Holy Homemade Marshmallows!!!!

I've been wanting a Kitchenaid mixer for a long time...like forever!!!!  I finally got one.  It only took me selling my steno machine.  Jake just couldn't believe that I wasn't ever going to use it again.  No freakin' way!!!!  I didn't even have the urge to try it out before I packaged it all up.  Take a look at this beauty though.

The kids and I made these super awesome peppermint marshamallows with it.  They are totally delicious.

YUM!!!!!  I combined these recipes from Our Best Bites and Martha Stewart.

Drew and Shea are turning into quite the sous chefs.  It's great until they end up fighting over who gets to do what.  It can get pretty ugly.  Shea has marked almost every page in her kids' cookbook for things that she wants to make.  She's been getting into writing out menus and taking our orders.  Her b-day is coming up in a couple weeks, so I'm thinking I'm going to get her a couple waitress pads so that she can really take orders.  Fun, right?!?!?!?!?!?!

Speaking of b-days, can you even believe Shea's going to be seven?!?!?!?!?!  For crying out loud, where have the past seven years gone????  It's mind-boggling that she's going to be seven.  I don't like it one bit!!  What I do like is that my parents will be coming up from Arizona for her b-day.  I love it when they visit.  They can stay forever as far as I'm concerned!!

Anyone keeping up with the NCAA basketball tournament??  All I have to say is U of A....U of A...U of A(University of Arizona).  Beat Duke!!!!  Go Wildcats!!!

Have a great rest of the week!!

Stacey New Year - Year of the ??????

Okay, so here goes.....I've had the crappiest couple of months, totally due to work, so I'm starting the year over.  How can I absolutely LOVE my job but not like my employer?  Someone, please tell me.  I'll spare you all the pity party.  Some of you haven't been spared and have already had to listen to me....THANKS!!!!!!

Anyway, I'm at the point where I can't take it anymore and something's got to give.  So with that in mind, I'm starting the year over now and am going to go after some serious changes.  Just getting this out is already taking a load off of me....WA HOO!!!!  Why should the Chinese have all the fun and have an animal every year.  I want one.  What should it be?  Nothing creepy like a rat...crazy Chinese!!!

Luckily, I'm the only one going insane at my house.  The kids and hubby are wonderful. 

Here's my little sweetie helping roll out pizza dough.



Shea will be seven next month.  Yeah, you read that right, seven!!!  How in the world did that happen?!?!?!?  My parents are coming up for her birthday....totally cool.  Now, where to have her party??  We usually have it at our house, but I think we'll have it somewhere this year.  The obvious places are Incredible Pizza or Pump It Up.  I'm totally leaning towards Pump It Up, but then I thought that Metro Ice for an ice skating party would be fun.  Yes?  No?  There's also Monkey Joe's, which is like Pump It Up.  I better decide pretty darn quick.

Drew is still just the best little guy E.V.E.R.!!!  He wants to do everything that Shea does.  He talks up a storm and still loves to snuggle with me.  I'll take it while I can.  I think we're going to start tackling that whole crazy potty training thing with him this weekend.  I should say I'M going to start tackling it. First thing in the morning I think I'll have a delivery truck drop off a load of Clorox wipes and M&Ms.  You know, Clorox wipes for the clean up that I'm sure will be needed until Drew gets his aim down and M&Ms for the rewards...for me not going crazy for having to teach a boy how to go potty. 

Jake is working on our mud room.  I loved our mud room before, but now it's going to be even more awesome.  The whole thing is gutted and a complete mess.  So, what did Jake do yesterday instead of work on the mud room???  Right, he went fishing!!  I can see how that's more important.  Can't say I blame him.  If I EVER had a whole day to do anything I wanted, it sure wouldn't be working on the house.  I wasn't mad at him...promise!!!

Is anyone else as excited as I am about Ralph Macchio being on the new season of Dancing With the Stars??  Oh, yeah!!!!!

One more thing!!

I need to take better pictures.  My pictures never seem to be very good.  I've been trying to take a pic of the sock monkey shirt I made Drew, but can't seem to get a good shot.  Well, Hell's bells, Jake's work is photography and video, don't you think some of it would have rubbed off on me......not even a little bit!!!!!  I've been telling Jake I need a new, fancy SLR camera, but he's been trying to convince me that I don't.  He's not really trying to convince me, he's telling me I don't need one......we'll see!!

So, here's my pic of Drew's shirt....sucky pic, but super cute shirt (in person).

Thought I'd sneak in a pic that Jake took on one of his jobs.

Jake worked on Keith Urban's music video when he was in town for his concert.  How cool is that!!!!!!

Have a fantastic day!!!!

2011 resolutions

Happy New Year!!!!!

I know it's already the 5th of January, but it takes me a good week....or two to get into the swing of the new year.  I'm just barely getting around to taking down some of my Christmas stuff today.  I absolutely love all the Christmas decorations.  I hate to take them down.....so sad!!!

Now, onto resolutions!!  I thought a lot about what I wanted to happen this year and then went back and looked at my resolutions from last year, and guess what?!?!?!?  They're EXACTLY the same.  Guess I haven't made much progress since last year.  So, yes, once again, I am going to keep in better touch with my friends, become more organized and find more time for myself, to do what I want.  I really am going to accomplish all these things this year.

Along with organizing, I am going to declutter.  I know they go hand in hand, kinda sorta, but we just have so much STUFF!!!!  While the kids are at school, I'll get rid of the things they don't need.  I would never dare do this while they're around.  For crying out loud, Shea still has a birthday invitation stashed in her closet that she can't bear to give up because, "It's so special."....of course it is, sweetie!!!

I am totally going to get better about updating my blog.  I really like blogging, so I'll stop making excuses and fit it into my sked.

I am going to take better care of myself from head to toe, inside and out.  It's all going to start with training for the Dam to Dam race in June.  I've already started training.  Long ago, back in the day, I used to run in races.  I can't wait to get back into it.  They also have a kids' race, so I'll have Shea run in it.  It's right up her alley.  Anyone who know Shea knows that the girl is born to run.  Holy cow, the girl will take off at the drop of a hat.  Don't ever challenge her to a race, you will then become her new running buddy....F.O.R.E.V.E.R.!!!!

This is the key to helping me with my organizing.

Yes, I have resorted to an organization book to help me get my butt in gear.  Hope it helps, I'm sure not managing it on my own too well.

I have a few other goals that I need to start working on, but I'm completely stumped on how to even go about accomplishing them, so they'll just keep driving me crazy until I can figure them out.

Every single day I brainstorm and dream about how I can quit my job and stay home with the kids.  Don't get me wrong, I love what I do for a living, I just happen to love my kids a whole lot more.  It's driving me to the point of insanity!!!!!  No need to call the crazy doctors on me yet, but something's gotta give.  Hope I can figure out something that works for me and the family!!

I'm off to finish putting Christmas decorations away....fa la la la la la la la la!!!!!

Arizona

Yes, I was lucky enough to get out of the icky Iowa weather for a few weeks.  We spent two weeks in Tucson visiting family and friends.  Have I mentioned a time or two that I would move back to Tucson in a heartbeat to be closer to my family????  Well, I totally would.  I don't miss Tucson so much, but I really need to be close to my family.  I do miss the mountains though; they're absolutely beautiful!!  We lucked out with awesome weather.  I'm talking sandals and short sleeves......Oh, yeah!!!!  Look who came to my parents house to visit on Christmas.

It took forever to talk Shea into getting this close to Santa.  She loves him to death, but she just doesn't want to get close to him.  I'm talking tears and hiding in the bedroom scared.  We couldn't get Drew near Santa no matter how hard we tried.  He wasn't having any of it.

We did get down to Tombstone, the crazy Iowa tourists that we are.  Yep, just like I remembered it, crappy gift shops and no charm left in the town.  Here's a bit of trivia for ya.........did you all know that Jake was in the movie Tombstone as an extra???  He was in film school at the UofA when the movie was being shot, and he got to be an extra.

On the way down, we stopped to visit Mater on Route 66.  We are now, officially, the coolest parents E.V.E.R.!!!!!!

Hope you all had the best Christmas!!!!

So super yummy!!!!

Have you guys tried these wonderfully scrumptious cookies?!?!?!?!  Wow, are they good!!!  Don't expect me to share though.  Jake had the nerve to find my hiding spot and helped himself to a few....WHAT!!!!!  How dare he.  What was he doing looking there anyway??  Then he managed to make it worse by uttering these blasphemous (do you like that, Beth??)words, "Shea, I'll give you two cookies if you eat your asparagus. "  Wouldn't the cookies cancel out the health benefits of the asparagus?  How could he take my precious cookies away from me?  What have I done to him??

So, with my hiding spot sacrificed and some of my precious cookies gone, what am I to do?  Right....get over it and get to finishing some of my Christmas presents I'm making........right after I find a new hiding spot!!

Now I just need a peppermint mocha coffee, and I'll be in peppermint heaven.  It's a real place, ya know!!!

I'm Baaack!!!

Where to begin!!!!!
It looks like I wasn't up to the challenge.  I never made it past day12 of the 30day challenge.  I'm such a slacker!!  Well, I'm not really a slacker, just with my blog.  I have been busier than ever with work.  They have forced me to switch over to TV.  I dragged my heels as long as I could, but they won.  I'm so thankful that I don't know anyone in North Carolina, Orlando or Oregon that will be watching my captions.  It's not pretty sometimes, but I'm getting better every show I caption.

I just finished up the kids' advent calendar......yes, on the 8th day of the month.  What can I say, I've been busy.  I still need to Mod Podge the clothespins, but I really like the way it turned out....so does Shea, just as long as there's chocolate in it.

I'm thinking of making another one, but knitting little stockings instead.  The kids can't really be expected to share advent calendars, now can they?!?!?!?!?!?

Here's my new favorite coffee mug I fancied up for Christmas with vinyl.  I'm loving the vinyl.  I have several other ideas in mind.....now if I could only find the time.  Where, exactly, does the time go??????

Jake just came back after two weeks in Arizona elk hunting.  We're headed down to Tucson next week for a couple weeks for Christmas...YAY!!!!!  I can't wait!!!!

Here's a picture of my cuties from Halloween.  They had so much fun.  The weather was great for being out.  Van Meter Parks and Rec has a get together at one of our parks before Trick-or-Treating with hot dogs, hot chocolate and treats.  It was fun.  A big group of us ended up Trick-or-Treating together.  Shea and her friends ran crazy throughout the neighborhoods.  We would just see a flash of their glow sticks every once in a while.

I hope everyone had a fantastic Thanksgiving.  Christmas is right around the corner....is everyone ready?!?!?!?