Menu Planning Monday- New Years' Eve

One of my New Years' resolutions is to begin weekly meal planning for the family. Meal planning helps prevent that 5 pm "Oh my gosh, what are we going to have for dinner?" panic, helps you make meals that are healthier and well balanced, and can help the checkbook too. Especially if you plan your weekly meals around what's on sale that week at the grocery store. This post is part of a blog sharing that is hosted by Org Junkie. Check out her blog-it is awesome! She has the best ideas on getting organized and staying that way- something I really struggle with! I'm hoping by joining this that I will be more consistent about planning out our meals, because I'll know that I'll be posting them every week. Each week I'll post what we'll be having for dinner, even though I 've planned out breakfast, lunch and snacks also! So here's this week's menu. And here's to New Years' Resolutions! (This week only includes 3 days worth of meals because we will be out of town Wednesday through Saturday, or at least the kids and I will be. Steven's on his own!)

Monday 12/31 (New Years' Eve Party): Make your own pizzas, veggie tray, fruit tray, cheese tray, wassail, sparkling juice, chocolate chip cookies

Tuesday 1/01: red beans and rice, corn bread, Green Briar bread pudding

Wednesday 1/02: Out of town!

Thursday 1/03: Out of town!

Friday 1/04: Out of town!

Saturday 1/05: Out of town!

Sunday 1/06: golden mushroom porkchops, baked potatoes, steamed broccoli

(These porkchops are super easy! Put your chops in a crock pot, add 1-2 cans of golden mushroom soup [depending on how much gravy you want]. Cook on low 7-8 hours. Serve gravy over chops, or my favorite, on your baked potato! YUM!!!)

Recovering from Christmas

Well, I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas! I know we sure did! It's always so busy and hectic but it is still my most favorite time of year!

Our festivities started on Saturday when we had Christmas with the Fischer family at Steven's Aunt Debbie and Uncle Steve's house. This picture is of Kim, Brianna, Jonah and Michelle at the Fischer's.

Sunday we got a kind of break, except for church and then Monday began again full force. We had to run last minute errands on Monday afternoon (Steven got off work at 12:30 so that made it nice) and then we were at his Grandma and Grandpa's by 5. That's always an experience let me tell you! His grandparents have four kids living and married and 13 grandkids. Jonah, Brianna and I bring the count up to 16 (and Samanatha's BF Eric was there), so let's just it was CRAZY! But it was so fun to see all the kids playing together and to have time to sit around and talk and laugh and just enjoy one another's company. We try to keep Christmas presents low key at our house. When we got married we started a tradition of only 3 gifts (to represent the 3 gifts the wisemen brought to Jesus) and we told Santa to only bring 1 gift per child to our house because there are other kids who need the gifts more than we do! Plus, we know our families will go nuts! Which is kind of nice because we don't have to :) And they did. Monday night was obscene, but we are grateful to have family who love our kids so juch!! And we are appreciative. It is a major blessing! Here are some pics from Monday night.

Our little Christmas elf!

Bri and Jonah with Aunt Mantha!

Christmas morning dawned too early (especially since we didn't get in bed until after 2:00 am due to Midnight mass and talking to Santa!) and snow less! We were supposed to at least get flurries, but once again we got jipped! I actually had to wake everyone up to open presents if you can believe it! They were zonked, but once they got up they were so excited to see what Santa brought and to tear open their gifts. Our guidelines for Christmas presents are: 1 toy or game, one book set or movie and one outfit and jammies. Santa brought Brianna three Disney princess dress up sets, complete with tiaras, slippers and purses. Jonah got a ride on/push Tonka truck, to help him start walking.

Then around noon we headed to my mom's for Brunch and more gifts. Everyone pretty much took a nap and then we woke up and made dinner and then around 6 we headed to the Wauguaman's (Steven's father's family) for more Christmas! See why I called this "Recovering from Christmas"!?!?!? But it was absolutely wonderful and I enjoyed every moment (okay, well, most moments anyway!)

I hope your Christmas was just as great and that you'll be able to recover in time for New Years' Eve. Oh yeah, we've got big plans for New Year's Eve :P

Merry Christmas

I can't believe it's Christmas Eve already! I am trying today to get last minute presents, make sure we all have clean clothes to wear to Steven's grandparents tonight and my mom's tomorrow, and still enjoy the magic of the day! I love Christmas, but even more now that I have 2 children who are so excited! I don't think it's as much the presents they will be getting, they get to spend time with their family and they love that! I also love that we all can be together over the next few days.
I just wanted to put up a short post to say Merry Christmas to you all, because I know I won't be on for a few days. I hope the spirit of the Son of God will be with you all as you celebrate this most blessed holiday!
Remember, Jesus is the reason for the season!
May God bless you all!

Breath of Heaven, Take 2

Sorry, here's the link to the video! Enjoy!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kPbV_HTpyx0

Breath of Heaven

I found this on UTube and fell in love with it! It is the song "Breath of Heaven" by Amy Grant, combined with scenes from "The Nativity Story" that came out last Christmas. We saw this in theatres and then as soon as it was out on DVD had to buy it. We will be watching this movie this weekend and I encourage all of you, if you haven't seen it to rent it, or just go out and buy it, because it is a most have for every Christian home. The writers took some writers liberty with some parts, but all in all it is great! So enjoy the video and have a wonderful weekend!

The Look-ALike-Meter

I found this on a blog for a friend of ours, Stevie Howard. I just had to do it cause it looked soooo cool! We always thought that Brianna looked just like me, and Jonah looked just like Steven. Well, the look-alike-meter disagreed! They said Brianna looked more like Steven by 7% and Jonah loooked more like me by 8%! Take a look and tell me if you agree! (I'll have to do this again 10 years from now, if it's still around, and see if the decision changes!)

Fischer Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Old pictures

Fischer Look-alike Meter

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Roots

Jonah Turns 1!

Yesterday, December 19th Jonah turned 1 year old! I can't believe that it's been a year since he joined our family. I remember things going quickly with Brianna, but it seems like with Jonah it's gone 10x faster! It kind of makes me sad to think that he is almost out of that baby stage-but he is. There are some things I won't miss but there are more things that I will about this first magical year.

To celebrate we had my mom, Steven's parents and little sister, my brother, Steven's grandparents (his mom's parents), his cousin Jamie, Steven's grandma Waugaman and his aunt Mary over for cake and ice cream. Having a baby so close to Christmas kinda stinks because everyone is so busy and it's hard to find a place to have a big party. So we had this nice cozy get together at our place and had a great time.

I cheated and bought the cake at Kroger, but I promised him that I would make him a cake next year. (And I made the promise on video so I'd better keep my promise.) Not like Jonah cared! He dug right in and loved every bite!!! The cake was good, but having everyone with us was the best part.

He got some great gifts-a Noah's ark toy that makes animal sounds and plays music, an airplane with little people that makes noises, a Cars chair, blanket, cup, plate and bowl, a Leap Frog video, a Bengals windsuit (WHODEY!?!?!) and A LEATHER JACKET!!!! (Okay, so it's pleather but it's the cutest thing I've ever seen!!!)

So my little baby boy is now a little man, or at least getting closer to it every day. I hope his 2nd year will be just as great as his first!

It's Almost Christmas!

That's what Bri keeps saying. Every night when we're driving around she'll see Christmas lights and say "It's almost Christmas!" How exciting it is to see Christmas through a child's eyes. We as adults get so caught up in the stuff we "have" to do during the season, we forget to stop and have fun! We got the Christmas decorations put up the day after Thanksgiving. (I should say, Steven did. I fell asleep!) I love the way the house looks during Christmas. It's so cozy and pretty! I also love our tree. Steven always makes it so gorgeous!

So does the fireplace and the village, and the manger scene, oh and the outside! I love it all! The kids got ornaments this year from St. Nick. Bri got a precious moments figure that is ice skating and Jonah got Sally and McQueen from Cars.

Aside from getting ready for Christmas I'm also bracing for finals next week (Pray for me!!!) and we're also preparing for Jonah's first birthday. Having a kid born so close to Christmas kinda stinks because it's so hard to find a place to have a party, or find time that anyone can come. So it looks like we'll be doing cake and ice cream the night of his birthday (the 19th) and then maybe a party in the summer! We'll have to see.

Enjoy the build up to Christmas. And remember to stop and remember the reason for the season-Jesus! May He bless you and your family during this wonderful season!

Happy Late Thanksgiving

So Thanksgiving break has come and gone (boo-hoo!) but that means that there are only two weeks until the semester is over (YEAH!) and that means that I'm one semester closer to graduation (HIP HIP HOORAY!!!!). I love Thanksgiving and I realize every year how much we truly have to be thankful for. So here is a list of the things that I am thankful for this year:
1) I am thankful for my Savior and the fact that I know Him and that He keeps blessing our family so abundantly!
2) I'm thankful for my husband, who works so hard to provide for us (and supports me while I'm still in school!)
3) I'm thankful for two adorable children, who make me laugh every day and remind me that life is short! Dust will be here tomorrow- but they won't be babies for long!
4) I'm thankful for family- immediate and extended, who give us so much love and so many memories and keep life interesting and worthwhile!
5) I'm thankful for friends- nearby and far away, who teach us that it doesn't matter how near or far away you are, true friendship surpasses all miles.
6) I'm thankful for good books that keep me sane!
7) I'm thankful for reality TV (well, some of it- Like Extreme Makeover Home Edition) that show me how crazy life is, but how great it can be!
8) I'm thankful for music that uplifts my spirit and makes my heart soar!
9) I'm thankful to live in a country where I can tell you what I'm thankful for, and that God can be at the top of that list!
10) I'm thankful for the soliders that help keep it that way!
And I could go on, but I'll stop it there! We really are very blessed and I'm so glad that we have a national holiday that is set aside to make us think about how much and how well we are blessed!
So happy late Thanksgiving to all! May we never stop being thankful for all the abundant blessings we've been given!

Brianna Turns 3!

On Monday, November 19th Brianna turned 3 years old! I can't believe that it's been three years already since she came in to our lives. Sometimes it feels like only yesterday (and others it feels like a million years ago- especially during those wonderful 3 year old temper tantrums!)

On Saturday the 17th she had her first ever friends party. It was a Little Mermaid theme and she invited 8 little girls around her age. 6 of them came and she had a great time. They colored Little Mermaid pictures, played dance and freeze to Little Mermaid songs, attacked a pinata and of course, ate birthday cake. Mommy and Nina made the Little Mermaid cake with the help of a Wilton cake pan and we think it turned out pretty good! Tell us what you think! Her first ever friends party was a hit and the birthday girl had a blast!

Doesn't she look happy?!?!?! Monday night we had the family over for chili and another birthday cake, albeit not as eloaborate as Ariel but it was still a darn good cake if I do say so myself! (and I do!) Now we're transitioning away from the pacey (actually we cut her off cold turkey) and so nights aren't so fun but I'm looking forward to a really fun year with our new 3 year old!

HalloZOOween

Saturday we went to the Cincinnati Zoo with some friends of our who have passes. It was a drizzly, kind of chilly day but those are the best days to go because all of the animals are out to play! If you've never been to the Cincinnati Zoo you need to go. I'd say it's one of the best in the country.

We went because it was HalloZOOween, an event that the Zoo started doing several years ago. Kids come dressed up in their Halloween costumes and walk around the Zoo to different stations and trick-or-treat. It's really great because they get more uses out of their Halloween costumes, plus they get more candy! (Well, that's probably mom and dad's least favorite part- unless they get our favorite candy of course!)

The kids looked super cute! Brianna is going this year as Princess Fionna from Shrek, and Jonah, well, he had to be her baby Shrek! They looked so cute and I can't count the number of people who walked by and said "Oh look at Shrek! That's the cutest thing I've ever seen!" And he really is, but I think my Princess Fionna is pretty cute too!

Kansas City Here I Come!

Okay, so I didn't say I'd be perfect about updating our blog but here's entry number 2, finally!

October 12, 13, 14, 15, and 16th we went to Kansas City, Kansas to visit our good friends, the Newtons. They used to live in Cincinnati (about 16 years ago) and then moved to Denver, and then Virginia and now are in Kansas City (actually Lenexa, which is about 20 minutes outside of Kansas City.) I was on fall break from school, a break that was very much needed so we decided to get out of town and go visit them.

We arrived Saturday afternoon and helped Denny and Dionne prepare for Brennan's surprise 16th birthday party. It was really fun- it seems like whenever our families are together we're helping each other with a party or wedding or something like that! (For example, 4 years ago today Dionne was in Cincinnati helping us with mine and Steven's wedding!) Saturday was also Dionne's birthday! Happy birthday Di!

Monday was definantly Bri's favorite part of the trip because we went to the stables and she got to ride Dionne and Briel's horses. Dionne's horse is called Taz (short for Razmitaz!) and he is huge! And beautiful! Briel's ponny is named Gizmo (Short for gizmos and gadgets!) and he is so pretty! Bri rode alone, with Dionne or Briel leading the horse; and with Dionne. She fell in love with the horses! I think we are in big trouble! We also went to an awesome park called Deanna Rose. This park doubled as a petting zoo and a history of Kansas outdoor museum. And the best part, it was all free! The kids loved it, even if it was a little chilly outside! (But what do you expect in October!) Monday night we went over to the square in downtown Kansas City and had dinner at Bucca DiBeppo. That was fun.

Tuesday we left for home, but before we left Denny handed us the top 100 songs from his opus, which we loved. The CD's got us within an hour of home, so thanks Denny! He also inspired me to maybe begin creating my own opus. I don't know if I could come up with 1000 songs yet, but I've 50 movies on my list already! I'll let you know how that goes!

Just one more paragraph to this insanely long entry. Today Steven and I have been married for four years! I have so many wonderful memories of this day and we've created so many wonderful memories together since that day! I love you Steven, and I'm gonna love you forever!

A Regular Day

Today was a normal day. Mommy went to observations for school and then picked up the kids and we came home. I checked my email and had one from a good friend of mine from childhood, Megan Howard (acutally it's Megan Hess now!). She sent me the link to her blog and got me thinking. I've been wanting to do a blog for a while but thought there was no one who would be interested in it. Then I thought about all the family and friends who don't live nearby who would probably like to read about what's happening in our life and see pictures of the kids. So here it is, my first blog! Most days will probably hold nothing special but hopefully you will all enjoy seeing what's going on with us and leave us messages and maybe even start your own!?!?! (Sara and Derric- big hint!!!!) So welcome to the Fischer family blogspot! I hope it will help us all feel more connected and closer, even if we're hundreds of miles away!