It's been awhile- time for an update

Yeah, it has been a while- but I've been busy!  So,for a quick update- Chris was offered a store a little west of where we were, so we moved durning the Christmas holidays- never do that, it's not fun.  Just being away from Chris for most of six weeks was really hard for me and the kids- I don't think Chris really enjoyed being away from us either.  But now we are all settled- I think- ... the kids are enjoying thier new school.  Thomas won first place in a creative writing contest that all the elementaries took part in!  He really enjoys writing.  Taylor has a friend that lives a couple of houses down from us and she loves to ride her scooter over there and play.  Connor was in a second grade play.  It was really cute, he even had a small part with some other kids singing parts of one of the songs.  Hunter is doing well with his reading and still loves playing with his dinosaurs.  Abbie into everything and recently learned how to climb out of her crib- so now she is in a "big girl bed"- the bottom bunk of her bunk bed.  Blake will be one this month and he is already walking! 
  I have got to go get Abbie some juice- hopefully I will write more later and learn how to post some more pictures!

juice

i have been trying ti use my juicer (that my parents got me years ago) more often.  I started out with "Mean Green Juice" and tried that every morning for a week after I was done walking.  It wasn't too bad, but wasn't what I was expecting either.  It had Kale, ginger root, green apple, cucumber, celery and a squeeze of lemon.  Pretty sour. 
 Then I tried some veggie juice with tomatoes and cilantro added to the above leaving out the apple and ginger root.  I also added some onion and a squeeze of lime.  It tasted like salsa.
  By this time Thomas was wanting to try different combos so we went back to fruit.  We did a couple of apples(red and green) some carrots and some ginger root.  A nice apple cider that would do well heated up and with a dash of cinnamon.
    But the best by far is the cool summer smoothie we came up with a few days ago. 
 Here is the recipe:

 COOL SUMMER SMOOTHIE

 1 large green apple

 2 small red apples

 1 large peach

 1 handful of baby carrots(or 1 carrot)

 1/4" slice of ginger root

    Juice the above in a juicer.  Pour over ice and add a dash of cinnamon if desired( I like it both ways). and Enjoy!

Taco Soup

I promised this recipe to Bryce, but I have been slacking- sorry!

1 can each:

stewed tomatoes

corn(drained)

black beans(rinsed and drained)

pinto beans(rinsed and drained)

kidney beans(rinsed and drained)

2 cans diced tomatoes

1 lbs ground beef

1 onion, chopped

1-2 cloves garlic, minced

1 pkg. taco seasoning

brown meat with onions and garlic.  Drain.  add all ingredient to large pot and cook until heated through(or as long as you want).  Serve with tortilla chips, shredded cheese, diced avocado and sour cream.  Enjoy!

It's been a long time....

about 10 years anyway, since I have been in the work force.  I am back in the saddle again!  I got offered a position as a framer(pictures, not houses) at Michael's  Craft Store!  I am really excited and also somewhat nervous!  They are more than willing to work with me and Chris's schedule.  That way he will be home with the kids while I work and I will be home with them while he works and maybe we will get to see each other sometime.  It shouldn't be too bad- I will only be working 3-5 days a week and only the 4-5 hour shifts.  This way he will get to spend some one on one time with the kiddos and I will have a break.  Though I will really miss being at home with my babies.  :(
   I am glad that I was able to find work that I really enjoy doing though. It is always fun to see the different things people bring in to get framed and I really enjoy putting it all together.  Plus I should be getting a great discount on craft supplies(hooray!) not that I need any more paint and foam stickers, but they are always fun to have around.  My manager seems really nice and I am excited to work for her.  Wish me luck! 

It's HOT!

I know it's been a while and I have really been meaning to up date- but other than the fact that it is hot, really HOT, there hasn't been much going on.  We are on day 24 of 100+ degree weather, so we usually stay inside during the day.  Emerging only after the sun has gone down and then we play at the park(don't throw water on the kids while they are on the play scape then chase them.  That leads to painful falls and bruised knees and chins).  It's still hot after sun down, just not as hot.  My sister and I have been walking in the morning(it's about 83 degrees then).  We do about 2.5 miles with a little mini sprint to boost our calorie burn although the only thing that is burning is my lungs.  Which is really sad because I don't think we have run more than 3-5 seconds at one time.  But it's all about building endurance, right?  At this rate, we will be able to run a full marathon in about 50 years! 
        School is starting back up soon.  I alternate between being ready(more than ready)for the kids to go back to being sad that 4 of them will be going this year!  I got the back to school list and I am just wondering- do schools actually BUY any of their own supplies any more?  What happened to getting a couple of folders and note books along with some pen and pencils?  Now I am buying colored paper, drawing paper, scissors, crayons, markers, glue, colored pencils, rulers, gallon baggies, Kleenex, plus the tons of paper, folders, pencils etc. that they want.  And they are even specifically requesting name brand items(crayola crayons and markers instead of Rose art) and certain brands of paper(the colored paper and drawing paper cannot be the tear out kind).    School shopping should be fun to do with my kids, but these lists just make me grind my teeth(4 boxes of crayons for 1 kindergartener, 42 pencils for my 6th grader). 
   I need to stop now or I could go on forever! :)  
So that is the update for now.  I am hopefully uploading pictures before too long(that means within the next month).

12 years and counting...

Tuesday was our 12th anniversary!  We were going to go rollerblading in the morning, but it had rained the night before(finally!  We have needed rain) so it was too wet.  Sleeping in was nice though.  We loaded up the kids and went out to Arlington to get some stuff for Chris's shoes then found an awesome park to play at.  We didn't stay too long though.  Not only was it hot, but there were giant ants dropping on us from the trees.  But we will be back when it's cooler and the ants aren't falling out of the trees- there are some great hiking trails and walking/biking trails out there too that we would like to explore.
   We had my sister come over and babysit the kids that evening(thank you!)and Chris and I (and the baby) went out to dinner at the Salt Lick steak house.  It was very tasty!
     Over all- a great day and a wonderful 12 years!

Happy Father's Day!

First, to my Dad,

      Happy Father's Day!  I love calling you up and talking about everything from religion to kids to gardening and good books!  Some of my favorite times when growing up were when you would take me to one of your jobs to help with the clean-up then take me out for a chocolate shake afterwards.  Or when you would pick me up from gymnastics when I was little and take me to get a hoagie from Hoagie's Hero's.  From you I learned to love nature- especially trees and anything green.  You would always be on the look out for anything interesting when we would go hiking, when I was in a hurry just to reach the final destination.  You would stop and pick up rocks, point out different wildlife and just enjoy the air.  I learned to slow down and have the trip be just as enjoyable as the destination.  You taught me how important a good work ethic is through your hard work and pride in a job well done.  And that no matter how small or seemingly unimportant a job might be, that it is worth doing your best.  These are just a few things that I have learned from you and am trying to teach my kids.

 Thanks Dad!  I love you!

To my Father-in-law, 

     Happy Father's Day!  I love that I am a part of your family!  Thank you for doing such an amazing job raising Chris!  I love that I got to know you by riding to and from work with you when I first moved down to Austin.  You and Ann have always been so welcoming and loving and have always made me feel like part of the family!  I love it when you come out to visit us.  Not only are you an amazing cook, but you are so much fun to be around.  I see your hard work and honesty and integrity reflected in Chris.  Your deep faith in God and in family isn't spoken, but is seen in your actions.  

    Thank you! I love you!

To my husband, Chris, 

    I love you!  Happy Father's Day!  I know you didn't plan on having 6 kids when we got married, but you are a wonderful father to all of them!  I love how they always run out to greet you when you come home from work and where ever you are in the house, they always seem to gravitate to you.  Thank you for teaching our kids about honesty and hard work and the importance of playing hard and having fun.  You have the amazing ability to turn a boring day into lots of fun with hiking adventures or swimming at the lake or just playing baseball bowling out front.  

   Thank you for all you do for our family!

       I love you!

                ~Carrie