A Challenge...

So, this morning I was having my morning cup of coffee, (IE. checking e-mails, perusing my favorite blogs, websites, etc.) and found myself feeling guilty for not eating healthier, not being more creative, not saving the environment, and then saw this challenge to not buy anything for the month of April. This means you are only allowed to buy essential food items, medications and stuff for your family. I of course had the immediate thought:" crap, now I can't buy anything either?What is there to live for! " (just kiddin') then I took a step back and thought OK- I can do this. But baby steps right? I can do this for one week. So here goes... Starting tomorrow for the next week I have challenged myself to only by essential items we need. No eating out. No i tunes downloads. No dollar spot finds, paper crafting supplies or clearance items that I can't live without. This is not a political statement against Target. Those of you who know me well, know that I have a very intimate relationship with Target that goes way back. This is a small step in being more financially responsible and less wasteful. A step towards combating the "affluenza" that many of us Americans suffer from in the pursuit of material happiness, a long road that we are dragging our kids down. Does any of this make sense or ring any bells for you? Who wants to take the challenge with me? Let me know....I just had a funny thought. This will be a post that will catch Jed's attention!

Here it is...

A few people mentioned that I didn't post a photo of the winning car and wanted to see it. So, here it is!

He Did It Again!

Jared defended his title, and won 1st place again in the Pinewood Derby last night! It looks like the weeks of preparation were worth it! We are so happy for him!

Easter Slideshow

I know, I know. More photos of my kids. What can I say? I just couldn't resist!(push play)

Happy Easter!

Traditions

Today the boys had a lot of fun doing our usual Easter Traditions. We started out the morning with an Easter egg hunt at the church. Then later in the afternoon Sam came over and we dyed 3 dozen eggs. Yes! It is a lot but it is so great to see how involved the boys get in creating the perfect egg. It has become a new tradition to have Sam with us the last couple years and it takes me back to when we were kids. Claire was a good sport through it all. She is still not feeling well but managed to make it most of the day without throwing up!!! The first day in the last week that this has happened and I am grateful. After dinner we finished off the evening with Luke telling us the Easter story and we all made Easter Morning Rolls a recipe that I found in a book years ago. You take dough and wrap it around a large marshmallow and coat the rolls in butter and cinnamon sugar, then stick them in the fridge overnight. When you bake them in the morning, the marshmallow melts and each roll is perfectly hollow representing Christ's tomb. The first year we made them it was quite magical for the boys and they still love it.

Happy Birthday Sam!

Happy Birthday to my little sis!

Devoted teacher and aunt extraordinare,
nature lover, patient listener and specialist
in the art of rescuing her big sis....
I love you Samantha!

Happy Birthday Dad!

This is one of my favorite photos of me and my dad: purely candid and just plain us. (a few years ago...)
Lover of: German chocolate cake, snickers, computers, star trek; avid reader and devoted grandpa......
Here's to you Dad! I love you.

Happy Birthday Kirsten!

I bet you thought I forgot. Not so. I never do, I'm just not good at acknowledging it all the time. So, here's to you Kir....a woman I truly love and admire.

Who......

is always there for me,
is a remarkable wife that has made many sacrifices so that her hubby can be a marine and serve our country for months at a time!
is a real mom,
is a talented writer,
has an infectious laugh,
appreciates sock monkeys and Irish drinking music, taught me the finer uses of creamed corn and many other things that I will forever be grateful for.....
I love you Buster!

Quote of the Day

So, a friend of mine says to me today at church;" You know you are a real Mom when you have caught throw-up in your hand at church." Ya, so this is the second time that I have been emancipated in this fashion. That pretty much sums up my day! Hooray for another promotion in parenthood.

oops!

I forgot to mention that I thicken the chili with masa harina before serving!

A Mellow Saturday

We are enjoying a mellow Saturday around here. Jed is off this weekend and working on his thesis. It is so nice to have him home and for him to go to church with us. He is directing Jared on his pinewood derby car with the big weigh in looming next Saturday. Last year Jared won first place and I think he is feeling a bit of pressure to preform again.
It is cold and rainy/snowy today so I stuck some chili in the crock pot. It is yummy. My friend Lori gave me this recipe and I tweaked it a bit to our tastes. The mammoth cornbread muffins from costco are the perfect accompaniment! The kids are hanging out and I am working on a project and card for our March Card Swap group. It is my turn to host so I am in charge of coming up with a make and take project for everyone. I'll post the results later.
I had an epiphany the other day while I was running on the treadmill. I was watching the clock and thinking to myself "just one more minute." (I hate running) and I thought geez- that's what I need to do with the rest of my life. I get so stressed out about all the little and big things going on or not going on in our lives and become overwhelmed and discouraged so often. Maybe if I can take it one minute at a time it will be more manageable! ha! This one day at a time approach doesn't always work ya know? Hopefully you can read the sarcasm into this.
On a positive note Claire is perking up she went for a breathing treatment at the hospital on Thursday. It seemed to help along with another round of stronger antibiotics.
Jed had an epiphany of his own on Thursday. He spent the day working in a pediatric clinic as an FNP and realized just how much he enjoyed it and would like to do pediatrics. In his words: " None of the patients asked for narcotics and I don't have to do any pelvic exams!" Way to be grateful for the little things, Jed.
I hope everyone has a good weekend. Here is the recipe I was talking about:
Slow- Cooker Chili (I re-named it: Not yo mama's Chili!)
1 lb stew beef in cubes
2 tbs chili powder
1 t cumin
2 tbs flour
1 onion
1/2 red bell pepper
1/2 green bell pepper
16oz can black beans drained and rinsed
16oz can kidney beans drained and rinsed
14oz or small can fire roasted diced tomatoes with garlic
tiny can of jalapenos or 1 fresh diced jalapeno
1 can beef broth
2 tbs BBQ sauce ( I use bulls eye Guinness beer kind)
1 1/2 tbs brown sugar
1/2 C frozen corn
salt to taste

1. Brown beef in a skillet for a couple minutes with oil , add salt and pepper, then add chili powder and cumin and let the spices heat for a minute. Stirring add the flour and let the meat cook for another minute.
2. Transfer the mixture to a large slow cooker add all the remaining ingredients, cover and cook for 6 to 8 hours on low. Thin with some water if needed. Serve with fresh chopped cilantro, cheese and sour cream.

Check out my atomic 80's playlist...

A photo recap of the last year...

Happy Easter!

I thought that since we didn't send out Christmas cards this year, and it didn't happen New Year's, or Valentines Day, I'd get a jump start on Easter. So, welcome to our little world. It has been so fun keeping up with friends and family all over the world through blogs I finally decided to jump on the bandwagon. The last year has been a crazy one, full of changes and challenges. We have not been the best at keeping in touch with everyone, hopefully that will be a little easier now. Below is a bunch of photos of Claire, I thought I'd share. Keep a lookout for more updates!

It's a girl!!!!! ( 9 months later...)

Here is a brief look at Claire ....our little peanut.