Eat well, stay healthy, feel great

Most Saturdays a few of the neighbors get together at someone's house. Neighbor S usually makes California rolls. A few years ago Mike's sister Mary got us a sushi kit with all the dishes and stuff to make it. Mike made some and they were okay....fast forward to now....the stuff has been sitting in the pantry (the dishes not the ingredients) for some time. Since Neighbor S has this down pat, I decided to give it a try. I made a simple roll with crab. That is pickled ginger on the top with some wasabi. It was pretty good. I have to say I impressed myself.

So once the kids were settled in for their afternoon naps and rest time. I sat down with my favorite magazine and just enjoyed some quiet "me" time with my California rolls. Had it not been 1 o'clock in the afternoon, I might have had a glass of wine....I wonder what wine would go with a CA roll??

It was very nice to relax and enjoy a good lunch. All too often I get caught up in what I call kid meals...PB&Js, mac and cheese, pizza bites, anything that can be dipped in ranch or honey mustard....you know the meals that toddlers eat.

Finally, Will's bento-like lunch for this week: Looks like a demented old man to me...but he liked it when he saw me making it. I couldn't get the fruit in the box, so I will just add them to his lunch box. But the face is a whole wheat bagel with cream cheese, raisin mouth, pickle eyes, carrot hair, cheese hat and a brocolli nose. Chop up some pickles and throw in some grapes....wallah...a fun lunch.

Happy Wednesday y'all!

No fluff for today...just some sappy thoughts

Just a few thoughts for today:
A while back I received a book by Sarah Ban Breathnach:

http://www.simpleabundance.com/public/main.htm

Basically she says......"The six threads of abundant living, which when woven together produce a tapestry of contentment that wrap us in inner peace, well being, happiness & a sense of security. The first of these is gratitude. When we do a mental & spiritual inventory of all that we have, we realise that we are very rich indeed. Gratitude gives way to simplicity- the desire to pare down, clear out & realise the essentials of what we need to live truly well. Simplicity brings with it order, both internally & externally. A sense of order in our life brings us harmony. Harmony provides us withwith the inner peace we need to appreciate the beauty that surrounds us every day, & beauty opens us up to joy. "

Even though I usually stick to the lite little fluffy stuff on this blog, this really reached out and touched me today. I don't know if it is because I am feeling super emotional or what. But I have so much to be grateful for....first and foremost, my family, husband, and the many friends I have made no matter where the Army has sent us.

I love being as organized as I am...with it brings a simplicity in running my life day to day. Just today I had the opportunity to organize a craft closet at Bubba's. (Remember I have to do 20 volunteer service hours there!!) Anyway, this closet looked like Hobby Lobby exploded in it. With about $100 and a couple dozen Rubbermaid tubs, I could have that place looking spiffy...But I didn't, I had a few mismatched containers and some stackable containers. I made do, and they all loved when I got done.

At home, that simplicity has helped me only surround myself with the things I absolutely love. You can't organize clutter. Trust me, at this point in my life I need the simplest of lives!

I need that harmony to be able to get through the days when I about to lose it. I know so many other military wives have done this many times before, but this is our first deployment.

I want to have that joy in my life and not allow the daily stress impact that. I do want to live a simple, peaceful, and abundant life.



Okay, back to the fluff for later....t.-

Just smile for me, baby!

Okay, I felt bad that last week I didn't even have a picture of Will....well, here is a sample of how most of his pics are most of the time! Lovely...can't you smile just a little bit? No really, just a smirk even..?? Okay, I will let you play with your friends! He was so excited the little boy next door came over to play with him. This is the one that wanted to make the reindeer cookies the other day. It has been nice enough in the afternoon that the kids can go outside. We have that monster play structure out there, so they love it! I didn't realize he or the neighbor kid knew how to get the sandbox part of it open....only when one of them came in asking for water did I wonder what was up! Insert whiny voice here, "But we want to make a sand volcano!!" Ugh....No, it's not that warm.
So this morning, I tried one more time to get a decent pic of Will....can you see his new haircut? She did cut it rather short, but it looks good. The kids and I drove over to the PX on post to get it done. I had tried the one in Walmart, but they just don't do as good of a job. I thought I might attempt to save some money and cut it myself. I know he uses a 4 on top and a 2 on the sides. But after this girl got done with him, she said..."Next time tell them, 4 on top, 1 on bottom, and fade a 2 and 3 in the middle. Uhhmm, yeah, okay....maybe it worth the $7. Sounds a little more complex that just taking a little off the top!

Today Will didn't want to go to school. He had gotten up at 6AM, so by 8 he was well into playing with all his toys. We rotated to the "Planes, trains, and automobiles" this weekend, so he hasn't even played with all of the "new" ones. So I told him I would let Livi go in his place today. That didn't set well with him or Livi. I said that I would call Mrs. Coble and let her know that Livi would be coming in his place. She looked at me and said, "No, I want to stay with Mommy and go shopping!" I guess we go to Target one time to many after we drop off Will at school! Here she is looking at me like I have lost my mind even suggesting she give up the life of luxury.

By the way, our muffin Monday for today was lemon-raspberry with a struesel topping.. Two thumbs up !!

Just another day in the same ole life of us....

just another Saturday

The kids and I had a super lazy Saturday. I think I have a sinus infection or something. I am taking Sinus meds that last 4-6 hours....at the 3 1/2 hour mark, I can tell it is wearing off. UGH.....so what are some things the kids can do that will occupy them for some time....PLAYDOH!
As Livi was starting to come to the table, she starts stripping off her dress. She said, " I don't want to get my pretty pretty dress dirty." Of course she had to have the "purpur" playdoh. She is kind of learning how to say purple, but for the most part it is still "purpur".
Want to make a wife of a deployed soldier happy.....send letters! These were in my mailbox yesterday. Mike is so good about sending letters. I love to read them when I am feeling like I don't know what I am doing. I always have known that Mike does alot around here, but with 104 days of deployment, I now realize how much he does. So husband, thanks for the letters!!!

On Fridays we order pizza with our neighbors. Her husband is deployed as well. She has two boys. The younger one asked if he could come over and make reindeer cookies on Saturday. We made these for Will's preschool at Christmas time. So after Livi's nap, Zack came over to make cookies. While here he asked, "Do you have the stuff to make "mexican surprise"....these were some muffins we made a while back....They are simply cornbread muffins with a little piece of hotdog in them! They have a dipping sauce with them made from taco seasoning, sour cream and mayo. The neighborhood kids loved them when we made them for muffin Monday. So we made them.

So, now the kids are in bed, I am relaxing and waiting for my sinus meds to take effect!

By Request: I Present 6 Weird Things About Me

The Tag Game:
Each player of this game starts with "6 weird things about you". Each person who gets tagged needs to write a blog post of their own 6 weird things as well as clearly state this rule. After you state your 6 weird things, you need to choose 6 people to be tagged and list their names. Don't forget to leave a comment that says "you're tagged" in their comments and tell them to read your blog for information as to what it means.

1. I am a makeup snob....I love love love me some Bobbie Brown makeup....the brushes, the makeup...all of it. In fact, the day we were packing out when we lived in Pleasanton, CA, I had to run over to the mall in Pleasanton to go to the Nordstrom sale because BB had a sale where you got all this cute little stuff in a little leather zip up bag with some brushes.....heck, makeup, brushes and a little zip bag! Yes, as the packers were loading up the last of our belongings!!

2. I am a list loving gal....Will calls them "maps" but it is still a list. I have little icons on them so the kids know how to follow them. They have one in the bathroom titled, "What to do when we get home from preschool". Two above Livi's changing table...."morning routine, evening routine" and one above the kid table..."bib in chair, push chair in, etc"....Yes, then there is my CONTROL JOURNAL listing every possible list I could ever need.....Yes, I am loving me some lists!

3. I could make friends in a box. I often wonder if it is because we move so much, I just want someone to talk to.....but if someone is saying hi to you in the line at the post office....it just might be me! But only if you are in HH!

4. I don't eat pork... because it makes me seriously ill. When I worked the library ladies thought it was because I was Jewish. Yep, a Jewish Native American in big Lawton America! Nope, it just makes my tummy hurt.

5. I am really just the normal SAHM....I do drive a super fun XC Volvo, take one kid to a Montessori preschool, and go to playgroup. I do like to shop, but so do most of my friends. Any time I drive down Trimmier Liv thinks we should go to Starbucks.."Star Muffin, mom!" but, just normal.

6. Last thing, I think I am the first of my "real" friends to blog....I like it. Is that wierd, I think wierd might be spelled wrong...is it weird?? The blog that I read...http://katherines123blog.blogspot.com/2007/01/omg-i-am-like-soooo-wierd.html can't spell it either.

Okay, if you read this, consider yourself tagged.

Livi's haircut

Livi has had the mullet look going for some time now. So, after talking to Mike I decided to get it cut into a little bob to let all those baby hairs catch up. Here she is looking like such a big girl!
Kelly cuts my hair. When we first got to TX, I saw her in Jason's Deli. I asked her who cut her hair. Turns out she works at a salon right where we live!
All she did was cut off all the wispy "mullet-looking" hairs.
Mike called just as we were finishing up. Livi got to tell him about getting her haircut.
Doesn't she look like such a big girl now?

random thoughts in the PM

I got my canisters from the Southern Living at Home party I went to a couple of weeks ago. I really like them. But I think I am going to obsess about keeping them filled up. Since we bake muffins every Monday, I think I might have a problem. But they are oh so beautiful and they look marvelous with all the stainless in the kitchen. There is a tray that you can order that they sit on, but I think that might be a little over the top.

Have you ever heard of Bento?? Here is a link to my favorite place to get ideas...http://cookingcute.com/gallery.htm I decided to try it for Will's lunch. I have to pack a fruit, veggie, protein and carb each day for his lunch. It gets really old trying to come up with something new for him to eat. This one was fairly easy. The rice is leftover from dinner. There is some grilled chicken under the rice. Will likes to think he is searching for "dinosaur bones" as he is digging through his rice. Hey, if it gets him excited about eating some protein! The stems are green beans, the tulips are a mini red bell pepper. A true bento box has a wax covered paper cup, this is just a cupcake cup with string cheese cut into circles. Finally some grapes are at the end. This did not take any more time to pack than I normally spend. I hope that by the time he gets it to the table that it is still identifiable.

Off to watch Grey's Anatomy and Men in Trees. I need some fluff to watch.

decorating dilemma

This is my latest decorating dilemma...

Whatever to do with my big A barn star now that I have one. Since we are in Texas, I only thought it appropriate to have. But dang, that thing is huge! Those topiaries are from Nell Hills in Atchison, KS. I used to have a print in between the topiaries. I think I am going to have Mike mount the star when he comes home on his midtour leave next month. But other than that....who knows what I will do. Any suggestions??

I just noticed the topiary on the right looks a little lopsided......I am sure unidentified flying objects have been launced at it more than once. Playing can get a little wild on these cold inside days!

Snow Day....or should be called Ice Day

Will didn't have school again today. This is what we woke up to.....lots of ice. It continued to sleet most of the day. Finally around lunch time I bundled the kids up and ventured outside. Yep, the rare pic of me. The snowsuit Liv has on is the one Will wore last winter, which reminded me of this next picture.

These were taken in Leavenworth last year. The snowsuit Will has on is the one Livi is wearing today. Who knew it would come in handy here! This sled is stored up in the attic. I seriously don't think we will get any snow, but I still am hanging onto it.
The rare pic of me......

Finally, this is what Will was doing while I was on the phone with Mike. We were having Nutella and graham crackers for a snack. Apparently I didn't make him enough. Heck, I would love it if he could get his own snacks. Yep, he is still in his jammies! Remember it was a snow day....oops ice day!

Me: A-Z

it's me -- from A to Z

Saw this on another blog...thought I'd give it a try:

The letter A
What annoys you? Clutter

The letter B
Who is your best friend? the husband, of course!

The letter C
What is your favorite candy? Payday or those peppermint patties with chocolate...brain toot here, I can't think of what they are called.

The letter D
Do you daydream? I am sure I do.

The letter E
Have you ever been in the emergency room? With Livi, the fourth of July weekend last summer.

The letter F
Do you use flyswatters? Yes, if I see a fly.

The letter G
Do you chew gum? No, hurts my jaw.

The letter H
Your height. 5'3"

The letter I
Have you ever ice skated? Yes, when we lived in Fairbanks. We had a hail and farewell there. It might have even been our hail.

Do you play an instrument? the clarinet

The letter J
What's your favorite jelly bean? None, they get stuck in my teeth.

The letter K
Where did you have kindergarten? big Cache America with Mrs. Murray, my favorite teacher!!

The letter L
Are you laid back? Not really, I like my controlled little environment!

The letter M
Do you like mangos? I like them, but don't buy them often enough.

The letter N
Do you have a nickname? just what my name is shortened to

The letter O
What's your one wish? husband to come home

The letter P
What one fear are you most paranoid about? husband not coming home

The letter Q
Are you quick to judge people? Probably yes. But I'm trying to do better and keep an open mind.

The letter R
Do you watch reality tv? Well, in the last week I've watched Beauty & the Geek, the Apprentice premiere, and tonight I think the Real Housewives of Orange County....

The letter S
What's your favorite season? Fall

The letter T
What time did you wake up? 5:45 am

The letter U
Are you wearing underwear? Yes

The letter V
What's the worst veggie? brussel sprouts

The letter W
Worst habit. surfing the web, blogs, or refreshing my e-mail over and over again when I should be folding laundry. Like, right now.

The letter X
Have you ever had an x-ray? dental ones

The letter Y
What year were you born in? 1968

The letter Z
What's your favorite zoo animal? It's a toss up between the elephants and the monkeys.

January 16, 2007

Hey there all....we are freezing our patooties off here in TX. Will didn't even go to school today. It is so cold!! Here is a picture of Will getting ready to go out to deliver our muffins on Monday. Each Monday we bake either a muffin....or on this day we baked zucchini bread....and share them with the neighbors. Now most of the neighbors come running when they see us head out the door on Mondays.
The bread was really good, but here is what Will thought of it. He started to say, "Yuck" but he caught himself and said, "No thank you....Livi, do you want my zookie bread?" Of course the carb-loving Livi jumped on it. This batch made four mini loaves, she ate 3/4 of the loaf I kept for us.

This last weekend, I knew it was going to be a cold one. I saw this cool terrarium in a Lowe's ad. The kids and I put them together ...it was really simple. But I did prick myself on one of the cacti. I put them in my bathoom window. I felt very Martha when we finished. Here are the kids finishing up one.


A view of the bathroom ....A close up of one...it is just a plant saucer, with a tiny plant, river rocks, and a lamp sconce..(Livi broke one, so that is why only two of those have one....I guess we will be making another trip to Lowes!)

Speaking of the cold, here is what my urns look like now...I don't know if you can see a thin layer of ice over all of it! I am sure the pansies will die, but I don't know about the little evergreen. Shouldn't it stay green forever?? Or is there some disclosure statement about not leaving them out in freezing icy weather?? Who knew it got this cold in TX?

Finally, I hope everyone is staying warm. Oh yeah, we did find out Mike gets to come home the last week of Feb for his mid-tour leave. He will get to stay home two weeks! I think that is almost forty days away!! Whew hoo!!

friday night

Today was super rainy and muggy all day....

I got some more ivy to put in the planters. I'll post pics of them in all their glory later.

The kids and I are going to make little terrariums this weekend. I saw them in an ad for Lowes. Now I am not the one who usually goes to Lowes or Home Depot, so this was new to me. I had such fun getting the stuff for them. Liv and I went today while Will was in school. I'll post pics after we do them tomorrow. We are going to make them this weekend. Will doesn't have school Monday, so we have to spread out the fun for three days!!

happy Friday!
t.-

January 9, 2007

Hey there all...I know, a day late and a dollar short. I was totally pooped yesterday. I have been doing my volunteer hours at Will's school. (At the beginning of school, you have to pay $200 for a service fee. If you volunteer 20 hours during the school year, you get this money as a credit in the last month's tuition.) I have a big whopping 4 hours. They just purchased six of the tables the kids got for Christmas, as well as this kitchen:

Little did I know at the time this kitchen was in the stack of those tables. Those tables take 10 minutes to put together....even with the kids "helping". Over the last two days I put all the tables together, the kitchen, and sewed red gingham curtains to go on it. Whew hoo, I am now half way done with my service hours!

Mike sent us a picture of him eating dinner. I printed out the picture and hung it at his chair at the dinner table. The first night I did it, we were all clearing the table and Will said, very seriously, "Mom, Dad didn't finish his dinner." It was so funny! Then Livi went over to ask him if he wanted a popsicle after dinner. She said, "Were you good today? Only kids who are good get popsicles." I wonder how many times she has heard that??

Mike wanted me to teach Will to use the camera so more pics of me could be in the updates. This is actually one of the first ones he took....not bad I guess. This kiss is for you, husband!

Here is the first one he took: Livi is saying, "No cheese!!"

Finally, Livi is very much into imaginative play now. While Will was in school this week, I heard her playing with all those stuff animals she loves to pull out of that bin. She had them all paired up as "moms, dads, and kids". She dumped some bows out of this basket to make a bed. She lined it with some old monogrammed burp towels I just haven't been able to toss out. I don't know if you can see, but each monkey has a juice box from those wooden sets from Target. Also each has a plastic cup by their head. Then she used bunny to cover them up. I could hear her saying, "Now hush your mouth it is time for sleep.....(pause) ohhh, okay, I'll turn on your music.....(another pause)....and that light is too bright....it's hurting your eyes. I'll turn it out for you...."MOM, TURN OUT THE LIGHTS, THE KIDS ARE TRYING TO SLEEP!" Then she started hush little baby....with words pulled straight out of the air.

It really is funny all the little things she makes up to amuse herself while Will is at school.

I hope all is well with you....happy Wednesday!

tommie