Achy all over

Hoping that its nothing and use sleep deprivation.  Fingers crossed.

Today was nice.  Woke up early to get D1 ready for her outing with her uncle and grammie.  They are taking an art class at the museum.  D1 was up late last night so I was happily surprised that she got up willingly.  Then I met with one of the girls from the Mom's club to organize our storage room.  Feels good getting things organized, even if its not my mess!  Then the aches started.  Knees, legs, back.  UUGGHH.  I came home to a sleeping husband on the couch and a sleeping baby in her crib.  Normal people would join the crowd but I wanted to get a few things accomplished; in peace and quiet.  Even the dog was sleeping (0n my pillow nonetheless!!)

Sleepy doggy!

I started painting the accent wall in our "poop room" aka water closet.  It then finally hit me to stain the floating shelves vs painting them.  I figure that I can paint over stain but the reverse us not true.  Stain first.  So the 1st coat is on.

gray walls

shelf in the corner

Not too exciting

water closet before

We had a mom's club meeting tonight.  I got "officially" nominated for next year's presidency.  Not sure if Im happy or insane yet.  Keep you posted on that one.  I have my issues that I would like to fix and if I can get some of them accomplished I will be very happy. Hmmmm...

Busy Day

Today was one of the busiest days ever, to sure how we made it through.  Woke up late.  Went to music class 10:30-11:30.  Had a Valentines Event at 1pm at the library so I figured that I would NEVER get back out of the house if we went home.  So I bargained with D1 and we made it to lunch.  D2 slept the whole time so it was almost like old times.  D1 and I.  She was exceptionally good at the restaurant which always makes me gleam as old people comment on her good manners.  Love it.  Then off to the library.

It was a GREAT time.  They had a craft which 2 year olds LIVE for, then story time. That was a bit rough as the attention span of said 2.5 year olds is a BIT short.  Fun nonetheless.  It was REAL social interaction with adults without the words "why" and "can I have some".  Then it was time for an off the charts sugar high.  The kiddos got to decorate 2 sugar cookies... with what?  YEP, Sugar!  They had frosting, they had sprinkles, they had M&M's and they had those sugar valentine hearts.  Oh yeah, my kid was BOUNCING of walls.  All she could do on the way home was this cross between a giggle and a cackle.  Quite amusing. Thank goodness I timed our exit perfectly as her post sugar high crash occurred about 5 mins after she hit the pillow.  PERFECT.

While they napped I got some sanding done on the shelves I built yesterday. I had to deconstruct the one for the basement as it was a bit too long... so I cut my losses there and will save that for another day.  I had big plans to start painting the accent wall but it just didn't happen.

After nap my next door neighbor (13 year old V) called to come over to watch the girls.  I RELISH this time.  She comes over and abducts my kids to the basement/playroom and I have the benefit of getting all (or most) of my stuff done.  Then I realized that I had not started the Membership Directory for my Mom's club.  DRATS.  This is my second year as VP Membership and there are a bunch of things that HAVE to get done in a timely manner.  This is one of those things.  I was supposed to do it in January but it just didn't happen.  So it has been high on my priority list lately.  I can happily say that after 4 hours working on it it's 99% complete.  I have everything put together, I'm just being nice and waiting to see if anyone responds to an email request for a photo.  It looks pretty damn good if I say so myself.  It would be just so awesome to have everyones photo, but I can only do so much.

TOMORROW is bathroom remodel day.  I just have to decide which color to do the shelves.... Divine White like my moulding or stained like the cabinets... Hmmmmm.... decisions.

Oh... and it was leftover day... got nothing for ya! :))))

So thought it was Sunday.

Not sure how it happened but all day today I thought it was Sunday.  My dad took D1 to the zoo for most of the day.  My husband went to his mom's so it was D2 and myself all day.  Quite nice.  I figured that I would start tackling some more projects I had in the queue.  I have been itching to use the mitre saw so I put D2 to nap and got started.  There is NOTHING like using power tools; NOTHING.  I cut the trim for the chalkboard magnet wall, I cut the pieces for all 3 of the floating shelves.. then I started painting.

I painted the coat of Chalkboard paint onto the wall and then primed the trim. The trim didn't go up as expected so that has been put off to another day.  I got everything cut for the shelves.  I did need nails so I went to Home Depot.  I got there at 6:45 and realized that they close at 7 on Sundays... so here I am running through the store trying to get the 1x2 I needed as well as the plywood.  When checking out I realized that I left some stuff I had brought to return in the car.  I ran out and noticed that they were still letting people in the front door at 7:30.  Normal people would then notice that it wasn't Sunday.  Not me.  I completed my return and realized I forgot a few screws.  I then darted down the hardware isle to grab the screws.  Upon checking out again I mentioned to the cashier that they were still there and he said "we are open until 10".  I asked if it was something special.  Nope.  ITS MONDAY.  UUGGHHHHH.  Then I had TONS of time.  I ran back to paint and got a quart of midnight blue for my accent wall in the 'water closet'. Checked out a total of 3 times plus my return.... ONLY ME.

Got home and assembled 2.9 of 3 floating shelves.  Tomorrow I will finish the last one and start sanding.  Hoping to get them up by the end of the week.  More pics then!

Frames ready to be assembled

1st shelf built

2nd shelf built

3rd shelf ready to go

Superbowl Sunday

Ok... so I really don't care about the game, but I do like the commercials.  So far (its 4:14 left in the game) the Great Dane & missing cat commercial was best!  David Beckham was mighty fine but the dog rules.

Wanted to tell you about our menu.  It was only hubby & I with D1 and D2, my dad and my brother in law.  I totally hit up pinterest for my menu and it was a COMPLETE hit.  My dad is NOT adventurous with food at all and liked everything!

Roasted Chickpeas with Lemon & Garlic

 These were AWESOME.  D1 (2.5 year old) was a HUGE fan!  Here is the recipe!

1 can of chickpeas, rinsed and drained, or 1 ½ to 2 cups cooked chickpeas
the juice of one lemon
1/4 teaspoon finely grated zest from the lemon
2 medium cloves of garlic, pressed or finely minced
1 tablespoon olive oil
½ teaspoon kosher salt, or more to taste
freshly ground pepper to taste
½ teaspoon granulated garlic
1 teaspoon dried herb such as basil, thyme, parsley, rosemary, mint, etc (optional)

Combine the chickpeas, lemon juice, lemon zest, and pressed garlic in a bowl.  Mix well and allow the chickpeas to marinate for at least an hour.

Preheat the oven to 400.

Drain the chickpeas but do not rinse.  Return them to the bowl then gently pat them dry with a paper towel.  Toss them in the olive oil and salt, pepper, granulated garlic and herb of your choice.  Spread the chickpeas on a lightly greased baking sheet in a single layer.

Roast the chickpeas for 30-40 minutes.  Every 10 minutes or so, use a spatula to roll the chickpeas around for even browning.  Some of the chickpeas may pop like popcorn as they cook, so be careful when you are stirring them.  Take them out when they are crunchy and deep golden brown with some dark caramelized spots.

Try not to eat them until they’ve cooled enough to not burn your tongue.  These are best eaten the day they’re made, but store extras in an airtight container at room temperature.

Then we did cocktail meatballs:

 1 cup chil sauce

1/2 cup water

1/8 cup vinegar

1/2 cup brown sugar

2# bag of meatballs

Mx together and pour over meatballs.  cook in crock opt until meatballs are cooked THEN take off lid so sauce thickens.

Then we did some tastefully simple Onion Onion and Smoked Paprika with Garlic dip with veggies.

DESSERT was a COMPLETE HIT....  Did the chic chip cookie dough dip with Graham crackers!  I DID not know this was made with CHICK PEAS!!!  REALLY!!!

Mix the dip

I mixed chic chips and walnuts for the crust/topping

YUMMY!!!

 Hope everyone enjoyed your SuperBowl!!!

Where does the time go?

This has been my question since D2 came along.  Where DOES the time go.  I always feel late (and I usually am!) and by the time I get home and settled after being out its dark outside.  All I can say is thank goodness for crockpots!

Today I defrosted a crock pot meal.  I was in the mood for some chicken corn soup.  It was a preschool day for D1 so I figured I would do something quick and easy.  My husband worked late tonight so I was nice and let him sleep in.  I loaded the car with D1, D2, my dad and myself and we dropped D2 off at Grammies house.  Preschool was fun.  We are in a 2 year old mommy/toddler class.  I get usual social interaction I lack the rest of the week and D1 gets to do things I don't allow her to do at home (fingerprinting, playing with rice, crafts with lots of glue and glitter, etc).  It was nice having dad there,  I think he enjoyed it too.  Afterwards we decided to hit a few errands and lunch.  I introduced him to Winking Lizard.  Oh how I love that place.

We picked up D2 and headed home and it was already almost 4 and hubby had to leave for work.  I dunked D1 into bed for her nap and occupied D2 for an hour or so until her nap time.  I was pretty exhausted by this time and treadmill time was out of the question because D1 would soon be waking.  I decided to tackle something on the "to do" list and hung some of the Rubbermaid Fasttrack units we bought.  I will post a pic upon completion.  I forgot to order one piece and another was missing a screw.. so back to Lowes I go in the morning!

After nap I decided to attempt to make homemade egg noodles to go into the soup.  D1 was all about helping me with the "play dough".  She picked a circle cutter and we went to town.  They ended up pretty good.  We will definitely do this again.

Dough ready to be cut!

My little helper

Here is the recipe.  I got it from a high school friend. Thanks Janelle!  :
2c flour 
1/2tsp salt
2eggs 
2-3TBS water
1TBS shortening


make mound in flour add egg and salt and shortening.mix (with hands) til forms a stiff dough. 

add some water or milk if to dry. 

roll out as thin as u can about 1/8 thick(I dont get specific i just roll it. kids love thicker n thinner pieces.) 

cut into 1 in squares.(sometimes ilet the kids use very small cutters or plastic knives to cut their own shapes with the dough. they love loking for them in their soup.) 

drop a few at a time into the boiling broth. take breaks a few minutes in between adding noodles so they dont all stick together. only take a couple minutes to cook tho. "

Enjoy!!

Aquarium

Today we went to the new Cleveland Aquarium.  My dad is in town so it was a family outing.  We figured that we would check it out first before buying a pass and make our decision then.  D1 LOVED it.  She went running from tank to tank yelling... "Mommy, Daddy, Pop.. LOOK!"  Needless to say it was a pretty easy decision to make.  You basically have to go 2x to make your money. I have a feeling we will be there much more than that.  They apply what you paid that day to your pass if you buy one that day.  Worked for us.

I know that a lot of people are not going due to the expense but I just don't see that the price is going to decrease.  I did not grow up in Cleveland but I live here now and feel that we should support the city.  I know, cheesy, but its true.  As far as a critique... I thought the aquarium was small.  I did ADORE the architecture.  There was a 'petting' area for the kids as well as a nook for them with toys, kind of like the botanical gardens.  I have a feeling that we will spend a lot of time there.  I like the setup, it was easy to navigate.  Partially, I think I am spoiled.  I grew up going to the National Aquarium in Baltimore.  That place is HUGE.  It has dolphin shows and a rainforest on the top deck.  This is nothing like that, but it's for the kids and not us.  I think everyone enjoyed themselves and we will continue to go back.

Say hello to my little friend....

Today was a busy one, hence writing this at 1245 am!  We woke up late which was nice.  Not sure how this happens but my 2.5 year old sleeps more then my 7 month old.  D1 DEFINITELY takes after me!!   My husband decided to take D1 to his mom's house for the day instead of being barricaded in the basement as Stanley Steamer was coming today to clean my carpets.  I just get so excited for cleanliness!   The afternoon was quite nice as I had D2 sleeping and clean floors.  Ahhhhh. HEAVEN.

After nap time I wanted to run some errands.  I'm running a 5K in a couple weeks so I wanted to get the jogger stroller a tune up at Eddie's bike shop.  What nice guys.  They tightened my spokes, aired me up and didn't charge me a dime.  Sweet!  I also got to duck into World Market for the 1st time in YEARS.  OMG.  Could have spent TONS of cash and time in there today, its probably good I HAVEN'T been in there in years.  I did find a recliner I fell in love with... but decided to do the adult thing and tell my husband first before purchasing.  He didn't say no, just that he would like to test it out first, fair deal.  There are very few things that he cares about and seating in our living room is one of them.  Go figure.

I then arrived home and my dad had arrived from York.  Whenever someone visits I always feel wonderful.  I miss my family terribly so I long for their visits 'out to the country'.  I had thrown in one of my crock pot meals 'Bloody Mary Chicken' so dinner was pretty much just throwing together some mac & cheese.  Figured it would go well with the bloody mary taste!  We decided to shred the chicken so that the sauce was thoroughly infused into the chicken.  It was pretty good!

After the kids and husband went to bed I decided to put together my new toy!  My mother in law had 2... yes, 2 compound mitre saws and lent me one.  When I moved to Ohio I ran out of room in the truck and was not able to bring mine.  My brother uses it pretty regularly so I almost feel bad asking for it back.  Anyways, I have hers and it came with an unassembled stand.  I decided tonight was the night.  Took me about an hour but its together and READY TO GO.  I have so many projects on my 'TO DO' list so now I can put the wreath making aside and get down to business.  Meet my new friend!

Most women get excited for jewelry, and don't get me wrong.. I do, but there is NOTHING like a power tool!!  The possibilities are endless.  Watch out crown molding... watch out floating shelves... HA!