and i'll say it again

The kids had their dance recital this past weekend. I know I've said this all before, but I'll say it again. I love their dance recitals. I am one proud mama sitting in the audience with a lump in my throat and tears in my eyes as they show what they've worked so hard on for the past year. 

Heather was in the tap/jazz class again this year. Her class performed two separate numbers ~ one tap and one jazz. That girl can really move those feet in a pair of tap shoes. This year she learned how to do wings.

And she has the highest kicks in her jazz number. Very limber, this girl.

Stephanie took ballet again. Their dance was a little more modern than it has been in years past.

But still.

Be still my heart.

She is the youngest and smallest girl in her class. Her teacher choreographed a lift into the dance, so she was the one they lifted.

She works hard to keep up with the girls who have had ballet more years than her. She dances with emotion and really feels the music.

Their separate classes really suit them. 

Side note: Stephanie and Heather were almost the same height at the beginning of the school year. Stephanie has recently shot up in height! So much that she got dress-coded in the last weeks of school because her skirt was too short. She was so mad about that!

Their gymnastics number was to the song "Welcome to the Jungle." Perfect costumes, don't you think?

Even though they prefer different styles of dance, they both love to take gymnastics. They also like being able to take this class together.

Aren't they pretty?

There are times when I complain about driving 50-mile round trip to the dance studio to sit on a hard bench for 3 hours at a time after a long day at work.

But really, it's been worth it.

The skills and confidence they've learned while dancing are immeasurable. The life lessons they've learned in the dance studio ~ especially that little in life comes easily ~ are priceless. The friendships they've formed with other girls and their teachers are irreplaceable. The joy I get watching them practice and perform is immense.

Some dance days end in tears because what they are learning is tough stuff. Some dance days end with, "Mom, did you see that?!" Some dance days end with exclamations about how much fun they had. Most dance days end with one or both of them falling asleep in the car on the way home. Every dance day is worth it and I'm pretty certain they feel the same way.

That being said, it's nice to be off for the month of July. They have a chance to get pumped up and excited for the coming year. I get to stay home and sit on my comfy couch on dance nights for a month. Win-win, really.

And here's an out take. This was supposed to be a sweet sister moment, but apparently Stephanie's kiss was a little too juicy for Heather's taste and left her cheek wet!

Classic.

   

menu plan monday on a tuesday ~ again!

Ok, so last week's new recipe was cheesy chicken lasagna. It was pretty easy to make and everyone liked it. I think I liked it more than everyone else, though. The site said to use less lasagna noodles and I used even less. Three noodles made one layer in my pan, so all I needed was six noodles. I made it in the 9 x 13 pan, but next time I think I'm going to make it in a 9 x 9 pan for a deeper lasagna.

I also made chicken cordon bleu for the first time (that wasn't frozen in a box). Kind of a nightmare! The taste was good, but...nightmare. I have an idea of how to fix the nightmare & I'll keep you posted.

This week we're having:

• honey-rosemary pork chops
• crockpot chicken cacciatore
• bowtie skillet lasagna
• 3-packet roast
• taco pizza

I just realized that every one of those dishes is a new one. Adventurous.

I'm linking with orgjunkie.com, as usual.

     

swag ~ for free

Do you search the web?

Of course you do.

Do you like free gift cards?

Duh ~ who doesn't?

If you do your searching through Swag Bucks, you can earn "swag bucks" that can be redeemed for tons of things, including merchandise and gift cards. I like to redeem my bucks for Amazon gift cards.

 

It's easy. When you are ready to search, go to swagbucks.com and make sure you are logged in. Then, search away. The bucks are awarded randomly at different amounts, but they add up. You can also take part in daily polls, surveys, watch videos, etc. to earn more bucks. When I am awarded bucks for searching, they are usually anywhere from 5 bucks to 13 bucks (but higher bucks have been awarded). The daily poll earns 1 buck. A $5 Amazon gift card can be redeemed for 450 Swag Bucks. It might take a little while to earn some bucks, but you were going to search the web anyway, weren't you? 

When you rush over to Swag Bucks to sign up, be sure to click the banner in this post and I can get referral bucks when you get bucks. 

Help a girl out. Right now I'm trying to earn bucks to get some teacher books I'm wanting to read.

What are you waiting for? Your bucks await you! 

Go ahead, click the banner.

Thanks.

    

menu plan monday on a tuesday

One of my goals this summer is to try more new recipes. After the orange chicken fail from last week, I was hoping to redeem myself in the kitchen. I tried two new recipes ~ creamy black bean salsa chicken in the crock pot and Hawaiian Grilled Chicken. I'd like to make some changes to the Hawaiian grilled chicken so there's a sauce for the rice. But, overall, both were a hit and will be repeated. The salsa chicken made a lot, so I used some of the left overs for chicken quesadillas for lunch. And there's still more chicken left.

We have several nights of dance recital practice this week, so we are having some things Greg can help with or quick things.

We are having:

• ribs (crock pot) & mashed potatoes
• king ranch chicken
• chicken & rice soup
• chicken cordon bleu
• chili
• tostadas
• cheesy chicken lasagna

What are you having? Head on over to orgjunkie.com to see what everyone else is having.

           

cousin time

Sisters are built-in friends. Friends who bicker with each other, scream at each other, argue with each other, and stomp away from each other. Friends who tattle on each other. Friends who con each other into doing their chores. Friends who slam doors on each other. 

But, I digress.

The next best thing to sisters is cousins. 

Gianna is in town for the summer so we had an impromptu sleepover last weekend after a family dinner out. Who needs a toothbrush, right? 

And then there were water games the next day.

Where'd your teeth go, little girl?

They tried to play with water balloons, but couldn't find the nozzle. No worries ~ water is water on a hot day.

Here's to a summer full of sister time and cousin time.

With lots of laughing.

And no fighting.

       

instagram friday ~ summer is great!

It's that time of year ~ the girls are in the midst of dress rehearsals for their big gig on the big stage. I love the excitement of the culmination of a dance season's worth of hard work.

I love to use the crock pot to make dinner. When I'm working, I love to come home to dinner almost done and smelling great. Most of the time the crock pot gets its action from making roast. I don't use it as much as I'd like so I'm going to try some new recipes this summer. For Father's Day, I thought I'd make an orange chicken recipe I found. Now it wasn't going to be Panda Express worthy, but it had great promise.

It smelled good.

It looked ok.

It didn't taste quite right.

We all took some bites and tried to warm up to it.

We ordered pizza.

Crock pot fail.

Another cavity-free visit to the dentist. Whew!

Most weeks, Tuesday is grocery shopping day. Greg drops all of his girls off at school and then does the shopping. Since I'm off for summer, we had a little grocery shopping date. It's hard, but try to keep up with our rock star lifestyle!

After I took this picture, Greg commented that it looks like all we eat is junk food. While we do love soda and Tootie Fruities, there's healthy stuff in there too.

Hairapy.

By myself.

Need I say more?

It's also this time of year.

And it will get worse.

Every day when Greg gets home from work, I ask, "How was your day ~ and don't say hot." To this he always replies, "Hot."

While I don't enjoy tipping that century mark on the thermometer, I do love summer. One of my favorite things is that it stays light so late. It lulls me into a false sense of time ~ more light equals more time to get stuff done. The two summers we visited Alaska, I felt invincible! Sadly, we all know what happens when my mind gets involved in time trickery.

Not much gets done.

Ah ~ such is summer.

 

Go here. Read. Link up.

      

instagram friday ~ summer's here

This is our first week of summer vacation! I cannot be more thrilled to be on summer vacation. The end of this year whooped my butt. My class was a good one overall, but they gave me a run for my money there at the end. 

Greg also had this week off, so we've been doing a lot of hanging out and doing a whole bunch of nothing. Sunday we took the kids to a new swimming pool in our area. They had a great time swimming and going down the water slide, while Greg and I people-watched. We were not short of conversation regarding what we saw.

The week started with working on a custom order for ten pouches.

Tuesday we stepped out to take care of our civic duty and run some errands. We took the kids with us and let them stand behind the voting machine with us to see what goes on. Hopefully we are instilling in them a sense of civic duty and pride in the responsibility.

Greg's favorite breakfast is bacon with biscuits and gravy. On days off, I'm happy to oblige. These cookie sheets also saw some cookie baking action later in the day. That boy is lucky! Nevermind he's been waiting weeks for homemade cookies. He's just lucky.

Greg has been working on his genealogy this week & announced that he wanted to go to the oldest cemetery in town to take pictures of the grave stones. Always up for an outing, we tagged along. After I took this picture, Heather asked me if I wanted her to work up a tear or two for another picture. Irreverent!

As the kids and I wandered around the grave stones, we wondered about the people buried underneath our feet. What were their lives like? What was it like for the woman buried next to her husband who lived nearly 60 years longer than him?

While Greg uploaded pictures and did more research, I bugged him kept him company and worked on some cards. It's been a while since I've spent some time with the paper crafts. That job of mine insists on keeping me busy!

Time keeps on slippin', slippin', slippin'.... (If that song gets stuck in your head, you're welcome.) I've kind of been on the computer forever this morning. I unwittingly got sucked into the time vortex of the net. It might be time to do something semi-productive with this day. Or not. It's summer.

Do you use Instagram? What is your favorite filter? I am drawn to Earlybird, but try to give the others a chance as well. I like Brennan and Hefe too.

Head on over to Life.Rearranged to see other InstaFriday posts.

      

happy anniversary

Today, Greg and I have been married 14 years! Fourteen ~ wow!

Here are some things you should know about Greg:

1. Greg puts our family first. Every decision he makes is made with the well-being of our family in mind. He is protective of us and makes sure we are safe.
2. Greg makes me laugh e.v.e.r.y.d.a.y! 
3. Greg is one of the smartest people I know. If there is something he wants to do, he just jumps in and learns how to do it. Even if it is tough, he doesn't give up.
4. Greg has a strong work ethic. He takes his job seriously and gives it his best effort, even going the extra mile to help out a customer or another courier. 
5. Greg is on time. Mr. FedEx has to be. Just know if he is ever late to a family function, it is most likely not his fault. He is the world on time. 
6. Greg will see chick movies with me. He might make a lot of noise about it, but when I ask him to go when no one else can, he gives in.
7. Greg is a teacher. When it comes to areas like reading and writing, he leaves that to me. But he loves to teach the kids how to do stuff. He does little science experiments with them and teaches them other tasks around the house. When it comes time to teach the girls how to drive (oh, help me!) he will be the one to handle that task.
8. Greg is a leader. He is a good example to others and makes decisions carefully. His take-charge personality makes people want to do what he says. 
9. Greg is kind. He is not stingy with compliments for the kids and me.  
10. Greg loves Reece's Peanut Butter Cups and Pepsi, but likes very few vegetables. He is a meat and potatoes guy, who prefers pasta more than rice. Fortunately, over the years he has been more adventuresome and tried some new stuff. Some stuff he felt was still gross, but other things he has found out he likes alright. Just recently, on two different occasions, he was eating guacamole. That was certainly something he would never touch before. 

All this and good looking too! How did I get so lucky!

Happy Anniversary, Greg! I love you!

       

dress up the box

You know I try to cook from scratch to try to control the ingredients that go into our food and decrease the amount of preservatives and things I can't pronounce, right? 

Sure.

But that doesn't mean I'm totally against a little help from the box.  Especially when Greg's favorite brownie mix goes on sale for a dollar a box.

Using a box doesn't mean you have to be completely satisfied with the plain old box ~ you can dress it up in a little party dress & go somewhere nice. Adding a little something special doesn't even have to be complicated. 

Start with the usual suspects and mix as directed on the box.

See that blue bowl? I got that years ago from a student. It was part of a gift set with pancake mix, syrup, & other stuff in it. It is one of my favorite mixing bowls for brownies, muffins, and well, pancakes.

To the mixed batter add a package of peanut butter chips.

That's it.

Easy.

The result is a scrumptious, never plain, peanut buttery brownie.

Your family will rise up and call you blessed.

Of course, if you make your brownies from scratch, you can still add a little secret ingredient to fancy up your brownies.

Happy eating!

play day at the park

One day last week during our spring break (oh how I miss you, spring break) we took the kids and their buddy Austin to the park. We loaded up the truck with bikes, scooters, frisbees, and helmets they pretended they were going to wear.

The first thing the kids did was zoom around on their bikes while we set up the picnic blanket. You don't think we just brought active gear, do you? Of course, we brought a picnic too. The kids and I stopped by the grocery store deli for some fried chicken and potato salad. I was easily suckered in to macaroni and cheese, fruit cups, and apples & carmel. I'm an easy target sometimes.

Like that quilt? Kinda hideous, but I love it. My grandma made it for me a long time ago and it has always been the picnic quilt. That's the only time it comes out of hiding. There's no mistaking which blanket is ours at the 4th of July fireworks!

The weather was great ~ warmish with a cool breeze. After we ate, the kids rode their bikes, scootered, jogged/walked on the path around the park several times. They even showed their utmost maturity by heckling a couple getting an exercise routine together. From our vantage, the couple was clearly new at this exercise business. But with our butts planted firmly on the picnic blanket, we were not really in a position to criticize ~ except we did.

Greg tried to nap while I read, but the kids visited the blanket at every lap and pestered him. I didn't really get much reading done either because when the kids were on their lap, I kept chatting him up.

In between laps around the park, playing on the tennis courts & playground equipment, and interrupting Greg's nap, there were sweaty snack breaks.

Greg played frisbee with the kids for a little while. I would have, but someone had to hold down that blanket and watch all of our stuff. I know ~ sacrifices.

What a great way to spend an afternoon.

 

pancake morning

Today was a pancake morning. Heather asked for chocolate chip pancakes. And wanted Mickey shaped. Sheesh! Demanding! The first one I tried was a miserable fail of a misshapen oval. I told her I'd try just once more, then she'd have to settle for regular-shaped ones. Lucky for her the second one turned out.

Heather was a happy girl!

Stephanie was a happy girl too, even though we made her get up for breakfast.

Mickey Mouse chocolate chip pancakes (chips are on the other side) make little girls happy.

When it is a pancake morning, there's quite a few left over. I freeze them for the kids to eat on school days. To freeze them, lay the cooled pancakes out on a cookie sheet between wax paper. Freeze them for about an hour, then put them in a zip top bag. To reheat, pop them in the toaster or microwave. I don't recommend the toaster for the ones with chocolate chips.

What was for breakfast at your house today?

     

new product ~ silverware sleeves

There's a new product in my Etsy shop. Silverware sleeves!

These are great for dressing up a place setting for a casual or dressy table.

I think these numbered beauties are super fun.

       

well, hello there

What can I say? I've been a little bit busy. Let's do a short recap of the last month and a half. Has it been that long, really?

Well, we went to see the Mouse. You know the one! We always have such a good time when we go to Disneyland and this trip did not disappoint.

I was in a new craft boutique. A teacher-friend of mine started up a crafting boutique. Considering it was a spring boutique (which generally don't do as well as fall boutiques) and this was her first one, I didn't do too badly. I am looking forward to her fall boutique.

I've been working, working, working on that dang yearbook! I ended up doing the whole dang thing myself this year and let me tell you it's going to be 82 pages of awesome, but I'm burnt out. I'm.still.not.done! The worst part is that I missed my deadline and I'm bored of it now. Do you ever get that way? You get to the end of a project and can't stand the sight of it any longer? No? Me neither, then.

The kids and I are on spring break. Greg was able to get this week off as well. I love spring break!  I love spring break even more when Greg is off work with us!

I turned another year older this weekend. Only not. For the record, I am 29 {again}. I refuse to be older because I just don't feel older than that.

We went to see The Hunger Games. Have you seen it? Have you read the book? Once I was finished with the book (just this past weekend), I announced to Greg that he could feel free to take me to see it. I like to read the books first because I'm not sure I'd go back and read the book ever if I saw the movie first. Harry Potter? Saw the movie first. Never read the books. Anyway, The Hunger Games movie was pretty much true to the book.  I recommend it.

The yearbook is the last big commitment I have for a little while, so, who knows ~ maybe you'll hear more from me a little more often.