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Thursday, July 24, 2008

Maddie and the flower

This is 2 months old but I thought it was toooooo cute!

Again I am holding the camera to close to my face so I sound funny!

CHicago

My mom took me to chicago yesterday for a few fun reasons. we had to take an order to the Chicago Botanical Garden, I got to the fresh floral arrangements for the shop this week, I was so thrilled!

After that we headed to Trader Joe's in wicker park. I am totally obsessed with Trader Joe's. The prices are rite, I love the selection, because they have everything, just not a huge selection, which is awesome because It takes to long other wise. Prices are just awesome though.

Everything (mostly everything) is Their own brand. For instance, our local store brand of Maple Brown sugar oatmeal is $3.99 at trader Joe's it was $2.29 for the same amount of packets. And I acutally liked their brand better, it tastes way better to me and it doesn't get jelly-ish. Nice and fluffy.

So I stocked up on some stuff and tried a few new things. They have Dolmas in a jar, which are stuffed grape leaves, stuffed with jasmine rice I do believe. They had a great Idea of chopping them up and then putting crumbled feta into it. Now I took it farther, made the dolma feta mix, then I took a pita put some humus on it and then put the mixture in side and made a fantastic pita pocket. I thought what the heck lets see if the babies like it, they were just thrilled with it!

They also had some thai peanut satte, which I cooked up with chicken and again the kids loved it.

I really want them to have a wide varitiy of tastes to explore.

So for new foods that we have tried in the last week we like

Humus
Pita
Stuffed grape leaves
Brie ( I checked with the Dr. First and it was fine)
Fig bars from TJ's
Chicken Satte
Thai Curry chicken
Babba Ganuj

We also went to Sam's wine and sprits and I picked up a couple bottles of ICe wine for Josh and I, we love it, it's really sweet and quite a treat. I also grabbed a bottle of pre made white russian mix. I like to make home made mudslides out of it, add some chocolate sauce and some ice cream and put it in the blender and away you go! It's actually really fun for parties! And the mix is fairly week and since I'm not a huge alcohol fan, but love mudslides, It's pretty good!


I am so excited for them, I am going to keep writing Trader Joe's on a daily basis to get them to put one near us, I am on a campaign~

Thursday, July 17, 2008

good swims and cute clothes

I found the most adorable dress on e-bay for maddie, it's from a small boutique in Nice, I adore it, she's so cute in it!

I got John a Hawaii style short and shirt set that is from Hawaii, I love e-bay. I buy a lot from the same women who has twins that are a little bit older then JAM, All of her things are clean and sent wrapped in tissue with ribbon and come from a smoke free home.

So the twins went out on my dad's boat last weekend, we had fun!! Maddie got in the water and went swimming with grandpa and she had a blast although I only caught the last part of her swim on video.


My mom brought the babies recorder flutes to play with over the weekend as well, that was pretty fun, they seem to enjoy them but I only let them have them when they are in their high chairs because I am afraid of them falling with them in their mouthes.


They were too cute playing the little flutes!!

You can see the green color we are painting our front room and you can kind of see our un finished front wood floor. I am so ready for it to be done but the twins have to be out of the house for 48 hours so we can urathane it. UGGH

Monday, July 14, 2008

New Blog

I've added a new blog for my wedding floral work.

www.Phineuaweddingflroal.blogspot.com

Check it out, I'm still working on it!

Monday, June 23, 2008

cry-o-rama

Good lord we had a long sunday. Poor John had a breakdown at the grocery today. We walked in and he just started sobbing. we had no clue what was wrong just sobbing, we tried everything and nothing worked, he was inconsolable. So I carried him and pushed the cart, while josh tried to shop the list. we ended up just leaving. AND we spent way to much at the store because he was power shopping due to the apparent emergency with JOhn so we didn't shop smart. It's just we were in town at the store with the good prices and couldn't afford to do our shopping close to home, a trip to the "Good" Store may cost $85 and at home it's about $140. No joke.

We are switching to Voice over Internet this week, so we have a new number, woo hoO!! Not a big deal I guess.

So we had our 15 month well child check's this past friday, at 16 months, we got behind when they had Chicken Pox so....

Maddie is 31.5 inches
John is 32.5 inches

Maddie - 20 lbs
John is 25 lbs

We got the DTaP and the HEP A, is anyone else doing HEP A?? Our pedi said it's newly recomended by the Pediatricians Association board academy thing, and with all the imported foods coming in that it's a good idea, so we did it, I read about the research and it makes sense to me. Our HIB was delayed, has anyone else had their HIB delayed due to shortage??

They did their "Skill test" and they did AWESOME! We have been working on colors and numbers for the last few months. So our pedi was suprised when I asked Maddie to Bring me the Blue Cup and she did, John brought a red ball!! So far they know Red, Blue Green, yellow, Black and White and Maddie knows pink I think, or she just really likes it! They can also separate colors.

Also, while we get them dressed we always count, and they both can count to five, which I am so happy about.

We are also working on letters. I made Giant 8 by 10 flash cards with a big letter on one side and then I went around taking pictures of things that start with that letter, A, Apple, Arm, Arch, Altoid (a picture of the box and a mint next to it) ant and Aunt are on one page and I found a picture of an ant on the net and a Picture of their favorite aunt . So I put each set of letter cards on a little metal flip card holder ring thing, like from a binder, and every morning when I go get them up I introduce a new letter and then that day we do something with that letter, we are on I rite now, so they had ice cream today after their shots. It's just fun for now! I try to have at least 5 word cards for each letter.

SO all and all they are great, super impressed with their progressed, which makes me so happy because they were getting labeled as "preemies" for so long and now we are Finally past that.

OH OH OH and they aren't orange any more

Friday, June 13, 2008

OK so I am captain frustration....and Hence is my story!

Usually my Dear Darling Husband (Onward we shall call him DDH) works from 4 pm to 2:30 am, but has been switched to working 12-10:30 Which I enjoy because I get to see him a night more and he has regular sleeping hours. Well He only works 4 days a week (10 hour days) Well today, friday he has to work 6-11, no big deal he makes like 30 dollars an hour doing over time so i'm way cool with it!

So we were chatting about what to do this weekend, last evening and he informs me that he doesn't know when he will be home today, and I question why and he say's"I don't know what time I'll be home tomorow" and I ask well why and he says, "well I'm going out to Tinsleys (boss/friend) after work to hang out", yes I said to hang out!!

Ok I should clarify why this bothers me a bit, first of all, in our family we ask things we don't inform, just to be polite, he did infact inform me, ok ok thats fine whatever, BUT and as I always say there is always a BuT!! During the week, monday, tuesday, wednesday and thursday, it's like he's not even here with the kids, and I don't really like it, but he works weird hours and just kind of does is thing, we work with it and I stay quiet because we get thee day weekends and have lots of fun, but come friday, I am tired and can really use some help around the house, so when he jsut up and informs me that he's doing his own thing, it just tweaks me the way way way wrong way, so I tried to him about it and he informs me, for the second time in the nigh, that fridays are his day and he does what he wants to do, to relax after a busy week!! This is so not like my DDH!!

I think what bugs me so much is not that he is going there, that doesn't bug me it's how it all came about. And even more that he doesn't realize that Maybe I want a day to do as I please and just go off, I don't get that, and I'm not say that he should not because I do not, I'm saying he should at least realize that maybe I want a break, maybe I want to go to a friends house. I don't know this is my alter ego captain frustration talking here. On the weekend we do everything as a family, and I cherish those times. They are what I have always wanted and I am so thankful for them.

So I am just sad and frustrated because I feel under appreciated

SO here is the poop adventure that happened to our sweet Captain Frustration

So this morning after little sleep, much tossing and turning, I wake up and here the babies babbling away, so I get up and go get them only to walk into lullaby land and find maddie pointing at john, I turn and peer into his to find......Poop! Yes ladies and Gent..Ladies......Poop everywhere, John had taken off his pants, off his onsie and off with the diaper and decided to finger paint with poop. all over the bed, the bumpers the wall. the sheets, himself, he through some on the lamp some on the window (he threw it across the room) Their room is a bug poopy mess!! Me being the germaphobe I am am freeking out because of e-coli or something and I need to go and disinfect and clean, but I have no one to watch the babies while I do it, and they can't be in the room because they are terrified of the steam machine, and I am going to use clorox to clean up the walls and what not, and I don't want them around the smell until the room airs out and gets the fumes out. Any other morning and I would have been like oh crap, and now I feel like a mess, just a crying sloppy mess, (I"m still wearing the tshirt I wore to bed and I think I just noticed poop on the sleeve)

I popped the twins in the tub and we got dressed and ready for the day. Just long long day so far.

SUch is LiFe sUcH iS lIfE SuCh Is LiFe


Captain Frustration, over and out......

Thursday, May 22, 2008

Books

So I found a post that one of the girls put up on my message board about Blurb.com and the Booksmart software. Yeah, I'm addicted. I am working on the first year for the twins, then a wedding/relationship one for josh and I, also I am doing one for each of the twins of all maddie and all john. I have this need to make sure that they know they are individuals outside of being twins. so many people just group them into "twins" and I love that but I also want them to know they are individuals. So I will be ordering my book's in a week or so, I chose the hardcover ones with the dust jacket. if they turn out well they might make good christmas gifts for the grand parents!!

We are starting to get ready to paint here pretty soon . We kept going back and fourth on ideas, ok I kept doing it, but Josh said I can't paint until I have stayed firm on an idea for at least 15 days lol he's worried about me making multiple trips to the Home Depot

So we were going to go away this weekend but our plans were fouled, no big deal, we have a sitter for the night (family) and we are going on a Hot date!! lol I'm so bad, actually we are going out to dinner, probably to Chilies or maybe pasta pasta, (our first valentines day date)Then we are going to see the new Indiana Jones movie, go to Barnes and Noble's for coffee and then go shopping for kitchen stuff, I need new kitchen stuff and I want new towels to match what I am painting the bathroom.

I feel like I've accomplished something today, Tonight is the season finale of Grey's Anatomy so I had to do something special for myself (yes I'm a dork spare me the lecture) So I made double chocolate peanut butter swirl brownies, not my recipe but I thought i'd give it a try (more on that in a min) and I made enchilada's pablono's with real Mole` YUM!! I can't wait. Babies go down around 7 and then I will take my shower and get the dinner in the oven after that and by that time Ugly Betty will be on, which I like but am kind of "eh" about, so I'll work on my books. Then dinner will be done and Parker and I can relax and watch as they leave us in a cliffhanger. BOOO I hate those, I wish they could just leave it be nicely and then start the next season out all crazy like. OR OR OR I wish they would not do seasons and have it year round.

The twin's are into exploring everything!! John says 'no" now, a lot, a whole lot. No this No that, and NO NO NO NO NO and then the head shaking like a mad man!! He's my little goof ball. Maddie is Growling, yes growling folks, she walks up to us and get in the face and "GRRRAAAA". They both fake cough as well. If I clear my throat they do a fake cough. To funny.

DH has a nice 4 day weekend and only works 2 days this wee anyways, so he will have ANOTHer 4 day next weekend. I love his job!!

So I meant to mention before, I have the new Martha Stewart Cookie Cookbook. I love the recipes BUt something is up, all the baking times seem to be wrong. Obviously I follow recipes very well, and today those brownies were to cook for 45 min, they were liquid at 45 min still, not just the center. It took 1 hour 28 min to get them done, and I just cut them and they could have baked longer ( still good though ) Now my oven is properly calibrated with an additional pyrometer so I know it's rite. All I can think is that those recipes are based on cooking in a convection oven which cooks totally different, but that doesn't make sense to me because how many normal people have 2500 dollar ovens in there house, if you do I am very Jealous and I want your oven!! So far I've had to adjust 11 recipes on the time alone and a few more with other problems, one in particular had nearly 3 cups of wet ingredients too 3/4 of a cup of dry and they wanted you to roll the dough??? that's not dough it's batter!! Something is up!!

Ok time to get jammies on!!

Friday, May 16, 2008

Morning Smiles

So I haven't updated in a while, we've had dog issues, which I hope are getting better.

The twins are doing great!  THey love playing with their new dog.  I try and get them not to feed him from their trays, John does a great job at listening but Miss Maddie, well not so much, she's a silly one!  She has figured out how to slide the treat down by her leg and give it to him.  Parker is SO protective of them!  He is the best guard dog ever!  He's such a loverboy!

So last saturday they went to the farmers market for the first time this season, they had a great time!  We brought the pack and play and they played while Daddy and I worked.  Then on Sunday for mothers day we went to the new Su Casa in Fenville, there was a Mariachi Band and it  was busy busy but they had fun.  Needless to say they LOVE mexican food, but I did NOT love their diapers then  next day.  Ew.  Since they built the new building, they added a grocery store, an gelato shop (they serve Palazollos....so good)  a night club up stairs and something else.  It's really neat, there is this HUGE mural on one whole wall, it's neat, Maddie liked pointing to it a lot.  The Gelato is so so so good.  Pallazollos is this gourmet Gelato and Sorbeto that is made in saugatuk, they have 600 flavors, no joke.  I had two scoops, one of Fresh Coconut and one of Naccilcilo (hazelnut) Josh had the Naccilcilo, mom had Dolce de Leche and Cleve had coffee and triple chocolate.  It was so good, oooh and the babies had mexican vanilla.  

Tomorrow is farmers market, really excited about that, the Babies love to go!

Josh bought a home welder today, he welds alot at work in the design studio and now he has it at home to make the garden art for the farm.  He taught me to weld, I was so rockstar!  he said I did awsome!  It was nice because the babies were in bed, and it was great bonding for the two of us.   He's such a great teacher, which is why he is a great husband and father.  I love him.



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Tuesday, May 6, 2008

These are from our visit to the farm on Sunday

PhotobucketMiss maddie
Photobucketmadaline using a dandalion as a pointer
johns i've done nothing wrong face Photobucket Photobucket
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Saturday, May 3, 2008

t's official now, Parker the Poodle is coming to live with the Fowlers. We are adopting a standard Poodle, He's 2 years old and the sweetest dog I've ever met. He has alot of energy, but doesnt jump or anything, just wants to go go go go a lot which is goo for the twins! He is so smart it's not funny. We went to meet him yesterday, I had given him a treat for going potty outside when I walked him and when I went to play with the ball he started nudging at the treat bag, so I put it in my pocket. Parker sits down and puts his paw on my pocket, Smart boy! When I was comfortable with him meeting the twins, he just gave a sniff and nudged their feet with his head and then came back over to me. He didn't jump bark our nip. He's great! I think he's been so bored at the shelter, thats why he gets so hyper, if poodles are not stimulated they get really really bored. So we signed all the contracts yesterday and we could have brought him home with us last night but we wanted to make sure the house was perfectly welcoming him, ie. i'm steaming the carpets so he can't detect that we had another dog ( we had a puppy two years ago who had severe behavioral problems and after 7 months of obidience school and no change we decided she wasn't safe with the twins) Now I scrubbed and 409ed every inch of the carpet she was on, but I want to steam the front room because we havn't tiled in there yet and I don't want Parker to smell her, it's not fair to him! So Monday is the day~plus i need to go to the pet store to get the whitening shampoo, dog food, bowls, color and leashes and some toys! So we are so exctied, he's a standard poodle so he's a good sized dog, he's white and looks like a Lamb! SOO Sweet! We are so excited, the twins say Dog over and over again and they really enjoy having the K-9 company!