Cookies for a Cause

In the past few months, I have really been working on my baking skills.  I've been baking and decorating cakes and cookies and I am really loving it!  I decided to put my skills to the test and try to raise a little money for the walk for autism.  So, I made hundreds of cookies, bagged them, and sold them at a friend's garage sale. 

Contrary to what my dear husband will say, I did not write on these with a Sharpie marker.  It is a food coloring marker!

Each bag had one of each of the different cookies.  Then I labled the bag with our donation site and a thank you message!  I don't believe we got anymore donations from the label, so that might be a something I change for next year.

I am proud to say that we made $99 from the cookies!  I had a ton of fun making them and I am actually gearing up to do it again for another cause this month.  I'm going to be baking and decorating cookies for the entire month of August!  I'll post photos of those as I go and stay tuned for a few more posts with my photos of my other handiwork!

The Baker's Assistant

Owen seems to share his mama's love of baking and is always eager to lend a helping hand.  So you can imagine how excited we were when we were at the Dutch Market during Tulip Time and found a Thomas apron!  Of course, we just had to buy it, much to Daddy's chagrin.  Apparently the man who has spent upwards of $5 on one beer thinks that $8 is just too much for a child's apron.  But I digress.

We got right to work and made good use of the apron on Mother's Day, when Owen helped me make pancakes.

We are still working on his candid smile.

He hangs his apron next to mine in the kitchen and is always sure to run and put it on each time he helps me bake.  I'd definitely say we've gotten our $8 out of it!

The Big Guy Never Disappoints

A couple of weekends ago, Owen and I headed up to Boone for our 3rd consecutive "Day Out with Thomas."  Cody and I decided that it would be easier if Cameron didn't go this year since he's still too small to really enjoy it.  We also thought it would be fun for Owen to have a big boy day all to himself to do whatever he wanted without having to worry about Cameron's needs and wants.  I was so excited that I got to share the special day with him!

We grabbed a quick lunch at McDonald's in Boone before we made our way over to the train station.  As soon as we got there, we got our tickets and boarded the coaches.

Owen had so much fun on the 25 minute ride.  We sang Thomas songs and talked about all the different trains we saw on the tracks as we rode along.  He kept saying, "Mommy, we're riding through the countryside!"  As soon as we got off, we jumped in line to have his picture taken with Thomas.

As you can see from the ear-to-ear grin on Owen's face, he was in Thomas heaven.  He was, however, a little upset that Thomas didn't actually talk to him.   Next up, meeting the Fat Controller, Sir Topham Hatt.

Again, he made the comment that Sir Topham didn't talk, but it didn't seem to bother him too much.

After that we, went in the Imagination Station, where they had a few different train tables set up. 

I couldn't help but think to myself that we have all the same stuff at home and more, yet he was fighting to get in there and get just one train to play with amongst all the other kids.  But as long as he was having fun, I guess that's all that matters!

After playing for a bit, we headed over to the Story Telling Caboose where we met the star of IPTV Kids (Iowa Public Television), Dan Wardell.  He's a real celebrity in our household so Owen was just over the moon to see him in person, as you can see here:

Dan read a story in the caboose for all the kids:

After that we packed in a few more activities, spent way too much money at the gift shop, and decided to head home.  Owen was so well-behaved, which made the day even better.  Even when I told him it was time to go, he said, "Ok" and didn't scream or cry one bit!  It was one of the best days the two of us have had together in a long time and I think we both thoroughly enjoyed it!

Rub-Downs, Relaxtion, and A Little Shopping

I'm back on the balcony listening to the waves while Molly is back doing that work thing. A big shout-out to her husband, Ted, for not wanting to go on this trip and letting me come instead!

Last night we made our way to Old San Juan, which ended up being about a 30 minute drive away. It was very neat to see, as everything looks just as it sounds--old. The architecture is beautiful and many of the streets are cobblestone. We would have liked to have toured the more historic sites but as it was night, nothing was open so we had to settle for walking around the outdoor market. Molly bartered for some purses and we picked up a couple of other things to take home for our boys. Then we went to a little restaurant called Tito Danny's. It was Puerto Rican and Mexican cuisine. We had sort of assumed they were close to the same thing, but apparently we were wrong. We both chose Mexican and had a nice dinner. Then we came back to the hotel and did a little gambling in the casino. I like to play video poker and they only had nickle machines. It was good because I didn't lose a lot, but I didn't win a lot either. I went home down $1, which I thought was pretty good. Tonight I think we might go back and play a little rhoulette.

This morning on Molly's break we went to the spa for massages, which were very nice and relaxing. Then we had lunch at the same outdoor restaurant as yesterday. Molly had to rush back to the conference and now I think I'm going to hit the pool and relax and get a little sun. We didn't have time to feed the iguanas so hopefully we can do that tomorrow morning before we head out. Tonight we decided we'd go cheap and familiar and hit the Pizza Hut a few minutes away. Then we might go to the golf club restaurant for a little dessert. Then hopefully we'll win big in the casino! :)

We are really enjoying ourselves but I think we're both ready to come home and see our babies. We find ourselves fixated on babies in the hotel as they pass us!

A few a quick tidbits:

We saw a crab last night on the road, ironically crossing where the sign said IGUANA CROSSING. We've yet to see an iguana pass through there.

It seems that the police here just drive with their lights on sometimes. We've seen a lot of them and they are never really speeding or seem like they are trying to "catch" somebody. One was even stopped at a stoplight waiting for a green, but had his lights on!

The concierge told me yesterday that it is a rule on the island that service people speak english. Apparently the drive-thru lady at the McDonald's failed to read her rulebook.

Back to cold weather tomorrow! Brrrr!!!

Lizards, Iguanas, and Bug Bites--Oh My!

Just thought I'd post a bit while I have a little time this afternoon. Molly is off at her conference and I'm sitting on the balcony listening to the waves and looking at beautiful palm trees. Ah, this is the life!

This morning Molly got up and went off to the nerdery (hee hee) again while I slept in (again). She got done at 12:30pm and I met her at a little outdoor restaurant by the pool where we shared a very large, but wonderfully tasty chicken caesar salad. Then she changed into her suit and we lounged by the pool for an hour or so. When she went to change into her suit, we saw a very small little lizard that was missing a leg, poor thing! Molly was quick to inform me that he will grow it back, so all will soon be good for the little guy. Then as we were just relaxing in the pool we saw an igauna climb out of it! Everyone gathered around to watch him and it was a little bit freaky! But he didn't bother anyone and just went on his merry little way. I was quick to check my surroundings each time I went into the pool again! I just knew I'd be the woman screaming like a wild woman because an iguana was in the pool right next to me! Thankfully, I swam alone. Molly has bug bites all over her ankles which we can only conclude came from sitting on the beach last night. Guess we won't make that mistake again.

This afternoon we are heading to Old San Juan. It is about 20-30 minutes away from our resort but is supposed to have great shopping and food. We'll do a little shopping and hopefully sample some yummy Puerto Rican cuisine. Then I think I'm going to convince Molly to hit the casino with me. Gambling isn't exactly her favorite thing to do, but I think I can get her to do it.

Tomorrow we are planning to feed the iguanas in the morning (one of the activities they do here) as long as Molly is out of the conference in time. Then we are getting massages at the spa. Molly is trying to convince me to go on a short bike ride. My calves are slightly hurting from that trek up the watch tower yesterday but I guess I will give it a try. There are trails around the resort so it should be fun. Not sure what else is in store for tomorrow, but with Molly at the helm, it's sure to be exciting!

I'm off to shower and get ready to go to Old San Juan. Hope everyone is doing well and surviving the cold weather back in the states. Hee hee. More to come later!

Hola from Puerto Rico!

Molly and I made to it Puerto Rico last night at around 9pm local time (we are an hour ahead here). It was about 11pm by the time we made it to our hotel as we had to get our baggage, rent our car, grab a quick bite to eat, and drive the 20 miles to our hotel. We have had quite an adventure so far. Just getting my ticket onto the plane was an adventure! We went to the print-your-own kiosk and entered my info. and it said it couldn't find me on the flight. We realized we were using the wrong info. number and found it. But for aobut 5 minutes, we were quite scared! Our flights were pretty uneventful. The second was long, but nice because they showed the movie "The Break-Up" which we both had never seen. Made the time pass a little easier.

Once we landed and got our car, we got on the road and soon got lost and had to drive through a toll-way and pay the toll on each side of the road, which annoyed us. But we got on the right track and then decided to hit McDonald's on the way. It wasn't difficult to find one because there is a fast food restaurant about every mile. We went through the drive-thru and the woman didn't speak English, so we had to order with our broken spanish. Asking for salt was quite an ordeal (Michelle, if you're reading this, think "sugar incindent" in Mazatlan!). The woman pretty much looked at us like we had 3 heads when we asked for the salt. But we did end up getting it.

The hotel is great. We are actually sitting on the balcony of our room as we type this. Turns out we are close enough to the lobby to pick up the wireless internet connection. Our room is nice, although the maid keeps turning the a/c down to 62 degrees and we freeze our asses off. But the beds are comfy and the bathroom is nice and clean.

Today Molly had to get up at the crack of dawn for a course she signed up for. She left at about 7am and I slept in, which was nice for me. She was at the course until noon and I just hung out here and watched a little TV. Sunday morning TV in Puerto Rico leaves much to be desired. I actually found myself watching "Trato Hecho" which is the Puerto Rican version of "Let's Make a Deal." It was in Spanish, so I couldn't understand a whole lot of it, but they were funny in their costumes and I did get the gist of what was going on.

When Molly got done, we headed to one of the restaurants on-site for some lunch. Then we went to El Yunque Rain Forest, which is about 15 minutes from here. It was all VERY beautiful and we really enjoyed it. The weather is nice, warm, but not horrible and it's slightly overcast so we didn't bake in the sun. We saw a pretty waterfall and went to a look-out tower where I almost collapsed from climbing the 98 stairs to the top. After that, we hit Amigo, which is a supermarket that we think is owned by Wal-Mart. We got some snacks since everything is so expensive at the hotel.

Then we headed back to the hotel. A word about driving in Puerto Rico. We have decided they have wasted money making lines on the road because no one seems to care that they are there. And there are also times that they just disappear for a few hundred feet and you just have to guess what lane you should be in. Stoplights seem to be somewhat optional, and livestock seems to roam the roads at will. We saw a few chickens cross the road and then just a horse snacking on the side of the road that didn't seem to belong to anyone. There are also IGUANA CROSSING signs on the roads within the resort. We've yet to see one cross, although we did see one right outside the restaurant at lunch.

Tonight we went back to the same restaurant for dinner. It was good, although I was ticked that they charged me another $3.50 for my tea refill. Then we took a walk on the beach. Then we decide to go for a quick dip in the pool. It was a busy but very relaxing day and we are thoroughly enjoying ourselves. We'll try to do another update before we leave. Molly is doing conference stuff all day tomorrow so I'm sure I will find myself by the pool with a good book or maybe even making GiGi proud and doing a little gambling at the casino. Nothing like a little gambling at 2 in the afternoon. Now that's vacation!

Beth, hold that baby in til I get there! Adios!

Back To Our Roots

Last weekend we went back to where it all began for us as a couple. We headed to U of I homecoming with my 2 best friends and their husbands, Michelle, Dusty, Molly, and Ted. Michelle, Molly, and Ted all graduated from there so it was a weekend full of memories for everyone. We had such an awesome time and hope to get back very soon! Here's a few pics of the weekend.





Michelle and Dusty at the bar on Friday night after we got into town.












Cody and I posed for a picture while tailgating on Saturday morning before the game. Much thanks to my mama for providing us with our new Illini gear! We loved it!




The boys getting the grill fired up to make brats while tailgating. I made them drive thru McD's before we went so I could get hotcakes instead! Although, I must say, I did sample a brat and Dusty did a wonderful job!

Molly and Ted sipping on coffee while tailgating!

The CHIEF running on the field. There is big controversy over the chief because people say it's not respectful to Native American Indians. I do see where they are coming from but I just love to watch him come out on the field! I can't help it!

The girls at the game after the upsetting loss. We still had a good time though!

Playing a racing game at the bar on Saturday night. We were all like kids running around in there playing games! We had so much fun! I'm proud to say I actually beat them all once at this game!

Our 3 guys in their Illini gear at a bar after the game. They were so great all weekend--being patient enough to take a picture of the girls in front of every haunt we remembered so fondly. Ok, so we ended up with the same picture just in front of different landmarks, but we liked them all! And our guys never complained! Aren't they cute?!

The three girls in front of the house we lived in together. We had some awesome times in the house and we just loved living there. The funny part is, we sat in the driveway for about 5 minutes the night before trying to work up enough courage to knock on the door and ask the 5 guys sitting in the living room if we could take a look around. Never did do it. So we went back the next morning and took our picture in front of it.

Here we are in front of the dorm where we first met. Ah, the memories....

And the best picture of the weekend. That's right, we actually met a celebrity! Here we are with TLC's Trading Spaces and Movin' Up Interior Designer Doug Wilson. We were sitting in a booth about 5 feet away from him and I looked over and said, "I think that's Doug Wilson!" We debated for about 10 minutes whether it was him and then Molly got up the nerve to ask him for picture. It was the highlight of our weekend! The guys, of course, laughed at us for being such starstruck dorks.

Somebody's gonna bingo....

might as well be Jasmine!

Last night my friend Jasmine and I had a Mommies Night Out and went to Meskwaki Casino in a town about 45 minutes away to play bingo. It lasts for about 3 hours so we had a nice relaxing time. We even got these little computers that have our bingo cards on the screen. Then when the number is pulled, the computer recognizes it and blots it out on all your cards if you have said number. It even tells you how many you need to get a bingo! You don't do a damn thing! You just sit there staring at your screen waiting for your number to come up. Is that not the laziest game ever? I gotta say, I like a game where I have a possiblity of winning $1,000 and I can sit and eat a big 'ol plate of nachos while I wait! Now there's a sport I can get on board with!

So we start out on the first game and Jasmine gets all but one number on one of her cards. There's a little dog in the corner of your computer screen that starts getting excited when you have one number left. It shows the number you need right next to the dog while he's going crazy. It's the funniest thing. So Jasmine and I see on the TV screen that her number, O72, is coming up next!!! We started going as crazy as that damn dog! They actually call the number and Jas yells, "BINGO!" Alas, two other people bingoed at the same time so she had to share her winnings. We didn't even know how much she had won but we were still as giddy as 2 little girls. The guy next to me says, "3 winners, so they each get $34." I said, "Oh, well that's not much. That doesn't even pay for your game!" But we were still excited. Then the lady comes over and starts counting out her money. Turns out, I misheard the man next to me and she actually won THREE HUNDRED thirty four dollars!!! We could hardly contain ourselves!

We finished playing bingo with no other wins, although we did thoroughly enjoy ourselves. I told Jasmine I was determined to win something while I was there so I wanted to go try my luck at video poker. I gave the machine $17 and ended up leaving with $32. As I was playing, Jas says she's going to go find a Triple Cherry slot machine. Not 10 minutes later she comes back with a big bucket of quarters and says, "Um, Sarah, I think it's time for me to go home!" So she goes over, cashes out her winnings and it comes to $220!!! So, my friend is now going home with $554 save for the $45 for bingo and the $20 she put in the slot machine. Needless to say, I was jealous and wanted some of this good fortune. So I said, "I'm going to play a little longer." Jasmine, being the good little sensible girl that she is, says, "I'm done, I'll wait for you by the front door!" So I proceed to feed the $32 back into the video poker machines that I had just won and lost it all!!! I stuck my tail between my legs, admitted defeat, and drove home with my now rich friend. She was kind enough to by her poor pal a hot chocolate on the ride home. Congrats, Jasmine!

Fun-filled weekend with Travis and Jasmine!

Travis and Jasmine are our friends who Cody met through work. They have 2 little girls and we all love getting together from time to time. However, on Friday night the girls were at Grandma's for the night so Travis and Jas came over for a night of dinner and poker! I made a great Weight Watchers dish which everyone enjoyed and then we proceeded to drink and eat Twizzlers and pretzels while we played poker. Pretty much defeats the purpose of the WW dinner, eh? But we enjoyed ourselves nonetheless! Jasmine and I took the guys out and then we duked it out. She offered to quit and split the pot but I got greedy and said I wanted it all. I was eating my words in the end when she took me out! LOL Here's a pic of the proud winner:

On Saturday Jasmine and I woke up bright and early to head over to Iowa City for a spa and shopping day. The boys bought us gift certificates for Valentine's Day and we're just now cashing them in! We have all been so busy that this was the first chance we had. The spa was WONDERFUL! We each got a full body massage and a facial. Our only complaints were that my room was a little chilly and Jasmine felt the woman beat her up a bit. Other than that, we had a great time! I had never had a facial before so that was a neat experience. I swear she put about 10 different things on my face. But it was great!

After the spa we had lunch and then did a little shopping. I didn't get home until 6:45pm! I can't remember the last time I got to leave the house and miss feeding Owen ALL 3 meals! Of course, wouldn't you know the one day I leave he decides he's going to start signing "eat." I guess it only matters that he did and not that I missed it! He was also wearing socks when I walked in the door. His own socks even! This is the child who would never keep his socks on so I was quite surprised to see him walking around the house in them.

Today was the Dads' day and they played 27 holes of golf. I'm told Travis played his best 18 ever so they decided to go for another 9. I really think they just wanted to get back at the girls for being gone so long yesterday! Either way, they had a good time and it was a nice way to cap off a great weekend.

I'll leave you with a funny conversation that ensued when I came in yesterday and asked about Owen wearing socks. Here's how it went:

I said to Cody, "Why's he wearing socks?"

"We went outside to play for a bit."

"Oh, so you put his tennis shoes on him?"

"No, I just put the sandals over his socks because I couldn't find his tennis shoes."

"They're in his closet."

"He has a closet?"

Gotta love those Dads! :)

Owen goes swimming!

It is only for my child that I would allow pictures of me in a swim suit to be posted on the web! ;) Here are some pics of Owen at his swimming lesson last week. We went three times a week for two weeks and he really seemed to enjoy it. The last day he went under about 5 times without crying so I took that as a good sign. Just remember to focus on the cute baby and not the Mama in the suit with no makeup! :)

Five Years of Wedded Bliss!

Yesterday we celebrated our 5th wedding anniversary. We can hardly believe it has been 5 years! My mom, Danielle, and Maddy were here visiting so they watched Owen while we went out to eat. Nothing too fancy, but it was nice to spend a little alone time together for a change! As we were eating, there was a baby screaming at a table next to us and I said to Cody, "Isn't it nice to know that's not our kid for once?!" It was so nice to be able to eat an entire meal while it was still hot and to not have to do it while trying to keep a yelling toddler occupied!