weekends :)

i love good weekends.

(and a few good things earlier in the week)

WEDNESDAY: got our taxes done... getting money back, yay!

THURSDAY: picked up our new pre-loved exercise bike, yay!

FRIDAY: surprised the kids and took them to Disney on ice... LOVED it. it was so good :) makes me want to go to Disney that much more.

it started with an 'ice making machine'... as they called it.

cohen was not having that. its a zamboni you know.

(well, technically its an ice resurfacing machine... we will tell him that later)now treat yourself to some GORGEOUS pictures of the show on my friend Arminda's blog.

we were there separate nights, but i think we had the same seats ;)

SATURDAY: a trip to the post office, 2 banks, 2 grocery stores,

girl scout cookies are here!!getting snacks ready for ladies night :)

(i think i need this apron to match my sweater ;)BUNCO with the girls!

(they teased me for not taking pictures to post here... next time ;)SUNDAY: a great church service, a bunch of LBE orders,

Willy Wonka the musical with BradyRaising Cane's dinner after the show... yum.

picked up our new pre-loved treadmill, yay!

i love the weekends ;)

i love anyday really... as long as they are good days.

and even the not so good days i am glad to have.

have a great week!

he said. she said. we said. reveal 2.

wow.
where has february gone?
i know its a short month. but still.

dave sent me his answers to these questions on the 15th.
i havent read them yet.
but i do know that he laughed at most of his answers.
so i look forward to reading them.
or not.

dave's answers are in red.
mine in black. -What quality do you admire most in one another? Which quality can be annoying?

There are many qualities that I admire about Dave, but the one that stands out the most is his confidence. Annoying? Just one? He isn’t the most sensitive person in the world. Or patient. But I do love him as a whole :)

I admire that that she is the complete opposite of me. This quality can be annoying as well.

-I think you should do a video of you two interviewing each other. I would love to see the raw footage of the surprise questions and answers... just a thought..

Good thought Heather ;) I mentioned it to Dave but he didn’t seem interested. I’ll blame it on him this time, but maybe another time we will do some video answers :)

No

-What was your favorite date you went on together?

I loved all 3 of our proms. Getting dressed up super fancy, going out to eat, then dancing all night. I love to dance :) Not that I’d want to recreate any of that now… but back then, those were some of my most memorable dates.

We really did not go on to many so called dates. But the proms were fun.

-How did Dave ask you to marry him?

By slamming the door in my face. No that isn’t how he asked, but I did get the door slammed in my face earlier that evening when I came home from work early and I wasn’t supposed to come in yet. It was Christmas Eve 1999 (or was it 98? is it horrible that I don't remember?) and we (Dave, my sister, and I) had just gotten back from Christmas Eve service and were getting ready to head down to his parent’s house to celebrate Christmas with both of our families. When I came downstairs Dave was standing in the front room and I said… “I have to pee.” Which I did. So I went to the bathroom. (For real… that’s what happened.) When I came out he was by the Christmas tree. Under the tree were a dozen red roses. I said something to the tune of… “oh thanks sweetie!” and I gave him a hug. He then said… “Look at them.” So I looked closer and saw my gorgeous engagement ring tied to one of the roses. We were hugging and he asked me to marry him, then he kneeled and asked me again :) I must not have answered the first time ;) But I did say yes :)

I took her to McDonalds and asked her at the front counter while she was ordering a 6 piece chicken nuggets. She of course said yes...

-How often do you tell each other "I love you?"

Every day. Several times a day. In the morning when he leaves for work. On the phone. Over email. Before we go to bed. Random moments in between. And we even mean it most of the time too ;)

I tell her that I love her as much as I can

Happy Birthday Aunt Melissa!

unassisted 2 year olds ;)

(the 5 year old was grumping about not liking her outfit, otherwise she would have been in the video too.)

Happy Birthday Aunt Mahilly! We love you.

new sport

just the other day dave says... 'hey look. a new sport!'

and he rolls some packing tape across the kitchen floor.

i think he was trying to invent something new for the olympics.

oh sweetie boy.

i'm sorry to tell you, but...

we've been playing that sport for quite some time now.

what do you think i do with 4 kids all day long?

enjoy some pictures.

(taken on thusday, january 7th, 2010.)

mock *B* Bars

all through high school, i worked at a well know ice cream store.
it was a little store, and we handmade all the 'dairy treats'.

my favorite of those was the *B* Bar.
every now and then, Dave will surprise me with one from our local ice cream store. (they are good, but they arent homemade.)

so what do i do?
make up a little sketch.
and make my own ;)here is what you need:
dipping chocolate
vanilla ice cream
spanish peanuts
hot fudge (though no need to warm it up)
popsicle/craft sticks
9- 9oz paper drinking cups (next time i plan to use smaller cups... these are just a bit big for me)
and here is how you make them:
put a spoonful (or 2) of peanuts into the bottom of each cup, to cover the bottom. (we only ended up making 9 of these... so you wont need a whole tray of cups) let ice cream soften enough to be able to spoon it into the cups. i put it in a plastic bag, then cut a whole to squirt it out. (like icing) squeeze a layer of ice cream into each cup enough to cover peanuts.

i used a spoon to flatten it a bit.

then add a layer of fudge.

i did the bag thing again... though im sure a spoon would be just fine. add a scoop of peanuts on top of the fudge.
add another layer of ice cream, to cover fudge and peanuts.

(itll probably be dripping by now. thats ok)add another layer of fudge and peanuts.

some will sink in to the melting ice cream. no big deal!add a popsicle/craft stick to the center of each cup.

press them all the way in to the bottom.now... put these in the freezer for quite some time.

i had mine in for about 6 hours.
(until you can squeeze the cups and the feel pretty solid.)

then its time to remove them from the cups.

i dipped them in warm water for a couple seconds, and the cups slid right off!!

put them back on the sheet, covered with wax paper (i didnt do this at first, but should have!)

once the are all decupped, stick them back in the freezer for a bit.

about half an hour. next, melt a ton of dipping chocolate.

cover each bar with chocolate.
then stick them back in the freezer again, just so they get nice a solid again. (dont forget to put them on wax paper!)

they may be a bit drippy and holey like mine, but who cares!

certainly not me :) then when you can hardly wait any longer... eat :)

if you have any leftover (which you probably will... these are huge) wrap them up in foil with the stick sticking out. And eat more the next day ;)

please let me know if you make these, i would LOVE to hear and see how they come out!!

(and here is the recipe without pics, if anyone wants to copy, paste and print it out without all those pics.)

Jen's mock *B* Bars

http://itsmejen.blogspot.com/2010/02/mock-b-bars.html

here is what you need:
dipping chocolate
vanilla ice cream
spanish peanuts
hot fudge (though no need to warm it up)
popsicle/craft sticks
9- 9oz paper drinking cups (next time i plan to use smaller cups... these are just a bit big for me)

and here is how you make them:
-put a spoonful (or 2) of peanuts into the bottom of each cup (about 9 cups), to cover the bottom.
-let ice cream soften enough to be able to spoon it into the cups. i put it in a plastic bag, then cut a whole to squirt it out. (like icing) squeeze a layer of ice cream into each cup enough to cover peanuts. i used a spoon to flatten it a bit.

-then add a layer of fudge. i did the bag thing again... though im sure a spoon would be just fine.

-add a scoop of peanuts on top of the fudge.

-add another layer of ice cream, to cover fudge and peanuts. (itll probably be dripping by now. thats ok)

-add another layer of fudge and peanuts. some will sink in to the melting ice cream. no big deal!

-add a popsicle/craft stick to the center of each cup. press them all the way in to the bottom.

-now... put these in the freezer for quite some time. i had mine in for about 6 hours.
(until you can squeeze the cups and the feel pretty solid.)

-then its time to remove them from the cups. i dipped them in warm water for a couple seconds, and the cups slid right off!! put them back on the sheet, covered with wax paper (i didnt do this at first, but should have!)

-once the are all decupped, stick them back in the freezer for a bit. about half an hour.

-next, melt a ton of dipping chocolate. cover each bar with chocolate.

-then stick them back in the freezer again, just so they get nice a solid again. (dont forget to put them on wax paper!) they may be a bit drippy and holey like mine, but who cares! certainly not me :)

-then when you can hardly wait any longer... eat :)

-if you have any leftover (which you probably will... these are huge) wrap them up in foil with the stick sticking out. And eat more the next day ;)

photo shoot

this is my 400th post.

wow.

ok... moving on.

we had a little photo shoot today.

and when i say 'photo shoot', i mean 'me randomly taking pictures trying to make them halfway decent' for the LBE website.

i'm no professional, that's for sure.

at least my kids are cute.

or at least. i think they are ;)

and thankfully, 'barbie' has my same exact figure... (ha)

so i didnt have to ask dave to take a picture of me in my new adorable apron ;)

and no, LBE is not carrying hockey jerseys.

the little man just wanted his pic taken too.

how could i tell him no?

if you like the aprons and want to see more...

check out the LBE blog.

links away!

bbq chicken ranch pizza.

i got this recipe via rachael ray's show.
this was in a march madness 2009 cookoff.
this recipe got runner up.
i think it should have gotten first.
just sayin'.
Sara Mayer’s Chick‘N Ranch BBQ Crescent Squares

Ingredients
2 tubes Pillsbury crescent rolls
1 1/2 cups hickory barbeque sauce
1 package ready-made chicken strips, chopped
6 slices of cooked bacon, crumbled
2 cups cheddar or colby jack cheese, shredded
1 cup ranch dressing
1 teaspoon chili powder
1 tablespoon scallions, chopped
1 sandwich-size resealable bag
Yields: 4 servings

Preparation
Heat oven to 375˚F.
Roll the crescent rolls out and place them on a cookie sheet. Pinch 2 sheets together in the middle to create 1 large dough. Bake 8-11 minutes, until golden brown. Remove from oven and turn on broiler.

Spread the barbeque sauce over dough. Sprinkle the chicken, bacon and cheese over the top. Place the cookie sheet under the broiler until the cheese melts, about 3-5 minutes.
Combine the ranch dressing and chili powder in a small bowl. Pour into re-sealable bag and cut off a small tip at the end of the bag to make a pastry bag. Drizzle the dressing over the top and garnish with the scallions. Cut into squares and enjoy!

Jen's modifications:
None really!! This is my style of food... simple and delicious! The one pictured above only uses one can of rolls (as that is all I had), so it's very simple to downsize the recipe if need be. I also just spooned on the dressing (a bit too much for a half batch i might add), because I was too hungry to put it in a bag to drizzle it. though i have done the bag drizzle before, and it is well worth it ;) enjoy!

he said. she said. he said. reveal 1.

here it is!
the first reveal to our he said. she said. we said. questions :)

dave's answers are in red.
mine in black.
(you probably could figure that out own your own...)
you can tell why i blog and dave does not;)
thanks for being a good sport dave.

-will there be more little jen's or dave's running around in the future :)

Hmmmm.. This seems to be the question that everyone would Love to know ;)

well, if you’ve been reading around here long enough, you may remember a similar answer right here (answer #3 on this page). that answer is still pretty accurate my end of things. we shall see!

-What is the favorite part or your day? Least favorite? Why.

favorite: Movie nights with my sweetie girl because it reminds me of when we were in high school

least: getting up at 6 am every day of the week because id like to sleep in and i cant

My favorite. (besides bedtime…) When dave comes home from work. Im ready for some adult conversation and an extra set of hands.
My least favorite. Those times when ¾ of the kids are whining about something. Or a weekend day without dave.

-If you had a chance to choose a different profession- what would it be?

Fly fishing bum working at a small fly shop in the hills of some small town out west or a professional hockey player

It’s so hard for me to imagine doing anything other than what I am doing right now. Maybe a nurse, or something to do with children's literature. Or a party planner. Or a chef/baker.

-Do you have any lovey nicknames for each other? Or silly?

Sweetie girl

I call dave, sweetie boy. Or boyfriend :) or dork ;)
He calls me sweetie girl. Or sweetie

-What was your most memorable early date?

Because we stated dating in high school we had lots of group outings so I cannot remember our first date by our selves

We really didn’t have 'real' dates. We just hung out and watched movies. Or went to the mall. We were young. The most memorable 'dates' were our dances and proms :)

-What was your first impression of each other, the first time you met?

Jen first saw me at the hockey rink and didn't belive that I was a hockey player when I saw her I thought she was cute

The first time I saw him I thought he was cute. Really cute. (I love to tell this story) It was at the ice area after a high school hockey game (of course) he was sitting at a table eating a personal pan pizza, wearing his letterman’s jacket and a black skull hat. I asked a friend who he was and he told me ‘oh that’s dave h…’ and we argued whether or not dave was on the hockey team (as I knew allllll the players). I didn’t think dave was on the team, but turns out he was a freshman that I had overlooked ;) that’s the 1st time I saw him. I think I met him that night, or maybe the next weekend? But when I officially met him I thought he was very nice and kind, and of course, cute :) And the fact that he was a hockey player put him on the top of my list. I always said I’d marry a hockey player… little did I know as a sophomore in high school that I had met my husband at the ice rink!

Not sure what he thought of me, he had a crush on one of my friends ;)

Answers to more questions later....

Happy Valentine's Day!
xoxo

LBE raffle

Please pop over to my LBE blog sometime over the weekend and consider making a donation to Haitian relief funds, with a chance to with an LBE gift set! (click the button below)

Spread the word...

and email me with any questions!!

Have a great weekend :)

2nd snow day

2nd Snow day today.
(in a bit of order this time...)
(and a lot of pics!)

Eggs for breakfast.
Read books.
Watercolored.

Ate sugar cookies. Or rather, Cohen ate the frosting.Listened to Glee :)
Did file games from aunt lisa.
Watched the Beverly Hillbillies.
(in color)
Worked on laundry.
(it's still going...)
Had a fashion show.
made BBQ chicken ranch pizza for lunch.
(ill add that to my list of recipes to share...) Unloaded and reloaded the dishwasher.
Played some hockey.Made a few valentine’s day gifts.
Got an LBE order (of new product!) in the mail.
In which cohen quickly made friends with whom he affectionately named ‘barbie’.
how do i know this?
well, when i took 'it' to my office...
cohen shouted... "where's barbie?" look at his face.
i think he's in love.
men. geez.Went to goodwill, the mall and target to find lilly some decent -not too much- new tennis shoes.
Had leftovers for dinner.
Blogged.
Ready for bed.

i think tomorrow is back to the real world.
whatever that is ;)
i certainly wont be blogging about my entire day.
that's for sure.
unless you want to hear about diapers, and biting, and runny noses, and time outs ;)
plus... i really dont always take pictures all day long.

(btw... these are all pics from today. lilly just likes to change clothes. a lot.)