I {heart} Pickles!

Remember these?

Here's my final product!

These pickles were so good... "were" being the operative word. They didn't last long in our house! The pickles turned out crisp and crunchy, much like Claussen pickles. And, they even kind of tasted a bit like Claussen pickles too. I am definitely going to make more when things slow down a bit around here... summer, maybe?

Here's the recipe again. I'd suggest reading through the comments to get user feedback. That definitely helped me as I tweaked the recipe a tad. (I can never follow a recipe exactly! It's not who I am.)

Japanese goodies, Crusader Fest and Soccer

My title leaves little to the imagination, I know. But, I could not come up with a clever title for today's entry.

A few weeks ago, I won a blog contest hosted by my friend blogging friend Erica. Erica and her family live in Okinawa, where her husband Chris is stationed. Her package arrived yesterday and it was chocked full of tasty treats and fun finds from Japan!

I especially love the tin of Spam. Notice the picture on the front... Mmmm, can you say Spam Sushi? Thank you Erica for all of the fun stuff you sent to us!

Yesterday evening, was the girls' school spring carnival. There was a food, various booths, a rock climbing wall, petting zoo and many, many bounce houses. The girls had a lot of fun, but enjoyed the rock climbing wall the most. It was nice to get out and see all of their friends and families at this event.

Today we wrapped up Elisan's soccer season with a double header. Elisan's coach complimented her on her hard work this year and was genuinely impressed with how well she improved this year. She did a great job and we are so proud of her!

Inspiration welcomed here!

I'll admit, I've been feeling out of sorts for about a month now. What with all of the bad news swirling around (here, there and in the news) ... it has a way to bring you down, ya know?

Yesterday, I decided that I had had enough. I cranked up my praise and worship music and just let the sounds fill my house. Then, while I was eating lunch, I caught up on a missed sermon from a couple of weeks ago and it was just what I needed to hear!

Our pastor preached on "Courage" and how to defeat the 'Goliath's' in your life. It was dead on and I walked away with a fresh word and renewed spirit.

I shared this with my husband last night, and as usual, he sits amazed that I can even be sad, much less on the brink of a depression. Then today, he sent me a video of a former co-worker standing on his artificial legs for the first time. It was remarkable and inspirational, to say the least. The look on this man's face was priceless.

See, this man, Randy's friend, had died. The team at the hospital worked on him a long time to revive him and finally, they did. And while I don't recall all of the facts surrounding his illness, apparently, his body got a severe infection in the process and he lost both of his legs and all of his fingers to the middle joint. But, today, he's standing on artificial legs, bracing himself against a table with hands that do not have fingers. He is a walking miracle.

So, while I've had a major pity party the last month, I realized that I have a lot going for me. For my family... for my future. I'm a child of the most high God and need to start acting like one.

Lord, forgive me for not trusting you, for placing my trust in myself. For seeking peace in a world that has no peace. I pray for your peace. I pray for your wisdom to handle the difficult times. I pray for your supernatural healing over my mind and emotions. In your hand is strength and power, to exalt and give strength to all. I'm worth more to you, than the value I've placed on myself. Help me to shine your bright bold light on those around me. Forgive me Lord. Amen.

Rooted

First of all, thank you all for your kind words over the death of my cousin, Sean. I debated about mentioning the circumstances surrounding his death, but realize that his death can bring someone closer to God.

On Tuesday, my cousin took his own life. As you can imagine, this news shook our family to the core. It was a senseless death. A death that could have been prevented. The reality is, that Sean was having a very hard time. His life circumstance were difficult and he could no longer endure the pain. He was trying to turn his life around... trying to make a difference in his life, but couldn't see the light for the clouds.

Sean had recently recommitted his life to God. He was going to church, getting involved and trying to turn his life around. The sad fact is that we fight an earthy enemy - Satan - whose sole desire is to steal, kill and destroy. And let's face it... if we aren't rooted in God's word and grounded in our spiritual walk and prayer life, then we could be overtaken by the enemy of this world too.

You know, I have to believe that Sean is resting in His Heavenly Father's arms right now, because we serve a God full of grace, mercy and love. I have to believe that Sean's death is not a victory for Satan, but victory for God. Sean is at peace now. I truly believe it.

The enemy is real. He is brutal. And he will not stop.

But, we can stop the enemy... by asking God into our lives and becoming rooted in His word, His ways and His love.

In Loving Memory

Today, I learned that my cousin Sean passed away today. Sean leaves behind a wife and four children.

Sean is one of my first cousins on my dad's side of the family. The Sullivan side of my family is a tight knit group of folks. This is the family that gets together without fail, every Christmas and squeezes into a rented building and celebrates as a family. (Yes, rented building, because there are so many of us.) So, as you can imagine, his death (along with the recent death of my uncle - on the same side of the family) is hitting us pretty hard.

Sean has always held a special place in my heart. At one time in our early/mid-20's, Sean and I used to hang out quite a bit. We'd frequent this super yummy Chinese restaurant near my apartment and just laugh and philosophize about life, relationships and the future. Of course, as most friendships do, we both moved on, moved away and got married. And even though I lost touch with Sean over the years, I could always count on him to give me a great big bear hug and give me a hard time in the process about one thing or another.

Sean, you will be sorely missed. I pray you are at peace and seeing your Heavenly Father's face today. I love you, man.

Test and Prove

For those of you that don't know, I am married to a Chemical Engineer. Granted, he does not work in the chemical engineering field, but by degree, he has a lot of scientific knowledge of all things relating to applied chemistry.

In a way... he's like a scientist who must test and prove theories and processes on a daily basis, even in his current position.

Why am I bringing this up? Because living with a scientist (of sorts) can be annoying at times. Let me draw an illustration for you...

Yesterday afternoon he walked in the door from work and I said, "Kyla's soccer practice is rained out tonight." (He's the coach of her team.)

He says, "When did you check?"

I say, "A few minutes ago."

He then proceeds to pick up the phone and call the rain-out number, to test and prove that soccer practice was indeed canceled for the evening.

Of course, this isn't the first time he's tested and proved something I've told him. It happens all the time and he doesn't even realize he's doing it.

Last night before bed I poked fun at him for his testing and proving methods. He said... "Someone has to make sure a car will stop when the brake is applied, or that an airplane will fly every time it hits the runway, right?"

I conceded. Yes, I suppose that's true.

I married an engineer/scientist. What did I expect?

Random stuff

On Monday, I had the pleasure to attend morning Chapel at the girls' school. In addition, the 3rd grade classes were performing their "Heroes of the Faith" presentation. It was lots of fun to see all of the kids dressed in their "period costumes". Elisan was Florence Nightingale. I made... actually sewed from scratch... her apron and skirt. Impressive, ain't it? (Especially since sewing is not my thing.)

I also enjoyed seeing Kyla enjoying the praise music the kids sang at Chapel. Our school is run by the Baptist church in Round Rock. I didn't know Baptists were so charismatic!
Yesterday, I made an impromtu trip to a bluebonnet patch near our house on the way home from school. The girls have been wanting to get in the middle of a bluebonnet patch ever since they sprouted a month ago! With all of the rain we got this past fall and winter, the bluebonnets really made a showing this spring.

Remember this necklace I posted a picture of last week? I made my knock off version last night and I'm pretty excited with how it turned out. My version cost me around $9.00.


And finally, if you like spicy food, allow me to suggest this. It's Spicy Hatch Pozole soup by Central Market brand for HEB, . Very good and very spicy. I added shredded roasted pork to my bowl with some crumbled tortilla chips, with a side of avocado. This jar only served 2 and it was kind of expensive, but it was a nice change of pace around here.

Disney on the brain

I'm sorry people, but I have Disney World on my brain and you have to suffer through it with me.

I wish I could convey how overwhelmed I'm feeling. I wasn't overwhelmed with the planning of this trip until I began digging around websites and guide books and realized that there are people who plan their Disney trips months (sometimes, years!) in advance. And, silly me... I thought we were going on vacation.

No. Apparently, we will be entering a world of sensory overload of lights, music and mayhem... accompanied by bleary eyed moms hoping to squeeze every last MAGICAL MOMENT of out Disney on behalf of their kids. Even, if it kills them.

There is a such thing as 'over-planning'. I'm nearly there. And, honestly, I'm not even half as prepared as some of the families we will be sharing our Magical Moment with. (I'm sure we will be called 'novices' more than once while we are there.)

I've had some great advice along the way. My good friend Leigh Ann and Cyndi both recommended purchasing souvenirs/trinkets ahead of time to avoid most of the costly park purchases and since I love a good deal, I thought I'd share my shopping experiences with you!

Walmart/Target:
I didn't realize how much Disney stuff was available until I began actually looking for it. I was able to buy each girl 2 "souvenir" t-shirts on sale for $3.00/each. I bought them each a Tinkerbell t-shirt and a Snow White t-shirt. They are nice quality t-shirts and hopefully will keep my kids from wanting a $20.00 t-shirt at the park.

Target had a lot of Disney stuff in their dollar spot section of the store. I bought them each a pair of Tinkerbell socks and a package of pens that have a cord to hang around your neck (for autographs!)

Disney Outlet Store:
I know not everyone has the privilege of living seven minute away from a Disney outlet store, but we do, and I took advantage of it.

I walked in on Monday and they were marking an entire section of Disney apparel for $2.99/each. I bought them each a short-sleeved hoodie (to wear at night when it cools down), a Sleeping Beauty shirt and a PJ dress. I also sucked it up and bought them each a set of Minnie Mouse ears. The ears were NOT on sale, but they were still only $7.50/each.

eBay:
I have read about the "Pin Trading" phenom that occurs at Disney and knew that my girls would want to be in on that action. After reading up on it and asking around, I discovered that each pin costs around $4-$10/each depending on style. I knew Randy would have a cow if the girls wanted to spend that kind of cash on a few pins, so I checked out eBay to see what I could purchase ahead of time. I found a seller in Florida who sells lots of 20 "official" Disney pins. I caught her auction as just the right time, because I was able to purchase all 20 pins for $16.00. (Later on that day, I checked her other auctions and the same lot of pins was selling for $25.00!) I also found a seller who was selling the lanyards that you attach the pins to (don't ask...) and I was able to pre-purchase them as well.

Craftiness:
And finally, I decided to make the girls' autograph books with my mad graphic skills and it turned out cute. I was able to personalize each page as well.

We'll have a souvenir budget for the girls once we arrive at the park, but I wanted to have some extra goodies for them as well. I think with a little pre-planning, it's not impossible to find a few key items that will make everyone's trip more enjoyable.

My creative side

So, a while back, I created a new design and I sent the image to ARTSCOW.com and made some really cute dog-tag necklaces. While I was placing my order, I sat there and thought... this is really cute and I bet I could sell some of these. So, I ordered one for me and a few more to sell.

If anyone is interested, I'm selling these one-sided dog-tags that state "I AM REDEEMED" Isaiah 43:1 for $5.00/each. I'm not trying to make a killing on them... I just thought someone else would enjoy wearing one as well. Let me know if you are interested in purchasing one.

Here's what they look like in real life.

Why pay more when you can copy?

I've been struggling with finding my "style" lately. I don't know about you, but I go through phases of how I dress or want to look. I'm now in the sporty/athletic phase of style searching and I discovered the wonders of ATHLETA. I love the look of their clothing line. I do not, however, love their prices. In fact, I can't see how anyone could pay $59.00 for a tank top. I mean, who does that?

Thankfully, their clothing line isn't that hard to duplicate... I just needed a little inspiration! So, that's what I plan on doing... duplicating it!

I will say that I scored a nice Goodwill find last week. I found a pair of Athleta shorts in sage green that are the same style as the light blue shorts shown in the top right photo. Total score for me! I paid $5.99.

So, I recently checked out a book based on an online book review. The book is "The Winter Rose" by Jennifer Donnelly. The book is good so far, but it is over 700 pages long. And the type face is über-small. Like almost a super-script. I'm only on page 150 or so, and I've had to renew the book for a second time. Granted, I'm a slow reader AND I've had other pressing items to read - like Bible study materials and now Disney planning materials, but wow... at this rate, I will have to renew this book probably 2 more times in order to finish it. Makes me wish it was a book on CD so I could just listen to it instead.

Speaking of Disney planning, thank you to everyone how provided me with helpful information. We are staying in a WDW resort and we do have the Disney dining plan, so I know we are heading in the right direction as far as that goes. So far, I've at least planned our meals each day, so now I can write up our itinerary around the food. Isn't that just sad? Planning our day around food... at Disney. Shouldn't I be planning our food around our trip? I didn't realize food was such a big part of the Disney experience. Oh well. You gotta eat... that's my motto.

In Loving Memory

Today, my Uncle Tommy passed away.

What do I remember most about my Uncle Tommy? That he always had a smile on his face. He was probably one of the most cheerful people I've ever encountered and because of that, he never met a stranger. He was also the kind of man that would give you the shirt off his back... sacrificing to help others. He was a Christian and is now in Heaven with his Heavenly Father.

He was known and loved by many people. He leaves behind my Aunt Tonna and two adult children and 8 grandchildren. He was 59 years old.

Our hearts ache for the loss of this man. Please keep my family in your prayers.

iPad and Deodorant

Yesterday morning, Kyla came downstairs and crawled into my lap and we had some special mommy/daughter bonding time before the morning mayhem began. Here's how the conversation went.

Kyla: "Mommy, do you know that there is an iPad?"
Mom: "Yes, I saw it on T.V."
Kyla: "Mommy, do you know how many dollars it costs?"
Mom: "I think about $500. Maybe you can save your money to buy one?"
Kyla: "No. I think Elisan should save her money to buy one, and then I can have her iPod Touch."
Mom thinking: 'smart cookie!'

So, last night, after soccer practice we're all sitting at the dinner table talking about Elisan's practice and Randy announces to me that Elisan needs to start wearing deodorant. Okay, seriously, I am mortified. I mean, this is my baby. My 8 year old baby. AND, this deodorant proclamation is coming from my husband! I do that thing with my eyes that alerts him to DROP THE SUBJECT immediately and he does not. He says... what's the big deal? We all stink... it's human nature. Again, with the eye thing, but this time I throw in a head bob in the direction of Elisan and finally, the man stops talking about it.

Later on, after we put the girls to bed, I tell him that the fact that she needs deodorant isn't THAT big of a deal (well, to me it is, but I knew it was coming eventually...) the BIG deal lies in the fact that her DADDY... a MAN... is telling her that she stinks! AHHHHHHH, yes... ding, ding, ding... he gets it now. So, that's settled. But, then, it doesn't stop there.

Elisan comes downstairs this a.m. and the first thing out of her mouth to her Daddy is, "Daddy, do I really need deodorant?" (Me... screaming inside 'please be delicate with her... please!') And he says, "Just when you play soccer, I think... you know, when you get sweaty and stuff." (Me...breathing sigh of relief...)

Now, the big issue is, making sure I get a "teen" version of deodorant that is acceptable to Elisan. I'm sure the novelty will wear off in a day or two... And, then of course, she'll need to wear it and will forget... Ah, to be the mom of a prepubescent little girl.

Lord, give me wisdom on how to raise Your daughter in a way that is pleasing to You. Help me to raise her the way You want her to be raised. Thank you for entrusting her little life to me, someone so utterly clueless and undeserving. Amen.

Easter 2010

Happy Easter!
Jesus is Alive!

The Big Hunt

All 3 Kindergarten classes race for their 12 eggs!
I am so blessed to be able to be apart of her fun.

Disney 2010

We're t-minus 30 days from our Disney trip and let me just say... I feel totally and completely unprepared. And if you know me, you'd know that being unprepared is not a characteristic of mine.

I have Disney Planning Disorder and here's why. I simply type in the word "Disney World" in my nifty Google box and here is what pops up:

"Results 1 - 10 of about 43,000,000 for disney world. (0.03 femtogalactic years)"

43 million! I can't possibly wrap my brain around that. And can someone tell me what femtogalactic years is?

See, the deal is... All four of us are going on this trip with Randy's family, which includes his mom, dad, brother, sister in law and 8 year old niece. (Do the math... that's 9 people!) I have taken on the role as planner and itinerary coordinator because I don't trust anyone else to do it. But, now that we are 30 days out... I'm getting a bit... shall we say... nervous/anxious/scared?

So I thought I would come to you... ye old wise Internets and pose a few questions to you.

1.) What is your BEST Disney planning advice?
2.) What is your BEST Disney itinerary advice?
3.) What was/is your favorite Disney experience?
4.) What would you NOT recommend at Disney?

Come one, come all... lurkers too. All comment welcomed and encouraged. Give me your best advice.

Oh, and femtogalactic years? Apparently, it's Google's way of being geeky on April Fool's day. Whatever Google... ya got me! Hardy Har Har!

I'm Nacho Mama

Have you ever had one of those weekends where you were so stinkin' busy that you actually dreaded it? Who dreads a weekend?

Saturday, we had a day of soccer. All day. Two games, soccer pictures and concession stand duty all wrapped up into one day. I felt like the evil soccer team mom with all of the email reminders and threats that I had to lay down about the team's MORAL and CIVIC obligation to participate in mandatory concession stand duty.

Let me just say, asking a parent to give up an hour of their precious weekend to serve up lumpy cheeze whiz over bulk-rate tortilla chips is just good old fashioned fun. I mean, who doesn't love to impose that kind of torture on someone? I know I do.

But, I have to say, our parents came through and it was only minimally painful. In the past, Randy and I have been stuck working the concession stand BY OURSELVES for the better part of four hours because no parent bothered to help out. We had 7 out of 10 families participate and that is a team mom's dream come true.

So, if you are reading this and you have yet to embark on the the wonders of concession stand duty, please keep in mind that the coaches and/or team mom hold the brunt of the work if you choose not to participate. Really, when it comes down to it... consider it a privilege to participate in your child's extra-curricular team sport, sign up for your concession stand post and get it over with. Your team mom will love you for it.

Mom, I apologize in advance

So, yes, I didn't make it back yesterday, but if you've stuck around for any length of time, you probably weren't surprised. I did however, manage to buy some Easter basket goodies yesterday, so it was not a total loss.

I mentioned that I have a lot to say, so here goes!

Monday, as soon as I arrived home from the gym, I tackled this.




Well, not this actually because this is the back yard. This picture was taken 2 hours ago, so those weeds are still intact. Whew! No, I tackled the front yard, which was really no better than this... only on a larger scale. I know you are asking... how did you let your yard get this bad?

Well, for three reasons... One, our Home Owner's Association is a joke, thus, we were never forced to tend to the weeds. Second, we've just been so darn busy around here, that yard maintenance wasn't high on our list of priorities. (Yes, it SHOULD be higher, I agree.) And third, Randy claims he put weed killer+ fertilizer out on the lawn last week to kill the weeds. I really only think it empowered them, wouldn't you agree?

So, Monday, I spent nearly 3 hours (and 1000 calories later) bagging up 2.5 large industrial strength garbage bags full of weeds. I even broke the hoe and had to resort to the shovel to get those bad boys up. Talk about back breaking work.

I titled this blog entry "Mom, I apologize in advance" because Mom, if you are reading this, I realize you are now full of shame on my yard's behalf. I just didn't inherit your green thumb. The good news is, that my Mom thinks my blog entries are too long and tends to not read my blog that much anyway.

I was standing in a checkout line today and the woman behind me was standing too close. This is one of my pet peeves. One of my "favorite" standing-in-line-too-close-to-me stories happened back at Christmas. The woman behind me was so close, she was very nearly standing shoulder to shoulder to me. In fact, I almost let her in front of me so I could regain my personal space. I didn't however... it was the principle of the matter! So, what did I do? I began using a lot of my personal space. Looking around, digging in my purse, picking up the girls, talking loudly... you know... making a spectacle of myself. Didn't work, by the way... she remained steadfast in her attempt to be joined at my hip.

I'm in my jewelry making phase again. I want to make a funky multi-colored necklace using these kind of beads. If anyone wants to go in with me in the purchase of buying strands of these beads at Michael's let me know. I just don't want to spend gobs of money on three or four strands of beads to only end up using 1/2 of them. (Gosh, I just re-read this section and my train of thought was mixed up when I was typing it out... sorry for the randomness of my thoughts/typing!)

Meanwhile, this is what I made a week ago. I took some of my older creations and re-worked them into these necklaces. I had the crosses from over a year ago and never did anything with them. I like how these turned out.
I'm not going to pretend this recipe is nothing more than a glorified salad, but I wanted to share this yummy dish that my family loves. We call this dish "Fajita Bowls". The beauty of this dish is that it is very low fat - depending on your toppings, of course! And, it's also very kid friendly. I usually make this on soccer practice nights, since we are getting in late. I usually do all of the prep work beforehand and when we get home, I just pop the meat, beans and rice in the microwave to warm it up and we're good to go.

Fajita Bowls

1 can of Charro Beans (drained/rinsed)
2 cups cooked rice
2 cooked Fajita styled chicken breasts or 1 beef fajita flank (cut into bit sized pcs.)

Salad Fixin's: Lettuce, Tomato, Onion, Black Olives
Additional Toppings: Salsa, Cheese, Guacamole, Pico de Gallo

Oh, and if you have never tried Julio's salsa, then you are missing out. It's found in the cold food dip and cream cheese section in HEB. Julio's also makes a seasoned chip that is super yummy, but has a ton of MSG in them, so I stay away from them.

I just have so much to say

I have so much to say, but my brain is not wanting to communicate with my fingers this morning.

So, I'm sending out the preemptive approach to facilitate the real blog post I intend to write later today... or this week. Really, it all depends on my mood.

Oh, did y'all know Easter is less than 2 weeks away? In fact, more like 12 days? Yeah, it kind of snuck up on me too. I need to get moving on some Easter baskets pronto.

Okay, so that's all for now. I gotta get ready to haul the kids to school.

Break? There was a break?

The girls and I arrived safely home yesterday afternoon from Spring Break 2010. (That's going to be my new 'tag-line' this year... everything is going to end with 2010. Because it sounds cool.)

We had a great week visiting our friends and family. 700 miles later, I can honestly say it was worth sleeping on a sofa, hanging out til midnight, eating junk food with friends and listening to the endless "where are we now?" questions.

Here are a few highlights!

The girls and I arrived in Sugar Land on Monday and visited with my friends Cyndi and Leigh Ann. Leigh Ann recently moved back to Texas, after realizing that Texas is the best place to live in the entire world. Unfortunately, they took the long way around to get back! They moved from Georgetown to New York to Kansas and now Houston. Thank goodness they are back because I missed them a ton! She's a native of Massachusetts, thus the big whale on her shirt and her preppy RL Polo sweater, but she'll get back to her trashy Texas roots before long.

And not to be outdone, I enjoyed visiting with my soul sister, Cyndi. Cyndi is the type of friend that you pick up right where you left off, like you haven't missed a beat. Anyone who knows both of us would know that we can hardly get a word in edgewise with each other because we are both talking 90 to nothing. Love her.

The kids had a great time too! Seven total kids between the three of us and they all played beautifully together! That gave us plenty of time to sip coffee uninterrupted!

Wednesday, the girls and I headed home to Orange. The girls promptly grabbed their Sponge Bob Squarepants fishing reel and went outside to fish with Pop. As you can see, they had both caught nice sized fish. On Thursday, while my mom and I hit the mall, the girls visited Randy's folks' house and had a great time there. We stayed at my folks' house until Friday morning.
Friday morning, we headed back out towards Houston to have lunch with my college friend (and Matron of Honor) Angie. Angie and I don't get to see each other enough, but I was glad to get to spend at least an hour or two visiting with her. And, we were able to kiss and squeeze her beautiful baby girl Addison while we were there. I think Angie held Addison for about 5 minutes while I held her as much as I could. I would not share!
We all snuggled up to Randy last night once we arrived home. He missed us a lot and we missed him too!

Now, the girls are reacquainting themselves with their toys, while I do mounds and mounds of laundry now that the joys of Spring Break are over. Come Monday, we'll be back to the grind!

Thanks to everyone who hosted the Wagner girls over the week! We love y'all!

Tired!

Blogging from my iPod...

Just checkin in! I am so tired and will be glad to head home tomorrow! I am looking forward to sleeping in my own bed! Anyone else miss their bed when they travel? I am on my second night of sleeping on the couch at my folks and if it weren't for my benedryl induced sleep, I'm not sure that the couch and I would get along.

Anyway, we've had a great spring break week and I can't wait to post pictures of all of our fun!

On the Road Again

Have I ever shared with you my deep and abiding love for Willie Nelson? Not lately? I'm sorry, truly I am. And, no, I'm not trying to be funny. I {heart} Willie. I grew up listening to Willie Nelson and in fact, I blogged about it here back in 2006 (ancient history, I know.)

But, I do... love me some of that Willie. And his immortal words of "On the Road Again" could not be more truer than they are today.

Today the girls and I will embark on our annual Spring Break homage to the Golden Triangle, with a couple of stops along the way to visit my friends Cyndi, Leigh Ann and Angie who all live in Houston. I haven't seen these girls in ages and I'm completely beside myself with giddiness at seeing all of them. I'm also anxious to see my folks, since I haven't seen them since Christmastime.

So, we had a nice weekend as a family. Started off at the soccer fields. Elisan had the most beautiful goal in the history of soccer and if I had had my video camera I would have posted it on the web for all of the world to see. But, no. I neglected to bring my camera and so you'll just have to take my word for it.

The remainder of Saturday, was spent being stressed out about trying to prepare for our week long trip, which included preparing Randy for us being gone a week - like finishing ALL of the laundry, bagging his lunch food for the entire week, cleaning and answering a thousand questions about when we were going to pack the suitcases.

Sunday was more of the same, except we were all working on one less hour of sleep. I tried to talk Randy into going to the second service at church, but he wasn't having it. But, on the bright side, we had the whole row to ourselves in church. Apparently some wives have more pull with their husbands when they attempt to talk them into sleeping late. Go figure.

This week, I'm a bit nervous about missing my three favorite shows. 24, Lost and Biggest Loser. I'm hoping our DVR doesn't decide to do anything funky while I'm gone because I just don't think I can watch the episodes online. There's just something about watching Biggest Loser in widescreen HD. When you can see the sweat pouring out of each individual pore of the contestants... well, you just can't beat that kind of television!

And finally, I leave you with this monumental occurrence. We love Kashi Go Lean Crunch Almond & Flax cereal. It's so yummy and as the name says... crunchy! Randy eats it as a dry snack and I eat it with milk (in a bowl... like normal people.) Anyway, well, the truth of the matter is that this cereal gives you a serious case of the winds. There's really no way of getting around that fact. In fact, I DO NOT eat this cereal in the morning so as not to embarrass myself at the gym, while lifting weights, etc... you get the gist. So, last night, Randy was particularly "windy" and was begging for something to relieve his condition. PEOPLE... THIS NEVER HAPPENS! Randy's "windy-ness" is legendary and he
prides himself on it. So, when he asked for some Gas-X, I couldn't get to the medicine cabinet fast enough. It was a banner day at the Wagner household. Just thought I'd share.

Apparently other people have had the Kashi Go Lean Crunch "side effect" too. This one is particularly funny... be sure to read the comments too! I'm posting this link just in case you need some additional reading material today.

Y'all have a great day and I'll check while I'm on the road!

At this rate, the tooth fairy will be broke!

Another Tooth!

You're Weird Mom!

A quick 30 second video of Elisan trying out her 80's lingo!

Half way through and it goes into the trash

I love to buy books at Goodwill. It's one of my favorite finds. I never walk into a Goodwill without checking out the book section.

I recently bought "Vanishing Acts" by Jodi Picoult. I've only listened to her books on CD (because they tend to be a bit long for my reading pleasure) and I've enjoyed her writing. She weaves a strong tale, with great character development and virtually draws you into the character's world.

I began "Vanishing Acts" and it started off as an intriguing story about a women who discovered that she was "kidnapped" by her father during one of his custody visitations 28 years prior. The book had the makings of a very compelling story.

That is, until a new character was introduced about half-way into the book. That character, the mother actually, practiced black magic!

My first thought was WHY? Why bring this "element" into this story that really obviously is not necessary... at least, it wasn't necessary in my opinion. I guess I'll never know, because I threw the book away. (Gasp!) Yep. Threw it away, because I am certainly not going to haul it back to Goodwill for another unsuspecting soul to pick it up and be deceived by the subtleties of black magic.

So, I'm curious... since I personally know most of you that read my blog... what would you do? Keep reading or put it down?

And while I'm on the topic... what are your overall feelings about magic (in general) in movies (both for mature audiences and for children?)

Advice from a Fashion Saavy Mom

My friend Kris always looks fabulous.

Mom + Style = Kris

So, yesterday, after my whining and complaining about my pants not fitting, I emailed Kris asking her to give me some fashion advice.

She answered my cry for help and posted in detail how to look trendy and look your age...

So, head on over to Casa de Martinez and check out Kris's style recommendations! Thanks Kris!

Mama's got a big 'ol butt!

Oh Yeah!

That's right people. My gluteus maximus has gotten bigger. And, to be fair, so have my quadriceps. The culprit? Weight lifting... more specifically squats and deadlifts. And because of this...my pants and shorts don't fit right anymore. Oh, they fit in the waist, just not in the rear and thighs.

And this people, is causing me to go into a clothing tailspin (no pun intended... really.) I think I'm going to resort to gym shorts and tee's and tanks this summer. Elastic waistbands and breezy material. I'll be in a perpetual state of fitness wear because it's comfortable and I can sit down without fear of splitting the back seam of my britches.

So until Summer, when you see me wearing pants that are too tight in the bum, remember I've worked hard to achieve it.

Baby's got back.

Let the games begin!

It's "Springtime" around here and that means, our life is about to get hectic... but in a good way!

I posted a few weeks ago that I was worried about the snow and our budding tree out in front of our house. But, as you can see... our tree survived "Blizzard 2010" and it bursting forth with flowery buds! I love this time of year!

Last week marked one of the busiest weeks we've ever had. Elisan finished up volleyball, in the midst of the first full week of soccer. Elisan loved volleyball and we are definitely going to sign her up for the Summer season. While we would have liked to have been able to continue volleyball in the Spring, our sanity cannot take two sports at one time. We're setting a precedence now, hoping it will catch on. Ha! Not likely, I'm afraid. Randy hopes to head coach the volleyball team over the summer since he can't function as an assistant coach (or as a side-line dad for that matter.) It's not in his blood. He needs to be all or nothing, which places me in the "team mom" role. (insert sarcasm here) Yay.

Speaking of soccer, the girls had their first games on Saturday. One thing is for sure, soccer IS Elisan's sport. That girl is phenomenal on the field. Even Randy is impressed. Being short doesn't interfere with soccer abilities that is for sure! *smile* And Kyla... well, she's just fast. Give her a couple more years of skill building and she'll be a force to reckon with too! Oh and you know how I mentioned Randy not being able to sit on the side lines? YEP, you guessed it, he is coaching Kyla's team. And me? I'm team mom! (insert sarcasm here) Yay.

Don't get me wrong, I love helping out and being apart of their team, but rallying the parents is not the "fun" part. Randy gets to do the fun stuff, while I get to be the bad guy assigning parents to the dreaded concession stand duty.
So, it wasn't enough having two early morning soccer games on Saturday. No, I had to try my hand at canning pickles as well. Because you can never have too much to do... that's my motto. I used this recipe and here's hoping they turn out good. I only canned one quart jar of whole cucumbers and a pint jar of cucumber spears. Here's hoping they'll be yummy. Oh and here's a tip... when searching for a recipe for canning cucumbers, don't search under "pickles"... search under "cucumbers"... that's an FYI from a blond girl.
Speaking of blond... I asked my mom if she would highlight my hair while I'm in town for Spring Break and she said "NO WAY, NO HOW." Sigh...

And finally, I leave you with this totally unsolicited note from my sweet baby Elisan. I walked in from the gym one morning and this is what I saw. We've been leaving love notes for each other ever since!
Y'all have a good one!