BrinerBlip

Day 3...What...No In-N-Out???

2012-01-11T23:50:00.000-08:00

Day 3 started out great! Tried a few new things...then we had to stop for dinner on the way to drop off one of the boys at youth group...In-N-Out was the decision. Oh well. I had a few fries, and ate when we got home. :)

Breakfast - Egg whites with cut up zucchini, 1/2 grapefruit
Snack - Soy Beans
Lunch - Kale and Edamame salad with cranberries, almonds, tomatoes (yum!)
Snack - carrots
Dinner - Southwestern black bean soup, piece of whole grain bread
Dr. Oz's tea
2.65 miles walk/jog
All in all...another good day. Health wise...feeling much better!

Day 2

2012-01-10T23:45:00.000-08:00

Day 2!

Breakfast - Protein Shake (even turned down donuts!!)
Lunch - Lunch meeting at Elbow Room - mixed green salad with penne pasta with alfredo sauce
Snack - carrots & hummus
Dinner - Whole wheat thin spaghetti, with grilled eggplant, portebella mushrooms, zucchini, butternut squash with marinara sauce, mixed green salad with cranberries and whole wheat croutons, garlic bread. Glass of wine
Dr. Oz's Green Tea
Exercised - 2.2 miles
Feeling great!

I'm baaaaack.....

2012-01-09T22:34:00.000-08:00

Ok, so I have missed blogging. It's been over a year. What better time to start, than January...it's a new year.

So...First up.....New Years Resolutions... Mine is for the DOGS!

D - Diet & Exercise
O - Organization
G - God
S - Simplify & Surrender

To start with the D...Today was my first day as a vegetarian. I have given up red meat for a while now, but after having some "issues", and also eating unhealthy for the past year...I'm going to try it for a while. :) I'll be blogging/journaling about my menu's and plans...feel free to offer any advice.

I’m a Vegetarian…Day 1

Today went better than expected. :) Grocery shopped…and read a lot of labels. They sneak meat in everything! Here’s the menu for today
Breakfast - Protein shake
Snack - Almonds
Lunch - Mixed green salad with walnuts, cranberries, grapefruit and feta
Snack - Hummus with carrots & low fat pita chips
Dinner - Southwestern Black Bean soup - YUM!
Snack - Honey Roasted Soy Beans
Drink - 32 oz. of Dr. Oz's Tangerine Weight-orade Green Tea
Exercise - Ran/Walked 2.2 miles
Probably went too much on the “fat” side with all the nuts today…but I’m okay with that for now.

Live from CA...It's Saturday Night!!

2010-11-18T01:00:00.000-08:00

The Hosts - Sally O'Malley (Mish) and Mary Katherine Gallager (Johnna)

The Set -

On the set goodies...

The Cast -

Roxbury Guy & Mary Katherine Sally O'Malley & Falcon Man

Delicious Dish & News Anchorman \in a box & Canteen Girl

The Culps Cajun Man & Gilly

The Culp's Mr. Schweddy & Delicious Dish Anchor

Target Lady & Hanz Linda Richmond & Mary Katherine

Joy Behr & Whoopi Franz & Sarah Palin

Chris Farley & Sarah Palin Mac Gruber & Sheryl Crow

Rosannadana & Mary Katherine

Friends since 7th Grade!!

No costume = custom t-shirt :)

Lunch lady & a Sloppy Joe

We even had a real Jeopardy game!!

Dinner from the taco truck!

Such a fun night!!

Halloween 2010

2010-11-17T23:53:00.000-08:00

The Perfect Pumpkins

Fall is my favorite time of year! I especially love taking pictures at the pumpkin patch!

After getting the go ahead from the staff at Pumpkin King...

Ethan chose a pumpkin that almost matched his weight!

It's hard to get Dawson to pose, let alone look at the camera...but he loved sitting on the pumpkins!

Zac- still humoring mom for a picture. :)

Silly Boys!

Colton- knows the picture drill

The most handsome boys I know!!

Zac and Ethan's pumpkins

Colton and Dawson's pumpkins

Mom's pumpkin...lasted much longer!

The crew

Zac (Ninja), Christian (Dodgers player), Ethan (GIJoe ninja), Brandon (alien), Colton (werewolf), Dawson (motorcross rider)

Dawson and his buddy Noah

Ethan and his buddy Justin

Such good friends!!

Some SWEET news!

2010-09-15T09:14:00.000-07:00

I'm so excited, this Fall, I have hit the ground running with a new business! For years, while I was a consultant for Southern Living at HOME, I have collected a ton of their products! I decided a while back, that I would start renting out my pieces for small parties and showers. Pineapple Party Girl Rental was launched! I now several centerpieces in quantities of 20 and up, and am always adding pieces! Check out my Pineapple Party Girl website and my Pineapple Party Girl blog!

I also played around with doing some candy buffets...and am happy to say it has turned into a booming business! Spoonful of Sugar Custom Candy Buffets! I just love it! From birthday party, showers, and weddings, they have been a hit! Check out my Spoonful of Sugar blog!

Family road trip...to Colorado!

2010-08-13T00:22:00.000-07:00

This summer we decided to take a little road trip...to Colorado. We have several great friends there, and 2 of the families offered to have us stay with them while we were there. So we jumped in Eric's new Chevy truck...and drove...over 4,000 miles round trip...all 6 of us!

On the way Eric and I shared driving, and arrived in Green River, UT at about 1 a.m. to unload everything and everyone, sleep for a few hours, and then get back on the road to Colorado!

First stop, our friends the Weston's!

Wade and Alana graciously welcomed all 6 of us for the first couple of days. Ethan and their daughter Loni, were inseparatable! Since being pals at Disneyland last year for 5 days, they have become great "friends".

Their son Lucas, and Dawson played together too..when Dawson wasn't being a turkey!

While at the Weston's, we visited the Denver Aquarium, while Eric and the other hubbies visited the Coors Brewery. The aquarium was great!

We also had a great time at their pool area too!

Later that night we met up with more friends for a fun night with no kiddos!

Dinner at Lo-Do's. Johnna, Tammy & Rhonda

Eric & JB Johnna, Tammy, Rhonda, Alana Johnna, Chrissy, Alana

After a fun dinner, we headed to Sing-Sing Piano Bar...for a ton of laughs!

We had a great time people watching, sipping from the Bucket, watching Eric and Joe up on stage doing the dance from the Rocky Horror Picture Show, and Alana's Birthday song! ;)

Everyday we had something fun planned! One of the things I looked forward to the most was a reunion BBQ at the Degenharts!

Johnna, Tammie, Rhonda, Tammy, Alana, and Juliet

The night was great! All of the kids got along great, and became instant friends!

Next stop for us was to stay at the Degenharts!

Johnna & Tammy

We had a great time staying at Nick and Tammy's. Their daughter Rachel, 15, loved Dawson. Their son Nicholas, and Colton and Zac became instant friends, even though they hadn't seen each other in over 4 years!

One of my favorite outings was to Winter Park. Breathtakingly beautiful and such fun!

The most "thrilling" part of the day was the Alpine Slide! Eric, Colton, Zac, and Ethan all rode to the top of the ski slope, and then rode down the hill on a wheeled sled! Crazy!!

Eric was the only one who ended up wounded with a scraped leg...well, that, and our video camera that was in his pocket. :(

Right after leaving Winter Park, one of the guys spotted a moose on the side of the road. We all stopped and took about a million pictures!

On the last full day, we visited Eldorado Park.

This was such a relaxing and fun day...until the rain started. :)

We ended the night in Boulder.

The kids taking a silly picture.

For the drive home, we decided to drive straight through. It was loooooong.....but it felt good to be home!

We are so thankful for such amazing friends and their families! The trip was one we'll never forget!

A Day at the Lake

2010-07-12T22:02:00.000-07:00

We had a great time on the Karlson boat last Saturday. It was just thing to forget about the things on the calendar, and just enjoy a beautiful summer day at Shaver!

The boys had a great time on the tube. (actually all of us did!) Ethan even did a backflip off the tube...and got back on to ride!

Colton even tried a few times on the skis. (He didn't get up, but he was a good sport!)

Zac was the flag man. :)

Dawson wasn't thrilled with the boat ride, but finally got comfortable and enjoyed himself....on the shore.

Once upon a time...

2010-07-10T09:52:00.000-07:00

July 10, 1990, that is the day Eric asked me to be his girlfriend. Yes, I know that once you get married you are supposed to just forget about that anniversary, but I don't. :) It was the yes that started everything. The yes that changed my life forever. Little did I realize the 20 years later, I would still be in love with my best friend, have 4 great boys, and be so happy. Love ya Eric!

Let's Boogie!

2010-07-07T12:22:00.000-07:00

Fourth of July, we went to Cambria for the weekend with our friends the Fosters. The boys had a great time boogie boarding in Cayucas. The first day, they all shared one boogie board, and must of stayed in the freezing water for 2 1/2 hours!

Ethan quickly had enough of the cold, and decided to relax in the sun...Dawson, on the other hand, hates the sand, so hung out on his beach towel the whole time.

The next day, they begged to go back...and rent wetsuits...and more boogie boards! We left Dawson and Daddy with sunburned shins...and headed back to the beach.

Since it was the 4th of July, there were a ton of people, but they also had a great sand castle contest.

So amazing!!

We ended the night here, to watch fireworks over the water. Such a fun time!!

Hooked....or Hype?

2010-06-09T14:58:00.000-07:00

OK, I know I'm not a teenage girl, nor do I have teenage girls, and yes, I know I'm a few years behind, but no, I have not read the Twilight series. I have always wondered what the "hype" was about these books? I am not an avid reader. I love fun, light-hearted, girlie books, but usually only read on trips. So, all this to say, my babysitter is letting me read her books. Honestly, I am not expecting much, nor do I think I'll be on "Team Edward", but who knows? :)

Ethan turns 7! How Super!

2010-05-20T16:15:00.000-07:00

I can't believe my little man is 7! It seems like just yesterday he was toddling around, and now he's one of the big boys!! He had a great time at his Super Mario birthday party!!

The kids had a great time playing Mario, and a bunch of other fun games (look at next post for details).

Super cute & yummy cake! Ethan lost his mustache blowing out his candles. :)

My SUPER boys!

Super Fun Super Mario Party...the details!

2010-05-20T15:51:00.000-07:00

While thinking of different themes for Ethan's birthday, Super Mario seemed like it would be great! My boys LOVE Mario, so I started my quest for the Super Party! I wanted to post these ideas so they can hopefully help someone, and cut down on the hours and hours of web searching that I did. :)

First up...invitations...

A little time consuming....but cute! :)

Decorations -
For decorations I made piranah plants. An idea I saw on another blog. I cut out the mouth, and sprayed the outside red. I painted the white spots, and then attached styrofoam teeth with toothpicks. I wrapped wooden dowels with green ribbon, and stuck them in a hurricane with moss and rocks.

It was virtually impossible to find any Mario items locally, so I used my printer for a lot!

We let each guest choose either a Mario or Luigi hat. (I cut out white felt and glued them onto the caps) The girls got to choose a princess crown. We also had coin bags where they collected the coins that they earned during game time.

Games -
We did several games. The first one, I drew a Koopa, and the kids had to throw water balloons at it. If they hit the Koopa picture they got too coins, if they hit his belly, they got three, and they got one if they didn't hit it at all. We also did pass the Ka-bomb, a black balloon that is played like hot potato. (The balloon kept popping on the grass...so we eventually used a ball). We also played Pop the Goomba. These were brown balloons that had coins in them. They could pop as many as they could, and keep the coins. They had 1-3 coins in them. The last game we did "Break the Brick". I had wrapped a box, and made it look like one of the Mario bricks. The kids got to run under it and try to jump and smash it. Inside was more coins, candy, etc.

Food -

We served mini sliders, which were a hit. We also had Mario's Power Punch, Princess Peach's Peach Tea, and Luigi's Limeaid.

The cake was made by Frosted Cakery. It not only looked great, but tasted amazing! I also did extra cupcakes decorated like mushrooms. I used white chocolate chips, and melting chocolates for the spots.

We also did a candy buffet favor bar, and everyone got to make a goody bag as they left!

Happy Birthday To...

2010-05-15T22:54:00.000-07:00

It's very rare that I blog about my faults...but this one is pretty funny. Anyone who knows me knows I'm a multi-tasker. It can be a good thing...and a bad thing. Apparently, when I booked Ethan's cake, I told them my older son, Colton's name. When it arrived 30 minutes before the party, it looked like this...

Amazing looking cake...but wrong name. Graciously the delivery girl took it back, and they had it fixed and delivered back to me in no time! The Frosted Cakery girls are the best!!!

The cake turned out GREAT! Everyone loved it, and it tasted as good as it looked!!

Briner Boys up at Bat!

2010-05-12T16:24:00.000-07:00

This year Ethan and Dawson played on the Clovis Christian Orange Team. It was a great season! Not only did Ethan and Dawson get to be on the same team, but they also got to play with their cousins, Sam, Ben, and Peter. They even got their dad and Uncle Eric to be their coaches!

This was Ethan's 3rd year of T-Ball, and took it very seriously.

He hit from his dad's pitches, and loved sliding in to home plate...look out Giants, here he comes!

Dawson on the other hand, was "here for the party"! He loved seeing his cousins, and loved running the bases.

The last night after their game, the boys had an award ceremony where they all got trophies! Great job Briner Boys!

Responsibilities

2010-04-26T14:53:00.000-07:00

Last week we got to go to Carlsbad. Eric had a conference, so we packed everyone up and made a trip of it! Friday we went to Legoland as a family. It was a ton of fun! But it was also memorable for another reason. Eric had taken the big boys to wait for a ride, so I grabbed Ethan and Dawson. They wanted to go down the big slides. I however did not, so I told Ethan to help Dawson. He grabbed his mat for him, climbed to the top of the stairs, and then laid it out for him, then gave him a little push. They did this over and over. When they were done, I told Ethan how proud I was of him for helping his brother. Ethan replied, "Well Mom, this is the first time you trusted me to help Dawson on my own...I had to do my best, and not let you down." I love that kid!

Ahhh....Ahhh...Ahh-Choooo!

2010-01-25T12:07:00.000-08:00

I have had the strangest thing happen. I have been running about 10-15 miles a week for about a 3 months now. I have always hated running, but now seem to long for it! (Weird...I know!) I actually find it really relaxing. Well, several times after my longer runs, I start sneezing...really sneezing. My eyes start watering, and my nose starts running...really running...I mean Boston Marathon pace running! This usually lasts anywhere from 2-36 hours. Very strange. Yesterday morning it happened again. It was like an instant cold! Today....gone. I decided to google it last night, and found that, no, I am not allergic to exercise...it's something that a lot of people have. Over 50,000 items popped up.

I did find some theories that it has to do with your body temperature, air temperature, having too much histamine, and getting rid of toxins. Basically it boils down to exercise-induced allergies, and they don't know what causes or cures it. So strange!

Have you ever heard of this before?

Luckily, it does not happen every time I run. But it's not going to keep me down! :)

2010 Goal - Run 500 miles...22.8 completed to date!

Back-Blogging update

2010-01-21T17:03:00.000-08:00

I already confessed that I am guilty of back-blogging, so while I sit in bed recovering from the stomach flu, I thought I would catch up....check out July-Sept. so far. :)

A little get away

2010-01-21T14:58:00.000-08:00

Eric had a business meeting in San Francisco last week, so luckily the boys got to stay with grandma, and we snuck off for a few days. The first night we stayed in South San Fran for his meeting, then the next day we headed into the city.

We stayed at Parc 55. What a great location and view from our room!

Right across from shopping too!

We shopped for most of the day on Thursday, then took the trolley down to Pier 39.

Alcatraz at sundown

On our way out on Friday, we even went to lunch at a featured "Man vs. Food" restaurant...Tommy's Joynt.

What a nice break with my best friend!

HaPpY nEw YeAr!!!

2010-01-01T16:11:00.000-08:00

January 1st, 2010! Wow!

Is it just me, or does it seem like we just had just stocked tons of water bottles, canned food, generators, and a months worth of necessities in our garages, waiting for the unknown to happen when the clock hit 12:01 a.m. in the year 2000?

So hard to believe that was 10 years ago!

Well, on to today....being January 1st, it's always a day of inspiration, motivation and ambition! Most people choose to, "make a resolution, not to make a resolution". Personally, I am not. Hey, if you don't succeed fully with your resolution, the "Resolution Police" are not going to arrest you, and you may have not achieved your goal, but maybe made progress that you might not have made before.

So, here it goes...really I am not posting this for anyone to say "good job", or "your crazy", but more for a record for me to look back on. :)

My 2010 Resolutions

1. To run 500 miles this year

2. To complete a 1/2 marathon

3. Keep up on blogging

4. Monthly family nights

5. Read 5 books

Do you have any resolutions? Want to join me on mine? :)

It's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

2009-12-21T23:39:00.000-08:00

So many great memories this holiday!

Searching for the perfect tree is always a hunt! This is the second year we have gone with the Karlson's to Cobbs. The boys had fun running up and down the aisles of Christmas trees with their cousins. We did decide on one tree, but went to another lot the next day for the "big tree".

Dawson & Santa

Sweet Memories

For the past few years, we have been decorating Gingerbread houses on Thanksgiving. Most of the family pitches in, and it's always a lot of fun!

Merry & Bright!

This year, Eric (and Colton) put lights on both stories of the house! I was a nervous wreck watching them, but I will have to say they looked awesome!!

Christmas Tree Lane

with the "Wilks Girls"

This year we walked Christmas tree lane with our friends the Wilkinson's. (minus a few) The kids had a fun time counting dogs on the walk. Such a fun night!

Merry Christmas from the Briners!

2009-12-17T08:56:00.001-08:00

Merry Christmas from the Briners! Here’s what we have been up to this year!

Eric continues to enjoy his job, and we are so thankful for it’s growth! This year he and a few of his employees worked on the Extreme Makeover House in Fresno. It was fun to be behind the scenes of such a great project!

Rings, necklaces, and bracelets have replaced pottery, urns, and candlesticks. In July, Johnna was flown to Chicago, and offered a position to work with Jewels by Park Lane. She has already earned a trip for her and Eric to Paris in March, and had no idea how much fun bling could be!

Relax, it’s not all work and no play for Eric and Johnna. J Eric enjoyed hunting with the boys this year, along with coaching Ethan’s soccer team. Johnna has found the new love of running. She has done several 5K’s for fun this year, and is working on improving her time, as well as beating the boys!

Year of 1994? Two young kids in love got married on February 5^th! Eric and Johnna celebrated being married 15 years this past February!

Colton is now 12, and this year went out for track & football. Unfortunately, he broke his arm after making the Clovis Cowboys football team. He quickly decided he liked soccer much better! At the end of the soccer season, his coach also awarded him Defense Player of the Year!

Hair? Did you notice it? Zac has decided to grow his out. It all started, “just for soccer”, but now we can’t imagine cutting it! Zac also had a great year of soccer, and also earned his hunting license this summer, just in time for dove season!

River Valley Church has been a great blessing to our family. Eric and Johnna have enjoyed teaching every other Sunday in the elementary class. We would love for you to visit with us!

Institute of Briner Learning is still in session. Colton is a 6^th grader this year, and likes working more independently, especially on his new computer. Zac is in 5^th grade, and enjoys reading. Ethan is a 1^st grader, and has started reading his brothers chapter books! Dawson has his own desk, and does a great job at his “schoolwork” too!

Six years old…it’s hard to believe Ethan is that old! Yes, he is still a little comedian and thinks he’s 10! He played t-ball and got to have his dad be his coach on his U8 soccer team this year. Their Freedom Lightening team even got to play at Grizzly Stadium!

Three years old.....I know, seems impossible that our baby…Dawson turned three! What a little character DT is. Like his brothers, he doesn’t miss a beat! He loves country music, (especially Jason Aldean), waffles, and numbers! Whether it’s telling time, saying our phone number, or any number he sees…he knows them all!

M…I…C…K…E….Y….MOUSE! Yes, in May we took a week vacation to Disneyland! We had a great time! Breakfast at Goofy’s Kitchen, Colton and Zac attending the Jedi Training academy, California Adventure, and spending time with our friends from Colorado, were the some of the highlights of our trip!

Athomewithjb@sbcglobal.net is our e-mail, and brinerblip@blogspot.com is our blog. Johnna is also on Facebook, so make sure you’re her “friend”, and challenge her to a game of Bejeweled! ;) (Channel 30 did a small segment on her being a Gaming Girl)

Sending holiday blessings to your family! Have a wonderful Christmas & New Year! The Briners

Guilty....of Back Blogging....

2009-12-17T07:01:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I have fallen behind in my blogging. I am hoping to catch up, and post some of the things that have happened over the past few months. Yes, some of you may feel like it's cheating. ;) But for me, it's like a personal diary, and I have some major holes! I will be setting the dates back to fit them in too. Hopefully you die hard bloggers can forgive me. ;) Back to blogging soon!

Happy Birthday Briner Buck-a-roos!

2009-11-28T22:49:00.000-08:00

This year we decided to celebrate not one, or two, but three Briner Boys birthday. Since the boys birthdays are 19 days apart from each other, we held it right in the middle, on Dawson's birthday.

The Corral

Goodies for the little buck-a-roos

Cowboys & Cowgirls

There was pony rides for the little kids, and horse back riding for the older kids.

The Festivities

A fun filled day for everyone!

Happy 3rd Birthday Dawson!

Happy 11th Birthday Zac!

Happy 12th Birthday Colton!

Y'all come back, y'here!

Party held at Rick Kelley Performance Horses, Clovis

Yee-Haw!

2009-11-27T22:11:00.000-08:00

Ok, so for some strange reason, every year around the boys birthday, I get a strange ambition to want to create a birthday cake. So, after searching for countless hours on the computer, I found the one to make...

Well, I know it's not perfect, but the boys were proud of it!