Yeah a New TV!

So we've been talking for quite some time about buying a flat screen HD TV. We finally decided to get one after shopping around alot. So here's our new toy, a 47' Vizio HD Flat screen TV. It's freakin' HUGE! Originally we were getting a 42' but the 47' was only a bit more so we splurged. I can not wait to watch Survivor in HD on the big TV this week!

And you can look at the comparison of how small our children are next to the large TV.

Look How Big Billy Idol Is on Our New TV!!!

Best Carrots...Thanks Gail!

I have moved past my green bean obsession, though as I type it I am reminded of the green beans with the red peppers...yum!. I am now hooked on carrots. This recipe in particular, which I got from Gail. Enjoy!

1/2 med. onion diced

2 cans beef consomme

1 small pack baby carrots

generous tbsp nutmeg (this is really to taste, I use about 1 & 1/2 tablespoons)

parsley

Saute the diced onion in a pan. When it's soft add everything else. Bring it to a boil then turn it down and let it simmer until about half the consomme cooks off and the liquid is thicker. That's it peeps, easy and yummy!

Pajama Kids

Sorry it's just cute so I had to share!

Meet Mr. Bigglesworth!

We adopted another cat. Yes I realize we already have two, when you have two what's three really. A little more food. Plus I've always wanted an orange tiger cat. They're my favorites, and always males, which means they are friendlier and move lovable. Girl cats are well girls, temperamental and moody. He came with the name Clovis, but we were all in agreement that we didn't like it. After much discussion and throwing out names like Norman and Murray we decided on Mr. Bigglesworth. We call him Bigs for short. He's hanging in Alex's room for a few days to make sure he's healthy and let him get acclimated. The ladies are not pleased, though they have stopped hissing at the door and only do it when they actually see him. Better pictures coming later!

My New Toy

Dad and Lyn surprised us with a Keurig Coffee Maker! Yeah I love this thing. In case you are not familiar with them you can make one cup at a time. You just load the little K-cup in the top and there you go. It makes tea, coffee, cocoa. It's great for people like Allen and myself who like completely different coffees. This week I brought a cup every day to work rather than stop at Dunkin's! Check it out.

The Report Card

Alex got his report card for the 1st semester on Thursday. All A's for his subjects and mostly N's (well 50/50 N's and S's-Needs improvement and Satisfactory) for behavior. I had my first parent teacher conference. He's a motor mouth. He talks out of turn, answers questions for everyone, whistles, sings, makes sound effects and is now sitting directly in front of the teacher. Well, at least he stopped pulling pencils out of his shirt!

Alex's Spelling Test

Every week Alex has at least 2 tests on Friday, spelling and religion. Then there are added ones that switch up week to week, social studies, science, grammar, math etc. Now remember this is first grade. This was his spelling test this week

Child
Chill
Neck
Character
Christmas
School
Cheese

There were 3 more but I don't remember them. Allen had a spelling bee for his 7th graders and they couldn't spell character and almost died when they heard it was one of a 1st graders words. Public School is Scary!

Homemade Chicken Pie...yum!

I found this recipe on http://www.allrecipes.com/, which I highly recommend by the way-tons of recipes. Decided to give it a try and wow is it good. I followed some of the review recommendations to modify it slightly and it was awesome. Two big thumbs up from Allen.

1 lb. boneless chicken breast.

1 small bag mixed veggies (corn, peas, carrots, green beans)

1.2 cup cubed potatoes

1/3 cup butter

1/2 cup chopped onion

2/3 cup flour

salt & pepper to taste

1/2 teaspoon celery seed

1/2 teaspoon poultry seasoning

2 & 1/4 cups chicken broth

4/6 cup (or 2 2/3 cups since that's exactly what I did) milk

2 unbaked pie crusts (I used the prepackage Pillsbury and they were great)

In sauce pan combine the diced chicken, veggies except onion. Add water and simmer for 15 minutes. Drain and set aside to cool. In saucepan melt butter and cook onion until clear. Add flour and seasoning cook for about 5 minutes to make sure the raw taste is gone. Add the liquids, mix well and cook on med-low until thick.

Put first pie sheet in deep pie pan (I didn't realize there are deep and regular, but I had both), add chicken & veggie mixture. Pour hot liquid mixture over, cover with top crust and seal edges. Cut away extra dough and put a couple of slits for steam to escape.

Bake for 45 minutes at 375. After it's done let sit for about 10 minutes and serve!

Props!

So often we complain about a store that did us wrong, or a restaurant that was terrible or whatever. Allen and I went two places today that were just awesome so I thought I would share.

The first is McKinnon's. I know most of you already go there but I can't say enough about this place. I bought 4 & 1/2 pounds of chicken tenders and 2 lbs. of ground beef for $11. I split into freezer bags and now have dinner for 7 meals. That's not even $2 worth of meat per meal. Incredible!

The other place is Maddie's which is in the same plaza as McKinnon's but over by the gas station in the little plaza in front. Awesome breakfasts and reasonable. I had carb overload today with french toast made form cinnamon rolls. I now have to do an extra mile on the treadmill tomorrow but honestly it was worth every bite. We've been there I think 4 times over the last few months and I've gotten something different every time. Every time it was delicious. Service is spot on, coffee mugs are handed out when you walk in so if you wait so can get coffee during that time and prices are decent. Give it a try!

Temper Tantrum

This is what happens when 4 year old girls throw a temper tantrum at bed time. They get so tired from fussing they fall asleep in the hall way on top of their stuffed Hippo!

Work Out Day Two....I did it!

Yup two days in a row! I trotted a mile on the treadmill then worked out using some of the nautilus machines. Not real familiar with those so stuck to what I know. I need to set an appointment with one of our trainers. They walk you through all the equipment and you tell them what you want to accomplish. They then tell you what would be best for you. My biggest challenge in the fitness center is my size. Most of the machines are not made for people under 5' so I'm a little limited. It won't deter me though. I am determined to get healthy!

Boot Camp...Day One!

So I signed up for a boot camp for YMCA staff. It's run by this woman Sharon, who trains tri-athletes. That right there should tell you I do not belong in this class. But I went and it kicked my very round butt. She made me do horrible things like run, crunches, lunges, mountain climbers, more running, more crunches, push ups, an obstacle course that was not made for someone 4'9".

I was winded, panting actually, bright red in the face but I didn't give up. I went slower than, well everyone in the class when it came to the running. I ran for a while then jogged, then brisk walking. But I did it. Now I hurt. My thighs are on fire and I'm crabby because I ache all over. I am sure tomorrow I will walk like I am 100. But my gym bag is already packed and tomorrow morning I am determined to do a mile on the treadmill. Maybe even a little weights for the arms.

Turning over a new healthy leaf. Next Wednesday at Boot Camp I am determined to do better!

Score at the Disney Store

Rachel loves to play dress up. Sometimes she just dresses up and stays that way for most of the day. And by dress up I mean Disney Princesses. The last 2 Christmases, Santa went to the Disney store right after Halloween and stocked up. This year he went again. Just about everything was 25-50% off. So if you have a little one who loves to dress up I wouldn't wait too long because the supply is dwindling, especially after I walked out of the store.

Talk about a bargain, I got the complete Belle set up, dress, shoes & tiara, complete Sleeping Beauty set up, an extra pair of random shoes (shoes are her favorite, she gets it from her Grammy!), an extra tiara, jewelry and A Minnie dress & shoes for $100.00. Now I know that seems like alot to some of you but considering the dresses average $40.00-$50.00 normally that's not bad. Besides the amount of play she gets out of it (and I didn't have to buy a Halloween costume this year, thank you!) makes it all worth it.

Soccer Celebration

So today was the kids last day of soccer. They (Alex sat on the sidelines and he was none too happy about it) played a game followed by a short medal ceremony where Coach Allen spoke about each kid. He's a great coach. Don't let him fool you, he likes to be all humble but the kids and the parents absolutely love him. Here's a picture of the kids team!

Trick Or Treat

Scary Start to Halloween

Alex woke us up Friday mornings around 4 am, clutching his chest and mouthing he couldn't breathe. What we thought was a very bad asthma attack turned out to be a very bad case of Croup. Neither of the kids had ever had it, and Alex's breathing/asthma issues only made it worse. We hurried him off to Holy Family Hospital, where I have to say, the staff was awesome. A few nebulizer treatments and a shot of some miracle medicine and he was ready to head home. The doctor recommended short walks outside in the cool air to help his recovery. Would trick or treating qualify as that? Absolutely! So a few hours on the couch with the cool mist humidifier running and he was ready to be a crypt keeper skeleton or something like that!