I see the light at the end of the tunnel!

Yes, I actually see it. For the first time in two weeks, I woke up not feeling half dead. Now that's not to say that I'm all better, but at least I don't feel so crummy, I feel OK!!!
That's a start and I'll take that over not even wanting to get up out of bed.

I'm glad though because I have a busy day ahead of me.

I've had my coffee and some breakfast.....corn pops cereal. I had no idea I would really enjoy it. I'm not much of a cereal person, I can munch on it straight out of the box, but the minute the milk gets in there too, I am just like "Nuh uh, that's not for me". I think it's the whole mushy cereal thing, not interested.

It's only 9am and I've done 3 loads of laundry and one of dishes, not bad. You know what I miss though??? Hanging my clothes out to dry!!!
Back home in South Africa, we still do that, and let me tell you, there's nothing like the smell of freshly dried clothes, I don't know what it is, but it's heavenly :)
The day I buy my own house, I'm SO getting a clothes line!!!

This next week is going to be a bit hectic, we're getting things ready for Curt to leave, the kids are already clingy, they know what's coming. The departures are always hard, not matter for how long or short a time they're gone, but the homecomings are the best, there's nothing like seeing the joy and happiness in the kids eyes when they see daddy walk in the door. Truly beautiful moments!!!

Jasmine and Nicholas seem to have switched roles. Remember we were having problems with Jasmine acting out, and then suddenly, she's become the quiet and good one, while Nicholas has just become, a real boy I would say. The past two weeks he has slowly become more and more independent and set in his ways, it causes a lot of fights. He's newest favorite saying when being told not to do something??? "LEAVE ME ALONE" and he folds his arms and faces away from us. Little brat! LOL

Here in an hour or two I have to get groceries and then run a couple more errands before our pictures at 4pm. I'm not excited at all, I really really really dislike photos. The minute someone brings out a camera, I'm usually the one ducking or making a quick exit. I just don't like being photographed, I'm very critical of myself and eventually sit there looking over the picture and pointing out all my faults. Not a good thing!!!

Tomorrow we're spending the day at a Pumpkin Farm. The kids are thrilled beyond words, they just can't wait, and well, mommy and daddy are just as thrilled and eager to go. There's free hayrides and free entrance to their corn maze, and tons of pumpkins. You all know the paparazzi in me is screaming "let me at 'em", so I've already recharged the camera batteries and made sure I have extra. There's going to be lots of pictures to share.

Of course I can't just leave without getting some good pumpkins. They have all sizes, so I guess we'll get a few, though I'm really wanting some of their 20 lbs pumpkins which only cost $4. Not bad at all!!!

Well I have a grocery list to finish and some laundry to fold. I better get on out of here, my coffee cup needs refilling too. Have a wonderful day.





Right now I have the wonderful aroma of some Steak cooking in the crockpot. I had two big Round tip steaks that I needed to cook or they would go bad, so I popped them in the crockpot, added a can of French Onion Soup and a can of mushrooms and called it good. It smells wonderful. I will fix some mashed potatoes later or even some fries, some green beans and corn to go with and there ya have it :)

By the way, if you want to look at the recipes for last night's dinner, they are posted on the food blog.





Charlotte Gray - Movie

Set in Nazi–occupied France at the height of World War II, Charlotte Gray tells the compelling story of a young Scottish woman working with the French Resistance in the hope of rescuing her lover, a missing RAF pilot.


Based on the best–selling novel by Sebastian Faulks, the film stars Cate Blanchett, Billy Crudup, Michael Gambon and Rupert Penry-Jones. Charlotte Gray is directed by Gillian Armstrong and produced by Sarah Curtis and Douglas Rae.

Bertie and Elizabeth - Movie

In 1920, Elizabeth Bowes-Lytton accepted a dance from the Duke of York ("Bertie" to his royal friends). Soon, they fell in love, married and had children. But when Bertie's brother, Edward VIII, abdicated, Bertie improbably ascended to the throne of England -- something he never planned on doing -- as George VI. This is the story of the couple's life together as king and queen of England, ruling thoughtfully through eras of peace and world war.

Laundry
Shopping for Groceries
Library to return movies
Family Pictures

This cold is kicking my behind!!!

Boy it's been a while since a cold has beat me down so bad. You know how it is, you get a cold and usually you can function, for the most part, as a mom you can't help BUT to continue going. Now THIS cold, this is something else, for the first time today I woke up and felt like doing nothing, I just don't have the energy.

You ever feel like that??? Like you have to coax your body into moving, "you know if you just get up and go do this, I promise I'll give you a big candy bar later". That was me this morning....trying to convince myself to get up off the couch and start the laundry. I know I know, I could leave it, but that's what I've done and now I have a ton that needs to be washed, and really, I like having the choice of clean clothes everyday, don't you???

Today was Picture Day at Jasmine's School. She insisted on picking what to wear and how she wanted her hair....guess my little girl is growing up, I just can't believe she's almost 8 years old.

I look at her at times and wonder where the time has gone, she looks so grown up, so mature and independent. I was just telling Curt yesterday that the whole idea of my kids growing up, scares the living daylights out of me.

It's funny how our thoughts and perspectives change the minute we have children. I always joke about how I've become a hypochondriac. Before I got married, I would have a headache or feel really lousy, and it didn't bother me at all....I didn't even question the thought of it being anything more than a cold or stress.
Then I got married and it shifted a bit, I would be a little more worried about it, after all I now had a husband.

I was NOT prepared however for the feelings that would arise in me, after giving birth. Every little symptom has me frantically searching for the cause....is it really just a cold??? What if I'm really sick, what if this is something serious, what would happen to my children, I couldn't put them through that. And so on....morbid isn't it??? It's actually crazy if you think about it.

It's like watching tv, or reading the news, I can sob at things that never used to upset me.
Watching the Barbara Walters interview with Terri Irwin (Steve Irwin's widow), I bawled through it all, and I don't mean just a little tear, I was just crying my eyes out. I found it extremely sad and seeing her so distraught just broke my heart, but the minute the kids pictures came up and they showed Bindi Sue's speech at his memorial, that was it for me.

But it also helps me realize just how God feels about us, about His children and the pain and heartache we go through. What's worse is that I know that I am the one bringing them on myself at times which in turn causes Him pain too. How sad, nothing like that to make me rethink my actions.

Anyway, enough about sad things, I have a haircut appointment at 1pm. I was going to cancel it but they are full for a couple of weeks and I've already been waiting for a while. I'm not doing anything drastic, I want to keep my length but just layer it. I have the thickest hair and there's no way that I can wear it one length, it's really heavy. You know what kind of haircut I want??? Like Kelly Monaco, if only I could find a good picture to show the hairdresser...oh well, maybe I'll be lucky and get one that watches General Hospital. LOL


Wish me luck though, I have the family pictures tomorrow, if they mess it up I'm in trouble!!!

I'm extremely blessed to have such a wonderful husband. I was running a fever yesterday, and even though he had just gone to bed at 9am (remember he works night shift), he got up at 2pm to go pick up Jasmine. He insisted that I stay home and take care of myself, while he took Nicholas and then picked up dinner on the way home too. How great of a guy is he huh???

I managed to take a bath while he was gone, it felt good to just relax and not worry about quickly washing up or trying to keep the kids out of the bathroom with their questions:

1. What are you doing?
2. Why are you taking a bath?
3. Can I give you my ducky?
4. Can I take a bath with you?
5. But why can't I go in too?
6. I need a drink, I need a snack!

I have to keep reminding them that daddy is just downstairs and to go ask him for stuff. Even when he's home they still come to me for everything...amazing isn't it? LOL

But anyway, I took my bath and then had dinner and went to bed. That's how miserable I felt. 5:30pm and I'm tucked into bed, slipping in and out of sleep!!!

I think I slept for two hours and then woke up at 7pm, just in time for the new show "Ugly Betty". I LOVED it, what a sweet sweet show, I really enjoyed it. Can't wait for next week :)
And since Barb mentioned it, and said she felt sorry for me for not watching survivor LOL, I went back and forth between the two. I don't know what it is, I just can't get into survivor, I find it extremely boring....but that's just my opinion. *Ducks from stones*

Anyway, I better get going, have a couple things to do before heading to my appointment. Hope you are all enjoying your Friday, and oh, here you go, some French Vanilla Coffee to take with you....nothing to eat though, sorry, I was too lazy and sick to do it :)

God Bless,





For dinner I'm fixing Portuguese Steak with Onions or better known to us portuguese people as "Bifes de Cebolada". I'm serving them with Portuguese Fried Potatoes, the recipes will be up on the food blog later.






Rachael Ray - *new* ABC 12pm

Ghost Whisperer - *new* CBS 7pm

Most Haunted - Travel Channel 8pm

Exploring three reportedly haunted sites in the city of Derby.

Most Haunted - *new* Travel Channel 9pm

Laundry
Making Budget and Grocery List
Getting Hair Cut

Good Morning everyone.....

Well come on in I have some hot coffee and some Crepes with Cream Cheese and Strawberries. I can't really taste them at all, but I'm sure you'll be able to enjoy them :)

I'm still sick, of course, I'm now at the Can't Smell-Can't Taste phase, the most frustrating for me, I might as well be eating cardboard for all the taste I'm getting out of food.

I did go to the doctor and it seems it's just a really bad cold with a bit of a sinus infection going on. The sinus has always been my problem, and when I get sick you couldn't fit a needle through my nose....at least that's what it feels like to me. Is there anything worse than not being able to breathe??? I didn't think so!!!

I told you yesterday that I picked up that comforter set and curtains for Jasmine's room. I got most of it up already and she loves it. I think her room looks so girly....the next step is getting rid of the bunk bed and buying two small beds. I had to wait for her to agree, but I think she's finally ready to get rid of the bunk beds.

Excuse Nicholas in the picture, any chance he gets to go in big sister's room, he does. He is constantly amazed at her toys and her girly stuff. He has a special affinity for Barbies, which started worrying my hubby until he found that Nicholas kept stashing them in his room, but all their clothes were gone....they were completely naked. LOL

So last night I decided to go ahead and make the meatballs that I had planned. I go and open the ground beef package and yet AGAIN, this horrible stench. What is going on???
Guess I'm making a nice call to the Base Commissary today, this is the third package of ground beef that this has happened to.
But, I made a quick Spaghetti Sauce using leftover chourico and some bacon. It was REALLY good.

By the time I had my bath and got into bed, I was pooped. Seriously, this thing of playing house and being an adult is really hard at times. I love being a mom and wife and taking care of the house, don't get me wrong, BUT when I'm sick I want MY mommy. I want to be tucked into bed and brought soup and tea, I want to lay there and not be bugged, not hear kids screaming at each other, not worry about whether I got that last load of laundry in the dryer, not worry about what my family is going to eat for dinner if I don't fix it.

It's the one thing about being military, that really upsets me. You don't have family nearby, I truly envy my brothers living close to home, when they need something there's always someone there to help, to watch their kids for them, or help them through a hard time. I don't have that, I've learnt to be independent and to take care of myself. I've gone through things that no one should have to go through, and I did it alone, no one there with a shoulder to cry on or to take over. You know I could be bitter, but I'm not, it's made me who I am today......BUT, I do sometimes wish I could just go lay down and not worry about anything!!!! *Sigh* I can dream can't I???

So anyway, this morning I wake up, my nose is all red from blowing it and I see THIS. WHAT THE HECK?!?!?!

Oh come ON, you have got to be kidding me. It's a huge cold sore, just in time for the family pictures on Saturday. I have to admit that God has a sense of humor, nothing like this to make me freak out. I started thinking of how I can cover it up, what I can use to make it just go away.

Then I realize that for some reason, when I have some important picture coming up, I get these. Two days before my wedding day, I got a cold sore, but this time it went from the corner of my mouth, and halfway up my face.

Yeah nothing like THAT to make me a beautiful bride LOL
I'm just handing this one over to God, and whatever happens happens.

I decided to take it easy today, these past few days have been tough for me, I'm moving at snails pace and still trying to do everyting. I hate asking for help, but I'm sorry, I think it's time I ask hubby and the kids to pitch in for today. I'm going to take some medicine and curl up on the couch with a book, maybe watch some tv. I'm leaving dinner up to them too, and since they've been talking about Burger King's Angus Mushroom Burgers (now I'm craving one), I guess that's what we're having :)

Thank you all for the well wishes, it means a lot to me. :)






Who knows...only time will tell :) Hubby and kids are in charge so it could be Burger King, Taco Bell, Popeye's Chicken, Pizza or a sandwich, maybe soup...I don't know.





Rachael Ray - *new* ABC 12pm

Ugly Betty - *new* ABC 7pm

Grey's Anatomy - *new* ABC 8pm

ER - *new* NBC 9pm

ABSOLUTELY NOTHING TODAY.....that's a first for me :)

SLOW COOKING THURSDAY!!!

With fall just around the corner and so many wonderful recipes being shared, constantly, amongst the blogging ladies....I thought that it would be neat to have a feature every thursday, just for crockpot recipes.

What do you think??? You have some great recipes to share, or perhaps you're looking for some delicious ones to give you a reason to pull out the ol' crockpot???

Well it's thursday ladies and you know what that means. Time to pull out those crockpots and put them to good use.

If you want to join in, just grab the banner and add your name to Mr Linky :)

Smoky-Flavored Barbecued Ribs

3 1/2 pounds pork loin back ribs
1/4 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
3 tablespoons liquid smoke
2 cloves garlic, finely chopped
1 teaspoon salt
1 medium onion, sliced
1/2 cup cola
1 1/2 cups barbecue sauce

Spray inside of 5- to 6-quart slow cooker with cooking spray.

Remove inner skin from ribs. Mix brown sugar, pepper, liquid smoke, garlic and salt; rub mixture into ribs. Cut ribs into about 4-inch pieces. Layer ribs and onion in slow cooker. Pour cola over ribs.

Cover and cook on low heat setting 8 to 9 hours or until ribs are tender. Remove ribs from cooker. Drain liquid from cooker and discard.

Pour barbecue sauce into shallow bowl. Dip ribs into sauce. Place ribs in cooker. Pour any remaining sauce over ribs. Cover and cook on low heat setting 1 hour.

I think someone mistakenly left

a knife in my throat. Or at least that's what it feels like.....something really sharp, slowly twisting .

Of all the symptoms that come with a cold, the sore throat for me is the one that I really can't handle.....maybe because it affects my eating, and you all know how much I love food LOL

We did manage to get some sleep last night, but when hubby works night shifts, Nic wants to sleep with me, and I don't mind, I actually welcome the company.
BUT....are you ready??? BUT, what I DON'T like is that when he is sick he tends to have some bed wetting issues.
So I'm all snuggly and sleepy and I turn over and feel something wet on my leg. I'm still pretty much asleep but this light goes off "UH OH!!", I quickly grab his leg and feel that he is wet, move my hand to his underwear and it's soaking. Dagnabit, it's 3am!!!

I had to drag myself around, in the dark, trying to be as quiet as a mouse so as not to wake Jasmine sleeping in her room.....wash him up, redress him with clean clothes, and then hunt down some new bed linens. All this at that horrible hour of the morning!!!
Oh the things moms have to do!!!

One thing I've noticed with myself, is that, when I'm sick I tend to go into overdrive, it's like when you're exhausted and can't keep your eyes open and then suddenly at 10pm you get that second wind, and you're ready to go another 12 hours. That's what I feel like....I feel miserable and mopy and then suddenly BAM!!! I'm up cleaning and reorganizing, yes I reorganize when I'm sick.

By the time hubby got up in the afternoon, he noticed the change LOL He just laughs and shakes his head, he always tells me "You nesting again?"....as if!!!

But I worked on the kitchen, trying to get some more fall decorations going etc, and then I realized I was out of bread. Now what does a woman do when that happens??? Go buy some bread you say??? Nah, I just bake my own...see how I get when I'm sick??? I'm in the kitchen at 1pm baking two loaves of bread. I got the recipe from Kelli over at "There's no place like home" and Oh BOY, did that bread turn out good.

Freshly baked and hot out of the oven, slathered with butter......is there anything better than that???
So if you want to try some, just go look here for the recipe, and while you're there, check out what Kelli is planning to do soon, it's going to be so much fun for them and I can't wait to see the pictures :)

I had a couple of errands to run this morning, so I decided to stop at the thrift store. I found some fall decorations and also a really cute bed set for Jasmine. It's all girly, pink and flowers and all that cute stuff, it had the comforter and sheets, dust ruffle, panels and valances, and all for just $10. How cool is that??? I've just got done washing them all again, and now I'm going to go fix her room, she's going to be thrilled :)

Unfortunately leaving the house only made me worse. I just can't win can I??? I feel awful right now, running a bit of a temperature, hopefully by dinner time I'll be a little better so I can fix dinner, if not, guess it's take out. You have no idea how I hate doing that, I feel horrible when I have to do that.

Thank you all for the well wishes, seems there's a lot of colds going around, almost everyone I talk to has their family sick with the flu. It's that whole change of season, and here especially we've had 30 degree mornings, and then 70 to 80 degrees afternoons, it's just crazy.

Well I better get going. Gotta see if hubby can pick Jasmine up, if not, guess I'll be heading out shortly. You ladies have a wonderful afternoon,

God Bless,




The plans for dinner were Meatballs and Spaghetti, some homemade garlic bread and a nice salad. The way I'm feeling right now, we might end up having Burger King....Arrrrgghhh!!!





Montel Williams - *new* ABC 3pm

Jericho - *new* CBS 7pm

20/20 - *new* ABC 9pm

Commissary for Milk
Run Errands
Thrift Store

Lord Give me Strength....

See that picture on the left???? That's me this morning!!!

Nicholas is sick, really sick, and so we were up all night. I managed to fall asleep at 5am and then slept until 6:30am, I had to drag myself out of bed, it took everything out of me to get up and walk. After a quick jump in the shower, I came downstairs and started the coffee pot. It's FULL, full of that heavenly yummy shot of energy....I'm on my second cup already and it's hard staying awake.

Nicholas is laying on the couch, his favorite blankie clutched tightly in his hands. I keep hearing "I don't feel good mommy, my tummy hurts". He's already had some medicine for the fever, and his poor little voice is all croaky. It's going to be a LONG day!!!

I wrote another post below, while browsing through some of my favorite blogs, one of the ladies had talked about "what nourished her soul", so I decided to talk about what nourishes my soul and how the requisites for it have changed over the years. Would love to hear how things have changed for you all :)

I'm making this post a short one, I am tired, sick, cranky as all heck and I have a little one to take care of. Housework is waiting to be taken care of too, so I am going to get Nic back down for a nap and then get some things done around here.

I truly hope that you're all doing good and that this horrible season cold has not reached you. If it has, I'm sorry, I forgot to wipe down the monitor yesterday. You might want to give it a good wipe on your side too, these germs can be very sneaky.

God Bless,





The chicken we had yesterday was delicious, will post the recipe soon. As for today, I'm making Skillet Beef and Brocolli, and I'm also fixing a big ol' pot of chicken soup, nothing like a bowl of steaming soup to help us feel better :)





Rachael Ray - *New* The CW Noon (mountain time)

House - *New* Fox 7pm (mountain time)

Law and Order - SVU - *New* NBC 9pm (mountain time)

Ironing
Sweeping and Mopping
Vacuuming
Baking Bread, great recipe from Kelli over at "There Is No Place Like Home"

The things that nourish us....

For the past few weeks I've come to realize that the things that nourished my soul as a young child, have dramatically changed.

Things change, WE change as we grow. The things that we once loved and thought were all we needed to make us happy, are now the things that we don't even consider or remember at the end of the day.

I don't just mean food wise, although my taste has changed over the years, but I really mean everything around me, the way I am, the small things that make me extremely happy and overwhelming with joy.

Growing up, I remember that coming home from a day at school, I would find my greatgrandma in the kitchen, a snack waiting for us at the table. I would eat, go change out of my school uniform, and then indulge in some play time. Either playing cars, cowboys and robbers, hospital or just being silly with my brothers.

At the end of the day, I would lay in bed with the biggest smile on my face and thinking....this is wonderful, I feel completely happy. My soul had been nourished!!!

As I became a teenager, I would come home from school just long enough to drop off my stuff, and head back out with my friends. In search of that cute boy we had seen the day before, the local hang out, the night clubs where we dressed up pretending to be older than we really were. We wanted the attention and if a cute boy smiled at us, that was enough.

I would get home late at night on the weekends, lay in bed, and I could still hear the music pounding in my ears. Again, just like years before, I smiled, overwhelmed and nourished, just by those few things.

I truly believed that materialistic things are what nourished my soul.

And then I became a mother and everything started changing. I fought it at first, I wanted to hold on to every little piece of my past. My weight changed which in turn changed my clothes size, which in turn changed the way I saw myself.
For the longest time, I was just FAT...or so I believed, I cursed the food I put in my mouth, almost hating it for turning me into what I was.

There was no more "me time". It was all about the house, the kids and the husband, the budgets and trying to make it work. By the end of the day, I was tired, tired of running around, tired of being touched by the kids and just tired in general. I wanted to run home, back to my childhood, I wanted to say "I DON'T feel well", and have my stepmom come up and tuck me into bed, off to take care of dinner or another house chore. I wanted it all back, I certainly wasn't enjoying the responsibility. This thing of playing "grown up" was no fun at times.

But then as the time went by, I slowly started realizing that I'm a beautiful, intelligent woman.

My body changed but I have two beautiful children to show for it. I have responsibilities as a wife and mother, and that is good, in fact, that is wonderful :)

My tastes changed, foods I didn't enjoy before, are now some of my favorites. Movies I never would have dreamed of watching, I know loose myself in, and books I found boring, are now the most riveting and exciting I have ever come across.

My views changed, where once I believed that in order to have a really "amazing day", it had to be filled with some sort of expensive gift, elaborate glamorous party and tons of activities, I now realize that if I take all of that away from it, I'm left with what really matters. MY FAMILY!!!!

The day we had on saturday only helped to reiterate it all. We didn't spend money doing expensive things, we took a walk around the neighborhood, collecting leaves, we created art together and we laughed and laughed and enjoyed it all. Soaked in all the blessings and all the beauty of being a family. Now THAT is what I live for.

Nowadays, all it takes to nourish my soul is simple....after a great day in the company of my kids and husband, I pick up the Bible or another book, or watch a favorite show on the tv, and I smile, I smile just as fervently as I did when growing up, for my SOUL HAS BEEN NOURISHED!!!

Crafty Hands and Runny Noses!!!

The title of this post tells you exactly what you will find around my house, especially yesterday. Hubby came down with the cold and since he loves us all so much, he was very kind to pass it on, full force. Here I was thinking I was feeling better, but now I'm miserable again.....the kids are sick, hubby's sick, and mommy is "sicker". Can't really say I'm sick, I just never got better :)

But you know, I'm not one to let it get me down. While sitting on the couch yesterday, I decided to finally give that Purse a try. If you have an hour and want to make something really cute for your daughter or niece, or even a friend....this is the perfect project.
It's sooooo easy to make, the only thing that took the longest for me, was the blanket stitching around the edges....and why you may ask???
Because for some reason it took me 20 minutes just to remember how to do it LOL Very frustrating!!!

Here's the purse halfway done:

And here is the finished purse. Jasmine LOVES it. She got to pick the fabric and what sort of embelishment she wanted on the front. All that it needs now is a clasp, which I'm going to buy today and add.

It gave me ideas for some simple gifts I can make for my nieces in South Africa. I think these would make great christmas gifts, and they would be handmade by their aunt, so I'm sure they would love them :)
I'm also going to change the design a bit and make myself a cute cellphone holder.

But anyway moving on, so we have germs galore in this house, which means I'm going to be giving it a good clean top to bottom. Going to change the bed linens too and vacuum again and all that fun stuff. I'm just wanting this cold gone soon.

Last night I had meatloaf planned for dinner. I thawed out the meat and then went to get ready to cook, opened the package and was met by this overwhelming HORRIBLE stench. The meat was bad. I JUST bought it. How annoying is that???

So I had to make quick changes to the menu. I decided to make a quick pot of soup, can't go wrong with that, I fixed "Baked Potato Soup". It was SO good, just hubby alone had 3 full bowls. It doesn't make a lot though, so next time I'm going to double or triple the recipe.

You all know that I LOVE books, but I'm not much, or actually at ALL into online books. To me reading a book means picking it up, holding it in my hands and smelling the pages....I absolutely love the smell of books. But recently while browsing around on the internet, I found this site called "19th Century Girl's Series". It includes a list of plus some samples of the books. I've had a lot of fun going through them, and I can't wait to use it as a reference next time I go to the library.

Another great site I found is called "Classic Book Library" and it has a wonderful list of old Children's literature, books that we either grew up reading or remember hearing about. Go take a look, I'm sure you will be happy to see "Anne of Green Gables", "Black Beauty", Pollyanna" and "Rebecca of Sunnybrook Farm". Can't wait to share these with Jasmine :)

Here in an hour we're heading to Jasmine's school. This week she's the most important person in the class, the kids get to take some of their favorite things, pictures and they can also have a show and tell. Of course Jasmine was thrilled with the idea of taking the pugs to show her class mates.
So we're off with pugs in tow, just hope the girls behave. :)

I've got so much to do today and I'm just glad that my day is set out for me, if I didn't follow a schedule, I really don't know how how I would ever get through so much.

I usually post my recipes on my food blog, but since I'm in an Anne of Green Gables mood, I am leaving you with a recipe for some delicious tea.

Marilla Cuthbert's Ginger Tea

Altogether, Anne went to bed that night in a rather pessimistic mood. She slept poorly and was so pale and tragic at breakfast next morning that Marilla was alarmed and insisted on making her take a cup of scorching ginger tea. Anne sipped it patiently, although she could not imagine what good ginger tea would do. Had it been some magic brew, potent to confer age and experience, Anne would have swallowed a quart of it without flinching.
(Anne of Avonlea, Chapter 4)

Ingredients:

4 cups of water
1/2 cup of fresh ginger root
honey
lemon

Directions:

1) Peel the ginger root and slice it into thin slices.
2) Boil the water in a saucepan.
3) Add the ginger slices once the water is at a rolling boil
4) Cover the saucepan and reduce heat to a simmer for 15-20 minutes.
5) Strain the tea to remove the ginger slices.
6) Add honey and lemon to taste.

And that's it for me this morning, my coffee has gone cold, that's the sign that blogging time is over. I do promise to come back later and visit you all. Enjoy your day :)






For dinner I'm making Roast Chicken with Potatoes and Garlic. It's a portuguese recipe and I'll share it later, so if you're a garlic fan (which I am), be sure to go take a peek at the food blog this afternoon.





Ironing
Changing Bed Linens
Sweeping and Mopping
Jasmine's show and tell at school
Library

Come in from the cold......

It's chilly outside, and inside I have Hot fresh coffee, we're having "Maple Pecan", and I also have breakfast all ready. How about some bacon, eggs, sausages and some biscuits and gravy???

So come in and sit down, I have a lot of photos to share with you today, you might want to get ready for that. If you don't like looking through photos, you may want to skip this post altogether, but I'm hoping you'll change your mind and stay a bit :)

What a wonderful day we had yesterday!!!

You know as a parent it's much too easy to get so caught up in the daily grind, the schedules and errands, work, house, cooking and cleaning, responsibilities. It's easy to brush aside the importance of spending time with the kids all in the name of "BEING BUSY".

I've done it way too many times, I'm not ashamed to admit it. Then there's the times that I buy them a toy because I feel guilty, like THAT'S supposed to take the place of spending time with mommy. But you know, at least I realize what I'm doing and try really hard to change it.

So yesterday, even though I'm still sick, I told the kids it was their day. I honestly didn't think hubby would join in, he's got his shifts all switched around and is struggling to get some sleep. One day he has to be at work at 5am, then the next it's 3pm, and then the following it's 11:30pm. But anyway, I thought he would be sleeping and wouldn't be able to join us, but I was wrong, he wanted to come along, especially knowing that next week he will be heading out again.

We started the day with a trip to the library, always my favorite place to head to. I was able to snap some pics, is there anything more precious than kids and books together???
Now here is where the endless photos begin, so come on and sit at the kitchen table with me, we can eat while we look right???

Oh let me just say that on the way to the library, we had already been picking leaves for our LEAF COLLAGE. I was amazed at the beautiful leaves we had already found, I mean, not just shape wise, but color and size. Truly amazing!!!

We came back home to drop off all the books, and that is when hubby decided to join us in our quest for leaves. It turned not only into a search for the perfect leaf, but also a learning experience for all of us. Have you ever just gone outside near your house and around the area, and really looked at the flowers and nature around you???

The first thing we saw were some crabapples, which Jasmine actually mistook for cherries and was sooooo thrilled :)

What is beyond the fence that has the kids so enthralled??? Well the playground off course, they tried mighty hard to see if they could squeeze through that small hole in the fence. But their attention was only lost for a minute before they set off on their quest for leaves again.

I kept having to call Nicholas back, he was trying to sneak off to the park LOL
Gotta love those wagons though, just pop them in there, they love going for a ride, and we love being able to keep them with us at all times :)

Along the way we saw some really pretty desert flowers. Yes we live pretty much in a desert, and I had no idea that it could be so beautiful, if you just take the time and pay attention to what is around you.

It wasn't long before we came upon a beautiful butterfly.

And then our friend grasshopper, he actually stopped right at our feet and remained there while I snapped pictures. Look even Jasmine got to touch him, not a peep from Mr Grasshopper. The kids were beyong thrilled and we kept hearing "OH we love this day, this is the best day ever".

As our walk came to an end, the kids wanted to make a "wish". They LOVE these, so every chance they get they pick one. Wonder what they're wishing for???
No doubt more toys!!!

By the time we got home, everyone was tired and hungry, although extremely excited at the beautiful afternoon we had spent. So instead of grabbing some sandwiches, we went to the Food Court at the BX to have some lunch. Now that may not sound like a great deal to you guys, but we hardly ever go there to eat, if we get food we bring it home. It's just that with the two kids, it was painful trying to sit down, they wanted to run all over, fight with each other, scream and shout....you understand that young kids and sit down restaurants don't necessarily mix. LOL

When we returned home it was time for some art. I think we were all dying to get in there and make our leaf collages. The rules were = THERE'S NO RULES!!! Just use your imagination, so we set to work. Wow, did we have fun, we allowed ourselves to have fun, no holding back, there were leaves all over the table, glue and glue sticks sticking here and there, sticky hands and lots of laugh.
But here's the end result, everything ready for the frames, which I'll have to do later today.

Aren't those just adorable??? Look at all that color, it really brings out the best of Fall :)
I'll be sure to share the pictures once they're all up in frames and hanging on the wall.

So there you have it, I guess you could call it our day in pictures? It just served to remind me and hubby that we don't have to go far or spend loads of money, to enjoy having fun with the kids. All they want is some alone time with mommy and daddy, so next time you're out walking, stop and look at things around you, get down on the ground with the kids and explore together, it's SO much fun ;)

Anyway, yesterday I told you all that I would share my daily schedule, of course this is just a rough draft, if I have appointments or if something comes up, I just adjust it, but it's pretty much what my day consists of. As you can see it leaves me plenty of time for TV and crafts or reading etc. Hope it helps some of you get an idea to jump start your own schedules, and here's the thing, the kids LOVE knowing what's happening next, gives them structure too and stops the "I'm bored, so I'll pick a fight with my sibling" problem.

I used to think that if I want to watch a show on TV, then that's all I'm doing and have to leave everything around me for later. NO NO NO, I've now learnt that I can do SO much while watching my favorite show, during commercials I can pay bills, make a budget, draw up a menu, look through recipes, or I can fold clothes, iron and even read my favorite book.
This way I enjoy my show AND I don't neglect the household chores. Works for me :)

And then to finish off my day, last night after the kids were asleep, I was able to sit up and watch Anne of Green Gables: The Sequel and I also started Anne of Green Gables: The Continuing Story. I LOVE LOVE LOVE it :)
Only got to sleep at around 1am, and then back up at 6am with Nicholas, but I don't mind....I wouldn't have had it any other way.

It's days like yesterday that remind me why I'm a mom, the rewards far outweigh the bad days, and even the bad days are not BAD per say, just a little chaotic at times. Then again, anything worth having is filled with hard work right???

I hope you enjoyed the pictures and the breakfast, nothing like good company first thing in the morning.

I have laundry to do and I also need to get things ready for my "Ultimate Meatloaf" dinner. I'm posting the recipe on my food blog, right after I'm done here :)

Have a beautiful sunday :)