FiringBlindly.com

My Dad was visiting for the past couple of weeks and, among other things, we went camping while he was here.  Dad, Amy, Reese, Mara and I all went camping!  We decided that Storm could come on the next trip since we would probably have enough excitement with the girls along.

Not wanting to get too far away (in case an "abort mission" was necessary) we decided to go to Lake Georgetown.  We bought a tent that (I kid you not) had two rooms, sleeps 8, allowed me to stand upright in the center, and had it's own covered porch attached (not your standard backpacking tent).  It really did the job well, even if it did get a puncture in the bottom from the stick hidden in the grass.

We had initially hoped to have dinner and breakfast at the campsite, but time got away from us and we had to resort to having KFC for dinner.  Just as well since it took us a while to get camp set up after getting out there.

The girls really liked being out by the lake.  Reese really enjoys being outside and this was outside at it's best!  We did have to have a talk with her about how far she could go toward the lake without someone with her.

I went to check out the fence that bordered the campsite and stood between us and the lake.  I noticed some of the bushes along the ground had some good size thorns... and raspberries!  There were wild raspberries and blackberries growing right by our tent.  Reese and I gave them a try (they were pretty sour), but Amy chickened out.

As night fell, we lit a campfire and broke out the s'more fixins.  Reese didn't care so much for the complete sweet sandwich and opted for the marshmallow alone.

Reese brought along her "personalized" sleeping bag and curled up in the tent and fell right off to sleep.  Mara went to sleep too in her car seat at Reese's feet.

We played cards by lanternlight for a while and then turned in ourselves.

Halfway through the night, my snoring proved too much for the campers and I was banished to the van for the remainder of the evening...

I think the easiest thing to make in the morning is breakfast tacos.  We did have to modify the cooking arrangement a bit since there was no cooking grid on the firepit.  Instead, we had to pile some wood into the permanent grill and put the pan on top.  It wasn't working really well until I poured the grease from the bacon on top.  That got the cook fire going well enough to scramble the eggs!

After breakfast, we all took a stroll down by the lake.  Reese and Grandpa went off exploring while Amy and I hung down by the water with Mara.

At this point, it was close to naptime, and since we only got the site for one evening, we figured it would be good to head back.  Besides, we still had some work to do finishing the desk.  More on that in my next post...

Monday, May 4, 2009

Outside my window...
It is warming up. I think our sunscreen and mosquito repellent free days are numbered.  

I am thinking...
It is pretty cute when Reese wants to listen to my heart with her stethoscope.  

I am thankful for...
My wonderful husband.  I've used that one before, but I don't think I can thank God enough for the great man He made for me. 

From the kitchen...
I actually have a meal plan for the week!  Fish tonight; a new recipe in the slow cooker tomorrow with lentils (I've never had lentils before...we'll see); and a few other things from my Cooking Light cookbook.

I am wearing...
A light blue striped polo shirt and khaki crop pants.  

I am creating...
Mara's baby book!  I finally printed some hard pictures of her and I am starting to put them in her book.

I am going...
To find my husband a birthday present!  Ideas would be greatly appreciated!

I am reading...
SOMETHING!!  Before I got married, I read 3 1/2 Harry Potter books and loved them.  I convinced Karl to give it a try and he has since listened to all 7 audio books.  He has been on my case to hurry up and read the rest so we can discuss them.  Last night I started listening to The Goblet of Fire.  We also went to Half Price Books last night and Karl insisted that I buy The BFG by Roald Dahl .  I started that yesterday and I think it should be a quick read.  It'll be good to have it on the shelf when Reese is into chapter books.

I am hoping...

Everyone in my family is well soon.  Both girls have a cough, Karl's back his bothering him and my mom and sister are sick.  Yuk.

I am hearing...
Reese and Mara talking to each other.  It's fantastic.

Around the house...
Karl and his dad finished our beautiful new desk!  Karl just has to stain the shelves and then we need to reorganize the room.  

One of my favorite things...
Reese's drawings.  She's started drawing things and saying, "Here, I draw this for you."  It's pretty cute.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
Find my husband a birthday present ASAP! My moms' group on Thursday (if the coughs go away), out for Karl's birthday on Saturday and then down to San Antonio on Sunday for mothers' day.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Our first fairly decent family photo.

Be sure to visit Peggy for links to more daybooks.

Monday, April 27, 2009

Outside my window...
It rained a lot last night, so it is wet.  I think the official forecast is "muggy."

I am thinking...
We might go out to dinner tonight to a very yummy restaurant - Cafe Mangu.   It is simply delicious!  We went there on a whim when I was first pregnant with Reese and we've been going back for special occassions ever since.  Yummy!

I am thankful for...
My beautiful little sister.  She is 28 years old today.  She is a great aunt to my girls and they simply adore her.  Happy birthday Nessa!  We love you!

From the kitchen...
Karl's dad is visiting and he pretty much eats meat and potatoes, so we've been eating that for a while now.  We have a pork tenderloin for one night this week.  My absolute favorite recipe is for a pork tenderloin with plum sauce that I found in a Cooking Light magazine.  There still aren't any good plums at the store, so we'll have to wait on that one.

I am wearing...
My Heart and Vascular Institute t-shirt that I got in high school (They gave me a scholarship) and grey work out shorts.  If only I would work out.  :-)

I am creating...
This post.  

I am going...
To hopefully find a birthday present for my husband today.  Any suggestions for the beer-lovin, cigar-smokin, Star Wars fan?

I am reading...
I have been religiously following of Stellan , a little boy who is very sick.  If you haven't heard of his family yet, go to the site and pray for them!  His mom is an amazing writer and seems to have the faith that I wish I had.  

I am hoping...
To get to the nursery today to buy some plants for the front yard.  We need some lantana and some jasmine to fill in some empty spots.  One of these days we'll have a nice looking yard.

I am hearing...
Mara's play mat music.  It is the rainforest model, so it switches back and forth between music and nature sounds.  

Around the house...
Karl and his dad have been building a fabulous new desk for our study.  It is going to be beautiful!

One of my favorite things...

Freshly cut grass..hint, hint honey.

Here are some picture thoughts I am sharing...

From April 2009

Reese loves it when Daddy does an "underdog."

From April 2009

The cutest baby alive (although I may be a bit biased).

Be sure to visit Peggy for links to more daybooks.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Outside my window...
It is gorgeous.  There is a cool breeze and lots of sun.  

I am thinking...
I really should stop playing around on the computer and start doing laundry.

I am thankful for...
My home.  My friend Jenny mentioned last week that she has everything she needs and most everything she wants.  I feel the same way.  We are so blessed!  

From the kitchen...
Frozen pizza tonight.  I made some yummy desserts for my cousin's bridal shower last weekend.  The best were brownie bites with cherry mousse from Paul Deen.  So yummy!

I am wearing...
Jeans and a rather nice top.  I look somewhat nice for a change.

I am creating...
This post.  

I am going...
To tutoring in a bit.  It is nice to use my brain for a little bit every once in a while...even if it is only to do 8th grade math.

I am reading...
"How to potty-train your child in just one day."  I checked it out from the library on a whim.  I have no clue if it is useful at all, but I thought I'd give it a try.

I am hoping...
To get Mara to sleep better in her crib.  She's been so fussy the last week or so because she isn't getting adequate sleep.  I really hate the whole "cry it out" method.  It is heartbreaking.  I let her cry for 15 minutes yesterday.  Reese kept saying, "Mara's crying, Mara's crying" and looking at me like I was crazy for not going to get her.  :-(

I am hearing...
The dryer going, my laptop fan running and the sound of a basketball or the like outside.  Both girls are napping.  It is a rare and beautiful thing.

Around the house...
It is rather picked up right now.  We'll see how long it stays that way.  I am in laundry mode right now.

One of my favorite things...
Drinks from Sonic.  I love just getting a Coke.  It is different than a bottled or canned Coke.  The tiny ice just makes it that much better!

A few plans for the rest of the week:
My moms' group on Thursday, the kids' gym on Friday.  Karl's dad is coming into town tomorrow.  He is bringing us the desk he made us for our study!  I can't wait to see it!  He does some beautiful woodwork!  Reese will be glad to see him.  We're hoping to go camping while he's here.

Here are some picture thoughts I am sharing...

Easter Sunday 2009

My sweet baby

Be sure to visit Peggy for links to more daybooks.

Monday, April 6, 2009

Outside my window...
It is cloudy and chilly.  It is only supposed to reach 65 today, but the extended forecast shows warmer days later this week.

I am thinking...
I need a plan for organizing those things that we can never find...car keys, pacifiers, nail clippers.  I am constantly changing the standard storage place for these items and it always makes for a stressful situation when we are trying to get out the door...especially the car keys.  We bought our new van 2 weeks ago.  We have 2 standard sets of keys and one valet key (without the remote).  Last week I lost both sets of regular keys and was using the valet key.  I managed to find one set, but the other is still missing.  I think little 2 year old sticky fingers have stashed them somewhere.  

I am thankful for...
My healthy family!  I have read about and heard about several families lately with very sick children.  I'm not sure why God chooses to put some families through the hell they go through with extremely sick children or worse.  I cannot say more than, "Thank you for my healthy children and please let them stay that way!"

From the kitchen...
Same ol', same ol'.  I was talking with a friend last night about ground lamb.  She lives right near Central Market where there is a wide variety of meats to choose from.  I would love to find the time to get down there and try some different things.

I am wearing...
Half of what I wore to church.  Purplish top with ruffles on it.  I was wearing black pants, but have since changed in to comfy grey sweatpants.  Shoeless as always.

I am creating...
Easter baskets.  I'm headed to the store today to get the items I need.

I am going...
To the grocery store in a bit.  This is becoming a Monday morning ritual.

I am reading...
I keep saying that I'm not reading anything, but the truth is that I read quite a bit.  Every day for a week I've read "Asleep in a Heap."  Also, "Curious George Feeds the Animals." and "Curious George eats Pizza."  All are extremely riveting.

I am hoping...
To take it easy for real this week.  We don't have any plans other than Holy week services.  I want to keep it that way.  There are many household chores that really need to be done.

I am hearing...
Curious George on the TV.  Reese wakes up a bit earlier than the rest of us.  Nearly every morning she comes into our room at about 7:30 and climbs into our bed. She watches 30 minutes of cartoons or so while the rest of us sleep a little more.  She generally watches PBS shows with an occasional show from Noggin or Disney thrown in. Her favorites are:  Sesame Street, Signing Time, Curious George, Blues  Clues, The Wonder Pets and Mickey Mouse Clubhouse.  I think they are all good quality shows. 

Around the house...
Still thinking about putting in a laminate floor.  We really need to move that to the top of the priority list.

One of my favorite things...
Watching my girls interact with each other.  They are doing it more and more lately.  We took an amazing video last night of Reese making Mara laugh.  I've watched it 20 times already.

A few plans for the rest of the week:
It is Holy Week, so we will spend a big part of the week at church.  Holy Thursday mass on Thursday, a prayer service on Good Friday, and Easter Sunday mass on Sunday in San Antonio.  Karl hopes to go to the Easter Vigil, as well, but the mass isn't until 7:30 pm.  I doubt the girls would behave well at a mass that late.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing...

Easter 2008  Next week, Easter 2009!

Be sure to visit Peggy for links to more daybooks.

So, after not blogging for a while, I needed something good to come back with.  Well, I have it.  I don't believe I need to say anything else...