Stay Safe

So one of our family members left for deployment and the girls are a little bummed. Ashton is my cousin's husband and joined our family 3 years ago but he is a favorite among the kids because he loves to just hang out and play with them. So the girls decided they wanted to do something. Well we were out shopping and they found this star and we hung it outside our front door. The girls decided it and the window gels aren't coming down until he comes home. Ashton stay safe over there and we will be seeing you soon!!

You're Gonna Miss This

 

Wow so as I am in a stressed state because my OCD is officially taking over and I am not sure how much longer I can handle the stress that is building a garage, having two girls sharing a room when they have outgrown this stage (we are not the Duggers we can't share space well, and the space they are sharing is the size of the Dugger closet), and all the clutter that comes from living. There are only so many places I can hide things in!

This song came on the radio and reminded me that I better slow down. I remember my mom practically begging my dad to build on to our 3 bedroom 1 bath house growing up and he would always say no. Well now that my parents are empty nesters (ignore the fact that my mom watches her 4 grandkids during the week) their house is the perfect size for them. My house isn't huge but truth be told I love it because I would rather spend my time hanging out with my family than cleaning. Domestic goddess I am not :) Well I hope you enjoy my song link up and I hope it inspires you to enjoy the moment wherever you are, slow down and enjoy.



  



Give me an "R"

Oh my gosh we are getting so close!

Another weekend has gone by, but there was so much done on our garage this weekend, actually just on Saturday, that it was quick but very productive.  Thank you to our family and friends that have come out and helped out with our project, your help has kept us sane and is more appreciated than you will ever know.  So onto the garage, ta da, we have a roof people I mean we have roofing materials on our roof, brown metal that is beautiful and shiny.  And we have one wall of metal siding on too!!  It looks fabulous and now that we are dried in we are going to start on the grand task of trenching power and wiring.  It is taking longer than a normal job but that is because we only have nights and weekends and I can’t blame my husband for wanting to take a day off every now and then when you are a contractor all day and then a contractor all night and weekends it gets a little exhausting. 



Front View



Backside Metal



Saturday night while Shane was framing in the attic access for the garage his ever loyal and faithful companion was keeping guard for intruders J Isn’t she the cutest thing ever and I mean faithful almost to a fault, she follows him everywhere when he is home.  If he walks to the kitchen she walks to the kitchen, he takes a shower in the morning she stands guard outside the bathroom door, if he is outside she is outside or going crazy in the house until someone lets her outside. She is his girlfriend as I call her because the song “love me like my dog does” is all about her J So Funny!

She is ferocious I swear :)

Too Many Eggs

I bet you think I forgot about my Easter post? Well no such luck I have just been so busy I haven't gotten a chance to write it. Easter is still fun at our house the Easter Bunny still lives here! I agree that Easter is not all about the bunny but in a day and age when kids are growing up too fast I want them to remember our family traditions and all the fun we had at holidays. So that being said we started the morning off at 4:30am! Oh yes my kids actually thought their get up early plan would fly oh heck no not in our house it was a quick get back in bed and after a couple of giggles they fell back asleep until 8am, much better for this mama bear. They had to follow the clues to find their baskets which were hidden in the master bath shower :) so fun! Then it was breakfast and showers and off to my parents for another egg hunt because one can never find too many eggs. Then to East Helena for another egg hunt where they both got a little money and some prizes. Off to Nana and Papas house for some more Easter fun. Then to my gma's house for lunch/dinner and another egg hunt. I am starting to think maybe kids can find one too many eggs. :) Well after all that fun we headed to Shane's mom house so we could spend our Easter evening the way we have for the last 9 years visiting with his gma. It was a nice end to the day and I know she loved every minute of it.
Well that was our Easter how was Easter and did you make wonderful family memories?

"Uncle Steve's" Italian Delight

Ok so if you have been following I have been participating in Bountiful Baskets for awhile now. Well last weekend I received zucchini and eggplant. I have had zucchini before but never eggplant, so I did what any sane person would do I sent out a plea for help any recipe ideas you had I was willing to take. Well Shane's Aunt Julie sent me a message containing a recipe from her Uncle Steve. I thought I just had to try it as we are huge Italian fans in my household so anything that calls for spaghetti sauce is sure to be a hit.

So last night was the big night the dinner menu stated "Italian Delight", and I whipped it up. I also made a fresh salad as I was a little worried nobody would like the main dish. Turns out we HATE eggplant, YUCKY doesn't even begin to describe it, it was by far the worst thing I have ever eaten and I have tried, moose, bighorn sheep, liver and onions, and a multitude of other things and that was the worst.

Now before you assume that Italian Delight is bad I have to tell you it was delish just you had to pick out the eggplant. The zucchini was so yummy the girls ate all of it up, now hubby didn't like the zucchini either he is still certain he hates zucchini but he ate the rest of the meal and had a big salad to counter.

So I want to thank Julie for sharing as I will definitely be making it again minus the eggplant of course and I think we will add some sliced sausage to the mix.

For all of you curious to know what is in Uncle Steve's Italian Delight here is the recipe it was super easy which I love because after working all day the last thing I want to do is spend hours in the kitchen listening to my kids telling me they are starving :) Enjoy!!

"Uncle Steve's" Italian Delight

1 C - cooked brown rice
1 to 2 cloves of crushed garlic
Basil & Oregano to taste (extra good if you have fresh)
Slices of zucchini
Strips of eggplant
Small onion sliced
Lg. Jar Spaghetti Sauce (any kind you like)
Grated Mozzarella Cheese

Place 1 cup of cooked brown rice in a deep corning ware container.
Pour 1/2 of spaghetti sauce over rice.
Layer eggplant, zucchini and onion on top of the spaghetti sauce
Cover the vegetables with the remaining spaghetti sauce.
Sprinkle garlic, basil and oregano over the sauce. Bake at 325 degrees for 30 minutes, covered. Take out of oven, top it with cheese and bake for 5 to 10 minutes more.

THINK

I love this so true and so easy to remember. Definately teaching my girls this!