reruns

there seems to be nothing but reruns on around here...

desitin is bad

and so is she.



bad.



bad.



bad.

(and tips on getting desitin out of carpet, stuffed animals, vacuum cleaners, and blankets
would be appreciated.)

thing i heard

things i heard this week...

"mom, maggie is picking her nose and wiping her boogers on your scarf."

"get me milk." to which i respond, that is not the way to ask, could you try again, and bring me your cup please?
"i just way to busy mommy."

"lee's summit school district will be cancelled both tomorrow and friday due to inclement weather conditions." that one really got me, right in the heart. that was hard core lee's summit. hateful and hard core. let's please not ever say those words again, not in this house.

"your youngest just scribbled giant circles all over your couch with your sharpie."

"mom, maggie is feeding the puppy bacon, craisins, and chalk."

"can i _____________________"
you can fill in the blank, it is said about every two and a half minutes by various people.

"you da best mommy eber." i do still love that one.

"looks like we have everything we need to process your passports, they should arrive in about four weeks."
woo hoo - we are heading out on our first out of this country vacation. unfortunately, we did purchase passports for 1,2,3 and 4 also.

Christmas blessings

it was an amazing christmas in this household once again.
we tried to get every memory possible into the week of christmas.

we made a gingerbread house


and gingerbread boys


we went to candlelight service*

we ate prime rib with homemade bread and all the fixings

we spent time with family

we played

we made santa cookies

we fed the reindeer**


we watched a movie and then curled up together in mama's room


we checked the santa radar and closed our eyes before he made it to missouri

we woke on christmas morning and had homemade cinnamon rolls

we opened presents and watched it snow

we soaked up the blessings that spilled over us

and finally

mama crashed with exhaustion!

*there may have been a not so magical moment when the pastor said "and they took the body"
maggie misunderstood and stood up and yelled for all in the service to hear "THEY CAN NOT TAKE MY POTTY!!! HAAAAY MISTER YOU GIB ME BACK MY POTTY!!!"

**yes that is my snowman face down in the snow... yes we fed the reindeer from the front porch, it was freezing and snowing outside!

the dinner email

(this is a copy of an email we have been sharing for a couple of weeks - thought i would post it in case our other friends were interested in some easy, sometimes healthy, sometimes cheap,
most of the times yummy dinner ideas.
the point of this was to shave a lot of time off planning meals, making lots of trips to the store and fretting over dinner. its also meant to save money by only going to the store once and eating at home more)

here we go again.
last week allison and i didn't get around to meatloaf, so its making another appearance.
its a lot of food, so you may not have to make it all, just ideas if you would like...

baked ravioli
frozen cheese ravioli
jar spaghetti sauce
mozzarella cheese
(put ravioli in a casserole dish, cover with sauce and cheese, cover in foil - bake for about 30 minutes, uncover, cook until cheese is all bubbly)
serve with loaf italian bread and green salad

chicken pot pie
3 cups cook and cut up chicken
1 can cream of chicken soup
1 can cream of celery soup
bag frozen mixed vegetables
add garlic salt, pepper as you wish
1-2 cans biscuits
(mix the first four ingredients in casserole dish, bake in oven for 15 minutes
at 375, then take out and top with biscuits and bake until brown)

taco soup
cooked hamburger (about 1-2lbs)
can diced tomatoes
can corn
can kidney beans
can black beans
can chick peas or other beans of your choice
1 packet taco seasoning
1 packet ranch seasoning
mix all together and cook either in crock pot for a few hours, or on the stove for about 30 minutes - 1hr.

meat loaf
same as before- make it how you like it
this time we are having it with new potatoes and green beans
allison's green beans
cut up about 4 slices bacon, fry, add chopped onion and cook until soft, add
a few cans green beans and several new potatoes cut into half or quarters
cover and cook for about an hour

home made chicken nuggets
cut up boneless skinless chicken breast into bite size pieces
coat with shake and bake, cook according to package directions
i eat them over salad (like a healthy fried chicken salad)
or serve with tator tots and a veggie for the kids

~we usually have a little something for dessert, such as some type of berries over
frozen yogurt, something somewhat healthy like that.

that's all for this week
i printed this and highlighted what i didn't have at home, then took that to the store as my shopping list. voila, no more grocery store for the week.
well, that's a lie, i did go back for ice cream one night, laundry soap another night
and paper towels a third night.
next week i will be better at this.

lunch lady

a quick funny...
i had to work today for the college, but jeff promised carson he would go eat lunch with him
he had maggie and ashton with him, so they all headed up. most public outings with maggie are scary, because we never know what will fly out of that mouth next. today was no different.
they got in the lunch line with all the other first graders and teachers and she told the lunch lady, "i toot on your chicken nuggets"
well the little ones all started laughing at that and so she repeated herself and added in
"your fwench fwies taste like poop wady."
nice.
molly wants us to come eat with her tomorrow... im out.

thanks

i love this time of year, the time that forces you to sit down and count your blessings. to stop complaining, checking out how green the grass is on the other side and inspecting your own.

i love the things you discover when you really think about how many blessings you are surrounded with.

of course im thankful for my family, my house, my health. the basics.

im also thankful for my jobs. the fact that i have two jobs to nitpick when so many people i know are struggling to find just one.

im thankful for my comfy couch which i love to fall into after a long day of craziness at work and or handling children. for my dvr to melt my mind into, lose myself into some noneducational programming.

im thankful for the shoes, backpacks and crayons which scatter my living room right this moment. for the fact that my children are still little enough to need those things, to be careless enough to forget to pick them up. how blessed to have a house full of chaos!

im thankful for my angelic girl, who covers me with love every day, who never forgets to thank me for making her lunch, for making dinner, for allowing her to help out.

im thankful for my handsome little boy who runs and plays so hard every day im sure he will collapse of exhaustion. im thankful for his incredible appetite and how he can drain a gallon of milk in just minutes.

im thankful for my funny little four year old. im thankful for the way he just pops out of nowhere with a hug and a kiss on my leg. how his giggles fill a room with sheer happiness.

im also thankful for my crazy, wild, terrible, beautiful two year old. im thankful for how she tells me "your eber mommy", meaning your the best mommy ever. im so thankful that her little hands and legs are still chubby and babylike, that she still has a hint of baby left in her.

im thankful for my husband, for his crazy daily patience with me. for his help with the kids and the house, his forever rose colored glasses when he looks at me.

im thankful for my friends. they make me laugh and see myself from a different perspective, keeping me on my toes.

of course for my parents who raised me to be who i am. who instilled the values i have embedded in me and who have made me who i am.


so a million thank yous, to everyone who blesses my life each and every day.