Feed My Starving Children event

Yesterday, the Boston Scientific Manufacturing departments decided to give back this holiday season, and as a group we volunteered our time at Feed My Starving Children.  It was one of the most fun and rewarding things I've done in a long time.  Because there are so many people in mfg, we did 1.5 hour shifts all day.  I think there was a total of 6 shifts that went and donated time.

My group went from 9:30 - 11:30, and there was roughly 100 of us packing food.  All the food we did yesterday went to villages in Kenya, Africa.  The mixture containes chicken, veggies, soy and rice. 

The level of enthusiasm and the high energy that was in that warehouse was amazing.  People were yelling, singing and having a great time.  It's also a slight competition....which station can get the most boxes packed.  Station 7 (where I was) packed 21 boxes.  We rocked it.

After we were done, they gave stats on how our shift did, and it was incredible.

Volunteers: 100

Boxes packed: 152

Meaks per box: 216

Kids fed: 32,832

Kids fed for a year: 90

It felt so good to know that I made a difference for starving kids, even if they are so far away.  I would totally go back and do it again, that's how fun and rewarding it was.  I think this time of year (and all year really) all companies should go volunteer their time to help make a difference, whether it's in our community or abroad.

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Hump Day

Gah....I'm not a fan of Wednesdays....especially Wednesday's that are close to extended time off of work.
It's been "one of those days" today.

I woke up about 20 min later than I wanted to.
It's freezing cold out and took me a good 10 min to warm up after my car did.
I spent most of my day in meetings that have been pointless.
Dorado folks made a surprise visit onto the floor today.  Thanks for the heads-up guys.

But, my goods are going to far outweigh my "blahs".

I woke up.
I have a job.
I got to see my aunts face light up when I gave her a Christmas card and ornament the boys decorated.
I got a call from those boys and they they told me they love me.
I'm seriously considering making Jen Stowell's bars tonight, and eating most of the pan.
There's only a total of 7 more working days left before shutdown.
A new episode of American Horror Story: Asylum is on tonight.
Life is good.

Also, totally random, but I want these boots.

So Santa, if you're out there, I've been VERY good this year.
Aren't they adorable??  I love the Uggs I already have, but come on...these SPARKLE. 

I feel better about today already just from staring at that picture.  :o) 1

Amazing Peppermint Bark

Last year I found this recipe for Peppermint Bark when I was looking for something besides the traditional cookie to make for the holidays.  It had 3 of my main requirements: 3 ingredients, Level: EASY and takes 10 min to make.  Oh....and it's delicious.

I LOVE these candy canes.

I get them at Target for $2.29....or $2.99.  I don't remember which one.  The batch I made yesterday turned out delicious, and I used the Target brand white chocolate chips.  I do add the peppermint extract, but unlike Ms. Paula Deen I save some candy cane to sprinkle on top before I stick my pan in the fridge.

This picture is all I have left out of what I made yesterday.  Granted, I did give some to my mom but everyone in my house loves it.
5 stars for this one!!! 1

30 Days of Thankful

Everyone (okay, a lot of people) did the "30 Days of Thankful" on Facebook for the month of November.  I was no different.
Here's my list:

Day 1~ A&W Cream Soda
Day 2~ September 7, 2009
Day 3~ June 21, 2011
Day 4~ Generally it would be about how awesome getting an extra hour of sleep was last night....however, small children don't "get" daylight savings.
Day 5~ Double stuffed Oreos.  I just wish they were part of the diet plan.
Day 6~ My right to vote.  And I’m thankful for the women who came before me who made it possible.
Day 7~ Brendan.
Day 8~ My mama. 
Day 9~ Target.  Where in the world would we all be without this store??
Day 10~ Getting 4 extra hours of sleep because the alarm didn’t go off at 4am! Love the weekends.
Day 11~ A Vikings win!!
Day 12~ Who taught him to say these things?
Day 13~ Heated seats and a heated steering wheel!
Day 14~ Having patients come into work today to tell us about how getting a device/stent changed their lives. Makes what I do worthwhile.
Day 15~ I'm thankfrul that my newsfeed has only had 2 mentions about Breaking Dawn Part 2 on it and not 859403785603. 
Day 16~

Day 17~ Kaci Jo Waltman.  Happy Birthday sweetie!
Day 18~ Being able to spend the day with my mom and Ian.  Love having them down in the cities!
Day 19~ A 3 day work week....
Day 20~ Watching Ellen is making me cry right now.  She's awesome!
Day 21~ Going home EARLY!!  Actually, being able to leave work early to go out to lunch with my mom is what I'm thankful for.
Day 22~ We had a wonderful Thanksgiving with family today.  I hope everyone had a blessed day and enjoyed their time with family and loved ones.  Happy Thanksgiving!!
Day 23~ Black Friday shopping....and buying NOTHING that was on sale.  Target didn't have anything I wanted!!
Day 24~ My mom came to help me finally make flannel pants for Ashton.  I'm thankful she's able to come and spend time with us and teach me how to sew!!
Day 25~ Egg Nog.  I just made the most delicious french toast with it!
Day 26~ Sweaters.
Day 27~ Veggie Tales.  Thank you for keeping my kids entertained and happy so I can get things done!
Day 28~ Health, Happiness and Love.
Day 29~ I'm thankful for having Paula Burkart for a daycare provider. She's amazingly accommidating and a life saver at times!
Day 30~ Best $10.99 I've spent in a while.  Throwing this on let me sleep an extra half hour today!

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Weekend Crafting!

In light of having a 4 day weekend, I decided to knock out some of the craft projects that have been hanging around FOREVER....and I do mean forever.

Last year (exactly a year ago), I found a really cool beaded wreath on Pinterest and thought "I'm going to make that for Christmas" to add to my miniscule decorations I have.  I checked, and the link no longer works, but it's really cool.  Mom and I hit up Michaels, and I bought all the supplies.  I started it on Nov 26, 2011.  This is how it sat for a year:

So on Saturday, I decided enought was enought and pulled it out of my closet to finish.  Clayton "helped", a.k.a. made a mess of the pearls and had them rolling all over the floor, which sucked because Ashton was right there trying to grab as many as he could.

Here's how the finished product turned out:

I'm really happy with it!!  I think it would look a lot better on a colored wall because it looks kind of washed out on my cream one, but I love it.  There are some spaces I still need to fill in, but that will be a project for next year.

I also, after 1 year, pulled out the sewing machine I got on Black Friday 2011  (I'm sensing a  theme here....).  I had bought fabric and patterns probably 3 months ago to make the boys flannel pants and myself an apron.  And it all sat....and sat, collecting dust on the bag.  My mom finally decided she was ready to help me.  She kept telling me "read the pattern and figure it out".  Sorry mom, I don't read Latin.

Here are the 3 pair we made:

Clayton said they're his favorite....for now anyway.  To me, that's a success.

I was going to make Ashton matching ones, but then my genius mom suggested making 3 more pair for Clayton in a bigger size, or making my nephew Max a pair.  Since my machine is still sitting on my counter I'm going to attempt to make an Elmo pair for Max.
This weekend is going to be deticated to trying to make my apron.  We got everything cut out for it, I just need to do the basic sewing them bring it up to mom's so she can finish it off with her fancy serger.

It was a fun weekend, and I'm really hoping that I can learn to sew better and make more fun stuff for the kids and myself.  I'm back to browsing Pinterest for more Christmas stuff I can make! 1

Who taught him to say these things??

Sometimes, the things that manage to come out if my child's mouth amaze me. I think "I never say that", then will catch myself saying it.

Over the last few months I've been compiling a list of my favorite Claytonisms. This kid cracks me up.

1) Get out of town mom! (Followed appropriately with a knee slap)
2) Are you kidding me?
3) Okay mommy dear.
4) Are you serious?
5) It's Halloween in September weeks.
6) It was baby Ash.
7) I'm sooo sleepy mom.
8) I just want McNuggets.
9) We go potty baby Ash and get a blue DS.
10) I'm gonna pay for it with my blue super powers.
11) I NEED a blue icee and popcorn from Target.
12) It's okay mom, we're just playing (while Ashton is screaming like he's in a torture device).
13) Can I go with you mom?? Please, please, pretty please?
14) I want to lay next to you mom.
15) I love you so much mommy.

Trust me when I say there's more...a lot more. I shake my head at this child more than I probably should. He's makes me laugh hysterically and brings a tear to my eyes.

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Trick or Treat!

Yay! We made it through Halloween! I thought this day would never come. Clayton has been jacked up for about the last 2 months. Makes me crazy.

After saying for the longest time he wanted to be a ghost, he changed his mind to a ghost pirate. I had no clue how to attempt that, so we found this costume at Sam's Club.

I think he looks pretty good!!

Ashton's get-up was a hand-me-down from daycare. He still doesn't have a choice on what he gets to wear. He wasn't a happy camper.

It's near impossible for me to get a decent picture of my children together. Ashton has NO desire to stand still long enough for me to snap one. I saw so many pics on Facebook of perfect little angels sitting on their front steps smiling pretty and looking adorable. I got this:

And this:

 

Oh we'll, next year I'll have the perfect pictures of the perfect children to show off to everyone. Clayton had an absolute blast Trick or Treating and was so well behaved. He said "Thank You" each time he got a piece of candy. From what I saw, there were only 2 instances of him trying to welcome himself into other people's homes. Crazy kid. I can't wait until next year when Ashton "gets it". More candy for me the kids.

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Here's your sign....

Over the past 3 years there have definitely been times when I've thought "if I didn't have kids I wouldn't be doing this". I love my boys, but the signs of being a mom are becoming clearer as time goes on.

1~ You find Cheerios and dried raisins in the bottom of your purse. I'm all about bringing snacks along to calm the meltdowns that seem to happen after an extended tour out in public.  However, last night when I was cleaning out my purse I came across 5 cheerios and 2 hard-as-a-rock raisins.  I have NO clue how long I'd been toting around these stowaways because I don't remember the last time Ashton had raisins.  That leads me to 2 things....I need to clean out my purse more often and the kids need to quit giving me their leftovers.

 2~ You've learned to tune out the screaming.  I can't begin to say how many times I've been out in public and one or both of the boys won't be happy with something and they scream...and cry....and if not confined to a cart or stroller would probably roll around on the floor like they're possessed.  I do a lot of ignoring, both of the kids and the dirty looks I get from people.  Even at home I "pretend" that I don't hear them at times.  The neighbors probably think I run a nut house.

3~ You buy your kids a toy before buying yourself new underwear. There have been so many times that I've sacrificed things for myself to get something for the boys.  I'll go without just so they can have a toy or a new shirt they really don't need, while I'm wearing undies that have holes and don't stay on.  But damnit, they love that new pirate ship.

4~ Your 3 year old is better at navigating your iPhone than you are.  Ashton is actually a pretty close 2nd.  Clayton is a wiz at using my phone.  He's also an Angry Birds master.  When I was pregnant I swore that I wouldn't let him watch a lot of TV or have electronic toys.  I was going to teach him everything he needed to know.  We'd read books, look at flashcards, go for walks and talk to each other.  That lasted until he was about 1 and I couldn't get anything done.  He took over my Blackberry and was suddenly taking pictures and watching videos of himself like it was nobody's business.  Then we got iPhones back in April and he schooled me in how it works.  He has my password memorized and will steal my phone and run off into a corner to play his games and watch Disney Jr.  It's crazy how technically advanced young children are these days, and how I can now get the laundry folded and the dishes done.

5~ Poop doesn't phase you anymore.  I've changed my fair share of poopy, nasty, knock you on your ass diapers over the last 3 years.  Sadly, the size and smell of the explosion doesn't phase me too much anymore.....until Clayton got sick a few weeks ago.  I'm not kidding when I say that I changed 7 diapers in 2 minutes.  My poor little guy was quite sick, and it was the first time I threw in the towel and said "I'm done.  I've changed my last poopsplosion of the day".  It's always fun to have a bad diaper out in public or while your mom is over.  I just shrug, roll up my sleeves and get the job done while she's making comments about the smell and the sounds that were coming from the pooper. 1

So I made this cake......

I've become a Pinterest junkie over the months, and I always wish I could make all of the amazing things I see on there; food, crafts and decorations.  Then I remember that I don't really have a ton of child-free-time that allows me to do much of anything.  I've been trying to sew flannel pants for the boys for about a month now and haven't even started.

Anyway.....yesterday during my browsing I came across this pineapple angel food cake recipe and thought....2 ingredients?  I can SO do this.

1 Angel Food Cake Mix
1 20oz can of crushed pineapple

Prehead oven to 350
Mix the 2 together (DO NOT FOLLOW THE BOX DIRECTIONS FOR THE CAKE.  Cake mix and pineapple, that's IT.)  It will get foamy and grow in your mixing bowl.
Pour into 9x13 pan and bake for 30 min.

First off, I don't own a 9x13 pan.  I'm not Betty Crocker (please see post about the pumpkin pie).  I have a 8x11 that is clearly too small.  I should've known when the batter was to the very top of the pan and I was using an Angel Food Cake mix that it was going to grow....and it had no where to go.

Don't even ask what my oven looks like.  Lets just say that I'm going to be spending today cleaning it.  Mess aside, the cake was DELICIOUS.  It would be awesome with some cool whip on top too, but I didn't have any.  It's light, fluffy and I ate 1/4 of it last night by myself.  I have another 1/4 for my breakfast and lunch today.

Tonight I'm going to tackle making roasted butternut squash....hopefully that will leave my oven cleaner than the cake did.  :o)

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I made a REAL pumpkin pie!!

I'll be the first to tell you that I don't bake.  I don't do much in the kitchen except the dishes and make mac and cheese, chicken nuggets with tator tots or scrambled eggs for the boys.  However, last week when we did our pumpkins, Brendan decided that he wanted me to try and make pie with it.

Oh boy.....

So I searched the web to see what I could come up with.  Apparently, not many people recommend using a Jack 'O Lantern pumpkin to make pie.  Who knew there were "pie pumpkins" out there??  Certainly not me, for obvious reasons.  I came up with this site and opted to go with it.  She seemed to know what she was talking about.  After all, I'm clueless and she's the expert.

My filling prep turned out a little different since Brendan was carving the pumpkins and scraping out the guts for me to use.

I cooked everything for about 20 min on med heat until it looked like it was done.  The recipe lady was right....it does end up looking pretty watery. 

I blended it in the blender until it was smooth and followed the rest of her instructions pretty much to the "T", except I didn't feel like buying 4 different spices, so I got Pumpkin Pie Spice.  It had the cloves, all spice, ginger etc already in it, so why not??  I used about 1/2 tbsp in my pie.  I also used a Pillsbury pie crust from the refrigerated section of the store.  I'm attempting to make my first pie, there's no way I'm going to try and make the crust too.

Into the oven it went.....

and I was feel pretty good about it.  Luckily I had some test subjects over who braved a taste test, and everyone said it turned out really good.  I wasn't sure if they were being nice, or serious.  Brendan asked me if it was going to be safe to eat when it was in the oven.  I assumed he meant because we used a Jack 'O Lantern pumpkin.  A little while later I figured out he really meant because I had baked it.  hahahaaa! Oh ye of little faith.

Anyway, here's the final result.  My mom had some the following day, and she agreed that it was indeed delicious.  Her only advice was to pre-bake the crust (it got a little soggy the next day.  Okay, a lot soggy.) and to add more pumpkin pie spice.  Then she told me I really should have bought all the individual spices to use instead of cheating. 

Would I make this again?  Absolutely.  I have to, I have 2 more pies worth of pumpkin goop in my freezer.  :o) 1

Random acts of kindness

I'm a firm believer in random acts of kindness and pay it forward. I also know that I don't do either nearly enough.

Today Brendan's mom came into town and when I opened my front door, she passed a beautiful bouquet of roses in my arms and said "These are for you". Just because. It made me feel so good inside to know that she had the thought to get something for me.  Or when my mom shows up at my house bearing gifts for me or the boys, whether it's some pop, a t-shirt or food.  It all makes my heart swell out of love for her.

I've heard stories from friends about being in the drive-thru at Caribou and when getting to the window they find out the person in front of them already paid for their order. It's never happened to me, but then I've never done it for anyone else either.

Both of these make me realize that we all need to do something special and thoughtful for other people. It doesn't matter if it's someone we know or a complete stranger. Why not put a smile on someone's face today? They may actually need it.

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Toasted Pumpkin Seeds!

Clayton has been talking about getting a pumpkin for weeks now, so tonight was his lucky night. The beauty of doing pumpkins is the anticipation that you get to toast the seeds. Who cares about carving when there's better things to do with the pumpkin?

Anyway, here's my awesome toasted pumpkin seed recipe!

Preheat oven to 300
After separating seeds from pulp, rinse in a strainer.
Place on a lightly oiled cookie sheet and bake for 20 min. This dries the water off the seeds.

After seeds are dried, raise oven temp to 325.
Toss seeds in oil (I use olive oil) and salt liberally.
Place back on cookie sheet and bake for another 25 min.
*keep an eye on them to make sure they don't burn!

Remove from oven and enjoy!!!

I've known people who use different seasonings besides salt. I bet brown sugar would be good, or some kind of Indian seasoning mix. Try it out and have fun with it!

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Journey to becoming a Figure Competitor

How many times do we say "I'm going to work out today", "I'm going to start living a healthier lifestyle tomorrow", or "I'll start on Monday"??  I know that I say it all the time.  I have an inner struggle with myself on when my "Get into awesome shape and be happy with the way I look" life is going to start.  It's always tomorrow for me, and then I'm filled with guilt and disgust when the day is over and I know I failed.

Well, times are a changin'.  My friend Cindy posted on Facebook recently that she attended a Figure competition and had a lot of thinking to do.  I commented asking if she was considering competing, and she said yes.  There's a show in the spring she's debating doing.  I jumped at the opportunity to tell her I would do it wiht her.  *gulp*  Did I just do that????

Trust me, I've always wanted to do something like this, I've just never had the push to actually do it, and after having 2 c-sections, my tummy right above my pubic bone makes me rethink getting into a skimpy suit in front of tons of people.  However, what better motivation is there???

After countless hours researching competitions that are going to be in my area next spring, I've made the decision that yes, I'm for sure going to do this.  I joined the fitness center at work, and have been hammering out workout plans.  The biggest thing is going to be fitting in these workouts.  Do I haul my ass out of bed at 3am to be out the door and to the gym by 4am to get it over with before I start work at 5am, or go at 3pm when my shift is done for the day then haul it home to have the kids picked up by 5pm?  Gah....

Anyway, I'm going to do this.  I want to feel good about myself, and have people see me and think "WOW.  She's in amazing shape.  Look at those abs!!"  I want to see how far I can push myself to not just show up on stage, but actually rock it and do my best.  I know it's going to be tough, I'm going to be tired and sore and probably not want to get out of bed in the mornings.  I know it's going to take sacrafices on my part to pass on the foods that I love to eat and pick up a carrot stick instead, to stop drinking my beloved cream soda and have a glass of water.  I get it, and I'm going to do my best so I can look and feel my best!!!!!!!

So here's to competing in Figure Competitions in 2013!!! 1

For the love of all things orange....



My friend Keleigh knows how much I love orange.  For crying out loud, the woman created a custom Orange Sherbet scented tart for me to burn in my warmer.  (LOVE her tarts and all the products she sells, check them out at www.keleighbellecreations.com).

Anyway, she texted me the other day with a recipe for an orange push-up smoothie. You can find the recipe here (I don't know how to do the fancy hyperlink attached to "here")

http://www.loveveggiesandyoga.com/2012/01/orange-pushup-smoothie.html

I don't necessarly like to eat an orange, but I love the smell and taste of orange stuff....pop, muffins, sherbet, pancakes, desert breads, frosting, sugar scrubs, chapstick....you name it.  It was one of my biggest cravings when I was pregnant with Clayton.  Apparently after 3 years it hasn't gone away.

I whipped up a batch the other night and almost died.  SO good.  I made it with 1 cup of sugar, but thought it could've used a little more.  I vowed next time, I was going to add some vanilla ice cream to make it even more awesome and push-up like.  Well, I never made it to the store, but made another blender full tonight.  I added about 1 1/4c of sugar this time and thought it turned out a lot better.  I had a glass for dinner.  *Please note, I didn't have it WITH dinner, I had it FOR dinner. 

Keleigh also sent me a link to a 3 ingredient orange cake....that will probably be on the menu this weekend.  She blames Pinterest....I haven't taken a peek myself to see all the delicious orange stuff that's probably on there.  Maybe that will happen this weekend too!!

Everyone should try these smoothies....for your weekly sugar consumption in a glass if for nothing else.  :o)

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I have a 3 year old!!!

I was going to write this up yesterday when Clayton actually turned 3, but I got busy and didn't have a chance until now. I don't have the computer either, so it's a mobile post for now.

We woke up and the first thing out of his mouth was "I'm 3 today!!"!! I sang him Happy Birthday and cried at the end. Part of it is because I remember being in the hospital getting ready to have him like it was yesterday, and the other part was because his dad was missing it. Brendan is out in FL for a softball tournament and has missed the last 2 birthday's, and will miss a lot more.

Anyway, after a very rebellious morning, my mom came down and per the birthday boy's request, we went and had McNuggets and played. He was very spoiled at Toys R Us and possibly emptied out their Jake and the Neverland Pirates merchandise. My livingroom looks like Pirate Island vomited everywhere. Whatever makes him happy.

Today the festivities continued with a visit to the fire truck parade that was going on as part of Burnsville Fire Munster days. He wants to be a fireman now....even though he covered his ears every time one of the trucks sounded their sirens.

We tried big boy undies today....that will be a post for another day. It was an epic failure and I think he's going to be in diapers until he starts high school. I'm sick of buying diapers.

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The art of possession

The actual definition of possession is this:
Main Entry: pos·ses·sion
Pronunciation: \-ˈze-shən also -ˈse-\
Function: noun
Date: 14th century
1 a : the act of having or taking into control b : control or occupancy of property without regard to ownership c : ownership d : control of the ball or puck; also : an instance of having such control (as in football)
2 : something owned, occupied, or controlled : property
3 a : domination by something (as an evil spirit, a passion, or an idea) b : a psychological state in which an individual's normal personality is replaced by another c : self-possession

In my house, it means the following:
1) Touch MY stuff, I'm going to push you over.
2) Touch YOUR stuff, I'm going to push you over and take it.
3) Touch ANYTHING, I'm going to push you over, take it and make you cry.

I was really hoping and optimistic that as the boys got older, something would change and it would get better. Sadly, it's been 14.5 months and it's only gotten worse. I probably say "Leave your brother alone" at least 284949 times a night. It drives me crazy and results in a very angry child. Then, Clayton will put his arm around Ashton and say "We're best friends", and all the scolding is forgotten.

No matter how rough the day is, something like that makes me think that the future will be brighter and sharing will happen...what's yours is mine and what's mine is yours.

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Clayton's 3rd Birthday Party!

It was finally the day....we celebrated Clayton turning 3 yesterday.
Talk about an anticipated day....he's been talking about his birthday since Ashton's at the end of June. It's been a LONG 2.5 months.

We decided to just have this one be a "family only" party. Next year we'll do other children. The thought of that scares me....I can barely handle 2 kids running around!

As he was eating his pizza at Godfather's, I had a moment of reflection. I can't believe it's been almost 3 years. I know everyone always says "Where has the time gone ", heck, I've asked that exact same question myself. But seriously, how has it been 3??

After pizza we all ventured to the park so everyone could get out of their pizza coma. We did cake, snacks and presets there so I didn't have to clean my house, and Clayton is always asking to go to the park. It was a win/win.

After we finally got back home, the children were bathed, the gifts opened and packaging was tossed all over my livingroom, the favorites emerged. Buzz and Woody. I wish they had volume controls, especially when Ashton is trying to sleep. The only problem with him getting them is now he also wants Jesse, Bullseye and Rex. Oh joy. I told him to wait until Christmas, which may not have been the best idea, because now I'm hearing "it's almost Christmas and I'm going to get....yadda yadda yadda".

I've created a monster.

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I'm a horrible blogger!!

Man, I'm terrible at keeping up with this!! It's something that sounded fun when I had the idea to blog, then the realization hit that with 2 small kids, a full time job and not a moment to myself it's just one more thing that gets put on the back burner. However, now that I've installed the mobile app maybe I'll be better at it!

The boys are getting crazy big.

Clayton loves telling everyone that he's going to be 3 on Sept 7th, and he wants a Mickey Mouse cake that he's going to eat all by himself. He's 2 going on 16. It never ceases to amaze me what comes out of his mouth. Lately it's been "Get outta town mom!" He loves Mickey, Octonauts, Doc McStuffins and Jake and the Neverland Pirates. He's my little buddy.



Ashton turned 1 on June 21st and is a crazy little guy who's full of mischief. Totally a different child than Clayton. He's got "uh oh" and "mom" down pat, hopefully he'll add some more words soon! I love him to death.

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