Its that time of year again!

Every year, around this time, I start to figure out what i'm going to do with the girls for our Christmas cards. We do a quick little photo shoot, and have to narrow it down to the best one, that we want all of our friends, family, and coworkers (in stan's case) to recieve from us.

It's amazing to me how awesome and easy technology has made this. I just upload our picture to Shutterfly, and the cards are already made! I just love it!
http://www.shutterfly.com/cards-stationery



This is one of my favorites from this year, and I really think I might use it. Especially, since the kids are growing so fast and accomplishing so much!
Although, i do like the layout of this card too!

And, Im planning on making the Grandparent's calendars again this year! You bet I'll be doing it through Shutterfly ;). http://www.shutterfly.com/calendars/wall-calendars . My MIL doesn't look ahead in the calendar. Every month, when she changes it to the next month, its a little surprise for her to see what picture I chose to use. I'm pretty sure November is her favorite this year ;).

Are you getting excited to see christmas cards? What about creating them for your own family?

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Now that our life is back to somewhat of a routine, I am hoping that I'll be able to find some time to keep up with this little blog (that is, if anyone even reads it anymore?).


Monday's are very busy around here. Both girls have school, we come home for lunch and a little play, then it's naptime. A quick snack, change of clothes, and we are off to the dance studio for 2+hours. I'm trying to keep monday my crockpot day. I think it's a good way to start off the week ; slow and easy.



Since the high today is supposed to be 54, and the sky is spitting on us, it no doubt, in my mind, is perfect for soup for dinner. And, not just any soup, but something thick, delcious, and very heart warming.



And, while the littlest one won't be able to enjoy tonight's soup, and will have to eat something else, the rest of us will, happily!

Cheddar Broccoli Soup

Ingredients:

6tbs Light Margarine

1 medium onion, chopped

2 carrots, shredded

5 cups broccoli florets

3 cups chicken or veggie stock

1/2 tsp. Garlic Powder

4 tbs. Flour

2 cups of milk (I use Almond, but any kind will work)

2.5 cups Shredded extra sharp cheddar cheese

Directions:

Over medium heat, melt butter 2tbs butter, then cook onions until they are tender. Add the shredded carrots and saute an additional 2 minutes, until soft. Add the broccoli and garlic powder, then chicken broth. Bring to a boil, then reduce to a simmer.

In a medium sauce pan, melt the butter, then wisk in the flour, cooking until it becomes browned and smells nutty (About 2 minutes). Add the milk, and continue whisking several minutes until it becomes thickened. Turn off the heat, and add the shredded cheese, mixing until completely melted.

Add the cheese mixture to the soup mixture, and stir to combine. Add salt and pepper to taste.

At this point I put it all in the crock pot on low, and will let it simmer until it's dinner time! Serve with fresh bread! If you are really daring, you could make homemade bread bowls and serve it in there! Less cleanup and way delicious!

A quick, easy, and delicious recipe! I hope you enjoy! Let me know if you try it and what you think!

The summer bucket list

Once the weather turned warm and sunny, and we were able to spend the majority of our lives playing outside, we decided to make a family summer bucket list. On this we had several different things, like fishing as a family, camping, going to Jumping Jacks to have dinner and watch the WaterSki show, etc. Well, one thing on the list has been crossed off with a BIG check mark!

The girls and I went to for a day of fun with our dear friends Marlene, Carly, and their little's.

The first stop on the way up north was to McDonald's. Marlene was pretty much appalled that my children have been deprived for so long of a Happy Meal, and made it happen.

Look at those double strollers! Unloading the mini vans and getting ready to head in.
After the long treck across the foot bridge (Holy crap, did my legs ever burn after pushing the stroller and all our gear over the bridge).
Tiny Dancer and her bud on the teacups!
The Wiggle's show!

The girls enjoying themselves on the hot air balloon ride. This was one of my favorites as a little girl!

My pretties driving the truck!

All of the kiddie's having a snack poolside


Tiny Dancer, doing some of her incredible ballet movies in the wave pool!

So cold! Snuggled up in her towel, taking everything in!

I was shocked at how much TinyDancer loved the rides. She's a total scaredy cat most days. I was one proud mama that day though! Look at that smile!

The girls first Rollercoaster. Only thing missing was Daddy.

And, i have to add, that rollercoaster was quite whippy for a kiddie one...i have the bruise on my thigh to prove it!

Waiting to be let on the Carousel.

Tired babies on the drive home. It was a long day, but well worth all the fun!

We are so lucky to have such awesome friends! It was a great way to kick off summer (Officially, since school just ended the Wed. prior), and can't wait to go back! After all, we did buy season passes ;).

The weather has arrived!

There's just something about little kids in warmer weather clothes, slathered up with sunscreen that puts a massive smile on my face. And, said greasy girls, stinking like Water Babies (By far my favorite sunscreen), so excited for the day, are in the mercy of their mama, ready to do anything just to get outside and play in the sun. This will last ALL.DAY.LONG.

Welcome warm weather, we hope you will stay. You've teased us a few times, just to run away and leave us with a cold, rainy spring day/week/month, but now that Memorial Day is quickly approaching, we'd love for you to stay. Something about warmer weather really excites me. I don't know if it's the nightly dinners on the deck, and the princesses racing up the stairs to take a past bedtime shower to then climb tiredly into our laps and have a last 5 minute snuggle of the night. Maybe it's how beautiful the glow is on their sunkissed faces. Or, how pretty the little curls form around their faces from playing so hard and being sweaty. This, my friends, is something I look forward to all winter long. And, I'm pretty sure, it's here to stay, for the next few months.

Our new "summer" routine is about to start. We have no plans. There are a few camps here and there that TinyDancer may participate in, but I'm thinking a summer off from school will be nice. Our backyard looks like a little tykes ad, and there is more than enough entertainment there. And, let's not forget the sidewalk chalk, bikes, scooters, and bubble machine's that they play with in the front driveway. It's kind of overwhelming, but they definately will not get bored. At least I hope not.

Picnics for lunch daily. Maybe it wil be on a blanket, or maybe in their playhouse. They've also discovered that they can sit in the watchtower from their swingset, and the dog can't bother them. Their little tykes picnic table will get good use this summer too. I'm hoping to do "Messy" art projects with them outside. Like, maybe REALLY finger painting. Yeah, I think they'd love that. I'm just so excited.

So, what are YOU looking forward to most this summer?

It's been too long!

The end of winter, early spring were so busy, and went by in a blink of an eye! Now that summer is here, and time will begin to slow down, i'm hoping I'll be able to cozy up in the office chair and be able to blog a bit more!

February was fun. TinyDancer had her very first mani/pedi with mommy and "aunt" beth to celebrate mommy's 29th birthday.
She also went to the American Girl Doll store in Boston, MA, to help celebrate her one BFF, Haley's, Birthday. Such an exciting day for the trio of girlfriends, and of course the moms.
SweetPea had her fair share of fun through February too! She enjoyed grocery shopping with mommy, and visits to the Library.

In March, we celebrated Daddy's birthday by getting dressed up, making homemade sushi, and enjoying yellow cake with chocolate ganache. TinyDancer and SweetPea both started Gymnastics in march. Both are in love with their new sport. SweetPea is quite good! TinyDancer started tumbling in hopes of trying out and making the dance studio's cheerleading team. We'll see.

April came in fast with a weekend full of favorite guests, Uncle Tom and Uncle Ania, Uncle Tarny and Auntie Kate. We dyed Easter Eggs with everyone, including Miss Jen, and enjoyed our evenings around the fire, with a cocktail or 2. The rest of April followed suit, with visitors, dance classes, and another trip to the American Girl Doll Store! The princesses spent a weekend at Grandma and Grandpa's house in MidApril, so mommy and daddy could camp with their friends for their annual opening day trip. The girls loved spending time with the Grandparents and were spoiled completely. April was also Miss Jen's 30th birthday, so mommy got to have a night out with the girls. It was alot of fun!



May has proved to be an extremely month. It's birthday month for both of my princesses. SweetPea had her party the first weekend of May, complete with a vintage theme. Mommy enjoyed traveling to antique shops, and even had friends around the country send cool vintage finds to help enhance a wonderful party. TinyDancer's party followed quickly behind, with (surprise, surprise) a ballet party at the dance studio. She was joined by 14 of her friends, and enjoyed a great dance class taught by the fabulous Miss Jen, followed by cake and fruit kabobs, and pink lemonade served in wine glasses.


More detailed post about the birthdya parties to come!

Maybe it will be a good day.

My day has been pretty rough so far. The house is trashed, which makes me nervous and itchy. We spent all afternoon yesterday making valentine's.

We had to wake up early today because my license expires tommorrow. I wanted to be at the DMV at 8 am, when they opened, so we wouldn't have to wait as long. On the way there, my gas light goes on. I ignored it and got to the DMV, and we sat in the parking lot for 15 or so minutes. Got SweetPea out, and into the stroller, then got TinyDancer out. Went to the door, and saw a sign that they are closed until Tuesday for President's Day. Great. Did I mention it's like 9 degrees outside?

Get to the gas station, and the credit card machine is giving me a hard time. And I can't find my gloves. Whatever.

Then I realized we forgot all of TinyDancer's Valentine's. So we had to treck back home and get them.

Brought her to school, and she cried at drop off. First time this year. Weird.

We came home, and I was seriously foul, once I walked into the messy house. But then, i found SweetPea in the livingroom, watching Super Why, and she was so cute! I just want to smoosh her little face with tons of kisses. God, i'm so lucky! She's now sitting next to me, eating her raisin's and reading a Berentstain Bears book. The house WILL get cleaned, but there are more pressing matters, like playing with this little muffin!

Making Valentine's with my Valentine's

I took alot of time thinking about what we could make together for TinyDancer to bring into school for her friends Valentine's. We made our list, and ran out to the store to get supplies yesterday. Once I actually sat back and added up the costs, I decided that we needed a change of plans. I wanted something we could do together, and that everyone would enjoy. After walking around the store for a bit, it hit me. I'd make chocolate covered strawberries for her teachers, and just buy the plain valentine's for her friends. BUT-if I already had the chocolate, then I may as well just make heart shaped lollipops for he friends then, right? So, that's what we did. It was an afternoon production, which was interupted by dance class, but we had a blast.

First, we made the chocolate covered strawberries.
I used 2 Qts of Strawberries, and 8oz of chocolate.

Wash strawberries and pat dry. Melt the chocolate on low in a small sauce pan.

Once chocolate begins melting, add 1 tbsp. Veg. Shortning (this will make it shiny!)

Wisk together until smooth. Remove from heat.

Dip strawberry into chocolate, twisting to cover all sides. Remove slowly, and let excess chocolate drip off.

Put dipped strawberries on a baking sheet covered with wax paper. Once cooled, we drizzled pink and red chocolate across them.

I found these heart shaped Reynold's tins at Job Lot. I put 3 strawberries into each of them.

Then wrapped them up in red tulle and tied it with a pink ribbon.


Then TinyDancer and I got down to business making the lollipops. She wanted to make them for both her friends at school, and the girls that she dances with. That's quite a few lollipops!
We used a heart shaped lollipop mold, pink and red chocolate, lollipop sticks, and plastic bags.

First we melted the chocolate in the microwave on defrost, then stirred it to be smooth.


Then used a spoon and filled the molds. The sticks went in after, and then we made sure that they were covered with extra chocolate.

We put them outside to cool, since it was 15 degrees out. They were done in about 3 minutes!
We put them in the bags, tied them off with a red tulle bow, and attached them to the Valentine's Day Cards Tiny Dancer signed.



It was definately a fun, yet tiring afternoon. Hopefully, next year SweetPea will be able to help us!

Innocence

There is just something about a sleeping child. I don't know what it is, but it's so amazing to me. When a child is sleeping, everything is ok. They day that they had is now a memory in the past, yet the days to come are full of the unknown, full of dreams and expectations, hopes and concerns.

Throw a daddy into the mix, and you've got one awesome combination.

Today we had a good day. TinyDancer was allowed to stay awake and miss her nap, because she was so excited that Miss Jenn, her ballet teacher, was coming over. She spent a good chunk of the afternoon practicing her dance moves, trying to perfect her jazz square, and working on her double irish. She even went as far as to put on her black leotard and pink tights, and asked me to practice doing her makeup for the recital. She sure is passionate about what she does.

TinyDancer missing her nap is a big deal. She normally naps for 4-5 hours any given afternoon (Yes, I know how blessed I am to have a 3.5 year old that still takes a long nap). I knew that she'd go to sleep a little earlier than normal, but was completely surprised when Stash called me into the livingroom. I walked in to finding daddy nestling his princess, with her clutching onto her favorite blnaket and monkey tightly. She was fast asleep. It brought tears to my eyes. She just looked so beautiful. Even with a smudge of sweet and sour sauce still on her face. And, guess what? I fell even more in love with my husband. He really is a fantastic daddy. I don't tell him that enough. I'm glad that I have him to share such a great responsibility with.



She had a busy day today. My TinyDancer. I love you baby girl with all of my heart. I hope you know that forever and always.

Roasted Red Peppers

There's just something so exciting to me when I can go a week or two without having to grocery shop, and when I'm able to repurpose something. Especially, when repurposing is something delicious from my refridgerator that's about to go bad, and live the rest of it's life in the landfill (ah yes, we could-and should-compost, but we don't). And, when repurposing something our families favorite vegetable-the Red Pepper.

Today's plan was to make homemade pasta. A recipe was included with the pasta maker for Roasted Red Pepper pasta. Who doesn't love the smokey yet sweet flavor of a fabulous Roasted Red? Knowing that I had an abundant amount of peppers in the veggie door, I went in to grab a few. Much to my surprise, *someone* had cut a couple of them, using just a small piece, and leaving it there, open on the shelf, waiting for someone else to claim it. I'm pretty sure the peppers were happy that they would be used to nurish our family.

We keep roasted red peppers on hand and use them often. They are great in salads, pizza, pasta dishes, and of course, sandwiches. And, why pay a ton of money for a tiny jar when you can make them yourself at a fraction of the price? The only thing you need is an oven, and an hour of time!

First, the ingredients:
A few Red Peppers, and Olive Oil


Wash the peppers, and remove any stickers. Then cut the peppers in half, removing the stem and seeds. Lay them flat on a baking sheet, and drizzle with Olive Oil.


Place the Peppers in a preheated oven at 425 for 40 minutes. Halfway through, flip the peppers over with tongs, so both sides will roast.


Once both sides are slightly charred, immediately remove from baking sheet into a bowl and cover tightly with a plate or plastic wrap. Leave to cool. No peeking!

Once cool, remove the skins. They should slip off easily if they were steamed long enough.


Once all of the peppers are peeled, you can either enjoy them immediately, or put them in a jar with some olive oil. They should keep for a few weeks. I've read somewhere that you can use the oil in the jar for salad dressings and cooking oil still, so there is no waste.

So little, yet such a big heart

Weekend plans were foiled by a sick little Tiny Dancer. Thursday evening she wasn't herself, and by the time she went to her bed, she was crying and shaking, saying her body hurt. At 4 am when i was supposed to leave for a long anticipated weekend away with my best friend and some of her bridal party, I checked on Tiny Dancer and she had a fever. My plans were cancelled in an instant. It hurt me so much that my first baby was so sick. She rarely has so much as a sniffle, so I knew this had to be something more than just the cold. Later that morning she was diagnosed with bronchitis and H1N1. She was spoiled as every sick little person should with popscicles and lots of snuggling and loving from mommy. It was a lazy weekend, but just what she needed to get back to her old self.

Today we were making plans for the afternoon, and the conversation went the same as usual. What should we have for lunch? Peanut Butter and Jelly. What movie do you want to watch? How about 27 Dresses? (Have I mentioned yet how much I adore having a girly girl? ) Ok, then. That's the plan. But, she didn't stop there. Her tiny little voice then proceeded to ask "Mimi, do you think we could make some bracelets today? I'd like to give them to XYZ for Valentine's Day. (Can't say, incase XYorZ are reading this blog ;) ).

So, since SweetPea is now feeling the ickies, she went down for her nap a bit earlier, and TinyDancer and I set out our beading supplies on the livingroom floor and made bracelets for her favorites. Together, while watching 27 Dresses. My heart. She sure does own it. And in an instant, I was smitten again. I find myself repeatedly falling in love over and over and over again with this beautiful little ballerina.

Crockpot Chili with CornBread Toppers

It amazes me how many people are intimedated by the crockpot. Honestly, I think it's one of the greatest inventions! Just take some food, throw it in the pot, add some sort of liquid, and leave it alone for 4-10 hours, and you have a fully cooked meal, with little to no effort! Did you know you can make almost anything in the crockpot? Oatmeal is delicious in the crockpot, as is an apple dessert, or sausage and peppers, and even a chicken dinner!

Just in time for this weekends Snowy Weather, and the Superbowl, I thought I'd share a nice warm comfort food that we love in our house.

Well, since it's Thursday, and Tiny Dancer has dance at 4:15, I make dinner in the crockpot. Since it's a chilly day outside, I figured I'd make Chili for dinner. Now, my recipe is from a Weight Watchers cookbook (I can't tell you which one-Í think maybe "Cook It Slow"), but I've altered it enough to make it my own (As I do with almost all my recipes).





1lb. Ground Turkey,

1 Red Onion (Diced)

4 Cloves of Garlic (minced)

1 Large can of Crushed Tomatos

1 14oz Can Diced Tomatos

I small can of diced jalapeno peppers (I rinse my peppers and cut out the seeds)

1 large can of Dark Red Kidney Beans (you could also use light red or Black, or a mixture of them!)

In a skillet, brown ground turkey and garlic. Meanwhile, in the crockpot, add your tomatoes, onion, peppers, and beans. Once turkey is browned, add salt, 1/2 tsp. Cumin and 1/2 tsp of Chili powder. Add to crock pot, and stir until everything is evenly distributed. Top with lid, and cook on high 4 hours, or low 8 hours. Serve with a sprig of Cilantro (I always leave Cilantro out because it tastes like soap to me!). You can top with cheddar cheese, sour cream, tortilla chips, etc.

In our house, we top our chili with Cornbread toppers. They are so easy, and a perfect match for the spice in the chili.















Mix 3/4 cup of milk, 1/4 cup of EggWhites (or 1 egg), and 2 tbsp of Oil in a bowl. In a seperate bowl, mix 1/2 cup cornmeal, 1/2 cup flour (I use whole wheat), 1/2 tsp. salt, 1 tbsp sugar, and 1 tbsp. baking powder. Gradually combine the wet ingredients into the dry. At this point, you can make rounds on a preheated griddle set at 325. You can also add in 1/3 cup shredded Cheddar cheese, then place on griddle. Cook until underside becomes brown, and then flip over and cook the opposite side. Serve onto of chili.