Meal Planning Monday

Week of Monday January 31st

Monday: Chicken Tortilla Soup

Tuesday: Meatball Sub Sandwiches and Salad

Wednesday: Cheese Quesdilla and Salsa

Thursday: Pigs in a Blanket, Mac n Cheese and Fruit

Friday: Leftovers

Friday Favorites and other ramblings....

Ahhhhh...I love Friday. And even more I love being home on Friday night. So peaceful and worry free. Right now, Tim is on his way home from work, Ellie is outside playing in the snow (even now with the sun down she is having too much fun!), and Cece is asleep on the couch next to me. Early morning and no nap equals early bedtime....she is done for the night.

Today...Our Favorite TV shows.

My favorite, favorite, FAVORITE TV show is Sarah's House on HGTV. If you haven't seen it and are into interior design...you need to! It is a little hard to catch...so set that DVR! Sarah Richardson is an amazing  interior designer and I love everything she does. So when I googled (I wondered if she had a blog...no I am not stalking her!!!!) her the other day and saw she had a new show Sarah 101 I was super stoked! I mean SUPER stoked...so imagine my disappointment when I realized it was only on HGTV Canada. Hmmmm....maybe I can watch the episodes online.....Ok...I also like other shows like Castle, The Good Wife, and NCIS...what I like most about those shows is watching them with my hubby. Oh and every now and then I indulge in some trash tv like Real Housewives of New York or even more drama filled Real Housewives of New Jersey!

Tim favorites include Castle, The Good Wife, NCIS, CSI, Dexter...yeah so much for one favorite, huh? Oh and don't forget sports. Football, basketball, baseball and whatever else sporty is on. Yes, our life revolves around  sports. Plus he is a big fan of cooking shows like Guys Big Bite and home improvement shows like Sweaty Equity. Oh and what Daddy doesn't love Dora!?!?!

Ellie lists her favorite show is Undercover Boss. I asked her why she likes it so much and she said, "because the bosses go and try all the hard jobs. And they do really nice things for the workers who work so hard."  I hope it is reinforcing the value of hard work. He other favorite is the Discovery Channel series Life....she is into "true stories" that is why she has not once brought home a fiction book from her school library. She always brings home non-fiction books because they are "true stories." She also likes Wizards of Waverly Place, Olivia, and she will always watch Backyardigans with her sister.

Cece is simple....Dora and Diego are definitely her favorites! After Christmas we called her our Dora Princess....she was showered with Dora themed gifts and it made her day! And they still do!


Ok on to the ramblings....

At school today were discussing our weekend plans. I said how Tim had a track meet all day Saturday and here is the conversation that followed.

My coworker asked "When do you see Tim?" 
I answered "every night when he gets home from work and on the weekends." I was a little confused..
She responded, "No without the kids."
I said "not very much but we do fun little date nights at home. We do most things with the girls."
"And you like that? You are ok with that?" she responded.
I responded, "We love to be together as a family...like last night we all cuddled up in Ellie's bed and read books. That is our picture of perfect. And we both feel that way."

I am not sure if she was impressed by my response or thinks I am crazy. I know it is important for couples to spend quality time together and step out of their roles as parents....and we try to do that too. But I love nothing, NOTHING more than being with my family. We love each other and love each others company. I would have it no other way. Do I like it? Am I ok with it? You bet!

Toothless Wednesday

Last night Ellie lost her front tooth! So exciting (though she didn't not find the tooth pulling process so much fun). The tooth fairy was good to her and left her a whole $1.50! We love her toothless grin!

Meal Planning Monday

Week of Monday January 24th

Monday: BBQ Chicken Soup
*didn't get this made last week

Tuesday: Creamy Beef Taquitos

Wednesday: Cheeseburgers and Oven Fries
*This has been on the menu for the last 3 weeks.....we will see if we actually eat them this week

Thursday: Stuffed Shells and Garlic Bread

Friday: Chicken Fingers

Saturday: Taco Pizza

Sunday: Corn Chowder
*Another carry over from last week.


Ramblings
I didn't suffer from Meal Plan Envy last week...what happened was Mr. Weesner was home last Monday and made us up some fan-tas-tic Chili and we ate on it 3 days last week! I gave him a hard time for straying from my well made meal plan...however really I was oh so thankful! So we are repeating a few meals this week.

Also...did my grocery shopping at SuperTarget this weekend and used coupons from their last two mailings....AND saved $17! Woohoo...High Five for me!

Craft Day

We really don't do resolutions around our house....we do sometimes make changes or try something new. One thing we wanted to start doing this year was to have a more focused kids craft one day a week. We have been doing this on Thursdays after school. We have been having a lot of fun! Ellie goes on and on about how our creativity! (except she can't really say creativity...so it's funny)

Girls are getting started...Cece dives right in with the glue.

 Lots of glue!

 Break time....Mommy hood calls....Cece had to feed her baby!

 Ellie putting the finishing touches on her Peace Princess. So intense!

 The dolls we made...Ellie made the two on the right, Cece created the pink one and I made the last one.

 And we are back to playing...they have their hands full...they are trying to care for all 11 babies!

Enjoy:)

Heart Pillow

A little lovin'....Heart Pillow

I picked up the pillow below last summer at a garage sale for a quarter. I thought it was a pretty good find...cute and added some color to our living room. However....as the seasons changed it really didn't fit anymore. So I got to thinking...I could make a different cover for the different holidays and seasons. So, this Sunday Tim was at a wrestling meet, Ellie was playing at our neighbors and Cece was napping so I decided to give it a try.

I looked in my fabric pile and found these two pieces. A brown fabric with white polka dots and a chunk of leftover fluffy pink towel. I love the contrast of the colors and textures.

 The towel was leftover from making a changing table cover for little miss sillycyclone's favorite Christmas present. She sure does love to diaper her babies!

 I was even smart enough to cut the two pieces for the back so I could use the already finished edges....actually I didn't realize I cut it that way til I went to sew!

I think she adds a nice amount of lovin' to our living room:)

Linking up to Whatever Goes Wednesday over at Someday Crafts.

I want to remember this....

I want to remember when I say I am cold so you throw your arms around my neck and say I will keep you warm.
I want to remember when you insist that Daddy and I sit at the table so you can be our server.
I want to remember when I ask if you will be my cuddle bug you say right back Mommy will you be my cuddle bug?
I want to remember how you beat me in memory, actually schooled me in memory.
I want to remember how you count 1, 2, 5, 6, 6, 8, 9, 10 (10 is shouted very excitedly!)
I want to remember how during your basketball game your favorite part is when you are on the sideline and you drip water on the floor and make your shoes squeak.
I want to remember how you say hers, hims, and theirs....hers tired. hims dirty. theirs playing.
I want to remember how exciting it is to watch you read with your finger on the page under each word.
I want to remember how much you both love each other and love to play together....monsters, dolls, family, tea party.

did you know...

...if you put lotion in your belly button it will turn rotten?

...if you get the last bit of milk out of the milk jug it's your lucky day?

...that mr. sillycyclone is one heck of a hula hoop-er!

Meal Planning Monday

Week of Monday January 17th

Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs, Salad

Tuesday: BBQ Chicken Pizza Soup
*Another idea 'stolen' from Missy over at StarrCircus :)

Wednesday: Cheeseburgers and Oven Fries
* didn't get these made last week.

Thursday: Blueberry Pancakes, Sausage and Hash Browns

Friday: Leftover Soup and Biscuits

Saturday: Tacos

Sunday:  Cheesy Corn Chowder


Ramblings.....
Last week I had Meal Planning Envy.

Definition: when you plan your menu, do your shopping, and then check out other meal plans looking for great ideas and then you end up being envious of their menu items....and then you dig through your pantry and make changes to yours! haha :)

Matchers Take 2

Awhile back I posted about "matchers". I don't know what it is but I love it when the girls match and coordinate. Maybe it's my inner fashionista or just OCD...who knows! Like I mentioned before I think I come about the whole matcher syndrome quite naturally! I think it comes from my mom. See my mom often dressed my sister and I as matchers too.  When I was home over Christmas I did a little digging.....so here you go....sailor suit and all!

 Scott, Me and Emily Christmas 1986

 Emily and I Easter 1989

Here is our latest matchers outfit....I made matching plaid skirts for the girls. When I saw the fabric I fell in love...so girly yet trendy! I even got in on the fun making a scarf out of the left over fabric for myself!

Hearts

I saw these Hearts on Family Chic, they looked like a quick and easy way to add a little lovin' to our home. And the best part I actually had ALL the supplies on hand! They turned out so neat....I couldn't resist putting them up right away!

Making the hearts...Thursday night is Our Craft Night...girls made snowflakes and I made hearts:)

Yarn that I already had!!

Ellie helped twist the yarn on the hearts.

ahhhh.....love

Flashback Friday: Boxes

It is interesting how  a song can take you back to a different place and time. Even bring back all those emotions. This happened to me last night.

The girls and I were having a Dance Party and the song "Already Gone" by Sugarland came on. This song was popular a few years ago and a favorite of mine. Especially this part.....

Dishes, pictures, and socks

It's our whole life down to one box

And this is why.....

Pictures from Moving Day (Arizona to Iowa)

The red carpet is for the movers...not for me:)

See the curtains in the picture below...yeah they are from Ikea. I got them when they first came out. I loved them and designed the whole bedroom around them. They have been on many HGTV shows. I had to leave them....I bet the new owners threw them out or something! Makes me so mad! Sorry my blog, my rant:)

I have moved from house to house....but there is nothing quite like moving across the country. Everything....I mean everything has to be packed in a box. I remember laughing as I watched one of the movers pack up the contents of our junk drawer. He gently pulled out a handful of junk--broken sunglasses, old receipts, play jewelry, chapstick--and neatly rolled it up in paper like it was a prized possession. Everything is boxed up and packed into a semi trailer with puzzle like precision. As the truck pulls away...you cross your fingers and hope you see everything again and that it is all the same. With our two moves we without our "stuff " for 3 weeks and 5 weeks (we had to put it all in storage when we moved back to Iowa because we didn't close on our house for 3 weeks....logistics!). It is a strange feeling.  The emotions of that day and those journeys came flying back at me last night when I heard that song. More importantly I know if you strip it all away what is really, really important to me...I know those boxes are just filled up with things and my life is much more than things. My life is family, faith, love, laughter, and so much more.

I learned an important lesson today......

....Ellie and shots just don't mix!

She completely lost it at the doctors office today....I mean C.O.M.P.L.E.T.E.L.Y! She was a little nervous coming in but I thought we would be ok. As we were headed to the room she spied the shots and realized that yes she would be getting the shot not the mist. And of course our nurse had to fumble through the paperwork giving Ellie time to grow increasingly nervous. I tried to have her go first and it was then I realized this was going to go well. Cece took her shot with nothing more than 2 year old tears. It was at this point that Ellie became totally irrational. I tried to reason with her and realized it wasn't going to happen. She was crying hysterically so a quick thinking nurse asked to take Cece up front for stickers. Good idea...get her out of here before this gets ugly. Ellie was completely crazed! As we were trying to hold her down she told me that she didn't like us and that we were the weirdest. I couldn't help but laugh...I know that is mean but it was funny. It is so hard to watch your child go completely hysterical and know all reasoning has left the building. It was over quick but it took her awhile to calm down. I tried not to get upset with her....but at some point scared or not she has to be able to calm herself down. She did receive some punishments which includes an apology letter to the nurses. I do know we have to go about shots a little differently with her. My sister asked if she realized she was even like that or was it a "out of body experience". That got me thinking....was she really irrational or was her fear totally rational. See Ellie's shot/doctor history is a little ugly......

May 2007 (Mother's Day) I open our bedroom door as Ellie is running towards it...the knob hits her square in the forehead. She needs stitches. We head to urgent care. They place a sheet over her face so she can't see what the doctor is doing only it slips down about one stitch in and they don't adjust it so she watches them do the other three....not good!

June 2007 Ellie snored ALOT as a toddler so she has to go in for a sleep study to determine if she has obstructive sleep apnea. To do the study they had to place like 50 electrodes on her face and head. Not a fun 30 minutes!

August 2007 Ellie does have obstructive sleep apnea and has to have her tonsils and adenoids removed. Surprisingly walks to the operating room without hesitation. However she has a hard time coming out of the anesthesia and actually pulls the IV out of her arm. They have to give her a sedative to calm her down. Pretty scary.

June 2008 Tim sets up the checkups for the girls... Ellie's 4 year old Well Child and Cecilia's 4 month Well Child, but is unable to come with me...and I didn't think it was a big deal til afterwards.... 9 shots and a finger prick later we are headed home. Of course it is summer in AZ and even hotter in that room! I remember walking out a sweaty mess after wrestling with my hysterical 4 year old!

August 2009 We have moved from AZ to IA and are starting with a new pediatrician. Both girls are having their establish appointment and Ellie's 5 year check up. I bring both girls' up to date immunization cards and give them to the nurse and mention them to the doctor but they fail to look at them. They only check the online database. I mention that I think she has already had the shots they assure me she needs them. So we go ahead and she gets 5 shots. She does pretty well. Afterwards when I ask for the cards to be updated they realize....she already had all 5 shots. Luckily they were a year apart so it was "kind of like a booster" and they aren't going to bill my insurance for them.

October 2009 She gets the flu mist and the H1N1 shot....she got the shot before she knew what had happened. She is more mad at Dad for sneaking it on her than anything.

Which brings us to today....January 2011...not good!

So after some thought....I believe that maybe her fear is completely rational? I asked her why she was so upset..her answer I was scared. We talked about better ways of handling being scared....like holding my hand. She said but I don't want them to leave the needle in me. Does she remember something from her past that scares her...does she remember getting the multiple shots...or the stitches or the IV after surgery? I am not sure, but I honestly think she might have a true fear of needles. Maybe I am overthinking this but I know what happened today is not ok. I also know that this crazed behavior is not how Ellie normally behaves...not how she normally behaves at the doctors office. The shot turns her into a whole different little girl...and its ugly! I am going to have to do some research on how to handle shots the next time they come around.

I don't usually wait this late to do flu shots. We had them set up for early in the fall...but both girls were under the weather and our reschedule didn't work out. We tried to schedule a couple other times with no luck. So as I was preparing a lesson for Health Class on vaccinations I remembered....they recommended we still get our shots even this late in the season.

Meal Planning Monday

Week of Monday January 10th

Monday: Chili

Tuesday: Vegetable Lo Mien

Wednesday: French Dip Sandwiches

Recipe
Ingredients:
1/2 lb to 1 lb Deli Roast Beef
6 pack Hoagie Buns
Provolone Cheese
Onion
Au Jus Gravy Mix

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Prepare Au Jus
3. Slice onion and saute.
4. Open Hoagies and place in 9x13 baking pan.
5. Warm roast beef in saute pan.
6. Put roast beef in hoagies, add onions and top with provolone cheese.
7. Bake until cheese is melted.
8. Serve with a bowl of Au Jus and Enjoy!

Thursday: Cheeseburgers and Oven Fries

Friday: Chili Dogs

Saturday: Turkey and Cheese Quiche

Recipe
Ingredients:
Refrigerated Pie Crust
4 Eggs
1/2 Cup Deli Smoked Turkey sliced
1/2 Cup Cheddar Cheese
1/2 Cup Milk
1/4 Cup Onion, diced
{honestly my measurements aren't always exact....so I usually just go with it:)}

Steps:
1. Preheat oven to 350
2. Place pie crust in pie pan
3. Beat eggs, add turkey and onion.
4. Stir in Cheese and Milk.
5. Add more cheese or milk if necessary:)
6. Pour egg mixture into pie crust.
7. Bake for 20 to 30 mins...until egg mixture is firm and crust is brown.

Sunday: Ranch Pasta Skillet from Missy over at StarrCircus...thanks for sharing!!!

Ellie's Basketball Debut!

Best Snow Fort Ever!

Over Christmas Break my cousins Jenny, Jill, and Joy came out to the farm to play in the snow with Ellie, Cecilia and I..which resulted in THE BEST SNOW FORT EVER!!!!

We worked 2 days to build our fort with 4 tunnels, a room and an escape hole in the middle.

It was so much fun!

Enjoy!

Project Completion: Master Bedroom

I could squeal with delight! I am so so SO happy with how our bedroom turned out! I bought paint for our master bedroom in October and as a Christmas present Tim promised he would get it painted....and he did not disappoint!

I have told our {brown story} before {here} and {here} and it continues in our master bedroom....brown carpet, brown walls....brown, brown, brown!

Before
These pictures were the best I could do. They are from {this post} ....I guess I didn't feel the need to take too many pictures of our brown blah bedroom :)

After.... Awwwww. SO much better!

Curtains from Ikea...$15 for a 2 pack...$30 total..with one panel left over to make throw pillows.

Add a few pops of color....I promise I will add more color...but sometimes I am alittle afraid of color....

Now there are a few more things I would like to do like......

for now I am soooooo happy with the results! Isn't it crazy what a good coat of paint can do!!!

A few things.....

1 It's Saturday morning {sigh} looked forward to today all week. Isn't it crazy how quickly you can fall off a routine and how exhausting it can be to get back into it! But we made it! And this first week back after Christmas Break wasn't too bad:)

2. Maybe the reason why our week back wasn't so bad was because Daddy work week was pretty light. He was home when we got home Monday through Wednesday and worked from home on Thursday and Friday. He went to eat lunch with Ellie at school on Thursday and had a blast. He kept Cece home on Friday and they brought pizza to me for lunch! He cleaned and did laundry! We were absolutely SPOILED!

3. Ellie starts basketball today. Excited to see how that goes! Pictures to come!!!

4. Cecilia turns 3 in less than a month! So crazy to think my baby will be 3! Time goes by so quickly! Yesterday I was talking to her about how she is a big girl....that she uses the potty all by herself and she sleeps in her big girl bed all by herself...She stopped me and said, "mommy I still like to sleep with you guys!" Melted my heart! She is such a sweetie. Her overall mood and attitude has changed so much since she potty trained. Such a happy girl now! She is requesting a Dora Birthday...so mommy's mind is working on that!

5. Driving home from Grandma's house a week or so ago we were talking birthdays. Ellie realized that when Cece turns an odd number {3} that same year she will turn an odd number {7} and when Cece turns an even number {4} she will turn an even number {8}. It's a pattern!! She also realized they will have their Golden Birthdays the same year! In 2012 Cece will turn 4 on the 4th of Feb. and Ellie will turn 8 on the 8th of June. We definitely planned that! hehe! Going to be a big year of birthdays!!!

6. I have to admit...I am loving this recent dusting of snow. If it is going to be cold...it might as well be pretty!!! right?

7. We are still enjoying all our Christmas presents. We received some pretty great ones....we have been having fun as a family with Ellie's Wii Fit. Last night we spent 2+ hours goofing around! Ellie loves the running races and actually smoked me! Maybe it had to do alittle with me laughing..boy she takes these things seriously! Another one we are loving is our new pots and pans....sure makes cooking so much fun! Plus my mom gave us a subscription to Taste of Home so now we have fresh new meal ideas. Cece is in love with her new baby Ava. GG gave her a Baby Alive and she is in heaven! Cece loves her all her Ava babies!

8. Tonight we have Tim's work Christmas party. So the girls are going to stay over night with Tim's parents. They are SOOOOOOOOOO excited!

More Christmas!

Christmas 2010

 Girls are ready to open presents after Christmas Eve Church

 Bean Bag Chairs from Mom and Dad!

Cece is pretty happy that Santa brought her Swing Set!

 Ellie is just happy Santa came!

Dora Baby!

 Opening presents with the Mohrs

 Elefun was a hit with the kids....and Daddy?!?!

 Opening presents with my family...Peace Ellie!

 Something must have been funny...Cece with Auntie Em, Uncle Noah, Aunt Tina and Uncle Scott.

Stencils!