Saturday, March 23, 2013

Hello, Dolly!!!


Yesterday was opening day at Dollywood!!

In case you are unfamiliar with this gem of an attraction in the Great Smoky Mountains, it is a theme park (partially) owned by Dolly Parton! There are rides for all ages to enjoy, good country and gospel music, and yummy food.


We are lucky enough to live close to Dollywood and have enjoyed season passes the last few years as a family, just like my parents and I did growing up.  Some of our favorite rides include:


Smoky Mountain River Rampage-warning, you will get WET!!


Blazing Fury-a hold-over from when the park was Silver Dollar City.  It was my first roller coaster.


Lucky Ducky-perfect for little ones. This is one of the first rides S was tall enough for last year.


Rockin' Roadway-S loves driving the cars!


For bigger kids (and adults), I suggest

Mystery Mine-95 degree, 85-foot vertical drop into darkness


Wild Eagle-America's winged coaster


I suggest if you are in the Pigeon Forge, TN area anytime between now and January 4, 2014, stop by and say Hello, Dolly!!!


I have not been compensated for this post. I just love Dollywood!!! Photos from the Dollywood website.  


Tuesday, March 19, 2013

Manic Menu Monday

Ok, I know--it's Tuesday.  But I had planned this post for yesterday, and the day got away from me. And I had to grocery shop and clean house after everyone went to bed.  Excuses, excuses.  :-)

So, I'm linking up with Rachel on Tuesday.

Here are our menus for the last two weeks.  Enjoy!

Leftover taco soup and cornbread
Fish and vegetables
Shrimp quesadillas
Rice and beans
Portobello mushroom sandwiches with hummus and chips
Pizza

Portobello mushroom sandwiches with sweet potato fries
Shrimp pesto pizza
Spicy shrimp pasta (I used shrimp instead of the sausage and Greek yogurt in place of heavy cream in that spicy sausage pasta that is going around Twitter.)
Turkey kebobs


Sunday, March 17, 2013

Brothers & Sisters

Have y'all ever watched the tv show Brothers & Sisters? It was on ABC from 2006-2011.  I never watched it then, but thanks to the power of Netflix, it has recently become one of my favorite shows.


(Credit: ticketstubthis.wordpress.com)


In case you don't know what the show is about (the title is a big hint), it's a show about the Walker family and their lives in California. "The series revolves around the lives and problems of the wealthy Walker family in the wake of the death of family patriarch William Walker (Tom Skerritt), the founder of the family business Ojai Foods. The family consists of wife and mother Nora Walker (Sally Field) who must deal with revelations about her husband's infidelity, and her children Sarah (Rachel Griffiths) and Tommy (Balthazar Getty), both married executives at Ojai Foods, Kitty (Calista Flockhart) a conservative activist, Kevin (Matthew Rhys) a gay lawyer, and youngest sibling Justin (Dave Annable), who has recently returned from the Iraq War with a substance abuse problem. They were joined by Nora's brother Saul (Ron Rifkin) and Holly Harper (Patricia Wettig), William's mistress. Plotlines typically revolved around the romantic relationships of the family, their business fortunes, especially with regard to the control of Ojai Foods, and the relationship between the siblings. Most conflicts were resolved with a renewed call for family unity." (from Wikipedia)  Must see tv, no?

And as I watch the show, I wonder, is this what having brothers and sisters is like?  Are they the keepers of your biggest secrets?  Secrets that not even your spouse knows about.  Do they talk about marriage problems, first dates, hook-ups, and one-night stands?  Are they your best friend?  I'll never have the answer to that question because I am an only child.

If those questions are yes, then I am super excited for my kids.  The oldest, S, is 3.5 years older than her two siblings, F (girl) and C(boy), who are fraternal twins. I can't wait for them to share secrets, talk about crushes, and help each other. I want to have that loud Walker family dynamic-a house full of laughter, love, and even the occasional fighting.  Now I can do without their infidelity and substance abuse problems, but the rest, sign me up!!!

So here's to all the brothers & sisters out there.  May you forever be each other's best friend for life.

Saturday, March 16, 2013

Sickies Go Away!!!

Well, this week hasn't happened at all like I planned.

My sweet husband, M, was on spring break this week-he's a college professor-and I thought I would take advantage of that with lots of time alone.  Yes, I love being a SAHM, but sometimes I just want ME TIME. I had planned on seeing OZ, shopping, maybe even lunch out.  But life had other plans.  Last Friday, little C was diagnosed with an ear infection, and on Monday, little F (his twin sis) was diagnosed with one too.  They have both been pretty pitiful.

Also, I seemed to have over-scheduled myself with consignment sale stuff-I worked Monday, dropped off my goodies on Tuesday, and shopped on Wednesday. So, I felt guilty being gone any more than necessary since my babes are sick.

However, that doesn't mean we haven't had some fun.  On Thursday, S (my oldest) and I, went to an indoor pool and swam for a couple hours, then had a yummy Mexican lunch before coming home.  She even talked me into getting her us each a cookie.  It was nice to get that one on one time with her.  Then yesterday, the family ran some errands and then went to the zoo.  S was so glad her daddy was there and F & C slept most of the entire time.  We ran into a bunch of people we know and it was just a great day.

That is until about 5 when suddenly my left ear stopped up and started hurting.  Uh oh.  M was at the mall and I texted him I needed to go to the walk-in clinic when he got home.  I finished feeding the babies and was out the door at 5:30.  I got home about 9:00. And guess what--I have an ear infection.  I feel much better today, thank goodness.

And this weekend-oh, have I over-committed.  I'm helping with a baby shower today.  I am so, so excited about this.  My sweet friend has wanted a baby for so long and I am over the moon to be celebrating her and her baby boy. And tomorrow after church, I have my 2nd, and last consignment shift.  So, no rest for the weary this weekend.

That's what I've been up to & the reasons for no postings.  I hope to get another out tomorrow, but don't hold your breath.


Monday, March 4, 2013

Menu Monday

First, let me apologize for no pictures. I took them, promise. I am just horrid (love that word) at taking them off my camera and phone. Anyways, this is what we ate last week. I'm still in the process of meal planning this week-we have plenty of leftover soup to tide us over tonight.

Join me as I link up with Rachel on Menu Monday!!

Monday
Skinnytaste's Santa Fe chicken over rice with avocado

Tuesday
Linguine with scallops and marinara sauce

Wednesday
Waffle with some of Skinnytaste's pumpkin butter and a Morningstar Farm soysage patty

Thursday
Skinnytaste's tuna noodle casserole

Friday
Leftovers--I was at a consignment sale and ate after the kids were in bed

Saturday
Good Earth spicy citrus glazed shrimp with angel hair pasta

Sunday
Taco soup with Mexican cornbread
Chocolate eclair cake-it was a birthday dinner for my mother-in-law

Also-I think I need to own stock in Skinnytaste. She has the best recipes & all are WW friendly!