Into Ablivia

Happy Valentine Cake!

2012-02-14T21:10:00.001-05:00

Valentine's Day

2012-02-08T22:47:00.000-05:00

Abby and I enjoyed some time today (without little sister) to work on her Valentine's for school next week. I found the printable here at Simple As That Blog. She actually had it posted as a St. Patrick's Day idea, but Abby and I thought rainbow's and lollipops would work perfect on Valentine's Day!!

Homemade Colored Bath paint

2012-01-31T20:58:00.000-05:00

We had a play date planned for today, but Olivia's little guest ended up being sick and unable to come. She was so sad I had to come up with something quick (and fun) to do while it snowed and snowed all day. I quickly found a easy recipe online and she was eager to help me throw it all together and spend some time playing in the tub before nap.

Smashing Pumpkins...

2011-11-29T15:07:00.001-05:00

Besides being a great band in the 90's. Smashing pumpkins was a big hit in our house. We had several USLO (unidentified squash like objects) in our garden this year. Lots of cross pollination in our compost mostly. So with every smash we were eager to see what was really inside that half white pumpkin/acorn squash mix or zucchini/something or other mix. It made a hug mess in our driveway, but the girls had lots of fun!

Another Christmas list

2011-11-21T22:10:00.001-05:00

Abby was very kind in helping Olivia put together her Christmas list this year for Santa. You can see she put Olivia's name at the top to make sure there was no mistaking who was to receive the following items in our household from Santa.

1. A Chicken (I don't know what happened to the kitten)

2. A doll house

3. Blue Cheese

4. A juice maker

5. * some dolls

While these are all obtainable items, I am not really sure why she wants a chicken and does she want blue cheese (as in the moldy cheese) or actual blue colored cheese???

First Christmas list of the year is in.......

2011-11-18T21:04:00.001-05:00

1. Books

2. Dolls

3. Camera

4. Angel

5. Stuffed animals

6. Wings that can really fly

7. music box

8. clock

There are so many things I love about Abby's list this year.

1. She wrote it all by herself in her notebook she keeps tucked with a pencil near her bed. (Can you tell this was composed in the dark after she was suppose to be asleep!)

2. She did not ask me to spell one thing and came up with the words, some more creative than others, all by herself

3. She offered to help her sister write out her Christmas list-which is still a work in process. I think the only thing written so far is a kitten.

4. The fact that "wings that can really fly" goes right along in her mind with all the other tangible objects. It shall be interesting to see what Santa comes up for that one!

Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins

2011-11-10T21:09:00.001-05:00

Now that Abby has started school full time, Olivia and I have lots of time to spend together and she loves to bake. This week I hosted a Daisy Scout meeting at my home and wanted to have a few things for the leaders to snack on. I had frozen blueberries from picking this summer in the freezer and Streusel Topped Blueberry Muffins seemed like a yummy solution.

They look a lot different over at Our Best Bites where I got the recipe. But they did taste really good!

Streusel-Topped Blueberry Muffins
Recipe from Our Best Bites

1 3/4 c. all-purpose flour
2 3/4 tsp. baking powder
3/4 tsp. table salt
1/2 c. sugar
2 tsp. grated orange or lemon peel
1 large egg
3/4 c. buttermilk
1/3 c. canola oil
1 c. fresh or frozen blueberries
1 Tbsp. flour
1 Tbsp. sugar

Streusel Topping1/4 c. sugar
2 1/2 Tbsp. flour
1/2 tsp. cinnamon
1 1/2 Tbsp. butter

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Lightly spoon the flour into measuring cups and level with with a knife and combine it in a large bowl with the baking powder, salt, sugar, and citrus peel. Make a well in the center of the mixture. In a smaller bowl, whisk together the egg, buttermilk, and oil. Add to the dry ingredients, stirring just until moistened.
In a small bowl, combine the remaining flour and sugar and then toss the blueberries in this mixture until they are well-coated. Gently fold the blueberry mixture into the batter. Spoon the batter into lined muffin tins, filling 2/3 full.
To make the streusel topping, combine the 1/4 c. sugar, 2 1/2 Tbsp. flour, and cinnamon. Cut in the butter with a pastry cutter or two butter knives until the mixture is crumbly. Sprinkle over the batter and bake for 18 minutes or until the tops are golden and a toothpick inserted into the center of one of the muffins comes out clean. Remove from oven and allow to cool in the pan for 5 minutes and then transfer to a cooling rack. Makes 12 muffins

Tooth Fairy strikes again!

2011-11-04T20:27:00.000-04:00

No words needed. She was very excited about losing another tooth and a visit from the tooth fairy!

Happy Halloween!

2011-10-31T16:26:00.001-04:00

A busy Halloween weekend! First up was carving the pumpkins. That "thing" hanging down from the light is a creepy spider created by Abby and hung with pipe cleaners.

Abby's creation

Livy's creation

For the Halloween dinner party. Mummy dogs and Ghost pizzas!

And Ghost cupcakes for dessert!

Back by popular demand!

2011-10-27T21:22:00.000-04:00

I know it has been a long................. time since I have blogged. It's been crazy I guess. Whose life isn't crazy right. So rather then try to catch you up on everything -I'll just pick up like I never left!

It's cold, it's rainy. And the fire is already going. Plumpy is pretty much in the same spot as last year. Took him about 3 seconds to remember the best seat in the house (and to claim it!)

It got pretty warm in here so both the dog and Livy passed out on the couch. No, Hershey is not suppose to be on the couch. Yes, that is a new couch, well not new, new used of course. We never buy anything new-it just gets ruined. That is why you see bed sheets on the couch to help prolong it's life. The old couch pretty much disintegrated into thin air. Don't worry he will jump down off the couch when Daddy gets home. He knows what he can get away with and with whom.

We decorated a Halloween Gingerbread house. The girls did a really good job. However, every time I look at the house displayed in the middle of the dining room table there appears to be a lot less candy on it? hmmmmm

We also attended a Carmel apple decorating party at a friends house. The girls had a blast decorating and of course eating.

Happy Birthday Daddy!

2011-06-28T19:34:00.000-04:00

Daddy is turning 40! I know this scares him-it scares me too. It means I am not far behind. We are having a more formal celebration with family this coming holiday weekend, but the girls and I got our craft on and did up dinner for Daddy one night this week to celebrate.

Yes, we made him wear the hat.

But no, he would not let me get a picture.

A little b-day puzzle action!

Happy Birthday to one good Dad!

Summer Bingo!

2011-06-27T16:28:00.000-04:00

My sister in law sent me this great link for a game called: Summer Bingo. She got the idea from: From the Fence Post blog. Each child gets one card per week with a variety of activities, chores etc. listed on the sheet. When they complete the task they get to put a sticker in the square. When they get 5 in a row they receive a ticket. When they get a certain number of tickets they get to choose something fun to do, like get an ice cream at our local ice cream stand, have a family movie night, go the beach etc. (You will see from the blog-From the fence post she did a prize bucket. I skipped that in the name of "we don't need anymore junk around here"!)

Here is the link from From the Fence Post where you can download the templates and change them to fit your kids.

Today was our first day. Abby took to it right away. I had to remind her that the whole card could not be completed in one day. Olivia is working at her own speed and I made sure some of her "tasks" were simple and her level. For instance for Olivia I had: Give Plumpy (the cat) a treat and a hug or Use the potty by yourself. For Abby I had harder things like: Practice your diving in the pool or help Mommy put away the laundry.

Here they are working on the task of writing Nana a letter.

Garden update- the ground hog

2011-06-23T17:18:00.001-04:00

For weeks we have been watching as our newly sprouting garden is mowed down again and again. The other day my husband took the dog out and was able to obtain photographic evidence of what appears to be a ground hog, our prime suspect.

Okay, so it is weak photographic evidence.

Heck this could be a Big foot sighting.

What is clear is the damage this little rodent has done. Notice the bean plants on the right. Big and leafy. Notice- not one leaf remains in sight on the left. Funny how it did not touch the other row of beans??

To the left of flower mountain (that mass of green on the right planted by the girls) you would have seen big watermelon plants growing at one time. Now completely missing!

Same for my herb section this year.

The one in the front-just a twig remains.

Besides beefing up our fence, which we have done, there is not much we can do. We have discussed trapping and re-homing if anyone would like a pet ground hog?? Another suggestion from a neighbor was to let Hershey out after him. However, I fear Hershey would lose that battle. He is a bit of a wimp and is afraid of bumble bees. (Is it a coincidence we did not have this problem last summer when our 88 pound Rottweiler was around?) My favorite suggest thus far came from an avid gardener that shall remain nameless. In their exact words " When my friend so and so (another avid/professional gardener by my standards) sees them in her driveway they run them over with their car!". While that does sound like a permanent solution to our problem, I am not exactly sure if that would be such a good idea to maliciously run down ground hogs in my mini van with the kids in the car......

Too good not to share. White Bean Enchiladas-kid approved!

2011-06-20T17:28:00.001-04:00

Recipe below. These are a few tips that have helped me along the way:

1. The enchilada sauce is normally in a can and located near the salsa in the grocery store.

2. If you were to accidentally buy one can of white beans and one can of garbanzo beans (traditionally used to make hummus) like I did. It still tastes just fine! Don't ask me how I did that.

3. I make the bean mixture for the middle ahead of time and then just assemble at the end of the day.

4. As you can see in the pic I used a 9 x 13 pan and used 4 large wraps for a family of four and had left overs.

White Bean Enchiladas

tbsp. sour cream

2 16-ounce cans white beans (I used Great Northern), rinsed and drained

1- 1 1/2 cups shredded blend of cheddar and Monterrey Jack cheese, divided

4-ounce can chopped green chilies (I use mild)

4 tbsp. fresh, chopped cilantro, divided, optional

2 tbsp. sliced green onions, optional

2 tsp. ground cumin

1 15-ounce jar/can of EITHER (but NOT BOTH) enchilada sauce or green salsa

water

10 8-inch flour tortillas

Combine the sour cream and white beans in a food processor until smooth. Stir in half of the cheese, all of the chilies, onions, half of the cilantro and all of the cumin. Set aside.

In a large non-stick skillet, combine 2/3 cup of enchilada sauce (or green salsa) with about 1/3 a cup of water. Heat until warm. One at a time, drop a tortilla into the sauce mixture and coat it on both sides. Lay it on a plate and fill it with 1/4-1/3 cup of the bean filling and lay it seam side down in a 9x13 inch pan coated with cooking spray. Repeat, making more sauce/water mixture as needed, but trying to reserve about 1/3 of the full strength sauce. Top the enchiladas with the remaining (full strength) sauce and sprinkle with the remaining cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes. Top with remaining cilantro, if using.

Recipe from http://thyhandhathprovided.blogspot.com/

Crazy Hair Day at School!

2011-06-14T13:23:00.000-04:00

Yes, Abby has graduated Kindergarten, but because of the number of snow days we experienced over the winter she still has another week of school. They are calling it Spirit Week and the first day of Spirit week was Crazy Hair Day!

We braided pipe cleaners into her braids and sprayed with some colored hair spray.

and yes, it all washed off in the tubby that night!

Class of 2023!

2011-06-12T13:50:00.001-04:00

Kindergarten graduation was last week. Lots of songs, diplomas, talk of the class of 2023!

Gosh, this picture to me makes her look like a teenager. yikes!

First grade here she comes.

Quick, somebody grab me the tissues.

Worth $55 all day long......

2011-06-03T14:50:00.000-04:00

Recently friends of ours decided to put a pool in their yard and pass along their older swing set. I had my doubts at first. I did not want an old heap of wood in our yard that was going to be an eyesore or be unsafe. But my husband assured me for just a little money "he could make her what she ain't" or some saying like that they use in the boat business along with putty and glue.

So with a little time and effort from Daddy and $55 spent at the hardware store lo and behold we have a really nice swing set/jungle gym!

and two very happy kids! and you can't beat a bargin like that!!

6:30am scare!

2011-05-31T15:15:00.000-04:00

This is the face I woke up to this morning! This is Abby. And I thought a little loose tooth gave me the heebie jeebies. Cripes, this just about sent me over the moon. This is the result of a bug bite yesterday on her cheek.

One scared little girl who could not see out of her right eye and one really freaked out momma.

In the end, after a visit to the doctor, three medications and missing school-she still has a smile on her face. Hopefully within a day or two the swelling will be down and back to normal.....

and my heart will resume it's normal rhythm.

The tooth fairy finally comes to our house!

2011-05-25T13:48:00.000-04:00

Not the most flattering picture, but the tooth fairy finally came to our house. Abby was thrilled, but the whole process was a bit unerving for me. First just seeing the tooth wiggle in her mouth gave me the creepy crawlies. Second the tooth fell out during dinner while eating pizza. And third -there was A LOT of blood. There is something that happens to the inner core of my body when: 1. I see my children get hurt 2. I see blood on my children, coming from my children, near my children, etc. Shivers down my spine. Abby assured me it did not hurt and the dirty look my husband gave me assured me I better keep all the drama to myself!

In the end the tooth fairy remembered to put the dollar bill under the pillow that night and Abby was happy to wake up in the morning to discover money for ice cream!

Abby dance recital.

2011-05-23T14:02:00.002-04:00

Rainbow connection by Sarah McLachlan

and we always need cake to celebrate-
even if they have shifty eyes!!

Performing Tiger

2011-05-19T08:00:00.003-04:00

What you see:

What my kids see:

Photo from here

Happy Friday!

Potato skins worth making!

2011-05-17T14:02:00.001-04:00

I had a hard time keeping the nice shape of the potato-but they were still very yummy! They could be veggie potato skins without the bacon, but that wouldn't be any fun. They were so good I forget what I served them with last week. They actually could be a really good meal with a salad on the side.

Potato Skins

Taken from The Pioneer Woman Cooks

8 slices of bacon
8 russet potatoes, scrubbed clean
canola oil
kosher salt
1 1/2 C. grated sharp cheddar cheese
1 C. sour cream
4 green onions, sliced

Preheat the oven to 400 F
Rub the outside of the scrubbed potatoes with canola oil. Place on foil lined baking sheet and bake for 45 minutes to an hour or until the potatoes are fork tender. Let potatoes cool so they are easy to handle. Slice in half lengthwise. (I microwaved my potatoes for speed)

With a spoon or small scoop, scrape out the inner flesh of the potatoes, leaving a small margin of potato in the skins. Brush both sides of the potato skins with canola oil and salt liberally. Place the skins cut side down on the pan and return to the oven. Bake for 7 minutes and then flip the skins over to the other side. Bake for 7 minutes more or until the skins are crispy.
Meanwhile, cook the bacon in a skillet and chop into small bits. Set aside. Grate the cheese if you haven’t already.
When the skins are crisp, remove them from the oven and sprinkle each with cheese and bacon pieces. Return to the oven just until the cheese melts (2 minutes). Just before serving, spoon sour cream onto each skin and sprinkle with sliced green onion. Serve piping hot.

The garden is planted!

2011-05-13T13:17:00.000-04:00

With this run of good weather we have had lately we finally got the garden planted. Well, basically anything that could still withstand the chilly nights. The rest is being started from seed and are on the heating mats in the sun room. Which as I type I am remembering I really should go water them.

We (or really my husband that is) always keep track of what we plant in our blue binder. Just to make sure we rotate the plants around the garden from year to year and also instructions on care and harvesting.

I had lots of help as usual, here we see my shortest assistant in blue with her free planting technique. Similar to free range chickens. The seeds get to go wherever they want. Who knows what will come up?

Lots of love goes into planting a garden too. and one very tolerant dog, who seems to be enjoying himself!

Back to the garden. The garlic is coming in nicely. The peas, pumpkins and cukes are planted. Tomatoes, beans, basil, summer squash, zucchini, watermelon and acorn squash are started in the sun room. Still need to purchase kale and swiss chard seeds. Those will be new items for our garden this year.

Flower hill has been planted once again. The girls picked sunflowers and Nasturtium's this year.

More love ......

And daddy has started building a surprise for the backyard-stay tuned.............

A nice Mother's Day!

2011-05-10T14:19:00.000-04:00

I hope everyone had a nice Mother's Day last weekend. I got ~~exactly~~ mostly what I wanted and then some. I had asked the kids to tell Daddy I wanted: to sleep in late, breakfast in bed and snuggles from the kids. When my husband asked them later what mommy wanted for Mother's Day-they both said "nothing"?? Hmm, plan B. Tell Daddy himself.

So I did get to sleep in late, I got my diet coke delivered to my bedside (my caffeine of choice for early mornings), lots of snuggles, beautiful cards and scribbles and this gorgeous necklace from Coliwog Designs. A local stay at home mom/jewelry designer.

I did get breakfast-pancakes and bacon, but not in bed. My 3 year old informed me I was too messy to have breakfast in bed.

Learning the ropes

2011-05-06T14:37:00.000-04:00

Hershey has been with us a few weeks now. He is learning the ins and outs of the household. Rule number one that he has learned is that Plumpy the cat is number one and he is number two. The end.

Err, Hullo, somebody sleepin' on my bed mommy?

Is this how a doggie bed works?

Maybe I will just use this small corner here.........

Notice how the cat hasn't even opened an eye throughout this whole process. This isn't his first dog and pony show. At 14 years old he has seen them come and go. And nobody is going to kick him out of the cushiest spot in the house.

Spring!

2011-05-04T14:13:00.001-04:00

Could Spring finally be here? It is raining today, but at least I feel like I don't need to start the wood stove.

The rhubarb is coming back nicely this year!

The Marsh Marigold came back too. Hopefully this will continue to spread along the banks of the little stream we have in our back yard. Last year we had a frog take up residence under the leaves! We would sneak up to take a peek, it would hop out sky high and the girls and I would run screaming in the other direction.

Forsythia in full bloom. I love looking out my window to see this bright yellow!

Spring garlic is coming along nicely. We still need to plant all our other veggies. Hopefully that will be one of the Mother's Day tasks!

Cleaning out the freezer... Zucchini Cake.

2011-05-02T14:31:00.000-04:00

Summer is fast approaching and soon it will be time to pick strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, cherries, and all the veggies the garden has to offer. In my freezer I still have fruit and veggies left from last year and I am on a mission to use them. I had a big bag of frozen shredded zucchini and instead of making the same ol same ol zucchini bread I decided to make Chocolate Zucchini cake! Next on my list is a large blueberry breakfast cake to deliver to the school for Teacher Appreciation week and my husband making more strawberry jam.

Zucchini Chocolate Cake (by Therese Young)

1 stick butter

1/2 cup cooking oil

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla

1/2 cup buttermilk (If you don't have buttermilk just add a splash of white vinegar and let set for a few mins-works perfect. I never have buttermilk on hand and always use this method)

2 1/2 cups flour

1 3/4 cups sugar

1 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp baking powder

5 Tbls cocoa

1 tsp cinnamon

2 cups grated zucchini

1/2 choc chips

Preheat oven to 325. Cream butter with sugar and oil. Beat in eggs one at a time. Add vanilla and buttermilk and mix well. Sift together dry ingredients and add gradually to creamed mixture. Stir in zucchini. Pour mixture into greased 9 x 13 pan. Sprinkle choc chips on top. Bake for 45 minutes.

Next time I will probably add in more choc chips to the batter!!

Fruit rainbow

2011-04-28T14:51:00.000-04:00

This week is "Celebration week" for Abby at school. She gets to bring in 5 show and tell items to speak to the class about each day. We I struggled a bit with what she should bring in and in the end, I let her pick what she wanted no matter what the item was and what type of circus her teacher would think we lived in. She choose her favorite lipstick in the shape of a blue ladybug, the move Tangled that she got for Easter, her collection of sea glass and shells from the beach, a my little pony complete with mane combing brush, and an Easter egg filled with 16 little hearts that she made out of paper. One for each member of her class. The last being my favorite. So cute.

Other highlights for her week are running to the office with a special friend of her choosing. Turning off the lights. Erasing blackboards etc. and she also has to bring in a snack for the entire class.

One of her classmates has an allergy to gluten. From what I have heard from Abby is that the little boy often misses out on the snack the child of the week has brought in as most often it appears to be cupcakes or cake. And also she mentioned something about her teacher complaining about gaining weight with all the delicious snacks that come thru the door. That made me laugh. Maybe I will send in a cake or some fudge. She could stand to gain a few pounds from what I can see. heh heh. Ok, getting off the point here. And I do really like her teacher, a lot. I can only wish to be that thin.......

So back to the snack. Abby choose to bring in a fruit rainbow that we had spied in a Family Fun magazine a while ago and now we had found the perfect occasion!

Here is a picture sans the marshmallow clouds. I made it the night before, stored in the fridge and just added a nice fluffy layer of mini marshmallows to the bottom to complete the look in the classroom. Abby was thrilled and proudly told me everyone, even the teacher, asked for seconds!

Never again....a long Easter post

2011-04-25T13:59:00.000-04:00

will I buy Crayola Colored bubbles! What a mess. However, true to their word it all did wash off easily with soap and water- even the huge spills on the clothes came off in the wash.

It started off a typical Easter morning- up at the crack of dawn so the girls could find their Easter baskets.

A nice brunch with our friends over at Good Gravy (she has more hilarious pictures of the day!).

Homemade center pieces by Abby!

An outdoor Easter egg hunt

Eating jelly beans and being silly with friends.

A little ring around the rosie

Until somebody fell down and was doted on by 3 girls. I think he liked that part!

And then the EVIL bubbles

Here we see the bubble stomp which turned his feet completely green!

These weren't the evil bubbles-but the non spilling jug of bubbles (my smarter purchase). Isn't the dress cute. My husband said it looked like a curtain.

Take a closer look. She the large dark green stains down the front of the dress along with the green on the arms and face!

The green got everywhere!

So instead of bringing the mess inside. We brought out warm water and soap to wash them. And it turned out to be their favorite part of Easter!

Forcing spring!

2011-04-22T13:25:00.000-04:00

Forsythia from our yard

Hoping it lasts a few more days for our Easter company!

What I know so far......

2011-04-19T13:32:00.000-04:00

about Hershey. He's short. Really short. His feet turn out in a funny goofy way. He wears a diaper-yes, a diaper. He likes to mark in the house so he shall wear a diaper until he realizes that you don't pee inside! He doesn't have a clue what stairs are. He won't go up them and with considerable coaxing he will come down the stairs, but his rear bypasses the front and he ends up in a heap at the bottom. He could care less that the cat exists, but loves Plumpy's toys. He adores the kids. He likes to howl. A pathetic tiny howl. He has been home with us one week today and it settling into our routine nicely.

So embarrassing in my diaper.

and he is really, really cute.

New kid in town!

2011-04-14T13:36:00.000-04:00

We don't really know what kind of dog he is. Something crossed with a Corgi? Some say Basset Hound, Sheltie, golden retriever? Whatever he is his name is Hershey. The girls have added Kiss to the end. He is short and sweet and loves kids. He has added a bit of sunshine to our home!

He came to us via a NH rescue and was plucked from a shelter in Calhoun County, AL. He arrived into foster care skinny, full of worms, suffering from a severe, painful ear infection, kennel cough and Giardia. All potentially deadly diseases. Actually not potentially- deadly diseases if not treated. After 6 weeks in foster care Hershey was healthy enough to make the transport to NH. It took him three days to get here driven by vvolunteers across the country. Despite his rocky start in life with humans all he wants to do is be around us for a pet on the head, a nap or a hug from a little girl.

It was love at first sight for the whole family!

You shall never be lonely again..........

First Garden Post of 2011!

2011-04-11T17:19:00.000-04:00

We already have garlic growing from when we planted in the fall!!

I won, I won!

2011-04-06T15:48:00.000-04:00

I won the cutest little skirt for Abby from the Custard Shoppe out of Amesbury, MA.

Check out their website here! Very cute clothes for little girls and boys!

Not blogging much!

2011-04-04T16:50:00.001-04:00

I have not been blogging much lately. Mostly because we had a week+ round of sickness in the house with sore throats, ear infections, coughing etc. And in the end after taking care of everyone- I got sick too.

It has also been very "un-spring" like. Last Friday, big snow storm. Today cold and rainy. I think we just needs some sun!!

I looked back at some spring pictures I took from when Abby was young. Before Miss Livy even came along. I can't wait to see the yellow of Forsythia out our window!

Seriously??

2011-03-30T08:00:00.003-04:00

I received this email from a popular diaper company. I subscribe to their email list in hopes of getting free offers and coupons. I wasn't really expecting this?? Seriously? So what they are saying- in my spare time (what little I have) I want to play games with pirates and dirty diapers filled with poop???

However, it is free..... maybe I will download it............

Maple Syrup Season in New England

2011-03-28T10:39:00.000-04:00

Last weekend was the big weekend for maple syrup farms in Maine to open up their sap houses to the public. We were lucky enough to be invited to a private sap house to watch how syrup is collected and made. My kids loved it. But I have to be honest-I think the biggest kid -my husband- enjoyed it the most! Maybe it was the beer or the male bonding, but he enjoyed learning the whole process. In fact, he has already offered to help again next year.

It smells SOOO yummy inside!

Syrup face.

While the males bonded and processed the syrup the moms cooked about 100 pancakes, bacon and sausage to bring back down to the sap house for dinner to be enjoyed with all the fresh maple syrup!

Feeling like Gardening

2011-03-25T09:51:00.000-04:00

We had snow yesterday. Today when I woke up it was 26 degrees. The fire is going, it has been going all week despite this being the first week of spring. In order to keep my chin up I have pulled out all the seed packets and have started to think about getting ready for the garden and planting seeds indoors.

and looking at last years garden pics make me happy.

I can see why you would be confused

2011-03-22T10:36:00.000-04:00

One of our favorite book series is the Bear Snores On by Karma Wilson. On each page Olivia is able to pick out the bear, the wren, the raven, the gopher, the mole, the badger, the mouse and the hare. Phew- it takes us a while to get through each book-but a fun game.

When we get to this page below we run into a problem. She refuses to see that the gopher in this picture is indeed a gopher and not Plumpy. (He's the fat one in the middle)

I guess I can see where she might get things mixed up.

First Day of Spring?

2011-03-21T17:13:00.000-04:00

This was out my window today. Not looking very "springish" to me??

Moving forward...

2011-03-17T14:08:00.000-04:00

or at least getting into a new routine since the loss of our dog, Tia. As you can imagine grieving with children is very different. There are lots of very tough questions to "try" and answer and some that just make you laugh out loud. and some, well, are just plain not helpful.........

Olivia " Mommy, don't cry, we will just get another one"

Abby "Mommy, how does Tia get to Heaven, is there some special kind of vet car that takes her there"

Olivia "Mommy, boy you are gonna be sad when Plumpy dies"

Abby (this is asked of me on a daily basis) " Mommy, are you still sad about Tia. Are you gonna cry again?"

On a special note, this little reminder arrived at our house this past week from our vet. It was all wrapped in tissue paper and a ribbon. A very nice imprint of her giant paw. They were very kind about the whole thing.

and some really nice friends sent us this fruit bouquet. The girls loved it. You would have thought they delivered a basket of kittens and money the way they were so excited.

Yes, Abby is wearing a bathing suit. I have no excuse-it was just easier to let her wear it vs. argue.

Monday Meatloaf

2011-03-14T16:52:00.000-04:00

Actually it is called Turkey Meatloaf with Spicy Tomato Jam AND it was GOOD! Really good and even the littles liked it!

Turkey Meatloaf with Spicy Tomato Jam

Recipe from Country Living

3 tablespoon(s) olive oil
1 teaspoon(s) olive oil
1/2 pound(s) shiitake mushrooms, stemmed and sliced
3/4 teaspoon(s) salt
1/2 teaspoon(s) freshly ground black pepper
2 1/4 teaspoon(s) finely chopped fresh thyme leaves
3 tablespoon(s) diced roasted red peppers
2 pound(s) ground turkey (1 pound each white and dark meat)
1 1/2 cup(s) bread crumbs
2 clove(s) (medium) garlic, finely chopped
1 tablespoon(s) chopped fresh sage leaves
1 teaspoon(s) ground ginger
1 medium onion, finely chopped
2 can(s) (14.5-ounce) diced fire-roasted tomatoes
1 teaspoon(s) crushed red pepper
2 tablespoon(s) balsamic vinegar
1/2 cup(s) light-brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon(s) allspice

Directions

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In a nonstick skillet over medium-high heat, heat 1 tablespoon oil. Sauté mushrooms until just beginning to brown, about 6 minutes. Season with 1/2 teaspoon each salt and pepper and 1/4 teaspoon thyme. Continue to brown mushrooms, stirring, about 6 minutes more. Stir in roasted red peppers. Transfer mixture to a plate and let cool.

2.Meanwhile, in a large bowl, mix turkey, bread crumbs, garlic, sage, ginger, half the onion, and remaining 1/4 teaspoon salt and 2 teaspoons thyme. Using your hands, pack half the turkey mixture into a 5-by-9-inch loaf pan. Top with an even layer of mushroom mixture. Cover with remaining turkey and pat down. Bake for 40 minutes.

3.Meanwhile, in a large skillet over medium heat, heat remaining oil and cook remaining onion until softened, about 8 minutes. Add tomatoes, crushed red pepper, vinegar, brown sugar, and allspice; simmer over medium heat for 30 minutes.

4.Remove meatloaf from oven and spread 3/4 cup tomato jam on top. Return to oven and bake until meatloaf reaches 165 degrees F on an instant-read thermometer, about 30 minutes more. Let cool in pan, about 10 minutes. Turn out and slice. Serve with remaining tomato jam on the side.

Did somebody say chocolate?

2011-03-10T08:00:00.001-05:00

Do you remember the Food Network show Cooking with Nigella? She used to make this tasty looking number called Chocohotopots. She made it look easy-but mine never seem to come out well.

When I saw a similar recipe called "Baked Fudge" over at The Pioneer Woman I knew I had to give it another go.

There are no words for how good this was! My husband even took a bite and declared "You've done it. You have made the chocohotopots!"

Ingredients

■2 whole Eggs

■1 cup Sugar

■2 Tablespoons (heaping) Cocoa

■2 Tablespoons Flour

■½ cups Butter, Melted

■1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract

Preparation Instructions:

Preheat oven to 300 to 325 degrees.

Beat eggs until light in color. Beat in sugar until just combined. Add cocoa, flour, melted butter, and vanilla extract. Mix gently until well combined.
Pour batter into four large ramekins or one 8-inch square baking dish. Set ramekins or pan into a larger pan halfway full of water.

Bake 40 to 50 minutes, or until upper crust is crispy and the rest of the batter is firm but not set. Toothpick should come out…not clean, but mixture should not be overly runny. If you pull it out of the oven and have second thoughts, stick it back in for ten more minutes.

Serve with sweetened whipped cream or vanilla ice cream; whatever makes your skirt fly up.

Desperate for cinnamon rolls.........

2011-03-09T08:00:00.001-05:00

Ok, so they are not really soft and fluffy cinnamon rolls, but the kids liked them and I did say desperate.....
Lay out a left over pie crust flat on the counter. Mix butter, cinnamon and sugar together. Spread on the pie crust. Roll into a long tube shape. Cut into "rolls" with dental floss or a serrated bread knife worked well too. Bake at the temp recommended on the box-about 20 mins. We made pink icing with powered sugar and milk.

You are so pretty, why must you stink so!

2011-03-08T08:00:00.001-05:00

A friend of mine mentioned that she had grown Paperwhites before and while they are very pretty they stink a bit like cat urine. Really, how could this be. I inquired about them from a few others and each said -yes, they do have a bit of a smell, but you get used to it. Well, the girls have been amazed at how fast they have grown, they definitely are pretty and I just love this teal colored vase that I found for them, but yes the do smell a bit. Olivia summed it up best when she was standing in the vicinity of the flowers-"Mummy, I think I smell Plumpy's bum".

Happy Birthday Dad!

2011-03-07T13:56:00.000-05:00

Yeah, that's me in the pool. Cute eh?

Saying goodbye

2011-03-01T14:14:00.000-05:00

We had a tough weekend.   We said goodbye to our dog Tia that has been with us for 10+ years.   Our house is quiet, you don't realize how much noise and room an 88 pound dog consumes until they are gone. The girls are dealing with it differently. Abby is more aware that she is not coming home. Olivia will probably ask me next week where she is.

I think maybe I am the most sad. Being a stay at home mom during the day sometimes the days are long and the hours are longer. She was company for me. She entertained the kids, she herded them from room to room and was never very far from all the action. She watched while Abby got on the bus, she followed Livy and I upstairs for books and nap time, she was always in the same room with me while I scurried around cooking, working, blogging and cleaning during my 2 hour reprieve from children. She waited patiently at the front door for Abby to return.

She was our protection when sometimes it felt like I was the only person home in the middle of the day in our neighborhood. She would bark and growl at anyone that approached the door.   She was always the first one in to "secure the area" when I would hear something strange in the basement or in the walk up attic.   I would feel safe when the kids and I were exploring in the woods.

I now have to vacuum the floor after we eat dinner or enjoy a snack on the couch. There are crumbs leftover and nobody to eat them.   I throw that last bite of meatloaf, that nobody could eat at dinner, in the trash thinking of how much she would have enjoyed it.

She slept on my side of the bedroom for 10+ years and now when I wake up that corner of the room is empty.

I miss you Tia, you old stinky dog. I hope wherever you are now there is no more pain and you continue to watch over our family.

3 years old!

2011-02-27T08:00:00.000-05:00

Olivia's second b-day celebration of the month with my family. 3-D snowman cake!

Daddy project!

2011-02-23T15:57:00.000-05:00

My husband thought it would be a good idea to teach Abby (now 5) to play checkers. She loves games and will actually sit and play with you for a while. As much as it killed him to purchase (for a whole $5) a set from a store-he did. His motto always being -why buy what you can build. And as luck would have it the game set he bought had missing pieces!! I know there a few of you out there that can feel my pain and know I will never hear the end of it. So one night while at work a building session happened in our basement!

These first two pics have nothing to do with the checker board itself-it just kept them busy while he worked on the board.

Made with leftover wood and paint!

Skipping cleaning day

2011-02-17T14:19:00.000-05:00

Today we went to the Children's Museum instead of cleaning the house. I won't include a picture of the house, it's really messy. Didn't feel like cleaning and did not feel like staying home to look at the mess!

If this outfit does not make a fashion statement I don't know what does!

Birthday month

2011-02-15T08:00:00.002-05:00

This month is Olivia's birthday month. She is turning 3. We started off with her first party with Daddy's side of the family this past weekend.

BTW- The frosting ended up being Duncan Hines.

My sister in law brought her blue gel dye and it worked great!

This little shirt is SO cute. If you look closely you can see Livy and Plumpy snuggling together in the picture and my sister in law embroidered "LOVE" underneath. Olivia loved it. (She used Fabric Transfer paper from Joanne Fabrics and printed out the image from her computer!)

Her next handmade gift was "Livy's gnomes". See the box.

Another sister in law craft with help from the cousins. She saw the idea over at Gingercake.

and of course her favorite, ice cream.

Thanks for a great weekend everyone. Olivia loved all her gifts (even if I did not get pics of them all!) and enjoyed a fun time with her family.

Valentine Day dinner

2011-02-14T17:01:00.000-05:00

Valentine Treat Bags

2011-02-10T08:00:00.000-05:00

One of my favorite blogs to visit is The Farm Chicks. So when she posted about Valentine Treat Bags I was all in. See link here. (you can download the PDF file and print out the bags, fold then fill!) Once I showed Abby how to fold the bags properly she was able to do them all by herself. We filled them with chocolate hearts and conversation hearts! Abby will pass these out to her classmates for their Valentine's day party.

Breakfast idea

2011-02-09T08:00:00.000-05:00

I recently discovered this blog called Feeding the Chaos and decided to try her Puffed pancake recipe. It was really good despite the pictures looking a little bit off. I promise. It is like a giant popover. And it was easy to mix, throw in the oven and wait. Both girls loved it and so did I. Daddy, well let's just say he let us eat it all.

Puffed pancake

2 Tbsp butter

3 eggs

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup flour

1/4 tsp salt

Heat oven to 400 degrees. While oven is heating up, put butter in a baking dish and place inside oven until butter melts. In a mixing bowl, beat eggs. Add milk, flour and salt and beat until smooth. Pour into baking dish. Bake at 400 for 25 minutes or until sides are puffy and center is done.

We used syrup. But I think powered sugar or jam would be yummy!

Valentine cookie idea

2011-02-08T08:00:00.002-05:00

I volunteered to make cookies for the Father Daughter Valentine Dance. (Luckily for Abby's class room party all I have to do is supply the Valentine napkins-easy). I made these same cookies back in Dec- Hershey Kisses Candy Cane Blossoms, but this time instead of green and red sugar crystals I used hot pink and red. The pink ones actually resemble Easter peeps! Easy and VERY tasty. This is a good dough recipe.

Ingredients

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES
1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened
1 cup granulated sugar
1 egg
1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
2 tablespoons milk
Pink and Red sugar crystals, granulated sugar

Directions
1. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies.
2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red or pink sugar, or a combination of any of the sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

She made it!

2011-02-07T13:43:00.000-05:00

to the Father Daughter dance! We got rain/sleet/snow/thunder/lightening on Sat. Yes, Thunder and Lightening-isn't that crazy. So the dance was postponed until Sunday afternoon-buying us just enough time for Abby to feel better.

Daddy presented her with a tiny corsage. I don't think she really knew what to make of it at first!

Sorry no pics of the actual dance. Daddy isn't too good at remembering to take MORE pictures! Oh I wish I could have been a fly on the wall!

Why I am wishing for snow tomorrow......

2011-02-04T16:00:00.000-05:00

I know crazy. Tomorrow is the annual Father and Daughter Valentine day dance. Abby has her dress, shoes and tights all picked out. And this morning she woke with a 103 temp. ugh If it snows tomorrow they will postpone and then Sunday will be the dance- buying us one more day for her to recover! Fingers crossed.

Fluff Frosting

2011-02-02T16:36:00.000-05:00

We made another type of frosting- Fluff Frosting. Somehow I remember it tasting better when my sister in law made it? Everything she makes tastes good.

While this frosting was good (Really who am I kidding- frosting made of fluff, sugar and butter-of course it tastes good). Still, I don't think my search has ended for the perfect frosting to top Olivia's birthday cupcakes.....

Fluff Frosting

2 sticks butter softened

10 oz Marshmellow fluff

1/4 cup confection sugar

1 1/2 tsp vanilla

6 to 8 drops of food coloring
Beat butter in mixer until light and fluffy. Beat in fluff, then sugar and vanilla. Stir in food coloring.

Diet Coke Cake!

2011-01-31T14:10:00.000-05:00

Yes, you heard me right. Diet coke + cake = my dream come true!

Just take any box cake recipe and add 10-12 oz of diet coke (I took a big gulp from the can and then added the rest). Bake according the back of the box.

BEFORE

AFTER. The actually came out pretty good. And according to the recipe only two weight watcher points!

Thanks for the tip Jessica.

Fairy Triad update

2011-01-28T13:42:00.000-05:00

Remember the Fairy Triad we put together and planted a few weeks ago-we have growth! I actually think the Clover is taking over the whole place.

Zingo

2011-01-27T09:50:00.000-05:00

If your looking for a game that a wide range of ages can play- this would be it. Even at age two Olivia is able to play the game, understand the concept AND help clean up!

ZINGO is basically BINGO with pictures.

Test Kitchen part two

2011-01-25T08:00:00.006-05:00

My header seems to be fixed? and I have no idea why...........

so onto Test Kitchen part two:

The frosting. Again from one of my favorite cooking sites http://www.ourbestbites.com/. It came out yummy, but just wasn't the exact frosting I was thinking of...... I do like the fact that I have all these ingredients in my kitchen. That gives it definite + points. But I found it REALLY thick and had a hard time squeezing it out of the pastry bag. I probably need a bigger tip. I also need to work on perfecting the blue color a bit too. At first it came out grayish-so I added some green and ended up with more of a teal. Olivia pointed out that it did not match the blue marker she was using as a benchmark. Check minus for mommy.

My sister in law gave me a Fluff frosting recipe. We will be testing that next.

I wish I could tell you that the kids did the frosting of the cupcakes. But that was me and I stink at it! We all had a good laugh over that.

Perfect Cupcake Frosting and Filling

3 T Flour
1/2 C milk (whole milk is best, but I used non-fat when it's all I have and it's actually fine)
1/2 C real butter
1/2 C sugar (that's granulated sugar, not powdered sugar)
1 t vanilla extract, or other flavor if you wish.

Whisk together the flour and the milk. Heat in a small sauce pan on medium heat. Whisk continuously until it starts to thicken. I think this is the critical point for any of you who have had problems with this recipe. I have a feeling people are under-cooking this part. Let it cook, while stirring, until it looks like pudding (you should be able to see the bottom of the pan when you stir it). Even though it's thick, you can still it through a mesh strainer (just whisk the mixture in the strainer to push the thick stuff through) and then let it cool completely to room temp. or chill it in the fridge. It needs to be cooled completely. If you don't let it cool completely, it will melt the butter and you'll have runny frosting.

It an electric stand mixer, beat the butter and the sugar for a minute or two until well combined and fluffy. You'll want to use the whisk attachment on a stand mixer, not the flat paddle. Then while beating, add in the thickened milk mixture and the vanilla. Beat on the highest speed you can get to without it spraying all over the place for 7 minutes. Yes, 7 whole minutes, maybe even 8 or 9. I know that seems like a long time, but that's when the magic happens!

You will be scared because it will look like a weird goopy mess at first and you'll wonder what on earth you did wrong. Keep beating and something amazing happens. It goes from that goopy mess to something thick, velvety smooth, and perfectly fluffy. One batch makes enough to frost 12 cupcakes .

Test Kitchen

2011-01-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

Let me just start this blog by saying- I have no idea why my header is looking so fuzzy? Does it look fuzzy and pixelated to you? errr, very frustrating.

So anyway- back to "Test Kitchen". Olivia's birthday is right around the corner and this year she requested chocolate cupcakes with blue frosting. AND I really really don't want to use a box mix. So I discovered this recipe over at http://www.ourbestbites.com/ and they came out amazing! I know a box mix IS easy, but honestly, I have all these items in my pantry so that is pretty easy and no trip to the store. Even my husband was impressed at how tasty and moist they were. Chocolate cupcake recipe- check.

Devil's Food Cupcakes

1 C Flour
1/4 C unsweetened cocoa powder
3/4 t baking soda
1/4 t salt
1/2 C granulated sugar
1/2 C firmly packed brown sugar
4 T unsalted butter at room temperature
1 large egg, at room temperature
1 t vanilla extract
1/2 C luke warm water
1/4 C buttermilk (I used a splash of white vinegar with reg milk. Whisk and let is sit a few min-great replacement for buttermilk)

Position rack in the middle of oven and preheat to 350. Like a standard 12 cup muffin tin with liners. Sift together the flour, cocoa powder, baking soda, and salt into a bowl. I know lots of people skip sifting, but in some recipes it's really important. This is one of them, so just pop it in a strainer and shake all those lumps out. (I did this as well and wouldn't you know- she was right!)
In another bowl, with an electric mixer on medium-high speed, beat the granulated sugar, brown sugar, and butter together until light and fluffy, 2-3 minutes. Add the egg and vanilla and beat until combined.

Add the flour mixture in 3 additions, alternating with the water and buttermilk, beating on low speed until just combined. Scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed. Beat on medium high speed just until no traces of flour remain, about 30 seconds; do not over beat.

Divide the batter evenly among muffin cups- use a cookie scoop for even filling. Bake until a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean. Anywhere from 15-20 minutes. Mine usually only take about 15- don't over bake! Let the cupcakes cool in the pan on a wire rack for 5 minutes and then remove them and let them cool.

Next onto the perfect frosting!

ANOTHER Snow day.....

2011-01-21T13:52:00.000-05:00

This is what it looks like outside. Yup another snow day. With the holiday on Monday (read no school) and our activities canceled Tues-dance (and no school), Wed-music and today-swim (and again-no school)-I/We are most definitely going a bit stir crazy. What's that place I am at- oh yeah. It's called Wit's end!

Thankfully friends passed down a LARGE bag of toys from their daughter who has out grown them. Thank goodness! I had them hidden in the closet and today was THAT day-when they NEEDED to come out.

$35 on the side of the road

2011-01-18T13:30:00.000-05:00

If you recall back in Nov I posted about a buffet I picked up on the side of the road for $35 (Isn't that how most Mainers shop?). Well, as my gift for Christmas I requested to my husband that it be finished, by him. He put the final coats of paint on last weekend. Only two weeks after Christmas- not too bad. I have to say it came out AMAZING!

Let's just remember how UGLY it was!

After shots! I kept the three handles for the middle drawers. New glass handles on the side drawers are from Anthropologie.

Paint is Rust-Oleum- espresso. Purchased right from Home Depot.

Pumpkin Donut Muffins

2011-01-17T13:50:00.001-05:00

If you have leftover canned pumpkin like we did or even if you go out and buy it just for this - IT IS WORTH IT! Bascially you bake the "donuts" instead of frying them. And my kids ended up liking the donuts better without the Spiced sugar coating!

Pumpkin Donut Muffins

2 1/2 C Flour
3/4 C Brown Sugar
2 t Baking Powder
2 1/2 t Pumpkin Pie Spice
3/4 t Salt
1/2 t Baking Soda
1 1/2 C Canned Pumpkin
3 Eggs
1/2 C Butter, softened

Spiced Sugar Coating (I only made half of this sugar mixture and it was plenty!)
3/4 C Butter, melted
1 C Sugar
1 T Cinnamon
2 T Pumpkin Spice

In a medium bowl, combine the flour, brown sugar, baking powder, pumpkin spice, salt and baking soda.

In a large bowl, combine the pumpkin, eggs, and butter. Beat until smooth. Add the flour mixture, beat until well combined. Spoon the mixture into greased muffin tins close to the top. Place in a preheated 350 degree oven and bake for 20-25 minutes (15-20 minutes if using the mini tin). While baking, melt the butter and place in a bowl. In another bowl combine the sugar and spices. While the muffins are still slightly warm, dip them in the melted butter and then roll in the sugar mixture. (I ended up using less butter and just brushed the donuts with the butter and rolled them in the sugar mixture)
This recipe makes about 18 regular muffins

Now that's a snow storm!

2011-01-14T14:15:00.000-05:00

Fairy Triad

2011-01-12T12:54:00.001-05:00

I have been saving this box for the perfect snowy day and today is that day. The Northeast is getting blasted with a huge storm. We are still in our pj's, fire is going and we are going NO WHERE today.

We have planted four different plants in this little house. When they grow they are suppose to attract the fairies. Which according to the package will be know to us if: 1. We hear the bells ring. 2. Sudden cold. 3. Unexplained trembling of the leaves. 4. A whirlwind or dust devil 5. A feeling of something crawling in your hair when nothing is there. (heh heh I know my friend Lelan over at Good Gravy will LOVE that!)

While I am glad this product is made in the USA. We have a little bone to pick with Mr. David W. Our box did not include the colored fairy rocks. So as you can see from the pics above we had to use part of our stash of shells and rocks.

David W. your complaint letter will be coming in the mail any day now.

I will keep you posted if anything grows!

Now that's A LOT of garlic!

2011-01-11T13:50:00.000-05:00

In my quest for a healthier, skinner New Year- I have the crockpot out and 8 truck loads of garlic to try to put some flavor into our dinner. Luckily I got the new Better Homes and Garden crockpot cookbook for Christmas.

Thyme and Garlic Chicken

6 cloves of garlic, minced
1.5 teaspoons of dried thyme
3 to 4 pounds whole chix breasts (with bone)
1/4 orange juice
1 tablespoon of balsamic vinegar

Sprinkle thyme and garlic over chix. Place into crockpot. Pour over orange juice and vinegar. Cover and cook 5-6 hours on low. 2.5-3 on high.

Remove chix from cooker (cover with foil to keep warm). Skim fat from cooking juices. Strain into a saucepan. Bring to a boil, reduce heat and boil gently, uncovered about 10 mins until reduced to 1 cup. Pass juices with chix.

I told you it was a ton of garlic! You should smell the house. No vampires here........and I apologize for my breath in advance over the next few days.

Winter Fairy houses

2011-01-10T13:58:00.000-05:00

We are really on a fairy house kick right now! The girls have watched this movie several times and love it!

This is how I know I am in trouble.....

2011-01-06T14:29:00.000-05:00

The look of sheer joy on Olivia's face the entire way down the hill. Now look at Abby's- sheer terror. Abby is my quiet, less adventurous one. Olivia...... well.... nothing has scared her yet.

Potty training

2011-01-04T19:30:00.000-05:00

That's what we have been doing around here. Not a ton of success yet, but we are still hopeful! Staging area is set with all the comforts of a bathroom right in the kitchen/dining area. Potty seat, baby doll on right next to potty seat, extra seating for those who choose to hang out with the one in training, books to pass the time, wipes and of course the reward that makes it all worth it in the end. M & M's.

Those are for me of course!

Sometimes a cash register helps pass the time too!

All their dreams came true!

2011-01-03T13:28:00.000-05:00

If you remember from the girls Christmas list it included-Olivia dreaming of peanut butter and Abby a snowflake ornament. Luckily Santa came through for them and luckily for Santa in these tough economic times their demands were not that high!

She was truly happy with the peanut butter!

And my Christmas wish came partly true- both of them were cooperative when it came time to get into our Christmas garb. However, many pictures came out less than perfect. Here is Abby doing her ET impression with her neck!

First snow!

2010-12-22T08:00:00.001-05:00

We had our first snow! And it was gone within seconds. Olivia was very upset that she could not make a "no-man".

Last minute Christmas idea.

2010-12-21T16:47:00.000-05:00

You might rememeber on Abby's Christmas list to Santa she wanted a Christmas Tree for her doll house. I honestly looked in about 15+ stores for a darn small doll house sized tree. I even pleaded with my friends on Facebook for suggestions. Finally I found this little number at Michaels. I thought it lacked a little pizzaz alone so I made the small presents.

My 5 minute directions for making teeny tiny presents!

1. First eat your weight watchers meal so you can use the cardboard box. I cut one small square from the cardboard and used it as my templete for all the squares. See layout below.

2. Cut out your box pattern. Fold on the lines to form your box. And use lots of tape!

3. Look- tiny mac and cheese boxes!

4. Wrap and decorate. Ta da! I think she will like it.

Giving this year

2010-12-20T08:00:00.001-05:00

Sunday was a busy day. Daddy took the girls out for a little Christmas shopping for me and I had some time to catch up on a few things I have been meaning to do for weeks now.

The first was cleaning out our coat closet.

Yeah, that's a lot of coats. Some were from when we were in college!! Needless to say between men's, women's and children's coats and snow suits we made a nice donation to our local women's shelter.

Second was a trip to the local Toys for Tot drop off. Still a few more days left to get your donation in!

And lastly for our day of giving -I made our annual donation to our "Family chosen" charity at http://www.crudem.org/. Each year in lieu of gifts my husband's family picks an organization and we donate money. This year Hopital Sacre Coeur in Haiti was a wonderful choice especially in light of the recent cholera epidemic.

Friday snuggles

2010-12-17T16:41:00.001-05:00

Christmas book favorites!

2010-12-16T08:00:00.002-05:00

We have about 50+ Christmas books in our house. Some were mine as a child, some are hand me downs from my sister with three kids that have out grown them, some are gifts from grandparents and of course- I love buying books too. I could spend $1,000 in 2 min in a children's book store!

Depsite have a large variety to choose from these are the few that we seem to read over and over and over........

These two by Karma Wilson. The whole Bear series is very cute!

By Margie Palatini

These two books by Caralyn Buehner. On each page there are hidden pictures for the kids to find. Fun for them, somewhat painful for the adults.

This whole series by David Shannon is a big hit in our house-despite the sometimes disgusting illustrations.

Elf on a Shelf!

2010-12-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

Yes, we have the Elf on the Shelf. Yes, some people find her a little creepy-like Lelan over at Good Gravy. But so far she has not turned into any Chucky type killer doll and the kids have fun finding her new hiding spot every morning. Oh and I have used the "Penelope the elf is watching you-I sure hope she does not report (insert bad annoying behavior here) to Santa" Hmmm, maybe it makes it less creepy when the Elf is a girl. Don't ask me where that name came from, but Abby named her last year.

Here she is last year hiding in the ceiling before it was fixed (burst water pipes!). Oh how I miss those holes-they made such great hiding places........... NOT!

Smiles

2010-12-14T13:33:00.000-05:00

I have to thank my sister in law for this little reminder. Oranges cut into smiles. I remember these as a kid when my mom used to do this for us. The girls thought it was a lot of fun and with perfect timing since a box of grapefruits and oranges arrived from Florida sent by the Nana elf.

I am adding my name to the list.....

2010-12-09T14:11:00.000-05:00

This sign was found on the fridge the other day. No sure how it is working out for him, but I am thinking of adding my name to the list!

Going to a cookie swap?

2010-12-08T17:05:00.000-05:00

Here is a good choice- Hershey Kisses Candy Cane Blossoms. Recipe-right off the back of the bag! Also a fun baking project for the kids to help with (with clean hands of course!).

The girls unwrapped EVERY single Hersey kiss for me. I think they only ate one or two???

We also made them in our pajamas. The best way to make cookies! This was their other main contribution-the rolling of cookie balls in the red and green sugar.

Just before baking

Cooling on the rack with the kisses placed gently on top. I started out letting the girls help with this part, but quickly took this project back as the cookies became a smashed gooey mess. Mostly the 2 year old is the one who does not know what GENTLY means.....

KISSES Candy Cane Blossoms

Ingredients

48 HERSHEY'S KISSES Brand Candy Cane Mint Candies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

1 egg

1-1/2 teaspoons vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1/4 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 tablespoons milk

Red or green sugar crystals, granulated sugar or powdered sugar

Directions

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Remove wrappers from candies.

2. Beat butter, granulated sugar, egg and vanilla in large bowl until well blended. Stir together flour, baking soda and salt; add alternately with milk to butter mixture, beating until well blended.

3. Shape dough into 1-inch balls. Roll in red sugar, granulated sugar, powdered sugar or a combination of any of the sugars. Place on ungreased cookie sheet.

4. Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until edges are lightly browned and cookie is set. Remove from oven; cool 2 to 3 minutes. Press a candy piece into center of each cookie. Remove from cookie sheet to wire rack. Cool completely. About 4 dozen cookies.

The hunt for the perfect tree.

2010-12-07T17:19:00.000-05:00

The most amazing to part to them was the netting of the tree!

Dear Santa:

2010-12-06T14:02:00.000-05:00

Christmas lists were written this past weekend. Abby wrote them herself (with some help on the spelling of course) and also volunteered to write Olivia's for her while she dictated. There were no suggestions from either my husband or myself-they really came up with these all on their own!

Here is Abby's:

Here, let me translate. Felt food (Auntie K-need some help here!), chapstick, a snow flake ornament, a boquet and a Christmas tree for her doll house.

This is Olivia's. I had tears running down my face from laughter. I will keep this note forever.

It says: Kitty. (then to the side you see) Real Kitty (daddy don't be pulling a fast one on me by golly!)

Present and Peanut butter.

You may notice that some of the words are spelled backwards. Completely normal for a Kindergartner I am told by Abby's teacher. She even insisted on putting "snow" in HER proper order!

Success! It IS warm in here.

2010-12-02T16:49:00.001-05:00

The other day I blogged about the install of our new fireplace. Well it is finally up and running- the home insurance company came and gave us the ok. So to all the folks out there that normally come visit us during the cold weather (you know who you are-some are even related) who wear many extra layers and complain about being cold and ask to borrow another blanket at night, just in case............. The proof is in the pudding. Or in the Plumpy as it may be............

and gosh dang it IF you are still cold the kids will give you an extra paper towel to bundle up with!

Guess all our human guests had the real blankets and the girls had to improvise.

It is the thought that counts right?

The last of the turkey.....

2010-11-30T17:23:00.000-05:00

We had turkey for Thanksgiving, turkey sandwiches, turkey soup and now this will use up the LAST of the turkey........ phew. I ate this with a side of squash and a side of Above the Dam Jam -Cranberry Jam. Yes, jam. Not cranberry sauce. Nice sugary jam! It was good. And this recipe for turkey/chix pie is so yummy and super easy!

Adapted from Majorie Standish -Cooking Downeast

Filling for the pie-mix together (make sure the filling is warm):

Cooked Chicken or Turkey (2-3 cups?)

1 can of cream of mushroom soup.

1 cup+ of steam veggies- any kind. They sell a steam bag of veggies with peas, corn, beans, and asparagus-very yummy!

Crust:

2 cups flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

2 teaspoons cream of tartar

1/2 teaspoon of salt

1/2 cup of butter (1 stick)

1 egg

1/2 cup milk

Mix dry ingredients together. Using a pastry blender or two knives-work the butter into the flour mixtue till dry and crumbly. Add egg and milk and stir with fork and use hands to form a ball of dough. Split dough in half to make top and bottom crust. Roll out with flour. Place one crust on the bottom and fill with chix or turkey filling. Place crust on top and flute edges. Cut 3 slits into top. Bake at 400 degrees for 18 mins. It comes out so nice and fluffy!

Decorating for Christmas.... on the cheap!

2010-11-29T14:23:00.000-05:00

I am not one to spend a lot of money on Christmas decorations. Don't get me wrong- we decorate- I just prefer to find free things in nature!

Making swags is easy. Wire, boughs, outdoor red bows and woods (or neighbors property when they are not home during the day- ahhh the benefits of being a stay at home mom!)

We put the same snowman flag up each year. Kids still think it great. I also stuff the little sleigh and flower pot with white pine, holly & other types of pine I find around the outside of the house. I am lucky we have a giant holly bush!

Festive and Free!

You can't teach an old cat new tricks!

2010-11-24T08:00:00.002-05:00

A dog maybe, but not this old cat. I could hardly control my laughter when the girls decided to "train" Plumpy to do a few tricks. They really get an A for effort.

Here we see them trying to get him to sit up and beg on the stool.

This is as far as he got............

Now they try to motivate him with a fishing pole toy. no go.....

Abby tied a snack cup to a ribbon with treats inside to try and get him to do something, anything........

In the end it was no use. Just one sad dejected little girl and a fat cat.

Happy Thanksgiving! Hope your turkey is as fat as Plumpy.

Don't put the baby in the washing machine!

2010-11-23T16:43:00.000-05:00

Trust me, don't. No matter how much vomit is on the doll-there must be another way. Here is Olivia's baby (for days now) hanging in the laundry room. Her cloth body has dried (still has a little odor to it), but her head, legs and arms are full of water. Give a shake and all you hear is slosh slosh slosh. So far Olivia has been appeased with her sister's baby doll at night (thank you big sister) and other various stuffed animals, but the same question is asked every nap and evening: "is my baby dry yet?" Not sure if we can keep this up till Christmas when a new baby will arrive (again thank you big sister for suggesting she ask Santa for a new baby).

My husband had a thought. He could drill holes in her head, arms and legs to get the water out. Errr, not sure that is the best plan............

The BEST accessory that came with the new wood stove!

2010-11-18T08:00:00.002-05:00

THE BOX!

I can't tell you the number of hours the girls have played in this box. I told them if I hear any fighting, anything- just one peep of disagreement between them it goes back to the garage. So far so good. I know my luck will run out soon............ this isn't my first rodeo.

Good use for old Christmas cards too!

It's getting hot in here!

2010-11-17T15:52:00.000-05:00

Finally- going into our 2nd full winter in this house we have a new wood stove installed. When we moved in the previous owners had installed an old, ugly gas insert which did not work. After going through one winter with a few power outages and no back up heat this baby has been a long time coming! Maine winter's REQUIRE a wood stove! I have never lived in a house without one.

This is what it looked like the day we moved in:

Taking out the fake fireplace logs:

You can never get enough help from a 2 year old on a fireplace install:

See those things to the left of the stove. Bio bricks! One pallet is equal to a cord of wood:

It is SO big:

The final product! Can't wait for the cold weather now. I know- bite my tongue.......

Have a few extra apples!

2010-11-15T08:00:00.001-05:00

If you have a few extra apples kicking around the house I highly recommend giving this EASY recipe a shot.

CHEWY APPLE BROWNIES
1 cup margarine (2 sticks), softened

1 3/4 cups granulated sugar

2 large eggs, well beaten

1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract

2 cups all-purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking powder

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon cinnamon

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 medium baking apples, peeled, cored, and chopped

1/2 cup chopped pecans

VANILLA GLAZE:

1/2 cup confectioners' sugar

1 tablespoon hot water

1/4 teaspoon vanilla extract

Heat oven to 350 degrees F. Grease a 9-inch square baking pan; set aside.
Beat margarine, granulated sugar, eggs and vanilla in large bowl of electric mixer until light and fluffy.
Combine dry ingredients and add to egg mixture. Mix until flour is moistened; fold in apples and nuts. Spread into prepared pan.
Bake until a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 45 minutes. Cool on wire rack.

GLAZE: Combine glaze ingredients and mix until smooth. Drizzle over cooled brownies in a thin stream, forming a woven pattern. Let glaze set before cutting brownies.
Serve brownies warm with frozen yogurt or at room temperature.

School project and another use for fabric scraps!

2010-11-11T16:40:00.000-05:00

Abby had to construct a totem pole box for school. Bascially she had to decorate a shoe box with all the favorite things she likes to do. At school they will stack them in a totem pole fashion to display to the school.

Here we see Livy using the "pile it on" method with glue and fabric

Here is the start of Abby's box. She loves the beach so we have water and sand.

yes, the sand was messy-but they had fun.

In case you can't tell- that is Livy and I on the beach.

This is Abby and Daddy out in the ocean. In the front you can see we like Fancy Nancy and ballet!

The remaining sides of the box included a Halloween/pumpkin theme and more pictures of her family colored in with their favorite colors!

Sunchokes! What do I do with them........

2010-11-09T21:00:00.000-05:00

Our winter CSA started last week. One of the items that I just don't have a clue what to do with is Sunchokes! What are sunchokes you say- well if you ask me they look like rubbery dead man finger coral you see at the bottom of the ocean- but they are actually a veggie.

According to Wisegeek.com :

A sunchoke is an underground vegetable like a cross between a rutabaga, potato, sunflower seed, and water chestnut. Also called a Jerusalem artichoke, it is not like an artichoke bloom, nor does it grow in Jerusalem. It's one of the few native tubers of North America. A sunchoke, related to the sunflower, makes a delicious addition to salad, salsa, marinade, and soup.

Hmmm, I am not buying it. It is just down right UGLY! and honestly- do I really want to eat something that tastes like a "rutabaga, potato, sunflower seed, and water chestnut"??? and who sits around tasting stuff like this to come up with this unique combo-which in real life probably just tastes like dirt............. combined with the bottom of my shoe.

Another project and a good husband.

2010-11-05T08:00:00.004-04:00

I have been looking for a side board/buffet for a while now. Our new (but really old) kitchen does not have as much storage as our old house. So I still have a lot of dishes, linens etc. in boxes taking up a lot of room in my bedroom closet.

Last week the girls and I were headed to town and I spotted this little number on the side of the road. $35 and she can be yours! ohhhh awwww. I had to have it. Would she fit in my van. Could I even lift it? We stopped in and after paying the cash (I had EXACTLY $35 -wow is that a sign or what!) and talking to the nicest grandma and her two grandchildren I made arrangements to have my husband come back later and pick it up. Hmmm, now to tell him. Luckily he was busy at work and could only talk for a brief minute-I told him what I had done, where to pick it up, said it was already paid for and hung up on him before he could even get a word in! When he arrived home later with it (after giving me a bit of a hairy eyeball) he said "not bad, better than most of the crap you find on the side of the road. And for $35-pretty good deal!" Oh that husband of mine, such a good sport...........

Now what color to paint it?

I actually like the handles, but it is missing a few as you can see. So I may keep three of them for the large middle drawers and find new ones for the side drawers.

Last garden post of the year

2010-11-04T13:48:00.000-04:00

The garden is ready for the long cold winter.........

Dear Daddy

2010-11-02T13:01:00.000-04:00

Guess what your next renovation project is going to be??

Yes, that would be my room with the big girl bed-time to move me out of this closet you call a bedroom! All this time and I had no idea I could climb out of this crib. Hmmm, I think my new room should be purple and have fancy curtains and puffy quilts. Can you start painting tonight........................

Oh and mommy says my old room is going to be her office and she wants that painted too! Love you Daddy XOXO

Halloween: BFF and the fist pump!

2010-11-01T08:00:00.001-04:00

These two clowns have been BFF since they were 8 weeks old!

Little miss unicorn

Jersey Shore fist pump! Oh yeah, this lollipop rocks!!

This little one totally "got" Halloween this year. Walk up to door, say trick or treat in cute smurf voice, get candy, say thank you and book it to the next house!

Awesome pics from Good Gravy!

They get me EVERY time!

2010-10-28T16:47:00.000-04:00

You know that great skeleton project we did the other day..... Everytime I come around the corner from the kitchen into the living room I think there is somebody standing in my window. It gives me a heart attack EVERY time.

This particular morning I had just finished taking the dog out in my pajamas in a sleepy fog and about fell over backwards when I came around the corner........ AHHHHHHHHHHHH

This makes me happy!

2010-10-27T08:00:00.008-04:00

As everyone knows (or they do now) I am a huge animal lover and according to my mom I have been since I was little. Right now our "herd" is small, but both pets are rescue animals. Before kids I was very active in NERR which is a rescue organization for Rottweilers in New England. I saw some pretty sad, abused animals come through including some of the dogs we fostered.

I was delighted to see this video clip on Fox news the other day about animal abusers having to register with the county and a public website being created. See link here.

Here is another link to a newspaper article. See link here.

The long and short of it is:

"The people in Suffolk County, N.Y. have had enough with animal abusers, and now a law has been created to prevent such abuse. Last week county officials moved to create the first animal abuse registry in the nation. People convicted of animal cruelty will be required to register or face fines and jail time. The registry is also intended to prevent such offenders from escalating and moving on to violence against humans."

This is HUGE!! They are working on setting up a website so the public will be able to log on and see who local animal abusers are in your town. Who not to buy a dog from and also breeders/rescue groups/shelters can log on and see who not to adopt/sell an animal too. Other states are now trying to adopt similar laws and I am hoping this is something that spreads accross the U.S.

Both cats rescued after they were found in a shed about 4 weeks old without their

mother who was hit by a car.

Both dogs adopted from NERR. As you can see Tosh the three legged one was the result of animal abuse-he was our foster dog who ended up staying forever until he passed two years ago as a result from his injuries before he was rescued. Despite their history I could not have asked for better dogs with my children and for my family.