This & That

Whats for dinner?

I finally added a new recipe to my foodies folder.  YUMMM!  That's what I am making for dinner tonight for my Monday night dinner.  This week we are changing things up a bit and we are eating dinner at my aunt's house to celebrate my little cousin's birthday!  This meal should be a good crowd pleaser and I am going to double up the recipe to serve 16 people! 

So much going on around here.  I have about 100 stories to tell you and pics to share but of course I am short on time and running out the door to get ingredients and birthday gifts for the girls.  I am going to go to the Limited Too.  I am thinking that Julia might be about the right size for that store now.  It has such cute stuff there, but Julia has always been too little. 

Mr. Mittens has quickly become a full-fledged family member.  He is such a funny little kitty.  We Love him AND his monster paws.  Here he is getting super comfy ON TOP of my computer. 

And yes, if you are wondering if that is a keyboard also ON TOP of my computer you are correct.  I spilled tamarind sauce on my keyboard and my keyboard did not like it.  This is the solution.  Hey, don't judge me.....you would do it too if you had to.  :)

A week already....really???

That's what I am saying to myself when I look at the last time I blogged.  I can't believe that a week has gone by.  It has been a blur.  So much has been going on.  PTO is back in full swing and I am co-chairing this year so that means lots and lots and lots of organizing and communication and hours spent at the school.  I am not griping about it because I really truly love being such an important part of my kids education. 

Even though I work part-time I still consider myself a stay-at-home mom for some reason.  Maybe because I am not off at  an office 40 hours a week and my schedule is always in flux.  I feel like part of my "job" as being a stay-at-home mom is being as involved as possible with my kids education and extracurricular activities.  I am lucky that I am able to do all the things that I do for them.  It is what makes me feel like I am doing my part and that just plain ole' makes me feel good!

My evenings have been chock full of stuff to do ALL WEEK!  Dean was great and really picked up the slack for all my teaching, , working, and of course friending :)  A few evenings were spent with my BFF paula who flew back to LA on Sunday :(  There were more slumber parties with my favorite girl and a new favorite girl....HI KATIE!!! 

Not to mention the fact that I was even able to get crafty....Hello....you heard that right.  This weekend was the Scrap Pink event at the store and I was even able to carve out some time for me to get some crafting goodness accomplished.  I started my Maine vacation album and did a couple more LO's that have been in my head for a while now.  (LO - that's short for Layout for all you non-crafters!)

                                                                       

The pics that are on the LO's look a little washed out after I took the photo, but irl they are bright....fyi. 

That is all for now!  I am off to pick the boy up early from school for an orthodontist appt.....he is super psyched about that!  And then I am going to come home and pick up my messy house before my sister comes over to watch the little ones while I go to Parent's night at the school.  I am also anxiously awaiting for Dean to return from his trip to Philadelphia (I think that's where he went).  The house is just so lonely without him :(

Hope you all are having a good hump day - and by hump day I mean day in the middle of the week.  Get your minds out of the gutter!  There is certainly not a national holiday for that :)

I'm just saying .......

Too much....just too much!!!

That's how I feel today.  My cup has runneth over - or something like that.  This weekend has been GREAT!!!!!  I am really feeling pretty darn lucky right about now to have so many amazing people in my life - like my BFF Paula.  I know that I am now in my 30's and BFF seems a teensy bit highschoolish, but it's really not going anywhere.  We WILL be the 80 year old grannies calling each other BFF....I KNOW IT!

Paula has landed on the east coast for a nice long visit.  She usually only visits for four days at a time, but this time she is here for at least a week!!!!  I know it's hard for her to fit everyone into her demanding schedule and that everyone wants a piece of her so when she carves out time for little ole' me it makes me feel special.  She has a way of doing that.

The cup runneth over stuff started on Friday when I went to (Thanksgiving) dinner/impromptu pig out at the OCB with my Colorful Creations family.  Melissa so skillfully photo-documented our journey and you can see it here.  We had a blast and wondered why the heck we didn't do this EVERY Friday night.  I have to agree.  Friday night + OCB = no fail good time :)

Saturday I worked with the fabulous Jayne all day.  I was anxiously awaiting the live appearance of Paula all day and at around 7:30 pm my wishes came true!!!  Paula, Dean and I all went out to Acapulco's for dinner with the kiddos. This is one of our new favorite family night hot-spots.  We returned home and Paula and I decided that we should watch a movie.  I KNEW she had to watch Juno because she hadn't seen it.  We set up shop in my bed - the comfiest place in the house - and shortly thereafter Paula was sound asleep.  She did not even get to see the movie :(  I guess that is what taking a red eye will do to you.  Eventually I fell asleep too, but not after watching the whole movie and crying almost the whole time because that is just what I do.  When I awoke at around 1:30 am I noticed that Paula was still sound asleep - in my bed - and the lights and TV were off.  Hmmmmmm......then I go to the living room and there is Dean sound asleep on the couch.  AWWWWWWWWWW.  He's so good to me (and to Paula for not making her sleep on the couch) I love him.

Sunday morning we relaxed/waited for Paula to wake up and then I went to work for the day.  Paula and I thought that a girls night was in order.  We met up with two of her girlfriends that live here and had dinner and drinks at Columbo's.  HELLO - Lobster Ravioli was AMAZING!!! Sarah headed home early and Paula, Katie and I headed over to Sam's for some more beveraging/talking/fried ice cream eating good times. 

I had such a great weekend.  It was full of good food, good friends and good times. 

My cup runneth over!

I have been thinking.....

that's right.  I have some new ideas for this little blog of mine.  Sooooo.....I consider myself a {creative chick} in the paper crafting world, but I feel like this blog isn't just about papercrafting and what goes on at work and the siliness that goes on between the other {creative chicks}.  I feel like this blog is about what is going on in my life and what is exciting me. 

Besides my family, friends and scrappy stuff I have other passions.  Like cooking!!!!!  Cooking to me is soooo much about sharing and showing your love through your exploits in the kitchen.  There are quite a few recipes that I have made and that have become somewhat of a "signature dish" if you will.  I am thinking it's time to get a recipe sidebar going on.  I love - more than almost anything else - to try a recipe, have it be a success and then share that recipe with all my friends!

I think that is one of my skills in the cooking world.  I am able to pick out a GOOD recipe from the masses out there.  I like simple (usually) recipes that use fresh ingredients that aren't too fussy to prepare.  I mean let's be real people, I am not into making any sort of foams or gelees to "garnish" or "sauce" my dishes.  I am certainly not a "Top Chef" no matter how many times I watch that darn show :)

Not sure if I am going to just post all my faves in this album or if I should do some sort of sharing of recipes by me and my blog friends.  What about a recipe call?  It's all in my head right now.  I am going to take some fun pics this weekend I think and try and do a photo album on the side with a pic of the food item and then the recipe.  That's really the only way I can figure out how to do it so far. 

I am going to start it off with .... what else .... Melissa's Famous Guacamole.  Check it out on the left side of the blogio.

Let's see how it goes :)

To Do Lists

It's the time of year when I can actually make a to do list and have hopes of actually getting stuff crossed off!!!!  My people are not babies anymore.  I (kinda) know this.  So why is it so difficult to get stuff done when they are running around?  I DON'T KNOW. IT JUST IS.

It might be the moaning and groaning that accompanies any day that we weren't at the beach/at a friends house/doing something super fantastic.  Or perhaps it is the onslaught of catch phrases that my people like to say/whine at me multiple times a day that sounds something like........ "I'm hungry" "can I have a snack?" "I'm bored" "can I watch TV" "what are you making for lunch/dinner?" "can I do painting/play-doh/messy crafting?" "mamma, I'm tired" "mamma, can I have a drink?" "Do I have to read?" "I don't want to play outside - it's boring" and my favorite "NO"

Whatever the reasons may be, I am always waaaaay more productive during the school year.  Oh yeah, it might have something to do with the fact that I am getting up at 6:30.....that dramatically changes in the summer months.

Today was a good day.  I was up early and out the door without a glitch to get my to do list done!

i love lists *sigh*

• Take antibiotic twice - still one more to go today
• Get new car charger for my cell phone at Verizon
• Call my mom & dad and tell them about a super sale courtesy of my Brother-in-Law
• Stop by Dance Designs and sign Miss Julia up for Beginner Ballet
• Order a Paper Shredder on Amazon
• Order more K Cups for our keurig coffee maker - best coffee maker ever!!!!!!!!
• e-mail Youth Hockey people / set up payments on-line for the season / register for USA Hockey
• Shut off my Land line - we are wireless only now!
• Play with Mr. Mittens :)
• Peruse SIStv - trying to be more active member again - sign up for a whimsy jar swap. YUMMY
• Write outline for meeting with principal tomorrow morning
• Write outline for PTO newsletter
• Write Agenda for first meeting of the year
• Play on the playground
• Find a babysitter for my people while I am at work tomorrow night
• Chat with Jacob's teacher - she is GREAT!!!!!
• get an icecream cone at Steve & Sue's
• Head over to Payless and torture my people while shoe shopping for Miss Julia and get her a pair of boots and mary janes for only $30! Love BOGO!
• Make Breakfast for Dinner for the littles- yumm
• Make tasty Dinner for Dean
• BLOG!!!!

So here I am.   That is one productive day in my book!  There are still a lot of things that were not crossed off my to do list of course like......

• Make cards for Lesa's Little Life Preservers project
• Do Laundry
• Major Clean of Jacob's room - like empty the whole room and start fresh - best way to clean a kids room or any room for that matter.
• Get Crafty - in particular I want to make a First Day of School LO
• Stop by the Town Clerk's office to find out who pulled a permit for the PTO annual prize drawing in 2005 that we are now being asked to submit a tax payment for????
• Make an appointment for Jacob's orthodontist
• Find new primary care dr. for both Dean and I

 

And now I am done! 

Sitting on the couch about to go and watch Project Runway that I have DVR'd in my room.   

A little bit of this & a little bit of that

Mr. Mittens is making himself right at home and being super cute.  Betty Moo and Mr. Mittens are able to sit *kinda* close to each other. 

The kids started school last week on Wednesday.  They had two days of school and then four days off and now tomorrow they are back for the week!  I took a picture of them on their first day wearing their shiny new sneakers (in the "official" picture taking spot of course).

I spent my first two days of alone time getting super crafty.  I finished a sample for a class that I am teaching at the store as well as two other projects for our Scrap pink raffle that we are having at the store.  All proceeds will go to benefit the Susan G. Komen foundation which is a good thing, a really good thing. 

Then there was this weekend.  There was much fun had working with Erinand excitement at the prospect of going for a ride on the pineapple express (that's a movie...btw).  We picked up the Spange and headed to P*rock for a slight detour on our way to the movie theater in the Ham (short for Wareham) which is waaaay cheaper than the movie theater here.  There was way too much silliness.

The silliness ended shortly thereafter when erin called me on her way home to tell me that someone slammed into her on the highway on her way home.  WHAT!!!!  A drunk driver going way way way too fast hit the back of erin's car on the back driver side corner.  The drunk driver then proceeded to slam on their brakes and turned their car into the grass middle between eastbound and westbound lanes and flipped over and over and over and landed on the roof hitting the guardrail on the TOTAL OPPOSITE side of the highway.  HOLY HOLY CRAP!!!! I am so grateful that erin is OK and the only thing that was hurt was her car.  She is one seriously lucky chica.

After that craziness there was luckily a relaxing day at Dean's parents house to celebrate Labor Day (by not working - thank you Jenn) and Dean's dad's birthday.  This was amazing!!!! Thank you Thank You Thank You G&G!

Today we relaxed and played wit Mr. Mittens and I did some errands and then we finished off this Labor Day Weekend with yet another feast at my memere & pepere's house with FIFTEEN pounds of steamers, crab cakes, steaks, chicken, corn on the cob and yummy pasta salad (which if you didn't know is one of my FAVORITE foods!)

Tomorrow.  The kids are off to school and I am heading to my Dr. to get something to get rid of the fluid in my ear that is making it sound as though I have a conch shell permanently fastened to my ear....perhaps there might be some sort of ear infection ..... i am just assuming that the whole hearing the ocean in your ear/occasional shooting pain = ear infection.