You having a rough day??? Comfort food in the works.

Hey moms....whatcha' doin.....???

It's vent time!

Why must it be that someone, at LEAST one, if not more than one person, in this house has been sick for the last 3 weeks??? (including me, who had strep)

Why must it be that this is the beginning LONGEST 3-4 months out of the year in which I have the "mostest of the grossest" STUFF to deal with???

and, Why.....am I NOT the mom that's like, pshhh. I got this.   ???  WHY???

This ought to make you feel better today, or least feel we have something in common :)

So, just sayin'.... I was soooo not meant to be this domesticated!!!  We, ( I say that collectively because I have GREAT friends....the kind of friends who do not shrink away in a crisis and a nanny who gets paid to help deal with the stinky crises we go through, thank goodness for them, and the great hubs, that's a given) But, that's not even enough, seriously, there is only so much you can take, from being thrown up on in the middle of the night, to helping a kiddo scratch his itch in a place you DO NOT want to scratch his itch...., the whole snot thing, is just., well, I just don't have the words for that anymore, YUK is all I can say.....to having actual poop running through your hands as you take the pants off  of a kiddo and find the poop is all the way down both legs, clear to the feet (3 stinking times in a day, no less!!!) and try to balance the diaper to a plastic sac as it oozes out the sides of the diaper onto the floor, the rugs, and your hands,  And trying not to throw up yourself as you are in the middle of this mess, as you were just ready to walk out the door in clothes that were NOT actually mismatched, stretched-out butt-ed, coffee stained pjs (because Racer has to spill my coffee at least 3 x every.single. morning.) and actually dressed and hair done, earrings , even lipstick to try to let the world know that you can indeed handle having quadruplets, in fact, like a PRO you handle them....and know that really you just want to curl up with a good book or tv show on a nice comfy sofa.....( I would settle for a closet if I had to)....and cry a little (ha, jk, totally exaggerating the crying thing...it was just one tear :), while you contemplate the fact that you love these critters more than life itself but, geez, really??? Poop in my hands......in my ring even????

OHHH.....AND, did you know, your kids can get the strep virus in the "peri-anal area", aka-butt???    OMG! Yep, found that out yesterday.....nice.

That's just not even the tip of the iceberg when it comes to just being downright fuss-butts because they don't feel good.  Ya know, the house, the mess, the groceries that need to be shopped for, the work you didn't finish, the cookies you were going to make for your kids because you are are just that good.....Ahh, the joys of being a parent......and mom-guilt. Lovely.

 OH, and...,just got a call from the principle at school that Maverick just got PUNCHED in the nose because some little kid wanted to take his Beyblade toys at recess.  He assured me they are making serious consequences for this incident.....

Hmmm.......let me think on this for a sec.....somebody

                                     HIT.MY.KID.     IN.THE.FACE.    WITH.THEIR.FIST......


I am starting to feel a new attitude comin' on........yep..... it's all coming back to me...  Yes, I am the MOM and it's not "oh, poor me"......it's,  What??? ,  you hit MY kid? .....square in the nose?,

You, little  monster  mister, have just reminded me why I would go to the ends of the earth for these little guys (snot n' all) and why, it's much better....for you.... to be getting consequences from the principle at school rather than from the "mama bear" that you have just woke up from her pity-party slumber, SO, actually, thank you.

Now that I am feeling much better after living my roller-coaster of emotions on this dreary, rainy day, I have gotten my, I CAN DO THIS, I WILL DO THIS,
                                                               I HAVE QUADRUPLETS AND I CAN HANDLE IT!!!!!!
                    (maybe just one more tear...) jk.....attitude BACK!

What time is it???

Yea, these beautiful lil' stinkers need to eat something YUM tonight for dinner..........buck up girl!!!

Dinner tonight: 

Pork Roast with Broccoli - Cauliflower - Cheese blend, Rice Pilaf, Roasted Potatoes, & Pistachio Cocktail Pudding

Pork Roast--Crock-Pot, Celery, Onion, Celery-Seed, Garlic, Salt & Pepper, Thyme & Parsley.

Roasted Potatoes and Carrots- I cook the potatoes and carrots first in the microwave to make them soft, then cut them up, put them on baking sheet, drizzle with olive oil, garlic, chives, salt, "hot shot" red-and black pepper mixed, and parmesan, and cook until roasted and a little crispy on the edges.

Steam Broccoli & Cauliflower- when done, put into bowl and mix mayo and mustard (to taste, I hardly ever measure anything) and add fresh grated cheddar cheese, about a cup (make sure to have the cheese ready before you take the B&C out because you use the steam and heat from that to melt the cheese and mix it with the mayo and mustard) add salt and pep.  Sounds weird, but soooo GOOD!

Rice Pilaf- honestly, I just use Uncle Ben's.  You can make from scratch if you want, I guess, but not me and not today, haha!

Garlic Bread.

Wine.

Kids= sick n' all, fussy n' all, punched in the face n' all, and LOVED 'n all !!!! 

xoxo, Felishia

Nate.....and Target? Two of my favorite things!

So, I have a design love affair with Nate Berkus' decor style.  And... who doesn't like Target? So, perfect match! And.....it's not like we ever truly NEED a reason  to go to Target.  Since I'm up and feeling a little better today and the kids need to get out......guess we'll just have to make a jaunt to Target and am hoping hoping hoping, they have the good stuff out today!

The reason I like Nate's style is, one because he is all about making the things in your home be actual memories and keepsakes of your life but displaying them so they look artful and that nothing in your house is something you don't love.  Another reason is he uses a somewhat industrial look mixed with traditional foundations, lots of metals, mixed silver/gold together, and lots of trim work, big & white very classic, and lots of organic-y, earthy things, like jute or sisal rugs with layering rugs on top.  Anyways, all things that I love.

So, I am excited to find something, even just one thing, that I love today to add piece by piece to my house that is taking forverrrr to finish!   (oh, and the pics are blurry....rrgh! Hate computers sometimes!)

I love Apple Pie....I think....

We're baack! Over 2000 miles on the road with 5 kids and 4 adults, and we MADE it! We had a "visit Disneyland with four 2.5 year olds-kind of time ;)"... Those little people are a lot of work and their 2...and all that that entails, but to see their little faces smiling and laughing and seeing all these new experiences through their little eyes, is more than enough to make up for the fits thrown, the sticky cotton candy fingers, the spilled drinks all over your bag, and the umpteen million blow-outs they HAD to have....every.single.day...(good thing we brought extra clothes each and every day there!) and a 9-year-old who is part Indiana Jones, part kid in a candy store not knowing what to do with himself, Star Tours or Space Mountain to making himself ill just thinking about the Tower of Terror, and beyond excited to suddenly bored....getting hosed at the pizza place that cost $100 bucks and eating too much ice-cream and McD's......all in all.....awesomely successful!!! We also got to meet up with an aunt and uncle whom I hadn't seen since I was about 12 years old.  It reminded me of my dad and to see those similarities again in his brother was a little hard not to be sad, but, it brought back good memories and so I am thankful for that.

That was the first time I started to write again after our trip and yep, that was about 2-3 weeks ago, not even sure if it was 2..or 3, we have been so crazy busy since and now, alas, the little children and the mama are sick and this does not bid well for getting ANYTHING done around here, even the normal stuff which at this point consists of dishes and laundry, anything else is serious icing on the cake.  So, I know the kids are about to wake up and now...., is when I get the urge to write??? Go figure. Not being able to swallow hasn't stifled my ability to type but for some reason, it has taken my motivation away....that and the gray, rainy day that we have.

But...... I AM.GOING.TO.DO.THIS.BLOGGING.THING.! I am! So, I need to remind myself, it's not really for "everyone else", although, I am happy to share, but a place to document our life and make the most of the kids' everyday little things that I don't want to forget, although, right now, it would be super nice to forget that they have snot everywhere.....don't judge me, kids are gross!!! Love them to pieces, but..gross.

So, for now, I'm not putting the pressure on myself to be the "have the perfect-house, the perfect-clothes, the most organized life with kids (of course, not that I do have any of those things, it's just what I want to have, idealistic mom that I think I need to be, but the house is STILL not done like I was hoping for, the seriously am just lucky to have gotten a shower today, sweat-pants, messy kitchen, messy table, lysol cans everywhere and blankets all over my pretty couch (snot-scared), not even going to attempt to do laundry, MOM today......umm. and maybe even tomorrow, lol. j/k!  I just need to remember that when I am so frustrated with my kids touching everything and getting their germs on every darn little thing in this place.....that I have 2, cuter-than-heck, snot n' all,  (haha, I just realized I put 2, instead of 4.....my bad, I'm tired!) 4, that is, 2 year olds who need to be held and wiped and changed and they will cough in my face and get their slime all over me and I still love them and try to eek out every little moment I can of snuggle time, even with my Mav-man, who is home sick today, who I'm sure doesn't want anyone to know that he still snuggles his mom.... I love it.

So, that's my blog for today.  Wish it could be about how much I am accomplishing on the house and how great it looks and that all the kiddos are above average, and how I can do it all and then some.....but it's not and sometimes perfection of a day is all the imperfection that goes with it!!! That's my story, and I'm stickin' to it!

Oh, and the whole apple-pie thing??? My husband got me a new computer....an Apple, which I  am trying to figure out and I found a cute sign on Pinterest that had the Apple computer sign and the Pie sign from math.....yea, I know, it was a reach but that was a while ago that I even named this post and when I was really excited about whatever it was going to be about and now, lol, ummm, well, just don't feel like making a new title so, here it is :p

xoxo, Felishia

the Newbie Blogger on the Block

Newbie, Novice, Rookie....all fit.  This blogging "thing" I am working on is harder than it seems!!!

But,  according to the thesaurus....here are some other words that I think I like better to describe something "new".....Modern, Chic,  Swank, Au Courant (french, you know oiu iou), fresh & most of all..."learner". 

It's like with anything you try that's out of the box, different, a "risk".  It's hard and you can lose your focus easily.  So, bear with me, as I go through this process of learning.  It's all in my head, any of you reading this who know me, know, that I can't even think sometimes because I have so much going on in my head, lol, and almost always, it has to do with something about color, size, balance, something "house". Then there are the bzillion other ideas, oh, and the children....yes....I totally feel like the "little woman who lives in the shoe, had so many kids, she didn't know what to do"!   

So, as I try to get this all straight and working for me so that I can actually "express" via computer screen, what my ideas are and where I am wanting to go with this site, take a coffee break, and take a look at the My Blog List section.   This is where, if I have any spare time, where I go, to get away.  A little mini-vacation, even if only for a few minutes.  Just something to take your mind off the hard stuff and look at the fun stuff that you probably won't ever have the time or energy to do!!! It's GREAT!!! I promise!!! 

However, at the end of the day, this is what I would LOVE to do and what I know my uberly talented husband CAN do, whether he actually WANTS to though, is always up for discussion, ;) and get these projects we have going done and share a little diy know-how, or figure-out-how, lol, and then, finally get some pics up that are worth sharing.  You must bear with me on the whole picture-taking thing, too!! I am totally scared of my camera for what will eventually turn up as a photo, as I again...sadly, CAN.NOT. take pictures.  Note to self: Please...work on your photog skills!) Til then, when I get a project done, if ever, Katie can take a pic for  me to show!

Have a good read of those blogs and get some good ideas flowing!!!

p.s. I kind of hate computers.....so if anyone out there has any good blog design experience and is willing to share their knowledge with a newbie, let me know!

 

xoxo, Felishia

Developing the "eye", part 2 by Katie

Hey! So hopefully you found my last post on the “Eye of the Photographer” helpful or at least interesting. J

I said I would elaborate on the subjects so I’m going to talk about “A good photographer has a clear subject”. I’m not sure if I mentioned it but I’ve been doing a course through the New York Institute of Photography so that’s where I’m pulling all my info from.

The starting point of any photograph is to know what you want the subject to be and to make your viewer know it too. This should be your basic objective in every photograph you take.

To have a really great photograph (which I think we all want and continue to work on) you have to go one step further, the photo should not only clearly show the subject, but also express a universal theme. That happens when everything in the photograph comes together and has something to it that moves you.  It doesn’t happen suddenly. When you aim to clearly show your subject, you will begin to get great photos that  express a theme. Eventually,  you will start to sense a theme through your viewfinder and capture it in your pictures. For example, you take pictures of children but you want to capture the theme of “babyhood”, “Innocence”, and “Youth”, or pictures of a wedding the theme of “love” or “joy”. That’s what takes it from a picture of your baby to a great photo of your child.

I wanted to give you an example so here is a picture I took that I feel has done this to some degree.

It’s a picture of Felishia's oldest son Maverick and her daughter Mia. I centered them right in the middle so you focus on them; the viewer immediately knows they are the subject. I was able to capture a moment, the theme, of love, innocence, peace. With so much going on around them there’s calmness about them. Felishia put up a picture of Mia sassing Maverick so to see the other side of their relationship is very sweet. She loves her big brother.

 

It could be easy to focus on the trees or the person in the background but when you know your subject and want to express it, you find a way to make the rest “disappear”. I just cropped the trees a little and made it black and white so the background faded out a little and the kids stand out.

 I look forward to sharing the next part with you about focusing attention on the subject, and simplifying.

 

                                                                                                 Katie

 

 

"the Photographer's Eye"




Brooklyn Bridge

by Katie Laube

The idea is to give you tips on different subjects, like angles, lighting, developing your eye, etc. You don’t have to have a fancy SLR camera, being able to take a nice photo is about having the knowledge of how to use what you have. Knowing the cameras functions is important but looking at your surroundings and angles is important too. The technical details, such as knowing what f-stop and shutter speed to use, isn’t all you need to help you produce better pictures. You need to know what to look for. The easiest part is picking your subject. The simplest things can be the best pictures. “The Photographer’s Eye” is the skill of seeing the beautiful photographs in the world around you. For me this is the most important part.

I’m gonna share with you 3 basic guidelines of what to look for I learned in my photography course though the New York Institute of Photography:

1. A good photograph has a clear subject. The theme. It’s about someone or something, maybe even telling a story. It has to be clear; whoever looks at the photo knows immediately the subject and what you were going for.

2. A good Photographer focuses attention on the subject. The person viewing it is automatically drawn to the subject.

3. A good photographer Simplifies. Include only the elements that draw your eye to the subject. Exclude those elements that would distract from the subject.” (Take advantage of cropping! Too much background is a huge distraction, the sky might look beautiful but if you can’t tell it’s a picture of your dog then it’s too much.)

If you start thinking in these terms you’ll start seeing the world in a different way. I find myself looking for that special thing everywhere I go,  I’m constantly looking through my viewfinder.

The next post I’ll elaborate on these guidelines a little more cause like I said for me this is the most important part.

                                                                         

                                    I look forward to sharing more of what I learn with you!

 

Always finding something at Target

Here are a couple things I found that I liked.

     (For those of you who read, the It's a Monday" post.....p.s. having a much better day today, lol, got a new coffee pot :)


Cute for throws or magazines.  Love the colors!



Cute for coffee table and for kids



Fun!




Super Cute.  Would be easy to copy if you are a diy'er and wanting to repurpose a piece, but if you don't have the time....ha, like me....yea, then just to go Target. :)



I just like it. Don't know why, I just do. :)


xoxo, Felishia