I"VE BEEN TAGGED....BY JENNA

1.what i did before: I had a child..... I don't know. I probably had a lot of free time on my hands. I know I watched a lot more TV, went out to dinner when ever I wanted, read a book whenever I pleased. Napped when I was tired. Naps? What are those?

2. what i do now: I have a husband of 9 years, raise a daughter of 4 years, manage my two businesses. Daycare Provider of 5 years and Charli'z owner of 1 year. Currently I have 6 daycare children 5 days a week. Sew in my spare time for my Charli'z business. Watch House, recently addicted to this show.

3. what i'd like to do:Take an amazing vacation. Take Charli to Disneyland, some day. Have another child, make more hours in the day, Drink a nice cup of tea while soaking in a hot tub, have finacial stability, spend mor quality time with my daughter and husband.

4. what attracts me to my husband: He is patient and kind with Charli and myself. He knows when I need space, and allows for that to happen. Hates to see me upset, and trys everything in his power to fix it. Provides for our family with his incredibly stable job in this incredibly unstabe economic time. Loves me unconditionally, even when I look my worst or feel my worst. Is a very non -judgemental person, and respects that everyone has their own opinion.
5. favorite food: Hot and Sour Soup, Chinese Chicken salad, Mexican, Bean Tostada from La Comida with extra cheese and oil and vinegar dressing. YUMMY!!!

6. what i say most often: "Keep your hands to yourself" "You are only in charge of yourself and no one else" "Mommy needs some space" "Charli why are you not a little baby anymore, can I shrink you" "Use your words...PLEASE"

7. pick 7 other blogger: This was actually a lot of fun, I am usually not a big fan of these things. I only have 4 people to tag but here you go.... Kelly, Amy, Jenni and Sally. Have fun ladies.

NIELSON'S GIFTS AND CRAZY KIDS....

I have finally finished my gifts for The Nielson Family.

Claire, Jane, Oliver, Nicholas, and The Chief

Are the lucky recipients.

These Softi'z all turned out so cute

I am so happy with the finished products

Look at these crazy kids!!!
Owen, Charli, James and Brian
were the lucky ducks
of these tye dyed pumpkin shirts.
They turned out really cute
and the kids loved their festive shirts.

WITCHES BREW...BUGS...HALLOWEEN PROJECTS

Charli's versions of jack-o-lanterns
I love this one with all the circles

Candy Corn hand prints

Witches Brew (pudding)

Bug Bite crakers

The kids didn't know what to think at first of the snack.

After they tried it

of course they asked for seconds.

CHARLI'S SECRET GARDEN....

Our side yard

Before the clean  up

More of the side area

It has been used to store lots of junk

And I am tired of it not being cleaned up

AFTER!!!

We moved Charli's play structure over to the newly cleaned up area

And we inherited a trellis from my mom

We are going to grow flowering vines on the trellis

Maybe some star jasmine or bogevillia.

Charli is so excited about her new flower garden!!!

Charli came up with the greatest idea!!!

She suggested painting the fence in her garden.

I thougth it was a super idea 

but didn't like the idea of painting it 

and then when the time comes to replace the fence

the mural on the fence goes down as well.

SOOOOO......

I suggested her and I paint some plywood instead of the fence

and then lean the wood up against the fence 

in her garden.

This new little cleaned up area was a nice do-able project that we tackled this last weekend.  Charli is soooo excited to have her very own garden.  It is right outside her bedroom.  So she can look out her windows and see her garden.  I have had this idea since we bought our house in 2003.  I always knew that our future children would be in that room and I thought how cute would it be to dress up that area of the yard, for our child.  

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Charli and I are planning to visit "the flower store" as she likes to say, some time this week.  This is her garden so I am going to let her pick out whatever flowers she feels like planting in her garden.  The only things I am planning to do is control the two climbing rose bushes in there, by training them to grow along the fence.  And then every month buy the birthday flower for that month and eventually we will have every months flower in her garden.  I want to find little stakes so we can write who's birthday it is that month next to the flowers.  I passed this idea by Charli and she seemed to like it.  

NKOTB CONCERT ! ! !

Kelly, Tara, Brooke, Amy, Kristin, Luke, Kelly and Brooke

We posed in front of Arco before the concert!!!

Amy and I anticipating the start of the concert!!!

Kelly, Brooke, Kelly 

Look at Brooke's hair

She crimped it!!!

The New Kid's On The Block!!!

Performing right in front of us

We had really good seats.

We had a blast at the NKOTB concert.  All of us went all out in our shirts with neon puffy paint accents, crimped hair and side pony tails, bunched up shirts, belts around the waist, pegged pants.

Kelly M. said it right, we went in as 30 yr olds, and when the lights went out and the show started we became 12 and 13 yr olds.  We were all screaming at the top of our lungs, and jumping up and down the whole time!!!  We all woke up with very sore throats the next day and very tired eyes.  I didn't get into bed until 2:00am.

I would do it all over again, they really put on a great show.  It was so entertaining.  These guys are all in their 30's and maybe 40's, have familys and childen of their own and they danced and performed the whole 3 hrs.

The following week I went through NKOTB withdrawls.  Hee Hee

 

MY GREEN STATEMENT FOR THE DAY...

I bought this new line of Kashi cereal today.  It looked so yummy!!!  I was also reading the side of the box, of which I tried to take a picture but my camera was not very happy zooming in and only took a blury picture.  So here is what it says:  "Or add our package to your compost pile-we use 100% biodegradable soy based inks for printing."  I was so excited to see that when I have finished my yummy new cereal, I can skip out to my compost bin and throw the cardboard box in, and know that I have done my green part for the day!!!  We have been composting for almost a year now  and I have to say what we are throwing in our actually garbage can has significantly dropped.  We have downsized to the smallest garbage can, from the garbage company.  I can honestly say that we throw more in our recycling bin and compost bin now.  The only things that we can't throw in the compost is meat, dairy, fried or oily foods.  Otherwise all other foods can go in.   

PEANUT BUTTER BUCKEYES

We made these babies yesterday and they were sooooo yummy!!!  Very simple and fast.  My only complaint is that I think it calls for way too much powdered sugar.  The peanut butter was too sweet for me.  So it depends on how sweet you want your peanut butter to taste.  I think you could cut the amount of powdered sugar in half.  Here is the recipe:

Peanut Butter Buckeyes

1 3/4 C creamy peanut butter

1 C butter, softened

4 1/4 C powdered sugar

2 C chocolate chips

Toothpicks

In a large bowl, cream together peanut butter and butter, until light and creamy.  Add sugar, mix well.  Roll into small balls, place on wax paper and chill for about 1 hr or up to 8 hours.  Melt chocolate chips.  Using toothpicks, spear each ball and dip lower half into chocolate and return to wax paper.  Referigrate to harden and keep stored in the fridge between layers of wax paper.

LET SLEEPING DOGS LIE....

Zilba and all his tangled legs & feet

Leia and her tucked snout.

She has done this since she was a puppy

If she seems even a bit cold

she will curl up into the smallest ball possible

and tuck her nose under her leg

and just burrow in her warmth

NKOTB

Yes you are looking at New Kid's on the Block shirts. I made them myself, actually I made 8 of them. This Thursday 8 of us will be going to the NKOTB concert. Yes that is correct. We are reliving our childhood and are going to love every minute of it. I am actually interested to see how many other 30 yr old mom's will be there. We are planning to embelish these lovely shirts with flourecent colors. On the back we are going to write "NKOTB Cover Girls" and also our names. HEE HEE, this should be a blast. The only thing I am not looking forward to is, the concert is on a Thursday and we all have to work the next day. There will be some tired eyes come Friday morning.

IT'S BEEN 9 YEARS

Happy 9th Anniversary to US. I am still in shock that it has been 9 years. Time really goes by too fast. Our wedding went off without a hitch........ well almost. Chad broke his arm 5 days before we got married. He was pitching hardball, and broke it while pitching. I think it was in the first inning, and once he fell down from the break, he looked around and asked "Did I get the guy out?" He refused meds in the ambulance ride to the hospital, we were told it was probably cancerous and he would need surgery. But once the orthopedic surgeon looked at Chad, he said it wasn't cancerous and that Chad would be fine. So they wrapped him up, gave him some pain killers and muscle relaxers and sent him home. We decided to cancel the vest Chad was going to wear with his tux and just have them remove the right sleeve of his shirt. I told him, as long as he showed up to the wedding, I didn't care what he was wearing. With all those drugs in his system, he was pretty much done by the end of the wedding. We pinned up his X-rays at the wedding. Everyone seemed to get a good laugh out of that one.

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The next year approaching our 1st Anniversary, Chad did it again. 13 days to the day. He was playing on the same hardball team and broke his arm doing the same thing. He has since given up hardball and now plays softball.

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Tomorrow we are going to celebrate. We have plans to have dinner at Benihana's in Sacramento. Charli is spending the night with Grandparents and we are getting out of town, for the night. I also ordered a cake from the bakery that made our wedding cake. Amaretto Mocha Latte. MMMmmm....

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In these 9 years we have accumulated 4 cats, 3 dogs, 2 turtles, 5 fish. Not everyone is still with us. We have moved 4 times. Have gone through 9 cars, 2 of which we currently drive. Bought our 1st house. Have one child, our Charli, and are hoping to have another. Chad and I have done a lot of growing together. I think I love him more today than I ever have. He is the most amazing father, and Charli just adores him. I can only wish for many more amazing years ahead of us.

BAKED....

Look at what I just ordered!!!! I stumbled across this amazing bakery in blog world. They are self titled Baked. This is a bakery out of New York City, and their products look so scrumptious! I ordered their cookbook and their Mountain Blend Granola. I am a huge granola and yogurt consumer. I have recently started eating plain yogurt with different kinds of granola. It is so filling and pretty good for you too. My cookbook book comes signed and wraped in butcher paper. So excited to receive this new find. Especially with the holidays right around the corner. I get in the baking mood during the holidays. Check them out, you will be hungry to eat their goods if you do, so be aware.