From tiny acorns mighty oaks grow

again

2011-11-04T12:51:00.000-07:00

Once again, I wish I had the words... Maybe sometimes things are just better left unsaid. A girl from my HS commited suicide. We wern't friends, but we had an invisible "bond" if you will. It's truly a sad story. I don't think she ever had an easy life, but she was loved by many. She leaves behind a son...

Again, it's so important that you tell the people who mean something to you just how much they mean to you.

Peanut Butter Noodles

2011-10-25T22:08:00.000-07:00

5 Stars

Run out to your nearest grocery store and get yourself some UDON noodles!!! This was my first time cooking with them. They were chewy and soft and soaked up the thick peanut butter sauce very well.

This dish is delicious. It has a rich peanut butter sesame (we added a little sesame oil) sauce. A nice crunch from the red bell pepper (add more than the recipe calls for--they are way good for you raw)... And the cilantro was the perfect addition. This also would have been a great vegetarian dish. Oh yeah, the kids liked it too :)

UDON PEANUT BUTTER NOODLES thanks www.allrecipes.com

Soup, Salad, Pizza

2011-10-24T22:01:00.000-07:00

First things first. I really want a better camera/lighting in order to take better pictures.

Above is our new favorite salad. I call it "The Green and White" because it consists of: lettuce, sugar snap peas, pears, cucumber, shredded chicken, poppy seed dressing, with the option of goat cheese. I'ts crave-worthy!

Tonight we had this easy/yummy 3 bean chili. It's a total make again for a Meatless Monday. We, with the exception of #2, had seconds.

I was really looking forward to this pizza... Apples, goat cheese, toasted pecans, and arugula. I never did figure out what could have made it better. Blue cheese perhaps?

The best thing we ate this week was lamb burgers, tzatziki, and greek salad. We told the girls the lamb was chicken and they had no problem with it....

Tomorrow we are having Udon Peanut Butter Noodles. I can't wait to try them... new recipe...

Now... what to have the rest of the week? Suggestions, please?!

the letter P

2011-10-22T20:20:00.000-07:00

Painting a Purple stem on a Pumpkin

Painting a Princess on a Pumpkin.

Painted Pumpkins, homemade Pumpking cookies, customizable iron-on Princess monsters.

Picture Perfect.

The Black Swan

2011-10-20T14:35:00.000-07:00

Zoe had her very frist ballet recital this past Tuesday. It wasn't the full blown recital, but more like this is what we do when we come to class type of a recital.

Each Tuesday for the past 6 weeks she has looked forward to ballet class. I'm glad we signed up for the next 6-week session.

Dave and Shana came to watch Miss Z. Dave noticed she was the only girl wearing black... The Black Swan... That's our ZoBug!

2011-10-16T22:20:00.001-07:00

I wish I was a great writer or totally in touch with myfeelings so I could tell you all how life changing this week has been for me.

I know too many people who have lost loved ones too soon;Husbands, mothers, sons, brothers, ababy.

My eyes tear up and I get a lump in my throat every time Isit and think about the pain they must be feeling. How do you go on? Why do thesethings happen? I seriously can’t stop crying. My heart hurts so bad.

I feel so fortunate to have the people I love with me. But,I’m guilty of taking them for granted. How could I do that? Life is so fragile.A loss can happen to anyone at anytime. What if something were to happentomorrow?

Anyways… I will not take any person in my life for granted.I’m going to slow down, not get frustrated, listen to people, take time forthem, and tell them how much they mean to me.

Just think about it for a moment. A tragedy can happen atany time. Please tell the people you love that you love them and spend somequality time together.

Too Much of a Good Thing

2011-10-08T22:37:00.000-07:00

I think my website is done.... waiting on my lovely mother to proof read it. I loved this project. I really have to figure out how to incorporate a website or managing website into my career someday.

Check it out and don't be shy. Tell me what you think.

http://www.public.asu.edu/~eacorn/

Lazy Sunday

2011-10-02T21:46:00.000-07:00

More like lazy weekend. It's officially Autumn and we are still in the triple digits. Today we kind of tricked ourselves into getting in the fall spirit by staying inside all day. One look outside at the brown grass (waiting for winter seeding), reading seasonal recipes (which always apply to everyone in the country except us- who wants to grill in the Summer?), and talking hallowen costumes with the kids it was easy to forget about the 102 degree weather that was happening outside.

We spent our day crafting, cleaning, watching football, and constructing a pillow pile. This was the third weekend in a row that we didn't have any solid plans, it's been fun. But I'm looking forward to the weekends when the temps are cooler so we can enjoy our bikes and parks again.

Weather.com tells me that the high will be 72 on Thursday. Please let this be true!!

2011-09-28T17:13:00.000-07:00

What did I do to deserve this? It's 5 o'clock and the girls are playing nicely, the music is bumpin, fritatta is in the oven, and I have a gin and tonic in hand. I even went through the trouble of adding a twist of lime.

School is awesome. in NTR 142 we we made froccocia bread. Other groups made: snicker doodles, cornbread, cream puffs, Indian flat bread, apple muffins, and biscuits. There went my carb intake for the day! Hence the crustless fritatta that's in the oven. I took pictures, because it's rather pretty, but of course I don't have the camera or lighting to make it look as good as it does in person.

Anyways... My other class, NTR 300 is going well too. I hope to be done with my website by Monday. Here is the link. http://www.public.asu.edu/~eacorn/. I've really enjoyed doing this. Meal planning is my favorite!

As I write this, I am being treated to a play Junie B. Jones style. Zoe is being a good sport and I'm glad they have stopped terrorizing Jax long enough to play something else.

I'm going to get this lapotop off my lap so I can clap. These girls are fantastic actresses ;o)

Our new Kitten: Jax

2011-09-27T08:55:00.000-07:00

We are the proud owners of a 5 month old, once feral and once-returned-to-the-shelter-kitten. We saw him a week a go, but didn't know if he would be a good fit at our house since his name was Denis the Menis. I went back this weekend and I held him and he was so sweet. A few hours later he was ours!

We went through all the names and Kayleigh even went to CatNames.com (!) all by herself to help name the little guy. We finally decided on Jax. Jax has been wonderful. Just the right amount of playful and a whole lot of good with the girls.

The girls love him so much. Jax must love them too because he sure is good with them.

2011-09-27T08:39:00.000-07:00

Broccoli Salad with Recipe

This is very much a made up recipe, so feel free to give and take on the measurments.

5 broccoli florets, chopped

4 slices bacon, crumbled

3 Tablespoons red onion, diced

½ cup dried cranberries or raisins

¼ cup mayonnaise

3 Tablespoons sugar

2 Tablespoons apple cider vinegar

Mix everything together and meld overnight.

Cooking with Acorns

2011-09-26T14:44:00.000-07:00

Here we are... Cooking with Acorns!

The girls enjoyed snaping beans for me. They enjoyed eating them raw too.

Broccoli Salad

Green Beans with Bacon and Onion

2011-09-16T10:21:00.000-07:00

picture taken on my parents back patio

Ahh it's hard to get motivated this morning. I'm really enjoying having a whine-free household all to myself. Hopefully this newness wears off soon because it's hard to leave the house to get to the gym.

Well, I'm going to finish up my cup of coffee and get back to homework :)

Enjoy the weekend!

Family Vaction to Greer, AZ

2011-09-15T09:40:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we made good on a groupon that we were supposed to use this summer, but couldn't due to wildfires in the area. Greer, AZ is really on the road to no where. The population is only 177! But I'm sure the population can more than double in the summer and during ski season.

We stayed at the Greer Lodge Resort in the Log motel rooms. Their amenities were included in the price and included: kayaking, fly fishing, mountain bikes, telescopes, games, DVD's, and a nightly camp fire.

We really enjoyed the two hikes we went on (except Zoe got tired at the end of the first). The first one was by a creek where we met a few people with lots of fish!

The girls loved the dandelions and the wildflowers. They spent lots of time picking, collecting, and blowing. It was getting to be a bit overwhelming when they wanted to pick every flower they saw so we had to explain to them that we should leave some in the ground because they are living things and other people may want to look at them... Anyways... it was really cute and I was happy to see them running freely and enjoying nature.

We brought the rain boots just in case, but we didn't find any puddles.

This was my first time in a kayak. I prefer a canoe.

The second hike was a bit more challenging. It was lovely to smell the pine and listen to the wind blow through the aspen (reminded me of cottonwood trees at clear lake), and hear the creek in the background.

Yes, we were so happy to see ponds that we took our picture by every one we saw!

And what they don't tell you in the brochure is that it's so nice to sit out on the porch drinking beer and wine while the kids can move freely from the room to the outside. Also there is a bar on the property right next door to the hotel rooms with cheap drinks and a patio where you can look at the ponds, mountains, and your kids playing.

Gosh, I, we had such a nice time. I want to go back with my Dad and Katie sometime because they would love it as much as we did. I loved it as much as I love going to back to SD/ND/MN. It made my soul happy.

first days of ballet

2011-09-14T20:34:00.000-07:00

Th girls started ballet this week. Different days at different locations. At least the time is the same ;o)

Zoe was especially excited as it was her first time to experience ballet for herself.

Fun little Zoe story... She was playing with the water table at school and apparently didn't think it through before soaking herself with water. Good thing she had a change of clothes as her dress and leggings were as wet as if she had went swimming. Her change of clothes consisted of shorts and a t-shirt. Poor thing itched herself until she bled. Her teachers were so worried about her skin. I hope she grows out of this skin thing soon!

an update

2011-09-09T09:56:00.000-07:00

Whoa! It's been a while. Sorry, sister!

Let's see... September has been crazy. On the 2nd, we found out that Dave's younger cousins were in a car accident. They had been drinking and a brother killed a brother. Completely sad. My heart goes out to Dave's Aunt and Uncle and the 2 surviving brothers.

With that being said, please don't ever forget how fortunate you are every day and hug your loved ones extra tight!

We celebrated Dave's birthday with Dinner (to his favorite spot, Kona Grill) and a homemade lemon cheesecake. (I keep trying to get him to take it to work so it's not in the house. ugh!)

Zoe ordered Sushi (!) and Kayleigh a hamburger. They ended up splitting the fries and K eating the sushi and Z eating the burger. HAHA! And Zoe finally got to go to preschool! She was so excited. We ended up switching preschools a week before it started. I think we made the right choice. So far so good!

Zoe was really really excited. We talked about what we would pack in her lunch for about 2 days prior. She told me that she would suprise me by eating all her lunch and cleaning up her toys. She was happy to report that she did in fact to both. You can see that she was a little nervous at first... Today when I dropped her off a nice mom said that Zoe and her daughter made quick friends. And guess what? Her name is Kate! :)

Kayleigh has been doing awesome at school. She was having a bit of trouble with math at first, but she works at it everyday and actually wants to do math now! I'm very proud of her for working hard at it. She also started Chorus one day a week before school.

As for me, all my free time has been spent on "stumbleupon," (OMG addicting!) homework, and working out. I saved up my $$ to work with a trainer and it was the best money I've spent on myself. It was strength training... I would feel so strong and awesome after I was done, but would be so sore the next day I couldn't imagine doing cardio so I have to figure out how to balance it all.

Classes are awesome! Way better than Chemistry. Every time I open a textbook I get excited. I know with all my heart I am on the right path. I live and breathe for this stuff! In one class I am learning HTL to make a website. Here is the link http://www.public.asu.edu/~eacorn/ it's just in the beginning stages so check back later for more updates.

monday monday

2011-08-29T14:28:00.000-07:00

Oh boy howdy. I've got a case of the Mondays. I'm so over the record breaking temps, humidity, and haboobs.

Didn't make it to the gym this morning, but I did manage to drag Zoe to a half a dozen stores before lunch.

School is in full swing, but I seem to be waiting for an underdog. I did drop one of my classes this semester, but I think it's for the best.

The calendar has been so full. It's a bit overwhelming. Lots of confusing days for everyone. I'm here, K is there, babysitter when? I pick up who when? What day does that start? I didn't know that was today... I foresee this happening until mid-September.

Ok Imma stop whining now.

Curried Couscous with Broccoli

2011-08-14T21:06:00.000-07:00

Is it sad that you want your kids to grow up so you can make recipes that call for gorgonzola?

I shouldn't complain. Tonight they ate Curried Couscous with broccoli

The recipe calls for feta, but goat cheese tasted pretty good!

things kids say

2011-07-29T22:11:00.000-07:00

Grandpa, can I tell you a secret? You're so handsome.

She didn't say it too secretly, so the rest of us heard what she had said. Zoe and Grandpa were sure best buds over the 4th of July.

Some other funny things Zoe says:
Shamish for sandwich
Retangled for Tangled

Some funny conversations:
Zoe, why don't you eat your pizza?
Because it tastes like cup.
Like what?
(as mean as possible) It tastes like crap!

Dave: There is no need to be scared of monsters. They aren't real.
Kayleigh: Yeah, they are all in your head.
Zoe: No! My brain is in my head!

Zoe talking to anybody that will listen: Vitamin C is good for you. If you drink too much soda you will die.

Still talking: I went to a tea party. And I had two desserts. (with a click of the tounge and a tip of the head) And you (meaning me) didn't see me!

new summer dishes

2011-07-26T00:19:00.000-07:00

Italian Portobello Sandwiches from Cooking Light

HERE for the link.

Basil mayo, roasted bell peppers, cheese... YUM!

I had to duplicate this "famous" chopped salad that you pay way too much for at fancy restaurants. I think I did pretty darn good!

Here is the line-up:
Tomato
Flaked salmon
Dry roasted corn
Arugula (or whatever)
Isreali couscous
Sunflower seeds (or whatever)
Craisins
Buttermilk pesto vinegrette

Someday I will have a better camera or better lighting or both to take pictures of the other foods I make. I truly am happiest when I'm cooking something :)

summer update

2011-07-25T23:57:00.000-07:00

These silly girls play the cutest things. Here is Kayleigh in the "birthday chair."

They loooove going out for frozen yogurt. I love they buy one get one free coupon that comes in the mail once a month!
ZoBug's (or ZoBuggie as she likes to be called) hair is getting so long. She looks as sweet as pie here. But man can she be a little stinker!

In other news....Kayleigh starts first grade in two weeks!! My fall classes start in 3 weeks. Zoe starts preschool in about 6 weeks.

As I was finishing Intro to Chemistry (worst class ever) I was also starting Nutrition 101 (best class ever). I am so happy to have finally figured out what I want to do when I grow-up.

This summer has been a whirl-wind of activity. I wish I would have more time/energy to blog about it!

Red, White and Blue Galette

2011-07-07T09:56:00.000-07:00

This year my 4th of July dessert was this "red, white and blue galette." In case you were wondering a galett is just like a freeform pie. A galett is also something that the kids can help with so that is always a plus.

I combined a few recipes to come up with this one.

4 ounces cream cheese

3 tablespoons extra fine sugar
2 tablespoons heavy cream
1 pint fresh strawberries
1 cup fresh blueberries
1 egg
1 teaspoon water
1 tablespoon sugar

Preheat oven to 400º F. Mix cream cheese, sugar and cream. Roll out each piece of dough into a 10″ circle on a piece of parchment. In the center of the circle, Drop in teaspoon-sized dollops of the cream cheese mixture leaving about 2 inches of room on the sides. Sprinkle berries over the top. Fold the sides of the galette over.

Beat together egg and water. Brush with a pastry brush over the top of the galette. Sprinkle the edge with sugar. Bake at 400º F for 30-35 minutes until dough is golden brown. Remove from oven and allow to sit 5 minutes before serving.

Makes two 8″ galettes.

Since there was so much heavy cream left over, I used it to make a whipped cream topping. It was delish. I think each "pie" serves 4.

File this one under, "It's easy! All you have to do is..."

this and that

2011-06-22T18:50:00.000-07:00

Life is much more enjoyable and memorable with a soundtrack, right? Here's mine as of late:

Futuristic Lover- Katy Perry
You've got the Love- Florence and The Machine
Dancing on my Own- Robyn
Kids- MGMT
Rolling in the Deep- Adele
We No Speak Americano- Pitbull
Heavy in Your Arms- Florence
Time for Africa- Shakira
Little Lion Man- Mumford and Sons
The Cave- Mumford
Head Full of Doubt- The Avett Brothers
Radioactive- Kings of Leon

My posts have been quite random lately... I guess it's a reflection of life. I think I'm more of a creature of habbit than I care to admit. Changes are hard.

One change that I know I don't like is cooking food just to eat the food. I do have to say though, that it is a lot cheaper to eat just to have food in your stomach. So I'm just gonna roll with it.

Cam is back in the hospital. I hate this for him. He isn't one to be weak or attract attention. It makes my heart ache for him. And I also think about how this was such nonsense. And how things like this (hospital bills) can happen to other people without the means. When you heal so much of it is attitude. What if you were afraid to get care because of cost? It would be harder to heal. Oh, I just hate to think about all the "what if's." I hate people who have such disregard to human life. It makes me sick.

I've been reading alot and thinking alot about what we eat and how it affects our bodies and the enviornment. Yes, please eat your vegetables... but are they organic? from genetically modified seeds? Oy vey! School lunches are so unhealthy! We waste so much water on our lawn and bushes around here... wouldn't it be great if instead of grass we were watering vegis for all the condo dwellers in our complex?!

I have so much going on in my mind! I need some down time, some guided meditation. Something!

Kids are away with Dave- I should go... Do nothing? Or do all the stuff I can't do with kids around?????

you take the good, you take the bad

2011-06-17T09:41:00.000-07:00

Wow. Just wow. TGIF!!! I'm happy to say that Dave and I have survived the most stressful, scary, busy 7 days of our lives together. Every minute of the last 7 days has been accounted for.

We hit a serious low on Saturday morning when we heard Dave’s little brother was shot in the chest. I get the shivers every time I think about it. We are so thankful that he will be okay. I hope they catch the bastard that did this to him. Dave has known 3 people who have died before their time because of guns and now one that could have. If this doesn’t change ones stance on guns I don’t know what will.

You know how people say “bad things” come in threes? Well, it’s true. Obviously nothing can compare to what happened to Cameron, but the blows just kept coming during the week.

Dave’s car broke down on his way to see Cameron. Dave’s step-mom had to actually pick him up on the interstate while his car got towed back to Scottsdale. Not a big deal, right? Well my financial aid got messed up with ASU so I had to pay for my classes this summer. Still not too bad… The mechanic quoted us one price- ouch. Then they found a few more things that needed to be fixed. OUCH. I feel like a true college student after that one. I guess I can take comfort in the fact that we actually had the money to take care of those things.

Wednesday was the hottest day of the year here- 110 was the high. And as luck would have it somehow Zoe got locked in the truck in the hot sun. Long story short, the firemen had to bust out a window to get to her. Thankfully she was okay. And thankfully we were at a friend’s house and they were amazing about the entire thing.

So ya know, we just did all that emotional stuff and added playdates, swim lessons, VBS, camp, and about 20 hours of homework. And no working out so I feel like a marshmallow.

I lived it and I wrote about it now I can put it to bed. I’m looking forward to spending a relaxing Father’s day weekend with my family.

Healthy Mexican

2011-06-10T15:42:00.000-07:00

Oh boy howdy do I love these tostadas.
Get your self a bowl and mix up some fresh corn, avocado, red onion, cilantro, and black beans (drained and rinsed). Spray some corn tortillas with cooking spray and briol for a min or so. Top with the deliciousness from the bowl, add cheese and broil for another min or two. Serve with your favorite salsa.

GET IN MY BELLY!

2 weeks post kindergarten

2011-06-10T15:12:00.000-07:00

School ended for Kayleigh just 2 weeks ago (it seems like a month has past since). In two weeks our days have been filled with numerous playdates, swimming lessons for both girls at different locations and different times, K has Spanish summer camp from 8-12 M-TH, I started a hectic CHM 101 online class, a few dates with my man, a weekend trip to Tucson, I turned 31, two 6 year old birthday parties, sickness, and lots of workout and yoga time-- for balance. haha!

First Day of School

Last Day of School

Miss K really enjoyed Kindergarten. She loves to learn (as long as it's not math- unfortunately she gets that from me). She excelled at reading early on and now reads chapter books daily and in one sitting! Reading has also reinforced her love for nature and animals. I am always amazed by how much she knows and how much more she wants to know about the world around her.

Today we enjoyed being just the three of us- no playdates, no commitments. The kids played daycare, I did a 80 min. yoga class, we ate lunch at a cafe, hit up the library for an hour, and ate an ice cream cone (I enjoy hearing I'm the best Mom ever from time to time). Now the kids are playing cheerleader/princess/ballet girls while I chill. How do they have so much energy? I need a nap! (Oh, must be that I couldn't go back to sleep after I had to clean up a potty accident at 2:30 in the morning!)

Please dear audio book keep them occupied when the frolicking gets old :)

Oh and I'm happy to say we haven't had nitrate filled hotdogs or frozen pizza once! haha

the effects of an online summer class

2011-06-02T17:01:00.000-07:00

I have the most amazing people in my life. Amazing.

My mom took the kids today to Tucson so I can get a jump on my schoolwork. This is after spending more than a week sleeping on a sofa sleeper caring for my grandparents. My mom is amazing. Such an inspiration. She is so selfless and giving and caring. I am greatful for her!

And speaking of greatful... Dave is a genuis! I'm struggling with Chem 101 (obviously), but my amazing husband is like, "It's easly all you have to do is think it through." Well, thats probably one of the dumbest things he's said to me, but I won't hold it against him. He is so encouraging and helpful. I am so greatful for him!

So, summer classes are hard.... I will get through it. I won't give up. I will not worry about feeding my kids random crap like hot dogs and frozen pizza. What's that? You didn't get your protien or vegis today?? My house will be a mess. Clothes will be taken out of the clean pile and worn. Dishes will pile up in the sink. It's okay. It's only 7 weeks.... then Nutrition 100 for 8 weeks :)

Where did May go?

2011-05-31T10:56:00.001-07:00

Summer Camp started for Kayleigh this morning at 8AM. Summer School started for me today too.

Having a bit of anxiety.

Camps, playdates, swim lessons, commitments, a clean house, home cooked meals, school work, workouts, oh my!

I have lots to share, hopefully I'll get here soon. If not, look for pix on the FB.

walking

2011-05-16T09:27:00.000-07:00

The more time we spend in our neighborhood, the more enjoyable I find it. Or maybe it's just the magic of Spring?

We've been lucky this year with an actual Spring. It's so nice to take walks near the canal, grassy lawns, and under the big trees. (Yes, Tucson we are taking your water, but I'm South Dakota girl and need the greenery!)

I found this in my drafts... I hope to get to another posting soon (Katie).

2011 Warrior Dash in Florence, Arizona

2011-05-02T09:37:00.000-07:00

Woohoo! I'm a 2011 Warrior Dash Survivor! The whole experience of the race day was energetic. There were hundreds of people there. And some really awesome costumes. Our matching outfits were pretty lame in comparison, but we looked cute and stuck together the entire 3.4 miles and all 12 obstacles.

Dave sported a mohawk for the race. He pulled away from Shana and I early on.
He finished about 10 minutes before we did. And apparently he dove right into the mud pit!

We crawled under barbed wire, over steep mounds of dirt, ran over cars and through tires, scaled and repelled walls, ran though mud, climbed cargo netting and hay bales, walked planks, and ran over fire, jumped in a mud pit and crawled under barbed wire to get out.

I felt like a rockstar. HAHA!

Dave was so sweet to wait for Shana and I with my camera. Here we are with our medals and bananas before we were sprayed with fire hoses to clean off all the mud.

Our next step was to cash in on our free beer we earned. I gave mine to Dave...

My cousins ran an hour after us. So, this is our "team" photo.

At the event there is live music, turkey legs and stuff like that, beer, and lots of people just hanging out. If you are even thinking about participating in a Warrior Dash, do it! And dress as crazy as possible. And the more you have in your group the merrier. We all agreed that next year we will have to put much more thought into our costumes.

answering their questions...

2011-04-26T09:50:00.000-07:00

I really don't understand Easter. I guess I should have been more thoughtful about it this year. I don't know what the norm is, but Mom (I) hid the eggs and the Easter Bunny didn't come to our house with presents. And we didn't buy special dresses or go to church.

After talking to her friends at school Kayleigh was upset that the Easter Bunny didn't come. I was totally caught off guard. I guess I should have known that once school starts the questions do too. I didn't know what to say... Do I tell her the truth? If I do will it ruin it for her friends? I mean, do we really tell kids that an Easter Bunny hids EGGS? and brings presents? And they believe it?

Zoe is going to preschool this fall. It's a Catholic preschool- we aren't Catholic. We aren't anything.

I guess it's time that I find a place that we can learn about religion/religions together. I need to be prepared for their questions!

Vegan Chocolate Cupcakes with Avocado Cream Cheese Frosting

2011-04-19T20:09:00.000-07:00

Okay, I know what you are thinking... How could that be any good? Well, I would have to say: sugar.

The vegan chocolate cupcakes come from an old recipe used often in the depression. An oldie and a goodie! You can find it under "Crazy Cake." I'm pretty sure they didn't have avocado frosting back in the depression... maybe in California or Mexico? I honestly think using an avocado cream cheese frosting is more for the wow factor than anything. It's good, but not amazing. I rather use my high-priced fruit/vegi on tacos or chips.

Avocado Cream Cheese Frosting Recipe

8 oz. Cream cheese, softened
½ cup butter, softened
1 Avocado, peeled, pitted, pureed
13 oz. powdered sugar
4 tsp. sour cream
½ tsp. pure vanilla extract

Happiness is...

2011-04-07T10:01:00.001-07:00

... slowing down and taking the long way home because a good song comes on the radio and you don't want to turn down the volume or stop singing at the top of your lungs.

Happiness is the car behind you getting pulled over in a school zone.

Happiness is achieving a personal best. 40 minute 5K! :)

Happiness is a Mom who loves your children.

Happiness is enjoying this beautiful spring day.

food critic?

2011-04-06T17:56:00.000-07:00

My 5 o'clock cocktail is going down extra smooth tonight. I think it's because Zoe is on her way to Tucson with my mom for the rest of the week and it's raining! It's just been a really great day :)

I'm just gonna get the random's out there. I want to go to school for nutrition. ASU? Maybe. Or a more holistic approach? Hmm.. I think I should also be a food critic. After eating at two (IMO) higher priced restaruants, I think they should be called out on their lack of quality food. I want to tell the first place (I won't name names) just because you smother it in cheese and green chile doesn't make it good. I mean chile and lots of cheese are good, but I didn't order queso! And seafood? Really? I couldn't tell. It was as tough as well-done chicken. And the next place.... If you are going to advertise a "Goat Cheese Quesidilla" put more than a few sprinkles in the mix. One taste of the goat per wedge is not enough!

Okay, rant over. :) I'm happy to say I'm going to miss my littlest monster!

Cheap, Easy, Vegetarian, and Ohh so Good!

2011-04-05T20:12:00.000-07:00

It's been awhile since I have been this excited about dinner, pizza, or an at-home-vegi-meal. Man, this Carmelized Balsamic Onion and Goat Cheese Pizza is simply amazing. Yeah, I'm gonna go ahead and say AMAZING! The hint of fresh thyme in the onions really gave it that extra something. We paired this with a strawberry, red onion, goat cheese salad with a strawberry balsamic vinaigrette. The salad was equally as tastey.

Ingredients Goat Cheese Pre-made or home-made pizza dough Garlic 2 tablespoons butter 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 sweet onions (1 1/2 lb. total), lengthwise About 1/2 teaspoon salt 1/2 teaspoon sugar 2 tablespoons balsamic vinegar 1 tablespoon fresh thyme leaves Directions To make carmelized onions: Melt 1 1/2 tablespoons butter with 1 1/2 tablespoons olive oil in a 12-inch frying pan over medium heat. Add onions and stir in 1/2 teaspoon salt. Cover and cook, stirring occasionally, until onions are limp, about 8 minutes. Uncover and sprinkle with sugar. Increase heat to medium-high and stir often until onions begin to brown, 5 to 7 minutes. Add balsamic vinegar and 1 1/2 teaspoons thyme leaves; stir often until liquid has evaporated, 1 to 2 minutes longer. For crust and Pizza: Either make your own or use the store-bought kind. Spread garlic on dough and bake at 475 for 5 minutes. Take out of oven and add onions and dot with goat cheese. Bake for 5-8 more minutes. Sprinkle with sea salt and serve. We added a bit of mozzarela as well. DELISH!!!

Kayleigh the Animal Lover

2011-04-04T13:35:00.000-07:00

This child of mine never ceases to amaze me. She is the most caring, kind-hearted kid I know (not that I know many). She is very sensitive to the needs of animals. Our betta, Indigo, is dying. We explained to her that fish don't live very long and she cried so hard for so long. Last night we started to watch Disney's Ocean movie and she knew what each fish and mammal was and did. She knew more than me! It was really amazing. Dave and I kept exchanging looks with smiles on our faces. When the shark made an apperance she got so mad at it. And it looked as if she was going to cry. Her love of creatures that swim makes eating fish at our house pretty interesting. At school, she got to play with snails. Separately, she told Dave and I about it. When she told us we each said, "Eww!" and she replied with: Mom/Dad! How dare you. They are not gross they are life!"

The Many Looks of Zoe

2011-04-03T13:50:00.000-07:00

This one is called "Sweet Zoe Jane" Our cousins came to visit. Both girls were so happy about having a baby in the house. Er, all three of us girls were happy about having a baby in the house!

Hurry up and get it over with, Mom!

I snapped this one while K and Z were playing. Zoe's play name is Marina. So when she plays anything with her sister she is Marina. I just love those big brown eyes!

Decisions

2011-03-30T15:28:00.000-07:00

Decisions, decisions. Wouldn't it be nice if one would always know what to do and when to do it? Or if big life decisions were as simple as ordering pizza? But they aren't, are they? It's more like ordering at the Cheese Cake Factory. You know whatever you order will taste good, but it's hard to choose just the right thing from their book-like menu. Dave took a job at another company and was supposed to start tomorrow. However, his current company offered him more money and trainning to stay. So he is staying. I'm very proud of him! They really like him and he makes a difference so he likes that. With Dave settled, it's once again time to think about me and Z. Preschool? College? Culinary School? Job? Wait out schooling for another year? Hmmm...

We HEART Spring

2011-03-27T17:07:00.000-07:00

Spring in Arizona is amazing! Everyone seems to be outside or opening doors and windows to let the outside in and we are no exception. This weekend consisted of playing and a picnic in the park, cleaning the garage, swimming, and a family walk/ride around the neighborhood. On Friday, I was able to go with Kayleigh and her classmates to the Phoenix Zoo.

Zoe just may turn out to be the Sporty Spice of our family. She has been scooting, biking, swimming, and recently asked for a soccer ball. Of course I bought it for her along with a softball glove, ball, and a t-ball set. The glove seems to be the winner :)

We've also taken some time to explore our South Scottsdale/Old Town neighborhood. We found a quaint sandwich shop where you can make your own soda with a great little patio. Actually, the last three times we have eaten out have been on the patio!

2011-03-25T16:13:00.001-07:00

I have so many pictures and things to talk about... I have the kids in the bathtub and should be giving myself an at-home-pedi but decided to blog for my mom and sister (mostly).

Sigh. Kids are fighting already. Bye!

Can I do it by myself?

2011-02-24T19:18:00.000-08:00

Can I do it by myself and I can do it! Are phrases that we hear quite often around our house. Usually they come from Zj and usually the requests refer to scissors and glue. Tonight it was K's turn to "Can I do it by myself?"
By the way Z was watching K make her lunch I'm sure Z will want to make her own lunch tomorrow. And yes, given the choice, Kayleigh would wear spaghetti straps and skirts 24/7. Boy, I can't wait until the Summer. Everyday it's: Can I wear short sleeves, are those capris, where's my skirt, can we go swimming? She is in so many ways her father's daughter.

She was pretty proud of herself and so were we!

just to pass some time...

2011-02-17T07:04:00.000-08:00

This week has been totally upside down. Thank goodness it's almost over. This morning Kayleigh suprised us with a sick day. Acutally, I thought this day would have came sooner; she's had breakdown after breakdown, she slept in yesterday, and had a crying fit with a few of her friends at recess.

Zoe and I had a nice day out and about yesterday. The electricity was cut off in the neighborhood for a good part of the day so we had to keep busy somehow. (Our condo can be a bit cave-ish with out lights.) After a quick trip to the dentist we ate brunch then headed to Imagination Aveune. I was suprised how well she did the entire day. She even made it through 2 trips to the grocery store and 2 trips to pick up Kayleigh from school (I had a brain fart and forgot she had jump rope after school).

Last Sunday we set out to go on a hike in search of petroglyphs. We took a wrong turn somewhere and ended up hiking Cloudview instead. It wasn't as kid friendly as we had wanted, but the kids were great troops. What are the chances they will always want to go hiking with us?

Chocolate Chunk Bread Puddings

2011-02-15T20:25:00.000-08:00

Valentine's Day wouldn't be complete without a little chocolate. These chocolate bread puddings were a whole lotta good. I followed the recipe to a tee and it was good, but next time I will add more Kahlua. The recipe also says to top with "fat-free frozen whipped topping." Eww. Not only does it taste bad, it's so bad for you! I topped ours with some vanilla fro yo.

Ziti with Spinach, Cherry Tomatoes, and Gorgonzola Sauce

2011-02-15T20:18:00.000-08:00

Mmmmmm. This pasta was pretty tastey and a snap to make. Some grilled chicken would make this a great main dish. Thanks Cooking Light for the recipe.

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-15T09:06:00.000-08:00

I know what it looks like. That I bought special dishes for Valentines day. They are actually Christmas plates that I picked up for 25 cents each and the ramikens were around the same price.

I love Valentine's day! It's a great excuse to shower the people you love with extra love and eat decadent foods!

It's also a day that my husband really out does himself with gifts. He's a great gift giver. This year my gift was a bright red (my favorite color) dutch oven! I'm over the moon about it! I've wanted one for years.

Our little darlings were tickled pink when I told them we would be dressing up for dinner- even daddy.

Look! Zoe made it through dinner and got dessert. I guess we have to have rib-eye and asparagus every night so she will eat. That kid loves herself some asparagus.

Cheers to Kayleigh! She is so sweet. At dinner she said, "Next year, I don't want to celebrate Valentine's Day with everyone that I know. Just you guys that I know." Meaning her family. After, she quickly added, "I wish Grandma was here celebrating her birthday with us." Little did she know that Gma and Pa were comming after dinner :)

Zoe's turn for a post

2011-02-08T12:48:00.000-08:00

Sigh. A post on Zoe... We went through the terrible two's and now it seems we are going through the trying three's. Her and I just aren't on the same wave length most of the time. It takes us a while to figure each other out. She loves repetition and knowing excatly how the next thing is going to go. She has a really hard time adapting to changes. She freaks out and throws a fit if the things aren't the same. It's really hard for us to do anything extra during the day... We haven't been able to find other SAHM's with kids her age. It seems that most moms work... I was hoping to meet other SAHMs by enrolling Zoe in classes. We are on our 3rd class. Miss Zoe is the annoying kid in class. I hate to say it, but it's true. She whines, cries, throws fits, pouts.... But we keep going... I really wanted to enroll her in gymnastics or ballet like K was in, but the going rate for 4 classes a month is $75!!! That is so much money! Is it worth it? Hmmm. It's the great debate. And daycare?! YIKES. I would have to work full time to pay for part time daycare.

I'm going to buck up and check out a MOPS group. It's not really, how do I say it... my scene, but we will try it.

Sorry if I made Zoe sound horrible. She isn't! She's just Zoe... Loves sugary and salty foods. Doesn't eat dinner (even if she has little to eat during the day and I'm serving pizza for dinner), Loves to help in the kitchen and set the table. Says "oopsie" when something spills or gets dirty (its really cute). She has the best little giggle and gives the best hugs in the whole wide world. Looks up to her big sister. Enjoys coloring (in the lines), drawing stick people, spiders, the sun, her name, and letters H and I.

Sorry Zobug for not writing a glowing blog about ya, I've been trying... and so have you! ha!

Kayleigh Michelle

2011-01-25T09:19:00.000-08:00

My little Kayleigh Bear. She truly is amazing. I'm just in love with her. I love how she cares about people and animals and how everything she learns at school is so cool and important. She likes words and she often uses big ones. Aside from people and animals, she also shows interest in the Earth, eating healthy, and being a teenager :/ I also admire how patient she is with her sister and how she tries to teach Zoe the things she learns. When in a good mood, she'll praise her sister's coloring or when Z uses a new word she gets excited. SOMETIMES she'll even pretend to run slow and tell Zoe how fast she is and that she could never catch up.

She is also fortunate to get Dave's sense of humor and his artistic abilities. She says the craziest things. One day, K was trying to pin Dave down to tickle him but Dave prevailed. She responded by saying, "Well played Daddy."

At the end of the day, while Dave is reading Zoe her book, Kayleigh comes to the living room to tell me how much she loves me. She'll say things like: Mommy, I love you. I just think about you all day when I'm at school and wonder what you are doing. You are just so beautiful and I love you.

It only seems fitting that I end this post with this: Kayleigh, I love you. You are beautiful on the inside and out. You are smart and caring. You have the best smile. I love everything about you from your head to your toes. I'm proud to be your Mommy.

Boyce Thompson Arboretum

2011-01-24T09:21:00.000-08:00

I've been slacking on my blog... We've been doing lots of fun things and the kids amaze me everyday. It just seems so hard to put everything in to a few words. Especially since I don't write about things as they happen. Anyways... I will try and do better next time.

On Saturday morning the girls and I went to the library and hit up family story time while Dave was at the Barrett Jackson Auction. Kayleigh has been really interested in non-fiction lately and had to have a book on Australia. She looked through it 3 times when we got home. As luck would have it a nearby Arboretum had "Australia Days" on Saturday and Sunday. So we loaded up Sunday morning and headed up to the Boyce Thompson Arboretum near Superior, AZ in the Tonto National Forest.

This place was awesome! We learned about didgeridoos, eucalyptus trees, succulents, and cacti from all over the world. We saw a dam, sculptures, and amazing views. There were also plenty of things to keep the kids interested year-round; a maze, a cool rain stick, other intruments, and a human sundial.
The special thing we got in on (we could have made our own didge, but it was $50!) was a reading of "Wombat Stew." The kids loved it! After the story all the kids were given worms, flies, or dirt to add to a real stew that they were able to eat. The smiles on girls' faces filled me with joy.

I'm so happy that my kids enjoyed hiking, learning, and exploring. And I must say that I'm pretty darn proud of Kayleigh, but I'll save that for another post!

Making cookies with Zoe

2011-01-13T11:36:00.000-08:00

This is the way we make a cookie, make a cookie, make a cookie.
This is the way we make a cookie with princess dreams and magic.

Wow! You can tell so much by a person by the songs that get stuck in their head.

Zoe and I had fun making cookies today.

And eating them for lunch!

my colorful kids

2011-01-12T21:52:00.000-08:00

I know, I know. Pictures of the kids are a lot more fun, but I'm proud of their creativity so I want to document it. Kayleigh and Zoe have a "Go Club" and they asked us all if we would join. Of course we couldn't say no! "There are no meetings and it doesn't cost a thing."

"Zoe was the first to join. Now we have hundreds of people in our club." I asked Kayleigh what they did in her club and from what I gather it's pretty much everything from helping families in need to coloring pictures of My Little Pony.

We had a bit of the stomach flu going around our house for about a week so we were comming up with lots of things to do. These signs seemed to be a hit.

Kayleigh does have a love of animlas and Zoe loves her sweets. I wonder what they will really be when they grow-up?

Zoe does love to eat, but at all the wrong times. I guess she likes to graze... Anyways... Tonight, when I went to do my last check on the girls before I go to bed, I kind of woke Zoe. In her sleep she put out her hand and said, "I won't eat it!" Geesh! I thought I was eating dinner with her all over again.

I just love those little girls so much!!!

back to life, back to reality

2011-01-02T17:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday was back to life and back to reality. I'm happy to say our Monday went rather well.
Dave and I commented on how much we enjoyed this past week. A week of playing, watching movies, working out, eating out, and naps.

It was a cold and rainy week, but it didn't matter because we had so many toys and games to play with!

I don't know what the kids are doing in the video, but it sure was funny!

Our Tuesday is turning out rather nicely too. Ahhh

Holiday Treats

2011-01-01T08:14:00.000-08:00

I'm not one to make cookies, so this holiday season I went for my favorites: chocolate and liquour! Homemade Limoncello

Chocolate and Nutella Truffles with Toffee Butter Peanuts

Cookies and Cream Cake Pops (for my sister's holiday party)

I also made Brown Sugar Apple Syrup and an apple coffee cake, but have no pictures.

Our December: It's a wrap!

2010-12-31T21:00:00.000-08:00

I’ve actually started multiple posts, but have never had the time or motivation to complete more than one thought at a time. We have been extremely busy this month. It’s been a rollercoaster with lots of ups and downs, but mostly ups! In total the girls opened presents 12 times. They are so fortunate to have so many people who love them so much. I just wish it was as much fun to give the girls money for college or classes than it is to give gifts ;o)

My big news is that I can now say I officially weigh 7 pounds less than I did when we moved here. I have been working out at least 5 days a week for an hour. I started taking a Power Cardio class and a Core Conditioning class that have been paying off, so I will keep up with them.

And look at this lovely (too early to be taking pictures mom!) picture of me making a main-dish salad during Christmas. We couldn't have asked for better weather!

Dave has been on vacation since the 23rd which has been really nice. He even got a call on one of his off days to find out he received a nice raise!

And While most are looking forward to 2011, I am just looking forward to Monday. It’s time to get off the rollercoaster that is December and back to routines and complete thoughts.

Happy New Year!

Candy Birthday Cake

2010-12-19T19:19:00.000-08:00

Devils Food Cake with Cookies and Cream Mousse and Vanilla Buttercream
fondant accents, lollipops, and gumballs

Kayleigh is 6!

2010-12-19T18:58:00.000-08:00

That's my SIX YEAR OLD girl. Loves wearing hats, dresses, short sleeves, pink, tight pants or leggings, and sparkles.

I guess her Dora backpack wasn't that cool anymore... Hello Kitty, Bratz dolls, and playing "teenager" is the new cool. Thank goodness she still likes to play silly with her parents, school with her sister, and animal doctor with her stuffed animals.
She has the best smile and vocabulary, which is starting to include more spanish. Other cool things about Kayleigh that I am proud of is how empathetic she is and all the different and healthy food she eats. She is very conscious of what is a healthy choice and usually chooses regular milk at school ;0)I love this little/big girl so very much!

Zoe's day

2010-12-13T11:17:00.000-08:00

Happy Birthday to Zoe! On the 11th she turned 3 years old. We celebrated from sunrise to sunset. We started with presents, breakfast banana splits (Zoe's choice), a movie, lunch, playing, breakfast for dinner, and more playing.

Over the past few weeks I can tell Zoe truly turned 3. She has been playing more on her own- playing with the kitchen and her babies. She's a funny one too. She's more aggressive than the rest of us which makes us all laugh because it's so unexpected. And the coolest thing is that she is so good at recognizing letters and numbers. I guess it helps that she has an older sister :) I love you, Sweet Zoe Jane!

Chocolate-Peanut Butter Cake with Cream Cheese & Butterfinger Frosting

2010-12-09T09:55:00.000-08:00

This year I had the pleasure of making my Grandma's birthday cake. Thanks mom for hiring me- I loved to be able to do this!

This cake was a little time consuming, but so worth it. Each component was amazing. The peanut butter cake was tasty, the chocolate/peanut butter ganache was delicous on it's own, and the cream cheese frosting wasn't too sweet and it was super fluffly. It will be my always recipe for cream cheese frosting.

Thank you Bon Appetit for an amazing recipe.

Our Holiday Weekend

2010-12-09T09:11:00.000-08:00

Last weekend we took my Grandparents to "Mooey Christmas" in Mesa. Zoe sat with Santa- she was very excited. It was worth the $10! Kayleigh was afraid so she played in the "snow" instead. The "snow" was a huge pile of cotton seed. Both girls loved it.

Ha! It looks like it's snowing here.... my camera is really dirty!

Of course both girls loved the petting zoo. I was more afraid of the animals than there were.

After the hay-ride we made and ate s'mores.. yumm On Sunday Dave and the girls spent the afternoon outside and hung lights.

This is our tree this year. Our place is too small for the large one, so this will have to do. I think it's cute.

Last weekend was Holiday themed, this weekend will be Birthday themed as well as next weekend, then another Holiday... Crazy!!

play

2010-12-08T18:56:00.000-08:00

Whoa! I haven't been here in a while... We've been busy. The day goes by so fast! School, gym, lunch, nap, school, homework or a playdate, dinner, free time, and bed. It's pretty much the same everyday... Except days we run errands or weekends :)

Above is Zoe giving the Littlest Pet Shops a bath.

The girls playing restaurant.

Dress up has been popular on the weekends.

Saturday Morning Crafts

2010-11-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

Today we are foregoing all of the things we could and should be doing to get back to basics. Crafts. Food. Puzzles. Music. Making messes (and cleaning them up). Tonight we see "How the Grinch Stole Christmas" it should be fun!

Zoe's Kite

2010-11-19T19:31:00.000-08:00

The ladies at the gym make cute little crafts every morning. Lately they have been doing kites. Zoe asks for one every day. Both K and Z are crazy about them.

I'm in love with our grass. Miss Umi made a pretty good likeness of Z.
And this is just plain funny! Zoe-in-a-basket. Doesn't she look cozy?

Lemon tree

2010-11-19T11:55:00.000-08:00

when life gives you lemons... you make limoncello! My zest is steeping as we speak :)

Zoe

2010-11-16T08:53:00.000-08:00

You can't see it in these pictures, but Z's shirt says big sisiters are the coolest. As the big sister in my family I knew Zoe really wanted that shirt!

A day in the life (for Katie)

2010-11-16T08:42:00.000-08:00

We go to school.We stop to take silly pictures.We eat snacks after school but before homework.We go to the gym.We act gangsta at a young age.

Kayleigh does her hair

2010-11-09T11:39:00.000-08:00

Kayleigh took it upon herself to fix her hair this past weekend. We got a good laugh out of all the clips. A few minutes later she came out looking like a bouquet of daisies- we were ROFL!

Lightining McQueen cake from the Disney "Cars" movie

2010-10-30T13:56:00.000-07:00

This was a fun cake! I made it for Gunnar's 5th birthday. I bought a blank costco cake and decorated it. Everything is edible excpet for the flags, car, and candles of course. The grandstand is rice crispy treats covered in frosting. It was a lot of work, but I'm happy with the results.

Where would I be without the love and support of my family? Thanks Mom for all of your help!

First Fieldtrip and Bus Ride

2010-10-30T13:40:00.000-07:00

I've been feeling what mother's have been saying for years: Enjoy it because it goes by fast. I think it's because once school starts there is so much to look forward to. And not just for kids, but the parents too.

I was lucky enough to escort Kayleigh and 75 other kindergarteners on their first fieldtrip. A BIG thank you to my mom for spending a few days with us so I could go. Myself and another parent had a group of 7 boys and girls. We had a really great group.This is how it was the entire day... At a 10 (for the kids). Always moving. Always excited. Always happy.

The kids had a full day of picking their own vegetables to take home, learning about the farm, a corn maze, lunch AND ice cream, animals to pet, things to climb, and picking out that perfect pumpkin.

Kayleigh was on cloud nine at the farm and talked about riding the bus for days. She even asked me if I could find someone else to sit by so she could sit by a friend. Whomp. Whomp.

She has been saying for a long time that she wants to be a vet when she grows up. I really hope she does!

Baked Eggplant

2010-10-25T21:20:00.001-07:00

WOW! This was delicious and didn't call for any fancy ingredients. Eggplant, mushrooms, onion, garlic, tomato sauce and cheese. An all around winner for our no meat night. Oh, and the most awsome thing about this meal? At 168 calories per serving there is room for dessert!! It's easy all you have to do is follow THIS link to the recipe.

It's like riding a bike

2010-10-25T10:46:00.000-07:00

This weekend my little girl grew up so much. She learned how to ride her bike! We went to our neighborhood park so she would have lots of flat trails to ride one and grass to ride into. The park was packed and everyone was so encouraging to Kayleigh. I think that helped her be so successful. As you can see in the above picture (taken later at home) that she is pretty proud of herself :)
Later in the day she was riding around the courtyard when suddenly the sprinklers came on. It was hysterical. I'm so glad Dave was there to help her out.

We promised Kayleigh a new and bigger bike when she learned to ride her current one. When I say new, I mean new to us. Craigslist here I come :)

Potato Gratin with Goat Cheese and Garlic

2010-10-25T10:30:00.000-07:00

Okay, Okay I didn't take the picture. The smell of the cheesy oven roasted potatoes hypnotized me and all I could do is devour the starchy goodness.
Ingredients
1 cup half-and-half, divided
1 tablespoon flour
1 cup (4 ounces) crumbled goat cheese
1 cup 1% low-fat milk
1 teaspoon salt
3/4 teaspoon black pepper
1/8 teaspoon ground nutmeg
1 garlic clove, minced
5 cups thinly sliced peeled potato

Preparation
Preheat oven to 400°.

Combine 2 tablespoons half-and-half with flour in a large bowl, stirring with a whisk. Add the remaining half-and-half, cheese, and next 5 ingredients (cheese through garlic), stirring with a whisk. Arrange half of the potato slices in a single layer in an 11 x 7-inch baking dish coated with cooking spray. Pour half of the milk mixture over potato slices, stirring the milk mixture immediately before adding. Repeat procedure with remaining potato slices and milk mixture. Bake at 400° for 1 hour and 10 minutes or until potatoes are tender and golden brown.

Although tastey and "light," I have to say it was a waste of goat cheese. We love goat cheese and decided you couldn't really tell it was made with the goat. :(

recipe and pic from Cooking Light

Happy Friday

2010-10-22T11:26:00.001-07:00

There are so many things going on in my little head today. I guess this means I'm not sick anymore! The weather is finally right were it should be. And I'm happy to say that we haven't used the AC in 3 days!!! Yes, the windows are always open. It's my favorite!

Today I have a parent/teacher/kid conference, car to the mechanic, and energy permitting a movie in the park. This weekend is wide open :) No schedule or commitments, just parks and pumpkins with my pumpkins. Then I will brace myself for our insanely-over-busy-pull-out-my-hair-holiday-season.

Today, I came to the realization that I have been neglecting to post photos of the foods I have been making. I like having a visual history for myself. I've made some yummy things lately too. Drinks, roasted butternut squash and apple soup, pasta dishes, fish dishes, and desserts. I have an eggplant dish on the menu this week, I'll have to rememeber to take a picture.

I don't think I wrote this down, but Kayleigh's teacher told her where meat comes from. We have been keeping it from her because we knew what would happen.... But now she is okay with the fact that we will just eat less meat. Which is fine with me. That kids just loves animals so much it's crazy.

Sickness, Sickness go away

2010-10-20T08:55:00.000-07:00

Wish these scary monsters would scare sickness away. Zoe and I have been sick for a few days. I cannot wait until we feel better! The weather here is cooling off and there are so many parks and pathways that we need to discover. We also need to encourage Miss K to ride her bike without training wheels.

Pictured above: Mommy Monster, Zoe Monster and Kayleigh Monster

around the house

2010-10-13T07:53:00.000-07:00

I'm totally in love with the weather (except today, it's supposed to be 99). The mornings and evenings are beautiful. And I do believe our complex courtyard was made perfectly to keep you cooler longer. Part of the draw to this place was the fully grown trees. I come from South Dakota... I'm a sucker for trees and grass. Miss Z has been practicing her scooting skills. She does a little ballet on her scooter. As a part of her "routine" she does the standard put your leg up in the air, but she also adds a little get off the scooter, a plie, a spin, then gets on and continues on her way. It's very cute.

We can't wait for Kayleigh to come home so they can have snacks under the canopy of trees.Namaste from Zoe!

My doll Zoe

2010-10-12T15:20:00.000-07:00

This week is fall break. Kayleigh is spending a few days in Tucson so Zoe and I are keeping busy without her. Yesterday we painted and colored, ate outside, and I watched her do ballet on her scooter.

Today we ran errands and played dress-up. I wish it wan't in the high 90's so we could spend the majority of the day outside. Next week?!

KT's cake

2010-10-07T13:34:00.000-07:00

My sister is going to The Republic of Korea for a year!!! I'm so going to miss her. I'm sure she will have a great time teaching the little Kindergarteners English and experiencing Asia. But, I will so miss her!Her trip inspired me to make my first hibiscus out of fondant. Dave and I also painted the stamen and the pedals to make it look more realistic. FYI the hibiscus is the Korean flower. I also practiced my piping skills with the paisly/henna.

me and my babes

2010-10-07T13:13:00.000-07:00

Miss Z was super stoked to have her hair in two(!) french braids. She kept saying, "I look like Kayleigh!"

Sometimes we go to the gym after school so Kayleigh can play with her cousins at the daycare. We have time to kill in the mean time so once in a while I take the girls to McDonalds where they enjoy ice cream. We get homework out of the way too! Here we are one Saturday morning. We were having such a nice morning family and weather wise I opted to stay home instead of my usual gym time. :)

I've been keeping up with my workouts and suprise myself at all I can do. It's only been a few months! I'm happy to say that my longest time jogging/walking on the treadmill is 32 minutes. One day I'm going to run a 5K!!!

Keeping Busy

2010-10-07T09:41:00.000-07:00

Holy busy! We've been keeping quite busy these last few weeks and there is no sign of slowing down. Well, at least not for me anyways :) Dave and I snuck in a date night. It was perfect. A 3 course meal, Jerame and Danielle, an after dinner stroll in Old Town, and a super cool wine bar.

The girls have been keeping me really busy. Zoe has just been hard to handle. I think she has OCD, but I'm sure it's just her age?!? She seems to need constant attention. Hence, the lack of blogging. Even now, after setting her up with a snack and a craft, she is still hungry and wants to do something else....

Kayleigh is really enjoying school. The biggest change I see in her is that she is trying to read- finally! She has never liked me trying to teach her things, so it's good that someone else can. We went to the bookstore the other day and she picked out a Barbie vet book and she reads it at least twice a day. Typical Kayleigh... Pretty+Girly+Animals = Kayleigh I think one day she will own a blinged out vet clinic. :) Zoe stayed with my parents for a few days (THANK YOU MOM AND DAD) so to welcome her home we decorated around her bed. She was quite pleased with it :)

And in case you were wondering what K is doing in the above picture, she is giving her sister a tattoo. When she was done she even covered it in plastic. LOL!

Dentist

2010-10-06T13:55:00.000-07:00

I don't remember when we went without looking at the calendar, but the girls went to the dentist. And had a blast! It was a really fun pediatric dentist. The kids were happy that they got toys and a new toothbrush and I was happy they didn't have any cavities! I had to get them to tare their eyes away from the movie that was playing for this shot.This was Zoe's first visit. She was a good little patient!

Circus

2010-09-21T14:03:00.000-07:00

Or as Zoe calls it, "The Surface."

Last weekend we took the kids to the circus. I had to keep reminding myself to have fun and not worry about the $60 we spent on parking, tickets, pony rides, and a couple of corndogs and cotton candy. I wasn't prepared for the expense I guess.Anyways.... The $4 spun sugar was quite the hit...

...with the whole family! The girls really did enjoy themselves. And that's all that matters, right?!

For Zoe

2010-09-15T12:54:00.000-07:00

Today was Zoe's first day of her Park and Rec class: 2-3 yr old story and craft time. The books were about cats and so the craft was to make a cat. As you can see she is pretty proud of it.

She only interrupted the teacher once, sat still until a kid threw a shoe at her. What did she do next? She threw it right back at her and gave her a mean look of course :/ And the best part, she didn't whine or ask for food for 45 mintues! I wish we could go everyday :)

Seriously though, Zoe is so strong willed and relentless. She doesn't let things go and there is no talking her down, even if you say yes she'll then say no. Crazy kid. She'll be 3 in 3 months. Hopefully she'll move from terrible two's to terrific three's?!?!

Da Dave

2010-09-09T12:03:00.000-07:00

My man turned 33 on Monday. I'm glad we are growing old together. He's a great husband and dad. However, he's really hard to buy gifts for. So I bought him dinner for his birthday. Who am I kidding?! He makes the money in the house and we had a free entree coupon! LOL that's how we do it :)
Below is Zoe in Dave's office at work. She had lots of fun. And I think Dave enjoyed it too. I'm so Thankful that Dave is career minded. :)

Heidi's Wedding

2010-09-09T11:52:00.000-07:00

Last Saturday my "little" cousin, Heidi, got married. It was so much fun!!! I think I say this at every wedding, but I mean it. It was the best, prettiest, funnest wedding I've been to and the bride looked stunning!This picture pretty much speaks for itself. 12 Tobkin cousins and 7 in-laws equals a pretty loud and crazy bunch.

See what I mean? Stunning! Congrats to Mr. and Mrs. Hoy!
Seems as if this is the last cousin wedding I'll be to for awhile. I have 6 (Tobkin and Pearson) more that are not making any plans... Hmm. I guess we'll have to celebrate babies and just because!

randoms from the week

2010-08-27T10:23:00.000-07:00

We had an early release day on Wednesday so D (Danielle - my cousin's wife) and I took the kids to the Science Center downtown. Kayleigh and Bennett were visiting about something. It was too cute.
Zoe would tell Kayleigh to draw something and K would try her best to comply with Z's request. Maybe you can spot the octopus, lion, or panda bear?

I'm so glad it's Friday and we don't have anything going on this weekend.

Kindergarten. It's finally sinking in.

2010-08-24T09:42:00.001-07:00

Truth be told on Kayleigh's first day of school I didn't cry because I was a ball of stress. I hadn't slept the night before, Dave was sick in bed, my mom stayed over and she woke up with a migrane, so basically there was a lot going on and I couldn't fully embrace what was going on.

Today I am fully aware of that my little girl is so grown-up. For the first week and a half of school Zoe and I would walk her to her class. Now, we pull up to the drop-off lane and she walks down the side walk, across the parking lot, and to the playground to wait for the doors to her class to open- ALL BY HERSELF! I watch her walk up the sidewalk as long as I can, but there is always a car in a rush behind me to drop their child off.

More times than I can count I look at the clock and wonder what she is doing at that moment. I hope that she's having fun and that the other kids are being nice to her. I hope she is being nice to the other kids too. We have the same talk every morning: Be nice. Compliment someone. Drink lots of water. We'll miss you. We love you. Have a great day. Can't wait for you to come home!

K also is setup with a lunch money account so she can buy a school lunch once a week. When I went to school everyone ate the same school lunch... It seemed like a much easier process for a Kindergartener.... Kay has 3 options for a main course, 3 options for a drink, and 2 options for a side. YIKES! She has so much to be responsible for. But I'm happy to say she says, "Don't worry mom, I eat the healthy stuff first." I believe her too. She is very aware of what is healthy and what isn't. However, she needs to work on finishing her lunch instead of visiting ;o)

It's 10:13.. They are getting ready for recess. Recess will be held indoors today because it's HOT. The temp is to reach 112 today with high humidity, so it should feel like a mere 125 by the time Zoe and I wait outside to pick Kayleigh up :)

my buddy

2010-08-18T15:50:00.001-07:00

Sing it with me.... My buddy, my buddy, my buddy and me!

Zoe and I have settled into somewhat of a routine this week: Drop off K, workout, run errand, lunch, nap, pick up K. After Kay gets settled into Kgrade we are going to have to change it up a bit so we can add arts and crafts into our day.

I'm happy to say that I have been working out on a regular basis and really working it! I've been sore everyday for the past 3 weeks.

Today, Z spent time with a 2-year-old that we met while visiting Dave at his condo while we were still in Tucson. They also have a daughter Kayleigh's age and they all get along so well :)

My only complaint is this heat. ooooo it's soooooo annoying and miserable. i can't wait for cooler weather!

adjusting

2010-08-12T16:28:00.000-07:00

Kayleigh isn't the only one learning new things and adjusting to this new school schedule. Zoe has had a bit of difficulty watching her sister go off to school every day. Tuesday and Wednesday she screamed and screamed when we left. And she screamed some more. Good lord she screamed. So, today I was determined to make it a good day for her.

We packed a lunch bag for her and busted out the stroller. The stroller worked, but she wanted to put her lunch bag away and sit in a chair and wait for school to start. Crisis diverted though and we made it to the car in a civilized manner. I opted not to go to the gym this morning so we could spend some QT together. It was a small sacrafice that paid off big time! I'll get to the gym every morning, just not this week :)

Speaking of adjusting... Kayleigh is doing just fine. As expected she is super tired at the end of the day and cries a lot... We were warned this would be expected... She is always open to talking about her day... She knows that when she gets home it's snack, homework, then playtime. Tuesday I walked in on her teaching Zoe her colors in Spanish. She was, naturally, a good teacher.

And as for me, I'm adjusting :) The hardest part is getting out of bed with an alarm, but I'm excited to be at home with Zoe. I love seeing her get excited about simple things.

First Day of Kindergarten

2010-08-09T21:15:00.000-07:00

Today was Kayleigh's first day of Kindergarten. She was very excited. For lunch she ate a pb&j, grapes, grape tomatoes, fruit snacks, and a juice box. She is enrolled in a Spanish immersion program thru Scottsdale public schools. Math and science will be taught in Spanish and the rest of the day will be in English. She as two teachers: Mrs. Christee and Sra Fredrick.

I'm proud of her for being so brave- new school, new people... She had lots of stories to tell us when she got home. Of how she felt bad for a girl that was crying, a boy that said a bad word, how she thought a girl had a pretty name, how even though she could eat her dessert first she didn't, and how pueblo (the name of her school) means little city in spanish.

Zoe was very sad that Kayleigh was leaving her. Hopefully we can fill our days enough that she won't always feel that way.

egg in a nest

2010-08-05T21:18:00.000-07:00

I've never made an egg in a nest before. the girls ate it up ;o)

M&M graph

2010-08-05T13:17:00.000-07:00

With a heat warning in effect, I've opted to stay inside today and do things my friends to the North might do in the winter months.

I nabbed this cute idea of graphing with M&M's from a Tucson friend. (Thank you Sarah!)

I'm sure the girls will want to do this again and again.

Click here for the printable

Corn-Stuffed Poblano Chiles

2010-08-03T20:32:00.001-07:00

WOW is just all I can say about this little dish. I haven't made something this complex in a while. I'm also happy to say that I used two new ingredients- poblanos and tomatillos. The mixture was chicken, goat cheese and fresh corn. Next time I will serve with some sort of creamy rice or polenta.

Above is Martha Stewart's picture. Below is mine.
THE LINK

whoa!

2010-08-02T21:58:00.000-07:00

Number 1 is a week away from Kindergarten. Totally crazy. She'll learn math and science in Spanish and if we keep it up she'll be bi-lingual by the 6th grade. Totally more crazy.

I joined the YMCA or just "The Y" today.

Everything is twice as much here than in Tucson. Sucks.

Dave and I have a hot date planned this weekend. It's our 6 year wedding anniversary.

My attempt at a Hazlenut Chiffon cake with Mocha Buttercream Frosting. Will have to try it again. The sign says, "Happy Birthday You Are Craptacular!" The frosting was the shit. haha

Speaking of cake. I signed up for the 3rd and final Wilton class. Starts on Friday. I'm looking forward to it!

keeping busy

2010-07-29T16:15:00.000-07:00

We have been keeping ourselves busy these past few weeks. Which has been nice, but it's also nice to play too.
painting feet and letting them run on a expanse of paper seemed to be a big hit.

ha- it rained... for like 90 seconds. Very exciting for people here in the Valley of the Sun.

We hooked Kayleigh up with a computer and games. She's a quick learner. We have never really let Kayleigh play on the computer. She's 5 for goodness sakes! She's supposed to be using that thing us grown-ups forget about... Imagination! Touchy subject I guess.... Anyways. She has computer lab in school so we didn't want her to be left behind.

I promised the girls if they learned to swim we would take them to the aquarium. Kayleigh was so excited to be there. She is such an animal lover. She kept picking out a fish in each tank and saying it was her friend.

video of K & Z swimming

2010-07-29T16:04:00.000-07:00

My little swimmers did so well at their lessons. I wish we could afford to keep going! Zoe will be in the same class next time where Kayleigh will advance to the next group. Kayleigh did awesome concidering she would never even swim with floaties on before this. And Zoe, what can I say... there's nothing to it with her.

kitchen help

2010-07-29T15:53:00.000-07:00

Miss Z has been really into helping me in the kitchen lately. Usually she's just excited to set the table, but yesterday she was super excited to help me make zucchini cookies.
you can't get a more genuine smile :)
love it.

swimming lessons

2010-07-14T13:26:00.000-07:00

One thing on my to do list once we got settled was enroll the girls in swimming lessons. It just so happened that they had a new session that started on the 12th AND their cousin wanted to take lessons too. Kayleigh has a lesson at 11:30, then Zoe and Gunnar have their lesson at 12:00. It's been 3 days and Kayleigh has went to not swimming to swimming under water! And Zoe and Gunnar are doing great too. The littler ones have no problem getting wet and moving through the water (I'm sure they'll be swimming soon too). Above is a picture of the girls having a snack in the viewing area. They thought it was like being at a movie theater, but instead of watching a movie they were watching swimmers. Below is a snapshot of Zoe in the water while Gunnar waits for his turn.

kitchen and wet bar

2010-07-14T13:17:00.000-07:00

Well, here it is. The smallest kitchen ever and a wet bar. At first I thought the wet bar was a waste of space, but it came in handy on Monday night. Only if there was a mini fridge under the sink instead of cabinets...

Potluck

2010-07-13T10:18:00.000-07:00

Last night we held a potluck dinner. Katie, Josh, Shana, Jerame, Danielle and kids came. Our place is small, but we made it work with moving some furniture around and bringing outdoor chairs in. At one point there were 4 (!) people in the kitchen. That reminds me, I need to take a picture of the kitchen and wet bar area. It was lots of fun! Shana made guac, D made roasted herbed corn, I turkey burgers, and KT & Josh brought dessert. It was perfect and I hope we do it again and again.
Kayleigh and Gunnar are seriously BFFs. They have been spending lots of time together and never argue. They have so much energy! At the end of the night, they were both laughing it up in the bathroom doing eachothers hair with the squirt bottle and hand soap! We ended the night by giving them a shower. TOO FUNNY!

more condo

2010-07-13T09:23:00.000-07:00

This is taken from the master looking towards the kid's wing. ;o) To the left is the bathroom and play room and to the right is their bedroom.

Bedroom video:

Our first meal was on the 4th of July and consisted of hot dogs, corn, and watermelon.

the new pad

2010-07-08T21:50:00.000-07:00

It's been fun getting settled into our little condo. We love the character of place. It's old and has lots of quirks. Here is the walkway to our place... the pool is behind the bushes. I'm so happy to have a yard and pool (that I don't have to care for)! Here is the front. We are on the bottom, tucked away in a corner. The trees are amazing. There are orange trees all over the property. Yay!Here is what you see when you enter. The lighting/fan situation has been interesting. We have it all figured out now... I know for a fact that the next house we have will be flooded with natural light.This is the view if you look left from the entry way. The wetbar and kitchen got cropped out. I'll take a picture of the area later. It's strange. Although down-sizing has been a challenge, I think it will suit us just fine.

More to come...

Here We Grow!

2010-07-01T06:47:00.000-07:00

Tomorrow we are going to be transplanted. We will have to drink lots of water so we don't wilt in the heat. Hopefully we can integrate easily into the new land so we can continue to grow and reach that mighty oak status. family photo shoot directed by kayleigh