Not Enough Hours In The Day...

....and even if there were enough, I'd probably still be too tired to get everything done I need to!  My plan for today was to pick Lauryn up, run to Greenville to grab a few things I need to make cookies, make cookies, clean the house, catch up on the laundry and finish the tree skirt.  What I accomplished today was picking Lauryn up, getting the things I needed to make cookies, cleaning the kitchen and getting most of the laundry done.  The bathrooms are a mess, well, they're picked up but they need to be cleaned.  There's at least one load of laundry left, the cookies will not be made tonight (so they better turn out good tomorrow!) and I am not going to get much of anything else done tonight.  Luckily, Lauryn doesn't go to school on Friday's, so I can spend the day finishing every thing I wanted to get done today :)

Yay For Cooler Weather!

I am so happy that it finally cooled down!  I've been needing to weed the garden but with the past couple days being so darn hot, there was no way I was going to do it!  We have Willow today and after the girls get up from their nap, as long as it doesn't rain, we're going to go out back and they can play while I weed the garden and clean out the flower bed.

I have a lot to catch up on inside the house today too!  Being Thursday, with trash day tomorrow, I have to clean out the fridge, gather all the garbage, sweep, vacuum, clean the finger print smudged windows, clean the bathroom and do some laundry.  There are two loads just calling my name and I've been ignoring them.  Can't avoid it forever! :) 

I finished "I've Heard That Song Before" by Mary Higgins Clark this morning.  It was a pretty good read!  I have quite a few books that I recently picked up at sales and I'm trying to decide which one to read next :)

Productive Morning

Shortly after we got up, Lauryn and I went outside so I could mow the front yard and she could ride her bike up and down the sidewalk.  Our very nice neighbor, Millie, came out and helped me keep an eye on Lauryn while I was mowing.  Lloyd did the back yard last night but was pretty tired so I told him I'd do the front today.  It's been years since I've mowed a lawn but the mower that Lloyd got last year makes it pretty easy. :)  I do think we should get an echo blower though, to blow away the grass clippings so I won't have to sweep them up!  When we came back in, we took a shower, got dressed, Willow came over and I caught up on the laundry.  I still have to figure out what the girls are going to have for lunch and make a pasta salad to go with the burgers tonight but other than that, I don't have to much else to do today.  Maybe I'll try to clean up the back porch when the girls go down for a nap.  It definitely needs a little TLC!

Finally!

I have tried a million times to make no-bake cookies and they never turn out for me.  We always end up eating them with spoons.  Yesterday, I tried again and they finally turned out!  I know it silly to be so happy about this but I am.  I will probably have to start looking in to diet pills that work though, after eating so many of them :) LOL  I'll post the recipe later.  Come to think of it, I have a lot of recipes I need to post still.  I'd better get on that!

Today is catching up on laundry day...Yay!  Yeah, I'm not really that fond of doing laundry so that sentence is just dripping with sarcasm.  I'm trying to get as much of it done as I can while Lauryn and Willow are sleeping.  Since our washer and dryer are in the basement, it's a lot easier to get done when I don't have to worry about two little girls being naughty or getting into stuff they aren't supposed to.

Dear Laundry, I Hate You!

I have so much laundry to catch up on.  How can two adults and one toddler make so much laundry?  I had it all caught up on Friday and here it is Tuesday and I'm looking at atleast four loads!  Yuck!

I'm taking part of a challenge that was recently posted on facebook.  Basically, you put out a post that says the first five people to comment on it, with get some sort of handmade surprise.  They in turn, have to post that too and then they will give something they made to their five people.  I have my five people and I have ideas for two of them but I'm not sure what I'm going to do for the other three yet.  I just thought it sounded like a really fun challenge and you have the whole year to do it too so that makes it really easy!

Bright, Sunny Day

As I've already mentioned in some of my comment responses, Lloyd passed the loan officer test...YAY!  I knew he could do it!  And we got our first rent check yesterday...again YAY!

Laundry, laundry, laundry....why do you plague me so?  I have a load in the washer, a load in the dryer and two more to go!  It's never-ending!  The rest of the house looks great though so that's nice.

I am loving this weather today.  Bright, sunny and pleasantly warm...not hot and humid.  I'm thinking we need to take a family walk tonight to the ball fields just down the road.  They have a little playground there and I think Lauryn would have fun.  I need Lloyd to come with me because I also want to take Cloz'r and I have yet to master taking her on the leash and pushing the stroller at the same time.  Cloz'r and I both need to work on that :)  I usually end up running her over at some point because she tries to go in front of the stroller.

BBQ chicken breasts on the grill tonight and linguine oil and garlic....I am so in love with that pasta! LOL

Beautiful Day

Even though it was rainy and dreary this morning it turned out to be a gorgeous day.

My house is clean, my laundry is caught up, my daughter is in a great mood and I had a really nice visit with my cousin.  Great day!

I'm not making anything special for dinner tonight.  I have some burger to use up so I'm making sloppy joe's, fried potatoes and corn.  I did find a  recipe for ciabatta bread that I'm going to try.  I've always bought it but I found one that looks pretty easy so I thought I'd give it a whirl.  I'll post it, if it turns out :)

Not A Good Start

I am so not happy right now.  Apparently someone decided they needed to go through our vehicles last night.  Luckily, we don't really keep anything in them that anyone would want but still the thought of someone just rifling through our stuff really bothers me.

Lauryn and I are going to visit my mom this afternoon.  I'm going to trim her hair and she has a few outfits and a doll for Lauryn so we're going over there after she gets out of work.

I have to catch up on laundry...again.  There are only a couple of loads but I'm just not a big fan of doing it.  The next house needs to have the washer and dryer on the main floor like our old house did.

She's Talking Away

Lauryn was looking really sleepy so I put her down for a nap and she's been talking up a storm in her room.  I love when she's does that!

So far today, I finally organized and put away the last of the things that were in boxes in the bathroom closet...thank you very much Lloyd for adding more shelves :)  The dusting and vacuuming has been done, the bed is made, toys are picked up and the few dishes from lunch and Lauryn's bottles are done.  Now I need to figure what to make for dinner.  I also have two loads of laundry to get to but if it's not done today it's no big deal.

I need to start looking up more recipes.  Feels like I haven't tried anything new in a while.  I got a new Bon Appetit magazine but I rarely find anything in there that we would like.  We're just not that fancy..LOL

Stuffed

On Sundays, I usually try to make a nice big dinner for us but this past Sunday, I was still really tired from the wedding/reception the night before that I ended up just reheated some leftovers.  Well, I think I made up for it tonight.  We had bbq grilled chicken breasts, corn on the cob on the grill, linguine oil and garlic and ciabatta bread drizzled with extra virgin olive oil, grilled and rubbed with a clove of garlic.  YUMMY!  Rubbing the bread with garlic is my new favorite way of making garlic bread.  It's so easy and so tasty!  I am still stuffed!

Lauryn was a tad fussier than usual today.  My poor girl :(  I wish her teeth would just come in already.  This is how it went with the first two though so I should have expected it to go this way when more started coming in.  It wouldn't be so bad if it didn't take them so long to break through.  Once they've actually started to come through she seems to be a lot happier but until they do, she seems so miserable.

Between yesterday and today I got most of the laundry done.  I still have  a load of whites to put in but it's not much of a load at all so I didn't bother with it today.

I'm making more progress on that blanket.  I so wish I wouldn't have forgotten about it before so I wouldn't have to crochet until my fingers fall every night!  It's turning out really cute though.  I'll have to post a picture of it when I'm done.

It's Monday Already?

These weekends just don't seem nearly long enough!  It was another great one though.  Saturday, we went to a beautiful outdoor wedding.  What started out to be a stormy day, ended with a beautiful ceremony, a gorgeous bride and a groom that was grinning from ear to ear all day.   We had a lot of fun at the reception and my feet are still a little sore from all the dancing!

Yesterday we had a nice visit with Lloyd's parents.  Lauryn had a great time with her grandma and grandpa.  Then we just relaxed the rest of the day.

I'm thinking about making some banana bread this morning.  I have some bananas that need to be used up and it's been ages since I've made banana bread.  It's sounding really good right now :)

I have tons of laundry to catch up on today.  No fun!  I really should have done it yesterday.  I guess since it's looking a little dark outside right now though, I might as well stay in and catch up.

Not Much Going On

Today has been pretty uneventful so far.  Just a little laundry and dishes from lunch to do.  We're getting a dish put up so we'll have cable again.  We haven't had it since we moved from Grand Rapids and even though it wasn't too bad going without it, I do miss a couple of shows and Lloyd dearly misses his sports :P

I made a ton of cheese manicotti Saturday and was planning on having some for dinner tonight but I think it's a little too warm to turn the oven on.  I'll post the recipe on how to make the shells later.  I'm going to grill a ham glazed with pineapple juice and brown sugar instead.  I'm not sure what we'll have with it yet.

Feeling Pretty Good

Well, today is the big day. I'm leaving my daughter with my mother while Lloyd and I go attend a wedding in Cadillac. So far, I'm feeling pretty good about it. There is no one I trust more than my mom. I know she knows everything about Lauryn and she knows how I like things done and I know she wouldn't do anything or give anything to Lauryn that I wouldn't approve of. That means a lot to me. I do feel a little nervous that Lauryn might get upset that we're gone so long. This will be the first time she and I have been away from each other all day. She'll probably do better than I will! I promised Lloyd that I wouldn't change my mind and ask him to turn around half way there :P

I have a few things I need to get done today. I made a list/schedule for my mom already but I do want to throw a load of laundry and vacuum again. I feel like vacuuming has become like laundry....never ending! With a dog and cat who are in shedding season and a baby who's learning to crawl, I am constantly vacuuming! I also need to make up a few bottles, put some wet wash cloths in the fridge in case her teeth start bothering her and just make sure I have everything as ready as I can.

I am very much looking forward to going to the wedding today. The bride is a very sweet girl I used to work with and I'm excited for her because I know how much she's wanted this big day. I'm also looking forward to Lloyd and I getting out, just the two of us and having a little fun. We haven't danced in a while so I'm looking forward to getting out there during the reception. Should be a fun day!

Busy Day

This morning I've already run a couple of errands, started another load of the never-ending laundry, and I have quite a bit of cleaning to do around the house. I've got to sweep and mop the kitchen, de-hair the bathroom floor (it's tiled and cold so Cloz'r lays there all of the time), wash the bedding, I still need to get out to weed that garden, and pick up in the living room. We're supposed to go out to Kathye's tonight for "workout Wednesday" some time this afternoon.

Last night's dinner was so yummy!  I made burgers on the grill and linguine oil and garlic.  I saw on one of the cooking shows that to make sure your burgers don't shrink up, put a dent in the middle of the patty before you put it on the grill.  It worked!  I tend to make the burgers really big because by the time they're done, they're smaller than the bun.  Last night they were perfect.  I also put some garlic juice (from the minced garlic I had in the fridge) and some Worcestershire sauce in the beef before I pattied them.  I think linguine oil and garlic is my new favorite pasta dish.  And after I cook it, my kitchen smells like yummy garlic.

Linguine Oil and Garlic (for two)

1/2 lb. linguine, cooked as directed on the box

3-4 cloves of garlic, minced

3 Tbsp Extra Virgin Olive Oil

3 Tbsp. Parsley

Pepper to taste

Parmesan to top.

Cook linguine.  Heat olive oil in a sauce pan on medium heat.  Add garlic and saute for about 30 seconds, until garlic gets lightly browned. *Don't over cook the garlic because it will get bitter*  Take off heat and add linguine, parsley and pepper.  Stir together.  Add Parmesan on top.

Long Day

It's been such a long day and it's still the afternoon!  My girl has been extremely fussy today.  I can't wait to for those teeth to fully come in!  Even though two have broken through, the one is just peeking out and the other just doesn't seem to be coming up very fast at all.  I feel so bad for her.  I've given up on the baby Orajel and I think I'm going to try those other, all natural tablet things I've heard about.  Maybe those will help her feel better.

The laundry is almost all caught up.  Seems like it's been taking me forever to do it!

I think I'm just going to throw some burgers on the grill for dinner tonight.  That sounds quick and easy.  Not sure what I'm going to make for a side though.

I've also been working on filling out Lauryn's baby book today.  I need to find the bag that I have her hospital bracelet in.  I'm having fun filling it out.

One of these days, I need to go through all of my clothes and find a dress to wear to  my friends wedding.  It's on July 11th so I'd better start looking!

What A Beautiful Day

Today turned out to be so nice!  Lloyd and I smoked his parents in two games of hillbilly golf (I love that game), we had steaks and baked potatoes on the grill and strawberry shortcake for dessert.  And Lauryn went to bed at 9:30 pm without any fussing or anything!  Hooray for fresh air!!! :)

I have so much laundry to catch up on tomorrow.  I wasn't able to do it for a couple of days because of all of the issues in the basement and only had time to do a small load this morning before we left.  I guess if it's going to be as warm in the next few days as they say it is, maybe going to the basement to catch up on it won't be so bad.  It's super cold down there.

I need to get out and weed my garden tomorrow.  I want to do it before it gets out of hand.  Since every thing is in rows, I shouldn't have a problem making sure what I'm picking is actually weeds and not my plants.  Don't laugh, it's happened before and I was totally confused why NONE of my flowers were coming up!

Wednesday's Meme

Today I want to get the laundry caught up, I want to find my loaded baked potato salad recipe, I want to find Lloyd's favorite cake recipes, I want to go look through the stuff in the basement to see what else I can sell on eBay and I want to paint my toe nails :)

Sleep, Glorious Sleep

Lauryn finally got a great night's sleep...which means so did her mama! She was really fighting going to sleep last night so I thought it was going to be another long one but once she went down, she was out for the whole night. I woke up feeling refreshed and when she got up, she was her normal, happy self! Yay sleep! :)

No big plans for today. My brother and nephew are coming over to rip out the drywall in the basement. I've already vacuumed, the dishes are done up, Lauryn's ready for the day but I still need to hop in the shower. I do have two loads of laundry to do and I'm not making anything special for dinner tonight because Lloyd has softball and won't get home until around 9 pm or so. Maybe I'll make beef and noodles out of last nights leftovers. Maybe when Lauryn takes a nap I should spend a little more time cruising around this site and learning a little more about it :)