Just keeping busy around the house since we're on "code orange" and can't go anywhere with this ice storm, so Ben helped me make some homemade cinnamon rolls using my lovely break maker to make the dough.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8ZVy1HnNSFw
Tuesday, December 28, 2010
Tuesday, November 02, 2010
Vac then Steam
For some of you peeps out there that wanted to know about this new Shark "Steam then Mop" thingy, here's the low down on the first time I took it for a spin...
E.Z. to put together...all you have to do is pop the handle in. You go ahead and put the water in to the fill tank, but do not put the mop contraption thing on while you're sweeping. You make sure the switch is flipped over to the "vacuum" option (see pic), then turn it on...
I'd say it did a decent job at vacuuming, but by no means any better than any other stick vacuum. I think the point here is to only have to have one device instead of two, and I must say it is super convenient.
(in case you're wondering, as you probably should, that is some pot roast from dinner that somehow "escaped" the boy's plates and made it on to the floor. This new vac in no way has the power or is made to pick up something that big.) Below is a picture of the debris it did pick up from the eat-in area of the kitchen:
Then you just set it on top of the mop/magnet thingy - which very easily snaps in to place:
...then you just have to switch the button over to "steam" :
...lower the arm (lean it back like when in use) to activate the steaming function, and take off! Once it had enough steam flowing through it, it did a good job
When using the thicker looped pad (comes w/ 4 total, which is nice) you have to use several passes over a spot to really get it up, but didn't have to apply as much pressure as I do w/ the older model I had, or with the Swiffer...sheesh.
All in all, I think he and I are going to get along juuuuuuust fine. :)
E.Z. to put together...all you have to do is pop the handle in. You go ahead and put the water in to the fill tank, but do not put the mop contraption thing on while you're sweeping. You make sure the switch is flipped over to the "vacuum" option (see pic), then turn it on...
I'd say it did a decent job at vacuuming, but by no means any better than any other stick vacuum. I think the point here is to only have to have one device instead of two, and I must say it is super convenient.
(in case you're wondering, as you probably should, that is some pot roast from dinner that somehow "escaped" the boy's plates and made it on to the floor. This new vac in no way has the power or is made to pick up something that big.) Below is a picture of the debris it did pick up from the eat-in area of the kitchen:
Then you just set it on top of the mop/magnet thingy - which very easily snaps in to place:
...then you just have to switch the button over to "steam" :
...lower the arm (lean it back like when in use) to activate the steaming function, and take off! Once it had enough steam flowing through it, it did a good job
When using the thicker looped pad (comes w/ 4 total, which is nice) you have to use several passes over a spot to really get it up, but didn't have to apply as much pressure as I do w/ the older model I had, or with the Swiffer...sheesh.
All in all, I think he and I are going to get along juuuuuuust fine. :)
Saturday, July 17, 2010
my love for the sky...
I have always loved taking pictures of the sky...sunsets, sunrises, storms, etc. Sometimes the cloud formations look like a doorway to something else going on in the heavens...
Tonight is no exception!
Chattanooga, May '09
November, 09 out of our front door
Fall sky, November '09, out of the back door...
Trip to Chattanooga, May '09
In the back yard of our 1st house in Royalwood, Jan '03
In the front yard of our 1st house in Royalwood, June '03
Out the front door of our MS house, June '05
...and tonight's beautiful display in Fishers...
the other guy outside with us taking it all in...
Tonight is no exception!
Chattanooga, May '09
November, 09 out of our front door
Fall sky, November '09, out of the back door...
Trip to Chattanooga, May '09
In the back yard of our 1st house in Royalwood, Jan '03
In the front yard of our 1st house in Royalwood, June '03
Out the front door of our MS house, June '05
...and tonight's beautiful display in Fishers...
the other guy outside with us taking it all in...
Friday, July 09, 2010
Biggest. Cake. Disaster. EVER.
Ok, so I learned my lesson. That was the last time I pridefully tell my sister, the PROFESSIONAL CAKE DECORATOR, "no, thanks, I got it" when it comes to one of my kid's birthday cakes. I thought I had solved all of my problems when I was so smart and bought the silicone Big Top Cupcake mold at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. It's worked very well for me twice, but not so much tonight. No, tonight is a very different story...one in fact that might scar my oldest son Joshua (enter menacing echo) "FOR - EVVVEERRR".
All he said was that he wanted a lemon cake with Batman on it. I thought, "well, I'll just slap one on top of the Big Top Cupcake!" In fact, it was Josh's idea. So, here we go...grease the SILICONE mold just to make sure it doesn't stick, and bake away. 10pm the night b4 the party, try to unmold said cake and start mixing the homemade colors of icing. Oh...no...
So, of course both parts of the cake stuck, so I tried my best to
begin covering the all of the imperfections (um, all of it) with white icing
and the homemade colors didn't even come CLOSE to being right...
...and I had put them in the freezer to get them to harden up
faster so of course they were now too hard to work with...so
naturally the bags started to get multiple holes in them...
but I pressed on b/c I couldn't completely fail at this, right?
So, filling in the top, with the wrong color mind you, b/c the
bat symbol is supposed to be yellow and the background should
be black...
but of course it had to break some more while trying to spread it out
most people would stop now and throw it out, right? Naaahhhh...
ok, it's hideous but it's the flavor Josh asked for and at least mommy tried...
so I must press on and attempt the Batman symbol:
...and one might think to stop there and call it a night...but no,
for the sake of self-torture, I decided it clearly needed to be
filled in...my gray, not black, Batman symbol...
oh my goodness...this is now officially worse than any of the
work of any awake 6th grader in Home Ec class... so, I thought
I would just spruce it up w/ some the completely inappropriate
baby blue I made to match the color of Batman's cape,
but then, naturally, the icing bag busted open so all hope was now lost...
So, for my beloved son's 8th birthday, here is how
I've decided to bless him with utter embarrassment:
now, if all of you would please make a note on Todd's wall to
take pity on me and allow me to purchase a last minute cake
at Kroger in the morning, I would greatly appreciate it. As would,
I'm sure, Joshua.
Good night..."zzzzzzzzz"
All he said was that he wanted a lemon cake with Batman on it. I thought, "well, I'll just slap one on top of the Big Top Cupcake!" In fact, it was Josh's idea. So, here we go...grease the SILICONE mold just to make sure it doesn't stick, and bake away. 10pm the night b4 the party, try to unmold said cake and start mixing the homemade colors of icing. Oh...no...
So, of course both parts of the cake stuck, so I tried my best to
begin covering the all of the imperfections (um, all of it) with white icing
and the homemade colors didn't even come CLOSE to being right...
...and I had put them in the freezer to get them to harden up
faster so of course they were now too hard to work with...so
naturally the bags started to get multiple holes in them...
but I pressed on b/c I couldn't completely fail at this, right?
So, filling in the top, with the wrong color mind you, b/c the
bat symbol is supposed to be yellow and the background should
be black...
but of course it had to break some more while trying to spread it out
most people would stop now and throw it out, right? Naaahhhh...
ok, it's hideous but it's the flavor Josh asked for and at least mommy tried...
so I must press on and attempt the Batman symbol:
...and one might think to stop there and call it a night...but no,
for the sake of self-torture, I decided it clearly needed to be
filled in...my gray, not black, Batman symbol...
oh my goodness...this is now officially worse than any of the
work of any awake 6th grader in Home Ec class... so, I thought
I would just spruce it up w/ some the completely inappropriate
baby blue I made to match the color of Batman's cape,
but then, naturally, the icing bag busted open so all hope was now lost...
So, for my beloved son's 8th birthday, here is how
I've decided to bless him with utter embarrassment:
now, if all of you would please make a note on Todd's wall to
take pity on me and allow me to purchase a last minute cake
at Kroger in the morning, I would greatly appreciate it. As would,
I'm sure, Joshua.
Good night..."zzzzzzzzz"
Sunday, May 09, 2010
Mother's Day 2010, A.K.A. "The Kids Get To Do Whatever They Want To You 1st Thing In The Morning
This morning as I lie in bed enjoying not having to get up with the boys for the 2nd day in a row, I could hear giggles and, "SHHH!", "No me 1st!" coming up the stairs beyond my safety shield, I mean, my bedroom door. Next thing I know I'm being slapped in the face with what seemed like a 5 lb envelope, and low and behold, it basically was. The boys couldn't wait to come up and have me open my Snoopy card so they could do the "Charlie Brown Dance". The Charlie Brown holiday shows are a big deal around this house, so they were pretty excited.
So of course as I continued to peel my eyes open, I forgot about the knock to the head. Attention moved on to helping Todd pick out their outfits for church...making sure selections fit, and didn't look like something they were getting ready to the playground in. Of course there's the normal bickering in the backseat of the car on the way to church, then if there's ever a precious moment of calmness where Todd and I can finish a sentence or hear the song we're listening to, then Ben makes sure we remember he has perfected the art of screaming.
Then we get to church...and we hear Pastor Tim talk about how he called his mother 1st thing in the morning (6am!) to wish her a "Happy Mother's Day"...it hit me like a ton of bricks. One day, and I know it will seem like a flash in the pan, my boys will be grown men. I will be pretending to clean the kitchen, go through papers, all the while waiting for the phone to ring and hear one my my precious little baby boys "wish me a Happy Mother's Day". It will be those days that I long for the mornings they hit me in the head with a 5lb snoopy card, or presenting me with cupcakes that I will never eat, but will have to clean the icing up off of the carpet for, after they get dumped by the bed in all of the excitement. It will be these moments of it taking 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher because Benji wants to "help", or feeling unappreciated as I put all of their clothes away and clean up their rooms for the ump-teenth time. I will miss these times when they need me. So I pray for the presence of mind to appreciate all of these moments...to be thankful for their health, smiles, and sloppy kisses and tight hugs. What an overwhelming blessing.
Thank you God for allowing me to be woken up with a slap to the head, then again later at church with a "slap to the face" to get a perspective tune-up. :)
So of course as I continued to peel my eyes open, I forgot about the knock to the head. Attention moved on to helping Todd pick out their outfits for church...making sure selections fit, and didn't look like something they were getting ready to the playground in. Of course there's the normal bickering in the backseat of the car on the way to church, then if there's ever a precious moment of calmness where Todd and I can finish a sentence or hear the song we're listening to, then Ben makes sure we remember he has perfected the art of screaming.
Then we get to church...and we hear Pastor Tim talk about how he called his mother 1st thing in the morning (6am!) to wish her a "Happy Mother's Day"...it hit me like a ton of bricks. One day, and I know it will seem like a flash in the pan, my boys will be grown men. I will be pretending to clean the kitchen, go through papers, all the while waiting for the phone to ring and hear one my my precious little baby boys "wish me a Happy Mother's Day". It will be those days that I long for the mornings they hit me in the head with a 5lb snoopy card, or presenting me with cupcakes that I will never eat, but will have to clean the icing up off of the carpet for, after they get dumped by the bed in all of the excitement. It will be these moments of it taking 45 minutes to unload the dishwasher because Benji wants to "help", or feeling unappreciated as I put all of their clothes away and clean up their rooms for the ump-teenth time. I will miss these times when they need me. So I pray for the presence of mind to appreciate all of these moments...to be thankful for their health, smiles, and sloppy kisses and tight hugs. What an overwhelming blessing.
Thank you God for allowing me to be woken up with a slap to the head, then again later at church with a "slap to the face" to get a perspective tune-up. :)
Tuesday, April 06, 2010
Monday, April 05, 2010
Saturday, March 13, 2010
Preview Of Coming Attractions
The other day I noticed how Eli had fallen asleep on the couch, and I imagine I might find him in this exact same position for many years to come. :)
Baby Ben...not so "Baby" anymore...
every once in a while I have to grab a moment in time because Ben is growing up so quickly before my eyes. As demanding as he can be, he is equally hilarious and affectionate. What a unique personality he has!
"Daddy, can we WRESTLE?!?"
One of the boy's favorite things to do is wrestle with daddy when he gets home from work. Daddy always willingly gets down in the floor and spends the next 20 or 30 minutes trying to defend himself against the onslaught. Ben is quickly learning the ins and outs of how to "attack daddy" too. :)
Dance Off B4 Bed
Just any Saturday night, coming up with reasons why not to go to bed...and tonight the credit goes too...The Black Eyed Peas. Mommy, Joshie, and Eli all got our groove on to a few dance tunes to finish up the fun family day at the Zimmerman house.
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