Today....

...our windows are covered in raindrops.

......the wind sounds like it will blow our house down.

...the girls are at my mom and sister's houses.
{...they live next door to each other.
a plus when you're a kid..bouncing between Nana AND a fun Auntie!}

....I have four boys home with me...well, three. One just left for work.

..Frankie asked if he could keep his pajama bottoms on today....sure, why not?

 ...I really, reeeeeaaaaallly want to bake a batch of chocolate chip cookies.
But! I gave up sugar for Lent..and what fun would it be to bake cookies if I can't eat them?

....has been four weeks and one day since I've eaten sugar.
I am happy to report I feel no different! That means sugar is not bad for my body. {Ha!}
I will also add that me not eating sugar is pretty much a miracle in itself.

......I called a day off so we could all sit and watch a movie together on this dreary day,
but my boring boys wanted to finish up their schoolwork.
They definitely get that diligence from their father.

...I watched a super, corny puppy movie with Frankie.  He loved it.

{See...pajama bottoms with a sweater?}

I am now going to have a cup of sugar-less coffee.
Happy afternoon to you.
XxOo

The not so boring grilled cheese sandwich...don't be afraid to get crazy!

How does one make a grilled cheese sandwich?
....Let me count the ways.

My favorite way to eat grilled cheese is this...
2 slices of Italian or Sour Dough Bread
Provolone {or American Cheese...my family likes cheddar best}
Caramelized Onions
Slice of Tomato
{if you're feeling really fancy, add a slice or two of salami}

Smother in butter, sprinkle with Italian seasonings...
...fry in pan or bake in oven until golden brown.

There you have it..the not so boring grilled cheese sandwich.

Other things we've done...
Provolone. Avocado. Spinach...Super good!
Bacon and Provolone.
Cheddar Cheese, Slice of Red Onion, Slice of Tomato...the options are endless.

Pair with a bowl of soup or salad for a quick dinner fix.
XxOo

The littlest.

Everything is a great, big, exciting deal.
The garbage truck.
A popsicle.
The library.
The grocery store.
A spider crawling on the wall.
The firetruck we just watched go by.
Playing outside.
The neighbor's birdhouse.

Two is adorable and innocent and I love it so very much.
I can't tell you how thankful I am that we get to experience a toddler in the house again.
What a blessing he is to our family.
XxOo

Wrapping up the week....a song. SavinosBrickOven. Stemma. and Thank You for the earrings mystery person! How did you know?

Soooo...it's Friday.
There is a 90% chance of rain all weekend.
Looks like the office will finally be cleaned out.

Some of the cousins meeting us at the movie theatre for Sophia's birthday.

Baking sour dough.
I've been getting more involved this past year.
{Sour Dough post coming soon....}

Night time/full moon/snow shot on the iphone.

Do you guys follow Savino's Brick Oven on  Facebook and Instagram?
If not, you should! Click my links...go.follow now.

This was our antipasto table from a wedding we catered last weekend.

Dear Mystery person who sent earrings to me in the mail...
...Funny story...I pulled my hair up into a headband.
I said.."I really should wear hoop earrings with this but I can't find mine"
...they have been missing for a while. I took the headband off.
Fast forward 3 hours when the mail arrived...Hoop Earrings...with a sweetly written card from???
I love hoops. I always have. So Thank You...whoever you are.


Finally...
I can't stop listening to THIS SONG!
We have always been big Joshua Radin fans.
His music has always been consistent and his new album is pretty much perfect.

Our friends have this great site involving artists and food.
Seriously, could there a better combo? I don't think so.

One more thing... Drew Holcomb's new album is out!
Have a wonderful weekend everyone.XxOo

It was harder on me than them but he got a cake pop out of the deal and all was well in the end.

Plans were forced to change because of two girls in pajamas who still had morning eyes

an hour after their dear mother gently woke them up and told them to get ready.

I wanted so badly to take them along. I really did. I had a lovely day planned for us.
But I had to be consistent.

I'm working on NOT being  all talk and no action?
It's hard.

It's hard to be stern when I want to be soft.
It's hard to leave them home when I want to take them along with me.

It was harder on me than it was on them.
It was hard for me to see them looking sad when I left the house with only Frankie.
It was hard for me to watch them watch everyone else out the window this afternoon.
....but I was proud of myself for sticking to my word.

It's not an easy thing for me...to follow through with a harsh{ish} punishment.
Is it easy for any parent? I don't think so.

In the long run though, it was for the better.
Lessons were learned today and character qualities were hopefully instilled.

Aaaaaand....Frankie and I had a great day together.
He ate his first ever cake pop and I bought him his very own little tin of green tea mints
from Trader Joe's because he asked for them so sweetly.

I also found cute Lucky boots on super ultra clearance
because I had lots and lots of time to browse. ;)


If you're feeling frustrated, if you feel like your household is out of control and
you are the only one dealing with stress...know you are not alone!
None of us have it all together.

Sit. Pray. Think. Organize. Plan. Come up with creative ways to discipline and teach.
Hey...Leave without the kids!
....this of course being a perk of having older children to leave them with.

You may become tired while trying. you may become exhausted,
but it will be worth it at the end of the day! I promise.

XxOo

We started this new tradition and broke it on the very first try...because she wanted us to.

It's her 11th birthday today. How is our youngest girl 11?
I love and hate it.

She eats, sleeps and breathes gymnastics.
She is sweet and diligent and I never {hardly ever} have to remind her to
make her bed or sweep the school room.
She always has an extra pony holder on her wrist if you should need one.
She loves God. Loves her brothers and sister.Loves the movie Meet Me in St. Louis.
.....and can sing like an opera star. {but not in front of people...we're working on that}

I wanted to take a picture of Sophia on her birthday...then this ham got involved.

Sisters, sisters...so glad they have each other.

We decided this year on each child's birthday, we are going to take them to dinner alone.
Restaurant of their choice. One on one time with each of our kids.
Then home for cake and presents and the singing of Happy Birthday.

Sophia has been asking for crab legs....so we planned to take her out for sea food.
We were ready to leave when she asked...
"Can we actually just stay home? and Dad?...can you make us crepes?"

So, the very first birthday of the year and our new tradition has already been broken.
Oh well...it's her birthday. and our dining room table is much cheaper than crab legs. Ha!

Happy Birthday to Sophia.
XxOo

The last minute decision that turned snowy and perfect and I still have no idea what possessed me to grab my boots.

Saturday morning we were heading south to drop Alex off for a basketball conference this week.
Instead of staying at our hotel, we made a last minute decision to cancel the room and
drive an extra hour and a half to Jeff's aunt and uncle's cabin in the Ozark Mountains.

Best last minute decision we could have made!
The snow was so pretty.

We woke up at sunrise, threw our coats on and ran out into the snow before it melted.
It was mostly gone by the time we left later that afternoon.

Funny side note*...I still have no idea why I packed my snow boots!
I stuck them into my suitcase right before we left....glad I did.

 

.....not everyone packed boots....you do what you have to do to keep those shoes dry, right.

Meanwhile inside Daksha's amazing kitchen.....

...blueberry scones, biscuits and gravy, homemade English muffins and
coffee from her nespresso machine. {which I think I will be investing in soon!} 

What a beautiful and wonderful world God gave us to enjoy.
I love how He created each and every season with it's own uniqueness.

Thank you Ron and Daksha for having us!

Thank you Mom for watching those we left behind for a couple of days.

XxOo