Monday, December 30, 2013

December {in Review}

I am convinced that December goes faster than any other month of the year.  It seems like I run around like a crazy woman trying to get stuff done before the kids are out of school.  And we are super busy at work so I usually end up working more hours than most months.  On top of that there is decorating, shopping, baking, cooking, entertaining, and kids to keep up with.  Here's a rundown of this month.

1.  My oldest son hit the game winning 3 point buzzer beater shot at an away basketball game.  It was also his team's first win of the season.  His team stormed the court.  I was not there.  Biggest Mom Fail of the year.

2.  My twins made the 3rd grade All Star basketball team.  They won their game and were so excited to be on the team.  Proudest Mom Moment of the Year.

3.  I gave up on a couple of Christmas traditions this year.  I did not make my Christmas tree french toast, and no one really missed it.  I did make pancakes and bacon.  Also in the past I took each boy to Hallmark to pick out an ornament.  I either waited too long to go look, or my boys are getting too old, or maybe a little bit of both.  But I did not buy any Hallmark ornaments this year!

4.  I got braces!  Yes, it's true.  One of my front teeth has shifted way back, so I made an appointment with my long ago (the 1990s) orthodontist.  Yes, he still has an office!  On the phone they said it would just be a 15 minute consultation.  So he looked at my mouth, quoted me a price, and said we can do it now.  I left with a bottom jaw full of metal.  They are going to work on my bottom teeth first and then work on the top.  Good Times!!  I totally forgot how painful braces are.

5.  I am looking forward to 2014.  I will be 40 in August!  I am working on setting some goals and thinking what I want to do for my 40th birthday.  And hopefully my braces will be off before I turn the big 4-0!!

Monday, December 9, 2013

The Best Christmas Decoration Ever!!

The other day I was driving home through a different part of our small Midwest Indiana town, when I cam upon this.  I thought wow, this guy is trying to pass garden hoes off as Christmas gifts this year.  What every girl wants...a garden hoe.  Then I realized I had just passed the Greatest Christmas Decoration Ever!!


Ho! Ho! Ho!

Christmas lights and blow up Santas are way over rated when you can go to the shed andthrow some red bows on your hoes.  It makes taking down the decorations much easier also.

Merry Christmas!!

Tuesday, December 3, 2013

Gobble Gobble!

I cannot believe November is over!  This year has gone by faster than any other year so far.  We must be having fun because time sure is flying!!  I've not been blogging much lately.  I've been a little busy and lazy.  I also post pictures on Instagram a lot, so I get lazy when it comes to blogging.  

Megan and Garret traveled to Indiana with Poppy from Colorado.  That is a long road trip!  They were here with us for a week, and this is one of the two pictures I have of Megan.  I have none of Garret!  This is Megan and I sleeping in an RV in Kentucky.  We went down to see Steve's mom, brother and wife.  They didn't have enough room for all of us to sleep, so we ended up in the RV.  Luckily neither of us had to go to the bathroom in the middle of the night!  Fun times!!


The boys always love seeing Molly! She is the biggest sweetest dog ever.  She loves to climb in laps.  And the boys don't leave her alone!  I think she likes all of the attention, but she will not look at the camera!


Steve's brother who was in the Army got out some kind of bomb squad kit for Noah.  Noah proceeded to practice soldering most of Thanksgiving day.  He was actually pretty good at it. Who knows what he will solder next?!?


On Saturday we went to Home Depot and got our Christmas tree.  We got a fraser fir this year!  It is not poky at all.  Last year no one would help me decorate the tree because it hurt to touch the branches.  So I thought I would get a little help this year, but I was wrong!  I have the lights on and a few decorations.  Now I just need to unbox my large tubfull of Hallmark ornaments.  I love their ornaments, but taking them out of the packaging every year is a pain! Hopefully I will do it before December 25th!


Wednesday, November 6, 2013

November

READING
I just finished reading See You in a Hundred Years by Logan Ward for the book club I am a part of.  We had our discussion last night.  Lots of fun!!  Then I picked up these two books from the library.  I love any book by Karen Kingsbury, and The House Girl was a recommendation from my sister.


MAKING 
My 12 year old learned to make quesadillas in his FACS (Family and Consumer Science) class.  He has made a quesadilla (or two or three) every day since then.  He is a bit obsessed with them, and that is fine with me.  One more step towards independence!


EATING
Funny story about this salsa.  My son sampled this in his FACS class, then asked me to buy it for him.  His only description was "pineapple salsa".  He couldn't tell me the brand or what the jar looked like.  I couldn't find it in the salsa aisle after looking at 2 stores.  So last night at parent-teacher conferences, I stopped in to ask his FACS teacher about the salsa.  She walked over to the fridg and handed me a brand new jar to bring home!  She was so excited he liked it, and he was so excited when I got home with it.  It is really good salsa!


REGRETTING
I am really regretting all the Halloween candy I have been eating the past five days.  This was my pre-workout snack last night.  I know that is an oxymoron!  But I just cannot stop grabbing one or two pieces every time I pass by.


WORKING
I saw a blog post about spray painting ugly old gold door knobs.  I decided I needed to do this.  Then I looked at the closet door {this is the door you see if you walk into our front door}, and realized it really needed painting.  So I painted the door yesterday.   Now I just need to remember to buy spray paint for the knobs, so I can put it all back together.  Then I want to move on to the next door.  There are three more downstairs that need it.  


Thursday, October 31, 2013

Basketball and Halloween!

Basketball season has begun in our house.  I have one boy who made the 7th grade team (Hollar!), and two 3rd grade boys in the recreational league in our town.  I was so proud of Noah for making the team.  They kept twelve players ou of thirty-two that tried out.  So he was thrilled to make the cut.  Practice started this week for everyone, so of course we had to get new basketball shoes {$$$}.  The black shoes now have pink shoelaces....one of the twin's request.  Games start this weekend.  So no more sleeping late for me!

I decided I had to include pictures from past Halloweens.  This picture is the from  2001.  Noah was seven months old.  We took him to Sears every 3 months for the first year to get pictures..yes we WERE those parents.  What a cutie!!

And this is the twin's first Halloween.  They were almost 6 months here.  I miss my little boys!    They were so adorable and innocent.  The years sure have flown by.

My son bought himself a new pair of shoes {Lebron James something..} this weekend.  He wore them to school one wet morning this week and wrapped his feet in Walmart bags.  He seriously rode the bus and walked into school like this.  He reminded me of the little older ladies with their rain hats!  He cracks me up somedays. #savethelebrons is what he posted on his Instagram account.

And finally our town is postponing trick-or-treating until tomorrow night.  It is raining here today...I got soaked loading my car after a trip to Walmart.  And we are supposed to have very heavy winds all evening.  So we will have to wait one more day for our candy fest!  My boys cannot wait!!

Thursday, October 24, 2013

Cold!!

It is so cold right now.  I finally broke down and turned on the heat this week.  I will not let my husband bring our wood burning stove into the house until November 1st.  After that it's five months of tending the fire.  We have been burning a wood stove for a few years now.  It does save us money in the winter, but it is a lot of work and very very messy!

We are having a Flavors of Fall pitch-in at work next week, and a co-worker found this on sally's baking addiction.  I totally agree...this could be why my jeans are bit tight  :)!!  And having pitch-ins at work doesn't really help either!


Speaking of pumpkin, I had to try these pumpkin pie bars after spotting them at Kroger.  The Spiced Pumpkin Pie Clif bar is already gone.  It was delicious!  I'll try the Larabar tomorrow and let you know which one is better.  I will have to stock up on these seasonal flavors because they won't last long!


Today I went to Starbucks and left with two drinks {accidentally}.  I took the guy standing next  to me's drink.  I could have sworn the barista mumbled what I ordered, but I was wrong!  So after taking a quick swig, I realized I picked up his drink.  So she had to make him another one, and graciously made me what I ordered.  I couldn't give the wrong one back because my lips had already touched it.  Luckily, the guy was very kind and no one yelled at me.  Just a lesson that I need to listen better and pay more attention!

Tuesday, October 22, 2013

It's almost been a month....

 Well, I cannot believe it's been almost a month since I last blogged!  October is almost over.  It's just over two months until Christmas.  Boo Boo!  Gobble Gobble! Ho Ho!  Happy New Year!  It will be 2014 before I know it.  The year I turn the big Four O!!

We were lucky to have a two week fall break this month.  After nine weeks of school, it was great to have two weeks without homework, sports, getting up at the crack of dawn every morning, and going to bed early every night.  We did not take a family vacation this summer, and decided to wait for fall break.  We headed down south to Myrtle Beach for a week.

It was great to have warm weather, sandy beaches, not having to cook, and just hanging out.  We stayed at a high rise right on the beach.  It had indoor water slides, pools, and hot tubs which the kids loved.



I beg my boys to take pictures with me all the time.  Very rarely I will get one of them to take a picture.  Devin finally agreed to take a picture with me while eating a piece of peanut butter fudge right after Magiquest.  



This is the beautiful Indiana weather we came home to after six days of sun.  It was cold and rainy.  Not the view I wanted to see.  Oh well, it's supposed to get even colder this week. Even some snow! {in October!}  This girl is not ready for winter.  I think I could never see snow again in my whole life and be just fine with it.  We have had a few mild winters, so everyone says we are in for a cold one!  The willy worms are very dark this year, so I just better be prepared for cold!


In honor of the cold, I made my first pot of soup.  This is my favorite thing to have for lunch in the fall/winter.  I used lots of veggies that I froze from the garden this summer and used tomatoes that my husband canned!  It was very yummy and comforting on the cold days!


After a week of vacation and months of eating whatever I want, I climbed back on the elliptical.  I still exercised every night {except for the week of vacation}, I just was not eating healthy at all!  So when I tried on my jeans that fit in April, I knew I had to get back to healthy eating.  Momma does not want to have to buy new jeans after selling the ones that didn't fit on eBay.  Hopefully a few weeks of not eating everything in sight will solve this problem.


We went to our local apple orchard last week and picked lots of golden delicious apples.  They are so fresh and so good!  The perfect treat for healthy snacking.  I love dipping slices in a sauce I make with peanut butter, honey, and cinnamon warmed up in the microwave.  Very yummy!

Thursday, September 26, 2013

September has flown by!!

This month has really flown by!  You would think with the kids in school during the day, I would have more time to blog, but sadly that has not happened.  Here's what is keeping us busy these days.

The twins and I go to the Jr. High school to help feed the 7th and 8th grade football teams on the days they have games.  While I put sandwiches on plates, cut up fruit, make peanut butter & honey sandwiches, my boys and the other kids run around like wild animals.  One of my twins talked another boy into rolling him around in a stroller.  {Yes, that is my 8 year old in a stroller...he is a small kid...so is his twin}

After a very dry summer, we finally had a day of rain.  Our grass is a little less crunchy, but still brown.  The boys left their Beyblade stadium outside, and I was amazed how quickly it filled up with water!

Football.  We have one more game, then I'm pretty sure my 12 year old's football career is over for good.  He's the one out there in the green socks.  He still goes to practice every day and participates, but has seen very little actual playing time.  Oh well, basketball tryouts are right after fall break, so hopefully that goes better for him.

My husband and 12 year old decided to start posting pictures of themselves on my facebook. {Neither of them have FB}  They have been taking some pretty cool pictures.  They say one day I will be famous because of them.  This is my favorite picture so far!

And lastly my 2005 Uplander has 100,000 miles on it!  She's just getting started!!  I have had this van the longest of any vehicle.  Before this, I drove a Honda Accord, Chevy Blazer, Chevy Malibu, Jeep Grand Cherokee, then a Dodge Caravan {all that between 1996 and 2004}.  So I've had my van longer than all the other vehicles combined.  Now I need to decide if I want to keep this van until the wheels fall off, or get a new {to me} vehicle.  I know what Dave Ramsey would say....but, a newer vehicle would be so nice!!

Tuesday, September 3, 2013

What I learned in August!



I have been reading Emily's blog for a long time!  I think I found it years ago when they did the bloggy giveaway carnival.  I am pretty sure I won a DVD set (Growing Pains Season One) from her.  Had I known how famous she would be one day, I totally would have kept it for life.  Instead I'm pretty sure I sold it in a garage sale for 50 cents!  Anyways, she has been doing a link party for "What I learned" in the last month.  And this is my first time to link up!

So without further ado, here is what I learned in August

1. Half an hour makes a big difference!
~After the first full week of school, we got a call from a new bus driver taking over our bus route.  She said she would be picking up the boys 30 minutes earlier in the morning.  I thought no big deal.  Boy was I wrong!  Every day we have to get up earlier, and over the course of the week, we are missing 2.5 hours of sleep.  We are all so tired.

2.  Having a 7th grade boy has made me very popular!
~I have Jr. High girls following me on Instagram.  I have Jr. High girls come up and have conversations with me.  I have Jr. High girls who really like my 7th grader!  


3.  We are a SPICY family!
~3 rowdy boys.  One loud mom.  And a husband you can hear across a football field.  Enough said.

I cannot wait to see what September holds!

Tuesday, August 20, 2013

Time Flies!

Where do I begin?!?  School has been in session for almost 3 weeks now, and I feel like we are still not "in the groove".  This year is a little different due to bus schedule changes, fall sports {football}, and countless other things we have going on!

Megan and Garret came for a visit the first week of August.  A week seems like a long time for a visit until it's over.  The boys LOVE having them here {I do too!}.  All they can talk about is when we are going to Colorado to see them.  We celebrated my birthday at Red Lobster with my parents while they were here.  And this is the ONLY picture I got of them.  I had big plans to get some cute pictures of the whole family, but failed!

I officially have a junior higher!  He is doing great so far at his new school.  He is a very social kid, so meeting new people and teachers is not hard for him.  He decided to try football this fall {he hasn't played for 4 years}, so I am proud of him for sticking with it even though he is not a starter.

I am the unofficial team cookie mom.  I told him I would make cookies for his team every game.  So here is the first round of cookies that got consumed in a matter of minutes.  Next game I have to make more!  The things I do for my kids.

Our garden is slowly coming to an end.  I have been making a lot of zucchini muffins.  We also have tomatoes, corn, and pumpkins which need to be picked.  Keeping up with everything is a lot of work!


 We are trying not to eat out for a month.  This was our last meal on Sunday at Wendys.  It really wasn't very good.  So if we can make it for four weeks without eating out, it will be a miracle.  

I turned 39 this month.  I am okay being 39, just not excited about my birthday next year.  I may just have to skip it, or think of something really fun to do in 2014!

If you didn't watch the Duck Dynasty Season 4 premiere, then you are crazy!  I was so excited to watch it and love the show even more than ever.  And if I can't convince you to watch it, you should read this article by one of my favorite authors, Kathi Lipp!

Wednesday, July 31, 2013

First Day of School

 Before I talk about the first day of school, I wanted to talk about the last few days of our summer break. Whenever I tell someone where our house is located in our neighborhood, they usually respond, "oh the house with all the bikes in the yard!".  And you know what, I wouldn't want it any other way.  I love that kids love to come over to our house and I hope that never changes.  I came home from a walk the other night and this reminded me of that fact!


The last weekend of summer break, we had movie night with a few of our neighbor friends.  They stayed until 11:30 to finish the movie.  We went through lots of popcorn, M&Ms, and drinks that night, but everyone had a great time.  My twins are on the backs of the 11 year old twins that live 6 houses down.  And the boy in the middle lives right next to us.  Lots of boys!!


The day before school started {Tuesday}, I woke everyone up at 6:18 with promises of Sweet Shop donuts.  We have the best donut shop in our town.  I say this because I have eaten my fair share of donuts in my lifetime.  They are made fresh every morning, and you have to get there really early, or they will run out!  So we all came home, ate donuts, and then sat on the couch in sugar comas.  The plan was to tire them out, so they would get in bed early that night.  And it pretty much worked.  The twins were asleep by 8:30 and Noah was asleep by 9:45!  So all that staying up until midnight and sleeping in until 10 or 11 AM is over! {until this weekend!!}


And lastly here is the boys on their first day of school.  I have one 7th grader {he is at the jr. high school this year} and two 3rd graders {they are at their same school for one more year}.  Everyone had a great day, and they are ready to go back tomorrow morning!  Momma is happy happy happy!!!



Saturday, July 27, 2013

Summer's Almost Over!!

I cannot believe the boys go back to school in 4 days!  This summer really went fast. (I feel like a broken record because I've said this so many times the last 8 weeks)!!  There is something about going back to school in July that makes it seem a little strange.  My birthday is August 5th, and I never had to go to school on my birthday.  If I were still in school, I think I would be mad about this.  I do have to work on my birthday this year, and I think I will be okay turning 39 and being at work!

Two weeks ago, my husband and I got a five day vacation from our boys.  My mom took the twins for 5 whole days.  They were only 15 minutes away from home, but not seeing them for 5 days was a little strange.  They had a great time with GG!

While the twins were at grandmas, my oldest son went to Taylor University Basketball Camp.  This is what he looked like when we dropped him off.  I swear he grew the week he was gone, and he came home loving basketball even more than ever!  I think he learned some new skills that he can hopefully put to use when basketball tryouts start.

While the boys were gone, my husband and I ate out every night.  We went to a real movie {no animation involved}.  We slept in most mornings.  I did not turn the dish washer on all week! I only did one load of laundry.  I went for a walk in my hand-me-down shoes from my oldest son.

 I pickled 6 jars of beets from our garden.  I did not grocery shop one time.  No one stole drinks from my hot coffee, or iced coffee, or diet dr. pepper.  I was in heaven most of the time.  But I really did miss my boys.

We are all back home together for 5 more relaxing days, then it's back to reality.  School. Lunches.  Bus stops.  Homework.  Football.  Meet the teacher night.  Schedules.  Routine.  I'm really looking forward to it!

Wednesday, July 10, 2013

Highlights

We took a short trip to Tennessee to meet up with our church youth group.  They had over 90 teens and adults on this trip.  We stayed in dorm rooms, so the highlight for my kids was jumping on (dirty) mattresses.  I kept thinking how gross that was, but they didn't care.  The little blond in the middle is the son of the the youth department's secretary.  He reminds me so much of my oldest son at that age!  I get all sentimental around him, and I'm pretty sure he thinks I'm crazy!

Moose was really proud of the giant bubble he blew with his gum. And I love his hair in this picture.

When we got home, I had a project that I wanted done, so my oldest son said he would do the work if he could make some money.  He is saving money for shoes!  The kid loves shoes!  So he cleaned the siding on the back of our house, and it looks great! It was a green mossy substance that was growing, but now it's gone!

I made the boys sit in a long gas line with me.  The gas here was $2.98 and just down the street it was $3.59!  So we waited in line forever.  Then the pumps were going really slow!  It took about 10 minutes to pump 20 gallons of gas.  Seriously.  I kept telling the boys it was like saving $12.00, but they really didn't care.  The next day at Walmart gas was $2.97 and there was a really long line there too.  I don't understand gas pricing. at. all.

While at Walmart I saw the cutest Duck Dynasty shirt ever.  I want to get this for my future granddaughter who has no option but to love the outdoors!

This is our beehive we have at a friend's house.  I think it's time to add another super to the stack.  I am very excited to hopefully harvest some honey in the fall.  

I don't want to say this too loudly, because anything can happen.  But if everything works out, I will be kid free for 5 days next week!  My oldest is going to overnight basketball camp for 5 days at Taylor University.  Then my mom volunteered to keep the twins for 5 days and take them to her church's day camp.  I'm not sure what all I will do, but I am very excited about next week!!!