I just left Dana's house and the lightening was flashing like crazy and the thunder was rolling. Luckily I was able to make it home in between downpours. I've come to learn that this is a typical southern weather pattern. Hot Hot Hot during the day with an evening (9pm evening) thunderstorm. It will be dry and hot hot hot again tomorrow. This is how I prefer my rain....at night when I'm sleeping.
I was pretty lazy all day today. I didn't even lift up the camera to snap any shots...that's how lazy I was. I did pick up the pace in the evening though. We stayed home and did a lot of playing with Lauren's babydolls. We changed Baby Sam's clothes a couple of times and seeing this Tyler brought me another baby and wanted to take all of its clothes off. Unfortunately the baby he brought me didn't have a change of clothes so we just had to put the "dirty" clothes back on her. We then tried on all of Lauren's dress up shoes (Tyler too because I'm an equal opportunity kind of person.) The kids also made a couple trips outside to play in the sandbox.
At about 4 o'clock I picked up the pace and made up our dinner. I prepped the pork chops and when Matt got home we broke out the charcoal grill for the first time this spring/summer season. Dinner turned out delicious and I was so hungry that I didn't get any pictures before I devoured it. You'll just have to check out the links to see pictures. I made Peach and Red Onion relish to put over the grilled pork-chops and also a Watermelon and Feta salad to compliment. I really liked it and so did Daddy and Lauren. Lauren ate everything...even her salad (once I topped it with Ketchup) she did have a couple extra spoonfuls of feta. Unlike Lauren, I don't think I ever asked for "more feta cheese please" as a kid. =) Tyler on the other hand started off eating all his watermelon. He wanted more but I told him he had to have a piece of pork chop (1/8 by 1/8 in. piece) but he refused so all he had was a small bowl of watermelon. He'll eat a good breakfast tomorrow.
After dinner I talked Dana into going to the YMCA with me. I talked her into doing some cardio and then she talked me into doing some weight machines. If I can only talk her into getting a membership I think we can really compliment each other by going together. At the gym Dana and I rode the Expresso bike and I LOVED it. This was a 3-D experience and had I wanted to I could link up the to internet and possibly race other riders. I chose a coastal ride and I will definitely be doing this again.
The kids were in bed when I got home and Matt was/is downstairs playing the Monday night poker game so I haven't heard how their evening went. I'm sure it was bliss for the kids because they sure love their Daddy.
At home I showered off and then went to Dana's house to help her dye her hair. I almost had her sign a waiver saying she still had to be my friend if I botched it but as far as I can tell (her hair was still wet) I did a good job. We'll see tomorrow as we've agreed to go to lunch together.
Tomorrow will be a busy day so check back then. I'll try and take some pictures to share too. Sorry about the text only post tonight. Be sure to check out the links for some visuals.
Monday, June 9, 2008
Sunday, June 8, 2008
just keeping cool
It was a warm weekend in Atlanta. Highs were in the upper 90s and it was HoTTT. We did our part to stay cool by enjoying various indoor air-conditioning systems. On Saturday we separated; Lauren and Daddy went to Home Depot to buy some more plumbing/bathroom items and Tyler and I went to Old Navy to use Matt's birthday gift card. We got Daddy a couple pairs of much needed flip flops and then got Tyler 3 pairs of shorts and some shirts. Unfortunately, Tyler doesn't get any hand-me-downs from the neighbors so his wardrobe is always falling short.
Back home the kids napped, I did a good hard workout and Matt worked on the basement bathroom. Later we had Morgan come over (she had previously called and asked if she could baby-sit...so we just had to oblige.) Matt and I went to Mama Lucia's. We tried out their new location and although the food was delicious...the atmosphere just wasn't the same. Their old location felt more quaint and intimate while this new one seemed more generic and chain- restaurant-like. I guess we're just becoming foodie snobs in our old age.
After dinner we walked down the outdoor mall "Ashley Park" and stopped in DSW shoes. Both Matt and I found some flip flops we just couldn't do without. After that stop we weren't quite ready to head home so we met some friends at Taco Mac for a night cap.
When we got home Morgan had filled out a "Babysitter's Report Record." In this, she jotted down what the kids did and ate and basically wrote 3 paragraphs describing their evening together. It was pretty cool. Sounds like the kids had a lot of fun and did a lot more than just watch tv all night.
Today was a typical Sunday for us. I made up the weekly menu and then did the weeks grocery shopping. Of course Matt had to make his (almost daily) trip to Home Depot. For dinner I made Chicken and Pasta with Asparagus and Lemon. It was delicious. I love the lemon flavor to the sauce and it wasn't too overwhelming at all. This is from my Cooks Illustrated magazine I get. (I can't find the recipe on-line but will scan and e-mail if requested. We also had some left over Bisquick biscuits as a side.
After dinner I gave Lauren a tattoo and then we headed outside to have our snack.
We had the last of the chocolate bars. Good thing we ate them outside because Tyler got his all over the place. It was such a huge mess that we ended up hosing off the back deck and the kids when they were finished.
Afterwards it was bath and bed for the kids. When the kids were down I met Dana outside for a sweltering walk around the neighborhood. It was oven warm and a bit humid but compared to the temp from the day it was a perfect time to walk.
Now it's about time for me to get comfy in my pjs and call it a night. I hope everyone had a great weekend.
Back home the kids napped, I did a good hard workout and Matt worked on the basement bathroom. Later we had Morgan come over (she had previously called and asked if she could baby-sit...so we just had to oblige.) Matt and I went to Mama Lucia's. We tried out their new location and although the food was delicious...the atmosphere just wasn't the same. Their old location felt more quaint and intimate while this new one seemed more generic and chain- restaurant-like. I guess we're just becoming foodie snobs in our old age.
After dinner we walked down the outdoor mall "Ashley Park" and stopped in DSW shoes. Both Matt and I found some flip flops we just couldn't do without. After that stop we weren't quite ready to head home so we met some friends at Taco Mac for a night cap.
When we got home Morgan had filled out a "Babysitter's Report Record." In this, she jotted down what the kids did and ate and basically wrote 3 paragraphs describing their evening together. It was pretty cool. Sounds like the kids had a lot of fun and did a lot more than just watch tv all night.
Today was a typical Sunday for us. I made up the weekly menu and then did the weeks grocery shopping. Of course Matt had to make his (almost daily) trip to Home Depot. For dinner I made Chicken and Pasta with Asparagus and Lemon. It was delicious. I love the lemon flavor to the sauce and it wasn't too overwhelming at all. This is from my Cooks Illustrated magazine I get. (I can't find the recipe on-line but will scan and e-mail if requested. We also had some left over Bisquick biscuits as a side.
After dinner I gave Lauren a tattoo and then we headed outside to have our snack.
We had the last of the chocolate bars. Good thing we ate them outside because Tyler got his all over the place. It was such a huge mess that we ended up hosing off the back deck and the kids when they were finished.
Afterwards it was bath and bed for the kids. When the kids were down I met Dana outside for a sweltering walk around the neighborhood. It was oven warm and a bit humid but compared to the temp from the day it was a perfect time to walk.
Now it's about time for me to get comfy in my pjs and call it a night. I hope everyone had a great weekend.
Friday, June 6, 2008
it's not fair....
says Lauren every chance she gets. Regardless of whether I won't let her play with Tyler's favorite dump truck or whether I won't let her wrestle with him when he's crying out. It doesn't matter..."it's not fair." This is usually followed up with a cried out "Mommmmmeeeeeeee."
And with that said I'll describe our day....
I was so tired that I didn't hear Matt's alarm this morning. I didn't realize he had slept in until I woke up with a panic at a quarter to seven this morning. I turned to him and asked if he heard his alarm. He said he did and that he was going into work late. He eventually got up, showered and then made us egg sandwiches for breakfast. Yumm!
After breakfast, and after Matt headed off to fight rush hour traffic to work, I showered and then the kids and I headed off to our play date with Miss Nicole and Lauren and Tyler's friend
Abigail. The kids played so well with Abigail that Miss Nicole and I had a great time socializing and hanging out. It was a great playdate. The first of it's kinds since normally my kids prefer to hang out on my lap the whole time.
After the playdate we came home and I made up a box of Macaroni and Cheese for lunch. I served this with a side of applesauce. Lauren only ate her applesauce and informed me that she didn't like Mac-n-cheese. Tyler on the other hand ate all his applesauce, all his mac-n-cheese and then finished up Lauren's un-eaten mac-n-cheese plus the rest of the box. When it was all said and done he ate the entire box!! of mac-n-cheese. Unbelievable!
After lunch I gave the kids a bath since Tyler is suffering from a major case of diaper rash. He had a hard time relaxing in the bath but eventually he was able to settle down and hopefully it helped his sore bottom.
While the kids napped I went into the basement and did a low-impact aerobic dvd (rented from Netflix)...which I considered too low-impact to qualify as a work out so I decided to do a treadmill workout (3 min walking offset with 3 min of incline jogging) during my 60 minute soap opera "General Hospital." After this workout I felt pretty good.
After my workout and after a quick shower I started to make dinner. On the menu tonight was a warm double bean potato salad. I can't find the recipe on-line to link to so you'll have to ask for the recipe or depend on the picture. It was very filling and would have done fine as a single dish meal but I made some Bisquick biscuits to compliment (not pictured.)
The kids got a pickle to compliment their meal however they just had kosher dills. I did find these Jalapeno pickles at the store which are very good and I thought I'd share.
After dinner we got our swim suits on and headed down to the bath-water temperature water of our neighborhood pool. Tyler was a complete daredevil and kept insisting on jumping in all by himself. We eventually put a second pair of "floaties" on his to keep him above water.
Lauren on the other hand prefered to play on the side of the pool or on the very first step. Maybe she'll learn from Tyler not to be afraid of the water....someday.
While we were at the pool, Matt got a call to play poker later in the evening.
So when the time came we headed home and got the kids ready for bed so Matt could go...hopefully win some money and ....play poker.
Now they are in bed and I'm watching Ghost Whisperer as I write this post.
Enjoy your weekend y'all.
And with that said I'll describe our day....
I was so tired that I didn't hear Matt's alarm this morning. I didn't realize he had slept in until I woke up with a panic at a quarter to seven this morning. I turned to him and asked if he heard his alarm. He said he did and that he was going into work late. He eventually got up, showered and then made us egg sandwiches for breakfast. Yumm!
After breakfast, and after Matt headed off to fight rush hour traffic to work, I showered and then the kids and I headed off to our play date with Miss Nicole and Lauren and Tyler's friend
Abigail. The kids played so well with Abigail that Miss Nicole and I had a great time socializing and hanging out. It was a great playdate. The first of it's kinds since normally my kids prefer to hang out on my lap the whole time.
After the playdate we came home and I made up a box of Macaroni and Cheese for lunch. I served this with a side of applesauce. Lauren only ate her applesauce and informed me that she didn't like Mac-n-cheese. Tyler on the other hand ate all his applesauce, all his mac-n-cheese and then finished up Lauren's un-eaten mac-n-cheese plus the rest of the box. When it was all said and done he ate the entire box!! of mac-n-cheese. Unbelievable!
After lunch I gave the kids a bath since Tyler is suffering from a major case of diaper rash. He had a hard time relaxing in the bath but eventually he was able to settle down and hopefully it helped his sore bottom.
While the kids napped I went into the basement and did a low-impact aerobic dvd (rented from Netflix)...which I considered too low-impact to qualify as a work out so I decided to do a treadmill workout (3 min walking offset with 3 min of incline jogging) during my 60 minute soap opera "General Hospital." After this workout I felt pretty good.
After my workout and after a quick shower I started to make dinner. On the menu tonight was a warm double bean potato salad. I can't find the recipe on-line to link to so you'll have to ask for the recipe or depend on the picture. It was very filling and would have done fine as a single dish meal but I made some Bisquick biscuits to compliment (not pictured.)
The kids got a pickle to compliment their meal however they just had kosher dills. I did find these Jalapeno pickles at the store which are very good and I thought I'd share.
After dinner we got our swim suits on and headed down to the bath-water temperature water of our neighborhood pool. Tyler was a complete daredevil and kept insisting on jumping in all by himself. We eventually put a second pair of "floaties" on his to keep him above water. 
Lauren on the other hand prefered to play on the side of the pool or on the very first step. Maybe she'll learn from Tyler not to be afraid of the water....someday.
While we were at the pool, Matt got a call to play poker later in the evening.
So when the time came we headed home and got the kids ready for bed so Matt could go...hopefully win some money and ....play poker.
Now they are in bed and I'm watching Ghost Whisperer as I write this post.
Enjoy your weekend y'all.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
quick post tonight
I'm pretty tired so will keep this short and sweet. Yesterday we took GG to the airport and am happy to say she made it home safely and without any difficulty. I spent the rest of the day in mourning. And when I wasn't mourning I ate. I ate a ton yesterday but at least I got a good workout in. The kids played outside a lot. In the sandbox on the back deck and then in the driveway with chalk later. We added Thomas to our sidewalk chalk art.
For dinner I made a Summer Veggie and Pasta Salad. It had penne pasta, sugar snap peas, zucchini and tomatoes with a white wine vinegar and dijon mustard sauce. It was good, even the kids ate a bunch of it.
This morning we went to church so I could volunteer. The child care workers were happy to see Lauren since this is the first Thursday she's come with me. Normally she's at school. The kids played in the playground while I helped to set up for Sunday school. On our way home we stopped in the grocery store for a few staples and both kids were perfect angels. Back home it was lunch and a nap. I have been tired all day!
After dinner we went to our community group meeting and then back home for bed. I can't wait to go to bed tonight. Hopefully this tired funk I've been in will clear up tomorrow. I will definitely work out to get some more energy. G'night all.
For dinner I made a Summer Veggie and Pasta Salad. It had penne pasta, sugar snap peas, zucchini and tomatoes with a white wine vinegar and dijon mustard sauce. It was good, even the kids ate a bunch of it.
This morning we went to church so I could volunteer. The child care workers were happy to see Lauren since this is the first Thursday she's come with me. Normally she's at school. The kids played in the playground while I helped to set up for Sunday school. On our way home we stopped in the grocery store for a few staples and both kids were perfect angels. Back home it was lunch and a nap. I have been tired all day!
After nap the kids played outside while I made dinner.
We had Shrimp and Linguine fra diavolo from the food network site. My sister-in-law and mom had made this earlier and recommended it. I looked it up and fra diavolo means "brother devil" in Italian. must be due to the spicy red pepper flakes.
kids serving...the first one. Lauren had 3rds of the pasta and Tyler cleaned his plate. I guess it wasn't too spicy for them.
kids serving...the first one. Lauren had 3rds of the pasta and Tyler cleaned his plate. I guess it wasn't too spicy for them.
After dinner we went to our community group meeting and then back home for bed. I can't wait to go to bed tonight. Hopefully this tired funk I've been in will clear up tomorrow. I will definitely work out to get some more energy. G'night all.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
our final day with GG
Today was a somber day. The air was quite humid (and 90 degrees) but it was also filled with the sorrowful knowledge that GG was flying home tomorrow.
The kids played in their newly painted and dried cardboard house. Check out Lauren's very swollen eye. I gave her Benadryl after breakfast and as of this evening it looks much much better. Poor girl.
To take full of advantage of GG's last day I took off during the kids' nap to get my nails done and also a pedicure. I went from the typical square nails to a more oval look. I'm not too fond of them as of yet. They seem almost too "oval" to me. What do you think? (I ask these questions knowing that I hardly get any comments at all....so no hard feelings if you just read this and never comment. hmph.)
I got home in time from the nail salon to watch General Hospital. I'm pretty sure that GG is addicted by now and will go home and watch this daily. This would be a good thing because GH is seriously the ONLY life like soap that's worth watching. All agreed?!
For dinner I made Chicken with Capers.
This was very tasty. GG, Matt and I loved it and even Lauren and Tyler cleaned their plates. Of course to their plates I added strawberries and cherry tomatoes. For dessert I made my first attempt at Lemon Bars. GG tells me my mom makes a very delicious Lemon Bars but she's neglected to give me her recipe. The ones I made tonight are just so so...so no pics or recipe. =)
After dinner the kids went out to play and color with chalk while I vacuumed and GG dusted. The kids and Daddy! came up with some great chalk art. Very much photo worthy.
The kids played in their newly painted and dried cardboard house. Check out Lauren's very swollen eye. I gave her Benadryl after breakfast and as of this evening it looks much much better. Poor girl.
To take full of advantage of GG's last day I took off during the kids' nap to get my nails done and also a pedicure. I went from the typical square nails to a more oval look. I'm not too fond of them as of yet. They seem almost too "oval" to me. What do you think? (I ask these questions knowing that I hardly get any comments at all....so no hard feelings if you just read this and never comment. hmph.)
I got home in time from the nail salon to watch General Hospital. I'm pretty sure that GG is addicted by now and will go home and watch this daily. This would be a good thing because GH is seriously the ONLY life like soap that's worth watching. All agreed?!
For dinner I made Chicken with Capers.
This was very tasty. GG, Matt and I loved it and even Lauren and Tyler cleaned their plates. Of course to their plates I added strawberries and cherry tomatoes. For dessert I made my first attempt at Lemon Bars. GG tells me my mom makes a very delicious Lemon Bars but she's neglected to give me her recipe. The ones I made tonight are just so so...so no pics or recipe. =)After dinner the kids went out to play and color with chalk while I vacuumed and GG dusted. The kids and Daddy! came up with some great chalk art. Very much photo worthy.
"Salty" 
"Henry and his tender"
"Henry and his tender"
Later it was bath and story time for the kids. We're still working on bedtime and it appears I'm going to have to sign off this posting and put the kids to bed. Have a good evening and pray for a safe trip home for GG tomorrow.
Monday, June 2, 2008
just another (not so) manic monday
We started off the day by heading off to Atlanta to have lunch with Matt. We went to Whole Foods Market and had their stromboli (GG and I) and pizza (Matt and the kids). When we pulled into the parking lot Tyler started chanting "coo-KIE." I wasn't aware that he recognized the Whole Foods parking lot as the place where he gets cookies after eating a good lunch. It was pretty cute.
Back home and after a nap Lauren woke up with a swollen eye. After some inspection I determined it to be a small bug-bite on the outside of her eye lid causing the inflammation. Poor girl swells up like her Mama. I gave her some Benadryl but it stayed swollen until bedtime. It didn't really bother her much after she got used to not being able to open it all the way. Here she is on the sofa "getting used to it."
When Daddy got home he sat on the sofa with the kids and put his feet up after a hard day of work. Tyler, always wanting to be like his Daddy, put his feet up too. I just couldn't pass up this picture opportunity. ...way too sweet.
Despite having a fridge full of leftovers from yesterday's meal I decided to make something new. I made Ravioli w/ zucchini and green onions and also spoon bread. I'm not finding the recipes on the internet to link to so if you're interested, let me know. The ravioli dish was just so-so but the spoon bread was a good idea. I'm thinking of trying it with just regular corn bread. It just looks pretty cool in a dish.
Here's a close-up of the spoon bread.
After dinner Matt went to Home Depot to pick up some more plumbing tools. (Remember, his big project of late is the bathroom in the basement.)
While he was gone I brought the cardboard house outside for some paint and decorations. The kids had fun coloring, painting, stamping and stickering the house.
It was a nice warm evening and as long as the breeze kept up it was comfortable sitting out on the back deck.
At about 7:30 we headed inside to clean up, have a snack, get PJs on, brush teeth, read 4 books and then off to bed for the kiddos.
Currently GG and I are watching the Bachelorette (who is from Newnan, GA) and Matt is across the street...hopefully...winning at poker.
g'night all.
Back home and after a nap Lauren woke up with a swollen eye. After some inspection I determined it to be a small bug-bite on the outside of her eye lid causing the inflammation. Poor girl swells up like her Mama. I gave her some Benadryl but it stayed swollen until bedtime. It didn't really bother her much after she got used to not being able to open it all the way. Here she is on the sofa "getting used to it."
When Daddy got home he sat on the sofa with the kids and put his feet up after a hard day of work. Tyler, always wanting to be like his Daddy, put his feet up too. I just couldn't pass up this picture opportunity. ...way too sweet.
Despite having a fridge full of leftovers from yesterday's meal I decided to make something new. I made Ravioli w/ zucchini and green onions and also spoon bread. I'm not finding the recipes on the internet to link to so if you're interested, let me know. The ravioli dish was just so-so but the spoon bread was a good idea. I'm thinking of trying it with just regular corn bread. It just looks pretty cool in a dish.
Here's a close-up of the spoon bread.
After dinner Matt went to Home Depot to pick up some more plumbing tools. (Remember, his big project of late is the bathroom in the basement.)
While he was gone I brought the cardboard house outside for some paint and decorations. The kids had fun coloring, painting, stamping and stickering the house.
even GG got into the fun
At about 7:30 we headed inside to clean up, have a snack, get PJs on, brush teeth, read 4 books and then off to bed for the kiddos.
Currently GG and I are watching the Bachelorette (who is from Newnan, GA) and Matt is across the street...hopefully...winning at poker.
g'night all.
Sunday, June 1, 2008
uneventful week (until today)
As you can tell by the title it was a pretty boring week. Poor GG is probably sick of my sofa (or davenport...as she calls it) She won't admit it though...always saying she's having the time of her life and just loving on those kids. I can't believe the 4 weeks is winding down so quickly. I will be heart broken to see her go.
Here's a quick recap:
Wednesday: absolutely nothing. This week I didn't even go to the grocery store and only made meals out of what we had in the pantry. Wednesday was pesto pasta night. The kids ate up the pesto pasta even though I made them buttery noodles thinking they wouldn't touch the green stuff. Now I know better. And to talk about the DH....Matt worked late tonight as he's very busy with a project right now.
Thursday: I left the kids with GG while I volunteered at church and then picked up a prescription ($80...can you believe that?!) and some milk. Later that night (about 5 min. after Matt got home from working late) we again left the kids with GG and went to a BBQ for our community group. I made pomegranate-lemonades that I found off another foodie blog I often read. For the most part they were liked but I noticed some kids dumping it out saying it was too tart. oh well...how can you compete with Southern sweet tea at these BBQs?! Back home, GG said the kids were perfect angels and that Lauren is a big help with cleaning up the toys.
Friday: Let's see...I ran out of foundation (make-up) and noticed that Lancome on-line did not have my favorite type in stock so we had to go to Dillard's to get it instead. (unimportant side-note: Lancome has discontinnued the Photogenic foundation that I use...boo) I was able to get their last 2 remaining bottles so I have awhile now until I need to find a new foundation...any beloved and CHEAPER suggestions?
That night GG offered to stay with the kids while Matt and I went next door to have dinner with the Hancocks and the Corbitts. While GG and the kids had leftovers and quickly made cheese quesadillas, we had steaks, potatoes, salad and corn. I ate soooo much. If a serving of steak is a deck of cards than I had 2 or 3 decks. Needless to say my quota of red meat is filled for the month. We stayed out a little too late (although we had fun) and the next day we were a little bit tired.
Saturday: We were too tired to do much all day. Strike that...I was too tired to do much. Matt mowed our lawn and the neighbors lawn and then did a trip with the kids to Home Depot. He's a trooper. I spent the day reading my latest book. "Pope Joan" by Donna Cross.
For dinner Friday I made up tuna cakes from the last 2 cans of tuna I had in the pantry. They actually turned out very good...despite them just being a pantry dinner. After dinner we all went to church and learned how we should be treating our enemies. It was a good sermon and I will hopefully keep it in mind when I deal with people who get on my nerves. =) The kids had fun and Lauren even got to leave with a tiger mask and a cup full of animal crackers.
Sunday: After resting most of the previous day I was ready to roll today. After a breakfast of cereal and toast, I wrote up our weekly dinner menu and grocery list. Then I did a quick yet very hard workout in the basement while GG and the kids watched TV and played. After showering I headed off to the grocery store so I could be back in time for big Tyler's birthday party. This was a pool party at his Grandma's house and was a lot of fun. I'm pretty bummed I didn't bring a camera because the kids had a blast. In addition to the big pool in the backyard they had a couple of baby pools that Lauren and Tyler had a lot of fun in. Tyler was the braver of the two because he was actually jumping into Daddy's arms from the edge of the big pool. We had a lunch of hot dogs and potato chips....lots of potato chips. We left the party a tad early because we had plans for a big Thanksgiving dinner in June for this evening.
Invited guests were Dana and Buddy and their kiddos and also one of Matt's co-workers who was over helping Matt with some plumbing in the basement bathroom. Dana brought over all the fixins and did almost all of the fixing of the wonderful huge and scrumptious meal. We had fried chicken strips, pulled pork butt, mashed potatoes, squash, dressing, collards and black eyed peas. I hope I didn't leave anything out. I ate my plate clean and so did Lauren. Tyler was so tired after swimming earlier but even he ate a lot despite almost falling asleep in his chair. It was so much fun and the food was absolutely wonderful. I'm hoping this will make GG reconsider returning to the west where the food isn't nearly as tasty.... lol.
And this brings us to the pictures for this post. Enjoy.
Here's a candid picture of GG watching Dana prepare the meal.
Dana and I
I'm holding tea bags for our sweet tea we made.
GG wanted a picture of her food and also the beautiful chef.
a close-up of our meal. (clockwise: onions & collards, squash, pulled pork, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas and dressing)
Here's a quick recap:
Wednesday: absolutely nothing. This week I didn't even go to the grocery store and only made meals out of what we had in the pantry. Wednesday was pesto pasta night. The kids ate up the pesto pasta even though I made them buttery noodles thinking they wouldn't touch the green stuff. Now I know better. And to talk about the DH....Matt worked late tonight as he's very busy with a project right now.
Thursday: I left the kids with GG while I volunteered at church and then picked up a prescription ($80...can you believe that?!) and some milk. Later that night (about 5 min. after Matt got home from working late) we again left the kids with GG and went to a BBQ for our community group. I made pomegranate-lemonades that I found off another foodie blog I often read. For the most part they were liked but I noticed some kids dumping it out saying it was too tart. oh well...how can you compete with Southern sweet tea at these BBQs?! Back home, GG said the kids were perfect angels and that Lauren is a big help with cleaning up the toys.
Friday: Let's see...I ran out of foundation (make-up) and noticed that Lancome on-line did not have my favorite type in stock so we had to go to Dillard's to get it instead. (unimportant side-note: Lancome has discontinnued the Photogenic foundation that I use...boo) I was able to get their last 2 remaining bottles so I have awhile now until I need to find a new foundation...any beloved and CHEAPER suggestions?
That night GG offered to stay with the kids while Matt and I went next door to have dinner with the Hancocks and the Corbitts. While GG and the kids had leftovers and quickly made cheese quesadillas, we had steaks, potatoes, salad and corn. I ate soooo much. If a serving of steak is a deck of cards than I had 2 or 3 decks. Needless to say my quota of red meat is filled for the month. We stayed out a little too late (although we had fun) and the next day we were a little bit tired.
Saturday: We were too tired to do much all day. Strike that...I was too tired to do much. Matt mowed our lawn and the neighbors lawn and then did a trip with the kids to Home Depot. He's a trooper. I spent the day reading my latest book. "Pope Joan" by Donna Cross.
For dinner Friday I made up tuna cakes from the last 2 cans of tuna I had in the pantry. They actually turned out very good...despite them just being a pantry dinner. After dinner we all went to church and learned how we should be treating our enemies. It was a good sermon and I will hopefully keep it in mind when I deal with people who get on my nerves. =) The kids had fun and Lauren even got to leave with a tiger mask and a cup full of animal crackers.
Sunday: After resting most of the previous day I was ready to roll today. After a breakfast of cereal and toast, I wrote up our weekly dinner menu and grocery list. Then I did a quick yet very hard workout in the basement while GG and the kids watched TV and played. After showering I headed off to the grocery store so I could be back in time for big Tyler's birthday party. This was a pool party at his Grandma's house and was a lot of fun. I'm pretty bummed I didn't bring a camera because the kids had a blast. In addition to the big pool in the backyard they had a couple of baby pools that Lauren and Tyler had a lot of fun in. Tyler was the braver of the two because he was actually jumping into Daddy's arms from the edge of the big pool. We had a lunch of hot dogs and potato chips....lots of potato chips. We left the party a tad early because we had plans for a big Thanksgiving dinner in June for this evening.
Invited guests were Dana and Buddy and their kiddos and also one of Matt's co-workers who was over helping Matt with some plumbing in the basement bathroom. Dana brought over all the fixins and did almost all of the fixing of the wonderful huge and scrumptious meal. We had fried chicken strips, pulled pork butt, mashed potatoes, squash, dressing, collards and black eyed peas. I hope I didn't leave anything out. I ate my plate clean and so did Lauren. Tyler was so tired after swimming earlier but even he ate a lot despite almost falling asleep in his chair. It was so much fun and the food was absolutely wonderful. I'm hoping this will make GG reconsider returning to the west where the food isn't nearly as tasty.... lol.
And this brings us to the pictures for this post. Enjoy.
Here's a candid picture of GG watching Dana prepare the meal.
Dana and I
I'm holding tea bags for our sweet tea we made.
GG wanted a picture of her food and also the beautiful chef.
a close-up of our meal. (clockwise: onions & collards, squash, pulled pork, fried chicken, mashed potatoes, black eyed peas and dressing)
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