What's Different About Larissa?

She lost her "first tooth" today!

Larissa says, "We had just got back from lunch and we were talking about not shouting. You know all that usual school stuff and then I just pulled it out. There was just a little bit of blood on the tooth. I took it to the teacher right away. And then she took me to the office so that I could get my tooth holder necklace and we had to put tape on it so I wouldn't lose my tooth."

Larissa has gone to bed for the evening with her tooth safely tucked beneath her pillow. She is anxiously awaiting the first visit from the tooth fairy.

Dinner with Papa!

Papa came to spend some time with us yesterday. We got to play, have dinner, and go for a walk. We made some yummy crab cakes for Papa since Nana is not to crazy about seafood and therefore does not cook it very often. We even sent Papa home with some leftovers for lunch.

Papa helping Dorian with his Mac & Cheese

Papa and Larissa playing "Don't Spill The Beans"

We had a great time with you Papa! We love you!

Garlic Roasted Asparagus Recipe

I have received a request for this recipe, so here it is. Super simple!

1 lb. asparagus, trimmed
3 cloves garlic, pressed
1 T. olive oil
salt and pepper to taste

Toss together all ingredients; arrange in a single layer on a lightly greased baking sheet. Bake at 450 degrees for about 8 to 12 minutes, until tender. Makes 4 servings.

This recipe is from the cookbook titled Speedy Suppers from Gooseberry Patch.

Enjoy!

And by the way it is on the menu for this evening if "you" (you knows who they are) would care to dine with us. We will also be having crab cakes and homemade mac & cheese. "You" are more than welcome to join us anytime! Bring Lulu too, the kids would love to see her!

St. Patrick's Day Breakfast

Well we all know that corned beef and cabbage are the "traditional" St. Patricks Day dinner menu, but what about breakfast?

How about some green scrambled eggs, lucky shamrock toast and some golden banana nuggets. Larissa loved everything. Dorian would not touch the green eggs.

Happy St. Patty's Day!

What's For Dinner?

WEEK ONE
Sunday - Pizza, salad
Monday - Chicken Fingers (homemade), sweet potato fries, green beans
Tuesday - Topsy Turvy Lasagna, Salad, Bread & Oil
Wednesday - See Tuesday
Thursday - Eggcellent Casserole, Toast, Cantalope
Friday - See Thursday
Saturday - Luigi's (YUM!)

WEEK TWO
Sunday - Chicken & Noodles, Roasted Dill Carrots
Monday - Pizza, Salad, Jello w/ Fruit
Tuesday - Baked Whitefish, Garlic Roasted Asparagus, Noodles
Wednesday - Applesauce Meatloaf, Mashed Red Potatoes, Green Beans
Thursday - See Wednesday
Friday - Mark & Philly's (Supreme Sicilian Pizza, BBQ Wings, Antipasta Salad)
Saturday - One Pot Pork Chop, Biscuits

Most of these recipes have come from the Gooseberry Patch cookbooks. I only own one GP cookbook, but I like to check some others out from the library and gather recipes that way. If you would like any of the recipes let me know.

The big shocker on the menu - Larissa loved the Garlic Roasted Asparagus, she even asked for seconds.

Goodbye for now, must get ready for another 2 weeks worth of grocery shopping.

Boys Will Be Boys

Dorian loves to. . . . . . .

Pick his nose!
And he thinks it is so funny!
(Perhaps that is because we laugh when he does it)
But how could we not, he looks so cute with that grin on his face and his finger jammed up his nose!

A Little Family Fun!

Spring is definitely in the air! I can feel it, even though we had winter coats and hats on, I know it's on the way!

Larissa's Masterpiece

created by: Larissa

Attack Of The . . . . . . . .

SHOWER CURTAIN!!
So I am taking my shower this morning and find that I am yet again getting attacked by the shower curtain. I have no idea why? Some mornings the shower curtain behaves like a good shower curtain and stays where it should but other mornings it is completely attacking me. And no matter which way I turn it is stuck to me. I seem to have this problem whether we have a fabric or plastic shower curtain. Am I the only person that this happens to? Is there some big secret that I am not aware of? Can anybody help me?

Does Size Really Matter?

First, let me tell you to get your mind out of the gutter. No I am not talking about "that." I am actually talking about televisions. We have 3 televisions in our house - one in the living room, one in the basement and one in our bedroom. The one in our bedroom is a very old 19" GE and it works great. The one in our living room is some kind of LCD thing or something, I am not quite sure of the size, all I know is when we bought it we had to buy a new entertainment center because it would not fit in the old one. Then the TV in our basement is about 9" and for some reason Myron thinks this one is just too small. He would like to buy some giant 50" plasma to hang on the wall. I just don't get it? And then you can't get just any old 50" plasma, it has to be 1080 and not 720 because apparently the 1080 has a better picture. The only difference noticeable to me is the $$$$. And then you need to make sure it has enough ports because you need one for the DVD player, one for the surround sound, one for the XBOX and maybe one for the cable. And then you have to be able to connect to the internet so that you can play games on your XBOX against other people. So how big is yours?

Ceramics Class

Tuesday night has been Mommy's night out for the last 2 months. Here are my first 3 projects that I have completed.

Green speckled spoon rest

Valentines Basket for Larissa

Snowman with plaid jacket

each session we learn a new technique, this session was plaid

So if there are any others interested in a Mommy's night out on Tuesday I would love to have your company! The second session just started last Tuesday.

And big "THANKS" to Myron for being home on time and allowing me to go to my class. I love you!

Weekend Shopping!

I did some shopping for Dorian this weekend and here is what I found-

First stop - JCP

Spent a total of $83 for 7 outfits

Second stop - Once Upon A Child

$49.50 for 8 shirts, 5 shorts, 4 rompers, 1 pair swim shorts

And for an additional $13 I found these 2 adorable dresses for Larissa.

Well needless to say this week I will be making a return trip to JCP to return the items that I purchased there. I think that the little time spent was definitely worth the savings and the additional items purchased! It is getting harder to find a good deal for Larissa and when this happens it has really been a good day shopping!

Do you have a brain?

I was on my way to pick up Larissa at school yesterday and while I was waiting at the traffic light I looked over at the car beside me and what I saw absolutely infuriated me! There was a young child (may be 2 years old) in the back seat of the car and not only was she not in a car seat she did not even have a seat belt on. What are people thinking? Perhaps they don't realize that if they are in an accident their child will bounce around like a ping pong ball. Do people not value their child's life? I just don't get it. I could go on and on about my feelings on this subject but I do need to go take a shower before Dorian wakes up.

Little Man!

What has Dorian been up to?

Dorian has discovered that "Mr. Potato Head" parts make silly faces. Kiss anyone?

He loves the bead necklace.

Dorian has not been feeling well the last 6 weeks - first croup, then RSV, and then an ear infection. When will all this madness end? I want my baby to be his happy healthy self again! At least he is building one strong immune system. I know that spring will bring great things for him.

Thankful for. . . . . . . . .

Larissa's wonderful school!

I know it is not Thanksgiving, but I can be thankful any day of the year. And today (and everyday) I am so thankful for the wonderful school that Larissa is able to attend. Larissa is in Pre-K at a Christian school in our community.

This school is full of so many caring teachers and administrators. Mrs. A, the school principal, stands at the main doors every morning to greet the children and parents. And she actually greets each child by name. On the mornings that I walk Larissa into school she is always ready to greet Mrs. A with a big hug.

Most mornings Larissa prefers to be dropped off at the "morning greeters." These are wonderful people who have volunteered their time to help see that our children safely exit the car and enter the school building. They are there rain, sun, sleet or snow.The children are then greeted by Mrs. M, the assistant principal. Larissa loves to greet her with a hug each morning also. (I know this because Larissa told me so.)

Mrs. M and Mrs. H are Larissa's 2 wonderful teachers. They are so full of fun and creative ideas that help the children to learn so many new things. I love it when Larissa shares about her day with me. The other day Larissa asked if she could sing me a song that she learned at school, she started to sing "The wise man built his house upon the rock. . . ." and after awhile I joined in with her. She was so surprised and asked, "How do you know that song?" She thought it was so cool that I used to sing that song when I was a little girl. I thought it was pretty cool myself!

Larissa has many other wonderful teachers at her school - Mrs. K, the librarian - Mrs. M, gym - Senora P., the spanish teacher - Mr. L, art - Miss M, music. Larissa loves the "extra" classes and knows which ones she goes to on each day.

This morning when I dropped Larissa off at the "morning greeters", I watched her go skipping into school shouting "Hi Mrs. M!" She loves her school and is always excited to go. She loves her teachers and friends. I am thankful everyday for the oppurtunity that we have to send her to such a wonderful school were she is surrounded by so many positive people and experiences. Thank you to all of the wonderful teachers and administrators who make this possible.

Dr. Suess Day

Yesterday Larissa's class had a Dr. Suess celebration. The children were allowed to come dressed as their favorite Dr. Suess character. Larissa went as a Star Bellied Sneetch.

Larissa the "Star Bellied Sneetch"

Larissa with her "Cat in the Hat" hat

Do you have a favorite Dr. Suess story?

Cleveland Auto Show 2009

Since my lease will be up this summer on the Toyota Sienna we decided to head out to the Auto Show this past weekend to check out some possibilities. Well here is what we found-

Mazda CX-9

(this was my favorite) Cute, 3rd row, great experience with my Mazda Tribute

GMC Acadia

like it, but GM is not doing so well financially, worry about warranty

Saturn Outlook
like it, Saturn division may be eliminated, worry about warranty

Honda Odyssey

has everything I am looking for, do I want another minivan

Toyota Sienna

has everything I am looking for, not been good in the snow for me

Public Transportation

not very convenient, too cold in the winter, difficult with kids

Larissa and the cutest clown ever!

Larissa chose this Saab convertible (Myron start saving your pennies now!)

And a perfect ending to the day, a ride on the giant ferris wheel!

(that is not a happy smile for Myron, it is more like OH SH**, get me down!)

On the drive home Larissa fell asleep, so Myron and I had some time to talk about our upcoming new vehicle. So many questions. Do we lease or buy? Do we go with the more spacious van/suv and lease it or do we go with a smaller car and buy it? Or as Myron said we could buy my current van (I am not to keen on this idea because my van is not great in the snow)? I would love to hear your thoughts on this!

Thanks Mr. P!

This morning I was really wondering how on earth we would be able to get everything done that we needed to today-

1. Church

2. Eat lunch

3. Make grocery list

4. Clean 2 fish tanks

5. Grocery shopping

(Schwebel's, Save A Lot, Krieger's, Sam's)

6. Dorian needs a nap

7. Make dinner

8. And all this while Myron is at work

But, while we were at church Mr. P (Myron's boss) calls and says, "Don't worry about coming in today." Well that sure took a load of stress off my back! I am sure that Mr. P has some ulterior motive behind this, but at least I am happy today!