I really mean it this time...

Okay, so it now finally spring break and I need to get cracking. I posted a while ago about giving the house a really good deep clean, well, life happened, kids got sick and I didn't get as far as I would have liked.
So I am publicly posting my cleaning schedule for the week and so help me I am going to get it done (the fact that Joj is home for a few days this week to help is a real bonus)





Slowly but surely...

Here it is
Monday: Bathrooms ~ DONE!!
Tuesday: Kitchen ~ DONE!!
Wednesday: Family Room
Thursday: Living Room/ Dining Room ~ DONE!!
Friday: Bedrooms
This wasn't on my list, but it was sunny. Weed, weed and weed the backyard flowerbeds ~ Done!!
So now I guess I'm off to start. Fun, fun, fun
We are on spring break this week with a forecast of rain everyday. Yesterday was beautiful, so I'm hoping the weather folks are wrong about the rest of it.
Happy and Productive Monday Everyone!
:0)

Oh Spring, Where Art Thou?

I need me some spring.
I need my flowers to bloom.
I need to see the plants I thought were killed by the snow this year are actually alive.
I need my little local nursery to open to I can walk around and smell the yummy smells of freshly watered plants.
I need a freshly mowed lawn.
I need happy flowers planted in the pots on my front steps.
I need the gray to go on vacation at least for a few days.
I need me some spring.

Muddy Mud Mud

We have been in a constant state of rain, sun, heavy rain, sun, down pour with this cycle repeating every 30 minutes (I'm not kidding)
Tomorrow was supposed to be Ben's first game of the season. Weather forcast: 37 degress and rain. Ben was oh so thrilled.
There are no "boys of summer" in the Soundview Little League. We are the boys of freezing rain and whiteout hail. We are the "blue tarp ball players". We don't tan we rust.
I spent all day running around getting the things Ben would need to stave off a case of hypothermia only to come home, check my email and see that the game has been cancelled due to too much mud on the field.
I've never seen Ben happier.

* Interesting side note... I googled images of muddy baseball players and there weren't any. Apparently no one in the world plays baseball in the rain except us.

The Paperboys and Cheese Fondue

Good Morning Everyone!
I hope everyone had a fun and safe St. Pats Day. We spent ours kid free with some friends and we had a great time.
We had tickets to see The Paperboys and the show was great. They played the Showbox downtown and it was a perfect venue for this Celtic, bluegrass, folk rock band. If you live in W. WA they are a band you would hear on the Mountain. That being said, I guess I just have to accept the fact that I'm coming to an age where the concerts I go to will most likely involve some type middle aged, yuppie mosh pit. But seriously, the music was great. Even the opening band Chuckanut Drive (can you guess they are from Bellingham?) was really good. This was our second Paperboys show and I'm sure we will see them again. They are coming to the Triple Door at the end of April (another great little venue) and I highly recommend them.
Another thing I highly recommend is this recipe for Cheesy Beer Fondue. We made it as part of our preshow apps party and it was a big hit. I'm all about the easy and this could not be easier:
Cheesy Beer Fondue

2 cups beer (I used a pale ale Henry's)
1 tablespoon Worcestershire sauce
2 teaspoons ground dry mustard
2-3 cloves garlic, peeled and crushed (3 cloves was pretty garlicly)
3 tablespoons all-purpose flour
6 cups shredded Sharp Cheddar cheese
Combine first 4 ingreds and half of the flour
Toss rest of the flour with the cheese
Once beer mixture is boiling, add cheese and melt (add a couple of drops of lemon juice if cheese is too clumpy)
Then dip all kinds of yummy stuff like bread, apples, veggies, etc.
Enjoy

While at one of my favorite thrift stores, I found a Rival electric fondue pot for $4.00. If you ever have a chance to pick on of these up I highly recommend it. I've had the flame type fondue pots before and they are kind of a pain (we never seemed to have the bunson burner stuff on hand). With the electric one you just plug it in and voila you are ready to roll. You can also control the heat better and the fondue wont' scorch as easily. (I suppose a small crockpot would work as well)

Well, that is was is new at Chez Yoko. Not much on the agenda today except to curl up with a book for a few hours. I'm reading Love in the time of Cholera. It is okay so far, but it sounds promising.
Happy Humpday Everyone :0)

A little Irish Yummy

Here is a little something yummy to go along with your green beer and cabbage rolls.
We are spending this St. Pats with good friends and going to see some really good music.
Happy St. Pats Everyone :0)

Sam is Six

On Monday, Sam turned 6 with lots of pink frosting.
We had cupcakes at school and dinner and cake with family and friends.
Ben seemed like he was little forever. Sam is 6 going on 16.
I never wanted to have a little girl, but then I had Sam and now I couldn't imagine life without her.