The Cervenka Family Blog

Enjoying Vegas

2010-05-02T11:15:00.000-07:00

Neil and I got to take a couples trip to Las Vegas in April. Neil was part of a relay race in the Nevada mountains. The race was called Baker to Vegas and the teams were made up of law enforcement from all over the world, although mostly CA agencies. Neil and some of his coworkers were asked to be runners on the Modesto team. It was such a joy to see Neil work hard and train for this competition. His dedication to the run and team was awesome. He is looking forward to being asked back as part of the team for next years run. Although he said it was very hard he would do it again in a heart beat!

Alex's 6th Birthday

2009-08-19T21:07:00.000-07:00

Since I was in the midst of recovery during Alex's 6th birthday (July 12th), it was a very low key event. We invited a few family members and served pizza and salad. Alex didn't notice who was missing or who came, he just cared about his presents and how much money he had received (that boy STILL has $50 held over from July). He is big into DS games so of course, he got a couple. We told him he now has to wait until Christmas before purchasing any more DS games. He owns about 15 now. He also loved getting Auntie Jill and Uncle Rob's Transformer toy in the mail. These kids are blessed with so many family members that love them and remember them on their birthdays and holidays.

Baking Healthy

2009-08-17T17:18:00.000-07:00

Since I no longer eat baked goods, my kids are having withdrawals from sugar. This is the last day of summer vacation and Samantha was a bit bored. She asked if we could bake something. Let's make healthy muffins with blueberries (a little bit of chocolate chips). Alex help crack the egg and beat it and Samantha did the rest. They told me they tasted delicious!!

Healthy Muffins

1 cup flour
3/4 cup bran, wheat or oat
2 1/2 tsp. baking soda
1/4 cup of sugar
3/4 tsp. salt
1 well-beaten egg
3/4 cup non-fat milk
1/3 cup apple sauce
1 cup blueberries
1/3 cup chocolate chips

Sift dry ingredients along with blueberries and chocolate chips in a bowl. In a separate small bowl, combine egg, milk and apple sauce. Add wet ingredients to dry and mix just until moistened. Bake 12 muffins 400 degrees for 20 mins.

Getting Back to Normal

2009-08-16T18:01:00.000-07:00

Slowly my body is returning to normal. I'm still tired quite a bit, but then I have an excuse to take a long nap. The kids haven't spent too much time at home this summer, so they claim to not be too bored. They are very good at letting me rest. They would much rather have me rest at home then a hospital bed.

This weekend Samantha took a Baking class held by the recreation department of our city. She had so much fun along with our neighbor girl. Alex is old enough to take the class, so I promised that next time I would let him go. Samantha wasn't too pleased by that.

I took Alex over to Micheal's while she was baking where they were holding a free craft event for back-to-school kids. Of course, he talked me into buying him some craft projects. I'm a sucker for his cute face and eyelashes.

School starts on Tues. for these two and I can't wait. What I can wait for is the shuffle to and from two schools everyday. Hopefully I can work something out with my neighbors.

The kids are growing up fast. Samantha lost all of her baby teeth and is in need of braces. Alex desperately wants to be older and have a camera and MP3 player. Why does growing up take so much more money to do it?

It's been a long, long time

2009-05-27T23:52:00.000-07:00

Lots has happened. I don't think I'll play catch up, but start from here. Isn't that how life should work.

Its beautiful in California

2009-01-15T11:52:00.000-08:00

This is perfect weather for me. High in the mid 60's, sunny but still chilly enough for a sweatshrit. I love sweatshirts. I can cover up all the winter fat!
Today I worked in Alex's kindergarten class. I try and go in every week and it's only worked out for every other week. Alex LOVES when I'm there. He comes up and gives me kisses and hugs the whole time. His class rotates between 4 tables, so he was only with me once. I had a couple of interesting conversations - I asked one young man to get a Kleenex because his nose was dripping, which sparked the topic of boogers, which I explained are really called mucas and that mucas has germs that our body is trying to get rid of, so that's why you need to blow your nose, and not suck it up. And one girl pointed out that's it's not a good idea to pick your nose because you will get germs in your nose. On another rotation, one girl had a VERY loose tooth, so we talked about what would happen if you swalloed your tooth? I said that the tooth fairy would still bring you money and that you would just poop the tooth out. The girls thought that was funny!
I sat in on Samantha's piano lesson this week. I haven't really listed to her since her first lesson and I was very impressed with the knowledge that she has already gained. She wants to take drum lessons after her 2 years of piano are up. I told her Daddy can teach her that. We will defeniatly need a bigger house just for the drum set!

Christmas Pictures

2009-01-09T22:44:00.000-08:00

I just now edited the pictures from Christmas. If you are on Facebook you've seen these already, but in order to but them on Blogger, I have to downsize the pixels.

Christmas is packed away

2009-01-04T20:32:00.000-08:00

We spent yesterday evening packing up the Christmas tree and decorations and when it's all gone the house looks so empty. I always hate packing it up because it means that I have to help Neil push the HEAVY boxes up the latter to the attic. Last time I was in the attic, I hurt my back. Bad memories!
We truly enjoyed Christmas this year. We spent Christmas Eve at our house with my family, lots of food, and game playing. The guest list included Mom, Jess, Geena, Chelsea, Robert and Melissa, Bev , JonJon, and Grandpa Ron. We were missing quite a few this year and we missed them. I did about half of the cooking the day before so I would have time to get ready, shower and put on makeup, for the day. Christmas day was spent quietly at home. Grandpa Ron came over in the morning for breakfast, then we had a visit by Lyndee who stayed and played for a couple of hours. It was the most peaceful Christmas I've had in many years.
The kids favorite gift this year was the Nintendo DS games that Neil and I got for them. They received many gift cards and money and the day after Christmas they spent their money on more DS games. Thank you everyone for all of the generous gifts you bestowed upon us this year. We were blessed with an abundance of love.
The kids go back to school tomorrow, I go off to work for my Dad, and Neil will return to work after a 4 day hiatus. We enjoyed our time off but we are ready to go back to work!

Christmas Time

2008-12-13T22:54:00.000-08:00

Wow. It's been a while since I blogged so I figured I better get busy. Tonight Neil and I went to his annual PD Christmas party. This year Neil and I were both involved in setting up, donating items for the auction and raffle as well as Neil being the M.C. It turned out very nice and we had a great picture taken of the two of us. It only happens once a year.
The kids had a good time decorating the tree but got tired of hanging ornaments about half way through so that's how many went up. It was all them this year.

Turlock PDs Open House

2008-11-02T21:39:00.001-08:00

Neil participated in the PDs 3rd annual open house a couple of weeks ago. He did 2 demos with Mike S. along side. This was much better than last years because he has had lots of practice and has attended 2 competitions.

Pictures of the kids

2008-11-02T17:50:00.000-08:00

These are Alex and Samantha's school pictures as well as some pictures I took on Halloween morning.

Trick-or-treat

2008-11-02T14:40:00.000-08:00

The kids had a spooktacular Halloween this year and managed to gather 6 lbs. of candy each. We first headed to our downtown district of Turlock were most of the business hand out candy. If they are participating, they tape an orange paper in their window. This is my favorite part of the day because I can window shop and find new store downtown. I found one little handmade country store were I bought a bar of homemade almond oatmeal soup and put on my mental list a set of hand sewn placemats with matching napkins. I also came across a children's consignment store and I think I'll knit a couple of hats to sell there. Since Grandpa Ron has his apartment on Main Street above the storefronts, we were able to get treats at his house. 2 bowls of goodies waited for the kids along with a nice place to make a potty stop and rest from walking. His place is slowly coming together and is perfect for him.
Later that evening, Grandpa Ron took the kids in our neighborhood and I was surprised at how long they stayed out. I want to say it was close to 2 hours. When they returned, Ron claimed they walked all the way to Modesto (about 15 min. away from us). Overall, it was a fun Halloween, with way too much candy, and I've already eaten my share of it.

Samantha's 1st Horse Show

2008-10-22T09:17:00.000-07:00

Samantha had her horse show this last Saturday in Galt. Neil and Grandpa Ron when to watch our girl. Samantha has been taking horse lessons in Jackson curtosy of Horsey Grandma. She was so excited to have her first competition. She won 2 first place trophies and ribbons, a 3rd place ribbon, and a participant ribbon. And these are gorgeous ribbons. They remind me of best of show ribbons from our county fair. For future lessons, Samantha will be working off half of the cost by cleaning stalls and other chores for her insturctor. She is absolutly in love with horses and I am so thankful to my mom that she is able to provide her with the lessons.

On a budget

2008-10-12T18:41:00.000-07:00

I started reading "The Total Money Makeover" by Dave Ramsey and have been very impressed to follow his steps on getting out of debt. He gives 7 Baby steps to financial freedom. Check out this page on his website for details on the steps. So we are starting and it takes alot of work to get a budget together and to look at your total spending. I averaged our spending over the last 3 months on groceries and it was around $600 a month. I had no idea we spend that much. I was thinking more like $400. And that's with me being a bargain shopper. We decided that we will be putting paying off our debt above all other spending - vacation, Christmas presents, eating out, and so forth. I know we can do it because we have already been sacrificing and buying less.

One of my favorite bargains in town has been shopping at the local 99 cent store. This week I found bananas, grapes, tomatoes, tortillas, hash browns, Halloween candy, and a gift bag. The produce is usually not the best, I would give it a B- but it last just as long as produce that I buy at the super markets.

Alex had a hard day....

2008-10-09T07:47:00.000-07:00

Alex must of had some bad karma floating around him or luck just wasn't on his side yesterday. I got 2 calls from his school. The first one was asking me to bring him a new pair of shoes because his broke. He ripped off the back strap on his red clogs. I wasn't anywhere near home so I had to go to Rite Aid and buy him a new pair of shoes. The red ones ended up in the garbage, which was fine with me because they never fit right anyway.

The 2nd call was by the school nurse informing me that Alex had been "accidentally" hit in the face by one of his classmate, but she put ice on it and he was fine. By the time I picked him up, an hour later, his poor left check and eye were still red. I asked him if one of his friends had hit him and he told me the boy isn't is friend anymore and he had kicked him in the face...Ouch!

Later that evening....we are having dinner and I just happen to be sitting next to Alex (not always the case) and notice something little sticking out of his ear. A closer look revealed a rolled up piece of paper! I pulled it out and demanded answers, Why did you put it in your ear? (I don't know) When did you put it in your ear? (At lunch time. It was a sticker on the table) Did you put anymore in your ear besides this little piece? (Only one on this side and two on this side) That got Neil moving to find his flash light and a pair of tweezers. Neil extracted the remaining pieces. I felt we should take him to the doctor, Neil felt he got it all and they were blocked by big chunks of wax so they couldn't have gone very far. Alex was very remorseful especially after we lectured him that he could loose his hearing. In my best mom voice my final words to him were, "You don't ever put anything in your ears, up your nose, in your eyes or up your butt." (Did I name all of the orifices?)

Weekly updates

2008-10-06T17:30:00.000-07:00

Neil is on a motorcycle trip with 2 of his fellow traffic officers. They origianlly had planned on going to Reno but due to the weather, they went to Las Vegas instead. So far he is having a great time. Yesterday they took a trip to Hoover Dam and Neil called home from the very top. He also spit to see what it would look like! He will be headed home tomorrow evening.

Samantha has started piano lessons and is going on her third lesson. She has picked it up rather quickly and loves it. I brings me back to my own piano lesson days and how much I hated to practice! My grandma told me I would regret quiting some day. So, no matter what, Samantha will take piano for at least 2 years. After that, she can pick a different instrument if she wishes.

Alex is excelling in kindergarten and it's remarkable to see how quickly he learns. He is still in soceer, although we have missed 3 games so far (out of town, sick, and raining).

We went to out friend Nathan Wallen's 2nd birthday yesterday. The theme was balls so I made him his own football cake. I was privledged to make his 1st birthday cake as well which was a horse's head. He was having a bit of a hard time with all the people and it was his nap time.

I have my application in for a part-time job at 2 different places. One is for a teachers aide at a nursery school and the other is to be a caregiver here in Turlock. Both would be flexable and work around the kids schedules. I'll keep you updated.

Neil's dad, Ron, moved to CA from Wisconsin this week. We are so happy to have part of Neil's family here. He has offered to help with the kids while I'm working. Alex adores his Grandpa Ron and wants him to live forever in our house. Ron is looking for something close by. He is used to the bachlor life for the last 15+ years.

September, 10 years ago.....

2008-09-12T15:00:00.000-07:00

10 years ago....a decade ago(as Neil likes to say), was when we started dating. Oh, the memories. Can it really be that long ago? But yes, sad to say it's true. Sad is the wrong word to use. A ten year journey that started on the Internet. Neil and I met on AOL Personal Dating Ads and from the 1st date on we were stuck together like glue. We've had a wonderful 10 years, some more memorable than others. Like the years our children were born - couple vacations - family vacations - living in Napa, CA - the Airforce - buying a house - my grandparents passing - Neil working toward his bachelor degree - police academy - Alex being sick and in the hospital - me working at Safeway - Neil's job. And through it all, Neil has been my best friend, lover, goof ball, provider, and sweetheart. He has definitely earned the title of "The Best Husband in the whole wide World." I love you honey.

New things on Etsy

2008-09-08T22:40:00.000-07:00

By reading our blog it doesn't seem like I have been doing much of the crafty sort lately. That's because my time has been consumed with kids, a husband, and school work (my school work). I find that the day flies by most of the time and I have very little time for crafting (knitting). But I have managed to squeeze in a couple of projects lately. I added 2 new hats to my Etsy shop and also knitted a scarf for Lyndee for her upcoming birthday. The scarf was made using vintage yarn that Geena, my youngest sister, bought for me at a yard sale. She purchased a black yard size garbage bag full of vintage yarns. Other than the musty smell that goes away the more you handle it, the yarn has be a welcome member of my stash (much to Neil's dismay because all of my stash is sprawled about in our Master bedroom)

Yes! That is my son modeling the pink girly hat. Don't worry, I made him to it, he didn't volunteer.
The yarn used for this scarf was called Flame. A cross between hot pink and bright orange.

Alex's Kindergarten Life

2008-09-05T22:11:00.001-07:00

Alex has had a bit of a hard time adjusting to school. This was the end of week 3for him and it ended with triumph. Alex won over his wiggles and running feet and made it through the day without any time-outs. He earns a prize from his "prize bucket" when he accomplished this tremendous feet. 2 out of 4 days this week were good days for him. The other 2 gave him a bit of trouble. The beginning of this week started out wonderful because it was the first time he didn't cry and say he would miss me. He even ran out of his classroom a few times! One morning I had to drag him in by his backpack and the next day I had to carry him. But, the 3rd week brought no tears and no whines. I think he really enjoys it (especially all the girls - he seems to know all of their names).
Al started soccer 2 weeks ago. He practices on Wed. evening for 1 hour and we will start games in the next couple of weeks on Sat. mornings. He is the one always lagging behind, not listening, standing on his head during discussions, stopping to fart in the middle of a drill, and so forth. Although, this week seemed to grab his attention more. That's my boy. He has his Daddy's attention span and my gas!

Samantha's Days in 4th Grade

2008-09-05T22:02:00.000-07:00

Samantha has been thriving and excelling in her new GATE class. She has been attending for almost 1 month now and loves it. She actually has less homework than she had last year because she finishes it in class. She does spend 10 mins a day studying her spelling words (a list of 25-30 per week) and 10 mins. on vocubulary words. She also has to read for 20 mins. every evening and complete a book report at the end of each month. She is very happy at her new school and hasn't complained about missing her "old" friends at all.
Lyndee has been at our house less and less - just on Thursdays for gymnastics. This seems to put alot less stress on the entire family, especially Samantha. They pretty much do nothing but argue.
Samantha started horse riding lessons last weekend - a treat from Horsey Grandma. She has 2 lessons in one weekend. She is learning English style riding and has received many compliments from her instructor saying that she is extremely talented.
I'm hoping to purchase a keyboard from Costco this weekend. They have one for a little under $100 - we have a rebate check for $62 - and I want to start lessons for Samantha and myself. I think Alex will enjoy playing as well. My children love to sing and are always singing up a storm in the car on the way to and from school.

Elk Grove Police Motorcycle Competition

2008-08-30T17:05:00.000-07:00

I competed in the Elk Grove (near Sacramento) Police Motorcycle Competition on Aug 22-23. The first day was just training. Basically, they set up the competition cone patterns and let us practice them. The patterns were so difficult, there would have been no way I would have made it through on Saturday.

There were 72 motor officers competing. They were broken down into divisions based on what type of motorcycle they were using. There were 6 Honda ST1300's in my division. I took 3rd in my division for the Individual Testing. My Sergeant and I were a team for the Team Competition where one officer follows the other officer through the course. Twice, they have to switch off the leader position within the course. Its a tad bit tougher having two 800 pound motorcycles in a single pattern designed for only one. Amazingly, we took 3rd in the team competition as well.

If you're wondering what all the tennis balls were for, if you bumped a cone the ball would fall. Every ball was a 1 second penalty. A cone knocked over was 3 seconds and a foot down was 5. My final run I knocked three balls from their cones. Not bad considering there are hundreds on the course.

Alex's 1st Day of Kindergarten

2008-08-19T13:51:00.000-07:00

Alex started Kindergarten in Mrs. Diaz's class on Monday with great enthusiasm. He acted like he didn't even want to bother with Dad and Mom and went straight to work. Mrs. Diaz asked that the parents didn't "hang around" on the first day, so prior to the first day we attended a meet the teacher day where I took pictures of him. He is very happy that he has a friend from Preschool in his class as well as our old next door neighbor on campus. Crane school has 5 Kindergarten classes as well as Headstart Preschool on the other side of the campus. Alex attends the after school program everyday for an hour, that way I can pick up both my kids at the same time. Both of their school are clear across town so I'm trying to make only 2 trips a day. Thank goodness for the new car.
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Alex's second day didn't go as smoothly as his first. He told me he wanted to walk himself to his class, so I walked him to the gate and watched as he made the trek. He kept turning around to wave (and make sure I was still there). After he hung up his backpack, he came running back to me to tell me his shoulder hurt and he would like medicine when he gets home. I kissed him better, sent him on his way, and headed back to the car. All of a sudden I hear my darling baby's cry, "Mommy! I don't want to go to school." He was running as fast as he could trying to catch me before I made it to the car. I walked him back to class, alligator tears streaming down, and whaling like he was in agony. Luckily, Mrs. Diaz is very kind and compassionate and promptly took control of the situation and shut the door so he couldn't escape. My heart broke (but I quickly got over it). Hopefully he had a fun filled day and will want to return tomorrow.

Samantha's 1st Day of 4th Grade

2008-08-14T22:04:00.000-07:00

Samantha started her first day of 4th Grade on Aug. 5th. She is now a Mustang and Julien Elementary and enjoying the change of school. She shares her GATE class with 29 other students, 10 being girls. She will have the same group of kids in her class for the next 3 years, so I told her she better be nice to everyone. Mrs. Morgan is a wonderful teacher and will definitely challenge her mind. Her daily homework entails reading for 20 mins, studying her spelling list of 30 words and vocabulary list for 10 mins. each. She also has to bring home any in class work she didn't finish, but so far she hasn't brought anything home.

Alex's first kite flight

2008-07-17T18:00:00.000-07:00

This is Neil on Kellie's blog. She felt it was better for me to write about Alex's kite flying adventure, since I was there. I'll warn you, I bit more lengthy than my lovely wife. Well...here it goes.
Alex got a Spiderman kite from our friends', Greg and Melissa, for his birthday. He had been hounding me about flying it every five minutes. I kept telling him, "Son, it has to be windy to fly a kite." The Central Valley bakes like an oven in the summer, usually with little to no wind. Tuesday, however, was beautiful. There was enough wind to make my flag flap. Kellie and Samantha were both gone, so I told Alex, "Get your shoes son. We're gonna go fly your kite."
Alex could barely contain himself on the way over. When we got to the park, which is a large grassy drainage basin, we found it nearly empty. The wind had picked up considerably, as if in answer to my son's prayers. I explained to Alex how you have to keep the string tight and to always hang on tight. I told him if the string went slack, the kite would fall. We went over the launch procedures. I knew he wanted to hold the kite, so I was dreading the "kite launching run" I would have to do at 95 degrees. I noticed the kite was getting a little temperamental in the wind. I held it above my head and it launched!! Not one strained step did I have to take!! I let the string out about 10 yards and handed it off to Alex.
He was beaming.
He watched it as it flew about with the glorious red plastic tail flapping in the wind. It would dip and turn and dance in the air.
After about 10 minutes (an eternity for a five-year-old), Alex tired of our location in the middle of the park. I let out the string all the way. The kite soared at 50 feet. I'm sure Alex was hoping that it would have a near miss with an airplane as high as it was.
We began to move forward to a small hill flanked by trees. We sat down in the shade and watched his kite. Alex was getting a little bored. I believe the magic of flying a kite had worn off and now he was just thinking about the playground behind us. Just then, the string went slack and the kite plummeted 10 feet. As I yanked the string tight, the red and blue Spiderman wedge lept high completing a full loop!! Alex wanted to see it do a loop again. As I reached for the string to pull it slightly, Alex let go of the handle. The wind pulled the kite away with the handle dragging on the ground. I said, "Go get it Al!" He ran with all his might. He caught up to the handle twice. But as young ones are, they can't run and grab at the same time. He would stop, then try to reach for the handle. The wind harrassed my son as each time the handle would jump away. They were now about 60 yards away from me and I slowly realized this kite was not going to fall to the ground without string tension. It was approaching a major 4 lane roadway and took chase. You have to understand, I've been a motorcop for a year and a half now. We generally don't get in foot pursuits, so I'm a little out of practice. But I gave it my all. I passed Alex and lunged for the handle. Now the wind had a more formidable opponent - me. Unfortunately Mother Nature was the better. A large gust of wind blew the kite up and away entangling the handle on a tree branch about 8 feet off the ground. I was looking and planning how I was going to get the kite down as I heard my son wailing behind me. His cheeks were wet with big fat tears as his lips quivered. "My kiiiiiiiiiite!" he screamed. I got down on a knee and hugged him. I told him we could get it back and that I could climb up just a little bit and get it back. Alex calmed down and I turned around to the tree. To my dismay, the lower branch released its hold on the kite. The kite flew higher and caught on a branch about 20 feet above us.
I shook the tree. I kicked the tree. I hung from a lower branch and pulled vigorously. Nothing. It was stuck. The kite was flying strong about 70 feet in the air for all the passing motorists to gawk at.
We walked home, hand in hand, with my son's head hanging low. I told him we could get another kite, but he wanted his kite. We were home for about a half an hour when I remembered I had a collapsible pole used for changing lightbulbs on our high ceilings. I said, "Get your shoes on son." We drove my truck to the scene. I had planned on trying to reach it with the pole. If it wasn't high enough, I was prepared to drive my truck into the park and stand on the roof to get my son's kite back. As we got closer, we saw his kite. Still flying high. However, when we got up to it, we discovered that it had untangled itself from the high branch and the handle was stuck in another tree - about six feet off the ground. I simply reached up and freed it. We brought Alex's kite down with him jumping and dancing about. My son was thrilled. How many lessons did a five-year-old learn that day? I'll probably never know.

Alex under water

2008-07-14T09:27:00.000-07:00

Alex loves to swim in our pool and has taught himself to do all kinds of things. He'll put on this diving mask and put his face under water. I got in the pool the other day and let him take his floaties off so he could swim free and clear.
He has no fear, so I had to watch him very closely. He can only touch the bottom by the ladder because the pool is a little uneven by the filter side.
But he's doing great for teaching himself. I've never had Samantha or Alex do swimming lessons because I thought it would be a waste of money when they have a pool of their own and can practice everyday.

Pre Birthday Joy

2008-07-08T23:25:00.000-07:00

Thanks to Grandma Judy and Grandpa Nick, Alex was able to kick start his birthday a few days early, (July 12 is the real day). When the big box arrived we let him open it right away. Inside were packages wrapped in Sponge Bob wrapping paper which was quickly ripped and tossed to the floor. What a big suprise to find a new cd player/radio, new cd to rock out too, and a huge collection of books to stimulate his mind. He was truly excited, and wanted to call Grandma right away to thank her.

Staycation

2008-07-02T20:23:00.000-07:00

As many of our family members have woefully heard, we will be staying home for vacation this year. It was a rather difficult and sad decision but in the best interest of our families financial wellbeing. Neil still has to take 2 weeks off so he scheduled his wisdom teeth removal for the 10th and after he recoups, will be doing some mini-home improvement jobs. We will celebrate Alex's birthday by going to the movies and having dinner and cake at home. We would also like to take the kids to some "local" attractions, possibilities include Casa de Fruita, Marine World, a water slide park, the zoo, Sacramento, camping with Horsey Grandma. Neil also decided that since we will be home for the 4th that he will might as well work. He will be doing bicycle patrol at the University for the fireworks, then on the 5th he will work the parade on Main St. Busy boy. The kids were pretty disappointed but I think the understand.

Motor Competition in Oakland

2008-07-02T20:04:00.000-07:00

Neil had a motorcycle competition this past Sat. in Oakland. He and another officer rode together and I took the kids and his wife and arrived right before it started. It took place at the Harley dealership in Oakland and they had Neil did fantastic for his first competition placing 4th out of 28 contestants. It was such an adrenalin rush to watch him ride the cone patterns. His best time was 1:31. 1st place time was 1:27 so he wasn't far behind. Samantha and Alex were so proud of their Daddy and can't wait to go to the next meet. It will be in Elk Grove in Aug. We will be his little competition groupies.

Last day of preschool

2008-06-22T07:44:00.000-07:00

Friday was Alex's last day of school. It was bitter sweet to see it end and yet he and I can't wait until Kindergarten (I'm sure for seperate reasons). The kids enjoyed water play all day, which included a bounce house waterslide, swimming pools, and ice sculpting. It seemed that I spent most of my day there (I had forgot his swim things and had to run back home for them) and it was one of the hotest we've had this summer.

During the last circle time, each child was called up and given a certificate and gift, then Julie and Diana shared with us what they enjoyed the most about our child. Alex was known for calling Julie "Grandma Julie" and that just tickled her to pieces.

With some fabric crayons, Alex made a special picture for each teacher, then I ironed it onto a flour sack towel. They turned out great so the girls will be doing the same for their teacher.

Sold on Etsy.

2008-06-17T07:53:00.000-07:00

This past weekend I did a couple of custom orders on Etsy for photographers. One photographer, Sarah, is living in So. Cal but is from Ripon (right around the corner from me). She does beautiful work with infants, so we did a sort of trade. Here's her web site on Flickr and here's what she bought from me.

I also did another order for a gal that has a photo shoot with twins. I made her two of these cocoons.

Home from Camp

2008-06-16T08:10:00.000-07:00

(Waiting with friends before taking off to camp)

Samantha came home from camp on Saturday afternoon(by the way, I didn't have to drive all the way to Hume to pick her up) looking a little older and tanner to me. They swim everyday while they are there (one of her favorite things to do). She had such a wonderful time and talked non stop about it the rest of the day. Sunday was spent catching up on her homework and she still didn't get the weeks work done. She'll need an extention of one more day to finish it.

Neil had a nice fathers day. He had bought his own present the weekend before - a new 40" TV. I finally gave in after a long year of his research and constant talking of the "new TV". Best Buy had a special of 3 years no interest so I said lets do it. I cooked a yummy breakfast of sausage and waffles, we watched reruns of Top Chef, he mowed the lawns then packed for his week-long school in Sacramento. I really don't like it when he's gone! But we don't have a choice and these classes help his career.

Weeks Happenings

2008-06-13T07:57:00.000-07:00

More and more I find I have less and less time to post on here. So I'll combine the week.

- My youngest sister Geena moved to Turlock last week and is renting a room in a house with a bunch of Christian girls. She'll be attending CSU in the fall and she plans on being here for about 4 years. We've been hanging out, going on walks at night with the kids on their bikes. We also both share a love of bargain shopping so we hit the Goodwill one day. She found a dress that she loved but it didn't fit. We took it home along with another dressed and I altered the sides for her and made it her size. She took it with her on her trip to Spain were she will be for the next 3 weeks.

- Samantha left for camp and I miss her greatly. It's quite and lonely here, even when Lyndee is in the house. I've noticed there is no fights or yelling! I'll go to Hume Lake to pick her up on Saturday. Can't wait!

- I registered for 2 classes for the fall. Yes, I'm doing it again. I can't give up even though I wanted to after my last online course. I'll take these two on campus this time. Both are Child Develpment and I've decided to work towards a cert. in preschool education. A small goal to accomplish first, then I'll think about the big picture of earning a degree.

Samantha is going to camp

2008-06-07T13:44:00.000-07:00

Samantha is headed to Hume Lake Christian Camp tomorrow morning. This is her second year attending and she is so excited. She paid for it entirly on her own (with the help of all of the grandparents) using her birthday money, so I think that camp this year will mean so much more to her. She is taking the week off at school so she is on independent study for the week and has about half of her work done already. You can send her an email by going to the Hume Lake Website, under contact is email a camper. She is attending week June 8-14 2008. They pass out emails and mail during dinner time (email is great because it's free) They also have a web cam so you can watch the kids during the week (Sam is in Wagon Train for the younger kids)

Boiling Rice

2008-06-07T13:32:00.000-07:00

I discovered a new, quick and easy way to cook rice - you boil it like pasta! It cooks in about half the time as the old method. After reading the Angry Chicken's Blog all about boiling rice, it's the only way I'm doing it now. Check out her post.

Our Tahoe Trip

2008-06-06T07:59:00.001-07:00

Neil and I were able to get away on a couples weekend a few weeks back with 2 sets of our friends. We ventured off to North Lake Tahoe and stayed in Mike and Shari's family "cabin" (the word cabin is not an accurate word to discribe this beautiful home). We were able to celebrate Shari's birthday and drove to the bottom of the lake to have dinner at Cabo Wabo. It was so nice to leave the children, dogs, and work behind us and breath the fresh air of the Sierra Mountains. That particular weekend was unseasonably hot for Turlock (it hit 103) so we enjoy beautiful 70 degree weather during our stay.

Busy Week

2008-06-06T07:44:00.000-07:00

My week started off with another cold and lasted for a couple of days. This one was different from a month ago (it didn't go to my chest) so I was able to recover faster. It hit home that I need to take better care of myself. I'll begin by a new haircut (I have an appointment this morning and I'll post a pic of myself soon)

My friend Monique celebrated her 36th Birthday last Thurs. and she and I went out to lunch yesterday to the New India Palace. They have a lunch time buffet and I always wanted to try it. The last time I ate Indian food was when I lived in Utah and the next day I had the runs. This place yesterday was sooooo yum. I could taste all the different spices - curry, cilantro, mint, ginger, and garlic - and it only gave me just a little bit of gas! I made Monique some special hand towels for her kitchen by using a stencil, paint and a very hot iron to set the design.

This week I also sold 2 of my photo prop bowls on Etsy and I'm busy finishing up one.

Love Gelato

2008-05-29T09:16:00.001-07:00

There is a place in town that our family frequents at least once a week. It's called the Frozen Cow (located on Crowel, across from the University). The owners is Cindy and she and her family are from Wisconsin, so she brought her love of "ice cream" to California in the form of gelato and custard. I found out yesterday that gelato actually has less fat than ice cream - about half the amount - but taste so much creamier and richer. The custard on the other hand is just as fattening, if not more. Her shop is decorated with a surf/cow theme and she always has new flavors to try. My favorites are rum, almond joy, and butter pecan. Samantha loves rootbeer and birthday batter, and Alex loves all things fruit flavored - he goes for a new flavor every time.

Summer Dress

2008-05-27T08:37:00.000-07:00

This dress turned out so cute. I made it for a darling little 1 year old, Sammy, for her birthday party on Monday. I would love to make more of these and sell them but they are someone else's pattern and she's asked that you don't reproduce it for sale. It knitted super quick and I'll for sure make this one again (I can make it in almost any size).

Sand Storms

2008-05-23T07:55:00.001-07:00

(This is what Turlock looks like after all the sand storms)

We've been hit with some terrible winds over the last couple of days. You walk outside and get a mouth full of sand, dirt and debree. I had a friend that got hit in the eye with a bark chip and ended up with a bloady spot on her eye. Neil worked until 8pm (usually off at 5pm) helping firefighters put out fires, directing traffic and dealing with car accidents. He came home smelling like a boy scout on a camping trip and covered in soot. Weird weather!

New Car for Kellie

2008-05-21T21:31:00.001-07:00

(Old car..not mine, just a picture of one similar)
We traded in my 2003 Mitsubishi Montero for this economic beauty

It's a 2008 Hyundai Sonata. I had the Montero for 5 years and because of the cost of gas and repairs, Neil and I decided this is the perfect time for a new car. Actually, Neil has been looking at cars for the past year on the internet and I have just been saying, "No, NO, NO, I don't want a car payment." But with Alex finishing up preschool, we won't have that payment anymore and it works out to be about the same amount of money for the car payment. Plus, we will pay less in gas and insurance. We got a great deal thanks to my husband's detailed prepardness (he printed up everything and brought it with him to the dealership) My new car will save us a ton of money this summer because we will be driving to Minnesota and Wisconsin to see Neil's family. Neil is getting the car ready for travel and bought a GPS system on Ebay for $150 and a dual headrest DVD player for the kids in the back. Looks like we are all set...Oh, yeah, need the Dramamine for Alex!

Cherry Pie

2008-05-21T16:36:00.000-07:00

I pitted cherries all day yesterday in the attempt of saving every single one. Lyndee's grandpa has a glorious garden and quite a few fruit trees. His Bing cherry tree is loaded this year, but the cherries have ripened up to good. So I dried as many as I could on my little dehydrator then pitted some more for a cherry pie using this recipe . (I would only let Alex have a slice if he sang, She's my cherry pie) I did change a few things though, like adding 3 cups of cherries (next time I'll use 4 cups) and brandy flavoring instead of almond (that's what I had). Rave reviews from the fam! I'm going to pick some more, pit, then freeze for future cherry pies

Samantha's embarassing story and she would DIE if she knew I blogged it!!

2008-05-21T16:25:00.000-07:00

So pool season has officially started at our house. That means lots of time outside, lots of extra kids at the house and lots of quiet for me!! Last week Samantha came running into the house to use the bathroom. I was in the garage with the laundry and when I came in I saw little wet footprint on the floor and Sam moaning and groaning in the bathroom, "Mom, I need you". I thought she might need a roll of toilet paper so I opened the door and in her most desperately ill voice said, "I have diarrhea." Are you sick I asked. Then the story unfolded like this: I was swimming in the pool and the jet was on and I was pushing off and letting the jet give me a boost and the water shot up my butt!!! (This story was told while she was sitting on the toilet) I told her she gave herself an enema. And then the look of devastation crept on her face because she has a deeply embedded memory of Neil and I giving her an enema when she was 4 on our bathroom floor the the horror she experienced. I told her the diarrhea would go away and she could go back into the pool. Oh yeah! This is one good story we can use against her for the rest of her life.

(Something like this!! (I don't know this kid, just liked the pic)

Summer Time (is almost here)

2008-05-14T13:49:00.000-07:00

We started using our pool this year towards the end of March. It being rather on the frigid side, I haven't been swimming yet. The kids have used it about 3 days a week on average so far, but as Thurs. and Fri. we are supposed to see 100 degree weather. Neil says it's the best investment we've ever made. I agree, because it gives me plenty of quite time in the house while they are all out back. Alex is in LOVE with snorkel masks and borrows Sam and Lyndee's any chance he gets.

This is my vegetable "garden" this year. Every year I attempt to plant tomatoes, they become over grown and infested with aphids and Neil is the one that has to clean it up when it's all over. So this year, I decided to do three plants, a lemon cucumber, a yellow zuchinni, and a cherry tomato. Have you seen the Topsee Turbee on T.V. selling for $19.95? I made my own using plastic grocery bags I've collected. I used 3-4 each bags each, cut a tiny hole, pushed the plant through, added soil, then duct taped the bottom to help the plant stay put. I water every couple of days and now I have green tomotoes on the vine and flowers on the squash and cucumber. I plan on my garden fresh produce coming from Lyndee's grandpa's garden. He put in almost 30 plants. Anyone have a good salsa and pasta sauce recipe for canning?

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-14T13:28:00.000-07:00

We celebrated with a family dinner at our house. My mom, sisters and step-dad Jess came to visit and we had a very nice time. I made London Broil the night before and cut it up Sunday morning, stuck it in the crockpot with BBQ sauce and a yummy Pomegranite Chipotle Sauce from Tastefully Simple. Yum! My mom brought a coconut cake from Raleys/Nob Hill and I'm going to try and replicate it for this weekend.

My mom, sister Geena, Alex and Samantha
Alex showing off his new hair cut and Mother's Day Gift!

Happy Anniversay to Us!

2008-05-13T08:52:00.000-07:00

9 years of marital bliss! We did it. Actually, the last couple of years have been the easiest and the best. 3 years ago, I quit working fulltime and became a fulltime stay-at-home mom. Since my change in job title, our home has become much more peaceful and joyful. Neil and I have a wonderful friendship and I think we will always be goofballs at heart. We compliment each other so well. I feel more in love with my hubby every passing year.

So, we haven't yet celebrated our anniversary since it fell on Mother's Day this year. But I've already benefited. Neil gave me a beautiful card and this gorgeous necklace

Weeks Happenings

2008-05-10T10:27:00.000-07:00

This week at the Cervenka household:

I went with Alex's preschool to visit a vet's office. What a fun day! They had stations set up so the kids could rotate between them - a stuffed animal operation, a sonogram of their hearts, a bug display, and a xray room. Some of the kids had lots of questions.

Alex learned to ride his bike without training wheels. And he is a pro at it now. (the kids not even 5 yet). He also started taking showers instead of baths.

Samantha and Alex went to the dentist and no cavities to be seen. Yeah!!

I worked on some "recycling" projects. I turned 2 pairs of jeans into this

It's a bowl for newborn pictures. I have it listed on Etsy.

Happy Birthday Giovanni

2008-05-04T22:10:00.000-07:00

My one and only nephew, Giovanni, turned 3 on April 29th and this is what I sent him. It comes from the Etsy shop Lost Star Designs. She also made a felt pepperoni pizza.

This is an Eye Spy Bag. I had her make one for Alex as well for a car toy while we travel this summer.

Mama's been sick

2008-05-04T22:00:00.001-07:00

The last cold I had was over in about 3 days. This darn thing is holding on for alot longer. I started sneezing Monday night (just thought it was a bad case of allergies) and the bug traveled to my chest and is staying there. A good thing is I don't have a fever, but I'm very worn out. If I'm not better tomorrow, it's off to the doctors with me.

I've been getting ready for Mother's Day and I've got to finish up some sewing projects tomorrow. We will be celebrating at our house on Sunday.

Easy Homemade Bread

2008-05-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

I highly recommened this book for anyone who thought they couldn't make homemade bread. I've been bakind bread for quit a few years and I am in love with this book. Try checking it out at your local library first or you can buy it on Amazon.com (my fav place to buy books)

This loaf was made buy using one of the basic recipes (water, yeast, salt, sugar, flour) but I decided to knead in raisins and sprinkle the top with a little bit of sugar.

I made a new batch this morning and added ground flax seed and ground oats for a nutty flavor.

Yummy Hummus

2008-04-30T13:38:00.000-07:00

I have discovered that my son LOVES hummus. I love it too so I decided to make a batch instead of buying a container at Raley's for $4.99. I picked up a bottle of Tahini (seasame seed paste) in the natural food section. This jar will allow me to make about 10 batches of Hummus. I found this recipe but added my own spices. You can add cumin, a jalopeno for heat and a little cilantro and make it a Mexican hummus. Or make an Italian style by adding fresh or dried basil, sun dried tomatoes, and pine nuts.

Hummus is a healthy dip, made from beans, for chips, pretzels, cucumbers, or carrots. It's typically served with pita bread cut into triangles.

Alex is Child of the Week

2008-04-28T22:16:00.000-07:00

Every week, Alex preschool features a child and this week is our boys turn. He was so thrilled to be "Child of the Week" because he knew he could share every time he was at school instead of the usually when mom was working (which is 2 times a month). So Samantha helped me pick out pictures for his poster board and I wrote a few of his "loves" - SpongeBob Squarepants, hotdogs, playing outside, swimming, his dog Bailey, and the saying "I sure love you." He was asked by teacher Julie what one of his favortie things to do was, "Take a nap". That's my boy!!

(Alex with his teacher, Granma Julie)

Science project

2008-04-28T20:36:00.000-07:00

Samantha has been working on a science project for school for the last week. The title is "The Dog and the Shoebox". The questions was how long does it take Bailey, one of our dogs, to get the treat out of the box. I was really proud of her because this was her first science project and she did all of the work on her own - no parental help. Lyndee also turned one in. Here is a picture of Sam and her 3rd grade teacher, Mr. Costa.

Feeding the family beans

2008-04-24T11:48:00.001-07:00

I've commited to myself to feed my family beans for 2 dinners a week. Not only is this a great way to save on our grocery bill, it's very healthy (low in fat, high in fiber), and helps the environment. By cutting down on the amount of meat we consume helps with our carbon footprint (read the attached link) and helps the environment. So I already accomplished to bean meals this week and am in search of other bean recipes so the family doesn't have to eat the same soup over and over again. One of the dishes we had this week was this one. I can't find it on the internet so I'm going to type it up for everyone.

First 5's Famous 10-Layer Soup

1/4 cup of each: black beans, small red beans, pinto beans, small white beans, pink beans, black-eyed peas, yellow split peas, green split peas, lentils, pearl barley (so basically 2.5 cups of beans or legumes. You can mix and match if you don't have exact. The split peas and lentils are great to thicken the soup)

1 - 14.5 oz. can stewed tomatoes, chopped up
1 cup chopped celery
1 cup chopped carrots
1/2 cup chopped onions
1 tbsp. dried basil
1 tbsp. dried oregano
1 tsp. ground cumin
1 tsp. black pepper
1 bay leaf
1 tsp. salt
2 cubes of bouillon (any flavor)
ham or ham hock, if desired

Add beans and seasonings (except salt and bouillon) in crock pot with 5 cups of water and cook on high for 4 hours. Add canned tomatoes, celery, carrot, onions, ham, salt and bouillon. Cook for another 2-3 hours on high or until beans are nice and tender.

Served with homemade bread. I found a wonderful book called Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day were you mix 4 loaves at a time and refrigerate it. The easiest bread I've every made.

Hannah Montana was at our house...

2008-04-24T08:57:00.000-07:00

Or was it just her hair? Lyndee's mom took her shopping for clothes on Monday and she talked her into a wig as well. We made Alex try it on.

I've been a fan of Hannah Montana aka Miley Cyrus since the beginning but my views of her have recently changed. She preformed on American Idol's "Idol Gives Back" show and I felt she acted way to provocative for a 15 year old. Neil and I couldn't believe the sex appeal she was throwing out to the audience. And so many pre-teen girls look up to her. I worry that my own girls will want to grow up to fast. I hope that Miley's parents will give her rules and boundries appropriate for her age. I wonder if she will become the next Britany Spears, growing up way to fast, no rules, every boundary crossed before she left adolesence.

Finished - For now....

2008-04-22T15:07:00.000-07:00

I took the final for my psych class yesterday. Im really happy it's over. Some pro's and con's of going back to school at this time....

- I'm glad I jumped in and did it, without really even thinking, or I might have chickened out.

- Next time, I'm taking the class in person, so I can so the professor and be able to ask questions.

- Going back to school REALLY cuts into my crafting time.

- And it cut into my time and relationships with my friends.

- I don't like to finish or see things through - I have a REAL problem with this. I love the beginning of anything, but never the end.

I got a C as my final grade. I'm satisfied with that due to my lack of enthusiam and effort over the last 3 weeks of the 10 week class. I'll take another couple of class in the fall, in person, using much fosil fuel to get there, but it has to be done.

Introducing the SweetPea Baby Pod

2008-04-18T11:50:00.001-07:00

This is my newest creation and I hope it goes over well on my Etsy shop. Thanks to my friend Rachelle who asked me to whip one of these sacks up for her photography business. She also thought to market it to new Dads who don't know how to swaddle an infant. I'm selling these for $32 and there are 2 other seller's on Etsy with similar designs selling for $45 and $85.

Before and After - Kellie's Hair Cut

2008-04-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

(BEFORE)

I decided I'm way to old to have my hair so long. Plus, it was bugging me. I didn't even like to wash it because it was always a tangly mess, had no body, was heavy and had no style. So, with the blessing of my husband (he loves long hair) I cut it and he loves it. And I love it and I can do so much more with it now.

(AFTER)

Happy 9th Birthday Samantha

2008-04-16T08:02:00.000-07:00

Samantha turned 9 on March 31st, but we just has her party last Sunday. She is off track the month of March so it's always a good idea to wait until April for the festivities. And luckily, we had beautiful swimming weather on Sunday. It was 93 and I was sweat'n just sitting outside watching those girls swim. It was the easiest party we've ever done - swimming, a help yourself snack table, cake, presents, then more swimming. It was only 2.5 hours long (Rachelle's #1 party rule). Neil and I decided that the kids will only get a party every other year. In between they can have 2 friends go to ice cream with them on their special day. It's just way to expensive and too much spoiling for them every year.

Neil really hates this bikini on Samantha. She can't wear it if boys are around but as you can see, all of her friends wear 2 piece suits.

Easter Pictures

2008-04-10T10:41:00.000-07:00

Neil took these pictures on Easter morning and no matter how much he tried, he couldn't get Alex to smile "normal".

We went to Robert and Melissa's house in Livermore (my cousin, Bev's son). They have a beautiful new condo. Melissa had Easter baskets for the kids and we had honey baked ham and turkey and yummy carrots that were made with ginger ale and lots of butter.

Added new projects to my Etsy shop

2008-04-10T10:31:00.001-07:00

Here's a sample of some things I listed recently:

This is a set of knitted washcloths

A flour sack towel with a knitted wash cloth
Another flour sack towel with retro fabric added.

Motorcycle Divas

2008-03-26T00:12:00.000-07:00

Last Friday Neil took Samantha and Lyndee on their first ever motorcycle ride. Samantha has recently shown interest in taking a ride with her Daddy which got the ball rolling for him to order her a pink helmet. He wanted to get her a beautiful pink leather jackie for her birthday (March 31st) but I wouldn't let him. Can you tell he is THRILLED that she has shown interest!! The ride lasted for 30min. for each of them and when they returned there was a perma-grin on their face.

More weight dropped

2008-03-22T14:52:00.000-07:00

Well, my total is about 6 pounds gone since I started Nutri System. But I REALLY HATE THE FOOD. And talk about wastfull, each meal has so much cardboard, wrapping and plastic that I feel so guilty even opening a package. Another pitfall is the havic the food as waged on my bowels. All the sodium makes my constipated. Unfortunatly, sitting in my master bedroom is a huge box of food with an average cost of around $400. I'm going to have to eat it!

On a lighter note, I watched on TLC Channel last Sunday, Paul Mckenna had his show called "I can make you thin." He shared four Golden Rules to follow. They are as follows:

1. Eat whenever you are hungry.
2. Eat only what you want, never what you think you should.
3. Eat consciously and enjoy every mouthful (eat slowly).
4. Stop when you even think your body is full.

Now I have to work on the emotional eating. That's this Sunday. I'll report back to you then.

Becoming more eco friendly

2008-03-22T14:28:00.000-07:00

So lately I've really become concerned with the effects myself and my family have on our environment. I've become aware that each human being needs to take part in conserving, recycling and saving as much as they possibly can so our earth can support our children and grandchildren. So to do my part I've started with some simple steps. Neil and I (my idea though) put in a clothes line in the backyard. I the last week I've used my dryer one time out of 8 loads of laundry. I'm VERY proud of myself for doing this. 1. Because I knew Neil wouldn't be thrilled about the clothes line, but he has warmed up to the idea. 2. It takes alot longer to hang clothes on the line than it does to throw them in the dryer. 3. I'm hoping for a decrease on our electric bill, a cooler garage in the summer, and to lesson our carbon footprint.

Another big thing I'm doing is switching to all natural, organic cleaning agents. I love the cleaner I've mix up. Here's the recipe:

In a squirt bottle mix 1 part white vinegar, 1 part distilled water, a couple good squirts of Dr. Bronner's Magic Soap, about 14 drops of lemon or orange essential oils.

This is a wonderful cleaner for the kitchen and the bathroom. Vinegar is a natural dissenfectent so you won't have to worry about germs.

I made my own fabric softener using 1 part Burt's Bee Hair Conditioner to 5 part white vinegar (this doesn't have to be exact). You can use any type of hair conditioner but I like Burt's Bee's brand because they are certified organic and are a fair trade company.

I've also switched my laundry soap to an all natural brand that I bought in bulk at Costco. I also buy my vinegar there as well.

I hope this will bring some inspiration to you to do what you can to help our environment.

I've had my nose in a book...

2008-03-14T22:43:00.000-07:00

And I've been away from school and studying for too long and have forgotten how much time it takes to study. I'm determined to earn an A in the psychology class and that takes a ton of work. But I'm really enjoying it. Taking this one class has motivated me to continue on so I will take a summer course then plunge in as a full time student in the fall. Alex will start kindergarten so I will have the first half of my day free for class and studies. I plan on doing most of it online to save on gas money and time spent away from home. (The doggies don't like it when I'm gone.) After I earn my associates, I'll move onto CSU Stanislaus, which is just down the street from us.

I started school!!

2008-02-23T20:07:00.000-08:00

I started an online psychology class this last Monday from our local junior college. I've really been thinking about it for so time - going back to earn a degree - but I really became inspired this year when most of my siblings started back. So I jumped into school. I registered and looked for a class all on the same day. Neil didn't even know I was doing it until I called him up and told him he was married to a college student! He had made me a deal earlier in the week that if I went back to school full time he would take over the cleaning of the bathrooms! Now that's motivation for me! But I'm starting out slow....one class at a time. When Alex starts kindergarten this summer, then I will consider full time. I'm tossing around a couple of ideas for my degree - social work, psychology - just not sure yet. So some other things have been put on hold or have slowed down. Like my knitting and sewing. I won't be adding things to my Etsy shop as fast as I used too.

Love and Hate

2008-02-13T08:22:00.000-08:00

In the spirit of this season of Love (Valentines Day) I thought I would share with you my list of loves and hates, inspired by my friend Pinky over at Cheese in My Shoe.

Love to eat... CANDY!! Baked goods, really good deep crust pizza with the works, Diet Coke or Pepsi, Bananas, Watermelon, black licorice and Taco Bell.

Hate to eat... Lima Beans, Brussel sprouts, liver, olives, NutriSystem packages meals (but I still have a food supply to last a month and a half!)

Love to go...to the fabric store and look at patterns, yarn and fabric. Browse at Micheals Arts and Crafts, go to the Library and pick up new crafting or cook books for FREE!

Hate to go...to the Dentist (I've put it off for over a year now!).

Love it when...Alex says, Mom, I sure love you, Samantha speaks kindly to her brother and calls him "Bubba", Neil says I look hot or beautiful.

Hate it when...My sinus are plugged up from my allergies, when the kids yell and scream in the house or car.

Love to see...toddlers interacting with other toddlers, babies crawling or smiling, a kitten or puppy, my kids after a long day at school

Hate to see...parents smoking in the car with their kids riding in the back, people litering, meth addicts with dirty little children.

Love to hear...my kids singing kareokee, Andrea Bocceli, Neil's truck when he's backing up the driveway.

Hate to hear...my dogs barking, really loud music or TV, a child disrespecting an adult, rap music.

Running with my sewing machine!

2008-02-11T08:00:00.000-08:00

My sewing machine that Neil bought for my birthday a couple of years back has been sitting on our bedroom floor, covered, and sent to the corner for the last 8 months or sew (so)! The last time I used it the bobbin thread did nothing but tangle into a huge mess, over and over again. So I gave up and wanted nothing to do with it all this time. I've avoided sewing anything other than by hand because I need instant gratification and I didn't want to take the time to figure out what was wrong with it. But all that changed this weekend.....I've been inspired over the last month by all the beautiful, creative sewing projects I've seen on the blogs I read and I wanted to jump back in. So, I set the machine on the kitchen/sewing/craft/homework table, blew off the dust and dog fur and away I went. And nothing is wrong with the stinkin' bobbin! It works like a charm. Maybe it needed a time out. Maybe I needed to work on other projects like knitting and embroidery. Maybe I gave up on it to easily.

These pictures are some of my sewing inspiration taken from the Bend-the-Rules Flickr Photo Pool group.

Date Night

2008-02-10T21:28:00.000-08:00

Neil and I were able to enjoy a evening out this last Friday while Lyndee went back to Grandpa's and Samantha and Alex went over to Cousin Bev's. We headed to Modesto and had dinner at the Harvest Moon were we dined on sweet potatoe fries and yummy chicken salad. It was a small, renovated house turned into this restuarant, that squeezed as many tables as it could. We were a foot away from our fellow diners but neither of us really noticed due to the Vodka Martinis and Cosmopalitan. With our bellies very full we walked over to the movie theater and saw one of the only top rated movies playing, No Country for Old Men. It was horribly bloody, full of killing done by a psychotic man. It was one of those that you wish you never saw because it will forever be in your mind, tanting it like posion. I'll pick the movie next time, thank you very much!

Tips for Boys, Created by 2 eight year old girls

2008-02-05T20:12:00.000-08:00

Samantha and Lyndee brought me a list that they had compiled of the top tips they could give to boys. Now keep in mind that these girls are 8, in 3rd grade, and aren't allowed to kiss or have a boyfriend until they are 16.

Tip #1 - Never look at a girls boobs. (I guess they thought this was the most important advice for boys)
Tip #2 - Make compliments.
Tip #3 - Always make her happy.
Tip #4 - A girls favortie thing is diamonds (wow. They learned this one early.)
Tip #5 - Girls love pink.
Tip #6 - Girls don't like boyish things.
Tip #7 - Girls love butterflys.
Tip #8 - Girls love guys who are nice and neat.
Tip #9 - Girls love shiney teeth.
And tip #10 - Girls love flowers and chocolates.

I think this is excellent advice for boys and therefore, men. I can relate to many of these tips. I don't know how many times I wish my husband would stop starring at my boobs! I do love pink, flowers and chocolate and Neil whitens his teeth to a nice shiney, glossy white which I think adds to his sexy demenor.

Valentines Projects

2008-02-03T08:20:00.000-08:00

These are some projects I've completed and listed on my etsy shop pinkwink

A 3 lb weight loss (but wish it was more)

2008-02-02T09:40:00.000-08:00

So far I've had a 3 pound weight loss using the NutriSystem diet. I've had a couple of set backs during my first 8 days of being on it. Excuse my forwardness, but constipation has been the biggest issue. I know, I know. Not the kind of thing you want to read about on a blog but hey, we've all dealt with it some time in our lives. Overall I really like the program. It's easy to journal your daily food. You just have to check off when you eat something and write in the time. For instance, breakfast is NutriSystem entree, a serving of protien or dairy and a fruit. I like to space out my breakfast over the course of 3 or 4 hours when I'm home. My fav breakfast entree has been pancakes that you make yourself. They have 12 grams of fiber in them!
So addressing the (but wish it was more) in the title: Why is it that I can never be happy with a slow, steady weight loss? I'm a instant gratification kind of girl and have been for a long time. I want it all and I want it now. Old habits die hard. So I need to reform and be grateful for the slow and steady. It's what wins the race, right? Wish me luck.

Funny things Alex says

2008-01-29T09:16:00.000-08:00

So I've been compiling a list of some of the funny things my boy says. They are to good to not share....

"You are the best mom in the whole LIVE world" (he said to me this morning)

"I'm so exciting" (but what he means to say is "I'm so excited")

Earf (instead of Earth)

"You ruined my life" (he said to me after he discovered I put his HOHO's in the freezer)

Power Mangers (instead of Power Rangers)

Samantha and the Blueman Group

2008-01-28T16:52:00.000-08:00

Samantha was able to go see the Blueman Group in concert on the 20th in San Jose. she was invited to go with Hannah D. and her mom Elise. So the 3 of them ventured out of our small town and headed to the big city. Before the show they had dinner at Macaroni Grill. Now Samantha is a connoisseur of pasta and she said it was one of the best places she has eaten at. We don't have one close by so she won't have it again for a while. Samantha loves to watch the Food Network and has informed me she wants to be a chef. She asked today if they have a GATE program in Culinary School! Needless to say, she had a great girl's night out and really enjoyed herself at the concert.

Alex loves WOMEN

2008-01-24T08:32:00.000-08:00

So my 4 year old son is obsessed (already) with women. Let me explain. We see a woman, any shape, size or age, who smiles or talks to him in public and he wants her as his girlfriend. This desire for a girlfriend started this summer with a darling 12 year old girl, Miriah, whom he feel in love with. He couldn't stop talking about how beautiful she was and how she let him watch movies. Well he's moved on. And it's always older women, never someone his own age. A couple of days ago, we were having dinner talk and I told Neil I ran into one of my mom friends at the grocery store. Alex piped in and said he loved her and wanted to marry her. We told him that she is already married and had to pick someone his own age like our next door neighbor Kelly. Sam and Lyndee were really pushing him towards Kelly being his girlfriend. Alex said, "No I want Andrea" (who's Kelly's mom and my age). I whispered to Neil, but was obviously overheard, that Alex likes women (with boobs!) Alex then comments, "Mom, sometimes I want a WOMAN." Dead serious and lusty, yuck! "I want to marry a WOMAN". What a horn dog already, gees at 4! I wonder when Neil started because those are two peas in a pod.

Time to slim down

2008-01-23T19:03:00.000-08:00

So after 8 years of caring around extra baby weight I've decided to take drastic measures. I ordered NutriSystems! My food arrived this afternoon in a box that weighed 46 pounds (about as much as I want to lose) so I'll be starting tomorrow on my journey to skinniness. Along the way I'll be dining on powdered eggs and packaged beef stew, full of fiber, protein and lots of sodium, but darn it, I'll look good afterwards. I'm the type that once it comes off I can keep it off (give or take 10 pounds). Plus I have a wonderful support team. My lovely husband Neil that is looking forward to having a trophy wife, and my sweet daughter Samantha who wants me to look like her friends mom (who looks like a fashion Barbie) and my darling son Alex who just thinks I'm beautiful with even a little makeup on. Samantha helped by organizing my entrees and picking out what I'll eat for breakfast.

Recap of Weekly Events

2008-01-20T18:05:00.000-08:00

I thought I would recap the events for the week to keep all of our family and friends informed.

- Samantha had one of her baby molers removed. It was hollow and dead and started giving her pain. She was a trooper with the Noviacane shots and went back to school after a short nap and lunch.

- Samantha went to a play, Straw into Gold, at University Stanislaus, with her class on Thurs.

- Alex had Pajama Day at school. I was really glad it wasn't my day to work in his class. The excitement level was exceptionally high that day.

- Neil went on a motorcycle ride with 2 friends. They toured down to the Santa Cruz mountains.

- I completed a couple of knitting and craft projects.

- I went over to Rachelle's house for dinner with our book club then to a movie. We saw Juno (I ate 2 candy bars...thanks Rachelle!) and laughed our buns off.

- Neil and I went on a date Sat. eveing and saw the movie I am Legend. Really awesome movie.

Ain't it the truth.....

2008-01-19T17:02:00.000-08:00

What Do You Do All Day?

A man came home from work and found his three children outside,
still in their pajamas, playing in the mud, with empty food boxes and
wrappers strewn all around the front yard.

The door of his wife's car was open, as was the front door to
the house and there was no sign of the dog. Proceeding into the entry, he
found an even bigger mess. A lamp had been knocked over, and the throw rug was
wadded against one wall.

In the front room the TV was loudly blaring a Cartoon channel,
and the family room was strewn with toys and various items of clothing.

In the kitchen, dishes filled the sink, breakfast food was
spilled on the counter, the fridge door was open wide, dog food was spilled on
the floor, a broken glass lay under the table, and a small pile of sand was
spread by the back door.

He quickly headed up the stairs, stepping over toys and more
piles of clothes, looking for his wife. He was worried she might be ill,
or that something serious had happened.

He was met with a small trickle of water as it made its way out
the bathroom door. As he peered inside he found wet towels, scummy soap and
more toys strewn over the floor. Miles of toilet paper lay in a heap and
toothpaste had been smeared over the mirror and walls.

As he rushed to the bedroom, he found his wife still curled up
in the bed in her pajamas, reading a novel. She looked up at him, smiled, and
asked how his day went.

He looked at her bewildered and asked, 'What happened here
today?'

She again smiled and answered, 'You know every day when you come
home from work and you ask me what in the world I do all day?'

'Yes,' was his incredulous reply.

She answered, 'Well, today I didn't do it.'

Future Motorcycle Officer

2008-01-19T10:29:00.000-08:00

Neil was fixing his helmet one night and Alex asked if he could put it on. I thought photo opp because he looked so cute. Then Neil decided to do the whole set up. Earlier that day, Daddy and Alex had a conversation about what Al wants to to when he grows up. He says he wants to be a motorcycle racer!! And of course, Neil was encouraging this over being a police officer. He said far less motorcycle racers die each year verses police officers. Why can't he pick something less dangerous like being an accountant.

Some of my recent projects

2008-01-16T19:13:00.001-08:00

These are some of my recent projects that I've added to my Etsy site. I love Etsy.com. Everything is handmade. Check me out @ www.pinkwink.etsy.com

Nothing like a good nasal cleansing.

2008-01-16T16:22:00.000-08:00

So one thing I've tried to help prevent me from getting sick so much is a NetiPot. This is a warm water saline solution filled pot that you pour up your nose. You are supposed to use it daily up to 2 times a day and the benefits are reduced allergies and colds. I first heard of this NetiPot on Oprah last week when she had Dr. Oz featured doing his Q&A show. They had 2 women give their testimonies to how great it worked for them. I remember seeing the NetiPot on the self at Walgreens about a month ago and I thought at the time how disgusting and medieval it seemed. So in the depths of disspear, I purchased one this weekend and used it. Here are my product demo photos.

The children were very entertained at the nasal fountain.

The washcloth....

2008-01-15T09:47:00.000-08:00

I've emailed this to most of the women in my family but I thought I would post it here because it's just that good.

The Washcloth.............
There is not a woman alive today who won't crack up over this! I was due for an appointment with the gynecologist later in the week. Early one morning, I received a call from the doctor's office to tell me that I had been rescheduled for that morning at 9:30 am . I had only just packed everyone off to work and school, and it was already around 8:45am . The trip to his office took about 35 minutes, so I didn't have any time to spare. As most women do, I like to take a little extra effort over hygiene when making such visits, but this time I wasn't going to be able to make the full effort. So, I rushed upstairs, threw off my pajamas, wet the washcloth that was sitting next to the sink, and gave myself a quick wash in that area to make sure I was at least presentable. I threw the washcloth in the clothes basket, donned some clothes, hopped in the car and raced to my appointment. I was in the waiting room for only a few minutes when I was called in. Knowing the procedure, as I'm sure you do, I hopped up on the table, looked over at the other side of the room and pretended that I was in Paris or some other place a million miles a way. I was a little surprised when the doctor said, "My, we have made an extra effort this morning, haven't we?" I didn't respond. After the appointment, I heaved a sigh of relief and went home. The rest of the day was normal . Some shopping, cleaning, cooking. After school when my 6 year old daughter was playing, she called out from the bathroom, "Mommy, where's my washcloth?" I told her to get another one from the cupboard. She replied, "No, I need the one that was here by the sink, it had all my glitter and sparkles saved inside it." I'm never going back to that doctor, ever!

Mama's sick too much

2008-01-14T08:40:00.000-08:00

It seems to me that I'm always sick with a cold. It comes on once a month and I start downing the Airborne or EmergenC to help get rid of it. I've tried Zicam but YUCK, I can't stand the taste of zinc. I need some advice on how to become more immune to the cold virus. Poor Neil always has to pick up the slack when I'm done.

Dance Party USA!!

2008-01-12T09:54:00.001-08:00

The kids love to put on performances for Neil and I. Now that Lyndee is part of the family, she brings her innate ability to dance, flip and sing. Samantha has long been a fan of creative play, opting for it over toys. Alex loves to get in there too and he can almost do a perfect handstand. Lately the music has come from High School Musical 2 and I know almost all of the words to the songs. This particular evening brought Neil and I a great laugh do to the costumes!

The case of the monster wart.

2008-01-09T08:16:00.000-08:00

Many of you have witnessed it. Many of you have had it stuck close to your face. Many of you have been touched with it. I'm talking about Alex's monster wart that he's had on his right pointer finger for the last year. Well, as of yesterday, it has been terminated! I made a doctors appt. for him to have it burnt off, for the second time, and after many wart bandaids that didn't work. But as we are discussing the monster wart with Dr. Lisa she suggests we cut the sucker off so it won't come back a third time. The only consequence to this choice is the Novocain needle that has to been jabbed into his little baby finger over and over and over again. As soon as the crocodile tears started to fall and the screams of holy terror started to roll, I had to call for backup, Officer Daddy. He dropped whatever he was doing and came to the rescue to comfort his son. Alex calmed down some after that and I was able to concentrate on the operation. When the wart had been removed she scraped the underlying skin with a tool. Alex described this as "toasty", we think because it made the sound of buttering toast. (Yuck) The doc even got blood on her clothes which Al thought was sooooo cool. (Boys are weird). The rest of my day consisted of donuts and toys (the bribes) for my brave little guy.

GATE Program will have a new student

2008-01-08T18:00:00.000-08:00

I hadn't received a letter in the mail yet for Samantha's results of the GATE test she took, so I called the district office yesterday. Samantha qualified for the program, and finished in the 99 percentile. So we will have first pick of which school we would like to attend. Turlock has 2 campuses that house the GATE program, Julien and Cunningham. We will pick Julien because of the location and because our friend Rachelle knows all the teachers there. Sam will start 4th grade and continue through 5th and 6th.
I told Samantha when she got home from school today and she was so excited she started to cry! She's looking forward to the challenge of the program and meeting new friends. We'll find out more details when we attend the orientation meeting in a few weeks.

Household tips and tricks I learned from my Grandma Rydalch

2008-01-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

I've been accumulating a mental list of all the "housewife" life lessons my Grandma "taught" me, either by her actions or words.

1. There truly is 101 Uses for Vinegar. Grandma washed windows with it, scrubbed her floors with it, cooked with it, soaked her bad leg in it, gargled with it when we had a sore throat, and drank it.

2. Take mini breaks throughout the day. Grandma would always take little mini breaks and sit on the sofa to watch a favorite TV show, or listen to the radio. They were just long enough to refresh her for the next household task.

3. Pay a child a penny to kill flies. G & G's house used to sit next to a small dairy so every summer swarms of flies would enter the house. Grandma would pay us Grandkids a penny per fly we would kill with the plastic fly swatter. I think the most she paid out was 50 cents to each kid.

4. Keep a food reserve. I knew if we encountered any kind of natural disaster all of G&G's children and grandchildren would come to their house and live off their food and water supply for years. The importance of "stocking up" always stuck with me and whenever I see a great sale, I always buy plenty. It has got us through tight money times as well.

5. Be creative in the kitchen. Grandma was always trying a new recipe out of the Taste of Home magazine, some good, some terrible, but always creative. She would substitute ingredients she didn't have for something she had on hand. We always were served iceberg lettuce salads with pineapple, apples, and cottage cheese. She had issues with bugs invading her dry goods so many times you would find extra protein in your rice, cereal, pancakes or homemade bread.

6. Never leave a pan on an hot stove. Countless times I would see Grandma leave her pots and pans to burn on the stove, ruining many. She always seemed to get interrupted. The most common interruption was a a phone call from a political telemarketer wanting a donation. Or someone looking for Grandpa. The phone was the cause of much stress for her, especially during meal time.

7. Never use your hand as the juicer pusher. She did this and ground off the tips of her fingers one day. I'll never forget that one!

8. Always have dinner ready for your hubby. Then stick your head out the door and call, "Bud, it's time to eat", over and over again until it drives both of you crazy.

9. Recycle your gift wrapping. I do this now too. I save everything from bags to tissue. Grandma always saved wrapping paper, folding it nicely so she could reuse it. Sometimes we would get Christmas wrap on our Birthdays or newspaper when all wrap was used up.

Grandma taught me so much about being compassionate, caring, giving, resourceful, strong and lovable. You will always be one of my Heros.

Leave your comments freely.

2008-01-05T16:52:00.000-08:00

I changed the setting on my blog to allow anonomyous comments. Please, no advertising, curse words, rude remarks, embarassing family moments, or personal hygenie comments accepted. I look forward to hearing from all my friends and family.

Rain, Rain, Go away...

2008-01-04T16:39:00.000-08:00

Come again, tomorrow? Yes. It's raining cats and dogs here in our part of the land and will continue through next week. Neil was stuck in the house most of the day doing house work (painting, cleaning, playing games on the computer), so he decided that he needed a little fresh air, take a walk, commune with nature. (I think he just wanted an excuse to get wet). He said the gutters needed to be unplugged and 4 gutter drains, a neighbors blown over fence, clogged house gutters, and an hour later, he comes slopping in the house looking like a drowned cat. Awh, my Hero!

Everything except his Bohemian booty was wet.

What girls can do with a bag of recycled makeup.

2008-01-03T12:25:00.000-08:00

Lyndee brought home a bag of goodies from our white elephant gift exchange at Mom's house. The funny thing is, this make-up once belonged to me but I handed it down to a poor, starving college student (my sister Geena). Geena then re-gifted it in the the form of a white elephant gift and of course, it ends up back at my house. But it has provided hours of entertainment for Samantha and Lyndee. They've actually done a pretty good job with the application of the makeup but not the cleanup. It tends to stick to their cute little faces even after a shower!

Will you be my baby forever?

2008-01-02T06:43:00.000-08:00

Last night Alex came in to give me a hug goodnight, but it turned into a cuddle. What a love bug. I told him I don't want him to grow up to be a big boy. I want him to stay little forever and be my baby. He raised his head and in all seriousness says, " Okay Mom. I'll stop eating food." He lays his head back down for a moment then with another bright idea says, "I'll eat baby food so I won't grow and I'll be your baby." Cute boy.

Before

After

Family Group Pictures

2007-12-31T23:54:00.000-08:00

While we were at mom's party, the Rydalch Family and the Mangini/Fonbuena Family posed for family photos. We also took a picture with all of the 1st cousins who attended, old and young.

Christmas Party at Mom's House

2007-12-30T05:26:00.000-08:00

I think everyone had such a great time yesterday at Robyn's House in Jackson (my mom). I was able to see cousins and aunts I haven't seen for some time. It was a mini family reunion. We were still missing quit a few people, Troy and Suzanna Rydalch, Mitch and Lauren Groseclose, most of the Nelson family, and Cheryl and Jim. But I don't think Mom and Jess's house would have held anymore!! We were busting at the seems.
We always play a white elephant gift exchange. The best wrapped gift with a huge Coach bag brought by Jenni. Rose grabbed that thing at her turn and guess what it was? A pair of decorated plungers Jenni used at girls camp this summer. Rose was so excited, but sadly knew there wasn't going to be room for them on her flight home to Texas. So when my lovely daughter Samantha decided to steal the plungers, Rose's eyes filled with tears! (Rose, if you want, we can ship them home to you!) Samantha is now the PROUD owner of a set of leopard print, black fur decorated plungers. I told her that her new job in the house is unclogging the toilets.

Aunt Rosie

2007-12-30T05:16:00.000-08:00

This post is dedicated to memories of my Aunt Rosie. I felt inspired to write this on the way home from the party (with 2 plungers in tow). I was the first born, child, grandchild, niece, you name it, it was all wrapped up into one sweet little package. I was the light of my 15 year old aunties life! As I grew, Rose taught me many useful things. I recall many swims in the canal with Rose as the life guard. Or the time we "swam" in the muddy field after irrigation. Rose and Jenni custom designed a mud hat on my head. Or the time Rose taught me how to french kiss (I was 5 or 6) or the special technique she made me use to rub her feet which included kissing them when I was finished. I think my reward was a stick of gum. Rose's lips had Dr. Pepper chap stick on them for years, so all of her kisses were yummy. I enjoyed visiting her when I was 12 in Texas, just after she had McKenzie. We started Weight Watchers, went shopping, canned and sweated like mad from the humidity. I love you Rose. Thanks for adding to my wonderful childhood memories.

Cousin Bev

2007-12-29T19:10:00.000-08:00

This is Beverly on Christmas Eve. This is a once in a lifetime photo opp. Bev hates having her picture taken. She's never told me why, but I think it has to do with her face, because she's always trying to cover it up.

So when we have a chance we like to snap them. Robert, Bev's one and only child, likes to play along. Poor cousin has no idea what we are doing.

She's paying attention to Alex and Samantha, the perfect little angels in her life, and doesn't notice what fun her son is having. It looks like her daughter-in-law Melissa is getting a kick out of this too.

Neils just had enough of the games....so he'll have more wine! (we had a wonderful dinner before pictures, prepared by Melissa, then opened presents.)

Christmas Present Causality

2007-12-28T09:39:00.000-08:00

This morning the kids went outside to ride their scooters. Neil hasn't changed the sprinkler timer so we have a wet sidewalk right now and it started to rain. Samantha and Lyndee freaked out because they saw a big white poodle coming towards them and Sam bit it. Right in the puddle! I wish I could have seen it. She was crying like a banshee when I came running out. I had visions of broken elbows, surgery and recovery, flash backs of when she was 5. But thank goodness it is only a riped shirt and jacket. But she's milking it. "Can someone get me a glass of water, band aid, icepack, candy, blanket, remote, toilet paper to wipe my buns" (ha, ha)

Oh this is Ladies Night

2007-12-27T22:16:00.000-08:00

We got a new Karaoke machine for Christmas from my Dad (Grandpa Gini)so after dinner, we were gettin' down. Even Al was joinin' in the jams. As you can see, there's Kellie, my mom (Robyn), Geena (my youngest sister), Hollie (middle sister), Samantha and Lyndee and of course, Alex amongst all the women. He likes it that way. He loves girls!!

Christmas Day 2007

2007-12-27T21:51:00.000-08:00

Here is a slide show of Christmas Day 2007

Christmas morning started around 7:45am, not to early to my delight! Samantha woke before Alex so we told her to go wake him up. Santa delivered a shiny red and silver scooter to Samantha and a Little Tikes drum set for Alex. (And they've played with them everyday since Christmas). We opened more presents, took a break for breakfast which was eggs, bacon, fresh pineapple and blueberries, pastries and eggnog. Then back to presents. Lyndee joined us for breakfast and to play with toys for a few hours before she went with Grandpa Bill to see some family. It seems the "theme" of this years presents was music. Drum sets, keyboards, tambourines, maracas, karaoke machines and MP3 players were some of the many gifts they kids received. Our house is filled with music and singing (I've had to go to my room a few times) and they are constantly putting on concerts for any who will listen. Thank you to all of our family who made the kids, and our, Christmas extra special.

Christmas Cookies

2007-12-25T22:59:00.000-08:00

On Christmas Eve, the kids and I made miniature sugar cookies. I decided to try a recipe that I had seen on a web blog I read, The Pioneer Woman Cooks (see the blogs I read on the sidebar). We had a lot of fun! The kids painted each cookie with an egg yolk color wash before they baked. They took them to neighbors along with caramels when they were done.

Christmas with the Mangini's

2007-12-25T22:43:00.000-08:00

We visited Dad and Rose in Stockton on Sunday for a family get together. We arrived around 3pm with the kids and presents in tow and were delighted to see Rose had decorated her house so cute. There was a beautifully arranged front porch with fresh wreaths on the door, a huge decorated tree, and many animated, singing creatures! My Grandma June and Cousin Bev would have loved it. The best animated creature of all was a life sized Santa Claus that they bought for $50 at an after-Christmas sale. When we walked in the door Santa started talking to Alex and Samantha! Alex's eyes lit up when Santa told him he heard he had been naughty and broke his curtain rod! Grandpa Gini had fun with the remote in the other room. Santa gave Neil the creeps and he had nightmares. I heard him talking in his sleep last night saying, "Drop the presents Santa or I'll shoot!" (Just kidding). We did a white elephant gift exchange and I think the funniest gift was a jar of pickles and a glass pickle ornament. Alex kept ending up with "girl" gifts but was a good sport. It was a very cozy gathering and I enjoyed visiting with Rose's kids, Andrea and Rose, Jr.
(Samantha and Alex with Rose, Jr.)

(Alex with Rose, Jr. and Rose's grandaughter Haley)

Say Cheese!!

2007-12-25T22:36:00.000-08:00

For quit a few years now we've been receiving a bountiful package of Wisconsin cheese sent to us by Neil's Uncle Dave and Aunt Norrine. It's always a complete surprise to me, totally unexpected, and always de-lish. The kids favorite is the cow shaped wedge and I always enjoy the flavored kinds. But this year the booty was even bigger, so we will have cheese for ages! Thank you Dave and Norrine and we'll enjoy our your cold Wisconsin cheese in our warm California!!