3.27.2012

Spring Break is here

Well, we are officially on Spring Break. Last week we had more snow, which was quite a way to spend the first day of Spring. I think this photo sums it up nicely...

via

These are not my kids and I did not take this photo, however my lovely and talented friend, Emily, did!

The snow is now gone and the rain is back...blah. Today the kids had a playdate but before their friends arrived we had time to do some painting.



We used this as our inspiration


I hand drew some butterflies on paper with a sharpie and the kids colored it in. 




They gave their paintings to their playdate friends before I could get a picture of them, but I did manage to snap a shot of their other works of art :)

painted by the boy
painted by sweet pea
Since there is rain in the forecast ALL week, I have the feeling there will be lots more where this came from.

Happy Tuesday to you!

3.20.2012

Highlights of the last few days

We had a good quiet weekend. Here are the highlights...

My mom brought us dinner on Friday night...yuuuuussss! Not only is she the best cook ever, but that means I didn't have to cook. Moms are the best!

shepherd's pie and salad...mmmm!

On St. Patty's Day my friend & neighbor, Cathy, ran a 10K with me!


We've been training for this race for months and it felt good to finally cross it off the list. And since it was St. Patrick's Day, we decked ourselves out in green!


This little munchkin is feeling a lot better! She was also decked out in green, so no pinching here!


In honor of the holiday, the kids and I baked a Rainbow Cake with Cloud Frosting. I think they had more fun making it than eating it.


Such a happy cake!


I got the cloud frosting recipe from here. It's basically a meringue and is very shiny & pretty. It kinda tastes like marshmallows, which is not really my thing, but it's fun and very fitting for a rainbow cake :)

Sunday was a true day of rest around here. With everyone getting over nasty bugs we figured it was best to hunker down and stay home.

Yesterday was a pretty average day. Sweet Pea had a playdate in the morning, while The Boy was at school.

We had lunch.

Cleaned up the house.

The kids played with a circuit board.





And jumped in a pile of pillows.


I hope you're having a great week!

3.16.2012

St. Patty's Fun for the Kiddos

It's looking like we're going to have a quiet weekend at home due to all germs that decided to invade our house. To beat the cabin fever and boredom, I'm trying to plan some fun activities for the kids.

Here are a few St. Patty's crafts and recipes that we've done in the past (either at preschool or at home)...



This is a fun one and you can add streamers (crape paper) to make a fun wind catchers to look like this...

rainbow wind catchers
via

Last year, we made these...

I found the idea here

The neighbor kids were over and they had a blast rolling them out


What festive activities do you like to do with your kids?

3.15.2012

House Full of Sickies

So, I took our sweet baby girl to the doctor today, since we were on day 4 of miserable-ness.

Her breathing sounded awful
She has not been sleeping well
She's been WAY cranky (which is so unlike her)
and you can just see it in her eyes.

SHE. IS. SICK.

The doctor thinks she has Bronchiolitis, which he explained as basically a form of baby pneumonia. BOO!

Since it's a viral thing, there is no treatment and we just have to let it run it's course. DOUBLE BOO!

On top of that, my hubby and the boy are also sick. TRIPLE BOO!

Since everyone was feeling poopy and the weather has been ugly and grey...I made some comfort food for dinner.

Potato & Leek Soup.

It was just what the doctor ordered (at least this doctor of the kitchen!)

I followed this recipe and it was gooooood!! Everyone liked it. Sweet Pea practically licked her bowl clean.

UPDATE: Here are a few changes and "chef's notes": I didn't use the bouquet garni as called for in the recipe. To make things simple, I put 3/4 tsp. pepper, 4 springs of thyme (stripped from the stem) and bay leaves directly into the soup. Remove the bay leaves prior to blending.


To lighten it up, you can substitute 2% or 1% milk for the heavy cream.

You should try it. You won't be disappointed.

Of course, loading it up with cheese and bacon is always a plus :)

3.13.2012

Snow Day

School was cancelled today, because of "snow"


Yes, this qualifies for a day off around here...HA! As soon as the boy heard there was no school, he immediately tore off his clothes and got right back into his pj's.

We're at home with a sick baby :( It started coming on yesterday. But to brighten up the day, my hubby brought home lillies! Thank you Mr. Turco!


I would love to start some sewing today, but I have this funny feeling that we're going to get a little stir crazy around here. So I'm off to figure out a fun craft or something to keep these little people from getting cabin fever.

Happy Tuesday!

3.06.2012

She's on the move...

It's official...our sweet baby girl is walking!

sportin' an awesome look...a diaper and roobez

And she loves it! She will take some steps, then fall, then get right back up again...all with a smile on her face.

I'm just starting to think about her 1st birthday party (next month). This is how far I've gotten...

I love Eric Carle's art!

The invitations. And that is all. HA!

More to come on that soon.

3.05.2012

Random Weekend Stuff

Well, the 24 hour tummy bug has come and gone and everyone is back to normal. I mentioned before that the boy got it on Thursday, then Sweet Pea got it on Friday. There was lots of sleeping and Netflix over here on Friday.

On Saturday morning I ran 7 miles, which is the most I've ever ran...ever in my life! AND it felt good!! Not only physically good, but it was a huge confidence builder. 10K here I come!

The rest of the Saturday was full of chores and then burgers with my hubby's fam.

On Sunday, we had church in the morning and dessert with my parents in the evening...chocolate chip pie. YUM!


The recipe is straight from the Toll House bag, and if you've never tried it, it is a MUST! If possible, serve it warm and with a big scoop of ice cream on top...oh my!

And now that March is here and Spring is upon us, I'm turning over a new leaf and getting back into my morning devotions. I've missed them.


My hubby and I used to wake up in the morning before the kiddos were out of bed. We would have coffee, read and pray together. But when our Sweet Baby girl came along, this mama was not getting enough sleep and could not peel herself out bed to do it in the early morning. I'm excited to get back into it and share the mornings with my man!

Today, Sweet Pea had a playdate.


They did all sorts of girly things...made crafts, played dress up, watched Snow White and played games. She had such a great time.

I hope you had a great weekend!

3.01.2012

One Skillet Tater Tot Casserole


While my husband was out of town last week, I needed a quick, kid-friendly dinner. Tater tots were sounding really good, so, I whipped this up in a jiffy. My friend, Katie, gave me a recipe for Cheesy Beef and Rice Casserole which I used as a starting point. Added bonus...it does not contain canned, condensed soup!

I started with a pound of ground beef and 1/2 of a large onion, which I cooked up in my skillet.

I seasoned it with some garlic salt and added a can of green beans.

Now for the creamy sauce...remember: no canned soup. Just...


1 cup of sour cream and 1/3 cup of milk.

Top with a layer of tater tots and some cheese and pop it in the oven. And in 20 minutes you're ready to eat!



One Skillet Tater Tot Casserole


1 lb. ground beef
1/2 yellow onion, chopped
garlic salt to taste
1 can green beans
1 c. sour cream
1/3 c. milk
1.5-2 lbs. frozen tater tots
1 c. cheddar cheese, shredded

In a small bowl, mix sour cream and milk together. Set aside.
In a large (oven-safe) skillet, brown beef and onions. Season with garlic salt.
Add green beans.
Pour sour cream mixture over beef mixture. Mix well.
Add a single layer of frozen tater tots over the creamy beef mixture. Top with cheese.
Bake at 400 degrees for 20 minutes.

One pan...from stove top to oven to table. Easy. Yummy. Kid-friendly.

Speaking of easy dinners...I'm loving all these crockpot meals I'm finding on Pinterest. I made this last night, and this the night before that. Both were very yummy!!

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By the way...Happy March!! Our March did not start off too well. I had to pick up the boy a little early from school today because he wasn't feeling well. 


Fever. Vomiting. Tummy-ache. Head-ache. NO FUN! Poor guy. :( I hate having sick kids.


For this month I'm doing this...

via


My cousins are doing it too. It's gonna be fun to see what they come up with each day. 

Today's challenge was "UP"...


Lots of gray clouds up in here. In fact we had snow/rain mix today and it was coooold! Brrr!