My Eye is Broken!

Tonight as Max was falling asleep, he told me that his eye was broken and that we would need to go to the hospital! He even threw in a story about swallowing another magnet to convince me that we needed to go to the hospital. I assured him that his eye was not broken and after three prayers to Heavenly Father asking him to fix his broken eye and a warm wash cloth to wipe off what I believe was toothpaste from his finger to his eye .... he is at last asleep! Thank heaven his little eye is not broken!

Where Do Cheeseburgers Come From?

Tonight we took a little drive around town to see some of our favorite neighborhoods .... in other words, the neighborhoods that our original realtor never showed us here in Winchester. (ugghh) This afternoon for dinner, Mark grilled hamburgers outside and Max was right there to help him! So, along our drive we passed a pasture full of cows and we asked Max if he knew where cheeseburgers came from? He said trees and then the clouds?? Mark and I had to break the news to him that cheeseburgers (even the ones from Old McDonalds) come from cows ... oh and so does milk, ice cream, etc. Max must of said to us a 100 times, "no they don't - you must be jokin' me!". I'm still not sure he believes us but, for now the news has been broken! Yummm - grilled burgers are the best!

Aluminum Foil Education

I had to go into the kitchen and check this out for myself. Whoever looks at the end of your aluminum foil box? You know when you try to pull some foil out and the roll comes out of the box. Then you have to put the roll back in the box and start over. The darn roll always comes out at the wrong time. Well, I would like to share this with you. Yesterday I went to throw out an empty Reynolds foil box and for some reason I turned it, and looked at the end of the box. And written on the end it said, Press here to lock end. Right there on the end of the box is a tab to lock the roll in place. How long has this little locking tab been there? I then looked at a generic brand of aluminum foil and it had one, too. I then looked at a box of Saran wrap and it had one too! I can't count the number of times the Saran wrap roll has jumped out, when I was trying to cover something up.I'm sharing this with my friends. I hope I'm not the only person that didn't know about this .

Plate It Up Blog ... Check It Out!

www.plateitupinwinchester.blogspot.com

I've finally been able to get something together just for the plates. Check it out. I know I need to recruit a friend or two to help with pictures. Let me know what you think!

Setting Limits

Lately I feel like I have been running at what seems to be 100 mph .... trying to keep up with the house, RS calling, making plates, delivering plates, keeping up on the adminstrative end of the plates and home bills, entertaining Max, making meals and don't forget the dust that has been piling up! Tonight I have decided that I really do have to set limits on everything because the reality is that I can only do so much. Thankfully, Mark has been helping me and keeping up with all the outdoor spring cleaning and has been a tremendous help with Max. Our yard is looking really good and our lawn is almost ready for its first cut. So, while there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done, for my mental health I've decided that I really only need to run 14 1/2 mph on a daily basis. Everything else can wait til' tomorrow.

Discovery Space Shuttle Launch

Tonight we were able to watch the Discovery Shuttle Launch live on Fox News. Max was sooo excited to see the rockets explode! This was his first live television viewing of a space shuttle take off! We kept telling him these were the rockets and shuttle just like he saw at the museum. He gave a big laugh and smile once everything got going and lift-off was happening. Mark and I were amazed at the speed of the shuttle. Once in space, NASA mentioned it would be going 17,000 mph!

My thanks to those who have a love and passion for space, discovery, flying, science and simply having the guts to get in a shuttle and go explore! I simply enjoy watching others have a the thrill of their lifetime and I am grateful that others have a passion for it. Just as the countdown was to 30 seconds I said to Mark, you think anyone on the crew is saying, wait .... I have second thoughts about doing this? His reply... well if they do, I think they are SOL at this point! We laughed and enjoyed the moment. Here are some photo's courtesy of the AP.

Darn Good Chocolate Cake!

Have you ever heard of the Cake Doctor? Several years ago I purchased this book and have loved to use it as a source for when you have a cake mix but, you want to make it taste phenominal! On page 36, you will find the recipe for Darn Good Chocolate Cake .... and I must tell you, that I have used this recipe a few times and it really is a winner. So I will share with you this recipe and encourage any of you who bake to pick up this book.
1 pkg 18.25 ounces plain devil's food (or any chocolate mix)
1 pkg 3.9 ounces of chocolate instant pudding mix
4 large eggs
1 cup sour cream
1/2 cup warm water
1/2 cup of vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
Mix everything together except the chocolate chips. Once everything is mixed, fold the chips into the batter. Bake for 45 to 50 minutes or until the cake is firm and pulls away from the sides. Anne Byrn the author suggests making this cake in a bundt pan ... and really you don't have to put icing on it but the icing will add to the richness. The sour cream is what makes the cake so rich and the pudding mix adds moisture. All the recipes in this book start out with a basic bought in the store cake mix. Fun and yummy!

Plate It Up ... is Beginning to Boom!

This past week I have been working very hard on making contacts and getting my 30 samples out to store and business owners. It has been very exciting to see the public respond to these crazy little plates. I am working on starting another blog that will feature the products and the locations as to where they can be bought. The biggest excitement that I had was to be able to sell them outright to the Apple Blossom Store that will be opening here on March 30th. This entire town has an enormous festival that is celebrated with mulitple parades, golf tournaments, luncheons, circus, concerts, etc. The true apple blossom is white with a green leaves and a pink tint to the blossom. However, the colors that are used to celebrate this fesitval are a traditional pink and kelly green. Therefore, my Cherry Blossom plate is actually perfect for it. I have ordered an apple blossom product that I will make plates with ... it will not be here until Monday. I have several stores that are anxious for it to come in. Hopefully, those plates will be beautiful as well. Yesterday, I had to stop selling for an afternoon to go search out more glass plates so that I can keep up with the requests. Late night and some long days have certainly been welcome as I am excited to see how far I can get these plates out!

PS - I have NOT forgotten about the butterfly request! I have made two but, Mark told me that I should keep trying... I know I can do better!

Return with Honor

Tonight we celebrated Justins birthday with cake and presents. Justin got some new Sunday clothes which included a nice white shirt so that he can help pass the sacrament along with a beautiful cross stitch from Grandma Tippets of "Return With Honor" done in the colors of green. We explained to Justin what this meant and we decided to hang this piece of "artwork" (yes we consider it artwork Grandma) in our front entryway so that we can be reminded each time we leave the house. Thank you so much ... we all love it. Thanks again Grandma for thinking of Justin. Grandma and Grandpa Bridges sent some money that Justin will be using to buy himself a new tie to go with his new white shirt. Thank you to everyone for making Justin feel special. Having video difficulties tonight so I will try again tomorrow to post the video of Justin with his birthday cake.

Happy Birthday Justin

While Justin is now here with us today, we are celebrating his 12 birthday today. Here is a recent photo of Justin and Max playing together here in the basement. Justin and Max love to play and wrestle together. Most of the time... Justin loves to have the attention of Max. But is still learning to be a patient big brother. Justin loves to play the drums in school and is doing well overall in school. Math and science still seem to be favorite subjects. Green is still is favorite color and he still loves Bionicles although Playstation and WII are close behind. Happy Birthday Justin. We love you.

Ahh Chocolate ....

Max: Mommy can you just get me some chocolate so that my tummy will be strong?

Mom: Well, I don't think we have any chocolate right now and really only vegetables make your tummy strong!

Max: Well, can we go to Walmart and get some chocolate?

A little man in the making ready to solve problems quickly and precisely. Why wouldn't we go to Walmart for chocolate? They have everything, right?

Congrat's to Mark!

Does Mark have the look of a Graduate Student or what? Looks like he is already studying doesn't it? Today we found out that he was accepted into the Volgenau School of Engineering at George Mason for his Masters Degree! Right now Mark is thinking he will get his degree in Transportation but, is planning to consult with his advisor to see what would be best in the long run for job security. We were happy to receive such good news! I'm very proud of you Mark .... GREAT JOB!

Cousins Visit

Jenny, Steven, Madi & George were all able to come down for a quick visit yesterday afternoon. We had a great time visiting, blowing bubbles, BBQ'ing, walking to the pond and catching up. When I told Max that his cousins were on their way, he asked me if they were on a plane and flying in to the airport. We laughed and Uncle Steven confirmed that they "flew" down 81 as fast as the car would let them come. Max had a great time with Madi & George and is already asking when they will be back! Here are some cute pictures of our cute cousins!

George really wanted some diet coke!
Cute Madi & Max!

Look Who's Three!

We celebrated the BIG 3 today with Max and his friends. I can hardly believe three years have gone by. It seems like yesterday we were at the hospital anxiously awaiting for his arrival. He has grown so much and is such a sweet little boy. As with all kids Max can bring you to tears with love and kindness and tears of frustration from whining.

Here are some of the things that Max currently loves:

• Movies: Cars, Shrek (his favorite is the original because of the dragon), Shark Tale, Incredibles, Finding Nemo and The Hulk .... he loves to see the green guys! (I'm sure he'll need therapy for that one some day!)


• Food: Grapes, pizza, quesadilla, scrambled eggs, toast, yogurt, cheese sticks, pretzels, animal crackers, corn, peas, green beans, chocolate milk, chocolate, gummy bears or worms, banana, chicken, hamburgers, tacos, olives, mashed potatoes and of course french fries.


• Games: Operation, bingo, chase around the basement (or chase of anykind), throwing the football outside, duck duck goose, and as of today ... pin the tale on the donkey and red light green light.


• Counting: Max can count to 10 easily and almost to 20. He usually gets a few of the "teens" mixed up but can do it. We practice every time we go to Walmart since we usually have to stop and count the vacuums at least twice. Generally there are anywhere from 21 to 24 vacuums at our local Walmart ...


• Books: Max still loves to have books read to him. Although it is now March, I am still reading him "Twas the Night Before Christmas" as often as he can get me to, except now he practically has it memorized and can read it to me.


• Singing: While Mark and I openly admit we can not sing ... I still sing to him just about every night before bed or nap time. He can sing Families Can be Together Forever, Teach Me to Walk in the Light, The Birdie Song, Popcorn Popping, ABC's and many more. He will need serious voice lessons from a professional if Max ever wants to pursue singing!


• Maxisms: "What he heck are you doing?" or "What the blue blazes are you doing?"

We are so happy to have Max in our family. He can always brighten up any room with his smile and energy for life. He is known as the escape artist in nursery and definitely keeps his teachers on their toes.

Here are some highlights from the party today. Thanks to all our friends for celebrating with us! We love you Max!

Justin, Max, Kenzi & Dallin

Dallin assisting Max with the "big box".

Justin gave Max a fun new play doh kit and tools!
Max giving us a cheesy smile with his new Spring coat.

Oh boy ... a fun new gun to kill spiders and bugs with!

The basket ball stand ... needs to grow another inch or two to slam dunk!

This year I made cup cakes in ice cream cones and then we decorated them. Max was really excited about this and he was great help in making them and decorating them!

As you can see we had several rounds of pin-the-tale on the donkey. The kids were hilarious. They would walk up to the donkey with their blind fold on then, move it up just a bit before they would attempt to stick their tale on.

The blowing out of the candles!

Thanks to everyone who sent cards, presents and phone calls! We had a great day!

Plate It Up!

I've been working this past week on some new plates to sell this Spring at a couple of different open houses that are coming up. I got the courage up to also contact a couple of local stores to see if they were looking for new vendors and ..... they both said yes! So, this week I am going to take samples to each store and see what they say. I decided to call this little side business "Plate It Up" with a tag line of "Decorative Plates for all Occassions." We'll see what comes of it. But here are some of the plates I have been working on.

Christmas Trees - these were very popular Dec '08

Fruit Collection

Virginia Landscape
Fall Leaves

Easter Eggs

Red Rose

Thanksgiving Turkey
Love

Fruit Collection

Cherry Blossoms