Morning Picture

Ryan and I have a little tradition...

It started a few months ago, when he was going through an attachment phase.  It was soon after Mark and I got back from Cleveland, and transitioning back into our normal routine was hard for him.

Each morning, as we snuggled in the rocking chair at school for the last few minutes of our time together, I pull out my phone, and we take a picture. 

They usually aren't the highest quality... or the most flattering... most have cheesy smile, stuck out tongues or crazy eyes... but, they are some of my most precious photographs.  

Snowday

Mark was out of town this weekend, and on Saturday morning we woke up to a nasty little storm blowing in.

So, of course, we had to brave the storm just long enough to get to the library!

And then, we spent the rest of the afternoon doing this:

Vroom *Snore* Vroom...

He's pretty cute... he can't help it. 

A few nights ago, I told Ryan he could snuggle in my bed and watch a show before it was OFFICIALLY bed time. 

The condition was that he had to lay still and rest.

I came in a few minutes later to see this.

The fake snores immediately replaced the car noises I had heard when I was standing just outside the door, which was cute... however the half closed eyes and the inability to wipe the sneaky smile off his face was the killer!

Furniture Shopping!!

So, Mark and I have been shopping around for proper living room furniture for a while now.

This weekend, we took advantage of the holiday weekend sales, and bought some real grown-up living room furniture.

Well... not exactly grown-up... still kid friendly, and a little slightly bohemian accent thrown in for good measure. 

The medium grey in the lower right is the couch and chair color... and the brown in the upper left is for a leather recliner.  The others are all accents... and even though it looks a little flat, the lower left is a chenille rich olive green.

Now, I need to figure out tables and coffee tables and lamps. 

It won't be delivered until April, so I have some time.  And I feel some serious crafting should be involved! 

Alligator Wash

Here in town, there is a car wash called "Gator Wash" that opened a few years ago.

During the winter, it's usually where I clean the salt off my car... and Ryan LOVES it.

He says the Alligator is EATING us... the big green cloths are the tongue, the water is gator spit... and the blowers at the end... FARTS!

It takes about 3 mins to go through the automatic wash, and the whole while he "screams", "It's EATING US MAMA!! IT'S EATING US!!"

Hey!  It's cheap entertainment!!

Puglian Potatoes

As an Irish gal, I thought I had tried every potato recipe under the sun.   And then I stumbled across this recipe on Punch Fork, and HAD to try it.  

It was a HUGE hit.  I made a BIG pan of it, figuring I would have leftovers for lunches... however, Mark and Evan practically licked the pot clean!  (And given that neither of them are huge potato fans, this was SHOCKING!)

Unlike normal scalloped potatoes, it wasn't overly heavy (Mark is NOT a fan of heavy creamy dishes!).  Adding the water to the baking dish, the potatoes released just enough starch to soak the bread crumbs and make it moist and rich and creamy, without being heavy!   Here is my slightly adapted version...

• ¼ cup olive oil, divided
• 1 large yellow onion, thinly sliced (next time I think I will use a red onion)
• 6 med Yukon Gold potatoes, peeled and thinly sliced
• 2 large tomatoes, sliced
• 1 cup breadcrumbs (I used Panko)
• 1 cup grated Parmesan cheese
• Salt, to taste
• Red pepper flakes, to taste

In an deep oven safe pan, pour half the olive oil and spread it around to cover the bottom. Layer 1/3 of the sliced onions in the bottom, then 1/3 of the potatoes and 1/3 of  the tomatoes.  Press down to compact.  Sprinkle with some breadcrumbs, cheese, salt, and red pepper flakes. Repeat the layering, finishing with a layer of bread crumbs, cheese, and red pepper flakes. Drizzle with the remaining olive oil, pour in enough water to come halfway up the layered vegetables, and bake at 375 for about 1½ hours, or until the potatoes are soft.

Serve with a nice big green salad.

**I had some Andouille sausage that I needed to use up, so I sliced them very thin and added them in each layer.  I think the spicy/smokey flavor of the sausage went REALLY well with it, and made it feel like more of a main dish. 

The Rules of Valentines... according to Evan.

There are rules for boys.    I have been SCHOOLED!

1. NO HEARTS!

2. NO "Love"

3. NO indication that the giver may LIKE the recipient.  (This includes phrases like "You Rock", which I thought sounded very neutral... I even suggested we glue gravel to the cards to make them seem more manly... )

4. No Red, unless combined with blues and greens to make it less 'heart" like.

5. NO PINK or PURPLE!!!!

6. If the phrase could possibly be on a Conversation Heart, it cannot be used.

7. It should contain some reference or pun that makes boys giggle.  

So, here's what we've come up with for this year:

Evan did inform me that I had crossed a line with the "Love Ryan", but I informed HIM that Ryan was not QUITE as strict with the rules as his older brother.  PLUS, I think I earned some extra credit for mocking V-Day while at the same time including a FART reference on his Valentine!

And, there is no CANDY, so I figure that's a Mom Win.

A Little Creepy... and a Lot Cute...

This year's Blue and Gold for Evan's pack was "Old West" Themed.  There were cowboy hats, saloon doors, cacti and, well, self adhesive mustaches.

While simply adorable... this is just a little disturbing!  

And Evan would NOT allow me to take a picture of him with his on... .

A New Simple Canvas...

 

Okay, so the idea has been floating around the internet world for awhile, but I finally sat down and made one this year!

 

Just simple folded hearts... and then the two dictionary page hearts are layered for added dimension. 

 

 

So simple and quick, and I love it so much, it might stay up even AFTER V-day is over!

Nighty Night Daddy

For whatever reason, Mark was laying on the floor with his feet up on the couch.  And Ryan thought that meant he needed to take a nap...

New Years Day... One Month Late...

 So, these are from a month ago, but we had so much fun, I had to share.

The weekend after Christmas, we had a great snow storm, and that meant that on New Years day, we had beautiful bright blue skies and fluffy snow.

Mark had the great to grab the Ranger, and I went out and found a cheap plastic sled.  

We hooked it up, and went out into the fields by our house and had some fun in the COLD COLD snow!

Evan was the first to ride, and for some unknown reason decided to go face first, goof.

 

Even with getting a face full of snow, he had a blast.

Next, was Ryan... and of course, that meant me too.  

I was surprised at home much Ryan enjoyed it.

All 3 of my boys reported that their FAVORITE part was when I was on the sled, and Mark floored it up a small hill, and I ended up with snow down my snow pants and up the back of my coat!

Eh, it might have been cold, but it was so worth Evan laughing so hard he couldn't breathe!

It's February...

It's time I got back into this whole Blogging thing.

Hmmmm.

Well....

I guess let's start with the easy stuff:

Look how adorable my boys are!!

 Let's start with the younger one...

He's almost 4.

He would eat PB and J for every meal if I let him.

He's full of energy, and totally an extrovert. 

He is my challenge!

 And then, there is his older brother: 

SERIOUSLY handsome.

Loving football, is insisting on a"Party" for the big game this weekend... even if it is just the 4 of us at home watching the TV!

He'll be 10 in April, that awkward age between child and teen.

And he acts just like me... Not sure which is worse... his brother being the exact opposite of my personality or his being so close to mine!

More soon... I promise, regular posting will resume NOW!