My Family Sticker

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My Husband's ABC's

My friend Jennifer tagged me with this one...so here goes, the ABC's of my sweetie, Chris.

A-Automobile of choice? Of choice, with no mind to price or gas mileage? It's a tie between a Corvette convertible and a Hummer...I know, like total opposites, I was pretty surprised when I asked him.

B - Born? April 4th

C-Cookies or Candy? Cookies...any kind, I don't think we've found one he won't eat yet.

D-Date of Choice when you go out? Dinner and a Movie...although around here, we really don't have much choice!

E-Essential Item? His cell phone/PDA...he's addicted.

F-Favorite Foods? Are you kidding, I have to only pick a couple?!? Sushi, Crab Legs, and Steak.

G-Gas or Diesel vehicle? Gas

H-Hobbies? Playing golf, SCUBA diving, messing around on the computer, and growing tomatoes.

I-Ice Cream Flavor? Coffee...more specifically Bruster's Toffee Coffee

J-Job? Mechanical Enginner

K-Kids? 2 - Phillip & Andrew

L-Last Vacation as a couple? Technically, we just went to Gonzales, LA for a relative's wedding...but our last real vacation was to Hawaii in Jan. 2007

M-Morning person or night owl? I'd say night owl...I've slowly but surely turned him into one.

N-Number of Siblings? 1 sister...Terah, who's younger.

O-OCD or sloppy? Sloppy..Actually, the word I'd use is cluttery, but he's definitely NOT OCD!!

P-Pet Peeves? Rubber necking

Q-Quiet or Loud? Quiet

R-Restaurant? Beach Road Fried Chicken (in Jacksonville)

S-Sports? Playing - golf & softball...Watching - football, specifically college football and even more specifically, Gator football.

T-Tight wad or spender? Tight wad...in his defense, he has relaxed a little since we first got married.

U-Unknown Fact about him? He's an Eagle Scout...and very proud and always prepared.

V-Vegetables? Asparagus...ick!

W- Worst Habit? Picking his nose...I know, that's so gross and I'm sorry, but it's true.

X-Xtra Curricular activities in high school? Band - marching, jazz, and concert...playing trombone and tuba.

Y-Your favorite things about him? His smile, the way he makes me laugh, his computer expertise, how great he is at helping out, and what a great Dad he is to our boys.

Z-Zodiac Sign? Aries

I tag: Madeline, Marin, & Jenny...since all my other blogger friends have already been tagged.

My ABC's

A-attached or single: Attached...for 10 years this August

B-best friend(s): Tina, Madeline, Somer, Kelly, and I'm probably forgetting a few...I know it's breaking the rules, but it's too hard to just pick one.

C-cake or pie: Cake, for sure...although there are some really good peanut butter/chocolate pies out there. I'm just not a big fan of fruit pies.

D-day of choice: Saturday, for sure...I sometimes get to sleep in!!

E-essential item: Kleenex...I know, boring, but very true for me.

F-favorite color: Purple...right now at least, but it's always changing.

G-gummie worms or bears: Bears...the worms are just too weird and gross.

H-hometown: Clearwater, FL...born and raised.

I-indulgences: Periodic pedicures and girl's night out

J-January or July: January...July is waaaayyyy too hot!!

K-kids: 2...Phillip & Andrew

L-life is incomplete without: Faith and Friends

M-marriage date: August 14, 1998

N-number of Siblings: 1...older brother, Casey

O-oranges or apples: Apples...Red delicious, please

P-phobias or fears: Tornadoes

Q-quote: "Live Well, Laugh Often, Love Much"...I know it's generic, but I think it's a great one to live by.

R-reason to smile: Hearing my kids laugh...I know it's cheesy, but true and waking up on a Saturday morning and realizing it's Saturday and Chris is getting up with the kids...that's the best!

S-season: Autumn...I'll take cooler temperatures, a nice breeze, and long sleeves any day.

T-tags: Madeline, Susan, & Jennifer...some of my fellow bloggers.

U-unknown fact about me: I took ballet for about 8 years...I know, shocking, isn't it?

V-vegetable: Peas...I just love them.

W-worst Habit: Yelling when I get mad.

X-x-ray or ultrasound: Ultrasound...because there is no radiation involved, and the only ones I've ever had have been very happy moments.

Y-your favorite food: French fries, white chocolate, Coke icees...I could go on and on, it's way too hard to pick just one.

Z-Zodiac sign: Sagittarius & Scorpio...I'm right on the cusp, it depends which chart you look at.

If you've got a blog, post your ABC's, it's always fun to learn more about your friends.

My Pottery Experience

A group of my friends from MOPS went to our local pottery place recently for a Mom's Night Out. I'd heard about these places and how much fun they were, but I wasn't all that sure it would be all that fun. I was totally wrong!! We had a blast. It was a little hard letting go for those of us who have OCD tendencies, but just know going in that your piece is not going to be perfect, but it will be yours. Here are a few of my friends painting their pieces.

Crystal, Nancy, Liz, and Wendy

Summer & Autumn (Wow, how poetic!)

Alicia and Madeline

If you are not a good decision maker, this is not the place for you. First, you have to decide which piece you want to decorate - and there are tons to choose from. Then you have to decide what you want to paint on it. After that, you have to decide which colors and fonts to use. It's exhausting making all those decisions. But, my friends were great in giving me their advice as was the owner of the shop. Make sure to invite at least one really crafty friend with you when you go. (Thanks Autumn!!) I almost wish I went in and they said here, do this with these colors and these fonts. Luckily, I had read about another MOPS group doing 'Special Day Plates' for one of their meetings. It sounded like such a cute idea, that I knew I wanted to do something along those lines. But, there are so many plates, platters, serving trays, etc. to choose from. I got most of my ideas from looking at idea books and pictures of other people's work, but I was pretty happy with the way it turned out. I didn't want it to be for one specific child or one specific holiday, so now we have a special plate any of my guys can use for any special occasion.

This is the before picture, it's been painted but not fired yet.

And the finished product!

Post a comment and tell me if you've ever been and what you've made.

Another Fun Game

Okay, I found another one of these little quizzes to take for fun. I got it from a friend (thanks Jennifer), and I just knew I was going to fail. Science is totally not my thing, so I'm pretty happy with my C. Click on the link and try it out for yourself and make sure you leave a comment and let me know what you got! Enjoy!

OnePlusYou Quizzes and Widgets

Recipes #1

I'm always on the lookout for new recipes, especially easy dinner ones. So, I thought I would start posting some of the new ones I find in hopes of hearing about some of your tried and trues or new discoveries. Here's on of the newest, easiest, best recipes I've found - Chris and the boys love it!!

Sweet & Tangy Slow Cooker Pork Roast

Prep Time: 10 min Yields: 8 Servings

INGREDIENTS

• 1 large onion, sliced
• 2 1/2 pounds boneless pork loin roast
• 1 cup hot water
• 1/4 cup white sugar
• 3 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• 2 tablespoons soy sauce
• 1 tablespoon ketchup
• 1/2 teaspoon black pepper
• 1/2 teaspoon salt
• 1/4 teaspoon garlic powder
• 1 dash hot pepper sauce, or to taste (I omitted this)

DIRECTIONS

1. Arrange onion slices evenly over the bottom of the slow cooker, and then place the roast on top of the onion. In a bowl, mix together water, sugar, vinegar, soy sauce, ketchup, black pepper, salt, garlic powder, and hot sauce; pour over roast.
2. Cover, and cook on Low for 6 to 8 hours, or on High for 3 to 4 hours.

I got this recipe from Allrecipes, which is a great resource for all kinds of recipes. You can sign up for daily e-mails which contain a main dish, a vegetarian alternative, and several ideas for sides. Visit their site to sign up.

And no dinner is complete without a great dessert, thanks to my friend Sharon for this delicious one. They remind me of the old fashioned peanut butter bars we used to get in elementary school.

Peanut Butter Cookie Bars

INGREDIENTS

Cookie Base
1 pouch (1 lb 1.5 oz) Betty Crocker peanut butter cookie mix
3 tablespoons vegetable oil
1 tablespoon water
1 egg

Filling
1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 teaspoons milk

Frosting
1 cup semisweet chocolate chips
1/4 cup butter

DIRECTIONS

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Spray bottom of 13x9-inch pan with cooking spray.
2. In large bowl, stir all Cookie Base ingredients until soft dough forms. Press dough in bottom of pan using floured fingers. Bake 15 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Cool completely, about 1 hour.
3. In small bowl, beat all Filling ingredients with electric mixer on medium speed until smooth. Spread mixture evenly over cookie base.
4. In microwavable bowl, microwave all Frosting ingredients on High 30 seconds; stir until smooth. Cool 10 minutes; spread over filling. Refrigerate 30 minutes or until set. For bars, cut into 9 rows by 4 rows.

I'll try to post more as I find them, please share or post your family's favorites.

I Know, I Know, It's Been a Long Time

I've really been trying my best to keep the boy's blog up to date, since I really think that most of the people who visit care more about what they're doing. So, I've been totally slacking in posting to my own blog. I also really have a hard time coming up with relevant things to write about. My mother gave me a complex about talking about the TV shows I like and what I thought about them (thanks Mom!!), so I've been hesitant to do that. Our lives have been a bit crazy lately, and I haven't had much time to visit or post to the blogoshpere. So, here goes a few random thoughts...

With that being said, I would be totally remiss and not a true fan if I didn't mention American Idol and its newest winner. David Cook has won!! And I'm so glad. I think the people have spoken and let their voices be heard. They didn't want what happened to Chris Daughtry to happen again. Thee were 97 million votes!!! And I'm proud to say that I was 5 of them. I had not voted on any other show this season, but I wanted to make sure that David Cook was not robbed. I was never a big fan of 'Archie' and wasn't really sure why the judges loved him so much. Anyway, enough about that...let's just say I'm super excited that David Cook won and I can't wait to buy his album.

My hubby and I just got back from a weekend trip to Gonzales, LA. For those that don't know (and frankly who would?), that's about half way between Baton Rouge and New Orleans. We went there for a family member's wedding. My parents came here to watch the kiddies while we went. It was a great little get away. There was a big Tanger Outlet Mall right near our hotel, so we got to go over and do a little shopping on Saturday afternoon - after luxuriously sleeping in!! I got myself a new pair of tennie pumps at the Nike Outlet and a few things for the boys at Carter's. We didn't have near enough time, so there were a lot of shops we didn't get to, but I'm sure Chris is happy since that means I didn't spend lots of money. But, it was fun none the less.

We got to see lots of Chris' family that we don't get to see too often, it was great catching up with them. We got to see his cousin, Madeline who was our flower girl in our wedding almost 10 years ago! Needless to say, she's changed quite a bit. I think they were a bit disappointed that we didn't bring the boys (some of them have never met them), but they understood. Maybe we all will get over to New Orleans and/or Texas sometime soon.

I guess that's it for now...I'll try to post again soon before a month is up.

A Little Inspiration

We've been visiting my parents since last weekend and will leave to go back home tomorrow. This is one thing that has contributed to my not posting in while, but actually, I'm having a hard time coming up with things to write. I'm really trying to keep this blog my own. I have another blog, The Instigators, that is completely devoted to my boys. My husband thinks I'm crazy for having two blogs, but I figured the people wanting to see what the kids were up to probably didn't want to read my two cents and vice versa. Plus, as a stay-at-home mom, it's hard enough keeping my own identity apart from being Mommy. This is one way I'm trying to do that, but oddly enough it seems every thought I have is a 'mommy' thought. Shouldn't there be something else rattling around up there?

I've been reading Susan's, Emily's, & Marin's blogs for a good laugh and inspiration. (They are the ones that inspired me to start my own.) Emily is such a fantastic writer, it makes me question what people are thinking when they read my writing. It's never been my forte, although I wouldn't say I was horrible at it either (although you may have a different opinion!) I really think her gift is story telling and that is one skill that I really need improvement on. If someone tells me a story, I can repeat it or post it and it's okay. But, me just taking the elements and creating my own story (and one that's hopefully humorous), is what I find difficult. Maybe if I just keep doing it, I'll get better. Susan tells the most hilarious stories about her little girls. She definitely has a knack for relaying the funny things her girls do onto the computer screen. I hope the things my boys do sound as funny as they really are to the people reading about them (because they really do the most hilarious things!) Thanks ladies for inspiring me to 1) do a blog in the first place 2) be a better writer and 3) become a great story teller.

Toodles...

Prayer

The ladies of my Sunday school class just started our third Bible study. We're doing The Power of a Praying Woman by Stormie O'Martian. I'm really excited because I don't feel like I've ever known how to pray. Both my pastor and Sunday school teacher have recently talked about the proper way to pray and what Jesus said about praying. One of the neatest things about it is she has actual prayers to pray after each lesson demonstrating what she's trying to teach you. I'll keep you updated on what we learn.

We've only done the introduction, but I can't wait to get started. I'm really going to try to work on giving myself some quiet time to talk with God. It's hard, we all have busy lives and lots of excuses, but it's important. And I need to make myself do it, it needs to become a priority. I'm sure it will be short and slow at first, but I'm really going to try. I also can't wait to share my struggles and triumphs with my fellow Bible studiers. It's so nice to know these ladies struggle with some of the same things I do and are there to encourage me through them. I feel I have so much to learn, may the Lord bless all of us as we strive to improve our prayer lives.

I'd love to hear what you have to say about prayer. When do you do it? How do you do it? Do you feel like your prayer life could improve?

Toodles...

I Think They Got It Right

As you can see from the (incomplete) list to the left, I'm a pretty avid TV watcher, some might even say addict (insert *gasp* here). Due to the writer's strike, there aren't very many shows that are new right now, which is a total bummer. Luckily, a few of my favorites are on and my DVR has been busily recording.

Let's talk some American Idol. I think so far, America has gotten it right. It wasn't that I didn't like Amanda, but she was getting very predictable and even a little boring. I know she was supposed to be the 'rocker' chick, but that doesn't mean that she can't mix it up a little bit. And I just wasn't a big fan of her raspy voice. It is a little sad for her that she didn't make it in to that elusive 10, but that's the way it goes I guess.

Digressing a bit to last week, I was very surprised that David H. went home first, but I don't think he would have made it into the top 5 anyway, so it really didn't matter that he went home then instead of in a couple of weeks. I've heard lots of people saying that it didn't affect the outcome, but I do think he lost votes because of his past. I've heard from lots of my friends the same thing that I thought. I liked him a lot in the beginning, but then I found out what he used to do and I just didn't like him quite as much.

I still don't know who my favorites are. Normally by now, there's a few people that are really standing out and I'm rooting for, but not yet. I guess I am leaning towards a few people: David Cook, Brooke White, and Jason Castro (although I can't stand his hair). But, it's an ever changing thing, so we'll see.

Let's move on to Lost, one of my favorites! What is up?? Those writers are crazy. They always manage to surprise, no matter how many scenarios you conjure up in your head, they do something different. Michael on the boat?!? That's crazy. And that flash tonight, was it a flash forward or a flashback? Well, neither really. It was a flash between. It took me about half way through the episode and my husband explaining it to me to finally figure it out. And then Sayid totally ratting him out? What's up with that? You'd think he'd want to try to use him to get out of there. Anyway, I don't even try to figure it out or predict what's going to happen anymore, I just watch and get entertained.

And finally, I watched Miss Guided tonight for the first time. I watched the first two episodes. It was pretty good, we'll see how it goes.

That's it for my TV ramblings, let me know what you think. Toodles...

Love Songs

Well, hey there. I am now becoming fully insconsed in the world of blogging. It's pretty cool and can be downright addictive. It can also be dangerous when I have to remember to watch my kids instead of post or read other blogs!! As a female, I feel it is my right to absolutely love love songs. And I do, especially the cheesy ones! They're the best. I just came across this list of the world's cheesiest love songs on The Y! Radish's Music Playlist Blog. It includes classics from all the best, like Chicago, Air Supply, and Richard Marx. As sad as it is, I think I have most of them already downloaded! Check it out and download a few for your next romantic night!! Toodles...

Lost

A BLESSING FOR YOU AND YOURS
May the grace of God’s protection
And His great love abide
Within your home-within the hearts
Of all who dwell inside.

On to more important matters...
Some of you may know this, but others may not. I am an avid TV watcher, an addict some may say. So, lots of my musings and ponderings will have to do with the TV shows that I love to watch. Maybe someday I'll write a list of all the shows I like to watch. But, I digress...

Chris and I both love Lost. We've been watching from the beginning and just can't seem to stop. The people who write that show are simply amazing. Just when you think one thing, it's something else entirely. Anyway, Jack is definitely more my type, but you've got to admit that Sawyer doesn't look too bad without his shirt on and his sense of humor absolutely kills me! If you watch the show, you know that Sawyer doesn't call anyone by their real name, he uses the most fabulous nicknames, which are normally very appropriate (albeit a little mean sometimes). He will now make up a nickname for you!! Just visit Sawyer's Nickname Generator to find out what yours would be if you were on the island with him.

Toodles...

Everything is Way Too Complicated...

It is Saturday night at about 8:15 pm. We got home from our outings today at about 2:30 pm. At that time, we put the kids down and I got on my computer to create a signature for my e-mail so I could promote my blogs. I've created signatures before, but none with links or hyperlinks. I didn't figure it would be much different. But, of course, it's never as easy as it should be. I thought it would be as easy as creating the signature that I wanted with the hyperlinks in Word and then attach it to my e-mail via file. Nope, not the way it works. If it sounds too easy, it normally is, right? So, between the internet and my very smart husband, we figured it out and it only took us about 5 hours (With a few interruptions named Phillip & Andrew)!! That's just crazy. And now I realize that the little blurb about me under my picture over there on the left does not say what I want it to. Why? Because I have both of my blogs under the same e-mail address. So, when I changed the 'About Me' section for my other blog, it changed it for this one too! Ahh! It's just too frustrating sometimes. I know that the blog sites want to keep it very simple so that everyone can use it. But, it's frustrating that I don't have some of the choices that I want. I'm somewhere in the middle of the no-html-knowledge person who really just need to be able to pick and click and the people who create these amazing html-heavy blogs. It's been over 10 years since I regularly used html code and I've lost a lot of it since I haven't been using it. I guess I better start brushing up. So, keep checking back as I try to learn more and improve the look of this blog. Toodles...

A Little Fun

Just found these cool 'games' you can play and then post to your blog. Click on any of the below banners to take the tests yourself. Yet another thing for me to waste time doing...

29
Okay, you are not allowed to laugh...
32For my geographically challenged brain, I was pretty impressed with myself.

Being a former teacher, I couldn't pass this up. I'm very disappointed that I only scored 87%! That's only a B! And I hate misspelled words. Oh,well, take the test and see what you score.

I Scored a 87%!

Have fun. Toodles...

Still Trying to Figure It All Out

Hello again...it's me, Jen. Well, I kind of exploded onto the blogger scene starting 3 blogs at once. So, I'm still trying to figure it all out. I really need to start looking around and see some other people's blogs to get an idea of exactly what it is I'm supposed to be doing (and how I'm supposed to be doing it.) One of my other blogs (that's not up and running yet) is going to be completely devoted to my children and their lives and my musings on motherhood and childhood. I'm in the process of trying to come up with just the most clever title for it and having problems since I don't consider myself particularly clever. I doubt anyone is reading this except my husband and friend (mainly because I haven't told anyone else about it), but if you are and have a suggestion, please leave a comment. I hear so many cute titles that I then want to use myself! I want someone to read my title and wish they had thought of it. When you converse with a 3 and a 2 year old every day, it's hard to stretch your brain again to come up with an original thought. I'm really trying to use them for my inspiration, but it's hard. Well, I'm going out with another couple friend tonight and I couldn't be more excited! A night out without the kids, yeah! Maybe inspiration will strike, it normally does when you least expect it. Toodles...

Hi!

I'm sure everyone says this, but welcome to my blog. I absolutely never thought that I would have a blog. Blogs are for angst-ridden college students and authors who have meaningful things to say. But, nonetheless, here it is. And here I am venturing into this unknown territory that is the 'blog'. I've already told you a little about myself on the right there and it doesn't get much more complicated than that.

I'm sure you are asking yourself "What is an edugator?" Well, I am a graduate of the University of Florida (Go Gators!!), who's mascot is the Gator. I am also an educator, more specifically, a 5th grade teacher at one time. So, when you combine educator and gator, you get "Edugator". I have been using this moniker since I first entered the College of Education way back in 1995 (gasp!). Now to be fair, I did not originally come up with this idea of joining educator and gator. Way back when I was in middle school, there was a series of T-shirts printed combining other occupations and adjectives with the word gator - like "litigator" and "exaggergator". "Edugator" was one of their creations and frankly, I 'borrowed' it!

As for the swamp...first, gators live in swamps, so that makes sense. Second, the Gator's football field is nicknamed the Swamp, so that also makes sense. Finally, I suffer from Mommy Brain, a condition severely limiting your capacity to think strait once you have children. It results in forgetfulness, becoming scatter-brained, misspelling very common words, and calling your children by the wrong names, among other things. This condition is especially noticeable in reasonably intelligent, pretty with-it women. So, my brain often feels like it is a swamp and my thoughts are quickly sinking in all the muck.

That's it for my first post! Toodles...