Mitchell Trio

2012

2012-01-23T09:03:00.000-08:00

Wow! Where did 2011 go. This new year has started off with a bang. Hubby has a new position that is going to keep him even busier these next few months. The oldest is doing basketball and baseball started this weekend. The twins are busy making space rockets for cub scouts and youth baseball is just around the corner. And I have decided to take a college course. I think I might be a little CRAZY. The idea sounded really good a few months ago. I am excited and scared all at the same time about going back to school.

All dressed up

2012-01-23T09:02:00.000-08:00

Our 91 year old grandma passed away last 2 weeks ago. This is the first time all 3 of my boys wore a suit. Of course it was for a sad occasion that they were all dress up, but they looked awesome.

My boys dress up well

We haven't had a family picture in a very long time

Me and my brother and sisters.

Christmas

2012-01-09T05:16:00.000-08:00

We did a candlelight service at the Methodist Church for Christmas Eve. We did it last year and I want to do it every Christmas Eve. I didn't grow up doing candlelight services but I think they are amazing. I love how it really focuses you on the real reason we celebrate Christmas.

I I managed to get this sweet moment before the chaos started. I would like to just push a pause button and stay here for a bit.

My family came over the day after Christmas for a traditional meal. I baked my very first turkey. It turned out great and now i am wondering why did I wait so long to cook a turkey it really wasn't hard.

Overall we had a great Christmas. It was way to busy with too many things going on, but it reminds me how blessed I am to have so many family and friends in my life.

Cousins

2011-12-06T12:52:00.001-08:00

We had our twin nephews for the weekend. I managed to get this one picture of all 6 cousins.

the making of a Christmas card

2011-11-28T05:00:00.001-08:00

Here are a few of the shots that didn't make it on the front of our Christmas card this year. Lets just say that trying to take of picture of 3 kids of any age is difficult!

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas

2011-11-26T09:12:00.001-08:00

I've been wanting to do this Christmas project since last year. I found the wood letters at Hobby Lobby and then put some pretty Christmas paper on them with some Mod Podge. I love the final project.

Pumpkin Patch

2011-10-18T19:18:00.000-07:00

The middle school Bible study kids that meet at our house, volunteered at the Pumpkin Patch tonight. They had a ton of fun helping out.

Stitches

2011-10-03T09:59:00.000-07:00

Well, It was bound to happen. One of the twins needed stitches last night after an accident on the playground. I had just left the boys in the care of hubby and my sister when I got a phone call. Hubby asks "what doctor do we use?" I then found out that while playing tag a swing came up and hit Jared in the forehead. He ended up with 6 stitches. He now has a cool scar with a story to tell.

We are off and running

2011-09-28T17:12:00.000-07:00

I have gotten so behind in posting. Of course that means that things are busy busy. The oldest is doing Fall select baseball, cross country at school and being a tween. He is keeping my van on the road. The twins are now officially Cub Scouts and earned their Bob cat badge last night. I am so proud of them. The twins are also doing a Jr. Master Gardener class. They are loving it. They have planted a garden as a group and tend to it each week. And then one of the twins decided we needed one more thing to do and he is playing the piano.

Fall

2011-09-12T06:15:00.001-07:00

School has been in sessions for 3 weeks. So far we have been doing the usual: homework, a project and a lot of reading. But there are a few new things going on. The twins are going to be Cub Scouts. I can't wait to take pictures of them in their uniforms!!! They are also going to do a Jr. Master Gardening program. They are so excited about both of these. The oldest is still doing baseball. And he is keeping us very busy with tournaments. Our friend made an amazing collage at his last tournament. I think she did an amazing job. I can't wait to get it in print.

Back to school

2011-08-23T05:36:00.000-07:00

Well, we are now offically back in "school mode". The first day of school went off without a hitch. Everyone had a great day. I am praying that this entire week goes well. Starting back to school on a Monday is so very difficult. I am afraid my kids are going to be screaming tired by the end of this week.

Of course I had to get pictures. It is so hard to believe my oldest is in the 7th grade. He had a perfect day yesterday, he and the football coach had 2 seperate converstaions.

Harry Potter School Robe

2011-08-18T17:29:00.000-07:00

Well, a few monthes ago I knew that I needed to sew a HARRY POTTER AND THE PRISONER OF AZKABAN Style School Robe. My twins ask me on a weekly basis when will I be finished with their school robe. Today my sister took the boys fishing and me and my sewing machine worked all day.
I have looked at serveral blogs and patterns and finally came up with my version of the school robe. I have one more to make, but I am super proud of my results.
I used Simplicity pattern #5512 and then this website to help me alter the pattern http://www.dartheagle.com/poa_robe1.html The pattern didn't come lined, but I just made 1 robe in black and 1 in Gryffindor to line the robe. All I need is a Gryffindor patch. I found one on Etsy.

Summer Vacation part 3

2011-08-09T11:29:00.000-07:00

One of my roommates from college came to town with her kiddos. We had so much fun showing them around Austin. We started at the capital building, we took the kids to our local representative's office, and they had a chance to sit behind his desk! That night we watched the Mexican Free-tailed bats emerge from the Congress Ave bridge. The bats were really amazing to watch.

For breakfast the next day we had Round Rock Donuts. Yep, we sugared up the kids and then we did it again by checking out "pie happy hour" at the Texan in lovely Hutto!
Next on our list of restaurants was the Hula Hut (Tikki-Mex food). Then we climbed the stairs to the top of Mt. Bonnell. This has such a great view of Austin.
The next day we all headed south to San Antonio. Our first stop was the Alamo. Our kids thought the giant Koi were the best part of the Alamo, KIDS! Before they left we went to the San Fernando Cathedral. It is the oldest standing Church building in Texas. The ashes of the heroes of the Alamo are in the Church. It was an amazing building.
We were so sad to have to send them back home. We had a great time and can't wait to do it again.

July and vacation part 2

2011-08-07T06:51:00.000-07:00

After we returned home from Colorado VBS started. I helped with crafts and had a blast with the kids. As soon as VBS was over we packed our suitcases again.

We were off to Houston to celebrate our nephew's 3rd birthday. Our job was to take care of twin babies so my sister in law could host the birthday party. My twins were so funny, they each picked their own twin baby cousin to watch. The twins were serious about watching their baby twins. It is so much fun to watch all 6 boys interact with each other. They have so much fun together. We also get a lot of looks as we venture out to eat. We had a blast celebrating our nephew's birthday.

Happy Birthday sweet boy!! We love you so much.

July and vacation

2011-08-07T06:19:00.000-07:00

The last part of July has been all about traveling. We drove to Colorado with our traveling friends. It was so nice to actually get so cold at night that I needed a jacket. The views in Colorado are breathtaking. It was our first long driving vacation and it was a huge success!

SUMMER

2011-07-12T07:25:00.000-07:00

This has been a very busy Summer. We have vacationed, played baseball, started swimming, gone to camp and that is just the tip of our summer.

hot crab meat dip recipe

2011-07-06T13:44:00.000-07:00

Ingredients:
1 can crabmeat (be sure to remove any cartilage) , soaked in 2 tbsps. lemon juice
1 clove garlic, crushed
8 ounces cream cheese
1 tsp. minced onion
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1/8 tsp. salt
1/4 tsp. Worcestershire sauce
1/4 cup light cream or half and half
1 tsp. minced chives
Directions:
Mix all ingredients together and heat on low until smooth. Serve warm. Can be reheated in microwave oven.

July 4th

2011-07-05T07:43:00.001-07:00

Our July 4th involved a great cookout with friends and then a baseball game. We haven't had any rain so there is a fire ban which means no fireworks. I really missed not seeing fireworks.

It is Finished!!!

2011-06-28T18:37:00.001-07:00

Auburn Quilt part 4 or Smack Talk

2011-06-27T13:06:00.001-07:00

Wow!! The top of the quilt is attached to the denim backer. This thing is huge. My boys have learned about football smack talk from this quilt. This next football season might be very interesting.

The Auburn Quilt part 3

2011-06-26T16:29:00.001-07:00

Here is my first attempt at laying out this quilt. As you can see it is going to be HUGE!!!
Right side of quilt

Left of quilt

The Auburn Quilt part 2

2011-06-15T19:36:00.000-07:00

Okay after 2 days of working on the box of t-shirts this is now what I have to work with. It is coming together beautifully!

A friend's obsession

2011-06-14T18:44:00.001-07:00

My college roomie and one of my best friends has a "small" obsession with Auburn T-shirts. She has been buying t-shirts since 1990, yes you read that correctly 1990! Well, after a lot of nagging from her mother she has decided to narrow down her collection, sort of! I am going to make her a t-shirt quilt with her vast collection. First I must say I am honored that she trusts me with this precious collection of memories. The box of t-shirts was so large she was scared to price out the cost to ship them to my house, so I got them last week while I was in Dallas. Mind you this in not a small box it took both of us to load it into my van.

After taking a deep breath I have started on this pile of shirts. With every t-shirt I have traveled down memory lane. Every shirt has a story and many of them are ones I remember from our time at Auburn. That is some serious time traveling!! I now have a urge to take a road trip to Auburn, and am officially counting down till the start of football season. I can't wait to see the finished product. WAR EAGLE!!!!

Summer is HERE!!

2011-06-14T18:27:00.000-07:00

Well Summer has started with a bang! We started the first day of summer at a neat place called Blue Hole. It was a great place for the kids to play, fish and swim!

The very next day we had a pool party for the most fun twins I know. My precious twins are now 8! Were does the time go? We celebrated with a pool party. Then my twins were off on there own 8 day adventure. That is another post! My sister came to help with the party. The water balloons were the biggest hit with the cannon ball jump a close second.

Then we traveled to Dallas to go to a conference with Daddy-O. We played and I had a chance to see my college roommate. It was so much fun watching our kids play together and having a chance to catch up in person. I love this picture!! It really reflects how much fun the kids had. It makes me laugh to think of the fun they have had over the years!!

It was nice to be home again! It promises to be a very busy Summer.

End of School year

2011-05-28T07:34:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks of May are always a little crazy. Here it is in pictures and we still have a week of school to go.
Twins celebrating "birthday" with their class.

Field day!

Jared's class did 3 mini plays.

Washington DC

2011-05-20T10:54:00.001-07:00

these are just thought I want to be able to find when we decide to return to DC
Washington DC must do list
1. do NOW arrange a tour with your Senator http://hutchison.senate.gov/?p=tour_requests
or Representative http://carter.house.gov/index.cfm?sectionid=25§iontree=4,25
2. DC night tour - I recommend doing this at the beginning of your trip! http://www.onboarddctours.com/dc-the-lights-tour/ looks like you save 15% if you book 2 tours
3. if you want to visit the holocaust museum http://www.ushmm.org/visit/
4. library of Congress
5. American Art museum- go at least to see the gallery of presidents http://www.npg.si.edu/inform/visit.html
6. Ford's Theater http://www.fordstheatre.org/

hotel ideas
Hotel Harrington - she said it is not fancy but in a great location
http://www.hotel-harrington.com/index.htm
fly Southwest and take a bus from the airport to the sub station

Things that made me happy today

2011-05-18T12:08:00.000-07:00

I am trying hard to focus on the positive and believe it or not mopping my floors made me smile today and want to list out things that made me happy today!
1. I used a new mop today! It is hard to believe that a mop would make me happy, but it did! There is nothing like a new mop to make a stay at home mommy giggle!

2. I re-purposed a picture frame that we weren't using for the new play room. It is a frame that we have had for 16 years and it was perfect to add some Auburn stuff to and make the play room pop! The mat that was in the frame was even perfect. this little item didn't cost me one penny. My oldest had outgrown the jersey and we had the magazines.

3. I had lunch with a friend and that is always the best!!!

Mother's Day

2011-05-10T05:17:00.001-07:00

I shared Mother's Day with some really fun and amazing moms. The boys even took a picture with all of their moms!

t-shirt Quilt part 2

2011-05-08T17:47:00.001-07:00

Okay on with part 2 of the twins t-shirt quilt. After cutting my stack of 12x12 t-shirt squares. I ironed a piece of fusible interfacing to each square.

the next step was to lay out all of the squares on the floor. I wanted to make sure that the colors were placed in a random order.

the next step was to stitch all of the square together. Laying them out really makes this step easy

this is the top of the quilt all stitched together. I think it is awesome!

I decided that a piece of fleece would be perfect to put on the back of the quilt. It was 2 1/2 yards long. This part is simple just lay out the fleece on the floor and then lay the quilt top on top of the fleece and use a TON of pins to keep it in place.

Project interrupted

2011-04-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

My twins are really into Harry Potter! Daddy is reading the series to them. they are almost done with the 3rd book. Now one of my boys wants a Harry Potter cloak. I am going to try and make one using these instructions.. http://www.burdastyle.com/projects/harry-potter-robes

T-shirt Quilt part 1

2011-04-22T13:10:00.000-07:00

I have decided to start a new project. The twins have decided they want a t-shirt quilt like their big brother! I have been saving their t-shirts for the last few years.
Here is what I started with, a huge pile of t-shirts.

I then cut off the sleeves and cut open the shirt so I could lay it flat.

I then used a 12x12 template to cut squares from the t-shirt. I love love my rotary cutter. It makes cutting quilt squares so fast and easy!

So now I have a pile of t-shirt squares.

I will share more as I continue to create the twins quilt.

buried alive

2011-04-22T12:54:00.000-07:00

My youngest son has his own way of cleaning. He likes to have stuff everywhere, and when told to clean up just starts shoving things in bins, the closet or under his bed. Well I finally have had enough. I have helped him organize his room in the past only to find it a wreck in just a few days. I have tried having him clean sections of his room. Nothing seemed to work. Well thanks to blogland I may have found a solution. It is so simple that it might work. I was reading a blog that suggested that having just a few items in your room will lead to a cleaner room. So this week I informed my sweet son that if he didn't organize his room I would be boxing most of it up. The first picture is how I found his room this morning. He could end up on Hoarders:Buried Alive if I don't intervene now. So I ended up packing up 3 boxes of boy stuff. He had tons of stuff in those desk drawers.

Now he has the following toys in his room: his legos, spy stuff, imaginex, only a handful of items in his desk, and books. What an improvement. I hope this works!

Funny thing he was excited about his room and was only concern about the fate of his Legos. So I guess he really does just need a few toys!

before and after

2011-04-20T17:28:00.001-07:00

I am finally getting our landscaping pictures up. I love the improvement. I now smile when I see the front of my home.
BEFORE

AFTER

Spring Break

2011-04-06T04:53:00.000-07:00

Spring Break this year was a hodge podge of work and play. We started by doing some landscaping on the front flower beds and ended it by finishing our master bath remodeling project. This is another post. Fun times in our house.
We did manage some fun in between 2 major home improvement projects. Mostly because Aunt Deb arrived in town. My kids will tell you that Deb=FUN!!! They visited several fishing holes and I believe got wet in almost all of them.

I also managed to get a trip in to the lake with sweet friends. They had a blast. I still don't know how kids can stand cold water?

this is how we felt after a week of remodeling and playing.

baseball

2011-03-08T12:41:00.001-08:00

Baseball season is here! Jacob is on a really nice 12U baseball team. The coach is great and the kids are all so nice.

The twins are doing great on their new team. Jared has had a chance to be the catcher. He looks so cute!

Yankees??? Really???

2011-03-03T15:15:00.000-08:00

It is official, we have 2 Yankees in our home. Of course they are the "little" Yankees and just as cute as can be. I could learn to love the Yankees, well maybe not. The twins had their first baseball game this weekend and they won. They are super cute in their uniforms even if it is the Yankees!

adventures in sewing

2011-03-03T15:08:00.000-08:00

I blew the dust off of my sewing machine this week. My sister in law wanted outfits for her 4 month old twin's pictures, that are next week. She couldn't find anything that she liked in the store, so she begged me to sew her 2 outfits. Of course she gave me a full 12 days notice for this small project. I am a little OCD. I went shopping for material and patterns and got both outfits done in 4 days. Of course the laundry and housework has piled up around me, but I got the outfits done. Oh and on a side note, I finally after 20 plus years of sewing put a zipper in an outfit!!! It went in perfectly. I don't know why zippers have freaked me out, but now I am no longer scared of a zipper!!! I can't wait to see my cute nephews in their outfits. They will look so adorable!!

menu planning

2011-02-21T06:45:00.000-08:00

I have been trying to really focus on menu planning the last 2 months. My food budget had gotten out of control. So far I have managed to make a plan every week. Now sticking to that plan has been another issue. But I now have the stuff in the pantry and fridge to make what is on my menu each week. I am amazed at the difference it makes just having a plan.
This recipe is one that was shared with me and it is awesome! I wanted to put in on my blog so i could find it again!

9x13 Country Potatoes and Ham
Recipe:
2 Lbs. Frozen Hash Browns
1/2 Cup Shredded Cheese
1 Cup Sour Cream
1 Can Cream Chicken Soup
1 Stick Melted Butter
left over Ham or chopped ham
1/2 cup chopped canned onion rings-Frenches for topping
Mix all ingredients together pour into a 9x13 pan bake at 350 for 1 hr. Freezes very well

cutting a rug

2011-02-13T08:51:00.000-08:00

We went to a friends 20th anniversary celebration last night. I found out that 2 of my boys LOVE to dance! The other child was suffering from an ear ache and just wanted to do crafts! It was so awesome that this couple had so much for kids to do, at their celebration! They wanted kids to feel welcome and they succeeded 100%. The boys had the best time dancing. My twin even asked me to dance during one of the slow dances. Needless to say he melted his mother's heart.

comfort food

2011-02-09T06:19:00.000-08:00

We have had several people suffer losses this winter. My husband and I feel that Sour Cream Pound Cake is the ultimate comfort, make everything look brighter food. I thought the best way to preserve this ultimate recipe was on this blog. I understand that pound cake got is name because it used a pound each of 4 different ingredients. A useless trivial fact but a fun one to know!

Sour Cream Pound Cake

1 cup butter Crisco
2 3/4 cup sugar
6 eggs
3 cups sifted flour
1/4 tsp baking soda
1 cup sour cream
1 Tbsp vanilla
powered sugar for top of cake

Cream Crisco and sugar until light and fluffy. Separate the eggs, putting the whites into a small mixing bowl. Beat the yolks into the sugar mixture one at a time. Sift the flour and soda together. Add flour mixture, alternately with sour cream, beginning and ending with flour. Blend in the vanilla. Beat the egg whites until stiff and fold into the cake mixture.
Grease and flour bunt pan, pour cake batter into the pan. Bake at 350 preheated oven for about 1 hour and 15 minutes. The cake is done when an inserted toothpick comes out clean.
Let the cake cool and top with some powered sugar.

Snow Day

2011-02-04T18:02:00.001-08:00

It has been below freezing all week. My boys have been praying for snow and it arrived early this morning! Why is it when school is canceled due to snow my boys are up early? My boys were wanting to be out in the snow at 7 this morning! They played in the front yard while I enjoyed a quick cup of coffee. Then our neighbor invited the boys to join them on a sledding adventure! So I had to join them and take pictures and cheer them on! We have a great sledding hill in our neighborhood. We even had neighbors who own a real sled and let the boys try it out. We had snowball fights, hot chocolate, and more snowball fights. They had a blast today.

SLAM night

2011-01-26T04:58:00.000-08:00

Last night the twins and I went to SLAM (science, language, arts, and math) night at their school. It was station after station of hands on learning. We put Alka Selter in film bottles with water and watched them explode. We painted with shaving cream. We watched flower petals freeze in liquid nitrogen. It was so much fun and I love watching my boys soak up the knowledge! They talked non stop on the way home about what they experienced.

War Eagle!!!

2011-01-14T13:32:00.000-08:00

I think my heart rate is finally back to normal. I stayed up way past my bedtime on Monday night to watch Auburn beat Oregon and win the BCS National Championship!!! I thought as kick off got closer I would feel better, NOT, I was a ball of tension and nerves the entire game. We even let out oldest stay up till almost midnight on a school night. Yes, we are that crazy around here about Auburn Football. I knew that Auburn's Cam Newton and Nick Fairley would be going to NFL. That alone may be enough to get me to watch NFL games next football season.

Auburn

2011-01-09T07:08:00.001-08:00

I love Auburn University! I went to school there, met my husband there, & have lifelong friends from there. While at Auburn I attended almost every home football game. I endured football games in the heat, rain, wind and cold, and loved it! Now my precious Auburn is about to play for the BCS national championship. I have been on edge for weeks now. I think about it all day. I have already planned the food menu for the game, and I have wore an Auburn shirt the entire last week. Now that the game is 1 1/2 days away It seems like the days are dragging on.
WAR EAGLE!!! Let's bring the BCS Championship to Auburn!!!

Happy New Year

2011-01-01T06:33:00.000-08:00

Okay where did 2010 go?? Well welcome 2011. I pray that you will be a good year with a lot of laughs, fun and great family times.
My sweet husband took a friend's son hunting yesterday. This boy has never been hunting and really, really wanted to go. He receive a shot gun for Christmas, so my husband took the boy and our oldest to the farm. This left me and the twins to bring in the new year by ourselves. We ordered pizza and watched "Despicable Me". After sending the boys to bed I spent the rest of the evening scrap booking and watching TV. I know, what and exciting evening.

I have been debating if I am going to make resolutions this year. I have skipped it the last few years but I think this is the year to bring back the habit! So here I go.

2011 resolutions
1. be kinder and gentler- my sweet twin helped me come up with this on. He said we need to: put God first, then others and lastly ourselves. He is such an insightful boy.
2. I am going to try CT5K one more time.
3. I am going to read through the New Testament
4. try out a new recipe every week
5. try out more walking and bike trails

Twins

2011-01-01T06:23:00.000-08:00

We took a day trip to Houston to visit our new twin nephews and the big 2 year old. I am counting this as a "mini vacation". Houston is not exactly an easy day trip from Austin but our kids "rock". We left early, okay 8 AM is not early but if you meet my family you would be so proud of us. It was so nice to see our nephews. I looked around and realized that our 6 boys are going to have an amazing relationship as time goes on. The twins are adorable and Aunt Angie had a blast holding babies and getting to know them. Big boy spend 3 hours our side with his cousins. All 4 of the big boys were covered in mud, sand and pure dirt. The signs of a good time!!! The best part after surviving twins of my own was loving on my twin nephews and then going home knowing that I would get a full night of sleep. I love being an Aunt!!!
The ride home included a stop at the Houston outlets. My boys all needed new shoes. It is still a mystery to me as to how they can disintegrate shoes in just 2-3 months. We then stopped at a cool Mexican restaurant. I have a rule about restaurants: they have to be at least as loud as your family. This one was a perfect fit. They had a roving guitar player, and they put us upstairs overlooking the place. Our room had a big screen TV with a football game on!! This place was perfect for my family.

Christmas Eve

2010-12-24T20:19:00.001-08:00

We have had a very traditional Christmas Eve. We braved the pouring rain to get the items from the grocery store that I forgot to get yesterday! The twins thought running through the rain was so much fun. We were soaked but we had a great story.
We then decided to do Mexican for our Christmas Eve dinner. We had tamales from Central Market, and they were so very good. On a side note this was my very first trip to Central Market. I am in love with the place. I think this is going to be a new Christmas Eve tradition.
Most importantly we got our family Christmas picture. The boys were in the most cooperative mood, and my sister was on hand to take the pictures. I was so happy with how well our pictures turned out!
We all got ready for a candle light Christmas Eve service at the local Church. We have never taken our kiddos to a candle light services but they are now old enough and I thought they would like it. The service was in a beautiful 100 year old church building. It was a great service and my kids did awesome. It was a great reminder of why we celebrate Christmas.
We finished making pies for our dinner tomorrow and I put together our traditional breakfast casserole. I love this tradition. It is the best casserole because you make it the night before and just pop it in the oven Christmas morning!

Brunch Eggs
8 strips bacon
2 cups stale bread crumbs
1 1/2 cups milk
8 eggs
1/4 teaspoon salt
dash of pepper
4 T. butter for cooking eggs
1/2 lb. Swiss cheese grated
1 cup pepper ridge Farm crumbs
2 T butter for bread crumbs

soak break crumbs in milk. Beat eggs slightly. Drain bread crumbs in strainer. Add strained milk to eggs. Add salt and pepper. Scramble til barely soft. Add bread crumbs. Put in a 9 x 13 greased pan. Sprinkle cheese on top of the eggs; then add bacon and then the butter bread crumbs. Refrigerate overnight. Bake 10-15 minutes at 450.

Secret Santa

2010-12-15T14:21:00.000-08:00

I have had a chance to participate in a secret Santa in our new town. It has been so much fun both getting and buying gifts. The hard part was dropping off the gifts without getting caught!! It was also a great chance to get to know some new people in our town. I am finally starting to feel that I know a few people in town. The best part of the secret Santa was the reveal party. It involved tons of food. I made this crab dip for the party and it was a hit.

Hot Jalapeno Crab Dip
1 LB lump crab meat
1 teaspoon chopped garlic
1/2 cup chopped pickled jalapenos
1/4 lb Monterey Jack cheese
1 teaspoon Worcestershire sauce
1 teaspoon hot sauce
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup mayo
2 oz Parmigiana cheese grated
1-2 loafs of french bread sliced and toasted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Combine the crab meat, garlic, jalapenos, Monterey Jack cheese, Worcestershire sauce, hot sauce, salt and mayo in a medium mixing bowl. Toss gently to mix. Spoon the mixture into a 11x9 baking dish. Sprinkle the top with the Parmesan cheese (I am very generous). Bake until golden brown and bubbly, about 25 minutes. Let sit for 5 minutes before serving with the bread.
*** I am so terrible at remembering to take pictures. I wish I had one for this recipe it is so yummy looking

5 Pirates and 1 Princess on Vacation

2010-11-28T18:05:00.001-08:00

I have been in serious need of a vacation. We have been planning our vacation for the last 6 months and it finally arrived. Hubby was not too sure about a non-traditional Thanksgiving. I promised him that we would have turkey and dressing! We traveled with our friends who also happen to have 3 kids to Disney World. On a side note it is amazing to have another family that melds with your family to vacation with. All 6 of our kids get along and really enjoy each others company.
I have found out that I love planning a vacation especially a Disney vacation. It is so much fun figuring out how to maximize our fun.
I was a little concerned about our vacation after listening to twin 18 month old scream the entire 2 hour flight to Orlando. Talk about rattling your nerves.
Once on the ground we headed to our hotel and then off to dinner with Mickey and all of his friends! We had a great time. Disney is not a "relaxing" vacation but with 3 kids there really isn't a such thing!. We all love the rides, shows and wonderful meals. I will let the pictures tell the rest of the story!!

babies

2010-11-28T17:51:00.000-08:00

I have been crazy busy the last 3 weeks. My sister in law is pregnant with twins and was put in the hospital 3 weeks ago. I drove to Houston to help with my precious 2 year old nephew. She had twin babies that Wednesday. It was so nice to be able to help and spend a ton of time with my nephew. My nephew and I really bonded the week I was in town. It was nice to live in the world of a two year old for a week. We took long walks looking for animals. We raked leaves and then jumped into the pile of leaves. Then I rushed home and packed for our vacation to the most magical place on earth DISNEY!!!

It is in times like this that I am so very thankful that I am organized and have a husband who does laundry!

We left for Disney and spent a week with friends enjoying some fun family time! Our vacation will be another post! Once again home and then I had to conquer the mountain of laundry so I could go back to Houston for round 2.

I am now back in Houston to help my sister in law. The babies could come home as soon as Tuesday. It will be so nice to get the boys home and help my sister in law get settled.

bathroom redo

2010-11-12T12:43:00.000-08:00

Before

After

We have slowly been remodeling the boys bathroom. I am still kicking myself that I didn't take a real before picture. It was so hideous I just started on the project. Oh well, lesson learned.
To start with the vanity was off white and the panels had been distressed. You saw bare wood, the only problem was the cabinet is not wood but particle board. It looked horrible. So I spray painted the cabinet doors black and then hand painted the cabinet box. We changed out the sink faucet. The sink faucet screamed 1980's. It has the single clear plastic knob.
I finally got around to the doors. I loved what Thrifty Decor Chick did in her blog and it inspired me to try it in the bathroom. You can read it here in her blog. Thrifty Decor Chick: A new pantry door

I love how it turned out. It looks so modern and clean!

the tween years are here to stay

2010-11-10T16:31:00.001-08:00

Jacob is officially in the "tween years". Those years after the sweet child stage and before full blown teenager. I and my dishes may not survive these years. The best way to describe my child during the tween years is Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. You just never know who is going to show up. One morning Jacob was breathing fire all morning; I braced myself for he arrival home from school and he greeting me with a kiss on each cheek!!

Today Jacob came home in a terrible mood. I then caused even more dark clouds when I asked him to do his homework AND empty the dishwasher. At this point he was mad at me, the world and my dishes. He broke not one BUT 2 of my good bowls. Of course this was just an "accident". It is a miricle that I didn't explode. Somehow I manage to bite my tongue and send him to room. I needed a time out.

It is taking every bit of patience that God is giving me to survive some of these tween days. I do feel that God has blessed me with an extra measure of patience, because there is no way that I am able to stay calm and collected during some of the tween storms in my home with out some divine intervention!

I am hoping that the sweet Mr. Hyde shows up tomorrow!!!!

90 and Fabulous

2010-11-09T16:13:00.000-08:00

We went to the farm this weekend. We went to celebrate my grandmother's 90th birthday, and for the boys to relax!

The boys love the farm. The twins opted out of hunting Saturday afternoon so they could shot BB guns, use a hatch to chop wood, build a fire, and fish!!! The twins love the farm mostly because there is so much to do there that you just can't do in the city. They are really in their element at the farm. I have to confess when the twins were little I dreaded the farm just because it was so hard to watch 2 active boys and keep them out of the cactus, thorns and everything else that bites in West Texas. But now that they are 7 it is so easy. I just pulled out a chair and made sure they didn't shoot their eye out or their brothers' eye.

Big boy decided to hunt and on Sunday morning was rewarded with an 8 point buck! He was so excited he completely missed the deer with his first shot. I was so neat to see him so excited.

Of course we spent time with my grandparents. I have to remind myself that I need to enjoy these moments. My grandmother herself is having a hard time believing that she is 90!!! I am so fortunate to have a set of living grandparents. They still live in their house by themselves.

cornbread cassarole

2010-11-02T14:23:00.000-07:00

I am in love with cornbread casserole. I think this is the third time this Fall I am making it. It seems as soon as there is that crisp Fall feel in the air I start craving soups, stews and cornbread casserole. I really think there is a little piece of heaven cooked into this delicious recipe. I am even jazzing it up tonight with some panko bread crumbs and melted butter on top! I decided to best place to put my favorite recipes is my Blog. It is so much easier to find than digging through my recipe box and the gazillion recipe books I own.

cornbread casserole
1- 8oz sour cream
1/2 cup melted butter
1 lg egg
1-15 oz whole kernel corn drained
1- 15 oz creamed corn
1 box corn bread mix (Jiffy mix)
topping
1/4 cup melted butter
1 cup panko bread crumbs
Preheat oven to 350. Coat and 8x11 casserole dish with spray oil.
combine sour cream, butter and egg in a bowl. Whisk until smooth. stir in creamed corn and whole kernel corn. Add cornbread mix and stir until well combined. Spoon into the casserole dish. Optional add topping mixture
Bake 55-60 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and the casserole springs back when touched. Then get out a spoon and enjoy the heavenly creation!!!

Halloween

2010-11-01T18:50:00.000-07:00

Well our weekend was crazy, as usual. Friday night we dropped the big one off at his very first Middle School dance. We were then off to Nightmare on Front Street with the twins. All 3 boys had a blast. Saturday was the usually 2 baseball games BUT with a huge bonus. Some of our friends showed up and surprised us at the second game. It is so nice to catch up with good friends. We came home and watched Auburn win a football game. To end the night we carved pumpkins!!! Sunday was 2 more baseball. Then a Halloween party downtown, and of course we finished the night off with "trick or treating"!!! After typing out our weekend I now know why I am so tired on Monday morning!!! That is a lot to cram into 2 days.
I do need to note that our cute little cheweenie dressed up in 2 different outfits on Halloween. He was a dragon by day and a squirrel by night! It is way too much fun dressing up a 10 pound dog. I guess is kinda makes up for us not having a girl to dress up!

Family

2010-11-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

My brother came to town and we had the privilege of having the entire family over for dinner minus one sister. It is so nice to have the entire family in town even if only for a meal.
It was nice to spend time with Will and Liz and they even babysat for me!!!!

pumpkin bread

2010-10-30T08:19:00.000-07:00

I found this and can't wait to go to the grocery store and get some pumpkin and try it out.
Recipe: Pueblo Pumpkin Bread
(slightly adapted from North American Recipes)

1 1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. pureed pumpkin
3/4 c. brown sugar
1/2 c. melted butter
2 eggs, beaten until foamy
1 tsp. baking powder
1 tsp. cinnamon
1 tsp. grated nutmeg
1/2 tsp. salt
3/4 c. pine nuts/walnut/or pecans

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. In a mixing bowl, combine flour, salt, baking powder, sugar, and spices. Stir in pumpkin, eggs, and butter. Stir in walnuts. Scrape batter into greased 6×9″ loaf pan. Bake for 1 hour or until a knife inserted in the bread comes out clean.

What better place than my blog to store a recipe I want to try out!!

Spiced Pumpkin Cake
Ingredients
1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature, plus more for the pan
3 cups all-purpose flour, spooned and leveled, plus more for the pan
5 teaspoons pumpkin pie spice
1 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
3 large eggs
1 15-ounce can pumpkin puree (1 1⁄2 cups)
1/2 cup whole milk
1/4 cup molasses
1 1/4 cups confectioners’ sugar
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
Directions
1.Heat oven to 350° F. Butter and flour a 12-cup Bundt pan.
2.In a bowl, whisk together the flour, pumpkin pie spice, baking powder, baking soda, and salt.
3.Using an electric mixer, beat the butter and granulated sugar on medium-high until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes. Beat in the eggs, one at a time. Beat in the pumpkin puree, milk, and molasses (the mixture may appear curdled). Reduce the mixer speed to low; gradually add the flour mixture and mix until just combined (do not overmix).
4.Pour the batter into the prepared pan and bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, 55 to 65 minutes. Let cool in the pan for 30 minutes, then invert onto a wire rack to cool completely.
5.In a bowl, whisk together the confectioners’ sugar and lemon juice until smooth. Drizzle over the cake. Let set before serving.

Roomies

2010-10-13T14:27:00.000-07:00

My college roommates and I have been getting together for the last 6 years. I wish we would have started years sooner. It is always one of the best weekends of the year. We have been friends for over twenty years. They are my forever friends. You know the ones that are there no matter what happens in life!
Here are just a few pictures from our weekend. We spent the weekend in Atlanta and had a chance to spend a day at Auburn. It was so much fun driving around and walking around Auburn with my roomies!

We were all amazed at how much campus has changed.

Our first stop in Auburn was at a bookstore

We had to go to Toomer's Corner.

Our old apartment has really changed!!

Growing

2010-10-05T05:48:00.000-07:00

Do you see it? Well I sure do. My son is growing up right before my eyes. He did an entire Lego kit by him self and didn't need my help. It hit me as I was watching him put the Lego set together that my boys are growing right before my eyes. Usually I can't see it. But today it was right there.

Note to self

2010-09-24T14:39:00.001-07:00

Note to self: ALWAYS ALWAYS check on boys when you hear the phrase, "I think I am going to try to fly......" I almost didn't pop my head in the twins room when I heard this, and then my mommy radar went off. The boys were on their top bunk thinking about jumping. NOT good. They really don't understand gravity and they just never seem to get hurt. It seems like no matter how crazy the idea they come up with the twins escape unscathed.

Baseball

2010-09-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Maybe I mentioned that I am a baseball mom. It seems like there isn't an off season to this monster we call youth baseball. Only because my boys love sports and they DESPERATELY need the outlet to get rid of all that energy, do I cheer them on at all the millions of games and practices. and of course there is the fact that they are so so very cute in there uniforms!!

Whirl wind

2010-09-14T14:25:00.000-07:00

It seems like my life is a constant whirl wind, or maybe a hurricane. There are some many things going on and it seems it happens all at one time. I am constantly trying to figure out how things got so busy, but that is just life with 2 kids. I have decided that I am going to start enjoying the crazy ride we call parenting, and stop trying to pretend that I can control the chaos. I have decided that having 3 boys involves constant motion and I just need to like the storm! I will enjoy it more if I just go with it. So when our schedule gets crazy and it seems there just aren't enough hours in a day to get everything done, I am going to picture myself on a roller coaster and just try to hang on and enjoy the thrill!

I'd like to share my Walgreens Photo Center photos with you. Once you have checked out my photos you can order prints and upload your own photos to share.

Roasted Tomato Soup

2010-08-30T15:12:00.001-07:00

I am trying new recipes out. This one is really yummy. I am going to make some baked potatoes to round out this meal. One time savers is to do the roasting on a day you have some extra time and then put the tomato and peppers in the frig until you are ready to make the soup.

Ingredients
8 Roma tomatoes, halved and seeded
2 red peepers, quartered and seeded
1 medium onion quartered
2 garlic cloves
2 tsps thyme leaves
3 tablespoons olive oil
2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar
salt and pepper to taste
1- 6oz can tomato paste
6 cups vegetable stock
1/4 cups fresh basil leaves
Preheat oven to 400.
On a sheet pan, gently toss together the tomatoes, peppers, onion, garlic, thyme, olive oil, vinegar and salt and pepper. Arrange the tomatoes and peppers, skin side up, and bake until lightly charred, 45 minutes or so.
In a soup pot,warm 2 more tablespoons of olive oil. Stir in the tomato paste and mix well. Add the tomato and pepper mixture. Get all of the yummy juices. Stir in the stock and cover. Bring to a boil. Reduce the heat to low and simmer for 20 minutes. Use and immersion blender and pulse in small batches until the soup is smooth.
Serve in bowls and garnish with the fresh basil.
roasting the tomatoes and peppers is WELL worth the extra time and effort. It gives it just a bit of a bite!

chewy granola bars

2010-08-18T15:52:00.000-07:00

I have been testing out a granola bar recipe on my family. My sweet sister in law is pregnant with twins and needs some extra protein in her diet. I think I finally came up with the perfect recipe!

2 cups granola
2 cups rolled oats
2 cups chopped dried fruit (cranberries and blueberries are our favorite)
1 cup chopped almonds
1 cup whole wheat flour
1 1/2 scoops of vanilla whey protein
2 eggs
1/2 cup honey or agave nectar
1/2 cup canola oil
1/2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp vanilla extract
line 2 9x9 baking pans with foil Spray oil on on the foil. Combine the first 7 ingredients. Whisk together the eggs, honey, oil, and cinnamon. Stir the wet mixture into the granola mixture then pat the batter into the pan. Bake at 325 for 20 minutes. When cool use the foil to lift the granola from the pan. Store in an airtight container or freeze.
This would be a great recipe for athletes who are doing some serious training. For everyday use I would cut the whey protein from the recipe.
Enjoy

My boys are hysterical

2010-07-28T14:24:00.000-07:00

My boys make my life so much fun. They have fun everywhere they go, and yes that has a down side. Just today these are a few things I heard from my boys:
"Runner (our 10 pound chawiennie dog) is going to learn a new skill, I am going to teach him to fetch" - 7 year old
"Let's have a belly flop competition. I won a belly flop competition between 30 other boys last year at the pool!"- 11 year old

school supplies

2010-07-28T14:17:00.000-07:00

At first I was in denial. How could school supplies already be in the stores??? Summer just started, right?, and I am not ready for school to start. But then the love of shopping for school supplies took over. I love to shop for school supplies. I love a brand new box of crayons.
The mistake I made was taking all three boys with me while shopping for school supplies. It was like letting bees loose in the section. My boys were everywhere and so excited about all the stuff out on the shelves. I had to keep reminding them that we were "only buying what was on their LIST". Needless to say the twins were not happy that 2ND grade teachers didn't include; trapper keepers, highlighters and a long list of other items on their school supply list. We made it out the store with only a few extras. Next year I think i will go by myself and watch the moms who bring their kids and be glad that mine are NOT with me.
Here the boys are ready for the first day of school!!!

Baseball Mom

2010-07-17T08:47:00.000-07:00

I think I deserve the official title of "baseball mom." My 3 boys have played 12 baseball games in the last 6 days. We also managed to get in a Minor league game on Friday and Saturday night!! Folks that is a lot of baseball. I only missed one game and that was due to a conflict between the boys schedule and we had to divide and conquer.
Here is my week in pictures.

July 4th

2010-07-05T06:57:00.000-07:00

We celebrated the 4Th with friends.

The kids swam and played. Of course there was plenty of BBQ, and then it was off to an Express baseball game.

After the game we had fireworks AND Round Rock Express let the kids and Mom's run the bases!!! Somewhere in that picture are 4 boys sprinting around the bases.

Happy Birthday America!

Roller Coaster

2010-06-27T07:11:00.000-07:00

We have had a CRAZY week, or at least crazier than normal. My oldest happened to injury himself in the most bizarre way. He was at a pool party 2 weeks ago and fell into a palm tree. It punctured his arm but no one could see that anything was in his arm. The next day I took him to the doctor because he had trouble moving his wrist and some fingers. The doctor put him on an antibiotic and said there could be something in his arm, but it was impossible to dig out in the office. Fast forward 10days and oldest's wrist is still hurting, so I take him back to the doctor. During this time he played an entire baseball tournament. We are not sure how. We go for x-rays, which are clear. The next day our doctor sends us to an orthopedic doctor. The ortho dr says there is something in there and surgery is the only way to get it out. He can do it that afternoon but oldest had breakfast. We do surgery the next day- Wednesday, also happens to be the day we were supposed to leave for Galveston beach on vacation. The doctor finds a splinter that is at least 1 1/2 inches long wedged in his muscle and tendon in his forearm. After surgery Oldest is already in less pain and can move his wrist. We did manage to go to the beach for a few days. We are now settled into our home in Austin, and now after this we have found a new primary doctor and hospital!!! Kids make life a roller coaster.

This is what they found in his arm!!!!!

mom rocks

2010-06-07T08:32:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was a long day. We spent all day watching the oldest play baseball only to lose in a Texas tie breaker. A Texas tie breaker is where they put the last 3 batted outs on base and start the team with one out and then you start batting. It was a heartbreaker.
We came home hot and tired. We all jumped in the pool. My twins retreated to their room and came up with 2 homemade night shirts for their dad and I!! My shirts says "mom rocks". I don't know how they knew I needed a pick me up but they did. I have the most thoughtful boys.

fishing

2010-06-05T11:23:00.000-07:00

I would have never guessed that the boys would be able to fish...crawfish that is in our neighborhood. I have fond memories of my brother spending hours trying to lure crawfish out of a small ditch. It was so much fun and now my boys are having the same fun and making tons of great memories. The big difference is the boys want to eat their catch. The crawfish they found are HUGE!! So we decided to try boiling them up. The boys loved the crawfish. The oldest claims the taste is a mix of shrimp and crab.

My sister

2010-06-03T06:21:00.000-07:00

I have an awesome baby sister. She shows up to "get her nephew fix" and always brings her camera. I love love love her pictures of my kids!

First Day of Summer

2010-06-02T16:32:00.001-07:00

Today was the first day of Summer Vacation. First off we slept in. The boys discovered that we have craw fish in our ditch!! They spent the morning trying to figure out how to get them out of their holes. It was amazing to me how entertained they were.

We then did some swimming!

We even did a little of this!!

All in all it was almost a perfect day.

Unpacking

2010-04-27T08:40:00.000-07:00

I finally managed to get all of the boxes unpacked, well except for the boxes with pictures. I am trying to live in the house a while before I hang pictures. It feels so good to have thing somewhat organized and to actually cook meals. I knew we were moved in when I need to do dishes, mop the floor and do several loads of laundry!!
I love our new house. The yard needs some work but that is exciting. I am already planning a herb garden and a salsa garden. I also love the idea of decorating from scratch. The wall are all a neutral color so I have a blank canvas to work with!

NEW HOUSE

2010-04-20T20:04:00.001-07:00

We moved into our house last weekend!!! It was so exhausting but I am so happy to have all of my stuff in 1 place well almost one place.
On a side note: We have some of the best friends!! Our friends the Winn's kept the boys for us on Friday and let them spend the night so we could close on the house and watch the movers. This was such a huge help. It is amazing how much you can get done without 3 boys! We had their room almost put together before they all arrived for lunch on Saturday. They even brought the boys to our new house. We stopped enjoyed a break and some pizza
The kids and I will still be with mom and dad during the week until school is out. It is so hard not being in my house during the week. I so want to decorate and rearrange things.

New home

2010-04-03T06:11:00.001-07:00

Well we finally have a contract on a house in the Austin area. We close this month!!! Actually in 12 days, but who's counting????????? I am so excited to get our stuff out of storage and set up my house. I love the idea of arranging the furniture and decorating the house.

DodgeBall

2010-03-26T19:15:00.000-07:00

I played dodge ball today. It has been a very very long time since I have played Dodge ball. We had a dodge ball tournament at my school today. We had a ton of fun! It was the 6th annual tournament. It was so fun watching Kinder up through 6th graders play. I was on the Under-Dodger team. We wore the cutest pink shirts! By the end of the tournament we were all exhausted. I forget how much effort it takes to play dodge ball!

Spring Break

2010-03-17T08:07:00.000-07:00

We are on spring break. With all the stress of moving a few day trips is exactly what our family needed.
Our family and some friends went to Dinasaur Valley State Park. I touched a dinasaur foot print. I must say that that was soooooooooo very awesome!

We took the kids to the zoo. The animals always enjoy the show our kids put on for them!!!

We even tried ice skating this week. It was my boys very first time ice skating. They are so amazing at how fast they pick up a new sport!

By Wednesday we took a little break and flew kites.

My friend and I decided to take all 6 kids on a hike. We turned a 2 hour hike into a 3 hour hike and forged some new trails. Our kids will always remember this adventure.

The hubby and I then took our boys to Perdernales Falls State Park. We tried to go to Enchanted Rock but so did half of Texas.

Moving

2010-03-17T08:02:00.000-07:00

Well we are offically moved in my my parents. Let the good times roll!!!!
We have sold our house here in central Texas and are still trying to buy a house in the Austin area. I would never have dreamed that it would be so hard to find and close on a new house. We found a great house and made an offer, but is is a "short-sell" house. Well, we have learned that there is nothing "short" about a short-sell. We are now at 3 weeks and counting to see if the bank will accept our offer, UGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH. The worst part is there is 2 offers on this house and we don't know if our offer is the best one. So on to house number 2. We made an offer last night on a second house. We have offically found the must unflexible home sellers in the Austin area. I am not convienced that they want to sell their home. I guess I will know soon what the end of this story looks like.

Transition

2010-03-04T16:29:00.000-08:00

I stink at transition. I kept telling myself that I wouldn't stress out over this move, but that is easier to say than do. I have discovered a few things about myself.
1- I don't like the idea of starting over in a new city
2- I don't like living with my stuff boxed up
3- Even though I thought it would be great- I hate not having a clean house
4- That David is an awesome husband to let me vent and not try to solve my issues
5- That home really is about family and not our stuff

Snow

2010-02-23T06:14:00.000-08:00

Well we finally have snow in Central Texas. It is georgeous!!! It looks like feathers falling from the sky!
I still can't believe that I dropped my boys off at school with huge snowflakes falling from the sky. The 11 year only was very vocal in his protests. I am feeling really sorry for his teacher right now. The twins are another story. Jared is in a private school and he is off for the day! So he was making sure his twin and big brother were very informed that he was staying home to play in the snow. I guess i should have given the other 2 the day off, but the 11 year old has already missed a lot of school when he had H1N1 in the Fall.

whirl wind

2010-02-16T14:15:00.000-08:00

Wow!! Life changes at the speed of light in my house. Our home has been on the market for OVER 7 months. I was in sleeper mode: keep it clean, assume I will have little to no notice for showings, and assume that is will NEVER sell. Well in 24 hours we have a contract AND they want possession of our home in 18 days, no make that 17 days as of today. So we are frantically trying to pack and figure out just where we are going to move our stuff to. The kids and I are going to finish the school year out by living with my parents, but we have to decide quick if we rent or try to buy. I am writing this down so I can look back one day and remember that life was really crazy it I am not exageratting.

CT5K

2010-02-12T14:09:00.000-08:00

okay so I came across a blog that mentioned couch-to- 5k. I had a short little chuckle and knew I had to write a post. Couch-to-5k was a thought I had at the beginning of last year (2008). Well as of right now I am still on the couch. So much for resolutions. I have readily admitted to being a social exerciser. I love to walk if I have a friend to walk with. I used to stroll my precious twin boys everyday and we had the best conversations. Of course they are way too big to put in a stroller, but I still love to take the kids on a walk if the stars line up just right. Of course that rarely happens due to life with 3 boys. We usually have homework, sports practice and then it is time to start the bedtime routine. Well maybe CT5K will happen next year.

No SNOW

2010-02-12T12:10:00.001-08:00

Well we have all been watching the weather channel with great anticipation of a snow event here in Central Texas. Of course it is hysterical to watch 3 boys watch the weather channel with giddy excitement. We were 20 minutes south of the snow. Skunked again. The boys and I are so ready for just a little bit of the pretty, white fluffy stuff. We are all a little jealous of all the snow pictures from our friends on Facebook. We will just keep praying.

My Hubby

2010-02-06T14:15:00.000-08:00

This week I have been sick and have felt miserable. But it has been the best reminder of how wonderful my hubby is. Hubby stayed home from work on Friday to take my pitiful self to the doctor. If I had listened to my hubby i would have gone to the doctor on Thursday but that is another story. Hubby has waited on me hand and foot. He has gotten up in the middle of the night to get me drinks. I always say how wonderful he his but this is just one more reminder of how lucky I am. As of today I am finally starting to feel like I am going to make it and hubby is still taking care of the kids and me. I love you babe!

New Job

2010-01-31T19:31:00.000-08:00

It's offical I am back in the workforce! Okay I have subbed off and on for the last year, but this is a real everyday of the week job. Well eveyday until noon. I am working for the best private school in central Texas as their office manager. It is an awesome job. I am so exciting about this job. It has been a great way to go back to work. I have loved being a stay at home mom for the last 6 and a half years. This is the best of both worlds. I can work and I still have time to take care of my family.

Runner

2010-01-23T18:02:00.000-08:00

Well it's official we have a new member in the Mitchell household. Runner the cute lost dog is now a member of our home. We have put up signs, looked for his home in the paper and checked to see if he had a "chip". It seems he was destined to stay with us. I have to admit, he is super cute and fun. I love that if he gets dirty you can wash him in the sink!!!

Changes

2010-01-23T17:55:00.000-08:00

It seems life is all about change. Sometimes it rains and sometimes it sprinkles. Well this week was a downpour! After a lot of prayer I decided it was time to make a serious change in Jared's school. Jared has always had issues being distracted and impulsive. He has just not thrived in his class this year. I found the perfect private school for him but knew I needed God to help me find the tuition. Well it all came together in the form of a JOB. I haven't had a paying permanent job in over 6 years!!! As of this week Jared is at BCS and I am there office manager for 20 hours a week. The school is just the right size for Jared and I love my new job. I love the teachers and the students! Jared is already showing a zeal for learning. It is so hard to make big changes but I am so glad that this has all worked out.

boys and stray animals

2010-01-04T07:38:00.000-08:00

So my latest adventure with my boys involved a stray dog. My oldest son and a friend went on a bike ride New Year's Eve. After returning from the second bike ride around the neighborhood they announced proudly that they had a small visitor with them. My first thought was "oh no what type of critter did they bring home"??!! I went outside and they had a small dog in the yard. Of course my oldest said, "but mom he wouldn't stop following us!" I always heard the jokes about boys bringing home dogs but it was NEVER my boys, until last week. So now we have this cute sweet dog that no one seems to own. We have signs up in the neighborhood, made phone calls and have told ALL of our friends. The last thing our house needs is one more animal. (we already have 2 dogs and a cat) I know we don't need another pet but he his soooo very cute. I guess we will know in another week or so if we are the new owners of a dog. I just wish it could have at least been a female dog. I am so outnumbered in this house!

New at this

2010-01-04T07:32:00.000-08:00

Okay so I have fallen victim to "blogland". I love reading other people's blogs. i love coming across a blog of other mothers of 3 or more children and find the common threads that we share. I alos really love reading about a good home improvement project. Blogland has inspired me to buy cans of black spray paint repurposing items in my home that I don't love. So I decided it was time to try blogging myself. I guess only the next few weeks and months will tell how much I like to blog compared to reading other people's blogs. Wish me luck in this adventure.