Pizza Sauce

Can you believe tomorrow is February already? And guess what? We already have our taxes done and they will be mailed out today, so excited! Going to be paying off the CC, put a chunk of change in savings for Germany (hopefully going there June 2013), and now we're looking into replacing our flooring on most of the main level in our house, yay!

So on the 22nd, Jessica came over and we made pizza sauce! We had 15 pounds of tomatoes left in the freezer, and with removing those I was finally able to unplug the fridge in the garage which will hopefully save us some money! So after thawing, removing skins, removing as many seeds as possible and blending all the tomatoes we added 2 packs of Mrs. Wages pizza sauce (and all the ingredients it asks for), garlic powder & some oregano. We ended up getting 12 - 8 oz jars from the batch, so we each got 6! We actually just used our first jar last night and made a pizza, and it was AMAZING! That brings me down to 5 left. If anyone is interested in purchasing one through AJsCanning, let me know and I can get it posted on the etsy site, otherwise I'll just eat it all myself, yumm!

Happy Birthday Buddy

So it's finally Friday! Still slacking on the blog front, not doing it nearly as often as last month. Oh well, I guess until my laptop gets fixed or we get a new one I'll probably not get to posting as often. This computer is so ridiculously slow I can only handle working on it for so long.

So Monday was Buddy's 3rd Birthday. We met up with the birthday boy and the rest of the Moore's at McDonald's, then went over to their house for cupcakes & presents. We got him a piece to his birthday train (when he's 16 and getting his final piece he'll probably hate us for it, lol, but oh well), some PJ's, an outfit and some animal beanie babies (if you don't know yet, Buddy LOVES animals. He loves them more than any kid I've ever known!) I hope he had a great 3rd birthday, and now we get to celebrate again with his big party tomorrow!

Kung Fu Panda 2

So I'm super excited to announce that a photographer has contacted me and we will be trading goods! I'm going to send her a TuTu, and she's going to take some cute photos that I can use in the ETSY store & on FB! I'm so excited! Also, Miss. Savannah's TuTu's has reached over 100 fans so I'm doing a giveaway for a FREE TuTu! Go check it out HERE.

So last Friday night I finally got to watch Kung Fun Panda 2. I loved the first one so I was super excited to see this. This movie had a lot different feel to it than the first. The first one was all about the good guys with glimpses of the bad guys but the second one was a lot more about the bad guys. The movie as a whole had a lot darker of a feeling to it because of this but I still loved it and am glad I saw it. Will there be a 3rd one? I haven't heard anything but it wouldn't surprise me if they did.

Gingerbread House

Wow, I kind have been slacking on the blog front! Oops! Just a lot going on I guess. School started this week which always adds extra stress, plus I've been working out almost every day and just overall trying to spend more time with the family. Plus the laptop is still broken so it's kind of a pain in the butt *and cold* to sit in the basement.

So Thursday I got to go to Connor's school and help him make a Gingerbread House. I was only there for about an hour but it's always fun to see Connor with his classmates and all the other parents. It makes me feel sad that some of the kids parents couldn't come but sometimes work wont allow you to take off and there are other obligations. One kids Aunt came, which I thought was a great idea. If a parent can't come why not send someone in their place? I know there will always be a kid whose family doesn't come and there are obviously circumstances beyond any ones control that prevents their family from coming but it always makes me sad when they don't. Anyways, it was a lot of fun and on Friday after dinner we ate it! Yum!

The Best Of Me

So Connor has off school today, and of course he didn't let me sleep in at all! I don't know why I thought I would get to sleep in, he never lets me! Also, anyone know a good plumber? Or sink is still not working it seems so I think we'll have to call in a professional. Hopefully it wont cost to much!

So Thursday night after my workout class with Chrissy & Cat I stayed up and finished reading The Best of Me by Nicholas Sparks. I love Nicholas Sparks and this book was no different. I somewhat predicted the ending of the book but I still enjoyed reading how it happens. I really should take my time reading Nicholas Spark's book's because he only does one a year so now I have to wait until the end of this year/beginning of next year for the next one he just started writing. Can't wait!

Big Girl Car Seat

So we're beginning to look like hoarders around my house, so we really need to start getting rid of some stuff. I started off putting Connor/Savannah's car seat on craigslist, but haven't had any responses yet to it. I also put Connor's High Chair on craigslist and I'm meeting someone at East Towne today who is going to buy it for $50! It cost $100+ I think brand new, so they're getting a good discount for getting it used and it's still in great condition! I'm also going to start bringing books to 1/2 priced books and getting rid of some of them, even though it kind of breaks my heart to do it.

So on Tuesday Savannah got to finally be in her new pink big girl car seat. At her 1 year check up she was officially at the limit for length for the baby carrier so we knew we had to switch her pretty soon. She actually sat in a big girl car seat on the way to Michigan last weekend, but that was Connor's old Eddie Bauer car seat. I think she liked being in her new seat, but it's kind of a pain every morning now because I have to take her out and put her in several times when dropping Connor off and picking him up. Side note: she is still backwards, and we've decided to keep her that way until at least 2 if not 3 years old.

The Attachment Parenting Book

So I guess it was inevitable that we would eventually get snow in Wisconsin, but I was really hoping that we wouldn't. I really really really hate driving in snow! On another note our kitchen sink is backed up, have no idea why. Scott ran to Walmart last night to get Drano but that doesn't seem to have helped.......hmmm........

So on Monday on the drive home I officially finished the 1st book of the year, The Attachment Parenting Book by Dr. Sears. I really wish I would have read this book when I was pregnant with Connor, I would have changed a lot of things that I did with him. A lot of them I now do with Savannah but not as much as I like, there is always room for improvement. Not everyone will agree with some of the things Attachment Parenting stands for, but I urge you to give it a chance and at least read the book. If you are a first time parent I especially recommend this book because being a first time parent you can be very overwhelmed and just go with other people recommend even if it doesn't feel right. This book will give you the confidence to listen to your instincts.

Visiting Michigan

So again today when I dropped Connor off at school he cried and cried and eventually Ms. Amber just had to drag him away with him still crying. It's so heartbreaking. I don't know if it's just a phase or if something really is going on with him, it's so hard to tell with a 4 year old. If this doesn't stop I'm not sure how the heck we'll survive with full day kindergarten next year...I'm dreading even thinking about it, which reminds me I have to call and set up our kindergarten registration/tour.

Last Friday we left for Michigan and come home Monday night. It was a short trip but super fun as always. Friday night when we got in we just got to hang out with Amanda, Mike, and Jarrod and eat some yummy homemade pizza. Saturday was all about dress shopping, and Saturday night Amanda, Connor, Savannah & I drove to visiting Doug & Wanda, and Esther. Sunday I got to visit my favorite church, Crosspointe Community where all 4 of the Barnhard sisters sang during offering. The rest of the afternoon was pretty lazy, then for dinner we drove and met up with Jon & Kayla at Cassabaras (sp) which was super yummy! The weekend went by way to quickly and the next thing we knew it was Monday morning, we got the van all loaded up, stopped by Georgetown Cemetery and then had a quick visit with Sara and Gracie. I can't wait until September to visit with a bunch of them again!

Dress & Shoe Shopping

Back to the normal routine today, which includes Connor crying and saying he doesn't want to go to school. Is this normal? He did this at the start of the school year but within a week or two he was fine, then all of a sudden right before Christmas Break he started up again...........ugh, I hate to see my baby cry!

So the whole point of my trip this past weekend to Michigan was to go Bridesmaid Dress & Shoe Shopping for Meagan's wedding. So Amanda drove me over to Meagan's mom's house by 10 a.m. and our day began. We started the day at Bridal Elegance at 11 a.m. and tried on a bazillion dresses there. We ended up picking 2 dresses that we really liked, a long one and a short one. Then we went to lunch at Olive Garden and decided to kill some time at the mall looking at shoes. We found the perfect ones for $30 at Deb's. They have about a 4 inch heel and are super gold & sparkly. Then our next appointment was at 3 p.m. at David's Bridal. We only tried on a 1/2 a bazillion dresses there. As much as I wanted us to find a dress there since there is one in Wisconsin it just didn't happen. We ended up going back to Bridal Elegance and getting my dress ordered, at least they'll ship it to me so if I need to get it altered I can before the wedding. Here's a picture of the 2 we picked out from Bridal Elegance, we ended up picking the short red one, which will actually be in ivory.

The Cast Comes Off

Back home from our long weekend away (will post more about that probably tomorrow) and it's a bittersweet feeling. Scott is playing with the kids in Connor's bedroom and I just finished unpacking our bags and started some laundry. I'm going to throw a pizza in the pizza oven in a minute for dinner because I really don't have the energy to cook anything right now.

So Friday morning at 10 a.m. I had an appointment at the UW Children's Hospital to get Savannah's cast off. We were seen very quickly and got into a room and got the cast removed with 15 minutes of arriving. However then I had to wait. We had to get new xrays done of her arm to make sure everything was healed (which it was) and then get fitted with a splint she has to wear for the next 2 weeks. Overall I was only there for an hour, so I guess it could have been worse. We went straight home and threw her in the bathtub, something she has dearly missed over the last several weeks! Now hopefully after the holiday crazy's and this whole cast thing we can start getting back to our normal bedtime routine!

Happy New Year

Did I mention I went to Urgent Care last week because of my toe? I hurt it pretty bad on the stairs, they took some xray's, and sent me home saying everything looked fine. Well, guess what? I got a letter in the mail yesterday saying when the radiologist looked over it there was a slight fracture on the outside of the toe........ no wonder it still hurts so flippin bad! Oh well, nothing they could do about it.

So 2011 has come and gone and we are now sitting a few days into 2012. What did you do for New Years Eve? We made some great food (Mozzarella Sticks, Coconut Shrimp, Cheesy Salsa Bread - this was a recipe we found on the back of the Beer Bread Value Pack, Garlic Garlic Dip, and ate some homemade Salsa), watched Pirates of the Caribbean, and then watched the ball drop (actually we watched it twice). So it was a pretty quiet but fun night for us. Except Savannah, we all made it until midnight (thanks to a long late nap from 2-5). Who all made New Years Resolutions? I did, and I actually wrote them down this year. They include:

1. Lose 14 pounds (BY: Exercising at least 4 times a week, eating a salad at least 3 times a week, and cutting out all products with MSG)

2. Yell Less (I get carried away sometimes and tend to yell a lot - mostly at Scott)

3. Clean the house more - this ties in with #2 because a lot of the time I yell because I'm stressed out about our house looking so bad, so I figured if I just spend a little more time every day cleaning the house I'll be less stressed.

4. Continue being a genius at school - Graduation ETA is May 2013, and if I continue getting all A's in my classes and re-take a Psychology class I took back in Fall of 2004 and get at least a B on it, I'll graduate with Honors!

Somewhat achievable goals, right? The whole point of resolutions is to make the New Year an even better year than before by bettering yourself. Hopefully I can accomplish most if not all of these!

Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides

Only a little over 2 more days until we're heading to Michigan, so excited! Connor's already made the trip over once when he was just over 2, but this will be Miss. Savannah's 1st trip, hopefully she does good! We'll obviously have to stop a few times but I'm hoping everything goes smoothly. Connor will be busy watching movies, reading his new ereader and coloring, but poor Savannah is to young to do all of that, plus she's still backwards so she can't watch the movie either (not that I want her really watching TV yet). Anyone have any tips in driving 5-6 hours with a 13 month old?

So on New Years Eve I finally got to watch Pirates of the Caribbean: On Stranger Tides. I've been waiting and waiting to watch this movie and I finally receive it for Christmas. Normally I would have watched it right away but Connor has been boycotting my movies and unless I wanted to be interrupted all the time I just kind of had to wait until he agreed to let me watch it. I know, I know, letting a 4 year old run the house? Sometimes you just have to pick your battles and this is one that I let him win. It didn't endanger anyone to wait to see it, so why fight about it? And no, it's not like he really watched this movie, it's a little to much for a 4 year old, he was pleasantly distracted with his new toys, but most of the time we have "kid" stuff on the TV, even if he's not really watching TV he knows when "his" shows are on and always wants his on, gotta love 4 year olds, right? Stubborn! Anyways, I loved the movie, of course. I really missed Orlando Bloom and Kiera Knightly in it but it still was really good. I do have a complaint about Penelope Cruse though, as beautiful as she is, sometimes she's really difficult to understand and this is a type of movie I don't want to sit there and strain to try and understand what she's saying. But overall I loved it and if you love the other Pirates movies you'll love it too!

A 27th Birthday

So it's back to work today, so gotta try and go back to the "normal" schedule. So far so good, I guess. At least it's a short work week this week. Only 3 days because we're going to Michigan this weekend, yay! I can't wait to see Meagan & Amanda, and hopefully a few others as well!

So on the 28th it was Andy's Birthday! We celebrated by going to My Buddies, which I've never been there, but it was pretty good, I would go back again. For his birthday I got him the Medium Bar Pan from Pampered Chef. I love my stoneware and wanted to show it some love so I decided to give it as a gift! I hope he loves it as much as I do. I hope he had a great birthday and here's to many many more!

Fresh Pear Pie

Today is the Rose Bowl, are you going to watch it? We're going to make some left over snacks that we didn't end up making for New Years Eve and just hang out around the house today. Connor is currently at school, but Scott & I both have off of work so Scott is in the middle of taking the Christmas Tree down, sad!

So for family get-to-gether's I usually make some sort of dessert. This year for the in-laws house and the Viken's house I made a Fresh Pear Pie. I've never made a pear pie before and have actually never heard of a pear pie but I decided to try it. I doubled everything in the recipe so I could make 2 pies but I didn't actually measure the amount of cups of pears I used used 4 pears for each pie. The Father-In-Law and Scott said they LOVED this pie. It tasted very similar to an apple pie but better. I'm not exactly sure how it was better as I don't usually eat pies because I hate the texture of cooked fruit, but they loved it so I'm sure I'll make this one again!

A Very Viken Christmas

So it's New Years Day Now! 2012! We ate some breakfast, did some laundry, now in a little bit we're going to go over to the Moore's to watch some football and eat some more good food. Not sure what else we're doing the rest of the day but we need to get some stuff done around the house. Cleaning, hanging stuff up, etc. Not a very exciting New Years Day, but oh well I guess!

So after spending time at the in-laws, we left around 2:30 p.m. to head out to Aunt Missy's house and celebrate Christmas with the Viken's, Harvey's, and a whole bunch of other people. It's always a good time catching up with everyone and seeing people you only see a few times a year. There's always a ton of people there (I don't even think I could guess how many....40+??) and always a ton of food. After the food we all got to hand out presents and open. Once again my children were spoiled! Connor got some cool Ninja's from the Harvey's, a plug in fish tank light from Bobbi and a bunch of other cool stuff. Savannah got a Baby Alive from the Viken's, a penguin toy from Steve & Dewayne, some cute clothes, etc. Savannah & I got a matching hat from Jeni, so cute! I also got a fabulous purse from Steve & Dewayne and Scott got a fun shirt & some Blood Mary Mix & Vodka. This year we gave more canned goods to people, Lily got a Barbie, Missy & Dewayne got some coffee cups, and the list could go on and on. Anyways, it was a blast, hectic and crazy all at the same time! It's always enjoyable spending Christmas over there with everyone!! And this year it was the last of the Christmas Celebrations, so now we're all done until next year! I hope everyone's Holiday's were fabulous!