Monday, August 15, 2011
Saturday, August 13, 2011
17+3=20
17 years of marriage + 3 years of dating = 20 years of love!!!
Here are 3 songs to help us celebrate! :)
#1 Brad Paisley's, "Then" - it's my newest favorite.
What I can't see is how I'm ever gonna love you more,
But I've said that before.
We'll look back some day at this moment that we're in,
And I'll look at you and say, 'and I thought I loved you then'...
#2 Martina McBride's "All the Things we've never done" - Discovered this one about 10 years ago and LOVE it! You have to listen to all of it to fully appreciate it!
#3 Steven Curtis Chapman's "I will be here" - This will always be 'our song' - from our dating years, and has only grown more sweeter as the years go by...
Here are the lyrics:
Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the sun does not appear, I will be here.
If in the dark we lose sight of love,
Hold my hand and have no fear, ‘Cause I will be here.
CHORUS
I will be here when you feel like being quiet;
When you need to speak your mind, I will listen.
And I will be here when the laughter turns to crying;
Through the winning, losing, and trying, we’ll be together,
‘Cause I will be here.
Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the future is unclear, I will be here.
As sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetimes are made for years, So I will be here.
CHORUS
I will be here, so you can cry on my shoulder;
When the mirror tells us we’re older, I will hold you.
And I will be here to watch you grow in beauty,
And tell you all the things you are to me;
I will be here.
I will be true to the promise I have made,
To you and to the One who gave you to me.
As sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetimes are made for years,
So I, I will be here.
We'll be together and i will be here.
#1 Brad Paisley's, "Then" - it's my newest favorite.
What I can't see is how I'm ever gonna love you more,
But I've said that before.
We'll look back some day at this moment that we're in,
And I'll look at you and say, 'and I thought I loved you then'...
#2 Martina McBride's "All the Things we've never done" - Discovered this one about 10 years ago and LOVE it! You have to listen to all of it to fully appreciate it!
#3 Steven Curtis Chapman's "I will be here" - This will always be 'our song' - from our dating years, and has only grown more sweeter as the years go by...
Here are the lyrics:
Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the sun does not appear, I will be here.
If in the dark we lose sight of love,
Hold my hand and have no fear, ‘Cause I will be here.
CHORUS
I will be here when you feel like being quiet;
When you need to speak your mind, I will listen.
And I will be here when the laughter turns to crying;
Through the winning, losing, and trying, we’ll be together,
‘Cause I will be here.
Tomorrow morning if you wake up
And the future is unclear, I will be here.
As sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetimes are made for years, So I will be here.
CHORUS
I will be here, so you can cry on my shoulder;
When the mirror tells us we’re older, I will hold you.
And I will be here to watch you grow in beauty,
And tell you all the things you are to me;
I will be here.
I will be true to the promise I have made,
To you and to the One who gave you to me.
As sure as seasons are made for change,
Our lifetimes are made for years,
So I, I will be here.
We'll be together and i will be here.
Thursday, August 11, 2011
Growing Up
So I've been noticing more and more things that are kinda nice about the girls growing up, for example, this week in KC:
For this week, we've enjoyed these simple pleasures, some shared with Mike, others with just my girls and I when he was in training. We rode escalators up and down, visited the pool too many times to count (once after dark), splashed together, played 'sea monster', went shopping, had breakfast in bed while watching cartoons, enjoyed the view from our 40th floor room, ran down 23 flights of stairs for fun, laughed together, had pillow fights, ran thru fountains, played cards and banagrams, we let mini trains deliver our dinner again, we toured Hallmark and the Money Museum and made crafts at Kaleidoscope, we explored the art museum and saw Monet's work, and we 'dressed up' to go share cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory! I've definitely enjoyed this week hanging out in KC! And everything we did (except dining and the girls had their own 'shopping money') was free!! :)
- I haven't had to push an elevator button even once.
- I haven't had to get ice from the hotel ice machine.
- They willingly made me a PB sandwich each day for lunch.
- They have held the door open for me and for strangers countless times.
- I don't have to be in the pool with them constantly. I can sit poolside and read a book while they happily splash about.
- They can walk longer distances without me having to carry them any more.
For this week, we've enjoyed these simple pleasures, some shared with Mike, others with just my girls and I when he was in training. We rode escalators up and down, visited the pool too many times to count (once after dark), splashed together, played 'sea monster', went shopping, had breakfast in bed while watching cartoons, enjoyed the view from our 40th floor room, ran down 23 flights of stairs for fun, laughed together, had pillow fights, ran thru fountains, played cards and banagrams, we let mini trains deliver our dinner again, we toured Hallmark and the Money Museum and made crafts at Kaleidoscope, we explored the art museum and saw Monet's work, and we 'dressed up' to go share cheesecake from The Cheesecake Factory! I've definitely enjoyed this week hanging out in KC! And everything we did (except dining and the girls had their own 'shopping money') was free!! :)
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| waiting for dad to take us The Cheesecake Factory! |
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| Sarah, "Mom, I'm getting a picture of you on your phone!" |
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| The Sweet Joy of Daughters!! |
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| Yes, the girls loved being on the 40th floor! |
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| Night time, roof top, swimming, apparently makes us "the most awesomest parents!" |
Monday, August 8, 2011
Summertime's Last Hurrah
Well our last week of summertime is upon us, next week my girls will begin 3rd and 5th grade! And while I'm slightly grieving the end of one more summertime in my girl's childhood, I'm also looking forward to the routine the school year brings, as well as the chance to work (substitute teach) again! :)
As for this past summer, I really have no regrets (other than deleting most of our 'a to z' summertime pictures!). The first part of our summer was busy, busy FUN...visit from my sister's family, camping, our grand adventure to the Grand Canyon, a visit from Mike's brother's family. The second part of our summer has been filled with relaxing days at home that inspire creativity in my girls, with the fun of our a to z days mixed in, as well as camping and trips to the lake, and scrapbooking with the girls their own books of our Grand Canyon trip.
Our last hurrah is this week at the Crown Center in Kansas City. Mike is here for training with work, so the girls and I are hanging out...visiting Hallmark's Kalediscope center, playing in fountains, shopping, and hanging at the pool (when the weather cooperates), going to the Money Museum...and the best part...all our fun is free (well, other than the shopping!) We'll play all day then join up with Mike in the evening, which will hopefully include at least one night to The Cheesecake Factory!
When the lady at the front desk asked Mike how high we wanted to be in our hotel, he said "as high as we can!" - so we ended up on the top floor! That would be #40!! He definitely scored brownie points with his girls who were screaming and giggling and, well, you can't even imagine the excitement!! It's quite the view too. And I'm trying to get over my fears...of gettting stuck in the elevator with two girls, of there being a fire in the middle of the night, of storms blowing out windows. Sometimes I wish my heart still beheld the naive innocence that my girl's hearts hold...and I could just be excited about being on the 40th floor!
As for this past summer, I really have no regrets (other than deleting most of our 'a to z' summertime pictures!). The first part of our summer was busy, busy FUN...visit from my sister's family, camping, our grand adventure to the Grand Canyon, a visit from Mike's brother's family. The second part of our summer has been filled with relaxing days at home that inspire creativity in my girls, with the fun of our a to z days mixed in, as well as camping and trips to the lake, and scrapbooking with the girls their own books of our Grand Canyon trip.
Our last hurrah is this week at the Crown Center in Kansas City. Mike is here for training with work, so the girls and I are hanging out...visiting Hallmark's Kalediscope center, playing in fountains, shopping, and hanging at the pool (when the weather cooperates), going to the Money Museum...and the best part...all our fun is free (well, other than the shopping!) We'll play all day then join up with Mike in the evening, which will hopefully include at least one night to The Cheesecake Factory!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
Dear FEMA,
(Read the first letter to FEMA by clicking here.)
I should feel sweet victory. But honestly, I am simply disgusted with you and your policies. I think it's horrible that someone in an air conditioned office can simply 'redraw' the flood lines. And because of this, we are REQUIRED to pay for FEMA flood insurance (by our mortgage company) because all of a sudden our home is an 'high risk flood zone'!
Well, we KNEW our house was not in a high risk flood zone, so we paid $300 for a surveyor to prove it. Then we had to pay you another $321 for flood insurance, because our mortgage company only gave us 60 days to get this 'flood insurance' and you take 60 days to approve or deny a request, we simply did not have enough time after getting the survey, and filling out your forms, to prove in time that indeed our home was NOT in a flood plain.
We now have our LOMA form that officially removes our home from a high -risk flood plain, but your error cost us over $600 to prove it! So, if you'd like to do the right thing and reimburse us for the expenses of your error, you know where to send the check. The only sweet victory that is mine is that I don't have to keep paying you $321 a year for the rest of our mortgage!
Sincerely,
Cathy
I should feel sweet victory. But honestly, I am simply disgusted with you and your policies. I think it's horrible that someone in an air conditioned office can simply 'redraw' the flood lines. And because of this, we are REQUIRED to pay for FEMA flood insurance (by our mortgage company) because all of a sudden our home is an 'high risk flood zone'!
Well, we KNEW our house was not in a high risk flood zone, so we paid $300 for a surveyor to prove it. Then we had to pay you another $321 for flood insurance, because our mortgage company only gave us 60 days to get this 'flood insurance' and you take 60 days to approve or deny a request, we simply did not have enough time after getting the survey, and filling out your forms, to prove in time that indeed our home was NOT in a flood plain.
We now have our LOMA form that officially removes our home from a high -risk flood plain, but your error cost us over $600 to prove it! So, if you'd like to do the right thing and reimburse us for the expenses of your error, you know where to send the check. The only sweet victory that is mine is that I don't have to keep paying you $321 a year for the rest of our mortgage!
Sincerely,
Cathy
Thursday, August 4, 2011
It's HOT!!!
I can't believe how hot it's been. I've certainly been missing Michigan Summers. Since we moved to Missouri 15 years ago, this is the first summer we haven't traveled back to Michigan in the summertime. Don't know if a Michigan gal will ever get acclimated to a Missouri summer! Just look at a few of the 'facts' about Missouri's heat -
And really, I love the sun, just not the heat - look at this gorgeous picture I got at sunset camping this past weekend. Yes, we were crazy enough to camp in this heat!!
Yes, I'm SOOO thankful for our central air conditioning!! And I'm thankful no season lasts forever...
- We've set record highs the past 3 days in a row.
- We even set a record high for the month of August at 108.
- Mind you this is Missouri in the summer, so add in humidity and the heat indexes are well over 110.
- This is the hottest summer in Missouri in the past 25 years.
- We went to 'moonlight madness' to ride the roller coasters last night. When we arrived at Silver Dollar City at 6pm, the heat index was reading 117 on my phone. When we left at 10pm, it was reading 102 on my phone.
- My air conditioning is set at 82 - and that's still 25+ degrees colder than the outside temperatures!
Yes, I'm SOOO thankful for our central air conditioning!! And I'm thankful no season lasts forever...
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Confessions
Confession #1. I wish these years with the girls would never end. It's hard for me to imagine Morgan and Sarah not being a part of my every day life one day. (And yes I'm crying right now.) I want to always hear them laughing out loud in the back seat of the car. I want to always enjoy their squeals as they fly on the tube across the lake. I want to always cheer them on as they practice dive after dive. I want to always wake up camping with them sleeping next to me in a tent. And yet, I know I'll cherish their growing up too. I just know these sweet days are going to end before I'm ready for them too! And I'm reminded...cherish the moments...all we have are moments on the journey...
Confession #2. I love Mountain Dew. I know there is absolutely nothing good about it, but I LOVE it. Mike does too. Tomorrow we are challenging each other to give up soda...(maybe forever?!?). There's a $100 bucks on the line to the one who holds out the longest!
Confession #3. Sometimes I feel guilty that I am not using my college degree. That I'm not contributing financially to our family in a bigger way than substitute teaching allows. That I'm not touching lives through a career in social work. I worry that it will be hard to get back into the field after all the years of being at home with the girls. And yet, back to confession #1 - I know deep down that I'm making the right choice for our family right now. And I'm thankful that Mike feels it's the right choice too. And I'm thankful we've built a lifestyle that makes it possible. Life is about moments, and yet it's also about choices...
Confession #2. I love Mountain Dew. I know there is absolutely nothing good about it, but I LOVE it. Mike does too. Tomorrow we are challenging each other to give up soda...(maybe forever?!?). There's a $100 bucks on the line to the one who holds out the longest!
Confession #3. Sometimes I feel guilty that I am not using my college degree. That I'm not contributing financially to our family in a bigger way than substitute teaching allows. That I'm not touching lives through a career in social work. I worry that it will be hard to get back into the field after all the years of being at home with the girls. And yet, back to confession #1 - I know deep down that I'm making the right choice for our family right now. And I'm thankful that Mike feels it's the right choice too. And I'm thankful we've built a lifestyle that makes it possible. Life is about moments, and yet it's also about choices...
Friday, July 22, 2011
Family Fun Magazine
I only receive one magazine subscription. It's to Family Fun. I LOVE this magazine and I always find at least one activity to do with the girls. As soon as I saw the stained glass window project...I knew we were doing it! Here's the link on how do this project: http://familyfun.go.com/crafts/non-staining-glass-1019768/ - I also LOVE their website - I always go there for cool projects! This project is super easy...cover window with saran wrap, tape edges with painter's tape, tear up tissue paper, glue on window (I watered down glue w/water (half/half) for them to glue them on with). It kept them busy for a couple of hours! I thought they turned out super cute and the summer sun looks beautiful shinning thru them! What magazine subscriptions do you love?!
Thursday, July 21, 2011
A to Z Summer Fun
Last summer we did our first A to Z Summer fun! This year we are keeping some of the same days, and adding in some different days. And with the first half of our summer so busy, I did have to double up a few days this year in order to get them all squeezed in! When making our list I try and think of everything I want to do at least once with the girls during the summer...and put it on here so that we make sure the fun happens before summer slips away! Last summer I was great about getting pictures of each day...this year...well, not so well. But here are a couple. Perhaps it's the heat getting to me?!
Well, today we are on "K" day and I'm glad my girls love this a to z summer fun as much as I do! :)
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| "B" Day: Baking Day! This is their own creation, cookie dough dipped in melted chocolate chips. Umm, yay, they were yummy! |
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| "E" Day: Experiment Day Polymers let you poke a pencil thru a bag full of water without spilling any of it! Look at that concentration! |
July 7th A Arts & Crafts – Village Pottery
July 8th B Baking Day
July 11th C Camera scavenger Hunt
July 12th D Donuts delivered to Dad
July 13th E Experiment Day
July 14th F Friendship Day
July 15th G Game Day – Make up some games
July 18th H Hershey Day
July 19th I Ice Cream Day
July 20th J Jump in the Pool!
July 21st K Kindness Day
July 22nd L Laugh, Laugh,Laugh
July 25th M Mystery Monday
July 26th N-O Neighbors over for Outside Fun!
July 27th P Pizza at the Park with Pop
July 28th Q Quiet Day
July 29th R Republic Aquatic Center
Aug 1st S Scrapbooking
Aug 2nd T-U Take a Trip to an Ultimate Surprise
Aug 3rd V Video Game Day
Aug 4th W Wilson’s Creek Jr. Ranger Badge
Aug 5th X-Y Xtra Fun at the Y-Center
Aug 12th Z Zippity-do-dah Day!
Monday, July 18, 2011
Yum, yum, yummy: Freezer Meals
Well anyone who knows me well knows that I HATE to cook! Seriously, if I was rich, the first thing I'd do would be hire a chef! Speaking of rich, check out this house that is being built about 30 minutes from our house - 72,000 square feet - all made of concrete - one of the largest homes in America: click here to see it. Personally, I think it's a waste of money, but it's not my money to waste!
Back to food. The girls have recently decided they LIKE to cook dinner. Last week, with much enthusiasm they made us spaghetti, pancakes and loaded baked potatoes for dinner. And I'm LOVING this!!! I'm trying to be in the kitchen more with them since they are enjoying it, but it's not something that comes easy for me.
Last summer I shared a few of our favorite freezer meal recipes. And I thought I'd share a couple more with you now. Enjoy!
Very Veggie Lasagna
(a summertime favorite for all those veggies from the garden! Note: I usually make this one recipe in 2 9x9 pans, we eat one and freeze one for later, rather than the 13x9 pan.)
2 med carrots, julienned
1 med zucchini cut into 1/4 in slices
1 yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 in slices
1 med onion, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup red julienned sweet red pepper
1/2 cup julienned green pepper
2 T vegetable oil
1 teas salt
2 garlic gloves
1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
14 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
4 cups shredded cheese
In large skillet, stir fry vegetables, garlic and salt in oil until crisp tender.
Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce in greased 13x9 in dish.
Arranged 7 noodles over the sauce, overlapping as needed
Layer with half of veggies, spaghetti sauce and cheese.
Repeat Layers
Cover and bake at 350 degrees from 60 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 15 min before cutting.
If you freeze one, bake an extra 30 min or so.
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
(take a little time, but I usually make double/triple batches, and they are so worth it!)
- 3-4 raw Chicken Breasts (sliced into either strips or cut into nuggets)
- 3 T melted Margarine or butter
- 1 T Worcestershire
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
In small bowl, mix Margarine & Worcestershire sauce together. In separate bowl, mix bread crumbs and cheese together. Dip chicken into margarine mixture, then dip it into bread/cheese mixture. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Flash freeze chicken for an hour. Then remove from cookie sheet and place in a ziploc freezer bag until ready to bake.
Serve: SPRAY pan (I always forget this step, not a good idea!). Bake uncovered for 30 min at 375 degrees, or until juice in chicken runs clear. Turn once with tongs.
Back to food. The girls have recently decided they LIKE to cook dinner. Last week, with much enthusiasm they made us spaghetti, pancakes and loaded baked potatoes for dinner. And I'm LOVING this!!! I'm trying to be in the kitchen more with them since they are enjoying it, but it's not something that comes easy for me.
Last summer I shared a few of our favorite freezer meal recipes. And I thought I'd share a couple more with you now. Enjoy!
Very Veggie Lasagna
(a summertime favorite for all those veggies from the garden! Note: I usually make this one recipe in 2 9x9 pans, we eat one and freeze one for later, rather than the 13x9 pan.)
2 med carrots, julienned
1 med zucchini cut into 1/4 in slices
1 yellow summer squash, cut into 1/4 in slices
1 med onion, sliced
1 cup broccoli florets
1/2 cup sliced celery
1/2 cup red julienned sweet red pepper
1/2 cup julienned green pepper
2 T vegetable oil
1 teas salt
2 garlic gloves
1 jar (28 oz) spaghetti sauce
14 lasagna noodles, cooked and drained
4 cups shredded cheese
In large skillet, stir fry vegetables, garlic and salt in oil until crisp tender.
Spread 3/4 cup spaghetti sauce in greased 13x9 in dish.
Arranged 7 noodles over the sauce, overlapping as needed
Layer with half of veggies, spaghetti sauce and cheese.
Repeat Layers
Cover and bake at 350 degrees from 60 minutes or until bubbly. Let stand 15 min before cutting.
If you freeze one, bake an extra 30 min or so.
Homemade Chicken Nuggets
(take a little time, but I usually make double/triple batches, and they are so worth it!)
- 3-4 raw Chicken Breasts (sliced into either strips or cut into nuggets)
- 3 T melted Margarine or butter
- 1 T Worcestershire
- 1 cup Italian bread crumbs
1/2 c. grated Parmesan cheese
In small bowl, mix Margarine & Worcestershire sauce together. In separate bowl, mix bread crumbs and cheese together. Dip chicken into margarine mixture, then dip it into bread/cheese mixture. Place chicken on cookie sheet. Flash freeze chicken for an hour. Then remove from cookie sheet and place in a ziploc freezer bag until ready to bake.
Serve: SPRAY pan (I always forget this step, not a good idea!). Bake uncovered for 30 min at 375 degrees, or until juice in chicken runs clear. Turn once with tongs.
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