Goooooood Morning! No school yesterday made it real hard to wake up today, especially since we are looking at a four day weekend! The weather situation has passed and we got a little rain and that's about it. The Florida skies are blue again. Mike and I took advantage of the weather and did some Walmart shoppin'. We got the girls cute new outfits for winter but Paige and Em had to wear theirs right away....Paige's pants are supposed to be capri but are about 2 sizes too big!

posted by Melissa 9:01 AM

Rainy day activities translates to painting something. The girls love to paint! We bought all these cute figurines for only .44$ at Walmart! They could not have been happier.

posted by Melissa 8:55 AM

Loki loves his new toy! Shop here if you want the same awesome, cheap dog toyz!

posted by Melissa 8:47 AM

Tuesday, August 29, 2006

Ernesto is fizzling. Even Mickey Rourke and his dog are unimpressed...

On Miami Beach, usually vibrant Lincoln Road was quiet, and many businesses closed early. Among those finding food at an Italian restaurant was actor Mickey Rourke and his dog Loki, wearing a pink argyle sweater.

"What storm?" Rourke said. "This is nothing."

posted by Michael 10:53 PM

Here is what Sophia wants to be for Halloween Nannie.....She is begging you to make her an outfit...Can't you see Sophia in this outfit?

posted by Melissa 2:40 PM

I'm coming to you live from Storm Central. It's bright and sunny here but people are going crazy! I just sat in line for gas for my car and for my generator. I tried to call everyone I know while I was sitting in line but no one would answer their phone! I guess yall are busy with your high powered jobs! Anyway, I got some gas in case we lose power. I don't think it will be bad though. They have already cancelled school for Wednesday and my training class is cancelled for Thursday so that sucks! Right now I have to go cut my lawn in preparation for the storm....

posted by Melissa 2:04 PM

Monday, August 28, 2006

I went to work today and when they guy I sit next to heard me talk with my congestion head he was like "Are you sick?" and then I was like "yeah" and he was all like "Go home... I don't need you getting me sick". So I was like "Fine then. I'm outta here" and he was like "Good!". So I came home and started looking at stuff on youtube. Here's a video for you to enjoy.

posted by Michael 11:16 AM

Good Morning People! Today is Mooooooonnnnnnnnday. That's right and we have our first hurricane headed straight for us! But these girls aren't worried. Take a look here to see the details. Actually I guess it is not a hurricane right now. But it will probably turn back into one. That's my official prediction!

posted by Melissa 7:20 AM

Sunday, August 27, 2006

In case you too are wondering....that thing on Loki is what I like to refer to as his "old man elbow." Don't ask him about it though, he's sensitive.

posted by Melissa 9:42 PM

Ok peeps, here is the recipe of the week...Isn't that a good idea? After last week I had a few people ask me about the cookies. I think everyone is always looking for something new to cook. So try this one out. It's from Jen Schrader and it's AWESOME!!
P.S. This is a huge recipe. Jen usually halves it and it still can feed 4 people til they're stuffed!

Penne alla Vodka Recipe
Ingredients
1/4 pound bacon, diced (can also use pancetta or prosciutto)
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlicgarlic, peeled and halved
1 medium onion, diced
1/2 cup vodka
2 (28-ounce) cans whole tomatoes, with their juice, pureed in a blender
1 tsp crushed red pepper
Salt, to taste
1 cup heavy cream or 1-1/2 cups evaporated skim milk (for a leaner version)
2 (16-ounce) boxes penne pasta
24 fresh basil leaves, chopped
1-1/2 cups freshly grated Romano cheese


Instructions
Place a large pot of cold, salted water over high heat to come to a boil.

In a large saute pan on medium heat, cook and render fat from the bacon. (If you are using pancetta or prosciutto, skip this step and just saute it with the garlic.) Once the bacon is almost crisp, remove it from the pan and set it aside. Do not clean the pan.

Add the olive oil and, when it is hot, return the bacon to the pan along with the garlic. Saute until the garlic turns light golden brown, then add the onion and saute until it becomes translucent, about 5 minutes. Add the vodka and let it reduce by half, then add the tomatoes, red pepper and salt. Simmer the sauce uncovered for about 30 minutes, stirring occasionally, then add the heavy cream and simmer another 10 minutes.

Once you've aded the cream, put the pasta in the boiling water and cook until al dente according to package directions. Remove the sauce from the heat, add the basil and the cheese, and stir well. Drain the pasta, shock it with a little cold water, and return it to the pot it was cooked in. Pour the sauce over the pasta and mix gently until the pasta is coated completely. Serve immediately.

posted by Melissa 9:37 PM

Wednesday, August 23, 2006

Introducing "GIBBS." The Whites had a tradegy last week when their golden retriever died sudddenly after having a stroke while we were on a walk. They were very sad and thought a new puppy might help everyone overcome Charlie's sudden death. This little guy is all the way from Gainesville. He is 8 weeks old and Loki and Boda were nice to him .... the girls couldn't put him down and cried when he had to leave!

posted by Melissa 8:18 PM

Tuesday, August 22, 2006

REDISCOVERED SIT N' SPIN!!!!
The girls finally found this old toy under their bed where I had hidden it months ago. Unfortunately it may go back into hiding very soon...Sophia wants to ride on it 24/7!!! She screams at the top of her lungs when anyone else is on it.
In other news, I will be having a busy week. Today, Tuesday, is my only day off!! Yeah for money! BTW, when I say that today is my only day off I don't mean I will be sitting on my butt (except for this computer time I'm taking right now)!
Em is doing great in school. She has gotten some homework and is recognizing some words around the house and sounding them out. It is so amazing when a kid learns to read. I was so impressed last year when Ethan started reading and I couldn't wait for Em to do it! She hasn't ridden the bus again...only because I have been working on the days on which she would have had the opportunity.
Paige and Soph are loving school, esp Soph. Paige gets a little whiney when I leave the classroom. She is just not a morning person. Soph goes right in and starts playing with all the other kids and is so happy. She is potty trained and has had 2 or 3 accidents when school first started but now she is used to asking the teacher to go (the bathroom is outside the classroom so they need to ask instead of just going when they feel like it). We are working on potty training her at night. She has been dry about half the nights out of the week. She takes naps in her underwear and stays dry. It is soooooooooo nice not to change diapers anymore! Not to mention not having to BUY diapers anymore!
I am still working w/ the dogs to be better behaved. So far Boda has most improved on how she goes out the back door. For those of you who visit and see her tear out the back door like a greyhound at a race track you know what I mean. Now, I just make a little "PSSSST" sound and she sits by my side while I open the door and waits for me to tell her to go outside. I know, I hardly believe it either! She also jumps in the pool now instead of being afraid and barking incessantly at the water. Loki likes to lay or sit on the top step buy not swim so much. Boda is still working on her walking. She does pretty good when I just walk her and mom walks Loki but when I walk both by myself she pulls A LOT. So we will just keep working on that. I think that about covers it. I will try and take some more pics this week!

posted by Melissa 8:47 AM

Saturday, August 19, 2006

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posted by Melissa 11:32 AM

The best oatmeal raisin cookies I have tried thus far! ENJOY!

1.5 c flour
1.5 tsp salt
1.5 tsp baking powder
1.5 tsp nutmeg
2 sticks butter (softened)
1 c light brown sugar, packed
1 c granulated sugar
2 large eggs
1 tsp vanilla
3 c rolled oats
1.5 cups raisins (I used yellow)
.5 c walnuts (boo! Did NOT add) optional

cook at 350 degrees

Beat butter til creamy with electric mixer. Add sugars, beat until fluffy, about 3 minutes. Beat in eggs on at a time. Add vanilla.

Mix flour, salt, baking powder, nutmeg in medium bowl. Stir dry ingrediants into butter-sugar mix. Stir in oats, raisins and yucky walnuts if you like them.

Roll dough into 2 inch BALLS. Leave at least 2 inches between each BALL.

Bake until edges are golden brown, 20-25 minutes. Cool for 30 minutes.

The trick is to make the BALLS large people!!! That will give you a nice chewy cookie!

posted by Melissa 11:25 AM

Wednesday, August 16, 2006

My girls looked so cute Monday morning!

posted by Melissa 10:52 AM

Poor Katie...After a hard days work she passed out on my kitchen floor. Lucky for her Boda was around to help. Boda lifted Katie's head, ever so gently, allowing Katie to use her back as a pillow for as long as she remained unconscious. Now that's one smart dog!

posted by Melissa 9:48 AM

After Katie woke up, Boda decided she wanted to run thru a life saving technique. We tried to convince Boda that it was too late to be practicing life saving drills but she wouldn't listen. After a short debate Boda won us over and she showed Katie how to grab onto her fur if she were to ever be drowning in a body of water. Now that's SOME dog!

posted by Melissa 9:44 AM

Monday, August 14, 2006

Here is Boda doing a walk thru of an escape route we have planned out in case the house catches on fire. She is showing Black Cat how to remain calm in the face of danger. Now does that sound like a vicious killer?

posted by Melissa 8:00 PM

Sunday, August 13, 2006

We went to the zoo on Saturday, probably the hottest day in Florida this summer. There was a little breeze and a lot of shade at the zoo so it wasn't that awful. Mike then took us past his work, which is down by the zoo, about an hour from our house. After that we drove to Taco City to eat lunch. The girls were so tired by then and Em almost fell asleep at the table. Paige wolfed down her T-Rex nuggets and Soph had a hand full of black olives (?). I will post more beautiful pics that Mike took with his camera later on.

posted by Melissa 3:22 PM

Me and my gizzeees!

posted by Melissa 3:15 PM

Action shot! The girls all had to do an Olympic style dismount from this bench. Perfect 10s all around...even the coach!

posted by Melissa 2:57 PM

This is a picture of a baby R.O.U.S. I know what you're thinking. Those don't exist. But here is a picture proving they do in fact exist. As long as you know the rules of the fire swamp you'll be ok....

posted by Melissa 2:49 PM

These are Siamang Gorillas. Apparently they sing a duet every morning at 10am. We arrived at the zoo at 10am. Lucky us. They were so loud and funny, singing to each other we listened to them for 10 minutes! They sounded kind of like a honking sound and they would blow up their throats real big so they could belt out a lot of notes in one breath!

posted by Melissa 2:45 PM

posted by Melissa 2:35 PM

Friday, August 11, 2006

Well, no pics this morning...just an update. We put Em on the bus this morning! We were very nervous about it, especially Mike. She has been asking all week to ride it so I finally agreed. I have been dropping her off in the morning since I have to take Paige and Soph to St. Pauls anyway. They don't go on Fridays so I figured it would be a good day to try. The bus comes at 719am and is about a 5 minute walk down the road. So I leashed up the dogs, yes that's right, and all us girls and dogs walked down there. Mike had to leave early this morning for a class. It would have been a quicker walk if I'd have put the two stragglers in the stroller! We left the house at 705 and got there with plenty of time to spare. Unfortunately, it is an all boy bus stop! Lexi, the daughter of Paige and Em's St Paul's teacher also goes to that stop but she showed up at the last moment! I'm happy to report that Boda did very well. I know you all like to make fun of her but underneath all that fear she is awesome. Mom and I have really become inspired by Caesar Milan and we want to find a herding class or agility class to put her in. Yes, I can hear the laughter now...but one day you might be eating that laughter! or whatever. Anyway, Aunt Stef will be at school to meet Em in the cafeteria. Hopefully Em will remember her lunch number so she can get some breakfast!

posted by Melissa 8:20 AM

Wednesday, August 09, 2006

Shhhhhhh don't tell...

A little dirty but Swardson is always funny. Why does he always have to come off as so gay though?

posted by Michael 7:43 PM

Tuesday, August 08, 2006

EM'S FIRST DAY! We got to the cafeteria around 730am. Aunt Stef works at the school so we are lucky to have her there in case of an emergency. I was also working at the school yesterday and an aid in a pre-k class so I was able to take Em to her class and be there all day in case she needed me (read: I needed her). The school gives the children free breakfast so we decided to try it out. Em loves toast but it didn't taste that good so she only ate a few bites. Luckily, she eats lunch at 1015am so she didn't have to wait very long to eat her packed lunch!
All in all I think she had a good day. We were all very tired after waking up at the crack of dawn! The one story about the day she did manage to share was that she didn't get to play on the playground because she had to pee so she just sat on the bench! Hopefully today she will remember to pee before heading to the playground.

posted by Melissa 10:51 AM

Friday was meet the teacher day! I made Em pose for all sorts of goofy poses, but I made sure no other kids were around! Em didn't have any questions for myself or her teacher. She started playing right away with another girl so that made me happy...

posted by Melissa 10:38 AM

Our cars were filty but it has been too hot to wash them! We finally could not wait any longer. We didn't want to drive the girls to school in a dirty ride!

posted by Melissa 10:23 AM

We have been having cable modem issues! Anyway, here are pics from last week when I watched the boys for 2 days! We had a bunch of fun making a big fort and playing on the playground!

posted by Melissa 10:03 AM