What's For Dinner?

What is for dinner at your house? Tonight, we tried Chicken Florentine with Farfalle by Bertolli. I could have made this myself, however, I was at Sams Club today and found a large bag for $11. I won't buy it again unless I really need a fast meal. My entire family ate it and loved it. (That's hard to achieve around here!) It has spinach in it and I really honestly thought that my kids would eat around the spinach. They actually ate it! I was psyched to see something that my kids like with spinach in it. I love spinach!! Anyway- if you have any great recipes out there, please share. A friend of mine introduced me to a few great websites... I thought I'd share them with you.

http://www.sisterscafe.com
http://www.mykitchencafe.com/
http://www.allrecipes.com/

These are all great sites with terrific recipes. Enjoy!! If you know of any, please comment and share.

New Bathroom

With a new condo comes new decorating. You know I'm happy!! I just LOVE decorating. It doesn't even matter what space I am working with. In this case- it is the main bathroom which also doubles as the kids bathroom. Now you see, I could have stuck with the "beach" theme that is currently in their bathroom, however, I found it boring and too unsophisticated for my liking. I went to "HomeGoods" today and fell in love with two shower curtains. I will post pics once everything is up and decorated. (We have to move in first!) Then I found a great rug, tumbler, toothbrush holder, toilet paper holder, hand towel holder, and all for under $60!! That includes 2 (count them...2) shower curtains!! So classy and elegant, yet fitting for the kids as well. I am just happy with the outcome. Moral of the story is: When I'm shopping/decorating- I'm the happiest. Is there something wrong with that? (Rob, don't answer!!)

Louisville Trip!!

I recently had the opportunity to travel to Louisville with a friend for a KY State PTA Conference. It was a good time with a lot of information to take in. I felt very blessed to have the business knowledge that I have at such a young age. Being at this conference made that very clear. I felt as though many of the women were older and not very business-minded. They are all terrific women who have sacrificed so much to volunteer their time on behalf of the children.

There were two things that I will take with me forever from this conference. One is my friendship with Carrie. We bonded and really got to know one another and became closer friends after spending so much time together. The other thing I took from the conference was my new friendships with the Erpenbeck gals!! I was excited to meet them and get to know them a bit better. I found my place in the new PTA. I am going to be helping out with fundraising at the PTA level as a co-chair of Ways and Means. I will be working with a really sweet woman named Vickie who has twins going into 2nd grade-just like Addison!! I can't wait to get started in my new position and get to feel out the board there.

Overall- a TERRIFIC trip!!!

Quiet house+bare walls= Happy Stacey

So- we are doing a pretty good job of packing, but the house is a wreck. I apologize ahead of time if you plan on coming over for any reason in the next 3 weeks. We move August 7-8 and are constantly tripping over boxes, misplacing packing tape, and forgetting the kids' activities. Whoops!! I leave for Louisville for a PTA Conference for the next three days in the morning. Today shall be interesting. I am attempting to clean up my boxes so Rob doesn't go insane while he's home watching the kids this weekend. Also- it is eerily quiet around here. I forgot how calm life could be without Palin- our golden retriever who recently found a new home. Goodness gracious- IT'S TOO QUIET!!! Sorry no new pictures lately by the way. I can't even find the camera in our mess of packing. The girls each had a friend come over yesterday for some swimming fun and they decided to dance to "Boom Boom Pow" by Black eyed Peas. I got them on video, so once I figure out how to upload it, I will. Seriously, sooooo funny!!! Last night, we took the kids to see Race to Witch Mountain at the cheap theatres. I couldn't believe how violent and kinda scary it was FOR KIDS!!! I was on the edge of my seat for most of it! I was scared it was going to cause nightmares for our kids. Although Tae ended up crawling in our bed in the middle of the night, I don't think it was due to the movie. Lucky us though!! Seriously- parents preview that one if you have little ones. Depending on the child, it may not be appropriate. AWESOME MOVIE THOUGH!!!

Ready...Set...Sell!!

Our yard sale went okay. I definitely wouldn't do it again!! For $150, just give it to Goodwill or another like place!! Enjoy the tax write-off. It would be easier than wasting two weeks of your time to sell only $150 worth of items. Now mind you- everything that sold was only a quarter or maybe a dollar. We only had one big item sell for $60 and everything else was just little stuff. So- I suppose that although we didn't hit the goldmine, we still got rid of a lot of junk. Some unfortunate events also occured during our yard sale, so my mind was definitely not on selling. I closed down shop about two hours early (noon) so I could focus on the tragedy that my friend was going through. (A friend of Jenna's family had their house burn down to the ground that morning.) Anyway- good news...


WE SOLD PALIN!!! We will definitely miss her and although she is a good puppy, I can't say I'm sad to see her go. We have too much going on right now to care for a big dog and with the condo and all, there is no way she could come with us. (We already have a beagle and a bird!!)

Palin will be going to live with a woman named Sarah and her family. They live in New Richmond, OH and just built a new house on 2 1/2 acres which adjoins to 68 acres owned by her family. It has a pond and hayfields. Palin will be in heaven!! Also- they already have a lab and her sis-in-law which lives next door has a lab as well!! Lots of playmates just her size. Sarah fell in love with her and Palin didn't seem to mind all the attention she was getting!! I think it is a match made in heaven. I'm glad that we raised this awesome pet for Sarah and that she is getting a forever home!

It's Official!!!

Okay, so I realize that we may sound flaky at times... but I just figured out why. I always say things too early. I am the type of person that is one BIG OPEN BOOK! I just tell people things before they are finalized and so-there you have it. We had been in talks about moving to Triple Crown, my friends' house in Hempsteade Manor, or our condo in Tara. The FINAL verdict is .....

The Condo in Tara at Plantation Pointe!! (Our condo)...

I was under the assumption that I had six weeks to move. I planned a wedding(my own) in six weeks, so of course a move could be done in that amount of time. HOWEVER- I noticed that I was a bit off...

LIKE TWO WEEKS OFF!! We move in 4 WEEKS!!! I am a nervous wreck now trying to get all the Craiglist people off my back...and their money in my pocket, cleaning out cupboards and closets for the final yard sale, and packing up a 3000 sq ft home in 4 weeks. I think God puts things like this in my life so I may always realize to rely on Him. Really, how else can all of this get done? So, little by little, we are packing up.

On another note, Rob's little brother,Kurt, is staying with us for an entire week! We are excited to have him. He sure is a good little work horse and will definitely be helpful to have around on Friday when we are preparing for the yard sale.

More details on the move later...but for now- more good news! The realtor came by on Friday and doesn't think it will be a problem at all for her to sell the house, so she decided to buy it from us now!! Yee Hah! Everything is set in motion, the wheels are moving, and now I must leave the computer alone and get to work!!

Craigslist, Cleaning, and Cuddling

So, we have been trying to thin out our home in order to make the move go seamlessly. I put up about 10 postings on Craigslist two days ago and within minutes my email was blowing up!! I literally received 25 emails in the first 3 hours after posting the items. That was followed by 40 more emails the next morning and several phone calls. We've had more than 10 strangers in our home buying items and that has been in the past two days alone!!

A friend of mine had tenants in her house here in KY and they moved out early (broke their lease). So- I offered to go clean her 4500 sq ft house right around the corner from where we live. I wanted to bust it out in one day, so I left this morning at 8am and by the time I got the carpet cleaner from my parents and grabbed some cleanser from the store and made it back to her house, it was 9am. I began cleaning right away. I finished at 12:30. I was quite proud of the work and the timing. I made $200!! I could get used to that....

My kids are starting to feel the pressures of moving already. Jenna said, "Mom, all you do is work on the computer and have people come over from Craigslist!" I felt horrible. Tonight, Rob has a gig with his band, so I thought the kids and I could have some quality time together. NO CRAIGSLIST STRANGERS TONIGHT!! Only my cute little family and a free movie from MovieCube at Krogers!! I can't wait! Kids- grab the blanket...it's time to cuddle!

YARD SALE!!!

We are hosting a HUGE, GIGANTIC, CRAZY AMOUNT OF STUFF, ENORMOUS, LARGER THAN LIFE Yard Sale!!! It is scheduled for 7/11. We are talking about furniture, bikes, toys, home decor, tools, bathroom vanity, books, cd's, dvd's, pack-n-play, kids clothes, adult clothes, small kitchen appliances, poolside chairs, deck box, etc.

Why are we doing this, you may ask?

The Ro's are moving.




We are moving into our condo in Tara. I really want to go back to school and finish my degree in Elementary Ed. and Rob and I aren't happy with the amount of money we are able to save living in our house. We figured some changes were in store for the Ro Family. This is an exciting opportunity for us as we embark on a new phase in our lives. The kids are all going to be in school (for at least half day) this coming fall and it is a perfect time for me, (Stacey) to go back to school. I am starting off easy...taking only 1-2 classes during the morning starting in January. Until then- I will be getting everything organized in the condo and working hard on my PTA duties. Rob has been traveling quite a bit lately, and we figured that if he didn't have to spend half of his time at home doing yardwork, then he can spend more time with the family. So- to sum it up... please visit our yard sale if you are able to! We are literally selling everything from Rob's smoker to a couch and recliner in the basement... Lots of appliances and home decor also... (And Rob's awesome tools that we will no longer need!!!)

Lots of love from the Ro Family!!!

Bills, Bills, Bills...

Check out this stack of medical bills!!! Crazy,huh? I was cleaning off my desk which doubles as the home office and mail pile, and decided to count how many medical bills we have that have come in since January of this year. Count them.... 20!!! With Taesun's head injury and nosebleeds, my 23-day headache and thyroid problems, and Addison's GI tract and bacterial infection..... this is what it adds up to. I have a newfound appreciation for those with medical problems. I wouldn't even consider us as having moderate health concerns... just crap that happened as the same time this year. Nothing major. Could you imagine what a cancer patient's bills look like? How about someone with an autoimmune disease or fatal disease? What a crazy world we live in. Instead of focusing on the patient and the problem they are having, many of us HAVE to focus on the medical bills piling in and the setbacks it is going to cause the family.

PS: We are ALL healthy right now!! No major problems and happy to be posting about something that is hopefully all in the past!!

Cake Baking Sunday

Yes...this is a picture that my son, Tae took of my kitchen sink. However, it reminded me to tell the story of my past Sunday. It was to be Jenna's family birthday party with my parents and sister. It happened to fall on Father's Day and so I wanted to bake a cake to share with my family to make it more like a birthday party (and to celebrate Father's Day!) So, the day began. I showered quickly and got the kids dressed with Rob's help. I then proceeded to make homemade icing...which turned out wonderfully delicious! What do you need with icing but a cake, right? So, out popped my box of cake mix,(Betty Crocker, of course!) and I tried to make a cake using this pan pictured above. It is really a springform pan, but it is quite deep and I thought that I would pour all the batter in and bake a cake without having to piece together two smaller cakes. It cooked all the way through, however, it stuck to the inside of the pan. I couldn't use this cake. It was a bunch of broken up crumbs. So, I started to make my second cake mix from a box. This one I made sure to spray extra Pam on the pan and flour it so it wouldn't stick. It totally did not cook in the middle of the cake. It was awful! So, I washed out the mixing bowl (AGAIN!) and realized that I had run out of box mixes. I then went to allrecipes.com and found a chocolate cake mix for which I had all the ingredients. I made the cake, (this time in a 9x13) and it turned out! Then I was off to church. Church went smoothly and when I got home, I decided to ice the cake right away. That's when I noticed the trouble I was in. My icing, even though I put it in the fridge sealed up, was too thick. I couldn't stop my bags from breaking open and my decorator's tips from falling out of the bag due to pressure from the thick icing. The cake ended up looking TERRIBLE!! Globs of icing in different colors with an ugly "J" in the middle for Jenna. (Accidently, of course.) Later in that day, we tried the cake. Everyone was excited about homemade cake and icing. It looked like it was all going to turn out, until we CUT INTO THE CAKE!!! Duh, duh,dum..... (That's the scary music in the background.) :) It was ORANGE. Not brown like most chocolate cakes, (alright, I'll admit..... ALL chocolate cakes) are. My dad even asked if I had made "spice cake". Yeah, it was that bad. So for all that hard work, we had dried, orange, "chocolate" cake with hard icing... in the shape of a crappily iced cake! Never again I tell you.... Never again.