A Stolen Tag

Stole this while BlogSurfing...(go here to see it)
I am...tired of football (already, it's been on since 10 a.m.!), dreaming of another brownie, and getting ready for bed.
I think...I am going to be up a lot tonight with the boys.
I heart... my family, esp. those darn boys, and LSU football (even if I'm tired of football in general)!
I dance...like a drugged up dead person.
I want... for Fat Baby to come 2 weeks early.
I have...a wonderful husband (most days).
I am scared of... Hurricane Gustav
I hate...my child crying, cleaning toilets, talking in church.
I miss...Jamie girl, a few good things about LA
I write...a B-movie version of a blog.
I wish...I could take the hurt my children will all have to face and throw it in the river.
I fear...getting really fat and having my feet get BIGGER, Bart's MS.

If you want to be tagged, you're it. If not, no biggie. BUT, it might just take your mind of of those pressing issues right now.

Pampered Chef Online Catalog Party

Alright, so most of you probably already got the email, but in case you didn't, I am hosting a Pampered Chef Online Catalog Party...this is just about the most perfect way of doing one of these parties if you ask me...no dressing up, no finding a sitter, and no pressure.
The only bad part is there's no food...BUT that can all change when you order some great stuff from the catalog.

This party I am hosting is so great...YOU CAN ATTEND IN YOUR PAJAMA'S!!! You could even do it at 3 a.m. when that newborn baby (who you know is not going to let you get any Christmas shopping done in peace and you know you might as well get started on that mile long list now anyways) wakes you up because he wants to eat...again. I think it's a sign, a sign from the baby to order something to help his meals of the future taste better. You can even just order gift certificates to give to family and friends...talk about easy as pie!

Forward this post on to your families and friends...I am wondering if I can have the biggest online party EVER. What do you think?

Check back here often, because I will try and sneak a few Pampered Chef recipes on here to get your mouth watering and your mind wandering to the Pampered Chef site. Just go to http://www.pamperedchef.biz/karissaskitchen to do your browsing and shopping. Be sure to enter my first and last name when you do place an order. (that'd be Jessica Remington)

Thanks for your support and have fun browsing through all the goodies Pampered Chef is known for.

Irony

Exactly three years ago today, a little bit of hell referred to as "Hurricane Katrina" made landfall on the Gulf Coast.

Three Years.

And now, on it's anniversary (would you really refer to that as an anniversary? I like to think of anniversaries as happy occasions.), my friends and family prepare once more for the unknown.

I am safe, far away in Nebraska...in part, due to that hurricane. Did you know that? Did you know that West was looking for a way out of LA, anyways, but when the hurricane hit and FEMA could offer such low skilled workers $18 an hour, so many of West's employees jumped ship that they got their out...able to sell their lease to an organization that was part of FEMA...that eventually failed?

So, now I sit in my computer room, with this fear nagging the back of my heart. I feel awful because I am safe, with no worries. Yet so many of those I love aren't. Maybe they are safe, new home, new clothes, new life...but deep down, I bet this storm is killing them. Deep down, I bet there is fear.

And I will wait, and pray, until this storm passes. I think it is funny, how we hope for things. One mom I've met here who lived in Biloxi three years ago said she hoped the hurricane veered of its course and hit Mexico. Why? Do those living in Mexico deserve to suffer any more then those living in America? No. I hope the storm gets downgraded, that there is a bit of rain and wind, and that all the work and worry was for nothing. That's what I pray for. BUT, I also pray that everyone that can possibly act, does. Don't wait around until the last minute, don't "ride it out"...just get out, get safe.

Heck, if you need a place to stay, call my parents, I am sure they won't mind house guests. Just be prepared to attend my dad's family reunion tomorrow. (good food by the way, and really nice folks, too)

If you need a ride, well, I can't help with that, but we've all got legs, right?

So, even though I am "safe" here in Omaha, you are in my thoughts and prayers. Let me know that you are all safe and sound when the wind blows over and things return "to normal".

Happy 24th Birthday Jeni!

Jeni at 33 weeks

It's kind of hard to find pictures of this stinker on dropshots, but here are a few. Jeni is such a great sister to have. She is kind and really cares about those around her. She is very sensitive, which is a bad trait to have if you have a sister like me (when watching the Titanic at the theater with friends, I laughed when the two lovers were in the water and the one said, "Never let go Jack, never let go!" Needless to say, a viewer behind me told me to "Shut Up you INSENSITIVE FOOL!"...but this post isn't about me), but she has somehow persevered.
Jeni loves animals, another opposite of me, and loves little children (another opposite...j/k...kind of). Her only downfall is she doesn't realize how great she is and how much she really has it "together".

Happy Birthday Jeni. Hope that hurricane doesn't cause any rainclouds to darken your day!

Clash of the Molly Mormon/Alter Ego

Or should I say a coming together? Tonight we fed the missionaries, but I didn't do the dishes...so, I hid them in our broken dishwasher. Also, I bought a thing of potato salad from a deli and put it into my own serving dish, throwing away the evidence.
See, perfect on the outside...wild woman on the inside :-)

VanillaJoy.Com

Go check out this great blog a friend of mine told me about, Vanillajoy.com. Right now there are TONS of giveaways, from a Cricut cutter to cutting system stuff to stickers and other little happies.
Definitely worth the five minutes it'll take to have a look around the site.

Big Brother's Name for Fat Baby

Jacob FEATHERS Remington

And he keeps bringing it up every day, never faltering from his original idea he had last Friday.

And of course, Big Daddy LOVES the middle name.

alter ego

I am liking the idea of an alter ego. Molly Mormon by day, Disco Diva by night (whatever...name in progress). Reading Cathi's post brought to mind TWANDA from Fried Green Tomatoes. I like the idea of being an AWESOME ROCK STAR of a mom, maybe even excelling in my church duties (though I think that means you have to serve longer :-), and then being a TOTAL LAZY SLOB at night. Not exactly what Twanda did in FGT, but an alter ego non-the-less.

Even that Lazy Slob must do some work, though, so I guess I really should get to the dishes...they never seem to magically wash themselves.

I Wanna Be...

the perfect Molly Mormon.

For those of you unfamiliar with this concept...

Specialty Definition: MOLLY MORMON

Domain	Definition
Slang	Noun. Source: Unknown. Definition: A female member of the Mormon church who is viewed as flawlessly adhering to all tenets of the religion. Context: Used in frustration, along with feelings of inferiority, by women who can't live up to the ideal in reference to those who appear to do so. Also, many women realize the impossibility of the ideal, and take it flippantly and humorously.

So, now that we are all on the same page, let me explain. Since Big Brother has begun the school process, I have discovered areas that need my touch: Kindergarten Round-Up, Safe Walk, Curriculum Night, etc. I wasn't going to join the PTA, but I decided the PTA (and the school) needed me, because I know ALL the answers. :-)

As if I don't have enough to do, what with raising two (and baking one) children, having a husband with MS, being the "Relief Society president" of MOM, being the Primary President of Benson ward...the list goes on and on. I want to learn to bake like nobody's business, throw great parties (we're having one Saturday), and have a perfect house. I want to be caught up 100% on scrapbooking, become an awesome photographer, and learn to play the guitar. I want to read my scriptures every day, without fail, attend church for spiritual growth every week (not just occasionally when the kids are magically perfect and the stars are aligned) , and have perfectly behaved children.

See, I really want to be Molly Mormon...but with a twist.
I want to be naughty sometimes, too. I want to eat ice cream out of the container, not drink milk, and let my kids eat donuts while we are grocery shopping. All very anti-Molly.

Maybe I should create a new term for all of us to be...Milly Mormon or Monsteroursly Awesome Mormon or something like that...

What you would call the Molly Mormon that really wanted to be a rock star, too?


Oh, and did I mention that Molly Mormon's have wonderfully perfect houses, clean and beautifully decorated, too? Wouldn't that be wonderful?

Happy 55th Papa Jeff!

Today is Papa Jeff's 55th Birthday! Geez...I sure have an old dad.

I would list 55 things that are AWESOME about the old man, but I don't want to make everyone else jealous about how wonderful a dad I have and make you all feel bad about your own DADDY.
So, here's a few things that ROCK about PAPA JEFF!

• He is an amazing Grandpa. He builds trampolines in the blazing heat, fixes 4-wheelers and takes those babies for rides on his motorcycle.
• He is a devoted husband. I swear, if my mama asked him to try and build a space ship, he'd try his hardest to please her.
• He is a phenomenal father. He tries to support and love his children however possible.
• He is a leader. As bishop of the ward, he has a lot on his shoulders, but he seems to do it with ease.
• He is a spiritual giant. I really don't know of anyone with a testimony as strong as his.

So, that is just a taste of Daddy...not even enough to really quench the thirst that is him, but enough to leave you wishing you knew more about him.

Happy Birthday Daddy...Hope you have a great one...and remember, soon, really, really soon...you will be RETIRED from the ARMY!

(Look how happy they are to be with their Papa!)

Back-to-School Treats

Last year I was in Hobby Lobby on the last day of the first week of preschool and found an adorable apple picture frame. I immediately added it to my basket as a "thanks for putting up with my kid because you are going to have him for the rest of the year anyways so you might as well put your best face forward and enjoy having him in your class and me as one of your parents" kind of present. (It helped that the frame was 1/2 off!)

This year, I happened to be in Hobby Lobby on the last day of the first week of kindergarten and had a flashback to last year (I think the reason I was in H.L. last year was the same as this year...more adhesive for scrapping tomorrow!). I thought the goodie set a great tone for Brennan, me and his teacher, so I started to brainstorm on what to do this year. When I saw the cute "take-out" boxes, I knew I wanted to use them and fill with goodies.

I was heading to the mall before lunch, and I had a $10 off a $10 or more purchase at The Body Shop, so I knew I could get something there for the boxes (there is one teacher and one para AKA teacher's assistant). I had a big bag of the best cookies (I'll post the recipe when I get it) from my friend Julia as a thank you, so I figured I could share a few of those, as well. A quick glance at the 50% off sign at Godiva in the mall completed the fillings of the box.

From The Body Shop, I got tsatusma flavored lip balm (love the lip balm!) and from Godiva I got a box of 2 truffles. Now, I know this isn't a ton, but I think it is a nice way of saying"thanks for putting up with my kid because you are going to have him for the rest of the year anyways so you might as well put your best face forward and enjoy having him in your class and me as one of your parents" and I hope that the teachers know that I really and truly appreciate everything they do to help Big Brother have the best first year of school possible.

Because You Can Never Have Enough Team Spirit

Mulch and photos compliments of Sports Mulch in Baton Rouge, LA.

Geaux Tigers!

Day Three-The Social Butterfly Emerges

Day 3 apparently went okay because Big Brother was pretty happy on the trip home. Of course, we walked 1/2 way with one friend from class (Willa) and the rest of the way with another friend (Dillon).

We've discovered a much less strenuous way to walk to school (but about the same distance, maybe a little shorter), so my calves are thanking me. We were going UP and DOWN a rather large hill...now we just go down (or up on the way home) the end of the hill and the rest is smooth sailing. This will be very good once I am pushing a double stroller!

Big Brother is not one to be without friends. Everywhere we go he instantly makes a few. On the walk home today he invited both of his classmates over for a play date. NO WAY! was my thought, but "Not today" was what was spoken out loud. I still have laundry to put away (at least it is folded and in a basket...that's a plus) and dinner to cook tonight and the toy room shelves to finish building and the list goes on and on. I don't want one of Big Brother's classmates going home telling his mommy how awful my house is. I guess this will motivate me to keep it clean...maybe...but then again, old habits die hard.

Day Two-Uh Oh!

Brennan, through tears in car: I want to quit school.
Me: Why?
B: Because I keep missing Ruff Ruffman.

And he is serious.
We'll see what tomorrow brings...

First Day of School, Part Two

The final verdict of the first day of school?

"Pretty good, well, super good really."

And I have lost my first born baby boy.

First Day of School, Part One

Brennan's first day of school started out well. When I went to wake him up, he didn't want to wake up, then it was like a bell went off in his head...he sat up, said, "Oh, yeah, today is the first day of school!" and then he ran downstairs to get dressed.
We dropped him off and he did pretty good, once he figured out how to open his locker.
The saddest part is as Jackson and I are walking home, Jack kept looking back saying, "Where Brennan???" over and over and over again. He finally caught on to my response and changed his chant to "Brennan first day school" all the way home.
Now that we've been home for a while while, I am starting to notice a quiet that didn't used to be here. We may need to pull out the "emergency" radio and fill a bit of the quiet.
Stay tuned for part two this evening.

Happy 31st Birthday Bart!

So, Bart turns 31 today...and the poor guy is still sick with a virus. This didn't stop me from frying chicken strips just the way he likes and baking a homemade marble cheesecake. We all enjoyed it, though Bart only ate one piece of chicken...for those of you who know Bart, you know he must be sick, because he usually eats a TON of chicken! Since he is feeling better, just has a small appetite, I figured he'll be able to enjoy his leftovers tomorrow.

Let me tell you a little about THE chicken. Bart's mom, Glenda, used to fry TONS of chicken strips every Monday night for WWF/WCW wrestling night at her house. This tradition started before Bart and I got engaged and continued all the way until the fall of 2001, when Ms. Glenda got sick.
Once Ms. Glenda was too sick to be home and was living with her sister, Jeanie, we tried to recreated her chicken. We learned you CANNOT use a fry daddy or a pot on a stove, you MUST use Glenda's pot.
There's something magical in this pot that Ms. Glenda had since she got married. It probably has something to do with the gunk that is built up all along the outside (do NOT touch it...gross) or the "seasoning" that has happened through the years.
OR, as I like to think, the magic is the love that Ms. Glenda poured into it each week as she came home from work and got right to frying chicken. She fried enough chicken that all the relatives/friends that just happened to stop by on their way to MawMaw's apartment would have a piece or two before heading on AND enough for Bart to take a full ziplock to work the next day, where he would enjoy cold fried chicken (he likes me, me, not so much).
Whatever it is, I am so thankful that I got to enjoy spending time with Ms. Glenda as she prepared the chicken each week, and even more grateful I paid enough attention to be able to make a pretty good rendition of her chicken today, so I can pass the tradition of fried chicken on to my kids.
So, Happy Birthday Bart. I hope you feel better soon and can enjoy the cold chicken you love so much.

And, for all of you out there freaking out that we ate fried chicken every Monday for over 3 years...yep, we gained some weight...but we don't eat it every Monday now, so I hope we've evened out in the fat/cholesterol race. And besides, we have some really good memories, so in the end, that is what really matters, right?

Promom Coutour

Ever heard of Promom Coutour? Featured on Oprah and worn by cool mom's like Cindy Crawford (who can actually afford the stuff)
Well, go check out Now Entering Momville and enter for your chance to win 2 of them...a back to school treat just for us moms!

Good luck, but really, I hope I win :-)

From Cupcake to Fat Baby

The boys got very excited today as they went through some of the neat stuff that Grandma Cupcake sent for Fat Baby. They even "tried it on", but were disappointed it was all a little bit too small for them. I had to fight with them to claim ownership for Fat Baby of the Christmas quilt...these two boys LOVE quilts!
Thanks Grandma Cupcake...Fat Baby is gonna love being able to be warm this winter!

What I Found

What I found last night...

1 pillow missing its case
1 butt hanging out of its diaper
2 little boys, fast asleep

Small Diaper Cake Instructions

I just made this diaper cake for a small baby shower I am attending, and I thought I'd share the instructions. It is so easy to make that any of us could do it.

1. Roll 18 Pampers Swaddler diapers (either size 1 or 2, use swaddlers for a white cake) with rubber bands. I used the kind you use for little girls. Roll relatively tight.

2. Use one diaper as the center and put 6 around it. Secure with large rubber band.

3. The tricky part...I used a receiving blanket and wrapped it tightly into a ball...I made it smaller then the diapers. Secure with rubber band. Take another large rubber band, put around the blanket and start to stick diapers around it, forming a circle. I used about 12 to go all the way around.

4. Add a cute ribbon to cover the rubber bands. I recommend grosgrain. I used satin and it's knot was not too cute. (you can see my rubber band...I'll figure out a way to cover that later)

5. Embellish. Add a stuffed animal to the top, confetti to the sides, whatever you think would make it look cute. For this project, I used curly ribbon.

And...there you have it...a small two tiered diaper cake that will WOW all the other guests at a shower (or at least make them wish they'd thought of that idea) For larger cakes, I roll the diapers into one big ball, I don't wrap each one...BUT, that is for another shower, another day.

Leo the Lion's Shower

Tuesday evening a few friends gathered to honor little Leo with a fabulous shower. Now, the shower was a few months late, but he was born a few months early, so it all works out in the end. Rebecca, Leo's mom, made an amazing scrapbook for him, taking the viewer through his first few months of life in the hospital. He was barely over 12 inches tall when born and weighed a tiny bit over one pound. Leo was one of three, and the only one strong enough to brave this big, big world. The way his parents charted his growth was by placing a pack of Reese's cups by him. David said some put money by the child, but money is dirty and who doesn't love Reese's??? He seems to be doing great now, at almost 10 months. He has the biggest eyes and he is a cute kid to watch. We sit behind his family on Sunday's and the boys love it when they catch a glimpse of him.
The shower was a couples dinner shower (no kids! YIPPIE!), and the food was delicious! I hadn't had Hawaiian haystacks in a long time, so I was excited for that. Even Bart liked dinner (for those who don't know, he is rather picky). Doesn't that fruit salad look divine??? I baked and decorated the cake, the bottom cake was chocolate with buttercream icing and the top cake was white with cream cheese icing. The whole thing was covered in fondant (homemade). It is tricky to cover that small top cake in frosting and fondant. I almost gave up but forced myself to keep trying, glad in the end that I didn't quit. I am not sure how often I will do a stacked cake, but at least now I know I CAN do it.

The other pictures are of presents I made Leo and the little guy himself with his parents.

Heat Wave

It's hot.

Really hot.

And the fabulous meteorologists around here won't let you forget it.

There are warnings on the top of the t.v. (99 degrees!), there are news break-ins, there are even gentle Christ-like proddings of "If you know someone without A/C, invite them over"...all from NE's best news desks.

Guess what?!? I KNOW IT IS HOT! I can tell by the way my A/C doesn't cool below 78 or by the extreme 'knock you on your butt' heat coming from my car. I can tell the way Bart is feeling bad and how the wading pool out back is now warm enough to boil spaghetti noodles. Surprise!

But thank you, Mr. Meteorologist. I know you are just doing your job and trying to win my audience from 5-5:30, and then again at 6 and 10. Thank you for informing me it is hot.

Without you, I might have just went to church in wool and snow boots today.


The good news? It is supposed to be 'down' to 83 or so by Friday!