A DATE TO REMEMBER, AT LAST

At long last, Ralph and I finally managed to go on our date. It may have been late but it was worth all the mishap we endured,lol. So many things have happened this month that I almost forgot to post about the success of our 4th Wedding anniversary date. We got to Firebirds Wood Fired Grill just in time for dinner. The place was cozy and smelled great inside with all the food cooking on the wood fire.Behinds me were wines, stacked from wall to ceiling. Good thing Ralph and I don't drink or else we'd be running off with a few bottles. I could not decide what to eat at first. It's not like they had such a huge menu, It don't like ordering when I don't see a picture of the food. While I mulled over what I wanted Ralph decided to order an appetizer.It was a chicken something, I forgot the name. It was delicious though. It was just the right appetizer to wet our appetite for more. We were famished and wiped that one clean and I liked the salad mix on top. We also ordered a nacho's with dip, It was also so good.
After much thought Ralph finally decided on a prime rib aout 12-14 oz. and loaded masked potatoes. We wanted that since we normally don't eat that at home. We do make prime rib from time to time but only Ralph, my MIL and the kids eat it. Don't like how thick the meat is and it not being cooked well done.And what pray tell did you think I ordered? Well I got the rib eye steak and loaded mashed potatoes. Our food took a little longer since I wanted my meat cooked well done with absolutely no red or blood, lol. The food was great but Ralph and I were already full from enjoying the appetizer. Even though I still managed to eat almost all my food. It was like the way Ralph's makes the T-bone steak we usually have at least once a month. It was well seasoned and cooked to perfection and the meat was just so tender and melt in your mouth. I wasn't to keep on the baked potatoes but it still worked. As for Ralph he only took about 4 bites of his food and decided to ask for a container. We didnt' even think about ordering dessert. All in all it was a good meal. The best thing about out meal, we only paid $30 including tip, thanks to our generous friend Krista for giving us a $75 gift card. If I had to rate the restaurant out of 5*, I would give it a 4. The ambiance was good, food delicious, and wide selection of wine.

RIDING IT

Giddy yap! That stuffed horse belongs to Kayla. Ralph got that for her December of 2008. He actually sneaked this in the house coz he knew I was not going to be to happy with is. You see,we already had so much stuff for the kids and he was afraid I was going to tell him to return it. Both kids love horses specially Kayla. I think its the Native American Indian blood in her. She has so many horse toys that I threw away some of them already. That stuffed horse however takes the cake, its bigger than that unicorn she brought back from her mom last year. My SIL used to own horses when she was young. They had about 6 horses and she help with everything. She can't wait until they get a bigger place so she can buy one and let the kids enjoy riding the horse. We also have plans of enrolling Kayla this summer for horse riding lessons. Ralph said she will learn how to feed the horse, groom it and of course ride the horse. She is going to learn a lot about taking care of a horse like what is a saddle, horse tack,the appropriate riding gear and so much more. I am not to sure about the riding part, it makes me nervous. Both girls have already ridden a horse when we went to Dutch Wonderland last year and they both loved it. My SIL keeps promising them that in the summer she is going to take them somewhere so they can ride a horse. I have never been on a horse and I don't know if I'll be brave enough to get on one. Hopefully things will turn out as we plan for this Summer activities.

horse tack

WHAT TO GET?

Doing reviews certainly has its benefits. I got a $180 credit for CSN Stores. I have yet to decide what to buy with that. Its hard to choose when you have so many choices. My plan was to buy window treatment for the dining room and the playroom. Or buy some bake ware stuff for my baking, or get something for the kiddos. My kids are not short of any toys so I see no point in getting them anything. It's about time that I buy something that I can benefit from. So I will probably get something for my baking, lol. Like another decorating tip for for when I need to frost my cake. I should have ordered it already since my MIL's birthday is coming up and I'm sure she wants me to bake her a cake and frost it as well. I am so many things on my mind right now that I don't know where and what to start,lol. First things first, I have to get myself off from surfing to much and start doing something.

MY PICK

Mother nature was out to trick us. We have had a gorgeous weather for the past days and wham! Before you know it, you are reminded that it is still winter and yes snow is falling. On those beautiful weather my kids got to play outside in our backyard. To families with smaller kids with a backyard its a good investment to a swing set for the kids. Not just any swing set but something durable like the wood swing sets the CSN stores are offering. CSN stores is a huge online store that sells anything and everything you may need for your family, kids and home. We already have a swing set that we got last year, it's almost identical to the Swing-n-Slide-PB 8210-Winchester Wood Compete Swing Set. Since we won't be needing a new swing set anytime soon I got side tracked checking out the whole site for something more to my liking. I am on the hunt for window treatment. The store has a wide collection of window treatments that you can choose from type, styles, and color. I have already set my eyes on this Drapes and Valance set and I will get this for the house. Check out the CSN Stores online and get your own little slice of shopping heaven, lol

DATE TO REMEMBER PT 2

This is the continuation of my blog post date to remember. I ended off that story without saying were we finally ended up spending our date that we have planned for weeks. An advance celebration for our 4th wedding anniversary. After checking out 4 restaurant we ended up at Applebees. I have wanted to eat there for some time now. Ralph wasn't really into it but he gave in since he was hungry. The Applebee's we went to was the one near Walmart. As soon as we pulled up into the parking lot we knew we were going to be seated right away. The place had a big bar in the center of the room with the tables and booths on the sides.From the start we knew we were not going to be happy. A sever didn't come to our table right away, only after 10 min. We started off with the Ultimate Trios appetizers, I took the picture to late, lol. It was actually good and we both liked it.For the main entree I had the Crispy Orange Chicken which is " A taste of the Orient-Applebee's style. Breaded chicken covered in a spicy-sweet orange glaze over our almond rice pilaf and a tasty mix of broccoli, red peppers, sugar snap peas, water chestnuts, mushrooms, carrots, and bok choy. Topped with toasted almonds and traditional crispy noodles". The chicken was yummy,I actually love the toasted almonds on it but was not thrilled with the rice. It was to dry and it smelled. As for Ralph he ordered the Florentine Ravioli with Chicken which is " Sliced, grilled chicken served over spinach & ricotta-stuffed half-moon ravioli in a roasted garlic Alfredo atop a blend of sautéed mushrooms, bruschetta, roasted red peppers, red onions, and fresh spinach. Served with toasted garlic bread". Ralph had a more memorable time with his food. When they served his food Ralph could not find the chicken. He just all of a sudden exclaimed in a very surprise but humorous voice" where the heck is the chicken" and proceeded to look for in on his plate. We were just laughing so much that the couple seated beside us joined in. Ralph flagged down the waited and we got his food back with the chicken. Ralph's was not happy with his food at all. We should have complained to the manager for the poor service but we didn't want to waste more time at that place. I don't know if we will ever go back to Applebee's but for sure it was a date to remember, a story worth telling our kids and future grandkids.

NO TO PAIN

Saw Ralph's nephew today. He was so excited to tell me about his new tattoo. He turned 16 this year and his mom promised him that he could get a tattoo for his birthday. Since it was still early in the morning I forgot to take a look at his new tattoo. I don't know about you guys but I'm not into tattoos at all. Sure they are beautiful and artistic. You can say that its just not me. Getting a tattoo is marking your skin forever. I just can't see myself getting one and after a few years going bonkers trying to remove tattoos that I got done. Besides, when you get older tattoos don't look the same. The other reason why I would not get one is my low tolerance for pain. I am scared of pain and would do anything to avoid feeling that. I have nothing against people who get tattoos as its their way of expressing themselves.

LOOKING LIKE THAT

See that mug shot up and center? That's me on my very very good day. What does very good day mean, when I at least blow dry my hair, dress up with jeans and a nice shirt and do a little bit of make up. My friends tell me that I am pretty, beautiful but they don't know that I don't look like that everyday. That picture is far from the truth. When I am at home I am in sweats and no make up at all and hair standing on ends. I do make it a point to look presentable when I am out. I know I should look more like that for my husband. Looking like that takes time and I don't have the luxury of time on my hands. What I did notice on my face is that I really do have pronounce wrinkles on the side of my eyes. It's high time that I find an anti wrinkle cream that's not to expensive. I am so cheap that I hardly spend anything for myself. I no longer have that youthful glow, I don't think I can still glow, lol. Kidding aside, I do take care of myself from time to time. It's also important to do that for ourselves. Recharges our batteries and make us feel that we also need attention.

DO YOU FEEL THE PRESSURE?

Whatever happened to our perception of beauty? Some say that "beauty is in the eye of the beholder". If that is the case why do we put so much stress on what size we are. Weight is a major issue when the topic of conversation is beauty. In society today, slender and skinny women are considered beautiful and stunning. What about the full figured and heavy set women? Women kill themselves over trying to be beautiful in the wrong sense. They go on crazy diets, go one all natural diet pills,take weight loss pills, fat burners and go on fanatic exercise marathon. Some develop eating disorders due to to much pressure. Women are pressured to look beautiful and slimmer. Who is at fault here? Society or ourselves? I do care about how I look. I have good days, okey days and very bad days.

HER SUNSHINE

This was the sight that greeted us when we got home from our disastrous date. I wondered why Kaitlyn didn't come rushing when I opened the door. Maybe she didn't hear us with the T.V. blaring. We tiptoed into the family room and found her in her Mima's arms fast asleep. Let me tell you how much that means to my MIL. She is Kaitlyn's biggest fan and just thinks the world of her. She cherishes the time when its just her and Kaitlyn. It was still early, we were surprise that she already fells asleep. That's what happens when she takes no naps in the afternoon anymore. She sleeps faster and earlier at night.

Sound good but, when its a weekend you want to sleep in. I can't do that. I do try to sleep in but when your children is trained to wake up early they will wake up early no matter how late or how early they fall asleep. I am not a morning person, I am racoon looking eyes. If you know how to remove dark circles please do share it with me. Still, they do try to let me sleep in. When you have kids its hard, they can't stay quiet and relax for a long time. So much energy in such little bodies.

STILL BATTLING WITH THE BULGE

Have you noticed how much commercials and advertisement put so much effort is selling weight loss products and equipment. So many out in the market that choosing one is harder than you may think. I have actually sat down and watch infomercials on television and found it so fascinating. Most of the spokes person are buff, well tones and so convincing. Lipofuze was one product that I was so tempted to try. But does does lipofuze work?. Its suppose to be the number one in fat burner that helps you shed 10 lbs in 7 days. If I wasn't trying to get pregnant I would certainly try to see what the fuss was all about. As for the reviews online it seems to work pretty good. Loosing weight is a whole lot harder specially when your older. Gaining is as easy as breathing but loosing it is as hard as climbing the highest peak. It takes will, stamina and motivation to keep going. I have none of those for now but I am working on motivation, lol.

RECIPE MADNESS

I have been bitten by the cooking bug once again. Well I do get the bug to bake from time to time. I must admit, I am not organize when it comes to my recipes and everything. I have papers and papers of recipe and its all mixed together. Finding a recipe is like mission impossible, I have to sift through a lot of papers and some I don't even know what recipe its for. I have had enough of my paper recipe clutter. When I was watching Amazing Cakes I saw that most of the bakers had a wonderful presentation covers for recipes. I want to have that for me as well. To be able to do my best and improve my baking technique I have to start with organization and presentation. This way when I am ready to bake all I have to do is get my recipe and flip through for whats baking.

A DATE TO REMEMBER

Romantic night out turned out to be so disastrous. Ralph and I had been looking forward to our date last Saturday, it was suppose to be an advance celebration for our 4th wedding anniversary. Well the day started out real smooth. I got dressed up and even did my make-up extra special. Kaitlyn was behaved and even gave both Ralph and I a kiss before we left and said she will miss us. I should have known that we have always had worse luck when it comes to planning dates.

Our date turned disastrous when Ralph found the wrong restaurant, lol. We just burst out laughing. We continued driving to find the right restaurant which took a little while. When we finally found it and got in, we were shocked to find out how long the wait was going to be. Guess how long? The wait was 2 1/2 hours to be seated. Ralph and I just turned around and went out. Red Lobster was just across Firbirds we went to see if it was also swamped and it was. Minimum wait was 30 min. After hearing that we just hightailed on to the road. We decided to just eat at our favorite Chinese buffet but Ralph wanted to see if Texas Roadhouse and Lone Star. Both places were also swamped. But before the end of the night we finally found a place where we didn't have to wait at all. And that story is for another time. Our date may have turned out to be a disaster but it was a day worth remembering. Ralph and I laughed so much and just had a good time in spite of everything.

BIG DATE

In a few hours hubby and I will go on a big date. Our wedding anniversary is on Valentines day, we opted to celebrate the day in advance. A good friend of our gave us a gift card for the Firebirds Wood Fire Grill as a thank you for watching her son. She didn't have to do that but she insisted to show much my help and friendship is appreciated. Ralph and I have been looking forward to our date since January. I am looking forward to dressing up a bit, well its not to formal but when I say dressing up it means being out of sweats and actually wearing a dress pant and a dressy top,lol. The review I read online about the restaurant seems promising. I am hoping that both of us will enjoy the food. Kayla is at her moms and my MIL is watching Kaitlyn for the night. Lets hope to a smooth and romantic night out with the hubby.

PAYING IT OFF

Taxes are finally done, the next thing to do is wait for the refund. This year our goal is to pay off as much of our debts as we can. I have 3 credit cards already and I am looking forward to paying off all the balance so we won't have to make monthly payments anymore. Ralph is also paying off his credit cards and hopefully his credit history will improve. As for mine I know that my credit is excellent and we plan on keeping it that way. But speaking of credit card I told Ralph and I wanted to get another credit card, one that has reward cards where you get to buy something with your points earned. Ralph has that on his credit cards but I am not so sure about mine. I think mine has them as well I will just have to call to find out more. Our refund may not be as much as two years ago but its enough to help with our finances. We just need to stick to our plans and pay off as much as we can and try not to use the credit card, only for emergencies.

WILL THINGS CHANGE

America, land of the milk and honey, land of opportunity. For the past years people around the world have been struggling. Many have lost homes, cars, lands and jobs. With recession still being felt by every company, jobs are hard to come by. I know a lot of people that have lost jobs or have a hard time landing one. Its not just enough that you have experience in the job your applying for, companies now are looking for people with degrees. With technology and the world wide web on our side getting a degree is as easy as going online. My BIL Angelo wants to start a small business and he is looking at online business degrees that will one day help him with his business if it ever pushes through. I am rooting for him. I just hope that the economy will at least start to change for the better. Everybody is hurting and all we have to do is work with what we have and make the best. And it doesn't hurt to get an a degree like education,online business degrees, online IT degree, the important thing is that education will give an advantage. I believe that with good education and excellent work ethics one can easily find a good paying job.