Date night to Turkey day

Its been awhile since I have had an update!  Well my charming and I actually got to have a "date night"!  Its been since our first visiting of seeing each other in years.  All possible because of his mom! We got to have a fancy dinner and go see the newest Hunger Games.  I have been procrastinating to read it, just because I wasnt really moved by the first one, but I really just want to read it just because they made it into a movie.

I told E this guy must be really bored only doing this for cooking and his arms must get tired!  It was interesting to see him cook and it tasted delicious.

Thanksgiving.  Well it wasnt the same, but it we were with family!  We had lots of yummy things, a lot of things we would never had with my mom and sisters.  Oh and my first time having fried turkey!  It was fun to watch and I loved seeing my Hubs getting his hands in the kitchen too. (altho this is nothing knew he and I always work in the kitchen together making our meals)

We ended up staying at his brothers a few extra days then we had planned.  E is helping set up Harolds Grooming shop.  I loved watching and so did the kids.  I think man I am so blessed to have a man that knows how to handle a hammer!  I cant wait to see it all finished up.  Wished I had snapped a few more pictures!

 

Weekly cooking adventures!

I decided that I better limit my cooking ventures to once a week or so or each post maybe of food!!  Last night we made another great meal!  As usually its me that starts it and the Hubs that finishes it. (sometimes the other way around)  We made pork chops some greens and Mac & Cheese noodles.  I have no found the only way I will make a Mac & Cheese.  If your a cream cheese lover you'd like it too.  Last nights meal was one of those nights that we looked around our kitchen and just threw something together.  I had a half a block of Velveeta and a block of cream cheese.  I cut those up threw them in with the  noodles with some heavy cream.  Man that was the bestest Mac!!  And of course the Hubs boiled the chops and it is the only way to make these.  They have so much flavor and are so juicy!  The seasoning part is one of those packets of Hidden Valley Ranch, I had a them marinating in the fridge for a hour or so before we actually cooked them.  They taste good even if you dont have a chance to have them soaking in the seasoning.

We love fresh french fries.  Its actually been a while since we have made some.  I have been going through some of my pinterest boards and wanted to try this out.  So I started it out 11/20.  You have to soak them for 3 days.  I cant wait to taste these babies!

We love fresh french fries.  Its actually been a while since we have made some.  I have been going through some of my pinterest boards and wanted to try this out.  So I started it out 11/20.  You have to soak them for 3 days.  I cant wait to taste these babies! So we tried out these fries today...I opened the jars and man it stunk! I rinsed these babies an d still fried them. So the anticipation was fun the fries not so good. very crunchie outside a little to crunch and not an over cooked type of crunch. oh well!

I have been wanting to make this Oatmeal cookie for several months now!  This week going to the store I made sure to get all I needed just for this baby!  OMG heavenly tasty.  Now I have finally found the it in this Oatmeal cookie.  Never will I ever make another oatmeal cookie any other way!  I wish my aunt was still here.  Oatmeal cookies were her favorite!  Every summer i'd come to see her we would make oatmeal cookies from the "JOY" book.  Here is the blog I got it from (off pinterest)

Oatmeal cookies 

(I also added raisins to it, I mean come on thats just weird to me not to have raisin in an oatmeal cookie! Ok I know there are the few that dont like them but I didnt put a lot in there to be a big noticeable thing)

Fun Night

We decided that the kids need more of a family night.  Mostly in honor of Ryu.  He works so hard at school all day and then has to come home to work hard on homework that he just had so much on his plate we were starting to see it take a toll on him.  So last night was our night!  We all ate in the living room and watched Monsters University!  It was such a cute movie.  I also have to say it was Clara's first tv attention ever, she even laughed at a few parts.  I now want to go and buy this!!  Afterwards we got the PJ's and baths done and ended the night with playing Go-Fish.  Daddy won...Ryu second place and Hailey and I last!!  It was a fun night for us.

I am starting to go down on my energy again!  Gah I started pushing myself with Iron again.  I am such a lacky on that one.  I have to tell myself not to want to curl up back in bed every morning.  I need me an energy pick me up!

Hailey is such a great sister to her baby sisters.  She loves to be a mother to them.  She helps me in so many ways with each of the girls.  This morning she insisted on getting her pillow pet for Gemma.  

Tomorrow Ryu's school is holding a Powwow for the kinder and first.  Then they are out for Thanksgiving for the week!  I am going to need to get in gear and print out a few math and writing fun for him to do all week so we do not fall back! 

All in a day for me!

Well not a lot of news to share as of lately.  I have been still doing my cooking thing just about everyday, trying new things and seeing what I like and knowing what to do different the next go arounds.  Yesterday my cousin posted a chocolate Banana bread.  Sure was tasty.  After slicing a piece I realized what it needed.  Next time ill put some walnuts in it!

I am trying to be better at providing my Hailey girl some "homework" everyday this week.  I have printed out a bunch of worksheets for her.  I need to order her a work book. She loves her homework.  

Clara had her 1 year check up this week (yes a whole month later lol)  She is 19lb and 30 inches.  She took her shots like a champ just making her faces at the lady.  She gets her toughness from her daddy and her expressions from me.  She is in a curious stage.  Every once in awhile you will see her go look at the baby twins.  As we speak she is bend over Gemma, she took Gemma's passy out and is now trying to put it back in her mouth. She knows a few more words now.  She says "Ryu" "Hailey" "ew" "look" "no" "daddy" "dada" "mama" I am sure ill remember a few more later after posting this..

I am ready to start up my craftness, sewing projects for Christmas gifts.  Although with what I have in mind I need some materials that I do not have!

Besides the baking craftiness I have a love for books.  I finished another one of my books last night.  It brought me to my very first books.  I remember having a love for books from when I was younger.  I loved the Beverly Clearly books and The American Girl series.  (to my sister I suggest you maybe get these books for Allison since she is an American girl fan, it may get her to love to read!  I think it would be her age level read (I think I was her age when I read them))I remember my Aunt feed my love for these books all the way up til she passed and a few of my trips to Barns and Nobles were with my other Auntie who still feeds my love for books.  But now as an Adult.  I have to tell you my all time favorite books.  I will never hesitate to tell anyone what it is.  If I could force you to read this series I would!  I have to tell you that I would never have read these series if it had not been for my sister Stacey.  Infact she has been the one to introduce a few great books.  DUm DuMm dum ok the book is Called Emeralds and Espionage by Lynn Gardner. In fact I think Ill just re-read this next for the millionth time!  

cooking

Its been months since I have actually gotten to bake or create in the kitchen.  I didnt realize how much I missed cooking until this last week.  Cooking is one of the things that make me ME.  I love to bake so much that if ANYONE wants me to bake then something fabulous I would do it.  If I could invite someone to dinner everyday just to have the excuse to cook a meal and bake a dessert I would.

I love pinterest.  Before pinterest days my sister would look in our fridge for brand names and look at there website for some recipes to try.  Thankfully for pinterest I have so many neat things I want to try out.  I have decided I want to try to make something new every week that I have already pinned (if not more then once a week!)

This week I have made a cabbage soup, potato soup, a roast, key lime pie, and pretzels!  Not a thing we didnt like!

I found it super suprising that my Ryu thought the Cabbage and Potato Soup was by far the best thing I have ever made.  My kid is picky!  Now he ate the Roast but I didnt hear any raving reviews from him this time lol.  And he definitely didnt want to try the pie Hailey took a bite and said its to sour.  Now one that wouldnt complain is Clara she ate that faster then a dog cobbles down steak!  So I need to keep note on what Ryu likes that I bake since he doesnt care for many meals but will eat anyways lol.

Just a few shots of what I made this week.  (the pic of the soup isnt the final product thats about half way done with it)

Life

Everyday I strive to be a better mom.  I wanna be that fun cool mom and that mom that has those fresh baked cookies to snack on when the kids walk in the door.  Although I dont do that cookie thing everyday and im sure im not as cool as I want to be.  

I never thought I'd have as many kids as I do now.  But I love each one of them.  I look forward to the twins getting bigger though.  I worry to much about there episodes and its hard to haul each of the kids to the store.  Well we havent tried to do that.  I hope we dont have to either!

I have to admit sometimes I hate living here and sometimes I love it.  Some of the down falls Ethan and I have I try my hardest not to think..if we still lived in Midland this wouldnt happen.  Point is I really dont know if it would or not and  I am happy to have left Midland.  But at the same time Midland holds so many memories its hard to start making new ones somewhere else.  And mostly the only reason I miss Midland is that is where my sister is.  Ok I miss the root beers there and the weather.  I envy the cold season Midland is having right now.  (even tho I hate the winter I stand tall loving my Texas heat no matter how hot and uncomfortable it gets)  Plus I think it will take me awhile to adjust to things that are different here. 

 Random fact..at gas stations here you cannot only get slurpee like you can just about any other gas station, you can also get a bag of peanuts (like all kinds boiled in different flavors) like bags like pop corn kinda bags...weird huh..haha

So I forgot to mention one of the things we did this last weekends was spending time at Virginia's (Ethan's mom) and I got to be apart of something I miss of my family.  Sharing stories of when we were younger.  I got to hear some of the stories of Ethan's dad.  I absolutely love hearing these stories.  It makes me feel like I am apart of this family and laugh together.  It also makes me miss his dad.  I wonder if that is far to say since we didnt get to know each other.  The only way I know him is from the days when he taught us during Sunday School.  I am extremely grateful that I at least have those memories of him.

Family is everything to me.  My best days here have been surrounded by family.

10 Weeks

The girls are now 10 weeks.  I cant believe time flying by us and feel so blessed we are surviving!  Yesterday they had there 2 mo check up.  Which means the girls got a round of shots!  The other kids have never had a reaction to shots but my poor Gemma sure did.  She would hardly eat and then at 2 am she refused to eat and actually threw up what she had four hours before.  I was so worried about my sweet girl.  Plus with a fever.  But here we are hours later and she is doing much better and eating again.  So the girls are 21 inches in length and Gemma weighs 8lb 11oz and Skyler weighs 9lb 15oz. My Sky she kept trying to turn over while the Dr was checking her eyes and ears out.  She is ready to roll baby!!

One thing I have gotten use to is there cries.  One tends to always be crying while Im feeding the other.  I sure wish there were two of me but maybe this will teach the girls patience early lol.  I dont think I  can say enough how much I love the girls smiles.  Moments like these I cant believe I have two babies at ones.  Such  a blessing I never thought I'd get the pleasure to experience.