The new glasses are in :)

Maybe a little nerdy :)

Well its finally happened....

I need glasses... Not to worry it's only for driving at night and reading. For the past few months I have just felt that my eye sight isn't the best it could be. I was having problems seeing the clock from a distance, and my eyes were having problem adjusting from near to far. I mentioned this all to my ever so loving husband.   "Well I think we need to send you to the eye doctor."  "Great!"   "Our insurance covers that right?"   "Yes it does, as long as I go to the right place."  "Good, are you going to get contacts or glasses?"   "Defiantly glasses!"   "Oooohhhh.... ...."  "What? Is there a problem?"  "Well I've seen your taste in sun glasses, and you like to go for nerdy, and that has me worried ."  "Honey, I thought you liked my nerdy sun glasses."  ".... ... ... ..."   "Oh I see."  Well what can I say, I have my own style, and if on one else likes it, then that's okay, I don't really need them to, but I guess my husband is just worried about being seen with me.  "Don't worry honey I won't pick anything crazy." (smile and wink)   "Right." (roll eyes).

So I went to the eye doctor Friday afternoon. Jeremy was able to look after the kids, and it was a good thing too, because it was crazy in there. I walked in, and there was only one chair left in the waiting room (I guess that's what happens when you go in on a Friday afternoon). Also note that this is my first ever visit to the eye doctor, so I have no idea what to expect. So I finally get called back (30 mins later), and we talk and she gets me to read the chart, and we try a few things out. Come to find out, my right eye is fine, and needs nothing, my left eye on the other hand...    Okay it's not to bad off, but it just seems funny, that one of my eyes is completely fine, (meaning on my glasses there will be just glass on my right eye) and left... not so much. So after that she puts the crazy drops in my eyes, and sends me back out into the waiting room for 30 mins. Wow those things are crazy, I couldn't see a thing, and Jeremy was trying to text me. On a good note, besides my left eye sight slipping, everything else looks great.

I put in an order for my glasses Monday at Walmart, and I think the frames look great. I'll have to show a picture later, once they come in. Jeremy wasn't there when I picked them out, so I think he's still a little worried. :)




Christmas vacation has started! I'm super excited!

Last week I told my kids that if they were willing to do 2 weeks in 1, then we could get 3 weeks off for Christmas vacation and start it all a week early. Of course they wanted to do that, and they did an awesome job, but yes it was a lot of work, and no we can't do that all of the time. So now we are on vacation (I love it). It's nice to have time off, and just sit back and wait for Christmas. I love that my kids can just act like kids these next few weeks. That the best thing about childhood, just running around being a kid, carefree and happy. I love Christmas, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year :). It's a time to be thankful for God sending His son for us, and to be thankful for our friends and family, so don't forget them.

Dover Downs Banquet, and Thanks Giving Dinner @ My House

Hey everyone! So how was your Thanks Giving? Did you eat way to much? Did you have a great time?



Banquet


So last tuesday (the 22nd) was the banquet at Dover Down (which is a casino). This was an awards banquet for the Navy Recruiting District Philadelphia. They have one every year, and this time I was able to go (thank you mother-in-law for watching the kids).

Last tuesday morning was crazy. Check in time was at 9:30am, and we had to drop the kids off first, so we had to wake up at 5:30am, and leave by 6am. Yes that's exactly what we did. We grabbed some poptarts and ate them in the car. We drove 2 hrs south east, to drop the kids off in Delmar, then drove an hour north to Dover (oh the fun). The schedule was something like this...

9:30am - 11am : Check-in
11am - 12pm : Lunch (yes the gave us lunch for free)
12pm - 4pm : Training (for the military members, not the spouses)
6pm - 8pm : Dinner (which was part of the banquet, and once again free)
8pm - 10pm : the Awards (we were hopping that after that we would be able to catch a movie. The last showing of Breaking Dawn was at the mall close by and at 10pm) (I didn't think we would make it)

So yes after getting there, and settling in, they gave us lunch which was Ghettos Pizza (super awesome). During Jeremy's training I took a nap. Wow I loved it! It's been so long. I went up to our nice and quite hotel room, and snuggle up in a nice big bed, and took a nap, and I didn't have to worry about a thing (super super awesome). I got up at 3pm, and started to get ready. All of you girls know what it's like... You have to curl your hair, and do your make up, and put on that perfect dress :)...

So this is how I looked...

So like I was telling you in this post... The dress was old, but the shoes are new. :)


So did we make the movie in time? We lucky for us, they decided to start the awards early :). The Captain was ending the ceremony at 9:30pm with a "Be safe and have a good night." Once those words were out of his mouth, I took my heels off (so no shoes on), and grabbed Jeremy's hand, and we were both running. Well how often does an opportunity like this come around? Jeremy's parents have the kids, and we are out just the two of us. So we raced up to the room, changed, and were back down again right when the first crowed (from the very same banquet) was heading up. Some of them were asking how we were able to change to fast, but we had no time to stay and chat... We had a movie to see :)

Yes we made it, and right on time too. I loved the movie :)

I think being able to watch it with Jeremy in the theater made it even better. Like most parents of young children, it is very rare that we get to do that.

We got back to the hotel really late, and I re-packed and went to bed, and Jeremy followed shortly after.




Thanks Giving Dinner


So this year I hosted the Thanks Giving Dinner for Jeremy's parents and sister. I love staying at home on any holiday. I'm just a stay at home kind of person :). So hosting is really my cup of tea. I made Turkey, Mashed Potatoes, Green Bean Casserole, Corn Pudding, Macaroni and Cheese, Stuffing, and Sweet Potato fluff. My Mother-in-law brought Coconut Cream Pie, and Brownies. My sister-in-law brought Pumpkin log.

This is a picture of my kids (well 3 of them) coloring, waiting for Mommom, Poppop, and Aunt Christen. :) (I know I love Zachary's face in this one)

We had a wonderful day. Mommom and Poppop came early to watch the parade with us. We had our dinner at lunch time (I really like early dinners). After dinner we exchanged gifts (yes early, but just the ones to each other).

After that we watched the new Harry Potter together :)


I know, Harry Potter on thanks giving? I love it :)


Well that's all for now, thanks for reading.

My Shoe Challenge

Yes this post is about shoes :)

It has been a long time since I've worn heels for more than just a few minutes at a time, and the challenge I have made for myself is to change that. "Why?" You may ask...

I have a banquet coming up next week (for Jeremy's work), and most of the time when it comes to these things I just try to get by with a ballet flat (note that I don't get to go to these types of things often).

I am a big fan of the ballet flat (I have 8 pairs of them, in a 16 pair wardrobe, so 50% is ballet flats)...

There just really cute and really easy...

:)

I'm a Mom and I always have things to carry, so wearing flats just make it easier.

But I'm also 5' 2", and I could use the extra inches.



So this time I wanted to get a pair of heels and wear them to the banquet, and also train my feet to wear heels more often.... so I went shoe shopping! :)

I was recycling an old dress for this event, so I wasn't going to spend money on a new one, so I got a few pairs of heels. Money wise it was a great idea.

So these are the heels for the banquet, and wow I am so not use to wearing things like these. I tried to wear them all saturday, and I tripped a lot. :)

But aren't they super cute?

My dress is white with brown flowers (I'll have to post a picture later) and it's tea length. I am going to wear it with brown tights, and these shoes...

I know banquets are more, no tights, big ball gowns, and strappy heels, but that's just not me :)

Big ball gowns make me look like I was swallowed by a dress (I'm just short). It's cold, so to me tights are a must, and no way am I wearing strappy heels if I can't even walk in regular ones.



So now that we are talking about shoes, want to see my whole shoe wardrobe?....

BING :)


See most of them are flat.

As far as heels go I only have these 3 pairs (2 of which I just bought this saturday)

I do have this pair of kitten heels, but I don't think that really counts

So my challenge for me, is to wear heels more, and to get use to them by next week. :) Wish me luck

Ready... Set... Wait 6 months

Hey bloggy buddies... Yup once again we experience a gap in posts. Sorry, and yes you all know that this is a busy yet boring time of year (what a surprise). Yes with all of the dinner planning / dinner going, Christmas shopping, and holidays it's a wonder anyone gets anything else done. It happens, but it's very rare (and very boring apparently).

So because of that I have decided to make my post about our impending move. Yup the BIG ONE, all the way across country AGAIN! This move (in May), will be our 3rd across country move (yes 3rd). It's a lot to take in, but since I've gone through it before, that makes it easier.

So I've started to plan already (yeah I know). Why so soon? I like to know how I'm going to go about doing things, and since this thing is so big... well... you know... All I've done so far is planning the drive (as much as I can). How many days are we going to take going across? Where are we going to sleep?... Well we would like to make the trip in 7 days (no more, and no less). So why is that? Well in the past we did it in much less time (4 days), and while that was quick, it was also stressful and crazy. This time, we are just going to take it easy (as easy as possible, if there is such a thing). We are also staying at KOAs. Perfect solution, because we have pets, and kids, and I really don't like hotels.

Okay so like I said before I'm really looking forward to moving, for many reasons.... (I'm just not sure the rest of you will understand or like them)... Okay this may sound mean, but I'm not trying to be at all. I would really like to spend the holidays alone (just Jeremy, the kids, and me). I just like doing what I want for Thanksgiving, and Christmas, and not have to go everywhere and play the "fair" game. It's not easy especially since we have lived far away before, and that's what we're use to doing. I love my family (very much so), but I'm just so use to doing it on my own. I blame it on my middle childness (if there is such a thing). I spent my whole childhood trying to get every ones attention, and now that I'm grown up, I don't want it anymore, because I'm use to not having it. But when you move back home after being away for so long, your going to get it, so I had it coming to me (I suppose). It's funny how you change and adapt over the years, and just get use to how things are. I'm also looking forward to meeting new people. Our stay in Washington should be 5 years, and that's longer than any other place we've lived so far. This will give us more time with those new people we meet (a shame we didn't have that before, I've meet some really great people over the years, and just didn't have enough time with them) :( ... (thank goodness for facebook right?) :) ...


Speaking of time... With the passing of this month, marks the longest we've lived anywhere since my husbands Navy career started. We have lived here for 2 years and 7 months (Yes that isn't very long). Isn't that sad? One of these days we will live somewhere long enough to get use to the house, the area, and the other people, but not yet (I feel like we are vagabonds). I guess staying in a place longer that 2 years fells weird to me... What people actually do that?... They settle down, and stay in one town / city for the rest of their life?... Is that normal?...

Okay yes I'm just messing, I know it's normal. :) Not military normal though

So I've been planning the move so I can kind of figure things out early. List will need to be made, and things will need to be packed, and I just want to make sure I don't forget anything (I'm sure I still will). We need to set aside things to go in the car, and things to be packed by the movers. We need to get the car tuned up before we go, and we need to make reservations. Most Importantly we need a place to live. Right now we have an application in with the military housing up there. I have really high hopes for this. They do have 5 bedroom units, but I was told by the lady, that they only have a few. She did say that we shouldn't have any problems getting a 4 bedroom one though. I told her I just really needed a house, and that I wasn't picky (I hope that puts me on her good side) :)


Okay so that's all for now... See you guys later :)

Happy Halloween :)

Happy Halloween everyone!

I want to start off this post by showing you our past Halloween costumes throughout the years

This one is from 2007. This was about 5 months after moving to San Diego. This was the first year I took my kids trick-or-treating. I'm Sheik (from the Legend of Zelda OOT), and my kids were Link (all 3 of them, also from Legend of Zelda). Yes our costumes went together, and I made all of them. Jeremy was on duty that night so he wasn't there.

These two photos are from 2008. I'm Pooh (I'm sure you all can see that), Darien is Mario, Zach is Link again (He really likes Link), and Nathaniel is Luigi. Jeremy was deployed during this Halloween, so yes he wasn't there again :(

This was 2009, 5 months after moving to ft Meade. I was Pregnant, and stayed behind to hand out Candy, and Jeremy took them out (he didn't dress up). Darien is a Jedi, Zach is a Clone (also Star Wars), and Nathaniel a skeleton. Yes this was the first year we actually bought the costumes.

This on is 2010. Jeremy stayed home to hand out candy, and I took the boys. We have Darien and Zach as Power Rangers, and Nathaniel as Batman. I was once again Pooh.













So what did we dress up as this time?...

We had one Snow white...
2 Harry Potters...
One Iron Man...
One big gorilla...
And a Star Trek girl :)

This year, we set out 2 big bowls of Candy, and we all went trick-or-treating together (the first time, we've ever been able to do that) :). It was great, we only had to go once around the block, to get all of the candy we would ever need (well you know). We left the house at 6:30, and we were back by 7:00, and the boys each had a full bucket, and I think that's enough.

So now it's time to move on the the other holidays... Thanksgiving and Christmas (I'm really looking forward to both). This will be are last holiday season here in Maryland (which says a lot because both Jeremy's family and my family live here), so I'm looking forward to one last holiday season here (and hopping that this winter isn't really cold).

The news is in!

Hey guys! Remember when I left you hanging on where we were going to move next? Well now I can finally tell you. Are you ready?...


Okay here you go...

...
so...

Does this tell you anything?

When May comes around, this will be my new blog banner, and the new name of the blog will be Modern Day Pilgrims.

So do you like it? Do you still not know where we are going?

For the few (very few I hope), people who still aren't sure, we are going to Washington.


Well that's all of the news I have for now. Thanks for reading.

Harry Potter Party

Hey everyone! So are you guys wondering what happened to me? Are you saying "Randi what happened, you did 4 days of fashions and 4 days of dinners, and you didn't finish you missed a day in both." Yes I did, I let it happen, I kind of cheated (yes I did). Friday came around, and I put on a pair of yoga pants, and a tee-shirt (oh the horror, and how dare I do such a thing), and for dinner, we ordered Pizza (yes I know, how dare I again). So because of that, it really wasn't post worthy, and I wasn't really worried about finishing the week, because it wasn't really that important... was it? Okay, well any ways, I really hope you guys were able to get some new dinner ideas, and clothing ideas (I know, not everyone wants to dress like me, and that's fine).



So about the title..... Friday night, we had a Harry Potter Party, to celebrate our first report cards of the school year, and the good grades on them.

 It was an up all night, see how long we last kind of thing. Our goal was to start around 5pm, and get through all of them, a full 17 hours of Harry Potterness.

Jeremy and I had our own ideas, about who could stay up, and who couldn't

 Daddy Predictions:
Nathaniel will last until 11:12
Zachary will last until 1:20
Darien will last until 4:46
Randi will last until 12:15 (I like my sleep)

 Mommy Predictions:
Nathaniel will last until 10:30
Zachary will last until 12:45
Darien will last all night
Jeremy will last all night

 What really happen:
Nathaniel 10:39 (mommy wins)
Zachary 1:45 (daddy wins)
Darien 4:15 (daddy wins again... what in the world)
Randi 12:30 (I went to bed right after I popped the 4th movie in)
Daddy 7:25 (He went to bed right after he popped the 7th moving in, and right after I got up)

 This was fun! We made cup cakes, and had pizza. We put sleeping bags down, and let the kids have a big sleep over in the living room. We also let them eat everything....

The only down side is we did have some grumpy kids in the morning (well grumpy kid, can you guess who?)

 We had to send him back to bed, and tell him not to get back up, until he feels better.

Jeremy said that next time we have a HP party, we need to start it in the morning :), and yeah he's right. Next time we'll start it in the morning and our snacks can be breakfast foods (yummy pancakes).

Thanks for reading :)

Week of Legates' House dinners (Thursday)

So what great thing are we eating tonight?



Chicken Casserole (thursday night is casserole night)


You will need

1 Casserole dish
1 26oz can of cream of chicken soup
2 cups of milk
1 1/2 cups of frozen broccoli
1 16oz box of pasta (whatever kind you like)
1/2 cup or shredded cheddar cheese
3 strips of thawed uncooked chicken



Pour the soup and milk into the casserole dish and mix well. Mix in the pasta, completely covering the pasta in the milk and soup mixture. Next place the chicken on top, followed by the broccoli. Top everything off with the cheese. Cover the dish in Aluminum foil, and cook for 1 hour at 400. Once it's done, uncover and cut up the chicken. Stir everything together, and serve. :)

Randi's Fall Fashion (Thursday)

Out fit of the day...

Well what can I say it's fall and it's sweater time!

Yes it's purple and it's Argyle. What could be better?

Week of Legates' House dinners (Wednesday)

Hello again!

This time you're not only going to get one recipe, but two :) Are you excited?

This first recipe I got from my sister-in-law Christen. It's called Honey Teriyaki Chicken

This is all you will need :) (well that and a pan).

Take the frozen chicken and put it in the pan

Pour in the sauce (just enough to coat the chicken).

Cook for 7-9 mins on each side in medium heat.

and yes that's it (I love it).

We like to eat it with brown rice and broccoli.

Now for recipe #2. See Wednesday nights in the Legates' house, is chicken night, so when we aren't making Teriyaki Chicken, we're making Orange-Crumbed Baked Chicken (for this you need the chicken tenderloins to be thawed).

You will need...

1 cookie sheet

4 tablespoons orange juice

1 egg

1 1/2 cup of cracker crumbs

8 pieces of chicken

Mix the egg and the orange juice together, and brush it on the chicken. Put the cracker crumbs on wax paper, and coat the chicken on both sides with the crumbs. Spray your cookie sheet and place the chicken on it. Bake for 15 mins on each side at 350.

I hope you like both of these recipes. Try them out and tell me with you think.

Randi's Fall Fashion (Wednesday)

Hi again! Are you guys getting tired of this yet?


So what am I wearing today

Yes I know, I'm wearing pants! 

Brown collar shirt with Green Argyle sweater vest (I love argyle). Bootcut jeans, with brown ballet flats. Yes I know I have socks on with my ballet flats. Well I like to brake rules here are there. :)

As far as accessories I just have my Yellow hair band (to throw a different color in the mix).

See you again later :)

Week of Legates' House dinners (Tuesday)

Are you ready? You're going to want to write this one down :)

I found this recipe in my WeightWatchers cook book, and it's only 5 points per serving :)

Corn and Bacon Chowder (my kids like to call it Yeti soup)

You will need

(I always have to double this recipe)

1 medium saucepan (big, if you are going to double it)

2 Slices of bacon

1 Onion

1/2 Bell pepper (we like to use green, but you can use any color)

2 1/2 cups of Chicken stock

2 Medium Potatoes

2 cups whole corn kernels

1/4 cup light cream

In your saucepan over medium-high heat, cook the bacon in 2 tablespoons of water until crisp. With a slotted spoon, transfer to a paper towel; discard the liquid in the pan

Chop the onion and pepper, and add it to the pan with 2 tablespoons of water, and saute for 5 minutes. During all of that peel and chop your potatoes. Add the stock and potatoes to your sauce pan, and bring it to a boil. Reduce the heat and simmer for 15 minutes. Stir in the corn, and simmer for 5 more minutes. Then remove heat and let it cool slightly.

Transfer 2 cups of the soup to a food processor or blender and puree. Pour back into the saucepan and stir in the cream. Tear the bacon into bits and use it to top your soup, and your done :)

Check back tomorrow, for chicken night :)

Randi's Fall Fashion (Tuesday)

Hey everyone, I'm back! So what am I wearing today?


This....

I wear this a lot, so some of you (who know me in real life), have most likely seen me in this. It's my favorite dress, and having matching tights is a plus. The shoes are kitten heels, and I love them. I don't have any accessories on today, because I was feeling a little lazy :P

Okay well thanks for stopping by :)

Week of Legates' House dinners (Monday)

So what are we having for dinner tonight?



Chili!

This is my Mom's recipe and a family favorite

So what will you need?

1 crock pot
2 30oz cans of kidney beans (yes I know "cans" that's not really fancy. Well I have to feed a family of 6)
2 30oz cans of tomato sauce
2 tablespoons of chili power
2 lbs. ground Beef or Turkey (we use turkey)
1 Green bell pepper
1/2 an onion
1 tablespoon brown sugar

First brown the ground meat, and drain. Chop the onion and the pepper, and saute in a pan for 10 mins. Then add everything to the crock pot and leave it to cook for 2 hours.

Pretty easy, and really good

We like to add cheddar cheese and tortilla chips :)


Come back tomorrow night for a new recipe.

Randi's Fall Fashion (Monday)

5 days worth of outfits from my closet! Happy Fall!




Monday:

 



Black and white collar shirt with purple-plum sweater vest. Black A-line skirt, plum tights, and mary-jane flats. Maroon flower neckless, Jade earring, and pearl hair band.


I love tights and leggings, and fall is the perfect season for them. For this outfit I kept the color pallet the same, the purple-plum sweater, the plum tights, and the Maroon neckless are all from the same color family. I am also known for mixing it up a bit and throwing a totally different color in, that does not match. I did that with the Jade earrings. I don't like to do all of the same color, and if I can't fix a different color into the outfit, I do it with the accessories. I'm also a big sweater vest fan. I think of them as geek chic, if there is such a thing :).

Come back tomorrow to see what I drag out of my closet next :)

Like a Sailor on leave?

Hey everyone. Yes I know, long time and no posts. Sorry I've just been busy, and with nothing interesting. Yes I know, I have already explained how that is.

My husband was on leave this past week :).... :).... :) YAY! Well who doesn't like having their husband home with them all week? This vacation was for relaxing only (with a few exceptions). You know how sometimes you take some time off, so you can take you family on vacation? It's fun at times, but when you get back you feel like you need a vacation from your vacation? Do you get that at all? Well we were trying to avoid all of that, and just enjoy each other (and all of our wonderful kids). It was nice :)

Most of the week was spent at home. I would Homeschool, Jeremy would help, and we would clean the house (mostly he would clean the house). We would sometimes take small shopping trips in the afternoon, to buy halloween costumes, and christmas presents (yes we have started already). We got the kids' pictures taken, and put up our Christmas tree (yes I know "already?").

I just like to put it up early. It makes me happy :) I love decorating for Christmas.






We also did a Homeschooling field trip in Washington D.C.

We went to the Natural History Museum, the American Art Museum, and the Smithsonian Castle. That was an adventure in it's own.

Driving and parking in DC isn't a walk in the park. It also didn't help that Jeremy and I have different driving personalities. He is a big GPS kind of guy, he doesn't need to know where he's going until the GPS tells him, and he can do anything with a GPS. I really don't like using the GPS. I would rather look up the directions online and go from there (no GPS needed).

Jeremy was driving, his plan was to follow the GPS to the Museums address, and find a parking garage from there. This was working just fine, until he handed me the GPS, and said "Here take this and tell me when to turn." ......  "Ah...."  "Well I think we turn left up here"  We turn left and "Recalculating (GPS)"  Yup that's me.

All was well, we found our way, and found a great place to park.

The kids loved it, and I think they learned a lot. :)


So during this whole leave, my husband was on a cleaning rampage... I really don't like it when this happens. I also don't get any sympathy from my facebook friends when I post about it. So I'll explain, and maybe you guys will cross over to the dark side with me.

You all know (or maybe), that I am not the neatest person. I'm only a little messy, cleaning just isn't always a priority in my mind. Every once in a while Jeremy will go on one of these cleaning rampages. He has to clean everything. Now most of you are thinking "What's the problem? Just let him go and do it." And I do, but it makes me feel guilty, and on top of that... "Hey honey, this was on your dresser where does it go?"  "It goes on my dresser."  "No your dresser looks messy, you need to clean it, now where does this go."  "The only place I have for it is on top of my dresser, and I'm feeding Olivia right now."  "I know you're busy, that's why I'm trying to help you, now where does this go?"

Do you guys get it now? Maybe?


Okay well thanks for reading. I'm about to do a series of posts one on what we (the Legates family) eat for dinner during a normal week (so one post a day for 5 days) maybe you guys can get some new ideas and recipes from that. And Randi's fall fashions, that will have what I'm wearing Monday through Friday. So yes once again one post a day for 5 days.