Simple Abundance

The new do...

Before:

After:
 
She is in full-pout-mode in that left picture becuase I wouldn't let her have a Capri Sun until she let me take her picture.  You can see who won that face-off.  Stinker!  I do love her hair at this length.  She can still wear her cute bows, but the back is simple and sleek.  Her hair is getting thicker and thicker too, which is good.  She has NO hair, poor thing.  I can blow it dry in two minutes, literally.  It takes me 32 minutes to get mine dry and then I still have to straighten it.

While I'm on the subject of Miss Boston, I am going to list some of my favorite things about her at this age (almost three!!!):

• She is still such a sweetheart.  She loves to cuddle and be held.
• She is super girly.  She likes to sing and dance and twirl and dress-up and is content to just play and imagine for hours on end. 
• She is a picky eater.  Doesn't like much of anything and doesn't like to try new things.  She loves dairy products, but they sure upset her tummy.  I think she must be a touch lactose intolerant.
• She is obsessed with Littlest Pet Shop toys. 
• Her skin is very sensitive, especially around her eyes. 
• She follows Zach around and thinks he is just the coolest.
• Misses her daddy when he's at work.  She comes to me randomly during the day and says "I'm starting to miss Daddy."  She's not the only one!
• She loves "homework time" and the little workbook I bought for her.  She loves doing homework like Zach and she is smart!  I am amazed at how quickly she picks things up.
• She still has that binky.  yikes.

I love you my little sweetie, and I'm so thankful to be your mommy!

You know it's bad...

when I tag myself for something to blog about.  Seriously.  Don't get me wrong, it's not like nothing is happening.  We are crazy busy.  I just can't bring myself to actually take the time to sit down and document what we're doing.  Bad.  So bad. 

8 TV Shows I Love to Watch
Prison Break
Private Practice
Grey's Anatomy
The Office
Dancing with the Stars
Pretty much anything on Food Network

8 Things that I did Today!

• Ate cookies for breakfast.  (BAD)

• Took Boston to get a haircut. (Just wait till I show you...sooo stinking cute!) 

• Tried to go show the "new do" to Grandma, but she wasn't home.  (Honestly.  Doesn't she sit home waiting for us to show up? *wink*)

• Picked up Zach from the bus stop and took him and Boston to the gas station to pick a treat.  (Really an excuse to buy myself some chocolate licorice.)

• Heated up leftovers for dinner.  (Boston opted for yogurt, if that says anything...)

• Read the Book "I Love You Forever" to my kids before bed and got a little choked up, even though I think that book is a little creepy.  The mom drives to her son's house in the middle of the night, climbs up a ladder into his room and rocks him.  Weird.  What is it with mothers and their grown sons??  My sisters and I always joke about that!  It's only because we didn't have any brothers, so we never saw that mother-son thing first hand.  Now we are just experiencing it through our husbands and our (wonderful, fabulous, amazing) mother-in-laws!  ;)

• Watched Dancing with the Stars.  Go Brooke and Derrick!

• Entered Camille's quilt giveaway.  (Please let me win!  I really want a Camille quilt of my very own!)

8 Places I like to Eat!
Johnny Carinos
PF Chang's
Chevy's
Cheesecake Factory
Tucano's (Babe, you still owe me a trip to UT!)
Schlotsky's
Wingers
Basically anything I don't have to cook.  I'm not very picky!

8 Things I am Looking Forward To
My next date night with Heath
Thanksgiving
Decorating for Christmas
Christmas Morning
New Years Eve
Losing weight (but not the process of losing it...)
Sewing (never have enough time to sew, but I LOVE it...it is totally satisfying to me)
Love and Logic guy speaking at the church on Friday night

8 Things on My Wish List
lots of fabric
Disneyland with my family
trip to Scotland to see Linds and Darren
new jeans in a smaller size
time for finishing a quilt I'm working on
a new lens
family pictures taken by someone other than me.  (Ash??  Please?)
a new baby (There. I said it out loud.  We are hoping for another baby...wish us luck!  It takes ages for us to get them!  I'm not very fertile...)

OK, well...

I do think that no matter who we voted for he does deserve a measure of respect from each of us.  But, more than just a measure of my respect must be earned, Mr. Obama.  Show us what you've got!

Oh and...

*wink*

For my mother...

I love you!

Appauling. Shocking. Disgusting.

I do not normally discuss politics with anyone but my family.  I am tolerant of people's choices.  I am respectful. But tolerance does not require abandoning my own personal standards or my opinions on political issues.

I cannot believe the amount of shocking disrespect portrayed in the following.  I can't believe it.  It makes me so sad.    

Read this.

Watch this.

Sad.  Pathetic.  Desperate.

A statement released by our church:

“The Church has joined a broad-based coalition in defense of traditional marriage.  While we feel this is important to all of society, we have always emphasized that respect be given to those who feel differently on this issue.  It is unfortunate that some who oppose this proposition have not given the Church this same courtesy.”

Please do NOT comment if you are going to say something mean!!!  Respectful comments welcome!  ;)

I cannot wait for this day to be over with. 

Our Halloween...

We had a wonderful Halloween.  I did the room mom thing for Zach's class party.  A bunch of 5 year-olds in costumes eating donuts, playing games and drinking gallons of "Smokey Root Beer", as Zach called it.  That was quite the experience (aka completely CRAZY!!)

Heath came home early and I made soup and rolls for dinner and then it was FINALLY time for trick-or-treating.  We left our candy in a bowl on the front porch so we could all enjoy being together.  It was a blast walking around the neighborhood, running into friends and enjoying the PERFECT weather.  The kids didn't need snowsuits under their costumes!!!  That is a once-in-a-lifetime miracle in Idaho!

Zach dressed up as a Clone Trooper and Boston was a pink butterfly.  

 

Boston was sooo into everthing.  She never asked to be carried once and ran and ran from door to door all night.  She even begged me to take her around my parents neighborhood once we got over there!  She LOVED trick-or-treating and she really "got it" this year.

 Now, on to the REAL holidays!  ;) 

Two Posts in One Day?

SHOCKING!!! 

I have a couple of friends who have been asking and asking for this recipe and I thought I'd share it with you too!  I got the recipe from Ash, who got it from her Mother-in-Law Michelle, who always has the YUMMIEST recipes!  Enjoy!

Baked Ziti
16 oz. Ziti or Rigatoni
1 pkg Jimmy Dean Sausage (I always use hamburger becuase I don't love sausage)
1 onion
1/2 tsp. garlic salt
2 c. mozzarella

Red Sauce:
14 oz can tomato puree
1/2 can tomato paste
8 oz. can diced tomatoes
1/2 tsp basil
1/2 tsp marjoram
1/2 tsp thyme
1 tsp oregano
2 tsp parsley
1 T. sugar
salt and pepper to taste
water if needed

White Sauce:
8 oz. cream cheese
1/2 cube butter
1 c. whipping cream
1/2 c. parmesan cheese
1/2 tsp. fresh garlic

Brown the sausage/hamburger, onion and garlic salt.  Add everything else for the red sauce to the meat and simmer for 30 minutes.  Add the ingredients for the white sauce to a sauce pan.  Heat gently until everything is melted.  Boil the pasta according to directions.  Drain.  Put the pasta in a 9x13 pan.  Pour the white sauce over the pasta.  Pour the red sauce over the white sauce.  Top with the mozzarella cheese and bake at 350 for 30 minutes. 

If you are short on time you can use your favorite bottled red sauce.

Where do I Start?

I know...how about the fun part? 

This past weekend we had Livee stay the night with us while Ash and Parker (and Krew) were out of town.  Most of the time I just tried to stay sane and keep her and Boston from fighting.  When it's just the two of them, it's fine, but when you throw Zach into the mix, for some reason it's Boston and Liv who end up fighting!  Weird!  We really did have a good time, though, especially at the Pumpkin Patch.  They each picked a pumpkin, they ran through the kiddie corn maze, and of course there was some pouting and crying involved too.  Adventure!

This one (above) cracks me up...see what I mean about the fighting?  They were fighting over who got to sit by Zach and Boston totally had it coming!

I want my Dadddy...!

What?  We get treats?  OK, I'm happy!

CHEESE!

And finally...here's a good one.  NOT!  Why is it that I can never get a decent picture of my kids together?  Zach's cheezin' and Boston, well, she's a (cute) goof!!

Happy Fall, y'all!

 

What my kids are doing right now...

 

Yes, it is snowing!!!!!  Heath and I are grouchy about it, but the kids are thrilled!  Boston has been obsessed with snow angels for months, so of course that was the first thing she did when she went out to play.  Notice she's still in her jammies!  She loves to stay in them as long as possible every day.  Sometimes she cries when I make her get dressed "cause my clothes aren't warm and cozy like my jammies, Mom."  Funny girl!  Zach, on the other hand, wants to get dressed ASAP when he gets up.  They are seriously polar oppisites in most situations and they sure keep life interesting! 

The first picture...

in what will hopefully become something like the "Zach" version of this:

Love this boy!  He is LOVING school so much.  This morning he had a bit of a cough (which has now turned into a raging hack, although he doesn't act sick in the least...weird) and I asked him if he wanted to stay home from school.  His reply?  "Nooo, Mom, I want to go to school and learn stuff!"   And boy is he learning stuff.  I love getting into his backpack after school to see his projects and papers.  And we are enjoying the time we spend together doing the homework he brings home, too.  There is nothing cuter than a 5 year-old's handwriting!  I love it and constantly have to have some of his handwriting practice sheets on my fridge...it makes me smile when I look at it. 

Another thing I love about my sweet boy is the fact that he will pretty much eat ANYTHING I put in front of him!  Boston has turned into SUCH a picky eater, but Zach eats whatever I make and usually Boston's helping too!  I know, from talking to my friends, that this is a rare phenomenon and I am thankful!

LOVE this boy!