Catch-Up!

Shame on me! My last post was 2/2! Yikes time is flying. With all the crummy weather we've been having you'd think I'd have more time stuck indoors to write. Looking back, a lot has happened over the last couple weeks. Where to begin?

First, I got a new car! YAY! Actually, it's not that exciting. The lease was up on my Elantra and we decided it was a smart decision for our family to get something larger with 4 wheel drive. Audi Q7 please! Oh wait, we are still on a budget :-/ which equates to a Honda CR-V. While it wasn't my first choice, I suppose a new car is always exciting. Ava was the one who had the hardest time breaking up with my old car. Until she realized that Franklin (her frog friend that rides with her in my car) would be coming with us in the new car AND the new car is "a lot higher" so she can see more out the windows.

The next day we started prep for Ava's big Vday party at school. She had already made her box with Brittney but I got to make the Valentines for her class with her. Since her school has a no-candy policy, it was time to put on our thinking caps! Ava and I roamed Michaels for at least an hour looking for an idea. Finally, we landed on foam door hangers for each of the kids in her class. Brittney got to go to the party with her last Friday and she said the door hangers were the talk of the class!

Of course Ava wanted to  make one for herself...

I'm not sure if it was all the crafting or playing outside in the snow with Daddy, but Ava said she wasn't feeling well Sunday night. Her tummy was hurting and sure enough, she had a fever. Just like when I was a kid, I got out our big red bucket and set it by her bed. We also had a pretty neat set up for her to watch the iPad and relax while she rested.

She started to perk up so we gave her a bath and thought it looked like she'd be able to go to school. WRONG! She woke up around 2 am and said her tummy was hurting again and the fever was back. We gave her some more medicine and she said she needed me to sleep with her. Anyone who has ever shared a bed with Ava knows how restless she is. So sharing a twin bed with her was interesting to say the least. Every time I thought she might be sleeping she'd blurt out "CAN YOU HAND ME MY DRINK?" in a voice loud enough to tell me that she was wide awake! When she finally was ready to go to sleep I could tell because she was rubbing Monkey's tail and she gently put her arm around me. That's when I melted. She still had a fever in the morning so I took a day of PTO to stay with her. The thing she was most upset about was that she was going to miss school and that she couldn't hand out her Valentines of course. We watched a lot of movies and both took a nap that day. I sometimes wonder who it's harder on when she doesn't feel good.

Tyler and I didn't have Ava this past weekend so we got to take advantage of Valentine's Day. Each year we take turns on who plans the day. This year was his. He did a GREAT job! I have never been to a casino and I have also wanted to go play Bingo. So he planned dinner and Bingo at Potowatomi Casino! I have to say, the casino was not at all what I expected. It was like another, smoky, crowded world. It's definitely not something I want to do frequently but it was still nice to have the experience with my amazing husband. He makes everything fun! OH! And I won $17.20 on a 5 cent slot machine. Not to shabby. We topped the night off  with T-Bell on the way home. Nothing says romance more than that!

Now, I'm focused on getting our little family of 3.5 (Mozz = .5) ready for the big day! I can't believe how quickly it's arrived. Tyler and I have Thursday and Friday off as well so that we can spend Ava'a birthday doing whatever it is she wants. So far the day will involve Chucky Cheese and probably Yo-Mamma too. We are going to try to convince her to go to StoneFire Pizza instead since I've heard from many work friends that it's got everything the Cheese has but nicer, newer and cleaner. SOLD! I told Tyler about it and he said that we can just tell her CC is closed, lol. What will we do when we can't get away with things like this someday?

We are all so excited to see so much of our family this weekend. All the decorations are done and food arrangements are made. I can't promise I'll take pictures of the event; mostly because my husband is so great about doing that. So for all of you who can't make it, I'll write a post and include his pictures instead. :)

Before I go, if you are having weather like we are here today in Milwaukee, be careful! And if you've been texting me pictures from a warmer climate, you can delete my number. 

Much love,

Lex

SUPERBOWL Fun!

UGH! What a bummer that our beloved Pack is not playing. AWFUL! I will say, that if my green and gold cannot be playing, I'm happy that the Denver Broncos are making an appearance. A tribute to my bestie CAROLYNN BLAUMANN soon to be BERTRON. Love you!

So for game day, we are fortunate to spend it with a few of our close friends. Derrick and Dan. And on the menu (as promised) are a few of my go-to recipes.

Of course we are having ROTEL. Sorry. No picture on this one, but I hope you all have had rotel and velveeta mixed. It's possibly the easiest, most common side in America. Next, we have Caro's salsa. Technically it's not called that but it is around our house! We were first introduced to this salsa when she'd make it for our get-togethers. Now, it's a must for every game day. Here's the recipe.

Caro's Salsa

14 Oz can Black Beans

16 oz Frozen Corn

1/3 Cup Lime Juice

1/4 Cup Red Onion

1/4 Cup Green Onion

1/4 Cup Cilantro

1/3 Cup Fresh Lime Juice

3 Tablespoons Vegetable Oil

1 Generous Teaspoon Salt

1 Generous Teaspoon Pepper

1/2 Cup Tomatoes (or more to your liking)

In a large bowl, mix everything except the tomatoes. Chill at least 2 hours and up to overnight. Just before serving, stir in tomatoes.

DELISH! Next on the menu is Chex Mix! There are so many varieties but I go with the classic. You can make this in the oven (for quadruple the time) or in the microwave. For busy mom's like me, short-cuts are always welcome. Here is the tried and true recipe...

Classic Chex Mix

3 Cups Rice Chex

3 Cups Corn Chex

3 Cups Wheat Chex

1 Cup Gold Fish or Cheese-It Crackers

1 Cup Peanuts or Mixed Nuts

1 Cup Pretzels (my husband prefers more)

6 Tbsp butter

1.5 teaspoon Seasoned Salt

3/4 teaspoon Garlic Powder

1/2 teaspoon Onion Powder

In a large bowl, mix all the cereals, nuts, cheese crackers and pretzels. 

In a separate bowl, melt the butter and add seasonings. 

Pour over the cereal mix. Mix well. 

Microwave for 2 minutes and stir, microwave for 2 more minutes, sitr. Microwave for 1 more minute.

Cool on cookie sheets.

Enjoy!

Normally, on such a special occasion, I would make cookies from scratch. However, today, I chose to go sledding with my family so that meant that I had to make cookies from a box (I know!!!) however, these cookies are pretty amazing and every time I make them, people go CRAZY! So here is the secret...

and the finished product. Minus the one that my husband stole!

So even though our favorite team isn't on the field today, I hope you are all having a great SUPER BOWL! 

Much Love,

LEX 

Today I am reminded why I write. Today it was proven to me the distance my words can travel and the impact they can make.

I had the good fortune of traveling to Madison for a bridal shower for one of my college roommates. Wow, talk about emotional! Tessa has always been like a sister to me but writing the card to go with her gift really hit home. I was reminded of the days we'd have lunch between classes and watch countless episodes of A Wedding Story  on TLC. We would talk about what our own weddings would be like. While we weren't very accurate about the details, we were right about one thing...she was a part of my day and I will be a part of hers. Priceless.

At the shower 2 people commented how they appreciated my blog and how much my words resonated. That's pretty powerful. Sad how I don't get to see these people as often as I'd like but I love how despite distance, they still feel like the know where I am in life. Oh, modern technology...how I loathe and love thee!

My Mom. She thinks that everything I do is pretty amazing (I think it is in a mom's job description). She commented several times today how happy she is that I'm writing again. She mentioned how she will read my blog and be thinking a certain thought and in the very next sentence I write "My mom is probably thinking...". That is cool. My mom and I don't talk as often as we'd both like or as often as we probably should but I think that reading my words still makes her feel connected. At least I hope it does!

It's true. I write because I long for this connection with those I love. While I can't see everyone everyday, I DO want them to feel that closeness with me. I try to achieve that by sharing what I am thinking and feeling. PLEASE know that your emails back to me have made me feel that bond. It's awesome! Sometimes there is more that we can build on than what we uncover at Thanksgiving or Christmas. I feel so blessed to have such an amazing group of family and friends. Cheers!

Stay tuned!!! Tomorrow is SUPER BOWL SUNDAY. While our beloved Pack isn't playing, it's still an opportunity for fun with friends. A chance to eat an drink more than we should. I will be posting ALL the goodies I'm making for our shindig so check back. 

Much love,

Lex