I Like NOT Camping

Some people like camping. I like NOT camping.

I like the idea of being outdoors. But when it comes down to it I don't like bugs, wild animals, or getting dirty. And I refuse to pay to sleep like a homeless person. I think some people call that "camping". My husband takes our oldest 2 boys camping while I stay home with Evelyn and Houston. I say it's because they're too young to take camping. But it's really just because I need some excuse to stay home. I make sure that we have a good time here while the guys are gone. I make a pretty darn good S'more right on the stove top and we don't smell like smoke afterwards. And...we sleep in beds which is nice :)

But when they got back from their most recent camping trip, my husband mentioned that he'd like to try and take Evelyn and Houston next time. This would be very bad for me. How could I justify staying home when the rest of my family is out playing cave men?!

At first Evelyn was really excited at the idea. But after she thought about it for a while she had a couple of questions...

# 1. Will she have to use a porta potty?

#2. Will there be a Wegmans or a restaurant near by?

Because if there's a Wegmans near by then they can go hang out there all day and just go back to the campground to sleep.

I think I may be safe from the yuck that is camping for a little while longer.

Homemade Sushi

You know how sometimes you see a picture of something on Pinterset and you think to yourself, "I could totally make that!". Then you go to the link, and the directions are so complicated that they might as well be written in foreign language? Well, when I saw a picture of homemade sushi on Pinterest they made it look really easy. And guess what?... It actually was! The hardest part may have been finding the ingredients and supplies that I needed. After checking a few different stores I finally found my supplies at Wegmans. I only felt a tiny bit guilty knowing that if my plan worked, I would probably never buy any of their $9.00 sushi again ...Only a tiny bit :)

                                                                   Homemade Sushi

                                         I made plain cucumber rolls hopping my kids would try it.

Logan wouldn't even consider it. Houston tried it. But then he gagged and spit his piece out in the garbage :/ The other 2 liked it though. So I guess 2 out of 4 isn't bad!

Now I can eat cheap sushi from the comfort of my home and not have to embarrass everyone by asking the waiters for a fork!

My Current Obsesssion

My current obsession is Lifeway Kefir. And no... I'm not getting paid for this review :)

Kefir is- a cultured probiotic beverage similar in taste and texture to drinkable yogurt, and made from milk fermented with kefir cultures. Originating over 2000 years ago in the Caucasus Mountains-where many people live well over 100 years-kefir has been associated with a long list of health benefits.

I could have some every day. Sometimes I have it twice a day ;) I just love the tart and refreshing flavor. It's perfect for making my breakfast smoothies and it's really good for you.

I have friends who make their own Kefir and I want to try that soon. Until I can get my hand on some grains (what you grow it from) I'll be keeping my fridge stocked with the the Lifeway stuff.

For all you local peeps, you can get it find this at Wegmans or Price Right.
You can thank me later!

Baboon butts and strawberries

This week I've had a little taste of what it must feel like to be a single mom. Jonathan and Ethan went on a father/son camping trip with our church group. So not only was I missing the help from my husband but also my biggest helper, Ethan.

Logan was too young to go on the trip (you had to be 10) and he was feeling a little left out so I wanted to make sure we stayed as busy as possible while they were gone.

Our fist big outing was a trip to the zoo. Our local zoo isn't really great but they recently added a new Africa section that we were all excited to see. The lions were pretty cool and the elephants were having fun in the mud. Aaannnd then we got to the baboons. If you can't remember what baboons look like let me give you a quick reminder...

Uh huh...Yeah. Now you remember? Well as adults we have this awesome thing called a filter. My kid's filters are apparently still developing. Because while we were standing among a group of people checking out the zoo's new baboons, these were the things that they were saying in their most non-quiet voices..

Mom! Look at those things BUTTS!

Logan! Did you see that ones BUTT!?

Mom! Why are their BUTTS so red and bumpy?

BUTTS! BUTTS! BUTTS!

If that wasn't bad enough, Logan asked me which baboons were boys and which were girls. I told him that I didn't know. That wasn't enough of an answer for him though.

Logan: How do the people at the zoo know if the baboons are boys or a girls?

Me: Probably the same way we can tell if humans are boys and girls.

Logan: But they don't grown their hair long like ladies and cut it short like men. So how can they tell?

Me: The other way you can tell if someone is male or female. *By this point I noticed a few people listening to our conversation.*

Logan: *Blank stare* How?

Me: Uhhh...We'll have to talk about this when we get home.

The next day we went out to breakfast and then we went strawberry picking for the first time.

It was pretty anti-climatic...Until I tasted one! There is no comparing strawberries you can buy at Wegmans to these beauties. My first though was, "So this is what a strawberry is supposed to taste like!" They were super sweet and juicy.

I'm in love. I may even have a developing addiction.
The ones we bought that first day were gone in hours so today I drove a half hour away to pick some more strawberries. Well, to have my gang do most of the picking for me. While we were picking we watched each other's backs as we stole test tasted the strawberries. After having the kids check my teeth for evidence before I went to pay, I thought we had covered our tracks up pretty well. That was until we got to the counter and I looked over to see Houston's face and shirt covered with strawberry juice! Your sin will find you out. :/

I don't really have any big plans for this bunch. Probably not going to be making jam or anything. Basically I just plan on eating them until my face is as red as a baboon's....Never mind.

Lock down your shrimp

Last night at around 9:30pm we had to make a quick trip to Wegmans.

Good thing a club pack of shrimp wasn't on my list. Because at this location they get locked down after 9pm!

You need lipstick? Sorry. I'm going to have to get a manager to come unlock the cage...

Apparently shrimp is a hot commodity in our city. I read this in our local news this morning.

A 54-year-old (my city) man has been charged with third-degree robbery.
Police say Johnny **** stole shrimp from the Tops Friendly Market in the *** Plaza on ****** Avenue. Investigators say **** also pushed an employee when running away from the store.

So y'all need to hide your kids, hide your wife, and hide your...shrimp and lipstick!!

Cake wreck Wegmans style

Evelyn recently celebrated her 6th birthday. One of the things she was most excited about was that turning six meant that she got to graduate from her current Sunday School class and move into the "big kids" class with her brothers. This past Sunday one of her sweet teachers brought in a cake so they could celebrate her birthday/graduation with all of her friends.

The cake was from Wegmans. Everyone knows how much I LOVE Wegmans. But this cake...Well just take a look...

It says, *Happy Birth *or maybe Burth*  Da~y EVelYN

It was a creation almost worthy of www.cakewrecks.com

Of course, the cake it's self tasted amazing! And since most of the kids in the Sunday school class can't read anyways, it wasn't a big deal. But...

Dear Wegmans,

I love you. I love your beautiful produce section, the way your store smells, and pretty much every little thing about you. And, because I love them so much, I am willing to eat any cake that comes from your bakery even if I have to do it with my eyes closed. That could get messy though...and it would be just plain weird. So please show me some love by making sure your cakes look as awesome as they taste.

Your Favorite Customer,

Sarah

PS. This is not me breaking up with you. It's just a little fight. I'll get over it. :)

You don't bring me flowers...anymore

Is it Friday yet? I feel like I've had a weeks worth of "fun" already and it's only Wednesday :/

Jonathan brought me home flowers last night...from Tops (our local grocery store). Not even Wegmans. Tops. I mentioned that I'd like flowers from a nearby florist sometime, but he was out picking up groceries so he thought he would kill 2 birds with 1 stone.

The thing is, they were pretty and he saved money, so I didn't care if he picked them up somewhere between the milk and the donuts. He even gave some to Evelyn to put in her bedroom. :)

It reminded me of when I was single. I used to tell the boys that liked me that I would NOT except flowers from anywhere but a florist. *spoiled brat much!?* And for a while there, I would often have multiple bouquets of flowers around the house from different boys! The best though, was when a boy came to my door with a bouquet of fake flowers. He said something like " Just like those real flowers, those other guy's love for you will fade. But like these flowers, my love for you will stay the same."  Does it get any more cheesy then that!?

Those were the good old days...NOT! If I had the choice to go back I wouldn't. I do miss my friends and the good times we had, but I'm so thankful for where I'm at now.

I love my husband and my grocery store bouquet!

Mom is running away...to Wegmans.

Jonathan: What do you want to do tonight?

*Houston has been whining non-stop for the past half hour*

Me: I'm thinking about running away!

Logan: Are you going to Wegmans?

Me: Just because I'm running away doesn't mean I'm going to Wegmans! What if I want to go somewhere else cool like Chuck E Cheese?

Logan: Nope. Too expensive.

Me: True. True.

I want to lay down and do snow angels in the middle of all this beautiful produce!