Fashion

Good morning!
As you see by the glazed expressions it's movie day. It makes being here till 11 last night a little easier.

So I want to talk about fashion. When you work with kids fashion goes out the window. I was never very good about fashion before and now it's just worse. My daily outfits are all pretty much the same. Tee shirts, jeans, converse, and if I need a jacket it has to be a light sweater that when I roll the sleeves up they stay. So 4 days a week I wear that. Not very fashion forward. So when I'm off I just want to wear something comfortable since I spend most of my time off running errands and cleaning. So I'm going to go to something about fashion this weekend. I'm going with Jane to a women's expo. Now I am not very girly at all. So It should be an interesting day.

Jono and I are trying to line up appointments to go look at different apartments on Saturday. We find about 6 new places to look at every day. I also have to start my weekend cooking list. No idea when I'm going to have time. But that won't stop me from trying!!
hugs+kisses
mce

short one

The kids are fed and in the bath. Their hair is washed and now they are playing for a while. Soon they will want to get out and I will dry them off put them in their pj's and put them in bed for story time. I am sitting in the living room listening to them play, drinking apple cider I brought from home, with a small dog beside me. While I wait for them to call to get out, I am looking and present ideas. Boy are there a lot of them. I just wanted to tell you of the calm and contented feeling I have right now to be listening to the kids play while I drink apple cider. It might just be down to the apple cider. I am a great believer in the power of apple cider. It's good for the soul. So is children's laughter, even if it does morph into tears so fast. Even if this is work at least I'm ok right now. I don't do well on late nights but I think I will make it through this one.

hugs+kisses
mce

New Ideas

Good morning!
Normally as I write this I would be sitting with the twins watching cartoons and drinking my coffee. That's my Thursday routine. But not this morning. I am sitting at home. Still drinking coffee but no cartoons and a dog rather then the twins. Today I have gotten a reprieve.  My boss as asked me to work late tonight as they are going to a concert at Disney hall tonight. That means I will be off at around 10:30 11 tonight. Now if i had gone in at my normal time that would mean something like 15 1/2 or 16 hour day. With work tomorrow as well. I would die. completely. When asked to do this I was hoping for an hour maybe hour and a half later start in the morning. I didn't expect more. But, I don't have to go in till 2! That makes today a nice 8 or 9 hour day. I am so grateful. The kids also have the day off from school which makes my job 10x harder. But they are taking Lola (the oldest) with them to the concert so I will just have the 3 little ones. I can't even express the dread that was hanging over me about today. But now everything's good.

Now on to another topic. Christmas. I know, I know, it's still 3 months out. But if I am to make most if not all of my gifts I need to start now. Want to know how many people are on my list? 39. That's the combined list of all the people Jono and I need to give gifts to. At least who I think we should give gifts to. There are a some that Jono doesn't feel are completely necessary. I also got a checked from Jono on this topic yesterday. I was telling him who all I thought we needed to give gifts to and what I wanted to do for everyone.  I'll admit I was rambling, and Jono said he wanted to help. I was a little taken aback, since I was telling him about it all and he could say at any point if he agreed or not, given he could get a word in. I had always thought of presents as more of my thing and then just added his name to the card. But he wants to take part. He wants to really sit down and discuss what we are giving people. He is mostly concerned  with my side of the family. I am always surprised how much he likes my family. I know how different they are from his family and I know that they can get a bit overwhelming if your not used to them. But he loves them. It's one of the things that make me realize how serious he is about us. He know how much family means to me and he makes a huge effort. Whenever there is a family get together he makes a point of coming, no matter for how long he can actually be there, and tries to make time to talk to everyone. He wants to have a relationship with my family. i've never seen someone work so hard at it. So when he said he wanted a say in what we gave people I wasn't going to fight him on it. When I got over my shock I realized that there are some of my family that he might have a better understanding of then I do. For example lets take my cousin Cass. I always think of Cass as 6. I don't know why. But it always takes me a minute to remember she is older and then I'm lost. But not Jono. He has a very clear idea of people and who they are. I'm sure he will come up with much better ideas for Cass then I would. I guess she is kinda past the little kid toy or picture book phase.  I know that I need to realize that Jono does love my family and I don't need to worry about it anymore. He is excited to show them pictures during thanksgiving of what ever place we move into. And it's not fake. He is truly excited to see them. I don't know if I will ever be able to express how much this means to me. I've been with guys who knew family was important to me and would try with Joey and Lars, but not the whole family. I know I need to step back and realize that gifts don't just come from me anymore, they are from Us. And he wants to make sure he is involved.

So on to another topic! Cooking. As you know I cooked a lot last weekend. I was very productive. But I didn't even make a dent in my list of recipes to try. it is 466 pages by the way. Some I have tried. maybe 10 of them. And I add to it every day. What I have decided I need to do is have dinner parties. Or some sort of gathering at our house. Then I can cook these things and they don't just all sit in the fridge. Jono does his best to eat everything before it goes bad but he is only one man. So we have started a list of people to have over for dinner. I have also set up to cook with my dear Jane once a week. That will use up some of them. I'm sure I have some dud recipes in there but which ones? And so we begin. I have started going over them all during the week and making a "to make" list every week. Normally none of these get done but last weekend they did. I hope to do the same this coming weekend. Wish me luck!
hugs+kisses
mce

p.s. I know some of my family reads this. For those of you who do please give me any ideas of what you or others might want. I think I have around 4 ideas total. For 39 people. So any input would be a great help! ( and Cass if you do want toys and picture books I will totally get you some. )

Family and Holidays

Good Morning!
The overcast day is reminding me that we are in fall and holiday season is coming. Walking into my apartment last night also helped. The whole place still smelled of baking and the cider was on warming so it also smelled of apple cider. Since it was only an 11 hour day yesterday at work I had time to make dinner and relax before bed. As we all know a major part of fall is the holidays.
This is going to be a crazy few months. I will be working at least 4 days a week. Jono, it seems, is picking up more work every other day. I've lost track of what his hours are at the gym and how many people he is training on the side and how many classes he is going to be teaching at the gym. Needless to say neither will have much free time. So let me just lay this all out for you.
October starts in a week. Sometime in October we will be moving. Which means this month will be full of packing and organizing. There is of course Halloween. Now this isn't as big a holiday as you get older but I work with kids. And Halloween is on a Monday. So while I may not be gearing up for the holiday at home I will be at work. oh joy.
November is also going to be a little crazy. We will have just moved. So we will be unpacking and organizing. I see a lot of this in my near future. November also means thanksgiving. Since it's on a Thursday I think Jono will have work.  We are thinking of trying to go see my family for the day before thanksgiving. Then maybe thanksgiving dinner with his family? Like I said crazy busy.

December is christmas. Last year went well. We did christmas eve with my family (at my moms house) and then christmas day dinner with Jono's family. But this also means presents. I love giving presents. But this year may get a little stressful. I am going to try to make most if not all of my presents this year. So everyone expect homemade gifts. I know that to get everything done in time I need to start like yesterday. Needless to say I need to get started. And figure out what the heck I'm going to make everyone!
hugs and kisses
mce

The work week begins

Good Morning!
I am in my normal spot in the living room drinking my coffee while the twins watch morning cartoons. Ruby is curled up next to me sleeping. And my head is pounding. Not an good way to start a day of work. Especially when it's work with kids. I'm hoping that it won't last much longer. Pain killers have been taken.
I can't express how much I actually love these kids. I don't have the patience I would if they were my own but I love them. The twins hold a special place in my heart. I have spent the most time with them. In the almost two years I've been working with them there has only been one day I didn't have the twins. They are growing so fast. I remember when they slept most of the day and I used to sit rocking them for hours. Now they are talking and telling stories all the time. I love them. No matter how crazy they drive me during the day when I leave they always yell that they love me as I walk to my car. Now how can that not warm your heart. And so I come the next day, and the next. I get the feeling that when I have kids if I have a girl, she will turn out like Lu. And not for the times she sweet but in the ways that's she's difficult. It's hard for me to yell at her most of the time because I know I would be exactly the same as she is. I know if I had a little girl there is a good chance she will take after me in attitude.
Well here's to hoping today is a good day!
hugs+kisses
mce

A weekend of Achievements

Good evening,
I as I write this the last of my projects are finishing. The last patch of mini quiches is in the oven and the cider is in the slow cooker. my puppy is at my feet (trying to get me to play with her or let her on the table with the cider) and Jono is at work. I have made enough food to last us a while and it all came out right. Here are some pictures. not good ones since I lack a good camera (Christmas is coming!) and I took them at the end of a long day.

Blueberry muffins

Mini zucchini quiches with basil 

Cold pasta with tomatoes and mozzarella

Roast chicken

                                                  Veggie salad with Feta
Well that's all it wants to let me upload right now. I'll just tell you about the rest and post pictures later. The ones I made that are not pictured are, Felafels, Apple Cider, Preserved Lemons, Chocolate Cake, and salsa. Quite a bit no? The one I'm most excited about though is the cold pasta.

This pasta recipe comes through my dear friend Jane. The cook in Italy would make this cold pasta dish that we all loved and none of us could figure out how to make it. We all tried and even though we were sure it was just a few simple ingredients we couldn't get it right. Well Jane finally got the recipe. And gave it to me. Vola! It turned out right! So now i will give you the recipe. Use it well.

Rosa's Cold Pasta

Ingredients
6-7 Tomatoes (make sure you get farmers market or really fresh tomatoes as it really does make a difference in this one)
Mozzarella (I used just a log I get at Costco)
Salt and pepper
Olive oil
Penne or Fusilli pasta
1 bunch of basil

Chop 6-8 tomatoes into small pieces (off of the cutting board if you can) over a strainer.
Place tomatoes in a bowl and pour over a good amount of olive oil and plenty of salt and pepper.
Chop up some basil and put it in with the tomatoes. Mix. Chop Mozzarella into cubes (she normally uses 4 small balls of mozzarella for six people, but whatever you like!) and place on top of the tomato mixture but don't mix in too much.
Let sit for up to an hour.
Cook pasta in salted water until al dente , drain and toss with tomatoes immediately, while it's very hot.
If you use higher quality mozzarella (like bufala), which tends to be softer, I would toss it separately so it doesn't melt too much.





It's just that easy! And trust me it's worth it. Now I used two bags if pasta and 6 big tomatoes, and I will be able to eat it all on my own over the next few days. It is great stuff.




Well I've cleaned the kitchen, washed the dishes, set the coffee maker, and made sure I have my work bag ready. Some weeks sneak up on me but not this one. I'm ready to take on this week!
hugs+kisses
mce

Sunday Morning Coming Down

Good morning,
So here I am on a Sunday morning drinking coffee and watching my puppy sleep. This is the time I have on my days off to figure out what I want to get done that day. This quite time when Jono is still asleep and I am alone and even the neighbors are quite. I've come to love this time of day. I'm not alone completely, like I am when I get home from work, and I know that if I want I can crawl back into bed with Jono and cuddle. I'm alone enough though that I can listen to my own thoughts and sit by myself and just think. This is the time of day I line up my projects and go through my recipes to see what I want to do.
So here are my thoughts on the day. I want to finish cleaning up from my little project yesterday. Yesterday I preserved some lemons. Now like many of you I had never heard of this before. But I have come across a few recipes calling for them and read a few blog post extolling their virtues. It is also ridiculously easy to do. But I did make a slight mess and I need to clean that up. Jono and I also made roast chicken last night so I need to finish cleaning up from that. I am also thinking about tackling my desk.
Now I'm new to this whole rent/ living on my own thing. I can tel you that my small ability to organize has suffered for it. I don't know what papers to keep so I keep everything. Also we never got my file cabinet from my mother's so we just have a little file box that is ready to explode. I'm hesitant to tackle it all. I know that before we move I need to deal with it since there really is no way to pack it as it is now.
But that all sounds like a lot. And I do have tomorrow off as well. I think I will just go to a street festival with my dear friend Jane and let the rest wait. Yes I think that's the best idea.

hugs+kisses
mce

accomplished

Good morning!
It's fall. I know in some parts of the county it may not feel like it but right now in LA it does. Thank god for that. I normally hate the first chill of fall and the crisp morning air. But this year? not a problem. With cool weather it means I can cook to my hearts content. And I did!
As you know yesterday i talked about how I had big plans for the weekend. At least big plans in the kitchen. And I did it!
Yesterday I made; Felafels, a veggie salad, salsa, and a chocolate cake.  I didn't even plan on the salsa but I had leftover cilantro from the felafels and left over tomatoes from the salad.  Jono had said a few days ago that he wished we could find salsa like the one I make in a store bought form. So I made him some. I also went shopping since I had made the mistake of leaving my undies where Bella could get them and eat them. Over all I felt very accomplished. You know what helps? A book on tape. Really I can't tell you how useful it is when cooking alone. I don't like being in a silent house by myself. Some times I will turn on a nature show to have on while I cook, but this can get very distracting. So we have little speakers set up in the kitchen and I listen to stories while I cook. It works really well.

hugs+kisses
mce

4 day weekend?

Good morning!
So you know how only yesterday I was talking about the touch and go of the movie industry? Well it is in full effect. One of my bosses quit her job. Now for some of you, you might think "well ok now what" but this has been coming. I have actually never seen her as down because of a job before. So for her I'm glad she quit. But I have to tell you that my stomach dropped when she told me. My first thought was "I'm out of work! we have to move soon! where are we going to make up the money?" This is what goes through my head, in some form, every time they come to the end of a job. Thankfully, and I really can't express how grateful I am, she starts a new job on Tuesday. So no long break. And with move out date looming up and the apartment hunt starting, and the mini heart attack I get from seeing some of the prices of places where we want to move to, I am really glad that she is starting work again so soon. But it does leave with a sudden 4 day weekend. Which I plan to use to the full.

This weekend I am going to cook. After the failure of last weekend in the kitchen I am going to try again. Jono and I do a "date night" once a week, when we can that is, and this week we decided to go out on Wednesday (sushi night) and do a at home date night on Saturday. These are our two night together, and we love to spend at least one of them cooking together. Sometimes we will watch a movie other times we will just sit and talk. Last week we knew exactly what we were going to make. That damn rabbit. But this week we haven't thought of anything yet.

I also did a big market trip on Wednesday with big plans on cooking 3 different recipes that keep well for lunches. We have been both trying to figure out this problem with both of us so busy we have trouble, well to be honest it's mainly me having the trouble, with making a lunch to take to work. Now I know some of you may ask 'why do you needo t bring a lunch? doesn't the family provide food while you are watching the kids?" and the answer is yes. If i don't mind eating cereal, their obsession at the moment, pasta, another constant, or toast. Now this is fine, and to tell the truth I eat that stuff a lot since I forget to bring a lunch pretty much every day, but when I'm trying to eat less bread stuffs it doesn't work out well. So I have been hunting for things that taste good at room temp, or tat taste better over a few days. I get bored with eating the same thing every day, a problem that Jono doesn't have in the least, So leftovers have to be good for me to take them every day. And I find that almost all food tastes better right after you make it then the next day or the day after that.We did manage to make, ok Jono was the one who actually cooked it, some chicken. Just a little bit of seasoning so it could be eaten plan and not too much that you couldn't add it to something else. Great idea right? Well we didn't make anything ot go with it. And I don't really want to eat just chicken every day. So I found 3 recipes to try. All are veggie based since that seems to be where I fall short when I grab something for lunch. Now I'm not going to tell you yet what I am going to try to make. After last weeks mess ups I want to hold off till I actually make them. Since as I said I had planed on making them on Wednesday and that never happened. So I well tell you all about how it goes once I actually make them. And maybe since I said here that I was goingo t make them I actually will this time. Before all the veggies go bad.
wish me luck!
hugs+kisses
mce

When kids fall ill

Hello!
So I'll get right to the point. As most of you know I work for 2 costumers who do movies and TV. They have 4 kids. Now we won't go into the insanity of that in its self. For those of you who don't know the motion picture industry, it is very on and off. So this makes my job on and off. They also work different hours then 9-5 which means I work different hours The common issue is that when you have work you work all the time, because after this job who knows how long it will be till the next one. So this is the position I am in. I need both, not just one, to have jobs. In this industry that is not easy. If either of them don't have a job I don't have a job. And there are breaks. Like this last summer. They weren't both working from the middle of April to the beginning of August.  That's 3 1/2 months. Now they are great and keep me on retainer when they aren't working (because who else are they going to get to do my job for them???) but it is about half or less of what I normally make. But this means that I work ridiculous hours when they are both working. Lets take this week as an example, I work sunday night (I normally have this off) till 11pm. Then had to be back at work at 7:15am on monday, which was a 13 hour day. Tuesday was a start at 7am 9my normal time) and a 13 hour day as well. Wednesday was a day off for me. Then today I started at 6:30am. It will most likely be another 12 or 13 hour day. And the kids are sick.
I bow down to all parents when their kids fall ill. I don't know how you do it. I am barely making it through the day.  It is hard enough those last few hours when they start getting sleepy and they really want their parents. But now that stage starts a lot earlier. and they get upset over everything. I go home every day with my ears ringing from there yelling and crying. My goal has gone from maintaining control to just making sure they don't die while I'm here. But I'm working. These long days are a mixed blessing. On one hand they completely kill me, but on the other hand I am working and bringing in money. And I know things are about to get a little hectic. One of my bosses is working on a show that's main actor got pregnant. So they are going on a break in a little more them a week. So that's 2 months up in the air. He will be starting again in December, but then I have no idea when his wife gets off her current job. You see the extra stress? I hope that they both get jobs with a maximum of 2 weeks off. But I know how this all works. I know it may be a while where I don't really have work. So I have to be happy for this time I have where I am working. Right? It's hard to remember that sometimes.
hugs+kisses
mce

Weekend plans

Good Morning!
It's Monday again. It seems to have come much too quickly. Part of that is due to the fact that I worked last night. My bosses had a Emmy party to go to so I watched the kids last night. I left around 11pm and am back again at 7:20am. Not a lot of sleep. But I had big plans for last weekend. Not all turned out right though.

This past weekend was busy and calm. I know it sound confusing but I'm sure you all know what I mean. It was one of those weekends where you were busy for part and then lazy for the rest. Saturday was our busy day as it was our day off together. Saturday is market day (if we didn't make it to the market on Wednesday) Saturday was also the day I got my new phone. I can't tell you how excited I was to get it! I got a new iphone 4 and it's amazing. The amount of things I can do with it is amazing. But enough about my little love affair with my new phone. Now I have an Ipod and Iphone. Still trying ot figure out what to put on each of them. But Saturday was also the day we finally cooked the rabbit. We made it in the slow cooker. It worked out great. We made some bok choy to go with it. Sadly something about the rabbit didn't sit very well with either of us. But we had a nice sit down dinner together which we don't get the chance to do very often.

Sunday Jono had work as I decided to make Gnocchi. I went back to the market (I feel like I'm there so often!) and got potatoes. If you have never made Gnocchi be prepared. It takes a while. I boiled about 2 pounds of red potatoes (since I knew I would be able to use the rest of the bag later. we tend to eat the smaller potatoes more) Then I peeled them all. This takes a while. The recipe called for a ricer to mush up the potatoes, but since I didn't have one I used a fork. You can't get it as smooth this way. Then I rolled out the dough and cut it all up. I even rolled it over a fork to create the ridges. And then I made the mistake of putting them all together in a container. Bad idea! As of right now it is all back to a dough ball as they all merged as soon as they touched. I tried making some. I think I did something wrong. They were slightly slimy and didn't have very good texture. I also didn't have any sauce which may have something to do with it. But over all in the end 2 fails. I also made chocolate chip cookies and cooked them too long so they are crunchy rather then doughy the way I like. So now I have a batch of cookies that I don't really want to eat and a container of Gnocchi that I don't know what to do with. The nice part of making the Gnocchi was that A) I finally tried it, and B) I got to listen to one of my favorite books.

When I'm cooking I like to either have a nature show on or listen to a book on my Ipod. Jono and I always have at least one book on our Ipods. We listen to two main Authors. Either Elizabeth peters, a murder mystery set in Egypt around WW1. Its about a family of Egyptologists  from England. We both love these and have listened to all of them a few times. The other author is Terry Pratchett. If you have yet to read any of his books you should do that now! He is very funny. I have trouble getting into them when I am reading the actually book but I love listening to them. There are 38 Terry Pratchett books and 19 Elizabeth Peters. So we have a lot to listen to. Right now I am listening to a Terry Pratchett in the car and restarting the Elizabeth Peters books on my ipod.  It makes cooking alone much nicer.

Well here's the start of another week. Hopefully this week goes well. Now to find new recipes to make over the week!
hugs+kisses
mce

the quite moments

Good Morning
I know that lately I have been talking a lot about stress. And I have been really stressed. But I don't want to talk about that today. I want to talk about the quite moments.
Yesterday was my mid-week day off with Jono. He still had training in the morning though. I went with and walked from the park where he trains one client to the starbuck near by. We have been so busy lately I haven't had a moment to just walk with Bella.
I love walking with Bella. I forget sometimes but it is really nice. When you can walk and listen to good music and watch the world go by it really puts everything in perspective. I sat at a table outside and watched the traffic go by and read. I love the sound of cars going by. To me it's the sound of blood rushing in the veins. It's the sound of the tide whooshing in and out. Everyone is rushing to or from somewhere. It makes you realize that your problems aren't that big. Your life isn't the only one that is out there and that actually no one really cares. To some this may make then feel small and insignificant. But to me it makes me realize that I don't need to worry so much. It calms me down. I realize that I'm actually really happy and I just need to let things go. What's the point of holding on to all this worry?  My life is good. It may not be exactly what I thought growing up would be like but it really is amazing. It makes me look at what I'm stressing about. I mean really? It's amazing that I am stressing about moving! I am choosing a new place to live with my little happy family. We aren't having to compromise too much on what we want. we are going to be able to live where we want to. I may not be working in the field I want to be in yet but I am working with kids and It really isn't that bad. I love them and they love me. My work is appreciated.  I know my job isn't easy, but really what job is these days. I have a lot of freedom, I can run errands if I need to with the kids. I am with someone who loves me and who I love back completely. We have a great little life with a great puppy. Life is good. I know that once the holidays come we will be able ot see family and have family come over. We live a comfortable life. Yes there is stress, but there is stress in everyone's life. This all comes into perspective when I sit and watch traffic go by. I guess I'm really an LA girl.
hugs+kisses
mce 

Autumn

Good morning all!
So the chill in the morning air is back again. Most years this would mean a frantic rush to do all the summer things I have yet to do. It would mean the rush to get everything I want to do done as soon as I can. Summer always meant freedom. It was the time of year to do what ever you wanted and to laze around all day. That's not how this past summer worked out. It was hot and full of stress. It was full of work. There was little free time and no place to relax outside our apartment. this past summer was spent waiting for Autumn. This year Autumn means more then other years. This year Autumn means moving. It means the next stage in our lives. It is going to be full of baking and cooking. It means a schedule with the kids. Autumn is full of Holidays and family get-togethers.  Apple cider, hot toddies and Glogg. Soups, stews and roasts.  Doesn't it sounds great? It does to me. It means lots of cuddling with the one I love.
So like I said it means moving. Now I've talked alot about this move and I'm sure some of you are getting tired of hearing about it. But it's not just the move I'm excited about. I'm most excited to be in our new place. I can't wait to be in a place that we can make our own. I can't wait to get a new place set up. I know the actual moving part is going to be stressful. We start looking in a few weeks and we are going to have to look sometimes while I have the kids. We had to do this last year and it does make things a little crazier. It's going to be a crazy month full of packing and looking. We learned a lot from the last move. Like label everything! we ended up with more furniture then we planed on taking because we didn't label anything. We also didn't have enough boxes and did everything in a rush. This time round we are doing it differently. I'm going to start packing some of our stuff as soon as we start looking. Since Jono doesn't have 2 days off next to each other I'm hoping we can move everything on his day off and then I can unpack and organize the next day. By Thanksgiving we should be in our new place. In time for the holidays!

If anyone has any helpful hints to make moving and looking easier I would love to hear them! We start the big search on the 1st!
hugs+kisses
mce

what I want

Good morning!
So now that it's September there is a lot on my mind. One of the big ones is moving. We start the hunt next month. We would move out now if it didn't mean losing out huge deposit. But this as also started me thinking about what I want in a new place. I know I won't be able to get everything I want but I thought it would be a good time ot make a list. So here is my list!
1) location location location. No farther north then Brentwood and no farther south then Westchester. No farther inland then Culver City.
2) Close to the freeway.
3) Ground floor. no more stairs! And a small complex. Duplex would be great.
4) some outdoor space. A yard/Garden would be ideal but I know my chances of that.
Now on the the insides!
5) At least a two butt kitchen. One of my favorite times is when Jono and I cook together and I really don't want to give that up.
6) open floor plan. Space that I can see people in the living room while I'm cooking.
7) two bedrooms. one for a workout room where Jono can train his clients and another for us.
8) A dish washer. I know this may seem like a luxury but I am god awful at washing dishes and with both of us working so much we need to be able to wash dishes while we are away.
9) room for our bookshelves. We have four at the moment and will need to get another one soon.
10) lots of windows. I like a lot of light and it always makes me feel better to have the windows open.
11) enough room to entertain. I would love to have people over but we just hate our place right now so much that we don't have anyone over.
12) I would love to have at least 1 1/2 bath. it would be more professional for Jono's clients if they have a different bathroom to use.

I think that's all. I know I won't get everything on this list but I want to go in knowing what we are looking for. I know that we don't want to move again for a long time so this next place needs to fit well with us. I'm really excited for this process to say the least. It was a hassle last time dragging the kids along but it is worth it to be able to find a place quickly. We are giving ourselves a month and a half to find a place.  I hope that will be enough time!

hugs+kisses
mce

The First of September

Good Morning!

As I write this the twins are sitting on the other couch watching Dora and Ruby is curled up next to me. They both have cups of milk and I'm almost done with my first cup of coffee. Later we will all go outside to play and then have a dance party while I make the twins lunch and the older two after school snacks to bring with when I pick them up. Depending on who all is asleep when I get the older two we might go to the park for a while. If today is like the rest of the week has been I won't be off tonight till about 8pm. Making this another 13 hour day. You might notice how calmly I am saying all this. That's because I am calm about all of it. I have a job that pays well, not as well as it could but still good money. Jono is doing what he loves and getting more work all the time. Life is working out nicely. Not how I planed when I was sitting alone in my bedroom at my moms, but you can't plan everything. My days off really help as well. I have gotten the same days off as Jono now and it makes everything so much nicer. When we both have the day off we always try to cook dinner together. Sometimes we will go out for lunch while we are running errands and then make dinner later. Yesterday was just like this.

This was how yesterday turned out. We woke up around 8am. Jono had training so we all went with. We ran some errands and went to lunch. Now about this lunch. It was amazing. We went to a new place we hadn't tried before. We tend to get comfortable with a few places and then just rotate through them. But we decided that we would try this little place around the corner from his moms house. It's called Green Peas. As you all know I am trying to eat better and this was perfect. If you are ever in the area you should really try it. Very filling and you know you are doing something good for your body. Very good choice.
After lunch we took Bella to the park for a walk. It was really nice to just run around with her. We don't get a lot of time all together and it's really nice. It reminds me what I'm working so hard to have. When I'm working 13 hour days and the kids are fighting and yelling and the puppy is going nuts and biting them it's hard to think about why I should deal with it. But when I get days like yesterday it reminds me that I work that hard to be able to have days like that.

After Jono was done training for the day we went home. After relaxing for a few hours and going on a quick market trip we made dinner together. We also picked up cupcakes from Susie cakes. Last night was bison roast. It turned out really well. I really love cooking with Jono. We can each take different jobs and it all gets done and we have fun and get to spend time together. We ate dinner and watched "Little Nemo: Adventures in slumberland". If you haven't seen this movie you need to watch it now. Jono hadn't seen it. It was so much fun. It's an old kids movie. It can be kind of scary when your young but I always loved it. It was really nice.

I feel ready to takcle the month ahead. We have only one more month before we start looking for a new place. We have to be out by the end of november. Can't wait!
hope you all have a great week! 

hugs+kisses
mce