oh my - ohio

Yesterday I ate a cookie.

Shocked? ;)

I was nibbling at it like a rabbit, and I looked down and realized...


I had turned it into Ohio!!!

I briefly thought about keeping it, just like I would keep a potato chip shaped like Elvis or a cornflake that reminded me of the Virgin Mary...

But it was a really good cookie, so I just finished it off.

un-trimming the tree

Today is Epiphany. We celebrated it at Mass on Sunday (couldn't skip out on my goals the very first weekend!), and our priest reminded us that we are still in the Christmas Season.

That's why my tree is still lit, and my outdoor lights are still turned on.

But after today we'll start to take everything down :(

To be honest, I have already put a few things away.

Some of the Santas and snow men have been packed, so have our stockings - but my nativity sets and the tree are still staying strong.

Which means that every morning Peanut wakes up and plays with his nativity set.

the most important thing to remember is that the donkey likes to sit on top of the manger

When do you take down all of your Christmas decorations? Do you do it all at once, or a little bit at a time?

Chicken Paprika

On Sunday, while I was planning our dinner menu for this week, I asked Hubs what he felt like eating for dinner. He said "chicken."

Thanks Hon, way to be specific.

I decided that it was an excellent opportunity to try a new recipe and ran to my favorite "go-to" cookbook - The Joy of Cooking.

I was skimming through the "chicken" dishes and stumbled onto Chicken Paprika - I vaguely remembered watching some random chef on The Food Network make this years ago (really, I'm pretty sure I saw this episode when we were apartment dwellers - easily seven years ago). The recipe looked simple and sounded delicious, and I had a fabulous bottle of Penzey's Hungarian Sweet Paprika on hand.

It was a done deal :)

I just needed to chop some onions.

next time I'll use a larger bowl ;)

Then, brown some chicken.

well-seasoned with salt and pepper

Finish following the recipe, and make up some couscous to pour the yummy sauce over.

nom. nom. nom.

It was ridiculously easy, and delicious. Peanut even scarfed down the chicken, so you know it was yummy.

There are a few things I'd like to do to the recipe next time, I'll keep experimenting and let you know how it goes :)

quick and dirty

Christmas was great. This is the first time we have spent Christmas Eve and Christmas Day at our home, and it was great. So much less stress, and I'm pretty sure JJ really liked opening his presents at our house first :)

Then we headed up to Troy, spent a few days there and celebrated Christmas with my family and then headed to Muskegon. Since we missed all of the parties in Muskegon I decided to have a casual family gathering for dinner one night. We had everyone meet at the Vikings Club and J and I bought pizza and wings. I think everyone had a good time - and we were able to spend more time with J's cousins than we usually get to on Christmas Eve.

We came home on New Years Eve and just chilled out.

JJ really liked having his Daddy at home.
I really liked having J at home, too; but I like being able to pay the mortgage more ;)
Needless to say, we both miss him today.

Especially when JJ decides to break through the child locks and drink dish soap (don't worry, he drink very much and I buy the environmentally friendly stuff - it's also apparently better suited for consumption).
I could have really used an extra set of eyes for those five minutes.

New Year and a Resolution, or Five

My little family is back from our whirlwind tour of Michigan. It wasn't really a tour, but we got to spend a few days with each side of the family, and that made the grandparents happy (and us, too!).

I got up this morning and finished putting away all of the lovely Christmas presents we received, now I need to sort through Peanut's toys and take a load to Goodwill. Seriously - I feel like we live in a toy box.

And since it's a new year I feel like I should make a few resolutions, a list of goals, something a bit more involved than:
1. Lose weight.
2. Go to Church more often.
Although those two items are on my list ;)

Goals for 2010
1. Blog more. I'm going to hold myself accountable for three posts each week, it might turn into more, but for now I think three is a nice number.

2. Cooking and baking! Last year Hubs and I decided not to eat out for the entire month of January; and then three days later Oprah told everyone else in America to do the same thing.
That's when I knew I was a genius.
He doesn't know it yet, but the Chinese carryout we just ate will be his last restaurant meal for awhile - and I'm going to start packing him a lunch for the office.
We still need to save about $16K to cover the very-necessary foundation repairs that were finished in November, we were able to secure one year same as cash financing (which certainly helps) - I'd love to pay this off with new money instead of pulling it out of savings. Spending less on entertainment (for us that's generally food) will make a small dent.
Anyway - not eating out will help with my actual Goal:
To try a new recipe every week. And to document that recipe with a picture - and then post it here (and help out with Goal #1)! I'm such a multitask-er.

3. and 4. Church.
Every weekend we are home. And if we aren't home on the weekend, I need to take Peanut to Wednesday AM Mass at the school. But I'll give myself a week (or two) off after Bun arrives - because I know I will be a zombie then and Jesus would much rather see me sleep-in, than break my back getting us to Church.
And I really need to have the kids Baptized. That has been more of a scheduling issue than anything else - but I have got some major Catholic-guilt about it. I've decided to schedule it for July, and have everything ready (invitations, decorations, catering, etc.) before my birthday. So there's Goal #4.

5. Lose weight.
I'm having a baby - I expect to lose some weight while I'm nursing (worked like a charm the first time). Beyond that I'm planning on going back to Weight Watchers after my OB gives me the go-ahead because I have plenty of non-baby related weight to lose.

6. The House.
All decorating projects have been derailed. I need to get them back on track. I know that once the Christmas decor comes down (not until twelfth night!) the great room is going to feel empty and depressing. I need a solid plan before then or I will be in a major funk.
And we need to turn the office into a big boy room for Peanut.
And then we need to move the office into the den (which is currently the "dead-furniture" room).
And then I'd like to paint the hallway.
And the guest bath.
And now I'm going to stop :)

So that was my ramble-y list of goals for 2010. I'm excited for this year!

docket, docket

I love the way they report items in our docket, so much unnecessary information :)

"A patron at Nino's Bar reportedly told employees he was going to come back and shoot everyone. He also said he was better at basketball than LeBron James, was a sniper and a black belt in Chinese Kenpo. This was reported Tuesday; the man was issued a trespass warning."

"A Marion Township woman said a former classmate of hers, whom she "had a drunken make out session" with once while in college 15 years ago, was harassing her over the Internet on Tuesday."

dashboard indicators

JJ whacked the back of his little head on the corner of my nightstand :(

I'm pretty sure he's fine, sure enough that we aren't going to the Dr's office or ER.

It occurred to me that it would just be so much easier if kids came with a little light-up panel, like the one in the dashboard of your car. Then his little engine light would light up and I'd know without a doubt what to do. There'd be no momentary panic, frantic phone dialing or calls to J (seriously - what was he going to do?).

And maybe there could also be an indicator light for plotting mischief... that one would definitely be handy.

yick

Did any of you have nosebleeds while you were pregnant?

I remember having a few during the winter while I was expecting JJ, but this time it's almost an everyday occurrence. It's really no good because I have been using a million kleenex everyday and it's annoying.

Other than that everything else is ducky.

I finished my Christmas cards (woohoo!) and I think I'm close to being done with shopping. The tree is up and is decorated a little bit, JJ is really interested in it, so I'm not adding any more ornaments for him to pull off and break. Now I just need to wrap the presents and do a lot of baking :)

white lies

At this very moment JJ is at Mom's Day Out (MDO).

Breathe a sigh of relief with me. ahhhhh. I needed that.

When I dropped him off I had to leave my contact info, etc, and there's also a line that asks what you will be doing. I assume that's so they don't try to call you while you're in the middle of a root canal. Every week I write "errands" just like all of the other moms.

Sometimes that's true.

Most of the time it's a lie.

Today I ran one errand. I took myself to Panera to grab breakfast (cheese pastry, thankyouverymuch). Then I came home and watched all of the episodes of Glee I have missed.

It was wonderful.

I was forced to run a load or two of laundry (I ran out of underwear again). And now I'm going to write some Christmas cards.

Maybe.

But there's an episode of Eastwick still on the DVR....and a french bread pizza in the freezer.



No one really cares if they receive a Christmas card from us, right?

hoarding

I love to watch the show Hoarders on A&E. It's like watching a train wreck. I find the fascinating, and extremely depressing.

I feel so bad for the people involved. It's such a complicated disease, I wonder if they are ever able to live a life that is free from the extra stuff (sometimes actual garbage)?

Not only is the show entertaining, but it provides real motivation for getting rid of the extra stuff that I tend to accumulate. After watching last night's episode I went through my closet and pulled out the clothes I no longer wish to wear (and I packed up everything that I won't be wearing for the next few months). A clean closet is such a fabulous thing!

Tomorrow I'm planning on going through my son's closet and drawers, and pack away/donate his outgrown items. I'm getting excited about dropping stuff off at Goodwill :)

Yeah, I'll probably go in the store and take a peek, too. If I get any great deals I'll let you know!

Does anyone else watch Hoarders?
Does it set you on a search and destroy mission of clutter in your own home?

Thanksgiving

We had a great Thanksgiving at my Mom and Dad's house.

For the past few years my Mom and I have taken turns hostessing, this should have been my year, but back in July when I asked her about Thanksgiving plans she responded with "Why would you want to do that? You have a toddler running around." So she took over, and it was especially wonderful because now I don't just have a toddler running around, I'm also expecting again in early June :)

What you need to understand is that Thanksgiving is serious business for my mom and me. I remember being about 8 years old, my Grandmother had finally allowed my mom to hostess Thanksgiving (I love my Grandma, she was amazing, but she wasn't the world's most amazing hostess) - my mom sat me down for a serious talk and told me that "We are going to out-Martha Martha Stewart, and I am going to need your help." I mixed pumpkin pie and mincemeat fillings,peeled potatoes and set the table.

We out-Martha'd Martha. And I loved it.

We both have our Thanksgiving "Bibles" - three-ring binders full of recipes, notes, and most important - the names of our turkeys (to make a wonderful Turkey, you need to bond with it, and you must name it). The turkey is key, we usually order an Amish turkey (Mom) or one that is locally raised (Me). We set the tables a week in advance, carefully plan the menu and pick appropriate serving pieces, and then work our butts off so that on Thanksgiving it looks effortless. We are exhausted by the end of the day, but so very happy to have served our loved ones.

I'm planning a few posts for Thanksgiving, so today I'll leave you with the meal, it was wonderful. I'm currently hounding Mom for the recipes, I'll share when she starts to co-operate ;)


Clockwise from the top:
Savory Bread Pudding
Mashed Potatoes and Mom's Amazing Gravy
Green Beans with Shallots and Bread Crumbs
Cold Cauliflower Salad
Roasted Sweet Potatoes
The Best Turkey Ever (we named him Thom) with more gravy (I could drink it, really)
center - Brussel Sprouts with Hazelnuts

I neglected to take a picture of the brioche and artisan breads (from Zingerman's) and yummy cranberry relish. I also forgot to take pictures of the pies (pumpkin, apple and pecan) - I blame that on food coma :)

so good

Guess who:

*ate his body weight in mashed potatoes?
*refused to eat crackers/cucumbers unless they were dipped in dill dip?
*loves to build with Duplos (leftover from me and my siblings, of course)?
*has Grandpa completely wrapped around his fingers?
*always has eight thousand kisses for his Grammy?
*is going to be a big brother in early June?

gobble gobble!

We drove back from Troy last night. We were planning on visiting baby Emily (and Stephie and Jay) this morning and then driving back, we were also planning on going out to after-party with Danielle after her (beautiful and delicious) wedding and reception.

This guy had other plans:

see my angry, white gums? it's molar time.
not as fun as miller time :(

After Danielle's reception we headed to my parent's house to check on the little man, change clothes and then meet up with everyone at the hotel.

What we found was the angriest little guy ever.

He actually had a great time (as usual) hanging out with Grammy and Grandpa - he adores them, it's really cute. But then he woke up halfway through his nap and was a complete mess. I could hardly get him to calm down (which is really out of character), he just wanted me to rock with him and sing (someone appreciates my amazing voice!). So we made the parental/executive decision to pack up our bags and head home. JJ just needed a night in his own bed, now he's a happy guy again.

Hope you all had a great Thanksgiving! Ours was wonderful :)

fruit from the docket

This might not be super fabulous but...
"A man who appeared to be high while driving on Interstate 75 on Wednesday was charged with possession of drug paraphernalia for having 6.25 grams of marijuana in the car he was driving. He told police he and his friend were returning from a rock concert in Detroit."

Now, you need to understand that there was a Phish concert at Cobo Hall on Wed. night.

I know, who would have guessed that people at a Phish concert would smoke marijuana? Unthinkable!

Chocolate Ornaments

This is my first tutorial! And it is super-duper easy, hooray!

I wasn't really sure what to call these bites of chocolate and pretzel yumminess, but they are round and festive, so I figured calling them "ornaments" wasn't too far of a stretch.

These are ridiculously easy. So easy that someone taught me how to make them when I lived in the dorms, and I made a whole bunch of them in the shared, dorm kitchenette and proudly handed them out at Christmas.

Here are your ingredients:



a bag of pretzel rounds (sometimes they call them "beer pretzels" and they are generally not manufactured by a national brand, just look for them - I swear they are out there)
a bag of holiday M&M's
a bag of Hugs (because the stripes are more fun than plain old Kisses)

Step 1: unwrap the Hugs - this will be mind numbing and time consuming - I suggest doing this while watching TV.

Step 2: preheat your oven to 150 or 200 degrees (basically, as low as it will allow you to set it) and then turn it off. If you don't turn it off you will burn your Hugs, and no one wants a burnt Hug. Then lay out some pretzels on a foil lined cookie sheet, and slip a hug into the center of each pretzel.

yep, I forgot to use foil - it made ornament removal a little bit difficult

Step 3: put the pretzels and Hugs into the oven for 2 - 3 min. They will become nice and melty.

mmm...melty

Step 4: top each Hug with an M&M .I like to place mine upside down so you can't see the logo. I also try to place the M&M exactly over the pointy part of the Hug, just to knock it down.



Step 5: stick you tray of ornaments into the fridge until they are set (10 min. or less), pop them off of the foil (or pry them off with a spatula- seriously - use the foil) and enjoy!

nom, nom, nom!

I'm adding this post to The DIY Show Off's Holiday Highlights Party :)
Come join the fun!

On the Subject of Christmas Gifts

Thanksgiving is almost here!

And you know what comes after that... Christmas!

The season of giving, love, Christ, family and friends, and ridiculous spending. Yep, I said it, it seems that every year, no matter how hard I plan, I will go slightly overboard on gifts for a few people. Now, I've never gone so far as to have massive post-holiday debt (we buy most of our Christmas gifts with cash), but every once in a while I forget about someone, and then in my rush to get them a gift, spend more than I would have if I'd given it a little more thought.

This year we're downsizing our Christmas spending. I'm pretty sure my husband will only find socks and undershirts under the tree this year. We're pretty much in agreement that our $20K foundation repair (oh yeah, that totally happened while I was on hiatus, but I'll elaborate later) was easily our joint Christmas gift... for the next 30 years or so.



I've cut my list down this year, and cut back the amount of money we're spending as well. It was something I've been thinking about for awhile now, and the Advent Conspiracy videos really solidified that for me. I'll be Giving Water to a few of my friends, I know they'll appreciate that much more than another pair of Christmas socks, blank journal, or random set of bath products. And a few other very special people will be receiving goodies from my kitchen.


I'm still trying to decide exactly which goodies to put in my boxes, but I have a few front runners:
Chocolate Ornaments
Spiced Nuts
Pepparkakor
Christmas Spritz

Have you thought about giving homemade or charitable Christmas gifts this year?

i promise to do better

I've been super-duper busy lately.

You can read a little bit more here.

But I promise to do better, and to post pictures of my adorable gnome-boy! OK, that might take a while because the adorable-one keeps stealing the USB cords for the camera. But once I dig them out of the registers, toy box, and warming drawer in the oven, I'll try really hard to get a few pictures of gnome-yumminess up :)

Hope you all had a great weekend (the weather was awesome!)!

jumping back in

I've been busy.

Mostly I've been working on a Historic Homes Tour (it was yesterday), which is our bi-annual fundraiser for service league. The homes are decorated for the holidays by local florists, and this year we're pretty sure over 2000 people toured the homes. Our goal is always to raise at least $14,ooo, as that's pretty much our philanthropic budget for two years. The best part is that every single penny we raise goes directly to our community.

In a community this size $14,000 can make a huge difference. For example, our local food pantry is starting a milk money program. They were hoping to raise $1,400 to start the program and be able to give over 800 families a few vouchers for milk every month, unfortunately they were only able to raise $400. So they sent us a request and we were happy to assist them.

So that's why I've been absent from the blog.

And even though I missed doing little projects - and taking the time to take pictures of my food as I am cooking (although I never seem to write those posts!), and missed a bunch of fun blog parties and great posts that all of you have written - I'm happy to be able to give my time to my communtiy. I had a lot of fun working on this project, even though it didn't give me the immediate satisfaction that our service projects do. When I sit back and think about the impact of the money we raised, I have to say that it makes me tear up to think of little ones and pregnant women (who live right where I do) drinking milk instead of water because I was able to donate (sometimes begrudgingly) some of my time.

And now back to blogging :)

i'm hiding

Life's been both busy and boring.
And I just haven't felt like writing, or I haven't had the time.
(Or it could have something to do with all of the excellent tv shows that we DVR religiously...)

Give me a topic, then we'll discuss.

I'll bring the coffee :)

gardening for a cause

Tomorrow morning, rain or shine, I will be planting bulbs.

image from http://www.flower-garden-bulbs.com/

83 to be exact.

And nope, they won't be in my yard; because, once again, I procrastinated on ordering my bulbs.

I'm actually really excited to be helping with the landscaping of a local Habitat for Humanity home build! I'm in a local service sorority, and we are landscaping the home as our Make A Difference Day project for this year.

We threw an awesome Cinco de Mayo party last year to raise enough funds to landscape two homes (unfortunately they were only able to fund one home this year), and now our project days are here! I'll take my camera and share some pictures tomorrow.

Have you had the opportunity to serve your community lately?