4 Hokies in Atlanta

Last Thursday, we set out on a nine hour road trip to Atlanta to see the Hokies play the Tide. I was QUITE nervous about this little road trip--the last road trip of any length we took was when we lived in London and drove to Edinburgh. That was insane. Anyway...


The Kiddles were Fan.Tastic! The $100 we spent on the portable dvd player was seriously some of the BEST money we've ever spent. We stopped in Augusta for the night since we didn't leave until 1 pm that afternoon and let me just say for the record, Georgia has just about the nicest Waffle Houses on the planet. Waffle House is kind of big in our little family--Mike and Devyn and Aiden die over the pecan waffles and I've never had a better patty melt. We ate SO much--but ohhhh was it wonderful! We drove into Atlanta Friday morning, dropped our stuff at the hotel and took the kiddles to the Georgia Aquarium...




From there we went to World of Coca-Cola and hung out in Centennial Park for a while. We met friends for dinner that night (if you haven't had the Ahi Tartare at Cheesecake Factory...mercy...run, don't walk! It's truly fabulous...

We spent Saturday morning at the pool and then donned our Hokie Best and drove to the Georgia Dome. We tailgated and afterwards, headed inside to watch the boys bring home a victory. Sadly, it didn't happen that way. Alabama exhausted our defense and we lost a very valiantly played game. We, however, had a blast. The kiddles were troopers, and although exhausted by 11 pm, they continued to cheer on the Hokies and promptly fell asleep in the car before we left the parking lot. The nine hour drive back home was eventless and thankfully the only mishap occurred when my sweet husband baptized his phone in the jacuzzi at the hotel. But it was a small price to pay for all this...

Ok, absence duly noted...so something to sweeten the deal...

I have taken the summer off, and in getting back into the swing of things, I've got a recipe for you! Here you go...some changes at the O home...more to follow!

These rocked our socks off...Let me know if you like them too!

Salted Nut Bars

Yield 28 bars
Total time : about 45 minutes plus cooling

1 lb peanut-butter sandwich cookies, coarsely crumbled.
1 stick unsalted butter, melted

Topping
2 cups of peanut butter chips
2/3 cup of light corn syrup
4 Tbsp unsalted butter
1 tsp vanilla extract (the real stuff!)
2 cups of miniature marshmallows
2 cups of dry-roasted peanuts
2 cups of Rice Krispies

Preheat oven to 350 degrees; coat a 13x9 inch baking pan with nonstick spray.

Pulverize (love that word!) cookies in a food processor until fine crumbs form. Add melted butter, and process until crumbs clump together. Press crumbes into prepared pan. Bake 15 minutes or until golden.

Melt peanut-butter chips, corn syrup, butter and vanilla in a saucepan over medium-low heat, stirring until smooth, about 5 minutes. Spread 1/2 cup of the peanut mixture over crumb base.

Top with marshamallows and return bars to the oven. Bake until marshmallows puff, about 2 minutes, then remove from oven. Don't let marshmallows brown or they'll turn crunchy.

Toss peanuts and cereal with remaining peanut mixture to coat. Drop spoonfuls of the topping over the marshmallows, then spread with a spatula (sprayed with non-stick cooking spray to prevent sticking). Cool bars before cutting with a knife coated with nonstick spray.

How many ways can you think of...

to get out of a dentist appointment? I have my six month check-up today. I expect I'll be no worse for the wear when it's over and done with, but MERCY. I have gone through two c-sections, one with 15 hours of natural labor, had my house broken into while I was in it, and many other things that would knock the fear of God into people but nothing strikes freaked-out fear into me like going to the dentist. At this point, Maury, Tyra, Oprah or Dr. Phil would ask, "Did something happen to you when you were younger that might have caused this fear"? Um, YES. My dentist was pure, unadulterated evil. Ok, maybe not evil, but he was nearly blind, and let's just say everytime he would use the Grim Reaper Tool (that hook looking thing that is most definitely formed from the bowels of Hell) he would miss. HE WOULD MISS. And subsequently get my gum tissue. Awesome. Thanks, Dr. Doom who forever formed my terror of dentists.

So. Six months ago I finally went to the dentist after a VERY long absence. I paid the price too, with needing some dental work that was long overdue. However, Dr.Doom did NOT do the work. I had the most funny, the most gentle, and the cutest little dentist (I can say cute--even if I'm happily married, right)? I didn't allow the use of said Grim Reaper Tool and things went much smoother, even though I did sit there for five and a half hours.

Today is my check-up. Will not do the flouride treatment. Would rather have my eyeballs licked out by kittens. Hate it. Will not allow the Grim Reaper Tool. So what we have here is me, the freaked-out patient who dictates how they're going to do my treatment and the cute Saudi dentist who puts up with me for Lord knows what reason. I've been trying to think up ways for the past few days to get out of it. However, I know what comes from that: those blessed five and a half hours in the chair. Rock on. I guess I'll just put on those gawgeous plastic glasses and lay back and watch Maury while they whittle away with some awful tooth polish flavor at my teeth. Awesome.

Thoughts for the day...

Not much to blog about today, so I thought I'd just write my random thoughts...

1. There is something incredibly refreshing about hearing a three year old sing "You Are My Sunshine" at the tippy-top of his little lungs during the school Spring program. I love that kid--any kid--who steps out of bounds and truly projects his whole soul into something like that.

2. There is also something refreshing about HAVING a kid like that--our Aiden--who rocked our faces off with his rendition of "Rockin' Robin" with his white sunglasses and inflatable guitar during his classes' performance...

3. Wouldn't an inflatable guitar truly be considered an "Air Guitar"? Discuss...

4. I am on an organizing kick. So far, it's a slow process...

5. My current favorite character on tv is Bethenny from the Real Housewives of New York City. How funny is she?! Cracks me up. Every time.

6. Why is it, that at 33 years old, I am still getting zits? Can someone please explain this to me? All I know is that we, as teenagers, were LIED to in Health Class when they told us, "Oh, breakouts stop around 19 years old". Hello, LIAR. And there's only so much Extra-Strength Neutrogena face wash one can absorb through the skin in a day before our Blood Alcohol Level starts rising uncontrollably...

7. Land of The Lost comes out on June 5th. That's the night of brother-in-law's rehearsal dinner. There's a movie theater right next to the restaurant. Five bucks says I'll be enjoying my salmon sitting in a Regal Cinema enjoying Will Ferrell battle the SleeStacks. Don't judge--it was my FAVORITE show when I was little and 27 years is a LONG time to wait for a movie to come out...now all I need are The Jetsons 40 feet tall and I'll be fine as wine...

Off to get The Girl off the bus...enjoy your Wednesday!

Consider it a vent...

I've had two experiences with vents in the last week. The first occurred when my grandma's wedding ring, which I wear with mine, plinked, plinked, plinked from the top of my jewelry chest onto the floor, then plinked, plinked, plinked DOWN THE AIR VENT. Here's what followed:

1. Panic.
2. Panic.
3. Absolute PANIC.
4. Mike, Sweet Hubby, arrives.
5. Children scatter on a mission to find every single flashlight we own.
6. Mike puts his hand down the vent and announces that he's got a penny.
7. Fabulous. We're wealthy now!
8. Instead of said penny, Mike pulls out Helen's wedding ring.
9. JOY, ELATION, SCREAMING, and Bursting into tears.
10. Return to calm, and sending many prayers of gratitude upwards.

Here's the other vent:

Everyone has people in their lives who are rude, inappropriate, and just plain mean. They revel in getting in little digs here and there and just genuinely being nasty. I have one of those people. I have the esteemed pleasure or spending time with this person in regular occurrences. It's AWESOME. Sarcasm, anyone?

I'm learning how to deal with this person. It's not easy to say the very least. Frankly, it's miserable. But, I also know that I'm the better person for not absolutely having a down home conniption. What I need to do, it to pray more. Pray for patience and strength. And grace. And that that person might have the opportunity to move. Very, very far away. Is that bad? Hmmm...I'll just stick to grace and strength and patience...

Ok, 'fess up...

Someone's been here. Ok, a FEW people have visited but THIS particular person is in my Feed-It as being in Roanoke, Virginia. ROANOKE, people. Ring a bell? MY HOMETOWN! I fully expect a comment from said person...whoever you may be! ;)

This morning merrly rolled along until I went to stretch. Seven hours later, here I sit, a heating pad wrapped around my poor neck. About once a year, I tweak my neck. It just so happens that this time, it's two days before Lindsay's (my soon to be sister-in-law) shower that I'm hosting. So tonight must be Mike's lucky night, because it's up to him to finish filling the 10 gift bags for each guest that has to be done tonight...lucky, lucky man!

Welcome to the zoo...

I have a sign in our hallwall leading from our front door that says just that, and it's very fitting. Especially lately. Life, in all it's glory has been an absolute ZOO. Last week was spring break for the kiddles--fantastic, wonderful Spring Break. Of course that doesn't mean the week slows dwon a great bit, just a wee bit. The activities still go on...

Monday: soccer
Tuesday: gymnastics
Wednesday: soccer AND gymnastics
Thursday: soccer
Friday: gymnastics
Saturday: TWO soccer matches

Madness. Add to that the trip I took back home on Friday to help my mom and dad with an estate sale from my grandfather's estate and the drive--normally 4 hours--took seven AND A HALF--by Saturday morning I was whooped. And just for the record, people who quibble over ten cents are wackadoodle. So from 8 am until 5 pm on Saturday, I was part of another zoo--only one that involved people who will literally buy ANYTHING if it's 25 cents or less.

So Sunday I drove back home, and yesterday morning the zoo was in full swing again--back to school, lunches to make, dinner to make (thank you Hubby for the new crock pot!), soccer,etc. This week I'm preparing the bridal tea I'm hosting for my to-be sister-in-law that will be held this Saturday. Mercy, heavens...life is kind of in free fall mode until school is out.

On top of THAT, and the wedding in June, I'm finishing up my first class and I'm trying to map out the next two years--classes to take, nursing schools to apply to...

OHHHH...and the BIG news that we're thinking (seriously) of applying for a job at the Embassy which would begin in three years in either Berlin or Paris...which would mean we'd take the zoo across the pond for three years...

And then we're thinking of putting our house on the market this summer...any takers? I can make sure the elephants are OUT of the backyard and the tigers mostly stay in the garage...