Farewell and Happy Fourth! (Plus our pre-4th celebration today!))

We are packing up to be on our way to Cleveland for a few days! We leave at 6am. I still have to load the car, pack the snacks, shower and sneak in some sleep =) Can't wait to see the ball game and all Jim's relatives. I always enjoyed going to Cleveland.
Today we had a pre-fourth of July play date at Mel's house. Spectacular as usual! I made popcorn bars with pretzels and M&ms mixed with marshmallow - kind of like rice crispie treats but with popcorn instead. All the food was great, the kids had a hula hoop contest, sack race, and went swimming. Jackson is a little fish! He went in the bigger kids pool with no trepidation at all. He was lifting his little feet and saying I FLOAT! with his little tube =)

Well, be back in a few days! Thankful Thursday BTW... thankful I am getting a week off of work. AWAY FROM THAT RESTAURANT =) I am thankful for my loving husband and great kids. I am thankful for great friends and the nice group we have formed over the last 2 years which enables us to have get togethers like today 8)

Farm Market & Water Fun

We took a trip to the local farm market today and got some scallions and red leaf lettuce... Maris was so dead set against getting radishes for some ridiculous reason... she kept going "noo noo! I don't like those!" so we didn't get them. I am really excited about getting mint. I love putting it in my tea. Here's the kids checking out the goods.


after the farm market, we went to the grocery store for a diaper run and we picked up some cones and ice cream and headed back to the house. We filled up the kiddie pool and set up the slip and slide and then sprinkler. Jackson kept gingerly laying down on the slip and slide and going "puuuush" then Maris would push him down =)


After ice cream, they lounged around for a bit looking at the clouds and relaxing. Maris said she found 2 lobster clouds. I stripped them down and gave them a bath... a certain someone was COVERED in sticky ice cream drips and sprinkles haha

overall a great day.

the night however.... I took the night off for a traffic court date at 7. I ended up sitting on a horribly uncomfortable bench for 50 mins waiting for them to call my name and the officer didn't even show up... so in a way its good bc I am one step closer to it being dismissed, but still annoying that I have to await and take off for yet another pointless night just to pay some fine. sigh... I was pulled over months ago on my road for speeding on my way to work. shit happens... well I am off. Jim and I are going to watch the Hangover. We live in a time warp where things that are 5 years old are new to us... lol we figure its time to see it since there is now a sequel =)

at least he now cares to spend time with me. he came home from work and immediately sat down and turned on his kitchen nightmares show ---______--- (<- unamused face...) but yay. off I go before baseball comes on and I lose computer usage (he hogs it to watch indians games online haha)... another unamused face... ugh lol

Summer Fun and vacay countdown

Yesterday we enjoyed the warm weather by getting out Jackson's ride-on tractor that we just got a new battery for. He loves it! The only problem is that he needs to learn how to control it better. He would steer it off his course and scream... haha poor little hothead... =)
and of course bubbles. lots and lots of bubbles..




gotta love the towing a John Deere INSIDE another John Deere =)




t minus 4 days until vacation! I cannot WAIT to just kick back and be a passenger... SLEEP for once... we are packing up and going to Cleveland OH with Jims parents. We are all very excited to be together as a family for more than a half hour a day... a whole week! and we are going to see a Yankees vs Indians game. Even taking Maris! We figured Jacks was too young and its a night game so he would be either screaming or sleeping anyway. Maris couldn't be more excited though =) Hoping to hit the zoo and some other sites and family. Well, until later =) enjoy the weather! I think we are swimming today!

10 Year Party & Sleep

we went to my cousin's 10th wedding anniversary picnic and it was a lot of fun. I just wish I could have stayed longer and also that I wasn't ready to collapse! On the way home from said party to get ready for work, I was trying my hardest not to fall asleep... almost to the point of pulling over! but I got home and fell right asleep, making me very late for work... but I got a power nap in. It was a rough night. My body was tapped out and puttering like a breaking down car haha
My wonderful hubs let me sleep in this morning bc he actually wasn't working for once!!! he took the kids out for breakfast so the house was quiet and I slept until 11! Absurd! I am so refreshed! so today after I jump in the shower I will be heading outside with the kiddos to try out the ride on tractor. We finally got a new battery for it (thanks Gramma Ankle!) and its not raining out so off we go!
I helped Jim bottle his second batch of home brewed beer. the first was terrible! but this one tastes fine. I'm happy for him =) I didn't want to be dragged into holding a siphon hose after arising from the best sleep ever, but I was grateful so I decided to grin and bear it.

Latest Project...

My Photo Blocks! They are super addicting and cute. I love making them =)




I did the first set for myself and I just sent out the Naomi ones for my niece who turns 3 this week. I had to wait for her to get them in the mail before posting about them =)


really simple - wood blocks, scrapping paper, printed photos and modge podge w/ foam brush

Busy Busy Busy

Well my job decided that they should stay open an hour later at night now and, as the closer, I am getting pretty screwed by it. I am just THAT much more sleep deprived now and its starting to take its toll. I am going to dial back the amount of nights I work or I will never survive. I am cranky bc Im drained and it is not making me a better parent that's for damn sure... but enough poor me...
yesterday I didn't have a few minutes to upload or post so I am playing catch up today. After our productive yet confining Thursday, Friday was definitely a get-out-of-the-house kind of day. In the short time I left the kids to take a shower, they DESTROYED... I MEAN DESTROYED all of the cleaning and organization i spent the previous day doing... really brings you down that you cant sleep.. and cant even take a shower without them making you take 2 step backwards in progress. My house will never be clean. I had to get them out bc I wanted to cry. (and of course when Jim got home, I got the whole "you left with the house a mess" crap but not as bad as usual bc he can see how tired I have been) gaaah I'm complaining again... I need my vacation. So close, c'mon July.
anyhow... we ended up going over to Toys R Us and getting some clearance stuff for presents and summer activities and I ordered my bridesmaid dress for my cousins upcoming wedding, then took the kids to Chuck E Cheese to wear them out and get some lunch. It was much busier than expected, busier than I've ever seen it, but they had fun. Maris got to see one of her friends that she hasnt played with in months so that was nice. Then I came home, made dinner and went off to work. Tonight is expected to be crazy due to all the graduations so I am totally not ready. Never had an energy drink before but maybe I should try one to stay alive tonight. sigh
notgoingtocomplainnotgoingtocomplainnotgoingtocomplainnotgoingtocomplain sigh

today I have my sisters 31 party to get ready for soon and then my cousin is having a party right after it to celebrate being married for 10 years. Being that I can barely remember anything without my calendar, I forgot to request the night off, so I will be leaving the party to drop the kids with Jim (hope he's home in time!) and going into work. If he's working Sunday I'm gonna cry. I want a nap! lol


side note : my 26month old son is insisting he is a cat. He wont talk this morning, only meow. He meowed at the fridge and pointed at blueberries... what a weirdo. now he is sprawled on the couch meowing and Maris is petting him like a cat... I dont think cats like cheerios and blueberries as much as Jackson does, but more power to him =)

Thankful Thursday & my newest recipe

Happy Thursday. As it is a thankful Thursday, I will start out by saying I am thankful that it is my night off! My only one this week, but night off regardless! I actually got to be here to help tuck the kids in and Jim and I both read their bedtime stories to them =) I miss that event every night bc Im at work so they got a kick out of me being there.

Knowing I'd have the evening to relax, I took the day and did my wii fit this morning (no weight lost ~ barely any gained... but gotta get on top of that one!) we made pancakes with fresh strawberries cut up on top for breakfast and they ate like little beasts. I ate 1 very thin pancake with a ton of strawberries so Im good there. Then I took the remainder of the late morning early afternoon to clean out and organize the bathroom and laundry room, including finding homes for all the kids craft stuff (those who know from facebook I found an old secretary style desk piece at an estate sale that was sitting in my house with nothing in it). Well now it is a craft cabinet and I must say... its working out! Freed up all my space in the laundry room and also kicked up some old projects for me to finish.

Well then we made strawberry banana bread. I had planned on making banana bread since we had blackening bananas in the house, but it dawned on me that we have oodles of strawberries left from our fathers day adventure so I sliced some up and made my own twist on banana bread =) it is soooo good. we dove right into it after dinner bc it smelled so good. and it tastes great! the recipe I used is posted below.

Totally Moist and Delicious Strawberry Banana Bread!

3 bananas, overripe
1 stick (1/2 C or 8 tbsp) melted butter
2 eggs
3/4 c. sugar
2 tsp vanilla

1 1/2 c. flour
1/2 tsp. baking soda
1 1/2 tsp. baking powder

1/2 tsp. salt

3/4 c. sliced or chopped strawberries

Preheat oven to 350F. In a large mixing bowl, mash bananas until there are no large chunks left. Add cooled melted butter and mix, then eggs and mix, then sugar and vanilla and mix again.

In a second bowl, whisk together flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt both to combine and aerate. Add flour mix to wet ingredients and stir slowly by hand until just combined. Do not over mix or the bread will be tough.

Fold in chopped or sliced strawberries until distributed well.

note: I pressed the strawberries with paper towels a bit so my bread wouldn't be soggy. Glad I did bc it is ridiculously moist as is!

Bake for 60 minutes or until a toothpick inserted into the center of the bread comes out clean.

another note - recipe says 60 mins but mine was done in about 40-45

It's Potty Time!

Lately, Jackson has been showing signs of readiness when it comes to potty training. He tells me "I'm poopin'!" (lol) and he brings me fresh diapers before I can even realize he is wet. I had a potty a friend gave us and he was sitting on it a while back and ended up with a pee pee spraying everywhere incident ~since I only had to potty train a girl~ I was not aware of such a thing! He never eveen peed on me during a diaper change like all parents warned me about when I said I was having a boy. Not once. so anyways... we decided we needed to find the right potty for him. One with a pee pee guard. We found one. It has turtles on it and a compartment for wipes and a holder for tp. he loves it. We have yet to go in it, but we are making progress. He loves to strip all the way down (yes he insists on being naked on the potty) but whatever gets him on there! Could've sworn he was gonna poop in it today. He was tooting away while sitting on it. We will get there. Right now the idea is to familiarize him with it. Seems to be working!
All these things are coming so fast... he is my last and I'm so sad but at the same time so proud he is flourishing =) He learns new phrases and things every day. Today during the thunderstorm, Maris and Jackson were sitting by the window, watching and having a discussion about it. She was telling him about the lightning and how the power goes out and he nodded and said "Up there. Cloud BOOMING" "Mom! Its BOOMING out" the way kids say things cracks me up. Here's a pic of the sweeters pretending my comforter is an ocean

I love my kids. Can you ever say it enough???