{Embrace} the Camera: Star Wars

This week's {embrace} is all about Star Wars in Concert. About a year and a half ago, Tim and I went to see Star Wars, in Concert. It was an amazing presentation of Star Wars music, accompanied by a HUGE screen showing scenes from the movies while the orchestra performed the music. LOVED every minute of it! If you are a Star Wars Fan like we are, and the tour comes to your area, you DEFINITELY need to go! It was worth every dollar!



For more details about Embracing the Camera,
Click HERE to visit Emily's Blog!

Wonderful Wednesday (not so much)

Normally, on Wednesdays, I title my blog post "Wonderful Wednesday" ... well today, I had to alter that title a little bit. See, today, for the most part, was NOT AT ALL wonderful!

It began at 2 a.m. when Xander woke me up (after I was up until almost midnight). He said, "Mommy, daddy, Asher is crying really, really hard in his bed!" So I jumped up and ran into his room- figuring maybe he had a bad dream or something. When I got in there though, I quickly learned it was not crying from a dream, but because he was having trouble breathing.

This happened to him back in November too- it was so bad then that the pediatrician admitted him into the children's hospital for 2 days. So, when I heard how hard he was breathing... ahem, I meant to say "wheezing"... I figured I better get him to the ER! So, I grabbed his coat, his Spongebob blanket from "Aunt" Tami, and his Buzz Lightyear (that he doesn't sleep without) and got him in the car to go to the hospital. (OOPS...forgot to grab his shoes). Without shoes, I had to carry him from the parking lot at the hospital all the way into the ER... I think I was breathing harder than he was by the time I got inside....

Anyways, we go to the ER at almost 3 a.m. and the triage nurse could hear how bad he was struggling; so she sent us for chest x-rays. After that, they put us in a room where we sat for what seemed like FOR-EV-ER! After about an hour, he seemed OK. I really wanted to go....but there's that silly little rule that you can't leave the ER until you see a doctor...and unfortunately, the doctor was with a "critical" patient. So, there we sat until after 5 a.m. before the dr. came into the room.

She explained how his chest x-rays looked to her. She said that with the symptoms he presented when he came in (by this point almost all symptoms were gone), and with the x-rays, it looked to her like he has asthma. Of course, she recommends following up with the pediatrician, and perhaps a Pediatric Pulmonary Specialist (big phrasing for a kid's lung doctor). She gave us a script for Albuterol (sp) and sent us home at 545 a.m.!

Thank GOD, Tim called into work so I could sleep. Didn't see how I would be able to survive all day on only the original 2 hours of sleep!

By the time we were home, Asher and I were thoroughly exhausted! We went straight to bed!! Apart from making barking sounds when he laughs, he seems like he's back to normal now. But for good measure, and since it's a little bit still there, I did a breathing treatment for him before dinner! Praying he doesn't have another episode- it's scary for everyone involved. Xander was even shook up by the whole thing!

-------------------------------------------------------

Ok....that was the "not so wonderful" part about my Wednesday. Here's a couple good things about my day!

1: Asher went to the bathroom this afternoon to go #2. I usually leave him alone until he yells that he's done, then I go help him "finish" up (AKA: wipe) lol! Anyways, after he had been in there WAY too long, I went to check on him. His pull up and clothes were on the floor, but he was NOT in the bathroom! So, I checked in his bedroom. There he stood, on his window-sill, completely NAKED. Standing there in the window for all of the Coweta world to see! OMG... kid cracks me up! Who knew you'd have to tell your kid, "Son, we don't stand naked in our bedroom window!" AWESOMENESS!!

2: Tonight was my mommy night out. I get those, on average, once a week. It's my night to go out and do whatever I wanna do: dinner, movie, Starbucks, shop, etc...whatever; with whomever I want: TMOM friends, work friends, Rhema friends, etc...whomever!!
Well, tonight was going to be my night with Annissa and Tami (TMOM friends), but Tami got icky-sick and had to cancel. So, it was just A and me!! We had so much fun (in spite of missing Tami!). We went to dinner at Texas Roadhouse, then went shopping at Target, and finished the night, of course, with STARBUCKS!! LOVE my frappuccinos! I got a strawberry & cream frapp with java chips added! It's like a chocolate covered strawberry in a cup! YUMMY!

SO... my crummy day ended VERY well! Good company, fun shopping, yummy food, and delicious dessert (Starbucks)!!

Happy birthday to my friend, Martha! Check out her blog HERE... her blog posts always make me smile!!

Was your Wednesday Wonderful?? Sorry, no pictures today- was too tired to take any!!

Two Things Tuesday

Two things about today....

1: It was a HORRIBLY, gloomy, yucky day. The sky was cloudy and overcast all day long. I am not sure if it ever actually RAINED, but it did that nasty "misty" rain all day long. I am fairly certain that kind of precipitation is the worst! It's just annoying! I will be glad when we get back to SPRING weather...hopefully soon!

Here's a silly Asher picture...
he cracks me up...
notice the shoes... hahahahaha!


2: Made porcupine balls for dinner tonight; served on a bed of cabbage!

SUPER YUMMY!

I took pictures of the preparation process to include with the recipe....
if you're interested!

PORCUPINE BALLS ON CABBAGE
*1 head of cabbage (chopped)
*1 lb ground beef
*1 small onion finely chopped
*1 egg
*1 boil-in-a-bag rice bag
*2 cans tomato soup
*1 can water
*Parmesan cheese (if desired)
*seasonings to taste (salt, pepper, garlic powder, Italian seasonings, etc)


-Heat oven to 350 degrees. Boil cabbage for about 5 minutes just until tender- don't over-cook because it will cook more in the oven!


-Drain cabbage & place in bottom of 9X13 baking dish

-Mix ground beef with egg, onions and seasonings. Set aside until rice is cooked.


-Boil the "boil-in-a-bag" rice for 1/2 of the cooking time given in the directions- like the cabbage, it will cook more in the oven! Drain rice, rinse with cold water, then mix with ground beef mixture.

-Form meat mixture into balls and place in the baking dish on top of the cabbage bed.

-Mix 2 cans of tomato soup + 1 can of water in mixing bowl, then pour over the meat and cabbage.

-Cover with foil and bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes, or until meatballs are cooked through. Remove from oven, top with Parmesan cheese (if desired) and serve!

What a weekend!

My weekend was SO crazy busy. It all started a couple of weeks ago... tagging for the TMOM sale is so mentally and physically exhausting:
Mentally because I have to think... about prices... such a challenge sometimes;
Physically because I can't tell you how many times I poked my fingers with safety pins, or how many hours I spent working on it instead of sleeping.
UGH....but these are the pics of all the stuff (plus I sold a double stroller)!

So, on Friday afternoon, I loaded all of that into the car and set off on my journey to (almost) west-Tulsa to help with setting up the sale stuff! After I dropped off my stuff, I went to dinner with friends Tami (left) and Annissa (right). We ate at Zios (YUMMY)...love that restaurant! Loved it even more that night because they messed up on my order so, without me complaining AT ALL, they gave it to me for free!! WAHOO for free food!

After dinner, we went back to the church for Member's only night shopping! That's always fun because a majority of the TMOM members are there that night for "first dibs" on all the good stuff! It's nice to see everyone together ... to catch up with people I may not see very often! I got some cute clothes for each of the kids, plus girlie sippy cups for Bella, and a book all for less than $30!! I worked as a cashier for the sale...so that was fun to see what everyone was buying! Good times....

Friday's weather was the epitome of PERFECTION! Saturday...not so much! We got up Saturday morning with gloomy skies, misty/drizzly rain, and about 38 degrees. BOO! Especially BOO because Xander had a soccer game. My mom offered to stay with the babies so they didn't have to go out, but Asher was heartbroken when I told him he was staying home. So he went.... even though I warned him of how cold it was gonna be out there, he still wanted to go! Here's proof of how cold it was!! LOL!The opposing team didn't show up due to weather, so we only had to sit out there for about 20 minutes then we got to go home and warm up!

After lunch Saturday, I went back to the TMOM sale to shop a little more (didn't buy anything else though). There was SO much sold by that point... the place was essentially empty! I was SO very excited by how well this sale went!

Overall, we made 150% more than our last sale... I would call that SUCCESS! You saw the pics above of all the stuff I took to the sale...this is all that I had leftover to bring home!! WAHOOOOOO!!!!
After cleaning up when the sale was all over, I came home and made dinner. Then I crashed into my bed for a quick 2 hour nap before having to go to work! Worked all night Saturday and Sunday. I am worn out! I am looking forward to a week of NOTHING exhausting planned!

What did you do this weekend??

Carne Asada

Carne Asada Marinade
*1 1/2 -2 lbs flank steak (we used top sirloin)
*1/3 C vinegar
*1/2 C soy sauce
*1/2 C olive oil
*1 tsp cumin
*1-2 tsp black pepper
*1 tsp salt
*1 tsp garlic powder
*1 tsp paprika
*1 tsp chili powder
*1 tsp onion powder
*1 1/2 tsp oregano (I used Italian Seasoning)
*2 limes, juiced
*4-5 minced garlic cloves

--Put all of above ingredients into a gallon size ziploc bag. Make sure all of the meat is completely coated in marinade. Put in fridge for minimum of 6 hours (we did 8). Grill to desired color (we like well done). Cut along the grain into strips. Serve with avocados or as a base for tacos or fajitas.

This recipe was given to me by my friend Tami... she doesn't like to cook too often, but I think she has an AMAZING recipe right here! Thanks for this yummy dinner idea, Tami!!

I'm late

I'm late, I'm late, for a very important date....
no time to blog...hello...goodbye....
I'm late, I'm late, I'm late, I'm late!!

Ok, not for a date... but for work...I'm running late, but I was thinking of all of my blogging buddies so DESPERATELY looking forward to what I have to say today, so I decided to say HELLO...GOOD-BYE...

Going to work now, I'll have so much to blog about tomorrow so I can catch you all up to speed!

Sleep well my friends!

TMOM SALE

i have been putting price tags on SO MANY items for the last two weeks.

today i took a car full- LITERALLY- to the location of our TMOM Sale

SO.VERY.EXHAUSTED.

it's been a long 2 weeks of tagging at every available opportunity...sure hope it pays off & i sell LOTS of stuff!

going to be now, but will post pics tomorrow of it all! in the mean time, check out the news special coverage for the sale by clicking HERE!!

Good night all!

Embrace the Camera: Grandmas!

Embracing the Camera... for more info, click HERE!

This week's embrace is all about the grandmas!!
Twins: Jonathan and Bella with YaYa
Twins: Jonathan and Bella with MeMaBig Boys: Xander and Asher with YaYa
Big Boys: Xander and Asher with MeMa




Me, when I was a little girl, with my Granny!
My grandma was so cool when I was growing up. She was the kind of granny who I bragged about... I remember saying once, "My granny is so cool- she doesn't wear old lady pants, she wears blue jeans!" I don't know why that was so significant for me, but I loved that fact about her. We always sat together in her recliner- so much so that when she went shopping for a new recliner, she had to take me with her to make sure she bought one that we could both fit in! LOL... She passed away a year and half ago...I miss her like crazy! She really was my best friend!!

Grandmas really are a kid's best friend! Take a moment today to {Embrace} your grandma...or the memory of her!

Wonderful Wednesday

Today was a great day. The whole day flew by so quickly... I like those kind of days! Also, it was a very productive day....

I don't go in the kids' room much... it's messy and cluttered. They clean it by pushing all the toys into a corner. And, sometimes that "cleaning" method works... but lately, I've been so frustrated with the mess! SO.... yesterday, I fore-warned the big boys. I told them that today we would be cleaning their room. So, I had a trash bag, a "keep" box, and a "sell" box (make some money off their junk...right?)... we went through EVERY toy in their room and I asked them "keep or sell?" If one of them said keep, I kept it. I don't want them, one day, to say, "I really wanted such-and-such toy, but you threw it away!" So, we have a bunch of toys to keep... BUT ... we have a whole plastic tote of "sell" toys!

WAHOO....SUCCESS!

Here's my BEFORE/AFTER PICS!!
I'm so proud of my boys...
they did so good!

For dinner, I made smothered chicken...sure wish I had taken a picture, cause it was really pretty!! I baked chicken. Sauteed onions, garlic, and mushrooms in a butter/olive oil mixture. Then I spooned the veggies over the chicken & smothered it with pepper-jack cheese.
OMG...it was DELICIOUS!!
I served it with mashed potatoes and succotash (corn & lima beans).

Productive day and yummy dinner = PERFECTION!

Two Things Tuesday

Today's Two things:

#1: I got my hair cut today. While this may not seem all that exciting to most people, it is to me! See, the last time I got my hair cut (other than trimming my own bangs) was August 2009. Yes, 2009... a year & 7 months ago. So, as you can imagine, I NEEDED A HAIRCUT!! So, since my good friend, Melanie, just graduated from Clary Sage and is preparing for her State Board licensing, I thought I would "let" her cut my hair... she needs practice, right??? LOL... I think she did a great job!! Thanks, Mel!

Here's the BEFORE picture of the back of my hair:
and here's the AFTER picture:

#2: My second "thing" for Tuesday:
SILLY FACES!
The kids were being cheesy tonight and kept making silly faces. So, I kept taking pictures...then eventually joined in! Here's a couple pics of our silly faces!

Does it get better?

can anyone out there assure me that being a mommy gets "easier?"

what i mean is, are there gonna be days that i don't spend

ALL DAY LONG

saying:

"no, don't hit your brother!"

"no, stop taking toys from your sister!"

"get out of there!"

"quit doing that!"

"please stop whining!"

"stop arguing and tattling!"

i feel like my day is spent correcting more than enjoying. maybe it's because today is monday...my sleepy, and therefore, extra cranky day. but i don't think so, 'cause it seems like i think this way more days than not.....

some days are worse than others, but i really CRAVE the days of fun enjoyment... not the days of seemingly constant correction.

maybe i need to learn to not stress about things as much....

one of my favorite songs from church growing up,
from the scripture: Psalm 51:10-12 :

"Create in me a clean heart, Oh God; and renew a right spirit within me. Cast me not away from thy presence, oh God. Take not thy Holy Spirit from me. Restore unto me the joy of my salvation. And renew a right spirit within me!"

Can you relate???

Corned Beef

Yesterday, I ventured out and tried cooking something I've never done before! I love experimenting with new things!

One day last week, Tim said, "This week is St. Patty's day, we need corned beef & cabbage!" I laughed... in the almost 9 years of our marriage, he's never wanted this for St Patty's day! LOL... but ok...whatever...sounds yummy!

So, I went to the store and bought a 3lb corned beef brisket. I read up online about how to make it... people's reviews and recipes for the "best" corned beef! Then I made it my own way...with their suggestions. I put small red potatoes in the bottom of the crockpot. Then on top of the potatoes, I put the corned beef. The meat comes with a seasoning packet, so I added that PLUS my own variety of seasonings (salt, pepper, garlic powder) plus some diced onions. I added water up to the meat, then added beer to cover the meat. The beer gave it a really nice flavor. ANYWAYS, I let it simmer in the crockpot for 7 hours, then I added chopped cabbage and large pieces of celery to cook in there with it. After a total of 9 hours in the crockpot, it was PERFECT!!

We had leftovers, so today for dinner, I made Reuben Sandwiches! I got some Russian Rye bread, baby Swiss cheese, sauerkraut, and Thousand Island dressing. I layered bread, corned beef, sauerkraut, dressing, cheese, more meat, and bread...then I grilled it on the griddle....like you'd make a grilled cheese. (I slightly warmed the meat & sauerkraut first though so it would be warm throughout) It was SOOO good... Tim and I both had 1 1/2 sandwiches... we were stuffed, but they were too good to stop at just one!! LOL...

All in all, I would call my corned beef adventure a success! It was SO easy to make...just put it in a pot, cover with water (or beer), and cook the heck out of it! If you cook on the stove, it'll probably only take about 3-4 hours... but I like the all day simmering of a crockpot!!

Thanks for reading...enjoy!

Exhaustion

I am not exhausted physically. In fact, I had lots of sleep today. I got lots of rest and it was nice!

BUT...
Emotionally, I am tired.

Yesterday, as I was typing my "Grateful Heart Friday" post, I received a text from a friend at work essentially telling me that I was going to be completely alone at work. I am the supervisor of cashiers at WalMart... normally, on Saturdays, I have 3 cashiers. BUT in the last few weeks, one person quit, one got fired, and the third started his vacation last night! My friend was supposed to work on her night off to help me so I wouldn't be alone... but the managers took her to work in a different area. So, in the midst of trying to be grateful while blogging, I got hit in the face with a frustration!

Then all night long, the night was one aggravation after another. Granted... it's probably because I started off expecting a rough night, but nonetheless, it was a frustrating night! (P.S. I ended up getting an evening cashier to work overnight to help out)

I got home this morning and made breakfast for the family; then I went to bed. I slept VERY WELL... I needed rest! When I woke up, the first thing I was told was that my aunt passed away today. My Aunt Jane was 85 years old, she had a stroke over a week ago; and due to bleeding on the brain, hospice said she wouldn't be with us for very long. She was a great woman- she was a mother to 8 children, a wife to a wonderful man- my Uncle Leroy; she was aunt, grandma, great-grandma, sister, and mom to many people. She was greatly loved. She will be missed!

Within an hour after hearing of her passing, I received a text from my cousin. She said that another cousin, Brooke, (who just had a baby 3 days ago) had to have her baby- Jonah- admitted to the NICU today. He's been having seizures and turning blue. I can't even imagine...this is her first baby. He was born a perfect size, a perfect weight, at the perfect time- not a preemie. All seemed perfect until today.

So... all of this family lives in Florida.... as you know, I am in Oklahoma. I've said in previous posts how close our family was when I was growing up.... so this is very difficult for me. I hate being so far from "home" .... I hate that my family is hurting, and I can't be there for/with them!
So...again... I am exhausted!

Please pray for my family... right now is a difficult time all around.

Grateful Heart Friday

Yes, yes, I know... today is SATURDAY... how is it OK to do "Grateful Heart Friday" on a Saturday?? Well, since I wasn't home yesterday to blog all about my grateful heart, I decided to do it today! It's cool, right? I figured I can be grateful on Saturday too, right?? So...here it goes!

This week, I am Grateful for my friends. I had a good week of visiting with friends; got to see one last weekend, another on Wednesday, then yet another friend on Friday! Friends make life so much more enjoyable!

This week, I am Grateful for my "friends". Yes, I realize I just said friends, but if you'll notice, I am using "'s around this friend! These are the "friends" that I have never met, yet I feel so blessed by them! My friend, Martha, and I were discussing how cool this blogging world is. I remember, years ago, the only people I would call friends would be the people I had ACTUALLY met. But nowadays, in the wonderful world of BLOG, I have friends- whose lives are a part of mine- yet I've never met them. They can be just as encouraging and uplifting as my actual friends... So... like I said, I am grateful for my "Friends!"

This week, I am grateful for good recipes...we've eaten yummy food this week! :)

This week, I am grateful for my husband. Without him in my life, I don't know what life would be. He is my best friend; my confidant; my baby-daddy (hehe); my love! So glad God gave me him!

This week, I am grateful for SALES! Went out with my friend Amanda last night and found so many great deals! Thanks GOD for letting me spend less money!! LOL!

What do you have to be grateful for??

uh-oh

i missed blogging on friday...wasn't home & now it's after midnight...and therefore it's Saturday.... I'll catch up in the a.m. When I'm not so sleepy! G'nite all!

Embrace The Camera: Cousins

Growing up in my family meant growing up with cousins. That's a foreign concept for Tim; most of his cousins are much younger, so they didn't grow up as playmates. In my family, cousins were our best friends! And there's a lot of them too! My grandma was one of 6 kids; her brother had 8 children... and I'm not even mentioning all the kids from all the other aunts & uncles! Our last family reunion we had to have in a church fellowship hall because we're too big to fit at one person's home. My mom and her cousins can sit and giggle and talk for hours on end... it's fun to watch them together.

I reminisce today because my great aunt is not doing very well. She had a stroke last week, and she has bleeding on her brain. All the family that can be there (in Florida) is with her. She's supposed to be moved to a hospice facility today. I hate being so far away from everything. I know my mom does too!

So, in light of remembering family time, I am {embracing} cousins today! These pics are from 2 years ago when the twins were little , but they're pics of some of our cousins! I love these ladies...wish we all lived closer together!

For more detailed information about what {Embracing the Camera} is all about click the link & check out Emily's blog! I LOVE Thursdays... it's my opportunity to share the pics of our family's "grown ups!" It's fun for me ... PLUS, it'll be fun for my kids to look back when they're older and see how WE looked when they were growing up!

Wonderful Wednesday

Today was a wonderful day.

The weather was BEAUTIFUL!
The kids were all well-behaved (except for at nap-time...oops)

The kids and I spent all morning & part of the afternoon at my friend Tami's house. She has beautiful 14 month twin girls that I absolutely adore... and my kids love to play with her babies! So it's always a good time! She has her entire living room child-proofed & gated so the kids are safe to play in that area. So, while the kids completely trashed her play area, she and I (and her teenage cousin who's there visiting) worked on tagging clothes for the upcoming TMOM Sale! I guess I figured since I'd be at her house, I wouldn't get to work on my own stuff today, so I'd help her with her's! We had fun! She made lunch for us all (Tuna Noodle Casserole)... YUMMY! Then our friend Breanna came over with her 14 month old b/g twins. It was quite crowded... but it was a good time!

After Tami's we came home and the kids went down for a nap- they fought sleep though, so it was a short nap. BUT... after nap, my mom and brother came over for dinner. We had Quesadilla Burgers. Backtrack...

One day a couple of years ago, I had the Quesaburger at Applebees:
It was decent, but I knew, being the WONDERFUL cook that I am (and modest too, right?), that I could make it better. So, soon thereafter, I did it! It was SO yummy, that every time I make it, my mom HAS to come over... as she said today, "Can't pass up a tortilla burger!" Anyways, the pic above is similar, but this is what I do:

*1lb ground beef- formed into 3 oblong patties (so it'll fit on the tortilla)
*1 Cup shredded colby/jack cheese
*1/2 onion sliced
*3 Tbsp butter
*6 Tbsp salsa (2 per burger)
*3 flour soft-taco sized tortillas
*2 Tbsp oil
*sour cream (for topping, if desired)

--I cook the burgers on the George Foreman grill until cooked through. Meanwhile, I saute the onion slices in the butter until soft. Heat oil in a separate skillet- make sure one side of each tortilla has oil on it. Then on 1/2 of tortilla, I layer:

Cheese
1 Tbsp salsa
Burger
Onion
1 Tbsp Salsa
Cheese

Then fold the tortilla over & allow to cook on both sides until slightly browned. When the cheese is melted, remove from heat and enjoy. Personally, I like to add corn to mine, but I don't think Tim or my mom like it with corn on it. So... it would be up to your preference! But we all agree that it needs the sour cream to finish off the perfection!!!!
My mom has made them for herself at home, but says they never turn out as good!
You really should try them!
They're super Delish!

After dinner we watched American Idol. My brother looks JUST like one of the guys, so that makes it even more fun to watch...we keep telling Nathan he should audition so he can be on AI too! LOL!

Xander left at 6 to go to church with his friend, Josh. Then, since it's Spring Break, he's going to stay the night at Josh's house...he was so excited to be able to hang out with his friend for the night! Asher doesn't know what to do with himself without Xander here. He loves that he's the center of attention since Xander isn't here, BUT he seems a little lost! He idolizes his big brother! I know he misses him when he's gone!

Now that the night is almost over, I am EXHAUSTED! Hoping for a good night of sleep!

Was your Wednesday as Wonderful as mine??

Two Things Tuesday

Two Fantabulous Things about Tuesday (today):

1- Dr. Cascairo (Bella's eye dr) saw Bella today and said that her eye looks great! WAHOO! We'll have one more re-check again in 3 months to be sure it's healed completely...otherwise, she's good to go! I am SO glad it's corrected... her eye looks so much better; and it hasn't gone "lazy" one time since her surgery 10 days ago! YAY!

2- I made a super easy, yet delicious dinner and dessert today!
Dinner:
1lb Beef smoked sausage (cut into bite-size pieces) sauteed in olive oil with 1 small diced onion, 1 diced yellow bell pepper, 1 diced red bell pepper, and 1 diced green bell pepper. All of this was cooked together with salt, pepper, garlic powder, and italian seasonings. Then I added 1C water & 1 beef bullion cube + 1Tbsp cornstarch (for thickening). I let all of this simmer together for about 15 minutes. Then I served it over brown rice...
DELISH!!

Dessert was Peanut Butter Cup Cookies
(recipe found on Allrecipes.com- click the link to see the recipe... YUM)

What 2 FANTABULOUS things happened in your world today?

Spaghetti Hot Dogs

Today, Xander melted my heart when he informed me that I know everything! He asked me what something was outside of his bedroom window, but when I replied that I didn't know what it was, he said:

"But mommmmy, you know everything!"

Isn't it great how at the age of 5, he still thinks that mommy & daddy are "know-it-alls?" I am willing to bet though that in about 10 years, mommy & daddy will know NOTHING! SO... Xander, if you read this post when you're a teenager, remember that today, if never again, you admitted that mommy knows everything! LOVE YOU, SON!

Funny Story:
Every afternoon, the babies nap and the big boys have "quiet rest time". During that time, the boys can play in their room- as long as it's quietly. OR they can nap if they choose to. I tell them that if they want to nap, then they'll get to stay up a little later than everyone else (which, really, only means til around 8 instead of 730...but for a 3 & 5 year old, that's "late"). Anyways...when I went into their room to tell them they could come out, Xander and Asher were standing in the window sill. Each had 1/2 of a plastic Easter egg in hand. Each child was spitting in the egg half, then pouring it out on the window. When I asked what on EARTH they were doing, Xander said:

"We're washing the windows, Mommy!"

Um...NO! I had to explain how nice it was that they were trying to "clean," while it was DISGUSTING to pour out their saliva on the window!!

BOYS!!! UGH!

This pic is of Asher and his new haircut... he's so handsome!

Fun recipe for today:

Spaghetti Hot Dogs

Personally I call them Octopus Dogs...
Pretty cool lunch idea that my kids LOVED!!

First, you cut the hot dogs into thirds.

Then, using uncooked spaghetti noodles, spear each of the hot dog pieces- use at least 4 noodles per hot dog piece:

After you spear each hot dog as shown above, put them in a pot of boiling water, and cook according to the spaghetti cooking directions
(approx 8-9 minutes)...

When they're done cooking, they look like this:
Tim made it for the kids while I was sleeping today! When I woke up, it was the first thing that Xander wanted to tell me:

"I had hot dogs with spaghetti in it! And it didn't have spaghetti sauce either; daddy gave me ketchup instead!"

You can serve it plain, or with ketchup, or it's also good tossed with butter & parmesan cheese! Any way you serve it, it's fun!

Chicken Cannelloni

*3 boneless, skinless chicken breasts- cooked & shredded
*16 oz. ricotta cheese
*1 C shredded mozzarella cheese
*2 eggs
(mix eggs, ricotta, and mozz together)
*Parmesan cheese (for topping)
*1pkg egg roll wraps (can be found at Wal-mart in the refrigerated produce section)
*1 jar alfredo (as the recipe originally called for, but we didn't use alfredo)
----we used 1 can spaghetti sauce + 1/2 block of cream cheese... this makes kind-of a creamy, cheesy red sauce... one of my favorites!

*Anyways, heat the sauce. Pour 1/2 sauce into 9X13 baking dish. Lay one egg roll wrap on a flat surface. Spread 2 Tbsp of egg mixture on wrap. Then crumble some of the chicken all over the cheese. Roll it up like a jelly log. Then place in the baking dish. After you've made all the rolls, pour remaining sauce over top. Top with parmesan cheese & mozzarella if desired.

*Bake at 375 degrees for 15-20 minutes until brown & bubbly!

--I loved this recipe, HOWEVER, I think it needed extra sauce... so you may wanna add more... I like things a little more saucy though!

ENJOY!!

A Nice Saturday

This morning started WAY too early ...
Xander was awake at around 630.
WHAT???
Crazy child!
I, of course, resisted the urge to get out of bed to deal with him, and allowed him to watch cartoons until I officially got up at 730! I would say it was a nice hour extra of sleep, but he came in to talk to me about a million and one times! UGH... so, I finally got up!
Darn...time to face the world! (lol)

My mom came over around 945 and we loaded up the kids and went to WalMart for some much needed grocery shopping. I had no idea how empty my house was, until I went down aisle after aisle and ended up spending over $100. Sad part... that wasn't even any meat! Still need to stock up on the beef & chicken! Oh well... such is life, right? What will I do when my 4 kids are teenagers eating me out of house and home??? Ugh, I dread it!!

My in-laws met us at Wal-Mart...it was quite the family affair! Then we all went back to my house for lunch and visiting time! It's always nice to have the grandparents over!

After they left, the kids "napped"... well, the babies napped & the big boys had "quiet rest time" for a couple of hours while I worked on tagging for the TMOM SALE coming up in 2 weeks!

Oh yeah, yesterday, I found an amazing deal on some boots for Bella at Shoe Carnival... $5 ... AWESOME! My friend, Annissa, found them first and told me about them...for a picture, check out her fun little blog: THAT Football Mom ! She's a great friend... and her kids are cute too! Her blog is a fun read!!

Sorry, I digress.... So, after nap time, I made a super-delish dinner... Chicken Cannelloni... but I am out of time so I will have to tell you all about it tomorrow! Don't hold your breath.... that's a whole 24 hours away before I can give you the details.... BUT you can anxiously await my recipe ... and pictures!!

How was your Saturday? (sorry for no pics... again, I am out of time)

Grateful Heart Friday

I missed last week's Grateful Heart Friday since Bella had surgery that day. So, I wanted to get back into my groove today!

I am grateful that Bella's surgery was successful! In the last week, her eye hasn't floated out into the "lazy" position one time! For over a year, it's been an issue for her to try to control her eye... but in the last week, she's been a whole new little girl. It's starting to look less inflamed; the swelling is gone; the redness is almost gone! THANK GOD for a great surgery!

I am grateful for my mom and in-laws who came over last weekend to help with the kids. Their willingness to help out is SUCH a blessing!

I am grateful for a sweet-hearted son, Xander. I have a friend who's going to Myrtle Beach this week for spring break. He asked her to get him some shells while she's there, and he wanted her to be sure to bring back some extras for Asher! Such a nice big brother!

I am grateful for my friend, Brandi. We met when I was 13 years old (ok, if you don't wanna do the math, that was 20 years ago!)! Our families moved together from Florida to Colorado when I was 15 years old because our parents got a job at the same place...pretty cool, right? Well, over the years, I moved to OK and she moved back to FL... BUT in spite of the miles between us, we've managed to maintain our friendship! GOD blessed her and her husband, Paul, with their first pregnancy last month... WAHOO! I am so happy to have her in my life!

I am grateful for the beautiful sunset tonight! God is good, isn't He?? In spite of the horrible wildfires all over the state of Oklahoma today, HE managed to give us a gorgeous sunset to remind us that HE is in control! YAY GOD!


So...now it's YOUR turn... what do you have to be grateful for?