Flashback Friday

There is my Ry~bug... 3 years old, and already workin' that darling pout. Can you see how she has been putting us together all these years?? How do you say no to that? I know, you don't.

But she is sweet to the bone~ so we'll forgive her:)
In other news~ there has been a stomach bug floating around our house. I fell victim yesterday~ hoping the weekend is hurl~free. In the mean time, i am startin' to feel the love...
Darn you, Krispy Kreme... why do you make it so hard? You know i can't say no... we just might be visiting this weekend {hold one of those heart shaped cuties for me}
Happy weekend all!!

My Favorite Marinade

Kabob Marinade

1/2 c. veggie oil

3/4 c. olive oil

1 c. soy sauce

1/2 c. lemon juice

1/4 c. worcestershire sauce

1 1/2 tsp. fresh minced garlic

2 T. dry mustard or mustard seed

2 1/2 tsp. salt

1 tsp. pepper

1 1/2 tsp. parsley flakes

Combine ingredients in large bowl. Marinate meat and veggies of choice for at least 1 hour {my favorites are chicken or beef, with zucchini, mushrooms, red peppers, pineapple, and red onion}. You can either skewer them to make kabobs and grill, or if you are feeling lazy you can place veggies and meat on a baking rack and bake at 375 degrees for 40 minutes {or until meat is cooked thoroughly}. Serve with white rice... so delish!!

The Stealer

Kaden has just started his first season of hoops. So far, so good. He has assumed the position of the official 'ball stealer.'

That means, he is really good at stealing the ball...

This picture is compliments of the bug...

she loves to steal my camera:)
The bug and her Papa... she kinda likes him. Can you tell? Parke stole a little snoozy~time on Papa's chest...

Kaden stealing some snuggles from his sleepy little brother...

one of his favorite things to do.

Rylie was stealing hugs from her brother...

I think she sorta likes him too.

Mimi had to steal some of that squishy~baby~love too... nothin' better.

At one point Kaden felt bad for stealing another ball, and handed it back to the other team. Kaden you are sweet as candy buddy,

and we love you for that!

You make us so proud:)

Red Bathroom

{warning: too much information follows, but it is for my record}

Moving into our house was quite an adventure. It was quick. Like, really quick. We sold our old house in 3 days, and in less than a month we were driving moving vans to our new abode. We moved in the morning after Thanksgiving day {got in a major squabble with the previous owners~ i think we were all a little stressed}, and two days later we were driving Nic to the airport for a month~long training. Needless to say, I was a little overwhelmed. I remember being surrounded by boxes, not knowing where anything was, the house needing to be cleaned before I could put anything away, and I had two toddlers to entertain. It was survival mode for sure. I loaded the kids up with the clothes on our back, and drove up to my parents in tears. They were so much help to me at that time, I am forever grateful for them. I spent the next month driving back and forth, trying to make some order of the house so that when Nic got home we could be somewhat prepared for Christmas. Anyyyyywayssss... sorry, that stirred up some old emotions. On to the happy part. The part where I have been slowly making this house~ our home.

Last year, my resolution was to clean, de~clutter, organize, and simplify our home. The first thing to go was this red paint! It was too dark for that small space, and black counter~tops were not helping. Finally, after 3 years of living with it, it was time to say good~bye...

My before pictures of the bathroom are MIA at the moment. These were the only evidence I could find to prove that bathroom was indeed ever red... look at that baby one, too cute~ even in his destructiveness.
I really tried to work with that paint. I even found these pictures at Tai Pan to cover some big holes in the wall...
After some major dry wall patching {i'm talkin',professional help}, and two coats of primer it was gone forever. Yay! I decided on a color called 'beach'. It was softer, calmer, more of a light gray~blue... love. So much better.
The counter~tops are not my fav, one day i might be able to talk Nic into some concrete. But this definitely softened the look of the whole room...
We don't use toilet paper in this particular bathroom {refer to 'before' picture}, so this tissue box has come in really handy. It used to be silver, until I took some black paint to it... i think i have a slight obsession with paint:)
Oh ya, I also painted the ceiling white. I like white. It's crisp, and clean, and bright. It definitely opened up this small area...

and i still have plans for that light fixture.
{hee hee... me in my running garb~ taking blurry pictures of my bathroom}

As of yet there is nothing on my walls, and i am quite alright with it. In the summer I like to spice that counter space up with some fresh cut flowers from the garden. I love fresh flowers~ peonies are my favorite. I am also loving white picture frames. Hhmmm... i'll keep ya posted.

p.s. we still affectionately refer to this room as 'the red bathroom'

Bubble Baths

I think my kids love a nice bubble bath almost as much as their mother...

Although, their's take a little longer to clean up after...

Flashback Friday

Whilst browsing through some old photos i came across these puppies... can I tell you, it took me right back to when Kaden first discovered his adoration for Indiana Jones. One day he went up to his closet, and came down a while later looking very Indie...

And then he showed me some sweet moves...
I mean... really sweet. Look at those facials~ he's a natural;)

And 'blue blankie' standing in as his whip...

Honestly, when I see these pictures I don't know whether to smile~ or cry. They pull so tight on my heart strings, but I'm so happy I have them.

I sure do love my kiddos.

In other news~ Nic is hitting the slopes~ fresh powder~ I'm jealous.

Think I'll stay in and maybe paint something:)

I Love Costco

It was Mother~Hubbard around here, and definitely time for a trip to 'the Costco.' Can I tell you how good it felt to be back there...

Kaden, fresh home from school checkin' out the goods...

I planned my menu, and made an actual list! It felt so good to stock that fridge up, and know that I was somewhat organized.

Love this boy... Those eyes are saying, 'Mom can I have more mangoes?...please?"
And I have another yummy recipe to share...
just as soon as I download the pictures:)