25 Things about Kristina

I bloglifted this idea from my friend Stacie, and believe I will feature one of my loved ones each week...this week it's Kristina's turn...

1. Kristina is 13
2. She's in 7th grade
3. She is super smart
4. She is very creative
5. She is clumsy
6. She falls.... a lot (see #5)
7. She has broken her foot twice (see #5)
8. She has braces
9. She has beautiful ice green eyes
10. She longs to highlight her hair, but her mean mama says no
11. She is a HARD worker...if you need a job done...hire Kristina
12. She plays the trombone
13. She plays the piano
14. She is a catcher when she plays fast pitch softball
15. She is a jr. lifeguard
16. She is a girl scout
17. She loves to spend all of her money buying things for others
18. She is my baby
19. She has one brother
20. She has one sister
21. She has super sensitive skin
22. She has many allergies
23. She is a straight A student
24. She is my precious one
25. I could not love her more.

Still dragging from Sunday!

You ever have one of those so productive days that it takes you a few days to catch up? Yea! That's me on Sunday...I did countless loads of laundry, many loads of dishes, quite a bit of cooking, and lots of cleaning my bedroom. Here's the thing...I am not accustomed. Although I do a lot of things, cleaning is not one of them! So last night, I just couldn't bring myself to do anything but go to bed and read...(after working 12 hours of course!) And then today...I ran errands, worked two jobs, and finally picked up my daughter's girl scout cookies, so that they can be delivered. Check another todo off the list. Tomorrow, I have to get ready to be out of town on Thu and Fri and also ready for scrap night on Saturday. My class is done Saturday and I have 3 papers due then, so that's on the agenda tonight!

So...the point of this post, is that I think my posts will be far and few between this week...just lettin ya know!

Scrumptious Sunday...

I thought I'd start a new series today on the ole blog...called Scrumptious Sunday.

Each and every Sunday, I believe I will share with you one of my favorite recipes. Some will be my own originals, while others may be borrowed. Since Sunday is the one day a week that I am home (after church of course) I always try to make something delicious (or at least homemade) for dinner.

Today's recipe...Homemade potato soup

This recipe has a little bit of history. My family loves a good ham. You know, ham on the bone? Cooked with pineapple glaze? Served with mashed potatoes and my pineapple gravy (more on that later)? You know, that kind? And by the way...it can't be spiral cut, since I've never tasted a spiral cut ham that isn't dry. I like my ham to be like a river of juice when I cut into it.

ANYWAY, I digress...after I cook up that wonderful ham for my family...we can usually have another meal with the leftovers....and then I find myself left with this... A big ole ham bone. What to do, what to do?....why make potato soup of course. It is really not that hard...if I can do it, anyone can...and here's how...

Start out by boiling your ham bone for about 3 hours. Not a heavy boil, but a boil none the less. This will leave the meat super tender which can then easily be pulled from the bone and chopped into small pieces. I always boil my ham bone with 1/2 diced onion in the water to add some extra flavor.

While the ham is boiling, peel 5 lbs of potatoes and cut into chunks. (Use less if you don't want a big pot of soup.) I like to have leftovers.

When the ham bone is nearly done, saute the greens of 8-10 sliced green onions, and 1/2 stick of butter. Once the onions are sauteed add one container sour cream. When the ham is done boiling and all the meat is removed from the bone and diced, add this to the butter onion mixture. Now, boil the potatoes in the ham bone water. Meanwhile add about 2 cups of milk, and 2 cups shredded mozzarella cheese. You can also add Parmesan to taste if you like. Once this is completed your soup should be pretty thick. ** When the potatoes are done, add them to the soup base and as ham bone water to the mix until your soup is your desired consistency. (I like mine really thick, but you may not) At this point you can discard the remaining water. If your soup is not thick enough, you can add more cheese or some cornstarch & water or flour and water to thicken it. Now...add some pepper to taste, simmer for 30 minutes or so....and voila! Amazing potato soup...perfect for a crisp cold Sunday....like today! Before serving add a bit of shredded cheddar and crumbled bacon on top. Yum.my!

**If you are the dieting type, you can use light margarine, skim milk, low fat cheese and fat free sour cream. I find if using light products that the soup will need some help thickening. Use a whisk to whip up some cornstarch and cold water and then add to soup until it reaches your desired thickness.

Introducing...

Friday night my great niece Lizzy stayed over night and then stayed to play on Saturday...now, I know you all know Aubrey very well, because, let's just say that I typically stalk her with the camera when she's here :) But, since this is Lizzy's first overnight at my house, I thought it was time for a formal introduction. Lizzy is Robert and Ryan's baby sister. Let's get to know her a little better... Grrrrrr....please turn your head sideways when watching...even though I sure rotated this video...Blogger didn't. Anyway... What I love about Lizzy is her ever smiling face and that she's a chatter box! I feel so blessed to be virtually surrounded by babies! I especially like the kind that I can spoil, spoil, spoil, and then send them home!

Taking a much needed break...

They called off school tomorrow due to the weather....leaving me with a dilemma. If I go to school tonight and it snows like it's supposed to, I'm driving home 40 miles in the storm...so I decided to stay home. The hubby and I are enjoying our favorite pizza from Anna's...my side with veggies, his side with everything...the girls are running around actively participating in their social lives and the sonshine is watching his favorite Friday shows. I worked super hard this week and am very ready for a break. Next week I will have school, then a 3 day weekend, then a two week break from school. Whew! I can hardly wait for that. This weekend I plan to get my taxes done...no really, I know it's the 4th time I've said that, but this time I mean it...do some laundry...no really, I know it's the 40th time I've said that, but this time I mean that too, do some homework, and just basically catch up on life....TGIF!!

Now he IS sick...

OMG the man had to come home early from work, and he's running a temp and feeling like passing out AND shivering. YUCK! Makes you want to climb into bed and sleep 2 feet away from him doesn't it?!? (Don't answer that you goof! That is a rhetorical question) --

Tomorrow is Friday...for which I am grateful...I am currently torn between a job I pink puffy heart and the huge todo list that is overcoming me at home. Gratefully, I have another Monday off school the following week which might allow me to catch up just a bit. (Really, I'm quite liking the 3 day weekends, in case I haven't mentioned that.) I know, I know I've mentioned it before, just bear with me k? I'm down to 8 weeks at my internship which will allow me to put in a few extra hours at work...and then, I need to be job hunting...for a clinical position. How exciting is that?

Hmmmmmm....there was just a really loud crash somewhere in my house. Yes, there was, should I get up and check it out? Nope, children are coming out of the woodwork to check out the crash...it seems to be covered. Some shifting of the dishes in the sink or perhaps one that was thrown in there from too far away. (Did I mention we have a lot of Ruchus in our house?) Well, yes we do, and sadly we've been known to throw a dish or two into the sink. We're just that way. Anyway, I digress.

Today I worked of course, did my internship of course, my precious one had a swim meet, and then it was time for the kaleidoscope concert. Oh how I love this concert and oh how I left my camera in the car VERY far away from the school and was too lazy to go back to get it...So...I'm having to burn it into my memory. I tried hard to not get choked up when the music boosters presented Mr. and Mrs. Cain with their plaques of appreciation. It is their last year as the fine arts directors and of course my big girl has been with them for the last 7 years. They will be missed. What I will miss about them is their boldness as Christians. That in a public school concert at Christmas they read a bible verse, sing traditional Christmas songs and I'm even pretty sure they call it a Christmas [gasp!] program. Tonight the closing song was This little light of mine, which was a beautiful rendition. The district has been blessed to have them for so many years and they will leave some might large shoes to fill!

Until next time...

Idol 2009

As I was watching the MOST atrocious American Idol last night, I said to my precious one...OMG, how many go home? 3? Only 3? I think they should only send 3 through! Oh wait...that's how it is...and a darn good thing, cuz those folks last night were awful. Even Paula thought so! (Paula with a backbone and an opinion? I'm not sure if I can take it!)

Here's a brief recap, in my humble opinion...

Jackie Tohn

Really, her Olivia Newton John outfit with hightops was well...unfortunate at best. The judges went so far as to comment that they liked her trousers...really? No...she was a fashion disaster. Simon hit it right on that she was gimmicky and clowny, for which he was promptly bood by the audience and applauded by me. I thought Simon was right on when he added, the public won't like you.

And what about parents night? I thought that was a bit odd, and why did Jackie's mom have what looked like a large dish towel on her lap? Please, somebody explain. Perhaps the parents were there for unconditional support since most of their children su**.

Next was Ricky Braddy who has his own web site and fan club. Randy commented that there was more talent this year than ever. Sorry dog, I'm just not feeling it! Ricky was fair at best, but boring which seemed to be the theme for the night. BOOOOORING!

Alexis Grace...BOOORRRING with a capital B! I even had to disagree with Simon when he said she's the one to watch. I'd like to watch her get voted off.

Brent Keith...now despite his awful song choice...I liked the Home Depot Boy. His showman ship was blah...but something about him...I think he should stay. Oh...and why are all the guys on last nights show, about twice the size of Seacrest? They should give him a booster seat!

Next was Stevie Wright. Ummm, can you say a recording on a cassette player who's batteries were dying. That was simply awful and gratefully the judges agreed.

What was up with the microphones last night? Why did they look like they were purchased at the dollar store and why was there so much air noise? Technical assistance please and fast!

Next was Anoop-- here's the thing...I like Anoop, as does Simon (I appreciate that) Although I thought he too was the B word last night.

Casey Carlson...Simon held his head throughout this performance. I wished someone would wake me when it was over....let's just say it was God awful and move on. I did love the judges comment when they said, "The winking is the least of your problems!" Painful, yes, but right on!

Michael Sarver...got through without too much pain from the judges...I thought he was fair.

Next was Ann Marie...now...her singing was ok, and I believe she'll make it through, but I did nearly die when she sat on the red coca-cola couch and a large crunch was heard...to which she replied, ooooh, I just sat on the hard part. At this point, Seacrest couldn't continue his conversation and moved right on to the voting.

The catch phrase of the evening was "who are you as an artist" Stephen Fowler used this phrase when he was by far the worst performance of the night. The judges nailed it when they said they liked him better when he forgot the lyrics. Ouch!

Next...Tatiana DelToro...one word for her...Prozac. And fast.

Finally Danny Gokey, who was at least decent. I just have one question...what song was Paula dancing to while he was singing? Simon Rolled his eyes when Paula commented she had two words for him.... sold out arenas.... 1 - 2 - ummmm....isnt' that 3 words?

Anyway, I'm glad it's over...and I'm super glad only 3 of them are going through.

Just woozie that way...

The big girl passed out at school yesterday...and let me tell you why...she tends to be a little woozie when the conversation turns to things that she deems gross...So, being the good mama that I am, I dutifully warned her biology teacher that certain subject may make her become very pale, need air, and if one's not careful...the passing out soon follows.

She's been this way since she was tiny. She has a very vagal response to all things medical. Once when she was two, she walked out of the Dr.'s office after a shot and passed right out. Once when we were in the ER with my mother, she became the next patient by passing out and hitting her head on the floor.

Evidently I was remiss and failed to notify the health teacher; which is where the passing out occurred yesterday. Evidently, the conversation had turned to broken bones and dislocations and that was all it took. She was on the floor :( After she told me the whole animated story, her final response was..."And I had something to say and I didn't get to say it!" Bless her heart. Evidently, she might have gotten a bit of whiplash from the fall out of her desk, because she's sure staying home today with a super stiff neck. Poor Baby. Her teacher called last night to check on her and to tell me what a wonderful student she is. (How sweet is that?)

Note to self...notify all teachers where 'gross' conversations may take place.

Looking for a good read...

I do try to do my best to blog everyday...sometimes I miss when my life gets out of hand. Along with my posting, I seek to read blogs everyday...but here's the thing...life gets in the way for other folks as well and to be perfectly frank, I just don't find some blogs as charming as I used to. So...it's blogger award time 2009, so last night I searched for some new blogs to read...nothing. So tonight, I'll be checking out what you guys read, to see if I can find something new, and then along with that I believe I'll have to delete some blogs that don't post regularly.

Let me explain, I use the word regularly VERY loosely here, like once a month. And then there's my friends that only post when I yell, like Anne :) So, they'll have to stay on the ole blogroll. The winds of change are blowing...can you feel it?

Sounds of the Ruchus...

I have nearly wet myself twice in the last two days and let me tell you why. You see, Mr. Ruchus is sick...you know that cold, sinus infection, bronchitis I had for two months?...well he's had it now for two days...and well, to put it bluntly...things just couldn't be any worse around here. It is quite devastating when he has a cold you know ;) Last night I was facebooking my heart out, once again avoiding laundry and homework when I heard the loudest OW! I've ever heard in our 11 years in this house...it sounded a lot like this...OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! OW! DAMN IT! OWWWW! Sorry for the swear word but be forewarned that it's gonna happen again...very shortly...Anyway, after I contained my laughter (I'm that way, just learn to deal with it) I finally took myself upstairs to ask what on Earth had happened. The hubby through his stuffiness said, "Well, I had my foot on the threshold of the door (the hardwood floor threshold) when Sonshine shut the door on it." OK, I must admit, I had to laugh again, and let me just say that my husband did not see the humor in that one bit, but I was glad to know that he was going to make it.

Fast forward to today...I'm sitting here eating my most delicious homemade potato soup that I made today (did I mention I love days off?) When I hear the loudest ACHOOOOO SH*T, I've heard in the 11 years we've lived in this house. A few short minutes later, I swear, the hubby comes downstairs carrying the comforter off our bed and says, "This blanket is all covered with soup inside." Like he just found it that way or something! Then he continues..."I sneezed and my bowl of soup flew out of my hand onto the bed." Ooh, ah, giggle, giggle, snort! I must compose myself for a minute. Whew, Ok, there, much better...really, how have I survived being married to this guy for 18 years? With laughter...that's how. Man he cracks me up~

Chuck E. Cheese needs a good cleaning...and some staff changes

Today, on my first official school holiday, I took some of my little friends for a fun day at Chuck E. Cheese...

The first thing I noticed, when we walked in is that they have taken all the walls down and now Chuck E.'s place is one big noisy expansive area with no place to escape the racket and have a semi peaceful meal. The next things I noticed were just a bit disturbing...First...the place was under construction... Now, I'm not sure of health department regulations when a restaurant is obviously under construction, but I can say that as a licensed food service sanitation manager that I'm pretty sure these large chunks of dust that kept blowing onto our food from the vent above us are just not acceptable.

After I pointed this out to the manager he responded by saying that he couldn't believe all that dust built up in one day. Now, I'm not sure if it was his first day or what, because there was NO WAY on this green Earth that dust accumulated in one day. He assured me they would clean it, right after he gave me a coupon for a free meal on our next visit. (Let's just say for the sake of argument here that I'm highly reconsidering my next visit.) Oh wait, this was right after he pulled a damp ragout of his pants pocket and the proceeded to use it to wash the table. I.kid.you.not. Then there was this... Doesn't that birthday party hostesses' face just scream Happy Birthday?!? Here's the thing...I was a birthday party hostess in high school and I can virtually guarantee that while singing happy birthday to a five year old, I never looked like that! There was, in fact, a large group of bystanders that had gathered to discuss the expression on her face and one went so far as to ask her to smile, but to no avail. The singing and heartless clapping continued with the pained expression. Then, there's this... The animatronics (Chuck E., Helen Henny, Mr. Munch, Jasper T. Jowls and Pasqually who by the way was missing a hand, but that's ok, they just pulled the sleeve down over it) were beyond well warn and dirty. The music was played quietly enough that they didn't even draw attention from the children, except for the few that were left unattended to climb the fence and yank on their arms. Finally, there's this...Never mind the fact that even with coupons, it costs quite a considerable sum to play for a few hours...but then when the little one's go to buy things with their tickets...there are no more 1 and 5 ticket items....10 ticket items are now the lowest denomination available for purchase. For 10 tickets one can purchase a less than 1 cent plastic spider or a tootsie roll. Sheees! Talk about inflation!

Despite my obvious displeasure with just a few things during this visit, the kids all had a great time... Zoe rode this helicopter, hang-glider pedal thing at least 10 times...Kristina only liked to play games that shot out tickets. This wasn't one of them... Jason and Ethan practiced their hunting skills by shooting nails at humans. I'm not sure this was age appropriate, but there it was smack dab in the middle of Chuck E.'s game room! While Stephanie, Elisa, and Zoe bowled their hearts out in skee ball... The one thing that had been improved upon was Chuck E. Evidently they found it in their hearts to buy a new Chuck E. costume, cuz this one was spiffy. The kids were excited to be there and seemed oblivious to the annoyances that plagued the visit. Perhaps that is why when we left, there was still a line out the door waiting to get in, so as not to exceed capacity. A great time was had for all...now for my nap.

In light of Presidents Day...

I get the day off, AND CNN took a poll to gauge American's rating of the past presidents...

Here are some stats to note...

George H Bush, currently ranked 36 out of 44. That puts him in the bottom 20th percentile for most sucky president. (They don't count Barack yet, since he's too new to tell, hence the total # of presidents at 44, not 45.) Bill Clinton has moved up to the 15th spot. As newer presidents become increasingly more feeble, Bill's rankings continue to climb. Ronald Reagan 'the great communicator' has moved from 6 to 10 in the latest poll.

The top 5 presidents in order are Abraham Lincoln who clinched the #1 spot in honor of his 200th birthday, George Washington #2, Franklin D. Roosevelt #3, Teddy Roosevelt #4, and Harry S. Truman #5. JFK missed the top 5 by 1 and came in 6th this year.

The bottom 5 include James Buchanan, Andrew Johnson, Franklin Pierce, William Henry Harrison, and Warren G. Harding. (W. missed the bottom 5 by only 2 spots...)

There's your latest presidential update courtesy of CNN.

Happy VD

Howdy hi and Happy VD...that's Valentine's Day you know...(I'll probably get all kinds of hits for crazy searches now) -- Anyway...the Ruchus had quite the delightful Valentine's Day...and I thought I'd give you a sneak peak...

Stephanie got lots o' candy-grams from school...this is her brat doll imitation, using a candy-gram sucker she received.

Te celebrate Valentine's Day...we all gathered at JMK Nippon for an amazing dinner...Ohhhhh how I love Japanese food

Much to my surprise, Aubrey was quite adept at the use of Chopsticks... (at 2 years old!) So much so in fact that when we got her the children's chopsticks to use that were joined at the top, she had a harder time using those than the adult kind!

Austin joined us for dinner... (the big girl's boyfriend) and then my brother, his wife, my niece, her husband, Aubrey, my Dad and our family. 12 in all! It was a delicious meal and we all had a great time together...

Nippon's has a beautiful setting with many outdoor koi ponds. Due to the weather, the outside ponds were closed and Aubrey had to settle for admiring the indoor fish...

After dinner we headed to my house for dessert where I had made red velvet cake from scratch and cherry cobbler. There was much chatting and discussion on solving the world's woes... but sadly, we didn't come up with the magic solution last night!

Aubrey stayed over night at our house...so this morning I took a brief photo shoot while she was eating breakfast before church... I just really can't get enough of her cuteness. The terrific part is that she is not only adorable, but so well behaved. What a precious love!

At church today our Youth Pastor preached, and I always appreciate those days....his style is SO different from our regular Pastor and he always includes a good dose of humor. I don't prefer one over the other but I do really enjoy their different styles. Today, he shared on the digital projector pictures of many of the valentine's he got as a child. Since we are very close in age...it was really neat for me to recall what valentine's looked like when I was in grade school. There were no copyrighted characters...just good ole well wishes for VD. It was a great sermon. Our church is now serving a meal one day a week at a local homeless shelter, so I volunteered to cook for them.

Tomorrow is my first day off...my first school holiday...I can't tell you how much I love it! Although I have a million things to do and I will do a few of them...the main event of the day will be taking Zoe, Jason and Ethan to play. Perhaps Chuck E. Cheese tomorrow...I am certain a good time will be had by all. Hope you all had a wonderful restful weekend.

One of the big things on tomorrow's list is to fix up my project 365 and to catch it up. I have a few changes in mind and many pictures to add. Secondly, is the taxes...they MUST be done, cuz I need the $$ (Gee didn't I say that last week?!?) I plan to do laundry, clean my room, and do some homework. I'm actually off work from all my jobs tomorrow which is fabulous. My kids are off as well, so I'll be sure to give them an extra kiss!

Here's looking ahead to a great week!

Bitter or Better?

Where has the week gone? It has gotten away from me evidently with my lack of posting! In my pastor's sermon last week, he spoke quite a bit about choices and one of his catch phrases that stuck with me was the phrase bitter or better...especially when I look at some of my previous jobs. There was my job at the phone company where I was micromanaged to the very second and even though the pay was terrific, the stress of the job wasn't worth it to me. I started college at that point.

Then came a point in my life when I had a 1 year old, a 2 year old and was pregnant. It was at this point that school had to take the back burner for me. For 10 years as a matter of fact. Then in my last job...I felt myself becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the demands of the work, the hours away from my family, and the general low pay of the industry. I was motivated once again...to get back to school... to follow my passion and suck it up for a bit to accomplish what I needed to accomplish. There are times when the bitter thoughts creep in, and for that I am grateful for Sunday's Sermon...bitter or better...it's your choice...I could have stayed where I was and became a bitter, negative, and hateful person....or I could have sought something better...which is what I did. For me, better definitely outweighs bitter...What can you do to become a better person today? Take the leap....go for it...you won't regret it.

The weekend pictoral review

Friday night was date night of course...I was so pleased to see one of Steph's friends out on the floor dancing her heart out; The same friend that was fighting for her life against lupus just a few short years ago....She's a miracle...

Saturday morning I was up early to meet Ang for breakfast...after breakfast I brought my little friends Jason and Zoe home to play for a while...

Zoe dazzled me with her new found ability to blow a bubble....

While Jason dazzled me with his most soulful face...

We left our house and headed off to McDonald's to grab some lunch...
After we drove through...we ate at the icehouse...

where we met up with my friend Anne and her two little ones...Ethan and Emma. Finally, lunch was done and the little one's were off and running!
Efan Laaaambert (as Jason calls him) and Jason are two peas in a pod...this indoor playground is a place where they can be all boy...and just run their hearts out for two hours, only taking an occasional break for a drink of water and to catch their breath! Big kids can play too, so my precious one and Zoe had a great time...
Although we have been here quite a few times before, Emma was never really quite big enough to come along...until today... She was a little bit slow to warm up at first, but once she figured out all the ins and outs...she became an old pro quickly. They have a special section for children under 4...and that was much more her speed! It was such a super fun day. I love all those kids as my own (as I've shared here a million times) -- so it was a special treat for me.
and I think for them too :)

Saturday night, the honey and I had another date night...dinner and a speaker meeting. You see, this is the problem with my weekends off...when I really should be taking care of things around the house...I must prioritize and spend every possible minute with my friends and family...have I mentioned I cannot wait for school to be over? Ok, I digress...Sunday morning...I was off to church for an amazing sermon which I will share for you in another post...cuz it really was fabulous...then I got gas, put oil in the car, picked up my Sunday reading...
and was off to a scrapbook class at Sarah's where I made this terrific book...
What, you think the cover's cute? Check out the inside! I also picked up two of her prepackaged kits...
SERIOUSLY!! If you have not checked out her Cherry on Top website, ordered her kits, or taken her classes, you must! I pink puffy heart scrapbooking, but I just haven't had the time to be creative...so I let Sarah do it for me. She is a published scrapbooker and also my friend (lucky me) -- but even if you live...say in France... (ahem Catherine :) and you're a scrapbooker, you can buy her kits, pay through paypal, and get lots of terrific stuff at a great price!

Ok, so while I was in class the precious one called to see if I could take her to the mall *sigh...the sigh part it that yes I took her to the mall and yes she proceeded to lose her brand new phone she got for her birthday :( I had it turned off...so hopefully someone will turn it in. Otherwise...you need your lawn mowed? Your children babysat? She's looking for some work!

As we were leaving the mall to go to Grandma's to see my great nephews and niece (yes they're living there again...) guess who we ran into? Grandma! and my great nephews...and great niece! Pardon the scratches on her face...her older brother is just a bit aggressive :(

Whew! What a weekend it was...I still have homework to do, prep for work tomorrow, laundry (of course) and my Sunday reading...plus I haven't watched my TV shows for two weeks, so there's about 18 hours of TIVO waiting for me! Looks like I'll have to get up early again this week to catch up :) OH well...all in a day's work... Hope you had a wonderful weekend! I sure did.

Scoooooooooore! Not...

1 second left....1 second...Harlem was winning and Hononegah shot a 3 pointer to tie it up. We proceeded to loose in overtime...:( Hononegah is now in first...Harlem 2nd. Bum.mer.

But wait...it was about the most awesome game of all time. The house was packed and it was standing room only. Both sides were a bit obnoxious, but it was a good game. Sad to say, Harlem beat itself. We missed passes like four times in a row resulting in loss of possession. If Harlem had it's game on.... it would have been a slam dunk (pardon the pun) and we'd have walked away with a win.

The hubby and I had a date night...no kids (except for the hundreds at the game that weren't ours!) and we had a great dinner before hand. Tomorrow I'm meeting my bff Jill for breakfast...can't wait to catch up!

Go Huskies!!

I heart any food that doesn't come from a bag...

"Man mom, I can smell that cooking outside" (the big girl) as she walked into the house.

"That smells deeeelicious!" (the precious one)

"Hey guys! It's true you can't have food with too many meatballs!" (Sonshine)

Yes it's true, we treasure home cooked food and we sure don't get enough of it at the Ruchus house. The only night I'm home before 7 is Thursday...so I always make it a point to make homemade dinner. Tonight...Mostaciolli with meatballs, garlic bread, and corn. Yum.my.

I believe I will succunb to washing a load of laundry and then...head off to bed. On the upward swing, but still fighting this cold...and it makes me tired. Tomorrow, the Hononegah vs. Harlem game for 1st place....can't wait to see you there!

My pet peeve

What is my pet peeve you ask? Waiting anxiously for a post when there is none. It is virtually unheard of for me to go 3 days without posting...yet here it is. I've been really good at working on my project 365, but no so good at keeping up the ole blog. My apologies.

Here's the thing...My new job is fabulous, but taxing...I am learning so much (as I've said before) and for all you that know me, I must take a picture of my desk because you wouldn't believe how organized I am (no really, I'm not joking) In fact, one of the girls today asked if I would help her organize her desk!!! (My Mom is stunned with disbelief right now!)

So perhaps that's why I'm behind on the blog...too busy organizing. Yes, I believe that's it. Too busy organizing. That's my story and I'm sticking to it!

Are you ready for some football?!?

I'm too excited to be going to our friends Ray & Kris's house for the big game today. I'm also excited that the Cardinals are playing. My Mom's hubby is a huge Cardinal fan and a season ticket holder. Here's hoping for him that they win. Besides...I've never been a Steelers fan.

Here's the weekly recap....just a few things missed along the way...

My super terrific, scoring extra brownie points husband, sent me these on my first day at work... Awwww, how sweet is that. They are still quite beautiful today. He used a different florist than the one he usually uses and these roses were amazing. They were pink, not peach as is the tradition, but they were and still are very lovely.

I had my first Thursday in about a month that I didn't have to work late, and so I got to go with the kids to their music lessons... I sat in on my Sonshine's guitar lesson, the precious one's piano lesson, and the big girl's voice lesson...of course as she sang I cried. *sigh Oh, how I love those kids! They take at Forest City Music Studio, and if you are in the market, check them out. I was super pleased.

Friday and Saturday I had school, and now I'm on break for a week :) -- 9 weekends to go until graduation. Yippeee!

Last night I went to scrap night...and I didn't scrap. I brought all kinds of stuff with me to do,but just wasn't feelin it. Instead, we all talked about our 365 projects and about how much the crazy kits are selling for on ebay, and then we checked out Sarah's project 365 from last year...Very cool. On the way to scrap night I stopped at Michaels and picked up the new people mag so I could check out the article on Matt, Liz, and Madeleine...one of my favorite blogs. It was very well done. There are many people on this Earth that my heart aches for....but this family is surely at the top of my list. I read some of Sarah's terrific books while I was there, and kept in contact with my kiddos who were texting me non stop. It was a great and much needed night! This Wed is my last night teaching at the Y and then I'm off for 5 weeks. The time will be replaced however with more time spent at the clinic, so there's not a net game in time, but some new scenery to enjoy.

Over the past week, I have reactivated my facebook account so I can keep up with my friends at Circles...so if you're on facebook...check me out there.

Today, I'm spending the morning with my precious baby girl... Can you believe how big she is? Oh, and if I haven't mentioned it before...she is going to be a big sister this summer. Her mama and daddy made the announcement at Christmas time (errr rather Aubrey's shirt made the announcement) and we couldn't be more thrilled...I have determined we probably need to stop calling her baby girl though ;) I just can't wait for warm weather and time off work to spend with my favorite munchkins....Zoe, Jason, Joey, Ethan, Emma and Aubrey...I think I need to get me a 15 passenger van so we can all run all over town together and do fun things! OK, maybe not...but I truly cannot wait to be back outside playing in the sunshine.

I have several drafts in my mind that I'd like to bring to fruition here eventually, but you know...time, time, time, but this one just can't wait...

The other day Kevin was expressing his desire for clean socks, and so I told him I could take a moment to introduce him to this large white box in the basement called a washer and he could have all the clean socks a guy could hope for...to which he honestly replied...White? Are you sure? I thought we bought the burgundy one. *sigh REALLY?!? Is there hope for this guy? I'm not so sure...I better be off to wash some socks! Have a great Sunday.

Oh yeah, I almost forgot...report cards came out yesterday....the hubby got a bit verclempt with the pride he felt over the kids' grades...

the big girl brought home...

Honors accel. Geometry B, Spanish 2 A, Treble Choir A, PE A, Honors accel. English 10 B

the precious one brought home...

Science A, Pre Algebra A, Social Studies A, Language Arts A, PE A, Band B Choir A

and the Sonshine brought home...

Math A, Reading C, Social Studies A, Science A, English B, Pe A, Resource B

Very cool...the big girl's class rank is 56 out of 694, so she's well into the top 10% of her class :)

When we exclaimed our pleasure in the Sonshines grades, he responded by saying that he's 'practicing' getting good grades so he can have a good student discount when he starts driving. Gotta love it, just keep on 'practicing' son and all will be well!

I'm off to get some laundry in and to update my project 365. Check it out when you have am minute.

Why am I still awake?

I can't tell you the last time I was up at 1AM...odd...my new work schedule and the amazing extra 5 hours of sleep a week seems to be working out well for me...but here's the thing: my baby girl is coming over tomorrow and I haven't seen her in forever...so, as much as I have a million things to say here...it will have to wait until tomorrow. Sad but true.

I did go to scrap night tonight and didn't make one thing. I just had such a good time chatting with everyone, looking at books, eating and relaxing. So nice. Tomorrow we're going to friend's house for the game. I gotta be up early to get laundry done and catch up on my TIVO before church. So...talk later.