Tuesday, March 30, 2010
A Giveaway
Tuesday, March 23, 2010
The great outdoors
Yesterday my darling older daughters spent nearly 3 hours enjoying their new swing set. Brooklyn was napping, but later she stood by the back door & tried to 'talk' me into taking her out there.
After preschool today they were elated to take Brooklyn out with them. She was in HEAVEN!
And the Barbies were enjoying their view from the empty sand box- apparently a bit wounded.
After preschool today they were elated to take Brooklyn out with them. She was in HEAVEN!
And the Barbies were enjoying their view from the empty sand box- apparently a bit wounded.
Sunday, March 21, 2010
Spring Break
We found plenty of free fun things to do during spring break.
*Swimming at the YMCA x2.
*A trip to the library.
*A picnic at the park- complete with our first 'sunburn' of the year. Ooops mom!
*A St. Patty's day party.
*Madisen attended a PJ reading party.
And the week ended with our highlight.....
These pictures were taken on Friday night. Saturday brought some cold & heavy rain. Luckily grandpa & daddy persisted & finished. It only took them 7 hours to complete the 27 easy steps. The result: Three happy girls!!!!
{Not pictured: the 'rock' climbing wall & 'chalkboard' on the back & the monkey bars on the right. We also plan to put our sandbox, with lid, under the clubhouse. Hooray for a backyard!}
*Swimming at the YMCA x2.
*A trip to the library.
*A picnic at the park- complete with our first 'sunburn' of the year. Ooops mom!
*A St. Patty's day party.
*Madisen attended a PJ reading party.
And the week ended with our highlight.....
These pictures were taken on Friday night. Saturday brought some cold & heavy rain. Luckily grandpa & daddy persisted & finished. It only took them 7 hours to complete the 27 easy steps. The result: Three happy girls!!!!
{Not pictured: the 'rock' climbing wall & 'chalkboard' on the back & the monkey bars on the right. We also plan to put our sandbox, with lid, under the clubhouse. Hooray for a backyard!}Primary Funny
Today I was sitting by a couple of rowdy CTR 4 boys, trying to get them to focus their attention on the singing leader. Suddenly one boy surprised me with his question,
A: "Excuse me."
Me: "Yes."
A: "Why does your face look so weird?"
Me: "Mine? Does it look weird?"
A: A very concerned, solemn look and then his response; "Yes. It looks so weird to me."
Me: Biting the insides of my cheeks & trying not to laugh, "Oh I'm sorry."
He continued looking at me. Obviously trying to figure it out.
A: "Excuse me."
Me: "Yes."
A: "Why does your face look so weird?"
Me: "Mine? Does it look weird?"
A: A very concerned, solemn look and then his response; "Yes. It looks so weird to me."
Me: Biting the insides of my cheeks & trying not to laugh, "Oh I'm sorry."
He continued looking at me. Obviously trying to figure it out.
Mmmm
This weekend I (yes, just I because Bill fell asleep) watched "Julie & Julia"
My review; charming but a bit slow.
However, it did put me in the mood to bake something delicious and beautiful. A sweet something of course. Then I remembered this recipe that I came across this week. Voila! Just what the taste buds ordered for a Sunday evening. Of course, our mint frosting was pink, and we cheated by using a brownie mix.
My review; a must try! Especially if you think mint & chocolate were meant to be together!
My review; charming but a bit slow.
However, it did put me in the mood to bake something delicious and beautiful. A sweet something of course. Then I remembered this recipe that I came across this week. Voila! Just what the taste buds ordered for a Sunday evening. Of course, our mint frosting was pink, and we cheated by using a brownie mix.
My review; a must try! Especially if you think mint & chocolate were meant to be together!
Thursday, March 18, 2010
Going Green
As you know we mostly do PINK at our house, but one day a year we venture into going ALL GREEN! Last year I had a small St. Patty's day get together at my house. This year the green holiday fell during Spring Break so I opted for a party at the park. It was a bea-u-ti-ful spring day... even if there was a layer of yellow pollen EVERYWHERE!
*We feasted on picnic lunches & shared green food. The kids also got to pin the nose on the Leprechaun- Madisen was #33. Then we followed the green foot prints to a pot of gold- well, a box of green shamrock shaped Rice Krispy treats.
And we loved playing at the park!
{Brooklyn REALLY wanted to be in Robbie's face. She got pretty upset when I pulled her away from him. Notice she's waving bah-bye to me. That's her universal way of communicating these days.}
{Madisen ran off... she was MIA for this green photo}
And no St. Patrick's Day is complete with out some food coloring for dinner. However, we only used minimal this year- that lime green fruit is pineapple. Thanks to Aunt Tiffany who shared a MOST DELICIOUS recipe.
*We feasted on picnic lunches & shared green food. The kids also got to pin the nose on the Leprechaun- Madisen was #33. Then we followed the green foot prints to a pot of gold- well, a box of green shamrock shaped Rice Krispy treats.
And we loved playing at the park!
{Brooklyn REALLY wanted to be in Robbie's face. She got pretty upset when I pulled her away from him. Notice she's waving bah-bye to me. That's her universal way of communicating these days.}
{Madisen ran off... she was MIA for this green photo}And no St. Patrick's Day is complete with out some food coloring for dinner. However, we only used minimal this year- that lime green fruit is pineapple. Thanks to Aunt Tiffany who shared a MOST DELICIOUS recipe.
Green Rice
1¾ cups chicken stock
1 Tbsp butter
1 cup white rice
1 cup spinach leaves
½ cup cilantro
3-4 scallions
Bring 1 1/2 cups chicken stock and butter to a boil. Stir in white rice, cover and simmer 15 minutes. While rice is cooking, in food processor process about 1/4 cup chicken stock, spinach leaves, cilantro, and scallions roughly chopped. Process until a thick paste.
After rice has cooked about 15 minutes, stir in spinach mixture, cover and cook 2-3 minutes more. Turn off the heat and let stand 5 minutes.
**I made 2x the recipe & cooked my chicken in half of the sauce. It was delciously moist. And my kids didn't complain ONE BIT about the spinach--OK, it was smothered in ketchup, but they had no idea. I just told them it was green for the holiday. I'll be sneaking this in at least once a month b/c spinach is such a super food! Don't be afraid, give it a try today. Brooklyn ate it like it was going out of style- sans ketchup.
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Livestock Show
On Friday Bill's mom and I decided to take the kids downtown to see the Livestock show. We were hoping to see some huge animals that she had seen in the past. For some reason they weren't there this year, but we were delighted with what we did see.
For starters we had to test the John Deere tractors.
(After this picture Brooklyn promptly removed & lost her bow. Hmph.)
Some impressive horns.
A pony ride for the big girls.
They got to hand pick their horse.
The riders' cheering section. It was so darn cute to see Brooklyn light up, smile, and try to wave when she saw the girls pass her! (Lady on the right, not so impressed.)
Brooklyn was grabbing me in fear of that stuffed cow.
Farmer John gave a thorough & educational explanation of Jersey cows & demonstrated the milking process.
Brooklyn was 'brave' enough to pose by the rabbit for a photo-op.
Why can't I touch those guinea pigs?
My girls were fascinated by the ladies at the spinning wheels. Laura & I are grateful to live in a time when we don't have to spin & knit our own clothes.
The kids got to put some of their farm knowledge into practice at the "Fun on the Farm" area. They were actually squeezing water into buckets. Hmmm.
The end of the 'virtual farm' experience.
Turns out we Carruth's are pretty famous here in Texas. How often do you see your name in the sidewalk? That stands for Carruth Plaza.
Ahhh, but wait, but wait, there's MORE! Lest you think our day ended there you are wrong! After a fun filled afternoon, we headed home to beat the traffic. Sadly we got into a massive traffic jam on the 610, only to find out that both the 610 & 59 freeways were closed due to an over-turned 18 wheeler which resulted in an oil spill. So we exited. And the side streets were in grid-lock. After nearly 2 hours in the car we had gone a whopping 9 miles and there was no hope in sight. So we did what any sane person would do- we parked at the mall to wait it out.
The peppermint candy bar stools & gum ball tables were enticing!
After a little more wandering we ended the evening at the Rainforest Cafe
where the mechanical animals scared my sweet Caitlyn, who clung to grandma for dear life.
We were all pretty exhausted when we arrived home at 9:30!
For starters we had to test the John Deere tractors.
(After this picture Brooklyn promptly removed & lost her bow. Hmph.)Some impressive horns.
A pony ride for the big girls. 
They got to hand pick their horse.
The riders' cheering section. It was so darn cute to see Brooklyn light up, smile, and try to wave when she saw the girls pass her! (Lady on the right, not so impressed.)
Brooklyn was grabbing me in fear of that stuffed cow.
Farmer John gave a thorough & educational explanation of Jersey cows & demonstrated the milking process.
Brooklyn was 'brave' enough to pose by the rabbit for a photo-op.
Why can't I touch those guinea pigs?
My girls were fascinated by the ladies at the spinning wheels. Laura & I are grateful to live in a time when we don't have to spin & knit our own clothes.
The kids got to put some of their farm knowledge into practice at the "Fun on the Farm" area. They were actually squeezing water into buckets. Hmmm.
The end of the 'virtual farm' experience.
Turns out we Carruth's are pretty famous here in Texas. How often do you see your name in the sidewalk? That stands for Carruth Plaza.
Ahhh, but wait, but wait, there's MORE! Lest you think our day ended there you are wrong! After a fun filled afternoon, we headed home to beat the traffic. Sadly we got into a massive traffic jam on the 610, only to find out that both the 610 & 59 freeways were closed due to an over-turned 18 wheeler which resulted in an oil spill. So we exited. And the side streets were in grid-lock. After nearly 2 hours in the car we had gone a whopping 9 miles and there was no hope in sight. So we did what any sane person would do- we parked at the mall to wait it out.
We found a most delightful candy shop. It was like we stepped into Willy Wonka's candy factory. The minute we walked in the door you could feel the sugar seeping in your veins!
The peppermint candy bar stools & gum ball tables were enticing!
After a little more wandering we ended the evening at the Rainforest Cafe
where the mechanical animals scared my sweet Caitlyn, who clung to grandma for dear life.
We were all pretty exhausted when we arrived home at 9:30!
Rodeo Houston
For Valentines Day I surprised Bill with tickets to the Houston Rodeo. It's the largest city rodeo in the country. And it is a BIG DEAL around here.
We were entertained by Buckin' Bronco's and Bull's!
Although as we sat and thought about this so-called sport, we decided that they're pretty crazy! And the commentators kept those Southern 1-liners going all night. Whoo- wee! "That's one big boy.... He sure makes his daddy proud."
The night we were there was 'Support Our Troops' night. There were 44 bus loads of uniformed men & women in the audience. The Air Force Special Forces did a special flag presentation. They also honored 3 war vets for their service. It truly made me proud to be an American!
Bill & I realize that we are only pseudo-cowboys. Next year you may see that the Texas spirit got the best of us & we'll be sporting some real boots. (Notice the belt buckles & my frilly shirt. OK, I borrowed them from a friend!)
And the real reason we wound up at the rodeo................
They are our style of country music! Even though we were in the nose bleed section, we could feel the energy from their songs. Love them! And I love fun/unusual date nights!
We were entertained by Buckin' Bronco's and Bull's! 
Although as we sat and thought about this so-called sport, we decided that they're pretty crazy! And the commentators kept those Southern 1-liners going all night. Whoo- wee! "That's one big boy.... He sure makes his daddy proud." 
The night we were there was 'Support Our Troops' night. There were 44 bus loads of uniformed men & women in the audience. The Air Force Special Forces did a special flag presentation. They also honored 3 war vets for their service. It truly made me proud to be an American!
Bill & I realize that we are only pseudo-cowboys. Next year you may see that the Texas spirit got the best of us & we'll be sporting some real boots. (Notice the belt buckles & my frilly shirt. OK, I borrowed them from a friend!)
And the real reason we wound up at the rodeo................RASCAL FLATS!
They are our style of country music! Even though we were in the nose bleed section, we could feel the energy from their songs. Love them! And I love fun/unusual date nights!
Wednesday, March 10, 2010
Giggling Girls
I was trying to get a video of Brooklyn doing her 10 month 'tricks'. You know; clapping, waving goodbye & night-night, saying ma-ma, and walking around all of our furniture. After many failed attempts I gave up. But in review I was delighted to come across this. I love the sound of my giggling, happy girls!
Monday, March 8, 2010
He's Back
And he brought the girls these fancy hats made by his aunt. I'm not sure where we'll wear all of this fleece, but they may just work for a Dr. Seuss dress-up day later this month.
Saturday, March 6, 2010
Skinamarinkydinkydink
{OK, so it's a bit dark & you can only hear Miss Rachel singing, but it's still cute!}
While Dad's Away...
The girls will play!
On Friday morning I helped a friend in the ward make some jam. She found a good deal on strawberries & raspberries so we cooked up 2 batches. We chuckled as we added 5 3/4 c. berries and 8 1/2 cups sugar. No wonder jam tastes so good. (And I definitely don't feel bad sprinkling a bit of cinnamon/sugar on my kids' PB sandwiches anymore!)
{Not bad for 2 women; 6 kids; & 3 hours!}
The kids got along great and rotated between the backyard, garage & toy loft upstairs. As we started to get ready for lunch, Madisen brought me this. She had gone around & taken orders. It's priceless!!
Row 1: Letters representing the names of the 5 girls present (our neighbor Lyndsie was here for a bit, but left before we ate; which explains why she's crossed off)
Row 2: P= peanut butter
Row 3: H= honey, J= jam, S=sugar
Row 4: check marks
After a nap and a quick trip to the park we attended our ward Talent Show. Some of the children from Madisen's preschool class preformed a little song. (Video to come in another post.)
{Our blanket attracted quite a crowd. I love that there are so many girls & they are kind & inclusive to one another!}
{This darling YW was my 2nd set of arms. Sweet Caitlyn can be a bit clingy in crowds so she stuck close to Lindsay while I held on to Brooklyn.}
{For me one highlight was seeing the bishopric do something EXTRAordinary!}
And our favorite: the heated indoor pool & hot tub. My girls were so excited for the first swim of the season that they put their swim suits on at 7am!
{Brooklyn just stood & waved.}
{My fishies}
{Brooklyn was content to chill in 'Nemo' as long as she could chew on the handle. And I have no idea what was going on with my eyes... YIKES!}
P.S. Dad is here this weekend:
On Friday morning I helped a friend in the ward make some jam. She found a good deal on strawberries & raspberries so we cooked up 2 batches. We chuckled as we added 5 3/4 c. berries and 8 1/2 cups sugar. No wonder jam tastes so good. (And I definitely don't feel bad sprinkling a bit of cinnamon/sugar on my kids' PB sandwiches anymore!)
{Not bad for 2 women; 6 kids; & 3 hours!}The kids got along great and rotated between the backyard, garage & toy loft upstairs. As we started to get ready for lunch, Madisen brought me this. She had gone around & taken orders. It's priceless!!
Row 1: Letters representing the names of the 5 girls present (our neighbor Lyndsie was here for a bit, but left before we ate; which explains why she's crossed off)Row 2: P= peanut butter
Row 3: H= honey, J= jam, S=sugar
Row 4: check marks
After a nap and a quick trip to the park we attended our ward Talent Show. Some of the children from Madisen's preschool class preformed a little song. (Video to come in another post.)
{Our blanket attracted quite a crowd. I love that there are so many girls & they are kind & inclusive to one another!}
{This darling YW was my 2nd set of arms. Sweet Caitlyn can be a bit clingy in crowds so she stuck close to Lindsay while I held on to Brooklyn.}
{For me one highlight was seeing the bishopric do something EXTRAordinary!}On Saturday we attended a birthday party for a friend who turned 30. Who knew the KOA Kampground had so much to offer? Shuffleboard, volleyball, horseshoes, bean bag toss, tennis courts, a sandy playground, paddle boats and more. Pictured below is old school style merry-go-round & some cabins in the far distance.
And our favorite: the heated indoor pool & hot tub. My girls were so excited for the first swim of the season that they put their swim suits on at 7am!
{Brooklyn just stood & waved.}
{My fishies}
{Brooklyn was content to chill in 'Nemo' as long as she could chew on the handle. And I have no idea what was going on with my eyes... YIKES!}P.S. Dad is here this weekend:
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