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.