Whatever It Takes

I've gotta tell you.  The image of the blood pressure machine with it's glaring red reading of 203/117 has burned itself into my brain.  It's been flashing at me all week, every day....and has even caught me in my dreams.

Imagining the unimaginable stole quite a bit of quiet time away from me.
  I can't quite put it into words.

I went for a run on Saturday, the first time since completing a 5k back in August.

It felt great to "get back out there". 

I surprised myself by being able to begin running and not have to walk up to it.  

I liked surprising myself.

It was nice not to have any doubt for a few minutes.  It was nice to feel my heart beating steady and healthy. 


I believe that when it's our time it's our time.  

But something is telling me that I need to pay more attention to ME.

(And it's not just my Mom saying, "Kerri Lynn, you need to nip this in the bud!")

I called the doctors office on Monday morning.  When I told the receptionist at the nurse's station what my blood pressure had been while at the dentist she asked,  

"How old are you?" 

"32", I said. And all I heard was silence.

"We can get you in here on Thursday" her voice boomed back.


Thursday it is.  
I am scared of what I will learn there.


B   u   t     

t   h   e   n

I think about my sons.  

and my husband.  

My life.  The life I share with them,

as   a   F  A  M  I  L  Y.

For a moment I think about their life 

without me in it.  

Imagining the unimaginable 
strikes chords of determination and strength.

I've been through a lot of emotions since last Thursday.

My mind obviously having a hard time processing it all.


I think I've reached the other side.  My next step is in place and that quiets the fear.  I have focus.

When you're looking for answers sometimes you just end up with even more questions.  

I'm not good with waiting for answers.  

My husband says, 

"You expect instant gratification."

Maybe so.  

I like having a direction to point my feet.

Whatever it takes though.  

Whatever it takes.

My boys.  My loves.  I want to grow old with them.  

I     W   i   l   l     D   o     

W   h  a  t  e  v  e  r     I   t     T   a   k   e   s.

T   H   E   Y

 will always matter most.

Before you leave the Klutter make sure you

enter my current Giveaway HERE
Hurry...it ends tonight.

Comment-Love Letters

A fun and often hilarious way to show off the comment love received on the previous weeks posts.
All week while receiving comments to my posts I copy and paste each one into a word document, removing any spaces between the comments.  On Sunday I start to cut and paste the comments together to make a letter or as close as I can get to a letter.  I try really hard not to read through the whole thing until I'm completely done.  The end result is pretty funny.

Welcome to Comment-Love Letters:

 #

Dear Kerri @Kerri’s Klutter,

Good morning and Happy Saturday Sharefest! I once had 2 little boys (now very big boys!)...and sure do miss the fun!  Mrs. Butterworth did in fact have a son. He had large monkey balls so media kept him a secret.   Oh that was funny and it totally looked like him!!

Your family is just the cutest ever! I laughed at your poop story because that is me everyday right now trying to get the 2 year old trained...he won't poop on the pot! Kids are great...lol..I remember those time outs in public places...not so fun.

You are definitely not the only one who hates the dentist. Whenever I go, I dress in a t-shirt and bring a cardigan because I know that I'm going to sweat buckets and want to cover up when I leave.  I tell you that I HATED THE DENTIST and I say THANK GOD FOR PLASTIC TEETH!  AMEN I can eat what I want, no cavities, no drilling, no filling, no needles and no shaking in my breeches all the way to the office!! I say it is just wonderful and when I need a new set, I just have to sit for a mold setting!! I love PLASTIC!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am sorry the dentist didn't go well. (To say the least.) Keep me updated on you.

I have horrible O.C.D...I check things often and sometimes to the point where I am laying in bed telling myself I do not need to go and check.  I am a lip biter - I have awful, bleeding, peeling cracked lips because of it - only when I am feeling stressed.  I definitely understand where you are coming from. All of our fears play out in different ways.  I hope that you get better...sometimes we just have to tell our minds to slow down...it will all be okay.  A lot of people use anti-anxiety medication to help with it. Ya I agree life does suck big `ol monkey balls sometimes...haha actually that just sounds nasty!  Good luck though...!

Ahhh the first pulling the car over moment. My dentist asked if I was having a seizure or low blood sugar. He was shocked that I was shaking that badly out of fear! Sent me to an oral surgeon who prescribed Valium to get me into the office and then used conscious sedation while he worked in my mouth.  I love those moments when good friends brighten up the day!  Sounds like a great night!

I'm a follower...heehee...and I follow you 'cause you threatened bodily harm if I didn't...umm, hmmm, no I follow 'cause I love you. I love how open and honest you are in all of your posts and all of the feedback that your followers are able to give you.  I don't know you, but I have to say that I'm proud of you for admitting this and for having the resolve to say that you will not let fear win.

You know you're lucky; very few people get to have seasonal ponds in their backyard.  I started working on one and then got delayed by life! I was floored when I hit 50 and now I am over 100. It will come soon.

Your rocket adventure sounds fun, I bet it was hysterical! I could enter in every way possible, but I'm only going to enter once :)

As always, my mouth is watering and waiting for each yummy day to come!

Have a great weekend and good luck with the doctor!  So glad that I can be one of them!

Be strong. (HUGS)

Sincerely,

Your Biggest Fan

P.S.  Kerri! I found mine - twice!

This blog post was made possible by 
"comment-love leavers" like YOU! 

Did you spot your comment?  

Wanna join in on the fun?

DO I NEED TO START BEGGING YOU!!!!
Puhleease....please...please.....please.....please.....
come and play along
Pull your comments from last week and put them together to form some sort of "sense."  (Using "sense" real lightly here! )   

then link up below (linky will be open till Friday) so we know to stop by and check out your 

Comment-Love Letter.

Weekly Menu Monday

Hey!  WHoooooooSH------------>

Come back here!!  Weekends sure do speed by don't they?

Last week is kind of a blur.  It was filled with tears, and smiles, nervousness and fun.  I remember little of our actual meals since I kind of ran through the week with my eyes closed.

I do remember the Turkey Burgers on Friday though.  
My husband and I were trying to determine: 

What makes a good burger?

  Do you think it's the meat?

Or how about the condiments? (this is what I said)

Maybe the squishy-ness of the bun?!? 
(this is what he said)

We both decided it didn't really matter who was right. (I was!) What mattered was that they were delicious. 

Slap my hand!  Send me to my room. I have no photos to share.

Before I start planning the menu for the week I always check the weather forecast.  This coming week we're starting out chilly and rainy.  By week's end though we'll be in the mid 60's and slapping on sunscreen!

Here's what's cookin in the kitchen of Kerri's Klutter this week:

Monday: Pancakes, Egg and Sausage Links

Tuesday:  Crispy Rosemary Chicken and Red Potato Fries

Wednesday: Pizza

Thursday: Slow Cooker Hamburger Stew

Friday: Smoked Sausage and Zucchini Saute

 Saturday: Turkey Burgers

Sunday: Ham with Cherry Glaze, Mashed Potatoes, Veggies

There you have it.

That's what's cookin in my kitchen.

What's cookin in yours?

I'm linking up over at "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for Menu Plan Monday

Happy Weekly Menu Monday.

May you have a week of stress free yummy meals to look forward to

or just take my menu and call it your own!

                                                       ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~ 

Don't forget to come back on tomorrow to read mine,  
write your own and link up to

Comment-Love Letters.

<a href=" http://krazi8.blogspot.com/search?q=Comment-Love+Letters " target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Kerri’s Clutter" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDKaHF1qy5CxmNJlDtj6eolQVuCLXG6tCxi_jGIlvv2bPBsxw7rQYrOj1C7n3VUfJvKSciwi9E8n_E8C8aa1iyCFbB1MECcvqXR9PX8uijjF5kaPPzXFRTxZrYKXYedzQo_82l9VB9A/s186/buttoninfotest.jpg" /></a>

A fun way to show your comment-love leavers that

you love them back!

Sundays In My City

My husband and I had a date last night.

A delicious dinner 

followed by

 The Rochester Knighthawks vs. The Buffalo Bandits.

The hawks lost but I enjoyed my evening out with hubby.

Here's a few of my captures from the evening in Rochester, NY.

Kodak Tower

Eastman Kodak Headquarters

(yes, I meant to get the left turn only sign in the picture)

Times Square Building

A shot of the Hawks...

Wait! 

Delicious dinner, my first lacrosse game 

AND

Kenny Rogers??!!??!!?? 

Haha.  Nope.

Thanks for stopping by!!

Saturday Share

Today is Saturday Share.

A weekly post about us, what we've been up and pictures

to fill in the blanks.
(Saturday Share tends be a fairly long post...sit back and enjoy)

Last Saturday after I got home from work the four of us went out to our backyard.

Yep! That's a rocket. Jacek got that for Daddy for Christmas. It was chilly out and WINDY but yeah
Boys will be Boys.

This was the calm before the chaos.

(A video was supposed to be here but it wouldn't load..well it may have if I had like 3 hours to sit and wait for it.)

The video is pretty funny. When the rocket launches all you hear is Jacek squealing in delight and then laughing so hard.

The rocket went up and up and up...and Darren screamed
"There it is, do you see it? See it! There it is"

and then you hear me screaming in a high pitched voice

"Where?!? I can't see it. Where is it?!?"

I never caught sight of it and I still kinda don't believe that Darren actually tracked it.
Eventually he did lose sight of it. We searched for the rocket for a little while but it was too chilly so we went inside. The next day my niece and her friend found the rocket about a 1/4 mile away near a pond still intact.

It was a successful launch!

Jacek has been a real spit fire lately. He's been very defiant when it comes to doing what he is told. He says No and stomps his foot. He huffs. He whines. He's 4.
We're working with him. I'm trying to find ways to give him sense of control because I know it works with him. The more he feels he's in charge of the more controlled his behavior is.
He came home from school on Thursday in the best mood. He'd had an Easter party and he was so excited. I tried to soak up every minute. It's so fun to see him just loving life.
I was looking at a picture of him that was taken in September on his first day of school. I can't believe how much his face has changed. Much less a little boy...so much more a little man.

Aidan has been calling me BaaPee this week.
He's been hitting his head a lot. He's in the stage where he doesn't quite grasp he's his own little person. He walks into cupboard doors, walls, floors, cabinets, yeah pretty much everything.
He goes into complete screaming fits the minute I ask "Aidan, do you have a poopy diaper?" He RUNS in the opposite direction. When I catch him and attempt to carry him to the bathroom he starts kicking and screaming. This continues as I try to wipe the poop off of his butt, which is very difficult when the child won't stay still.
Even after he's in a clean diaper and in his pants again he will continue to scream and cry. Yesterday he carried on for so long that I ended up having a break down. I started crying. What a mess!Darren is feeling better. Healthier anyways. He's quite defeated that his beloved college basketball team, Syracuse, did not win Thursday nights game. Even with my headphones in I could hear him screaming at the television. Well, let's be honest here shall we. It's kind of hard to miss a 6'1 man waving a green dish towel over his head. He puts on quite a show. He even managed to smack himself in the face with it once. Of course, he'll probably deny it if you asked him about it but you heard it here folks.

He came home last night with his pupils dilated. He had an eye appointment after work. Jacek couldn't look at him, he kept covering his face every time Darren would take off the sunglasses. He looked pretty freaky. But everything looks good with his eyes. 

The pneumonia appears to be gone but he says he still feels like there's something left...but do you think he'll call the doctor? I am doing okay. I won't lie and say everything with me is great. It's not. I'm still feeling down about the dentist, about my anxiety issue and about other things. I called a doctor yesterday to get in for a physical and an exam. I was told to call back on Monday. I called the dentist to talk to him about my options. He actually stepped away from a patient to take my call. I really like him. He has a very deep voice and it's soothing. Feeling comfortable with him should help my anxiety. He scheduled me again for April 16th. He figures by then I'll either have a primary doctor who has prescribed me with anxiety medication or he will administer Ativan and see how that affects my blood pressure.

I hate that I will most likely have to take medication but I think I need to. The more I think about how high my blood pressure actually got I get a little more scared. I won't go into that on this post but yeah, I get scared.
I told my Mom, I'm a work in progress. Since turning 30 and having my two boys there's an ever present NEED that wasn't there before. Every day I try to take a step in the right direction. It's not always possible but I haven't given up and I don't plan to....

And that is what we've been up to. A little bit of this and a little bit of that.

If you're new to my blog thanks for checking it out. Please leave me a comment so I can come and visit you too. I love comments.... I love doughnuts more but those are kind of hard to leave.

Oh and when you're done doing that make sure you stop by my current GIVEAWAY!

Anyone who follows or become a follower of Kerris Klutter can and SHOULD enter. It ends next Wednesday at 11:59EST. If you don't like what the prize is please consider giving it away as a gift or donating it. It's a win-win situation ya'll.

Please participate....it'd make my day...no no...it'd make my WEEK!

Have I guilted you into it yet? C'mon just do it already!!

Thanks for stopping by. Ta Ta.

Friday Fragments

"As you simplify your life, the laws of the universe will be simpler; solitude will not be solitude, poverty will not be poverty, nor weakness weakness." - Henry David Thoreau

I don't like dentists.  Have I said that before?  Yeah, I think I have.

I warned him.  He didn't listen.  I showed up yesterday.

Let's cut to the chase.  He was unable to yank.

Not because I won the fight.  Because I lost.

I set a record for the office.  

Highest Blood Pressure ever recorded.

203/117.  No I'm not kidding.

I told him I had an unhealthy fear of dentists.  

He musta thought I was jokin.

(Yes Mom I am making a doctors appointment ASAP.  I promise.  Love you.)
~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~
Jacek had a time out yesterday at a grocery store.  
First time out in the chip aisle.

Then on our way home I pulled my first 
"Mommy can still reach you even if you're in the back seat" maneuver 
AND then
we had our first "pulling the van over and yelling at the kid in the backseat" episode.

Firsts are so much fun.  Ya?
~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~
This week hasn't been all bad.  A bit off kilter but I know it could be worse.

Thanks to in real life FRIENDS and bloggy FRIENDS.....

You kind of made it lots better. 

I received this advice from a friend. 
"life is all relative" 
"don't let YOU get in the way of YOU."
Candace you are amazingly strong.  Thank you for your words.

and on Thursday evening when I was feeling low I got this in my inbox:
"Woo hoo! You made my day (and it's been quite a day-- I needed something to brighten my mood)" 
Little did you know Elizabeth that this is exactly what I needed as well! 

and then after sitting and staring at her post for like at least an hour I realized that Mrs.4444 had quoted little 'ol me from my last weeks Friday Fragments post.

“More important than learning how to recall things is finding ways to forget things that are cluttering the mind.”

~Eric Butterworth

(I didn't know that Mrs.Butterworth had a son.)
From Kerri's Klutter

Reading it again..I still chuckled.  I mean seriously, did you know that Mrs. Butterworth had a son?  

Sometimes life can really suck monkey balls don't cha think?

but 

It Is What It Is.

 I hear if you can laugh your way through it, it makes it kinda nice.

But who am I to give advice?

  I'm just a crazy chick setting records at the dentists office.

(Seriously, I know it's not funny Mom.  I'm calling the doctor today.  I will text you later.  Love you)

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~
Psst! Kerri's Klutter Current Giveaway.  Click R I G H T-H E R E 

Thank You, You're Awesome, Whoop Whoop Giveaway

 March 5th was a beautiful day wasn't it?

That was the day I was able to cross something of my life list.

Now, I know it's just a number.

But it made me pee in my pants a little bit.

50 of YOU were following ME.

To be exact I reached and then exceeded 50 followers.

Now there's 82 85 of you.

It's time for a "THANK YOU, YOU'RE AWESOME"

"WHOOP WHOOP GIVEAWAY."

Here's The Goods I'm Giving Away To ONE of YOU 

Lucky Followers:

Quilt of Love. Kneeded Angel.

This pretty key chain.

AND

A $5 gift card to Target.
(actual card looks different)

I know I know, I'm awesome right?  

Yeah, yeah...right back 'atcha

 Here's how you can enter:
(please leave a separate comment for each entry)

1.)  Be a follower or become a follower  (1 entry)

2.)  Tell me why you chose to follow me (1 entry)

3.)  Look through my archived posts and pick one you really enjoyed.  Tell me why you enjoyed it. (2 entries)

4.) Refer a friend.  

Make sure they let me know you sent them. (2 entries)

5.) Include a link to this giveaway in your blog post. (3 entries)

Giveaway ends Wednesday, March  31st at 11:59pm EST.

All my followers deserve the opportunity to win something!! So, this giveaway is open internationally.

Please, please make sure I have a way to get a hold of you should you win.  A great way to assure this is by having your email visible on your profile.  That way when you leave a comment I can reply directly to you at your email.

GOOD LUCK EVERYONE

and 

Seriously, thanks for following me around and stalking me and stuff

You Rock.

The Winners of Three Cups Giveaway are....

The two winners were chosen by

Random.Org

And are:

9 and 2

Which breaks down to:

Erica 
and 
Elizabeth @ Confessions Of A Working Mom

Congrats! to both of you

and thanks to everyone else who read the review and entered the giveaway.

  

 NOW GO AND ENTER THE

THANK YOU, YOU'RE AWESOME

WHOOP, WHOOP GIVEAWAY! 
Posting at 7AM 3/25/2010

I pick me

I continually say that I welcome fear into my life. It’s a wonderful motivator with its ability to get me up, out of my comfort zone, trying things I normally wouldn't think twice about. I think it pushes me in ways very few things can

Recently, I have begun to notice the amount of power I allow fear, cleverly disguised as anxiety, to have over me.

I now realize that fear, when it is not motivating me, is busily working away at weakening me.

The raw scalp beneath my hair and the scabs along my shoulders and scattered cleverly around my jaw line and sides of my face attest to this volatile relationship that I have with fear.

My favorite place, my go to place, is right at the back of my neck just below my hairline. My hands go there almost instantaneously when I begin to feel uncomfortable. Meeting someone new, running into someone I haven't seen in years, unexpected things I can't control, waiting in a long line at the grocery store, what if's, etc. will bubble up emotions that I don’t know how to process. Even writing this post has found my hands creeping to those spots. I count 7 bumps there already, results of my anxiety towards a dentist appointment tomorrow. To list all the things that drive me to pick would make this a fairly long post. It boils down to this, I pick when I become anxious

which is often.

This condition has a name. I just found that out recently. It’s amazing what you can find out when you google “picking and anxiety”. It is called dermatillomania also known as compulsive skin picking or CSP and it is very common. There are various levels to this disorder. My case compared to the others I've read about seems pretty mild.

I have never taken this behavior very seriously always assuming it’s just something I do to combat nervousness. I never took the time to really assess how seldom my hands are at my sides or in my lap.

With a hand full of people, people that may find themselves at my mercy when over come with the urge to pick, I joke about it. I elicit their help asking for gentle reminders to "stop picking" should they see my fingers start to dig and scratch their way to a less uncomfortable state. My husband has gone as far as pulling my hands away and sometimes he will hold on to them so they can't find their way back.

I have never looked at what I do as a compulsion

but it is.

When I pick I feel better. Even when the sore is raw and my hair sticky from the blood

I. feel. better.

Those feelings of stress and anxiety are lessened by this behavior, this thing I do, this compulsion.

For me, the first step in figuring out how to conquer this compulsion and the fear behind it is writing about it. If I vow to myself to work at this and share it with what could possibly be hundreds of people I will be more likely to hold myself accountable to changing.

I don't want it to get worse.

I don't want to eventually have to rely on medication to help curb the compulsion.

I want to rely on myself.

And maybe, by writing this, I will find just one other person who says "Hey...I know exactly what this feels like."

And then maybe we can hold each other accountable.

First and foremost I need to be more aware of when I do it and where I do it. I have to create distractions, I read about a woman who would place a barrette over every scab on her head so that when she went to pick, her fingers would touch the barrette and she'd immediately refrain.

I need to watch for high stress situations and be more constructive in dealing with the anxiety that riddles me. I need to find a healthier way to combat those stressors.

By continuing to pick I am allowing fear to win.

I have to place fear in front of me. Fear that if I continue to pick, my scalp will no longer be beautiful should I some day choose to be or become bald.

I will laugh in the face of fear. Picking is just merely a habit that I’ve formed, a crutch if you will, a choice I make to avoid fear rather then face it head on.

I am not embarrassed or ashamed about picking. I see it simply as a defense mechanism that my mind created for one reason or another to counteract fear/anxiety.
But as I said before I have a mild form. For some this is a very serious condition. I feel for them, for their need to resolve their anxieties, their stress and their worries by essentially hurting themselves. Picking leaves scars that serve as reminders.  No one should have to bear those scars. No one should be okay with bearing those scars.

I am not okay with that.

I am a picker but when it comes down to fear vs. me.

I pick me.
 
For those interested in learning more about Dermatillomania or for those needing help please check out this site, Skinpick.

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

WHERE ARE YOU GOING??

 Today is the last day to enter my 

current giveaway.  Please click HERE 

to check out the giveaway.

All you have to do is be or become a follower

 leave a comment and you're entered!  

Good Luck.

PS.  A new Giveaway will be posted tomorrow.

So Come back and Check it out!!

Comment-Love Letters

Welcome to Comment-Love Letters.  A fun and hilarious way to show off the comment love received on the previous weeks posts.

 All week while receiving comments to my posts I copy and paste each one into a word document, removing any spaces between the comments.  On Sunday I start to cut and paste the comments together to make a letter or as close as I can get to a letter.  I try really hard not to read through the whole thing until I'm completely done.  The end result is pretty funny.

 Below is this weeks result!

Dear Kerri @ Kerri’s Klutter,


Hello! I'm a loyal reader & follower!!! Very cute post today! Enjoyed reading it and laughed with you in commiseration over the kid’s desires and the kitchen cobwebs! I'm going to have to remember to do this. I had some awesome ones I could link together.

Parenting is soooo tough. Last year we made the difficult decision to put my son in Kindergarten (versus Early 5's...due to his age). We are now trying to make another difficult decision on whether or not to have him repeat Kindergarten. I think you have to separate your mis-givings from any you feel Jacek may have. Bottom line is you know your child and probably have a really good idea of whether this schedule will work for him or not. How lucky Jacek is to have parents that will put themselves thru nervousness and anxiousness in order to explore an opportunity for him. You'll smile more than you'll cry. And Jacek will also. LOL. My heart goes out to you...but remember, he will LOVE it!!!! And as each day passes, it gets easier on Mommy :) ((hugs)) Good luck with your decision.

Your menu plan sounds good. Way better than my (lack of) plan. Yet I'm sitting here reading blogs instead of making a menu. Hmmm. Procrastinate much? I love your use of adjectives on your menus. I am like that and I swear if the meal sounds "awesome", my kids will be more excited to eat it! Gulp, Gulp, Gulp Mommy ... there is always something new and it's always deliciously scary :-) I'm impressed that you know your whole menu ahead of time; I usually don't know what we're having that night until the last minute! Ahhh, our evening out seems like forever ago already! Here's to another week of yummy delights!

I so would have stalked the Dawson's Creek people. They mostly filmed in Wilmington and I lived about an hour north of there- and thought about going down and stalking. Ok that was so funny. I swear as soon as I catch up (I am really behind) I am going to do this!! Life Without Pink just wrote something similar to this on her post... My five year old is ALWAYS dressed up in some costume or another. (His nickname is Spidey since that was a fave for so long.) I think I may start to take his lead. LOL! Might get some looks in the grocery story with my super hero cape and tiara! Heehee!

Pretty neat how you can do the giveaway stuff... :) “Snuggle pups huh? Do they need a bone?” I love this blog giveaway and there are SO many new mommies this week in my friends that would benefit from this book. So important. SOOO important.

I think you should write that former boss of yours and send her a copy of what you wrote about her; she needs to hear it. That would be some under worded love letter... Here is my comment...lol. Three inches?! WOW! You're a very naughty girl!!

Love getting to know your family and I love that you respond to your 'name' regardless of how it comes out of your little one's mouth that is a great mom:). Oohhh I hate dentists as well. Your boys are adorable and ahem I am married to a man that was a firefighter for 15 years.. not safe for my presence in the vicinity of bunker gear or firemen after a run... it does things to me ... ahem moving on..

Spring cleaning is the best! I kind of like the empty spaces though- like taking down Christmas decorations and your house looks soooo decluttered! Wish the weather would just stay nice....blah...want to get out and play!! :)

We are already followers of your blog but wanted to stop by to check out what was new and to say hi! Hope everything is going well for you. Have a fabulous day!


Sincerely,


Your Biggest Fan


BTW, thanks for commenting on my guest post!

This blog post was made possible by 
"comment-love leavers" like YOU! 

Did you spot your comment?  

Wanna join in on the fun?

Pull your comments from last week and put them together to form some sort of "sense."  (Using "sense" real lightly here! )   

then link up below so we know to stop by and check out your 

Comment-Love Letter.

Weekly Menu Monday

I'm ready for warmer weather that sticks around and doesn't trick me by running away for a week and allowing much cooler temps to take its place.

I'm exited about cooking and eating outside.  

I have a problem though.  I have never really learned to cook on the grill.  I need to.  I want to but it just hasn't happened yet.

This is the year I conquer the grill.  I say it is, I will make it so!!

Can I buy a pretty red grill as motivation?

Last week's menu was pretty good.  We tried two new recipes, the Smoked Sausage and Zucchini Saute which I didn't get to try until Thursday for lunch since I enjoyed Corn Beef and cabbage that my brother in law had made on Wednesday.  The smoked sausage saute takes the prize for best meal of the week though.  It tasted so fresh and healthy.
On Saturday I made the Pizza Pie Quiche.  It was good.  Everyone(I had my niece and nephew over) thought it tasted just like pizza but it was not as heavy.  Jacek didn't like the texture.  I will make it again in a few weeks and tweak the ingredients a bit.

I haven't baked in over a week.  I'll have to pull out my recipe book unless...UNLESS...someone suggests something for me!!  (hint hint)
(Anybody, anybody?)


Here's what's cookin in the kitchen of Kerri's Klutter this week:

 Monday:  Tacos

Tuesday:  Slow Cooker Maple Country Style Ribs

Wednesday: Broiled Tilapia Parmesan

Thursday:  Slow Cooker Kalua Pig  (If I'm able to eat..might be a YOYO night)     

Friday:  Turkey Burgers

Saturday: Out to dinner (It's our date night)

Sunday:  Will do the Kalua pig if I don't make it Thursday           or            Chicken Tetrazzini

There you have it.  

 That's what is cookin in my kitchen

what's cookin in yours?

I'm linking up over at "I'm an Organizing Junkie" for Menu Plan Monday

Happy Weekly Menu Monday.

May you have a week of stress free yummy meals to look forward to

or just take my menu and call it your own!

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Don't forget to come back on Tuesday to read and link up to

Comment-Love Letters.

<a href=" http://krazi8.blogspot.com/search?q=Comment-Love+Letters " target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Kerri’s Clutter" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDKaHF1qy5CxmNJlDtj6eolQVuCLXG6tCxi_jGIlvv2bPBsxw7rQYrOj1C7n3VUfJvKSciwi9E8n_E8C8aa1iyCFbB1MECcvqXR9PX8uijjF5kaPPzXFRTxZrYKXYedzQo_82l9VB9A/s186/buttoninfotest.jpg" /></a>

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Sundays In My City

Last week as the temperatures began to rise the edge of our backyard turned into what my son called a

"walk in pond".

Clouds reflected

The temperatures this week were perfect.  On Wednesday evening we took a walk with the boys.  I captured this with my camera phone.  I love the golden hue the sun setting behind us created.

If you look closely on the left you can see the train. 

We've been staying close to home lately but as the weather continues to improve

(although I think it might snow again this coming week)

we'll be getting "Out and About"

I look forward to sharing more city pics and not just my backyard!!

Thanks for coming by though...

~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~  ~

Don't forget to come back on Tuesday to read and link up to

Comment-Love Letters.

<a href=" http://krazi8.blogspot.com/search?q=Comment-Love+Letters " target="_blank"><img border="0" alt="Kerri’s Clutter" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqDKaHF1qy5CxmNJlDtj6eolQVuCLXG6tCxi_jGIlvv2bPBsxw7rQYrOj1C7n3VUfJvKSciwi9E8n_E8C8aa1iyCFbB1MECcvqXR9PX8uijjF5kaPPzXFRTxZrYKXYedzQo_82l9VB9A/s186/buttoninfotest.jpg" /></a>

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Saturday Share

I've gotten away from the more personal aspect of blogging and friends and family have mentioned they would like more "inside information".  I am happy to oblige.  Who doesn't like to talk about themselves?"  Well, I don't actually but I will do it for the greater good and to keep true to my "honest writing" journey.Today is Saturday Share.  A post about us, what we've been up to and pictures.  Everyone loves pictures, right?  (I hear the crowd going wild!)

On Friday we took the boys to their well visits. 

Jacek weighs 37 lbs and is 41 1/2" tall

Aidan weighs 26lbs and is 34" tall

Both boys are tall for their ages, having both grown about 3 inches since last check ups.

Jacek had to get a anemia finger prick, an ear and eye test and pee in a cup.  He was nervous but he didn't cry.

Aidan only had to get one shot.  He screamed and about knocked the nurse out.  "Wow, he's strong."  she says.  Yeah strong like bull.


WHAT'S UP HERE AT HOME:

Jacek likes to dress up in costumes.  

On Thursday morning he was Billy Basketball player, sporting a new red tank top and blue basketball shorts while running around the house.  I called to him at one point, calling him Jacek only to be scolded for incorrectly addressing him.  "I am Billy so call me BILLY!"

He is often a fireman paired with Super Why glasses(the photo above is sans super why glasses).  He's in love with Rescue heroes, hero figurines made popular by a TV show from the early 90's.  Our antenna picks up a few Canadian channels, Qubo being one of them.  Rescue Heroes is on at 4pm during the week and he watches and recreates the scenes with Billy Blazes, Jake Justice, Hel E. Copter, Rocky Canyon, etc.  For his birthday I scored a heck of deal on Craigslist and purchased a huge LOT of rescue heroes and their command center for $20.    He is quite a happy boy.  

Aidan is plowing through this house.  He's into everything and talking up a storm (although it sounds like Chinese at times). 
He loves music and rocks out in his car seat when Mommy plays the radio in the van really loud.  The louder the better.  I know, I know, not exactly the best way to teach him safety while driving but I can't resist those chubby little legs be-bopping in the backseat.
He adores his big brother and tends to listen to him more then to Mommy or Daddy.  He copies pretty much everything he sees him do.  The picture above is after his big brother "convinced" him to dress up as Bob The Builder.  Does he look happy?  No?  But he still dressed up.  All in the name of pleasing his big brother.

He still doesn't call me Mommy.  The other day he kept calling me BeePee.  Yeah, it was cute so I kept responding.   I'm an enabler.

Darren had not been feeling well for about a month so he finally drug (dragged?) his be-hind to the doctors. He was diagnosed with pneumonia.  He's been on antibiotics all week and is starting to feel better. 
He recently applied to Brockport State College to complete his bachelors degree in Sociology. He's awaiting word from them.
He's been busying himself playing basketball twice a week, running, working out and well, working at work and spending as much time with us as he can find.  March always seems so busy here.  
*Side Note* Darren is not a fireman but when we toured the town's fire department they let him dress up in a full set of their gear.  I was hoping (fingers crossed behind my back and everything) that they'd let him take all that gear home with him.  You know, so we could play "Fireman, Fireman, show me your hose" Sorry I got carried away on that one.

I have been busy trying to get the house uncluttered and reorganized.  It actually looks like I haven't done anything all week. Rescue Heroes are everywhere.  When do I get rescued?
I had my "first beer outside" of 2010 on Wednesday with my sister.  It was around 60 and amazingly sunny and beautiful! Beer tastes extra yummy on days like that.

I am fretting over my approaching dentist appointment next Thursday.  I am getting a wisdom tooth pulled. My first ever tooth pulling experience.  I have an unhealthy fear and immense disgust towards teeth and anything relating to teeth.  
I used to have dreams that all my teeth would just fall out.  I cringe anytime anyone mentions they had dental work done.  Why do so many people want to show you their fillings, or missing teeth or disgusting things having to do with teeth?  {{Shudder, Shudder}}

We still have no resolution on our loan modification on our current mortgage.  We received and returned a whole crap load of paperwork at the beginning of March.  We were told we'd hear something back within 10 days.  We didn't.  I am not surprised.
Somebody really should call them.  (that's just a gentle nudge for my husband)
 
And that people...is what we've been up to.  Exciting and not so exciting all rolled into US.


If you have never commented or haven't in a while please drop me one so can I say hi back.  If you're new here...thanks for stopping by please drop me a comment.  Comments are awesome.


Also, 


Before you head outta this here blog, please go and leave a comment on the giveaway post I have going on.  It ends next Wednesday at 11:59pm.  If you don't have small kids it would make an awesome gift.  It's free people.  Who doesn't like free?  You could win and then donate it.  Come on and just participate already, will ya!!!!


Thanks for stopping by.........ta ta.