Coming to a close...

I've spent this week with my boys.

No work... I only opened my email ONCE to get an address!! 

Just Family.


Last year, the two little boys in my life were still little...

*Broken Record Alert*

Evan grew SO much this year... not just physically, but emotionally and mentally. 

He is so different... in a good way... but sometimes, as I look back at pictures, I wish I would have paused a little longer over the year to really soak in what little bit of boy was left... because it is fast disappearing!

Ryan... oh my dear Ryan.  His personality has REALLY come to the surface more and more this year.  He is so loving, and wears his emotion on his sleeve.  He is fast losing all signs of babyness... although, I think he will be little slower in this area than his big brother... simply because he is Ryan... and that's Ryan's way. 

Every year, I choose a word to focus on for the entire year... something to keep in the back of my mind as I go through my days... as I thought about this last year, and things I wanted from the next... I considered several words... .but they were to passive.  Words like Linger... Ponder.

I wanted something with more ACTION... more involvement.  I seem to get caught up in what the end goal is rather than immersing myself in the action of actually doing it.  Great for work projects... not so great for MOM projects.

And that led me to the word I have chosen for the new year...

Engage. 

(And I didn't think about the Star Trek reference until I just typed it... so SHHHHHH.)

Christmas Wrap Up

The boys had a great Christmas... and so did Mark and I!

Both the boys slept downstairs in the "guest" bedroom... Because that's cooler than their own rooms I guess! 

I could hear them around 630, and had told them they were NOT allowed to peak their heads up the stairs until I came down and go them.

Such good boys... I went downstairs and found this:

Two sleepy eyed boys trying to be VERY GOOD at following directions! 

We always let them open their Santa gift first... then make them wait while all the gifts are sorted out before opening anymore.

Evan received a set of framed Native American Art prints... Kachina Dolls in fact.  Ryan received a work bench. 

Both boys were totally spoiled again this year!  My favorite moment was when Ryan opened the gift Evan had picked out for him... A "Woody" doll (from Toy Story).  As soon as he saw what was in the box, he shoved it into my lap and asked me to open it... then ran into his room.  Mark could see him from the living room throwing things out of his toy box in a desperate search... and all the sudden, I knew he was looking for his Buzz doll... which was on the couch.  We called him back into the living room... he grabbed Buzz and Woody held them close so they could see each other, and give each other a kiss. 

Evan had unwrapped everything in about 45 mins... even with us trying our hardest to slow him down.  It took Ryan until about noon to finish opening his gifts because he wanted to stop and figure out how everything worked before moving on!  So totally different!!

Anyway, the rest of our day can be summed up in just two pictures...  

Wishing you the best...

This will probably be the last post until after the holidays... Hope you and yours have a wonderful weekend!

Ryan was VERY excited that Ho Ho came to his daycare... when I walked in the door, he started BEGGING to go see him (he had walked through the center, and then went into another room so the kids could come visit with their parents).  He not so calmly waited his turn... and when Mr Derrick called his name, he ran up and crawled right into his lap!  He even talked (a little on the shy side) to him and asked for a Woody and Buzz please. 

And it just so happened that Santa had brought a little Pre Christmas gift...

At this point, he recognized the package and went a little nuts... and everything else is blurry! 

Love how excited they get at this age!

You Gotta Love Innocent Little Boys

So, today we went to Old Navy to get the VERY LAST gift for Christmas...

While we were there, Ryan discovered the HUGE bouncy ball dispensing machine...

And he wanted one, REALLY BAD.

He kept trying to turn the handle and then would look into the slot to see if anything came out.

He told me, "MOM! It's broken!" 

Silly mom said, "Oh, it's not broken, you need money." 

I mentally kicked myself, don't worry.

"MOM! Can I have some money?" rang out for a good three minutes while I flipped through the clearance rack.

Then I discovered they were only 25 cents... and I thought that was worth a happy boy in the store, so I pulled a quarter out, showed him how to put it in and he turned the knob... squealing "It WORKING!!! It WORKING!!!!" Soon, there was a gentle thumb of a ball rolling down into the shoot... and he wasted no time pulling it out and showing me!

(He then tried to eat it because he thought it was candy.)

As we started to walk away to purchase THE LAST GIFT!!!!... he ran back to the machine...

"MOM!  You forgot your MONEY!"

Watch out for TABLES

Ryan and I play a game during our commute.

Remember when you had to lift your feet and touch a screw going over railroad tracks... and when you had to hold your breath on a bridge?? 

It's kind of like that. 

We giggle and squeal "OH NO!" and 'Don't FALL DOWN!!" and all that fun stuff as we go down hills (ramps usually).

And as we go under overpasses he yells:

OH NO DON'T BONK YOUR HEAD ON THE TABLE!!!

Yeah.  No clue why an overpass is a table... but it is!!

So watch out for Tables.

My NEW Most Favorite Thing I Have Ever Crafted.

So, yesterday, my friend Robyn asked me to come over and help her overcome some creative block on a project she had been working on for awhile.

(FYI: While cute, this isn't it... keep reading.)

This is what we came up with... while we were waiting for the paint to dry on the cloths pins that will go along the bottom (to hold snapshots!!! how CUTE!!!)... we were talking about OTHER boards she wanted to make.

She said something about not being able to decide on the phrase and rattled off a few things... and then my brain went into OVERDRIVE. 

One of the phrases she mentioned was "Believe" ... and I said, "Well, we could do Believe and replace the dot on i with a star..." and THEN THEN...

I just want you to be really aware of how excited I was about this idea.

If I had been in the room with anyone OTHER than Robyn at the moment the idea was conceived... I'm pretty sure they wouldn't have understood the words that flew out my mouth in rapid fire... incomplete sentences... mostly because as she started nodding that she was following my train of thought, I'd stop mid-sentance and move onto the NEXT step of the idea. 

While we were designing the layout... and she would pull up an image or a font, and it would BE what I saw in my head... I would literally bounce in my seat and giggle. 

THIS is why I love crafting with Robyn.  We speak the same language... and we get excited about the SAME things.

Anyway... if we're FB friends, you saw the "almost done" pictures... here it is in all it's glory...

It was actually a very simple process... first I painted the board, I used a streaky mix of a bright red, black and brown... it gave it a little bit of a weathered appearance. 

Then, once the paint was dry, we laid down the simple nativity scene in vinyl... rubbed the edges really really well to seal it, and painted over with a solid red... in a fairly light coat so that some of the browns and blacks would show through and provide a little bit of variation.  

While the top coat was still a little tacky, I pulled up the vinyl figures (very gently so that we could reuse them!), revealing the slightly darker paint from my first layer... which makes it appear as a subtle shadow. 

After the paint from the top layer was completely dried, we laid down the wording and the star. 

I then took a black stamp pad and rubbed it along the edges and in a few choice spots to give it an weathered, dimensional look.

Last, a light coat of MinWax Finishing Paste to give it the perfect aged patina!

I LOVE LOVE LOVE it.  

And I can't wait until we make the second board we invisioned...

*sigh* Brothers... Holidays... Heart Stings...

Last week, Ryan and I had the chance to walk Evan to school.  As a working mom, it's something I don't get to do very often.  It may seem silly, after all, it's just two brothers walking down the street... but did you notice the Santa hat???  Did you notice Evan swinging Ryan's hand back and forth as he looks down at his little brother... you can't hear it, but they are singing... "He knows if you are sleeping... he knows if you're awake... "

I never thought there would be enough room in my heart for this!!

Love Love Love Pinterest

I know it's simple... a clear ornament, a little holly, and my wedding invitation.

No one can actually READ the curled paper inside, but as I hung it on the tree, I knew what it was celebrating... and after all, it's all about me, lol!

2 Year Old Logic

So, my back has been killing me the last few days.

I think it's mostly caused by a little visitor I get at about 3 am every morning that wants to crawl in bed with me and snuggle.  He's cute, and I'm tired, and so I give in to him, and spend the last two hours of my night with a 2 year old taking up my half of the bed!

Anyway, I thought that maybe a little light exercise would help loosen things up.

It's too cold outside, and the air quality is too bad for a normal walk, so I hit the treadmill.

Ryan comes down and says, "What are you doing?"

Me: Walking.

R: Where you walking too?

M: No where.

R: MOMMY!  You so silly you can't walk NO WHERE!

If my head wasn't pounding from the tension headache caused by my back ache... I'm pretty sure I could come up with a philosophical life lesson in that!

Oh, how I love this time of year...

I surprised Ryan with a vase full of lights as his new night light.

I think he liked them.

And this is one of those moments that recharge my "mom" batteries!

Asian Turkey (well, that's what the recipe said to use) Meatballs with Lime Dipping Sauce

I've said it 5 million times.

I don't like following step by step instructions.

You know scavenger hunts?  They drive me nuts. 

Doling out instructions one step at a time???  THEY REALLY FRUSTRATE ME.

Same with cooking.

This is why I'm not a great baker.

It's those stupid instructions that have to do with chemistry.  (Of course, if I understand their is a reason behind the step, I'm much better at following it... mostly because it's like me nodding along "Uh, huh, yeah, I totally know that".)

Anyway, HERE'S what I started with.

It was AWESOME!!!  I wasn't sure if Mark and Evan would like it, so I made potstickers and fried rice to go with it. 

The recipe called for ground turkey.  Well, ground turkey is $7 a pound right now where I live. 

Luckily, my favorite grocery store has it's own butcher shop... and they ground up a boneless/skinless chicken breast and a pork loin chop for me. 

Because they love me. 

I'm sure they wouldn't do it for anyone else.

Anyway, I added the pork chop because the chicken needed a little something *cough*fat*cough* ... you could just as easily do a chicken thigh or something like that.  Plus the recipe called for 1 1/4 lb of ground meat and my chicken breast was just shy of a lb.  The pork loin brought it up just enough.

I also added more cilantro than it called for, and I added a little cilantro to the dipping sauce.  Honestly, you can't go wrong with cilantro in my book.

WHEN I make it again (because my family loved it), I will cut the soy in the dipping sauce.  It was REALLLLLLLY salty, even with using low sodium soy.  I think the lime juice just amplified it.  We served it with some fried rice, so, when you ate a bite of rice with the sauce and meatball, it was okay.  

Anyway, here's what I wrote down as my new recipe... granted the dipping sauce might need to be tweaked a little, but this is how I plan on making it next go around! 

Meatballs
1-1/4 lbs ground meat... in my case, chicken and pork. (I think you could use beef is you really wanted)
1/4 cup Panko crumbs
1 egg
1/2 t ginger (the recipe called for fresh, I never have fresh ginger)
2 cloves garlic, minced
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/3 cup chopped fresh cilantro
3 scallions, chopped
1 tablespoon low sodium soy sauce
2 teaspoons sesame oil

Lime Dipping Sauce
2 tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
1 tablespoon Japanese rice wine vinegar
1 teaspoon sesame oil
Juice of 2 limes 
2 tablespoons water
1 chopped fresh scallion
1 tablespoon chopped fresh cilantro

Mix all the meatball ingredients and form into balls (I ended up with 16 1 1/2 inch balls).  Bake on 500 for 15-20 mins.  (I used a meat thermometer to make sure I reached a safe temp, esp since I was using chicken!)

Whisk all the dipping sauce ingredients together.

I served it with some basic brown fried rice and some potstickers.  We had enough left overs for me to freeze for lunches this week!  YAY me!!

The end.

Evan's Ornament

I love the song Silver Bells.  It's not my favorite Christmas song at all.

But it is a song loaded with memories. 

It was my Grandma's favorite song. 

Last year I found these little wooden bells in the clearance sales, and bought up every one that they had.

This year, as I started to prep for Christmas, I pulled out my stash of wooden ornaments and of course, I had to start with the bells.


I'll admit it, I got a little teary eyed... My grandmother had lived with us (well, she had a trailer on our property) for many many years.   We spent a lot of time with her.  She died when I was a teenager.

Evan asked what was wrong... and I started telling him about Grandma.   We stopped painting and pulled out scrapbooks and talked about her family (it's the Irish side) and where they came from, and it was a huge trip down memory lane. 

After it was all said and done, Evan asked if he could please have a silver bell as his ornament this year so he could remember Grandma Alice too.

The Giant Tree of 2011

 Yes, I realize that allowing a 2 year old to climb to the top of a ladder might not be high up on the "good" parenting decisions, however, in the case of allowing him to actually decorate more than 1/10th of the tree that he could reach without the ladder, we decided that it would be appropriate with supervision.

And no matter how many times we tried to get him to use the step stool he would have NOTHING of it.

And please, don't point out that my window frame still doesn't have a all the pictures.  Today... maybe.

Anyway.  It took FOR-Ev-ER.

It is about 50 feet tall, and 100 feet around.  The lights took me all of one day.  Ryan was sick on Tuesday... not deathly ill, but sick enough he just wanted to watch "Monkey" (Curious George), so I spent most of the afternoon arm deep in the tree, tucking lights around the branches.


Most of our ornaments are hand painted wooden ones.  Each year I make a new one for the boys... when they move out and have their own tree, they will get to take them with.  I also make one or two for Mark and I.  I love them.  They each have a memory and a story.  There are several that have been gifts from loved ones and friends as well.  I love that about our tree!

I am glad that one of my purchases a few months ago at Michaels was a $2.50 skein of yarn... the white "garland" is actually white pom pom yarn!   I had bought it on sale thinking it would look cute tied around packages, a little on the tree, some on the banister, etc.  After all 46 yards would go a long way.

46 yards, minus the 3-4 yards I used on the banister is what it took to cover this giant!  But for $2.50, I was pretty impressed.  I love it, esp on this giant!

So, it's all decorated... a little sparse toward the top on the lights... and a little sparse all over on the ornaments!  But each ornament has a wonderful story and memory, so it's fuller than it looks!

My Little Birdy

Evan's job in bringing home the Christmas tree was to SIT on it.  He rode on the back of the Ranger, and in the tree!  The whole ride down the mountain, Ryan kept turning and looking at his brother through the window and saying "Evan a BIRDY!" 

When we stopped to unlock the gate, I jumped out and snapped this picture of my very grown up looking birdy. 

Seriously, he's breaking my heart this year with his adorable "young man" looks and attitude!  

Not sure which would smell worse...

Riding behind a bunch of reindeer rears or in Mark's stinky shoe????

A Favorite is Passed Down

Ages ago, my beautiful friend Elizabeth gave me this Santa door hanger that she had painted.

I LOVE him.  First of all, he's a hand crafted gift, my favorite!  Secondly, he's made of wood, which means he's durable and touchable and beautiful all in one!

Ever since Evan was little, each Christmas, I would hang the Santa on his door knob. 

I've had to touch up his paint job a few times, but he has smiled sweetly and jangled each year from Evan's door. 

And Evan has loved him dearly.  He's the first thing he would reach for when we brought out the boxes of decorations, and I was never allowed to put him away until the very last.

And this year, Evan sweetly allowed for the Jolly Ol' Elf to hang from his brother's door.

I pulled him out last night while the boys were driving back from their adventure.  Ryan was completely asleep, so he went straight to bed without noticing the decorations.

This morning though, I heard his door open, Santa jangling a little, then a surprised gasp and "HOHO!!!"  (Ryan calls Santa Claus "HoHo").

He came running into our room and announced, "MaMa!  HoHo in my ROOM!"

Then he ran back to his door, "Goo Morn-ing my HoHo!"

I must say, it was a wonderful way to wake up! 

Rite of Passage

Happy Thanksgiving

I hope your day was filled with the people you love...

Mine was!

The Snowflake Craft

So, my son says to me last night after he was on his third bowl of the soup I made for dinner, "Mom, this dinner is so good! You should put it on pinterest."

Which I think might be a sign that pinterest has become a VERY big part of our lives.  But why not??  Esp when it encourages me to upcycle something like THIS:

It look VERY complicated and intricate. 

And don't tell the people who are getting them as gifts, but they ARE ANYTHING BUT!

In fact, Evan whipped out two in about 30 mins.  

The hardest part is folding the strips of paper... first figuring out the weight (how many folds) and then getting them as perfectly straight as you can.

 We used an old dictionary... newspaper, or any other paper type will work.  For the glue, I used two different types: to seal the folded strips I used a plain old glue stick; to glue the strips together, I used a craft glue called "Glossy Accent".  It dries super fast, and is super strong.  (Think superglue, but easier to clean up!)

We found the tutorial here:  House Revivals: Make a Woven Star 

As always, once I understood the concept, I didn't really follow her directions for all my stars. 

The star pictured here though is her "Star #1" 

Oh, and there is not fluffy tinsel on mine.  But, I will probably distress them this weekend! Because shiny silver isn't my cup of tea, but aged shabby sure is! 

Don't be intimidated! 

Try it, you'll see how simple it really is!

(Plus, since you are using something that you would normally trash, it's practically free!  How can you go wrong!)  

More Food.

I know, I know... I've been blogging a lot about food lately... but when the weather turns cold, my family is actually INTERESTED in trying all the recipes I've horded all year!

This week's hit was Crispy Southwest Chicken Wraps

I did not call them that in my kitchen.

I called them Crispy Burritos.  Because if I tried to call them something fancy, my family would not eat them. 

They torture me like that.

SO... The recipe that I didn't follow (my changes are between the * *s.)

1 cup cooked rice *brown of course, which just so you know, I make in big batches and freeze in zip locks*
1 cup cooked, shredded chicken *I was lazy and bought a rotisserie, then froze the leftovers for another day*
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained *see my comment about the rice... but ignore the word brown*
1 green onion, finely sliced (white and green parts)
1/2 red or green pepper, diced *I used red, and added extra*
1/4 cup fresh cilantro, chopped
juice of 1 lime *I used two*
1/2 tablespoon chili powder
1 teaspoon ground cumin
1/2 teaspoon garlic salt
2 cup shredded cheese *I only used 1*
*1/4-1/2 c sour cream*
8-10 flour tortillas

Mix everything except the cheese, sour cream, salsa and tortillas.  The instructions said to fill your tortillas right then and there.  I was making this for a weeknight meal on a Sunday, so I stopped after mixing it all and made pumpkin bread instead.

I think it was a super good idea... the lime had a chance to mingle with everything and it tasted way better the next day.  (I know because I may have snuck a few bites both days.)

To put it all together:  Warm a tortilla, spread a small spoonful of sour cream down the center, sprinkle with a little bit of cheese, place a heaping spoonful of the filling into the center, and roll her up.  (I warmed my mix back up in the microwave, just to take the chill off before assembling.)

Do that until all your filling is gone.  I ended up with 10 burritos. 

Then place them, fold side down, on a hot skillet and brown on both sides. 

Just to make them more yummy looking, I also sprinkled a little cheese on the top and melted it.

We ate it with a nice green salad and salsa.

A New Family Favorite

My family actually LOVES panini and other sandwiches for dinner.

So when I found THIS recipe on Pinterest, I had to give it a go... adjusted for our family of course!

I was pretty sure the poppy seeds would not go over well... plus I didn't want to buy a bottle of them just for this recipe. 

Instead, I took the general idea and made up my own butter mix!

It was a HUGE success... even Ryan ate two whole sandwiches... and he is my grazer/picky eater!

Ham and Cheese Sliders, slightly adapted!

12 good dinner rolls
12 slices GOOD ham slices, we used Boarheads Sweet Slice
6 slices swiss cheese (I only used 1/2 a slice for each roll)
Mayo (enough to spread lightly on each side of the rolls)

Assemble sandwiches:  Cut rolls in half, spread each side with mayo, layer on your ham and cheese.  (Not sure if I needed to spell that out, but I did anyway!!)  Squeeze tightly into a baking dish.

For Sauce:
2 T butter, melted
1 T mustard (Evan doesn't even LIKE mustard, and he loved these)
1 t chopped onion
Dash of Worcestershire sauce

Whisk the sauce ingredients until well blended... add anything else you feel like.  I think next time, I might add a little parsley.

Pour over the rolls.  Let setup for 10-15 mins.

Place in a 350 oven for 10-15 mins.

Serve warm!

It started as "Ring around the Rosie"

I really don't think I need to say anything else... 

Tis the Baking Season

So, we had every intention of making some cookies this weekend.

And then I remembered how much fun it is to mix up the batter with the boys...

Put that first tray of cookies in together and wait for the timer with 'bated breath...

And then be abandoned to finish the six hundred thousand more trays by myself.

So, I found a recipe for Pumpkin Bread instead.

All the yumminess of pumpkin chocolate chip cookies, without the abandoning part!

Yay Me!

So, I found a recipe... which was pretty good looking... but I did change it JUST a touch.

(I have discussed my inability to follow directions, right??)

Actually, the only thing is that I had inadvertently run out of nutmeg!

I did discover I have 3 jars of cumin. 

Random.

Anyway, since I was missing the nutmeg... I examined my choices (don't worry, I only considered by plethora of cumin for a few seconds).

I had ginger, cinnamon and PUMPKIN PIE SPICE.

Enjoy.

King Arthur Pumpkin Bread

1 c veg oil (next time, I think I will try half and half applesauce/oil)

2 2/3 c sugar (again, with the applesauce, I'll drop this a touch)

4 eggs

1 15 oz can pumpkin puree

2/3 c water

3 1/3 c flour

1/2 t baking powder

2 t baking soda

1 1/2 t salt

1 t nutmeg (or in my case, pumpkin pie spice)

1 t vanilla extract

1 cup chocolate chips

Mix oil, sugar, eggs, pumpkin and water until well blended.  Add everything except the chips, and mix until just combined.  Toss in the chips.  Split between two loaf pans (well greased).  Bake in a 350 oven for 110-120 mins.

Best when served with COFFEE!!

Evan's Favorite Breakfast

Okay, actually, Evan has a lot of favorite breakfasts. 

In fact, it's his favorite meal of the day.

Maybe it has something to do with the fact there are a LOT of breakfast foods you pour syrup on.

Or it might be the bacon.

Anyway... This is one of his favorites:

German Pancakes

And they are remarkably easy to make, but I still pretend they are a pain... just to get the hugs and kisses and "Oh, thank you thank you thank you thank you", combined with the "YES Mom, I'll do anything you want... including clean my bathroom". 

Hey, as the only girl in the house, I gotta play the game!

Anyway...

Here's the instructions:

Take a big cast iron skillet... or a 9x13 pan in you don't have a skillet. 

Melt a couple tablespoons of butter in it while the oven warms to a toasty 400 degrees.

And it has to be butter.

Because you let the butter brown* just a touch in the oven while you mix the following:

6 eggs

1 cup milk

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon of salt

dash of cinnamon

Once everything is well mixed, and the oven is at temperature... pull out your skillet, quickly pour the mix in, and shove it back in the oven for 20 mins.

It will get all poofy (which I just discovered is a made up word, because the correct word is PUFFY) and impressive... and then you pull it out... and they OOOOO and AHHHHH over it's beautiful perfection.

Serve with Jam or Syrup. 

This pan is enough to feed my three boys, because their hollow legs are empty in the morning. 

If you wanted to feed more than that (including if you wanted any for yourself, which I don't because shhhh... don't tell anyone, but I don't like most things you pour syrup on), I would highly suggest serving with something like bacon or doubling the batch!

* The post where I explain my obsession with browned butter.

Give Thanks

Last weekend, because I was trying desperately to catch the craft bug so I could finish some Christmas Gifts, I decided that I needed MORE Thanksgiving decor.

And by "MORE", I mean I have none and needed SOMETHING.

So, I went down to the craft room, pushed the pile-o-crap that I have yet to put away after a weekend scrapping at my friend's house in mid-October, and closed my eyes.

Where to start? 

Hmmmm. 

I started with where I wanted to display it.

There was a bare spot above the fireplace where I had hung my bunting.

What?  I never posted a picture of the bunting I hung where one day I will put a mantel??  

It was another "Get in the mood" project.  I made it out of leftovers from a quilt I made ages ago instead of sewing Ryan's Halloween costume (which I EVENTUALLY finished).

Here:

Okay, so see that spot of wall in the middle??  Yeah.  It's BORING.

So I pulled out my coluzzle, because I'm not as cool as some people who have electronic cutters.  I'm OLD SCHOOL!

Sorry... off topic.

Anyway, I thought I'd use up some scrap paper, so I cut a few hearts with my old school tools.  I distressed them with some TIM products... and then added my lettering.  MM stamps for "thanks" and BG letter stickers for "give" (with a little glossy accent for dimension).  Used some Tim Stain (oh, wait, it's called DISTRESS STAIN!) to age a couple of clothes pins, and TA-DA!!!!!

Shhhhh... don't tell anyone, but I haven't finished the gifts yet.

My Parenting Soap Box: Kids, Play and Risk

I remember when Evan was a baby, we were at my MIL's house...My brother-in-law, Brian, was within ear shot when Evan fell while trying to pull himself up to a standing position using a tipsy stool.   I laughingly said something about, "Well, he'll only do that once!" as I comforted him.

Brian likes to repeat that to me OVER and OVER and OVER again. (He also asks me if I'm sleeping every time he calls... I'm not sure if he thinks I nap continuously, and only wake up to take his phone calls or what... )

I don't mind though, it's part of my parenting philosophy (not the sleeping part).

I am a FIRM believer in allowing kids to fall, fail, and find their own way.  How's that for alliteration?? 

Is it sometimes hard to let them fall?  Is it sometimes hard not to give them the answer?  YOU BET'CHA! 

Just last night, I was helping Evan with his math homework.  He was really struggling, and he was tired.  It would have been much easier (and quicker) to just walk him through the problem, step by step.  But I needed him to understand the process... and the best way to understand that is to figure out the details with a little guidance rather than step by step instructions!

And the dangerous play part??? 

Well, it's right there in the same category.  No, I do NOT allow them to run wild in the streets.  But climbing, running, jumping??  Taking calculated risks??  YES!  Sign my kids up!

Remember this:

Cute adorable Ryan, just over a year old... bruised and scarred? 

They all healed within a week or so.  But the lessons he learned on pushing his physical boundaries, on what he was able to accomplish if he pushes those boundaries, and how taking a risk might result in small pains but big gains?  Those will stay with him for the rest of his life.

My friend Megan shared this: Kids, Play and Risk

And I feel like shouting it from the roof tops!!!  So please share... I think it's important!!

Oh, and just to go back to my brother in law for a moment.  As rough and tumble as my boys are, he has the WILDEST Child!  And by wild, I mean that her awesome parents buy into the same philosophy and allow my niece the freedom to learn and grow by taking calculated risks.  Does she do some crazy stuff?  Yes... but she's still playing hard, and she will be one successful adult because they taught her to how to fall and pick herself back up! 

Pin Success!

Source and Recipe: Taste of Home

I found this recipe on pinterest, and we tried it for our lunch today.  It was a great Sunday afternoon *calorie laden* lunch. 

I did pull the cheese sticks in half, so that only half a stick was in each wrapper.

Next time though, I think I'll do them in the oven... just spritz the wrappers with a little pam, and bake. 

They would be AWESOME for a party!

Sausage and Pepper Soup

So, it snowed this weekend!  And do you know what that means?? 

SOUP IS ON!!

I love soup!  Especially when it's down right COLD outside.  Friday, it was 60 degrees out... Saturday... 20.  That's even a little severe for me!


This is an all time favorite in our house, and shhhhh... don't tell my family, but it's actually pretty dang healthy!


Our local grocery makes the most delishious sausage... extremely lean pork or chicken, all natural, no perservatives, no fillers!  And when you shop the sales, you can get it for WAY less than the commercial brands.  SO, if you're close to a Harmon's, please, try their sausages in this soup... it makes a HUGE difference!

Anyway... here's the recipe!

3/4 lb Sweet Italian Sausage, browned
1 cup of cooked white beans (or if you don't have them, you can use kidney beans)
2 cups beef broth
1 can stewed Italian tomatoes
1 can diced tomatoes with sweet onions (or if you can't find that, do another can of stewed)
1/2 cup finely diced onion

Stop here, and put everything in a crock pot.  Allow to simmer for several hours.  (I've let it go all day while I was at work, but added a cup of water for security.)

About 30 mins before serving... add 1/2 of a green pepper and 1/2 of a red pepper, chopped.  Season with a little parsley, garlic and black pepper... and a little water if you let it cook for hours and hours.

To serve, put a huge handful of fresh baby spinach in your bowl.  Ladle the hot soup over spinach, an it will wilt just barely.  Garnish with about a tablespoon of grated Parmesan or mozzarella... whatever you have on hand.

It's great served with a nice crusty bread.  This usually makes enough for 4 people.

Enjoy!

A Pinterest Inspired Sign

So, awhile ago I saw THIS:

Source: Nanny Goat

And, just like the blogger I hijacked the idea from, I NEEDED it for my oldest's room.

Evan is such an awesome big brother, I couldn't think of anything more fitting!


So, I found a board, used MS Publisher to layout the type, and then asked my darling friend Robyn to cut the letters on her Pazzle for me.


It was my first vinyl project, but I had to go all out... after all... just like the sb page I posted a few days ago, the emotion behind the quote translated into the fact it had to be PERFECT!

So, rather than putting vinyl on a painted board, I wanted to mask it, to give a distressed look... really go all out. 


So, after prepping the board with a combination of dry brushing and white washing, Robyn came over and helped me lay the vinyl letters (way more fun than I thought it would be!). 

When we walked upstairs and showed the unfinished board to the husbands, I'm pretty sure they thought we were nuts to be THAT excited.  I wish I would have taken a picture of it.  Robyn used scrap vinyl for the letters, so it was black and brown on a streaky grey/black board, and was NOT impressive (unless you could imagine it as it was in my head)!

We went into the garage and slapped a REALLY quick, thin coat of glossy latex cherry red paint over the top, and pealed off the letters.  I got more and more excited as every letter came off.

I had to make myself walk away so it could continue to dry. 

Now, a week later, I finally finished the distressing, and hung it in Evan's room....

Friday Afternoon Random Comment

Ryan just came and crawled up next to me on the couch as I was planning out dinners and groceries for next week. 

He grabbed my hands off the keyboard, put them on his cute little cheeks and said...

"Mama, KISS ME!"

Then puckered up.

*sigh.

I love that boy. 

Even if after I kissed him, he laughed and ran away.

The Hardest Page I Have Ever Scrapped.

And possibly my favorite.  It took me about 8 hours.  And I would like to point out, I cried most of those 8 hours.  

It's a letter to Evan.  

About his brother.

The picture is from THIS day... and the sentiments are similar to my post about the event. 

And because I was so emotional about the message I was trying to get across to Evan about his little brother, I NEEDED the page to be perfect.  

Cashae and Robyn helped a lot... 

even when I bothered them with the same question five million times, 

"What do you think of this?"

(And to be honest, most of the time, it was me moving a scrap of paper 2 millimeters to the left, then asking again!)

But, even just looking at the pages makes me all teary.  

Which is good.

Product wise, I can't think of much I DIDN'T use!

There are inks and stains, stamps and deco scissors.  Rubons, wire, brads, jewels, flowers, buttons, punches, labels, eyelets...   I doodled, distressed, ripped... and cried.

It's perfect.

My Trick or Treaters!

I think they are possibly the cutest boys I have ever seen!

One problem... do you see how GROWN UP Evan looks???

And, he's not into "cute" anymore if you can't tell from his choice of pumpkin designs!  He was so proud!  

He kept changing his mind on his costume... and finally decided on being an Army Captain.  We got the ACU (kid sized) from the local Army Navy store, found a couple of cool iron on patches at Michael's, and then I used plain green iron on knee patches to make his name, US ARMY and rank patches. 

I used the same pattern I used for Evan's monkey costume when he was 2 for Ryan's... just the larger size!  He was NOT a fan of the hood, but didn't want to take of the jumpsuit.  

When we got home last night, someone had decorated the lot stake directly across from our house.  

The boys loved it... and were a bit freaked out by it!  

We also had the special treat of trick or treating with Grandma Joycee who stayed with us last night!

The boys were very excited... and having her there was just the icing on the cake!  I'm glad she got to be there... because...

How could you miss this????

Just a Peak...

Last weekend, my friend Robyn cut some vinyl for me.

It was my very first vinyl project.

And, being me, I couldn't just slap some vinyl on a board and call it good!

First, I painted the board white... then I dry brushed it.

THEN I used the vinyl she cut as a mask.

Then I brushed a thin coat of glossy, cherry red paint on.

And the black just barely peeked through.

Right now it's in my garage drying... this week, I will finish distressing it and post a FULL picture!

For now though, this is all you get!

Throw It In Stew

On Friday, after running around to multiple stores trying to find a DECENTLY priced winter coat for Evan, I got home and was exhausted. 

And I realized that I actually needed to make dinner for my family.

And it was 530. 

And we had not had an actual sit down, homemade dinner for a week.

And it was cold and I wanted something hardy.

So I opened up my pantry door, and my eyes fell instantly onto my pressure cooker. 

DING DING DING!!! 

I can make stew in 30 mins in my pressure cooker!

So I grabbed some meat from the freezer, dug around in the fridge and pantry while it defrosted to locate whatever root veggies I could find, and went to town.

You won't NEED a pressure cooker... you could easily do this in a crock pot or on the stove top... just adjust the cooking time for the method.

Here's what I ended up with: 

Now, first of all... this was really "What do I have on hand".  And like all my recipes... uh, I am not a direction follower... and that means you shouldn't be either!  If you don't have or don't like an ingredient.... leave it out or replace it!

On that note, pretty please, give the turnip a try.  It is SOOOOOOO healthy, and to be honest, it adds a hint of sweetness to the finished stew that is just wonderful.  JUST TRY IT!!

Okay.  First the meat.  I used a 1/2 and 1/2 mix of pork and beef stew meat, about 1/2 a pound total.  I think it would be really great with chicken or either pork or beef.  I just happen to have two small bags of each stew meat in my freezer.    I put the defrosted meat into my pressure cooker and browned them up, added 1/2 a cup of water and brought it up to pressure for 10 mins.  (This would be the equivalent of simmering in a low crock pot for about 4 hours, but I would add more water.) 

I did a quick release on the pressure cooker, added two chopped carrots, one chopped onion, a small diced turnip, a small can of med diced chilies and one cup of diced canned tomatoes.  I again brought it up to pressure for 10 mins (another 3-4 hours in a crock pot set to low).  I did a quick release and added my seasonings (you can't add salt to the pressure cooker, otherwise it effects cooking time... if you are doing this on a stove top or crock pot, you could add these earlier).    I added a teaspoon of beef base, a teaspoon of cumin and garlic and a dash of black pepper and parsley.  After that simmered and warmed for a few minutes, I added about two tablespoons of fat free sour cream. 

And once it's warm, it's ready to serve with a nice crusty slice of bread! 

 

I just can't stop laughing...

I saw this on Pinterest a few days ago... and every time I see it, I laugh hysterically... not just a giggle or a chuckle, but a full blown laugh out loud.

For those that wish you had an apple. Do It Yourself Kit: Converts Any Windows Based Laptop Into a Apple MacBook Pro.                  

I would love to give credit, but there was no link on the actual pin...  It was just too funny not to share though!

Not so Random...

I got online to post a message to a friend on facebook.

I looked over to the right, and saw that one of my suggested, "People you may know" was actually a childhood friend who lost her battle with cancer just over one year ago. 

I guess I could read a lot into it... after all, it is Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Marty had been one of the only girls that I felt was truly a friend as a teenager... and she had reached out to me on myspace about 5 years ago.  I had sort of lost touch though after getting pregnant with Ryan, so I missed her last few years.   Maybe it was a reminder to keep those I love close. 

Maybe it was the glass of wine at the end of the long, hard, stress filled week that drew too much emotion to the surface at the sight of her smiling face.

I have no clue. 

But, I felt the need to post just this... Read what you want into it.  Hug a loved one, squish your boobies, take 5 minutes to reach out to a friend you lost contact with or just pull out those childhood pictures and remember those who touched your life. 

Robot Fun

This weekend, we stayed with some friends... and they have a ROBOT!!

A talking, walking, DANCING robot.

While Evan had a blast learning to control it, Ryan... well... here, watch this:

We did eventually get him dancing along with it... just a little leary of the walking talking thing-a- m-bob!

Scrappy Weekend: It's only just begun...

My favorite page so far... And of course, it's on my favorite paper line, So Sophie...

The "read me" explains the reasoning behind Ryan's "lullaby" of Rockin Robin.

It was not the song Evan and I picked for him... those are in the pocket.  My friend Robyn cut the "lullaby" title on her Pazzel for me, the "my" is a Autumn Leaves stamp that I stamped first in a chestnut brown and then in my new favorite green... pear tart. 

My favorite little touch is the itty bitty birds stamped onto the pattern paper... they are super faint on purpose... I just wanted a little bit of whimsy... So it's a good think that Robyn owns a stamp set called, "Whimsical Birds" (TPC Studio).

Anyway, the REAL excitement starts tonight... the boys are going to stay with their grandparents... and we will be child free!