Aribibola's Favorite Recipes

I've decided that I need to get rid of my old raggedy cookbooks. Some of my cookbooks are in storage, others are falling apart and still others are just never used. I started a new blog to keep all of my favorite recipes in one place. www.aribibolarecipes.blogspot.com Now I can either print out the recipe or copy it down and throw it away when I'm done with it instead of stacking them up in my cupboards and making a mess. So far I've added what I've got at home... Now I have to go to storage and find my box of cookbooks. Then, I'll have to go through all of my Taste of Home magazines and decide what I'm going to do with them. I love my Taste of Home magazines, but I've got so many of them! I think organizing them online on my blog will help me find the recipes a little easier! If you take a look at the blog, you'll probably find that I love baking and that most of my recipes are for "sweet" treats! This is probably because I've got picky children that don't allow me to try new things! Once I go through my magazines there will be lots of recipes I've never tried, but am looking forward to making once the children move out! I know it will be a long time from now, but the time will come! Hmmm... maybe I should back all of this up somewhere just in case... I'll have to figure that out too!

Happy Cooking!

Happy 13th Birthday, Sade!

Another teenager

Sade turned 13 yesterday! Wow! I can hardly believe it! Time goes by much too fast! She, too, was just born yesterday shortly after my dad rushed me to the hospital. Born at 7 lbs 6 oz and 22 1/2 long, she's now 5'8" and 109 lbs. Before I know it she'll be taller than me! I'm so proud of Sade!!! She works hard, gets good grades, is talented and loving! 13???

Sade had a very eventful birthday weekend. The fun began Friday night when four of her friends helped celebrate. We had pizza, went to the mall for a scavenger hunt, ate cake, the girls took turns at the piano, played Rock Band and they stayed up until about 5am watching movies. The girls she invited were all from the musical at church, so on the way home from the scavenger hunt, they sang songs from the musical... what fun! When they woke up, they had tons of pancakes and then their families picked them up! I think they all had a good time, I know Sade did!


Sunday was her true birthday. We went to church where she voluteers every Sunday in Children's Church and then stopped on our way home for her FREE Cold Stone ice cream treat. She got lots of phone calls from family wishing her a very happy birthday. She opened her presents and then we ate her most favorite meal.... tacos! After dinner I had to finish her cake so we could sing again to her! We finished the evening with a movie, which is the only time she's put down her new book, Twilight, that she got as a gift from her grandma and papa. Did I mention she's 13?

Happy Birthday, Sade!!! I love you!

UGH!

So, I picked up Ayodele and Sade from school today and when I got home I parked in the front of our complex since I had to leave right away to get to Derek's football game! I ran into the house with the kids, picked up my music for rehearsal, got some water - much needed to watch a football game when it's 98 degrees outside, grabbed the video camera and showed Sade what was for dinner. I strolled out to the car, got comfy and BAM.... my car would not start! UGH!!! Thank goodness for AAA... they came in less than 30 minutes & got me started right away and off I went to good-ole Walmart to buy a new battery. Once they were done, I had to get off to rehearsal for Sunday's service. Unfortunately, I didn't get to Derek's game. When I talked to him after rehearsal, he didn't seem to mind that I didn't make it... he was more excited that they won big 32-14. I also found out that I wouldn't have seen him play anyway since the team was mostly on the offensive. He played the last 8 minutes. Then I felt a little better! I hate not being where I say I'm going to be... even when it's out of my control! There are a few good things about the battery dying when it did: 1) I was at home, 2) I didn't have a car full of girls - Friday night is Sade's B-day and we're all going to the mall for a scavenger hunt & 3) I was alone, 4) it wasn't dark, and 5) I didn't miss Derek playing football! I thank God for watching out for me!

We love Grandma!

We love Grandma!
Derek and Grandma...

Derek stayed home the whole time Grandma was here!

Not once did he ask to skate with his friends!

Sade and Grandma...

Grandma got to see Sade in the musical at church.

Sade tried not hugging grandma good-bye to see if she'd stay.

Ayodele and Grandma...

Ayodele was the first one to play poker with Grandma.

He's going to miss her!

Kayode and Grandma...

Kayode fell asleep 5 minutes before Grandma arrived Friday.

We had a "picnic" lunch at her hotel and Kayode played Hide-and-go-Seek.

Grandma (my mom) came and stayed with us Friday until Tuesday. We hadn't seen her since last December. We are so thankful that she was able to squeeze in a visit with us. She and Dick are leaving on a 50 day trip across the USA on Monday. We (my mom and I) even got to spend Monday night alone... we went to her hotel, played "Wheel of Fortune" for a while, went up to her room to watch the opening of "Dancing with the Stars," went back downstairs when it was over and played video poker for a while, went to TGI Fridays for some happy hour nachos, then played a few more slot machines until I realized it was about 1:30am and I had to be getting up again at 5:45 to wake up Derek for school. How wonderful for us to be able to get out so we could visit without little ears hearing everything we were talking about, as well as getting me out of the house for some "adult" time without the kids! -- Love the kids, but even mom's need time away on occasion. We can't wait to see her again. We are one of the last stops on their 50 day trip. Thank you for everything, Grandma (Mom)!

Lifesong... the musical

Our church Youth Choir put on the most wonderful musical this weekend. Sade had one of the 8 lead roles, Abby. I ended up helping more than planned, but what a wonderful experience! It was a challenging musical due to the fact that most of the 8 cast members were double casted (Sat night cast/Sunday night cast) and rehearsals began in July while most families were on vacation. Even though we never had a rehearsal with all cast members in attendance, the musical went off without a hitch! The kids did a fantastic job and the message was conveyed... We can all be leaders, we just have to act like Jesus! Here's a little clip of Sade during her "big" solo... the song is called "Voice of Truth." She did a great job... all of the kids did!

Poker with Grandma...

When my children were very small, they learned how to play poker...

Poker is something that has always been played in our family. I remember spending Friday and Saturday nights at my grandparents house watching my mom, dad, grandma and grandpa playing poker when I was younger. I would sit with them and watch, mostly because that's where the good snacks were! You'd think I'd be a professional poker player with as much as I've watched it, but it didn't interest me enough to remember the rules to the game. So, each time I'd ask again what they were playing and how to play. Now, every time we see grandma , the poker chips and playing cards come out! Ayodele was the first to ask this time, and too bad he's only 7, he was HOT! Every hand was either two pair or three of a kind... he even got a full house. Sade joined in after completing some of her homework, Derek decided to play as long as he could play in the chair without chips and Kayode even started learning how to play this visit! I helped him while I made dinner, he wasn't doing too bad himself! Ayodele can't get enough poker... first thing Saturday morning, before anyone was dressed, he had grandma playing again! It really is much too cute!

My funny kids...

Okay... I'm so thankful for my kids!

They put a smile on my face every day!

Here are a few pictures that the kids took of each other being silly!

I praise God everyday that they are happy and healthy!

Happy Birthday, Derek!

Happy 15th Birthday!

Derek turned 15 today! It seems like just yesterday he was born... 9lbs 10oz and 22 1/2 inches long. Now he's 130lbs and 6'1-1/2" tall. I'm so proud of him... he works hard, gets good grades, has high ambitions and works hard to achieve his goals. I just can't get over him being 15... am I really that old?

His birthday was quite eventful! Friday night he and several friends went to the local Italian food festival and rode carnival rides until 11pm. They had a terrific time! Then, Saturday, I took him and 3 friends to a huge skatepark in Henderson... they skated for about 2 hours before pizza showed up. After eating, they skated another hour before we left and I dropped them off at their "home" skatepark, "Breeze."

Today, Derek slept in, opened his cards in bed and when we got home from church, he got a ride back to Breeze so he could skate again. He arrived home at 6pm on the dot (like I asked) and then we ate dinner. He requested home made chicken noodle soup. Thank goodness... since I'm sick, it tasted so good! :)

Around 7pm we sang "Happy Birthday" and ate birthday cake! Again... I can't believe he's 15! He was so cute putting his candles on the cake and lighting the candles... I had to help him with the lighting... he started to burn himself... I guess they'll always need their mom!

I love you, Derek! Happy Birthday!