Suzanne McGrath Photography

Six on Sunday...first Sunday of the New Year!

I'm back!  I never really intended to take a break but it just happened.  So now I need to get you caught up on the second half of our December.  You ready?  Let's go!

1.  The girls got out of school on Friday, December 18th.  The hubby and I had a Christmas party the next night.  And we headed to Omaha on Sunday for a quick, overnight trip.  It was a great opportunity to celebrate Christmas with the hubby's side of the family!

The dinner spread was delish and I didn't have to lift a hand to prepare it.  Win!

2.  The rest of the week before Christmas flew by in a flash.  #1 had swimming every morning from 7 - 9am and doubles on Monday and Wednesday afternoons from 3 - 5pm.  Thank goodness for carpools!  The other girls played with their friends and did a lot of sleeping in and hanging out.  After all, isn't that what Christmas break is designed to do?!  I loved it - lots of movie nights, too.

3.  Christmas Eve was rather warm by Kansas standards.  We hit the 4pm mass at church.  Don't the girls look nice?

As per usual, we came home and had a seafood dinner for the hubby and me, and spaghetti for the girls.  We had crepes for dessert and watched The Christmas Story.  

It's funny.  If I had realized all those years ago that certain things would become a tradition, I may have put more thought into them.  But I love that the girls are so into traditions - the spaghetti dinner and the movie.  It's all so good!  (And of course PJs for a Christmas Eve gift.)

4.  Christmas morning was equally delightful.  The little girls slept in until 7:30am which I so appreciated!  We opened gifts and ate cinnamon rolls for breakfast.  (Another tradition!)  Here is the aftermath:

In case you are wondering, here is what the girls received this year:

#1:

Want:  Patagonia vest

Need:  Swim suit (every year!)

Wear:  Jeans, a sweater, and a scarf

Read:  a Book bag that says, I Like Big Books and I Cannot Lie and a subscription to Glamour magazine

Santa:  North Face ski jacket

#2:

Want:  Lamp for her desk

Need:  Roman shades

Wear:  Jeans, T-shirt, Flannel shirt

Read:  a book about Malala

Santa:  Instax camera and film

#3:

Want:  Lego set

Need:  Curtains and a guitar hook

Wear:  2 outfits from Old Navy (no jeans!)

Read:  a new series (can't remember and I think I already posted it!)

Santa:  an electric scooter

#4:

Want: a globe

Need:  Curtains (she and #3 share a room)

Wear:  2 outfits from Old Navy - both with leggings as that is ALL she will wear!

Read:  Magic Treehouse set

Santa:  an electric scooter

Phew!  That seems like a lot!  

My mom drove up for the day and night and we had a great time.  We all went to the Dinosaur movie (cute) and came back home and played games and ordered pizza from Casey's that night.  (Who knew anything was open Christmas night?!)  All in all, it was a really nice family day.

5.  We finally got a little bit of snow on the Monday after Christmas.  Of course the little girls wasted ZERO time getting out and enjoying it!

 

They played in it for HOURS that Monday.  It was adorable.  

6.  We enjoyed our time off together and hit the skating rink and the bowling alley last week.  

7.  We let #1 host a New Year's Eve party at our house.  I think there were 12 kids all together?  Anyway, they were great.  For reals.  I asked her to keep everyone down in the basement and she did.  A lot of her friends brought delicious food so they had quite the spread!  She decorated the chalk board wall with fun lettering and then had props for pictures.  This is just one of a dozen of the fun pictures she had on her phone:

Honestly, I didn't mind hosting the party.  It was a great way to make sure they were safe and they had fun.  And honestly, she will only be home for a few more years so why not enjoy it?  The hubby and I will get a chance to go out and party again some day!

Upstairs, we had my sister and her family over for some games and drinks.  The kids played twister:

We also played Rumikub but I can't post that picture because it has a naughty word in it.  (Hint:  I posted it to Instagram!)  But it was really nice to be able to see my sister and her boyfriend because it had been quite awhile!  They stayed until almost 11pm and we all had a great time.

8.  We all converged upon my mom on New Year's Day since that was the only weekend we were all available.  (Aimee and Jason spent Christmas week in St. Kitt's and her kids spent the week with their other grandparents and aunt.)  We had a blast together!

Yesterday we tried to go ice skating in Bentonville, AR at noon but the session was full.  That meant we had two hours to kill.  We headed over to the new(ish), swanky hotel just across the street and ended up having so much fun!  (Because originally we were kind of pissy and didn't know what to do for two hours.)  The hotel is named 21c and it has a museum, which is free, attached to it.  

We toured the museum and then headed to the bar for drinks - wine and beer for the adults and frou frou lemonade and hot chocolates for the kids.  The service was fantastic and they were just so nice!  Also, we ordered french fries smothered in a cajun honey that were TO DIE FOR!  If you ever find your self in Bentonville, I'd recommend stopping in to the 21c for sure!

So let me back up, we kept telling the little kids not to touch the art work.  We were practically beating it into their heads.  Well, come to find out, they have all these plastic green penguins all over the hotel and museum.  And they were specifically designed for kids (and adults, who am I kidding) to move around wherever they wanted!  We had a blast moving them and using them for photo ops.  We just got such a kick out of them:

Anyway, don't you love it when you are able to turn lemons into lemonade?  Such a fun time!

And the ice skating was really great, too.  It was 50* so a bit too warm but we still had fun:

#2 and #3 and my niece stayed extra long and were doing spins by the end of our session.  It was just adorable to watch them all have so much fun together.  I loved it.

9.  I was invited to participate in a New Year's Day run but with staying up late on NYE and heading to Arkansas, it wasn't in the cards for me.  However, the hubby and I more than made up for it with a beautiful run yesterday morning on the trails in Bentonville.  It was a crisp 21* but after about a mile we were nice and warm.  6 miles in the books felt like such a great day to start the year!

 

10.  Speaking of New Years, I should probably tell you my resolution.  It's really more about the kids than me but I am the enabler.  I am vowing to pay them their allowance every weekend.  That way they won't have to ask me to pay them and I won't have to shell out a hundred bucks at a time.  Right now #1 gets $10, #2 gets $5, and the littles each get $3 and $1, respectively.  I haven't actually given them their money yet but it is in my purse!  

I don't require them to do any certain chores to get their allowance because I don't want them to think they get paid to help around the house.  That is just part of being a family!  And if I ask them to do something they don't normally do, I don't want them to think they should earn money for it.  And at the same time, I do want them to learn how to manage their money.  I'm sure not everyone agrees with my philosophy and that's totally fine.  But this seems to work for us.  Now I just have to remember to PAY them!

11.  Can you believe I am at #11??  Wow!  If you're still with me, you are a trooper!  

Anyway, after the last month of eating like crap, the hubby and I are going to do another round of Whole 30.  It's not so much about losing weight (though canning a few pounds would be nice), it's more about a re-set.  So if you're interested, here is our meal plan for the week (and I know I have linked to some of these before):

Sunday: hamburgers on the grill in the green (ie wrapped in lettuce) with crispy shallots and guacamole on top.  We also had roasted broccoli and cut up apples.

Monday: Italian pork roast (I don't cook it for 16 hours - just as long as I can.  Works fine.)  Some sort of mashed potatoes (I can't use dairy - i might try a little coconut milk) with cauliflower in them, and green beans, apples and oranges

Tuesday: Pad Thai

Wednesday: Sweet potato soup with bacon - throw in some leftover pork or chicken or hamburgers

Thursday:  Caesar salad (I'm not making homemade croutons - that's just too hard) with shrimp for us and chicken for the girls.  They'll also get a baguette

Friday:  Pizza for the girls from somewhere normal.  We'll have cauliflower crust pizza with pesto and some other toppings like black olives, spinach. But sadly, no cheese for us.  We can all have a salad, too. 

Wow!  There you have it.  I feel like we are all caught up now.  Have a great first full week of 2016.  Here's to hoping it's a good week and a great year!

 

Six on Sunday

Can you believe the year is nearly over?  It's crazy to think it's almost 2016.  Anyway, I hope you had a nice week.  I had a great one - lots of fun Advent calendar activities with the girls, drinks with a friend one night, and a neighborhood get-together tonight...all good.

1.  I decided to outsource the elf responsibilities to #2.  I'm so glad I did because she is awesome!  Pinterest has fabulous ideas that she has put into practice.  Here are a few of her creations:

As you can see, she takes her responsibilities very seriously and I love her for it!

2.  Last night I ended up watching Draft Day on HBO.  I'm not sure if it's remotely close to a real pro football team but I loved the movie.  I have loved Kevin Costner for years (Dances with Wolves anybody?  or Field of Dreams or Bull Durham...I'm sure I could go on).  And also, I really love Jennifer Garner, too.  Anyway, I thought the movie was great.  I was exhausted but it totally kept my interest and I couldn't wait to find out who he was going to draft.  Of course, in my mind you can't go wrong with a feel-good ending, either!

3.  #1 had a prelims-finals swim meet this weekend.  It was a LONG weekend for the hubby and I and an even LONGER weekend for her.  After all, she was the one in the pool for three days straight.  She dropped a little time in a couple events but added time in a few more.  She seems to be coming close to breaking through the wall but I don't think she's really there just yet.  Hopefully soon...

4.  One of our Advent calendar activities this week was Family Game Night.  Of course #1 missed it due to swim but the other three played along.  They picked Twister as their first choice.  That game is HARD when you are a non-flexible 42-year-old!  I mean, I realized I really need to start stretching or take yoga - probably both.  Of course the girls loved it.  

We also played Rubikub.  I bought it last year but we had not opened the box until this week.  Let me tell you, it is a FUN game!  It was definitely over #4's head and #3 caught on but it took her a little while.  I enjoyed it so much I kept the box out so we can play again!  If you are looking for a fun game of strategy for 2-4 players, I would totally recommend Rubikub!

And of course Darby could not be left out...

5.  I met my friend, Sarah, for a long run this morning.  I knew it was going to rain but I was hoping it would just be misty.  Uh, no such luck!

What this picture fails to show you is how our shoes squished and squeaked when we walked after this.  We started out trying to avoid the puddles but after about a mile it became clear that was a futile effort.  But you know what?  60* on a Sunday in December is still great weather for a run - rain or no rain!

6.  Remember how I talked about Marie Kondo's book a couple months ago?  The Life Changing Magic of Tidying Up:  The Japanese Art of Decluttering and Organizing?  Well, I finally did it.  I went through my ENTIRE wardrobe today.  I was ruthless.  I touched every single piece of clothing I own and decided if it sparked joy.  (I'll be honest, if I was that specific I would probably only have about 5 things left to wear, half of them summer.  But I did ask myself if I loved each piece.)  And this is what I removed from my wardrobe:

I'm really excited because everything I left in my closet I do love.  It should make getting dressed in the morning more fun.  There is nothing left that I do not like.  I'll report back after a month or so and let you know how I feel.  But right now I am excited and glad I did it.  Everything you see here will go to Goodwill.  And I am perfectly OK with that.

I would really like to do this exercise with the big girls (the Littles and I basically already did it in their room) and the hubby.  Hopefully we'll have time over winter break.

And there you are friends, Six on Sunday.  Have a great week!

 

Six on Sunday

Hello.  I hope you had a great weekend.  We sure did!  So let's get going...

1.  I downloaded this whole album on a whim and for the most part, I love it.  (I do not like Dance of the Sugarplum Fairies.)

Yes, I still download off iTunes.  I've tried Pandora and Spotify, but I don't have the patience to create a specific playlist and I hate how Pandora is just random.  So I'm still old school.  I buy my music.  

Anyway, I do love this album.  I listen to it every time I drive somewhere.  My family doesn't share my affinity for the Pentatonix but I don't care.  If I'm in the car, they have to listen.  After all, it is my car!

2.  Our Advent calendar activities are in full swing.  This has been our calendar so far:

Dec 1 = Pick out Christmas dresses from the bins in the basement and go to Target if needed.  (The older girls both needed dresses and shoes.  The Littles only needed shoes and tights.)

Dec 2 = Scavenger hunt through the house for a bag of chocolate truffles.

Dec 3 = Go to Twister's after #1's orchestra concert.

Dec 4 = Crafting night with our friends

Dec 5 = Go see Santa and then go to Starbucks for hot chocolate.  (I added the Starbucks part because that ensures the big girls will go along with it.  Perfect!)

Dec 6 = Paint the letters for Ho Ho Ho to go on top of our kitchen cabinets.

The little girls get so excited to open the calendar every day.  It's just adorable!

3.  We made cookies and sweets over the past two days.  We frosted quite a few cookies this afternoon.  But I think we'll do more next weekend.  I just ran out of steam and couldn't bear the thought of making more frosting.  Nor did I have the energy to finish covering the PB balls and chocolate truffles in chocolate.  So, I just froze everything.  I figure we'll finish it all off next weekend.  We're in no hurry.

4.  My birthday was yesterday.  It was a really great day, actually.  The day started out earlier than I would have liked (dropped #1 and her friend off at the pool at 6:30am for practice) but I did manage to squeeze in a 6 mile run with friends and it was really beautiful out.  Then we all headed over to see Santa and go to Starbucks.  We came home and watched a movie which was a nice break.  I made some cookies while the family made dinner (shrimp mac-n-cheese) and set up the dining room table.  

They were all pretty excited to eat on china again and they decorated everything so I loved it!

The hubby and I capped off the evening by going to a Christmas party with our neighbors.  The party was so nice.  I talked to several moms I didn't really know and that was awesome.  I love meeting new people.  I was also able to catch up with old friends and that is pretty much unbeatable!  The hubby got a little crazy so we had to leave about midnight, but I think that was good.  I felt great today!  No hangover or anything.  Phew!  (And no, I can't say the same thing for the hubby.)

5.  Our annual crafting night with our friends was another success.  We made Christmas trees out of pinecones and miniature terra cotta pots:

Of course #2 photo bombed me.  I should expect nothing less from her!

But for real, it was such a fun evening.  The kids painted and decorated for the longest time!  And we adults had a great time chatting over Moscow Mules and Miller Lights.  Even #1 was able to participate since we met the swim carpool on their way home and grabbed her so she join us.  I love that she wanted to come over and hang with all of us!  And I'm not sure how much longer she will want to play along - so I'm totally soaking it all in.

6.  I'm loving this season with more family time and less obligations.  I love spending time together with my girls and hubby.  I love no pressure to be at 5 soccer games in 2 days in 2 different states.  I love the twinkly lights everywhere.  I love our street.  Seriously, if you live in town you NEED to drive up Mackey Street!  I'm finally able to soak in the beauty in this season.  My kids are fabulous ages right now and I am loving every minute with them.

I hope you are able to find the joy in the season, too.  Have a great week!

 

Six on Sunday...in 2015!

Sorry for the radio silence.  We were battling sickness and basic laziness.  You know how it goes - two weeks off school means I get a two week break from cooking regular meals and making lunches.  I stretched it the list by including a break from blogging as well.  I won't lie.  It was nice.  Regardless, I'm back!  So let's just dive in, shall we?

1.  Before the sickness set in, the girls really enjoyed their break.  The little girls even managed to go swimming at our local rec center!

They had quite a few playdates which they love.  Who am I kidding?  I love them just as much because then they don't ask me what they can do every other minute.  It was awesome.

2.  We had a really nice Christmas Eve and Christmas day.  I cooked a nice dinner on Christmas Eve which we enjoyed after the 6pm mass.  The girls had spaghetti and the hubby and I had a diavlo sauce with shrimp and scallops.  Delish.  

Christmas morning looked like this:

I already told you the gifts we gave the little girls but I didn't post the big girls' gifts.  They received:

#1:

Want:  Shelves for her room (we need to spready paint the brackets but it's been too cold!)

Need:  Desk chair and a closet organizer system

Wear:  cowboy boots and a new outfit

Read:  I can't remember the title?

Santa:  Gold lamp from Land of Nod for her desk, a couple necklaces, and a swimsuit

#2:

Want:  Throw pillows and throw blankets (seriously, she asked for them!)

Need:  Desk chair and a laptop

Wear:  Bronze Converse and an outfit

Read:  Dorothy Must Die (looks cute.  don't judge based upon the title.)

Santa:  Fluffy chair for her room

All in all, we all enjoyed the morning.  Then the hubby's parents and brother came Christmas afternoon and my side of the family came over for the evening.  It was a pretty great day together.

3.  The Friday after Christmas the sickness started to settle in for a week.  I was the first one down.  I haven't been that sick in years.  It was awful.  I didn't really leave my bed for the entire day on Friday.  I had really, really wanted to start tiling the shower but just couldn't do it.  I rallied on Saturday by taking down the Christmas decorations but it took me all day and I had to take repeated breaks.  

Then Saturday night the hubby started feeling crappy.  And Sunday late afternoon it hit #2 and #4.  Thankfully, #3 only caught a cough but nothing else.  And #1 remained symptom-free the entire break!  #4 seemed to bounce back after two days but it really hit #2 hard.  She was down three or four days.  Poor kid.  And the hubby didn't seem to bounce back very well, either.  

There was a lot of this:

and this:

Each of the girls received two movies in their stockings.  I think we watched nearly every single one of them.  Here's the list:

• Better Off Dead
• 16 Candles
• Can't Buy Me Love
• The Incredibles
• The Karate Kid
• Back to the Future
• The Goonies

Thankfully, we are all better now.  We have the remains of a cough but that's about it.  

4.  The little girls were the first to receive a New Year's Eve invitation.  Then #1 followed suit.  The hubby and I didn't go out because we just didn't feel like a night out drinking after being sick.  Plus, #2 was just feeling better and we didn't want to leave her home alone.  So the three of us stayed in, rented a movie, and just vegged.  Honestly, the highlight of my NYE was eating Chipotle for dinner!    

5.  We managed to have some fun on our break.  I took three of the four girls (#2 was feeling too crappy) to see Night at the Museum 3.  It was entertaining.  We also went ice skating down at Crown Center.  The big girls each brought a friend.  Here's proof:

To cap off our break we had dinner at Tanner's last night and then rented Malificient.  (I hadn't seen it yet and it did not disappoint.  I loved it.)

6.  We managed to almost finish our shower!  WooHoo!  Here it is all grouted:

We need to wait 3 days and then we have to seal it.  We still need to caulk the seams and put it in the new hardware.  We'll order the glass door this week.  I'm so excited to get to use my own shower again!  And it's so pretty.  

On a whim I posted my bathtub on Craigslist:

I had 5 or 6 offers in just 10 minutes! No joke.  Who knew 20 year old jacuzzi tubs were such a hot commodity?  

Anyway, we did get rid of it but not before tearing some holes in the wall.  This is what that space looks like now:

We knew we'd have to patch in where the tub sat, but we ended up having to demo a corner (see it on the right side of the picture?) to get it out.  That will not be a fun patch job.  But, it does feel good to have it out.  The hubby is thinking he can patch in the drywall this weekend.  I just want it to look better.  

I know we still have a TON of work left to do in the bathroom (new floors, scrape and paint the ceiling, new vanity, new toilet, new medicine cabinets, etc, etc) but it will be so nice to shower in there again!  

And there you have it!  Our winter break in a nut shell.  I hope you enjoyed your break, too!  Have a great week.





 

Make Up Monday

We spent the weekend at my mom's house down in AR so by the time we got the little girls into bed last night I was just too tired to blog.  So I'm here tonight, instead.  Let's get started!

1.  As you know, the hubby took #1 to her swim meet in Wichita the previous weekend.  (13th/14th)  Then he turned around and flew to Florida early Monday morning and didn't get home until after the kids were in bed Tuesday night.  I was basically a single parent for five days.  It was tiring! I was ready for him to put the little girls to bed just so I could have one night off.  My hats off to you single parents out there.  IT IS HARD.

2.  While I was single-parenting, #2 had a choir concert.  The little girls were really good during the concert so I can't complain.  (Of course #1 was at swim practice.)  And it was fun to hear the 6th grade (and 7th and 8th) choir sing!

 

We came home and celebrated with hot chocolate and cookies!

 

I'm not usually a huge hot chocolate fan but I couldn't resist drinking out of my favorite Christmas mug!

 

3.  #4 has had this little speech impediment ever since I can remember.  She has a hard time saying her "K" and "G" sounds.  So "Caroline" sounded like "Taroline".  And "kitty cat" was "titty tat" (my absolute favorite!).  "Gamma" was "Damma".  You get the idea.

Well, she has worked with the speech pathologist at school a few times.  (Nothing serious enough for an EIP.)  Anyway, the speech impediment is almost gone.  It pops back up if she's really tired.  But really, it's kind of sad.  She's my baby and she's growing up.  It's really bittersweet.

4.  Back to last week...one of our Advent calendar activities was putting together a care package to send to my cousin, Alex, and his team who are stationed in Afghanistan.  Tangent:  Actually, Alex is my cousin's son which makes him my first cousin, once removed.  Or he's second cousins with my kids.  And also?  Alex was the ring bearer in our wedding.  Got it?  OK.

Anyway, the girls and I walked around Target picking up things we thought 20-year-old guys would like. We grabbed magazines, cards, movies - especially Dumb and Dumber - because what guy doesn't like that awful, stupid movie?!  We also picked up some toiletries and candy.  The girls each wrote a card to send to Alex.  I took a picture of the cards the little girls made.  (It took a lot of discussion to explain what Alex is doing in Afghanistan.  They also remember Papa was in Vietnam.  They sort of understand and sort of don't understand.  But it is a start!)  

The card from #3:

 

The card from #4:

Adorable, no?

5.  We got our first real snow of the season last Wednesday night/Thursday morning.  The littles were absolutely giddy with excitement!  They hurried up and got dressed and ready for school so they could play outside.  

All in all, I think they were outside for about 30 minutes before they had to leave for school.  It was adorable!

6.  We headed down to Arkansas on Friday afternoon.  My sister and her family were down there, too.  It was a really fun weekend!

Friday night we just hung out at home and had pizza.  The cousins all played together really well and watched Elf.  (Except #1 who had her nose stuck in a book trying to get to the end!)  The adults drank beer and/or wine and just chilled.  

Saturday morning the hubby indulged me with a 6 mile run:

I'll be honest, my main motivation for wanting to run was so I could wear these:

It was great running weather so we both really enjoyed it.  For reals.

7.  We all went ice skating Saturday afternoon.  I have to admit, I wasn't looking forward to it because I thought #4 would be a nightmare but I was mistaken.  It was SO MUCH FUN!  All the kids had a blast and no one cared if they fell down.  The older two are already solid on skates and #3 really improved a ton in the hour we were there.  Even #4 kind of got the hang of it though she preferred to hold someone's hand.  My niece and nephew were great, too.  My nephew fell about a bazillion times and just smiled and laughed each time.  Such a great spirit!

My mom and my sister's boyfriend both decided to sit this one out.  My mom is a good skater but I think when you are 68 you think about falling with a bit of trepidation.  And Jason never learned to skate and figured now wasn't the time.  I don't blame either of them!

Here's the whole crew:

My dad was a great ice skater and I remember when and how he taught me to skate.  (I was five.  I carried a broomstick.  No joke.)  I would like to think he was there with all of us because he would have loved that.  

8.  Last one.  The kids did the Natvity scene again.  It's tradition and must be done:

I think the organizing and setting up of the scene actually took far longer than actually performing the scene.  But this is something they'll remember when they are older.  And kids love traditions so we keep doing it!

And there you have it.  Since I waited a day I gave you two bonus numbers tonight!  

If you celebrate, I hope you have a very Merry Christmas!


 

 

Christmas Decorations - House Tour 2014

Well, hello!  Tonight I have a special house tour for you.  Well, at least the first floor.  I don't really decorate the bedrooms except the girls each have a 2 foot tree in their room.  And I didn't want to take pictures of their trees because their rooms are not photo-ready!

Last year it took me three separate posts to show you my Christmas decorations.  This year I haven't had time to do that.  So I'm putting it all in one, giant post.  Grab a coffee or a beer and get comfortable.  Because here comes photo overload!

Let's start with the foyer since it's the first thing you see when you walk in:

I used live garland again but I'm going back to fake next year.  The live stuff that I use (read:  cheap) just doesn't do it for me.  I want it to be fuller.  But I have a LOT of stairs and don't want to shell out for the real stuff.  

I did the same thing on my round table as last year - just changed the colors a bit:

You'll notice both the blues and reds.  This is sort of my bridge between the two color schemes I have going on:  pinks, greens, blues in the music room and more traditional reds and greens in the family room.  In my brain, this display brings the two together!

And the same goes for this wreath - it has ALL THE COLORS and I love it!

 

Moving on...let's go to the family room:

This is all very similar to what I did last year.  But I still love it so why change it up?

 

We put up the Nativity scene every year:

 

Last weekend the girls received a Lego present for the Advent calendar activity and it was a huge hit!

 

I sewed these stockings back in 2008 and I'm still not tired of them.  I think that may be a record.

 

We finally found a stocking for Darby (the stone cold killer cat):

And you know I love me some brass animals and milk glass!

 

 Last Friday night I got the urge to sew pillow covers.  I indulged that urge and came up with this:

Pillows!!

I know I'm going to be sad when it's time to put the normal covers back on the pillows.

 

Behind the couch is the sofa table we built this fall.  It's perfect for my New England village:

I'd actually love to collect more houses so I could fill this whole table.  Wouldn't that be fun?!

I love having such a great place to set this up.  In prior years it's been on the mantle or on top of the kitchen cabinets.  But when it is so high up the details get lost.  Having it down here has been great and the kids play with it by moving the people around which is fine by me!  (Thank goodness they're gentle.)

 

We also have our Charlie Brown Christmas tree in this room:

 

This is our fifth year of doing "something you want, something you need, something to wear, and something to read".  I have used the same gift tags all five years.  I love traditions!

 

OK.  The kitchen.  I didn't go crazy in here and I'm fine with it.

 

Those plates on top of the cabinets?  The three round ones are presents given to us by the kids.  Every year they were in first grade they drew a picture and the teacher had that transferred onto plastic plates.  They're precious.  

 

I set out the gingerbread houses on my cake stand.  There are only three houses because #4 promptly ate hers.

 

We've hung these wreaths for years and they're so pretty when the sun shines through them.  (Albeit difficult to photograph!)

 

The girls love lighting and then blowing out the candles on the Advent wreath!  (I think we may be raising pyromaniacs.)

 

This is the view to through the dining room to the music room from the kitchen:

 

Those aprons get regular use during the Christmas season!

 

I just added a couple things to the china cabinet but didn't set out all my Christmas china.  I just couldn't motivate myself to do it.  I know.  The shame.

A little bit of Husker bling of course:

 

And the pretty tree:

I think this is my third year with this tree and I love it as much as the day I bought it.  (And yes, it's slightly crooked.  But it doesn't bother me enough to fix it.  It's just how I roll.)

We made those glittered pine cones two years ago and they still look beautiful!

 

And to bring this whole tour back to where we started.  This is the view from the foyer if you turn to the right:

And there you have it!  I hope you enjoyed this little tour.  Have a Merry Christmas!

 

Six on Sunday...the last one of 2013!

I cannot believe it's been a week since I last blogged.  Honestly, it feels like last Sunday was last year!  And yet, it was only 7 days ago - crazy to think about the last week.

1.  The hubby and I (and of course the girls) had the week off work last week and it was FABULOUS.  I wondered what we'd do to fill our days and yet each day seemed to whiz past us all.  Monday I ran a bunch of last minute errands to get ready for our families festivities.  I really enjoyed it.  I grabbed a tea and just took my time and it felt indulgent!

Monday night the girls delivered cookies to our neighbors.  I have to give them mad props because it was COLD outside and they did it with a smile on their faces.

Tuesday the hubby ran some secret errands while #2 and #4 helped me cook.  Our Christmas Eve meal was so YUMMY!  I told you I would give you my recipe for Venetian Shrimp and Scallops if it was good.  Oh yeah, it was GOOD!  I halved the amount of seafood called for below but left everything else the same.

Venetian Shrimp and Scallops...from Rachael Ray's 30 Minute Meals:

• 1/4 cup flour, seasoned with salt & pepper
• 1 T EVOO
• 2 T butter
• 2 cloves garlic, chopped
• 1 large shallot, finely chopped
• 1/2 tsp crushed red pepper flakes
• 1 cup dry, white wine
• 1 cup chicken stock
• 1 (14 oz) can diced tomatoes (I hate chunks so I just used tomato sauce)
• 1/4 tsp saffron (get ready to bust out your pocket book for this one!  pricey!)
• 1 pound large shrimp, peeled and deveined
• 1 pound sea scallops
• 12 fresh basil leaves, shredded
• 1 lemon, zested
• Hot, crusty bread, for mopping

Lightly coat the sea scalloped in seasoned flour.

Preheat a large skillet over med-high heat.  Add oil and butter.  When butter melts, add scallops.  Brown for 2 minutes on each side, then remove.

Add an additional drizzled of olive oil and add the garlic, shallots, and crushed red pepper.  Reduce heat a little and saute garlic and shallots 2 minutes, stirring constantly.  Add wine to the pan, reduce 1 minute, then add stock, tomatoes and saffron.  When liquids come to a bubble, add shrimp and cook 3 minutes.  Return scallops to the pan and cook all 2 to 3 minutes longer.  Transfer to a warm serving dish and top with basil and lemon zest.  Enjoy!

Here we are all dressed up and ready to go to church:

And here we were devouring our dinner!  

Four of us stayed dressed up, one put on her PJs, and one put on his grubby T-shirt.  I guess I can't win them all!

All in all, Christmas Eve was just delightful.  We had so much fun just the 6 of us hanging out, cooking, watching A Christmas Story, and opening our Christmas Eve PJs.

3.  Christmas Day was just as good!  After we opened our gifts, our family room looked like this:

The girls played around with their new gifts for quite awhile - the littles with their babies and American Girl dolls, #1 with her laptop, and #2 with her headphones.  After the day was done, I think I counted five movies watched.  A Christmas Story, Sister Act, The Adventures of Walter Mitty, Honey I Shrunk the Kids, and Hunger Games (after the little girls were in bed).  We actually left the house to go see The Adventures of Walter Mitty and all the kids liked it although it was a little over #4's head.  But all in all it was a really fun day.  I think I enjoyed it especially because this year no one needed naps, I didn't have to change diapers, and I really didn't have to entertain anyone - they took care of that themselves.  It was just a good day.   

4.  The few days after Christmas were so nice - just very relaxed.  And the best part of all?  #2's BFF and her ENTIRE FAMILY drove up from Dallas!  We absolutely love having Adeline around and this time we got to her enjoy her whole family as well.  BONUS!  Friday night we had them all over for dinner and then last night her parents took us out to dinner - sans kids.  It was so fun!  And of course #2 is in heaven.  She and Adeline have little arguments, very similar to sisters, but they move right past them and onto the next thing!

Yesterday, since it was beautiful out, we all walked up to Sonic which is one of my favorite things to do in nice weather. I love getting out of the house and just going for a walk.  And Sonic gets them every time!

Yes, apparently #3 thinks she's all gangsta.

The kids love Petland so we took a field trip up there as well.  It was a hit.

Today we went to Target and they all spent their own money on odds and ends and Starbucks!  So cute.  Here's #2 and her BFF:

Aren't they so cute together?!  They remind me of me and my BFF from high school - I was (am) 5'7" and she was (is) barely 5"!

Today, despite the negative wind chills, the girls all played outside for at least 30 minutes.  The littles drove their new car and were so darn excited that it was FINALLY charged up!  (Did you know you have to charge them for 12 hours at first?  Yeah, neither did I and it about KILLED them!)

Of course I also spent plenty of time cleaning up and putting away Christmas decorations.  It's always a little sad to see it go but also gives me a feeling of Ahhhhhhhhhh...

.

5.  I've been spending a lot of time on the computer in the past few days - editing and picking out pictures to finish up Project Life for 2013 as well as my December Daily album.  I have all the pictures ordered now, I just need to pick them up from Costco.  I'm so excited and so happy to be on top of it all this year!  I honestly think it's just so much easier as my kids are getting older and older and I can slip away for an hour at a time.

I even got a wild hair and decided to go back and print out pictures for 2010.  After all, I started doing Project Life back in 2009 (the year #4 was born), but then skipped 2010 and picked it back up in 2011.  It just felt funny to have a hole in there.  It won't be 52 weeks but it will at least be 12 months.  And it's really fun to go back and look at pictures that are now 3 years old!  Plus, the kids really get a kick out of looking at my Project Life albums so I am telling myself it's for them.  Ha!

6.  I tried a new recipe on Thursday night.  It was SO DELICIOUS!  So I'm sharing it here:

Salmon Tacos with Guacamole

• Brown rice with a little salt, cilantro, and lime juice mixed in (my own take here)
• Olive oil
• 1 avacado
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 clove garlic, grated
• 1 T chopped cilantro
• 1 lb salmon
• 1/8 tsp pepper
• 1/2 tsp ground coriander
• 1/2 tsp paprika
• tortillas (flour or corn)
• Cilantro Lime Yogurt (recipe below)

Heat oven to 400*.  Cook brown rice and when it's done fluff and add in salt, pepper, lime juice, and cilantro.  (Amounts vary depending on the amount of rice.)  Cover and set aside.

Meanwhile, make guacamole.  Mash avacado, stire in lime juice, garlic, cilantro and 1/4 tsp of salt.  Set aside.

Pat salmon dry.  Place on a foil-lined baking sheet and rub with olive oil.  In a small bowl, combine coriander, paprika, remaining salt, and pepper.  Rub onto salmon.  Bake for 15 minutes or until fish flakes easily with a fork.

Wrap tortillas in foil and warm in the overn.  To assemble, flake salmon into large pieces and place on warm tortilla with rice, guacamole, and cilantro-lime yogurt.  So good!!

Cilantro Lime Yogurt:

• 1 container (6oz) plain, Greek Yogurt
• 1 tsp lime juice
• 1 tsp lime zest (I omitted) 
• 1 T chopped cilantro
• 1/8 tsp salt

Mix it up!

And there you have it - the final Six on Sunday of 2013.  I hope you had a fantastic holiday and a great New Year's!  See you next year.

 

Six on Sunday

I almost forgot it was Sunday night!  My sense of time is all messed up with Christmas just around the corner.  But, it's all good...

1.  Last week flew by in a flash.  We had several Holiday parties to attend.  #1 had a swim party Tuesday night, #4 had a party at her school on Thursday afternoon, and the middles had school parties Friday morning.  By Friday afternoon I was DONE.  But the kids all had fun which is what really matters.

2.  We continue with our Advent calendar activities which the girls are still enjoying:

• Monday = two extra cookies for dessert
• Tuesday = manicures and pedicures (at home by me)
• Wednesday = make Christmas cards for the kids' teachers
• Thursday = eat dinner by candlelight
• Friday = Go to Walgreen's and pick out road trip food for the drive to Arkansas
• Saturday = make bird feeders out of pinecones (along with their cousins)
• Sunday = decorate gingerbread houses (total success - they each had so much fun!)

3.  We have now celebrated two Christmases and just have our own family's Christmas left to celebrate on the 25th!  

This weekend we drove down to my parent's house in Arkansas.  We lucked out with the weather and had no issues either way, thank goodness.  My sister, her "special someone", and her kids were there, too.  It was a full house but so much fun.  

Here were the sleeping arrangements for the kids - all six sleep in the basement:

They were slightly rambunctious on Friday night but pretty much passed out on Saturday night.

Yesterday we were hoping to go ice skating (outside) but it rained pretty much the ENTIRE day.  (I didn't even get in a long run which really sucked.  Oh well.)  So, we decided to go bowling instead and had a blast!  Even #4 bowled by herself and we all had a great time.

 

After bowling we went home, opened gifts, ate dinner, and then the kids put on the Nativity scene for the adults.  They have done this for several years now and each year it gets better!

#1 is the narrator:

#2 was the angel, #4 was Mary, my nephew was Joseph, my niece was a shepherd, and #3 was a wise man.  

Seriously, how adorable is that?!

This morning we woke up and headed to church and then out to brunch.  

It was a really nice weekend for all of us to be together.  

4.  When we walked in the door this afternoon we had a bunch of new presents set out under our tree.  The hubby's parents drove down from Omaha Friday afternoon and left all their gifts for us.  They decided to spend Christmas at their house and wanted to make sure the kids had their gifts before Christmas.  Rather than make the kids wait it out, we let them open Grandma, Grandpa, Uncle Sean, and Mikaela's (#3's godmother) presents.  They were so excited to get to open more gifts.  They each got something they were really excited about so it was fun.  I just wish the gift givers could have been there to see it!  

5.  I finished the second Hunger Games book this weekend.  I hope to finish the third book this week.  They are really fast reads but I get so into them that I can barely put them down!  (I may even cheat and read the summaries on Wikipedia.  I can't help myself.)  My mom got me the Bridget Jones Diary book - the one after she gets divorced.  That will be fun, I think.  I'm also planning on reading the books the hubby, #1 and #2 got from my mom.  Love that.

6.  I just finished making our menu for Christmas Eve and Christmas Day.  I'm really excited!  I really enjoy cooking but only when I have the time to devote to it.  (I will admit this is NOT Whole Food eating.  But I'm kind of going with the whole 80/20 rule.) We are going to go to church at 6pm on Christmas Eve and then we'll come home for a delicious dinner.  The girls are having spaghetti and meatballs, the hubby and I are having crab cakes for an appetizer followed by Venetian shrimp and scallops.  If the shrimp and scallop recipe is any good I'll post it next week.  I have to make two meals because the hubby and I LOVE seafood and the kids LOATHE seafood.  So sad.  Of course we'll all share a nice, crusty baguette.  I'm also going to make asparagus but I'm not sure if the kids will eat it or not?  

My spaghetti recipe is super easy!  Here are the ingredients:

• 1 pound ground beef
• 2 15 oz cans tomato sauce
• 2 small cans tomato paste
• 2 cans tomato soup
• garlic, and spices

I warm up a little olive oil and then throw in some garlic that I've put through my press.  (I love garlic so I tend to use a lot - 4 to 6 cloves).  After about 30 seconds I throw the meat in the pot with quite a bit of salt and some pepper.  I might throw the other spices in now or if I forget, later.  I use parsley and oregano or you could just use Italian spices.  After the meat is cooked, drain the fat and add in the cans of tomato stuff.  I also throw in about 2 cups of water.  Then I just let simmer for as long as I have time.  This is a double batch but I like to make a lot and then freeze the leftovers.  So easy but so yummy! 

Then Christmas morning we'll get up and open our presents and then enjoy cinnamon rolls and a crock pot breakfast casserole.  The casserole is so easy!  You actually throw it all in the crock pot the night before and just let it cook overnight.  I love that.  The cinnamon rolls I make the night before, too.  I just have to make sure to give myself two hours in the morning to let them rise before I bake them.

Cinnamon rolls recipe:

• 2 loaves frozen bread dough (literally from the freezer section in the grocery store)
• 1 large box of vanilla pudding (NOT INSTANT)
• 1 stick of butter
• 2 Tbls milk
• 1 cup brown sugar
• 1 tsp cinnamon

Allow the dough to thaw in the frig until soft but not yet risen (takes about 12 hours). Melt the butter; add brown sugar, pudding, milk and cinnamon.  Grease 9x12 pan.  Cut one loaf into the pan.  Cover with the caramel mix.  Cut the second loaf on top.  Let rise 2 hours.  Bake 350* for 30 minutes.

The rest of the day we're going to just eat munchies.  Fruit, Cheese and Crackers, Chips and Salsa.  I'm really looking forward to a nice, lazy day with the family.  I'm thinking we may venture out for a movie to quell boredom.  But other than that - no plans.

And with that, Have a very Merry Christmas (if you celebrate)!  

What about you?  Do you have fun plans you are looking forward to?

 

 

Six on Sunday

I am here, blogging on Sunday night, despite the crazy busy week and weekend.  How's that for dedication?

1.  Yesterday I was away from home for 15 hours and today the hubby was gone for 14 hours.  Can you guess where?  Doing what?  If you guessed SWIM MEET!, you'd be correct.

#1 had a swim meet in Topeka this weekend.  Given that Topeka is only an hour away we decided not to spend the night.  Plus, I always sleep so poorly in a hotel room it would have defeated the purpose!  Regardless, she had a really solid meet.  She swam three races both days and made the final in two races each day.  She even managed to get a couple "AA" times so it was definitely worth it.  

However, making the finals was definitely a blessing and a curse.  You see, the prelims ended around noon but warm-ups for finals didn't begin until 4pm.  Yesterday we went to lunch with friends from the team and then cruised the mall for a couple hours.  I was exhausted from so much sitting around!  By the time I got home at 8:45 I only stayed awake for an hour.  

The girls had fun, though.  So all in all it was good.  Here are three of them in the "Hurricane" machine. #1 is the tall girl in the back:

Isn't amazing what $2 will buy you?!

2.  Today I spent most of the day in the kitchen.  After a run and a trip to the grocery store, the rest of my day was devoted to sweets.  (Yes, I'm still trying to eat "whole" foods but I am making a HUGE exception for Christmas cookies.  I can't break tradition just yet!)  I had help on and off from the girls and #2's friend, so it was a productive day!  We covered our peanut butter balls (made Friday night) in chocolate, made chocolate covered pretzel rods, Pretzel Hugs with M&Ms, spritz cookies, and chocolate cookies covered in white chocolate with peppermint sprinkles.  YUM!    

But I have to say, the peanut butter balls are my favorite!  This is not my recipe but one I got from a work colleague years ago.  No matter, here you go:

Chocolate Covered Peanut Butter Balls:

• 2 cups creamy peanut butter
• 3 1/2 cups powdered sugar
• 1 stick butter
• 3 cups Rice Krispies
• Chocolate almond bark

Mix PB, butter, and powdered sugar.  Once blended well add Rice Krispies.  Once it's mixed, make into small balls and chill.  (Truly, these are rich.  Small is good.)

I just melt chocolate almond bark in the microwave (much easier than the stove!) and dunk the balls in the chocolate until they're covered and then set on wax paper to dry.  These are really easy to make - just time consuming because the recipe makes a ton.  Try them.  You'll thank me!

3.  This week was all about the big girl's Holiday performances.  #1 had a combined (with the grade schools) orchestra concert and #2 had a music performance.  Honestly, they were both really fun to watch!  The older they get the more enjoyable those things become.

4.  You know how I had hours and hours to kill at the swim meet yesterday?  I finished the first Hunger Games book.  I had just started it last week but it's a fast read so I cruised through it.  It was good - definitely young adult but I still enjoyed it.  Even though I knew she won, there were still twists in it which kept my attention.  Now I'm dying to find out what happens next!  I have a 3 hour car ride next weekend so I have high hopes to get pretty far with the second book next week!

5.  We've been keeping up on our Advent calendar.  The little girls (and sometimes the big girls, too) are really enjoying it.

Day 9: Make snowflake cut-outs for the front windows.

Day 10:  Attend #1's orchestra concert and come home and make hot chocolate and popcorn.

Day 11:  Make peanut butter cookies with Hershey's kisses

Day 12:  Write a letter to Santa Clause and Ralph (the elf) for Santa to answer and send back

Day 13:  Drive around and look at Christmas lights

Day 14:  Read Christmas books in front of the fire place (they LOVED this one!!!)

Day 15:  Go on the annual neighborhood hay ride

6.  The hay ride tonight was really enjoyable.  The temperatures were in the mid-40s which was beautiful!  Although #1 missed it, #2 had a friend along so I still had four girls:)  Here they are on the hay ride:

And afterward, our former nanny convinced them to take a picture with Santa Claus.  Adorable:

And there you have it.  Another week in the books.  It was busy but we still managed to carve out time to enjoy the season together and for that I am so grateful.  Have a great week!

 

 

Christmas Decorations - Trees and More

Well, hello there!  I have a ton of pictures edited and ready to go but thought it would be best to split it into two posts so you don't go cross-eyed.  So...tonight I am going to show you my big Christmas tree and the "music room" and dining room.  Come back next Tuesday for my foyer, breakfast area and kitchen if you're curious.

I call this the music room because it houses the piano.  Not that anyone is currently taking lessons or playing it - but maybe someday.

 

Although you can barely see my china cabinet tucked behind the tree, I still like to bling it out a little:

 

The wreath definitely needs some bling but I just haven't gotten that far yet.  Maybe I will or maybe it will wait until next year.  I'm fine either way.

I love these "glass" balls strung together:

Here is another view of our big Christmas tree from the kitchen through the dining room:

I bought this tree on a whim last Christmas and I'm still in love with it!

 

Here are a few close-up shots of my "pretty" tree.  (Not to be confused with my "fun" Charlie Brown tree.)  This is the tree I try to coordinate - it houses our Irish china ornaments (or whatever they're called!) that my mother-in-law collected for us and some of the fancy ornaments the kids have received over the years.  And last year we made glitter pinecones as a family and they hang on here, too.  I love the sparkle they add!

 

And here are a few shots of my china cabinet in the dining room:

Husker bling (GBR):

And here's the top:

 

I would be remiss to post pictures of my Christmas trees without showing all of them!  I bought my girls each a 2 foot tree at Target this year.  They were so excited!  They pulled all "their" ornaments off our Charlie Brown tree and promptly decorated their own tree.  (Yes, the littles share a tree since they share a room.  According to #3 this is way unfair and she has called dibs on #1's room when she goes to college!)  I didn't have anything to do with decorating these which is why they are so proud.  I love it!

#1's tree:

She made all the crafts here herself.

#2's tree:

And the little girls' tree:

I hope you enjoyed the tour!  As always, my house is never "done".  I have other Christmas projects I'd like to do but the season is so short this year they just may have to wait until next year...