I want to play too!

I know many people have been putting this on their blogs and I was a bit resistant to do it- because you know I can't be like everyone else- but it has been so fun reading what everyone else puts so I had to do it. Plus I could use a good walk down memory lane. My present isn't always the best!

A walk down memory lane

Heres a little game! Leave a comment on my blog of a memory that you and I have had together. It doesn't matter if you've known me for a short time, or a long time, anything you remember! Next, re-post these instructions on your blog and see how many people leave a memory about you. It's actually pretty funny to see the responses. If you leave a memory about me, I'll assume you're playing the game and I'll come to your blog and leave one about you.Ready, Set, GO!

Zucchini out the wazihinni

Yes, that is how I feel. Its that time of year again when everyone locks their cars at church so they don't end up with any "charitable" contributions of zucchini left in them. I have already been inundated with "altrustic" offerings of bountiful zuccihini from family and neighbors. But I have to put my foot down and say "no"! I have enough, thank you. Already we have had zuccihini 4 ways this week alone. Don't get me wrong- I love zucchini, but my garden provides me with sufficient for my needs. But I did want to share the ways we have enjoyed it this week. It is the season for putting zucchini into any and everything- sometimes the zucchini is out in the open revealing its true self and sometimes it has gone incognito. First- out in the open- Easy enough- I put it in a salad today with dinner and last night I made a really good pasta with it. I found the recipe on Pioneer Woman Cooks- I just added her link on the right. All her recipes are amazing- although I did alter it a little because I don't drink wine and I didn't have any arrowroot. If you really are interested in how I changed it - let me know, because otherwise I won't go into the boring details for those who don't enjoy cooking. Although I suppose if you don't enjoy cooking- you probably wouldn't bother to take the time to read a whole post on zucchini! Either way here is a picture I took of my lovely zucchini pasta dish.

Now the incognito ways- (for my sister- "incognito" means in disguise-:). First I grate up the zucchini like this:

Then I sprinkle it into any dish that can handle its stealthiness. For us this week it was a scrambled egg dish and spaghetti. My minions were never the wiser, but unfortunately I still have 2 zucchini sitting on my counter. So if you come to my house be warned- you will probably be offered a zucchini- but of course only out of the goodness of my heart!

Wow- did I really just do a whole post on zucchini. Man it must be a slow Sunday! But if you do have any good ideas for eating zucchini- let me know. And don't be sayin' zucchini bread. I know that one already!

Ta- Dah!

I know, I know- I'm not the kind to post twice in one week, (your blogrolls are all sorts of confused-:)but I accomplished something I had to post about. If you have ever been to my house you might "think" I was good at getting things up on the walls because I have decorated most of the main living areas. But if you go through the rest of the house you would see that I am really bad at getting things up on the walls. My kids' rooms walls are bare and have been for 1 and 1/2 years since we moved in. My thinking goes something like this..."I really need to hang that bulletin board in Annie's room. But then Finn's needs to be hung too. He also has those shelves I should hang. But wait Annie has shelves too. Plus she has been asking me for months to put up her princess curtain around her bed...." and it goes on and on like this. The whole thing overwhelms me and I don't know where to start. But guess what I did today. I finally got something hung in Suzie's room.

The "Sweet Dreams" sign was given to me when she was born. The picture of her was taken 4 months ago and I finally bought a frame for it. The biggest stumbling block for me on this project was hanging the shelf. I kept trying to pin Eric down to hang it because I'm not the "handiest" of people. But I got tired of asking and waiting and decided to take things into my own hands. Here are my cast of characters I used to help me accomplish my task.

I must say I was impressed with my use of things like a drill and a level. I kept calling Eric and asking him questions and I think he thought it was cute for the first 4 times. But I'm pretty sure my "cute-ness" was wearing thin by the 5th phone call. But hey I did it. I also wanted to throw this picture in as well because I finally got Suzie's baby quilt hung last month.

I know-she's not really a baby anymore- seeing as she is 18 months old. But her bald head helps keep this quilt age-appropriate. Plus the quilt is so stinkin cute I had to share it. I wish I could claim it, but my friend made it for me when Suzie was born. Wow- with this new found home improvement activity- I should have my kids' rooms decorated in no time. But what will the next project be that I will think about but not act on for awhile... perhaps food storage?!?

P.S.- in case you read my previous post- I just wanted to put a little update- Yesterday we went over to our great-grandparents' house and guess what Annie came home with- yep, a new purse, but this time it was filled with all kinds of scarves from great-grandma. I'm telling you- I can't make this stuff up!

Companies I Should Buy Stock in...

So tonight Eric and I took had a little family outing and took 7 kids to see "Kung Fu Panda". One would think this would be a good time for all, but anyone who has taken on such an undertaking would agree with me when we refer to it as our "Friday Night Torture Session." Now we don't have 7 children, but Eric decided to invite anyone under 5 feet who was within 30 feet of our house. That was his first mistake. His second was thinking Suzie could sit through an hour and 45 minute movie with falling apart. So as I was dishing out popcorn from our 3rd popcorn bucket- we really only ate two, but Suzie had spilled one in one of her tantrums-(See what fun we had :) the idea for this post was born. My kids love popcorn and absolutely cannot watch a movie without having it. I would assume this is pretty normal- especially at the movie theatre, but my kids can't watch a movie at home without popcorn either. So needless to say, I have bought a lot of popcorn over the years and I am sure I will buy loads more. I have heard it is good stock-buying advice to purchase stock in companies that you personally use a lot. So Orville Redenbacher should be at the top of my list. Here are a few more I thought of:
*Band-aids- My girls are obsessed with band-aids. They think they need one for every scrape, bruise, splinter, hangnail, burn, loose piece of skin, and of course any general ouwie that doesn't have blood. I literally find at least 5 band-aid wrappers a day strewn around my house. I keep threatening that when we really need a band-aid for a real blood emergency we won't be able to find one.
*Tree-top Apple juice- Anyone who knows my kids well knows they love juice- especially when they are under 4 years old. As they get older they seem to calm down about the juice. I do try to water it down not only for the sugar factor but also for the money factor. Eric says Suzie and Katie are like little hummingbirds living on juice alone.
*Any company that makes little purses or bags. I personally don't buy a lot of these, because they seem to multiply like bunnies at our house. So somebody is making money off them. Every time I turn around Annie has a new purse she got from a friend or from Grandma or from anybody who has one she likes. She is one girl who has no problem asking for what she wants.
*Any company that makes baseball hats. Again I don't buy a lot of these, but Eric does- not necessarily for himself, but for Finn. Anytime they go to a sporting goods store or a sporting event he comes home with a new hat. This is probably a key reason why when Finn listed the order of who he likes the most in our family I came in after Eric. This was a real conversation we had in our house, but one I wouldn't recommend if you are the enforcer at your home. You just can't compete when you are the one who makes them do chores and practice the piano. But just for FYI sake this was Finn's standing for our family- Suzie, Dad, Mom, Katie then Annie. Annie was not pleased with the standings either!
*Tape- any kind- you name it- we use a lot of it- scotch, masking, duct, electrical, etc. I couldn't really tell you what for but it seems like someone is always asking where the tape is. And it seems to be the one elusive thing you forget to buy when you are at the store. And when I do remember to stock up on it- it disappears when I need it. I find it in random places like under the couch, in the garage or outside in the garden. What it was needed for in the garden- I'll never know.
So there's my list- and I'm sure I could think of more if I wasn't so tired. But I am curious to know what companies you would buy stock in. Let me know! You never know-maybe we could build some sort of moms' mutual fund.