noe place like home

pre-k for Dax

2011-09-06T19:00:00.000-04:00

Dax had his first day of preschool. Yay for Dax!!

He was excited but a little nervous the first day.

He was really quiet when I left and he looked rather small too. He was brave and did not cry one bit. When I picked him up he was so excited to tell me everything they did. His favorite part? Treat box at the end!

Dax in action

2011-08-31T20:00:00.000-04:00

Dax is playing Fall T-ball for the first time ever this year. This is his first organized sport! We gave him the option of soccer or t-ball and t-ball won! He plays for the Astros as part of Eastern Little League. Xavier played for this league last Spring and we love it!

Walking to the field.

In the dugout.

Good hit Dax!

Run...run!

On the way to the game I asked him if he was excited. He said he was but he was a little nervous about the bases. Xavier then went on to explain to him the finer points of running the bases as only an older brother with much more experience can :) Sure enough, the first time around the bases he went right from 3rd base to the dugout! It was so cute...I was so busy watching that I didn't get a picture of it. To his defense, they had only 1 practice before the first game and needless to say...he is no longer nervous about running the bases and has not made that mistake again!

Enjoying the snack after the game.

One of the moms made baseball cake pops for each of the kids. CUTE!

my angel baby...

2011-08-27T00:42:00.000-04:00

with fangs!

Lincoln has had his top 2 teeth pop through..but not the font teeth!! He has grown a set of fangs. I have said before that Lincoln reminds me more of Xavier than Dax and this is just another example. Xavier grew his teeth in the same way! Secretly, I LOVE it:)

(My mom pointed out that the shadow in the first picture does look like little set of wings. I have to agree:)

Goodbye Julia..

2011-08-24T15:00:00.000-04:00

you will be missed!!

Julia was a huge help to us this summer. She watched the boys a couple days a week and helped get them to 2 sessions (that is 4 weeks people!!!) of swimming lessons, trips to the explorium, library, park, etc. It was so nice and helpful to be able to have the big boys be able to do all these activities (most of them outside in the scorching heat) without having to tote an infant around too!

The boys loved her and I did too. In addition to being such a smart, sweet girl she is a fanastic baker too. Not only does she bake...but she bakes (and eats) totally vegan. She brought me several of her tasty treats and I will say that her mad skills exceeded my expectations. Her berry pie ROCKS!! It was restaurant quality for sure:) Miss you already!

a day of firsts...

2011-08-17T15:30:00.000-04:00

It is the First Day of 1st grade for my first born. He is going to be a the big campus this year and could not be more excited!!

He picked out his lunchbox and backpack in his new favorite color...RED!

Dad and Xavier on the first Day.

Funny story: I packed up some of Xavier's lunchbox the night before. I included a note and a joke for his first day too. Since it is a new lunchbox I wanted to be sure that the sandwich container that we used last year would fit in with everything else and when I stuck in in there, it was going to be a perfect fit. Yay! So after a busy first morning and dropping X off with no tears from either of us, I came back home and walked into the kitchen and was struck with a strange thought. I don't remember actually making Xavier's sandwich this morning....no, I am quite certain that I did NOT make it at all. I saw the sandwich container in there from last nights fit test and just zipped up that luchbox without a sandwich!! So I quickly made the sandwich and made the trek downtown once again to bring the boy his lunch. Just call me preoccupied:)

8 months

2011-08-16T23:00:00.000-04:00

Here we are at 8 months, 2 teeth, almost crawling, and Lincoln is just so busy!!

I think he looks a lot like me in this picture. He is a starting the "da, da, da" babble and is so, so close to crawling.

Everything...I mean everything goes right in the mouth.

Love his little face!

Xavier starts back to school tomorrow and Mom is saying Alleluia!! I think Lincoln is too!

Maybe now he will get a nap in without all the noise that 2 older brothers make. But then again, I think he is used to all the noise and maybe it will be too quiet. We will soon find out!!

a {chocolate} goatee is my fave...

2011-08-07T13:50:00.004-04:00

Hmm... what ya got there?

Don't mind if I do!

What IS that delicious goodness??? Chocolate you say??? Chocolate...where you have you been all my life??? Well...for the last 7 1/2 months? Knock me over with a feather!

Hey, I just noticed I don't have a cone....

Happiness is not so much in having, as in sharing:)

Or so they are trying to tell me...but I wasn't born yesterday!!

7 months

2011-07-16T16:46:00.002-04:00

For those of you that are still following along with my lack of posting here is a new Lincoln post for you.

At 7 months he is finally sleeping through the night, still not taking a bottle but taking a sippy cup and is eating more and more foods. His favorites are watermelon and cottage cheese....his least favorite food is bananas. He will NOT eat them at all. Not that I can blame him on that one as I am not a big fan either! I will eat them in a smoothie but not if I can really taste it.

Eat your veggies!

He has the most nicknames of any of the boys and it seems we all call him something different.
Daddy: Linc
Mommy: Doodle, Do Nose
Xavier: Gooey
Dax: Cheekies

Poor thing, he may never get to know his real name....

but he doesn't seem to mind:)

half year

2011-06-15T15:59:00.001-04:00

And time just keeps cruisin' by here at the house of Noe. Doodle is 6 months old and has 2 teeth.

At his 6 month appt. he weighed 15 lbs. 10 oz (40%) and was 27 1/2 inches long (75%). 16 pounds was my guess so mama know her weight:) Lincoln doesn't really like baby food or the bottle but bring on the cheese and bread and he does just fine....he takes after his Daddy there. He loves songs being sung to him and he lights up when he sees any of us come into the room. That also results in having to pick him up because he will not let you leave the room without making his presence known.....loudly!

He can sit fairly well. (Note the shock of blond hair sprouting up...I LOVE it!)

Notice I said "fairly"....hee hee....

Thanks to daddy's lighting fast reflexes he was saved from knocking the old noggin! Good thing for Doodle that mommy was behind the lens on that one!

So many family members have yet to meet Lincoln. Hope the pictures help in watching him grow:)

5 months

2011-05-17T15:47:00.001-04:00

Our little Lincoln has just barely started to "sit" for a few brief seconds.

He really is just mostly resting his belly on his legs but he result is kind of sitting:) Well, enough to snap a few quick pictures.

He is still not sleeping through the night. Any day now right????? He also is not taking a bottle or pacifer..only me...lucky, lucky me. I'm not really complaining because he is a really good baby and just so cute! (Although I may be just a wee bit biased.)

He is growing so fast and is getting interested in toys and of course whatever his brothers are doing.

coming to an end....

2011-05-16T13:40:00.001-04:00

As Xavier's kindergarten year is winding down they have had several fun things going on. We all were able to attend the Kindergarten Picnic last Friday and have lunch with Xavier.

Well, Dax had lunch while Steve watched Xavier eat. Before we left, I asked Dax to ask Steve whether he wanted me to pack him a lunch. He had had some fruit and yogurt earlier so I wasn't sure whether he was going to be hungry for lunch. Dax came back and said "He just wants water." So when we get to the park Steve looks at me and says...did you pack me a lunch? I said No, you said you just wanted water. We both look at Dax. Dax looks back at us and says (somewhat sheepishly), "Sorry". I said what did you ask Daddy? Dax replies "I asked him if he wanted a Gatorade or a water with your lunch"? I guess we shouldn't rely on a 4 year old for communication. I think Dax was SO excited about having a Gatorade for lunch that he couldn't get the question right.

It was a really perfect day for a picnic, a little cooler than the 86+ degrees we had the prior days.

This is Xavier's teacher Ms. Parker. We love her!

Soon, the Kindergarten year will be behind us...I'm not sure I am ready for it to end yet!!

4 months

2011-04-22T00:17:00.000-04:00

And time just continues to speed right along. Lincoln had his 4 month check up this week. He is 14 lbs 4 oz (50%) and 25 1/4 inches long (75%). Just for fun, I checked the stats on both Xavier and Dax to see how Lincoln compares. Xavier was 17 lbs 8 oz and Dax was 16 lbs 12 oz and they were both 26 3/4 inches....so our Doodle is just a bit smaller than they were. Although the only real difference I can see is that Linc's legs are not as full as the other boys were. He had to have 2 shots at the appt. and I could not believe that he didn't cry on the first shot at all and hardly cried at all on the second one that the nurse said would sting. He is going to be my tough boy and that is probably a good thing since he has 2 older brothers!

He really putting his hands and other toys in his mouth and is starting to drool. He is not sleeping through the night yet much to my dismay. I think it is time for some "tough love"! He also has forgotten how to take a bottle so we are trying to re-train him on that so Steve and I can go on a much needed date without him in tow!

Who could not love that face??

Bald IS beautiful:)

*Thanks Jenna for the cute hat!

spring break '11

2011-04-20T23:55:00.000-04:00

We were beach bound again to FL, but for the first time with Doodle on the outside!! (Our last trip I was pregnant and actually announced the pregnancy to Steve's family when we got down there). We packed up and headed out bright and early and were able to log some miles before the boys were actually awake enough to make some noise. We planned on dividing the trip into 2 days because of Lincoln. We made it to FL but were still about 4 hours from our destination when the baby had had enough. Finding a hotel was another story but we did end up finding one after some intense searching while driving down the highway trying to book something via iphone. Needless to say, the actual driving part was not very fun. The big boys did just fine as always, but Doodle was not really enjoying it...and boy did he let us know!!

Once we got there, the boys were ready to have some fun.

A little relaxing by the pool,

plenty of games...

One of my favorite things to do is watch the sunset on the beach. The boys seemed to enjoy them too. One night the boys went down in their pjs to say goodnight to the sun.

We had wonderful weather all week- mid 80's and sun and it only rained 1 day. What I don't have pictures of (as I needed about 15 more hands/arms to carry everything) is time spent on the beach building in the sand and going into the ocean (to "ride the waves" as the boys say) and the awesome homemade icecream at Big Olafs ,but trust me when I say that those were total highlights for all of us!

Doodle had some highlights of his own

as he rolled over for the first time on the trip.
It was good to spend some time together as a family in such a beautiful and warm part of the country. We made it there and back safely and I look forward to returning many, many, many times with all of my boys!

3 months

2011-03-17T01:44:00.001-04:00

I cannot believe that three whole months have come and gone since we have brought Lincoln home from the hospital. We all have been enjoying him so much!

Daddy time!

Hanging with X.

Personal space invasion with Dax:)

Some of Lincoln's favorite things to do are talking to anyone who will listen, standing up, swing, bouncy seat and little gym. He is just starting to take an interest in toys and purposefully bat at the hanging toys in the gym.

He is growing into such a big boy!

baba-tized

2011-03-16T00:56:00.004-04:00

Sunday, March 6th we had Lincoln baptized or baba-tized as Dax would say. Thanks to all family and friends who were here (and who were here in spirit) to celebrate with us.

It was truly a lovely and special day.

On a funny note, we usually go to 8:30 Mass but that Sunday we had the baptism at the 11:30 Mass. It was not our normal Sunday routine and the boys had been up a while, played and had breakfast when we told them that it was time to get dressed.

Steve: Boys, it is time to get dressed.
Dax: What?
Steve: It is time to get dressed.
Dax: What for?
Steve: Church.
Dax: Church? We have to go to Church? I thought Lincoln was getting babatized today.

Gotta love my Dax!

2 months

2011-02-17T22:19:00.001-05:00

Our little Linky Doodle is 2 months old already! We went to the Dr. for his 2 month appointment and he weighs 11 pounds and is 23 inches long. I think they said that was 40% and 50%. He has had some issues with reflux mainly at night so we started him on some Zantac and hopefully that will help some. He is still waking about every 2 1/2 hours at night to eat but has been sleeping from 8:00 pm to around 12:00 so at least I have a bit of a break:) Xavier slept through the night at 9 weeks and this is our 9th week so they may still be some hope! (Dax on the other hand didn't sleep through the night until about 5 1/2 months but I am not going to even think about that right now!)

He is really starting to coo and smile. Xavier can get him to coo and "talk" the most. Dax has a bit of a problem getting in Lincoln's personal space bubble...he just loves him a bit too much:) He doesn't love his pacifer but will take it when he is extremely hungry or tired. His favorite things right now are his bouncey seat and his gym where his wild arm movements knock into some of the toys hanging from it that make noise. And yes, we call him Doodle about 95% of the time...it just fits him perfectly!

happy {heart} day

2011-02-14T21:42:00.000-05:00

We had a great time preparing for Valentine's Day this year. Xavier's homework was to make a box for all of his Valentines...

I helped but the design was all his own. Cute! He chose Star Wars Valentines and also gave out Fun Dips. He did a great job addressing everything:)

Dax also worked on his Valentines.

The boys did crafts over the weekend too.

I saw this idea on a blog and made these cookies.

I just followed the recipe for Peanut Butter Blossoms but used Dove hearts instead of Kisses. Cute and easy!
This was sitting at the table for each of the boys when they came to the table for chocolate chip heart pancakes in the morning.

Dax, Lincoln and I went to a party that had tons of activities and was so much fun for all of us! Here is a really cute treat that Dax got from his friend Sadie.

Sadie's mom Hillery made the cutest cookie dough pops covered in white chocolate and tiny heart sprinkles. Adorable!!

We all certainly enjoyed some Valentine treats....all of us except Lincoln. How did he feel about that you may ask???

'Nuf said!!

1 month already

2011-01-14T21:02:00.002-05:00

and getting to be a big boy. Xavier and Dax just love him and we do too! It is hard to believe that you have been with us a month Lincoln...time is going just a bit too fast (although we could hurry up the sleeping through the night part!)

and now he is six!

2010-12-23T17:14:00.001-05:00

Happy 6th Birthday to the little man who made me a mommy for the first time!

The last 6 years have been more incredible than I ever imagined them to be.

Because the baby was also due in December, we wanted to be sure that Xavier had a special day to celebrate his 6th birthday. The first weekend in December he invited two buddies from his class out to Gattitown which is a place that has video games and cool stuff like indoor bumper cars. We had pizza and I brought cupcakes. The boys had a blast!

(These cupcakes were really, really good! One of the best I've had. Get the recipe here!)

Luckily, the baby came before Xavier's birthday so we also got to celebrate on his actual birthday. Here he is the morning of the 19th. Doesn't he look six?

He requested homemade pizza, broccoli with cheese and and Iron Man eclair cake.

Not my finest work but I just had a baby 5 days prior...that's a valid excuse right?

He opened many wonderful cards and gifts from family, so thank you again everyone. He is very appreciative! The one thing that he kept asking for was a pet (especially since he found out that his cousin Grace had one and she is younger than he is.) We thought that we would go with a fish as a good (read low maintenance) place to start. Xavier had a treasure hunt with clues like a fish net and food before he found the tank that was filled with water but empty. Steve thought that it would be more fun to have Xavier pick out his own fish. So off they went to the pet store to get fish #1.

Yes, your read that right. Fish #1 lasted about 3 hours when Xavier came to me and said that his fish (still nameless) "was upside down and the bottom of the tank just looking at me with his eyeball." Yikes! That never sounds very good. So Xavier started to ask Steve a million questions about what what was wrong with the fish and before Steve could think he said "It's DEAD!!!" Nice job, Daddy....that was subtle. A few tears later and back to the pet store with dead fish in the bag they went and returned with this

Xavier eventually named the fish "Goldie" (he definitely gets his creativity from his father) after about 3 days. He also was afraid to have the fish back in his room the first night for fear of this one dying too. He came downstairs the next morning and Steve had him look at it and report back to him in effort to have him get over the fear. However, Steve did check on the fish earlier to be certain that it was NOT upside down for Xavier to find again.

To sum it all up Xavier said "even though my fish died it was still the BEST birthday ever!" Mission accomplished:)

#3

2010-12-21T16:32:00.000-05:00

On December 14, 2010 our little family of four grew to five.

We could not be happier to welcome our third child, a little BOY! We named Lincoln Patrick. He is perfect and healthy and for that we give thanks to the Lord. He certainly has blessed us once again.

Lincoln is such a sweet addition to our family and we just love him!

My friend Denisha did a photoshoot for us. You can see that here. She is beyond talented behind the lens and the sweetest person! She also is a busy mommy to three beautiful girls and still found the time to do this for us. Love them!!! So happy to have these moments captured beautifully forever.

going...going...gone {repeat}

2010-12-05T15:48:00.002-05:00

Since the first child in his pre-school class last year lost a tooth last year, Xavier has been obsessing. We went to the dentist this fall before school started and I asked him if anything looked loose and if we should expect it soon. He said "Not even close." So when Xavier said he had a loose tooth in November, I knew that it would probably take a while. Not really:)

December 1

December 2

He lost it at school that day so I missed all excitement. (It kind of reminded me of the time when Xavier rolled over for the first time ever and I missed it because I was in the kitchen making Steve a sandwich!!)
So the tooth fairy made "his" (the boys insist that it is a boy) 1st visit to the Noe house!

December 3 7:16 pm

Whoa....bet that will not make it until tomorrow...

December 3 7:32 pm

That night the tooth fairy again came to visit the Noe house. Wow...yet another milestone for my firstborn!

thai pasta salad

2010-11-20T11:28:00.000-05:00

This pasta is sooo good. My friend Hillery served this as part of the "Mommy Food" at the awesome Halloween party that she hosted and was kind enough to pass the recipe on to me too! She added chicken and spinach to it when she served it and had even made a special batch just for me that did not have chicken in it (due to my allergy). How thoughtful is that???

Thai Pasta Salad

2 cups uncooked pasta
1/4 c. cider vinegar
2 TB. sugar
3 TB. creamy peanut butter
2 TB. soy sauce
1 TB. fresh ginger, minced
2 cloves garlic, minced
1 small cucumber, seeded and chopped
2 medium carrots, coarsely shredded (1 cup)
4 green onions, sliced
1 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

Cook, drain, and rinse pasta. Meanwhile, in small bowl, combine vinegar, sugar peanut butter, soy sauce, ginger, and garlic. Beat with whisk until well blended. In a large bowl, combine cooked pasta, cucumber, carrots, and green onions. Mix gently. Pour dressing over pasta mixture and toss gently to coat.

** I added about 3 cooked chicken breasts, doubled the pasta (actually, I think I just used the whole box) and added 2 cups of fresh baby spinach and doubled the amount of dressing.

My hubby preferred it warm and it reheated great the next day. You may need to add just a bit of water if the pasta seems a little dry.

Loved it and can't wait to make it again!

in disguise....

2010-11-19T22:49:00.000-05:00

Xavier had a homework assignment to disguise his turkey like a family member so that they turkey would make it "safely" through Thanksgiving Day. Here is the Turkey before the disguise...

and after much deliberation, here is what we came up with...

Dr. Turkey!!!! A Surgeon Turkey to be exact. One that looks suspiciously like someone else we know and love:)

We mentioned doing a superhero turkey (which really would have been cute too) but in the end, decided that a Dr. Turkey would be more fun. Xavier had some help but he was definitely the idea man on this. His turkey had to have scrubs on with a pocket, string ties at the waist and glasses. He also wanted things in the pocket. We had Dad bring home some real stuff from the OR that we used. The mask was from a large mask, the hair bonnet from a large bonnet, the gloves from big gloves, etc.

We had a very funny discussion on the way home from school as Xavier excitedly told me about his project. After we decided to to a Surgeon Turkey the conversation went like this.

Me: Alright, let's talk about what we want this Dr. Turkey to look like.
Xavier: He should have scrubs on and maybe a jacket that opens up and you can see all his tools.
Me: It would be cool if we had some tools in the turkey's hands!
Xavier: Yes!
Me: What besides a knife could we put in his hands?
Xavier: Uhhh, what does he need a knife for?
Me: For operating.

Silence.....from both boys.

Me: You know... for cutting. (sometimes I forget who my audience is!)
Dax: What??? Daddy cuts people in HALF?
Me: NO, of course not!!!You know what Daddy does. What kind of Dr. is Daddy?
Xavier: A surgeon.
Me: And what does he do at work?
Xavier: Operations.
Dax: And scopes!
(At this point, I realize that even though they have the terminology down..they have ZERO clue what this all means! I hope that I have not scarred them for life!)

Me: In order for Daddy to fix people, sometimes he has to make a small cut on them to get inside their body to be able to help fix them.
Xavier: Is there blood?
Me: Maybe a little....but as soon as Daddy is done fixing the patient he stitches the small cut back up.
Xavier: Can we put some blood on the turkey?
Me: No. But we can call Daddy right now and tell him our plans and ask him what kind of tools he uses.
Xavier: OK, let's do that right now!

Yikes!!! That was a tricky conversation!! For the record...we put forcepts in his hands...but it really looked much more like tongs to me:)

another "super" Halloween

2010-11-01T14:05:00.001-04:00

The much anticipated Halloween was another fun event at the Noe house again this year. We had all sorts of activities going on for the week or so prior and Dax and I attended a fabulous Halloween party thrown by my very pregnant friend Hillery. The party was awesome and so much fun. It was blogged here by another friend. (No relation even though we have the name last name...she pronounces it NO:)

We carved some pumpkins in early afternoon of the actual day. Xavier was really into cleaning out the pumpkin and separating the seeds so that we could roast them.

Dax wasn't quite as enthusiastic!

He did not like the feeling. So he thought is was better if he helped Daddy like this...

Anyway, Daddy and I carved the pumpkins while the boys ran around doing other things. Iron Man for Xavier and Incredible Hulk for Dax....with the help of a tracing kit of course!

Some friends joined us for Trick or Treating and the kids had a blast.

Fun times!

The baby was even dressed in costume! I saw the shirt online and just had to make one. I drew it out and then had some anatomical corrections from the hubby, traced it onto fabric that had iron on adhesive on it and then just ironed it on. Sounds simple enough but took HOURS!!! Anyway, I was pleased:)

We had a ton of Tick or Treaters and went through 13 bags of candy...that was mostly just giving one piece to each! I wonder if we will have more super heros again next year??

4 and fabulous

2010-10-28T13:36:00.004-04:00

My youngest is 4! I can hardly believe that 4 years have passed since Daxton Robert came into this world (right on his due date) and made our little family of 3 into 4. Dax is one of the funniest kids I know, has a will of steel and is so full of life and energy. He has such a quick wit and you never know what he is going to come up with next. He loves to give me kisses and will do just about anything for something out of the candy bowl. I love you sweet baby cakes and am so happy that you are mine!

As tradition dictates, the birthday person gets to pick what they want for dinner and dessert on their actual birthday. As we talked about it earlier in the week, Dax wanted pizza. A day or so later he saw a commercial on tv for this

and said "Mom! You have to take me there"! He saw in the commercial that the kids meals come in car boxes and he was sold!

This was his face when we saw it from the highway

He ordered a hotdog and root beer and he was thrilled with his birthday dinner.

After dinner we went home to open presents and eat brownie sundaes with a cherry and candles on top!

Here are some pics from the day.

We had a family birthday celebration for Dax too that included his grandparents, aunts, uncles and cousins from Cincinnati too. He picked the theme

and it was a blast.

Thanks to all of our family for the gifts and well wishes for our 4 year old. They were much appreciated. Thanks also to my SIL Mary for taking pics so that I didn't have to:)

fall break

2010-10-19T21:27:00.004-04:00

Xavier had a fall break and we wanted to do some fun things. Steve was able to take that Friday off so planned a few things. We decided to do a day trip to Louisville on that Friday and then some local things Sat. and Sunday. First we hit Lynn's Paradise Cafe for breakfast. They have been on the Food Network and in the Food Network Magazine and many of my friends recommended it so off we went. It was really different and unusual .... not your typical restaurant! Xavier and I split the Bourbon Ball French Toast which is one of their specialties.

And an order of fried green tomotoes. They were both delish! Steve ordered the chirozo frittata.

Dax got a pancake

and managed to eat almost all of it!

We really had a fun time!

Then we were off to the Science Center.

This fun mirror at the entrance was cool!

The Science Center had a lot of interactive activities for the kids. Their favorites were the water play area and the Sesame Street Body Exhibit. This was so fascinating for Dax. You pressed the button and well, you heard the toilet flushing...

you get the idea:)

We also saw an imax movie about Dinosaurs. It was a fun day and a fun trip!

The next day we went to Keeneland (a horse track here in Lexington) and watched the morning workout. We stopped for some bagels and brought hot chocolate and had breakfast right there at the track. The boys loved watching the horses warm up and I couldn't believe how close they came to us. It was beautiful to watch. We got there early around 7:45 and it was cold. Only 38 degrees. The cold didn't stop the fun though:)

On Sunday, we went to a birthday party at the pumpkin patch so it was a full long weekend filled with activities and good family fun! So much fun that it took us all a couple of days to recover:)

spookin' it up

2010-10-03T21:35:00.000-04:00

We spent some time last weekend making the house "scary" and the boys were so excited! We did a couple of craft projects to help us along. I saw this and was inspired to make one of our own. My helpers and I

created this for our front door.

We used glitter glue on the spiders to help make them show up better. We just used spider rings to put in the wreath. We love it!

I also saw this and Dax and I made these while Xavier had a play date at a friend's house.

I found an old medical dictionary to use and thought that it added to the Halloween factor....and it is just funny:)

We then proceeded to decorate the mantel.

We found the crows at the Dollar Tree and also the skulls. They were kind of bright so we tossed them in a bag with some brown paint mixed with a little water to age them and it worked great. The boys are all about scary this year and it has been kind of fun!

I also made some homemade tomato soup. This was from a recipe I saw in the Food Network Magazine that a friend gave me a subscription to. The magazine has a ton of great recipes and food related articles in it. Love it:)

Tomato Soup

1/4 c. olive oil
1 medium onion, finely chopped
1 clove garlic, chopped or pressed
2 lbs tomatoes, chopped
1/2 t. sugar
1 t. salt

Combine all ingredients in a saucepan. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally until vegetable are tender, about 25 mins. Puree until smooth with immersion blender, or process in batches in blender or food processor. Season with pepper and keep warm; add water to thin soup if desired. Serves 4.

It was fast and easy and healthy. I will be making this again soon!

Here's to a spooky, scary and fun filled month!

sweet treats

2010-09-28T16:39:00.001-04:00

I have been wanting to post this recipe for some time now. Look at these!

They are so good! Trust me...I'm pregnant!
I got the recipe from Tasty Kitchen.

Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Brownies

•2 cups Butter, Divided
•¾ cups Unsweetened Cocoa Powder
•2-¾ cups Granulated White Sugar, Divided
•1 cup Packed Light Brown Sugar
•3-¼ cups All-purpose Flour, Divided
•3 whole Eggs
•½ teaspoons Salt
•½ teaspoons Baking Powder
•4 Tablespoons Milk
•3 teaspoons Vanilla Extract, Divided
•2-½ cups Mini Semi-sweet Chocolate Chips, Divided
•1 Tablespoon Shortening, Such As Crisco

For Brownies:

1 c. butter
3/4 c. unsweetened cocoa powder
2 1/4 c. granulated sugar
1/2 tsp. salt
3 eggs
1 tsp. vanilla extract
1 1/4 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 tsp. baking powder
1/2 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Prepare 13X13 baking pan by laying a piece of foil in the bottom and up the sides. Spray with cooking spray or butter the foil.

Melt 2 sticks of butter in a medium saucepan; add cocoa, stirring until smooth. Remove from heat and cool slightly. Add sugar, salt, eggs, and vanilla; beat with a spoon until combined. Add flour and baking powder; mix well. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread batter into pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 25 minutes. (I always remove my brownies from the oven when a toothpick inserted 1 inch from the side of the pan comes out clean or almost clean.) Allow brownies to cool completely before moving on to the next step.

For Cookie Dough Filling:

1 c. butter, softened
1 c. packed light brown sugar
1/2 c. granulated sugar
4 Tbsp. milk
2 tsp. vanilla extract
2 c. all-purpose flour
1 c. mini semi-sweet chocolate chips

Combine first 5 ingredients in a mixing bowl and cream together. Add flour and stir until combined. Stir in chocolate chips. Spread in an even layer on top of cooled brownies. Chill before adding chocolate glaze.

For Chocolate Glaze:

1 c. semi-sweet chocolate chips
1 Tbsp. Crisco shortening

Melt chocolate with shortening and stir until smooth. Spread over chilled cookie dough layer.

When I made these the second time, I skipped the foil part and just buttered the baking dish with perfect results. I made these as written, but did the chocolate glaze layer a little differently. I made a ganache by meting the chocolate chips with enough cream to get it to spreading/pouring consistency. Anyway, they really rich but good!

A couple of weeks ago we stopped to get donuts after church.

We really wanted donuts from Spaldings...a fantastic hole in the wall, non-chain donut shop, but the line was out the door when we drove past. Instead we got Krispy Kreme and their "HOT" sign was on and they sucked us into getting a dozen instead of just 6.

Grubby little hands were all over them!

Warm donuts....yum!

Apparently, they were close your eyes good!

tears and cheers...

2010-08-18T22:48:00.000-04:00

That is what they called it today when I took Xavier to school for his first day of Kindergarten. I have a Kindergartener!!! How did that happen?? Xavier was so excited this morning when we woke him up for school (now I wonder how long that will last?). Here he is posing with Daddy before he left for work.

It was dark, cool and rainy this am so all pictures were taken inside. It was as if it had turned fall overnight. I am sure that it was a fluke, but after the hot and humid weather we just had, it was a bit odd.

I packed his lunch with some of his favorite things

(and a surprise note from Mom of course).He took a cream cheese and olive sandwich, doritos, fresh peaches and ...

a special treat of chocolate chip/m&m cookies that we just baked the night before. I asked Xavier what other people ate for lunch, whether they brought lunch of bought lunch. I asked him if anyone asked him what he brought. He said "Yes, Mrs. Parker asked me what I was eating and I said a cream cheese and olive sandwich!" I guess the teacher then said "You like that?" and he answered yes that it was his favorite! I know it is a bit odd but I love it too:) To our defense, of course he likes it...why would I send it, especially on the first day, if he didn't???

Xavier posed for one quick picture before we left for school.

A quick funny. As I was finishing packing his lunch Xavier and Dax were on the couch reading books before we left. Xavier came over to me and said "Is it OK if I just tooted in my uniform"? Keeping as straight of a face as I could, I answered that yes, it was OK. Then he asked. "It is not going to stink now?" Umm, no honey, I think you will be just fine.

Off to school.

I reminded Xavier that once he got up the stairs that he had to go all the way to the end of the hall. I got an "I KNOW that".....

All right Mr. Getting Too Big For Your Britches!! He hung up his bag and found his seat right away.

Mrs. Parker gathered a few students and put them to work sorting supplies right away.

Bye Mom!!

The tears were not coming from him:) I will admit that I did cry....but if someone was going to do it I was glad it was me and not him!!

Dax was anxious to get out of there and get to our "date" at Panera "Dread" so he could get his grubby little mitts on this

a cinnamon crunch bagel...

which he thoroughly enjoyed!

When we picked Xavier up he told me and I quote "Kindergarten is AWESOME!" Now I call that a successful first day!

wrapping up summer....

2010-08-17T21:22:00.001-04:00

The boys had a great swimming summer this year. We had a pool pass that we took full advantage of and both took lessons and made improvements! In addition to learning some strokes, Xavier learned to do a handstand...

and to dive at Grandma and Grandpa Noe's pool...

and to go off the high dive!!

He has been going off the low dive for 3 summers now but I could not believe it when he said he wanted to try the high dive. I said OK, thinking that he would get up there and pretty much chicken out but he proved me wrong. Once he went off, there was no stopping. He is just jumping though since he just learned how to dive...I put my foot down on that one for this year:)

Dax went from being really uncomfortable putting his face into the water, to this

And he will now go all the way under.

He really thinks he is swimming when he does this patented move...

Even if he can't really swim, who can resist this face??

The best thing to come out of the garden this year has definitely been the flowers.

The sunflowers were short lived but pretty and the zinnias have done especially well.

A big shout out to my friend Sallie, her husband Charles and their daughter Sophie for letting us have a plot of land at their house and for putting up with my crew traipsing over there under the pretense of gardening. The boys do not share in the same interest in gardening as their mother...they mostly just stepped on things! So much so that Xavier asked to have his own plot at the house next year so that he could grow his own things and not worry about stepping on them:)

it needed to be done...

2010-08-13T17:41:00.001-04:00

The boys were in desperate need of haircuts. It had been months since they had one and they were looking very scraggly. Steve took them this afternoon for a trim.

Dax looked so cute with his long hair but he really couldn't see anymore.

These are a few of my recent sewing projects. All of them were gifts and some of them were way overdo!!:)

nursing cover

dress

sibling set

I am loving the applique on the little boys shirts. It is so hard to do cute things for boys so I get really excited when I come up with something that works:)

in case you were wondering

2010-07-13T12:57:00.000-04:00

super hero mania is still in full swing at our house!!!

These were taken after a full day at the aquarium a couple of weeks ago. Xavier's "girlfriend" had a b-day party at the aquarium and in addition to the tickets and party, the birthday girls mom paid for all the kids to get their face painted too! There were tons of options but once the boys saw the super hero ones....they knew exactly what they were going to get.

They thought that they were the coolest things ever and the they are still talking about what a great party it was. Stacey the party ROCKED!!! Thanks again for such a great time for all of us!!

a little fun on the fourth

2010-07-12T16:55:00.001-04:00

To celebrate the 4th of July we got a few fireworks for the boys this year. They were SO excited but didn't even really know what to expect. We did the fireworks on the evening of the 3rd. While we waited for it to get dark the boys ran around catching fireflies.

They started off with some "snap-its" and loved the noise they made when they threw them at the ground.

Time for the "big" stuff:)

On the 4th we were invited to a cookout and fireworks at our friend's house. In addition to fresh berries and jalapeno poppers (similiar recipe here), I made a Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake. It was festive and good:)

Chocolate Chip Cookie Cake
1 cup All-purpose Flour
1-½ teaspoon Baking Powder
¼ teaspoons Salt
1 stick Butter
1 cup Light Brown Sugar
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoons Almond Extract
1 whole Egg
1-¼ cup Semi-Sweet Chocolate Chips
Preheat the oven to 350 F.

Combine the flour, baking powder and salt together in a medium bowl and set aside. Using a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter, light brown sugar, and extracts on medium speed until well combined. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides combined. Stop the mixer, scrape down the sides of the bowl, and add the egg. Blend on medium speed for 30 seconds. Add the dry ingredients and combine on low speed until just combined. Add the chocolate chips and mix until combined.

Put the batter into a greased and floured 10-inch round cake pan. Smooth the batter into an even layer and bake until lightly golden and puffy around the edges (the center should still feel quite soft), 18 – 22 minutes. Cool for 4 hours before cutting. Store in a cake carrier or simply wrap the cake pan in cellophane.

I pretty much made the recipe as is except maybe added a few more chocolate chips...I used the mini ones and baked it my springform pan and it came out of the pan perfectly!

We had a very nice holiday weekend!

4 + 1

2010-06-17T15:15:00.004-04:00

As most of you know by now we are expecting our 3rd baby in late December... bringing our family of four to five:) Here are some photos Steve took right before we announced to family and friends. I was 12 weeks here.

Here are some pictures of #3 at 13 weeks. Incredible, I tell you. Even though I have been through this before, it still takes my breath away.

The boys are really excited and are SURE that it is a boy baby (even though Xavier keeps referring to it as her). Here are some possible names they have come up with: Sparkles, Ham & Cheese, Batman, Sam, Alfred.... As it stands, I will not be finding out the gender but Steve is determined to. I really don't have a problem with him knowing other than it would be so much more fun to not know together. Any of you that know Steve, knows that he has one heck of a poker face and so it will not be difficult for him to keep it a secret:)

florida here we come...

2010-04-08T20:36:00.000-04:00

The boys are ready....I am ready (although not packed yet) to head to sunny Florida for a little fun in the sun! Thanks Aunt Julie and family for the awesome snorkel sets.

The boys cannot wait to use them! They put these on Monday and insisted that they model for me. Not too often that THAT happens! We leave tomorrow afternoon and are driving. Say an extra prayer or two for our safety and my sanity.

if my boys would twirl...

2010-03-30T22:18:00.001-04:00

So often when I sew something I never get to see how the outfit looks on a real body. Mainly because I am sewing for girls and because my boys do NOT want to wear these creations...even if I beg and bribe. The other day I just finished up this.

I really wanted to see how the little shirt with all of those ruffles looked when a little body twirled in it and I wanted to check it for size. I had Dax try it on.

Me: Dax, could you twirl for me?
Dax: Tweerl??
Me: Yes...could you twirl please?
Dax: No.
Me: Really??? You won't spin around for me?
Dax: No.
Me: Come on... turn around in circles.
(Dax lamely and slowly turns around for me...looking pitiful.)
Me: OK let's get this off....before you pee on it. (An entirely different subject.)

Here are a 3 sibling dresses and a matching tie for the brother.

I have been working on a few more things but want the recipients to get them before they see them on the blog:)

chicken with forty cloves of garlic

2010-03-13T16:45:00.000-05:00

Many of you know my love for reading cookbooks and even occasionally trying a recipe from them:) My MIL got me Julia Child's cookbook, Mastering the Art of French Cooking, for Christmas which I have been reading and we recently had some delicious food at friend's house from a new recipe book of hers that is french. Now I am more than intrigued. My friend has let me borrow a couple of her cookbooks. The first recipe I tried out is chicken with forty cloves of garlic.

Chicken with Forty Cloves of Garlic

2 celery stalks, including leaves
2 springs of rosemary
4 sprigs of thyme
4 sprigs of flat leaf parsley
1 3 1/2 lb. whole chicken
40 cloves of garlic, unpeeled
1 carrot, roughly chopped
2 T. olive oil
1 small onion
1 cup white wine
1 baguette, cut into slices

Preheat the oven to 400. Put a chopped celery stalk and 2 sprigs each of rosemary, thyme and parsley into the chicken cavity. Add 6 cloves of garlic. Tie the legs together and tuck the wing tips under.

Brush the chicken with olive oil and season with salt and pepper well. Scatter 10 more garlic cloves over the base of a large covered casserole or roasting pan. (Use a dish into which the chicken and vegetables fit quite snugly so that the flavors mingle well.) Put the remaining sprigs of herbs, chopped celery, carrot and onion into the baking dish.Put the chicken into the dish. Scatter the remaining garlic cloves around the chicken and add any remaining olive oil and the wine.

Cover and bake for 1 hour 20 minutes or until the chicken is tender an the juices run clear when the thigh is pierced with a skewer.

To serve, carefully lift the chicken out of the dish. Strain off the juices into a small saucepan. Use tongs to pick out the garlic cloves from the strained mixture. Spoon off fat from the juices and boil for 2-3 minutes to reduce and thicken a little.

Cut the chicken into serving portions on a platter, pour over a little of the juices and scatter the garlic cloves. Toast the baguette slices and serve the bread to be spread with the soft flesh squeezed from the garlic.

Here is my chicken before I put it in the oven. I could not find my cotton string anywhere so I just left the legs flop. Tying the legs keeps them close to the body of the chicken and they won't cook as fast. Be sure to use cotton string and not nylon, as nylon will melt in the oven.

And after it was finished baking.

My family really liked this and since I can't eat chicken, you will have to take their word:) My friend told me to use my enameled cast iron dish like a Le Crueset and it was perfect for this. She also suggested using a farm fresh or chicken from a butcher to make it even better. I also omitted the celery as Steve really does not like the flavor of it. If you don't do wine in your cooking, I am sure you could substitute some apple juice or stock. It took about 3 1/2 heads of garlic. I made a little separate roasted garlic for me in a tinfoil packet. Cut off the top of the head of garlic and drizzle a little olive oil, a dash a wine and some salt and pepper. I sealed it up and baked in the oven while the chicken was baking. I thought the roasted garlic on the bread was just delish!!

apple pie muffins

2010-03-12T15:56:00.006-05:00

Xavier was asking for apple pie the other day and while I wasn't up for making a pie, I found this recipe for apple pie muffins.

They were easy as pie...ha ha. Seriously, they were easy. The boys favorite part was adding the crumb topping to the muffins.

Apple Pie Muffins
FOR THE CRUMB TOPPING:
•½ cups Packed Brown Sugar
•1 cup All-purpose Flour
•¼ cups Melted Unsalted Butter
•1 teaspoon Cinnamon

•For Muffins
•1-½ cup Packed Brown Sugar
•⅔ cups Vegetable Oil
•1 whole Egg
•1-½ teaspoon Vanilla
•1 cup Buttermilk
•2-½ cups All-purpose Flour
•1 teaspoon Baking Soda
•¼ teaspoons Salt
•2 cups Diced Peeled Apples

Topping:
In a small bowl, toss together crumb topping ingredients until crumbly. You may need more flour to get a good crumble. Set aside.

Muffins:
In a large bowl, whisk together the brown sugar and wet ingredients (brown sugar, oil, egg, vanilla, buttermilk) until smooth.In a separate bowl, sift together flour, soda and salt. (I don’t have a sifter, so i just fluff/mix it up with a fork.)
Stir oil mixture and flour mixture together.Fold in apples, mixing just until combined. Batter will be a bit runny, but that’s okay.Spoon into greased muffin cups or use liners, filling 3/4 full. (The easiest way is to use a 1/4 cup measuring cup.)Sprinkle topping over evenly. (It’s easiest to use your fingers.)

Bake at 350°F for 25 to 30 minutes or until golden brown and the tops spring
back.

I subbed out half of the white flour for whole wheat and made my own buttermilk using vinegar and used yogurt for half the oil. Next time I will cut the sugar just a bit. I meant to do it this time but I had helpers and got distracted:) Someday I will tackle a good crust, but until then I have these muffins:)

and he is off.

2010-03-11T08:51:00.003-05:00

On a whim I took the training wheels off of Xavier's bike. I have no idea why I did it. It wasn't as if he was actually showing signs of being able to ride his bike....in fact, he has been on his bike maybe once in the last 3 months. Even so, I decided that yesterday, in the 60+ degree weather we were having, that it was as good of day as any to start to learn. Xavier was skeptical to say the least. So we went out and learned to ride.

And then we waited for Daddy to get home to surprise him with what we had learned.

**This is not video but photos made into animation*** I have not attempted to mess with the video from the video camera....yet.

Xavier was so proud of himself....and he should be:)

Of course we had a few of these too!

Being 5 sure is fun!!!

happy b-day

2010-03-10T22:26:00.003-05:00

to my "older" (wink**wink**) husband!!

The boys wanted to make a special dessert for Daddy and we talked about making him a giant chocolate ship cookie because he loves cookies so much. But we couldn't tell him because we wanted to keep it a surprise. After we decided on it, X asked Steve at dinner a few days before, what his favorite dessert was.

Steve: Well, I like eclair cake...
X: What else?
Steve: I really like berry cobbler...
X: Is there anything else?
Steve: Well.... I like chocolate chip cookies!
X: (smiling huge)Well, I am not not going to nod my head...
Steve: So I guess it will have to be a big surprise then!

So as a big surprise we made Steve this

Xavier helped me make the cookie dough. After that, he helped to clean up by doing this

and this

He also helped to choose the right blue.

It was a nice day. By chance Steve had the day off. He and Dax went to get haircuts.

We fed the kids early and then had a "date" and made homemade crab cakes and scallops for dinner and had his special cookie for dessert.

I asked Steve if he wanted a candle and at first he refused. I asked him if he was sure about that. After all, you only get to have a birthday wish once a year...he reconsidered and blew out the candle. At what point do the candles stop being better than the cake??? Not yet... although the cookie was delicious!!

***We just used the regular Toll House chocolate chip cookie recipe and added pecans. I then spread about 2/3 of the dough on a pizza pan and baked it at 325 until it looked done. I used a cookie scoop on the rest of the dough, put them on parchmant and stuck them in the freezer to harden. After I remembered that they were in the freezer, I took them off the parchamet and stuck them into a ziplock freezer bag to bake later. I have made a giant cookie before using all the the dough and it was BIG disaster, with dough oozing over the pan and all over the oven. Lesson learned there!! My MIL also has made this with the chocolate chip cookie bar recipe with good results.

potato stamp tutorial

2010-02-22T21:31:00.005-05:00

I had been wanting to make a potato stamp for a while now. When we were thinking of ideas for Dax's valentines, the "tato" stamp again came to mind as something fun to try. I took some pictures as I went and thought I would make a quick tutorial in the event that you want to try this fun activity.

Get yourself a nice size potato. Since my 3 year old was going to be the main stamper, I wanted something to fit nicely in his hand.

Cut the potato in half.

Be sure to cut it in half with a straight cut. I didn't pay much attention and didn't really cut all that straight resulting in a stamp that was not totally flat. Of course, I didn't notice that it was not flat until I loaded it up with paint and and tried it.

Sketch out your design on the potato.

We chose a heart for Valentine's Day. I also wanted something simple for my first try. I just used a colored pencil because that was the first pencil that I grabbed.

Start to carve out your design.

I first traced the design with the tip of the knife going about as deep as I thought the stamp should be. I wanted to make the relief fairly thick because I didn't want the 3 year old stamper to have any issues getting paint where he wouldn't want it. I found it easiest to remove small pieces after I traced the design with the knife tip first.

Continue to remove small pieces until you get the rough shape of the stamp.

With the knife, clean up your edges on the stamp like so.

Time to test it out. My very crafty friend shared this helpful tip. Save your styrofoam that meat comes packaged in to use as a paint tray or craft tray. When the kids are finished just wash and reuse or just throw away.(Thanks Andrea!!)

We used some red paint and some red glitter glue and mixed them together.

Load up your stamp by pressing it into the paint.

Find yourself a cute little helper

and press the stamp onto your paper or card stock.

Press firmly and try not to move it around. Smile because you are actually doing it yourself.

Here it is. Perfectly imperfect. The glitter didn't show up until after it dried and had a subtle effect.

Big brother really wanted to get in on the action too, so to maintain your sanity, use the other half of the potato to make another stamp at the same time and don't let anyone touch them until both stamps are finished!!

Here is what we did with the other half.

Initials, numbers, shapes.... get creative. We stuck with simple this time.

You can get different effects by stamping more than once without loading up paint. More than one color of paint would have been fun too. It was a great time...the possibilities are endless and the potatoes are plentiful:)

happy valentine's day

2010-02-14T10:18:00.003-05:00

It was a busy crafting week here at the Noe place. Xavier made valentines for school. Of course we had to do Batman ones:)

There was not room to write the names on the back of these valentines when you are just learning to write so we improvised and had room for a sucker:)

We were also hosting the Valentine Party for playgroup so we made even more valentines.

Dax wrote his name on every one himself!

We saw an idea for Xavier's valentines online and had fun making these together.

It says "Have an a"maze"ing Valentine's Day!

We put up some decorations upstairs and downstairs.

Everyone brought snacks to share and made little valentine holders at the party as a craft

and then decorated cupcakes.

My friend sent me the link for these cupcakes and they turned out so cute. You can find that here.

The real trick to it is to make sure to insert the tip of the baggie or pastry bag down into the cupcake and then squeeze. They were fun!!

After the party we delivered cupcakes and valentines to my friend who does story time at the library as the boys and I just love her!!

After that we took some quick valentine pictures. Not everyone was happy about all the ice and wind.

Dax had just fallen and claimed that the wind had done it!!

Xavier has his school party on Tuesday as it was supposed to be last Thurs. but many of the children didn't bring in their valentines because the weather was so bad on Tues and Wed. they could not go out to get them. And so the love fest continues:)

they {heart} snow days...

2010-02-10T13:10:00.004-05:00

They do! I mean really love them! Waking up to a blanket of white, the unexpected change in routine, the feeling of being "stuck" at home, movie time, mom coming up with endless "new and fun" things to do, wearing lounging clothes all day long. All of it. This is the second snow day in a row and I used up ALL of my tricks yesterday. I did. I really did.

But I did pull out the camera today, pulled some very non-winter worthy clothes and traipsed out to backyard to get a few pictures of the boys. Maybe winter would not be so bad if I had proper clothes to put on like ....snow pants and a parka?? Don't even get me started on my choice of footwear. I would have even settled for an old pair of moon boots...remember those?? Anyway, all complaining aside, the boys had a great time outside and I almost forgot how much I disliked snow.....for a minute or two!

After the outside fun, the boys picked a movie and we had an indoor picnic for lunch...a lunch that included popcorn, cheese and fruit.

Just another fun filled day at the Noe house. Although today is fun...would it be wrong to wish for a non-snow day tomorrow or the rest of the year??

Sending warm and happy and non-snow thoughts from our home to yours!!

"b" is 4 brownie...

2010-02-07T20:30:00.003-05:00

I have been on a bit of a brownie kick here lately. It all started last Sunday when the boys and I found 2 new brownie recipes to make.... technically, it started when my friend brought along some fantastic chocolate chip cookie/brownie bars with fudge ganache last Friday for a little play date. (You can find that recipe here...thanks Denisha!!)

The first recipe we made was for these babies from Martha Stewart.

Rocky Road Brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into pieces, plus more for pan
1 bag (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed light-brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 large eggs
3/4 cup all-purpose flour (spooned and leveled)
1 cup miniature marshmallows
1/2 cup chopped nuts, such as cashews, pecans, or walnuts

1.Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Butter an 8-inch-square baking pan. Line bottom with parchment paper, leaving an overhang on two sides; butter paper.
2.In a heatproof bowl set over (not in) a saucepan of simmering water, combine butter and 1 cup chocolate chips. Heat, stirring occasionally, just until melted, 3 to 5 minutes.
3.Remove mixture from heat; stir in sugars and salt, then eggs, and finally flour, stirring just until combined. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan. Bake until a toothpick inserted in center comes out with moist crumbs attached, 30 to 35 minutes.
4.Remove from oven, and sprinkle with remaining chocolate chips, then marshmallows and nuts. Bake until chocolate is shiny and marshmallows are puffed, about 5 minutes. Cool completely in pan. Using paper overhang, lift cake onto a work surface; cut into 16 squares.

They were very good although I made a small error and didn't thoroughly read the instructions and added the whole bag of chocolate chips instead of a cup! I had to break out another bag to use on top! Ooops. They were dense and fudgey....probably due to the additional chocolate chips!

The second recipe we made was for something called Brownie Pudding. This was from the Tasty Kitchen site. This is a vintage recipe.

Brownie Pudding
½ cups Flour
1 teaspoon Baking Powder
⅓ cups Granulated Sugar
1 teaspoon Salt
3 Tablespoons Cocoa, Divided
¼ cups Milk
1 Tablespoon Melted Butter
½ teaspoons Vanilla
¼ packages Crushed Walnuts (optional)
½ cups Brown Sugar
•¾ cups Boiling Water

Mix flour, baking powder, granulated sugar, salt, and one tablespoon cocoa. Then add the milk, butter, and vanilla. Mix until smooth, add nuts (reserve some for sprinkling), and pour into the greased baking dish. Mix the brown sugar and the remaining two tablespoons of cocoa together then sprinkle over the batter. Also sprinkle a little bit of nuts over it, and then pour the boiling water over the top.
Bake at 350F for thirty to forty minutes, then cool before serving

After you pour the hot water on them...

After baking.

This recipe was certainly interesting and a bit odd in preparation but Steve really liked them. He liked them more than I did. I used about 1/3 cup of pecans that I chopped in the food processor. They contributed to an "oatmeal" type texture and the brownies tasted really salty to me. If I make these again, I would definitely cut down on the salt to maybe 1/4 to 1/2 tsp. They have hardly any butter and no eggs but they were very moist. They did lack they full flavor, fudgy texture of their counterparts but certainly would do in a pinch!

On Wednesday evening I made my go to recipe for homemade brownies to take to a friend's house on Thursday. I topped them with mini marshmallows, Valentine plain m&m's and mini chocolate chips and stuck them back in the oven for a few minutes to puff the marshmallows. They were so festive and cute!! Regrettably, I didn't get any pictures. Here is the recipe:

Hershey's Best Brownies

1/2 cup (1 stick) butter or margarine, melted
1 cup sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
2 eggs
1/2 cup all-purpose flour
1/3 cup HERSHEY'S Cocoa
1/4 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped nuts(optional)

1. Heat oven to 350°F. Grease 9-inch square baking pan.

2. Stir together butter, sugar and vanilla in bowl. Add eggs; beat well with spoon. Stir together flour, cocoa, baking powder and salt; gradually add to egg mixture, beating until well blended. Stir in nuts, if desired. Spread batter evenly in prepared pan.

3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until brownies begin to pull away from sides of pan. Cool completely in pan on wire rack.

If I have some chocolate chips on hand, I almost always throw some in the batter for an extra chocolate boost. Also, I really watch them closely as to not over bake so they are moist and fudgy.

The 4th and final recipe I made last night when we had some friends over for beef and shrimp fajitas. In sticking with the Mexican theme I found a recipe for Dulce de Leche Brownies and just had to make them!!

Look at these!!! The caramel didn't melt into the brownie but rather made little caramel pockets throughout.

Dulce de Leche Brownies

8 tablespoons (115g) salted or unsalted butter, cut into pieces
6 ounces (170g) bittersweet or semisweet chocolate, finely chopped
1/4 cup (25g) unsweetened Dutch-process cocoa powder
3 large eggs
1 cup (200g) sugar
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
1 cup (140g) flour
optional: 1 cup (100 g) toasted pecans or walnuts, coarsely chopped
1 cup Dulce de Leche (or Cajeta)

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees (175 C).

Line a 8-inch (20 cm) square pan with a long sheet of aluminum foil that covers the bottom and reaches up the sides. If it doesn't reach all the way up and over all four sides, cross another sheet of foil over it, making a large cross with edges that overhang the sides. Grease the bottom and sides of the foil with a bit of butter or non-stick spray.

Melt the butter in a medium saucepan. Add the chocolate pieces and stir constantly over very low heat until the chocolate is melted. Remove from heat and whisk in the cocoa powder until smooth. Add in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the sugar, vanilla, then the flour. Mix in the nuts, if using.

Scrape half of the batter into the prepared pan. Here comes the fun part.
Drop one-third of the Dulce de Leche, evenly spaced, over the brownie batter, then drag a knife through to swirl it slightly. Spread the remaining brownie batter over, then drop spoonfuls of the remaining Dulce de Leche in dollops over the top of the brownie batter. Use a knife to swirl the Dulce de Leche slightly.

Bake for 35 to 45 minutes. The brownies are done when the center feels just-slightly firm. Remove from the oven and cool completely.

I used Ghiradelli semi sweet chips and made my own Dulce de Leche by gently boiling an unopened can of sweetened condensed milk (label removed) for 3 hours on the stove. I checked it often to be sure that the water stayed high enough to come to the top of the can. Cool completely and then open the can. Inside you will find a delicious caramel. I have heard that it can explode if you let the pan boil dry. If you think this sounds risky....just try it, the brownies are totally worth it. Refrigerate any leftover caramel, or simply eat the remainder with a spoon!! This is definitely up there with my favorite brownie recipe!

"name your bean" hummus

2010-01-28T20:55:00.007-05:00

Lunch (for me) is SOOO boring at out house lately. The boys are happy as ever scarfing down a rotating menu of turkey/cheese, peanut butter/soy butter and grilled cheese. I mean happy! Actually, Xavier would eat cream cheese and green olives on toast everyday if I would let him but that is a recipe for another day!! Anyway, the thought of yet another lunch of pretzels dipped in peanut butter for me was less than appealing...so I wracked my brain for something different that I could make in say, 2 minutes. Hummus came to mind. I usually have an assortment of canned chickpeas on hand for days such as this but today I was out of luck. I did however, have some cannellini beans that I thought would do the trick.

My general hummus recipe goes something like this:

Hummus

1 can chickpeas or other bean, drained and rinsed
1 clove garlic
2-3 T. tahini
1/2 t. cumin
juice of one lime or 1/2 lemon
2-3 T olive oil
dash of hot pepper flakes or cayenne

Place in food processor and process until smooth. Add a couple of T of water if it is too thick. Season with salt and pepper to taste.

I happened to have some green onions on hand so I threw a couple of those in there too and blended them up just for fun. I put some in a tortilla and topped with some cilantro and a little more green onion and lunch was served. If I would have had some pita bread, cucumber, sprouts and maybe a little red pepper it would have been divine!! Regardless, it sure beat peanut butter! I made it again with black beans the next day and it would have been great on some tortilla or pita chips....if I wasn't too lazy, I mean busy, to go out and get them!!

Will the kids eat this?? Xavier, of course! Dax? Not a chance. NO WAY! Not even with a GOOD bribe.

Speaking of bribes..... the other night our conversation went something like this.

ME: Dax if you want this...

then you have to eat your broccoli!

DAX: Tan I have tetchup?

ME: For what???

DAX: For my brotowee.

ME: What??

DAX: For my brotowee! (said loudly and slowly)

ME: Sure...whatever it takes. (Ketchup is a food group in our house. At least it is made from a vegetable...or technically a fruit, right?!?)

DAX: I'm finished!!! Can I have my 'anana trit?

ME: What is this....?????

DAX: I only like the tops. That is the brotowee. The bottom is not brotowee.....can I have my 'anana trit pwease?

You have got to give him credit for trying!!

a blanket of fresh fallen snow

2010-01-17T14:59:00.003-05:00

is the perfect canvas for snow angels! Last week when we endured frigid temps here in KY, the boys were seemingly unaffected. We bundled up and headed outside every day. Here they are on the first day of the fresh fallen snow.

Xavier stands back to admire his work.

"It's missing something!!" he exclaimed.

Man, I LOVE this child:)

He proceeded to adorn Dax's angel with a halo as well.

A coaching moment on the intricacies of the perfect snow angel.

It is almost is perfect.

Now this is my perfection.

goodbye december

2009-12-31T22:01:00.002-05:00

We certainly enjoyed you!!

I have one last recipe to share this year. I had been looking for a new sugar cookie recipe that tasted like a sugar cookie that we made all the time growing up called "Mary's Sugar Cookies" but that held its shape better for cutouts. I think I finally found it on Tasty Kitchen of course:) You can find it here.
And her icing is dynamite too. Found here. (Thanks Amanda!)

a glimpse of Christmas

2009-12-28T21:24:00.001-05:00

for those of you who could not be here with us due to the many miles that separate. This picture is after Santa had come, filled stockings, left gifts, eaten his cookies, chugged the milk, fed the reindeer and left glass fireplace doors open as a tell-tale sign he had visited our house:)

Xavier awoke at 2:00 and realized that it was Christmas morning after he rushed downstairs and saw that Santa had been here. He really wanted to see what was in his stocking and was less than thrilled when we told him he would have to wait until morning and that it was still the middle of the night! He woke up everyone in the house (except Dax...thankfully) by stomping up the stairs complaining loudly that this was the "worst Christmas ever!!" If that doesn't make you want to call up Santa and have him come back and take everything away, I don't know what does. Xavier did go back to sleep though and woke up all smiles....apparently it was no longer such a horrible experience after all.

Dax's face was so funny as he opened the gifts and exclaimed "It's just what I always wanted!!" to almost every gift.

Xavier enjoyed watching Dax open gifts almost as much as opening them himself.

Here's that face again!

Opening a special gift from Grandpa Lein. This one was a joint gift and they were so cute taking turns and each tearing a little part of the paper...

It's a recordable book! How cool.

Here they are opening "Grandma from MN" gifts.

It's a hit! They love their special quilts that Grandma made them. Batman for Xavier and Spiderman for Dax. The details on these are incredible!!

Time to spread them out so they can really see them.

And lay on them...

and eventually under them.

Since Steve was on call and we had plans with the rest of his family on the Sunday after Christmas, his parents came here to celebrate with us. They came Christmas Eve and stayed til after dinner on Christmas. It was so nice to have them here with us.

Thank you everyone! What a very blessed Christmas we had this year.

my big boy turns 5!!!

2009-12-22T18:54:00.002-05:00

Xavier turning 5 was a big deal to both he AND I! For him, it means really being a big boy and closer to loosing his teeth (which he is pretty much obsessed with but has zero loose teeth). For me, it means that he is no longer my baby and that he is closer to growing into too big of a boy. The fact that I can still lift him and cuddle him are 2 things that I will sadly miss when they are gone!!! BUT that won't be for a very long time so I am not going to worry about that today:) Xavier is a joy and a blessing and I am so happy that he made me a MOM. It is and was the best Christmas gift I have ever been given.

We celebrated his b-day earlier in the month with some friends and family. For that he requested cupcakes AND cake. I made him choose between the two and he decide on this....

For his actual birthday he requested a Batman cake. Great, I thought. Frost the cake, stick an action figure in it and call it a day!! When I ran my idea by the b-day boy, it was not what he envisioned. "I thought you could draw a Batman on the cake Mom!" Sure ...why not??? Of course that is what you want. So I drew Batman for the 698th time this month on the cake. We did a sketch on a piece of paper beforehand; deciding what colors were going where. The spikes on his glove must be blue and so is the cape. Don't forget the yellow for his belt.... "Can I give him a smile?" I asked. No...just do a line for the mouth, I was told. Here he is!

Instead of cake, I made an eclair cake which has been in the Noe family for a long time.

ECLAIR CAKE

1 (1 lb.) box graham crackers
2 sm. pkg. instant French vanilla pudding
4 c. milk
1 (8 oz.) container Cool Whip

Butter bottom of 9 x 13 inch pan, line with graham crackers. Mix pudding with the milk. Beat at medium speed for 2 minutes. Blend in Cool Whip. Pour half the mixture over graham crackers, then place second layer of crackers over pudding. Pour remaining pudding mixture over, and cover with more crackers. Refrigerate for 2 hours, then frost.

FROSTING FOR ECLAIR CAKE:

2 1 oz. pkg. pre-melted unsweetened chocolate
2 T. white Karo corn syrup
2 tsp. vanilla
3 T. softened butter
1 1/2 c. powdered sugar
3 T. milk

Beat all ingredients until smooth; spread over cake. Refrigerate 24 hours.We used chocolate pudding per Xavier's request:)

THANK YOU family for all of the wonderful gifts you sent for Xavier. Each was very much appreciated by the birthday boy. Here are some opening pics.

A funny comment when Xavier opened his card from MN Aunt Mary. "Oh!!!! Dollars!!! Will these spend at Wendy's????"

Legos from Grandpa and Grandma Lein

Cool space projector from Aunt Aimee

Scooter from "Grandma from MN"

We also carried on the tradition of letting the birthday person choose dinner. We made chicken nuggets and fries AND green beans.

Happy Birthday to Xavier!

first school program

2009-12-21T22:13:00.001-05:00

Xavier had his first program at school on the 16th and he was so excited about it. We were all invited back to the classroom afterwards for donuts and milk. The class had been practicing for weeks and it showed! I managed to hold Dax on my lap, take pictures and some video too. I did them all, but none of them well! I got a little motion sickness watching the video but I am glad that I tried.

Here is a picture of the 3-4 year old and the 4-5 year old preschool classes. I blurred out the other kids for obvious reasons but can you see that Xavier is clearly the tallest one in all of the classes?? So funny! Technically, he is still 4 in this picture too.

Xavier has just finished his program and is heading back to the classroom.

My mom got the boys matching suits for Christmas but I didn't want to send X to school in his good suit for fear of ruining it so I whipped up a tie for him the night before. It certainly was a hit- people kept talking about it. Actually no one would have known but Xavier volunteered that I made it. I told Steve that the tie was a hit and that I couldn't believe the reaction when people found out I made it and Steve said "Um, normal people don't make ties Melanie." Yeah, I know but anyone who knows me already knows that I am not "normal" so no real surprise there!

Here is Xavier with his teachers, Mrs. Pridemore and Mrs. Jacob. He loves them both!

In addition to donuts and milk, each of them got a goodie bag to bring home with them. Here was our contribution to the goodie bag.

When we got home, I took a couple of pictures of the boys by the tree. When they were not wrestling with one another, they managed to sit still for a few seconds.

The songs they sang in the program were so cute. Xavier was singing this one in particular that starts "The virgin Mary had a baby boy...." Well of course Dax had to sing that one too. His version started like this..."The mergin Nary had a baby boy!" It is soo funny.

CHRISTmas nativity

2009-12-20T09:15:00.001-05:00

To try to help make sense of the whole meaning of Christmas, we took the boys to a live nativity held at a Lutheran Church near our house.

We toured the city of Bethlehem

and had our own tour guide who was the local fishmonger.

We met the local baker...the boys tasted the unleavened bread.

Then we entered the stable after it was announced that baby Jesus had been born.

It was sooo very cold that night but they had plenty of fires to help keep us warm. Cookies and hot cocoa were at the inn too. When you entered Bethlehem you received a bag of "coins" that you could use to barter for fruit and trinkets in the market. It was unfortunate that it wasn't very crowded as you could tell that a lot of work went into putting this on. I would like to do this again next year.

Xavier said his favorite part was learning about King David. Dax thought the hot cocoa was his favorite part...pretty age appropriate answers I think:)

santa past and present...

2009-12-18T15:26:00.004-05:00

Last week we went to see Santa as we have every year. The boys could not wait!

Watching the boys grow up with Santa. WOW!

2005

2006

2007- there was NO WAY Xavier was even getting close to Santa this year! Dax wasn't exactly overjoyed to see him either.

2008

2009

Xavier asked for a puzzle and Dax asked for batman "stuff". After the boys finished up with Santa and were walking away Dax said "He forgot to give me my present!". This year should be fun!!

christmas spirit...

2009-12-17T16:33:00.002-05:00

We have had a lot of fun decorating this year. The boys want to help with everything!!! They had a ton of fun pulling out their ornaments from past years and trying to find the PERFECT spot for them on the tree. This year, Grandma Noe again found perfect ornaments for them- a Batman for Xavier and a Superman for Dax! They were so excited!!!

Here they are putting the new ornaments on the tree.

The mantle.

Did mention all the re-arranging of the ornaments??

At night.

The boys have been just giddy with excitement and love all the Christmas music. Xavier loves Little Drummer Boy and Dax loves Away in the Manger and Santa Baby. More Christmas posts coming!

much to be thankful for...

2009-11-29T20:29:00.008-05:00

Where to start??? Thanksgiving was very special this year for our family. We were able to celebrate with Steve's family the weekend before Thanksgiving in Cincinnati. My SIL Mary came up with a great idea of expressing thanks for one another. She made the cutest votive candles covered with fall paper. Each person chose the name of an adult family member and wrote why they were thankful for that person and set it at their place at dinner. It was touching and so thoughtful. Thanks Mary!! As if the weekend were not full enough, we girls also went to the play White Christmas on Sunday while our hubbies stayed at home with the kids. Thanks again Mom Noe. It was a wonderful show!! I still have the tunes in my head!

Monday, my parents and some family friends came all the way from MN to stay the week!! We really enjoyed having them visit us. My dad took down a couple of trees dead/pesky) in our back yard while he was here, we did some antique shopping, toured Woodford Reserve which is a bourbon distillery here in KY, prepared a feast for Thanksgiving and even got a little Christmas shopping in. Of course we sewed a couple of things too!

Mom and Dad raised a turkey especially for Thanksgiving and brought it with them. We had ham, turkey, cranberries, sweet and mashed potatoes, green beans and tomatoes, stuffing and pumpkin pie. All homemade...all delicious. The stuffing was a new recipe and we cooked it along side the turkey so I could have some too:) Here is the recipe. Sorry! No pictures of the food....what was I thinking?? But I did get some pictures of Dad helping with the dishes:)

Fit & Flavorful Whole Grain Stuffing
recipe by Executive Chef Mark Beland

8 c. stale whole grain bread, cut in cubes
2 c. yellow onion, diced
1 c. carrot, diced
2 c. zucchini, diced
2 c. vegetable or chicken broth
1 T. fresh sage, minced
1 t. fresh thyme, minced
1 c. celery, diced
2 cloves garlic, minced
2 T. olive oil
1 T. black pepper
2 egg whites

Saute vegetables in olive oil for 10 minutes, until translucent. Add broth, pepper and herbs. Pour over bread and toss evenly to distribute. Place in glass or ceramic baking dish. Bake at 350 degrees for 40 minutes.

**We substituted diced fresh mushrooms for the carrots (I was out), dried thyme for the fresh and dried bread cubes for the fresh cut. We used a little more zucchini and about 1/2 c more broth and whole eggs for the whites. We all thought that this was very good and moist.

We made the pies the night before and the boys had so much fun helping Grandma with the pie crust and making cinnamon sugar crisps with the extra dough.

A funny note about the pies. Mom was going to bring me pumpkin from the garden but ran out of room in the car so she left it at home. While I was shopping on Monday afternoon, she called and told me that we needed pumpkin. I looked at Kroger and they were OUT saying there was a national pumpkin shortage!!!! Luckily, I had a big can at home and called a friend who was more than willing to share her canned pumpkin with me if I needed it(thanks Andrea!!). We all got a good laugh out of that one:) That would only happen to us!

We are so happy to have been able to spend Thanksgiving with both families this year. I hope we can make this a new tradition!

halloween fun

2009-11-02T17:41:00.015-05:00

October was filled with fun Halloween activities! We had our playgroup Halloween party and made some fun crafts and these Nutter Butter ghosts.

Xavier made these and they should actually be dipped further down the cookie but you get the idea. We did graham crackers for Dax as he is allergic to peanuts:) I hosted and hardly took any pictures but the kids looked so cute in their costumes. One of the Moms even dressed up...something that I am totally going to do next year!

Aunt Aimee sent some fun Halloween surprises for the boys. Don't they look cute... I mean scary?

Thanks Aunt Aimee! They loved everything!

Xavier's class Halloween party was on Friday. He usually doesn't go to school on Fridays but they invited him to come and boy, was he excited about it. I thought maybe he wouldn't wear his whole costume...maybe just part of it to make it easier to manage to use the bathroom etc. Well, he thought that was a terrible idea and even asked his teacher if he could "please wear his costume"??? I relented and he wore the entire costume and didn't pee the entire time at school!

Here he striking a pose at school.

We also volunteered to bring cupcakes.

I saw some cute spiders on bakerella and improvised with what I could find easily at the store:) Very cute and just a little scary. I crushed up some oreos and dipped the cupcakes in oreos after I frosted them in chocolate buttercream icing.

On to the "big night". We carved pumpkins on Sat. afternoon. We planned on doing it on Friday night but then it got too late so we just saved it for an activity the next day. Dax wouldn't touch the pumpkin guts but Xavier dug right in.

Xavier and Daddy drew out their pumpkin face on paper like real pros before they drew it on the pumpkin and started carving. Dax abandoned me about 30 seconds after I cut the the top off our pumpkin.

Here are the pumpkins as they were all lit up on Halloween night!

Trick or Treat is usually 6-8 pm so we had plenty of time to get costumes on and take some pictures. At about 5:15 the doorbell started ringing and it didn't stop. Once Xavier saw that people were already trick or treating, we couldn't get out the door fast enough! So went the costumes and they flew out the door! I barely had the chance to take any pictures....and of course the boys (including Steve) wanted any part of picture taking!

Steve took the boys out for about a 1/2 hour and then we switched and I took them out. I later found out from a neighbor that trick or treat was 5-8 this year so that is why everyone was out so early. For the first time ever, we ran out of candy. We went through 10+ bags in 2 hours!!! At one point, Steve was digging through the cupboard looking for the candy. He saw it earlier when I showed it to him but couldn't for the life of him figure out what I had done with it! He then realized as he saw the empty bag on the dining room table, that we had already handed out a majority of the candy . We had to shut it down early much to Xavier's dismay. He was really enjoying his role handing out the candy. He would say, "Look! Here come some more visitors!" Much to mommy's dismay, the boys only got 2 tiny Snickers....not even the fun size but the mini half bite size! That is it!!!! I can't believe it!

The boys had a great time. Dax's highlights were announcing to me (from the doorway of each house) what candy he just got and also telling me "everybody knows me" when people would say "Look! It is Buzz Lightyear!" Xavier's highlight was getting candy from a "real Batman"! One of our neighbors was dressed up as Batman and was handing out candy. Once Xavier saw that, we immediately crossed the street to get a closer look!

What a super night with my superheros!

a super birthday celebration

2009-10-31T07:31:00.003-04:00

We had a fun time celebrating Dax's 3rd birthday. Dax picked his theme and we ran with it:)He also chose the menu of cheeseburgers, pineapple and strawberries and Cheetos. Mommy threw a few extra items of her own in there too:) Steve's whole family from Cincinnati came to celebrate with us.

Dax wanted chocolate cake so I made and decorated a zucchini chocolate cake. I used this recipe . I believe this was the recipe that my mom used to make years ago and it is one of my all time favorites. It makes such a moist cake.

We all had a wonderful time!

On Sunday, his actual birthday we went to the pumpkin patch after Mass.
The boys were really wanting their pictures taken here....not!

The boys had a great time playing and running around.

After the pumpkin patch we had more presents more cake! Dax had a wonderful birthday and received so many nice things. Thanks all of you who helped make it special!!

bird feeder fun

2009-10-30T09:07:00.003-04:00

The boys made bird feeders at Grandpa and Grandma Noe's house. Grandma sent them home with bird feed and they were excited to get them out in the yard.

They filled carefully filled them up

being careful not to spill.

Once full, boy were they heavy:)

They decided where to put them.

And then admired their work:)

We think the squirrels like it more than the birds. What a fun project!

spooky cookies

2009-10-19T16:14:00.002-04:00

The boys and I were very excited to try out my new cookie stamps and make some Halloween cookies. I had picked up these stamps at a little boutique in St. Armands Circle when we went to Florida last September. I had high hopes of making some cute cookies last year, but we were busy moving and it just never happened. So I have been waiting a whole year to try these babies out. The set came with 4 cookie stamps; a pumpkin, spiderweb, a cat and bats.

We made 2 batches of dough. This is the "anilla" (as Dax calls it) that we made into the pumpkins and the spiderwebs.

We did the cats and bats out of the chocolate.

It was really fun for my helpers. Just roll the dough into a ball and then press it flat with the stamp.

The chocolate tasted better, but the designs showed up better on the lighter dough.

The official cookie tester thought both were delicious:)

there's a new superhero in town...

2009-10-10T22:30:00.004-04:00

The other day Dax asked me for the third time to put on Xavier's Spiderman costume (yes, that costume has been going strong for a year now!) I told Dax that I was not going to put it on a him third time in the span of an hour, but I would put his mask on for him. He came to me to put the mask on and I just had to laugh. This is what I saw.

Instead of the super Dax cape/mask combo (which is the usual substitution for the full costume) we had full on "Cowboy Spiderman!" I then proceeded to take these just for laughs.

After Spiderman was sufficiently "fetty" (sweaty) he whipped the costume off and I had my sweet boy back again.

Mind if I take some more pictures??? Oh you do? Come on... just a few.

Just another day here at "Superhero Headquarters!"

mom's carrot cake

2009-10-03T21:41:00.008-04:00

I really have no idea where my mom got this carrot cake recipe but it is really my favorite one. It is easy, very moist and simply delicious. NO pineapple, raisins or other craziness...just straight up carrot cake the way it was meant to be...with plenty of cream cheese icing of course!

Carrot Cake
2 c. sugar
1 1/4 c. oil
2 c. pureed carrots
4 eggs
2 c. grated carrots
2 c. flour
2 t. soda
2 t. cinnamon
3/4 c. chopped walnuts or pecans

Using your mixer, combine sugar, oil, pureed carrots. Add eggs one at a time mixing well after each egg. Add grated carrots and mix until combined. Add flour, soda and cinnamon. Mix until the flour mixture is incorporated. Add nuts. Grease and flour 2 nine inch cake rounds. Bake at 350 for about 40 mins or until the center is set and sides start to pull away from the pan. Do not over bake as no one likes a dry carrot cake:) Cool for 10 mins in cake pans and then turn out on wire rack to cool completely. Frost with your favorite cream cheese icing.

* I think the original recipe called for jarred baby food carrots which I still find thoroughly disgusting even after having 2 kids. A much better and cost effective solution is to steam the carrots and then use your food processor or blender to make the puree. Even if I make a little too much puree, I just add it and cut back on the grated carrots:)

**I also add 1/2 t. salt and 1 t. vanilla for flavor.

*** I don't really chop my nuts as I like to have large chunks in the cake....just my personal preference.

Cream Cheese Icing
12 oz. cream cheese, room temperature
1/2 c. (1 stick) unsalted butter, room temperature
2 t. vanilla extract
4 c. powdered sugar

Using electric mixer, beat 12 ounces cream cheese, 1/2 cup butter and vanilla extract in large bowl until smooth. Add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time, beating until smooth after each addition.

I made this particular cake for dinner guests and although it looks lovely, I did slightly over bake this one. It still tasted good but was not the utterly moist cake that it usually is. So I apologize to the dinner guests (who may be reading this and laughing) and encourage you to try this one as it will live up to the moistness that I have been raving about. But you may want to omit the nuts as a certain someone (who was very gracious and did not complain) is not a fan of them:)

On a different note... those carrots are very cute aren't they???

Enjoy and invent a reason to celebrate and make cake!

rain + raincoats = fun!

2009-09-28T13:37:00.003-04:00

It rained everyday day last week and the boys invented reasons to wear their raincoat even after it had stopped. They wore their raincoats everywhere and were happy to have them! Here are some fun moments captured in the driveway last Thursday in the raincoats that Grandma from MN sent home with them when we left there in August. Thank you Grandma...they are being put to good use and have been so much fun!

1st real soccer game

2009-09-14T15:15:00.005-04:00

on a real team, with a real coach. At least that is what Xavier talks about all the time- that it is real! Xavier got to kickoff to start the game...I don't even know what it is called when you kickoff but he probably volunteered to do it!

There is real our soccer player....#6, bright blue shorts.

Sorry about the picture quality here. I was excited and maybe just a bit nervous that I really wasn't paying attention to my camera settings until it was too late.

Waving to his "fans."

Going through the "tunnel" at the end.

More than once he or his teammates were kicking the ball the wrong way on the field. It was comical to watch! It seemed as if Xavier was waiting for the ball to come to him and would not get in there to get the ball. We asked him about not getting in there after the game. The conversation went something like this:

Steve: Buddy, did you have fun at your first game?
X: Yes!
Steve: It kind of seemed like you were waiting for the ball to come to you. You know that you can get in there and get the ball away from the other team.
X: Well, that that would be rude.
Steve: It is OK in the game of soccer to do that you know....you are supposed to do that...
X: Ohhhh.

Here Xavier is modeling his team shirt in his favorite color:)

Even though I think that he only moderately understands the game, he really had a lot of fun and that is all that matters anyway:)

cincinnati fun...

2009-09-14T08:48:00.003-04:00

stay at home sadness. A couple of weeks ago we planned to go to Cincinnati to see Grandpa and Grandma Noe and for Xavier, Steve and Grandpa could go to a Reds baseball game.... Xavier's first MLB game. Dax and I were going to hang out with Grandma and have some fun. As luck would have it, Dax got sick...the vomiting kind... so Dax and Mommy stayed behind while Xavier and Steve went.

Dax could not understand why he had to stay home....it was VERY sad.

Luckily, his sickness very very short lived and NO one else got it. Here are some happy pics from the following day when they returned. It was a great time so we heard. Grandma went to the game too, they WON and the boys each got a new hat.

This is happy Dax. I much prefer this version:)

Dax was so excited about the hat that he wouldn't even let me take the tag off. It went straight on his head.

On a funny note. I talked to Xavier via phone when they were on their way home from the game.

Me: Xavier, did the Reds win?
X: Yes!
Me: What was the score?
X: The score???
Me: Yeah, what was the score?
X: What was the scooooore????
Me: Never mind.
X: OK. Tell Dax that he misses me!

Silly mommy for asking such a silly question!

shrimp and avocado salad

2009-08-31T14:36:00.002-04:00

This recipe is from Tasty Kitchen.... my new favorite place to go for recipes. It was so, so good! I made this for lunch one day when I had a few friends and their kiddos over to play. It was almost as good as the company:)

15 Minute Shrimp and Avocado Salad

•1 pound Cooked Medium Shrimp (frozen And Thawed)
•1 whole Medium Tomato, Seeded And Chopped
•3 whole Scallions, Thinly Sliced
•1 clove Garlic, Pressed
•2 Tablespoons Fresh Lemon Juice
•1 Tablespoon Balsamic Vinegar
•1 whole Large Firm Avocado, Cubed
•1 Tablespoon Chopped Cilantro
•1 Tablespoon Fresh Mint
•2 Tablespoons Chopped Pumpkin Seeds
•1 head Romaine Lettuce, Outer Leaves Removed
•Extra Virgin Olive Oil To Taste
•Salt And Pepper (to Taste)

Make sure shrimp is completely thawed if you buy it already cooked. If you buy it raw and cook it at home, make sure it is completely cooled and pat dry with towels. Assemble all ingredients with shrimp in a large bowl (except for lettuce) and mix gently. For optimum flavor, marinate in refrigerator for at least an hour. Serve on a bed of romaine lettuce.

I made pretty much as is substituting pine nuts for the pumpkin seeds (because I had them) and added feta cheese because I like it:)

overdone.

2009-08-29T16:39:00.002-04:00

maybe? alright- a little!

Here's the recipe for this one.

OD Chicken

1 chicken breast per person

Season chicken to your liking. Place on grill.
Leave on too long.

(this one is for you, Anita!)

Mmmm.... extra crispy.

I don't know what happened...really I don't! The boys did eat this though...bbq sauce covers anything:) I was actually glad that I cannot each chicken for once.

Here is another classic case of "overdone."

Of course, he didn't do it all by himself:)

Unlike the chicken, this one was overdone only on one side!

But...like the chicken BOTH were perfect in the middle:)

the first of many

2009-08-19T14:19:00.004-04:00

Xavier had his first day of pre-school today! AND he wants to go back!! I call that a success. We had an ice cream social on Sunday afternoon at school and then dropped of school supplies and met his teachers on Monday evening. Mrs. Pridemore had an assignment for them already on Monday. He had to find his seat that had his name on it and at his seat there was a folder with info for me and a cutout of a paper person that Xavier was to take home and color in to look like himself and bring it back on the first day of school. Yesterday after lunch Xavier was hard at work making a crayon likeness of himself. He did everything himself with exception of the lines on the legs to denote shorts. After he had finished, he was showing me everything he had done. "Look" he said, "I made my eyes and eyebrows, colored my ears, made my shoes into boots and here is my hoo-doo". WHAT!?! You put a hoo-doo on yourself???? I was starting to panic.....should we just start over I thought? Where on earth am I going to get another cutout? Could I make one??? "Yes" he said proudly..."it is right here" as he pointed to a vibrant orange dot on his crotch. "That is really good" I said "but we are only drawing our clothes so let me scrape that off and you can color over it". What on earth have I been teaching him I thought???? I asked him why he put a hoo-doo on it and he said that he just wanted to make it better. I said better as in more real? YES! he said more real. Whew! He drew it out of wanting attention to detail not to be funny or spiteful. That was close! I also reminded him that we don't talk about or draw hoo-doos outside of the house:) This could be a very lonnnng year of learning the "do's and don't's in a social setting...lucky me!

This is the offending picture after the hoo-doo has been heavily colored over!

Here are some "first day of pre-school" pics taken this morning....and subsequently caused us to be a couple of minutes late! Oh well, it was worth it!

If you are wondering what is up with those shorts, it was "gym day" at school so he had to wear gym shorts to school today:)

asian pork wraps

2009-07-24T16:17:00.005-04:00

Asian Pork Wraps

2 tablespoons canola oil or peanut oil
2 tablespoons minced lemongrass (from bottom 3 inches of about 4 stalks)
2 garlic cloves, minced
4 ounces fresh shiitake mushrooms, stemmed, caps chopped
1 teaspoon coarse kosher salt, divided
1 3/4 pounds ground pork
2 tablespoons soy sauce, divided
3 teaspoons Asian sesame oil, divided
3/4 teaspoon cracked black pepper

1/2 cup hoisin sauce*
1 tablespoon minced peeled fresh ginger
1 tablespoon unseasoned rice vinegar
1 teaspoon hot chili sauce (such as sriracha)*
Nonstick vegetable oil spray

2 heads of Bibb lettuce, cored, leaves separated
1 cup matchstick-size strips red bell pepper
1 cup matchstick-size strips peeled carrot
1/3 cup fresh cilantro leaves

Heat oil in large skillet over medium-high heat. Add lemongrass and garlic; sauté 2 minutes. Add mushrooms. Sprinkle with 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt; sauté until mushrooms are tender, about 4 minutes. Remove from heat; cool in skillet.

Place pork in large bowl. Mix in 1 tablespoon soy sauce, 1 teaspoon sesame oil, cracked pepper, and 1/2 teaspoon coarse salt, then fold in mushroom mixture. Using 2 generous tablespoonfuls for each, shape into 18 patties, each about 2 1/4 inches in diameter; arrange on plastic-lined baking sheet.

Whisk hoisin sauce, ginger, vinegar, chili sauce, and remaining 1 tablespoon soy sauce and 2 teaspoons sesame oil in small bowl for sauce. DO AHEAD: Burgers and sauce can be made 6 hours ahead. Cover separately; chill.

Spray grill rack with nonstick spray. Prepare barbecue (medium-high heat ). Grill burgers until cooked through, about 3 minutes per side. Arrange burgers on platter; set out sauce. Place lettuce, bell pepper, carrot, and cilantro in separate bowls. Serve, allowing guests to wrap burgers in lettuce and add sauce and vegetables as desired.

I have made these twice. Both times I have left out the lemongrass as it wasn't available. I made the patties into an oval shape to fit on the lettuce better and used leaf lettuce. We really enjoyed these! I found this on epicurious as I was looking for something that would work for a low carb entree. I was bringing a birthday lunch to a friend:)

mini chef.... a special collection of recipes

2009-07-21T15:55:00.006-04:00

This post is a special collection of recipes all from Xavier. He created them himself. He asked me when his recipes were going to be on the blog so here goes:)

This first recipe is not so new with the ingredients but the approach is what makes it so interesting!

Nuked Cheese and Bread
2 slices bread
2-3 slices cheese

Sneak the bread bag open very quietly so mom won't hear you messing around in the kitchen. Do the same with the cheese unwrapping it carefully so the plastic wrapper doesn't give you away. Place the cheese on one slice of bread...the more the better and place the remaining slice on the other slice of bread. Fold the sandwich in half because you know better than to use a knife. Slide a chair from the kitchen table over to the microwave. Place folded over sandwiches inside microwave stacking them on top of one another. Start pressing buttons until the microwave turns on. You know it is done when mom comes into the kitchen and starts hollering about what is in the microwave and how long has it been in there?!?

Doesn't that look yummy and melty?

Banana Smooshy

1 banana
1 spoonful of jelly/jam of choice
dash of cinnamon

Slice one banana with a butter knife and place in bowl. Place one spoonful of jelly on top and sprinkle with a dash of cinnamon. Smoosh it all together with a spoon. Holler at your brother for reaching for the first bite when you wanted to try it first!

Special Blueberry Drink

This drink was created as a result of being extremely thirsty after a family day at the pool. It was composed on the car ride home and later dictated to mommy. Here it is verbatim.

It is a very special drink. Sugar. We need sugar. A few blueberries, then a little sugar. Fill a glass like this full of water (gestures with hands to a full glass). And this big with ice (gestures with hands to half a glass). Then just add some little chocolate chips. You have to squish the blueberries to get them juicy otherwise it just tastes like water with ice. Add maybe 3 spoonfuls of sugar. Stir the drink. And then you just taste it. When I make it, I say YUMMY.

***this drink was created exactly as written minus the sugar and chocolate chips:)***

A big thank you to Xavier for sharing his recipes with us!

celebrate with cookie dough pie

2009-07-06T17:31:00.005-04:00

I hope that everyone had a very happy and safe 4th of July. It was a bit rainy here but that didn't stop us from celebrating! Here is a very quick and easy dessert that can be festive for any occasion. Here is the recipe....if you can even call it that:)

Cookie Dough Pie

15.25 ounce package Chips Ahoy Cookies- Original kind
8-12 ounces Cool Whip- I used 8 ounces
2 cups milk*

Quickly dip cookies in milk, shake off excess liquid, and layer in 9 inch pie plate, breaking cookies to fill any gaps. Once the first layer is complete, top with a thin layer of Cool Whip. Repeat twice more making last layer of Cool Whip a bit thicker. Garnish with chocolate syrup if desired. Place in refrigerator or freezer 2-3 hours before serving. Serves 6-8.

I put the milk in a shallow dish and it didn't take a full 2 cups. I also used an 8 X 12 dish and wished I had a few more cookies. The next time I make this I will use a 9 X 13 pan, buy 2 packages of cookies and a large Cool Whip. It was very good considering the effort put into it:) And the kids LOVED it!

cool in the pool

2009-06-30T00:45:00.002-04:00

well at least they think they are:) We upgraded our blowup elephant pool to one just a bit bigger. The boys love it!

Xavier is striking a pose.

And if big brother does it so does little brother!

Sometimes they even get along.

But don't let those smiling faces fool you...it never lasts very long:)

a person to celebrate

2009-06-27T16:30:00.008-04:00

I just wanted to take a moment to publicly thank and recognize the "hero" in our house. We had a weekend celebration that started Friday evening to celebrate Father's Day. Thank you for all you do for each of us honey!

I saw these very cute cupcake "burgers" on Bakerella's blog and knew exactly what we would do. We were going to have burgers for dinner and burgers for dessert. I told the boys what we were going to do a couple of days beforehand and to keep it a surprise for daddy. Every day they proceeded to tell Daddy about his secret surprise in an obvious way...telling just a little too much...it was really funny. Steve was really trying to get the info from them too! And of course I didn't tell them about his main 2 surprises, one of which he ended up getting early as you will soon find out. Incidentally, Bakerella's are much cuter but I am sure she did not have darling 2 & 4 year old helpers. They did the condiments:)

It was cupcake "buns" and walnut brownie "burgers".

Our burger dinner/dessert!

Steve was supposed to wait til Sunday to actually receive his gifts....mainly because I had ordered something that wasn't in yet. On Friday, he got home early and I was watching the door like a hawk waiting for a package to be delivered. I was downstairs and thought I heard the doorbell...went racing upstairs and here Steve stood at the door with 2 packages in in hand looking guilty. "I didn't see anything" he said. Yeah. Right. It clearly said chipmunk trap on the box!!! So he got to open one of his presents early. To make a long story short, we have problem with chipmunks digging around in the mulch and yard so a live trap was the perfect gift. Steve had read about how to get rid of them and had rigged up a trap in the yard but it was unsuccessful for us to this point.

Here is the trap.

The day we set up his new trap his rigged trap started working. We have got 5 chipmunks this week and in the new trap a bunny and squirrel. A new "hobby" of sorts:)

On Sunday Steve opened his other gifts.

His favorite!

And a couple of gag gifts.

After complaining about the natural peanut butter we buy... he has his very own!

He also has his own duct tape after being in complete astonishment that with every kind of tape I have how could I NOT have any duct tape (when he was needing some for his rigged trap). What can I say??? Ummmm, I think duct tape is a "guy thing"!

We also got him a massage which he enjoyed yesterday:)

And his favorite gift of all....

A recordable Superman Father's Day card. After about 20 takes....seriously.... both boys were able to get out Happy Father's Day. I love you dad! He loved it!

I made him dinner that night too...his choice. Alice Springs Chicken sans mushrooms...an Outback favorite- not from Outback but our own kitchen.

It was a great weekend for a great man!

quick black bean soup

2009-06-14T21:17:00.004-04:00

Here is a super quick and easy recipe that can mostly be made from your pantry. This is a great go to recipe when you are short on time but need to have dinner on the table quick! Another one from epicurious.com...

Black Bean Soup with Cumin & Jalapeno

2 tablespoons olive oil
1 onion, chopped
1 carrot, chopped
4 garlic cloves, chopped
2 teaspoons ground cumin
1 to 2 teaspoons chopped jalapeño chile with seeds, divided
2 15- to 16-ounce cans black beans, undrained
1 15-ounce can petite diced tomatoes in juice
1 1/2 cups low-salt chicken broth

Chopped fresh cilantro
Chopped green onions
Crumbled feta cheese

Heat oil in heavy large pot over medium-high heat. Add onion, carrot, and garlic; sauté until vegetables begin to soften, about 6 minutes. Mix in cumin and 1 teaspoon jalapeño. Add beans, tomatoes with juice, and broth; bring soup to boil. Reduce heat to medium, cover, and cook until carrots are tender, about 15 minutes. Transfer 3 cups of soup to blender and puree until smooth. Return puree to pot. Simmer soup until slightly thickened, about 15 minutes. Season to taste with salt, pepper, and remaining 1 teaspoon jalapeño, if desired.
Ladle soup into bowls. Pass cilantro, green onions, and feta cheese separately.

I made this pretty much as is except using veggie stock instead of chicken stock...this makes it a great vegetarian option as well. I also didn't puree any of it...too much work:) I loved the use of feta in this!!! So good! I served it with corn muffins one night and cheese quesadillas the next.

dippin' eggs

2009-06-10T15:42:00.004-04:00

As a special treat my husband's mom would make he and his sisters "dippin' eggs" for breakfast. This was a tradition that she also enjoyed herself as a child. On a visit to Grandma's house my boys also got to experience dippin' eggs... raising the standards on breakfast fare at our house.

Dippin' eggs are soft boiled eggs with the top cut off, served with buttered toast strips. Sounds easy enough right???? WRONG! These things are hard to master! My mother in law even gave me an egg timer and I still failed!

One morning shortly after arriving home from MN, I offered to make the boys something special...dippin' eggs were not even on my radar but Xavier said "how 'bout dipping eggs"! Really?!? I said. You would have thought he just asked me to lay an egg from my reaction!! Are you sure you want dippin' eggs....thinking please noooo not that...anything but THAT! Well dippin' eggs it was. I was determined to master them this time. I got out my trusty red gingham Better Homes and Garden cookbook and followed these directions for soft cooked eggs:

Place eggs in a single layer in a medium saucepan. Add enough cold water to come 1 inch above eggs. Bring water to boiling and reduce heat to just below simmering (tricky part). Cover and cook 4-6 mins; drain. Fill pan with cold water and let eggs sit until cool enough to handle.

I covered and cooked for exactly 4 mins. I cooled until I could handle it. Cut off the top and much to my surprise they were PERFECT dippin' eggs! Yay me! Serve with buttered toast strips to dip in the yummy yolk. When the yolk is all soaked up run a spoon around the shell and spoon the egg white out. Do not try to peel the egg at this point...trust me you will end up with a mess!

It was a success! These were extra special as they were made with my mom's farm fresh eggs! Thanks grandmas for a great breakfast!

slip'nslide fun!

2009-06-04T14:17:00.012-04:00

what a blast from the past this was! Back in the day.... these were long, yellow and fast:) As I took it out of the box and unrolled it I thought "where in the heck is the rest of it"? It wasn't as long or fast as I remember it to be BUT they did add a second lane which is great if you have two kiddos trying to use it at the same time:) Even though I was slightly disappointed in the newest version, the boys were thrilled with it....therefore so was I!

mother's day pancakes

2009-05-30T22:38:00.006-04:00

Even though it is a bit late I wanted to brag on my husband for a minute:) For Mother's Day he and the boys made me breakfast. My choice. I chose a new pancake recipe that actually required a bit more effort than just opening a box and adding water. And it was worth it. NOT only did he make them BUT he did it with the kids (if you have ever cooked with a 2 and a 4 year old you know how painful this can be:) The results were absolutely delicious and the memories priceless.

We first started out with Starbucks after Mass.

The boys got down to business!

And that was not all...there was also crispy bacon and scrambled eggs.

And if that was not enough...my choice for dinner too! I chose ribs!!

Have you ever noticed that food tastes better when you are not the one cooking??? Thanks honey for a wonderful day..... already excited for NEXT mother's day. No pressure:)

PW’s Perfect Pancakes
3 cups plus 2 tablespoons cake flour
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons baking powder
2 tablespoons sugar
2 cups milk
2 large eggs
3 teaspoons vanilla
4 tablespoons butter
Extra butter
Maple or Pancake syrup

Mix together dry ingredients in large bowl. Mix together milk, eggs, and vanilla in a separate bowl. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients, stirring very gently until just combined.Melt butter and add it to the batter, stirring gently to combine.Cook on a greased skillet over medium-low heat until golden brown. Serve with an obscene amount of butter and warm syrup.

apron envy

2009-05-28T11:58:00.009-04:00

I have it. I admit it. Serious apron envy:)

Here are some recent pics of my sewing projects. I got an adorable pattern for a girl's apron and have made these 2. The adult aprons have all been gifts. I sooo want to wear every apron I have made....but sadly have not made one for myself. Soon...I tell myself....very soon!

I love the neckline and pocket detail on these aprons!

This is a reversible half apron that I designed myself. It has a little pleat where the strap meets the waist. I may do some mommy/daughter apron sets.

My friend Jenny came across this pattern on etsy and I just fell in love with it. It is such a feminine apron! You can't help but be better in the kitchen just wearing this:)

The apron is reversible. I may work on a similar pattern that is just one sided too.

Side 1

Side 2

Side 1

Side 2

I LOVE the finished result but do admit that picking out the fabrics is half the fun.... especially if you are making it for someone you know and love!

pork gyros

2009-05-25T16:25:00.001-04:00

Pork
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1/4 cup dry red wine
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 small bay leaf, crumbled
1/2 tablespoon (packed) fresh oregano leaves
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/4 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper
2 1-pound pork tenderloins

Tsatsiki Sauce
1 cucumber, grated
1 cup Greek yogurt or whole-milk yogurt
2 tablespoons chopped fresh dill
2 tablespoons drained capers, chopped
2 garlic cloves, minced
1/2 t lemon juice

6 pita breads
1/2 half red onion thinly sliced
8 oz feta cheese, crumbled

Oil for pitas
1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil
1 rounded teaspoon dried oregano
1 rounded teaspoon dried rosemary, crumbled
2 garlic cloves, minced

Combine first 7 ingredients in large resealable plastic bag; shake to blend. Add pork to marinade; seal bag. Chill overnight, turning bag occasionally.

Peel and grate 1 cucumber, then squeeze it with your hands to remove excess water. Stir together with yogurt, 1/2 teaspoon lemon juice, garlic, capers, dill 1/4 teaspoon each of salt and pepper to make tsatsiki.

Prepare barbecue (medium heat). Remove pork from bag. Grill until thermometer inserted into center of each tenderloin registers 145°F, about 18 minutes. Transfer to work surface; let stand 10 minutes (temperature will rise 5 to 10 degrees). Thinly slice into rounds.

Gently simmer oil, oregano, rosemary, garlic, 1/4 teaspoon salt, and 1/8 teaspoon pepper in a small heavy saucepan, stirring constantly, until garlic is fragrant but not browned, 1 to 2 minutes. Brush one side of bread with oil and heat bread, oiled side up on a sheet pan, 3 to 4 inches from broiler 3 minutes or until warm and brown.

Fill pita bread with pork, drizzle with sauce then tuck in onion and sprinkle with feta cheese. Serve, passing remaining sauce separately.

This recipe was adapted from 2 different gyro recipes I found on epicurious. It was good and the kids liked everything but the tsatsiki sauce:) I will certainly make this again!

mmmm... my kid's favorite dip

2009-05-22T20:33:00.001-04:00

Mmmm. Hands down the most requested thing in the house by the kids. White Dip. Well, that is what we call it. It is actually a cream cheese fruit dip. So good and so very easy (the easy part even actually makes it even taste better)!! Mom made this for us as kids and we called it Caramel Apple Dip....it does taste close to caramel apples and it is certainly less hassle. I have made it hundreds of times. If you have come to my house for one thing or another I'm sure you have had it!

Fruit Dip aka White Dip

8 oz cream cheese, softened
1 small jar marshmallow cream
1 tsp vanilla

Mix all ingredients together until smooth and creamy. Use electric mixer for best results. Serve with cut up fruit. Green apples are the boys favorite with this dip.

I use neuchatel cheese which is a light cream cheese.

Here is Xavier "testing" it for me to make sure that it is as good as he remembers it to be.

Yup! It sure is!!

I am really behind on posting new blog entries but I will catch up soon , I promise:)

These are some of my **favorite*** recent pictures of Xavier. I really {heart} them!!!

boomie juice

2009-05-20T19:40:00.004-04:00

Enough said!

how many noe boys...

2009-05-18T22:00:00.003-04:00

does it take to mow the lawn? If you look at how long the grass is ...

you will see that it takes three!

AND if you heard how rough the lawnmower sounds you would also see that it takes both a bubble mower and an empty fertilizer cart to get the job done!

i love dinosaurs??

2009-05-08T13:44:00.005-04:00

Before we got to my parent's house I was talking to the boys about their dog Barney. Barney was the cause of much angst to the boys on the trip back to MN last July. For some reason, the boys just lost their cool every time poor Barney even glanced their way. It was SOOO frustrating to have them act so ridiculously. By the end of the last trip however, they were able to quickly pet him and at least not shriek when he looked at them. After spending a good 15 minutes on the subject of Barney, I asked the boys whether they were going to cry and whine and be afraid when they saw Barney. Xavier said "No I am not. I like Barney... he is so nice!" Dax said "I not going to whine or try....I like Barney...he is a good DINOSAUR!"

Xavier really did like Barney. He liked to tell him to get in the back of the 4 wheeler...and most of the time he did! We said we would give Dax a "surprise" if he would touch Barney. A few quarters later he would touch him quickly but didn't ever really like it!

merci gladys

2009-05-07T19:54:00.012-04:00

My sister had her baby early. Merci Gladys was born April 20, 2009. Her actual due date was May 7th. She was born early on a Monday morning. My sister went into labor on Sunday. It was Divine Mercy Sunday. How cool! Her middle name is my maternal grandmother's name.

Merci was born with Pfeiffer Syndrome. It causes early bone fusion. This primarily affected the bones in her head. Her elbows are also fused. I was fortunate to be able to see my newest niece already. She has already had her first photo shoot:) A week after her birth she had her first surgery to relieve the pressure on her brain from the early bone fusion. She did great and her head shape looks really good! We were all so impressed. One week after that she had a tracheostomy. Her nasal passage is closed on one side and so very tiny on the other. If all goes well, she will have it for 1-2 years. She is being cared for by some of the best doctors/teams in the world at Mayo Clinic and we are so grateful for that. She is so sweet and we are happy to have her here with us. I know that my sister is anxious to get her home.

Please keep her in your prayers so that she can hurry home to join her 6 brothers and sisters. Yes. Merci is number 7. And yes. My sister is crazy. Just kidding Gina.

Kind of:)

spring salad and wedding cookies

2009-05-07T19:52:00.017-04:00

In attempt to find a new and interesting salad for my SIL's wedding shower, I came across this recipe for a salad. Here is the recipe as written.

Blueberry Spinach Salad

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1/4 cup raspberry vinegar
2 teaspoons Dijon mustard
1 teaspoon sugar
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 (10 ounce) package fresh spinach, torn
1 (4 ounce) package blue cheese, crumbled
1 cup fresh blueberries
1/2 cup chopped pecans, toasted

In a jar with a tight fitting lid mix the first 5 ingredients together. Assemble the rest of the salad in a large bowl pouring dressing over right before serving.

I tested out a version of this salad out on a friend who was visiting (thanks Steph for being my guinea pig!). Here are my substitutions:

I used raspberry white balsamic vinegar and feta cheese for the blue cheese. The store was out of blueberries so I used strawberries and I used my friend Susan's awesome sugared nut recipe (which I will post) with walnuts instead of pecans.

Susan's Awesome Sugared Nuts

2 cups nuts
3/4 cup white sugar
1/4 cup water

Put all ingredients in a glass bowl and stirring to mix. Microwave in one minute intervals and stir. It is finished when the mixture crystallizes. Pour out on a plate or baking pan to cool- breaking up clumps. My microwave takes about 7 minutes total. You can even add cinnamon or cayenne pepper to them if you would like but I like them best plain:)

In the final shower for the salad, I used a mixture of spinach and spring lettuce mix and used blueberries, strawberries and blackberries. The dressing was served on the side. It was beautiful and very tasty!

I also made some wedding shaped cookies as favors with fondant and royal icing . The recipe was from the William Sonoma website. It makes a very rich and flavorful cookie.

Sugar Cookies

16 Tbs. (2 sticks) unsalted butter, at room temperature
3/4 cup sugar
3 egg yolks
1 piece vanilla bean, about 2 inches long
2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt

In a bowl, using an electric mixer, beat together the butter and sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 4 minutes. Beat in the egg yolks one at a time, beating well after each addition. Cut the vanilla bean in half lengthwise and, using a small, sharp knife, scrape the seeds into the butter mixture. Mix well. In a sifter, combine the flour, baking powder and salt. Sift the flour mixture directly onto the butter mixture. Reduce the speed to low and beat until well mixed.

Divide the dough into 4 equal portions. Shape each portion into a ball, then flatten the balls into disks. Wrap in plastic wrap and refrigerate overnight. (The dough can be prepared up to 3 days ahead.) Let it soften slightly at room temperature before continuing.

Position a rack in the upper third of an oven and preheat to 350°F. Butter 2 large baking sheets. On a lightly floured work surface, roll out a dough disk 1/4 inch thick. Using cookie cutters, cut out desired shapes. Transfer the cutouts to the prepared baking sheets. Gather up and re-roll the scraps and cut out more cookies. Repeat with the remaining dough disks. Bake until the cookies are golden on the edges, about 8 minutes. Transfer the cookies to wire racks and let cool completely.

Makes 24 to 30 cookies.

I think that using real vanilla bean is such a nice touch since the ingredients are so simple. You can get them in the grocery spice section or online. After the cookies cooled completely I spread a thin layer of buttercream icing (to act as glue) and then rolled out fondant and used the cookie cutter and put the fondant cutout on top of each cookie. Royal icing was used to make simple embellishments. So pretty!

Thanks J for all of your help and planning for the shower. I think it turned out great!

I took the plunge...

2009-04-21T00:54:00.004-04:00

This is just a quick post to let those of you who have not seen me recently know that I got a hair cut. It is is true. How cruel is it that I am not posting a picture? I think that I will not so secretly (since my hubby reads this blog) load pictures onto this computer to give you a sneak peak. But it won't be tonight. I am winding down from a very exciting hair bow making party that I hosted tonight. The girls made a ton of great clippies and bows! I am SURE that many of their creations will be all over blogland if not tonight then first thing tomorrow am. They are probably as wound up as I am and blogging it right now! Just kidding. I think. All kidding aside, there was some serious bow making going on here with some really great clips and idea sharing. It was totally fun and the time just flew by!

OK. Back to the haircut. I did it and it felt great. The pony tail was about 16 inches to the very tip. It is well on it's way to Locks of Love- my third and final donation. No regrets and I can still put it in a pony tail...what more could a girl ask for?

Will do my best to post pics soon. Please check back:)

Here are the pics as promised taken the night my hair was cut:)

festive fun food

2009-04-12T15:56:00.011-04:00

I made this fun jello salad for Easter at Steve's parent's house. We all got together the Saturday before Easter and had a great time.

Ribbon Jello Salad

1 (3 ounce) package cherry flavored gelatin mix
1 (3 ounce) package lemon flavored gelatin mix
1 (3 ounce) package lime flavored gelatin mix
1 (3 ounce) package orange flavored gelatin mix

1 (3 ounce) package berry flavored gelatin mix (optional)

2 cups milk
2 (.25 ounce) packages unflavored gelatin
1 cup white sugar
1 (16 ounce) container sour cream
2 teaspoons vanilla extract

DIRECTIONS
In a medium saucepan, boil milk and sugar. Cool completely, but do not refrigerate.
Dissolve each package of flavored gelatin separately in 1 1/2 cups of boiling water. Set aside.
Dissolve unflavored gelatin in 1/2 cup of warm water. Add with sour cream to cooled milk and sugar and vanilla mixture. Set aside.
Spread gelatin of one color on the bottom of a 9x13 inch pan. Chill in refrigerator until set. Then put 1 1/3 cup of the sour cream mixture on the chilled, firm layer of gelatin. Keep alternating these until all gelatin is used. Be sure to chill after each addition of gelatin.

This was really fun to make and was so colorful but took a loooong time due to letting each layer set. The visual results were totally worth it though! I actually used 5 packs of jello so that is why I added an optional pack in the ingredients. The layers wanted to slide off one another so the next time I make this I will add each layer after about 20-25 mins instead of letting it set completely. I was not very diligent about timing the layers and often would forget about it! Don't let the sour cream throw you....the white layer tastes a lot like cream cheese:)

I also made Bird's Nests. This is a throw back to the days of my youth when Mom would whip these up. Super easy and very cute!

Bird Nest Cookies

1 bag milk choc chips

1 can (5 oz.) can chow mein noodles

1 c. chopped salted peanuts (optional)

1 bag sm. jelly beans

Melt chips in microwave or double boiler. Add noodles, stir until completely coated. Drop by spoonfuls onto wax paper shaping into nest. Cool completely. Add jelly beans.

There are so many variations on this cookie. You can use white chocolate chips, butterscotch chips, or combine the butterscotch with the chocolate. You can even add peanut butter. Whatever you would like. I just went for easy and used the milk chocolate chips and the noodles. AND jelly beans of course!

too much of a good thing?

2009-04-12T15:15:00.004-04:00

What do you get when you mix a hard boiled egg (before Mass), Life cereal (during Mass), ham and cheese omelet (after Mass aka THIRD breakfast), a sucker, pack of skittles, string cheese (given to you by your big brother without asking Mom who found the wrapper after the fact), a riveting Easter egg hunt followed by 8 jelly beans, a couple of swigs of milk and a chocolate candy???? An upset tummy and a small pile of vomit (resulting in clean sheets) when you are put down for your nap!!!

Happy Easter from a very full Dax who had a little TOO MUCH of a good thing!!

no pictures????

2009-04-07T21:24:00.003-04:00

While the basement is under construction and I have no access to my computer, I have been allowed to use my hubby's computer in the office with the request not to download to or inundate the computer with unnecessary "stuff"(read: don't junk up my computer and NO you may NOT put pictures AND editing software on my computer). All kidding aside, I do miss my computer and all of it's "stuff" and "junk". It is not nearly as fun to blog without the photo which is usually the topic of my posts. Soooo if any of you are wondering what the heck is up with the lack of photos or are relieved that you do not have to endure another photo from the Noe family- this is a temporary situation. Thank goodness for that because I am already feeling a serious urge to do some "junking."

Since I cannot show you the photo of the 4 bunnies that live/play in our backyard, you cannot see how cute they are. They love to run and play with each other and boy can they do flips (and dig holes)! The other day I asked Xavier what he thought the bunnies were doing out in the yard. X: I think they are looking for places to lay the Easter eggs:)

Greek Style Garlic Shrimp with Orzo

2009-04-02T09:28:00.006-04:00

I recently made a new recipe from Rachel Ray's 365: No Repeats Cookbook. I thought it was really good. The hubby disliked the skins from the grape tomatoes that I used...it's a texture thing with him:)

Greek Style Garlic Shrimp with Orzo

Ingredients:
1 pound shrimp, peeled and deveined
2/3 pound orzo
2 teaspoons lemon zest
lemon juice from 1/2 lemon
4 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
6 cloves garlic, minced
1 pint cherry tomatoes, halved
1 small red onion, chopped
1 teaspoon crushed red pepper flakes
1/2 cup kalamata olives, pitted and chopped
2 teaspoons dried oregano
1/3 cup dry white wine
1/2 cup fresh Italian parsley, chopped
6 ounces feta cheese, crumbled
freshly ground pepper

Season the shrimp with the lemon zest, lemon juice, and salt to taste. Cook the orzo according to package directions in salted water. Heat the olive oil over medium-high heat in a large non-stick skillet. Add the onions, garlic, crushed red pepper and cook for 2 minutes. Add the shrimp and cook for an additional minute. Then add the tomatoes, olives, oregano, and parsley. Cook just until shrimp turn pink. Add the wine and remove from heat. Drain the cooked orzo and drizzle with just a touch of olive oil to keep it from sticking together. Toss in a large serving dish with the shrimp mixture and top with the feta cheese crumbles.

I pretty much left the recipe as is this time. I did use grape tomatoes instead of cherry tomatoes and begrudgingly left the olives out because Steve doesn't like them. I may try a canned , drained diced tomato next time to see if the hubby will give it a better review. I will be making this again. Don't skip the feta...it MAKES the dish!

A quick funny. I try to take pics of the food to go with the recipe just for fun (although I am slow to add them to the blog!). The other night I was snapping away and Xavier said "Why are you taking pictures of that? Nobody wants to see pictures of our dinner"! OK maybe he is just a tad like his father...that sounds like something straight out of Daddy's mouth! Thanks for your support babe!

the face of determination

2009-03-31T00:29:00.006-04:00

The other day we were outside enjoying some of the first tastes of Spring. The boys wanted to do t-ball so we got out the equipment and before long we were batting away. Just lately, Xavier is getting some coordination to actually hit the ball off the t... most of the time. He really amazed me that he could actually hit the ball pretty straight and far. He then asked we we could do "stitch". I had no idea what he was talking about. He said..."You know, when you throw the ball and I hit it". Ohhhh, pitch. You want me to pitch. Sure, why not. So after about 20 pitches with no contact with the ball what so ever, I suggested going back to t-ball.

Me: "Don't you want to go back to hitting the ball off the t? You are really getting good at that. You may not be able to hit the ball while I pitch".

X: "Well then I will just keep practicing and practicing until I can hit it"!

Well said little one! Shame on me for suggesting that you stop something just because you can't do it very well!! What was I thinking???

And so I pitched and pitched and then pitched some more. I think Xavier hit it about 4 times in all. But he DID hit it and boy was he proud when he did....me too!

I took some pictures as he was batting and throwing the ball. It was only after I got them off the camera that I noticed the look of determination in his face. Just as I thought that all the learning would be on Xavier's part as we went outside in the backyard.... I got a little "schooling" of my own FROM my 4 year old. Never underestimate the power of determination!

a weak moment

2009-03-26T08:09:00.006-04:00

Trying to hold true to my New Years Resolution of actually trying recipes from my cookbooks instead of just reading about them, I think that I have found a couple of recent keepers. I also told myself that I would NOT be purchasing any new cookbooks (BUT to receive them as a gift, for example is TOTALLY OK...not that I am hinting to anyone...wink ...wink) but I did have a weak moment and found myself with a new cookbook in my hands. Before I could stop myself, I was out the door with it tucked into a cute little bag. I rationalized that I NEEDED a chicken cookbook, because as you may or may not remember...I have a problem with chicken...a chicken allergy (actually poultry in general) which both of my children find the need to remind me of several times during every chicken meal that I serve.

So I got a cookbook totally dedicated to chicken and we are well on our way out of the "chicken rut" that I have put us into. It is still hard for me to make chicken and I have to be careful on how I actually cook it- no top of the stove action for me as it sends me into an asthmatic type reaction. I rarely LOVE a recipe as written....always tweaking the "next time" for my family's specific palate, so leaving it as written and recommending it to others is always a little unnerving to me but that is my problem not yours! Maybe you can help me with the changes. My poor husband is a little tired of the 20 questions on the meal...he really just wants to eat it so please pass on the suggestions for improvement! I am counting on you for your culinary help.

Both recipes are my from my new cookbook Gooseberry Patch Our Favorite Chicken Recipes.

Bacon Wrapped Chicken

boneless skinless chicken breasts, one for each person
1T chive and onion flavored cream cheese per breast
1 T butter for each breast
1 slice bacon per breast
salt, pepper
dried tarragon

Flatten each chicken breast to 1/2 inch thickness; spread 1 T cream cheese over each breast, top with 1 T butter, salt, pepper and tarragon. Roll up chicken; wrap with bacon slice and secure with toothpick. Place seam side down in lightly greased baking pan. Bake at 400 for 25 mins or until juices run clear when pierced with a fork.

I omitted the tarragon because I didn't have any and used thick sliced bacon which I would not recommend without precooking it some first. It never really got yummy and crispy. I served with honey mustard that I made from 2 parts honey to one part mustard and used a combo of regular and Dijon mustard. I thought that maybe you could make this with ham and cheese rolled inside. My sister Aimee tried turkey bacon and thought that she would use regular next time. She also suggested adding spinach- super idea! I flattened each chicken breast with a meat mallet between plastic wrap and it worked great. If you do not own a meat mallet you could try to flatten with a rolling pin, a heavy pan, a big can, a wine/liquor bottle or you could just save yourself a whole lot of effort and go get yourself a $4 mallet..... it is up to you!

Bruschetta Chicken Bake

14.5 oz can diced tomatoes
6 oz package herb flavored stuffing mix
1/2 cup water
1 1/2 lbs boneless, skinless chicken breasts, cubed
garlic powder, dried Italian seasoning, salt, pepper
1 cup shredded mozzarella

Arrange chicken cubes in lightly greased 9X13 pan; season with garlic powder, Italian seasoning, salt, pepper. Sprinkle with cheese. In medium bowl, combine stuffing mix, tomatoes and water. Stir til just moistened. Top chicken with stuffing mix. Bake uncovered at 400 for 25 mins until chicken is cooked through.

I used 3 breasts cubed and probably added more cheese (used an Italian blend). The family really liked it. When pressed for details, Steve said that if anything needed improvement on this one, it would be the stuffing mix. Maybe a homemade crouton instead of the stuffing mix??? That ups the hassle factor but may be worth it? I served with crispy potato wedges and veggies the first night and got lazier the second night and served it with baked potatoes the second.

Enjoy! If you try them, let me know what you think.

my little picassos

2009-03-24T08:53:00.005-04:00

The boys were outside the other day enjoying one of the beautiful and warm spring days that we had. They each had new sidewalk chalk (thanks Grandma for 2!) and were very excited to get busy!

Can you guess who this is???

It is me! I asked Xavier if that line above my head was my arm and he looked at me

(with a slight look of disgust) and said "No, Mom that is your ponytail...can't you see the rubber band"? I guess that little circle at the end of the line is my signature hairstyle...how observant!

The boys are also into watercolor paints these days. Here is their latest work.

The "Infredibles" and much more!

2009-03-19T15:25:00.007-04:00

The boys and I took Grandma to see Disney on Ice last Sunday. It was a last minute decision to go and it was surprise for Grandma. While Steve and Grandpa worked hard the the taxes, we were hard at work in search of finding some superheros. We had seats in the very last row....way up at the top but I guess it was close enough to see and not be scared of all the action on the ice. We all had a nice time and really enjoyed the show. I was really wishing for a zoom lens but made due with I had. So if you would like to see the show from the "cheap seats" here you go!

Grandma is delirious from change of "altitude" from being in these high seats! Just kidding, it could also be from my crazy driving to get us here on time!

Everyone's favorite Mouse!

Finding Nemo

Snow White

More Princesses...X did notice that Sleeping Beauty was not there....how does he know that?

The Army Guys from Toy Story.

Buzz Lightyear in the box

Buzz shooting lasers.

The Infredibles as Dax fondly calls them....they were highly anticipated by the boys.

Lion King

Character parade.

Fireworks to finish it off.

The other morning I was having a conversation with X. I asked him a question and he looked at me and said "Did someone take a stupid pill this morning"? I looked at him (stifling a laugh) and asked him where on earth he heard that. He said "Mr.Potato Head says that in Toy story.....and it is soooo funny". It is funny EXCEPT when it is asked of you! Apparently, I had taken a stupid pill for letting my son watch Toy Story so many times he can recite it!

my monkeys make bread

2009-03-16T14:18:00.005-04:00

.....Monkey Bread that is. The recipe is an oldie but goodie and it was the first time the boys had ever had it so in a way it is a new recipe... for them.

Monkey Bread

4 10 oz cans buttermilk biscuits

1/3 cup sugar

1/2 tsp. cinnamon

1/2 cup chopped walnuts or pecans

1/2 up butter

3/4 cup brown sugar

1 tsp cinnamon

Preheat oven to 325. Grease bundt pan. Pour chopped nuts into the bottom of the pan. Combine cinnamon and sugar. Cut each biscuit into quarters and roll in sugar mixture. Place in pan. In saucepan melt butter and mix in brown sugar and cinnamon. Bring to boil and boil 3 mins. Pour mixture over the biscuits. Bake for 35 mins or until golden. Let cool inpan for 10 mins. Turn over on plate.

I don't have a bundt pan so I used a smaller tube pan and only used 3 cans of biscuits. I did not adjust the other ingredients. We put the cinnamon and sugar mixture in a gallon plastic bag and put the biscuit pieces in the bag to coat.

The boys LOVED it!

Here is another recipe that I found but have not tried. Looks interesting!

Blueberry Monkey Bread

1/2 cup white sugar

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

4 (10 ounce) cans refrigerated buttermilk biscuit dough

1 1/4 cups frozen blueberries, no syrup

For the mixture to pour over the biscuits:

1/2 cup butter

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1 tablespoon ground cinnamon

1 cup frozen blueberries, no syrup

Directions:
1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Thoroughly grease a bundt tube pan.
2. Mix 2/3 cup sugar and cinnamon. Cut biscuits in quarters, then roll each piece in sugar-cinnamon mixture.
3. Arrange about 1/4 of the biscuit pieces and blueberries in an even layer in pan.
4. Place blueberries between biscuit pieces, creating a mosaic effect. Repeat three times with remaining biscuits and blueberries, covering blueberries of one layer with biscuits in next layer.
5. In saucepan combine the second 2/3 cup sugar, butter, vanilla, cinnamon, and the additional cup of blueberries. Bring to a boil, then reduce heat. Cook, stirring frequently until sugar is dissolved and butter is melted.
6. Pour over biscuits in pan.
7. Bake for 35 minutes or until done. Lift or turn out onto a cake plate.

Make your monkeys some bread today!!

we wore little pants

2009-03-09T21:17:00.013-04:00

So for those of you who don't know... we were in Florida last week. We left the last Friday in February and returned Sunday the 8th in the wee hours of the am. We drove. Again. It is a long car ride...then throw in 2 kids.... my 2 kids.... and all of their "stuff" ...into a car.... a very small car. Sounds like a recipe for disaster right?? Nahhh. We are talking about the Noe boys here. They were as good as gold...seriously. It still took us a long time to get there. We left a 4:30 am and arrived about 8:30 pm. We hit rain and traffic but really it all went smoothly.

Before we left I wanted to make sure that Dax had some shorts that fit. As I tried some on, he looked down and said "Are these my little pants?" So we all packed up our "little pants" to head to someplace we could wear them.

****warning***** picture overload coming at you!

We did some walking on the beach and made plenty of sand castles.

We did some sleeping. The boys slept together the whole trip.

We did some swimming. Dax and Xavier loved the pool and both made pretty big improvements with their "swimming".

Xavier took off his float. He really was swimming.

More sleeping.

Some walking around.

Some more sleeping.

Plenty of time for super hero activity.

Some jumping.

Xavier loved the goggles...notice how they are on upside down.

Dax kept saying that he was swimming all by himself just like "yay zay" which his nickname for Xavier.

Some relaxin'.

Some bonding.

Some more bonding.

We were fortunate enough to see the dolphins that were swimming really close one morning.

A close up...kind of.

Enjoying the beautiful grounds.

One of my favorite activites is watching the sunsets. Steve took this one of the boys and I jumping. Well he pressed the shutter...I set up the shot.

Steve and Dax. Dax is holding a baggie of bread in his hand so that he could feed the gulls.

We really did have a great time despite the cooler weather. Thanks again to Mom and Dad Noe for sharing your beautiful place with us. Xavier said on more than one occasion that he wanted to live there... a part of me does too!

Fun! Fun! Fun!

2009-02-23T16:15:00.007-05:00

Thanks for the pass to the Lexington Explorium Grandpa and Grandma Lein! It is so much fun to be able to go whenever we want.
Racing to get started!

Dax lovin' the gator!

Open up and say AHHH.

Working hard in the water!

Not sure about the horse...but feeling the need for a hard hat.

The Bubble Room is a lot of fun.

Look what happens when you blow on the bubble wall. Cool!

Brotherly love....kind of.

We did have a super time. It is the gift that keeps on giving!

Not just a surgeon...

2009-02-21T16:00:00.003-05:00

but Toy Doctor too!

This is a real use of the training that we all endured!

Almost good as new... if you don't mind the loss of mobility...a little stiff in the legs.

How on earth did this happen, you may ask???

That is right....real men sleep with tools AND destroy toys!

$23 later....

2009-02-18T16:12:00.007-05:00

and Dax was sporting a new look by getting his first haircut! Here are some before pictures.

And here is the after.

This is the picture of the certificate that he got for his first haircut. The lady was trying to get him to look at the camera for a picture to put on it. Dax had already gotten his balloon with sucker for good behavior and was trying to figure out how to get the sucker off without me noticing. (He really disliked the clippers and was really upset just a few minutes before when she was using them on him.) She said "Dax, look at me...look at the camera." He looked up at her and said "No, I busy right now"! He looks like a little boy now and is certainly is growing up too fast!

Love is in the... fish??

2009-02-16T22:26:00.005-05:00

I don't know what is up with all the weird food I am coming across these days but when I opened up the tuna to thaw on Sat. night this is what I found in one of the pieces. How appropriate!

We put the boys to bed and then cooked dinner together on Valentine's evening . We made salad, tuna steaks and a new pasta dish from Giada. It was very tasty and really fast.

Wagon Wheels with Artichoke Pesto

1 pound rotelle (wagon wheel pasta)

1 (8-ounce) package of frozen artichoke hearts, thawed

1 cup fresh flat-leaf parsley leaves, lightly packed

1/2 cup chopped toasted walnuts

Zest and juice of 1 lemon

1 garlic clove

1/2 teaspoon kosher salt

1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper

3/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil

2/3 cup freshly grated Parmesan cheese

Bring a large pot of salted water to a boil over high heat. Add the pasta and cook until tender but still firm to the bite, stirring occasionally, 8 to 10 minutes. Drain the pasta, reserving 1/2 cup of the pasta cooking water.Meanwhile, in a food processor combine the artichokes, parsley, walnuts, lemon zest and juice, garlic, salt, and pepper. Chop the ingredients fine, stopping the machine a few times to scrape down the sides. With the motor running, drizzle in the olive oil. Transfer the artichoke pesto to a large serving bowl and stir in the cheese. Add the warm pasta and toss to combine. If needed, add the reserved pasta water 1/4 cup at a time to moisten the pasta and create a sauce like consistency. Serve.

I could not find frozen artichoke hearts so I used canned ones; drained. Watch the walnuts closely when toasting them in the oven. I burned the first batch. I also used 1/2 to 2/3 c olive oil. It made a ton of pasta and it turned a weird color when refrigerated but still tastes very yummy. X called it Spiderman pasta (of course) because he thought the wheels look like webs. Both boys ate the pasta as leftovers NO problem.

Here are the boys opening up their V-Day "surprises" from us on Sat. morning. They were so excited to see a bag on the table at their seats in the morning.

1 Package = 2 VERY happy boys

2009-02-13T16:54:00.007-05:00

Thank you Grandma for the great package. To see their expressions and reaction to it made it worth the $10 in shipping! We could feel the love that you sent along with it!

Xavier's reactions were genuine too! I didn't pose him!

A Tato

2009-02-12T23:22:00.005-05:00

Interesting huh? I came across this potato at the bottom of the sack and could NOT cut it up without taking a picture! It is soooo funny looking! Steve and I both have our thoughts of what it looks like but what do the kids think?

Me: Xavier, what does this potato look like?
X: I think it looks like a rainbow.

Sure I can kind of see that.

Me: What do you think this potato looks like Dax?
Dax: A Tato.

We have got a creative thinker here....must take after Daddy.

What do you think it looks like?

Here is a recipe for potato wedges or oven fries. This really isn’t a new recipe but it is a different way to prepare them. They are much lower in fat than my old way and I think they have a better texture. Try them!

Crispy Potato Wedges

2 lbs potatoes

1 T olive oil

garlic powder, black pepper, salt, rosemary

Preheat oven to 450. Scrub potatoes, leaving skins on and cut into wedges. Put oil and seasonings, except salt, into a ziplock bag. Squeeze bag to mix. Add potatoes to bag and toss them until they are coated. Place in a single layer on a heavy baking sheet. Sprinkle with salt. Bake for 30-45 mins or until golden. Do not flip wedges.

Rather than wedges, I made more of a rectangular fry shape to ensure more even cooking. I have made these this way a couple of times, with and without the rosemary. The reason for sprinkling with salt after coating with oil is that salt makes the potatoes release liquid and the oil and seasonings don’t stick as well. I was guessing that 2 lbs. was 3 large or 4 med. potatoes. Just a guess though.

Enjoy your tatos!