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You Know What Else Everybody Likes? Parfaits.

Because I don’t want to be “Onion Boy” – I’m going to layer myself like a nice parfait.
(Yep – we watch a lot of Shrek in this house 😉 )

I saw this over on Heather’s blog, Wanting What You Have, and I really liked her answers, so I thought I’d try it out myself.

LAYER 1:
Tell us your…

  • Name: Nancy
  • Birthday (month, day): October 9
  • Birthplace: Vermont
  • Current location: Massachusetts
  • Eye color: Brown with a ring around
  • Hair color: Brown with fading auburn (*sigh* fading to gray)
  • Height: 5’4″
  • Righty or lefty: Righty
  • Zodiac sign: Libra

LAYER 2:
What’s…

  • Your heritage: Oh geez…Irish, Scottish…more…
  • The shoes you wore today: Socks. Didn’t set foot outside.
  • Your weakness: carbs/sweets/sweet carbs
  • Your fears: losing loved ones
  • Your perfect pizza: pepperoni and onion
  • Goals you’d like to achieve: Get completely out of debt
  • Your first waking thoughts: It’s too *BEEEP*ing early!!
  • Your best physical feature: People always comment on my eyes. I’ve been asked if they’re real before. Ah…ya.
  • Your most missed memory: I really miss my Grandmother. I miss talking with her on the phone and in person around holidays. I miss her cooking!

LAYER 3:
Do you…

  • Smoke: No
  • Cuss: Hell no. (hah)
  • Sing: Yep. lots.
  • Do you think you’ve been in love: I don’t think I have – I know I am.
  • Did you go to college: Yep. BS in Technical Communication at Clarkson University; MS in Professional and Technical Communication at the New Jersey Institute of Technology.
  • Liked high school: At the time. Wouldn’t ever go back though.
  • Want to get/stay married: Married and plan to stay that way.
  • Believe in yourself: I have to work up to it. I’m better than I used to be.
  • Think you’re attractive: Not lately.
  • Think you’re a health freak: HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAH Oh, that’s funny.
  • Get along with your parent(s): All of ’em.
  • Like thunderstorms: …if I’m inside.
  • Play an instrument: I used to play clarinet, and I was pretty good. But I haven’t touched it since High School. I can plunk a few things out on the piano as well…not great at it though.

LAYER 4:
In the past month have you…

  • Drank alcohol: Month? Try past few hours 😉
  • Smoked: No
  • Done a drug: Does Alieve count?
  • Made out: Yes
  • Gone on a date: No
  • Gone to the mall: nope
  • Eaten an entire box of Oreos: No
  • Eaten sushi: No…not ever! blech.
  • Been on stage: No.
  • Been dumped: No.
  • Gone skating: No.
  • Gone skinny dipping: No
  • Stolen anything: No

LAYER 5:
Have you ever…

  • Played a game that required removal of clothing: I don’t think so…?
  • Been trashed or extremely intoxicated: yep.
  • Been caught “doing something”: sort of…
  • Been called a tease: Only in jest (at least, I think it was in jest! 😉 )
  • Gotten beaten up: No
  • Shoplifted: Yes. Still live with the guilt.

LAYER 6:

  • Age you did get/hope to be married: Married at 28.
  • Numbers and names of children (either you have or want): 3 kids: Burke and Maggie will be 4 in January. Logan is 15 months.
  • Describe your dream mate: Easy – Mike.
  • How do you want to die: Surrounded by family, with no pain – for them or me.
  • What did you want to be when you grow up: I’m a grown up?? I thought I was going to be an electrical engineer.
  • What country would you most like to visit: I’d love to spend more time in Ireland.

LAYER 7:
Now tell…

  • Name a person you could trust with your life: Mike
  • Name a favorite CD that you own: Great Big Sea – Road Rage
  • Number of piercings: Four – 2 in each ear…although, I’m fairly certain that 2 have closed over.
  • Number of tattoos: none.
  • Number of times my name has appeared in the newspaper: Uhmmm…no idea. None since High School? I’m not even sure we put the marriage announcement in LOL (In HS, I was in for Girl Scout stuff and for honor roll stuff).
  • Name a past experience that you regret: I don’t have many regrets…I’m a firm believer that if I had done *anything* differently I wouldn’t be where or who I am today. (Are there things I’d like to forget? SURE – regret them though, nope.)

Baby Picture Sundays – Peaceful

Debi hosts the Baby Picture Sundays. Hop on over there to see who’s playing, and join in too!

This may not be what Debi had in mind … but these are what make me think “peaceful” when I see them. *grin*

Sleeping Burke

Sleeping Burke

Sleeping Maggie

Sleeping Maggie

Sleeping Logan

Sleeping Logan

When Daddy’s Away

Mike doesn’t leave us that often, but there are a few conferences he goes to throughout the year, and there are nights when he teaches so he’s not home for the kids’ bed time.

Our usual bed time routine is that Mike gets the twins ready for bed while I put Logan down. Once Logan is set for the night, I go in to kiss the twins good night and then  Mike stays with them for a little bit while they settle down.

Obviously, this routine changes when Mike’s not here. A typical Daddy-night-out bed time routine means that the twins get a TV show while I go up and put Logan down.

Once Logan is set, I bring their PJs down and we get ready downstairs instead of in the bathroom that’s next to Logan’s room. We brush our teeth with the the downstairs toothbrushes and then (ha ha) quietly go up to their room.

As with Daddy’s usual routine, one kid gets the coveted rocking chair and the other gets the blanket on the floor. (I’m still not sure why these spots are more appealing than their beds.) We then break into song.

Good night, good night, good night <person>
Good night, good night, good night <person>
Good night, good night, good night <person>
Good night, good night

Or if it’s a longer name (like Aunt someone), it’s:

Good night, good night <longer person>
Good night, good night <longer person>
Good night, good night <longer person>
Good night, good night

You get the idea.

After we get through the immediate family, I ask the kids who comes next. Here’s our list, in no particular order except that Burke and Maggie are always first and then last together.

Burke
Maggie
Logan
Mommy
Daddy
Grandpa
Nana
Pop Pop
Mop Mop
Granny Frani
Aunt Meghan
Aunt Sharon
Aunt Cathy
Uncle Jason
Cousin Grey
Uncle Jim
Aunt Lynn
Aunt Kahki
Cousin Jainee
Cousin Joshy
Burke and Maggie

Occasionally my dad’s dog, Qunicy, gets thrown in. And Brenda shows up as well. And random friends from school (I won’t name names – but *sigh* Burke usually requests girls…and boys for Maggie…really? already? 😉 )

Lately, the kids have wanted to sing the song with both mommy and daddy. That’s cool with me 🙂

Do you have different bed time routines depending on who is around to help?

Recipe: Crock Pot Beef Stew

As you may or may not know, I’ve been using Weight Watchers for the past few weeks to try to get back to a healthier weight. (Click to see today’s Ladies of Loserville post.) I haven’t been going crazy, but I have been counting all of my points (damn those donuts are costly!), and trying to choose healthier alternatives (pay no attention to that donut remark 😉 ).

For the past two weeks, after entering my weight into their system, I get the following message:

Please note: You’re probably excited to be losing weight, but you’re losing faster than is recommended. Although it’s normal to lose over 2 lbs in 1 week, if you lose more than an average of 2 lbs per week over a 4-week period, this could pose health risks, such as heart irregularities, anemia or loss of muscle mass. Please slow your weight loss; your doctor can help you do this if you’re not sure how.

Uh. LAST week’s result was over 2 pounds, but none of the other weeks have been. This week’s was 1.4.  So why the message this week? I know, I know…it says average. But STILL. And HELL YA I’m excited to lose the weight, but I’m also not crazy 😉

Anyway…on to the good stuff!

Crock Pot Beef Stew

6 points a serving

Ingredients:

  • 10 small New Potatoes, halved
  • 12 small white onions, peeled
  • 30 baby carrots (1/2 lb)
  • 1 1/2 lbs beef stew meat
  • 2 C. beef broth plus 1/2 C. water
  • 2 tsp garlic salt
  • 1/4 tsp onion salt
  • 1/4 tsp salt
  • 1/4 tsp pepper
  • 1 Tbsp parsley
  • 1 Tbsp Worcestershire sauce
  • 3 Tbsp cornstarch
  • 3 Tbsp cold water

Directions:

  1. Place potatoes, onions, and carrots into crock pot.
  2. Add Beef.
  3. In a small bowl, combine broth with water, 3 salts, parsley, pepper, and Worcestershire sauce.
  4. Pour over meat and veggies.
  5. Cover and cook on low 6 hours.
  6. In small bowl, combine cornstarch and water.
  7. Stir into mixture.
  8. Cover and cook on high 15 -20 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Friday’s Foto Finish Fiesta

Candid Carrie sponsors this one – head over to her blog and find LOTS of links for bloggers who’ve joined in! (You can join in too!)

I have a very creative brother-in-law (he’s an art teacher). So any time we all get together, the kids – of course – have a BLAST. These pictures were taken at Thanksgiving of 2007. Jason decided he was going to turn the twins into dinosaurs with random things found around my Dad’s house.

DinoBurke

DinoBurke

Note the clever use of kitchen clippy magnets as the spine and the pop beads as the tail.

DinoMaggie

DinoMaggie

I believe Jason even did Maggie’s crazy hair.

AHHHHHH

"AHHHHHH!"

This went on for hours… 🙂

Oh My

Someone posted this on a mom’s group I belong to. Words fail.

friends-with-kids

You Know You’re Doing Something Right…

…when you hear your 4 year old singing along to Supertramp on the radio. 🙂

Yesterday, while heading home from a Target run, I heard “Take the Long Way Home, Take the Long way Home, la la la”  HAH! Go Maggie 🙂

Those Kids, I Tell ya.

Last night right before bed time, Mike and I were in the kitchen with Burke and Logan. I heard some rustling around, a  little thump, and then a “Ahh! I’m stuck!!”  …guess who.

We walked around the corner and there’s Maggie, on the wrong side of the gate surrounding the TV (you’ve seen a picture of it here). She looked up at us and said “I turned the TV off!” LOL Mmm hmmm. So much for the gate.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~

This morning before school, Burke and Maggie were working feverishly to color and sticker a piece of paper. When it was time to leave for school, Burke declared that the picture was for Mrs. Teacher* and made sure to put it in his backpack. He presented it to her when we got to school and she was so happy she put it on the wall LOL. It was pretty cute.

*not her real name

Way Back When-esday

Cheryl over at Twinfatuation hosts this one. Go on over to see who else is playing – and join in too!

I’m not 100% sure when this was taken. I’m guessing 1976 or 1977 maybe 1978. (Mom, do you know?)

Nancy

Nancy

I do know who took it though… Mrs. Woods – who ended up being my 4th grade teacher – was friends with my preschool/kindergarten teachers and would come to our school and take these awesome photos. There are ones like this of my brother and sisters too.

Christmas Meme

This fun Christmas meme is from the lovely Cheryl over at Twinfactuation. You know I can’t resist. 🙂

  1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Paper for Christmas. Gift bag for Birthday. Not sure why…
  2. Real tree or Artificial? Artificial since we are usually in VT with a real tree, but we can’t not have a tree!
  3. When do you put up the tree? uhm…a few weeks before Christmas. Never before Thanksgiving though!
  4. When do you take the tree down? Mid January-ish
  5. Do you like eggnog? I always think I do…and then I taste it again…and BLECH
  6. Favorite gift received as a child? My stuffed panther
  7. Hardest person to buy for? My mom or Logan
  8. Easiest person(s) to buy for? Burke
  9. Do you have a nativity scene? No…but we should
  10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail (Do people really email cards out?? I had no idea)
  11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? I don’t know about worst, but strangest were these flamenco dancer plastic figurines
  12. Favorite Christmas Movie? A Year Without Santa Claus
  13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? Not soon enough
  14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? I don’t think so…not a bad idea though
  15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Pie
  16. Lights on the tree? Yup. White
  17. Favorite Christmas song? Carol of the Bells
  18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? To VT for a bit
  19. Can you name all of Santa’s reindeer? I think so. Might take me a minute though
  20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star – the kids picked it out this year
  21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Morning
  22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year. Not being able to find that ONE LAST gift
  23. Favorite ornament theme or color? We have lots of regular ol’ glass balls on the tree. Blues, slivers, whites, and purples
  24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Dessert
  25. What do you want for Christmas this year? My kids to get everything they want…even though they haven’t really asked for anything

What about you?