Is this my life?

After a wonderful Christmas break and a few days of peaceful vacation with my husband, it was back to reality.  This week, I found myself back in the daily grind...wake-up, get ready, take Ben to the babysitter's, go to work, pick Ben up, come home, play with Ben, cook dinner, start laundry, clean up kitchen, read books to Ben, get Ben to bed, lights out, and tomorrow...we do it all over again!  You get the idea.  Some may refer to this as:

• a typical day
• a routine
• someone that is on-task
• exciting (I'm sure there is someone out there that would find this exciting...please???  anyone???)
• someone who is extremely boring (yep, that's us) 

As for me, I refer to this as...life!  Yes, I know, a real epiphany huh!  Really though, this is my life and every once in a while I have to make myself stop and appreciate it.  Sometimes, when I'm mad at myself because I forgot about the dryer and now my dress pants are an inch to short, or when I get ready to walk out the door in the morning and remember that I forgot to pack Ben's bag the night before (and yes, I'm already 5 minutes late), or when Andy emails me with just a "few" errands for me to run after work, or when I'm so tired from a sleepless night with a toddler; all I can do is stop, relax, and try VERY hard to appreciate these moments. 

You know what I'm talking about, we all have these moments.  My life can be chaotic, but there are those that have more kids, more jobs, and less time than me.  I can complain as much as the next person, but the next person probably has something to actually complain about (I'm just feeling sorry for myself).  I can get fed up with my husband and my son, but there are those that probably wish they had a family to be fed up with.  Life is what you make of it, and it's something that needs to be celebrated, enjoyed and appreciated.

So, early this week when I was doing laundry (the third load that evening) and I begrudgingly went to get the laundry basket...this is what I found. 

It's amazing how this little moment in my life changed the mundane task of laundry that evening.  Did I want to fold the laundry, ARE YOU KIDDING ME???  Of course I didn't, but it was certainly a lot easier now that my heart was happy, I had a smile on my face, and I had a little "helper" beside me.

Yes, this IS my life...and I'm going to enjoy every minute of it!

Kitchen Connection

I'm going to try something new here on the blog...posting a recipe each week (hopefully on Wednesdays) as a middle of the week "pick-me-up". I don't know about all of you, but it seems like my dinner menus tend to lose some steam by the middle of the week. I always have good intentions to create beautiful, delicious culinary creations each night but usually end up with something along the lines of baked chicken and veggies (I know...a real show stopper, huh)!

Anyway, in an effort to rejuvenate myself each week, I'll hopefully be posting a dish (or two) that are favorites around our household.

This week - Quick and Easy Mustard Crusted Pork Roast

2 lb. pork roast
2 T. spicy mustard
1 c. garlic croutons, crushed

Heat oven to 400 degrees. Season roast with salt and pepper. Roast in shallow pan for 30 minutes. Cover with mustard and sprinkle with crouton crumbs. Roast for another 10-15 minutes more, or until the meat thermometer reads 155 degrees in the center of the roast. Allow meat to rest for 20 minutes before slicing.

Enjoy!

Merry Christmas!!!

What a whirlwind of a week! I apologize in advance for the ultra-long post, but there is so much to share! Ben and I started the week at Grandma Debbie's (one perk of teaching is that I can go home to my parents for extended amounts of time). We helped Mom get ready for a brunch, for the bus drivers, on Tuesday. Basically, I cooked, cooked, and cooked. This is something that I enjoy, so it was a great start to my break. After the brunch, Ben, Grandma Debbie, my cousin Logann, and I were able to spend some time together before the whole family came in for the holidays.

Along came Wednesday...let the holidays begin! We started with a road trip to Lafayette to get my haircut, pick up Andy, Stacey, and the girls, and then head back to Grandma Debbie's. While we were on our way to Lafayette, Mom was on her way to go get my brother's three oldest children...what a fun night at Grandma's (almost all of the grandkids under one roof)!

Thursday saw Stacey, Logann and I cooking, Mom and the older grandkids at the movie "Tangled", and Andy hauling in some beans to the elevator.

Christmas Eve morning brought the stomach flu to poor Katie (for the second year in a row, her Christmas has been spent in bed with the flu). Poor Katie was quarantined to Grandma Debbie's bedroom. Stacey tried to make her day as enjoyable as possible, but I know it was difficult for her to hear all of the kids outside the room playing.

At lunch time, the last grandchild came to Grandma's...Tiffany!!! We all celebrated her second birthday with a HUGE strawberry ice cream cake! After some birthday wishes and presents, it was nap time for all of the little ones, and more cooking time for the adults!

Then, the FUN began. We started the evening with presents (who wants to wait for dinner and the dishes to be cleaned)! It's much more fun to open first...and we adults have learned that we have a MUCH more enjoyable dinner without the constant "are we done yet?" "can we open presents yet?" "how much more are you guys going to eat?" "really, are you done YET?"

Uncle Dave had a good time helping Ben open his presents.

Like any typical toddler, the wrapping paper and boxes were a bigger hit than the toys!

Jason and Addie celebrating her very first Christmas!

After dinner, dishes, church, and loading up, we headed back home to await Santa's arrival at our home. Boy, did Santa do well! Andy and I had so much fun seeing the delight it Ben's eyes...it didn't matter if it was clothes or toys, they all evoked the same emotion...huge eyes and a big gasp of excitement! The big hit at our house was his new motorized car. He's not great at steering it, but he sure can make it run into walls :)

After Christmas at our house, we headed off to Papaw and Grannie's. Ben kept up his excitement throughout the whole morning!

Somewhere along the way, Ben acquired a ribbon tail...it sure didn't slow him down. I can see that he has inherited my lack of patience! Andy could not get the toys out of the box fast enough...and Lord help him if they needed batteries!!! He was prepared though, screwdriver...check, box cutter...check, extra batteries...check!

Our week finally came to a close with the Oppy/Olin Christmas party in the evening. More great food, more friends, and of course, more presents for the kiddos! It was a nice way to spend the evening...chatting with friends while all of the kids played with their new toys. The remote controlled cars were a big hit!

Ben and Blake took time out of their busy play schedule to at least look at the camera. You can tell by their faces that they were NOT going to give me a smile...they were completely put-out that I would even consider taking pictures while they were trying to play!

Through all of the rushing, visiting, unwrapping, and eating...we still took time to reflect on the true meaning of Christmas. It's always humbling to think that a little baby came to save us all...that is the best present of all!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS!

Purdue Graduation

One perk of Andy's job is that we are able to go and celebrate with the Purdue College of Agriculture graduates twice each year. This past Sunday was the reception for the December grads. I have to say, this is always one of my favorite occasions. I get to congratulate the graduates, meet their families, catch up with Andy's co-workers, and of course, let Ben explore the closest thing to Heaven on earth...Boilermaker country! This year, Ross-Ade Stadium was covered with a thick blanket of snow and the sun was shining. It was definitely a beautiful day to wish good luck, and say goodbye, to Purdue's newest graduates!

Ben thought he needed a turn at the podium

Taking a look at Ross-Ade stadium

Smiling with his mommy

He was starting to get a bit ornery in this picture

Ben's first haircut

Tonight, we had Ben's first haircut. Believe me, it was not my choice...his daddy felt like he needed a haircut. I personally enjoyed his baby curls! Anyway, tonight was the night. So off to Bill's we went. As you can see from the picture below, his hair really was getting a little long (and a little shaggy). But, in my defense, he had just gotten up from a nap...so, it wasn't the best look for him.

I'm not sure Ben really understood what was happening, but he was a super good boy. He didn't make a peep the entire time (I think this was because he was so confused about what was going on)!

Getting a little trim in the front :)

The (almost) finished product...my baby has officially turned into a toddler. Don't worry, this mommy held it together (even though my heart was so sad to see his baby looks fade away).

I believe that this new "toddler" look has gone to his head (literally). After we left, Ben suddenly developed a new found spirit. He was not only sporting a new look, but also a new attitude...he was quite the little entertainer at dinner!

Tis the Season...

for Christmas programs!

Last week, Ben and I were able to go to my niece and nephew's Christmas music program. There is NOTHING like a child's rendition of Frosty the Snowman, Jingle Bell Rock, and Feliz Navidad to help ring in the Christmas season!!! It's amazing how those little out-of-key voices can join together to make a "joyful noise"!

Ellie and Max did a great job (as did all of the kids)! It was a nice evening out with Ben and the family, despite the sub-zero temperatures!

The cousins!

Max's third grade class

Ellie and her fourth grade class

Well Hello December!

It's official, December is here...and it's COLD!!! This morning, Ben went to Linda's in full winter gear; footie pj's, double layer winter coat, sock hat, hat from the coat, and mittens. It was so cold, that when I took him out of the car he had to catch his breath...yikes!!! So, in honor of cold weather entering Indiana, I'm posting a picture of Ben and Andy at the hot and humid county fair...this is my way of boycotting freezing temperatures. I know this is useless, but it makes me feel better to take action...as my sister says, "how's that workin for ya"? It's not, but that's ok!