Sunday, November 29, 2009

Bathroom - Update


Well, the bathroom wall has several holes in it, every single tool we own is strewn across the kitchen floor and I'm pretty sure I won't be able to bend over tomorrow, but, I DID IT! Backerboard has been custom cut, mortared and screwed to the subfloor. Looking forward to what I'm told is the fun part - actual tiling! Can't wait to be able to post pictures of the finished product - it could be awhile ; )

Saturday, November 28, 2009

Naughty or Nice?


It's not even 10am and Devlyn has lost movie privileges for the day and been sent to his room twice : ) No biggie, it happens. We're definitely in the midst of a rebellious stage. I'm just happy we've graduated to a point where the "good" part of the cycle is longer than the "bad". This holiday season, for the first time, Charles and I have found ourselves spontaneously using Santa as a disciplinary overlord of sorts. I wouldn't say it's a magic eraser but a little whimsy seems to go a long way with Kris Kringle at the reins. I wonder, come January, will the Easter Bunny wield the same clout? Ha, ha. Devlyn's comments upon returning to his pancakes this morning after a trip to time out sums up "holiday discipline". With a twinkle in his eye and a smirk to match, he exclaimed , "I'm naughty this day!"

Sunday, November 22, 2009

D is for Demo

With a lot of help from Grandma and Grandaddy, this weekend we were able to completely remove all traces of our former downstairs bathroom - yay! Removing 30 year old bathroom tile is a wee bit challenging. Here's hoping installing new tile is a lot more fun! With the weather so clear and crisp we made sure to squeeze in some backyard baseball and introduce Blake to the fourwheeler. Then it was on to the grocery store for "pick a frozen dinner" night. A little gourmet microwave cooking was all Mom and Dad had left in them after this weekend. Visit the new slideshow for before and afters of the bathroom and some action shots from today. Bye!

Thursday, November 19, 2009

Deliciously Easy

A friend passed along this recipe. I browned the meat last night and threw the rest together in about 10 mins this morning on my way out the door. I met a friend out for dinner but according to my sources, this dish was unanimously approved for consumption by men ages 1-50. It's true. As far as I know, we're the only household on the block who receives direct mail from Similac and AARP in a single day : )

Crock Pot Lasagna

1 1b beef
1 jar of spaghetti sauce
1 cup water
1 container (15 oz) ricotta cheese
1 pkg mozarella (divided) 8 oz
1/4 cup parmesan cheese divided
1 egg
2 tbsp chopped parsley
6 lasagna noodles uncooked

Brown meat in skillet, drain. Stir in spaghetti sauce and water.
Mix ricotta, 1 1/2 cups mozzarella, 2 tbsp parm., egg, and parsley.
Spoon 1 cup meat sauce into crock pot. Top with layers of half each of the noodles, broken to fit, and cheese mixture. Cover with 2 cups of remaining meat sauce. Top with remaining noodles, broken to fit, cheese mixture and meat sauce.
Cover with lid. Cook on low 4-6hrs or until liquid is absorbed. Sprinkle with remaining cheeses; let stand covered -10 mins or until melted.
Do not cook on high setting.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

Equal Opportunity Employer


Do you ever wish your household was an equal opportunity employer?

My husband is a wonderful man. He’s a hands on parent who helps out around the house and takes great care to guide our two sons with lots of love, fun and massive amounts of patience (major plus as I have none). But something tells me his inner dialogue while showering doesn't sound like this...

“Blake has one clean onesie left, Devlyn’s pre-school sing-a-long/pie tasting is tomorrow at 11 and Friday is “wear brown” day….we’re out of Half and Half, toilet paper and bananas, need to pop a check in the mail to Grandma for the $40 we owe her…hey, you know what? whosie whatsie from Company B never emailed me back with that estimate! Ok, pull chicken out of the freezer for dinner tonight, get Devlyn started on thank you notes for his birthday and, oh crap, I’ve got to make some time to re-evaluate our health insurance that’s set to go up 25% in January, the bastards.”

Managing family life and motherhood in a dual income household has transformed me into an idiot savant multi-tasker. All work and not much play has caused me to feel like a very dull girl! I count a brief but complete fascination with John Mayer and picking blueberries by kayak this summer as the two most exciting things I’ve done for myself all year : ( Similar sentiments from fellow Moms and the oh so resounding “Mad at Dad” series in Parents magazine recently inspired me to quit griping about the problem and launch a household experiment to see what can be done about it. I'm not buying the “afraid to give up control” angle that some experts tout. I think the "inner workings of Mommydom" are instinct driven abilities that women are born with. Whether those abilities can be extracted, taught and effectively absorbed by your spouse remains to be seen. Stay tuned!

Would now be a good time to mention that my husband is the one who’s always encouraged me to start blogging?

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Birthday Fest 2009 Grand Finale
























































Two and a half weeks, a 1st and 4th birthday and several celebrations later, the Upchurch family "Birthday-a-thon" has come to a close. Thanks to everyone for making Devlyn's "Birthday Roast" so much fun. We ended up clearing a bushel and a half of oysters this go 'round. Other highlights included Pin the Tail on the Fox, friends we haven't seen in awhile, a bunch of awesome presents and Devlyn and Kellan as the knights of the oyster table. Also need to congratulate Jody, Wendy and Sarah W. on trying their very first oysters! See everyone next year!

Saturday, November 14, 2009

Happy 4th Birthday Devlyn!




Someone got their first bicycle today! 2 days into a 3 day birthday extravaganza. Cupcakes, crown and birthday banner at school on Friday, birthday breakfast with Grandma and Grandaddy this morning and the big party here tomorrow at 1pm. Oysters and beer for big people, cake and prizes for the little ones. Wish all you far away peeps were here with us to celebrate : ( Happy Birthday Devlyn - Mommy is in shock that you are 4 already! Take a look of the slideshow on my blog page - it's selected images from Devlyn's 3rd year - he sure squeezed a lot it!



Thursday, November 12, 2009

The Blake Boogey

Turn it down first and then tilt your screen up! He really breaks it down.

Ridiculously Cute


and SO proud to be climbing up on rides all by himself. Best smile on Earth!

Tuesday, November 10, 2009

Remember When?


A pic I ran across today - little teeny Beebs! Devlyn has begun to view "not so teeny anymore" Beebs as a rival and Blake isn't having any part of it. If big brother takes something from him or pushes, he can expect to be hit, pulled, pushed back or otherwise penalized by Blake. I can remember Miss Linda telling me she was workign with Devlyn on standing up for himself - clearly this will not be a problem for Blake! Watching the seeds of sibling rivalry root is quite a learning experience. I can only imagine what Karin and I did to each other back in the day!

Friday, November 6, 2009

The Material Girl


Charles is in New York with his client from Panama, Mr. Thorwald Westmaas. Last night Charles and Woody went to the Waverley Inn in Greenwich Village for a drink or two and who do you think was there having dinner with an older European man? Yup, Madonna. Charles says she's the tiniest thing on Earth and super skinny and pale. When she left a bodyguard came to open the door, she whipped out a giant pair of sunglasses and he and Woody watched the paparazzi bulbs flash as she jumped into a large black SUV. Pretty cool! Two young women at the bar were having a Beatlemania reaction to the Madonna sighting so Woody and Charles decided to leave! Thanks to Grandma for treating us to dinner and spending the night last night - we'll have to count the Red Robin mascot as our star sighting - ha!

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

Testing Testing 1..2...3


I've added a few of your emails so that you're automatically notified when new postings are added Gettin' Bloggy With It : ) I am pleased to report, the grand prize for techno savvy, early adopter goes to AJ - the blog's first registered follower! Thanks for signing up Auntie Jamey!

Thing One and Thing Two



News on two accounts - Thing One seems has pooped on the potty about 5x in a row with little to no resistance. He is most pleased with himself, although, not nearly as pleased as me! Thing Two clocked in at 24lbs 9oz, 30.5" at his 1 Yr. appt yesterday. Unlike Thing One who has always been fascinated with medical personnel - Thing Two started crying the minute the dctr walked in the room and didn't stop until I buckled him into his carseat an hour later. He wasted no time in ripping off the bandage post finger prick and proceeded to polka dot the floor with blood droplets. We nearly had to recruit a third person to hold him down for his 4 shots. I'm sure he's eager to go back at 18 months! I'm worn out recounting the experience! Point being - he's healthy, strong as an ox and despite his apparent massive size - statistically he only falls in the category of "above the 75 percentile" for height and weight. Bye!