Happy Birthday

Today is Brianna's 8th birthday! We are headed to Aunt Sonya and Amos' for her swim party. She is so excited. Her friend Julie will be going with us. I can't believe she is 8, it seems like she should be much younger, but she acts much older. I hope she has a fabulous birthday! I will post pictures tomorrow.

Alex Quote of the Day

Alex just cracks me up. We were coming home this morning and he heard someone cutting grass. He looked up at me, as I was getting him out of his car seat and said, "Jesus is cutting grass." I smiled and asked him what he said and he repeated, "Jesus is cutting grass." I busted out laughing while he was going to watch "Jesus" cut grass. He just cracks me up, there is no telling what in the world that boy will say.

On another note, if you know me you know that I am one of the most accident prone people in the world. So on Tuesday, I fell on a water covered bathroom floor, the kids were taking a bath. Still sore from that, and getting more sore as the days go by, I think I broke my toe on the front door this morning. I was walking out to put something in the mail box and my toe got caught on the door jam. I called Brian and told him about it and told him I would try to stay in one piece while he was at work. If I wasn't hurting from so many accidents this week, I would think it was funny. What was funnier, I ordered a stamp set a couple of weeks ago. I was so excited to get it on Tuesday, I already had some cards in mind and was ready to go. Sharon gave me my bag and it was the right stamp set, but the wrong stickers to put on the back of the blocks. I just had to laugh. Sometimes if you don't laugh you will cry.

Great New Recipe

Here is an awesome recipe we tried last night. It was so good and Alex even asked for seconds. He hardly ever does that.

Brown Sugar Chicken
from A Year of CrockPotting

12 boneless skinless chicken thighs, or 6 boneless skinless breasts
1 cup brown sugar
1/4 cup Sprite or Sierra Mist
2/3 cup vinegar (I used white)
3 cloves garlic chopped
2 Tbsp soy sauce
1 tsp. ground black pepper

Put chicken in the crock pot. Cover with brown sugar, pepper, garlic, and soy sauce. Add the vinegar, and pour in the Sprite. It will bubble.

Cover and cook on low for 6-9 hours or on high for 4-5.

We served this with couscous and green beans. If you haven't tried couscous, it's a very small, fine pasta. Pour a little of the chicken juice that's in the crockpot over the couscous! So good, I could have eaten it all!

We are looking forward to the weekend. Tonight we have Rock Group and then on Sunday is Bri's birthday. She is so excited. Her friend Julie will be with us. It's her first friend party.

Bri's Rule

Brianna has some kind of weird thing where she can't lose a tooth when I am around. I have never been in the same place as her when her teeth fall out. She has lost two at my mom's, several at school and tonight while I was buying groceries, her tooth fell out. I have heard about her losing teeth through phone calls or when she gets off the bus. Anyway, if you haven't figured it out yet, she lost another tooth tonight. I don't think she has that many more to lose before she is finished.

Big News

I have big news. As most of you know I have been potty training Alex for quite some time. Well, this week I got serious. He has been wearing his Elmo "unnawears" except at nap and bed time. Today was the first day this week he has worn the same pair of underwear all day!!!!!!!!!! I'm so excited. He even told me a couple of times when he had to go to the bathroom. I don't want him to grow up, but it will be nice not to have to buy diapers all the time.

No School

Okay, it's only the third day of school and it's already been cancelled. We have had a TON of rain and I guess there is a good amount of flooding. I know our crawl space has flooded again. There are several roads closed this morning. I told Brian this morning that Fay packed a punch. She may have never become a hurricane, but she brought a lot of rain. I have emptied Alex's wagon and it is full again. I don't know how many inches a wagon full of rain is, but I know it's been filled up twice.

New Recipes

Here are two new recipes we tried last night:

BBQ Beans and Weenies
from a Year of Crockpotting

4 cans kidney beans
4 cups favorite BBQ sauce
2 packages of Lil' Smokies, or cut up hotdogs

Throw it all in the crock pot and cook on low for 4-5 hours and high for 2-3.

You can used dried kidney beans with this and cook them the night before, but I can never get dried beans right, I never add enough salt.

Oatmeal Peanut Butter Bars
from Sandra Lee

3/4 cup baking mix
2 cups quick oats
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
1/2 cup cinnamon applesauce
1/2 cup raisins
1/2 cup chocolate chips
1 egg
1/3 cup honey

Preheat oven to 350. Lightly spray a 9x9 baking pan with Pam, set aside.

Mix all ingredients until well combined. Press dough into prepared baking pan. Bake for 20-25 minutes.

This was a little bland to me, but I didn't have cinnamon applesauce, we had the plain. This was super easy though. The next time I try it, I will use the cinnamon. I think they would be a great after school snack though.

First Day of School

Yesterday was Brianna's first day of third grade. I can't believe she is in the thrid grade and will be 8 on Sunday. She is growing up to fast. She said she had a good day and didn't say much else. I know she was upset this morning because they have not gotten a schedule yet. She wants to know what she is doing on what day. She is that much like me. Alex missed her and kept wanting to know when Bri was coming home.

Weekend

This weekend was the weekend that Alex was with my mom and dad. I think he had a great time. He got to ride in the fire truck, ride the four wheeler, pet goats, pet horses, and pick blueberries. That means that Brian and I had Brianna to ourselves. On Friday it was just me and her. We went to eat Chinese for lunch. If you haven't tried Hibachi Grill in Kannapolis, you should give it a try. Then I had an eye doctor appointment, so we went to that. Then, we went to get our finger and toe nails done. Brianna's are hot pink with silver glitter. I just got a traditional french manicure. After supper we went to April's bridal shower. It was so funny watching April open her gifts. I have never seen someone get so excited about towels and bath rugs.

Saturday was another jam packed day. We all went to the coffee shop in Harrisburg and then went to buy groceries. After that we relaxed for a bit, then made a meal to take to Ms. Crickett and her family. After that we went up to Carolina Mall so I could get new glasses. My perscription had changed quite a bit in the last five years. Here are my new glasses. I'm still not 100% sure about them, they are just so different from what I had. While I was picking out new glasses Brianna and Brian were on their own to roam the mall. When they met back up with me at Lens Crafters, they had bought me a pocket book that I have been scoping out since May. Didn't they do a great job?!?! I was so excited that while we were eating in the food court, I put all of my stuff in it! I LOVE it.

Alex came home this afternoon. My mom has made a bunch of rings out of beads, they are beautiful. I have about 20 to sell for her, they are $5-$7 a piece. Brianna starts back to school tomorrow. I know she is a little nervous, but excited. We found out Thursday that her teacher is Mrs. Mabe. We don't know her, but I think we are going to have a great year! I am trying a couple of new recipes this week and will let you know how we like them.

Mad

Did you know that race walking is an Olympic sport?!?!?! Brian was telling me last night that he watched it early Thursday morning. Can you believe that? They are taking baseball and softball off the calendar for the 2012 games, but they have stuff like race walking, trampoline and BMX. That just ticks me off.

New Recipe

I tried a new recipe last night. It was so good. I got the recipe from SparkPeople.com, it's a free weight loss website that has an awesome recipe site associated with it.

April and David's Mexican Redneck Casserole

1/2 box macaroni, cooked
1 lb. ground beef
1 package taco seasoning
2/3 c water
1 medium onion, chopped
1 green pepper, chopped
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 can sweet corn, drained
1 cup lowfat sour cream
1 package dry onion soup
1 can Cream of Celery soup
1 can Cheddar soup
8oz. mild cheddar cheese, shredded

Brown ground beef. Add taco seasoning and water and simmer for 5 minutes. Saute onion, green pepper and garlic in butter cooking spray until tender. Mix sour cream, onion soup mix, cheddar cheese, and both soups in a 9x13 baking dish. Stir in corn, sauted vegetables and ground beef. Gently stir in cooked macaroni. Bake at 350 for 35 minutes. Makes 12 1 cup servings.

Here's how I changed it: I used whole wheat pasta and ground turkey. I also sauted the corn with the rest of the vegetables. I tried a little salsa in mine and it was good, so everyone else tried it and we also put some crushed tortilla chips on top.

Pictures

Here is some pictures from Wednesday. We had such a great time and Becca and Kaylee are back today. Brianna has Open House tonight at school and we find out who her teacher is.

We blew up the air mattresses and watched a movie.

Alex wanted his picture taken with Kaylee.

My big girls.

Alex leaves tomorrow for his weekend at PawPaw and MawMaw's. He is excited about riding the four wheeler and playing in the fire trucks. Brianna and I are excited about our day together. I know she needs to go back to school, but I am going to miss her.

Wednesday

I am enjoying having a full house today. Becca and Kaylee are here and everyone is playing. Brianna is so excited to have big kids here to play with. Tonight is the last Wednesday night meeting of Converge. Then some of the youth and I are headed to BoJangles to talk to a kid who hasn't been to church in a while. If our church isn't for this kid, then we really need to find him one. I don't know why he hasn't been coming, but have heard some things that have REALLY upset me. So, I guess I am going for answers and to let this kid know that he IS important and he does matter.

Amazed

I haved loved watching the Olympics. They are on 24 hours and I am watching everything I can. Last night I was watching the women's indivdual gymnastics competition. The lady who got the silver medal for vault was 33. Apparently that is old, as someone who will be 33 in November, it doesn't seem so old. Anyway, the announcers were amazed that a 33 year old was still able to vault. She was competing for Germany. She moved there because her native country, Russia, would not treat her sons leukemia. There were no beds and no treatment. So, she called the gymnastics coach in Germany for help for her son, as payment, she is competing on Germany's Olympic team.

What a Weekend

Wow! What a weekend. On Friday we had Rock Group. Some were missing and we missed them, but had a great time, just talking. Our food theme was breakfast and I made a really good baked french toast. Even Brian seemed to like it and he normally doesn't like breakfast food.

Saturday we went to a surprise party for Aunt Danita. She will be 50 on Tuesday.

All Alex talked about for two days was playing in PawPaw's fire truck. Then he wanted to see two fire trucks. So, after the party we went to the car show where the fire department was selling tickets for the Puddin Boys Festival. They had a fire truck up there and Alex got to "drive." Brianna even wanted to play. If you are asking yourself what the Pudding Boys Festival is, let me tell you. The Puddin Boys Festival is a fundraiser for a scholarship fund in memory of Brian and Pete Walls. Both were members of the Sandy Mush Fire Department and the sons of Jimmy and Doris Walls. If you will be anywhere near Rutherford County on September 20, go to the Sandy Mush FD and support this scholarship fund!

I saw the funniest thing at the car show. Look at the woman with the yellow shirt. She is talking on a cell phone, eating an ice cream and doing the Cha Cha Slide. That is one talented multi-tasking woman. She never missed a beat in the dance. I am so uncordinated I would have fallen on my face. When Brian and Daddy saw it, they knew it would end up being written about. It's just too funny not to share.

Alex thought the "kids' looking in the cars were hilarious. So we got him to stand beside a couple of them to have his picture made.

We took the kids to Frank Liske Park on Sunday afternoon to feed the ducks and play. All three had a great time. It was Alex's first time feeding ducks and Bri hasn't done it in quite a while. I think you are never to old to feed ducks. While we were there a little girl caught two fish. I think it made her brother mad.

This is Brianna's last week of summer vacation. I kind of don't want school to start back. It's been so nice having her at home. She is such a huge help with Alex and Olivia. Today she is loving having Whitley here. Alex is going to my mom and dad's this weekend, so on Friday Bri and I are having a girl day. We are getting our nails done, going out to lunch and then I have to go have my eyes checked, it's time for new glasses. I am so excited about our girl day. Now that Brian is out of school maybe she and I can do stuff like this more often, or her and Brian could go out to lunch and do stuff together on the weekends. She is also loving that her and Daddy have Bible study together every night. Bri had a great time watching the opening ceremony of the Olympics, so she decided to do her own opening ceremony! It was really cute.

Baked French Toast Casserole

Ingredients
1/2 french baguette

1 tbsp dark brown sugar

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1 cup milk

1 tsp vanilla extract

dash of salt

2 eggs

2/3 cup sugar

dash of nutmeg

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Spray oval casserole dish with cooking spray. Cut baguette into half inch squares and put in dish. Mix brown sugar and cinnamon, layer on top of bread. Mix milk, vanilla, salt, eggs, sugar, and nutmeg. Layer the egg mixture on top of bread. Bake for 25 minutes.

I doubled this and it all got gone. I also sliced the bread and did not cut into squares. I just seemed easier.

Weird Wonderings

Why don't people name houses anymore? We are watching some show about old houses and their history and most of the houses are named. What would you name your house? What will your house tell people in 100 years? Will you leave something behind for future generations? The house they are talking about right now apparently belonged to a rather racy woman in the 30's. I don't know what the defination for racy was back in the 30's, probably wearing a skirt above your knees!

Anyway, just another weird thing I was wondering about.

Recipe Update

Last night I made the fried rice recipe that I had posted on June 17. This time I made it with cold rice. It was so good. I added carrots, zucchini, yellow squash and green bell pepper. Even the kids loved it, even though it had the added veggies. It really is a recipe that you could mix and match with. I love those, just use whatever you have in the house.

Last Couple of Days

The last couple of days have been crazy around here. Bri and Olivia have been sassy and backtalking. Alex is potty training, therefore my carpets are NASTY and our carpet cleaner is broken.

I tried a new recipe on Tuesday. It was really good. Bri didn't like it, but everyone else did.

Grilled Roasted Vegetables with Pineapple

1 cup diced potato, peeled or unpeeled
1 cup chopped bell pepper, any color
1 cup chopped raw mushrooms
1 medium onion, chopped
1 cup cherry tomatoes
1 can pineapple chunks in natural juices
3 tbsp olive oil
2 tsp. chopped garlic
2 tsp dill weed
1 tsp. celery salt or celery seed
1 1/2 tsp cayenne pepper (optional)
1 1/2 tsp garlic powder (optional)
1 1/2 tsp onion powder (optional)
Salt, to taste
Pepper, to taste

Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Do not drain pineapple. Mix throughly, then drain all liquids. Grill until tender. You can also put into a 350 oven.

I added zucchini and yellow squash, left out the tomatoes and the other optional stuff. I also chopped my veggies chunky. I will make this again!

Bossy

I've got two bossy girls in my house today. The funny thing is they are bossing each other and making each other mad.

I am trying to potty train Alex. It's going to be much harder than Brianna. She was so easy to potty trian. Alex has no interest and has to be bribed with gummies.

Feeding Ducks

Does anyone know of a place where I can take the kids to feed ducks? We have an abundance of bread and I would love to take the kids before school starts back. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated.

Brianna

Brianna was all set to get her braces taken off in October. We found out today that they will not come off for a while. She was mad! She missed all of last Halloween not eating Tootise Rolls, and now she has to go through another one. I will probably end up letting her eat a few, it's not going to ruin anything. I'm not telling her this though, I am going to let her sweat it out.

Yesterday I got to spend some time with Nicole. She came over for a while yesterday afternoon. I really enjoyed our day. Mrs. Ellie and Liz also came over and we all watched Under the Tuscan Sun.

Olympics

The Olympics began on Friday. The opening ceremonies were okay. I obviously did not get a lot of the symbolism, I normally don't during the opening ceremonies. I love to watch the Olympics though. Brian says it is better to watch me than the TV. I always cry when they play the national anthem and show the family up in the stands cheering for their loved one. I always feel so proud of the winners, knowing they have done their best and represented our country the best way they can.

NKOTB

New Kids on the Block, for you kids or those who don't know. Those of us who were in Middle and High School in the late 80's know who this is. That's right gang, the original New Kids, Jordan, Donnie, Joey, Danny, and Jon are back together, are touring, and have an album of new music. They will be in Charlotte on October 30. Sonya and I went to a New Kids concert when I was in Middle School. Momma took us to Charlotte, we had to buy our tickets and hers. It was quite exciting. I think my poor mom sat there the entire time with her ears plugged so she could drown out the screaming. Wonder if they are doing any of their old songs. Might just have to go just to relive some childhood moment.

Future Rockstar

Thursday

Alex was being extra silly yesterday.
He let his sister dress him up in Princess dress up and put hairbows in his hair.


While still dressed up, he put Brianna's pocketbook on his head.
He went to sleep in the middle of his bedroom floor. Yep, that's shoes he was laying on.
He fell out of the playpen and his lip is still swollen this morning. It looks horrible. He has a big scratch from above his top lip to his chin.

I went to play Bunko last night. It was the first time I had ever played. I have to admit, I liked it. Had a great time and met some women I didn't know.

Camp Video 3

Here is the third video clip from camp. The guys at the end are the family my team helped with our Pay It Forward money.

Camp Video 2

Here is clip 2 from camp. My girl Becca won Chubby Bunny!!!!

Camp Video 1

Splash Pad

I took the kids to the Splash Pad in Kannapolis yesterday. We all had a blast. Liz volunteered to take them for a train ride. If you haven't been and live in the Concord/Kannapolis area, it's only $1 admission for the day. We packed a picnic and had a great time. Here is the website with the information: http://www.ci.kannapolis.nc.us/downloads/ParksRec/Splash_Pad.pdf

Our conductor! He was hilarious!

Happy Birthday

Happy Birthday to Amos and Adrienne today! I hope you guys have a great birthday!

I Know

I know I am posting a lot today, but I have a lot to say. I just found this wonderful blog that I want to share with you all. I found a blog dedicated to cooking in the crockpot. How wonderful is that? As you may or may not know a crockpot is any woman's best friend. So, I hope you all enjoy this blog as much as I think I am! A Year of Crockpotting at: http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Last Night

Last night was our Rock Groups Ladies Night Out. We met at Candice's and had a wonderful time. The food and conversation were great. It's nice to get together with a group of women and just talk. I look forward to these monthly meetings and can't wait until the next one.

I am taking the kids to the Splash Pad in Kannapolis tomorrow. It's so much fun. For $1 we can play in the water all day! Look for pictures of the kids playing later.

I am looking for a new book to read, if you have any suggestions, please let me know. I go through phases where I want to read, and this is one of those phases. I just can't seem to read enough.

I watched Anita Renfroe's DVD "It's Probably Just my Thyroid" yesterday and almost fell off the treadmill when she was talking about goiters loitering! She just cracks me up and I love that she has a message at the end of her show. The one at the end of this DVD made me cry.

Drama

This drama was performed on the first night of camp and again the following Sunday at church. It's 6 minutes long, but well worth it.

Brian

On Saturday we had a surprise graduation party for Brian at Sonya and Amos'. As you can see by his face, he was surprised. We had a great time. We were surrounded by family and that made it that much better. He thought he was going to a birthday party for Amos. I can't believe we actually surprised him!

On Sunday we didn't do anything after church. I read all day and Brian took it easy. It was nice to have a day off with nothing to do.

I finished Breaking Dawn this morning. It was a really good read. I got frustrated with it at times, it was surprising me, but I really liked it!

Redneck

This is courtesy of Brian. He was on 485 this afternoon and saw this little Redneck moment. Yes, that is a window air conditioner in the back window of this lovely van. It must not be working though. Brian said the front window was open!

One More Day

I have less than 12 hours before I can go get the book Breaking Dawn. I am so excited. I can't wait to see if Bella and Edward get married. Will he turn her into a vampire? I just can't wait!