Party of Five

No Caption Required

2012-02-11T11:18:00.000-08:00

Mark Madoff's Widow

2012-02-10T21:04:00.001-08:00

I finished this today. I didn't contribute a penny to the widow of Bernie Madoff's son. I simply donated a dollar to the public library so they would hold the book for me, once it was returned.

It was a quick read. I mean we are talking me and this book was less than 300 pages.

What did I learn? Bernie Madoff is a thief and has no remorse. His wife, Ruth Madoff, is a clueless and meek excuse at best. Stephanie Madoff Mack fell in love with Mark Madoff and will continue to pay a price, that no one could ever imagine, for the rest of her life. On display is family dysfunction at its best, but ultimately nothing earth shattering. I mean the media and tabloids have shared it all in detail. While she forgives her husband for taking his life and paints him in the best light possible, she uses the book to trash almost everyone with the last name Madoff that she came in contact with.

Read this if you are curious, but there really is not any earth shattering information that makes it a must read.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Tuna Croquettes

2012-02-06T19:33:00.000-08:00

I made these for dinner tonight.

Tuna Croquettes
~ Alton Brown ~

Ingredients:

1 (7-ounce) pouch albacore tuna, drained well and shredded by hand I used canned, drained it, and broke it up with a fork.

2 green onions, chopped fine I left these out, I don't like them.

2 teaspoons Dijon mustard

2 large eggs, beaten

1 teaspoon freshly squeezed lemon juice

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup panko bread crumbs, divided

Olive oil, for sauteing

Directions:

Place the tuna, onions, mustard, eggs, lemon juice, salt, pepper and 1/4 cup of the bread crumbs into a medium mixing bowl and stir to combine. Divide the mixture into 8 rounds and set aside on a parchment lined half sheet pan. Allow to rest for 15 minutes. Place the remaining bread crumbs into a pie plate. One at a time, coat each round in the panko on all sides. I used a normal sized ice cream scoop to portion mine, making them larger and having less than 8. Only Chris and I eat them anyway.

Heat enough olive oil to cover the bottom of a 12-inch saute pan over medium heat until shimmering. Add the croquettes and cook 2 to 3 minutes on each side or until golden brown. Remove to a cooling rack set over a half sheet pan lined with paper towels. Allow to cool for 2 to 3 minutes before serving. I ended up cooking longer than 2-3 minutes for them to be golden brown.

Resting on the parchment waiting to be coated in Panko.

Panko bath

Sauteing. That is a 10-inch pan so you can tell that mine are crab cake size. I used a large can of tuna so I had to use an additional 1/2 portion of all the ingredients.

Chilling on the rack.

Ready to eat. Chris dipped in tartar sauce, I used cocktail sauce. Super easy and super yummy!

The Boy Who Loves Electrical Cords

2012-02-06T10:15:00.000-08:00

To know Kade, is to know that he loves an electrical cord. He doesn't plug them into the outlets because they are baby proofed, but give him a box of electrical cords and he will be entertained for hours. Take them away and he will be upset and start crying. He will eventually settle, but if you've told him they had to go to sleep, he will wake up the next morning and talk about the cords until you produce them.

Last weekend, while working on the playhouse with his Dad, Chris set him up with a shop light. This was like gold. Surprisingly he never got burned, like I did as a child, because he kept turning it on and off and carried it around for hours. The day ended and he was not upset about the light going to sleep because he had dropped it and the bulb had broken. So instead of asking repeatedly for the light, he would tell you that it was broken and Daddy has to get a new one.

So Chris came home with this:

Clearly we do not need to buy him a birthday present anymore. You can tell by his face how happy he is. Surprisingly, it doesn't get hot on the metal like the old ones did. Clearly some designer got smart. However, it is still blinding. How lucky we all are, because Kade doesn't want it in his face, so it ends up in ours!

Playhouse Progress

2012-02-06T10:03:00.000-08:00

It has been awhile. I know. Chris has been busy and the small amount of time he has spent here and there on the construction has not been photo/update worthy. Yet then he had a couple days off and look what happened:

Yes, that is a deck off the upper floor. Yes, it makes me nervous. No, I do not think the railing is tall enough when I have a boy who loves to climb. Yes, gone are the days of letting him go play outside by himself. Yes, he has already stood on the chair and table that are on the deck, making him taller than the railing. No, Nurse Claire has not seen it yet. Yes, Nurse Claire is going to become extremely nervous over the development.

Early Valentine Treat

2012-02-06T09:55:00.000-08:00

I am a sucker for a red velvet anything. This is when all counting of calories goes out the door. I won't make anything red velvet at home without others to eat it, because it would be disaster.

Chris worked longer hours than normal (for the winter season) at the end of January, because they had to move out of a storage warehouse. I knew it was temporary and I'm used to the restaurant business hours, so I didn't complain. I just felt bad that he was running himself down.

So imagine my surprise and gratefulness when he came home with these:

This is a red velvet cupcake from Susie Cakes. They are by far the BEST. Sprinkles is nothing in comparison. Notice how the frosting goes down into the center of the cupcake. Genius. The Beachcomber used to use Susie Cakes for it's chocolate cake until they finished building the larger kitchen. Thank goodness or I might have never made the discovery!

Chris brought these home for the kids. Kendall had already claimed hers, yet she only liked the butter cream frosting on the inside. When she found out Kiley and Kade didn't want theirs, she wanted to lick these two free of their frosting, but at $3 a cookie I wouldn't let her. I ate them instead and they were oh so good.

Just a small list of Susie Cakes' Valentine's offerings. I think they might even ship. Otherwise if you aren't in California, you are out of luck!

Today's Discovery

2012-01-31T16:19:00.000-08:00

Today I discovered why people decide to only have one child and some no children.

HOMEWORK

Yes, it is that simple. Yes, I am a credentialed teacher.

I have never liked homework. While I see the importance in some, it's the obvious busy work that irritates the heck out of me.

Kendall had massive amounts of busy work at her old school. The new school has been wonderful. It is just the right amount to reinforce the daily lesson without it becoming any form of busy work.

Then Kiley started Kindergarten. They receive weekly homework, which is not bad at all and totally manageable. Then the teacher started sending home monthly math homework.

Here is December's:

If this doesn't constitute busy work, I don't know what does. It is just something else we have to get done along with the already 5 pages of combined math and writing that come home. The idea is to do one a day I suppose, but it's irritating. January's had probably 15 questions that required no recording of an answer on paper. Guess who skipped those. Yes, I am a bad role model. I have three kids, I don't have time for nonsense. I don't think it's important that my kid walk around the house looking for and counting rectangles, door knobs, or sinks! January had a question that asked them to grab a handful of beans and put them in groups of ten and then record how many they have. I should have written zero because we have no beans, but I just made an answer up! I was pretty close to visiting the principal and asking if she sees any worth in this, but decided to just bite my tongue and skip all the ones that don't require an answer to be recorded!

I have many credentialed teacher friends who agree with me on this. They run the range of elementary to high school teachers. I know there are some old school parents that expect their kids to have a decent amount of homework and some older teachers that still believe in busy work. I might still be in the minority, but I'm hopeful that the trend will change.

Photo Finds

2012-01-29T09:49:00.000-08:00

Tuna Casserole

2012-01-29T09:42:00.000-08:00

Chris is a big casserole fan. That was until we discovered that he was allergic to MSG. Most casseroles ask for Campbell's Cream soup. All of those soups have MSG. So I went searching on www.foodnetwork.com to find a recipe that he could enjoy. I found a winner!

Tuna Casserole

~ Ellie Krieger ~

Serves 6 (2.5 cups per serving)

Directions:

This is a surprisingly low fat version of the classic tuna casserole you grew up with. You make your own creamy mixture, which replaces the high-fat condensed soup in the original version. Fresh bread crumbs toast right on top of the casserole
Ingredients:

5 slices whole-wheat bread, crusts included I used Panko crumbs
1 tablespoon canola oil (I used olive oil)
1 small onion, chopped (about 1 cup)
1 large stalk celery, finely diced (about 1/2 cup) Left out, Chris hates celery
1 (10-ounce) box white mushroom, stemmed and chopped (about 2 1/2 cups) I used 8 oz. carton
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
3 cups 1 percent milk
1 cup low-sodium chicken broth or vegetable broth
3/4 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/2 pound whole-wheat fettuccine noodles, broken into thirds and cooked according to package directions
1 (10-ounce) box frozen chopped broccoli, thawed left out, guess who doesn't like broccoli
1 (10-ounce) box frozen peas, thawed left out
4 (6-ounce) cans chunk light tuna in water, drained

Preheat oven to 425 degrees F.

Place bread in food processor and pulse for 30 seconds into bread crumbs (makes about 2 1/2 to 3 cups crumbs).

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add onions and cook, stirring, until onions are soft and translucent, 8 minutes. Add celery and cook, stirring, until just tender, 6 minutes. Add mushrooms and cook, stirring, until mushrooms release their water, 5 to 7 minutes. Add flour all at once and stir immediately and vigorously with a wooden spoon until flour is completely incorporated into vegetable mixture until there are no flour lumps. Add milk and broth, stir to combine and bring mixture to a boil, stirring frequently. Reduce heat to a vigorous simmer and cook, stirring, until liquid has thickened and reduced by about 1/2 cup, 7 to 8 minutes. Add salt and pepper and stir to combine. Combine cooked pasta, vegetable-liquid mixture, broccoli, peas and tuna and toss to incorporate. Pour into a 9 by 13-inch casserole. Top with bread crumbs. Bake for 25 minutes, or until crumbs are golden brown and toasted.

Per Serving:

Calories 500; Total Fat 7 g; (Sat Fat 1.5 g, Mono Fat 2 g, Poly Fat 1 g) ; Protein 49 g; Carb 56 g; Fiber 11 g; Cholesterol 75 mg; Sodium 990 mg
Excellent source of: Protein, Fiber, Vitamin A, Thiamin, Riboflavin, Niacin, Vitamin C, Folate, Vitamin K, Calcium, Copper, Iodine, Iron, Manganese, Phosphorus, Selenium
Good source of: Vitamin B6, Vitamin B12, Vitamin D, Pantothenic Acid, Magnesium, Potassium, Zinc

Fresh out of the oven!

Yum!

Read It

2012-01-28T17:59:00.000-08:00

I've been looking for something to read since I finished the Steve Jobs book. Last night I started looking on amazon.com and then this morning I found two things I wanted to read. I'd like to read the biography that Bernie Madoff's Daughter In Law wrote. However I will not buy that because I will not give any of those people any money. Thus I reserved it at the library. It will cost me a dollar, but it goes to the library.

In the meantime I needed something to read so I settled on True Colors by Kristin Hannah. After reading a couple of her books I stumbled upon this one and the synopsis caught my eye. So did the $2.99 download to my iPhone via Kindle. Yes, I am cheap and yes, I did read the entire thing on my iPhone.

So I started reading this about 8am this morning and could not put it down. Actually, I put it down to deal with the needs of children and to go to the grocery store and pick up lunch. I finished this 541 page book at 5pm tonight. I know I'm nuts. It's OK, I'm a quick reader as long as it's interesting and isn't required reading for say a college course.

This is one to read. It follows the lives of three sisters and all the twists and turns of true love and forgiveness and the complexity of that in a family that has many scars hidden beneath the surface. I won't give you any more information, just if you are looking for an easy and well-written read this is one to try!

Utterly Peanut-Buttery Bars

2012-01-23T19:24:00.000-08:00

I am not a big peanut butter person. I will eat it on PB & J and even on toast or a toasted bagel. However, when it comes to baked goods, it's the one item I usually avoid. Chris on the other hand loves anything baked or any dessert that contains peanut butter. He loves peanut butter cookies, but I never make them because he's the only one that would eat them and I don't need him eating the entire batch!

And then it rained today. I was in the house all day. I was bored out of my mind. So I decided to throw Chris a bone and make the peanut butter bar recipe that was on the C&H Sugar carton. Kind of like the missing child on a milk carton, except the only thing missing in this case is the words low and calorie!

Utterly Peanut-Buttery Bars

~Jean Porter~

Crust:

1/2 cup soft butter (1 stick)
1/2 cup peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1.5 cups Sugar
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1.5 cups all-purpose flour

Filling:

2 eggs
2 Tbsp peanut butter (smooth or chunky)
1/2 cup sugar
1/2 cup golden brown sugar

Preheat oven to 375 degrees.

Crust:
In medium bowl mix butter, peanut butter, and sugar until well blended. Stir in the vanilla. Add flour and mix well (mixture will be crumbly). Reserve about 1 cup of this mixture for the top. Firmly press remaining mixture into bottom of lightly greased 9x13-inch baking pan.

Filling:
Beat eggs, peanut butter, sugar, and brown sugar together. Spread over unbaked crust. Sprinkle with reserved crust mixture. Bake approximately 20 minutes, or until set and top is golden. Cool in pan and cut into bars. Makes two dozen bars.

Before

After

Now I added up the calories. I mean let's be serious. One look at the ingredients and you'd swear it's a Paula Deen recipe and it makes sense why she is now diabetic. If you cut this 9x13 pan into 24 bars they are about two bites big. That tiny bar is going to set you back 174 calories. To put it in perspective, you can eat 3 golden oreos for 160 calories and that's more than 2 bites.

I did try one. I had to so I could decide if the recipe was worth sharing. Well, they are to die for. You know the statement that no one can eat just one. Well I only ate one....today. Actually I am going to give some to Monica tomorrow so they aren't sitting on the counter waiting for Chris and I to consume them all.

What A Gesture

2012-01-20T17:47:00.000-08:00

I have lost 35 pounds. I weigh a little less then my goal weight, but I am OK with that. Now I am just in the process of maintaining my current weight. It has been pretty easy since I made the lifestyle change.

People ask me all the time if Chris is happy I lost the weight and if he tells me how good I look. Well if you knew Chris like I do, you would know that that is just not him. He doesn't express his emotions in person very well. I've even had friends confront him in public and tell him that his wife is hot and that they hope he tells me that. His reply always is "I know and I do." He hasn't, but it honestly doesn't bother me at all.

As Christmas approaches, Chris always asks me what I want. I sent him the link for a running hoodie from Nike that I wanted and a pair of navy Jack Purcell tennis shoes. A couple weeks later I told him the only other thing I wanted was a new printer that was compatible with the iPad and my iPhone. I found one cheap at Costco and told him it was no big deal if he didn't get it. Honestly the hoodie and shoes were enough for me. Yet as usual he bought me all three things and then surprised me.

This dress was wrapped up under the tree. It included a card and on the inside he had written, "To my sexy wife. You deserve this. You are a wonderful wife." Now this is a HUGE stretch for him. We've been married 12 years and I can count on one hand the times he has written something even close to this in a card. Don't worry, it's a card I am saving.

So I loved the dress. I went to try it on and there was the price tag with $345 staring back at me. I almost fell over. That's a LOT of money for something I would wear maybe once a year at most. Don't get me wrong I was totally flattered that he would do something like that. Well, because I have melons on top and am built more athletically in the legs versus the typical California waif, the dress did not fit. I could only get the zipper half way up. The length was pretty long too. Chris told me the woman said it ran small but he didn't want to offend me by getting a size larger. It honestly wouldn't have bothered me. I told him he obviously didn't see "my lady" at Nordstrom. His reply, "Jeez. You should have told me you had a lady. That would have been a huge help. I think these are the things wives are supposed to share with their husbands, no?"

I took the dress back the day after Christmas and just got a credit because it was the day after Christmas and CRAZY. I went and saw "my lady" a week later. We tried the bigger size and she told me that they would hem it for free because she felt the length was really too long and the majority that bought it were having it altered. Well the dress still didn't fit well enough for me to buy the next size up, so here is what I bought instead with the money from the dress and $75 my MIL had given me for Christmas.

This black dress is more comfortable and more me. It was also a third of the cost, which is something I can justify and live with.

I also bought this top. "My lady" said I could dress it up with black pants or a skirt or wear it more casually with jeans.

Today I found these. I have a pair of black boots already. They were $35 at Target, but hard as I tried I couldn't walk past these at Nordstrom today. The girl said they are selling out quick, so she would look but probably didn't have my size. I figured if they didn't have it, that was a sign. Well they did.

Chris likes everything I have purchased and joked today when I showed him the boots that he did a damn good job picking out my Christmas gifts. Yes, I know, I'm pretty lucky to have him!

Skinny Quiche

2012-01-19T14:26:00.000-08:00

I made this on Christmas morning. Yes, I'm just getting around to posting about it right now. It was excellent. Chris and Bob Cobb even enjoyed it.

Skinny Quiche

serves 6

~Bethenny Frankel~

1 store bought whole-grain frozen pastry shell, such as Wholly Wholesome (I used a regular frozen pie crust)

2 1/2 teaspoons olive oil, divided

2 shallots, thinly sliced

1 package (about 5 oz.) prewashed fresh baby spinach (I bought it in the prewashed salad section)

1/2 teaspoon salt, divided

1/4 teaspoon black pepper

1 package (4-5 oz.) assorted mushrooms (I used baby bellas)

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

1 cup soy milk (I used 1% regular milk)

1 egg

3 egg whites

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Bake the pastry shell for 12 minutes or until browned. Remove the shell from the oven and set aside. Leave the oven on.
Heat 1 1/4 teaspoons of the olive oil in a large nonstick skillet over medium heat. Add the shallots and saute for 1 minute. Add the spinach and cook for 2-3 minutes, or until wilted. Add 1/4 teaspoon of the salt and a dash of pepper. Transfer to plate and set aside.
Using the same pan, heat the remaining olive oil and cook the mushrooms for about 6 minutes, stirring occasionally, until they are browned on both sides. Remove from the heat. Season them with the remaining salt and pepper.
Sprinkle 1/3 cup of the Parmesan cheese over the bottom of the pastry crust. Top with the spinach and mushroom mixtures. In a separate bowl, whisk together the soy milk, egg, and egg whites. Pour into the shell, over the spinach and mushrooms. Top with remaining Parmesan.
Bake the quiche for 45-50 minutes, or until the top is firm and golden brown. Cut into wedges and serve hot or warm; or make ahead, refrigerate, and serve cold.

Put the pie crust on a lined baking sheet before you pour the egg mixture in. Mine overflowed big time and left a huge mess because I did not have it on a lined baking sheet. I did make this a second time and substituted sliced up zucchini for the spinach and it was yummy again!

Two Options. Minimal Calories

2012-01-19T12:32:00.001-08:00

With three kids and crazy pick up and drop off schedules I often eat lunch at home. That is unless I'm eating lunch out with Nurse Claire or Monica.

A sandwich gets old, so I'm always looking for a quick item that tastes good, but isn't a calorie nightmare.

I found these last week at the grocery store. Lean Pockets Culinary Creations. Only 240 calories per pocket and it contains three things I love. Spinach, chicken, and artichoke. They are actually pretty tasty even if they are mostly bread. I mean let's be honest it's not homemade or from a restaurant. It's meant to be quick and easy. Sorry Kim. I know. The artichoke just eliminated this item as an option for you!

Now these. These are genius. Temptations by Jello. Found in the dairy case right by all the Jello ready to eat puddings. They have other flavors as well. I noticed a strawberry cheesecake today and a double chocolate one. This is 100 calories and it's like eating lemon meringue pie minus the crust. At night, after dinner, when I'm craving something a little sweet I eat one of these and feel absolutely no guilt.

- Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Absent

2012-01-16T15:10:00.000-08:00

I've been absent from blogging for over a week. For some reason I haven't been blogging as much, either my life is too boring or I am too busy. It's a combination of both I suppose.

The girls started activities last week. It's a one day a week thing, which is way more manageable than softball was. Kendall decided she didn't want to play softball anymore. I was actually bummed, yet at the same time did not like the direction the league was taking nor the experience she was having. So in a way it is a blessing, otherwise I was going to have to find a different league or a way to break up the "good old boys" club and insert myself onto the board. Luckily for the men, my daughter decided she had had enough.

Kiley is taking gymnastics through the city one day a week for one hour. She really enjoyed it. However, this kid doesn't allow anything to bother her. So if she can't do something she just keeps at it and knows that she will eventually get it and it's all good fun anyway!

Kendall begged and begged to take Karate. I had tried to put her off because I have noticed that mostly hyper kids seem to be involved in this activity. Kim has all but confirmed this and she is a professional when it comes to working with troubled/difficult children. I decided to let Kendall give it a try through the city. I figured it was $85 and if it didn't work out we would just move on. We showed up and Kendall was the only new student. There were 30 kids there and it was UTTER and TOTAL chaos. The instructor basically called out commands that you had to really concentrate to understand and then he had 3 high school aged helpers that did all the work of walking around and helping those that were wrong. Kendall had a nice young man working with her, but I could immediately tell that this was not going to be a good experience. Unlike Kiley, Kendall does not do well when she can't master something perfectly right away. So frustration set in and when that happens she is completely unable to focus or even execute what she needs to do. Once she was dismissed she came to me and the tears started immediately. I was not surprised at all. That is her. While some people think I should make her go back and give it another try, including myself under most situations; I will not make her give it more tries in this situation. It is not a good learning situation WHATSOEVER. I am actually pretty disappointed. I plan to go down to the office this week and attempt to get a refund. I probably won't succeed, but I at least want them to know how poorly this class is being run.

Kim's birthday was on Thursday and they came out for a visit through Sunday morning. We spent all day Friday at Disneyland with them. It was a beautiful day and the crowds were minimal. Kiley walked the entire day which has allowed me to now list the double BOB stroller for sale on Craigslist. We arrived at 9:30am and stayed until 9:30pm. I could have stayed longer, Chris was done. Men just can't go like women. He was still worn out on Saturday and still had male PMS when he got home from work last night. Hopefully Kim will be back out for a girls' shopping get away in the next month or two. Spending all day Friday with her and then a couple hours Saturday night was well worth it!

My brother made a quick stop through LAX before heading on to Apple headquarters, so we were able to have lunch with him on Saturday and then again on Sunday. It is nice to see him, even if only for a few hours.

I'm enjoying the day off today in honor of MLK. I have made a trip to Goodwill with 3 trash bags of things we no longer need. The kids are playing nicely together, but I probably just jinxed that!

I'm Hooked on Revenge

2012-01-08T11:00:00.000-08:00

On Friday I met up with Monica and some other friends for coffee. We talk about all kinds of random nonsense these mornings. Yet, I think our love for TV shows usually comes up every time. This particular morning three of them were talking about the show Revenge on ABC. I had seen the promos for it back during the summer and just never had any desire and really I already watch enough nonsense as it is. However, the three of them told me I was missing out.

So yesterday I commandeered the iPad from Kade and watched the pilot episode. I was immediately hooked. This became a problem because there have already been 11 episodes and the iPad only gave me access to 6. I went onto the Internet and discovered that ABC.com also only offered 6 episodes. I was livid. Never fear, I went to hulu.com and found all 11 episodes only to discover that one must subscribe to hulu plus at $7.99 a month in order to view them. Now because I was hooked, I was able to justify the $7.99 to view the 11 episodes. But wait, it gets better because hulu plus offers a one week trial period for FREE!

Enter laziness. I spent all day yesterday lying on the couch and watching Revenge. I finished the last 3 episodes this morning and now I am all caught up. I logged back onto hulu and cancelled my hulu plus subscription this morning. Mission accomplished in less than 24 hours and for FREE no less.

If you aren't watching Revenge, you should be. Quite possibly the best new show of the season. Thank goodness for good friends or I might have really missed out on something genius! Wednesday nights at 10pm, my TiVo now has a date with ABC.

The New Year

2012-01-04T12:14:00.000-08:00

Well it's a new year and we are back to day two of the school routine. The girls have woken up easily and been ready to go without much nudging on my part the past two mornings. I know this will dwindle as the week progresses, but hopefully not.

The termite guys came out yesterday and sprayed the attic, foamed one hallway wall, and took care of the spots on the eaves outside. $1000. Two hours of work. I looked at Chris and said who knows. He felt the same way. At least we get credit card points!

I am still battling the nastiness that decided to occupy my body on Christmas. After four days of no voice I have that back, but the dry hacking up your lung cough has remained and the congestion. I feel better today but between the Delsum cough syrup and the Mucinex for the congestion, I will admit that I feel a little loopy.

Christmas was great and Chris spoiled me with lots of nice things. Including a $345 dress that he felt I deserved for my weight loss. It was an awesome gesture, unfortunately I am not a Hollywood waif, so it did not fit, but that allowed me to buy another dress, which Chris loved, a top and still have money left over.

Kiley's favorite gift was her iPod touch and Kade really likes the tools and construction play set he received. However, he still gravitates back to the guitars and electrical cords! Kendall received lots of nice things so I can't really identify a favorite. I will guess that it's her new mountain bike. It's nice and signifies that I have a baby no more.

Read It!

2011-12-31T18:07:00.001-08:00

Let me start this post with the fact that I am not an Apple cult member. I do own several iPods, an iPhone, an iPad, and an AirPort wireless hub. However I am still a PC user. I will admit that once my desktop PC dies I will probably become a certified cult member and fork over the dough to get an iMac. I honestly NEVER thought I'd say/type that last sentence. My Dad received the Steve Jobs biography as a Christmas gift from one of his colleagues at work. He gave it to me to read first, since I'm a quick reader. With the busy holidays I managed to devour 571 pages in 4 days, while being interrupted here and there. Whether you like Apple or not, you need to read this book. It's fascinating. Steve Jobs was a genius, yet his tendency to be an asshole when dealing with people, was also on full display in the book. Despite this character trait, I want to buy his products more than ever now because of who he was and why he did the things he did. He was arrogant, but he knew how to market and develop ideas into products like no other. I remember Chris and I discussing when he died whether or not the company would be able to continue being as creative without him there. After reading this book, I have no doubt that the people he left in place to run the company will continue the legacy that is Steve Jobs and Apple. - Posted using BlogPress from my iPhone

Slim Jim

2011-12-21T10:19:00.000-08:00

Slim Jim is Chris' Dad. I am the only one that calls him this, but I always have. If you saw him you'd know that it's the perfect name for him.

We are currently experiencing a little deja vu in our house. Last year at this time it was my Uncle. This year it is Chris' Dad.

Slim Jim is a lifetime smoker. He started in his early teens. He is a six year bladder cancer survivor, yet he has continued to smoke. Slim Jim is in the hospital right now. Because quite simply...he can't breathe. He was diagnosed with COPD, which has now turned into full blown emphysema. Slim Jim is a stubborn man and as a result he chose not to listen to his body and ended up taking a trip to the hospital in the ambulance. He admitted to Chris that for the first time in his life he was very scared. This man has weathered a lot in his 73 years, so to make the statement he made is extremely telling.

Chris is doing extremely well. He did admit that as unfortunate as it was, he has the experience with my Uncle that has given him insight that the rest of his family does not have. Hopefully we will have more answers today.

Just keep Slim Jim, Chris, and their family in your prayers right now.

First Trimester Awards

2011-12-15T11:24:00.000-08:00

The girls had awards day at their school this morning. We received notice that both girls would be recognized at the ceremony.

Kiley was recognized for CARING. She was one of 3 students in her class of 32. I am not surprised. This describes our middle child to a "T." She was a little nervous to be on stage in front of a lot of people, but she did smile more when I put the camera away!

Kendall was one of six students in her class that made the Honor Roll. She was also recognized for reaching her reading goal. We are very proud of her and how much she has grown in the past year. What a difference a school can make! They had all of the kids from 3rd -5th grades that made the Honor Roll on stage. So of course she ended up in the back and getting a picture was a challenge!

Clark's Pride and Joy

2011-12-12T13:02:00.000-08:00

I have been busy. I keep meaning to blog and it doesn't happen. I have had jewelry orders trickling in and between that and the kids and catching up on TV, my time is spent.

Chris has been busy being Clark Griswald. A frustrated Clark has been present this year. Chris is the polar opposite of an individual with OCD, that is until decorating the house for Christmas comes around. He was beyond irritated with the fact that he was short a string of icicle lights (it burned out last year). Every store seemed to be out of them. Thankfully someone returned a box to OSH and yes, Chris bought them used. He also bought six boxes of colored lights at Walmart. I'm not a Walmart fan. He opened those six boxes, connected all the strings together and then zip tied them in place. I wish you could have seen his dismay when NOT ONE of the six strands lit completely. He took them all down and returned them to Walmart. I told him there is a reason that I don't shop there. Cheap is not always best!

So here is the house. Some things have been changed since these pictures were taken, but it's close enough for me. We inherited 5 new inflatables this year. Bob Cobb called me from a garage sale and said a lady had 5 of them and was Chris interested. Chris was at work, so I told Bob Cobb to just get one. So how do we have 5? Well the lady told him $8 each. My Dad said he'd give her $20 for all 5. They lady said they are yours, which means they are ours. We only used 4 of them because Clark felt we didn't have enough room for the fifth. So not a normal Clark statement.

Here is the main picture from our Christmas card. It only took 10 tries to get this one!

The Sea Turtle Project

2011-12-02T13:13:00.000-08:00

Kendall had a project to do for school. She could pick any subject she wanted. I helped type up her report for her. The Bailey's surprised us and were coming in and it would have taken her the entire weekend to type 4 paragraphs from her rough draft.

Chris was responsible for helping her make the model. Of course they started the model Monday night when it was due on Wednesday. This is how Mr. Procrastination operates. I tried to take a hands off approach and not enter the fray unless I had to. Well guess what?

The idea per Chris was to cover the display board in sand and then glue the sea turtles, etc. to the board. Well it didn't work so at 7pm on Tuesday night the scramble started and I had to step in and assist. Chris was tired from work and when that happens he's not pleasant in a pinch. So while Chris went to get spray paint from the store I got to work.

Here is the new display board that I painted the ocean on and got ready in 10 minutes, while Chris was at the store getting paint.

Board sprayed with fleck stone to have a sand appearance. It worked great but needed 3 hours to dry. Chris was initially going to stand there tired and irritated with a hair dryer so that it would dry faster. I told him to leave it and I would get up early in the morning and take care of the gluing.

Here it is finished. It took Kendall and I all of 15 minutes for her to place everything where she wanted it and for me to glue it in place. Thank goodness for hot glue guns!

After convincing her to remove the hoody from her head, she was still willing to smile for a picture with her project.

Here We Go Again

2011-12-02T10:00:00.000-08:00

Boys are a disaster, or at least mine is.

I went to give Kiley and Kade a bath on Monday night. I put Kade in the tub first. I then turned to help Kiley. That quick, Kade stood up and jumped... (I'm sure I was a sight to behold trying to put Kiley down and flailing to grab Kade and keep him out of harms way.) Well, I wasn't so lucky. He went into the faucet and I figured I was on my way to the ER. Somehow we got lucky with a minor cut that barely bled and a swollen eye. Never a dull moment over here!

This is the best photo I could get with him awake. It isn't bothering him one bit. As a matter of fact, he was running through the house 5 minutes after it happened.

This one I snapped while he was sleeping. It is healing pretty fast thankfully!

Decorating Has Commenced

2011-12-01T16:23:00.000-08:00

I am not a Christmas decorator. I believe we have two sterilite boxes with Christmas decorations that go inside the house. That's 11 less than Monica has. Yes, you passed math class. She has 13 boxes of Christmas decorations. I guess I'm just a less is more type of person. Chris would like to cover EVERY INCH of the house inside and out with Christmas crap. I prefer to not look like Christmas threw up all over our entire house. Just come by after we open gifts in the morning and with three children it WILL look like Christmas threw up in our house!

Chris had the morning off today. So after I steamed the floors throughout the entire house, Chris proceeded to bring the dirty ladder in from outside and go up into the attic and bring down the dusty storage boxes loaded with Christmas stuff. Two for inside and a boatload for the outside. He did vacuum the floor once he was done. Wise man.

Kade was in heaven. The child who loves any type of electrical cord was more than likely overwhelmed by the amount of cords in his grasp on the lawn outside. I think I heard, "I plug it in Daddy" no less than 20 times this morning.

The girls were out of school early today so we opened the inside the house decoration boxes and took out our ever growing collection of animated Christmas noisemakers. You know the type that use 4 AA batteries each. Well Kade has decided that it is much more entertaining if he runs around trying to turn all of them on at the same time. I'm hoping the novelty will wear off sooner rather than later, for the simple fact that I'd like to make it through the month on the same batteries that were initially installed.

I do not have any pictures to share at the moment, but will post as soon as I can. Don't worry you will be able to see our house from your front door, just look for the glow in the sky!

Thanksgiving Holiday

2011-11-28T16:11:00.000-08:00

The kids were off for the entire week of Thanksgiving. I actually loved every minute of it. So much so that going back to the grind this morning really sucked. Unfortunately we have raised a trio of night owls that like to sleep in, so it will take a few days to get them back on schedule. Probably just in time for Winter Break to arrive and they will get messed up all over again.

Chris took A LOT of time off while the kids were off. It was really nice and a rarity. We went down to San Diego on Monday, enjoyed the zoo, and then stayed over night before leaving on Tuesday to return home.

For some reason, I had forgotten how great the San Diego Zoo is and they have made many improvements since the last time we were there, probably 8 years ago. Kendall spent the entire day taking pictures on her iPod Touch and all three children walked a good portion of the enormous zoo despite having the double stroller with us.

Too bad Kendall was too busy taking pictures of elephants, or my Christmas Card would be complete. I just love this picture!

Wednesday morning I was greeted with the best surprise EVER. Kim text me and asked if we were available for dinner. I was so excited that they were coming out to visit. We had a wonderful time with them. The kids were great together and as usual picked up right where they had left off in July. Kim took some really great pictures of the kids, but I have a thing about not posting other people's kids on here especially when neither Kim nor Michael are social media whores like myself.

We did go eat at The Beachcomber on Friday night and this is the scenery that greeted us upon arrival. Seriously, could the weather and sunset have been any more perfect. You can even see the outline of Catalina Island.

With 5 days off, Chris accomplished a lot!

The outside is getting close!