April Currents

So I haven't gotten back into the groove of blogging like I had hoped.  I guess this will have to do for now.

Current Books: Ha, ha, reading.  I think the last time I opened a book was at church Sunday when I was following along in my bible.  Does that count?

Current Playlist: I've been in a hip hop kind of mood lately.  Doing lots of cleaning and organizing and it helps me keep moving.

Current Color: apparently still eggplant

Current Drink: ChocoVine = red wine and chocolate in a bottle.  But a little goes a long way, so I've had the same bottle for a little over a month.  It also makes me sneeze, so that should tell me something.

Current Food:Jason's parents took us to Der Dutchman this week for a family dinner and I really don't know the last time I actually savored beef gravy like I did on those mashed potatoes.  If they sold just gravy I would buy it.  I might possibly eat it on something besides potatoes, heck I might just eat it right out of the container.  It was THAT good.

Current Favorite Favorite: Having family visit this week.  I love having playmates for the kids and sitting around drinking coffee with my sister-in-law and brother-in-law in the mornings.  And Jason was off this week too and up during the daytime, which I love.

Current Wish List: a bible cover and a cover for my tablet
 

Current Needs: more time.  Can I get some more of that please?

Current Triumph: not stressing out about Xander's birthday party.  I had no idea what was going to take place and he wouldn't let me decorate and do theme-type stuff for his food and goodie bags.  And I was able to let it go and play out by itself.  And it did, while I sat on the couch and ate Doritos.  And he said it was awesome.  Who knew?

Current Annoyance: the weather.  60's, snow, 80's, storms, 40's......pick something already Mother Nature! 

Current Indulgence: restuarant food.  With family in town and both kids having birthdays, we've been eating out a LOT.
 

Current Blessing: Xander didn't get written up at school this week.  Not once.

Current Outfit: yoga pants and an OSU sweatshirt

Current Excitement: Our trip to Pennsylvania.  We were supposed to go late July/early August but might have to go in June now.  Pretty excited to experience some place new.

Current Project: Kids' birthdays.  Having two kids born in the same week takes up a lot of my time.  And space.  Will be glad to have party supplies picked up, no more gifts hiding around the house, no more cake.  There has been way too much cake in this house.

Current Link: My cake recipe 

Thursday Thoughts

I often ponder a lot, but two things in particular have been on my mind this week.  You might think it would be sequesters, North Korea, electing a new pope, or something else along those lines that is rather important.  But it's not. 

It's PINK.  Not the color, although I do hate it, but the clothing line from Victoria's Secret.  They write PINK on everything, whether it's pink or not.  Obviously it's because that's their logo.  But I can't stand seeing a gray or blue or green shirt that says PINK on it.  Like this one.

http://www.victoriassecret.com/pink/tops/boyfriend-crew-pink?ProductID=97098&CatalogueType=OLS

It's NOT pink. It's gray.  I can't even wrap my head around wearing a gray shirt that says pink on it.  It's just wrong.  Although, fat women that wear sweatpants proclaiming "sexy" on the butt is also wrong, but that still happens, too.  I can only imagine how bad this could be if the same logic was implemented in the produce department.  You wouldn't put a sign up at the limes display and write "oranges" on it, would you?  Blasphemy, I say! 

Something else that bothers me is this newish radio station in town.  Their slogan is "The Answer."  Well, I want to know what the question is.  What do they have the answer TO?  Their website says "Intelligent.  Conservative."  Okay, that's great, but I still don't know what we're answering here.  Dennis Miller is one of the syndicated hosts they play and he has referred to environmentalists as "the great unhinged" which leads me to believe he thinks all environmentalists are liberals.  That doesn't scream intelligent to me.  I think you can be an environmentalist no matter your political beliefs.  Maybe they should change their tag line to "Ignorant.  Conservative." 

So these are the things that keep me awake at night (okay, not really) that will probably never have any resolution in my mind.  But in the meantime, I'm on a mission to find a conservative environmentalist who doesn't wear clothing from the PINK line at Victoria's Secret.  Wish me luck!

Blahhhhhhhg

Yes, blah is how I've felt about blogging lately.  Or for the past however many months.  Maybe it's been a year, I haven't looked.  It's not as easy to upload photos from my iPhone as it was from my Droid, and I always like pictures with my posts, so I just quit doing it.  But some of my favorite blogs are written by people who never post pictures, so I figure maybe it's okay to be photo-free.  My blog friend will often post a list of "currents" or a SMP (7-minute-post - can't remember how she came up with the number 7) so I figured today I will do one of those to ease my way back in to blogging again.

February Currents

Current Books: I'm actually reading two.  One is Asperger Syndrome and Anxiety, recommended by my doctor who thinks I may have a "smattering" of Asperger's.  Some people seem surprised by this revelation, but not me.  It actually explains quite a lot.  I'm only about 1/4 of the way through so the beginning has been kind of boring since it's technical and terminology related, but it is getting interesting and I'm looking forward to seeing how I can relate it to Xander and/or myself.

The other book I'm reading is my winter/spring bible study James: Mercy Triumphs by Beth Moore.  I love me some Beth Moore.  She's not for everybody, but to me she is to the bible what Cliff Notes are to Shakespeare.  My favorite study of hers that I've done so far is about the book of Esther, but James is fascinating as well. 

Current Playlist: I'm such a wild card with my music, the other day I downloaded Christian, Rap, Country, Fats Domino, R&B, Rock and Cajun music.  My favorite song right now though is Daylight by Maroon 5

Current Color: eggplant

Current Drink: my new smoothie concoction.....almond milk, banana, almond butter, chia seeds, cocoa and ice.  Healthy and keeps me full.

Current Food: these Quinoa and Black Bean Tortilla Chips from Trader Joe's.  So yummy and you don't need salsa.

Current Favorite Favorite: Extra-clean master bath.  Thought I couldn't afford a cleaning service, but I can afford my kids.  Taught them how to clean our bathroom this weekend for some cold hard cash.  I'm talking toothbrush-to-the-grout kind of deep cleaning.  They are already responsible for cleaning the other two bathrooms, so if I can keep this up I could get out of cleaning bathrooms for at least the next 9 years while they're both still living here.

Current Wish List: new flooring, new kitchen table, new family room furniture.....you know, just a few odds and ends - ha!

Current Needs: A pantry.  Who buys a house without a pantry?!  Apparently we do.  I was so excited to get a garage and a basement that I was sure having an island and more cupboards would be plenty of storage.  Wrong!

 

Current Triumph: Cleaning out my closet (literally, not like the Eminem song).  I donated three trash bags worth of clothes to the Goodwill this week.  Yay, me!

 

Current Annoyance: School parking lot.  Ingress, egress, it's really not a difficult concept.  And if you're in the pick-up line, don't leave your car and walk away.  And don't make your own new lane.  Seriously, people.  It's not hard.

 

Current Indulgence: New recipe I got from Pinterest for some cookie bars that taste like no-bakes but are healthier. 

 

Current Blessing: Some things seem to be falling in to place

Current Outfit: pajama pants and a t-shirt

Current Excitement: Going to the Autism and Asperger's conference next month.  The main speaker is Temple Grandin and I'm so excited to hear her.

Current Project: Organizing.  Got a few things for my half of the master closet today at The Container Store with some gift cards my dad and step-mom got me for Christmas.  I could spend all of our money in that place but I was good and spent only what I had gift cards for. But in the meantime I found a whole bunch of other things that I could put to great use.

Current Link: Pinterest, of course.

Some Like it Hot!

So this was the theme of the bridal shower I just had for Jason's little sister.  She just turned 28 so she's really not that little, but she will always be his little sister to me.  :-)

Anyway, she and her fiance met at Buffalo Wild Wings, and I was trying to go kind of old Hollywood glamour so I tried to mesh the two with the Some Like it Hot theme.  I know it's kind of a stretch, but once I get an idea I do whatever I can to make it work.

I made the invitations to look like a movie theater with the title on the screen.  I made Monique the starring lead character, the date was the premiere day and the time was the showtime.  Jordis and I were the directors.  I had a picture, but alas, it's on my old computer.

I decided to go with the colors of red, black and white after finding the plates and napkins I liked at Hobby Lobby.  It also kind of went with my Hollywood movie idea and matches my great room, too.  I created some decorative touches out of tissue paper and scrapbook paper, and also found quotes from old Hollywood acresses and sat them around in frames. 

I served hot wing bites, hot and sweet sausages, queso and chips, and popcorn since we had the movie theme going. For the dessert table we had red velvet cheesecake brownies and hot fudge cupcakes with buttercream.

I also got some pop in bottles to go with my theme. 

Jordis made her own gift for her Nanny Mo, wrapped it herself and put it on the gift table.  It was so sweet.  I think she gave her some Mardi Gras beads, a bouncy ball and a pencil.

Jordis also felt the need to sit next to Monique in her princess chair and help open presents. 

It was a beautiful day so we went outside to take pictures before everyone left.

Jordis took this one.

Lately

We sure were busy last month. Both kids and my mom had birthdays, there was Easter and Jason went back to work. On top of that I went on a field trip with Jordis' class, we've been doing online school with Xan and have been trying to keep up with getting the kids to church every Wednesday night, my busier work schedule, hosting a bridal shower for Jason's sister and trying to get the fence finished. Of course I have photos of most of these things, but my laptop finally went kaput, so that's why I haven't been blogging about all of these fun times.

I just got a new laptop last week and got pictures downloaded from Monique's bridal shower so I will have something to post soon.

Happy May, everyone!

Rolling in to April

On April 1st we got invited to a birthday party for one of Jordis' friends from church.  It was at the skating rink that we had actually considered renting out for our own kids to have a joint birthday party, but we ended up skipping big celebrations for them this year.  The kids were pretty excited about going.  Then they got skates on.  Xander had on roller skates and Jordis roller blades, but neither was successful, so Xander quit skating and Jordis switched to the skates that go on over your shoes.

I think I had more fun skating than either of the kids, even though it wasn't nearly as easy as I remember it being when I was younger.

This is my friend Becky, the birthday girl's mom.  Sadly, we were both wearing roller skates and still look really short.

I'm not sure what this was about but I like when both of my boys are laughing together.

So handsome!

Working Girl

Anyone who knows Jordis is fully aware that she loves to be a helper.  Cracking eggs, washing dishes, cleaning baseboards, she likes to volunteer for pretty much anything.  I want her to learn skills, but there are some days that her "help" leaves me more flustered than not.

A few weeks ago she came in quite handy though when it was time to paint the fence posts Jason had put up in the yard.  She is like her momma and LOVES to paint.

Today she decided she was going to go to work with me.  She didn't even really ask, just told me she was packing her purse so she could come with me and have things to do.  Typically I would have to let her down and tell her no, but my boss is on vacation so I called her assistant and she told me she didn't care if I brought her.  So off we went.  Jordis brought some 3D glasses, a mini Santa Claus puzzle, a pencil, a red crayon, an orange marker, a necklace made out of beads and pasta, a miniature bible that came with her baby doll, her DS, and her wallet (filled with play money, of course).

As any typical woman would do, we had to stop in the restroom as soon as we entered the building.  In fact, we had to go to the restroom four times over the course of the afternoon.  Maybe because I taught her how to use the water cooler, or because she became a connoisseur of hot tea while we were there. 

A co-worker gave her a few of her (personal, not stolen from work) file folders to put her drawings in that she created with an ink pen and her one crayon and marker.  I also let her open my mail and will now probably start hiding my letter opener at home.  Whew!  She can wield that thing.

I was very impressed with how well she entertained herself even though she had more fun with my phone than she did with any of her own things.  Apparently she knows how to use the camera.

I think she might grow up to be the girl who goes to work and takes pictures of herself on the copier.

She was looking like quite the professional by the time we left to come home.

 Come on, Mom!  Places to go, people to see.

Spring Break

Our Spring Break has been pretty low key this year.  Jason's sick time from his shoulder surgery ended and we've already taken an unexpected vacation, so we've been hanging out at home.  On Monday, the kids and I had a play date at our neighbor's house.  Actually it was a coffee date for the moms and you were invited to bring your kids, but for the sake of the kids we called it a play date.  It went well considering we had seven kids there aged 7 and under.

Xander and Jordis got these fun glasses from my dad and step-mom in their early Easter basket, so we've been laughing about them as well. 

We've been letting the kids stay up late and play their DS's together.  We give them until 10 but they usually can't hang that late and end up in their rightful beds, sound asleep, all on their own.  We've really lucked out with these two and the disciplined sleep habits they both have.

And of course Mr. Jake has been getting lots of extra love and attention this week as well.

Spring Break is almost over, but the excitement is just beginning.  Tomorrow is Easter AND Xander's birthday.  I feel a sugar rush in our future.

It's that time

Spring is officially here, although the way the weather has been lately you'd think it's arrival had preceded the real date. My hyacinths came up two weeks ago and my neighbor, Dena, split some of her daffodils and I added those to my collection. Actually, the kids did it for me. I was so impressed.

The kids have also been enjoying some time outside, which I love.  The winter's are usually long with them cooped up in the house.

And Jason's time off from shoulder surgery has come to an end, so we've been enjoying as much time with him as possible.

As well as enjoying some beautiful days.

Hope you're enjoying your Spring, too!

Feeling Green

This is the first time I can remember wearing shorts on St. Patrick's Day. The weather has been so pretty that I keep forgetting it's technically still winter. The kids started off the day with their annual breakfast of green scrambled eggs.

We had pizza with festive holiday napkins for dinner while we watched this week's episode of Swamp People. I also made cookies for the occasion. I love an excuse to make dessert.

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Dance Fever

Our local Daddy-Daughter dance was last month, and it couldn't have come soon enough for Jordis.  No joke, she's been asking about it since last summer.  See how excited she was?

She was slightly more patient for the hair styling this year.  And I do mean SLIGHTLY.  Two days previously we had decided to go on vacation, leaving right after the dance was over, so getting these two ready and out of the house was hectic when we added trip preparations to the mix.  But they couldn't have looked any more stunning.

Jordis had quite a few friends there this year.  Here she is dancing with a few of them, instead of her date.  (Sideways, of course, because for whatever reason certain pictures will not upload here the way they are showing up in my computer.  I think it's an i-phone thing).

And of course a few trips to the ice cream bar.

  Xander and I usually have a dinner date during the dance, but we had to make it a quick one this year so we could get home and finish packing. So I suggested the KFC buffet.  Xander loves mashed potatoes and he loves buffets, so he was a pretty happy guy.

Then home we all went to finish packing and load up the car for our trip south. 

Happy Heart Day

They say that Valentine's Day is overrated, or a Hallmark Holiday, but I love any reason to turn an ordinary day into a celebration.  Especially with little ones in the house.  Jordis was dressing for the holiday a few days in advance.

I was pretty excited that my Valentine's treats for bible study turned out exactly like they looked in the picture.  That rarely happens.

I also got a box of chocolates from my secret sister.  Yum!

Jordis and Xander each brought home a ton of cards and goodies from their classmates.

We ended the day with breakfast for dinner (and a picture that for some reason keeps showing up sideways even though it's upright in my computer...grrrrrr).

Hope you had a fantastic Valentine's Day, too!

Happy New Year!

I know, I haven't blogged in a while. A long time, to be exact. I usually do my blog posts at night when Jason goes to work. But since he's been off for his shoulder surgery/recovery, I've been enjoying having him here EVERY night since November 28th. It's so nice to have someone here to talk to that I haven't been spending as much time on my computer in the evenings.

So, Happy 2012! Let's see how quickly I can catch you up.

We had a lovely Christmas season. I didn't put up all of my trees or decorations and Christmas still came. Imagine that.

I took the kids to a pancake brunch at our local Arts Castle a few weeks before Christmas. It was a good time, albeit crowded. Xander volunteered to cut Jordis' sausage links for her, so I had to capture that.

Jordis also had a very nice visit with Santa.

Then Xander told everyone in the room that Santa was fake because he was wearing a watch and Santa should know what time it is since he is magical. Luckily we were about done at that point, so I quickly ushered them out of there.

We got a dog. Meet Jake.

A friend of a friend couldn't keep him and because of his age we were afraid he wouldn't get adopted if they took him to a rescue, so now he's ours. I'm not a fan of big dogs, but if they were all like this one I would love them. Well, except for the shedding. I'm still having issues with that part.

We had a nice, low-key Christmas with our Latiolais/Hartman/Bradshaw families.

The kids were not very grateful for their gifts this year and were complaining of being bored a few weeks later, so we took away their birthday parties for 2012. I love planning the parties so this absolutely kills me, but they need the lesson and it will save us money, so I'll get over it.

Not much else has been going on except for our serious lack of winter. The kids were so excited when we first got some snow in January and it barely covered the ground.

Other than that we aren't doing much, which is kind of okay with me. But I will try to find something to blog about more often.