pisses me off

why in the world does the post look totally different (all over the place) from what i was working with initially?!??!?! why can't things be easy? welp, i hope you're able to follow that last post... good luck.

photo friday

this week Chris and i took a mini vacation (without the kids! thanks mom!!) and spent a few days in NYC. here are some pictures...

our hotel room... with very romantic bunk beds

hanging out on the rooftop

spending some time in Central Park

we picked this guy up for May, took him around the city with us and taking pictures along the way (including all the places you see below). then we emailed them to my mom for Mayden to see. this was actually really fun.

after standing in line for tickets, standing in line again for the ferry we spent some time with the statue (Chris has never seen her) then stood in line again to get off the island... ugh!

next stop... sushi! we found this little joint, called Sushi You, next to our hotel and it couldn't have been more excellent! it was super small but just as charming with a really sweet Japanese couple running the place. i stuck to the safe Miso soup and California Roll (both the best i've ever had) and of course Chris ventured into raw fish land (i guess that is why you go) and loved every bite :o)

then we made our way into Queens to see a Mets game at the legendary Shea Stadium...which will be torn down next season.

the next morning we tried to see the real Matt Lower but turns out the American Idol winner was preforming on the show in the plaza so a bazillion people showed up.

together again! i sure missed those kids!!!!!!!

reeping the reward

so like i said the spinach is out of control. i picked, cooked and froze (what we didn't use for dinner that night) a bunch of spinach. i think i might have done it wrong though... i didn't pick it at the root, i picked it at the top near the leaf. i wonder if that will stimulate more growth or should i go back and pick those stems?! i also couldn't figure out if it's easier to chop the spinach before or after cooking. i chose after and actually just ended up pureing it this time. i could not believe how much better fresh, organic home grown spinach looks (super bright green) and tastes oposed to the frozen stuff we usualy buy at the store.

photo by M.R. S.

before

after

YUM!!

photo friday

a double rainbow!! this is last night in our backyard just after we put the kids to bed (i was so tempted to get Mayden up to see this, but i'm not stupid :o) these pictures don't really do it justice... it was AMAZING!

Camo the fish

here's a little video of Cameron being a fish this afternoon with his uncle Eric and Pop-Pop Speer.

simply heartbreaking

why do bad things happen to good people? this is the age old question that i am sure will never be answered. i just read the news that Steven Curtis Chapman (a singer/songwriter who i used to be really into)'s five year old daughter died this afternoon in a car accident. it sounds like one of their teenage sons didn't see her in the driveway as he was backing up. tragic. that poor kid. that poor family. my heart aches for them tonight.

things like this really help put my life into perspective. 30 minutes ago i was struggling with Mayden (who is sick it seems) trying to get her to stop crying and fall asleep... wondering if i'd get much sleep tonight. now im so thankful that i just might have to be up with her little coughing self all night. i will serve her with a joyful heart tonight!

three oh

so CJS #1 turned 30 today!! thirty seems scary to me

but Chris has really embraced this milestone wholeheartedly. i still have a year to prepare and a great role model to look up to until it's my dooms day. it's been a good day...after a cozy rainy day inside, a hearty meal at Cracker Barrel and a near-fire hazard of a cake we're settling in for a night of Indian Jones & the Raiders of the Lost Arc... see how giving i am?

spinach anyone?

so our spinach is loving this cooler weather that we've been having. May (the month) is feeling more like April this year, many cool and rainy days. i'd say we eat spinach pretty regularly but probably not quiet this much spinach. so if anyone is in the area and needs some green stuff... help yourself! the next non-rainy day i will get out there and harvest it all, then freeze it for later. both kinds of squash are looking good but i think it will still be awhile until we get anything to eat from the plants. no sign of my cantaloupe yet i'm thinking i should have seen something by now so we might be saying better luck next year. i'll have to do some more research on growing cantaloupe. the tomato plants are growing but they are certainly taking their time. i still need to get a fence, cage or something for them to grow up.

kill ya early banana bread

i randomly found this recipe sweetly called "Nana's Banana Bread" i however have since renamed it "Kill ya early banana bread" because i'm pretty sure it will. this banana bread is amazing and more like banana cake then bread. the batter is better then any cookie dough i've ever tasted. seriously.




ingredients

5 tbs butter
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup firmly packed light brown sugar
1 large egg
2 egg whites
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups mashed, very ripe bananas
1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/2 cup heavy cream
1/3 chopped walnuts


preheat oven to 350 degrees. spray bottom of 9x5x3 inch loaf pan with nonstick cooking spray.

beat butter in large bowl with an electric mixer set at medium speed until light and fluffy. add granulated sugar and brown sugar; beat well. add egg, egg whites and vanilla; beat until well blended. add mashed bananas, and beat on high speed 30 seconds.

combine flour, baking soda, salt and baking powder in medium bowl. add flour mixture to butter mixture alternately with cream, ending with flour mixture. add walnuts to batter; mix well.

pour evenly into prepared load pan. bake until browned and toothpick inserted bear center comes out clean. about 1 hour 15 minutes.

cool bread in pan on wire rack 10 minutes. remove bread from pan; cool completely on wire rack. slice and serve with butter and jam.

movin' on up!

i've been super busy this week with moving Danica out of her room here and moving Cameron in. up until last night Cameron has slept in our bedroom every night since he was born. despite the wonderful freedom of having our bedroom back to ourselves i have to admit it was really bittersweet putting him to bed in a different room last night. another stage of his life is coming to an end and lately he just seems to be growing so fast. i really don't know what i'm going to do with myself when he moves out of the house in 18 years (God willing). his room did turn out really cute. it's only about 90% finished so i will wait to post pictures until it is 100% complete!

We helped Danica and Tim moved into their new apartment today! such a happy day as she's been waiting FOREVER to have her own place. i'm so excited for them :o)

photo friday

here's some pictures of the kids in the backyard yesterday. they found a new friend "Hunky Funky" the caterpiller.

this is me (sorta)

Your Political Profile:

Overall: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Social Issues: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Personal Responsibility: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal Fiscal Issues: 50% Conservative, 50% Liberal Ethics: 0% Conservative, 100% Liberal Defense and Crime: 25% Conservative, 75% Liberal

How Liberal Or Conservative Are You?

lean mean green machine (sorta)

my super duper birthday & mothers day weekend extravaganza!

so i was lucky enough to have my birthday on Saturday and mothers day on Sunday this weekend. i must say that i enjoyed the sleeping in part of those days the best. unlike normal families my husband works weekends so it wasn't as laid back as it could have been for me BUT it was really nice nonetheless! the hubby & kids even got me a few books.

Animal, Vegetable, Miracle

and

Last Child in the Woods - which i already had (oops) but haven't read yet so i'll be exchanging it for an Anne Lamott fiction.

Happy Mothers Day!

there is something so appealing about this lifestyle to me

surf wise trailer... click on the Surf Wise photo to the left

photo friday

this breaks my heart

no kid should have to experience this. so sad.

TX going overboard??

i've been keeping one eye open on this child abuse case in TX (the polygamy case) and i'm pretty sure i don't agree with what's going on. i don't know all the details but seems to me this could have been handled much better then it has been. is it really necessary to separate the babies from their mothers? i understand that the state is trying to protect these children but being separated from the only caregiver you've ever known especially at a young age could do more damage then good.

obviously i think this and most cults are nuts (to say the least) and i don't think abuse is okay but i have a feeling the mothers are not the ones that need to be kept away from the kids. in my opinion they are just as much the victims as those children are.

April Movie Madness

okay so we're still slacking in the movie watching department and with the weather the way it's been i don't think it's going to be getting much better anytime soon.

The Usual Suspects - your basic boy movie with a nice twist ending. i've been forced to watch this movie before and i think i liked it better the second time around. this movie is a bit hard to follow and if it wasn't one of Chris's favorite movies i'd probably say that i didn't really like it. Score= B

The Business of Being Born - a documentary about the history of birth in the US and a good look at the current state of the birthing industry. it definitely has a pro natural (unmedicated) birth slant. needless to say this hits a soar note for me as i tried twice for this specific kind of birth and failed miserably both times. however even with that history i was able to enjoy the film and really see the truth in what was being said. since there is about a 5% chance i'll ever give birth again it was probably pointless for me to watch. a really perfect movie for anyone expecting a baby in the near future. it's always good to know all your options. Score= B

SCORE
A= loved it and will definitely watch it again
B= liked it but probably won't watch it again
C= didn't really like it and definitely won't watch it again
D= couldn't even finish it

funny faces

Mayden is getting really good at making funny faces (especially when i'm trying to get a nice picture of her). we spent a good half hour after dinner today making funny faces for the camera. here's what we did.

i don't understand it but i accept it

1. First of all, pick the number of times a week that you would like to go out to eat. (more than once but less than 10)

2. Multiply this number by 2

3. Add 5

4. Multiply it by 50

5. If you have already had your birthday this year add 1758...If you haven't, add 1757.

6. Now subtract the four digit year that you were born.

You should have a three digit number The first digit of this was your original number. (I.e., How many times you want to go out to restaurants in a week.) The next two numbers are YOUR AGE ! ------ (Oh YES, it is!)

THIS IS THE ONLY YEAR (2008) IT WILL EVER WORK, SO SPREAD IT AROUND WHILE IT LASTS

play all day

my dream is finally starting to come true. Mayden & Cameron have started to play together. you can see a glimpse of this in the bathtime video below. for the first 6 months of Cameron's life May virtually ignored his existence. she never touched him willingly, and when she was asked to hug him or even smile at him she was awkward doing it. but who can blame her, babies under 6 months old are pretty useless. in the last few months she's been talking to him more and slowly coming around to really liking him. and just in the last week or so she's been making him laugh (which makes her laugh... it's really very funny and melts my heart) when they're in the car. and last night she made up a game to play with him. they were both in the living room and i was in the kitchen making dinner and periodically spying on them. May would bring a small toy over to him, he would take it then she would jump backwards and land on the floor. this would cause 20 seconds of laughter from both of them, then she'd do it all over again! could this be the beginning of me being able to get something done around the house without (at least) one of them bugging me?!?! i'm trying not to get my hopes up :o)


P.S. complaining gets results!! Beth is now blogging (and she's even talked her husband into joining her)

photo friday

here's a series from our trip yesterday to the Star Wars exhibit at the Franklin Institute in Philly. we left Camo with my mom and just the 3 of us went.

the real puppets/costumes/ robots from the first 3 films!

Chris- i am your father!

May in an artery - the real reason people go to the FI

Logan Square

on the way home

Cam riding forward facing like a unsafe big boy because May fell asleep in his car seat.