Panettone bread pudding

Although I'm proud of being an Italian, I can't take any credit for this wonderful recipe. My dear friend Debra made this for me on a LONG and distressing road trip to North Carolina. My first ever road trip was an interesting one, to say the least. The bright spot of the trip (besides Debra being an awsome companian) was her unbelievable bread pudding!

Debra's Bread Pudding:

• Panettone bread (can be purchased at Home Goods, or a speciality market)
• 1/4 cup chocolate chips (I used Godiva chips)
• 1 1/2 cups of heavy whipping cream
• 1/2 cup condensed milk
• 2 eggs

Grease a glass baking dish. Thickly cut Panettone into cubes. Place 1/3 of the Panettone in the bottom of the baking dish. Mix the rest of the ingredients in a bowl. Pour half over the Panettone. Put the rest of the Panettone into the pan and add the rest of the mix. Press it down until all is soaked into the Panettone. Bake at 350 degrees for 45-60 minutes.

YUM! Enjoy!

An Italian Favorite

Lots of folks have cultural items they put on the table for Thanksgiving...well I'd like to hear, er...read about yours! I'll post my favorite and then please share your own!

Panettone Bread Pudding

Nothing says mmm...holiday time, like some warm, gooey bread pudding. And nothing says Italian like Pannetone Bread Pudding. This recipe (though I wish I had thought of it) is by Ken Oringer of Food and Wine Magazine. No this is not low fat....why the hell should it be...it's the holiday!

Ingredients:

2 lbs panettone, sliced 1 1/2 inches thick

1 stick (4oz) unsalted butter

3 large eggs

1 cup sugar

2 tsp pure vanilla extract

1 tsp ground cinnamon

1/2 tsp freshly grated nutmeg

Pinch of salt

2 cups heavy cream

one 12-oz can evaporated milk

Directions:

1. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Butter a 2 quart baking dish. Toast the panettone on the oven racks for 8-10 minutes, or until golden; cut into 1 1/2 inch cubes and transfer to the prepared baking dish.


2. In a saucepan, cook the butter over moderately low heat until nutty and the milk solids are brown, 4-5 minutes. Toss the butter with the panettone.


3. In a medium bowl, using an electric mixer, beat the eggs and sugar at medium speed until pale and thick, 2 minutes. Beat in the vanilla, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt, then beat in the heavy cream and evaporated milk. Pour the custard over the panettone; let stand for 1 hour, gently tossing now and then, until the custard is absorbed.


4. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees. Bake the bread pudding for 25-30 minutes, until the top is golden and the custard is set. Let cool for 30 minutes before cutting into squares.

The best part about this is that you can make it the day before and refrigerate it until after dinner! And if you serve it with ice cream, it only gets better! Enjoy!

Now what's your tradition?

Sensational Stir Fry

Lately I've bee the Samurai of Stir Fry...the Ace of Asian, and I love it because it's giving the family some crazy good veggies without complaints! I found a wonderful Japanese market that is SO inexpensive it's insane! I stopped by and felt a bit awkward at first, because I was the only non Japanese walking through a small store filled with non English packages. But when they saw me pick up Japanese cabbage, stir fry noodles, sesame seeds, and sushi grade tuna, they quickly started smiling. One man said, "You know how to make this." I said, "Oh yes! We love stir fry in our house." He laughed and point me in the direction of some other great items! I walked out of there with two bags of goodies and only spent $9! My new favorite store. But I digress. I've got a fool0-proof, super yum, stir-fry recipe...that I actually smell as I type! Here it is!

I will heed one warning, although this is really easy, it is a bit time consuming. Also, feel free to substitute your favorite veggies if there is one you don't like.

Ingredients:

3 carrots
2 shallots
1 small bag of bean sprouts
1 zucchini
1 squash
1 container of mushrooms (I use a mix)
4 tall green onions
Sesame seeds
Sesame oil
vegetable oil
cabbage (I cut up about a quarter of a head of napa or Asian which ever is fine)
Kikkoman Stir fry sauce
Chow mein stir fry noodles

Instructions:
Peel and slice all veggies. I use the peeler to make ribbons with the zucchini, squash, carrots, and green onions. I feel like the cook faster this way. Chop the rest of the veggies. Put all of them in a large bowl.
Get out a large wok. Heat sesame oil and vegetable oil in the wok. I used about 2 tbsp of sesame and 1 of vegetable.
Dump veggies in the wok and cover, let them cook until soft and delicious. In the meantime, follow the directions on the stir fry noodles.
When all of the ingredients are ready, add the noodles to the wok and add the sesame seeds, mix up and then add the sauce. Toss and serve! Enjoy!

Take some time to relax

This recipe is probably the most important one I've posted on here! I'll start by saying that I always have had a tinge of guilt when I leave the children to go have some fun...but my husband has shown me that it's very important to do. So tonight's recipe is one that will help you loosen up and get down with yo bad self.

It's called:

Amaretto!

First, take two shots of amaretto and shoot them. Then take a shot of amaretto and mix it with sprite. Drink until you dance like no one is looking! Then pass out.

DON'T DRINK AND DRIVE! Much love!

10 things to do with your pumpkin guts and seeds!

So you've carved, scraped, and de-gutted your pumpkin (purely for the kids, no fun for you at all right... ;-p ) and you think, "Do I really have to throw all of this away?" Oh you are such a frugal wonderful mom!!!! Well, I'm here to tell you emphatically NO! Don't throw those guts and seeds away! And to prove how easily you can use those innards (te hehe) I've listed below a bunch of ideas!



Roasted Pumpkin Seeds:

By far the most popular thing to do with the left overs...

**Preheat the oven to 350 degrees. Separate the seeds from the guts. Using your hands, pick out the seeds and lay them on a buttered or greased baking sheet. Do not rinse them! This removes a lot of the flavor. Bake for 10 minutes. Salt before eating.**



Puking Pumpkin:

For my partier (er...single) friends...

Oh, the guts are making me nauseous. Make a manly pumpkin - er, party pumpkin? Use those guts for a gross, puking pumpkin.







Pumpkin Seed Soap:

For anyone who loves to carve pumpkins, but has no desire to roast and eat the pumpkin seeds, this Halloween craft idea is for you. You can still enjoy the health benefits of pumpkin seeds, when you use them as an exfoliating ingredient in the homemade pumpkin seed soap.

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/392022/halloween_crafts_pumpkin_seed_gift.html?cat=24



Pumpkin Seed Pesto: http://www.grouprecipes.com/15042/pumpkin-seed-pesto-with-pumpkin-ravioli.html



Pumpkin Ravioli: (I've made this, in a different way but still yum!) http://www.grouprecipes.com/15046/pumpkin-ravioli.html



Pumpkin Butter: http://www.grouprecipes.com/1446/pumpkin-butter.html



Pumpkin Delight: http://www.grouprecipes.com/3639/pumpkin-delight.html



Pumpkin Pancakes: http://www.grouprecipes.com/3949/pumpkin-pancakes.html



Pumpkin and Spinach Risotto: (for my more ambitious friends) http://www.grouprecipes.com/6819/pumpkin-doughnuts.html



Kids Toy:

Kids love slime and what’s better than organic slime? Mix it with some fake blood to create guts that can be used as part of a costume or just to play with.
Need red dye for your fake blood recipe? Try beet powder + water.





Whatever you do...

...don't put pumpkin guts down the drain!Unless you are prepared to spend a lot of money to have a plumber come and snake out your drains, don't put pumpkin guts down the sink. They harden inside the pipes and cause problems, no doubt just in time for your family to come visit for Thanksgiving. Can you afford not to have a bathroom available on that day??

Little Nibblers and Fondue

One of my favorite things about meal time would have to be getting the kids involved. Dinner is much more fun when everyone has a hand in it. Not only do they eat better, but they see the time and effort it takes to prepare something.

In a world full of convenience foods and fast food joints it's hard to "find the time" to make dinner. There are some days that "Sam's Pizza Shack" or "McFast Fry" is the only place I can think of, but most nights I try my hardest to come up with something new, exciting, and EASY! I'm lucky enough to have some slow days to sit and think about it at work. In my business it's feast or famine. That is why I started my blog. To give other mothers some new ideas, and for them to share some with me.

One of my "go to" staples for an easy and quick dinner is finger food. Nibblers, as we call them in the Hollis house. That can be anything from cubed chicken, to cheese, to fruit kabobs. Anything! I try to always make them well rounded and fun. But I find that if it doesn't look overwhelming, they will eat it!

So tonight we're going to try some fondue. Maybe a meat one, or a cheese one. I haven't decided yet. But this requires some planning and a lunch break trip to the grocery.

If I do a meat fondue then the recipe I'll use is:

8 cups of chicken broth and 1 cup of dry white wine. (The alcohol will cook off! You won't have drunk kids). I also through in a few spices.

In a pot, bring the chicken broth and wine to a boil. Transfer to the fondue pot when the broth is boiling.

Then you take whatever veggies, or meats you want and put them on the fondue skewer and place in the stock until cooked through.

If you don't like that recipe, try this one:

Bearnaise Sauce
(4 tbsp)
Dry white wine
(4 tbsp)
Tarragon vinegar
(1 tsp)
Green onions, finely chopped
(1 tsp)
Parsley, finely chopped
(1/4 tsp)
Thyme
(1/4 tsp)
Tarragon
3
Egg yolks
(1/2 cup)
Butter
Salt and pepper
1. In a pot, mix the wine, vinegar, green onions, parsley, thyme and tarragon.
2. Bring to a boil and let boil until reduced by half.
3. Strain the liquid.
4. Let cool.
5. Gradually whisk in the egg yolks and butter.
6. Whisk until desired consistency.
7. Add salt and pepper to taste.
8. If prepared ahead of time, keep refrigerated.
9. Serve.


And check out http://www.bestfondue.com/ for more recipes! ENJOY!

Auntrell's Mini Bundt Spice Cakes! Oh My Goodness!

So a friend of mine brought in the most delictable little thing I've ever eaten...I don't know if it's WW approved, but it is Jamie approved!

Mini bundt spice cakes filled with sauteed spiced apples with a brown sugar, vanilla, & cinnamon glaze.

It is just the spice cake mix then you add the sauteed chopped apple (1/2 stick of butter, 1 apple, 2 tablespoons of brown sugar, saute until soft). Follow recipe on box for baking. Glaze is 1/2 butter, 1 1/2 cup of white sugar, 3 tbsp of brown sugar, 2 tbspn of imitation vanilla, 1/2 water. Add all ingredients let boil on med-low until thick. Add more sugar to help with thickness. Set aside to cool a little. Then glazed the cake/s when they are cool.

Have I mentioned that she is now the best friend in the entire world?

Go Guac or Go Home!

I'm Guacamole obsessed! As the Frank's Red Hot lady says, "I put that S#*t on everything."

So I have two super healthy alternatives to traditional Guacamole! First is one from Hungry Girl!

You Make Me Wanna Scoop!
When we saw that Chili's had unleashed a fancy new guacamole on the masses -- one loaded with fire-roasted corn, no less -- we just had to make it over. We even whipped up some super-easy toasty chips. Get ready for some serious dipping with our Rockin' Roasted Corn Guac 'n Chips!
Ingredients:

For Guac 1 cup frozen sweet yellow corn

One 15-oz. can early/young peas, drained

1/2 cup mashed avocado (about 1 medium-small avocado's worth)

1/4 cup plain fat-free Greek yogurt (Fage Total 0% is the best!)

4 tsp. lime juice

1/2 tsp. chopped garlic

1/4 tsp. salt, or more to taste

1/8 tsp. black pepper, or more to taste

1/8 tsp. ground cumin

1/8 tsp. chili powder

3/4 cup chopped cherry or grape tomatoes

1/4 cup finely chopped onionOptional: chopped fresh cilantro, chopped jarred jalapeño slices

For ChipsTwelve 6-inch corn tortillas

3/4 tsp. salt
Directions:Preheat oven to 400 degrees.
Bring a skillet sprayed with nonstick spray to high heat on the stove. Add corn and cook until thawed and slightly blackened, about 8 minutes. Set aside to cool.
Place peas in a medium bowl and mash thoroughly with a potato masher or fork. (Or puree peas in a small blender or food processor and transfer to a medium bowl.) Add avocado, yogurt, lime juice, garlic, and dry seasonings. Continue to mash until blended.
Stir in corn, tomatoes, and onion. If you like, mix in cilantro and/or jalapeño. Refrigerate until ready to serve.
To make the chips, divide tortillas into two stacks and cut each in half. Cut each stack of halves into three triangles, for a total of 72 pieces.
Spray a large baking sheet with nonstick spray. Evenly lay about one-third of the tortilla triangles flat on the sheet.
Cover triangles with a generous mist of nonstick spray, spraying for about 2 seconds.

Evenly sprinkle with 1/8 tsp. salt.

Flip triangles over and sprinkle with another

1/8 tsp. salt.
Bake in the oven for 5 minutes. Carefully flip tortilla triangles over on the sheets. Continue to bake in the oven until crispy, about 5 minutes longer. Repeat baking process until all the chips are baked. (If you have extra baking sheets and a large oven, feel free to do it all at once!)
Once cool enough to handle, transfer chips to a serving bowl. Serve with chilled guac and enjoy!
MAKES 8 SERVINGS
Serving Size: 1/3 cup guacamole with 9 chipsCalories: 160Fat: 4gSodium: 456mg Carbs: 27.5gFiber: 4.75gSugars: 4.5g Protein: 5gPOINTS® value 3*HG Alternative! Prefer your guacamole without chips... with cut bell peppers and jicama, maybe? (Yum!) Make the guacamole only; a 1/3-cup serving of the guac itself has 76 calories, 2.25g fat, and 3g fiber (POINTS® value 1*).

Next is one of my favorites! Edamame Guacamole!

Makes about 2 cups
Made with avocado and edamame, this guacamole variation is both creamy and fresh. Serve with raw vegetables like celery, carrots and radishes for dipping or alongside baked pita chips as a healthy snack or appetizer.
Ingredients
1 cup frozen shelled edamame, thawed

1 small, ripe avocado, peeled and pitted

1 canned chipotle pepper in adobo sauce, finely chopped (optional)

1/3 bunch cilantro

1/4 white onion, roughly chopped

Juice of 2 limes

2 to 3 tablespoons water

Sea salt and freshly ground black pepper
Method
Put edamame, avocado, chipotle, cilantro, onion and lime juice in a food processor and pulse until almost smooth. Add enough water to make a creamy consistency and pulse again. Transfer guacamole to a bowl, season with salt and pepper and serve.
Nutrition
Per serving (2 Tbsp/about 1.5oz/42g-wt.): 50 calories (25 from fat), 3g total fat, 0g saturated fat, 0mg cholesterol, 75mg sodium, 5g total carbohydrate (2g dietary fiber, 1g sugar), 4g protein

I know I'll be enjoying this very soon!!! Let me know what you THINk!

Grilled Shrimp Skewers

know I haven't posted a recipe in a while, but tonight we had the most delicious dinner. We had jalapeno popper burgers, sweet potato fries, and the most wonderful shrimp skewers ever! My kids will normally try shrimp, and they will eat fried shrimp, but James won't touch them unless they are covered in Jack Daniel's sauce from Friday's. But I tried these on everyone, including my neighbors.

Grilled Shrimp Skewers

Ingredients:
2 lb. bag of frozen de-veined shrimp with no shells
1/2 cup of tomato sauce
1/4 cup of red wine vinegar
3 tbsp extra virgin olive oil
4 cloves of garlic minced
2 tbsp basil (fresh, if using dried use 3 tbsp)
big of cayenne pepper
salt to taste


Directions
Thaw frozen shrimp
Mix all ingredients together and marinate shrimp for an hour
After marinating skewer them all on large skewers. (I recommend soaking the skewers in water for at least one hour so they do not burn on the grill)
Spray grill with Pam cooking spray then put the skewers on the grill. Grill until nice color. Enjoy!

Tofu, it isn't just for Vegans!

General Tao's Tofu

Okay, so anytime I mention Tofu, people shutter! No reason!!!!!! My picky eaters all love it, and as long as you have no allergies to it, it's a great way to cut your fat and calories down on your favorite foods! One of my family's favorite is the General Tao's Tofu! It's super yummy and you don't feel like you are being too terribly bad. The key is firm or extra firm tofu. Make sure you drain it and put it in a white towel to dry! It's super important! Check out this website for a video of instructions. http://vegweb.com/index.php?topic=8769.0

Ingredients (use vegan versions):

• 1 box of extra firm tofu
• egg substitute for 1 egg
• 3/4 cup cornstarch
• vegetable oil for frying
• 3 chopped green onions
• 1 Tablespoon minced ginger
• 1 Tablespoon minced garlic (I use the already minced in water)
• 2/3 cup vegetable stock
• 2 Tablespoons low sodium soy sauce
• 4 Tablespoons sugar
• red pepper to taste
• 1 Tablespoon sherry (optional) I love this though and wouldn't leave it out.
• 1 Tablespoon white vinegar
• steamed broccoli (I buy the steamable bags)

I sometimes put this over brown rice too!

Directions:

Drain, dry and cut tofu into 1 inch chunks. You can freeze tofu the night before to get a more chicken-like consistency, but it isn't necessary.

Mix the egg replacer as specified on the box and add an additional 3 tablespoons water.

Dip tofu in egg replacer/water mixture and coat completely.

Sprinkle 3/4 cup cornstarch over tofu and coat completely. Watch out that the cornstarch doesn't clump up at the bottom of the bowl.

Heat oil in pan and fry tofu pieces until golden. Drain oil.

Heat 3 Tablespoons vegetable oil in pan on medium heat.

Add green onions, ginger and garlic, cook for about 2 minutes. Be careful not to burn garlic.

Add vegetable stock, soy sauce, sugar, red pepper and vinegar.

Mix 2 Tablespoons water with 1 Tablespoon cornstarch and pour into mixture stirring well.

Add fried tofu and coat evenly.

Serve immediately with steamed broccoli over your choice of rice.

Serves: 4

Preparation time: 30 Minutes

Oh so good Sweet Pork!

The other night I didn't know what to make and I had some pork thawed so I decided to make something up. I had a ton of produce that was about to go bad. So I chopped some carrots, celery, small white potatoes, garlic, and onions and put it in with some pork loin that I cut into stew meat slices. I stared at it and wondered what would I do to it? So I threw on some soy sauce (because, who doesn't like soy sauce?) Then I realized it would be really salty with the pork and soy sauce, so I added a handful of brown sugar and about a tablespoon of water and covered it. I baked it at 375 for 45 minutes. The results were insane! I will pat myself on the back because every member of the family devoured it! It was so great, but alas, there are no pictures (mainly b/c James literally ate every bite and drank the juice from the bowl...LOL). I think everyone out there would love this! Just give it a try. It's fast, easy, and great for a weeknight rushed meal!

Happy eating!

The great misadventures of Chicken and Dumplings

Oh my goodness, who would have thought that my nemesis would be chicken and dumplings? Well it was! Well not really the dumplings, it was the chicken. But let me start from the beginning.

Brooklynn and James just LOVE chicken and dumplings. They are always talking about it. My sister and friend told me that it was not hard to make. So I pulled out my "Simply Delicious" Weight Watchers cookbook and looked up a recipe.

3 1/2 lb chicken (pulled apart) {There lies my problem}

2 small carrots

2 small celery

1 onion

3/4 cups baking mix

1/3 c. fat free milk

3 c. low sodium chicken broth

salt and pepper to taste

1 tbsp parsley

The first thing the recipe told me was to pull apart the raw chicken...wh...wh...what? Pull apart and take off the skin of a raw, whole chicken? How was I supposed to do this? It must have looked very comical, because James was peeking through the window of the kitchen grinning at me as I tore this little *%#&^%& apart. After about 25 minutes I said, that is enough chicken.

I browned chicken, then added the chopped veggies and browned them as well (about 6 minutes each) then I added the broth and let it simmer for 35 minutes. I mixed the milk and baking mix and parsley together to make the dumplings. After the 35 minutes I dropped the dumplings in and let it simmer with a cover 20 minutes, then without a cover for 15 more minutes. The end result was super yummy, but next time...I get chicken breasts. AJ opted out because of the carrots, but it fed 4 adults, 2 children (with B and James having two helpings). No leftovers, that's my goal!

MMM...MMM...Mini Caesar Salad Bites

Tonight at our house was a night of mini's, or tapas, depending on who you talk to. I decided to make this a game for the kids. I made all different tapas and color coded them with toothpicks. The more fruit, veg, meat the kids eat the more toothpicks. The most toothpicks wins! One of the dishes was a big surprise. Mini Caesar Salad Bites. Lettuce leaves, small chicken bites, prosciutto, anchovies, homemade dressing, hard boiled egg. Yum! They are little and so great!

I got pre-made chicken that just needed warmed up.

Broiled prosciutto

2 hard boiled eggs

sliced anchovies

lettuce leaves pulled apart

miracle whip

white vinegar

water

Parmesan cheese

For dressing, mix 1 tbsp of mayo, 1 tbsp of water and 1 tsp of white vinegar.

I pulled apart the lettuce leaves and set them as cups.

Put the pieces of chicken in the cups.

Put the sliced egg and prosciutto in the cup.

Put an anchovy on top.

Sprinkled parm on top.

Poured dressing over the top

Yummy Summer Obsession

This yummy Summer obsession was first introduced to me by my friend Kim. We used to barbecue almost every weekend last summer and I dearly miss hanging out together!

Strawberry Pretzel Salad
ingredients:

2 c. crushed pretzel pieces

2 tbsp. brown sugar

3/4 c. butter, melted

1/2 c. mini chocolate chips

8 oz. pkg. cream cheese, softened (we used weight watchers)

1 c. sugar8 oz. tub of Cool Whip (we used fat free)

2 regular boxes of strawberry Jello

2 c. boiling water

About 10 ounces of frozen fruit (we used strawberries) thawed and drained

instructions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees
Crush regular pretzels in a zip lock bag with something heavy. In a large bowl, mix 2 cups of crushed pretzel, 2 tbs. brown sugar, and 2/3 cup of melted butter. Press mixture firmly into the bottom of a 9×13 baking pan. Bake for 8 minutes then allow to cool. Mix Jello packets and boiling water until dissolved. Stir in thawed fruit then place mixture in the fridge to chill while you make the middle layer. Stir together softened cream cheese, 1 cup of sugar, and thawed tub of Cool Whip until nicely mixed. Sprinkle 1/2 cup of mini chocolate chips over the cooled pretzel crust. Spread the cream cheese mixture evenly on top the crust. Then top with the fruit-jello mixture. Cover and refrigerate for at least 6 hours, preferably overnight.

Yummy 4 point Veal

So let me pre-empt by saying I have never had veal before! I was against it because of the treatment of the animals...but all good Chef's must use all good food. So I sucked it up and decided to make Veal (one of my husband's favorites.) I made Veal Cutlets with Wine Braised Mushrooms (for you fellow WWers it was only 4 points per serving).

Ingredients

• 1 lb. Veal scaloppine


• 1/4 c. all purpose flour


• 2 tsp evoo (extra virgin olive oil) divided


• 1 (8 oz package) of pre-sliced mushrooms


• 1/4 c. of sliced green onions


• 1/3 c. low sodium beef or chicken broth (I prefer chicken)


• 1/4 c. your favorite dry wine (I used Cupcake Riesling)


• 1/4 c. water


• 1/2 c. chopped seeded tomato


• 1/2 tsp. salt


• 1/4 tsp. ground black pepper


• 2 tbsp. chopped basil (if you use dry only do 1 1/2 tbsp.)

Instructions

Dredge veal in flour. Heat nonstick skillet over medium/high heat. Add veal and cook 2 minutes per side. Transfer veal to a serving platter; cover and keep warm. Add mushrooms and green onions to renderings in pan and saute 1 1/2 minutes until tender. Combine broth, wine, and water. Add to pan, scraping pan to loosen those yummy brown bits. Stir in tomato, salt and pepper. Then add veal back in to rewarm it.

I put it over brown rice (2 points) and serve. So good, I only ate a small piece of veal but James ate the entire pan...LOL

Enjoy!

Blogger's change

So I think I'm going to change the blog up a bit...I think I want to make it an easy recipe site for working moms (or non working moms). A site where they can have fun go to recipes. Some kid friendly, and some probably not. Stuff I make up and stuff I just love! I'm not generally very crafty or creative but I have an insane passion for cooking! I always share my favorite recipes with my friends because they always ask...LOL

For my first recipe:

Jamie's jalapeno popper burgers

These can be made with real meat or soy (which is a staple in our house)

Ingredients

5 fresh jalapenos

1 lb ground beef (I used Laura's Lean 4% fat)

fresh shallot

3/4 cup of panko bread crumbs

salt

pepper

1 egg or egg substitute (I used sub)

Worcestershire sauce (to taste)

1 container of cream cheese (I use Weight Watcher's Whipped because it's so yummy!)

Instructions

Dice up jalapenos very small. Dice up shallot to preferred size. Mix jalapeno, shallot, panko, salt, pepper, Worcestershire, and egg in bowl. Add to 1 lb. of beef. Mix up very well. Make your hamburgers and flatten out. Take a teaspoon of cream cheese (a bit more if you want, but not too much or the burger won't bind) and place the cheese in the middle. Seal the burger around the cheese and flatten to nice size. Repeat with remaining 3 burgers. Grill for about 5 minutes on each side or longer if you want them well done.

You can also make mini sliders with this! Super good, and mix up the ingredients. For the kids instead of jalapenos I put any veggie or ingredient they want and instead of cream cheese I put shredded Cheddar in theirs. They are so yummy!!!

Enjoy!

Water!

You know, I'm always telling my kids about drinking 8 glasses of water a day. Brooklynn said to me the other day..."You know Mom, it's not as easy as you think." Thinking that I obviously know more than my 7 year old I told her, in my best mom voice, "Why yes it is!" Then she said, "Then you do it." Well, normally I would get annoyed at her snippity comment, but this time I thought I will. And I'll show you.

Well, phew! Did I show her! This morning I picked up 2 bottles of 33.8 oz. water. I figured that if I had only 2 bottles it wouldn't seem like a tough feat. So I got to work and cracked open the first bottle at about 9:15 (after my coffee). I chugged along rather quickly, not realizing how thirsty I was. At around 11:00 I hadn't realized that I had finished the entire 33.8 oz bottle. Wow, one down. That was too easy. So I cracked open the second one. I figured I would be able to tell Brooklynn just how easy it was that Mommy finished before lunch.

At gulp 3 of the second bottle I took a bathroom break. And that's when the flood gates opened, so to speak. Holy mother of God! This was not a good idea at work! Without going into too much detail. I have excused myself so many times that my boss asked if I was okay. I explained that I had just consumed 67 oz of water and what did she say to that? She chuckled. Well it was louder than a chuckle. She asked if the kids had anything to do with this. Was it that obvious?

Needless to say, I can tell Brooklynn that it is, in fact, possible to drink 8 glasses of water a day. Just not at work.

And look at me! I blogged... ;-P

Friday Foto

Picture's are worth 1000 words...

Inspired by RoseMamie...." A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember. If you're inspired to do the same, leave a link to your 'moment' in the comments for all to find and see. "

My obsession with cooking

When I was a kid I never really dabbled in much cooking. Actually you could say that the most my sister and I did was trying to make our own dough and pizza in the toaster oven. My dad always ate them, even though they were as hard as rocks. He made us feel like we were the best cooks in the world. But I never really thought much about actually cooking. I wanted to be a teacher.

Throughout high school, I didn't really care if I took a home ec class, or anything like that. I worked at Olive Garden as a hostess and sometimes in the kitchen. In college I stayed the course of wanted to become a teacher, but decided to major in English. When college didn't work out for me I went back to the OG. I started cooking in the kitchen and realized how much fun it was. But again, I didn't get too into it, just followed what I was supposed to do. Not really reading the recipes, just doing what I was supposed to.

I went off and got married and realized that a wife should cook for her husband. As James will tell anyone, he did what my dad did to me as a kid. Pretended to like my cooking without really a complaint. I don't know how he ate it though...looking back. Poor guy. But that's love right? But I found that the more I messed around in the kitchen, the more I enjoyed myself. I would take all of the leftovers from the fridge and make them a new stew, or soup. James would love the leftovers as the new dish (not that he liked them alone...hahaha).

We had the kids, and I tried to cook more...getting cookbooks. I started out with easy, basic cookbooks. Then I moved on to more advanced ones. I was getting better, and people were starting to compliment my food. No longer was I the one that had to bring a store bought dish, or a tub of butter to a party. I was now actually allowed to bring food! Seeing that people liked my food was giving me the confidence to keep going. My waist line was asking me to back up,but I proceeded without caution. I was a good cook now!

Well, a little over a year ago, James and I decided that my good cooking was causing us to need new clothes, and not in a good way. So I changed my course again. I decided that delishish cooking did not need to be fattening. I would test this theory out (in secret) on my friends and family. I started with dessert (that is hard to tell the difference in.) I started making pies lower fat and not telling anyone. Everyone started asking for my Peanut Butter Pie recipe, when I would tell them it was weight watchers they didn't believe it! So I became obsessed!

Obsessed with turning everyday food into healthy alternatives. But in this obsession it brought out a giant obsession with food in general! I started making "mock" chili. With soy crumbles, and fresh peppers and tomatoes. I started making sweet potato fries in place of french fries. And I bake them. I've been making my own spice rub and coating veggies with them. All organic and all fresh. Well, last night my obsession made my family squint and hold their noses. They did NOT want to try my latest...James walked into the kitchen and said, "What are you doing and can I help?" I was so excited...my foodieness was rubbing off...yea maybe not. So I told James to mix in the ingredients for me. First some light butter, then some brown sugar, then some sliced strawberries. He seemed very excited. Then some balsamic vinegar. "Wait what??? Did you say vinegar?" His look told the whole story. I said, "Just wait, you'll see." So we let it cook down and poured it over ice cream. They all stared at me waiting for me to try it first. I took a bite. Oh man it was good. They all stared and then took a bite. Everyone loved it!

Now that I've convinced my family maybe this obsession will take off. Maybe culinary school. Maybe local classes. Who knows! Only time...and our waist lines...will tell!

Boy have I been busy

So it's been quite a while. The new house, school is out, and work has sped up to the pace of NASCAR. It's no surprise that my blog has suffered. But today, I had an idea! I want to keep my wonderful circle of mom's that I love so dearly from floating away after the move. And I had just read about a meal swap in my "All You" magazine. So I decided to put it out there. See who is interested!

If it pans out the idea is to have a group of mom's (or dad's). No more than 10 make one meal per family we have (i.e. if there are 6 involved everyone makes 6 meals). Don't spend more than $10 per meal and make sure it can be frozen and reheated. Then swap them with other families. Now you have a handful of pre-made (homemade) meals on a night you would normally go out to eat. No prep, just heat the oven and there you go!

I'm really hoping this works, but we will see! Have to get people involved. Wish me luck!

...And the award goes to...

Every year my company has a huge awards ceremony. Every year one of my co-workers dreads it and doesn't want to go. Every year the "newbies" in the company quiver like it's time to open presents at Christmas. Me...I enjoy getting the day away from the office and look forward to the opportunity to go home early!

Most of the time my office wins or places in many categories. Not because we're "favorites" but because we bust our butts. The 5 of us are great at different things and it keeps our ship sailing smoothly. So I always try to dress nicely, in-case pictures need to be taken. This year I was surprised. We didn't win anything, however, we each placed 3rd in our own category (which I love because that was a 3rd place for each individual so we all feel great!) Our company has over 500 associates and manages over 200,000 square feet of space. And we took 2nd in the over all company's "Greatest Place to Live" Award (we've won 4 x's and were last year's reigning champs.) But that's not what surprised me...

Our owner is a sweet, older, Jewish man. He loves his family, and believes strongly in nepatisim. So as he put it, "I don't know many people in this company that are not related to others in this company." He got to the Tax department (which my husband works for). He started going on about how hard they work as a team of 4. Then he mentioned that "James, Jimmy works very hard and is married to our crack leasing person, Jamie, probably the best we have." OMG! Did he really just go off on a tangent and talk about me in front of 500+ people!? My face grew hot and red as I slinked down in my seat. What would people think? What the hell did I care! The owner just mentioned me in front of the whole company! What an honor!

I still can't believe it! So James and I decided to celebrate! The "partiers" of the company descended downstairs in the hotel for our annual open bar. James and I ran down to congratulate all of the winners and quickly ran home to celebrate! I'm sure you're thinking I should probably stop the blog about now...but we decided to pull the kids out of school, go home and make...a puppet show house! I had the best afternoon ever! The kids were so happy and proud of us and I'll write tomorrow about the puppet show house!

"Ain't that a kick in the head..."

Sorry I haven't been blogging the past week or so...life has been keeping us busy!

Wednesday afternoon I got a call from the school nurse. "Mrs. Hollis, Brooklynn is in the nurses office. She got kicked in the head." Then Brooklynn gets on the phone. "Mmm Mmmm Mom...*sniff* I...think...I...can...make...it...*sniff sniff*
My heart just broke! I assumed she had been crawling under the table or something. Since it was so close to the end of the day I picked the kids up.
I'm glad I did, she had a sneaker print on her forehead, a complete heel! Poor kid! She said, "Mommy, I guess I grew too tall to walk under the swing anymore."
That was so cute! Her poor little eye was swollen. So we had a kid and mommy day from school!
I have to admit, we had the most fun exploring the new neighborhood and picking up trash. We were the green team yesterday! I miss being home with them!

My Dad the Hero!

My Dad grew up in Queens New York to a single mother. He helped my Granny around the house and with his little brother. He worked after school and did everything he could to make sure that his family never went without. He grew up with the role model of his grandfather, my Great-Grandfather (Poppie, and has since been handed the reins of the name) and molded his life after him! My dad became a NY firefighter and worked at Stimpson at the same time. He turned the basement of our house into an apartment for extra money. Then he moved us to Florida when NY got bad. He worked in machine shops 60+ hours a week. Running his donut shop (that he and my mother owned) after working at the machine shop, and sleeping on bags of flour in the back room.

My dad is a typically blue collar man that has busted his butt at 2 or more jobs his whole life, with little or no recognition. After over 54 years I am super excited to say that someone has noticed his hard work and determination! He will be receiving an Oscar tonight at Hollywood Casino for his dedication and hard work, and willingness to do whatever it takes to get the job done! He is receiving one of the highest honors given at the Casino! I'm so excited that everyone else will know what my family has known all along! That I have a father that was a superb role model, loving father, and will always be my superhero!

If it weren't for him, I wouldn't be the driven person that I am! I know that I wouldn't be the mother I am! My dad tirelessly worked, but never missed anything! He was at every career day, every field trip, and all dance recitals! He didn't miss a beat! He was always there with a smile and a hug, telling me just how proud I made him! There are no words to describe how honored I am to have him as my father!

So thank you Daddy, for always being there! I'm so glad my kids get to see what a great man you are as well! And I'm excited to be able to say that I am proud of you!!!

Day 3: The Joy of childhood books

I remember sitting on my bed and listening to my grandmother read for hours! My sister and I would interrupt her and ask all sorts of questions. She would re-read the chapter and the name, until she would get interrupted again and it would start all over. I remember one night Lori and I thought it would be funny to keep interrupting her until she became frustrated (kids get a sick pleasure out of frustrating adults!) And she read the words "Chapter 7" loudly on the 10th or 11th time of trying and started yelling in Italian and walked out of the room. We giggled uncontrollably and to this day saying the words, "Chapter 7" makes my sister and I smirk.

So last night on night 3 of our test I was sure I would feel the frustration and Grandma would pay me back 10 fold...well, she must be saving it for another time because the reading went better than can ever be expected. I carefully selected Charlotte's Web, hoping it would catch their interest, Lord knows it was one of my all time favorites. I got through Chapter 1 with no interruptions and no asking why it didn't have pictures. I got through Chapters 2 and 3 as well. I paused, and looked at the kids and then the clock, and realized it was 15 minutes past bedtime. So I told them we would pick up on Chapter 4 tomorrow. They were so disappointed. It made me so happy that they were enjoying the story! I read a few more pages before we all began to yawn. Anthony looked at me and said, "Mommy, I love your reading. You make me see the stories in my head." I almost cried, it was so cute and sweet of him. Brooklynn begged me to keep reading. But I sent them to bed with the anticipation of reading tonight! It went so well! I'm really loving this week!

Day 2: Game Night...Lesson Learned, "Laugh until you cry!"

Day 2: Game night was so much fun! Mom and Dad came over for dinner...we made Mongolian Beef (soy) and Chicken Lo-Mien. Dad wasn't fooled by the soy beef and didn't eat it. But it was funny to see his face! He's so old fashioned! Mom and James loved it. The kids wouldn't touch it after Dad said No Way!

So Mom and I sat down with the kids to play Disney Monopoly. I don't think we've ever laughed that hard! Ever...so in this short blog I'll tell you the lessons I've learned during game night:

• Lesson #1: Brooklynn will cheat when you are not looking. It's so funny and Mom and I laughed until we cried!


• Lesson #2: Anthony likes his change in small bills, and will give you $7 when you really only need $3 just to get change back.


• Lesson #3: My mom would laugh at anything and makes every game more fun!


• Lesson #4: Even though it's a kids game...I hate to lose!

So night 2 was a success, let's see what night 3 brings us!

Day one of my 7 day journey with my kids...

The first night of our exploration into our family time was supposed to be game night...but as all parents know, plans change. This changed for the better! My family came over for make your own pizza and ice cream sundae night! We laughed and had so much fun!

Brooklynn made her pizza with pepperoni, bacon, a few mushrooms, lots of cheese and sauce. Anthony made his pizza with black olives, pepperoni, bacon, and very little cheese and sauce. James' pizza (I made...LOL Daddy doesn't do pizza...) had pepperoni, mushrooms, cheese, bacon, and sauce. And Mommy's pizza had the galloping gourmet written on it according to my hubby. It had pesto sauce, artichokes, ricotta cheese, mushrooms, Parmesan cheese, and wheat crust. Good golly these were good!

And then the ice cream sundaes were upon us! We had some crazy toppings...Joseph had his little waffle bowl filled, as did Granny, Nonie, Re-Re, Mommy (me), Daddy (James), and both Brooklynn and Anthony. There were sprinkles, chocolate sauce, and gummy bears everywhere! It was so great! Then the boys (Anthony and Joseph) got to take a bath and wash it all off!

The wonderful night was topped off by Brooklynn showing everyone her hand painted tea set, and her new "Moon in My Room" that shows all of the phases of the moon! It was a great night!

Now I can't wait for tonight! Dinner and games with Nonie and Poppie! This is going to be great!

7 days and 7 ways of getting closer to the kids!

I was getting ready for bed last night when I realized...I had only spent quality time with the kids for an hour that night! Is this how I want them to remember me? No way!!! Although Monday nights are super busy for us I let them run downstairs while I did house work upstairs. If I feel guilty now, imagine what I'll feel like when they are grown and gone! So I devised a plan! I'm calling it 7 days, and 7 ways to get closer to my kids! I'm determined to do something, super interactive each night for the next 7 days without fail! Then, I'll try to implement it every night there after! But I needed a goal! So 7 days! There it is! I will blog the following day about what we did.

Tonight's plan:

Game night! Disney Monopoly, finger foods, laying on the couch, and reading together!

I want the end result to be that the kids feel closer to me and want to share things more with me. And I want to know more about what they do every day and what they want from Mommy! So here it goes! Wish me luck!

Unpacking...it's an art form and thanks to my family I didn't have to learn it!

Let me start off by saying I LOVE MY NEW HOUSE! This house couldn't be more "me"! from the layout, to the color scheme (thanks for the help mom), to the kitchen (my personal favorite part), to the "man cave", to the art and craft corner, and the backyard! I have a list about 10 miles long of what and when for this place! And so far, Home Depot knows me by name and bank account...

So I realized, unpacking is like getting new stuff! I packed 9 weeks ago, so I didn't even remember I owned some of this stuff. And I'm pretty sure my family slipped some stuff they no longer wanted/needed into the pile as well...ha ha. Last night my kitchen was officially COMPLETED! Everything has it's place and I actually have room to spare (except in the pantry, but I buy too much!) My linen closet is stocked, the bathrooms are complete, and the kids rooms...let's just say there is a dent...

I'm really excited about the basement! James has his man cave and I don't care what he does with it! So far he's got glowing Nintendo lights to plug in, movie posters, and game posters. He's like a kid in a candy store. And the kids! Oh the kids! They have their own space down there! They've got and art center (thanks to the world's best sister... MINE!) They have an easel and a huge art table to keep everything in! Never again will we wonder where it's "safe" to paint!

But if it weren't for my family I would never have any of this! My wonderful husband let ME pick out the house without any trepidation. He let me pick all of the colors (even though he hates the living room). My kids happily sleep in their own rooms and their own beds! My dad has put in countless hours painting, repairing, remodeling, moving, and shopping! I get choked up just thinking about the sweat he's putting into this for me! My sister has unpacked, painted, sorted, and done so much...all with a toddler in tow! My mother and grandmother have organized, unpacked, and sorted! I just am the luckiest person on earth! I will never find ways to express my gratitude to my family! I am so lucky and probably pretty undeserving of these wonderful people! So thank you all for making this art form something I didn't have to learn! I love you all!!!

In the end it all pays off!

http://ow.ly/1b9ax
If you've ever been on the PTA you'll know what I mean. Countless hours working behind the scenes to make sure the kids school get what the kids need! With all of the budget cuts it's so hard for teachers and administrators to get the kids everything. Now-a-days a lot is left to the parents. I have to say...I'm pretty lucky! My children currently belong to the most wonderful school with the best faculty that you could imagine! My first experience with kids in school has been an amazing one because of these people! So the PTA is actually fun and exciting. Especially when we see the faculty so excited!

I joined the PTA not knowing what I was getting into. Made up of a lot of "Stay At Home Moms." And not a bad amount of "Working Moms." Thank goodness for the mix, because this great group of mom's can always pick up where the others left off! So the countless hours of running back and fourth to school, sending in supplies, volunteering at booths, and helping build projects is totally worth it! Because of this great group of people our kids will have $10,000 worth of SmartBoards to help them be the best they can be!

Thank you for making our school experience great!

"Thursday is like Friday Eve! I'm not gonna be able to sleep tonight! Get out the milk and cookies, cause Friday's almost here!"

I don't know about you, but on Thursday's I always get my second wind. I feel like this week couldn't have possibly been THAT bad, and that there is only one more work day left. It's kind of like Christmas Eve or the day before Vacation. You're waiting, and waiting for Christmas to get there and then Christmas Eve comes and you're feeling like it came fast and are renewed. You can't sleep, but you're renewed.

This time I'm excited for Friday because, Friday night I'm going to be over my "new house" pulling an all nighter to make sure that every last piece of everything is out of my apartment! I want to sleep there by Sunday! I'm determined to get this all done!! Then, after the new house glow wears off, and mortgageville rolls in it will all be too clear! The stress will be back, but the good stress. The gaining equity stress my parents won't shut up about. The kids will be in their own room. Thank you Jesus! And I will unpack. My stuff will feel like new! Mostly since I haven't used it in over 9 weeks...I'm an early packer with issues! It's amazing what you can live without!

That last little bit of throwing all willie nillie will be the death of me though. James informed me last night that I was to spend Saturday throwing everything that was "left" into boxes. I let it sink in for about 5 minutes, rolled over and tapped his shoulder. He looked back at me, and I said, "Yea, I should just tell you now, I'm not gonna pack." He looked back at me and said, "What??" "I said, I'm not gonna pack, I thought I should let you know. I'm really over it. I'll go and help you with the house, and I will unpack everything all by myself, and help move...but yea, I'm not packing anymore." Just like that...I have to chuckle thinking about it really. He just smiled at me and said, "Okay honey. You've done a lot. I understand." And that is when I came to the realization, that I may actually be done! I may not have to argue with my loving husband one more time. So I've marked my calendar! It's complete! And Thursday Eve is now the most exciting day ever!

The Modern Day Mom and the Lack of Children Around

Let me start by saying, I have never seen this much snow in my entire life! 12 inches in 24 hours in Kentucky is unheard of! They called for 4-6 but my my they were wrong...

So in preparation of the inevitable snow, I sent the kids packing to Mom's house. My sister is a wonderful "stay at home mom" (she and her husband rent the basement at my parent's house), my mother has Monday's off, and my grandmother (who lives with my parents) is home. So the kids were off to "every one's" house. James and I came home to an empty house (with the exception of Jackson), and went into separate rooms to finish laundry. I finished up the kids laundry and James ours. I love it that my hubby does laundry, but we'll have the 50/50 blog later. So laundry is finished rather quickly (because there are no interruptions) and we sit and watch a scary movie. That's a typical V-day staple for us. You'd think romantic night right...HAHAHAHAHA! Yea, we have two kids...so as predicted we're in bed asleep by 10. OH the glorious night of sleep with no interruptions...ha! The poor kid in the upstairs apartment was sick so not so...but I digress.

I called the kids twice to see how they were. My mom said they were all slap happy and having a ball! Great news! They were doing pajama day. I explained that we probably wouldn't get them tonight as the snow would not stop falling. She said she figured as much and had them prepared for that news. So when schools called off and James and I went home for another kid free night we thought..."what will we do now?" Nothing! We are obviously the most boring people on earth. Because he's playing Xbox and, well, I'm blogging. I'm so bored off my behind and the lack of kid sounds are deafening. I actually even called them to dinner, obviously they didn't respond.

So why is it that I can't wait for an off day as a mom and as soon as it gets here I'm a lonely mess? I get annoyed with the complete and utter chaos that is my everyday life, but it's what makes me breathe! It's what makes my life complete! So in the end, "sometimes I sit back and wonder 'what if' I had made this decision instead of that one...and then I look at my children and realize...it doesn't matter."

I love those babies more than life itself. I love the fits, the fights, the hugs, the cries, the moans, the smiles, the kisses, and most of all, the unconditional love! They are the reason life is worth living, and work is worth working!

ttfn

Uh, oh, Mommy can't be sick!

This morning my alarm was going off and I was too sound asleep to hear it. I felt a shake on arm and heard a gentle "Mommy, it's time to get up." It was my 5 year old trying to gently wake me from my medicine induced slumber.

I turned over and smiled. And he said, "Mommy, you smell sick." I said, "Mommy doesn't feel good buddy. But I'm going to get up." He said, "Wait a minute." He touched my forehead with his palm, shook his head, put his lips and cheek on my forehead and said, "Mommy, you're burning up! I'm gonna have to stay home from school today to take care of you!" I smiled, thinking what a sweet boy I have! I looked at him and explained, "Buddy, you don't have school today. That's why Granny stayed the night." He smiled wide and looked at me and said, "Oh, in that case why don't you take a shower and go to work."

Gotta love these babies! It makes everyday worth while. I did, in fact, get up and shower. I then made it to work. Because all mommies know that we save our sick days for the kids!

ttfn

Apparently I'm a Nazi??? What?

Sometimes you just have to laugh! It's all we can do to get through the day. I laughed a lot today.

Pretend that you know what I mean when I say I want to take a sling shot and shoot someones eye out!
STRESSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSSS
We all have it! Sometimes it's worse than other times...today seems to be one of those worse days...

Let's start by saying this, I have a problem with some forms of assertiveness. People who know me will surely be shocked to find this out, because in my social life I generally do not have a problem with it, but in my business life I don't want to offend anyone. So, I try to stay calm, cool, and collected no matter what the circumstance...there's your background.

I think I'm pretty nice and accommodating to people so today when I simply asked someone to turn in their keys after they vacated 3 weeks ago I expected them to say, "OH, I'm so sorry, I completely forgot." Instead I was called a Nazi and told that I was a demanding shrew...and that I was mean, forceful, and threatening. And the keys were tossed on my desk, although I'm sure they were meant at me directly, I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

I shrugged this off thinking that this person must be having a terrible day...and moved on with mine. So when I was threatened by someone else, saying that I was unfair for asking them to pay their living expenses I was even more taken aback. I explained that as part of their agreement they had to pay these things, I was told that they twisted their leg getting into their car and they were now going to take it out on us because we've created an unsafe environment for them..OH MY!

So again, I got over it and went on with my day, so imagine my shock when someone tried to blackmail me...like I even have anything to blackmail...seriously! I was told that they could no longer afford their place. I apologized and explained the legal terms and the option for the student wife to gain employment as they had no children. I was told then that their heater was broken and causing the bills to sky rocket and that's why they couldn't pay. I sent maintenance over to fix the problem and explained that the energy company said they hadn't been paying the full bill and that is why the next one was high, due to rollover. Then they had pests and could not deal with them. When I called the exterminator and he alleviated them of the pests I was told they could no longer stay there due to the pest spray. I explained that by state regulations we used stuff that was not harmful to people. That's when they found out they were pregnant...yup, right there in my office...that very moment they decided to break it to me. So I offered them comparable accommodations since they just couldn't live in these...thought it was over. Boy I should know by this time in my day it's never over. They "countered" (like that was an option) with paying more than $200 less than the one bedroom price for a two bedroom. Trust me when I said that I tried very hard not to laugh. When I explained that it wasn't an option they threatened to post the pictures of the deplorable all over!

Suffice to say, I've given up on this day. My sister is making me some homemade spaghetti and meatballs and I'm going to eat my emotions...because between the drama of buying a house, raising a family, being a fire fighter's wife, and working full time...eating my emotions is the safest route!

At least I can laugh about it now that it's over....say la vie

ttfn!

Oh Snow!

The beautiful snow is falling down and hitting the earth. It looks like a veritable winter wonderland around here. I walk to work, at least for the time being...so why do I dislike this weather so bad? SNOW DAYS...that's why...schools are down, and for anyone with elementary children you know it's next to impossible to find daycare of days like this. I know tons of moms that don't work, but it's not their job to watch my kids! At least that's how I look at it. I'm sure that they are fully capable, and the kids would love it. But who am I to pawn off my kids on them on their day to frolic with their children. So my husband and I alternate vacation days (they should really call them time off for kid days because I never actually vacation with them). And when I say alternate, I mean he takes one for my every 11...but such is the life of a working mom.
Luckily, or unluckily on some occasions, I have the luxury of occasionally bringing my children to work with me. On those days we pack the whole house...all of the barbies, both of the Nintendo DS's, board games, coloring items, videos, snacks, more snacks, lunches and by 10am they are stir crazy. But I do not have to take vacation time on these occasions, and that to me is sometimes worth it. And there are times (like the second snow day in a row) that my boss will look at me with a furrowed brow and squint...this means if you even ask about bringing those kids I will kill you. So I let her know that if there is a snow day I will not be in.
So enough about the snow...I've got to get dinner plans ready, we're having roasted groundhog.

ttfn

I arise in the morning torn between a desire to improve the world and a desire to enjoy the world. This makes it hard to plan the day. ~Elwyn Brooks

So this is it...my first blog! I don't claim to know much or have anything important to say. But I always have lots to say...

This morning as I was fighting the kids out of bed, I thought of how this could be any harder and I realized just how lucky I was.

I have two healthy, crazy, lovable children. What was I complaining about? I spend 9 hours a day away from them. Yet it seems that 20 minutes after getting home I want to pull my hair out. Why to they fight with each other so much? This is a question that has been plaguing me for a year. So we're buying a house so that they have their own rooms. This is so they they have their space, James has his space, and well....my sanity is that they have their own space.

I've got a ton of plans for the new house...we'll see how many come into fruition. Thus my title. I've decided to improve the world and make it a little more enjoyable for myself. Well, in theory of course. I have decided to plant a garden. Not just an average garden...oh no. Jamie goes big! Which is probably why I always have headaches. HA! I've decided to plant tons of veggies, herbs, and whatever else I can get my hands on. Now, I've never planted a garden, and killed my mums by day two...but I'm determined to eat healthier, replenish the earth, and not pay so much on organics at Kroger.

Once the hell of buying a house has passed we'll see how far I get. For now, I'll be content living with boxes in my small apartment and pulling the kids apart from their fight. Eating on the coffee table and trying to make it through the night sipping a glass of wine and reading them a book on the solar system while James enjoys Fire School.

TTFN...ta ta for now.