December catch-up

December has made a hasty journey through our home! It has been a busy month. It seems like every gathering or party, performance, etc... had to be scheduled in the beginning of the month so no one would have conflicts with Christmas gatherings. So many, that these things were conflicting with one another. Just when you thought things would settle down, right?

We had a Children's Christmas program, Middle school Band concert, Adult Choir Cantata(plus rehersals), Elementary school PTA, my network of providers 'party'(I missed this), slide show presentation I had to put together for church, 2 grades' class parties to prepare for, Children's field trip to see lights, 3 'official' family gatherings and countless other activities. Add to this a mission project I was helping with, plus just decorating and shopping for my family get-togethers. I am kind of over the busy-ness of the season. I sure am glad that is not the only reason we celebrate at Christmastime. If the busy things were all we had, that would be a huge letdown. Thank you Lord for Jesus!

We have had some car troubles, with mine, and Mr. Snippity's cars. My car has been making strange noises for weeks. I've mentioned it several times to the MR., but it just is not one of his priorities. It works fine, and I think it should be a simple fix, if he will just get to it. However, on Christmas morning his car would not start. It has made him extremely grumpy. Grumpy McGrump is his name especially this week. This grumpy mood doesn't help anyone else be happy! I will be so glad when this car thing gets straightened out!

The two younger kids have been such a joy these past couple of weeks. I have had time to spend with them one-on-one, and it is sweet. The teenager...well, let's just say she doesn't enjoy my company quite like the little ones.

I've been trying to focus on getting our home a little more organized, a little more decluttered. The trash and recycling bins are full, but there is still so much 'stuff'! I'm going to be continuing this job. As this year winds down, I am going to focus on simplifying our lives as much as I can. I also love the fresh pages of a new calendar...although I am sure they will be filled quickly!

Sausage Pinwheels

I recently (okay, I admit...last month) put out a request to my recipe sharing friends for new food ideas. I have been bored with all the usuals'.

I present to you sausage pinwheels:


1/2 pound sausage, 1 tube crescent rolls, shredded cheese
Spread crescent roll dough out, pinching the seams together. Spread uncooked sausage over top. Sprinkle with shredded cheese. Roll up from long side and slice into pinwheels. Place on greased cookie sheet and bake at 375 for about 20 minutes.

I have made this 2 times now. Once for family, once for daycare. Both groups were pleased.
The first time, I misread the recipe and used the whole pound of sausage. I let it cook a little longer to make sure all that sausage was done.
On the second attempt, I did it as the recipe directed. It was good too. On the second try, I used one of the 'recipe creations' crescent roll tubes. It is not perforated, as it is a solid sheet of crescent dough. Or, supposed to be. When my can opened, there were a few rips as it came out of the tube. I thought I would try a shortcut...but at a about 10 cents more per can, I won't be buying this again! I'm sticking to regular crescent rolls...I can pinch ;) Pinch pennies, too!

cute PTA moment

Cinderella singing with her kindergarten class at a recent PTA meeting.

So cute :)

One thing left

I have one assignment left to do for my college class this semester. It is to post on the discussion board our 'final analysis' of the class. So far, I have hesitated to post my feedback. Why? Because every other person has posted only postivie remarks. This class has seriously stunk...and this professor has been the most scattered and unorganized I've ever had. It is an online class, and so I only know one person from my class 'in real life'. Her experience has not been good either.

One problem has been the due dates. They have changed several times during the semester. When I've emailed her with questions, she pretty much sends the exact copy of the assignment information, without clarification. I have turned assignments in and she has not given us any feedback about how we did, other than a number grade. I have had to remind her to post grades for some of my work, and for others I have had grades come up on the chart for things I had not turned in yet. Major projects had components posted in 3 or 4 different places, with the details varying from place to place. I am concerned that if I put the truth out there, some of my grades might disappear or change, or I will get a bad grade on this assignment, which could be the difference between an A or B for me.

So, are all these other people lying? Should I only look for the positive? We have an anonymous survey that we turn in to administration at the end of the semester, so I have an avenue to give that feedback. What to do?

November 30

It is the last day of November. I cannot believe how fast this year has gone! I have so much left to accomplish before this year leaves me behind!

We are home from our Thanksgiving travel. I love to go see my friends, but leaving home is hard work. The neatest thing happened on our drive home. We had to travel major interstate near Charlotte, NC. There was a cool parade of planes coming in to land. These weren't any little mosquito planes like I am used to seeing at home. Every minute or so, a large plane would pass across, and you could see 3 to 4 more following in the same flight path. This kept up for about 10-15 minutes, until we had passed the airport, and couldn't see them anymore. (I'm sure the planes kept it up, as this was Sunday...all those Thnaksgving travellers flying home, right?)

Now, the crunch is on to get things ready for Christmas! I am excited for Christmas, as usual...but I feel totally unprepared for this years' season. I want to do some major cookie baking, I need to do some major housecleaning (yuck!). I also have some other crafty fun projects to accomplish. I need to make a list!

Getting ready

My family is getting ready to travel a bit for the Thanksgiving holiday. I get to stay over at my friend Heather's home. I am excited to go, but why does it have to be so dog-gone hard to get everyone here ready to go? I wanted to have the house somewhat tidy before we leave...it makes it so much nicer to come home to...you know? Anyway, I wrote up a short list of things to get done. You would think that I introduced my family to a firing squad. Their reactions put me in a bad mood...which didn't help their moods any. So, today I am choosing to be thankful that we have a home, even if the inhabitants don't take care of it.

After the coupon guilt passed..

a little bit of redemption. (hee hee) coupon redemption, that is! I went to CVS and made a pretty good bargain, I think. I needed a foundation. I usually use Mary Kay foundation, but I couldn't pass up trying the Cover Girl deal at CVS. There was a special on Simply Ageless foundation and blush. buy one of each($13 and $10, $23 total), and you get $10 extrabucks. Not too shabby. But, when paired up with the buy one cover girl ageless foundation, get another cover girl face product free...I couldn't stop myself! I also had a $1.00 off any cover girl product coupon. Since I was 'buying' two products, I could use two coupons. Sweet, right?

So I checked out that transaction, then since I needed a few other things, I bought them using my extrabucks.

Here's what I got overall:
foundation
blush
3 boxes kleenex (.99 each on sale, plus .50/3 coupon)
refill pads for princess leia's face washer (7.99 regular price, CVS coupon for $2.00 off)
tic tacs

all for 14.59. Regular retail price would have been over $40.
I think that was a pretty good deal.

Coupon Guilt

I am feeling some guilt over my wastefulness. In other words: What not to do with your coupons! I get the Sunday paper, and each week I put the coupon insert into a notebook I have designated for the purpose. Usually, I go through them and cut out & plan for each shopping trip. I have gotten WAY out of the habit this summer, when my local Harris Teeter does not have any triple coupon events. I finally sat down recently to sort & purge my coupon stash. I found piles and piles of coupon inserts that I had never touched. Some of the circulars dated from late May. I did not realize how long it had really been since I had used coupons! Now, I have a huge pile of waste :(

Recent Run

Mr. Snippity recently finished his first half-marathon. He finished in about 2 hours 22 minutes.

Here are his cheerleaders! We anticipated his locations and cheered for him in 3 places along the route, plus once when we passed him in the car.

Fun stuff!

mouse

I was a little late getting up this morning. Something about staying up late trying to beat my husband at the bejeweled blitz game on facebook might be one reason...

Anyway, I got the kiddos out the door to the school bus, and I went straight for the computer (to check my email~not facebook). I was a little bleary-eyed at first, but quickly noticed my mouse was not working. This happens from time to time, because we have a wireless mouse, and we have to recharge the batteries sometimes. I went to check the batteries, and realized the mouse was really a bar of soap. Real, soap! Complete with lines drawn to resemble the real mouse buttons. My wonderful son is responsible for the soap moouse...but the bad part is I cannot find the real mouse! I am so glad I have access to a laptop, so I can get my naptime facebook fix!

Tasty treat

Our church's youth recently participated in a progressive dinner. I helped out making some appetizers. This was part of my contribution:

It is fruit kebabs! I used cantaloupe, fresh pineapple, kiwi and grapes. I used a sturdy plastic coffee stirrer for the stick...and red delicious apples halved as the base. I served them with a yogurt peanut butter dip.

Game or no game?

I'm hanging out at home, listening to my oldest whine and complain because I wouldn't let her go to a football game. She even posted it as a status on her facebook.

A little history:

• She is in 8th grade, but plays in the high school marching band. We go to all their home games, plus competitions and we participate in fund raisers.
• She plays Parks & recreation soccer...meets 2 or 3 times a week.
• Her middle school has a football game tonight against their rival school.
• She has a soccer game at 7:30, so she would have to leave the football game early.
• She has no money of her own.
• The friend she was going to ride with was going to be late going to the game.
• She threw a temper tantrum earlier when I politely requested her to pick up some stuff in her room.
• more, but not going into details

Therefore..NO game...and I am ruining her life. This teenage thing is lovely.

Reading Corner Flannel Board

I made a neat thing in my playroom recently. I call it a Reading Corner Flannel Board. I had been intending to paint a tree in this corner for quite a while. Well, I made a few changes and now it is a multipurpose tree!

There are a few small shelves behind the center tree section for storage of flannel board story pieces. Also, two small shelves in the trunk are perfect for highlighting a specific story or theme material. Now, I need to create or buy some stories to use!

My local child care resource is going to use this idea in their next provider newsletter. One of provider friends told them about it.

Blog Jam

I keep coming up with ideas that I should blog...but I am not at a computer. Then, when I have computer time, I keep forgetting what it was! Sorry. There is a lot going on for me right now, and I don't always like to share the serious stuff...I want fun & happy to shine through on the blog, and not weigh anyone down with the difficulties of day-to-day life. I figure you all have enough of your own.

So, in my attempt to keep it light, and to let you laugh at me, I'll tell you about something I did recently.

I went to Walmart. Woo hoo, I can hear the excitement now! hahah! I did go...a couple of weeks ago. I was out of many pantry staples, and I also needed some fabric for a craft project. We have no other place to get the fabric locally...so I went. I was kind of trying to hurry, as shopping on Saturdays gets a little crazy due to the influx of vacationing families in our area. I bought a huge container of grape jam. I love jam because it spreads so easily. Went home, unpacked, and got on with my day.

The following week, I went to make pb&j for lunches. I realized I bought jelly instead. Now I have this five thousand serving size jar of jelly. It just is not the same. When all I wanted was jam :)

Any suggestions on how to use it up quick? I am too frugal to just get rid of it!

4 stars

For my non-facebook followers :) I am so excited to announce that my child care has recieved on increase on the state scales...to a four star childcare home. It has been two years since I licensed my home. I have been doing childcare for seven years so far (september 2002). I started out as a legally-operating non-licensed home. I kept 2 children plus my family. Then I had another baby. And somehow, I ended up with a child in my care who was going to have a baby brother. And I had no legal spaces. So, I jumped on the paperwork bandwagon. I wish I had gone ahead and gotten a license at the beginning, since it really hasn't been as terrible as I thought it would be. Anyway, when you start out, you can only have one star for the first six months. Then I started taking early childhood college classes. After that, more paperwork, and I got a 3 star license. I recently had the consulant come visit again, did the paperwork, and have the extra star. There are only 5 stars available, and I am not eligible to get the fifth star until I have the famil child care home rating assessment completed. This is a pretty intensive undertaking, so I am not planning on having it done soon...but eventually.

Last night before school begins!

Officially, tomorrow I am no longer a parent of a preschooler. Cinderella goes to Kindergarten, Jedi Boy is a second grader and Princess Leia is starting eigth grade.

I am looking forward to the routine, I admit it. It is a time to start making dinner a little earlier each day...daily baths for the kids (maybe every other day :~)! Earlier morning wake-up alarms, and more.

I may be a little hectic again this fall, as I am enrolled in another college class for myself. All three kids are doing soccer, and the youngest two are also taking gymnastics once a week.

So, a busy, but hopefully fun fall, ready to go!!!

I used the dishwasher!!!

I surprised my family recently. I loaded the dishwasher & started it! I usually do dishes by hand. If the dishwasher is used, it is because I asked one of the family members to do the dishes.

However, the dishes were in a huge pile and it was late. I went to move some stuff out of the sink to reach the drain plug. The green goo that greeted me was disgusting!!! I figured the only way to clean moldy gunk would be the dishwasher. I got all the nasty stuff in there, and when I found the bottom of the sink, I realized one of my kids had poured their "fruity pebbles" cereal in there. The green stuff was not mold, but a green waterlogged piece of cereal! I laughed at myself so hard.

Dryer woes

I am a weekend laundry warrior! I am home during the days, but it is hard to get to the laundry task while I am working at home. So on the weekends, I play catch-up. Last weekend was especially hard, because a lot of our kids' bedding got dirty with a wetting "accident" 2 times in a row... So...add two more blankets/comforters and sheet sets to the usual pile. I got most of it washed, but the first load through the dryer stopped early, and would not restart. I do not have a clothes line, so I had stuff hanging on the deck rails and the shower curtain rods, plus the small drying rack I have. It was a nightmare...

The Mr. tested everything he could with his special tools & stuff...and he thought he found the problem, yay!!! But then, it wasn't. BOO :( So, he left it there for a while, than came back to try to figure it out again. He found the real problem! Double Yay!!! Except it was Saturday night, and he needed a special part. He called a distant relative that is in the appliance service business. The guy said he would drop the part off on Monday. (ACK!, that long!!! but still). Monday came and went...nothing. So it was supposed to be Tuesday. Guess what? Nothing! I called another family member to inquire about the man. They said he is never very punctual. I was mad that I had not thought to ask about this BEFORE we called the guy.

At this point, I am on the home depot website, dreaming about new super capacity dryers that can hold about 45 pair of jeans & more...

So, Mr. decided to call another guy that lives about 4 houses away...and presto, he left the part at our house while we were out that evening. Sixteen bucks for the part. WAY less money than buying a new dryer. The Mr. got it all back together, and now, I am again a weekend laundry queen. :)

Chief Family Officer hosts a giveaway

Ok, if you know me, you know that my family is no stranger to Mcdonalds. My son used to beg to go to 'the french fry house'. Well, of course we have seen the 30th anniversary beanie babies. We only own about 4 of them now. We had Ronald ( Cinderella gave him away to a friend), and still have Quackly, Yammy, Fable, & Grimace. I'd love to have the entire set...so I am sharing the info with you about the giveaway. Go to chief family officer to enter for yourself!

My friends

Of course, if you read my last post, you know I had friends come to visit. The original friend is Smart...but not wise, but we count her husband and kid as friends now, too. We had a good time. I met her oh so long ago...at college. My second college, as a matter of fact. (I've only attended 4...and do not have that many degrees to go with it :) We met at a residence hall council meeting. I have been told that I was going to help tutor her for one of her classes...but I really don't recall that part of the story. I do know that we got talking(us, talk, ha!), and eventually realized that her high school band teacher had left them, and had become my band teacher. On nearly opposite ends of the state. We thought that was pretty hilarious. And now, 14+ years later, we have no clue about that strange teacher, but we are still great friends.

Random whatever *playing catch-up*

Ah, a *few* more days have gone by, with no blog posts to show for it. I guess you'll just have to take what you can get my friends :)

I had a wonderful birthday...complete with friends and food, etc... no cake though. I'm really not sure why. It's ok.

We had friends come in to stay "at the beach" for most of the week. We ate plenty of course. I even have a pretty decent tan happening. I hit the sand and surf quite a few times. I was actually able to go out and play in the ocean, since it was so calm and clear on one of the days. (I am usually a "pool" kind of gal!).

Speaking of pool, we now have our own above ground blue monstrosity. You know the kind! Really it is awesome to me, until I can save up for the huge in-ground complete with concrete deck & pool boy. It was a hand-me down from an aunt who wasn't going to use it. The water is still pretty cold...but my dear husband started filling it up on my birthday, while I was out playing around without a care in the world. It took it think about 3 days to get it full & the chemicals ready. Now I need to get an awesome raft to bask in the sun with my book & a soda...

I was 'on vacation' from my paying job, so I was able to play a good bit with my friends. I did have a couple of tasks like doctor & dentist appointments to get done, but otherwise, it was a 'whatever' kind of time.

It was a fun time, except I spent too much money on dining out. :(

Yesterday was my Granny's birthday (and my mother-in-law's). I made cake for the Granny, and we had a dinner at a family member's home. For my MIL...pretty much nothing. They don't seem to do the celebrations like my family does. At least Mr. Snippity called her!

Summertime

Ah, the joy of summer! I am on a countdown to the holiday weekend. It is extra special to me, because I also celebrate my birthday tomorrow! I have always liked the number 3, because I was born on the 3rd...and this year I will be 33! I know, it is old...but it sounds good :)

Enjoy your weekend, and thank God for America!

Cinderella's Last day of school

Not the best photo...

But, this was on the last morning of preschool for my baby girl.

What a bittersweet day!

My great grandfather

I recently was given this photo of my great grandfather.

This was taken when he was a young man...I am not sure what year.
He was born in 1896 and died in 1989.
I was able to enjoy him for the first part of my life. He spoiled me rotten.
He used to drive around with me sitting out the window of his car. (I know, not good).
He encouraged me to act crazy.
He saved me from many, many spankings.
His old house (purchased and built in the early 1900's) is still in the family, and I go there sometimes, even though no one lives there.
He used to cook me breakfast when I slipped out of the house before my mom woke up.
He let me play with his hair (what little was left) while he watched wrasselin'.
I always read his farmers' almanacs.
I think this picture is pretty cool. It gave my grandma (his daughter) and I a good reason to remember out loud.

Meow

This is Max. He's a happy outside cat now.

A day at the beach

We ran away to the beach yesterday afternoon...just because.

The weather was nice, so we just went for a walk after my work day was done. We found a washed up jellyfish, some shells, and lots of tire tracks from the lifeguard patrols. Cinderella is still terrified to even walk near the water, just like last year. Princess Leia is ready to get in the water, and saw one of her pals from surf camp last year. She is signed up again this year...maybe she will learn some better technique. I'm thinking she may get a starter surfboard for her birthday this year. She's been asking for one for quite a while...shhhh don't tell her :) Jedi boy enjoyed a jog back to the parking lot.

Then we went home and invited one of the grandmothers over for a simple dinner & board games. It turned out to be a nice time. I'm practicing that hospitality thing.

Mr. Snippity's Birthday Treat

Mr. Snippity has had a birthday! He got to go bowling, which is a one of his favorite things. And to top that all off, his amazing wife (...ahem...) made him a spectacular treat.

This is triple chocolate layer cake with peanut butter cream cheese icing and chocolate peanut butter glaze. I got the recipe from the SmittenKitchen blog. (I think she calls it chocolate peanut butter cake).This was a big hit...Mr. Snippity said it was so good he would think I didn't make it, except he saw me making it. I think that was supposed to be a compliment. I asked him if he meant that he would think I bought it out of the freezer case? After a chuckle or two, he clarified his statement to mean that it was better than that! Anyway, birthday fun is always good.

Softball woes

Softball has gotten the best of Princess Leia! While attempting to perform a maneuver similar to that of the last photo (aka...a slide into home plate), she had her hand in the wrong position, and caught it behind her in the fall. It is broken. It is not a terribly serious fracture, but it is in a cast for at least 4 weeks. Which means she *might* get the cast removed just before the last two games. Or she might not...I'm going for optimistic!The cast is now covered in grafitti...not nearly as nice looking as it is in the photo!

And for you sports enthusiasts...you'll be happy to know she was safe, her run counted and her team won!

Ball photo

I submitted the photo from the last post into a photo contest from our local parks & rec department. They chose it for their monthly winner, to be featured on their website. I also get a gift certificate of some sort as a prize!

First out

Princess Leia, on the ground after a slide into home.

It was an out. Before she got to the plate, the pitcher had her tagged.
I really like this photo, though.
I will say, I didn't think she should have tried to steal home, but she listened to her coach.
For that, I told her I was proud.
It was the first out of a game that went into extra innings.
There was controversy over some of the calls.
I haven't been to a girls' game in a while where there wasn't some issue on one side or another.
I do not know for certain which team won, because I had to leave right after this play.
I think it was the red team.

I heard they both played really well.

another week

It seems another week has flown by, and I have no blogging to show for it! Sorry 'bout that!

It is the Monday of getting back into the swing of things. Last week was spring break, so my kids were home all week. We had a few tough days with sickness (I already talked about that). We really didn't do anything out of the ordinary. Just our regular selves happening. We did get to have some friends over for dinner one evening...which was nice. We stayed up too late, of course! We've been playing a game called "Sequence", and it seems we are quite competitive. Not competitive, as in of a high enough quality to be a competitor...but the 'we don't like to lose' kind. So, we stay up past bedtime trying to beat each other. It really has been fun. Throw in a bit of yardwork, and house cleaning, and voila! There's us!

I made a pretty yummy spinach quiche for my lunch. I didn't get to take a picture because the food just disappeared! There are 5 kinds of cheese in my recipe. I might have to make it again soon, since it is so delicious!

Cinderella won an art contest at her school and got a $10 certificate to use at the upcoming book fair. I like that kind of prize!

Leia has spring pictures tomorrow. She better brush her hair!

Jedi boy gets to visit the orthodontist tomorrow due to the suggestion of the regular dentist when they saw his new bottom teeth coming in all crooked. I'm not looking forward to that.

Mr. Snippity has been having car troubles. He's pretty handy with all things mechanical, but is strugging with a problem on his fast car. He'll figure it out soon.

Me, well, I'm just the cruise director for this ship :) School is fine, work is plentiful, and lots of projects formulating! I thought I was having major car troubles, but it turns out it was just the battery. I left my cell phone charging for about 2 days. My mechanic (Mr. Snippity) said not to do that again!

busy days

It seems I've missed some more days on the blogging front. It has been pretty hectic around here, with lots of coming and going for school, work, and softball/baseball and others. We had a lovely Easter with family.

We've also had the sickies. Cinderella was sick with a fever on Thursday, and some Friday. Princess Leia was sick with stomach crud on Saturday night, and now Jedi boy has spiked a fever...while I am feeling pretty queasy. Fun, huh??? I don't have much energy to keep thinking right now, so I'll post and run. I just wanted to let ya'll know we are still around!

A blast

The Great Wolf Lodge was a blast. A little on the expensive side, yes, but a huge blessing to go have some fun. Next time, I will take a one piece bathing suit, instead of the tankini...going down slides and such causes some concern with the bottoms! Fortunately I don't think anyone could see under the water! The girls were not too wild and crazy...just one girl (not my kid thank goodness!) who was rude to one of our waiters at IHOP...I don't think she realized it, though. Our waiter was very olive complected and his name was Ali. This girl, very loudly, asked "are you from Japan?". We (as in the chaperones and most of the other girls) were stunned! He took it well, and gave her 2 more chances to get it right (she never did, she guessed France and Saubi Ababia...yes, she really said it like that)(What are they teaching kids these days?) He was from Usbekistan(russia). We turned it into a fun moment by telling him to ask her if she was from Mexico (If you saw her, you'd be pretty sure she was not). Anyway, he had an interesting family story that he was able to share through this dialogue. So anyway, we all had a blast, and were pretty dog-gone tired by the end of Saturday.

I've rushed through the rest of the weekend, and into Monday. I've really been craving fried chicken. I got inspired last night and was going to cook som for myself. In the process, I made my kitchen a huge greasy mess, and all I can smell in here is blackened chicken, because I burnt it to a crisp! My family had a last minute meal of McDonald's, sincetheir ususally patient and perservering mommy(yeah, right) was pretty upset with the thought of cooking after that.

Today, I've had the opportunity to run back over to Harris Teeter for a few more triple coupon sale adventures. I also went last Thursday night. I was fairly pleased with my deals this time around...and cannot wait until the next triples sales!

I'm on my way!

If you are reading this around noontime on Friday 3/27...then I am probably just arriving for a stay at the Great Wolf Lodge in Williamsburg, VA. I'm going as a chaperone with some sweet middle school age gals from a church youth group. (one of which is my Princess Leia). Cinderella gets to go sleep over with her Granny, and the Jedi boy is going to have some quality time with Mr. Snippity.

Hopefully these gals don't want to be too pranky, because I might have to show them a thing or two. I've been on quite a few overnight trips with my peer group, and, well, lets just suffice it to say: band camp wasn't THAT long ago :) One highlight of a particular high school trip (not band camp): Someone in the girls room (* blink blink with innocence*) snuck into the boys room and took all their toilet paper. And tissues. They didn't notice until one of them was in dire need. The funny part happened when they had to come ask to borrow ours... Sorry Jeremy ;) school band.

Tasty Thursday 3/26/09

Man, am I really messing up on the Tasty Thursday segments! I keep forgetting. Of course, I have a good bit of other responsibilities that should come first, so I guess that my praise is that I am taking care of the truly important things first. Oh, and sorry for all my typos lately. You'd think I would 'proofread', since I notice mistakes in other people's work *sheepish grin*.

No photo today, but dinner tonight was inspired by a recipe I found on a blog devoted to crockpotting. Of course I altered it so much that it really wasn't the same recipe, so here is my version of their "asian ribs".

ribs- I used "country style" pork ribs (you could use beef)
about 1 cup soy sauce
1/2 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup water, if you have extremely lean meat
throw the meat in the crock
pour everything on top
cook about 8 hours on low

Of course, they were tender, with a salty/sweet flavor. I liked it, especially because it was something different from our usual bbq pork version. I'm guessing the soy sauce is the reason it is called asian?

Difficult concepts

Simple things my kids do not seem to understand

(even though we've been working on it for years!)

When I tell you to put your shoes away...

it means in the closet, not behind the couch or under a pillow.

When I remind you to pick up your dirty clothes...

it means put them in the hamper, not under your bed or under a pillow.

When I say go to bed...

it means YOUR bed, not your sisters'.

When I say wash the dishes...

it means ALL of them, not just the cups.

When I tell you to come home at a certain time...

you might want to wear your watch (or take your phone), especially when you are the one that has someplace to be.

When I ask you to clean up the blocks...

yes, I mean the whole pile!

Do you really think I'm not going to find/smell the rotten apple core on the closet floor?

Everyday when you get home from school, you have to do your homework first.

Every time, every day...

and no you cannot play Wii yet!

When you finish using the bathroom...

you must wash your hands EVERY SINGLE time!

Where should you drop your backpack everyday?...

in the middle of the living room, really?

When I am talking to someone else, and I see you coming to me,

and I hold up a finger to signal 'just a minute'...

I really mean a full minute, not 2 seconds!

Ok, enough venting for now. Thanks for listening. Sometimes it feels like I am banging my head agains the wall with some of these topics. I need a beter attitude

before they get home today.

Tasty Thursday on Friday 3-20-09

Here's a picture of the goodies I made this week.

They were called cheese triangles, and the recipe came with a pampered chef cookie press. I was hoping they would turn out like a "cheese straw" or even a flavored cracker like sociables. NOT.

The recipe had cheddar & parmesan cheese, flour, dried dill weed, mustard and water.

Here's my review: do not try this at home. I ate about 3 triangles, just because I was hoping they'd taste better than they did. Cinderella ate one, and no one else would go past the first nibble. So, no do overs! I liked the shape & size, with the zigzag texture, so I may look for a different recipe to try with the press. If you have a good recipe, pass it on!

Word-full Wednesday

I've seen several other blogs use a picture to represent their words for Wednesday posts. I'm not doing that today...but I may start that later. Today, I feel like talking. Really! I stayed up late reading last night, and am kind of sleepy. It is kind of quiet here, since babes are sleeping. I'm chatting to you to keep myself from putting my head on the table and crashing!

Today is supposed to be the first day of baseball in my house!. Jedi boy has his first "real" baseball practice~as opposed to Tball in previous years. I hope he likes it...he is a little anxious.

I am feeling a bit blue in my heart for Princess Leia. Her paternal grandfather has died, and she will find out from her dad this evening. I know she is going to be upset, because she has only gotten to meet and know him in the past year, and really enjoyed him. His home is about 10

I have a training for my work later tonight, so I will be leaving Mr. Snippity in charge of all the shuffling kids, dinner, and getting ready for bed time. I hope he's up to the task! (I am prepping the meal stuff for him, so all he has to do is warm it up, so it should be easier.)

For classwork, I should be doing some work...but I am procrastinating, as usual. I have worked ahead most of the semester, but am at the point where I slow down. Fortunately, the class I am taking does not require any papers this semester! I have until tomorrow night to finish the labwork...and I haven't started yet. It better not be too complicated!!! (I' m not going to worry about that so much...they have been easy all along, and I don't think that is going to change...)

For church, I am working on a mission project, and I need to make a powerpoint presentation for Sunday to solicit helpers for the project. So why am I still here rambling? I think I'm using this post to gather my thoughts and action plans...thanks for helping!

Nap time

Something unusual happened to me yesterday.

Normally, parts of this would have been a good thing. Except this time, it wasn't.

After church, I had to go pick up Cinderella, who had spent the night with her Granny. We ate lunch, and then headed home. As I was driving back , and got about 5 minutes from home, my head started pounding...like the beginning of a migraine. When I get to the house, I tell Mr. Snippity about my head and tell him I am going to take meds and rest for a bit. None of that is so unusual...right? Who wouldn't love a Sunday afternoon nap???

Here's the unusual part: No one disturbed me! Not one peep from any of the 4 people that normally slam doors, stomp around, fuss and just can't make do without my input for more than a couple of minutes. I never dreamed that would happen, so I didn't bother to set an alarm. Cinderella finally caved in and came to ask me to fix her some juice at 5:15!!! I had a 3 hour undisturbed nap!

Of course, I was supposed to be at a Bible study at 5 pm...so I missed it!

I was quite restless when it came time for bed, and I didn't sleep well the rest of the night either, so I had some punishment in addition to missing the study. :(

Reflections-5 years

I've read on several blogs recently that have the theme of advice to your younger self. I think that it is an interesting idea, and I think I will try it. I'll have to do mine in small increments, though. Spread the joy, right?

Advice to myself, 5 years ago: (2004-ish)

Don't spend that money on worthless pursuits...it is not worth the time! Pay debts instead.
When visitors overstay their welcome while you are in the hospital laboring with your 3rd child, tell them to leave!
Backup your hard drive frequently or go ahead and print those photos...you are going to wish you had!
That new couple you are going to see around at soccer games...definately get to know them! (and she did, great friends now, btw! yay!)
Don't forget to water the veggies (that is advice I need every year:)
It is PPD...don't wait, just take the meds!
Pray more! Keep your faith strong, and you will not be let down.

Laundry Conspiracy

I think the piles of dirty clothes in my hampers have been formulating a plan to take over the world...beginning with my house! Keep an eye on your laundry...it may have been talking to mine!

Yes, I said hampers, plural. There are 5 of us that live here! (and then there's the childcare:)One in each bedroom, plus 4 sorting bins in the laundry room. Usually the bins in the utility room and bedrooms aren't full at the same time...it's kind of a "staging area" thing. And does anyone have any good tips on how to teach the clothes to put themselves away when they are finished with their attack?

Early Morning Scenario

Princess Leia has a trip planned for Saturday(Today). She has a friend stay over so that friend can go with her. Departure time: 4:45 am from our home(being picked up in van).

Miss Snippity (me!) has to wake up at 4 am to get those girls out of bed. I will have the world know before we go any farther...I am NOT a morning person. So this whole thing is a stretch for me. As soon as they are up and starting to get ready, I head to the kitchen, where I whipped up a big homemade breakfast because Princess Leia asked for eggs and bacon. And, in order to make sure those girls didn't have empty, rumbly tummies I made a batch of pancakes. Homemade. (Really yummy!!!). (And I was out of bread, so I had to do something, and now that I think about it, there was a whole pack of english muffins I could have used...argh...oh well) Breakfast is ready on the table at 4:28 am. I was patting myself on the back, cause I was on-time. The girls come to the table. The first thing out of Leia's mouth is "Mom do you have anything besides eggs, because 'my friend' doesn't like eggs!" I usually ask the friends before I cook if they like whatever it is. This friend has stayed before, and I was sure I've cooked eggs for her before, so I didn't ask this time. It was so hard not to come back with an answer, well, that was SNIPPITY! I'm thinking...there's pancakes and bacon on the plate, that is something else! But I didn't say that! You would have been proud to see how nice I was :) I offered some yogurt and extra pancakes with a smile. The friend ate plenty, and Princess Leia took the eggs all for her own.

Of course, Princess Leia wasn't totally ready...and had some to the table without fixing her hair, and didn't pack her 'entertainment bag' last night like I told her...so she wasn't quite ready when the van got here. They had to wait a couple of minutes for her...if she had only listened to her momma!

Friday

It is a lovely Friday. I have been outside, and it is beautiful!

My only hang-up is I am dwelling on a waste. I experimented with a recipe the other day, and it just didn't work out. I wasn't all that broken hearted, but I am mad that I wasted 1/2 cup of olive oil! I have just gotta let that go! Maybe now that I have shared that with the blog world I can get past it! I know I am a little strange...I can handle the truth :)

Tasty Thursday 3/5/09

Homemade Biscuits for dinner last night, thanks to Melody

Before:

After: I had to stop hands from grabbing them all up in order to take the photo:They turned out really good The taste was delicious. Even Mr. Snippity, my Mr. Picky, said they were really good. Better than the ones in the blue freezer bag, I think! And I know it was fresh! (Mommy B is rubbing off :) Mine took a little longer to cook than in her recipe, but maybe that was just my baking stone or something like the fact that I was multi-tasking the oven at the time. I also rolled my dough a little thinner than she did (not intentionally), so next time I will leave it thicker.

Brief Hiatus

I am still here. However, I have been struggling to keep up with all the other activities that are going on. My kiddos are keeping me busy, plus my job, classwork, and several other factors. I will be around, but I won't blog much for probably the next couple of weeks or so. Thanks for your patience and understanding.

Happy Love Day

IIt is valentine's day. While we do not make this a totally commercial holiday with candy and trappings...we do make a few cards for each other. We also use this day to just make things a little more special. Pink heart pancakes for breakfast. Sugar cookies with sprinkles for later(preview done with some of the younger kiddos yesterday), and do these things together. It is usually a nice, low-key day. I like that!

Tonight, we are trying something new. There is a dinner at our church that the youth put together. Our oldest is now part of that group. So, we are going to dinner at the church, and my child, dressed as Cinderella, is going to serve me! I can't wait for that!

Not today!

I admit, I do not have a Tasty Thursday for today. I guess I get an F on that assignment! I made some really cute & yummy cream puffs yesterday. I should have saved one to show you today...but I forgot to take photos, and they disappeared fast! As for today, I am out of eggs...and I can't bake without eggs :( Plus, I really don't feel like cooking anything else today. After a trip to the store, I am planning a little bit of baking for tomorrow...so maybe I can share something then!

This makes me happy...

I love this kid. This was back in 2004 at a social event that obviously included ice cream.

Jedi boy at age 2. He was sleepy, and from the look of his hair...he had been sweating :)

Photo courtesy of Jodi...thanks!

I just needed to post a little something to make me smile.

Triple Coupons

I recently had my first experience with triple coupon sales. Mommy B gave me a quick tutorial, and I was out the door! I actually had a lot of fun searching out stuff to use my coupons on. As I began to shop, I saw a lady I know, and she was doing the same thing. She gave me encouragement all along the way. I was able to get a couple of free items, and several more for really cheap! My better deals included 2 free bottles of mustard, eggo waffles for $.54, pepperidge farm garlic bread loaf $.27 and a toothbrush for $.05. I hope this store will do this promotion more often. As I was checking out, the manager was at the checkouts...and he and the cashier both thanked me for coming in to shop. And it seemed sincere! This is a serious difference from the store I usually shop in, where they act as if you should be pleased they even bothered to let you go through their line, and will barely speak to you. I may have to shop in this place more often.

(for some reason, the end of my post was cut off...sorry for the terrible form!)

Tasty Thursday 2-5-09

Homemade Pancakes!

I put MommyB's recipe to the test. You can find it here.

I used store-bought flour :) They turned out perfectly. I cook mine using a scant 1/4 cup of batter for each pancake. It makes them manageable for us. I got 12 pancakes total out of her recipe. This definately a do-again. I may never buy boxed mix again!

Onion Dip

I think I am in love with french onion dip. Seriously. I made some yesterday, and I cannot stay away from it. You know the traditional onion soup packet mixed with sour cream...oh, I love it. Could someone please hide the bowl?

Grocery Challenge

I'm jumping on the bandwagon with Mommy B and company to track my grocery spending. Check it out...maybe join in, if you want, and aren't scared to publish your numbers!

stuff

Ok, so last week I lost one day. It seems like now I have lost almost a week! There has been nothing major going on, just the same old stuff. I've been trying to get some household tasks worked on, with minimal success. I get started on something, and then I am needed for something else, and my project gets shoved aside. I know, it's the Mom problem! I love my family very, very much. I do think they need to do a little more for themsleves rather than just rely on Mom to do it all. This isn't a new idea, but you'd think it was killing the fam!

It broke my heart this morning to send the Jedi bo off to school with such a rotten attitude. To him these days, school is "so boring!" Except on PE day. I'm told that he is fine once he gets there. These tough mornings are so hard on his mama's heart.

Tasty Thursday 1-29-09

Tasty Thursday, late edition!

This is a Sugar Cream Pie

It was pretty good. Different from the kinds of pies I usually prefer. I pulled a random recipe from allrecipes.com. I don't know which one exactly.

This is a smooth pie...it remined me of custard. I might make one again.

Where did Tuesday go?

It seemed like a long day..at the time. But really...where did it go? I guess I have to work extra hard to make up for all the stuff that dind't get done yesterday. My Monday was the best one I'd had in a very long time. I attribute that to the power of prayer. My meeting went well. My idea had some valid concerns brought up. So, with a little more information gathering, we'll see. Other ideas were presented, and we have one definate go-ahead to plan!

I'm itching to get my hands dirty. Literally. I plan on starting a garden this year. A 'real' one...not just a lonesome tomato in a pot left to die :) My children are old enough that I can devote some evening hours outside to work on it without stressing that they are going to get into mischief. Oh, wait...I mean they are going to get into mischief...but nothing we can't deal with. They just do not require the same level of supervison as they used to, and are quite independent. It is a happy, yet bittersweet realization!

Good Monday Afternoon

Hello! It is a fresh week...and it is going to be a good one. I just know. A positive outlook can't hurt (especially after the challenges I faced last week). So. I have a ladies group meeting tonight, and I am super excited about an idea I have to share with them. Hopefully they have a warm reception for this. I'll share more on that as it comes to fruition.

My one class is going well, even though it is a lot of little things to keep up with.

I was going to go to a family movie on Friday night...and I forgot! I let princess Leia go out with a friend before I remembered we were supposed to be elsewhere! Yeesh...I need a better handle on my calendar! There will be another opportunity, but I was sad to have missed this one.

How is your Monday going?

How much can one really do?

I looked around this morning, and from every direction came the sight and knowledge of things left undone. I admit, I am not the most stringent cleaner/organizer...but I do treasure a tidy space. Once in a while, I'll actually do something about it. Today, I feel like every corner of my home is crying out for help! So, I jump in. But so far, everything I've done has created more of a mess than it solved! Add to that three children who really could care less, and are making more disturbances... and I am about to go crazy! When you hear the loud wail in a few minutes, don't panic...you'll know it is just me venting my frustration with it all!

Tasty Thursday 1-22-09

What do you do when you bring home a loaf of bread from the store, and you accidentally squish it in the car door while unloading your groceries?

Bread Pudding

Recipe from my Grandmother. Bread (1/2 loaf in my case), milk (or water) to moisten the bread, 2 beaten eggs, vanilla, spices, sugar to taste, anything else you choose to throw in (I added raisins). Bake at 350 until golden on top. I cut into slices, served it warm, with syrup since I didn't make it very sweet.

It was ok... my Nana had a better touch than me.

*actually made on Tuesday, saved this post until today :)

More snow pics...because I can't get enough!

In my neighborhood:

Snow pictures

This morning:


Later this afternoon...scenes from the neighborhood with much more snow than this morning:

A tree in our yard (see the pitiful snowmen on the left?)

A tree

Mr. Snippity with the Jedi and Cinderella

Snow!!!

It is snowing here! I had to cancel an out of town dental appointment...but who cares! It is snowing!!! No pictures to share yet...

Life

Today, our church celebrated Sanctity of Life Sunday. For most, this topic brings thoughts of abortion to mind. However, this means more than just unborn babies. Be respectful of every life. God loves us all...no matter our wordly position. That scruffy old guy you see walking the street? The rich & famous teenage singers? The young murderer sitting in a prison? The alcoholic father who is just barely hanging on to sanity? The obnoxious customer in front of you in the checkout line? God loves them, too. All life is precious...don't overlook people. We all sin. It is easy to look past the ones you are uncomfortable being around, but every life deserves love. Help them if you can.

Tasty Thursday 1-15-09

Caramel Apricot Thumbprint Cookies

Here's tasty Thursday's treat!
I used a Smucker's recipe I had been holding for a while.
I had to modify it a little, and they were slightly more crumbly than I would have liked, but they were quite tasty.
I think they turned out pretty good, for a first attempt!

free shampoo

I happened across this link a little earlier. If you register on their site today, you get a coupon for a free bottle of suave shampoo. Free is good, right?

A quick sew

I whipped this up cute little apron on Friday. I got the pattern from Sew Liberated. She has great stuff!

I have plans to make 2 more, because I am sure a few girls I know wouldn't like to have to share!
This was a fairly easy project.

the soup picture

I did find the keys!

Just in case anyone was wondering, I did find the car keys. My lovely, sweet, angel-face son thought he was helping when he put them in a super-secret, never used compartment in my purse. I had to walk the kids to the bus stop in a light drizzle to pick up Cinderella. I did find them in time to take the big princess to her music lesson as well. I think I need to look into getting an extra key made!

Tasty Thursday

I am having technical difficulties on photos again, but here's what I made!

Dual Cheese Broccoli Soup
1/4 tbsp butter
1 cup cooked broccoli florets, chopped very small
1Tbsp all-purpose flour
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 tsp. mustard
1/2 cup milk
1 oz muenster cheese
1-2 oz cheddar cheese
salt and freshly ground pepper, to taste

In a large pot, melt butter over medium heat. Add broccoli and cook 2-3 more minutes. Lower heat, add flour, and cook, stirring, 3-4 minutes, without browning. Add chicken broth and mustard and raise heat to bring to boil. Lower heat and simmer about 5 minutes. Add milk. Bring to simmering point and simmer another 5 minutes. Add cheese, and stir until melted. Salt and pepper to taste.

Are you sure it is winter?

My thermometer outside says 69.6 degrees. It is windy, yes. I love that part! Wind is why I think the fall is my favorite season. I love to get out on the sand and listen to the waves crash while the wind is whipping your hair in every which direction. The kiddos and I had a ton of fun time playing outside this morning. It's been a while since we've been able to do that, because of wind, rain, cold, etc...we've had to be content to grab a few minutes here and there as possible.
The sun graced us for part of that time. However, in the course of these few minutes spent since I started typing, it is pouring rain!

I wrote on my FB page that I was listening to the dishwasher (exciting life that I lead, huh?). Now I can't hear the dishwasher over the sound of rain. And just in case you are wondering...I am happy to hear the dishwasher, because the dishes were about to conquer the kitchen!

Waking up is hard to do!

Not breaking up, but waking up!!! It is hard! I did not meet my goal of waking up early today. I did get up earlier than my usual 2008 time, though. I need to get up 15 minutes earlier than I did today. 15 minutes. 15 minutes. I can do that, right? It is only 15 minutes. It just feels so good to roll back over & snuggle under the warm covers. I will try harder tomorrow, and I will try to get to bed before 11pm as well. I get in the middle of reading, and I cannot put the book down, and time flies by.

Good Monday Morning!

It is back to the school time routine. I was looking forward to it in a way...but not in others. I have to wake up earlier again, but the kids thrive better on routine. I think we are going to work harder to have a consistent bedtime for the kids. They need to go to sleep earlier, so that Mr. Snippity & I have time to play their Wii, after all :)

Resolutions anyone? I have refrained from making formal ones, but the bedtime goal is one aspiration I have. That, and I've agreed to a physical challenge with a relative. It involves running, so I'm not totally enthused, but I am competitive...so it might make a difference.

Gotta run and get some things done! Have a good day.

First Friday

It is the first friday of 2009. For any of you that read this blog just for the Tasty Thursday episodes...I apologize. The holiday schedule has really gotten me all mixed up, and I can barely figure out which day is which! It has been a nice kind of crazy, though.

Today, the cats are going to the vet. They are getting neutered, and apparently did not enjoy being in the carrier box. I think if Muffin gets any stronger, we will have to buy a steel re-inforced carrier for the next trip :)

I can't find my car keys. I drove home with them last night, so they must be here somewhere...but so far, 3 of us have looked, and can't find them. Hopefully they'll turn up soon!

Yesterday was a fun one. This makes the second year in a row that I have gone out on a day-long geocaching adventure. I highly recommend it! We didn't start until around 10 am this year. We found 14 caches, and we even had time to stop for a long sit-down lunch. We finished up the last couple in the dark...and were done around 7pm. Around here, that is really good, because most of the caches are pretty spread out.

I have a wedding to go to tomorrow, and I must find time to go shopping for something to wear. That is a hard task, because I really despise clothes shopping for myself. Hopefully I won't have too much misery to deal with...and maybe I can leave the kids home, too.

Anyway, this post is kind of rambling....but it's what's going on around here. It's Friday!