Sunday Breakfast

This morning I made my own pancakes from scratch using my maple syrup I made the other day with some strawberries on top. It was awesome! So here is the recipe for anyone tired of spending so much on pancake mix. This recipe can be changed for Gluten free diets as well as Dairy free diets.

First off if you don't have self rising flour make it yourself with the following:

Self rising flour-
1 cup all purpose flour (or sub the following stone gorund wheat flour, rice flour, organic flour. whatever your preference is)
1 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp of baking soda

Pancakes-
1 cup self rising flour
1 tsp sugar
1/4 cup olive oil
1 egg
1 cup of milk (or rice milk)
2 tsp of cinnamon

Whisk together and add any fruit you might want to the mix or chocolate chips. Now add mix to a hot pan or griddle by the spoonfuls. I chose to top mine with strawberries. While I was cooking the rest of my breakfast I kept the cooked pancakes in the oven to warm at 150.

For those of you who missed how to make your own maple syrup you can easily make it now in minutes.

Maple Syrup
Combine 2 cups of sugar and 1 cup of water in a large sauce pan. Stir to dissolve while heating to a boil. After sugar dissolves add 1/2 tsp of maple extract and stir in well. Let it continue to boil for 3 minutes. Remove it from heat and let it cool. Place in old syrup jug or any old used jar you have lying around and store.

All recipes were found online.

15 weeks pregnant today

I am 15 weeks pregnant today. I have been feeling the baby move around very actively since last night. Fun Fun Fun!!! I went to breakfast/lunch with my dad today and have just kind of laid around since then. I am so tired lately. Good thing Lexi is grounded and has to do my housework or I might be in a bit of trouble. :)

Fun Vacation Videos

I figured since I haven't used my blog in awhile I could at least post a few videos.

Wow it's been awhile

Well I haven't posted in awhile. I had a whole week of sitting around the house alone. I sure am glad Alexis is home. Tomorrow Chad and I will be coaching Choices! I am so very excited and ready. Our summer feels like it is already completely booked. Next week we have some down time but then we head to Iowa for the first two weeks in July. We get to celebrate 4th of July and Chad's 31st birthday with his family. I am trying to pump myself up for that drive. Me, my kids, and the 2 dogs driving up alone. This will be my first time to take a road trip without another adult with me. I feel so grown up. lol.

Wow it

Video of Lucky and Kyba playing tug of war

The Best Recipe Ever!!

I made this tonight for Chad and Lex. They absolutely loved it! Enjoy.

Lasagna Spinach Rolls

Béchamel sauce

- melt 2 tbl of butter in a sauce pan on low
- add 4 tsp of flour -whisk together
- add 1 cup room temp milk- whisk
-raise heat to med low let sit stir occasionally
-check béchamel for thickening
-add salt and black pepper- a bit of fresh nutmeg for spice
-pour béchamel into bottom of buttered baking dish.


Lasagna Pasta

-Use shallow pan-- like big frying pan to cook pasta
-Boil water add couple of teaspoons of salt for seasoning
-very important add oil to the water
-take a few lasagna sheets at a time and add 1 layer in water for 6-8 mins until al dente
Remove noodles and place on a oiled baking sheet so they don't stick


Filling

- Whish 1 bowl in a medium size bowl
- add 1 container of ricotta cheese -whisk
- add thawed out spinach- squeeze out all the extra liquid.
(you can use a small box of frozen spinach, frozen is great because you don't have to cook it)
-add a bit of parmesan cheese (about 1/2 cups) -whisk
-take 2 layers of prosciutto meat chop up and add to filling- whisk
-add a little salt (prosciutto has lots of salt)
-add a little ground pepper-whisk
- stuffing is done

Prepare rolls

-take 2-3 spoonfuls of filling and smooth over a piece of lasagna
-roll it up and place over béchamel sauce
(don't place to close together so they won't stick.)
-add a little marinara over spinach rolls. (fav spagetti sauce will work great)
-warm up rest and serve on side later on
-add lots of mozzarella over top of rolls
-add lots of parmesan over top for nice cheesy layer.

Cooking

-place foil over lasagna and bake at 450 degrees for 20 mins
-remove foil and bake till golden to dark brown (about 10-15 more minutes)

4th grade Award Ceremony and Picnic

Today has been a whirlwind of fun. Our day started super early. Well, super early for us anyway. Chad, Bob, & I met up at Shell and bagged ice for the 4th graders snow cones first thing this morning. We got a huge discount for doing it ourselves. The guys ran up to the school and uploaded all the bags. Thank you DAD's!! Chad had to head to work and I rushed around getting ready and headed up to the school. Heather and I took pictures and shot video footage of the awards ceremony. The kids were all so cute. I love how involved the school is with our kids. There were so many awards to be given. And our little 4th graders will be the leaders of the school next year. After an amazing ceremony the children headed to their rooms for the much anticipated picnic events. Well, after 4 hours of fun I am home and resting. All the kids where so adorable! What a great end to such an amazing year.

Lex and Hanna on skittles :)

Sponge Toss Event. Boys against Girls.

Choir

Chess Club

Awards and Song

Yesterday around lunch time Chad & I headed over to watch Jaden receive his awards and officially "graduate" 1st grade. Yay! Later that day Chad, Mom & I headed over to the high school auditorium to watch Lexi sing for 5th grade graduation. Then we did what we do every wednesday and headed to Pollo. Jaden had a soccer party so he couldn't join us.

Shopping Queen

Ok so normally if someone asks me to spend money I overspend and then some. Today with the help of another mom I purchased end of year presents for all of the 4th grade and didn't go over budget! I had a whole $4.00 to spare. Yay!!!

The presents were a beach safe, spy pen, and sandal or Hawaiian shirt notepad.

Field Day with Jaden

Friday was Jaden's field day. He had so much fun playing games and soaking his friends with the water gun I brought. I have lots of video footage but it is way to big for blogger!

Traveler Day

Today has been busy and fun. Alexis has been working hard on her Texas Traveler Report. I got to go to the school and see her in action. I was her first customer. I went and grabbed us some lunch and we enjoyed Jersey Mikes with our friends. This was our last official Thursday lunch. There were lots of parents at the lunch table!

Wed night at Pollo

We spent our "Jaden Wednesday" walking the dogs and playing at Pollo y Salsa. The kids had fun gathering berries and pine cones.

Happy Anniversary- Have you figured out what your gift is Chad?

Now guess Chad. I love you Happy early Anniversary.

Lunch with Jaden

Today was my last official Tuesday lunch with Jaden for 1st grade. We had Jersey Mike's and ate with his buddy Garrett. We spent our time looking through pics on my camera phone and taking some artsy shots.

What a wonderful weekend

Memorial Day weekend was a bit of a whirlwind for us. We spent Saturday at our family reunion swinning, laughing, and having a blast! And of course no reunion is complete without flying kids!Sunday we spent the day hanging out with friends and Monday we swam again! I can't wait for summer to get here.

Food, Fun, and Fireworks

Today was a fun and busy day. I had a long lunch with my friend Jennifer at Salernos. Afterwards, I got to spend time with Lincoln and Lawson. What a pair of cuties. Chad came home early and we all walked the dogs to the school to pick up Alexis. Later in the evening Chad, Lex, Jaden, & I headed up to Blue Goose for dinner. The kids ran around the fountains while we waited to be seated. At dinner Chad & Jaden teamed up and won a round of Banana grams. If you haven't played it yet you should. Basically each person makes their own scrabble hand in front of them. You can rearrange your words however you choose. First one out of tiles wins. The kids love it! We finished up our evening by going to watch the fireworks at grapevine lake with Ron & Lawson. The mosquitoes were out in swarms, but the beautiful fireworks were worth the bites.

Golf Golf and more Golf

We spent yesterday at The Byron Nelson. It was lots of fun. We had free beer and good company. Can't go wrong with that. Alexis got to spend the evening swimming with her friend Hanna. Jaden had an art show where he also had a song to sing. Hopefully we will have the video footage soon.

Summer's almost here

Alexis on Sugar!

The kids of Lakehollow

Jaden, Alexis, and I had a blast yesterday at Lincoln and Lawson's ice cream party. The kids got quite a sugar high with the ice cream and abundant choices of toppings. Afterwards, Chad the kids and all our friends headed over to Pollo y Salsa for margaritas and swimming. Lexi wanted a virign margarita so badly she paid for hers as well as Jaden's. The kids were able to run off all that sugar playing in the fountains with their friends.

It always amazes me how children can play so nicely with a group of kids they have never met before. Wish we had this skill as adults. Although it would be a wierd world if you are sitting at a restraunt and all of sudden have more people you don't know join you cause you look fun.

Story of Us

So I guess the best way to start this is by going to the beginning. Anyone who knows us knows we love to talk. We both have a slightly different version of "Our story". So you will be getting my version. Chad can retell it in his fashion if he would like. :)

Our story begins about 5 years ago. We met while working for Blockbuster.

I was living with my daughter Alexis in a One bedroom apartment. I worked full time and barely saw my child. Luckily I have a lot of family who lived farely close to me at the time. There was always someone there to help me with whatever I needed. My dad would pick Lex up from daycare most days and feed her dinner by the time that I got there. We would spend an hour or two together and then she would be off to bed. Oh, I hated working it truly keeps you from getting to really know your kids sometimes. I had been going through a pretty rough divorce when we met. I was right in the middle of it. Lex's dad had quit seeing her or truly having anything to do with her. So here we were me and my cute little girl who was 6 at the time struggling through the day to day stuff just trying to get to the next day. Being a parent is hard. Being a single parent well it was rough. I was a call center agent, so I made just enough money to barely get by as long as I didn't mind over draft and late payments. I also had a huge support system from my parents and family. When new school clothes were needed or anything else beyond my ordinary budget they always came through for me.

I really have never figured out how employers expect people to survive on $10-$11 dollars an hour.

But back to our story.

So here I am sitting at work and this adorable guy walks in to the call center. We were used to the normal older pot bellied gentleman coming through, some married guys etc. No one had ever caught my attention at work until this moment. He made his rounds to each cubical setting up our new cisco phone system. I will admit (now I never have before) I was nervous. I thought he was so cute. And newly unattached I had been dating someone I had known in the past, but was not used to talking to men in general just yet. So it was my turn. Here he was working on my phone. I had butterflies in my stomach. He started talking about how he was going through a divorce. Well we had common ground low and behold. So I started really talking now. I was so excited. I mean after a year so far in the trenches this is a subject I could write a book on. So he gives me his card with his home number on the back to call him so we can talk about our "Divorces". As soon as he left my co workers were asking what we talked about and how cute he was etc... You know girls.

So I had been dating someone for awhile I think mostly because I just never knew how to be alone. Even now I hate being alone. I like having someone to talk to.

We use to talk on the phone just about every day after work during our commutes. He would "stalk" my computer. I would be sitting working and he would VPN into my machine open up a note pad and start typing. Scared the hell out of me the first time he did it. Definately made working more interesting. Some nights we'd fall asleep talking to each other (literally). The more I knew him the more I really liked him. Well I chose to completely break it off with the other guy and really give this a go. It felt right you know. So I call his home number one day to talk to him and "his wife answered" she asked if I would like to leave a message.

Are you kidding me! So I did not break it off with anyone. I decided right then and there he was a liar. And we would never be more than friends.

So, it wasn't until a year or so later that he finally talked me into going on a real date with him. Once he cleared up that the "wife" had been having issue with her mom and moved back in temporarily because his son had no where to live at the time until she got an apartment of her own.

Well everything happens for a reason right? I think we were finally together when we were healed and ready for a new real relationship. So, in March of 2005 Chad and I went on our first date. I will let him write about what he thinks our first real date was. But I will tell you it is not true. Our first date was in March of 2005.

Chad was living in our home with his roommate and best friend Nate. He saw his son Jaden as much as he could. Nicole worked at the time so Jaden was in daycare by the house. Chad has always been an amazing dad. That is one of the things that still attracts me to him.

We went on our first vacation together to Cozumel in July. And the week school started Alexis and I moved in. Poor Nate moved out not long after. (I am sure it had nothing to do with his hatred of kids.)

We decided not to have anymore kids back in Feb 2006 so on Valentine's Day he had a Vasectomy. We were very serious on this stance. We were also not ever getting married since we both saw how that can turn out from our first experiences. Eww.

So Back in May 2007 Chad accepted a position that promised to be very lucrative in Alaska. The thought of not being together was all we needed to become engaged. Alaska is apparently a very big union state, so things were not as we had hoped. Chad returned home after only a few weeks. We eloped on June, 8, 2007. A few days later we decided we wanted lots of grandkids when we got older. The only way for that to happen was to start up our original dream we both had as kids and have a large family. We saved up our money over the following year and on June 7, 2008 we renewed our vows in front of family and friends. Then on June 20th, 2008 we drove down to Oklahoma and have a Vasectomy Reversal. Let me tell ya even after waiting 4 days out in a hotel room that was one tough ride back for Chad. Poor guy sat on a Boppy the whole way home.

We are very happy together. And after going through Choices we have had the most amazing marriage I could possibly imagine. Yes, we have disagreements. And when I PMS I want to literally bite him. :) But we truly enjoy each other and love being together.

We sit together when we watch tv and cuddle. We have to be careful because we tend to get quite reclusive.

Hmm can't wait to see his side of our story. I left plenty to be told.