My Food Processor is DRUNK!

With Summer comes all sorts of cooking experiments waiting to happen. I love when my husband can fire up the grill and we can try new things. My parents came over for dinner a few nights ago and I wanted to give them a "Stout Burger", so my creative juices started flowing and this is what I came up with. It ended up be quit the crowd pleaser despite my concerns about the smell of the marinade. This would be a perfect recipe to use for a guys night!

********************************************** Puree all ingredients together 1 Cup red onion 2 Garlic cloves 1 Bottle Dark Beer To make my burgers extra tasty, I mixed in a few tablespoons of marinade into the beef.

Grill burgers as usual, liberally basting with the marinade, while cooking. Serve on toasted RYE bread with a thick slice of Cheddar, some lettuce and enjoy!

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My handy husband also made me some Salt and Pepper shakers out of the used beer bottles (cleaned and dried of course)

This made a great little caddy for taking the silverware, napkins, and salt and pepper shakers wherever we needed them.

Love that smile

My husband, age 2

Penguins say "Yak Yak"

Well, as promised I taught Emma a little about penguins last week. We went to the Zoo, we painted pictures, read lots of penguin books and watched some movies.

This is what weekends are for

Daddy and his helper!

I'm a Super Smartie!

So my 3yr old has been driving me a little nuttos lately. She asks "Why Momma?" about a hundred times an hour! This morning, as I was relishing in the joy of having two children......no wait, scratch that and lets try again. This morning as I was going crazy from all the questions, I knew I had to find a solution. So, I asked Emma if she wanted "Special Closed Door Time". She isn't allowed to close her bedroom door, because she does it with such force that I know she would chop of Harry's tiny little fingers if she did. So, I got out an alarm clock and set it for 10 minutes. I stated that once the buzzer went off she had to open the door. I also told her that if she did anything naughty, she would never get "Special Closed Door Time" again. Well, it worked! She played so well, that even after the door was opened, she kept playing. THIS IS GREAT NEWS FOR ME! This was a huge accomplishment for Emma because she hates playing by herself. I was so proud of her and can't wait to try it again tomorrow.....perhaps for 15 minutes :) I olny wish I could have a peephole in her door to see what she was doing.

************************************** I put Harry in the Exersaucer to watch Dora, and I actually got my hair and Make-up done in peace!

This is what I found when I went to get her. She had made a bed for all her babies. Sooo sweet!

Fingerprint Friday - Frazzled

To say this week has been stressful is the understatement of the century. I haven't slept much, I haven't eaten much, and I feel helpless. I knew that at some point I was going to have a meltdown, but I have been doing my darnedest to push it away. Well my emotions got the better of me this morning and I had minor breakdown at the grocery store. I couldn't locate the Chick-Peas and I began to cry. Shouldn't they be next to the regular peas? Well, they are not. Thankfully a kind grocery store clerk helped my locate them before I had a complete meltdown. And as I was standing in line to check out I was trying to gather myself a little. (to avoid more starring strangers) Then I looked up and staring at me straight in my face was Oprah.

Thank you Lord for the gentle reminder that you are always with me, and that with your help I can make it through any situation that comes my way. Thank you for telling me " You're stronger then you know". It's exactly what I needed.

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Fingerprint Friday was created by Beki as a way for us to be reminded of God's presence in our lives.

Toy Round UP!

IF YOU SEE THESE TOYS: BEWARE, THEY ARE ARMED AND ANNOYING!

CHARGE: Runaway VERDICT: GUILTY Mr. Hammer Toy has runaway from his tool box home to pursue a life in the TV bashing industry. He is known for his banging and bashing abilities. He may seek work in construction. (may be wearing a disguise and posing as a Mexican)

CHARGE: Vandalism VERDICT: GUILTY Miss Baby Stroller is guilty of vandalizing my home. She is know for her artistic marks on my walls. She may seek work in the demolition industry. (be advised :suspect is very fast and may be on the move)

CHARGE: Public Disturbance VERDICT: GUILTY La Guitara is a violently annoying toy. Most likely to be found in a bar using the pick up line "I play my guitar, who will sing in my band?" Is fluent in both English and Spanish.

CHARGE: Reckless Abandoment VERDICT: GUILTY Funny Farm has abandoned it's Duck, thus leaving the sensor exposed to light. Funny Farm is not so funny at 2:00 am when the sensor is going off because the duck is missing. +++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ If you see any of these toys, please be advised: These toys are extremely addicting to children and extremely annoying to adults.

Being Cheap is the mother of all inventions!

Emma needed a super cape, and as most momma's do, I got to work creating. Necessity is the Mother of all Inventions. Well, Okay so I didn't invent the cape, I'm just too cheap to go buy one. So maybe that statement should be "Necessity and being cheap is the mother of all inventions" I couldn't bare to watch her run up and down the hall with her brothers blankets anymore. So on about the 319th time Emma asked for a cape, I delivered. She now ZOOOMS proudly around. I can even get her to help with chores more...."Emma, can you zoom theses dishes to the sink?" "Sure Momma, ZOOOM!" Yes she makes the noise.

Pamper Your Piggies

We had a really girly party yesterday morning. Emma and I invited all of our friends over for a pedicure party. We had a lovely brunch and painted our piggies.

The girls went nuts for their pedicures. Three of the girls had never had their toenails painted.

I made each of the little girls a glamor stash.

Mini Golf and Sonic make me happy

Last Friday night Mike and I had a date night ,,,,,, well sorta. We got a babysitter for Harry and took Miss Emma to play Mini Golf for the first time! We had a blast! Mike and Emma ventured down the twisty slide and played some arcade games. Emma won a Chinese Finger trap, that was hilarious to watch her play with. After we were finish, we headed to Sonic for our favorite cool down treats. Sonic always makes me happy. Emma tried a Cherry for the first time and decided to just lick it instead of eating it. All in all, a great evening with the family. I had forgotten how much fun my 3yr old can be, I'm usually too busy taking care of the 1yr old.

Fingerprint Friday - God made Zebras

This past week I was doing some painting for a friends daughter. She requested Zebra Stripes on her bedroom wall. Wooozer! So I got to work. It took me a couple of day, and somewhere in the process God used it to teach me a lesson. Funny how that happens :) As I was meticulously painting and designing these giant zebra stripes on the wall, I was thinking about how God lovingly created us each individually "flaws" and all. Each stroke of my paintbrush was intentional. I believe when God created us, each brush stroke was and is intentional. I loved watching the wall come together and I think God likes watching us grow in his flawless design too.

Fingerprint Friday was created by Beki as a way for us to be reminded of God's presence in our lives.

I'm getting Plastic Surgery!

I'm getting back into the routine of going to the gym. Blek, I hate working out. My iPod battery was low last night and I realized how much a good song can motivate me. So without further ado,,, here are my top ten motivational songs for working out. These songs can always get me to move a little faster. Stronger - Kanye West Pump It - Black Eyed Peas Whoomp! There it is - Tag Team Disco Club - Black Eyed Peas Hollaback Girl - Gwen Stefani Glamorous - Fergi Wind it up - Gwen Stefani Damn Girl - Justin Timberlake Hey Ya! - Outkast Get the Party Started - Pink

I need more motivation, what is your favorite song to get you moving?

Freckle Face

When I was little I used to curse at my ugly freckles! I hated them. I hated the teasing and attention they brought me. I have learned to live with them as an adult (thanks to Clinique). However, now as a mother I am learning to appreciate them. My daughter is following in my footsteps whether she wants to or not. A few moments in the sunshine and all sorts of lovely little freckles sprout up on her sweet face. I love them! I'm starting to think God knew what he was doing when He created me with freckles. I like to think of God enjoying my freckles as much as I enjoy Emma's.

tired, dirty, hungry,,,,,,,,,,,BLESSED!

The pantry is bare,

My kids have full bellies.

The bathtub is dirty, My kiddos are clean. The furniture is worn, My kids have refuge in this home. The laundry is piled high, My kids have clothing. The gas tank is empty, My kids have seen the world. The bank account is low, I get to stay home with my kids. The beds are unmade, My house is a mess, but all of this reminds me I AM BLESSED!

Tigers go RRRRrrrrrrRR!

After we finished our summer reading program at the library, I felt a little lost. The program was providing our summer with some structure. Hmmm what could I do to fill our days with fun and learning? I wanted to make good use our our zoo membership, so I came up with the idea to do an animal theme week. This past week we learned all about TIGERS!

We read tiger books. We made tiger masks!

This is the face we make when we are scared of the tigers.

This is the face the tiger makes if he wants to scare us

We made a tiger sticker!

Water from a tiger cup is far superior to water in a regular cup.

We visited the tigers at the zoo!

We had a lot of fun doing these activities this past week. She had requested we do Penguin week next.