I am closer to the clouds up here

Life changes and so should my blog

2016-11-01T22:42:00.001-05:00

I think I need this. Hopefully soon I can get thank you notes written then I can start to document my life for public viewing again. My brain can't hold all of these wonderfully halirious thoughts anymore.

Good night and get ready it should be pretty awesome!

Dear Ellen

2013-01-23T23:05:00.001-06:00

If you are wondering I'm still looking for tickets to your show. I still want the god seats, by your mom or with Tony. By you of course would be the best seats however after today's show I decided I wouldn't be upset if I could sit in the seats where the Australian guests got to sit especially if you gave me beer hats. Yes, I said hatS because I would like to bring my BFF with me. Ok thanks. I'll keep you informed on why it is exactly that we are so amazing and deserve this I just can't think of it at the moment.

Army party... Favors

2013-01-17T07:32:00.001-06:00

A few nights ago I posted the invites I made for our laser battle that will happen soon. Last night I made 20 thank you/party favor bags. My husband is in the National Guard so he got cups and lanyards and stress grenades all for free. I went to dollar tree and bought a few different kinds of candy I only got candy that was red white and blue though so my choices were limited. I got some peppermints and gum. My mom started making soap last year so I asked her if she would make soaps with an army man sunken in them. Then I took all of those items and put them neatly into a brown paper bag. I folded over the top and used a hole puncher to punch holes through the bag and some little notes I typed up. On the notes I put "mission complete thank you for coming PFC (meaning private first class, it is a military rank meaning new guy basically) Rylan Despeaux. I used yellow ribbons (meaning support the troops) and tied the notes to the bag. Since my mom made the soaps the cost to me of all 20 bags was around $5.00. If I would have made the soap the total cost would have probably been 25-30 for 20 bags. Which in my opinion is still not too bad.

Vanilla protein smoothie

2013-01-08T08:48:00.001-06:00

I got some vanilla protein powder on clearance at CVS this week. I thought I would try it for the first time today. I found a recipe online that is amazing!
It has:
one serving of vanilla protein powder
1/4t cinnamon
1/2tvanilla extract
1t sugar
1c milk
5 pieces of ice

Yum!
Cinnamon roll in a cup!

Army party

2013-01-07T22:03:00.001-06:00

So I've been searching for something original for party invites. Everything I found that I even kind of liked seems to cost a small fortune and since I only kind of like it, I am not going to spring for it. Anyway I decided on card stock. I chose a color called guacamole, it was on clearance for .28 per sheet. Then I went to Walmart and picked up a box of envelopes for around 2.00. I'm going to mark them with "Top Secret"! I think it's going to be really cute.

At the bottom of the invites I added our address and wrote in the date and time in military format. So 2013.01.19 and 14:30

I also put report to to the commander in chief (that would be me!) and my contact info. I decided to only post part of the invite since I don't exactly want my address posted all over the Internet :)

Breakfast in a glass!

2012-12-03T13:49:00.003-06:00

Just went looking for a recipe to make a smoothie. I knew what ingredients I wanted to use, I just wasn't sure how much of what. So I tried this one and it is sooo sooo good! I'm calling it a morning monkey smoothie :)
1/2 cup coffee (I used instant, make it as directed cool preferably then pour in your 1/2 cup)
1 banana (I like mine just yellow almost still green)
1/2 cup ff fat milk
2 Tbs. of crunchy Peanut Butter
6 ice cubes (ish)
1 scoop of chocolate protein powder

Blend all ingredients together until smooth.

This mix should leave you feeling full and energized!

The daily reminders

2012-11-08T20:00:00.000-06:00

So since an avid reader brought it to my attention AGAIN that I have not blogged in a while I thought I would get my act together. I have certainly missed it and thought of it often. Here it goes...

I started a new job as the Director of Personal Training at a gym a few months ago. It is the first job that I've ever had that I look forward to going to work each day. Not only do I keep all of the trainers in line, hire, fire and train them all etc. but I also maintain an amazing relationship with all of the members who want to feel like they are not just at another gym but that their small monthly payment makes them someone special. Now that my resume' is out of the way I can get to the meat of this post. The thing that makes me love this job the most is when I meet each new member and transform them into clients of our training department. I spend at least one hour with each new member, mainly so that I can tell them how terribly fat they are and how they need us and will never make progress on their own (in not so many words). Then I am amazed how people will tell their whole life story to someone they only met 5 seconds ago, people love to talk about themselves! I have laughed and cried with strangers. I am always inspired though to wake up and start my day out amazingly and be happy about each thing that is good when these people tell me of their hardships. Let me tell you of some of my clients. I have Susan, who is a breast cancer survivor who is going on a cruise in January and wants to look good again for her husband because after years of being in bed fighting cancer she feels fat and ugly. She is so thankful to be alive and walking around at the same time though. She talks every day about being alive and how great she feels. She has told me of how the doctors removed both breasts in a surgery and then how another surgery gave her new ones then they wanted to do the next surgery to give her nipples again and she said she was finished with surgery so she opted to not get them (I'm pretty sure she had many more that that too not to mention all of the treatments too). She lost her hair and it has regrown most beautifully, it is soft and blonde and has just the perfect flips in it to look like she belongs on the beach. She has lost 15 pounds in 7 weeks and says suddenly her husband can't keep his hands off of her again. She works so hard and smiles so much I look forward to every Monday, Wednesday and Friday with her, what she doesn't know is that it isn't the 15 pounds that changed her husbands feelings but it is her confidence coming back. She makes my day start off great. She thinks she is getting a lot from me but really I am the one who is getting more. Then there is Sharon, who lost her son 7 years ago. He was in his 20's and every time she speaks of him she gets tears in her eyes and gets a lump in her throat. I've cried with her many times. She always asks about Rylan and Rhett, she says she has a special place in her heart for boys. She still has 2 very handsome sons alive (all 3 were handsome). She is still struggling with the loss but feels like getting out of the house and coming to our appointments is what is making her better. She said she hasn't been out of the house really in many years, she does get excited though when we talk about how beautiful her skin is... she says its from her years staying out of the sun. Her husband is supposed to retire from Shell in March so she is hoping to get the feeling back to want to travel and do things so they can enjoy his retirement. I try to tell her that her other sons and her husband need to see her happy and living life again. I can never imagine her pain. I think she is brave for trying to live again. She is my Tuesday and Thursday afternoons. Then there is Mrs.Dot, she lost her husband many years ago and hasn't ever figured out how to spend her time alone so she eats when she is bored or lonely. She said her husband used to spoil her and she never had to do anything for herself and now he isn't there so she doesn't feel like she knows how to act. She is 69 and wants to get back into shape and is determined. You can tell she is sad still but I love to make her laugh. Sometimes I wait until she is half done with an exercise and say "Ok that makes 2" lol she usually almost drops the weights because she freaks out and I say just kidding that's 6! Then she almost drops them again laughing. She wants to get rid of her gut I tell her that the laughing will help with it and that's why I do it. Then on exercises where it is timed I wait until she is about 10 seconds into a 30 second exercise and say something like "oh you already started I guess I'll start counting" then I don't even wait for a response that is more than a laugh before I say just kidding you are doing great. There is also a future daughter in law/future mother in law (the wedding is on New Years eve this year) who are training together to get ready for the big day. It is so awesome to see how they get along like friends and I tell them of my relationship with my mom-in-law (I'm lucky, I got 2!) and how not many girls are as lucky as we are. There is also a lady who is so big she cried to me because her kids had a come to Jesus meeting with her and told her she had to do something about herself before she dies like her husband/their father did. You can tell that she wishes that moving your arm from your plate to your mouth would make the weight fall off . The weight of a fork just isn't enough to make a change though. It is going to be a great struggle for her because she doesn't want it for herself and I don't think she really cares either. It makes me sad because I understand how her kids feel. There are so many people in my life who I know that their body has not been taken care of and their life will possibly be cut short because of it. Some of my trainers have clients who I wish I could sit and talk to for hours because they are so inspiring. I have many other clients with great fun stories who are all positive when they are with me but the ones above are the main ones who touch my heart. The point of all of these stories is that people have unknowingly helped me appreciate every single thing in my life. I hope this helps you to do the same. Each time your significant other does something that burns your ass a little remember how lucky you are to have them around. I realized this when Rhett was deployed and I would think back to when I would slam cabinet doors because that obviously would let him know I was mad he hadn't taken the trash out yet. When he was gone I was wishing the trash was full because that would mean he was there to put stuff in it. I was lucky though because he got to come home. The next time your kids make a huge mess or bother you for a sandwich right after you sit down or when they run up a $500.00 cell phone bill, be happy they are here to do those things. The next time someone cuts you off in traffic or when you are having a bad day and things just aren't going your way remember you woke up this morning and didn't have to battle cancer or have another surgery or figure out how to live alone again so put a damn smile on your face and be nice to each other. If you can't seem to find that happy place come see me I can make that happen for you.

This post goes out to all of the people who have been through a tragedy and smile and move on, thank you. Thank you for helping me see how healthy I am and lucky I am that my husband and son are healthy and we are all together and happy! Thank you for making me smile. Thank you for inspiring me to see every glass totally full. Thank you for thinking of me and thank you for sharing your stories with me.

Best Roast Recipe I've ever used!

2012-07-16T16:19:00.001-05:00

Last night I used a mixture of recipes that I found that I liked to create my own. I wish I would have taken pictures of the crock pot because it was soooo good and even looked pretty :) Here is the recipe of everything I put in the crock pot.

2-4 lb. bottom round roast
1 lb red potatoes (I measured one pound then added one more b/c I like potatoes)
1 package of mushrooms (I buy them whole then cut myself to save a few pennies, I like them quartered)
1 package of baby carrots (16 oz.)
1 can of sweet peas (I wanted to use frozen but I was all out)
1/2 of a sweet onion
1/2 of a yellow onion
4 cloves of garlic
3 stalks of celery
1 jar of diced tomatoes (no salt added) (could use 16 oz can)
1 pack of ranch dressing/dip mix
1 pack of onion soup mix
1 pack of brown gravy
1 beef bouillon cube

I probably could have browned the roast first but I didn't (to be honest it wasn't even all the way defrosted when I put it in the crock pot). I quartered the potatoes and the mushrooms and added them to the crock pot first. I chopped the onions up and added them (not too small and not too big) I diced up the garlic and celery and added all of those to the pot. I placed the roast in the middle with some veggies under it so it wasn't resting on the bottom. In a bowl I mixed up the ranch packet, onion soup mix and gravy packet really well. I dissolved the bouillon cube in water as directed in the instructions on the package (8 oz of boiling water) and poured that over the veggies on the sides (not over the meat I don't know why but I thought it should go on the sides only lol) then sprinkled the dry ingredients from the bowl over the meat and the tops of the veggies. I didn't start making my roast until around noon so I cooked it on high for around 5-6 hours. I tried to stir up the veggies about half way through to make sure they all got cooked in the juices really well. I wish I would have planned a little better and been able to cook it on a low setting for longer because I think the meat would have been even more tender. It was so good. I made some brown rice to eat the gravy that comes from the veggies juice and dry mix (mmmmmmmmm!) I also cooked some cornbread which Rhett used to soak up some of the juices too and said it was amazing (I was excited that Rylan thought it was his desert and he thought I was awesome for letting him eat it first) I just ate my like a normal person haha. I hope you will try this easy recipe I'm sure you will not regret it.

bean soup recipe

2012-07-16T14:39:00.000-05:00

Here is the bean soup recipe I used.

Here are the beans I used in a ziploc bag.

This is the crock-pot after a few hours, this is before I added some tomatoes that I diced and canned not long ago.

This was my taste test :)

I realized that I forgot to post the link the other day. It was amazing and is all gone now that we had left overs for lunch the next day. I like I said in my last post I didn't use 16 beans for this recipe I used only 7 and it was amazing. I would say I soaked around 1 pound maybe a little more of dried beans overnight before starting this recipe. Rylan did not try this recipe as the sausage I used was very spicy and too hot for him but it was perfect for Rhett and I.

Bean Soup

2012-07-13T15:56:00.001-05:00

Yesterday I decided that I needed to put all of these left over wedding favors to use... last year when we got married I made edible wedding favors, bean soup (basically 7 different dried beans in a jar) and cornbread and cookies and salsa too. I didn't get any cookies in a jar back, go figure and the salsa was all gone too (good choice people, I can't even keep the stuff in the house since my hubby will eat every single bit of it faster than I can make it) so I have all of these jars of beans and cornbread to make before they go bad, I don't even know if beans and cornbread go bad since they are all non perishable items. Anyway I searched for a bean soup recipe for the crock- since a friend tried the bean soup with the recipe that was on the wedding favor jar and said it was not very flavorful. I also wanted some veggies in it. I found one that looks and smells amazing today since I already have it simmering in the crock pot. It calls for red pepper and regular pepper but I didn't use either since I got "hot" sausage that was pretty spicy last time. I also found some other recipes to use the beans for that I will be updating you on so if you want to make some inexpensive dinners then you can try these out too. I needed the jars when my dad gave me pounds and pounds of tomatoes that I didn't want to go bad so I dumped all the beans into a giant zip-loc bag and now I will be just scooping out what beans I need until they are gone. Now that it has almost been a year I can't even remember what all kind of beans are in here... I see red beans, black beans, lentils, chick peas, Lima beans, what I think are black eye peas, and some other tiny sort of bean lol.

Summer Reading

2012-07-10T15:16:00.002-05:00

This summer at the beginning of the summer one of the first places we went was to the public library. We joined their summer reading program for free. At the end of reading 12 hours worth of books (you mark them in 15 min. increments) you could turn in your completed paper and receive a book sack that they say is for spending the night and a free cookie coupon. After turning in a copy to the library
I looked online for what other free summer reading programs were out there for this year. The first one we have completed was Barnes and Noble. With their program you read 8 books and you get a free book! We took the list of books that Rylan read from the library program and brought it to the store and he was able to pick out a childrens' book about legos for free! (There is a list of books to choose from) Both programs did not require that he actually read the books but that they could be read to him since he is not fully reading books yet.

Here is the link to Barnes and Noble

Chuck E Cheese is also offering free tokens on their site, you print all kinds of incentive worksheets and each one completed is worth 10 tokens. They say with food purchase but not all stores will require it. The last time we went we were not asked to buy anything. If I am asked we just buy a soda. Yesterday we went and used a worksheet for brushing teeth, used two string cheese cut outs (there is a coupon for 12 free tokens on the back of chuck e cheese string cheese) and we used two coupons for 10 free tokens from a gift bag at a birthday party and even though each paper said only one per person per day we were still able to use them. I presented them to the cashier and said I have all of these but I'm not sure if we can use them all in one day and he said oh yeah I will just probably have to do separate transactions. So go online and print the worksheets and get your kids to work :) Rylans' room has been clean, his teeth get brushed, etc.

Chicken Meatballs

2012-07-05T17:52:00.001-05:00

I am trying a new recipe tonight because a few weeks ago I was able to buy ground chicken for super cheap so I picked up nearly 10 pounds. I have cooked a few pounds already as chicken burgers. So tonight I would like to try chicken meatballs for Spaghetti. I will probably be adding my usual squash and zucchini to hide in there as well. I hope they will come out delicious I will let you know but in the mean time I want to share the recipe with you.

Chicken meatballs for spaghetti

snack time

2012-06-27T22:45:00.001-05:00

I'm going to buy oreo's! JUST SAYING!! way to go to the company that will come out and stand up for what they believe without worrying about the idiots who are too fat to stop eating their product anyway!

Sneaky spaghetti

2012-05-23T23:31:00.001-05:00

Tonight I made what I like to call sneaky spaghetti. I've read several cookbooks on hiding fruits and veggies in different dishes but I'm usually too lazy for all of the extremely large amounts of prepping that goes into those directions. Those recipes call for cooking and puréeing veggies to add to your dish. Tonight I simply used our cheese grater to make squash and zucchini invisible. I took 4 small squash and zucchini and cut the ends off then grated them into a bowl. I used cheater pasta sauce too (instead of diced tomatoes, tomato sauce and tomato purée with my own mix of seasonings) then I added some mild Italian sausage (the stuff I buy does not come precooked so I cook it in a separate skillet then cut it up and add it in when it is almost done but still a tiny pink inside) I also add a cup or more, depends on how I'm feeling hahaha of strawberry or orange homemade wine. I let all of that simmer almost at a boil for an hour or more if time allows so that all the flavors can blend and the veggies can soften up and the meat can finish cooking. Then I cook my pasta and stir it in with the sauce, I sometimes keep it separate but tonight I was anxious to get the kitchen cleaned up so that was one less pot I had to clean later if I mixed it all in one pot plus this way I'm sure all the sauce and noodles will get used. I don't like when all the sauce is gone and I still have a bowl of noodles or the other way around because I always feel like I need to make something to go on those noodles so they aren't wasted. If you have kids (or a significant other) who doesn't want to eat or try veggies I suggest making this and not telling them then see if they like it! Rhett and Rylan both say this is their favorite spaghetti! I don't have a problem with Rhett eating them but if my 4 year of sees the veggies he will completely eat around most of them, there are some that he likes though.

Ellen...

2012-05-20T08:50:00.001-05:00

Did you know it only took Ellen around 20 shows to get on the cover of Oprahs magazine? I decided since I've been campaigning far longer than she has I want something better... I want to host with one of my best friends. OR!! I want to go somewhere cool like when she sent Sophia Grace and Rosie to the music awards to be her corresponder. I would be AMAZING at that!! So if you can hear me Ellen... I'm still writing to you!

Map of neverland

2012-05-16T13:16:00.001-05:00

I took lots of ideas I found online and created a custom map of Neverland for the party on Friday. In the top left I put the Indian camp. Next to that in the water is skull rock, I couldn't find a skull clip art picture I liked so I used one with bones and just cut those off. Then on the right top is peter pans hide out. Under the Indian camp near the middle is the lost boys lazy woods. I forgot to mark the crocodile creek but it goes right down the middle. To the right bottom is pixie hallow. Mermaid lagoon is the water area right below where Tinkerbell hangs out. Then of course there is the pirate cove. I took an "x marks the spot" clip art and attached that then drew little dashes like I imagine you would find on a treasure map if you had to decide which way you needed to go.
While creating a gift basket I didn't discard the natural color ribbon that tied the baskets together that I used instead of bags or wrapping paper. That very ribbon that most people would throw in the trash is what I used to tie these little maps into cute rolls. I will find a basket of some sort to put them all in and it will make a cute decoration until the kids are ready to use them.

Dear Ellen,

2012-05-15T10:22:00.001-05:00

Dear Ellen,
I've been trying to contact you for over a year now, there have been multiple letters with requests for my friends and I to get tickets so we can come to your show, I even sent you and Portia a formal invite to our wedding so you could enjoy some free food and booze on us. Not to mention the multiple shout outs on this blog and your Facebook page.... Geeze I guess we are just not important to you but I guess it is like that Garth Brooks song about thanking God for unanswered prayers....
My best friend Corny booked us a cruise!! Ellen you get the boot my friend!! I can't say I won't still be campaigning to come see you bc I am sure I will... But currently I am shifting my focus to smuggling booze onto the ship sooooo... Maybe next year though! I don't know how I will ever sleep tonight. I pretty much want to pack my bag right now tonight and travel to Houston then sit on Courtney's porch and wait until it is go time! I already am having visions of matching shirts and games throughout this trip. They will probably read "your loss Ellen, we are gonna dance dare until we drop and you won't be here to see it" then in small print it will say something like "you are welcome to join us if you would like" I'm sure it will be far more creative since I will have time to think about it but I am soo excited!!!! I will also have Rhett talk to me in Spanish for the rest of the summer so that I will be practiced up for our Mexican fiesta!! He says they talk in English but I don't believe him because when we lived in Houston the people from Mexico that lived in Houston didn't even speak English. Back to my original point, Ellen call me girl, we gotta talk I have plans for next year with Corny and you are in those plans....

PS- for all of my readers you will find a picture of how I was surprised tonight with the invite to go cruising with corny (haha that's a cute rhyme!) she made a little rhyming invite then cut it into puzzle pieces. After giggling while putting it together because it was so much fun to get a surprise puzzle in the mail I read it and was a bit confused about this cruise she was talking about, I told her I would love to go when and how much and she said "free" lol never heard of a free cruise before? Anyway long story short she is awesome and so selfless!! I am so lucky to have such amazing friends who do so much for their families I hope to only be able to "keep up with the jones" if that means doing for so many others like my friends do. I hope that I can be as selfless as Courtney and many of my other friends when I grow up (I would like to add here that I am older than Courtney but a little less mature I think most days...I think)

Financially stable children

2012-05-11T15:29:00.001-05:00

I just finished reading a great article about ways to teach your children how to be comfortable with money so they will use it wisely when they are young adults. My mom helped me open a savings account when I was a child but all I remember about it is asking to get money out to do the things I wanted to do such as go to the movies with friends (she always said no haha). Rylan has grasped the concept at 4 that he needs to do 3 things with his money. He has 3 jars, one for saving, you can't see in this one it's a typical bank, one for spending, we used a mason jar so he can see if he possibly has enough to buy something he wants, and one for donating, this one is a pot that you might plant flowers in. If I give him money for let's say having exceptionally good manners or getting a special note home from school about good behavior (he gets money for those things because I told him that right now that is his "job" to be good etc.) or if he does a chore for example feeding the cat without being asked,
I give him multiple coins so he can distribute them equally or sometimes one extra because that one always goes in savings. I think it teaches him that you do not always get instant gratification, sometimes you have to wait for things you want. He likes it and if he knows we are going to a store he will ask if we can count his spending money, he also is always checking the ground for lost coins. My point here is that I want to start to teach him about money now and not later. This article suggested giving an allowance under 9 I'm not sure I would be consistent enough to put this offer on the table right now so maybe in a few years since I have until 9. Then (this was my favorite part) it suggested at age 9-12 "gift" one share of a stock of their choice to them. So coca-cola maybe or walt Disney, you get the idea but these type of stocks (from what they say) cost between 30.00 and 70.00 so it's not a giant commitment. Then teach your child how to log on and monitor the price online. Also at this age do as my mom did, let them open a savings account, go with them but let them fill out the paperwork so they can begin to feel comfortable dealing with financial institutions and the procedures. Age 13-15 after they have saved 100.00 from their allowance open a custodial brokerage account and invest in an S&P 500 index fund and then review the monthly statement together. I think I would be comfortable with the next but I think some people wouldn't be, it suggests reviewing one of your own investment portfolios together so you can show what choices you have made and what that caused your money to do, grow or shrink. Age 16-18 arrange a meeting between your teen and an adult "expert" such as a grandparent or friend or colleague who knows their way around the market and ask them if they would be willing to mentor your teen on his or her portfolio semi-regularly (I am pretty sure I know who I'll be making this phone call to in about 12 years!)
Another thing I know I will do is teach Rylan about living in the real world, alone, financially. I'll sit with him when he thinks he is ready to start looking to move out. I'll give him cash for a paycheck (real money without the paycheck just because visual makes the biggest impact I think) then I will have him call around and check rent prices. He will then pay me the rent out of the cash I gave him. He will pay me the electric, gas and water. I'll remind him of the cell phone he has and car note and insurance then see if he has money left over for food. In the end I'll have all of my money back in my hands. I was not prepared to move out on my own when I did. After paying all of my bills and buying milk,eggs bread, and ramen noodles I didn't have a dime left over to save and I was living in the crappiest apartments around (the kind that you can't get food deliveries after dark) so to say the least I learned the hard way it isn't always easy to live the good life. I never went hungry and I was so proud to be living on my own and I didn't have a debt to my name (the car I had was mine, no note) but I certainly didn't have any luxuries like cable, in fact I had a coworker that felt bad for me so every night she would record shows for me that she thought I would love such as crank yankers (on VHS I would like to add) then she would bring me the tape at the end of the week and I would bring her the one from the previous week. My bed was my couch (a fouton at Walmart was all I could afford) and I remember that my best friend at the time Danielle told me I better know she loves me because who else would come to your house and sit on the floor since you didn't have any furniture and play cards with you while listening to the radio! I didn't want a room mate because I wanted to be able to say I really did it all on my own..... I did and was proud!
I hope I can teach Rylan how to get ahead early! I hope he grows into a financially stable young adult :)

YMCA T-ball

2012-05-09T13:33:00.000-05:00

Spring was our first time to try YMCA for a sport for Rylan. We didn't find the price to be too much. It was around 70.00 I think for the sport and that would include a jersey. There was an additional 40.00 fee since we were not members and that would be a one time fee for the whole year so if we decided to play another sport in the fall we would not have to pay that fee. The first day we arrived it was complete chaos which I thought was to be expected. We were given great reviews about the YMCA sport programs from a friend (they play in a different city though). The second week (it was once a week on Wednesdays) was yet another day where half of the time for the children was wasted because they decided there were enough players to create 2 additional teams so there would now be 4 teams not two and they assured us that this would be great so the teams could have chances to play against each other.
The following weeks were not much different since all of the players for the teams were not showing up, so most of the time was spent trying to decide who would do what and what kids would go where. All of the parents were trying to be patient but it seemed I was not the only one who was disappointed with yet another establishment for kids sports. There was one week where it rained so the day was called off and the season was extended a week. The following two weeks it rained also so the play time was brought inside (this was fine the kids had fun). The next week was picture week and pictures were scheduled at the time of play. The teams with the most players went first, our team only had 4 players there so we went last and had 10 minutes to play since they didn't offer playing before only waiting in lines. The rest of the season was no different the coordinator was gone for a few weeks and a guy from another YMCA (I think the one in N.O.) was there and I was wishing he was working at ours since he was really involved with the kids and had their attention the whole time and they actually played most of the time after he tried to figure out what was going on of course (I do not place any blame on him for those days because as the new guy you can not be expected to know all of the kids and what usually goes on there). The reason I tried to be patient is because the "teams" are coached by parents and only one team had one full time. Another parent told me there was a coach who signed up for our team but we never saw him. I along with many other parents (and Rhett too of course) coached our little players. The only thing that made it fun for me was watching all of the kids run to second base after hitting the ball, skipping first all together. Some ran directly to the other field, and one slung the bat so far into the air I was sure it was going to kill another child, that was not funny of course. Oh and there was the day that the helmet that Rylan was wearing was so big that he just turned it around backwards and ran the bases that way (Rhett and I are going to be in some kind of trouble with how this kid is already a class clown). The end of the season came some ten or eleven weeks later and the lady who is in charged handed out metals and certificates and they cooked hot dogs for all of the players. Rhett and I just finished talking about trying another place again since "soccer tots" and YMCA did not seem to fit our family and our expectations. At just that time the lady in charge came and passed out 20.00 sport bucks, basically gift certificates to try another sport in the next available season. I was happy to see that they knew this was messed up all around I do know that one mom said they were going to complain, we were just going to take our son and money somewhere else. The apology and certificate toward the next sport made me decide that we would give it one more try for either basketball or flag football in the fall. The cost of the next sport for us would only be 50.00 and hopefully it will be better than t-ball was, but Rylan doesn't know any better so he doesn't know it sucked, that is another good thing haha.

italian chicken sausage bake

2012-05-07T18:43:00.001-05:00

On tonight's menu is baked penne with Italian sausage. I purchased a package of fresh chicken sausage on sale a while back for about 2.00 so today I took it out of the freezer and started to look for a recipe to use it in. I came up with this one that seemed like I would have everything here already and it sounds like it tastes good too. Instead of using white wine I am using some good ole' Italian homemade strawberry wine, I think the technical term for this stuff is moonshine but for all purposes of good reading material we will just call it "white wine". I took a little taste test of the "white wine" just to ensure it is still good from my last spaghetti (I always remember my pop doing that lol and now I know why). I am using sausage that is in the casing and I just cut it into round pieces but after looking at it cooking I'm thinking that next time I will just cut the casing off and cook it as if it is just ground meat for easier biting. Smells amazing so far.... I hope you try this one I already know its gonna be good and it has been super easy too!

PS- it is also under 700 calories which means I'll only be taking in around 2,000 tonight... not too bad... I mean compaired to the usual lol

Just excuses...

2012-05-02T22:44:00.001-05:00

So I have punished myself "until my room is picked up"! I told the hubby today that I was no longer allowed to hang out with him until my things were taken care of. I have little piles all over the house where I come in and drop things and say to myself that I will return to tidy them up but never make it that far. I get up at 5 (well let's admit that it is more like 5:30 by the time my 15th alarm has gone off) and read a little news in bed, I picked up this habit from the hubby and it is a nice easy way to ease into getting out of bed. I get myself ready and eat breakfast then wake Rylan around 7 for his breakfast and I make lunch then get him dressed (after finishing my final touches) and we are off to school by 8 (ish) I return home to pick up breakfast and start on my list for the day. It's usually 9:30 by this time. I'm hungry again by 10 so I'm looking for my next snack. Rhett on most days invites me to lunch (I love our lunch dates) so not long after my snack I put away my list and I'm back out the door again. By the time lunch is over it is nearly time to go pick up Rylan since carpool line is anywhere from 2:10-2:20 to start lining up. So I try to get in one short errand instead of going home. Since they do spend a good deal of time in the classroom, as soon as Rylan gets into the car he asks to go to the park next-door to his school. He gets plenty of outside time and even more play time inside I'm sure I just don't want to admit that I've spoiled him to going somewhere after school each day. I let him play from 2:20 until about 4 and we get home around 4:15-4:30 depending on if I need to stop for items to complete the dinner menu or not. We get home and I get him set up, sandy shoes and socks off and picked up, back pack unloaded and lunch box washed out. Now it's time to start dinner and it's around 5:00 dinner is done around 6 and we eat then it is nearly bath time for Rylan so I wash his hands from dinner and let him play while I clean up dinner and the kitchen and eating areas. Then it is on to bath time (he usually wants a "long" bath) and so I leave the door open and he is singing so loud I know he is good to play for a while (plus he is four and not an infant who will drown if left alone) I try to do a load of laundry in this time and sometimes I will clean the bathroom he is in, wiping everything down in there is perfect at bath time especially if he is splashing water everywhere because I don't need a bucket of mop water. Now bath time is over we dry off and it is time for jammies and a story. I breath for a minute while dad brushes teeth and I try not to fall asleep while laying in his squishy bed. We say prayers then I am begged every night to scratch a tiny back. I would do it every night if I didn't fall asleep every time. He keeps up now with if I did it last night or not because I made a deal with him once that I would do it every other night. Notice I didn't really get any house work done in this typical day? Add in there trips to see friends and family on the weekends and you suddenly haw half packed bags and Easter candy that still needs to be put away a month later. Oh yeah and let's top that off with grocery shopping, room mom/end of the year party planning, and birthday/holiday gift buying planning and you are sure to find that there is always something that needs to be done here. I love every minute of it! Sooo I'm sure you can very well see why I have decided I am no longer allowed to hang out with my hunny until my "room is picked up" (isn't that what moms say?)

Cats

2012-04-28T17:16:00.001-05:00

For any of my friends out there who have cats I have learned a trick that will help keep the litter box odor to a minimum. Use scoopable litter and when you are finished with your Sunday (or any day really) newspaper take it and rip it up into little squares about 2x2 or so and put some below the litter and some mixed in and some on top. You will be surprised at how it keeps the ammonia smell down. When you scoop take all the newspaper out with the waste and refill mixing it in and around with your scooper.

You are welcome :)

Fairy Dust

2012-04-21T19:34:00.001-05:00

(all of the parents in Rylans class will surely love me after this one) The kids in the class will have a treasure hunt as part of their pixie and pirate party so I decided the first find on the treasure hunt will be to find "pixie dust" so at the dollar tree I found just the size container I was looking for. Three small bottles of glitter for 1.00...perfect! I had tule at home and pink ribbon from another project so all I had to do was make a little paper with instructions and glue it on. The paper said something like.... Summer pixie dust: sprinkle this in your yard on the last day of school and the summer fairies will see the enchanted glow and will know you want them to bring you a magical summer. Covington is going to be one very glittery city!!

Swagbucks!!

2012-04-18T13:04:00.001-05:00

I'm getting ready to order my second free gift card!! If you haven't signed up for swagbucks yet you should do so now!! Free and it's easy to use. At the bottom of this blog is a link to sign up and you could be earning points today!

Spring break is over

2012-04-18T12:42:00.001-05:00

Well spring break is over but all of the spring gatherings are not :) I want to share what a wonderful husband I have and I feel so lucky to have someone who is my best friend to be with all the time. We had a disagreement (of the friendly kind) about who was the worse spouse hahaha. As we strolled through the French quarter in New Orleans enjoying our little mini-vacation I thanked him for our amazing week together and for making my birthday so special. That's when it started, he said well I want you to know I appreciate the fact that you put up with all of my crap, because I know I have a lot of it. We both giggled but then I said well I know I have lots of little things I ask you to do that I could probably just pass up like how to hang his towel after he takes a shower, or how to pull the sheets up when making the bed instead if just pulling the comforter up and putting pillows on top, just little crap that doesn't really matter but I ask anyway lol so this went back and forth a few times until I finally said you are right I love you more than you love me and I am a better spouse ;) to which Rhett just said UH NO

So we had birthday sushi and lazier tag then he took me to bed bath and beyond and told me to pick out stuff I wanted (if I would have known he was just letting me pick whatever I probably would have picked more lol but I guess that's why he didn't tell me) then I had a shopping spree with my mom and spent the night at my best friends house. The next day I had a cake with candles and a birthday song and then there was a trip to New Orleans for a date weekend. I told him that makes up for him not even getting a card for valentines day lol on our trip to NO we stopped at the casino first where Rhett gave me spending money, I put in 20.00 and won 165.00!! We cashed out and left. We bar hopped a little bit and had an amazing dinner (charbroiled oysters, fried crab fingers, and fried eggplant because I wanted a bunch of appetizers) then we shopped a little more and went back to the casino because I still had 40.00 of my winnings left :) oh and at one place we were arguing over who would pay because I had "free money" and he was saying its my birthday so I couldn't pay. I yelled and told the bartender it was his birthday so he had to let me pay, he did and at that point people were looking to see who's birthday it was so I just shook my head no and mouthed "no it's not" they all laughed bc Rhett was mad I got to pay :) I WIN
Sunday we spent the morning at a friends who made an amazing brunch we all ate until we couldn't eat anymore (not to mention the mimosas) then we got onto the street cars and bar hopped New Orleans it was an amazingly beautiful weekend and could not have been any more perfect! Thank you to my hunny!

That is why I haven't even picked up my phone to post a blog in a week or more :)