look at this naughty little lady, another thumb sucker!!! ARGHH

We are having a hard time getting Anna any piano practice time because Nolan wants to play too, she was so sweet last night and let him play with her.

she rolls over, but doesn't enjoy the tummy time so much. I think I will be hauling her around for quite awhile since I am not sure she will crawl in the near future.

pigs in the trees

I first found this recipe before I even had Emma in a Land O LAkes cookbook, which is great, they make butter so of course you wouldn't expect anything less. I hadn't made it for a while but did last night and my kids Loved it, and I could even make a version for Sam with rice noodles and no cheese.

It is very easy...

Fry about 6-8 slices of bacon (we prefer Hormel Black Label) and then cut them up, reserve about 2 Tbsp of the fat in the pan.
Sautee 1 lg head of broccoli into florets and 2-3 garlic cloves (pressed) until tender.
Add 8 0z. cooked pasta...rotini, penne, whatever you want
then some grated mozzerella and the bacon and stir on low heat until the cheese is melted and well distributed. Add some salt & pepper a little parmesan cheese, maybe a bit of olive oil if you want.

stop calling me old lady

I would really like to get you one of these for your special day ( no I would like to get it for myself but we can share)

I love you even though you are full of hot air a lot of the time, and by the way we need to take some funner pictures of you because I am havinga hard time making this so cute and clever for you....

because you are such a boy, like a seventh grade class clown

because you love your mommy

and your crazy boys

and you build snowmen

and your slightly creepy "babies" the chickens.

that you made our yucky rotten bathroom so nice, I guess I should have added a picture of that.

that you love to cook.

I really liked that you gave me a nice kitchen to replace, well words cannot describe how gross it was before.

your love of power tools and taking down those two huge trees that were bigger than our house.

that you feel comfortable in pink trunks

that you love your girls

when I wonder why all men that are don't love girls LOVE you, including our neighbor (whose puppies Tulip and Cosmo even love you) I look at this picture and I wonder more....remember when you thought it was funny to send a picture on the cell phone of me while I was in labor and it was not a pretty one. HA HA HA!!!!!!!!!!!

Welcome to THIRTY FIVE!!!!!!!!! Looks great on you, I Love you!!! Happy Birthday

just call him Martha

Chris has worn glasses I think since he was in third grade...I don't know why this is blue or underlined but I will fix it in a minute, and when I posted this it was orange???. I don't know when he got contacts but has worn them for quite a while. He usually only wears his glasses at night, the ones he has are kind of old and so is the prescription. Chris keeps them in the nightstand drawer so they are safe. Nolan figured out how to climb off the bed and found a new toy, first he broke one arm off, then the other. Chris tried to just set them on his nose but that was not working, and please we don't even have cable so a new pair of glasses?? The kids left their craft stuff out a few weeks ago or longer, and when Chris walked in the room wearing these... I just laughed and laughed, it so much funnier when they are on. Hilarious!!!


I am all about people matching here so Emma even made a pair for little Maggie!!



I thought this was so sweet, no better friend than a sister

We did take everyone for their yearly eye appt last week, Chris will be getting his new glasses. Emma still in bifocals but I really like the frame she picked out. I had a difficult time not bossing that decision for her and Anna, but they have to wear them so I let it go. Hopefully they will be ready soon.

Happy Day

Today is a happy day, it is SUNNY and mild! Chris didn't go in to work until 10:30, so he helped get the kids ready for school and took the two monsters with him on an errand. I went to the store with only three kids, and the two previously mentioned were not in attendance and it was almost fun. I bought a bunch of totes and boxes to organize all the junk in my basement and am in the process of THROWING stuff away and that makes me oh so happy!! I bought a hair dryer for my daughter who has been wanting one for a million years and it was on clearance at Target and it is PINK!! I have not had a hair dryer since the lollipop diffuser died in the mid 90's. Now my MIL will not have to pack one or question the reasoning why I do not have one. I bought Maggie two 350 thread count sheets for $6!!! Chris Vacation starts right after his test on Saturday!!! Our bathroom ceiling is FINALLY nice an smooth and not peeling paint. Our house is getting oh so fancy for the people who buy our house (hopefully we will find some one to buy our house!!!)
Oh NO, Emma is beginning to get a little bit SaSSy, hopefully I can keep my good mood so the MEAN MOMMY personality does not take over.

King Cake

1/2 cup warm water
2 pkg. yeast
1/2 c. plus 1 tsp sugar
3 1/2 to 4 1/2 cups flour
2 tsp salt
1 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp lemon zest
1/2 c warm milk
5 egg yolks, slightly beaten
1 stick butter at room temp sliced
1 tsp. cinnamon

1 beaten egg mixed with 1 Tbsp milk

Place the yeast and sugar into the warm water, let set for three minutes. Then mix it together and let set for ten minutes until all bubbly.
Sift 3 1/2 cups flour, sugar, salt, and nutmeg into a large bowl. Stir in the lemon zest. Stir the yolks into the flour mixture with a wooden spoon. Slowly combine the yeast mixture into the flour mixture. Beat in a mixer or food processor for two minutes, adding the butter one slice at a time until it forms a soft ball.
Knead the dough, adding one Tbsp of flour at a time ( I used all the flour plus some more) until no longer sticky. Then knead by hand for ten minutes. Butter the bowl and dough and let set for 1 1/2 hours covered.
Sprinkle the top of the dough with the cinnamon before you punch it down, then knead it to work the cinnamon throughout the dough. Make two "snakes" out of the dough and twist them together and then form into a circle. Set aside for 45 minutes.
Brush with the egg wash and bake at 375 for 25-35 minutes.

For the icing combine 3 c. confectioners sugar with a scant 1/4 c. lemon juice and if needs be a bit of milk till good consistency. Sprinkle with colored sugars.

please you need not play the video because it is only the king cake, but I was so pleased with it, I will add the recipe later. It was tasty even without being filled, I don't know how to do that yet. and at that time could not get my camera to work unless it was taking videos. next year we will be closer to getting some great ones, because we are moving to hattiesburg MS.

I am excited to get a new house that fits everyone comfortably!! lots of members, and we know people and close to family. not crazy about the heat but good thing there is AC and pools. I really do love the seasons and will miss the foilage!!

I will miss living here, miss the smell of chocolate, no tax on clothing & groceries,the cute little town with the benefit of being close to so many great places to visit . Since I have always moved around I am not sure if I will get used to the idea of living in one place for the rest of my life, but I think it will be alright. so lily since I am moving to the south I will need to relinquish my nickname since the EAst Coast love distributor doesn't fit anymore, well since I've been married for more than twelve years I guess it hasn't worked for awhile now either. Though Chris does call Nolan the milkman's child!

oh no, here is Nolan with no diaper on and a pack of bacon. I'd better get back to my job!!