Perfecting Imperfection

I have always been one of those mothers who refuses to ask for help.  I can handle it.  I can do it.  I got it.  Heck, who am I kidding?  I have always been a PERSON who refuses to ask for help and that hasn't changed when I became a mother of 4 children 5 and under.  I'm starting to think that God gave us twins just to prove to me that I can't do everything alone. I have to learn how to ask for help and accept help.  That God...geeze...like he knows EVERYTHING.  Wait.  Umm...nevermind.

So, here I am asking all of you mothers of multiples or just VERY active little ones.  How the heck do you keep them out of things and off of things?  I'm seriously considering duct taping my dining room chairs together at the leg and putting velcro on my garbage can lid - industrial strength velcro...not the easy to rip apart stuff.  Aside from buying a baby "pen", which I am considering - think Rugrats - I am having a really tough time keeping my babies safe and getting anything done around the house.  I'm at a loss...HELP!

On a side note - I'm thinking of taking up a new hobby...it's totally related to the previous subject.  I'm thinking of actually learning about wine and what makes a good wine and why some wines are so expensive and all that jazz.  I started listening to a podcast and reading a new blog, Wine for Normal People, and it piqued my interest.  I'm probably going to look into getting a book or taking a class or something in the future.

I bought a bottle of Shiraz the other day and actually liked it!  Not Merlot or Zinfindel (which are usually what I get) and I have to say that, while it isn't a "drink a bottle of wine" kind of wine but more of a "enjoy a glass or two" kind of wine - I would buy it again!

So - what kind of wines do you like?  Do you like wine?  Do you know anything about wine?  Do you have any suggestions on how I could learn more about wine?  :)  I think I've picked the perfect hobby - don't you?

Now...if I could just convince Jerry that Chocolate is one of the food groups and perfectly acceptable for me to eat for breakfast, we will be all good!

So - last night kind of stunk...as a Pittsburgh girl, I was disappointed in my team.  The truth is, they really didn't play Super bowl quality football.  They played like it wasn't as important a game as it really was - they played like it was a regular season football game.  Still, I'm proud they made it as far as they did.  :)

Oh - and the commercials...they stunk.  The only one I even remotely liked was this one:




It could be because my Nate is a huge Star Wars fan and laughed his butt off when he saw it!

*This article...made me love this commercial even more!!!  Thanks for sharing, Anthony!

Anyway ~ on to why you are here...my menu for this week!

Okay, not really . . . we have a day or two, but I will say that I have to start planning what we are going to eat during the big game.  (Oh...and for those of you who aren't into football and don't live in either Pittsburgh or Green Bay...I'm talking about the Super Bowl!)


I also wanted to use this post to try out a new site called Say Mmm ~ and link up over at I'm an Organizing Junkie to try to snag some prizes!


Two of the items I'm planning on making for the game were served at the latest Mommy Group we had in January.  There is a kid friendly one and one that is more for the adults...here they are - w/printable grocery lists!


Pizza Pinwheels


Ingredients ~


1 (8oz) can of refrigerated crescent roll dough - if you can find the sheets that aren't perforated they work great!
2 cups of shredded mozzarella cheese
24 slices of pepperoni
Pizza or Spaghetti sauce for dipping


Directions ~


Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C)
Pinch the 8 crescent roll triangles into 4 rectangles. (skip if you found the sheets)
Layer the cheese and pepperoni (about 6 slices on each rectangle or use all of them if you found sheets)
Roll tightly lengthwise and slice into pieces
Arrange on baking sheet and bake in preheated oven until golden brown, around 12 minutes.
Enjoy with the pizza sauce for dipping!


Printable Grocery List for Pinwheels


Mini Reubens - recipe from my good friend over at Sweet Uncertainty  (these were YUMMY!)


Ingredients~


1 loaf (8 oz) mini rye bread slices
about 6 tbsp butter, melted
about 6 tbsp Russian or Thousand Island Dressing
1 lb corned beef, thinly sliced (you can also use canned corn beef, but I like fresh)
1 lb swiss cheese, sliced
2 c. drained Snow Floss kraut (16 oz can)
parsley, if desired


Directions ~

Arrange slices of bread onto cookie sheets. 
Brush one side of bread w/melted butter. 
Spread dressing on each slice. 
Cut corned beef and cheese to fit slices. 
Top corned beef with sauerkraut and cheese. 
Broil until cheese is melted. 
Garnish with parsley, if desired. 
Makes 3+ dozen.


Printable Grocery List for Reubens


Hope you enjoy and GO STEELERS!

I'm getting organized with Organizing Junkie!

Before - yes...there is the top of a dresser under there!

You won't see half of this stuff in the after because I THREW IT AWAY!!!

Ahhh ~ isn't that better?

Top - cords, next - misc., next - deodorant and samples, last - hair stuff.

I LOVE my Caboodle.  I even organized the inside of it...but didn't take a picture.  :)

There you have it.  My last minute organizing project for this week.  You know what?  Having a clean dresser really really makes me want to attack the rest of my bedroom today!  I just might make the time to head up there and try going through some other areas!  :)

Oh ~ and Org Junkie did give us some thoughts to ponder...I thought I would mention one reason I want to get organized...actually, here's my top 5.

1) I feel more peaceful when the house is organized

2) I HATE not knowing where things are and spending more than 2 minutes looking for something.

3) I want to lead a more simple life with less stuff - if that is possible with 4 kids - and organizing will help me to really think about what I need and what is just taking up space.

4) I want my husband to feel relaxed when he is home and less clutter and a happy wife will help that to happen.

5) I want to be proud of my house...not frantic that someone is going to stop by unannounced and think, "How can she live like this?"  (Even though it isn't that bad and I'm probably the only one who thinks that - everyone else is thinking, "How does she do this?"  I get that a lot!)

Can't wait to see the other organizing projects this week!  Head on over to orgjunkie.com and check them out, too!