~March Maddness~

What better way to start out the month of March than with Hannah on her Birthday! I took Hannah out of school for lunch and we celebrated at Noodle & Company and trotted off to Cold Stone Creamery as well. Not bad to get out of school for that...

Cabin Getaway - Just what we needed! Tommy and I went to Hide A Way Hills for a couple of nights over a long weekend. It was so nice to just relax, read and sit in the hot tub... all weekend long!

Tommy, Lauren, John and I Celebrated John's Birthday at Brio and Boy oh Boy did we pig out! We went for Brio's $2.95 menu and tired at least one of everything! I think we were there for three and a half hours. I'm surprised they didn't kick us out! Of course we ordered our fair share between the four of us!

As Ryan labeled this photo... The ladies from our impromptu Tuesday night cookout! We should have it be our regular "impromptuesday"! It's just as it sounds. Girls and Guys got together for dinner on a Tuesday night after planning it Tuesday morning!

Friday we had a Twilight/Dance Party Themed Girls Night. The invite read, "Edward can smell your blood and is begging you to join him on this Full Moon night!!!" WE HAD SO MUCH FUN! Casey came over and held a Scentsy Party for us and all the girls loved getting into smelling all the scents and passing them around. Afterwords we ate pizza and watched Breaking Dawn Part 1! I really enjoyed the movie and was so glad that Kara's Mom and my Mom were able to join us!!! The next day was Kara's Baby Shower... that's a whole other BLOG!

I went on a mini road trip with Jill and Brooke to Zanesville. We went antiquing and to Tom's Ice Cream Bowl again. We decided that it was the first time that we had ever one of her daughters out with us without the other. It was fun but almost weird in a way to turn around to the car seats and see an empty one. Brooke was very photogenic all day long, no surprise!

We found lots of really cool items while antiquing around and as always Tom's was so much fun! I got a burger and fries with a Ice Cream Cake Swiss Roll. Something that my Mom used to always get that I don't think I had ever ordered for myself. It was so yummy!

If it's not obvious to you what this photo is (haha), then you need to learn... click here! All I'm gonna say is that I learned about this from Tommy in March and I have a feeling this is going to become an activity that becomes apart of our lives.

We went to Shadowbox and saw Smoke & Mirrors for a much needed date night! One of my favorite shows of theirs in a long time. Since they have moved downtown their staff and actors have about doubled. Most of the people performing in this show were from the Easton Location and we have missed that Crew. Don't get me wrong, downtown has been amazing to experience in comparison as far as location goes but it felt like home to me. Wow, just writing that made me think of Chantel Kreviazuk's song.

Kara and I took the 6 kids (Jack was in school) to the Zoo. It was the most beautiful day as far as weather does but we sure had some behavioral issues and meltdowns! When everyone was behaving well we were able to grab this shot! I do have to say that the last few times we were at the Zoo (around 10am) all of the animals that we saw were awake and very active, made for a nice visit.

Tommy and I had a wonderful March! We have already had some fun April events together, despite the weather change! God, please bring the 70 degree weather back! THANKS!

~February = Sick As Ever~

February I was sick more than I was well. I remember saying to Tommy on {Our Valentine's Day} (the 13th), "Yea, Even though my stomach is killing me I am so thankful I haven't thrown up!". Of course I woke up on the 14th and as soon as I sat up I got to experience the first of 16 time getting sick that day. Boooo! I am so glad that is all over. I went to the Doctor and in my opinion, I needed a second opinion. I wanted to answer her with, "What do you know?". I was told I had the Stomach Flu and in reality I think it was more... I couldn't even hold water down. I was only given Acid Reducers - nothing else and told it will blow over in a day or two. Two and a half weeks later and 5 lbs lighter I finally felt 100%. The only good thing about February... two events "I made it through" and loosing 5 lbs. :)

Event #1 - The Girls and I went to see The Vow. In January (thank goodness) I made Goodie Bags for all the girls. They all had Coke, Candy, Chocolate and Valentine's Cards, in Lipstick Kiss Bags!
I loved the movie, we all did. There wasn't a girl in that theathre that didn't jaw drop or "Awwwwwwwwww" at Channing Tatum during the film. He character was soooooo lovable. Knowing that it was based around a real man and his wife made him even better, up there on the big screen. Also, who doesn't LOVE Rachel McAdams? Come on!!!

Long story short, b/c it was opening night we split and saw the movie in two groups. The group shot below is the "8:15 group". We took this shot while the 7:15 crew was in the movie theatre. I wish we had gotten a photo together but the important thing is that they all got their Goodie Bags!!!
Event #2 - Valentine's Dinner with My Hubby. I didn't feel well while we were there but it was great (at the time) to try to eat something besides Jello - never thought I would get sick of Jello and getting dressed up. I wore a new shirt that I got the month before from Victoria Secret and I took the time to straighten my hair. I had to do it sitting down from lack of strength but still, it got done and so did my makeup! We went to Benihana at Polaris and sat for at least two hours. It was nice to just listen to Tommy talk about what he had been working on at work and about our up coming events this Spring! Sushi after three full weeks of Jello and Gatorade probably wasn't the best idea - oh well!
March, much better so far! Hope you had a wonderful February and hope I didn't "bring you down"! See ya next time!

~Grandma Came to Visit~

We had the pleasure of having Grandma come for a visit this year! For the first four years of our marriage the front bedroom was Tommy's office. Now that we have a studio space in Worthington Tommy and I have since turned that space into a GUEST BEDROOM! And who better to have our first guest be than Grandma Polcyn!

~The Guestroom before Paining~

~After~

Tommy and I were thrilled with the bedding and looking for some furniture for the room. We were starting to get frustrated with trying to find something that would work and then a miracle happened. I was out with the kids, walking Rt3 and saw a Candy Store with a going out of business sign. They are actually just going to be an online store and were selling their retail location. This is what I saw...

This dresser was 25 bucks!!! Yes Please! It fits perfectly in the room! It was meant to be!

Grandma walked in and she couldn't believe her eyes! She said that she knew and COULD TELL how hard we had been working on the house to get it ready for her! I am so glad she loved it. She wasn't in the house for more than 10 minutes before the two of them started cooking. I have NO complaints about that!!!

~First on the List, Grandma's Egg Bread~

Tommy was so excited to get to make Grandma's Egg Bread with her. It is truly one of her staples. She makes almost two or more a day whether it be for friends, family, herself, the church or the community. I am almost certain she could make them in her sleep if she wanted to!

The three of us celebrated Christmas together that weekend. We were so excited to learn that Grandma had made Quilts for each of the Grand-kids and Great-Grand-kids! That's a lot of work! Each quilt was specialized to that person or couple. Ours (which is placed permanently on the couch) is Green and Orange, our wedding colors! How thoughtful? Part of the fabric was even from our table runner at my Feisel Bridal Shower.

I found some Melody Ross "Homemade Tags" at Archiver's and couldn't leave the store with out them. I thought it would be fun for Grandma to use them when she gifts more of her quits. She loved them and was also excited about her Pampered Chef Items we got her.

On Saturday Night (after cooking all day) we went to Shadowbox Downtown Columbus. The show was so funny and I think she really enjoyed herself. We saw "Body Language" and loved it.

~Right before we left we got a shot in front of the sign!~

Sunday we went grocery shopping and got ready for my rents to come over and join us for dinner. Tommy and Grandma worked so hard and made some amazing goodies to eat!!! Here they are stuffing the meat.

They made Cauliflower Soup with Homemade Croutons and Beet Chips on top! IT WAS TO DIE FOR! There were also little flowerettes in the bottom of the bowl to help hold up what was on top.

~THE DINNER~

Tommy's cousin stopped by to join us for dinner as well. He was able to get a photo of all of us. Aparently we all got the dress code memo - we match!

Grandma made a Flan with Tommy. He has made it before and has not been as happy with the texture. He learned what he needed to fix and he's glad he knows what he was doing wrong now. I have always loved it and hope he makes it again soon.

Monday morning Tommy made his amazing bagels and eggs for us. I went to work and the two of them cooked all day long - surprise, surprise!

The next morning I had off work and stayed in my PJs as we started cooking once again. I think Grandma's goal was to give us enough food to eat off of for weeks! Her plan worked!!! We even froze some of the food and said we would defrost it as we go along on nights that we are short on time to make dinner. How convenient.

Tuesday night we went Downtown to do something that we like to do - Appetizer Hop! We wanted Grandma to get even more of a feel for our City. The first place went to was Due Amici for a Wild Mushroom Pizza!

We also went to Rigsby's and had Oysters and a Sampler Plate. We wanted to go to Burgundy Room next but they have closed!!! Tommy and I were in shock. We have attended many Birthday Parties there and gone to eat there ourselves many times over the last four years.

We were getting ready to leave and Tommy insisted to Grandma that she at least try Jeni's Ice Cream.

We got little kid size scoops after trying at least 15 different samples. I got Gooey Butter Cake* and it was to die for!!!

*Buttery, Ohio-honeyed ice cream, layered with chunks of homemade vanilla sponge cake saturated in our caramel sauce. The delicate and light yet sturdy cake perfectly balances a sweet and hearty ice cream.

Tommy and I were so glad that Grandma got to stay with us for as long as she did. Tommy grove her back the next morning after I went to work and we all had another amazing breakfast together. It was very sad to see her go but we know someone has a birthday coming up... ;)

~A Blissful January~

To start out the new year, 2012... Kara, Kyla and I went to Easton to go shopping!!! We did some damage at Francesca's Collections and Victoria Secret! After shopping we went to Bar Louie. We were at Easton for 8 1/2 hours and only went the those three places! Lol! I told you we did some damage!
The second week of January Kara and I took the kids we nanny and met up with Casey (friend from HS) at Greater's Ice Cream. So glad she's home from California. She and her husband Richard have been out there for years and we have missed them (and their three kids) so much! Didn't get a photo of us but got one of Baby Q! He is so cute! Casey even made the hat he is wearing. We had so much fun at Greater's indoor playground and getting ice cream! Casey, I am so glad you're home. Love you!!!

Jill had a great idea for a Girls Night in... Taylor Swift Night!!! We watched her Speak Now Tour DVD and hung out with her daughters. It was a PJ night for the four of us. It was so much fun to watch together since we haven't seen her in concert... YET! I guess it there were five of us, Puppy Sammy decided to join us plopped down on Audrey's lap! He must love Taylor too.

Kyla, Keisha and I went to see Beauty & The Beast 3D! I was so excited do so and it was amazing. It's by far my favorite Disney movie of all time, so fun to see on the big screen again and they did an amazing job making into a 3D movie. I am excited to know that they are also going to release Finding Nemo, Monsters, Inc. and The Little Mermaid again.

~Kyla, Me & Keisha - with our 3D glasses on~Alaska Plate already! Our family plays a game where you keep a list of all 50 States in the car/truck and you set a goal to find them all. We've been doing this since 1992. I was at the library and even got a chance to talk to the woman driving the truck. She told me about how she and her husband went on vacation to Alaska years ago and loved it so much that they picked up and moved. After starting a family there, their second son grew to have medical problems and the only way they could truly afford to care for them was to come home to the states, so they're back in Columbus. She also expressed how, obviously, they would do anything for their son but are so sad that you can not get Care there like you can here.

I had to add a photo of the kids to my blog this month. I snapped this of B&R on the way in to the pet store. It looks like a paparazzi shot to me.
Word of the Day (Jan 23rd): HEAT!

Noun:	The quality of being hot; high temperature: "it is sensitive to both heat and cold".
Verb:	Make or become hot or warm.
Synonyms:	noun. warmth - ardour - ardor - fervour - fervor - fire verb. warm - heat up - warm up - inflame

Tommy and I are sad to say that we were without Power for 35 hours and NOT happy about it! We tried to stay warm in our smallest room with many candles as we could find. They did heat up the room fairly well. What room you ask? Our new Guest Bedroom! More Details to come!
Tommy and I went to Michigan at the end of the month for Sarah and Nick's Wedding Reception and to Celebrate Christmas with his family. We had such a wonderful time talking with the family and I finally got to meet one of Tommy's cousins. We have been married four years and Michael has always been deployed when we are home to visit. Not only did I get to meet Auntie Pam's son but also Michael's wife and their three boys.

There was a brunch the next day at Auntie Pam and Uncle Mike's and you know me, we had to get a cousin photo. These are the eleven that survived the day! LOL. Should have gotten a photo in the morning. There would have been more of us. Sarah (Bride) and Nick (Groom) are on the right. They got married two weeks before in Mexico.
Jill and I took the girls to an Antique Trade Show! We has so much fun together. Although I was a like a 7 year old with ADD that kept wondering off.

Jill, thank you for loving me that day! I think I was a little bit on overload, there were so many exciting things to look at! Anyway, I love this photo of J&A as we were walking in from the parking lot. Audrey's personality was shining through from the moment we got out of the Jeep to the moment we left, Oh, you'll see...
While we were exploring we "stumbled across" this massive sized chair. We knew we had to get a photo of the girls in it - I wanted to sit in it! We took our photo despite the creepy man asking for money to take a snap shot of all four of us. It was fun to each find some little trinkets to take home. I got a couple of Baseball Tea Buttons for Daddy and Jill got the girls a Kermit The Frog to share. Perfect timing considering the new Muppet's movie is out now.

As we were leaving Jill took my favorite photo of Audrey EVER! She says, "Whatcha lookin' at foo!". Literally talking the talk and walking the walk. We had a great day together. Can't wait to go antiquing again, only a couple more weeks.
I made cupcakes for Superbowl this year for fun. I found these Wilson Picks and Wrappers on Clearance at Michael's. The cupcakes had a vanilla filling in the middle, almost like a Hostess Twinkies but a Million Times better! Tommy made tons of amazing food and dips as well and Sammy was sweet enough to bring food from Ray Ray's!!!
This is the feedback I got...
Sam Fairchild yum yum yum!
Tara Holmes Best cupcake ever! Thanks M!
Craig Stephens mmmmm mmmmmm delicious....Tara needs that recipe!

P.S. This is the line that Sammy stood in to get the ribs and more. He waited over an hour and a half and they had already sold out of the 2,400 wings they had prepared for Superbowl Sunday. Wow! THANK YOU AGAIN SAMMY, YOU ARE TOO KIND!
Toward the end of January we went back to Michigan to celebrate Christmas with the Feisel Crew! There are a few photos (for me) that sum up that whole weekend. The first group of photos where just what I was hoping for.. EVERYONE LOVING THEIR GIFTS!

~Christine loved getting Pampered Chef Stoneware and Joshua loved Daddy getting "The Perfect Football Book" for them to look at together. Yea for Progar treats!~
~And of course Justin loved his Frogy Kitchenware and His new top!~
~Yea, I do!!!~
There was another lil one who was quite happy this year...
THANK YOU FEISEL'S AND PROGAR'S! It's true, I didn't come out of my studio for a month... and I am just getting started! Ladies and Gentleman, Meredith has a Cricut!