Just Me!!

Since the start of my new schedule, I finally get time to cook some yummy, time taking dinners for my herd. I opened my trunk filled with cookbooks and pulled out my favorite chef's cookbook from Food Network, Robin Miller. She has some amazing strategies , time saving tips, awesome recipes, and must have on hand sauce concoctions, all in one book. I love reading cookbooks, almost more than cooking with them. When I cook, I always write on the recipes, spill fixings all over the pages, and most likely dog-ear the pages I will use. I believe that it makes the book special, unique and most of all, mine. Here's what was for dinner on Thursday night... Pork Chops with Apples and Rosemary Curried Couscous with Peas and Carrots (didn't have the carrots...so omitted) Lemon Bunt Cake with Orange Liquor Frosting (a Sandra Lee recipe) She found these Spiderman glasses a few days ago, and they are still on her face!

Here's to hoping Santa doesn't remember us this year! I found the jump drive we purchased at last year's Santa Seatings! Hope this year yields happier kids, and better results. Maybe we should go before Thanksgiving?!

Mamma, this is much better than finger painting! My first time painting! I love days like these. Quiet ones when the kids are off at school, and Charlie and I get to sit around and create. Days when the coffee pot is always one, the wind is blowing, the washing machine is humming, the dishwasher is growling, and my house is dark. I had the opportunity with Ethan to be a stay at home mom for three years and sometimes I wonder why I gave it all up to become a nurse. I do love my job, and know that I needed and still need the outside communication, continuous education, and friendship that it brings to my life, but I miss these days where I am nothing but " mamma " to the sweetest little girl around.

Saying goodbye to Valerie and Ethan in the morning is one of Charlie's favorite pastimes My first bath with sissy! We have been so busy this week helping out Valerie with her school projects, that Mark and I swear we are back in 5 th grade. Apart from the overloading homework craziness (I never had this much homework) we are finally all feeling much better. Mark has his new laptop toy, and his classes are winding down. I can't wait till he gets to spend most of his energy on writing! We have decided (Dave Ramsey plan) that he needs to do what will advance his career...write. Not only will he be a great writer, but it will also help him secure a teaching position at a college! We are more than ready to get his career off and running. Valerie is still hanging in there with the Endeavor program. It was alot more than we all expected it to be. Amongst all the pressures of homework and advanced learning, she is going through alot of changes in her body. It tends to lead to some ...

We hosted the "fright fest" again this year! We enjoy going all out for the kids. Mark did the decorations and the kids and I did the dinner. Ethan won best costume...he truly looked like Harry Potter and I came in 2nd place as "Velma" from Scooby Doo. How come no one told me I look like my aunt and not Velma?