He ain't bad to look at either...

Dinner time can be stressful, at least for me. There are some days that I plan a meal and can execute it well and most the time it's edible. That's when I plan ahead, follow a receipe of sorts and have all the ingredients at hand. But those nights that I have not planned, I can stare into our pantry/fridge/freezer and just be completely dumfounded. It's the same thing that we women go through when we have a special occasion and want to look really good and just stare at our closet as if we have never dressed ourselves before.

Now on those nights, my Above Average Joe can look at that same pantry/fridge/freezer and find ALL KINDS of things to make. I think it's magic, or witch-craft or something. Because I was just there...and there was nothing speaking to me other than a huge sign pointing to take out menus. One of these nights happened last week. We had a bunch of fresh veggies that parents dropped off so Above Average Joe decided to make a "veggie gulosh". I put that in quotes for a very specific reason. I have no idea how to make gulosh (and i don't think joe does either) but that was the term that we agreed upon as he started cooking all of this into a saute pan with oil and seasonings and ground meat. And here's the kicker...it turned out great. Well, not totally great, but not by any fault of Joe's. The cucumber was a bit bitter but that was the veggie's fault, maybe the farmer...but not ours! Otherwise, it was quite tasty and Above Average Joe was SO PROUD of whipping up this little meal that he made me take a picture.



He was mostly proud of how he browned his cheese to perfection. It was good, folks. And this is only one of the reasons that he earns his nickname over and over.

Paper Bag

Trevin on the first day of 4th grade!

This will be an interactive post...I expect to see MANY comments!

Trevin came home from school today, and along with his math and reading homework he had a plain paper bag with instructions that were to fill it with 8 things that make him...him. It got me thinking what I would put in my paper bag today. Trevin filled his with great things that really show who he is and what he likes. The things in Trevin's paper bag are as follows:
1. A Movie (Specifically Pirates of the Carribean...could have been Star Wars too)
2. A CD (he wanted to take Barenaked Ladies but I didn't want to be called in on the first week of school so we sent the Shrek 2 soundtrack)
3. His pinewood derby car (because he likes boyscouts and building things)
4. His football trophy (he loves football)
5. A Baseball (he loves baseball)
6. A magnet of a lighthouse in OBX (this is a vacation that we have taken twice now and signifies how much he loves the beach...and vacations in general)
7. A picture of the family (because he LOVES being a big brother)
8. This one is still being debated but it's a toss between a soda can (because he likes soda) and his wallet (because he likes money to buy things).

The 8 things in my bag....

1. My wedding ring (i love this ring and i love what it represents)
2. Chocolate chip cookie (i do like to bake and i'm pretty good at it...never bad to have a little chocolate in your life too)
3. Picture of my kids (obvious reasons)
4. The Giving Tree book (i love this book)
5. A theater pin (i love the theater)
6. Sand from a beach (representing travel and the ocean)
7. a bracelet that my best friend gave me a few months before he died (to remember him and to remember how precious friendship is)
8. The song I Hope You Dance (which is how I try to live my life and in small tribute to the fact that I cannot dance as I once did)


So I put it to you...what are the 8 things in your bag????

Up & Coming

I know I've been very photo heavy in my posts lately, but when you have little ones it is important to document anyway you can and things seem to slip by so quickly that I still feel very behind. Lucky for me we have scheduled more photos to be done! Let's hope they turn out as cute as I am hoping and that we only have so many breakdowns trying to achieve said cuteness.

In other wonderful news Above Average Joe has an interview tomorrow! I never thought and interview would seem so exciting, but tell you what...I have shivers. Let us all hope that the powers that be will see exactly how above average my Above Average Joe is and offers him a slew of work. If not, we'll just keep along. Contract work has started to spurt up and eased some financial burdens, and we are greatful for that. I'm just selfish, and want more. ;)

Allergies

Above Average Joe has always suffered from allergies. It's something that I have never had a problem with UNTIL I got pregnant (stupid hormone freaked body). Well, either father dear has given his lovely allergy issues to his 2 kids or both my little ones have a mild summer colds (I'm hoping for the later). Either way, it's been not so fun. Garrin has to have his nose wiped about every 3rd second and Kiya cannot abide being put down because then she cannot breath! It's been a long couple of nights with very little sleep. We're managing but seriously, if anyone wants to hold my precious 2 week old girl feel more than welcome to come by and give my arms a break...