Jen’s blog

Back to the grind...

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Sun, 07 Sep 2008 07:37:19 -0700

So the kids started back to school this past Thursday. I was looking so forward to the peace and quiet and reclaiming the house again....Well that didn't happen. First 2 days and I was asked to come and work. No quiet there, over 900 screaming children in a school cafeteria, shoot me now.

I have one in football and that is an everyday thing and then Field Band season has started with a BANG! We won First place last night in our new National Class. 5 more competitions to go and then Championships in Annapolis. The kids all looked good, there are still tweaks to work out but they were 8 points higher than their closest competition. Great night!

My cousin got married yesterday, we didn't make it since the kids are back in school and Whitneys field band schedule didn't allow it. Plus VT is not an easy drive for us.

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In my defense we have...

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Mon, 07 Jul 2008 13:18:53 -0700

In my defense we have been super busy these past few weeks. With school ending, field band beginning, soccer, football camp and various guests popping in and out I have been extremely busy.

My parents and my best high school friend and Whit's godmother came for a visit. It was a great time.....we cranked up the smoker, smoked a 12lb brisket, 8lbs of ribs, made a rum cake(OMG HEAVEN), key lime pie, cole slaw, spinach artichoke dip (wouldn't let my mom leave without the recipe), and then various restaurants. It was great...what awesome weather we had, sunny in the 70s and then the 80s and now 90s. Kids have been in the pool swimming the entire weekend. I still have tons of food left over, but we will eat well.

Yesterday we had a graduation party to go to and I made little graduation caps out of reeses cups, chocolate covered graham crackers, pull and peel licorice and an m&m in our school colors. The kids love Katie and their family is just amazing! She is heading to Ithaca College in the Fall, what am I going to do about a babysitter now.

I plan on trying to post daily, but forgive me if I don't.

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I am the biggest slacker...

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 18:07:11 -0700

I am the biggest slacker. I haven't posted since February. Life got in the way and quite busy.

I had surgery in April to remove my gallbladder, i was healing from my broken tailbone and screwed up back, which is now all better.

The kids are almost all done with school, I can't believe it. Finals are this week and then one will be home, but the other 3 continue through until next Weds. The weather has been crazy, high 90s one week, to thunderstorms and 60s the next.

Soccer season has also arrived and with that busy busy busy nights. Field Band season will begin near the end of July and then it really kicks in to high gear come August. Being the CO Chair of the Can and bottle Drive is so overwhelming. Our first drive was this past Saturday and I think that it went well. The day started out clear and ended in down pours. I had already started getting sick but being in the rain it made it worse.

I am now on a z pack, a nasal spray, alavert, and tussing with codeine. Ya for good healing drugs!

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The recipe, for my dear...

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 17:23:40 -0800

The recipe, for my dear friend Sharon:

I am editing this.....

Lasagna Rolls

1 box lasagna noodles 19-22 noodles, cooked and drained

2 cups ricotta cheese

2 cups mozzarella cheese, shredded

1/2 cup parmesan cheese

2 eggs, beaten

2 tablespoons parsley, chopped or 1 tbsp dried parsley

1 (32 ounce) jar spaghetti sauce or 4 cups homemade sauce

1-2 cup mozzarella cheese, shredded, for topping

Directions

Mix ricotta cheese, 2 cups mozzarella and parmesan cheese with eggs and parsley.
Place one lasagna noodle on work surface.
Spread about 2 tbsps of cheese mixture on noodle evenly.( can't be done evenly)
Roll up tightly like a pinwheel.
Place seamside down in 13x9" baking pan, that has 2 cup of spaghetti sauce in bottom.
Continue until all lasagna noodels and cheese mixture are used.
Cover rolls with remaining sauce and sprinkle with additional mozzarella cheese.
Cover with foil and bake in a preheated 350 degree oven for 30 minutes, remove foil and bake an additional 15 minutes
NOTE: I had 19 lasagna rolls, about 4 noodles broke apart, so I fit 16 in a 13x9 inch pan and then the other 3 in an 8x8.

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Today was yet another busy...

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 10:07:27 -0800

Today was yet another busy day, with all that shopping I did yesterday I forgot to get Laundry soap. So after PT this morning, I ran over to Bj's to get Tide and some Downy. The coupon book came in the mail yesterday and they had $2 off on each. The laundry is going right now.

After all that I had to have the car inspected. Having it inspected always worries me, but it passed with flying colors, except for the fact that we will need to do the front brakes very soon. He said they are about 95% gone and he would not recommend any long trips until they were done.

Since I have been cooking each night this week, I have decided that I need a break for tonight. We have chicken and rice soup leftover and cheeseburgers from last night. The kids will most likely go for the cheeseburgers and I will throw in some tater tots. Tomorrow I will make some lasagna rolls for dinner and some garlic bread. This weekend will be yet another big weekend, running here there and everywhere with the kids.

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What a beautiful winter wonderland...

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Wed, 27 Feb 2008 09:35:55 -0800

hat a beautiful winter wonderland out there. I wish I could have stayed in the house all day and watched from in here, but alas I had to head out to drop of Whits equipment and to get some well needed groceries. The roads are quite slick too. People with 4 wheel drive seem to think they own the road and even though the sign says 55, doesn't mean on a snow covered road you go 55.

I see that I have been tagged for a meme by my very dear friend Shaye....so I will get on those answers.

What were you doing 10 years ago?

10 years ago I was pregnant with Morgan and we were living in our house in Leominster MA.

What were you doing 1 year ago?

I don't really remember what was going on a year ago. My memory seems to be getting away from me lately and I need to do something about that. I know that I was subbing at the kids school so I will say I was working.

Five snacks you enjoy:

1. Popcorn

2. oranges

3. kettle cooked chips(although I can't have them anymore)

4. Diet Coke

5. apples with caramel dip

Five things you would do if you were a millionaire:

1. Sell this house and get a nice piece of land and build the house of our dreams.

2. Pay off the minivan and give it to Charlie for work and then get me my SUBURBAN!

3. Invest in the kids college educations.

4. Pay off our 401k loans.

5. Hire a planner to help with distributing some around to charities and setting up some sort of foundation in my Grandmothers Name.

Five bad habits:

1. Procrastination.(i will have to say this too)

2. Lack self discipline.

3. Being forgetful.

4. Being cranky and impatient with my family.(YES)

5. Not taking care of myself like I should.(AND YES AGAIN!) high cholesterol, gall bladder...i could go on.

Five things you like doing:

1. Walking.

2. Reading

3. Baking/Cooking.

4. Entertaining.

5. Cleaning(some of the time).

Five things you would never wear again:

1. Shoulder pads (totally stealing everyone else’s answer).

2. Scrunchies.

3. Stretch pants/stirrup pants(parachute type)ACK!

4. Bikinis(HELL NO) never again, too many scars and too many babies.

5.Red high top Reebok sneakers with slouch socks

Five favorite toys:

1. My laptop.

2. My iPod.

3. My stand mixer.

4. My Dvr, best thing ever invented

5. My hair straightener, not a cheap one either. I love it!

SO there are my answers, I just have no one too tag...so they will sit here.

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So here it is nearly...

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Tue, 26 Feb 2008 09:05:01 -0800

So here it is nearly a year later since I first posted, unlike a few of my friends I just can't keep up with this thing.

So much has occurred in this year since my first post. Summer came and went, our Field Band kids came in First place in the State of New York. It was an amazing season for them all! We went to NYC to see the kids perform and my fear of the City of New York bubbled to the top. I just don't do well in the city. The drivers there are crazy! On more than one occasion I thought for sure that I was going to have my car smashed in. Thank goodness I was not driving!

We went home to MA for Thanksgiving...what a nice adventure that is. Made easier by the consumption of my favorite wine, Casa Larga's Lilac Hill. It makes everyone more tolerable.

Christmas also came and went and we celebrated here and then went to MA later in the day. The kids had a good time. I WILL NEVER DO IT AGAIN! The drive home was the scariest moments of my life. I will never again travel I-90 in the winter.

January brought some health issues. I fell and broke my tailbone and thought that the pain I was feeling in my back would go away on their own. Not the case. I pulled every muscle in my lower back and have now been receiving Physical therapy since the beginning of February. I haven't been able to go back to work since this incident. PT is 2 times a week which is quite painful. Then I opened my mouth and told my doctor about this pain I had in my stomach. It happened 2 times, excruciating pain, I couldn't sleep and nothing helped. She sent me for an ultrasound only to find that I have gallstones and that the gallbladder has got to come out. WHAT! I petrified to death of going under general anesthia, it scares me. This will be a routine, according to the surgeon, surgery where they cut 4 tiny incisions into my abdomen and remove the gallbladder laporoscpy. This will be happening in April, why so long, well I have to schedule it around my daughters Winterguard schedule and it seems like the best time.

I hope that once everything is healed I will be able to go back to work and enjoy the summer with the kids!

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QotD: Life-Changing Decision

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Tue, 21 Aug 2007 12:06:45 -0700

What decision changed the course of your life?
Submitted by Ally.

Having our first child.

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Ok, so since I started...

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Thu, 22 Mar 2007 06:56:43 -0700

Ok, so since I started this blog I haven't written a darn thing.

I changed the scheme of it to show my personality. Since I love baking so much. Maybe that should be a career I should look to. Anyway, Spring has finally hit in Upstate NY. WOOHOOO!! I won't count on it lasting too long since the same thing happened last week and by Friday evening we had 7 inches of snow.

What a change living here than in FL. There are so many things I miss about Florida. I have been real sad lately over leaving, but then I think of the hurricanes that came and ruined the house and scared my children and myself half to death and I am thankful I am where I am now. So whenever I think back to missing FL, I snap out of it quickly. I guess I miss Gigi and Anna, my two bestest friends and then you have Tricia who I followed home from school one day because she had Massachusetts license plates. LOL! We became instant friends. Our oldest girls were the same age and we had so much in common. I haven't talked to her too often since we moved, she is busy with her life and I am with mine.

SO there, I have posted my first entry into my site.

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QotD: Can't Help Myself

nobody@vox.com(Jen) — Tue, 09 Jan 2007 05:52:35 -0800

What's the most obsessive-compulsive thing you do in a normal day?
Submitted by Nikki.

Clean the kitchen. It has to be clear of all clutter, including the sink. I can't sleep if it isn't clean.

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