What happened to the last 6 years?!?!?!

I can't believe this!!! I honestly forgot all about my blog and happened to stumble across it just today. I went through it and was flooded with wonderful memories and shock that I had actually captured so much. I think it's time to get back at it! So much has happened in these years I don't even know where to begin. But as I slowly make my way back to writing, I will say there have been many milestones and precious moments. Right now Dillon is studying Nursing at George Fox University. It's his 3rd year there. Victoria is in 9th grade, first year at Sprague High School and we now have an addition...an exchange student from Spain, 15 yo Ana. We just elected a new President, Donald Trump. I went to my first Blazers basketball game on Friday. Portland is getting torn apart with riots, as people react to the election. But I am blessed and I love my life! More later...♥

Enjoying a lazy Saturday morning

It feels good to not have any set plans. I have a bazillion things floating in my head that I dream of getting done, but first things first.

I sent an email a couple of days ago to the Cuisinart regarding their/my coffee maker. Ironically, mine only lasted 4.5 years whereas my sister, who has the same pot got hers to go about 5 years. It's the thermal carafe one that comes in black or white. I'm so disappointed and the craftsmanship, especially for a name like Cuisinart. It was NOT cheap either!

We're going to hold off awhile before buying a new one. We have a wonderful French press that makes excellent coffee and a DeLonghi Magnifica Starbucks cappuccino maker. Yep, we rarely go out for coffee anymore. We realized after moving to OR although there are tons of great coffee places, everything closes so early...like around 6pm. We truly miss the late nights, out for coffee with friends, sitting out in the open air along Seal Beach, Main St. or even in a strip mall with palm trees and outdoor umbrella tables. I better stop...I'm getting sad already.

Off to tackle the bedroom!!

TGIF!!

Not only is it Friday, but it's a payday! Also, after about 6 months my company has reinstated our full paycheck after a small cut to keep our jobs and the company in business. YEAH!!!

David made homemade bread in the bread maker today. It's been forever and it sure tasted good. While we had the yeast out, I also made pizza dough so we could do homemade pizza for dinner. It turned out pretty good, although I don't like the Cuisinart pizza dough recipe was much as the one that comes with the bread maker. I'm thinking it could be the yeast. I'll have to give it another try some other day.

My son, who is 13 is a full fledged teenager. I'm not sure I can get used to him making plans all the time, through the week, with his friends. I'm sure all parents go through this...you have great family plans in mind and then they decide they'd rather hang out with friends. Hmmmm...ok, I'm trying really hard to remember me at that age. Not liking it at all!!

I'm also trying hard not to leave the house. You see, I'm attempting to put us and keep us on a very tight budget. Leaving the house would mean we'd be going somewhere that will cause us to spend money. So, we made pizza tonight rather than order out and I baked an apple cobbler rather than go out for ice cream. Funny just now I spelled cream as scream...LOL. Yes, I feel that way sometimes!

Last weekend I started re-organizing/cleaning my office. It's pretty much done but I do need to find a place for a few more things. The other project was my bedroom. We'll see if we can tackle that this weekend!

Chicken Fricassee

It's been a normal day, nothing too out of the ordinary. Took the day off yesterday for MLK, so I did have to do a little catch-up with work. I took my 8 yo to the bank to open a savings account. She was very excited to get a piggy bank and 10 lucky duck bucks. Cute incentive for kid's saving money. She currently has more money in her account than I have in mine!

Tonight I am fixing a dish I have not made in over 10 years. It's called 'Chicken Fricassee' with dumplings. It's a wonderful recipe that I pulled from my Betty Crocker cookbook. It smells delish and is cooking now. One thing I've learned is through the years, you don't need to cook chicken nearly as long as the old recipes used to tell you (2.5-3.5 hours for cut up chicken pieces?!). If you overcook it, or the chicken is too done, it becomes dry and tough.

Found some great deals this weekend at Fred Meyer. Cute little girls black patent leather dress shoes, with a slight heel for under $9. Also we found a candy jewelry making set on clearance, for almost 75% off! It was fun using some of my rewards coupons, which I've never earned before, except for a huge painting job we did in the fall.

We celebrated a 16th birthday of a friend's daughter last night. It was beautiful, delicious and included a wonderful live concert with music and song. We teased the parents of how they have just set the bar way too high for the rest of us!! It was fun and a very special evening indeed!

Smoothies!!!

I was at a fitness camp recently and learned that smoothies can be healthy and yummy! What a shocker! Also, you don't have to pay the outrageous prices of Jamba Juice. All you need is some ice, juice, frozen fruit (preferably organic) and mix-ins like protein powder (I used a soy protein mix with 25g of protein), Spirulina (green/blue algae), wheat germ, etc. I laugh because in the past, this all looked like sewage to me, but it actually tastes good. I'm excited to finally put my Vita-mix to good use as well as offer my family a healthy after school snack. Who doesn't like a fruit smoothie?! Also, I discovered "whole grain" Fig Newtons. What a great alternative to cookies!

In 2K10, I will win!!!

I'm coming to my blog with a new approach. I have a purpose this time! This year I am committed to better health and living within a budget or better money management. By blogging about my experience, I'm holding myself accountable, as well as hopefully encourage other moms and wives out there who might be in a similar situation. I'm also committed to being better about keeping my blog up to date. Wish me luck!!!

Yes, I've been sucked into FB!

I hate that i've not kept up with my blog. I've gotten so busy with work, life and not to mention, my new vice now is FaceBook. It's crazy, entertaining and very interesting! I've had lots of fun connecting w/ old friends and family members across the globe. Life certainly has changed for some and others have remained the same. I hope to be able to get back on here to blog again soon. It's almost summer so I'm sure there will be some exciting stories to tell! =)