Taco Tuesday!

We are in the middle of Spring Break 2009. Next year, I'm pushing that we go someplace warm and tropical over spring break. It seems that the people that have been here for awhile traveled this week.

I never really felt the need to travel on spring break in Houston, good grief, why would I? That is when Houston is pretty. I'm starting to see the logic. You stay in your place when it's nice and leave when it stinks. All my Houston friends, come here for summer. I won't be traveling to see you then, but come next winter...those 80* days (that bugged me so much while I lived there) are actually sounding rather lovely. The trees are budding, my azaleas have blossomed, so I know lovely weather is around the corner.

On another note entirely...

The power of a Mommy's kiss. Whenever Hope hurts herself (no matter how big or small) she needs me to kiss it. It=the hurt spot. Like, right on the hurt spot. When I do kiss it, it is magically all better. Even when the hurt is pretty bad, it feels better after I kiss it. It has just stuck me lately how powerful my little kiss is for her. On Sunday, we were sitting in church, and Hope was on Scott's lap. Apparently, he had some somethin' on his face, because she was saying (at the told of her voice) "Daddy has an ouchie...Mommy you need to kiss Daddy's ouchie!"

And even different still...

Do you have a Del Taco in your area? Well, here at least they have what's called "Taco Tuesday". Last week, Scott called and said, don't make dinner. I was like, okay!! :) He brought in a big old bad of tacos, all 40 cents a piece. Taco Tuesday! was born. This week, he did it again. And I must say, Taco Tuesday! is a favorite around here. Scott made me laugh as he was biting into his taco (for all my healthy food, I do enjoy a hard shell taco from Taco Bell, and apparently from Del Taco-dare I say they are better...more cheese and lettuce that's for sure) anyway, back to Scott and what he said...he said that hard shell tacos are one of his "must have" foods or foods that if he was stranded on a desert island, he would want. Now that's loving the hard shelled taco, I must say. Just for the record, I did serve, and make all those present eat, strawberries, spinach and cucumbers. Just so you know.

Well, I'm off. Hope and Hannah are being super cute. Hannah keeps dressing Hope up in different dress-ups. Like this Sleeping Beauty one that I remember when Hannah fit in!!

Big and Fat Cake

I am a firm believer in listening to your body. And wouldn't you know, my body has been screaming for this cake lately. So much so, that I made it while Scott's family was in town, I made it the next week...just because...then I took a week off, THEN I invited people over to my house for dessert just so I had an excuse to make it again. I enjoy pumpkin, and for whatever reason this cake soothes every single sweet craving. It's got the creamy, the spicy, and the chocolate. And me, I am just weird enough that I think to myself...it's got pumpkin in it...so it's kind of healthy. I'm picky about what goes into this body, but for me...this cake is worth getting big and fat over-just saying. Well, maybe not really big and fat, but certainly worth running a few extra miles!

1 pkg. (2-layer size) spice cake mix **must be Dunkin Heinz-I have used a yellow cake mix because that's what I had, and added extra cinnamon and all-spice, it's just as good-but I'm partial to the Dunkin Heinz mix!**
1 pkg. (8 oz.) PHILADELPHIA Cream Cheese, softened, divided **I use 1 and 1/2 bars of cream cheese, I follow the directions for the cake portion (the 1/2 goes into the cake), but I double the frosting so a full bar of cream cheese goes into the frosting, sooooo, it's extra tasty**
1 cup canned pumpkin **I have been using the large marge can of pumpkin and adding a little bit extra-just cuz I like it really moist (love that word) but you can add just the one can of the regular sized pumpkin and be just fine**
1 tsp. ground cinnamon
1/2 tsp. ground ginger
6 squares BAKER'S Semi-Sweet Chocolate, coarsely chopped **I throw in chocolate chips-several hand fulls**
1/2 cup thawed COOL WHIP Whipped Topping **there will be no Cool Whip in my house, not really I have made it with Cool Whip and it's good, but making the REAL whipping cream (don't forget to make a full cup of it because like I said before I double the frosting) is so much better than the Cool Whip and it's really not hard to do-that's all I'll do from now on!**
2 Tbsp. sugar

Make It
PREHEAT oven to 350°F. Prepare cake mix as directed on package, reducing water to 1/2 cup and increasing oil to 1/2 cup. Add half of the cream cheese, the pumpkin, cinnamon and ginger. Beat on medium speed until well blended. Stir in chopped chocolate. Pour into greased 12-cup fluted tube pan or 10-inch tube pan.
BAKE 40 to 45 min. or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 10 min. Remove from pan; cool completely on wire rack.
MIX remaining cream cheese, whipped topping and sugar until well blended. Spread on top of cooled cake. Cut into 16 slices to serve

Spring has sprung

Japanese Gardens, Portland, Oregon

Skagit Valley, Washington

Austin, Texas
Grant Park, Chicago, Illinois

I came upon this article and I was happy to see some of my favorite places made the top 12 places for spring. That Japanese Garden in Portland is going to be a must see for me this year. I even know where it is! I saw it when I was visiting the Rose Garden last summer. Another place that I will be visiting again this year. Oh, and how beautiful are those tulips? Happy first day of spring today.

Happy Birthday Hayden!

Happy 1st Birthday Hayden

Can it even be possible this little fella is 7 today? I can't believe it.. He was the chubbiest and cutest baby ever! Hayden always has a smile on his face. Everybody that spends time with him always comments on his constant smile. This little boy is the perfect blend of sweet heart and devil. Happy Birthday Hayden, I love you.

Just another day in paradise

School is out today. Not for spring break, that's not until the very end of March/first of April. Hunter has three friends over and so does Hayden. Hunter wanted me to take everyone to Subway...are you kidding? Luckily, one of the other Moms took the boys instead. I have finished lunch and cleanup for everybody else and wanted to veg for a minute. Too much stimulation!! Hannah's friend doesn't come over for a little while, then she is sleeping over. Fun fun times over here, let me assure you. Amazingly, Hope was able to fall asleep for her nap. Miracles never cease.

Since Hunter was home, I was able to go outside and run this morning(instead of a treadmill). I have been running on the treadmill during the week (outside on the weekend) and it gets pretty boring. But with the right music, or a friend to chat with, it's not too bad. It was beautiful this morning, a little cold, but very sunny. I took a particularly hilly route, and just about died. I'm thinking I will have some severe butt soreness tomorrow. Maybe tonight if I'm lucky ;)

Hope has done so well with the potty training. My girls were so easy. Not that the boys were haaaard, it's just those girls were CAKE. She wakes up dry from naps and nighttime 95% of the time. She is getting to the point where she says she has got to go...and she goes in all by herself!! Heaven.

It's been funny, but with the time change, Hope is finally sleeping in until about 7-7:30! That's been nice. The time switch was easier for me this time around...maybe Hope never switched over from "fall back" ha. But the darkness helps her sleep. It wasn't so much fun having the 2 year old up at 6 demanding stuff, like food. I like a quiet morning. Hope has been turning into a TV Ted recently. The more TV they watch the MORE they want to watch. Today, I decided she needed to do other stuff-NO TV. She asked this morning, and hasn't asked since. Oh my goodness, she was busy playing.

I'm off to go read a book, Hope is asleep, Hunter+friends are still at Subway, Hannah is busy making lemon poppy seed bread, Hayden+friends are being loud (but in the basement) so I'll go close that door and treat myself.

Could it be?

I am a by the book kind of gal. My pregnancies were kind of text book...nothing too exciting to report. 1 out of 4 pregnancies ends in a miscarriage. I miscarried baby number 4. I make sure to eat my daily servings of fruits and vegetables, daily, thank you. After I had blood work done everything looked great, except the thyroid. And even that was okaaaay. It was within my lab's "normal range" (although on the high side of their scale), although when I talked to my friend Jennifer she said it would have been flagged at her doctor. So, I started paying attention. I looked up symptoms...I kept saying yes yes and yes to most of them. Mostly, with tiredness, mental fog, and mild depression. I stress mild. Things would bug me when those things used to not bug me. The mental fog thing-that was pretty noticeable. Like when I forgot about the Christmas present exchange at book club. Like, totally forgot it, like didn't think another second about it until I saw people getting out of there cars...with presents! Any even then, I was confused, and still not remembering anything about an exchange. Granted I WAS really sick that night we discussed having an exchange, but still. There was definitely some fog going on in there. And tired, hello! I "needed" a nap daily. But I have been on the pill since Thursday, it's like the lowest dose available, and I'm feeling better. I don't know what's going on with my heart rate. This week I have been running harder, and my heart rate is lower. What's up with that? Could it be all that training is paying off, or could it be thyroid related? Hmmm, don't know. But now, I am a pill taker. The girl that used to not want to take too much Tylenol. I'm over that, and I'm back on regular deodorant. Cuz, aluminum or not...that crystal stuff didn't work, and I was tired of stinking.

Happy Birthday Scott!

Here is Scott doing what he does best...being a Dad (at Hayley's wedding, there is Hope after her temper tantrum, asleep!) He is out of town today, so we did most of our celebrating yesterday with his family. Happy Birthday, Scottie!! xoxo

Maybe I don't have early Alzheimer's after all

I swear if I got paid a dollar for every sock I picked up (well really, I don't usually "pick up"...I put into a pile for my children to pick up) I would be a very rich woman. My in laws are on their way here so I'm trying to pick up. Scott has gone to pick them up, so they should be here any minute.

I went to the doctor for my yearly "exam"- oh so lovely. My new doctor is a doctor of Internal Medicine. Did I say that right? Who knows, but it is kind of nice, now that I'm not planning on having anymore kids, to go to one doctor and get everything taken care of. For instance, she is the same doctor I saw for my physical in January. I went in for my "exam" today, but I also talked to her about my thyroid levels. I was slightly high, and showing symptoms, so I'm now on a hyperthyroidism medication. When I started looking at the symptom list, and saying yes, yes, yes to just about everything... I said hey wait a minute. So, we will see. Maybe my mental fog isn't early Alzheimer's after all.

This economy and the current President's spending plan has me worried. Worried like when I watch the news I get a little sick feeling. Worried when I hear he is spending more money, and that he already has spent more money at one time, than ANY other human being in the history of the planet...I want to throw up in my mouth a little bit. Oh our poor kids! I realize we didn't get into this position overnight, but I don't agree with how it's being handled either. I saw this ad the other day and thought it was interesting.

Click on the link below, I can't remember how to load the U-Tube thing and I don't have time to mess with it!! :) My company is here.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K90Zpjvdlko

Happy Birthday Hayley!

Happy Birthday to my sister with very healthy gums-she flosses everyday and is proud of them. You get a little sampling of her personality, I think, with this picture hahahahahahaha. Happy Birthday Hayley, I hope you have a great day.