Snow is bitter cold!

Late Friday evening, a storm moved in to create another winter wonderland in our yard....

I am not sure of the final snow count, because we measured after the storm had stopped, with a reading of 9.5 inches.

For the first time in my life, I made(and ate) Snow Creme -- which is otherwise known as "ice cream" made from snow. I have missed out on this alleged tradition for 27 years now. So with a little milk, vanilla and sugar my kids had a few moments of frozen goodness....

Richard thought it was disgusting, but the kids thought it was wonderful!

Lucas preferred his with a TON of sprinkles...

After lunch we bundled up (despite my protests) and headed out for a bit a "fun" in the 18 degree temperatures.

Call me a party pooper, but I despise being cold.

So I braved the windy, snowy, cold for a few snaps of the kiddos.

Life is about those Kodak moments, afterall.

Meredith, after a ride down the driveway in our brand new sled!

We were prepared for this snow!

Lucas, Walking in a winter wonderland

Daddy and Mere

Lucas was knee deep in the white stuff...

(that's 8" for those who were curious!)

Meredith decided to call it quits.

I rejoiced and walked up the snowy driveway to find us some blankets.

Lucas and Daddy decided to stay out a big longer.

Lucas continuously pulled the sled up and down the driveway.
Who thought an empty sled would be so much fun?

Birthday Coupon

Since Geoffrey the Giraffe is a kind-hearted character, he sent Lucas a Birthday Card for his upcoming special day. The Birthday Card also included a coupon for $3 off any purchase at Toys R Us.

I explained to Lucas that this coupon was just for him and he could pick out any toy he wanted for his birthday. He was super duper excited, carrying around the coupon for DAYS.

Then the day arrived when we could actually go pick out his toy.

The kids always have a great time in the toy store. I mean what kid wouldn't?

He chose a super cool helicopter (maybe a photo will be added soon -- all of my camera batteries need charging) without second thoughts.

I even tried to coherse him to get something else (um - something cheaper), but he was insistant on taking the helicopter home.

All was well until we arrived at the checkout line.

Things went something like this....

Lucas: "Hi! I have a Birthday Coupon!"

Man: Blank stare from someone who should not be working in a toy store

Devon: Pays and says thanks to recieve another blank stare.

Lucas: "Can I hold my birthday coupon?"

Devon: "No baby, they had to keep it."

Lucas: "But I just want my Birthday coupon!"

Lucas did not scream this at me.

Instead, he cried.
And cried and cried and cried, great big crocodile tears.

I tried to explain to him that we had to give the coupon in exchange for the toy.
I even waited until another store worker arrived to ask if we could have it back.

That's a negative.

Lucas kept crying and crying.

I felt so sorry for the kid.

He just kept pleading "I just want my birthday coupon back!"

No amount of hugging was going to save this kid.
I eventually just told him that Geoffery needed it back to make sure he got his birthday toy.

And then I shoved him in the carseat and listen to him cry.

Italian Meatball Soup - PW style

Since it is the season of soups, I thought I would try a soup recipe I came across on the PW's blog. The photos and the description of Italian Meatball Soup turned me on with claims to make the "world feel like a warmer, kinder, gentler place."

We all know that I need that after a day with my spirited lovebugs....

I gathered all the ingredients, straight down to the cabbage, despite my apprehension and wonder to why it wasn't spinach. What is Italian about cabbage after all?

The soup was thrown together, as per directions. The ONLY change I made was omitting the freshly grated parmesan cheese. I totally used prepackaged parm.

First, I made the meatballs.

The recipe for the meatballs was amazingly wonderful. I don't believe that I will be going back after this.

But after adding the remaining ingredients.... let's just say that the soup wasn't as heavenly as I expected it to be.

I was disappointed in the flavor content.

I know it tasted just like the recipe called for, but we expected something robust. There was nothing Italian about the flavor at all....at least it had meatballs.

I was disappointed with how crunchy the vegetables were. At first, I thought this made it taste fresh and healthy. Until I realized that crunchy veggies do not appeal to the masses (my family). So we yelled "Soup's On!" and cooked it a bit more. Let's be realistic - I cooked it considerably longer than the recipe called for in order to soften the vegetables.

I know that I have never published a cookbook and I will never guest star on the Food Network.

I am entitled to my opinion though. And if it makes you feel better, I still took some to Melanie EVEN THOUGH I didn't like it to see if it was universally disliked (not that adding an outsider to the mix would ultimately determine that - but she didn't care for it either).

And I am in no way discouraging you from trying the recipe.

Just don't blame me if you don't like it.

I will stick to the traditional thick and hearty soups though...like the brunswick stew on the stove right now!

Pirate Ship

We often build "forts" out of couch cushions.

I am really not that great at it, because I like to keep it small.
Which also makes it more stable...

But nonetheless, the kids are impressed with my skillz.

Aye Captain!

Pretty lady on deck!

Beautiful Butterfly

Since the kids fly around the house in their backpacks, like they are Buzz Lightyear (a spaceman from the Disney movie Toy Story)

I thought it was super when I found butterfly wings on clearance. Perhaps, not as cool as a jetpack (backpack).....but it adds a whole new dynamic to playtime.

Fly like a butterfly!
Mere saying "No pitures peas!"

"NO MOMMY! NO PITURES!"

Just wait until you see the photos of Lucas! :)

Meal Plan?

Everyone is big into meal planning these days.

I suppose it is an attempt to gain control in a world that is out of control. If you KNOW what you are going to make for dinner, it alleviates some stress.

Or it is a way to save money, by shopping the sale circular. (I am still trying to figure out why they call it a circular...). And if you know me, I am all about saving a buck.

I DO shop sale items.

But, I am completely incapable of sitting down and writing a plan for the week. I have tried, but I am not a list person to begin with. I HATE making lists. In fact, I am one of those people who end up spending more time making sure she hasn't forgotten to write something down...

I DO have a general idea what I am going to have for dinner most nights. But I always allow spontaneity in case I don't feel like eating what the "plan" was - or if we go somewhere.

Like yesterday....we got home after 5 pm

The kids were ready to eat, and I had a plan that wasn't going to be ready in time to satsify my hungry toddlers or husband.

Richard asked what we could have, and I answered "I have no idea!" and walked to the front door.

When driving up the driveway, I noticed a huge bag on the front porch. I figured my neighbor was just returning my dish from the ziti. But I never considered her hardfast rule:

"Never return a dish without refilling it with something else."

She believes it is bad luck to do otherwise. And I think it is a great rule to live by! We have been having a food exchange of sorts for months.

So just like that, we had some Chicken Chili, homemade bread and Apple Cobbler.

I do have a plan for tonight -- my intended dinner for last night.
And lucky for me, I will have something to fill Melanie's soup container with :)

Meredith's Hairdooooo

Meredith spends most of her days like this...
Not wearing a bike helmet , but with her hair in her eyes....
or stuck to her face because her nose is running...

Gross.

After much debating, and fighting with her to wear barrettes and bows, or to just keep her hair brushed, I pulled out the scissors and did what I had to do....

Bangs.

Although I believe it looks a little ridiculous - and Richard questions whether it looks like a mullet - I know it is a big improvement for my messy haired Mere.

Pasta Please!

My husband LOVES pasta. He would happily eat a pasta variation everyday of the week.

Being a runner, the carbohydrates give him that extra boost of energy.

But me, being a non-runner, the carbohydrates just give me a bigger pant size.

I have to try to regulate these things as best I can, since I am the cook. But sometimes things get out of control.

This past week, we had pasta THREE times. Seriously?! And then with the leftovers, we ate pasta nearly everyday.

We started out with a dish I almost never make...Stuffed Shells.

Please look in your grocery store for giant macaroni shells. Don't think this task will be easy. They stopped carrying them in my local grocery store. Cook the shells until they are al dente!

Any softer and they will break when you stuff.

And I always, always incorporate a vegetable into my shells. The fun thing about shells is that it is more of a method than a recipe.

Don't like spinach? Substitute broccoli! Or leave it out entirely. Your possibilities are endless.
Don't like ground beef? Substitute Italian sausage. Or a mix of both. Or turkey.

We like them with spinach, Italian sausage and cheese.
Use 1 box of frozen spinach, cooked, cooled and drained of all water.
Use 1/2 lb to 1 lb to Italian sausage, cooked and drained of fat.

(You can cook 1 lb and then use leftover meat for a meal later in the week (PIZZA!)

Mix these together in a large bowl with a 16 oz container of ricotta cheese. If you choose to buy the low fat ricotta, go ahead. You are only hurting yourself.

I don't believe in sacrificing flavor for your figure. Perhaps that is what is wrong with my own figure.

In addition to the ricotta, add a few hand fulls of mozzarella cheese. Mix until they look like this.

Then using a tablespoon, stuff away. I tend to overfill and have to go back and scoop out, but you get the idea.

Then cover the shells with your sauce of choice, to your desired wetness.
Sprinkle with bit more mozzarella and cover with foil.
Bake at 350* for 30-45 minutes, until hot and bubbly.

If you choose to freeze half, that is up to you. I don't recommend it, because I don't like what happens to the cheese after it is frozen. But to each his own.
If you choose to freeze, only use the stuffed shells unbaked, without sauce.

***PLEASE IMAGINE A PHOTO OF YUMMY CHEESY COVERED GOODNESS -
I FORGOT A PHOTO BECAUSE WE HAD PEOPLE OVER***

Then there was Ravioli.

My uncle and aunt still eat Ravioli in a can.
Please don't do this. Do yourself a favor and buy frozen Ravioli.
It will change your life.
(If I were Italian, I would consider making my own Ravioli. Good thing I don't have to worry about that.)

Add to boiling water and then add your favorite pasta sauce.




Don't think that was the end of the pasta, because then Richard wanted ziti for his birthday.

We were wiser and gave the leftovers away to the neighbors.
But we did save a little square for ourselves. Let me tell you, the leftovers were amazing.
Better than the first time around.

Buy:
1 lb box of ziti
2 cups Mozzarella cheese
16 oz Ricotta cheese
8 oz of fresh spinach (you can substitute or leave out if you wish)
1 lb of Italian sausage (you can substitute or leave out)
1 jar of pasta sauce
1 28 oz can of diced tomatoes

Cook the pasta until desired doneness, drain ON TOP of the spinach in a collander to help wilt the spinach.
Add the noodles into the bottom of a buttered 13x 9 dish.
Cook the sausage until no longer pink. Add the diced tomatoes and the pasta sauce and heat through for 10 minutes.
Add sausage mixture over the noodles.
Combine the spinach and ricotta cheese and 1 handful of mozzarella cheese in a bowl.
Spread over the sausage mixture.
Sprinkle with remaining mozzarella cheese.

Bake for 20 to 30 minutes or until hot and bubbly!

I do believe, I will drain the diced tomatoes next time because it was quite watery.
Also, the recipe didn't call for the pasta sauce, but it wasn't very saucy -- and we like our sauce around here.


And please share your favorite pasta recipes!

New Kicks

Hi my beautiful!

What's that you say?

You want to show Momma your new shoes?
Ah yes! They are very pretty!

And oh so sparkly!

I get so many compliments when I am out now!

Apron Smiles

I have successfully attached pockets to my baby's apron!

I still have the dinosaur to sew on.
After two attempts, I am hoping I finally get it after my third try.

Coughing 101

Lucas demonstrating the appropriate way to prevent germies from spreading...

Tea Party

I don't think you will ever truly understand how much Meredith LOVES playing tea party.
She is very inclusive in her party as well....

Sharing tea with Dixie Dog...

Feeding Baby...

Double Artists

We did intentionally buy a double easel so the kids could paint at the same time. So used those handy clothespins and both artists got to work.

Deep in concentration

Hi Mommy! I am busy!
Do you like my painting?

Happy Birthday Daddy!

Today is my husband's 28th birthday. Another few years and we will be closer to 30. I can't even imagine waiting until I was 30 to have kids....but that is another post....

Anywho, his requests were a baked ziti with sausage for his birthday dinner. I searched around a bit until I found a recipe (that I could have made up myself) and decided to go with it.

My ziti included italian sausage, spinach, cheese, diced tomatoes, and I added extra pasta sauce for good measure. After one go around the table, we hardly put a dent in it!

Lucas made sure to only eat the noodles and nothing else. We agreed that it was yummy, but not quite as creamy as we would like it to be. I need to experiement next time.

Rich went back for seconds -- The rest was sent to the neighbors, so we wouldn't be eating ziti for the next three days.

After dinner, we had a birthday song for Daddy.

He requested chocolate cupcakes this year...a HUGE surprise since he always wants a cheesecake. I was even prepared with new cheesecake recipes to try.

Lighting the candle!

Posing with his Birthday Cupcake

(Please excuse the huge advertisement for Nesquick beside his head)


Family Blowout!

Afterwards, Lucas insisted that we relight the candle and sing "Happy Birthday" to him.

That kid is nuts I tell you.

Happy Birthday Daddy - Early!

Last Saturday, we celebrated Richard's upcoming birthday with my family. We always use getting together as an excuse for food - but alas, that is another post for another time.

Here is the super cool cake, featuring Rich's favorite color, that I did not slave over.....

Thank you Food Lion Bakery.

Lucas is always excited about cake and most especially the icing.
Eventually a finger was not enough, and he had to take drastic measures to get the delicious icing...and used a fork to scrape it off.

This was the initial destruction before I stopped him.

Then onto the singing. Lucas insisted on guarding the cake.

One can never get too far from icing

Happy Birthday!

Fashion Show: Hats!

Richard and my brother pulled my mom's hats back out after being packed away. The new piles of fun entertained the kids while they pulled out a mini-fashion show.

Photos were so hard because they would not hold still for very long!

Lucas, featuring a double layer of hats, pink and then white for a new, ultra warm look.

He also has on a bungee cord necklace and blue sneakers.

Meredith is now featured in the same outfit of two hats, with white sneakers.

Strike a pose!

Sewing Machine

For over a year, I have shut the closet door on my desire to sew. Yet, the sewing machine keeps calling my name. And believe it or not, I have finally let it come out of the closet.

My grandmother's sewing machine was graciously given to me when she passed away. I hold my grandmother in high regard for many things, including her ability to sew. I often wonder how I grew up without ever having even ONE sewing lesson from her. That lesson would have made my life a lot easier.

The sewing machine intimidated me. I didn't want to break it. I pulled it out a few times for practice - when people with sewing knowledge could guide me.

Unfortunately, I always ended up putting the machine back in the closet.

The thread would break.
The fabric would bunch.

I was incapable.

Or so I thought.

I decided to try again. The machine was yelling too loudly for me to ignore.

My first project I wanted to tackle was making aprons for both the kiddos.
They are swallowed by my aprons, but they love wearing one.
What better gift than a toddler sized apron?

I hung out in Jo-Ann's one day to find the perfect fabrics for each of my babies.
I purchased 1/2 yard of the main fabric and a quarter yard of the second fabric. I wanted to be sure I had enough for sewing screw-ups.

Once at home, I starting cutting, ironing, pinning and sewing. I did not use a pattern. (How brave of the person who doesn't know who to sew.) Instead, I used my imagination and got to work.

Meredith was VERY interested in what I was doing and wanted to jump into my lap to "help". Richard thought she was super cute!

Sewing the ties was definately the hardest part for me. I made them quite thin, possibly too thin for my virgin skills. They turned out okay though.

Helping mommy thread the needle.

*

I decided to do Lucas' apron first.

I wanted him to try it on before I put on the finishing touches.

I was able to get him to agree.

Here he is modeling it after day 1 of my sewing adventures.

I still need to sew along the edges to prevent puckering, add the pockets to the bottom, and a dinosaur.

I am super excited about the fabric I found. The fabric I used to make the ties and pockets is green with a half circle squiggle across it in rows. It looks an awful lot like dinosaur scales, which will make the perfect dinosaur for the chest!

I think it looks pretty awesome for my first try at sewing anything. I was even able to sew the ties on the inside of the fabric, so you can't see the seaming!


I still have to make Meredith's apron - and I will be sure to include photos of the finished products! I will try to include instructions with photos when I make hers!