Suzanne McGrath Photography

Six on Sunday

Hello!  Did you have a nice weekend?  I hope so!

 

1.  We (or actually I) have installed a new rule at the dinner table.  If someone burps or farts, they have to drop and give me 20 push-ups.  Or, 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups.  (Because push-ups are HARD, man.)  I love this game!  The last two nights I have caught #1 burping at the table.  At first she refused to follow my rule.  But then I reminded her that I was the one who paid out allowances and I could withhold such allowance if my rules were not followed.  She promptly gave me 10 push-ups and 10 sit-ups.  We all laughed SO HARD!!!  I highly recommend this rule.  (Unless you have a very prim and proper family of course.  However, neither of those words have EVER been used to describe the six of us!)

Also, last night I made a fancy dinner and we ate in the dining room.  I don't really even know why I did it?  I just felt like it I guess.  I was just so happy to have all six of us at the dinner table and it was awesome!  We had filet mignon and strip steaks (from Butcher Box), sea scallops, risotto, and roasted asparagus.  Delish.

 

2.  Friday night was busy at our house.  The big girls volunteered at Deanna Rose's Night of the Living Farm.  And #3 attended the event with several of her friends:

She had so much fun and I loved that she was able to get some use out of her nerd costume!

 

Meanwhile, we had #4's half birthday party again.  (If you recall, we did the same thing last year.)  She loves Halloween and the house is always decorated, so we turned it into a birthday party.  She had four friends over and we had pizza, they ran around and played, and I had several games set up for them:

• They had to eat donuts without their hands while the donuts were hanging from a string.  That's always fun because it's really hard to bite into the donut when it's swinging around on a string!
• They had to "bob" for gummy worms.  They each had a plate with 3 gummy worms.  I covered each plate with a PILE of Cool Whip.  The first one to pull out all three gummy worms won.  (That one is a blast to watch!)
• They had to guess the body part while blindfolded.  You know this one, cooked noodles in olive oil = guts, peeled grapes = eyeballs, dried apricots = ears, etc etc.
• Scavenger hunt through the house.

They ended the night watching Soul Surfer.  They were an adorable group of girls and #4 was in heaven with all her friends over.  

 

3.  The hubby and I were busy around the house this weekend.  He is right now, as I'm typing this, installing a Universal mount in #1's shower so we can convert it from a two handle trim to a one handle trim, which is now code.  (It sounds awful and involves sweating the joints.  He is my hero.  Because were it up to me I'd have to call a plumber!)  Yesterday I managed to transplant my peonies from one side of the yard to the other.  My fingers are crossed they make it because I didn't get very much of the root ball.  Oops!  Survival of the fittest, right?!

 

4.  Earlier this week I looked at our calendar for today and noticed it was clear until 3pm.  That could only mean one thing - time for family pictures!  We all got ready and headed to Prairie Fire this morning and knocked out our pictures.  I think there's one or two that will work for our Holiday card this year.  I haven't edited them all yet.  I for sure managed to capture some great ones of the girls! 

 

5.  We had two soccer games this weekend.  Yesterday #2 played her first indoor game of the season and today #3 played her second-to-last outdoor game.  And I realized how much I love watching indoor.  It's so fast-moving and I can actually see everything unlike outdoor where they are so far away sometimes I can't tell what's going on in the game.  It was fun!

#2 told me she loves indoor soccer so much she wished there was a scholarship opportunity to play it in college because she would be all over it!  That made me chuckle.  

 

6.  This is a short week for the girls.  The little girls have Thursday, Friday, AND Monday off school.  The big girls have Friday and Monday off.  I am way jealous.  I wish I worked the same days they have school.  That would be totally awesome!

 

All right, that's all I've got for this week.  Have a good one!

Six on Sunday

Hello and Happy Sunday!  I don't know about you, but I have Sunday Night Anxiety.  I'm not ready for the week to start.  I need one more day.  Oh well.  I can't make time stand still.

 

1.  We had a great weekend!  Friday night started off with a bang on the soccer fields.  #2 had a game...

I do enjoy watching the girls play under the lights.  I just wish this game had been at the fields close to our house.  We didn't get home until almost 9pm.  While the girls technically tied the game, they should have won.  They scored in the last 5 seconds but it was called off-sides.  Not to mention they out-shot the other team by about 4 to 1 but just couldn't find the back of the net.  But that's soccer for you!  It was still a great game to watch.

 

2.  Last night #2 went to her first Homecoming.  She went with a great group of girls and had an absolute BLAST!  (Yes, the kids actually dance at the school dances.  Love it.)

That's her on the far right.  

Here's a close-up view with her friend, Brenly (whose shoes I am dying to steal!)  #1 did her make-up and I curled her hair:

Several of the girls went back to Brenly's house for a sleepover.  And let tell you, her mom is a rock star!  She had a whole buffet set up for them when they got home from the dance and made them a fabulous breakfast this morning.  I mean, I will never be able to compete with that - I can't stay up that late!  

 

3.  We made some progress in #1's bathroom this weekend.  This is how it started:

Just your basic, builder's grade shower.  (I gave the shower door away for free on Craigslist so we didn't have to take it the recycle place.  #genius)

 

Then we demo'd the shower.  I took off the tiles and the hubby cut out the drywall.  It made it easier to fit in the trash can doing it that way.

 

And the hubby started putting it back together today:

The tile and the shower head and trim are on order.  I'm hoping they will be here by next weekend so we can get everything ready to begin tiling.  Fingers crossed!

 

4.  The girls did not have school on Friday for one of a MILLION days off.  Thankfully, #3 had two friends over for the day which kept them and #4 occupied.  They were awesome.  They played hard and even set up a lemonade stand.  I don't think I heard the words "bored" or "what can we do" all day.  I loved it!  Here's #3 (on the left) with her two friends:

Aren't they adorable?  

 

5.  Today I got a wild hair and decided we should go to a Pumpkin patch.  (My niece and nephew slept over last night so there were six kids.)  Well, somehow I messed up the directions and we ended up in Basehor (population: 5,651) instead of Leavenworth.  (Not sure how I did that - I think I copied the wrong address from something.  So typical of me.)  Anyway, we decided to make the best of it and headed to the playground because it looked so awesome!  (#2 stayed home, exhausted from Homecoming.)

 

Here are the four littles:

 

All five, including #1, on the swings:

It was such a gorgeous, fall day outside.  We were all in heaven.  It was seriously the BEST playground.  They even had teeter-totters.  So much fun!  

While brainstorming on what to do in Basehor, we found a cafe called Perky's Cafe so we headed over there.  (Ignore my greasy bangs - I had JUST taken a shower!)

We had a great time eating lunch (or in #4's case, an ice cream sunday) and just enjoying each other's company!  

 

6.  The hubby is headed to Memphis tomorrow so I'm going to be a single mom for a couple nights.  Thank goodness I've already made the dinners so I think I will be able to keep my sanity with all their activities and running around!  

 

That's all I've got for tonight.  Have a great week!  






 

 

 

Six on Sunday

Hello!  Did you all have the beautiful weather we had this weekend?  I hope so because it was gorgeous here!

 

1.  I received my Butcher Box order a week and a half ago.  So far we have had three meals using the meat and so far so good!  Our first box was $149 and included all this:

I feel like that is a pretty great value for high quality, grass-fed meat.  The box included:

• 2 6oz filt mignon (my FAVORITE!)
• 2 10oz New York Strip
• 2 1lb bricks of ground beef
• 2 10oz boneless ribeyes
• 3 1lb boneless, skinless chicken breasts
• 3 1b packs of chicken drumsticks
• 4 6oz pieces of top sirloin
• 10oz package of bacon

It came in a box with dry ice inside this freezer bag:

I've used the ground beef to make these DELISH meatballs, the chicken dummies to make these YUMMY chicken drummies, and the ribeye to make a favorite Greek platter.  Seriously, if you like meatballs, those are so good and healthy.  Make them.  And if you like wings, that recipe is AWESOME!  It was even paleo, not that we eat paleo but if you do - make them!  Also, I made the homemade Ranch dressing for dipping and I can't wait to use it on my salad this week.  So good.  And you know I love Greek food and that platter is a favorite.

If you decide to try Butcher Box, you can use this link and I will get referral credit which is never a bad thing, right?!  BUTCHER BOX

 

2.  I was productive this weekend and I feel so good about it!  After a summer spent at the lake or the pool, and the past few months with lots of soccer and volleyball games, I finally got a little work done around the house.  I scraped the ceiling in #1's bathroom to get it ready for it's makeover.  While in there I realized how desperately it needs help!  I think the shower may be leaking in the corner and the linoleum is peeling up.  Basically, it's just gross.  It's time for a little TLC.

I also managed to cut down three Burberry bushes in our backyard.  I have hated them since they were installed 14 years ago.  Well, they are finally GONE!  Here's what it looked like after I cut out the first one:

And here is a picture of all three bushes, cut up and ready to be loaded into the back of the Suburban:

The tarps made everything so easy.  We just dragged them up the driveway and loaded them into the back of the Suburban.  (The hubby took out the way back seats and we folded up the two captains chairs.  For only $5, I unloaded everything at Suburban Lawn and Yard waste.  It was much easier than I anticipated and I only wish I had done it years ago.  Today the hubby managed to dig up the roots which was fairly easy due to all the rain we had last week.  Now I need to figure out my plans so I can transplant my peonies which are receiving way too much shade where they are currently located.  

 

3.  I am trying to talk the hubby into a pea gravel patio with a fire pit.  As much as I'd love a stamped concrete patio, that's just not in the budget nor will it be for a LOOOOOONG time.  So after doing some research, I found I really love the look of pea gravel patios.  Plus, I have wanted a fire pit for quite some time.  After all, s'mores are my all-time favorite dessert.  I am starting to wear him down.  I've got it planned out - to scale - and I've walked the yard to see if it's really possible.  It is!  I'm hoping we can start this winter or early next spring.  My fingers are crossed!  Here is a really, really rough picture to give you a general idea...

 

4.  My mom came up this weekend to hang out with us.  We loved having her around!  Friday night we went over to my sister's house for dinner which was great.  Aimee cooked a ravioli lasagna from Costco and it was so good!  The kids were all there (#1 showed up late after having ventured down to First Fridays for dinner).  It was nice and relaxing.  

Saturday morning/early afternoon my mom took the littles to the Arboretum and for lunch.  They had a blast!

 

Later that afternoon my mom and I joined my sister and Jason to watch my nephew play soccer.  It was a beautiful day for soccer!  We followed that up with #4's volleyball game.  I have to tell you, I have NEVER seen her smile more at volleyball than she did Saturday night.  She was ECSTATIC to have an audience watching her.  It was so darn cute!

Then this morning my mom came out to watch #2 play soccer.  It was another perfect day.

 

5.  I finished another book that I loved!  It's Trail of Broken Wings by Sejal Badani.  (affiliate link)  The book is about the relationship between 3 Indian women and their mother and father.  But it really goes much, much deeper than that.  It tells the story of domestic violence, secrecy, forgiveness, all within the context of Indian culture.  I enjoyed the way the book unraveled and it kept me engaged the whole way through.  

 

6.  I've been listening to podcasts for the past 6 months or so?  Anyway, I keep trying new ones only to be disappointed.  I subscribe to Young House Love Has a Podcast and How I Built This.  I LOVE those two and get excited when a new episode pops up on my phone.  However, I have yet to find any new podcasts worthy of my subscription.  If you have any suggestions, I'd love to hear them!  My drive to and from work is about 25 minutes and I much prefer podcasts to the endless rattling on and commercials of the radio.

 

Well, that's all I've got for tonight!  Have a great week and "see" you next Sunday. 

 

 

Six on Sunday

 

It's October!  You know what that means, right?  The beginning of the holiday season.  First Halloween, then Thanksgiving, Christmas, and finally New Years.  Wow!  I can hardly believe it.

 

1.  We decorated for Halloween today.  (Well, actually, #4 and I started yesterday.)  I failed to take pictures today because it was such a whirlwind but I'll snap some this next week.  It looks very similar to past years because the kids like to keep things the same.  Tradition and all.  It's all good, though!  The younger three live for this stuff, especially #4.  I love their enthusiasm, though.  It's simply adorable.  (Sadly #1 is too busy for us.  Today she and to leave for swim.) 

 

2.  The hubby and #1 toured UNL yesterday.  (University of Nebraska-Lincoln.  AKA, our alma mater.  The BEST school!)  Meanwhile, #2 and #3 hung back in Omaha with Grandma Rori.  They had a great time running to the Farmer's market and painting pumpkins and just generally hanging out with Grandma and Grandpa.  While the rest of the fam was in Nebraska, #4 and I were here in Kansas.  She had two volleyball games that she did NOT want to miss.  I loved it.

Anyway, I think #1 really liked Lincoln.  The tour sounded really impressive; as did the program itself.  She is interested in Environmental Studies which can take her in a myriad of directions.  I'm just happy she has something she is interested in at this point.  That's huge in my mind.  At her age I had NO CLUE.  However, she said she is also interested in touring Ohio State, Colorado State, Arkansas, Wyoming, and Wisconsin.  I told her if we are in the vicinity we will tour a campus.  (Lia - how about if we roll through Columbus on our way to DC next summer?!?!)  However, if it's not on our radar we'll wait until she is accepted before we tour.  Because let's be honest, many of these require a plane ticket or a missed day of school and/or work!  Also, I feel like such a rookie.  I have no clue what I'm really supposed to be doing or what the timeline looks like or anything.  We are seriously making this stuff up as we go.  If you think we need help or are doing it wrong, LET ME KNOW!!!

 

3.  I got myself a fancy new phone - the iPhone 8 Plus.  Yep, I'm so cool now, right?!  My last phone was a 5S so you so you see I roll.  Every time I've said I was going to upgrade, something happened.  Like #1 dropped her phone in the pool.  But finally, it was my turn!  I'll be honest, though.  I really only wanted it for the camera.  My old phone did what I needed it to do.  But the camera on this model is TO DIE FOR!  So glad I pulled the trigger.  (Plus, also, it's not like I bought it.  I'm paying an extra $35/month to get it through Sprint.  So all good.)

 

4.  While the rest of the family was in Nebraska, #4 and I were here.  She is so funny.  She joined me at the grocery store but only after debating about her outfit for a good 10 minutes.  This is what she ended up pulling together:

I cannot tell you how proud she was of this outfit.  We even had to take a picture and send it to her sisters and dad.  Man, I love this kid!

Also, I promised her that if she could serve the volleyball over the next during a game, I'd take her to Orange Leaf.  (I'm not exactly proud of this bribery but it was SO WORTH IT!)  She was absolutely ecstatic when she made several serves over the next thus earning herself some frozen custard.  Here she is enjoying the fruits of her labor:

Plus, also, let it be known that if she practiced math as much as she practiced volleyball the last two weeks she would now be working on trigonometry.  Oh well, missed opportunity...

 

5.  I spent HOURS in the kitchen this morning before the family made it back from Nebraska.  I managed to get a ton of prep stuff done, though, so I feel great!  I made spaghetti sauce and meatballs, taquitos and the dipping sauce, taco soup is ready to be cooked, and all the veggies are prepped and ready to go.  Not to mention the burgers were formed and ready to be grilled for tonight.  Lunch is ready for tomorrow.  Man, I was productive!  But I tell you what, turning on my playlist just makes me happy.  If I start out with a clean kitchen and good tunes, I can spend hours in there!  It makes my week nights so much more manageable.  

 

6.  Younger.  I talked about this show last year.  I finally (finally) got caught up.  And you know what?  I still love this show!  It's just so good!  It's on TV Land if you want to watch it.  I had to watch through the app until I caught up to my DVR'd episodes from this year.  Gah.  I can hardly wait for next season to start.  My money is on March.  At least I hope it's back by March!  I hardly watch any shows at all, but this one is so worth it!

 

Phew!  That's all I've got this week.  I've got to get up in less than 8 hours and I need my beauty sleep so I'm outta here.  Have a great week!