End of Year Bang

So far, third grade is the one year that has the most field trips.  I think I was down at the school at least once a week for the last half of April and all of May for one field trip or another.  Anyhow here are some pictures that I managed to snap from a few of them.

THE BASQUE CENTER:

Showing them how to play one of the favorite Basque sports, a type of hand ball. Forgive me, I can not remember how to say it.

Zoe, Stella, and Maddy

Maddie, Zoe and Stella, playing as a team

WORLDS CENTER FOR BIRDS OF PREY:

Bald Eagle

THE FOOTHILLS LEARNING CENTER:

Bella's Band Performance

Bella's school had the 5th and 6th grade Band/Orchestra spring performance, and it was fantastic.  I was amazed to see how much these kids had improved over the last school year.  They all did so well!

I was most surprised by my own child however.  I know most parents say that, but the morning of the performance she announces that she is going to be performing a solo!!  I was shocked.

Sure enough she stood up and played that little clarinet all by herself.  Not only did the kids that did solos have to perform them (of course), but they also had to WRITE their own music.  I was soooo proud of her!! :)

Mother's Day 2017

We celebrated Mother's Day over both days of that weekend for a couple reasons:

• A- Why Not?!?!
• B- Louis had to fly to Wisconsin for work.  He left at 2 pm on Mother's Day, so wee celebrated MY Mother's Day the day before.
• C- Rachel Spends Mother's Day with her mom of course, so celebrating one day in Advance gave us all five the chance to celebrate together.
• D- That meant on the actual day of mother's Day, I got to go cook and pamper my mom.

I decided on a day of chillin' and relaxing with the girls on my Mother's Day.  We first got donuts and coffee, then just hung out at home for a bit.  When it was time for lunch I decided we should have a bit of fun, so we went to Grinkers and had some lunch and played some games.

It was pretty chilly here- wind and rain, so we decided to just stick pretty close to the house after that. We set up a little "theater" in Louis' man cave :) and ordered pizza and watched The Fifth Element as a family.  It's one of Louis and my favorites and all three girls loved it too. :)

Sunday led to us having breakfast and then dropping Louis off at the airport.  Slightly somber, but he was back at noon on Tuesday, so it was a super quick trip.  We went to the store and got a few groceries for dinner that evening and then stopped at the greenhouse at got nana a hanging basket for her house.  Then off to nana and papa's house.

We had a great dinner together and I was spoiled on my day.  We hope all you mothers had a great day spent with all the people who make you the happiest!! :)

AND....since I got no pictures, at all, of the whole weekend- that sums up the post! :)

Marinara Sauce

This is seriously the best marinara sauce ever.  At least we think so.  :)  Super easy- probably already have these ingredients in your pantry.  Feel free to add sausage, meatballs, veggie crumbles or whatever else.  Sometime I dice up a little onion and throw it in.  Sometimes I add carrots or bell peppers, sometimes mushrooms and olives.  This sauce is super versatile!!!  It is really delicious just as written too!!

INGREDIENTS:

• 28 oz crushed tomatoes
• 14 oz can petite diced tomatoes
• 1 Tbsp olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 2 Tbsp sugar- either brown or white. I prefer brown, white seems to give a sweeter taste.
• 2 Tbsp dried basil
• 1 tsp salt
• pepper
• 1/4 c shredded Parmesan cheese
• 1 Tbsp dried parsley

DIRECTIONS:

1. Add oil to pot, add garlic and turn on medium low for about 4-5 minutes.  You want the oil to be fragrant, but be careful not to burn the garlic. 
2. Add the crushed and diced tomatoes and all other ingredients EXCEPT the parm cheese and parsley.
3. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and simmer for at least one hour. 
4. During last 15 minutes of cooking add cheese and parsley, and keep at a slow simmer until ready to top hot pasta!!! 

Guam Date Night

My turn to pick and Guam is what I chose.  I knew very little about Guam and was amazed at how far away it is.  I've never claimed to be a geography buff, but I always assumed it was an island maybe by Hawaii, or even Puerto Rico.  Not even close.  :)

Guam is a U.S. island territory in Micronesia, in the Western Pacific. It's distinguished by tropical beaches, Chamorro villages and ancient latte-stone pillars. Guam’s WWII significance is on view at the War in the Pacific National Historical Park, whose sites include Asan Beach, a former battlefield. The island’s Spanish colonial heritage is evident in Fort Nuestra Señora de la Soledad, atop a bluff in Umatac.

Capital: Hagåtña

Area: 210 mi²

Population: 169,885 (2015) World Bank

Continent: Oceania

Official languages: English, Chamorro

Fun Facts about Guam:

• Guamanians get American citizenship by birth under Title 8 of the U.S. Code. However, the downside is that in the United States, the people of Guam are not given the full range of opportunities that many native-born Americans are given.
• There is a beach in Guam known as ‘The Gun Beach.’ The beach also houses Guam’s largest beach bar.
• Would you believe the fact that Guam does not have sand? Yes, this is true! What you see on the beaches is coral, not sand. Paved roads in Guam are also made by mixing coral and cement together.
•  Did you know that a Japanese soldier hid in Guam’s jungle for nearly three decades? The soldier was waiting for the war to end; however, he spent the time unaware that the war had already ended. The soldier was discovered in 1972, and soon he went back to his home country, eventually getting married. Surprisingly, this soldier visited Guam several times, even after marriage.
• The economy of the country is supported by tourism and the United States Armed Forces.
• The U.S. House of Representatives has a member from Guam; however, that person is a non-voting delegate.
• Guamanians have to fly 4000 miles to Hawaii to receive PTSD treatment (posttraumatic stress disorder).
• Guam is located roughly 7,000 miles from the U.S. mainland.
• Guam was also bombed after the attack (just over four hours) on Pearl Harbor (December 7, 1941). The lives of 7,000 Americans and 17,500 Japanese were lost during the battle.
• Did you know that there were thousands of brown tree snakes on the island per every person during World War II?
• Guam is also one of the five U.S. territories that have an established civilian government.
• About 99% of the foreign workers on the island come from the Philippines.
• In 1957, a UFO was spotted in the skies of Guam by 1st Lt. Ted Brunson from his aircraft. The Lt. tried to follow the UFO, but to no avail. The speed of his aircraft could simply not match that of the UFO, the colonel said.
• The country is the largest island in Micronesia.
• Guam observes only two national holidays
• The island nation is roughly the shape of a footprint. It is approximately 30 miles long, and its width varies between 4 and 12 miles at various points.
• Ray Robson, one of the youngest players in history to become a Chess Grandmaster, was a Guamanian. Born on October 25, 1994, he defeated a National Master in tournament play at the tender age of nine.
• Due to the vast distance between the two U.S. territories, Guam is actually 20 hours ahead of Hawaii!

For dinner we had Guamanian BBQ short ribs, red rice, lumpia for an appetizer and a custard cake......

The lumpia ( an appetizer from the Philippines that is extremely popular in Guam) were ok. A bit heavy for my tastes, and unfortunately these were the best part of the meal....

Long story short, we didn't like the food. Any of it.  The short ribs were way too fatty.  I couldn't even begin to eat them.  The rice was not bland, but I have no other way to describe it.  It has this rich red color and smells amazing, but then when you eat it....just nothing. The cake, pretty generic.  Unfortunately, we wound up getting fried chicken from Popeye's for dinner on this night.

Here are a few pictures we managed to get of the night:

This was the cake.  I can't remember what it's called, but its slices of pound cake with a custard poured over the top and  sprinkled with cinnamon.  Sorry for the weird picture... it was taken as an after thought. :)

2017 Photo Dump V

My lover and me, eating Chinese food :)

Bella holding her push up position in taekwondo

My love and I had lunch at Even Stevens. Yummy :)

Lunch at Delsa's...they have the BEST burgers!

Purple Burping Cow. I got the girls a kids cookbook, this was one of the recipes... Zoe made one for her and Bella.

Zoe made this balloon for my b-day party :)

My love's man cave.

My MIL made this apron and these fantastic bowl holders for me for my birthday.  It's my favorite apron and those bowl holders have come in super handy!

 

The orchid and lily I got for my birthday

I couldn't help the tears when I saw this. Zoe printed this out for Louis.

Zoe made me am early Mother's Day Present :)

Our star tattoo's. The pen came in my Ipsy bag.

and then there was that one time I got glasses....

Mazzy showing dad her new toy...he was in Wisconsin for business.        

stupid dog :)

best mascara ever!

Rachel at her violin recital.

I was shocked when Zoe found this coke with my name on it at Walgreens :) We had to get their passport photos and this coke of course! :)