Happy Birthday to Mimi!

She came into this world with her name in lights!

I don't know what I love most about this picture, the fact that all three are touching and they aren't fighting, or Trystan's delicious lips.

She was a pretty chubby kid. This was the first birthday. She reached the cake while we were singing to her. Why did I choose chocolate frosting?

She's one tough girl. I think this was when she turned six. We went to my mom's house and helped her get some work done in her yard. Look at her work!
Mimi and her third sister, Isabel. Those two girls are like two peas in a pod.

Seriously? Could she get any more beautiful? Yes, it's possible. Superstar? Totally. See, I knew there was a reason why she started this life with her name in lights. She is one of the lights of my life. I love my sweet Mimi.

OH! The drama

So, I have decided that I love Brandi's blog more than my own. I swear, I check it like 10 times a day to see when she's updated it, and what her comments are. I tell everyone I know about it.

Does that make me a groupie? Am I the only one who feels this way?

If you haven't ever read her blog, you have to start now. She has a really great discussion going about sex right now.

Banana yummy deliciousness

First off, let me tell you that I'm not really a fan of bananas. I know that might be hard to believe because I have made banana cake twice in 9 days, and because I have another banana recipe this week. These are really the only things banana that I eat. That said, let me tell you a little story before I get to the recipe.

Is there one food that you always have at every family gathering, no matter what the occasion? Thanksgiving, Easter, Memorial Day, 4th of July- there is always the same dish that has no 'season'? In my family growing up, it was deviled eggs and potato salad. In my current family we don't have one because we usually spend those holidays with the Brown-Baughan family in West Virginia. But in that (adopted) family, the dish is 'Marianne's banana pudding'.

I brought it over for some family event we were invited to when we first moved to WV, and it was a huge hit. So, I made it for the next event. Then, the next time I was invited, they requested it! Pretty much after that I wasn't allowed to come over unless I made this stuff. I've tried to teach other family members to make it, but they won't. So now, I've bestowed my knowledge upon my sweet Mimi. She made this on Sunday, and it was yummy delicious!

1 big box of vanilla pudding
3 cups milk
1 cup sour cream
Small tub cool whip
2 bananas, sliced
Box of vanilla wafers

1. Mix pudding and milk until smooth. Add half of the sour cream and cool whip. Mix well. Add bananas, mix gently. Mix remaining sour cream and cool whip. Set aside.
2. In 9" square glass baking dish, place one layer of wafers. Spread pudding mixture, then layer wafers. Top with cool whip mixture. Garnish with additional vanilla wafers and bananas, if desired. Refrigerate at least three hours. (I usually make it the night before)

**if you want to double this recipe, use 5 cups milk and 1 1/2 cups sour cream

The fun never ends

Today I was noticing the blogs that I follow are all food related blogs. No big surprise, right? They all serve their purpose in my little world and I am going to explain them to you.

1. Cake Wrecks - This is totally hilarious!! Not only does she get great pictures of 'professional' cakes, she has such a great sense of humor. Most of you have eaten a cake that I have made. I hope that I haven't made a cake that is worthy of this blog. No, I take that back. I did make one for Trystan's birthday one year that was a totally BUSTED looking Army guy. It was bad, people. Very bad!
2. HowChow - This is a great blog because all the restaurant reviews are close to me. Mel and I have eaten at several restaurants he has reviewed and he presents a really accurate picture of the food, atmosphere, etc. If you live around here and want to check out some good places to eat, look no further!
3. Closet Cooking - This guy has way too much time on his hands, but I wish I were his friend so I could go to his house and eat his food. He cooks awesome recipes, and has great pictures that make me want to make the food right away. I haven't actually made anything yet, but it's coming. I'll tell you all a secret: I want to make this, but I have to get past the rough spot I am having with the youngest child, or I might drink the beer instead of cooking with it.

That's all. If you only want to click on one of the links, click on Cake Wrecks, and read today's entry. It'll have you laughing out loud.

Interview!!!

I finally went to the new gym that is being built close to my house today. I am going to do it. I'm applying for a job. Remember the personal trainer thing? Yeah, I haven't forgotten about that. I am meeting with the personal training manager. Hopefully he'll like me, and I will have a job once the gym opens. Wish me luck!!

It doesn't all really go together

That's ok, because we didn't eat it all together.



Curried potato salad

• 2 1/2 pounds red potatoes, scrubbed and quartered


• 1 small carrot


• 2 celery stalks


• 6 green onions


• salt and pepper to taste


• 2/3 cup sour cream


• 1/3 cup mayonnaise


• 1/2 tsp curry powder


• optional: golden raisins***

1. Cook potatoes until just done. They should be cooked but firm. The skins should not be falling off of the potatoes and they should not be smushy.


2. Finely chop carrot, celery, and green onions. (click the link. buy the food chopper from Shelly)


3. Put all ingredients minus the potatoes in a large bowl and mix well. *You can use all mayo or all sour cream, or reduced fat, or fat free stuff if you want. I don't think it would take away from the taste much. I just prefer sour cream, and I put mayo in it because it's potato salad, and what's potato salad without mayo?


4. Gently mix potatoes into mayo mixture.

***I didn't use raisins when I made this the other day, but if I had golden raisins at my house, I would have used them. If you want to use them, I suggest only starting with 1/4 cup. I just thought that the sweetness would go well with the curry powder. Don't use regular raisins though, that might look gross and no one will want to eat it.

How to cook the best Salmon in the world:

1. Marinate it. You can use whatever makes you feel good. Just make sure you add some kind of sugar. The sugar caramelizes when you grill it, and it gets a delicious crust around the edges.


2. Grill it. I don't ever cook fish inside my house unless it's fish sticks. I can't stand the way it makes my house smell fishy for days.


3. Make sure the skin is on. There is a ton of good oil in the skin. Remember #1 when I said you get a good crust around the edges? The skin does two things for that crust. It adds oil to the heat so the edges get 'fried'. But most importantly, the skin keeps the yummy crusty stuff from falling off. I don't remember which side I cook first. You will have to experiment on that part.


4. This last tip might be hard for some of you. But trust me!!! I would not lead you astray. You should cook the fish to the point that makes you think to yourself, "I just need to cook it a couple more minutes, then it'll be done." Take it off then!!!!! The reason why, is because it continues to cook even after you have taken it off the heat. If you leave it on the grill until it's done, by the time it gets to the table, it's overcooked. If you do it enough, you will be able to gently poke the fish and know when it's done because of how much it 'gives'. I do this for chicken, burgers, fish, you name it. Just think of it this way, if it's not cooked enough, you can always put it back on the fire.

marinades I like

• korean bbq sauce


• raspberry vinagrette


• honey, garlic, soy sauce


• honey, balsamic vinegar, garlic, salt, pepper


• get the idea?

The yummy banana cake with cream cheese frosting and nuts. I just smooshed chopped walnuts around the edges. It tasted better the next day, and the day after, and the day after, and the day after. Now it's gone!

hold your horses, it's coming

I just have a busy day today, that's all.

• I'm posting a good original recipe. If you went to Ariella's house yesterday, you've already tasted it.
• I am also going to post my tips for a perfect grilled salmon for Brandi.
• Lastly, I will post the recipe to a yummy banana cake recipe I made this weekend.

It's coming. Don't worry.

I am my own twin

Ok, not really, but it sounds better than, "I am my own realtor."

We have been on the hunt for a place to move for about a month now, but it has really been in the back of our minds for the past three years. Why? Schools.

I've been homeschooling the oldest for the past three years, and though it may sound thrilling, it's not. Needless to say, I am not up to the challenge of homeschooling my two oldest. Not while there is a three year old running around. I guess I could homeschool her too. While I'm at it with the three, why not keep the eight year old home?

Because I'm not made like that!!

And I am ok with that knowledge. Sometimes I feel guilty because I could do it. I am smart enough. I am their mother, after all. Other people do it all the time. With more kids!!!

Is there something wrong with them? Or is it just me?

I guess it's good that I know my boundaries. I know how far I can go. Sometimes, I think that it wouldn't be that bad. Sometimes, I think it might even be fun. Sometimes I bleach my hair too. That doesn't mean I should do it.

So, I'm not. I'm moving so I can send my kids to good schools. I can send them to safe schools. I might even send them to the school that was my high school's rival. How cool is that?

It's not green. I'm not Irish.

I'm not Italian either, but that's beside the point.

This week's recipe isn't all my own. On Sunday, I made a pretty fabulous meal for my family. We had homemade meatballs with homemade sauce, linguini, and fresh steamed green beans. Oh, did I mention the homemade italian bread? Out of all of those things, the only one that was my original creation was the meatballs.

I am going to list everything in the order I made it. The theory is that if you make it the way I did, you will have a delicious meal for six and it will all be ready at the same time. If I tell you how long this meal took to prepare, will it deter you from making it? The bread dough can be made up to six hours ahead of time and left to rise in the refrigerator. Remember, people!! This is therapy for me.

Make the bread first. I found a terrific Italian bread recipe on recipezaar.com . I think I only used about 4 1/2 cups flour. I made 9 individual-sized loaves, so they took slightly less time to bake.

Next, make the sauce. I found a website that makes me want to make more Italian food than just spaghetti and meatballs. You might have to navigate yourself to the recipe, but it's easy to find. Left side of page, click recipes. Scroll down to sauces. The first recipe is 5-minute sauce. I used whole canned tomatoes and pulverized them in the blender. My kids don't like chunks in their sauce. I also substituted 1 tbs. dried basil for the 3 tbs. fresh. Also, I cooked this on low for at least an hour, so it was thicker than it would have been if I had only cooked it for five minutes.

Now, go shape the bread into loaves and let rise in a warm place.

Next, it's time for the meatballs.

• 1-2 lbs. lean ground beef (I used 93/7)



• 1 palmful oatmeal



• 10 ritz crackers



• 1 egg



• salt



• pepper



• 1/2 cup spaghetti sauce (you know, the stuff that you are cooking on your stove now)



• 1 heaping tbs. good italian seasoning (I have this stuff I bought at the MOM in Jessup. It smells like Italy in a bottle.)

1. Heat 3 tbs oil in a large heavy-bottomed pan on medium/high heat.



2. Shape mixture into balls. I don't measure this. Just grab some meat. Shape it into a ball. It should look big enough to take about two to three bites out of it. Make sure to pack it together, otherwise it may fall apart.



3. As you make the meatballs, put them in the pan. Start turning them after you put the last one in the pan.



4. Keep turning them until they are completely cooked.
   


5. Set aside

Put bread loaves in oven and finish baking them according to what the recipe tells you to do.

Start a huge pot of water to boil for pasta. Put meatballs into sauce. Remember, they are already cooked. You are just warming them at this point.

Now you'll start your green beans. When I say start, I mean take them out of the fridge and start cleaning them. You should have them all ready to steam by the time the pasta is ready to be put into the pot.

Cook 1 pound of pasta. I used linguini because I had that on hand. Use whatever noodle you want. Brush egg wash on bread for last 5 minutes of cook time. (you forgot, didn't you?)

Drain pasta when done. Put it on a large serving dish. Pour meatballs and sauce over noodles. Toss lightly. The bread should be done. The veggies are done. Put it all on the table and eat.

Buon apetito!

the stinky dog

the stinky dog has dandruff

and it's really bad

he looks like he's been sprinkled

with snow or salt or powder

what does he need

bath?

oils?

medicine?

help!

i can't stand the smell

and it's making me

crazy!

I hate my camera

That's why I haven't posted any pictures lately. It's mostly battery problems. You know, the camera sucks the life out of all my batteries in one day.

Do you have any suggestions? I really want to take pictures and post them and brag about my fabulous life. Only right now, it's not so fabulous because of the stupid camera.

Marianne's recipe of the week

A couple of weeks ago when Mel and I were discussing our weekly menu, he did something that he usually never does. He suggested that I prepared a meal differently than I usually make it.

You see, Fettuccini Alfredo is one of our family's favorite dishes. I usually don't have heavy whipping cream on hand, so when I make it, I just make a garlicky-parmesaney white sauce and call it good. I usually don't eat it because it's not really that great. It's not disgusting or anything like that, but the texture is all wrong. My kids love it, and I thought Mel liked it too. Until he suggested I make it the way I used to.

The next day, I bought heavy whipping crem and this is what we had for dinner that night:

Fettucini Alfredo
1 lb. fettucini noodles
1 1/2 - 2 cups heavy whipping cream
2 tbs. butter
1 handful parmesan cheese (sorry to all of you who need precise measurements)
salt and pepper to taste

1. Cook until noodles are 'al dente'. (This just means don't cook them until they are mushy.) Drain noodles and toss with a teaspoon of olive oil or butter. Set aside.
2. In the same pot you just used for the noodles, melt butter. Add 1 1/2 cups whipping cream, salt, and pepper. Cook this on medium heat until it is thickened a little bit (about 5-7 minutes).
3. Add noodles back into pot with cream and butter. Toss until combined and heated through. Reduce heat, add parmesan cheese. If it seems too dry, add more cream. Serve immediately.

Consequently, my kids hated it this way. Mel and I gobbled it up the way the kids gobble up the other stuff. They used to feel that way about my baked macaroni and cheese versus Kraft. Notice I said used to.

I'm back!

I had lots of fun in Florida last week. The only thing I would have changed was the weather. It was chilly and cloudy and windy. Except for the last two days. Friday and Saturday were delightfully sunny and warm. I laid out and read three books during those two days and got lots of outside warm and sunny time. (I used SPF 50 sunscreen)

I went to Disney's Hollywood Studios and got some cute pictures of myself with Buzz Lightyear and Woody. I also have a picture of me kissing Sulley's cheek. I took them with my cell phone, so I don't know how to post them. If you have any clue, please let me know.

I am going to start the recipes tomorrow. I plan to do it every Tuesday. There will be some dessert recipes thrown in there, probably once per month. If I can't come up with my own recipe, I'll use one of our family favorites. Also, I'm open to your suggestions. If you would like to see a recipe for a particular ingredient, let me know.Also, if you tweak my recipe and it tastes better than the one I posted, tell me. It won't hurt my feelings. See ya!

Extra magic hours rock!!

Last night, Mel and I had the 'coolest' time at Disney's Magic Kingdom. First off, it was the first time I've ever been cold in Florida. Usually, we come here in the heat of the summer. Secondly, since we are staying here, we are able to stay late at different parks on different nights.

We basically got to ride all if the rides and see all the shows in a couple of hours. As you can imagine, there weren't any lines. That's why it usually takes so long to see everything. We will be hitting Hollywood studios tonight, Animal kingdom (for a roller coaster) on Wednesday, and Epcot Friday night.

Today, while Mel is in class, I'm going to Target to get some long sleeved shirts and maybe another jacket. I brought a light jacket, but it's too chilly here for that. Thank goodness it's not snowing.

Shout out to my greatest friend Suzan for having my kids this week. Snow days and all. You are super!! I know we don't keep tabs, but I owe you big, I know!

iTunes ate my songs

:(

I don't know how to get them back. I bought them on my iPod, and when I went to upload them to my iTunes on my computer, they disappeared. I don't know what happened to them. Two whole albums uploaded just fine. But I only have one song from the other album, and a single song I bought isn't there. I just got off of the phone with someone, but I don't know if he really understood me. I guess I'll call back tomorrow. During the day. I usually get people from Idaho when I call during the day. They understand me.

The funny thing? They were songs by Guns 'n Roses and Stevie Wonder. At least my Tito Rojas and Michael Buble' didn't get deleted.

You people disappoint me

I really wanted to do the 'restaurant of the week'. I love eating out.

Now, I have to create recipes. Thankfully, I have some already written down. I actually created one tonight and that's what we had for dinner.

I'm just going to warn you guys: I don't cook 'healthy'. I use butter and cream, and other rich foods when I cook. The food tastes better, and it fills you up. However, I believe in moderation. What that means to me is this: Eat anything you want, just don't eat too much of it. So, if I make a recipe for chicken pot pie that uses heavy cream, you can probably substitute skim milk if you want to. OR you can cook it the way I make it in the recipe. Just don't make it three times in one week and eat it all by yourself.

I also try not to use foods from a can. Some things are much easier to use if it comes from a can, such as tomatoes. Other things, like cream of (chicken, mushroom) soup, you will not find here. I can make my own creamy base, and if you don't, I'll walk you through it. Don't worry.

Mel did bring up a good point. I do have a disclaimer on my title that says that 'everything's my way'. So, don't be surprised if you see a restaurant or someone else's recipe on this blog. I'm not perfect.

Arachnaphobia

Last night, after the two younger kids went to bed, we let the older ones stay up and watch 'Arachnaphobia'.

They wanted a scary movie, and didn't want to watch that one because they thought it would be lame. This is the trouble watching movies older kids. Everything is lame. I'm not saying Arachnaphobia isn't lame, I'm just saying that they didn't think so. They loved it!

It's funny that I remember screaming like the silly 15 year old girl I was, the first time I watched that movie. Even though I knew when all of the jump-out-at-you parts were, I still screamed like a silly 15 year old girl. It was great!

What movie is like that for you?

I'm one tough chick

• I didn't even cry when I fell on the ice Monday. It looked like I was sliding on a 'slip n slide'. I was going pretty fast. I fell hard on my right side and bruised my ribs.
• I buy cheap heels and wear them all day, causing pain and sometimes even blisters. All in the name of fashion.
• I usually don't cry during movies. Unless they are the 'Hallmark Hall of Fame' movies that come on tv. Then I cry at the commercials too.
• I don't get grossed out if one of my kids gets hurt and is bloody or bruised. Unless Mel is around. Then I'm a big wimp.
• I'd rather have people tell it to me like it is. Kinda like Simon on American Idol. If I do a crappy job at something, tell me. Don't sugar coat it. I can handle it. Usually.

Laughing at Viv

As she screams at me, "I'm not a lady, I'm Vivian!! I'm not even a young lady. I'm just Vivian!!"

No dear, I guess you aren't. My mistake.

10 things

1. I gradually change clothes over the course of the day. I'll start off wearing a cute outfit with jewlery, and piece by piece, I end up taking off the jewlery and changing into my loungy clothes and bathrobe.
2. I watch iCarly on Disney channel with Mimi. And I like it.
3. Mel and I let Vivian cook at the stove. It makes me nervous, but she's always supervised and is very careful. How else will she learn?
4. Because we did #3 with the other kids, they are all capable of cooking dinner (Patricia), lunch (Mimi), and breakfast (Trystan).
5. I believe it's a lazy parent that doesn't teach her children to be self sufficient. (for example: putting on their own shoes, dressing themselves, helping with household chores, preparing meals)
6. Sometimes it's easier to just do it yourself rather than take the time to teach them.
7. I wonder what kind of children I have that don't like PEZ. Where have I gone wrong?
8. I get mad at my kids for eating up all of the good snacks. Just like my mother did when my brothers and I ate all of the good snacks.
9. Patricia chastized me the other day for not making creative meals. She loves my creations! I've been making 'regular' dinner lately. I think the hummus and pita bread from Thursday made amends.
10. I am totally and completely in love with Vivian. She has such a cute and fun personality. She also makes me completely crazy. Half of the time I want to stuff her in the freezer. But I don't. Not yet, anyway.

You've come a long way, baby!

AAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!

That's what I said when I pulled this picture out of my closet this weekend. WOW!! I don't know if I should be mad or proud. Mad because people let me leave the house with those jeans on. Proud because I know better now.

I guess I just wanted to post that picture to let all of you people who have only known me like this:That I didn't always look so fabulous. The 30's aren't so bad after all.

26 days and counting

The great thing about having a husband that travels is that sometimes I get to go with him. I know that most of you girls that read my blog have husbands who travel and you don't get to go along for whatever reason, but if you get the chance to dump your kids and do it, you should. I am dumping mine with one of the best friends I've ever had, Suzan.

Last year, I got to go to Hawaii with Mel. He went for work, and I got to spend the week shopping, sunbathing, and eating at some really good restaurants.

This year, he's going to a conference in Orlando. We are leaving a few days early, like before, so we can hang out and do fun stuff before 'work' during the week.

I've never been to Orlando without kids, so I'm not sure what I should do. We are staying at Shades of Green to check out the place for a future family vacation. (It's research, not fun. Really!)

So, come on, tell me what I can do to keep myself entertained while Mel's at 'work'.

But is it fair?

You know, the more I think of it, the more I think that the person who won had an unfair advantage.

1. She knew my family likes Fruity Cheerio's because she gave me some boxes not too long ago. I think this was one of them.
2. She shops at the same commissary as me so she would know that Cinnamon Life is on sale and that I probably bought some since I like sales.
3. She might also know that there is a buy 2 get 1 free coupon for Special K cereals, and since I have kids, they might like the berries, so that's why I got the berries.
4. And since she's a 'good mormon' and probably has her year's supply, she probably has at least 60 lbs. of church refried beans in her pantry.

I don't know. Karen, what do you think?

I think it's obvious that I just finished reading The Princess Bride last week.

What's in a number?

Today is post number 100. Like, duuu-uh. Why else would I have five pictures of cereal making the number 100? But this isn't just any 100th post commemoration blog entry.

It's a contest!!

What kind of cereal are these numbers made of? And no, I didn't count out 100 for all of them. Just the first one. Don't check. It might be only 99. I think I lost count.

They are all name-brand cereals. Except for the last one. It's not cereal. What is it? The person who gets all of them right will get a prize. A yummy, homemade prize. So, come on! Give me a reason to make some treats!

Bloggin on the iPod

How we doin'!

Thanks for the research Brie. Now I have another reason why I LOVE my iPod. Everyone should have one.

Almost a year ago...

Something happened.


HA!!!

You all have to admit, you love me.

A confession

Dear Blogger,

I have to admit that I have been seeing another website. It's hard to face the truth, but I am finally admitting it. I know I haven't been as attentive since I got my iPod touch. I have been neglecting you for facebook. See, I have my reasons. They might not be good reasons, but they are my reasons nonetheless. I can't post new blog entries from my iPod. I can facebook all day (and I do). I can read other people's blogs and even comment, but I can't post. Ok, so it's really just one reason. I'm going to try to be better. I promise. I want us to be what we used to be. Before facebook. Will you let me make it up to you ?

Love,

Marianne

A new Christmas tradition

This year, Mel decided that we needed to start a new Christmas time tradition. He took us to the beach.

Yes, you read that correctly. We went to the beach. Chesapeake Beach. It's about an hour away from us on the Chesapeake Bay. We have gone there several times during the summertime for swimming (actually wading, because it's so shallow, even more than 100 yards out from shore), and fossil finding. One really cool thing about this beach is the fossils. People usually come with their buckets, and shovels to find shark's teeth and other fossils. We have a plastic baggie with at least 100 shark's teeth. And after Mel read an article on winter beachcombing, we decided to go there this Christmas.

The part of the beach we go to has free parking (very limited), but you have to walk at least 1/4 mile to get to the shore. As you can tell, we were excited to get there. We brought blankets, lunch and a tent to set up so we could be nice and comfortable .

It was about 45-50 degrees outside that day. Too cold to get wet, but not too cold to balance precariously on fallen trees over very cold water.

Patricia is the budding photographer. Too bad we don't have a 'good' camera for her. She loves taking pictures. Isn't this hollowed out log cool?

YEAH BOUY!!!!!! (Hey, I couldn't help it. I'm a child of the 90's. Flava FLAAAAAVE)

I didn't mention that very close to the shore, are cliffs. Calvert Cliffs, to be specific. Mimi is actually in a little cave made by the water at high tide when it erodes the cliff.



Cheeeeeese!!

Bigger Cheeeeeeeeese!!

See, how the water is so close to the cliff? Some places along the shore have more beach than this. We usually time our arrival with low tide, so we have maximum play area. We forgot to check the tides when we left home. We actually walked a little ways down the shore from where we set up camp. So, by the time we decided to head back for lunch, this is what we discovered:

NO BEACH!!! Trystan mucked through the water, shoes and all. Patricia took off her shoes first and got the camera to capture the memories for all of us. Mel took the little girls, and I carried our shoes across.

Now, those of you who know me well, know that I HATE to be cold. My darling husband offered to take the girls across, then come back and carry me. (He's definitely a keeper) I didn't take him up on this offer. Once I took off my shoes and stepped into the water, I wish I had!!

The great thing about walking in icy cold water, is that when you get out, your feet actually feel warm. It wasn't so bad walking around barefooted after that. We decided that we needed a memorial shot of our cold feet.

How funny is this? Pants, coats, scarf, and barefeet!!
After the celebratory pictures, we snuggled up in our blankets in our tent and had a yummy lunch and hot chocolate. We had fun, and have made a list of things to bring along for next time. And we'll definitely check when high tide is!

Iron Chef?

On our last night at the Brown household in WV, the older two kids, Patricia and Marshall, thought they should have a cookoff. I picked the 'secret' ingredients and set rules, and officiated in the competition.

They had to make at least two dishes using at least two different ingredients that I chose. Their secret ingredients were pepperoni, banana, and french's fried onions. They could choose to make sandwiches, dips, or treats and they had to use a different ingredient in each. Oh, and they only had 30 minutes. There were three judges: Mimi, Trystan and Roger. Each of the judges scored each creation on a scale of 1 to 10.

They got straight to work:

Patricia is working on her sandwich filling, and so is Marshall.
Friendly competition?

Marshall is on sandwich #2. He made the turkey pepperoni sandwich on a George Foreman grill. Panini-style.

Patricia made one dish from each category. The dip and the drink were both hits. The sandwich wasn't even kinda good.

Mimi taking a bite of Patricia's sandwich.

Marshall made two sandwiches. Overall, his creations were well received. Especially the quesadilla-like sandwich.

His was so good, that it even won over his competitor.

Marshall won 77-56. It was so much fun. They really impressed me with their abilities to make such different things. Those kids are pretty creative.

double lucky saves a lot

You all remember my first encounter with Lucky Brand jeans, right? (click here)

Well, pretty much, ever since then I decided that I'll just have to buy more of these jeans. The only problem with that thinking is that my style (sweet dream) went out of style with Lucky. Yes, they discontinued it.

Don't you hate that? Like that really cool shade of lipstick or nail polish that looks great on you, but you can never buy more because the stupid company decided that they didn't want you to look good anymore? But I digress...

Back to the story.

On our way to Charleston, WV yesterday, we stopped in Hagerstown for gas. They have an outlet mall right next to the place we stopped for gas. Convenient? I think so! I usually don't just 'shop' unless I have a purpose. So, I didn't even think about shopping yesterday when we stopped. That is, until I saw that they had a Lucky Brand jeans outlet store. Now, I knew I didn't have an extra $120 dollars just laying around in my purse, but I decided that I needed to just stop in and see if they had my Sweet Dreams there. They were giving an extra 25% off clearance. That's a good sign. If the jeans are discontinued, they are sure to be on clearance, right? So I looked. And looked. And looked. Then.... disappointment. Two sizes too small, 5 sizes too big, too small, too long, too...... PERFECT!!!!!!!! MY SIZE!!!!! HAPPY DANCE HAPPY DANCE, RUN TO THE DRESSING ROOM, STRIP, TRY ON.......ahhhhhhhhhh..... perfect. I asked the guy if there were any more, and there were. I picked out two. They were on clearance for $39.99, extra $25% off, makes them $29-ish. Two pairs for $63-something. I saved $160 on two pairs of jeans. AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!

Christmas day fun

Mimi with the highly anticipated electric toothbrush. I swear, this made her the happiest.

I am sure I am not the only parent who gets her kids socks for christmas. Mimi got a 'box of socks', Patricia got socks and a shirt, Vivian just got socks, but Trystan got BLACK SOCKS!!! Why do you think I got him black socks? Of course it's because all of his white socks end up black. I decided to save him some time.

So, explain to me the logic behind buying him white shoes. I don't understand it either. The only reason I bought him white shoes is because they only cost $12.50. Yes people, you read right. K Swiss sneakers for $12.50. If they had my size, I would have bought some for myself.

This is Patricia's obligatory bag of Jelly Belly's. They were almost all gone by the time we finished opening presents. She's fast, huh?

Mel got tools. He needed more levels. (whatever)

Vivian and Mimi got lots of bath paraphenelia. Those girls love their baths. Viv couldn't wait to 'paint' the bathtub.
We had been planning on a huge present and reveal for our kids for Christmas since September. We got them a Wii and some games and accessories. The kids noticed a big box in our garage a couple of weeks ago, and guessed what it was. They guessed right, but we tried to pretend that they didn't know what they were talking about. So, on Christmas eve at dinner, Trystan said, "Mom, I bet you are going to set up Guitar Hero World Tour up in the playroom with the Wii, and that will be our big surprise for Christmas." I told him that that would be a great idea if we had one. I still wasn't ready to admit to my cheating kid that he was going to get a Wii. I totally know he peeked, so I decided that I was going to make him work for it. That night, Mel and I decided to hide the Wii, the games, and accessories throughout the house so they would think that we didn't buy them one. After all the presents under the tree were opened, the older two were very concerned. "Is that all?" and "What about the big box in the garage?" were repeated over and over again. We almost had them convinced that we were just holding on to the big box in the garage for a friend, when we told them that they had to search for the last present. This video is what happened. If you decide to watch it, turn your volume down once you get to the part in my closet. Yes, my closet is a mess, and no, I don't mind letting all of you see the mess.




'Wooooooah we're halfway there, woooooo ooohh livin' on a prayer.....'

I am sad to say that I didn't get dressed until about 8:30 pm when Mel and I went out to the movies.

Merry Christmas

Mel is so handsome. I love him so much. He is actually baking sugar cookies for Santa with the kids right now. I don't know how I would survive without him. He's the greatest husband ever.

Patricia couldn't be any more beautiful if she tried. Since she's started Facebook, she has mastered the art of the self-portrait. They are so expressive and beautiful. I like this one because she has the 'yeah, right' look on her face.

I am not sure when Trystan took this picture, but can't you just see that he's up to something? It's as if he is looking back to check to see if I can see him bugging Mimi. And he probably did it anyway.

Here is my superstar!!! She is such a sweet child. She's helpful, kind, smart, funny, beautiful. Did I say kind? I love her hair in this picture. I love her hair period. She has great hair. Next time you see her, check it out. You'll be jealous.

Vivian's first dance recital. She was a reindeer. Can you just eat her? She was so hot and cold about dance class. She likes it, she doesn't like it. Her teacher is mean, she wants her teacher to come over and play. Typical three year old. That's what she is. I keep telling myself that one day it will be all over and she won't be a cute little three year old anymore. That will be the day of my dreams.

And now for the real surprise. Yes, I finally did what I have been talking about for months. It isn't exactly what I wanted. It's kinda orangey, yellowy. I might try again next week, but my scalp hurts after two different bleaching applications in two days. My main consolation is that in two months or less, it will be all grown out and black again. Maybe I'll try something else next time. What do you think? Patricia says that now I have to do something really dramatic with my makeup. I keep reminding her that I am 33. Orangey/yellowy hair is enough.

a picture

Pretty picture of the Washington Monument from the White House. The pictures Trystan took didn't turn out well because:

1. He's 10.
2. He had a disposable camera.
3. He's 10.

Wow! Two entries in a row. It's a record or something. I have to rest now. Take care.

Hob-nobbing with the President

Today, Trystan did something really cool. He got to spend the day with the President and First Lady.



He was lucky enough to be one of the few children selected from his school to attend a special holiday reception and performance at the White House. Here's a link to the page.


Trystan took pictures, but they haven't been 'developed' yet. If there's any good ones, I'll post them.