Offer accepted!

We found out over the weekend that the offer we made on a house in Valencia last week was accepted! I am so excited! We won't move until June, however, because the family living in the house now have kids and want to finish the school year. The house is perfect for us, so we'll wait. It gives us more time to shop, and save money, I guess. We are going to move the girls' bedrooms around-Avery will have her own room, which will double as a guest room. McKenna and Presley will share a room, and I'm getting rid of the bunk beds-I'm so sick of changing the sheets on that bed! Kenna will have a twin bed and Presley has a toddler bed, currently in storage. And baby blue will take the nursery furniture.

So, with the move coming about a week or so before blue comes, I guess I'm keeping the ob/gyn I've been seeing. I thought I'd be able to change, but, after a few tries, it's not possible. So, I'll still have the baby here in Pasadena. I'm ok with that. I'm trying to be, anyway. Now, I need to get started on all of the logistics, changing pediatricians, enrolling Avery and McKenna in school for next fall, figuring out insurance. Kevin and I have been trying to figure out if we should get earthquake insurance, some of our friends have it, most don't, though. The deductible is crazy high, so I don't know about that, yet. And, we'll need to purchase a decent car for Kevin. The list goes on and on. My main concern now is trying not to annoy the heck out of Kevin with all of my thoughts, ideas, and questions.

In case you're wondering, we didn't celebrate at Cheesecake Factory. Kevin came down with horrible allergies over the weekend and it just didn't happen. Maybe for Good Friday or something...

Made an offer and trying not to think about it...

Since we moved here last November, we've looked at around 15 houses, took a long break from house hunting, tried in vain to figure out the CA real estate system, and narrowed down a potential neighborhood. On Wednesday, we looked at a house that could possibly be our home. We made an offer. Now, we wait. We won't know anything until Monday, most likely. I'm trying not to get emotional over this and think about it all of the time. That's easier said than done. I can't think of anything else. I'm so excited, and anxious, and nervous. I have a peace about this situation, which is different from most decisions I agonize over. I really want this house, it's in a great location, 2 blocks from the elementary school Avery and McKenna will go to next fall, it has room for our growing family and all of the junk we have. It may even have room for us to buy more junk :) It's also close to our church. It has a great kitchen and office area. It has a decent backyard, by CA standards anyway. No pool, but our HOA pool is just a few blocks away. Truth be told, I was a little wary about having a pool. I wanted one, but there just is a lot of risks and responsibility. Maybe when the kids are older...

So, this house is perfect for us. Like I said, I'm trying so hard to not constantly dwell on it. If we get it, great! We'll celebrate by eating out at Cheesecake Factory (haven't cleared that with Kevin, yet though) If we don't, I know that God has another house we'll call home soon. Maybe we can eat at Cheesecake Factory anyway and call it comfort food!

Last night's meal and easter concert

Last night, we had grilled chicken kabobs with red onions and orange and red peppers. They were delicious. McKenna made the marinade all by herself. Here's the link to the recipe. I will definitely be making this again. I also made a pasta salad and fruit salad to go with it. And, I made hawaiian bread in the bread machine that totally didn't turn out. The yeast must have been bad, because it didn't rise and tasted and looked like a brick. Sigh. Here's the pasta salad recipe. I got it from my cousin, Julie, when we were back in Ks for the wedding.

16 oz, penne, cooked

2 cucumbers, sliced very thin

1/2 red onion, sliced very thin

1 c. water

3/4 c. white vinegar

1 1/2 c. sugar

1 T mustard

1 T accent

1 T parsley flakes

2 tsp pepper

1/2 tsp garlic salt

Wait until the penne is cooled a little, then mix all together and keep in fridge. So good.

So, I found out that the Jonas Brothers are going to perform for the easter services at Saddleback church this year. I so want to go! The services will be at Angels stadium. When I told the girls, McKenna just about lost her breath, she was so excited! Our church is doing multiple services, so I know we could hit them both that weekend. If I can only talk Kevin into it...

Menu Plan Monday

• Spaghetti, salad, cheesy garlic bread
• Grilled chicken, penne pasta salad, homemade Hawaiian bread
• Chef Salad, bread
• Breakfast for supper-french toast, bacon, fruit
• Sweet and Sour meatballs, rice, corn
• Green chili enchiladas, chips, salsa, black beans and corn

Breakfast-cereal, waffles, yogurt, granola, banana bread, fruit,

Lunch-tuna salad, sandwiches, leftovers, chef salad,

Snacks-granola, yogurt, cheese, crackers, fruit, almond butter, gorp, popcorn, carrots,

Avery's account of the quake...

Last night we had a earthquake. it was a little bit scary. But it lasted about 10 seconts. My Dad said well that was fun! Earthquake means a sudden violent shaking of the earth, caused by a shifting of the earth's crust. I was in bed when it hit and I felt my bed vibrate. I ran to Mom and Dads room and we watched the news.

Our 1st Quake!!!!

So, last night was pretty much like any night at the Osborn abode. The girls went to bed. McKenna got up multiple times during the night saying she was either thirsty, scared, or couldn't sleep. The last time she got up was around 3. Kevin got her a drink and I went to the restroom (for the 3rd time since going to bed), a pregnancy side effect that I'll be happy to say goodbye to. We all went back to sleep. The next thing I knew was my bed was shaking, the blinds were moving back and forth and my heart immediately started beating faster. Kevin jumped out of bed and ran into the girls room. Avery was already getting down from the top bunk. McKenna and Presley were still sleeping. Avery came and got in bed with us, while I turned on the TV, my heart still racing and my mind trying to process what just happened. It was such a weird feeling, the earthquake lasted only 5 seconds, max. It was like my brain knew what was going on, but because we were sleeping, it took my body longer to respond. A few minutes after I turned the TV on, the breaking news team appeared. A 4.4 earthquake. At 4:04am. The center of the quake was about 25 miles South and a little east of us. Avery, Kevin and I were all wide awake. At 4:15am. And, then, we all said we were hungry. Kevin caved first and got a bowl of cereal. I was craving pancakes, but waited until 7 to fix them. Avery stayed in our bed, she and Kevin fell back asleep. I found myself out on the couch watching the news coverage. One cool thing about this is that all of the smart people who study this kind of stuff are based out of CalTech, which is in Pasadena, so there was a lot of news coverage from Pas. One comforting fact I learned was that SoCal is not capable of having a large earthquake, like Chile experienced, simply because the fault line isn't as long as the one in Chile. The one that happened this morning is considered normal.

At least for tornadoes, we have some warning. I think that's what caught me/us so off guard. We were sleeping and felt helpless.

Avery's first school assignment this morning was to write in her journal about what happened. If she gives me permission, I'll post her account later. She's such a good writer, especially for a 7 year old.

3 things came to mind this (early) morning-

• We need to have consistent family training for earthquakes. I want to make sure the girls know exactly what to do.
• I need to have an emergency kit available. I don't quite know what will go in it, but the tv people said we all need one, so I'll put one together. I assume batteries, water, flashlight, the usual, etc...
• When I fix a big breakfast on a weekday (like the pancakes I fixed this morning), I also get stuck having to clean the kitchen afterwards, because Kevin had to go to work. There's a big pile of mess calling me name. Sigh.

The search continues...and Menu Plan Monday

After a break from house hunting, Kevin and I are finally ready to start up the home search again. There are some more standard sales on the market, so hopefully we'll find a home before blue comes. Oh, I hope so. I just can't imagine having a baby in this apartment. I also went to Crate and Barrel for the first time over the weekend, and now, I can't wait to shop! Wow, that store is amazing! I could go there everyday and just look for ideas. It's my new favorite store.

Made my 3rd trip to Trader Joes this weekend. Going without a list was a huge mistake, and blow to our budget. But, I snagged 2 things that will be regular purchases from now on, if not weekly purchases-pomegranate seeds and kettle popcorn. OM Goodness, both were so good!

Here's our menu for the week-

• Chef salad-Avery fixed the meal last night. All. By. Herself! She was so excited...
• Hamburgers, homemade fries, salad
• pork chops, mashed potatoes, green beans
• Homemade pizza, fruit and veggies
• Slow cooker chicken, potatoes and carrots, salad, Hawaiian bread
• Chipotle?

Granola and homemade bread

My favorite breakfast is homemade granola with yogurt and fresh fruit. I could eat that every day. I've tried to make the granola on this site, and I burned it. And it smelled really gross afterward. This is Paula Deen's recipe. It is simply the best. I usually tweak it a little, depending on what I have on hand. I always buy the green Kroger box of granola with out raisens in the cereal section. Yesterday, I made it and forgot we didn't have coconut and wheat germ. It tastes much better with the coconut. I also add craisens, instead of cherries. And I omit the walnuts. Actually, yesterday at Ralphs, I found a trail mix in the deli section that had almonds, raw cashews, pumpkin seeds, sunflower seeds and chocolate chips. I bought the container and added 1/2 a cup of so to the granola after it was cooled and it was really good. Still wished I had coconut, though. Again, go here, make it, and enjoy!

I got my new breadmaker last week. I found this site and it has a ton of recipes. I made this garlic bread first, and it was very good. Even a few days later, it was good. I made some raisen bread (from a recipe booklet that came with the breadmaker) over the weekend, and it burned. It was so bad, I could have given it to the girls to play kick ball with. I chose the medium setting, so, next time, I'll choose the light and see what happens. I'm planning to make some hawaiian bread this week, from a box, so, hopefully it'll turn out.

Ob update and Menu for the week

Today, I am in my 24th week of pregnancy. It's still hard to believe at times. I didn't gain any weight this month, which is surprising, because I'm starting to feel big. My blood pressure was 100 over 70, so that's good. And, baby blue's heartbeat was 141. My dr. informed me that I have fibroids, which isn't a huge deal, just another chance for him to remind me that I'm old. Geesh, he makes me feel was I'm 65 and pregnant, instead of 35.

Our menu this week is pretty hodge podge. I'm fixing some meals, but we have so many leftovers and odds and ends that need to be eaten, so our menu looks like this...

• leftovers-homemade pizza, take-out from Chevy's
• Soup-I know, it's been on the menu for 3 weeks now and hasn't made it to the table yet, thank goodness I still have everything in the freezer and/or pantry, I'm making it tonight, no matter what
• Chipotle for Kevin and me-the girls can have leftovers, cereal, sandwiches, etc...back in Ks, we had a habit of eating Chipotle during LOST each week. It's been harder to do here in CA, since Lost is on at 9 instead of 8. Last week, I fell asleep during it, so I'm determined to stay awake this Tuesday. So, Chipotle it is. And, maybe a nap in the afternoon.
• Breakfast for supper-ham, cheese, and broccoli quiche, fruit, yogurt
• Cavatini, salad, garlic bread-will post recipe, soon
• Maybe CPK??
• Leftovers, leftovers, leftovers...

I made a batch of granola yesterday. Last night, Avery said, "I just can't stay away from this stuff, it's so good!" I'll post the recipe tomorrow-

Quick hits and apple crisp

• So, we had steak last night, and, from the way McKenna acted, you'd have thought it was Christmas. After every bite she exclaimed, "this is the best steak ever!" She loved having her favorite meal. Avery, on the other hand, hates steak and dined on corn and a breadstick. She didn't pout, though. Of course, she knew what was for dessert.
• This move has really brought our family closer together. We enjoy being with each other. Sure, I would absolutely love to have a date night. Kevin and I haven't be out sans kids since mid-December, when we went Christmas shopping FOR the kids. But, there are those rare nights when I'm awake even after the kids are in bed, and we're able to have in home dates. It's not the same, I won't lie, but it's better than nothing. Homeschooling Avery right now has been great for our home life, too. She and McKenna are closer than ever, and now that Presley is able to play and talk more, their relationship is growing, too. Because of the tight space we live in, we can't just go and do our own thing within our apartment, so there has been a lot of compromise over what movies to watch, what games to play, who's doing what in what room, etc...We're a close-knit family, and I like it that way.
• The little boy in my tummy kicks a lot. He's a very active baby, and I'm so looking forward to meeting him. I'm starting to have lots of feelings of guilt from when I first found out I was pregnant. To say I was shocked and even sad would be an understatement. I cried. All the time. I just couldn't see how another baby would fit into our plans. At the time, I thought it was one of the worst things that could happen. Now, I'm so ashamed of thinking that way, and I'm hoping the pain and guilt will go away so I can just enjoy the rest of this pregnancy without constantly beating myself up about past thoughts.
• So, that was a little deeper than I meant it to be. Oh well. On to the recipe. It never fails. 15 minutes after supper each and every night, McKenna asks if we can have dessert. Most nights, the answer is, "sure, you can have some fruit or yogurt." That doesn't get the greatest of reactions from her, though. Last night, I knew we had the stuff to make apple crisp, so that's what I made, with Avery's help.
• Let me say, for the record, that I love having my kids help me in the kitchen. I want to teach them how to bake and cook. However, the kitchen we are in right now is so not good for family cooking. This has been a struggle, because the girls still want to help, and I find myself saying, "wait until we get a home with a better kitchen." After 3 months of saying this, I can't hold them back much longer.

Apple Crisp-

This is adapted from the fruit crisp recipe in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook. I make this several times in the winter months. It's easy and I usually have all of the ingredients on hand. I can make this after supper while Kevin is cleaning the kitchen and it's done by the time the girls are finished with baths. Leftovers are so good the next day, too.

5 cups of peeled and sliced apples-I use Granny Smith, 4 apples usually work great

4 TBSP sugar

1 cup oats

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

1 tsp cinnamon

1 stick butter

Mix the apples and sugar together and place in a casserole dish sprayed with Pam. Combine the next 4 ingredients and pour over the apples. Melt butter and drizzle over oat mixture. Bake, uncovered at 375 degrees for 30-35 minutes.