Be.

Weekly Menu, 29.

2011-08-16T13:19:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Stuffed peppers w/Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

Parmesean Potatoes

Tuesday:

Gone

Wednesday:

Farmer's Market Pasta

Green Beans

Thursday:

Hamburgers

Corn

Baked Beans

Friday:

Gone

Weekly Menu, 28.

2011-08-10T16:10:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Spaghetti

Steamed green beans

Garlic bread

Tuesday:

Taco Salad

Mexican rice

Wednesday:

Chicken Fajita's

Refried beans

Thursday:

Jimmy Johns

Friday:

Pizza Bites

Salad

Weekly Menu, 27.

2011-08-02T13:58:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Filet Mignon

Garlic mashed potatoes

Caesar salad

Tuesday:

Chicken stir fry

Rice

Wednesday:

Grilled Chicken with Lemon Basil Pasta

Green salad

Thursday:

Taco Salad

Friday:

Gone

Happy Summer!

2011-06-21T10:25:00.000-07:00

Summer Checklist

In no particular order, these are the top 10 things that I hope to do this Summer!

1. Spend a weekend at the Ocean.

2. Spend the day at Alki Beach.

3. Take the kids to play in the big fountain at Seattle Center.

4. Go to the Sea fair Parade.

5. Go to a U Pick farm and make things with the pickings.

6. Road trip to California for a race.

7. Re finish an old dresser for Ava.

8. Take some sort of baking/frosting class.

9. Bike ride or walk 5 times a week.

10. Read at least 3 books.

Weekly Menu, 26.

2011-06-20T10:03:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Cornbread

Tuesday:

Stuffed Green Peppers with Tomato Basil Cream Sauce

Rice

French Bread

Wednesday:

Gone

Thursday:

Ranch Chicken (This is a new favorite at our house)

Parmesan Potatoes

Green Salad

Friday:

Gone

Weekly Menu, 25.

2011-06-13T13:56:00.000-07:00

After this past weekend, Party season is officially on hiatus. That's not to say I wont have things here and there, but the bulk of everything will be dying down until the fall. While I love getting to help with parties, I am thankful for a break :) Since March, I have been a part of 5 birthday parties and 2 graduation parties, one that hasn't even happened yet. It has been fun but busy! This week I am looking forward to getting back to some normalcy.

Monday:

Baked Ranch Chicken

Steamed broccoli

Macaroni and cheese

Tuesday:

Teriyaki Chicken Stir Fry

Brown Rice

Wednesday:

Pork Chops

Asparagus

Cheesy Rice

Thursday:

Gone

Friday:

Bite Sized Meatballs

Spaghetti

Salad

Weekly Menu, 24.

2011-05-23T15:47:00.000-07:00

I have good intentions on following my weekly menu's, I really do. But let's be real..they rarely turn out 5/5. It's inevitable and definitely okay, that plans change. I find a new recipe to try, I end up going shopping or to dinner with a friend, last minute event/activity for one of the kids, so things get shuffled around. I don't always stick to my plan, but it's nice to know that I have one to fall back on :) Here's my attempt at a Menu for this week.

Monday:

Grilled Cheese

Macaroni & Cheese

Banana, Strawberry skewers

(Softball game)

Tuesday:

BBQ Brats & hot dogs

Macaroni Salad

Corn on the cob

Wednesday:

Meatloaf

Oven fried zucchini chips

Thursday:

Baked Chicken

Rice

Broccoli

(T-ball game)

Friday:

Taco Cups

Mexican Rice

(Softball game)

A Rainbow Party.

2011-05-19T14:30:00.000-07:00

My niece Ava, turned 2 on April 21st. Since I have a Sister who knows how much I love parties, she sort of lets me create the vision's that I have. Since Ava obviously wouldn't know what kind of party she would want, I got to do the Rainbow Party theme that I have seen created all over the blogosphere. There are so many cute ideas out there and who doesn't love the Rainbow colors??

I was obsessed with making a Rainbow cake. I have seen them everywhere and I thought it looked so fun and super cute to make. There were no disasters and everyone was so surprised when the cake was cut to reveal all those pretty colors.

We made fruit loop Rainbow necklaces, Ava played on her new slide and the bigger kids just wanted to play outside, go figure :) I think Ava's party was a success and I can't wait until the next party to help with!

Weekly Menu, 23.

2011-05-16T15:53:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Pot Roast w/vegetables

French Bread

Tuesday:

Black Berry Waffles

Breakfast potatoes

Wednesday:

Baked Meatballs in Marinara Sauce

Noodles

Steamed Cauliflower

Thursday:

Teriyaki BBQ Chicken

Pasta Salad

Friday:

Homemade Pizza's

Salad

Weekly Menu, 22.

2011-05-10T13:33:00.001-07:00

The past few weeks have been super busy for me, so a weekly menu was just not realistic. Now that "Birthday Season" is slowing down, I've got more time to be making dinners.

Monday:

Spaghetti

Creamed Corn

Garlic Bread

Tuesday:

Taco Ring

Spanish Rice

Wednesday:

Pioneer Woman Grilled Chicken w/Lemon Basil Pasta

Steamed Broccoli

Thursday:

Chicken & Roasted Garlic Lasagna

Garden Salad

Friday:

Gone

Never Grow Up ♥

2011-04-20T15:08:00.000-07:00

Your little hands wrapped around my finger
And it's so quiet in the world tonight
Your little eyelids flutter 'cause you're dreaming
So I tuck you in, turn on your favorite night light

To you, everything's funny
You got nothing to regret
I'd give all I have, honey
If you could stay like that

Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
Just stay this little
Oh, darling, don't you ever grow up, don't you ever grow up
It could stay this simple

I won't let nobody hurt you
Won't let no one break your heart
No, no one will desert you
Just try to never grow up, never grow up

This song by Taylor Swift,

reminds me of all

the children in my life.

I wish they could all just stay

little for ever.

Tomorrow my niece turns 2

and I can't help but wonder,

where did the time go?

Weekly Menu, 21.

2011-04-19T15:28:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Baked Potatoes with toppings

Tuesday:

Taco Salad

Wednesday:

Chicken Tortilla Soup

Corn Bread

Thursday:

Country Style Ribs

Potatoes

Salad

Friday:

Gone

Weekly Menu, 20.

2011-04-11T15:49:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Turkey Meatloaf

Steamed broccoli

Tuesday:

Chicken Stir Fry

Brown Rice

Wednesday:

Spaghetti

Corn

Garlic Bread

Thursday:

Baked Potatoes

Broccoli

Friday:

Out

Weekly Menu, 19.

2011-04-04T15:51:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Country Style Ribs

Scalloped potatoes

Green Beans

Tuesday:

Italian Sausage subs

Wednesday:

Teriyaki Chicken Burgers

Greek pasta salad

Thursday:

Taco's

Friday:

Homemade Pizza

Weekly Menu, 18.

2011-03-21T11:11:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Baked Chicken

Rice

Broccoli

Tuesday:

Italian Sausage Subs

Wednesday:

Taco Salad

Thursday:

Chicken Quesadilla's

Friday:

Gone

Weekly Menu, 17.

2011-03-14T14:24:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Chicken Devan

Crescent rolls

Tuesday:

Out for a meeting

Wednesday:

Spaghetti

Salad

Garlic Bread

Thursday:

Shepard's Pie

(in honor of St. Patrick's Day!)

Friday:

Out with Shelby!

Sherry's Chicken Tortilla Soup.

2011-03-09T13:07:00.000-08:00

I met Sherry and her husband Jarret through my friends Jeff & Shelby. Sherry is much like me and loves to cook, and try new recipes. Often times they will cook dinner and have people over or will bring it to Jeff & Shelby's house to share and I happened to be there one particular time when she made this soup. It was delicious and I begged her for the recipe and she happily gave it to me :) I make it quite often, probably once a week.

Sherry's Chicken Tortilla Soup

4 tablespoon's vegetable oil

6 cloves garlic, minced

1/2 C. chopped fresh cilantro

1 onion, chopped

1 (29 ounce) can diced tomatoes

2 tablespoons ground cumin

1 tablespoon chili powder

3 bay leaves

1/2 teaspoon ground cayenne pepper

4 cans chicken & rice soup

1 regular size can corn

1 (10 oz) can diced tomatoes w/green chile peppers

2 soup cans of water

4 Chicken breasts, cooked and shredded

In a large stock pot, heat vegetable oil. Add garlic, cilantro and onion and saute for 2-3 min.

Stir in all tomatoes and bring to a boil. Add cumin, chili powder, bay leaves and chicken and rice soup + 2 cans of water.

Return to a boil, then reduce heat to medium and add corn, and cayenne.

Simmer for 30 minutes, remove bay leaves and add shredded chicken. Heat through and serve.

*Note: Adding the spices as is, this can be pretty spicy. I am not a fan of that, so I halved all the measurements for the cumin, cayenne, and chili powder.

I recommend...

2011-03-08T14:28:00.000-08:00

It seems as though everyone is sick these days. A few weeks ago, I had a pretty nasty flu, and I was so glad to have this thermometer to monitor my temperature. A few of my friends have them for their children and I can see why. It is so simple to use and takes only seconds with a simple swipe on the forehead. The reading's are very accurate and when I did finally break down and go to the Dr's, they recommended it as well. If you have children and even if you don't, you should have this!

Weekly Menu, 16.

2011-03-08T14:26:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Chicken Teriyaki Burgers

Pea Salad

Tuesday:

Taco Cups

Mexican Rice

Wednesday:

Teriyaki Glazed Meatballs

Stir Fry

Thursday:

Parmesan Crusted Chicken

Creamy Tomato Risotto

Friday:

Out

Weekly Menu, 15.

2011-02-15T13:52:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Chicken Fettuccine

Steamed Broccoli

Garlic Bread

Tuesday:

Chicken & Dumplings

Wednesday:

Gone

Thursday:

Taco Cups

Mexican rice

Corn

Friday:

Gone

Weekly Menu, 14.

2011-01-25T10:29:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Spaghetti Carbonara

Breadsticks

Tuesday:

Sausage, Pepper & Onion Subs

Wednesday:

Visiting the Harding's

Thursday:

Meatballs

Baby Red Potatoes

Steamed Broccoli

Friday:

Gone :)

Sweet Chloe.

2011-01-19T15:49:00.001-08:00

Chloe Shae Harding

1.12.11

7lbs 3 ounces 20 inches long

One of my best friends Shae, gave birth to her sweet baby girl last Wednesday. Yet another baby that I am in love with. She has tons of hair, hardly ever makes a peep and sleeps constantly. She is the baby sister to Cadence, who is loving being a big sister.

I'm so proud to add this little sweet heart to my ever growing list of angels. I am so lucky to be a small part of so many children's lives. They all make me so happy!

Weekly Menu, 13.

2011-01-18T13:44:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Gone visiting baby Chloe, oh how I love that little one.

Tuesday:

Ham Melts

Macaroni Salad

Wednesday:

Sherry's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Corn Bread

(This was a huge hit at our house last week!)

Thursday:

Cheesy Chicken Enchiladas

Mexican Rice

Friday:

Spinach Lasagna

Green Beans

Garlic Bread

Weekly Menu, 12.

2011-01-10T14:31:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Sherry's Chicken Tortilla Soup

Honey Sweet Corn Bread

Tuesday:

Spaghetti & Meatballs

Garden Salad

Breadsticks

Wednesday:

Off to Canada to meet baby Harding

Thursday:

Taco Cups

Mexican Rice

Rachel's Guacamole

Friday:

Filet

Baby Reds

Steamed Broccoli

Christmas Day ♥

2010-12-30T12:48:00.000-08:00

Oh the excitement of Christmas!! This was the funnest Christmas that I have had. Getting to watch Ava, Campbell and Cooper on Christmas morning and throughout the day was the best thing to me. Ava came in and walked straight to her new stroller and baby doll. She wasn't too sure about her new wagon, until I set her in it and showed her that she gets to get pulled around in it, then she didn't want to get out :) All she wanted to do was open presents. She didn't care what they were, she just wanted to open them.

Campbell and Cooper were both spoiled as well getting new electric (guitars) "matars" as Cooper calls them :) Cooper got more Monster Jams then he knows what to do with and Campbell finally got her robe and new luggage that she is always begging for at any store we go to :) My favorite line of the day was when I walked in to their house Christmas morning and Cooper jumps up holding a cd and shouts, "Becky! Look what Santa brought me, the Big Time Rush CD..he know'd I liked em'.." Cutest thing ever that he was so excited and just the way he says it.

There is so much hustle and bustle that goes along with Christmas, that it's easy to forget to stop and enjoy all the little things. These little details of that day are some that I never want to forget!

Weekly Menu, 11.

2010-12-27T13:12:00.001-08:00

This week will be another short week as I am leaving for North Carolina on Thursday night!

Monday:

Crispy Baked Ranch Chicken

Steamed broccoli

Crescent Rolls

Tuesday:

Sweet & Sour Meat Balls

Rice

Wednesday:

Chicken Noodle Casserole

Thursday:

Leaving on a jet plane!

Friday:

Red Rocks New Years Eve Dinner!

December.

2010-12-22T16:04:00.000-08:00

This month so far, these are some of the things I've done:

Took the kids to see Santa arrive on his sleigh at the Country Village in Bothell.

Driven the kids around to look at Christmas lights, especially this house, our favorite!

Did some mini photo shoots to try and get a good Christmas card picture...

This is how that turned out..Pretty much how things always are..chaotic, but I love it that way :)

Visited this little Cutie and made some Christmas treats!

Got to spend the day meeting this sweet new baby, Andrew..

And his crazy & sweet big brother Zach.

Did the traditional baking night with Shelby and made lots of treats for their party..

Attended the annual Barkshire Christmas Party and had a good time!

And last but certainly not least, booked a plane ticket to North Carolina for New Years Eve to visit one of my best friends Jennifer and others! Can't wait!

Weekly Menu, 10.

2010-12-20T14:49:00.000-08:00

Last week was a little hectic and there was literally not a night that I was home, so needless to say, the meal plan was of no use. However this week, since I am officially done Christmas shopping, I will be avoiding those that are not done shopping by staying home.

Monday:

Turkey & Ham Melts

Fries

Tuesday:

Lasagna

Garlic Bread

Corn

Wednesday:

Chicken Fajita's

Mexican rice

Thursday:

Ordering Pizza (Holiday baking extravaganza day)

Friday:

Christmas Eve, dinner with the Family.

My addition to the meal: Macaroni Salad, Pecan Pie bites.

The list.

2010-12-10T11:21:00.000-08:00

I found this on a blog and thought it was hilarious because so many of the things are true.

I will highlight the ones that most relate to me!

1. I think part of a best friend’s job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you’re wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn’t want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How the hell are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet? (I’ve seen Martha Stewart do it, but it never seems to work out for me.)

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I’m pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can’t remember the last time I wasn’t at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren’t going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don’t want to have to restart my collection…again.

13. I’m always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. “Do not machine wash or tumble dry” means I will never wash this – ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Damn it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voice mail. What did you do after I didn’t answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people’s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Miller Lite than Kay.

20. I wish Google Maps had an “Avoid Ghetto” routing option

21. Sometimes, I’ll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

22. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic cloth grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

23. The only time I look forward to a red light is when I’m trying to finish a text.

24. I have a hard time deciphering the fine line between boredom and hunger.

25. How many times is it appropriate to say “What?” before you just nod and smile because you still didn’t hear or understand a word they said?

26. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

27. Shirts get dirty. Underwear get dirty. Pants? Pants never get dirty, and you can wear them forever.

28. Sometimes I’ll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

29. Even under ideal conditions people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey – but I’ll bet everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away, in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time!

30. My check engine light has been on for three months now and nothing’s happened. I’m starting to think that my car is just an attention whore.

31. I don’t understand the purpose of the line, “I don’t need to drink to have fun.” Great, no one does. But why start a fire with flint and sticks when they’ve invented the lighter?

32. Sometimes I pretend not to remember details about people because having a good memory apparently equates to creepiness.

33. My GPS says “Estimated Arrival Time.” I see “Time to Beat.”

34. Whenever someone says “I’m not book smart, but I’m street smart”, all I hear is “I’m not real smart, but I’m imaginary smart”.

35. My keyboard needs a removable crumb tray like my toaster.

36. What would happen if I hired two private investigators to follow each other?

37. I wish it were appropriate to say to a complete stranger, “Excuse me, would you like me to show you how to discipline your child?”

38. I never understood why the Lions and Cowboys always get to play on Thanksgiving. Shouldn’t the Patriots play the Redskins, and then steal their stadium afterwords?

39. Double-Stuffed Oreos should just be called Oreos, and regular Oreos should be called Diet Oreos.

Cheerleader.

2010-12-07T12:06:00.000-08:00

Campbell has started cheering in a league where she will be performing at Boys basketball games throughout the Winter, for the Monroe Select teams. In her squad, there are 6 girls and they stand on the sidelines during the whole game and do cheers. She practices once a week and has been so excited and can't wait to come home and show us her cheers. Her first performance was last Saturday and she couldn't wait! During half time, I asked her if she would like to play basketball and she shook her head..nope, a cheerleader it is! :)

Weekly Menu, 9.

2010-12-06T15:39:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Chicken Bakes

Cheesy Rice

Tuesday:

Swedish Meatballs over egg noodles

Wednesday:

Turkey Melts

Fries

Thursday:

Visiting the Harding's

Friday:

Lasagna

Salad

Garlic Bread

Black Friday.

2010-11-30T13:10:00.000-08:00

I have always been a Black Friday shopper for as long as I can remember. In fact, I consider it a holiday. One of my favorite holidays :) Last year I spent Thanksgiving in Ellensburg with the Bennett's and the next morning, Rachel, Becca and I left at 3am for Yakima to get our shop on. They were hooked and we decided it would be a yearly tradition. We have been so excited for it since last year. We talk about it often and were literally counting down the days. I laughed many times that getting up so early, standing in LONG lines and dealing with some crazy people, was something we actually chose to do and were excited to do, but it is so much fun. To me, it kicks off the holiday season and of course there are many great deals to score.

Once again I spent Thanksgiving with the Bennett's which was such a special day in and of itself. We had so much fun cooking, laughing and celebrating the biggest blessing of the year, baby Addi. Truly an angel that makes me so grateful and makes me believe in happy endings.

After dinner, we looked through the ads for hours and made our lists. The alarm clock was set for 2:30 which came awfully quick. We were so excited to get up and on the road. Our first stop was Target where we stood in line for over an hour and almost had some words with a lady that seemed to think that we were all just standing in line for the heck of it :) After Target we headed to Old Navy, Famous Footwear and the mall. We dropped our first load of goodies off at Rachel's and headed on down the road to pick up Rachel's friend Amy and then we were off to Bellevue. We stopped at the Outlets in North Bend first and then continued on to Bellevue where we checked into our hotel. We stayed at the Hyatt which was super nice! We had reservations at PF Changs where we had the perfect window seat to watch the 1st night of the Christmas Parade.

After dinner we shopped some more, until the mall closed and then we headed back to our room where we all couldn't wait to sleep! Saturday morning we stopped at a few stores and then headed back to Ellensburg. We had so much fun, literally laughing until we cried many times, making many memories and I think we are all counting down the days until next year :) I ♥ Traditions.

Weekly Menu, 8.

2010-11-29T15:39:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Chicken Fajitas

Rice

Tuesday:

Meatloaf

Green bean casserole

Crescent Rolls

Wednesday:

Spaghetti

Salad

Bread sticks

Thursday:

Tuna Casserole

Friday:

Homemade Pizza

Salad

Weekly, Menu 7.

2010-11-22T13:53:00.000-08:00

This will not be a typical week as it is Thanksgiving, and I will be heading out of town Wednesday morning.

Monday:

Beef Stroganoff

Corn

French Bread

Tuesday:

Meat loaf

Au gratin Potatoes

Green Beans

12..err 6 weeks of Christmas Cookies, Week 1.

2010-11-17T20:08:00.000-08:00

Apparently I have missed the buzz in the blogging world about the "12 weeks of Christmas cookies" challenge that some are doing. I stumbled upon it while checking out this sweet little blog and I thought, I would love to do that! Only one little problem, it is already only 6 weeks until Christmas. So, I guess I will just have to double up and try 2 new recipes a week for the next 6 weeks. The idea was to make a new cookie each week until Christmas. Since I usually have a few baking extravaganza's during the Holiday's, I would love to test new recipes that could potentially be added to my holiday favorites.

Here is Recipe #1. I picked this one for my first recipe because it's unlike anything that I usually make and it had eggnog & rum in it..done deal.

Eggnog Meltaways.

1 3/4 cups all purpose flour

1/2 cup cornstarch

1/4 tsp salt

1/4 cup powdered sugar

1 cup butter, softened

1/2 Tbsp rum

1/4 cup eggnog

1 cup powdered sugar, for rolling

In a medium bow, whisk together the flour, cornstarch, and salt.

In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the rum and eggnog.

Add in the flour mixture gradually until well-combined. Cover and refrigerate the dough an hour or until firm.

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and line two baking sheets with parchment paper. Roll the dough into 1″ balls and place on the baking sheets about 1″ apart.

Bake 12-14 minutes. Remove to a wire rack to cool about 5 minutes before rolling the cookies in the sugar. Makes about 3 dozen cookies.

Enjoy!

Phoenix.

2010-11-16T14:38:00.000-08:00

I had the best time going to Phoenix with The Barkshire's. I was so excited that Jeff was able to race this particular race since it is on Cup weekend and I love going to Phoenix. This weekend really reminded me how much I do love racing and love being at the race track. I was telling Shelby that it's kind of funny because I watch racing so much on TV, that when I see the drivers and crew members at the track, I feel like I know them because they are so familiar to me..then I have to remind myself that I don't in fact know them :)

The West series was scheduled to race Saturday night after the Nationwide race to bring more exposure to the series. I'm not sure how I feel about that since it didn't seem like the pro's out weighed the cons of the weekend, like the crazy down time. It was the ultimate Nascar style "sit & wait" weekend. And the race didn't turn out well for Jeff, when another car made contact with him forcing him into the front stretch wall and blowing out the right front tire while running 8th. Obviously not the outcome any one hoped for, but as they say, that's the way it goes sometimes. It was so disappointing after all the hard work it took by Jeff to get the funds secured to even be there and all the hard work that it took from he & his crew to be there.

While in Phoenix, Shelby & I spent Friday in Scottsdale doing some shopping at the Fashion Square Mall. They have pretty much every store! We had lunch at my favorite place there, Olive & Ivy and made a quick stop at Sprinkles for a cupcake. We went to the truck race on Friday night and watched from the pits which was fun and afterwards we got to meet one of our favorite people on Twitter: @Mother_Function aka Josh, Kevin Harvick Inc. employee and Kevin's better half. He was super funny and nice.

The weather was wonderful, the racing was pretty good minus Jeff's incident and we all can't wait to do it again..hopefully sooner than later.

Weekly Menu, 6.

2010-11-15T19:00:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Spaghetti

Corn

Tuesday:

Turkey Taco's

Mexican Rice

Wednesday:

Out for dinner

Thursday:

BLT's

Tomato Soup

Friday:

Homemade BBQ Chicken Pizza

Caesar Salad

Weekly Menu, 5.

2010-11-08T12:51:00.000-08:00

Monday:

Chicken Taquito's

Mexican Rice

Corn

Tuesday:

Spaghetti

Salad

Garlic Bread

Wednesday:

Leaving for warm, sunny Phoenix!!

Thursday:

Gone :)

Friday:

Gone :)

Pumpkin Patch.

2010-11-04T13:06:00.000-07:00

The day before we went to Craven Farms, I got my new camera and I couldn't wait to use it! I know nothing about it, but I figure that I will learn as I use it. We couldn't have asked for more perfect weather! I brought Campbell & Cooper, Lizzie and our neighbor Erica and my Sister brought Ava along. Our Grandma Chouinard also came with us and I think she really enjoyed seeing Ava run through the patch. We got to go on a Hayride, and then pick out our pumpkins and afterwards the kids visited the animals in the petting zoo. I love going to the pumpkin patch, it's a tradition that I look forward to every year!

Halloween 2010.

2010-11-03T11:41:00.000-07:00

For the past several years, I have been gone on Halloween, but not this year. I was so excited to be home for it and to be able to see all the kids in their costumes. Growing up in my family, Halloween was always a big deal. We always had Chili on Halloween, our whole family came over and usually lots of our friends and it was something we looked forward to every year.

This year I had Dailey's birthday party on Saturday which was a costume party so I already had my costume and decided to wear it all day on Halloween too. I went to pick up Ava with it on and She didn't know what to think :) The kids were so excited. Cooper was a Cop and couldn't wait to put his costume on and play outside in it pretending to get bad guys! Campbell decided to be a Sea Gal Cheerleader since she already had the costume from cheering this summer. She looked so cute in it ofcourse, even though she was too shy to do any cheers or cute poses for us.

I passed out the candy to all the trick or treaters and I loved seeing their reactions when I opened the door. I think I caught all of them off guard because I didn't hear many "trick or treat's" it was more like "I love your costume!" or "wow, your a rainbow" was my favorite from a sweet little boy. I think I enjoyed it more than the kids did and I was bummed when we got our last spurt of kids. I can't wait until next year!!

The best costume for the night, by far, was our 5 year old neighbor boy Kyan, as the Mad Hatter from Alice in Wonderland. So creative and authentic! Loved it.

Weekly Menu, 4.

2010-11-01T11:11:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Meatloaf

Baby Reds

Green Beans

Tuesday:

Beef with Snow Peas

Brown rice

Wednesday:

Pasta with Tomato Cream Sauce

Green Salad

Breadsticks

Thursday:

Ritz Chicken

Cheesy Rice

Broccoli

Friday:

Home made Pizza

Salad

A Birthday Surprise.

2010-10-26T13:30:00.000-07:00

Today is my sweet friend Stevie's 22nd birthday! Stevie and I have a lot of things in common. We both love to shop, love racing, love to cook, scrapbook, laugh, take pictures, go to concerts..you name it. When we first heard that Lady Antebellum was coming to Seattle, we both said that we were definitely going to see them. I think the concert snuck up on us because on Sunday we didn't have tickets and didn't have plans to get them. Until my brain started to think...hmmm, it is her birthday on Tuesday and how cool would that be to surprise her with tickets? I texted her to make sure she was available Monday night and when she said that she was, I told her I would pick her up at 4:30 and all I would tell her was that we were going downtown Seattle...I got online and was still able to find some AWESOME tickets.

I picked her up last night and couldn't wait until 7:30 to tell her so I gave her a card that told her we were going to Lady A. She was sooooo excited, to say the least :) We went to one of our favorite restaurants, The Cheesecake Factory first and then headed over to the Wamu Theatre.

We had such a great time! We were so close to the stage and sang pretty much every song. I would definitely see them again, especially in a venue like the Wamu Theatre. That is my idea of the perfect concert setting. Very intimate feeling. And there is just something about going to a concert that is magical to me. I can hear the same songs on the radio and like them, but when I am seeing and hearing them performed with my own eyes, I love the songs that much more.

We ♥ Lady A.

Weekly Menu, 3.

2010-10-25T16:24:00.001-07:00

Monday:

Birthday Surprise for Stevie (more on that tomorrow)

Tuesday:

Taco's

Mexican rice

Wednesday:

Pork Chops

Broccoli

Crescent rolls

Thursday:

Pizza

Salad

Friday:

Ellensburg bound!

Fall Days.

2010-10-19T15:59:00.000-07:00

Sunshine on your shoulders. Sweet smiling faces. Beautiful mountains. Crisp air. Yep, these are the fall days that I love so much.

Weekly Menu, 2.

2010-10-18T16:05:00.000-07:00

Monday:

Chicken Pot Pie

Tuesday:

Filet Mignon

Baby red mash

Garden Salad

Wednesday:

Pioneer Woman Lemon Chicken

Basil Pasta

Broccoli

Thursday:

Country Style Ribs

Au gratin potatoes

Garlic Bread

Friday:

Hamburgers

Pasta Salad

On a whim.

2010-10-12T11:55:00.000-07:00

Something I do everyday, is visit my favorite blogs. On occasion, I stumble across a new one to obsess over. That happened Saturday. And from that new blog, came another new blog, with this post. I think this woman is amazing. Or maybe she's insane? But probably, a good mix of both. I mean you would have to be a little crazy to take on that project..or just inspired maybe? Either way, I love the end result. I loved it so much that I had to find something to paint. I had just the perfect thing. My scrapbook cabinet. I got it from Ikea last year and I really do love it. It holds all of my scrapbook and craft supplies...(that I barely ever use, but shhh), it's cute and I love the color of it. So why not make it cuter, and love it even more? Well, I did just that on Sunday.

I love the end result. No, I really really LOVE it. It makes me so happy to look at. I can't believe that I did something that looks so cute. I read a few tutorials on doing this kind of project. One lady said, "your going to be up close painting it and your going to think, man this looks terrible. But just step back and you will love it". I have to agree with that. Of course it's not going to be perfect because your basically free hand painting a stencil. Not to bad for a project I had never planned on doing.

Weekly Menu, 1.

2010-10-11T21:21:00.001-07:00

For the past several weeks, I have been doing a weekly meal plan. I find that it is so convenient to plan ahead, shop once a week and not have to think about the dreaded question, "what's for dinner?". I am gone many weekends, but generally home during the week days and have loved having my 'plan'. So here is this weeks menu:

Monday:

Pot Roast with carrots & baby reds

Garlic bread

Tuesday:

Ritz baked Chicken

Asparagus

Garden Salad

Wednesday:

Teresa's Farfalle Con Piselli

French Bread

Thursday:

Taco Salad

Friday:

Birthday dinner.

Charming.

2010-10-06T20:30:00.000-07:00

While visiting Bakerella's blog today, I stumbled across a post about this:

Quite possibly, one of the cutest things I've ever seen. A charm, that is a mini oven, cooking a cupcake! I want this. No. I NEED this.

First Days.

2010-09-13T13:17:00.000-07:00

2nd grade, and Pre K. Both kids were so excited to start school this year. That is a relief to me because I always worry that they will be afraid or nervous. All smiles with these two though :)

The Boys of Fall.

2010-09-10T11:29:00.000-07:00

I just had to post this video for Kenny Chesney's new song, Boys of Fall, for anyone that has not seen it yet. I love Sean Payton's speech at the beginning of this. He captured my attention by the way he spoke about football & the way it relates to life. I have told everyone I know about this video :) I even ordered a copy of Sean Payton's new book, Home Team, and can't wait to get it! I love people that can motivate and inspire with their words and he is one of them. It's no wonder the Saints are Superbowl Champions.

Labor Day.

2010-09-09T16:24:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite weekends of the year. This year definitely did not disappoint! I traveled over to Ellensburg Friday morning and spent the day at the Animal Sale with Becca, Rachel and the rest of the family. It is so fun to me to see how much the animals go for. Becca and Rachel's brother Logan sold his lamb and made quite a profit, and Travis and Rachel's niece Kylee sold her pig and did well too. They put so much work into raising their animals, and it is great to see them do well with them. Friday night was spent at the Ellensburg Highschool Football game that Travis and Rachel's nephew Kody plays for. They didn't win, but we still had fun! Saturday morning we were up bright and early for the Rodeo Parade. Dailey & Skylee loved it and all the candy they got :) The parade isn't too exciting for the adults, but the kids sure do love it and I love watching it through their eyes.

Saturday afternoon Justin & Becca had a BBQ at their new home and we all enjoyed the kids..well Rachel did as they both could not get enough of "Auntie". We went to the extreme bulls Saturday night which was quite the experience :) We headed behind the chutes to hang out afterwards but it was freezing with the hurricane winds, so we didn't last long there.

Sunday was a nice relaxing day just hanging out and napping before heading down to the races in Yakima. Travis was helping Pete Harding and Pete got a win which was great for STE! All in all it was such a great weekend. I just love being over in Ellensburg, Labor Day weekend or not!

Wanna race?

2010-08-31T14:36:00.000-07:00

Cooper practically lives on his big wheel. Every single day he is out racing it around the cul-de-sac. His friend Harry has a matching one and they are often found racing them together..wrecking each other, and then getting into a fight :) I saw this shirt at Gymboree and just had to get it for Cooper.

Making me smile.

2010-08-27T13:31:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, Campbell and I were shopping around and we went into 'Fireworks', one of my favorite stores. There is always so many fun and unique things in there. In the kids area they have a bunch of sock monkeys and Campbell found a purple one that had magnets in the hands so you could hook the monkey to things and she really wanted it. Of course I got it for her and didn't think much about it. The next day, I noticed that she had hooked the monkey around her seat belt and I thought, how cute of her!

After the Seahawks game last Saturday night that Campbell and her cousin Cassie performed at, the kids all rode home with me. Campbell sat in the way back with her cousins Cassie and Clayton and I wasn't paying attention to anything, besides making sure she got her booster seat back there. The next day I go to clean out the car and this is what I see:

In all the chaos of trying to get everyone loaded in the car, Campbell made sure to grab her monkey and attach it to her seat belt in the way back. I couldn't help but smile when I saw that. She is such a special little girl and lately I have just been feeling like she is growing up way too fast. It's little things like this that remind me that she is still a sweet little girl :)

Campbell, Jr Sea Gal.

2010-08-23T12:18:00.000-07:00

This past weekend, Campbell got to perform during half time of the Seahawks pre-season game vs. the Green Bay Packers and the whole experience was probably the highlight of her summer :) For 3 days she got to go to "training camp" where the Seagals taught the dances that they would perform. They got practice outfits along with the real outfits that they wore during the performance, along with shoes, pom pom's and a sweat outfit for afterwards. Campbell loved to tell us that she got to perform in front of 50,000 people. I wish I could say that I seen her, but once the girls rushed the field, it was impossible to find her, however they did show her on the big screen and I did see her there. We heard about this for weeks, and the week after her training camp, all she wanted to do was show everyone her cheers.

She says she is going to do this every year until she is 15 :) It was quite the experience for her and I loved being there to support her! I brought my brother Michael along to his first Seahawks game and some of our friends were there including the Bennett's. It was a fun night that Campbell will never forget!

Frost.

2010-06-16T10:52:00.000-07:00

Frost

15421 Main Street, Ste. H102 Mill Creek, WA 98012

Hours: MON-FRI 6am-8pm, SAT 7am-8pm, SUN 7am-7pm

Yesterday my sister and I took Ava on an afternoon date to Frost Doughnut shop in the Mill Creek Town Center. I have heard a lot about it lately and wanted to see it in person. I loved everything from their cute logo to the baby onesies they sold. It was pink and brown galore and there were several different flavors to try. Their famous doughnut is the Maple bar with bacon on it. It sounded very weird to me and it's not something I would probably get again, but it was alright. The employees were very friendly and you can even watch them making the doughnuts. Definitely a place I would go again!

Ava's Party.

2010-06-14T10:45:00.000-07:00

I am very late with posting this, but couldn't leave it out! We had Ava's 1st birthday party on the 18th of April and it was the perfect day. It was so nice and warm out and we had a BBQ to celebrate her 1st year. Lots of family and friends came and we had fun just watching Ava open her presents, crawl around and of course eat her cake :) She is such a special little girl to me and so many others and I can't believe she is already 1!

A very unmerry birthday.

2010-06-08T10:50:00.000-07:00

Campbell's 7th birthday party turned out so good. It was an 'Alice in Wonderland' tea party theme. We used modern colors and funky little things and I think it turned out perfectly. Campbell and her friends were all impressed with the decorations, the food which included mini hamburgers, mini hot dogs, fruit salad, french fries and cotton candy and were especially impressed with the Awesome cake that a family friend made!

Seven?

2010-06-02T12:06:00.000-07:00

(super cute charm bracelet that I let her open this morning. All of these things are so her!)

How can it really be possible that 7 years have passed so quickly? It seems like just yesterday Campbell was learning how to walk, having her first Popsicle's, sitting with me at the computer to watch Britney Spears music videos for hours on end :) Now it's Lady Gaga, gymnastics, baseball, 1st (soon to be 2ND) grade. Time truly does fly by but I have cherished these past 7 years with Campbell and can't wait to see how amazing she will be in another 7 years. Happy Birthday Campbell Mae, your the world to me :)

♥ your Auntie

Four.

2010-04-27T14:12:00.000-07:00

4th Birthday Interview - April 27, 2010

How old are you? FOUR!

What is your favorite color? Blue

What is your favorite number? 99

Who is your favorite racecar driver? Kyle Busch & Tony Stewart

What is your favorite food? Doughnuts

What is your favorite show? Spongebob squarepants!!

What is your favorite song? ABC's and Lightning McQueen (life is a highway)

Who is your best friend? Campbell & little Harry :)

At 4 Cooper is a very active little boy who LOVES racing. He has all the matchbox cars and lines them up constantly for their "races". He then races them and has to tell all of us who wrecked each other. He also loves Monster Trucks and going to Monster Jam. He is definitely a boy in every sense of the word. He is in preschool and goes to gymnastics once a week. He loves playing baseball, riding his bike, swimming at the YMCA and playing with the kids in the neighborhood! I am a very lucky Auntie to have the Coopster in my life :)

Happy 4th Birthday Cooper ♥

One.

2010-04-21T11:59:00.000-07:00

One short year. One beautiful, sweet, charming, lovable little girl. One million memories made. One thousand hugs and kisses. One hundred happy tears. One lucky and blessed Auntie.

Happy 1st Birthday Ava Mae! Your the world to me. ♥ your Auntie.

Mini doughnuts.

2010-04-15T12:16:00.000-07:00

Yesterday I made a trip to Sur La Table cooking store. I love going there but don't go often because of the location and lets face it, it's a dangerous store for me to go in! I was looking for a #1 cookie cutter to use for Ava's party this weekend and I knew they would have it. I got the cookie cutter and several other things, including these super cute mini doughnut pans. I have wanted to make doughnuts for awhile but I'm afraid of the process. That is now simplified with these pans and they are only baked, not fried. I can't wait to try them for Ava's party this weekend!

My girls ♥

2010-03-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

These two love eachother so much. As soon as Ava sees Campbell, her eyes light up and she gets so excited. Campbell loves to hold Ava, even though Ava doesn't always want to be held :) She loves to feed her, play with her, change her, push her in the stroller, everything. I love watching them together and hope they will always be friends.

Vegas...again.

2010-03-05T14:53:00.000-08:00

My family has started a yearly tradition of going to Vegas for the Cup weekend which is either the last weekend of February or the first weekend of March. My Grandpa is part of a time share and there are several properties there, so they stay at those. I had not planned to go this year as I just went to Irwindale and went to the Truck race in Vegas last Fall. The Tuesday before my Dad was going to leave, he talked me into going with him..which wasn't very hard, and by the next morning I had talked Ashley into coming..which also wasn't very hard :) My Dad drives down there because after he spends the week in Vegas, he continues on down to Phoenix to stay at my Grandpa's place there for awhile.

We left on Sunday morning, literally 5 days after planning to go. We drove to Twin Falls the first night and stayed at the McKean's. They cooked us a nice meal and my Dad and Eddie played the Wii while Ashley and I played with her niece Kaili.

Monday morning we finished the trip to Vegas, only about 7 hours and got settled into the condo. Ashley and I went grocery shopping and then we BBQ'ed steaks and I made potatoes and salad. It was actually so nice staying off of the strip. We were only 2 miles from it, yet we were far enough away from it.

Tuesday My Grandma, Ashley and I went to PF Chang's for lunch and then went to the Outlet mall for our girls day. We had a lot of fun laughing! Later that night we had dinner at Lawry's steakhouse before meeting up with our friend Kevin and his race team. We watched them play Craps for hours!

Wednesday we didn't do much besides relaxing which was so nice..

Kevin told us we were the oldest 20 somethings in Vegas...oh well, it's not like it was our first time..we have done Vegas, many of times :)

Thursday morning we went and picked up Kevin and took him to Voodoo tattoo to get his first tat. I had decided I would get one too, but mine took about 5 min. A simple "be" on the inside of my left wrist. People ask me why the word "be". Well, I love the word because it can mean so many things. It is sort of my personal mantra..be happy, be calm, be thankful, be loving..be anything! Luckily it only took 5 minutes because it hurt so bad, I was over it! I don't understand how people get tattoo's. The pain is not worth it to me. Kevin was there all day, so Ashley and I left and had lunch and did some shopping before picking him back up.
Thursday night we had dinner at the Hard Rock, hung out at Margaritaville and then called it a night.

Friday was a fun, unexpected day. My friend Jennifer won us VIP tickets to see Dierks Bentley at a new casino resort out towards the racetrack. She lives in NC and wasn't in Vegas, so she gifted her tickets to us and we had a great time. We got to show up early, meet Dierks and get our pictures with him, stand stage side the entire concert and create many memories. We had a great time! Thanks Jennie girl :)

We went to both the Nationwide race and the Cup race. Kevin spots for a team that runs both series and I texted him Saturday afternoon telling him I felt like I was at Monroe at the end of March on opening night, it was literally that cold! Sunday was much nicer reaching 70 even. The Cup race was pretty boring, which is what I expected at that track.

Sunday night Ashley and I went to The Miracle Mile Shops at Planet Hollywood, only intending on going to the Roxy store. We walked in and Ashley spotted Club Tattoo and she was set on me getting my nose pierced. I have wanted it done since I was about 16 but have always been too scared to do it. With some convincing, I decided to do it. It didn't hurt nearly as bad as I thought it would. So I left Vegas with a tattoo and a piercing..a sign that I needed to go home :)

Monday morning we packed up all of our stuff and headed down to Goodyear, Arizona where my Grandpa spends most of the winter. We had a nice dinner with him and watched the Bachelor season finale..which I won't even get into, had some great wine and then called it a night.

Tuesday morning Ashley and I both flew to our homes and our big adventure was over! We had such a great time and most likely, we will be doing it again next year!

What it's all about.

2010-02-16T14:54:00.000-08:00

Before Sunday, Jamie McMurray was an average middle of the pack racer. In fact, only a few months ago, he wasn't even sure if he would have a ride for the 2010 season. His team downsized from 5 cars to 4 and he was the odd man out. But Sunday afternoon, he raced his way to the new title of Daytona 500 Champion. A title that every driver in Nascar, dreams of having. As he said in his own words, something he has dreamed about since he was a little kid.

I'll be honest, he obviously wasn't my pick going in to the race. I have never been a fan of Jamie. I didn't dislike him at all, I just never purposefully cheered for him. Until Sunday night that is. When he won that race and did his Victory celebration, he turned me into a huge fan. To show that raw emotion and flat out appreciate what he had just accomplished as much as he did, how could you not be a fan? As my friend Karen said, he made the fans forget about the pot hole and the delays and remember what this sport is truly about.

I couldn't agree more. Jamie's win and celebration IS what this sport is all about and it's why I love it so much. As he said very emotionally, When you do something you love so much and succeed at it, you want to share it with those you love so much. Thank you Jamie for sharing your celebration with all of us, you made a fan out of me!

Valentine's.

2010-02-12T15:03:00.000-08:00

Some of the special Valentine's I made for the little ones. The cupcakes were treats for Campbell and Cooper's classes and they were both so excited to take them.

I found the little mail boxes in the dollar spot at Target and decorated them with paper, ribbon and other embellishments and filled them with their favorite sweets.

To & From.

2010-02-11T10:46:00.001-08:00

Lots of driving. Many laughs. Paprazzi. Getting lost. Jay Z. Makeup. Double Tree. Starbucks. Sailor Jerry. PF Changs. 5th place. The Grammys. Santa Monica. Calabasas. Malibu. Eric's Birthday. The Hangover. Too many memories ♥

These streets will make you feel brand new.

2010-01-26T11:04:00.000-08:00

It's that time of the year again, time for the Toyota All Star Showdown! It also means it's road trip time. Ashley flys in tonight and we are leaving in the morning.

I am so excited for this year since Jay will be racing in the Super Late Model class on Friday night, live on Speed. My friend Jeff will be racing the West race on Saturday night, also live on Speed.

Can't wait for the open road, loud music, lots of laughs, taking pictures, forgetting about everything else except for having the time of my life..again :)

Monday Funday.

2010-01-20T15:14:00.000-08:00

On Monday, I took the kids, along with my Sister and Ava to meet up in Seattle with Shae, Cadence, her mom Pam, Her cousin Heidi and her 3 kids for a fun day. We started at the Children's Museum and the kids loved it. There were so many exhibits for them to do. I think their favorite was the painting. I loved the Grocery store and Ava loved the discovery area where she could crawl around :)

Afterwards we went out to the Fountain at the Seattle Center. The kids thought that was about the coolest thing ever and I can't wait to take them back there in the summer when they can actually run through the fountain.

We ended our day with a trip to the top of the Space Needle. Not my favorite thing as I am afraid of heights, but the kids both loved that too. When we first got to Seattle, Cooper kept talking about the "Space Noodle" and I told him after we went to the Museum, we were going to go to the top of the Space Needle..his response: Why?

Haha :) I was worried he would be scared but he wasn't at all. He thought it was so cool that we could see the helicopter on top of the Komo 4 news building. Campbell thought it was cool that she could see our car :) And she loved to keep asking me how scared I was. I did just fine except when they got too close to the railings!

All in all it was a great way to spend the day and I can't wait until our next outing :)

Taco Salad.

2010-01-08T11:31:00.000-08:00

A famous tradition at the races, the one and only, Taco Salad recipe.

1 packet Taco Seasoning

1lb. Hamburger

1 can drained Kidney Beans

1 can sliced Olives

1 (smaller) bag Mexican Cheese

1 bag of Shreds Lettuce

1 bag of Nacho Cheese Doritos, crunched up

Sauce:

1 cup Mayonnaise

1/2 cup Ketchup

1 tsp. taco Seasoning

Simply, cook hamburger.

Drain and add seasoning.

In a large bowl, combine all ingredients, add sauce mixture and mix completely. And there you have it! I have yet to meet a person that doesn't love this, or atleast like it :)

Making me smile.

2010-01-05T13:25:00.001-08:00

For winter break homework, Campbell had to keep a journal of the things that she did each day. I looked through her journal one morning and found this. This is in her own words and I thought it was just too cute.

Ava's 1st Christmas.

2009-12-29T14:56:00.001-08:00

I can honestly say this was the best Christmas I've ever had. It wasn't because of presents, or the activities or the baking or the music, even though all of that was enjoyed too. But it was the best yet because sweet little Ava was here to enjoy it with. She is the greatest blessing.

Holiday Baking: Round 2.

2009-12-28T12:36:00.000-08:00

My Sister and I had another day of baking last week and bake we did...for over 12 hours! We made several different things including: Jam thumbprints, Reindeer Chow, Pecan tassies, Peanut butter kisses, Ritz dipped crackers, No bake's and Roly Poly's.
We packaged up several tins and gave them away to family and friends. Ava mostly played around all day but she wanted to be in on the action too so she observed a lot. Next year she will be able to "help" much more :)

Christmas Party.

2009-12-22T13:31:00.000-08:00

Friday night was the 4th Annual Barkshire Christmas Party and this year I got to bring Ava along. There are always several children with Jeff's Sister Carrie's 2 girls, Shelby's Sister Rachel's 2 girls and Shelby's friend Sarah's little boy. It was fun to watch all the kids, especially Ashley and Ava crawling around. The big joke was that the entertainment would be baby races :) It was a fun night as usual!

Holiday Baking: Round 1.

2009-12-17T15:07:00.000-08:00

Every year my friends Jeff & Shelby have a Christmas party for their families and friends. I always go down and help Shelby do some baking for the party and yesterday was our big day. She started molasses cookies before I got there and then together we made the spritzers, peanut butter balls, peanut butter kisses and Ritz peanut butter sandwiches dipped in chocolate. We had our aprons on, Christmas earrings, and Josh Groban's Christmas CD blaring in the background...Jeff was not impressed :)

Barbie.

2009-12-15T11:47:00.000-08:00

Barbie Pink World 3-Story Dream Townhouse

It is amazing to me how many Barbie's are available these days, and new ones are always coming out. Campbell is a huge Barbie fan. She has so many that I don't even know how she keeps track of them! For Christmas, Melinda wanted to get Campbell & her cousin Cassie the new Barbie 3 story townhouse but as we went to Target to get one, we realized that they were a hot item and weren't so easy to get. We ended up calling all of the Toys R Us's in our area and tracked down a delivery truck and made the trip there at 7am this morning to get 2 of these. They are 3 ft tall and come with 55 pieces! The girls will be soo excited to get these, I can't wait to see their reactions.

I have already gotten Campbell the 3 following 'Barbie I can be' sets for Christmas...

Barbie I can be: Pet Vet Doctor

Barbie I can be: Gymnastics Coach Barbie

Barbie I can be: Newborn Baby Doctor

But today, I see this..Race car driver Barbie and since Campbell is my travelling racing sidekick, I just had to get it for her :)

Barbie I can be: Race car Driver

This little girl will be having a very good Christmas :)

We ♥ Santa.

2009-12-13T20:57:00.000-08:00

I was so excited to tag along for Ava's first trip to see Santa and I thought Campbell & Cooper would love to be there too, so I brought them along. Ava was at the perfect age for Santa..she loves everyone right now so she wasn't afraid of him. She tried to give him a kiss right away and then just stared at him. He kept moving around trying to get her to look at the camera and she was just trying to follow him around. Everyone in line was laughing at her, she was being so funny!

Cooper walked right up and wasted no time telling Santa that he wanted a BIG dump truck as he showed him with his hands exactly how big he meant. It was too cute!
Campbell was shy and quiet but I think she was requesting more Barbie's..how many Barbie's can 1 girl have??

Needless to say, it was a successful trip to see the big guy and the kids can't wait until Christmas and I am just as excited for them :)

Thanksgiving Weekend.

2009-12-03T23:16:00.000-08:00

After looking through my camera, I realized that I didn't take very many pictures on Thanksgiving weekend. That is probably because I was too busy enjoying it as it happened! Here are some of the things we did...

Cooked Thanksgiving Breakfast for the Bennett side of the family. Looked through Black Friday ads. Had Mimosa's at breakfast...and pretty much all afternoon long. Cooked a complete Thanksgiving dinner. Laughed..literally until we cried..many times. Enjoyed Dailey & Skylee. Got up at 3:45 am to go shopping on Black Friday. Between Becca, Rachel & I, we saved $400 just at Target. Took Travis & Zach to the airport. Shopped at Bellevue Square and had dinner with the Bennett/Rehaume family. Had so much fun. Went to Tri-Cities and spent the day with Karen. Lounged around and just enjoyed each others company.

I am thankful for many things in my life and my family and friends that are like family are at the top of my list!

Music.

2009-11-13T10:07:00.000-08:00

If I could pick one talent, it would be to have the ability to sing. I've always loved music, all kinds of music. But let's face it, I was not meant to be a singer. So, I just turn up the radio real loud and just pretend that I can belt it out like Carrie Underwood can.

After watching the CMA's Wednesday night, I was reminded of how much I love country music and some of the amazing artists today.

I am currently loving these:

Lady Antebellum - Need you now

Darius Rucker - History in the making

Miranda Lambert - Makin plans

Daughtry - Tennessee line

Carrie Underwood - Cowboy Casanova

10 days, 6 states, 3,300 miles.

2009-11-12T11:59:00.000-08:00

Ellensburg. Dailey's 3rd Birthday party. Driving. Holly & Billy. Driving. Taking pictures. Friends. Tilted Kilt. Bakersfield. Laughing. Shopping. Baby Rylee & Lyndsay. Fun. Drinks. Laughing. Outlet Mall. Loud music. Starbucks. Driving. Singing. Wind farms. In N Out. Good year, AZ. Grandpa. Tony & Helen. Driving. Laughing. Jay-Z. Carving Pumpkins. Relaxing. Scottsdale. Texting. Dinners. Taking pictures. Driving. Stevie. Hoover Dam. VEGAS. Laughing. Drinks. The Bullring. Racing. Halloween. Up until 7 am. Dancing. Laughing. Driving. Having the time of our lives.

Owl love.

2009-10-23T11:55:00.000-07:00

Owl's are everywhere right now and much like the bird trend and the apples trend I have fallen in love with the Owl's. They are just so cute!

For my birthday, Shelby got me the book Hello, Cupcake and I saw this cute little idea and I figured Halloween would be the perfect time to make them. I think they turned out so cute!

I only used Oreo's, M&M's for the eye's and I just cut the yellow ones in half for the beak. I am not the best with the fancy frosting so instead of using different tips to create the hair, I just used a toothpick and drug it through the frosting.

Seahawks vs. Cardinals

2009-10-19T13:34:00.000-07:00

For Jay's birthday I got him tickets for the Seahawks vs. Cardinals game yesterday afternoon. It was a big game that I knew he really wanted to go to and I found some awesome tickets in the "Hawk's nest" which is in the end zone. We were only 4 rows up from the field and had a great view..unfortunately the Hawks played terribly. They didn't even score once! We still had a great time though. We rode the Sounder train to Seattle which dropped us off right at Qwest Field and then we headed over to a bar to get pumped up with all the other Hawk fans. We had so much fun and I hope to get to another game soon..and hopefully they will play better!

Happy Birthday, Jay.

2009-10-15T14:20:00.000-07:00

"Friendship is not how long you've known each other. It isn't how much you've given or received; nor how many times you've helped each other, but it's how you value one another."

Happy Weekend.

2009-10-09T11:44:00.000-07:00

I haven't been home on a weekend in far too long. That will be changing this weekend and I am so happy for it! I love going places and spending time with friends but I also love just being home.

My weekend plans include:

Having Ava stay with me all weekend.

Also having Lizzie, Campbell and Cooper for a sleepover tonight.

Buying Ava a jumperoo..she is ready for one!

Making Chili.

Making a Pot roast.

Taking the kids to a park to enjoy some wonderful Fall weather.

Watching some racing.

Hanging out in my sweats.

Scrap booking..more realistically..looking at my stuff :)

Fall Classic weekend 09.

2009-10-06T10:40:00.000-07:00

Another Fall Classic down which is hard to believe since that means it's the end of the racing season around here. It was a fun weekend that started off in Ellensburg on Friday night as it was a girls night that included dinner and drinks and then going to cheer on the EHS Football team. Travis and Rachel's nephew Kody plays on the team and it was the Homecoming game. Afterwards we went out for a few drinks and then called it a night.

Saturday and Sunday were spent at the track in the freezing cold and crazy wind! I was so excited for the races since there were so many good drivers this year. Saturday nights race didn't go well for either Jeff or Jay and neither did Sunday. Shane was running really good and in 3rd at the time when a mishap on a restart left him with a wrecked car. The race took over 4 hours which is way too long and I was glad to see it end. Another race season in the books and I am happy about that..for now :)

Viva Las Vegas.

2009-10-02T11:26:00.000-07:00

Last weekend I was lucky enough to go to Las Vegas for the Truck race weekend. My friend Jenn from NC, flew in and we met at the airport before heading to the Stratosphere. I hadn't seen her since she was here in March of 2008, so it was great to spend 5 days with her. We had such a fun weekend just hanging out, gambling, drinking and meeting new friends..well, new to me :)

Thursday night we headed over to The South Point Casino to watch the truck series drivers compete in a bowling tournament. That was fun for me to see the guys that I normally just see on TV, having a good time and bowling.

Friday Jenn's friend Shannon picked us up and we went out to the Red Rock Casino and had lunch and gambled a bit. No luck there as far as the gambling but it was a beautiful place. After that we shopped at the Miracle Mile for awhile and then headed back to our hotel to get ready for the night.

Saturday was the truck race which was really fun. Although, I wished I would have bet on Johnny Sauter to win like I had thought about doing earlier in the day. He won of course! Oh well..it was still fun. We got to sit in a Suite for most of the race which was a cool view and nice with the air conditioning. It was 103 when we arrived at the track Saturday and anyone that knows me, knows I hate the heat.

{Me, Jenn and Melissa}

Sunday we switched hotels and went to stay at Harrah's. We gambled a bit, went to Margaritaville for awhile and then just walked the strip. We watched the water show at the Bellagio which I think is my favorite thing in Vegas!

Monday we woke up sort of late, but had to catch up on some much needed sleep after being up until 6 am Sunday morning! We got ready and went to a restaurant called Serendipity 3 for lunch. It was very good, but super huge portions. A great place to go with a group of people. We walked around the Forum shops for a bit and then it was time to leave. I had a great time in Vegas!

{Frozen Hot Chocolate at Serendipity 3}

Welcome Fall, so glad your here.

2009-09-22T11:59:00.000-07:00

Fall is my favorite Season for many different reasons. Cooler temps, falling leaves, beautiful scenery, back to school, pumpkins, apples, baking, Halloween, holiday bazaars, pumpkin pie. What's not to love?

Five months.

2009-09-21T14:35:00.000-07:00

It is hard for me to believe I have a 5 month old niece! I am so thankful for her :)

Happy Birthday Shelby!

2009-09-17T13:12:00.000-07:00

Thank you for always making me laugh! This past year has brought many memories and I look forward to many more this year. You are a great friend! May you get everything you wish for :)

Owl always love her.

2009-09-16T11:48:00.000-07:00

I could just stare at her for hours. I love how she chews on everything. I love how she is so alert. I love her little sounds. I love her smell. I love her soft skin. I love her giggle. I love her sweet little hands. I love how when I walk away, she follows with her eyes. I love everything about her.

Chocolate Chip Cookies.

2009-09-15T14:57:00.000-07:00

Last week I seen a recipe for Chocolate Chip Cookies posted by one of my favorite bloggers, Dandee and last night seemed like the perfect night to make them. I have tried several different recipes for CC cookies, but I think that this might be the best yet. No surprise since everything Dandee does seems to be pretty close to perfection!

1 1/3 C. butter
1 C. sugar
1 C. b. sugar
2 eggs
2 t. vanilla
3 C. + 6 T. flour
1 t. baking soda
1 t. salt
2 C. chocolate chips

Cream butter and sugars; add eggs and vanilla. Mix well. Mix in flour, soda and salt. Stir in chocolate chips. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake for 12 minutes at 350 degrees.

Enjoy!

Cute little Skylee.

2009-09-14T15:26:00.000-07:00

I can't believe this sweet little girl is already one. I don't get to see her nearly as often as I would like but I love when I get to. It is fun to watch her personality develop and see how she is definitely her own person and much different than her big Sister :)

1st Grade.

2009-09-09T16:47:00.000-07:00

1st day of first grade = New clothes. Excitement. Nerves. Anticipation.

Iowa.

2009-09-08T11:42:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday I was lucky enough to fly to Omaha, NE., with Travis, Rachel and the rest of the team. From there we drove 120 miles to Des Moines, IA. and then eventually another 30 miles to Newton, IA, for the West race. Thursday was just a tech day so Shelby, Rachel and I found a nail salon and a Starbucks..even in that small town! Before going to Iowa, we all heard about how much corn we would see. I was honestly thinking that people were over exaggerating, but they weren't. Literally corn, for as far as the eyes could see. Even the race track was in the middle of a corn field! It was a very nice facility that was designed by Rusty Wallace and was first class all the way around. It is a 7/8Th's mile track and is very fast. We got to take a drive around it on Thursday and see first hand what it was like. Very fun :)

Friday was an early morning and full of practice for both the West and the Trucks. It was a fun day and by race time I finally convinced myself to get all the way on top of the hauler to watch. I have a fear of heights and panic at just the thought of being that high up, but I was actually alright. It was a good race that was dominated by David Mayhew who eventually got the win. Travis didn't have the best night but brought the car home in one piece and Jeff Barkshire finished 5th. We had a great time in Iowa and got many laughs out of the Corn alone :)

Welcome, September.

2009-09-01T15:52:00.000-07:00

I'm so glad your here!

Currently loving..

2009-08-25T14:13:00.000-07:00

I finally finished painting my bathroom and wanted something new and cute to add to it and I knew I could find something on Etsy. I searched "quotes" and found this cute shop. I also found this one which I adore.

Cynthia Rowley has designed a childrens collection exclusively for Babies R Us called Hooray and this cute dress/shirt is part of it. I got one for Ava and I can't wait to take her to the pumpkin patch and take some cute pictures of her.

My friend Rachel had this cup a few months ago and it just so happened that when we went to L.A. in July, we went to a Starbucks that had a few left. Apparently they are the hot item and are sold out most places. It is a hard plastic tumbler with a hard straw that is the perfect size. I'm glad I got it when I did because they are nearly impossible to find!

Brier parade.

2009-08-18T15:35:00.000-07:00

The kids love parades, especially ones they can be in! My brother heard about a parade in Brier that was sort of celebrating Seafair..or maybe the end of it anyhow and he wanted to ride his dirt bike in it, mostly just as an excuse to ride his dirt bike I think. Anyone could be in the parade and the theme was sea fish and pirates so I called up Campbell and Cooper and had them decorate their bikes. They were so excited to be in the parade. So excited that Cooper wore his helmet in the car from the time we left, until the time we got home..too cute! Ava enjoyed it too, for the most party. Until the loud sirens went off, then she wasn't too happy. Cami and Coop each had candy to throw out to the crowd. It was funny because Campbell threw out handfuls while Cooper would throw one at a time. He had a nice stash still left at the end of the parade..funny kid.

Summer nights.

2009-08-13T12:11:00.000-07:00

Walks.
Icecream.
Cute kids.

Holy zucchini!

2009-08-05T15:59:00.000-07:00

Remember this post? Well...it's ready, and I have more zucchini than I know what to do with! Not only are there a lot, but they are HUGE. I have been getting "hints" all day as to what I should make with them and a few people around here are hoping to get some zucchini bread as early as tomorrow..we will see!

Loving.

2009-08-05T10:37:00.000-07:00

Today I am loving:

The cooler weather.
Halo reparative Shampoo & conditioner.
That I finally have motivation to finish painting my bathroom.
That I get to have dinner with Stevie tonight!

That I ordered pictures and they are ready today.

That I get to visit the scrapbook store tonight.

That I was able to actually dry & straighten my hair today.

Today is a good day.

Surprise Party.

2009-08-04T11:57:00.000-07:00

Saturday was Melinda's 50th Birthday, and we were actually able to pull off a surprise on her! Our neighbor Stephanie wanted to throw her a party so a few of us got together to help her. On Saturday I took Melinda, Campbell and Ava to the mall to get Melinda out of the house. We had a great lunch at Panera and then hit up the Nordstrom Anniversary sale. We let Melinda shop around for a few hours while the girls and I went school shopping for Campbell. Melinda knew our neighbor was having a party Saturday evening, but thought it was for her husbands employees. We drove up the back way to our house and Melinda said, I wonder how Stephanie's party is going? I started turning down Stephanie's street and Melinda said "Don't turn down there!"

I didn't say anything and once she was able to see everyone she realized that she knew all of them and she was just shocked. She was like "what?, what's going on?", I said, it's a party for YOU! Happy Birthday :) She was so shocked!

Melinda means so much to so many people and it was so nice to surprise her. She has devoted her life to her grandchildren and they love her so much. She is so important to me and my life and has always been there for me. I love her so much!