Plenty of Not Much

Thinking of the McCartans

2009-06-15T07:18:00.000-07:00

Sometimes things get stretched out and confused and you just don't know where to go. It is compounded when both sides are prepping, dealing and maybe even struggling. As you start a very big week please know I'm thinking of you and wishing the best of everything as you welcome your beautiful, healthy lil man into the world.

Obsessive

2009-06-15T07:08:00.000-07:00

I find that when I'm worried or have things on my mind my obsessive personality really kicks in so lately (past 3 months) I have been on a huge exercise kick. It is really very good for you and a much better improvement over loads of wine and since it does the body good I actually look good in my bikini this year!

What I'm struggling with is tweaking my diet to go along with an increased weight training/cardio exercise routine. I'm very good at eating healthy and eating all the right things but I struggle with timing the intake of proteins and carbs right after a workout. I think mostly because when I work out hard I'm not hungry. I'm back on the protein smoothies and that seems to help because if I don't do it right I feel like a slug by the end of the day.

Not much point to this post but if you have suggestions for yummy power packed smoothies - pass 'em on!

Wrinkly Walnuts

2009-06-04T07:58:00.000-07:00

No pictures will be included with this post and you should be thankful.

I guess its time to fully admit I wear a padded bra 24/7. I have this special one that I wear to bed that is supposed to help detox your body while you sleep (yep, I believe anything) and then of course during the day I have enough padding to protect me in a front impact car crash.

I guess the problem is I never admitted why I surround myself with so much padding. Last night my night bra was in the wash so I wore a tank top with a built in bra (you know a string of elastic and some cotton) to bed. Well I was horrified when I saw nothing.

Yep, nothing! I know nekid I have wrinkly walnuts but just seeing them stare back at me when I have clothes on (and no padding) made me quite sad. I suppose this has its perks but currently I'm unaware of them.

I will say I'm very glad I ordered a Victoria's Secret Miracle Swimsuit because apparently I will need.

Off to go look in the mirror at what little I'm left with.

I lied about the picture - feast your eyes....

Farmers Market Flowers

2009-06-04T06:41:00.000-07:00

Finally after years of waiting we get a grocery store and a farmers market all in the same year!! WOOT, WOOT!

The farmers market isn't anything to write home about but it works because I have these beautiful peonies and some yummy fresh made salad and cheap cheese. You really have to love the midwest for the cows/cheese and farms that can grow just about everything but bananas.

I will admit that I'm bummed because none of it is organic and I try and buy only organic but how can you say no to these farmers who work so hard planting, growing and harvesting all these yummy things only to sell them for a buck!

Razor's

2009-06-03T05:56:00.000-07:00

This is so wrong to actually publicly admit but here goes...I hardly shave and therefor have been using the same razor since we built this house (6 yrs) and needless to say its a tad bit dull. This dullness made it very hard for it to get to a certain spot in my pits (I know TMI).

Anywho, I opened a free Schick Intuition that I had shoved into the bathroom drawer. You would have thought that for as long as this thing had been hidden in my drawer that all the nasty soap would have fallen off or disintegrated. Which brings me to my point, why the heck is there soap around my razor? Who came up with this (not so) brilliant idea of covering the cutting part with soap. I mean, have you tried to get a razor with a bar of soap on the end into your pits to actually shave?

Unless I have the worlds smallest arm pits then it just ain't possible. So this so called razor is sitting in my shower uncorked with the hope that the water washes away the bar of soap so I can actually use the darn thing.

Here's a picture in case you come across one of this unnatural soap monsters.

Some Things

2009-06-03T05:39:00.000-07:00

Normally I have a cup of Ganoderma coffee - its a decaf powder that you add water to. It's supposed to have some health benefits but I can't remember what they are right now, hopefully it isn't increased memory.

I do this because I love the coffee and if it does something, great but I'm out. I have no idea how to use the coffee pot and when I do the comments are along the lines of "this tastes like sludge" so I opted for a jar of Foldgers Crystals. I have said jar of crystals because I use it to make a mean Tiramisu and its safe to say it doesn't make a mean cup of joe.

The kids and I went on a short hike before fishing yesterday because I love hiking. I love being out in the middle of nowhere surrounded my trees, silence and just the beauty of earth. I was researching different hiking spots when I came across GeoCaching. I have always wanted to try it and I think with 2 kids that enjoy hiking it might be the perfect summer activity.

What I love even more is the location of some of the cache's literally in the little park down the road and on by the lake in our downtown. Needless to say I'm so freaking excited I can hardly stand it. I do need a new GPS because we have an ancient one that was cool before GPS's were cool. GR has been instructed to pick up the Garmin Oregon 400t because after much research last night it seems to be the best and easiest.

I haven't cooked much this week but I'm anxiously awaiting my Pampered Chef Torte Pans. I got on a hug Cheesecake kick with the Pampered Chef Spring Form pan (thanks to an High School friends blog and perfect Choc Swirl recipe).

No big plans today other than a good workout for me and soccer for P.

um, yep

2009-05-21T21:16:00.000-07:00

I blog but only once every 3 months.

I twitter also but not very well.

I cook randomly good.

I can drink, can't really screw that up.

I throw good parties but how hard is that REALLY.

I need to be a better mom.

I run an eight min mile, seven would be better.

come back tomorrow and see if it gets any worse.

Woot, Woot

2009-03-15T09:18:00.000-07:00

Eden Prairie Eagles are Boys 2a State Hockey Champs!!!

What a great finish to the season! It's super fun because one of my BFF's husband is a coach so it just means a tad more to see a local time win it all!

Karri & I watched the whole game and the after the game craziness last night even though we were exhausted from 2 parties during the day and she is 32 weeks pregnant!

Help Bring Jack Back!

2009-03-11T10:49:00.000-07:00

Baby it's cold out there! Help bring Jack back in because it's down right nippy in Minnesota right now. One of my close friends has her husband sleeping outside on the football field all week to raise money for his school.

Bring Jack Back

New Pizzas

2009-03-11T06:55:00.000-07:00

I have added 2 new pizzas to my lineup!

The yummy thick crust which is assembled similar to a Chicago Deep Dish was an instant hit. It's made with different crust that I normally use and the crust is a bit more labor intensive but well worth it. The thick crust is baked in a pizza pan on a stone in mid range heat but for much longer (about 30 min).

Last night I debuted the White Pizza, whipped a white sauce up from scratch and it was excellent and then we complimented the white pizzas with artichokes, some Parmesan cheese, maybe a little ricotta and additional veggies if needed. The white pizza uses my standard crust and is baked on a stone in high heat (550).

Notice the Market Pantry ricotta in the above pic! You can't walk into a Super Target without being attacked by Market Pantry or Archer's Farms items. At first I thought it was crazy but then after some price comparisons and taste tests I say BRING IT ON!

The sad news for my local Super Target is after April 4th I will never be back. My little town is getting its own grocery store, Fresh Season Market . I'm so stinking excited to go shopping in my PJs or without a shower and see my neighbors and everyone else I know!

Crap, I have a 5 year old!

2009-03-10T10:00:00.000-07:00

I can't believe how ancient I feel now that I have to say I have a 5 year old! It's ridiculous and weird that turning 34 a month ago didn't phase me yet admitting my son is turning 5 today scares me.

Yes, 5 years ago today Preston George came into the world hollering and a tiny bit blue thanks to the hole in his lung. He pulled through both the hole and the massive lump he got on his head upon exit and continues to amaze me each day. He is a kind, smart, giving and wonderful boy who will grow up to be an amazing man!

I also find it horrifying that my 3 year old thinks she is 5. Not to mention she asked for makeup the other day, I don't even wear makeup how in the world would she know about this stuff? Because she is 3 going on 13!

Oops....

2009-02-09T18:52:00.000-08:00

I made a very bad mistake tonight but I couldn't help it.

I love the rain, love it, love it, love it! I love the dark, love it, love it, love it! I could easily move to Alaska and live happily ever after.

Tonight it was lightly raining and dark so I decided to run outside. You see when ice melts and then refreezes it turns back to slippery ICE! When you try and run on slippery ice in the dark, you FALL!

I have to give myself credit, I only fell once. I only have two small injuries, a rock in my forehead and a tooth mark on my chin. I guess I'm lucky because it probably could have been worse.

What stinks is I wimped out and only ran for 45 min and then walked 15 (my plan was 60 since I ran 90 last night) but the plus is it was outside in the misty dark!

Not Enough Food and Too Much Wine

2009-02-08T17:57:00.000-08:00

It's a very bad combination.

I had a busy day yesterday which didn't include eating anything. This is apparently a mistake when you then drink an entire bottle (and then some) of wine while making pizza's.

I felt it going south and tried to save it by finally making my pizza and enjoying it but honestly it was too little, too late. I had to be tucked into bed at 8:30. I will say that getting 10 hours of sleep was amazing, I haven't slept that much EVER!

En route to my bed I had a habit of giggling and bumping into things. I'm a proud wine drinking woman and would never waste so nothing came back up!

I do need to give a shout out to whoever is responsible for me never having a hangover. You rock and I owe big time!

Growing Up Sucks!

2009-02-08T11:07:00.000-08:00

I used to hate birthdays, hate the idea of getting older and could barely think about my life slipping away each year. Then I figured what is the point in worrying about something so far out of my control.

I try to focus on the good things like being happy, healthy and aging well. I totally admit to being vain and if I wasn't aging well would probably be a real witch! I try to exercise, eat healthy (red wine is good for your heart)and just take care of the stuff I have.

Would I look better if I had a tummy tuck for the baby flab on my belly - HELL YES! or if I botoxed the one odd wrinkle I have on my forehead - HELL YES! or if some of the perkiness of my 20s returned to my chest - HELL YES! But instead I have decided to make the best with what I have and just be happy I have it to begin with.

I do struggle with watching my kids grow up but not because I don't want them to. I actually love their excitement at turning a year older. I love seeing them learn and grow as they figure stuff out and experience different things. I just wish I had some way to guarantee I will never forget one moment of their lives.

The picture of Maren on the trampoline at gymnastics makes me smile and realize that growing up does suck, it will sneak in and steal away my little Maren peanut and it will continue to give me wrinkles. But what can I do about it, nothing. So I'm excited to turn 34 and have a feeling next weekend will be one non stop party!

Happy Birthday Maren!

2009-02-04T07:49:00.000-08:00

3 is apparently the age at which you learn to always make goofy faces at the camera.

Reading Minds

2009-02-02T07:18:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I wish I could read minds, think of how easily you could avoid fights, prepare for situations or just understand someones POV. I don't read minds therefor I questions decisions I make, I really shouldn't doubt myself especially when its an obvious right choice made.

Yet I do. I think sometimes you want something so bad that when you try and interpret another person thoughts it can cause frustration because you will always doubt your decisions.

In true Jen fashion when I make a decisions about someone in my life needing to be gone then they are just gone. I don't play half way, either your on my team or your playing against me. The problem is that doesn't stop me from missing what could have been.

The Super Bowl Party was a hit but when do I throw a party that isn't a hit. Food was good, game was great and friends are always fun. I'm not sure why I appear to be the shorty in the picture because Rachael is totally shorter than me! It must be because it was her birthday!

Now that I'm done with a huge party weekend I have a ton of stuff to attack this week - taxes, work projects, meetings, errands, Maren's birthday (must bake cake) and then her actual party. I'm actually excited for her to turn 3, I'm not one of those parents who dread their kids growing up. I'm excited each day to see them learn, grown and change.

I can't wait to give her the birthday gift, I skipped the American Girl doll because she isn't into dolls much. I opted for a nicer dollhouse than her current Fisher Price one and my favorite store Pottery Barn Kids had just the answer. Stay tuned for pics of it.

For Gram

2009-02-01T18:28:00.001-08:00

This beautiful figure was given to me by Carissa to commemorate the passing of my Grandpa who was a Vet. The figure is a woman (my Grandma) holding a wrapped flag that would have been presented after internment.

I got this shot late on Saturday night in manual with no flash (not going to look up the specifics) but it just fits. Miss you Grandpa and Gram we love you, stay strong.

Thank you to everyone who passed along their support.

I'm having some technical difficulties with my Microsoft Office, I have a trial version of 2007. Well since I never reboot my laptop I didn't realize it had expired so I need to go to Best Buy and purchase it so I can send emails again. So if you are expecting an email from me and don't have it, that is why.

Really Minnesota?

2009-01-29T19:25:00.000-08:00

I'm actually embarrassed to post this but WOW, I'm so glad the stimulus passed the house so we can upgrade our skateboard parks here. And god knows we need a snow making machine, its freaking Minnesota the same snow is here from November through April.

I had to run on a treadmill tonight planted in front of a tv (because the ice rink was being used). Anywho, my man Hannity was mocking this so I had to come home and dig it up.

Here's the group's list of 10 Worst Economic Stimulus Requests Made by Minnesota Cities and its take on the projects:

10 – Shorewood, $300,000
Tennis court improvement and rehab -- A backhand shot from a prosperous southwestern suburb that should be vigorously returned by taxpayers.

9 -- St. Paul, $2.1 million
Western Avenue reconstruction, "including bike facilities, traffic calming elements" and "public art" -- An artful attempt to have patrons, a.k.a. taxpayers, underwrite the collaboration of St. Paul public works engineers and artists in creating fun sculptures, playful signs, "traffic calming elements" and bike facilities.

8 – Burnsville, $50,000
Greenhouse gas tracking program -- How exactly does a city-run greenhouse gas tracking program stimulate the economy?

7 -- St. Cloud, $150,000
Street sign upgrade program -- The state has mandated that street sign lettering be 150 millimeters for capital letters and 113 millimeters for lower-case letters. A case of a city government asking the federal government for funds to comply with a state government mandate to replace signs that were already pointing the right way and doing the job.

6 – Hanover, $750,000
LED streetlight conversion -- How many years’ worth of city electric bills will it take to pay off the $750,000 cost of changing the bulbs in this city with an estimated population of about 2,500?

5 -- St. Louis Park, $3.5 million
New water meters for St. Louis Park residents -- The city wants to open the federal tap to give 12,800 water customers new water meters and install remote meter-monitoring equipment.

4 – Roseville, $1.5 million
New clubhouse and maintenance shop for city golf course -- Roseville's city-run Cedarholm Golf Course, a 9-hole, par 3 course, lost more than $800,000 between 2000 and 2007 (years inclusive). Why should all taxpayers be asked to "chip in" even more money at this losing enterprise?

3 – Burnsville, $550,000
Nicollet Commons water feature rehab -- Burnsville expects taxpayers to open the federal floodgates for a $550,000 upgrade for the water fountains and sculptures in its highly touted town-square-style park.

2 – Duluth, $6 million
Spirit Mountain snowmaking and maintenance facility -- This multimillion-dollar snow job attracted national media attention to Duluth.

1-- St. Cloud, $750,000
Skateboarding Park -- Ever since a local entrepreneur closed the doors of his skate park in 2006, enthusiasts in St. Cloud have tried to raise a quarter of a million dollars to start building a huge state-of-the-art skate park "plaza." The city even agreed to carry donors' debt for four years, but donations -- to use skateboarding terminology -- continue to "grind" along well short of their goal. So the city has done a "kick turn" and asked taxpayers to foot the bill for the entire project. Taxpayers need to become familiar with another skateboard term and "grab" their wallets.

Brenda Warner Jackpot!

2009-01-29T18:49:00.002-08:00

Not only do I have a memory like a steel trap (actually my memory sucks) but I was a good enough "googler" to find the exact stinking picture I remembered.

Here's Brenda Warner and her boa back when he won Super Bowl with the St Louis Rams (1999). She was the odd, loud, obnoxious, crazy, old looking woman in the stands always yelling and hootin.

I swear I remember her almost picking him up when he won. Anyway that boa has been burned into my retinas for 10 freaking years. I don't think she was exactly the media darling either which probably explains why we haven't seen here around much this year.

I guarantee it has nothing to do with her looks because she doesn't even look like the same person. I don't know what amount of something could give this drastic of a change. I mean I'm not saying I'm just saying.

Go Steeler's!!

Superbowl

2009-01-28T13:07:00.000-08:00

So who do you want to win the Superbowl? Steelers or Cardinals?

I gotta go Steeler's because I remember Kurt Warner's wife (and her purple boa scarf) from the last time he won a Superbowl and I can't go there again.

Going to my happy place now......Go STEELERS!!

Perhaps I will get ambitious and put a poll up, stay tuned for that.

In the meantime let's talk game food because of course we will have a huge PAR-TAY here. I'm thinking of copying my NY Eve menu which was Mexican themed. It gives plenty of good munchie food and nothing I have to work too terribly hard to prepare (so I can be in front of the tv with the dudes watching the big game).

So I will make this killer Queso dip, sauteed pepper & onions (for Fajitas), seasoned rice and this yummy black bean dip and filler, guac and Black Bean Salsa.

This mix of stuff will create a build your own burrito, burrito bowl, quesadilla or taco bar.

Quirks

2009-01-28T09:08:00.000-08:00

I probably have more than I care to admit but here are a few that stand out. What quirks do you have?

Names - I never call people by their given names, I typically make up a name for them or just use "hey". Except for my kids, I use their real names but they also have a long list of nicknames (MareBear and Big P being the top ones).

I'm not sure what it means if I call you by your given name but I would take it as a compliment. Only 1 other person besides my kids has that honor.

Wasting Food - I hate wasting anything but food really bothers me. Perhaps its because I have very little control over all the people and kids that go hungry each day.

Anyway I refuse to toss anything out but most of the time I can't eat it so I donate it to my 2 dogs. I'm not sure if that's really not wasting it but it feels like good karma to me (and the dogs dig it).

Pictures - I have 1,234,543,756,000 pictures of my kids, dogs, trees, house and various things but none of me. I think that is why I love photography because I'm behind the camera and don't need to be in any shots. I simply hate the way I look in pictures and never feel like its a good one.

I need a good, current one for my blog and for facebook and just because underneath my yoga pants, ponytail, wrinkled t-shirt, haven't showered in 2 days self is a hottie!

Modern Furniture - no offense, it just doesn't fly in my book.

Cold Coffee - not Iced Coffee but when my hot cup of coffee turns lukewarm. It has to be scalding hot - love it.

Wouldn't you know that as I'm re-warming my mug for the 23rd time someone will interrupt my drinking process and it will once again turn lukewarm.

Off the cuff but when tiny hands dig through my office desk and discover the Valentines chocolate I bought for them.

Favorite Pics of 2008

2009-01-27T19:55:00.001-08:00

I totally meant to do this right after 2008 was over but I was in a slump so better late than never. In no particualr order

Maren in the pink hat

Preston (with long hair) soccer action shot(resulted in a GOAL)

My hutch, man I love you

The wildflowers (I planted around the kids sandbox - oops)

Summer

The chickens at the zoo

school

bro & sis

My famous pizza (if I don't say so myself) cooked inside

the basement beer tree (yep, its Odouls - rock on Carissa)

Girls Weekend in AZ

First snow

Fall outside my kitchen (man I love fall)

Random

2009-01-27T19:03:00.000-08:00

Do you ever just have a good day. Nothing really specific to put your finger on but just a good day, a day when you smile for no reason. Don't get me wrong I smile most days, even at strangers but today I was just giddy, silly, happy! I haven't had a HAPPY day in a long time.

What I think I love most about life is the unexpected quality of it. How you can be moving down one path and hit a completely large speed bump and sometimes that is a good thing.

I'm a planner by nature and I thoroughly enjoy mentally planning out every aspect of my life. Right now I'm not really interested in that and would simply like to enjoy the ride. Perhaps because I ultimately have no say in the future like I always thought I did.

One things I love is hearing a song and listening to the words and finding meaning in them. It's exciting and almost healing to hear someone else dealing with a similar situation.

I do wish I could see into the future, it would be nice to know everything ends happily.

No pictures, even with my new favorite lens I haven't taken my camera out much.

Probably distracted by something.

Rock on Snowman!

2009-01-26T17:21:00.000-08:00

Preston brought home this fine piece of artwork today from school and I was so freaking proud. It's not everyday your first born makes a tie-dye snowman!

The snowman is now proudly displayed in the kitchen and he will rock out daily with us and remind all who come to work hard, party hard. I'm pretty sure that isn't what Preston had in mind when he created the masterpiece but that is my motto.

Maren had her first gymnastics class tonight. Unlike Preston she didn't have the chance to participate in 427 different mommy and me classes (I was pretty burnt out after living la vida loca with Preston, we did every class under the sun and then some).

Maren & I pretty much stuck to the basics like music, gym and swimming. She was all alone tonight with me watching from the sidelines and did terrific. It's amazing how well your kid will listen to a complete stranger. I totally expect my daughter to be an Olympic gymnast after seeing her performance tonight!

Girls have Vajamama's

2009-01-23T10:45:00.000-08:00

Yep, as you heard I had to clarify that girls do not have 2 butts. Fast forward to our now daily conversation about who all has a "Vajamama". You just have to love kids and their open innocence and willingness to talk about anything. I'm certainly not going to clarify what a Vajamama is but I will enlighten you with some of the other odd pronunciations that Maren uses.

wopcorn - popcorn
woptart - poptart (we of course don't eat these here)
rareplane- airplane
brokli- broccoli
chuck - truck

It was a long week of funerals with both friends and family. It's nice to arrive at Friday and know that we can get together with our friends cook, drink, eat and know that just for a few minutes everything is right with the world.

I'm giving this new recipe before I try it because I don't plan on having pictures since I'm still without a lens.

Creamy Zucchini Spaghetti

Lightly saute some garlic, red pepper flakes, zucchini (julienned) and salt/pepper in olive oil. Add some butter in to melt and then add sour cream, fresh lemon juice and some milk and flour to create a cream sauce.

Cook your noodles and then pour this over the noodles adding in some fresh grated Parmesan cheese and some additional fresh grated pepper. Bake for 20-30 min and serve with a crisp green salad and lots of wine.

Like most of my recipes I don't have exact measurements but if you really want them, just ask! This should be a light fresh cream sauce similar to Alfredo. I'm using Spaghetti because I heart the way it bakes up with some crispness to it.

I have 2 butts!

2009-01-21T10:23:00.000-08:00

I'm going to keep this as clean as humanely possible and I guess its a really good thing that my camera lens broke yesterday. I spent the morning explaining to Maren (who is just about to turn 3) that she doesn't' have 2 butts.

I had heard rumors about this for a week because we are very free flowing with talk about Preston's parts. Not so much with the girl stuff, the words just aren't as "nice sounding" so I stay far, far away from it.

I know that most of you are saying what an irresponsible thing to do, not to give your kids the correct names for each part but I must say at least I didn't name it some cute fluffy name. Like all boys have a we willy winky and all girls have a fluffy bunny. I kept it real....until this morning.

It took 20 minutes of talking and convincing and it even involved bodily fluids. I was able to prove her wrong (victory!!) with talk about the origination and final resting place of poop (sorry but you know this would eventually go south).

I feel like Mom of the Year now that both my kids can refer to their parts with the correct terms. Off to reward myself with some quality reading materials (Us Weekly) and a glass of hydrating water (wine).

Before I go, I'm throwing in a random picture just because it will be awhile before my dear husband stops at Best Buy and buys the lens my camera needs. Feast your eyes on my new lens.

Death Trifecta & Superstitions

2009-01-18T19:02:00.000-08:00

I will warn you nothing in this post will make you think of rainbows, small furry bunny rabbits or a Disney princess.

Let start with the obvious Death Trifecta, I was introduced to this thought process years ago and it was more in relation to celebrities and how they seem to die in sets of 3. Over the years I have watched the patterns in my friends, coworkers and acquaintances (because I have very little family to see the theory play out).

Sure enough you tend to see death come in 3's. Sometimes its all in one family or sometimes all in one month or sometimes not much rhyme or reason other than 3. Like I said before it very rarely impacts me because I have so few family members.

Until today, My grandpa passed away unexpectedly, you would add this to the fact my friend Rachael lost her Grandma a few weeks ago. We are up to 2 (in case you are slow in math like me). The problem is Rachael's husband lost his Grandpa today also so we are at 3. You might be thinking we are in good shape not so quick, Rachael's husband is also watching is dad (who is so young) fight for his life.

That is the spooky part, if we loose him then the Trifecta starts over and somehow I have to deal with losing 2 more people. Let's think positive and with lots of prayers.

Now onto the superstition, this habit of mine has really increased as I've gotten older and had kids. I believe somethings just shouldn't be messed with and I'm afraid I messed with something I shouldn't have.

When I was pregnant with Preston my Grandma gave me a Celtic cross from Ireland (they are originally from there). I never took that cross off in the 5+ yrs I have had it until Friday. Wouldn't you know it, I take the cross off and lose my Grandpa 2 days later. I'm probably a wee bit more emotional right now but that just seems down right spooky to me.

yep, I'm a downer. Maybe tomorrow I can crack a smile, we shall see how several things play out.

Sunday, Birthday party, Sunday

2009-01-18T07:17:00.000-08:00

Preston has a birthday party all the way in the city (ok, its only 30 min away) so I figure I will take my laptop and actually go sit in a coffee shop and work. I'm not sure I will actually be able to focus on work without the normal interruptions of "Can I have some water", "Come watch me pee" or "He hit me" but I'm willing to give it a go.

It's a dreary Sunday here and I'm the first to admit I LOVE IT!! I love the soft snow fall and the cold winter coloring as it makes me want to stay home bundled in sweat pants and a blanket by the fire. I'm going to have to venture out, after P's birthday party I'm going over to the ice rink to run again. I stopped running after I hurt my back and am glad to be back in the saddle. It gives me a solid hour of daydreaming potential and/or problem solving time - love it!

We are entering birthday party central here - 1 today, 2 next Saturday and then Maren's party is the following Saturday and then we pick up a chunk in February and then finally Preston in March. I'm sure that I missed some and we will have other pop up.

Here's a picture of this week's crafty project, wondering if anyone can guess what I used to make it. Excuse the kitchen parts in the pic, I was too lazy to find my smaller lens or to move the craft project.

I also hate that I have 2 great made up recipes to share but no pics of them. I made Veggie Lasagna last week and the filling was so yummy you could eat alone with bread or crackers. This week I made Sweet Potato Pasta, good but not great. I think had I been a tad less tipsy when cooking it would have been really great. The secret ingredient to both is Ricotta cheese, so rich yet not so unhealthy like heavy cream.

In fact we have a dinner party coming up and I'm going to take one of my signature dishes, Vodka Penne and work some ricotta into it and see what happens.

In regards to my facebook fears, I'm ok with it now. I needed some time to sift through all the memories and what I concluded was it was my friends that made the time so memorable. The other stuff/people I can forgot now. I do like how we have all grown up, some have kids and everyone has a life.

crap, my Grandpa just passed away unexpectedly. very sad, he was a wonderful man.

Serious Ranting!

2009-01-14T10:28:00.000-08:00

Again I suck at blogging right now, I'm in a total funk and can't figure out why. Life is same old, same old so that isn't the problem (or is it). I love winter and it is really winter here right now (-10 below) so that can't be it. Who knows but I'm cranky and not talking about it right now!

I finally took the plunge with Facebook, I need to understand these sites from a Social Marketing perspective for a work project and I was tired of getting pestered to actually check my page. It has been an interesting ride so far reconnecting with old friends brings back so many memories. I remember most although some are blurry due to underage alcohol consumption (I can't get into trouble for admitting that now, can I?), some are humbling since I had some big family things that went down on a regular basis and some are hard to stomach because I was so shy and insecure back then.

I have a hard time reconciling the person I was back then with who I am now. I really shouldn't let that stop me from catching up with old friends and walking down memory lane but it stirs things up I pushed way down and sealed off. Sometimes i think I should have stayed in Colorado and not come to Minnesota so many years ago - was I running from my problems, not dealing with difficult situations or just ready for a change. I don't know and I'm not sure I want to know.

Housewife rant - I'm officially on strike, nothing in my job description says I should have to pick up stray socks from random places or attempt to carry a six pack of empty soda cans from the bedroom.

Some of you will know this new strike is in addition to my previous dry cleaning strike of 6 months ago. I need to come up with a name for this all encompassing strike that would include soda can removal from any area of the house, dealing with laundry remnants and crumb wiping up.

A heads up to anyone who lets their kids play unsupervised while they blog, this could happen to your pool table! Notice the strategically placed dog tail(he was too dumb to move). How in the world did they get all those pillows and blankets past me (some are in the basement but most are from their beds - BAD MOM).

On a final note this is the face Maren made most of Monday night while at the hospital. She made this face when telling the doctors "I won't eat poop anymore".

This is the poop she is referring too - thanks Nana!

Sometimes I wonder if this is really my life????

I suck!

2009-01-06T12:11:00.001-08:00

I suck so bad I can't even manage a blog post to wish everyone a happy and healthy 2009!!!

Merry Christmas Eve

2008-12-24T18:27:00.000-08:00

Merry Christmas to all and to all a good night!

What am I missing

2008-12-23T18:22:00.001-08:00

I must be missing one key component in my kids diet because both of them love to eat snow.

I took them out tonight for a Snow Night, I find it so relaxing to be out in the dark playing in the snow. Maybe it the almost silence and the deserted feeling that I love. Or maybe its because the only thing getting destroyed is the snow and not even I have the OCD needed to keep that clean. Unless its on my driveway, front deck or garage - hmm, maybe I do have a problem!

We made super fancy Salt Dough Ornaments and repainted a couple of my rooms when I wasn't looking.

Santa has to go figure out her game plan for getting all this crap wrapped!

Did I miss something?

2008-12-19T13:30:00.000-08:00

I made the brilliant remark about 2 weeks ago that I couldn't do real trees because I was positive the dogs would pee on them. Not long after those words left my lips one of the dogs pee'd on the ARTIFICIAL tree in the bonus room. I mean really who is dumb enough to mistake a fake plastic tree for a real one? And no I don't use any evergreen room fresheners. Then it happens again today, we are up to add another ornament to the tree and I notice a streak of yellow across the tree skirt and carpet.

The worst part is I can't figure out who did it. Milo lifts his leg so I would assume that mixed with the fact that most door knobs are smarter than him would make him the responsible party. Juno is young only 1 and was hard to potty train but she doesn't have accidents at all now but she squats to pee so that would make it easier to get the angle that I witnessed.

I suppose unless I catch someone in the act it may go unpunished!

Here's a but of background before we get into the next story - roughly 6 months ago I stopped doing husbands laundry. It started first with just not putting away the clean stuff and then moved to his dry cleaning and now I really don't touch any of it. The reason being the guy simply cannot pick up after himself so he takes off lovely dress shirts and dress pants and just rolls them into a ball and leaves them in various places around the house. NOT ACCEPTABLE!

Here's a pile that hasn't even made it to the huge walk in closet.

So we are waiting for husband so we can leave for the kids Christmas Program last night, I loaded everyone into the truck and we sat in the driveway watching for his truck. It took a solid hour to wash the kids up and get them slicked up and dressed. I actually showered, put on a nice black dress/boots, dried my hair and curled it so by many accounts I looked HOT! Husband arrives home and jumps in the car in jeans and a flannel looking shirt. My mouth fell to the ground, who goes to work in an office building dressed like a lumberjack? Who goes to their kids Christmas Program dressed like a lumberjack when their wife looks hot? Only my husband and only he thinks its hilarious that he has been wearing jeans to work everyday because his 6 week supply of dress shirts and pants is laying in a pile in our closet!

The kids did a great job at their one and only dual Christmas Program performance.

On a brighter note I made Oreo Truffles (or Santa Balls as I called them) this week. I just ate another one when I hit a piece of something that was unchewable. Upon further examination this piece was wood and its from my wooden spoon which I kept sticking into the blender while I attempted to get the mixture to blend. I'm out one wooden spoon and perhaps a bit of embarrassment if any of the truffles that the kids gifted their teachers with have any extra parts present. Here's the recipe and a pic of the creation (I did let the kids do the chocolate dipping)

Oreo Truffles
Prep Time:
30 min
Total Time:
1 hr 30 min
Makes:
3-1/2 doz. or 42 servings, one truffle each
What You Need

1 pkg. (1 lb. 2 oz.) OREO Cookies, finely crushed, divided
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened
2 pkg. (8 squares each) BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, melted
Make It

MIX 3 cups of the cookie crumbs and the cream cheese until well blended. Shape into 42 (1-inch) balls. Refrigerate for 1 hr.

DIP balls in melted chocolate; place on waxed paper-covered baking sheet. (Any leftover melted chocolate can be stored in tightly covered container at room temperature and saved for another use.) Sprinkle with remaining cookie crumbs.

REFRIGERATE 1 hour or until firm. Store any leftover truffles in tightly covered container in refrigerator.

Remember, don't stick wooden spoons into an operating blender!

Fire Alarms & Pizza

2008-12-14T15:19:00.001-08:00

This project was originally to use my pizza dough recipe (usually made in the summer on the grill) to make breadsticks and calzones and test the pizza water inside in my oven.

2 fire alarms and a bunch of smoke later, which clouded my whole first floor. WE HAVE PIZZA! I made a few breadsticks, they are fine just like the grill ones. I made one calzone and feed it to GR so not sure how that worked out. I focused on my obsessions - THE PIZZA!

I made one for the kids at 500 in a convection oven (which is actually 525 in my oven) and it turned out fine if you like normal pizza. I like thin, crispy yet chewy pizza so I researched. My oven temp was right but I was seeing many people say they pre-cook the crust, so I gave that a whirl. You really have to watch for crust bubbles because it ain't folklore they happen and big time. It worked, I had a crisp yet chewy crust and perfect toppings just melted with a slight brown. Yes, I ate a piece before I took the picture, shoot me I was starving!

The downside is I feel like I have burnt cornmeal poisoning and the kids keep asking when the smoke will clear. I think its the high heat and cornmeal (which helps the pizza slide off the stone) that caused so much smoke. I actually used my fan (which I hate) and it scared poor Juno the husky all the way to the kids bathroom. I had to go drag her out and put her in the basement to watch football.

I just ventured to the basement to bring the kids more pizza and the calzone was gone so I'm assuming that is a good sign. While this appears to be a relatively cheap dinner it did take me a bottle of wine to get through preparation and serving.

man, I'm tired. You can find me on the couch now which is few and far between.

Summer Food Memories

2008-12-14T13:28:00.001-08:00

I don't really miss summer because I prefer cool days and time spent bundled up in the house. I do miss the pizza we would make on the grill several times a week. In order to try and pull it off I'm having GR grill out today since it's a balmy -10 with windchill around -35 below.

I'm kidding on making him stand outside so instead I used my standard dough recipe and will try making breadsticks, mini pizzas and calzones in the oven using my pizza stone. If the mini pizzas turn out ok then sometime this week I will try our standard pizza.

I'm actually not kidding about him standing outside but A) He would never do anything I asked and B) I'm not sure the grill could even heat enough to cook a pizza anyway but C) it sure would do him good to suffer just a tad bit!

Here's my famous dough recipe, you simply can't go wrong with this one! I tend to not measure and just gauge things so you might have to work with it a bit your first time.

5 cups flour
1-2 T Active yeast
1-2 T Brown Sugar
2 Cups Hot water
dashes of salt

Mix your dry ingredients together and add the water, mix it all and the knead the dough around so you have all your parts incorporated. Cover and let rise for 1 hr. Punch down and let rise for an additional hour and then start cooking.

This dough is impacted by room temp and humidity so if you don't get a perfect rise don't worry. I will have pics of my creations later.

We took the kids ice skating today and both of them loved it (still). I had planned to get them out on the pond also but we had 14 warms hours (mid 30's) before this cold front hit so the pond was a bit slushy. I don't teach swimming lessons in the winter!

The kids just have school this week and then they are off for 2 solid weeks. I have a couple at home activities planned - Cookie Baking for Santa, Wine Drinking Contest for Mom, Ornament Making (salt dough) and our standard things like play doh, art time, Mom locked in the bathroom alone, and music practice. It should buy me about 37 minutes to try and get my work done!

I can't believe we are 10 days away, my shopping has been done since the summer so I just need to wrap but honestly I don't see that happening anytime soon. It's the 2 kids glued to me constantly that might prohibit. I really wonder if all the crap wasn't wrapped but rather tossed under the tree haphazardly if they would even care. I think that a few less sheets of paper in between the kid and the dream gift might be a good thing.

I will admit even with 1 less week between T-Day and Christmas I'm not sure I can handle anymore Christmas music, we literally have it on 24/7 and its making me a tad bit crazy! When I say crazy I mean I actually wanted a drink about 2 pm today, it's 3:30 and I'm still holding strong but I'm not sure how much longer I can last!

O, Christmas Tree

2008-12-10T06:41:00.000-08:00

Here's our trees for this year

Kids tree - A collection of their annual ornaments, ornaments they made or received

Man tree - Need I say more, its full of beer

My tree - Crystals and snowflakes and icicles

Santa please bring me a chainsaw

2008-12-07T15:52:00.000-08:00

Preston wanted to ask Santa for a chainsaw because he just bought his Secret Santa one and he fell hard for it. I helped him write his wish list and we put the chainsaw at number five behind the safer presents (blocks, books, video game and art supplies).

The visit to Santa was a huge success and although its down right chilly here the sleigh ride was fun.

For those of you that asked, her is my Citrus Peeler getting ready for action and here is the link so you can get your own!

So much to say

2008-12-05T18:43:00.000-08:00

I have been severely lacking on the blogging time dept, must be the season.

Anyway its hard to follow up my previous post so I will start with the simply fact that it was not staged! That is truly Maren, I came around the corner one quite Monday afternoon and saw "it" so I quickly and quietly retreated to grab my camera and nabbed the shot. Although I was caught in the act, it was well worth it.

On another random note, I just used my Citrus Peeler from Pampered Chef (just bought it at a neighborhood home party a few moths ago) and I'm not sure what rocked more the amazing Satsumas from my CSA or the freaking Citrus Peeler!

Just a quick PSA on CSA's - if you don't know what one is or what is means or don't care - LEARN, FIGURE IT OUT & NEVER LOOK BACK. You get organic fruits and veggies for a very reasonable price and you help support local farming. Can you imagine being a farmer right now! Check it out!

QOTD: Is it a reasonable for a 4 yr old to buy is secret Santa 5 yr old neighbor a fake bosch chainsaw that seems pretty real. I let each of the kids pick out their gift for their secret Santa - Maren picks a paint your own cup/dish set which is very cute and very girly! Preston picks a Bosch (done by Target) chainsaw and the big problem is he thinks this is the best GIFT EVER. So much he hardly wants to give it away!

It's time here for 09/10 school year sign up which means I have to commit to what school we are sending Preston too and what schedule I want Maren on so I can get work done. I researched for an entire year and stumbled across the perfect Kindergarten to send P to, it has everything - full day, music, art, small class size, bus service etc etc but its in the next town over which is a BIG bus ride for me! I think it will do wonders for him and I'm so excited to see him turn 5, it feels like just this week he has come home and started talking storybooks about his life.

I'm waiting to hear from BFF Cousin about her "Philosophy" use, I started today with the gift set for my face and the Amazing Grace line and so far so good. I need something to make my barely showered, non makeup face look somewhat put together. Plus I need to smell good since showers are apparently optional for me, not my choice but simply by lack of time.

I leave you with my picture of the day. Can you guess the item? It should be easy as my good flash needs batteries and its pitch black in my house.

A quick thought

2008-12-01T19:18:00.000-08:00

When life gives you lemons, give them right back! Take that lemons!

Where were you?

2008-11-24T17:29:00.000-08:00

First off, I heart Edward! He is the guy most men want to be but don't know how to be.

Second, This song pulls together a year of waiting, wondering and wishing for me. It's brand new from The Fray.

Third, because I'm a music lover here are the words
You Found Me
By Isaac Slade/Joe King/The Fray

//Verse 1//
I found God
On the corner of First and Amistad
Where the west
Was all but won
All alone
Smoking his last cigarette
I said, “Where you been?”
He said, “Ask anything.”

//Verse 2//
Where were you
When everything was falling apart?
All my days
Were spent by the telephone
That never rang
And all I needed was a call
It never came
To the corner of First and Amistad

//Chorus 1//
Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lying on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why’d you have to wait?
Where were you, where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, You found me

//Verse 3//
In the end
Everyone ends up alone
Losing her
The only one who’s ever known
Who I am
Who I’m not, and who I want to be
No way to know
How long she will be next to me

//Chorus 2//
Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lying on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why’d you have to wait?
Where were you, where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, You found me

//Bridge//
Early morning
The city breaks
I’ve been calling
For years and years and years and years
And you never left me no messages
You never sent me no letters
You got some kind of nerve
Taking all I want

//Chorus 3 and outro//
Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lying on the floor
Where were you, where were you?

Lost and insecure
You found me, you found me
Lying on the floor
Surrounded, surrounded
Why’d you have to wait?
Where were you, where were you?
Just a little late
You found me, You found me

Why’d you have to wait
To find me, to find me?

This is a blurb from The Fray about the meaning of the song.
“You Found Me is a tough song for me. Its about the disappointment, the heart ache, the let down that comes with life. Sometimes you’re let down, sometimes you’re the one who lets someone else down. It gets hard to know who you can trust, who you can count on. This song came out of a tough time, and I’m still right in the thick of it. There’s some difficult circumstances my family and friends have been going through over the past year or so and can be overwhelming. It wears on me. It demands so much of my faith to keep believing, keep hoping in the unseen. Sometimes the tunnel has a light at the end, but usually they just look black as night. This song is about that feeling, and the hope that I still have, buried deep in my chest."

Arizona, baby!!!

2008-11-24T17:25:00.001-08:00

I haven't heard it since then....

GNO - Holiday Prep

2008-11-16T11:22:00.001-08:00

BFF's & I went to a GNO shin dig at which you design your own outdoor holiday baskets, buckets, tubs, stands etc. IT ROCKED!!!

First of all it was very thrifty, I did 2 large planters and a small bucket for $22 and all the greens are fresh and the selection was top notch - Spruce tips, juniper swags, pine branches etc.

Second of all it was fun, just a relaxed evening of girl talk and holiday prep. This of course occurred after it took us 45 minutes to get out of the Mall of America parking lots! Once we got away from MOA we spent a couple hours designing our planters (in my case I just bought the goodies and brought them home because I had not cleared the dead mums/kale from my planters). At this point a drink and food is needed so we wrapped up the evening with a quick bit to eat.

I just put together my planter this morning and I love them, they need a splash of red from some berries but are otherwise set. I also managed to get the 2 outdoor Christmas trees staged, the white lights on my evergreen up and my other holiday/winter stuff out. I also had to erase the last bit of fall by pulling up all my mums and kale from FROZEN soil. It has been cold but I didn't expect it to be so much work to get them extracted.

I'm off to make a hearty vegetarian chili in the crockpot.

Making a play for it!

2008-11-13T19:36:00.000-08:00

I have been working on my own, for my own company since I had Preston. I kinda dabbled and never really got serious but lately I have had great luck finding clients so I have decided to jump in with both feet!

I want to work and for the sake of me doing less house projects need to work! Having my own company and working virtually should be the best of both worlds, I can be here for the kids, work and still manage stuff around here. It's amazing how much time you pick up when you don't have a commute or lunch hour etc etc.

I made a free site and if business continues to boom I will upgrade to a fancy site. I also widened my scope of offerings. I'm a top notch project manager and lately I have mastered the virtual admin asst jobs but I threw in some of the fun things I like to do - photography, event planning and organized effectiveness. Here it is:
PG Star Consulting (its migrating right now but should be up later).

Divorce

2008-11-12T08:20:00.000-08:00

Not my husband but my new range, there is a new man in my life and he has 3 racks and a steam wash. While I care deeply about my range and its convection love and hot warming drawer it just isn't enough anymore.

Excuse my dirty dishes but it is a dishwasher!

Throw it Together Tuesday

2008-11-12T05:21:00.000-08:00

About once a week I'm stumped for dinner and I just throw about of random, leftover type stuff in a pot or dish and cook it. Last night we had Tomato Basil Bake. Anytime I cook I hardly measure so you just have to go with my flow.

1 Box of Barilla Plus Rotini (cooked)
1 can of Organic Garbanzo beans
1 can of Diced tomatoes with Italian spices
1/2 jar of Pasta sauce
a bit of extra pizza sauce
fresh chopped basil
some shredded mozzarella cheese
some slices of Swiss cheese

I cooked the noodles and drained, while they cooked I threw everything else into a casserole dish. Mixed the noodles in and covered with a couple slices of good Swiss cheese. Baked at 350 for 30 min.

I thought it was yummy, Preston ate is entire serving and Maren ate half. You could easily add any type of veggie but I really wanted to concentrate on the fresh basil and tomato mix.

Random

2008-11-10T16:01:00.000-08:00

I love my new range, I want to marry it! I just stand in front of it in awe of the pretty lights and strange controls. Then I open it and I'm blinded by 2 oven lights, blind or not I love it! I have yet to cook anything in it but I'm using the warming drawer to keep delivery pizza warm right now. I LOVE IT!

I figured out today when the temp has plummeted that my heated seats don't work, I peruse the manual positive that its just a blown fuse. I feel confident of that once I find that the rear heated seats are run by a fuse but I cannot locate the info for front seats. I open the hood, dig around and cannot figure it out. I call the dealership and after a vote they decide its not a fuse (I'm not really buying this vote but I'm also not buying the Nov 4th vote so...) and since my car is warrantied who the heck cares. It goes in Thursday so hopefully I can warm my large bum at that point.

I'm having a very OFF day, not sure the problem just having a hard time focusing on work and life in general. I did manage to get some catch up things done yesterday. I keep a Birthday Book (pictures of the kids on their birthday) and I write an annual letter to each kid, well it hadn't been finished so I crossed that off my list. I also went through all the toys and donated anything that wasn't being used so we can prepare for the holidays.

I still need to fix a couple of paint chips and hang the window scarves in my bathroom but I'm making progress. I also need to put away the 1000's of pictures that are sitting on my desk, it might be fun to actually SEE my desk!

Maybe its the impending holidays, it will be our first officially alone. I had a major falling out in the spring with our closest family member so we won't be attending any events with them and it just feels weird to be that OUT.

I don't really know how these fit in right now but its one of my favorite songs currently.

How many times can I break till I shatter?
Over the line can't define what I'm after
I always turn the car around
Give me a break let me make my own pattern
All that it takes is some time but I'm shattered
I always turn the car around

This also doesn't fit but its been on my mind since 2 close friends are preggo. I would love to have another because kids are so magical but I want a tiny bit of my life back, which I have now and I have this unnatural fear of bad things. I know with only 2 kids I can easily pick them both up and run but anymore than 2 and I would have to make a choice - I could never make that kind of choice.

On a more positive note I'm looking forward to a GNO on Friday November 21st to see Twilight. I heart Edward!

Thanksgiving Menu

2008-11-08T09:15:00.000-08:00

In the making, here are my thoughts for the big day.

Creamy Mashed Potatoes

Whiskey Glazed Carrots

Fresh Corn with Wild Rice

Pumpkin Cake

Pecan Topped Sweet Potatoes

Green Bean Casserole

Stuffing

Cranberry Relish

Chocolate Cheesecake

Cheesy Potato Casserole

I don't think I'm missing anything or at least I hope I'm not. I will get some yummy fresh baked rolls from the co-op. I usually keep my appetizers simple so I can focus on the main stuff so apps are cheese and crackers, spinach dip, pesto torte and hummus and veggies.

What a difference a few days makes

2008-11-07T05:44:00.000-08:00

This is the view from my kitchen window just a few short days after the last picture.

SNOW!!! Can you believe it, the kids can't wait to get outside and have spent most the morning just staring out into the cold wetness. The dogs won't come in and just keep running circles in it. Which makes me think I had better get them in or they will "run down" all the snow and the kids will have mush!

In order to enjoy our first snow fall I think we will do Fondue Friday and make a bunch of different dippables that the kids can dip veggies, fruits, grains and sweets in!

I'm thinking a Spinach Dip, something with hummus and perhaps this tasty treat. To be honest with no range my options are quite limited but the wait will be worth it when a new one is delivered to me on Monday! I plan my inaugural dish to be lasagna, now what we will eat for the next 3 days I'm really not so sure.

So I hung some curtains in the bonus room yesterday, spent at least 30 minutes attempting to figure out why they didn't look even. Only when I pulled out the tape measure did I realize that one of my 84 in curtains was 82 inches. What a relief that I didn't install the rod totally whacked. In the policy of full discloser it is partially whacked, it just was not my day for this project!

How soon you forget

2008-11-06T15:37:00.000-08:00

I can't believe its that time of year when its necessary to have lights on midday so you can see in your own house. We have had 1 run of cool weather (40s) but now the gloom has set in and it comes with flurries tomorrow. and yes I'm excited!

I don't know how I manage to forget that we spend a good 7 months in the freezing cold and black dark! Don't get me wrong I LOVE IT!! I enjoy having a few lights on during the gloomy days to create warmth, I love cooking warm hearty soups and wearing multiple layers because I'm too cheap to turn the heat up past 65. I'm just simply amazed that I forget its like this every year and then surprised when its 1 pm and pitch black in my house.

On a brighter note I opened a bottle of wine tonight that was a screw off Merlot, you gotta love the simplicity of that! I remember buying a case of this stuff because the picture on the label was pretty. I had no idea it was a screw off top but it worked for me tonight. It paired lovely with a Gerard's Spinach salad, cheesy garlic bread and Pasta Figioli soup. I used the recipe from A Year of Crockpotting and it was very good. Let me be the first to say when Stephanie is done with her year of crockpotting I will be very sad, I hope she goes for another year.

Speaking of crock pots, I need a soup recipe that is good for 3-5 yrs old. The kids Harvest Festival is the week of Turkey Day at school and I'm not really sure what a bunch of 3-5 yr old will eat from a crock pot. So let me know your ideas.

Don't forget

2008-11-04T06:21:00.000-08:00

to vote!

I will be taking the kids with me when they are out of school so they have a chance to see the process in action.

The View

2008-11-03T06:01:00.000-08:00

This is the view from my kitchen window, it's just a warm glow of gold!

This is the birch tree providing the lovely fall colors, it has always been my favorite but now it makes me smile every time I walk into the kitchen.

Best Day Ever!!

2008-11-02T11:30:00.000-08:00

It was the best day ever!! Actually it was the best weekend ever although it didn't start out that way. My Grandma arrived Thursday evening as I was dealing with a major case of party set-up ADD, I just could not get focused enough to decide what I should do. I left to go make the kids food and my Grandma arrived with a massive black eye and hurt arm/knee. After some discovery I found out she had fallen that morning so off to urgent care were we learned she had a small fracture in her hand and general bumps in bruises. All in all very lucky it was nothing worse.

I came home to disaster so I had a bottle of wine and chatted to pregnant friend #2 until almost midnight. Important lesson in party planning - night before party drinks lots as it really helps you be productive. I did manage to pull out of my ADD long enough to get the party setup and I think between the work (majority) that 3 friends did while I was at urgent care and what I pulled together we looked PRETTY DAMN GOOD!

We did food and the crafts (make your own pumpkin and ghouly gloves) in the basement and also had a small scary room (spooky lights, skeleton and music). Outside we hung thick black plastic from the underside of the deck to create a room. We did pin the tail on the cat and had tables for them to eat at, that room we kept good and fogged! We also had Pumpkin Bowling, Pass the Bone and Find the bones.

The time was perfect, plenty of food and all the parents enjoyed drinks and appetizers. Can't wait to start planning for the 2nd annual next year. In fact we hit Target up the day after for all the necessary items so all we have to worry about next year is food!

Although the party success was because of the hard work and dedication of all 4 friends the weather certainly helped. We haven't had a warm Halloween (50's) for at least 5 yrs so it really helped to set the stage. Plus I love throwing parties with 4 brains instead of just my wimpy-wine-impaired one because you really come up with the best ideas!

We sent the kids out to ToT and I proceeded to drink wine I mean hand out candy on the front porch. Then everyone came back and the kids ate candy and I drank wine. We PJ'd the kids and set them up with high quality educational movies (Spongebob Halloween) and drank some more wine and ate. All things said it was a lovely Halloween and great weekend.

It really did help having my Grandma here, it was fun for the kids and allowed me to get the house cleaned up. I always function much better when my house is somewhat clean so at some point I must head back to the kitchen and clean up the pre-football nacho mess.

I honestly have no plans this week other than to veg-out but then I need to quickly turn my mind to Turkey Day and work on my menu and start shopping for it. I was able to pull down Halloween decor yesterday and get Thanksgiving up so at least I look festive.

Fall & Apples

2008-10-29T10:41:00.000-07:00

Someone else I know

2008-10-28T18:25:00.000-07:00

is with child!!!!

I'm so excited and they so deserve this magic!! Congrats and happy and healthy 9 months.

In fact H & H 9 months to all my many pregnant friends!

better you than me - chuckle.....

Cheap and then some

2008-10-28T11:18:00.000-07:00

I'm one of those odd freaks who is so incredibly cheap in some ways yet all together the opposite in others. One of my ultra cheap ways is controlling the heat & AC so we have no heat right now and won't until November 1st which is my turn on date! Well it has been mighty chilly here so the house has been down to 58 and warms up to about 62 during the course of the day.

I'm thinking due to that I will make something in the oven for dinner. If you remember my oven door doesn't latch properly so it does a nice job of heating the house. Although then it doesn't do a great job of cooking the food but honestly you can't have everything.

Here's to hoping the oven problem gets worked out on Thursday when the repair guy comes and also that he can make my dishwasher decide to start washing the dishes again. I have much faith in a guy I have never met!

Hours have past and I have done very little but sit outside and chat with friend and drink wine (me not her as she is with child). Gotta love 2x for Tuesday at Dominoes. I know have both kids asleep because I fear we are battling another cold off.

Croc Sale

2008-10-27T19:06:00.000-07:00

In case you hadn't noticed I'm a fan. Today I was lucky enough to stumble upon the outlet sale at Crocs.com and picked up 2 pairs of chutes for the kids next summer and a pr of crocs boots for P all for $49 with free shipping (crocsavp08).

Don't knock 'em till you tried 'em and better to try 'em on sale.

Pair it with Gerard

2008-10-26T15:32:00.000-07:00

I figured Pasta would be a perfect pairing for my Champagne Salad so I whipped up this quick and yummy and healthy pasta dish.

Chickpea Pasta

Saute a red pepper, white onion with some fresh garlic, OO and any spices (if the kids weren't eating I would have done Red Pepper Flakes). Cook your choice of pasta, I did Penne but this would be perfect with a fun shape. Add 1 can rinsed chickpeas and 1 can petite diced tomatoes to the saute pan, warm. Then add to your drained noodles and mix. Dump into a nice bowl and add some fresh chopped basil and some fresh Parmesan.

Tasty!

Both kids gobbled (subtle reference that its almost time to talk Turkey Day) it down and spent a good 5 minutes coming up with different variations of Chickpea - ChickPete, ChickPeep, ChickPip etc.

I'm smitten

2008-10-26T10:48:00.000-07:00

I can't get enough of it, I figure you can eat it on salads, pastas, sandwiches or really anything! I can't get enough of Gerard's Light Champagne Dressing.

It all started last night with an impromptu get together of homemade pizzas and a salad (brought by a friend). The salad itself was perfect - greens, onions, hearts of palm, artichokes, blue cheese - yum! But then the dressing was added and its safe to say that 4 grown women stood around a bowl of salad and devoured it!

I do feel better knowing that I have friends with the same addiction as me.

Holiday Cards in the Making

2008-10-24T12:14:00.001-07:00

It's always something

2008-10-24T06:38:00.000-07:00

I made mini-thanksgiving last night and it took forever since my oven hardly heats and then I put everything in the dishwasher and its washing for a 2nd time because it doesn't wash. It's hard to put into words how much I hate my appliances and they are only 5 yrs old. Be warned DO NOT buy Whirpool Gold. I can't vouch for the cheaper parts of the Whirlpool brand, hell they probably work great. Gold sucks Pez!

To further enlighten you on my non-dishwasher, I ran it twice and now have a sink full of dishes to scrub - can you say pissed!

Do you think its a problem that I'm blogging and my kids are playing puppy with an actual dog collar and leash?

Have you wondered about my choice in music on the blog? If you subtract Jason Mraz the other songs are the ones I picked for our family DVD that I'm having made. This will be our big gift to most the family this year, it will be 99.9% pics of the kids with a couple of us. I used Smiling Snaps and so far her service has been perfect. I look forward to seeing the final version and of course that my Christmas shopping is done!

On a different note, I'm not much of a sweet person but my kids and GR are responsible for eating half the Halloween candy in the last couple weeks. I did just try a Butterfinger and I must say it was yummy.

Cheap Date

2008-10-23T06:45:00.000-07:00

For $24.95 + s/h I have bought myself peace from one of my kids.

This little beauty has kept Preston occupied for solid hours since its arrival on Tuesday. I feel like one of these times I will look over and he will have written a novel, which if he shares some $$$ with my meager retirement account that would be even better.

The best toy in the world is from Toys to Grow On which was the catalog that they picked most of their Christmas gifts from. I also ordered the Math Tables which I thought would be an instant hit because Preston is a huge number freak, instead he won't leave his writing table long enough to eat. But Maren does enjoy pushing all the buttons up and then all the buttons down.

Either way I'm happy and my kid is smart!

Girls Weekend

2008-10-22T06:02:00.000-07:00

I know its the same post title as a few days ago but its the same topic! Girls Weekend was perfect and I mean totally perfect - perfect weather perfect activities, perfect food and no drama. It was lovely and relaxing, calm and peaceful and fun and memorable.

The weather was mid 90s during the day and probably low 60s at night. We had great meals cooked at home and one good lunch (right before we left) at a brewery, a tiny bit of shopping, a great hike and just time to chat and read. Nothing was ever forced, it was all perfectly natural.

I admit I was scared about going someplace so freaking hot but it was great. I was scared about going someplace with all girls but I love and respect their company even more now. I was scared to leave my kids but they did great and although I have to repaint 2 rooms my house is still standing.

A cactus on our hike, not sure if its a Saguaro but I can tell you how to pronounce it

We hiked Pinnacle Peak and these are some of the rock formations that look like they could topple at any moment

I consider it a perfect success! Now onto to making the same happen with our large Halloween party.

I'm waiting patiently for the Twilight movie to come out, yesterday I heard Bella's Lullaby and fell head over heels for it.

I managed to get my house put back together yesterday and even my fridge cleaned out (we had pizza for dinner) so today I can touch up paint a few of my chipped rooms and finish up some work then organize my desk. It is piled with 2 kids worth of preschool activities, crafts and misc.

Girls Weekend

2008-10-16T14:49:00.000-07:00

I have waited until I was practically out the door to tell the kids I was leaving for the weekend. I will be honest, I have hardly been away from them since they were born. Technically I have never been away from Maren and Preston I was gone 1 night while I had Maren!

When I told Preston he said "If you are gone the whole weekend, I will miss you so much!". "Will you miss me that much?" he asks with tears welling up. I automatically start crying (heck I'm crying typing it) but I managed to tell him I would miss him more.

Of course my missing the kids will come in between a spa day, days at the pool, shopping, eating good food uninterrupted, drinking lots of wine and just laying around doing nothing. but I will miss them both! I'm not sure what I will do when I use the bathroom and don't have an audience, perhaps one of my 3 girlfriends coming with can be the audience.

Did I mention we have perfect fall weather here - 50, sunny and leaves changing. Did I mention I heart fall the most! Did I mention we are going to Arizona and its 90! Did I mention I'm not a fan of heat, summer or boob sweat! Did I mention I don't care because I have managed to do my nails, toes, brows, hair and I look somewhat put together (this is a change see unrelated comment below).

In regards to me never looking put together, Maren's teacher told me I looked "stunning" at church on Sunday. Keep in mind this is the one who sees me un-showered 98% of the time and in sweats. I had managed to get a simple black dress on with tall black boots and my hair brushed (it did need to be washed since I was going on day 4 but...) and apparently it was enough. You know what I will take the compliment, heck it made my freaking week!

Off to the official Girls Weekend 2008 Arizona. I love my kids and will miss them terrible (probably miss GR also)!

5 things you might not have known about me

2008-10-15T06:54:00.001-07:00

I don't really like sweets and if I do have it would be fancy dessert with strong black coffee.
I have no real clue how to style my hair or apply make-up.
I swam competitively all the way through college (or the 2 years I attended).
I moved to MN when I was 21 so I never really drank in any bars in CO.
I had 2 dogs growing up - Lady & Tramp

Check it out...

2008-10-14T18:06:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to check out Little Bits of Something they have much cuter pictures!

10 Things that make me smile

2008-10-14T17:53:00.000-07:00

Smell of a campfire or bonfire (on a crisp fall night)
Watching the leaves change
Listening to my kids giggle (or even play nice together)
A good glass of wine (or the whole bottle)
Cooking dinner for my friends
A book I can't put down (vampires, anyone??)
A rainy day
Pretty flowers (even better if I grew them)
Taking a perfect picture (love it even more if it's of my kids)
Crocs (ok, that is a tad pathetic)

Speaking of Crocs I highly recommend the new Croc boots. I bought a pair for both Maren and I and they are so cute and should handle the snow and cold nicely (former Ugg lover on a budget now).

AGAIN!!!

2008-10-14T14:19:00.000-07:00

I had planned on trying once again to make mini-thanksgiving but it didn't work out so I converted a recipe that I usually do in the crock pot to a quick stove one (we shall see how it turns out).

Monterey Spaghetti - today I used some cooked noodles, can of Cannellini Beans, can of diced tomatoes, spinach, a bit of mayo, a bit of soy milk,an egg (powdered) and some cheese and dried onions. Cooking on 350 for 1 hr with a bit of time after to brown the top.

So I hadn't planned on posting again today but for the 3rd time in a week I managed to burn my hand cooking - 1st on steam from a micro veggie bag, 2nd lasagna on Sunday and third just FREAKIN now!!

But I have the magic cure - a bit of Calendula and kids bandage and it's like it never happened. I swear that stuff is magic I would post before and after pics but you can't even tell I was burned.

Off to figure out if dinner is edible....

Lazy Monday

2008-10-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

I'm not one for laying around during the day, in fact in my 4.5 years of being a SAHM I'm pretty sure I have never done it. Just not my style, I'm an up early go-go-go until about 10 pm type of person.

Yesterday was the exception, Preston came home from school with a headache and took a nap by himself. I was in the middle of making a mini-thanksgiving so I shelved that idea and ordered pizza because the neediness was coming. I then spent most of the rest of the evening laying in someones bed watching Spongebob. The bonus was the world premier of "Who Bob What Pants" was on!

A bit of Chinese herbs, some immune vitamins and a good night sleep and I think I have my normal kids back. I do think it helped we at just been to the chiropractor on Friday so both kids were in good aligned shape. I will also admit that laying around watching cartoons with your kids isn't such a bad deal.

My Fav Chinese Herb - kids can take 1 a day (you could add 1 more 12 hrs from the first if needed) adults take 3-6 pills 2-3 times per day right at first onset of symptoms.

That does leave me with a long list of To Do's for today and tomorrow: p/u pants, Target Grocery Shopping, Brow Wax, finish work project/get paid, clean house and spend quality time with the kids before I leave.

weight loss

2008-10-13T05:40:00.000-07:00

My summer was very emotional on one hand and on the other very much like a college frat party. My kids were finally old enough to play on their own with supervision which allowed me to have an actual conversation with adults. We did many laid back evenings of drinks and food. Let's just be honest when you are 5' 3.75" you can't really afford to over indulge often.

I lost all my pregnancy weight after Maren was born and was back down to 127/28 (I was about 120 when I meet GR and 127 when I got married). When I stopped nursing I gained about 10 lbs pretty easily, it's safe to say I made good use of the 500 calories I was burning making milk. Then over the summer I plowed all the way to 163.

I'm proud to say as of yesterday I was back to 144 and back into about 1/2 my clothes! I can tell that putting on that kind of weight when not pregnant ravaged my already ravaged body but what is done is done. and only 14 more lbs to go.

over myself

2008-10-12T11:45:00.000-07:00

ok, I know my last post was so self-centered, selfish and all about me! I just want to make it clear I'm over myself and in my defense all this happened when I had massive crying PMS. I love my dear friend and am nothing but thrilled and excited and can't wait to hold the wee one (wee in more ways than one)!

Busy weekend - we did the Apple Orchard/Pumpkins on Saturday and the kids had a blast. Went to Dianna's Saturday night for drinks and bonfire, Preston came with me and played and Maren stayed home because she was a bit worn out.

The kids sang in church this morning as part of the Preschool Singers, both were nervous but Preston came through. He held Maren's hand and went up and for the first time in his preschool career sang!! He looked like he wanted to throw up but he did it and Maren even sang a bit so I deem it a complete success and am incredibly proud of them. So proud my weepy PMS self all but practically cried like a baby!

Not much else planned for the day, very busy week of errands and prep because I leave Thursday night for a girls weekend in AZ. This will be my first time away from the kids, I mean I only spent about 14 hrs in the hospital partly because I didn't want to be away from P (and partly because I hate hospitals).

Working through it

2008-10-10T12:26:00.000-07:00

With a complete sprinkle of luck I found out one of my closest friends is pregnant. She had planned to tell us at the airport as we flew to our girls weekend in Arizona. Now you wouldn't think this would do anything but make me thrilled beyond belief but it stirred up so many emotions that I was stunned.

First and most important she is my cul de sac drinking partner, now of course she can continue to "hold and dump" like she has done the past 4 wks (aren't I observant) but that isn't right of me to ask. So I have to come to terms with the fact that she is out of the game for a minimum of 9 months (slightly less but lets just stick with that for ease) and perhaps a restricted schedule after that.

Then I suffered through that we no longer had matching families - 1 boy and 1 girl and what should I do about it - get pregnant to keep up with them, come to terms that we are different or just drink a bottle of wine and forget about it (I chose the later).

Then it occurred to me (because I think clearly when drinking just don't remember most of it) that it changes our summer plans - pools, hanging out not watching our kids, 5 o'clock somewhere parties etc and for that matter it just changes everything in general.

What is even stranger is I went through these same emotions when I found out my kinda-cousin wanted to have a baby - come on people why mess with something good! You think I would have come to terms that people change, lives change and I cannot forever stay in one moment just being happy!

So once I was done being selfish I realized what she must be going through (possibly all of the above) and more - bigger car, bigger house, less work, less money, less time to herself, more happiness, more unforgettable moments and more memories of her kids growing up as a family.

I guess my problem is I would have a shoe-full of kids if I wasn't worried about everything and trying to plan everything. I'm always concerned with not enough money, time, patience, space and how it changes the future. I will focus on the happiness of my 2 kids and reveal in the joy that will happen when they have 3 kids.

I'm so incredibly excited to be a part of my already pregnant friends life and pregnancy and can't wait for not quite yet pregnant kinda-cousin to get pregnant so I can live vicariously through her life also.

and it broke

2008-10-08T17:42:00.000-07:00

It took a few days but I had quite possibly the worst day ever - on the phone dealing with a bank issue, crabby kids, basement dishwasher backs up and spills all over the workshop floor, my drill breaks when I'm trying to hang my new curtains, the dogs are constantly wet and muddy since it has rained the ENTIRE FREAKING DAY!

ok, I must stop focusing on the negative and start on the positive - I ordered pizza for the 2nd night in a row and had several glasses of wine, I skipped the kids bath, I borrowed Rachael's drill and wet vac (I'm pretty sure I'm getting married to that drill) and ultimately I accomplished nothing which is always a good end to the day.

I can actually say that the kids weren't too bad except for the pen on the couch and the huge mess in the bonus room (which is kinda normal so why complain).

Wednesday was better and it ended with a bang but before I get to that I must wrap the day up. And find a large bandage to wrap my completely steam burned pointer finger (yep, they put the STEAM EXITS HERE - HOT for a reason on micro vegetables). And yes dinner was not delivery pizza but grilled cheese and micro corn!

Fairly Uneventful

2008-10-02T09:50:00.000-07:00

Today was fairly uneventful from the start which I can only assume means all heck will break lose later in the day for me. At this moment (after dropping the kids at school) I should be working on an Internet shopping cart project but instead I'm focused on the front door waiting for the UPS guy.

We are having our first ever Halloween party so I ordered some "sale" stuff for PBK and some decorative branches from Nettleton Hollow (I haven't seen it in person yet but the website is FAB!!!) I'm planing and plotting how to set up everything on the front porch. Here's a couple things I did inside (a mix of Etsy and Target stuff).

As I said it was a nice morning - did some laundry, continually cleaned up after the kids and managed to put on clean underwear. I even have dinner started, 3 days of crockpot glory this week (veggie soup - tonight, monterey spaghetti - monday night and last night roasted potatoes (sweet/regular).

Idiot!!!

2008-10-01T14:37:00.000-07:00

This actually happened last week but I still chuckle and !@??!!@#$ a bit everytime I open the fridge.

Ok, here’s the story, try and keep up…

I noticed when I got up yesterday at 6 AM that I had water running down the fridge, I assumed GR did it during the night and didn’t think anything of it. Until it started to pool up around the fridge and was a constant stream of water. I checked out under the sink and thought I found the turn off valve for the on-the-door water. I conferenced with Ryan Rice because guys are always right and they know this s*it!

So I turn the water off (and test, its OFF) and I’m leaking so I continue switching off towel to soak up the mess. I had called BBY who does our maintenance and the soonest was Tuesday so I scheduled that. I get up this morning (after changing towels out overnight) and it’s a mess, water everywhere and its warping my wood floors so I find someone (who I have to pay as BBY is free) to come look at it this morning.

The guy was here for 3.5 minutes, he explained that the tiny bit of plastic bag on the bread (you know the part that is leftover after you twist it shut) was covering my cool air vents. In turn this was making my ice melt (which sits in the door) hence water pouring out the front of my fridge from my NEVERENDING SUPPLY OF MELTING ICE CUBES !@#@!@###%$$$!!!!!!!

$59 bucks, one less loaf of bread and 16 soaking wets towels my fridge is fixed – IDIOT!!!!

The bright spot is it gives me a reason to drink tonight.

partial shot of the fridge in question (I actually love that fridge!!!)

Why Another?

2008-10-01T13:21:00.000-07:00

I have many things to say that might not be appropriate for some to hear....Little Bits of Something can keep family and friends updated on the happy-go-lucky trivial stuff that everyone cares about and Plenty of Not Much will help put you to sleep at night.

I can rant endlessly about my house, cooking, kids, Mr. Jen, the damn dogs and anything else that I feel like blabbering about. Good luck to those reading!