My Royal Day.

It's wedding day! I fell asleep with the TV on last night and woke up at 2am and had to will myself to turn off all the wedding festivities!

And then this morning I was glued to all the morning new's shows. I didn't even pack Ava's lunch because I was so wrapped up in all the wedding news. She wasn't worried, they were serving breakfast for lunch at school today!

I think, actually I know...the reason I got so wrapped up in all this is because it gave me an "escape". All the excitement, love and pageantry...it was a welcome change to a day.

So, after Ava left for school this morning, I had to pry myself away from the TV because I knew...I just knew, if I didn't walk away from it, I would have ended up pressing "play" on the wedding recording!

So now, my biggest question, will Kate ever do her own laundry again? Because I did 6 out of the 8 loads I needed to do today. ha. I'll answer that question, no, she won't. I saw a news story last week that Prince Charles doesn't even have to put toothpaste on his own toothbrush...he has "someone" for that. ha ha. When I heard that...all I could think about was someone elses germs touching my toothbrush. Ick. Speaking of toothbrushes, Jason's is still in the holder...I guess I will throw it away when he gets home and replace it with a new one. Same with the honey sitting on his bathroom counter. He was sick the day he left...he swears that honey and whiskey will cure a cold...needless to say, he couldn't have the whiskey that day...but he had honey and I can't bring myself to take it back to the kitchen. So there it still sits.

Wait, this blog is supposed to be about the wedding. So, Let's get back to it!

Ava was our party planner. She decided on all the food and helped me pick it out at the store. Funny story, when we went to buy our food...I left my wallet at home and had to have them hold my cart so I could run home. Actually, that wasn't funny at all. It was mortifying and just further prolonged our princess party! I wonder if the new princess has to worry about having her wallet or not?

So, our food was not "English" food. It was good ol American food according to a 5 year old. Thank goodness, my 5 year old LOVES fruit and veggies. Minus the 2 cakes!

The drinks were my version of a Pimm...the girls LOVED them! Ava said, I have never drank out of a wine glass before...

And then Layla struggled to take a drink...

It then went into a "child friendly" cup since Layla is notorious for spilling at least one drink a day...she hadn't spilled one today...so I wasn't taking chances with a wine glass!

Ava was more interested with the fruit inside than drinking it!

Now, time to watch the Royal's arriving at the wedding and the wedding!

I can't tell you how many questions I had to answer! Ava was so enthralled with everything! Mostly, she wanted to know where the queen was!

When she saw the queen, she said, "she's old, but she doesn't look mean." And then when I told her that Kate borrowed her tiara from the Queen, Ava said, "wow she really isn't mean, she's a nice queen." Do princess movies really portray queens as being mean?

Finally, the new princess...the girls waved and waved at her like they were standing on the side of the road!

Then, Ava wanted to know why they weren't at a castle. I told her they were getting married in a church...that's when it all went downhill. Appearantly, out of everything, Ava just really wanted to see a castle.

So now, 5 minutes into the wedding...they were somewhere else!

Yeah, about this time I told them they could go in the mancave and watch TV if they wanted...they were gone! So now, I have the rest of the wedding to watch alone...but by golly, I had fun with them up until now!

What I really want to see...pictures and video from the all night party they are having tonight! ha ha!

Two more tidbits! Ava's first school picture, yeah, I forgot that it was picture day...who does pictures on a MONDAY? Needless to say, I'm a bad Mom and didn't order them. They had spring pictures last week and we got the proofs today...She is beautiful!

Also, my roses have not died yet, and my finger has not fallen off. In fact, One of my roses decided to bloom today and it smells and looks beautiful!

So, to wrap it up. I am glad I did not get up at 1am to watch the wedding. It had the same effect on me watching it this evening as it would have this morning. Ava now wants to go to England to see the castles...and Layla just wants to wave at the Princess.

This was the last big thing I had to look forward to before Jason comes home. Now, guess what I am looking forward to!

Sprinkler UPDATE!

I FIXED THE SPRINKLER HEAD! ha ha! Actually, no, my finger is not laughing!

After Jason read my blog, he asked if I used the "old kitchen knife and hammer" trick.

No, I didn't do that. No one ever told me about an "old trick".

So then I just HAD to go outside and try it. IT WORKED!

This was the tiny thing I was trying to get out for 2 hours! If my hands wouldn't have been so dirty...I would have emailed Jason and asked him for help.

Actually, no, I probably wouldn't have. I like to figure things out myself...at least until I get hurt!

And now it's fixed...for now.

Lowe's didn't have the exact double head screw thingy that we needed, so I settled for a larger base and will let Jason really fix it when he gets home...honey, add one more to your list!

My House Smells Like Afghanistan!

No, Jason isn't home. But he's close...this is just how close!

Anyone know what that is? Well yes, a lot of you will! It's Jason's foot locker full of things that won't fit in his pack for the way home! And yes, it smells, bad!

Since the lock was broken open, we immediately had to inspect the inside to make sure everything was there. Thank goodness it was...and the girls had a blast going through Daddy's things!

Stella had a field day with it. I know she could smell Jason, especially on that black fleece...I know he wore that all winter.

Layla had a lot of fun with the gloves. She called herself a boxer. ha ha.

So, I have yet to go through the foot locker myself. I have been busy all day in the backyard. And unfortunately, I was defeated, again. Though this time, thank goodness, not by weeds!

My weeds are actually under control!!! Can you believe that! I can't. Seriously. I went through and counted the weeds in the grass...18...out of the million that were out there 2 months ago.

No, I'm not exaggerating! Do you remember what it looked like back there? Let me refresh your memory!

And this is NOW!

Not too shabby, huh! Yes, there are still bare spots...I have not seeded those spots yet, I was waiting for the weeds to be under control...Now that they are...guess what I'm doing this weekend!

I did seed underneath the swing set and it is doing GREAT! I need to remember what seed I bought so I can use it again! Also, please ignore the obvious spots that should have been weed eated...remember, it's broken and my blisters from the last time, hand sheering the edges, still have not healed!

Also, ignore our cheapo swing set...Layla is still too clumsy for a big girl one...so Ava loses that battle.

Do you notice anything new? That's right...I planted rose bushes today. I couldn't resist them when I went to Lowe's today...Also after seeing the Hanrahan's roses on Easter...I needed some!

How long do you think they will last? We can make bets...I'm betting 6 weeks! ha ha!

Now, to my defeat...yesterday, when I mowed...I broke a sprinkler head. But I didn't just break it...I broke it off with the "screw in" part still screwed in. Yeah, uh oh. I worked on trying to get that damn thing out for 2 hours today. I'm burnt to a crisp because I was determined to fix it...I hate giving up.

The damn hole I was working with!

I had wrenches, flat head screw drivers...some tools I didn't know what they were...Hey, I even had wire cutters out there. Why? I don't know...I thought maybe I could pinch the side and pull it out. Yeah, no.

I wore gloves the entire 2 hours. Then I gave up...put everything away and then decided I wasn't going to quit, so I went for it again, with a vengeance, this time, no gloves since I was pissed.

Not a good idea...I stabbed my finger, BAD...I don't even know what tool I was using, but my finger was under the dirty water at the time...and when I pulled it out, "oh no" is all I could think. It was not pretty and it was filled with dirty and bleeding everywhere.

Defeat sucks! I had to give up. I got inside and got cleaned up and then attempted to clean up my finger. I'm not good with blood, period. I actually had to hold the flap of skin up and dig out dirt to clean the damn thing. I am pretty sure it could use a stitch. Yes, just one, but this thing is nasty and deep.

If this would have happened to Jason, he would be crying, telling me his finger is going to fall off. So, a look on the bright side...at least it was me...and a butterfly thingy and hello kitty band-aid will do the trick. Oh and maybe a beer, too. If my finger falls off, so be it...it's on my left hand!

Now, to figure out what to do with the damn sprinkler that I can't fix! Jason is due home in less than 4 weeks...I obviously can't go that long without watering the backyard. I'm not willing to let it "go"...I'm proud of how it is coming along!


Finally, you all know what tomorrow is...The Royal Wedding! Woot, woot! And guess what I am doing...NOT GETTING UP IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT TO WATCH!

Bet you weren't expecting that! ha! I am going to record it and every morning show, tabloid show, news, etc. and then have a date with my girls tomorrow afternoon when Ava gets home from school. I wonder how long they will last before they get bored! You will have to check back tomorrow to see what we do to make it special...and make sure my finger is still attached!

Jillian Kicked My Butt.

The title says it all. Period. When I bought Jillian's 30 Day Shred...I thought...hey, I'll tone up before Jason comes home. You know... pretty calves, toned legs, a nice belly and no sagging arms.

What I got after MY FIRST DAY...

• Well, let's just start with, she won't let you take a water break. No resting. Yes, it's a DVD, but she scares me! I paused once or twice for a drink of water, which just choked me because I was breathing so hard. 
• If you think the first day back to track in high school is rough, with Coach Rice chewing your butt, think again. He's got NOTHING on Jillian. 
• Yes, it's only a 20 minute workout. It might as well be 10 minutes, I still would have died. 
• Jumping jacks are not as cool as they used to be.
• In that case, neither is running in place.
• For the 2 hours following the workout, I thought I was going to fall down every time I stood up. 
• Don't even THINK about trying to shave the day after your first workout.
• In that case, don't plan ANYTHING the day after you first workout! I can't even squat to sit on the toilet. Even pushing the gas pedal in the tahoe was rough. 
• WHY did I think this was a good idea? 
• Do you think I will attempt again? Good question...

I'm seriously hurting, even my fingers. And since I didn't have 3Ibs weights, guess what I used in their place...a bottle of lemon juice and a carton of beef stock. Yes, I am THAT COOL!

Actually no I'm not, because I am bitching after one workout.

Anyways! I am a good friend. Let's put it that way. Actually no, let's put it this way...I have a great, wonderful, fantastic friend...and I don't know what I would do with out her!

Tomorrow I have a CT scan at 9:30...but I have to be at the hospital at good ol' 7:00am...the hospital is 45 minutes away. Ava has school! I have to drop Ava off at Shannon's before 6 tomorrow morning. Who is up before 6?

Yes, I know, I am, but that's just because I have a love of coffee, which I can't have tomorrow! Boo! So, for being such a wonderful friend...I made breakfast to take over tomorrow morning!

It was going to be a surprise, but, as most of you know...I can't keep a secret, period. So, I told her this afternoon. I also snuck in the fact that we were going to have some of the casserole for dinner!

Hey, I killed two birds with one stone! Dinner AND breakfast!

I don't think I have ever made a breakfast casserole before, but this was good! Although, for dinner, at least for someone who can't eat after midnight, it's not filling enough.

So, guess what I'm doing...setting my alarm for 11:30 tonight so I can stuff my face before midnight, when I'm not aloud to have any food. Fun. Where's the popcorn?

Seriously? Ugh! And Baked Steak!

I had no clue how to name this blog.

Let's start with the backyard is finally coming back to life and looking good! Even my grass seeds are growing. Obviously, it has not been 3-4 months since I "threw" them. But, Cali was getting lost in the jungle of beautiful, dark green grass! So I gave in and mowed. And then guess what...

The weed eater is broken. The head won't spin. I guess I did that the last time? Who knows. So then, I had to "hand" weed the edges of the front and back and along the trees with hand sheers. I couldn't move my thumb the next day. Bad idea.

But the girls have been having a BLAST playing in the backyard again. They have spent a few hours out there everyday since I mowed! Snacks, lunch and even dinner...

Want to know how close it is until Jason comes home...well last night I ordered his "welcome home" banner. (The girls insisted and we are just hanging it on the garage door with some balloons.) But when I placed the order, I actually had to pay extra for shipping because it wouldn't have gotten here in time! Awesome!

Jason is still doing great and "living the life" over there. The base he's at...they call it Camp Cupcake. Yeah, he gets his meals delivered to him. We still get to email back and forth everyday, which means nothing is getting done on my "before he comes home to do list". Guess it will really be crunch time really soon!!

I'm going to tell you about dinner last night, because it was all for the girls...and they were too busy to help me!

Tyke Fondue.

A homemade cheese fondue, turkey meatballs, cherry tomatoes, broccoli and noodles for dipping!

They loved it and had a blast sharing a plate and dipping! And of course Ava is shoving whole meatballs into her mouth! That girl, I swear! She can't get food in there fast enough!

Now, dinner tonight...Baked Steak. Have you ever baked a steak before? I haven't, I've never even heard of a baked steak before. Neither had the butcher when I was having him cut the sirloin...yes, I make conversation with our butcher. He's nice and very friendly. Like me. ha.

So, Layla woke up from her nap, eager to help...Ava slept the whole time we were preparing. First, we made our Strawberry Salad thingy. Mozzarella cheese, sliced strawberries and homemade mint pesto...

Now, with that in the fridge, starting our Baked Steak!

Layla covering her nose so she couldn't smell the onions. She said it didn't work, she could still smell them!

Stirring the veggies that will make my house smell full of yumminess when it's in the oven! Well that, and help the steak taste good.

Now helping me sprinkle the salt to rub into the steak! She loved this...and just take note right here...her little fingers sprinkling salt all over the food. Make a mental note of that...you will know why soon.

Now, mixing the "sauce" to poor on top!

And our big ass steak ready to bake!

Now, comes the part of my title...Seriously, UGH!

I moved the steak to the other counter and started putting things away. Layla asked to get off the counter. So I helped her off and took off her apron. As I was hanging it up, I heard her cough and I saw the distinct look of, "it's going to come out!" I scooped her up and ran to the sink, where for the first time in her little life, she threw up...all over dishes.

Seriously. That just happened...and RIGHT AFTER she HELPED ME with her little fingers, prepare this awesome dinner. This can NOT be happening. I hadn't even put the steak in the oven yet! No!

Thankfully, she is not running a fever. She is fine now. And my conclusion, although I am NOT letting my guard down, is that she was entirely too hot from playing outside all morning in 90 degree weather, then taking a nap under her comforter when our house is 79 inside. And then add to that, the oven on.  (I guess I should turn the AC on.)

So, I made the executive decision to continue with dinner and not throw it out. Hopefully any germies she had baked off in the oven at 400 degrees! And if not and I end up getting some kind of sickness, this damn steak better have been worth it!

So now, the steak coming out of the oven.

And now, dished up dinner!

It's actually really good! And tender! The flavor from the lemon slices is really nice! The only thing I will do different the next time I make this, is do a little more seasoning on the steak, I only used salt and fresh minced garlic. But overall...YUM! And I think worth it if I do end up sick. Actually, I don't think I should answer that question UNLESS I get sick...because then, who knows what I would say!

Fun Ramblings.

So, this is going to be a random blog. A lot of rambling probably.

Let's start off with things I learned from the girls first sleep over at our house.

1. I need ear plugs.
2. 4 girls who love to just chase each other and scream while they are doing it is so not cool!
3. Thinking I had a good idea by having a sleepover to distract the girls so I could write a research paper, yeah, not a good idea and yes, nothing about it now, sounds good.
4. Also, having the sleepover the night the government was supposed to shut down, meant a mom that was glued to the TV.
5. The next sleepover will happen when Jason is back so that I have an adult to stare at while wearing the ear plugs.

All in all, the girls had a great time. They slept through the night, all in sleeping bags in the living room. And Saturday morning, we made a fun breakfast that Buppa introduced me to. Breakfast in a bag. Basically, you just load your freezer bag with whatever you want in your eggs, then add the scrambled eggs to the bag and boil the bag in boiling water for 13 minutes. The aroma of the bags when we opened it...Ah...since it was trapped in there...just smelling it made it feel like we were eating already!

Ava and Analiese writing their names on their bags. Kylie and Layla were too hungry to wait...so they had cereal!

Filling their bags!

Their bags filled with goodies! Analiese had bacon, pepper jack cheese and LOTS of parsley. haha. Ava had bacon, pepper jack cheese, red onion and tomatoes!

Now mixing the eggs in...Ava smashed it all up, Analiese just swung it around. ha ha.

Ready to boil!

And the seal of approval!

That was fun!

Now, my best April Fool's joke to date! I am still laughing about it...Jason got a package from us today...cigars he ordered and his favorite Jelly Belly's. But, they weren't your usual jelly belly's. (Thank you Kristen for this WONDERFUL prank!!!! And Shannon, be glad you weren't my victim!)

Ever heard of Bean Boozled?

I disguised them in a ziplock bag, pretending I just filled it at the store. I knew he would just grab a handful and throw them in his mouth. Here are the flavors:

Skunk Spray
Rotten Egg
Canned Dog Food
Booger
Baby Wipes
Pencil Shavings
Toothpaste
Barf
Moldy Cheese
Centipede

Let me quote Jason from his emails with the things he had to say about this...warning, foul language!

"I think you got me some kind of foul trick jelly beans... they taste awful!"

"THAT IS NOT APRIL FOOLS, THAT IS MEAN... You know how much I love jelly beans, and you didn't even put real ones in there for me after I ate the shitty ones! I put them in my mouth and started chewing and I was like what the fuck is wrong with these, then I realized you did this! I spit them in the trash, and thought of course... that's why they are in a zip lock bag! So mean!"

"I'll let you bask in your victory!"

I asked him if he had tried to give them to his guys...

"no I haven't given anyone else jelly beans, they all saw me spit it out and say WTF! They are all aware of your evil trick!"

Ah...victory. It feels good! At least he had birthday cake to wash them down!

And finally, let's tackle the boyfriend issue. I talked to Ava this afternoon about her card and what a boyfriend meant. She said, "It's when you are friends and then you ask to be a boyfriend or girlfriend. It can just be a boy and girl." I told her I was confused and asked if she has had a "boyfriend" before. She said no. I asked her why she wanted Gavin to be her boyfriend, "because I like him." I tried to pry further into what "like" meant...but decided to leave it there. Then she said she is NERVOUS about asking him to be her boyfriend. WHAT. Nervous. So what does that mean in a 5 year olds mind. Why should she be nervous? I know this is all innocent and everything, but I am not ready for a boy issue. That's it...NO MORE Justin Beiber in our house!