Sunday Seven

I though I would end each week with 7 things. It can be anything I want, 7 things I am happy about, sad about, thankful for, excited about...you get the picture!

Tonight will be 7 things I am happy about!

1: My contacts are getting easier and easier to wear!

2: New hair cuts/styles do wonders for your self esteem...go get one today! I did and I feel fantastic. I had 8" cut off the length and got it layered. My hair was half way down my back. I almost donated to locks of love, but I wasn't ready to go that short. 10" is what is required and that would have been a bit too much for me.

3: Jeans that I bought a month ago were too tight, and now they fit!

4: I got to go out by myself today, without the kids

5: School starts in 3 days!!

6: I finally found a silver box chain that doesn't pull my hair, to hold my locket that hubby got me for Xmas last year.

7: I have an awesome pair of sunglasses that I can wear now because I have contacts, and I can also wear a head band now too if I want.


So what about you...what are 7 things you are happy about?

Black Friday Shopping

For those of you who don't know what Black Friday is, it is the day after Thanksgiving, here in the good old USA. Basically, it is to us Americans, what Boxing Day is to Canadians. But we have better deals! lol

I am a Black Friday junkie! I always buy a ton of gifts for the kids for Christmas, if I am not done with my shopping already by then. Since I can't get up so early in the morning without my hubby home, I hit up the deals as soon as we can get out of the house. And since I go mostly for toys, I've gotten everything I've wanted in the past. I actually feel a bit behind this year though because I have only bought a few things for our youngest. I guess that is ok though, because this year we are forgoing all the toys and getting a Wii for the three older kids to share, along with a few smaller items for each of them. What I love about Black Friday though, is that you can find some great deals, and really cheap too! Last year I stopped at Wal Mart and was able to find a bag of Mega Blocks, 120 pieces, for only $10!!! I also got lots of Hot Wheels cars for my son that were $5 for a huge pack. If I had bought those items any other day, I would have paid twice as much, so I really saved a lot of money by shopping that day.

I found a great site for 2008 black friday deals. It is a very helpful, informative website that will let you know all the Black Friday ads before you get the news papers on Thanksgiving morning. If you are so inclined, the Black Friday site will even let you sign up for e-mail alerts instead of going to the website to see the ads. Each time a new store's ad is released, it will be emailed to you. It really is a great way to plan your holiday shopping, because who really wants to pour through ads after you have stuffed yourself full of turkey and stuffing?

I love to find Toys R Us deals when I am looking for Black Friday deals. Toys R Us usually has some of the best bargains around, and since I have four kids to shop for, I can usually find something good there. I am hoping to find a Wii there this year, if I haven't bought it before that already. If you click on the Toys R Us text above, it will bring you to a list of all of last years deals. This years deals aren't out yet, but they should start rolling in sometime soon, according to the website, in September!

So go on over to BlackFriday.biz and check out some of the awesome deals you can find!

Misery Loves Company

Anyone care to join me in complaining? I started a diet on Wednesday with my hubby, and today the food made me want to throw up. I am sick of it and haven't eaten anything since mid afternoon. I actually felt like I was going to vomit. I just want a freakin bowl of honey nut cheerios! I am miserable and don't want to eat the required diet food today, it really makes me feel sick to my stomach. And all he does is say it will ruin my diet, if I eat the wrong stuff. OMG I want to scream!!!

I also got my contacts today, and I see great...but my eyes are so not used to them! They won't stay moist, so tomorrow I have to stop by the drug store and buy some new re-wetting drops because the type the Dr. gave me sting my eyes. Other than that, it is great being able to wear some cool shades! I love that!

I think I am going to sneak a bowl of cheerios in...wish me luck!



edited to add: all is good on the diet front, I have decided to try something less challenging. And I talked to hubby about it too, and he supports my decision. I feel better, after having a bowl of cereal!

FDA Finds Lead In Vitamins

Just thought I would pass along this link. Thankfully none of our family's vitamins are on this list.

The Daily Green

Happy Anniversary

Today is not technically an anniversary that most normal people would count, but exactly 9 years ago, my hubby got down on one knee and asked me to marry him! We were married 3 months later, you can read all about it here.

I can't believe it has been 9 years already! We celebrated by me going shopping by myself! lol Actually, we didn't really celebrate, but hubby gave me the afternoon off and I got to go out by myself without four clingy kids! It was great, even though I spent some of my time buying socks and undies for the kids for school.

Tomorrow I have an eye appointment...will I come home with contacts or glasses? only time will tell...I did tell my hubby though, that if I got contacts, he was going to take me shopping for an awesome pair of sunglasses. I've never been able to wear nice ones, so I am hoping I get contacts so I can buy sunglasses!

I'll update tomorrow if I have time.

Works For Me Wednesday

It's that time again people!!

Shannon over at Rocks In My Dryer has been taking a blogging break over the summer, so this is why I haven't posted one of these in a long long time!

I really don't know what to write about today, so the first thing that came to mind was a specific type of nail polish I use. Revlon Color Stay.

If you're like me, your nails are ALWAYS getting chipped. I am a mom of 4 kids and my nails are constantly being run ragged, and my polish always chips. So last year I found this nail polish at Target and it is the best! It comes with a bonding color (your normal color) and a sealing shine coat. You can only use the two together, but they work like magic! I did my nails yesterday afternoon, and they still look freshly made.

Another thing I have recently discovered is "Magix" by Avon. It is a base you can use with or without your foundation, and it helps control oil. I suffer from terribly oily skin during the summer months, so this has been a lifesaver. It comes in a small toothpaste-like tube. My face has been much less shinier than before, and I feel better about myself too. Best thing of all, it has an SPF 20!

What I Did Today

Load upon load upon load upon load upon load of laundry. Washing, Drying, Folding, Putting away. That will teach me not to get behind!!!

Mopped all the non-carpeted floors

Vacuumed all the carpets

Dusted all the surfaces

Mowed the grass

Cleaned my huge bathroom

De cluttered all the living areas

Balanced the check-book

Bathed the baby, and made sure the other three "de-stank" themselves.

Tried the baby's Halloween costume on her after she had just woken up from her nap. Why do I do this to myself? Because it's freakin' cute, that's why! (And I should mention that after she had it on, she was excited to be a Bee, and did not want to take her costume off.

Listened to my 7.5 year old daughter scream and cry as I was trying to comb and brush out the tangles in her long blond hair. De-tangler does not work for her hair.

Called Amazon to see why my order hasn't shipped yet even though I paid for normal shipping and not super saver shipping.

Ran the dishwasher 3 times, the 2ND time because I accidentally spilled a can of Pepsi all over the clean dishes that I had yet to unload, and because my piece-of-shit dishwasher can't be fully loaded, or else it will not clean one bit.


I would have gotten at least half of this done yesterday, but I was feeling sick yesterday and still had to go to TWO grocery stores. Plus, when I got on I-5 to get to Wal-Mart, traffic was backed up for MILES, so I had to back track through town, which made my trip to Wal Mart take twice as long. So needless to say, I was too tired to do anything yesterday. The good news is that I am done now with my cleaning. I just have to do my nails and toes and I'm good to go!

My eyes are tired, and the words I am typing are blurry! I seriously did not sit down all morning from the time I made breakfast at 8:30 till 1Pm. Then we got to eat lunch, and then it was back up and doing chores again. I just sat down after the kids went to bed at 9, and I watched a bit of TV before mopping. I still have to shower and shave and I feel like I am dead on my feet! He won't be home till mid to late afternoon tomorrow, but I really really hate scrambling to do things last minute.

My hubby better appreciate this! lol

On the plus side, I finished the "Twilight Saga" late last night, and I have started to read it again! This time I will take it a lot slower, and enjoy the books even more.

My summer vacation is essentially over, even though school doesn't start for another week. I was not able to sleep in this past weekend because we had errands to run, and when hubby is home, he hates to sleep in. Plus, I have to get the kids on a back to school schedule, so I will start implementing that with hubby tomorrow night. That means bed time at 8/8:30 for them, and I have to be in bed on time too because I have to get up at 6:30 each morning. I really should have done it today, but I was not in any mood to do it.

Seeing as the man comes home tomorrow, don't expect to see me for awhile. I will try to update when I can, but we have a busy week ahead of us and I haven't seen my man in five weeks. *wink wink*

An Ode To Canada

Thanks to my friend Moodswinging Mommy we can all enjoy Canada's version of Adam Sandler's Hanukkah Song.

I know I am a bit late to the party, seeing as it is almost the end of August, but I read it on her blog today and just cracked up! I haven't received permission from her yet to c/p on here, so just follow the link and read.

I wanted to share this because not many of you know that I am Canadian. I was born and raised in British Columbia, but eloped to Germany to marry my fiancee, and now hubby of almost 9 years. I have my green card, and my four children are all American citizens, but I am not. I will be able to apply for my citizenship in two years, and I will be getting their Canadian citizen ship as soon as I get my butt in gear! lol

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I made the trip to Old Navy today...I'll write about that later, what a day it was!

Back To The Real World

If you read my post the other day, I have been completely and totally enthralled with the "Twilight" saga. I have been reading the books so fast that I had to actually buy two at a time the other day, just so I wouldn't make an extra trip to Target to buy the 3d and 4th ones.

So last night I started reading the fourth book. I love it. I love Edward. I want to be a Vampire! lol Can I turn my husband into Edward? my dreams would be fulfilled then.

In all seriousness though, I haven't read too far into it because I am trying to make this last book last. And also because the man will be home on Tuesday! You know what this means, back to the cleaning, which I have slacked this last week because I have been fantasizing about what life with Edward would be like.

Today I have to go grocery shopping, and also take the kids to the library's end of the summer party. They are featuring the "Very Hungry Caterpillar", which just happens to be my youngest daughter's favorite book. So we're looking forward to that. The kids also got free coupons for pizza, because they completed the reading program at the library, so we'll be enjoying something yummy for dinner!

Tomorrow I am headed off to Old Navy FIRST thing in the morning. They are having a sale on jeans, $7 per pair for kids jeans. The catch is, they limit you to 3 pairs per customer. So guess what? my kids will be buying their jeans! Yep, you read that right, mommy dearest is going to give her children $25 each to pay for their jeans. Just watch Old Navy try to stop me! Mwuhahahaha.

And then comes the cleaning. I need to pull myself away from my book because if I don't, I will be scrambling like crazy on monday to clean.

Wish me luck!

Roses Are Red

Two days ago the dog was barking up a storm, and I didn't pay him any attention because he always barks. He barks at the wind! But this time he kept barking, so I went outside to check, and the Fed-Ex guy was here for what seemed the umpteenth time this week. But this time he comes out with a really long box...and inside the box were these (pardon my dog's feet, it is really hard to get him to move sometimes):






The pictures don't do them justice! They are gorgeous. Don't I have an awesome hubby? I love him so much!!

Look What I Just Bought!

No need to hide my Gymboree "addiction", lol, so I had to share what I bought tonight for the girls. The poor boy didn't get a stitch, but that is ok, because he is going shopping with Daddy next week for school clothes (so are the older girls, but my hubby will probably get him a few extra things).

This is what I got for the baby, I also got antennae too, but I am not sure if they will fit her yet. If not, I can easily buy or make some:

I got this shirt for all three girls so they can match

I also got this for the older two girls. Now all three girls have matching pjs. The baby has those pjs already from last year, they still fit her.



I'll be buying the older kids halloween costumes soon, but I wanted to get the baby's costume because it was 30% off. Gymboree has some really cute pjs (gymmies are what they call them) this year, they also have black skeleton gymmies that I have for the baby as well. Unfortunately, not in the boy's size, as he is a bean pole and needs a size 10.

Little Things

My credit card payment is due this week and I had plans to pay it this afternoon, but this morning when I opened my e-mail, there was an email from my hubby informing me he had paid it himself. I wrote back to him saying I had been planning on paying it, so thank you, and he wrote back saying, "well now you don't have to. xo"

Just two letters. XO

Isn't it amazing how two little letters can invoke such strong feeling?

It is hard to explain how I felt seeing "xo", but I felt such love emanating from those two letters.

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In other news, at play care today, Miss Suki was able to get my youngest daughter to PEE on a potty WITHOUT a potty seat!!!! Clap with me! I forgot to put her on the potty after breakfast and realized that when we arrived at the YMCA, so I informed them and I found out afterwards that they had been successful. And then today while we were at Target, she went pee on a potty AGAIN!!!!! HOORAY!!! She is making such leaps and bounds. We only have one more hurdle to cross with potty training, and that is pooping in the big potty, and not on her little one. She has caught on so quickly and I am so proud of her!

The reason I have been gone lately is because I have been totally entranced by the Twilight Saga written by Stephanie Meyer . I don't want to spoil it, but it is about a girl that falls in love with a Vampire. I finished the first book in two days, and I ran out to Target today today to get the second one. I am almost half way through it!! I have to say, these books are fantastic! You get so involved with the characters. I am so much, that I actually cried at certain points during this second book. The way Stephanie portrays what Bella, the main character, is going through, is absolutely heart breaking to read. I am that into that book, that I actually felt like she was, feeling her pain.

I LOVE this series. Probably one of my all time favorites, but then I have always been interested with the Vampire side of things. I highly recommend the series if you haven't read it yet. The movie for the first book is coming out this November. I am hoping I can find a sitter or something so that I can go see it.

Thankfully I still have two and a half more books to go. I really need to slow myself down though, because I always ruin it for myself by reading so fast. I love to read, but I just want to enjoy it.

Who Doesn't Love A Good Laugh

I found this hilarious web site this morning while I was being lazy and not doing my housework...oops!

I love having a good laugh, and love hearing funny Jokes. One of the jokes that I really enjoyed, that actually made me laugh was this one, The Hippie and The Nun:

One day a hippie gets a ride on a public bus and sees a hot young nun. He sits down next to her and promptly asks if she would like to have sex, to which she immediately says no and walks off the bus. The bus driver leans over and says “Hey guy I know how to get that nun to have sex with you…”

Naturally the hippie asks, and the bus driver tells him that every night at midnight the nun goes to an old graveyard to pray for god to forgive her for her past, and that he should dress up like god and tell the nun she will be forgiven if she has sex with you.

The hippie gives his thanks and runs to the nearest costume shop.

Later that evening the hippie gets ready for his big night and drives down to the graveyard and sees the nun praying, on her knees. He says “Behold, I have heard your prayers and you shall be forgiven if you have sex with me!”

The nun agrees but asks if they can have anal sex in order to keep her virginity. The hippie agrees and once they are finished the hippie jumps back and pulls off his mask and says “Surprise, its me the Hippie!”

The nun jumps up and pulls off her mask and says “Surprise, its me the bus driver!”

If you have a few free moments, you should head on over and explore the site. They have funny pictures, comics, videos and lots of jokes.

Cry With Me!

Last night I was in our living room at about 8:50PM and I had put the kids to bed a half hour before. I was on the phone with my hubby when I felt like I was being watched. I looked around and saw my 2.5 year old daughter staring at me! lol

We've been having problems with her staying in bed lately, unfortunately. When I saw her, I said to her "You're a little stinker...", she smiled at me with her mischievous grin and laughed as well. How can you not laugh back? They are so sweet at that age! I kept her up for a half hour till she was finally getting sleepy, and we read her favorite book, "The Very Hungry Caterpillar", a few times.

I want you to cry with me because there will be no more afternoon naps. She had a nap yesterday afternoon, so she wasn't tired enough to go to bed. My older three kids didn't give up afternoon naps till after three! So it will definitely be a big adjustment. Especially now that the three older ones will be in school full time, I won't be having any more peaceful afternoons while the little one naps. *sigh*

At least I can plan my days a little better, right? I can do my errands in the afternoon now if I have to, instead of cramming them all into the morning.

But I'll still long for the days of quite afternoons.

Installing A Husband

Just to lighten the mood a little, here is something funny I read on a message board I frequent.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Dear Tech Support,

Last year I upgraded from Boyfriend 5.0 to Husband 1.0 and noticed a distinct slow down in overall system performance, particularly in the flower and jewelry applications, which operated flawlessly under Boyfriend 5.0.

In addition, Husband 1..0 uninstalled many other valuable programs, such as Romance 9.5 and Personal Attention 6.5, and then installed undesirable programs such as NASCAR 6.0, NFL 5.1 and Golf Clubs 4.1.

Conversation 8.0 no longer runs, and Housecleaning 2.6 simply crashes the system.


Please note that I have tried running Nagging 5.3 to fix these problems, but to no avail.

What can I do?

Signed,
Desperate

__________________________________________________ _____
DEAR DESPERATE,

First, keep in mind,
Boyfriend 5.0 is an Entertainment Package, while . Husband 1.0 is an operating system.

Please enter command: ithoughtyoulovedme.HTML and try to download Tears 6.2 and do not forget to install the Guilt 3.0 update.

If that application works as designed, Husband 1.0 should then automatically run the applications Jewelry 2.0 and Flowers 3.5.

However, remember, overuse of the above application can cause Husband 1.0 to default to Grumpy Silence 2.5, Happy Hour 7.0 or Beer 6.1.

Please note that Beer 6. 1 is a very bad program that will download the Farting and Snoring Loudly Beta.

Whatever you do, DO NOT under any circumstances install Mother-In-Law 1.0 (it runs a virus in the background that will eventually seize control of all your system resources)

In addition, please do not attempt to reinstall the Boyfriend 5.0-program.

These are unsupported applications and will crash Husband 1.0.

In summary, Husband 1.0 is a great program, but it does have limited memory and cannot learn new applications quickly. You might consider buying additional software to improve memory and performance. We recommend . Cooking 3.0 and . Hot Lingerie 7.7.

Good Luck!

Tech Support

RIP Chef!

I don't mean to be a downer, two depressing posts in a row, but I just wanted to share this with you.

Some of you may remember Isaac Hayes, also known as the voice of "Chef" from the television show, South Park. He passed away today at the age of 65.



Isaac Hayes dies at US home
2 hours ago

MEMPHIS, Tennessee (AFP) — American funk-soul legend and Academy Award-award winning musician Isaac Hayes was found dead Sunday at his home in Memphis, Tennessee, officials said. He was 65.

The talented singer, songwriter and composer, who won the Oscar in 1972 for best original song for the theme from "Shaft," was found unresponsive at his house by family members, Shelby county sheriff's spokesman Steve Shular told AFP.

Hayes was discovered at about 1:00 pm (1800 GMT) collapsed on the floor of a bedroom in his home next to a treadmill that was still running, Shelby said.

"We don't believe there was any foul play," Shular said. "Based on the statements by family members that Mr. Hayes had been treated of late for a number of medical issues, we believe that led to his death today. There are no plans for an autopsy."

Hayes suffered a stroke in 2006.

Born August 20, 1942 in Covington, Tennessee, Hayes' humble beginnings with his sharecropper family were never far from his mind. At the height of fame, he bought an estate in East Memphis overlooking the same cotton fields where he grew up.

He began singing in church at age five and in high school caught the attention of a guidance counselor who persuaded him to enter a talent show.

"When I finished, the house was on its feet, man, and I was a hit ... So I started pursuing music big time," Hayes said on his official website.

He was renowned for his characteristic baritone voice and mastery of several instruments, including the saxophone and the piano.

After graduating high school in 1962 and winning seven college scholarships for vocal music, Hayes turned down higher education to launch his music with Stax Record, where he worked with some of Rhythm and Blues biggest names at the time, including Sam & Dave, Otis Redding and Booker T & the MG's.

Hayes became Stax's rising star starting in 1966, and over the next few years some 200 Hayes-David Porter compositions became standards.

His career took off in 1969 with the landmark "Hot Buttered Soul" album, which stayed on the pop chart for 81 weeks and forced the music industry, for the first time, to conceive of soul music as an album art form.

At the time of emerging Black Power and with the death of Martin Luther King as a conscience building experience, Hayes transformed his image into a revolutionary statement, dressing in black leather, draping his bare chest in rows of gold chains and shaving his head completely.

After his career-defining soundtrack for the 1971 movie "Shaft," for which Hayes picked up an Oscar, three Grammy awards, a Golden Globe award, and an Edison award, Europe's highest music honor, Hayes began acting in scores of movies and television series.

His guest star appearances included TV shows "The Rockford Files" and "Miami Vice." He also appeared in feature films such as "Escape from New York" and "Hustle & Flow."

Musically, he returned to the charts in 1986 with a new record deal with Columbia and a new album, "U-Turn."

In 1997 he began voicing the role of chef in the animated Comedy Central cable ' series "South Park," but quit in 2006, apparently because of a conflict with Scientology, a religion he followed since the mid 1990s.

During a 1991 trip with Barry White to Africa, Hayes became fascinated with his African roots, and began his philanthropic devotion to spreading the message that education is the key to freedom.

He started the Isaac Hayes Foundation in 1993 and after being crowned king of a small community in Ghana, he returned in 2000 to open an education center that provides literacy, computer technology and health courses.

In 2002, Hayes was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame and moved back home to Memphis, Tennessee, where he pursed business interests that flowered into two restaurants, a best-selling cookbook and top secret barbecue sauces.

Hayes was married four times and fathered 12 children, according to US magazine. He is survived by his current wife Adjowa, whom he married in 2005 and with whom he had one child.

My Thoughts Are With Them

Back in May, Steven Curtis Chapman and his wife, Mary Beth, lost their 5 year old daughter, Maria, due to a tragic accident. Yesterday, Aug 6th, they were interviewed on Good Morning America. Here is the You-Tube video. It is pretty heart-wrenching, so be prepared to cry.

I can't imagine what they are going through, and I hope I never have to. I can't bear the thought of losing any of my children.

Halloween Is Nearing...

Today while I was at Safeway, I happened upon a cute little cookbook/craft book with tons of different halloween recipes and crafts. The cashier was even surprised they had them, but I just had to have it. There are some really neat ideas in there, and my kids have already poured over it asking me to make most of it. We'll attempt a few I am sure.

Even more proof that Halloween is coming, is the fact that some stores have already started to put Halloween items up online. Right now it is mostly clothing, but I am sure that stuff will come soon.

I ordered these two today, aren't they adorable?






Who else is looking forward to Halloween like me?

Becoming A Better Me

Today I thought I would talk about the dreaded "E" word.....

*insert ominous music*

EXERCISE!!!

Most people hate, and I use that word lightly, to exercise. Can you blame them? It isn't very fun, it is hot, sweaty work and you have to do it over and over to see results.

I myself do not look forward to going to the gym. It seems like an intrusion into my day. But honestly, once I get there, and I am into it, then I feel great! It really isn't all that bad once you start exercising and doing your cardio or strength training.

But what is it about exercise that makes us feel good? The answer is in Endorphins! Endorphins are powerful, hormone-like substances produced in the brain, and they're actually your body's own pain killer.

Back to the point, Becoming A Better Me. I exercise so that I can feel better about myself. I did really poorly in July, but the last week I have started to go regularly again, and despite my protests about going and it being an intrusion, it is doing me a world of good. I can feel my muscles more while I am working out and I'm starting to lose weight again. I also exercise because I want to lose weight. I am not happy at all where I am weight-wise, so I am doing this so I can become a thinner version of myself. I want to be the me that is inside.

I also made the decision that if I really want this weigh to come off, I have got to go more than 3 times a week. So I am sucking it up and going 4 times. Monday thru Thursday. Monday and Wednesday mornings, and then Tuesday and Thursday, late afternoon, while the kids are in Karate and swimming. It does cost more, but my health is important too. I am worth some money I would think!

If you don't exercise regularly, I urge you to try. You don't have to have a fancy, shmancy YMCA membership like me, even working out at home will do wonders for your mental and physical health. Any sort of cardio and resistance training is good. Start of slow and gradually build your way up, and once you plateau, or something becomes too easy, then challenge yourself to work harder! I know I do! I used to want to die after I got off the Elliptical machine, and now I am doing a good 30-40 minutes with ease. Granted, I am as red as a tomato by the time I am done, but I still do it, and don't feel like I am dying afterwards. And for the record, I don't just do cardio. I also do a LOT of resistance and strength training. Weights will do a body good! Also, if you tone as well as do cardio, you run less risk of having saggy skin when you are done.

Do yourself a favor and start exercising. Go to the gym, go take a walk, even do some dumbbell curls with cans of soup! Anything is better than nothing. You'll feel better about yourself, and wonder what took you so long to get started.

Carnival Time

I havent participated in a blog carnival in a long time!! July was the last time, and it was a crazy month for me.

So this week, I am thanking Mama Bear, over at I've Gotta Little Space To Fill for including my post C is For Cookie, in this weeks edition of the Make It From Scratch Carnival.

Classic Sesame Street

You know how YouTube is, you watch one video and then it leads to another and another and another, until you finally land up at "Dr Livingston, I presume". Do you catch my drift?

I was born in 1980, so I saw all these classic Sesame Street skits when they were actually on TV. Is it just me, or was Sesame Street better back then?
Remember this video? That was always one of my favorites.

I find it funny that I write about Sesame Street, since we have been done with it for years. My youngest daughter won't have anything to do with it, but the older three kids were crazy over it. I couldn't tell you how many Elmo and other various SS toys we had!

Here are another few videos for your enjoyment!

Bert and Ernie visit a Pyramid. This was my absolute all time favorite, I still think about it sometimes. lol!

Here Fishy Fishy, yet another Bert and Ernie Classic

And let's not forget, typewriter guy. He was a favorite of mine too.

what are some classics you remember from way back when?

C Is For Cookie

While trying to combat my boredom today, I decided to bake some cookies. I haven't baked in a long long time. It has been so long that I didn't know if I even had vanilla extract and baking soda! That is what happens when you move and don't have such an organized pantry like you did in your old house.

I took this recipe off the back of a "Heath Toffee Bits" bag, that were made for baking..not snacking!

Heath Bits Peanut Butter Cookies

1/2 cup shortening
3/4 cup Creamy PB
1-1/3 cups packed light brown sugar
3 tbsp milk
1 tbsp vanilla extract
1 egg
1-1/2 cups all purpose flour
3/4 tsp baking soda
3/4 tsp salt
1 bag of Heath Milk Chocolate toffee bits, divided

1. Heat oven to 375 F

2. Beat shortening, pb, brown sugar, milk and vanilla in a large bowl until well blended. Add egg; beat until just blended. Combine flour, baking soda and salt; gradually beat into pb mix. Stir in 1 cup toffee bits, reserve remainder for topping.

3. Drop by heaping tsp about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet; top each cookie with reserved toffee bits. Bake 7 to 8 minutes or until set. Do not over bake. Cool 2 minutes. Remove to wire rack. Cool Completely.

Makes about 3 dozen cookies. I got about 28 cookies, but we like bigger cookies.

Photography Saturday

I'm going to try add a new photo each weekend, and maybe the story behind it. I have a few lined up, but I wanted to share my favorite from this week. While I was mowing the grass today, I noticed a little frog on our tent outside. We had fun looking at him, and watching him hop around in the grass for a while and I got some awesome shots. My two year old daughter had a lot of fun saying "ribbit" to him, over and over. This was my favorite picture of the day! (if you click on the photo to enlarge it, you can see better detail)