I'll Start

It has been a while since we did this but I have wanted to share this for a while so I will start by sharing with you something that I think it would be fun to do at least for a time at some point during my life. 

The timing would need to be right as far as the ages of our kids and maybe it would need to wait until I was older and my kids were out on their own.  I would also need to have the resources, since most adventures take money.  I would love to have the experience of owning a bed and breakfast.  I love the idea of making a home that people would love to stay in and be so comfortable.  Taking the time to think through and have all the little things that people may need while staying away from home.  Serving a delicious breakfast in the morning before the guests headed out for the day and having a snack and beverage available in the afternoon.  Bill and I stayed at a bed and Breakfast in Bar Harbor on our honeymoon and it was such a lovely experience.  The room was cozy and private, the breakfast and snacks were yummy.  The people who owned the house were so knowledgeable about the area, restaurants and tourist events.  Each morning a tray was delivered outside your door with your preselected beverage and at a time desired by you.  At a designated time breakfast was served downstairs in the sun porch.  The yard had several hammocks and one afternoon during our stay Bill and I napped in the yard. 
If I owned a bed and breakfast I would serve some of my favorites like crepes, cranberry oatmeal scones, a dutch baby and cinnamon swirl french toast. 

Do you have an idea of something you would like to do instead of your current job?  Please share.

not ready yet

we were getting ready to go out the door to daycare and Griffin decided he was "not ready yet"

and wanted to continue to play so he hid in the laundry room

such a precious little face

watching....

Any ideas what they are watching?

snow!  this is the first time this winter and it was maybe 1/2 inch and melted the same day

the kids ran around for a few minutes before daycare- of course they had a delay which made for a crazy morning getting to the office

Date Night

Last weekend we went on a date....I cannot remember the date of the previous date night (oh yeah does my work Christmas party count?)

Our dear neighbors offered to watch our kids and gave us the green light to go out and have a great time.

Initially we had dinner plans at our club but Bill had a bad cold so we opted for quick dinner at Chick fil a and a movie- The Vow. 

Between dinner and the movie we walked around the mall, holding hands- instead of pushing a stroller or chasing a child, which was nice.

The movie was comical at times and very romantic, yet sad too.  We both enjoyed it very much.

When we got home our little ones were asleep and our neighbors told us we should have stayed out later.

Next time we will!

It is so good to have someone right next door that loves our children and has raised their own.

I am not sure who had more fun, us, the kids or our neighbors.

Special Treat

Two weekends ago the kids and I were outside on a Saturday while Bill was at work.  I let them play in the yard a bit and I vacuumed out my car.

They rode bikes and ran around and I was freezing!  So a sure way to get them in without a fight- announce that we will be having hot chocolate!

Sydney said "you are really going to let us have hot chocolate?  It isn't even snowing!"

Well I did better then just hot chocolate, we had marshmellow creme (a first) on graham crackers with fun toppings!

yes they were still in pjs

and we are still using Santa plates

it was a yummy treat on a cold day

My littlest helper

Happy Valentine's Day

The kids woke up to a decorated table- lots of cut out hearts and heart shaped plates.  Daddy bought them each a balloon and flowers for me.

They ate heart shaped pancakes and a special chocolate.

You can see Sydney's shirt we made very well in the video.

I had to work late but the kids had a special evening with daddy and they had a great day at daycare with parties and valentines. 

Bookmarks for Valentine's Day

I made these bookmarks and mailed a few to some special people in my life and I gave one to a few friends and all the girls at work.  I saw the idea here and I decided to use a colored card stock.  Aren't they sweet?
Happy Valentine's Day. 

Hello Monday

Looking forward to a week of fun and a few surprises

of course we have Valentine's day to celebrate

and my husband's birthday

(my mom's too but we won't be with her)

so we are looking forward to hearts

chocolate and LOVE

what are you saying hello to this Monday?

dinner tray

I like to put the kids meals on divided plates to keep stuff separate and also the edge make it easier for Griffin to feed himself

but the little plates usually only have three sections which is not always enough
I got these trays at Delk's Army Navy and they are fun for the kids- they remind me of eating in a cafeteria

so tonight they had rice with hamburger steak and mushrooms

fresh veggies with light ranch

fruit and berries- well Syd had grapes and Griffin had grapes plus blueberries and strawberries

the last spot on the tray was taken up by a chocolate chip cookie for dessert

try as I may Syd does not like berries or melon (weird to me because those things are so yummy and sweet)

and Griffin would eat his weight in berries if I let him (he had three helpings tonight and I cut him off)

Aldi's has blueberries and strawberries on sale this week so we stocked up

do you kids eat on anything special?

Valentines shirt

I saw this idea in a Disney Family Fun magazine so Sydney and I decided to give it a try.

I bought a solid long sleeved shirt at target (3.99 I think)

and doilies (you only need 1) and fabric paint

using glue stick or tape you secure doiley to the shirt, put a sheet of newspaper inside shirt so paint does not bleed through and then use a sponge or foam paint brush to dab the paint in the holes in the dollie

peel off doiley and let paint dry 72 hours

wash as instructed on paint

I have not taken a finished project picture yet but I will on Valentine's day

It was fun, very easy and now Syd has a shirt for Valentines but it is also something she can wear any day

church

a large dark room

band on the stage

light bulbs hanging from the ceiling above the stage

our daughter on Bill's shoulders

singing "lifted up, he defeated the grave, raised to life, our God is able"

her hand raised

tears pooling in my eyes

tears of joy

Sunday at church

Super Bowl Sunday without Super Bowl

We had the best Super Bowl Sunday but it did not involve the Super Bowl at all.
our kids slept in which was nice
we tag teamed and did some cleanup
went to church
ate leftovers for lunch
again tag teamed on a few chores
snuggled in the living room and ate kettle corn while watching animal planet (Syd's fav)
went for a brisk walk- both kids fell asleep and Bill and I talked
snuggled some more and played
ate yummy dinner, grilled brats, baked beans, chips and homemade guacamole (junkie dinner, but yummy)
made chocolate chip cookies
had a little dance party
kids to bed
Bill and I had coffee and cookies while watching Courageous
conversation about the movie and bed
so it was a wonderful day and we never even watched the first minute of football
what did you do Sunday?

Ikea

Have you been to IKEA?  Well we have one in Charlotte which is just over an hour drive for us so sometimes we go there on a rainy day.
The kids play on fun chairs

and in little circus tents

Bill and I get decorating ideas
we like this fold down desk for Sydney's room but we aren't buying it yet

see the cool tin containers hanging on the rod above the desk- how fun for markers, pencils and stuff

I like this red dresser

Sydney found a stuffed rat toy- and Griffin got a hammering toy

We usually eat in their cafe while we are there and we just walk around and browse...for hours

Bill and I agreed next time we go we will leave the kids- it is hard to keep a close eye on them and actually see stuff

Deals, deals and more deals

I made a few stops today for groceries and I came across some great deals.

Aldis: avocados 49 c, baby carrots 16 oz 49c, grape tomatoes 49c, broccoli 89c and mushrooms 89c

Bottom Dollar:  Tyson chicken breasts 1.48 lb and pork loin 1.97 lb

Food Lion:  several B1G1 deals plus I had coupons- pop secret popcorn, emerald nuts

Overall it was a stock up day, since I try to keep the monthly grocery at 300 I need to stock up on deals when I see them so I never pay full price.

Do you have a grocery budget?