Oodles 'n Gobs

Productive?

2011-03-08T16:47:00.002-07:00

Do you ever have days that you should be super productive and yet you aren't? I'm having one of those weeks. Lots to do and not a lot of desire to get it done. Its not that I don't have the time or means to do them...I just don't want to. I think I'll go read a book. :)

Uncool House

2011-03-04T14:57:00.002-07:00

Its been a long time since I've blogged. I know. But something happened this week that I had to share. Talmage was having a fit because our house is "SO BORING". He always says this so Ryan made him sit down and write list of 25 things that would make our house more fun.

Here is what my "think big" child wrote down:

1. A huge playground
2. More Wii Time (We took the Wii away a little while ago because that's all he wanted to do and we limited his time on it. This regularly made him mad so it disappeared.)
3. A puppy (uh...let me think about that...NO!)
4. An indoor basketball court
5. A bouncy trampoline (ours died when we took it down for the winter...no bounce left)
6. More computer time
7. A secret inventor's shop
8. Better legos (...weird...he's picked out almost every set he has...)
9. More toys (says the boy who only wants Legos)
10. An Art studio
11. A new bike
12. A swimming pool
13. Hot tub
14. Zip line
15. Hammock
16. Better movie selection (LOL we have hundreds!)
17. A Nintendo DS
18. Club Penguin account
19. A train running though the walls
20. Bigger backyard
21. A secret pathway to Daniel's house
22. More "lateovers"
23. Start having sleepovers
24. A room full of trampolines
25. A huge library

Hmmm....most of those aren't realistic and the other half are things that he know won't fly with me. Guess we'll be "the boring house" for a long time to come.

Oy! I'm finally back.

2010-05-12T15:41:00.002-06:00

So its been a long time since I last posted. Life has been crazy busy. The month of April is completely devoted to youth theater. I have rehearsal every day and I spend the bulk of the day preparing for rehearsal (including cleaning house so the babysitter doesn't see what April truly does to my home).

Then the first part of May is spent recovering from April. I'm almost recovered and almost caught up now. I can't wait for the day where I feel like I have nothing that HAS to be done today. Maybe someday that will happen.

I am ready to get back to playing, cooking, couponing, and the rest of my life.

Speaking of couponing, I had one great shopping trip last week I had to brag about. It was a trip to Rite-Aid (where I only shop when I have screaming deals to catch). I bought 8 bottles of Vitamin Water and $40 worth of Cover Girl makeup. I paid $0.48. Gotta love a deal!!

For Mother's Day I got one of these bad boys:This may look like a cute purse or tote to you but it is a coupon binder in disguise. This baby opens up flat and stores all my coupons. I'm in the process of transitioning all my coupons. It is taking forever, but I think I will really like this new system. Coupon Nerd is going shopping in style.

Who says that coupons are just for groceries?

2010-03-31T23:08:00.002-06:00

Went to Toys R Us today with coupons in tow. I bought:

Operation (the game)
Sorry Sliders (another game, new version of Sorry)
Connect Four
6 2-packs of Mini My Little Ponies

If I had purchased everything at full price, I would have paid $88.91. But I don't pay full price if I can help it. Instead, I got everything for $8.46. Now that's bargain shopping.

Rite Aid Bargain

2010-03-22T16:38:00.004-06:00

So Rite Aid likes me so much that they pay me to shop there. That's right, they pay me.

So over this last month, I worked on this rebate deal they had going on at Rite Aid. You had to spend $50 on a list of specific products and they'd give you $25 back. Well, right away, everything is 50% off. But the $50 you have to spend is BEFORE coupons are applied. (hehehe)

So this is what I bought:

2 boxes of Benadryl
1 Visine eye drops
2 Neosporin
1 Sudafed
2 Baby lotions (BIG ones)
3 boxes of Band-Aids
1 roll of first aid bandaging

This would have cost $51.69, but I paid $7.49. And then I get $25 back. So Rite-Aid is paying me $17.31 to take these items out of their store. Cool!

Kylie is so cute!

2010-03-18T11:31:00.002-06:00

Two things happened this week with Thing 2 that I wanted to share...

1. Ryan was helping me fix dinner and Kylie came in and said she wanted to talk to him. She took his hand and led him into the living room where they sat down on the couch.

Kylie: “You know what?”

Ryan: “What?”

Kylie: “If you weren’t married and you were in college again and I was in college…I’d pick you.”

(Ryan's heart begins to melt.)

Me: “Hey, he’s taken! Back off, sista!”

Kylie: (lots of giggling)

2. When I do Molly's hair in the morning, she is pretty feisty so I try to distract her. We usually sing "Old McDonald Had a Farm" and I pause in the song so she can pick the animal. Normally she picks animals like a cow, pig, sheep, horse, etc...the norm. Then the other day she started picking things like a turtle and a dolphin. Well, what do those animals say? I told her I didn't know what a turtle said, and Kylie chimed in and said that a turtle said, "slow, slow". So we sang the song accordingly.

Well Molly has continued this game with Kylie, coming up with random things to be on the farm and Kylie decides what those animals say. Yesterday, when the time came to pick her animal, Molly said "toilet". What? I just looked at her, completely stumped. But Kylie chimed right in, "with a flush, flush here and a flush, flush there..."

Good week

2010-03-07T12:50:00.002-07:00

We've had a good week at our house. Here are some things that happened:

1. Ryan finished his first class in his Master's program. He now has a week off from studying at night. YIPPEE!!
2. Kylie won the story telling festival at her school for the lower grades (K-3) and is headed to the district competition. She even told her story at an assembly in front of the entire school.
3. Talmage aced his spelling test for the 8th (?) week in a row.
4. Molly sang "Eenie meenie miney moe" all week long.
5. I lost 2.5 lbs. and made it through the KILLER cardio I had to do 6 days in a row.
6. I ran errands with all 3 kids on Friday night so Ryan could finish his last paper. We were gone for 4 hours and no one died. In fact, we sort of had fun. Who know that dinner at the food court at Target was cool for them?!

Looking forward to another nice week!

My trip to the store

2010-03-05T23:26:00.005-07:00

So I went grocery shopping tonight and got a grundle of great deals. I bought all this stuff for $23.94. I would have cost me just over $100 (at Wal-Mart no less, not at the regular grocery store) without my coupons and price matching.

Here are my best deals:
Toaster Strudels $.20 each
Lunchables $.23 each
Cake Mixes $.04 each
Brownie Mix $.10 each
Oreo Cakesters FREE
Sandwich Thins $1.00 each
Yoplait Smoothie FREE
Body Wash FREE
Dental Floss FREE
Salsa $.12 each
Fruit Snacks $.44 each
Sorry game $.24

Random things my kids say

2010-03-05T15:10:00.002-07:00

Molly was having a melt down this morning about wearing her winter coat. We woke up to about 6-8 inches of new snow this morning. She's wearing her winter coat today, I'm thinking, but she is insisting on her Valentine's hoodie from Grandma Pollmann.
Me: Molly, you'll freeze your butt off if you don't wear a coat.
Molly: No, I have my pants on. It not freeze off.

----------------

Molly brought me a diaper and the box of wipes the other day so I could change her stinkiness. They drops everything as she huffs and puffs and says, "Oh man, I'm so frong (strong)."

----------------

One Saturday morning, the jobs lists were written and everyone was going to work. Everyone but Talmage that is. He was in a huff because he had "so much work to do" before he went out to play. He was getting more and more dramatic about the situation, but it escalated when he started demanding a lawyer so he could sue his abusive parents. Abuse? I'll show you abuse, little boy!

End of the Pantry Challenge

2010-02-20T15:30:00.004-07:00

Tomorrow is the final day of my pantry challenge. Since I'm not headed to the grocery store today or tomorrow, I decided to tally everything up and see how I did. I spent $96.41 on groceries this month!!

Now keep in mind that I am currently eating different food than my family right now, as I lose weight, and my meal plan changes every week. So I didn't count that food since I couldn't plan for the changes or just eat whatever we already had. So I technically spent more than that, but it was on stuff just for me.

But with that being said I bought TONS of stuff in that $96 that we didn't NEED, but they were simply on sale for a great price and I had a coupon: cookies, Rhodes rolls, fruit snacks, oatmeal, candy, Sobe drinks, Skinny Cows, soda, etc. I also bought things that I could have made: bread, milk (we have powdered milk), yogurt.

Here's the best part too... aside from being in need of some dairy and produce, my pantry, freezer, and food storage looks the exact same as before. It doesn't look like we lived off of it for a month, at all. Cool.

So I know that if we had NO money to spend on food I could feed my family, no problem. We'd miss the cheese, yogurt, and fresh produce the most. But we would have have milk still to help cover the need for dairy. And we have plenty of frozen and canned produce.

This was a fun little experiment to try. I think that I'll informally continue to do it. I plan to continue to pull from our storage regularly, but I won't be keeping track of my spending like before. I do plan to continue to buy the things that I can get a great deal on, rather than whatever my heart desires.

P.S. Ryan noticed a HUGE change in our credit card bill this month too. (We put everything on our credit card --paying it off each month, of course-- so we can see all of our expenses at a glance...and to earn lots and lots of American Express points...) Because I wasn't going to the store as often, I wasn't picking up a little extra something here and there. Apparently all those little things add up to big dollars. Oops.

Pantry Challenge Update

2010-02-13T20:03:00.002-07:00

So I have one week left on my pantry challenge. I have been to the store several times and bought a TON of junk I didn't need, but only because I got such a screaming deal on it. So far I have spent $71.15 this month, including all the things we didn't need.

However, it was good to know what things that I didn't have in my pantry/freezer/food storage in case we ever needed to rely on that storage completely. For the most part, I needed milk, cheese, yogurt, produce, and bread. Everything else I bought wasn't immediately needed: water bottles, steak (for Valentine's dinner), cereal, candy, oatmeal, Skinny Cows, Goldfish, salsa, etc.

I still have $30 for this next week and that will be plenty. I might even try this again next month because I still have TONS of food that I would like to move through, especially in my freezer.

Rebate Heaven

2010-02-13T19:18:00.010-07:00

So I've recently discovered a fun way to save money: Rite-Aide Rebates. Rite-Aid has lots of rebates to save a little bit off of different items. These last several weeks they had a promotion that I wasn't sure I'd be able to pull off. I slowly chipped away at it though and MADE MONEY!

So the promotion was that if you spent $100 on Proctor and Gamble products at Rite-Aid, you'd get a $35 VISA cash card. The $100 that you needed to spend was before the store rebates, store coupons, and manufacturers coupons though.

So here is what I bought:

1 Pampers - Jumbo Pack
2 Nyquil
1 Dayquil
1 Baby VapoRub
1 Shave Gel
3 Shampoo
4 Conditioner
2 Hair Spray
1 Hair Mousse
1 Deep Conditioner
2 Dish Soap
1 Toothpaste
1 Puffs Tissues
1 Venus Razor
1 Olay Body Wash
1 Scope
2 Cover Girl Concealers

Per the rebates rules, I spent $101.27 on the needed products. However, I really spent $44.89. But here's the best part: I bought these purchases over 5 transactions (and several weeks), and at each transaction I used a $5.00 off coupon. So I really paid $19.89 for all this stuff. And now I'm getting a $35 cash card in the mail for buying these things. So Rite Aid is actually paying me $15.11 to take all these items out of the store. Hehe.

Challenge Update

2010-02-07T18:51:00.004-07:00

So just a quick update on the challenge. I need to total how much I've spent so far this month, but I think I'm at about $45, and I'm half way there. The funny thing is that most of it has been stuff that we didn't really need yet, but I could get it for such a great price that I was willing to sacrifice some of my $100 to buy it.

This was totally the case when I went to the store on Friday night. Here is a picture of all the stuff I bought:

Here's the best part. It was $57.76 worth of groceries but I paid $0.79 for all of it. Yes, I walked away with a grocery cart full of food and paid less than a dollar. Here's the receipt to prove it:

The cashier seemed to be bugged that I got so much for so little -- like it was coming out of his pay check or something. When he told me the final price, I said, "FOR REAL?! That's SO cool." And he responded, "Uh, ya." Well, I was excited!

Went Shopping

2010-01-27T14:29:00.002-07:00

So I neglected to buy some deli meat before I started the challenge, and Ryan wanted some for his lunches. So I made a quick trip to Smith's for deli meat...knowing full well that they had a great sale going on. I have $100 to spend this month so I didn't want to spend it on frivolous things, but when you combine a great deal with great coupons you walk away with basically free food.

Here's what I got:

Big box of Raisin Bran
3 Bags of Goldfish crackers
1 lb. of deli meat
2 boxes of Capri Suns
4 bottles of salsa

And I paid less than $4.50. Cool, huh!

The Challenge

2010-01-26T22:10:00.001-07:00

Doing awesome on my challenge. I've been in bed the last couple of days, sick, sick, sick. So it was totally easy to not shop. Week one is off to a great start. Shoot, I didn't even have to cook.

Pantry Challenge

2010-01-23T16:04:00.003-07:00

One of my favorite bloggers did an "Eat from the Pantry Challenge" where she participated in a month-long stint with virtually no grocery shopping. The object of the challenge is to use up items you have in your pantry while saving money at the same time.

I have decided that I want to try this, just for fun. Looking at my food storage, freezers and pantry, I'd say it's going to be fairly easy. They are full, to say the least. I know better though- eating out of our food storage meal after meal, week after week is tough. Having food on hand is one thing, but creating healthy meals from it all is quite a different story!

Here are some ground rules I've placed for myself:

I start on Monday. (And no, I'm not spending $500 today on groceries to get by. Although I do plan to go get some bread to freeze. I don't mind making it, but don't always have the time.)
I will spend $100 or less on groceries for the next 30 days.
I will try to only buy dairy {milk, eggs, cheese, etc.} and produce {fruits/vegetables}.
Eat out a maximum of 3 times during the challenge. I don't want my savings to be negated by dinners out. Even then, I would prefer to eat all meals at home and see how we do. But I wanted an "escape route" in case a really bad day needed a meal out of the house.
I'm currently seeing a nutritionist to finish my weight loss/exercise goals. If he tells me to purchase things that I won't be serving my family and are just for me (protein powder, etc.) those items will not be included in my $100.

So wish me luck! I'll be keeping you all posted about what items I buy and how much I'm spending. I'm looking forward to cleaning out my pantry a bit!

Anyone wanna join me?

Auto Pilot

2009-10-23T12:49:00.003-06:00

So I've got this new exercise plan going on around here. I get up every morning at 6:00 to exercise. I've been doing this 6 days a week for 11 weeks now and I haven't missed a day. Sunday is my day of rest, so that's my one day to "sleep in." (Well sleep in as much as you can with 3 kids who wake up early and a hubby with early Sunday morning meetings.)

Each morning, I do the very same thing. I wake up, go to the bathroom, change into my workout clothes, eat my pre-workout snack and start my exercising.

As many of you may know, I'm NOT a morning person. I'd rather stay up until 3:00 AM and sleep until noon. But the only way I could consistently get my work-out in was to get up in the morning. Some weeks are harder than others to get up because I'm not so good about going to bed on a decent time. Midnight is normal. Well, this past week, midnight has been early because I have so much going on. And I've been SO tired. In fact, last night I decided to go to bed at 10:00PM...completely unheard of. But I was tired.

Well this morning, I got up, went to the bathroom, changed my clothes and was in the process of making my pre-workout snack when Ryan came upstairs from the office. I wondered why in the world he was up at 6:00. When I looked at the clock I realized it was midnight, not 6:00. Apparently, I got up to go to the bathroom and my body went into auto pilot mode. I just got going for the day. Apparently the fact that I had only been asleep for 2 hours didn't trigger as too little sleep, since I haven't been getting much lately.

I was so bugged that I was awake when I didn't have to be. I threw my food in a baggie, took off my tennis shoes, and crawled back into bed with my work out clothes on. I was instantly asleep and this time I slept until my alarm went off at 6:00. Blasted auto pilot mode.

Sadly, this isn't the fist time I've done this. The last time I got up at 3 AM. Grrr.

Safety Lessons

2009-10-20T13:32:00.002-06:00

So I haven't blogged FOREVER, but today I felt the urge. I didn't know what to write about though until I took Kylie to Kindergarten Enhancement...

Last week, they were talking about safety at school and she had made a little traffic light out of construction paper. There was a little song attached to the back, and today on the way to school she was singing the song. The last part says, "When its yellow you must wait, even if it makes you late." And she turns to me and says, "Mom, this is something you need to work on." Yeah, yeah, thanks, darling. I got a lecture from her last week about talking on my cell phone while driving too. Blasted safety week at school!

Playing Nice with Friends

2009-05-28T17:24:00.001-06:00

Here is the conversation that just happened in the other room:

Neighbor: You're not playing very nice with me.
Thing Two: Yes, I am.
Neighbor: You're not playing what I want to play.
Thing Two: You're not playing it right. You have to stop closing it or we can't play with it.
Neighbor: But you're not playing with me.
Thing Two: (Said very plainly and grown-up) You don't always get what you want.

They can be taught! :)

Summer is starting? Ugh.

2009-05-28T14:06:00.004-06:00

When summer starts it means that the quiet days of just me and Thing Three being home are gone. The kids will be home all day and get to go with me wherever I need to go. Shopping with the kids is not on my list of enjoyable things to do. Additionally, Thing One and Two have a hard time getting along lately. Here's an example from this morning:

The kids are in the kitchen eating breakfast and I'm upstairs getting ready for the day when I hear this blood-curdling scream coming from the kitchen. Thing Two is a tad dramatic and extra loud, so you never know if Thing One has just pinched her or if she's lost a limb. The scream sounds the same.

I head downstairs to see what the drama is about this time and Thing One quickly informs me that he didn't do anything. (Clue #1 that he did.) Thing Two is gasping for breath between the sobs to tell me that he pushed her off the stool and she fell. I told her to calm down and Thing One to apologize, which he did.

Then the following conversation takes place...

Thing One: But I didn't do anything though. And she owes me an apology too.
Me: Why does she owe YOU an apology?
Thing One: Because she wasn't holding onto anything when I pushed her.
Me: What?! She owes you an apology because she pushed her when she wasn't holding onto anything? That makes no sense at all.
Thing One: I didn't push her. I just tapped her.
Me: You just said you pushed her.
Thing One: I meant that I just tapped her.
Me: And she fell off the stool because you tapped her?
Thing One: Yes.
Me: And so she owes you an apologize?
Thing One: Geez, mom! We've already gone over this!

This is where I told Thing Two to go finish her breakfast and headed back upstairs to finish getting ready. Clearly we weren't going to see eye to eye on this one.

See why summer sounds so exciting?!

We're famous!

2009-04-16T14:07:00.003-06:00

Center Stage is in the paper today: http://www.heraldextra.com/content/view/306145/147/

They didn't get all the facts straight, but a slightly incorrect story is better than no story at all.

EASY Ham dinner

2009-03-15T19:12:00.002-06:00

I made this super yummy ham tonight, and it was super, duper easy. I highly recommend it. Here's the recipe:

Slow Cooker Ham

Ingredients
2 cups packed brown sugar
1 (8 pound) cured, bone-in picnic ham

Directions
Spread about 1 1/2 cups of brown sugar on the bottom of the slow cooker crock. Place the ham flat side down into the slow cooker - you might have to trim it a little to make it fit. Use your hands to rub the remaining brown sugar onto the ham. Cover, and cook on Low for 8 hours.

It's amazingly easy! I made this recipe exactly how it was written, and it was perfect. The ham just falls apart and is super tender. My family, little kids included, all raved about it. I will definitely make this again and again.

8 lbs. is a ton of ham though, so invite company or plan to eat it all week long. And just as a side note, I have a large crock pot and the 8 lb. ham fit in it perfectly. So if you have a smaller one, you're going to want to cut this recipe in half.

Also, I lined my crock pot with a crock pot liner (found at the grocery store by the tin foil) and I'm super glad I did. I pulled the ham out, left the bone and grease/juice behind, and tossed the bag in the garbage when we were done.

Charlie Brown

2009-03-13T23:25:00.002-06:00

Look at the cute publicity photo we took today! You're going to want to see this show! :)

Brothers!

2009-02-19T08:26:00.003-07:00

Thing One was having a hard time listening to instructions this morning as he got ready for school. Thing Two, my more obedient child, says in all seriousness, "Do all brothers always not listen?"

Random purchases

2009-02-19T00:43:00.002-07:00

When you are buying props and costumes for a musical, you find yourself making really strange purchases:

24 dog bowls
12 enormous palm fronds
1 "Burlesque Beauty" wig
Rit Dye in lots of different colors
Tablecloths that will become capes
$120 of foam core
20 yards of marabou feathered boa
14 pom poms
Saddle shoes
T-shirts with Beethoven's head on it
Giant scissors
Ginormous pencil that really writes

I have a feeling that my shopping list is different then most people's...

2009-02-13T13:16:00.002-07:00

Thing One is in a play that I'm directing right now, "You're a Good Man Charlie Brown." He is so excited and wants to invite all of you to come and see it. It is a great inexpensive family activity. When you purchase your tickets, PLEASE put the purchase under SANDERS. Thing One gets credited for each sale and can win some exciting prizes. He really wants the 4 tickets to Disneyland and Knotts Berry Farm. He and I will have to make the trip to CA ourselves, because Ryan says there's no way we're going to Disneyland for a LONG time. :)

IMPORTANT: If you're planning on coming Friday night, you're going to want to buy your tickets quickly. The center of the orchestra is already filling up and tickets have only been on sale since 10 AM this morning.

Happy Valentine's Day - tomorrow!

2009-02-13T13:05:00.004-07:00

There are a lot of things I love about Valentine's Day, but one of those things is SUGAR COOKIES!! Although I like ALL sugar cookies, I like the soft puffy ones better than the crispy flat ones.

My sister Erin has the best sugar cookie recipe, and only because I want to share the love (and calories) will I share this with you. Enjoy!!

Sour Cream Sugar Cookies

INGREDIENTS

¼ c butter

1 ½ c sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

4 ½ c flour

1 c sour cream

2 eggs

2 teaspoons soda

½ teaspoon salt

INSTRUCTIONS

Cream butter and sugar. Add vanilla and eggs. Mix well. Sift together dry ingredients; add alternately with sour cream, mixing well after each addition. Chill for at least one hour. Roll out on a floured surface. Cut out with cookie cutters. Bake at 425 about 7-9 minutes. Sit on sheet for 2 minutes and then move to cooling rack. Cool completely before frosting.

Love and Marriage

2009-02-11T00:51:00.003-07:00

So while we were up at my parent's cabin over New Year's, Ryan was writing down some goals for the new year in a little notebook. Just yesterday, he opened it up and saw that Thing One had left him a note.

One of Ryan's goals was to "Fall in love with Lori more each day" (something one would REALLY have to work on, I promise). Thing One wrote, "P.S. Falling in love with mom ain't going to anything since you're married."

Guess I'm old...

2009-02-10T19:15:00.002-07:00

So I was chatting with one of my youth theater kids who was working on memorizing her lines. She was having a younger sibling help her with the other people's parts. Having done this in the past and remembering what a pain it is to rely on someone else to help you, I thought I'd give her a helpful tip. I said, "Do you have a tape recorder?" And she said, "Do you mean like a video camera?" I instantly felt old.

Kids are great for one's self-esteem

2009-02-10T13:48:00.001-07:00

So Thing Two and I were getting ready to leave and she told me she was ready. I said, "I'll be ready in just a second. I need to put some make-up on before we go." And she replied with, "Why? Because you're scary?" Apparently.

When I grow up

2009-02-05T09:39:00.003-07:00

This the conversation Thing Two and I had today in the car:

Thing Two: When I grow up I want to be a mom.
Me: That's great. You'll be a terrific mom.
Thing Two: Then I'll be a grandma, but I don't want short hair.
Me: You don't have to have short hair to be a grandma.
Thing Two: Then I'll be a great-great grandma. What will I be after that?
Me: Dead.
Thing Two: No. I'll be a cheerleader.

Vampires and Werewolves

2009-02-04T00:41:00.002-07:00

So I haven't blogged FOREVER! Facebook has been eating up my veg-in-front-of-the-computer time. Its addicting. I'll admit it.

So I decided to blog tonight before I go to bed, but I really can't think of anything to say other than this silly thing that happened today:

I've been reading the Twilight series over the last month and I'm just starting the final book. (LOVING it by the way, although my husband thinks I'm silly.) And I'm sitting tonight at Thing One's Blue and Gold banquet for Boy Scouts and they said something about the "Law of the Pack" or something like that. And my brain immediately thought of the werewolf pack in the books, not a cub scout pack. It took me a second to realize what they were talking about... (Silly, I know, but that's all I had to blog about today.) LOL

Gotta go read a chapter before I hit the sack!

Christmas is coming

2008-12-06T22:54:00.004-07:00

I FINALLY got my Christmas tree up today. Phew! Its sooner than last year, but that's not saying much since I got it up just a couple days before Christmas. It's starting to feel like Christmas is coming. I just a have a little more shopping to do and then I'm done! It's a great feeling. (Maybe I can get caught up on laundry next.)

I even got to bake today. Yippee! I made some Peanut Butter Temptations (recipe below), one of my favorite treats regardless of the time of year. I excited to do some more baking over the next couple of weeks too. Let's hope Christmas is kinder to my weight than Thanksgiving was however. Oy!

Speaking of Peanut Butter Temptations, as soon as I typed that above I had to go get one for myself. They're really that good. If you try them and like them, you'll have to thank my sister Erin for the recipe. She stole it from AllRecipes.com however...the world's greatest cookbook. If you haven't been to the site, you're missing out. Its amazing!

Peanut Butter Temptations
½ cup butter
½ cup white sugar
½ cup packed brown sugar
½ cup peanut butter
1 egg
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
1 ¼ cups all-purpose flour
¾ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon salt
36 miniature chocolate covered peanut butter cups, unwrapped

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. In a medium bowl, cream together the brown sugar, white sugar and butter. Stir in the peanut butter, then the egg and vanilla. Sift together the flour, baking soda and salt, stir into the peanut butter mixture until the dough comes together. Shape into 1 inch balls and press them into the cups of an unprepared mini muffin pan. You can line the pan with papers if you'd like a fancier look. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. As soon as the cookies come out of the oven, press a mini chocolate covered peanut butter cup down into the center of each cookie until only the top is showing. Allow the cookies to cool completely before removing from their pans.
* You may want to freeze your peanut butter cups. It makes it so they don't melt in your hands as you press them in.

Things I have learned today

2008-11-10T09:36:00.004-07:00

Its been an interesting day. Here's what I've learned:

1. The baby's diaper really should be changed before driving carpool with the heat on full blast.
2. Plastic forks do not fair well in the blender.
3. When you do laundry for an 8 year old boy, you should wear rubber gloves.
4. Its hard to go out of town during the middle of school year and when you have a theater production in the works.
5. When you lose your Tivo remote, you can't even watch regular TV. This includes Sesame Street, the show that makes it possible to clean ones house.
6. Little girls with money that is going to be spent at Toys R Us are not patient.
7. Little boys should not be given the sheet music to Star Wars as "extra" stuff to play and then be expected to practice anything else.

Furry Animals

2008-11-06T11:50:00.002-07:00

So something really funny happened this morning that I thought I would share. Ryan just came out of the bathroom from taking a shower, so he had a towel wrapped around his waist and was bare chested. Kylie was in our room when he came out. She looked at him and asked, "Daddy, why do you have fur on your tummy?" Ryan and I both got a good laugh out of it.

The Name Game

2008-10-20T10:07:00.002-06:00

My sister-in-law did this on her blog, and I thought it was fun. So I'm copying her. :)

1.YOUR ROCK STAR NAME (first pet, current car): Cookie Pilot
2. YOUR GANGSTA STAR NAME (favorite ice cream flavor, favorite type of shoe):Cake Batter Sandal
3. YOUR NATIVE AMERICAN NAME (favorite color, favorite animal): Purple Monkey
4. YOUR SOAP OPERA NAME (middle name, city where you were born): Dawn Lincoln
5. YOUR STAR WARS NAME (first three letters of your last name, first two letters of your first name): San Lo
6. SUPERHERO NAME (2nd favorite color, favorite drink): Pink Root Beer
7. NASCAR NAME (the names of your grandfathers): Ben Vaughn
8. TV WEATHER ANCHOR NAME (your 5th grade teacher's last name, a major city that starts with the same letter): Stoner Seattle
9. SPY NAME (your favorite season/holiday, favorite flower): Fall Birds of Paradise
10. CARTOON NAME (favorite fruit, article of clothing you are wearing right now): Raspberry Polo
11. HIPPIE NAME (what you ate for breakfast, your favorite tree): Egg Aspen

Fall Break Weekend

2008-10-19T22:14:00.023-06:00

This weekend the kids didn't have school, so we got out of Dodge and went up to my parents' cabin. They just barely bought it so we hadn't stayed up there yet. We had a fabulous time, and it was really nice to get away from everything for awhile. We were up there for a day with just the kids, and then on Friday we had some friends come join us. Thought I'd post a few pictures for your viewing pleasure. :) This is what it looks like from the outside. Its hard to tell from this picture but the entire front of it is all windows, so it lets in a ton of light and has a great view. So I took this picture thinking it would be a cute one of Ryan and Thing 2 snuggled up on the couch. Then I looked at the picture and noticed that she looked like Ronald McDonald! Apparently she drank a little too much Crystal Light for dinner, as noted in the enlarged version. Thing 1 had a matching mustache too. I wish I would have thought to take that picture!

We went for a "hike" with the kids on Friday. It started with "This is dumb! Can we go back? I want to play the Wii. I'm tired. How much longer do we have to do this? I just want to get exercise playing the Wii, not outside. I don't need fresh air." When Ryan told Thing 1 that if he complained again, the Wii was gone and never to be seen again, his tune quickly changed and he started to actually enjoy himself.

Thing 1 and 2 actually got along for a little while, picked out some walking sticks and tossed rocks in to the lake. Good times!

When our friends came up, we did a little four-wheeling too!

I look forward to another trip up there. Unfortunately, it might be a little while before we can do it. My boss for youth theater is a slave driver and I have tons of rehearsals over the next couple of months. Geez! There go my Saturdays!

My house smells like Cinnabon right now!

2008-10-09T14:19:00.006-06:00

We have a group of ladies from church who get together each month for "Recipe Club". Its the loveliest thing!! Each month has a theme and each person makes a recipe that fits that theme. They bring the dish as well as a copy of the recipe for everyone. Then we sample everyone's goodies and chat while we eat.

I have received some amazing recipes this way. And the best part is that you already know if you like the recipe before you make it. Perfect!!

So tonight is Recipe Club and our theme is bread. I'm actually bringing two recipes, but only because I couldn't decide. Our theme is bread and here are two of my favorite recipes:

Banana Crumb Muffins

INGREDIENTS:

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

DIRECTIONS:
1. Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 12 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
4. Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

Clone of a Cinnabon

INGREDIENTS

Dough
1 cup warm milk (110 degrees F/45 degrees C)
2 eggs, room temperature
1/3 cup margarine, melted
4 1/2 cups bread flour
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup white sugar
2 1/2 teaspoons bread machine yeast

Filling
1 cup brown sugar, packed
2 1/2 tablespoons ground cinnamon
1/3 cup butter, softened

Icing
1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese, softened
2/3 cup butter, softened
4 cups confectioners' sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
1/3 teaspoon salt

DIRECTIONS
1. Place dough ingredients in the pan of the bread machine in the order recommended by the manufacturer. Select dough cycle; press Start.
2. After the dough has doubled in size turn it out onto a lightly floured surface, cover and let rest for 10 minutes. In a small bowl, combine brown sugar and cinnamon.
3. Roll dough into a 16x21 inch rectangle. Spread dough with 1/3 cup butter and sprinkle evenly with sugar/cinnamon mixture. Roll up dough and cut into 12 rolls. Place rolls in a lightly greased 9x13 inch baking pan. Cover and let rise until nearly doubled, about 30 minutes. Meanwhile, preheat oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
4. Bake rolls in preheated oven until golden brown, about 15-20 minutes. While rolls are baking, beat together cream cheese, 2/3 cup butter, confectioners' sugar, vanilla extract and salt. Spread frosting on warm rolls before serving.

How to make without a bread maker: Dissolve the yeast in the warm milk in a large bowl. Mix in the sugar, margarine, salt, and eggs. Add flour and mix well. Knead the dough into a large ball, using your hands dusted lightly with flour. Put in a bowl, cover and let rise in a warm place about 1 hour, or until doubled in size. Then pick up with rolling out the dough.

This is a picture of them without the frosting on. Yum!

Meal or No Meal

2008-10-07T13:48:00.004-06:00

Oh my word! The funniest thing is on Seasame Street right now. Thought I'd share for those of you don't don't "get" to watch it regularly.

The Hazards of Teaching Theater

2008-10-05T19:17:00.003-06:00

I took my kids to see Seussical at the SCERA last night. Since I directed this show recently, my kids know the music well. Possibly too well. On the way, I had to explain to them that they couldn't sing along during the production. I thought that this was a no brainer, but Thing Two innocently said, "Why not?" This made me really glad that we had this conversation. She didn't realize it might be a distraction to both the cast and the audience.

Then when we got there it was raining really hard. We had to park a little ways away, so I told them to get all ready and we'd run! And Thing One said, "Like 'Run, Freedom Run'!" (This is a song from the musical Urinetown...in case you are theatrically challenged.) When I laughed at the comment, he broke into song.

Then we got in the car after it was all over, and Thing One says, "So what did everyone think about it? What was your favorite part?" This is something I do at theater so the kids learn to analysis what they've seen. Makes them better audience members and performers. Didn't expect him to do it on his own.

Having a mother who teaches theater...a blessing or a curse?

More fall goodies

2008-09-29T14:22:00.003-06:00

Instead of making cookies today (to cover for my cake disaster), I made these yummy Caramel Apple Bars. Give them a try. They're yummy!

Caramel Apple Bars

INGREDIENTS
1 cup packed brown sugar
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/4 cup shortening
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 1/2 cups quick cooking oats
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
4 1/2 cups apple - peeled, cored and chopped
1 tablespoon lemon juice
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1 (14 ounce) package individually wrapped caramels, unwrapped
1/3 cup evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS
1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees F (200 degrees C).
2. In a large bowl, cream together the brown sugar, butter and shortening until smooth. Combine 1 3/4 cups flour, oats, baking soda and salt; stir into the creamed mixture until well blended. Set aside 2 cups of this mixture. Press the remaining mixture into the bottom of an ungreased 9x13 inch baking pan.
3. In a medium bowl, toss apples with lemon juice, then toss them with the 3 tablespoons of flour. Spread the apple mixture evenly over the prepared crust.
4. In a small saucepan over low heat, melt caramels with the evaporated milk, stirring frequently until smooth. Pour the melted caramels evenly over the apples. Sprinkle the reserved oat mixture over the top of the apple layer. Press down lightly.
5. Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until the top is golden brown and the apples are tender. Cut while slightly warm and refrigerate any leftover bars.

NOTE: I used the caramel bits you can buy in the chocolate chip section. They are the exact same thing, but they are unwrapped and smaller so they melt easier.

Also if you REALLY like caramel, I would double the caramel and milk, so it oozes out the sides. As it is written now, the caramel flavor is there but not in a HUGE way.

Eeek! Spiders!

2008-09-29T12:13:00.002-06:00

So Kylie just told me that she's never going in our basement again. She said that she saw a "long-legged daddy spider" and if "freaked her out". I wonder if there are any short-legged mommy spiders too...

Let them eat cake - or not!

2008-09-29T10:25:00.003-06:00

Cakes present an interesting dilemma. If I make one for just my little family, we end up throwing half of it away because we never eat everything. Too much cake and too few mouths to eat it. But if I make cake for company, I have no clue what it tastes like until I serve it. And since I always get the last piece, most people are done eating before I know if its good enough to serve.

We were invited to have dinner at a friends house tonight and I was asked to bring a dessert. So, even though serving cake to guests freaks me out, I decided I would make this yummy chocolate cake that I love. You're supposed to make it a day in advance and put it in the fridge because then it becomes very fudgelike.

Well I don't know what in the world happened, but it turned out to be the world's ugliest cake. It fell in the center, which I thought I could save. Then even though my pans were the exact same size, somehow the cakes are not the same size, which I thought I could save too. Then I started to frost it and processed to create this enormous mess of frosting everywhere. I don't know what my deal was! Issues!!

Regardless, I'm making some cookies today that I can taste before I serve. My family will get to enjoy the cake and throw away the uneaten leftovers. It's not pumpkin, Crissa, but you're welcome to come enjoy a piece. Just don't make fun of its ugliness. :)

All mixed up

2008-09-26T15:20:00.003-06:00

So on occasion (almost daily) I've been know to mess up a cliche phrase. Something simple like, "I put my shoe in my mouth" instead of "foot in my mouth". Hubby likes to tease me about it because most of the time I don't realize I've done it. But I find that I like my sayings better anyway. :)

Well, apparently it runs in the family. I told Thing 2 today that we needed to clean her room up and she said, "Does it need to spicked and spanned like a whistle?" (Meaning "spic and span" crossed with "clean as a whistle" -- both phrases I use often.)

I'm glad I can pass along this fine tradition to my children.

More yummy pumpkin in my tummy!

2008-09-24T12:21:00.002-06:00

So I made the pumpkin-apple muffins yesterday and they were worth the wait (and the weight). So tasty and perfect for the slightly cooler weather we've been having. I'd love to try these warm, straight from the oven with a glass of hot cider!!

Here's the recipe for those who want to try it out:

Pumpkin-Apple Muffins with Streusel Topping

INGREDIENTS
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
2 cups sugar
1 tablespoon pumpkin pie spice
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 eggs, lightly beaten
1 cup canned pumpkin
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 cups finely chopped peeled apples (This is about 2 apples. I used yellow Washington apples.)
TOPPING:
1/4 cup sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter or margarine
3 tablespoons rolled oats

DIRECTIONS
In a large bowl, combine flour, sugar, pumpkin pie spice, baking soda and salt. Combine eggs, pumpkin and oil; stir into dry ingredients just until moistened. Fold in apples. Fill greased or paper-lined muffin cups three-fourths full. For topping, combine sugar, flour, cinnamon and oats. Cut in butter until mixture resembles coarse crumbs; sprinkle 1 teaspoon over each muffin. Bake at 350 degrees F for 30-35 minutes or until muffins test done. Cool in pan 10 minutes before removing to a wire rack.

P.S. So a former friend of mine said that pumpkin tastes like puke...which is the reason that he is a former friend. I hope that no one else out there detests pumpkin, becuase I like you all and want to continue to enjoy your friendship.

Knowledge is power!

2008-09-23T13:36:00.003-06:00

So I learned something new today: Its only funny to hear your kids sing "Bad Day" like chipmunks (to the Alvin and the Chipmunks soundtrack) the first couple times. After you listen to the same songs every morning during a 15 minute drive to school and back, its no longer amusing. Its just annoying.

And its sad that my kids know the words to "Bad Day" because of the chipmunks not Daniel Powter. However, they can also sing "Funky Town" too, and that's pretty cool. Too bad they sound like chipmunks doing it.

Theater Nuts!

2008-09-22T21:25:00.004-06:00

I received this email and have added a few of my own. My theater friends will appreciate this!

You know that you work in commmunity theater if...
- your living room sofa spends more time on stage than you do.
- you have your own secret family recipe for stage blood.
- you've ever appeared on stage wearing your own clothes.
- you can find a prop in the prop room that hasn't seen the light of day in ten years, but you don't know where your own vacuum cleaner is.
- you have a Frequent Shopper Card at Savers.
- you start buying your work clothes at DI so you can buy your costumes at the mall.
- you've ever cleaned a tuxedo with a magic marker.
- you've ever said, "Don't worry - we'll just hot glue it."
- you've ever appeared on stage in an outfit held together with hot glue or duct tape.
- you've ever appeared in a show where tech week is devoted to getting the running time under four and a half hours.
- you've ever called for a line -- in front of an audience.
- your children have ever begged you not to buy them any more Happy Meals.
- you think Neil Simon is a misunderstood genius.
- you've ever appeared in a show where the cast outnumbered the audience.
- you've ever gotten a part because you were the only guy who showed up for auditions.
- the audience recognizes you the minute you walk on stage because they saw you taking out the trash before the show.
- you've ever menaced anyone with a gun held together with electrical tape.
- you've ever had to haul a sofa off stage between scenes wearing a dinner gown and high heels.
- you've ever had to haul a sofa off stage between scenes wearing a dinner gown and high heels - and you're a guy.
- you've ever played the father of someone your father's age.
- your kids know your lines better than you do.
- your kids SAY your lines better than you do.
- you get home from rehearsal and have to go back to the theater because you forgot your kids.
- you've ever appeared in a show where an actor leaned out through a window without opening it first.
- you've ever heard a director say, "Try not to bump into the furniture," and mean it.
- you've ever appeared on stage with people you're related to.
- you've ever heard the head of the set construction crew say, "Just paint it black - no one will ever see it."
- your mother has ever greeted you after a performance with the words "Don't give up your day job."
- you've ever appeared in a show featuring a flushing toilet sound effect.
- the set designer has ever told you not to walk on the left half of the stage because the floor's still wet -- five minutes before curtain.
- you've ever been told your director has no eyebrows because he handled special effects for the last show.
- if you can't get to sleep at night because showtunes are running through your head.
- if you’ve said countless times, “I can’t. I have rehearsal.”
- if you realize theater is basically your social life and you don’t have any many friends outside of theater.
- if you want to shoot people who think putting on a production is easy.
- if stress is just a way of life.
- if never realized how much fun you had at rehearsals until you don’t have any more.
- if you have the urge to be in character in public.
- if once the production is over you don't know what to do with your time.
- if you love going to see other productions just to compare them to yours.
- if you could easily set up a cot and live in the theater. You’re there all the time anyway.
- if you don't think twice about seeing guys in make-up or tights.
- if you know what Hell Week is.
- if you're on your deathbed and miss school/work, just so you can function to go to rehearsal.
- if you quote lines from previous plays you've done when you have casual conversations with friends.
- if you suddenly realize that your entire wardrobe is black.
- if you know what spiking is, and it's not what you do to hair.
- if you've been working with the same people so long that you have blackmail to last a lifetime.
- if you have a sigh of relief when you are doing a comedy and you hear the audience laughing.
- if you can't remember what a home cooked meal tastes like, but you can remember every single way Taco Bell makes a taco or burrito.
- if you pride yourself in how fast you can strip your clothes off and change costumes. (Or help people strip!)

Gourmet Cooking

2008-09-22T21:04:00.003-06:00

So I don't do much in the way of gourmet cooking. I like my food to be edible for the entire family, and Things 1, 2 and 3 aren't going to dig lobster and such. However, I really enjoy fish and since I'm always looking for a good fish recipe, I'm willing to try just about anything that's supposed to be good.

So I was given this recipe and made it again for dinner tonight. It was YUMMY, and since it took as long as a fancy gourmet meal, I'm calling it one.

I share this recipe with you with two warnings:
1. It takes a while to prepare, but it worth it. Its not hard, just a little time consuming. If you prep all the ingredients befor eyou start cooking, its a lot easier.
2. If you are watching your weight, resist the urge to bathe in the sauce. Its good enough to do so, but its fattening. I chose to put a small puddle on my plate and dip rather than pour it over the fish.

Almond-Crusted Halibut Crystal Symphony

INGREDIENTS
1/3 cup dry white wine
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 tablespoons minced shallots
1 sprig fresh thyme
1 bay leaf
1/3 cup heavy cream
10 tablespoons unsalted butter - chilled, cut into tablespoon-size pieces
3 tablespoons chopped fresh chives
2 teaspoons fresh lemon juice
salt and pepper to taste
6 (6 ounce) fillets halibut
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon unsalted butter
1/4 cup fresh bread crumbs
2/3 cup minced blanched almonds
1 tablespoon unsalted butter, melted
1 egg, lightly beaten

DIRECTIONS
1. Make beurre blanc: In a small saucepan over medium heat, combine wine, vinegar, shallots, thyme and bay leaf. Boil until liquid has evaporated. Stir in cream, and boil until liquid is reduced by half; decrease heat to low. Whisk in butter, 1 piece at a time, adding each new piece before previous one has melted completely. Do not allow sauce to simmer, or it may separate.

2. Strain sauce through a fine sieve into a heatproof bowl. Stir in chives, lemon juice, salt and pepper. Keep warm by setting bowl in a larger container of hot water.

3. Preheat oven on broiler setting. Pat fillets dry, and season with salt and pepper.

4. Heat oil and 1 tablespoon butter in a large skillet over medium-high heat. Saute halibut fillets for 2 to 3 minutes on each side, or until lightly browned, and just cooked through. Transfer to a baking sheet, and cool 5 minutes. In a small bowl, stir together bread crumbs, almonds and 1 tablespoon melted butter. Brush tops of fillets with egg, and spread with almond mixture.

5. Broil fillets 1 to 2 minutes, or until browned (watch closely - every broiler has its own personality!). Place fillets on individual plates, and spoon beurre blanc around it.

I love pumpkin - oodles and gobs!

2008-09-21T21:06:00.000-06:00

So, I really enjoy food. Cooking it is almost as fun as eating it (provided I don't have a 1 year old clinging to my leg as I move around the kitchen). In my love for cooking, I tend to have phases (some what like the moody phases of my adolescence -- sorry mom and dad).

My current phase is pumpkin! With tomorrow being the first official day of fall, I am already ready to go. I made some yummy pumpkin cookies, which I blame for the weight I gained last week. And today I made some delightful Pumpkin Pancakes and Cinnamon Creme Syrup. Oy vey! They were yummy.

Ryan said that they were something that you'd eat on a cold Thanksgiving or Christmas morning. I think I'll make them again when we head up to my parent's cabin in a couple of weeks. I hope its a cold morning!

I should have taken a picture to post since its by first official blog post, but alas, I didn't know I'd be starting a blog when I was scarfing down my pancakes. (This is sort of a lame topic for a first post but it was on my brain. Sorry!)

So for anyone who wants to join me on my crusade to eat lots of pumpkin (which is a "superfood" by the way), here is the recipe for the pancakes and syrup. I'll be trying a recipe for Pumpkin Apple Muffins later this week. Bon appetit!

Pumpkin Pancakes

INGREDIENTS
2 cups all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons brown sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon ground allspice
1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/2 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups milk
1 cup pumpkin puree
1 egg
2 tablespoons vegetable oil
2 tablespoons vinegar
(I also sprinkled in some chocolate chips, which made them even yummier!)

DIRECTIONS
1. In a large bowl, mix together the milk, pumpkin, egg, oil and vinegar. Combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, baking soda, allspice, cinnamon, ginger and salt, stir into the pumpkin mixture just enough to combine.
2. Heat a lightly oiled griddle or frying pan over medium high heat. Pour or scoop the batter onto the griddle, using approximately 1/4 cup for each pancake. Brown on both sides and serve hot.

Cinnamon Cream Syrup

INGREDIENTS
1 cup sugar
1/2 cup light corn syrup
1/4 cup water
3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 (5 ounce) can evaporated milk

DIRECTIONS
In a saucepan, combine the first four ingredients. Bring to a boil over medium heat; boil and stir for 2 minutes. Cool for 5 minutes. Stir in milk. Serve over pancakes, waffles or French toast.
NOTE: I recommend dipping your pancakes in this syrup rather than just pouring it all over the top. It soaks is too well and you don't enjoy it as much as you do when you dip.