A few favorites

I loved my Mom's post today. She listed a few of her "favorite" things. Some were products, some were TV shows, some were just ways to relax and smile during the day. It really made me stop and think. What makes me happy lately? What brings my day that extra little burst of joy? Besides my family (obviously), there are a few things that put a little extra spring in my step.

--I got to watch one of my favorite movies of all time on Sunday. Maryn was sick and I stayed home from church with her while she coughed and snorted all over me. It was one of those days where I knew neither one of us would be getting out of our pj's all day, nor would we be getting too far away from the couch. I turned to my old friend to pass the hours. I popped in the first cassette tape of "Anne of Green Gables" into the VCR. Maryn really enjoyed it, and the memories of watching it a million times previously came flooding back. By the time Mark and Ave got home, we popped in #2 and this time I got to watch it with Avery. She loved it so much she rewound it and played it again while I napped on the couch. I woke up around 4 or 5 and it was just ending. It was a wonderful day spent with my dear friend, Anne with an E and my daughters on the couch. Wonderful.

--I baked some cookies. I normally am not in charge of baking in our home. I do the cooking and Mark does the baking. But I had a really sweet tooth and was in need of something chocolate-y, so I busted out a recipe from Melanie (the chocolate guru), and made some Homemade Oreos. The soft chocolate cookie sandwiching sweet vanilla and chocolate frosting was just the ticket. They were so rich and decadent that even Mark could only eat just one. Yum!! Oh yeah, there's only 1 left and the girls don't get off the bus for another hour. Hee hee.

--Opening the blinds in the kitchen first thing in the morning. After I get the girls up, I usually go into the kitchen to get started on making their lunches. The sun has risen, but hasn't yet reached it's maximum potential. Everything looks bright and clean and refreshed, but still calm and serene. Practically the whole wall of our kitchen is windows now (remember our dark kitchen in Livonia?), and I absolutely love opening them all up and being able to feel like we're having breakfast in our backyard.

--Lost. There's a new one on tonight and Mark and I literally look forward to it from the closing credits of the one the week before. We love it, and I love that it's something that we love together. It's fun.

--Aldi. When I got layed off I immediately jumped on the Aldi bandwagon and started seeing savings immediately. When we got here, I was testing the different options and had kind of settled on shopping at Wal-Mart. Gasp!! I know!! The horror!! Well, my testimony of Wal-Mart has once again been confirmed...they suck!! The past few times I've gone, I have been disappointed. Once it was nasty, moldy hot dog buns, another time it was nasty, moldy strawberries only a couple days after buying them. The last straw was last week and opening a sealed package of MOLDY cheese slices!! They must be importing their food from China and not just all of their electronics and plastic crap!! Seriously, I was apalled. So back to Aldi I went this week. I not only got everything (mostly) on my list, but a whole case of pasta for food storage, and all of the food to feed my supper club on Saturday night for less than $100. You just can't deny that kind of power. My resolve is reborn. Down with Wal-Mart and in with Aldi!!

--Other faves include: yogurt and granola for breakfast, hummus and Stacey's pita chips for snax, Banana laffy taffy (don't ask!), and (drumroll, please!) Diet Caffeine-Free Coke!!!! I'm finally clean, ya'll!! Now THAT's something to be REALLY happy about!!

What are your favorites?

Playing Outside and a Wicked Sunset

Being the dutiful daughter that I am, I figured it was high-time I posted some photos. Either that, or endure the wrath of a homesick Grandma/Mother who seriously needs a dose of some Brown love.

The girls went out and played in our backyard after school the other day. The weather has been temperate...holding in the thirties mostly, so it's been nice not to have the hair in your nose freeze shut walking from the house to the car lately. They ventured out to the back of the property line and started doing what kids do best...give 'em a stick and a puddle and they're good to go, right?

(can you guess what she's holding?)

Mark joined them and wandered around the yard admiring the sunset, dreaming of the corn fields that would be popping up in not too long. (I think he also may be strategizing some serious plans for keeping rodents and bugs at bay...we've heard there's a nasty rat problem once the corn comes in.)

I snapped some pictures from the back porch. 30's is still a little frigid for my delicate constitution...snort, snort. (And sorry, no pics of me today. I'm having a little problem with Casey's donuts lately and am too embarrassed to show my face, or my thighs for that matter, thank you very much.)

We love you Grandma's!! We know you miss us and we miss you too. We are all doing just fine, and hope you are too! Now, where's YOUR photos?!?

Happy President's Day!

What kind of a holiday is President's Day anyway? It doesn't really seem that legit to me, but who am I to complain when there is no work or (supposedly) school, right?

Mark had the day off today, but the girls had to go to school because apparently we've taken too many snow days this year, and today was a "make-up" day. I kind of half considered letting them take the day off anyway, simply because they really do need a break. They've been going straight since January and haven't had any sick days either.

Plus, we had weekend company. The Griswold's came to Tonica!! We were soooo excited to finally have some familiar faces come our way. The girls told everyone at school about their cousins coming, and we had a great time. Anyway, I figured if they were staying until Monday I would let the girls take Monday off, but they left on Sunday night instead (so the boys could sleep during the car ride instead of during daylight hours), and the excuses started running out.

Mark announced that there WOULD be school on Monday morning and that was that. Oh well.

He still had the day off, and we took advantage of it. He let me sleep in...took over packing lunches, combing hair, and dropping them off. Then we set out for some sight-seeing around the area. Today we checked out the small towns of Spring Valley, Princeton, and Mendota. We stopped for lunch at a small family restaurant in Mendota and had cheeseburgers, fries, and lots of diet coke. It was such a nice day. After lunch, he actually wanted to walk around Target with me too!!

So now we're home, and the girls are off the school bus, and I'm thinking, "a happy President's day" indeed!!

One of Mother Nature's Cruel Jokes

Today we are close to 60 degrees! I know it won't last, we're supposed to have snow by the weekend, but I can't complain!!

I went out, yes that's right, O-U-T for a run this morning. And it was glorious. I didn't have to bundle up or anything. As a matter of fact, I probably could have shed the sweatshirt layer.

The sun was on my face the whole time and the breeze pushed me along. I didn't even mind the fact that I was in complete pain and feeling the effects of not having run too much over the past few weeks. Pa-shaw!!

I ran up and down most of the streets of Tonica, save maybe 2 or 3 and finally got to check out this quirky little town of mine. There were only a couple other people outside. One guy was scooping dog poop with some kind of scooping device. It looked like a fake hand or something. (This is why Mark and I will never get a dog!) And another guy was firing up his motorcycle for a ride around town (although, he had no helmet and he is like the millionth person I have seen do this around these parts). I ran past "Casey's", the nicer of two gas-stations in town (they have the BEST doughnuts, seriously! Leave it up to the Brown's to make that discover early on!), and then down Main Street, which has a bank, an Ace Hardware store, and a bar. (It doesn't take very long). I also ran past the Post Office on the next street over, thinking I should probably stop and get our mail, but didn't want to scare the Postal Worker with my hyperventilating and red, sweaty face. (It's not a pleasant sight. We have to pick up our mail because our house didn't come with a mailbox. What?!? Anyway, we didn't want to have to change our address by getting a P.O box, so we're waiting until the ground gets a little softer to put up our own.) At that point, I headed back home.

I figured people would be sitting on their porch with a lemonade, that's how excited I was to have today's temperatures, and was a little disappointed not to see more "towns-folk", aka the native wildlife of Tonica.

Maybe another 10 degrees and they'll start emerging. I'll keep patroling the streets in anticipation.

Spring Is In the House

Our pokey little thermostat that peeks around the corner of the outside of the house in our sunroom here in Tonica currently reads in the fifties.

Am I really that easy to please?

Guess so.

The girls are playing out in our acre yard today for the first time. Snow is melting quickly, causing large dark puddles on the grass and pavement.

I am thinking that maybe this whole moving thing ain't so bad.

Last night I went to my first Relief Society Sleepover, sans the sleepover part. I've never been in a Ward that had these, so I was excited to go. It was fun. The ladies were easy to talk to, fun-loving, and the by the end of the night so slap-happy and rowdy that I felt completely comfortable and didn't even have to worry about "reining it in". HA!

Today, we have an early dinner invitation to a Ward Supper Club. Should be fun. More of the same people I was hanging with last night. This time, husbands and kids are included. We're in charge of pop.

Like I said, am I really that easy to please?

I Left My Heart (and my Brain) In Michigan

Hey Dudes!

Sorry I've been so hit and miss lately. Something has happened to me, something I don't quite like or understand.

I'm a scatter-brain hopped up on Diet Coke and fun-sized candy bars.

There, I've said it. That's half the battle, right?

I don't know what my problemo is. I just can't seem to focus very long on anything. And I keep forgetting things...little things (how many cups of flour did I already add to this recipe?), big things (oh crap, the girls have a half day of school today!!) You name it, I not only am losing my mind, it's already gone.

So do you think it's the sugar? (twitch, twitch) or do you think it might be the caffeine? (nervous laughter). It's probably a little of both, I guess. But it gets me through the day. (Justification rears it's ugly head.)

So I should probably try to come clean. I bought a case of diet caffeine free coke (yes, caramel-colored, flavored water) to try and placebo my way out of this mess. I just can't seem to figure out how to get rid of all of these candy bars (crunch, crunch).

Any ideas?

In other news, it's supposed to be in the thirties today and forties tomorrow and Saturday...somebody pass the suntan lotion, or a diet Coke if you have one. D'oh!!