The Jonas Brothers

Last Sunday was the concert. We loaded up the car and headed south to Peoria. It wasn’t a bad trip at all. The weather cooperated completely. We got down there in plenty of time. The Peoria Civic Center is a fabulous place to see a concert. They had a great set up for a show that was sure to attract kids of all ages, and their parents. While we did not spend the time waiting there at the facility, when we went back we checked out the digs. There was a Parents Room set up with a bar and TVs and comfy chairs everywhere. We got a kick out of listening to all the girls scream every time they started a new song For a teeny-bopper boy band, the concert lasted a long time. It was definitely worth the money to take them down to this concert. After the concert, we waded through all the people to buy the requisite t-shirts and hit the road. We found the one restaurant still open at 10:15 on a Sunday night, waited 20 minutes for chicken fingers and fries and headed north. Do you have any idea how hard it is to find an open gas station at 11:00 on a Sunday night in the boonies? Once we finally found gas, I went to sleep. I had to be at work at 6:30 the next morning. We dropped Jaimee off in Bradley and headed home. It was almost 2:00 am when we got home. Needless to say, I was pretty useless at work the next day. Oh well, it's the boss' fault for scheduling me to open when he knew about the concert.

He Totally Did It!

Daytona, baby! Newman won!! Yes, I know he got some help from his friends, but what are team mates for if not to push you across the finish line first! Unfortunately I didn't see it on TV, but I did hear it on several radio stations on the drive to Peoria. I yelled and jumped around in my seat while driving down I-74 in the snow. So exciting! Whoo hoo!!!!!!!

Tonight's the Night!

It's time for the super cool, Mom-you're-the-best Jonas Brothers concert in Peoria. The weather forecast was scary at first, with predictions of a snow storm to hamper the 2 1/2 hour drive. But now it appears that we will only be dealing with a lot of rain, a little bit of snow and some wind. I'm a Chicago girl, I can handle that! This is what the weather looked like at 6:00 am when I left for work. Keep your fingers crossed for me!

Chicago Radar Loop

Marli's Birthday

Marli's birthday was on Friday. Her 13th birthday! Egads, when did I get old enough to be the mother of a teenager? My mom had the fabulous idea of leaving a bunch of balloons here for Marli for when she got home from school. My sister brought them over and put them right in front of the bathroom door. If you know Marli, you'd know that the first thing she does when she gets home is head for the bathroom, tossing her coat on the floor in one direction, and her bag in the other. It was perfect!



She and her friend Nicole went to a dance at school that evening so we didn’t do cake until later that night. Boy oh boy was that a yummy cake! Even Nate said he liked, which is high praise coming from the pickiest 10 year old I’ve ever met. I took more pictures, but the camera lens was dirty so they looked awful! Thanks, Jennifer, for pointing it out to me and fixing it!



The cake was so good that by 10:30 Sunday night, when I got home from work, they had very generously left me a 1 inch by 1 inch square in the pan.




On Sunday, Mom took Marli shopping for her annual wardrobe revamping. We returned some of her Christmas clothes, then hit the clearance racks. That girl came home with 2 bags full of the cutest bargains we could find in one afternoon. Next Sunday, she and Jaimee are going to see the Jonas Brothers concert. That was her gift from us. She is beside herself with anticipation. She said this was the best birthday ever. Though, she says that every year. She’s pretty easy to please.

Snow Snow Snow

Boy did we get some snow! Boy do I miss my camera! While normally I would have taken tons o’ photos of the kids playing in the snow, I was stuck using Marli’s little point-and-shoot which I have yet to sit down and play with much, so I took a few half-hearted pictures of some snow-play before the Superbowl. Did I mention I miss my camera?

Marli's Birthday Cake

No store-bought, lard-laden, sugar-coated confection for my little girl’s entry into the ranks of “teenager”. No way, Jose! Jennifer showed me a website she found with an amazing recipe for chicken wings and I was sunk. I have been reading this blog for a solid week. I get so easily sucked into these things.


The Pioneer Woman Cooks


Anyway, the pictures and recipe made this seem like a cinch (and quite yum-a-licious) so I figured I’d give it a try. Yes, I baked a cake from scratch. No boxes involved! Flour, sugar, vanilla, cocoa, and waaaayyy to much butter only. It was so much easier than I ever figured baking from scratch could be! I’m quite proud of myself, actually.








And I didn’t even make a horrible mess. But I am leaving the dishes for someone else to do, darn it!






All that’s left to do is decorate the cake. Marli loves that part, so I may just leave that for her to do when she gets home from school tomorrow.

Licorice

Introducing the newest member of our family: LICORICE. Yes, he is a guinea pig. I know he's not like any guinea pig you've ever seen before. Have you ever known us not to be unique and different? So of course we have to get a unique and different pig. He's cute as can be, and since he's still a young pig, he does like to nibble on us a little. He eats tons of fruits and vegetables, even green peppers if you can believe that! He is a pooping machine, but not too messy, unless he decided to treat you as the bottom of his cage while you're holding him (yes, I'm speaking from experience). I'm sure we have more pictures somewhere, but this was all I could find. His eyes look a little bit crazy in photos, but really they are not nearly that bright.