I had fun with the kids and their play date today. Kai's friend Uno came over and got to meet Nico. The boys had fun playing with thier new toys from Christmas and after Uno went home they played hide and seek all day!
Nico's cold is getting better, he still has a cough and minor congestion, but no fever so it should be over soon. I've been feeling a little under the weather too, but have started taking zinc and vitamin c to help me. Kai and Cassia are still healthy, hopefully they don't catch the cold. It's so not fun having to take care of two sick babies while being sick too.
I love my new laptop! Oh, I forgot to tell: Jimmy bought me a great new laptop to work on!!! Now I have no excuse to work on my business plan more often! I love you Jimmy!!
Monday, December 29, 2008
Saturday, December 20, 2008
Holidays, Family and Snow!!!
I can't believe I've been so busy with holiday preparations and children that I haven't had time to update the blog. Well, Thanksgiving we had Nicholas with us and I made the classic dinner of roasted turkey, mashed potatoes with rutabaga, green bean casserole, stuffing muffins (very kid friendly, what kid wouldn't want to try a muffin with dinner?), praline yams ,cranberry-orange sauce and pumpkin pie. We are a carb friendly household!! We did the turkey sandwich thing the next day and then I made the once a year turkey gumbo....oh I could go for a bowl tonight.
After Thanksgiving, I was on a mission to ready the house for our visiting guests. My best friend of over 20 years and her family stayed with us for a week! I was so excited to see her because I haven't seen her or her family in years (they live in England). It was great to see her daughter who is now eight because it gave Jimmy and I a glimpse of what's to come with our little girl. Jimmy and James (that's Keilani's husband) got along so well, I wish we were neighbors like when we were little girls. I got to have a girly moment of shopping for make-up and nail painting. These days I only wear make-up or paint my nails for special occasions, so it was really fun to play around with it everyday like we did when we were roommates. I also enjoyed how our children took to each other and played so well together. Baby Bella wanted to be like Pixie and I think Kai had his first crush!!
They are visiting with her family for a week then will come back and spend one more day with us before flying back to England. I'm so excited! Nicholas will be here too, so we will have a very full house for a couple of days ^_^
I've been too busy for my usual homemade goodies so everyone will be getting either a suitable substitute or late treats.... sorry. If you haven't received a card from me that's because I haven't sent them. Too much snow and horrible service from the US postal service has made me consider New Years cards instead. Speaking of snow, I used to enjoy its beauty, but now I find it a nuisance and wish it was spring!!
Just a few more days to Christmas and I still have no idea what we are doing so updates might not happen until the new year.
I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas and love to you all!! XXXX
After Thanksgiving, I was on a mission to ready the house for our visiting guests. My best friend of over 20 years and her family stayed with us for a week! I was so excited to see her because I haven't seen her or her family in years (they live in England). It was great to see her daughter who is now eight because it gave Jimmy and I a glimpse of what's to come with our little girl. Jimmy and James (that's Keilani's husband) got along so well, I wish we were neighbors like when we were little girls. I got to have a girly moment of shopping for make-up and nail painting. These days I only wear make-up or paint my nails for special occasions, so it was really fun to play around with it everyday like we did when we were roommates. I also enjoyed how our children took to each other and played so well together. Baby Bella wanted to be like Pixie and I think Kai had his first crush!!
They are visiting with her family for a week then will come back and spend one more day with us before flying back to England. I'm so excited! Nicholas will be here too, so we will have a very full house for a couple of days ^_^
I've been too busy for my usual homemade goodies so everyone will be getting either a suitable substitute or late treats.... sorry. If you haven't received a card from me that's because I haven't sent them. Too much snow and horrible service from the US postal service has made me consider New Years cards instead. Speaking of snow, I used to enjoy its beauty, but now I find it a nuisance and wish it was spring!!
Just a few more days to Christmas and I still have no idea what we are doing so updates might not happen until the new year.
I want to wish you all a very merry Christmas and love to you all!! XXXX
Friday, November 7, 2008
Update
I could say that we're having computer problems again (which is true), or give a long list of other reasons why I haven't written, but busy living is mostly the cause. Halloween was super fun with the kids this year! Kai and Cassia got to go trick or treating twice! Once during the day on Sunday on our block and on Halloween day at Toys R' Us. (Will post pictures later)
October was a fun and busy month for us all. We visited the Grandparents in Michigan and made our annual trip to the Franklin Cider mill for hot cider doughnuts and yummy cider. On the way home from that trip we stopped at the Chocolate Garden for some chocolate truffles and at the Jollay Orchards to pick our own apples. We all had a blast and little girl lost a shoe while picking apples!!!
We had a family Halloween party with pumpkin decorating, cookie decorating, Halloween cartoon watching and face painting. Kai had the winning decorated pumpkin (I think it was fixed! Baby was the judge and she picked her big brother's pumpkin over mommy or daddy's!)
Cassia really loved trick or treating, because afterwards she would walk all over the house with her treat sack holding it open for treats! The cutest thing ever!
I let Kai pick out only ten treats from the bag and we gave the rest to daddy to take to work, but daddy "accidentally" threw it out with the trash. The kids don't know that happened, but we are so picky about what we eat that we wouldn't even eat the candy if we kept it so it was better off in the trash.
Now, it is November and I'm planning Thanksgiving and Nic's visit. He will be celebrating it with us this year!! I have to plan the kids activities and decide if we are going to invite any other families to join us. It all depends on how busy Jimmy will be at work. I'm also planning Christmas time activities and gifts.
October was a fun and busy month for us all. We visited the Grandparents in Michigan and made our annual trip to the Franklin Cider mill for hot cider doughnuts and yummy cider. On the way home from that trip we stopped at the Chocolate Garden for some chocolate truffles and at the Jollay Orchards to pick our own apples. We all had a blast and little girl lost a shoe while picking apples!!!
We had a family Halloween party with pumpkin decorating, cookie decorating, Halloween cartoon watching and face painting. Kai had the winning decorated pumpkin (I think it was fixed! Baby was the judge and she picked her big brother's pumpkin over mommy or daddy's!)
Cassia really loved trick or treating, because afterwards she would walk all over the house with her treat sack holding it open for treats! The cutest thing ever!
I let Kai pick out only ten treats from the bag and we gave the rest to daddy to take to work, but daddy "accidentally" threw it out with the trash. The kids don't know that happened, but we are so picky about what we eat that we wouldn't even eat the candy if we kept it so it was better off in the trash.
Now, it is November and I'm planning Thanksgiving and Nic's visit. He will be celebrating it with us this year!! I have to plan the kids activities and decide if we are going to invite any other families to join us. It all depends on how busy Jimmy will be at work. I'm also planning Christmas time activities and gifts.
Sunday, October 12, 2008
something new
Yesterday, I braved the weekend crowd and took the kids out to purchase their Halloween costumes. Kai is going to be Thomas the train, which only makes sense to cap off his train obsessed year. Cassia is going to be a black kitty. I'm putting her costume together myself instead of buying one already made, the only thing left for me to do is make a tail, tummy and paint her face.
While looking at Halloween treats Kai spotted a bag of caramel that I would have just put back down had it not been something new! Kraft has made their caramels into little bits! Oh my goodness, that is so clever and cute! I hated having to unwrap all those little squares of caramels for making treats, but now I don't have to. These little bits are the size of chocolate chips and my mind was racing with all the different possible treats I could add them to!! I can't wait to make something with them.
I also picked up something new from Kashi the seven whole grain company. They have a new line of ready to eat rice (well after heating in the microwave for a minute, but practically instant). There are three flavors Moroccan curry, Firey Fiesta, and a non-spicy seven whole grain blend (I forgot the name, probably something like original). I picked up the Moroccan curry one and tried it last night; I love it! It was a coconut curry with currants, lentils, ginger, and carrots.The spice was just right. It would be a little spicy for kids and people who don't eat spicy dishes, but I did not have to add anything else to it. I just followed the package directions and in a minute I had a bowl of whole grains that I ate by itself, by myself....I didn't save any for Jimmy to try. I'll be picking up more in the future so he'll get his chance.
While looking at Halloween treats Kai spotted a bag of caramel that I would have just put back down had it not been something new! Kraft has made their caramels into little bits! Oh my goodness, that is so clever and cute! I hated having to unwrap all those little squares of caramels for making treats, but now I don't have to. These little bits are the size of chocolate chips and my mind was racing with all the different possible treats I could add them to!! I can't wait to make something with them.
I also picked up something new from Kashi the seven whole grain company. They have a new line of ready to eat rice (well after heating in the microwave for a minute, but practically instant). There are three flavors Moroccan curry, Firey Fiesta, and a non-spicy seven whole grain blend (I forgot the name, probably something like original). I picked up the Moroccan curry one and tried it last night; I love it! It was a coconut curry with currants, lentils, ginger, and carrots.The spice was just right. It would be a little spicy for kids and people who don't eat spicy dishes, but I did not have to add anything else to it. I just followed the package directions and in a minute I had a bowl of whole grains that I ate by itself, by myself....I didn't save any for Jimmy to try. I'll be picking up more in the future so he'll get his chance.
Tuesday, September 30, 2008
It's finally fall!
The temperature has dropped to the fifties, leaves are turning colors and falling, our harvest decorations are up on the window ledges, I had my first cup of hot cocoa for the season last night, and bought Halloween candy! I love this time of year!
I absolutely love Yummy Earth's Organic Lollipops. I bought the 1 pound bag from Whole Food's the other day and was delighted to find that they added new flavors! Too berry blueberry (my favorite), sour apple tart, googly grape, strawberry smash, and very very cherry. Kai's favorite flavor is the mango tango! Just writing about them makes me want one! Oh, why not..I think I'll have a grape one...yummy! They make a variety of other lollipops like 'Hot Chili Pops', 'Super SOUR Pops' and 'Vitamin C Pops'. Our store doesn't carry the 'Hot Chili Pops' so I'm going to check out their website because I'm curious and I love those spicy mango lollipops I used to get from Fiesta.
I'm starting the slow cooker again, tonight is beef stew! I only use the slow cooker during these cool months, so dishes like beef stew, chili, and chicken with squash and curry are back in rotation. For some reason my kids will eat the vegetables that are cooked in the slow cooker; it could be because of the texture or because it has so much flavor...I'm not sure, but glad they're eating veggies!
For some reason I was craving pumpkin pie (could be because all the coffee shops have pumpkin spice lattes on their menu....I don't like them by the way), so Kai and I baked one last night. It was good, could have been better. I made the mistake of using already ground nutmeg instead of freshly grating it. I don't know how I could have overlooked it since I did freshly grind all the other spices! The pie was gorgeous, looked store bought, but the flavor was a little uneven. Now, I know and can make adjustments. Last year I didn't bake one, so I didn't even eat pumpkin pie last year!
Kai my little sous chef is such a sponge, he is learning so much everyday, it's amazing! He has learned to be patient and understanding of his little sister when she destroys something of his and will cover up for her when she does something naughty. He is showing interest for pre-school, doing well with potty training, and loving all things Halloween.
Cassia, is no longer a baby...she has turned into a toddler in what seems like overnight! Sob..sob..sniff..sniff. She is a delight to watch and play with. Jimmy thinks she's such a girly girl. She'll bat her eyes at him and give him lots of hugs and kisses...it's so sweet to see the two of them together. She walks everywhere now and is fast. Her love of reading continues, now she really loves lift-the-flap books. We have a Halloween one that she really likes and when we read it she always says 'boo' when lifting the flaps! Just too cute, I only wish that the rest of the family could see her before she becomes a pre-schooler too.
I absolutely love Yummy Earth's Organic Lollipops. I bought the 1 pound bag from Whole Food's the other day and was delighted to find that they added new flavors! Too berry blueberry (my favorite), sour apple tart, googly grape, strawberry smash, and very very cherry. Kai's favorite flavor is the mango tango! Just writing about them makes me want one! Oh, why not..I think I'll have a grape one...yummy! They make a variety of other lollipops like 'Hot Chili Pops', 'Super SOUR Pops' and 'Vitamin C Pops'. Our store doesn't carry the 'Hot Chili Pops' so I'm going to check out their website because I'm curious and I love those spicy mango lollipops I used to get from Fiesta.
I'm starting the slow cooker again, tonight is beef stew! I only use the slow cooker during these cool months, so dishes like beef stew, chili, and chicken with squash and curry are back in rotation. For some reason my kids will eat the vegetables that are cooked in the slow cooker; it could be because of the texture or because it has so much flavor...I'm not sure, but glad they're eating veggies!
For some reason I was craving pumpkin pie (could be because all the coffee shops have pumpkin spice lattes on their menu....I don't like them by the way), so Kai and I baked one last night. It was good, could have been better. I made the mistake of using already ground nutmeg instead of freshly grating it. I don't know how I could have overlooked it since I did freshly grind all the other spices! The pie was gorgeous, looked store bought, but the flavor was a little uneven. Now, I know and can make adjustments. Last year I didn't bake one, so I didn't even eat pumpkin pie last year!
Kai my little sous chef is such a sponge, he is learning so much everyday, it's amazing! He has learned to be patient and understanding of his little sister when she destroys something of his and will cover up for her when she does something naughty. He is showing interest for pre-school, doing well with potty training, and loving all things Halloween.
Cassia, is no longer a baby...she has turned into a toddler in what seems like overnight! Sob..sob..sniff..sniff. She is a delight to watch and play with. Jimmy thinks she's such a girly girl. She'll bat her eyes at him and give him lots of hugs and kisses...it's so sweet to see the two of them together. She walks everywhere now and is fast. Her love of reading continues, now she really loves lift-the-flap books. We have a Halloween one that she really likes and when we read it she always says 'boo' when lifting the flaps! Just too cute, I only wish that the rest of the family could see her before she becomes a pre-schooler too.
Thursday, September 25, 2008
Good to be home
We are back from Atlantic City where Jimmy and Sandra placed third in the National Bread and Pastry Competition! I am so proud of them after all the sleepless nights and food less days of training.
I am so glad to be home! Traveling and staying in a hotel with two babies is not easy! Our schedule gets turned upside down and you have to be really resourceful about food storage and heating. Atlantic City is about one eighth the size of Las Vegas. I didn't feel safe to roam around with the kids by myself, so we didn't.
We spent most of our time at the Baking Expo watching Jimmy work on his competition. The kids and I sat in the front row with Sandra's family cheering them on. Kai took a liking to Sandra's family after the first hour we were there. He was stuck to them like glue! I had packed his backpack full of books, puzzles, games, crayons, and snacks to keep him busy for six hours each day!!
I walked around the expo a little bit, didn't get to do much research with baby in hand at all times, but I did get to taste lots of yummy sweets and ice cream! The one thing that I remember most and would like to eat again is something called cinn-fulls; it's a cinnamon filled doughnut that is glazed! It tasted like a fried cinnamon roll!!
The last day there we spent a couple hours walking the boardwalk, taking pictures and stopping in a couple candy shops!! All I wanted was the salt water taffy from James' Candy, and when I got them it made the whole trip worth while!! We are not the gambling folk, but candy and confections are what we are all about! I did a little research before going and James' Candy was the place to go and now I also recommend that place! They have the best salt water taffy and fudge I have ever tasted!! Seriously! We stopped at another candy shop on the boardwalk, but the taffy and fudge are the kind you can get anywhere. James' candies are incredibly smooth, rich, soft and oh so yummy!
My mind is racing and feeling unorganized, trying to catch up and clean up. I can't talk more of the trip right now because I'm jittery from coffee so enjoy the following pics ^_^
Kai loves M&Ms!
Jimmy holding Kai next to the candy tree in It'Sugar candy shop.
I am so glad to be home! Traveling and staying in a hotel with two babies is not easy! Our schedule gets turned upside down and you have to be really resourceful about food storage and heating. Atlantic City is about one eighth the size of Las Vegas. I didn't feel safe to roam around with the kids by myself, so we didn't.
We spent most of our time at the Baking Expo watching Jimmy work on his competition. The kids and I sat in the front row with Sandra's family cheering them on. Kai took a liking to Sandra's family after the first hour we were there. He was stuck to them like glue! I had packed his backpack full of books, puzzles, games, crayons, and snacks to keep him busy for six hours each day!!
I walked around the expo a little bit, didn't get to do much research with baby in hand at all times, but I did get to taste lots of yummy sweets and ice cream! The one thing that I remember most and would like to eat again is something called cinn-fulls; it's a cinnamon filled doughnut that is glazed! It tasted like a fried cinnamon roll!!
The last day there we spent a couple hours walking the boardwalk, taking pictures and stopping in a couple candy shops!! All I wanted was the salt water taffy from James' Candy, and when I got them it made the whole trip worth while!! We are not the gambling folk, but candy and confections are what we are all about! I did a little research before going and James' Candy was the place to go and now I also recommend that place! They have the best salt water taffy and fudge I have ever tasted!! Seriously! We stopped at another candy shop on the boardwalk, but the taffy and fudge are the kind you can get anywhere. James' candies are incredibly smooth, rich, soft and oh so yummy!
My mind is racing and feeling unorganized, trying to catch up and clean up. I can't talk more of the trip right now because I'm jittery from coffee so enjoy the following pics ^_^
Kai loves M&Ms!
Jimmy holding Kai next to the candy tree in It'Sugar candy shop.
Tuesday, September 9, 2008
Pastry, dinner and Fluff friends
It was an exhausting weekend. Jimmy was training for the competition on the weekend and it kinda messed up my schedule. I couldn't go to sleep until almost 6 am on the nights that he was training. I just don't sleep well with out the hubby in the house.
I've been trying for days to plan this week's dinner, but just hit a wall. If I haven't mentioned, we have been doing vegetarian meals until Jimmy is finished with his Pastry competition. It gives him more energy and makes him feel less heavy, plus I've lost alot of weight on this new plan. I'm almost back to pre-preggers weight! We are finally getting the vegetables that we have been missing in our diet! We eat mainly dairy(seriously have six types of cheese in cheese drawer at all times!), carbohydrates (we love bread, pasta and rice!), protein, and fruits in this family, but now I think we are coming to a balance with the extra veggies.
I used to spend a few hours a day on Facebook using the Fluff Friends application, but have slowed down to spend time out side with the kids, but now the weather is getting chilly and days are getting wetter, I've been back on. I have to limit the time I spend on there because it is really addictive visiting my (fluff) friends, petting, feeding, racing, earning munny, and trying to win race points! I confess I am an addict! The newest feature is fulfilling wish lists and a treasure hunt to come! I remember the last time they had a hunt I was glued to the computer searching for easter eggs!!! I can't wait to see what they'll have us looking for next! See told you...total addict!!
To plan my days wisely I purchased an organizer that I keep within eye sight to keep me on track and a timer by the computer to limit my time on certain tasks....it also alerts my son of when mommy is done with "work"!
I've been trying for days to plan this week's dinner, but just hit a wall. If I haven't mentioned, we have been doing vegetarian meals until Jimmy is finished with his Pastry competition. It gives him more energy and makes him feel less heavy, plus I've lost alot of weight on this new plan. I'm almost back to pre-preggers weight! We are finally getting the vegetables that we have been missing in our diet! We eat mainly dairy(seriously have six types of cheese in cheese drawer at all times!), carbohydrates (we love bread, pasta and rice!), protein, and fruits in this family, but now I think we are coming to a balance with the extra veggies.
I used to spend a few hours a day on Facebook using the Fluff Friends application, but have slowed down to spend time out side with the kids, but now the weather is getting chilly and days are getting wetter, I've been back on. I have to limit the time I spend on there because it is really addictive visiting my (fluff) friends, petting, feeding, racing, earning munny, and trying to win race points! I confess I am an addict! The newest feature is fulfilling wish lists and a treasure hunt to come! I remember the last time they had a hunt I was glued to the computer searching for easter eggs!!! I can't wait to see what they'll have us looking for next! See told you...total addict!!
To plan my days wisely I purchased an organizer that I keep within eye sight to keep me on track and a timer by the computer to limit my time on certain tasks....it also alerts my son of when mommy is done with "work"!
Saturday, September 6, 2008
I'm going mobile!
Wow! Yay! Coolness! I just discovered that I can blog via email from my cell phone! Yes that shows my age a little. I'm sure all the young hipsters already knew that. I am just excited because that means that I can still give you all updates when I am away from a computer. Now only if I could decide on which phone I want then.....wow....think of it posts from me every day!
Have I told you that Cassia is walking? Every day she takes a few more steps. Yesterday after story time, she looked up at me with a sweet smile and said, "mama"! She said "mama"! I was so happy! I think she knew what she had done because she flashed me another smile and gave me one of those open mouth baby kisses! When I asked her to say it again she just laughed! I am so in love with her and thankful that I get to enjoy all of her joy and excitement. She is starting to love books as much as Kai. She used to just chew on them, but now she will flip the pages to find her favorite page, stop to pet the fuzzy animals on the page and talk to them!!
Kai is still having toddler issues and I am pulling out my hair trying to help him through it, but it is so hard and I have a constant headache. We only have a few training pants left and I told him that if he wants more trains or books about Thomas the train, then he would have to start wearing real underwear. Cross your fingers and hope that it works for me.
The count down is on...two more weeks until Jimmy's competition. I'll keep you all posted. I will be doing a little research to see what family friendly things we can do in Atlantic City.
Have I told you that Cassia is walking? Every day she takes a few more steps. Yesterday after story time, she looked up at me with a sweet smile and said, "mama"! She said "mama"! I was so happy! I think she knew what she had done because she flashed me another smile and gave me one of those open mouth baby kisses! When I asked her to say it again she just laughed! I am so in love with her and thankful that I get to enjoy all of her joy and excitement. She is starting to love books as much as Kai. She used to just chew on them, but now she will flip the pages to find her favorite page, stop to pet the fuzzy animals on the page and talk to them!!
Kai is still having toddler issues and I am pulling out my hair trying to help him through it, but it is so hard and I have a constant headache. We only have a few training pants left and I told him that if he wants more trains or books about Thomas the train, then he would have to start wearing real underwear. Cross your fingers and hope that it works for me.
The count down is on...two more weeks until Jimmy's competition. I'll keep you all posted. I will be doing a little research to see what family friendly things we can do in Atlantic City.
Friday, September 5, 2008
A Little help from the grocery store
Thank you Trader Joe's! I love that grocery store! They carry all the same stuff as a regular grocery store, but almost everything is their own brand. I spent only $60 on groceries yesterday and managed to pick up stuff for four dinners! That's how much we would spend on one dinner out! Yes, I cook at home everyday. Only on special occasions or if I am extremely tired do we call for take out.
After about two years of tasting what's available for delivery, we've decided that my cooking tastes better and better for the wallet (no tipping required)!
Last night I made hot and sour soup, orange chicken, vegetable stir fry and steamed rice. Of course I had help from the freezer section of Trader Joe's. They sell frozen vegetables in variety of blends and I bought the Asian one for last night's meal. All I had to do was open the package, pour it into the pan and stir for about five minutes then add the soy sauce that came with it. Of course I added a few extras to make it mine. The orange chicken was just as simple! It's a bag of frozen par fried chicken pieces and sauce packets. I have stainless steel cookware so I just plopped the chicken into the pan and threw it in the oven for 25 minutes to cook. When it was ready I poured on the sauce and heated it a minute on the stove top..viola dinner was ready!
I love hot and sour soup, but never made it before so I was a little nervous that mine wouldn't taste as good, but as it turns out I make a pretty good hot and sour soup! Jimmy said it was one of the best hot and sour soups he has had! It was so easy and I got to put all of my favorite ingredients in it and leave out the ones I usually fish out. I also didn't have any green onions so I substituted shallots and it worked just right.
I picked up some pizza dough and frozen lasagna there too. I bought dough for Jimmy and I to make and one for Kai. I thought it would be fun for him to roll, top and bake his own pizza. Then that would take care of our weekly pizza/pasta craving.
I've been on a roll with the cooking and have a rotation of cuisines that I make now. It consists of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, American comfort food (meatloaf, mac and cheese, chicken and dumplings, beef stew..etc), Mediterranean and Srevotfel (Jimmy just taught me that one this week. It's leftovers spelled backwards..^_^).
After about two years of tasting what's available for delivery, we've decided that my cooking tastes better and better for the wallet (no tipping required)!
Last night I made hot and sour soup, orange chicken, vegetable stir fry and steamed rice. Of course I had help from the freezer section of Trader Joe's. They sell frozen vegetables in variety of blends and I bought the Asian one for last night's meal. All I had to do was open the package, pour it into the pan and stir for about five minutes then add the soy sauce that came with it. Of course I added a few extras to make it mine. The orange chicken was just as simple! It's a bag of frozen par fried chicken pieces and sauce packets. I have stainless steel cookware so I just plopped the chicken into the pan and threw it in the oven for 25 minutes to cook. When it was ready I poured on the sauce and heated it a minute on the stove top..viola dinner was ready!
I love hot and sour soup, but never made it before so I was a little nervous that mine wouldn't taste as good, but as it turns out I make a pretty good hot and sour soup! Jimmy said it was one of the best hot and sour soups he has had! It was so easy and I got to put all of my favorite ingredients in it and leave out the ones I usually fish out. I also didn't have any green onions so I substituted shallots and it worked just right.
I picked up some pizza dough and frozen lasagna there too. I bought dough for Jimmy and I to make and one for Kai. I thought it would be fun for him to roll, top and bake his own pizza. Then that would take care of our weekly pizza/pasta craving.
I've been on a roll with the cooking and have a rotation of cuisines that I make now. It consists of Thai, Chinese, Japanese, Italian, Mexican, American comfort food (meatloaf, mac and cheese, chicken and dumplings, beef stew..etc), Mediterranean and Srevotfel (Jimmy just taught me that one this week. It's leftovers spelled backwards..^_^).
Thursday, September 4, 2008
Going crazy!
It has been raining all day and still raining! I am just going crazy. My cell phone (which has been dropped, chewed and drooled on a thousand times) is now giving me a hard time! Some of the buttons do not work and the curser only moves down and occasionally sideways!!! I love the phone, but it's now dated because it's over a year old, so I've been looking at Blackberry and Sidekicks, but still can't decide. I also have to wait for my phone contract to be up before I get a new phone or else I'll have to pay full price of $300 and upwards!!! I really try to be practical and have a phone just for phone sake, but I've gotten addicted to the extras like the camera, music player and web access.
I spent the day away from house work and spent the day just playing with the kids. Kai is going through some growing pains and testing his boundaries. We are still working on the potty training, he makes poopy in the toilet, but doesn't make it for peeing. So I came up with another motivation system (not really a bribe), every time he pees in the toilet he gets a ticket that he can redeem for something that he wants like watching t.v. or an ice cream. One ticket gets him one show, which also limits the amount of television that he watches, because ice cream costs ten tickets, trip to the zoo or museum 25 and toy store is 50. It might seem like alot, but kids go to the toilet like ten times a day.
In one day he has already learned about saving and spending. He wanted an ice cream and a show last night, but he didn't have enough tickets for both so he decided to save up his tickets and got to have an ice cream today. It was cute, when he first handed me his tickets and got his treat he asked me to give his tickets back. I had to give him an example of when mommy goes to the store and buys groceries, I get food for the money and the store doesn't give me back money. He then understood. I think this is a great system! Every time he gets a ticket, he takes out all his other tickets to count them. I can't believe that I'm already teaching him how to add and subtract. That makes me less guilty about not having him in preschool like the rest of his friends. Jimmy was great in supporting me and telling me that he is right where he needs to be and advanced in some areas too. How many three year olds can actually cook?
He's my little helper. He helps me chop vegetables, measure and pour ingredients, mix batter and even fry eggs! He's also a great grocery helper, he always remembers what I forget.
Little Cassia is now a toddler! Yep, I'm sad my baby is growing up. The year just flew by so fast! She loves to show off her steps and act like it's nothing that she is walking! I'm slowing down on the picture taking, but have to get back into it so that I can capture as many baby moments as possible.
We are in a frenzy trying to prepare for our trip to New Jersey for the National Bread and Pastry competition. I am so excited and nervous for Jimmy and Sandra. I really hope that they take the gold. I'll try to take lots of picture and post at the end of the month.
I spent the day away from house work and spent the day just playing with the kids. Kai is going through some growing pains and testing his boundaries. We are still working on the potty training, he makes poopy in the toilet, but doesn't make it for peeing. So I came up with another motivation system (not really a bribe), every time he pees in the toilet he gets a ticket that he can redeem for something that he wants like watching t.v. or an ice cream. One ticket gets him one show, which also limits the amount of television that he watches, because ice cream costs ten tickets, trip to the zoo or museum 25 and toy store is 50. It might seem like alot, but kids go to the toilet like ten times a day.
In one day he has already learned about saving and spending. He wanted an ice cream and a show last night, but he didn't have enough tickets for both so he decided to save up his tickets and got to have an ice cream today. It was cute, when he first handed me his tickets and got his treat he asked me to give his tickets back. I had to give him an example of when mommy goes to the store and buys groceries, I get food for the money and the store doesn't give me back money. He then understood. I think this is a great system! Every time he gets a ticket, he takes out all his other tickets to count them. I can't believe that I'm already teaching him how to add and subtract. That makes me less guilty about not having him in preschool like the rest of his friends. Jimmy was great in supporting me and telling me that he is right where he needs to be and advanced in some areas too. How many three year olds can actually cook?
He's my little helper. He helps me chop vegetables, measure and pour ingredients, mix batter and even fry eggs! He's also a great grocery helper, he always remembers what I forget.
Little Cassia is now a toddler! Yep, I'm sad my baby is growing up. The year just flew by so fast! She loves to show off her steps and act like it's nothing that she is walking! I'm slowing down on the picture taking, but have to get back into it so that I can capture as many baby moments as possible.
We are in a frenzy trying to prepare for our trip to New Jersey for the National Bread and Pastry competition. I am so excited and nervous for Jimmy and Sandra. I really hope that they take the gold. I'll try to take lots of picture and post at the end of the month.
Thursday, August 28, 2008
Snack Attack
Last Sunday we spent the day at a nearby park walking around Whole Food's annual Flavor Fest, which Jimmy has renamed more appropriately as 'snack attack'. Funny name but, true. They have the distributors of some of the products they carry sampling their wares (mostly snacks!). We got lots of samples for organic chips, yogurt, drinks, carrots, cereal and laundry detergent! We had to stroll home to drop off our samples then go back to listen to the band English Beat. Jimmy, Cassia and I had a blast dancing and snacking, while Kai (like always) was passed out!
Monday, July 28, 2008
My Birthday
I bet you are all wanting to hear all about it! Well, Jimmy surprised me with a red velvet cake and my favorite chocolate covered caramel marshmallows from Vosges Haute Chocolate. It was delicious!!! The red velvet reminded me of the ones you would get down south, moist cake with creamy not too sweet cream cheese and nut filling...mmmm..yum!
The surprises continued with a babysitter for the kids and dinner at Charlie Trotter's restaurant! Holy cow! I've been wanting to go to that restaurant for over ten years and I finally got to go! Thanks for taking me Jimmy. We had a fabulous eight course meal with extra desserts. I had the non-alcoholic beverage pairings with my meal and it was phenomenal! How clever of them to match vegetable and fruit juices perfectly with every dish! (Now I want a juicer!) The restaurant was comfortable, not too flashy, I felt like I was in someone's home having a lovely dinner with my husband. It did feel a bit awkward at first because we didn't have the children with us, but once the meal started it felt like we were dating again.
The portions appear small, but were perfect in my opinion, because after all the courses (it took three hours for dinner) I was stuffed and amazingly energized! I couldn't go to sleep after we got home, I'm guessing it was the juices and infusions! (I really have to get a juicer!) After the meal, we were given a tour of the restaurant and given a little box of pastries for our 'take-away'. Overall, the food was star and fabulous! The service was a little off and that is all I'm going to say about it right now. I'm still debating weather I should write a letter to Mr. Trotter about my experience since I have been wanting to dine at his restaurant for over a decade! You're suppose to want to go back to a fantastic restaurant like that right? Well, let's just say I would for the phenomenal food but not for the service.
Well, other than the goodies and dinner, Jimmy surprised me with my own photo printer! It's like I have a mini version of those photo printers you see at the photo developers! Yay! No more trips to CVS for me. I had so much fun editing and adding extras to the pictures, I'm all out of ink from printing so much I have to run to Best Buy for more this week.
My best girlfriend sent me a dvd about lattes...he..he.he. She knows me well and I love coffee! She is such a good listener (that's why she's my best girl). I mentioned that I've been wanting the instructional d.v.d. about latte art for some time now and she listened. Just like she did many many many Christmas's ago (before Jimmy) when on my wish list I had asked for practical things like flashlights and tool kits, she was the only one who took it seriously. Really, lotions and potions are great, but I'm a crafter so I love tools of all kinds. Thank you Keilani and I love you girl!
My sister sent me a set of demi spoons and cocktail forks...soo cute, and a sweet book about sisters ^_^ She went through the book and added little comments to personalize it for me. Thanks Viv, I'll keep it forever, and thanks to Gabbie and Lawrence for the cute handmade cards.
My mom made me my favorite goodies and I received a sweet card from my mom and dad in-law. Thank you to all my wonderful parents.
Also, thanks to all of my wonderful friends who wished me a happy birthday. I absolutely had a wonderful one.
I wish you all a wonderful day. Love to all. Hugs and kisses.
The surprises continued with a babysitter for the kids and dinner at Charlie Trotter's restaurant! Holy cow! I've been wanting to go to that restaurant for over ten years and I finally got to go! Thanks for taking me Jimmy. We had a fabulous eight course meal with extra desserts. I had the non-alcoholic beverage pairings with my meal and it was phenomenal! How clever of them to match vegetable and fruit juices perfectly with every dish! (Now I want a juicer!) The restaurant was comfortable, not too flashy, I felt like I was in someone's home having a lovely dinner with my husband. It did feel a bit awkward at first because we didn't have the children with us, but once the meal started it felt like we were dating again.
The portions appear small, but were perfect in my opinion, because after all the courses (it took three hours for dinner) I was stuffed and amazingly energized! I couldn't go to sleep after we got home, I'm guessing it was the juices and infusions! (I really have to get a juicer!) After the meal, we were given a tour of the restaurant and given a little box of pastries for our 'take-away'. Overall, the food was star and fabulous! The service was a little off and that is all I'm going to say about it right now. I'm still debating weather I should write a letter to Mr. Trotter about my experience since I have been wanting to dine at his restaurant for over a decade! You're suppose to want to go back to a fantastic restaurant like that right? Well, let's just say I would for the phenomenal food but not for the service.
Well, other than the goodies and dinner, Jimmy surprised me with my own photo printer! It's like I have a mini version of those photo printers you see at the photo developers! Yay! No more trips to CVS for me. I had so much fun editing and adding extras to the pictures, I'm all out of ink from printing so much I have to run to Best Buy for more this week.
My best girlfriend sent me a dvd about lattes...he..he.he. She knows me well and I love coffee! She is such a good listener (that's why she's my best girl). I mentioned that I've been wanting the instructional d.v.d. about latte art for some time now and she listened. Just like she did many many many Christmas's ago (before Jimmy) when on my wish list I had asked for practical things like flashlights and tool kits, she was the only one who took it seriously. Really, lotions and potions are great, but I'm a crafter so I love tools of all kinds. Thank you Keilani and I love you girl!
My sister sent me a set of demi spoons and cocktail forks...soo cute, and a sweet book about sisters ^_^ She went through the book and added little comments to personalize it for me. Thanks Viv, I'll keep it forever, and thanks to Gabbie and Lawrence for the cute handmade cards.
My mom made me my favorite goodies and I received a sweet card from my mom and dad in-law. Thank you to all my wonderful parents.
Also, thanks to all of my wonderful friends who wished me a happy birthday. I absolutely had a wonderful one.
I wish you all a wonderful day. Love to all. Hugs and kisses.
Diaper Cake
Jimmy has a co-worker who recently had a baby girl, so I got to make another diaper cake! This time I took a photo. Yea, diapers are a little boring for a gift, but essential! Plus the fun presentation makes it fun to receive, besides the way I make them, there is a little surprise in each layer! The bottom layer has a hand puppet hidden in the center of the cake, the middle layer has onsies, and the top (if it's not too tight) I usually try to add something for the mom like a nursing bracelet or a little picture frame. You could fill the center with endless baby things like travel sized baby toiletries, a baby bottle, bibs, wash clothes, toys, burp clothes and tiny books.
I've researched how much they cost at the store and let me tell you that with everything pictured, it was not even close to the $80 price tag you find at baby boutiques! Plus, the ones you buy from the store is only diapers and whatever it is decorated with. Making them myself is more fun because I can add my little surprises.
The directions on making these can be found by looking up diaper cakes, but since I didn't like the idea of having to individually wrap them with a rubber band I actually lined a cake pan with them. Then used kitchen twine to tie around the diapers to give the cake shape and covered the twine with pretty ribbon. Stack the layers on a cake circle or make your own (a platter would be cute too) insert cake dowels or chopsticks or skewers (whatever you have) in the center to prevent layers from toppling and top with a plushie. Voila your own custom made diaper cake at a fraction of the retail price. These cakes can be further embellished with baby bottles, pacifiers, or silk flowers!
Saturday, July 12, 2008
Fun at the museum
I took the kiddos on another play date on Thursday to the Kohl's Children's Museum and they had a blast! It was great, I got in free with the kids thanks to my new friend and the parking was also free because it was out of the city. I loved it so much I'm going to become a member so that we could go often! There was so much to do and it was very clean. We stayed for four hours and still didn't get to do everything! It's not as big as the children's museum in Indianapolis, but so much to do that the kids were happy to play with what was there.
I discovered little Cassia's love for music at the museum. Here favorite rooms were the music room where she was rockin' and dancing, and the water works room where she loved pushing buttons to get the water flowing.
Look at all those teeth!
Kai was a master at the pretend grocery store and spent about an hour playing with the kid sized digger. He wouldn't stop telling me how much he loved me...I take it he loved the museum!
We took a break at the Kim & Scott's pretzel cafe in the museum. I got Kai to twist and decorate his own pretzel. He did an excellent job decorating with marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate chips and cinnamon.
On the ride home the kids crashed hard while I spent an hour and a half in rainy traffic. By the time I was almost home, Jimmy was clocking out so I went to pick him up from work. Then we all went out to our favorite local pizzeria and had a delicious meal.
Taking the kids out this week has me too busy to tackle my business plan, but Jimmy is off tomorrow so maybe I'll get a few hours in tomorrow.
I discovered little Cassia's love for music at the museum. Here favorite rooms were the music room where she was rockin' and dancing, and the water works room where she loved pushing buttons to get the water flowing.
Look at all those teeth! Kai was a master at the pretend grocery store and spent about an hour playing with the kid sized digger. He wouldn't stop telling me how much he loved me...I take it he loved the museum!
We took a break at the Kim & Scott's pretzel cafe in the museum. I got Kai to twist and decorate his own pretzel. He did an excellent job decorating with marshmallows, sprinkles, chocolate chips and cinnamon.
On the ride home the kids crashed hard while I spent an hour and a half in rainy traffic. By the time I was almost home, Jimmy was clocking out so I went to pick him up from work. Then we all went out to our favorite local pizzeria and had a delicious meal.
Taking the kids out this week has me too busy to tackle my business plan, but Jimmy is off tomorrow so maybe I'll get a few hours in tomorrow.
Wednesday, July 9, 2008
A new friend
Finally, after complaining endlessly to my husband about not having any friends here, I forced myself to make a mommy friend who also has a three year old boy. Yesterday we had our first 'play date' thing. We took the kids to the zoo and I had a great time! It was different having a new adult friend that is not a coworker. You really have to work hard at trying to keep the conversation going! You don't know anything about this person except that they too have a child. So the work begins of asking the basic questions....oh so tiresome, but necessary. It's not like when you're a kid all you had to do was play, now you actually have to plan things in advance and communicate. The friendship is still so new that you just can't spring outings up with a phone call or just 'pop in' for a chat.
It was the first time for me going to the nearby zoo and I would definitely go again, besides it is free except for the parking, but that's not too bad at $14 for three hours. Kai loved the mini train ride, indoor climbing maze and ice cream. He's not too into the animals yet, just kept saying 'like in my book' every time we see an animal. Cassia had a fun time too, except for when it got too hot and close to nap time.
Tomorrow I might join my new friend and her son at a new children's museum. Today I started on our business plan with the help of Jimmy (dragging me out of bed at sunrise and making me coffee ^_^). I was so motivated a few months back about starting a business and getting things up and running before turning 30, well, that is about a week away and I haven't even finished a business plan. So 42 steps in nine days, lets hope I can accomplish that task. I would feel a sense of some sort of accomplishment.
Write the plan, write the recipes, test the recipes, test the products on people, find a location, find the financing, convince the husband to quit his job to help start business, work endlessly to get shop open, open shop and live happily ever after, or something like that; but first I must write the plan!
So why am I stalling? I'm not fully awake yet. I have writer's block. Kai just woke up....ummm, I haven't updated my blog in a while....hmmm. Out of excuses, ok so back to work I go.
Did I tell you about wanting to start a new blog about my opinions on new products, but someone is already doing that and using the name I wanted to use, but I guess that's what happens when I don't jump on an idea when it occurs......so back to my business plan I go---really.
It was the first time for me going to the nearby zoo and I would definitely go again, besides it is free except for the parking, but that's not too bad at $14 for three hours. Kai loved the mini train ride, indoor climbing maze and ice cream. He's not too into the animals yet, just kept saying 'like in my book' every time we see an animal. Cassia had a fun time too, except for when it got too hot and close to nap time.
Tomorrow I might join my new friend and her son at a new children's museum. Today I started on our business plan with the help of Jimmy (dragging me out of bed at sunrise and making me coffee ^_^). I was so motivated a few months back about starting a business and getting things up and running before turning 30, well, that is about a week away and I haven't even finished a business plan. So 42 steps in nine days, lets hope I can accomplish that task. I would feel a sense of some sort of accomplishment.
Write the plan, write the recipes, test the recipes, test the products on people, find a location, find the financing, convince the husband to quit his job to help start business, work endlessly to get shop open, open shop and live happily ever after, or something like that; but first I must write the plan!
So why am I stalling? I'm not fully awake yet. I have writer's block. Kai just woke up....ummm, I haven't updated my blog in a while....hmmm. Out of excuses, ok so back to work I go.
Did I tell you about wanting to start a new blog about my opinions on new products, but someone is already doing that and using the name I wanted to use, but I guess that's what happens when I don't jump on an idea when it occurs......so back to my business plan I go---really.
Sunday, June 29, 2008
back to the daily grind
I've been busy the past month with three kids and have come to the conclusion that the thought of more kids will have to be squashed! I love babies, but can't handle toddlers and preschoolers! give me a roomful of babies over loud overly active preschoolers any day! I am sad at the thought that my baby will soon turn one and will no longer be my little marshmallow. She is already starting to cruise on furniture!
We were recently in New York City, and covered a lot of ground. We seriously ate our way around NYC. It was my first trip there and I would go again, just not with three kids in tow! Imagine walking from the southern part of Central Park all the way down to China Town with kids ranging from 10 months to 4 years old. Not easy, it was amusing but not easy! I didn't encounter the 'rude' New Yorker until we were at the airport checking our bags to return home! People opened doors and said hello. They gave smiles and some wished us luck with our kids, but no one was rude. The smell and sight of trash is a reason I wouldn't like to live there. It really is dirty. We were there for a week but time just flew by. Everything is on hyper speed there; when we returned home I felt like my big city was the country!
I'll write about the most memorable places first and rant about the not so great later.
Here we are after dinner at Jean George's Spice Market. (I know I said I would rant later, but this was such a horrible experience...I'll share now.)
The restaurant's decor was phenomenal! It felt like I was somewhere in Thailand! The food and service was unfortunately not as wonderful. Our server was practically rolling her eyes at us in front of us! We could tell that no one wanted us to be in there just because we had three kids with us! Whether or not it was true, that is how they made us feel and that is not very hospitable. Our server lacked basic knowledge of the beverages and how to be nice. The food was another story, this is the third Jean Georges Vongerichten restaurant that I have dined at and was again disappointed! I don't know if it is because of the high expectation or just because the food was ok. I wanted it to be something spectacular, but it was just barely edible. We went to another restaurant (Momofuku) afterward so that I could actually eat! I'm sorry Jean Georges, I really wanted to like your restaurants, but after three strikes I think you are off my list of people/places to try. I do however, recommend Spice Market as a place to go for drinks and decor. I also appreciate the idea of dressing the service staff in brown to match the wood decor and give a feel of seamless service, but again the service we received from our waitress was less than spectacular. It's too bad that her support staff/ server assistants were better than her.
I may seem harsh in my reviews, but after working in the hospitality business for over 12 years and having been everything from dish washer, waitress to a general manager, I feel qualified to be a judge of good food and service.
We were recently in New York City, and covered a lot of ground. We seriously ate our way around NYC. It was my first trip there and I would go again, just not with three kids in tow! Imagine walking from the southern part of Central Park all the way down to China Town with kids ranging from 10 months to 4 years old. Not easy, it was amusing but not easy! I didn't encounter the 'rude' New Yorker until we were at the airport checking our bags to return home! People opened doors and said hello. They gave smiles and some wished us luck with our kids, but no one was rude. The smell and sight of trash is a reason I wouldn't like to live there. It really is dirty. We were there for a week but time just flew by. Everything is on hyper speed there; when we returned home I felt like my big city was the country!
I'll write about the most memorable places first and rant about the not so great later.
Here we are after dinner at Jean George's Spice Market. (I know I said I would rant later, but this was such a horrible experience...I'll share now.)
The restaurant's decor was phenomenal! It felt like I was somewhere in Thailand! The food and service was unfortunately not as wonderful. Our server was practically rolling her eyes at us in front of us! We could tell that no one wanted us to be in there just because we had three kids with us! Whether or not it was true, that is how they made us feel and that is not very hospitable. Our server lacked basic knowledge of the beverages and how to be nice. The food was another story, this is the third Jean Georges Vongerichten restaurant that I have dined at and was again disappointed! I don't know if it is because of the high expectation or just because the food was ok. I wanted it to be something spectacular, but it was just barely edible. We went to another restaurant (Momofuku) afterward so that I could actually eat! I'm sorry Jean Georges, I really wanted to like your restaurants, but after three strikes I think you are off my list of people/places to try. I do however, recommend Spice Market as a place to go for drinks and decor. I also appreciate the idea of dressing the service staff in brown to match the wood decor and give a feel of seamless service, but again the service we received from our waitress was less than spectacular. It's too bad that her support staff/ server assistants were better than her.
I may seem harsh in my reviews, but after working in the hospitality business for over 12 years and having been everything from dish washer, waitress to a general manager, I feel qualified to be a judge of good food and service.
Tuesday, May 6, 2008
New Chocolate and falafel
Last week we took a road trip to Canada and I have so many pictures to show, but I will start with the most recent thing that is still fresh on my mind: Terra Nostra organic Ricemilk chocolate bar with almonds.
We stopped in Michigan to spend a few hours with the grandparents which was so much fun for Kai and Bella (plus we got to rest while Grandma Mack played with Kai- Thanks Mom!).
Well, as you know we always stop into Joe's Produce when we are in town for their huge grapes and butter pretzels! I noticed a new chocolate bar while I was waiting to check out; I debated for a bit because Jimmy was just at the Callebaut Chocolate Academy for class and brought home four boxes of chocolates for us. I reasoned that 1) It is non-dairy 2) gluten free, 3) organic and 4) it was made with rice milk! All of which is not common and something that Jimmy does not make so it would be good for research and I'm really the ultimate consumer!
I am not a fan of milk chocolate, but I could have finished the whole bar myself if I didn't have to share it with my hubby (who also enjoyed it by the way)! Yes, it really is that good! Jimmy says that he can taste the rice milk, but me the not-so-chocolate-expert-as-Jimmy didn't notice; besides if you normally drink milk alternatives then you wouldn't notice. I now want to try their other varieties. I have some friends who would love this because they have dairy and gluten allergies. They make regular chocolate too. I was just pleasantly surprised and wanted to share my new discovery.
We also stopped in Ann Arbor for falafel sandwiches at Jerusalem Gardens. Jimmy frequented this restaurant when he lived there and has made me a huge fan. I have to say that they make the BEST baklava and falafel! Well, they make the best Middle Eastern food! Everything that I've had is the best, I think that I have dined at enough Middle Eastern restaurants to say that. Back to the baklava, it is the crispiest, butteriest, tastiest ever! It's not too sweet and if you are like us and buy a dozen at a time, you will find that even three days later they are still crispy!
If you are in Ann Arbor, you have to give this place a try, and the best part it is very affordable!
Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Kai's party
Kai's party was a blast! Everyone had a great time and Kai received lots of fun toys! His party started at Build-A-Bear where all the children got to choose, stuff, clothes, and name their bears. Baby got to choose her bear and she picked out a pink leopard! After the bear building, we headed outdoors for the cupcakes and some sunshine. The party ended with everyone getting train rides!
I'm so glad we did the party out of the house, no mess = no stress and everyone had a wonderful time. We got reports that the little party guests crashed hard when they got home, which is a good thing for parents of toddlers!
Even though I expressed my annoyance of Kai's current favorite character, we used it as his party theme and we even bought him a collection of Thomas trains, bed sheets and more books! It's what he likes and we love him!
Kai is stepping on a peddle to fill his bear with fluff.
Cupcake time!
Kai blowing out his birthday train candle.
Bella with mommy and new plush "Cupcake".
I'm so glad we did the party out of the house, no mess = no stress and everyone had a wonderful time. We got reports that the little party guests crashed hard when they got home, which is a good thing for parents of toddlers!
Even though I expressed my annoyance of Kai's current favorite character, we used it as his party theme and we even bought him a collection of Thomas trains, bed sheets and more books! It's what he likes and we love him!
Kai is stepping on a peddle to fill his bear with fluff.
The group photo.
Cupcake time!
Kai blowing out his birthday train candle.
All aboard! Choo, choo!
Bella with mommy and new plush "Cupcake".
Friday, April 18, 2008
t-shirt Bags!
I am a fanatic of bags, paper, pens and chocolate! So earlier this week when I got my daily craft email from Martha Stewart about turning shirts into shopping bags I just had to make some. I made one and it turned out great, so I made another and another. I let Kai decorate one and he did a good job of tracing his hands (I drew the cupcake at his request).
I am hooked! I am going to have to dig up all my favorite old t-shirts that I have been holding on to and turn them into bags! By the time I'm done, this family will no longer have to answer the question of, "paper or plastic?" we have cotton!
warning about comments
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For my family, please do not click on those posts either. I try to delete them as they appear, but sometimes I am not on the computer everyday.
For my family, please do not click on those posts either. I try to delete them as they appear, but sometimes I am not on the computer everyday.
Saturday, April 12, 2008
Chocolate Pudding
I can't believe I never tried to make chocolate pudding before. It is incredibly easy! Sure I've made the kind you pour out of a box and add milk, but not the measure your own ingredients from your pantry pudding! Kai had fun stirring the pot waiting for the mixture to thicken. We haven't been to the store lately due to the rain so I'm out of butter and can't bake without it, so we made pudding! Delicious yummy chocolate pudding made with Amedei 70% and nut brown chocolate....(those are the new Italian chocolates we just got.) I can't stop eating the chocolate! The pudding came out dark and rich. It was suppose to be the filling for our cupcakes, but it was just too good.
Jimmy is finally off tomorrow. Hopefully it's not snowing too bad that he and Kai can't get their hair cut. Both my guys are starting to get shaggy, especially Kai! Twelve more days until Kai's birthday and everyday he asks Jimmy where his train cake is! What a clever little guy, we can't even say T.T (short for Thomas the train) because he knows! Last night he said he wanted five train cakes and started to name all the different trains....good thing his daddy is a pastry chef!
I can't wait for the train phase to pass, I can only read Thomas books twice a day. They are just soo boring to me! I tried to get him interested in dinosaurs by buying him a few dinosaur figures and coloring book, but he just scribbled through the book and occasionally plays with the figures. Not like his daily fix of Thomas the Train shows, games, toys, and stories! I wonder what little Cassia will like.
We are set for his party at Build-A-Bear next Sunday. He and a couple of his little friends are going to build their own bears! We are celebrating it a few days earlier because we have a trip coming up at the end of the month and everyone will be too busy. Plus their is a major food show in town, too bad I won't get to go! That's two years in a row that I'll miss it. Oh, well there's always next year, and maybe the kids will be in daycare so I can go. (they don't allow children at trade shows).
Tomorrow is my nephew's birthday; so Happy birthday to you Lawrence!! He is turning five! My how the time flies.
Jimmy is finally off tomorrow. Hopefully it's not snowing too bad that he and Kai can't get their hair cut. Both my guys are starting to get shaggy, especially Kai! Twelve more days until Kai's birthday and everyday he asks Jimmy where his train cake is! What a clever little guy, we can't even say T.T (short for Thomas the train) because he knows! Last night he said he wanted five train cakes and started to name all the different trains....good thing his daddy is a pastry chef!
I can't wait for the train phase to pass, I can only read Thomas books twice a day. They are just soo boring to me! I tried to get him interested in dinosaurs by buying him a few dinosaur figures and coloring book, but he just scribbled through the book and occasionally plays with the figures. Not like his daily fix of Thomas the Train shows, games, toys, and stories! I wonder what little Cassia will like.
We are set for his party at Build-A-Bear next Sunday. He and a couple of his little friends are going to build their own bears! We are celebrating it a few days earlier because we have a trip coming up at the end of the month and everyone will be too busy. Plus their is a major food show in town, too bad I won't get to go! That's two years in a row that I'll miss it. Oh, well there's always next year, and maybe the kids will be in daycare so I can go. (they don't allow children at trade shows).
Tomorrow is my nephew's birthday; so Happy birthday to you Lawrence!! He is turning five! My how the time flies.
Thursday, April 10, 2008
Rain
Rain, rain go away, come again some other day. Little Bella and Kai want to play. Rain, rain go away.
All my excitement for spring is dampened by all this rain and possible snow!!! Snow in April?? For the following four days our forecast is rain! Everyday Kai wants to go to the playground, he hasn't grasp the concept of rain equals no park, yet. So I've got to think up of some rainy day activities for us to do.
Today, we tested out a new vanilla cupcake recipe and it's a keeper. I've got to remember to add it to my recipe book. It is what a cupcake should be; light, fluffy and most of all delicious! I love Jimmy's recipe for devils food cake so I haven't been searching for a replacement, but I have to work on a brownie recipe, I guess that's tomorrow's project. Except, I ran out of my favorite Valrhona cocoa powder so I have to make do with the cocoa powder that I have on hand. It's a nice one, but it doesn't have that deep dark rich chocolate flavor that I love! Maybe I'll try a recipe that calls for melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder.
Or maybe chocolate chip cookies! We just got in some yummy chocolates from Italy and I could put them in cookies...hmmm. The only problem with all this baking is, I have to eat most of it (Kai eats the other half). I'll have to get exercise some how in the rain! I think I'll take them to the weekly Mommy Cafe get together. (I haven't been to one yet, but as soon as it stops raining I think I'll give it a go and meet some moms.) So until then, I get to munch on all the treats.
All my excitement for spring is dampened by all this rain and possible snow!!! Snow in April?? For the following four days our forecast is rain! Everyday Kai wants to go to the playground, he hasn't grasp the concept of rain equals no park, yet. So I've got to think up of some rainy day activities for us to do.
Today, we tested out a new vanilla cupcake recipe and it's a keeper. I've got to remember to add it to my recipe book. It is what a cupcake should be; light, fluffy and most of all delicious! I love Jimmy's recipe for devils food cake so I haven't been searching for a replacement, but I have to work on a brownie recipe, I guess that's tomorrow's project. Except, I ran out of my favorite Valrhona cocoa powder so I have to make do with the cocoa powder that I have on hand. It's a nice one, but it doesn't have that deep dark rich chocolate flavor that I love! Maybe I'll try a recipe that calls for melted chocolate instead of cocoa powder.
Or maybe chocolate chip cookies! We just got in some yummy chocolates from Italy and I could put them in cookies...hmmm. The only problem with all this baking is, I have to eat most of it (Kai eats the other half). I'll have to get exercise some how in the rain! I think I'll take them to the weekly Mommy Cafe get together. (I haven't been to one yet, but as soon as it stops raining I think I'll give it a go and meet some moms.) So until then, I get to munch on all the treats.
Saturday, April 5, 2008
New Gloss
Just read my sister in law's blog and was inspired to write a quick thing about this week's new item in my make-up tray. I was craving lip gloss (to wear of course not to eat...I'm not preggie), and went to put some on, but realized that during one of my 'must throw everything out' phase I had also gone and threw out some of my make up too...so no gloss. I walked over to CVS and picked up a Cover Girl Wet Slicks Crystal gloss to satisfy my craving, but I didn't like it. The color was fine, but all the glittery specks is what I didn't like. I'm 30 not 15, but I guess that's what the 'crystal' on the label is! I'm not knocking the product, it's just not for me...I'm not into the glittery lips.
So yesterday, I picked up two more at Target; Burt's Bees Super Shiny Natural lip gloss and Boots Botanics lip gloss. I loved them both!!! I'm already a big fan of Burt's Bees and knew they wouldn't disappoint and I was right. Boots is a brand I read about in some magazine a while back (probably some parenting mag, since that's all I seem to read these days) I finally saw it at Target and bought one to try....and hey...it's pretty good! They both have a citrus scent and flavor to them and they do wonders for keeping your lips moist not to mention the perfect little hint of color that I was looking for. Love them, love them, and great price at $6-$7 each.
For the hair products; I've been using Aveda's new line of products called Smooth Infusion and let me tell you I can not live with out it now! I use the shampoo, conditioner, and style prep and let me tell you I will not use anything else on my hair! One day I used my old hair care products and noticed a big difference! My hair was not silky and soft like it is with the Aveda products! So now I use the old stuff to clean the tub! Seriously, what else am I suppose to do with it? I also use Aveda's sensitive facial moisturizer because it was they only thing that didn't leave my skin all flaky during winter. It's light and wonderful!
Eyes and Face
I am using Philosophy's The Supernatural airbrushed canvas spf 15 powder foundation. It goes on so easily and I don't miss messing with the liquid foundation at all. It is light and has spf to boot! For my eyes, I use Origins eyeliner and Aveda's Mosscara in black. Love'em!
As you can see, I try to stick with the naturally made, organic and earth friendly cosmetics. Have you read or even know what goes into makeup these days? I feel guilty enough using Burt's Bees because the recent news about the honey bee population decrease and possible extinction! But I love their stuff so I will still use them for now.
So yesterday, I picked up two more at Target; Burt's Bees Super Shiny Natural lip gloss and Boots Botanics lip gloss. I loved them both!!! I'm already a big fan of Burt's Bees and knew they wouldn't disappoint and I was right. Boots is a brand I read about in some magazine a while back (probably some parenting mag, since that's all I seem to read these days) I finally saw it at Target and bought one to try....and hey...it's pretty good! They both have a citrus scent and flavor to them and they do wonders for keeping your lips moist not to mention the perfect little hint of color that I was looking for. Love them, love them, and great price at $6-$7 each.
For the hair products; I've been using Aveda's new line of products called Smooth Infusion and let me tell you I can not live with out it now! I use the shampoo, conditioner, and style prep and let me tell you I will not use anything else on my hair! One day I used my old hair care products and noticed a big difference! My hair was not silky and soft like it is with the Aveda products! So now I use the old stuff to clean the tub! Seriously, what else am I suppose to do with it? I also use Aveda's sensitive facial moisturizer because it was they only thing that didn't leave my skin all flaky during winter. It's light and wonderful!
Eyes and Face
I am using Philosophy's The Supernatural airbrushed canvas spf 15 powder foundation. It goes on so easily and I don't miss messing with the liquid foundation at all. It is light and has spf to boot! For my eyes, I use Origins eyeliner and Aveda's Mosscara in black. Love'em!
As you can see, I try to stick with the naturally made, organic and earth friendly cosmetics. Have you read or even know what goes into makeup these days? I feel guilty enough using Burt's Bees because the recent news about the honey bee population decrease and possible extinction! But I love their stuff so I will still use them for now.
spring has arrived!
Spring is here, spring is here! It's the best time of the year! We are soo happy the weather is finally nice. We have been receiving lots of sun and the temperature is mild. The kids and I have been going for walks and to the park daily again. It feels great!
Kai loves the sand box at the park!
Here Cassia is hanging out with her sippy cup, watching Kai have fun.
Kai loves the sand box at the park!
Here Cassia is hanging out with her sippy cup, watching Kai have fun.
Monday, March 31, 2008
Where are you Spring?
I haven't blogged in a while due to the winter blues. You know the feeling of not wanting to do anything that you really don't have to. It was the flu then more snow, but it is starting to get warmer which is making me even more restless. I am ready to be out with the family in the sun! Right now we have lots of rain, but that's better than snow right now. I know that the sun will come out one day and I won't be stuck in the house with the kids. So, I've been doing a bit of spring cleaning and rearranging the furniture a little.
Once I get started, I just want to throw everything away! Especially all the kids' toys that Jimmy and I trip on daily! I have already put half of Kai's toys into little plastic shoe boxes and stored them in the closet, but he still has so many little pieces all over the house...legos. We got him smaller pieces now that he is bigger. We even got him a special roll away tub to store them in, but for some reason there are never any legos in the bin!
Kai will be three soon and I am trying to plan a small party for him with a couple of little friends. It should be fun. I'm looking forward to it. Planning for the kids is the easy part, but it's the inclusion of adults that is the stressor...so my solution is to have it out of the house! I'm thinking he's old enough to go to Build-A-Bear. Plus he seems to be into snuggling with lovies at night now..which is interesting to me because as a baby he never really cared to play with things like that. He wasn't a hands on baby, but he loved to be read and sung to.
Bella on the other hand, is what you imagine a baby to be: drooling and mouthing anything she can get her hands on. She has a little dolly, which we have named 'Flora' because she has flowers all over her dress. Flora goes everywhere with us! I am so in love with my little girl, I don't know how many times a day I tell her that she is so adorable and loved! I don't know when I'll have another little one again, so I am enjoying every minute of my baby.
Jimmy just had a birthday last week and we had a pretty fun day dining out at restaurants that we normally wouldn't get to go to because of the kids. For lunch we went to Mambo Grill, it's a Latin restaurant and we love the ribs there! For dessert we made early reservations at Blackbird (a really posh restaurant with yummy food) and had one plate of every dessert on the menu...mmmm..yummy! What a great experience there, even though it was only for the desserts, the staff was great and the kids behaved even better! We were going to go to the adjoining restaurant Avec, but we were so full we had to pass it up, but they have the tastiest chorizo stuffed dates, duck confit, and so much more...oh my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I give those restaurants five forks up!
(*Tip of the week* I believe you should be able to take the whole family anywhere, even fancy restaurants that normally wouldn't have small diners. You just have to give them a call, tell them you would really like to dine there with children in tow. Most places will accommodate especially if you are going in the moment they open for dinner service. Lunch time is even a better time to go, because the service is faster.)
The not so fun part is when we went to our car to go home and we discovered that it had been towed!!! That would explain why there were no other cars parked at those meters...I guess we are a little bit country still about the parking in the city.
We got our car back the same night, but poor Jimmy had to spend the rest of his birthday running around town to make it happen. Next time we'll take a cab!
Whew...so much to catch ya'll up on, but that is about it for now. I will be back on here more regularly now that the blues are fading.
Once I get started, I just want to throw everything away! Especially all the kids' toys that Jimmy and I trip on daily! I have already put half of Kai's toys into little plastic shoe boxes and stored them in the closet, but he still has so many little pieces all over the house...legos. We got him smaller pieces now that he is bigger. We even got him a special roll away tub to store them in, but for some reason there are never any legos in the bin!
Kai will be three soon and I am trying to plan a small party for him with a couple of little friends. It should be fun. I'm looking forward to it. Planning for the kids is the easy part, but it's the inclusion of adults that is the stressor...so my solution is to have it out of the house! I'm thinking he's old enough to go to Build-A-Bear. Plus he seems to be into snuggling with lovies at night now..which is interesting to me because as a baby he never really cared to play with things like that. He wasn't a hands on baby, but he loved to be read and sung to.
Bella on the other hand, is what you imagine a baby to be: drooling and mouthing anything she can get her hands on. She has a little dolly, which we have named 'Flora' because she has flowers all over her dress. Flora goes everywhere with us! I am so in love with my little girl, I don't know how many times a day I tell her that she is so adorable and loved! I don't know when I'll have another little one again, so I am enjoying every minute of my baby.
Jimmy just had a birthday last week and we had a pretty fun day dining out at restaurants that we normally wouldn't get to go to because of the kids. For lunch we went to Mambo Grill, it's a Latin restaurant and we love the ribs there! For dessert we made early reservations at Blackbird (a really posh restaurant with yummy food) and had one plate of every dessert on the menu...mmmm..yummy! What a great experience there, even though it was only for the desserts, the staff was great and the kids behaved even better! We were going to go to the adjoining restaurant Avec, but we were so full we had to pass it up, but they have the tastiest chorizo stuffed dates, duck confit, and so much more...oh my mouth is watering just thinking about it. I give those restaurants five forks up!
(*Tip of the week* I believe you should be able to take the whole family anywhere, even fancy restaurants that normally wouldn't have small diners. You just have to give them a call, tell them you would really like to dine there with children in tow. Most places will accommodate especially if you are going in the moment they open for dinner service. Lunch time is even a better time to go, because the service is faster.)
The not so fun part is when we went to our car to go home and we discovered that it had been towed!!! That would explain why there were no other cars parked at those meters...I guess we are a little bit country still about the parking in the city.
We got our car back the same night, but poor Jimmy had to spend the rest of his birthday running around town to make it happen. Next time we'll take a cab!
Whew...so much to catch ya'll up on, but that is about it for now. I will be back on here more regularly now that the blues are fading.
Wednesday, March 5, 2008
before, during and after the sickness
The week before we all got sick, my niece Gabbie sent us Flat Stanley.
Flat Stanley had breakfast with the kids, went to work with Jimmy and played in the snow. I didn't send him back to Texas with my letter so I hope that will be alright. Kai had fun playing with him. I thought that it was a clever project! I sometimes wish that I was Flat Stanley so that I could mail myself in an envelope to visit friends and family that are far away.
During the flu, I lost my taste for coffee! I didn't want it and still don't. I'm all about juice. That's all I could drink, water just didn't taste right. The kids are better, still congested, but better. They are super kids. This was the first time Kai got really sick. We've never seen him so sluggish and quiet! He is now back to bouncing off the walls and talking my ear off. Little Cassia is full of smiles and ever so playful and talkative, too.
How could I forget, I burned my hand pretty bad one day trying to get super hot soup out of the microwave! I reached for the bowl and dropped it because it was too hot, but not without spilling the contents onto my hand! My first reaction was to wash it off with cold water and keep it there (that's all I could do to make it feel better until Jimmy came home to help me). Then Jimmy tells me not to put it in water, but what was I suppose to do? We didn't have any burn spray until he came home with it and whenever my hand didn't have anything cool on it it was burning up! Anyway, burn spray, triple antibiotic and days later my hand is fine. It looks a bit strange and discolored, but fine.
Now, looking out the window one would think that it is 60 degrees or something outside, being March and all, but noooo it's still in the 30's! The snow is supposes to start again tonight and for the next few days!!! I've had enough of the white stuff and ready to get outside with the kids and go to the parks and farmer's markets.
Spring, spring...where are you?
Flat Stanley had breakfast with the kids, went to work with Jimmy and played in the snow. I didn't send him back to Texas with my letter so I hope that will be alright. Kai had fun playing with him. I thought that it was a clever project! I sometimes wish that I was Flat Stanley so that I could mail myself in an envelope to visit friends and family that are far away.
During the flu, I lost my taste for coffee! I didn't want it and still don't. I'm all about juice. That's all I could drink, water just didn't taste right. The kids are better, still congested, but better. They are super kids. This was the first time Kai got really sick. We've never seen him so sluggish and quiet! He is now back to bouncing off the walls and talking my ear off. Little Cassia is full of smiles and ever so playful and talkative, too.
How could I forget, I burned my hand pretty bad one day trying to get super hot soup out of the microwave! I reached for the bowl and dropped it because it was too hot, but not without spilling the contents onto my hand! My first reaction was to wash it off with cold water and keep it there (that's all I could do to make it feel better until Jimmy came home to help me). Then Jimmy tells me not to put it in water, but what was I suppose to do? We didn't have any burn spray until he came home with it and whenever my hand didn't have anything cool on it it was burning up! Anyway, burn spray, triple antibiotic and days later my hand is fine. It looks a bit strange and discolored, but fine.
Now, looking out the window one would think that it is 60 degrees or something outside, being March and all, but noooo it's still in the 30's! The snow is supposes to start again tonight and for the next few days!!! I've had enough of the white stuff and ready to get outside with the kids and go to the parks and farmer's markets.
Spring, spring...where are you?
Thursday, February 28, 2008
Achoo...
Yes, we finally got sick! I took the kids out for their first indoor play group experience and they both got sick the next day. So no more of that! Then of course I got it too. I thought it was hard for me being sick, But it was unbearable for both kids and me being sick. Luckily Jimmy came home early to take care of us. We all are still coughing and sneezing, but the fevers are down and we are not so dizzy. Jimmy is the only one who can take preventative medicines so he is still doing well. This is just an update, I'm heading back to bed.
Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Stir crazy
I have decided that I do not like snow! Well, not more than one inch of it any way. Yes, it is absolutely beautiful to see fresh snow, but not so great when it prevents me from getting out of the house! With that said, I have given Jimmy the okay to settle our family in a warmer climate.
Kai is going crazy which in turn is making me go nutty. We need wide open spaces, fresh air and sunny days to frolic in. Ah, only a few more weeks (hopefully not months) until gorgeous spring in the city! I can see it now, the kids being pushed around town in their double stroller and me with a smile on my face!
Kid News
Kai's new addiction is silver dollar pancakes with fruit! On Valentine's day he had pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. On normal days, he has pancakes with chocolate hazelnut spread and 'nanas'.
Baby Cassia is now six months old! She loves peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, and bananas. Her next new foods will be butternut squash, green beans and avocado.
She can sit up without assistance too!
Kai is going crazy which in turn is making me go nutty. We need wide open spaces, fresh air and sunny days to frolic in. Ah, only a few more weeks (hopefully not months) until gorgeous spring in the city! I can see it now, the kids being pushed around town in their double stroller and me with a smile on my face!
Kid News
Kai's new addiction is silver dollar pancakes with fruit! On Valentine's day he had pancakes with strawberries and whipped cream. On normal days, he has pancakes with chocolate hazelnut spread and 'nanas'.
Baby Cassia is now six months old! She loves peas, carrots, sweet potatoes, and bananas. Her next new foods will be butternut squash, green beans and avocado.
She can sit up without assistance too!
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