Big Aism - Dirty Feet

Tonight we went to a dinner at our church. Little A was with Grandma and Grandpa and rather than wait for them to pick us up, Big A and I decided to walk over (just around the corner). For some reason, one half of one of the blocks on the way to church doesn't have concrete, just dirt. As you can imagine, it tends to be quite muddy this time of year. Right now, having had quite a few dry (but C O L D) days in a row, the dirt is MOSTLY dry. There was however, one small patch that was a bit muddy.

As we approached this mud hole I said to Big A, "Be careful, don't step in the mud," as I figured from experience (being a typical boy and all) that he'd head straight for it.

He replied, "I know, I didn't want to step in it because I knew God wouldn't want to have a dirty house."

Man, I love that kid!

Surprise!!

So you all know that Wednesday was my dad's 70th birthday, right? What I didn't tell you was that today we had a day filled with surprises for him. With his birthday so close to the holidays, it wasn't going to work out to have a big surprise party... It wasn't even going to work out to have a small surprise party... What DID work out, was to get all of the kids and some of the grandkids together for a short time, and that is what is most important to Dad, I'm sure.

Surprise #1... My sister from Utah flew out with her boyfriend. He was definitely surprised to open the garage door to leave for lunch and find my sister and her boyfriend and B and the kids and I all standing behind his car. I think opening your garage door and finding people there would surprise just about anyone!

We fixed him a super yummy lunch (Ina Garten's Blue Cheese Cole Slaw and Caesar Club Sandwiches) and sat and visited. It was super relaxing and we actually had him convinced that my brother from San Jose was NOT coming.

We finished lunch JUST in time for the next crowd of people. We managed to engage Dad in a bit more conversation and about that time in walked my oldest brother and another brother and sister-in-law and three of their four kids. Boy was Dad surprised!

After a fiery cake (with trick candles OF COURSE) we opened gifts and spent more time visiting (and watching the two youngest kids dance... CRAZY!).

Just about the time that most of the people listening to Dad's money talk had fallen asleep on the couches, the door bell rang. We made Dad answer it and you should have seen the look on his face when he found the babysitter on the other side of the door. He could NOT figure out why she was there.

We all got cleaned up and dressed up and headed out with Dad still very confused as to where we were going. Once we got into the city, he figured out we were going to Ruth's Chris Steakhouse. The final surprise of the evening came once we were inside waiting for our table and the last sibling showed up with her husband.

We enjoyed a spectacular dinner with great company and I think that all in all, Dad had a pretty spectacular 70th birthday!

Time To Get Your Groupon!

Have you heard of Groupon??? Groupon is a company that negotiates discounts (usually 50%-90% off) with local businesses (ALL OVER) and then turns around and offers them to YOU! They send out daily emails and/or Facebook updates with a deal of the day and you can either purchase it or ignore it.

I've purchased from them twice so far and intend to continue doing so. It's SOOO easy and the deals are great! So far I've gotten 3 Red Box rentals for $1 and 2 tickets to the Bay Area Discovery Museum for $8 (actually $3, because the first time I purchased them they sent me a $5 gift certificate to get me to use them again)! I've seen lots of deals I'd like to take advantage of (60% off Mel's Diner in SF, 50% off the Joshua Grindle Inn in Mendocino, etc.) but I think I could easily get myself into trouble purchasing so many of them! Ooops!

Like I said, the send a daily deal for your location via email or Facebook and it's up to you from there. You can either decide to purchase it, or simply delete/ignore it. If you decide to purchase the deal, you simply go online and pay (there's also a Groupon app!) and then print your voucher. If you have the app, you don't even have to print the voucher... It's just there for you! SO. STINKIN'. EASY.

Don't believe me? Try Groupon for yourself!

See... I even gave you the link! Go ahead... Try it! You can thank me later!

A Very Special Birthday Wish

Today I'd like to wish a HAPPY 70th BIRTHDAY to one of the best men in the world....

You might be a little confused by the fact that this pie (Which happens to be MY birthday pie... The story gets more confusing with every line...) has a '4' candle and 3 single candles... Well it just so happens that this special man turned 70 just three short days after a special little girl turned 4. And it just so happens that 4 year old girls don't like NOT being the center of attention. And it just so happens that this particular girl insisted that we light candles and sing for her as well as this special guy.

So... What is 4 + 3? Yes, it's 7 and in this case, 7 is short for 70 because as much as I love these two special people, I preferred very much to have frozen chocolate pie over melted wax pie. Selfish, I know!

Yes, this special guy is my dad... Yes, my dad is 70. I know, nobody else believes it either. He continues to build boxes, climb mountains and ride his bike across the great state of Iowa. He continues to make dump runs for the neighborhood, play on the floor with grandkids and compete with the best of them at Wii Fit. He's pretty amazing. But most of all, he continues to accept me and love me as much or more as he did the day we first met.

You see, this man is not my biological father but rather a man who came into my life when I was nine and hasn't looked back since. He accepts the role of 'DAD' as he would with one of his own
and for that I am forever grateful. Dad, words can't describe how lucky I am and how much you mean to me and to my family.

I love you, Dad, and happy 70th birthday!

Thought For The Day...

A friend of mine posted this quote on Facebook, and I just had to share.

"Let go and remind yourself that this very moment is the only one you know you have for sure."

WOW! Talk about thought provoking, but SO true... Such a powerful sentence and something we should all strive for! It kind of makes some of those everyday fights with the husband and kids seem so... Irrelevant, huh?

Happy 4th Birthday, Little A!

Happy birthday to our precious daughter!

Remember that birthday party I had just two days to pull together? Sandwiches, chips and cake.... Nothing fancy, just simple and fun. The kids had a picnic on the bunk room floor then ran and played inside and outside and the rain held off just enough for them to do so.

And the adults enjoyed 'grown-up' sandwiches and adult conversation.

Molly made another SPECTACULAR cake, this time Little A's favorite, Hello Kitty.

It tasted great, too!

Thank you, friends, for all of the wonderful gifts! I love watching the kids gather around and watch each other open presents. The older girls were so sweet to help Little A read the cards and every time Little A would feel crowded she'd pick up whatever she was opening and move to an open spot on the carpet. Within a couple of minutes the whole group had gathered around and when she picked up the next gift she'd move again. The pattern continued until she was finished opening. Too cute!

After all of our friends left I cleaned up the house and packed up the car then put the A's jammies on them and fed them dinner... Remember, I'm a slacker mom...

Little A's birthday dinner... Cheerios and toast!

Little A, we love you so much! I can't believe you're four years old today.

Happy New Year! (And A New Recipe!)

HAPPY NEW YEAR! Welcome to 2011!

After last night, we felt like just relaxing today. It was cold and we were tired and staying inside sounded like a great idea. But alas, as Grandma and Grandpa had just returned from Los Angeles with a trunk FULL of presents, we told them that we'd come over for the FINAL Christmas.

As we were preparing to leave for their house we decided that it would be fun if they came to our house instead and we'd make a huge pot of soup and play Wii. Unfortunately, Grandma and Grandpa didn't QUITE go for that. They had already spread all of the presents under the tree and wanted to do the Christmas there, so we compromised. We went to their house for gifts but they came back to our house for dinner and a little Wii fun.

I made a huge pot of "Why Did The Chicken Cross The Road Chicken Tortilla Soup" (recipe below... I promise you'll like it!) and a banana pudding pie and we played Wii fit and it was great! I think Grandma and Grandpa need to get a Wii of their own!

Why Did the Chicken Cross The Road Chicken Tortilla Soup

* 2 tablespoons of vegetable oil (plus another drizzle)
* 1 package of frozen corn
* 1 zucchini, sliced
* 1 carrot, sliced
* 1 yellow onion, diced
* 3 cloves of garlic, chopped
* 1 rotisserie chicken
* 1 tsp poultry seasoning
* 1 tsp cumin
* salt and pepper
* 1 28oz can of stewed tomatoes
* 1 28oz can of tomato sauce
* 3 cups chicken stock
* 1 small can diced green chilies
* 1 jar roasted red peppers, diced
* 4 corn tortillas cut into strips

Sauté corn, zucchini, carrots, onion and garlic in a drizzle of vegetable oil for about 10 minutes. While the vegetables cook, pull the chicken apart. Add 2 Tbsp of oil and chicken to soup pot. Season with poultry seasoning, cumin, salt and pepper. Heat for 5-7 minutes then add vegetables. Add tomatoes, tomato sauce and chicken stock. Add red pepper and diced green chiles. Heat soup to bubbling. Before serving add cut up tortillas.

Optional garnishes:

Shredded jack, cheddar or pepper jack cheese
Sour cream
Cilantro
Lime wedges
Raw red onion
Avocado
Crisp tortilla chip strips (found in the produce section of the grocery store as a salad topping)