I Heart Faces- Winter Wonderland

This week on I Heart Faces the theme is winter wonderland.  We had a "big" snow last week, so I bundled up the kids and headed outside at 7:45 am, we lasted until 8:00 am.  I did get this cute shot of my girl eating the snow.  

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Hash

Recently I was able to purchase a Le Creuset 7 1/4 quart dutch oven.  I think I am in LOVE,  within the first two weeks of I have used the pot six times.  The latest meal I made was so good and so easy.  I thought about making a hash type dish.  I was talking to my friend Cary about it and she said, "Silver Dollar City has the most amazing hash that they cook in a five foot long skillet and stir it with a paddle."  Then I asked Josh if he would eat hash, and he goes on to say, "Silver Dollar City has the most amazing hash that they cook in a five foot long skillet and stir it with an oar."  From there I googled Silver Dollar City hash, and found a recipe that sounded good.  The recipe I am posting on here is exactly what I used.  This is a great dish because you can take liberties with recipe, add more veggies use a different protein etc.  Taking photos this time of year in my kitchen is terrible, so I don't have many.  

Ingredients:   

• 1 large sweet potato
• 2 small white potatoes (I used yukon gold) 
• 2 green bell peppers
• 1 white onion
• 1 bunch of scallions
• 2 T olive oil
• smoked sausage (optional)
• spicy Italian sausage (optional)
• pepper to taste
• kosher salt to taste
• season salt to taste

1. Cut sweet potato, white potatoes, bell peppers, onion into cubes.  Try to cut them to as close as the same size as possible because this make everything cook at the same time.
2. Cut up sausage into bite size pieces.  Cook in a separate skillet and then set aside on a paper towel to soak up the grease.  
3. Heat dutch oven or  large skillet with 2 T of olive oil.  When oil is shimmering add veggies.  Stir them continuously and cook for about 20-25 minutes. 
4. If veggies begin to stick pour a little liquid in the pan.  Water, chicken broth, white wine, etc.
5. When veggies taste close to done mix in sausage.  Cook another 5-10 minutes.
6. Then mix in scallions and serve. 

Prepped veggies.

My beautiful dutch oven.

What was left after dinner.

I think I need to head to Silver Dollar City and pay homage to this great dish.

Red Ruby Swippers

I have to admit blogworld, I am feeling very out of the habit of blogging.  I feel like my a need to write some profound blog post with all the thoughts rolling around in my head as of late, but honestly I feel frozen.  

So to get back in the saddle I am going to show you Sonya as Dorothy.  

Sonya has been very into the Wizard of Oz.  I was a little hesitant to show her the movie because she gets scared very easily.  She hides her eyes at the parts where she is scared, and asks a lot of questions to make sure she understands what is going on.  There was one day where I was talking to her and did and she did entire mash up of Wizard of Oz and Star Wars.  She said the "Wica Wits of da Wist" and her "boys" would go with Darth Vader and the stormtroopers.  Then Dorothy, the Straw Guy, the Sliver Guy (her favorite because he is handsome), and the Lion would all ride in the Millennium Falcon.  I can't remember the rest of the story, but I was impressed on how she separated the characters into good and evil.  Anyway, for Christmas I got Sonya a pair of red ruby slippers from Target, and she loved them.

  She also received a blue and white checked dress from my aunt and uncle.  It is actually a really nice dress from a fancy children's boutique in Lake Forest IL, but it is not really my style of clothes for her.  The dress is also tad small, and the definitely won't fit in the spring when it is supposed to worn.  So it became a part of our dress up clothes, and she wears it when she watches Wizard of Oz. 

I asked her to pose, here is what she gave me.

Here is another pose.

  

I love how one second she can be so into movie to where you can't even get her attention,

and the next minute she is spinning in circles.

Here is a little face time.

Bare with me blogworld as I get back at it.

2011 To Do List

Sorry for the lack of posting blogworld, I am sure all five of you that read this blog have missed me like crazy.  Basically the holidays got crazy and I didn't take a ton photos because the light has been terrible inside our house.  If you read my blog on a regular basis, you know my photos generally do most of the talking.  Anyway life has slowed down a bit, so I will be back on a more regular basis.  

First things first, I know I am few days late but 

 rather than having New Year's Resolutions, I have chosen to have a 2011 To Do List. 

1. Establish a relationship with a primary care physician and get a full physical. 
2. Go to the dentist and get my teeth cleaned.  (I missed my appt in Oct. and never rescheduled.)
3. Go the dermatologist.  
4. Get my eyes checked.
5. Do 50 in 52.  More on this later.
6. Move my body more.  C2-5K
7. Be intentional with my kids, not just entertain them.
8. Make it the beach.
9. Get in front of the camera.

I am not a good goal setter, so I went with things that were very attainable.

I plan to keep you all posted the progress of this list.  

Here's to a great 2011.

I Heart Faces- The Face

This week on I Heart Faces the theme is "the face."  

I took this photo on Mother's Day last Spring. 

It is of my mother in law, grandmother in law, and sister in law.  

Since then Fae, my grandmother in law, has gone home to the Lord.  

I love that I was able to capture three generations of women in my husband's family.

Can you see the resemblance?

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Monday Manifest on Sunday

All the Christmas Books We Own

1. The Animals' Merry Christmas  by Richard Scary
2. The Snowman  by Raymond Briggs
3. The Christmas Alphabet  by Robert Sabuda
4. The 12 Days of Christmas  by Robert Sabuda
5. The Polar Express  by Chris Van Allsburg
6. The Silent Night Book  no author, it plays the tune to Silent Night
7. The Night Before Christmas  by Clement C. Moore
8. Saint Nicholas, The Real Story of the Christmas Legend  by Julie Steigmeyer
9. The Story of Christmas, Fear Not Joseph  by Julie Steigmeyer
10. The Runaway Bunny  by Margaret Wise Brown
11. The Purpose of Christmas  by Rick Warren
12. The Advent Jesse Tree  by Dean Meador Lambert
13. The Story of Christmas  by Patricia A. Pingry
14. My First Christmas Word Board Book  by Dawn Sirett

Today Was A Good Day

  A couple of weeks ago when I was dropping Sonya off at school one of the moms said to me, "Two weeks and six days.  Two weeks and six days until Christmas break.  I can't wait."  I was blown away because I have been feeling the exact opposite.  I must admit I have been nervous and somewhat dreading the upcoming Christmas break from school.  The long cold Antarctica winter days can get the best of me and the kids.  That statement has been rattling around in my head all month.  So today I was going to make today a good day, all day.  I did gave myself a few rules for the day.  

1. Be with them, don't entertain them.
2. I don't need to capture every moment with my camera.
3. Relax, no pressure.  

With that being said, here is a look at some of our day.  I told Sonya and Teddy to give me a few minutes so I could get ready for a really fun project.  My two children would not give me those few minutes, and I lost it.  I explained to them that I love to do fun things with them but when they aren't patient and don't listen mama doesn't have any fun.  This is all I was trying to do.

So that we could do this.

At 8:30 am I decided to get out the Pillsbury sugar I had picked up at the store to have for a day just like today.  I got the dough out and tried to roll it out but it was super sticky so I just had the kids mash it up like play dough.  Teddy was not shy about using the sprinkles.  Notice the empty container...

I made the letters of all of first names, that was the only recognizable thing we made.

    Here is my favorite cookie of the day.
Before 

 After.

Here is the mess we were left with.

I didn't mind this cute messy face.
Please excuse the snot...

Here is what Sonya did with all of the sprinkles on the floor.

It is a good thing that one of my kids new favorite activities is vacuuming, because we had to do a lot of it while the cookies baked.  After I pulled the cookies out of the oven, pandemonium ensued.  Sonya and Teddy were loosing their minds trying to get to them while they cooled.  Once again I lost it, but this time I stopped myself.  So right there in the kitchen I sat down and scooped up my kids and prayed.  I asked God to help us make it a good day.  For us to show love to one another, for mama to be patient.  For Soso and TR to be good listeners and be patient when mama asks them too.  Then I thanked God for the day were going to get to spend together.  When I was done Teddy gave me the nastiest snottiest kiss on the cheek, and Sonya and I apologized to one another and hugged.  I am so thankful that I can go to God the tiniest things, and He hears me.  There was a sense of calm and peace and just remembering that we love each and wanted to have a good day.  After the cookies, we played in Sonya's room.  Josh and recently cleaned her room out it honestly looked like an episode of hoarders, but now we space to play again.  We played trains, blocks nothing out of the ordinary.  I left them to play for a bit by themselves so I could finish cleaning up after the cookies.  Sonya decided to set up a picnic in the living room.  I joined her and got out some of our Christmas books and read.

The Snowman is fun because there are no words just pictures, so you make up the story as you go.  I had to help Sonya do this she was a little confused at first then she got the hang of it.  I tried to read a few more stories, but the lost interest.  By that time it was time for lunch, but when I walked into the kitchen I saw this familiar sight.

Both my kids are obsessed with playing gin the sink.  
When Teddy was a newborn, Sonya spent hours just playing in the sink when I was trying to nurse him.
Now back to lunch.  These were in the freezer, so I made them.

They are so good, I will even say they are better then chik-fil-a.  
Here is the rest of what we ate for lunch, this was Sonya's plate.
What we were lacking in protein we made up with fiber.

After lunch, I put big baby T down for nap around 1:30 pm.  He slept until 4:30, which usually doesn't happen.  It was awesome!!  While he napped Sonya played on Starfall on the computer and I caught up on Giuliana and Bill and Watch What Happens Live, two of my favorite shows.  After my shows I decided to make a batch of granola for a teacher gift.  

I decided to keep the granola for myself, because I realized it was a lame gift.  Then I prepped some chicken for dinner, and cleaned up the kitchen for the 100th time.  When Sonya was done painting she decided she wanted to watch Shrek 2.  It worked out great because Teddy was getting up and I could make dinner in a little bit of peace when the movie would catch their interest for five minute intervals.  The menu for dinner roasted bone in chicken breasts and brocolette.  What is brocolette you ask, the package says a tender sweet cousin to broccoli.  It was on sale at the store, so I was sold.  Here is what is looks like.

 It has really long stems, so I cut those off.  Then I just tossed them in a bit of olive oil, some shallots, and my favorite seasoning.  I baked them at 450 degrees for about 15 minutes.  Super tasty, and kids ate them with no complaints.  After dinner S and T watched a some Dr. Suess show on ABC family about a flying piano, while I cleaned up the kitchen...again.  When that was done it was bath time, and they needed it after a day of playing with cookie sprinkles and markers.  The bath went on like normal lots of screaming while I washed their hair and faces.  Then lots of laughter when they could play.  Our favorite part of our whole day is when Daddy gets home, and last night it was around 6:45pm.  Josh ate dinner while the kids finished up their bath, and then they got to play with Daddy.  The evening routine at our house is dinner, bath, play time, show with a half a cup of milk, books, then pray.  Here are S and T watching their show.

  We read to them separately after their show because they get to riled up when they are together.  Teddy also can't sit through some of the stories that Sonya likes.  Josh and I usually trade back and forth with who gets which kid.  Neither one is exactly easier at bedtime.  They both have their challenges and their joys at bedtime.  Last night they were in bed and asleep a little before 8pm.  LOVE THAT!!!   The house was in pretty good shape, too.  So Josh and I didn't have to do a big clean up, again LOVE THAT.  We had a great day.  I will definitely take more days like that this winter.  Even though we didn't take one step outside we had a great day, and the kids actually were worn out.  Yesterday I found balance that worked for me and my kids.  We all got to do things we enjoyed and enjoyed one another.  Now, talk to me in 24 hours, I could very easily be whistling a different tune, but I hope this encourages any you moms out there to do what works for you, and you will hopefully make it through the winter.