Meet the Robertsons

sixteen

2012-02-09T10:12:00.002-05:00

if this was my birthday, i'd be old enough to {finally} drive. i would be getting ready to run some errands with my mom so that my sisters could decorate for my surprise birthday party complete with volleyball, guacamole and frozen yogurt pie. i'd be anxious the whole way home because i figured about the party and i'm not good at faking surprise. i don't like added attention on me, so that would add to the butterflies. i would, however, love the green peace-sign tee shirt given by my sisters' friends who took a liking to me. i would wear out the "anything box" cassette and dance my legs off to "living in oblivion". i would always be grateful for people who love me and were willing to show it.

well, it's not my birthday, but i am sixteen. sixteen years married, that is. old enough to drive this marriage on and on forever. old enough to wake up early and make my husband breakfast and prepare his favorite foods for a quick dinner before youth night at church. old enough to get butterflies knowing we'll have the chance to go out this weekend, if only for a couple hours before he has meetings saturday night. old enough to know that the best gift i could receive is chris coming home early today to finish the fence for the chickens. old enough to appreciate the road we've traveled and how very far we have left to go.

sixteen is pretty sweet.

two

2012-01-28T15:50:00.001-05:00

two things asa loves for breakfast...
hot dit (grits)
pancakes

two things asa loves to do...
climb on marshall's bunkbed
chase the chickens with a stick

two places asa loves to go...
church (really the nursery)
kayak with momma

two shows asa loves to watch...
dinosaur train
cat in the hat

two books asa loves...
mary engelbreit mother goose
big red barn

two things asa loves to wear...
yellow boots
hoodie

two reasons we love this boy more than anything...

happy birthday asa!

technique

2012-01-09T16:16:00.003-05:00

a relaunch doesn't mean a full cruise schedule. just in case you've been waiting with baited breath for my next post. these things take awhile for me.
with that said, i have made a discovery and need to share with you fine friends. cookies are a staple and they don't take a genius IQ to get them right. they do, however, require some tweaking along the way to get them just right. i am one step closer.
here is what i do with my chocolate chip cookie dough. after mixing it all together, chill for at least a half hour. you can do this! then, roll into balls. make sure your hand is good and greasy, just like mine. that means you've used the appropriate amount of butter.

then, do something crazy with that ball of dough. rip it in half. right through the center. take the two torn halves and smoosh them together ripped sides up. this makes the tops prettier and the cookie bake more evenly. place them on the tray and bake away.

make sure you have a bed-head toddler lying around the house. that way, if you mess them up, he'll never let on.

i, however, have full faith in you and know you are good for this task. your cookies will be one step closer to that holy grail we all know is out there. the perfect cookie.

and for your baking pleasure...

white chocolate almond cookies

2 cups + 2 tbsp flour
1/2 tsp baking soda
1 1/2 sticks (12 tbsp) butter, melted and cooled
1 cup brown sugar
1/2 cup sugar
1 egg + 1 egg yolk, room temperature
2 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup white chocolate chips
3/4 cup chopped almonds

Preheat oven to 325ºF. Mix the dry ingredients: the flour and baking soda, together in a bowl and set aside. In another bowl, mix the butter and two sugars together. Add the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla, and mix. Now add the dry ingredients and mix till an even dough forms. Add in the chocolate chips and almonds. Mix till evenly distributed.
Now you can divide the dough how you choose, into 1/4 cup portions for 18 large cookies or 2 tbsp portions for 36 smaller cookies. Divide your dough and shape each portion into a ball. Then pull each ball into two equal pieces. Turn both pieces so that the jagged side of each half faces upwards and then squish them together. Place them jagged side up on parchment lined baking sheets.

For the larger cookies, bake for 12-15 minutes, and for the small cookies, bake for 8-12 minutes, or until the edges begin to brown and set and the centers are still soft and puffy. Do not overbake. Take them out of the oven and let them finish baking on the sheets, placing the baking sheets on cooling racks. Enjoy!

Makes 18 large cookies or 36 medium cookies.

boots

2011-10-26T16:17:00.000-04:00

gracie had her blanket. that's about my only experience with this kind of thing. she received her blanket as a newborn and attached herself to it for the next 30 months. we were considering fashioning a backpack out of it in the event she couldn't part with it come kindergarten. her wedding dress may have been affected, too were it not for a bribery deal that involved a target shopping spree. who knew the equivalent of one's life security would be found in a vanity set, a barbie movie and a bratz doll?
well, here we are again and this time i am the perpetrator. this time i made the purchase. asa's halloween costume came down to whatever the thrift store had in store for me yesterday. as i turned the first corner and saw these bright yellow rain boots, i knew he would be a fireman. of course the rest of the costume came together in that store because that's the kind of day i was having. nothing slowing me down.
asa seemed to attach himself to these boots and little did i know...come naptime, my easy to sleep child turned psycho baby when i tried to pull off the boots. bedtime, same story.

all i have to say, is it's a good thing these suckers are a couple sizes too big, cause it'll be a couple years before target bribery will stand a chance.

relaunch

2011-10-07T16:21:00.000-04:00

here i am. guess i should say "we". asa is never far from my lap or this here computer. we're back, in more ways than one. after our morning trip around the bay, chasing ducks, white egrets and anything else we happen upon, i took the time to dust off the site and delve into the blogging i've ignored for so long.

it's not that i haven't had anything blogworthy. it's not that i haven't had the time. FB is just too darn easy. period. sure, you miss out on the nitty-gritty. the details get reduced to a pithy one-liner view of your day. feasting on appetizers can be fun for awhile, but sooner or *much* later, you'll be craving the full meal.

speaking of meals, i'm still parking myself in the kitchen most hours of the day. today's ventures included french bread, tomato pasta sauce, bechamel and roasted zucchini. i'm thinking these babies will go together in a casserole dish for a cheater's lasagna with farfalle. chris works late tonight and i need something i can keep warm.

well, it's friday. the children are probably expecting a movie. i'm tiring on redbox/blockbuster express. maybe i can convince them to play a game with me. maybe a chocolate cake can sweeten the deal? i'm thinking a one-layer deal, not too heavy on the frosting. they'll probably still expect a movie. it's getting harder to choose a movie with the age ranges so spread out.

thanks for stopping by. i'll be checking in on you more often. i always get my best ideas from you anyway. if you need me this weekend, you know where i'll be. here in the kitchen. baking bread, filleting fish, picking crabs, making dinner, cleaning up.

updates and important dates

2009-11-17T09:44:00.007-05:00

pretty sad when you relish the breaking-down of the car one day and having a sick child home the next. love having a reason to stay home and not get dressed. got the pics i promised oh-so-long ago. we are awaiting a couple inspections on the house before the drywall goes up. from there, it shouldn't take too long.
ok, here goes...
the house looks done from the outside. makes the neighbors happy. looks different from before, ya think?
my favorite part, so far, is the porch. we couldn't find the door we wanted until chris stumbled upon this mahogany beauty unfinished at Home Emporium. it took awhile to finish it, but i love how it turned out. we're gonna have some ceiling fans out there, too.
once again, the reason we bought the place and uprooted our family.
i think it's worth it.

now, onto something of equal importance. i would be remiss if i didn't include my dear first-born and her recent celebration of 12 whole years on this earth. she's fun and brilliant and confident and sassy. i couldn't live without her and i wouldn't want to try.

twelve things you may not know about harley...
1. her middle name is susan, after my mother and sister.
2. she was only 5 lbs. when she was born. not early. just skinny.
3. when she grows up, she wants to be a commercial writer.
4. her favorite meal i make is stuffed red peppers and she drools for bruchetta, too.
5. currently, she's only 1/4 inch shorter than my 5'4".
6. one hour of her day is spent on the piano.
7. writing is her favorite subject but she thinks grammar is for the birds.
8. she's the last to go to sleep and the last to wake up.
9. a self-proclaimed choc-o-holic, she thinks nutella is a gift from God.
10. she gets her expensive taste in clothing from my sister hilarie.
11. my biggest critic and most fervent cheerleader.
12. thinks that the Twilight Saga is the new four standard works. (thus, her Rosalie costume for Halloween)

happy birthday Harley! sorry the power went out as i was making your birthday dinner and stayed off long enough to have to postpone your party. you have to admit, opening presents by candlelight is kinda fun :):):)

feeling the spirit

2009-10-13T14:30:00.003-04:00

i know how you feel, gracie.

uniqueness

2009-08-29T18:29:00.003-04:00

i am unique.

when i grocery shop, i bring my own money. i don't stalk the parking lot for generous-looking people.

when i walk into the store, i go through the door labeled "Enter".
when i leave, i go through the doors on the opposite site. you know, the ones that say "Exit".

when i pack groceries into my cart, i have the uncanny ability of knowing if i am over or under the 20 item limit for the Express Lane.

i never forget that i am married and try to hit on some random guy in the cereal aisle.

when shopping with my children, i never slap them when they get unruly and then treat said unruliness with candy at the check-out.

i am truly unique.

at least i am in any norfolk wal-mart.

pressure

2009-08-22T21:23:00.004-04:00

ok, ok, i get it. it's super lame when all you want to do is stalk blogs and the lame-o's out there don't even have the decency to update once in awhile. i'm still have the photo-upload problem so it makes me not wanna blog so much. a good photo can seal the deal on a good post. right?

anyway, i am getting bigger. no need to show off that in a photo. i'm stretching my reg. clothes out. getting close to full-on maternity wardrobe. i look at flat tummies and get kinda sad knowing it will be a long time till i can wear those things again. this baby better be cute.

waffling on finding out. we didn't with harley or gracie. i love, love, love surprises and i think i can wait this one out. the children were excited to know the gender, but now they're not so concerned. a week or so more to decide.

new house is coming along beautifully. i need to try and upload the pics of that. so worth it. we never expected chris to have so much work this summer. our house isn't being finished, but we can't turn down the jobs. the brick and stone are all done and i get sad when i need to leave.

getting excited about school. all three. all day. this will be a great semester before the baby comes. i feel freedom i haven't felt in forever. i think i'll probably volunteer at the school.

food is back on my brain and in my tummy. i was not interested in the stuff for a couple months. making dinner was a chore. yes, even for me. happy to report...i am back. my food obsession is at a climax. i cook all the time and eat almost as often. craving spicy, flavorful foods. tomato/mayo sandwiches and fried egg/tomato sandwiches. every day. oh, and i made spicy okra pickles. awesome.

'bout to kick some neighbor punks to the curb. they stole our scooters and chris found one of them a block away on the sidewalk. betcha it was the skaters.

contemplating baby names. the ones i like, the children give thumbs down. thumbs down?? my mom had 10 kids and i can never remember giving a thumbs down! i don't expect them to love the names, but to oppose? if we went with their choices it would be Ashalissa Marie or Cowen Carlisle. any guesses who picked those?

i do love reading your posts. i haven't commented in awhile because whenever i check out the blogs, i look in the corner and realize i am logged into harley's account. don't feel like commenting under her name. really don't feel like switching accounts.

pics of the house to come soon. i promise.

in case you haven't heard

2009-06-29T13:45:00.002-04:00

we're having a baby! super excited. super tired. a beautiful built-in excuse for not cleaning, cooking or blogging in about a month. i'm feeling better and starting to care about the way my house looks. i figure since i've been cleaning for the past 5 hours, i should throw in a blog before i start my cooking spree. conveniently, this comes the day before my mother and other family comes in town. perfect timing.
the baby is due in january. i'm 11 weeks tomorrow. sorry, no pics of the ultrasound. requires way to much energy to scan and upload.
yes, my tummy is growing. with baby #4, it doesn't need coaxing or coaching. it knows the drill.
no, i haven't had morning sickness. never had it, in fact. i was, however, on bedrest for three weeks. some complications that have seemingly been resolved. must be due to my "advanced maternal age", beautifully stamped on my medical folder.

progress is sweet...

2009-06-05T13:40:00.000-04:00

renting this house is NOT! have i mentioned to any of you that i am OVER this situation? if i clean this house, it still doesn't look clean. i miss my home. big time. chris has been working his tail off at the new house (we call it mona, after the street). anyway, mona is coming along well. it's amazing how much work you can get done when you put in 12 hour days and eat dinner at 9 o'clock about every night. love you, hon. thanks:)
wanna see the progress?? i need to get over and take more pics, it changes by the day and it already looks different. the roof has shingles, the framing is almost done.

before shot. needs work.

tore off the roof. we're gonna raise that baby.

taking time to visit dad for dinner.

adding some height to the house.

ta-da! new roof!

back of the house with a view of the nasty addition. can someone please tear it down??

thank you scott:)

roof, front view, with paper. sorry no shots of the shingles. i bet if you close your eyes you can probably imagine how great it looks with them on.

terminally ill

2009-04-29T13:44:00.003-04:00

yes, i'm alive. i wish i could say the same for my computer. the jitters it usually gets has me picking up the phone to get my "nurse" over for a check-up. thanks tim:) this time, it needed the "doctor", and that wasn't enough. they don't know what's up with it. i see it as a terminal illness. not quite dead. barely alive. i have my photos backed up. (thanks, alisha for the reminder.) i'm not worried about losing anything too precious, except for the computer itself. we've bonded over the past three years. i have come to rely on it for access to the outside world, blogging on a whim, downloading my favorite american idol tracks (oh...adam:). it has become part of me and i can't afford to replace it right now. not with a new house in the works.
so, i'm blogging from chris's computer and feeling a bit lonely without my bookmarked pages and password prompts that remind me of the personalization of MY OWN COMPUTER.
we are in the rental house and settling OK. the phone and internet should be hooked up this week. (thanks random neighbor for having a strong enough wireless signal for me to borrow today.) until then...boxes, laundry and lots of finger crossing.

distractions

2009-04-12T21:17:00.008-04:00

Yes, we are moving. This week. This post should probably include the hundred or so boxes, the carton of packing tape, the constant mess in every room (due to my cleaning strike until the BIG DAY). It should include as little as possible because my time is at a premium.
Going through room after room, box after box, reminds me of the little things that happen everyday that make our lives great. Here's a glimpse of our past week, ignoring the fact that we are moving and normal life just doesn't feel very normal right now.

Chris's garden is going strong with collards, peas, broccoli, spinach, lettuce...

here are some rosemary transplants soaking up the sun.

a trip to Jamestown with Marshall's class was a great distraction

and then there's Easter. one of the only sundays i was happy to have afternoon church. we finished it of with a wonderful meal at hilarie's house. the day was pretty much perfect, and i will always remember it being the calm before the (moving) storm.

twilight, revisited

2009-04-06T21:00:00.011-04:00

when she was two, on a visit to my grandma's house, she watched "mary poppins" and fell in love with something called a movie.

when she was three, she saw "the little mermaid", learned every word to "part of your world" and fell in love with a princess.

when she was five, we had a girls night and borrowed mr. randolph's copy of "the lizzie mcguire movie". she felt like a big girl and fell in love with a star.

when she was nine, morganne was visiting and brought home a copy of "high school musical" for us to (finally) see. needless to say, she fell in love with a boy named zac.

just last saturday, the two of us tucked ourselves away in my bedroom and watched "twilight". the movie i panned, she praised. the actors i laughed at, she loved. the flaws i picked at, she ignored. she saw a movie about high school vampires, loved it fiercely, and is planning on watching it every night i will let her.

thanks, harley. it was much better watching it with you:)

she has to wait awhile to read the books. i think that's gonna be a long wait...

motivation

2009-03-24T19:06:00.004-04:00

After months of endless waiting and cleaning, we have a contract on our house. I guess we're actually selling it. Please hold your applause till April 17th. That's when we go to closing. Yup, three weeks till moving day...how did that happen? Looks like we're gonna move into a rental the next street over while we build the new house. WOW. Talk about throwing us for a loop. I've been living in a state of constant cleanliness since school started. I have zero motivation to get up and do anything now. I could honestly sit on my couch and not care (too much) about how the house looks. OK, maybe that's not true, but seriously, I'm drained.
So, I need to give a shout-out to my peeps who've given me a reason to do what needs to be done.
Here goes:

Thank you Jenna,
The smell of Windex in your house made me want to clean my windows today. Sparkly.

Thank you Hilarie,
The mere mention of your chocolate chip cookies had me mixing up a batch of these. Mmm.

Thank you Jaesi,
Your fabulous pics of Puerto Rico reminded me it's almost swimsuit season. Dang Cookies.

Thank you Nicole and Brooke,
You make the best walking buddies for the impending swimsuit season. Two loops?

Thank you Charlene,
Seeing your sweet new baby today reminded me how sweet my big babies can be. Sometimes.

Thank you Rachel,
Since you never answer your phone I have more time to get things done around here. Brrring...Brrring...

Thank you President Obama,
Your speech tonight pushes American Idol to Wednesday night, so I have time to update this blog. And eat cookies.

So, thanks again guys.
I feel much better.
I'm here if you need anything.
You'll find me on the couch.

labor day

2009-03-19T15:18:00.001-04:00

I have it in good with the superintendent of Norfolk Public Schools. Dr. Stephen Jones and I have a little agreement. Works pretty well. Here's the deal. I promise him some straight A, well behaved kids to balance out the riff-raff you sometimes find in Norfolk. In return, he gives me one day a month for these kidlets to come home early so I can squeeze a little more work out of them.

Child Labor Laws being what they are, I can't work them 24/7...they must attend school and get some formal education. I get it. This deal is a good compromise.

I just wonder if they'll ever catch on.

Hope not:)

one year older...

2009-03-09T20:34:00.002-04:00

Brooke and Stephanie

You know you love 'em. I know I do:)
That's why I'm having a birthday brunch at my house this Saturday at 10am.
Let me know if you can come. Bring a dish if you want, but you don't have to.
Birthdays are always a great excuse to catch up with the gals...
See you Saturday!!

snow much fun

2009-03-04T16:30:00.004-05:00

Yes, we're home. The trip was way too fun. Well, maybe not...fun doesn't even come close to describing it. I think I'll let the pictures do most of the talking. Let me just set the stage. 9 inches of snow the night before we arrived. 3 more inches the day of arrival. Beautiful sunny skies the next 2 days. Rain to send us home. We took the trip with the Valle family. Everyone except Gaby-Baby got to hit the slopes. The best part for us was the runs we took as a whole family. I am loving this new stage in life.
The families had slope-side rooms next door to each other. We shared meals, babysitting and Abba Sing-Star. The boys found the deck to be a great place to "sword" fight. Night time swims were a must. You start out in the indoor pool and then before sanity strikes, you swim through the tunnel to the outdoor pool, complete with a waterslide and hot tubs. Only the insane survive it. The waterslide is a blast if you enjoy getting your hands frozen to the railings on your way down. As you hit the water a brain freeze sets in to complete the fun. The kids couldn't get enough. Oh, heavenly hot tubs. Our defense against hypothermia.
Marshall is getting to be a great skier. He skis fast and loves the black diamond runs. Nicole snowboards and they had built up a little rivalry. They would race nearly every time they could. Here's the evidence, I mean video, of the race. Beware...Chris filmed this while he was skiing. It's a tad shaky:)

Good-bye Snowshoe. See you next winter...

checklist

2009-02-22T22:06:00.004-05:00

a few more things on my list...

ski clothes, skis, boots, other gear? CHECK!

almond cake, chocolate chip cookies, rustic bread and other seriously delicious food? CHECK!

gameboy, DS, iPods, magnadoodle, markers and books? CHECK!

take out the middle seats and move the bench seat forward to load up the van? CHECK!

money and cards for whatever we've forgotten? CHECK!

guilt over taking the children out of school for a week? UH...NO!

see ya'll later, we're off to Snowshoe:)
(can't ya tell i'm a little excited??)

love it

2009-02-17T11:12:00.003-05:00

i love it...

i love it not...

i love it...

i love it not...

i love it...

i love it not...

i love it...

i love it not...

shopaholic

2009-02-13T10:27:00.002-05:00

Movie anyone? "Confessions of a Shopaholic" looks adorable and we need a girls night out. The problem is working around all the different schedules. Let's try for Wednesday the 18th at 9:15pm. It's at Cinemark 18 at Military Circle Mall. I want to see who all can come. Try to tweak your schedule...we need you:)
Somebody better call John...

the plunge

2009-02-07T17:42:00.006-05:00

A nice balmy day in February brings out the best in all of us. What better way to celebrate than to drive down to the View and dive right in. 50-60 degree air. 30-40 degree water. I sense a tradition in the making.

subtlety

2009-02-04T10:08:00.007-05:00

Do you ever get the feeling your child is trying to tell you something? If she would just come out and say it-ask for what she wants...

My kiddos go to Ghent School and the beauty of it is it's K-8. Three kids in the same school next year is a pretty sweet deal. Well, there's this other middle school and apparently it ROCKS. "The School of International Studies at Meadowbrook" is where Harley wants to spend her three precious middle school years. ( Her blog features a plea to recruit readers to her side.) There's a big application process. Uniforms. Strict grade and attendance requirements. Not that any of that bothers me. It's part of the public school system so it's not a tuition argument, either. I simply want my three children in the same school. Harley wants to go there to be challenged academically (the nerve of some kids). You choose a focus of either World Languages or Military Science. She wants to focus on languages and get a head-start on courses for high school. I tried the "don't you want to be with your best friends?" tactic. "Are you sure you want to wear a uniform?" "Are you ready to work your tail off for A's?". Not swayed.
I think one of us is acting like the parent and I'm afraid it's not me.
I wonder if she'll harass the principal with colorful notes if she doesn't get in...

to make happy

2009-01-29T18:39:00.005-05:00

Apple Streusel Muffins and Orange Julius to make the card swap gals happy...

Mini-Cheddar Meatloaves, Succotash, Mashed Sweet Potatoes, Whole Wheat Rolls and Brownies to make Stephanie's family happy...

Sweet Potato Burritos and Guacamole to make my family happy...

One big spoonful of peanut butter to make this gal happy...

no recipe required:)

help, please

2009-01-21T11:42:00.002-05:00

We've got a Stake Activity on Saturday for the 8-11 year old girls. The craft part is making a dry erase checklist. I'm trying to gather up a bunch of these used CD cases. They make great dry erase boards and the girls are gonna have fun making them. They're super easy. You just take all the paper out of the case and replace it with the paper you want as your backing. I snapped a ribbon inside to hold the marker. Ta-da!! Dry erase board.
Can you help me out??? I need some cases, the ones you have stored away and never use. You know you have some, so make my day and send 'em my way:) They need to be music CD cases, not the blank CD cases. The thing is on Saturday, so I can only get them from the locals. Let me know if you can help.
Thanks!

happy stuff

2009-01-15T20:54:00.015-05:00

ok, my claws are retracted. crappy mood: deleted. trust me, my blog rant had nothing to do with you:)
here's my happy-post attempt:
marshall cracks me up. he's the best at making me laugh-even if i'm mad enough to spit nails. learning headspins is his task du jour. it always morphs into a breakdance. take a listen and you'll hear some "latter-day prophets" to go along with it. good times:)

homework

2009-01-09T16:20:00.004-05:00

word of the day:
"No"

1. Write three sentences using this word.
No, I don't have the time to help you out today.
No, I don't want to watch your children.
No, my day has already been scheduled out and I don't feel like rearranging it just for you.

2. Write three antonyms for this word.
Absolutely
Of course
Why not

3. Write three synonyms for this word.
Nope
Uh-uh
Get lost

4. Promise to use this word whenever you feel the need to say, "Yes".
yeah, right.

top ten

2009-01-01T17:11:00.006-05:00

Whew! 2009 feels great already. I made my goals and already checked 'em off the list. I guess when you only resolve to take down the tree and rid the house of any "holiday" decoration, it's not that hard to accomplish.

***oh, i love a clean house***

With the new year, I got to thinking about all the fun I had in '08, especially when I discovered the blogs. We all love the blogs. We get access to our friends and complete strangers. They give us a distraction and something to do when we're b*o*r*e*d at 2am. I've learned loads this year ranging from the best recipe for flour tortillas (the BEST!) to how hard I have to laugh before I about pee myself (apparently not THAT hard...)

So....I give to you my TOP TEN BLOG LIST 2008

10. I mentioned the flour tortillas. I could have also thrown in the beaten biscuits, chocolate meringue pie, collards, pinto beans, etc... She's the Homesick Texan named Lisa and she's a genius. Sometimes I use her recipes, sometimes I just get ideas from her blog. Check it out...you won't be disappointed.

9. I'm pretty sure the 10th commandment is about not coveting. I'm also pretty sure I broke it when this post came along. My friend Allyn sews the cutest things and I discovered that fact when she proudly displayed this owl bag for all to see. Just dangling it in front of us like we wouldn't want one, too:) I think I have her convinced to help me make a lunchbag version for Kindergarten Gracie. (btw...check out her quote of the day section. good for a laugh or two)

8. I could probably fill this list with recipe posts, but I won't. I WILL, however, direct you to our dear Suzanne. She's a ex-Norfolk ward-er and we love her to pieces. When they moved to Georgia, she opened her own bakery. Suzanne knows how to achieve her goals and she KNOWS how to cook! They moved to NY recently and she's on a blogging hiatus. Here's one of her creations that I love. Just take my advice, check out her blog before you go grocery shopping.

7. Got some time? That's never stopped us before. Set the laundry aside and come waste time with me. It's called StumbleUpon and it's addicting. Here's the deal. You check some boxes to describe the things you like (cooking, crafts, reading, politics...) It gives you a clicker in your browser so whenever you want, click away and it brings you random (sometimes VERY random) sites based on your likes. I've gotten origami how-tos, tasty recipes, learned the fine art of dollar bill folding and this personal fav of mine. Now quit playing around and get back to that laundry:)

6. My sister Morganne rocks. Love her! She's an incredible art student at BYU. She may not feel like she fits in there, but her work would fit in my home any day. (It will, in fact, in my new house...if it ever gets built. grrrr...) Here's some of her stuff. Here's some more. It's good.

5. Speaking of my sister...all my sisters now have blogs:) That most definitely made my list. I love catching up with the three who live in UT. I also love seeing what my Norfolk sister is doing 'cause we have lives that don't allow us to be at each other's houses everyday. Love you, Hilarie, Rachel, Morganne and Hollis. **(private note to my sisters...it's called UPDATE!)

4. Quoting my friend Teresa..."I {heart} Facebook." I discovered it when she sent me an email invitation. Chris was out of town and I figured I would do it to see what she's up to. Oh, mercy!! All of a sudden all these names and pics from the past came flying at me and I was in heaven. I moved in the middle of my senior year of HS. Not knowing where all the friends ended up going to school and whatnot was a bit of a bummer. Reconnecting with them has been a thrill!

3. One name says it all... Jaesi:)
Her blogs are the funniest ever. When you think you've had a bum day, chances are she's got ya beat. If you think you've seen it all, think again! I'll direct you to a few of OUR favorites, 'cause I KNOW i'm not the only one.
*yum!
*sooo true
*really??
(we'll miss you, but at least we'll still have your blog:)

2. OK, these last two were a toss up. I received this in an email from Jenna. We went to the movie and laughed until we cried. Seeing this video was almost like being there again. I think we've found who should direct "New Moon". "Twilighters", be sure to go pee before you watch this. If you don't get it, don't worry:)

1. I'm addicted to this video. Can't get enough of it. It deserves top honors on my list. Thanks again, Jaesi.

It was a great year and I can't wait to see what '09 will throw our way. Keep 'em coming girls. The blogs are great:) What was your favorite?

sew merry and bright

2008-12-27T20:14:00.004-05:00

Christmas was a blast! From sporting the swimwear on Christmas Eve day to loads of gifts from the big guy to Jason's Deli with cousin Abigail...we are pooped! Check out the "sew cute" crayon roll I made for Gracie. We exchange names within our family for homemade gifts. Here's what Gracie got...

Stole the idea from my sweet cousin-in-law Elizabeth. She made these and linked the directions on her blog. Check it out here. Her skills are amazing and her new baby girl is going to be dressed in style:) {Snoop around enough and you can find the gorgeous dresses she made. }
This would've been cuter if my peeps had some pinking shears for me to do the zigzag cut on the top. I take the effort to run the dang machine and can't find ANYONE to mooch scissors off of! Thanks Hil. I'll get them from you later:)
Here's what some of the neighbors got. Cute little candy cane jars. Should've made one for us.

Here's what I got. Bright and shiny...

KitchenAid attachment
(**blurry picture alert**)
for making yummy fresh pasta. This, along with the extra dark chocolates...Heaven.

wintertime blues

2008-12-15T07:05:00.003-05:00

Winter around here can be so harsh. Fighting the elements day after day is enough to wear you out. Don'tcha just wish sometimes you could get out in the sun and enjoy a day on the water?

I mean, is it too much to ask to just take off your coat once in a while?

How many winters are we gonna have to spend doing this???

And then you gotta feel sorry for Harley. It must be tough to be a big sister to these goobers:)

the nightmare before christmas

2008-12-07T19:26:00.004-05:00

'Tis the season...we all have our traditions and ways to celebrate the season. My mother spent some of her childhood in Germany and Spain. We celebrate St. Nicholas Day on December 6th, the same way she did as a child. Before bed, the children place a shoe in front of the fireplace. We add goodies for the horse (carrots, apples, etc...). During the night, St. Nicolas comes on his horse and leaves treats in the shoes. The children usually get their own ornament and some candy. Simple, sweet, harmless enough.
Enter my brother-in-law Hans. From Holland. They, too, have St. Nicolas (Sinter Klass). They also understand the reality that St. Nicolas needs some helpers to get it all done. Those who can't get a personal visit from the big guy get a knock on the door from these guys....

Zwarte Pieten (Black Pete)

The children gather (hide) in the living room and prepare (brace) themselves for the visitors from Spain (Hell). They come with black faces, afro hair and jester costumes. Singing, shouting and throwing candy. Who wouldn't love that??

11 years of this, Harley's palms still sweat at the thought of their arrival. The children must come up in turn to get their stuff. You never know when one will grab and kiss you. Harley wasn't gonna let that happen. Back off Buster!

here's a throwback to Zwarte Pieten '98...recognize this guy??

the winnners

2008-12-03T17:41:00.005-05:00

Yea for holiday planners!! I had a lot of fun making these knowing I would be giving them away to some good friends. Like I said, the ones you will get are custom made especially for you. The paper and design are both different. I used the random number generator thingy, assigning each entry a number. Here are the winners and the planners they will get...

#3...Janice

*************************************
#8...Allyn

Congrats Ladies...

I hope you like your planners. Merry Christmas everyone and Happy Shopping:)

holiday planner, part 2

2008-11-28T20:05:00.007-05:00

Did you have a great Thanksgiving? I'm still full from our feast. It was a terrific day for the whole family. Chris and Marshall did the "Turkey Bowl" football game early Thursday morning. The girls and I watched the parade and worked on the food. After the boys returned, Chris and the children went for a boat ride, leaving me alone in the kitchen. I cooked and baked the rest of the day while watching "Little Women". That afternoon, we went to Beth's house and had a nice time with family.
So, you DO realize it is officially the Christmas season...right? My Holiday Planner has been dusted off and I've started putting it to good use. Year after year I have come to rely on it to get me through these fun but hectic weeks. I love that it is, essentially, an organizer and a scrapbook all in one binder. There is one problem with the design. I do not like to carry it to stores. I have done it in the past, but it usually gets left at home. Just too big.
So...while perusing the 'net, I discovered some portable organizers that would go well with my holiday planner. I came up with these designs, following patterns I found on other sites.

The first is an altered notepad. The cover is made from cardstock and forms a pocket when it's opened. This holds personalized gift lists, and can be used for receipts, coupons, etc... The notepad has endless uses for holiday organizing.
here's the link: http://michellewooderson.blogspot.com/2008/09/holiday-gift-ensemble.html

The second design is an altered file folder. The folder is scored and folded to create pockets and a booklet. The pockets hold lists for gifts, stocking stuffers, shopping and menus. It is a durable design and will hold you receipts and coupons, much like the notepad organizer.
here's the link: http://hulachickabella.blogspot.com/2008/10/check-this-out.html

I like them both for different reasons, so I think I'll give them both a shot and see which I prefer to stick with for next year. The question is...which do YOU prefer? That's right, I'm asking YOU. It's a giveaway and you could get one of these organizers for yourself:) Just leave a comment to let me know which one you like. I'll be giving away two of them. The one you get will be made especially for you. I made these with my scraps, but yours will be with brand new paper (OoooAhhh)!! If you prefer the notepad design, I will personalize the cards. The giveaway will close Wednesday 12:00 pm. (east coast...my time:) Be sure to leave me your name. I will get your email address if you win.
Good Luck!

***hey, check out Harley's blog...she's got a giveway, too

holiday planner, part 1

2008-11-24T08:58:00.008-05:00

It all started with an issue of Family Fun Magazine. That's how these things usually start.
It's not that I never have a good idea on my own, it's just that these people get paid to come up with brilliant little suggestions to make our holidays and our otherwise boring weekdays a bit more fun. A few years ago the magazine featured this "Amazing Holiday Planner". I think my sister Rachel decided to do it first. She tipped me off and we were both in the race to get ours ready for the start of December. The idea is to have a binder with sections that break down the parts of the holidays that require the most planning.

The planner opens with a calendar. You can visit the website for the printable templates or you can create your own. Here's the link: http://jas.familyfun.go.com/arts-and-crafts?page=CraftDisplay&craftid=11613

"Our Holiday Card List" is next in the binder. I use it to keep track of who I sent a card to each year. This year, however, I'm doing it differently. I'm creating a sheet with room for names and addresses. This one just has names. Gotta make it easier on myself:)

On to the gifts...the "Holiday Gift List" is a lifesaver. There are three columns. The first lists the names of the recipients. The second is where you write what gift you want to give. The third is where you write what you ended up choosing for that person. Each year you can remember who got what. If you're stumped about what to give Aunt Mary, maybe you can see what she's gotten in the past and give something that complements or completes a set. I usually need 2 of these sheets.

Next up..."Holiday Recipes, Menus and Party Plans". I use this section to highlight some of the newer recipes we tried this year. I write about parties we went to and the foods we ate. If I plan a party, the ideas go in here, too.

{**The picture for the next section is bringing out my inner scrooge...i'm omitting it b/c it keeps deleting itself}

The section for "Crafts and Decorations" can get a little tedious for me because I am a creature of habit with my Christmas decorating. I find that things belong only where I've always placed them and that is a hard habit to break. I manage to write down the new ornaments I've gotten and the other decorations I've acquired. Having these written down makes it easier to come back and look through the pages to find out how many years we've had a our jingle bell tree and such.

"Holiday Memories" brings the planner to an end. This gives you a record of the traditions, movies, parties and other things that shape your holidays. Create a journal that describes how your family celebrates the holidays. You'll turn to it often and remember the happiness you felt each year.

As you can see, I've made room for some scrapbook pages for many of the years. (I'm a little behind:) There are plastic pencil pouches to hold samples of cards we've sent, patterns of stockings I made (yes, I sewed), recipes I use every year, etc... Check out the website and create on of your own. I really is one of MY favorite traditions to get out the planner and let the holidays begin.

check back soon for holiday planner, part 2:)

twilight, the morning after

2008-11-21T11:55:00.005-05:00

did I say, "...girls' night out, how bad can it be?"

uhhh...?!?
well...?!?
yeah:(

anyway...girls (and john),
i had a ton of fun before that movie even started
Thanks!)

twilight @ midnight

2008-11-15T17:16:00.005-05:00

Twilight...midnight...anyone? anyone?

Like it? Love it? Had 'nuf of it? Come anyway.
It's a girls' night out...how bad can it be?

MacArthur Center Thursday, November 20th. You want to get your tix in advance. You can get them at the mall or on fandango.com. It's at 12:01am, technically Friday. Get there plenty early to get a seat.

happy birthday harley

2008-11-15T16:48:00.005-05:00

In just five years...

These sweet little cousins
went from kindergarten to fifth grade.
These adorable girls decided that Disney princesses
aren't nearly as awesome as the Jonas Brothers.
These as-close-as-you-can-get-to-sisters found that
webkinz and the internet are much more fun than Barbies.
These not-yet-teens have traded in birthday presents
for gift cards and money.

What will the next five years bring??

Happy Birthday Harley:) 11 years old ...WOW!!
...and pretty soon, you too, Taylor!

and the winnners are...

2008-11-04T20:33:00.000-05:00

Decision Day 2008

The long journey has come to an end. From the primaries to the voting booths, it's been an exciting ride. Each side wanted their candidate to win. Each party proclaimed victory was within reach. This morning it was all decided.

With great anticipation, we checked the ballots and made our choice for the Robertson Election-Day dinner.

And the winners are...

The Local Congressional Beverage:
Green Froggies 3 votes
Root Beer Floats 2 votes

The State Senate Side Dish:
Shrimp Cocktail 3 votes
Fruit Salad 2 votes

The Presidential Entree:
Sweet and Sour Pork with rice 3 votes
Pizza with Salad 2 votes

my picture was fuzzy, check it out on Suzanne's blog...
http://creatingpostitnotes.blogspot.com/2008/03/wok-this-way.html

The Gubernatorial Dessert:
Mini Cheesecake Tarts 3 votes
Cherry Pie 2 votes

As a consolation, the losers will be making their concession appearances on our dinner plates throughout the upcoming week.

halloween and all the rest

2008-11-01T13:30:00.000-04:00

The Halloween run-down:
Marshall was Theodore to Nate and Alec's Alvin and Simon.
Harley and Alison hung out together as Thing 1 and Thing 2.
Gracie let me doll her up up as our favorite storybook character,
"Fancy Nancy"...the butterfly version:)...thanks Nicole for
helping me curl up that hair!
With the first fistful of treats consumed on Halloween,
you know the holidays have officially begun.
So...

Here's to Harley's birthday,
just two weeks away.
Here's to turkey dinner,
done the vegetarian way.
Here's to endless baking,
and eating what you made,
Here's to all the shopping
and ignoring what you've paid.
Here's to decorations,
not seen since January 1.
Here's to my holiday planner,
helping me get it all done.
I vow to make it fun this year,
I promise not to stress.
And maybe, just maybe with any luck,
it'll all turn out a success:)

are you ready??

hunt club

2008-10-26T13:23:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, my boys went hunting with the Hafer boys. They woke up in the dark-earlies without my help. (Why can't it be this easy on a school day?) With a hug and a kiss from mom, the trip began.
Marshall got a gun for his fifth birthday, but hasn't used it much. Sam is a much more experienced marksman. After some target practice, they settled in the woods and waited for their prey...that'd be the squirrels. Unfortunately, they were no where to be found :( I think they knew the big guys were coming and got outta the way!

Shucks...we'll just have to wait on that squirrel stew. Harley is sooo bummed!

inflation

2008-10-25T07:27:00.000-04:00

In tough economic times, we'd all like to see prices decrease. Gasoline, milk, clothing. Having these products more affordable is a good thing.

Hmmm...maybe it wouldn't hurt for some things to be more expensive.
It seems the smaller the yard, the more the "inflatables" take over during the holidays. We should be looking out for the little guy in these times of need.

These decorations are just way too affordable.

seven days

2008-10-16T16:42:00.000-04:00

a lot happens around here in just a week...

Gracie: found the perfect pumpkin at the patch
Marshall: caught the first fish off the dock, 17 in. puppy drum...not a keeper, dangit!?!
Harley: made feature's editor of the Ghent Gazette
Chris: grew loads of arugula in the fall garden
Heidi: discovered that cookies can taste ridiculously sublime...

chocolate peanut butter chip cookies
makes about 4 dozen

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder (not Dutch-process)
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 sticks (1 cup) unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
1 1/2 teaspoons vanilla
1 2/3 cups (a 10-ounce bag) peanut butter chips
1 cup semisweet or bittersweet chocolate chips (about 8 ounces)

Preheat oven to 350*F.

Into a bowl sift together flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt. In a bowl with an electric mixer beat together butter and sugars until light and fluffy and beat in egg and vanilla until combined well. Beat in flour mixture until just combined and stir in chips. Cover and refrigerate at least 30 minutes.

Drop dough by tablespoons about 2 inches apart onto parchment-lined baking sheets and bake in batches in middle of oven until cookies are just set and begin to crack on top, about 12 minutes. Cool cookies on sheets on racks 1 minute and with a spatula transfer to racks to cool completely.

Don't say I didn't warn you;)

peace prize

2008-10-12T16:58:00.000-04:00

Martti Ahtisaari is probably a great man. Smart, compassionate and a true hero for peace. Sure, he's the former Finnish president and United Nations envoy, but I have a small objection to his being awarded the 2008 Nobel Peace Prize. I'm sorry...whoever thought of the "Popcorn Combo" at Target may have done more to combat child abuse across this great nation than any other soul on earth. Whoever you are, stand up and take a bow. Mothers across the globe salute you and your brilliance. You deserve this GREAT and NOBLE award.

Thank you:)

birthday brunch

2008-10-09T15:19:00.000-04:00

Come on over for brunch...you're all invited:) Allyn's birthday is Saturday, so I thought it would be fun to get together. We'll have a potluck brunch at my house on Tuesday, October 14th. Let's say 10am. Bring something DELICIOUS to share. Bring children if you need to. A bunch of us will have ours at our "joyschool" and will need to pick them up at 11:30.
RSVP right here. Tell us what you're gonna bring. Pass the word along to anyone who'd be interested.
See you there...

sittin' on the dock of the bay

2008-09-29T20:00:00.000-04:00

Our house is on the market. The new property has been purchased. The plans aren't finalized, but we're getting there. The wait has begun. It's agonizing knowing how bad the market is and how badly we want to start building. It makes good financial sense for us to sell our house and get the money before we build. The prospect of moving into a rental until our house is ready is a real bummer, but I can do it. I just want to build that house.

The property is on the water. Its called "Pretty Lake" or "Little Creek". It runs into the Chesapeake Bay, so the possibilities are endless. We may not be able to start a house right away, but the dock?? Absolutely:) The process went fast and Chris had a ball building it. The children can't wait to go there after school and hang out. Marshall tosses the cast net and does some fishing whenever he can. We couldn't ask for a better backyard- even without a house on it!

Chris brought home some shrimp last week that he caught from the dock. OHHHH YEAH!!!! I am sooo gonna love this:)

There weren't that many, but I wanted to make a meal out of it. Our neighbor is a commercial fisherman and works on a scallop boat. He brings over gallon-sized ziplocs full of huge scallops when he comes home from a trip. I was thinking a seafood lasagna might be especially good with the shrimp from our dock and the scallops from Mike the fisherman. I was right. You could really use any combination of seafood. I would have used crab, too if I had any.

Seafood Lasagna

12 lasagna noodles
5 tablespoons unsalted butter
1 small onion, finely chopped
2 cloves garlic, minced
5 tablespoons all-purpose flour
4 cups half-and-half
1 cup grated Mozzarella
1/4 teaspoon nutmeg
dash cayenne pepper
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon pepper
3/4 pound sea scallops, cut in half or quartered if very large
3/4 pound medium shrimp, peeled and deveined
10 oz. frozen spinach, thawed, squeezed dry
1/2 cup grated Parmesan

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees F. Spray a 13 by 9 in. pan with cooking spray.
In a large pot of boiling salted water, cook the lasagna noodles until they are just done, about 8 minutes. Drain and set aside.
Melt the butter in a large, heavy skillet and cook the onion over low heat until very soft, about 5 minutes. Add the garlic and cook about 1 minute more. Over medium-low heat, stir in the flour with a whisk, then gradually add the half-and-half, allowing the sauce to thicken slightly before adding more. When the sauce has thickened to about the consistency of whipping cream, add the cheese and stir well. Add the nutmeg, cayenne, salt and pepper and stir again. Add the scallops and cook for about 3 to 4 minutes, then add the shrimp and cook for 1 to 2 minutes or just until the shrimp turn pink. Turn off the heat.
Spoon about 2 tablespoons of the sauce from the skillet into the prepared pan. Cover the bottom of the pan with 4 noodles, placing them side by side. Spoon 1/3 of the sauce over the noodles, distributing half of the seafood evenly, scatter half of the spinach over top. Layer 4 more noodles, 1/3 of the sauce, and remaining seafood and spinach. Cover with the last 4 noodles and the remaining sauce. (For the top layer, do not spoon any seafood on top of the noodles; just use the sauce.) Tuck in any edges of the noodles so they're all coated with sauce. Top with the Parmesan.
Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, uncovered, until bubbly. Allow to sit for 10 minutes before slicing.

I can fret about our house not selling fast enough or the market going kapoowee. I could do that...or, I could sit back and take a big bite of this lasagna and realize I have nothing to complain about at all.

splitsville

2008-09-21T14:03:00.000-04:00

Oh, the Norfolk Ward. For those of you lucky enough to have been in our ward, you know there just aren't words to describe it. "Busting at the seams" is a pretty accurate description. Sacrament meeting fills the chapel, the overflow and half of the cultural hall. Primary has 100 active children. Relief Society meets in the chapel. Priesthood meets in the cultural hall. No one meets in the Relief Society room. That all changed today.
After rumors and hype, the Norfolk Ward has been split into Norfolk 1 and Norfolk 2. The dividing lines are hard to explain. They meander to pull in priesthood and other groups to even the numbers. Our family is in the new ward, Norfolk 2. Hap Cluff is the bishop. Chris is the 1st counselor. Kurt Oborn is the 2nd counselor. Those are the only callings in our new ward. It will be interesting to see how it all works out from here. They had everyone in the new ward stand up and they released us as a group. There will be a lot of scrambling to call people in the next few weeks.
Rather than describing the boundaries, let's talk friends. Who's in whose ward???
Jenn- 2
Jenna-2
Nicole-1
Brooke-2
Belinda-2
Stephanie-2
Nancy, Jaesi, etc...-1
Janice-2
Laurel-1
Holly-2
Catherine-1
Cecilia-2
Tamara-1
our new house-1 (who knows when we'll end up there??)

OK, so I know that doesn't include everyone, but you might be able to get an idea of boundaries based off of where these folks live. I'm just bummed that they didn't think it was necessary to name our wards. With all the great area names to choose from, they ended up with "1" and "2". Not good enough for me...I'm calling us the Splitsville Ward. It's gonna be great:)

oh, what fun...

2008-09-11T21:32:00.000-04:00

Just some of the reasons we had a ball this summer:
Lunch when Hollis came to town...
Gracie getting her groove on...Dutch-style...
Marshall lost his first tooth...finally...at age 7...
The Jonas Bros. concert...check out the tour bus...
Marshall taking flight at the park...
Harley getting jiggy in the minivan with her homegirl... that'd be me:)

preschool, apples and pie

2008-09-09T13:58:00.000-04:00

I've done this with all my children. The year before they start kindergarten I keep them at home and do our own preschool. We have a lot of fun and can work at any pace that suits us. This "home school" is always supplemented by a "joyschool" with our friends of the same age. It's funny how some of us have done it through the years; always having children around the same age.
Well, this year is Gracie's turn. At home, we always begin the school year by learning about apples. It's a great theme to jump start learning. In joyschool, we always begin with the letter "A"...naturally leading to apples:) The children have a great time together and learn some fun things in the process.

Banks, Emily, Gracie, Sophia and Annie (Hallie is out of town)

So, all this apple stuff has me in the kitchen wishing fall would come a few weeks early. I have some apples and some time to bake...how 'bout some pie? Last May, I participated in a dessert auction at our church. My contribution was a Pie of the Month club. The winner of the auction would get a pie each month for a whole year. It's been fun to bake the pies and know the money is helping the youth program. This month's pie is apple, so I got to work. I rarely ever make anything for someone else without making it for my family, too. Two pies at once is not that difficult. It's really as easy as, well, apple pie. OK, lame joke:)

Apple Pie:

5 or 6 large apples, preferably Granny Smith and Fuji

1 TBSP lemon juice

1 cup sugar

1 1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/4 tsp. grated nutmeg

1/4 cup flour

3 TBSP butter, cut in pieces

Double pie crust

Roll one half of pie dough to fit pie dish, lay in dish and trim the crust. Peel, core and cut apples. I use the Apple Peeler, Corer, Slicer from Pampered Chef. It's such a great tool for this pie. Toss the cut apples with lemon juice in a large bowl. Add sugar, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour. Toss together in bowl. Pour into pie dish. Dot with the butter. Roll out other half of dough. Carefully lay on top of pie. Trim, seal and flute the edges. I use leftover dough scraps to make cut-out appliqués for the top of the pie. Cute, huh? Cut slits in top of pie. Brush the top crust with milk and sprinkle with sugar. Bake 375* for about 45 minutes or more. The pie juices should be starting to bubble from the crust when done. Be sure to have a baking sheet or piece of foil under the pie as it bakes. It could get messy. Let cool on wire rack. Inhale deeply. Good, isn't it?

feelin' crunchy with granola

2008-08-28T16:31:00.000-04:00

Yes, I'm alive. Our internet connection has been down for a couple weeks. Being on vacation from the computer is not all that bad. I felt a bit disconnected, but I quickly found myself less distracted during the day. I could go on about what we've been up to during the past weeks...blah, blah, blah. I'd rather not:)
Looking out the window, you'd think it was late September. There is a breeze in the air and the temperatures are down in the upper 70's. I have been baking a lot and planning more meals with a fall theme. Those comfort foods we all shun during the heat of the summer; we come to embrace with the first ring of the school bell. Among the pumpkin and banana breads, a hearty dish of macaroni and cheese, and a huge pot of red lentil stew ("dahl" for those Indian food fans out there), I've had a craving for granola. That crunchy, sweet, cinnamon-y concoction that has the perfect balance between what's good to eat and what you just plain crave.
I've always loved the stuff. My mom used to buy the Quaker Oats granola cereal. It was always kinda pricey for my family, and the boxes were small. I loved to get a bite with a big cluster of oats and a date or raisin to sweeten it up. From a box or homemade, it was all good to me.
Over the years, I've shied away from it from time to time. If I added up the fat grams or the total calories, my guilt would take over. I'm a much more rational eater now. The way I see it, I would rather get my fat and calories for the day from nuts and oats that from some processed junk I can't even name!
My recipe combines oats, almonds, pecans, coconut, maple syrup and raisins. The nuts and raisins can be substituted for whatever you have around. Try cashews, macadamia nuts, craisins, dried cherries. Just take some time to mix up a batch of this granola and see how long it lasts at your house:)

Coconut Almond Granola:

3 cups rolled oats (not quick-oats)
1 cup coarsely chopped pecans
1 cup sliced almonds
1 cup coconut
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
5 T. dark brown sugar
5 T. pure maple syrup, or honey
1/4 c. vegetable oil
3/4 tsp. salt
1 cup raisins, or other dried fruit

Heat oven to 250*
Combine oats, nuts, coconut, cinnamon and brown sugar in a large bowl.
In separate medium sized bowl, combine syrup, oil and salt.
Mix together in large bowl and spread out onto 2 sheet pans.
Bake for 1 hour 15 min., stirring every 15 minutes.
It should be nicely browned when done. The granola will harden up as it cools.
Remove from oven and pour into large bowl. Stir in raisins. Allow to cool and keep in airtight container.

I like to eat mine as a snack, on yogurt or with milk as a cereal.
How do you like your granola??

chocolate chunk-pecan-coconut cookies

2008-08-06T16:27:00.000-04:00

Whew...that's a mouthful. So are these cookies. I try to always have treats in my cookie jar and these have become one of our favorites. They have a ton of great ingredients in them, but the recipe makes a ton, so I think its worth it. Give it a try and don't be afraid to change it up a little to suit your taste buds:)

2 sticks unsalted butter, softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup packed light brown sugar
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 large eggs
3 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking soda
pinch of sea salt
24 oz. semi or bittersweet chocolate (I use some chips and some blocks chopped into chunks and shreds. The shreds melt into the dough and make it extra gooey!!)
2 cups toasted chopped pecans
1 cup coconut

In a mixer with paddle attachment or whisk, cream the butter with the sugars until its good and fluffy. Add the vanilla and eggs and beat until smooth.
In a small bowl, stir together the flour, baking soda and salt. Add it to the mixer in small portions, beating it on low until blended in before adding more.
Add the chocolate, pecans and coconut. Stir by hand with a spoon or spatula till evenly mixed.
Chill dough in fridge 30 min or more. Preheat oven 325 degrees.
Line baking sheets with parchment paper. Scoop onto sheets and bake 18-20 minutes till browning on edges and cooked in center. Cool two minutes on pan, transfer to cooling racks to cool completely.
I get 6 dozen cookies using the Pampered Chef small scoop.

**chef's note: I toast the pecans in a skillet over med. or med low heat. Stir the nuts a little and watch closely. You can smell them when they're ready. They burn easily, too.
**If you don't use parchment paper, be sure to grease your baking sheets for this recipe.

breaking dawn at the mall

2008-08-02T14:05:00.000-04:00

Vampires + humans + werewolves + Barnes and Noble = Midnight Release of "Breaking Dawn" by Stephanie Meyer. Confused?? Well, you are in the minority:)
So, I'm talking the other day to my friend Kristin and she's so excited about the release party for "Breaking Dawn", the (sort of) final book in the "Twilight" series. I read the books. Enjoyed them. Why not go for the party, too? I never go to a midnight-anything without Jenn, so we made it a girl's night.

There were quite a few of us there: Me, Vicki, Jenn, Kristin.
Je'lana, Vanessa, Javan, and his friend, too.

It was a good time. Unlike the Harry Potter parties, we didn't bring our children. None of us were dressed up in costume. There were plenty of others who were...

(check out the tattoo eyebrows...this chick is serious)

I didn't leave the mall with a book, 'cause I ordered it from Amazon. Won't get it till Monday, so
Kristin and Jenn better keep it to themselves till then:)

say cheese(cake)!

2008-08-01T14:02:00.000-04:00

Cheesecake at midnight? Heck yeah, 'specially when it's at the Factory. Cheesecake Factory was having it's 30th anniversary and selling cheesecake for $1.50. Jenn, Jenna and I got the kidlets in bed and when out for a slice of heaven. It only took a couple hours, but we had a good time.

Check out the receipt:) Wahooo...

let's go shopping

2008-07-23T14:10:00.000-04:00

Bunches of new outfits from the Gap... $225
Two pairs of adorable green wedges... $14 (yes, we match...what a steal!)
Lunch for two at the food court... $8
Gotta-have Vans for school... $29
Chocolate shake and fries (for the ride home)... $4
7 hours of babysitting Marshall and Gracie... $0 (thanks, Jenna!)

All-day shopping with your ultra-cool 10 year-old... priceless

Prime Outlets, here we come!

time to build

2008-07-16T20:30:00.000-04:00

**Exhale**

That's what we've finally been able to do around here. Given the tough real estate market, it took a long time to sell the house Chris built on Beechwood Ave. It's official...we've closed on it. We can now focus on selling our current home and then start building our new home.

Part of the plan is to finish the room over the garage, to maximize the square footage. Chris and Marshall have been busy all day tearing a hole in the roof and building a nice, big room for the new owners to appreciate :) We'll put our house on the market in August.

Here's the view from our new backyard. The house is on Mona Ave. For those of you familiar with Norfolk, it's the neighborhood behind the Sonic, by the church. It's on Pretty Lake which runs into Little Creek, which runs into the bay. We will start putting in the dock next month. The children tell people, "The whole world is our backyard". I can't argue with them.

baby hungry?

2008-07-15T12:10:00.000-04:00

"Hey Mom, wouldn't it be hilarious if I was pregnant right now?"
-Gracie (age 4) at dinner Thursday night

harley's got tunes

2008-07-09T07:52:00.000-04:00

Remember when you were little and you wanted to buy something expensive? Usually by the time the money was saved, you changed your mind or got interested in something else. At least that's how it was with me. Harley has wanted an iPod for a while. Her friends all have one and she knew it would improve her lifestyle :) She announced that she was saving up for one. Harley loves to earn money; she loves to spend it, too. I thought this would fizzle like all my attempts as a child. I told her if she earned half by the time her birthday rolled around in November, I would give her the other half for her present. That was a good idea, but not fast enough. She earned $150 and bought herself a 4GB iPod last week.
It was fun watching her save the money. Its more fun watching her joy as that iPod is on her body every moment I will let her. I already have an iPod, so I gave her a bunch of music from my iTunes. She asked if she could get a Carrie Underwood song, so I purchased it for her. When Chris was inspecting the purchase and the new Carrie Underwood song, he suddenly became interested in the idea of getting video for the gadget. Hmm...I wonder what inspired that??

Check it out!!! Harley has a blog and she's excited to share some cool things with cool girls! She will be featuring Webkinz and Zac Efron updates :) There's a quiz right now with the chance to win a Webkinz virtual gift; just answer the question and leave your 'kinz username. Here's the address: http://1grl1wrld.blogspot.com (the link is over on the sidebar under "Harley").

cast away

2008-07-09T07:18:00.000-04:00

I have some posts I need to catch up on. I get so busy with the children, there doesn't seem to be time. When we were at the funeral, we stayed in the cabins at Fairystone State Park. The day we spent at the lake, Marshall fished all day. He had no desire to swim. He didn't care about the water slides and such. He stayed on the side and fished over by the bushes. For about 8 hours. I would go over and visit with him, or bring him food. During one of the chats, he caught a fish. He was pretty excited because he was "down to about a 1/4 of a worm", meaning he had no bait left. He decided rather than take the fish off the hook, he would just leave it on and use it as bait to catch a really big fish. I couldn't resist the chance to video it. I used my still camera for the video. It's not really clear and it has no sound. If you look closely, you'll see he already has a fish on the line before he casts it. Marshall never caught the "big one", but he didn't get discouraged.

i've been tagged!

2008-07-06T17:55:00.000-04:00

Thanks, Alisha :@ I guess the rules of a "Tag" are for me to list 3 of my joys, 3 fears, 3 current obsessions and 3 random surprising facts about me...then pass it on to 5 of my blogging buddies. OK, here goes:

3 JOYS:
*snuggling my children when they wake in the morning
*making/eating dinner with my family
*discovering a new book/author/series to hold my interest for awhile

3 FEARS:
*riding a bike on the street
*my children playing in the street (hum...maybe its the street I'm afraid of...)
*discovering that Suzanne's apple pie tastes better than mine (just kidding Suz:)

3 GOALS:
*master a really good red curry sauce
*preschool Gracie at home in the fall
*have our new house built this year

3 CURRENT OBSESSIONS:
*Indian food (thus the red curry sauce)
*cupcakes and cookies
*"Wicked" soundtrack (the show is coming to Norfolk in '09 :) :) :)

3 RANDOM SURPRISING FACTS
*I'm a vegetarian, have been for 2 1/2 years
*I have really nice feet (i.e. all my toes are of proportional size, no ugly bumps or lumps, etc...)
*I don't know how to dive. Never tried it; don't know why!

5 PEOPLE I'VE TAGGED
*Deborah
*Linda
*Liz
*Teresa
*Jenn (Yup, means you have to update, baby!)

That was WAY more difficult than it should have been. Please no one tag me again!

happy 4th everyone

2008-07-05T08:08:00.000-04:00

Did you have a nice 4th of July? Our was low-key, but filled with good food. The family really wanted to go see fireworks downtown. I knew that if we had a bunch of people over I would be too tired come time for the fireworks. So, Chris went to work and I stayed home and made lots of food. Our friend Michael came over and we grilled pizza and got stuffed. Here's a run-down of our day in pictures:

Breakfast was Red, White and Blueberry French Toast. I made it with homemade whole-wheat bread, blueberries and raspberries.

Then, I got to work on a batch of my Watermelon Slice cookies. They are made with a refrigerator cookie dough with a great almond flavor. The "seeds" are snipped raisins and sesame seeds. (I'll post recipe later.)

Grilled Pizza for dinner! Chris was busy working the grill and fixing the toppings. Mine was a tomato basil pizza with some sliced pumpkin blossoms from our garden.

The children enjoyed Rocket Pops for dessert! We made these with vanilla yogurt. One portion was tinted red. I added crushed strawberries for flavor. Another portion was tinted blue with frozen mini blueberries added. The last portion was plain vanilla. We took waxed paper and made cone shapes. They fit inside sugar cones and we filled the yogurt inside these in layers. To freeze, we cut holes in the sugar cone box to fit the cones. This held them upright in the freezer. We put a stick in each and they were ready to be frozen.
Yummy:)
The grown-ups were not about to be outdone by the Rocket-Pop brigade. We enjoyed a Summer Berry Tart. This tart is filled with pastry cream and fresh berries. It was divine.

With full tummies, we headed out to see the fireworks. (Sorry about the lousy picture.) We left without checking the forecast and wondered why it was so easy to find a parking spot. An hour later, the fireworks were canceled. We drove home in the pouring rain. The children were so tired, no one complained!

the tale of book club

2008-06-28T20:50:00.000-04:00

Last night after we got home from the trip, I hosted book club at my house. Chris took the children to a Tides baseball game, so I had a little time to make some fun food. We read "The Tale of Despereaux", by Kate DiCamillo. This is a wonderful children's book with themes for all ages. The story is about a mouse named Despereaux. He is an unlikely hero who goes on a quest to save the princess. The princess's mother, the Queen, loved soup. Her favorite was Chicken, Garlic and Watercress Soup. I thought that would be fun to make. Getting home as late as I did from the trip, I was unable to locate watercress, but decided Chicken, Garlic and Spinach would be an acceptable substitution. Here's the recipe:

Chicken, Garlic and Spinach Soup

2 small chicken breasts, cut into strips
1/3 cup Italian dressing

3 TBSP butter
2 TBSP olive oil
1 medium onion, chopped
2-4 garlic cloves, peeled, sliced
2 medium white or gold potatoes, peeled, quartered, cut into 1/4 inch slices
1/2 tsp. dried thyme
6 cups chicken broth, divided
2 TBSP. flour
5 oz. baby spinach, chopped
salt/freshly ground pepper

Combine chicken breast strips and dressing in ziploc bag, marinate for 30 min. to 1 hour. Drain and discard marinade. Thread strips onto skewers and grill or broil till just done. Don't overcook. Remove from heat. Cool. Dice.
In large saucepan, heat butter and oil. When butter has melted, add onions and cook over medium heat until almost translucent. Add garlic and cook for a couple more minutes. DO NOT let this burn! Add potatoes and thyme. Cook for another couple minutes, stirring to coat. Pour 5 cups of the broth into the soup, reserving the other cup of broth until later. Bring to a boil. Lower the heat to a simmer and allow it to cook until the potatoes are just tender. Add spinach and cook for another 5 minutes or so. Combine the remaining cup of broth with the flour and whisk till smooth. Slowly pour into the soup. Stir till smooth. Add the chicken and heat through. Salt and pepper to taste.

I made these cute little mice out of dried apricots dipped in melted chocolate. The eyes are mini M&M's. The ears are almonds. Despereaux had his tail chopped off, so these mice have a tiny tail made from a chocolate chip! I also served celery sticks and spinach dip. This was for the Threadmaster, who always smelled of celery. Confused? Read the book :)

we're back

2008-06-28T13:43:00.000-04:00

Hello, again! We've made it home and we're happy to be back. The trip was nice. The funeral was a really good experience. It is always nice to reconnect with distant relatives; even under sad circumstances. We enjoyed the laughter and stories that celebrated the life that Archa lived. We stayed for three days at Fairy Stone Park cabins. The park is simply beautiful. Each morning we were greeted by deer right outside the door. They aren't afraid; they know they are protected. We spent the day of the funeral in Floyd, where Archa's farm is. As you'll see in the pictures, we walked around the land, played in the creek and climbed in the hay barn. The conversations with friends and family lasted till bedtime. It was a full day.

Harley became fast friends with her third cousin, Katelyn.

Marshall with cousins Landen and Austin.

The next day was spent at the Fairy Stone lake. They've made a nice beach for the children to play around. If you wonder where Marshall is in the beach pictures, he's off fishing. By himself. All day. That would be from 10:30-6:00. Yup, he's obsessed! The canoe ride with dad was after the beach was closed for the evening.

goodbye Archa...

2008-06-23T20:15:00.000-04:00

Hello friends. I am writing with sad news. One of the dearest people I've ever known has passed away. His name is Archa Vaughan Jr. He is Marshall's namesake and Chris's mother's first cousin. Since Chris never knew his grandparents, Archa became his granddad, by proxy. Their relationship became closer during Chris's adult life. Archa's farm is where he would go hunting a few times each year. Archa was 89 years old and will be missed by everyone he ever knew.
We will be gone the rest of the week, traveling to the funeral. I won't be posting again till probably Saturday. Hope everyone is having a nice summer.

fabulous

2008-06-18T20:49:00.000-04:00

Gracie has recently started picking out her outfits and fixing her hair. Today she discover the many benefits of gel and mousse. With a little hair product and a toothbrush to smooth it all out, you too can have this FABULOUS look:)

Can you handle this?

Sharpay has nothing on me!

only one year left?

2008-06-18T20:18:00.000-04:00

Marshall and Nate...what can I say? These boys have been best buds since they were born. They claim to be brothers because Marshall's middle name is the same as Nate's last name. Makes it pretty convenient for adoption, huh? Unfortunately, his parents would never agree to give him up. We've been lucky; most medical student families only stick around for 4 years. We got to have them around for residency, too. They will be moving to St. George next summer, leaving us to ask, "Where has all the time gone?"
Nate came over today and the boys had a great time playing. It's funny to hear them reminisce about when they were little. The things they remember would never cross my radar at the time; they seem hilarious now.
So, here's to my boys and here's to one more year of making memories for a lifetime.

the sweet taste of success

2008-06-16T14:55:00.000-04:00

IHOP was the reward for a job well done! Harley and Marshall put a lot of effort into their piano lessons. Today was the "Guild Auditions" which is a pretty big deal. It is an national honor society for the piano. They must perform their songs by memory in front of a judge. Harley had 10 songs, plus scales. Marshall had 6 songs. They work all year for this event. They both received Superior ratings, with Harley receiving a Superior Plus. It doesn't get much better than that. I don't know what was the better reward: their incredibly high scores, the tasty lunch at IHOP or having a day off from practicing the piano. What do you think???

Hey Gracie, is this lunch or dessert?

baseball cookout

2008-06-16T10:45:00.000-04:00

Marshall had a fantastic baseball season and it's finally over. To celebrate, the coaches threw a cookout party on Friday evening. There was swimming, dinner and a trophy ceremony. The weather couldn't have been nicer and the party was a blast, or should we say "a splash"!

school's out...off to the beach

2008-06-12T16:05:00.000-04:00

piano recital

2008-06-10T09:16:00.000-04:00

Harley and Marshall had their piano recital last night. It was at Salem United Methodist church in VA Beach. They practice everyday, and are very determined to do their best. We are all so proud of their efforts. Marshall played "Ode to Joy" and "Russian Sailor Dance", a duet with Chris. Harley played "Fiesta Days". Here's the video of the recital... (Sorry, the edited version wouldn't upload. You get the version straight from the camera.)

did i mention i have 4 children?

2008-06-09T15:10:00.000-04:00

Meet the newest Robertson child. (She is also the oldest) Confusing? Not if you are the mother of a "tween" girl :) Harley and Alison are inseparable. They ride to and from school together and are within bike-riding distance from each other's house. Alison will be moving on to 6th grade in the fall, leaving Harley in 5th...good thing Ghent School is K-8th:)
If you keep up with our blog throughout the summer, you'll be seeing a lot of these two!

i spy something sweet

2008-06-09T14:41:00.000-04:00

Have you seen those "I Spy" books or maybe the old "Where's Waldo" series? That's how I felt yesterday looking at Gracie crashed out in her room. I came in to see what all the silence was about, and had to really focus to pick her out from all the "girl mania" on her floor! That's the life of a four-year-old...go, go, go until you can't possibly go any more.

"stories are light"

2008-06-09T14:26:00.000-04:00

That's a quote from "The Tale of Despereaux" by Kate DiCamillo. Marshall just finished reading this novel. If you haven't read it, you should. It's a children's story about "forgiveness, light, love and soup". At 270 pages, this is the longest book Marshall's read independently:) The girls in my book club are reading it this month and my children couldn't resist.
Looking for to a great summertime read-aloud? Or maybe a book for the older children to read on their own? This is definitely a winner! **Bonus** The movie will be released in December:)

hello everyone!

2008-06-08T15:28:00.000-04:00

So...welcome to our blog. Look around a bit. Not much to see?? Well, I've got a lot to learn. I thought I could keep this blog to myself till I was ready to unveil it, but many of you have discovered it on your own. I hope I can fill it with fun pictures, stories and recipes to give you a glimpse into our lives.
Well.., even moms get time off for good behavior every once in awhile. I just made it back from a great weekend trip to Education Conference at Southern Virginia University. My friends Teresa, Brooke and Jenna came. too. We were privileged to hear former LDS general presidents, Ardeth G. Kapp and Chieko Okaski, journalist Jeff Benedict ("the Mormon Way of Doing Business"), author James Ferrell ("The Peacegiver"), and many others. The students of the university put on the play"Guys and Dolls" on Friday night. The weekend was relaxing and tons of fun. I would love to invite you all to come next year. I just might do that!