Not Much to Report

I wish had something great to write about today. I've been on the computer just about all afternoon, you'd think there would be something to say about it. Nope. Not really. I was, however, notified by Amazon that yet another book of mine has sold! That's good news, yes? Yes, it is. Let's see, after I am paid for this book I think my total of all books sold (4) should be about $23. Not bad eh?

You may wonder what in the world have I been doing all afternoon on the computer. Yeah, I'd like to know too. The computer is such a time sucker for me. I'm helpless, what can I say. Sadly, I do know what I've been doing. I was listing one more thing on Ebay. Ryan calls me Ebayin' Mama. I looked, the name has already been taken. Darn! Oh well, I'll stick with the name I already have. Can you guess what it is??? Anyway, I listed a bunch of stamping magazines that I accumulated when I was a demonstrator for Stampin' Up!. The other thing I did today was list my last Stampin' Up! catalog on Amazon. See, I've done my homework and I can get way more through selling on Amazon than with Ebay. Yep, Ebayin' mama, that's me!

Hope your day was more eventful (in a good way) than mine. Now I'm gonna get off this computer and read my book.

Zoo-rific Time

My cousin Rose and her husband Will invited us and another couple (friends of theirs) to join them at the zoo for the afternoon on Saturday. We gladly joined them and met them there mid afternoon when most people, who had been there all day, were leaving. Great strategy don't you think?! We took in an elephant show (yes, elephants can dance!). Then we got up close with the lions and even heard some primal growls! Next we took a nice stroll and saw various obscure animals (the only one whose name comes to mind was the warthog, oh!, and the black-eared fox....who consequently was being chased by the vicious warthogs, which, by the way, warthogs are not pretty). At the end of the stroll came the flamingos, then back up the trail and past warthogs again. On our way out of the zoo we saw the gorillas who were being quite rambunctious as they headed into their cages for the night.

It was a short time at the zoo, but that's the beauty of having a membership, we don't feel as though we have to stay all day and see every exhibit! The kids had a great time too. Isabel does really well in the backpack, she is up higher and can see more things. I'm not sure how much longer we can use it though, she was trying to climb out, and almost succeeded! I took my camera this time and the batteries had enough juice to enable me to take a few shots. I need more space on the flashcard though, bummer! The few pics I got ended up being pretty good. Keepers for sure.

We ended the day at our place with pizza and yummy angel food cake (laborious compliments from Rose and Will!). Then the evening closed with a tired, but somewhat strategic, game of Settlers of Catan (which Ryan and I won, go home team!).

Nice day. Great company. A must repeat!

**Thanks Rose for the great idea! We all had a very nice time, thank you!

Book Meme

I was tagged by Heather for meme.

The Rules of the game:
1. Find the nearest book to you.
2. Name the book and author.
3. Turn to page 123.
4. Go to the fifth sentence on the page.
5. Copy out the next 3 sentences and post to your blog.
6. Tag three other people.

Ok, the current book I'm reading, and is in somewhat close distance to me, is Ever After by Karen Kingsbury (no, this is not the same story that was a movie with Drew Berrymore). I have not finished reading the first chapter so I hope by reading ahead a bit doesn't give anything away!

"Don't go acting like you're not in love. The whole office knows about it."
"But this is work."

Oooooo.....a relational development! Again, I hope this doesn't ruin anything for me! It's bound to be a good book, the one before it (Even Now) was good and this is the continued story! But anything by Kingsbury is good in my book (pun intended)! *big grin*

Ok, my turn! I tag Chris, Deanna, and Kim.

Ok, Ok, Ok!!!

A few of you have asked me to share some recipes I've mentioned recently. Ok, I'll share! Here is the recipe for the white chili:

Southwestern White Chili

1 tbl olive oil
1 lb chicken cut into cubes
1/4 c chopped onion
1 c chicken broth
1 can (4 oz) chopped green chilies
1 can (19oz) white kidney beans (cannelloni)

spice blend

1 tsp garlic powder
1 tsp ground cumin
1/2 tsp oregano leaves
1/2 tsp cilantro leaves
1/4 tsp ground red pepper

Heat oil in 2-3 quart saucepan over medium heat. Add chicken and cook 4-5 minutes (or until cooked all the way through). Remove with slotted spoon and set aside. Add onion to pan and cook 2 minutes. Stir in broth, green chilies and spice blend. Simmer 30 minutes. Stir in cooked chicken and beans. Simmer 10 minutes.

Here's a few tips for this recipe....I always double it when I make it, but this is a spicy/hot dish so if you choose to double it do not double the spice blend!!! Another tip is to to skip the part about simmering for a half hour before adding the chicken and beans. I dump it all in and heat it thoroughly, it really doesn't need to simmer for that long. One more thing....this recipe goes great with the corn bread recipe I posted last week!!!

And before people out there in blog-land post comments that I forgot the lasagna recipe, here it is! *big grin*

Chicken Lasagna Florentine

Lasagne noodles (I use 6 noodles in my 9x13 casserole pan)
9 oz. chooped spinach
2-3 c diced chicken
2 c shredded cheddar
1 can cream coup (I use cream of mushroom)
1 c sour cream
1/2 c sliced mushrooms
1/3 c fresh minced onions
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp pepper
1/2 c grated parmesean

Cook lasagna according to package. Cook spinach, drain well. (I use one frozen package, just thaw and drain well). Combine: chicken, onions, 1 1/2 c cheddar, soup, cour cream, mushrooms, salt, pepper, spinach. Blend well. Butter/grease bottom and sides of cassarole dish.

Layer: 1/3 noodles on bottom of dish, 1/2 meat mixture, sprinkle 2 tbl parmesean, repeat.

Top with noodles, sprinkle remaining cheddar and parmesean on top. Cover with foil. Bake @ 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Remove foil for 10 minutes until brown and bubbly.

There they are, dear friends, two fabulous recipes to add to your repertoire! I hope you enjoy them, how could you not, they're awesome! Now, the only thing you have to do is share some delicious recipes with when you come across something new and fabulous!

Fabulous Weekend

The weekend is officially over. *sigh* I love three-day weekends but come Tuesday morning it is always somewhat of a letdown. We had a really good weekend and it is a little hard to move forward this morning. I'll survive.

My parents arrived on Friday at about 1:30. I had all the things on my list done before they got here. That's always a good feeling! We didn't do anything that day due to their long drive and the kids having to take naps. I spent a good portion of the afternoon making dinner anyway. Mmmm, Chicken Lasagne Florentine, Wendy's breadsticks and a tossed green salad. Then for desert I made a berry cobbler (box mix) and serve it with Bryer's vanilla ice cream (it was on sale!). Everyone was tired that night so it was a quiet evening as most of the house went to bed. I stayed up and finished my book!

We could not have had more perfect weather this weekend! If it had been any warmer it would have bordered on hot. But it was absolutely perfect! I even wore my sandles and painted my toenails! We took advantage of the fabulous weather the Lord blessed us with and took off downtown to explore! Ryan, Caleb and my dad toured a decommissioned Naval ship (Caleb got a Blue Angel toy plane....score!), while my mom and I and the girls walked around looking at shops and having a yummy slushie by the water. After that we drove over to a old famous hotel on the beach. After having lunch and walking around the hotel we headed home. I had put a roast in the crock pot that morning so I didn't have to cook that night! Sweet! Even sweeter was the delicious berry pie my dad got at Marie Callender's! Mmmmm, pie month!

Sunday, after church we had lunch then took off to drive around the neighborhoods near us. Ryan's purpose in the drive was to find some houses that could be potentials for us. We did visit a few open houses, that was fun! I love looking at houses, but why is it that the ones I love are always beyond our budget? Anyway, we had a nice drive and remaining time with my parents before they had to leave to go back home.

Monday marked the end of the fabulous weather as it rained buckets pretty much all day! Ryan had the day off due to Presidents Day, and it was great having a day to relax as a family. The only thing we did was go to the gym and look a couple model homes. After looking at the open houses on Sunday, Ryan reevaluated our house budget and up'ed the cap. I spent some time Sunday night researching the housing market and saw that some new homes in the area had dropped their prices since we last looked at them early last month. So, we looked at them again yesterday. I love looking at model homes! There is a slim possibility but we will continue to look. No hurry since our lease is not up until July.

I do not have any pictures to post of our weekend. I'm terrible at taking pictures at times like this! Even if I had taken the camera, I most likely would not have used it. I was hoping my mother would take some pictures that I could copy, but she didn't take any either. What a sorry picture taking lot we are.

Today is back to normal, sort of. Mae does not have school this week and Caleb only has class on Thursday. So I will have to find things to do to get us all out of the house so as not to drive each other crazy! Oh well. The fun is over, back to life.

Stuff to do!

I don't have much time but I wanted to shoot off a quick post while I had the chance! My parents are coming today for the weekend and I have a few more things to do before they arrive in a few hours. Right now I don't have enough time to start a cleaning project or run to the store before I have to pick up Mae from school, but I do have time for this quick post!

Let's see, before my parents get here I still need to:

1. go to the store and get a few items for dinner and desert (Chicken Lansagne Florentine, mmmmm, anyone want the recipe?)
2. clean kids bathroom (not in too bad of shape but does need some attention)
3. tidy up the kitchen counters (that always need to be done!)
4. have kids pick up toys and tidy their own rooms (again, that always need to be done)
   
5. clean up table and chairs (who wants to sit on kid-sticky chairs?)
6. find folding table for dinner (there will be adults and 3 kids at the table, yikes...gotta find that table!!!)
7. if I have time I'd also like to clean the counters in my bathroom, you never know if a guest will have to pass by to use the second bathroom!

Ok, gotta run! Maybe I get a few pics this weekend and post them next week! Hope so! And I'm off........

So Loved

"For God so loved the world

that he gave his one
and only Son,
that whoever believes
in him shall not
perish but have
eternal life."

John 3:16

Valentine Menu

Tonight I am making a menu of yumminess for my family. Ryan loves the White Chili recipe I have, so that will be for him (and me), and because it is spicy I will make mac-n-cheese for the kids. So there should be no complaints from anyone at the dinner table tonight! To add to the yum-fest I will also be making some super-delicious home made cornbread. My good friend Chris gave me the cornbread recipe a few years ago and, just like her, it is fabulous! I can no longer make my chili without also whipping up a batch of this yummy-deliciousness too.

So, in the spirit of the day, I will share the love and pass along this must-have recipe of cornbread wonderfulness.

Incredible Cornbread

2 eggs
1 cup milk
1/2 cup butter (melted)
2 cups bisquick
3/4 cup sugar
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
4 heaping Tbl cornmeal

Beat eggss. Add milk and butter. Add all dry ingredients. Bake @ 350 in greased 8x8 dish for 30-35 minutes, or until golden brown on top and fork comes out clean. Enjoy cornbread wonderfullness!

The Cool Mom

Last night we all pitched in and made the yummy, super-delicious, rice crispy treat Valentines. I've never made them before but I knew it was easy. I added some red dye and colored them pink! Very cute! Ryan and the kids measured out the marshmellows and cereal while I melted the butter and added in the ingredients. I made two batches and thought I'd have to make at least one more in order to have enough for both Mae's and Caleb's classes. I needed a total of 34 treats. I was amazed that two batches was more than enough. We even had scraps leftover to munch on. I only have one thing to say about yummy, super-delicious, rice crispy treats......mmmmm, so very, very tasty.

Must. Have. More. More. More. More!!!

Ok, I bought way too much stuff to make the treats. I bought like 5 bags of mini marshmellows and 6 boxes of Rice Crispys. The cereal is easy to deal with. Eat it for breakfast. No problem. The problem is having 3 bags of mini marshmellows leftover. We can only drink so much hot chocolate. I know, those things are loaded with preservatives and all kinds of junk, so they could last a very long time in the factory-sealed bag. But let's be honest....that's not gonna happen! So I did the only thing that makes sense. I made more treats!

Must. Have. More.

So, now I have another batch of treats on the counter. Here's another problem. I have more treats on my counter! I just looked over at them. They're still there, beckoning for me to get up, and eat them! Oh man. This is terrible. Good thing I went to the gym today. *wink wink*

Caleb had his Valentine celebration in his class today (he only goes to school on Tuesdays and Thursdays). When he got home we went through his bag of Valentines and candy and I discovered that I am the coolest mom! Yep. That's me, cool mom! Most of the other kids in the class just gave out the cheapy store bought cards and there was one or two kids that had a sucker attached (and one cute pencil), but come on, how totally cool is the pink heart-shaped rice crispy treat (and little plastic dinosaur)?! Yeah, that's right. I'm 'The cool mom'! I'm stoked!

I wonder if my coolness will carry over to Mae's class tomorrow?

Big Boy Bed

My boy is getting big. *sniff sniff* He is growing out of his cute little toddler bed, so last weekend we picked up a big boy bed for him and today we got a new mattress to go with it. Tonight it is all assembled and my boy is sleeping (I hope!) in it right now! *sigh* I knew this day would come, and I assume I am ready for it. The new bed makes him look as though he is still small, so maybe that's a good thing (right?).

Caleb was so excited! Ryan took out the toddler bed then started bringing in the pieces of the new bed into Caleb's room. Caleb, being the big boy and all, wanted to help his daddy carry things in. He also stood by and watched as it was put together. He could hardly contain himself! Then he had to wait as I vacuumed his room and put new sheets on the bed. Finally it was time to do the big reveal! Oh boy was he happy and excited!!!

Later, after Caleb had his bath, he went in and got his jammies on and went straight to bed! It wasn't even bedtime yet, he still had 30-45 minutes! He didn't care. He was in bed, door closed and lights off! Crazy boy! Still, it made for an easy bedtime. Though it makes me think 'I wonder how long this will last'? I also wonder how much sleep he is actually getting 'cause I know he is just laying there giggling and being too excited and happy to get any sleep. When he finally does get to sleep it will only be because he past out from shear exhaustion! Oh the joys of growing up.

Sleep tight my dear son, I love you!

Back to Normal

My routine is back! On Tuesday Mae's school called me, I had to pick her up early, she was sick. Mae had a temp of 103 and complaining of a headache. No faking that kind of sick! So it continued off and on for the next two days. *sigh* This completely blows my routine! It wouldn't have been so bad, for me, if I hadn't just resolved to go to the gym a few times a week. Now that I have it in my mind to do go, I want to get moving on it!

Mae is all better now and was able to go back to school today. Well, she could have gone back yesterday but we played it safe and kept her home one more day (that fever was a tricky one, it would be gone most of the day then BAM! it'd be back). So I was able to go to the gym this morning. Yeah!!! Now all I need to do is have Ryan show me how to use his ipod and maybe download some of my own music. Then I'll be all set to rock out while workin' out! Oh yeah!

Valentine Plans

There are six days left until the big day. Valentines Day! As of last night I have all the little things together that I am going to give to my kids. My own mother has been instrumental in making more of this day than it used to be. So now it's my turn to tell my children that I love them!

I just love Target! They had some cute Valentine socks in the dollar section right after Christmas. At that point I wasn't sure what I was going to do (come on, I wasn't even out of the Christmas fog yet!), but when I saw the little socks I had to get two pair (one for Mae and one for Isabel....they didn't have any boyish socks for Caleb). Then a couple weeks ago I saw that Target's dollar section had little Valentine beenie baby-type animals. So I snatched up three of those. Finally, last night, I got Caleb some touchable bubbles. I will put their little gifts together and have them sitting out on the table for them in the morning (I'll most likely throw in some choclately candies for good measure....can't have Valentines Day without Kisses!). I haven't thought too much more about the rest of the day but maybe for lunch I'll make pancakes, since they are Mae's favorite (sorry, they won't be heart-shaped, but they'll be from the heart....does that count?) Then maybe after dinner I will do some heart-shaped brownies or something. I'm not too sure about that part either.

Of course I can't forget the Valentine cards for Mae's and Caleb's schools. Mae has 20 kids in her class, and Caleb 12. After much thought, I have decided to make these yummy rice crispy treats for the kids Valentines. I have some heart-shaped cookie cutters that will be perfect (one less item to purchase to put this Valentine together!). Then we will put them in Valentine gift bags along with an extra little goodie (Caleb has little plastic dinosaurs and Mae has lip-shaped erasers...again, Target!!!). Then at the top where the bag is tied off we will add a little card that says who the yummy treat is from. I have a little Valentine stamp set for the kids and they can stamp away to their hearts content on the front of the card. I think they will be cute and definitely not your run of the mill Valentine!

Mae says Valentines Day is her favorite holiday. It's because it is red and pink and has hearts!

*go here to make your own candy conversation heart for your blog page!

Motivation

I have been wanting to get into the habit of going to the gym a couple times a week, but I haven't been successful in getting myself there. Many excuses. All lame. Well, I think I have finally found the motivation needed to propel me through the doors. It's called 'I bought a dress on Ebay and it doesn't quite fit'. How is that for motivation?

I bought the dress to wear to a friends' wedding in June and it is too tight, in too many places. This is an issue I haven't really had in my life. But, three kids and a couple decades later I now do. That is, if I want to maintain a certain dress size. I do want to be healthy and in shape, that is my true goal. So, if after working out and exercising still does not get me into the dress, but gets me healthy and in shape, then I will be satisfied with that. Truly.

Here is a picture of the motivation for me to continue using that gym membership that has gathered too much dust:

(click to enlarge)

Pretty nice, huh? (the picture isn't the best, but it's a nice dress....trust me on this!) I got a super-great deal on it too! Plus it still has the tags on it, so if I never do wear it then I can relist it on Ebay and maybe get my few bucks back. I suppose it is really a win-win situation. In the end I'll be healthy and in shape. Now, whether I'll be in the shape this dress requires remains to be seen.

Things to do When Laid Up on the Couch Because a Glass Fell Off the Counter and Cut Your Foot

1. Convince your husband that the cut is not that bad and you don't have to go to the ER on the weekend with three kids.
2. Bemoan the fact that you did not shave your legs that morning and you are dire need of a pedicure (just in case you do have to get those stitches).
3. Be thankful for your exceedingly gracious husband who has brought you lunch, something to drink, and his laptop so you have something to do.
4. Be even more thankful for said husband who has carried you around the house so you can go to the bathroom.
5. Make fifty bucks on TreasureTrooper.com by filling out surveys and signing up for trial offers. (sweet!)
6. Hobble over to answer the telephone within 20 seconds of husband leaving the house.
7. Clean up cut, again, after trip to the telephone.
   
8. Settle back onto couch with foot up, again, but this time leave telephone on coffee table right beside you (not that it rings again for the rest of the day)
   
9. Try calling husband's cell phone while he is out because his laptop requires a password after being idle while you were on the telephone. (you hear it ring, he left it on the counter *sigh*).
10. Take out your own cell phone and play with ring tones.
11. Call your cell phone to see if you have the right ring tone set up (you do!).
12. Consider the cut not such a bad thing, now you don't have to cook tonight!
    

Makin' Money

I've been busy this week. Busy putting stuff up for auction on Ebay, listing 10 books for sale on Amazon, as well as one item on Craigs List. I have already sold one book on Amazon (I'm stoked about that!!) and my Ebay auctions close Sunday and Monday. If my ebay listings go well, then I will have gotten rid of most all the baby girl clothes up to about 12 months. I still have a bunch of boy clothes to go through and list, most of those at 24 months/2t (I sold a lot of Caleb's clothes last year on Ebay). As I have mentioned before, my hope for selling this stuff is two-fold.

1. I want to get rid of boxes of baby clothes that are taking up valuable space in the garage and closets. I do not intend to need them at all, ever, again! *big grin*....I love my kids, but I think I have enough.
2. I am planning a trip to see friends in Michigan over the Memorial Day weekend and I need to raise some more moolah! (isn't Ryan a great guy to let me go away for the weekend??)

So, I have high hopes for my auctions this weekend. I did my best to plan ahead and have my auctions close on Sunday (Ryan says that is the best time to have an auction close. Because people are not at work and glued to their computers looking for great deals??? I hope so!) My first attempt at posting my auctions this week was not so well thought out. Again it was my intention to have them end on Sunday, so I did a 7-day listing. The problem was that I listed them on Monday, so the auctions will close this Monday and missing the Sunday crowd. The second group I listed I did better in my thought process and timed them to end on Sunday, a couple hours before the Super Bowl (I thought this was genius!) . I will see how well this plan worked come Sunday around 1:00. I'm so excited to see how it all goes, although the number of visitors to my listings is not as high as I would like. Maybe come this weekend the number will grow?

Ryan has also told me about two places online to make money by filling out surveys etc. I looked into both places today and they seem reputable. I'm not sure how Ryan knew about them, but when he gets home I will go over it again with him and just double check the legitimacy. If all is good then I will register and hopefully make some more cashola!

So.........come on Ebay!...........go Amazon go!!! Mama needs to get away!

January Movie Log

More movies viewed by us last month. Here's what we saw:

1. Lady in the Water (another film by the guy who did The Sixth Sense, I can't pronounce his name....I call him 'Sham-a-lam-a-ding-dong'. Ok, not very nice, but it makes my husband laugh. Anyway, the movie was good. Not the guys' best, but interesting.)
2. Sketches of Frank Gehry (Gehry is a well known architect of today and this was a documentary of his work. We enjoyed the film very much. He is certainly thinks outside the typical 'box' when designing buildings and structures. It was also refreshing to see that this man, who is extremely talented, is not caught up with himself. If you like documentaries and art/design then I highly recommend this film.)
3. I Am Sam (this was an interesting film about a man who is mentally retarded and needs to legally fight to keep his 8 year old daughter. I can't say that it is very realistic, but it made me think more about the 'system' in place that takes children away from their parents. So, I guess I'd have to say this was a thought provoking movie. Good, would recommend.)
   
4. Grease (we had never seen this movie and thought maybe we should since it is a classic. I'm a little confused as to why it is considered a classic....what's all the fuss about regarding this movie anyway? I thought it was ok.)
   
5. Run Lola Run (German movie about a lady who has 20 minutes to save her boyfriends life. The movie had three different outcomes. It was interesting, we enjoyed it!)
   
6. Behind the Sun (Brazilian movie about a two brothers that are caught up the family rivalry with a neighboring family. It's definitely not an 'upper' movie, but it was done well. Sad but interesting story.)
7. The Apple Dumpling Gang (Caleb and I watched this together. It was fun to see it after so many years. I don't think Caleb quite understood what it was about but he sat in my lap the whole time, and that is priceless!)
8. The Love Bug (this was our first family movie night. Great success! Kids loved it, and so did us grown ups.)
9. Schultze Gets the Blues (German film. Borrrrr-rrrrring!!!!)
10. Lord of the Rings: The Fellowship of the Ring (yes, we've seen the trilogy before and decided it was time to watch it again. Still good! I am understanding a whole lot more this time around too.)
11. House of Sand (Brazilian movie. 3 generations of mother/daughter as they live in wasteland of Brazil. It was interesting, we liked it. **we did have to use the feature on our dvd that allows us to skip to the next scene, for adult situation purposes..that's all I'm gonna say about that!)
12. Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers (two down, one more to go!)
    

I think my favorite movie was Run Lola Run. The movie was definitely artistic in the way it was done, it was odd, but I liked it! I also liked how it had three different outcomes. It's funny how much I am enjoying all these foreign films. At first I watched them because Ryan picked them out. I was never one that liked the idea of reading a movie, the concept was strange to me, but I'm getting the hang of it now and am enjoying it very much! (for the most part that is.....Schultze Get the Blues was a dull film, to say the least. Germans certainly have a different perspective on film making....too many scenic views/still shots). Anyway, I am loving this Blockbuster thing we've got, it's fun! I feel like I'm becoming culturally diverse. *big grin*