A Comedian Lives Here

Last time I was at Costco I picked up some Veggie Straws. The kids were with me and had sampled it, so I figured they would make a good snack (even though they have no nutritional value.) Well, yesterday they were eating the Veggie Straws at lunch and someone decides to be a comedian...  (Please note... he does not get this stuff from me.)

Look at me, Mom!

Huh, Huh, I crack myself up!!

Favorite Kid Pic

This week's blog hop is our favorite kid pic.  It is really hard to pick just one, but as of late this one has to be my favorite.  It was taken on the way home from a Cardinal victory...

Design Star Episode 2

So last week I picked Amy as one of my favorites, well, her "show has been cancelled" as she was eliminated last night. Really she should have been. They were remodeling kitchens, not on a stage, but for real people like you and me. Her team did not get the project finished in the allotted time. Her design idea was fine, but it was her responsibility to see that everything and everyone was doing what they needed to do.

There were cabinet doors hanging on hinges, some hardware left off cabinets, the granite countertops were not level because they failed to level the cabinets when they installed them, no time to accessorize. It was a big mess all the way around. And this was a team of interior designers. Yikes. It's hard to know what these people are capable of until they work on individual projects. I look forward to next week... "the white room challenge." They are given a stark white room and must decorate it with a limited budget with things purchased from a grocery store. That should be good. Anyway, here are the two kitchens (and these are the "after" pics.)

You can see the hardware is missing on the drawers by the refrigerator.  It is hard to tell in this photo how awful the granite looks.  Luckily, HGTV hires a crew to go in and fix things.  Once fixed it will look pretty nice.

This team only won because they finished.  The judges did not like it.  Vern said, "It looks like a rainbow threw up in there."  I don't care for this.  The floor blends in too much with the cabinets and that window treatment doesn't go with anything.

The Week That Was...

... Carlie's Upward Soccer evaluations.

... Breakfast in bed to celebrate Noah's toddler bed conversion.

... Reading Club awards from the library.

... Lots of outdoor play.

Banana Bread Recipe

In the past my banana bread recipes have resulted in being done on the outside but gooey in the middle.  That is so disappointing because I end up throwing it out.  I was telling my dilemma to one of my KD Ladies and she sent me this recipe to try.  It turned out yummy and actually got done in the middle. 

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Mash 3 bananas and 1 cup sugar.  Set aside.

Sift 2 cups flour into separate bowl.

Add 1/2 tsp salt

Add 1 tsp baking soda.

Add a little of this dry mixture and one egg to the banana pulp. Add a little more dry mixture and a second egg to it. Beat well and add remaining flour.

Add 1/2 cup melted butter a little at a time to the mixture.

(I melt mine in the loaf pan while the oven preheats).  

Bake 45-60 minutes at 350 or until finished.

Let the loaf cool in the pan 10 minutes and then remove the loaf to cool on a wire rack.

Our Reading Rainbow

We have been reading so many books this summer.  So, I decided to showcase not only what I was reading, but what the kids are enjoying as well.  You will find Our Reading Rainbow on the right.  The selections will change often as we make weekly trips to the library.  "Becoming" is a magazine-format New Testament Bible.  We started at the beginning of summer and have read it everyday at lunchtime.   We are currently on Colossians.  Carlie and Daddy read the Magic Treehouse series every night, while Noah and Mommy enjoy the Llama Llama series.  

Love This Show

HGTV's Design Star started last night for its 4th season. Thankfully, the rules have been changed up a bit, and the judges will pick the winner instead of America. I say "thankfully" because the last two winners have been complete flops. Last year's winner ended up filming a one-hour long special on painting and a few painting videos for the website.  I don't know if the Higher Ups at HGTV felt America made a mistake picking her, or she just didn't want to have her own show (why tryout?), but whatever the reason she doesn't have a show.

This year's judges are Vern Yip, Genevieve Gorter, and my very favorite, please come and decorate my whole house, Candice Olson. Love her. Glad they got rid of the magazine editor chicks.



Let's get to last night's show. Overall none of the rooms were spectacular or anything I would want in my house, but I guess since they were going for Hollywood Glam, they did okay. So far my favorites are Amy and Torie. Don't really have a reason because so far everything is "team" so it is hard to tell who does what.

Amy

Torie

Here is a look at the rooms each helped with...

Team Amy... don't worry, she was not responsible for the ridiculous pink geese on the wall, although the judges supposedly "loved" that element.  Hmmm...

Team Torie... a little too much brown, in my opinion, would have preferred more muted silvers and whites for the bed coverings with brown accents. 

What do you think?  If you want to see more of the rooms done by other contestants, click on HGTV at the right.  (All photos from hgtv.com)

Friday Fun

I recently viewed this routine on You Tube and decided to share. The performance is by 14 year old Boyanka Angelova at the 2008 Junior European Rhythmic Gymnastics Championships. This girl is AMAZING! I love the part about 1:05 in where she dribbles the ball in backbend position while hopping on one foot. Seriously, who does that? She does appear to have a substance on the bottom of her feet to help her catch the ball (hope it's a "legal" substance ;-) Now, off to go work on my flexibility.



This video courtesy of http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U4SNTF80-4E

Sleeping Beauty

The other night before bed we went in to check on Carlie and found her zonked out (and wearing my sleep mask.)  Don't know where she found it, but it definitely helps her sleep in a bit more in the morning...

4th of July Pics

Finally got around to uploading the pics from July 4th weekend.  We had a great visit from Grammy and Grandpa D. , Buddy, and the Cheet.  Good thing we decided to attend fireworks on Friday night.  Our plan for attending the parade in St. Charles on the 4th was a bust due to heavy thundershowers, so plan B was the Mills Mall.  Grammy D. blessed the kids with some new clothes and shoes.  She even got a stroller for Lucy which was a highlight for Carlie.    

Some friends of ours, Mr. & Mrs. P., who also live in Lexington stopped by for a visit on their way back home.  The kids had a great time playing with Masters L. and J.  Hope all of you had a wonderful time celebrating!!

Lucy's new ride

The infamous Cheet

Carlie took this photo of us

Our Friends

Fun Friday Freebie (Almost)

We have just returned from our morning of grocery shopping, and I wanted to let you know about the deals I scored at Target. I had store coupons plus manufacturer coupons for Kashi products, and they were on sale. I got all this stuff...

... for $5.26! I was pretty pleased and excited because I am catching on to this coupon stacking thing. Had I not had any coupons, and just bought it at Target's sale prices, it would have cost $19.92.  I didn't "need" cake mix, but with the coupons they were $0.47/box so I picked them up. 

 Besides that I found 2 pairs of shoes for Carlie and 2 pairs of shoes for Noah for less than $20. Yes, 4 pairs of shoes for less than $20! They are all fall/winter shoes too. One final note- Walmart has much better prices on their school supplies (Crayola and Elmer's) than Target.  So, school supply shopping is now complete.

Another Good Movie

We watched Faith Like Potatoes from Netflix last night. I highly recommend it, however, there are a few scenes that are difficult to watch, especially if you have children. It is based on a true story.  We have added older movies to our queue because most of the recent movies just aren't that great.  Confessions of a Shopaholic, I would give 2.5 out of 5.0 stars.  The book is WAY better.  Changeling with Angelina Jolie was pretty good (and based on a true story), but it was graphic and had some disturbing scenes.  It is definitely not a "happy" movie.  

My Latest Volunteer Adventure

A few weeks ago, I volunteered for the Women of Faith conference that was held at Chaifetz Arena. I was glad my friend, Stacey, decided to accompany me. It was a two day event that featured Christian singers and speakers. We were fortunate to see Steven Curtis Chapman. Talk about a tear jerker when he sang "Cinderella." He wrote and recorded the song about his two youngest daughters 3 months prior to his youngest being killed in a tragic accident.

We also got to hear Mandisa from American Idol fame. She really is very talented. Her CD's were flying off the table after her performance. I know this because that was my volunteer position- product sales. When you get a bunch of women together, we have to have a shopping outlet. We just do. The product sales tables did not disappoint these ladies. Our particular table sold the most product of any other table in the Arena. I personally sold at least $10,000 worth of merchandise. This is where it becomes Dave Ramsey's worst nightmare. Most of these were credit card purchases. Aaahhhhh!!!! I think the saddest part was the amount of women who could not buy a t-shirt because there were no Triple-X sizes. Yes, I said Triple-X. It really made me feel bad for them because they were so big.

The highlight was getting to meet and briefly speak with Lisa Whelchel. I have several of her books, not to mention she was my favorite character on "Facts of Life." I highly recommend her "Taking Care of the Me in Mommy" book. It was a fun time, but quite exhausting. Unfortunately, they will not be coming to St. Louis next year so I am searching for my next volunteer opportunity.

Lisa (Blair Warner) and Me.  

Stacey and me

Grammy R. got this book for Noah.  It came with a stuffed mouse and stuffed rat.  Very cute.

The Product Sales Table...

Putting out program bags on every seat in the arena.  This was a chore.

What's For Dinner?

Last night I made this delicious chicken recipe that I found on Kraft Foods. It was a hit with the hubby and the kids!!

What You Need

2 cups instant brown rice, uncooked

4 small  boneless skinless chicken breast halves (1 lb.)

1 small onion, chopped

1 tsp.  dried oregano leaves

1 can (14-1/2 oz.) Italian-style diced tomatoes, drained

1/4 cup  KRAFT Sun-Dried Tomato Dressing

2 tsp. minced garlic

1/4 cup  sliced stuffed green olives

Make It

COOK rice as directed on package.

MEANWHILE, heat large nonstick skillet sprayed with cooking spray on medium heat. Add chicken and onions; sprinkle with oregano. Cook chicken 3 min. on each side or until chicken is lightly browned on both sides and onions are crisp-tender. Add tomatoes, dressing and garlic; stir gently. Continue to cook 4 to 6 min. or until chicken is cooked through (165ºF), turning chicken after 3 min. Stir in olives.

SPOON rice onto serving platter; top with the chicken and sauce.

Uncle Sam's First Name Isn't Daddy

I had these blog articles forwarded to me.  They are definitely worth reading since it is clear NBC's Brian Williams won't report them.  Off to do more house cleaning in preparation for Grammy and Pawpaw's visit later this week.  I want to take the kids outside, but it is ridiculously hot with heat warnings.

Big Hollywood Breitbart

Obamacare

Cal Thomas

David Limbaugh

Another Good One from David

If You Read One Book This Year, Make It This One

Wow. This book is great. You will learn so much about yourself. You will learn so much about survival. Do you know what the Rule of 3 is? Did you know in 1972, after a bomb exploded on board a DC-9, flight attendant Vesna Vulovic plummeted 33,000 feet and survived? Did you know on average, people who attend church regularly (at least once/week) live seven years longer than those who don't? Do you know where the safest place is to have a heart attack?

Here is an excerpt from the book: "Stan remembers looking out toward the Statue of Liberty (from his desk on the eighty-first floor) and seeing the most terrifying sight: A giant gray aircraft with a U on its tail was flying straight at him. There was no time for pauses. He dove beneath his metal desk just as the 767 slammed into the building. Everything between the seventy-seventh and eighty-fifth floors was destroyed." You'll have to read the book to learn the rest of Stan's story.

This book reinforced to me how so few people there are who have survivor skills. They expect other people, or the government, to be responsible for them if something goes wrong. In a survival situation the only one you can depend on is yourself (and God.) Read the book and discover what kind of survivor you are. One more thing, the safest place to have a heart attack is the Las Vegas Strip. Bet you didn't see that coming... you'll have to read the book to learn why.

We're Back...

Please appreciate this post.  It took forever because I put up so many pictures.  After logging 1000+ miles on the car (no thanks to yahoo maps which gave us wrong directions on more than one occasion), we have made it home. First off, we would like to thank our wonderful families for providing lodging and tons of yummy food!! You are always welcome here.

We started out meeting my nephew, Matthew, and his girlfriend, Allison, in Indianapolis for some of the best pizza on the planet at Bazbeaux on Mass Ave. Sooo good. Yes, I was hungry, but it really is yum-o pizza. Their cheesy garlic bread, also quite good.




We then headed to Ohio for two nights to visit with cousin T.J., Jenna, Ally, and Annabelle. You guys were awesome hosts, and we had tons of fun. It was great to play euchre again. The kids stayed up both nights until at least 11pm. They were in bed by 9pm, they just enjoyed the company of Ally and Annabelle. Needless to say it definitely started to show within 48 hours.

Lunch at the Park

Noah gives the girls a push on the tire swing

Cheers!!!

Fun in the Pool

I don't know what Noah's deal was... maybe the less than 8 hours of sleep??

I took this picture of Annabelle and just thought it was very cute so I posted it.

T.J. and Jenna watched the kids for us one night so Mike and I could meet Doug and Casey, Mike's sister, at the Cards/Indians game. Okay, I don't know who the guys were that showed up in the Cards' uniforms, but let's just say they were not performing up to par that evening. I am not used to seeing them get goose-egged. I guess the pitcher for Cleveland deserved the Cy Young last year.  (Game photos by Mike)

Progressive Field

Play at the plate...

You're OUT!!!  Heh, heh, heh... (that was the only play worth cheering about.) 

This, my friends, is called a brush back (or more like I'm going to take Albert's head off.)

Go Mustard!!!

Our final day with T.J. and company took us to the Cleveland Zoo. WARNING... ALERT... ALERT... DO NOT GO TO THE CLEVELAND ZOO ON MONDAYS WHEN RESIDENTS OF CUYAHOGA COUNTY GET IN FREE!!! It was sooo crowded. Typically, the zoo charges admission so on free days, it is madness. We did manage to eat lunch and get some Ben & Jerry's as well as visit the Dinosaur exhibit.

We don't have Koalas at our zoo

Jenna and I are ready to star in the next Jurassic Park movie!!

Can you tell my kids are a little leery of the dinosaur??

T.J., Jenna, Ally, and Annabelle

Group hug to say Good-bye

Next we had a brief visit with Grandpa Paradis and Ida in North Olmsted.  Grandpa had a great time visiting with Mike, and Ida kept the kids entertained on the organ.

When your hotel is only 5 minutes from a National Park (Ohio's only), you have to go check it out.  Well, there really isn't much to it except for hiking and biking trails.  I think Glacier Bay National Park (AK) was a bit more scenic.  It took forever to find a "National Park" sign, but we finally did and had to get a photo.  (I remember when we went out West (30 years ago) the "National Park" signs were huge, and we got a photo in front of each one.)

  

Finally, we arrived at Uncle Bill and Aunt Judi's house for a delicious spaghetti dinner.   We got to see Katie, Jessie, and Zack as well as their cousin.  (I feel bad, I can't remember her name.) Bill and Judi's daughter, Tamara, and her family came as well.  The kids had a great time playing with Tamara's daughter, Mia.  They also showed some interest in the baby kittens.  After a nice visit, we headed back to the hotel for a swim before leaving for home the next morning.  Thanks for the memories, everyone!!!

Can you tell our kids are seriously lacking sleep?

So close...

The next LeBron (we won't tell anyone he lowered the goal :-)

Tamara's family

Carlie and Judi have some play time

The Whole Gang