Hot Soba with Scallion, Carrot & Potato Tempura

I made traditional soba with tempura "kakiage" for New Year's Eve using the directions from the following YouTube video by cookingwithdog.

 I did not follow her directions completely, as I used the vegetables I had in my refrigerator to produce my version.

 Charlottesville residents: I purchased almost everything locally! I shopped at Foods of All Nations to get the specialty ingredients:

Kikkoman Memmi Noodle Soup Base
JFC Buckwheat Noodle Soba with Yam
Sushi Nori (for garnish)

 It took about an hour to prepare, but I estimate that I spent only $10 to feed my family of five tonight!

Movie "The Holiday"

My mom has been bugging me to watch this movie called "The Holiday."  She watched it before Christmas and she absolutely loves it.

She sent me the FIVE text messages from Arizona (2,237 miles away):

Fri., Dec. 23 @ 1:30pm: That movie "The Holiday"  is gonna be on next wed (28th) on LIFE station. so remember to watch !

Fri., Dec. 23 @ 1:32pm: I'll remind you again that day .


Wed., Dec. 28 @ 9:28am: "The Holiday" tonight.  Just incase I will remind you later today again !

Wed., Dec. 28 @ 10:42am: Check TV Guide on line for time (LIFE)


Wed., Dec. 28 @ 5:02pm: Last reminder...Movie tonight!



My mom is too funny!  This movie had better be the best movie I have ever seen.

The bad news is that I am busy tonight.  My nephew is turning 5, so I have to attend his birthday party.

I did learn one cool thing from the Lifetime Channel during this exercise.  I found the times that they will air this movie, AND you can set an email reminder so your mom doesn't have to keep up with your calendar :)

In my MP3 player: Noel Gallagher High Flying Birds

I just bought Noel Gallagher's album "High Flying Birds" as a Christmas present for my husband, and I LOVE IT! 

 

I love you Noel!

Copycat Bang Bang Shrimp

 This recipe was found at Food.com, and it is now a family favorite!

This is my adapted version after several tries:

Ingredients:
1/4 cup mayonnaise
1 Tbsp Mae Ploy Thai Sweet Chili Sauce
5 drops Sriracha Hot Chili Sauce
1 lb raw shrimp (60-80ct), shelled, tailed, & deveined
1/2 cup cornstarch

Directions:
1.In small saucepan, combine mayo and both chili sauces together.  Keep warm on very low heat.
2.Coat shrimp with cornstarch.
3.Deep fat fry the shrimp for only a few minutes.
4.Transfer hot shrimp to mayo/chili mix. Coat quickly.
5.Serve in a lettuce lined bowl, top with chopped scallions.

I purchased every ingredient at my local Wal-Mart (chili sauces in the Asian Foods section).  The two bottles will be a year's investment, and it cost me only $6 for both bottles.

My homemade copy bang bang shrimp costs about $6 for 1lb of shrimp.  Bonefish is about $9 for 1/2 the amount.

Still...I do enjoy the real thing when our family goes for special dinners.  The Tilapia with Lemon Butter sauce is our favorite!!!  I doubt I can replicate that dish!!

Our Jib Jab Halloween Video

Our family in 2011 Halloween Music Video by JibJab:

Personalize funny videos and birthday eCards at JibJab!

We all decided to be AVOCADO GREEN this halloween

Papa Frankenstein "10 foot tall walking avocado..."

The Wicked Witch of the East Elphalba and her babies

Our Homeschool Classroom

It took us a while to get this room converted from a nursery to a homeschooling classroom, but we did it!

First, we repainted the room to a light green color (Valspar "Acropolis").

Then, we gutted the closet and installed adjustable rack shelving by Rubbermaid (Lowes) into the small closet to maximize space for toys, books,etc.

We purchased two identical desks for the big girls. $74 a few weeks ago at Target.

We plan to add a second bulletin board on the left, but that's another project!  I found a tutorial at FreshVintage that shows to how to add fabric and trip to a plain cork board.

Baby Lillian is only 2, so she doesn't get a desk yet.  She gets the chalkboard corner filled with toys and games.

I made up little name plates for each of the girls, so they can write practice cursive (a lost art!) every day.  Scooter and I both will be practicing as well.

There's a cursive reference sheet on Madeleine's bulletin board and a little alphabet card for "Ii" because that's what her first lessons are based around.  We are using the Abeka Kindergarten series.

We put up only a few visual aids: a nice map of the United States (we also have the World version, but there is no room.  We will put in either the dining room or their room).  We have a whiteboard for lessons, and this cute calendar/weatherchart set that I bought today at Staples for about $11.

My mother-in-law says they use these exact calenders at the preschool where she teaches.  They sing the days of the week to the tune of "Oh My Darling Clementine."  Clever!

Anyway, we are so excited about this year of teaching Kindergarten to our first daughter.

She will start her first day tomorrow.

Since I work during the day, Scooter will be the teacher, and I could not be more proud of him!

We plan to go over each day's lesson plans the night before, together.  I will take on the readings, bible studies, and foreign language instruction in the evenings and weekends.

She must be yours...

My husband took our oldest daughter out last night for a special outing.

He sent me this photo from his mobile phone:

Message:

"She must be yours.  She wants to stop at every window."

I love it!

Rookie Driver Decal

http://www.rookiedriver.net/rookiedriver-order.html

Finally, a parent who cares!  We saw this bumper sticker today on a new Volvo SUV.

You know, in Japan, it is common to see a decal on a vehicle which indicates the driver is new/young/old, so that others can take caution around these vehicles.

Scooter and I thought this was brilliant.  It really should be more common in the US.  It's more useful information than whether you like to vacation at OBX, don't you think?

My first 5K after babies

When my company decided to sponsor a 5K a few weeks ago, I decided it would be a good time to start my fitness program.

I really had not motivated myself to do anything since my third daughter Lils was born 2 years ago.

My sister-in-law, who is training for a marathon, spent 3 to 4 days lunch breaks per week for one month training me.

Day 1 - she actually made me run/walk/jog the entire 3 miles!  no newbie break...

Her interval training & techniques actually helped me run the most I had ever run, 5.3 miles, by my 15th session!

I finished the race with a pace of 8:44, and I am so proud of that.

My husband ran with me, and there was a kids fun run which my two oldest enjoyed.

We all had a really great time.

Why I love Ebates

Ebates is a very simple rebate program I have been using a lot lately, and I want to shout from the rooftops and rave about them!

I do very little online shopping, but I have already earned $21.31 (check is coming in Feb!)

Here is a snap shot from my actual online account:

My three purchases include Christmas cards from Walgreens, photobooks from Kodak (Christmas gifts), and a few more photo prints at Walgreens. 


Reason #1: IT IS SO EASY

Step 1: Sign up - you'll need to provide a valid email address & a physical address where you want your check mailed (no bank account required).

Step 2: Log into Ebates and find the store you want to shop at.  You will be automatically redirected to your destination.

Step 3: Shop as you normally do at your preferred website.

Once you complete your purchase, you will get a two emails from Ebates: one confirming the purchase and another stating your rebate amount.

Reason #2: YOU GET REAL MONEY BACK

The rebate you get come in the form of real cash.  You can choose a live check or direct deposit.  This isn't a store credit or a coupon for your next order. It's real money to spend however you want!

Checks from Ebates are cut quarterly (next one in February) as soon as you reach $5.01.  (You will get a $5 new customer bonus, so when you place the first order, you will get a check right away).  My referral from 11/29/10 already got her first check around Christmas.  She was shocked at how fast it came. 


Reason #3:  THEY HAVE HUNDREDS OF PARTNERS

If you're going to buy online, just check the store in their convenient Search box at the top of their website.  You may be surprised that they have a rebate program for your store!

Here are a few of my favorites:

Boden - 3% cash back
Kodak - 15% cash back
LL Bean - 2% cash back
Magazines.com - 26% cash back
Restaurants.com - 15% cash back
Shutterfly - 8% cash back
Walgreens - 4% cash back

They also give cash back for travel sites like Expedia, Hotels.com, Marriott, Orbitz, and many car rental companies.   If I has joined sooner, I could have gotten some serious money back!


Reason #4: THEY HAVE GREAT PROMOTIONS

Ebates frequently double their cash back amounts.  When I bought my Christmas cards from Walgreens, they had doubled their promotion from 3% to 6%.  Now, I see they've up'd the normal rate from 3% to 4%.

They advertise a Daily Double, so you are guaranteed every day to get a promotional offer.

They offer a great referral bonus program of $5 to you, $5 to your referral.  Often times, they'll double the referral bonus too!  Like right now, they are offering $30 for 3 referrals when it would typically be $15 for 3.

If you're really popular, they give away amazing prizes.

You really won't regret joining.  The cash back is fun, and they don't send too many emails to annoy you.  I just love Ebates.

Jamie Rae Hats for girls

 

My girls have matching flower hats made by Jamie Rae Hats.  Aren't they adorable?

While I don't know exactly which store these were purchased, I did find a store that has so many different colors & styles: Maddie's Closet.  I believe ours is the Rose style, as opposed to Peony or Daisy.

Cardboard Playhouse

My children received a wonderful present this Christmas from their aunt: a cardboard playhouse.

We spent about 30 minutes coloring it (my girls are young, so they lack the patience to keep going).  But, we did do all of this TOGETHER, and it was a BLAST!  

Assembly took just 15 minutes with the instructions.

opening the box it shipped in...

Coloring the roses

Standing up the sides

Tah Dah!

Big enough for 3 (or more!)

 I recommend this product for anyone with children.  It is a lot of fun!  See:

These houses can be found in all many shapes like castles or cottages at Amazon.com from $22 to $80. I also saw them at UnCommonGoods.com (a great place to find unique gifts).