Friday - enough said

Things that were a hit today:

*edamame

*Blue balloons for E & A

*Listening to She's Electric by Oasis

* watching Aidan sway to the music in the rear view mirror

* finding a new favorite t-shirt

* getting in a great cardio workout

*naps

I hope your Friday was filled with lots of hits too!

a few weeks in photos

Here is a look at what we've done since Ike:

This was the only damage we sustained. It was a large tree. There are so many trees that were lost and have since been cut for disposal. Our first couple of nights back in Beaumont we could smell oak in the air.

This was at our door during a very brief stay in New Orleans. We stayed there one night and got our post-hurricane game plan together.

The people we talked to at the hotel in New Orleans were very nice. This man in particular spent quite a bit of time entertaining the girls and talking with us. This was a Koi pond that all three of the girls were captivated by:
Cousin's house in Memphis. Five girls in one house - ages 10 mos to 6 years:
Sisters loving their cousins' dress up clothes:

At Grandma's house in FL. Aidan loved the beach and laughed at the waves when they ran up on her feet:

Erika & Ainslee thought the waves were fun too:
For an evacuation it wasn't bad. I was very ready to return home when the time came and I am glad to be here now, but I think we made the best of it while we were gone. A lot of people came out so much worse, in our town and nearby towns. My heart & prayers goes out to them.

Back to our regularly scheduled program . . .

Between soccer, day school, three active children and one equally active husband I really haven't missed the Internet - too much. Ike knocked out our power and phone/ Internet. Power was restored weeks ago. Today AT&T restored our phone connection & Internet service this afternoon. Now that I have it back I have a lot of catching up to do. You would think I would have finished a knitting project (nope), caught up the baby books (nope) or at least cleaned out a closet or two (nope, nope). Well, it is good to be back and I can't wait to see what all of my fave bloggers have been up to.

Sorry, no photos

No, I haven't been neglecting my little ol' blog in lieu of my facebook addiction. We have been displaced due to Ike and blogging has fallen to the wayside temporarily. I am in TN for a bit with the three girls, and my husband is in MS trying to set up a temporary office. Things could be worse, but today could have been better. Today consisted of: Aidan still trying to cut a tooth which is giving her all sorts of grief and completely disfiguring her lower back gum area, Erika deciding to walk to her cousin's bus stop all on her own after waking from her nap and realizing her sister & cousins were not in the house (there is a much longer version of this story, but I will spare you), and finally, hearing my SIL answer her front door this evening and being told that her husband's car had rolled down the garage & hit a light pole.

Crappy day. Bed time for all five kids: 8:00 pm. Cocktails for all adults: 8:01 pm. I am predicting some retail therapy tomorrow and praying for a smoother day!

p.s. - we had NO damage to our house and only minor damage to one car. That is the silver lining.

I have a new addiction

This photo is not very relevant, but it is humorous. This is Erika during her soccer game on Saturday. Only four players can plat at one time, so Erika is relaxing and snacking while she rests. Hmm. Pretty comfy.Now, to the addiction part. There was a time when I was addicted to reading blogs. I would spend hours or whatever time I had to browse. Now I have kind of settled into my favorites and I will read them every few days to see what great ideas or funny stories they are sharing. Leave it to me to find a new addiction, one that my husband got sucked into and I originally snubbed as a "waste of time". Well, it is and it isn't. It is FACEBOOK! AGH. I can't get enough. For those who may not know it is a website/ resource to find people you know/knew in high school and even college, from old jobs, whatever. I am finding all these old names & familiar faces from high school, chatting with them to see where they are and what is going on. Meanwhile my three children are doing ????? because I have my eyes glued to the computer screen. Seriously, I should know better. I didn't go to my 10 year reunion by choice, and I probably won't go to the 20 year, so why am I so captivated by this site? I don't have an answer other than plain curiosity. You may want to check it out - if you have an hour or two to spare!

Unpacked

We are home and unpacked, but not before we made a pit-stop in Oklahoma and stayed a night with my SIL and her family. I really wanted my three girls to see her two boys, and it was a nice break from all the driving. There are no frills, fluff or pink to be found in my SIL's house, but the girls didn't seem to notice. They had fun playing like the boys for our short visit.

School started this morning, so after getting home last night, unpacking and getting organized for this morning, I was prepared to help them get ready for their first day. Once again, they didn't blink back a tear or ask me to stay. They found their back pack cubby and waved me off. Enjoy the first September weekend.

Magic marshmallow poofs

My husband has headed back home to return to work, but the three girls and I have stayed in AR for a bit longer on an extended evacuation vacation. Here is a baking project my MIL does with E & A during our stays here.

For the rolls: combine 1/8 cup sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon in a small bowl. Use 8-oz package refrigerated crescent rolls and separate dough into 8 triangles. Dip 1 marshmallow into 1/8 cup melted butter and roll in sugar/cinnamon mixture.

Place the marshmallow in the middle of the crescent roll. Fold marshmallow into the dough by wrapping corners of crescent roll and pinching together. Try to get it tight and wrap marshmallow completely. Dip wrapped crescent roll in butter and then in the sugar/cinnamon mix. Placed the coated roll in a muffin time lined with a baking cup. Bake at 375 for 10-15 mins until rolls are done and no longer doughy.

It is a fun little project and goes quickly if everything is prepared assembly-line style. The finished product is a sweet, sticky poof. This is a grandma's-house-only treat for my girls, or has been, but it would make a fun anytime baking project for little hands. Enjoy and keep wipes handy!