Opening Day

Tomorrow baseball season officially starts. I am so excited that we will be able to go catch a few games here and there. We were lucky enough that Ryan's parents bought him opening day tickets for his birthday. We have never been so it should be a good memory. Unfortunately there is a 50% chance of rain in the forecast. We are going to go early so that we can take Nick to walk around Keener Plaza before the game. They normally have neat things going on there before the games. I will post pictures tomorrow. Hopefully we can get a few autographs before the game.

Fun with Food

I had a Mary Kay party yesterday and really wanted to make some fun foods for my guests to enjoy. I love to cook and entertain. Here are a few of the appetizers I made.

Artichokes stuffed with bruchetta.

Pinot Noir Chocolate Truffle dip with fresh fruit


Bloody Mary tomatoes (Rachel actually made these)

Crab stuffed snow peas.

Rachel and I joke to each other about going into a catering business, but in a way I think it would be kind of fun.

Favorite Recipes

Next week check out my fav blogs for their favorite recipes! I am very excited about this because I love to cook and can't wait to see what everyone has posted. Make sure to include your favorite recipe too.

The Season is Among Us

Opening day is only a few days away and I cannot wait. I LOVE baseball. Ryan gets a lot of tickets to games every year. We are able to see almost as many games as a season ticket holder. Unfortunately it is hard to find someone who wants to go with us. We live for baseball. The outdoors, smell of grilled hot dogs and cold bud light. What more could you ask for. This is a picture of us during a NLCS game in 2006. We actually go to go to game five of the world series that year. Lets hope the Cards can pull something out of their hats for this year.

I Got a JOB!!!!

For the past year I have been without a job. My husband and In-Laws were nice enough to let me stay home to get my general classes out of the way to make it easier while I am in the nursing program. We have decided that it would be in my best interest to try to get a part time job at a hospital in order to get my foot in the door.

The lady at Memorial was very nice and tried desperately to get me a clerical position. There unfortunately were none available right now so she asked me if I would be willing to work in their coffee shop for a short time until they could find another position for me.

In the summer I will be taking the Fundamentals of Nursing class and after that they will put me on the floor as a CNA. I am very lucky to have gotten this kind of opportunity in this area. They normally do not find a job for just anyone. My husband fortunately had a little pull with the Hospital president.

Not only will I be making a decent wage, but they also offer tuition reimbursement for part time employees. This helps us out tremendously. I have to work there for nine months after I graduate. If they do not have an open position I don't even have to pay the money back. A win-win situation for me.

I can't wait to get back in the work force again. I just hope I will be able to find the time to study.

Thanks Tracie

Thank you Tracie for walking me through putting music on my blog. I think it is a great addition. If you all haven't noticed I have put music from past idols since it is American Idol time and all. If you have any requests just let me know.

Mom and Her Sisters

Show Me

Show me your mouth...

Show me your toes..

Show me your fingers...

Show me your lips..

Show me your eyes...

Show me your nose...

What about these glasses

Easter

Easter was fantastic. We got to spend a lot of time with mom and my brother and his family. We left on Saturday evening and spent the night with my brother. We were able to watch my nephews dye eggs and when we woke up in the morning the bunny actually found Nick there too. That bunny is so smart.

On Sunday we took my mom the the Ramada and had brunch. It was so good! We all ate so much. The food was really good and we all had a very good visit. After brunch we headed to Newton to see the rest of my family. My Aunt Kathy hosted and we had more really good food. Needless to say I ate WAY too much this weekend.

All in all we had a really good Easter. I am glad that we all got to spend time together for the holiday! Nick was really cute when he hunted eggs this year. When e would find one he would just throw it in the basket. They

were real eggs mind you. We didn't have many eggs left.

I have to tell you that we came home with eight Easter baskets for Nick. EIGHT...how will we ever get rid of all this candy. I rarely give him candy, but thought maybe I should start giving him some everyday!

Xander's new glasses

The Easter Bunny left Xander a new pair of glasses this weekend. Now he can see and drink at the same time!

Happy Easter !

Hope the bunny found all of you!

Hippity, Hoppity.....

It really hard to believe that Easter is here already this year. Before we know it Christmas will be right around the corner. Anyway, after a few hours of research online about how to boil the perfect egg without getting cracks (Salt and Vinegar), Nick and I finally colored our eggs this morning. It was a really fun time. I have been trying to find the best, brightest egg dyeing kit on the market, but i am not sure they really make one. Although when I was checking out Amber's blog earlier, I noticed her eggs are beautifully colored. Anyway we had a good time but wish Ryan would have been able to help. With the weather so nice he wont be home at a decent time for the next few days so we had to do it by ourselves. Hopefully next year. Hope you all have a wonderful Easter.

Guacamole

Although it is really hard for you to see by the pictures what we are doing, Nick and I made some fresh guacamole last night. Nick eats some really crazy things and guacamole is one of them. He wanted so bad to help me chop all the ingredients, but settled for helping me scrape them into the bowl when I finished. I could just see him losing a finger over a bowl of guacamole. Oh well the dip was delicious and we ate it ALL! I have heard that avocados carry the "good" fat right? Lets hope so!

Eckerts

I have had a few requests for a schedule of events for Eckerts. If any of you are interested you can visit their website and sign up for their mailing list. They will send you coupons all the time. The coupons are amazing too...free apples, pies, breakfast with the bunny just to mention a few. They also send you coupons for 25% of an item from their garden center all the time. Eckerts is so neat and almost all the produce and plant life you see come directly from thier orchard. Sign up for their mailing list and browse their website at http://eckerts.com/.

Enjoy!

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

Oh What A Beautiful Day...

How I would love to have Amber Lindemann's skills as a photographer!!! Today Rachel and I took our children to Eckert's for their 2008 Egg-Citement! For $6.00 we were able to hunt Easter eggs, take our picture with the Easter bunny, do face painting, get a free treat to decorate, plant a seed, and pet sweet newborn animals such as duck, chicks and rabbits. What an amazing place. Nick was absolutely blown away by all the activities that were available to him. What a fun time. Amber if you are ever looking for a new place to take pics this could be a new spot. It has orchard after orchard with flowers and unique landscaping. Eckert's has something new to do every season. I am sure for some of you it may be a drive, but it is sooooo worth it. They have a restaurant and a grocery store. There are so many things to do you would be amazed. It is like the Greenup Pumpkin Patch that stays open for every season. If any of you are interested let me know and I would be glad to forward you a schedule of activities that are upcoming. I can't wait to take Nick apple picking!!!

Nick ready to go. He kept saying bye bye. He was ready to go before I was.

Holding a 1 day old hatched baby chic!

Kissin the bunny.

More bunny action.

Ready for the big hunt!

Found one Mama!

Oppsie!

Just a cute pic!