New Home Office Part 3

If you are following along with the home office update...we are moving forward!

 If you are just now catching up, here's:Part OnePart Two This weekend we went back out looking at floors and found another one we really liked and are hoping to get an on site quote of our two rooms this week. 

Then we realized, "oh shit!" if this is going to happen soon,

we have to clear out and paint the one room.

(Our dining room isn't changing much at all.)

So, up went the gate:

And we emptied the bookcase and started to prep the room for paint:

The kids are thoroughly confused about what is occurring! 

 Stay tuned... 



Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas

Wednesday night we had Chicken and Cheese Enchiladas.  It requires a little bit of prep, but most of it you can do ahead of time - the night or morning before the meal.  Click HERE for the updated recipe.

Speaking of eating, it's been a bittersweet week at our house.  Little man gave up the high chair for a booster seat at the table.  Here they are at breakfast this morning:

Eggplant Follow-Up

Earlier this month I mentioned my trip to Trader Joe's and my discovery of their Eggplant Cutlets in THIS POST.  I am back to say that we ate some more of the box last night...and still yummy!

However, last night I didn't have time to bake it in the oven.  It was a last-minute decision and we had already gotten home late.  I was making spaghetti, opened the freezer to get some meatballs and there was the box. 

So I read the directions and decided to try pan frying.  And I'm glad I did.  I just put a little EVOO (extra virgin olive oil...don't you watch Rachel Ray?) in the skillet and plopped the frozen cutlets right in.  In the time it took to cook the pasta and heat the sauce, the cutlets were golden and crispy (flip halfway through).

Although they weren't smothered in sauce, they were much crispier.  I added them on top of my spaghetti and yum, yum, yum!

If you have a Trader Joe's nearby and you like eggplant parm...seriously, go get a box.  This is so easy it's ridiculous.  And it added something new to our same old, same old boring pasta night.

And since some of you asked...

Locals - Our Trader Joe's is in Kenwood just south of the mall on Montgomery Road.  Close to the Honeybaked Ham.  Looks as though there is also a location in Louisville and Indianapolis and one coming soon in Lexington.  Others can easily go HERE to locate a store near you.

Also, neither time during preparation did I defrost them first.  That was part of the beauty - just pull them out frozen and GO!

 



Dear Kroger

 

FYI – Non-locals, Kroger is our "main stream" grocery chain…like a Publix, Piggly Wiggly, Albertson's, or whatever is in your area, etc.

Dear Kroger,

Seriously?  I mean, SERIOUSLY?  I don't know if you are trying to get back at me for shopping at two of your stores instead of being a loyal customer to only one location.  Or if it's because of the enormous stack of coupons that I always have at your check-out (but you're the one sending them and WOW do you know how I shop).  Or if it's because of the recent $0.50 savings I've had at your gas pump (which only means I've spent way too much on groceries).  But, come on!  Why are you making life so hard on me? (Cue tiny violin, I'm sure.)

This store remodel situation is RIDICULOUS.  We already went through this a couple of years ago at the store right next to my neighborhood.  Remember the empty promises?  Ok, so we did get a Starbucks.  But you also promised other things like Boar's Head in our deli.  And after months and months of "moving out the expected date" I was told a new decision was made that local clientele wouldn't support it.  And that's basically how I've been treated at that Kroger ever since…like a second-class citizen.  But I digress.

So that's why I decided that unless I needed a quick stop for a gallon of milk, I'd drive right past that Kroger and do the majority of my shopping in Mason.  I usually love going there on Sunday mornings.  It's not so bad even with the two youngest in tow.  And I'd finally been going there long enough to know exactly where everything was located.  After years of playing hide-and-seek for items on my list.  I finally got it.  Exact aisle and shelf locations. 

And now you go and do this?  It's a busy mother's worst nightmare.  Rearranging our grocery store.  A complete overhaul of where things are located, etc.  To make it easier?  Um, it would be easier if you PUT THINGS BACK.

So I'm guessing you did this for one of the following reasons:

You're helping us with a weight-loss plan because most of us don't have time to go to the gym.  We will now accomplish weight loss because either a) we're never going to find the food in the first place or b) it will take running back and forth across the huge floor plan numerous times to locate items. 

Or maybe the moms (and the few dads) who shop alone all got together and asked for this and said they'd boycott without it.  In order to get MORE alone time since the shopping will now take twice as long for at least the next six months.  At which point they will begin petitioning for another remodel.  Damn them.

And the real kicker?  I ran into the store right by my house and you are doing the same thing there!  So now I don't even have a fallback location.  I'm going to be lost and inefficient for months…something I don't have the patience for. at. all.

Now, if you were like Kohl's there would be no love lost.  See Kohl's also remodeled a few weeks ago.  But as a valued customer, they warned me in an email…and sent me $10.  Then during the remodel, they sent another $10 email to make shopping happier during construction.  And now that the remodel is over, another $10 email to check out the new layout.  So learn a lesson from them…$30 makes me happy.  Kuddos to them for customer service.

Now that I'm overthinking this, it's probably part of a bigger plan.  You know, from the man above.  Because while I'm at the grocery on Sunday morning, Andy's at church with Stella.  And I'm, well, just praying I'll get through our list without losing my cool or a kid. 

So maybe God is having the last laugh.  {Sigh}

An Interview with Charlotte

Seriously, this child is even difficult to photograph.  After 15 head-shots this morning, here was the best one: 

She asked me to take ONE more and at least she's smiling:

Today I'm over at June and Bear as part of her interview series.

You may remember that I interviewed Stella back in February.

Click HERE for Stella's interview and HERE for Charlotte's.

You've been to June and Bear, right?

If not (gasp!), hurry over and you will definitely fall in love with her blog.

For those of you visiting from June and Bear, welcome!

I hope you click around and enjoy yourself while you're here.

New Home Office Part 2

Last week I started talking about our "formal living room" space and how we want to change it from a place we rarely use to a highly functional home office.  I showed some ideas I had, but no pictures of the actual space.  Well, today I have "before" photos.  I wanted to be sure to take those before embarking on the full project.  So imagine walking into my front door, stepping into the foyer and immediately turning right.  Here is what you would currently see in the front room:

So the first step was to figure out the placement of the soon-to-be-new desk area.  We had to figure out which wall it would go on before deciding what we want to purchase.  And I really wanted to keep the couch and chair.  Last weekend we ended up moving the couch in front of the windows and over the past week it's grown on me more and more.  I really like seeing it as soon as I walk by the space.  So I think we have a winning layout!  The desk will be on two of the walls...under the stars and the portrait of me (sketched by my dad when I was 5).

This weekend we started thinking about flooring.  Many thanks to all of the people who gave me recommendations on Facebook.  Andy and I went out alone today for awhile and then even took an extra trip out to Lowe's with the kids.  They cooperated long enough for us to find the sample below.  After bringing it home and putting it against the trim and the tile, we like the look of a darker color with a bit of black in it.  But no final decisions yet.

This week the focus will actually switch over to the furnace and AC unit.  Ours is 24 years old and getting replaced ASAP.  So we are in quote-gathering mode.  After that project is complete, we'll be back for more on the home office.  One step at a time!  Stay tuned.

Yellow Box Sandals - This Saturday's Shout-Out

Some of you may remember back to last May when I received a pair of Yellow Box Sandals unexpectedly in the mail from my girlfriend down south.  They were pink and sparkly and I LOVED them.  She swore they were the perfect sandal and ever-so-comfortable.

Well, I am back to say that she was on to something.  I adored those sandals all summer long.  They never made my feet sore and they were super cute.  The only bummer was that I couldn't find anymore locally and I wanted another pair. 

So I've decided on a new spring ritual for as long as she'll agree to it...she ships me a pair every spring (I pay her of course)!  This year she did agree and I chose the pair above from the Belk website.

What's your summer shoe?  I'm definitely a flip flop gal.

Excited to Go To Work

Stella was excited this morning.  Today was her "at-home" day.  Meaning, the rest of the kids went to daycare and Stella got to pal around with me all day.  I still had to go to the office for 2 hours, but she's well behaved and entertains everyone.

We also got to spend some quality alone time.  She did a puzzle...in peace.  She practiced piano without Henry hitting all the other keys.  She practiced without being asked and then said...

S - Mom, are you proud of me for practicing on my own?

Me - I'm always proud of you.

S - Well, I just wanted you to be prouder than ever.

We also practiced her reading.  She had a sheet of reading sentences.  Towards the end she got sick of it.  We finished, she looked at me and with the most serious face said...

S - Mom, I've got one more sentence for you.  Don't make me read any more of these.

That girl cracks me up.

Pinning for a New Home Office

There is a room in our house that is completely under-utilized.  Our front formal living room.  Although it does have a couch and chair, it's also currently a catch-all space for a bookcase, a wine cabinet,  the kids' Strider bikes, a keyboard and at during the holidays...the Christmas tree.  And it has old, yucky carpet. 

So I've been pinning, pinning, pinning ideas for a home office space that will incorporate a place for the kids to dump backpacks and complete homework.

Source: backtodomestics.blogspot.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Tricia on Pinterest

Source: houzz.com via Tricia on Pinterest

First task for us is picking out hardwood flooring.  A task I actually dread.  But Andy won't let me go any further until the floors are in and the walls are painted.  Sigh.  I warn you now...I'm guessing there will be many more posts about this in the future.

Where do your kids do their homework?  Crafting?  Etc.?  Do you have a home office?  Is it more relaxed or more formal?  I need ideas!

More Ponytail Streamers

A co-worker needed 2 ponytail streamers for her nieces. 

They are playing softball. 

And their colors are grey, black and yellow. 

So last night I took these ribbons...

And made these ponytail holders!

For instructions, go back to the Reds Opening Day post...

...the one where my girls actually got the results of the craft!

Minnie Mouse Clippie Tutorial

Recently I was asked to help a friend with her daughter's first birthday.  She had an adorable "first birthday" onesie that had Minnie Mouse ears on it with a big red bow.  She asked me to make a matching red with white polka dot bow for her daughter's hair.  Well, I did that...and took it a step further.  Every Minnie lover needs a Minnie Mouse clippie. 

Do you need one too?  The steps are easy.  I had to make another one, but in hot pink.  So I photographed the steps below for anyone that wants to copy the process.  I used 3/8" ribbon for all of it.

Minnie Mouse's Head:

3 3/4 inches of black ribbon

3 inches

2 1/4 inches

Each of Minnie Mouse's Ears (so do this twice):

2 inches

1 1/2 inches

You also need enough ribbon to cover whichever type of clippie you are going to put it on.  I used a double alligator and covered it with about 6.5 inches of pink with white polka dots.  The final piece of pink is for the "bow" on Minnie's head.  I ballparked that.  I use hot glue for everything.

One of my friend's helped me figure out how to put this clippie together.

It's one she's been making for awhile now.

However, I also found some great instructions here as well:

http://girlythingsbows.com/index.html

For Minnie Mouse and LOTS of other cool clippies.

Recipe for the Dinner that No One Ate

The above photo has NOTHING to do with the pork roast.  She is just hilarious.  I think that's why we are able to deal with her loud personality and overbearing attitude.

Yesterday, I happened to mention a crock pot pork roast that Andy and I loved.  It was a new recipe for us and you can find it by clicking HERE.  No picture yet.  I totally forgot that evening during the chaos of the meal.  But we'll definitely be making it again, so I promise a photo in the future.  Just imagine pulled-pork for now.  That's pretty much what it looks like.  It definitely wasn't a "slicer" pork after soaking in all of those juices all afternoon.  We shredded it with a fork and served it over couscous with asparagus on the side.

Let me know if you try it and like it!  You really have the BFF to thank.  I probably would have totally missed out on this one if she hadn't mentioned making it for her family.

When Everyone Hates Dinner

There are some evenings when Andy is trying to wind down and read for a few minutes before going to bed.  Often we've barely had an actual conversation since arriving home.  You know, we talk in phrases like "what needs to be done?" and "please wash so-and-so's hands" and "the kids need drinks for dinner" and "what's your choice – dinner clean-up or baths?" blah, blah, blah.

And I have a million "real" thoughts in my head and so he is stuck listening to this brain dump 10 minutes before turning out the lights:

Me - "It's just so frustrating.  Because you try and try and it doesn't really matter."

Pause to collect thoughts, but then I keep on going…

Me - "Because, of course, I was 15 minutes late to work since I put together everything for dinner so you could put it in the crock pot when you came home for lunch."

Me - "And I was all excited to try something new.  Especially since the BFF's FIVE kids ate it."

Sigh.  Andy still hasn't said anything.  After 11 years of marriage he knows to just sit and stare.

Me - "But the kids cried the whole way home from daycare because they just wanted PB&J for dinner and were pissed when I said we were having meat.  I even tried to guilt them by saying you worked hard and made it for us."

Me - "And I thought it smelled so yummy when I came in the house, but Stella cried even more and said it was too strong and ran up to her room gagging."

Me - "And then Henry pleaded and screamed 'Hold you!' with the death grip around my legs while I shuffled around the kitchen getting the side dishes together."

Me - "And then no one ate it." 

Me - "And after all of that fiasco you still have to clean up the fucking kitchen from the complete mess dinner made that NO ONE ate."

At this point, Andy tries to quietly jump in, "I liked it.  A lot."  Good man.

Me - "And what is with Stella's breakdowns lately?  She teared up and cried at the thought of trying the hard boiled egg that she asked for?  Are we really making her that nervous/anxious?"

It's total mom guilt now.

Me - "Am I giving her anxiety?  I know our life is crazy and busy and always on a time schedule.  But seriously, she shouldn't know any different, right?  It's not like we were all calm and lazy when she was younger.  Right?" 

Slight pause for a questioning smile…really asking Andy, I’M NOT SCARRING HER FOR LIFE, RIGHT???

"Sure I'd like to have sat one-on-one and read books with her or practiced piano, but we ran out of time."

"Sure I'd love to let them stay up later and play a game or something, but we have to get up so early."

"So we can't.  Our evenings are short."

"So I snuck and ate 2 of the kids' chocolate eggs to make myself feel better.  Well, who am I kidding...it was really 4.  Or actually 6 if we're really counting."

"Ok, so fuck it, it was EIGHT."

"Ugh, this sucks.  Good night."

Some days are like this.  And it's no wonder that Andy was drinking at the dinner table:

I take back that question about scarring them for life and will just add a little more to the therapy fund this month…

But seriously, this Pinot Noir...YUMMY!



Embrace the Camera - Ft. Lauderdale Beach

Although it's only been a couple of weeks, it seems like forever ago that we were in Florida.  We did spend one morning at the beach.  The girls loved it as usual.  We played in the sand, collected shells, and Stella and Andy even took on the waves.  Charlotte and I barely put our toes in...warm sun, but chilly water!  And Andy was a trooper, playing water boy all morning...refilling and refilling and refilling the Princess watering cans.

 

Don't forget to get yourself in those family photos this spring and summer...

Embrace the Camera.

Your kids will thank you someday when they look back.