Pre-Trick or Treating Photos

Some site news

Well Its officially Halloween! I hope everyone has a great time tonight trick or treating, going to parties or whatever it is that your doing.

Its pretty slow right now at our house. Mr A is napping { a much needed nap since he decided 4am was a good time to wake up.} Miss O and Miss C are just hanging around till its time to go trunk or treating. Instead of regular trick or treating we are going to a fall halloween festival at a local church.

Safer, and there will be alot for them to do:) I just dont know the neighborhood very well here yet and i dont want to go by myself. Since Mr Deputy has to work tonight. Oh what fun he will probably have....More tricks then treats. Well maybe treats... depending on how you view them.

So Ive decided to cut out weekend blogging. Well Saturday blogging. Sundays { which i learned you can schedule posts ahead of time..wooooooooot} i have decided to do a product buzz on sunday... so each sunday that will happen. Sometimes i think i blog way toooooo much and Saturdays have now become my computer free days. Well starting next week ;P

Anyway Have a safe and Happy halloween today!!!!

Book Buzz & More

So The Van Alen Legacy which is book 4 in the Blue Bloods series by Melissa De La Cruz finally came out and of course it was bumped up past other books i bought to be read to the top of the list.

I decided to read this in smaller incraments. yeah didnt happen still finished it quick. If you havent read this series READ it.  Its GREAT. Easy reading with substance.... Vampire love and action yummmmy...lol...

I just picked up the next book in The House of Night series as well. Tempted by P.C Cast & Kristin Cast. So Im sure in the next day or 2 i will be buzzing about that book as well. After Tempted though on my list to read is The Time Travelers Wife and Accidental Mother. Totally different from alll my Vamp lovin' books..haha

So tomorrow is halloween YAY its finally here now the kids can have fun getting a bunch of candy for mommy :) JK. Anyway Miss C is going to be Cleopatra so we got some non permanent hair dye in Midnight Black.. and yep it sure is DARK...lol and we did trial makeup and just had some fun on our last night together. After trick or treating she is going to grandmas since she starts school monday :)

Doesnt she look so much older with dark hair?  ------->

One thing is for sure is that her dark hair brings out her Hazel Green eyes more.

<----- I think she was enjoying playing with moms makeup and having a photoshoot. She is starting to go through changes already. I know she is almost 10( in jan) and starting to get acne on her face, among other things...


She cant stop looking at herself in the mirror...LOL

I think she looks cute like this and It was fun letting her do something to her hair. even if its not permanent. It last up to 28 washes! haha

Ok well now its time to take a bath and hit the bed and start reading... I cant wait to get started on Tempted.. I have been waiting since March to read the next one.. woooooooooooot the wait is finally over

Special Education...

Today when taking Miss O to school i decided to stop and ask the teacher how she has been adjusting to her new class. I asked this because of how i saw her when i dropped her off yesterday. You can read yesterdays post to see what i am talking about.

Anyway so this peaked my curiosity as to how the teacher perceives her adjustment.Here is how our conversation went.

Me- Mrs A i was just wondering how Miss O is adjusting to class.
Mrs A- Miss O isnt adjusting too well, I mean she is well behaved. She just doesnt comprehend what i am trying to teach. I have shown her how to do it and she still wont do her work until after some time period of watching the other children which is resulting in her not getting her work done in class and having to stay in during recess to work on it. I know the speech therapist wants to do more testing and it is likely that Miss O will go through another placement. Im sorry mornings are hard to talk. I have to attend to the children
Me- Ok thank you.

So left wondering what she meant about another placement. When i got to my car i instantly started crying because i feel like i have failed my middle daughter. She isnt even done with her first year of school let alone semester and already they want to do another placement. What does that even mean?

So i drove around for a while to get my crying out before heading back home. I told Mr Deputy what was said and instantly burst into tears again. Why am I crying i just feel like a failure. So we talked and i decided to talk to the speech therapist more on monday and see what another placement would be. Im thinking that Im going to have a special education needs child now. which is fine by me but i dont know how to deal with it. I dont know what i should be doing. I feel completely helpless and at a loss as to what I need to do as her mother to make sure that she is getting the help that she needs.

So When i picked her up from school i got there alittle bit early and saw her under the snack tree sitting with her class as they ate Iccee sticks. Miss O was laying her head in her hands on the table while the other kids where laughing and eating.

When she comes out of her class on fridays they have their next homework packet with them. I asked her if she enjoyed her Iccee stick and she said Mrs A didnt give me one. When i asked why she said because my homework was not done. Okkkkkay i sat and did her homework with her i know we got it done.

So the reason Why she didnt get her iccee with the rest of her class?? Because she didnt write her T's neat enough. SHE IS A KINDERGARTENER. She is not suppose to have extremely neat hand writing. So I said something to her teacher and she said

"well she isnt understanding that she has to write neat and use the whole line, therefore she doesnt get rewarded."

OMFG so my child is being punished for not understanding. WTF. I am soooo beyond mad. I mean i understand that kids need to listen but she wrote her Ts out. She did them as neat as SHE could. This is all new to her. What do they expect?

Sock Monsters & Kindergarten days.....

We have a official sock monster in our house... Yep One sock of each pair is going missing and its usually the left one. Why the left one I have no clue but i am really starting to get annoyed with little socks with stuff on them that have to match..... The seem to disapear between going from the washer to the dryer. Damn sock monster.

So Kindergarten days: Well i think that Miss O is having trouble adjusting to her new school. For some reason when i dropped her off this morning i decided to stop and watch her for a minute or so. They play before class starts and she was just sitting on the edge of the playground with her head in her lap. All the other children running around happy and playing but not her.

She happened to look up and see that i was at the edge of the fence and came running to me crying wanting to go home {MAJOR Heart breaking moment} I had to hold back my own tears and tell her she had to stay because learning is fun and something she would enjoy doing.

Her teacher came over and took her by the hand and told me it would be ok. I asked her if she was having trouble making friends and she said no that the girls in class loved her and a couple of the boys too. Ok so i chalked it up to just a bad morning and her wanting to stay home.

So when i picked her up from school she was back to being her normal bright self talking about the kids, her teacher and her day. OMG though i wanted to just pick her up over the fence and take her home with me. i dont like seeing my kids cry especially Miss O. We have a bond that is connected on all levels. When she cries I tend to cry, when she feels sad Im sad with her. When i cry she tends to cry etc etc.

Sometimes being a mommy is tough.... it really pulls at the heart strings.

Got the Girls school portraits

Miss C- 4th grade

Miss O- Kindergarten

Productive.....Tuesday

I havent buzzed about a product in a while. So here I go. For a year now my family and I have been using Clorox Green Works cleaners.

I love them. It allows the kids to help with the chores and me not worry about them touching harsh chemicals.

And with someone like Mr A thats a worry since he almost always licks his hands or whatever after touching a surface with cleaner on it.

At first i was iffy thinking that they didnt have harsh chemicals they probably wouldnt clean well at all but to my surprise they did. and they left a nice citrus scent. I have the orange one not the green ones but still. you get my point.

As far as this morning i have been pretty productive, Woke up and cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom. which isnt much since my kitchen is small...lol but the dishes are clean counters clean, floors clean. The living room and dining room { to which i STILL need to get our new dining table } has been vaccumed and picked up. Bathrooms are clean and I am doing laundry. The folding is the part i absolutely hate. Why cant they just fold themselves...LOL

Miss O is at school she has been sleeping in until 9am and then eating and getting ready. It works good for her to have that extra sleep in the morning. I am glad we got the PM kindergarten now. even though its changed our routine. But hey this is only week two. in a month we will be use to it all. The one thing i do not like about Miss O's school though is how its open. Anyone can just walk up to any classroom. I dont like that. At the old school it was gated and locked the only way onto campus was through the office. thats it. You had to sign in and sign out and had to have a visitors badge. Not at this school.

I realize this district is alittle behind compared to other districts. Not that their teaching is just the school safety. We will get use to it though:) Other than that she is adjusting well. This is her first week with homework ;P she is not happy about that...lol

Alright my computer time is over.... The Boy screams for Lunch and my workout routine is calling:)

Clank, Clank, Clonk

Today was a absurdly busy day! I feel like I have only say down for maybe 10 minutes or so. The morning started off normal and rushed. Miss O waking up late eating a quick bowl of oatmeal, getting dressed and running out the door to make it to kindergarten class ontime. Mom in tow with a half Naked Mr A { shirt and diaper} throw him in the carseat thinking. I wish he was old enough to leave behind. such a waste to have to buckle him down for a 5 minute trip :)

Didnt even get to come home really had to go to storage to look for Miss C's lunch pale so she can take it to my moms. Didnt find it gave up and came home to get her ready. Picked Miss O up and headed straight out the the Grove for Miss C's Tutoring session.

Drop her off and decide to go to Target and get a pumpkin carving kit, more hairties, and something else i cant remember what. Then i let the unthinkable happen. I let the play center at Mac Donalds babysit my 2 younger children while i kick back in a booth and get some more reading of my book done. Well That only wasted about 45 minutes and then they wanted to go.

So whats next? Borders to look at books. Oh joy I could only handle 30 minutes in there by myself with these two. So we went back to the parking lot of the tutoring center to wait out the remaining hour or so. They colored some Pages thanks to Monica at the Center and ran around outside in the pavillion near the fountain and then it was time to come home.

We got home just a little after 8pm and i have been struggling ever since to get these little kids to settle down and hit the hay.  I swear to god i use to have them on a GOOD schedule. WHAT HAPPENED??? Im beyond tired so their constant getting out of bed and running down the hall is the least of my worries...LOL and they know it and are taking full advantage.

Just another day in paradise :) tomorrow i am just staying home except to drop and pick up Miss O. well i might head back to storage to look some more.. I cant believe i missplaced it.

5 Days Left......

So today is Monday, That means 5 days left until Halloween. The kids are buzzing around me with endless chatter about trick or treating. They want it to be halloween sooo bad already. Thats what i get for buying their costumes and buckets early to make sure they had them.  Miss C will be Cleopatra , Miss O will be Tinkerbell and Mr A will be a Pirate. I was thinking about dressing up or at the very least putting on a halloween themed shirt and crazy make-up but now Halloween isnt just marking a day that i will have fun with the kids.

Its marking the day my oldest Miss C will go and stay with my mom for a while. It was a joint decision when we moved to have her go with grandma. That doesnt make it any less hard to deal with and feeling like a sucky parent sometimes but in the end right now with the space issue i know its best for her to be in her own room. And she has that at my moms. Her own room already decorated for her.

This move is only temperary. I am hoping that once i know for sure how things are going to go with Mr Deputy i will either A) stay here for a while or B) move back to my home town into lower income housing {which is nice for my hometown} and raise my kids there. I know that i am stuck here for atleast a year since i am under a lease. and these days i feel like this is the stupidest move i have ever made. Maybe its because my family is essentially getting split apart. Maybe its the fact that Ive felt like a outcast since being here. The one place i thought would be good to go to since my friends or rather I thought my friends were here and it would be a good thing.

Either way once this lease is up if i do move it will be the last time for a long time. Im tired of up rooting my kids. They need stability. So far we have moved  5 times since Miss C was born, 3 times since Miss O arrived and 2 times since Mr A made his debute. Thats not really alot but it is to me. I grew up moving ALOT and hated it. So this week is filled with shuffling Miss C to her remaining Tutoring sessions and packing her clothes etc to go to grandmas.

We are going trick or treating most likely just me and the kids since Mr Deputy is working and I havent heard back from a friend on wether we are going together. If thats the case i might just go down and take them trick or treating near my moms since i have to go there that night anyway. Who knows what Halloween plans will actually happen.

Well its noon. Time for a nice hearty lunch for the kids and nice Whole Wheat Wrap for momma. Then the rush of the afternoon starts.. Joy Joy.

Dreams...Sunday...Catchup

Have you ever had a dream(s) that just shakes you to your core?

I have.

I wont write out my dream because well its just weird and morbid and i have a hard enough time dreaming it let  alone blogging it down.

But its a dream i have literally 3-5 nights a week. Same dream never differs always the same people in it. always the same outcome. I have even gone as far as to aviod the areas in the dream in my awake hours. Like its a sign that being there this will happen.

Its the only dream lately that sticks in my mind that I remember every single detail of it. Other dreams happen that i can half way remember but this one is sticking. Its just annoying me now. I have googled and read on sites that the same dream will occur over and over when your missing the point of the dream and not figuring out its meaning.. I cant figure this out. So am i going to be cursed with this dream until further notice? Blahg.

Anyway on a side note I am catching up on laundry today...fun stuff... I miss my old washer and dryer :( they did laundry so fast compared to these. If i ever won the lottery big time the one thing i would do is hire someone to come in and do the laundry...LOL just the laundry everything else i dont mind doing its just laundry.

So here is a question for you. What would you do if you hit the lotto big time?

Fairytale with a reality Ending....

As a little girls we dream of having that fairytale ending where we meet "prince charming" and live happily ever after. Well one thing is for certain is that fairytales are just that tales. There is no fairytale ending. You may have a fairytale begining, but you will always have a realistic ending.

I know that some that have been following my blog for some time now have noticed that I have changed our title back to being what it orginally was. No that is not because Mr Deputy has come home and things are being worked out in that way. Its simply because no matter what. With or without Mr Deputy we are A Family behind a Badge. Just not his badge any more.

But my kids are still and will always be Cop kids. Nothing will ever change that. I will be the one that is no longer a cops wife. Mr Deputy is here half of the week. On his days off he has been here enjoying time with his children, and doing family things. To keep it as normal as possible for the kids right now.

Like i said before i dont know if we are just needing some space, which we really arent getting at this point since he is around the exact amount of time he is normally...lol But still I am keeping my blog very much so family oriented and that includes Mr Deputy. Its not like i dont care for him very much. I still actually love him. We are just not in a place where we can successfully be a good husband/wife pair at the moment and are doing what is best to reduce the negative effect it will or might have on our children. Of course if things dont get worked out the kids are eventually going to notice daddy isn't around or home in the morning in bed when they wake.

So they will have to adjust. Hell I will have to adjust. As i am sure Mr Deputy will ahve to adjust as well. But We will still have holidays together for the kids sake and be there as much as possible as a whole but semi broken family. I know that no matter what we will remain "friends" for the kids sake. There is no hatred or anomousity towards one another.....

At least at this point.

A few more from today

(Click on them to see Full size)

Pumpkin Bumpkins....

This Morning was Pumpkin patch time. We decided to just go to a area one just up the street and while it was perfectly fine i expected alittle more. Half the attractions were not even running, The haunted barn was Not scary.. this coming for Miss O... you know the one that LOVES scary stuff. she was bored with it...lol

                                       Mr A and I ------->

<---- Miss C and I

Mr Deputy was here to go with us so it was nice to do something as a family. A close friend of mine came along to with her son. Well Actually it was suppose to be her and I and the kids and then Mr Deputy wanted to come.

It was the last "family" thing other than halloween before Miss C goes to live with my mom for a while. So i am trying to make the last week fun. I cant wait until halloween getting them dressed up and taking them trick or treating :)

I know you all noticed i switched the name of our blog back and i will post about why i did that..  Anyway.. Today was really fun. The kids went on the train, which Mr A was SOOO happy with. My friends son Ry was happy with it too. neither wanted to get off after the ride was over...lol

                                                                   "Ry" and "E"--------->
Its been soo freaking great to be around E again since we moved closer to her. I finally feel close to atleast one of my friends. Best feeling in the world.

So we didnt buy our pumpkins from the pumpkin patch they were far TOO expensive there. Later we will just go and get one from the store where its not costing a arm and leg...LOL

<----- Miss O and Mr Deputy


I got Alot of great photos of Mr Deputy and the kids well Mr Deputy and Miss O. Mr A wasnt being very nice and cooperative...lol

All he wanted was to go on the train. then he wanted to go home. He is such a home body.

All in all it was a fantastic day spent with fantastic kids and fantastic family members :)

                                "E" and I ------------>

One last Photo of E and I.. Just enjoying the beautiful day with our children.

Now  I am  off to get dinner ready while Mr Deputy went to get his two children so Miss O could see Mel. She has missed her :)

Tweet little Twitter Tweet

So I have been actively tweeting since i got my blackberry. Its sooo much easier to remember to update my twitter account from my phone then remembering to log in and tweet. So i want to make sure everyone has my right twitter. Its located on the top of my blog after my facebook and myspace links. Feel free to add me on either of them. Just let me know your from blogger :)

MY TWITTER

So go ahead Follow me on twitter :) I will make sure i am following you too :)

Happy Tweeting Little Twitter.. Happy Tweeting

It must be the day...

Today has been super sluggish. Its like draggin on forever. I think that it has something to do with how much i was in the car. 2 trip to and from EG today just so Miss C can attend her tutoring. I know I should have stayed down there but Miss O gets out of school at 2 so i had to drop and come back then go back and pick up.

I was going to skip blogging today but i really need to get some things off my chest. Recently my family has been going through alot of changes. Most of you know that Mr Deputy and I are taking some time away from each other and that since we are in such a small place now i have reluctantly decided to let my oldest daughter Miss C go and live with my mom for a little while. Along with all of this i have been trying to battle both my health issue and my weight problem because I think they really go hand in hand. I have begun to realize who my friends actually are.

I am grateful to each and every person that is in my life; wether its in real life or its simply over the computer. Lately i have been looking at my In real life friendships that i supposidly have or had at one point. I have been completely surprised by who i feel close to. Its not the people that i assumed would be there when i needed them.

I am tired of one sided friendships, I am always giving to others wether is material wise or just a ear to listen. Yet i find myself alone, when i really need friends to lean on the most. Especially now with the seperation. A while back i had posted on my facebook as a status that I would be deleting people that i felt were in a one sided friendship with me, with me making all the effort and them brushing me off.

Over the last week i have been looking at everyone on my list and started deleting people. Today i had a fall out because of one person i deleted. We happen to have a mutual friend in common still and it just blew up. It was not meant to blow up at all. I just am done feeling like i dont matter to anyone.

So thats what i wanted to get off my chest. its just been a bad day.

Its a bad night....

After Mr A was born when he was about 6 months old I started having  what seemed to me at the time asthma attacks where my chest would get tight and it was hard to breath. I would have them 2-3 times a week usually at night after things started to settle down. The Asthma feeling is perfectly natural for me since i am a asthma patient. usually its just in the spring that i flare up.

As Mr A was getting bigger They seemed to have stopped up until about Dec 08-Jan 09 ish.

Thats when things got really bad. The first time i ever felt it I felt like i was having a heart attack. I was laying in bed relaxing with Mr Deputy and all of a sudden my chest was so tight i could hardly breath. Every deep breath i took hurt so badly. I couldnt move any direction  any slight movement would cripple me in pain.

Mr Deputy instantly though i was having a heart attack. We ended up calling the advice nurse line and she sent us into the ER. I ended up going home not knowing what was going on with me. I had a follow up appointment with my Family doctor To which she basically said it was in my head and sent me on my merry way. I was getting to the point that i didnt know what to do anymore when these attacks would happen it made it to where i couldnt do anything. I was getting frustrated.

When you rubbed across my sternum it felt uneven, like a bone would if it broke. I thought Well Mr A jumps on my chest alot maybe he could have cracked it or broken it.. No one would listen. I finally switched my doctor and got a appointment. When i went in and started talking to her she instantly said Its not in your head, to me it sounds like you have Costochondritis, she explained it to me and often Costochondritis is misdiagnosed as a heart attack.

Just to ease my mind she gave me a chest Xray and when it came back clean and everything being fine we moved on to treatment. For about a week i was on a medication that starts with a T, i cant for the life of me remember what it is. Then once my flare up subsided, she put me on 800mg motrins to use when i have flare ups. Since I have finally been told this isnt in my head and it is a real treatable condition Relief has really happened for me.

Although nights like this when im having a BAD flare up and i dont want to do anything but scream makes it really tough. But i am living with Costochondritis and Iam Managing.

Thinking.....

What OMG she is thinking.. Call the press because thats such a rare thing...LOL

No seriously I was thinking would you all rather I put my recipes on a seperate blog? and Catagorize them by Apetizers, Entrees etc etc?????

Miss O's Day went really well. She was happy when i picked her up and had a Lolipop in her mouth...lol

She said her new teacher is her friend and the girls are funny.

<--- I took this on the steps when we got back to the house to pick Mr A up and head to pick Miss C up from her tutoring.


My child is one big goof ball. Well all my children are big goof balls but Miss O is a special goofball. She is so excitable and a clown.

Anyway I just wanted to ask that question and show a couple more pics from today...

Chicken Pot Pies- The best!

What you will need:

3 pounds chicken breasts, boneless


2 cups rice

1 can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken Soup

1 can of Campbell's Cream of Chicken & Herbs Soup

carrots and potatoes, in quantity desired

1/4 minced Vidalia onion (for flavoring)

1 can of corn, drained

1 can of peas, drained

1 or 2 clove garlic, minced

3 tubes Pillsbury's crescent rolls

Note: Any vegetables you prefer can be used in this recipe

What you do:
 
Preheat oven to 300°F.


Season chicken with salt and pepper to taste. (Use Lawry's seasoning salt). Let it marinate for at least 30 minutes, then sear meat in hot olive oil in a skillet on both sides (just to lock in flavor - not to cook the meat).



Remove from stove top and place chicken on a broiling pan in a pre-heated oven for 1 1/2 hours.



Meanwhile, in a tightly covered stew-pot of very low heat, cook the rice, stewing potatoes, carrots, peas, in a small amount of water, and adding more water as is needed. Stir often, but keep mostly covered so the vegetables can steam. When the vegetables are beginning to cook, stir in the two cans of soup, and the minced onion during the cooking.



If you want the sauce to thicken, simply cook a little while longer; to thin out add a small amount of water.



Remove chicken from oven and let stand for 20 to 30 minutes to allow all the meat to cool, then strip chicken meat from bones in bite sized pieces. Add the chicken to the vegetables and sauce.



Any kind of pre-made pie crust will work, but Crescent Rolls can be relied upon for a good result. Press the Crescent Rolls into a large, deep, casserole dish, making sure that no seams are present. Then pour or scoop filling into dish, filling in all pockets.



Cover with remaining Crescent Rolls, and bake at 350°F for approximately 11 to 15 minutes.



Remove from the oven and enjoy the best chicken pot pie in the world!

Mommy and Me time

I love that Miss O is back in school now. She did really well this morning Her teacher introduced her to the girls in the class and she instantly forgot i was even there. Her teacher was sure she was going to do just fine :) I was a little worried about how she would take that she wasnt going back to school with her other "friends" and this was a new school.

I wasnt even sure that she would understand. I have to go pick her up in a hour so we shall see how it went :)

So Mr A and I are back to having mommy and me time. I love it! We decided to go over to Kohls after dropping Miss O off so mom can get a hoodie, since its raining today. I have no hoodies or jackets...lol

On the way home he was fighting with his hands. He would slap one hand with the other and say Ouch you hit me. dat not nice. and then switch...LOL yea i have nutty children but they are wonderful!

Then we came home and had some lunch and are just playing around so we did a mini mommy and me photo session. Especially since i am totally being lazy with his birthday photos. haha....

Today must have been a good photo day with him because usually its like pulling teeth to get him to take a photo with anyone...

I love my boy. He was completely and totally worth everything that we went through before his arrival.

I couldnt imagine my life without him. even though I say i want breaks from him i know i couldnt go more than a hour or 2 without wanting to go right back to him and the girls.

So today is going by pretty darn fast. After Miss O gets out of school i have to drive back down to Elk Grove and pick Miss C up from her tutoring. we are trying to get it all done before she has to go back on track. It just sucks to have to drive all the way back down there. It wastes my afternoon.

and not to mention the kids get sick of being in the car for long periods of time so yea. atleast i dont have to worry about dinner since we wont be back till 6 or so. I can just reheat that yummy chili I made back up from lastnight!

Oh gosh the weather today is making me yawn like crazy.... Rain Rain go away come back some other day......

Getting Ready for School....

So Tomorrow is the Big day for Miss O, She gets to start at her new school. Friday we went to the school district office and got her registered and then contacted the school and they wanted us to come by and get the paperwork the school needed on hand for her you know emergency cards, library release etc.

So we did that and then came home. All weekend she has been asking to go to school and now tonight she is soo excited because she knows that she goes in the morning.

At this new school she is in the PM kindergarten class so she now goes from 10:40am to 2:10pm Its a little longer than her old class but I know she will be more productive in this class. She is like her mom and dad and surely isnt a morning person.

So after dinner it was bath time and then we braided her hair so it would be frizzy curled in the morning. 80's flashback. I remember my mom doing it to my hair so i got that crimped/curled look.

She also got a new cinderella motorized tooth brush today so Brushing teeth was alot funner. She is completely obbsessed with Brushing her teeth and eating healthy. although she doesnt understand about eating healthy...lol She loves grilled chicken and salads etc. She will take That over junk food anyday.

I am truly blessed with Miss O as my child. I love her to pieces! I am so looking forward to having a break from all the fighting her and Mr A have been doing lately. Its literally nonstop from morning till night. It sucks and has me on edge.

Anyway.. Now its time for Mr A to take a bath and then start the bedtime process :) Tomorrow is park play day with my moms group so i will have more photos to share!!! Happy Sunday everyone..

Beef Stew- Rib Stickin Good

Beef Stew Sticks to your ribs and is sooo good.


What you will need:

2-3 lbs of stew beef.
1lb bag of baby carrots
frozen brocoli, Peas & Corn
2-4 Large Russet Potatoes cut in semi large chunks
2 tablespoons butter
2 packs Stew seasoning
1/2 red onion sliced thin
3 gloves garlic minced
3Tablespoons Flour
1packet beef gravy mix
salt and pepper to taste

What you do:

Take 2 tablespoons butter,garlic,onion slices and Stew meat and brown on all sides ( not cooking all the way through). Place in in crockpot.

Take Potatoes and put in around Meat first, then carrots, then Brocoli peas and corn. I also add diced up zuchinni as well.

Add Stew Seasoning packets and water to fill to top of Crockpot. Stir to dissolve seasoning packets.

Turn on Low and let cook all day. I put mine in about 7:30 in the morning and its totally ready by 4:30-5pm.

Right before you are ready to serve take flour and beef gravy mix with about 1/4c of water and mix together. pour into crockpot and stir until blended well. This will thicken as the stew cools off.

Salt and pepper to taste and serve.

Crock Pot Chili- Perfect for Cold Days

Whats better on a cold day then a hot bowl of Chili and some warm buttered cornbread.Yummy..... For the Corn Bread I use this :

CORN BREAD

Marie Callendars has a Excellent Corn bread recipe..Its easy to make and taste delicious

So now we have the corn bread but what about the chili. Chili can be made so many different ways. Here is my simple simple way of making it.

What you will need:

2 pounds- ground beef or ground turkey

6 cans of Red Kindney Beans

2 cans of Pinto Beans

3 small cans of Tomatoe Paste

2 cans of Stewed Tomatoes (chili base flavored)

Paprika

Salt

Pepper

Garlic Salt

Seasoning Salt

What you do:

Take Ground beef or Turkey meat and cook in pan until done. Seasoning with Paprika, salt, pepper, garlic salt and seasoning salt. Add meat to the Crockpot.

Drain Kidney and Pinto Beans in strainer and add to Crock pot.

Take cans of tomatoe paste and put in pan used to cook meat and add enough water to dilute paste but be semi thick still. Add about 2 more teaspoons of seasonings to paste and then add to Crockpot.

Add cans of Stewed tomatoes to crockpot. Mix everything well. After about a hour i put more salt and paprika in the crockpot and stir again. This makes a very mild chili. You can make it spicier if you want.

Cook for a minimum of 4 hours or longer. and enjoy

Yep Its Sunday...The Funday...

So this morning i was able to ditch the kids with a GREAT friend and go put their christmas gifts on lay-a-way. I love being able to do it. Makes it alot easier for me to get them stuff.  It was kinda nice to shop without them too...lol

We were gonna do the pumpkin patch today but its already 2:30 and Miss O is tired and Mr A desperately needed a nap. So instead i came home and put dinner in the crockpot and Im going to clean instead and get ready for Miss O's first day at her new school tomorrow.

Sundays are a day for relaxation right....lol well i guess cleaning the house and getting laundry organized etc isnt really relaxing but oh well :) Look for some photos tomorrow on How Olivia's day went... I cant wait Im really liking her school and that was just from the experience in the office ;P

Potatoe Leek Soup

One Thing i love to make in the winter is Potatoe Leek Soup. Sure its fattening, but its warm and filling and hits the spot on cold days/nights.


What you'll need:

2-3lbs of russet potatoes peeled and cut in chunks ( roughly same size for cooking)
1-2lbs of Red potatoes washed and quartered ( roughly same size for cooking)
3-4 cloves of garlic peeled and cut in half
1large can of chicken broth
3-4 Leeks washed cut in half and sliced up
1 pint- Half and Half
1c Milk
1/4c Flour
1 stick of  butter
Salt and Pepper to taste

What to do:

take 1 tablespoon butter and sautee leeks until tender.

Take Potatoes, garlic, leeks, some salt and chicken broth and put in large pot. Fill pot with water until just covering potatoes. Place on stove and cook on High until potatoes are done. about 30 minutes or so.

Once done Take potatoes and broth and put in blender and blend to desired consistancy, leaving some chunks of potatoes. This takes 3 or four batches in the blender to achive. Leave pot sitting on stove burner on low.

Take Flour and butter in pan used to sautee leeks and cook flour. 3-4 minutes, take room temp Half and half Stiring constantly and add to butter and flour. It will thicken fast. add cup of milk (you might need to add more milk if stil too thick) you want it to be a thick gravy consistancy. add salt and pepper to taste.

Take "gravy" and add to pot of soup slowly mixing well. If needed add more salt and pepper. Leave on stove for another 15 minutes for flavors to blend together.

Serve and enjoy.

I like to serve this soup with garlic bread and sometimes in sourdough bowls.

Sour dough bowls i take the middle bread out and set aside. I take melted butter and garlic and rub inside of bowls and broil for 2-3 minutes then fill with soup and put bread pieces from inside sourdough bowls on the side of the plate for dipping.

A Night of Midori Sours... and Brownies...

So first off I should say I dont regularly drink. I actually havent had a drink for over a year. So last night was just a random fun night.  I had a friend over and we were just hanging out and I thought omg a Midori Sour sounds sooo freaking good right now. So the hunt was on. We left the kids with Mr Deputy. Yep he was here too. He is actually still here hasnt found a new place and im not really pushing the issue... Anyway thats a different story.

So we went to the store to get the stuff to make it. We got brownie mix too...lol So it was a Midori Sour and Brownie night. I Like Midori Sours because they arent too hard. Its a nice light fruity drink for me and i can handle it easily.

Being that i havent drank in over a year, all it took was 4 of them to get me nice and toasted...LOL I remember going to bed lastnight at 3am and being out within minutes... I woke up this morning however with the headache from hell. This is why i dont drink often. I dont see how some people can drink often. It just isnt worth the headache the next morning...lol

So this morning I spent on the couch in the dark with the tv on low and Miss O cuddliing next to me. At least she senses when Mom isnt feeling well and she stays quiet. Mr A on the other hand.. not so much....LOL As far as my friend. well she didnt really touch her drink at all and was able to make it home :)

I feel bad though because it was my plan to take the kids to the pumpkin patch today, yea that didnt happen... But it will tomorrow. I just dont know where to take them since i am not use to over here and all i know about is Fog Willow but thats down back by the old house :)

Now i have to go get ready for a get together tonight at another friends house. fun times...

Its all coming together now....

It's all coming together now. Miss O is registered in school and starts on Monday :) Fantastic! She is super excited as well as I. I am looking forward to her being back at school. She is now a afternoon Kindergartener. Which is going to be better since mornings are not her time...lol

I have to go to costco today :O

Salsa's

One of My Favorite Snack foods is salsa. all kinds of Salsa... I make it 2 different ways: COOKED and Freshca. Then There is FireRoasted and Reg.

COOKED SALSA-

Ingredients

1-15oz can Diced Tomatoes
1-bunch of Cilantro
1-Medium Bell Peper (green)Seeded and quartered
2-Medium Red Onions Quartered
2-Medium Yellow Onions Quartered
2-White Onions Quartered
3-5 Jalapeno peppers ( really how ever many of whatever kind you like best) Cut in half
3- gloves of garlic cut in half so 6 pieces
1- lemon juiced
Salt and pepper to taste

Directions:

Take Onions, Bell Peppers, Chile Peppers and Garlic and cook in pot with salted water for 10-12 minutes or until semi soft (firm but fork still goes threw). While that cooks Take Tomatoes and Cilantro and put in blender Pulse on low until desired consistancy. Pour into Container.

Put cooked onions, chiles bell peppers and garlic in Blender, Pulse till desired consistancy Pour into Container with Tomatoes and Cilantro. Add Juice of Lemon and mixed until Completely blended. Salt and pepper to taste.

Salsa Will be Hot Refrigerate until cold or 24 hours is best.

*For Fire roasted taste in Cooked Salsa use Fire Roasted Tomatoes instead of regular.*


FRESCHA SALSA:

Ingredients:

4- Large Tomatoes, Diced to desired size
1- Large red onion Diced to desired size
3-4 Jalepino Peppers ( or desired chile ) Diced small
1/2 bunch of Cilantro
1each- red, yellow, orange bell pepper (optional)
1- Large Lemon Juiced
2 cloves garlic finely minced.
Salt & Pepper to taste
2- Avacado's Diced small (optional)

Directions:

Mix all ingrediants into a Large Container. Salt and pepper to taste. If adding Avacado add LAST so you dont over mix. Refrigerate for atleast 2 hours, stir and enjoy.

FIRE ROASTED:

All ingrediants are the same except before cutting tomatoes, Chile Peppers and Bell Peppers you are going to want to use a serving fork and hold over a open flam on Medium high and Blacken all sides. You can either scrap black parts off or leave on. Let Items cool Completely then Dice to desired size and mix together. Refrigerate at least 2 hours. The longer the better. and then Mix before eating!


So these are the two main types of salsa i make. For the Freshca you can add pretty much anything you want to it. Sometimes i add corn, Mango etc....

Good Morning World!

I am up and at them already!!!! It actually feels really great to be up and going! Ive had a homemade Mocha coffee { Coffee, sugar, Nesquick and milk} it turned out pretty darn good...lol Lets see I have cleaned the kitchen from top to bottom, and Got the last of the laundry done. Ok not the last because i failed to realize there was a huge pile in the kids bathroom...lol

I am suppose to hit the gym this morning at some point with a friend. I am going to go even if she doesnt end up coming. I really need to get back into some sort of exercise routine. Plus it helps with all the built up emotional baggage to walk/run/climb it out.

I really am trying to get the rest of the 91.3 pounds off that i need to loose. Im just worried about having a saggy belly at the end. I guess i could just save up for a tummy tuck as a reward for loosing it all. but then thats a major surgery that i wouldnt have time for. I am working on my resume too. Wanting to find some kind of job. even a little one. I have to now make ends meet for my family. Even though i know that i will have the support of Him I cant be dependant on him to provide for us all the time.

Anyway Things today are starting out really good. I hope the day stays that way :)

The Chicklets....

The little chicklets are going stir crazy being in the house 24/7. But i cant help the weather. Its also driving mom crazy because we had no TV or Internet up until about 4pm this afternoon. Atleast we kept the power. This weekend I will be taking the kids to the pumpkin patch :) So be on the look out for photos.

Last night being that we had no internet or tv We decided to play around with Miss C's Halloween costume. She is going to be cleopatra. So of course since she is actually a dirty blonde we made her hair black. She actually looked good with black hair :)

We put the fake lashes on { Yea we wont be doing that on halloween. She didnt like how they felt.} and did her make up. It was fun. Clean up and getting the black spray out of her hair wasnt nearly as fun but i couldnt let her sleep in it. There would have been black dye all over her bedding...lol

yea i know her right {or left rather} eye lash is not straight...lol I have never dealt with fakes and NEVER will again. We have pretty long lashes i just thought i would make hers more dramatic. YEA more dramatic as in PAIN in the BUTT...

So that was our fun lastnight while dealing with the storm. It left alot of debris around the streets. crazy. Thank goodness tomorrow is going to be better. In the morning i am headed over to our gym with a friend and then i want to take the kids to the park or something. Get them out of the house for a little while.

So this is what Miss C would look like with dark hair. We thought about getting her some Hair dye {not the permenant but wash out in like 24 washes kind} and letting her start having fun with her hair. Why not she is getting older and into having style. Right now her style is kind of Jonas, Hannah Montana punkish. If that makes sense. If your a mom to a preteen then it does!