Some things about me. just me.

As many of you can imagine, things aren't about me very often. And they haven't been for a while. And...I like it that way (most of the time:).
So I occasionally want to post about something that is on my mind or something that I'm passionate about and I don't b/c 1) I don't post often 2) I'm not as interesting as my children 3) Because the main purpose of this blog is to keep people connected to us, especially the kids. BUT...I don't have the time or desire to start an all about Laura blog so I guess you are occasionally going to have to put up with an all about me post!!!!
That being said, I better get started because I have like ten posts that I need to fit into one!!

1) First, I always want to post about cooking and recipes. Yes, the kids make cooking difficult at times, mostly the girls, but we adapt and somehow we manage to rarely eat out. I love the days when Kevin takes all the kids upstairs and I get to cook by myself. It is amazing how much faster I am without distractions and less frazzled by the time I get my creation to the table! I am going to brave a piece of meat that I have always been intimitated by (and never want to buy:), filet mignon, for one of our holiday dinners. I will have to let you know how it goes!!!

Now I know I should have used a bigger bowl! I was whipping cream:)

Here is my Grandma's fudge recipe for all of you thinking Christmas goodies!
1 lb. Hershey bar
2 c. semi choc. chips
1 lg jar marshmellow cream
3 c. chopped pecans
41/2 c. sugar
1 lg. can evap. milk
3 Tablespoons butter
1 Tablespoon vanilla
Pinch of salt

Mix sugar and milk together in a large roasting pot. Stirring constantly bring to a roiling boil and keep stirring for 6 minutes. Remove from heat and stir in Hershey and choc. chips till melted then add marshmellow cream stir till smooth. Add in the rest of ingredients and mix well. Spoon out onto parchment paper or wax paper.P.S. I break up Hershey bar, open c. chips, marshmellow cream, butter and vanilla and measure nuts all ahead of time because once you get it off the heat you need to move fast. It’s also very helpful to have two people spooning it out. Be careful not to scorch the sugar and milk.

2) Books!!! Oh Reading 'for fun' why have I denied you for so long!?!? Hummm....could it be because I was forced to read for so long and then went straight into baby bonanza during college and then started a business in the middle of the craziness......yes I think so!!!!! But the reading drought is over and I am hooked. Here are some books 'for fun' that I highly reccommend. By the way, Kevin and I had a really neat night last week....we both just picked up our books after we got the kids in bed and sat down on the couch and just read.....never turned on the tv and didn't miss it. Then we both completed our books within minutes of each other! How's that for good timing?? Anyway, we both just read The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins(a three book series) and it was fabulous.

3) Parenting. This is my full-time, non-stop, super exhausting, always challenging, but very rewarding job. For me, it is the purpose of my life right now. I have an opportunity to influence these four precious souls more than anyone else and if one of our kids decides to love the world instead of God when they are grown, I will be heart broken and crushed. So I am giving it my all and messing up plenty a long the way. But I am pleading to God for more wisdom and patience and endurance and begging Him to forgive me for constantly failing. Parenting is the most humbling experience I have ever had. I feel like I continuely need my own 'little talk'!! I do want to share a book that has greatly impacted the way we strive to parent, Shepparding a Child's Heart by Tedd Tripp, I wish I would have read when we firsted started this adventure. I just bought two on Amazon for twelve bucks, I am giving them away right and left in hopes that other people will read it and be blessed from it as we have.

4) P90X. Okay I have been wanting to share my experience and opinion on this program for a year and it's pretty ironic that I talking about when I haven't done it months, but oh well! I mentioned in a post last fall that Kevin and I were doing the program and I've had several people ask about it. The program is 12 weeks long and you work out 6 days a week for an hour to an hour and half. A diet is also included which basically consisted of shedding weight the first month with lowfat protein and then they start adding in more carbs the second month and by the third you are eating tons of carbs. Anyway, that's how your are supposed to do it!!!! We did the diet for one week:) We did the program for a solid six weeks and then off and on for two weeks. Then I decided to just do it once or twice a week from then on and I haven't done it lately but hope to start again in January. So what did we think? Kevin hated it because it took up our entire down time (8pm-10pm) in the evenings. It takes a few minutes to set up the weights and pull up bar and we used a mat to protect our carpet and then you have to shower afterwards so it was nearly a two hour ordeal. We did decide the second month that we would stop at one hour even if that meant stopping in the middle of the workout (we would just skip forward to the cool down) and that helped. But to me the results were worth the effort. I was having trouble loosing the last ten pounds of baby weight (it had been 10 months) and I was able to loose that ten pounds in about 4 to 5 weeks with out changing my diet much. And Kevin used to have planters fasciitis (foot trouble:) and after all the stretching during the program it went away. And I loved the endurance that I gained back. I hated feeling like I couldn't go climb a mountain to to say (not that I could climb a very big one:)! I want to always feel like I can go for a hike with my dad in Colorado and keep up or go for a mile run without having to walk. And by the end of the six weeks I could do two real chin-ups by myself which is a good feeling ya know! So is the program killer.........oh yes most definetely......but it gets the job done!!

5) Decorating the play room! I have this blank canvas and we are planning on turning into something special for the kids this spring. Any ideas????

I really want to do a toy storage unit with a padded bench in the middle down this long wall. But I'm having trouble deciding whether or not to paint the angled wall btw. the regular wall and ceiling....does that make sense?? I am leaning towards yes to make the room look taller....but then it leaves us with one small strip of unpainted ceiling, so then I've thought about doing a different color on the ceiling and angled walls. But also don't know what color to do! I hate primary colors and it has to be gender nuetral....so I'm thinking light lime green or something in the aque family? Any other suggestions??
My mom found this great little table and chairs at a garage sale and I think I am going to paint the whole thing expresso and then make cushions in a fun fabric for the stools. The covers I am envisioning will have elastic around the bottom to secure under the lip of the stools and will be washable!!
This little nook is going to be the art area and the new home for the table and chairs. I'm thinking the reading area will be where the table currently is. As for the nook, I am going to have to put down some sort of rug down I think because I want the boys to be able to paint occationally. I am going to do a little curtain in the window....have no idea what kind..!! And here's my idea for the art supply storage or should I say Pottery Barn's idea:)See the big pink pockets!! I want to do those in fun fabric to match the stools and label them for all the art stuff. I want one down each wall in the nook with a way to display their art above it! Any ideas on how to display their art? Any other ideas on the playroom? Furniture, colors, storage, wall art????? Some cute wall vinyls???

That's all for now folks.......I don't want to be in the spot light too long!!!