Year after year I tell myself I want to learn to make some fun Christmas treats to share with friends, relatives and co-workers. But time and time again, it gets busy I usually end up settling with handing out gift cards instead.
But this year I am a bit more free....which I am thrilled about. So this weekend I want to start playing in my kitchen and making some fun treats.
So for all your bloggers, please share some of your favorites with me! But please NOTE, I am not a homemaker and don't spend alot of time in the kitchen. So easy/simple is best!!! HAHAHA! Plus, I am hoping the kids will help me in there this weekend too!!!
Friday, December 4, 2009
Tuesday, October 6, 2009
New Room, New Attitude
I know it is not new news about our recent add-on to our home. And, it's not technically an add-on but we closed in our garage!
But I can't explain how this has changed the Turner Household for the better!! It is almost as if we aren't the same family! HAHA!
First of all, my family of 5 sat at a small area in the kitchen. The original kitchen table only had 4 chairs and we usually have to pull up a step stool or an office chair if we all want to sit together. And to be honest, usually I would feed everyone and wait on them or we would have kids in the kitchen and Todd in the living room! It is also a tight area to have the family in. NOW: We have a huge table in the new big room that can sit up to 8, maybe even 10 and we have 6 chairs! We eat together, we do homework or work together and even clean together! NO JOKE!
Secondly, that small kitchen area and table was in constant use, which was tiring and very frustrating... not to mention it caused me to yell more than I wanted to! Mainly out of frustration at the time. Our table schedule was much like this.....
Morning: breakfast and folder signing
Midday: Cleared
After School: full of backpack, lunch boxes, papers and homework
Dinner Time: move school stuff and do dinner or do dinner around the school stuff
Nite: clean food and pull out backpack again and do homework!
NOW: This big new table is big enough to eat at and have homework at. We have plenty of room to have several things out and we have a nice refrigerator that has the cereal stuff and other easy access snacks ready to go! Now the kitchen stays clean and we use it for more of a adult conversation/dinner time! No more kids!! No more homework (unless they need quiet), no constant cleaning it several times a day! LOL!
I have more reasons... so if your with me, I am going to keep on telling ya!!!
Next, I love the space. We have a big U-shaped couch (with a pull out sleeper), this big table, a TV, a frig and a freezer. This takes up a little more than half of the room so the rest of the room is open and is great for playing games, doing puzzle, or for doing cart-wheels (my Addie does that none stop).
And last but not least, I love how we are always together as a family all the time. Tonight, Todd and Zander were watching a baseball game, Addie and Gabe were coloring and helping me match socks, and I was doing laundry, all at the same time and all TOGETHER! On the weekends we let the kids pull out the sleeper and have little slumber parties...and yes, last week the whole family had a slumber party in our new room! HAHA!
It seems that our YELLING has become a minimal now! And we seem to have our family all together majority of the time.
So you ask me what I am doing right now....well I am sitting at the BIG table typing this. Zander and Todd are having an coaching session while watching the baseball game, Addie is cartwheeling and Gabe is reading his book!
The money we have spent on this room as been so worth it. We should have done this years ago!!! But I am so happy we did it period!
But I can't explain how this has changed the Turner Household for the better!! It is almost as if we aren't the same family! HAHA!
First of all, my family of 5 sat at a small area in the kitchen. The original kitchen table only had 4 chairs and we usually have to pull up a step stool or an office chair if we all want to sit together. And to be honest, usually I would feed everyone and wait on them or we would have kids in the kitchen and Todd in the living room! It is also a tight area to have the family in. NOW: We have a huge table in the new big room that can sit up to 8, maybe even 10 and we have 6 chairs! We eat together, we do homework or work together and even clean together! NO JOKE!
Secondly, that small kitchen area and table was in constant use, which was tiring and very frustrating... not to mention it caused me to yell more than I wanted to! Mainly out of frustration at the time. Our table schedule was much like this.....
Morning: breakfast and folder signing
Midday: Cleared
After School: full of backpack, lunch boxes, papers and homework
Dinner Time: move school stuff and do dinner or do dinner around the school stuff
Nite: clean food and pull out backpack again and do homework!
NOW: This big new table is big enough to eat at and have homework at. We have plenty of room to have several things out and we have a nice refrigerator that has the cereal stuff and other easy access snacks ready to go! Now the kitchen stays clean and we use it for more of a adult conversation/dinner time! No more kids!! No more homework (unless they need quiet), no constant cleaning it several times a day! LOL!
I have more reasons... so if your with me, I am going to keep on telling ya!!!
Next, I love the space. We have a big U-shaped couch (with a pull out sleeper), this big table, a TV, a frig and a freezer. This takes up a little more than half of the room so the rest of the room is open and is great for playing games, doing puzzle, or for doing cart-wheels (my Addie does that none stop).
And last but not least, I love how we are always together as a family all the time. Tonight, Todd and Zander were watching a baseball game, Addie and Gabe were coloring and helping me match socks, and I was doing laundry, all at the same time and all TOGETHER! On the weekends we let the kids pull out the sleeper and have little slumber parties...and yes, last week the whole family had a slumber party in our new room! HAHA!
It seems that our YELLING has become a minimal now! And we seem to have our family all together majority of the time.
So you ask me what I am doing right now....well I am sitting at the BIG table typing this. Zander and Todd are having an coaching session while watching the baseball game, Addie is cartwheeling and Gabe is reading his book!
The money we have spent on this room as been so worth it. We should have done this years ago!!! But I am so happy we did it period!
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Awkward Family Photos
Ok.... I am feeling silly today!!! I have been looking at OLD PHOTOS and I have to say we have found A LOT funny ones! Now, if you're anything like my family, we get a kick out of that website called AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTOS! It is hilarious! They are consistently finding new photos and such that get posted frequently! And yes, we get a kick them each time!! LOL
Well, lucky for you, I am about to post some pictures of my OWN AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTOS! LOL! Yes, I am feeling brave! But I hope you get a good laugh at them like I do each time I see these!
So here goes............
Well, lucky for you, I am about to post some pictures of my OWN AWKWARD FAMILY PHOTOS! LOL! Yes, I am feeling brave! But I hope you get a good laugh at them like I do each time I see these!
So here goes............
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Literally....
Thought I would share a couple things that Gabe has said or done in the last week. He is so LITERAL!!! These are just a couple of things, but keep in mind he is always doing and saying things that just make you laugh!
1) As most of you know, recently Todd and I were on a vacation without the kids. My mom and dad watched the kids for us while we were away. But today, while visiting with my mom, she shared this story.....
Gabe apparently wanted a "snack" but it was dinner time. The whole family was at the table and he was trying to negotiate how much more he had to eat from his dinner plate to get his special snack!!! Mom finally got sick of trying to compromise with him so she told him he must "clean his plate". So about 2 minutes go by and mom is not certain what he is doing yet...but he puts away his plate, drinks all his drink and puts it away, and then cleans his area with a wet rag. Everyone is still eating and talking when he finally announces that he is ready. Mom still didn't get it, but he says to hear "but I cleaned my plate, like you said...." LOL
2) Another story..... Todd and I returned from our vacation late Sunday evening. The kids were very excited to have us home and tried really hard to have us let the play hookie on Monday. But I could not stay home with them, as I had a staff meeting to attend to Monday morning and Addie had a few test to take. And Todd would be home but he would be working from home!!!
Anyhow, Gabe understood that I had prior commitments. So Monday morning rolls around and he walks into class. His teacher, Mrs. Price is aware of us being out of town and realizes that we should be back by now. So she says to Gabe, "Gabe, is your mommy and daddy home now?" Gabe replies "My daddy is, but my mommy is not!!!"
LOL! I bet Mrs. Price thought she would hear about this story on 20/20 there for a few minutes!!! SO FUNNY!
I will share more later..... HAHAHA!
1) As most of you know, recently Todd and I were on a vacation without the kids. My mom and dad watched the kids for us while we were away. But today, while visiting with my mom, she shared this story.....
Gabe apparently wanted a "snack" but it was dinner time. The whole family was at the table and he was trying to negotiate how much more he had to eat from his dinner plate to get his special snack!!! Mom finally got sick of trying to compromise with him so she told him he must "clean his plate". So about 2 minutes go by and mom is not certain what he is doing yet...but he puts away his plate, drinks all his drink and puts it away, and then cleans his area with a wet rag. Everyone is still eating and talking when he finally announces that he is ready. Mom still didn't get it, but he says to hear "but I cleaned my plate, like you said...." LOL
2) Another story..... Todd and I returned from our vacation late Sunday evening. The kids were very excited to have us home and tried really hard to have us let the play hookie on Monday. But I could not stay home with them, as I had a staff meeting to attend to Monday morning and Addie had a few test to take. And Todd would be home but he would be working from home!!!
Anyhow, Gabe understood that I had prior commitments. So Monday morning rolls around and he walks into class. His teacher, Mrs. Price is aware of us being out of town and realizes that we should be back by now. So she says to Gabe, "Gabe, is your mommy and daddy home now?" Gabe replies "My daddy is, but my mommy is not!!!"
LOL! I bet Mrs. Price thought she would hear about this story on 20/20 there for a few minutes!!! SO FUNNY!
I will share more later..... HAHAHA!
Tuesday, September 15, 2009
Been Away.....on VACATION!!!!
I know. I know. I have been very quiet on here the last couple of weeks. You know why??? Cos I was out of the country!! YAP!! My dear husband took me away for my first CRUISE and first MEXICO trip ever! It was so awesome! The trip alone was awesome, but being with my man for 10 straight days was even better!
On Sept. 5 we left DFW, flew to Los Angelas....spent almost 24hours with Todd's sister, then boarded our cruise out of Long Beach that would last 8 days! We were at sea for a day and half then had our first stop in Cabo San Lucas!
We had the most amazing time there at Lover's Beach snorkeling. There is something so romantic about being in deep blue waters, hand in hand with your spouse, seeing hundreds and hundreds of tropical fish surrounding us! We spent 3 hours swimming and snorkeling together!!! Then ended our day there with a light lunch and people watching!!! LOL!
Our next day was at Mazatlan. Here we rented a van a took a private tour of parts of this area. We learned lots about the history of Mexico and saw lots of new and old!!! The tour was very informative....not to mention we were told exactly where to go to do our shopping!!! We also took a fairy to STONE island where we ate a great shrimp lunch!!!
Our last stop was in Puerto Vallerta! I have never seen a place more beautiful and unique as here. Being in a real rainforest was so cool. The streets were made of cobble stones and the air was so fresh!!!! HUMID, but fresh!!! Here we took a taxi about 30 miles outside of town...which was an awesome scenic drive. Lots of mountains, beautiful cottages, old villages, winding narrow roads, etc. It was almost movie like! We finally got to our destination....CHICO's. This was an old Mexican restaurant way out in nowhere land. It was in the middle of the mountains with a river and waterfalls that over look from the restaurant balconies. Not only did we enjoy the scenery there but we also ZIPLINED from mountain to mountain and over the rivers there! It was sooo cool!!!!
The last two days were sea days of traveling back. We took lots of naps, worked out, layed out by the pool, and just rested alot! The ship itself had plenty to do.....and plenty of great shows too (Ron, my brother in law performed 2 times while on the boat)!!!!
It was a blast!!! I have made a brief video of some of the pictures! Take a look at the blog posting that will soon to come above!!!
On Sept. 5 we left DFW, flew to Los Angelas....spent almost 24hours with Todd's sister, then boarded our cruise out of Long Beach that would last 8 days! We were at sea for a day and half then had our first stop in Cabo San Lucas!
We had the most amazing time there at Lover's Beach snorkeling. There is something so romantic about being in deep blue waters, hand in hand with your spouse, seeing hundreds and hundreds of tropical fish surrounding us! We spent 3 hours swimming and snorkeling together!!! Then ended our day there with a light lunch and people watching!!! LOL!
Our next day was at Mazatlan. Here we rented a van a took a private tour of parts of this area. We learned lots about the history of Mexico and saw lots of new and old!!! The tour was very informative....not to mention we were told exactly where to go to do our shopping!!! We also took a fairy to STONE island where we ate a great shrimp lunch!!!
Our last stop was in Puerto Vallerta! I have never seen a place more beautiful and unique as here. Being in a real rainforest was so cool. The streets were made of cobble stones and the air was so fresh!!!! HUMID, but fresh!!! Here we took a taxi about 30 miles outside of town...which was an awesome scenic drive. Lots of mountains, beautiful cottages, old villages, winding narrow roads, etc. It was almost movie like! We finally got to our destination....CHICO's. This was an old Mexican restaurant way out in nowhere land. It was in the middle of the mountains with a river and waterfalls that over look from the restaurant balconies. Not only did we enjoy the scenery there but we also ZIPLINED from mountain to mountain and over the rivers there! It was sooo cool!!!!
The last two days were sea days of traveling back. We took lots of naps, worked out, layed out by the pool, and just rested alot! The ship itself had plenty to do.....and plenty of great shows too (Ron, my brother in law performed 2 times while on the boat)!!!!
It was a blast!!! I have made a brief video of some of the pictures! Take a look at the blog posting that will soon to come above!!!
Monday, August 31, 2009
Wow! What a Week!
Wow! We survived last week!!! YAE! It was a crazy, busy one but a great one! The once-garage is just about to be a completed gameroom...just waiting on AC and some finishings on the new wall. The kids made it through their first week of school and seemed to be happy with their new teachers and classmates. Work for me is finally caught up and volunteers seem to be falling into place where we need them! Things are good.
But boy, has it been tiring!!! LOL! I know my trash man is not going to like us tomorrow when we pull out the trash cans. I think we have 4 trash cans and they are all full not to mention the spill overs!!! Todd and I have cleaned in places that have never been cleaned in the 9 years we have been in this house! Talk about some serious dust mites! LOL! Not to mention Todd is a PACKRAT! I think my husband is now convinced that we shouldn't save everything!
Oh...got to share this too. Not only did Gabe start still this week....but he lost his first tooth!!! My O My! He is getting too big too quick! He actually bit into a nacho from Taco Bell and the tooth snapped (it was already a bit loose). He was a little freaked out thinking he broke his tooth, but then we explained that he was now a big boy and the tooth fairy would soon be arriving. That is all we had to say and by our next stop....ACADEMY, he had that tooth completely out!
So what is on the agenda this week...
1) Meetings, Meetings, and more Meetings from now until Wednesday evening
2) Lesson Plans and prep for while I am out
3) Lots of packing for my trip with my hubby this weekend.
4) Packing and preparing my mom and dad a little list of things to know since they will be watching my three rugrats!
5) Hopefully getting the gameroom complete!!!
6) School-Classroom Meetings
7) Shopping and Lunch with my mom
8) Subbing for a Jr. High Math class
9) Soccer practices
10)A few home cooked meals with the family around the table!
So got one week down but another busy week ahead! But I am looking forward to it all!!!
But boy, has it been tiring!!! LOL! I know my trash man is not going to like us tomorrow when we pull out the trash cans. I think we have 4 trash cans and they are all full not to mention the spill overs!!! Todd and I have cleaned in places that have never been cleaned in the 9 years we have been in this house! Talk about some serious dust mites! LOL! Not to mention Todd is a PACKRAT! I think my husband is now convinced that we shouldn't save everything!
Oh...got to share this too. Not only did Gabe start still this week....but he lost his first tooth!!! My O My! He is getting too big too quick! He actually bit into a nacho from Taco Bell and the tooth snapped (it was already a bit loose). He was a little freaked out thinking he broke his tooth, but then we explained that he was now a big boy and the tooth fairy would soon be arriving. That is all we had to say and by our next stop....ACADEMY, he had that tooth completely out!
So what is on the agenda this week...
1) Meetings, Meetings, and more Meetings from now until Wednesday evening
2) Lesson Plans and prep for while I am out
3) Lots of packing for my trip with my hubby this weekend.
4) Packing and preparing my mom and dad a little list of things to know since they will be watching my three rugrats!
5) Hopefully getting the gameroom complete!!!
6) School-Classroom Meetings
7) Shopping and Lunch with my mom
8) Subbing for a Jr. High Math class
9) Soccer practices
10)A few home cooked meals with the family around the table!
So got one week down but another busy week ahead! But I am looking forward to it all!!!
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