Don't Tempt Me

When you sign up for a

"HEALTH & FITNESS CHALLENGE"

against your spouse,

your sister and her husband

for 12 weeks

with strict rules like no soda,

no dessert,  30 mins of exercise,

etc...

and only 1 day a week to "cheat".

I guess there is no holding back

if you want to win!

On "cheat day" Larry whipped up 

this luscious beauty of goodness.

But now it's Monday &

this cake is pure evil.

Satan.

The devil in disguise.

I give my husband props for placing 

this cake in a well viewed position

on a fridge shelf with nothing else

to obstruct it.

Leaving it uncovered for full

display.

He only left out the flashing red neon

arrow saying EAT ME.

And yes, that is a fork on the plate

as it sits in front of me at the desk.

A Moment In Time

 My chubby cheeked babies seem to

be launching out of their stages

and growing older.

It still pains me to know that soon

they won't fit on my lap.

So we take this moment and

pause time with some

up close photos of the baby smooth skin

and kissable necks.

Dan, 14 months old

Eye's blue.

Hair yellow with a touch of red.

 Dan is grabbing the camera

and all I got was one of his eyes.

 Keira, 2 weeks from turning 3.

Curly brown hair.

Blue eyes.

Yesterday she had a 30 min tantrum

and sobbed every time she saw her Mii

on the Wii,

because I changed it to have freckles.

Then I took her to the mirror to show

her the freckles on her cheeks.

She responded by trying to scrub them

off with a wash rag!!

Preschool or Bust

The wait is over!

Ben is 1 year away from going

to Elementary School,

so that means time for Preschool!!

With 5 neighborhood friends

and their mom's

we created another 2-day a week

school filled with learning,

exploring and field trips.

Ben is well equipped with his Spiderman

lunch box,

and Lightening McQueen backpack.

But most importantly Ben as a 

huge smile on his face.

He is so happy to enter this new

phase in his life.

And I absolutely love that every time

 we drop him off he gives me a hug

and says

"I'm going to miss you mom!"

*sigh*

He knows how to make his

Mamma's heart melt

Freezer Jam

A few days ago I was laughing with Larry

about how I used to have a "glorified"

opinion of Pot Roast.

I thought it was such a special and 

difficult meal that was usually

saved for Sunday dinners.

Until now, when I realize it's the simplest

meal to make, especially with a crockpot.

With that in mind, when I saw raspberries

were on sale for a steal, I thought maybe

now was the time to try my hand at freezer jam.

Friends have told me how easy it is,

but I have experienced many hours

helping my parents can fruits and veggies.

And I knew THAT was not easy.

So I looked up the recipe and laughed.

Something that seemed so difficult

was simple.

I was intimidated for no reason!

So I bought 8  6oz containers of berries,

4 pectin (for freezer jam) packets

and 4 plastic canning containers.

 Berries cost $10.00

Pectin $4.00

Sugar (no idea, I buy bulk)

Containers $4.00

(but they are reusable, so their cost doesn't count)

After washing the berries,

I crushed them with my hand blender.

 Then took spoonfuls into the strainer

and pressed / scraped the seeds and

berries back and forth until only the seeds

were left.

After my efforts (about 15mins)

I was left with raspberry juice.

Mixed in a lots and lots of sugar.

Let it sit for 10 mins until the mixture

was thick and most of the sugar was dissolved.

Added pectin envelopes and lemon juice,

stirred for 3 mins.

 And PRESTO!!!

It's magic.

I have 4 of these beautiful cans.

My mouth is watering just thinking 

of hot bread and this jam on top.

Emma's 2nd Soccer Season

 Emma's team the "Heart Attacks"

is looking better then ever.

They have a few new girls who

are really helping the team.

 She was worried that her loose front tooth

would fall out during the game

and she wouldn't be able to find it in grass.

She was so excited to start the game,

she started dancing on the bench.

Crazy girl!

Coach and Asst. Coach going

over the game plan.

I love the new shirt Larry got.

Team huddle before the game starts.

Emma did great!
She is so fast and a great dribbler.

She would always beat everyone to the ball.

And refused any of the opposing teams attempts

at a fast break.

Emma was a master at retrieving the ball when

kicked away from a chance at a goal.

She would turn the ball around and power kick it

back to her teammates.

 There she goes!!

She made a goal!!

Time for a celebration!!

Desperate Measures

Sometimes we'll do just about

ANYTHING

to make sure poop ends up

in the right spot.

Not my proudest moment as a mom.

But it is creative,

and best of all,

it worked.

Look Who's Walking

and causing ALL SORTS of havoc!!

Crawling leads to standing, standing to walking,

walking to a "Holy Terror"!!

I wondering why I don't get anything done 

all day long?

Maybe it's because of him!

You're So Vein

Warning Label:

this posting includes photography

and graphic descriptions

of a personal and grotesque nature.

The time has come for me

to actually do something for myself.

And believe me when I say,

it's feels weird, strange and

awkward.

But here it goes.

After a few words of wisdom

from my parents,

I was convinced that the veins

on my legs were a physical liability.

(aka: blood clots)

With an ultrasound that revealed at least 3 veins

that were utterly failing at their job.

One being 5.5 times larger then

it's supposed to be.

The DR said it was about the size

of a pinkie finger!!

Thankfully there are new procedures

and I found a great office close to

my home that offered in house

surgery with local anesthesia

which kept costs seriously low.

And so now, I will have 3 separate surgeries

and am the proud wearer of some super

rad socks for 8 weeks.

The procedure was fairly easy.

I didn't even take the offered

relaxing drugs beforehand.

But the worst part would had to be

when they had to remove parts

of the vein that was so enlarged

that they couldn't leave it in my leg.

So with 15 tiny cuts on my leg

they pulled the parts of the vein out

and clipped them off!!

It was the strangest feeling of

"tugging".

And after 3 days,

this is what my leg looks like.

Still swollen and bruised.

But it's worth it.

Those varicose veins were 

VERY UGLY!!

(and painful)

Peek-a-Boo

Play time with Dan.

He is such a happy baby.

Always with that wide mouth

frog smile and infectious laugh.

Super Seven

 This delicious gummy bear cake must 

be for someone.

For someone super special

turning 7 years old...

It is Emma Jean's Birthday!!

And what do you do when you can't

find any candles?

Use left over sparklers!

(side note:  next time using inappropriate 

celebratory flames... open all windows, 

cover cake with protective barrier for

dropping ash, remove younger children that

scream holy terror at the sight of fire balls,

and give birthday child an extinguisher

to help blow out the "candles")

OR

just borrow candles from a neighbor.

Emma licks her special birthday plate

clean.

 We told Emma she had to find her

present this year.

And that it started with a clue some where

on mom.

She found it in my sock.

 Her clues lead her all over the house.

To the toy room,

the bathroom, 

outside on the front door,

her lunch box and

then to a picture on the mantel.

Lastly to the car.

This was my way of distracting

the birthday girl from the

fact we didn't have birthday wrapping

paper nor a gift bag big enough

for her present.

A razor!!

(or scooter for you old folks)

Emma didn't even know she wanted

something like this,

but I've seen the way she eyed her sisters!

Next, a present from Grandma & Grandpa.

Emma called Grandma and specifically asked for this

purple unicorn pillow pet,

but after seeing the box it came in

Daddy and I sufficiently convinced her that

there was NO WAY it would fit in

such a small box.

That way, she was still surprised.

(maybe next time Grandma should put

in a few buttons to throw her off)

Emma is in love!

And quickly named her pet "Rose".

She was able to take the pet

to school with her because

she had earned a "bring a stuffed animal"

to class pass.

We interrupt this blog to bring 

you a side show of

Dan riding Emma's razor.

Emma had a great birthday.

This year she chose not to have a family

party, but to take $40 instead

and go to the toy store.

She bought a Barbie movie, polly pocket stuff,

sun glasses, little mermaids and

a coloring book.

I love when my kids start to learn

that buying their own gifts

instead of risking what friends

 might buy them,

is a better idea!!