OH MY GOODNESS...

Okay, I'm probably WAY too excited about this...
I was thinking cute little birds for Bekah's big girl room...OWLS. YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!! LOVE THEM. See, I AM way too excited by this. In my head, I pictured it being a little more purple, but it's pretty cute. I like all the trees too. Oh, AND the bedskirt--it's tulle!! Here you can see the whole collection. The name of it says it all...do you think Daddy would go for it in our bedroom? :) If I start now, I can make the cute little owl buddies--one for each girl. Now, I just have to wait for it to go on sale...good thing I have 2 years!

Bloggy love,

As promised...

Okay, here is the pumpkin...this was taken as it was (literally) on the way to the garbage. Can you see the spooky white mold coming out of the eye sockets? Nice.

The girls humoring me as I try to get pics of them in some cute Halloween clothes...

Wow...the girls seem to be *thrilled* by this, but at least they are both looking at the camera!

Abby has that "seriously, Mother" look down pat :)

Bloggy love,

Our Trip to the Pumpkin Patch?

Is there a pumpkin patch here? We don't know. After 3 years of pumpkin picking at Eckert's, I'm okay with it. It seems a lot less freaky to buy pumpkins at the commissary than the crazy, ugly fake Christmas tree Brad is threatening to buy us from the BX. Please tell me that they have real live trees here. Anyhow, check out Bekah's big ol' bow...she doesn't take things out of her hair (not yet anyway!), so she's in for LOTS of hair accessories. :) We have Brad & Abby's cool pumpkin displayed outside our door. I'll take a pic later...


Bloggy love,

Fall Changes...

Changed the blog background for my favorite season! Don't worry...the birdy will be back! :)

Bloggy love,

Friday's Fab 5 -- PART 2

Okay, so now I'm gonna share a secret plan that I have implemented in Korea. I hate grocery shopping. Not only do I hate shopping, but it's even more miserable with 2 kids. ARGH. The girls really aren't that bad, but it's just not fun for me. Back in the states, I would go to the store & think I had a plan--but, I would just buy all this food & not have much of an organized idea of what to do with it once I got home. So, knowing we were coming here & shopping wouldn't be what it was back home, I had to come up with something.

I have tried the online services you can purchase, with meal plans & shopping lists...I really did like 6 o'clock Scramble. I just wanted to come up with something we could do to streamline the process on our own. Well, before we left our last assignment, I sat down & looked at my calendars (I write the weekly menus on it) and my recipes. It was easy for me to see that we liked certain things & ate them more often. My idea was born! We have created a rotation all our own.

Here's what it looks like:
1. I have 20 meals on the schedule
2. 2 nights are left open for new recipes (because I LOVE recipes AND eating AND all things food!)
3. Saturday nights are 'Grill Nights'
4. We have a weekly 'Pizza Night'--either at our house or the O'Club
5. Once we go through a rotation, we start over again. We can tweak the rotation or add/delete items...very flexible

It has been working really well. We don't go crazy buying things at the commissary. If there are sales, you can definitely buy things because you know what you need & what you'll use. There has been flexibility to eat out too. I was worried that we would get bored with the same things, but statistics say people eat the same 8 meals the majority of the time anyway, so we just organized it!

Now, if I could just remember everything I went to the commissary to buy, we'd be all set! :)

Bloggy love,

Friday's Fab 5 -- PART 1

Well, I'm sure you were ever so disappointed that I missed last Friday's installment of the Fab 5. I have been having horrible headaches (which the doctor hasn't quite figured out why I'm getting them), and I just didn't have it in me! So, I will try to make up for it this week.

Tonight, Brad invited all the LTs over for dinner...there are 5! What a coincidence--how convenient for my Friday post! :) I made shrimp enchiladas, rice, beans, guacamole & some funky salsa I tried to make in my magic bullet--ick, not a keeper! We had brownie sundaes for dessert. It was fun. There was a point, however, that I realized I am getting old. I didn't feel that much older than them, but then reality set in. One of the guys had a Pink Floyd t-shirt on that said '1973' & I looked at Brad and kinda nodded my head that way...he said, "hey, there is only one of us at the table who was alive in 1973." Hahaha. It was true though & IT WAS ME. Two of the guys started at the AFA in 2001. Argh. Where does the time go? I graduated in 1995 from college & entered the AF in 1997. I enjoyed being a LT; that's when I met Brad & we had lots of fun. I like to think back to that time & to look at all the pictures. They are good memories! BUT, I do like where I am now. It took some getting used to! Being a stay-at-home momma has it's ups & downs, but I wouldn't want to be anywhere else right now. My Ab is 3 1/2 & will be in school before I know it. It's just a precious time. Not much spontaneity now, but that's okay. On a positive note, the LTs brought margaritas & I was able to drown my sorrows about aging! :)

I have no picture of everyone at the table...I set the camera out & didn't take a picture. We should have taken video of Abby. She was in RARE form. For some reason, she didn't nap today & she was completely slap happy by dinner. She was hysterically laughing at everything; she was saying crazy things & claimed there was "a worm in her pants." Which got LOTS of laughs, so she started in on all sorts of things in her pants. I asked her where she learned that and she said, "at Bible study." Hmmm...I'm thinking that's not very likely!

Now, since I missed last week, I will do an additional post to make up for it!

Bloggy love,

Bye Bye Rat Tail

I can't believe I almost forgot to post about the biggest event of the weekend! We finally gave Bekah her very first haircut...no more rat tail! For a long time, we called it a mullet, but there is no denying that it had moved into the rat tail category! I tied a pink bow in it & gave Daddy the scissors. It was all quite comical. As you can see from the picture, she was not happy about it. At all. I have to say that I think it's quite an improvement!

Fancy uptown rat tail w/pink bow

Do you like the official hair scissors?

Not such a happy camper

The finished product! Daddy kept telling me to hold her still! HAHA. Sure. No problem! He said that he needed to feather it more...now that was funny. Feather it? I think he met layer it. No matter what you call it, Bek's hair looks MUCH better! :)

Oh, here's the big sister watching all the haircut excitement...now that girl can piece together an outfit. Do you see the nice usage of the pink fuzzy vest? She's got her bloomers from under her church dress on & her fancy socks--someday, she's not gonna like me blogging about this stuff! :)

Bloggy love,

A Fall Project

We try to do little projects throughout the week--Abby likes to do crafty things. So, on the way back from church, we picked up some leaves. I'm sure I got this idea from one of the 1 million blogs I read! I will try to link the one I found it from (if I ever figure it out!), but we painted the leaves & then put it on paper. We made some cards too--woohoo, went wild & crazy. Daddy helped out; it was a fun family project. Bekah wanted to paint, but she'll have to wait! Mommy isn't that brave!! :)





Bloggy love,

Abigayle Ballerina

Abby has been checking out Angelina Ballerina DVDs from the library since we arrived in Korea. So, it was with great delight she attended her very first dance class last Saturday. We have been practicing first position and skipping...Mommy needs to go next time so she knows what we need to practice. Otherwise, Daddy will be Daddy Ballerina--wait, maybe I SHOULD let him go! That would be some fun video footage for the blog!
Special thanks to Aunt Heather who saved the day...we received the priority envelope just in time for the first class! Thank you SO MUCH--you have one SUPER happy niece. :)

Bloggy love,

Early Halloween :)

Daddy got out the Fall decorations and he found the costumes! Oh the excitement! We are borrowing our cousins' Mich & JJ's lamb costumes. GG Jane made the Lamb Chop costume & now it's Abby's turn to wear it! Here's a fun Lamb Chop clip, if you're interested! Bekah has a smaller lamb costume & will look very cute too--she just hasn't put her's on & thrown herself onto the floor making sick sheep noises! :) It's just a matter of time...

Bloggy love,

No One's Birthday Party

Video time! Here is Abby at yet another fun tea party birthday with her friends!

Bloggy love,
Abby & gang! :)

Our 1st Trip to Everland

We finally made it! Our first real Korean adventure as a family...the girls & I have gone a few places without Daddy, but we've been looking forward to making some family memories here! We have been excited to go to Everland, so thanks to Columbus Day, we were able to take a little day trip. The girls were GREAT! No naps to speak of, but it turned out okay. We went ahead & got SMART passes, so we're planning on going back & having more fun! Here are some fun pics of the day...

Daddy & the girls heading to the ticket booth!

A view of the beautiful flowers & the big ferris wheel. Abby wanted to go on the ferris wheel all day...we finally did & she cried. She said, "I'm ready to go fast now!! I don't like this. I want to go fast!!" Oh my, have we created a monster?! :)

Posing in the monkey area...

I accidentally picked up a Japense map, so we were a little confused on what was what. Mommy sent Daddy & Abby on a water ride thinking it was the safari trip! Ooops. It turned out okay in the end. I went to look for a place to feed Bekah & stumbled onto a cool baby area...I also found the locks here to rent so that we could lock the stroller. Bonus!

We were waiting for Daddy to get off of his roller coaster. EVERY time a new group of people got off, they talked to Abby & wanted their pictures taken! What do they do with the pics?? They were very friendly & cute with the girls...they practiced their English & Abby practiced her Korean!

For some reason, they made me get on the horse with her???

Train ride...

Daddy looking manly on the tiny elephant ride! :)

Abby on the roller coaster with Mommy...in the front! She LOVED this & told me that she "screamed her head off!" Abby rode this ride 3 times!
I have no idea what the dog's name is, but she had pink ears, so Abby wanted to see her! :)

It was a super fun day & Abby asks to go back EVERY day! We'll have to go back soon! Come see us & we'll take you for some Everland fun too! :)

Bloggy love,

Air Show Fun

Well, this weekend we had an air show...they opened it up to the public for the first time since 2001. I wanted to avoid it like the plague, but I have a fun-loving 3-year-old that sure likes airplanes. Daddy & Abby left Bekah (who was napping) & I at the house--I thought I had dodged the bullet. Nope. I called to see what they were up to when Bekah woke up. They wanted us to walk over & have some lunch with them. We headed over and just about the time we got there, the planes really started flying. Lovely. It's not that I don't like airplanes (I was active duty Air Force, people), I just don't like the 2 little ones experiencing all the LOUDNESS of it. I don't have cool ear protection like some of the other moms here; I could, but good grief, that would mean I'd have to figure that out ahead of time! Heck, I don't even have crappy ear protection...who knows where the 900+ pairs of ear plugs we have are. Anyway, Bekah fell asleep in the baby carrier & Abby liked it all. Go figure. The best part of the air show was all the Koreans taking Abby's picture in the wagon--they thought it was so cool! :) Here are some pictures of the fun...

Abby posing

Face Painting

Photography by Abby

Now to the food...um, not sure why we have to have cotton candy as big as our head?? Or better yet, why does she have to stick her whole face in it?

A tasty (and oh so healthy) portion of our lunch!

Bloggy love,

Friday's Fab 5

Okay, for this installment, we are going to cover 5 of our favorite things to eat! I'm sure we will do this one again...as we like to eat. A lot. :) I will include recipes for those of you that are interested. At some point, we will probably have to split this into Brad's favorite, Brooke's favorite and so on. I tend to like comfort food & Brad likes to consider things like candy a food group. Anyhow, here are the 5 for this week!

1. Pecan Pancakes...
...or any flavors of pancakes or waffles for that matter! Pecan waffles are Brad's specialty. That's probably why he loves Waffle House so much.

Recipe:
Bisquick, baby (secret is to use half & half -- insider WH info Brad garnered on a late night trip there)...we add whatever we're in the mood for (except Brad, he ALWAYS has pecans!)

2. Dutch Baby...
...if I were feeling more inquisitive, I would look up why it's called a Dutch Baby. My mom asked me why do we eat the poor Dutch babies--I come from a long line of funny people. :) This recipe is one that Brad's mom makes. It's Abby's new favorite -- we already liked it, so BONUS. She wants it almost every weekend. SO, I get breakfast made for me both weekend mornings now. Brad always does the pancake/waffle tradition on Saturday mornings. So now, I'm spoiled on Sunday too!

Recipe:

3/4 stick of butter
1 cup flour
1 cup milk
4 eggs

Preheat oven to 450 degrees. Put butter in a 9X13 casserole dish and melt in oven. Meanwhile, blend the remaining ingredients in a blender. After butter has melted, remove & turn oven down to 400 degrees. Pour blended mixture into the butter and cook until browned on the edges and slightly in the middle. This really grows, so it's fun to watch. It's good that we're easily entertained around here. Serve sprinkled with powdered sugar and syrup. Yum.

3. Mac & cheese...
...actually, CHEESE. This is Abby's favorite food. Cheese sticks, blue cheese, feta, cheesy burritos, quesadillas -- really, any type of food that looks like cheese or has cheese melted on it or sprinkled on it. She is a really good eater, so most of the time, this doesn't annoy us much!

4. Napa Cabbage Chicken Salad...
...hands down, our family's favorite meal. It's delicious & simple to make! Brad & I have always loved it -- it was the 1st meal he ever made me (he claims it was the only thing he knew how to make!). We have continued to make it ever since & now Abby LOVES it. She calls it the 'crunchy salad.' The great thing about making it in Korea is that the cabbage is dirt cheap. I can go to the 4-9 Market & get one for $2!! Woohoo. Like I said before, I'm easily excited.

Recipe

1 large Napa Cabbage
1 bunch green onions
2 or 3 chicken breasts
3 packages ramen noodles (break them into pieces)
1/2 cup almond slivers
1 Tbsp. sesame seeds

Cook chicken (can grill, bake, pan fry, whatever you like!). In a medium to large pan, brown ramen noodles & almonds; add sesame seeds once the noodles and almonds are almost ready to come off the heat. Thinly slice/chop the cabbage and onions. Place all ingredients in a large bowl. Add the following dressing...it's easiest to mix and serve with your clean hands. :)

Dressing:
1/4 cup oil
1/4 cup sugar
1/2 cup vinegar (can use cider vinegar)
splash of soy sauce

5. Texas Sheet Cake = Chocolate

Brad loves chocolate. I like it, but he and my Gram Jane, LOVE it. Abby is a vanilla girl, so she's not really into it. This week, it's Texas Sheet Cake because that's what I have a picture of! This is what we made Brad for his birthday. Chocolate on chocolate...his favorite language!

I have to find the recipe, so I will add it once I find it! :)

Bloggy love,