Happy Valentine's Day To Me!

Early Valentine's Day for me! Yay!!
I found this ring at the jewelers that I just loved, because it has 2 garnets, and since both Emily & Bradley are born in January, their birthstones are both Garnet! So, it has one garnet for each of them, along with 6 little diamonds!
I showed it to Hubby, because it was on sale and told him it would be perfect for Valentine's Day (hint, hint!)
Well, the sale only goes through the end of January and every time I checked back in at the jewelers, they were sold out! Finally, I went ahead and had them order one for me and I told Iain to just go pick it up!!
So, tonight he comes home from work, and hands me a little black bag! Yay! I guess since I told him to go get it for me, I can have it early! Leave it to me to spoil the surprise!

Thanks, Hubby! I Love You!

(Now, off to find YOUR present!!)

Maybe... just maybe!

If I post it here, then maybe I will actually get it done!

I am hoping to drop Emily off at preschool at noon, grab some milk at the store on the way home, plop Bradley in his pack & play - so that I can PLAY!!

I have so many challenge cards that I want to make!! My best friends birthday is (ack!) tomorrow and I haven't made a card yet! (Sorry, Kim!) So, I've got a busy day planned - and only 3 hours to get it done!

So, wish me luck and check in on me to make sure I met at least some of my goals for today!

99 Random

Copied this from my dear friend Callie - Love that Callie! This is a cool way to learn a little bit more about the authors of those blogs that you visit! Callie - rock climbing, deep sea fishing, marathons, home runs? I never woulda guessed!
Anywooo.... copy and paste this into your blog - bold the items that you've done! That's all there is to it!
Have Fun!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band - Highschool, and I played with both the Army and Air Force bands!
4. Visited Hawaii - Not yet
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world -Disneyland, just me & hubby!
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child - adopted 2 dogs!
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon - no, but I rode Seattle to Portland on a bicycle!
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise - it was just a dinner cruise, but still a cruise!
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person - not Niagara, but I honeymooned at Snoqualmie Falls!
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language - well, I wouldn't exactly say taught myself.. but I learned German once upon a time..
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (DUH! Of course!) - Cyndi Lauper, Time after Time (what was I thinking??)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant - if buying a stranger coffee at Starbucks counts...
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted - caricature count?
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris - grrr.. the rest of the tour didn't want to go!
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business - does Stampin' Up! count?
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Gotten flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt - well.. a pillow?
73. Stood in Times Square - I've stood in Picadilly Circus!
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House - nope, but I've visited the WA state capital building
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous - Vaclav Nelhybel (internationally renowned composer & conductor) I met him when he conducted for the Air Force band when I was selected to play in concert with them - 1991
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Thanks, Callie! Looks like I've got some stuff to do!

As if I don't have enough on my "plate"

So, I figure, If everyone else is doing it, I will, too!! Hehehee! My good friends Lisa & Callie added recipe blogs to their blog list and I thought it was such a great idea! And since I am having so much fun trying out my new "Shop once... eat all week" recipes, I thought I'd do it too! We all love a good recipe, right? I especially love it if it comes from a friend with a good review! Anyone got tips on meals that my picky daughter might enjoy that doesn't involve a cheesy hamburger? :o)

So, I've opened Spryte's Kitchen for you all to enjoy! I've already posted a recipe that I want to try! And as soon as I try my last "Shop once..." recipe, I'll post it there, instead of here.

As always, have fun! I'll see you in the kitchen (if I'm not in the craft room!)

Shop once... eat all week #3 & #4

I also missed one of my meals this week... well, not entirely true! I made the meal - it was Petite Sirloin Steak with Fruity Cole Slaw... but none of us were hungry that night, so it was instantly relegated to the refrigerator for leftovers... Sorry, no picture, but the steaks were yummy! I used the left over lemon pie filling from the Lemon Chicken in the cole slaw and that made it a bit too sweet for us, though. So far, that is the only recipe we won't be trying again! The steaks were super easy, especially in the George Foreman!

Last night we had Cobb Salad Sandwiches! Now, these were really, really good, I thought! The dressing is mayo, horseradish and basil. And you pile (the leftover) ham (from the Ham & Cheese Pasta), lettuce, boiled eggs, bacon and tomato on a slice croissant, and yum! Tasty tasty! I had the extra sandwich for lunch at work today!

So here's my photo! There are no tomatoes on my sandwich, because I don't like tomatoes, but Iain said they were good!

Shop once... eat all week #2

Tonights recipe was Ham & Cheese Pasta! I though this recipe would be perfect for Emily, as she loves Mac & Cheese! And she did love it, all but the "green stuff" also known as asparagus!
So, tonight I had to save some asparagus for dinner on Saturday, and I had to save some ham for dinner on Friday!
The meal was good. I think a side salad would have been nice with it. It was very cheesey, but we're a cheesey family, so that's ok!
This is really quite fun! I love trying out new recipes!

A New Project for Spryte

For a few years now, my Mom has gotten me a subscription to Simple & Delicious magazine. I love to browse through it and drool over all the wonderful photos of tasty looking foods. But I don't think I've ever actually made anything! Well, the other day, I was browsing through some older issues and checking out my favorite segments, looking for something to try. They have this segment called "Shop once... eat all week!" that I've always been interested in. Basically, the magazine gives me 5 meals and a shopping list. The meals tend to share some ingredients, like Mondays meal will have something to save for Wednesday and Fridays meals! Sounds fun, right? The only problem is, I'm a pretty picky eater, so finding a series of recipes where I like everything is a bit difficult! The May/June 2008 issue finally fit the bill! So, I grabbed the shopping list they provided, checked my "pantry" to see what I had, (which wasn't much really! I so need to stock the staples!) and I hit the grocery store!
Now that I've babbled away, this is what I'm going to do this week:
I will cook my recipe, take a photo of my result, tell you what ingredients I had to save for the rest of the week and give my review! Now, if you would like the actual recipe, just let me know and I'll send it to ya, or if everyone wants the recipes, I'll post them too!
So, here goes!
Today was Lemon Chicken with Rice
I had to make twice as much rice, and save 1/2 of it (before adding tomatoes and parsley) for Fridays meal. This recipe called for Lemon Pie Filling (interesting!), so I had to save the part that I didn't use for Wednesdays meal!
This was pretty good! I'm not a tomato fan, but I ate them, they added a bit of zing to the rice and added pretty color to the plate!
Hubby said it's a "Make Again" - that's a good thing!

Christmas Eve

Iain & Emily had to run out to get a few "last minute" things this afternoon, so Bradley and I stayed home and wrapped a few "last minute" gifts! When they got home, Emily came running in the house yelling "Mommy, look what we got you!" and she had an armload of beautiful flowers! She was so adorable, and so proud of herself! Then Iain walked in with another armload of beautiful flowers! He knows I love fresh flowers, but haven't had any for quite a while! They were both so sweet!

After things settled down, we all gathered around the table to build a gingerbread train. Emily had so much fun putting the candies on!

New Specs

Ok, so my friend Lizzie got new specs and she loves them, because she can see! So, I told her that I was getting new specs too, and would post a photo when I did! I love my new specs and Iain likes them - because they're "Jazzy"! Now, if I could just trudge through the snow again to get them adjusted so they don't hurt my poor little ears, I'd be great!

Not the greatest pic of me.. Iain said my smile looked fake, so I laughed and he caught me... ah well!



Congrats on the new specs, Lizzie! They look great on you!

Dee Needs...

I saw this fun little exercise on Vickie's blog. You go to your google search bar, type in your name followed by needs - i.e. "Dee needs". You then will get a very (VERY) interesting list!!!! So, just for the fun of it and a few chuckles I did it... here goes... this is what the internet predicts that I need:

Dee needs... a bigger trophy cabinet... well, maybe a bigger card display cabinet for all the beautiful cards my friends send me!!

Dee needs... more beer... !!! Hahaha!

Dee needs... help... well.. don't we all?

Dee needs... needs her own talk show... well, really, I guess I could find something to talk about!!

Dee needs... to know the measurements of the aluminum cover of the awnings as these dictate the exact fabric length. What the...??

Dee needs... a mischevious grin... who doesn't?

and lastly..

Dee needs... to believe that she's beautiful, talented and funny, and that she is worthy of love and respect, no matter what size her jeans are.

So, that was fun.. now you go try! I'd sure love to see what Google thinks you "need"!! Have fun!

Anakin

I received a request for a photo of our bird, Anakin, so here he is! He is an Australian Rock Pebbler, a member of the Australian Parakeet family. He is also called a Regent Parrot or a Black-Tailed Parakeet. We know that he is a male, because of the dominance of yellow feathers on his chest. Females, are generally more green. He is a relatively quiet bird, but being a bird, he can still be quite loud! He does speak, he says "Hello Pretty Bird, Good Night, Uh-Oh" and he can mimic my laugh! He is very friendly and we have had him since he was a baby. They have been known to live up to 25 years! He is a great bird, very easy to take care of, and we love having him in the family. As for his name.. well.. let's just say my husband is a Star Wars fan, and I just liked the name! We call him "Ani" for short.

Happy Thanksgiving to all!

It will be a quiet on in the Morris house as we had our big feast a few weeks ago when my parents came to visit. We have been invited to a friends house for appetizers and cocktails in the afternoon, but we will see how this cold I picked up treats me tomorrow!
I hope that everyone has a wonderful day with family and friends enjoying traditions and making memories.
I also hope that we all take a moment (or two) to remember what we are thankful for.

I am thankful for:

- My family
- My friends
- My freedom

Have a piece of pie for me, I can never have enough pumpkin pie!

34 years old...

So yesterday was my 34th birthday. I don't feel 34! But, another year wiser, right?
Well, let's find 34 things that me smile!
1. My kids
2. My husband
3. My parents
4. My friends
5. My pets
6. My country
7. Happy Mail
8. Chocolate
9. Coffee
10. Pepsi
11. Rubber stamping
12. Scrapbooking
13. New crafting tools
14. My camera
15. Phone calls from my in-laws
16. Cupcakes
17. Cafemom friends
18. Blog Surfing
19. Blogging
20. Frogs
21. Babies
22. Puppies
23. Retail therapy (aka shopping)
24. Pizza
25. The smell of fresh rain
26. New socks
27. PJ's
28. Surprises
29. Vacations
30. Shrimp
31. Martini glasses
32. A clean house (as long as I don't have to clean it!)
33. Weekends off
34. Going home

I'm sure there's more, of course! And, no - they are in no particular order! So.. that was kinda silly.. but blogging makes me smile, right? :o)

A-Z of ME!

Found this on a fellow stampers blog, thought it looked fun :o)

A- Attached or single: Attached
B- Best Friend: Kim and Melissa
C- Cautious or Crazy: Crazy.
D-Day: Weekend Nights
E- Essential Item: Rubber Stamps, Ink and Paper
F- Favorite Color: Pink
G-Gummi Bears or Worms: Bears, only Haribo
H-Home town: Home State - Washington
I- Indulgences: Oh wow.. Chocolate (is it an indulgence if I eat it all the time?) Lobster
J- January or July? January (kid's birthdays)
K-Kids: 1 girl, age 3 and 1 boy, age 4 months
L-Life is incomplete without: Family (and rubber stamps!)
M- Movie theatre or home rental: Movie theatre
N- Number of Siblings: 1 older brother
O- Oranges or Apples: Apples, with peanut butter
P- Phobias or Fears: don't like spiders, afraid of fire
Q- Quote: "If it doesn't move, stamp it!"
R- Reason To Smile: My kids
S- Season: Spring
T- Tea or Coffee: Coffee, coffee, coffee
U- Unknown fact about me: I'm an open book, everyone knows everything about me!
V- Vegetarian or Oppressor of Animals: I love red meat.
W- Worst Habit: Bite my nails
Y-Your favorite food: Seafood
Z: Zodiac Sign: Virgo

Good Morning!

Hi there! Just a quick post to say hello! I hope you enjoy the slideshow that I added today. I will try to keep it updated with photos.

The kiddums are doing great! I wish they'd stop growing so fast!

Monday is Memorial Day -
Thanks go out as always to all the soldiers who have, are or will serve to protect us at home. You are in our thoughts, and for those that are serving far from home, Be Safe. Don't forget to fly your flag and show your pride in our beautiful country. I will have the flagpole up and the flag flying by Monday... I promise!

Have a wonderful weekend, Take care of yourselves and Keep in touch!

Love, as always,
Dee and the Family

Hello!

Hi! Long time no hear, right! Yea, sorry about that... :o) Life is kinda hectic with a 3-year old "hurricane" as Grandpa calls her and a 4 month old little guy! But things are going great! Here are the updates!



Emily is a great big sister! She loves to help take care of her little brother, she especially likes to get him bibs that match his outfit - and they have to match! She is no longer in daycare, as we decided to take them both out, so that I can stay home with them more. We have signed her up for dance classes in July, princess themed, of course! She will have 3 weeks of classes, 4 days each week, and we will see how she likes that. We are also looking into swimming lessons for her this summer. We have signed her up for preschool at St. Joseph's Catholic School. They have classes going up to the 8th grade, so again, we will see how she likes it there. She starts her half days at the end of August.

Bradley is growing way too fast for my liking! He is already 4 months old! He is trying really hard to roll over and is thinking about trying to sit up. He is eating and sleeping well, and his Dr. says he is looking great, but a little too happy! He seems to be growing faster than Emily did and we already had to move him into a larger carseat! He is sleeping longer at night, actually slept last night from about 8:30pm to about 5am this morning! But, he had an eventful weekend, so he must have just been tuckered out!


Emily has a new puppy! We adopted him 3 weeks ago and he 13 weeks old now. He was marked as an Australian Shepard Mix, but he looks a lot like a boxer. He seems like he will be a good dog, boxers are said to be good family breeds.

So, we took both kids and both dogs to visit Nana and Grandpa this weekend, and we all went to Mommy and Me at the Zoo, at Pt. Defiance Zoo in Tacoma. That was a nice day! It was so much fun to watch Emily run through the zoo talking to all the animals! She had a great day, and she was relatively well-behaved. She sure got lots of smiles and giggles from other zoo visitors as we walked by! We timed the visit perfectly as it started to rain right when we were ready to head home. A quick stop at Trader Joe's before heading back to Nana and Grandpa's for the night, and that made for a full day! We all packed up to head back over the mountains Sunday morning. Although, having to stop in Redmond to get our all that stuff that we miss since moving, (such as: Jamba Juice, Malt Balls from Larry's Market, and of course anything and everything from the British Pantry for Iain!) made for a very very long drive!

Today, I am trying to have a restful day at home, but Emily is showing no signs of being worn out from her big weekend... :o) Maybe tomorrow we'll go to the library....

I'll try (as I always say I will) to keep more up to date here for you! Please bear with me!

To all the Mommies out there - Happy Mother's Day - You are the best, and you deserve a day to call your own!

Take Care!