Thursday, February 26, 2009
The Lake House
I just finished watching this movie, and it is honestly the most confusing movie I've ever seen. I'm still not sure what happened. Of course, that might be because it's taken me three days to watch the whole thing or that I'm living on 4 hours sleep today....
Wednesday, February 25, 2009
Notes to the things I love...
They say you can tell a lot about a person by the things they love. In short, I'm a sleepy mommy who loves quiet babies, clean bathrooms and flip flops. These are just a few shoutouts to my favorite things:
My pillow: I love you, dear pillow. We don't get to spend nearly enough quality time together, but just know that one day, we will have a whole uninterrupted night. I promise.
Coffee: After a long, sleepless night, I can always count you to be there for me. Just the smell of those beans when I open the bag is enough to make my eyes open a little wider. Thank you for giving me hope that I will survive the day.
Pacifiers: You can quiet Avery immediately, which makes you the one thing I can't leave the hose without. Pink, green, purple, white, I love you all and am already dreading the day we have to evict you from our house.
My hotsling: I absolutely couldn't go anywhere with both of my children without my beloved sling. You are Avery's favorite place to ride, and my favorite place to carry her. I would carry her in the sling forever if my back could handle it!
Kaboom bathroom cleaner: Is it sad that one of my favorite things is a bathroom cleaner? I tried every cleaner in the store, and you are the only one that can keep my glass shower doors clean. Small things that make me happy :)
DVR: I would never, ever get to watch my shows without your help. You are truly one of the best inventions EVER.
The YMCA: Not only do you provide a place for me to get rid of this post-baby fat, but you also give me an excuse to get away from my children for a few hours a week. Thank you.
Flip flops: Easy, cute, and well, did I mention easy? I've now declared it officially flip flop season since it's 90 degrees outside today. I look forward to a long and glorious spring and summer (and probably fall) with you!
My pillow: I love you, dear pillow. We don't get to spend nearly enough quality time together, but just know that one day, we will have a whole uninterrupted night. I promise.
Coffee: After a long, sleepless night, I can always count you to be there for me. Just the smell of those beans when I open the bag is enough to make my eyes open a little wider. Thank you for giving me hope that I will survive the day.
Pacifiers: You can quiet Avery immediately, which makes you the one thing I can't leave the hose without. Pink, green, purple, white, I love you all and am already dreading the day we have to evict you from our house.
My hotsling: I absolutely couldn't go anywhere with both of my children without my beloved sling. You are Avery's favorite place to ride, and my favorite place to carry her. I would carry her in the sling forever if my back could handle it!
Kaboom bathroom cleaner: Is it sad that one of my favorite things is a bathroom cleaner? I tried every cleaner in the store, and you are the only one that can keep my glass shower doors clean. Small things that make me happy :)
DVR: I would never, ever get to watch my shows without your help. You are truly one of the best inventions EVER.
The YMCA: Not only do you provide a place for me to get rid of this post-baby fat, but you also give me an excuse to get away from my children for a few hours a week. Thank you.
Flip flops: Easy, cute, and well, did I mention easy? I've now declared it officially flip flop season since it's 90 degrees outside today. I look forward to a long and glorious spring and summer (and probably fall) with you!
Tuesday, February 24, 2009
Why?
This is Kate's current favorite question. It drives me insane some days, but it also makes me really stop and think about why we do things. I decided to write down the Why questions I was asked on Thursday...I only made it through about noon before I got tired of toting my pen and paper around with me, but here's the morning's questions:
-Why do you like to drink coffee?
-Why did my cereal spill on the table?
-Mommy, why does Cookie Monster have eyes?
-Mommy, why does Brooke (her friend) love me?
-Why do big trucks drive on that road right there?
-Mommy, why is my cup empty? (this was right after she dropped the entire slushie on the floor of the car!)
-Why are my tennis shoes hard to get on?
-Why did my old pink shoes get too small?
-Why is that kid over there crying?
-Why is the grass brown?
-Why are our clothes dirty?
-Why does Bailey dig holes in the back yard?
-Why does Bailey get mud all over the floor?
-Why isn't that little girl listening to her mommy? (We were at the park--Kate's a people-watcher!)
-Why do you like to drink coffee?
-Why did my cereal spill on the table?
-Mommy, why does Cookie Monster have eyes?
-Mommy, why does Brooke (her friend) love me?
-Why do big trucks drive on that road right there?
-Mommy, why is my cup empty? (this was right after she dropped the entire slushie on the floor of the car!)
-Why are my tennis shoes hard to get on?
-Why did my old pink shoes get too small?
-Why is that kid over there crying?
-Why is the grass brown?
-Why are our clothes dirty?
-Why does Bailey dig holes in the back yard?
-Why does Bailey get mud all over the floor?
-Why isn't that little girl listening to her mommy? (We were at the park--Kate's a people-watcher!)
Monday, February 23, 2009
Chicken Piccata Recipe
Ask anyone who knows me, and they'll tell you that I'm not exactly a gourmet chef. I cook because I have to, not because I like to. I just don't have the time to spend an hour in the kitchen at my kid's whiniest time of day. Sadly, I do love to eat good food. My laziness wins out over my taste buds most of the time, but last week I found a recipe that is delicious AND easy. Perfect!
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon drained bottled capers, rinsed and chopped
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Thin slices lemon and chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
Directions
1. Sprinkle a small amount of water on a large plastic sheet of plastic wrap. Place 2 of the breast halves on top of the plastic and sprinkle again with water. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat pounder until about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining 2 breast halves.
2. Mix the flour with the salt and pepper in a shallow pie plate. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Working in 2 batches, place the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat on all sides. Shake off the excess flour and add to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate or platter and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.
3. Pour off the fat from the skillet and return the skillet to the heat. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring to pick up and browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer, turning often, until warmed through and the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and the capers. Season with salt and pepper and heat just until the butter has melted. Serve on warmed plates with a spoonful of the skillet sauce, topped with lemon slices and parsley
YUMMY!
Chicken Piccata
Ingredients
4 boneless, skinless chicken breast halves, about 6 ounces each
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1 1/2 teaspoons kosher salt
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
1 1/2 cups chicken stock, preferably homemade
2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
2 tablespoons unsalted butter, cut into small pieces
1 tablespoon drained bottled capers, rinsed and chopped
Additional kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
Thin slices lemon and chopped fresh parsley leaves, for garnish
Directions
1. Sprinkle a small amount of water on a large plastic sheet of plastic wrap. Place 2 of the breast halves on top of the plastic and sprinkle again with water. Cover with another sheet of plastic wrap and pound with a rolling pin or meat pounder until about 1/4-inch thick. Repeat with the remaining 2 breast halves.
2. Mix the flour with the salt and pepper in a shallow pie plate. Heat half of the olive oil in a large skillet over medium-high heat until almost smoking. Working in 2 batches, place the chicken in the flour mixture and turn to coat on all sides. Shake off the excess flour and add to the skillet. Cook until lightly browned and cooked through, 3 to 4 minutes per side. Transfer to a plate or platter and cover loosely with foil. Repeat with the remaining oil and chicken.
3. Pour off the fat from the skillet and return the skillet to the heat. Add the chicken stock and lemon juice. Increase the heat to high and bring to a boil, stirring to pick up and browned bits in the bottom of the pan. Simmer for 3 minutes.
4. Return the chicken to the skillet and simmer, turning often, until warmed through and the sauce is thickened, about 2 minutes. Add the butter and the capers. Season with salt and pepper and heat just until the butter has melted. Serve on warmed plates with a spoonful of the skillet sauce, topped with lemon slices and parsley
YUMMY!
Thursday, February 19, 2009
ZZZ...
You know it's been a rough night when I reach for this coffee cup in the morning. It's 2 times the size of a normal mug, and this morning I drank 2 of them before 10 a.m. Yes, it was that bad. I'm used to Avery giving me a hard time at night--she's a baby, my babies don't sleep, I've learned to live with that. Last night, though, Kate jumped in on the action.
I had just snuggled into bed and closed my eyes when I heard Kate screaming on the monitor. Of course she was calling for mommy, so Josh pushed me out of bed to deal with her. It took me about 20 minutes to get her settled, and I had just closed her door when Avery started fussing. Got her down in about 10 minutes and snuggled up in bed again. About an hour later, I wake up because I think I hear Kate screaming. The monitor is quiet though, so I close my eyes again. Wait a minute, that really is Kate, why isn't the monitor working? I realize in my sleeply stupor, I must've turned it off when she started yelling.
This time, I make Josh go to her. He hasn't even been gone for 2 minutes when Avery starts in again. I stumble to her room, nearly killing myself on the computer cord that is stretched across the hallway, curse at our lack of a computer desk, and attempt to put her back to sleep. Not happening. I bring her to bed with me, where she proceeds to grunt and whimper all.night.long. I swear, the child never got into a deep sleep. Somewhere along the way, Josh came back in, saw Avery on the bed, and retreated to the couch. Smart, lucky man! Oh well, at least Bailey (the dog) got a good night's rest...
It's a good thing the kid is cute, otherwise, I'd have sold her to the gypsies by now!
Tuesday, February 17, 2009
A World Without Computers
Out of the blue last weekend, my trusty old laptop took it's last breath. Okay, so it wasn't really out of the blue--the screen had been this scary orange color for a month, but I was choosing to ignore it. Anyway, the screen finally just went black and left me without a computer. After doing a little research, it seems that this is a common problem with that particular model, and the replacement part would cost $250. Well, the computer is 5 years old, so we decided to just buy a new one. We didn't have time to do that until yesterday, so I spent more than a week without a computer. Sad.
Let me just list the things that I was unable to do because of the lack of computer and the Internet:
-access my recipe box on allrecipes.com (and therefore had a great excuse to not cook!)
-order the pictures from Snapfish that I had been meaning to get for weeks
-Research what computer we should buy-Mapquest how to get to our playdate yesterday
-Access my address book so I could mail a thank-you note
-pay bills
-Update the checking account
-Fill out new patient forms for the dentist
-Keep up with friends via email and facebook (most important of all the things I missed!)
...I could go on, but you get the idea. The bottom line is that I can't believe how much we rely on the Internet these days, it's crazy to think that when I started college, E-mail was still a novelty, and most people didn't have Internet access in their homes.I am happy that I have a brand new computer (or pooter, as Kate calls it) and can now get on with my regularly-scheduled life! I still haven't figured out how to get my router hooked up to this computer, so I'm sitting on the floor of my bedroom with the laptop plugged into the modem (we don't have a computer desk due to our lack of space). Oh well, baby steps. Maybe I can get Jon (my brother) up here soon to give me some technological assistance!So, let's just have a moment of silence for the Dell, and hope that the new HP has a longer, happier life than it's predessesor!
Let me just list the things that I was unable to do because of the lack of computer and the Internet:
-access my recipe box on allrecipes.com (and therefore had a great excuse to not cook!)
-order the pictures from Snapfish that I had been meaning to get for weeks
-Research what computer we should buy-Mapquest how to get to our playdate yesterday
-Access my address book so I could mail a thank-you note
-pay bills
-Update the checking account
-Fill out new patient forms for the dentist
-Keep up with friends via email and facebook (most important of all the things I missed!)
...I could go on, but you get the idea. The bottom line is that I can't believe how much we rely on the Internet these days, it's crazy to think that when I started college, E-mail was still a novelty, and most people didn't have Internet access in their homes.I am happy that I have a brand new computer (or pooter, as Kate calls it) and can now get on with my regularly-scheduled life! I still haven't figured out how to get my router hooked up to this computer, so I'm sitting on the floor of my bedroom with the laptop plugged into the modem (we don't have a computer desk due to our lack of space). Oh well, baby steps. Maybe I can get Jon (my brother) up here soon to give me some technological assistance!So, let's just have a moment of silence for the Dell, and hope that the new HP has a longer, happier life than it's predessesor!
My First Post!
Okay, so I'm new to this whole blogging thing, but I thought I'd give it a shot since we have so much going on these days. Hopefully this will be a way for all our family and friends who live far away to keep up with us and the girls.
First off, a disclaimer--I have a long and proud history of starting things that never get finished. Let's see, there are the three scrapbooks in the closet, the bins I bought in order to organize my closets that still sit empty in the garage, the Pilates DVD I bought months ago that still has the cellophane wrapper on it....you get the idea. This time though, I have a motivation--to let my loved ones get to know my girls and give them a glimpse of the little things that make them special.Another disclaimer--I am sleep-deprived (as told by the title of this blog), therefore, I take no responsibility for rambling sentences, misspelled words, or anything that makes no sense. Just go with it and realize that one day I will sleep again and then maybe my posts will be a little more clear than mud!
To begin, I think I'll post some pictures of the girls (I'd post pics of Josh and me, but we all know that people are really not interested in us, they're interested in the cuteness of the girls!):
Kate enjoying one of her favorite activities:
Avery loving the Bumbo:
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