Is It That Time Of Year? Or Is There Something In The Water?

It was one year ago yesterday that my youngest daughter made her growing presence known. After celebrating St. Patrick's Day with some family and friends, I developed what we thought was a really bad case of food poisoning...probably from the combination of blue cheese dressing on the salad and lots of vinegar on the Corned Beef. A combination like that has got to make anyone have an upset tummy.

When I was still feeling awful a week later, I made an appointment with my doctors office. Imagine my surprise when she told me I was pregnant! I guess it really should not of surprised us considering that we became pregnant with our oldest child while I was on the bc pill...so why would it be any different when I was on the bc ring!?!?



While I was thinking about all of these memories yesterday morning, I received a wonderful e-mail from a dear friend and former co-worker. She was excited to tell me that she was pregnant with her second baby. Her first is only 10 months old and we enjoyed being pregnant together at work...another buddy to share aches, pains, and cravings with!

This morning I get another e-mail from another former co-worker. She was also excited to tell me that she was pregnant with her first. She wanted to thank Bryleigh for bringing her good luck! The last time we saw each other, she held Bryleigh close and my sweet baby girl gave her good baby thoughts and rubbed against her belly.



So the question is? Is it just that time of year for babies to start growing? Is there something in the water? Or is the Luck Of The Irish with Bryleigh?

P.S. On a side note, these two announcements have also got me a bit freaked out. You know how good things happen in 3s...while I am suppose to go to the doctors tomorrow to try a more reliable form of bc. Before this can take place, I need to have a pregnancy test. Wouldn't it be just my luck...

Another Great Success!

The whole gang loved yesterday's recipe. Had hoped that I would have enough left over to make Irish Beef Stew...but the meant was the first thing devoured, followed quickly by the green beans and cabbage. I love it that the kids request seconds and thirds on meat and veggies.

Do you want to know what else they love and request all of the time?

Salad...



and Sushi!



How crazy is that?!?! When they have the choice between french fries or side salad, they will ask for the fries but end up stealing my side salad. One time when I was grocery shopping, we walked by the Sushi Station and a chorus of little voices belts out..."Sushi! We love Sushi!" How can you turn down a request like that?

When Irish Eyes Are Smiling...

they must look something like these...





I usually make the traditional Irish Boiled Dinner (i.e. Corned Beef, Cabbage, & Potatoes). Since we are all watching our diets, that one is out of the question. Have you seen how much sodium in in one serving of Corned Beef! Yikes!! So, I am trying a new recipe.

Irish Spiced Beef

3 tbsp. packed brown sugar
2 tsp. ground cloves
2 tsp. ground allspice
2 tsp. ground cinnamon
1 tsp. cracked black pepper
4 lb. beef bottom round or beef chuck pot roasts
1 3/4 cups lower sodium beef broth
1 bottle (12 fl. oz.) stout or dark beer

MIX brown sugar, cloves, allspice, cinnamon and pepper in bowl. Add roast and turn to coat. Cover and refrigerate 12 hr. or overnight.

REMOVE roast and place in oven-safe sauce pot.

ADD broth and beer. Cover and bake at 350 degrees. for 3 hr. or until roast is fork-tender. Remove roast and let stand 10 min. Thinly slice roast. Serve with pan juices. Sprinkle with parsley.

Serves 8.

Will let you know how this turns out.

Guinea Pig Friday Update

Well, the recipe remake was a success! Made a double batch and this was all that was left. Was looking forward to eating it for lunch on Saturday, but some "gremlin" must have gotten hungry. By morning light, it was gone! Guess I will be making it again.

Not sure what to make for Guinea Pig Friday this week...maybe Turkey and Bean Burritos? Any suggestions?

Guinea Pig Friday...

You might be asking yourself..."What in the world is Guinea Pig Friday?" Well, it is something that I just made up. Like most of you, I enjoy cooking and have many family favorites that are probably not the most healthy things to eat on a regular basis.

So, I decided to create Guinea Pig Friday. That is when I take an unhealthy recipe and try to remake it healthier. Then my family and friends get to be the "Guinea Pigs" that I test it out on.

Today, I am going to remake a recipe that doesn't sound so great, but it really does taste good. The name sounds funny and the ingredients do not sound so appetizing together, but it is something quick, easy, and no matter how much I make, there is never enough to save for leftovers. Here is the recipe...

Tater Tot Casserole

1 lb ground beef
1 medium onion, diced
salt, to taste
pepper, to taste
1 can cream of chicken soup
8 oz sharp Cheddar cheese, shredded
1 bag tater tots, frozen

In a casserole dish that has been sprayed with non-stick cooking spray, crumble up the ground beef. Make sure that it evenly covers the bottom of the dish. Sprinkle the diced onion on top of the beef and then use the salt and pepper. Spread the cream of chicken soup over the top and then cover that with the shredded cheddar cheese. Finally, arrange the tater tots over the top.

Put in a preheated oven and bake at 350 for 1 hour.

I am going to try and remake this using ground turkey, no salt, fat-free soup, low fat cheese and fresh shredded potatoes. Will let you know how it turns out.

How Would You Have Handled This Situation?

Last night, my husband told me a story about a friend of his. The husband had decided to buy some diamond stud earrings for his wife to celebrate their upcoming anniversary. He purchased them early to receive a great price during the recent long holiday season. Because he wanted to make the gift a surprise, he also opened up a new credit card using his work address for the bills. Then he hid the earrings in his golf shoes in the closet. With all of his careful planning, he was sure that it was going to be a secret gift for his better half.

Imagine his surprise when he received this phone call yesterday for the wife. She was madder than a wet hen and calling him every name she could think of. I imagine the conversation went something like this...

W - So...who is she?

H - Who is who?

W - Someone at work? Someone you met during one of your "business trips"?

H - What are you talking about?

W - The woman you bought the g^% d@mned diamond earrings for!

H - Oh sh!t! How do you know about the diamond earrings?

W - So it it true! You're cheating on me!

H - I am not cheating on you!

W - I just received a phone call from a representative from the credit card that you secretly opened up, asking how I like my new earrings!

H - Those f#$king a$$h*l^$! I was trying to surprise you for our anniversary. Go look in the closet. I have them hidden in my stinky golf shoes. The one place that I knew you wouldn't look!

Like the saying goes...

The Road To Hell Is Paved With Good Intentions!

Now We Know What Was Really In Those Coconut Cream Pies!

I am heartbroken. Mary Ann is a pot-head. The hut that she shared with Ginger is really a Hot Box. The Professor ran a Meth Lab. Never would have guessed this. From Scooby, Shaggy, and those pesky kids as they roams around in their Mystery Machine...but not from Sweet Mary Ann! The Goody Goody Farm Girl.

She was sentenced recently to five days in jail, fined $410.50 and placed on six months of probation after pleading guilty to one count of reckless driving as well as having marijuana in her car.

I wonder what else they were growing on the island? Is that how the Howells continued to make their millions?

I Am Insane!!!

That is the only explanation as to why on earth I thought it would be a good idea to take all five children (under the age of 7) to the doctor's office. Two needed school physicals so that they could start their new schools, one needed a exam to make sure that her ear ache was getting better, one needed her 4 month check up, and one was along for the ride.

All was going relatively well until it was time for the oldest to get his urine checked. Mikey was completely appalled at the though of having to pee in a cup and refused to do it. After talking with him for a couple of minutes and assuring him that it was standard procedure for "big boy" exams, he relented...but would only put a few drops in the cup. No more than that because it was just too gross!

Next was the finger prick to check their blood. Mikey was wary, but took the finger stick like a champ. He thought it was cool watching his blood fill up the tiny testing tube. Kaleigh flipped out and had to be held while the nurse did her job. She tried to smack the nurse, but thankfully she was quick with her job. Kadence was upset because she didn't get her finger pricked and started to cry. Kaleigh then started worrying aloud about the possibility of actual shots. (She was due to have 4, but I tried to distract her until it was time.) She tried to quietly hid under the exam table with hopes that we would forget about her.

Kadence stopped crying when it was time for her exam and behaved so well. She sat very still for the doctor and did everything that he asked her to do. Thankfully she didn't have an ear infection, but did have the start of a sinus infection. So more antibiotics for her. Have to take her back in 10 days to make sure that she is infection free.

Bryleigh also did great. She laid very still while she was given her check-up. The little monkey is in the 90th percentile for her age! She is almost 15 lbs and as healthy as a horse. My sister's kids are tiny for their age and rank in the 10th percentile while both of mine are bustin' off the charts. She gets the mice and I get the moose!

Finally it was time for the real fun to begin...shots! Both Kaleigh and Bryleigh had to have 4 each. Kaleigh was first. Figured that she would be the hardest. That she would run for the hills if Bryleigh went first. She scream hysterically for the next 15 minutes...and I finally understand why some people use to slap hysterical people to calm them down. As soon as the shots were administered and she was given her lollipop and stickers, all was forgotten...at least until someone mentioned it. Then she was limping and crying...really working it.

Bryleigh did pretty good. She cried of course, but noting like the Oscar worthy performance by Kaleigh. Afterwards, she was smiling and giggling again.

All in all, we were in the exam room from 2:40 until almost 4:30. Never again will I try this again. No more than two appointments at a time from here on out...

On the way home, I had some pretty cranky little ones. Thankfully the two youngest ones fell asleep as soon as we got home. The three oldest ones went out to play. Had to take pictures of the sleeping beauties. They looked so sweet and angelic. Wish I could have taken a nap too or at the very least, drank a margarita!

OMG!

I just talked with an Urban Legend on the phone...

I made a phone call to inquire about the billing status on one of my accounts. The woman that I spoke with was named (and I kid you not...) Velveeta! I even asked her to repeat, as well as spell her name. The poor girl must get that question directed at her alot!



Just goes to show you...a name is so very important!

My "Warped" Sense of Humor...

...inherited from my father's side of the family.



Is this what you would call a Peep Show?

We can hardly wait...

...my sister and her family are moving back! Yeah! It will be so good to have the five of them close by again. The last time we lived in the same area, my nephew was just a baby. He is now in 1st grade! Both of my nieces were born while they lived out-of-state. I have had to watch them grow up in photos or during their brief visits...but not any more! The kids will be arriving tomorrow night! My sister and brother-in-law will be coming down later...after they get everything organized for the move.

Kyla is so excited that she can hardly sleep. She keeps telling her preschool teachers and classmates that her Cousin Kaleigh will be joining their class. Oh the two of them are going to have so much fun together! Mikey is going to be attending the local elementary school where he can either ride the bus from my parents house or walk / ride his bike from my house...not that I would let him do any of that by himself! Kadence will more than likely be staying with Bryleigh and me during the day..and the two of us are really looking forward to that!



I took these photos of the four "big" kids over the summer. I had the pleasure of their company for almost the entire summer. They all played so good together and were so much fun to watch. Now I just need to get Bry's picture on the dragon!









Once they all get settled, I am going to have to take more pictures of the five of them! I was searching through the hundreds of photos that I have and I could only find this photo of all five of them!



Mom Mom and Papa are not going to know what to do with all five of their grand babies to love-on on a daily basis!

I HATE SPIDERS!

I HATE spiders. Have hated them for as long as I can remember...probably because of the house we lived in when I was a little girl. I shared the attic bedroom with my sister. It was a really neat place and we were always finding treasures...the previous owner hid pennies all over the place. The down side was the easy access for the spiders to come out of the woodwork at night! Yikes! I remember waking up with those huge, nasty wood spiders crawling all over my bed and me. It was the stuff of little girls nightmares.



In my family, my father, both sisters, and I suffer from arachnophobia. My mother is our hero because she has the ability to kill them without getting the willies and shrieking like a little girl. Many a family get-together has been filled with recounting the stories of various spider encounters...the spider that chased my father around the vestibule at church...the one that died after jumping into the hot tube to get at my older sister...the time I did a back flip during a Drama Class lecture because a spider had crawled on me...or the time my younger sister tried to crawl into the backseat while driving to my wedding because a tiny dust spider dropped down on a single thread right in front of her face...I could go on and on with these stories.



Last night I had a nightmare about a spider. The same dream that I have had since childhood. I was trapped in the dark and damp basement by a huge spider...my skin is crawling and I am covered in sweat just thinking of it. Told my mom about the dream. She remembered the dream...and all the times she had to soothe me because of it.



I am so terrified of spiders that if I see one, I will start to hyperventilate and cannot talk or move. That worked OK when it was just Brad & I. Now that I have two beautiful children to protect, I have to function. Or as my sister says...



I don't want to pass my fears on to them. So, I try my best to not "freak" around them and if there is a spider, I bite my tongue and kill it. It is hard, but you would be amazed at what you can do when you feel like your children are being threatened. I personally turn into a Momma Bear and squish those spiders until they are just a greasy spot on the floor.

Bryleigh & The Bear

I had to post these two photos. Just took them moments ago. Bryleigh is on the floor playing with her Baby Gym. Kyla decided to let her sissy play with her Papa Bear. And it was "Love at First Sight" for Bryleigh. She has been hugging and kissing the bear ever since. Kyla wasn't too sure about it and kept telling us that sissy could only borrow her bear...





I am a lucky Mommy...my girls love each other and that makes my heart sing.

What a great show!

What a great show! We both really enjoyed the show and said that we would see it again and again! Not too many shows that we say that about...Only Phantom Of The Opera, Les Miserables, and Momma Mia.

Might even invest in the Soundtrack. Already downloaded some songs onto my Ipod. It was really nice to actually get the background on the songs that we all know and still sing. Really puts a new feel to them the next time you hear them and start to sing.

It was also so nice for the two of us to have a "real" date night. Just the two of us. To reconnect and be Brad & Kara, not mommy & daddy. We even made the goal to have a date night at least once a month...just the two of us.

And you will all be happy to hear that both Kyla and Bryleigh "survived" their evenings. Kyla had a great time with Mom Mom & Papa. The three of them watched Underdog...but only Kyla was still awake by the end of the movie. Bryleigh also had a good time with Aunt Mick. The two of them played for a long time...but she wasn't too sure about the bottle. Guess that is why she presented Micki with a huge "blow-out"...all over her clothes, the blanket, and who knows what else. That was her third for the day...and she had another one this morning during Sunday School. All over her new dress as well as the clothes that her Sunday School teacher was wearing! Hope she isn't getting sick...

I'm So Excited!

I'm so excited! Cannot wait until this evening. Brad is taking me to see Jersey Boys! His Valentine's Day gift to me...dinner and a show. The man really knows the way to my heart.



Kyla is a bit upset. She wants to go to. Every time she see the commercial for Jersey Boys, she spends the next hour sing "Sherry Baby". When I said she was spending the night at Mom Mom & Papa's while Bryleigh was staying with Aunt Mick because Mommy & Daddy were going to see the show...well lets just say...she had a meltdown! Only my high-maintenance little girl would throw a fit because she doesn't get to go to see a Broadway Show!

Pictures Of Sleeping Kyla

About a month ago, I had written about an article in a magazine about getting your children to sleep in their own beds. It worked wonderfully with Kyla. She was going to sleep without any problems.

Well last night we had a bit of trouble again. She didn't want to sleep in her room and kept coming out. First there was a strange noise...then a monster under her bed...followed by a pirate in the closet...and finally her "tum-tum" was hurting. Then it was wonderfully silent...she must have fallen asleep. Thank goodness.

A short time later, after feeding Bryleigh, the two of us headed off to bed...waking a snoring Brad on the love seat. We passed through the kitchen and stopped dead in our tracks...

Look what we saw...

I still cannot believe that this has happened...

Recently Bryleigh and I were relaxing at home when I noticed the sound of a helicopter hovering above the house. I stepped out onto the back patio and saw a news helicopter going in circles above my house. A bit freaked out, I turned on the news as well as checked the local news internet sites. Could not find anything. So, I called my father. He was not aware of anything going on either. His advice was to stay inside with the doors locked and the phone beside me.

Bry and I ended up falling asleep and woke up a couple of hours later...just in time to see our house on the local news channel...Pretty freaky, huh! I about passed out. Good thing the focus was not on my house, but my neighbor's. Apparently Mr. Neighbor was in the process of being arrested for having an inappropriate relationship with a minor and his house was being searched! Looking out my front window, the street was lined with police cars, news vehicles, and reporters!

When I left a short time later to pick up Kyla from school, a couple of the reporters started to walk over to me...probably hoping for a comment. I hurried to put Bryleigh into the vehicle, scramble into my seat, lock the doors, and back out of the driveway.

My heart breaks for his wife and family. She is such a sweet lady and the kids seem so well-behaved. I had only seen him a few times, but he was the person that Brad talked with about the neighborhood when we were first looked at the house. I cannot even begin to fathom how he could do such a thing to destroy his family...

Not sure what is going on now in their household and I don't think I want to know. My prayers have been for her and the kids. I have tried to pray for him...but I cannot. He is a grown, married man and should know better than to take advantage of an under aged minor! He has bonded out of jail and is currently awaiting his trial...and back to living in the house across from me.

While he is not my idea of the perfect neighbor, at least I know the situation. I can be on the alert now. But what about all the other "predators" that could be in the area.

My father recently sent me the following link. He said that it will help in identifying the creeps that are living and working in the surrounding area. I could not believe how many are close by...it is frightening.

I have listed the link below for you all to check the areas surrounding your homes.
When you visit this site, enter your address and a map will pop up with your residence denoted as a small icon of a house. There will be red, blue and green dots surrounding your entire neighborhood. When you click on these dots a picture of a criminal will appear with his or her home address and the description of the crime he or she has committed.

The best thing is that you can show your children the see pictures and see how close these people live to your home or school.

http://www.familywatchdog.us/




Side Note - Just last night, I was coming home after having dinner with my parents. As I rounded the corner by my house, my headlights revealed a body laying half in the road and half on the grass directly across from my driveway. I slammed on my brakes and could not breathe. The body sat up, looked at me...it was the neighbor, talking on his cell phone. It was just creepy.

Photos From Kyla's Valentine's Day Party

Here are some photos from the Valentine's Day Party for Kyla's Class. All of the children were so cute.

A nice photo of all of the children and their wonderful teacher, Ms. Wanda.



Saying their blessings before digging into all the yummy snacks. How sweet are they?



Waiting patiently in line...



And sitting nicely at the table...



These snacks are so yummy!



Especially the chocolate hearts!



Can I have some more, please?



Sitting so nice and quiet...



And eating everything on my plate.



Are you going to eat all of your fruit?



I love these muffins!



And let's not forget Miss Bryleigh. She was having so much fun sitting in her carseat watching all of the kids...