Valentines on a Budget...

This year we tried to stick to more of a Budget for Valentine's Day. It actually ended up being one of our funnest and most memorable. Here's what the boys got...

Foil Balloons. Their favorite! In fact they were still loving them until about two days ago when they suddenly disappeared. I have no idea...

Jarred finally got "Ghost Busters" one and two...

...and this adorable card made by Oliver, Simon and I with Jack-in-the-Box- hearts. Too Cute!

I got Cards from my 3 favorite boys. Oliver's says,"I Love you. You are my Angel mom Love Oliver." I love how he spells. Simon's is a hand trace and scribbles and Jarred's says...well, this is a PG blog. But I will tell you what he gave me.
John Mayer

+
Candles

+
Bedroom

= Slow Dancing in a Burning Room.
Sweet huh? I absolutely LOVED it! Seriously, anyone who hasn't danced with their hubby to this songs needs too immediately. It will be on my play list until the day I die. BEST SONG EVER! All the best songs come from guitar players.

My Bad...

This morning was a food drive for the boy scouts in our area. We were supposed to put canned goods in a grocery bag and leave it by our front door between 10am and 12pm. Well, your's truly lost track of time and at 10:05 am the boy scouts came by and picked up two grocery bags that were by my front door, but instead of canned good, it was dirty diapers. I have a little poop machine in my house we call Simon and the dirty diapers made it to the front porch before the food. Ooops! My bad. It's ok though. I made a few phone calls to let people know of the mix up (in case they couldn't smell the mistake) and an hour later someone came by to get the real food. Ha, ha! This has kept me laughing all morning.

I don't think I was ever meant to do this...

So last night me and some other ladies from church got together to learn how to make bread. Every time I try to make some I can never get my yeast to "come alive" and "thrive." Seriously, I think I have negative energy around me that sucks it's will to live. Anyway, so we got together and the Wonderful teacher Velika was so patient with all of the hormones that were there, but my stinking yeast wouldn't do a dang thing! Everyone else's would, just not mine. My poor partner. So Velika had to make me a new batch and it started to work a little, but I think I stood too close and my "negative energy" almost killed it. So I start adding flour and the dough just gets harder and harder and isn't looking at all like everyones else's. In all the Yeast confusion it turns out I only added half the water I was supposed to. I'm now like 45 minutes behind everyone and my patience is worn a little thin. The last thing I want to do is try and figure out how to kneed 1 1/2 cups of water into hard dough. So as politely as I could, I informed everyone that I could mess bread up at my own house and left. I went home and cried in my garage. Then, feeling a little ridiculous for crying over bread, I started laughing and couldn't stop. In the meantime Jarred and the boys had come out to the garage and witnessed Mom's little break down and became concerned. They all got in the car and took me to sonic for a "Cherry Ocean Water."

On our way home I get a call on my cell, it's Velika the teacher. She has revived my dough and is waiting with it at my house so I can bake it. Aww, how sweet. She gave me instructions to put it in a loaf pan, let it raise for 45 minutes and then bake it at 350 for 27 minutes. Pretty easy right? WRONG! After 1 hour it had barely risen at all, but I was tired so I was just gonna put it in the oven anyway. As I open the oven to place it in there wouldn't you know, I drop the freaking pan face down and the dough just hangs there on the rack. PROFANITY!!! Jarred comes over to calm me down, but it doesn't work. I throw the stupid dough back in the pan and let it raise AGAIN because it's all flat now after being tossed out of the pan. This time though I put it in the warm over for 2 minutes and then take it out to raise. It looks pretty good after 45 minutes so I pop it in the oven and let it bake; 27 minutes later I have a delicious, FLAT loaf of bread.

It's 12:30 am by now so I eat 3 pieces with butter and honey, take a big swig of milk and put my grouchy, tired butt in bed, vowing to never make bread again. That's what "Grandma Sycamore's" for right?

This would be another one of those "crappy mom" moments.

My Neighbor's smarter than your neighbor....

Oliver has a "Power Wheels" tractor that he enjoys riding around the front yard with his friends. Well, his buddy Chevy(Yes that's his real name) has a tractor too, but the battery got old and didn't work anymore. He really wanted to race with Oliver so his ever-so-clever Dad got a car battery, re-wired it somehow and attached it to Chevy's tractor. Genius!

It was kind of heavy and may have bent the axle a little but this kid couldn't be happier. This seriously made my night.

Look mom, I'm famous!

Oliver had note sent home with him last Monday telling us to watch the 6:00pm News on Channel 12. This is what we saw, see if you recognize the cutie in the orange shirt.

Sometimes...

Sometimes I feel like my kids kind of got ripped off in the mom department. Like when I see the fabulous parties their friends have and how fantastically decorated my friends houses are. But sometimes I have those redeeming moments when I go and do something and think, "I freakin' rock!" Like last night for instance. I forgot to get Oliver a Cardinals T-shirt for NFL Friday at school. Here comes a crappy mom moment, then I thought..."What can I do with a sewing machine, dads old t-shirt and transfer paper?" (All of which I had readily available.)

An origional cardinals t-shirt by Koi! I freakin' rock!
This kid loved me and couldn't wait to get to school and show all his friends the Awesome-ness of his shirt. Not sure if it's legal though. I think I saw people arrested for having fake NFL merchandise, but I'm not selling it so it's ok, right?

Simon wanted to be part of the post too. I didn't make his shirt though. Crappy mom moment...

Ya, I know it took me forever....WARNING: picture overload.

Christmas Morning At the Truschke's

Simon, Oliver and Hendrix right before we opened presents.

Simon was finally old enough this year to actually understand "opening" presents.

Oliver, of course has been a pro for years.

More presents.....

Me with my present but without my bra...sorry.

Jarred and his favorite present....

Simon and his "Cars" slippers.

Oliver's friend had gotten some Sketchers for his birthday in November and he told Oliver that Sketchers were "magic shoes that make you fly." Well I said, "Your friends a little liar, shoes don't make you fly capes do."

He didn't believe me so Santa got him the Sketchers anyway. Z-strap, his teacher's gonna love me!

Almost done....

Relaxing after all the hype whilst playing some Play Station in a mess of wrapping paper.
The end.