Find the Joy

It's August 30th...where are my keys????

2010-08-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

No new house keys graced my palm today. Sad.

Bev, our realtor, is working so hard trying to piggie-back us moving out of where we are and into our new house. Last I heard, we have 6 days to move out of here, although Bev is doing her best at dragging her feet for us. :)

Well, we'll see......

To be continued......

Me Oh My!

2010-08-17T21:17:00.000-07:00

A couple things have happened this week (that I cannot go into details without either hurting people's feelings and/or cause more harm than good) that made me recall a poster I read once in a classroom.

My attitude may need some adjusting, but I really think this might be a motto to which I shall refer this year:

Oh goodness...pray for me...

New house...new designs

2010-08-13T23:35:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited about moving to a new house. I'm terrible at designing a room but I'd love to have a pretty home. Good thing I've got great friends that are willing to give their opinions (which I value deeply). But I want to make sure my house looks like me and not like it belongs to them, kwim? So here's a few pics of rooms I like and examples of what I don't care for.

traditional dining room design by seattle architect Bosworth Hoedemaker

I don't care for that bubble light over the table but I do like the clean lines and simplicity of the room.

mediterranean entry design by phoenix architect Carson Poetzl, Inc.

I really like the color scheme here.

eclectic entry design by los angeles interior designer Fluegge Interior Design, Inc.

I do NOT like this. For me, it's too cluttered and has way too much stuff to dust.

tropical living room design by hawaii interior designer Susan J Moss, ASID

This feels like I'm waiting in the lobby of the Mirage in Vegas. Which is a good thing if I'm actually waiting in the lobby of the Mirage. But it's not what I want my home to feel like. :)

contemporary living room design by new york interior designer Barbara Jacobs Color and Design

I like this; can't really put my finger on why I like it...but I do.

modern bathroom design by san francisco architect Sutton Suzuki Architect

Clean and simple. I like it.

mediterranean bedroom design by other metros showroom Angel Mangarakov

Those curtains are kinda cool! And I like how bright it is. But...that's all I like.

modern kitchen design by miami interior designer Pepe Calderin

Diggin' the kitchen.

modern kitchen design by san francisco architect At-Six Architecture

I like this one even better - the cool, opaque cabinets, the tile that's a different color.

contemporary kitchen design by new york interior designer valerie pasquiou interiors + design, inc

I like the height you get out of this kitchen. Very pretty.

Ok, well designers, I hope this gives you a better sense of my point of view/style.

Happy decorating!

All for $8

2010-08-08T21:51:00.001-07:00

these for $6
and and these for only $2
I love Albertsons double coupons.

My God is BIG

2010-08-08T20:48:00.000-07:00

The place we're in now...yeah, it sold!!! Bev put it on the market on a Saturday, put the for sale sign in the 'yard' Sunday, we went on vacation on Monday, and later that week the buyer signed the contract. The week we went on vacation it sold!!! Totally convenient. The realtor office staff called our mobile home an eternal-listing because they don't sell. Ha, they don't know my God!

We have to be out of here by September 5th. We thought we'd be homeless until our short-sale house we want closed. During this time I had various reactions from people. But my absolute favorites were from two very special people - they opened up their homes for my family of 5 as if it were no big deal at all. Who does that?
It seriously warms my heart to know you guys love me and my family the way you do (and you know who you are!!!! I love you girls soooo much!!!!).

Well, see this house ---->

Yeah, the short-sale house we're buying... IT'S OURS!!!!!!!!

If all goes according to plan (I know, I know...famous last words but I'm in prayer that all will go according to God's plan...it's the best one out there!!!) we'll have the keys by 5pm on August 30th.

Perfect timing, God! A week where we'll have access to both homes. I'll take any stress relief while moving. Lord, I love how you love on us!

Pasta Caprese

2010-08-03T15:50:00.000-07:00

My husband LOVES this dish. He calls it an explosion of flavors in his mouth. Wow! Now that's something. Have I mentioned we're foodie wanna-be's? It's what were meant to be once we have the empty nest syndrome. So we've got plenty of time to perfect our foodiness (is that even a word??).

Here's the recipe. I forgot to take a pic last time I made it.
Oh and we use buffalo mozzarella so I've never tried the freezing the cheese step. But if you have the regular mozzarella cheese, I trust that it's worth the freezing step. Bon Appetite!

Serves 4 to 6.

This dish will be very warm, not hot. The success of this recipe depends on high-quality ingredients, including ripe, in-season tomatoes and a fruity olive oil (the test kitchen prefers Columela Extra-Virgin). Don’t skip the step of freezing the mozzarella, as freezing prevents it from turning chewy when it comes in contact with the hot pasta. If handmade buffalo- or cow’s-milk mozzarella is available (it’s commonly found in gourmet and cheese shops packed in water), we highly recommend using it, but skip the step of freezing and add it to the tomatoes while marinating. Additional lemon juice or up to 1 teaspoon sugar can be added at the end to taste, depending on the ripeness of the tomatoes.

Ingredients
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
2-4 teaspoons fresh lemon juice (see note above)
1 small garlic clove , minced or pressed through a garlic press (about 1/2 teaspoon)
1 small shallot , minced fine (about 2 tablespoons)
1 1/2 pounds ripe tomatoes , cored, seeded, and cut into 1/2-inch dice
12 ounces fresh mozzarella cheese , cut into 1/2-inch cubes (see note above)
1 pound penne pasta or other short tubular or curly pasta such as fusilli or campanelle
1/4 cup chopped fresh basil
1 teaspoon sugar (see note above)
Instructions

1. Whisk oil, 2 teaspoons lemon juice, garlic, shallot, 1/2 teaspoon salt, and 1/4 teaspoon pepper together in large bowl. Add tomatoes and gently toss to combine; set aside. Do not marinate tomatoes for longer than 45 minutes.

2. While tomatoes are marinating, place mozzarella on plate and freeze until slightly firm, about 10 minutes. Bring 4 quarts water to rolling boil in stockpot. Add 1 tablespoon salt and pasta, stir to separate, and cook until al dente. Drain well.

3. Add pasta and mozzarella to tomato mixture and gently toss to combine. Let stand 5 minutes. Stir in basil; adjust seasonings with salt, pepper, and additional lemon juice or sugar, if desired, and serve immediately.

Arroz con pollo

2010-08-03T15:35:00.000-07:00

Have I shared my arroz con pollo recipe? It's really tasty and a bit unconventional with the green olives. And since I packed up all my cookbooks, I had to look online for the recipe. It just would've been easier had I posted it here. So just in case I need it in the future, here goes. And once again, I forgot to take a photo of the dish. I'm sorry.

Ingredients
6 medium cloves garlic , minced or pressed through garlic press (about 2 tablespoons)
Table salt
1/2 teaspoon dried oregano
1 tablespoon distilled white vinegar plus 2 additional teaspoons
Ground black pepper
8 bone-in, skin-on chicken thighs (3 1/2 to 4 pounds), trimmed of excess skin and fat
2 tablespoons olive oil
1 medium onion , chopped fine (about 1 cup)
1 small green bell pepper , stemmed, seeded, and chopped fine (about 3/4 cup)
1/4 teaspoon hot red pepper flakes
1/4 cup minced fresh cilantro leaves
1 can (8 ounces) tomato sauce
1 3/4 cups low-sodium chicken broth
1/4 cup water
3 cups medium-grain rice (if using long-grain rice, increase water to 1/2 cup)
1/2 cup green olives (manzanilla), pitted and halved
1 tablespoon capers
1/2 cup jarred pimentos , cut into 1/4 by 2-inch strips
Lemon wedges , for serving

Instructions

1. Adjust oven rack to middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Place garlic and 1 teaspoon salt in large bowl; using rubber spatula, mix to make smooth paste. Add oregano, 1 tablespoon vinegar, and 1/2 teaspoon black pepper to garlic-salt mixture; stir to combine. Place chicken in bowl with marinade. Coat chicken pieces evenly with marinade; set aside for 15 minutes.

2. Heat 1 tablespoon oil in Dutch oven over medium heat until shimmering. Add onion, green pepper, and pepper flakes; cook, stirring occasionally, until vegetables begin to soften, 4 to 8 minutes. Add 2 tablespoons cilantro; stir to combine. Push vegetables to sides of pot and increase heat to medium-high. Add chicken to clearing in center of pot, skin side down, in even layer. Cook, without moving chicken, until outer layer of meat becomes opaque, 2 to 4 minutes. (If chicken begins to brown, reduce heat to medium.) Using tongs, flip chicken and cook on second side until opaque, 2 to 4 minutes more. Add tomato sauce, broth, and water; stir to combine. Bring to simmer; cover, reduce heat to medium-low, and simmer for 20 minutes.

3. Add rice, olives, capers, and 3/4 teaspoon salt; stir well. Bring to simmer, cover, and place pot in oven. After 10 minutes, remove pot from oven and stir chicken and rice once from bottom up. Return pot to oven. After another 10 minutes, stir once more, adding 1/4 cup water if rice appears dry and bottom of pot is beginning to burn. Cover and return pot to oven; cook until rice has absorbed all liquid and is tender but still holds its shape and temperature of chicken registers 175 degrees on instant-read thermometer, about 10 minutes longer.

4. Using tongs, remove chicken from pot; replace lid and set pot aside. Remove and discard chicken skin; using 2 spoons, pull meat off bones into large chunks. Using fingers, remove remaining fat or dark veins from chicken pieces. Place chicken in large bowl and toss with remaining tablespoon olive oil, remaining 2 teaspoons vinegar, remaining 2 tablespoons cilantro, and pimentos; season with salt and pepper to taste. Place chicken on top of rice, cover, and let stand until warmed through, about 5 minutes. Serve, passing lemon wedges separately.

Our new morning routine

2010-08-03T00:29:00.000-07:00

Update: we tried it this morning and it was AMAZING how my 5 year old cleaned his room, made his bed, and did general pick up around the house with joy! So I added a song to extend this time. he he. We also needed a little longer for breakfast so I added a song there too. So far so good!!!

With our very first day of school....ever...coming up soon, I thought it was a good idea to establish a very structured morning routine with the kids so we don't rack up the tardies. I saw a site online that sells materials that includes music cds that basically trains the kids to stay on a specific task for the duration of a song. And each song's tempo is geared towards that specific task. It sounded like that's what I needed...but not for the $80 price tag.

So tonight I created the playlist that is playing for you right now which is going to correlate to our new morning routine. I figured I'd start it this week to work out any kinks in time for school.

Here's the breakdown:

Song 1: Breakfast at Tiffany's - wake up and get to the kitchen for breakfast
songs 2-4: all classical music, nice and slow to aid in digestion and communication
song 5: get it started - put dishes in sink and wash up
song 6: supercali...- 2 min song to brush teeth
song 7: imperial march (from star wars) - make bed/clean up room
song 8: 2 sec transition
song 9: theme to star wars - 5 min for chores (not sure what I'll have them do but they're doing somethin' darn it...or I can just delete it?)
songs 10-11: I love my shirt and boogie shoes - get dressed
song 12: pod - grab backpack/lunch/anything else you'll need for school and get to the car

each song category is different in tempo and style so the transition will be easy to hear. And time management for a 5 and 2 year old should be easier since the songs keep the time for them.

So from breakfast to out the door, in theory anyways, should only take us 37 minutes.

Let's hope it works cause with the 2 hours I just spent on this, I'm going to be seriously tired tomorrow! :)

The lengths I go to for my kids

2010-07-22T22:20:00.001-07:00

Since our second car died (let's pause for a moment of silence.....) my hubby has been taking our only car to work with him in the wee hours of the morning; and by wee I mean before the sun comes up. Dang, that's early!

At my gym, they offered a kids version of the Zumba class and Jeremiah wanted to do it. So on Wednesday mornings, all of us get up before that rooster and we drive my hubby to work - just so we can have the car to make that Zumba-tonic class.

Well a couple of Wednesdays ago my hubby forgot it was Wednesday and drove himself to work. When I woke up and noticed him gone, my heart sank. Is it me or is there just something about not wanting to disappoint one of your kids. So I prayed,
"Lord, if this is one of those times where You would like to teach Jeremiah about disappointment, then so be it. But if there's another way to get to the gym, I'd prefer that."
And wouldn't you know, public transportation popped in my head. So online I went and sure enough, the one bus we needed drove right past where we live. So I synced up our departure time with Zumba-tonic and the 4 year old, 2 year old and 7 month old and I were on our way to the gym...in the middle of July...in the heat!

And it turned out to be a fun trip overall.

So this week the kids and I were looking forward to another 'adventure' to the gym.

Well this time the adventure didn't go quite as nice.

After my workout (timeout...what about Jeremiah's zumba-tonic class, you ask? Oh, he decided he didn't want to go to class; only to kid care. Jeez, and I thought he'd be crushed at not getting to go last week. Ugh, just when I think I'm understanding that kid...) we walk to Subway for lunch then off to the bus stop to wait for the bus. Too bad I FORGET the bus schedule so I don't know how long we have to wait. Ok, not a big deal. I know it has to be less than 45 minutes since that's how long the cycle takes. And there's a nice shady, grassy spot right by the bus stop. And for July, it's a pretty mild day so far. We can do this!

"Mommy, I got poopoo." Nice, Beka! So I change her cause I ain't about to get on the bus with her smelling like death. Too bad there are no trash cans in the area. But there is a car wash nearby and they have trash cans. It's a short walk so the kids and I trek over to throw it away. And wouldn't you know it...there goes our bus and of course, we're not even close to the bus stop. Bye-bye bus. Hello, 45 minute wait.

Well, it is just 45 minutes, right. We can do this! Let's look on the bright side - we all have nice full bellies...oh wait, Nate didn't eat yet. Ok, I brought the diaper bag so I have a nursing cover. I'll just nurse Nate in the shade...by the bus stop...on the side of a pretty busy, 6 lane street.

He eats, let's go, and falls asleep. Ah another peaceful moment brought to you by La Leche League. :) I take a deep breath, sigh out my relief...ahhhh....hmmmm, feeling kinda drafty. Oh, well that's just because MY BOOB IS HANGING OUT from underneath the cover!!!! Uh ya, nice lesson in modesty, Dani! Let's just put that away, shall we?!? I wonder how many people...let's just not even go there.

Well, Nate's napping so I place him on the grass on top of the nursing cover. I sit down next to him. Beka is laying on the grass next to me and Jeremiah's playing with the ring tones on my phone. All is well.

Except for the red&black ants that are crawling all over Beka's back...BITING HER and leaving welts!

Oweee oweee mommy!! They're also crawling on the nursing cover but I squish them before they bite Nate. Ok, EVERYBODY UP! So we stand for the next 20 minutes or so until our bus comes.

Poor Nate didn't get a decent nap in, Beka has bite marks all over her shoulder, I'm exposing myself to a significant percentage of my hometown (hey, I think it's significant) and Jeremiah...well, he's actually pretty content. I guess one out of four isn't too bad.

The light at the end of the tunnel?

2010-06-29T22:42:00.000-07:00

I was watching one of those HGTV shows today where they follow first-time home buyers around. This guy had seen over 60 houses and was still looking. His realtor told the camera that if he didn't choose the next house she showed him, she was dumping him as a client because her time was money. Yikes!

My next thought was, "jeez, I hope Bev doesn't feel the same way about us!" you know, since we've been house hunting for a whole 3 months. lol

Well Bev emailed today to say our offer on the BID #5 house was accepted and will be submitted to the bank in the next day or two and that we are the only people the bank will talk to about the house; nobody else will be considered unless we back out.

O-M-G! Really????? Are you serious????

Could this really be our new home?

Bid number 6

2010-06-24T22:08:00.000-07:00

Directly across the street from this house

is another house that is exactly the same. Well except it needs to be pained on the inside, the carpet needs to be replaced, as well as most of the blinds, the carpet in the dining room must be ripped out and replaced with tile (seriously, why do people have carpet where they eat?), and the yahoos that lost the house broke up all the concrete on the small backyard patio. So that will need to be replaced too. Oh, not to mention there's nothin' but dirt in the back yard...well along with all those pieces of concrete.

It's not a short sale so within a couple of weeks we should know if our bid was high enough to 'win' (like it's ebay or somethin').

What happened to this house? The silly seller's realtor came back with a counter offer. She hasn't even taken our bid to the bank yet. Last thing she told our realtor was that there weren't any offers but now all of a sudden there are other offers. Why is it that my realtor is the only one with integrity? Love my girl...soooo sick of all the others!
Anyways, we're stickin to our guns. We'll see if that money-hungry, er silly realtor likes them apples.

Loved this

2010-06-21T23:58:00.000-07:00

For we speak as messengers approved by God to be entrusted with the Good News. Our purpose is to please God, not people. He alone examines the motives of our hearts.
—1 Thessalonians 2:4

The story is told of a missionary couple who was preparing to retire after many years of service in Africa. The ship they had boarded to return to the U.S. also happened to be carrying President Theodore Roosevelt, who was returning from a hunting expedition. When they reached their destination and the passengers were disembarking, a crowd of admirers waited to meet the president as a big band played in the background. But when the time came for the missionary couple to step ashore, not a single soul was there to meet them. Discouraged, the husband buried his head in his hands and groaned, "I didn't want a parade, but at least someone could have come to welcome us home!" His wife turned to him and replied, "Honey, we are not home yet."

Harvest Daily Devotional

Our fifth bid is for...

2010-06-19T06:52:00.000-07:00

this baby. (Hard to believe we've put in five bids.) Anyways, this house is out in the sticks (the wayyyyyy southwest) but we've found that we can get more house for less bucks out there. So we're meeting up with Bev at church tomorrow to sign the bid papers. I know I've said this before, but Bev thinks we have a great shot at this one.

It's a beautiful house on the inside: 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, split wing, with an office (aka playroom), and I love the kitchen. I didn't take my camera when we went to see it so I have no pics of the inside to share.

So stay tuned. We'll see what happens next...

All on his own

2010-06-17T20:49:00.001-07:00

My four year old (well he's nearly five - in about 6 weeks) did this all by himself during snack time. He bit the pretzels to make the letters then arranged the letters to spell a word...all while I was busy with other things. And he asked no questions...no help.

Little smarty pants. Why he chose to spell 'fat' I'll never know.

All brown

2010-06-17T20:33:00.000-07:00

My thumbs, that is.

"Care instructions: Basil is tough, don't worry too much about it. Keep the soil lightly moist, and expose your plant to as much light as you can. As long as you leave the bottom two leafs on a stem, the stem will continue to branch and grow new basil Bon Appetit!"

What the heck?!?

Oh, and did I mention that my cacti are dead too?

I give up.

The best house yet!

2010-06-10T19:33:00.001-07:00

UPDATE: We can't afford the house of beauty. Well, we could IF it was in Ventura or Santa Barbara counties since those counties have a $15,000 forgivable grant for first time home buyers. But I suppose if the house were in one of those counties, then the price tag would be well over $179k, ya think?

We'll know tomorrow, hopefully, if we are able to afford this house. It's a house that we'll probably never move out of. Unless, of course, the Lord tarries and the kids move out. The pics are out of order, of course. :)

Front of the house.

Front porch

Staircase

Back patio

Back fence.

The breakfast nook. The kitchen is on the left, family room behind and the dining area is through that door. Oh, and the wall on the right doesn't go all the way to the ceiling. I thought that was different and kinda cool!

kitchen

Here's a great view of that wall I was telling you about. Kitchen is on the left, staircase on the right.

upstairs bedroom #1

the jack & jill bathroom shower. I love that shower wall! It goes about 3/4 of the length of the shower. It rocks!

Upstairs bedroom #2

Part of the master bath

Downstairs bedroom - I love the chandelier.

Backyard view from the big kitchen window.

I like the artwork on the walls in the family room.

This is the front porch. So cute!

This is the front door and living room. I was standing in the dining area.

There's a door connecting the dining area to the kitchen. I was standing in the doorway. The kitchen is on the right. The family room is straight ahead. Through that doorway behind Jeremiah is the downtairs bathroom as well as the only downstairs bedroom.

the raised grilling area is on the right.

I seriously can't believe they don't want more money for this house! But we can only afford it if the rumor of gov't funding is true. We heard that for first time home buyers, they gov't (I think it's the gov't anyway...they seem to have lots of money to give away) pays for a 20% down payment. It that gets paid for, then our monthly payments would be less than $1,000/month (I think).

I'm excited and nervous and I don't want to get my hopes up cause I will be sooooo sad if we don't get this house. If God is cool with us living here, then we'll get it. If we can't afford it, then we'll find something else.

Another day, another bid

2010-05-29T20:52:00.000-07:00

UPDATE: We were the 2nd highest bid. Which means we're the back up bid in case the highest and best bid falls through for some reason. Oh well...
PRAISE THE LORD anyways!

At least that's how it seems.

Here's our newest desire:

Our realtor is really excited about this one. Just between you and me, I think this is the first house that she thinks we actually have a chance of getting. lol

We'll see.

I have to change

2010-05-28T13:40:00.000-07:00

With the blessing of baby number 3, hey there Nate!, comes changes I have to make to keep my sanity. Here's my list:

1. I remember my fabulous friend Tara saying once, a long while ago, that she has to get her car washed weekly in order for it to stay clean. I didn't exactly know what she meant then but I sure do now.
The kids and I went to the car wash today and it wasn't necessarily for the outside of the car. I took a kitchen size trash bag with me to put all the stuff that needs to go INSIDE my home and I filled that bag up with: about a zillion shoes, a few pair of socks, toys, toys, toys, a sweatshirt, a windbreaker, and pens.
I think I'm going to have to be like Tara and cruz thru (he he, get it?) the car wash weekly just to get me to clean out the stuff from the inside.

2. I have to change my laundry routine. At least the putting away of laundry. I used to bring in the basket of clean laundry, sort and organize it all, then put things away. No longer do I get to do this since it seems as if I'm constantly getting interrupted by children. So now I take my basket of clean laundry, pull out one item, put it away, pull out one item, put it away, pull out one item, put it back because I have to break up a fight or change a poopy diaper, or (fill in the blank), come back. Repeat.
Doing laundry this way leaves me feeling less frustrated since I don't have piles of clean clothes scattered EVERYWHERE from kids jumping on my bed or from me or my hubby shoving them off the bed so we can sleep.

3. I've noticed when my coupon binder is on the verge of disorganization or when my car is messy or when my home is super messy (notice I said 'super' messy since it is just messy most of the time), then my healthy eating habits fly out the window (as evidence of my non-weight loss this week). It took me a lot of thinking and soul searching to come up with that revelation. I can be so dense when it comes to common sense stuff in life (not my fortay).

Well that's my short list for now. And with just these few minor changes, I have a bit more peace in my life.

So what things have you had to change in order to keep peace in your family as it grows?

Date Night vs MOPS

2010-05-19T13:53:00.001-07:00

Fridays have become the official date night for my hubby and me, thank you Papa and Bana for being willing to watch ALL the kids for us!!!

But this Friday is my MOPS' groups Moms' Night Out at Moo Creamery.

So I mentioned this to Pascual, then added,
"but if you want to take me out on a date, then I'll go with you instead."

"I wasn't expecting that", he replied.

OMG, that is so sad that I've got him conditioned to take second fiddle to MOPS. That shouldn't be! Time to sit and think and re-prioritize the things in my life!

Don't get me wrong, I have loved me some MOPS, but it WILL NOT take top dollar to the man I vowed my life to. Cause I REALLY LOVE ME SOME PASCUAL!!!

Date night was my pick tonight

2010-05-14T21:04:00.001-07:00

My hubby and I are nearly polar opposites. So when we get to go on date nights, to make it fair we've decided to take turns picking where we go and what we do.

Tonight it was my pick. So I chose to try out Cafe Crepes.

We decided to choose and share. He chose

the filet pannini which was well seasoned and tender.

Yummerific!

I chose

the chicken fajita crepe.

Tasty.

Both of these dinners came with a side and we both chose red potatoes.

So good.

I could eat a bowl full of these!!! In fact, by the time I remembered to break out the camera to photograph this yumminess, I had already wolfed down my potatoes. These are Pascual's. I made him wait to eat until I could get the pic. He he.

For dessert we shared

the lemon delight, oh how I love lemon and berries!!!,

and the Nutella with strawberries.

Seriously I can live off Nutella.

It was delicious and the company was great to boot.

I love date night.

Our house bid update

2010-05-13T23:47:00.000-07:00

We put in a bid on a different house - and got outbid. No surprise there.

However...we got a call from our realtor about the first house we bid on. It's back on the market. Whaaaaat???

Apparently the couple that outbid us walked from the offer. Our offer was never submitted to the bank. So tomorrow we're resubmitting an offer for that house.

Word has it that the bank counter-offered the first couples bid with $147,000. So our realtor asked our bank dude what that would set us back if we put in an offer at that price. Since the rates went down just today, it would only raise our payment by $50.

Hmmm, doable I think.

So tomorrow I need to let her know at what price to draw up the papers.

Who knows, maybe GOD will give me and Pascual dreams tonight that have the right bid price?

...stranger things have happened.

Good night.

Well, good morning! While visions of numbers didn't fill our heads last night we did find out that the asking price went up from $135,000 a month ago to $145,000 today. So we're going to bid the new asking price. We also found out that another bid is going to be submitted on the house.

Well peace to us! We've been praying that if that's our house, then nobody else will get it.

So once again, this is 'TO BE CONTINUED...'

Another update: that house that I thought we got outbid on...well come to find out that our offer is one of many and they haven't ruled us out yet. So now we're bidding on two houses. Uh, is it me or is this whole 'house buying' thing getting a tad bit complicated?!?

Halfway there...again

2010-05-08T19:39:00.000-07:00

I remember when I blogged about being halfway to my goal weight....

I'm baaaaaack. :)

This time, however, I didn't calculate in the easy 25 lbs that melted away within 2 weeks of giving birth. So taking that into consideration, I'm down 62 lbs (doesn't that just sound way more impressive!).

Anyways, I'd love to be at goal weight by black Friday! I told my hubby when I get there I'm totally wearing this as his Christmas present:

Uh ya, needless to say, he's totally on board this weight loss train.

Then and Now

2010-04-29T20:26:00.000-07:00

My friend Tara posted something about how much she's changed since a certain picture was taken of her. It got me thinking the same about myself.

Raquel sent me these pics.

Beka was just about as old as Nathan is right now...which wasn't that long ago since they are only a year and a half apart.

There's something about the first baby and being uptight; at least for me there was. I didn't want to interrupt anyone with the crying of the baby and I compared everything that firstborn did with the other kids his age; like it reflected my parenting or something. It's totally silly now that I think about it.

Then the 2nd baby comes, which in my case was Beka, and the comparisons wane, but I still was on edge when she cried in a close setting of people.

Now with the 3rd baby, I could care less if he rolls over, crawls, walks, talks, reads, does algebra...faster than any one else. He'll get to it eventually. And if he cries...psha, who cares if it bothers other people. But it's not like I sit there and make him cry just to annoy others, but come on - babies cry. It's not the end of the world if someone hears him cry as I attempt to calm him down (not that he ever cries outside of the home...have I mentioned how good of a baby he is??? love it! I really hope I didn't just jinx myself.).

My dad had 3 children and growing up I definitely saw a difference in how mom and dad raised us kids. I, being the first born, was made to do my homework and even had to redo it if the penmanship wasn't great. I don't remember seeing this with my brother and never with my little sister. Funny (not funny, as in 'ha ha') that I'm the only one with a college degree (obviously not in English or Grammar). Hmmm, a correlation?

I see a different parenting style with each of my own kids in me and my hubby, which I think is perfectly normal, acceptable, and I think it shows a growth in parenting. I want to make sure that we keep our children's bent in mind as we raise them. They are all so different. But I also want to keep the same standards for each child, regardless of my parenting styles. Just because Nate's the baby shouldn't mean he can get away with more or less than his older brother and sister.

Gosh, parenting is a tricky thing. Good thing I know an awesome God to guide me through this thing! THANK YOU, JESUS!!!

Still waiting....

2010-04-17T22:35:00.001-07:00

Charlie Garcia used to say that God answers us in one of three ways; He says 'yes', 'no', or 'wait'; and 'wait' is the hardest answer for us.

Well we're still waiting on the bank to tell us whether or not we get the house.

Tic toc, tic toc...

God is soooo not concerned with being on my time table - even though the $8,000 tax credit ends in a couple of weeks. Eeeek!

So...we...wait......

It feels good to be "overweight"

2010-04-16T13:07:00.001-07:00

According to my BMI, I'm now officially no longer "OBESE".

It's going to feel even better to be "normal".

My trip to Albertsons

2010-04-08T11:59:00.000-07:00

Here's what I bought today:

2 big packs of Pampers for $18.99 each (used 2- $2 off coupons plus the Albertsons double coupons, got a catalina coupon for $10)

1 jumbo pack of Pampers (this was on the clearance rack for $5, plus I used a $1.50 off coupon)

1 lb strawberries for 99c

9 lemons at 50c each

4 boxes of pebbles cereal for $1.49 each (I used 2 $1/2 coupons plus one albertsons double coupons, I got a catalina coupon for $3)

soft taco tortillas for $1.19

about 5 lbs of boneless, skinless chicken breasts (at the meat counter) for $10.53.

1 reeses candy bar (for the kids to share on the way home) for 50c

I also used a $4 off when you spend $40.

It took 2 transactions and I spent a total of $42.12.

I saved a total of $59.01

And on my way out, someone put a $3 catalina coupon next to the in-store ad display. Score! I'll use that next time. I'm going again soon because I still have 2 more albertsons double coupons.

A potential Munoz abode

2010-03-31T21:31:00.000-07:00

We looked at a house today that we really liked. So we prayed and if it's God's will for us to have it then it won't sell to anyone but us. If you feel led, please join us in that prayer.

We literally had to run through since the lady living there was on her way to work. Needless to say, a few of my pics are blurry since I didn't have time to wait for the camera to find the correct focus.

Forgive me: my pics are all out of order and make no sense so it may help to re-read when you've seen all the photos. Sorry. Also, I totally forgot to take a pic of the living room. Oops. Did I mention I was rushed??? So here we go on the ghetto-virtual tour:

a view from the street. The lady of the house was leaving to go to work.
there are a few decorative rocks in the front yard lining the walkway to the front door.
the walk-in master closet
master bath
master bedroom (did you know that this paint almost matches my bathroom paint job that I just did. what the heck was I thinking???? I'm going to need some help because I obviously have crappy ideas!!!

2nd bedroom (between the master bedroom and 1st bedroom)
1st bedroom (at the end of the main hallway)
the cabinets above the washer and dryer. the light was out and it was really dark in there. I just wanted to get an idea...
laundry room that leads out to the garage
the linen closet from the main hallway
main bathroom, the shower is left of the frame
the hallway, I was standing between the living room and the dining room/kitchen area. the first door on the left is the bathroom, the door on the right is the linen closet. 2nd door on the left is the laundry room, the room at the end of the hallway is the first bedroom. then hallway turns right to another hallway that leads to the 2nd bedroom and master bedroom
the kitchen
then I did an about face and here's the dining room
this is the south side of the house- a view from the backyard
the back patio
master bedroom window from the backyard
north side of the house from the backyard
backyard pics

front right of the house
front left of the house

Psalm 105:1-5

2010-03-29T19:57:00.000-07:00

Psalm 105

1 Give thanks to the LORD, call on his name;
make known among the nations what he has done.

2 Sing to him, sing praise to him;
tell of all his wonderful acts.

3 Glory in his holy name;
let the hearts of those who seek the LORD rejoice.

4 Look to the LORD and his strength;
seek his face always.

5 Remember the wonders he has done,
his miracles, and the judgments he pronounced,

I italicized the awesome words that popped off the page for me.

Remembering the hard times...

2010-03-29T16:08:00.000-07:00

My amiga, Danielle, suggested I keep the following email excerpt around to remind me of the hard child-raising experiences...you know, for when I forget how hard it is (which will happen should the Lord tarry long enough). I wrote this last night around 8:30pm:

Nate's been FUUUUUUSSSSSYYYYYY all afternoon. I think he's teething - got the slobber and gnawing on his fists like crazy. I gave him Tylenol about 90 minutes ago so he's trying to sleep now. But the little dude literally keeps throwing himself over so he can sleep on his side. It's kinda funny.
the other kids went to bed but they're still awake. About 45 minutes ago they both got up and pooped - jeremiah in the toilet and beka in her potty - at the same time in the same bathroom. They're tight like that. lol

I'm so tired I'm starting to not see straight. I think it's time to hit the hay.

This month in pictures

2010-03-28T18:36:00.000-07:00

As the month of March draws to a close, I thought I'd share a few pictures that were taken.

Bathtime for the big kids...taken today.

This sneaky girl got into my pantry and stole a box of cake flour. She probably thought it was going to be soooooo tasty since the box had a picture of a chocolate cake. How disappointing it must have been for her.

This kid LOVES to take pictures - especially of himself.

The big kids played dress up with Nate. Poor Nate.

My baby is now four months old.

Oh and since my camera and computer are finally on speaking terms, here's the pics of the clutter I told you all about in my last post. Let me preface these horrific pictures with this: steps have been made to improve the spaces shown. While I have not touched about half of it, the half that has been touched has been decluttered to the best of my 3-kids-under-five ability. Thank you very much.

Microwave area

Dining room table

Kitchen sink

Kitchen table

The post-its I told you about from a year ago; faithfully reminding me to get on the ball!!!

front entry way

obviously the couch

front room - it's set up for Nate's nebulizer treatments...that he hasn't had in about a week now. Jeez, I need to clean this up!

entertainment area - why there's a ton of stuff on top, I have no idea???

this is the dining room but since ain't no way I'm letting the family eat on top of carpet, it has become the toy room. ugh.

Fly Lady - take two...or is it 'take 3'...I'm losing count...

2010-03-22T13:34:00.000-07:00

Oh an Irisher washwoman hasn't an equal
She rubs a bit, scrubs a bit than other people
She jigs a bit, sings a bit all the day long
And her heart's like a shamrock; it sings a gay song.

I live in clutter.

I HATE clutter.

Therefore, I am not a happy, peaceful mommy...and my poor hubby knows this all too well.

I just can't seem to stay on top of it, and the laundry, and the cleaning. I'm seriously spinning out of control. AHHHHHHHHH!

Remember back when I was doing the fly lady here? I got all the way to day 15 (almost halfway through the month). Then I got pregnant and there went all my energy. And the clutter crept back in.

I need routine. Without it I'm lost. So back to the fly lady and routine.

Although I'm not going to start out with all those days again. Here's my plan:

Every morning I'll get up and get dressed (not to the shoes..I know I'm breaking that cardinal rule but I know myself. I'll be ok.) then I'll work on the morning routine I set up last March. I still have the sticky notes on my kitchen wall to remind me what to do (see, I told you I've got clutter everywhere...stuff that hasn't been touched in over a year! I've got something wrong with me.)

It may take me all day to finish the routine since I'll only have tidbits of time here and there to get it done, but I can't live like this anymore.

I actually took pics of all my clutter: kitchen table, sink and counters (uh ya pretty much every counter in my kitchen), dining room table, kids toy area aka dining room, on top of the tv, next to the rocking chair, the couch, the phone area, the area in front of one of the bookshelves, an entirely separate bookshelf, the trash area in the den (can you even imagine a trash AREA?!?) ...but for some reason my computer isn't recognizing my camera so I can't show you the pics. Let's just say it's wayyyyyyy worse than any of your 'worst before pics'. It's positively shameful! I think I'm 2 degrees away from being a hoarder.

So although I do not enjoy cleaning, I think I'm at a point in my life where I'd rather feel like an Irisher Washwoman than how I feel today.

My Vons Visit

2010-03-14T07:26:00.000-07:00

I love the feeling I get when I see the final grocery bill! This morning, bright and early...even with the time change, I went to Vons. It was just me and the stocking crew. Loved it! And when I saw the final bill I was so excited!

Oh and I think I have a coupon angel! When I was in the cereal isle I picked up 3 boxes of Kellogg's Corn Flakes thinking I was going to pay about 66 cents/box. But then the guy stocking the shelves came over and put $1 peelie on each of my corn flakes boxes, telling me I'd get them for just about free now! HOLLA! I know they're just corn flakes, but if you put enough Splenda on them they taste just like frosted flakes. :)

I know my pic is cruddy. I couldn't find my camera (stinkin' kids) so I took the pic with my cell phone.

So here's my list of what I bought:
6 boxes of fruit snacks
2 bottles of apple juice
1 box granola bars
7 boxes of cinnamon toast crunch
1 box honey nut cheerios
1 bag of nut clusters
1 box of crackers
1 box oat square cereal
3 boxes of corn flakes
20 yogurts
pampers
bread
2 packages of deli meat
2 lb bag of frozen cooked shrimp
apples
red bell peppers
asparagus
bagged spinach
2 bags of broccoli and cauliflower
2 bottles of ranch
mushrooms

Total spent: 43.01
total saved: $111.37 Holy mole, spicy guacamole...how crazy is that!!!!!

So can I just say THANK YOU to Kerri! Thanks for doing the hard work for me, showing me what to buy and where to find the savings.

Is spring here yet?

2010-03-05T20:09:00.000-08:00

I went to Rite Aid today to pick up prescriptions for 4 out of 5 of us. Thank God for insurance is all I have to say. Those 5 prescriptions only cost us $25. So let's see:

I still have a sore throat so I got a different antibiotic and something that numbs my throat when I gargle with it. Hopefully I'll be back to the gym on Monday. Fingers crossed.

Last week when I picked up my hubby's med's they gave him a partial order so they had to reorder more of whatever he's on, so I picked that up today.

This is a picture of Jeremiah, the only member of the family that's healthy.

Beka has the beginnings of an ear infection so they gave me antibiotics. Huh? Kinda over-kill I think. I had it filled but I'm going to hold off on administering it to her since she doesn't have a fever and her ears don't hurt.

Nate woke up this morning with light green/yellowish goop in one of his eyes. My hubby has an eye infection so I took Nate in just in case. And once again the dr prescribed eye drops to clear it up. Well Beka had green goop in her eye a couple of weeks ago, not to mention it was red, and it cleared up on its own. So I'm going to hold off on dropping meds in my 3 month's old eye until it gets worse.

Seriously, why is my pediatrician so preventative? Did I mention one of the pediatricians got onto me for not putting Desitin on Nate's butt even though there was no rash. I was changing him when she walked in and said to use Desitin or Buttpaste. I asked why? She playfully hit me and asked me if I was going to wait until it got red and hurt him. I was thinking, uh ya, that was my plan. But instead I caved and put a little Desitin on his butt.

I like the doctors in the office but it's getting a little ridiculous.

Anyways, I'll be glad when this winter is over. None of us has had the flu, which is a good thing since none of us had any kind of flu shot. I'd never hear the end of that decision if we got the flu. I know of 2 people who told me to make sure the family had their flu shots. I prayed about it and didn't hear God tell me to do it so I didn't. I don't know, there's something about the flu shots I don't like. But if God ever tells me to get them I will. He just hasn't told me that, yet.

Spring is coming. A new season. A welcomed change.

Back in the saddle again

2010-01-24T19:25:00.000-08:00

I'm on week 3 of weight watchers. Let me just say that day 2 of weight watchers I was considering staying fat. If you think about it there are perks to being fat: get to eat what you want when you want, they do make some cute clothes now for the plus size woman, you don't have to think about eating healthy or getting in all those servings of fruits and veggies.
But alas, the 80% of me that wanted to be thin won out and I have persevered.

My silly self forgot to take a good 'before' pic so listed in the sidebar is pic #2. Remember, every 10 pounds lost will result in a new pic being posted in the sidebar. (Remember this, Dani!) I do have a before pic where I was sitting on the couch but I cannot post that until I lose at least 20 more pounds. Isn't it funny how I don't mind showing you my fatness as long as it's not my current fatness. Well this before pic shows rolls so when they go away, I'll post the pic.

Walgreens

2010-01-03T23:51:00.000-08:00

Ok, first let me brag on how awesome God is! It seems like when I get low on something, an awesome sale pops up. This has happened a few times. I choose to give credit to God and thank Him for the blessings!

I was really low on floss...well not anymore!

I bought:

4 pkgs of Reach floss (for 60 cents total, not each!)
Jif peanut butter and Smuckers jelly (for $3, my splurge)
2 Finish dishwasher detergents (free for both)
4 pkgs of Stayfree pads ($1 total, not each!)
tube of Colgate toothpaste for $1.25
Reynolds foil for 80 cents
Revlon eye shadow for free
3 cans Hunts tomato sauce for 18 cents, not each
2 folders for 40 cents, not each

The rest was tax which brings my total to...

$10.11

Praise the LORD!!! (and thank you, save at home mommy for teaching me how to do this.)

Giveaway

2009-12-30T15:02:00.001-08:00

Check out this website for a baby bjorn giveaway! Hurry, ends Sunday.

My New Year's Resolution

2009-12-21T13:08:00.000-08:00

I never make them but this year I thought I would.

I'm going to make my goal weight by this time next year, at the very latest, which for me is 70 lbs away.

And just because I want to, and I've been inspired by another blogger...wish I could remember who so I could give her credit...but I'm going to post photos of myself starting with my beginning weight then a pic after every 10 lbs lost. These pics should be on the side starting in January.

Usually I'm not too fond of taking pictures of myself, especially when I weigh this much. But I know what it feels like to be 179 lbs (what I was right before I had to quit ww last time) and I know that I certainly don't feel like that now. I'm super motivated to get this weight off and keep it off (since we won't be having any more babies). I want to do a full-length picture each time. Because the weight watchers magazine likes the before and after pictures to be of the whole body and I think losing 70 lbs on weight watchers could warrant the publishers to want to feature me in their mag. That's my hope anyways. I think that'd be cool!

So check back here next month for my journey to healthy-ville. That's where I want to live.

CVS

2009-12-20T21:34:00.000-08:00

My trip to CVS:

sports kit for our new Wii - it came with a tennis racket, steering wheel, golf club, controller handle, and baseball bat

revlon lip stick

nivea bath wash

crest mouthwash

loreal mascara

All for the low, low price of about $13. That's a savings of around $27, according to the receipts.

Yay me!!!

My cool trip...

2009-12-12T11:38:00.000-08:00

to Albertsons was so much fun. Not necessarily the shopping part, although I did run into my older sister, that I haven't seen in 8 years. But that's a story for a different post.

I went to buy specific things on my list and I did terrific. I bought all this:

2 boxes of coco puffs
1 box of cheerios
1 box of cinnamon toast crunch
4 cans of veggies
1 can of biscuits
3 cans of soup
2 cans of evaporated milk
and 1 can of frosting

and only paid $16.67!!!

Plus I got a coupon for $5 off my next shopping trip.

So I saved a total amount of $22.88!

But the absolute best part was the guy behind me in line was watching the whole thing and finally asked,
How much did you save?

The cashier told him,
$17.88 plus she's getting back $5 off her next trip.

I smiled.

Then he asked,
Who taught you how to do that?

Save at home mommy.

What about save at home daddy?

I'm sure she'll teach you too!

Happy Birthday, Baby Nate

2009-12-02T13:06:00.000-08:00

Our surprise baby was scheduled to be born on Monday, November 30 but the baby had other plans.

On Friday, November 27th I started going into labor. The contractions got 5 minutes apart around 6pm so I called my sister and asked her to come over to spend the night with the kids. Pascual and I got to the hospital about an hour later. Then I had the "joy" of labor contractions until about 11pm, at which time the anesthesiologist gave me a spinal and my doctor began the c-section.

Nathan Aaron Munoz was born at 11:35pm and weighed in at a hefty 10 pounds, 4 ounces with a length of 22 inches.

Happy birthday, big boy!!!

I am my child's first teacher...oh crap!

2009-11-24T03:42:00.000-08:00

This pregnancy is almost over. Looking back, I feel like I've been a total slacker the past 9 months with my oldest child, Jeremiah. He's a terrific learner but I haven't been teaching him much. We used to do things like color the American flag and talk about the stars and stripes. Or we'd practice holding a pencil while he struggled to trace a letter. My point is that we'd do constructive, learning things.

Now our routine is breakfast, play (which is a good thing), then a nap for Beka and me. Jeremiah faithfully watches Nick Jr during these 2 hours of nappy poo time. After nap, it's snack time, either more tv or playtime, I'd prep for dinner, eat dinner, bedtime routine, bed for the kids. Notice that there is NO constructive, learning time...anywhere in our routine now.

I'm positive that the reason for my slacking is my lack of energy due to this pregnancy (which will be completely obvious later today since I've been up since 2am so far). But I still feel like I've let Jeremiah down. I'm sure he doesn't feel that way...that kid LOVES Nick Jr!

And Beka, let's not even get into her early education. I remember with Jeremiah I'd be sure to read to him 20 minutes a day. Poor Beka maybe gets 5 or 10 from me right now. Thank God for Daddy, who will make up the difference.

Ugh, I don't even want to think about this next baby and the slippery education slope I'm on.

Hopefully things will turn around next year. No, not hopefully...
Things WILL turn around next year. They have to...Jeremiah will start Kindergarten.

Bow giveaway

2009-11-23T13:31:00.001-08:00

Check this out for more info.

Thanks again, Save At Home Mommy...

2009-11-21T20:18:00.001-08:00

I went to her class last night and I learned a lot of stuff. I highly recommend attending one of her classes if you can.

So today I went to Target and bought this:

for $22!

I CAN save money!

2009-11-13T13:10:00.000-08:00

Thanks to the Save At Home Mommy, I went to Target today and bought:

and all of this

so that's
8 packages of flushable wipes (I'm going to teach my 4 year old how to wipe his own butt!)
5 bottles of cranberry juice
6 boxes of cereal

for a grand total of...

$13.38!

I am SOOOOO proud of myself!!!

4, 4, 4

2009-11-07T19:16:00.000-08:00

It's a little known fact that my little sister, Karalee

and I are 4 years, 4 months, and 4 days apart in age.

And if I have this baby on the day the c-section is scheduled (November 30th), then the baby and my first born will be 4 years, 4 months, and 4 days apart.

Crazy!!!!

HAPPY Halloween

2009-10-31T19:10:00.000-07:00

This Halloween we had great plans! But earlier in the week both Beka and I got sick - bronchitis and pneumonia. So there went our great plans.

However, Papa and Bana came in and saved the day for Jeremiah. They took him out for Halloween and had a great time with him while Beka and I stayed home.

Thank you, Papa & Bana!!!

I've never been this tired!

2009-10-20T15:19:00.000-07:00

He told me he was hungry for a snack so I gave him a granola bar. I don't even think he got one bite in.

One more child...

2009-10-16T20:06:00.000-07:00

...because I need someone to mop!

My dirty, cluttered little season

2009-10-16T10:54:00.000-07:00

I've come to the conclusion that I will live in a pig pen for the rest of 2009. I try to keep up on the clutter (I don't even try to touch the dirt) but fail miserably each night. And each night, as I look at the clutter, I decide that I'd rather watch tv than pick up.
So, I'm not taking visitors until 2010, unless you want to drop off a meal once the baby's born (so be forewarned and don't judge when you walk in!).

So I've decided to fold laundry (I have mounds of clean laundry) while I watch tv (inspiration via Raquel ). I'm doing one more load as I type. And the clothes that need to be hung up, I just drape over one of our suit cases and Pascual hangs it up for me when he thinks about it (once a month or so). I hate hanging clothes so I'm ok going through the draped clothes to find a shirt. Luckily for me, my belly's getting so big that it stretches out any wrinkles in my shirt. (how sad is that!)

My filthy kitchen (breakfast dishes still in sink) can wait until morning...or even tomorrow afternoon for that fact! And my messy floors (filled with childrens books, random items and even trash...why is it that I am the only one that seems to know where the trash can is???) can wait for Pascual. It's getting too hard to bend over these days (unless it's something I really want to do...and cleaning the floors isn't one of them!) so Pascual's been picking up the slack in this area for me.

I remind myself that I am in a season right now...a season that will change once the baby is born. Then, I'll be in a new season, hopefully one where I will be self-motivated to clean. Maybe that's wishful thinking?

Disneyland...here we come!

2009-10-08T19:11:00.000-07:00

I went to my OB check up today wondering what my doctor was going to say...
I told her that the fam and I were planning an overnight trip to Disneyland a week from Saturday and that we'd been planning it all year long since you get in free on your birthday and my hubby and I were born on the same day (just 14 hours apart...he's older). But I added if she didn't feel comfortable with me leaving town, I wouldn't go. And right away she brought up Jeremiah (funny how she never forgets this name or the circumstances around which he was born...

For our 4th anniversary, my hubby and I decided to go to Las Vegas for a 4 day weekend. I was 35 weeks pregnant but my doctor gave her blessing. And wouldn't ya know it, the morning that we were planning to come home my water broke. So we had to call 411 (no, not 911) for information as to where the nearest hospital was. Long story short, the next evening we had our first baby, Jeremiah. Needless to say, what happened in Vegas didn't stay in Vegas.)

She said Disneyland was a different story than Vegas. If my water breaks or I go into labor, we can always drive home.

So in 9 short days, my hubby, son, daughter, mother- and father-in-laws, and I are off to the magic kingdom. Yippee!

Just getting a drink...

2009-09-30T12:59:00.001-07:00

I'll eat you up!

2009-09-24T18:47:00.000-07:00

It's a line from Where the Wild Things Are, a children's book by Maurice Sendak. Jeremiah likes to read it every now and then. He even likes the spanish version:

Next month, the movie about the book comes out. But we're not taking Jeremiah to see it; it's rated PG. It's not so much the rating that's holding us back. It's just that the previews look like they might freak our boy out. I mean, he gets a little scared watching certain episodes of the Backyardigans. So we're thinking that watching a huge movie screen with monsters on it probably isn't the best bet.

When he gets older, we'll rent it for him.

...and it was still hot.

The chupón update

2009-09-24T18:40:00.000-07:00

Well, it's been a while since the pacifier, aka chupón has been taken away from our baby (our 16 month old baby). That first night was terrible. But the second night was better - she only cried a little while. I can't remember exactly how long since I've blocked it from my memory. But I do think I had to get up in the middle of the night to calm her.
The third night was better and by the fourth night, she was free and clear.

Tonight, now a typical night, I laid her down after our 4-B bedtime routine (bath, brush teeth, read book, bed) and she cried for maybe 4 minutes. Now she's in there cooing to herself. Eventually she'll go to sleep without me hearing another peep from her. And she usually doesn't wake anybody up in the middle of the night.

Why does it seem as soon as you get something completed, I have to start all over again? The new baby should arrive in about 10 weeks...then we start all over again. But it's worth it.

That dreaded day has come

2009-08-28T18:42:00.000-07:00

My firstborn gave up his pacifier all on his own at 9 months.

Rebekah is a horse of a different color. I think she'd be one of "those kids" walking around with that thing in her mouth at 3 or 4 years old. I don't know why, but that always bothers me.

So last night my hubby and I decided that it was a good time to have her one and only pacifier break, aka cut off the tip, and start the weaning process.

And last night SUCKED!

She finally went to sleep after over an hour of crying. I would go in to calm her down after 10 minutes, then 15, then 20. By the 25 minute mark, which was actually a little over an hour into the process, she fell asleep; no doubt completely exhausted. I noticed she started to get this cough but I assumed it was from all that crying that was causing her throat to itch.

That didn't seem too bad. But it was the middle of the night wake ups that I hated. I'm not sure how many times my hubby got up (we took turns) but I got up 2 or 3. Typing that now it doesn't seem a lot but last night it was a ton for me. Not only was she crying but her cough turned into a hack and she had a slight fever to boot.

Everyone woke up exhausted this morning, even Jeremiah who slept on my floor next to my bed because Beka's crying kept "bothering" him. And today Beka's cough, slight fever (99 degrees) and clear snot didn't clear up. So we doped her up on Tylenol and kept tissues handy. If I hadn't cut her pacifier I would've given it back to her to start this weaning process when she felt better. But I refuse to go out to buy one pacifier for her to have for a few days. So we are committed.

During afternoon snack time she gagged on her pear and ended up throwing up all over me. What a great day it was!

So tonight she was very tired. I put her down at 6:30 (normal bedtime is 7pm) and she cried for 5 minutes then stopped. She started back up a minute or two later, so I started the 10 minute timer over. But she didn't last that long. She's asleep now. I hope it lasts.

All in all, I'm glad we are weaning her of the pacifier. I'd rather go through his now, than when the new baby is here.

100 days until...

2009-08-27T15:38:00.000-07:00

my due date. Which means about 93ish days left for me since my dr. plans the c-section a week before the due date.

And the first 100 days after the baby's born are not my favorite; I'm usually so sleep deprived. Hopefully, with this being our last baby, I'll try to enjoy those first days more.

2009-08-27T12:33:00.000-07:00

I got my hair cut yesterday and the girl cutting my hair, Candy, mentioned how her and her hubby are in the process of buying a house. Well I let that conversation die and we started a new one. Later, Candy brought up her house buying experience again. Hmmm, maybe God's in this?

So we talked about it and she told me her realtor's name and how she's so great and is saving them a lot of money on closing costs (what costs?), blah blah blah.

Candy didn't know that my hubby and I are talking about buying our first house. And we are sooo ignorant about the entire process...as in we don't know what half, if not more, of the jargon means, we have no idea how much we qualify for, and had no clue where to start...except for in prayer with the Lord.

We've talked to my hubby's father, a Godly man with sound advice, about buying a house and he's been encouraging us to pray and be first steppers.

Well, maybe calling this realtor is our first step? I got her name and googled her so now I have her number. Maybe my hubby will call her next week.

As a side note: I don't think buying a house is a NEED for us. We live in a 2 bedroom mobile home so with this 3rd baby coming it's going to be a tight fit, but I still don't think of a bigger home as a need, more like a want.

Let me tell you what I consider a need: if the third car seat doesn't fit in the back of my car, then trading it in for a different car is a NEED.

But there are lots of people who live in homes and their kids share a room. If we really wanted only two kids in a room, we could always convert the den into a third bedroom.

My point is, I'm content with staying where we are. But don't get me wrong, I'd like to live in a house.

Anyways, I think we'll take this first step by making the call, even in our total ignorance, and see what she says. If God's in it, then He'll show us the 2nd step to take. If He's not in it, I pray that our first step would die and that we'd be redirected.

My very first...

2009-08-20T21:05:00.000-07:00

diaper cake!

It's for my friend, Carrie. I checked out her registry and she wants bedding, etc that's outdoorsy and woodsy so I figured I'd go with that theme.
It's plain, aka frugal - as in it doesn't have all the extra baby things that can go on a diaper cake. But I really like how it turned out. And it was super easy...after I did some online research. I can't wait until Saturday to give it to her!

How cute are these...

2009-07-27T21:32:00.000-07:00

cupcakes!

My friend, Lynette, made them for my son's 4th birthday party.

Thanks so much, Lynette. They were the cutest cupcakes ever! You did a great job!

Homemade ding dongs

2009-07-21T19:34:00.000-07:00

From time to time I get invited to try out recipes in progress from a website. Here's their latest creation and it's worth posting.

Bon Appetite!

Cupcakes:
1 cup all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup boiling water
1/3 cup cocoa powder
1/3 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp instant coffee or espresso
3/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup sour cream
1/2 cup vegetable oil
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract

Filling:
6 Tbsp water
1 1/2 tsp unflavored gelatin
8 Tbsp unsalted butter
2 tsp vanilla extract
2 Pinches salt
2 1/2 cups marshmallow creme (2 jars of Kraft Jet-Puffed marshmallow cream)

Glaze:
1/2 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
3 Tbsp unsalted butter

1. Make the batter: Preheat oven to 325. Grease 12-cup muffin tin. Combine flour, baking soda, and salt. Whisk water, cocoa, chocolate, and coffee in large bowl until smooth. Add sugar, sour cream, oil, eggs, and vanilla and mix until combined. Whisk in flour mixture until incorporated. Divide batter evenly into muffin cups. Bake until toothpick inserted comes out clean with a few dry crumbs attached 18-22 minutes. Cool in tin 10 minutes, then turn out cupcakes onto rack and cool completely.

2. Prepare filling: Combine water and gelatin in large bowl and let sit until gelatin softens, about 5 minutes. Microwave until mixture is bubbling around edges and gelatin dissolves, about 1 minute. Stir in butter, vanilla, and salt until combined. Let mixture cool until just warm to the touch, about 5 minutes, then whisk in marshmallow creme until smooth; refrigerate until set, about 45 minutes. Reserve 1/3 cup filling for decorating cupcakes and use remaining for filling cupcakes.

3. Fill cupcakes: with a knife held at a 45 degree angle, cut out a cone shape from the top of cupcake. Cut off the "point" of the cone, leaving about 1/4 inch of the top then hollow out the cupcake. Fill cupcake with creme then replace the top of cupcake.

4. Finish: microwave chocolate and butter for the glaze in a small bowl. Glaze top of cupcakes then take the remaining creme and place in a plastic bag. Cut off a corner of the bag and pipe the creme on top of cupcake in a connected loop pattern.

Yellow Layer Cake with Chocolate Glaze

2009-06-21T20:07:00.000-07:00

I made this cake yesterday and my whole family loved it. I had a piece (or two) today and it was still moist and delicious. Here's the recipe from a website I got it off of. Please note that I didn't follow it to a tee. I forgot to sift my flour (oops) and I sprayed my cake pans with Pam and that's it...no parchment paper or anything else. Also, because I'm still waiting on Santa to bring me a Kitchenaid mixer (funny joke if you know me), I followed the "hand-mixer" instructions - they're in parentheses at the bottom of step 2.

To quickly bring the eggs and milk to room temperature (65°F), submerge them in a bowl of warm water for about 10 minutes after mixing them together. Adding the butter pieces to the mixing bowl one at a time prevents the dry ingredients from flying up and out of the bowl.

Makes two 9-inch cakes
4 large eggs , room temperature
1/2 cup whole milk , room temperature
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 1/4 cups sifted cake flour
1 1/2 cups granulated sugar
2 teaspoons baking powder
3/4 teaspoon table salt
1/2 pound unsalted butter (2 sticks), softened (see illustration 1), each stick cut into 8 pieces

1. Adjust oven rack to lower-middle position and heat oven to 350 degrees. Generously grease two 9-by-1 1/2-inch cake pans with vegetable shortening and cover pan bottoms with rounds of parchment paper or wax paper. Grease parchment rounds, dust cake pans with flour, and tap out excess.

2. Beat eggs, milk, and vanilla with fork in small bowl; measure out 1 cup of this mixture and set aside. Combine flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in bowl of standing mixer fitted with paddle attachment; mix on lowest speed to blend, about 30 seconds. With mixer still running at lowest speed, add butter one piece at a time; mix until butter and flour begin to clump together and look sandy and pebbly, with pieces about the size of peas, 30 to 40 seconds after all butter is added. Add reserved 1 cup of egg mixture and mix at lowest speed until incorporated, 5 to 10 seconds. Increase speed to medium-high (setting 6 on KitchenAid) and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Add remaining egg mixture (about 1/2 cup) in slow steady stream, about 30 seconds. Stop mixer and thoroughly scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat on medium-high until thoroughly combined and batter looks slightly curdled, about 15 seconds longer.

(To mix using hand mixer, whisk flour, sugar, baking powder, and salt in large bowl. Add butter pieces and cut into the flour mixture with a pastry blender. Add reserved 1 cup of egg mixture; beat with hand mixer at lowest speed until incorporated, 20 to 30 seconds. Increase speed to high, add remaining egg mixture, and beat until light and fluffy, about 1 minute. Stop mixer and thoroughly scrape sides and bottom of bowl. Beat at high speed 15 seconds longer.)

3. Divide batter equally between prepared cake pans; spread to sides of pan and smooth with rubber spatula. Bake until cake tops are light golden and skewer inserted in center comes out clean, 20 to 25 minutes. (Cakes may mound slightly but will level when cooled.) Cool on rack 10 minutes. Run a knife around pan perimeter to loosen. Invert cake onto large plate, peel off parchment, and re-invert onto lightly greased rack. Cool completely before icing.

Chocolate Glaze

1 1/2 cup confectioners' sugar
3 ounces bittersweet chocolate , melted
4 1/2 tablespoons milk
1 1/2 pinches table salt

Mix all the glaze ingredients together until smooth. Pour small amount of glaze on first layer of cake, then top with the 2nd cake layer. Pour the glaze over the top of the cake, allowing the glaze to drip down the sides. Let set before serving, about 10 minutes.

A deep & meaningful talk...

2009-06-16T20:35:00.000-07:00

with my 3 year old son was not exactly what I thought it was going to be.
Out of the blue, it began:

Jeremiah- God made everything, Mom.

Mom- Yes, He did. And what did He say about it?

J- That it was good.

M- And do you know why it was good. Because God doesn't make junk. He makes beautiful things. Like you! You are very special.

J- Yes I am.

M- Yes, God made you special.

J- Ok. That's enough talking for now.

I guess when I think about it, it's a normal response for a boy; even for a man (but men just never want to end a conversation that way because it typically begins an argument! lol)

That's my boy!

A park day I won't forget...

2009-06-04T20:49:00.001-07:00

Wednesday was a scheduled park day for my MOPS group. We met at a fun spray park that had lots of toys too. The kids and I had a fun time, in spite of the cool weather and intermittent sprinkles (odd for June but whatever).

So the kids and I sit down to have a packed lunch and when Jeremiah finished he asks to go play with the kids. So off he went. I mean, that's what we were there for, right?!?

Beka stayed with me as I sat with mommy friends and talked.

Raquel's son comes up to me and tells me Jeremiah is hurt. I scan the park for him and sure enough, here he comes walking towards me; one of his shoulders looks a little saggy and he's crying. I meet him, leaving Beka with my dear friends, Raquel and Tara (thank you girls for all you did and offered) and carry him back to the picnic tables. As I look over his body I notice a red mark on his shoulder. I keep scanning his body and there it is:

his collar bone looks a little out of place. Immediately I want to cry for him but I hold it together, scoop him up and take the kids to urgent care; which is just down the road - seriously like a 5 minute drive.

Jeremiah did such a good job waiting in the lobby. He would cry every so often and wanted me to hold him. Beka did a good job waiting too! I put her in her stroller and she waited as patiently as a one year old can.

They took us to the back and did a couple of x-rays on his collar bone. And sure enough, a fractured clavicle. It's a greenstick break (imagine stripping a healthy, small branch off a tree, then trying to snap it in two...it doesn't snap but rather twists and bends - well that's similar to what happened to his collar bone). So the dr. gave us a prescription to get a figure 8 brace to help it heal correctly.

I take the kids home and we wake up dad (who is getting in his beauty sleep since he's on the graveyard shift at work). Jeremiah springs the news: "Dad, I went to the park and fell off a ladder and broke my bone." The drowsy, I'm-so-sleep-deprived-because-you-only-let-me-sleep-3-hours look on his face is classic once he hears the unbelievable news.

Needless to say, he couldn't go back to sleep after that. But the kids took a nap. That was my cue to go get that prescription filled.

After 4 stores, I finally find one that had the brace AND took my insurance, which completely covered the cost of the brace. But I need to have Jeremiah there to be fitted. So I go home, get the family and off we go.

Afterwards, we let Jeremiah pick dinner. He wanted breakfast, pancakes and eggs to be specific (a boy after my own heart - breakfast for dinner!). So off we went to Denny's.

Here's more pics of Jeremiah and his first broken bone, which costs us a total of $15 (who needs Aflac!?! he he)

See, he's feeling great, with a little help from Tylenol.

In this picture I told him to look like it hurts. I think he gave me "pathetic" instead. But hey, I'll take what I can get.

You can see the red mark where he landed on his shoulder and the bump where his clavicle broke.

Vaccination Update

2009-05-22T10:50:00.000-07:00

Yesterday was Beka's doctor appointment. She had an ear infection...news to me. She must have just got it. Well, come to think of it, she did start coughing about an hour or two before her appointment. And on the way home, she started pulling at her ear. So, no shots for her. Those are scheduled for next week.

We did tell our doctor that we wanted to separate out the MMR shot. She told us that they don't do that.

-What?

-Well, we could do it but it would cost you a lot of money, the doctor said.

-Ok, how much money are we talking here?

-About $1,000!

-WHAT?!?

-We can't just get one missile of the vaccine, she said. We have to buy a lot of them, and you'd have to pay for it.

That just sounds wrong. Once I got home I called our insurance and explained it to the guy on the other end of the phone. It was late where he was, central time. So he's supposed to get some answers and call me back today.

Needless to say, we're still praying about it.

To be continued...

A vaccination decision

2009-05-17T20:02:00.000-07:00

After prayer, thought, and research we've decided to give Beka her scheduled shots next week. However, we are going to request her doctor separate the MMR vaccine into 3 separate shots over time. I've called our insurance and they cover all vaccinations no matter how we, meaning our doctor and us, decide to administer them. So that's nice.

Thanks for your input, ladies. I really appreciate your time and thoughts!

Please note: if there's one thing I know about God it's that all of my above plans are tentative. There's still lots of time for Him to tell us to do something else!

I need some advice

2009-05-07T20:02:00.000-07:00

So Beka's one year well-baby appointment is in a couple of weeks and she's scheduled for a slew of shots. So far she's been vaccinated according to our doctor's schedule. And it's not that we don't want to vaccinate her. But we're wondering if we should delay some of the vaccinations so that we're not bombarding her immune system with so much stuff all at once.

I know there are ladies out there with wonderful info because you've done a ton of homework on this topic already.

Would you mind sharing what you've learned? Any websites you've found trustworthy or just knowledge you wouldn't mind imparting would be terrific.

Thanks!

Giveaway

2009-04-27T21:11:00.000-07:00

My friend Tara is having a wonderful giveaway. So check it out here!

Yes, it's true...

2009-04-20T21:42:00.000-07:00

I'm pregnant! This baby is definitely a surprise! We actually wanted to wait about one more year before we tried to have another one. But obviously God had different plans.

This baby is due December 6 so I'm thinking we'll meet at the end of November. I think it'd be fun to not know whether it's a boy or girl and be completely surprised when the doctor pulls him/her out. Pascual, on the other hand, is hoping I'll change my mind in a few months. Time will tell.

Day Fourteen - check

2009-04-08T12:51:00.000-07:00

Ha, the essay was all about calendars and how they can help you organize your life. Am I a believer!!! I've been doing that for ... well, ever since I've been married.

Ok, day 15:

Hmm, did I miss something? I thought that this was already supposed to be part of my morning routine? Well, in any case, I've been doing it. So it won't be anything new for me.

Although I foresee a major problem with this in a couple of days. Sunday Pascual starts his new shift: graveyards - 10pm-6am. Then he'll come home around 6:30am and sleep all morning (and hopefully part of the afternoon, we'll see). So I'm thinking for the next 4 months making my bed during my morning routine will be put on hold. I guess I can always make it before I go to bed? I don't really see the point though.

Day Thirteen - check

2009-04-06T13:48:00.000-07:00

It's really amazing how quickly the time flies and how much stuff I get done when Beka's asleep and Jeremiah's watching Handy Manny (God bless that Disney show!).

Prep for day 14:

Tomorrow I'll read an essay. I don't think I've read an essay since I graded my students' papers on mathematicians throughout history. This should be interesting.

Day ...what day am I on???

2009-04-05T14:18:00.000-07:00

It feels like I've been cleaning forever!

Oh ya, day 12, check!

There are days when I wonder, "why bother???" since the tornadoes, aka my family, just come behind me and causes what I've done to become undone.
But then I remind myself that I'm not cleaning for them (sounds bad but it's the truth-I've actually thought this one through!); I'm cleaning for me. When I let our home become disarrayed I lose my peace. And my family can attest: I need peace!

Ok, so tomorrow is the start of my week and we're adding on to my routine:

Ah, Kelly's missions. I actually love her missions. I'm looking forward to checking it out here and following through. I'm assuming I do it once my other morning routine blessings have been completed. I really hope I have time to get to it. If not, it won't be the end of the world. There will always be the following day to start again.

There will always be the following day to start again.

Hold on, I need to tell this to myself one more time...

There will always be the following day to start again.

Did you guys see it??? The light bulb that went off in my head? Do you hear the angelic choir singing in the background??? BREAKTHROUGH!!!

There will always be the following day to start again. I won't just give up because the day didn't go according to my plans.

There will always be the following day to start again.

Days Ten and Eleven - check & check!

2009-04-02T10:24:00.000-07:00

Ok, I can't do anything for 15 minutes unless the kids stay alseep, busy, etc. But I'll do my best for as long as I've got.

Day 11 was
So here's the sayings I wrote down:

- Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the LORD rather than for men... Col 3:23

- My family is worth it!

- You can't organize clutter.

- You cannot go back and start again but you can start from now and have a brand new end.

- Anyone can work hard when they want to. Champions do it when they don't.

- Housework done incorrectly still blesses my family.

Let's prep for day 12 now, shall we...

Ha ha! I am the email deleting queen! This one is not a problem!!! An easy day for me!!!

"You can do anything for 15 minutes"...really?

2009-04-01T14:25:00.000-07:00

I set my timer for 15 minutes to throw all the trash out of the home yesterday and I had to stop with 9 minutes left because Beka woke up from her nap. I meant to finish the 9 minutes later on in the day when I had time but the time never came.

So I really can't do anything in 15 minutes because whose to say I'll have 15 consecutive minutes to do something.

So I'll just do what I can in the time that I have. How's that sound? It's going to have to work.

Day Nine - check

2009-03-31T10:53:00.000-07:00

I cleaned off my dining room table. I was amazed what I found:
my can opener
rubber scraper
Jeremiah's new shoes I bought him (he said he threw them in the trash...sad when he calls my dining room table "trash")
New Weight Watcher Dining Out Companion
not to mention all Jeremiah's toys he's been "storing" there.

Well, no more storage on that table. I collapsed it since we don't use it anyways.

Ok, new day:

These 15 minutes are meant to be a trash collection time, according to the fly lady.
No problemo!!!

Day Eight - check

2009-03-29T13:58:00.000-07:00

Binder is done and ready to go. Actually, my binder is more than done. It has the following in it:
-The Fly Lady's Eleven Commandments
-Morning Routine
-Bedtime Routine
-Weekly Checklist (note: not that I've done any of it)
click here for more details on those routines and the checklist
-Weekly Bless My Home checklist (see note two lines up)
-The Fly Lady's detailed cleaning list categorized into zones
-A printout of age appropriate chores from ages 9 months up to 12 years
-Extra paper
-Personal Contact Info (like an address book)
-And an Emergency Contact page (has directions on how to get to my home, how to open the front gate, and important phone numbers: our pediatrician, pedi center, poison control, my doctor, and me and my hubby's cell phone numbers).

Please note: I had already completed this stuff 3 years ago. I didn't just sit down and do it over the weekend. But it's nice to know it's there.

Ok, tomorrow is a non-MOPS Monday which means I usually go to the gym in the morning. However, tomorrow is special because my hubby and I are going to do a spin class together at 5:30pm. So I won't be going to the gym in the morning. Which means, my day is actually going to start around 6am. (It usually doesn't start until 10am, when I come home from the gym.)
So here's what I mean by starting my day: I'll shower, get dressed, shine my sink, make my bed, spend 2 minutes on my hot spots and...

I'll attempt to do this during nappy poo time.

Wish me luck.

P.S. I think this is the most link-ridden post I've ever had!!! Some of them I did for complete fun! Boy, did I have fun!!!

Eureka!!!

2009-03-26T12:34:00.001-07:00

I found it!!!

The recipe for my most favorite, absolutely most delicious cheesecake ever!

I've only had it twice. Once at a dinner party at a very ritzy house on the river. They flew it in for us from the Carnegie Deli in New York. And the other time I had it was right before Jeremiah was born when we visited Las Vegas. They have a Carnegie Deli inside the Mirage.

And who would've ever thought the Carnegie Deli would post their recipe for this most delicious, decadent, heavenly cheesecake. I'm very tempted to make it. But I wonder if it will lose its mysterious appeal to me if I know how and can actually replicate this thing of beauty? I'll have to work myself up to make this scrumptious dessert. And this month is not the month! But at least I know how now.

Day Seven - check

2009-03-26T09:38:00.001-07:00

Getting my clothes ready last night saved me about 30 seconds of time this morning. But I can see how on busier days it will be a better thing.

Is it me or does it seem like things are moving at a zippy speed now. Let's review: I'm shining my sink, doing a load of laundry daily, making my bed consistently, getting dressed everyday, putting out hot spots...

Wow, I almost need a day off to let these new routines sink in.

Well, let's see what the fly lady has in store for me tomorrow:

Day 8 -

Aha! Here's my day off! (And a good thing too - tomorrow is the beginning of Pascual's weekend. Remember: his days off are mine too!)
I already have this ready to go...from the last time I way over did the fly lady and took an afternoon to create and perfect my control journal. Kinda sick...I know. I'll re-write my morning and evening routine so far and rip out the

pages

that

I

did...

wait. I can't rip those out. How about I just won't look at them for now.

Confession time: I haven't even attempted to clean in the zone of the week. But that'll come with time...I hope.

Day Six - check Wow...

2009-03-25T12:02:00.001-07:00

Those 2 minutes went by sooo fast! I didn't even finish my hot spot! Well, there's always tomorrow. Bet ya never thought I'd say that, huh?

So I added "2 minutes for hot spots" as a sticky note to my bathroom and kitchen. Now what...

Tonight I pick out my clothes. Hmmm, isn't it just the same thing every day? Pair of jeans and a t-shirt. Okie dokie artichokie. I hope I remember...bedtime is still hours away. A lot gets lost in my head in that amount of time.

I've noticed...

2009-03-25T08:03:00.001-07:00

that my day doesn't begin until 10am, when I come home from the gym.

And I'm ok with that! It works for me!!!

Day Five - check

2009-03-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

I've noticed that my ANTs are thoughts like
I've got to take care of ____________ now so it'll get done.
Or
If I start the washing machine right now, I can work on _________ while it's washing.
It's like multi-tasking with machines.

And what ends up happening with me is I get overwhelmed with all the stuff that needs to get done and do hardly anything instead.

So today, when I really wanted to start my day before I took my shower and got dressed I told myself,
"Self, (not really but I like saying that) do it in the correct order!"

And ya know what...stuff got done today! So YIPPEE!

OK, let's prep for day 6:

I already know where my hot spots are:
a. the tiny corner of my kitchen table - I'm surprised by how much stuff is there.
b. my dining room table - we don't use it so it collects stuff; my stuff and Jeremiah's toys
c. computer desk
d. any surface in my den

Don't worry. I'm not going to over do it tomorrow. I'll set my timer for 2 minutes and work on that tiny corner until I hear the "ding". Then I'll be done for the day. I'm so excited!!!

Day Four - check

2009-03-23T14:10:00.000-07:00

Ok, back to work...for the hubby and me!

I had to miss MOPS today because of my child's runny nose and cough...little stinker! I've gotta remind myself that she's not having cold-symptoms on purpose. :)

So day four was to put sticky notes around, writing what I do so far (which isn't much):
1. Get dressed for the day - as in be ready to leave the house.
2. Shine my sink - for me that's just cleaning up breakfast dishes and any dishes that didn't make it into the dishwasher (because it was full already) last night. And clean any green bags that I've let accumulate on my counter.
3. Check the reminder emails (love this one!).

So 3 sticky notes are attached to my bathroom mirror. I'll add 3 more, saying the same things, to my kitchen in just a moment.
That'll do.

Ok, so let's prep for day 5:

"Are you hearing any of those nagging negative voices popping into your head? I want you to take a piece of paper and write down what you hear then I want you to turn those ugly words around and say something nice to yourself to negate the ugly words that they said." (note: quote taken from here)
Ok, I'll just be honest. My first reaction to day 5's advice is, "Oh puhleeze!"
But upon further thought, I'm reminded that I've done this before...from my weight watcher meetings. Yep, those negative thoughts are called 'ANTs' - automatic negative thoughts and they must be sprayed!

So I'll just write down any negative thoughts, whether it comes from cleaning or eating or the fat on my body. It is a good idea...even if it sounds like hokey.

A break from the fly lady's routine...it's cake time!!!

2009-03-21T20:08:00.000-07:00

Is it me or when it's the hubby's days off, it's the wife's days off too? Who wants to clean house when it's just going to get messy with fun life. Fooey on that. So, sorry fly lady, but I've been taking a break to kick it for a couple of days. But don't you worry, I'm coming back! I'll resume with day 4...or whatever day I'm on.

I went to our MOPS spring social silent auction and won a $100 certificate to a new cake place in town. They are so new that they actually don't have a store front yet; they're working out of their kitchen. We thought it'd be a good idea to get Jeremiah a cool looking pirate themed cake for his birthday this year. Today was our sampling appointment. And they were so smart about it: they baked up the 9 different cake flavors we chose, then in separate dishes had different flavored fillings and different flavored icings.

Oh mercy, were most of those samples delish! Some I didn't care for: the brownie and anything with the chocolate filling. But then again, I'm not a big chocolate fan. Freakish- I know.

But my favorites were: lemon cake with lemon filling (reminded me of a lemon merangue pie...oh lordy) and vanilla frosting, cherry chip cake with cherry filling and almond frosting (that cherry/almond combo was fantastic!!!), pineapple coconut cake with pineapple filling and vanilla frosting (I think it was vanilla anyways..can't remember we tried so many), and finally pineapple coconut cake with bavarian cream filling and vanilla frosting (gosh, was it vanilla?). The pineapple coconut cake was so moist and the pineapple filling had such texture (the cake did too!). Oh man, T-A-S-T-Y!!!

When we left we were sooo full.

On our way home we discussed how hospitable they were and how we feel like they went out of their way for a couple who really isn't bringing them much money since they donated the gift certificate to MOPS.

So I think we're going to break the family tradition of using only using Rosie's for family get togethers and we're going to use Keep Sake Kakes for both of our kids' birthday cakes...yep, it was that good. Plus they can make a cake in the shape of a pirate treasure chest for Jeremiah

and a piñata for Beka. How cute will these be!!!

Day Three - check

2009-03-18T15:01:00.000-07:00

Did what I was doing.

Prep for day 4:

I'm a master list maker. I've got this one in the bag!!!

Day Two - check

2009-03-17T12:34:00.001-07:00

This morning I got "dressed". Well I'm calling it dressed. I basically put a bra on and kept the closed on that I slept in. I did some dishes and re-shined my sink. I also had Jeremiah help me clean up the toy room - uh the living room.

Beka took an early nap since she was up so early; which worked out great for me...I got to go to zumba class at the gym at 9:30.

After lunch, Beka took her 2nd nap, Jeremiah watched a video and I took my shower for the day and got re-dressed.

You think I get bonus points for getting dressed twice in one day?

Prep for day 3:

I really want to jump ahead and do the next 3 or 4 days but I shall refrain. Babysteps, Dani...babysteps!

Day One...check

2009-03-16T21:10:00.001-07:00

I shined my sink.

I didn't do it until 2pm but I did it none the less.

Prep for day 2:

Ugh. I really don't like this one. Seriously, I can and know that I will get my household going without shoes on. But I know for me, I cannot get my day going without a bra on. You think the fly lady would mind if I substituted "bra" for "shoes"?

Hey, I'm making it work for me.

If I burn out again and restart the fly lady's routine I promise I'll change my ways and lace up my shoes next time. But this time, I'm just going to make sure I get dressed up to my shoes.

And as far as hair and make-up...you really think I have to do it when I don't do every day anyways. Heck, today I went to Target after the gym with my hair in disarray, no make-up and a t-shirt that had so much visible sweat in it I'm pretty sure I could've wrung it out and made the ground wet. Kinda gross but I had a great workout!!!

Well, were calling day 2, "Dani's modified day 2".

Day One-eve

2009-03-15T19:35:00.001-07:00

Tomorrow is Monday - a great day to start with the fly lady's routine.

I'm a pretty organized person but I just hate to clean - and I really need to. I've got clutter in places that take my peace away. And trust me when I say, if mama ain't got peace, ain't nobody got peace.

Ok, tomorrow it is. And this time, I'm going to start the fly lady with utterly ridiculously small baby steps. Maybe I'll stick with it and not burn out this time.

Thanks for the inspiration, Tara! You're a terrific friend!!!

Stay tuned for a recap of each day of the routine.

Let's see, tomorrow's goal according to the fly lady is:

I know I can manage that. That's the problem with me. I'll want to do days 2, 3, and 4 tomorrow too. But I shall resist the urge! One day at a time! That's a promise.

Where are the people that give compliments?

2009-03-11T08:52:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I was at Costco putting the items into my car. Jeremiah was already in his car seat, waiting patiently to be buckled in, and Beka was sitting in the basket. This older couple passed by and played with Beka's toes, asking, "which isle do we find one of these?"

Oh, it's so cute when older people get a kick out of babies.

My guard dropped...

Then they went in for the kill.

With a change of tone in their voice they added, "And your mommy is letting you sit right in the sun." And they walked off.

I stood there thinking, where are the people who tell you what a good job you're doing? Why are these neigh-sayers a dime a dozen?"

So today, as I go out to the marketplace, I'm going to try to compliment a mother's skills because I know it would make her day. I know it would make mine!!!

Amish Friendship WHAT?!?

2009-03-11T08:41:00.000-07:00

On Monday at MOPS, my friend Lynette gave me an Amish Friendship Bread starter. The girls at my table asked me if it was breastmilk.
Which leads me to a few disturbing thoughts:
a. that the girls at my table would think that I would bring my breastmilk in a large ziplock bag
b. that the girls at my table would think my breastmilk would be that thick and off color
c. that the girls at my table would think that I'd be that uncouth to just flop a bag of breastmilk on the table
These thoughts are making me wonder about the girls at my table...weirdos!
Anyways...

Later that night I told my hubby about the bag of bread starter and what the girls at my table thought. Then I told him the process that will eventually lead to delicious loaves of bread.

And that's when he stared at me with a disgusting look on his face.

What?

"I'm NOT eating that!", he said.

Why not???

"I'm NOT eating bread made with another woman's breastmilk! I wouldn't even eat it if it was made with your own breastmilk."

Huh? What are you talking about?

He assumed after all that talk about the girls at my table thinking that was large bag of zip locked milk, that there was actually breastmilk in the bag - that Lynette had made the starter with her milk - and she's sharing it with us.

Holy cow, that made my night. I still giggle over that miscommunication!

I wonder if he'll try the bread next week when I make it?

Never Alone

2009-02-27T17:13:00.000-08:00

Jobs are not a sure thing in this economy. And even though Pascual is still employed, we can still pay our bills, and God is totally taking care of us I know people that don't know how they will pay their bills, and they don't see God moving for them at all.
The following song lyrics really ministered to me...and I hope will bless you to!

I waited for you today
But you didn't show
Oh no
I needed You today
So where did You go?

You told me to call
Said You'd be there
And though I haven't seen You
Are You still there?

I cry out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone

And though I cannot see You
And I can't explain why
Such a deep, deep reassurance
You've placed in my life

We cannot separate
'Cause You're part of me
And though You're invisible
I'll trust the unseen

I cry out with no reply
And I can't feel You by my side
So I'll hold tight to what I know
You're here and I'm never alone

"Never Alone"
By Barlow Girl

Dentists

2009-02-20T15:01:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Jeremiah had his 6 month cleaning appointment with his dentist. He's 3 years old... And he had a dentist appointment. Actually this is his 3rd dentist appointment. His first one he had at 2 1/2 years when they did a visual exam and cleaned his teeth. 6 months ago, they took x-rays and cleaned his teeth.

I know this is foreign to some of you out there in bloggy land but we only pay 10% of the bill so I figure why not. And besides, the ADA recommends that kids have their first check up at 12 months. Now, I didn't go that far. I think that's kinda pushing it. I mean, come on. That could tramatise a little tike.

Ok, back to the story. So they go to take him back and I ask if they're going to clean his teeth and the lady tells me they're going to do x-rays and a cleaning. X-rays? Again? Why???

And her answer was great! (not!...keep a visual in your head of money hungry people doing anything to get more money) She said that my insurance allows him to have x-rays every 6 months. I just stared at her. Then she finally added that a lot of cavities show up in between teeth and x-rays are the best way to find them. And how they're x-ray machine only emits 10% of the radiation that conventional x-ray machines emit.

Hello, have you seen Jeremiah's teeth??? They have such a spread to them that I have to buy those Christmas tree looking brushes to "floss" his teeth. And do I really want my son to glow in the dark by the time he's in high school??

So I tell her that I don't want him to have x-rays this time. So they write in his chart about how I'm an irresponsible mom...

Just kidding. But they did write in his chart about how cavities are best detected with x-rays and I'm declining the use of x-rays at this visit. And they have me sign it.

I don't care. Seriously, I don't think a 3 year old needs x-rays done every 6 months. Can someone say overkill???

Besides, there's nothing like a $9 dentist visit! :-)

A Dangerous Weapon

2009-02-10T11:05:00.001-08:00

Jeremiah's been watching the Pirates Who Don't Do Anything and is really into pirates. He likes to play with his cutlass (aka my butter knife, actually all of my butter knives). So this morning he took his cutlass with us to the grocery store. A fellow shopper stopped me and proceeded to tell me that if my boy fell he could get hurt. Naturally assuming she was kidding I said, "I know. It's really sharp, huh." Well from that point on I could tell she didn't like me one bit. She got on to me saying how if the police saw him with that "dangerous weapon" (oh yes, I quoted her there!) that I would be arrested and CPS would take my children from me. I just kept saying, "you're kidding, right?". And she would answer me with more astounding "facts" about how sharp and dangerous this knife he was carrying was. CRAZY!

By this time my flesh was ready for its turn but God kept me in line. When she was done I told her thank you (without any sarcasm..can you believe it!) and she came back with a sarcastic you're welcome.

The lady walked away. Now I stood at a crossroad. Jeremiah saw the whole thing so I bent down and told him that lady didn't want him to have his cutlass and that God wants us to live at peace with people as much as possible. So I told him I was going to hold his cutlass until we got outside where he could have it back. Amazingly, he said ok.

Lady, if you're reading this please note: I did NOT take away the butter knife because I was afraid the cops were coming to arrest me and take my kids away, give me a break you crazy old coot! I did it to teach my son a lesson in loving people...even the crazy, freak pots like you!

Looking back on the whole ordeal we learned another lesson: don't take the butter knife to the store. It's just easier to leave it at home where he can run all around the house with it than to bring it to the store.

My New Found Love

2009-01-29T12:57:00.000-08:00

I just bought a bottle of Tapatio, requested by my hubby. It was my very first time buying and trying this stuff. And this stuff is fantastic. For the past 2 days, which has been ever since I'd had the bottle of deliciousness, my afternoon 1 point snack has been half a cup of Costco's egg starts, scrambled with a few dashes of seasoning salt. Then wrapped in a very warm La Bonita Low Carb tortilla. I enjoy my egg burrito with the bottle of Tapatio in hand...because every bite has to have some, who am I kidding...a lot!!!, of this goodness on it.

I always just assumed it tasted like Tabasco. No, no, no! It's more like chorizo and eggs, but without the chorizo. It doesn't taste like vinegar but more along the lines of spices.

I am looking forward to tomorrow's afternoon snack already!

Dang it, I should've bought the big bottle! I hope this little one lasts until payday.

My Very First Turkey

2009-01-03T14:59:00.001-08:00

So my sister made me make the Christmas turkey this year. I was really intimidated by it but I did my research (I know my sister would be rolling her eyes thinking what a nerd of a sister she has) and decided to go with the Pioneer Woman's rendition. Can I just say how much I love that lady! Not only did my turkey look terrific

but it tasted great!!!

I followed the PW's brining recipe the day before I cooked it. Aw so good. I'll be the one making the turkey from now on...and it won't intimidate me again!

Apple Pie

2008-11-12T11:36:00.001-08:00

Here's a great apple pie recipe. But be careful: one slice has 13 points in it (serves 8)!
You can either make this in a 9" deep dish pie pan or a 10" regular dish.

Here's what you need for the crust:
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon table salt
2 Tablespoons granulated sugar
13 Tablespoons unsalted butter, cold, cut into 1/4-inch pieces
7 Tablespoons vegetable shortening, chilled
4-5 Tablespoons ice water

1. Mix flour, salt and sugar in a food processor fitted with the steel blade. Scatter butter pieces over flour mixture, tossing to coat butter with some flour. Cut butter into flour with five 1-second pulses. Add shortening and continue cutting in until flour is pale yellow and resembles coarse cornmeal with butter bits no larger than small peas, about four more 1-second pulses. Turn mixture into a medium bowl.
2. Sprinkle 4 Tablespoons of ice water over mixture. With blade of rubber spatula, use folding motion to mix. Press down on dough with broad side of spatula until dough sticks together, adding up to 1 Tablespoon more ice water if dough will not come together. Shape dough into two balls with your hands, one slightly larger than the other. Flatten into 4-inch-wide disks. Dust lightly with flour, wrap in plastic or place in a resealable plastic bag, and refrigerate for 30 minutes before rolling.
3. Flour the work surface very lightly; too much flour will be absorbed by the dough and cause it to toughen. If the dough seems to soft to roll, refrigerate it rather than adding more flour. Roll our the dough by placing the rolling pin in the center of the dough and roll out in one direction. Put the pin back in the center and roll out in a different direction. Don't roll out the dough like you used to roll out playdoh! Roll out the dough to 1/8-inch thickness; about the thickness of two quarters.

Here's what you need for the filling:
1/2 cup granulated sugar, plus one teaspoon
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon table salt
1 Tablespoon lemon juice
1/2 teaspoon grated lemon peel (peel the lemon before you juice it!)
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
2 1/2 pounds tart apples (firm), about 5 medium, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices
2 1/2 pounds sweet apples (firm), about 5 medium, peeled and cut into 1/4-inch thick slices

1 egg white, beaten lightly

*Good tart apple choices: Granny Smiths, Empires or Cortlands. Good sweet apples choices: Golden Delicious, Jonagolds, or Braeburns.

1. Mix 1/2 cup granulated sugar, brown sugar, salt, zest and cinnamon in large bowl; add apples and toss to combine. Transfer apples to Dutch oven and cook, covered, over medium heat, stirring frequently, until apples are tender when poked with fork but still hold their shape, 15-20 minutes. (Apples and juices should gently simmer during cooking.) Transfer apples and juices to rimmed baking sheet and cool to room temperature, about 30 minutes. While apples cool, adjust oven rack to lowest position, place empty rimmed baking sheet on rack, and heat oven to 425.
2. Remove the larger disk of dough from refrigerator and roll out to about a 12-inch circle (about 1/8" thickness). Place in pie pan. Working around circumference, ease dough into pan by gently lifting edge of dough with one hand while pressing nto plate bottom with other hand. Leave dough that overhangs pan in place. Now roll out other dough disk to 1/8" thickness.
3. Transfer cooled apples to a colander and shake to drain off as much juice as possible; discard juice. Transfer apples to dough-lined pie pan; sprinkle with lemon juice.
4. Place other dough onto apples. Pinch edges of top and bottom dough rounds firmly together. Seal edges of dough, then cut four 2-inch slits in top of dough. Brush surface with beaten egg white and sprinkle evenly with remaining teaspoon sugar.
5. Use foil and tent the edges of crust so they do not over-brown or burn during cooking. Be sure to remove foil tent during the last 10-15 minutes of baking so they brown.
6. Set pie on preheated baking sheet; bake until crust is dark golden brown 45-55 minutes. transfer pie to wire rack and cool at least 90 minutes. Cut into 8 wedges and serve.

Obesity

2008-09-28T05:35:00.000-07:00

I'm really looking forward to losing 7 more pounds. That's when I'll move out of the obese category and into the overweight category.

Here's the breakdown for you (it's all based on your body mass index):

BMI Categories:

* Underweight = <18.5
* Normal weight = 18.5-24.9
* Overweight = 25-29.9
* Obese = 30.0-39.9
* Morbidly Obese = BMI of 40 or greater

Half way there...

2008-09-05T11:53:00.000-07:00

Fifty down, 50 to go...
Pounds that is.

Yay!

I'm thinking I just took off the 'easy' 50 lbs. The first 25 I lost within 2 weeks of Beka's birth. The second 25 took me 14 weeks with the help of Weight Watchers. I wonder how long the third 25 will take? I'm thinking longer than 14 weeks. Fourth 25? Probably even longer... Good thing I'm in this for the long haul.

Today I'm inspired by lyrics from my past:

"Whooah, were half way there
Livin on a prayer
Take my hand and well make it - I swear
Livin on a prayer" - Bon Jovi

2008 Family Beach Trip

2008-08-17T10:59:00.000-07:00

This was our 2nd time going to the family beach trip. This year there were about 20 of us. We arrived at the beach Monday evening. Both kids did great in the car ride over there.

We did the typical beach stuff...went down on the sand and played, went out for fish and chips, shopped, hung out at the hotel pool/jacoozi, etc. I actually don't remember what we did on which day. So here's the totally abridged version:

Here's our fish and chips experience:

Here's our "walking on the pier" experience. Jeremiah didn't want me to take his picture (kinda moody) but I had to sneek in a couple. He's so cute in his big boy hat.

He wanted me to take a picture of the surfer walking below us. Being a good mommy, I took it. That's why I have a picture of a surfer's butt.
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See, I told you Jeremiah was kinda moody...

And here's Beka.

She did pretty good at the beach. But for a few moments this was what we dealt with...

After all, she is a baby.

Thursday we went to the SLO street fair. She slept the whole time: 6pm-3:30am. Then, of course, she was awake...as in awake and ready to start her day. So I put her in the front pack and off we walked around the hotel for a while.
She eventually went back to sleep after a couple of hours. And I got a nap later that day.

We came home Saturday afternoon. It was a great break away from the heat and the normal things of life. Can't wait to do it again next year. Although there are rumors that next year the family is going to camp. Pray for me...I hate to camp.

Ratatouille

2008-08-17T10:36:00.000-07:00

Here's a terrific recipe for ratatouille. There was a chef at my abundant harvest pick-up (www.abundantharvestorganics.com) making this to show the people a good way to use the eggplant in their box. I served it over rice. Mmmm good. Of course I modified the recipe slightly. It wouldn't be me if I didn't.

Serves 6 with 1 Weight Watcher point per serving.

1 Tbsp olive oil
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 large onion, sliced
3 medium zucchini, sliced
1 small peeled eggplant, cubed
1 large bell pepper, sliced into strips
1 - 15.5 oz can diced tomatoes with juice

1 tsp dried basil
1 tsp dried parsley
I forgot to add the basil and parsley and it was still good. You could add fresh basil and parsley but be sure to add a tablespoon of each.

1 Tbsp capers (Optional) I didn't have extra capers to spare so I left them out.

1 tsp salt
pepper to taste

Heat oil in large skillet and add garlic and onion. Saute until onions are transparent. add zucchini, eggplant, and bell pepper to skillet. Cover and cook on low for 20 minutes. Add the canned tomatoes, basil, parsley and capers and simmer, uncovered, for about 10 minutes until mixture gets thick. Add salt and pepper to taste.

Strawberry Pudding

2008-07-17T13:07:00.001-07:00

I was wondering why Jell-O sells vanilla pudding, chocolate pudding, banana pudding, lemon, and pistachio but not strawberry pudding? So I decided to try to make it and find out if it's good or not.

It's chilling in my fridge as we speak but I tasted it while it was hot. That's my favorite time to eat homemade pudding, when it's still hot.

It's good. A light hint of strawberry.

Here's what I did:

In a medium saucepan, I combined 3/4 cup sugar, 1/4 t salt and 3 T cornstarch. Then I added 3 cups of non-fat milk. Cook and stir over medium heat until it thickens and you get tiny bubbles on top. Then cook it two more minutes. Take the pan off the heat. Now put 4 egg yolks in a bowl and beat them lightly. Ladle one cup of your hot milk into the egg yolk bowl and stir to combine. Now pour the egg yolk/milk back into the pot. Bring the milk mixture to a gentle boil. Reduce the heat and cook and stir for 2 more minutes. Remove the pan from the heat and stir in 1 T butter and 1 1/2 t strawberry extract (and a few drops of red food coloring if you want it to look like strawberry pudding). Pour into a bowl and cover with plastic wrap. Put it in the fridge. Serve warm or cold (or skip the whole bowl thing and eat it out of the pot).

I'm thinking cherry extract would be tasty too. I'll try it next time I have $7 to blow on a bottle of that stuff.

Oh ya...and it's a "sometimes" food. This serves 4 and weighs in with 7 points per serving. But when you get 10 extra points for nursing, it's a nice way to get in a milk serving. (Don't tell my meeting leader I said that.)

Turkey and Hominy Chili

2008-07-13T14:43:00.000-07:00

This is a weight watcher recipe. It serves 4 and has 5 points per serving. It's also a Core food.

2 tsp olive oil
1 large onion, chopped
2 minced garlic cloves
1 pound ground turkey
14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
4 oz can chopped Ortega chiles, do not drain
6 oz can tomato paste
2 tsp chili powder
2 tsp dried oregano
1/4 tsp salt
15 oz can hominy, drained (I use one big 28 oz can...hey we like hominy)

Garnish:
1/2 cup diced red onion
6 radishes, shredded
1/4 cup chopped cilantro
1/4 cup Monterey jack cheese, fat-free, shredded

Preparation:

1. Heat oil over medium-high heat. Add onion and garlic; cook, stirring frequently, until golden, about 7 minutes. Add turkey and cook until browned.

2. Stir in tomatoes, green chiles, tomato paste, chili powder, oregano and salt; bring to a boil. Reduce heat and simmer, partially covered, until thickened slightly. Stir in hominy and cook until heated through.

3. Combine red onion, radishes and cilantro in a small bowl. Divide chili into 4 bowls. Sprinkle each evenly with cheese, then radish mixture.

The results of my personality test...

2008-07-09T21:23:00.000-07:00

You Are An ISTJ

The Duty Fulfiller

You are responsible, reliable, and hardworking - you get the job done.

You prefer productive hobbies, like woodworking or knittings.

Quiet and serious, you are well prepared for whatever life hands you.

Conservative and down-to-earth, you hardly ever do anything crazy.

In love, you are loyal and honest. If you commit yourself to someone, then you're fully committed.

For you, love is something that happens naturally. And you don't need romantic gestures to feel loved.

At work, you remember details well and are happy to take on any responsibility.

You would make a great business executive, accountant, or lawyer.

How you see yourself: Decisive, stable, and dependable

When other people don't get you, they see you as: Boring, conservative, and egotistical

What's Your Personality Type?

Well, what do ya think?