{ Template, Exercise Video and Staying on track }

Isn't is amazing how the sun shining through in that photo almost seems to blind you?  It's like standing right there in that same spot staring at the sun with your own eyes, and not through a camera lens.

Anyway, I have a couple things to touch on with you all, I'm sure the first thing you noticed was the template is different yet again.  I apologize for that, seems that lately I've gone through a couple of templates and they keep changing.  I find one I like, I mess with it and publish it and then within a few days something in the coding goes wonkers and it stops working like it should, so I remove it and try a different one.

I'm really hoping this one stays for a while, if for nothing else than the fact that it's getting a little old messing with it constantly.

Next thing I wanted to talk to you about is my sidebar.  You may have noticed, and if you haven't take a quick peek over there to the right of the screen.  You should see a category named Today's Exercise.

I'm trying to stick to an exercise routine and finding it a bit hard to stay motivated, so in an effort to hold myself accountable, I'm going to be sharing the exercise routine I'm doing that day, right here on my blog.

A couple of you actually asked me what exercise I'm doing, so now you'll be able to see for yourselves and maybe, just maybe, even be motivated to join in?  These videos are super short, some routines are only 4 minutes long but they're Hiit exercises which are guaranteed to give you a really good workout in a short amount of time, and they're pretty much mostly made for women.  We all want to feel good about ourselves and workout but truthfully, we don't always have time to set aside a whole hour or even 45 minutes to do it, so these are perfect.  :)

I got up this morning, and I didn't want to do my workout but I pushed myself to do it and felt so good afterwards.  Once I was done, I took a quick shower, got dressed for the day and had some breakfast.

My favorite of the minute is toast with butter and raspberry jam.  Just loved it!!!

While having my breakfast, I quickly pulled out my Sweet Caroline Pillow and quickly sewed it.  I didn't have a cushion picked out for it, but what I do have are a bunch of old chair pillows that are getting old and ratty, so I used one of those and it was the right size.  I'm thrilled with the way it turned out, and that's one more project off the hooks :)

The kids were up and about, both waiting for a new update on their game on the consoles, so they cleaned their bedrooms, took their showers and I made them a quick lunch.  I've actually missed making them lunches and faffing about with them, they're both grown and eat when they want, make their own breakfast and lunch and so on, so it's nice to be able to do this once in a while.

I made tuna sandwiches and they also had some of these yummy cheese crackers.  They're quite nice.

And some homemade chocolate chip cookies to munch on too.  They both love my food and I absolutely love cooking for them :)

When all was said and done, I sat down and got my Cookbook review up for you all.  I have so many reviews and computer work that I need to do but time just gets away from me.  So I'm also making it a point to stay on track and get the review up as soon as I can, I hate to forget or take weeks to get something up.

I puttered around the house the rest of the day, made a delicious homemade lasagna for dinner, completely from scratch from the meat with homemade sauce (not from a jar, even though I will sometimes use it), and white sauce.

There really is nothing better than a homemade lasagna is there? 

Oh and I didn't forget about the homemaker series I mentioned yesterday, I will have that up really soon, probably tomorrow.  :)  I'm off to bed friends, have a great night!!!

Because I am dying for Spring

I think it's my favorite season of the year and I can't wait for it to start, matter of fact here in Arizona I already have a lot of flowers coming in, makes me so happy :)

So, new template for Spring!   Hope it makes some of you smile because I know that there are a lot of you out there still suffering with crazy amounts of snow. :)

{ What do you think? }

I know I seem to change my template a lot but this is the one I've been working on for about a month, on and off, when I had time. In between I've uploaded any old header and background just so I would have something to show, but this is it....this is the one I've worked on and am really happy with. Be prepared, you will see this one on here for a long time, so I hope you like it.

We spent yesterday watching movies. The weather was a little iffy and with Nicholas not feeling too well, all the plans that involved taking the kids outside, were scratched. Instead we had popcorn and chips and cuddled on the couch and watched "Hancock" and "The Incredible Hulk".

Now let me start by saying that I'm not a fan of those kind of movies, not really, I'm more of a Jane Austen, 1800's, romance, chick flicks kinda fan. But I actually sat through both of these movies and enjoyed them, of course later in the day I had to get my daily fix of my favorites with Catherine Cookson's Anthology "The Tide of Life". Loved it!

Unfortunately the problem is that I've only been able to locate 4 of these on Netflix, where the Anthology is an 8 part series. BUT, I did manage to find a whole bunch more Catherine Cookson movies and they're all at the top of my Queue.



I have to get my laundry all caught up today and while I do that, I'll make some chicken noodle soup for the sickies in the house. My kids love homemade chicken soup, it's the one meal that I can serve where they'll have seconds and thirds and still beg for more. Makes me smile :)

And yesterday I didn't get around to baking the cookies, and now I have a very sad cookie jar, it's empty, save for a crumb or two, so I think I need to get it refilled. The cookie jar in this house is used a lot, and I mean a LOT, it's our night time snack, a few cookies and a warm glass of milk, then off to bed.

Some of you asked me about the doily I made, the pattern I used is this one, it's super simple and it crochets up really fast, it took me just one afternoon.

Look what I got in the mail yesterday....

Apparently Gooseberry Patch is putting out a big cookbook "Family Favorite Recipes", it's a hardbound with over 200 recipes and color photos. YES YES YES!

You all know that I'm a huge cookbook lover and collector and I have quite a few of the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks so this is just wonderful, I'm dying to get my hands on this new cookbook. You should see some of the recipes included, Chicken Stew with biscuits, Farmhouse Pork & Cabbage Saute, Loaded Mash Potato Casserole and Cream Cheese cookie bars...and that's just a few, the previews alone are making me drool. I can't wait to try all these new recipes and share them with you.

I may just do a giveaway around the time the book arrives, maybe, just maybe...we'll see.

Alright, I'm out of here, I have two loads of laundry waiting to be washed, I have soup to make and cookies to bake and more movies to watch. It's such a great day today, it's 70º outside and the sun is shining.

Don't forget the Happy Homemaker Monday's tomorrow, if you want to join me, I would love it. I'll have the post up in the morning and Mr Linky available for any that are participating.

Cloudy and Dreary!

That's what it looks like today and it matches the way I feel.

Whatever this virus is that is going around it's really persistent and annoying to boot. Last week Jasmine was home from school 2 days, she had a bad cold, a bit of a fever, sore throat, cough etc....I should have known it would come my way but I didn't think of it, see I was kinda busy dealing with the sore neck/shoulder whatever, so I kinda/maybe/definitely forgot to arm myself against a possible cold.

Needless to say yesterday my throat started hurting and last night, oh last night.....UGH, I spent the whole night trying to sleep through the knife that someone so kindly left lodged in there. Please remove it and take it back, I don't want it.

Yes I know my template has changed, I got a craving for green. Everyone is going green nowadays, there's all these programs and shows and all this green splash of color everywhere and I HATE to be out of the loop, so why not?


I hope you like it, it's simple but it's making me happy, it's like a perpetual summer time on this blog. Think of it this way, I'm trying to provide a hideaway for all of you that are still dealing with the crazy cold and snow out there. See? I do love you all! :)

I'm not sure what my day is going to be, actually, I have an inkling because this poor old (lol I love referring to myself as old lately I don't know why....maybe it's to see Curt's annoyed look) body of mine is going nowhere. I will blame it on the clouds and the fact that I'm sick and maybe climb into bed with a hot cup of tea with honey, pop in my "Road to Avonlea" and just drown out the world.
Forget the laundry, the floors that are asking to be mopped, the living room that the kids have messed up while playing last night. I'm going to rebel today and do something I NEVER do.....I'm not making any beds. YIKES! *I literally felt the gasp of shock around the world*

Jasmine is old enough to make her own, Nicholas can just pull the covers up over his and mine, well mine is going to be holding my little body in, so no use making it right??? If you only knew how it gives me hives to think of unmade beds and an untidy house.....it's like my fingers are itching to go, but NOPE, I'm putting my foot down today. It's MY turn to lay down and recuperate and get better....it's less than a month now for our trip and there's no way I'm showing up there after 10 years with a snotty nose and a croaky voice.

Dinner tonight is whatever the kids and daddy are fixing, I guess. I was supposed to make some seafood gumbo but I'm not sure I'll be up for it....that will have to be tomorrow's meal.

Right now Curt is running to Taco Bell....Oh I love him, I love love love this man. He sees me not feeling well and he knows what will cheer me up.....a Bacon Chalupa! YUM!

I'm out of here, my head is pounding and the knife is still hanging here waiting for it's rightful owner to claim it, please be don't be scared to step forward I promise no charges will be filed, as a matter of fact I'll be so thrilled to have it gone that I'll cook you dinner. Not tonight, read above for details....but maybe another time?????

God Bless you all.....

So what do you think????

New look to get us ready for the new year.........I thought I wouldn't have this done for a while but I sat down in the front of the computer this morning and before I knew it this was the result. A little color here, some paper and buttons there and I'm really happy with it....it's girly and pink and as Curt said after he saw it "I think it's definitely YOU". :)

I'm about to go get the kids in the bathtub and ready for bed, it's back to work for Curt tomorrow and we're all needing a good night's sleep....you know how it is during the days off, everyone is up until late, the house is a mess and I'm still finding wrapping paper and those annoying little black plastic thingies from the toys.

So goodnight to you all, I'll be back in the morning with my Slow Cooking Thursday, I'll be sharing a recipe from my new Sandra Lee Slow Cooker Recipes!

Night Night,

I did it again didn't I?!?!?!

The template I mean....you came here expecting pink and blue and got something completely different. Have I told you lately that I love you I get bored easily??? LOL

I'm sorry if I make your heads spin with all the different templates, I think I'll stick with this one for a while though so don't worry.

Come on in and sit with me, I have some Cinnamon Coffee and some Banana Nut Muffins waiting.....there's a chill in the air today and we're expecting thunderstorms this afternoon.
You should see the clouds outside, beautiful but scary looking too.....very low and dark just slowly creeping up on the base, gives you that ominous feeling.

I have packing to do today and need to go through every room and do an inventory of what we have, take pictures of stuff and also jot down serial and model numbers. Eden asked me if we're not letting the movers do the packing for us.......the answer is NO.....they will pack the bigger stuff but we're doing all the other packing ourselves just have to leave the boxes unsealed so they can check what is in there before taking them. We're doing a Partial Dity move so a bunch of things are going with us.

We're doing pretty good, we don't like leaving everything until the last minute so we're already packing and getting it all ready, obviously not stuff we need for everyday use but there's things like knick knacks, pictures, books, movies etc that don't need to wait until moving day.

A few months ago I talked about my daily schedule, I can't function without it, I think it also helps the kids know what is coming next and beats the boredom bug which usually leads to "sibling fights".
With so much going on here lately I ended up sort of falling off the bandwagon and not sticking to the routine so much and what happens when I do that???? Laundry is overflowing, I don't have time for anything and the housework tends to get left behind, so I went back to the schedule and I'm posting it for you so you have an idea of what my days look like.


You should have seen my face when I brought out my schedule again, big huge grin from ear to ear because I know my days are saved and I can use them to the fullest without wasting precious time. Have you ever gotten to the end of the day and realized you did NOTHING but also didn't have a free moment for anything??? How exactly does happen???

I've been going through my blog and rereading it all from the beginning, I had no idea how much I would enjoy it, it's really been fun reminiscing and seeing what I was doing this same time last year, here's something I realized though.......last year must have been my COLD AND FLU Year...honestly, how sick can someone be for a whole dog gone year??? LOL

I also came across a post I made with some photos Curt and I took while using our telescopes. We love astrophotography and have been wanting to get into it, but the amateur photos we've taken so far are just amazing so I can't even imagine the ones we'll have once we actually KNOW what we're doing. LOL

Here is just one, you'll have to go check out the actual post to see the others.


And that's it for me this monday, Oh, don't forget to check out my Menu Plan Monday, we're having the Asian Beef Wraps for dinner again tonight, they've become a huge hit at our house.

Have a great day everyone!



Laundry
Vacuum living room
Inventory for Move
Packing Kitchen Appliances not being used
Post office
IRS and Social Security paperwork


Watching:

General Hospital
Dancing with the Stars
Little People Big World


Eating:

Asian Beef Wraps with Rice

Changes!

I finally had some time to myself and decided to work on my blog template, what do you think????

I love messing around with html but I never really have a moment to work on anything especially with the little buggers around me, in between doing the design I've had to yell at one, put the other in time out, fix the couch pillows for the umpteenth time, beg them to put away their toys, dodge a flying car and separate the dogs from fighting over a treat.........

Wanna trade houses for a week??? LOL

Pumpkin Decorating Day!!!

Tonight the PTP is having the annual Art Night "Pumpkin Decorating" get together. It's always a lot of fun to go in with the kids, have some snacks and let our creativity run wild.

The school provides all the pumpkins and decorations, there's NO carving allowed though, so it always thrills me to see what the kids come up with.
They also have a contest afterwards for the best pumpkin!!!

Now me, I'm a pretty creative gal I think, I mean at least when it comes to graphic design and computers etc....but for some reason I have a hard time getting the creative juices flowing to create some great masterpiece.
Hubby on the other hand is a genius....last year he took a small pumpkin and using black pipe cleaners, he created a spider pumpkin. It was THE cutest thing, but he didn't enter it for the contest, he brought it home, it was too cute to leave there and he was mighty proud of his creation. ;)

This year the school encourages everyone to bring in their own decorations too, so this should be fun. I'll post the pictures tomorrow :)

So what do you think of my latest template??? I love PINK, it's my favorite color and I was thinking that being it Breast Cancer Awareness Month too, it was the perfect time to go girly on you all. I'm pleased with the results, and yes I know that October is almost over, but I'm enjoying this relaxing and calming layout....it does wonders for my stressed mind.

It's not that I'm stressed, per say, but you know with kids there never is a day of completely peace and quiet, especially when they start bickering over everything, from who's turn is it to watch TV down to who touched who's toy. It's an all consuming constant sibling rivalry that will end one day...I hope....

While running errands with hubby yesterday we stopped by Arby's for some roast beef sandwiches. I didn't know at the time that the Large really did mean LARGE, I mean this sandwich was huge, so by dinner time we weren't too hungry, but of course the kids were, so I made Chicken and Dumplings.....goodness gravy, they were SO good. Let me just say that the minute the wonderful aroma started permeating the air, I grew hungrier and hungrier by the minute....literally starving by the time I sat down at the dinner table. Nothing like a good big bowl of Chicken and Dumplings to warm the body AND soul.

The wonderful Dee over at "All the While" tagged me for this fun meme. It's the Refrigerator Tag, and we're supposed to take a picture of the front of the refrigerator, in all it's glory, boy am I glad I just cleaned it all out the other night, or you would see tons of unnecessary decorations. Did I mention that my kids love using the door as their personal Gallery???

So the top half holds:

Jasmine's School Lunch Menus
Jasmine's School Calendar
Important upcoming events or notes to be signed
Extra Magnets

The bottom half holds:

Family and friend pictures
Kids never ending art gallery (I have to go through it every few days and rotate with the new one they just made that day)

So there you have it, behind those brilliantly decorated doors, lay the ingredients for all my yummy meals, some secret ingredients too....not really, but it's nice to wonder isn't it? LOL

I want to tag Judi, Sharon Kay, Mrs Blythe, Brony and Morning Glory. Now please don't run away just cause you're tagged, I really really want to see those refrigerator doors LOL

I'm having one of those days where I just want to lay in bed and do nothing. Of course that's impossible when you're a mom of two little ones, but it's nice to dream right??? I tend to go through phases where I run at turbo speed, constantly on the go and do expect too much of myself. It's like I feel that if I'm not doing something productive, I'm being lazy and far be it from me to lay around and actually live up to it.

But I think today has to do with the fact that Nicholas is extremely whiny and clingy, he has been sniffling around and sneezing, so I know what's coming, and if I didn't, his chirpy sullen attitude sure lets it on. It's time to pull all the stops, it's funny that I do that with my kids but not myself. The minute I see them feeling sick I tend to nip the cold in the bud, but for me it seems to just go on and on, as I'm sure you've realized I'm not exactly the best nurse for myself....something I need to work on.

What's majorly contributing to my "not so happy" mood is my wrist. If you've been reading my blog for a while, I'm sure you remember the day that I shared a picture of my wrist....it's not for the weak of stomach (no really it's not that bad), but I do have two huge cysts that for the most part don't bother me, unless it's really cold or I move my hand a certain way, how dare I move my hand at all, they seem to say. But yeah, if you look at this post you will see what I mean.
So this morning it's really hurting, and it's bad enough that I don't have much strength left in that wrist, but when it starts acting up it's even worse....so I'm wearing my trusty wrist brace and I'm trying to "own it", you know, make it look all that and all....don't think it's working though.

Well anyway, now that I'm done whining about "poor ol' me", it's time to head out, I have some errands to run with hubby again, mostly we're going to go pick up some pumpkins to carve, seeing that he has the day off. :)

You all have a great day, you know one of these days we should pick a time and all meet on the computer, in some chat room or something, with a cup of coffee and some cookies, and just have a great time :)

See ya tomorrow, God Bless,

For dinner we're having Fettucine Ala Carbonara!!!

Rachael Ray - *New*- The CW- 12pm

General Hospital - *New* -ABC- 1:00 pm

Errands
Post Office
Commissary for Pumpkins
Bx for Pumpkin decorations