Good Things

I got a new camera, Nikon P80, yesterday!!! Woo-Hoo!! These are some practice pics I took of my boys earlier. I'm a lucky girl...

Under the Weather

I've been a little under the weather the past week. I think we have had a cold floating around our family but of course, mine turned into a nasty sinus infection. I finally got some good drugs on Sunday; I am MUCH better now. I must say, I have never blown so much snot out of my nose in my entire life. I know, TMI, but I had to say it :)

Here is a brief recap from the past week:

1. Richard liked the sloppy lentils. He said it was the best "experimental" meal I have made.
2.Richard bought a new/used truck on Saturday. Pics coming soon.
3. I have been sick.
4. Richard is on a low-cholesterol diet. Does that explain the sloppy lentils?
5. We now have a family cell phone plan. Yes, both of us have phones. Email me if you want the numbers.
6. I purchased a new camera on Amazon FINALLY!! It should arrive the next day or so. If you take your change to a Coin Star machine, opt for the Amazon credit, they do not charge you a service fee. Collecting change for five years, that's how we bought the camera!
7. Matt finished his gymnastic classes and had a show on Thursday. It was very cute.
8. I recovered my kitchen chairs and it cost a whopping $2 in fabric.

How was it?

For those of you who read yesterday's post I am sure the suspense is killing you. I bet that is all you have thought about. Did they like sloppy lentils?? OK, just kidding. I know you have better things to occupy your mind.

I can only give you a half report because Richard did not eat dinner with us last night. Matt and I ate the sloppy lentils and I thought it was a good recipe. I could see some people having texture issues or mental problems with eating a bun full of beans but other then that it was very good and VERY cheap! The bag of lentils cost around fifty cents and I only used half. Technically, I only spent about twenty five cents on "meat". You can't beat that deal!

Since Richard did not eat with us last night, we are having leftovers tonight. I will give the full report in the morning.

If you decide to try the recipe I think you only need to soak the lentils for about two or three hours. I soaked them for about six (the recipe says overnight) and I think it was too long; they were a little mushy.

Uh-Oh, New Recipe

I am making this recipe tonight for dinner. Wish me luck! I will let you know tomorrow how it tasted and was received.

I hope you are enjoying the festivities today; I have been glued to the TV all day. My favorite part of the Inauguration thus far has been the music.

Man's Best Friend

Before Christmas we kept my in-laws' dog for about 4 days. As you would guess, Matthew was thrilled; I am not even sure if thrilled is a satisfactory word. Matt and Sissy are pretty much best friends when they are together.

In case you did not know, we also have an ancient cat named Rascal. She pretty much stays to herself. Rascal and Sissy are not best friends. However, Sissy would love to be her playmate but as you can imagine, Rascal, in typical cat fashion, wants nothing to do with her (or us for that matter).

At one point during Sissy's stay it was a total circus. Sissy was chasing the cat, Matt was chasing Sissy screaming and laughing, and I was chasing all three trying to break it up. This was inside of the house. I think we made about three laps around the "loop" before Rascal got some sense and ran into our room and hid under the bed.

Sissy also spent a great deal of time sniffing around the house for Rascal and when she had the chance, sniffing her butt. Very classy. I also went through three pairs of shoes outside if you get my drift.

The whole stay ended with Rascal scratching Sissy on the nose about 30 minutes before she left to go home. I am not sure Sissy ever got the hint.

With all this said, we enjoyed her immensely. It kind of makes me want a dog. A small dog that does not bark, poops outside in one place, and does not sniff my cat's butt.

This is typical Sissy. She thinks she is a person and always needs covers. In the next picture, you will see Rascal on the couch taking a bath. Look at Sissy. Shocker.

This pic says it all. Do you see the look in Matt's eyes??

Momsense

The other day I had lunch with a sweet new friend and she shared a very funny story. I think you have to be a mom to truly appreciate the punchline.

The day after Christmas her daughter, who is only a few months younger then Matt, found a brand new bottle of powder before her mom woke up. She proceeded to open the bottle and dump the entire thing on herself, her 14 month sister, and their room. When my friend woke up she found the entire room and her girls covered in white powder.

When she told her husband about the occurrence he said "What did you do? Spank them?"

Guess what she said...

"NO I took pictures!!"

I love it, only a mother would do that!

Changes

Here is my list of changes for 2009. I am not calling these resolutions because maybe if I call them something different, I might actually succeed!

• Be a better wife and mom ( I feel like I've been in a funk since we moved)
• Get out of the funk
• Walk everyday
• Limit my daily intake of sweets
• Balance my checkbook every other day ( I hate doing this!)
• Do a daily devotion
• Finish any project that I start
• Build quality relationships
• Don't worry about what other people think
• Spend less money (I'm sure if I balanced more often I would spend less!)
• Save more money
• Read more
• Be less selfish
• Be more proactive
• Quit nagging my boys or more realistic, nag less
• Be an encourager
• Focus on Christ not the world

Care to share yours...

As of Late

Hello. My name is Aleesa. This is my blog that I infrequently write....Just in case you forgot who I am...

I have been dreading this post for awhile. Not because anything bad has happened but because so much time has elapsed and I feel like I need to post it all.

Christmas was great. We spent the first week of vacation at home, which we have NEVER done! It was awesome! Note to family: don't get me wrong, we love spending time with you but it was great being at home. We pretty much lounged around, shopped, and did a bunch of nothing. After the fall we have had, I think we earned it.

We celebrated Rich's birthday Christmas night because he is one of those unlucky people who have a Christmas b-day. I "surprised" him with a Junior's cheesecake that I ordered from NYC. These are the BEST cheesecakes ever! Christmas morning was of course a blast with the 3 1/2 year old mister. He was more intrigued with the crumbs and mess that Santa left then anything else!After the big day we drove to Rich's parents' house for Christmas with his family. We had a great time there, came back home for a few more days, and finally drove to my mom's. .

Oh yes, some time during vacation we also drove to B-town and visited the Rettig clan. The only picture I have posted is from that trip. It is of Matt and Leah charging at me with what I assume are swords and a shield. I love it!

Now that I am looking at this picture, I realize I broke a cardianl parent rule: they are running with sticks. Oops...