What Little Girls Are Made Of

A New Adventure

2012-02-16T11:06:00.000-05:00

HELLO. HEllo. Hello. hello. hello...

Anyone still checking in here? It has been quite awhile since I posted anything. Life gets in the way...

But I wanted to check in and invite you check me out over at MoreThanMommies a new blog that I started with my best blogging friend: Janene from Pefecting Imperfection. We are super excited about it and looking forward to the great things in store for us there and we hope that all of our readers will join us!

So follow us on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and all that other fun stuff. You can do it all from the blog. We would LOVE to hear what you think!

This is not a Cooking Blog but...

2011-10-10T10:27:00.000-04:00

This is certainly not supposed to be a cooking blog! However, I see that my last post (almost a month ago) was all about my first try at once a month cooking and this post is going to be about my second attempt at it.

I wish there had been some posts in between...but you see life gets in the way and that's why I am absolutely in love with this new way of cooking! Yes, it's a ton of work. Yes, it takes a lot of planning. Yes, it eats up an ENTIRE day. Yes, it is tiring. BUT, the work is worth it. The planning can save money on the food bill. The time that I spent in the kitchen yesterday was busy and went by quickly thanks to some great company! And it is tiring, but it is a satisfying tired that ends with a fully stocked freezer and the most sound and restful sleep of the month!

Some things I learned:

I wish I had a double sink! It would make clean up a little smoother I think! It's hard to cook and clean when the sink is being utilized for cooking and cleaning at the same time.

I feel really blessed to have paired up with Janene. I quickly realize that she and I have the perfect temperaments to work together well. We are able to compromise and we are both easy going enough that when we run into a snag we agree on a course of action quickly and keep moving. We know each other well enough to feel comfortable around each other, but not so well that we have nothing to talk about. It's been fun getting to know each other better.

I am going to start a journal about our cooking day and how well my family enjoys the recipes we make. Maybe one month we can compile our family favorites and cook them all again!

We had music playing for a good bit of the day, when the Steeler game wasn't on in the background and it was fun making our play lists and sharing our musical tastes together too!

So what did we cook this month??

For Breakfast: Homemade Applesauce--SO much better than the stuff that comes in jars!

Maple Oat Scones (tea anyone?).

Green Chili Egg Muffins--so messy! My husband reports that they taste wonderful after about a minute in the microwave, but that the muffin liner kind of sticks to them.

For Lunch: Pizza Muffins--these smell like pizza flavored Combos! But they have a slightly sweet taste to them. Dipped in pizza sauce they will be a good mid-day treat.

BBQ Baked Potatoes--they seem like they will taste good!

Beef Stew--a heartier version than last month I think.

And Black Bean and Salsa Quesadillas--Yummy!

For Dinner: Pepperoncini Beef Sammy's,

Pizza Casserole,

Eggplant Parm (really looking forward to this one!)

Shepherd's Pie--this isn't something I would typically make, so I'm interested to see how it goes over in our house!

Cream Cheese Chicken--looks simple and tasty.

Crock pot Chipotle Lime Black bean Soup---this has a KICK!

We had four crock pots going at once!

Mexican Baked Penne

and Chicken Lasagna Roll ups!

You can find the site we use to find grocery lists, recipes and instructions right HERE.

We started at around 9:15am took a short break for lunch and dinner and we were cleaning up by 7:30pm. I hope to shave more time off this cooking day next month! I am so grateful to Janene for pairing up with me! Dinner is no sweat now!!!

Dinner is Done.

2011-09-14T09:54:00.005-04:00

For the entire month.

What would possess someone to cook a month's worth of meals in one day? I became possessed by the idea of freeing up that dreaded dinner hour. I became possessed with the idea of not having to rack my brain for dinner ideas and scurry around the kitchen trying to make a dinner that should take an hour fit into the 45 minutes that I actually could spare to get it on the table.

I found the answer months ago when a friend introduced me to OAMM and I remember putting out a feeler on Face book about it. I think some people where intrigued, but no one took the bait. That is until one day last month when I got an unexpected message from Janene asking if I had been serious about my interest in giving it a try.

I had to think about it for oh....two seconds before I wrote back to say that I wanted to do it. I kind of thought it would be hard work. But I also thought the rewards could be worth the effort and then some. My biggest concern was figuring out how to keep four kids occupied!

Cooking once a month is a good thing for the following reasons:

You don't have to think about what's for dinner.

You don't have to mess around with mixing and pulling out ingredients and rummaging through cookbooks all early afternoon. Every. Single. Day. Of. The. Week.

You can feel confident that when handing the keys to the kitchen over to someone else, they can do better than pulling a prepackaged pizza from the freezer.

When you've had a busy day it is as easy as preheating the oven and popping in a pan.

If you prepare in the month prior to cooking, you can save money by shopping sales and using coupons! We cooked our whole menu for less than $150 a piece and from that we each got 16 dinners, 8 lunches, 6 breakfasts (the breakfasts I have been using as grab and go, so it actually seems like more than 6!) That means feeding my family of 6 costs a little less than $5/meal.

'Twas the night before our Big Cooking Day!

These are as delicious as they look!

I was so nervous about these bags leaking! It was tough dividing our White Chicken Chili, Beef Stew, and Chili into those bags!

I cannot wait to dig into the black beans and rice. They smelled REALLY Good while cooking.

I think I'm in love with my Food Processor. It was SO under utilized before our big cooking day and WOW. I am in awe at that thing! Those perfect cheese shreds from the black beans and rice dish? Under 2 seconds using this baby.

This was during the last third of our cooking day and LOOK! We are still smiling!

And the kids stayed out of our hair for the most part!

Some of our meals packaged and ready for the freezer!

I can't wait until next month!

Thanks, Janene!

What would J Q Do?

2011-08-19T11:49:00.001-04:00

I am a non-confrontational sort of gal. At times, I think being this way saves me from a lot of arguments. But if John Quinones has taught me anything, it's that sitting idly by when you see something wrong is not always the best thing to do.

I know I shouldn't feel bad about voicing my opinions...especially here on MY blog, But I do believe the hot button issue I'm about to discuss may have some of my friends sitting on different sides of the fence and I want to remind those readers sitting on the other side of the fence from me: I still love you...even when you're wrong! :)

So with the disclaimer out of the way:

Let me tell you about the A-hole that almost ruined our ninth anniversary dinner...

It all starts at The Evolution Grille.

The waitress was friendly. The menu was exciting. The service was prompt. The food tasted great. The Evolution Grille is worth a second, third, twentieth taste. We were very pleased with that part of our dining experience. We chose items that we wouldn't normally prepare for ourselves: Jim had the veal and I had the duck. We had an appetizer and dessert. We have spent more money on less tasty meals. Go there!

But if you prefer to eat your dinner in a place where you can loudly speak about your Winter home in Florida, discuss the people you know who study micro-biology, lament the end of your stay in Pennsylvania, reminisce about every single meal you have eaten in the place, tell your waitress about how great the OTHER waitress you had when you ate here was, and rudely, and again LOUDLY, complain about other patrons who are simply trying to have a lovely meal as well, then please be advised to stay home and annoy your pets, neighbors, and any other living thing with whom you come in contact.

The restaurant is small and I was back to back with the guests behind us. Jim was facing the front of the restaurant and had a good view of everything going on behind me. Honestly, hearing the conversations of guests around me is not a big deal, and at times can be fun! When I go out to eat, I'm not expecting privacy. If I wanted privacy and peace and quiet than I would order food and eat it in the privacy of my home. I expect courtesy and act courteously when I am in a restaurant. I am in the process of teaching my young children how to behave this way in a restaurant as well. That means that I do, on occasion take my young children with me to restaurants.

There was a family that came in the restaurant toward the end of our meal (A grandmother, mom, dad, young son, and a high chair bound daughter) for what seemed like a special occasion (everyone had on their Sunday best). Shortly after being seated the young daughter let out a long shriek. Why? Perhaps she was tired, hungry, not capable of communicating her wishes with words. Whatever the reason, her mom seemed to get things in hand quickly. The episode was over in less than thirty seconds, but apparently not quickly enough for Mr. Winter Home who proceeded to do a 180 in his seat to glare at the family. As he turned back to his partner he loudly commented that HE thought the child needed to get some air (implying that she should be removed from the restaurant) and as his partner gently patted his hand and muttered something quietly (probably about making a scene or something) he loudly insisted that he would be letting his waitress know how irritated he was. He also made the comment that he was SO thrilled that he did not have children of his own. Seriously, dude. Thank you for granting the rest of us that favor!

Maybe it's because I have young kids but my heart went out to the now-quietly-awaiting-their-food-family. The kids were not running around the restaurant, standing on their chairs, stealing food from other patrons plates or misbehaving in any other way. The little girl had a mini meltdown for less than 30 seconds and that was just enough to set this jerk off and give him the right to ostracize this family and make a fuss that was now ruining the good time of other guests (namely Myself and Jim). I could see Jim's blood starting to boil and he was very close to saying something. He didn't, although I think he would have if the man pushed one more time. We paid our check and left, and I made sure to give the family a smile as we walked out. The little girl returned my smile. She was perfectly behaved at the time.

Jim and I talked about the incident all the way to our next destination (an unromantic, but fun for us, trip to Linens and Things. Hahahaha)

I am kind of sick of hearing that young children should be banned from restaurants. During a recent rather one sided discussion I was part of, one person made a comment that restaurants should, if not ban children, then at least create a SECTION for children and relegate families to that section as they used to do for smokers and non-smokers. She could see no difference between this issue and the smoking issue, as cigarette smoke, while annoying, did not personally bother her. HUH? After the fact, I thought of a comeback: Last time I checked second hand smoke is a little more than annoying, it is hazardous to my health, whereas, my children are not going to kill you by merely enjoying a meal next you.

Well, I'm paying good money not to have to put up with misbehaving kids. I get it people. I'm paying for my meal as well as four overpriced helpings of mac and cheese, thank you. And when I am able to go out without my children I'm paying for my meal and childcare for my kids--I am not paying good money to sit next to a self absorbed loud mouth! The problem is really NOT the children, it's the parents who aren't doing everything in their power to teach their kids how to behave in public and it's the idiots who have all the answers and become obnoxious that ruin the restaurant experience for people. I should not be banished to eat every meal at home until my children reach their teens.

Here's a novel concept: JERKS should be banned from restaurants.

In the meantime, kudos to mom, dad, and grandma for teaching your little ones how to behave last night at The Evolution and to Mr. Winter Home, I hope you choked on your Almond Cream Cake. Believe me, the irony of YOUR poor behavior in a restaurant was not lost on me!

Thankfully, the situation didn't escalate but if it had, I hope that we would have made John Quinones proud.

Sticky Fingers, Livi

2011-08-17T09:05:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we went school shopping at the Mills. With four kids? Yes, I'm daring like that. By yourself? Yes, I'm crazy like that. We hit 5 stores, the food court, and then the play area and pet store too for good measure. Trips like this always begin with a good "talking to" in the van on the way there. It's more like manifesting destiny for me--if I say it, it will be true.

The "talking to" goes like this:
Well, girls, lets have fun today! We are going to do TONS of shopping. You need to stick by me so I don't lose you in the store. I would be very sad and cry if I lost you forever. Please don't whine, complain, fight or cry. If I hear anything like that we will do an about face in the store and go home. We won't be buying anything if that happens. Let's try to get the most for our money, look for signs that say sale! We don't want to waste our money! Ready for some fun? Okay team, BREAK! (I say that last part in my head)

The shopping trip went well. I got shoes for all the girls and an outfit for each of them. But somewhere something went awry. We were standing in line for what passes as Chinese food when something caught my eye in the bottom of the stroller. It was a cute little denim skirt that I had shown to Olivia in H&M. We didn't buy anything there, just browsed around with the intention of buying.

But here was the skirt.

Excuse me, I said to the teen behind the counter. We need to make a return.

Livi, did you put this skirt in our stroller?

Yes! She said

You can't do that, Livi. That's stealing! We have to pay for things we want from the store! Do you want mommy to go to jail? I half expected her to say yes, because she says stuff like that now that she is a sassy four year old. (Looking back, I think I was a bit harsh. I was embarrassed. Jordan--cautious and sensitive child that she is was on the verge of tears. Ava--was busy admonishing Livi too. And Livi was a little stunned because I know she didn't intentionally try to steal that skirt. It was just a little mishap.) But I had to take the skirt back and I figured it was a teachable moment.

When we walked into the store, there was no employee in sight. Great, I thought, they are scouring their video footage in the back trying to I.D. the shoplifting mother. Finally I found someone on the Grown Up side of the store. I approached her with my remorseful looking brood (you have never seen so many puppy dog eyes).

I could have just walked back into the empty store, returned the skirt to its rack and gone back out, but this seemed too easy. Shouldn't being caught stealing be less anti climactic than that? I literally had to scour the store to find an employee to play a role in this cautionary tale. And when I did find her, I wasn't even sure what to do. This was a weird moment for me. What exactly do you say when your four year old unintentionally shop lifts? I don't even remember what I said but it was awkward. The clerk was caught by surprise too, but she was quite forgiving and played along with my idea about the "teachable moment." She accepted Olivia's sheepish apology and added an admonishment about getting in trouble with the police or some such. Olivia promised to never ever do it again, as did the other girls.

Glad that THAT unpleasantness was over, it was off to lunch where the memory of sticky fingers Livi was quickly replaced by sticky fingers of another variety, the kind that wet wipes can easily fix.

...mm mm...fake Chinese food.

Helping Hands and High Fives

2011-08-16T20:03:00.002-04:00

The wheels have been turning around here as we begin to switch gears into a new (and hectic) back to school routine. I had a light bulb moment a couple of weeks ago around the time that the girls were complaining that "we never have fun" and "we're bored." We can't have fun around here because I have too much on my to-do list. Now, normally I would say...put down the to-do list and play with the kids! Get outside and enjoy the fleeting Summer sunshine. The thing is, when I put down the to-do list the house turns to shambles...not just a couple of dust bunnies here and there. I mean comes-to-a-screeching-halt kind of shambles like: we can't eat dinner because there isn't any silver wear clean and mom I'm down to my last pair of clean underwear. I don't like to see the house get to this point, the truth is, that if I'm not doing a load of laundry a day, running the dishwasher and picking up stray toys and dirty clothes then it seems like within 8 hours we are well on our way to the gears jamming around here.

SO on to my light bulb moment. Why am I trying to do it all myself? Jim has a few jobs around the house reserved for him, but he works many days well into the evening hours and many Saturdays too, so when he isn't here to lend a hand, all the household chores fall on me. The kids pick up toys but I consider myself lucky if they get through it without an ever persistent whining and alternate threats and raised voice warnings on my end. Many times I find myself saying...it just faster/easier/better when I do it myself, but I'm beginning to wonder if that's true?

Growing up we always had chores to do around the house, in fact we had a full blown chart/calendar that we followed to a T--we even had our own "off" day built in, where we could relax and slack off for the whole day. The thing is, I always thought of myself as a teenager following this particular chore chart. Before my teenage years I have vague memories of a sticker star chart and clear memories of my Mom asking/pleading/bribing/threatening/yelling while I lounged lazily among an ankle deep wading pool of toys and whined. (I feel like I am right in the middle of those days right now, but the roles are reversed). I can't really remember when/how I learned how to do chores. At some point I went from shoving toys under my bed in one fell swoop, to washing and drying dishes and vacuuming and taking out the garbage on a regular basis.

I was reading a few blogs last week and came across this post over at The Happy Housewife. I thought, wait a minute! I have a 4 year old, 5 year old, and 7 year old. and I never thought to even attempt to ask them to do half the chores on this list! Could my 4 year old pull clothes out of the dryer? Could my 5 wipe down the sinks? Could my 7 year old vacuum? There was only one way to find out!

I set about creating a list of chores that my girls would be responsible for each day and I told them that those 6 things would be their daily contribution to running the household: Making their bed, getting their dirty clothes to the hamper, picking up and putting away toys, setting and clearing the table for meals, and putting clean folded clothes in their drawers. Then I creating a long list of extras. These I called Helping Hands. I won't list them all but here are a few: Feed the dog, Help with meal prep, Unload the dishwasher, Dust. Every time they complete a Helping Hand from this list they are given a token called a High Five that is worth 5 minutes of computer time (they LOVE to play on the computer). When they have accumulated at least 15 minutes they can cash out. We are in the development stage of this reward system. As we progress I think I will add other rewards that they can "buy". I'm thinking they can "buy" a meal out, or "buy" some extra time to stay up, or "buy" a day off from chores, or cash out at the end of the week for a small allowance etc. I have to think it through some more.

So far, so great. The girls have really surprised me with their enthusiasm! We'll see how it's going in a month! HA!

Before and After Photo Fun

2011-07-22T10:38:00.003-04:00

So my love affair with my camera came to an abrupt halt a couple of weeks ago when one of the knobs started sticking. We sadly parted ways for awhile. I should be getting the camera back as soon as repairs are finished and the store says that I can come to pick him up. But in the meantime, what to do? I am working on a Project Life album and I am trying to take a picture a day. Without my camera I thought it would be difficult. I would again have to rely on my cell phone to capture my treasured memories...

I have to admit, I didn't like this idea at all. My phone takes pretty decent pics for a phone but problems with lighting and shutter speed aren't easily resolved with the phone. It's pretty much a one trick pony and often I'm left with an underexposed/overexposed, shadowy,and/or blurry image. BUT I have to make do...so enter Picnik! I <3 this application so much! Thanks to my friend, Janene for introducing us! I use the free version and although I am tempted to upgrade, I find with some tweaking I can get some really satisfying results with the free version!

I thought it would be fun to show some before and after pics! Now, I am by NO means great at it! I just know what I find aesthetically pleasing and I try my best to see it in my mind's eye and then make it happen. I really know very little about composing a shot and I am just wrapping my head around fstops, aperture and all the other stuff that real photographers know a lot about.

Who knows if you will even find the pictures greatly improved after my editing in Picnik! I guess I just want to show the big differences between the before and afters so you can see for yourself that you can make a not so wonderful picture (even one taken with the camera on your phone) into something more interesting to look at...

Here's the first one:

This is a cute picture as is, in my humble opinion. That smile is perfect! It's a little dark though.

Here's the after: I wanted to brighten it up a bit and give it a "glowy" look. I cropped it a bit and put the focus on Chloe's face. I also drained some of the color because I wanted the focus of the picture to really be her expression and didn't want any distraction from that.

And here we are side by side.

HA! This is fun! Here's the next one:

Here we have the morning sun blaring in from the window in the background, tragically overexposing the one corner of the pic and casting the baby into darkness. And look...she is so happy and giving that fake baby a kiss. It's so adorable and you can't really make it out so well.

Here's the after! I like it so much better. Now the sun looks "glorious" and you can see Chloe just loving her baby so much. I messed around with the exposure to lighten up the baby and then used the "cross process" effect to give the pic some more definition.

Here they are side by side:

Better, right?

Okay, NEXT!

Here she is looking pretty.

Here's the slightly funky after. I wanted her to look like a china doll in this pic. So I went black and white and then let the pic fade through a little. Then I used focal B&W and focused on her cheek to give her a little color on face and lips.

Here they are side by side:

She does look like a baby doll in the after shot, doesn't she?

All right, here is the last one:

Aren't they cute? I love it when everyone is in a good mood in the morning!

Here's the after. I cropped it a bit, then I used the "Holga-ish" effect in Picnik which focused us on the girls a little better. Then I cross processed and added a 60's effect on top of that (minus the rounded corners).

And so you may compare:

So much fun...for me anyway (I'm a huge fan of the "before and after" in all it's forms!) Sorry if I bored everyone else!! :)

Huh? Blog? What's That?

2011-07-20T09:03:00.001-04:00

Dedicated to: Jody, Thanks for reminding me that I have a blog!

This morning I decided to visit my discarded blog and things have certainly changed around the blogger site. I hardly knew what to do because the "look" of my landing page had changed. After a moment's pause I figured out how to create a new post and here I am with a bullet list of summer events to get everyone caught up:

Chloe turned 1! She wasn't walking on her first birthday or within a couple of weeks of it like the other girls had, but I'm happy to report that just yesterday she took three steps in a row! Yippee for milestones. She is like a little parrot repeating lots of new words every day! On her vocab list are: Ma-ma, Mummee, Dada, Daddee, King-ton, puppy, doggy, "woof", Baby, Dor-dan (Jordan), Li-Li (Livi), Eye-Uh (Ava), Bubba, wha dis (What's this) and more. Her favorites are eating anything set before her, babies, the dog, dancing, scribbling on the floor with discarded crayons and markers, and jabbering
The girls had their dance recital and did wonderfully. Olivia's first time on the stage and she did great--even remembered a good bit of her routine. Super proud of her, and of the older girls too. Jordan and Ava did tumbling camp and all three are looking forward to "princess camp" later this summer.
The garden is doing really well this year. We are anxiously awaiting more red tomatoes. We've had a few small ones. I know in a few weeks we will have more than we know what to do with! Looking forward to that. I've discovered some pretty good zucchini recipes...we've eaten it grilled, frittered, Parmesan-ed, and in bread form so far. I am happy with the garden and am anxious to try a few new veggies next year!
We enjoyed some fireworks early this month and then headed to camp to celebrate Olivia's 4th birthday. I can't believe how much she has grown this year! Gone is my baby livi-tivi. She has been replaced with a little girl who loves to snuggle and smooch, dance, sing, and play with her sisters. She loves to put on lip glops (lip gloss) and jewelry (TONS of jewelry)... She is a girly girl for sure. She is looking forward to starting preschool in the fall!
Started running on the treadmill again. Happy to say I am about 12lbs lighter than I was last year at this time. I used Couch to 5k for the treadmill and now I am running about 3.5 miles a day in a little over 30 minutes. I'm hoping to run my first road race toward the end of summer--hopefully!
Trying to come to grips with the lack of a beach vacation this year. We knew when we bought the house that we would most likely have to forgo it for this summer. Even though I knew and accepted that I wouldn't be sinking my feet in the sand, I still have a longing for ocean waves and sea breezes. I love my family at the beach! (I love them at home too)
Jordan and Ava will be starting public school in the fall. With very mixed emotions! However, I am determined to face this new chapter with optimism. There are good things ahead for sure.

That's the summer in a nutshell. Hoping to add blogging back on to my summer schedule! See you soon!

24/7/365 Cute

2011-05-26T08:37:00.000-04:00

365 days with my baby baby tomorrow. 365 memories. 365 firsts for the last time. One year of overflowing love.

Today Chloe can:

Pull up on her own.

Stand unassisted.

Walk while holding your hand.

Say: Mama, Dada, baba, Kingston, Jordan, baby, doggy

Give kisses.

Hug someone or something while she pats their "back."

Wave hello or bye bye.

Clap her hands.

Wipe her face or her high chair tray.

Climb steps.

Pull tissues from a box.

Pull down items almost out of reach.

Destroy folded laundry in less than 10 unsupervised seconds.

Eat almost everything that we eat.

Feed herself.

Drink from a soft spouted sippy cup.

Drink from a straw.

Point.

Make a mess with the best of them.

Love like crazy.

Get Angry.

Runcrawl away from trouble with a smile on her face.

Runcrawl to someone she loves.

Miss someone.

Love a puppy and pet it nicely.

Live in the moment.

Dance.

Shake her head "no."

Hold our hearts.

What will she do next?

I LOVE YOU, CHLOE!

How Does Your Garden Grow?

2011-05-19T08:48:00.001-04:00

For the past two Summers we joined a CSA, I briefly mention that in a couple of previous posts. Part of the reason is because I went through a mini-food revolution after reading the book Animal, Vegetable, Miracle and watching the documentary, Food, Inc. My dream was to have a nice big garden that I drenched with water from my rain barrel, worked with my hands, and nourished with compost from our homemade compost bin.

When we looked at buying our house and surveyed our yard one of the things we considered was where we would put our garden. Coincidentally, the original owners were raising egg layers in the backyard and while I know Jim was drawing the line, my heart was secretly pitter-pattering....Who are we kidding though, I don't know the first thing about raising chickens--or putting in a GARDEN for that matter and we don't live on a farm, we live in a neighborhood. Still, there is something quite appealing to me about going back to basics, working the land, sustaining, and knowing where our food is coming from.

That's why the CSA was part of the solution for us for the past two years when we were busy bringing up seedlings of our own at home (the girls) and time and space constraints kept us boxed in to the 3 x 6 world of tomatoes and peppers, hanging baskets, and landscape flowers. Alas, we aren't doing the CSA this year. I think I will miss it--those mid-morning trips to the barn to pick up veggies that the ever smiling farmers and interns had literally slaved over all spring and summer. The call to get my hands dirty is getting stronger and now a few of the girls are old enough to learn something from growing a garden and the time and space restraints are no more (maybe?). But if you are local and looking to become a part of something special in the world of sustainable, locally grown, organic produce, allow me to point you in the right direction: Blackberry Meadows Farm. There are still spots open for their 2011 growing season and you can find all the information on their website.

In the meantime, we are late comers to this growing season. In all fairness, Jim works a ton and the weather has been soggy and raining for much of the last few months so we haven't had the chance to really do much more than slog around in the mud and buy a few plants. It will be a learning experience. I have been assigned research, planning, documenting, and upkeep and Jim has been assigned to break his back.

At the moment, the garden amounts to a 9 x 11 plot

And a table full of veggies.

Here's what we are going to plant and I know we are late on some of these guys, but we are going to give it a go anyway: garlic (it's in that pot and will most likely remain there instead of going into the ground...Then we will keep the best cloves, dry it and plant it next year.), onions, two types of lettuce, spinach, cucumbers, zucchini, three types of peppers, three types of tomatoes, I think some potatoes too. The girls really want to grow watermelon, but I don't know if we have room for it, so we will see.

We have some work to do on the soil and we have to put a fence up as deer frequent the neighborhood and I'm sure there are other vermin around who will be willing to snack freely from our buffet. It is going to be a learning experience this year and I'm trying to keep my expectations realistic.

Anyone else putting a garden in? Any tips, tricks, advice, warnings?

Where the Wild Things are?

2011-05-13T15:00:00.001-04:00

I cannot tell you how many times this past couple of months that I have been going about my merry way and all of a sudden from somewhere in the distance I begin to hear the raspy half-whisper of my husband saying in a hurried tone "come here, hon....and bring the camera."

I swear you would think we were on safari as I ~~stalk my prey~~ sneak up to take a picture of some random wild creature that has made its way into our backyard. I must really look like some city mouse because I just get so excited looking for wild birds and bugs (not so much) and any other flora and fauna that habitates in the backyard. Jim seems to be sharing my enthusiasm as he is always the one who is catching the wild and wonderful and bringing me to it with camera in hand.

Who can blame us--even a stink bug seemed exotic at our old city dwelling (although they have quickly melted into the background of daily life). Rock Pigeons, stray cats--neither a family favorite--these were everyday sights. Now, who knows what will turn up next?

It all started on a day when the clouds parted and brought on this lovely show. I was in the kitchen loading the dishwasher, when I heard Jim's call: Bring the girls and the camera!

Not long after that, Jim called me to the window and chastised me as I fumbled with the camera...he was sure I would miss a shot of this rare guy!

I was told this might be a verugated woodpecker? I had to enhance this pic a bit because it was taken through my window and the bird was all the way in the back of our yard.

The third time, I happened to have the camera in hand practically...but I still almost missed the shot. Jim spotted this little guy hanging out after our Mother's Day Picnic:

We were only hoping this little bat wouldn't make his way into the house!

Finally, last night during a booming thunderstorm Jim found this little guy taking cover from raindrops that were almost as big as him!

Originally, he was suction-cupped to our front window! I couldn't get a decent pic because it was pitch black out there!

I keep wondering what the next visitor will be! Maybe next year we will think OHANOTHERFROG or THERE'STHATWOODPECKERAGAIN or HOLYBATMAN, but for now each sighting is a real treat! I say come one, come all and get your picture taken for free at our house! :)

Let's Do Fun Stuff v1.0

2011-05-10T08:23:00.001-04:00

I never wanted to be one of those moms that is constantly saying NO to her children when they want to do something fun because I'm too busy folding laundry or loading the dishwasher. But I also don't want to be the mom that can't let a friend through the front door because the pile of toys is blocking entry.

The trouble is that I do say NO much more than I say YES. I hate that damned-if-I-don't, damned-if-I-do feeling. Happy kids, filthy house. Irritated children, clean abode. There has to be a middle ground and I'm hoping to find it as the weather warms...

The jumping off point here is a clean house. Right now, the house is clean. The floors are clean, the bathrooms are clean, the laundry is caught up (sort of) and the dishwasher is humming. Each room is fairly neat. Yesterday I told the kids that if the house looks like this we can do fun things! ALL SUMMER LONG! Outside to play, getting squirted with the hose, off to the park, the zoo, the movies, the pool, etc. I can be a YES mom. But I need help. I tried to explain that if they would help me by cleaning up their small messes immediately, then we would have time for the fun stuff. Yesterday it worked!

The house was neat when I got up and neat when I went to bed. We spent a majority of the day outside. I cleaned up the yard a little--pulled down dried Clematis vines while the kids played in the sand box. Took some pics of the girls in the wooded area behind the house. Grilled out. Took a walk after dinner and ended it all with an ice cream treat for the girlies.

It feels great! Ever the realist, my DH is already giving this clean house business about a week...but ever the optimist, I will hold on to the hope that I can make this last through the Summer.

Truth is, there are 4 little mess makers in this house and only one of me. If I can keep them motivated to help, it will work!!

Here's to a happy Summer, helpful kiddos, and a season full of YESes!

Before I Get Productive

2011-05-05T08:20:00.000-04:00

The sun is out, FINALLY, and has prompted me to write as I bask in it's semi-warmish glow.

Jordan told me this morning that today is the 6th sunny day of 2011. I'm not sure how she knows this...but I imagine she is charting it in one of her journals or something, so I am not going to question it! Nor will I question why we get the tease of this one day of sun and then it's forecasted to go back to more of the same tomorrow. I won't question why, on the day that I need to stay inside and clean my house for our upcoming Mother's Day picnic, the sun decides to shine. I'm just going to sit in the semi-warmish glow for a few minutes and recharge!

So last week I decided to get serious about watching what I eat and got back on the treadmill. I'm doing a C25K program for the treadmill to get me used to running again. I'm not sure how, but I managed to fit in 4 workouts last week and am starting to feel motivated again. A 3.4 lb loss on the scale this week is helping with the old motivation but I still have about a 14 lb hole I'd like to dig out of. It's a start anyway.

Thinking about lots of things lately. Wish I would have written some of it down, but I can't live with regrets! Hopefully I won't get into a habit of only posting on sunny days in Western, PA...who KNOWS when you would see me again!

Popping in...

2011-04-16T10:27:00.000-04:00

I've been stressed about getting our taxes filed, but they are finished! Even though we aren't getting a return this year and (eek!) owe, I feel like a huge weight has been lifted. It isn't like me to wait until the last minute...I will not be doing that again next year.

In other news. I am so thrilled with Spring (even though it's dreary today). I love that when I am pulling up to the house I see a beautiful border of cheery daffodils around the house. I keep cutting fresh bouquets and bringing them inside. I see tulip buds about to open and the trees in the front yard are just ready to flower. None of this has to do with any work I have put into these grounds. It's so exciting to me to see what perennials might pop up. I want to take a nice spring pic of the house, but I am waiting until Spring has put on the full regalia!

Today, since it is raining, I plan to go through the girls clothes and swap out the seasons. A huge task. I better get to it!

What better way to end a short, but meandering, post than with some pictures? Might as well throw some on!

Jordan's Dream Schedule

2011-04-08T12:05:00.001-04:00

I found this handwritten in 7 year old scrawl on the kitchen table this morning (I am transcribing it as written--but will correct in parenthesis):

Jordan's Dream Schedule

3:00 a.m. Go shoping (shopping) for new clhose (clothes)

3:30 a.m. Go to the park.

4:00 a.m. Have a play date!

4:30 a.m. Selebrate (Celebrate) girls day!

5:00 a.m. Get icecrem. (ice cream)

5:30 a.m. Go to the zoo!

6:00 p.m. Get MicDonels. (McDonald's)

6:30 p.m. Go to Kennywood!

7:00 p.m. Go to Iled wild! (Idlewild)

8:00 p.m. See a movie

8:30p.m. Go to the serkiss. (circus)

9:00p.m. Be in a play.

9:30 p.m. Sing on a stage.

10:00 p.m. Be in a dance resitel. (recital)

10:30 p.m. Go to a party

11:00 p.m. Go to my friends house.

11:30 p.m. Go home.

12:00 p.m. Go to sleep.

Hehehehe. This IS a dream schedule isn't it?

Lambchops After Dinner

2011-04-07T08:55:00.000-04:00

Yesterday, Ava requested that we dress Chloe up as a lamb after dinner. (For Ava, the kids-dressed-as-animals obsession continues.) I kept saying "no."

But she kept asking.

After a few more increasingly agitated "NOs", I thought, really what am I saying "no" to?

A fun family moment?

The perfect photo-of-the-day fodder?

A few laughs?

So I did a complete 180 and without another word, dressed the baby up as a lamb for goodness sakes!

First of all Chloe LOVED being dressed as a lamb and was making hilarious faces and doing many cute lamb-like things.

Second it turned out to be apropos of Spring and I got some uber adorable pictures!!!

YAY for YES!

Eight Chapters

2011-04-03T21:24:00.000-04:00

I just finished my assignment for Lenten Book Club and finished the next eight chapters in the book "How Big is Your God?: The Freedom to Experience the Divine" While the previous eight chapters left me feeling a bit Ho-Hum about the book these last eight have been really thought provoking and have lots of highlights throughout. I'll share some of those highlights with you. They speak to me and sharing them with you, my dear reader, will give you a glimpse of the me I strive to be:

Get rid of the material things in your home, and you will learn how to be free. Chapter 25

If you want a relationship with God, you must make space in your life for the spiritual. Chapter 26

If you give away something that you're attached to but you haven't enjoyed, it will haunt you for the rest of your life. Chapter 27

People, Places, Things -- enjoy them so you are not possessed by them. Chapter 27

Live life with a beginner's mind. Theme of Chapter 28

If you don't experience the Divine inside you, you won't find God anywhere. Chapter 30

While you are holding on to your children they are changing...the relationship that you have today is not the one you had yesterday and is not the one you will have tomorrow. Chapter 32

The present moment is eternal time. Chapter 32

I am striving to live in the present moment. Whenever I have a quiet moment with Chloe I often say--You will never be this little again. That one thought magnetizes and magnifies the present moment for me. I experience the present most fully during my day at those times. I hold her close, feel her soft skin, breath her in and I just try to BE. With her. In the moment. Peace. Happiness. And a glimpse of the Divine.

Sweet Dreams are Made of This

2011-03-28T16:25:00.001-04:00

Just a few minutes ago my ears perked up as I listened to Jordan singing that Annie Lennox song as it was on the radio. She didn't see me looking at her--she was too busy drawing pictures at the kitchen table. I watched her for a few seconds and smiled. I had a strangely nostalgic sense of myself back in 1984 singing "Sweet dreams are made of this, who am I to disagree?..." Although I was surely singing "sweet dreams are made of THESE" not "this" because that lyric sounds like "these" to me. Not the point. I was seven in 1984. Jordan is seven right now. I am so struck by the idea that this song pulled me backward and forward at the same time. All these life-comes-full-circle kinds of thoughts come swirling.

Like when Jordan says she wants to be a singer or an actress when she grows up. I said the same thing.

Like when the girls play with their Barbies and turn it into drama central by pretending cat fights, domestic turmoil, gossip mill, fashion show craziness. My husband thinks they are nutty. But my sisters and I played the same way with Barbie, her clones, and her frenemies.

Like when I showed the girls how we would make little "dolls" out of rose of sharon buds and flowers in the Summertime. And they would try to make them too.

Like when they came running to me with a bottle of "potion" they made out of water, soap bubbles, and flower petals. One of our favorite ways to spend an afternoon imagining.

Like when I soap up Livi's hair in the bath and slick it straight up like a unicorn horn--the way that my mom used to do for us.

Thanks to a barbie guitar and a "Girls just wanna have fun" cover by Miley Cyrus my girls can sing at the top of their lungs: "The phone rings... in the middle of the night..." the way that we would.

The past and present magically mingle. Sometimes the girls will share an idea or say something that I distinctly remember having or thinking in my youth.

I never thought I'd want to relive the 1980's. I imagined neon pink hair, leggings, jelly bracelets, and stone washed denim making a comeback, and I would shudder--I didn't realize that my 1980's childhood might revisit. I have four little time machines that take me back there quite often and Sweet Dreams ARE made of this.

Me and My Shadow

2011-03-25T09:47:00.000-04:00

I just had to share these pics from this morning. Chloe discovered her shadow and they became fast friends!

Who are you?

When I move, You move.

Mwah!

Mesmerized.

Happy Friday!

From Here to There: The Short Version

2011-03-24T10:36:00.001-04:00

I can't believe I haven't written since March 1st. I wanted to do it numerous times, but every time I sat down I thought...I don't have the time right now. I don't have anything interesting to say. It's been too long. I mean after weeks pass, it almost seems odd to come back to, if that makes sense. I am, by no means, ready to give up on this blog.

Maybe it's because I'm not heading in any clear direction. I really just post when the mood strikes. If I had a clearer direction then I would know what to write about. The blog seems like it should be about motherhood and raising girls (hence the name), but I never really write about that. I'm no expert I guess so I don't feel the wealth of information trying to find its way through my keyboard. I like to share the funny moments of our day. There are many. But lots of times I feel like a Status Update will suffice--so I don't blog about them often. Then there is my new found love of snapping shots and I could share those...but...this isn't that type of blog either.

There are the random thoughts and inspiring tidbits too. I like to do those to but I haven't really had any major "aha" moments lately.

Then there are projects around the house and my beloved "before and afters".

As you can see it's really a hodgepodge. That's okay. That's life and in the end that's what I want the blog to be...a blog about my life.

And so without further ado...

Yesterday after Olivia's dance class I was buttoning jackets and gathering my bags when a little scene went down. Nothing major but it made me think. The girls came out (these are 3-year-olds mind you) Some of the girls had stamps on their hands and some of them did not. (Livi did have a stamp, which she proudly showed off). The other moms asked to see the stamps but some of the girls didn't have stamps. When the moms asked why they didn't get stamps the little girls couldn't really say why they didn't have them...just kind of looked a little sad and confused. "My hair wasn't in a pony tail...that's why I didn't get a stamp" one girl said.

What?

Livi's hair was pulled out of her face...but not in a pony tail either, but she got a stamp. Here hair is shorter though...

So the mom asked and almost immediately the teacher (who doesn't have children of her own yet), got kind of defensive and said, yes indeed it is because the child didn't have her hair in a ponytail.

The girls have to have their hair pulled up for safety reasons--so they don't get hurt when tumbling. That makes perfect sense to me.

What doesn't make sense to me is "punishing" or "singling out" three year olds who can't articulate to their parents the need to have a pony tail for class. If you plan to give the girls stamps why not just make it a positive thing--give every girl a stamp for doing a good job, learning a new move, being a good listener etc. And then come out and announce to the parents that hair needs to be pulled up?

It just seems to me an odd way to get that important information out there. A three-year-old just doesn't get that. Can a three-year-old pull her own hair back in a pony tail? No. It's up to mommy or daddy or whoever grabs the comb for the day. So let's have a conversation with the parents instead of relying on the three-year-olds to relay the information. I'm all for teaching kids responsibility. Did I mention these girls are three?
It's in the HANDBOOK. The teacher shot back.

Okay. It's been about 6 months since anyone has picked up the handbook--I don't even know where mine is! For most of these parents, this is the very first experience with dance class. Is stamping the girl (good girl) or not stamping the girl (bad girl) really that much easier than coming out and simply saying to the parents--please have your child's hair pulled up from now on so they don't get hurt!?

Then the mom who got upset about it felt like a fool because she had made a little scene. I didn't think she looked foolish and I told her so.

Maybe when these gals have kids of their own--a handbook sitting under a pile of school papers, children bugging them while they are on the phone, a poopy diaper to change, lunch to prepare, and at least three seperate bags to pack just to get out the door--they will understand. Or are we the crazy ones?

Happy Birthday Little Lady

2011-03-01T10:13:00.000-05:00

My biggest little girl turned seven today! She's not a baby, not a toddler, preschooler, or kindergartner anymore. She's a little lady. On Sunday, she was feeling under the weather for her birthday party. That night I gave her a tepid bath to help bring her fever down and afterwards she fell asleep on the couch. her wavy hair was pulled back loosely in a bun and when I looked at her sleeping, for a moment my breath caught because she just looked so peaceful and beautiful. The worried little frown and tired eyes she'd been wearing all day had melted away into the serenity of sleep. My heart just spilled over with the love I felt for her in that moment, just watching her rest. It is one of those moments that will forever be etched on my heart.

It took me back to a night in her babyhood. After midnight, I rocked her in her darkened room after she had awakened for a feeding. I remember her tiny little splayed hand in mine, a little star. That moment is frozen in time for me too, I will not ever forget it. I thought about all of my hopes and dreams for her that night. Prayed that we would both have the strength to bear the disappointments of life and hoped that I could somehow shield her from any hurt. We all know that can't be. No matter how hard we try to keep them safe, showered with unconditional love, and protected, we cannot keep them from making their own way in this imperfect world of ours and, thus, they are left open to disillusionment and pain.

Still, there is so much to be happy about: So many wonderful, fun memories over the last seven years. She has given me infinite reasons to be amazed. I have witnessed her being the best big sister. I have marveled at her ability to make a friend anywhere she goes (like her dad!). I have swelled with pride reading things that she has written and been flabbergasted by her creativity. She has her moments, like any kid does, but for the most part, she blows me away with her beauty--inside and out.
I'm being awfully sentimental about my baby girl today...

...but today, of all days, I need no excuse to do it!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, JORDAN!

Before and Afters, Before Afternoon

2011-02-25T13:13:00.000-05:00

This week, I decided to take note of the small stuff. As a stay at home mommy (who is on the run a lot!) I often get overwhelmed with my day to day tasks. Sometimes at the end of the night after I've been "working" all day I look around and wonder what I actually accomplished. I don't have to explain how quickly order turns to chaos when there are four little girls, a goofy dog, and busy mom and super dad in the house.

Yesterday, in an effort to feel better about my everyday tasks, I decided to take some quick before and after shots. None of these tasks took a lot of time (minutes) and what a difference they made! These are the little (big) messes and chores that I do E-V-E-R-Y day. Seeing the before and afters makes me smile and reminds me of the good job that I do. Even when it doesn't seem like I have accomplished much, I know that if I do these small things every day there is a BIG difference in my home and that makes me happy! As much as I wish my spaces could look like my after pictures all of the time, all I will need to do is take a quick peek at my before and after pics this week to know that what I do here matters and hopefully it will give me motivation to do it all again. And again. And again. And again!

Our Unmade Bed

The Bed is Made (2 minutes or less)

Clean dishes need put away.
Dirty Dishes need loaded or hand washed.

Clean and Shiny Kitchen Sink!
(25 minutes--including hand washing pans and bottles!)

Our Dumping Ground--
mail, bags and purses, miscellaneous papers
and dishes and food and toys!

All Clear! Even turned on the digital frame!
(10 minutes to put everything in its home)

There's an empty spot in her tummy!

Lunch hit THAT spot! And what a pretty "after picture."
My favorite task of the day: Putting a smile on that little face!

Head on over to I'm An Organizing Junkie to see more wonderful before and after pictures to motivate you today!

Chai Tea Latte, You Are My Best Friend

2011-02-24T08:41:00.000-05:00

I'm joining a Meme today over at Adventuroo. She will post a prompt each week and we are supposed to snap a picture and blog about it (or not--the picture can stand alone). I thought it would be fun to use/learn my new camera and join in.

This week's prompt is:

What is one thing you cannot live without?

Okay, I showed you.

It's not a picture of my husband, my children, my dog, my wedding band, my bible...it's a picture of my morning Chai Tea.

I do not feel complete in the morning or for the rest of the day if I do not have one of these. I do not drink coffee. I do not need a glass of wine at the end of the night (although that would be nice some time!) But there is something about sipping my cup of tea in the morning that is, well, JUST MY CUP 'O TEA!

A tea bag, some hot water, and about 3 tablespoons of flavored fat free coffee creamer makes it taste yummy. Today's cup has FF Italian Cream coffee creamer in it.

It's the little things!

I'd love to see what you can't live without, so get out your camera and link up over at Adventuroo!

What Happens When the Mac and Cheese Boils Over

2011-02-23T21:30:00.000-05:00

Can I just tell you what a whirlwind day I've had? Well...if it wasn't a whirlwind day around here I don't know what I would do. Ava was back to school today. Jordan was back after being off for 5 days. Livi was back to dance class today. The girls had a dentist appointment this afternoon (all of my girls L-O-V-E going to the dentist...is this normal?) Jim was working late tonight (still not home) so I was on single parent duty. When bedtime came, all I could do was sigh.

But I wanted to share the funny part of my insane day:

We went to my mom's after I picked up Ava from preschool. This is our normal Wednesday routine. We usually hang out there and eat lunch together before I drive over to Olivia's dance class and my mom usually heads to work. I pack a lunch for myself and the girls so we don't wipe out my mom's fridge and cupboards with our visit. Today was no different, except that mom offered up some of her leftovers for lunch. She made ground pickles and "jumbo" which doesn't really sound appetizing. Nor does it look appetizing in real life, but it does remind me of my childhood and it is sort of a nostalgic comfort food, so I decided to partake. I put away my non-comforting Lean Cuisine and rooted around in the fridge for the container.

It's in the smallish Tupperware there, Mom said only half glancing to see if I chose the right one. The refrigerator is full of leftover containers. Mom is really good about keeping (and eating) leftovers. Unlike myself. If I have a leftover to save and actually end up saving it, it is usually moldy by the time anyone thinks of it again (ew, I know).

I gathered up the sandwich making ingredients and popped open the ground pickles and jumbo container and noticed that it seemed a little soupy. What's in this? I asked (but duh, I knew the answer and I bet you do too!) Ground pickles, jumbo, eggs, mayonnaise mom said. Okay, I thought. It seemed awfully mayonnaise-ey and there were reddish flecks throughout but I thought it was maybe jumbo skin (gross, I know). I slathered the soupy goop onto my bread and began to chow down over the sink. Nope, didn't grab a plate, just started wolfing right there as I watched the pot starting to boil for the girls mac and cheese.

This doesn't taste right, I thought. It didn't taste BAD. It just didn't taste like ground pickles and jumbo. I kept eating. First, it didn't taste BAD as I said, and Second, I didn't want to barrage my mom with questions about her ground pickle and jumbo making techniques. I had already hounded her by asking what was IN it, right? In the meantime, my mom was preparing her own sandwich.

My mom took a bite. Wait, this doesn't taste right.

I know, I said, It doesn't taste sweet.

That's not it, Mom replied.

I looked at my sandwich. I was down to the last quarter of it.

What in the hell was I eating?

It tastes like salsa, I said

My mom started laughing.

I started laughing.

This isn't ground pickles and jumbo, is it? I asked.

Both of us cracked up and tossed what was left of our sandwiches.

I had just chowed down on a salsa dip sandwich.

If you don't think that a ground pickles and jumbo sandwich sounds appetizing, how about a salsa, cream cheese dip concoction (leftover from SUNDAY) sandwich. I would have hurled, but we were laughing too hard.

And the mac and cheese was boiling over.

Menu Plan Monday - Week of 2/21

2011-02-21T11:16:00.000-05:00

Kids are home today for Presidents' Day. I am TRYING my best to be productive!! We have a birthday party to plan for this next Sunday. I see that tenderloin is on sale this week so I think it's a no brainer that we will most likely have pulled pork sandwiches for the party!

Here's what the week looks like:

Monday: Chili, Fresh Bread, Salad
Tuesday: Ham slice with Mac n Cheese, Green beans
Wednesday: Oven Fried Chicken Tenders, Potato Crowns and Corn
Thursday: Poached Eggs in salsa, guacamole and chips
Friday: BBQ Pork Chops, Roasted Potatoes, Apple Sauce
Saturday: Pizza, Salad
Sunday: Pulled Pork Sandwiches, Coleslaw, Baked Potato Fries.

Check out some more menus over at I'm an Organizing Junkie!