Christmas Morning

 This year for Christmas, Jevin and Elliona, each had 1 present they were VERY adamant about wanting.  For Jevin, it was Fox riding gear (jersey, pants, gloves, and boots) for his 4-wheeler.  We told him if we bought him the gear it would leave little money for toys, so he would have to choose (riding gear is NOT cheap)!!  This is what he chose!!!

We also got him some other things that he wanted.  We saved the gear for last and he didn't whine or complain that he didn't get it!  He is only 8, but I swear sometimes he acts so much older.  When we finally gave it to him, he was sooooo excited!!!  He wore it, boots and all, for the whole day!!!!  He cracks me up!

Elliona, really wanted a play kitchen.  This gift was quite the challenge.  She is only 5, but about as tall as a 7 or 8 year old.  This created a problem because most of the play kitchens out there are very tiny.  She would hover over them like a giant!!!!  I finally found a wood one made by Little Tikes that is a couple of inches taller than her.  It is really cute, but the reviews said it was a pain to put together.  Normally, Rich and I would stay up until 2 am on Christmas Eve putting toys together, but we opted out this year.  Elli was very happy that she got her kitchen, but wasn't happy that it was still in the box!!!

Rich had to immediately get his tools and get to work!!  Three hours later Elliona had her very own kitchen!!!  Good job, daddy!!! 

I hope you all had a very nice Christmas and enjoyed being with family!!!!

Dr. Seuss Baby Shower

Back in November, I had a small baby shower for my sister-in-law, Rachelle (yep, we have the same name).  Rachelle and her husband Jim, decided not to find out the sex of their baby (I told her she was crazy!).  Don't they know that makes it hard on all the people who want to go buy all that super cute baby stuff, geesh!!!  I couldn't think of a cute theme for a unisex shower, then one day (like a week before the shower), Dr. Seuss came to mind!  It was perfect, but it was also very challenging to find stuff to decorate with in a short amount of time.  I had tons of books and that was about it.  I happened to go to the library the week of the party and wouldn't you know it, the kids' book room was decorated in The Cat In The Hat!!!  The Liberian let me borrow everything!!  It was my lucky day!

I used red, light blue and white as my colors.  For this table in the pic and the kitchen table I cut out 3 different sizes of circles out of felt, and spread them down the middle of the tables.

I used my books as props through out the living room and kitchen.

I found this cute little cupcake idea on Kara's Party Ideas.  Since it was Thanksgiving time, I made pumpkin cupcakes with blue cream cheese icing.

This is the Mommy-to-be!

Elliona was my helper for the day and Rachelle's photographer.

I think everything turned out pretty good!  Rachelle lives in PA, so she got to come home and see some friends she hasn't seen in a while, so that was really good!!!  

Light At The End Of The Tunnel

Whew Whee!!!!  Finally, there is not one person in my house that is sick!!!  We have been battling some major sickness here in my house!!  It started about 5 weeks ago with Elliona getting bronchitis, then I was sick with the flu for about 4 days, Rich was in the hospital for 3 days with pneumonia and was off of work for 2 weeks, Jevin had a bug for a couple of days and then it circled back to Elliona again, who now is recovering from pneumonia and strep throat!!!!!  Then to top it off, yesterday I had my 4 wisdom teeth removed!!!!!  I am soooo done with doctors!!!  I hope this is finally the light at the end of the tunnel!!!!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN

Happy Halloween Everyone!!!!  For my kids this is the BEST holiday next to Christmas, of course!  So, here's some pics of their costumes this year.

 Pretty Princess Elliona as Sleeping Beauty.

 That Big Bushy Thing next to the Pretty Princess would be Jevin in a ghillie suit.

He is on duty tonight to guard the Princess.

I know, I know, you think he looks like Swamp Thing!!!!  That's what everyone thought he was.  He is actually an Army Sniper.  The ghillie suit is designed to help soldiers or hunters blend into the woods.  This was his MUST have costume, since this is what he has declared he wants to be went he grows up (an Army sniper)!!!!  I hope he changes his mind!!  They had fun and got me lots of chocolate, so I think it was a good night!!! ;)

Does this orange hurt your eyes?  It's killing mine, it's like looking into the sun!!  Sorry, I was trying to be festive!

MIA

I am "officially" the WORST blogger ever!!!!!  Life has been a lit'l stressful lately!!!  The kids and I started school at the end of August, Jevin started flag football and cub scouts, and Elliona is taking a jazz dance class!!!!  Rich is still working out of town, so all of these activities keep me busy, busy, busy!!! There ya have it, that's my excuse!!!  I will try to post something interesting in the next few days!!  No promises!!

2 Muddy Kids

About a month ago Jevin and Elliona got a new 4- wheeler.  It was a shopping trip intended for buying a new helmet for Jevin, so we bought the helmet and it just so happened to come with a new 4-wheeler bonus!!!!  That's why I try to leave Rich (my spontaneous hubby) at home!!  They both love it and it's their birthday present!

They ride it around our yard.  We have about 2 acres, so that gives them plenty of room to go crazy.  The other day it rained and they were soooo excited to go ride it through the mud.  The neighbors definitely think we are hillbillies!!  Here's some pics from the event!

They were so proud of themselves for being completely covered in mud!!!  Oh, and I was soooo proud, too!!  Rich will also be VERY proud when he comes home and sees how much they tore up the yard!!  They sure did have fun though!!  Now everyday they are hoping for rain!

Healthy Snack

We recently found a new and really delicious new snack!!  Annie Chun's Roasted Sesame Seaweed Snacks are soooo good!!!  I know you are probably thinking, "How good can seaweed actually be?"  They are so scrumptious that my 4 year old daughter ate 2 whole packs all by herself today, in one setting!! 

Seaweed is still pretty new in the US, but in other countries such as China it has been consumed since prehistoric times.  Seaweed is higher in vitamins and minerals than any other food!  1/4 of a cup of seaweed has more than half the calcium found in a glass of milk and more iron than an egg!!

We usually just eat them "straight up", right out of the package, but they are also really good made into sushi rolls.  Take some sticky rice and a little avocado and roll it up... walla...now you have a delicious appetizer!!

Ok, there's my healthy tidbit!!  Go buy some SEAWEED!!  YUMMY!!!

Saving My Pennies

I am in the market for a new purse.  That means I am on what is usually a "mission impossible".  I'm so picky when it comes to buying a new purse.  It usually takes months of looking for me to find the right one!!  I'm not your typical "purse hording woman".  I do not under no circumstances change my purse to suit what I'm wearing!!  Crazy, I know!!  I'm lucky I get myself and the 2 kiddies out the door on most days fully dressed, so who has time to worry about my purse matching?!  So, this is why I really have to loooove the purse!   I have to look at it everyday, until it finally falls apart!!

The purse above is by Fossil.  I am absolutely in LOVE with it!!!  My problem is the price tag ($188).   I hate to spend a lot of money on a purse because I am so rough on them.  But, then I think "I will probably keep this one for a long time because it is so classic and it will be worth it."  I know to some of you that is a bargain price for a leather purse, but not in "my neck of the woods."  If I tell my husband about it he will say, "Just shut up and buy it!"  He hates that I put too much thought into things!!  Oh, to be a guy and to be able to be sooo frivolous!!!!  I will be saving up for this, so please hang in there my old purse!!!

SURPRISE!!!!

Yesterday Rich turned another year older!!!  What an old man, (he's only 2 years older then me, so I'm sooo joking).  Anyway, for his special day I planned the biggest surprise EVER!!  This may not sound like such a "Big Hurrah" to some of you. but if you have kids you may sympathize!   He works out of town, so I planned for my father-in-law to watch the kiddies over night and I drove to surprise him with a night all alone with just us!!  That is in bold print because that hasn't happened in about 5 years!!  I know that is pretty darn sad!!  So sad,  that when I drove up and surprised him at his appartment he came outside and inspected the car, because he didn't believe that I didn't have the kids!!! 

We went out to dinner at this amazing restaurant.  The name of it is 1808 American Bistro and it is located in Delaware, OH (near Columbus).  If you are ever there, I strongly recommend that you go!

That's a pic of what I had for dinner.  A grilled chesse sandwich is definately not something I would normally order, but this sandwich was delicious!!  It was made with ricotta, white cheddar, smoked gouda and spinach.  Sooo yummy!!!  Rich had the shrimp and grits and it was amazing, too!!  We were so pleased with our visite!!  We are now big 1808 fans!!!

Rich was extremely surprised and sooo happy!!!  Everything was great!!  So, I guess my being "sneaky" and telling "little fibs" all paid off!  I so thought I would get busted!!!

Book Worm

     I am such a bad blogger!!  I am sure everyone has pretty much just stopped reading this because I never write anything new!  Well, here I am again, there might be hope for me yet!!! 

     This summer has been such a whirlwind!!  Where has the time went?  I haven't done much of anything except bring the kids swimming and read.  I have read a lot of books this summer and I just finished my favorite one so far.  

      If you are looking for a good book, I recommend Water for Elephants, by Sara Gruen.  I'm sure you have heard of it, since it was made into a movie and starred Robert Pattenson and Reese Whitherspoon.  I didn't watch the movie, but maybe I will now!  It's setting is a circus during the early part of the Great Depression.  It is very captivating and I couldn't put it down!  It's a love story that not only involves the love of a man and woman, but also the love and faithfulness of animals.

Life Update

Here's what's been going on in this "neck of the woods"

• Jevin has been playing baseball, so 4 nights a week we are busy with that.  He really enjoys it and he is a lot better this year!
• I've been trying to read Pride and Prejudice for about 3 weeks now.  I like it a lot more than I thought I would, but it's just not a book I can't put down.
• Elliona has me making her a tutu.  It's super easy and sooooo cute, but it has been a lot more time consuming than I had originally planned.  Also, it is soooo incredibly fluffy!!   I'm not all the way done yet and have already used 175 feet of tulle.  She can't wait till it's done (neither can I)!!
• Elli is officially a pre-school grad and Jevin's last day of 1st grade is tomorrow!!!
• Last of all we are all ready for SUMMER BREAK!!!!  GOOD-BYE RAIN, BRING ON THE SUNSHINE!!!!!!

Honey Bees

No, that is not a clump of dirt stuck to the side of my chimney!!  It is THOUSANDS of honey bees!!!  It makes me want to vomit just looking at the picture!!!  They decided they were going to be my mother's day present.  They just showed up out of no where!!  We had to take immediate action because our son is allergic to them!  He is scared to death to go outside on a normal day due to the possibility that there might be a bee out there that's going to sting him.  This GREATLY raised those odds!!  That's where this guy, the bee keeper, comes to the rescue!!



God bless his heart!!!  He came out on mother's day and was at our house for almost 3 hours.  He ended up rescuing about 5,000 bees.  He did it all for free.  He was only concerned for the well being of the bees and to get them away from Jevin.  See, there still are some nice people out there. 

Earrings

HURRAY!!!!!  Elliona finally agreed to get her ears pierced!!!  She was such a big girl!  She didn't even flinch!!  She was so brave and fearless.  Elli was a great example for her baby cousin, Makayah, who was next in line.  Makayah did good, too.  A little crying, but nothing that a red lollipop couldn't fix!!!  Elli was so proud of herself and couldn't wait to tell her daddy!!  She kept saying, "Daddy will be soooo proud." 

Elli and Makayah with their new earrings

Myrtle Beach 2011

This years vacation destination was Myrtle Beach.  This was the first time we have visited Myrtle as a family.  It was also extra special because Rich's father, and his sister and her hubby were able to join us.  Of course, this made the kids ecstatic!  They can never get enough Pa-Pa, Aunt 'Chelle and Uncle Jim time! 

So, the company was good, but the weather on-the-other-hand, not so much!  The day we arrived it was 80!
                                                                                                                         

This is the kids at the out door pool.  It was freezing cold, but they didn't care.  This is the first and last day that we were able to swim there!  After the first day the temperature drastically dropped and it began to rain. 

We did get to sneak in 2 more days out-doors.  One, was our trip to the beach.  It was a bit chilly, but it didn't stop us from collecting shells and dipping our feet in the icy water.

Jevin and Elli love the ocean!  They were so excited to go search for seashells.  The beach was covered with the biggest shells I have ever seen on a beach.  They found a lot of really neat ones.

We also were able the visit Murrel's Inlet.  We strolled along the pier, did some bird watching and seen some locals crab fishing.

We even were able to get a good family picture!!

Besides the fact that the weather didn't want to cooperate, we had a really great trip!!  The kids didn't care that it was rainy; they were just as happy being at the in-door pool.  And we were just happy to be able to spend time together with family!!! 

But.....

A super HOT tan on-top of all of that would have been AWESOME!!!!

YUMMY

These cookies are making my mouth water just looking at them!!!  I don't know if you have ever had a chocolate chip cookie sandwich from Mrs. Fields or not, but they are AWESOME!!!  My husband and I love them.  We don't have one close to us, but whenever we randomly encounter one, we always get one.  They go perfectly with a nice, cold, glass of milk. 
These pretty, little,  cookies were made by me!!  It was Jevin's turn to bring a snack to Cub Scouts and I was trying to think of something fun.  He requested brownies and my chocolate chip cookies.  Then I came across a recipe for buttercream frosting.  I have never made it and that's when I remembered Mrs. Fields' cookies.  They were a BIG hit with the boys.

Here's the recipe for the icing:

1/2 c. butter (room temp.)

41/2 c. powdered sugar

11/2 tsp. pure vanilla

5-6 tsp. milk

Whip the butter until it is light and fluffy. 

Slowly add the powdered sugar. 

Add the vanilla

Add the milk, one tsp. at a time until at the right consistency.


Sandwich this icing between two of your favorite chocolate chip cookies and ENJOY!!!!!!

Mini Stylist

This is my daughter, Elliona. We call her Elli for short. She is 4 years old and I love this age, because she still does the really adorable things that just make you smile!!! I don't know if you can tell by the picture, but she is kinda obsessed with the color pink. Lately she is all about wanting to pick out her own clothes and they must be pink. From head to toe pink!!! This pic is one of her outfits she put together. I think she did really good. She wore it to the mall and she received 3 complements on how cute she was.

This is my son, Jevin (he's trilled, can't ya tell?). He is 7 and for a boy he also is very into what he is wearing. Today Elli insisted on picking out every ones clothes. This is what she chose for him. He didn't put up a fight, so I took that as an approval from Mr. Fashionista!!! Most mornings before school we are fighting over what he is going to wear to school!! I didn't think boys were supposed to do that. Don't they normally just throw on their clothes and call it a day?

Date Night

Rich and I tried to arrange to go on a date this past Saturday, but it didn't quite work out that way. So, I thought we would take the kids to the movies. We have never taken them to see a movie before. Plans got changed again and Jevin was asked to stay at his friends. Guess who he chose? So, Elli got to go on a special "date" with mommy and daddy by herself. She was soooo excited to be going to the theater. It was so cute. We took her to see Tangled.

It was so good!! Rich even liked it!!! I thought we would be incrediably bored watching a cartoon, but I was totally wrong. I recommend you watch this movie even if you don't have kids. Elli really enjoyed the theater, but she wasn't to happy that she had to share her daddy with me. She is such a daddy's girl!

Basement Before Pics

This is the corner where the wood burner was.

The living room

The steps minus the beautiful pink carpet

Project Basement Overhaul

So, we are going to finish redoing our basement. Over a year ago we started the basement bathroom and it is still not 100% complete. That's just how we roll around here!! The basement also has a living room and a bedroom. That's what we will be working on. It is covered in paneling, which we will be painting in a pretty light blue. The floors are also on our to-do-list and this past weekend we bought the flooring for it.

We love it!!!!! It made us want to hurry up and get started so we could put the floor down. So, yesterday was a snow day and we were so motivated. Rich removed the wood burner that was in the corner, tore the lovely pink carpet off of the steps and ripped up some tiles. He was very productive. The kids and I had the dirty job of washing the cobweb encrusted walls and they sure do get nasty when you don't wash them in 8 years!!!

Today we had BIG plans to start priming the walls. That never happened. Oh, the excitement lasted for one whole day!!! Rich estimates it should be complete in about 2 years!! Ha-Ha, he is probably right!!

Love At First Sight

Rich has a fancy dinner for his work every year at a country club, so therefore, every year I have to find the perfect dress. This year the mission to find "the dress" was a bit of a challenge. My friend {who also will be attending the dinner} and I spent 8 hours at the mall, with 3 kids, looking for our dresses. Thank God, our children were great!!! You would have never know they were litterly in and out of every store in the whole mall!!! Finally, after 7 hours and taking my clothes off and on a million times, I instantly fell in love with this whole outfit {minus the tights and shoes} from The Limited. Before I even tried it on I knew I finally found my dress. The only bad thing was it wasn't on sale, but by this point in time it didn't even matter! So, today I was on-line and went to their web site to find that the dress, belt, and sweater are all on sale!! Of course, right?