Saturday morning.

I've had the house all to myself this morning. The kids both stayed the night at Pete's sister's and Pete had to work today. You'd think I'd be running through the house, hanging from the rafters, having my own personal dance party like Tom Cruise in Risky Business. Nope.
I'm totally, completely bored. And I can't wait to go pick up my little people.

Project Life.

Got my Project Kit in the mail today. I was SO excited! I quickly got down to business putting it together. Since I'm basically a month behind because they ran out of kits, I had 26 pics to print so I could "catch up" so to speak. Because I have NO patience what so ever and because I have these instant gratification tendencies, I sent my photo order out to Rite Aide this morning, knowing my kit would arrive this afternoon. Lesson #1 don't do that ever again. Please, please please I'm telling you now...Don't ever get your photos printed at Rite Aide. It's like...they're not even on photo paper. More like really cheap brochure paper. You know what I mean? The color isn't right, but I half expected that anyway. Anyway, they look crappy. I won't be doing that again. I will either print myself (going to get new ink tomorrow!), or drive the 30 minutes to Costco for what I know will be excellent quality + better service. The girl at Rite Aide was like a strung out crack ho. No joke. Lesson #2 I took way too many vertically oriented photos. The way the kit is set up is for 4x6 landscape photos. In it's simplest form anyway. You could order another set of page protectors for this, but I didn't. So I'm not sure exactly what I'm going to do with those pics that are vertical. Because I don't like the way they look in there all sideways. What I'll probably end up doing is just printing them so that they will fit in the smaller journaling pockets and then find some other "stuff" to go in the bigger pockets where the photo normally would have gone. Lesson #3 get my home printer working! I just know this whole process will be so much easier and more fun for me if I can just print daily or at least every couple of days. Like I said before, I like instant gratification. So if I can print it myself, I will! I have an Epson PhotoSmart printer and I love it. I just don't love having to change the ink all the time. They say you're supposed to get 100 pics out of it, but I have never ever got that much out of one ink pack. Anyway, I'll be heading to Staples tomorrow morning to get that ink and spending the rest of the afternoon finishing up my journaling. (That is, after I fold that mountain of laundry I ignored today!) I'll post some progress pics as I go.

WW. His & Hers.

Panini = YUMi

First, I apologize for this horrendous photo. My house has horrible lighting, particularly after the sun goes down. I didn't make it in time to take a decent pic of this meal.
Anyway...
Paninis! Oh my goodness. Ladies if you dare serve your families sandwiches for dinner you will surely get a strange look, a curled up lip and a uuuhhhh ?? sandwiches?? for dinner?? Or, at least you will at my house.
BUT! If you grill them on a fancy grill machine and call them a "Panini" you will get all smiles.
I don't know what it is. I mean It's just basically a grilled turkey and cheese sandwich. But I'm telling you, something magical happens when you squish it all together and get fancy grill marks on it. mmm mmm mmm.
I jokeingly listed on my 2010 post that I wanted a panini press in 2011. I wrote that because at the time I was just hungry and I couldn't think of anything else to write! Although, I HAVE really wanted a panini press for quite some time. I just never could justify paying 50 or 60 bucks for what is basically a waffle iron. I already have one of those that I rarely use. I just happened to be browsing the kitchen area at Target a few weeks ago and found this one on sale for 20 bucks. So I grabbed it. It's not fancy. And I think it would be better if it were actually cast iron instead of just Teflon. (my sandwiches slip around quite a bit when I'm trying to close the lid. I'm thinking cast iron wouldn't do that as much) BUT for 20 dollars, I really can't complain. And I love that I can totally get away with making sandwiches for dinner. Holla!
These that I made last night are rounds of french baguette, provolone cheese, turkey, bacon and avocado. I added tomato and red onion to mine too, but the man and the kids don't like it that way. I also served easy peasy garlic parmesan fries. A recipe (copied here) from this site. And they're baked, not fried SO they're TOTALLY healthy ;)

Garlic Parmesan Oven Fries (copied from What's Cookin' Chicago)
recipe adapted from Tyler Florence
serves 3-4

2 large russet potatoes, scrubbed and dried
1/4 cup extra virgin olive oil
3/4 teaspoon kosher salt
1 garlic clove, minced
1/4 cup freshly grated Parmigiano-Reggiano cheese (i just used regular old parm)
2 tablespoons chopped fresh flat leaf parsley


Preheat the oven to 425.

Cut the potatoes in half lengthwise. Then cut the halves lengthwise into fourths to make 16 big, fat wedges.

Toss the potatoes with the olive oil, salt and minced garlic in a large bowl. Place the potatoes onto a metal baking sheet, spreading to a single layer.

Roast the potatoes for 30-35 minutes, until the potatoes are cooked through, brown, and crispy. Don't shake or turn the fries around while they're cooking. The longer they sit in contact with the metal baking sheet, the crisper they get. (This is true! They really do get crispy, I promise!)

Toss the fries in a big bowl with the cheese and parsley and serve hot.

Go get thee a panini press!

5 for Friday.

1. California has this wonderful way of teasing us into thinking spring is almost here. The last few days have been wonderfully warm and glowy.
2. Public Service Announcement: Leggings are not pants. Though they are very comfortable and paired with the right booty covering top, dress or skirt they are very cute. But they are not pants and should not be warn as though they are. Also, proper undergarments are a must. There are appropriately manufactured garments that will not show lines or...uh....other stuff. Find it, buy it, wear it!
3. I don't know why I have become the fashion police as of late. I really have no room to talk!
4. Pete should be home tomorrow! YIPEE!
5. I'm addicted to red, seedless grapes. I can not wait till warmer weather stays around and local fruit is available. Because I just paid 7 dollars for 3 lbs of grapes. What the heck?!

10 on Tuesday.

1. Megan this morning when I woke her up said: oh mommy my nose is all stuffed down!
Oh that girl cracks me up.
2. I'm getting annoyed with Facebook. I mean, there are so many reasons I like it and feel the need to check it many times daily. But I am so tired of the crap people post. I'm about to go weeding through my "friends list" and let go of some of it. I get really annoyed by the copy and paste status updates. Sure, some of them are great but I do not need to see them multiple times a day, week, month over and over and over filling up my feed. ugh. And don't send every single person in your friends list a private message asking for money (oh yes, it's happened) or advertising your 'business'. And don't reply to the message either because then I'll just keep getting stupid messages from people I don't even know all. day. long. It's really only one person that does this, and I've tried hiding her, but I still seem to get 'event' invites and private/not so private messages from her all the time. Crap, it's annoying! She even went as far as going to my wall and posting direct links on it. GO AWAY.
3. Maybe I should just step away from the Facebook. Because the more I think about it, the more annoyed I get. Ha!
4. My niece, Hannah, came and spent the night with us Sunday. It was so fun. The kids really loved having her over. We don't have overnight guests too often. So I made sure they had lots of popcorn and pizza and cookies.
5. I've been keeping up with Project Life even though I don't have my kit yet. So far it has been a picture a day, but I'm pretty sure knowing me that won't last forever. I'm just going to go with the flow and make it work for us. Since I haven't been doing much scrapbooking at all the last few months, it's important to me to do this project. I've been using the digital one online. I don't like it. But it's giving me a place to put the photos, right some journaling and get a feel for the project. When I get my actual kit, I'll just print out my pics and copy the journaling I have saved there.
6. I've gotten a jury summons every year (sometimes twice) since I was 18. I've only actually had to go to the court house once in all those summons, but....why me? Why so often?? Pete has only ever been called once since we've been married.
7. I keep finding myself cleaning stuff up only to turn right around and make a mess again. Something seems very wrong with that to me.
8. Do you ever get something pop in your mind...like something you forgot about or lost and it just pops in your head and then you can not rest, can not do anything else, can not think of anything else until you find it? I do this all the time. I did this on Saturday. All of a sudden it popped into my head that I need to have Megan's birth certificate for enrolling her in school. I knew I had it, I just couldn't remember where exactly it was. I started getting all panicy and tore through our file box until I found it. Luckily, it was right where I left it. Right where it should be. But I freaked out for about 3 minutes.
9. I need my own personal stylist and shopper. I need someone to say: here, this looks good with this, now buy it! Or just have them buy it for me. Because if it's left up to me, I will circle the store 2 or 3 times and then put everything back. I also need money.
10. I get really bored when Pete is out of town. I also get really lazy because my routine is out of whack. I've been trying to stay on track this week, but I'm so easily distracted.

Boy, that was random! Happy Tuesday

Saturday...

Oh yes, another pic of the little one. I can't help it...she's just been so good with the camera lately. Usually she doesn't look or makes a weird face or makes her mouth look silly. But lately she's been giving me good, honest smiles. She's so pretty when she smiles for real.
The other reason for not posting many pics of Jake is that he desperately needs a haircut. Like bad. I was trying to grow it out a little on top, but I just can't stand it. He has this cow-lick thing right on the top of his head and the hair just stand on end. I think I'm just going to have to cave and cut it. Because I don't have the patience to wait for it to grow out long enough to lie down.
Ok fine, here's a cute one of him...

He is cute. But do you see that cow lick thingy?? It has to go.
Pete is down in Arizona for the week. This is the first time he's been anywhere for any length of time for 6 months or more. It's the first time since we've moved that he's been gone. Which is pretty crazy to think he used to be gone every. single. weekend. for most of Megan's life. You'd think we'd all be used to him being gone. But I don't know. Maybe it was because we got up at 4am to take him to the airport. Or maybe it is because Pete has been home so much. Or maybe it's a combination of both, but last night was really hard. The kids cried and cried at bedtime. Even Jake. He's usually my strong one, but he was so upset. Luckily he'll be home in a week. But it'll be a long week.
Not much else is going on around here. The sun is shining and it is beautiful today. 63*! Isn't it funny though, how as soon as the sun comes out people start acting crazy? I saw a girl today walking around in booty shorts and a tank top. I'm sorry, but honey, it ain't that warm, and no body wants to see your big ol' booty in the middle of January. Keep it covered people. Keep it covered.
That's all. Happy weekend!

Wordless Wednesday.

Cimanimanim Roll Sunday

Seems like we've had these every Sunday for the last month.
So now we're proclaiming it Cimanimanim Roll Sunday!

All in favor say 'I'!

And they all agreed.
And it was so.

Happy Sunday!

2011 to-do list...

1. go bowling.
2. take a road trip out of state. nevada does not count.
3. bake bread. bread that requires yeast and rising time.
4. send christmas cards.
5. participate in a race/event. thinking of this: anyone want to join me? september 9-11.
6. buy a pair of great heels and actually wear them.
7. smile more in pictures. (i'm not a sad person, really)
8. wipe mirrors clean more often, particularly before taking self portraits in them.
9.
10.
11.
...

What I see...

I see the cutest little girl with messy hair. She rocks the messy hair look.
A girl full of sincerity. I can't think of any other way to describe her except sincere. She just has this way about everything she does, everything she says, the way she hugs you, the way she always, always remembers to say Thank You for everything. She's just so sincere about it. She'll say, "thank you for taking us to Safeway, mommy" as it if it was the absolute highlight of her day. When she opened presents at Christmas, every single time she'd squeal with delight, hug it to her chest and say "oh it's just what I wanted!". Sometimes my heart hurts because I just love her so much.
I see a little girl in the cutest little pink cowgirl boots. Oh she loves these so much. Pete's mom got these for her for Christmas and they are just so perfect. She'd wear them every day and everywhere if I let her. I kinda want to keep them nice though so I won't let her wear them out in the mud.
I see a little girl who colors in the lines, but never ever follows any of the 'rules' when it comes to her art. She colors things how she wants to and not how things are supposed to look. Look at Shaggy--he looks like he just ate some poison or something! HA! She's so good at seeing shapes and patterns in things. You know how kids will look at the clouds and say "oh that one looks like a horse!" ? Well she does that but with other things, like lines in the wood on a table, or the way things are stacked, or in rocks on the ground. It dazzles me, how her mind works.
I see a girl who is learning to read. She knows her letters by the sound they make, not the name of the letter. She'll bring things to me and ask me what they say. She'll reply with "oh yeah, I see the sssss" or "there is the BUH". It's funny to me because Jake never did that. And I see now after homeschooling him for 6 months, how many gaps there are in his early eduction especially in phonics. It's like after kindergarten phonics were just forgotten. I'm glad I know a little bit more about it the 2nd time around and hopefully Megan can have a better foundation.
I see a little girl who loves to play dress up. Who doesn't mind touching bugs and lizards and getting dirty. A girl who when asked if she wanted to learn to ride the motorcycle curled up her lip and said, "uh motorcycles are for BOYS". I see a girl who talks to herself, plays with herself, and sings to herself happily all day long. But one who also makes a friend where ever she goes, shares her toys and cares for her friends.
I see a girl who insists on holding my hand when we walk together. Who wants to sit in my lap every morning. A girl who thrives on routine and lives by rules. I see a girl asks for waffles every single day for breakfast. But one who doesn't throw a fit when I give her cereal instead.
I see a little girl who is growing up right before my eyes. A girl who will turn FIVE (!) this year. I see a little girl who I love with all my heart.
♥ Oh I am so lucky to be her mommy! ♥

Moto X Cross

All of a sudden this motorcycle has become The Best Thing Ever and Oh My Gosh Mommy This is SO FUN!

He learned to ride about a year ago at Pete's siters house. Her girls (8 and 12) learned to ride years ago and this bike used to be theirs. He got it real quick. Which of course made him cocky as heck. Which of course led to a bad accident about a month later. An accident that scared the crap out of him. He didn't get hurt, but the bike sure did.
We were planning on buying the bike from the girls anyway, since they'd outgrown it, but since our kid wrecked the heck out of it, we took it, got it fixed and it became Jake's.
But then of course he wouldn't ride it. We moved to this great place for riding motorcycles and he wouldn't ride it. He was so scared. And he wouldn't ride it.
My mom and Mike even got him this awesome helmet, gloves and goggles for his birthday and he wouldn't ride the motorcycle.


All of a sudden about a week or so ago he asked Pete to ride. He did and now it's every day, all day, all the time ride, RIDE, ride!


I love it. ♥♥