Thanks for the add

Yesterday I told Brian about this new blogging site that I joined.....Mom Bloggers Club.

I have gotten some very nice welcome to the site emails and I have already found a few blogs that I LOVE!!!

Anyway, as I was telling him about the site he said, oh I haven't checked your blog in awhile.
SURPRISE! SURPRISE!

A few months ago while he was on his computer he announced to me that he had officially added me to his bookmarks.

Like was I suppose to be excited about this revelation??

I said oh thanks honey (with a smile on my face, the whole time thinking) not like its going to matter. He doesn't get the blog thing. Well he has come a long way from this conversation but still I don't think he understands that this silly little thing (his words) really is important to me.

As our conversation was going on, Brian pulled up the blog on his laptop. The first picture that popped up was of me holding my nephew Cody.
"Man your hair was long" Brian and Jakob say!!
Then my wonderfully polite son says, "man mom you looked like you had a wig on! "

Thanks son, that's just what I wanted to hear.....

So all was agreed that mom's hair is cuter and much less like a wig, when it is short and sassy.....

Next was Jakob finding his pictures and asking why I posted THOSE particular pictures?

Because there some of MY favorite pictures from this year.

But why??

Dear Lord, I think I liked it better when he was calling me a wig head!!!

So I tried to explain to him why....

All the while Brian was scanning reading and acting like he was interested in what he was scanning reading.

To his defense he did at least stop in the middle of his scan reading and ask me a question about something or make a grunt every now and again :)

He is making BABY STEPS.....

So my conclusion after that conversation was.....

• short hair is good.

• trying to explain to a 9 year old why you take pictures of the them while there walking is something that I really need to be intoxicated for.

• and last but not least, my husband is maybe slowly but surely getting it (the blog) just a little bit!

Does your family or husband enjoy your blog?

Please someone tell me yours is as bad as mine, even if you have to lie :)

Here We Go!!

I hope that 2009 is filled with lots of bubble juice for everyone!!

In A Word.....Memories

This morning when I woke up my son Jakob quickly reminded me that tomorrow is going to be a NEW YEAR!

No more 2008 mom, it's going to be 2009.

Thanks son for reminding me!!



I remember when I was pregnant with Jakob we rang in 1999, of course that whole evening all you hear was Prince's song "And tonight were going to party like it's 1999", well because it was!

Then the next year was the new Millennium! We were all preparing (well OK not all of us, but me) for the computers to die, the water to be contaminated and any other horrible thing that the media told us to be prepared for.

Thankfully nothing happened and I didn't have to buy bottled water for almost a year :)





As this new year is upon us, (tomorrow MOM tomorrow)

I thought I would share a few of my favorite memories from 2008.

Thanks Rachael for this cute idea :)

I hope it brings as many smiles to your face that it has to my heart......

January

February

March

April

May

June

July

August

September

October

November

December

As I was going back through all of these pictures, the memories just come flooding back.

We made 5 trips to Louisiana this year, 2 trips to Tennessee, Brian and I went to Miami and finished it all off with our weekend in Atlanta.
And about 5000 pictures to prove it all!!

My nephew Cody William was born in January!! What a beautiful little light he is. He has brought so much joy to my brother and sister in law and everyone else in the family as well!

Then of course the rain came......

As most of you know my grandfather passed away in March. He was my daddy's best friend and watching my daddy grieve for his loss, was and still is one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. My father will never be the same and I hope that 2009 can bring him some peace in his heart.

Throughout the rest of our year we have had numerous baseball games, swim meets, football games, doctor's visits, walks with our dogs, fishing trips to the lake, WAY TO MANY TACOS and even more Chick Fil A sweet teas. (oh wait that last one was all me!!)

But more than anything we have MEMORIES, lots and lots of MEMORIES!
Good and bad, but there all ours!!!

Our family wishes you love and peace on this, the Eve of our New Year.
I hope 2009 is as wonderful as you make it!!

The Johnson's

Our Own Bedtime Stories....

We took the kids to see Bedtime Stories on Christmas night.
We met our friends The Dinsmore's and had a great time!

That night after we got home, my kids started talking about their favorite bedtime stories. Jakob and Hannah both named off there favorites and then Alex named his.
Well he didn't really name it, he described it.
When he started talking about this one particular story, I was in shock.
I couldn't believe that he remembered it.

When Alex was born and for the first few years of his life, Brian was in school full time, working full and in the Army reserves.
So lets just say Alex and I had lots of mommy - baby time.
There were days where I wouldn't get dressed until late in the afternoon, if at all. And days upon days where I wouldn't leave my house.

We only had 1 car back then.

And we had NO money, so where was I going to go??

Oh the good old days :):)

Anyway, I used to walk Alex in his little car (you know the one where the child can scoot themselves or the parents hold the big long handle and push) all around our neighbor hood. He LOVED that car. And he loved to swing, I would swing that child for hours out on our back deck.....OK now I might need to get out the tissue box.

FOCUS WOMAN!!

I would always make up stories for Alex, especially on the days when we would go on long walks. I would see things outside and away the story would go.

There was one story line that I would always started off with, it was about a little old lady (Alex always said it was about Brian's me maw) and a little brown dog that lived together and always made stew.....

And I would add to it.

Some days the lady made the stew outside in a kettle, sometimes she would make enough to share with her friends.
She was always doing something.
And I would ask Alex, do you want to put this in the stew or that in the stew.
He loved that story......

So Alex starts telling bits and pieces of this story.
HIS story.
He remembered the little old lady part and the stew part ( he actually called it soup).
I just sat there and listened and before I knew it me and my 3 children were making it OUR story.

We added a snake to the story because of course all little old ladies have a brown dog and a snake now a days!!

By the end of it, the story was pretty far fetched but it was their imaginations hard at work.
And we don't poo poo hard work in this house:)

That night when the kids were going to bed, I told Alex I was surprised that he remembered that story. It had been so long since we told it. He said he remembered when I would tell Jakob parts of the story too, when he was a baby. ( I didn't even remember that!)

I hear my kids talk about things that have happened and I can remember it either from something that one of us has said or a picture.

Most of every one's "memories" from childhood are from one of those 2 things.

My memories as a child are few and far between. My mother got divorced from my "sperm donor" when I was very young. (Like 2 or so) And then met and married my daddy when I was about 4 or so, I don't remember exactly.

I just know that my early years were not talked about much growing up. I'm sure that wasn't a very pleasant time in her life and then she had a new, wonderful person and didn't want to bring up bad things.

Maybe that's why I don't remember much, I don't know it's just a thought.

What I do know is if my kids were ever going to try and do something special for me in my "older years", you know to show me how much they appreciate all of the wonderfulness (is that even a real word?) I have brought to their lives :)

One of the best things they could do for me would be, to read me one of our bedtime stories.....

Sharing The Love

2 of our non chocolate (yes there is such a thing:) favorite desserts to make are, Ugly Cake and Berry Shortbread Dreams....

These 2 recipes are no where listed as healthy and they are a far cry from my ever day cooking, but it's the holidays.
You have to break out the FATTENING stuff!

I have said many times here that I love to cook.

Now baking that is another story.

I love to TRY things but there never pretty and I get frustrated easily when I bake.

As long as it taste good then I'm fine. I leave the pretty stuff to the bakery!



The Ugly Cake recipe was given to me by a woman that I was "friends" with when we lived in Louisiana and my children were at St. Edwards.

The only nice thing I can say about her, was that I got this recipe :)

Ugly Cake.....

Preheat oven to 350 degrees

1 package of yellow cake mix
1 egg
1 stick of melted butter
1 cup chopped pecans. (The pecans are never chopped enough for me, so I pour them into a napkin and use my meat tenderizer and smash them into a powder)

Mix all these ingredients together.

Pour them into a greased 9 x 13 pan.

Then mix 3 eggs
1 - 8 ounce of low fat cream cheese ( I use low fat, just because)
1 - box of powered sugar

Mix with electric mixer until well blended and pour over the other mixture that is in the pan...

Bake at 350 for 45 minutes.

Cool very well before cutting ( I let mine cool for an hour)



Berry Shortbread Dreams (Taste Of Homes Christmas Cookies and Candies)

1 cup of butter, softened
2/3 cup sugar
1/2 teaspoon almond extract
2 cups of all - purpose flour
1/3 to 1/2 cup seedless raspberry jam

Glaze:
1 cup confectioner's sugar
2 to 3 teaspoons water
1/2 teaspoon almond extract

In a mixing bowl, cream butter and sugar. Beat in extract; gradually add flour until dough forms a ball. Cover and refrigerate for 1 hour or until easy to handle.

Roll into 1 - inch balls. Place 1 in apart on ungreased baking sheets. Using the end of a wooden spoon handle, make an indentation in the center of each ball. Fill with jam.

Bake at 350 degrees for 14 - 18 minutes or until edges are lightly brown. Remove to wire racks to cool. Spoon additional jam into cookies if desired.

Combine glaze ingredients; drizzle over cookies...

My kids call these cookies "A little slice of heaven!



Let me know if you make either one and how they come out for you......

HAPPY BAKING!!

KICKING AND SCREAMING!

My family is no where ready for "the real world" again. We have been getting projects done, eating, lounging, eating, taking nice long walks and did I mention, EATING?? (By Sunday we will be kicking and screaming for another week off! And when I say WE I mean ME :)

Our Christmas leftovers have been gone for a few days and now we've been working on cleaning out the freezer.

I have a family of 5, we eat like were a family of 10 (well at least my boys do :) and I cook like were a family of 15! So there are always leftovers in my house.

Before the holidays I start freezing things, so that way I can just defrost and not worry about anything.

Breakfast for dinner is also another easy idea and always a hit in my house.


Today we've been doing some baking for a New Year's Eve party that were going to tomorrow.

I figured since the oven was already going why not do good ole pizzas for dinner. Publix has ready made dough in the refrigerated cake section. You let it sit out for about an hour. Roll it out and add whatever toppings your family enjoys.

We make one with ham ( Boar's head deli ham), pepperonis (Applegate Farms brand), red and yellow peppers and cheese.

And one with just pepperonis and cheese.
Making pizzas is so much cheaper than ordering and my kids love to help me make them!

Tonight will be another Cranium FUN FILLED night! With pizzas and a little taste of our sweets!

Have I told you, we are SO not ready for the holidays to end :)

The Good The Bad And The Ugly

This afternoon we took the kids to the park in our neighborhood. WE meaning, me and my husband took the kids and the 2 dogs to the park TOGETHER.

I quite often take the kids to the park. And on the weekends Brian will walk Hannah over to the park to swing. But all 7 of us TOGETHER at the park, with NO REGARDS for the time, hasn't happened in a long time!

Today makes 7 straight days that we all have been home together.
And we have all made it ALIVE!!

And we are honestly sad that we only have one more week left.

It hasn't all been a bed of roses, but I would not rather be any where else in the world.

This morning while Brian was getting some work done, yes he is on vacation but really his work never stops.

What'cha gonna do?

Anyway, while he was working, we were sitting there talking about how nice the past week has been.
I told him, I wish I could come up with a way for us to make money together and we both stay home all day.

YEA, I know, good luck with that!!

ANY IDEAS??

back to the park......

So while the boys were playing basketball and Hannah was riding her scooter and jumping it over the dog's leashes that I was holding, I just kind of sat there and took it all in.

Before we moved, we LIVED at the park by our house. We would take our kids to the park all the time. We ALL rode bikes together every weekend. (of course in Louisiana it is FLAT ground, Georgia not so much)

We did these things together before life got in the way.

Now the weekends are, who has to be where and at what time.

I like that my kids are active and enjoy doing things.

And I'm grateful that Brian and I are able to let them be involved with the activity's they enjoy.

But when did it become so technical?

We do things in shifts now.
And I know that when you have more than 1 child, that is kind of the way it works.

But I love us all being together.

Most of my family and girlfriends just think I'm crazy and don't want to let my kids grow up. Maybe there is a little piece of truth to that, but honestly I just like us all being together.....

Tonight as I was cooking dinner (breakfast for dinner ROCKS!!) Brian was in the garage working on his and Jakob's project. Alex was on the sofa talking to his friend, Hannah was in and out with one of the neighbors and Jakob was helping me in the kitchen.
The doors were opening and closing, the phone was ringing, the dogs were up and down every time the door opened, Brian's popping his head in asking for Jakob's help....

And I have to tell you, it was music to my ears.

Were raising our kids to be kind, polite, well mannered, successful adults.
My kids growing older doesn't bother me.

But my house being quite one day, is going to kill me.