last one

This is my last post for a few days, and likely the last time you'll be checking for a few days. It's going to be a smorgasbord of thoughts.

Pete
He's been doing so amazingly well. Like, I really can't believe how amazing he's been. He has not complained at all, and the various splints he's been wearing haven't phased his at all. His most recent splint is not staying on too well, which is a PIA (pain in the you-know-what), and this morning, all of his bandaids had come off, exposing the pin in his ring finger. That's supposed to come out at the Doc's office next week. And in other news, he's so, SO close to crawling. He really wants to move, but I sense that he's nervous about bearing weight on his left hand. I'm thinking that it's only a matter of weeks before he's on the move. Bug, please wait until after the Christmas tree is down, K?

Christmas
This is the first year in a long, long time that have felt so excited and anxious for the holiday to hurry up and get here. Our cousins came into town today, and Monday-Wednesday of this week dragged into eternity. But today went by in a blink, and I know the next few days will be a blur too. It's been so great to feel so excited, really like being a kid again. I think I have Emerson to thank for that. She's been way into it this year, and it truly is magical to see Christmas through a child's eyes. But my heart is also heavy thinking about loved ones who won't be here to celebrate. This is the 17th Christmas without my cousin Vinnie (Yes, really my cousin. Yes, really Vinnie.) I can't believe that I've now lived more of my life without him that I did with him.

That's all from here. Have yourself a very Merry Christmas with your family. Hugs to all of you!

Christmas-ey pics

I'm on hold with Disney, pricing out a magical vacation for a client, and thought I'd maximize my time by multi-tasking. They have the best hold music, by the way. But I digress.

Here's a few from baking at Grammy's. Disregard the fact that she's wearing a Chicago Cubs bib...she's been VERY into being a baby lately...wonder why...and insisted on wearing it while baking. Ah, 3 year olds.

Enjoy!

i'm an old soul AND the winner is...

I've often described myself as an "old soul" Like there's a 70 year-old living inside of my thirtysomething body. I love the 1930's and 1940's; I grew up listening to Old Time Radio shows from that era and still listen to one every night as I snuggle in bed. And I found an awesome store on eBay that caters right to my old soulness...

Collectible Ads Magazines and More

They have a great collection of old magazine ads ranging from the 40's up through the 80's (love the one of Charles and Di as their wedding approached. Very timely now with Wills heading down the aisle in 2011) I collect vintage posters and have them displayed around the house. These old magazine ads and magazine covers are right up my alley. I'll have to start making room on the walls...

As promised, I have the winner of my Cold Tangerines giveaway. I put numbers in a hat for each comment, and drew one at random. And the winner is...Limpy Jo! Please email me directly at alisong@mei-travel.com and we'll work out the details.

Stay warm...it's BRUTAL out there. Well, at least out here anyway.

chicken and rice a'la amy

In the interest of honoring my promise to share recipes, I have an easy one for you that is perfect for this busy week. My cousin Amy makes it, and it's SO yummy. Everyone (well, maybe not Pete yet) in our family loves it!

Amy's Chicken & Rice

4-5 boneless thighs (they have loads of flavor, but breasts are fine too)
bread crumbs (I prefer Italian seasoned breadcrumbs)
2 or 3 eggs, beaten
butter
1 can chicken and rice condensed soup (plain cream of chicken, cream of celery, cream of mushroom, etc...will be fine)
1 cup rice
1 cup orange juice

Dredge the chicken in breadcrumbs, egg, breadcrumbs to coat all the pieces. Pan fry in butter just until browned on both sides, about 5 minutes/side. Spray baking dish with cooking spray. Mix soup, rice and OJ together and pour into baking dish. Place chicken on top. Cover with foil and bake at 325 degrees for 1 1/2 hours.

Mmmmmm.

my first-ever giveaway!

I really, really like the book Cold Tangerines. So much, in fact, that I want to give a copy to one of you lovelies. So, in the spirit of this season of giving, I'm hosting my first-ever blog giveaway. Just leave a comment in today's post telling me your favorite thing about the Christmas season. I'll choose one comment at random and pass along a copy of Cold Tangerines.

I'll give you through the weekend, and I'll announce the winner on Sunday night, so have your comment in by noon on Sunday, OK? (That's noon CST for you worldly types.) Then, stay tuned.

Goody. I'm really excited about this!

cold tangerines

This is what's currently sitting on my nightstand. It's a wonderful, witty, conversational, emotional book. Like lots of coffee dates with your best girlfriend. It's honest and funny and strikes really close to home for me. A friend from church RAKed me with it {that's Random Act of Kindness}, and while I can't give one to each of you, I'm happy to introduce you.

Get a copy. It will make your life better. I promise.

I'm going to plagiarize Shauna Niequist's (the author) website here:

Cold Tangerines is a collection of stories that celebrates extraordinary moments hidden in our everyday lives. It is about God, and about life, and about the thousands of daily ways that an awareness of God changes and infuses everything. It is about spiritual life, and about all of the things we have called non-spiritual that may be spiritual after all. It is the snapshot of a young woman making peace with herself and her life, and trying to craft a life that captures the energy and exuberance we long for in the midst of fear and regret and envy we all carry with us. It is both a voice of challenging and a song of comfort, calling us upward to the best possible life, and giving us room to breathe, to rest, to break down, and to break through. Cold Tangerines offers bright and varied glimpses of hope and redemption, in and among the heartbreak and boredom and broken glass.

3 year-olds...

* have a propensity for hiding things and then forgetting where they are

* are old enough to say "I love you" and mean it

* sometimes say "I love you" at random times, like in the middle of dinner. Sigh.

* are really, really noisy

* tend towards bossy

* have the most amazing imaginations

* are waaaay more independent than two year-olds

* don't take naps

* don't participate in "quiet time" anymore

* can sometimes be amazingly generous with toys and treats

* can sometimes be amazingly stingy with toys and treats

* love to sing

* will crumble into an absolute puddle when they drop their cookie on the ground. Like, shoulders heaving, wailing, and big fat tears dripping down her cheeks

* will smile from ear-to-ear when another cookie appears

* won't say hello to a guest in your home, but will chat ad nauseum with the clerk at the grocery store, or the orthopedic surgeon during their brother's appointment

* like to "help," but lose interest after about 3.7 seconds

* are really, really messy. It's like living with a whirling derbish

All in all, three year-olds are a species unto themselves.

post-op pics and a tip

Before I forget, here's my tip. Did you know you can reuse your laundry dryer sheets? I was skeptical to try because I like my clothes fluffy soft, but it really works. If you don't buy the super-discount brand, you can use each sheet 2 or 3 times. Try it...it doesn't save you a ton of cash, but every little bit helps, right?

I've been meaning to post these all week, but Mr. Pete threw us for a loop by spiking a 102 degree fever on Thursday. After visiting the peds Dr. and talking with the surgeon, everyone is pretty confident that it's coincidental (and bad) timing and not a surgical site infection. We have our post-op follow up appointment tomorrow...I'm anxious to see Pete's "new" hand.

And despite the fact that he's been miserable with his fever all weekend, he still has yet to complain about the sling and bandages and the fact that he can't use his hand. What. An. Amazing. Kid.

So, here are some pics from last Tuesday, about 8 hours after surgery. He was happily playing on the floor while I was changing the sheets on our bed. You'd never guess he went through hell earlier in the day, would you? Like the bruise on his forehead? That's from one of the IV attempts.

I realize this is not his best look, but I love the intensity that he's shaking his toy with. And I can hear him laughing and shouting just by looking at this.

Such a serious look...he was checking himself out in the mirror. I wonder if he was thinking "Hey, where's my left arm?"

He's stylin with his uber sleek bandage. That thing is huge! Makes it challenging to hold him.

I have loads of ideas for posts this week...now I just have to make the time to make them happen.

Make it a good week~

he's a pincushion

I had an interesting chat with the anesthesiologist today. Turns out that Pete was an eyelash from having his surgery cancelled...they couldn't get the IV in! He has pokes in his hand, feet, side, neck, 3 on his forehead (!!!), and they finally got it in on the side of his head. She had to use ultrasound and Doppler to find a vein. They have the same problem with me. Add a family history of stinky veins with dehydration (due to not having fluids after midnight), and it was quite a challenge.

When we went back to Recovery to see him, he looked like Massive Headwound Harry. It was a bit jarring at first. Today, we've had some entertainment counting all of his pokes. Emerson thinks it's pretty funny, but mark my words, she's filing it away in her "gotta have surgery" file. She's not going to soon forget that her brother turned into a pincushion.

surgery details

I really wanted to post some pictures, but my camera isn't cooperating with my computer and I'm too pooped to fuss with it.

I have gotten so many Facebook posts, emails, texts, you name it today- truly amazing and so, SO comforting. Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers for our family. What a gift!

So, the doc took Pete's thumb off and used the skin {amazing} to create skin grafts for other parts of the surgery. He made an incision in his wrist and removed a piece of bone {!!!} to give him more flexion in his wrist. I'm thinking that one is gonna hurt...just a hunch. Lastly, he opened his finger and palm to fiddle with the tendon in his ring finger. Pete's pinkie and ring fingers share a metacarpal bone and muscle/tendon/ligaments, so they'll likely always work in unison. He seems to have straightened the finger, maybe not all the way, but more than it was (picture a 90 degree bend, cocked towards the pinkie...that's where he WAS). Seemingly, he'll have some bend in it, but it's too soon to tell. And get this- he put a temporary pin in his finger to stabilize it. When I heard "temporary," my immediate thought was more surgery. But no, Doc said the pin is poking out of his skin and he'll have it removed in the office in a few weeks. Remind me to be washing my hair that day, K?

All in all, it's pretty amazing. And his pain has been minimal so far. He's stirring as I type, so the codeine may be wearing off, but I'll go dose him and get him back to sleep.

Then I'm off to sleep myself.

everything is a-ok

Just a quick update- we are home, Pete is fantastic, surgery went well, all is right with the world. Thank you so much for all the prayers and kind thoughts.

I'll update with details on the surgery after bedtime, if I'm still upright. But the most important thing is that Pete is just fine.

Yeah God and hurray for modern medicine.

randomness

We tried to have a normal day around here today on the eve of surgery. Grocery store, projects with Miss Em, laundry; you know, the usual Monday stuff. But Emerson was a bit different today. If you didn't know us very well, you might not have picked up on it, but I saw some things that made me realize that she is dealing with Pete's surgery in her own way.

* When he was fussy this morning as nap/bottle time approached, she gave him her Pluto stuffed animal to soothe him. Usually, she doesn't let him within 20 yards of one of her "buddies."

* When he woke from his am nap, he was crying. She went in there and did who-knows-what to make him laugh and giggle and forget his crabbiness. Like his own personal court jester. He adores his big sister.

* He had a crying spurt this afternoon (personally, I think he knows something is up!) and I said "Pete, do you need some snuggs?" She said "Mama, I will snug with him." And she did. She sat on the floor with his head in her lap and watched an episode of Mickey Mouse Clubhouse while rubbing his back. Oh. My. Goodness.

* Eventually, she was able to express that she will miss him while she's having a sleepover at Grammy & Grandpa's house, and that she wants to make a card for him. Such a kind girl.

* Upon arriving at G & G's, she announced to Kiwi the cat that "Pete is having some surgery, OK?" Just keeping everyone in the loop, I guess.

She also initiated a conversation that made me laugh while driving this afternoon.

E- "Mama, I want 10 babies."
me- "Ok, when you get married, you and your husband can have all the babies you want."
E- "No, I want YOU to have 10 babies."
me- "Well, I think we might be done having babies. But it's really up to God to decide. He's in charge of those decisions."
E- "Well, this time *I* will make the decision."

Let me know how that goes for you.

date night-amended

Scratch that. White Christmas is not On Demand, nor is the VHS tape in our drawer. No movie.

Lame.

date night

My hubby and I are about to have a date night and watch White Christmas. It's one of my all-time faves, not just Christmas movies, but ALL TIME movies. I've seen it, oh, twenty times. I love the singing, dancing, costumes for the "show", and of course Bing crooning "White Christmas." We're going to watch it On Demand through our digital cable box. Simple. Easy. Ready-when-we-are. For the last few years, this has been how we've watched it. But prior to that, we watched it on a VHS tape that my mom recorded off WGN in like 1987. The picture quality was crap, there were a ton of commercials, and there was that less-than-ambient hum of the VCR in the background.

But you know what? I miss those commercials...there was one for Leggs brand panythose, and since it was 1987, the color selection was like a rainbow: Teal, red, pink, purple. Yikes. But always good for a laugh. And there were others too...Butterball Turkey commercials; Pillsbury Crescent Rolls with that cute little Dough Boy; I wish I could remember some others. For me, those commercials, the lousy picture quality, and that annoying hum are all part of the experience. We had the same experience and laughed at the same commercials every year. While I appreciate the ease and convenience of today's modern technology, and have to stop for a minute and think about some of the little intangibles that are lost.

Guess I'm just feeling nostalgic tonight.

it's december

This post is likely not what you're expecting. While December 1st marks the beginning of a busy month of celebrating, family, friends, and holiday cheer, this year it also means that Pete's surgery is just around the corner.

December 7th WILL be a day of infamy for our family in 2010. We're having Pete's thumb removed that day. If you're new and are wondering what the heck I'm talking about, click here to catch up.

Sounds harsh, but I have to believe it's for the best. Since he has no functional bone in his left thumb, he has absolutely no control over it. So he can't move it to get it out of the way of a drawer, car door, hammer, etc. And it's the teeny, tiniest thing ever. I'm actually amazed that we haven't accidentally pulled it off. I mean that literally.

But it's hard. What's the first thing you do when a baby is born? Count fingers and toes. And even though it's tiny, he was born with 10. And now he'll have 9. As his Mama, my heart breaks because I know that there's teasing to come down the road. No way to get around it.

Sigh.

In addition, the doctor is going to try to give him some mobility in his permanently bent ring finger and also reposition his hand at the wrist to give him a bit more functionality. It's all outpatient, and our surgeon is A-MAZ-ING. I have the utmost confidence in him.

But still. They're knocking my 8 month old out, doing all kinds of cutting, he's going to be in pain when he wakes up, and he'll be in a sling for a month. A MONTH. I'm sure that'll get old real quick.

Up until now, I've really avoided thinking about this whole surgery deal. But now I can't avoid it. I'm trying to keep calm, not stress, and not worry about things I can't control. I'm turning to Scripture to help me accomplish this. Philippians 4:6 says (and I'm paraphrasing) "Don't worry about anything. Pray about everything. Tell God what you need and give thanks for all that He has done. Then you'll experience God's peace, which transcends all understanding."

Once again, I'm asking for prayers from you...for Pete, for the surgical team, for Emerson as lots of attention is showered on her brother, and for Jeff & I to have patience as Pete heals and learns how to function in the short term with his arm in a sling. Thanks so much!

Make it a good one~

pics from the weekend

Hi all! I hope you had a fantastic Thanksgiving. Ours was marvelous, and the whole weekend has us in full Christmas mode. The tree is up, the house is decorated, and I'm feeling festive. Hope you enjoy some pics from the weekend. Please forgive the fact that they're in reverse order...I'm feeling lazy and don't want to switch them all around.

I'm pretty pleased with this snapshot of our visit with Mr. S. Claus. Both kids were happy to see him. Em was so cute as we waited our turn. She said, to no one in particular, "I forgot what you looked like, Santa." And as I was holding Pete, I felt her tug on my arm. When I bent down to see what she was saying, she said "I'm sorry Mama, I'm talking to Pete. Pete, Santa has a beard, ok. It's a beard. You'll be ok. It's just a beard on his chin, ok?" I know it sounds silly as I type it here, but it was one of the sweetest things I've ever heard her say. I love that she's his protector, already. Sigh.

Emerson's preschool is affiliated with a local church, and they asked us to play the role of the Holy Family for a while on Friday night during our town's Christmas Walk. We were so honored! They even had live animals around the manger...Emerson was in heaven. And she was a pretty darn cute shepherd, don't you think?

So sorry for the crappy quality...don't know what was up with my camera!

After dinner, we played some dominoes, and I think it was my favorite part of the whole day! Here's Jeff with Aunt Judy and Grandpa Roger. Did you know that Jeff's grandpa was his best man in our wedding? Just one of the reasons I love him.

Emerson was excited at the selections for dessert. Someone remarked that there was about one dessert per person. Our family has our priorities in line!

Pete with "the men." Uncle Craig, Jeff, and Uncle Matt.

Jeff's grandparents loved hanging with Mr. Pete. And I love that he is getting to know his great-grandparents. That's SO special to me!

And this one is just cuz it's silly. Seriously...how cute is he? Nanook of the North is in effect.

on the mend and holding my breath...

...cause that's what we parents do, right? We hold our breath and hope or pray that things turn out alright for our kids.

Hope that they are kind

Hope that they are smart

Pray that they love God

Pray that they are healthy

Hope that they stay out of trouble

Pray that they stay safe


This could go on indefinitely. On with the show.

The good news is that, after a miserable night last night, Emerson woke this morning and the first words out of her mouth were "Mama, I think I'm better." Music to my ears! And she was better. Not "normal" mind you, but definitely improved. However, the doctor's parting words to me yesterday were "If she develops a rash, bring her back in." So...guess what she got today?

Ding, ding, ding...a rash. Crap.

Back to the doctor. Another co-pay, another hour waiting to be seen. This time, the instructions are to bring her back for blood work if she spikes another fever of 101 or higher in the next day or so.

Back to hoping and praying.

So far, so good. She hasn't had a fever since 99.5 around 11 am this morning. And that's the first time since LAST TUESDAY that I can say that. Still no school tomorrow, but hopefully she'll be fully mended for Thanksgiving. IF Thanksgiving is still happening. Grandma, who saved our butts over the weekend by tending to Pete while Jeff and I died a slow death on the couch (partly due to stomach flu and partly due to Iowa losing to Ohio State AGAIN) is now in the throes of stomach flu herself. I feel SO BADLY about that!!!

This is, I sincerely hope, the last medical update from our household for at least a few weeks when Pete has surgery. But I'm not going to think about that now.

For now, I'm off to hope a bit and have a chat with God.

missing again

Here's a recap on the last week:

M: Pete to the Dr. On antibiotics for mysterious lingering illness.
T: Emerson has a fever of 101 overnight
W: Emerson to the doctor. Diagnosis-croup.
Th: Emerson stays home from school. Fever is 104.
F: Fever is still 104. This is a long week.
F around 10:45 pm: While my stomach had been growling unhappily for an hour or so, P woke up covered in vomit. And more vomit. Repeat. Repeat again.
F around 11:30 pm: I began my date with the toilet. Jeff's stomach let him know that his turn was coming. Soon.
S around 4:30 am: I was ousted in favor of Jeff's turn.
S: Emerson went to Grammy's; Grandma came in to take care of P; Jeff and I spent the day in misery. Emerson still had a fever.
Su: Emerson went back to the Dr. Temp back up to around 104. Oh, and Pete is hacking up a lung.

Seriously?!?!

I SURRENDER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

If you're so inclined, I'd greatly appreciate prayers for health for our household.

i've got nothing

As in "I've got nothing much to say." I have been so, So, SO crazy busy during the last week or so that I have not had more than about a minute to myself. Work has been crazy...seems like lots of people have gotten the bug to go to Disney World and want my help. AWESOME! (Sidenote-If you are thinking about a trip to the World, or anywhere else for that matter, I'd love to help you with your planning! Email me at alisong@mei-travel.com) Ok, enough with the shameless plug. But this has been my busiest, most productive week ever since I began travel planning. And while that's good for me, it's not so good for my blog. So I apologize.

As a peace offering, I'm going to post some pics from Pete's Baby Dedication at our church over the weekend. First off, I have to apologize to Grandparents and Uncle... I can't believe I didn't get any pics of the whole group. What was I thinking?!!??!?! Drat.

conversations with a 3 year old

Ok, seriously. Emerson has been cracking me up lately. I would like to enter into evidence these conversations:

-----------------------------------
While flipping through a board book about the University of Iowa, she saw a picture of Herky, the Hawkeye mascot.

E- "Look, Mama. It's Herky."

me- "You're RIGHT! Good girl."

E- "Mama, what kind of bird is he? I think he's a turkey, because turkey rhymes with Herky."

------------------------------
After noticing a display of chestnuts at the grocery store...

E- "Mama, what are these nuts?"

me- "Those are chestnuts. People eat them at Christmastime."

She proceeded to sniff them and was making yummy smelling sounds.

E- "Mama, would you like to smell?"

me- "What do they smell like?"

e- "They smell like Santa Claus."

(I guess Santa could smell like worse things...)
------------------------------------------
After cleaning up the baby toys the other night, I couldn't find the blue ring from Pete's stacking ring toy. Emerson has a bit of a thing for blue, so I thought she might have an idea about its whereabouts.

me- "Em, I can't find the blue ring from Pete's toy. Do you know where I might find it?"

e (while brushing her teeth, stopped brushing and deadpanned)- "You might find it under your nightstand." (and she went right back to brushing, the little thief)

---------------------------------------
On Tuesdays, Pete spends the day with Grammy and E and I have "girls' day." On our way to the library sans the boy this morning, I heard,

e- "Mama, I miss Pete. I don't like when he goes to Grammy's. It's bad news."

--------------------------------------
And my personal fave...
When we walked into the garage, we smelled burning leaves somewhere in the neighborhood. She quickly noted,

e- "I smell something. Hmmm, something is funny. It smells like schmutz."

At which point I looked around to see if anyone else had heard that, but sadly, I was alone. Smelled like schmutz, huh? For those of you who are curious, apparently schmutz smells like burning leaves. Who knew?

Man, do I love that kid.

channeling my inner martha

Do you hate to clean your microwave? All that mystery gunk baked on and lots of scrubbing and using elbow grease. Ugh...seriously.

I may have a way to make this task easier for you! Warm about a cup or so of water in a microwave safe cup or mug for about 3 minutes. Then, when the microwave beeps, just leave the water in there for about 5-10 minutes. The steam will create condensation on all of the surfaces, doing lots of the hard scrubbing for you. When you finally use a sponge or paper towel to wipe the gunk away, the scrubbing should be minimal.

Ok, carry on...

They call him Fang

I can't believe it has happened. At 7 months and 16 days, my baby has gotten his first tooth. And in true Pete fashion, there has not been much fuss or fanfare: No swollen gums, no epic diarrhea, no screaming fits at night. Just Happy Mr. Pete. He's been fighting a cold (a, real, honest-to-goodness, green boogers and all cold) since last Friday, so when the boogs turned clear yesterday, I just assumed that he was on the mend. And I swear that I've had my hands in his mouth everyday this week, so the little bugger must have popped through today. It's the most minuscule tooth ever, but it's there, poking it's little head through his gums. I had forgotten what a brand new baby tooth feels like. Sigh.

Both Emerson and I were late bloomers in the dental department. She didn't get her first tooth until 10 months (after a solid month of waking multiple times nightly), and I didn't get mine until I was around a year old. So I just assumed that Pete would follow that same schedule. But this kid is a Girling through and through, and his biological clock is not wound the same way that ours are.

So, here's the kicker (as in kick-Mama-in-the-gut). At lunch today, it was just the 2 of us (E was at school). And I said to him "Pete, I feel like your babyhood is passing me by." He just gurgled and drooled and grabbed the spoonful of pumpkin and apple out of my hand. So, when Jeff told me to feel in his mouth tonight, I was a bit overcome. (Read as: weepy)

I simply cannot believe how fast this first year is going.

With kid #1, the whole world revolved around her. By the time she was 7 1/2 months old, I could tell you her friends, her likes and dislikes, her favorite activities. With Pete, I feel like he's "just the baby." He has to compete with her for my attention (and she's an Alpha female, let me tell you!), so he often just gets dragged along on whatever activity she's doing. Of course, I can tell you his likes and dislikes and his favorite activities, but it's just so different this time around. I know that he'll never know the difference because he doesn't know what it is like to be the only, and I know that he is loved and adored, but I can't help feeling a heaping helping of Mom Guilt about all that's different.

But for now, I'm rejoicing in this milestone and simultaneously hugging the heck out of that little man.

pasta with red pepper sauce

Alright, here's another recipe, this time from Cooking Light (my absolute FAVE source for yummy ideas.) You can use this on fish or chicken, or with pasta and Italian sausage, or just over plain pasta. It's pretty versatile and SO easy!) And, it's the ONLY way I can get Emerson to eat peppers. The vinegar gives the sauce a slightly sweet taste.

1 lb. pasta
1 sweet onion, diced
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 12 oz. jar of roasted red peppers, drained and chopped
2 Tbsp. Balsamic vinegar
1 C. half & half
2 Tbsp. tomato paste (I'm pretty generous with the tomato paste)
1 C. grated Parmesan or Romano cheese
red pepper flakes, to taste (I omit these because Emerson doesn't like spicy food)
some julienned fresh basil leaves for garnish if you like

Cook the pasta according to the directions on the package.

Dice the onion and saute it in the olive oil until it's translucent. Add the red peppers and heat through, about 2 minutes. Add the vinegar and cook until the liquid has evaporated. Then transfer the pepper and onion mixture to the food processor and blend until smooth. Transfer back to the pan. Add the tomato paste to the half & half and stir together. Add tomato mixture to the pepper mixture in the pan. Stir in pepper flakes and cheese. Spoon over pasta and top with basil.

Yum!

pictures, just cuz

I have apparently been chatty lately and have neglected posting lots of pictures. I'm going to change that now.

Emerson had her preschool Open House last week, and she was so excited to show off her school to Papa. I'm so happy that she is loving school!


She also had her school Halloween Party on Thursday, complete with a costume parade. She's Figaro, Minnie Mouse's cat from Mickey Mouse Clubhouse. I don't know what made her happier...wearing socks on her hands (those are totally going in the 5 o'clock box!) or wearing one of Mama's black t-shirts as part of her costume. Ah, to be so easily amused.

3 proud Hawkeyes! Iowa played an amazing game today. Lots of happy people in the state of Iowa tonight.

my conundrum

Ah, 3. It's quite an interesting age. I've been forewarned (repeatedly, as a matter of fact) that 3 is way worse than 2. She's so fiercely independent, but at times, she seems almost like a hormonal teenager (or crazy pregnant woman, for that matter) who hardly has control of her emotions. I continually think things like "If this (flopping on the couch and sobbing) is the reaction to no more jello, what will it be like when a boy breaks her heart in 15 years?" Oy vay.

My mom watched Em one day a week that first year when I was still teaching, and really enjoyed the one-on-one time with her granddaughter. She mentioned a few months ago that she'd like to have Pete one day a week as well, so she can have her snuggle time with the little man. We settled on Tuesdays so that I can have a few hours to myself (can you FEEL me beaming!!!) while Emerson is at school. This began today.

I made a really big deal of "girls day," and took her to lunch at a fave local place before school. And this morning, our play was totally dictated by her (well, I confess that it was partially dictated by the fact that the 60 mph winds knocked out our power right about the time I should have been showering, but I digress.) We made "sandcastles" out of blocks, sang lots of songs, did a project, and generally made merry. I kept thinking that it was like it used to be, you know, B.P.- Before Pete. She was that same girl I vaguely remember from January and February before her life got turned upside down. I will say, she did ask about 50 times "Mama, where's Pete? Why is Pete at Grammy's?" She loves her brother, and it's sweet to know that she misses him when he's not around.

This afternoon, after school and quiet time, we played some more. Just us girls. But she knew that the Peteless day was coming to an end and that I would have to make dinner and return to my role as Housekeeper Mama as well as Playmate Mama. And her attitude this afternoon was, shall we say, less agreeable.

And then I got frustrated. I mean, I made a big deal about making a special girls day, let her choose pretty much all of our playtime, didn't do icky stuff like dishes and laundry (ok, I confess didn't do those things as much) and generally made her the center of my universe. But by dinner and bathtime, she was back to being wicked to her Papa, snotty to Pete, and quite bossy to me. UGH! These special days are designed to let her know that she's my girl, that I love her SO MUCH, and that she doesn't need to be naughty to get my attention.

My wise, beautiful, and not even slightly dorky friend Shanna observed that kids are not like jars. There is no way to "fill them up" with love and attention. The more you give, the more they crave. I just wish I could figure out a way to let her know that she doesn't have to be snarky to get my attention and that negative attention is not something to strive for. I can't help but feel that if I were still in the classroom and this was a student instead of my offspring, I'd be able to see a solution. But genealogy is clouding my vision on this one.

By the time I get this one figured out, she'll have grown out of it. But at least I'll have some ideas in my pocket for Pete.

Make it a great week~

can we talk for a minute about having a son?

So...Mr. Pete has a new trick. He has recently discovered his, um, 5th limb, and likes to tug at it when I'm changing his diaper. As if that is not disconcerting enough, he giggles hysterically whenever he touches it.

Boys.

It's all downhill from here, isn't it.

ask and you shall receive- java brownies

I have heard from a few of you, both here and on facebook, that the recipe idea is a thumbs up. We'll see how often I actually get to it, but it's a nice idea anyway. I'll make a tab on the main page and try to remember to label each recipe post for ease of searching.

First up...the most insane brownies, courtesy of the Barefoot Contessa. I made them a few weeks ago for a fall party, but sadly didn't take any pictures. They get really crumbly if you store them in a ziplock bag, which we used as a topping for ice cream. Yum.

1 lb. unsalted butter (yes, that is the whole box.)
1 lb. plus 12 ounces semisweet chocolate chips
6 oz. unsweetened chocolate
6 extra large eggs
3 Tbsp. instant coffee granules
2 Tbsp. pure vanilla extract
2 1/4 C sugar
1 1/4 C all-purpose flour
1 Tbsp. baking powder
1 tsp. salt
3 C chopped walnuts (I omitted these, but have at it if you like)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees and butter a 12x18x1 inch baking sheet.

Melt together butter, 1 lb. chocolate chips, and the unsweetened chocolate in a double boiler ( or a bowl over simmering water works too.) Allow to cool slightly. In a large bowl, stir (do not beat!) together eggs, coffee, vanilla, and sugar. Stir a bit of the warm chocolate mixture into the egg mixture to temper it, and then slowly add the rest of the chocolate to the eggs. Allow to cool to room temp.

In a medium bowl, sift together 1 C flour, baking powder, and salt. Add to the cooled chocolate mixture. Toss the nuts and remaining chocolate chips with remaining 1/4 cup of flour, then add them to the batter. Pour into baking sheet. Bake for 20 minutes, then rap the sheet on the counter to force the air to escape from between the pan and brownie batter. Bake for about 15 minutes more until a toothpick comes out cleanish. DO NOT OVERBAKE. Allow to cool slightly, refrigerate, and cut into 20 squares (realistically, I make much smaller slices as these are quite rich and not so calorie friendly. But if you've ever seen the Barefoot Contessa, well, she likes her slices a bit larger.)

recipes?

I'm in full cooking mode. Like pot pie and butternut squash soup and java brownies, oh my.

So- question for you lovlies...would you be interested in seeing some recipes here? Not all the time, but every once in a while?

Leave a comment if this appeals to you~

thx

my, how times have changed

At dinner tonight, we had a little family sing-a-long. Jeff had his Droid phone flipped open, and we were singing along with Moose and Zee from Nick Jr. courtesy of YouTube. I remarked to Jeff that 100 years ago, we would have all been sitting around the piano, or maybe if we were a wealthy family, the Victrola (that's record player for you new-fangled types.) 1910, when 3 of my 4 grandparents were born, was still a few years before Marconi perfected radio (although ship-to-shore communication would be just 3 or 4 years away...one of the first messages ever received was from a ship traveling near the Titanic as she went down.) Philo T. Farnsworth (now THAT'S a name) and the rest of his cronies were still a few decades from mastering the picture tube that we know as television. Cell phones were about 65-70 years away from being invented, and, ahem, Al Gore hadn't quite put the finishing touches on the Internet just yet.

And to think...we were watching a song from TV that someone downloaded onto the Internet by searching with a hand-held computer that we also use to make phone calls.

Now, what would Grandpa think of THAT?

i'm smiling

Anytime




and



lose, I'm a happy girl. And when one of them loses at the hands of the



that REALLY makes me smile. Way to go, Badgers. And YEAH, HAWKS!

see? i told you i love lists.

Things I've been really into lately:

pumelo (it's like a giant, sweet grapefruit) You. Must. Try. One.

running- I'm "training" to train for my first marathon in May...I've run a couple of 1/2 marathons, and NEED to do this. God bless my IT bands...

scrapbooking (finally getting around to some "me" time!)

my husband- he's the BEST and is pretty cute too ;)

reading with Emerson- always one my most fave things to do with her.

watching "Sister Wives"- a TOTAL guilty pleasure. It's a reality show about a polygamist with 3 wives who is engaged to #4. Total crap, but a fascinating study on human nature. At least that's what I tell myself.

The Big Bang Theory- nerds, physics, a man with a phobia of speaking to women, and Sheldon. 'nuf said.

baking- fortunately, as I said, I'm also into running. Otherwise, this could be problematic.

fall- my most favorite time of year!

Happy Thursday~

i heart lists

I am a listmaker. I make them for the week, for the day, for whatever. I have a running grocery list and Target list. I have a list of meals that I'm planning to cook each week. And lately, I've started a weekly "free time" list. I'm finding a few minutes here and there during the day to myself (PRAISE GOD!!!), but end up literally walking around in circles trying to decide what to do with myself. By the time I make a plan, the window of opportunity has closed. What a waste! So now, when I have a second to myself, I consult my list. It says things like read Revelation (I'm doing Beth Moore's study on this last book of the Bible. It's heavy stuff, but such a blessing to have such a wonderful teacher.), scrapbook, order prints, organize my magazine binder, look into making Halloween costumes for E & P. You know, fun stuff that is also productive in some way. At no point on any list does it say "fart around on Facebook." And yet, that's what I did today. Just sat in my kitchen with my phone in hand, wasting time. I HATE wasting time. And I hate it even more when it's my fault.

Tomorrow, I'm going to refocus.

my little apple dumplin'

So I was reading a link to a blog on a blog that I follow, and saw some super cute ideas for portraits. Since Emerson is so over being corralled into sitting still and smiling pretty, I set my sights on Pete-adorable, smiley, immobile Pete. Like shooting fish in a barrel. Or baby in a bushel, as it were. We were at Jeff's parent's apple orchard this weekend, and they had the perfect props. I may tweak the coloring a bit, and change some to black & white...What do you think?

a self psycho-analysis

So, lately I've been having a recurring dream. Or, shall I say nightmare. It's happening about once a week, and it has two alternating, horrific endings. Sweet.

Version 1:

I'm walking with the kids in our little downtown area. Pete is in the stroller and Emerson is on foot. She's skipping happily about 10 yards in front of me. As we approach the train tracks, I shout to her to wait, but she starts across without me and the gates go down, stranding her on one side and me on the other with a moving train between us. While I never witness anything awful happening, the dream does not end well.

Version 2:

Same story but as the gates start to go down, I quickly set the footbrake on the stroller and dart after Emerson, leaving Pete on a steep incline on the other side of the train. Because of my haste in setting the brakes, the stroller rolls down the hill and into oncoming traffic. Again, this does not end well. I literally shuddered as I typed these, even though they're MY dreams and I'm quite familiar with them.

Not coincidentally, the Green Eyed Monster has been rearing her ugly head around here and Emerson has an accute case of siblingitis. She's VERY jealous of Pete these days, and says many unkind things about him..." I want to HIT Pete," "Let's leave Pete outside," "No Pete, you can NOT play with my toys," {which, by the way, he could care less about at this point.} Not only that, but her 3 year-old self can be quite challenging, and Pete, well, he's just Mr. Mellow. No sassing, no rudeness, and generally a joy to be around. Um, which would YOU prefer? I'm trying very hard to show equal attention, but I'm still new at this whole multi-kid thing, and being an only child, I don't have a lot of background experience.

I'm sure that these dreams are just a manifestation of my stress and concern with the situation, but really, brain? Can't we just focus on this during my WAKING hours and let a mama get some shut eye?

Ah, parenting...The ultimate rapid-aging remedy.

hawkeye pride

Ok, if you've read this blog for a while or know me IRL, you know that I bleed black & gold. My Hawks shined on national tv last weekend when they beat the heck out of Penn State. And, not to be outdone by their team, the fans did an awesome job of showing their pride in the stands.

I don't care who you are...this is just cool! LET'S GO HAWKS!

a new 'tude times two

So, I've made a huge conscious effort in the past 2 days to be more positive with the kiddos. Prayed on it, reminded myself of it, and most importantly, ACTED on it. Instead of saying things like "Emerson, stop picking your nose," I'm saying things like "Em, do you need a tissue?" "Emerson, please don't hit your brother," has changed into "I like how you pretend that Pete is your drum. Show me how you play softly."

Now, I'm not saying that this is a miracle solution, but I promise you that the attitude adjustments around here have been impressive. Here's the proof...

5 o'clock box?

So, you know all the things I've said about Pete sleeping like a dream and Emerson loving preschool?

Scratch that.

Pete has seemingly forgotten how to nap and how to sleep through the night. Don't know what is up with that, but seriously, let's get back to it, K Bug?

And Emerson, who lulled me into a false sense of security with 3 perfect drop-offs for the first 3 days at school, has since turned into "that kid." You know, the one whose teachers have to physicaly pull her off the Mama. Awesome.

With naps coming at a premium, and lots of testing and pushing the limits going on, the "witching hour" comes early and stays late around here. All 3 of us have short fuses come 4:00 or so, and there's a loooooong few hours there before Papa comes home. Add into that the fact that I need to make dinner at some point, and we hit full tilt meltdown mode.

My solution? The "5:00 box." A genius of a ditty if I do say so myself. A treasure trove filled with entertaining, engaging, independent activities that Emerson can do at the kitchen table while I'm cooking or whatever. And, to build excitement about said box, it can ONLY come out when the first number on the clock is "5."

Pretty clever, huh? For once, I thought of a good idea all by myself. Well, sort of. See, I have this grand plan for the 5:00 box, but I have absolutely NO IDEA what to put in it!!! So, I'm BEGGING you...what are the best independent, inexpensive tried-and-true activities for your preschoolers?

some pictures and some blessings

First things first. I've had the chance to spend time with lots of sorority sisters over the past 2 weekends, and I have to say, you girls are my besties. Every one of you. It says a lot that we can not only have fun during the years of studying days and partying nights, but also during our new lives of weddings, babies, jobs, sickness, and general mayhem in the daily routine. I love you all and am so, SO glad that we are SISTERS.

Ok, on to some pics of the cutie patooties. We hit the park last Tuesday morning before school, where incidentally, it was "yellow" day. Hence the sunny shirt on Miss E. I think I did pretty well with my little point-and-shoot, especially since it was an impromptu photo session.



This Pete's first swing ride. If you know him, you might be surprised to see Mr. Serious...he's usually so smiley. But he was so captivated by the motion of swinging and having his sister swinging right next to him, that I think he forgot to smile.