Divide shrimp and sauce into 6 portions and serve each over 1 c pasta.

Maple Apple Pork Tenderloin
1.7 lb pork tenderloin
1 green apple, diced
¼ c chopped walnuts
1/3 c maple syrup
Bake tenderloin as directed. In a small sprayed skillet sauté diced apple for 5 - 6 min on medium temp. Add walnuts & syrup and heat 3 min more. Slice pork into 6 servings and pour
sauce evenly over pork.

Red Beans & Rice
2 c dried red beans, soak over night
¾ c uncooked brown rice
4 c water
2 t salt
1 T ground cumin
1 large onion, cut into chunks
Place all ingredients in crock pot. Cook 6 –8 hours on low or until onions are tender. *Note: red beans need to be brought to a boil before being cooked in a crock pot. Research red bean toxin if you want to know more about this.

Mexican Chicken Bake
1 ½ lbs boneless/skinless chicken breast
15 oz can black beans, rinsed and drained
1 ½ c Lowfat sour cream
1 t cumin
¼ t pepper
4 oz can chopped green chilies
6 small corn tortillas – cut into 2 inch strips
1 c shredded 2 % Mexican blend cheese
Boil chicken for 10 min. Chop chicken and combine w/beans, sour cream, cumin, pepper, and chilies. Place ½ of tortilla strips into the bottom of dish and cover with ½ chicken mixture. Top with remaining tortillas and remaining chicken mixture; sprinkle 1 c cheese on top and bake 30 min @ 350.

Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
6 servings @ 7 pts each
4 c Shredded Hash Browns
8 oz lean diced ham
½ c diced onions
1 c shredded 2 % cheddar cheese
1 c RF Bisquick
2 c FF milk
1 c FF egg sub
Spread hash browns into the bottom of a sprayed 9 x 13 baking dish. Sprinkle ham, onions, and cheese on top. Combine Bisquick, milk, & egg sub; slowly pour over potato mixture. Bake uncovered for 45 min @ 375.

Menu Plan…Thursday?

2010-08-05T14:55:00.001-05:00

My friend Jenn just wrote about menu planning, which made me realize I have severely fallen off the menu planning wagon. I hate cooking in the summer…especially when the temps reach the 100’s like they have this past week. Summer is time for salads, sandwiches and lots and lots of grilling at our house. Ok, and eating out.

Part of the reason I used to post my menus here was if I wrote it out, somehow, it helped to hold me accountable. I really need to get back into that, if only for myself. It might give other people some recipe ideas as well in the process, but this is almost entirely for me!

Tuesday night we had grilled pork chops, grilled corn on the cob & salads. For this, we simply put salt, pepper & Emeril’s essence on pork cutlets and grilled them. I wanted something sweet & savory, so I mixed spicy ground mustard and brown sugar as a glaze for mine.

Also planned this week:

Great Aunt Mary’s Casserole – corn tortillas, chili, tomato sauce & cheese. This is a very simple & tasty dish. While the chili is heating up on the stove, I stick the corn tortillas in the oven to get warm & hopefully a slight crisp to them. When the chili is warm throughout, I layer 6 corn tortillas, half of the chili, drizzle half of the tomato sauce (I use a small 8 oz. can) and sprinkle a handful of cheese, continue with one more layer ending with the cheese. Serve with a salad! In the fall and winter, I use leftover chili if we have it on hand. If we don’t have leftover chili, I use canned.

Foil packet chicken – This can be a mixture of many things! This week my plan is 3 boneless skinless chicken breasts, taco seasoning, 3 small red potatoes, 1 onion sliced, 6 tablespoons of salsa, 3/4 cup shredded mexican style cheese, 3 tablespoons of sour cream for topping. Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lay out 3 large sheets of foil. Slice each potato & onion thinly, and lay out one potato and some onion slices on each sheet of foil. Shake chicken in a bag with taco seasoning, and place on top of potato & onion slices. Top each piece of chicken with 2 tablespoons of salsa then 1/4 cup cheese. Bring up foil sides and double fold and roll down, do the same to the ends. Place in a baking dish large enough to fit them all. Bake 30 to 35 minutes, until chicken is cooked through. Let stand 5 minutes, then vent foil packet before opening. Serve with a dollop of sour cream.

Hamburgers – I think we all have our preferred method for these! However, before the end of summer, I do want to try several of these recipes.

Jalapeno Popper Burger

Mozzarella-Stuffed Bruschetta Turkey Burgers with Balsamic Glaze

Apricot Glazed Turkey Burgers Stuffed with Goat Cheese

Seriously, you NEED to go check those links out. Kristin makes those burgers look and sound sooooo very yummy!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-08-04T13:57:00.001-05:00

Sunday Fun Day!

2010-07-19T14:45:00.001-05:00

We’ve had a relaxing and packed full of fun summer, so far. Here are some pictures from our Sundays. We spend every Sunday (Fun Day!) over at the in-law’s house with family & friends…swimming, barbecuing and just enjoying everyone’s company. It’s a great way to spend the summer!

Jonathan playing washers at the in-law’s house. Okay, so we let him cheat a little by getting close. Isn’t this a great action shot?

Floating in the pool. I obviously need to go float some more! Wish I had Kaylin’s skin tone!

Uncle Justin tosses Kaylin around the pool. She loves all the attention from her uncle & his friends! And I’m pretty sure they love giving the kids all their attention, too. Aunt Kayla’s boyfriend, David, will come over there during his lunch break from work just to see & play with the kids! These boys/young men are great with the kids!

Uncle Justin, Kaylin, Jeremy, Randy (father-in-law) & Justin’s friend Laura. Yeah, can you tell who Kaylin gets her skin tone from?

Jeremy & Aunt Rae, who came down from Missouri to visit this weekend.

Our Summer Fun!

2010-06-04T01:56:00.002-05:00

Once again, I’m creating our summer fun list. A LOT, if not all, of these are repeats from previous years, but it’s how we spend our summers! Our lists from 2008 & 2009.

1. Go to the movies
2. Go to a water park (already have 2 trips planned!)
3. Go to a museum
4. Have an ice cream sundae night
5. Pick berries @ Duck Creek
6. Make fresh lemonade and strawberry lemonade (with fresh fruit)
7. Get sno-cones
8. Run through the sprinklers
9. Watch fireworks
10. Have a root beer/coke float night
11. Have a tea party
12. Visit a farmer's market
13. Swim! Lots and lots of swimming!
14. Watch a movie on the lawn by the pool (put on by our HOA)
15. Jump on the trampoline with the sprinkler on
16. Get frozen yogurt
17. Make milkshakes
18. Go bowling
19. Build blanket forts on rainy days
20. Go to the park
21. Wash the cars with daddy
22. Make s’mores
23. Run in the fountains
24. Visit Rita's Ice
25. Take a ride on the TRE
26. Play in the rain on a rainy day (if no thunder/lightning)
27. Make popsicles
28. Make homemade ice cream sandwiches
29. Go to the library
30. Have a pillow fight
31. Have an indoor picnic
32. Have play dates with friends
33. Blow bubbles
34. Pick peaches @ Red River
35. Watch fireworks at Lake Grapevine
36. Pick something each day (that the kids are home) from The Busy Book to do for fun (have both The Children’s Busy Book and The Preschooler’s Busy Book)

1st grade awards

2010-06-03T11:45:00.001-05:00

Kaylin received 3 awards at her school’s end of year awards ceremony. Music Achievement, 100 book club, and Athletic Achievement.

So proud of sissy!

Kaylin receiving 2 of her awards. The 3rd was at a different ceremony, and I have yet to download those pictures off the camera.

Jonathan’s Mother’s Day Out end of year program

2010-06-03T10:56:00.001-05:00

Jonathan’s Mother’s Day Out program has come to an end for this school year. They always do an end of the year program, where the 4/5 year olds that are moving on to Kindergarten graduate, all of the kids sing, and we get a book full of their work & pictures throughout the year (my favorite part!) You might remember when Kaylin graduated.

Cheese!

But I wanna go sit with Mimi!

1st grade music performance & zoo field trip

2010-06-03T10:23:00.001-05:00

The 1st graders at Kaylin’s school put on a music performance…back in April. One of the songs they sang was called Lucy Locket Lost Her Pocket, and Kaylin was “Lucy” for the purpose of the song. Basically, she skipped across the stage with a coin purse, dropped it on the ground, another girl came behind her and “found” it and gave it back to her. I don’t know that it was even 2 minutes long, and the picture of her skipping across the stage is a blur of red. So, here is a picture I do have, where you can actually see Kaylin. She’s the one in the red shirt, on the left hand side.

And a few weeks later, the 1st graders took their field trip. This year, it was to the Fort Worth Zoo, and I was one of the parent volunteers.

This trip was a lot more fun than our normal trips to the zoo, as they had an educational presentation before we walked around the zoo.

A baby alligator – they explained the differences between alligators and crocodiles, what they eat, etc. With each animal that was brought out a child was selected from the group and they got to sit behind that curtain and ask yes or no questions to try and guess the animal.

An Opossum. We were told that there are possums and Opossums, the differences and that possums live in Australia, etc.

Kaylin in front of the elephants.

Conversations with Kaylin

2010-05-12T22:07:00.003-05:00

Tonight in the car, Kaylin and I had a conversation that I knew I had to write down somewhere. I completely soaked every bit of this up, because I know this is short lived, and she’ll only believe this stuff for the next year, or maybe 2, if I’m lucky.

I’ll start with the back story and why this conversation started…she lost her other front tooth yesterday at school. She brought it home in a cute little treasure chest called a “tooth saver.” She placed the tooth under her pillow, for The Tooth Fairy….and then The Tooth Fairy didn’t come last night. Yeah. Parenting FAIL. I felt bad, she was upset, and crying, so I told her we’d go out for a treat after Daddy got home from work, just us girls. She picked Yogurt Story.

So, on the way home from Yogurt Story we’re talking about the Tooth Fairy…
Kaylin: She probably lives in a tooth shaped house

Me: Wouldn’t that give her identity away though? I mean, her neighbors would obviously know someone living in a tooth shaped house is the tooth fairy. So, where does the Easter Bunny live then?

Kaylin: In a meadow and yeah the bugs, birds, and rodents know he’s the Easter Bunny. And Santa lives in The North Pole…

Me: And the penguins and polar bears know he’s Santa?

Kaylin: The penguins, yeah, but polar bears live in a different arctic. They would eat the penguins if they lived together.

So, she knows that polar bears eat penguins, but apparently, when it comes to where Santa lives. Everyone lives happily every after and Santa makes special food chain related living arrangements. Which, shouldn’t surprise me. I mean, he IS Santa!

My chili recipe

2010-05-03T19:12:00.001-05:00

My friend Kristi asked me for my chili recipe, and I decided I'll just share it here. These are all approximate, because I never really measure the spices and such when I'm making it. If you like a chili that packs heat, this is not the chili for you. Of course, you could always add more chili powder, red pepper flakes, etc. to your liking to up the heat factor.

15 oz canned dark kidney beans
15 oz canned light kidney beans
15 oz canned black beans
8 oz canned tomato sauce
2 - 14 oz cans diced tomatoes
¼ teaspoon lime juice
1 ½ teaspoons ground cinnamon
1 ½ teaspoons cocoa powder
¼ teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon ground black pepper
pinch sugar
1 tablespoon chili powder
1 tablespoon paprika
½ tablespoon ground cumin
1 cube beef bouillon
½ cup onions, diced, cooked
1 bell pepper of any color, diced
zucchini, diced (Jeremy doesn't like when I add this, so this isn't *always* in there)
2 garlic cloves, minced
¼ teaspoon garlic salt
1 pound extra lean ground beef

Brown ground beef, add to slow cooker.

Sauté onions, peppers, and garlic and then add to slow cooker. Add remaining ingredients and mix well. Cook on low as long as possible.

Menu Plan Monday

2010-05-03T17:20:00.002-05:00

I’m sorry if you don’t enjoy reading our menu plan for the week. I do this for me, because it’s better than wasting paper every week, and if I don’t write it down somewhere I’ll never remember what I planned!
Leftovers
Greek Couscous (plan is to throw some plain grilled chicken in there, sub cucumbers for the tomatoes and make this a one-dish meal)
Cinco de Mayo Feast - Southwest Chicken Wraps, salad w/ranch-salsa dressing, queso, chips, maybe even some margaritas!!
Chef’s Salad
Barbecue Chicken, baked beans, salad

Menu Plan Monday

2010-04-26T05:46:00.000-05:00

Whole Wheat pancakes, eggs, fruit
Leftovers & Girl’s Night Out
Baked Potatoes & salad
Build your own taco bar
Beef tips in mushroom sauce(crockpot) & broccoli
Pasta salad
Sandwiches

I’ve found myself not wanting to be at the stove or cook things in the oven since it’s warming up. My usual solution is meals on the grill, however, we’re out of propane, and on the off chance that we don’t get around to refilling it I figured I’d go ahead and make other plans. I always try to plan breakfast for dinner at least 1 night a week. The kids absolutely love it, and it’s a nice change of pace for us. We’re big “brinner” fans at this house!

Beef Tips in Mushroom Sauce Crock Pot Recipe

Ingredients:
2 pounds lean chuck – cut in 1 – 3/4 inch pieces
1 can 98% fat free cream of mushroom soup
1 pkg. onion soup mix
1 can Diet Sprite or 7up

*Feel free to bulk this up with any zero point vegetables that you choose!

Directions:
Put meat in crock pot. Pour soup & onion soup mix over meat. Add Diet Sprite/7up. Cook in crock pot all day on low (or high for at least 4 hours). Turn off and let sit for 30 minutes before serving. Serve over rice or noodles. (extra points)

Makes 8 servings.
Each serving = 6 Weight Watchers Points

Nothing better than fresh baked bread

2010-04-24T19:29:00.003-05:00

Last summer (maybe the one before that, even) my mom brought home a loaf of fresh baked bread, baked by Great Harvest Flower Mound, who participates in their neighborhood’s farmer’s market. I don’t even remember what kind of bread it was, but I do remember how tasty it was! I immediately stuck 2 pieces in the toaster and buttered one and added peanut butter to the other. Oh, my! This was soooo tasty, I threw another in the toaster. Faster forward to earlier this year, when I started reading Kath’s blog. She is always enjoying Great Harvest breads since her husband, Matt, works there and they are in the process of opening their own. I had to have Great Harvest, again!
While we live about 30 minutes from Flower Mound, it’s not too far from Jonathan’s Mother’s Day Out. I decided I needed to pick up a loaf when I was out that way. Since all of their breads are made the day of, they offer different specialty breads each day. I picked up a Whole Grain Goodness loaf and holy moly! best. bread. I. have. ever. had! I have been craving it since then. Only problem? They switched the day they have Whole Grain Goodness to Mondays. Jonathan does not go to MDO on Mondays, and as much as I love this bread, and need more, I am not willing to drive 1 hour, round trip, for a loaf of bread. I’d rather wait until I plan on being out that way, for one reason or another, on a Monday. Of course, I could always just try a new one, one that they do bake on a day that Jonathan goes to MDO. But today, today, I just couldn’t take it any longer. I started searching for something I could bake myself. I have a bread machine, which makes it easy on me by doing all the kneading and waits for it to rise, then beeps to let me know I can take it out, place it in the loaf pan, and bake it in the oven. Or, I have the option of baking it in the machine, but then the loaf has a hole in the bottom, where the bread machine paddle is since it mixes and “kneads” it in the machine as well.
I decided on this Oat N Honey recipe, that I altered – I used half honey/half molasses, 2 cups whole wheat and only 1 cup all purpose flour and the addition of 1 tablespoon of flax seeds. I also used regular oats and not quick cooking oats, because that’s what I have, and I did the buttermilk trick where you add milk to 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or vinegar because I don’t just keep buttermilk on hand. I also sprinkled some oatmeal and flax seeds on the top. I baked it at 350 for 30 minutes, rather than in my machine. It’s not as dense, and it doesn’t have the crunch that whole grain goodness has, but it is still super tasty, and still healthy.

Kids say the darndest things!

2010-03-27T09:56:00.001-05:00

Last night, we were watching Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution, and Kaylin said something or asked me a question…when I answered her she said, “How come you know so much that I don’t?? I’ve been living for 7 1/2 years!!!!” Apparently, that’s a LONG time!

This morning the following conversation took place with Jonathan while going potty:

Jonathan: I have a penis!

Me: Yes, yes you do.

Jonathan: Daddy have a penis too! Sissy don’t have a penis. Sissy only have a butt. (obviously we haven’t explained what the girl body parts are called) *pause* A BUTTHEAD!

Spring Break

2010-03-19T23:45:00.003-05:00

Kaylin is on Spring Break right now and we’ve had quiet the vacation!
It started last Saturday, leaving the house at 5:30am for Tennessee. We spent 2 nights at Grandma & Grandpa’s house (Jeremy’s mom & step-dad) and the kids had a blast playing with their cousins. Jacob is 4 and Nicholas is 2. The boys are all 9-10 months apart from each other, so I have a feeling they will only have more fun the older they get! We actually didn’t get any pictures from this leg of the trip. I will try to remember on our way back home on Sunday.
Next stop, Mama Lorraine’s house in Winchester, Virginia. Again, we stopped for 2 nights. Mama Lorraine is 83 years old, we HAD to get the kids out of the house to release some energy. We found a park near the Shenandoah University campus, complete with a creek, a groundhog, and some ducks.

After Mama Lorraine’s house, we headed out for Washington DC. Jeremy, and obviously, the kids, had never been. Jeremy and Kaylin were really looking forward to this part of our vacation. One of Kaylin’s favorite movies is Night at the Museum Battle of the Smithsonian.
Washington Monument
The Capitol
The back of The White House

View of The Capitol and Washington Monument and the Reflecting Pool in front of Lincoln Memorial
Me & the kids in front of Lincoln Memorial

A pretty sunset and the Washington Monument as we made the trek back to the metro station to ride back to our hotel.
There are a LOT more pictures in our Picasa album, hopefully also on Facebook once we get home. I’ve had issues trying to upload them to Facebook through these hotel internet connections.

Trip to Arizona recap

2010-03-01T11:17:00.001-06:00

This weekend we flew to Phoenix for my friend Allison’s wedding. The kids stayed with Mimi & Papa. We had a great time with Allison, Pat & Allison’s family.

Our first stop was In-N-Out Burger. Man, how I miss this place!

The In-N-Out we stopped at wasn’t far from the airport and when exiting, Jeremy realized the street name was the same as his Corporate office. So, I plugged the corporate office address into our GPS and saw that it was 19 miles up the road. He decided being that close to corporate, he couldn’t pass up the chance to see it. Yes, he loves his job! It turned out to be an absolutely wonderful visit. We got a 2 hour tour and Jeremy got face time with some big names within the company. We even got to see the owner’s office. Wow, everything in this building was gorgeous! Jeremy even landed a personal invitation to dinner from the CEO of the company. Unfortunately, we had previous dinner plans that night, so Jeremy declined. Though I told him later I was sure Allison would have understood when we told her why we had to miss dinner. Man, we kicked ourselves in the rear over that all weekend long!

This warrior (is it a warrior?) was in the lobby. It looked really cool in person. There was a plaque on it that said it was a gift to Discount Tire from Yokohama Tires for 20 years of business.

Later that night, it was off to dinner at Cibo in Downtown Phoenix. There were 14 of us that rode in an Expedition Limo to the restaurant.

Allison before the ceremony.

These were the favors. Homebrewed beer. I’m thinking a Blue Moon clone, though we haven’t tried it yet. The labels described it as a wheat beer made with Arizona honey, orange peel & coriander.

Pat had promised not to smash cake in Allison’s face. Once she realized he was, she got him back, and she got him back good! He had cake from between his eyes all the way down to his chin. Allison only had icing right below her nose & mouth. Then, of course, they had to kiss and make up.

We had an absolute blast with them this weekend and cannot wait to see them again. Hopefully they can come visit us soon, or we can meet somewhere and vacation together.

Snow pictures, finally!

2010-03-01T10:28:00.001-06:00

We had a record breaking snowfall here in Texas on February 11th. The snow started falling around 4am and continued until after midnight on the 12th. We got almost 14 inches at our house. DFW Airport recorded, I think, 12.5 inches as their final count. So crazy for Texas!

This is Jonathan with our snowman on Friday. He started leaning, then the kids went out and started kicking him, which obviously didn’t help his situation.

This was Friday and it had already started warming up slightly and melting, but if you look at Jonathan’s left leg and how deep it is in the snow, you can get a good idea! Oh, and those boots? They come up to his knees.

Menu Plan Monday and more

2010-02-22T05:27:00.000-06:00

Once a week, I sit down and plan out our menu for the week, sometimes 2 weeks at a time, depending on how busy our schedule looks. That way, I’ll only need a quick run to the store for produce, bread & milk.

This week, I will be trying to clean out our pantry, freezer & fridge. We are headed to Phoenix for my friend Allison’s wedding. Allison and I grew up together in California and we were best friends. I am so grateful that our friendship remains, 21 years later? I’m unsure if that’s the correct number, at any rate, it’s close enough, give or take a year or two. Love that I am able to share the memories of my childhood with someone besides family, since I did not grow up with my siblings.

Anyway, so on to cleaning out the pantry, fridge & freezer. Here is what I’m thinking I can pull off…

Sunday we had Taco Salad

BBQ Ranch Chicken Salad
Cook chicken, cut into strips & mix in BBQ sauce in a large skillet and cook on med. until heated. Toss lettuce, black beans, red onions, corn, and chicken in a large bowl. Sprinkle with cheese. Top each w/2 T light ranch dressing.

Spaghetti w/meat sauce & salads

Breakfast for dinner (scrambled eggs & either crepes or pancakes)

Pulled BBQ chicken sandwiches, salad & chips

Why all the salad? Well, I just recently bought a big container of Spring Mix (which I LOVE) from Costco. Even with all those salads, I’ll also need to make salads for myself for lunches to finish it off before we leave.

Other reasons to be excited: it’s a trip without the kids, I am in need of a break in a big way right now! We will get to hit up Trader Joe’s and IN-N-Out Burger! We are also staying at a hotel that is not far from a place Guy Fieri visited on Diners, Drive-Ins and Dives that I might try and talk Jeremy into visiting. It’s a Mexican place and their carnitas taco looked super yummy! The only thing holding me back is that it’s a Mexican food place…and we’re from Texas. Will it really blow me away?

Yes, I know, I need to update with our snow storm pictures! Can you believe they are predicting snow again for Tuesday. What a crazy winter it has been!!

Let it snow, let it snow, let it snow!

2010-02-11T16:54:00.003-06:00

It's snowing here today - ALL day. And we have lots of it - by Texas standards. It's 4:55p.m. and we have around 8 inches currently. It has been snowing since roughly 4a.m. and is supposed to keep up until midnight. Hello, do I still live in Texas??

This picture was taken this morning after I took Kaylin to school. They still had school, there was only about 2 inches at that point. Around 11:30 they decided school would let out an hour early, and then by 4p.m. they went ahead and canceled school for tomorrow, as it's only supposed to get worse. Jonathan had school today, but I was up at Kaylin's school working on some PTA stuff and it was getting worse by the time we got back home, so I decided to keep him home with me. It was a good thing I did, as they called 2 hours later asking everyone to come and pick up their kids by 11:30 a.m.

I did take some other pictures after this, but my camera battery died on me, so it's charging right now. Yes, I could get up and take some pics with my phone, but to be honest, I'm nice and toasty in front of this fire after taking pics outside while the kids played in the snow :) Maybe I will remember to upload those later. If nothing else, they'll be on picasa or facebook.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-12-28T06:59:00.000-06:00

Monday: At the in-laws for the Vikings game

Tuesday: Meatloaf, corn, mashed potatoes

Wednesday: Build your own taco bar

Thursday: NYE party (I’ll be making grape jelly meatballs, chips, queso & guacamole, fruit & dip, plus friends will be bringing other things over)

Friday: Taco Soup w/ toppings

Saturday: Pork Tenderloin, mashed sweet potatoes, southern green beans

Sunday: Chicken Fajitas & refried beans

Lonestar Christmas

2009-12-11T13:14:00.001-06:00

In addition to hosting the ICE! exhibit, the Gaylord Texas goes all out on the Christmas decorations. Once we were done with ICE! we walked around looking at all the decorations.

Right after we let out of ICE! we were in the gift shop, where they had a train full of stuffed animals. Jonathan LOVES him some trains, so he moved all these stuffed animals into the next car and climbed on in. Last year, it was actually something that they let the kids play in, so I didn’t stop him. I would have if he’d just climbed on top of the stuffed animals, but I didn’t think he was hurting anything by doing this, and one of the associates was right there next to us. We put all the animals back and he was not happy to leave the big Jonathan size train.

And then, we found this in the lobby of ICE!… he was in heaven! I’m not sure how we had missed it earlier! He didn’t want to leave. Not even when Mimi offered to buy him a cookie or ice cream.

We wrestled him out of the train and went to get ice cream and watch the glass elevators go up and down. Don’t you wish you were entertained just as easily?

Then we walked around to check out all the trains and other beautiful decorations.

This was the giant gingerbread house. And giant gingerbread man, woman & dog.

Trains…. this picture sums up how Jonathan felt about the trains.

One of several of the large Christmas trees they have on display in the atrium.

ICE! at the Gaylord Texan

2009-12-11T12:47:00.002-06:00

Yesterday, I took the kids to see the ICE! exhibit at the Gaylord Texan over in Grapevine. This year’s theme is “How the Grinch Stole Christmas" and I think it might have been my favorite exhibit. This is the 5th year they have done it.

They keep it a frigid 9° F in the exhibit, because, well, duh, they need to keep the ice sculptures frozen solid. However, as we learned yesterday, apparently the colder it is outside, the colder they need to make it in the exhibit. So, yesterday was pretty much the coldest day we’ve had in 2009 so far, 18° that morning, which apparently meant, they needed to make it –3° F in there. Talk about cold!!

I tried to get through there as fast as possible, but still get our money worth. I think the kids would have stayed playing on the ice slides all day. I went down twice, Jonathan went down 4 or 5 times and Kaylin went down 6 or 7 times before I left with Jonathan. No worries, my mom went with us, so she stayed in there with Kaylin, but Jonathan was absolutely freezing and I was worried my camera or phone were going to freeze. They had warned us to keep them warm, as they had at least 10 freeze within the last hour. Of course, mom kept asking Kaylin if she was ready to go yet, and Kaylin kept saying no, but once mom said that was enough and they were leaving Kaylin said her feet were freezing!

Jonathan coming down the ice slide.

Kaylin coming down the other ice slide.

Jonathan and mommy trying to keep warm.

Poor Jonathan, do you see how big that parka was on him?

Family pictures

2009-12-08T17:11:00.002-06:00

We had our annual family Christmas pictures taken at BluDoor Studios. So happy with how they turned out! ReJana and Mike really do a great job!

November has been busy

2009-11-23T09:17:00.001-06:00

Back in at the beginning of September I took on the Hospitality chair position in the PTA at Kaylin's school. It has kept me busy. The picture I posted of my dad & Kaylin at the Grandparent's Day luncheon was my first event. For November, we had a luncheon to thank the teachers.

A picture of the dessert table. We had SO MANY desserts. I learned my lesson that the 3rd grade parents at Kaylin's school ROCK when it comes to asking them to help with donations.

This is the table full of cold goodies. Lunch meat, cheese, pasta salad, bread, rolls, veggies, etc. We also had a table full of hot foods, but there was never a clear path so that I could take a picture of it. The teachers were very happy and seemed to really enjoy the lunch.

Also in November, we all know is Thanksgiving and both Kaylin and Jonathan's schools had a Thanksgiving lunch that family members could attend. Kaylin's I didn't get any pictures at, as we had some excitement during lunch, which really threw me off my game. In the middle of eating, the fire alarms sounded. Surely, we thought, they wouldn't plan a fire drill in the middle of lunch with an extra 150 people on campus, right? Well, when we said that out loud Kaylin's response was, "ugh, we just had a fire drill yesterday!" Very dramatic like, you do not disturb Leuwerkes when they are eating, FYI! Once she said that, my dad and I knew this was not a drill, so I start thinking someone must have burned some turkey or something. We still don't know what set it off, but I was also helping with this event, so after Papa went home and Kaylin went back to class, I was still around to help with other lunches, and the fire department showed up. I won't voice my concerns that it was 30 minutes after the alarm went off and that they are less than 1 mile from the school. Clearly, we are in big trouble if our house, or the school, which is also in our neighborhood, were to ever *really* catch on fire. My neighbor was volunteering with me and we joked that we will just have to borrow each other's hoses if the need ever arises. So, as you can imagine, I was a bit preoccupied to snap pictures during Kaylin's Thanksgiving luncheon.

Jonathan and Daddy

Mommy and Jonathan

October update

2009-11-23T09:00:00.002-06:00

In October there is the annual Alliance Air Show which features the Blue Angels. We live about 1 mile from Alliance airport, so we are treated to the air show for free! This time, we happened to be at the neighborhood park with some friends. One of Jeremy's co-workers asked if his girls could come and play for the day, as both he & his wife had to work and family members that usually watch them when they are both scheduled on a weekend, had something come up. So, his girls came over, they are 6 & 8 so the perfect age for playmates for Kaylin! We had a lot of fun!

Need an idea of just how close/low they flew at times?

Here's a group shot.

All the girls!

And then it was Halloween! This is a house on our street. Halloween is their holiday of choice, they do decorate for Christmas, but Halloween is the holiday they seem to go all out for. I thought about snapping the pic as we were walking by. I wish I would have stopped and snapped a better one. There's always next year, and it seems they are always adding to their display, so next year will be bigger & better.

Kaylin was a witch and Jonathan was a dinosaur. All night long, he kept sticking his hand up like they were claws and saying, "RAWR!"

September photo dump

2009-11-23T08:57:00.000-06:00

Clearly, I could never make blogging my profession. I cannot keep up this thing up to date. Here are some of our pictures from September.

Eating lunch with Papa at the Grandparent's Day luncheon.

A random picture we snapped of Jonathan wearing Daddy's hat.

Kaylin celebrated her birthday with a pink castle bounce house.

Here she is opening presents with her friends. She dressed up for her party in a dress, dress up heels, a tiara, a necklace, rings, make-up, the works! She was definitely princess for the day!

Pancake experiment

2009-09-28T20:06:00.004-05:00

I decided to experiment tonight with a pancake recipe. We had 1 overly ripe banana, as Jeremy calls them "prime banana bread bananas." Only problem, my banana bread recipe uses 2. So, I decided to make banana pancakes and add oats and chopped walnuts. They were so tasty! I'll share the recipe, since I made it up as I went along that way I'll have it somewhere for future reference.

Oatmeal Banana Nut Pancakes
1 1/2 cups Heart Smart Reduced Fat Bisquick
1/2 cup oats
1 cup skim milk
1 banana, mashed
1/4 cup egg beaters
10 walnut halves, chopped
dash vanilla
dash cinnamon

Mash banana, add wet ingredients and mix well. Add dry ingredients and fold together. Batter will be lumpy from banana. Spoon 1/4 cup pancake batter onto hot griddle and cook until bubbles form over top and edges are dry, flip and continue cooking until golden.

This made 9 pancakes using the 1/4 cup weight watchers serving spoon to spoon the batter onto the griddle. That makes them 3 points per pancake.

It would probably be really tasty if you added some chocolate chips to this recipe! The nuts are kinds weird in pancakes, so if you are a pancake purist, you might want to leave them out.

Busy bees over here

2009-09-16T15:56:00.004-05:00

I really need to get into a better routine of writing in this blog and taking pictures of the kids. We will have some pictures this weekend, because it's Kaylin's 7th birthday! Seriously, how has it been 7 years since my baby girl was born? Anyway, I have been MIA because we are super busy over here.

I was recently appointed Hospitality Chair on the PTA at Kaylin's school. My first event was the Grandparent's luncheon for Grandparent's Day. It turned out really well and we had a great turn out. Success!

Also, Jeremy went to Missouri to visit family Thursday - Tuesday, so he just got home last night. He has a lot of pictures from that trip. I need to steal the memory card from him so I can put some of them up here. He had a lot of fun and was sad to return home, because that meant returning to work.

This weekend, we have Kaylin's birthday & party. The original plan was to have a bowling party. Last week, she changed her mind that she wanted to have a bounce house, which meant she could invite more of her friends. So, she invited her entire class, plus friends that aren't in her class this year. And we've been getting a daily countdown on how many days are left until her birthday. By the way, it's 3 as of this morning, if you were curious.

Last, but not least, as it's what I am swamped with, and have been planning over the last 4 months - my 10 year high school reunion. It's been fun planning it, for the most part, and it will be a fun evening and great to see everyone again, but man, I can't wait till it's over!

Yeah, I am pretty much at my limit right now. Hopefully next month I will be able to keep up better, at least with pictures if not blogging as well.

Kaylin's First Day of First Grade!

2009-09-02T18:59:00.002-05:00

Kaylin started school on August 25th at a brand new school that's close enough for us to walk to! She complained the first day we walked home because it was 103 out. Whoops, ok, so mommy may have been a little excited about being able to walk. The next few times we walked with our neighbors. Nina is a 4th grader and the kids just love her! We think Jonathan has a crush on her. Of course, if it means walking with them Kaylin loves it!

Jonathan had to get in on the picture taking!

Kaylin at her desk with her toothless grin.

Menu Plan

2009-09-02T18:38:00.000-05:00

Lemon Pepper Chicken and cheddar & broccoli baked potatoes
Spicy Honey Chicken thighs, italian green beans & crescent rolls
Mac n cheese w/broccoli & ham and a salad
Salad & breadsticks (PTA meeting night)
Mexican chicken, rice & beans with baked tostitos scoops & watermelon
Garden quiche and muffins
Burgers on the grill & baked beans

I've been meaning to upload the pictures of Kaylin's first day of school. Hopefully I will remember to do it later today!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-08-24T09:32:00.002-05:00

Broccoli & Ham dinner with hot cranberry apples
Baked Beef ziti and easy salad wedges
Club Salad and strawberry jello dessert
Chicken & wild rice with garlic crescent rolls
Hashbrown Casserole and bacon
Garlic chicken breasts, steamed green beans & crescent rolls
Beef & turkey meatloaf, italian green beans, cantaloupe

All these meals planned with E-MEALZ Easy Meals for Busy and Frugal Families

Now that Kaylin is headed back to school, I signed back up with e-mealz. For $5 a month it takes the stress off of me. This week, I can get Jeremy to agree to all the meals, but there is the occasional meal that he doesn't like, so I still get to use my own creativity on those days. Also, I sometimes change it up to cater to what we have on hand. Example, the two days that list crescent rolls - they called for garlic bread sticks and french loaf, but we have two cans of crescent rolls in the fridge.

End of summer!

2009-08-24T08:47:00.007-05:00

Well, it's the last day of summer! Kaylin starts 1st grade tomorrow (where does the time go?!) and Jonathan goes back to Mother's Day Out next week.

We had my nephews here for a week, which was a lot of fun. The kids loved having them here and the boys loved playing with the kids. It felt like we were going nonstop while they were here. We did a lot!

Kaylin also lost both of the teeth that were loose on the bottom. She wouldn't let us pull either one out. They just got so loose that she was able to basically push them out with her tongue.
After the nephews left, we went to the Ringling Bros. and Barnum & Bailey circus in Fort Worth where we had great seats. We were only 6 rows back. Kaylin was in awe and Jonathan was just glad to eat the popcorn. The circus was about 2 1/2 hours with an intermission and Jonathan was pretty much done around intermission. It was a little too long for him. Especially when the only nap he had was on the drive there. Hopefully he will enjoy it more next time!

Kaylin update

2009-07-25T09:14:00.004-05:00

Kaylin has yet another loose tooth! For those keeping track, it's both of the front bottom teeth and the front top left tooth. When they come out, I'm not sure how she will bite into things until the adult teeth grow in!

In other firsts for her, she had her first sleepover here the other night. She had her two friends Dally & Jacob spend the night. They are my friend Jennifer's two kids. Jacob is 6 and Dally is 8. Jeremy made them a pallet on the gameroom floor and they all camped out there for the night. Then, the next day Dally and Jacob headed home before Jonathan's nap, because Jonathan was having way too much fun playing with the big kids, and I knew I'd never get a nap out of him if they were here!

Later that evening we drove out to meet up with one of my childhood friends, Rayna. Rayna and I have been friends since we were in Kindergarten. She and her husband own a trucking company and he had a load to deliver to Virginia and Ray and her girls came along to stay at her aunt's here in Texas, but out in Kaufman, which is probably about a 2 hour drive from my house. To get there from California they would be passing by us on the highway so we met up for a little bit to catch up. It wasn't nearly long enough, but hopefully on their drive back we will be able to meet up again for a longer amount of time.

Where we met up with Rayna, Keith and their girls was out near where Dally and Jacob live and when Jennifer picked up the kids she had told Kaylin she could come spend the night at their house if she was good. She had a great day, so we drove out to their house and dropped her off. This is what she got to do while she was out there.

Yep, she got to ride horses! It's not the best picture, but Jennifer took it on her phone so I could see. Jennifer said she loved every minute of it and asked if they could do it again in the morning. They don't live too far from us, I guess I will have to start taking her out there to ride every once and a while. Jacob even gave her some of his old boots to wear next time they ride!

Ham and Cheese Roll ups

2009-07-22T06:01:00.000-05:00

1 can refrigerated pizza crust dough
10 oz. deli style smoked ham
1 cup shredded part skim mozzarella cheese

Roll out dough into a 12 inch square shape. Top with ham and sprinkle with cheese. Roll up and place seam side down on a sprayed baking sheet. Bake for 25 minutes @ 400. Divide into 6 portions.

6 servings @ 5 WW points (points vary with dough, ham & cheese brands)

Sweet & Sour Meatballs

2009-07-22T01:41:00.003-05:00

New Favorite Meatballs
olive oil spray
2 egg whites
1/2 cup quick cooking oats
1/4 cup fat free milk
1/2 cup finely chopped fresh parsley
1 tablespoon dried minced onion
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1/2 teaspoon garlic powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/8 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1 lb. 96& lean ground beef

Preheat the oven to 400. Lightly coat a large nonstick baking sheet with the olive oil spray.

In a medium bowl, using a fork, mix together the egg whites, oats, and milk until well combined. Add the parsley, onion, oregano, garlic powder, salt, and crushed red pepper flakes and mix until combined. Mix in the beef until well combined.

Make 32 uniform meatballs, each about 1 1/4" diameter (use a cookie scoop or 2 tablespoons for ease). Roll the balls with your hands and arrange, not touching, on the prepared baking sheet. Bake for 7 to 10 minutes, or until no longer pink inside.

Makes 4 (8-meatball) servings
194 calories, 26g protein, 10 g carbs, 5 g fat, 2 g fiber
source: The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook

Sauce
1 can 13 oz. chunky pineapple
2 tablespoon cornstarch
½ cup brown sugar
⅓ cup chopped green bell pepper
¼ cup cider vinegar
1 tablespoon soy sauce

Mix sauce ingredients together and boil for 1 minute. Add meatballs and heat for 2 minutes before serving over rice.

source: 7th grade Home Ec. (I'm not kidding, this is one of the first recipes we made in that class and I've loved it since!)

Chicken Fajitas

2009-07-22T01:35:00.003-05:00

The way I make chicken fajitas is super easy and very yummy! I saw a friend do this and then added my own little tweaking, like I usually do with recipes.

Slice up a couple chicken breasts, combine with 1 can of rotel and sprinkle chili powder & cumin over the top. Cover the dish with foil and bake at 400 for 35-45 minutes, until chicken is done. While that's going on I grill the onions, peppers, heat up beans, and lay everything out so we can build our own fajitas the way we want.

Super easy and quick!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-07-21T11:19:00.004-05:00

Yes, I realize this is a day late. It completely slipped my mind!

Chicken Fajitas
Sweet & Sour meatballs (with green pepper & pineapple) over brown rice
A big salad with grilled chicken & hard boiled eggs
Baked chicken with potatoes & onions & green beans
Ham & cheese roll ups and fruit (depends on what's left at the end of the week)
Hamburger steak with caramelized onions, green beans & corn
Shredded BBQ pork sandwiches, mac n cheese & green beans

I will post the recipes later!

It's time for the tooth fairy!

2009-07-14T23:48:00.002-05:00

Kaylin currently has two teeth that are loose. Last week, we discovered that her front tooth on the bottom left was loose. It's so loose, I am convinced it will be out by the time school starts on August 25th. And then today, she came home from lunch & swimming at Mimi & Papa's house, and showed me that the top front left tooth is also loose. She's going to look pretty silly with those two teeth missing. It's not uncommon to see the teeth beside each other out at the same time, but I can't say I've ever seen the same tooth on the top and bottom out at the same time. I will definitely be getting a picture when the first one falls out and then again when they are both out!

She's excited for the tooth fairy, but not exactly looking forward to the tooth actually coming out. She keeps telling me she can't eat anything crunchy or non-soft because it will make the tooth come out. Oh well, kid! They can't stay in there forever!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-07-13T13:45:00.004-05:00

Marinated top round steak, salad & rolls
Chili Mac & Salad
Sandwiches/Fend for yourself (after the water park)
Pancakes, Eggs & fruit
Sloppy Joes & fruit
Leftovers

Also making a WW pie. Reduced Fat graham crust, sliced strawberries, sugar free fat free pudding & fat free cool whip.

A very simple menu due to the heat here and the fact that I'm basically making meals from cleaning out the pantry, freezer & fridge. I really dislike cooking in the summer!

Biggest Loser Beef and Broccoli

2009-07-12T19:10:00.002-05:00

I made this for dinner tonight and it was very tasty! It's from The Biggest Loser Family Cookbook. It was supposed to be a Szechuan Beef and Broccoli, but my store didn't carry the Szechuan stir fry sauce. I think that would have been a nice touch.

This cooks quickly, so be sure to start your rice first, if serving with rice, also be sure to have all your ingredients prepped before you start.

1 (1-pound) top round steak, sliced against the grain into scant 1/4" thick strips
1 teaspoon garlic powder
Salt, to taste
Ground black pepper, to taste
Olive oil spray
1 (14-ounce) bag frozen broccoli (about 5 cups)
1 tablespoon freshly minced garlic
2 teaspoons toasted sesame oil
1/4 cup bottled Szechuan stir-fry sauce

In a large bowl, combine the steak, garlic powder, salt, and pepper and toss until well combined.

Place a large nonstick skillet or nonstick wok over high heat. When hot, mist with the olive oil spray. Add the broccoli and garlic and cook, stirring, for 4 to 6 minutes, or until the garlic softens and the broccoli is heated through and crisp-tender, being careful not to burn the garlic. Transfer to a large bowl and cover to keep warm.

Return the pan to high heat and add 1 teaspoon of the sesame oil. When hot, add half of the steak in a single layer, and cook, stirring occasionally, until lightly browned on both sides, 1 to 2 minutes. Transfer the steak to the bowl with the vegetables and re-cover. Repeat with the remaining 1 teaspoon sesame oil and steak. Return all the steak and vegetables to the pan and remove from the heat. Add the sauce and mix well to coat. Divide among 4 bowls and serve.

Makes 4 servings

Per serving
191 calories, 25g protein, 10 g carbs, 6g fat, 2g fiber (this does not include rice and may vary with sauces) 4 WW points

Pampered Chef Catalog Show

2009-06-27T09:41:00.003-05:00

Join in the fun - from the comfort of your own home!

It's easy. Just visit my Consultant's Web site to browse the Pampered Chef® catalog and place your order. You can check out the high-quality products that make cooking and entertaining so much easier.

Please note: This is a catalog only show. There is NO cooking show to attend or try to fit into our busy summer schedules. If you'd like to look at a catalog in person, email me and let me know and I can get one to you (given you are local.) Please, don't feel like you need to order anything! Brooke (the consultant) is my neighbor and is moving at the end of July so I am just placing an order with her and she suggested this route to fit everyone's busy schedules. If you'd feel more comfortable, you can call her directly to place your order. If there is a problem doing so, please let me know! The show is set to close July 15th, but I can keep it open longer, if needed.

Click on this link and put "Kelly Leuwerke" as the host's name. If you buy $60 or more worth of product, you get a free peeler (1 of 5 different style) of your choice. Go browse the site, I am certain you will find something you'll end up loving!

Here are a few of my favorite Pampered Chef items
#1642 All-Purpose Spreader - $4.00
#2230 Classic Batter Bowl - $15.00 perfect for prepping pancake or waffle batter the night before to make morning breakfast go faster!
#2506 Kitchen Spritzer - $12.50 much better than the stuff from the store that's full of chemicals and propellant
#2622 Mini-Serving Spatula - $4.50 perfect for cookies, brownies, chicken nuggets, etc. pretty much everything that we cook on the small bar pan that I put below
#2517 The Suds Pump® - $11.50 this will stretch your hand soap and make it last so much longer!
#1448 Small Bar Pan - $16.00 We use this almost daily - it's great for corn dogs, chicken nuggets, pizza rolls, 1 or 2 chicken breasts, etc. it is the perfect size for the toaster oven
#1371 Round Stone with Handles - Large - $29.50
#2271 Quick-Stir® Pitcher - $16.50

Our Summer Fun List

2009-06-06T08:23:00.007-05:00

This is our summer fun list, of cheap or free things, that Kaylin and I came up with. Hopefully it will help keep us busy over summer vacation. I cannot believe she is going to be a first grader! I still have to upload pictures from her Kindergarten promotion.

1. Go to the movies*
2. Go to a water park*
3. Go to a museum
4. Have an ice cream sundae night (or a root beer float night, or both)*
5. Go to a baseball game
6. Make fresh lemonade (from lemons) and strawberry lemonade
7. Get sno-cones*
8. Run through the sprinklers*
9. Watch fireworks*
10. Have a campfire (in our fire pit, if no burn ban)
11. Have a tea party
12. Go to a farmer's market/farm stand*
13. Swim! Lots and lots of swimming!*
14. Go to the Children's museum or Heard Museum
15. Bake cookies and decorate them for friends*
16. Go on a family bike ride*
17. Make milkshakes
18. Go bowling*
19. Build blanket forts on rainy days
20. Go to the park*
21. Wash the cars with daddy
22. Go to Chuck E. Cheese or Peter Piper Pizza
23. Run in the fountains in Highland Village
24. Visit Rita's Ice in Bedford (or if Flower Mound opens)
25. Take a ride on the TRE
26. Go to Boomerang's on a Tuesday
27. Make popsicles
28. See the circus
29. Go to the library
30. Have a pillow fight
31. Have an indoor picnic on a rainy day*
32. Make freezer jam
33. Blow bubbles*
34. Make fabric tie flip flops
35. Watch fireworks at Lake Grapevine one Friday night

I might come back and add things to the list. Kaylin said she would like to keep thinking. So far, we have already gone swimming, been to a water park, run in the sprinklers, and bought our circus tickets - so, I'd say we're off to a pretty good start!

Memorial Day

2009-05-31T21:19:00.010-05:00

We went over to Mimi & Papa's house for a Memorial Day BBQ/Papa's birthday celebration. This is what we saw as we entered their neighborhood. For those of you who don't know, they live in an active retirement community, called Robson Ranch, and a lot of the people that live there are retired military. This means that every holiday where patriotism should be shown, Ed Robson Blvd. is lined with American flags, as well as the flags for each branch of service. It's an awesome thing to see. Especially compared the lack of flags flown in our own neighborhood. Sad, considering the local boy scouts offer to put a flag in our yards on each holiday for only $30. They do line the entrance to our community with flags, but it's not nearly the display that Robson has lining the entire Blvd.

Jonathan's new game is to ring the doorbell and have someone answer it. So, that was how he entertained himself.

This was what Jeremy did after dinner.

Kaylin spent the day swimming with Papa, so after dinner, she was bushed and passed out on their couch. Isn't the little swimsuit cover up that Mimi bought her in Cabo cute?!
As you can tell, we had a nice, relaxing Memorial Day, especially compared to the weekend that lead up to it (the graduation & wedding I already wrote about.)

Aliens Love Underpants!

2009-05-31T18:39:00.005-05:00

Kaylin had a piece of art submitted in the district Art Exhibit last Thursday. The art teacher from each school was only supposed to pick 6 pieces from each grade level and Kaylin was 1 of 6 selected for Kindergarten from her elementary school. The piece her teacher selected was a mixed media that they did based off the book Aliens Love Underpants! by Claire Freedman. For those that don't know, Jeremy is a wonderful artist, so when we found out about this, he was excited to say the least.

Main Street Days & Scarborough Faire

2009-05-26T08:02:00.003-05:00

We took our yearly trip to Scarborough Faire at the beginning of April. I only took a few pictures and they were of Kaylin on the Sliding joust. The kids get on a wooden horse, that slides, and they have to stick the wooden sword through the ring that the wooden dragon is holding. She did it! So, she got a certificate saying she was knighted.

From RenFaire09

Then, a week or two ago, Jonathan and I went to Main Street Days in Grapevine with our neighbors. It was free to get in before 5pm on Friday, so we took advantage. It was very hot, and the kids faces turned pink quickly, so we didn't stay long and there was a lot of sitting in the shade for us. We waited for Kaylin to get out of school, and I told her what we would be doing, but it was after her field day at school, so she said she would rather go swimming at Mimi and Papa's house. After she saw these pictures, she told me she wished she had gone with us. Oh well, next year!

This was as close as Jonathan was willing to get to the petting zoo.

From MainStreetDays

"Jonathan, are you sure you don't want to go pet the animals?" "Mom, you MUST be crazy!"

From MainStreetDays

Jonathan wanted out of the stroller. When I let him out he stood there and said, "cheese!"

From MainStreetDays

A picture of us in the shade.

From MainStreetDays

Aunt Kayla's graduation

2009-05-26T07:58:00.003-05:00

One of the other things we had going on over Memorial Day weekend was Aunt Kayla's High School graduation.

Kaylin, waiting for the ceremony to start.

From Kayla Graduation

Jeremy with the in-laws and Justin & Kayla

From Kayla Graduation

Kaylin with Aunt Kayla

From Kayla Graduation

Kaylin with Uncle Justin. For some reason, unknown to me, our kids absolutely love their Uncle Justin!

From Kayla Graduation

The wedding

2009-05-26T07:48:00.004-05:00

I finally got some pictures off the camera. We had a lot going on this weekend, one of which was the wedding the kids were in. Things did not go as planned (big surprise with a 2 year old, right?) and Jonathan decided at the last minute that he didn't want to walk down the aisle. I think it was a mixture of the fact that we had been there for almost 3 hours by that point (he started melting down around 2 hours) and the bride used ring pops as the rings on the pillows. He just wanted to eat his ring pop, he did not want to walk down the aisle with it. So, I got no pictures from the ceremony and the only pictures I got of the kids was the picture I took of each of them after they were dressed and ready.

A picture of Kaylin, dressed and ready to go!

From WalkerWedding

The back of her hair.

From WalkerWedding

A picture of Jonathan - he has his paci because he fought me tooth & nail getting dressed. Half way in he screamed so loud at one point that I stuck it in his mouth so that all the guests wouldn't hear him screaming from the dressing room. Right before getting dressed was when his meltdown started. He was none too pleased that I wouldn't let him wear his flip flops with the outfit, either.

From WalkerWedding

My two boys looking handsome!

From WalkerWedding

If you click on any of the "Walker Wedding" links under the pictures you'll be able to see the rest of the pictures from that night. You'll be able to see what a great time Jeremy had with his friends.

Oh no!!

2009-05-19T08:34:00.002-05:00

I just had the following convo with Kaylin on the way to school -
Kaylin: "Mommy, Nathaniel's sister said he'll be back today!" (this is the little boy I think she has a crush on)
Me:"Oh? Was he sick?"
Kaylin:"No, he's gonna be in a movie...hubba hubba"
Hubba?! Hubba?! I'm in so much trouble!!

Put them to work!

2009-05-16T21:50:00.000-05:00

I make them earn their keep around here!

Best Mother's Day present EVER!

2009-05-12T21:52:00.004-05:00

This is a picture Kaylin drew for me at school, on a form that was filled out by her teacher as my Mother's Day gift. It's laminated like a card. It says:

All About My Mom
by Kaylin

My mom has gold hair. (it's like mine)
My mom has brown-green eyes.
My mom is a sub.
My mom's favorite color is pink.
Her favorite food is pancakes. fair enough, I think we had pancakes for dinner the night before - though I don't know I'd say they are my favorite food.
Her favorite book is Brown Bear, Brown Bear. this made me laugh!
Her favorite place to go is Disney World. (But it's very humid there) I laughed for a good minute that she included the comment about the humidity! And yeah, ok, Disney World isn't such a bad place to go.
Her favorite store is Walmart. while I wouldn't call it my favorite, I do a lot of our grocery shopping there so I can see how she would think that.
My mom likes to say I love you. She's right, I do.
I love my mom because she woke me up this morning and let me have breakfast. I laughed at this too. She makes it sound like I don't normally let her have breakfast!

Besides this card from Kaylin, I got to sleep in until around 10 a.m. when Jeremy and the kids woke me up with breakfast in bed. I also got a $30 gift card to Kohls from my parents and the "Thinking of You" Willow Tree Angel from the kids (from my parents). Also, Jonathan made me a super cute flower pot at school with finger print painted butterflies, flowers & bugs all over it.

Kaylin

2009-05-07T18:16:00.003-05:00

Yesterday as we were sitting at the table with the windows open Kaylin started shaking her head randomly like she was trying to get water out of her ears or something. I asked her what was wrong and she says, "These voices in my head keep screaming!" I laughed at her, and told her she was crazy, that it was the kids next door playing outside. She knew that and was just being silly, of course, but I can't help but wonder where she's been hearing about hearing voices in your head?!

Jonathan

2009-05-06T17:17:00.002-05:00

Look, I wear mascara like mommy! He kept trying to use it while I was
in the bathroom, when I kept telling him "No" he decided he would wait
until I started washing dishes. He is at the age where he wants to mimic everything! Putting on make-up is only one of those things. Jeremy says at least once a week that he obviously needs to be the one to start staying home with Jonathan so that he'll mimic "man things." I think he's only half kidding!

2009-05-05T11:20:00.000-05:00

Jonathan's goose egg from falling off the bottom step and face
planting on the tile.

You don't mess with a boy's train

2009-04-28T21:45:00.003-05:00

Jonathan and I were upstairs in his room...he was playing, I was putting away his fall/winter clothes. All of the sudden we hear his train start downstairs, Kaylin turned it on, and Jonathan runs out of the room screaming "NO! KAY-LUN NO!" It was especially funny, because he always calls her sissy. Apparently, if you mess with his choo-choo and he doesn't play nice anymore.

Who is reading?

2009-04-25T12:09:00.002-05:00

I noticed in Google Reader that we have 34 subscribers and I know we have several family members that read the blog without using google reader or another rss reader. Please leave a comment and say hello! I'd like to see who is reading!

Father/son moments

2009-04-23T18:30:00.000-05:00

Jonathan and daddy watching Transformers and eating popcorn.

Menu Plan Monday

2009-04-19T21:17:00.003-05:00

Monday: Hot Dogs, oven fries & pickles
Tuesday: Leftovers & salad
Wednesday: Tacos, beans & salad
Thursday: Breakfast for dinner (pancakes or french toast) & eggs
Friday: Pizza & salad
Saturday: Ham, white beans, green beans
Sunday: Lasagna, salad & garlic bread

Yes, I realize that's a lot of salad, that's because Target has a coupon for $1.00 off Dole salads and they have a couple priced at $1.19 - the coupon expires on the 25th. Even some of the "fancier" salad blends, or as Jeremy refers to them, weeds, are only $1.99 and 99 cents for bagged salad is still a good deal!

We're still alive!

2009-04-19T20:39:00.002-05:00

I know, I know, I'm a horrible blogger. The last post was over a month ago. I even have pictures I still need to upload and everything!

Let's see, what have we been up to since my last post...
* My in-laws came down for a visit from Tennessee over Spring Break
* We went to the zoo with them
* I introduced my mother-in-law to the wonderful, addicting world of IKEA
* Kaylin had her 6 week check-up from her surgery - all looks good, won't need to be seen again until she's 8, then we'll talk about the next surgery which will happen somewhere around 9 or 10
* We went to Scarborough Faire, the local Renaissance festival
* Attended a couple birthday parties
* I've been subbing a lot more
* Celebrated Easter with egg hunts, dinner with the in-laws, Easter baskets, etc.
* Battling allergies & sinus infections

That about covers it and catches us up to this weekend. I'm the one battling a sinus infection this weekend and it's the worst one I've ever had. It really hit me hard on Friday when I had the worst sinus pressure I've ever had in my life, then on Saturday it must have moved to my ears because my equilibrium was completely messed up and I would almost pass out every time I stood. Since everyone that would be able to help us out with the kids was working or out of town his manager was nice enough to let him take a vacation day, so he came home to take care of the kids while I stayed in bed, slept, and felt sorry for myself.

We're moving into the season where our weekends are full of commitments. We have a ton of baby showers, wedding showers, birthday parties & a wedding coming up. Jeremy and the kids are all in a wedding over Memorial Day weekend. Jeremy's best man from our wedding is getting married, and Jeremy is his best man, Kaylin is a flower girl and Jonathan is a ring bearer. Since I'm not in the wedding, I will definitely be sure and get lots of pictures of everyone all dressed up, especially the kids!

The Museum of Science and Nature

2009-03-11T17:45:00.004-05:00

So, I found out last Friday night that Bank of America customers get in to certain museums for free the first weekend of the month. Details are here. I decided the kids and I would go to the Museum of Science and Nature on Saturday, because they also have the children's museum in there. We spent a little more than 3 hours there and the kids still weren't ready to leave to head home. Jonathan had had a poor excuse for a nap on the way down there and was losing steam, so I played the role of the mean mommy and made them leave anyway, with a promise that we would soon return!

To see all of our pictures from the museum, just click on any of the pictures and it should take you to the whole album.

When we first got there, the kids wanted to dig for dinosaur bones.

From march09

Ewwww! Kaylin acted like she was all grossed out by this tarantula but she dragged me over to see it and kept looking at it herself. So, I don't know for sure that she was disgusted by it!

From march09

They even got to milk a cow! Or, as Jonathan tells me in the video...no, water!

From march09

menu plan monday

2009-03-09T18:32:00.001-05:00

Monday: Leftovers
Tuesday: Fend for yourself/sandwiches for the kids (open house at Kaylin's school)
Wednesday: Chili Mac (I usually just use my leftover homemade chili for this, but I figured I'll try Heather's recipe)
Thursday: Spicy Black Bean Soup and cheese quesadillas
Friday: I'm thinking we'll order pizza, the in-laws are coming into town that morning or afternoon and I'm subbing
Saturday: BBQ (we're having a bbq with all our family & friends to welcome the in-laws to town)

Menu Plan Monday

2009-03-02T00:15:00.001-06:00

Blueberry pancakes, bacon & eggs
Build Your Own baked potato
Pasta Salad with tuna (pasta, italian dressing, whatever veggies I have on hand & tuna)
Spinach and Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo (recipe below)
Leftovers
Chicken Salsa Salad (a salad mix by Fresh Express and I'll add strips of grilled chicken)
BBQ Chicken Drumsticks & salad

That's a picture of the salad mix. It has a Mexican 4 cheese blend, blue & yellow corn tortilla strips, chunky salsa & iceburg & romain lettuce. It's VERY yummy!

Spinach & Mushroom Fettuccine Alfredo

1 lb fettuccine pasta
1 t minced garlic
1/2 t pepper
8 oz package fresh sliced mushrooms
1 bag fresh spinach
8 oz Four Cheese Alfredo Sauce

Prepare pasta as directed and set-aside. Saute garlic and mushrooms in a large sprayed skillet over med. heat for 3 - 4 minutes. Add spinach and saute 3 min. more. Add Alfredo sauce & pepper and stir well. Cook for 3-4 min more. Divide mixture over 6 1 cup servings of pasta.

6 servings @ 6 points each.

pictures

2009-02-25T13:43:00.003-06:00

I fell behind on pictures and missed a few days. I still need to dump the card on here and get them up. I'll do that soon. Maybe tonight!

Menu Plan Monday

2009-02-23T13:02:00.003-06:00

I was going, going, going all weekend with, Divine Consign, the consignment sale I partake in twice a year. Friday night I was dropping off, Saturday I was shopping at it, and Sunday I volunteered all day, and then we went over to the in-law's house for chili mac. So, we have 3 carry overs from last week.

Cowboy Stew and cornbread muffins (this is baked beans, onions, beef & potatoes with salt & pepper to taste - there are several different recipes out there but I kinda made it up as I went along, like subbing ground beef instead of stew meat, because it's what we had already in the freezer)
Pulled Pork tacos with black bean & corn salsa
Deep Dish Pizza Casserole (I will also add mushrooms & onions to a portion - the part the kids won't be eating)
Leftovers
Beef Goulash
Copycat Whataburger bacon, egg & cheese taquitos (scrambled eggs, bacon & american cheese inside a tortilla with salsa)

Menu Plan Monday

2009-02-16T16:58:00.004-06:00

Chicken fajitas, beans, chips and queso
Brown Sugar Glazed Pork Chops, mashed potatoes, broccoli
Pancakes, eggs, bacon
Leftovers
Pulled Pork tacos with black bean salsa
Beef Goulash
Cowboy Stew and cornbread

Smartypants!

2009-02-16T15:56:00.002-06:00

Jonathan kept running away from me while I was trying to put his shoes on, so I told him he had until I got to 3 to come to me so I could put them on.

Me: Onnnnne!
Jonathan: Twoooooooo!

And I lost it. Punishment is not very effective once you start laughing, but he did stop running away from me since we were both laughing, and I got him to sit still so we could get his shoes on. So, I still won, right?

43.365 Valentine party cookies!

2009-02-12T10:49:00.000-06:00

We made cookies for Jonathan's Valentine's Day party at MDO. Kaylin helped me make them. She did pink sprinkles and I did red. We had a slight mishap with the pink sprinkles at first. I had to buy a new jar of them, and apparently the holes are twice the size of the other sprinkle jars I have. As soon as Kaylin tipped it over they just flowed out! We had a pile of pink sugar covering one ball of dough and in a mound on the cookie sheet as well. So, we rolled that one in it and continued with the rest of them, just rolling them in that one little pile of sugar.

42.365 Candles

2009-02-11T10:39:00.000-06:00

I was going to meet my friend Carla tonight to get her candles order to her, but we decided to postpone until I would be headed her direction, next weekend. So, since I had her candles out and ready to go, that's what I took a picture of. I had not yet trimmed the wick, but they are trimmed now.

41.365 100th day of school!

2009-02-10T10:32:00.001-06:00

Today was the 100th day of school. This was her marshmallow sculpture, that she put back together at home. They had a long day of different projects where they had to count to 100 pieces of snack mix, read stories about the 100th day of school, write 100 on crackers with easy cheese, etc. They asked parents to volunteer and help out in the classrooms, which I did for a few hours. Then, when they went to specials (P.E., music, art) I went home for a little bit, picked up lunch & went back up to the school to have lunch with Kaylin. She really enjoyed her 100th day of school!

40.365 Long day!

2009-02-09T10:28:00.002-06:00

Jeremy had a long day at work, apparently, and fell asleep in "his chair" watching TV. He doesn't know I took this picture. hehe!

39.365 Valentine mailbox

2009-02-08T10:25:00.000-06:00

This is Kaylin's valentine treat box that she had to make to take to school. She even drew a line for me to cut a slit in the top of the box!

38.365 Valentine treats

2009-02-07T09:02:00.000-06:00

These are Kaylin's valentine's. They are chopped crayons, melted together in a heart shape for a marbled crayon. When you color with it comes out in the various colors. I put several in a little treat baggie & sealed with a heart sticker. She loved making these so much that we had to make some to keep at home!

37.365 Kaylin's surgery

2009-02-06T07:58:00.000-06:00

As most of you know, Kaylin was born with a cleft lip and palate. She had surgery at 3 months old to close her lip and again at almost 1 year to close her palate & get ear tubes. She had a second set of tubes put in her ears at 19 months, but that is the last surgery she had. She was scared of the upcoming surgery and would start crying any time she heard the word. Of course, she's ~~overly dramatic~~ very sensitive anyway and tends to cry at very small insignificant things as well. She has yearly check-ups with her surgeon, who we saw in November. At that time he told us that he wanted to do surgery to try and repair her left nostril, which was not symmetrical with the right one. He told us he likes to get this done before they start 1st grade, because that's when the teasing tends to pick up. So, after talking with him and determining that surgery should be fairly simple and a fast recovery, we scheduled it for February 6th, as that was a Staff Development day, so Kaylin was out of school. That would give her the weekend to recover, though Dr. F told us that she should be fine by the next morning.

So, we made our way to Dallas nice and early (I almost said bright, but it was still dark out) for her surgery. It was scheduled for 9am, but we were to check-in at 7am and we are at least an hour from the hospital. We got there early, got her checked in and settled, talked with the nurses, she got to watch tv for a while and then it was time for the goofy juice. Goofy juice is Versed, with sno cone syrup added to it, because it apparently does not taste good AT ALL. And apparently, the sno cone syrup doesn't help nearly enough. She must have scrubbed her tongue with a wet washcloth for a good minute after taking it. Once the goofy juice took she started acting goofy and we put a Hannah Montana DVD in until they were ready for her. She kept trying to sit up and couldn't because of the goofy juice, so she kept telling us they were holding her down. I don't think we even got 5 minutes into the DVD before they came to take her back. The nurse told us we could call and check on the progress and how Kaylin was throughout the surgery, about every 30 minutes.

After Kaylin went back, Jeremy and I went downstairs to have breakfast before settling into the waiting room. We were told the surgery would likely take about 2 hours. We had breakfast and then headed back to the waiting room. The first 30 minutes had passed, so I called and the nurse let me know that she went to sleep fine, was nice and warm and the surgery was going great. Some more sitting, waiting, and the same answers from the nurse, everything is going great. About an hour and 45 minutes after, the surgeon comes out to get us, they are done. We walk back to recovery and Kaylin is still sleeping. Dr. F told us everything went great and he had already compared her pre-surgery photo to her nose now, and he was happy with the results. Kaylin started to move around and open her eyes a little. Then she started crying and the nurse told us that Jeremy or I could climb in the bed with her to cuddle her. We asked her who she would prefer, she picked mommy, I climbed in and cuddled her. She complained about the pain 3 times in about an hour and each time the nurse added drugs to her IV. After being in recovery for an hour we were moved to her room where she was given tylenol and continued to sleep for about an hour and then she was discharged.

She had 1 dose of motrin when we got home and that was the end of the pain management! I asked her all weekend if she hurt and needed any motrin and she always told me no. Can you believe that?! She was well enough to go back to school on Monday.

Kaylin right after we got settled into her room. See her hair? I guess the nurses braided it and then put the braid up after she got back there. And they did it with office rubberbands. Dude, you could have just asked me to do that, with good hair bands. Yeah, I didn't even try and remove them. Just cut them out when we got home!

This is Beary. He was given to her by the nurses before her very first surgery. He's been through every surgery with her thus far. Yes, he literally goes into surgery with her. He also had a cleft lip repair, see his stitches under his nose? That's why they give him to their patients! In recovery, she actually woke up at one point because he dropped out of her arms. They sleep together every night!

36.365 Playing pool

2009-02-05T07:53:00.001-06:00

This is a picture of Kaylin playing pool in the Child Life room at Medical City on the peds floor. We had appointments half the day since she is having surgery tomorrow.

35.365 dollhouse

2009-02-04T07:49:00.000-06:00

This is one of the many pictures Jeremy took of a dollhouse that he wants to build for Kaylin with his dad.

34.365 Rosa's Cafe

2009-02-03T07:46:00.003-06:00

Rosa's Cafe. That was where I had dinner with some girlfriends from high school. We get together every other month for dinner and sometimes drinks. Jennifer & Erica are pregnant, so they are no longer joining us on the drinks part, but soon enough!

33.365 Chili's chips, salsa & ranch

2009-02-02T21:38:00.002-06:00

I went upstairs to give the kids a bath & do the whole bedtime routine and I come back downstairs to find that Jeremy has demolished the salsa and almost all the ranch. MEANIE!

By the way, if there are any of you left who haven't tried this - you are REALLY missing out!

32.365 toy clean-up

2009-02-01T21:34:00.000-06:00

Still going through toys. I just took every container, basket, etc. and dumped it then went through it. Fresh clean start (again) with trucks in one bin, dolls in another, balls in yet another, kitchen food, etc. it never stays that way long enough for my liking - sadly.

31.395 getting rid of toys

2009-01-31T21:23:00.000-06:00

This is just a part of the pile of toys I gathered to sell at Divine Consign.

30.365 CHEESE!

2009-01-30T21:31:00.002-06:00

Jonathan saying "CHEESE!" cause I have a camera in my hands!

29.365 new hair

2009-01-29T21:20:00.000-06:00

Sorry for the blurry pic, but I had to turn the flash off since the pic was taken in the bathroom mirror. I was trying to show my new haircut and that I went back to being *very* blonde. No lowlights this time!

28.395

2009-01-28T21:18:00.002-06:00

Another ice day - no school. Kaylin wanted to go outside and throw the leftover ice at the side of the house. Sure kid, go for it! It was needed after being cooped up for 2 days!

27.365 - Ice Day

2009-01-27T21:49:00.001-06:00

This is our Crepe Myrtle right outside our front door. Today was an ice day, no school for the kids, and I imagine with the sleet that is coming down now, tomorrow will either be cancelled or a delayed start.

26.365 - chai latte

2009-01-26T21:47:00.002-06:00

mmmmmm, nothing like a chai latte on a cold night! Or, you know, whenever it sounds good!

24.365 - cupcakes!

2009-01-24T22:22:00.002-06:00

Kaylin and I made cupcakes tonight.

With our favorite icing...Rainbow Chip!

23.365 - cute lunch bag

2009-01-23T22:19:00.003-06:00

This is my lunch bag that I take on days I sub. Isn't it cute?!

22.365 - Taco night leftovers

2009-01-22T22:16:00.000-06:00

It was taco night at our house! These were the leftovers, so yeah, they don't look as tasty as they would have if I'd remembered to take the picture when they were first ready.

21.365 - Yummy in a jar

2009-01-21T23:54:00.002-06:00

Mmmmmmmm! I have a jar of Trader Joe's Spicy Black Bean Dip!!! We don't have a Trader Joe's here, so this is a special occassion. My dad drove to VA to visit family and he stopped in Nashville as the half-way point and stayed over night. There was a TJ's 10 minutes from his hotel, so I had to make him bring some home for me! I cannot wait until we head to Nashville this summer, to visit the in-laws, because that means I'll get to stop at Trader Joe's and stock up before heading back home!

20.365

2009-01-20T23:51:00.000-06:00

Like every other American, this is what I did today. Watched the Inauguration. Apparently, they even watched it or talked about it at school, because Kaylin came home, saw the parade on TV and asked, "Oh, is that Obama?" And apparently, I cannot take a straight on picture of the TV, sorry for cutting off the right side.

19.365

2009-01-19T23:50:00.001-06:00

This is a picture Kaylin drew and we now have hanging on the fridge. That's an apple tree, with a a heckuva lotta apples!

18.365 - Playmates

2009-01-18T20:05:00.002-06:00

I just took this picture of the dogs wrestling on the couch next to me. Not even 1 minute later they are just laying here, lounging with their eyes closed, which they open if I look at them. I guess it wore them out!

17.365

2009-01-17T20:02:00.000-06:00

This is how I found Kaylin watching TV last night. I guess she's not superstitious!

Sweet Niblets!

2009-01-16T22:28:00.005-06:00

Sweet niblets, I think Kaylin may watch Hannah Montana a little too much. When I tucked her in tonight, I told her Jeremy was off tomorrow (it's a rare occassion when he gets a Saturday off) AND Sunday and she said, "crazy mommy say what?!" Which, you should only understand if you've ever seen Hannah Montana, or at the very least, a promo for it. Anyway, it gave me a chuckle since it's the first time I've heard her say it and I totally wasn't expecting it, but it was very fitting.

16.365 - baths for everyone!

2009-01-16T21:55:00.005-06:00

Okay, Jonathan may be the in 15% for weight, but he is not so skinny that his ribs show. He stuck his hands in the water before it got warm and it shocked him, so he took a quick breath which made his ribs show.

And the extras -

Jonathan wasn't the only one who got a bath tonight! Awwww look at those puppy dog eyes! "Please get me outta here!"

I had to include a pic of this. This was my deal of the day. Shoes for the kids. Both of Jonathan's were $3.74 each and Kaylin's were $4.48. Select shoes are 75% off at Target - along with clothes, toys, baby items...lots, go check out your local Target!

15.365 - almost forgot!

2009-01-15T23:37:00.002-06:00

Bella nice and comfy between my leg & a blanket on the couch.

Got breakfast going in the crockpot and it'll be ready for us to eat in the morning. It's supposed to be 22 degrees in the morning when we're headed out to work & school! I figured a nice bowl of stick-to-your-ribs steel cut oats should help keep us warm & fill us up!

And last, but not least, finishing up the "chores" of the night. The crockpot was in the empty spot in the bottom left. It gets lots of use in our house, since I have a little boy who likes to attach himself to my leg and demand, "hold, mommy. mommy hold!" while I'm trying to cook or wash dishes.

14.365 - Mount Laundry

2009-01-14T13:43:00.004-06:00

Jonathan laying his laundry flat in a pile for me. It's a team effort in this house!

And Mount Laundry has been conquered!! Now, who is putting all this away?

Loki keeping an eye and cracking the whip when I need it.

13.365 - CEO of the Leuwerke Household

2009-01-13T13:41:00.000-06:00

I had to snap this shot of Jonathan taking care of important business with daddy's bluetooth. He's so silly!

12.365 - how I spend my nights

2009-01-12T13:39:00.001-06:00

This is what I do each night before bed. Catch up on blogs. Or at least try. I probably shouldn't read so many blogs...I'm never caught up!