A Constant Battle

It is too, too easy to dump stuff on the dining room table. I have had the same boxes, bags and piles on the table for a few months now. When people come over, I intend to put it all away but then I end up relocating the mess to the laundry room. Well, the other day I decided it was time to pick it apart and put stuff away. All I did was make the mess bigger, and ever since then it has gotten out of control.

I decided this morning that today is the day to get it done! This is the before picture.

I folded one tablecloth and put it away.

I folded another tablecloth and put it away.

Um . . .

Um . . .

Um . . .

I think that's pretty much all I did.

So, here is the after picture:

Not very impressive, is it?

Maybe it's the weather. So many dreary days. Snow, ice, rain, clouds, yuck. We had some super slushy snow the other day. I used the big metal guy to push enough snow down the driveway to uncover two strips so Mike could drive up when he got home.

Collin went out later to shovel the rest, and broke the shovel!
That slush was some heavy stuff.

Whether it's the weather or something else, I have not had much energy in the past three months. I get a spurt of energy once or twice a month and make big plans to get things done, but it never happens. One of those things is losing weight. Not happening. Along with the dining room table, it is a constant battle. Can't someone just inject me with some energy? That would help!

Doesn't this croissant look yummy? That's what I had for breakfast this morning. Highlight of my day.

(maybe i'll surprise myself and do the dining room table tomorrow)

Lovin' the Snow!

We had such a great snow day on Tuesday. The kids already didn't have school, so we won't have to make up the day. In fact, I think we only have to make up 2 days from snow. That's nothing! Anyway, one of the main reasons I love a good snow day is because the kids have so much fun. It wasn't bitterly cold or windy, so all the kids were out playing. I didn't get any pictures of sledding, but I did get the snowman building across the street.

Lauren started out helping with the snowman, but left once
the 4th ball was added on. I think it turned out really cute!

Lauren started her own snowman in our yard, which turned out to be a dog.
We all agree that she should enter a snow sculpture contest. Super awesome!

When I went out yesterday morning, it was a winter wonderland all over our neighborhood. It is the best when there isn't wind and the trees are full of snow. It's SO pretty!

Snow!

More snow today. I love when it covers the trees. It's so pretty to look out my window and see it on the tree just outside!

Have you been watching the Olympics? We love it! We especially loved the speed skating race where the Koreans knocked each other out at the end so that Apollo & J.R. got medals. That was awesome! The snowboard cross is also very exciting. Go, Scott Wescott!

My Funny Valentine

What a lovely, relaxing Valentine's Day! Mike and I went out to eat early last night and had the most wonderful dinner. We went to a restaurant we like called Bluu. Mike had the Garden Vegetable Burger, and I had the Tuscan Salad like I always do: romaine lettuce tossed with crumbled bluu cheese, toasted pine nuts, diced tomatoes, crispy shallots, white beans, artichoke hearts and a roasted shallot vinaigrette. SO yummy. And then we splurged and got dessert. We NEVER get dessert. Mike got some nasty cannoli thing with ricotta cheese and something else, and I got this divine fried oreo thing with chocolate and caramel. Heaven. And then we came home and watched some of the Olympics. The speed skating final with Apollo Aton Ohno and J.R. Celski was SO awesome!

I thought Valentine's Day would be a little strange being a Sunday, but it was actually very nice. We had a relaxing morning and then went to church at 1pm. My job is to be with the little ones in the nursery and I LOVE it. Pictured to the left is Kayla who pretty much epitomizes the whole experience. Isn't she the sweetest thing ever? Anyway, we only had 7 kids today and we had such a nice time. My little lesson was about how we love our families. They sat well for the lesson, and it was so nice! We made little bear valentines, and then they put stickers on heart-shaped doilies and colored them and then glued them on construction paper. They had so much fun with it. We were even able to take a little field trip to the gym to do giant bubbles. It was so cute to walk all of them down the halls holding hands! I truly love the ladies I work with in there. They are the best.

So, we came home and had fondue for our special Valentine's dinner with the kids. Mike went crazy and bought some expensive meat. No big surprise there. It was awesome. And then we did chocolate fondue with strawberries. What a flop. I followed a recipe in my fondue cookbook. It was so bitter and runny! Oh well. Not a huge lose because we got . . .

See's Candy!!! Mike's parents sent us a box for Valentine's Day. What a treat since we don't have See's here. We have learned over the years to cut the pieces open before taking a bite. The kids went through them and found a couple they liked. And then Matthew said, "Why do they have that old guy on the box?" Old guy??? We were like, "Matthew! That's Mary See!" Oh, what a funny valentine.

Mike and I didn't get each other gifts, which I was totally fine with, but I was a little sad that I didn't get flowers . . . until Mike popped up with these beautiful roses! Gorgeous!

As I was arranging the flowers, I said that it looked like there was too much baby's breath. Collin said that he never understood why it's called baby's breath. He said, "Baby's breath doesn't smell nice! It smells like spit up! Who would want a flower to smell like baby's breath? Or maybe the baby breathed on the plant and those little flowers exploded out of it." Oh, what a funny valentine.

I thought I had finished arranging the flowers, but they didn't look quite right. I said that one of the flowers was just too tall. Matthew said, "I don't know, Mom. I just think it looks like someone died." Oh, what a funny valentine!

Yaktrax

We were supposed to have a huge snow storm yesterday. I was really looking forward to a fun snow day for the kids since we've had so few this winter. It really was a flop though, as far as the snow goes. What was supposed to be 8-12 inches ended up being barely 4 inches. Bummer.

Mike didn't care. He was just happy to use his Yaktrax! The whole thing is really hilarious. The wind was blowing furiously, the snow was coming down, and Mike says he's going out for a run. What in the world?!? But then I remember his Yaktrax. They are like snow chains for you running shoes. So funny. I said to Mike, "You're just going running so you can use your Yaktrax!" All I got was a sideways glance and a smile.

So, here is Mike in goggles (LOL) gearing up for his run.

Looks like those Yaktrax are doing their job!

Back in the house, I was looking forward to eating the cookies Lauren
planned on making and decorating with fondant that our friend Andrea made.

Lauren is a genius when it comes to baking! (these pictures are actually from the other day when she was making a tart for her world history class) So, the cookies were yummy, but the fondant didn't work out. I'm not giving up though. I am going to try again in the next couple of days. You can see Andrea's creations here and then you'll understand why I am determined. Cute stuff!

Hansel & Gretel (shhh!)

Lauren was in a play at the high school on Saturday! I put these pictures on Facebook, and she made me take them off. She also doesn't want them on my blog, so shhhhh! I thought the play was very cute and she did a nice job. Lauren played Gretel.

And then Lauren quickly changed gears and
got ready for the church Valentine's dance.


Lookin' good!

Make a Difference

This is Priceless

So Hip!

Santa (not to be confused with the Santa who is taking me to San Antonio) gave me this cute little bag for Christmas. It's so small that it fit in the toe of my stocking. I can keep it in my purse and then pop it out to use as a shopping bag. It's sort of like those pillows that stuff in their own sack. Very cool. I used it for the first time today and felt SO HIP! It's very cute, and it's actually pretty big. I'd say it's the same size as a grocery bag. Is it sad that I was so excited about that?

In case you're wondering about the Santa who is taking me to San Antonio . . . On Christmas morning there was a nice little card in my stocking that said "I Love You" on it. There was a gift certificate inside for a vacation just for the two of us. The card was signed "Love, Me." Since it was in my stocking, Lauren and I joke that Santa loves me and wants to take me somewhere. LOL! It was actually Mike, of course, and we decided to go to San Antonio, but it's way more fun to say that Santa is taking me to San Antonio.

My mom is coming to stay with the kids (LOVE MOM!). We're going April 7-11. Maybe I already mentioned this in another post. Hmmm. Well, anyway, we would have gone another time since that is the same month as Girls Rockin' Weekend and spring break, but it was the best time to have Mom come for that length of time. We'll take it! Possibly the most exciting part of the trip is the hotel. My parents have these points for hotels and they also participate in a time share thing. They have given a hotel stay to each of my siblings for honeymoons or just a weekend away. They have offered it to us before, but it never worked out until now. I'm so glad because this hotel is going to be AWESOME. It's the Westin San Antonio and it's right on the River Walk. How cool is that?

It is SUPER fancy.

Our free San Antonio vacation guide just came in the mail, so we'll start planning soon. I know we'll do the River Walk, The Alamo, maybe a mission, lots of Mexican food and a visit to our friends Nick and Heidi from Spain. It's going to be glorious!

p.s. i'm really starting to look forward to warmer weather and a spring look for my blog. it's coming soon, right?

Sensible Shoes

Here's a tip: When you have nothing to blog about, you can always talk about shoes. These are my most sensible shoes. When I'm not wearing my favorite shoes, I am wearing these. That's what happens when you have knees problems. :-( But I do love them. These are the only shoes I own that I paid a significant amount of money for. I figured good walking shoes are worth the investment. They are super comfortable and don't stand out like white shoes would. And they keep my knees happy!

My Favorite Shoes

These are my most favorite shoes right now. They make me happy. I love them because they're so comfy and deceptively supportive. I love them because they go with practically everything I wear. I love them because I got them 20% off. Most of all I love them because they have purple trim and purple on the inside.

My favorite shoes are going to take me all over the house cleaning today. Yeah, fun! I hope I get a lot done!