7 Quick Takes

It's Friday.  It's been a while since I've posted. It sounds like I need to do Seven Quick Takes!

1. I'm sitting here at the Honda dealership while my car is being worked on.  The driver's side door lock no longer works.  Apparently I need a new actuator.  I went for a couple of months using the old fashioned key-in-the-lock method to get my door to lock but what a pain.  Also after having done that for a while, my key actually feels like it is going to fall apart at any moment and the last thing I need is my key stuck in the lock or the ignition because it broke off from the fob.

2. Sarah complained on Monday morning of a sore throat. I didn't think anything of it because I had a mild sore throat several weeks ago that went away after a couple of days. She woke up on Tuesday morning with a low grade fever and basically just stayed in bed all day.  She woke up on Wednesday and said her throat was really sore. However, her fever was gone and it was the Fourth of July so I couldn't take her to the doctor.  On Wednesday night though she told me that she had red spots on her throat and the roof of her mouth.  OH CRAP!

I took her to the doctor yesterday morning and the PA took one look at her throat and announced, "She's got HERPANGINA!"  Sarah looked over at me and her eyes were huge!  If she had been a cartoon character she would have looked like this:

 I must have given the PA a look too because she immediately said it's not herpes but hand, foot and mouth disease and that older kids typically only get the ulcers in their mouth and not on their hands and feet.   Since it's viral, there's nothing to do except take Tylenol and wait for the ulcers to heal.  Sarah's bummed out because it hurts to eat but we did get a good laugh though that the medical name of the disease sounds like herpes of the vagina. 

3.  Peter and I picked up all the trash left in the yard from the fireworks and then headed to the dump to get rid of all the trash and all the packaging the fireworks came in.  While we were out he suggested we stop at Sheetz and get Sarah one of her favorite coffee drinks to make her feel better.

WHAT?

Sometimes my kids can be really sweet to each other. Sometimes.

4. I wanted to share this yummy salad dressing recipe.  It's a Pampered Chef recipe that came on the side of the PC Measure, Mix, and Pour I purchased years ago.  If you are looking for a light Asian dressing this one is for you:

Pampered Chef Asian Dressing

Combine the following:

1/3 cup rice vinegar
3 T. soy sauce
2 t. sugar (I always use Splenda)
1 pressed garlic clove
1/4 t. ground ginger
3/4 cup vegetable oil

I made a tasty little salad for lunch the other day.  I topped spinach leaves with this dressing, goat cheese,  and cashews.  Yum!

I also like to use this dressing when I'm sauteing sugar snap peas.  All the Cotells approve of that dish when I make it.  Finding a vegetable they will all eat is hard to do.  Much less one they enjoy!

5.  Dan and Peter are heading to Gettysburg this afternoon.  One of Peter's Christmas gifts was tickets to the reenactments they have going on there this weekend and he and Dan are definitely looking forward to seeing all the action.  Every year when we go to the Cape, we take the western route to get there and pass by the signs for Gettysburg.  Dan always sighs wistfully and says, "It would be really nice to visit there one day......"

Peter and Dan are happy to be going this weekend and Sarah and I are very happy that they will be watching the reenactments without us!

6.Wally is a very bad cat!  He knocked a pitcher that I was using as  vase off a dresser and broke the handle off it:

He also knocked some real flowers off another table and got water all over the leather chair and the floor.  BAD KITTY!  No one (except me) cares about all of his indiscretions.  They continue to think he can do no wrong.  Peter text me all of us this picture just yesterday when he found Wally napping in the empty laundry basket:

 7.  We have some gorgeous tomato plants with loads of green tomatoes on them.  We are impatiently waiting for them to turn red.  The first few that turned red had blossom end rot and we could not eat them.  :(  Hopefully we have fixed the problem - epsom salt - and we can get some juicy red tomatoes sooner rather than later.  I really need a good BLT!

Happy Friday, everyone!  I hope you have a fun weekend!

7 Quick Takes: Random Miscellany Edition

More miscellany from my life...

1. Dan and I never exchange gifts but I always request that he get me a card for Mother's Day, Birthday, Anniversary.  And I have high card expectations.  It should be Hallmark.  He knows this and is always good about going to the Hallmark store near where he works although I've told him before that the Walgreens near our house carries Hallmark.  He was busy at work last week and never made it to the Hallmark store so he swung by CVS and on course they only sell American Greetings cards there.  So this is what he did:

I think he did a great job!  :) And the sentiment in the card was perfect and I always love the things he writes inside.  <3 p="">
2. Tonight is Fine Arts Night at Peter's school.  There will be food trucks, chorus performances, displays by all the art classes, a puppet show (apparently some of the art classes have been making puppets and the drama club wrote a show which they will perform), and guitar performances.  Peter's Guitar 1 class will perform three pieces and he's excited about it.  He said they sound really good.  I am looking forward to seeing and hearing them perform. 

3.  It has been raining off and on here for most of this week with plans for rain all weekend.  I think a lot of the Fine Arts Night performances were going to be in the courtyard and now I'm not sure where they will be moved to.  And Sarah is going on a camping trip with her Girl Scout troop and she's a little bummed out about the weather forecast because they were supposed to go paddle-boarding which might not happen now thanks to the rain. 

4. Clover.  Y'all I'm not sure what is going on around here but everyone's yard is covered in clover.  I guess the cool wet spring we had was perfect for the clover because it is prolific.  Dan treats for clover every year and is really annoyed by all the clover.  I questioned whether he treated for the clover or put down seeds!  :) What annoys me most is that about 12 hours after you mow the grass, there it is again.  The only redeeming feature the clover has is that it smells really good.  You know you have a lot of clover when you walk out your door and can actually smell it! 

This is just one of the many, many clover patches in our yard:

5. I know by now everyone has heard of the Yanny/Laurel soundbite.  I hear Laurel and the rest of the family hears Yanny.  But please don't mention this to Peter.  He said the whole thing was stupid and was not news.  I mentioned that it was a human interest story but he said that MSN had it at the top of their news page and insisted it wasn't news and everyone was getting excited over nothing.  Peter takes the news very seriously and has no time for frivolity.

6.  After the Yanny/Laurel discussion at the dinner table last night, I jokingly asked the family if anyone was going to get up in the wee hours to watch the royal wedding.  Sarah replied with, "That's the stupidest thing ever!  Why would I waste sleep by getting up early to watch that? Who cares?"  To which Dan and I both had to remind her that SEVEN years ago when she was but a mere almost seven year old she loved Princess Kate, talked in depth about her dress and was slightly obsessed with her. I reminded her that she was still in her pink phase at this time as well.  She denied it and has zero memory of  anything Kate related. 

7. I just searched on my blog to see if I ever posted anything about Sarah liking Kate but the only thing I could find was me mentioning how I hated Kate's dress.  I thought it was too matronly.  But then, while I was in the April 2011 section of my blog, I started reading old blog posts and it made me a little sad but I also realized how much I appreciate this old blog.  I found some things I had long forgotten about and I am so glad that they are here, in this space so that one day when they care, the kids can look back through and see glimpses of our life.

Hey!  It looks like I did 7 Quick Takes without even trying!  Happy Friday, y'all!

Seven Quick Takes - What I'm Loving Lately

It's Friday so let's do some Quick Takes!

And let's do them a little differently this time.  I'm going to talk about seven products I'm loving lately.

1. 

Garnier Whole Blends Hair Mask.  Santa (or Santa's little helper Sarah) left this in my stocking and it is awesome!  The ends of my hair have been so dry these last few months.  In fact, part of the reason I chopped my hair off was that the ends, especially the ones that frame my face, were in really bad shape.  I was disappointed that even after I cut a lot of length off the part that frames my face still looked really bad - dry, damaged, frizzed out.  This product is a mask that you put on right after shampooing and leave on for three minutes.  I used it that way for the first week but then I got lazy and started using it as a conditioner.  I basically rub a big blog of it through the ends (the ends only!) of my hair and just finish my normal shower routing.  I've been so happy with this that I have even purchased the shampoo that goes along with it so that the rest of my hair (the top) can benefit as well.

2. 

Pampered Chef Scraper Set - I bought my first set of these scrapers at a PC party almost 10 years ago.  These things work wonders at getting stuck-on, baked-on food off of pots and pans.  My husband even loves these and when he's helping was dishes the first thing he grabs is one of these.  (Sad testament to the state of my cooking but it's true.)  Over the years though, we were down to only one and it got caught in the disposal and we have been without one for several weeks.  I just ordered a new set and am very ready for them to get here.  A pack of three is only $3.75 and it is very worth that small price!  It is honestly shocking how easily gunk can be removed from pots, pans, and even your slow cooker!

3.

Black Nikes - 2 years ago I decided I needed a cute pair of sneakers to wear with casual outfits.  So I purchased a pair of white Converse Chucks.  Y'all! What a huge mistake.  Those things were cute BUT they were so uncomfortable.  They were narrow and flat - zero arch support.  And to make matters worse - the white picked up everything.  After uncomfortably wearing them for a couple of months they were no longer a cute white sneaker but more of a dirty gray torture chamber for my feet.  So this past fall, I purchased a pair of black Nikes.  This was the best decision ever. They are black so  I wear them with everything from jeans, to joggers, to leggings and they are very comfortable.  Also since they are black they don't show dirt.  And whenever the white part starts to show dirt I whip out my trusty Magic Eraser and they are clean in seconds. And speaking of Magic Eraser...

4. 

Magic Eraser -  I imagine you all share my love of these little beauties but I had to put them on this list in case one of you isn't aware of their magic powers.  From cleaning scummy shower doors, to soles of shoes, to removing Sharpie from counter tops, to removing dirt from painted walls, to removing general grossness from the bathtub, to cleaning your razor, to scrubbing your heals when they get a little funky in the summer - these things really are magic!  And because I'm cheap I always buy the generic ones from Walmart and they work exactly the same. 

5.

Goo Gone Grout and Tile Cleaner - I picked this up on a whim at Marshall's the other day.  It was $4.97 there.   The grout between the ceramic tiles on our bathroom floors were getting really gross and I've been putting off doing anything about it because I am very, very lazy.  But I saw this at Marshall's and grabbed it.  The next day I sprayed some on the grout and let it sit for a few minutes and then grabbed my handy Magic Eraser and gently scrubbed the grout.  All the gunk came off so quickly and easily.  I was shocked.  And it smells so good!  I highly recommend this stuff if you've got some dingy grout and let's be honest - we've all probably got some dingy grout.  (Please tell me it's not just me!)

6. 

ChapStick Total Hydration in Merlot - My lips have been very dry this winter and when they are dry and chapped lipstick doesn't look very good on them.  But my lips are very pale and they need color.  Enter - ChapStick Total Hydration.  This stuff feels and works like regular ChapStick but it is tinted so my lips still have some color and don't disappear on my face.  I use the Merlot - there are quite a few other colors to choose from but this color was recommended on another blog and I love it.  I have also tried Hello Bordeaux but it was too dark.

7. 

NYX Pore Filler - I have large pores on my nose and cheeks so when I put on my liquid make-up it always settles in my pores.  Very annoying!  So I've been trying to find a good filler for the last couple of years.  I have purchased pricey ones and cheap ones and have finally settled on this one.  It is pretty cheap and works just as well as the more expensive ones.  I have yet to find one that works perfectly and makes my skin totally smooth looking but I like the price of this one and I like how well it works. 

And that's it for my Quick Takes What I'm Loving Lately.  Are there any products you guys are loving lately?  Do tell!

7 Quick Takes featuring a game!

It's Friday so how about  Seven Quick Takes?

1.  First, let's play a game of Where's Wally?

Did you find him??

Peter was worried that he wasn't going to come down but he did.  But not until he climbed up even further!  Crazy cat!

2.  Last weekend, I made this yummy dessert (Classic Pumpkin Roll) for Sunday lunch since Sarah spent all Saturday in Confirmation Class.  I thought I would share the recipe. It can be found here on Mom Loves Baking.  I followed the recipe exactly except it call for a 13" x 18" sheet pan and mine was 12" x 17".  It was really good! Even Dan liked it and he's not a huge fan of pumpkin.

 3.  Fall swimming is over and I am very glad that for the foreseeable future we only have Scouts in the evenings.  It will be so nice to eat dinner at 7:00  instead of 8:15!  At the last practice last night they did a bunch of time trials and Sarah was excited that she shaved a full 5 seconds off her 100M freestyle time from this summer!

4.Tonight we have the Halloween Hullabaloo at school.  Sarah's class is selling pizza as a fundraiser, Dan and I are hosting a trunk in the trunk-or-treat and Peter is manning one of the games to get some service hours for high school.  It should be a fun evening!

Which reminds me, I need to go to the basement and pull out the Rubbermaid bin full of trunk decorations that I've used for the last two years and make sure everything is still intact. I did remember to stop by Costco yesterday and pick up some giant bags of candy.

5. Peter has his final in-car driving session this weekend!  I've already made an appointment at the DMV on a day following his birthday that he's out of school so he can take the test for his driving permit.  It's starting to get real y'all!

6.  Dan and I were watching an old episode of Dateline last week and low and behold my Uncle's stepson was the defense lawyer working on the case.  It was really cool to see him on the tv screen.  I am a Dateline and 48 Hours junky although Dan loves to joke that they like to pack 30 minutes worth of show into 1 hour.

I am also a huge First 48 fan.   I love to watch the (real) detectives solve the homicide cases.  I think I would have made a great detective if it weren't for the fact that you have to start out as a beat policeman, ride around the town in the middle of the night chasing down bad guys, getting shot at, and risking life and limb.  Yeah - I guess I'll just stick to my armchair detective work and leave the real work to people who are braver and more daring than I.

7.  Have you guys ever had a cake from Nothing Bundt Cakes?  If you haven't and there's one in your area, go there now and get one.  They are sooooooo very good!  The only problem is that they are a little pricey.  I found a recipe for a copycat version and Sarah will be giving that whirl for this Sunday's dessert.  I'll let you know how it turns out next week!

Check Kelly's blog for more Quick Takes and have a great weekend!

Seven Quick Takes: Homecoming Edition

Let's do some Quick Takes!

1. Next week is Homecoming at Peter's school and they are having different dress up days.  Monday is pajama day (which always annoys me - not a fan of people wearing pjs in public and then to wear them all day to school - blech).  This one is easy enough to do because Peter has pajamas.  However, they are too short because - who cares?  No one sees them but us.  But I picked him up a new pair from Walmart (nothing but the best for MY baby!) even though he said he didn't care if they were too short or not because "it's just pajamas".  I don't like his reasoning because  high water pajama pants  are still high water pants when you are wearing them out in public. 

2.  Tuesday is Mathletes versus Athletes and the kids are supposed to dress up like jocks or nerds.  Peter will be wearing one of Dan's very old Patriots jersey's from before the Tom Brady era (assuming I can locate it from the nether regions of the closet).  Fingers crossed it hasn't disintegrated yet!

3.  On Wednesday all the 9th, 10th, and 11th graders are taking the PSAT and the Seniors are off so there's no dressing up on this day.  However, there is an early dismissal so Peter's very excited about that! However, I conveniently scheduled an orthodontist appointment to fill the void.  He's less excited about that.

4.  Thursday is Character Day and Peter is thrilled with this one.  He's going to dress up like a rocker.  Not sure if I mentioned it on the blog or not but Peter is VERY into Death Metal music.  Before you get too excited, it's not as bad as it sounds.  Well, the music is as bad sounding as you think but the themes of the songs aren't about death.  Most of the bands Peter listens too write extremely long songs about historical events or battles.  It's very odd to me but Peter digs it.

I have been instructed to purchase a long straight black wig and wrist spikes and black and white face paint.  I told him I could probably get him an 80's hair band wig or an Elvira wig.  He said it COULD NOT be an 80s hair bad wig because 80's hair band music is for POSERS.  Obviously.  So I guess I will be getting an Elvira wig and trimming it a little.  I feel a trip to the Spirit Halloween store in my future.

5.  Friday is Blue and Gold Day.  I guess he will just wear his Bishop tee shirt with his Bishop sweatshirt and call it good.

6.  Friday night is the Homecoming Game.  There will be tailgating in the parking lot and food trucks at the school before the game so we are planning on getting there early.

7.  And last but not least, there is a Homecoming Dance on Saturday night.  Peter said he's going. (He has a tendency to change his mind at the last minute so we will see.)  It sounds like several of his guy friends are going without dates so at least he will have a group of guys to hang out with if he does go.

And look!  Just like that - Seven Quick Takes!

Friday Quick Takes

It's Friday so let's do some Quick Takes!

1.  We've got lots of tomatoes so here's what I've been doing with them:

I made this yummy chicken caprese. 

Tomato sandwiches and of course, BLTs!  I could eat my weight in BLTs!

I made a very large pot of tomato soup for Dan.  It's really good and a great way to use up a lot of tomatoes.

I made 4 pints of salsa.  It's really good (I use the Mrs. Wegmans' mix from Walmart) and also uses a lot of tomatoes.

I've also given away quite a few tomatoes and there's still plenty more on the vine.  The only problem is that it's been so hot the last week an a half that there are absoltely no new blooms on the plants.  No blooms equals no new tomatoes.  That wouldn't necessarily be a bad thing because once it cools a bit (and it has towards the end of this week) new blooms will form BUT our bushes are looking bad.  They are getting  the blight which is a disease that kills the plants.  :(

2.  Next week, Peter starts driver's ed classes.  I'm glad he's able to get this done in the summer but y'all - MY BABY!!!  He's ready though.  He's already asking if he can drive to school as soon as he turns 16.  How about we turn 15 before we start making plans to drive to school by ourselves, okay??

3.  Sarah has a long summer reading list.  She has to read The Outsiders, Little Women and Treasure Island.  She loved The Outsiders which I knew she would.  I read that book in 7th or 8th grade and the movie came out right around then as well and well, what's not to love about a poignant story and a bunch of soon to be heart-throbs?! 

She has been plodding through Little Women for almost the entire month of July.  And let me tell you, she has complained every step of the way.  She hates, hates, hates, hates this book.  But, she's doing it.  She said that its a little better now that she is at the end of it but it's still two thumbs down form her.  She hopes to finish it today or tomorrow.  At one point a couple of weeks ago she exclaimed in disgust, "This book is so horrible I think I could have written it!" 

She is expecting to hate Treasure Island as well but on the plus side - it's very short!

4.

I got a humming bird feeder a couple of weeks ago and we are slowly but surely starting to get visitors to it.  Although honestly, I think it's only two and the same two. One of them is this little one here.  It's all one color and very small.  There is a bigger one that comes as well and it has a red band around it's neck.

5

I was in Target shopping for a new swim suit for Dan and came across this one.  I sent him a text with this picture as a joke to see if he wanted me to get it for him.  His response, "Are you in the women's department?" 

6.  During swim season, I would walk with Jennifer while the kids were at night practice.  Now that that's over, I've been walking after Dan leaves for work.  I really need to drop a few pounds and tone up this old lady body. Sarah keeps wanting me to do Jillian Michaels DVDs with her.  UGH!  I got in really good shape doing those DVDs but I did them for so long that I had every word she said memorized and go to the point that I wanted to throw the remote control at her.  I'm currently looking for something that is just exercises with minimal talking from the instructor.  Ads for BodyBoss keep showing up in all my feeds and I'm curious if anyone has done this or knows of anyone that has. 

7. 

And when your tomato has a nose on it, you have to draw eyes and mouth!  (I love my husband!)

Enjoy your weekend!

7QT - What we've been doing.

Oh my!  It's been over a week since I've posted anything to this poor neglected blog.  So I'm going to catch everyone up in 7 Quick(ish) Takes.

1.  Sarah arrived home safe and sound and tired last Friday night after a week in Florida with her Girl Scout Troop.  We got her home around 9:45 and she spent the next hour and half telling us all about the trip.  Here's a quick pic of Sarah, Cheyanne, and Arden.  I think I'm going to do another post next week with more Florida pics.

2. On Saturday we headed to South Carolina to buy fireworks for the 4th of July.  Sarah stayed home to sleep, unpack, relax, etc. You can't buy fireworks in North Carolina.  It's not illegal to set them off, but you can't buy them.  Strange.....  So, we drove to Ft. Mill and picked some up. This was all Peter's idea but I think Dan was excited about it too or he would not have agreed to it. 

We got into the store (which was packed, obviously) and asked a worker for help. I told him I had no idea what to get.  He said something along the lines of , "Well, what do you want?  Do you want colorful, loud, high, bright,or  big (and I think he added a few other fireworks descriptors as well.)"  My response was, "Um...yes."

I mean, he described fireworks.  I wanted a firework that delivered all those in one.  But what he pointed us to was a big box of different times of fireworks that did all those different things individually.  But the we also got a box of 6 "things" you set off that were bigger. 

3.  When we got home, Sarah made a blueberry pie for Sunday lunch.

It was yummy. 

4.  Dan had to work on Monday,the kids had swim practice and I had a PTO meeting (my last one ever!).  So it was just a normal day.  But on Tuesday, we had a big cookout at my parent's house.  Jennifer's family came as well as some of my parent's friends.  We had hamburgers, hot dogs and wings.  Along with all baked beans, potato salad, watermelon, etc.  It was delicious and we had a great evening.

After dinner we set off the fireworks.  For the casual observer, they were kind of boring.  The box the guy had steered us towards was apparently a lot of fun for the boys because there were a lot of different things to set off and ignite but for those of us watching there wasn't much of a show.  The best were the 6 big "things".  Next year, Dan said we need to get mortars.  That sounds dangerous but I guess that's what we'll get.

The only picture I got was of the girls with sparklers.  I was enjoying the evening and wasn't thinking about pictures.

After everyone left, we headed inside and eventually made it up to bed around 10:45.  I turned on the tv in my bedroom to the NYC fireworks show and caught the last 10 minutes of that.  Oh. My. Goodness.  Now THAT was a fireworks show.  I got goosebumps just from watching it on tv.  I could only imagine seeing it in person.  I LOVE fireworks and that show looked awesome!  It was like 6 shows in one side by side:

Maybe they are like this every year.  And who knows, maybe the last 10 minutes were the best but it was really spectacular!

5. 

Our cucumbers are really coming in now and this is my favorite way to fix them.  Slice a bunch up, toss them in a jar,  slice a 1/2 an onion really thin and throw that on top.  Throw in a couple of garlic closes (peeled and pressed in a little) and then mix the following ingredients together:  1 cup white vinegar, 2/3 cup water, 1/2 tsp black pepper, ground, 2 tsp salt, 4 tbsp Splenda.  Pour the mixture of the top of the cucumbers.  Cover and put in fridge for at least 6 hours. 

These are really yummy.  They are a little sweet and a little tangy. Delicious. 

6.  We've had 3 swim meets so far this season.  The 4th and final regular season meet is this coming Tuesday and it will be the first one where both kids have been home at the same time.  I'm hoping to get some good pictures of them swimming on Tuesday.

7.  Our tomato bushes are huge!

That's three rows of bushes with 4 plants each.  12 plants and it's like a jungle in there.

The bushes have tons of tomatoes on them but they are not turning red.  None of them are evening starting to turn. (Well, I take that back. One tomato turned red and 2 cherry tomatoes turned red but the other 100 are all green.) 

I think its because June was very wet and cool (for here).  I think (I'm not gardener but it's my opinion) that the fruit needs the sun to turn red.  It is finally starting to get hot and sunny here.  Our normal hot June temps have just arrived in July.  I'm hoping that it will stay sunny and hot so these tomatoes will turn red.  I'm also wondering if the fact that the plants are so bushy (maybe due to the cool weather and lots of rain) they are further shading the fruit from the sun.

Anyway, like I said, I'm no gardener but our tomatoes have always started turning before now - typically by the end of June.  I'm just ready for a tomato sandwich and some mozzarella and tomato salad and some bruschetta! 

And that's pretty much it for us. Peter's mowing right now and later today I'm taking Sarah and Chey to the movies.  Have a great weekend!

7QT! Pictures and even a video!

Let's do some quick takes, shall we? 

1.  Y'all!! We've had such a warm fall here that my dahlias are blooming again!  They bloomed all summer and then died and we cut them down and now look! I'm hoping that it stays warm long enough for them to open and that I can cut  a few to bring inside.

2. Every weekend, Sarah makes a dessert for Sunday lunch at my parent's house.  Last weekend she made this:

That's homemade caramel in between a cookie crust and a dark chocolate ganache.  So much yum.  It is a really decadent dessert and was super easy.  If you are interested in whipping one up, the recipe can be found here.

3. This weekend will be full of basketball (hopefully)! Our school hosts a basketball tournament at the beginning of every basketball season.  It's the athletic booster club's biggest fundraiser of the year.  Peter's team plays this afternoon.  If they win tonight, we move into the Saturday games BUT if they lose tonight then we have to play another game tonight.  It's double elimination so if they lose the second game, it's over for them.  If they win the first and lose the second then they still get to play on Saturday.  Dan won't be back from Seattle until tomorrow morning (poor thing is taking the red eye), so I hope they can win one game today so he can watch tomorrow.

4. So I've just discoverd why so many grown women take selfies in their car.  (Which for some reason strikes be as ridiculous.) 

But y'all!  Look!  The large sunglasses cover my eye wrinkles and the sun coming through the car windows makes for a natural blemish removing filter.  And if you keep your lips closed (although no duck mouth for me, thank you very much, I do have some pride!) your crooked teeth don't show.
(However, you could risk looking like you are smirking but that's a small price to pay for a picture where your skin looks like it did 15 years ago!)

5.  Peter's expander is working wonders already.  You know how we know?  He is developing a gap between his two front teeth.  He keeps looking at himself in the mirror in awe of the gap.  When I mentioned that was great progress for a week and a half he looked shocked.  "I've only had these braces on for a week and a half??  It feels like I've had them on forever."  Not sure if that's a good sign or not but he has definitely gotten used to them.  Although when he eats,  he looks like a dog eating peanut butter.

6.What?  Your cats don't hang out in the bathtub??

7.And just for fun.. A typical day in the car.  Sarah smiling and Peter frowning.  I love how God gave me kids with two totally different temperaments!  I guess it makes parenting more interesting!!

Have a great weekend every one!  And head over to Kelly's place for more 7QT.

7QT. Where Did My Littles Go?

How is it possible that it's Friday already and my list of things to do has only gotten longer?  Since it's Friday how about 7 Quick Takes?

1.  I go the email yesterday that Peter qualified to participate in the state level National Geographic Bee!!!!!  The North Carolina Bee is scheduled for Friday, April 1st.  Peter will be one of the 100 kids that qualified  from across the state to compete.

2.  The only negative is that this is the day after we get back from Ireland.  And it's in Charlotte.  Dan and I were discussing just heading to Charlotte as soon as we land and getting a hotel room.  That way we wouldn't have to get up at the crack of dawn Friday morning to drive to Charlotte.  After experiencing the Charlotte traffic at 3:00 in the afternoon last Friday for the Shamrock tournament, there is no way I want to deal with morning rush hour traffic!

3.  And speaking of Charlotte, we used to live there but moved here 10 years ago.  Traffic was bad then, but y'all!  It is a hot mess now!  I honestly don't think I could deal with that every day.  Although, I guess if we still lived there we wouldn't really know the difference.  It would have gradually gotten worse and we would have gradually gotten used to it. 

4. Sarah and I are enjoying the last season of American Idol.  She really loves that show and is going to be sad when it's off the air.  We still have an hour from last night's show to watch but we will get caught up tonight.  Dalton is my favorite! Are any of you guys watching?

5. Tonight our school is holding it's annual Mother/Son event.  In the past we've gone bowling but this year it's a combination of laser tag and bowling.  Peter and I have gone every year for the past 4 years.  A few friends of his went in 3rd grade and every year less of his friends went.  Last year, none of his friends went.  It was basically all elementary school kids so this year we aren't even going.  And I will admit that it makes me a little sad.  Just further proof that he's growing up.

6.  In a couple of weeks the school will hold it's Father/Daughter dance.  And for the first time in 4 years, Dan and Sarah won't be going.  Dan and Peter will be camping with the Boy Scouts.  Sarah didn't seem to care one way or the other since none of her friends were going.  I guess it's a middle school thing.  And I will admit that it makes me a little sad.  Just further proof that she's growing up.

7.  And that leads me to next weekend - the 7th and 8th grade will have their winter dance on Friday.  It was supposed to be a few weeks ago but snowy weather caused it to be postponed.  I just can't believe how fast this school year is going.  If I'm honest, I can't believe how fast it's all going!  Weren't they just toddlers driving me absolutely crazy?  And now one of them is taller than me and the other one  is asking to have her eyebrows waxed?!?!

Happy Weekend everyone!  I think I'm going to spend it trying to figure out how to make time stand still.

Don't forget to check out all the other 7QT at Kelly's.

7QT!

It's Friday so how about 7 Quick Takes??

1. Dan has been in England all week and will be back home tonight!  Last night he stayed in a hotel near the airport in London so he could leave bright and early this morning. He texted me a picture of what was hanging on his wall.

Apparently, it's a map of Europe that's lit up with tiny lights.  The last I heard he was struggling to figure out how to get it turn off. That's one heck of a night light.

2.  Peter's basketball team is their conference playoffs this weekend.  His first game is tonight at 7:45.  Luckily Dan's plane lands at 6:30 so he won't miss it.  Peter has had a great year with this team.  He's third string and doesn't get to play as much as he would like, but he's learned a lot and this group of guys is just the best.  They really seem to get along well and enjoy each others company and sometimes, I think, that's just as important as playing time.

And they are all so handsome, don't you think??  Although, I am a little partial to #21!

3.  It's Lent so I've been pondering what to give up or what to pick up.  I've added a new daily devotion and I'm going to try to spend more time being kind not just to those outside my home but to those inside - seems I lose my patience most frequently with those I love the most! 

4.  And as far as giving something up?  I just started Weight Watchers on Monday.  So I'm giving up feeling full.  Y'all, I'm not going to lie.  I've lost three pounds this week but I have spent the better part of this week being hungry.  I am about to turn into an apple!  Or a banana.  Or an orange.  Take your pick.  Fruit and raw vegetables are zero points so I've had my fair share of them and it's hard. Oprah keeps talking about eating bread on this diet but I haven't figured out how to eat bread and still be able to eat anything else.

5.  I'm sure it's a learning curve...at least I hope.  I signed up for the 3 month plan (just access to the app/tracker and online support - no weigh ins or meetings.) I'm hoping that I can figure out the best things to eat and keep me full over the next couple of weeks. If anyone has any hints or suggestions, please feel free to share!!

6.  Peter won his school Geography Bee!  He was so excited because geography is his thang!  Winning the school bee means he qualified to take an online test.  If he passes that test, he will be able to participate in the state bee.  Fingers crossed!

7.  Since Peter's a bit of a geography nerd, he got this shirt for Christmas and wore it proudly on the last dress down day at school.

 

Enjoy your weekend people.  Head over to Kelly's for more 7QT!

Seven Quick Takes

It's Friday and I've got a lot of nothing to talk about so it seems like the perfect time to do Seven Quick Takes.

1.  Have I mentioned on the blog that over Easter break we are heading to Ireland?  We are very excited about it!  We've purchased our plane tickets (Dan's been saving his frequent flier miles for this trip!)  and booked out hotels. Dan has plotted out our whirlwind itinerary insuring that we see as much of the country as possible during our stay.  And this afternoon I am taking the kids to Walgreen's get their passport photos so we can get all that paperwork in the mail.  And I've been doing lots of praying for good weather (Ireland is very unpredictable especially when we will be there), safety on our journey, and many family memories made.

2.  And speaking of passports, remember this from when I had to get my passport updated?  Check it out.  It's still just as homely as ever!

3.  The middle school is gearing up for the Science Expo.  Peter and Sarah have formed their groups, picked their project ideas and now it's time for them to get to work. Peter seems very disinterested (although his group did win for best project in 6th grade) but Sarah is all over it.  She's making supply lists, Facetiming her group, arranging meetins and trying to get things done.  Don't worry about Peter though, he will get it done like he always does.  He just has his own way of doing things.  I'm learning this year, to back off and let him do things in his own time.  It's working pretty well...less yelling for me and he is learning some very good time management skills.  (I hope!)

4. Sarah got a Polaroid camera for Christmas.  Can you believe it?  Everything old is new again.  The pictures are the size of a business card.  She left a selfie (of course) on my bathroom mirror.  Dan doesn't understand why anyone would want a Polaroid but I think immediately having a hard copy is the draw.  Sarah already has big plans for her pictures.  Something about Washi tape...

5.  I am determined to lose weight.  I've been complaining for months about the extra 20 pounds I'm toting around and now thanks to the holidays it's an extra 27 pounds. Monday I started the low carb diet again and I'm going to stay on it until I can get this weight off for good.

6.  I am also determined to get things cleaned out and straightened up.  The two big areas of concern are Peter's room and the bonus room.  Peter's a bit of a hoarder but has decided it's time to reorganize and update his room.  And the bonus room is a bit of a catchall which needs to be completely overhauled as well.  But these are two very big projects and instead of jumping in and getting it done, I've been stalling this week.  But I have managed to clean out the hall closets and underneath the bathroom sinks.  That's something right.  Unfortunately, every cabinet or closet I open needs to be completely purged.  It's a bit overwhelming.

7.  I've restarted my thankful list.  I started one on May of 2013 in an effort to be mindful of all the good things God sends us each day.  I finally completed my 1000 in October of 2015 and then I stopped writing things down.  Not sure why but I just did.  Yesterday I decided it was time to do it again so I grabbed a plain black notebook and got started.  The first time I did this I got a cute little journal:

 It has a Bible verse on each page and one of my very favorites is on the first page:

Be joyful always; pray continually; give thanks in all circumstances, for this is God's will for you in Christ Jesus. - 1 Thessalonians 5: 16-18

And look what Sarah added last January:

 I think she gets it!

Happy Weekend, friends!

Seven Quick Ones!

Seven Quick Takes is all I've got time for this morning as I'm on my way to a hair appointment.

1. So the homework situation might be improving!  On Wednesday, I had a PTO meeting right after school.  My parents picked the kids up and brought them home so they could get right to work on their homework.  When I got in at 5:30, Sarah was just finishing up with hers and Peter said he was almost done with his.  And yesterday, the homework level was the same - they were both done before dinner.  Hopefully things have evened out now that the beginning of school is behind us!  Peter even opened his backpack this morning and pulled out some work that's due Tuesday and worked ahead!  Who is this child????

2.  Now that the kids are back in school, I've started a new exercise routine.  I ordered a DVD from Prevention with 8 ten minute workouts on it.  The first month you cycle through the first 4 and then the second month you cycle through the last four.  Y'all!  I didn't think 10 minutes would make a difference but I can totally feel all sorts of muscles that I haven't felt in ages - arms, legs, abs!  And the best part?  This woman is not at all like Jillian Michals!  And did I mention that it's only 10 minutes a day.  I've been doing it while the kids are getting ready for school in them mornings.

3.  And then when they leave for school I've been going for a brisk 1 and 1/2 mile walk.  No, it's not running but I still feel like I'm burning calories and my knees and ankles don't ache afterwards.

4.  I've also been working on changing my diet.  I'm not doing no carb or low carb but I am trying to do lower carb if that make sense.  I'm trying to eat more protein and less carbs but I'm not counting carbs.  I'm just not eating bread, rice, potatoes, or sugar.  I am eating lots of  nuts, meats, cheeses, green vegetables, etc.  I'm only a week in to this new plan but I've lost a lot of bloat already and feeling much less hungry.

5.  With that said, I have quite a few carb heavy eating opportunities ahead of me this week and I plan on enjoying them all.  So, I'm sure I'll be bloaty again on Tuesday but I'll just do my best and hop back onto the plan again and go from there.  I'm beginning to realize that life's too short to be on a diet all the time and if there' birthday cake, I'm going to eat some!

6. This week I made some pepper relish which is different than the pepper jelly I made a couple of weeks ago.  We've got so many peppers this year!  I also made so more spaghetti sauce with some of our remaining tomatoes (it's not all picture here). Our tomatoes didn't do as well as we had hoped this year.  Some years they produce well into October but they are almost done this year.  (insert sad face emojii)

 
7.  And because I'm out of time, here's a picture of our old cat Gray Gray.  (And yes, we realize he's not gray but Sarah named him when she was 4 so we went with it....)

Have a great LONG weekend y'all and don't forget to head over to Christy's (not Kelly's this week) to check out the other quick takers!

Seven Quick Takes: It's the end of summer vacation and I can't believe it!

Let's do some quick takes!  How about 7 of them?

1.  I know everyone says this but I can not believe how fast the summer has gone by!  And experience tells me that the older the kids get the faster the summers (and years in general) fly by.  And you know what school starting means...check in Monday for my obligatory mom blogger post with back-to-school pictures!  You know you're excited!

2.  My husband (who is in charge of the garden) plants sunflower seeds every year.  And being the frugal and sentimental man that he is, he takes seeds from the current years dead flowers and saves them and replants those seeds the next year.  Here he is with one of this years flowers which by the way, is a fourth generation flower!

 Last year the sunflowers didn't grow very tall but this year they are huge!  I think it's a perfect combination of hot sun and lots of rain.  Who knows?!  At the end of the season, he'll harvest some seeds and save them and he'll do it all over again next summer!

3. I took Peter to the eye doctor earlier this week for his annual exam and while we were waiting to go back, we played around with some new frames.  He kept choosing the most horrible glasses to try on.  We had the best time laughing at all the different styles he chose.  We decided these made him look like Bill Gates circa 1980:

Okay... perhaps Peter has less hair than Mr. Gates but you get my drift.  Peter's eyes haven't changed since last year so he's sticking with his current (rarely worn except for school and even then only if he's in the back of the class) pair.

3.  We always have lots of peppers in the garden and this year is no different.  So I tried my hand at pepper jelly.  Ya'll - it was so good and so easy that I'm making another batch today!

I am excited to get this stuff on top of some cream cheese and crackers.  And I think it's also going to be really good over a pork tenderloin that's cooking in the crock pot.  YUM!

4.  And speaking of yum- when we took our bike ride from Falmouth to Woods Hole, we had some really good bruschetta at our lunch stop.  Sarah and I replicated it as best we could this past weekend.  She and I scarfed it up.  So good!  (And yes, the tomatoes and basil are from our beloved little garden.)

5.  And speaking of our garden...

I have absolutely loved having fresh flowers all summer.  I can not tell you how many smiles they have brought me.  I'm going to be sad when they are gone.

6.  The kids are excited about school starting...not because they are ready to learn but because they miss their school friends.  I'm predicting that they will be hopping out of bed on Monday and Tuesday but by Wednesday I will be dragging/threatening them.  I have a new plan though...now that they are both in middle school, they will be getting up to their alarm clocks.  No more mom waking them....we'll see how it goes.

7. We have a fairly laid back weekend on tap.  A Boys Scout event tonight, a Girl Scout event on Sunday afternoon, basketball workshop and yard work and errands in between.  I hope you all have a great weekend and enjoy what's left of summer vacation!

Head over to Kelly's for more quick takes!

7QT: Selfies and candy and diets. Oh my!

It's Friday!  That must mean I'm going to pound out some Quick Takes.

Here we go.

1.  Sarah had a Girl Scout Halloween party on Monday evening.  She came home with a goody bag filled with candy.  She looked at me and said, "Ha!  Since you're on your diet and can't eat any candy I don't have to hide my Halloween candy from you this year!"  And she was grinning from ear to ear.

What she doesn't realize is that even though she used to hide it, I would always find it!  Ha to you Miss Smarty Pants!

2.  And speaking of my diet, it's been 10 weeks since I started Atkins and I've officially lost 10  pounds.  I'm averaging a pound a week.  That's slower than I would like but slow and steady wins the race.  Also, at a pound a week, I'm likely to keep it off. So, here's to not eating any candy this Halloween.  No worries though.  When I'm back to my goal weight in the spring, it will have all been worth it!

3.  Today the middle school is holding their annual Visual Vocabulary Day.  Each middle-schooler picks a word and dresses up like the word.  They sit in rows in costume holding a sign with their word and all the elementary kids walk around learning new vocabulary words.  Pretty cool, huh?  I'll have pictures next week of Peter and his word.

4. Sarah loves a good selfie.  I was just looking at my phone and saw these which are just a mere drop in the bucket.

5.  Once in a blue moon, I will find a selfie that Peter took.

Clearly, he has a preferred pose when he chooses to selfie.

6.  We will be going trick-or-treating tonight.  Sarah is 10 and Peter is almost 12 and I imagine they aren't going to want to go too many more years.  So, I'll take a lot of pictures and enjoy every minute of walking through the neighborhood while the kids race around from house to house getting candy.

7.  And this year both my kids are creepy things.  I miss the early days when I could pick out whatever I wanted them to be and dress them up.   Sarah and I worked on her zombie make up the other night and Peter is wearing some creepy masks.  I miss my tiny purple witch and my giraffe!

Happy Halloween!  I hope you get more treats than tricks and don't forget to head over to Jen's and see what everyone else is up to!