Annadotes

When Lucy learns to operate a phone camera

2012-02-07T12:15:00.002-05:00

It's been a month!

2012-02-03T08:57:00.000-05:00

We've been successful at this diet/life change for a month! We're down 20 pounds and two sizes (one each). I'm still making salads every day and Jazz dancing around the living room. Hooray for us!

Oh man...

2012-02-02T16:49:00.001-05:00

Now that it's February I should catch up on what we did in January. I have a lot of pictures and I sit down to edit them and get them up here and think of witty things to say but inevitably someone needs their bottom wiped or milk refilled and my brain is just OUT of witty things to say. Also, most of my little bit of free time has been spent dancing around my living room to lose the baby weight. Thank you Jazzercise DVDs.

I still have more, but here are a few things I've been meaning to get up here.

self control...

2012-01-18T14:40:00.000-05:00

Taking dinner to a gal in the ward tonight. She just had a tiny baby girl. I made dessert...and only ate two.

I substituted half the all-purpose flour with oat flour. Super yummy.

*They're better without the glaze.

Thanks for the recipe, Giada!

Two weeks...

2012-01-17T09:55:00.002-05:00

It's been two weeks on this diet...or life change...whatever you want to call it, and things are going well.

We've lost a combined total of 16 pounds!

We are feeling more energetic and not feeling the cravings for junk food. I watched a part of the documentary, Forks Over Knives, and a lot of it is about a plant-based diet, which I don't think is completely reasonable for us, we are eating more vegetables though. Anyway, in it, they talk about junk food and why it becomes addicting. I found that interesting and glad to know we're working on breaking that addiction.

Now, speaking of good food...Jen and I went to this crepe place downtown. We each got a savory and a sweet. You order all at once and they bring your savory to the table and then the sweet a little while later. In mine I had prosciutto, mozzarella, tomato and herb de provence, then for the sweet, bananas, strawberries and nutella. I had never had real crepes before and I loved them. I am excited to go again.

Family Party

2012-01-16T08:51:00.001-05:00

Lucy's first (and her dad says "only") ride on the back of a motorcycle.

Singing with the aunts and cousins.

Brown sugared grapefruit, under the broiler

2012-01-13T10:48:00.000-05:00

When I was growing up, my grandparents had a place in Florida.

They went every winter, and every winter we could expect a big box in the mail.

Thinking about that now...how could the cost of shipping possibly outweighed the cost of the fruit?

Anyway, the big box was full of grapefruit, kumquats, and other citrus fruit, probably oranges, I think nectarines and maybe lemons? We ate a lot of grapefruit. I can remember my Granddad squeezing his half, in half to pour the juice in a cup. I saw this idea on Pinterest, what a great invention by the way, and tried it out this morning. It made for a great Friday treat.

1 Grapefruit, cut in half.

1 tsp brown sugar, divided.

sprinkle the sugar on the grapefruit and broil until the edges get a little brownish.

yum.

I have a few minutes

2012-01-12T16:09:00.002-05:00

Okay...I have a few minutes to say hey. Hey.

Things I've learned from this diet (in the 9 days I've been on it):

1.) Gum is my friend. My friend who keeps me from eating after dinner.
2.) I am totally uncoordinated. I got Denise Austin's Dance workout...I could not keep up. Not a born dancer.
3.) I love Jazzercise.

I'm going to go through the cooking light cookbooks I checked out at the library and add some new recipes to our routine. Fun.

And a super shout-out to Tony, who has amazed me multiple times with his willpower.

How are your resolutions going?

Oh, and sleep training was an epic failure. My heart is not ready.

Resolutions

2012-01-07T15:41:00.000-05:00

I'm still not getting any sleep thanks to this little cutie patootie. Sleep training starts tonight.

However, we are making good on our resolutions and have made some good progress. Everyone in our family is feeling better, less sluggish and imagine this...food tastes better. I've tried a few new recipes which have been good, but I've also made some healthy versions of things we already eat.

Zucchini boats-find the recipe on my pinboard

Protein bars-I made up the recipe for these, they were good but need to be a little softer so I'm going to play around with it a bit before I share the recipe. They were good, just a little dry.

Quinoa bites, Lucy loved these...a good replacement for nuggets.

Thank you...and here we go again...

2012-01-02T13:29:00.001-05:00

Thank you guys for your kind comments. Noah went down a lot easier last night, he was still up a lot, but at least he was sleeping in between eating. And, he went back to nursing pretty well, not perfectly, but I feel like, hopefully, that hurdle is over for now. Something I love about blogging is knowing that I'm not alone. I don't always pick up the phone to call someone, sometimes it comes out here and it's nice to hear that you can relate to my struggles and that I can get through them.

So...for the "here we go again," part. At this time, two years ago, I started to finally lose the extra weight I'd gained. I lost 46 pounds in 6 months. It was hard but it felt great. I'm at it again. I start tomorrow actually, and I'm excited to get everything in balance again. I'm not expecting to lose as fast this time because my life is a little more unpredictable. I don't have as much to lose which is nice. I can't wait to fit into these jeans again. They are in my closet, begging to be worn! My goal is to fit into my skinny swim suit this summer, to be healthy and feel fit!

Here's to a more rested, healthier 2012.

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T10:16:00.000-05:00

Hello? Are you still there?

I'm going to try to get a little more blogging done this year than last, and I'm starting off with sharing what's going on in my brain right now. It's not all rainbows and puppy dogs (I would never have puppy dogs in there anyway, let's say something I like, like Taco Bell. It's not all rainbows and Taco Bell. That's better. Anyway)

To be completely honest, these last couple months have been a struggle. Noah hasn't been sleeping well and he's been eating a lot so I feel a bit like a hostage. I had a dream the other night that I was trying to escape from bad guys and I kept having to stop to find places to nurse. That is my life right now. Well, actually right now, Noah is either weaning or on a nursing strike or something and it's making me crazy. He doesn't want to nurse. I'm trying to feed him solids, formula, milk, I'm nursing, bottle feeding and spoon feeding. All the while I'm fighting with myself. Is he getting enough food? Is he hungry? Is he too full? Maybe he can't tell when he's full...maybe he has that disease? If I stop nursing I'm a bad mother. What if I scar him emotionally? What if he gets allergies and ear infections? What if I get breast cancer? Formula is so expensive and I can make his food with my body. I'm trying to handle this on 5 or so, non-continuous, hours of sleep per night. I'm not trying to be a whiny baby-because one of those is enough around here. Noah is usually a happy and calm baby. I can not say the same for his mother.

Our Christmas was lovely. I just wasn't into it. None of it. I put up the tree, but didn't decorate it because all I could think about was how I'd just have to take it all down in a few weeks anyway and I just don't care about that stuff. Am I a Scrooge? I think I might be. I'm thankful for my close family and my best friends who have been putting up with my near constant complaining these last few weeks. I figure why should they have all the fun?

This morning, I woke up with Noah, too early, and I sat in the rocking chair and cried.

Then I read President Monson's talk in the January Ensign and Sister Hinckley's pamphlet on Motherhood and I felt better. I feel better. Life isn't perfect. I can not do everything but I am going to continue to do the best I can.

Have a good attitude, believe in yourself, and face life with courage.

"There are few things as powerful in the world as the examples of righteous mothers and dedicated women..."

Here's to a happier, and more rested, 2012.

Today the kids and I...

2011-12-22T20:05:00.000-05:00

Decorated/Ate Cookies

Tried out the Bumbo seat...I knew he'd love it. We must find ours!

After we got home from our marathon day of visiting teaching, the Lu and I decorated cookies. It's the only Christmasy thing I've really enjoyed this year. I loved sitting at the table, with her narrating everything she was doing and being creative. It definitely sparked in me a love of cookie decorating. Must be an adopted gene from Tony's side.

I haven't stopped baking...

2011-12-15T14:52:00.002-05:00

Just because I haven't been posting here...doesn't mean I haven't been baking. I've got a little bit of a backlog of recipes to share with you. I'll start with the torte I made for Mom's birthday. It turned out almost perfect. I forgot to temper the eggs so they separated, I didn't have enough chocolate to start over so I just went with it and it still turned out really good. I would like to try it again and have it all go right though. The best part was Mom loved it and I love that she loved it.

Feeling a little neglected...

2011-12-02T13:53:00.001-05:00

I'm sorry readers...you can definitely tell when things are busy around here...blogging tends to head to the bottom of the very long to do list. I feel a lack of words to describe life right now.

Tony's grandmother passed away on the Friday after Thanksgiving. We gave thanks for our many blessings and know Grandma is greatly missed. We've been spending time with family and slowly preparing for the holidays. Hopefully I'll get my blogging mojo back soon.

Another First

2011-11-17T09:30:00.001-05:00

Can you believe we went FOUR years without a haircut?

am i next?

Awww...shucks

2011-11-16T07:54:00.001-05:00

Ashton over at Something Swanky passed me the Tell Me About Yourself Award.

Thank You!

Remember when I posted over there? About ice cream? Is this ringing any bells?

Oh, you do remember...maybe you should show a girl some love and, ahem, comment.

Anyway...okay...enough aggrandizing...7 Things About Myself:

1. Boy and 1 Girl. I love my kids.

2. Phone numbers. It confuses people...I love my Google voice but sometimes I forget and give out the other number. Have you tried Google voice? You should, you can say goodbye to voicemail.

Anyone else out there loathe voicemail?

3. Cameras. DSLR, Point and Shoot, iPhone. I have one or two or three with me ALL THE TIME.

Go, go gadget camera arm!

4. Months old before starting solids...I just couldn't wait. Noah ate some cereal last night. Or rather inhaled some cereal last night...sucked it down like he's been eating from a spoon his whole life. I have all this guilt about whether starting them two weeks early is going to set him up to struggle with obesity his whole life...but then he slept for five blessed hours so I'm gonna keep on feeding that boy.

Who am I kidding, he's probably gonna be a biggen no matter what I do.

5. Number of Double Stuff Oreos I ate for breakfast.

Less than 6. weeks until Christmas! Ah! Lucy wants Xia Xia's...she said, "You just go to the xia xia aisle and buy the xia xias." Have you seen them? They are the silliest little things. I loathe silly toys, almost as much as voicemail. (Thanks, Dad) I love how simple everything is to Lucy,

have you heard her explain how to surf?

"You bend your knees and then you just catch a wave."

7. I don't know why that's there.

Okay...15(15?!) Bloggers to pass this on to...This is the one I'm narrowing down to 3...

Jen at NotesfromtheBurrow...cause she's my sis and the only one who will understand #7

Lindsey at To a T...cause I'm jealous of her...oh so jealous.

Maren at Like Karen With An "M" because I think if we knew each other IRL we could be besties. Did I just say besties? That's another word I'd never say IRL. Only in blog land y'all.

Thanks again, Ashton, I hope you feel like you know me a teensy bit better.

Awardees: here are the rules: List 7 things about yourself, pass this on to 15 bloggers...or 3.

Wait, is this sounding like a chain letter?

pumpkin stuff

2011-11-12T14:53:00.001-05:00

Hello, my name is Anna and I like taking pictures of food.

He's full of firsts!

2011-11-08T08:18:00.000-05:00

Look what Noah learned to do last night.

Something funny...Lucy was 3 months and 11 days old when she rolled over for the first time.

Noah was 3 months and 11 days old when he rolled over for the first time.

Toothless is no longer toothless!

2011-11-07T08:51:00.001-05:00

He cut TWO teeth this weekend! He is furiously sucking on his hand and drooling everywhere! His two front bottom teeth have popped through. I'm a little nervous.

birthday/halloween wrap up in pictures

2011-11-06T16:52:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday pt. 2

2011-10-31T15:55:00.004-04:00

She requested a strawberry cake...I love how it turned out!

Happy Birthday, Silly Girl!

2011-10-31T09:20:00.000-04:00

My silly Lucy is 4 today!

Happy Birthday, Baby!

I get this response a lot to my saying, "smile!"

Words to live by

2011-10-25T12:14:00.000-04:00

I made Brisket for the first time...I followed PW's instructions. It was one of the most delicious things I've ever made and you know I've made a lot of yummy things.

Speaking of yummy things...I heard this quote on The Big Bang Theory the other night.

"The real way to get a man is with melted cheese and cream of mushroom soup...

he'll die at 50 but his love will be true."

Have a good day!

9 days...seriously?

2011-10-22T12:06:00.000-04:00

9 days since my last post? I guess that's my phase of life right now. Sorry....

Apple Orchard...

It was cold and wet. The apple I picked off the tree was the best apple I've ever eaten...I know it was just because it was so fresh, because I've had Gala apples before from the store they're, meh. This Gala was super yum.

coming soon...Cider Mill...and Noah's baby blessing is tomorrow, I can't wait for you to see his gown. It is so beautiful.

Eastern Market Photos

2011-10-13T10:29:00.001-04:00

Love the old Vernors boxes, did you know they were originally a Michigan company?

SweeTango as modeled by mi madre

chocolate croissants

No Grumpy People

For Dad

I didn't know Coxcomb got that big.

My niece went to Homecoming that night...isn't she gorgeous?

Apples

2011-10-10T09:35:00.001-04:00

It's apple season!

I stumbled upon a post about the MI Apple Trail and I knew I had to see it...I've been wanting to go to the Eastern Market for years, pretty much since we moved here, and the apples got me there.

They were pretty neat. The Market was amazing, I'll post more about that later. I did try a SweeTango while we were there, I liked it, but not as well as Honey Crisp.

For Lizzie's Oktober Fest Birthday Celebration I made Apple Strudel. I started out using Paula Deen's recipe, and made her filling with just a few tweaks. I used almonds instead of pecans, Nilla wafers instead of shortbread cookies, and added 2 tlbs of flour. Then I realized I had purchased Puff Pastry instead of Phyllo dough. So...I looked up a recipe on the Pepperidge Farm site which instructed me to roll out the pastry and then I filled, sealed and baked. After it had cooled I added the glaze.
Yummy yum. I think I'll make this again for Thanksgiving.

I love apple season...and we haven't even been to the Cider Mill yet.

Brookies+

2011-10-02T15:18:00.000-04:00

Brownie mix cookies are a new favorite of mine. Super simple and richly delicious.

Take a box of brownie mix, add 2/3 C of flour, 2 eggs, 3 T of water, 3 T of oil and beat until smooth.

Bake at 350 for 11-12 minutes. They end up smooth and soft on the inside and just a smidge crispy on the outside, like a good corner brownie.

You could stop there...

Or not.

You could sandwich two cookies with chocolate nougat. Mmm...I suggest it.

Make sure you have milk on hand.

Chocolate Nougat:

Melt 2 cups of chocolate chips

Beat with a hand mixer for a few minutes and then add a tub of cool whip, beat it for a minute.

That's it.

Last week I had a dessert fail.

Have you seen those homemade 3 Musketeers bites on Pinterest?

I tried to make them. They looked yummy and simple, and I must admit I'm really loving simple lately. I made up the chocolate nougat and froze it for double the amount of time suggested in the recipe. When I took it out and started cutting it up to start dipping, it seemed a bit gooey still. I stuck it back in the freezer for a while, and it was still gooey so I thought maybe that's just how it was supposed to be. I started dipping and the nougat chunks started falling into the melted chocolate. It turned the melted chocolate hard and undippable...but into a really yummy truffle filling consistency. So, I had all the nougat and wasn't sure what to do with it. Until now.

2011-10-01T19:28:00.000-04:00

I'm loving General Conference, more on that later...today I'm catching up on Preschool Olympics.

I was in charge this year, which was quite nutty with brother in tow but it was worth all my anxiety. I had planned to have it in the church gym, but it turned out they were refinishing the floor that day-so we opted for the multi-purpose room...then, about halfway through they were going to start applying some noxious chemicals so we finished up outside. It was a beautiful day so it was a lucky change. We combined with the younger group and had some siblings and friends join us, I think everyone had a great time. I love Mom School, and I'm glad Lucy does too, she looks forward to it each week.

Last year's Olympics

Noah Noah Ba Boah

2011-09-28T18:32:00.002-04:00

He's Two Months Old!

We went for his vcug yesterday. He screamed the entire time. Poor thing. He hated every minute of it. He still has major dilation in one kidney and bad reflux, so he'll be on antibiotics at least until they test his kidney function and determine where to go from there.

He's a sweet, sweet boy, just starting to smile. Mostly at Dad and strangers but occaisionally at me. He likes swaddling, still, eating...lots and lots of eating. I really didn't think he would get so big so fast.

Choices

2011-09-22T16:49:00.000-04:00

Hello...I'm back in the land of the living. Sort of.

Last Thursday I started to feel like my Fall allergies were coming on. A little post-nasal drip with the accompanying sore throat. Then Thursday night, I started realizing this was more than allergies. I had a fever, aches, chills, the whole nine yard of flu. Saturday night I was sure death was imminent. Sinus pressure like you wouldn't believe. Turns out it was a full blown sinus infection. I'm on antibiotics and am slowly feeling better. Tony has been Mr. Mom; doing laundry, making meals, caring for the children and trying (in vain) not to get sick. It's been a fun week. Psych. Being sick with a baby should be illegal. I can't seem to rest long enough to feel better.

I am trying to figure out who I am as a mother of two. So far, I'm a bit self absorbed, sorry friends. I'm a little lazy and undisciplined. Short on patience and long on excuses. It's been a good two months and a hard two months. One of my biggest concerns has been my scripture study. Before Noah was born I'd been in a really good groove with my studying. Hopefully like most of you, my scripture study tends to be cyclical. Or maybe hopefully not, I hope you're all better than me. It goes like this, (starting at the top) I have a really spiritually uplifting/faith exercising experience and vow to really feast from the good word. I make time every day, for a significant time, to really pray about what I've read and to find ways to apply it. Then something disrupts my routine and I only have time to read quickly...then a few days of that and I'm barely nibbling at the scriptures and then a few days have passed and I haven't read at all. Then I start telling myself not to bother reading at all if I don't have time to do it right. A few verses do make a difference. Then I start feeling awful and can't figure out why. Why am I lacking perspective? Then I remember I need to read my scriptures and I start the process all over again. So-since Noah's been born I've been in the middle/bottom of this cycle...reading a chapter here and there, counting the times I open my scriptures at church as studying. I've been telling myself that it's okay for things to be out of whack for a while...I'm serving my family, trying to get enough sleep just to give my family what they need, right?

A couple weeks ago I went to an auxillary training meeting with Sister Esplin. She was talking to me. There were other people in the room...but her message was for me. At one point she said of daily scripture study, and I'm paraphrasing here, "I know a lot of you are young mothers...you may have 5 (2) little ones at home and some days it's a struggle just to brush your hair...(how did she know?) but you need to make your personal scripture study a priority." She talked about sacrificing in order to make sure we are worthy of the Spirit and receiving personal revelation. I needed that. A lot. I have been loving my calling in Primary. It makes a huge difference with whom you serve. I am working really hard to keep my studying a feast and make it a priority.

I guess it'll be another day before I choose cleaning over blogging 'cause here I am at my desk and the kitchen, behind me, is a ginormous mess and I'm pretty sure Noah's nap is going to be over any second...'tis the life of Mom.

On an unrelated note, isn't my niece adorable?

And another thing...I'm only 14 page views away from 20,000. I should do something to celebrate.

Finally school for us.

2011-09-14T16:24:00.000-04:00

Mom School started today. We had three kids today but will have 5, hopefully by next week. Today we talked about the letter "F," and what it means to be a good friend. We played "Flip the Fish," (hot potato but with a fish) read The Rainbow Fish, and then decorated scales and wrote our ideas about being a good friend and attached them to our own rainbow fish. I think the kids had a great time. I was impressed with the difference in their maturity level from last year. It's going to be a fun time.

I've been reading posts all over the blogoverse and Facebook about back-to-school. I struggled with whether to send Lucy to a "real," preschool or not, many of you know I've considered homeschooling. I am not ready to hand over control to someone I barely know, even if it is just for a few hours a week. I know at this age it's really about socialization and not academics and I feel like she's getting that out of our little group. I was impressed with their sharing today. I was worried having three kids, that two would gang up on one as often happens with three, but they played well together and solved their little disputes.

I'm pleased with how things have turned out and am looking forward to the rest of the year. I am so glad to have some like-minded moms to share the experience with as well. Happy Back-to-(mom)School!

2011-09-09T23:59:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was a really hard day. Noah didn't want to sleep more than a few minutes at a time and I was feeling like everything was upside down and out of order. The laundry pile was over-flowing, the kitchen was a total disaster, every single cooking utensil from the canister had been used, which never happens. My brains had been scrambled from all the rocking and bouncing I did to try to soothe a fussy baby. Tony came home and I hoped things would get better, but I was in an irreversibly bad mood. You know the kind where you want to feel better but you just keep doing and saying things to make it worse? That was me. I usually love being a mother. Yesterday, I did not. I couldn't appreciate the snuggling, I couldn't enjoy Lucy's chatter. I was exhausted. I slept better last night...and things look a lot brighter today as they always do after time serving, talking with trusted friends and prayer. I came across this poem again, and today it was especially poignant to me. These babies are so important and I have them for such a short time. I am glad to be reminded of my role in their lives. I will give them my patience and they reward me with their kisses. I'm glad to be reminded to give more freely of myself.

Here is the full version:

Babies Don’t Keep

by Ruth Hulburt Hamilton

Mother, O Mother, come shake out your cloth,

Empty the dustpan, poison the moth,

Hang out the washing, make up the bed,

Sew on a button and butter the bread.

Where is the mother whose house is so shocking?

She’s up in the nursery, blissfully rocking.

Oh, I’ve grown as shiftless as Little Boy Blue,

Lullabye, rockabye, lullabye loo.

Dishes are waiting and bills are past due

Pat-a-cake, darling, and peek, peekaboo

The shopping’s not done and there’s nothing for stew

And out in the yard there’s a hullabaloo

But I’m playing Kanga and this is my Roo

Look! Aren’t his eyes the most wonderful hue?

Lullabye, rockaby lullabye loo.

The cleaning and scrubbing can wait till tomorrow

But children grow up as I’ve learned to my sorrow.

So quiet down cobwebs; Dust go to sleep!

I’m rocking my baby and babies don’t keep.

2011-09-08T10:14:00.000-04:00

Is it raining there? It's raining here and it's been raining for days. It's sorta nice when you're stuck inside anyway, but when you have a fun movie night planned, it stinks. Big time. It's Fall all of a sudden. One day it was Summer, the next day, Fall. The cooler weather makes me want comfort food and I'm getting slightly sick of all our regular casseroles so I searched for something new. I found Chicken Spectacular...and spectacular it is. I found the original recipe on All Recipes, then read in the comments that it's similar to a recipe by Paula Deen. I looked at her recipe and saw the differences; onion, cheese and big surprise, butter. I made Paula's. It was really good, a really good meal on a cold, wet day. The only thing I did differently was use Cream of Mushroom instead of Cream of Celery because it's what I had and I'm not extremely fond of Cream of Celery. Next time I make it I'll use half mayo/half sour cream instead of the full cup of mayo, and add some cracker crumbs to the top for more crunch.

Snickers Popcorn AKA Popcorn Everywhere

2011-09-04T10:00:00.013-04:00

Start with Paula Deen's Caramel Corn-seriously, the best I've ever had.

Mix in peanuts, chunked up Snickers bars, and drizzle with melted chocolate.

Be prepared for there to be popcorn all over your kitchen.

Yum!

*found on Cookies and Cups

"...gobs of gorgeous gook to gobble at the fair!"

2011-09-01T08:32:00.000-04:00

I'm definitely having goats someday.

I couldn't resist. Noah and I felt right at home.

and I'm having pigs...they're so happy looking.

The ugliest, grossest thing I've ever seen. I might dislike it more than ferrets.

"She was gonna make coats out of us!

She was SO excited to go on the Ferris Wheel. I thought she might get nervous but she loved it and was truly disappointed when it ended (much too soon).

Fascinating

The world's biggest tweezers.

Her other favorite part...Cotton Candy

Good babies and TouchPads

2011-08-31T16:46:00.000-04:00

Do you like how in my last post I wrote, "he is still a good baby?" Still? Boy...sleep deprivation really does a number on me. I'm in a bit of a fog but we are surviving. I keep reminding myself that this tough part is temporary and to enjoy all the snuggling. This little one is sooo snugly.

My smarty-pants husband wrote a post for his work blog. It's about TouchPads. I think.

~~All~~ some of it goes over my head.

Check it out.

One month and had a bath.

2011-08-28T16:47:00.000-04:00

Noah is one month old today.

He's still a pretty good baby. I wish he'd sleep a little more, at night.

He's starting to fill out a bit, I weighed him this morning and he was 9lbs. 13oz.

He did not like the bath much...at least I got to use the apple baby soap.

He smells divine.

Music in the Park: Guy Louis...again.

2011-08-26T11:05:00.000-04:00

We went to Music in the Park last week...can you believe I didn't bring a camera?! Aside from the one on my phone. Lucy found a stink bug and wanted to show Mr. Louis...he happened to be down in the audience when she found it...she went right up to him, "excuse me, Guy Louis...I found this bug." He was kind enough to acknowledge what she'd found. Such a great Guy...ha ha.

I'm obsessed with making pizza

2011-08-25T10:40:00.000-04:00

Remember when I was telling you I'd discovered that Pillsbury crust and it had made me return to making homemade pizza? Well, I found a homemade crust I love...I have been obsessed with making pizza lately. I make it at least once a week and last week's pizza, I ate entirely by myself. Hey, I'm nursing, I can get away with the extra calories. ;)

I use this crust recipe: Pizza Crust

We don't use pizza sauce which I think is the secret to our pizza success. This was Tony's discovery. Instead of sauce we mix about 2-3 Tablespoons (I eyeball it) of Olive Oil, about a teaspoon of kosher salt, a teaspoonish of dried oregano, and 1 clove of minced garlic. Spread it on the crust with a pastry brush. Then cover with very thinly sliced fresh Mozzarella. Then top with whatever you like. We've done tomatoes, pepperoni, black olives, mushrooms, etc., it all turns out SUPER tasty.

Beach Day

2011-08-24T10:37:00.000-04:00

I did the same thing to Lucy as last year and was

afraid to get the sunscreen too close to her eyes.

The next day she looked like a red raccoon.

Family Fun

2011-08-23T10:37:00.000-04:00

We've had family "get-togethers" on both sides of the family in the last week so Noah got to meet some more of his family. Next time most of them see him he'll probably be crawling.

Tony got some great shots of Lucy playing at the family reunion.

Happy Birthday to the Cupcake Queen

2011-08-15T19:25:00.001-04:00

I made these over the weekend, yum. The only thing I did different from the recipe is substitute cake flour for all-purpose. These are delicious and I'm posting them in honor of my friend, the cupcake queen, Katie's birthday today.
Happy Birthday!

Vanilla Buttermilk Cupcakes

from melskitchecafe.com

*Makes between 16-24 cupcakes

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

1 1/4 teaspoon baking powder

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

1 1/2 sticks (12 tablespoons) butter, softened to room temperature

1 cup granulated white sugar

2 large eggs

1 large egg yolk

2 teaspoons pure vanilla extract

1/2 cup buttermilk

Preheat oven to 350 for light, aluminum or silicone muffin pans or 325 for dark, nonstick muffin pans. Line about 16-24 muffin cups with liners and set aside.

In a medium bowl, whisk together dry ingredients. In a large bowl, beat butter and sugar until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the bowl as needed. Mix in eggs and egg yolk one at a time and then mix in the vanilla. Add 1/3 of the flour mixture to the wet ingredients. Combine. Add 1/2 of the buttermilk. Mix. Add another 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix. Add the final 1/2 of the buttermilk. Mix and then add the final 1/3 of the dry ingredients. Mix until combined and the batter is smooth. Spoon out batter into lined cupcake pan, filling only halfway or just barely over halfway.

Bake for about 15-18 minutes (depending on the heat of your oven based on the type of muffin pan you have), until a toothpick inserted into the middle of a cupcake comes out with moist crumbs. Don't overbake!

Remove the cupcakes to a wire rack to cool completely.

Frost with Vanilla Mousse

Vanilla Mousse

from Kraft

1 tub whipped topping

1 package cream cheese

1/4 Cup sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Beat until smooth and creamy.

we made it

2011-08-11T17:53:00.000-04:00

Hello.

Noah is 2 weeks old today. Today was my first day totally alone with the kids.

We walked to the playground across the street, we survived, and dare I say, even had fun.

Noah's been sleeping and eating really well...and pooping even better. I've never seen a more regular baby.

Lucy is still enjoying being a big sister, she's learning to lengthen her patience, thank goodness. She has been such a huge help to her Mama. We've had so many good friends and family around to help make this transition easier...I feel like we've been blessed beyond our deserving.

No one is exempt from the chalkboard...

2011-08-04T17:45:00.000-04:00

My kidlets

2011-08-03T09:36:00.002-04:00

People say you don't take as many photos of the second child as the first...I don't think we're in danger of that here. Look at these two cuties. Oh-and this blog is just gonna be pics of the kids for a while...until normal activity resumes around here.

Noah's Birth

2011-08-01T20:34:00.000-04:00

Due to the priesthood blessing I received the night before, I started out the day feelin' good.

We reported to the hospital at 7:30am and got checked in, answered about a thousand questions and joked about Tony wearing the funny, white jumpsuit and how he had to use two booties over each foot to cover his shoes. I went in really feeling better than good, I felt great.

Once I was in the OR, they got my spinal block placed (no tumors this time!!!) and once I was all numbed up things moved pretty fast. Suddenly, I saw this little guy:

When they showed him to me initially, over the curtain, I thought, "WHAT?! NO HAIR?!"

I was so surprised to see his fuzzy, blonde, bald head. It is the most perfectly round shaped head you've ever seen.

They stitched me all up, told me how great I looked, and wheeled us to the recovery room.

That's when they told me the good news...I DIDN'T HAVE TO SHARE A ROOM!!! I was so thrilled. If I hadn't just birthed one of the cutest human beings ever, it would have made my day.

Then the little guy got to meet these awesome people:

Thankfully, the rest of our hospital stay was uneventful...in a good way. Full of visits from doctors and nurses of course, he passed all his tests, they looked at his kidneys and determined they'd wait another month before doing anything else.

Here's the new family of four:

Having this little one around has been an amazing experience for me. Faith building for sure. I had to rely on the Lord for a lot and He truly gave to me freely of His blessings.

I've been enjoying every inch of this tiny man:

Thank you to everyone for your calls, texts, messages, meals, treats and prayers.

*More photos to come*

Baby's first golden hour

2011-07-28T22:28:00.001-04:00

*Thanks to Daddy for the awesome photos. Take that, over-priced hospital photographer.

Baby

2011-07-27T18:25:00.000-04:00

I've got babies on the brain.
I'm scheduled to go in tomorrow morning.
I'm sure there'll be pictures on FB or Google+ as soon as humanly possible.
I don't know when I'll get back to the blog, but I'll make sure we at least get a picture up as soon as we can.
Offer up some prayers for us please.
Thanks!

Brothers/Parenting 101/a lot of doting on my daughter

2011-07-22T08:27:00.000-04:00

As the birth date of BB (Baby Brother) approaches, you can be sure I have a lot on my mind. It doesn't all involved scouring the bathroom tile, turning Lucy's "big sister" shirt into short sleeves, or packing my hospital bag (all of which still need to be done). I think a lot about brother/sister relationships. I don't have any brothers. I have one amazing sister and some great brother's in law (and sister's in law), but it's really not the same thing as growing up with a brother...and really, a little brother. Are Lucy and BB going to get along? Will they be playmates or are they too far apart in age? Will they be lifelong friends? I just don't know what that's like. She talks about the baby a lot...she always wants to know what he's "saying" in there. Usually it's something about being hungry or thanking Lucy for the hugs and kisses. She is so excited to become a big sister and I am excited for her...it's something I've never done before. We've had a few discussions about setting a good example and teaching him how to do things...I guess I'll just watch how it all unfolds.

Another thing on my mind lately is Parenting 101. I was listening to this great General Conference talk by Lynn G. Robbins, from this past Conference and he says,

"A sweet and obedient child will enroll a father or mother only in Parenting 101. If you are blessed with a child who tests your patience to the nth degree, you will be enrolled in Parenting 505. Rather than wonder what you might have done wrong in the premortal life to be so deserving, you might consider the more challenging child a blessing and opportunity to become more godlike yourself. With which child will your patience, long-suffering, and other Christlike virtues most likely be tested, developed, and refined? Could it be possible that you need this child as much as this child needs you?"

I am in Parenting 101. Lucy's ability to reason is definitely a gift. It has nothing to do with me. Of course she has normal 3-year-old moments, but her temperament is pretty even...even if she is a bit bossy. Maybe I'm an oblivious, doting mother and she's really a monster and I have no idea, but I don't think that's it. She's a relatively good listener, she's spunky and creative, she is inquisitive and for the most part, pretty obedient...oh, and a dawdler. She has Tony and I in Parenting 101, she eased us into things...we've said from the beginning that we've been amazingly lucky to have a good sleeper, a good eater, she doesn't care what she wears, she loves everyone and everything she comes into contact with, she always looks at the bright side of things, she makes friends wherever she goes. "Hi, I'm Lucy, L-U-C-Y, what's your name?" She isn't intimidated by much and I've learned being in Primary this past month...she is the one with her hand constantly up, having something to say, "Um, excuse me." When Jen comes to pick us up, Lucy gets to the van door and exclaims, "Your favorite girl is here!"

I am excited and anxious for what is in store for us as parents. Will BB introduce us to parenting 505? I know the next few months are going to be totally nutty and I have been praying for peace, I wanted this right? I wanted to totally disrupt my life, again, and fit into it another person to love and cherish. I once heard my Aunt Susie say, "the best gift you can give your child is a sibling," and I am having faith she's right.

Now, off to scour that floor.

For dinner tonight...

2011-07-21T18:56:00.001-04:00

You guys will tell me when you're tired of seeing food, right? No, you're too polite for that? Good...cause I'm gonna keep cooking, and you can bet I'm going to keep taking pictures of the food, and posting them here for you to see.

Remember when I posted about how much I loved zucchini in Italian food?

Well tonight, I made Mel's Skillet Summer Vegetable Lasagna.

It's super easy and super yum.

The only thing I changed from her recipe was the basil, I didn't have fresh, so I used 1 T dried basil, and I also used a 1/2 t dried oregano cause I love oregano. And, I didn't dollop on the rest of the ricotta, I just mixed it all in. Enjoy!

Lessons from Mud Day 2011

2011-07-20T06:02:00.000-04:00

1.) It is not just a field full of mud. It is a field full of mud and every child for a 30 mile radius.

2.) Have a high adult/kid ratio

3.) Bring two towels...one for mud and one for after the hosing.

4.) Have a meeting place, you will not be able to distinguish your child from the others once they are all the same color.

5.) If you don't plan on getting muddy, plan on getting muddy.

When we first moved here, I worked at a little consignment shop for kids. One day, a mom came in buying clothes for her kids for right then, because they were covered in streaky, slightly dried mud. She told me about Mud Day. The parks department fills a field full of mud, the kids play, then the fire department hoses them off. I have wanted to go ever since...that was 5 years ago. Due to other plans, babies being born and simply forgetting, this was the first year we could go.

I can't say Lucy loved it but I think she had some fun (I should probably take a Xanax before I go because I had mini anxiety attacks when I'd lose sight of her in the crowd) and I think we'll try it again next year with some experience under our belts.

Smiley Miles

2011-07-19T07:49:00.002-04:00

7.11.11

2011-07-11T15:31:00.000-04:00

I took a break from the organizing.

This weekend

2011-07-10T13:00:00.000-04:00

I'll post about the kids room when it's done. Whenever that is.

Yesterday, Jen, Lu and I went to Art in the Park. It was hot, but fun. It was good, hot, fun.

Sneak Peek

2011-07-09T11:00:00.002-04:00

Today we're switching Lucy's room from Lucy's room to Lucy and Baby Brother's Room.

I can't believe I'll be putting Lu's baby bedding away.

Should be a fun and tiring day.

Barbecue Chicken Pizza

2011-07-08T11:19:00.001-04:00

Hungry? Your mouth is watering, isn't it?

Remember when I said I wouldn't make pizza again because it was always disappointing?

Well, Pillsbury saved the day. I tried a refrigerated, ready-made crust and it turned out great. I used the thin crust version because I that's how I like it. I even rolled it out a little more to make it a bit thinner. Then I just turned up the edges before topping.

Ingredients:

Caramelized Vidalia Onion (I used half of a medium sized onion)

3 Chicken Tenders or 1 Chicken Breast

Original KC Masterpiece Barbecue Sauce

Fresh Mozzarella (we didn't use homemade but I can't wait to try)

Fresh Cilantro, chopped (if desired)

Garlic Powder

1, ready made, life saving, Pillsbury pizza crust.

Olive Oil

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375.
Spoon a little sauce into a small ovenproof dish, lay chicken down on sauce and smother the top of the chicken with more sauce.
Bake for about 15-20 minutes until the sauce is getting good and brown and chicken is cooked all the way through. When you take out the chicken, turn up the heat to 500.
Drizzle about a tablespoon of oil on your cookie sheet or pizza pan. Roll out the crust, turn up the edges and sprinkle with garlic powder or whatever seasonings you like.
Slice Mozzarella super thin and arrange on the crust. One 8 oz. package was enough for this size crust but I did add a little additional shredded mozzarella cause I like it extra cheesy.
Slice the chicken into bite size pieces and arrange on the crust.
Sprinkle onions on the crust (you could do them raw but I love the flavor the caramelization gives).
Drizzle on a little more sauce if desired.
Bake for about 12 minutes, or until the crust is brown and cheese is good and bubbly. I set my timer for 5 minute increments and check periodically.
Before serving, sprinkle with cilantro.
Eat, enjoy, and then wish you'd made two.

**First made by PW, then tweaked by me.**

Picture Parade

2011-07-06T08:33:00.000-04:00

Lucy ran out to one of the Vietnam Vets for a hug. He scooped her up and gave her a kiss.
I hope she could feel the love of her Papa wrapped up in those arms cause I'm sure he was there.

Genny does not like sirens.

I love the parade.

I love a birthday boy

Happy 8th, Spencer!

Happy 4th

2011-07-04T07:41:00.000-04:00

I'm looking forward to our festivities today, parade, party, pool...

having gratitude for the joy of my freedom.

Thank you

to all those who serve and all those who sacrifice.

South Haven

2011-07-03T19:50:00.001-04:00

ah...twins, much? They have the exact same smile.

The Farmer's Market, where I sampled some pizza bread that I'd really like to try to duplicate.
The angel in the middle said,

"The evening is coming in
sun sinks to rest
The birds are flying
home to their nests
caw-caw says the crow
flying over head-it is
time little children
were going to bed"

I found some Ohio love in an antique store.

We walked around downtown a little more and I saw a doorway that said,

"Ducy's General Store, upstairs."

I took the stairs.

Then there were more stairs.

And then more stairs.

I thought the lighting was beautiful.

In this store, I found an antique chenille bedspread, much like the ones my Grandma had on her beds.

I bought it. It was a steal.

Then Clementines...

I could eat those onion rings pretty much every day. And then get a prescription for Lipitor.

I LOVE that the store next door is called, "Oh my Darlings," and has cute kids stuff.

Then it was off to my favorite part...

THE BEACH!

This little guy was so sweet, despite being sick and tired, he managed to have
some fun and show us his million dollar smile.

The day before we celebrated his first birthday-but I'll post it on his real birthday.

Until next year, South Haven...when we'll be bringing a one year old with us!
Only four weeks left.

I love summer

2011-06-30T07:52:00.000-04:00

I love summer.

Genny Girl

2011-06-29T07:35:00.000-04:00

It's been a whole year already.

I don't believe it.

Happy Birthday to my sweet, sweet niece.

Strawberry fields forever...

2011-06-24T18:39:00.000-04:00

This morning, Jen and I (and Lu) went to the Strawberry Farm. I wanted to get in some berry picking this year, since I may not make it during raspberry season. It was a bit soggy and a bit picked over, but I came away with 7# of the best strawberries I've ever had.

I wasted no time looking up a pie recipe. PW doesn't have one so I had to venture out. I found one by Sarah at Short Stop. It claims to be the BEST fresh strawberry pie ever. It is pretty dang good.

I wasted no time on this, either.

Check out Sarah and her Strawberry Pie

Baby Brother

2011-06-23T08:48:00.000-04:00

He's looking a little chubbier these days and that makes this Mama happy. I like how you can see his cheeks look a little fuller in this one. I went back for some more scans of his kidney, which has now turned into kidneys. They both have hydronephrosis, ureters are dilated on both sides and they're not sure his bladder is emptying properly. I go back in another couple weeks for ultrasound number 6. They need to stay on top of this and my fluid levels. So, there is an increased chance of early delivery, but we'll see. Luckily, I really like our Pediatric Urologist (he called me back from his vacation) and am glad we are already familiar with him since this situation seems a little more complicated than Lucy's. I have faith that all will go according to THE plan, but if you're the praying sort, offer up a few extra for us.

Is it just me or does it look like you can see his eye open?

Summer!

2011-06-21T08:31:00.000-04:00

With the kids finally out of school, Summer can officially begin!

We went to the pool:

So proud of how brave she was.

We went to Amish Country:

There is an Amish community not too far from Union City and they have a discount store that has unbeatable prices on baking supplies. I loaded up on flours.

While the girls shopped, the boys fished. Tony texted (is that a word?) to tell me he had a surprise for Lucy. It was this little guy:

We were thisclose to bringing him (or her) home. Then I read online about how I'd need to clean up the poop and that was enough to cancel out the cuteness and we let him (or her) go in a nearby wetland. I am not about poop. At least not animal poop. Baby poop, heck, not even a 3 year old's poop really bothers me. But animal poop makes me a bit crazy.

One of the ways I tell people I love them is through food.

Surprise.

I made Dad O some cashew and white chocolate chip cookies, recipe forthcoming, and Tony made some more Mozzarella. This was even better than the stuff we made in the class. I tell you, Tony is some kind of cheese making genius.

Now, if only the sun would stay out long enough for us to enjoy the outdoors!

Happy Summer!

Lucy has something she'd like to say...

2011-06-19T16:00:00.001-04:00

It's an honor...

2011-06-18T06:42:00.000-04:00

Thanks to Ashton at Something Swanky for asking me to guest post!

I answer the question:

"Do you need an ice cream maker?"

Go on, go find out.

A word about Father's Day...

2011-06-17T01:13:00.000-04:00

Because my Dad passed away, I sometimes feel like I should be sad; that Father's day should be an unhappy reminder of someone I'm missing. However, it isn't. I don't think about my Dad only on Father's day. I think it's like saying you're only Christian on Christmas. I miss my Dad all the time, and yes, it used to be a heart-wrenching, anxiety-inducing pain, but it isn't anymore. Peace has replaced my anger. I miss things I would have liked to have learned from him, like gardening...I know it's something we could have enjoyed together, but really, I take comfort in my knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I think the hardest part is not having him here to enjoy Lucy...and really that's selfish on my part...I know he would think she's amazing and I want to hear him tell me how great she is. I want to overhear him tell someone else how "sharp" she is. I believe that there is something special about father's of daughters.

Around the time my dad died, Heavenly Father gave me someone wonderful. My father-in-law. I'm not sure what I expected a typical father-in-law to be like but I'm sure it wasn't what I have. I have been blessed with a sweet, tenderhearted man who hasn't hesitated to treat me as his own and share his life with me. He listens when I need him to, he answers my cooking questions (just like my dad did), he lets me curl up next to him on the couch, he gives advice when he knows I need it and loves me in just the way a father should. I realize now that all fathers are special and I feel so blessed to have been given two.

Happy Father's Day to my two special Dads and the sweet, sweet Father of my Lu and her Baby Brother, the love of my life.

Oh, and I hope Baby Brother looks just like this:

My Dad, probably around 1944.

Blog Button

2011-06-14T21:46:00.002-04:00

Can you believe I made a button and actually got all the html to work?
I followed this tutorial.

To get the button on your blog, click on the tab above.
Enjoy!

Oops!

2011-06-14T20:50:00.001-04:00

If you're in your reader and saw my ice cream post...close your eyes, forget you saw it, it's not done!!!

Did you know that inside blogger, ctrl+p=publish, not print!? Well, you do now.

I am guest posting at Something Swanky on Saturday and thought I'd have Tony, the King of English, look over my writing.

Our conversation went like this: "Will you read this over for me? I'll email it to you."

T: "Can you just print it?"

A: "Can't I just email it to you?"

T: {inconvenienced look}

A: "Okay, I'll print it."

click, click

A: OOOOohhhhhh Nooooo!!

As you can probably guess, I was really receptive to all his feedback at that point.

Check Something Swanky on Saturday for the full story.

random stuff

2011-06-14T09:58:00.000-04:00

Have you tried out Pinterest yet? It's pretty awesome.

Method's Sweet Water soap is my favorite smell ever and I just found out they make it in laundry soap and dryer sheets. I think I might look for the dryer sheets.

I have some projects in the works that I'm excited about,

some for the blog and some crafty stuff.

Oh, and because I can't post without a photo, here's my girl...

this picture (taken by her Dad) perfectly captures her personality.

Mango Sorbet Recipe

2011-06-12T07:55:00.001-04:00

I love Ataulfo Mangoes.

Love. Love. Love.

They are also called Champagne Mangoes, Honey Mangoes, Manilla Mangoes and a bunch of other names, but at the stores I frequent, they're always labeled Ataulfo. They're smaller and lighter than regular mangoes. And they taste divine. I have found they are better smaller, and when they're mostly a brighter yellow/orange color. They will ripen after they're picked, if you buy them greenish and keep them on the counter for a couple days. Watch them though, they go to wrinkles easily.

So, a friend of mine lent me her KitchenAid Ice Cream maker, and in the included recipe book was this little lovely, for Mango Sorbet.

Fresh Mango Sorbet

4 ripe but firm mangoes, about 12 oz. each, peeled, pitted and cubed

2/3 C Sugar

1/2 C Corn Syrup

6 T fresh lime or lemon juice

Combine everything in a food processor or blender and process or blend until thick and smooth.

Turn the machine ON, pour puree into freezer bowl and mix until thickened, about 25-30 minutes.

P.S. Here is a link for making ice cream (I suspect the same principles apply for sorbet) without an ice cream maker.

P.P.S. KitchenAid has no idea who I am, but oh how I wish they did so they could send me this, and this, and this. :)

Ten on Ten

2011-06-10T18:12:00.000-04:00

More Ten on Ten.

Yesterday...

2011-06-09T09:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we got to see some of our favorite guys!

We started with Baby Brother:

His kidney is enlarged again, much more significantly this time, and ureter is dilated. We're meeting with a pediatric urologist, probably next week, (he's on vaca this week) and have another ultra sound scheduled for later in the month. The good news is that we've been through all this before with Lucy. I think it's crazy that they have such a similar problem and neither Tony or I have heard of this kidney defect on either sides of our families. I'm glad to have a much better handle on it this time and feel better prepared for the testing and all that goes on with it. Remember the baby rotisserie?

Other than that, they said he looks great, he's in the 61st percentile for size and his estimated weight is 4lbs 10 oz. (+/-10oz). He measured about a week ahead so hopefully that means he'll come early, on his own. I'm hoping for a successful vbac. He's definitely a mover and a shaker and I'm excited to see the little fellow. He didn't have an opinion on his name though...we're still thinking on that one.

After that we got to wish Uncle Chris a Happy Birthday and then off to the "water balloon party" for Cameron. Lucy was so excited. She told everyone we ran into that day, before and after the party that "you take water balloons and you throw them and you get wet!"

"5!"

So excited, she's walking on air.

I could not love this face any more.

Cam is such an awesome playmate with Lucy. He has single-handedly prepared her for sisterhood to a brother. She and Cam pretty much fight like brother and sister but in recent months have become more peaceful playmates.

We're so lucky to have mischievous Crambone in our lives.

A Monday Memory...

2011-06-06T08:59:00.000-04:00

10 Years Ago Today:

I can't believe it's been ten years since I graduated from HS. It was not without it's share of boy drama, girl drama, and awkward haircuts but I really had an amazing experience. I loved high school and came away with some wonderful life-long friends.

Some of my favorite memories are:

Football Games, Road trips, Late night chatting, Christmas Dances, Homecomings, Proms, Freshman year Bio, working with Mrs. Arnold, May Crowning, Mass, College Visits, Playing at the park, the airport, retreats and especially Kairos. I'm sure there are a million more but this is what I can think of right now.

I had teachers who went the extra mile for me and I had teachers I didn't like so much. There were faculty who treated me like family and made sacrifices for me that I'll never be able to repay. So, thanks SUA, for such a great experience and preparation for a wonderful life that has since then, seen me through many different jobs, some college, losing a parent, a happy marriage, motherhood to 1 (almost 2) beautiful children, a solid faith in a loving Heavenly Father and gratitude for the sacrifice of His son Jesus Christ.

Soli Deo Gloria

Mmmm....donuts

2011-06-03T10:26:00.002-04:00

Sprinkles for the Lu.

Glazed for the Mama.

The doughnuts are pretty good. The induced a serious gigglefest. "You're funny!"

"Your camera's funny!"

Today is National Donut Day. Seriously.

You can go to Krispie Kreme and get a free donut. Seriously.

The recipe.

I ain't afraida no fish...or Dear Dad O,

2011-06-02T16:39:00.001-04:00

Did you know there are people in my family who like to hunt and fish?

I could serve you Venison and you'd have no idea it wasn't beef. For reals.

I am super intimidated when it comes to fish...it's so...fishy.

I mean, there are jokes about it, "This smells like a dumpster...let's eat it!"

Thanks, Jim Gaffigan.

When Tony and I were dating he made fried fish for me. I was skeptical to say the least. My previous fish experience included an occasional fish stick and chicken strips at Long John Silver's.

Tony's fish was divine. Did you know if the fish is fresh it doesn't taste fishy? It's actually really good. However, if you fry fish in an apartment, guess what your apartment smells like? Um, the dumpster at Long John Silver's.

So, my Father-in-Law gave me the fish they'd caught this weekend with a charge to cook it.

Challenge accepted and battle won. Tony said, "This is the best non-fried fish I've ever had."

I made "Magic Fish." Dubbed Magic Fish because it tastes so good it must be magic.

Ingredients
1/2 cup Parmesan cheese
1/4 cup butter, softened
3 tablespoons mayonnaise
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
1/4 teaspoon dried basil
1/4 teaspoon ground black pepper
1/8 teaspoon onion powder
1/8 teaspoon celery salt
2 pounds tilapia fillets

Directions

Preheat your oven's broiler. Grease a broiling pan or line pan with aluminum foil.
In a small bowl, mix together the Parmesan cheese, butter, mayonnaise and lemon juice. Season with dried basil, pepper, onion powder and celery salt. Mix well and set aside.
Arrange fillets in a single layer on the prepared pan. Broil a few inches from the heat for 2 to 3 minutes. Flip the fillets over and broil for a couple more minutes. Remove the fillets from the oven and cover them with the Parmesan cheese mixture on the top side. Broil for 2 more minutes or until the topping is browned and fish flakes easily with a fork. Be careful not to over cook the fish.

Now, I didn't use Tilapia obviously, because we were fishing in Michigan, not Florida. I used Pike and Blue Gills. Or as Lucy pronounces it: Blue Geels. I also forgot to get a lemon at the store but had limes on hand so I used that instead, I thought it was fantastic. I'm no longer afraid of the fish.

**Originally made by Pheobe, and then by Suzy, and then by Jen, and then by me.**

Twofer

2011-06-01T15:15:00.002-04:00

I don't want to post twice today, even though I have enough material and photos for two posts. I don't want to drag the weekend out any longer...so, here you go...

a LONG post with lots of stuff. Enjoy.

Memorial Day

***

Enjoy a small town parade:

We went to visit Uncle Coco and Auntie Alison...it was so good to see them and their new place. I definitely have apartment envy. After lunch, since we were so close, we drove over to the cemetery where my parents were laid to rest to plant some flowers.

I love the sunbeam on the eternity symbol.

Okay-post number two could be called:
Fishing in a Monsoon or more aptly, God Punishes Heathens who Fish on Sundays

Onofrio Family Bylaws state that "Each Saturday before Memorial Day one must find oneself in watercraft on Lee Lake or another suitable body of water." What can I say? Tony is a rule follower, even if they are self-inflicted. Despite the soggy weather, Tony's Summer was made getting to be in the boat with his Dad Saturday morning, however, Lucy and I didn't get a chance to join him until Sunday afternoon. It was a little cloudy but it had been cloudy for days so we weren't too concerned and didn't bother to check the weather report.

The first hour was pretty good, as you can see:

Lucy reeled in her own fish!

We'd all caught a few fish, there were a few other boats on the lake, and a jet-skier or two, when we started hearing some distant rumblings.

We thought-maybe it'll just blow over.

The rumbling got a bit louder and we realized we were the only ones still in the lake. As we headed for the dock it started to rain. Not just sprinkle, rain. We had to wait in line for the boat launch and so Lucy and I were in the middle of singing, "If all the rain drops were lemon drops and gum drops," we were laughing and catching raindrops. I was thinking what a fun memory this would be..."remember the time we were caught in the rain on the lake?"

Then it started to pour. Like, heavens opening, flash-flooding, pouring down, sheets of rain and heavy wind. I love having a quick-thinking husband who rammed the shore, I jumped out, pulled Lucy out and ran for the car amidst the rain, wind and flying debris. I was pelted in the arm with a rock and when I got into the car could hear the rocks flying up against the steel. Poor Tony had to wait for these other poor folks to get their boat in.
I could just make out his feet through the window.

Lucy and I were safe in the car when I heard the 5 words that no matter where you are, make a parent cringe.

"I have to go potty."

After the rain had died down a bit I introduced her to the pit toilet. Lovely.

Then we tried to drive home.

We ended up waiting a while for these nice folks to cut the tree out of the road. We saw downed trees the whole way. When we did finally return to home-base we found that the power was out. Did you know that your options for entertainment dramatically decrease without power? I read until the sun was completely gone and then we all decided to turn in early. It was actually pretty fun stumbling around in the dark. It felt a little like camping. Lucky for us the power came back on in the middle of the night and I could stop hoarding my phone battery power like Gollum protecting the ring.

***

So, there you have it. Our weekend, rain, wind, craziness, parades, cemeteries, fish, turtles, toads and a lot of fun family time.

Thank you

2011-05-30T21:57:00.002-04:00

Lucyism

2011-05-29T23:59:00.001-04:00

In the car on our way to the UC, Lucy was talking about an octopus, when Tony asked,

"Lucy, do you know why an octopus is called an octopus?"

Lucy: {Thinking} "More than one is called Octopi."

Tony: {Stunned Silence}

Lucy: Octopi, Apple Pie, Pumpkin Pie.

We have been having fun here in the land of soggy rain. I'll tell you all about the monsoon when we return. I can't leave you without a pic, here's baby bro's first fishing trip:

I look a bit...mmm...tired. Oh, that's because I am.

Oh-and I linked up the Rhubarb Cake with Lisa over at Sweet as Sugar Cookies.

Check it out!

THE SEARCH IS OVER!

2011-05-27T12:03:00.002-04:00

I found it! The definitive best chocolate chip cookie.

This is the one you want to use to impress your friends.

Now, I didn't have cake flour on hand so I sifted all-purpose flour and then measured out 1 3/4 C instead of the 2 C less 2 T the recipe calls for. I also used milk chocolate chips, because that's what I prefer and that's what I had. I thought the baking time looked a little long, 18-20 minutes(!), I was worried when the recipe said "brown." To me, brown = hard, crispy cookies, however, they turned out great. I baked them between 13-15 minutes and was nervous about the brown but man, these babies are good. Exactly how you want a chocolate chip cookie to be, crispy on the outside and chewy on the inside. I used Kosher salt on the outside instead of Sea salt, again, cause that's what I had, and it really adds to the flavor. YUM! This recipe will stay in our permanent file. Lucy and I followed the instructions and enjoyed them while they were still warm. I'm going to miss them when I go back on the Zone after Baby Brother arrives. Oh-and he still doesn't have a name...and I fit into like 0.5% of my wardrobe which is super frustrating.

I have a revolving problem here.

Recipe found in the New York Times.

We're off to UC for the weekend...see you when we get back!

Rhubarb Streusel Cake

2011-05-26T21:42:00.001-04:00

I love all desserts rhubarb. We had giant rhubarb plants that grew behind our garage every Summer, and looking back on it, there were a lot of years that went by with nary a pie in sight. Sad. I didn't start to love rhubarb pie until I became an adult. I was over at my Dad's/Grandma's place, and we made a rhubarb pie together. I was hooked, I loved it and couldn't believe how easy it was. After he died, I read in his journal about that day and how much he'd enjoyed it. I'll always love rhubarb pie the best.

I have been wanting to make this cake since last spring and like I've said before, storms make me want to bake. Since its been raining like crazy here, this seemed a perfect opportunity. The original recipe includes a vanilla sauce but I didn't have evaporated milk. I toyed with the idea of making some of my own but didn't have the patience. Not knowing the difference, I thought the cake was wonderful; perfectly moist with a yummy, crunchy streusel top.

Cake:

2 tablespoons butter, softened

1 cup sugar

1 egg

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/2 teaspoon salt

1 cup buttermilk

2 cups chopped fresh or frozen rhubarb

Streusel Topping:

1/2 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup sugar

4 tablespoons butter, melted

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Lightly grease a 9-inch square baking dish and set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, cream together the butter and sugar for the cake. Beat in the egg. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Add the dry ingredients to the creamed butter/sugar mixture alternately with the buttermilk, beating just until moistened. Fold in the chopped rhubarb. Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the batter to the edges.

In a medium bowl, combine the streusel topping ingredients, mixing them together until the mixture is coarse and combined. Sprinkle the streusel evenly over the batter. Bake for 40-45 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean and the top of the cake is lightly browned. Cool on a wire rack.

**Originally made by: Mel**

Happy End-of-School!

2011-05-25T20:15:00.000-04:00

Today was the last day of Mom School. We meant to get together to play at the park to celebrate the end of the year but it has been pouring rain all day, so we met at one of the Mom's houses and played. I have had such a great experience with Mom School and plan to do it again next year, even with fewer kids. I'm so grateful to have friends who were interested in doing this and all the planning and enthusiasm they put into it.

Thank you every one for all the fun and learning this year. I know Lucy looked forward to it every week and always had trouble sleeping on Tuesday nights. It's hard to believe the year is over, but bring on SUMMER!

Say "Cheese!"

2011-05-22T21:17:00.002-04:00

Have I ever told you how hard Tony is to buy for? He is tough. He has expensive taste (gadgets don't come cheap!) and he saves his pocket money well to buy the things he wants. His Love Language is not gifts. Sometimes I take the easy way out and just add some money to whatever he's saving for or a gift card to the store where he'll get it, but the best gifts I've given him were to find things he didn't know he wanted. A few months ago when Jen and I were at Zingerman's for lunch, I saw in their flyer that they had classes on how to make Mozzarella cheese. Onofrios love cheese and the top on Tony's cheese list is Mozzarella. Caprese is a Summer staple around here. I thought it would be such a fun Father's day gift, however, due to their facilities, Zingerman's only offers the class Sept.-May. I told Tony about my idea (if he'd mind an early Father's day gift) and he asked if I'd want to go with him for Mother's day. It was awesome. I won accolades for "the best gift you've ever give me," and Tony won accolades from our instructor, "most stellar cheese maker." Big surprise, right?

It was so much fun, extremely well organized and we came away with a lot of knowledge, confidence to make cheese at home and two big bags of cheese.

We learned to make cheese from milk, where we started simply with a gallon of cream line milk. We also learned to make it from curd. We ended up with, and this is not an exaggeration, the best Mozzarella cheese I've ever had. Maybe because we made it ourselves it tasted better, but it had so much more flavor than what you get in the grocery store, I'd like to believe it truly was better. We made Fiore di Latte, Mozzarella with Myrtle, and Burrata.

For lunch today, we made BLT's with some of our cheese. Man alive were they yummy.

This was such a fun way to spend time together and will probably not be the last Zingerman's class we take. I just saw they have pizza classes at the Bakehouse, and since I have recently vowed to give up making pizza at home (mine is never as good as any you can buy for less than $10.00) I seriously want to take this one and redeem my at-home pizza.

Thanks Zingerman's! We loved it!

Zooin' it!

2011-05-21T09:36:00.001-04:00

We went to the Zoo yesterday.

Perfect weather.

Happy Family.

Such a good day.

Here are some of my favorite pictures.

Tony took most of them, it was nice to be in some for a change.

This fish thought Lucy would make a good snack. It followed her as she moved around.

I want the Nature's Neighborhood in my backyard.

She wanted a turn being a goat.

Pascal!

The times...how they change.

This picture makes me laugh.

LIONS!

TIGERS!

BEARS!

Oh my.

Click here to see the rest of the zoo pictures.

This fun weekend isn't over yet! Today is cheese class!

The Garden is in!

2011-05-19T19:41:00.000-04:00

Well, I was worried it would rain all day and we would be planting in the rain-but hallelujah! The sun came out just in time!

This year we have the usual Zucchini, Summer Squash, and Tomatoes (a new, promising variety) and new this year are Watermelon and Strawberries.

She did not want her picture taken.

Sugar Cookies

2011-05-17T13:47:00.001-04:00

I have some news for you. I like to bake.

We're having a bit of a boring day today-see what qualifies as news?

I have a lot of good cookie recipes. I have different recipes for different needs, like time requirement, involvement, ingredients, memory attached, etc. I have both my Grandma's sugar cookie recipes. My Dad's Mom baked a lot. She was always making some kind of bread or cookies or pie. I have tried to make her sugar cookies and mine are not quite as good as hers. I'll need to practice them a bit more. My Mom's Mom baked and cooked a lot too. She was a fantastic cook, specializing in comfort foods, like any respectable Grandma. Some things I can specifically remember are her sugar cookies, Sloppy Joes (which I can not stop calling Sloppy José's for some reason), potato soup and mashed potatoes.

I'm a treat-aholic. I love treats. Especially sweet treats. Especially savory treats. Especially sweet and savory treats. I like treats. Can you tell this pregnancy has put a bit of a hiatus on my diet? Anyway, Tony isn't much for sweets. He likes pumpkin desserts, fine chocolates, some ice creams, and usually desserts with peanut butter. Oh-and Rice Krispie Treats (from the store). Oh, and Dove Bars. Mmmm...anyway. Regular old sugar cookies or chocolate chip cookies, he could take them or leave them. So, when I make cookies, I end up eating most of them. It's not good for my bum. Really not good. I'm looking forward to a lot of calorie burning after baby brother is born.

So-this is my favorite sugar cookie recipe, shared with me by a good friend of mine. I don't think she'll mind me sharing it with all of you. I decrease the recipe because it makes a lot, but like she says, they freeze well, so maybe stash away a few dozen for a cookie emergency.

Sugar Cookies

4 C flour*
2 tsp baking powder
1 tsp salt
1 ½ C shortening
1 ½ C sugar
2 beaten eggs
1 C milk
1 tsp soda dissolved in 1 T hot water
1 tsp vanilla (or almond or lemon extract)

Mix flour, baking powder, salt, shortening and sugar as you might a pie crust until pea-sized crumbles form. Combine eggs, milk, soda/water mixture and vanilla. Add to flour mixture until just combined. Roll to about 1/4" thick and cut out shapes as desired. (I usually do that with half the dough at a time). Bake on lightly greased cookie sheet at 350° for 8-10 minutes or until the cookies brown slightly around the edges. Cool and frost with your favorite buttercream. Baked cookies freeze quite well.

*When the dough is mixed, it will be quite sticky. If it seems so sticky that I can't handle it, I'll sometimes add more flour before rolling it out. Chilling the dough might also help, although I almost never do. You'll probably also need to use a pretty liberal amount of flour to roll and cut out. However, I've found that too much flour/handling can result in a tough dough. It's a tricky balance, but I think these cookies are totally worth the mess and effort.

****

Now, after trying several frosting recipes and being disgusted with most of them (too powered sugary-blech!), I turn to where I always turn for something yummy. You know what I'm going to say. PW. Here is our favorite frosting recipe from, MissyDew. You can find the original post on Tasty Kitchen.

The Best Frosting I've Ever Had

5 T Flour
1 C Milk
1 t Vanilla
1 C Butter
1 C Granulated Sugar

Bake your favorite chocolate cake and let it cool. {or the sugar cookies listed above}
In a small saucepan, whisk flour into milk and heat, stirring constantly, until it thickens. You want it to be very thick, thicker than cake mix, more like a brownie mix is. Remove from heat and let it cool to room temperature. (If I’m in a hurry, I place the saucepan over ice in the sink for about 10 minutes or so until the mixture cools.) It must be completely cool before you use it in the next step. Stir in vanilla.

While the mixture is cooling, cream the butter and sugar together until light and fluffy. You don’t want any sugar graininess left. Then add the completely cooled milk/flour/vanilla mixture and beat the living daylights out of it. If it looks separated, you haven’t beaten it enough! Beat it until it all combines and resembles whipped cream.

Grab a spoon and taste this wonderful goodness. If there is any left after your taste test, spread it on a cooled chocolate cake.

Enjoy!

Fun and Food-that's what we do here.

2011-05-15T18:14:00.002-04:00

This week has been fun and not fun. Tony has been down with Strep. Ew.

That's been the not so fun part.

Since he's been home, we've had the car more than usual, which has been fun.

On Wednesday, we had preschool where we did a little nature scavenger hunt. One of the items on the list was an acorn. Lucy said to me, "We need to find an acorn, so we'll need to look for an Oak tree." I was a bit flabbergasted. I'm not sure I remembered that acorns come from Oaks.

After preschool we went to a little commercial audition for a local business. It was fun, Lucy did great, but I'll be really surprised if they call. After, we went to Lucy's favorite place, Panera, and took our lunch to the park to enjoy.

"Cream cheese kiss"

Some other fun stuff we've done this week:

Blew bubbles with a friend

Had lunch with friends

Playgroup

Played with cousins

Book club (Wednesday Wars-2 thumbs up)

Passed the glucose test! Hooray. I was worried about this one.

Found some good deals at garage sales

Had dinner with some wonderful life-long friends
Went geocaching

Finished a really good book (A Proper Pursuit)
Regional Conference

Now for the food part. For dinner tonight I tried Mel's BBQ Chicken Braid. It turned out really good. I made coleslaw to go with it and that was even better on top of the braid. Yum. I think we'll do this for our next picnic meal. Now because I'm the only one eating around here there is a lot left over. I should note that I used my own French bread recipe and I used Vidalia onions instead of red, I don't care for the pungency of the red. Wish you were here for leftovers.

Partnership

2011-05-08T09:49:00.000-04:00

I've been thinking about how as a mother, I wouldn't be nearly the mother I am without the amazing mothers I have followed, my own mother, my sister, my grandmothers, my mother-in-law, the countless women who have mothered me over my life, but a bit more than that, I wouldn't be the mother I am without the partner I chose. Today, I am thankful for a husband who encourages and inspires me to continually be a better mother. Parenting is a partnership, it's hard work, and it takes both of us to handle the challenges and is so much sweeter to share it's joys.

I partner with Tony as we partner with the Lord. When I was going in for my back surgery in '08, and my biggest concern wasn't the surgery itself, it was being away from my daughter. Tony gave me a blessing of comfort and in it he described the special bond between Lucy and I and how Heavenly Father loves her more than we love her. I couldn't, and still can't, fathom that kind of love. How could He love her more than I do? But He does. And if He loves her, that means He loves me. I'm so thankful to a perfect Heavenly Father who knew that through parenting we would most learn to be like our Savior and return to Him.

I came across this article recently, by Darla Isackson, and it's message really resonated with me. Here is a little portion of it.

"I don’t remember the moment that it hit me. But suddenly Matthew 25:40 took on a whole new meaning—an application to mothering. You know the scripture; it’s the one where the Lord explains the best reason for treating others well, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.” Because they are so busy with mundane daily tasks of family life, most mothers are famous for asking the questions that precede those profound words, “Lord, when saw we thee an hungered, and fed thee? Or thirsty, and gave thee drink? When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? Or naked, and clothed thee? Or when saw we thee sick, . . . and came unto thee?” (Matthew 25: 37-39)

Yet who does all those things more consistently than mothers? They patiently give food to their hungry children--many times a day. They give them water when they are thirsty, and clothe them when they are naked--which is much more often than at bath-time for many little ones! They nurse their children through endless nights of illness, and come to them, “visit” them constantly to fill their every need. Yet mothers tend to say, “that doesn’t count,” and feel they are not doing their part when they have little time or energy to serve outside the home. All of us as mothers need to allow ourselves to feel the Savior’s appreciation for our service to His little ones, our own children.

There is so much to learn from the words, “Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these . . .Ye have done it unto me.” No mother can tenderly nurture her baby, or do her best to comfort an older child without meriting the Savior’s commendation for doing what He would do if He were present."

Happy Mother's Day to all the special mothers in my life and for their choice to follow Him.

20 years ago today...

2011-05-04T13:19:00.000-04:00

I will forever be thankful to parents who lead me, guided me and showed me the way.

"Wait...you can't eat yet...I have to take a picture."

2011-05-02T21:08:00.000-04:00

I take pictures of our food before we eat it. :)

I made PW's Grilled Chicken & Pineapple Quesadillas.

Super yum. You sick of hearing about how good her recipes are? Too bad.

I'm going to keep making them.

My helper and Lucyisms

2011-05-01T17:34:00.000-04:00

We got to watch Genny one day last week. We were so excited. Lucy wanted to help with everything. When it came time to feed her I let Lucy take over. She did such a great job. Genny was a bit leary at first but when she realized the spoon kept returning she seemed okay with it.

Lucy has said some funny things lately that I want to record:

We were in the car running errands on Saturday and she was playing with her glittery bunny ears that were in her Easter basket.

She said: "How come the glitter doesn't come off?"

Me: "It's stuck on with really strong glue."

Lucy: "Like duck glue?"

Me: ???

Then I realized she meant "Duct Glue," like the tape-she knows Duct tape is really strong tape.

Me: "Yup, duck glue." :)

Lucy has been working really hard at keeping her pull-ups dry at night, she went on an 8 day dry spell, ending on Saturday morning. She slept in Saturday which I suspect was her demise. When she goes 14 days in a row and is ready to wear underwear to bed she gets to go to Chuck E. Cheese. She's never been but is sure it will be the highlight of her life. So, when she woke up wet she was disappointed, but I've been sure not to blame her or make her feel bad. I just told her, it's alright, her body is just telling her it's not ready to wear underwear at night yet and when it is, we'll celebrate. This morning, she woke up dry.

She said, "14 days!"

Me: "Yup, just 13 more."

Lucy: "My body's not ready for cottage cheese."