Let the budgeting begin!!!!!!!

Friday, August 26, 2011

This has nothing to do with kids or family or anything most people would care too much about...but today an annual event that I look forward to took place.  Starting the membership budget at the Hood County YMCA!  Lisa, Theresa and I have done this every year in pretty much the same way since they opened 5 years ago.  I know most folks don't love budget the way I do - but I can't help what I love!  The best part is Theresa low-balling the sales and over-estimating the terms and me doing just the opposite....lots of eye-rolling, mumbling, high-fiving and laughing...all the while Lisa G is putting every number into the template and bouncing back and forth between the budget we are writing and the forecast $$$ to see what kind of maneuvering we have to do to get it through the budget process and still have some chance of being successful!

 Miss Theresa - always prepared, always sandbagging, always fabulous!

and Miss Lisa - fearless leader, precise recorder, supreme budget guru

HMS Football Tryouts

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Figures that Murph's first year at HMS would be the year that all the cheap voters came out and voted against the tax hike to support our schools.  For basically $250 a year each household could help Keller ISD continue to fund all the things it has been funding - instead, they voted it down and bus service, some administrative support staff and C athletics have been cut - I am sure there are more things, but that's what I'm mad about!!!

So, 150 boys + are trying out for the 7th grade A and B Football teams...probably 60ish spots.  So, just like in past years, the 7th grade boys who want to try out, show up at 6:15am to 'practice' and be evaluated by the coaches.  What is different this year, is by next Friday, some of the boys will make the team and some will be cut.  Murph has been doing some conditioning this summer, but he got a little lax in August - hope it won't hurt him at the tryouts.  He did not get the super-dooper growth spurt that some of his peers got...I am sure it will come right AFTER I buy him all new sneakers and jeans...I'm trying to hold off, but it's just my kind of luck!  Anyway, practices/try outs started on Tuesday and he is hanging tough.  On Wednesday, some kids left the locker room trashed and they got 100 up/downs.  Then a couple of kids quit or challenged the coaches and they got 80 more and those 2 boys got cut...anyway, Murph had to do 180 up/downs and even though he said he threw up about 2/3 of the way through, he moved over a little bit and finished!  So proud of him.  Probably couldn't have watched it - that kind of thing would make this mom nuts, but I can totally listen to the story and be proud of him!!! 

Now it's day 3 and he's still poppin' out of bed on his own, with his own alarm, his bag is packed and ready from the night before and we have a routine that gets him there at 6:12ish and gets me to work before traffic gets bad!  I feel like I'm leaving my heart at Hillwood every time I drive away - cuz it's not cool for your mom to wait and make sure you get in....moms just have to drive away with you in line at the door with 100+ other boys in 'blues'....I hope he makes the team - I know he wants it - and I know whatever happens it will be for a reason (regardless of how long it takes us to figure out what that reason might be!)  Saturday is their first practice with pads - and real hits...eeek!  So proud of my boy....

Out the door at 6:08am!  I wish you could've seen the look on his face when we walked out the first day...."Mom?!  The sun's not even up yet!"  :-)

First Day of School

Monday, August 22, 2011

The first day back to school after a really great summer...Peyton was more than ready and Keaton was ready, but cautious.  She's going back as the big dog, 4th grader - rules the school, and he's going into a brand new school as a 7th grader - the newbie, the babies, the rookies...not quite the same!

We ran late - perfect hair, packed bags, a real-live cooked at the stove breakfast and pictures can do that to your morning!  But even though we should have slammed into the car - we stopped to take our traditional picture on the front walk, and I'm glad we did!

 check out our new messenger bags!  btw - 7th graders do NOT take water bottles to school - note to self for the rest of the year and probably the rest of his life!  I just wanted him to be hydrated!  instead he was mortified!

 Beautiful...

 Precious...

Peyton at her desk opening her new supplies and getting ready for a great year!  Keaton is too grown up to walk in with him...so no pix of him anymore!

Not just your average Sunday

Sunday, August 21, 2011 (continued)

Sundays in our world mean Sunday Dinner with my mom.  The entire family hit the Trophy Club pool for one of our last swims of the summer, so everyone was a bit pooped - but Sunday Dinner must go on!

I had been to the store early early in the day for all the stuff to make homemade Macaroni & Cheese and another DCGBC (Double Chocolate Gooey Butter Cake) - at the request of my entire family!

I love to cook, but I have NEVER made macaroni and cheese start to finish before - I can't believe what I was missing - this one has gruyere, white cheddar (I'll have to change that next time - it "wasn't the right color...I'm not eating that" for Peyton" - so yellow sharp cheddar will have to do) and parmesan.  The sticker shock of the cheese purchase nearly did me in...don't ask...but this really caught my eye on Cooking Channel....so all those great cheeses, thick cut bacon, beschamel, elbow macaroni and then topped with panko mixed with the bacon fat and MORE parmesan cheese....heavenly!  And you make it all in an oven safe skillet (except for the pasta that you have to cook to al dente in a big other pot!)

Check it out - ready to go into the oven...delightful!

Peyton had just finished her fashion show and wanted to be my best helper for the DCGBC.  She is so confident in the kitchen - not afraid to try anything and stays pretty focused...she's messy and I'm uptight, so that doesn't always work, but I'm trying to relax and she tries to get the ingredients IN the bowl more often than just around the bowl!

 Patting the cakey crust into our new baking dish

 Breaking the eggs into the cream cheese, cocoa powder mixure

Mixing up the powdered sugar, cocoa powder, cream cheese, butter, eggs and vanilla...I love my Kitchenaide stand mixer!

My mom had a good day today - she got entertained by the fashion show (which lasted nearly an hour), she got to taste the cake batter, the homemade whipped cream and the bacon for the mac & cheese and she got lots of lovin' from Sophie!  Sophie brings her toys, asks mom to play tug, climbs in her lap and randomly jumps up to give her kisses!

Mom & Sophie!

So the fashion show is over, dinner is over, the dishes are done and now it is time to prepare in earnest for the first day of school.  Peyton has made a list and every time we accomplish something - she crossed it off...no exceptions, once something is done on the list, we must stop what we are doing and cross it off...

 Please notice the feather in her hair - I did go back and paint the bead brown so you can't see it, but check it out - we did it ourselves and she was so pleased.  After 5 or 10 minutes admiring it in the mirror, here is Peyton crossing that off her list!!!

And here is the list - something I want record of, because she is so sweet and so wonderful and so my daughter and although it had not been crossed off (she had her feet up drying) we did accomplish the pedicure and once we were upstairs we sprinkled magic pixie dust around the beds and on the pillows just like we do every year the night before the first day of school!

I am so proud of my 4th grade girl and my 7th grade boy!

Whatever Shall I Wear??????

Sunday, August 21, 2011

The first day of school is tomorrow and Peyton still hasn't decided what "the" outfit will be - we thought we knew, and then we shopped some more, so now we don't know...at least not for sure!  Clearly a fashion show is the one and only way to figure this out.  Grandma's here - so there's an audience!  and there are rules - no hot weather clothes are required in this fashion show unless I (Peyton) really, really, really want to try them on and show them off.  No one can help me (Peyton) get dressed - that would ruin the surprise. And no one can peek or look or walk too near the living room or give me any concerns that you might be peeking - I will scream and perhaps stomp my feet and you will ruin the whole show!  I (Peyton) have a definate set of rules in my brain that must be followed!

So down all the bags and hangers and folded things come from her room...at least that's how it sounded because I (mamma) wasn't going to be the one to peek and break the rules - besides, I was cooking Sunday dinner!

So, without further ado...a few candid shots from the Back-To-School Fashion Preview!

 The green room - really the red room set up like a back stage green room - I love her imagination and organization

 Our original Justice Back-To-School outfit of choice...plaid skort, red tank and denim vest - fabulous!

 A second (once it cools down) option for the plaid skort and my reluctant son is one of his new t's "Maaaaaaahhhhhhhhmmmmmmmm, why do I have to do thiiiiiissssssssssss"

 pink and black sparkles - quite fashionable, but not appropriate for a PE day!  Sneakers just would not do!

 Purple knit double ruffle skort, purple cami and striped slightly off the shoulder T with a heart shaped pink peace sign - probably the second day outfit!  We'll see....

 Jeggings!  And the cutest clearance top - with chiffony lacey ruffles at the bottom and sleeves and a wispy scarf...and some sparkles just for good measure!

Okay, one cold weather outfit - just jeans and a henley - but what a great color for the Miss!

The Justice original outfit won the popular vote.....but you just never know with Peyton - she could change her mind!  Let's hope there's not a dilemma tomorrow morning on our always rushed first day back to school.

A girl and her backpack...

It all began on Monday, August 15....

Peyton and I were going to run to Justice to pick up the backpack we saw at the Galleria, but she wanted to look at it one more time on the internet...we opened the proverbial can of worms!  She had to look at ALL the backpacks, and just as we were about to close the website and head to the store - there it was!  A monogrammed backpack that actually offered the letter "P".  Justice never has "P"s in their jewelry, their purses, their journals, notebooks...nothing!  This was quite a find!

Needless to say, we ordered it immediately and from the shipping option we picked - it seemed like it would get here on the 22nd - the first day of school.  She was fine with that...let's be honest, her backpacks from the past 2 years are in really good shape...but for my girl, a backpack is the perfect purse - an accessory - the ultimate, has-to-go-with-everything-and-make-me-look-stylish accessory!

But then on Tuesday, an e-mail came to my work telling me that the backpack had already shipped...estimated delivery date, Saturday, August 20th!!!

Great news, right?  Well, great news until Patrick, while driving home from work on Friday, saw a UPS truck in our neighborhood...clearly, that truck held all kinds of treasures and certainly "the P backpack"!

 Next thing I know, I hear something being moved across the kitchen floor...a kitchen chair!  Peyton drug it into the living room, opened the blinds wide and sat down to wait for that UPS driver to bring her backpack...

 The longer she waited, the more discouraged she got...where could he be?  Heck, I was even walking outside peering down the street!  Finally, we jumped in the car and toured the neighborhood looking for "2 Brown Socks" (pet name for the UPS guy) only to fail...and then to come home to check the tracking on the backpack and find that it was being shipped FedEx!!!  Friday would not be the backpack delivery day...

Tah-Dah!!!  Saturday about 2:00pm Mr. Fed Ex showed up with this year's ultimate backpack (with matching binder) and the wait was officially over and all was right in her world!



Meet the Teacher

Thursday, August 18, 2011

Tonight was our last Meet the Teacher night at Park Glen...sigh...I think I may have to go back next year just because it's such a part of my back-to-school life!

Peyton and Patrick went up early so Peyton could find out who her teacher was before someone else told her...so this list wasn't a big surprise by the time I got there...

 We got Ms. Evans...and Abby and Hailey are in her class!

I probably should have gotten a picture with Ms. Evans, but I didn't - but I did get a picture of Peyton with her all-time-favorite teacher Ms. Kleckner!

In & Out Burger comes to Fort Worth!

August 18, 2011

After months of waiting, In and Out Burger opened up on 7th Street - not too far from where I work - YAY!  We waited a full week to try and avoid some of the craziness, but had to make the trip while the kids were still on summer break...so Thursday, it was!

The traffic was overwhelming, but (Tracy you will be so proud of me) we prayed to the parking gods, made a dime offering and thanks to this guy - parked at the front door!

The secret to success...happy, professional, friendly employees who make the best of their day....it was well over 100 outside, the traffic was insane and this guy smiled and made us feel welcome on the way in and on the way out!

 The line was long, but the service was fast...the charge to get a seat was ruthless, but we managed a window seat in no time!  And they gave the kids a crafty thing to work on to pass the time!

 The first bite in 10+ years....quite tasty!

 Peyton's first bite EVER!  this is a big step folks...she was none to happy at the lack of chicken fingers or mac and cheese!

 Kids craft project - complete!

Back at my parking garage - looking quite jaunty in their I & O hats!  Of course Keaton had to wear his all the way up to my office, all through the halls, the entire time he was meeting my coworkers...I adore the fact that he is so not worried about being cool....he likes what he likes and that's that!

It really was a tasty day and although I won't be one of those people who goes everyday - it's nice to know I could if I really wanted to!  Welcome to Fort Worth!

This and Thats...

August 14-18 (approximately), 2011

 Big day, big moment, big ice cream!  I got an ice cream maker for my birthday and this is our first attempt...vanilla ice cream with Snickers Peanut Butter Square bits...YUM!  The perfect end to a Sunday dinner...unfortunately, it took longer than the book said to freeze all the way...so we really had ice cream soup...it was still delish!

 Check out my 7th grader!

 Schedule pick up was on the 15th - 7 periods, 6 different teachers and most importantly (to Keaton) football helmets were distributed!  Try outs start at 6:30am on Tuesday, August 23rd!

 She really is a great helper when asked...but tonight she rinsed her plate and put it in the dishwasher WITHOUT being asked....so proud of her!

Super Peyton!  Miss Jean got us these bags that are made out of the fabric that is left over from making sports jerseys (mostly soccer) and somehow it ended up a super hero cape....off to save the world without ever leaving our family room!

Saturday

Saturday, August 13, 2011

Bit of a crazy day, Dar was leaving, Mexican Inn was calling, DH was having his BDay party and my house was in desperate need of a good cleaning...the yard could use some work too, but it's so easy to blow that off when it's 106 outside!

Peyton decided to premier one of her new Justice shirts and of course, Karly got dressed up too for our big day!

 Nobody does sparkly better than Peyton and Justice!

My favorite moment of the day - these boys have been friends since we moved to Texas - Landon, DH, Cole and Keaton.  Landon's dad, Coach Gene was our first baseball coach a hundred years ago with the Y - DH was on that team too...he was soooooo little.  We found Cole a couple of seasons later and I love that they have stayed friends.  We may only get together on birthdays and random occasions, but they just make sense together!

Family Time

August 12, 2011

Tonight we went over to Tiffani and Preston's for a bit of family time while Dar is still in town.  I really enjoyed spending time with them while we were home for Grandpa Carl's funeral, so I thought it was a perfect opportunity to get together.

Their home is equisite - the kitchen looks like it was designed especially with me in mind...it wasn't, but I can dream!  And the outdoor kitchen and lounge area - heaven!

The kids swam, the adults gabbed and ate pizza - the kids ate pizza, but it just wasn't the center of what they wanted to do...

 Keaton and Jude - took me 10 minutes to get them to stop playing long enough to get the pic!

 Peyton and Kennedy were a different story - 'take our picture! take our picture!'

 They practiced their little hearts out - put together a kind of underwater gymnastics routine with some dancing...very cute!  And they played together like they had been friends their entire lives...I love family!

 What a good looking gang - poor, sweet Reese is missing, she was in bed sick the entire evening

Family Portrait, version 2 - this one with me instead of Tiffani.  I'm surprised my eyes are that open - it was after 11:00pm and I had left for work that morning at 5:30am. 

Toddlers and Tiaras

August 2011

Peyton has found a new obsession - Toddlers and Tiaras - a show on some cable channel about pageants for children, usually 0 thru 11 or 12.  The first show I watched was so disturbing because of the grown woman competing in the 10 and over category...I don't think that's how that was inteneded, and she WON!  The moms range from crazy to sweet to redneck to big ole TEXAS.  The little girls are adorable - and pretty savvy when it comes to the whole pageant thing.  Watching them scream while getting spray-tanned bothers me and listening to the mommys talk about the thousands of dollars they are spending on "glitz" dresses, when from the looks of their living rooms and vehicles may be outside their budgets makes me nuts.  But we have had fun watching and we may even try to go and see a pageant this fall. 

Right now, Peyton thinks she wants to be in a pageant, but maybe she just wants the pretty clothes and the crown!  I guess if even after she is back in school and involved in volleyball and she still wants to try it - we'll go see one and I'll figure it out.  I fear those pageant moms will have me for lunch and I always worry about sending the wrong message about what is important for a young lady, but I was in Junior Miss way back when and I was so happy when my mom let me enter and took me to buy my dress for the formal wear part - it was so beautiful.  No dazzles, but it was lavendar and pleated and elegant and I loved it.  So, we'll see...until then, she can wear her princess crown and pretend and practice to her heart's content!

American Girl Doll Day

Thursday, August 11, 2011

Patience is a virtue, but not something I usually attribute to my kids (or myself), but after nearly a year of patiently waiting, we planned our trip to the American Girl Doll store in Dallas.  Grandma Dar's visit was a perfect driver - what could be more charming than tea with 3 generations and her new doll?

Gracie has 5 or 6 of these dolls and Peyton could play with them endlessly.  She knows all their names, when Gracie got them, what they like to wear, how they are best used in an imagination game - everything!  Gracie was even nice enough to give Peyton Katie - one of her older dolls that she really doesn't play with that much...and Peyton loves her, but Katie is still not "HER first American Girl doll".

She has been pouring over the internet site for weeks, trying to decide on the doll she will choose, the outfit, the pajamas, the name...OH, the name...now there's a challenge....because Peyton, much like her mom, feels that once a name has been given, you can't just change it...it's too connected, too personal...to permanent!

The good news is - when we walked into this overwhelming store, she really didn't struggle too much with her decision.  She looked at all the dolls and all the clothes and all the dolls and all the clothes and all the dolls and all the clothes!!! but she knew what she wanted.

 This is Karly - officially known pre-adoption as doll #29 - one of the look-alike dolls and she is beautiful, just like Peyton.  There was one other option - hair a bit lighter and quite a bit shorter, but for now, Peyton has decided to keep her hair long for the school year, so Karly made perfect sense

 The stuff you can buy for these girls is amazing...of course my constant thoughts are about where, oh where would you put it all - Peyton has the tiniest room and no real love for cleaning it...it was fun to look and imagine!

 These little pink boots made the choice of pj outfits a slam dunk - how adorable are they?!  and we all know Peyton is a boot girl, so of course, Karly is going to be a boot girl too!

 So please with her choice and posing for Grandma, but I just had to snap one more shot!

 Check out all her goodies - Karly, 2 outfits and the all-important brush made especially for their hair.  I am sure we will be getting more things as time goes on, but this was a perfect start.

 With Grandma after check out - I'd say everyone is pretty happy.  The boys had escaped into the mall at this point - they were 'dolled out'!

 After we met Patrick and Keaton for lunch and did some back-to-school shopping, it was time for TEA.  Peyton got Karly dressed in her best outfit (check out these boots!  just like Peyton's faves!)

 At the Bistro even the dolls get their own special seats at the table.  We had made reservations, so we got a prime window seat - I think Karly looks quite pleased to be having her first tea.

 The menu was perfect - pink and doll-themed and everything was something a little girl would love to have...Peyton liked everything except Kanani's Hawaiian Hula Ham Sandwiches...I thought they were great!

 Our own personal American Girl Doll Bistro Tea Tower - start from the top, please!

 Saving the best for last!

 We got to make party hats for Karly - she just couldn't decide on her favorite, so she wore them all!

 Karly didn't just get her own seat - she got her own tea cup and plate too...Peyton made sure she got to taste everything!

 My girl and her girl

At home, Karly dressed for bed and Katie in her new back-to-school outfit...it was a great day!