Vacation is work but so worth it!

We are on vacation this week in Florida. We rented a very nice 2 bedroom condo on the beach. It has a fully stocked kitchen and we stocked the fridge and pantry, so I've been providing breakfast, lunch, and snacks. There is no 24 hour room service. We don't have a hotel "housekeeper", that would be me. We also don't have fresh linens or beach towels daily, that would be my responsibility as well using the washer and dryer in our condo. But you know what...it's all worth the 15 hours it took to drive here and taking care of our family since we left home.

Our family is together with no work, school, or outside activities to worry about. We are all happy, healthy, and enjoying eachother's company. I wish that every family could take a week off from "life" and just be together. We are very lucky and I appreciate every breath that I take. Take some time out even if it's a "staycation" to enjoy your family and be together. Happy Summer!!!

My Weekday Morning Routine...And I've Been Tagged!

Every morning, I rush around getting my kiddos up and ready for school.  I fix their hair all pretty and make sure their clothes match, and more importantly, still fit.  You would be surprised what my little Taylor will wear...with her tummy not fully covered and her ankles peeking out below her jeans.  Then I make their breakfast, and pack up their lunch, snacks and waters.  I set their backpacks by the back door and make sure their jackets are also packed in case they get cold in class.  I send them to brush their teeth and put on their shoes.  I look them over while I run through my list in my head.  I kiss them on the head, give them big hugs, and tell them to have a great day.  Daddy loads them up in the car and drives them to school.  It's finally time for my coffee.  

Psych!  My cranky little Jordyn is now yelling at me that it's her breakfast time!  NOW!  So I ignore the coffee maker staring at me and make her whatever she picks out.  I choose my battles with her or it would be a very long day.  I sit her down at the kitchen table and run to the coffee maker.  I load my favorite Butter Toffee or Vanilla Caramel flavored K-cup into our (worth the investment Keurig) coffee maker.  Finally, the smell of freshly brewed coffee fills the air and I know that I will soon have the energy I need to help me get through my day.

I set my big cup of coffee on the living room side table, grab my laptop, and sit down in my comfy recliner.  I pull up my feet, take a sip of my coffee, and log into my Blogger dashboard.  I spend about 30 minutes reading all the new posts for the day.  These bloggers inspire me, make me laugh, and bring back memories from my entire life.  There are so many dishes that remind me of loved ones and special times.  There are so many stories that make me laugh and be so incredibly grateful to be a mother.  There are photographs that leave me in awe of the beauty or moment captured.  I REALLY enjoy my morning coffee and getting caught up in all of my favorite blogger's lives.  I hope that I help inspire others out there is this huge blogging community.  I work hard to keep up with my blog in my very busy life as a Mom, wife, daughter, and friend.  I love to cook and love to share my passion with you!

My blogger buddy Shannon at Delectalicious! tagged me to answer some questions.  Here's her original post.  Here are my answers to Shannon's questions.

1. What was the first entry you posted on your blog?
Nestle Toll House Swirled Chip Cookies

2. What do you enjoy most about blogging?
Having the freedom and outlet to talk about whatever I want

3. What is the most important thing you have learned about having a blog?
Be grateful and respectful to my followers and appreciate all their comments

4. What was the worst job you ever had?
 Pizza place at the mall where all my friends hung out

5. Name the one food you absolutely will not eat?
Salmon

6. What is the one movie you could watch a million times without ever getting bored with it?
National Lampoon's Christmas Vacation

7. Name one of the most embarrassing things that has ever happened to you.
Tucking my skirt into my hose after using the ladies room, then walking across the entire filled restaurant before my Mom noticed and fixed it for me. I was a shy and awkward teenager and begged to leave right then.

8. What is your biggest pet peeve?
People talking, texting, or playing on their cell phones while driving through school zones.  They even do it in the car pick up line when kids are running around everywhere, even though it's against the law where we live.

Now, I'm supposed to pick 8 bloggers to "Tag", so here they are:

Annie's Eats

Beantown Baker

Bo's Bowl

Brown Eyed Baker

For the Love of Cooking

Macaroni and Cheesecake

The Hungry Housewife

The Kitchen Witch

I can't wait to learn more about you all.  Here are my questions for you:

1. Who inspired you the most growing up?

2.  Who inspires you the most now?  Do they know it?

3.  What did you want to be when you grew up?  Did it come true?

4.  Where would you most like to travel to and explore for an entire month?

5.  Where do you want to retire?

6.  What is your favorite dish of all time?

7.  What famous person would you like to meet that is alive?

8.  What cooking show would you like to be on if given the opportunity?


Now, it's your turn to choose 8 blogs you enjoy and leave a comment on their blogs letting them know they have been tagged. In the comment be sure to link back to your answers, 8 new questions for each of them, and instructions on what to do.

My Big Helpers

Mimi gave my girls personalized chef's hats to go with their aprons.  I can't wait to get back in the kitchen with my girls when I get over this cold.  Don't they just look too cute?  Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas with your families!

Come Take A Tour of My Family's Kitchen

A home is where the heart is...the kitchen is where the family is...and as Paula Deen says, "Love and best dishes from my kitchen to yours".

I just wanted you to see where all this home cooking goes down in our home.  I designed our kitchen when we built our house in 2007.  I love it and would only make a few changes now that I've used it so often.  You can always find me here at least 50 times a day!  And just so you know, I decluttered it to take these lovely pictures.  We have 3 kids, 2 adults, 2 dogs, fish, and frogs all living here.  You should have seen the piles of stuff on the kitchen table while I was taking these pictures...oh my goodness!

Here's our kitchen looking through from the kitchen table.  Notice the wrap around bar...friends and family can sit here and visit with me while I cook.  And we all love to eat up here and visit while the kids play at the kitchen table, which is just behind this area.  Playdoh can always be found on our kitchen table unless it's dinner time. 

This is where you will usually find me standing when I'm cooking.  My sweet husband had this cutting board custom made for me by one of his friend's father.  I measured the area I wanted it to fit, chose the wood, and chose the stain colors.  I take good care of it by using vinegar to remove smells and bacteria, and then I seal it each week using mineral oil.  See how nice and shiny it is...I just treated it today.  I also keep my cookbook stand here so I can easily follow my recipes.  There's also room for a pen on the recipe stand so I can make changes as I go along.  I always change up recipes to fit our tastes and to use what we have on hand.  The prep sink and paper towels go hand in hand.  I usually keep a prep towel hanging on the edge of the sink too.  I wash lots of kitchen towels each week!  The stove and spice cabinet is right behind me here.  I can chop and drop all the ingredients very easily by using a pastry scraper to gather the food.

This is where my girls stand when we are cooking together.  This is my little Jordyn's step stool.  We keep Taylor's stool in the walk-in pantry so they can reach the taller shelves, and bring it out when she needs it.  Madison is tall enough that she doesn't need a step stool.  She's grown like a foot this past year!  The dishwasher has helped me out ALOT these past few years.  I run it at least once a day.  The poor thing has already been repaired 2 times.

On this wall with the refrigerator, double oven, and microwave is our 5 burner gas stove top.  All of these burners and both ovens are hot and cooking during Thanksgiving and Christmas dinners.  There are built-in spice cabinets on each side so I can quickly find what I need.  I also keep my knife block and favorite cookbooks here.

Here are 2 of my favorite celebrity chefs and cookbook authors:




Our kitchen opens up to our family room and has a look through arch.  I can keep an eye on my girls while I'm cooking dinner.  And I won't miss a play of the Cowboy game while I'm in the kitchen cooking and serving up good food for our family and friends.  I like to move the decorative candle sticks to the side so I can see everybody and the TV!

This is the view from the look through arch from the family room.  You can picture me standing at the cutting board, right?  Our fridge is always decorated with pictures of our kids and drawings they create for us.  I can't even imagine how many times our fridge is opened and closed each day.  It must be so tired!  Our microwave is mainly used to heat and reheat.  This is our 2nd one in this home.  Our 1st microwave broke down 4 times before I decided we needed a new one...microwave repairmen sure do charge alot.  I love our convection ovens!  I just recently decided that I actually enjoy baking.  It's impossible to burn cookies or cakes in one of these.  Cookies turn out perfect every time.

It's time to get in your kitchen and cook up something warm and hearty for your family.  And if you have kids, get them involved.  I've learned they really do eat better when they helped prepare it.  It doesn't matter what bells and whistles you have in your kitchen.  If you have a stove, oven, and well stocked pantry and fridge, you can make anything your heart desires.  Have fun!