O Turkey Day, O Turkey Day...

Why is it that I only make time to post on Tuesdays?!?!? I've GOT to do something about that! SO many recipes to share...a couple projects...my first sewing projects (total flop by the way...LOL!) Seriously...so much to share...I've just got to make the time to share it!

I will work on it...promise.

ANYWHO...it's "Hoo Are You" Tuesday again, friends! Link it up!





1. Name 5 things you are grateful for!
Family (including one sweet surprise, chubby cheeked baby we weren't expecting, but who has taken our family to an awesome new level!!)
Real Friends (which, as I get older I realize are few and far between)
Clients (it's been a good year...working my way towards SAHM...someday!!)
Paychecks (we went awhile without one when I was off work...getting back to paychecks is a good, good thing.)
Diet Coke (is an explanation even necessary? I think not...)

2. What is you favorite dish at Thanksgiving dinner?
Mashed potatoes and gravy...which is silly because we can (and do) have those any time of year...but they're still my fave.

3. Do you have any family traditions for Thanksgiving?
Not really...we just do the same thing every year. Lunch at my grandmas at noon, and dinner with Adam's family when the hunters come in at dark. Well...I take that back. We DO have a tradition...we spend Thanksgiving with family, and then the day after I make an entire turkey dinner at our house and we spend the day with friends! :)

4. Are you staying home or traveling for Thanksgiving?
We stay in town.

5. What else do you do on Thanksgiving day besides eat?
Watch FOOTBALL of course!! And sleep. I definitely intend to nap at some point. :)

And on an unrelated note...bronchitis remedies anyone??? I'm pretty sure I've got it. My chest hurts when I breathe and burns when I cough. Yucky. Any home remedies? Anyone? Bueller? Bueller? Gracias amigos.

xoxo

Happy Tuesday...HOO Are You?!?

As usual, linking up my Tuesday at Night Owl Crafting.

1. Do you ever burp out loud in private or public?

NEVER in public...seriously, ever. In private, rarely. I'm not one of those people that can "burp on command" anyway...I don't get how people do that?? LOL! I was, however, quite "burpy" when I was pregnant and I hated it. It made my chest and stomach hurt. So anyway, no, I don't.

2. How often do you get sick each year?

Well, my dad used to "joke" that I should have a wing in the hospital named after me for how often I'm sick. I think he's exaggerating a bit, but I did used to get sick fairly often...and with obscure things like blood poisoning when I was 15, and was hospitalized for a week. Weird. But now, not TOO often I guess. I used to get migraines and THANKFULLY, that's rare these days. I usually get stomach flu once or twice a year, a few good colds, and that's about it.

3. Would you rather paint a room in your house yourself, or have someone else do it for you?
I used to say I'd rather do it myself...but if I could afford to have someone else do it, I would. Not because I hate it, but because I suck at it. LOL!

4. If you get 30 minutes to yourself, what do you do?

I would take a shower. LOL! Most of my showers are five minutes long with Benji in his bouncy seat on the bathroom floor fussing after the first three minutes to be picked up, at least one of the dogs pushing the bathroom door open so the cold air is flooding in, and a screaming and fighting Luc & Mikey coming in AT LEAST four times to "tell" on each other. A half hour long, quiet hot shower sounds just blissful right now. hahaha!

5. Do you allow people to wear shoes in your house?
Yes, and I go through area rugs in my living room like they're going out of style because of it...but I don't have a large entryway with room for people's shoes and I don't like taking my shoes off anyway, so it is what it is.

That's what I got, friends! Head on over to Night Owl Crafting and get to know some more of your fellow bloggers!

xoxo

Halloween Pictures to Share!

That's all for now...ciao! xoxo

Inked.

I have 6 tattoos.
I have 6 tattoos and I don't care if you don't like them.
I have 6 tattoos and can't wait to get more.

I love, love, love tattoos. My boss doesn't get it. My mom doesn't get it. And you know...that's alright with me. Every tattoo of mine is deeply personal. (I would never, never, NEVER just walk into a shop and pick something off the wall. If you would, that's cool...but I would not.)

I'm linking up at Mama and the Dudes. I love to show off my artwork!

My first tattoo, I hate. I don't hate what it was supposed to be, but I hate what it ended up being.

This is what I asked for:


See it down there...bottom left corner? It's vintage-y and beautiful and I had wanted it since I was 14 years old!!

Years, I waited, until I was 21, and I finally took the plunge...and got this:


Not only is it ugly...it was poorly done. I still need to find someone to vintage it up for me...someday.

Tattoo 2 and 3...

The man and I decided to get "matching" tattoos. I'm a sucker for words, and typography. We went with "truth" tattoos which mean so much to us. We each have different fonts, but they're both on the inside of our right wrists. Mine is white...can you see it?I love it...

It's white ink and it's very special to me.

I have another white ink tattoo on my other wrist. It says "live" but it doesn't match as closely as I hoped, so I will be covering it, probably with "live" in a scripty black font instead with some sort of image...we shall see.


Tattoo #4...

The second "matching" tattoo the man I got. "Amor Vincit Omnia"..."Love Conquers All". His is on the inside of his bicep...mine across my back. (I chose the scribble-esque font...and love it.)


Last two...one was my birthday gift from my tattoo artist friend. It turned out better that I had ever imagined. "All You Need is Love". (This was HANDS DOWN my most painful tattoo). That's said tattoo artists actual handwriting...with embellishments. I adore this tattoo of mine.


And then there's my bird...ohhhh, my bird, how I love you.


Also done by my tattoo artist friend (actually, ALL of the tattoos with the exception of the first were done by him...). He drew me this and it is more than just a sparrow to me. It means so, so much more. It is about peace and science and acceptance, all in one gorgeous piece of artwork. And I love her. I can't wait to get married some day so I can wear a strapless wedding dress and show that baby off!! <3

My next piece will be a big paisley, boho-inspired piece on my upper left arm...it will incorporate the names of my boys. Momma's boys. :)

There are SO many more on my list, including some that were (or are being) designed just for me!!

Want to see more artwork?? Check out Mama and The Dudes!!

xoxo

Hello Health - Week 2

I am taking part in a weekly "Hello Health Party" over at "Along the Way with K&J!" Week 2 already...wowza! Time flies when you have no time to work out! LOL!

Days I have worked out this week: Actual workout...zero. (Sorry!) But I did get some cardio with chasing kiddos all week long. I think a day at the pumpkin patch, carrying pumpkins, bean bag tossing and wearing a baby counts as exercise!

Minutes per day I worked out: N/A

Health Find/Tip of the Week: I had the brilliant idea (ha) to DVR some workout shows from FIT TV...so now I have some workout "videos" at my disposal when I do find time for a work out.

Health Question of the week...: How do you make sure you're maintaining proper portion control? I really struggle with that sometimes... (If you are linking up, answer this question in my comments, link up over at Katie's blog, and input your own question in your weekly update for others to answer in your comments!)

Pounds lost this week/so far: I am down 1.2 pounds today! Woot! It's a start!

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So I was DOWN in weight this week...I've been trying to remain concious of my eating habits. I did well most of the week...not as great yesterday. (We always have food, football and friends on Sundays, so I guess that's my "day off".)

I'm just happy to be headed in the right direction...slow and steady... :)

Pumpkin Patch - 2010

If you're not in the mood for A LOT of pictures, this is not going to be the post for you! We had a GREAT time at the pumpkin patch today! We started off the day with some sausage, egg and cheese breakfast muffins (recipe soon!). The kids HATED them. LOL! I don't know why? They were delicious! Even Adam liked them and he hates eggs. They rocked. I think the boys just woke up in a mood.

But, promises of a trip to the pumpkin patch lifted everyone's moods. We packed up and headed out with Grandma (my mom) to the Berryland Farm. They were tentative when we first got out of the truck, but it didn't take them long at all to warm up to the fun and activities!

Luc, Mikey and Benji...


Checking out the haybale fort! They LOVED this thing!



Time for a trip into the corn maze!!!!




More photo fun!


Ring and Bean Bag toss!




They also had arts & crafts areas and face painting! FUN!

Duck races...they loved this!


Then it was time for the (mildly) haunted hayride!


And a pumpkin hunting adventure! (This is Mikey with my mom!!)




Wish Will, McKenzie and Adam had been along...next year, for sure!


And last, but not least...hanging out with the smallest of my best friends. <3


After such a busy day we all zonked out for an afternoon nap! Bliss! I made pea soup for dinner (recipe later) and now it's almost bedtime!

Had a great day! Hope everyone else did as well!

xoxo

M&M Game

I grew up in a town that has a FIERCE football rivalry with the town I live in now. Every year, the “M&M Game” takes place between our neighboring towns…the oldest Interstate rivalry in High School Football History. It’s a BIG deal. I BLEED Maroon & Gold…you have to be FROM here to truly understand how deep our loyalties lie.

When I purchased my house, and moved to the enemy neighboring town, I didn’t think about football. My kids are little…what difference does it make? Well…it does. This morning, I dressed my elementary school aged boys in PURPLE (I’m gagging as I type) and sent them off to school for their pep rally. **heavy sigh**

This is NOT going to work…LOL! Is it sad that I’m considering open-enrolling them into a different school district? Haha! (Ok, kidding…sorta.)

I’m actually not GOING to the game this year. (Boo!) My brother, who is a senior this year, decided to quit football (DOUBLE boo!!) but I was there last year, all decked out in my Maroon gear cheering on the team with my family! (The games are better the year’s they play in my home town anyway! We have a far superior field…I think most folks from the other town would agree, to be honest.) BUT, tomorrow at work, we get to dress up to show our support for our home teams, so I will be here in my Maroon & Gold, loving on my “home” team in spirit!

Check me out...last year with my "little" brother!! (We won!)

And in high school...that's me...second from the right. U Rah Rah. :) (The cheerleading pic is actually from the Detroit Lions old stadium where we played and WON our State Championship game!)

A few (ok, maybe like 10) years ago, my Grandparents told me about an old tradition of the West End bar (which has since been torn down, (by my dad, actually) and replaced) making split pea soup and serving all of the bar patrons after the Saturday day-game. That tradition is sadly, long gone but in honor of it, this weekend I will be making Split Pea soup (so watch for that recipe!) My kids and I will be taking a trip to the pumpkin patch so that will be a yummy, warm lunch to come home to. More on that later!

Ciao,

Homemade Donuts - SUPER easy recipe!

Not much makes my kids happier than DONUTS for breakfast. But seriously...who feels like getting up and running to the store bright and early? Not this girl!

Thus, you can understand my excitement when I came across this SUPER easy recipe for homemade donuts! My kids were STOKED (as was momma...not gonna lie!)

We paired ours with a Danimals Crush Cup yogurt and breakfast was complete!

1. Open a can of southern style biscuits. (Do NOT use the "flaky" kind with the layers!) I just used a generic brand.

2. Using a cap from a 2 liter bottle (or any other small round something you may have) cut a hole out of the middle of each donut. Don't throw that extra dough away!! Fry it up for donut holes! YUMMY!



3. Heat oil in a skillet until "hot enough" (LOL...how helpful am I right now? Sorry!) Cook donuts on one side for about a minute.



4. Flip and cook on the other side about a minute. (I slightly undercooked mine on accident so they were doughy in the middle...icky.)



5. Remove from oil and place on paper towel. Blot to remove oil.

6. While still warm, dredge in a plate of sugar. (Next time we're going to try homemade icing and sprinkles!!)



7. FEAST!


(Edited to add: For the record, my wall isn't filthy! That's spots on the camera lens. I forgot to touch them up in this photo! LOL!)

Try it out! You won't be sorry...TRUST me!!

Linking up...blog hopping!!




Here, too!!







And HERE!






Got stuff to do?? Check out 10 in 10!

Hello Health, Week 1!

I am taking part in a weekly "Hello Health Party" over at "Along the Way with K&J!"

It's just an exercise in accountablity on maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I've been needing to do this for sometime, and figure nows as good a time as any!

Days I have worked out this week: NONE (LOL! This is my first time doing this, so next week I will hopefully have a better answer!)

Minutes per day I worked out: N/A

Health Find/Tip of the Week: I have been trying to portion out things like chips into individual serving size bags when I bring them home from the grocery store. Keeps me from sitting down with a bag of Doritos and polishing off half the bag! It's hard to find time, sometimes, but I just need to keep MAKING time. Gotta make it a priority, I guess!

Health Question of the week...Any workout DVD's you LOVE?: I love my "Pilates for Every Body", but I sadly don't use it any more. I have 10 Minute Trainer and P90X to try too, though, so once I give those a go, I'll get back to you. :)

Pounds lost this week/so far: Again, since this is my first time linking up, I haven't lost anything...but I took my starting weight and my GOAL is to lose a total of "27.6" pounds over the next several months. Wish me luck!!

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Now more on why and how I'm doing this.

Winter is on it's way. I cook a lot of "comfort food" type foods in the Winter...yummy! (Shephard's Pie tonight in fact!) And, due to my LOATHING of cold weather, I don't go outside much and therefore am not very active. So I NEED to get this situation under control before the snow flies!

Honestly, I don't have a lot of time to devote to working out. I love to take walks, but am so swamped with kids and my day job and my photography and LIFE, that I don't have time to do it. But I need to. I need to walk, or even just spend a good half an hour cleaning vigourously or something. I am looking for an elliptical but haven't found a good deal as of it. Until then, I've got to just "MAKE" a cardio workout, even if it's raking leaves or dancing around with my boys. I've got to do something.

I want to be healthy, and I want a healthy family. We LOVE food (me, especially) so I need to preach portion control and wise choices. It's a work-in-progress, for sure...but we'll get there. :)

So, I will be posting and linking up every Monday for as long as Katie keeps her Linky Party going, just to keep myself accountable, whether I had a good week or a bad week. If anyone is interested, stop on by her blog and link up yourself!

Remember...10 in 10 starts tonight! (I should've done it yesterday...10 in 10 for 10/10/10...whoa. Ha!)

Back later!

It's All About the Benji, Baby...

Benji update! Our sweet little 6lb 4oz peanut, is now a whopping 14.6lb OX, who is an absolute JOY!

Some photos...for fun!