Trying to get organized

Being organized keeps me sane. This summer has pretty much been chaotic, so here I am taking baby steps toward sanity. Step one (with some inspiration from my meanie friend) is to get my dinners together. There have been periods of time when I've done really well with making a meal plan and sticking to it.

Cooking dinner in the summer is a challenge due to the heat. Our a/c unit, much like the old dishwasher, is ancient. The summer heat pushes it to the limit some days, which means adding a hot stove to the mix can be disastrous.

I'm responsible for dinner Friday through Monday, so here we go!

• Grilled burgers and salad (with tomatoes from our yard)
• Zesty Slow Cooker Barbecue Chicken
• Pesto (with basil from our yard) over angel hair
• Breakfast - english muffins with scrambled eggs & turkey sausage or breakfast burritos
  

A new year, a new dishwasher

I'm not a resolution maker. While I get the whole starting fresh thing, it seems like it'd be better to make the change you want to make when you want to make it rather than waiting until some really cold day in the middle of winter when it's easier to wait until tomorrow. Doesn't work for me.

Ya know what else doesn't work for me? A dying dishwasher. We only had a dishwasher at one house growing up. And we couldn't use it due to low water pressure or some such. When I bugged my parents for a dishwasher (which is totally normal, right?) I always got the same response, "We have a dishwasher. Her name is Autumn." (I was also the tv remote.) Needless to say, I'd be cool without ever washing another dish.

The dying dishwasher (it came with the house, so it's at least five years old and quite possibly may be the first dishwasher ever made) had been acceptable until the last few months. As I found myself washing more dishes than the dishwasher, I decided that was it.

I got the best New Year's gift ever in my new dishwasher. It's fancier than I planned with it's stainless steel door and tall bottom rack. The only downside is that the fridge and stove seem a bit jealous.

Belle has a birthday

Since Belle's birthday is Christmas Eve, a concerted effort is made to keep it separate from Christmas. It usually turns into a month long event. This year we decided to change it up a bit and celebrated on her birthday.

After thinking about it for .005 seconds, she decided on Hananoki for her birthday lunch. The place was deserted, so no diners were annoyed by all the picture taking.

Luke ponders his options.

The onion volcano was a dud. Luckily the food was delicioso.

After lunch, we went to Aunt May's for more presents.

And cake. We learned our lesson with that huge Cold Stone cake of 2008. This year, we got a very normal sized red velvet cake with sweet cream ice cream mixed with oreos and a ganache frosting. Super yummy, if a bit rich.

Success!

It's December?

Guess I wasn't quite as refreshed as I thought I was back in August. We've managed to get the girls to school on time every single day. EVERY. SINGLE. DAY. Too bad there's not a fancy prize for that. Oh, yeah. The prize is not going to court. Guess I'll take that.

So, here's a quick photo recap of what I haven't blogged about.

Luke started preschool. He wants to go more.

We dressed up

Sadie (my sister) added a member to the family.

We made a few messes.


And some goofy faces

I feel refreshed

After a much needed blogging break (I mean, that once or twice a month posting was a bit overwhelming), I'm back.

Our summer was simultaneously eventful and uneventful. We had too much fun with our west coast (and fellow nonblogging) friends. My parents crossed the country and landed at our house for a few days. And somehow, I'm pretty sure the Newport Aquarium, King's Island and the Louisville Zoo won't be the same after our visits. In between all the fun, there were way too many days that weren't pool worthy, way too many fights that needed reffing and insanity to be had by all.

The girls started school this past Wednesday. So far, Belle has only caused one fight between boys vying for her attention. Soon she'll be able to woo and be wooed en español, as she's in the spanish immersion program. Ava hit the ground running and can't wait for her first homework packet.

Here are the obligatory first day of school pictures. Check out how much Ava has grown since first grade!

Luke starts preschool on the 31st. In preparation for preschool, he had to ditch his nasty habit of diaper wearing. He'll be going two days a week, giving each parent a couple hours of alone time. As sad as it is, I haven't had two and a half hours of scheduled alone time in years. With that, I'm looking forward to reacquainting myself with some higher level of sanity than I've known over the past few months.

Birthday boy

Luke-a-duke turned three today. Time for a trip down memory lane photo style.

I'm a horrible human being

Belle, Luke and I ventured into Evil*Mart today. It's one of those places I don't shop. In fact, it's been so long since we've shopped there that Belle didn't know what store it was. An affordable fabric (as in not plastic) shower curtain liner lured me in.

With the fabric liner and a few other "necessities" in hand, we made our way to the endless checkout lines (another loathsome aspect of Evil*Mart). There were only a few people in front of us, but it was the guy directly in front of us that is making me question my humanity right now. He had a cute little girl - maybe around 18 months old - and was buying the smallest packages of wipes and diapers known to parentkind. After trying a couple cards that were both promptly declined, he left.

At that point, I should have told the cashier to add them to my order and taken him the bag. But I didn't. And now I feel horrible.