Moooooooooooooves Like Jagger

This song has totally been stuck in my head lately, and although I don't think my chillens have actually ever heard the song, they have been dancing around the house, singing "I've got the mooooooooooves like Jagger!" and giggling with me for days.  Seriously -- listen to the song, and then just try not to dance!  

Just Because They're Cute...

Sunday we had to take a trip to Best Buy, and while Brad was asking some questions about speakers for the new house, I entertained the kids at the 3-D center.  I couldn't resist taking their pictures in the funny glasses:

On the way home, the kids were worn out from the weekend and all fell asleep in the car...wish I could sleep in the car like that!

(Lots and Lots of) Pics from the Birthday Par-tay!

Sanders and Gibson had a fun Beach Bash for their co-birthday party this summer. I don't know how long I will be able to get away with co-parties, but I am going to go with it for as long as possible! (I do usually host a little family get-together on each child's birthday, but we had the party on Gibson's actual birthday, so he just got the beach shindig this year.)

Here are some pictures from the big day...

Graham and his twin, aka his daughter, Collins:

Jumping off the front of the boat was a fun pastime while it was still deep enough -- we had to deal with the tide going out:

There was also a really fun octopus sprinkler in the yard and lots of toys to play with under the house if one didn't want to play in the water at the beach:

Daddy and me:

Hoses are always fun:

Brad, Ben, and Whitt relaxed after most of the party-goers went home:

Menu Monday: I Cooked!!!

Now that we are back to school, I guessed it was time to get back to reality for me and the whole cooking thing. I have no motivation to cook lately, but I need to feed all those people that live in my house, so it was now or never...

So, I cooked last week. And I ate like a baby dinosaur. So this week, I am going to try to go back to cooking a little more on the light side.

Last week's menu:

Monday: Chicken from Susan's blog with the special sauce and peas.

Tuesday: Aunt Caroline's Poppy Seed Chicken (recipe below)

Wednesday: Pioneer Woman's Corn Chowder with Chilies

Thursday: At 6, I got on the couch with the intent of closing my eyes for a few minutes. I woke up after 9. Thankfully, Brad had fed the kids leftovers, gotten them bathed and in bed, and even had my plate covered and waiting for me on the table. What a sweet guy that Brad can be...!

Friday: My kids had Grayson's birthday party, so Brad and I snuck out for a dinner date while we had some free babysitting!

Saturday: In-laws cooked

Sunday: leftovers

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Aunt Caroline's Poppy Seed Chicken

4 whole chicken breasts, cooked & cut into large pieces

1 can cream of celery soup

1 can cream of mushroom soup

1 cup sour cream

4 oz almonds

1 can sliced water chestnuts

1 T chopped pimentos

1T lemon juice

2T grated Parmesan cheese

2T poppy seeds

1 stack Ritz crackers, crushed

melted butter (for crackers)

Melt butter and put with Ritz crackers. Set aside.

Place chicken in bottom of 9x13 baking dish. Mix soups, sour cream, almonds, water chestnuts, pimentos, and lemon juice gently. Pour over top of chicken. Finally, place Ritz cracker crumbs and poppy seeds on top. Bake at 400 until very hot -- about 30 minutes.

Fall Window Shopping

Why is it that whenever you have money to spend, you can't find anything you want to buy, but when you have a husband called Mr. Spreadsheet who won't let you buy anything, you see lots of things you like? Or is that just me? Here are some cute things I have seen lately (and some of them may have to find a way to come home with me)...and my first attempt at Polyvore!

Fall Window Shop by tomato1979 featuring side zipper pants

Sheer top
$198 - anthropologie.com

J Crew navy jacket
$188 - jcrew.com

Faux fur jacket
$84 - piperlime.gap.com

Seven For All Mankind zipper jeans
$178 - piperlime.gap.com

J Crew side zipper pants
$70 - jcrew.com

Women: Tops | Piperlime
piperlime.gap.com

Bangin'

Once again, I have made a hair change. I get bored easily, or regularly, I guess, with my hair. This time I knew I didn't want to cut any length off, but once I saw the video for Kenny Chesney's song You and Tequila featuring Grace Potter, I knew I wanted her 'do.

Today I took this pic in when I got my hair done:

And this is the result (Excuse my awkwardness at taking my own photo. I sent out a different one from my phone earlier and got a lot of comments that I looked mad, so I am trying to look not mad.):

I mean, I could definitely use a touch-up on my makeup after a full day, and the bangs need a little help being not-so-poofy (although you can't really tell that in these pictures), but all-in-all, I am happy.

What do you think?

Praise the Lord, It's Friday!!!!

Wow, we are only one half-week into school, and I am exhausted. So, today, I just have some random thoughts...

:: Have you read and/or seen The Help yet? Both are really good, so if you haven't done either, read the book, and then go see the movie!

:: 5:45 a.m. comes really early for a non-morning person like me. That is what time I have been waking up these past three school mornings. Ugh. It is especially early when the dang dog has been barking outside our window all night. Sometimes I want to shoot that dog.

:: Our friends Jen and Mark come to visit this weekend! I haven't seen them since I went to New Orleans for Jen's 30th birthday last November -- and now Jen has a baby bump! I can't wait!

:: I know people are really crazy about their coffee, so I might step on some toes here -- I mentioned before that I had made PW's Iced Coffee, and that it is delish. Well, I went to Starbucks while the kids and I were out getting some school shopping done the other day, and I got an iced latte. I don't get to Starbucks much because we don't have one around here, but I have to say that my iced coffee (okaaaaayyyy, PW's iced coffee) that I make at home blew theirs out of the water. Seriously.

:: Listen, don't come messin' around our house at night, trying to get into our stuff...we are armed and dangerous, even in our sleep:

(obviously this is just a toy gun...)

Okay, have a happy weekend!!!

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school for my chickens. Tyler is in third grade this year, Sanders is in first, and Gibson is in K-4 -- where is the time going?

I followed in the tradition of torture that my mother put us through and her mother put her through...sign-holding:

They aren't completely mortified by it yet, but one day they will be, just like I was!

The kids are riding the bus this year, and Gibson was really nervous about it. In fact, he flat out told us that he didn't want to ride the bus. So, this morning, when Brad and I had to take the kids to the bus stop (our bus meets at a central location), I was pretty nervous. My children looked so teeny tiny getting on the bus. I was that mom who got all teary -- and it was pretty obvious because Brad and I were the only parents to actually get out of the car at the bus stop. I guess we were also those parents who were new and didn't know the process!

In addition to bus nerves, Sanders has been apprehensive about starting first grade. She was worried about everything -- a certain friend not being in her class this year, being in a new room, being with a new teacher, reading to the Kindergarten kids when she's in second grade. You name it, she was worried about it. Every time I would try to calm her down about something, she would bring up another issue. Sanders is usually my brave girl, so having her get all worked up really made me apprehensive!

Tyler was the only one who was super excited about going back to school. She is ready to start a great third grade year! Thankfully one of my children wasn't worried!

Needless to say, I had a case of butterflies this morning just like my kids because of all of their worries. I prayed for them all the way to work this morning. I was very happy to hear a good report when they got back off the bus this afternoon -- and, by the way, they love riding the bus!

Here's to a great school year!

Crabbing! (But Not Catching!)

A week or so ago, Brad took a day off of work, and we took the kids crabbing. It was their first time crabbing, and mine, too, and we were all excited about a little family time together out in the boat.

We were all excited, that is, until the kids realized that crabbing is hot and requires a lot of patience -- which is something that is not in their vocabulary. Brad finally got the chicken tied on the string and the string tied on the sticks, and we stuck the our bait in the water. And the kids wanted to immediately pull it up to see what we caught. And then they wanted to check the lines every five seconds after that.

When they realized that it was going to take a little bit of time to catch a crab, the kids decided that they instead needed to drink every single drink that we had (that was not beer) on the boat in ten minutes. And eat every single chip. Which, of course, was all we had on the boat to eat.

Aside from being a great photo op (though these pictures were taken with my phone, so they are showing up a bit blurry for some reason...) and some good, quality family time, our crabbing outing was kind of a bust. We caught zilch. Nada.

The kids even tried a little fishing, but we were just on the wrong tide for everything that day. So, we will have to try again -- and next time we will be more prepared!