Chef Kinsey

I am sooooo proud of my little ninner! She has taken such an interest in cooking and just last night she made dinner. Take a look at the pizza and cheesy bread sticks she prepared! Isn't she amazing? Saturday morning she got a hankering for pancakes and whipped up a batch. We did nothing!!!! Unbelievable!!!

I love my dogs...but I cherish my daughters!

I am truly a fanatic when it comes to my dogs. (Officially Montana belongs to Alissa and Little Man is Kinsey's baby but who feeds them and walks them?????) So, as a person who adores her dogs I follow the advice of my dog guru, Cesar Milan, like a religion. As a result my beloved dogs are assured the good health, happiness and "balance" they deserve. Every day I walk them twice around my neighborhood with the "calm assertiveness" that is required making the little "ttcchh" sound (he uses the same one if your ever watch his show) when correcting their behavior. I am proud to say we are a success story and I am convinced that someday I will be featured on Cesar's "Dog Whisperer" program as an example of how to be a great "pack" leader! While walking my precious pooches, I always use this quiet time as an opportunity to review the day in my mind, giggle about my canines' cute little ways, and generally unwind...it benefits me as much as them. Many times during these walks I am joined by one of my girls or Steven which makes the dog walking ritual even more rewarding. This evening I was overjoyed when Alissa decided to walk with us. Let me set the scene. I had interrupted the cleaning of my house (my dad is coming to stay the night with us tomorrow and I accidentally locked out the cleaning lady today) to pick up Alissa from v-ball practice. Once home, we decided to take the dogs out and rushed around the block due to Alissa's need to complete a ton of homework. As we were approaching the house I had a brainstorm...I decided I was going to create a post about my daily dog walking and what it means to me. So, I dashed toward the house for my camera and Alissa started snapping pictures. Shortly after taking a few pictures, Alissa suggested we move to the side yard for some shots of me with the pups. After several minutes of posing while laughing our butts off because of the dogs' antics, we let Montana loose for a run. She crazily began circling all three of us (Little Man, Alissa and me) like a dog possessed, nearly decapitating Little Man when she got tangled in his leash. Once Montana was freed from this minor mishap, she darted for the lake and dove in!!! Three separate times. I gathered up the remains of Little Man and placed him in the safety of the house when I discovered my wedding ring was missing! Alissa and I began searching every square inch of the yard and Montana clearly thought it was some sort of a game...jumping, head butting and running circles around us like amaniac! Now it was getting dark. Kinsey approached while we were trying to hunt for the lost ring and together continued our search...all three of us...for 20 minutes. No luck. Meanwhile I was distracted by a phone call. At this point Kinsey went into the house to check on Little Man who was barking like he was being tortured. While inside she conducted a quick search of the house and walked out with my ring in hand!!! (Guess I didn't loose it after all but placed it on the bathroom counter when putting on lotion. ) Oopsie! Kinsey and I then proceeded to bathe our disgusting, yet satisfied, lab...which was no small feat! Although this was in no way the post I originally intended...it was such an awesome, hysterical and bonding time with my girlies. I knew I loved those dogs for a reason! (By the way the final picture shows the doggie tracks Montana left all over my newly washed floor when she stepped in my carpet sprinkles and proceeded to walk the house!!!)

Check out Cesar's website...he has a blog too!

http://www.cesarmillaninc.com/tips/

Check out the teacher's milkshake!

YouTube - Broadcast Yourself.

Milkshake Madness

Milkshakes are a passion in our house! Steven is an absolute expert milkshake maker. Just the perfect blend of fresh fruit, Breyers real vanilla ice cream, and a dash of whole milk are all that is required. With expert finesse he whips it up so it is the perfect texture (no huge lumps) with his handy dandy milkshake mixer! Finally, he always tops it off with a mile high pile of whipped cream! It makes such a refreshing and tasty anytime treat.

Easter Weekend 2008

Yesterday was an exciting day. Alissa and I both took the morning off to pack for a long weekend v-ball tournament in Atlanta. Steven rushed home from work to drive us to the airport and after fighting traffic on I-75 dropped us curbside. After bidding our goodbyes, it felt so strange to watch him drive away. We successfully checked our bag, located our gate and waited for our turn to board. As our flight boarded, I felt a tingle of excitement and anticipation. I felt so independent and worldly as we embarked on this adventure together. Although we are going to be away from Steven and Kinsey for Easter (I know, I know...it totally sucks and we are both very sad about it!) we will make the best of it. At Alissa's request I have made sure the Easter bunny will be visiting our hotel room and we will have an Easter egg hunt...it won't be exactly the same as years past but it will be a memory the two of us will always share! Again, although I will miss both Kinsey and Steven dearly this time alone with my eldest is priceless. The conversations and laughter we share during these precious moments are amazing. I so admire her creativity, wit and insights about our world. I am so proud to be her mother. Easter will be different but still very, very special.

...cooking?

Okay. So for many years now I have been able to avoid cooking on a pretty regular basis. Thankfully, Steven is an exceptional cook and I have been able to get by on the premise of..."he's the cook, I'm the cleaner!" Lately, Steven's schedule has required him to work a bit more in the evenings and it's really not fair to expect him to come home and immediately start cooking for the women in his life...he does so many other things already as member of this family. So, it forced me to examine why I never liked cooking or really wanted to learn. Sure...I have always had visions of my husband coming home after a hard day at the office to find his perfectly prepared gourmet dinner being served...the family sits down and raves about the meal while I coyly bat my eyelashes and reply..."Really, it was nothing." Well, this is so not the case in our house. I pull out a pan and the girls start running the other direction screaming (okay...slight exaggeration...but not by much). But at least now I'm willing to try and I'm enjoying it a bit more...sort of. Okay, I have a huge confession. Steven just found this new place up the street (only five minutes from the house) that has meals frozen and ready to go!!! All that is required is an ability to read (I can do that!) and some skills with timing (I'm a teacher...timing is my life!). I can't believe the difference a hot cooked meal means to my guy! So, it's not gourmet but I'm working on it!!!

Volleyball is our life!

I am so thrilled that our girls have gotten involved in a sport that is fun for them, exciting for us to watch and is indoors!! We have devoted many, many weekends to traveling the interstate to yet another weekend tournament, sleeping in less than desirable hotel rooms, waking up at the crack of dawn for an 8 a.m. game (at different venues of course...a different one for each daughter) and loving every stinkin' minute of it.

I did it!

Shocking but true! I have joined the world of blogging. Without all of the techie women in my life this would not have been possible. This has taken me months to accomplish but I feel so free!