March 20, 2010 - Spring is in the Air

Happy 1st day of Spring! While we have a fresh covering of snow here and it does not feel like it today, this past week has been filled with evidence of Spring.  Warmer temperatures, trees budding out, green shoots of grass trying to peak out from amidst the sea of brown, oh, how it makes me smile!


I love my Forsythia bush as it is the first color I see in the spring, however, it does not bloom until mid-April. I had a bridal shower at our house last weekend and wanted some color so cut branches from my bush putting them in water to force them to bloom. I didn't think of it on time though so it bloomed a few days too late. But it only did take a week and it is lasting quite nicely.

Fresh tulips decorated the table.

Balancing eggs for the spring equinox is a tradition. And although it really is a myth that eggs can balance due to a difference in gravitational pull on this day, it is still fun to try.

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March 15, 2010 - Which Puppy to Choose?

This weekend we headed north (a 4-hour drive) to pick out our puppy. Initially we did not have a choice and yellow boy was going to be ours. But when I talked to the breeder again she said that we did indeed have a choice between the black boy and the yellow boy as the family who wanted a black lab would take either a boy or a girl. And so we needed to decide which puppy would come home with us so that the other family would know.

We were excited, although George was set on a yellow lab as he had the perfect name and really liked yellow. I told him not to count on that and asked him what he would do if the black puppy took a liking to him. I had a feeling all along that with a decision to make not everyone would agree and of course that was the case.

By the time we arrived the puppies were getting sleepy and that was a bit of a disappointment as they weren't quite as playful, but not much you can do and they still were fun. It took Missy a bit to warm up to them and Seppy wasn't too sure either but they did get used to the puppies running around. The boys also played with one of the little girl puppies who was very "spunky" and we were told her energy is limitless. (The rest were sleeping).


By the end of our time we had not come to a decision and it was pretty much split 4 to 4, although I don't know how much we can count the two little ones.  The breeder has said from early on that the two boys were favorites of hers and they are both so similar in their sweet personality. We tossed around the option of getting both and John was not opposed to that. The funny thing is that George, who wanted the puppy in the first place now was set on getting the black puppy because he "liked me more". After thinking it through overnight we decided on the black puppy and will bring him home in two weeks! We are SO excited!

We have a name in mind for him but aren't set on it so if you have any black lab names that are unique, please pass them my way.
Re-Pete (who doesn't like dogs) and our pick.

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March 2, 2010 - Kitchen Helper

When I was a bit better at planning my menu (not often this past year) I would assign one of the children to be kitchen helper. They help to prepare supper, set the table, and wash any dishes that didn't fit in the dishwasher. I probably got away from that as it really does take extra time to prepare a meal when teaching a child and I didn't feel that I had the time due to poor planning on my part.

Well, I decided I really needed to start that again and so we have been having at least two helpers each week. Each of the boys enjoy helping prepare a meal and being that it is only twice a week I am enjoying the "help". Missy Blue has begged to be a helper and when she gets the job she assigns herself for the entire day as often as she can. At breakfast she needs to help because "I am the helper." Or she'll say something about "Girls need to do this job in the morning, NOT boys!" She takes her role very seriously and I certainly get a chuckle out of it.

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February 11, 2010 - Once you hit 35???

I turned 35 this past June and it seemed to me that it was kind of a turning point from the way I knew things to be. I feel great but since that time I noticed that my metabolism has changed and things have shifted. Hormonal things are changing too but I am not getting into that.

I have had it great all my life being able to eat anything whenever and never gain a pound. I know not many people have it so easy. Then with pregnancy I would gain weight but would be able to loose it all by nursing and just keeping active. This time after having Seppy I never did get back to my starting weight and now over the winter for the first time in my life I gained weight. Okay, those of you who know me I know you think I could use the extra weight, you can't see it, whatever. I can see it! I can feel it as my clothes no longer fit and I am bulging out in places I would rather not and look pregnant constantly (I know you can't tell) unless I am sucking everything in, which I try to do constantly because on smaller people a big belly sticks out much farther. While I do have a excess skin (reminds me of chicken skin all wrinkly) after having twins that the doctor said would never go away except with plastic surgery, I still know my muscles are not toned to keep that pulled in.

Do you feel sorry for me yet? Just kidding! Anyway, before this spirals out of control and I keep gaining weight I started working out until we get back to summer and being able to go for walks and be more active. I am using one of Jillian Michaels dvds to tone the trouble spots but really only have had the chance to do it twice a week. The first time I was so sore the next day I felt as if I was waddling when walking. John encouraged me to keep it up as the pain only gets less the more you do it. And he was right, when I keep up with it I get stronger and stronger. But then when I skipped last week and began again this week, I was again so sore! Consistency seems to be the key.

Have I lost you? Maybe a boring post but honestly what is on my mind lately. My goal isn't necessarily to loose weight although it would be nice to get back to my license weight. I really want to fit in clothes I can't get into without having to buy up a size.

I took a picture of my starting mid-section but there is no way I will share that! It is quite cute though as just when I was ready to take it Seppy walked in the door and stuck his finger in my belly button. Ha ha!

What about you? Did things change for you when you hit 35?

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February 3, 2010 - Travel Plans

John came home from work a few weeks back telling me that some of his frequent flyer miles were going to expire at the end of this year and that he wanted to go on a trip with me to someplace warm. At first I wasn't so sure we could work it out but the more I thought about it the more I liked the idea. For our honeymoon we rented a cabin in the Smoky Mountains of TN and had always said that for our tenth anniversary we would go to a tropical destination. That milestone came and I was pregnant at the time so we ended up going to a homeschool convention instead. The change in our "plans" really made me laugh but we did enjoy the time together.

John and I began to look at various locations and flight length as there are only certain ones available with the award miles and they all seemed to be longer than a regular flight or had more lay-overs. We contemplated the Riviera Maya area in Mexico but then found our dream location in Jamacia -- a bungalow on a rocky cliff overlooking the Caribbean Sea. Ahhh! I got shivers just looking at the pictures.

But then came the logistics of working everything out on the homefront...

-- We are getting our puppy the end of March so it is ideal to travel before.

-- I need a passport and we don't want to spend extra to get it expedited.

-- John realized his vacation is used up and it won't begin again until April, meaning March is out.

--  Figuring who can stay with the kids or if they went somewhere who would take care of our puppy was a challenge.

-- Prices of our ideal location were adding up and we really want to take a nice family vacation this year too.

Ultimately, John began to think a long weekend in a tropical destination wasn't meant to be at this time in our life. I was disappointed but only for a short time as in the back of my mind knew it wasn't time.

So, after looking more into the miles that need to be used found that they can be put toward accomodations. We found a wonderful log cabin in the Smoky Mountains to use the miles on for our family vacation this fall and are putting our efforts into making it a memorable time together.

One day John and I will whisk away for a long weekend to a tropical destination. Right now I'll be content to dream. 

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January 28, 2010 - Our Puppy

For years we have been tossing around the idea of getting a dog. We had Golden Retrievers before we had children but haven't felt ready to have a dog again. George has been dreaming of a dog of his own for years and when he first started asking we told him, "Maybe when you're 10". Guess what? He is 10! But now we do feel that we are ready and that George can handle the responsibility. We already have plans to get the puppy enrolled in obedience training as George would like to show him for 4-H and Re-Pete (not a lover of dogs) has made it very clear that he wants our puppy to be trained asap!

We decided on a Labrador Retriever and last summer I began researching everything related to that breed and as we have a child or two afraid of dogs knew we need to start with a puppy. I found three breeders that I liked and we started narrowing it down by visiting their dogs. Although, the one we selected is three hours from here we did meet her and one of her dogs at a dog show this summer.

So, our puppy was born yesterday! I love knowing what is going on in the life of our puppy this early and the kids are having fun thinking about it too. The Mama had 12 puppies but they lost 5 right away.  It is a mixed litter of black and yellow labs. We want a male and as there are only two and one is spoken for we won't have the selection we had desired but at this point we think we are getting a yellow male. That could change after we meet them and possibly like a girl but we'll see.

Here is the picture of the puppies with their Mama who is so pretty...

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January 20, 2010 - R2D2 and Thomas the Train Cake

Here are the birthday cakes that the boys picked out for me to make this year. Quite a bit of work involved but that is more because I didn't bake as much in advance as I had planned. Yes, it would be easier with a cake mix but that wouldn't be the same. Thankfully Pete and Re-Pete liked the same cake and also agreed on the flavor which was carrot. Tank selected chocolate mint (my personal favorite and George's too).

Pete and Re-Pete wanted R2D2 this year. They didn't have any preconceived ideas and I could have made it a sheet cake but saw the idea of a standing up cake and thought it was so cute. This one was made with four 6 inch round layers topped with a small half bowl cake. To do it again I would make it shorter to save time and I think the design would still be good.  This whole cake was three cake batters!
To hold it together I put a cardboard round near the center and stuck wooden skewers throughout (dowels would work better but I didn't have them). I used cream cheese frosting between layers and also covered the cake in a thin layer of it before decorating with frosting that is easier to use in decorating. The legs are made from krispy treats and cakes I baked in custard cups then cut.

We found a lego piece that worked great on this and the red "light" is a gumdrop flattened and cut. I wrote Happy Birthday and the boy's names on the back which was difficult to do up and down. My hand was a bit sore at the end but it was worth it and the boys loved the cake! So did I for that matter.

Tank's cake was similar to last year in that he wanted Thomas the Train again. We found his design on Coolest Birthday Cakes and I stuck pretty much to that. This one was two cake batters in the 10 inch round (I think it was that size). One cake was cut in half and stacked. We used milk chocolate rocks for decoration. Our favorite part was the tree. Next time I would make the tunnel black instead and smooth it out a little better before putting the rocks on. This was fun though and easy too and Tank really liked it.

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January 16, 2010 - Happy 6th Birthday Tank!

Tank turned 6 years old today. He woke up this morning to the smell of his breakfast of choice -- cinnamon rolls, sausages and sparkling grape juice. He has been waiting and waiting for his special day and on Thursday when it was Pete and Re-Pete's birthday he struggled with the fact that he had to wait another two days. "Sigh!" But his day has arrived and he will be made to feel special, with no chores to do, favorite foods to eat and then we have a big party tomorrow.

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