Paula the Koala

 

My cousin introduced us to this fun song. We have been singing (or at least trying to) since she sowed us.  Love it!

 

 

 

 

 

 

Here is one with words so you can learn it too. Can you keep up?

 

March Foodie Pen Pal

 

 

    March Came in like a lion, roared most of the month and then in the last few days left as a lamb. My box from my Foodie Pen Pal, Katie from running4cupcakes, helped get me through all those extra "lion"days. I love getting my boxes from all over the United States and this month Katie sent me surprises from Minnesota! My Hubby really began to embrace the FPP this month. At first he conspiricy theories that people might send us things they had poisoned. Now I can't keep him out of the box long enough to get home from work! This time I barely made it home before he started taste testing for me. Everyone got in on this box. I even shared with the kids!

 

 

 

 

•  Angie's Kettle Korn is my new obsession. Seriously. It is that good. I got on their website and found out where they sell it locally. I have only found it at one store and they didn't even have the Politely Sweet & Spicy flavored. I want to be adventurous and try the other flavors but this is AMAZING! And at $5 a bag here I would be adventurous and broke. Katie said that it is made near her in MN. If it is cheaper and easier to find I may have to move to Minnesota...



• Trader Joe's Peanut butter Pretzels were great! We don't have a TJ's around these parts so it is fun getting things from there. A lot of peanut butter snacks are overpoweringly peanut butter but these were not. They were just right. Since we went all over town for my Kettle Korn; Madison wanted me to find out where to buy more of these. When I told her that they are only sold at Trader Joe's she suggested having Katie send some each month for her. We had fun dissecting them to get the peanut butter out of the hollow pretzel.

• The Goldfish weren't just any Goldfish...they were CUPCAKE FLAVORED! They even have tiny rainbow flecks, just like the confetti cake. I may get some of these when I do my Rainbow Fish lesson at preschool. I found these at the store locally and there is an entire dessert line of Goldfish. I now have s'more flavored Goldfish crackers for my snack at preschool.

• This small Trader Joe's chocolate bar was like heaven with a cookie. I had a piece of it before bed. When I woke up there was more missing than I had remembered eating. Remember the Hubby with the conspiracy theories? He tried it and couldn't help himself. "I felt so guilty but you were asleep and it was so good! I tried to take little bites but I couldn't stop." That is totally a valid argument. I split the rest with him because I do love him that much on a good day. ;o) 

 

• Justin's Hazelnut Butter was delicious on my apple and banana at snack time. I had seen this on other blogs but this was my first time trying it. Easily portable in my lunchbox that I stole  borrow from my girls. Katie said it is perfect on anything or just to eat off a spoon. It would be wasteful not to lick off whatever you used to spread it.



 

• The LaffyTaffy was as fun to read as it was to eat. The girls had to read us the jokes before they could eat one. We all had a few laughs, learned a few new jokes and we were able to keep track of how many candies the kids were trying to eat. Fun and evil responsible parenting all at once!

 

• Mt goodie bars. Oh My Yum! Chocolate then peanut butter then chocolate and peanuts! WHAT!?! I know. Delish! These were gone pretty fast. FYI: The picture only shows the first layer of goodie bars. There are seconds under what you see. Oh My Yum x 2!

 

    I really, really enjoyed my Foodie Pen Pal box from Katie this month. Now I am going to go run because like Katie says, "I run to eat". I probably use the word "run" more loosely than her however. If the pace picks up to a jog at all during the time I am briskly walking I have gone on a run. Now that the weather is lamb like I can get my woolly tail out an do some running! 

 



January Foodie Pen Pal

My January Foodie Pen Pal is from Southern Florida! The other side of the country! Wanna see what Jonathan sent me?

Yep. Some sunshine in a box.

There were more oranges but they didn't last long once the box was opened. So juicy!

The grapefruit made for a good breakfast. I like a little sugar sprinkled on top; my mom liked salt sprinkled on top of hers. Not sure about that. What is your opinion? Salt or sugar on a grapefruit?

The mango nectar was delicious! It was like eating an mango without all the chewing. It was so thick and tasted so fresh.

I use a lot of Walla Walla Sweet Onions for obvious reasons so I was excited to get an onion I wouldn't usually go for at the grocery store. Which led me on a hunt for what I could do with it besides just make it into sandwich toppings. Which led me to this French Onion Soup Recipe...



Which leads me to believe I'll need to get a few more onions...

I love cilantro and never seem to have any when I need it. My cilantro plant died this summer leaving me cilantro-less. Now, thanks to Jonathan, I can have my cilantro any time. Mmmm...just the smell of cilantro is so refreshing. And it always brings back memories of when I was in grade school and I used to spend a week with my aunt and uncle in Everett during the summer. She had a garden with a cilantro plant and every time we played in the back yard it smelled like cilantro.

The rosemary can be used in anything! I threw some in some Stone Soup we made at Preschool last week; it was just what it needed. Flavor.

The tea is probably the best tea I have ever had. It is Lipton's Vanilla Caramel Truffle Black Tea. It is sweet enough not to have to sweeten but is isn't yucky sweet. I could drink this all day long. Even the bag is awesome; it is shaped like a pyramid! The geometric 3-D shape surely adds to the tastiness of the tea.

Jonathan also sent me a recipe for Strawberry Pretzel Squares. It looks so good! I have a family brunch coming up that I think I will make the Strawberry Pretzel Squares for. It looks like the perfect marriage of salty and sweet, crunchy and soft. Don't worry I will brag blog about it and show off pictures.

 It was fun learning about Florida and a little bit about you. Thanks for the fantastic food Jonathan!
God Bless!

Valentine Marriage Challenge Week 2

 

 

Courtney, from Women Living Well issued a Valentine Marriage Challenge about a week ago. Last week I tried to focus on my Hubby's good qualities and let him know that I appreciate him.

 

Week 2 Challenge – This week we will be a little more creative with our praise.

She has some great ideas over at her blog and I'm super excited to read the links and see what other bloggers are doing with this challenge. I am going to have to get my creative juices flowing... Another excuse to spend time on Pinterest. :o)

Because he knows how much I love my lattes. He gets me one every morning. I still love him more than lattes though.

 

The kind of poem he would give me. I think I'll beat him to it.

I found this on Pinterest and followed it over to Super Savings. They even have the tutorial for you.

Read between the lines:

I'd Kill (to be with) You,

(when) You're (not around) A Pain (runs through my heart),

(without) Love (life) Stinks,

I HATE (when) You (are not around me),

You're Not (just) My Friend (you're my best friend,

(I) Go To Hell (whenever you aren't near me)

 

We have quite the sense of humor, don't we? ;o)

Carrie's Craft Corner has some awesome ideas in her 14 Days of Valentines post. So cute and clever!

I got this idea from Carrie's Craft Corner. If nothing else My Hubby was dying with laughter over my "zebra".




 What kinds of creative things have you been doing to encourage your husband?

Valentine Marriage Challenge

One of my favorite blogs, Women Living Well,  is having a Marriage Challenge to get ready for Valentine's Day. I thought this would be the perfect motivation to get back to my blog again; and I get to bless my Hubby while I do so.

Here goes nothing...

 

 

Courtney's Week 1 Challenge:

Take the Initiative! Look for ways to praise your husband verbally.
Praise him in front of the kids, friends, family, co-workers, on facebook, tweet it – get praise out anyway you can! Try to mention something noteworthy he has done – in his role as provider, father, husband, lover, or friend. If the thought of trying to come up with one terrifies you, then pray right now that God will give you new eyes to see your husband as God does. Then open your mouth and say something kind and uplifting to your husband today and tomorrow and the next day until Valentine’s Day arrives!

    This week I have been looking for the good little things about my Hubby and trying to verbalize them. It is easy to get caught up in all the bad little things and then only the BIG things get praise maybe. Sometimes I think I am guilty of stacking so many of his faults in front of the good things that I completely lose sight of the good in him. Times when things happen where he doesn't pick up after his mess, when he doesn't clean up after dinner, when he doesn't help with the kids, when he falls asleep "too early", when he has a bad attitude or things just don't go the way I wanted them to. These are some of things that I stack in front of his good qualities. I become blind to the things that made me fall for him in the beginning. Things that I love about him. After 11 years I love him more than ever but 11 years has given me a long time to stack faults. I have enjoyed this week because I have been working on getting rid of those files boxes full of years of his faults that I have been stacking up.
    This week I have been looking for the good little things about him. As I empty the boxes of fault I am working on filling them up instead with the things I love about him. When I notice these good things about my Hubby I am telling him.
    I started by praying to see him as the Lord sees him and looking for what he does on the big scale: working sucky hours at a job that he doesn't particularly love but he does it because he loves his family and wants to provide for us. The fact that I know beyond a shadow of a doubt that he will have my back and never leave my side no matter how granola, blond, psycho, fat or forgetful I get. The fact that he sees past my stacks of faults.
    When I started looking for the big good things I was able to see the little good things more clearly again. Like what an amazing BBQ grill master he is; plus he picks the best meat at the grocery store AND looks for a the best deal on it. How when he cleans he gets things squeaky clean. He's a great foot rubber. He (usually) picks good movies. He cracks me up! His mischievous sideways smile. He's so darn sexy. Don't even get me started on his bedroom skillz.
    Not only has this been great for our marriage it has been good for our kids to hear. I am sure my kids pick up on the tone in my voice when I am frustrated with their dad. I'm sure I've said things that were less than kind about their father that they heard. We are role models to our children whether we are being good or bad role models. I want them to see the good in their dad. Love him with all their little hearts. I want my girls to grow into Godly women with good marriages; who are their husband's biggest cheerleader and are loved and cherished by him. I want my son to have a wife that encourages him and helps him to be the man God has planned for him to be. All of that starts with our marriage example.
    I am reaping benefits of this challenge already. I was surprised by his reaction when I told him on Monday that I appreciated something he had done the day before. He stopped what he was doing, looked at me and said, "Thank you for noticing that. It means a lot to me that you told me you appreciate that." And you know what? He did it again the next day. And then the day after that too.
    A little encouragement on my part has gone a long way in his heart.  I like encouraging him. I found I like it a lot more than nagging at him. I want to be his cheerleader and he needs to be encouraged. He wants to be appreciated and he's willing to go the extra mile when all I have to do is say, "Thank you. I notice the good things you do. I appreciate you."
What do you say? Start unstacking your husband's faults. Be your husband's cheerleader. Join the challenge.

The Dirty Dash 2012

So since registration for The Dirty Dash 2013 just opened on January 2 and it's waaay too late to just post these pictures and play it off; I finally have an excuse to show off our dirty little summer trip!



Before Pictures:

Hubby~ You took 1 picture of us before the race.

Thanks for making me look like a real winner.

 

After:

The Dirty Dash was a dirty blast! I felt like a mountain goat most of the time. When I "run" around here I stick to paved roads. This was through a river and up a mountain; not to mention all the obstacles they set up. It was crazy fun! I was exhausted (and proud) when I finished and I can't wait until next summer! It will be an adults race though; we are going to leave the kids home this time. Maybe we'll even bring along some friends this year.

Go check it out!

Or if mud isn't your thing they are doing a Color Run this year also!


A Feast of Carols Video

A Feast of Carols

 

If you are interested in seeing Sarah's Feast of Carols performance, here you go! Click the link...she is about an hour and five minutes into the performance, so fast forward a bit. She is the one in the red shirt...She is on the far right side on the very end of the row; one person down from the top (white skirt).

FYI African Noel is at about 43 min.

Enjoy!

 

 

http://new.livestream.com/WhitmanCollege/feast2012