Because why

Anytime I ask Baby D, "Why did you do this," his answer is always to shrug his shoulders and say, "Because why."

"We're having a nice dinner!"

So, I busted my ass for 10 days, cooking 3 meals a day for roughly 9 people. Don't let me fool you, I really liked doing it! I love to feed people; especially when they like it.

However, my kids basically complained the entire time and didn't eat a thing. Baby D and Baby R ran screaming from the dinner table, and even yelled "Yuck!" and "Gross!" quite a few times. Nice, huh?

However, since our guests left we've eaten takeout 3 times in a row. And at each meal, my darling Baby D says, "We're having a nice dinner!" Dinners of takeout pizza, Taco Bell, and Chinese food.

The hubby even told me tonight, "You make great food. It just isn't stuff I like."

Unrefined palettes, folks.

Holiday menus

Good morning!

I've been laboring over this crazy menu for the past 3 days. We are having guests for the holidays and it is always so hard to meet everyone's wants/needs/likes for food - especially during the holidays.

But, I think I've done it. Yay!

I used a variety of food blogs, cookbooks, and old-standbys. See menus below...and if you have any new ones to share, please do! I love new recipes!

Sunday, Dec. 19^th

D – French onion soup

Monday, Dec. 20^th

B – Eggs, turkey bacon

L – potato leek soup, cheese, crackers

D – Chicken parmesan, steamed broccoli, lime yogurt cake w/blackberry sauce

Tuesday, Dec. 21^st

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L – cheese quesadillas, refried beans, sour cream, salsa

D – Ground lamb burgers, yogurt, baked chipotle sweet potato fries

Wednesday, Dec. 22^nd

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L – corned beef and baby swiss sandwiches, chips, carrot sticks

D – vegetable lasagna, roasted mushrooms, salad, garlic bread

Thursday, Dec. 23^rd

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L - leftovers

D – Roasted thyme and lemon chicken, salad, homemade croutons, jello mold

Friday, Dec. 24^th

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L – cilantro chicken salad (hollowed out tomatoes), crackers, chips

D – ham, creamy cauliflower, vanilla roasted pears

Saturday, Dec. 25^th

B – Crème brulee French toast

L – tuna sandwiches, chips, carrot sticks, cucumber sticks/slices

D – croque monsieurs, pumpkin pie dip, apples

Sunday, Dec. 26^th

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L – brazilian black beans with rice

D – roasted stuffed acorn squash, everyday chocolate cake

Monday, Dec. 27^th

B – toast, cereal, fruit

L - leftovers

D – Greek meatballs, tzatziki (sauce)

Tuesday, Dec. 28^th

B – eggs, bacon

L - leftovers

D – Filipino adobo chicken, rice,

The time of year for birthdays

Okay, I haven't posted in the longest time. I have so much to talk about...recent family losses, new job, selling our house, etc.

But, I'm really not emotionally prepared to talk about any of those things :)

Instead, I'll talk about what I'm going to get the boys for their birthdays.

Baby R turns 4 on November 13th. I bought him a leather jacket from Target - he wanted a "brown jacket." He's such a little fashionista! I am also buying him "Shark in the Dark." They listen to this at school and he recites it at home (scary voice and all!). Unfortunately, the audio CD isn't available anymore through amazon. Darn it!

Baby D turns 2 on October 29th and I'm torn between books and toys for him. He really loves books so that seems like the better plan!  I'm going to keep searching for him.

My other item - for me and others! - is that I need to buy empty bottles with screw tops or corks. I'm making limoncello and orangecello in the basement. And I need to bottle it, with a simple syrup, and give them away as gifts this Christmas. I'm so excited about these!

There is one missing

Lately, I'm constantly looking around for my 4th baby. I get everyone to the dinner table (including Baby A) and I look around like, "Okay, where's the other one?"

It is so odd. And I get this feeling ALL THE TIME now. Which is making things difficult for me since I've basically decided that we will stop with 3 babies.

Please note that this is a very recent decision; made mostly after trying to heal from Baby A's birth. It was apparently more than I could take :)

But, seriously...I keep thinking there is someone missing. When we are loading up the car, I look for the 4th child. When I am putting the kids to sleep at night, I look for this 4th baby.

I don't know if I really want a 4th baby and this is my subconscious kicking in. Or, if I just have so many kids now that my mind is playing tricks on me :)

Either way, it is the oddest sensation/feeling to look at my 3 babies and say, "Wait, where did the other one go?"

I want to get in trouble

Okay, so I've always been the good girl. I was always home by curfew (really I only went out a handful of times), I never smoked cigarettes...I was kinda dweeby!

But, now I'm almost 32...and I wanna do something bad. I want to get in trouble!!!

I want to jump into my shopping cart at the supermarket and sail down the aisles. I want to stand up and sing a dirty song in the middle of a meeting. I want to sneak candy into a movie theatre...just because they say I can't. I want to cut the tags off my mattress. I want to eat raw cookie dough; lots of it!

I want to have a drink before 5pm. I want to eat dessert before dinner, and sometimes I want to tell the kids, "Forget those veggies. Let's have banana splits!"

I want to walk around in 4-inch heels and refer to them as my "hooker shoes." I want to ALWAYS cut the crusts from my PB&Js...and be proud of it!

I want to put a huge layer of butter on my toast in the mornings, and grin while I eat it because I know how bad it is for me.

I want to give crude comebacks to evil people. "Suck it!"

What is going on??? I've never been like this before.

Maybe I'm just happy. :)

Poptarts and Paris

This weekend, Baby R had some great one-liners for us; particularly me.

After one of his naps this weekend, he came in to sit beside of me on my bed. He snuggled up to my side and rested for a few moments. Then, we had the following conversation:

Baby R: "Do you have your hair in a ponytail?"

Me: "Um, yeah."

Baby R: "Put it down now! You know I don't like your hair in ponytails, Mommy!"

Me: "Okay, crazy boy."

After a few more moments...

Me: "Is this better?"

Baby R: "Yeah, but now let me smell your hair."

After sniffing my hair, he looks at me suspiciously...

Me: "Well, what does my hair smell like?"

Baby R: "Your hair smells like poptarts."

And then he gives me the cheesiest grin ever!

The 2nd situation came when we were watching Ratatouille for the 8,000th time. I looked at Baby R and said, "When you get bigger will you take Mommy to Paris, France?"

Baby R: "No way!"

Me: "Why not?"

Baby R: "Because I don't want to go."

After a few moments of serious thinking on his part...

Baby R: "Daddy and I will drop you off at Paris and then come back and pick you up."

Come over for dinner!

Okay, so below are some new recipes I'd like to try. Let me know if anyone is interested and I'll invite you over for dinner. The ST doesn't like most of my cooking so I have to beg my friends to eat it. Hehehe!

1. Zucchini and ricotta galette - this looks so yummy! And I love ricotta cheese. I'm not the greatest with creating dough, but hey???
2. Candied citrus peels - I got this out of one of my Martha Stewart mags. I definitely want to try this. Plus, I want to then go a step further and try to make choc-covered candided citrus peels. Yum-o!
3. Linguine alla Carbonara - If I could only find pancetta? Don't you just love all those recipes where Giada uses pancetta??? I guess I'll just use bacon. (Note that I'm not too disappointed. I mean, come on...it's bacon!)

Any takers???

Indoor/outdoor composting

 I was talking to my ST's aunt about this last week.

I love the idea of breaking down our kitchen waste and applying it to something useful (ex. our garden) vs. just contributing to a landfill. I've found several websites that talk about the pros and cons of creating your own compost bin vs. purchasing one.

This site gave me some cool ideas on indoor compost bins...but the red worm compost bin FREAKS me out. I just couldn't do it!

Plus, I was amazed by the statistic reported on this site - "Kitchen scraps account for 24% of Americans' trash..."

Sunday dinners and peach cobbler

This week, my MIL and I were discussing Sunday dinners from our childhood. She shared that she and her siblings would travel with her mother to her maternal grandmother's house on Sundays for dinner and piano, ballet, and swimming lessons.

She also mentioned the good food - fried chicken and peach cobbler. Yum!

When I was a kid, my grandmother would also hold a Sunday dinner. However, ours was more likely to be spaghetti and meatballs. Grandma would also add a salad made with green peppers and iceberg lettuce or my personal favorite...wilted lettuce made with sugar, bacon grease, and vinegar. Artery clogger!

And during the summer, my mother would sometimes contribute with a peach cobbler.

So, today, in honor of our childhood Sunday dinners I'm making peach cobbler.

(Please note that I'm leaving off the fried chicken and adding a twist to my own Sunday dinner...cedar-plank salmon on the grill. )

My house is warm from the oven and smells like cinnamon and peaches. I'm not sure I will be able to hold off on eating this before dessert time.

Update - I already dipped into the cobbler. Awesome!

Grilled peaches

New favorite...grilled peaches! Yum-may! Yum-may!

I'm also pretty keen this summer on roasted red peppers and Martini & Rossi's sparkling wine. Ahhh...contentment.

The grilled peaches made a great dessert earlier this week. And the roasted red peppers are super with corn and also pureed into homemade pizza sauce.

And the sparkling wine, well it speaks for itself.

Dirty hobo

So, when Baby R tries to get out of taking a bath I tell him, "You smell like a dirty hobo. You need a bath, kid!"

So, recently, he very seriously says, "Mommy, smell my armpits. Do I smell like a dirty hobo?"

Am I wrong for laughing at this? I mean, come on...that is kinda funny. It's not like I'm laughing at a curse word.

So, I very seriously answered back with, "Yep, you're a hobo. A dirty one. Ew."

*giggle*

My temper and mustard

So, I'll tell you the story before my hubby does. It is not a story I'm proud of yet I continue to laugh as I think about it. I'm just weird.

Okay, earlier in the week, I was cleaning up the kitchen after dinner. The hubby was being particularly annoying - he was maddening, in fact. I couldn't get a word in edgewise and I could feel my temper rise.

I finally had enough so I dropped everything in my hands except a squeeze container of mustard. I ripped the cap off and squeezed about a quarter of a bottle onto my hubby.

I recognize that this isn't normal behavior - but somehow I felt so much better. *cheesy grin*

The hubby didn't take it so well. He was COVERED in mustard. It was everywhere. And then Baby R came running around the corner. He tried to stop when he caught sight of his mustard-covered dad, but his momentum carried him forward. He fell into my hubby and ended up with mustard in his hair, his shirt, and along his arm.

They both just stood in the kitchen, staring at me in horror.

I'm not proud of my behavior yet I wonder if the hubby will think twice before pissing me off again. Hmm...

Our friend M

While I was finishing my bachelor's degree @Purdue, the hubby and I were living in a small house in Lafayette. Soon after we moved in, we made friends with the neighbors. One, in particular, became our good friend - M. She was a little older than us (by about 4 years) and she was happy, spunky, and always willing to make new friends.

The hubby and I were drawn into her sphere. She had her own landscaping/lawn mowing business, and the hubby started helping her out on a few jobs. We brought her into our lives as our friend; it was never anything more (even though some wondered!). She was truly just our friend, and sometimes we felt that we were almost her parents despite the fact that she was older.

M struggled with depression. She was also a recovering cutter. She was open about her "issues" and also about her sexuality. M was so good about not judging others, and she was always able to excuse others behavior/judgments.

M was a large part of our lives for so long. We spoke on the phone nearly everyday after the hubby and I moved to IL in early 2004. She was even one of my bridesmaids.

Yet, in late 2005 we started noticing that she was getting herself deeper and deeper into trouble. She had alot of drama: married lover, drug problems, and she was struggling with cutting and depression again.

She stayed with us briefly in late 2005 and into early January in 2006. During her visit, the hubby and I saw that we had drifted apart in our friendship with M. She was asking for $ for various debts she'd acquired, she was talking about buying drugs and bringing them into our home, she was talking about her married lover's spouse and how the spouse was trying to track her down to hurt her. Again, a lot of drama and not necessarily something we wanted in our lives.

We talked to her about it and tried to help her. She basically said she wasn't giving up the lover and she wasn't giving up the drugs. We were "okay" with the lover (her choice, but we were worried for her) but we couldn't condone the drug use. So, we asked her to leave.

That was the last time we saw her.

I spoke to her for the last time in late 2006, right before Baby R's birth. It was obviously the end of our friendship. However, the conversation was very friendly and just a little sad. We basically said goodbye and good luck to each other.

Over the last 4 years, as I've had my boys and grown in my life and career, I've thought of her. I've wondered if she was able to find love, if she was at peace with her life...

But, I've never tried to contact her.

Today, a friend sent me a note on FB and let me know that M had died. She committed suicide.

According to the obit I found, she died in January 2007. Our friend died and we didn't even know.

I'm feeling such guilt b/c I can't help but think that maybe we could have helped her. She must have felt so alone.

I don't know what else to say. I'm shocked, I'm sad. And I wish she were still here. I wish that she had found happiness in her life. I wish she'd never felt pain.

Phone sex and maraschino cherries

Today, I saw a news headline that spoke about more moms becoming phone sex operators. And, I thought "Duh!" This is the perfect mom job; especially mothers of boys.

I stroke egos all day long with my sons:

• Great job!
• You're so smart!
• You're #1!

Not a big transition from that to, "Oh, baby!" :)

I may need to look into this gig.

Although, I should probably practice a little.

Missed opportunity: Yesterday, the hubby asked me if I wanted the maraschino cherry from his dessert. I should have said, "Give it to me!"

Friends and Family

This weekend is going to be great. We have friends visiting from IN with their two children. Baby R cannot wait to play with them!

And on Sunday, my dad and stepmom are arriving from WV. I'm nervous, anxious, and excited all at the same time. I have visions of my dad trying to tell me how to raise, discipline, and feed my children - and I see myself going postal if he tries to do this. So, I'm anxious to see how we get along (as well as adding the stepmom into the mix).

And I have to admit to being excited because my kids love family. Baby R loves to talk about grandparents, aunts, uncles, etc. He is really looking forward to "Grandpa Chuck's" visit. They will be staying with us for the next week and helping out while the hubby is in Chicago for training.

I have a few, fun recipes planned for this weekend and the coming week with my family:

• Baked chicken with salad, homemade croutons and panna cotta with raspberries - hands down my new fav dinner and dessert!
• Five-layer Italian dip - thanks to my friend, Amanda. She makes this for parties and such and it is amazing!!!!!!!!!!!! I cannot say enough about this dip. I'll post the recipe below to spread the love.
• Cheese quesadillas with refried beans, and Mexican cheesy rice

You can tell I'm making out my supermarket list for today, right? Hahahah!

Five Layer Italian Dip (recipe)
8 oz cream cheese, softened
1/4 cup grated Parmesan
1/3 cup pesto
1/2 cup roasted red peppers, drained, chopped
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix cream cheese and parm. Spread onto bottom of 9-inch pie plate or quiche dish. Layer remaining ingredients over cream cheese mixture. Bake 15 mins or until heated through. Serve hot with assorted crackers or sliced Italian bread.


Also, for a baby update - Baby A is doing very well. Although, he does have a little cold and continues to want to nurse every 30 minutes. He is becoming more alert and starting to focus on his surroundings. I love when his eyes finally focus on me and he just stares so intently. But, I also get a kick out of him staring at his nose, cross-eyed. :)

Opinions on Baby A's Name

Why do people feel compelled to give you their opinion on your choice of names for your children??? Did I do this to others before I had kids? God, I hope not.

Everyone from my family to the cashier at the supermarket has an opinion and they want to share it with me.

• "That baby is going to have a nickname...did you think of that?"
• "That is such a strange name. I would have named him...[insert their name choices]"
• "Just so you know, I am not going to call him that..."

I try to be gracious and say something like, "Oh, well we really like the name." Sometimes that quiets the opinion-giving, and other times I have to break out my big guns and say, "Well, it seems that everyone wants to give their opinion on my child's name." That one stopped my father in his tracks. Score!

I hope that when people tell me their name choice(s) that I say only positive things in response. "Great name!" or "Oh, that is my favorite name."

Come on, people. Have some tact.

A lesson in choc-covered strawberries

Over the past few years, I've become enamored with chocolate-covered strawberries. I think you could almost say "obsessed" vs. just enamored.

I love the darn things - the bigger the better, of course!

I love to buy them, but I also really enjoy making them. Here are a few lessons-learned I've picked up from making my own:

• Chocolate - Only purchase the Hershey's chocolate shell coating. Any other brand will leave choc remnants on your wax paper vs. sticking to your strawberry. And use a small, child's cup (my fav is one of the sippy cups from Tupperware) to hold your choc so you can easily dip the strawberry into it.
• Strawberries - Cut the damn leaves off. It is annoying trying to eat around the leaves. As I said, I also like the bigger strawberries, yet the smaller ones are probably sweeter.
• Wax paper - I place my strawberries on wax paper over a cookie sheet. This keeps the strawberries from sticking to the pan.
• Quantity - If you believe your small family will only eat a dozen...make two dozen because you are dead wrong. That small family will devour those 12 strawberries and lift their heads to sniff out more. They will look like freaks from a horror movie, with strawberry juice dripping from their chins. The lesson here is to overdue it; buy 2 cartons of berries and dip them all!
• Announcing your dessert choice - I believing timing is key here. If I have one or two picky, dinner eaters I'm apt to announce my yummy, berry goodness as our dessert choice a little early in the meal. However, if I have a lazy eater (or two!) I will keep this a secret until the end of the meal, and watch them shovel their meals in their mouths in order to earn that yummy, berry goodness. As I said, timing is key.

And there you have it, peeps. I challenge you to try it yourselves at home.

Sherlock and Mary

I am so excited!!!! My favorite author of my favorite book series has a new book - The God of the Hive. Whoo-hoo!

This is my ideal mother's gift. Hint, hint ST!

Basically, King has resurrected Sherlock Holmes and provided him with a female counterpart, Mary Russell. I love it!

I recommend starting with the first book, Beekeeper's Apprentice.

The West Wing

Somebody else become a fan of this show...please!

I watch the series on DVD almost every day (thank you ST for buying me the entire series).

But, I need someone else to love this show as much as I do so I can chat with them about it. My ST leaves the room as soon as he hears the opening sequence.

I am enamored of the men on this show - Leo, Toby, Joshua, Charlie. These guys are amazing. I love these characters. In fact, Baby A was almost a "Joshua."

Just watch the show already! You can catch re-runs on Bravo.