T-minus 24 hours and counting...

Awesome pants, Dad!

I think it's safe to say I wasn't too excited about this photo...

I remember looking at this picture in a photo album many times over the years, wondering who the heck that kid in the middle was

In approximately 24 hours, we're headed to Disney World and I am so excited! Steve needs my computer for homework while we are there, so I'm hoping to sneak in a blog or two about our adventures!

Dinnerware

I seem to have a small obsession with dinnerware. I love it and would have a zillion different patterns, if only I had somewhere to put it all. I especially love it when I come across a great treasure at the thrift store, such as the Limoges dinner plates I recently found (6 plates for 50 cents a piece!) and snatched right up. I love to think about how maybe they belonged to somebody who treasured them for years and years.

Recently, when my in-laws arrived in Idaho for an extended visit, my mother sent out a box filled with the dinner plates we used when I was growing up. They were my mom's "every day" dinnerware, and they are the "Serenade" pattern by Sheffield. Many of them did not survive the years of use, followed by years of storage, but as luck would have it, there were four perfect dinner plates. I used them last night for the first time, and I loved setting my table with them.

It was so neat to serve dinner to my family, using my mom's plates...I'm so happy to have them. So, thank you, Mum - - you are the best (I'll give you an extra hug for them, on Friday!).

For dinner? Chicken quesadillas on homemade whole wheat tortillas - - I've had to be quite creative this week as I try to use up everything in my fridge, before we head off on vacation. If you haven't yet made tortillas, do give it a try. You'll never buy a bag of them at the store again.

A Pre-Birthday Celebration

My little peanut will be turning three on Saturday, but since we'll be in Florida, we had a little celebration this past weekend so that I could make him a cake, and he could celebrate with family in Idaho. His requests were quite simple - - a fire truck cake, macaroni and cheese for dinner, and his own computer, so he could "do the blogging".

I had told my mother about Griffin's desire to have his "own" computer, and she promptly sent me the link for this little gem. Griff just loves it, and when he catches me on my laptop, he will grab his and ask me if I'd like to "compute" or "blog" with him. Too cute.

Have you heard of the Plasma Car? My mother's friend Susan told her about it, and so she and Papa sent on to Griffin. It is the neatest thing I've seen in a long time - - no batteries or annoying sounds, just plain old fun. Griffin has spent most of the past three days, riding back and forth from the kitchen to the dining room on it. Here he is, giving a little demo:

And last, but not least, the fire truck cake. It didn't come out quite as nicely as I'd hoped, but I had two kids hanging off me for a good part of the decorating process. Griffin loved it though, so all's well that ends well.

I'm super happy that Griffin and Uncle Kevin will get to celebrate their "actual" special day together on Saturday...at Disney World!

I Love Double-Sided Tape

Steve and I celebrated our 8th wedding anniversary earlier this week, and although we decided to save the actual celebrating for the weekend (when Steve doesn't have to be up at 4:00 the next morning, and we don't have a little one going to school), I decided to whip up a little romantic dinner for two. I didn't have a lot of time to accomplish the task, and, as usual I was busy entertaining children/breaking up bickering matches, so I had to take some shortcuts here and there.

Of course I wanted to have a yummy dessert, but I definitely didn't have time to make anything, so a quick visit to the local grocery store and I was the happy owner of a tiny chocolate cake. Next, I needed to have something to serve it on, but my cake platter was way too big. Here's where the double-sided tape comes in:

One cute little salad plate affixed to an overturned margarita glass, and, voila!

...an anniversary-worthy dessert.

We had a very nice dinner, even if the Blue Power Ranger (otherwise known as Griffin) decided he missed his Mummy, and showed up on our doorstep while we were eating.

Looking forward to the weekend and going out on the town with my honey.

Head-Scratcher

We watched the President's address to school children last night, and I am still trying to figure out what all the commotion was about. We loved what he had to say - - things that all parents should be saying to their children anyway - - and took zero issue with any of it. Do I want my children to understand that education is something they have to work hard for? Do I want them to realize that they can and will make mistakes, but that those mistakes will not define them as people? Do I want them to be respectful of their teachers, peers, parents, and President? Yes, yes, yes, and yes! Did I feel brainwashed after I watched it? Ummm....no.

Many claimed that Obama's speech was nothing short of an "indoctrination of our youth". An indoctrined person is not supposed to examine or question the "doctrine" they have learned, and I'm pretty sure that wasn't the president's point. In fact, in his speech, he encourages critical thinking. He was merely speaking to the country's youth, people. Nothing more. If asking my children to take responsibility for themselves, to not spend hours per day sitting in front of a television, to not blame their teachers or their parents when they don't put in the work needed to be successful in school, or to take care of their bodies and themselves so that they are able to pay attention in school is indoctrination, then please, President Obama, indoctrinate my children.

I guess the bottom line for me in all of this is, where it the basic principle of respect here? Whether I agree with the President or not, I will always be respectful of the office of the President, and I most certainly expect the same from my children.

Another Reason to Love Fridays...